Guyana Times Sunday February 9, 2020

Nationwide coverage coverage from from the the best best news news team team in in Guyana Guyana Nationwide Issue No. 4191 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON BEACON OF OF TRUTH TRUTH THE

Sunday, February 9, 2020

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Armed bandits invade Berbice P7 home …cut hole in roof to gain entry See story on page 3

Border controversy case

Better security, tax incentives for fisherfolk – Irfaan Ali Page 3

National cyclist struck, killed by PNCR Executive Gary Best

Guyana ready for upcoming P17 hearing – Greenidge P12 2 taxis hijacked in 48 hours

See story on page 10

Dead: Jude Bently

...failed breathalyser test ꟷ Traffic Chief

CDC warns of spring tides

…flood-prone areas alerted P16

Repsol applies to EPA to drill multiple wells in Kanuku Block

Provocative utterances

“Think about what you say on the campaign UK envoy …EPA cites possible environmental trail”ꟷ …notes importance of impact from drilling

See story on page 7

Page 7

credible, peaceful elections

Lack of water for rice fields

Illegal culvert P11 adds to farmers' woes

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

3 Better security, tax incentives for fisherfolk – Irfaan Ali U NEWS

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, February 9 – 05:30h – 07:00h and Monday, February 10 – 05:00h -06:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, February 9 – 16:25h – 17:55h and Monday, February 10 – 05:20h – 06:50h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily

WEATHER TODAY Sunshine is expected throughout the day. There will be clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 20 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

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High Tide: 04:43h and 16:59h reaching maximum heights of 2.67 metres and 2.83 metres.

Low Tide: 10:32h and 22:59h reaching minimum heights of 0.53 metre and 0.37 metre.

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Crude Oil $54.47/barrel -0.84 Rough Rice $245.16/ton +0.70 London Sugar $428.10/ton

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nder a People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government, there will be better security and tax incentives for fisherfolk. This assurance was given by the party’s Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali on Saturday as he addressed thousands of supporters at a meeting at Corriverton, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne).

The region, Ali said, has undergone tremendous hardship not only with increased taxes on supplies but with security.

Many fishermen, Ali noted, lost their lives at sea but the APNU/AFC Government did not even have the courtesy to sympathise with the families of the dead fishermen.

“It was our General Secretary who not only met with the families here but went over [to] neighbouring Suriname to meet the families there. That is why we are going to address this issue of fisherfolk in our manifesto. We must ensure that they are secured. We must equip them and put systems in place that they will be safe when they go out there to earn their living,” Ali told the thousands in attendance.

He said the fisherfolk need to be supported with tax incentives and also markets, noting that under the David Granger-led Administration, Guyana lost its catfish market in the United States.

“This is because of incompetence,” Ali told the gathering.

He said under his Administration, the fishing sector will be given priority since, in Region Six, it affects a number of lives and a number of jobs benefit from it.

“Our first task is to ensure that you are safe in the fishing industry, to ensure that you are giving incentives so we will remove the taxes on equipment and supplies and we have to ensure that the State builds a strong mechanism to keep you safe out there.”

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask $1570.00 $1571.00 Low/High $1560.90 $1574.90 Change 0.00 0.00%

He said under his Administration, not only is he going to ensure that the sugar industry is resuscitated, but he will ensure that employment is restored.

“That is only a part of the plan because we have to ensure that sugar is viable and sustainable.”

To do that, he added, there will be a need for further investment in the industry.

“We have to ensure that in the future no sugar worker will worry about the survival of their jobs anymore.”

The Presidential Candidate added that investment in agriculture will improve to build transporting infrastructure while noting that many farmers spend quite a large sum of money.

He recalled that many rice farmers in the region have had to bear the burden of additional cost to pump

water into the rice fields while the Government has not assisted them in any tangible way.

“We are going to fix this …when we invest once again in drainage and irrigation services, in farm-to-market access roads and stronger and better markets. We are going to be supporting the input cost so that their produce which includes rice and other crops will become sustainable and profitable.”

Oil and gas funds

Addressing the much talked about sector – oil and gas – Ali told the thousands gathered that under a PPP Administration, funds generated from this sector will be used to build other segments of the economy including support for farming and agriculture so that the region will become a sustainable food basket for the Caribbean.

“We are going to open up new lands so that you will have more areas for farming and so that you can increase the production of food. So, as you think of the future be prepared for a new wave of investment in this region to expand agriculture and bring back the vibrancy and profitability in agriculture with the Government’s support.”

Ali in no uncertain terms said that every crop in agri-

PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali

culture is the Government’s business.

“Government has a responsibility to support farming and agriculture and your new PPP/Civic Government will lead the way. Region Six will become the farming and agriculture capital when it comes to rice production. We have to support you when it comes to investing infrastructure,” he said.

The implementation of agro-processing facilities is also a part of his Government’s plan.

He added that the PPP/C

manifesto speaks of a microcredit and grant facility for farmers. This, he explained, will reduce the cost of financing as farmers will easily be able to get loans and grants to expand agriculture.

Emphasis, the Presidential Candidate noted, will also be placed on ensuring that farmers get certification for their produce.

This will allow them to enter the export market thus giving them new markets with a better price and ensure that those markets are sustainable.

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544 223-7230,223-7231,231-0544, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Development and banks

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ith the developed world still unrecovered from the meltdown precipitated by banks operating in a freewheeling liberalised financial industry, we hope the new Government will take steps to ensure we don’t end up at that dead-end. We raise the possibility of public and development banking.

Back in the 70s, the Government launched GNCB as a public bank, competing with the several commercial banks then operating, and GAIBANK as a development bank, securing its funds from grants and loans from the international community. By the 80s the Government effectively assumed control over the entire banking industry through varying levels of nationalisation of the private banks.

The rationale offered for our massive government intervention was, bluntly, market failure. GNCB as a public bank was responding to the unmet need for a more distributed and accessible banking system, while GAIBANK was intended to fill the endemic financing gap for targeted entrepreneurial activities left unattended by the commercial banks.

Unfortunately, the system quickly degenerated into a classic, rightly-criticised, “repressed” financial system: the Government maintained artificially low interest rates, inducing excess demand for credit which the Government must now allocate. The low interest rates (effectively so when the high inflation rates were deducted) became an effective disincentive to savings and combined with the inability of the Government to borrow internationally, eventually resulted in low investment and thus low growth. This situation was exacerbated by all the other potential negative features of development banking: cronyism, rent-seeking and corruption by bureaucrats, misallocation of funds in misconceived schemes etc. By the eighties, we had plunged into negative “growth”.

The IMF’s Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) of 1989 bequeathed our present financial system: banks and other financial institutions totally privatised and “liberalised”. It was putatively subject only to market forces with Government reduced to a “non-distorting” regulatory role. GAIBANK was dissolved and GNCB privatised. So we have three decades of experience with the liberalised financial system. What have we learnt?

The developed world has now accepted what China and the other “emerged” and emerging economies have shown: participation of Government is vital in the financial sector. Otherwise, the social function of overall national development – which necessitated the invention (and the ongoing maintenance) of the banking system in the first place – will inevitably be eroded and vitiated by the workings of unmediated human greed. A system driven only by the profit motive cannot do otherwise. We have been spared the worst excesses of the financial depravity experienced up north – through our relative “underdevelopment in financial instruments”. On the other hand, we have not witnessed any turnaround in banking efficiency or the financial intermediation necessary to foster the growth of our economy.

Our privatised banks have maintained and even extended the dispersion of branches into the countryside but these have been deployed to more efficiently trawl for deposits rather than for disbursing more loans. In this former task, they have been singularly successful but in their reluctance to service the domestic entrepreneurial potential necessary for our development, they have piled up billions and billions of dollars lying idle in their coffers. Theoretically, in the financial liberalisation model, the private banks were supposed to have competed with each other to lend the funds secured from deposits leading to the lowest possible rate of interest and still make a profit over the rate offered to attract deposits. If the claim was valid, it certainly never reached Guyana.

In our considered judgement, we threw out the baby with the bathwater when we closed down our development and public banks. The raison d’etre for those institutions is even more evident – and necessary – today if we want to achieve the double-digit growth rates necessary for a quantum leap in living standards. With funding of our version of a Sovereign Wealth Fund established as a Natural Resource Fund, the public banks can intermediate the latter’s investment mandate.

Of course, we have to rectify the downside risks inherent in government ownership, which, in our case, having tried the model can be easier identified.

Renowned British Chef and food critic, Gordon Ramsay, is in Guyana to film episodes of his popular TV cooking show and will be showcasing Guyanese cuisines. Ramsay will be collaborating with local Chef Delven Adams of the Backyard Café in West Ruimveldt, Georgetown. In photo, Ramsay shares a photo with a fan while filming on a horse cart in the streets of Georgetown guyanatimesgy.com

You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

The main responsibility of GECOM is to deliver free and fair elections!

Dear Editor, The troubled past of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) remains a haunting and traumatic experience for most Guyanese. Lest we forget and be condemned to suffer from the wrath meted out by an unwelcome political dictator, the contaminants of the recent 2015 General and Regional Elections serve as a stark reminder that citizens need to demand and insist on the credibility of all instruments and every electoral process administered.

Of course, the reasons why administrators of the constitutional autonomous body have continuously allowed the infiltration and accommodation for so long has its roots in the need for reform of processes that reflect acceptable levels of transparency and fairness.

Notwithstanding, the imbued levels of intolerable tricks of the trade that had been allowed to permeate the GECOM system justify the need for the most stringent monitoring and counterchecks.

Such are the cases which now necessitates polling agents and observers ensure that Statement of Polls are carefully prepared in the most acceptable manner before validation. Polling agents must also ensure that these Statements present a true and correct representation of the voters’ transactions at the particular polling station where all approved parties authenticate them.

In fact, the polling agents

and observers must record all transactions that take place at each polling station. The Statement of Polls, therefore, must represent an accurate account of all transactions and the genuine results of how many votes each party received at each specific polling station.

Polling agents and observers must be at the polling stations before the Presiding Officer enters the station. All the polling agents and observers must carefully check to see the ballot box is empty before the start of polls. At the end of polls, the counting agents/observers must carefully check and confirm all the votes cast in favour of each participating political party list of candidates.

It is also essential that the counted ballots cast be reconciled with the amount of ballot papers issued to the polling station at the beginning, to ensure that when one adds up the ballot cast and the remaining unused ballots papers, it adds up to the original amount.

Reported occurrences in the 2015 General and Regional Elections confirmed that the Presiding Officer did not sign the Statement of Polls at Peters Hall Primary School, which resulted in a frantic search for the PPP polling agent who had already left the station. Further, in the 2018 Local Government Elections, the Presiding Officer in one station at Peters Hall Primary School switched the Greater PPP/C Constituency votes

by recording it in favour of APNU. It was thorough the exercised vigilance of the PPP/C leaders that immediate checks at our command centre led to the discovery of the ‘deceptive switching’. Naturally, PPP/C representatives immediately returned the agent to the polling booth where the Presiding Officer had to make the corrections.

Because of the poor and problematic GECOM staff performances in some cases, our agents must be very thorough, focused and alert in checking the details of all transactions. Agents must ensure or request that the Presiding Officer write the statements of Polls to reveal the correct details on the originals as well as the copies. The votes must be, therefore, written in words and ‘numbers’ (alpha and numeric terms).

Further, the Presiding Officer and each polling agent must sign each copy of the Statements of Polls at the station they represent. Tender ballots must be of a different colour to the standard ballots and polling agents are required to make copious notes regarding the use of any ‘tender’ ballot. It is of note that tender ballots approved by the Presiding Officer are not to be placed in the ballot box, nor included in the votes counted at the end of polling.

It is a known fact that most polling agents are thoroughly trained and should be fully prepared to deal with all the Divisions

and Sub Divisions where there would be polling stations. Elections Day activities must, therefore, adhere to, and be held in strict compliance with these legislative positions.

Polling agents must give extra attention to ‘rejected ballots’ which has been a pain in all elections.

This is perhaps because of GECOM’s inability to conduct proper voter education or the deliberate act

by Presiding Officers to declare ballots as being rejected because of their individual interpretations of what constitutes a rejected ballot. Ballots are generally considered rejected for four main reasons. These include an unmarked ballot, a ballot without the 6-digit stamp, a ballot that is cast for more than one party in the same election and a ballot where the intersection of the X is on the line separating two parties in the same election.

Although the Presiding Officer must give each polling agent a fully signed copy of each Statement of Poll at the end of counting, he or she is required to place a valid copy outside of each polling station.

The representative agents should also capture digital photographs of this final document using their individual phones where practicable. These actions will help to validate the inherent threats to the Elections scheduled for completion on March 2, 2020, by GECOM. Sincerely, Neil Kumar

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Youth violence in Guyana Cannot afford to lose our families, youth to a foreign land

Dear Editor, We need to keep families and the youths in this country and cannot afford to lose them to a foreign land. The only way this can be done is by creating jobs and good-paying ones. If one was to listen to Mr David Granger during the 2015 campaign, you would have thought that he got this idea because it is he who said “I promise you jobs” and that was a message specifically targeted at the youths of Guyana. He further clarified his statement by saying, not some “hairy fairy job like cleaning gutters, but good-paying jobs”.

The evidence over the last 4 years and 6 months exposed that Mr Granger struggles with this concept of delivering on promises. In only a matter of months; not years; yes months, this is what he said to the youths who he promised these” well-paying jobs” and I quote “there is a lot of fish and chip shops now, you can sell cassava chips and sweet potatoes chips, you can sell cook-up rice and

plete opposite pushing the nation to its worst youth unemployment crisis since 1987 (when the PNC ruled).

At the end of September 2018, the youth unemployment rate was 26.4 per cent.

That computes to 19,389 youths kicking bricks on the streets and that is only those youths captured by the survey. Based on my informed conversation with an expert in the Stats Bureau, this survey would not have been efficient at this task in the hinterlands of Guyana where the last reported youth unemployment rate was as high as 45 per cent.

For jobs to thrive, we must incentivise the Private Sector and keep spending under control. But clearly, this is not what Mr Granger has done. Actually, in his 4 years in office, he spent $1,300 billion. If compared to the last 4 years of the PPP/C in Government, they spent almost $425 billion less. That was money that was left in the pockets of the Private Sector to stimulate their business expansion which is what is needed to

the only candidate that can turnaround this economy and who is the only candidate that can stimulate the growth in the wealth of the nation.

Granger is not as proyouth as he is saying he is and his record over the last 4 years and 6 months proves this. But to cement this opinion that Granger is nothing else but a wolf in sheep clothing on the pro-youth issues, let us reflect on the growth in the size of the manpower in the Central Government.

Between 2015 and 2019, the size of the Central Government staff grew by 82 per cent, most of them were contract employees over the age of 55 years and close to the PNC (the geriatric and semi-geriatric PNC cabal). So while there was a growth in the employment of these semi-retiree and retirees over these last 4 years, simultaneously, the under 40-year-olds (youths) saw over 6000 of their own become unemployable and push on to the bread line.

dog food”. Are you serious Mr Granger?

Then the mother of all deception and duplicity rolled off his tongue when he said to the youths of Guyana “there is no possibility that the Government can start hiring young people”. Well true to form, Mr Granger did banish the youths of this country into unemployment as the statistics reveal in the 2018 Guyana Labour Force Survey as published by the Bureau of Statistics. Rather than crafting policies to reduce youth unemployment, Mr Granger did the com-

create the new jobs. Because of less Central Government expenditure under the PPP/C, more money was left in the pockets of the population and it contributed to more disposable income for the people and thus drove aggregate demand locally.

How difficult is this for Mr Granger to understand?

This is elementary stuff for people like Dr Irfaan Ali who is well versed in the art and sciences of managing an economy. This basic fundamental issue exposes who is the better candidate for Guyana; who is

So who really is looking after the welfare of the future generations of this country (the youths)? Who can best make this country great if not the youths, so why is Mr Granger treating them so badly? What is his problem with the youths of Guyana? Why is he so disrespectful and contemptuous of the youths of Guyana?

Is he aware that the under 40-year-olds make up 69 per cent of Guyana?

Sincerely, Sasenarine Singh

What is good for the goose is good for the gander Dear Editor, Citizens Dianna Deravinne Rajcumar (aide to the Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan) and Phillip Marcus have asked the High Court for the PPP to produce the academic qualifications of Dr Irfaan Ali, the PPP Presidential Candidate.

Their reason given was, “Consequent on their constitutional right to vote, they are entitled to know the educational antecedents of the candidates to access, process and interpret along with other information, before deciding to vote for a candidate…”.

By this token, a simi-

lar request should be asked of the APNU/AFC candidates who appear to have questionable degrees.

Nicolette Henry, for example, is an APNU candidate whose name is often preceded with the title “Dr”.

When Ms Henry was questioned about this title recently, she had claimed, “I am a doctor of scholar…at a Laureate University in the US”. Guyanese would like to know if and when Ms Henry has graduated with a doctoral degree, from which university, the university costs and who paid these, how are doctoral degrees granted at that particular university, her area of specialisation,

the title of her doctoral thesis, who were her advisors/ examiners, etc.

Citizens may also ask the High Court to ask Mr David Granger, the APNU Presidential Candidate, if he and his colleagues have declared their assets as stipulated by the Integrity Commission Act. This information is necessary for citizens to make an informed decision on whether to vote for the candidate or not.

What is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Yours truly, Dr Devanand Bhagwan

Dear Editor, It is highly undeniable that our youth holds aggressive attitudes and exert violent behaviour on others. On any given day in Guyana, there are multiple news stories about youth violence. Whether it’s street fighting, school violence or bullying, our country’s youth is plagued with violent behaviour. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines youth violence as violence which occurs among individuals (aged 10-29 years), who are not related or may not know each other. It includes a series of acts from bullying, physical fighting, to more severe sexual and physical assault, to homicide.

Presently, youth violence is increasing and quickly becoming one of the major concerns in Guyana, and the world moreover.

However, a few questions should be taken into consideration - What is making the youth today so violent and ill-tempered and, is there anything that can stop this trend?

There are a few factors which contribute to hostile behaviour. A home is supposed to be a safe place where children are free to experience their right of love, care and protection. If they are usually faced with violent behaviour between their parents, it is highly likely that they would assume all relationships are filled with violence. Thus, they will adopt an irrational personality and indulge in unacceptable activities.

Violence in the media print and electronic -, can also contribute to destructive and violent attitudes amongst the youth. Many experts in education and psychology believe that children act based on what they visualise, which can easily be reacted due to constant exposure. Television and video games have greatly influenced many children. When parents and teachers take the time to teach children respectful values and norms, they will learn problem-solving, coping skills and conflict resolution.

Toxic environments for children, created by austerity, is another recognised cause for violence amongst youth. Homes, schools or neighbourhoods can become hostile environments for children when their relationships and experiences fail to nurture, protect and help them achieve their potential. Such environments leave many children disaffected, frightful and vengeful. As a result, they are scared and provoked into carrying knives

or guns, joining gangs and committing criminal acts.

It is no coincidence that the vast majority of crime takes place in neighbourhoods suffering from huge social disadvantage. Many neighbourhoods with high crime are already inclined to distrust law enforcement personnel, owing to their experiences of institutional racism in our country.

As violence and crime have increased, the proportion of offences for which Police have identified the offender has fallen, which further erodes civilians’ trust in authority. When Police fail to solve or stop crime, people will bypass law enforcement and authority and tend to use violence to resolve disputes.

There is no guarantee that violence can be stopped permanently, but prevention can make a difference. Parents can start by being worthy role models, refraining from violent behaviour and making sure that they are positively involved in their children’s lives. They should maintain frequent discussions and discipline their kids during ‘slip-ups’ as well as lending them a supportive shoulder in times of distress. Parents should make it clear that aggressive behaviour is unacceptable and, therefore, they should be actively involved in the school systems to ensure that the children are safe and the environment is violent free.

Additionally, school authorities should also carry out their primary role

of preventing violence amongst students. A school should be a protected place where students can achieve knowledge. Thus, teachers and other staff members should develop an appropriate attitude to students and maintain a comfortable atmosphere.

Schools should also invest in violence prevention programmes and daily assemblies where students with problems are taught the morals, values and laws of society. They should also ensure a guidance counsellor is appointed as students may have a necessary urge of speaking to someone about their struggles and experiences. As a result, a child battling criminal attitudes and thoughts can be counselled, and a victim of a criminal act could be provided with help and advice.

Preventing violence does not involve the efforts of parents and schools alone, but it is also the duty of society as a whole, by changing social and cultural conditions in efforts of reducing violence such as media violence, reshaping social norms and restructuring educational systems. The problem cannot be solved completely, however, when individuals lend a helping hand to reduce violence, the world will move towards becoming a more peaceful and safe place.

Sincerely, Hadiyyah Mohamed Student

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Foundation

Why adolescents make riskier Communicating choices when with their peers with your teen

By: Jutta Joormann PhD

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or most parents with teenage children, letting them go out into the world can be scary. Will they make good decisions?

Will they be safe?

Adolescents are often portrayed in the media as being notorious for making poor decisions, whether it be about substance use, sex, or other potentially dangerous activities. In fact, research does show that teenagers tend to make riskier choices than children and adults with respect to drinking, smoking, sexual activity, violence, crime, and car accidents (Steinberg, et al, 2008).

It's likely that you've heard many different explanations for this. Some experts attribute teens’ risky behaviour, for instance, to an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that’s “in charge” of planning, regulating, and helping us stop and think before we act. The prefrontal cortex undergoes substantial changes during adolescence, which could be one reason for lower impulse control that characterises adolescent behaviour (Somerville, et al, 2010).

Another reason teens tend to make riskier decisions is likely related to the fact that they have heightened reward sensitivity (Galván, 2013).

Reward sensitivity is the degree to which we enjoy getting a reward—be it food, money, or a compliment. The part of the brain underlying the reward system (the striatum) also changes dramatically during adolescence.

Brain changes are important, but it's not just the brain that changes. A factor that isn't always focused on is the heightened influence of peers during adolescence.

Chein et al performed a study that aimed to examine how peers influence adolescents’ risky decision-making.

The researchers compared adolescents (14-18 years old), young adults (19-22 years old), and adults (24-29 years old). The study’s goal was to simulate real-world decision-making while driving.

To do that, they used a simulated driving task known as the Stoplight task. In the Stoplight task, the subject is driving a simulated car on a straight road. While driving, the subject passes through 20

intersections, each of which has a stoplight that turns yellow as the subject is approaching it. Every time, the subject must choose whether to go through the yellow light or to brake at each intersection. Sometimes, if the subject chose to go through the yellow light, their vehicle would crash into another vehicle.

To make going through a yellow light more appealing, participants were told in advance that there was a monetary reward offered based on how quickly they completed the course. However, if they crashed, they would incur a larger penalty than they would have if they would've waited for the light to turn back to green.

Subjects were tested both alone and in a peer environment. They were instructed to bring friends with them to the lab. However, to ensure that explicit "peer pressure" was not a factor, such as the friend

Part 1: Lessons learned from an FBI hostage negotiator and Buddhist monk By: Adam Price PhD

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egging them on to go through the yellow light, the subject was told that their peer would be watching their actions from a screen in another room. This way, it was simply the "presence" of a peer that would have the effect.

When they were "in the car" alone, adolescents performed very similarly to young adults and adults. However, when a peer was present, adolescents were much more likely to make risky decisions and to crash their car, while young adults and adults did not behave any differently (Chein, et al, 2011). If this is the influence of peers when they are only watching, it's possible that when peers are actually present, the need to impress them or to do as they say may further increase the likelihood of taking risks.

What does all of this mean?

It means that it is true that teens are particularly sensitive to reward—particularly social reward. Even if you

have a child whom you know to be careful and safe, their brain might make it more difficult for them to make safe decisions when they around their friends. The social reward perceived from making risky choices is very important to teens and may have the power to override their impulse control.

So, what should you take from this? First, don’t assume that your teenager can’t make any good decisions simply because they are a teenager. In fact, there have been studies in which adolescents show greater impulse control than their adult counterparts (Teslovich, et al, 2013) and in which adolescents are more risk-averse than adults when the exact risks are known (Tymula, et al, 2012 ). But it's important to keep in mind that their impulse control may weaken in social situations (Somerville, 2011).

In short, don’t completely lose faith in your teenagers' ability to be safe and make good decisions—but it may be wise to have a quick conversation with them before they ride off in a car full of friends. (Psychology Today)

he old adage, “children should be seen and not heard,” is dead wrong.

After their basic needs are met, being seen and heard is what children need most.

A child who is truly seen and heard feels understood and loved unconditionally.

Listening is the gateway to empathy, and it helps boys get in touch with their emotions. Listening and empathy can also help reduce parent-teen conflict, and lead to better problem-solving.

When a teen sees a parent as a safe and trusted sounding board, they are often able to solve their own problems. Yet many parents find it difficult to be a “duct tape parent”—to be quiet and listen. Too many times they rush in with a solution

or directive when kids just want to be heard. They evaluate a good talk with their teen based upon what they said, rather than what they heard. It may be counter-intuitive, but clearly understanding an adolescent’s perspective (as whacked as it may be) is more likely to either lead to an outcome the parent prefers, or one that that is worked out with their child. At least that is what I learned from Chris Voss, and FBI hostage negotiator.

Lessons learned from an FBI hostage negotiator

After reading Chris Voss’s fascinating book “Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if your life depends on it,” I learned how much he relies on empathic listening to convince kidnappers to release their hostages unharmed. This approach might come in handy with your teenager,

right? After all, don’t you sometimes feel held hostage by their mood swings, power struggles, and oppositional behaviour? Voss employs a process called “tactical empathy,” where every day empathy is defined as “paying attention to another person, asking what they are feeling, and making a commitment to understand their world. Tactical empathy involves “learning the position the other person is in, why their actions make sense to them, so you can figure out what might move them.”

Really listening to your teen helps them to feel “safe, seen, and significant.” Once heard, your son will be more receptive to hearing you.

Remember, empathy is not endorsing another person’s position, it is just validating their feelings. Here is

an example. Several weeks back a mom called me after learning her 8th grade son, Jason (my patient), ghosted a friend who sent repeated texts asking if they would be going to the same high school next year. Though the boys played football together they attended different middle schools. So the boy did not know that Jason was held back in kindergarten, and high school was still a year away. His mom and I both thought Jason was too embarrassed to tell his friend, so he did not respond. Jason, however told me that he did not want to be friends with the boy, who was always pestering him!

He assured me he would never ghost a real friend, and would feel fine revealing the situation. (Excerpt from Psychology Today) (TO BE CONTINUED)

NEWS

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Armed bandits invade “Think about what you say on Berbice home the campaign trail” – UK envoy …cut hole in roof to gain entry Provocative utterances

…notes importance of credible, peaceful elections

W

hile elections tend to bring out the emotional side of persons on the campaign trail, British High Commissioner to Guyana Gregory Quinn has reminded that persons wishing free and fair elections have fundamental responsibilities to be careful about what they say.

Quinn expressed this view during an interview with this publication on Saturday. He noted that everyone fundamentally wants free and fair elections and as such, everyone’s actions should be reflective of this.

“What we all want is free, fair and elections that ultimately represent the will of the people. So, everybody needs to think about what they do to ensure that happens. So, my fundamental wish is that they think about what everyone wants.

Everyone wants free and fair elections, of course, so everything should be in that context,” Quinn said.

“Elections always bring out emotions and emotive comments from people. So, all of us sort of have to sit back and if we’re in a situation which might be a bit tense or emotive, always think about what you're saying and how that might be perceived,” he added.

Provocative utterances

It was only recently that the utterances of several APNU/AFC executives on the campaign trail were formally raised with GECOM via a letter written by former Attorney General and People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) candidate, Anil Nandlall.

In his letter, Nandlall outlined that the PPP/C is gravely disturbed at the utterances of several of the candidates on the coalition Government’s list. He explained that they have been utilising their political platforms to encourage the assembly of their supporters at polling places after the polls close.

He singled out a number of candidates who have been encouraging supporters to “protect their ballot”, and among those names are People’s National Congress (PNC) Chairperson Volda Lawrence, Finance Minister Winston Jordan, Attorney General Basil Williams and former Guyana Defence Force Chief of Staff, Gary Best.

The PNC Chairperson, at a public meeting in Kitty, Georgetown, on January 19, told supporters: “When 6 o’clock hit, comrades, you supposed to already have your bath and put on your nightshift clothing…You un-

derstand what I am saying, comrades? This is not a time for sleeping…They must not catch us sleeping on the job.

Comrades, at 6 o’clock, you

British High Commissioner, Gregory Quinn

return to work at the places of polling and you will remain out there and let our staff inside know that you’re out there…And then our nice strong men will be mobilised to follow that ballot box until it goes into that container and the APNU/ AFC padlock and chain is placed on that container…”

In his letter, Nandlall reminded that violence and riotous behaviours are commonly associated with the conduct of elections of Guyana. He reminded Justice Singh of such instances during the conduct of the 2015 General and Regional Elections when the car of PPP/C candi-

date Joseph Hamilton was torched, as well as a polling place in Sophia.

“Even senior APNU/AFC leaders who appeared on the scene could not quell this assembly of coalition supporters which was quickly transformed into a mob.

Statements of the type, which reference is made above, are, therefore, a sure recipe for disaster. GECOM and the security forces are quite competent to secure and convey the ballots to its requisite locations and no political party ought to be involved in this process, except as authorised by the Representation of the People’s Act,” Nandlall had outlined in his letter to Justice Singh.

He reminded that Section 78 (A) of the Representation of the People’s Act Cap 1:03 makes it a criminal offence for any unauthorised person to obstruct or interfere with the conveyance of election materials, ballot boxes, and ballot papers.

Only last week, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had called out the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) over the delayed code of conduct, which should have been in place for the elections season to govern the manner in which political parties conduct their campaigns.

F

our armed men stormed the home of a 64-yearold businesswoman in the wee hours of Saturday and robbery her and her husband of a quantity of gold jewellery, cash and a cellular phone before escaping.

The traumatised woman, Patricia Mohabir, also called “Pasha”, of Lot 1 John’s Scheme, Corentyne, Berbice, said that she was asleep with her husband when a strange noise woke her up at about 01:30h. She related that she ventured into the living room of her one-storeyed concrete home to investigate and noticed a “huge square hole” on the roof.

However, before she could have raised an alarm, a gun-toting bandit pointed his weapon in her direction, while his three accomplices entered the home through the hole.

The gunman then joined his accomplices, one of whom was armed with a cutlass while another brandished “cutting shears”.

By this time, her husband heard the commotion and went into the living room, where he too was confronted by the bandits. The men then demanded that the couple hand over their cash and jewellery. The men also started ransacking the house in their search for valuables.

They eventually entered the couple’s bedroom where

they emptied the wardrobe and discovered the woman’s gold jewellery along with $200,000 inside of a handbag.

The perpetrators also snatched the woman’s cellu-

lar phone valued $4,000.

Satisfied with their loot, the suspects exited the house through a southern door and made good their escape on foot.

According to the Police, the woman and her husband were in a state of shock when the bandits escaped, so they were unable to provide information about the suspects’ escape route.

However, this publication understands that investigators have arrested a 40-yearold painter/ driver of Section B Letter Kenny Village, Corentyne, in connection with the robbery.

He is presently in Police custody assisting with the probe.

8 NEWS

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Best Village bridge construction moving at slow pace – residents …ambulances forced to wait to access hospital

T

he construction of a bridge leading into the West Demerara Regional Hospital at Best Village in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) has caused traffic congestion, as ambulances and other emergency vehicles were left to wait for an extended period of time to access the facility.

On Saturday, residents contacted Guyana Times, calling on contractors to fasten the pace at which the works are being done as they

have been waiting for some time.

Shafeena Shaw, a resident, explained that the bridge grants access to the hospital and neighbouring villages. While construction works are in progress to construct a new bridge, these activities have been sluggish, with a makeshift setup for only one lane of vehicles.

As such, vehicles entering the facility are required to wait until the others in the approaching lane have left. She said on many occa-

sions, ambulances are forced to wait until the traffic has cleared since there is no other alternative.

“They are taking their time on the bridge and people here are suffering…because I mean, a hospital is here and vehicles are coming in with emergency cases every minute of the day. You can’t be spending that long to construct it in such a high-traffic area,” she lamented.

Shaw expressed that emergency cases entering and leaving the medical fa-

cility should not be delayed.

She added that residents who utilise the route have also been facing major traffic at peak hours.

“This is something that must be fixed soon because the bridge is the main exit from Best Village and the hospital…they should treat this as a priority and try to finish it faster. The trench is excavated and we are still waiting for the works to finish. We are calling on the ministry to look into this,” she expressed.

Why…

O

…not a CoI into Trotman? ne of the distinguishing features of the Granger presidency has been his penchant for setting up Commission of Inquiries (CoIs). There have been more CoIs during his five years at the helm than during the entire 28 years of his mentor Burnham’s 28-year-old dictatorship. But then again, dictators don’t need CoIs – their word is final on any question under the sun!!

Not that Granger was really straying from his master’s legacy. In the case of his CoI into the sugar industry, he spent $51.8M (with the $1.8 going to Chairman Clive Thomas) and then threw their recommendations into the wastebasket. He did what he’d always said he’d do – being the process of destroying sugar by shuttering 4 estates and firing 7000 workers!! His word was final!!

In his first two years alone, he launched 11 CoIs and spent $175 million!! There was that CoI into an “assassination plot” on his life. This was just a gambit to dump the Police top brass and install his personal choices!!

The only assassination demonstrated was CHARACTER assassination of the fired/demoted Police brass!! His 2016 CoI into the death of 17 prisoners at Camp St Prison recommended changes that weren’t implemented and led to the entire jail being gutted the following year!! Well, you get the idea on the love affair between Granger and CoIs, don’t you, Dear Reader??

So how come with all the controversy over Trotman’s role in the 2016 oil contract – with the fella’s grubby fingerprints all over the document! – Granger didn’t fall back on his favourite diversionary device?? After all, getting wind of the British NGO Global Witness’ independent inquiry into the “Case of the Purloined Oil Purse”, he hired a British legal firm to look into the matter!

And the answer, my friends, isn’t blowin’ in the wind: in a CoI, there would’ve had to be witnesses called…and Granger wouldn’t have been able to control the narrative, with elections just months away!!

The fact of the matter, however, is there’s just too much evidence lying around that lead to some wilful negligence (at best) or gross culpability by Trotman. The fella seemed to have been doing some sorta Hansel and Gretel routine and dropping oil drops behind him all the way to Houston, Texas!! But could it be that by relying on advice from his menagerie of female concubines, they deliberately sabotaged him because of his “three-timing” them??!!

But back to Granger and the PNC’s bid for a second term. This GW report was the final nail in their coffin. Even the oil shipment next week can’t levitate them: oil prices are plummeting!!

They, literally and figuratively, just can’t win!! … Berbice bauxite workers’ belligerence??

Old people say that “sometimes you can be your own worst enemy”. This bit of folk wisdom was graphically illustrated with the Berbice bauxite workers dealings with RUSAL. It all began when after the nationalised Aroraima and Bermine operations were privatised to RUSAL in 2006.

Before that, there was an advertisement for the IMFmandated sale but no takers.

Lincoln Lewis has always insisted that the workers (all 500 of them??) were prepared to take over the operations… but were ignored. Maybe with RUSAL indicating they’re prepared to close up shop, Lewis might again convince the workers to make a bid?? But in the meantime, why would the workers illegally block the Berbice River to stop RUSAL’s bauxite shipments – but at the same time stop the shipment of logs, and killing Berbice loggers?

Lewis now wants “arbitration” but is cussing out both the Labour Department (“incompetent”) and RUSAL (Crimean invaders)!!

But the final act of madness was for the workers, clad in PNC uniforms – to chase out the PPP PM candidate and MP Edghill!!

Trade Unions don’t need allies? …challenge non-resident rule??

Now, why would AG Basil Williams legally challenge the OLE – claiming it doesn’t adhere to a one-off 1991 law mandating residency for voting??

He’s establishing grounds for challenging the elections after they lose – a la 1997!!

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

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National cyclist struck, killed by intoxicated PNCR Executive Gary Best

...failed breathalyser test – Traffic Chief

F

ormer national cyclist, Jude Bentley was on Saturday morning struck and killed, while riding on the Rupert Craig Highway, East Coast Demerara. The vehicle involved in the accident was being driven by PNC Executive member and Retired Rear Admiral Gary Best. Best is also a former presidential advisor to President David Granger and a current candidate on the APNU/AFC list.

Based on information received, the accident occurred at about 05:00h in the vicinity of the Russian Embassy, Kitty, Georgetown.

At that time, Bentley was reportedly proceeding to Sheriff Street to meet a group of cyclists when the black

hicle was badly damaged.

Guyana Times visited Bentley’s residence on Robb Street, Georgetown, a few hours later, where he operated a cycle shop. There, family members and friends showed up in their numbers to offer condolences.

His reputed wife, Akesia Hodge told this publication that he left home sometime around 04:23h in the morning.

She said that about an hour later, she received the dreadful news that Bentley was involved in an accident and immediately rushed over to the scene. She added that when she arrived, his body was still lying on the roadway.

“So he left and about 04:45h, he was in the vicinity of the Russian Embassy going

They said that ‘you need to go and check him’ so I pick up my daughter and I left the house to go drop her off and then go to see what happen. When I got to the scene, I saw him on the ground…,” Hodge recalled.

While there were claims by the driver that the cyclist was not wearing any reflective gears and his bike was not equipped with lights, she dispelled these allegations by saying that Bentley would always follow protocols. Moreover, he had recently purchased the Giant bike, which he was riding at the time of the incident.

“I also heard they said that Jude wasn’t riding with lights.

Jude just purchased that bike a week ago in Panama and there is no way he would ride

Dead: Jude Bentley

national athlete, she added that he was a helpful person.

He leaves to mourn seven children and other family members.

“He’s very frank, jovial and had a passion for bicycles because that’s where he started from. It’s just sad because he has kids that are left without a father. It’s so hard to deal with.”

Treatment of cyclists

The vehicle involved in the accident

Land Cruiser came into contact with the cycle. Upon impact, he fell to the ground while the right side of the ve-

up the East Coast when the accident happen. I got a phone call and I was sleeping because that was about 05:23h.

without lights, knowing that is what he does for a living,” she said.

Reflecting on the former

Meanwhile, the other cyclists were expected to participate in a race throughout the morning, for which the National Park was opened.

After the accident, the race was cancelled with the bikers opting to still use the circuit to ride. On Saturdays, the circuit is opened for cycling and other activities. However, cyclist Nigel London took to social media after officials from the National Parks Commission allegedly restricted them from using the facilities by locking the gates. While condemning these actions, he called for ac-

tion to be taken to ensure that the lives of cyclists are given importance.

Via a live stream video, he shared, “That’s the course where we have to ride and they told me without any care, because we’re not racing, they’ve shut the gate. A cyclist died a few hours ago where a vehicle was driven in a manner that was apparently reckless or whatever it is but he died. There is a National Park with a paved circuit that we can ride on. These beasts have chosen to shut the gate on us as cyclists so we cannot ride in the park at a time when it is designated for us to ride.”

He added, “Who are we?

What are we? Do we matter?

I’m calling on the Guyana Cycling Federation to make this a matter of national significance because, at the end of the day, a human being died on the public road. We have a facility at the National Park here where cyclists can use it.

They have locked us out.”

The now dead man was also a member of the Carlton Wheelers Cycling Club and Vice-President, Malcolm Sonoram was among the many to send his condolences.

Sonoram, who is also the Racing Secretary of the Guyana Cycling Association, expressed that it is a sad time in the cycling fraternity. He contended that they had been advocating for facilities for cyclists in the past but nothing has been done.

“They were supposed to meet at Sheriff Street by the Seawall so he was en route to

Retired Rear Admiral Gary Best

meet the others there. It is a loss for the cycling community.

One of the things I would like to note is that we have been advocating to give a space to ride and train for years now but I’m always looking at the fact that we have to be a reactive group of people. Why is it that when something happens of this magnitude, then we are able to talk about it,” Sonoram contended.

Police are continuing their investigation as a PostMortem Examination is scheduled to be conducted. Best was reportedly taken into custody where a breathalyser test was conducted. According to Traffic Chief Linden Isles, the results showed that Best was above the legal limit.

NEWS

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Lack of water for rice fields

Illegal culvert adds to farmers’ woes T

he diversion of water by an illegal culvert has added to farmers’ woes between Adventure and Eversham on the Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne). The culvert is located in the backlands at Friendship village.

According to reports, the illegal culvert was placed lower than those placed by engineers along the main irrigation canal. This prevents water from reaching the required level to be distributed to different farmlands. Some 22,000 acres have been without water since the start of the crop in November.

In some fields, rice was planted and it turned brown and in others, huge cracks have opened. The ground is so dry that in many areas the rice did not grow.

Delon Bagot, who has more than ten acres under rice cultivation at Cromarty, said he has already spent in excess of $2.7 million on the crop.

“And water shortages have been destroying everything.”

The rice farmer is calling on the Government to take action and offer assistance to those who would have suffered. Many of the affected rice farmers told this publication that their losses would prevent them from going into the next crop.

It had been reported that several thousand acres of rice depend on this canal for water and if the water is not supplied urgently that too will die.

Rice lands in the backlands on Black Bush Polder are being irrigated but those in the front lands are in jeopardy. Thousands of acres of rice depend on the main canal in the front lands for water but it is currently empty. Some rice fields have already died and if water is not supplied urgently, more will suffer.

Rice lands in the backlands of the Black Bush Polder are being irrigated but those in front are damaged or are on the brink of dying.

Between Eversham and Adventure, there are 22,000 acres of rice under cultivation.

Since November last year the 52/74 Water Users Association and the Black Bush Polder Water Users Association issued appeals to the regional administration for the pumps at Manarabisi and Black Bush Polder to be fully operational so that the farmers can get water to grow their crop. Regional Chairman David Armogan had said back in November that he was trying to assist the farmers and had spoken with Regional Executive Officer, Kim Williams-Stevens, who was reluctant to have all five pumps in the Black Bush Polder operational and all

I

A section of a water-deprived rice field in Berbice

two at Manarabisi working, stating that enough fuel was not available. This decision has proven to be detrimental to the farmers. Many of the rice farmers are now wondering when the current Administration will recognise that rice farmers play a significant role in Guyana’s economy.

Addressing political hostilities

have always been wary of the liberal premise – undergirding the calls for constitutional reform to “solve” our political woes – that lions and lambs can sit around a table and, through rational discussion, arrive at consensuses on which they can all act and live happily ever after. Maybe lions and lions but never lions and lambs. Politics is always about lambs struggling to become lions and the lions fending them off.

This proclivity to struggle is ineradicable because humans, pace the liberal view, do not only act out of cold, rational calculus.

There is always the messy business of predispositions, feelings, and emotions that coalesce in group solidarities, exclusions and antagonisms.

All societies are, therefore “plural” to a lesser or greater degree. In our plural society Ravi Dev where our divisions are not just around economic class issues but include ethnicity and religion – going to the very heart of ascriptive identities – the emotional effects are with us in spades because of incommensurable values. Consequently, the always latent tendency for our political struggles – and all the other struggles are ultimately over questions of power and so political – is to get out of hand.

This view of politics that places conflict at the centre goes beyond the old, familiar school of “conflict theorists” such as the Marxists. The latter, for instance, proposes while class conflict is immanent in the present capitalist conjuncture, once the working class assumes power, the conflict will disappear. Utopia would have arrived. I believe this to be a fairy tale: humans will find one or other reason to divide themselves and deal with the “other” aggressively.

There is a school of thought – “agonism” – which accepts this tendency of humans to cleave into groups that manifest hostility towards each other: agonism. But rather than treating each other as enemies to be obliterated, the “other” is considered as adversaries with positions we may not agree with but yet respect. Rather than pretending, as liberalism does, that we can always rationally discuss away the immanent hostility between deeply divided groups, agonistic politics aim to challenge and channel it in non-destructive, institutionalised ways. If this is not done, then violence will erupt periodically. Or large sections of some subaltern groups will have to be locked away as in the US. The goal is not to find consensus at any cost but to manage dissensus.

Each polity has its unique blend of incommensurable pluralism generating its own volatile melange of conflicts and consequently, there is no one silver bullet to confront them all. However, we can observe the trends in polities that have exposed the hollowness of both Marxist and liberal utopian thinking to deal with deep pluralism. Around the world – especially in the old, developed world “models” – countries are grappling with group conflicts, once thought “resolved”.

Some local groups have grasped the inadequacy of our specific political model to deal with our pluralism but their solution is still firmly positioned within the failed liberal premises. But while they invoke the advice of Sir Arthur Lewis on plural society’s re-coalitions, they never do about Federalism. In our case, I have advocated we carry the devolution all the way down to the village level. The extensive deep, institutionalised devolution should facilitate agonistic politics at the grassroots level and hopefully spare build-up of hostilities that can tear the country apart.

I am suggesting the ever-present simmering hostility – now boiling with elections around the corner – be given expression institutionally. It ought not to be moralised as a struggle between “good” and “evil”: this reinforces the feeling that the “other” is the “enemy” to be eliminated. No one gains when there are explosions. More pertinently, for peaceful regime changes, open hostilities scare away key constituencies that can secure an opposition victory. Unfortunately, the present political arrangements will ensure that whichever side wins the election, unless a system is introduced that visibly distributes power— political, economic, social and cultural – equitably among the various groups, we are ensuring that the inevitable resentment in the “remainders” will erupt sooner or later.

A radically distributed power system, best exemplified by Federalism, will encourage some of the more mature present lions not to fight to the death. There will be “something” for everybody, without the need for the beneficence of future lions.

12 NEWS

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

2 taxis hijacked in 48 hours A

taxi driver is now counting his losses after four armed men posing as customers robbed him of his valuables and then hijacked his vehicle on Friday night.

The driver, who hails from La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD), is employed at the Double D Taxi Service, Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Reports are that shortly before 20:00h on Friday, he was sitting in the car, PPP 2303, when the quartet approached him, requesting that he transport them to Georgetown.

The four men entered the car and told him that they needed to make a “quick stop” at Shirley Field Ridley Square, Georgetown.

However, when the taxi driver arrived at that location, the men informed him that they wanted to be dropped off at Vryheid’s Lust village, East Coast Demerara (ECD), rather than the previous location they had initially indicated.

They supplied the driver, who was not familiar with the streets in Vryheid’s Lust, with directions which led the vehicle to a dead end.

It was then that the taxi driver realised that something was amiss but by then it was too late.

One of the four suspects quickly placed a penknife

Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia PLL 8907 which was hijacked by armed men

to his throat while another, who was seated behind the driver, placed another pen knife to the man’s throat.

The men snatched his

This publication understands that the perpetrators did not attempt to pursue him but rather quickly sped away with the car.

cellular phone and relieved him of an undisclosed amount of cash. During the ordeal, the driver managed to open the car door and rush out of the vehicle to escape. He then hid in a nearby clump of bushes.

This newspaper was told that after realising that the four men had left, the taxi driver walked through the desolate area until he located persons and told them what had transpired.

With the help of villagers, he then made contact with the Police and filed a report about the robbery and hijacking.

Police Commander of Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) Subdivision C (East Coast Demerara), Assistant Police Commissioner Royston Andries-Junor, on Saturday confirmed that an investigation into the incident is currently ongoing.

He stated that ranks will be reviewing Close Circuit Television (CCTV) footage along the ECD corridor to determine which route the bandits used to escape.

2nd hijacking

Meanwhile, a Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia, PLL 8907, which was hijacked by two gunmen along with two other accomplices on Wednesday night, was discovered parked under a tree at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

According to the Commander, the stolen vehicle was abandoned at the area and persons who noticed its prolonged presence notified the Police.

He explained that the vehicle was hijacked at Vryheid’s Lust village, ECD. It is believed that the men also committed another hijacking in Vryheid’s Lust on Friday night and

Motor car PPP 2303 which was hijacked

are familiar with that village.

However, Commander Andries-Junor noted that systems are presently being put in place in and around Vryheid’s Lust to prevent such crimes from recurring.

Meanwhile, a relative of the owner of motorcar PLL 8907 told this publication on Saturday morning that this vehicle was also used as a taxi.

He stated that the driver (his cousin) operates at a taxi service located in Industry, ECD and that on Wednesday night, two men visited the base to hire a car.

They approached the man to have him transport them along the ECD while

notifying him that they had two friends waiting along the Railway Embankment area to join the same vehicle.

After collecting the other men, the quartet then requested the taxi driver to head to the Vryheid’s Lust village. While navigating his way through the streets, one of the men whipped out a firearm and pointed the weapon to the driver’s head.

Another bandit then pulled out another firearm and the quartet ordered the man to keep driving. Upon arriving at an isolated area in the village, he was told to exit the vehicle. He complied and the men drove off with the car. (Kristen Macklingam)

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14 NEWS

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Repsol applies to EPA to drill multiple wells in Kanuku Block

…EPA cites possible environmental impact from drilling

S

panish oil company Repsol Exploration Guyana has applied to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to drill more wells in the Kanuku Block, one month after it was announced that the oil found in the previous well it had drilled would not be commercialised.

According to the EPA, Repsol applied to drill and appraise multiple exploration wells in the Kanuku Block. It was noted that the exercise can affect air and water quality, as well as wildlife. As such, the Agency noted that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is needed.

“The proposed project will be undertaken in the marine offshore environment within Guyana’s jurisdiction and would require land-based activities at marine shore bases. As a result

of the intended developmental activities, possible effects to the environment may include impacts on marine water quality, air quality, marine fauna, socio-economic resources, among others,” EPA said on Saturday.

According to the Agency, in keeping with the Environmental Protection Act, an EIA is required for this offshore multi-well project before any decision to approve or reject this proposed project is taken since this development may have significant impacts on the environment.

The EPA went on to urge members of the public to submit written questions to the Agency that they want to be answered or considered in the EIA within 28 days of the notice. The submissions must be addressed to the EPA’s Executive Director, Vincent Adams.

In September of last year, Repsol had started drilling the Carapa-1 well in the Kanuku Block. That well alone was reported to cost US$20 million and was drilled using the Valaris EXL II jack-up rig. However, while approximately four metres of net oil pay was found, British-owned Tullow Oil, which owns a stake in the Kanuku Block alongside Repsol, had announced that it would not be commercialising the well.

Repsol is the operator of the Kanuku Block with a 37.5 per cent stake. Tullow Guyana BV also holds an equal 37.5 per cent stake while Total E&P Guyana BV has the remaining 25 per cent. When it comes to Tullow, Carapa was its third oil find offshore Guyana.

However, in November, the company revealed that samples from its previous

discoveries at the Jethro-1 well in August and Joe1 well in September in the Orinduik Nlock showed heavy crude with high sulphur content – a variety of oil that is less economically viable than the light, sweet crudes found by United States oil giant ExxonMobil right offshore Guyana in the neighbouring Stabroek Block.

The British-owned oil company’s troubles continued to the end of 2019.

In fact, its shares dropped to a 20-year low of 72 per cent as the group cut its oil production forecasts for the coming years and announced the resignation of its Chief Executive Officer Paul McDade as well as its Exploration Chief Angus McCoss. It was also recently reported that Tullow would be cutting jobs.

The impending ban on single-use plastic

products (SUPP)

I

t is evident that our world is evolving rapidly. Over the past decade, there have been unprecedented changes not only in our environment but also in the areas of health, science and technology, consumption patterns, even the way we socialise. We have become accustomed to convenience and living in the fast lane; we are always on the go. Moreover, we have grown accustomed to plastic products; they make up almost everything we own. Plastics, however, while they are useful, cheap and easily accessible, have had long-term consequences on our health and the environment.

Moreover, single-use plastics have become very problematic and plastic pollution has now become a global problem. Therefore, regulation and appropriate systems to deal with plastic pollution have to be implemented. Guyana will, therefore, join with countries around the world to ban some single-use plastic products commencing January 2021.

Consequently, your contribution is vital to this process. The Agency, therefore, invites you to join the consultations in your area, participate in the social media campaigns and share your views on the proposed ban.

In this regard, the EPA will be having a series of newspaper articles, radio and TV programmes and other exciting fora throughout the year to engage the public on this very important issue.

What are single-use plastics?

Single-use plastic products are: * intended to be used once * petroleum-based, made of polystyrene/Low Density (LD) Polyethylene * environmentally persistent * low recycling potential Who does the impending ban target?

The proposed ban is on the importation, manufacturing, distribution and use of SINGLE-USE PLASTIC CARRIER BAGS AND OTHER SINGLE-USE PLASTIC PRODUCTS including plastic plates, food containers, cups, straws, and utensils (spoons, knives, forks), beginning in 2021.

Items targeted for the ban • Plastic carrier bags • Plastics straws • Plastic cups • Plastic plates • Plastic food containers • Plastic spoons, knives & forks Items to be exempted * The storage of garbage • Packaging of pharmaceuticals • Packaging of hygiene products • Storage/preservation of food • Packaging of industrial chemicals • Use in scientific research, biomedical sciences, chemical analysis Proposed implementation of the ban

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube or join a consultation in your area to learn more about the impending single-use plastic products and how you can be prepared.

You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O Communications Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail. com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

NEWS

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Can contesting political parties make sense with proposed economic plans and policies for Guyana’s upcoming General and Regional Elections?

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s Guyana heads into the elections on March 2, 2020, this columnist shall dedicate today’s article and the forthcoming weeks – towards conducting a series of analyses on the proposed economic plans and policies by the various political parties.

This will be done as their respective manifestos become publicly available.

Today’s article is a repackaged version of a direct exchange between this analyst and one of the contesting Presidential Candidates of a political party recently in an open forum. The policy of contention herein is one where the party is proposing to reduce the cost of fuel by 75% -- while suggesting that proceeds from oil revenues will be used to achieve this outcome. In the first three years, oil revenues will not be more than US$300 million, and this will only come into fill a void, where Guyana has lost some US$2 billion in foreign exchange over the last five years from productive sectors.

Thus, having perused the party’s manifesto, the proposals therein seems quite ambitious, well-intended and in good spirit. In defending the policy after having challenged the financial sensibility, the Presidential Candidate sought to present an academic lecture on what is a manifesto in that it merely presents the party’s intention.

Intentions of whatever economic plan is presented, in hindsight, ought to be grounded in realism and pragmatism.

That is to say, for example, the current administration made many fantastic promises during the 2015 elections campaign, only to be told that when they got into office and actually saw what they inherited, cannot be fulfilled. Let’s take one example. The coalition government campaigned and promised to raise the income tax threshold to $100,000 as soon as they get into power. After five years, the income tax threshold is still at $65,000. This, they suggest, was only determined when they got into power and did further analysis.

Now, this excuse is ludicrous and nonsensical at best and here is why. It is an unfounded fallacy to think that they or any political party contesting elections, do not know what resources they are going to have available, financial resources – that is because all the national accounts and public financial information are available publicly, and not only available publicly but also presented and deliberated upon in the National Assembly where all the opposing political parties have access.

Here is what the Government inherited in 2015. As of March 2015, the Central Bank had US$608 million in international reserve which was well above the minimum benchmark of 3 months’ worth of import cover. As of the end September 2019, the Bank of Guyana (BOG) reserve is less than 3 months cover, the lowest in the last decade of 1.5 months’ worth of import cover (this is dangerous).

In the last decade, there were several years where the international reserves were well over four and six months’ worth of import cover in some instances, as of March 2015, Government deposit account balances at the BoG were surplus of $15+ billion, and for the first time in a decade, those deposit accounts are in close to $80 billion deficit – that is more than one-year’s oil revenue already spent. The legality of this operation is also questionable. Hence, to suggest that oil revenues will be used to achieve 75% reduction in fuel cost is far from attainable when there is a fiscal mess to clean up, that will take five years to revert to a sound and sustainable macroeconomic framework.

Therefore, on this premise, it is utterly unacceptable to accept from any contesting politician that they do not have the resources to conduct some analyses to inform their proposed policies. It would appear that the party and its technical team appears to be, from their responses and policies, absolutely disconnected and oblivious of the history of Guyana – thus, suggesting no attempt whatsoever was made to conduct any research and analyses to inform their proposed policies. Moreover, the author hastens to enlighten the Politician that the Amaila Hydro Project was blocked by the Opposition which is now the Government because of the high investment cost. Now, the same Government who blocked it then is reconsidering the hydro project.

At the same time, the longer the project takes to come to fruition, the cost will go up obviously when you consider the time value factor for money (inflation). Currently, the cost is some US$1 billion which is about $208 billion or about 26% of GDP. This is with conventional development financing and some equity from the Government. Let’s make sense of US$1 billion. Over the last five years, the Government has spent over $1.12 trillion dollars, which is twice what the previous administration expended in a five years cycle.

The average expenditure by the previous Government in a five years cycle was about $486 billion, less than ½ trillion. What is there to show for $1.12 trillion in five years save and except for a few roundabouts, overhead-passes, repair some roads and bridges here and there? Absolutely nothing (consult the audit report). The sum of $1.12 trillion is close to US$5 billion – this could have built five hydropower facilities by now and that would have reduced the cost of energy significantly and help to push an industrialised economy (the financial modelling for this project can be re-examined to arrive at an optimum financing structure). This would be more economically sensible in the long run than subsidising 75% of US$500 million (fuel imports) that’s about $80 billion to subsidise fuel, which would be about US$2 billion in five years that the party is proposing to subsidise in fuel, using US$500 million as the total fuel import bill.

It is imperative that proposed policies and economic plans need to be guided by evidenced-based analyses. There are sufficient studies and data available to do so.

(The author is an experienced macro-finance and research analyst, Lecturer and Business & Finance Consultant. The views expressed are exclusively his own and do not necessarily represent those of this newspaper and the institutions he represents. For comments, send to jbbankingadvice@gmail.com).

Family seeks assistance for 4-monthold diagnosed with heart condition A

Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) family is seeking the assistance of the public in raising funds for their four-month-old baby, who was diagnosed with a heart condition and has to undergo a surgery.

According to the baby’s mother, Keisha Couchman, her daughter, Kaavia Couchman, was diagnosed with complex congenital heart disease last month.

What started out as a routine medical check-up led to the discovery of the disease which requires urgent surgery to save little Kaavia’s life.

“I take her on the 23rd January 2020 to Georgetown to see the paediatrician for a check-up.

That is when the doctor realised that she has a tumour. She then referred me

to CHI [Caribbean Heart Institute] to do an echocardiogram. When I meet at CHI with the referral, they told that they don’t have any paediatric cardiologist there and they referred me to St Joseph Mercy Hospital to see the cardiologist Dr Carpen [Dr Mahendra Carpen]. I was told to do the echocardiogram and a chest X-ray, the chest X-ray show her heart enlarged and the echocardiogram show the hole in her heart and the size of it, it's 1.4cm. She need to do a surgery to correct it,” Keisha Couchman related.

Couchman emphasised that she was informed that there are no paediatric cardiologists in Guyana, therefore, her baby would have to travel overseas to either Cuba, India or America to conduct the life-

saving surgery. The cost for the surgery, she explained, ranges from US$20,000 to US$30,000 in Cuba.

The family has since been appealing for assistance. There is a Citizen’s Bank account with account number 219175381 set up for anyone interested in making a contribution towards assisting little Kaavia. In the meantime, Couchman related that the family has sent out donation sheets and letters to various companies and organisations seeking help.

The family has also been trying to raise funds through numerous ventures including food sales.

“It’s hard because when she cries I don’t know if she’s experiencing pain,” Couchman continued.

Four-month-old Kaavia Couchman

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

CDC warns of spring tides …flood-prone areas alerted

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he Civil Defence Commission has issued a warning to persons residing in coastal communities, as high tides are expected throughout this week.

Commencing this weekend, the spring tides are expected to last until Thursday, February 13.

In a notice issued, information gathered from the Hydrometeorological Service states that the magnitude of

the waves will reach a height of 10.8 feet. As such, floodprone areas in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (DemeraraMahaica) and Five (MahaicaBerbice) are expected to face the impact.

Teams from the CDC will be dispatched throughout these communities as a standby mechanism should there be any severities. As such, in

the event of any flooding, an assessment and relief can be provided immediately to residents.

On Sunday at 04:25h and 16:10h, the expected height of waves are 9.2 and 10.2 feet respectively. Meanwhile, on Monday morning at 05:06h, waves might reach a height of 10.2 feet and 10.8 feet in the afternoon at 16:57h.

On Tuesday at 05:45h, the estimated height is 10.3 feet

in the morning and 10.7 feet in the afternoon at 17:44h.

During Wednesday, at 06:27 the water will rise to 10.2 feet and 10.4 feet at 18:30h.

On the final day of the spring tide, waves are estimated to rise to 9.9 feet at 07:10h and 9.8 feet at 19:18h.

Persons residing in close proximity to the shoreline and riverine areas were asked to take precaution by reporting sea defence breaches, us-

Overtopping at Mahaica last year as a result of high tides

ing sandbags where necessary and unplugging all electrical devices. “All important documents should be placed in a sealed bag and household furniture should be elevated. Most importantly, persons rearing livestock must move these animals to higher grounds and create safe storage for drinking water and food, to prevent contamination,” the notice stated.

It added that parents are to ensure that their children stay clear of flooded waters, and if there are any indications of an illness or skin irritation, immediate medical attention must be sought at a health centre.

During previous spring tides, coastal communities

have been subjected to flooding, where millions of dollars were recorded in damages. In most cases, the inundation is caused by overtopping of the sea defence structure.

Just last September, several communities along the West Coast of Demerara (WCD) were previewed to extensive overtopping due to expected high tides. Affected communities included: Blankenburg, Den Amstel, Fellowship, Cornelia Ida, Anna Catherina, and Uitvlugt Oceanview.

This extended to several villages in Region Five where hundreds of livestock and crops were damaged. This continued in October, especially at Dantzig-Fairfield.

NEWS

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Border controversy case

Guyana ready for upcoming hearing – Greenidge

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lmost two years after Guyana filed its application with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for it to confirm the legal validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award regarding the boundary with Venezuela, the World Court is now preparing to hold its first sets of hearings on the matter.

In a recent notice, The Hauge, Netherlands-based ICJ informed the parties of the schedules for the upcoming public hearings to determine whether the Court has jurisdiction to preside over the matter.

The first round of oral arguments will be held on March 23, 2020, and Guyana will be presenting its pleadings on that day. The following day is awarded to Venezuela. Hearings on both days will commence at 10:00h and run until 13:00h (Netherlands time).

Meanwhile, the second round of arguments is slated for March 25 when Guyana will be presenting from 16:30 to 18:00h. Venezuela will then present on March 27 from 10:00h to 11:30h.

The sessions will be streamed live on the Court’s website.

Guyana filed its case with the World Court on March 29, 2018, seeking a final and binding judgment that the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the location of the land boundary between the then-British Guiana and Venezuela, remains valid and binding, and that Guyana’s Essequibo region belongs to Guyana, and not Venezuela as is being claimed by the

Spanish-speaking country.

The case was filed following a decision by Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, in January 2018, that the controversy between Guyana and Venezuela should be decided by the ICJ. The Secretary General made the decision by exercising the power vested in him in the 1966 Geneva Agreement between Guyana, Venezuela and the United Kingdom to decide how the controversy should be settled.

However, Venezuela has claimed, in a letter to the World Court, that the Secretary General exceeded his authority under the Geneva Agreement, and therefore, the Court lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate the lawsuit filed by Guyana.

Prepared

Nevertheless, with less than two months for the hearings, Guyana is preparing to present its case before the World Court. This is according to Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, who is the leading agent on the case.

He told Guyana Times that the domestic team has been meeting and considering the issues in both rounds.

“So we’ve been looking at arguments that that might arise. We have been looking at the Geneva Agreement and the work of the Secretary General – his responsibilities, how he came to be involved, what exactly it was agreed that he would do, and also we looked at the discussions that took place

Foreign Secretary Carl Greenidge

Former Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira

at the enhanced mediation which he put to us and to which Venezuela agreed and Venezuela participated in.

And any other arguments that they might raise to suggest that the Court doesn’t have jurisdiction. So we’ve explored all that we can think of,” he stated.

According to Greenidge, they are also working with the external lawyers to identify a line of argument.

“So at this stage, those who are presenting are working on providing that text [of] their oral presentations,” he added.

Guyana-born international diplomat, Sir Shridath Ramphal is the Legal Adviser and will be leading the legal team during the hearings.

While Venezuela has raised the issue of the World Court’s jurisdiction over the matter, the Spanishspeaking country has indicated to the ICJ that it will not participate in the proceedings.

But according to Greenidge, who is a former Foreign Affairs Minister, it is up in the air as to whether the neighbouring country

will attend and participate in the upcoming hearing.

“I can’t really say what would happen on the 23rd but we are prepared for anything. In the meantime, Venezuela although has not presented arguments which the court required of it in relation to jurisdiction, they have submitted a memorandum... There is no provision in the arrangements for that presentation. So they’re trying to be at a distance but not completely outside the ring,” he surmised.

Nevertheless, the former Foreign Affairs Minister explained that Venezuela’s non-participation will have no impact on the case. If anything, he posited, it will possibly cause the case to move forward quickly.

“But with regards to the decision of the Court, it makes no difference… If the matter is being properly referred to the Court then

you’re supposed to be there to defend yourself,” Greenidge argued.

The upcoming hearing will be held in the latter part of March, which will be after Guyana holds its General and Regional Elections set for March 2. There is a possibility that the Government could change.

But Greenidge reminded that the border controversy case is a national issue and as such, the team has been sharing its preparatory works with the PPP/C Opposition.

“They have been constructively involved in the configuration of the team and the arguments. So one would expect that whatever happens, in order to ensure that the Court and others understand that this is [a] national position, I would expect both the parties to be present and represented [at the ICJ],” the Foreign Secretary noted.

Opposition involvement

Meanwhile, former Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira confirmed to Guyana Times that an invitation was extended to attend the hearings.

“Mr Greenidge has indicated privately that he would be amenable to a representative of the Opposition being part of a delegation to the hearing. But not participating in the hearing but being witness to the hearing, in other words,” she stated.

Teixeira had been part of the Ministerial Committee on the Guyana-Venezuela Border Controversy but according to her, that Committee has not met for almost a year until recently.

She explained that the Committee is not a decision-making one and as such, she was recently apprised of some of the preparations for the upcoming hearing.

However, Teixeira noted that the party is also mindful of the impending elections and the possibility of a change in Government, which could see the composition of the non-legal representation being different. Nevertheless, she noted that should be PPP/C be in Government at the time of the hearing then not only will it continue to defend Guyana’s territorial sovereignty but also extend the same courtesy to the coalition in attending the hearing.

“The PPP/C in principle has always believed that our national sovereignty and territorial integrity is a matter for the nation and a matter for inclusive participation, and it’s a principle that has been followed throughout the years of us being in Government, where the Opposition has been informed and in many cases, participated in issues of national importance with foreign affairs,” Teixeira contend.

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guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World

Soldier kills 20 in shooting rampage in Thailand’s northeast

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Thai soldier shot dead at least 20 people Saturday, posting messages on Facebook as he went on the rampage in a northeastern city where he was still holed up in a mall nearly 12 hours after he first struck, authorities said.

Several bursts of automatic gunfire could be heard from inside the mall just after 2:40 am (1940 GMT) Thai security forces stormed the Terminal 21 mall in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima and helped hundreds of people to escape.

Looking dazed and exhausted, shoppers and store workers came out in small groups into the early hours of Sunday as Police and soldiers worked through the mall floor by floor.

The soldier opened fire in several places, first at a house and then at an army base, before heading to the shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasima, which is about 250 km (155 miles) from the capital Bangkok, Police said.

Local media showed footage of the soldier getting out of a car in front of the mall and firing off a series of shots as

people fled for cover.

“We don’t know why he did this. It appears he went mad,” Defence Ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tantrawanit told Reuters.

The Health Ministry said 31 people had been wounded and 10 were in a critical condition.

Police identified the suspect as Jakrapanth Thomma.

During the attack he posted “Death is inevitable for everyone” on his Facebook page and later asked, “Should I give up?” (Excerpt from Reuters)

Oil rigs hold steady while oil prices continue to sink

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Jakrapanth Thomma

Four rare mountain gorillas “die in Uganda lightning strike” F our rare mountain gorillas, including a pregnant female, have died in Uganda after being hit by lightning, a conservation group said.

The three adult females and a male infant were found in Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park with “gross lesions” on their bodies indicating electrocution.

The Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC) called this a “big loss for the species”.

There are just over 1000 mountain gorillas in existence.

The species is restricted to protected areas in

the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

The four that died were part of a 17-member group, which has been called the Hirwa family by the authorities.

The Hirwa group had crossed the border from Rwanda into Uganda last year and had been living in Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park.

Mgahinga is in the Virunga Massif range of mountains which straddle the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo.

“This was extremely sad,” Andrew Seguya, executive secretary of the GVTC, told

There are just over 1000 mountain gorillas in existence

the BBC. “The potential of the three

females for their contribution to the population was immense,” Dr Seguya said.

He added that the 13 surviving members of the Hirwa family have been found and are feeding well.

Samples from the post-mortem are currently being tested and confirmation of the cause of death is expected within the next three weeks, GVTC said.

In 2018, the mountain gorilla was removed from the list of critically endangered species, after intensive conservation efforts, including anti-poaching patrols, paid off. (Excerpt from BBC News)

US announces new policies to affect Caribbean nationals

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he United States has announced new policies that would prohibit residents in New York, including Caribbean nationals, from applying for or renewing special travel programmes, known as Trusted Travel Programmes.

The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency said that, effective immediately, residents of the State of New York will no longer be eligible to apply for or renew membership in its Trusted Traveller

Programmes “due to state legislation that restricts CBP’s access to certain criminal history information maintained by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)”.

In addition, CBP said the Vehicle Exports programme will be affected.

“Vehicles titled in New York may be de-prioritised for export, as resource limitations require, when supporting documents cannot be authenticated through information sharing with New York DMV,” CBP said in a statement.

It said the decision comes as the State of New York implements the “Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act,” which, it claimed, prohibits CBP from accessing information maintained by the New York DMV. “Without access to this

information, CBP cannot properly complete security checks for Trusted Traveller Programme applications and renewals submitted by New York residents, greatly increasing our security risk,” the statement said.

CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan said “nothing is more important than the safety of the United States and our citizens, and the New York Green Light law makes us less safe and shields criminals. (Excerpt from CMC)

Coronavirus: US and Australia close borders to Chinese arrivals

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ountries around the world have closed their borders to arrivals from China, as officials work to control the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

The US and Australia said they would deny entry to all foreign visitors who had recently been in China, where the virus first emerged in December.

Earlier, countries including Russia, Japan, Pakistan and Italy announced similar travel restrictions.

But global health officials have advised against such measures.

"Travel restrictions can cause more harm than good by hindering info-sharing, medical supply chains and

harming economies," the Head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.

The WHO recommends introducing screening at official border crossings. It has warned that closing borders could accelerate the spread of the virus, with travellers entering countries unofficially.

China has criticised the wave of travel restrictions, accusing foreign governments of ignoring official advice.

"Just as the WHO recommended against travel restrictions, the US rushed in the opposite direction," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. "[It is] certainly not a gesture of goodwill."

OILNEWS

The death toll from the new virus, which is officially called 2019-nCov, now stands at 259.

Almost 12,000 casepidemic, which spread to es have been c o n f i r m e d There have also been a number of evacuations and a small from China as foreign governments work to bring p r o p o r t i o n their citizens back of those around 100 - have been iden- more than two dozen countified outside China. The UK, tries in 2003.

US, Russia and Germany But the mortality rate of have all confirmed cases in the new virus is much lower recent days. than that of Sars, which has The number of coronavi- led officials to believe it is not rus cases worldwide has over- as deadly. (Excerpt from BBC taken that of the similar Sars News)

t’s business as—almost--usual in the United States, even after a fifth week of faltering oil prices as the coronavirus outbreak eats away at oil demand and strikes fear in the oil market, leading one to wonder when the low oil prices will catch up with US drillers.

Baker Hughes reported that the number of oil and gas rigs in the US held fast this week at 790, but the total oil and gas rig has fallen 259 over the last 52 weeks.

The number of oil rigs increased for the week, by 1 rig, according to Baker Hughes data, bringing the total to 676—a 178-rig loss year over year.

The total number of active gas rigs in the United States fell by 1 according to the report, to 111. This compares to 195 a year ago.

Meanwhile, oil production slipped back to 12.9 million bpd after hovering at 13 million for three weeks, according to data provided by the Energy Information Administration—a high for the United States.

By basin, the number of rigs in the most prolific basin, the Permian, fell this week to 405, compared to 478 rigs one year ago. The second-largest basin, the Eagle Ford, saw no change in the number of active rigs.

The WTI benchmark at 1:09 pm was US$50.49 (-0.90 per cent) per barrel—roughly US$1 per barrel below last week levels as travel restrictions within, to, and from China continues to threaten oil demand. The Brent benchmark was trading at US$54.61 (-0.58 per cent)—roughly US$2 per barrel below last week’s levels. Oil prices were stubbornly low, even after OPEC+ suggested that the group may cut an additional 600,000 bpd, and even after Libya continues to experience a production loss of 1 million bpd.

Canada’s overall rig count increased by 10 rigs this week, to a total of 257 rigs. Oil and gas rigs in Canada are now up 17 year on year. (Excerpt from Oilprice.com)

Saudi-Russian alliance is strained as coronavirus saps demand for oil

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n alliance between Saudi Arabia and Russia has helped prop up oil prices for the last three years. But the two big oil producers were not in perfect harmony this week, as they have tried to recalibrate production targets to cope with reduced demand from China, whose economy has been crippled by the coronavirus epidemic.

Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister, Abdulaziz bin Salman, wanted to move ahead quickly with a meeting to consider new production cuts, but he has struggled to persuade Moscow, even after his father, King Salman, made a call to President Vladimir V Putin of Russia on Monday.

Instead, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries this week convened three long days of meetings of a technical group that produced a recommendation to cut output by 600,000 barrels, an almost 30 per cent addition to curbs agreed upon in December but probably less than the Saudis wanted, according to some analysts.

Still, Russia’s representatives told the group that while they found the recommendations reasonable they needed more time to consider them, according to a person briefed on the matter.

The inability to reach a quick consensus inevitably raised concerns about whether Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of OPEC, and Russia were still able to work together to coordinate oil policy.

Still, the fact that meetings did occur, and the prospect that further cuts might be on the way, was enough to at least temporarily halt what had been a steep fall in oil prices since the outbreak of the coronavirus, which has now killed more than 600 people in China.

As OPEC ponders what to do, it faces a difficult calculation.

The degree of impact that the coronavirus outbreak will have on demand for oil is not yet known, though it is expected to be substantial. Several Chinese cities have been seemingly shut down, with some factories idled and flights cancelled.

The curtailment of economic activity will result in a major reduction of energy consumption — a huge concern for OPEC because China is the world’s largest energy importer and a key customer. Wood Mackenzie, a market research firm, figures that oil demand for the first three months of this year will be slashed by about 900,000 barrels a day, or nearly 1 per cent of global consumption. (Excerpt from The New York Times)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020

19

CONCACAF U-20 Men’s Qualifiers…

20 selected for U-20 duties …two international debutantes named

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20-man squad that includes two internationally-based debutantes has been handpicked from a large pool of talents to represent Guyana at the CONCACAF U20 Men’s Qualifiers in Nicaragua from February 15 – 23, 2020.

Guyana’s match schedule is as follows: MATCH 1: 15th February @ 17:30hrs – Guyana vs Montserrat MATCH 2: 17th February @ 17:30hrs – St. Vincent & The Grenadines vs Guyana MATCH 3: 21st February @ 20:30hrs – US Virgin Islands vs Guyana MATCH 4: 23rd February @ 20:30hrs – Nicaragua vs Guyana

Hudson Hazlewood and Javier George

The two debutantes -Hudson Hazlewood from Washington University FC, USA and Javier George

from Stade Beaucairois FC, France -- are both central midfielders, but have different playing styles as well as

roles and functions in the team.

“Hazlewood is a #10 type of midfielder, who does more

attacking,” said Head Coach Wayne Dover prior to the announcement of the squad.

“George is more of a #8 type of midfielder, who does more defending. They both added strength to the squad, which made it more competitive in

sessions and for selection to the first team,” Dover explained.

Commenting on the other members of the squad, Dover said many of the players have been part of the GFF’s Academy Training

Centres and have international experience at the U15 and U17 levels.

“The work done with the players who are/were part of the ATCs was evident during the training sessions. This is a disciplined and special group, which gave of their best at every training session in the more than four weeks we’ve been together,” he said.

“This is a good reflection as to how far we have come.

Once again, I’ll state my optimism of our chance of coming out the group on top by competing and giving our best effort,” he declared.

Guyana has been placed in Group A, with St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Montserrat, US Virgin Islands, and host Nicaragua.

Mexican Ambassador now honorary member of Lusignan Golf Club T he Executive Committee of the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) has, on Friday last, presented the Ambassador of Mexico to Guyana, His Excellency Jose Omar Hurtado Contreras, the Plenipotentiary Representative of Mexico to Caricom, with a certificate of honorary membership to that club.

This was done in a simple ceremony held at the Marriott hotel in Georgetown, courtesy of that hotel’s General Manager Eduardo Reple.

LGC President Aleem Hussain and PRO/Asst. Secretary Bishop Guy Griffith did the honours in presenting the document to His Excellency Jose Omar Hurtado Contreras on behalf of the Executive Committee of the LGC. In welcoming the Ambassador to the club on behalf of the Executive team and members, Bishop Griffith said, “We look forward to having you being a frequent visitor to our wonderful facility.”

At the behest of past LGC president Hemraj Kissoon, current president Aleem Hussain and executive team have made tremendous efforts to expand the appeal of the game of golf to a wide range of participants, and His Excellency Jose Hurtado Contreras is the latest addition to a long list of

dignitaries who are now a part of the club.

The ambassador made known that he is very impressed with the gesture, and has vowed to make the commitment to get involved in the sport, along with other members of the embassy.

“I am very grateful to the club’s president and executive for extending this honour to myself and family, and we all look forward to being at the club on a regular basis, and to extend the hand of friendship between our countries,” the ambassador has said.

During the past two years, the sport of golf has seen a dramatic increase in the number of events, members and activities both on and off the course. Major contributions

by Macorp have aided the development of the grounds and allowed more playing days than ever before.

This year, the LGC will host several special events, starting with the Easter Family Gathering, wherein thousands of families descend upon the grounds for a festival of kite-flying.

For more information on the LGC, membership, activities, or how to learn about the sport, please visit the LGC Facebook page - lusignangolfclub or call 220-5660/645-0944.

President Aleem Hussain, PRO/Asst Secretary Bishop Guy Griffith, and Jose Omar Hurtado Contreras, Ambassador of Mexico to Guyana and Plenipotentiary Representative to Caricom

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GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Guyana Men’s Senior National Football Team’s preparation…

13 Under-20 players touted for local senior duties …Maximo confident ahead of Barbados clash

By Jemima Holmes

H

ead Coach Marcio Maximo is quite popular for his belief in balancing the composition of the Guyana Men’s Senior National Football Team with local and international players in order to improve development.

He has, however, now gone one step further in his quest to improve Guyanese football on the local scene by including younger players in the Senior Team.

Making this revelation exclusively to Guyana Times Sport on Thursday last, when this publication visited one of the team’s training sessions, Head Coach Maximo has said that while a handful of younger players are currently benefiting from senior training, quite a few more will be added to the group when the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship, slated for February 15- 23 in Nicaragua, is completed.

“Today we have six players that is included in the national programme.

After the

Under-20 competition, where they’re going to Nicaragua, we’ll bring 13 players; 13!

Almost 50% of the local senior team will be under-20 players,” Maximo disclosed.

The Coach explained further that it is his hope that this inclusion would inspire the youngsters to go further than their predecessors in the sport.

“I do it not to refresh the team, but to change mentality to a professional mentality.

They should aspire (to) something good; they should want to go somewhere far, not just come to training or to a game to play. They should want to be professional,” he clarified.

He also explained that the local Under-20 and Senior teams are currently training together in order to foster this vision.

“We do many trainings together to improve the under-20,” the coach explained.

Getting Gold Cup-ready Quizzed about the team’s

Senior Men’s Head Coach Marcio Maximo

preparation for their homeand-away clash against Barbados on March 26 and 31st respectively, Coach Maximo shared that he has thus far seen improvements in the senior team.

“Definitely!

The commitment of the players, their mentality! And all of this will be reflecting in the pitch, you know. Because when we have good commitment, good

BCB/Premium Asphalt & T/R Construction T20 2nd division tournament…

discipline and good desire, of course everything goes well!” he shared.

Maximo hastened to assert his confidence in the team that is being prepared for this all-important encounter.

“This qualifying for Gold Cup is more difficult than the last one, because the last one you just qualifying in group stage, now it’s playoffs. I believe we have a strong game against Barbados because we have equal chances, but I’m very optimistic that we can beat Barbados; and also, (afterwards), beat Trinidad,” he said.

“I think the mix between our international players and locals maintains the desire to play for the national team; maintains development, and I think that it’s good. I think now we have a competitive team. If we maintain the commitment we see out here from staff and team, we can get our achievement,” Maximo opined.

Revealing that his work with the national team has many important aspects, he

A glimpse of the goalkeeping drills

cited reduction in the number of foreign-based players and inclusion of locals as necessary contributory components to the improvement of Guyanese football.

“The importance of qualifying for the Gold Cup is same as developing players and developing mentality; because this players’ development is forever, it’s not for a special time. We will keep getting results until next ten years, and that’s why we keep working on it,” he said.

He, further, stressed on the importance of fresh, young faces in the senior team, noting that that would improve football all around.

“If you see, majority of the players are young players; it renews the mentality here.

Definitely, Guyana has started a new time in their football, and I hope that it will grow, put a lot of players on the international market, improve the local clubs, improve the youth teams and also senior teams,” Maximo declared.

Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Association Federation AGM…

Caesar to serve 5th Fyrish, Tamarind Root et al year as President victorious in round 1 play ꟷ entire executive returned en bloc

I

n furtherance of its very packed schedule for 2020, the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) on Sunday last staged the opening round of the Premium Asphalt and T/R Construction 20/20 second division cricket tournament, in which 19 teams from the Lower and Central Corentyne areas are participating.

Berbice cricket powerhouses RHTY&SC, MS, and Albion CC, along with cricketers associated with either team, have been debarred from participating in the tournament in an effort to allow other clubs opportunity to win a championship.

Fyrish, Tamarind Root, Belvedere United, Kennard Memorial, Albion Open and Ramnarine Memorial are the teams to have advanced to the second round of this tournament, while Courtland were knocked out therefrom because an unauthorized cricketer had represented them.

The BCB Competition Committee has also ordered a replay of the match between Rose Hall Town Tigers and Kilcoy after Kilcoy were found guilty of playing a player in non- cricketing attire.

Both Courtland and Kilcoy had won their games, but each have paid the price as the BCB enforced its strict disciplinary rules.

Results in the matches played are as follows: 1: Fyrish defeated No1 by ten wickets in a match played at Fyrish.

No1 made 110 all out in 26 overs, with Tony Ramnarine scoring 26. Sayaad Bactowar took 4 for 14 and Yogindra Chinapen took 2 for 9.

Fyrish responded with 113 for 2 in 18.4 overs. Chandradat Roopnarine made 52, and Yogindra Chinapen made 39.

2: Belvedere United got past Whim by 34 runs in a match played at Belvedere.

Belvedere United made 125 all out in 16.4 overs, with Permaul scoring 26 and R. Balgobin scoring 24. D. Venkhai took 6 for 15 and V. Samaroo took 3 for 22.

Whim responded with 91 all out in 16 overs.

D. Venkhai contributed 16, as R. Balgobin took 3 for 18 and T. Khemraj took 2 for 12.

3: Chesney gained a walkover against Fyrish Road, which failed to field a team.

4: Kennard Memorial CC defeated Kildonan by 7 runs in a match played at the Kennard ground.

Kennard Memorial scored 202 in 20 overs, of which Ravi Bassoo contributed 76 and Kamadin Permaulo 30. G. Mc Donald took 3 for 25.

Kildonan scored 132 all out in 21.4 overs, with Q. Emanuel contributing 23.

Eshwar Singh took 3 for 16 and Mahendra Rabindranauth took 3 for 19.

5: Tamarind Root of Hampshire defeated UG Elites by 8 wickets in a match played at Hampshire.

UG Elites scored 84 all out in 14.5 overs, of which Daniel Samaroo contributed 20 and Prem Khemraj 15.

Dilip Ramsammy took 2 for 6, and Kelly Overaj took 2 for 8.

Tamarind Root responded with 88 for 2 in 9.3 overs. Prem Deonarine scored 32, and Avinash Looknauth scored 26.

6: Kilcoy defeated Rose Hall Town by 5 wickets in a match played at Jai Hind Ground.

Rose Hall Town scored 182 for 3 in 20 overs, with Delbert Hicks making 49 not out, Verapen Permaul 38, Mark Papannah 35, and Balchan Baldeo 30.

Kilcoy responded with 186 for 5 in 19.3 overs. Levi Thomas contributed 40, Joel Johnson 39, and Deonarine Ramnarine 31. Andre Percival took 2 for 31.

7: Albion Open got past Jai Hind by 4 wickets in a match played at the Jai Hind Ground.

Jai Hind CC scored 151 for 7 in 20 overs, with Imran Hussain contributing 59 and R. Mangla 37. P. Baldeo took 5 for 35.

Albion Open responded with 153 for 6 in 19.3 overs, with M. Lalbehari contributing 32, and Adrian Singh 24.

8: The Churaman Ramnarine Team defeated Tain Block 4 by 76 runs in a match played at Tain.

The Churaman Team scored 208 all out, with Paul Tyndall contributing 76, Michael Tyndall 49, and Colin Bynoe 26. G. Budhu took 3 for 39, R. Patiram 2 for 27, and N. Mangal 2 for 45.

Tain Block 4 replied with 132 all out, of which D. Dullan contributed 36, M. Mangal 24 and R. Pagras 22. J. Tyndall took 3 for 17, F. Mendonca 2 for 6, and Paul Tyndall 2 for 13.

ꟷ Novices/Juniors Championships set for Sunday, February 16

T

he Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Association Federation hosted its Annual General Meeting yesterday at the National Racquet Centre on Woolford Avenue in Georgetown, and for the fifth consecutive year, Ed Caesar has been elected president, as the entire executive membership of this body was returned en bloc.

The meeting got underway at 09hrs with the members examining topics such as the Renewal of Affiliation, Review of 2019 AGM Minutes, President’s Report for 2019, General Secretary’s Report for 2019, Treasurer’s Report for 2019, Election of 2020 Office Bearers, and Any Other Business.

The entire Executive was returned en bloc following presentations by Caesar, General Secretary Andrea Smith, and Treasurer Colin Austin.

The Caesar-led committee has been pushing the GAPLF to higher heights every year as it ensures representation of the Golden Arrowhead at national and international forums.

The GAPLF will now be focusing its attention on staging the GAPLF Novices/ Juniors Championships for 2020, which are scheduled for Sunday, February 16th, at the Saints Stanislaus College

on Brickdam, Georgetown.

Weigh-in time will be between 7:00am and 8:30am for Flight A, while lifting will start at 9:00am.

Some of the records broken in the last Novices competition in February 2019 are stated hereunder:

Ramzan Mohamed 120kg Junior Classic –Squat 230kg –Bench 135kg –Deadlift 225kg Total 590kg

Askhay Goukaran 93kg Sub-Junior Classic –Squat 142.5kg –Bench 85kg –Deadlift 195kg Total 422.5kg

Jermy Indarjit 66kg Sub-Junior Classic –Squat 162.5kg –Bench 80kg –Deadlift 205kg Total 447.5kg

President of the GAPLF, Ed Caesar

General Secretary; Runita White, Public Relations Officer/Organising S e c r e t a r y ; David Gomes, Committee M e m b e r ; Martin Webster, C o m m i t t e e M e m b e r ; Erwyn Smith, Committee Member.

Lisa Oudit 84kg Open Classic

–Squat 135kg –Bench 65.5kg –Deadlift 152.5kg –Total 353kg

The 2020 Executive Committee reads: Ed Caesar, President; Nadina Taharally, Vice President; Colin Austin, Treasurer; Andrea Smith,

Vice President of the GAPLF, Nadina Taharally

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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‘Beasts on the prowl’ today T

his afternoon, under what is anticipated to be glorious sunshine, 31 superbly fit athletes who take to the asphaltic tarmac at the National Park are each expected to unleash their ‘inner beast’ in hope of being adjudged the fittest male or female in the pool of competitors in the 6th Kares Caribbean CrossFit Challenge.

This competition has attracted participation of 10 athletes hailing from Barbados, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, who are each anticipated to present a robust challenge to the 21 local athletes in contention.

Event Organizer Jamie Mc Donald, sharing a bit on what fans can expect to witness today, said: “This year’s event is going to (be) run very similarly to last year’s, in that we’re going to have 5 workouts during the day, with the first workout beginning at 6 o’clock in the morning. This is less of a fan-favourite event; it’s more of an athlete-centred event, (and it’s) more for them to enjoy.

“Then we’re going to have four events, starting from 1pm. This is going to be a mix of gymnastics, weightlifting…athletics’ sort of events,” Mc Donald shared.

This year’s competition is expected to feature defending champion Dillon Mahadeo, Paul Meusa, Timothy Mc Andrew, Randolph Leitch and Kellon Reid in the male division; while last year’s runner-up in the female division, Semonica Duke, is expected to square off with the ever consistent Delice Adonis and others.

Last year’s female champion, Ava Zalman of Suriname, will not be returning to compete in

Scenes from the 2019 edition of the Kares Caribbean Fitness Challenge

2020.

Increased cash prizes this year give athletes greater incentive to record enviable performances.

The athlete placing first in either division would receive $500,000, while the runners-up would pocket $400,000, $300,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively in order of placement. A participation prize of $15,000 also applies.

In the Over-30 category, first place winner in either division would receive $100,000, while the person placing second would receive $75,000 and

DCB U-15 Inter Association 2020 tournament

East Coast clinch title on net run rate

the one placing third would receive $50,000.

A ticket for entry to the event costs $1000, but children under 10 years old would be admitted free of cost.

Aside from chief sponsors Kares Engineering and Lotus Hardware, the competition has received support from Ansa McAl through their Lucozade brand, MVP Sports, Pollo Tropical, Star Party Rentals, Birkenstock and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Fitness Express and Genesis Fitness Gym.

Belle Vue humiliate La Grange in Malvern T20 Tournament

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T

The Belle Vue Cricket Team

The victorious East Coast Team

T

he East Coast team were crowned champions of the Demerara Cricket Board Under- 15 Inter Association 2020 tournament when that competition concluded its third and final round matches on Friday, February 7th.

They were so awarded because they had the best net run rate following a three-way tie on the points’ table.

This was a fortunate development for them, as West Demerara had lodged a protest against the results in the match they played against Georgetown on February 3rd.

After the committee had met and discussed the merits of the West Demerara protest, a decision was made to award the match to West Demerara.

Because of the foregoing, East Coast, West Demerara and Georgetown were all tied on 12 points. However, East Coast came out with the best net run rate of 1.063, while Georgetown came second on 0.907, and West Demerara third on -0.784. East Coast were thus declared winners of this year’s competition.

In the third and final round of matches, Joshua Alves destroyed West Demerara with statistics of 4 for 6 to take East Coast to victory, while Dave Mohabir spun Georgetown to victory by harvesting 5 wickets for 12 runs.

At the Lusignan Community Centre Ground, West Demerara won the toss and

elected to take first strike, but struggled to a paltry score of 24 all out from 16 of the allotted 50 overs.

East Coast started off their bowling with Bramanand Robindranauth collecting 2 for 11, while Alex Datterdeen took 3 for 5 and the most instrumental bowler, Alves, claimed 4 for 6.

In reply, East Coast raced to victory, losing only opener Josh Alves for 4, while the other opener scored 9 not out and Nicholas Shiopersaud top scored with an unbeaten 10 to take their team to the victory target of 25 from 13.5 overs. East Coast won by 9 wickets, while Nityanand Matura was the lone wicket taker for the West Demerara side.

Over at Everest, East Bank won the toss and chose to bat, scoring 84 all out from 44.5 overs. Opener Deonarine Dindyal top scored with 17, while Dhanesh Persaud supported with 11.

Dave Mohabir was the most destructive bowler, claiming 5 for 12, while support came from Joshua Walcott, John Persaud and Riyad Latif, who each took a wicket.

In reply, Georgetown blazed to victory as their openers Ryan Latif and Remo Deonarine scored 32 and 31 respectively to take their team to the victory target of 85 for 1 from 21.4 overs.

Dhanesh Persaud was the lone wicket-taker, as Georgetown won by 9 wickets. (DCB)

he Belle Vue Cricket Club made light work of their La Grange counterparts in a match of the Canal #1 Malvern T20 Tournament played at the Canal #1 ground recently.

Having won the toss, La Grange elected to bowl first in a move that was quite understandable from the standpoint that, historically, teams batting second on this pitch have won their games with ease.

The La Grange strategy did not pay off, as Belle Vue posted 142-6 in their allotted 20 overs despite losing a few wickets early in the innings.

The Belle Vue side were able to capitalize on their middle and final five overs to prevent themselves from posting a low total. Kerwin Bennett top scored with 51, and Ravi Prasad contributed 38. Bowling for La Grange, G. Singh took 3 wickets.

Needing 147 for victory off 120 balls, La Grange were bowled out for 99.

Things never got going as they had hoped, and they made a mess of every opportunity given. They were unable to utilise the bad balls as scoreboard pressure got to them, and they eventually choked.

Kelly (only name given), with 30 not out, and S. Persaud and G. Singh with 15 and 13 respectively, were the only batsmen to show some fight, as Belle Vue bowlers Ajula Bowman took 3-24 from four overs, Safraz Baksh took 2-14 from 2.3 overs, and Ryan Seecharran took 2-16 from his 2 overs. Thus Belle Vue won the match by 43 runs.

Each team participating in this T20 tournament will be battling for the right to be considered the number one T20 team in Canal #1. At stake are more than US$2000 in cash and prizes.

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COMOM

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020

CPL revels in remarkable growth in viewership

T

he Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has seen an-

other increase in viewership numbers during the 2019 season, as the vibrant

and exciting T20 league continues to grow in stature and reputation.

The total viewership, combining broadcast and digital, has been recorded at 312 million, an increase of 56% from 2018.

Viewership for the tournament has increased every season over the event’s seven-year history.

The tournament, which took place from September 4 to October 12 last year, featured 34 men’s matches and two women’s exhibition games, and was played in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, and Trinidad & Tobago.

The tournament was shown on television, with major broadcast deals in a large number of coun-

tries, and was also streamed on Facebook and Twitter.

This means that no matter where you were in the world, you were able to watch The Biggest Party in Sport.

This commitment to digital innovation has been key to the success of the tournament, and the league will be looking to increase its digital footprint in 2020 with more platforms for fans to enjoy the action.

Damien O’Donohoe, Chief Executive Officer of Hero CPL, said: “We are immensely proud of the CPL, and we are delighted to see it get bigger each year. The

fact that w e are able to release such fantastic viewership figures is a further testament to the way this tournament has grown and become firmly established as one of the world’s premier sporting events. We are already working hard on the 2020 edition of the CPL, and we are really looking forward to even more fans tuning in this year.” (Sportsmax)

CWI PCL 4-Day Championships…

Permaul stands tall, as Jaguars live to see another day ꟷ Salmon bags 7 on 16-wicket day

By Brandon Corlette

T

he penultimate day of the fourth-round clash in the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Professional Cricket League (PCL) match between Guyana Jaguars and Jamaica Scorpions can only be described as intriguing.

Jaguars ended the day on 155-9, requiring 27 runs for victory heading into the final day.

Veerasammy Permaul was again the Jaguars’ proverbial knight in shining armour, bagging 6-50 in the second innings -- in which the Jaguars were set a total of 182 for victory -- and standing tall at stumps on the third day, having surviving 60 balls in his unbeaten 20.

For Scorpions, debutant off-spinner Pete Salmon claimed 7-56 in a leg-before party in which six of the nine wickets were leg-before dismissals, and 16 wickets fell on an animated day.

Permaul bags 6, Bonner resists Scorpions resumed the day on 50-3, with a lead of 47 runs.

Guyanese-born Scorpions opener Assad Fudadin and fellow left-hander Paul Palmer began proceedings for the visitors. The duo added only 23 runs together before offspinner Kevin Sinclair removed Fudadin for a second time in the match, trapped in front for a 63-ball 19 which included two fours.

At 79-5, Palmer departed when the probing Permaul destroyed his stumps. The lefthanded Palmer, a centurion this season, could make only 15 runs from 52 balls. Two runs later, a clueless Denis Smith was leg-before to the same

Permaul as Scorpions slipped further into trouble.

Solid right-hander Nkrumah Bonner found a reliable partner in Derval Green, and the duo added 46 runs before Green departed for 19 on the stroke of lunch, trapped in front by Raymon Reifer who had earlier had a string of close calls against him.

At the lunch interval, the Scorpions were 127-7 in 48.2 overs. Reifer returned with venom after lunch and removed Pete Salmon for a duck with the score on 131-8.

The ninth wicket partnership was a gamechanging affair for the Scorpions, as Bonner found a reliable partner in Jamie Merchant, and the duo rubbed salt in the Jaguars wounds by adding 45 runs together. In the process, Bonner reached his 50, but Merchant departed for a fluent 26 from 29 balls with the score on 176-9.

Bonner eventually ran out of partners when Patrick Harty (00) gave Permaul his tenth wicket of the match, and was thus left stranded on 57 from 124 balls, which included five fours in a brilliant innings.

Permaul ended with 6-50 in 26 overs of which 8 were maidens, backing up his first innings’ haul of 4-34. Reifer had 2-19 and Sinclair had 2-56 in 23 overs.

The chase that never was Time was never an issue for the Jaguars in their requirement of 182 runs for victory; but they lost Chandrapaul Hemraj 4.3 overs into the chase after he had struck two fours in his 20-ball

13, and the score was adjusted to 16-1.

Hemraj lost his wicket to off-spinner Pete Salmon, but Captain Leon Johnson and Tagenarine Chanderpaul piloted the hosts to tea with the score on 48-1.

Chanderpaul became Salmon’s second wicket when he was trapped in front for 12, and the score was adjusted to 49-2.

Wickets then fell at regular intervals, with Johnson becoming another

l e g before victim of the innings, falling for 19 to Merchant before Vishal Singh departed for a duck at 51-4. It was a leg-before party for the Scorpions, whose accurate bowling gave nothing away.

Veerasammy Permaul during his 10-wicket match haul

Barnwell was the fifth batsman to proverbially bite the dust, reducing the Jaguars to 62-5. Having made just 12 runs, Barnwell was trapped by the off-spinner Salmon.

With half of the side in the hut, Anthony Bramble and Raymon Reifer added a vital 47 runs together for

the sixth wicket – Bramble’s – who, in counter-attacking mode, played positively but departed the crease at 109-6.

His tally of 36 runs came from 31 balls and was decorated with six fours, but he fell for the second time in the match to left-arm spinner Harty, who trapped him at the wicket.

Salmon then struck gold with the big wicket of Reifer, who was bowled for 13 after facing 44 balls and hitting a solitary boundary.

With Reifer having departed on 119-7 and Jaguars still requiring 63 runs for victory -- although they still had three wickets in hand -the small gathering was in for a thrilling finish to the end of the day’s play.

Sinclair failed to offer significant resistance, and departed for 13 with the Jaguars on 130-8. Smith, another leg-before victim to Salmon, made another duck; but Keon Joseph, who bowled only one over in the second innings, partnered Permaul and the duo survived to

stumps with Jaguars on 155-9, requiring another 27 runs for a win.

Permaul contributed a fighting, unbeaten 20 in 60 balls, while Joseph survived 16 balls for his five runs.

The match, starting today from 9:30h, will be in for an early finish, as the Jaguars require only 27 runs, while the Scorpions, with their tails up, need only to take the final wicket.

Salmon has been the Scorpions’ star with 7-56 through his testing off-spin bowling.

SCOREBOARD

Debutant Pete Salmon bagged seven

Scorpions 1st Innings 187 all out Jaguars 1st Innings 190 all out Scorpions 2nd Innings (503 o/n) 184 all out John Campbell lbw b Sinclair 31 Assad Fudadin lbw b Sinclair 19 Nicholson Gordon lbw b Permaul 1 Jermaine Blackwood c Reifer b Permaul 0 Paul Palmer b Permaul 15 Nkruma Bonner not out 57 Denis Smith lbw b Permaul 1 Derval Green lbw b Reifer 19 Pete Salmon c Chanderpaul b Reifer 0 Jamie Merchant c Hemraj b Permaul 26 Patrick Harty lbw b Permaul 0 Total (10 wickets, 62.0) (15 extras) 184 49/1 (10.3) John Campbell 50/2 (11.5) Nicholson Gordon 50/3 (13.6) Jermaine Blackwood 73/4 (24.2) Assad Fudadin 79/5 (29.4) Paul Palmer 81/6 (31.3) Denis Smith 127/7 (48.2) Derval Green 131/8 (50.1) Pete Salmon 176/9 (59.6) Jamie Merchant 184/10 (61.6) Patrick Harty Bowling Raymon Reifer (7-1-19-2) Nial Smith (5-0-39-0) Kevin Sinclair (23-5-56-2) Veerasammy Permaul (26-8-50-6) Keon Joseph (1-0-7-0)

Jaguars 2nd Innings 155-9 Tagenarine Chanderpaul lbw b Salmon 12 Chanderpaul Hemraj c Blackwood b Salmon 13 Leon Johnson lbw b Merchant 19 Vishaul Singh lbw b Salmon 0 Christopher Barnwell lbw b Salmon 12 Raymon Reifer b Salmon 13 Anthony Bramble lbw b Harty 36 Kevin Sinclair c Smith b Salmon 13 Veerasammy Permaul not out 20 Nial Smith lbw b Salmon Keon Joseph not out 5 Total (9 wickets, 50.1) (12 extras) 155 FOW: 16/1 (4.3) Chanderpaul Hemraj 49/2 (14.5) Tagenarine Chanderpaul 49/3 (15.1) Leon Johnson 51/4 (16.5) Vishaul Singh 62/5 Christopher Barnwell 109/6 (31.5) Anthony Bramble 119/7 (34.3) Raymon Reifer 130/8 (38.3) Kevin Sinclair 130/9 (38.4) Nial Smith Bowling Pete Salmon (23-4-56-7) Nicholson Gordon (3.1-0-18-0) Derval Green (5-0-18-0) Jamie Merchant 7-1-17-1) Patrick Harty (10-1-32-1) Nkruma Bonner (2-0-5-0)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020

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CWI PCL 4-Day Championships…

Pg 22 Pg 22

CPL revels in Permaul stands tall, as Jaguars live remarkable to see another day viewership growth ꟷ Salmon bags 7 on 16-wicket day

13 U-20 players touted for local senior duties

…Maximo confident ahead of Barbados clash

Pg 20

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Feature

T

he journey to excellence is one that can never be underestimated. It is a journey where there are no paved roads, rather they are pothole-laced.

However, the memories of the journey are all that make it worth it.

For all her life, Keisha HerculesFraser has been on that journey and sees no stopping in the near future. Keisha is not your average woman just because she never gives up. She is a superwoman with a twist. She has perhaps one of the toughest careers – a chemist.

Just thinking of the basics of chemistry is enough to make one bolt for the hills, but Keisha took that challenge and made it her own.

“The journey has definitely been exciting and interesting. Life is a rollercoaster, but it's important to enjoy the journey, live the adventure and above all, give thanks to the Almighty. I am a career woman with a beautiful family, but that poses its own challenges. My husband is extremely supportive and that goes a far way in propelling me forward,” she said.

Keisha is a Senior Chemist attached to the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL).

Going back to her roots, Keisha says she is a country girl. She hails from Mahaicony in Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) from a large family which has always been her rock and provided her with the type of foundation she needed.

“My parents gave the leadership and love necessary for my success. At the tender age of 11, I became a boarding student of President's College. This provided very unique experiences, challenges and very fond memories. Living and interacting in a culturally diverse group allowed for great appreciation and understanding of our rich culture as Guyanese. I gained brothers and sisters from all walks and regions under the

"Purple Nation Bloodline",” Keisha relates.

She has always had a love for the sciences, but most particularly the fields of chemistry, physics, and electronics, since they are the ones, for her, that required less writing.

“Fortunately for me, at President's College, there was a stream called Technology that focused on applied and industrial sciences. This allowed me to pursue the technical subjects that I enjoyed.

After CXC, I pursued a degree in Chemistry at the University of Guyana and since then my training and vocation have followed along that path. I am especially fond of Food Science. I joined the Graduate Trainee Programme at DDL, right out of University and with the years have grown to my role as Senior Chemist.”

When asked what advice she would give to a young girl thinking about joining the science field, this is what she had to say: “Just do it! The technical fields are always in high demand and with all the great things poised for Guyana in the near future, it can only become more exciting in our field. There has never been a better time to be in the technical field. Also, it is less challenging to later add business training to your resume simply because of the plethora of study opportunities available when compared to the technical field.

Grab the opportunity now!

“It is always different being a woman in the field. After all, you are a 'girl', but that is what makes it so superb. You are a girl and you will bring all the unique attributes, strengths, and nurture development as women do. Ladies, we are always just as good! Do not let anyone tell and make you believe otherwise. Also, as women, we also need to do more to inspire and push each other along and forward. Build our camaraderie, there is more than enough for all. Girls, find your voice, turn on your lights and shine!”

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FEBRUARY 9, 2020

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Feature

By Lakhram Bhagirat

C

uriosity leads us down the path of beautiful journeys at times and sometimes it can lead us down a path where we never envision ourselves going. Being curious only drives the need to discover answers to the many questions we have and along the curious path, we often discover ourselves.

We discover what we want to do and how we want to be for the days, months, years to come. It was that very curiousness that led Oceana O’Dean to discover what she wanted to do with her life.

The 29-year-old has always been a curious one and to this day, she remains somewhat curious about the things around her. It is what fuels her drive to be the best in what she does. She not only sits back and thinks but she has been getting down Checking for insect damage on cabbage and dirty for almost her entire life.

The field of work she is in requires that she gets down and dirty because our collective future depends on it. O’Dean is a Research Scientist in the Plant Pathology, Entomology and Weed Science Department at the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI).

Quite exciting, isn’t it?

“I was always a curious child and was always getting my hands dirty, climbing trees, picking up bugs, rearing butterflies. That interest in science grew as I got older. After being introduced to more theoretical and practical work in secondary school, I grew even more intrigued and decided to follow that line as a profession,” she said when asked about whether the love for science has always been there .

Checking for pest incidence

Clearing debris from drains

To understand her journey, one must understand her upbringing. O’Dean was born in the village of Eversham in the Ancient County of Berbice, but brought up in the city of Georgetown. Though citybred, she remained a country girl at heart with the same qualities and love for nature.

Her parents had known the limitations of growing up in the countryside and were set on giving her and her sister better opportunities and had thus moved the family to the capital city. But despite living in the city, the girls had a country upbringing. O’Dean spent almost all of her vacation time in Berbice.

“I remember going fishing, running and playing with my cousins, since we had no brothers they took up the role and were extremely protective. Going for family outings at the 63 Beach, or going exploring in the yard. It was always the best holidays.

“School came with its challenges, but my parents always emphasised the importance of a good education. It was instilled that with education and hard work, you can achieve anything you set your mind Distribution of protective gear to farmers in Buxton to. Our parents made sure that we were always on top of our studies and staying out of trouble. They were also very protective. However, looking back on that time, I wouldn't change anything,” she recounted.

After completing her secondary education at the Christ Church Secondary School, O’Dean gained seven subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations and later applied to the University of Guyana. There, she pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology

and graduated in 2012. She recalls seeing close to 50 other students graduating with the same credentials and knew then that she had to pursue her Master’s Degree in Forest Biology to remain a step ahead of her peers. When she accomplished that goal in 2016, she thought her career as a student had finally come to an end; however, that perspective changed when she started working at NAREI. “The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute is one of the few governmental organisations that conduct research as part of their mandate. I had always wanted to work at NAREI since they were renowned for their research and extension capabilities. After graduating with a MSc in Forest Biology in which I would have focused on butterflies for my thesis, I decided to apply for a position in the Institute and by the grace of God, was successful. Not only had I been hired, but I had been offered a position in the exact department I was hoping for. I couldn't be happier. At the time of employment, I was tasked with supervising the Plant Pathology, Entomology and Weed Science Department and still hold this position today. I must admit this was a new environment with new faces and it wasn't all kittens and rainbows, but with the help of my understanding supervisors and staff, I was able to adapt to the new normal.”

She notes that being a woman in such a male-dominated field has led her to always being on top of her game.

That level of being on top is especially important when dealing with farmers and other stakeholders. However, NAREI has a community which is geared around helping staff to reach their full potential. Also, the staff under her supervision are hardworking and thought-provoking, Moderating during the NAREI Research Conference according to her.

“They push me to work harder as I would push them.

“I am responsible for ensuring the effective management of all activities in the Department.

This includes research, laboratory work, the cataloguing of specimens and release of information to stakeholders and clientele. I have authored or co-authored a number of technical articles which have been published in NAREI’s Annual Reports. My interests are in the field of Entomology, however, because of my position I have had to become involved in both Plant Pathology and Weed Science. As such, I have investigated topics relating to insect behaviour, biological control, plant and disease forecasting, evaluation of bio-pesticides and their effectiveness in controlling pre-emergent weeds and fungal-fungal interactions,” O’Dean said.

When asked what advice she would give to a young girl contemplating joining her field of work, this is what O’Dean had to say: “I would advise young girls to continue in the area and not get discouraged. Agriculture is more than just farming, it's about research and development, problem-solving, critical thinking, project management, business and much more. There are many areas which may be applicable to you. Believe in yourself, despite your challenges. Work hard and you can achieve anything.”

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Feature

-

By Rupa Seenaraine

C

rimson sunsets, ancient architectures, busy thoroughfares, and an explosion of cultural heritage are just a few attributions which encapsulate the experience of India, commonly referred to as Bharat.

Through the External Affairs Ministry’s quest to reunite youths from the Indian Diaspora with their lineage, I was able to experience this land of 1.3 billion people – a life-changing understanding of how my culture all started.

Regarded as a subcontinent of Asia, the country has seen tremendous infrastructural development in recent years with one of the fastest growing economies.

Agra Fort , located in Rakabganj Agra, and residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638

The journey begins in New Delhi on a freezing January morning with the arrival of persons from eight countries – Guyana, Trinidad, Suriname, South Africa, Fiji, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Myanmar all ready for the unforgettable experiences which awaited them.

The experience of the city life is one which combines chaos on the busy streets with the magnificence of historical sites that bring complete tranquillity. On a normal day, one can spot thousands of rickshaws or smaller vehicles that are sometimes propelled manually. To ride one of these is an absolute thrill but attempting to cross the busy lanes takes a special skill and flawless timing.

Throughout the winter season, the city’s incredibly cold winter s e a - son in January is cured by masala chai – probably the most enjoyed and most hal a M j a T The common beverage within each locality. Blended with tea leaves and aromatic spices, this tea will introduce you to the true identity of the ancient land.

And along these busy streets are the aromas of street food being prepared in countless ways. The little carts are loaded with tens of different ingredients and spices, all ready to make the favourites such as vada pavs, jalebis, pav bhajis and definitely, chole bhature. These street snacks are an introduction to Indian cuisine which extensively involves a great deal of spices and local ingredients.

The busyness specifically extends to the shopping hubs, home to popular marketplaces: Chandni Chowk, Sarojini Nagar, Janpath Market and Karol Bagh. Here, the colours of lehengas, sarees, traditional jewellery and other merchandise are met with craftsmanship of contemporary Western styles – depicting the gradual change to a modernised Bharat. In the narrow lanes, one can also venture out to find sweets, essential oils and the best in spices.

The variety of these items are unmatched anywhere else in the world and bargaining will definitely materialise in a good deal. At these commercial spots, local merchants will be sure to bend a price or offer some discount to satisfy new customers.

Concentrated in this modern city Bangla Sahib Gurdwara is visited by hundreds of people lies Humayun’s Tomb. This landmark

is the mausoleum of Mughal Emperor Humayun and was commissioned by his chief consort and wife, Bega Begum. Nine years after his death in 1956, she would order the mausoleum be constructed. Inspired by Persian architecture, the building is intricately detailed with white marble and sandstone. Under sections of the lawns are buried other members of the Mughal Dynasty.

The breathtaking beauty of this site is complemented by other historical features, including the famous Qutub Minar. This towering 73-metre tall tower which rises some five stories was built

by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak in 1193 as a landmark after the defeat of the last Hindu kingdom.

With these historical sites come the modern-day places of worship which were created with incredible precision and design. The Lotus Temple is a Baháʼí House of Worship, also located in Delhi that welcomes all faiths. Standing al, tall in the lotus-like flower e Taj Mah th f o w ie Front v hold shape, the Temple is definiteight to be d setill a s n a ry ly on the list of places to vistu n

e 16th ce d since th it.

During opening hours, it attracts te c u tr s n co thousands of visitors every day from different religions – a place where one can experience true oneness with those of other beliefs.

Similarly, Akshardham Temple is also a magnificent sight to behold, standing in its entirety of Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian Carrara marble. The entire edifice was built with-

The 59th Know India Programma participanrs takes one of the final photos to wrap up the tour

out the use of ferrous metals and is dedicated to Swaminarayan, a yogi who existed during the 18th century.

These landmarks are centralised particularly in Delhi, making it a one-stop destination to see some of the magnificent sites which India has to offer. However, one cannot end their visit without a glance at one of the Seven Wonders of the World – the Taj Mahal. Its ivory-white

The magnificent Qutub Minar still standing tall

Spicy pani puri is a must-have street food item

structure gazes over at the Yamuna River, as the three entrances welcome those who seek a glimpse of the masterpiece which Emperor Shah Jahan built in memory of his late wife. Since 1632, this iconic structure is one which many identify with India, but the central focus remains the two tombs which lie inside – one of the Mughal Emperor and the other of his wife.

Just a stone’s throw away is Agra Fort – the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty from which the Taj Mahal is visible. Through the waging of countless wars, it is rumoured that in his final days, Shah Jahan died in Muasamman Burj – a tower with a marble balcony that shared that view of the Taj Mahal.

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FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Sunday Times Magazine 5

Feature

By Jainarine Deonauth

T

he sub-continent of India is always bustling with activity. The streets are crowded and people are virtually everywhere at any given time. The smell of tantalising street food quite often wafts through the air and encourages the ‘belly grumble’ even if you just finished a meal.

The sights of auto-rickshaws blazing through heavy traffic, crowds of people everywhere, some shopping, some busy going their way, some eating street foods, lets you know that you are alive. The bustling loudness is significantly Indian.

When I landed in this forever busy land, I was taken aback by the stark contrast of what I have experienced in Guyana.

My place of destination was the beautiful city of Kolkata, once named Calcutta and popularly known to as the “City of Joy”.

Coming from a country such as Guyana where the population is very small and there is no culture of ‘bargaining’ or ‘street food’, a simple walk on the streets would leave one mesmerised and at the same time, wanting to know more about this amazing and wonderful city.

A few days ago, thirteen media professionals arrived at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), located in Kolkata, to pursue a one-month professional course designed to sharpen their skills in the media field. SRFTI is one of two major film-producing schools in India and has been named after one of the country’s most celebrated filmmakers – Satyajit Ray. The participants have been selected from various areas in the media and communication fields ranging from news, public relations and academia and come from countries as far as East Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. They are being exposed to both the theoretical and practical aspects of television presentation, more particularly, the use of modern technologies in news presentation.

The programme is being sponsored by the Indian Government through its flagship Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme. ITEC is a capacitybuilding programme which was first established on September 12, 1964, by India’s Ministry of External Affairs. Its main objective is to lend assistance to developing countries through capacity building and training.

Being part of the programme only reinforced the fact that one is fortunate to be learning the various skills not quite often encountered. For this, the Indian Government should be com-

mended since it provides the opportunities so that professionals in various fields could enhance their skills and in turn, contribute to the development of their own country.

India itself is faced with many developmental challenges and because of the fact that they are pumping so many resources into the ITEC programme to benefit other countries, they must be commended. Other countries can learn a great deal from India due to its level of advancement in various areas, most notably in digital technology, biotechnology and medicine among others.

Under ITEC and its sister programme, SCAAP (Special Commonwealth African Assistance Programme), 161 countries in Asia, Africa, East Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean as well as Pacific and Small Island countries are invited to share in the Indian developmental experience acquired over six de-

cades of India's existence as a free nation. As a result of different activities under this programme, there is now a visible and growing awareness among other countries about the competence of India as a provider of technical know-how and expertise as well as training opportunities.

The programme offers many courses that provide a wide and diverse range of skills and discipline; some of which include media, agriculture, irrigation, Information Technology (IT), telecommunication, finance, accounts, audit, banking, education, planning and administration and tool design amongst others.

In Guyana’s case, over 500 professionals have benefited from the ITEC programme thus far. Just recently, Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr K J Srinivasa noted that the programme has been generating much interest amongst persons, both in the public and private sectors. He also pledged the High Commission’s support to ensure that more professionals receive the necessary training that would improve their competence in various areas.

The “City of Joy”

Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal and is located in eastern India on the east bank of the River Hooghly. The city was a colonial city developed by the British East India Company and then by the British Empire. It is the seventh most populated city; the city had a population of 4.5 million, while the suburb population brought the total to 14.1 million, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India.

Today, the city has settled into its role as one of India’s most vibrant and historic cities and is also regarded as a centre of high-level political, cultural and intellectual discourse. It was also the centre for the Indian independence movement and remains a hotbed of contemporary state politics. The city also hosts several research institutes and universities which are leading the way in providing the skills needed to help drive India’s economy.

Kolkata is considered not just the cultural capital of the country for its rich treasures in the fields of literature, cinema and theatre, like most other metropolitan cities around the world, it also boasts a unique cuisine that has evolved over centuries.

West Bengal's share of the

Bengali film industry is based in the city, which also hosts venerable cultural institutions of national importance, such as the Academy of Fine Arts, the Victoria Memorial, the Asiatic Society, the Indian Museum and the National Library of India.

Additionally, while cricket is extremely popular in Kolkata and is the home of the Kolkata Knight Riders, football is also equally popular.

For the visiting media professionals, in addition to developing their skills in the media and communication fields, witnessing Kolkata in all its complexity and uniqueness is an integral part of this enriching experience. Kolkata has certainly lived up to its name as the “City of Joy” as any visitor here would truly find their soul satisfied.

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Feature

The evidence shows Eric Walrond was eminently qualified for this purpose. His book, ‘Tropic Death’, a collection of stories, was valued alongside the most significant books of the day like ‘The Quest of the Silver Fleece’ by W. E. B. Du Bois, ‘The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man’ by James W. Johnson and ‘Harlem Shadow’

by Claude McKay. The authors of those books were big names of the day making an enormous impact on the socio-political situation of the time.

‘Tropic Death’ was birthed from his life experiences up to the time of that publication. Eric Derwent Walrond was born on December 18, 1898 in Georgetown, capital city of Guyana, where he spent his first eight years. His father was Guyanese and his mother, Ruth, Barbadian.

A year after the devastating 1905 fire of Georgetown, and with his father gone to work on the Panama Canal, the remainder of the family moved to Barbados. After no contact from the father and with employment opportunities aplenty digging the canal, the family moved to Panama in 1911. Failing to find the head of the family, they settled in Colon where Eric Walrond completed his public schooling and went on to be trained as a secretary and a stenographer. His first job was as a clerk at the Health Department of the Canal Commission. From 1916 to 1918, he pursued a career in journalism, working as a general reporter, court reporter and sport journal-

ist on the prestigious on the Panama Star - Herald. Around this time, stories of a better life in America fascinated him, influencing yet another migration.

Walrond entered the USA in 1918, part of a mass migration movement that was attracting thousands of West Indians. Here he played a major role in the Harlem Renaissance rubbing shoulders with the likes of Marcus Garvey, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, Arna Bontemps, Zora Neale Hurston, and W. E. B. Du Bois while encountering the vilest forms of class and racial prejudice, triggering his most productive literary years.

Due to unfair employment practices, it took a long while to get his pen moving but when it fell into the rut, Walrond was able to influence schools of thoughts and bodies of movements against the inhumanity to man. He wrote numerous stories and essays to periodicals like the ‘Opportunity’, ‘Smart Set’, ‘Vanity’, ‘Independent’ and ‘Messenger’.

His short stories like Missing the comforting of a father ‘On Being Black’, ‘On Being While being tortured by the hands of a maniac, Domestic’ and ‘The Stone Assurance of safety was never in close proximity Rebounds’ were like fodder For my mother and I. to Black consciousness at the time. Later he was entrusted a Just as a new day unfolds, greater role in fashioning and So does new wounds, changing public attitude when Internally and externally he was made editor to Marcus As our bodies designed with horrible marks, Garvey’s ‘Negro World’.

Each with a story untold.

Walrond also edited Charles S. Johnson’s ‘Opportunity’ Intoxication of all forms displayed and ‘The Brooklyn and Long as the beast in him unleashed, Island Informer’. He gravitatWith us being his drums and japping was his music, ed to the editorship of ‘New Without any respite.

World’ after he won a fiction contest sponsored by Marcus Knackered of being his victims, Garvey’s Universal Negro We realized the faith of a better life is lost, Just like a real father-husband Improvement Association Us being destroyed within (U. N. I. A.) for his piece, ‘A With no cue of an escape route Senator’s Memoirs’. To sustain his literary pursuit, he Pillows became my mothwas granted a Guggenheim er's soft shoulders at nights fellowship to produce cerJust like hers was for me, tain work. But for all of that, As we lived our best lives beWalrond remains a one book ing asleep rather than awake, wonder.

Only to experience terror and trauma, And The Great Negro Book All over again. fell on the shoulders of two other Guyanese, N. E. Cameron, Our sickening world continues to darken author of ‘The Evolution of the Justice being unknown to us Negro’ and Ivan Van Sertima, Tearful stories and scars as our forever testimonies author of ‘They Came Before We reflect with grief, once, happiColumbus’. (to be continued) ly being ‘daddy's favourite girls'.

Responses to this author please telephone 226-0065 or By email: oraltradition2002@yaNickalos Mobin hoo.com

Poem

Daddy’s favourite girls

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Sunday Times Magazine 7

Feature

R

adio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse. At the global level, radio remains the most widely consumed medium. This unique ability to reach out the widest audience means radio can shape a society’s experience of diversity, stand as an arena for all voices to speak out, be represented and heard. Radio stations should serve diverse communities, offering a wide variety of programs, viewpoints and content, and reflect the diversity of audiences in their organizations and operations.

Radio is a low-cost medium specifically suited to reaching remote communities and vulnerable people, offering a platform to intervene in the public debate, irrespective of people’s educational level. It

also plays a crucial role in emergency communication and disaster relief.

Radio is uniquely positioned to bring communities together and foster positive dialogue for change. By listening to its audiences and responding to their needs, radio services provide the diversity of views and voices needed to address the challenges we all face.

For World Radio Day 2020, UNESCO calls on radio stations to uphold diversity, both in their newsroom and on the airwaves.

UNESCO’s Executive Board recommended to the General Conference the proclamation of World Radio Day, on the basis of a wide consultation process, carried out by UNESCO in 2011, further to a proposal from Spain. The leader of the project, the Academia Española de la Radio, received support for the proposal from diverse stakeholders, including major international broadcasters and broadcasting unions and associations.

The date of 13 February, the day United Nations Radio was established in 1946, was proposed by the Director-

World Radio Day Message from UNESCO Director General – Audrey Azoulay

General of UNESCO. UNESCO’s General Conference, at its 36th session, proclaimed 13 February as World Radio Day. On 14 January 2013, the United Nations General Assembly formally endorsed UNESCO’s proclamation of World Radio Day. During its 67th Session, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 13 February as World Radio Day. The objectives of the Day are to raise greater awareness among the public and the media of the importance of radio; to encourage decision makers to establish and provide access to information through radio; as well as to enhance networking and international cooperation among broadcasters.

Radio Guyana’s Phoolkumarie Gobin conducting a live on location interview

On this World Day, we celebrate the power of radio to reflect and promote diversity in all its forms.

Everyone can feel at home in “voice land”, as Walter Benjamin called the radio in his writings for the radio. The diversity of broadcasting channels – AM, FM, long wave and, increasingly, digital radio, web radio and podcasts – is matched by the diversity of content and programmes produced, and the plurality of opinions, cultural expressions and sensitivities expressed.

Through the freedom it offers, radio is thus a unique means of promoting cultural UNESCO Director General diversity. This is particularly Audrey Azoulay the case for indigenous peoples, for whom radio can be an accessible medium for sharing their experiences, promoting their cultures and expressing their ideas in their own languages. It is also the case with community radio stations, which relay the concerns of many social groups whose voices would have much less impact in public debate without radio. That is why UNESCO actively supports these radio stations and ensures, with all the means that its mandate confers on it, that they can develop.

By inviting listeners to broaden their horizons, to discover new perspectives and to foster intercultural understanding, radio is a humanistic medium that helps to combat prejudice and discrimination.

This diversity must be seen in radio content, as well as among the creators of content – technicians, programmers, journalists, sound engineers, everyone has a role to play in this respect.

In this context, it is important that the radio industry itself be an industry of diversity, reflecting the complexity and richness of our societies. Diversity is also an asset, as it is synonymous with more creativity and innovation in product content.

In this regard, UNESCO is paying particular attention to promoting greater participation by women in the radio industry. The Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media thus help to measure the degree of awareness of gender equality in the media and the content produced, making it possible to assess in concrete terms the progress made – and that which still remains to be done – in giving more space to diversity.

“Whenever we turn on the radio, the phenomena that ensue have a certain expression. The radio ‘talks to us’, even though we listen to no-one”. With these words, Theodor Adorno celebrated the magic of radio, the magic that we continue to sustain on World Radio Day.

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Sunday Times Magazine

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Fashion

O

ne of the constant in the fashion world is that it is forever evolving. Trends come and goes. Your wardrobe should always have some essentials – a nice jacket, the little black dress and good

jeans.

For teens, fashion can boost one’s self confidence. We have gathered some of the trendiest looks for teens so that they can draw inspiration.

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Sunday Times Magazine 11

Recipes

Tips to Beautify Any Room in Your Home Focus on Color Though we're big fans of neutral and white-washed rooms, there's something about a splash of bold color that makes a room feel like it's right out of magazine spread. Pops of yellow, blue, and purple take it to the next level. From your bathroom to your living room, color is an easy addition to every room in your house, and one that will make it feel instantly fresh and new.

Use Mirrors If you want to make your home look bigger, there's no need to call a contractor. Decorating with mirrors is an easy, beautiful way to make any room feel larger, lighter, and more open. Place a large mirror either directly across or diagonal from your window so that it can reflect the light (both natural and artificial, if you're low on windows) and allow the room to look larger.

Embrace Natural Light If you've got it, flaunt it. Natural light is desirable for a reason: it makes every room feel calming and open.

Whether you're lucky enough to have an abundance of natural light or you have to work with less-than-ideal exposures, never neglect your windows. Finding the right curtains or shades for your room can transform the look and feel instantly. .

Add Texture From area rugs to throw pillows and cozy blankets, textiles help break up a room and add visual interest (plus, who doesn't love the feel of a super-soft rug underfoot?). Greenery, varied lighting, perfectly curated furniture really takes a room to the next level.

Reduce the Clutter

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Puzzles

ACROSS 1 Musical key (2 wds.)

6 Look forward to 11 Fireman's signal 16 Mold and mildew 21 Helmsley of hotels 22 High-IQ society 23 Bandleader Count - 24 More than lethargic 25 Bard's forest 26 "No worries!" (2 wds.)

27 Japanese canine 28 Committee type (2 wds.)

29 Never, to Wolfgang 30 Musicians' stints 32 Pester 34 Volt or watt 36 Bleachers shout 37 Slugger Jose - 39 Bad-luck bringer 40 Weather outlook 41 Undersized 42 Wield, as oars 43 -- lazuli 44 Artist's tool 46 Kid who rode Diablo 49 White-sale buy 50 Hoppers 51 R-month food 55 "My Way" composer 56 Meditation guides 57 Depression 58 Progressing (2 wds.)

59 1051, to Terence 60 Helicons 61 Mass of clouds 62 Dairy-case buy 63 Jean- -- Picard 64 Sheet materials 66 Glass ingredient 67 Some CDs 68 Lover of Aeneas 69 Constitutionals 70 Pie crust ingredient 71 Hockey's -- Mikita 72 Age on the vine 73 Very, in Veracruz 74 Shoe lifter (2 wds.)

76 By means of 77 Slalom runs 80 Palm locale 81 Fertile soil 82 Punch bowl activity 86 Gloss target 87 Toupees, slangily 88 Has a cough 89 Bridge ploys 90 Skater Midori - 91 Inoculants 92 Lumber along

93 -- Banks, N.C. 94 Paltry sum 95 Barn bird (2 wds.)

97 Choir rendition 98 Ethiopian monetary units 99 Ms. Riefenstahl 100 Biased 101 Cornfield sight 102 Actress -- Berry 103 Beam 104 Second edition 106 Dock foundation 107 Cat or canary 108 Keystone zanies 111 Reveille opposite 112 Spud 113 Conscientious 117 NASA excursion 118 Mr. Saarinen 119 Major artery 120 Cat scanners?

121 Language suffix 122 Insurance giant 124 Succeeds in a coup 126 Remove graphite 128 Leering sort 130 Makes an effort 131 Boy band 132 Harshness 133 TNT part 134 Place for a pilot 135 Columbus' home 136 Free play 137 Pert DOWN 1 Alps' Mont - 2 Spanish carnival 3 Water-repellent wool 4 One, in Glasgow 5 Hybrid citrus 6 Baja pal 7 Licks, say 8 Reply to a ques.

9 Carbon 14 et al 10 Fooled (2 wds.)

11 Fluster 12 Area behind a dam 13 So far -- -- know 14 Ceremonial acts 15 Bully 16 Royal decree 17 Sturm -- Drang 18 Indira's father 19 Creak 20 Like dandruff 31 Steely, as nerves 33 Smallish batteries 35 Chants 38 Humane org.

39 Two-faced god

KATHLEEN SAXE

WORD GAME TODAY'S WORD -- INFLUENCES (INFLUENCES: IN-floo-en-sez: Produces an effect in indirect or intangible ways; sways.)

Average mark 40 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 61 or more words in INFLUENCES?

incense incus incuse infuse isle nene nice niece nine feel feline fence fennel ficus file fine

fisc flee flies flue fuel funnel funnies fuse fusee lees lenis lens lice license lief lien

lieu life line linen lues lune uncle unseen elfin else enisle ennui ensile ensue cense clef

clue scene seen seine self senile silence since sine sinful slice slue sluice

RULES OF THE GAME: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of "s," such as "bats" or "dies," are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a "d" or an "s" may not be used. For example, if "bake" is used, "baked" or "bakes" are not allowed, but "bake" and "baking" are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

40 Harangue 41 Tijuana coin 43 Milan money, once 44 Flamingo color 45 Neophyte 46 Sleeps in a tent 47 Mooring site 48 Go rapidly 49 Grease jobs 50 Stoop down 52 Fall planting 53 Piano composition 54 Spy mission 56 Deep ditch 57 Weed, to some 58 Flair 60 Ankle bone 61 Yip 62 Kind of hygiene 65 Tags along 66 Made a remark 67 Object 68 Tunes in 70 Med. staffers 71 Aegean and Bering 72 Sidecar occupant 74 Hero's tale 75 Grasp 76 Windmill blades 77 Yale of Yale 78 Suppress (2 wds.)

79 Amusing satire 80 Cast 82 British quart 83 Japanese-American 84 Flashy signs 85 Astronaut's garb (hyph.)

87 New draft 88 Mendicant's shout 89 Rolls tightly 91 Mademoiselle's silk 92 Ceremonial fire 93 Fuel tanker 96 Old salts 97 Herr's abode 98 Majorca's islands 99 A -- -- care!

101 Adopt 102 Bat swingers 103 Astro's family 105 Lamour's attire 106 -- excellence 107 -- a lid on it!

108 Romantic poet 109 In plain sight 110 Barbecue spot 112 Puccini opera 113 Name in tractors 114 Fedora fabrics 115 Web habitues 116 Painter -- Neiman 118 Inch forward

119

120 123 125 127 129

Periodic table info (2 wds.)

Brandy bottle letters Comstock Lode st.

Roget wd.

Way back when -- Scala of movies

SEE SOLUTION ON PAGE 13

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FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Sunday Times Magazine 13

Tech

The timing of the leaked photos is unfortunate for Samsung, as the company’s Unpacked event, where it is expected to announce the S20, is just a week away, on February 11th. In addition to what’s been revealed by Samsung itself, the S20 is expected to come in three different variants, including a new “Ultra” model that looks to be a spec monster. All three of the new phones are expected to have 120Hz displays, 5G support by default in the US, and camera upgrades across the board.

At Unpacked, Samsung is also expected to announce a new vertically folding phone, rumored to be called the Galaxy Z Flip, which was allegedly shown off in a video this past weekend. (The Verge)

S

amsung appears to have accidentally revealed the Galaxy S20 in a set of leaked marketing images posted to its own website, as spotted by WinFuture.

The images confirm a few things that were already rumored about the phone, including the Galaxy S20 name (instead of the S11, which would technically be next by current Galaxy naming standards), a hole-punch selfie camera, and a tall camera bump. The screenshots also revealed a new gray case with LEDs, which is similar to the LED case Samsung released for last year’s Galaxy S10.

The images of the Galaxy S20, which were apparently posted on Samsung’s online store in a European country, were pulled quickly, according to WinFuture. This isn’t the first time Samsung has accidentally posted official marketing materials to its own website; the company leaked the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus just a day before they were set to be announced last August.

14 Sunday Times Magazine

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FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Bollyollywood/Hollywood

K

irk Douglas, the last great star of Hollywood’s Golden Age, who stared on screen in legendary films like “Spartacus” and off screen as one of Tinseltown’s greatest ladies men has died, his family announced Wednesday.

He was 103.

“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” his son, Michael, said in a statement posted to Facebook. “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.”

Propelled by a powerhouse work ethic and marble-chiseled features, Douglas rose from the poorhouse to Hollywood royalty while starring in some 90 films and TV series over roughly 60 years — including career-defining roles as the sword-swinging gladiator lead in “Spartacus” and the tortured artist Vincent van Gogh in “Lust for Life.”

Along the way, the notorious flirt bedded a bevy of Hollywood beauties — and sired a showbiz dynasty with four sons including famed actor Michael Douglas.

But before he was Kirk Douglas, he was Issur Danielovitch — the son of dirt-poor Russian-Jewish immigrants born outside Albany in 1916.

Douglas’ father was a peddler whose station was one rung below the bottom of the social ladder — and Douglas’ life was defined by his desire to break from poverty and earn his father’s approval.

The latter proved elusive for his whole life.

“I never heard my father say, ‘I’m proud of you,’” he told Parade magazine in 1986.

Douglas’s romantic and professional lives were entangled from the earliest — and his first taste of both came through a relationship with his high school English teacher.

At 14, the woman, who he identified as Mrs. Livingston, seduced him as she introduced him to the world of romantic poetry.

“I had been a ragamuffin kid of 15 coping with a neighborhood filled with gangs … under her guidance I became a different person,” he wrote in his 2007 memoir “Let’s Face It.” “I am eternally grateful. By today’s standards she would have gone to jail.”

Their trysts continued through Douglas’s college years at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, but eventually they went their separate ways.

He lent his talents to a few minor Broadway productions, but he pushed pause on his acting career to join the Navy in 1941, serving on a subhunting ship in the Pacific before he was medically discharged in 1944 for injuries after his own crew accidentally set off a depth charge too close to their ship.

A

Though Douglas never got to battle Hitler in the European theater, he found other ways to combat antiSemitism.

For instance, he once bedded a woman he knew to be an anti-Semite, just so he could shout, at the climactic moment: “I’m a Jew! You are being f—-d by a Jew!” according to his kiss-and-tell 1988 autobiography “The Ragman’s Son.” Douglas wedded actress Diana Dill in 1943, and the couple produced two sons before their 1951 split: Actor Michael and producer Joel.

Following his discharge from the Navy in 1944, Douglas landed his first bigscreen gig opposite Barbara Stanwyck in 1946’s “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers” a role that required the healthy-living thespian smoke cigarettes.

“I got sick as a dog,” he told The Post in 1978.

For Douglas, the on-screen act soon became a three-packa-day habit — which he miraculously kicked cold turkey two years later.

Not long after, he would deliver his breakthrough performance as a pugilist Midge Kelly in 1949’s “Champion” — a role that would earn him his first of three Academy Award nominations for the Best Actor.

Enlarge Image Kirk Douglas with actress Raquel Welch at the 50th Academy Awards in 1978.Associated Press Some of his top roles came when he teamed up with a little-known director named Stanley Kubrick for 1957’s “Paths of Glory” and 1960’s “Spartacus.”

The only catalogue to, perhaps, rival his extensive acting career is the list of starlets he romanced over the decades, which includes Joan Crawford, Linda Darnell, Marlene Dietrich, Rita Hayworth, Evelyn Keyes, Marilyn Maxwell, Patricia Neal, Ann Sothern and Gene Tierney, he wrote in his autobiography.

“I’m a sonofabitch, plain and simple,” he admitted in the book.

Following an ill-fated romance with Italian actress Pier Angeli, Douglas married his publicist Anne Buydens in 1954. The couple had two more sons: Producer Peter and actor Eric.

Ironically, he spent his Vegas wedding night gambling with pal Warren Cowan and Sam Norton.

“I never did get to bed on my wedding night,” Buydens kvetched to the Saturday Evening Post in 1962.

Douglas pivoted from leading man to Renaissance man in 1955 when he opened his own film shop, Bryna Productions — named for his dear mother.

“What was interesting about him was that he also became an independent producer. He was one actor who used their star status in some productive ways,” NYU film professor William Simon told The Post in 2018.

Unlike most leading men of his day, Douglas never tied himself to one movie studio — and instead worked as a free agent.

“I was never part of Old Hollywood,” Douglas bragged to The Post in a 1975 interview.

“That gave Douglas a certain kind of freedom at a point when the Hollywood studio system was beginning to break down,” according to Simon.

The company produced “Spartacus,” “Paths to Glory” — which Douglas considered one of his best — and more than 20 other films through 1986.

He used the company to combat jingoism when he insisted that Spartacus writer Dalton Trumbo received onscreen credit even though he had been blackballed during the “red Scare” for refusing to testify at a U.S. House investigation into communism in Hollywood.

But in the late ‘70s, Douglas got the itch and returned to acting.

“I’m making my comeback as an actor. I never left, but some people thought I did,” he proclaimed to The Post in 1978, following the release of 1977’s “The Chosen” and ‘78’s “The Fury.”

Jimmy Carter awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981, and though a Best Actor Oscar eluded him his whole life, Douglas received a lifetime achievement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1996.

It wasn’t until the mid1980s that his prodigious output of two-three movies a year would slow to a humble oneflick-per-year.

And even as his shadow lengthened, Douglas continued to make magic, even starring alongside his son Michael and grandson Cameron Douglas in 2003’s appropriately titled “It Runs in the Family.”

“The first requirement for an actor is vitality,” he told The Post. “Not only the physical kind — every kind. You have to be able to do the jumping, the crawling and the running yourself.” (Page Six)

ctor Akshay Kumar has pipped Deepika Padukone in celebrity brand ranking with the Khiladi star's value rising to $104.5 million (Rs 740 crore), according to a report released on Wednesday.

Cricketer Virat Kohli continues to hold the top spot with a brand value of $237.5 million, Duff and Phelps' celebrity brand valuation report for 2019 said.

Padukone, who was ranked at number two last year, has slipped to number three with a brand valuation of $93.5 million, while Kumar has replaced her as the second most-valued celebrity, the report said.

Padukone invited the ire of a lot of people by showing up at protests at JNU against a violent attack on students, while Kumar was in the news for interviewing Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his landslide win in the general elections.

Both Padukone and Kumar had a slew of popular releases during the year.

Padukone shares the number-three spot with actor-

husband Ranveer Singh, who was ranked at number four in the year-ago period.

Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan continue to hold on to their number six and five spots, with brand values of $55.7 million and $66.1 million, respectively, it said.

Aamir Khan has had a major slip in ranking by brand value to 16th place with a total value of $24.9 million, as against 11th place in the year-ago period.

Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan's rank has also slipped to eighth from the seventh rank in the year-ago period with a value of $42.5 million, and has swapped placed with Alia Bhatt,

whose current value is $45.8 million.

There have been new entrants in the top-20 list like Article-15 actor Ayushman Khurana at rank 10 with a value of $40.3 million, Jackie Shroff's actor son Tiger at rank 17 with a $24.2 million brand worth and cricketer Rohit Sharma at 20th rank.

The top-20 celebrity brands are from cricket and films and are collectively worth over $1.1 billion.

The agency said it relied on a brand analysis, endorsement value and brand multiple parameters while determining the value of a particular celebrity brand.

(Hindustan Times)

Ke Phool (1959), Kala Bazar (1960), Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), Saheb Biwi Aur Ghulam (1962), Bees Saal Baad (1962), Guide (1965), Teesri Kasam (1966), Ram Aur Shyam (1967), Neel Kamal (1968), Baazi (1968), Khamoshi (1969), Prem Pujari (1970), Reshma Aur

Shera (1971), Adalat (1976), Kabhi Kabhie (1976) and Trishul (1978).

In 2011, Rehman became the recipient of Padma Bhushan. She won a National Award for her role in Reshma Aur Shera, besides numerous popular awards. (Hindustan Times)

V

eteran actor Waheeda Rehman was on Tuesday conferred with Madhya Pradesh government’s prestigious Kishore Kumar Award for 2018, an official said. Madhya Pradesh culture minister Dr Vijaylaxmi Sadho presented the award to the actor at the latter’s residence in Bandra in Mumbai, a public relation department official said.

The award carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and a citation, he said. The 82-yearold actor was unable to attend the award function at Khandwa town last October on the birth anniversary of legendary actor-singer Kishore Kumar, the official said.

Saho also wished Rehman on her birthday, which falls on February 3, he said.

Madhya Pradesh culture department’s principal secretary Pankaj Raag was also present on the occasion, he added.

Born on February 3 1938, in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, Rehman started her career with the 1955 Telugu film, Rojulu Marayi. Her debut as a Bollywood heroine happened a year later in CID, starring Dev Anand. The film was produced by Guru Dutt and directed by Raj Khosla.

The film’s music, composed

by OP Nayyar, continues to be popular till date.

Rehman’s notable performances in Bollywood include Pyaasa (1957), Kaagaz

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FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Sunday Times Magazine 15

Feature

B

They say that cats have nine lives. Well, that’s a myth!

ecause cats are independent by nature and tend to look after themselves, they often escape difficult situations.

We therefore, as owners, tend to be less protective of our feline wards. And for that very reason they get into all sorts of trouble – not lastly with unkind and uncaring citizens, who treat curious and hungry cats with great brutality.

Feline adventurousness

The young of most mammalian species want to “discover’ the world. Kittens and adult cats love to roam, especially the males. And that’s how many problems arise. You may remember me writing that cats are house animals. Well, that is basically true. But they do go outdoors from time to time.

There danger lurks.

Feline instinct

Sometimes, cats’ very natural behavioral patterns can get them into trouble. I recall a ranch cat at our holding in the Rupununi was instinctively scratching the Guest House’s furniture. The manager felt that the best way to stop this practice was to soak the cat’s tail in kerosene, and light it afire; and then boast how the fleeing, screeching cat lit up the savannahs.

Needless to say, that manager did not remain in our employ.

Climbing trees

I suppose cats instinctively like to climb trees. Perhaps the lizards or birds attract them and awaken some dormant and pristine passion. Whatever the cause, cats often find themselves in trees, and then they can’t come down. Young cats panic and begin to cry. The owners, in turn, get frantic, and some even try to climb the tree in an attempt to save the cat (big mistake, one can injure oneself).

The cat, sensing the anxiety, itself becomes nervous and may even lose its footing and injure itself on branches as it engages in a free-fall. All of this is absolutely unnecessary. If a cat, or even if the most pathetically crying kitten, gets stuck in a tree, my advice to you is not to play Tarzan. You and the tree may end up with broken limbs. Simply leave the blessed cat/kitten alone. Restrain yourself from calling the fire brigade. I know it sounds harsh to say that what goes up must come down. But in a nutshell, that is my sentiment exactly. In my 51 years as a

veterinarian, I have yet to experience (or even hear) that a cat died of starvation in a tree. What I do know, however, is that the more the owner becomes excited, the more nervous, the tree-bound cat becomes, and is likely to fall.

(As an aside, I should mention that cats generally do fall on their feet, as the legend educates us. However, if the distance of the fall is large enough, the G-Force will be great as to break legs, hips, spines, etc. Teach your children with enquiring minds not to throw “Felix” out of the window to see whether she will land on her feet.)

Straying at night

Every morning, the streets of Guyana are littered with dead cats. Feline diseases probably do not kill most cats here in Guyana. Motorists, in all likelihood, do. Even well-fed cats love to roam and ‘hunt’ at night – part of the same unconscious, inherent instinct that I referred to above.

Unfortunately, the lights of an oncoming vehicle mesmerize the helpless victim and cause the cat to ‘freeze’ on the spot. Crunch. End of story. Try, therefore, to keep your cats indoors at night time.

Feline inquisitiveness

You have heard the adage that has come down to us through the centuries, ‘Curiosity kills the cat.’ Well, it proves that the ‘old’ people had wisdom, and that empirical observation without deep scientific research also has great value.

The cat’s interest in its surroundings propels it uninhibitedly to pry, and in so doing the cat becomes very vulnerable to physical insult.

It is for those reasons stated above, and because of those other considerations documented last week, that we must be prepared to be our cat’s protector always, notwithstanding the fact that cats like us to think that they are independent and can fend for themselves. That may be true when compared with the dependence exhibited by other domesticated species; but, believe me, a cat as a pet needs a lot of attention and protection.

16 Sunday Times Magazine

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FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Fun Times

Archie

ARIES

Take a hard look at

(March 21- your investments. Look April 19) for ways to broaden your

scope, understanding and connections. Do something physical and energizing.

Romance is encouraged.

Home improvements TAURUS will pay off. Expect to face (April 20- opposition or an emotionMay 20) al setback if you are impulsive or act on an assumption rather than on fact.

Choose quality over quantity.

Get together with peoGEMINI ple who put a smile on your (MAY 28- face. Live in the moment and June 20) enjoy what life has to offer.

Share your intentions with someone special.

Stick to a budget and avoid undue stress. Keep (June 21- situations in perspective July 22) and don't overreact or put a close relationship in jeopardy. Take better care of your physical and emotional well-being.

LEO Plan a fun-filled day with the people who bring out the (July 23best in you. Avoid complaints Aug. 22) by living up to your promises and responsibilities. Pay attention to your loved ones and family.

VIRGO Don't let anger get the (Aug. 23- better of you. Avoid debates Sept. 22) or no-win situations and focus on what's doable. Listen to your intuition and stick to what you know and do best.

CANCER

Dilbert

Join humanitarian LIBRA groups. If you offer your (Sept. 23time and services, not your Oct. 23) cash, you will get more in return than you expected.

Actions speak louder than words. Romance is featured.

Peanuts

Refuse to let your emoSCORPIO tions get the better of you.

(Oct. 24- Jealousy will not be becomNov. 22) ing and will cause trouble.

Rewards for your ability to remain calm and fair will improve your day. .

Let your intellect overSAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23- rule your emotions. If you Dec. 21) follow your heart, someone will take advantage of you.

Bide your time and keep your feelings and intentions secret.

Disagreements are likely if CAPRICORN you aren't willing to listen to (Dec. 22- other points of view. Do your Jan. 19) best to get along if you want others to hear what you have to say.

Calvin and Hobbes

Social events will proAQUARIUS mote love and romance. Get (Jan. 20- involved in sports or activiFeb. 19) ties that include movement and dexterity. Investments should include art purchases as well as personal development.w PISCES How you spend your time (Feb. 20- will determine what you get Mar. 20) in return. Volunteering will bring satisfaction, and adding to your qualifications will result in a higher income. Mix business with pleasure.