Guyana Times Sunday Magazine

Sunday

Times January 31, 2016

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The humanitarian’s mission Page 2 Addressing the needs of the vulnerable in society

2 Sunday Times Magazine

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JANUARY 31 , 2016

Times Feature

Addressing the needs of the vulnerable in society

G

uided by its motto, “Creating better tomorrows, by changing lives today”, the Bags of Hope organisation has been working with the people of Guyana by providing aid in the form of clothing and food, as well as training to community leaders throughout Guyana.

The organisation was

a brighter future.

“We are particularly concerned about the new and disturbing trend of suicide among Guyana's young people. More recently, we have turned our focus on Guyana's youths. This issue of self-esteem, peer pressure, and lack of adequate coping mechanisms among our youths are quite

Berbice area. His goal is to endow youths with the necessary tools to cope with peer pressure, low self-esteem, and other factors that could lead to alcoholism and suicide.

Over the past 15 years, Bags of Hope has worked with communities across Berbice and Demerara to provide training and re-

Team building exercises

founded by David and Diana Rambarran, both born and raised in Guyana, who now reside in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

In an interview with Sunday Times Magazine, David said Bags of Hope started out of a need to give back to local communities and individuals in Guyana who are adversely affected by the lack of resources, skills and training to build

alarming. It seems as if suicides/attempted suicides and youth alcoholism have reached epidemic levels in Guyana, affecting both adults and youths. We believe that our youths are the future. This issue needs to be addressed now!” David pleaded.

According to David, over the past five years, Bags of Hope has been working with youths across the

sources for community and religious leaders, equipping them with the necessary resources so that they can address people’s needs in their local area.

“Every summer, we conduct a ‘Mission Experience’ camp in Orealla/Siparuta along the Corentyne River.

There, campers are divided up into teams and participate in various team- building activities all week long.

Counseling and group discussion in Orealla

Although the activities are fun (whether it's building a raft or making a meal), they are designed to teach skills that empower and encourage teamwork.

Campers also participate in daily workshops where counselling takes place and coping mechanisms are taught,” David outlined.

The next Mission Experience camp for 2016 is slated for July 23-30 in Siparuta, Berbice.

The humanitarianpointed out that the most successful empowerment techniques are taught when campers are required to give something tangible to others - taking the focus off of them and doing something for someone else.

This, he said, is based on what Mother Teresa once said: “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made or how many great things we have done.

We will be judged by, ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in’. Hungry not only for bread - but hungry for love.

Naked not only for clothing - but naked of human dignity and respect. Homeless not only for want of a home of bricks - but homeless because of rejection.”

Currently, Bags of Hope is in the process of building an “enrichment” centre in Orealla. This enrichment centre will provide a place where counselling, education, skills training and safe recreation can be held

Diana and David Rambarran

to bring hope to the people of Orealla.

The building is a twostorey concrete building that will house a training centre, dormitory, and recreation centre. The upper flat will consist of dorms and living quarters for a caretaker, and a conference room. The lower flat will consist of a kitchen, recreation/games room, training room, computer room and a dining room. The building is in its first phase of construction.

“My wife Diana and I, having been brought up in the church, were taught the values and virtues of giving to others as children. There is no greater joy that we can have than to see lives trans-

Orealla building project

formed!

We are forever grateful for the opportunity to give back to a country that has given so much to us. Our lives are truly fulfilled!” David declared.

David would like to thank several individuals and organisations in Guyana that have supported Bags Of Hope: Status International Hotel, Pure Diamonds (Mr. Sergio Matos), Vidor Panday, Arjune John, and Pearl Christie (Little Rock Suites), along with other individuals and church organisations that have also contributed to the mission of Bags Of Hope.

Check out Bags of Hope on Facebook for more information, or email information@bagsofhope.org

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JANUARY 31 , 2016

Sunday Times Magazine

3

Times Feature

City Hall exhibits one of many 19th century fancy-dress styles derived from Gothic Architecture (Photo by Adi Floyde on Flickr)

B

uildings are historical documents, representing not only our architectural heritage, but also the desires, philosophy, technology, art, and even economy of the day.

They may even tell us of the supplanting of a culture by a more dominant one, and how much regard a generation or culture had for all earlier one.

As we view the larger public buildings in Georgetown, we see a variety of shapes and forms; some contrasting and others alike. We know that most of these shapes and forms have been imported, and that our

ing considered a fine art, Architectural Styles were invariably derived from the art movement of the day.

(Architecture was ranked as the lowest mode of artistic expression, these being in ascending order of ideals - architecture, sculpture, painting, music, poetry).

One such art movement - the Romantic Movement - brought to Britain and Europe the search for originality and self-expression.

This was a time of escapism – brought about by the general distaste with the problems created by industrialism – and the movement attempted to return to what

promise in the latter part of the 19th century: ecclesiastical or scholastic buildings were to be of the Gothic Style, while business or civic buildings were to be of the Classical Style.

For ecclesiastical (church) architecture, the war did not end here, however. The schism in Christianity in 1054 AD which led to the creation of the separate obediences of Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity, returned and disrupted this compromise in architectural styles: the Catholics aligned themselves with Italy, and adopted the Romanesque

Renaissance Style.

The Parliament Building (c. 1830s) in Classical Style meets this requirement for an important civic building, but some other civic buildings do not. For example, City Hall (1889) exhibits one of many 19th century fancy-dress styles derived from Gothic Architecture, and is reminiscent of many chateaux in central Europe, while the Supreme Court building (1887) has the appearance of another Gothicderived minor style - Tudor (English).

Towards the end of the 19th century, there began a breaking away from the use of period styles in Architecture, and the first major new architectural style came early in the 20th century.

This is now described as the International Style or

chanical services.

An interesting new style, which took its root early in the 20th century and reached its height between 1920 and 1941 in the United States of America, is that termed Art Deco.

The William Fogarty Ltd building (1950) gives us, possibly, our only example of Art Deco Architecture the scale of the building, the curved corners (giving it an aerodynamic form), the horizontality of the windows, the narrow canopies over the windows (termed eyebrows in Art Deco language) the setback main entrance, the port-holes, are all clues to this style of architecture.

Incidentally, glassblocks, used on the building only several years ago during a major refurbishment, are another characteristic of this 1930s style.

in Young Street, Kingston is our first example of this movement in Architecture, the Demerara Bank (1994) on Camp Street is another. Followers of this eclectic style select forms of earlier architecture, and produce a hybrid which they are convinced retains the charm of the country's traditional architecture.

Finally, there is another architectural movement concurrent with Post-modernism – a more contemporary approach to architecture, termed High Tech. Developed by English architects in the 1970s, High Tech Architecture is based on the visual expression of engineering and construction technologies.

The characteristics are exposed structure, exposed service pipes, a smooth impervious skin (usually glass)

Classical Style of Parliament Buildings (Photo by David Stanley)

International Modern, and lasted between 1918 and the early 1970s.

In Georgetown, the Bank of Guyana building (c. 1966) and the original University of Guyana buildings (1969) can claim this style of architecture. The distinctive features of this style include the plain wall surfaces, the lack of ornamental features (so unlike the City Hall) flat roofs, and the use of me-

Supreme Court building has the appearance of another Gothicderived minor style - Tudor (English) (Photo by Adi Floyde on Flickr)

architecture, like most other things, is influenced by external forces.

But why are particular shapes and forms - called Styles in Architecture - and not others, used for certain buildings? This article introduces the major western derived Architectural Styles in Georgetown and will try to show why these styles adorn our cityscape.

Historic Architecture

The historic buildings in Georgetown are mainly from the nineteenth century, a period in Great Britain and Europe that was marked by the profusion, and confusion, of fashions (or styles or movements) in art.

Architecture be-

was thought to be a better way of living: that of the Medieval Period.

Consequently, in Architecture, the Gothic Style of French origin and from the 12th century CE, was revived.

Another major historic style being used at the time, and for different reasons, was the Classical Style from the Greek and Roman eras, which already had a renaissance during the 15th and 16th centuries.

Many reasons were given for choosing one or the other, and there were numerous architects and writers claiming each style to be the correct one.

This war of architectural styles resulted in a com-

(another historical style) for cathedrals and Italian Renaissance (Classical) for churches, whilst the Protestants continued using the Gothic Style for their religious buildings.

Historic Georgetown

In our city, these agreements have been generally followed for the Christian religious buildings: the Orthodox Christians chose the Gothic Style for St George's Cathedral (1894) for example; and for the Catholic faith, we have Brickdam Cathedral (c.1920s) – except that the tower and steeple were never built – in Romanesque Style, and the Sacred Heart Church (1861-1882) Italian

From about the 1940s, architecture was again in turmoil as there came a reaction from the public, and some architects, to Modernism's rationalist and functionalist ideals.

This reaction produced a peculiar style termed Postmodernism, which took firm root from about the 1960s and is still with us.

The new United States Embassy building (1991)

and large open rooms unimpeded by structural elements. The Demerara Distilleries Ltd head office (1990) in High Street, Kingston may be placed in this category, with its `strange-looking' north and south facades, the structural elements having been exposed. (By Lennox Hernandez.

Republished from a 2009 Sunday Times Magazine article)

Gothic Style of St George's Cathedral (Photo by Adi Floyde on Flickr)

4

Sunday Times Magazine

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JANUARY 31 , 2016

Times Feature

A

s the only British colonial territory in South America, British Guiana was probably better known to the outside world than it appears today. Every effort was made by the-then Colonial Office and government to promote British Guiana abroad.

Guiana’s industries as they were - timber, mining, forest products and, of

procuring and facilitating these world events through the RACS Committee of Correspondence. It prepared the official descriptive catalogues for the British Guiana exhibits and even sent representatives abroad to manage the exposition stands.

In 1851, London hosted the Great Exhibition of Arts and Industries of All Nations, the brainchild of

British Guiana guide and catalogue to the British Empire Exhibition 1924

course, sugar - added to the rich diversity of exotic flora and rare species of fauna and the anthropology and artefacts of the colony’s aboriginal peoples, made a worthy showcase of the colony’s resources.

The Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society (RACS) was founded in 1844 by planters and men of influence in British Guiana.The Society was instrumental in

Prince Albert opened in Hyde Park, Kensington.

The event drew in nearly six million visitors. One of the star exhibits at the London exhibition was the Giant Water Lily or the Victoria amazonica, which was discovered in Guiana

by Robert Schomburgk in 1837.

The year 1851 coincided with the first year of Queen Victoria’s reign and

the newly discovered water lily was aptly named the Victoria Regia. The water lily was described in the catalogue as “Queen of the Aquatics” and it became the perfect emblem for the Monarch whose domain extended over the oceans - the ‘Flower of the Empire’.

The successor to the 1851 Hyde Park exhibition was the International Exhibition in London in 1862, where once again British Guiana made an appearance. This was followed by the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1867.

“Exposition universelle [d'art et d'industrie], for which a British Guiana Catalogue of contributions was published, and again in Paris 1900, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, where 5,000 sq.ft. were designated for the British Guiana stand.”

Eastward to India, British Guiana was represented by Mr. Henry Kirke, the then Commissioner for British Guiana, at the International Exhibition held at Calcutta in December 1883.

The Governor and Court of Policy of British Guiana were keen for the representation andplaced an item of $2,000 on the supplementary estimates to defray the expenses connected with the exhibition.

The RACS Committee did everything in its power to forward exhibits to Calcutta, so as to bring the colony of British Guiana and its mode of tilling the land, vividly before the people of Calcutta.

British Guiana also made its mark in the United States, first at the International Exhibition in Nashville Tennessee in May 1887 and then at the World’s Columbian Commission Exposition in Chicago in 1893. John Quelch, the curator at the British Guiana Museum, went to Chicago as the British Guiana Commissioner. A set of “TIMEHRI” journals and the “Scientific Journal of Guiana” appeared as one

Postcard, by artist Charles E. Flowers, showing the British Guiana pavilion displaying a replica of Kaieteur Falls at the British Empire Exhibition

The British Guiana Pavilion at the British Empire Exhibition, Wembley, London 1924

View of the exterior of the Crystal Palace, erected in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition with visitors from different nations in park (foreground). Printed by Stannard & Dixon, 1851

of the prize winning exhibits from British Guiana.

The exhibit won a diploma and medal awarded by the Board of International Judges.

The British Empire Exhibition, which was held in Wembley, London in 1924, was one of the last shop windows to show off British Guiana at its best.

The British Guiana fully illustrated descriptive catalogue and guide to the exhibition, a tome of 126 pages, encapsulates the essence of the colony, its history, geography, places of interest, people and natural resourc-

es.

The concluding paragraph of 1924 Wembley catalogue sums up what British Guiana had to offer the nations of the world, and it is still relevant to Guyana today: “Altogether British Guiana presents a rich field of possibilities and probabilities, and not a few certainties to the enterprising capitalist. Unlike most of the West Indian Islands, it is as yet undeveloped save on the coastal belt, the source of the famous Demerara Sugar. There is vast scope in its mineral wealth, in

tropical agriculture of various kinds - Sugar, coffee, coconut, rubber and other plantations - in domestic industries, as yet almost nonexistent, and in the task of improving its means of communication. There is room for millions of new population. When the people come in their numbers, as they must come sooner or later as the other empty spaces of the world fill up, British Guiana will quickly establish a just claim to the title that is at present little more than a pious aspiration – the ‘Magnificent Province’.”

(Text by Wayne McWatt)

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JANUARY 31 , 2016

Sunday Times Magazine 5

Times Women

Discovering the joys of cooking leads Cindy Bahadur down the road of food blogging

F

ood blogger Cindy Yanasha Bahadur’s mission is to help professionals, via her blog, to “make quick, delicious, impressive homemade meals while still keeping up with crazy schedules, and saving hard-earned cash.”

T h e U S - b a s e d

while growing up, her parents always stressed the importance of being educated. “Climbing the corporate ladder isn't just an incredible accomplishment in our house; it's a must!” Cindy stated on her blog.

Knowing how demanding being a career per-

time at a marketing company. My mom and grandma would send food for me each week, knowing I had too much on my plate and barely had time to cook.

I appreciated their food, but, when I had down time, I found myself trying to recreate my favourite dishes to distract myself from the

Her favourite recipe is cook-up rice with lamb

Guyanese provides recipes ranging from traditional Guyanese meals to taking them up a notch by incorporating recipes from other cultures.

Cindy was born and raised in Georgetown, but later migrated to New Jersey, USA. On her blog, www.yanashaskitchen.com, the food enthusiast said she was raised by Guyanese parents who ensured thatshe and her siblings always had a home-cooked meal on the table. She added that she has been an “American for over 25 years, and naturally developed a love for doit-yourself projects and homemade everything”.

She explained that

son is, Cindy, who has her Masters and currently works as a senior client partner,noted that trying to whip up a home cooked meal, most of the time, is difficult. That is why she started her food blog, which offers a variety of simple, yet delicious recipes that are affordable to make.

“Growing up in a strict Guyanese household, myself and my two sisters had to learn to make roti when we were about 12 years old! We would be responsible for helping cut vegetables, season chicken, maybe turn the dhal ever so often and strain rice. But I didn't really start cooking until I was completing my MBA and working full-

stress of school and work.

“Once I realised that my food was actually edible, I felt really accomplished. Then, I started experimenting with different flavours and tried making different types of meals: low-cost meals, low-fat meals, easy-meals, fast-meals and so on. I was nervous to have anyone try my food at first, so my parents, grandparents, siblings, and boyfriend were my first testers. They were really impressed by my food, which got me really excited about cooking!”

Cindy recalled in an interview with Sunday Times Magazine.

Her newfound passion for cooking gave birth to her blog in November

2014.

Cindy said the feeling of accomplishment when she can create a delicious meal by being inventive is what inspires her. She believes cooking is a form of art. Although she does not think of herself as a creative person, when she cooks she feels “fulfilled”.

“It’s like different parts of my brain start opening up and all of a sudden I'm in a zone where I'm happy and focused, while taking risks and being adventurous at the same time.

If I don't cook for a few days, I feel like something is missing. It's a love for food and a love for being able to successfully create my own food that inspires me,” she expressed.

Some of Cindy’s recipes were given to her by family members or she might draw inspiration from tasting someone else’s meals, but most of the time she is reinventing recipes by incorporating different cultures of food into her Guyanese recipes.

Her favourite recipe

Cindy Bahadur

is cook-up rice with lamb, which she explained on her blog: “Cook-up rice is an amazing Guyanese dish… and one of my favorite dishes ever! I've deviated slightly from the traditional way of making it, simply to save some time and get it in my belly faster - but I've included a disclaimer of how to make it the traditional way if you have more time…”

“I have considered a career in the food indus-

try, but I was recently employed so I want to see where this role will take me. However, if I can get my blog booming, I may want to turn to a culinary career, since that is really where my passion is. I never want it to become something that feels like work though, that might make me end up less passionate about it,” she revealed.

For some culinary inspiration, visit www.yanashaskitchen.com

6 Sunday Times Magazine

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JANUARY 31 , 2016

Times Book World

The Shaping of Guyanese Literature

Calendars and their literature

By Petamber Persaud

Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. Charles Richards Most modern calendars mar the sweet simplicity of our lives by reminding us that each day that passes is the anniversary of some perfectly uninteresting event. Oscar Wilde

A

New Year greeting is one made, communicated or exchanged on meeting someone or addressing a group of people for the first time in a new year – whenever that time falls according to whichever calendar you subscribe.

And there are as many types of calendars as there are ways and languages in which a new year greeting can be expressed. Even in the English speaking world a New Year greeting is sometimes communicated in a non-English language especially if you know the particular phrase for the New Year greeting of the person or group you are addressing.

Come February, New Year’s greetings will still be exchanged between and among peoples of all walks of life, of different religious, secular and social persuasions. For sure, in February month, the Chinese will be celebrating their New Year and many English language users will be saying ‘xi nian haoguo nian haoxin nian kuai le,especially to their

The National Trust of Guyana’s 2016 calendar commemorating the country’s 50th Independence anniversary

Chinese acquaintances.

Come March 20, the followers of the Baha’i faithin Guyana will be celebrating their version of a new year.

Come April, Hindus will be celebrating their version of a new year with Holi/Phagwah/ Spring Festival.

Come October, the Muslins will be celebrating their version of a new year according to the Islamic calendar.

So many calendars.The ba-

sis function of the calendar is to organize units of time in order to meet the needs of a particularschool of thought, be it religious or secular.

This function can be found in calendars since ancient time to modern day:from Egyptian and Sumerian to Babylonian to Zoroastrian calendar to the Hebrew to Hellenic to Hindu to Roman to Badi to Julian and Gregorian.

The Gregorian calendar is

a universal calendar now used in the western world for secular purposes and even various world religious festivals are superimposed on this calendar.

Each year, there is significant interest in the calendar to be used in Guyana for the current year, especially calendars printed in Guyana for use in Guyana.

Many of the organizations responsible for such productions take great pride in what is presented to the public. Of course it is a way of advertising/publicizing the entities, but we cannot deny them that.

All the calendars for local use have some special meaning for everyone. For instance, as the country enacts nationalholidays for Christians, Hindus, Muslims and national/secular holidays like Republic Day andIndependence Day, calendars depicting these events carry interesting literature on many of these occasions.

From the 2016 calendars in my possession, I can get a tour of Guyana, see monuments and sites, gloat at the golden fruits of the earth from the extractive industry, see happy faces of winners, become a tourist to the best locations around the world etc.

All displaying good photography but little written content admitting they were all lazy calendars. Some calendars go the full length (of the year) to ensure there is adequate literature accompanying the photographs, adding

National calendar showing religious holidays

or increasing one’s knowledge and pleasure of own those.

One year, there was a local calendar with Guyanese folklore. Another year there was one with fascinating stories… all adding something to the literature of this country and the world. I consider the literature on calendars to be an important aspect such an industry.

So calendars will ensure there is a reason to continue exchanging New Year greetings all year round. However

those greetings will reverberate from time to time in a more demure, subdued manner – or with much gusto.

Happy New Year.

Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com What’s Happening “An Introduction to Guyanese Literature” by Petamber Persaud; available at Austin’s Bookstore and from the National Library.

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JANUARY 31 , 2016

Sunday Times Magazine 7

Times Heritage

Sir James Douglas

J

ames Douglas was born either June 5 or August 15, 1803 in Belmont, Mahaica, British Guiana, the son of a Scottish planter and a woman who is variously described by historians as a “slave”, a “free coloured woman,” or a “Creole”, according to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online.

His father had two more children with his mother -who was originally from Barbados- and at aged 9, James and his siblings were sent to school first in Lanark, Scotland then Chester, England, the latter where James was to later earn the nickname “Old Square Toes”. At 16, James and his brother were apprenticed to a Quebec company and arrived in Canada on August 6, 1819.

There Douglas became involved in the fur trade, and at just 18 years old he earned a reputation for be-

James Douglas with Order of the Bath honours

ing a hardworking and “sen-

sible young man”.A tall man

-more than six feet, and well built, he was also called the, “Scotch West Indian” by those who knew him in the trade.

Later, his intelligence and experience earned him greater recognition - but his conflicts with the native Indians led him to be transferred to Fort Vancouver (now Washington State), British Columbia (BC) in 1830.

At first an accountant under the superintendent of the Columbia Department, Douglas took charge of Fort Vancouver in 1838. In November 1839, he was promoted to chief factor.

By 1851, after years of successful involvement in several political issues, he became governor of Vancouver Island (18511863). During that period he was made first governor of the colony of British Columbia (1858-1864).

Upon his retirement as governor in 1864, Douglas was knighted Commander of the Bath. He suffered a heart attack and died at Victoria on August 2, 1877.

Sir James Douglas is considered by many in Canada as the founder of Victoria, which he built up, and the "Father of British Columbia." He has been honoured with numerous place names and monuments in Canada, as well as a statue in his home village of Mahaica.

Statue of Sir James Douglas at his birthplace Mahaica, Guyana unveiled in 2008. In May 2012, a statue of Sir James Douglas was unveiled on the front lawn of Government House in British Columbia, Canada for that territory’s “Douglas Day”

Astor Cinema, Georgetown 1955 (Photo by Guyana Gallery)

Stabroek Market 1922 (Photo by Guyana Gallery)

Grave of Sir James Douglas at Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria, BC. His tombstone reads the date of birth as August 15, 1803

8 Sunday Times Magazine

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JANUARY 31 , 2016

Times Travel & Tourism

W Exciting boat ride in Wakapoa's savannah

akapoa is an indigenous community in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam). It is about 35 miles by river from Charity, a small township.

A scenic journey awaits those who would like to visit the village. Travelling to Wakapoa begins with an exciting speedboat ride from Charity down the Pomeroon River. As the boat meanders its ways along the Pomeroon River, tourists can enjoy basking in the fresh, cool air while observing the breath-taking nature scenes. Then through bowing trees, about nine miles along the creek, Wakapoa appears.

Upon arrival, visitors are left in awe of the silk cotton tree, one of the Wakapoa’s landmarks, that stands majestically at the entrance of the village.

The community of Wakapoa is said to be made up of several islands on which the residents, who are of Carib, Warrau and Arawak ancestry, live. Most are farmers cultivating cassava, plantain, eddoes and coconuts to sell at the Pomeroon and Charity markets. (Photos by Marco Basir)

Serene creek in Wakapoa One of Wakapoa's magnificent landmarks

Village children playing

Main section of the village

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JANUARY 31 , 2016

Sunday Times Magazine 9

Times Healthy Living

Moringa: the miracle tree K

nown locally also as the Saijan tree, Moringa oleifierahas long been considered a powerhouse of health benefits.

It is known by a multitude of names around the world, including “the miracle tree”, and is native to some areas of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. It also grows in the tropics.

The uses of moringa are well documented in both the Ayurvedic and Unani systems of traditional medicine, among the most ancient healing systems in the world. The Ayurvedic system of medicine associates it with the cure or prevention of about 300 diseases.

The leaves are consumed either raw in salads, tossed into blender drinks, or steamed like spinach/

calaloo,and are also dried and powdered for use as a condiment.

Rich in protein, beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium and calcium, the leaves make an excellent green vegetable, and are pleasing in flavour.

The immature green pods (called drumsticks– which gives Moringa its other name – drumstick tree) are prepared similarly to green beans, while the seeds are removed from more mature pods and cooked like peas or roasted like nuts.

Moringa leaves are loaded with vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids and more, says Dr Mercola of Mercola.com: 100 grams of dry moringa leaf contains nine times the protein of yogurt; ten times the vitamin

A of carrots; 15 times the potassium of bananas; 17 times the calcium of milk; 12 times the vitamin C of oranges, and 25 times the iron

of spinach.

Uses

According to WebMD, Moringa is used for “tired blood” (anaemia); arthritis and other joint pain (rheumatism); asthma; cancer; constipation; diabetes; diarrhoea; epilepsy; stomach pain; stomach and intestinal ulcers; intestinal spasms; headache; heart problems; high blood pressure; kidney stones; fluid retention; thyroid disorders; and bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic infections.

Moringa is also used to increase sex drive,prevent pregnancy, reduce swelling,boost the immune system, and increase breast milk production.

Moringa is sometimes applied directly to the skin as a germ-killer or drying agent (astringent). It is also used topically for treating pock-

ets of infection (abscesses), athlete’s foot, dandruff, gum disease (gingivitis), snakebites, warts, and wounds.

Some people use it as a nutritional supplement or tonic, though Dr. Mark Earl Olson of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Méxicowarns against Moringa fad dietary supplements.

“Moringa capsules are a scam largely because they have never been the subject of clinical trials,” he says on the mongobay website.

Currently, capsules usually contain less than half a leaf, and Dr. Olson questions how effective such a small portion could be since evidence so far suggests that eating a serving of Moringa leaves daily, as a vegetable, would be sufficient to experience its many beneficial nutritional properties.

Global uses

Because it can be grown cheaply and easily, and the leaves retain lots of vitamins and minerals when dried, moringa is used in India and Africa, in feeding programs to fight malnutrition.

Dr. Olson proposes indepth research into the cultivation of the Moringa tree as a solution to the growing nutritional crisis.

The mongobay website notes too that Moringa also provides access to potable water through its unique water purification abilities.

Oil from moringa seeds is used in foods, perfume, and hair care products, and as a machine lubricant. The seed cake remaining after oil extraction is used to purify well water, and to remove salt from seawater, and also as a fertilizer.

One of the world’s healthiest foods

Q

uinoa is considered a “superfood” by scientists and nutritionists around the world. Pronounced KEEN-wah or ke-NO-ah, it is hailed for its abundance of protein, fibre and many vitamins and minerals.

Quinoa grows in the Andes Mountainsof Peru, Bolivia and Chile,andcomes in a variety of colours.

Traditionallyit has been a food staple for the populations there. Livescience reports that according to a field crops article by the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota, quinoa means "mother grain" in the Inca language.

According to WHFoods, quinoa “was the gold of the Incas” because they believed it increased the stamina of their warriors.

The yellowish pods are the seed of a plant called >>>Chenopodium quinoa<<<, native to Peru and related to beets, chard and spinach. When cooked, quinoa is soft and fluffy, with a slightly nutty taste. It can also be made into flour, flakes and various foods like pasta and bread, states the Grains and Legumes Nutrition Council.

Quinoa is actually a seed and is often used as a substitute for rice, although it is commonly referred to as a grain. It is one of the most protein-rich foods we can eat: it is a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids –one of the only plant foods that offers all essential amino acids in a healthy balance.

It also contains almost twice as much fibre as most other grains and is also rich in iron. The food is par-

ticularly rich in lysine, which promotes healthy tissue growth throughout the body, and magnesium, manganese and Riboflavin (B2).

Quinoa is also considered helpful in decreasing chronic inflammation.It can help promote healthy gut microbes (the friendly bacteria in the gut), which is important for preventing obesity, inflammation and disease.

Kelly Toups, a registered dietician with the Whole Grains Council, tells Livescience that because quinoa is naturally gluten-free, this nutritionally dense food is the perfect pick for gluten-free diets.

A study published in the Journal of Food Lipids noted that quinoa seeds possess many of the dietary flavonoids "shown to inversely correlate with mortality from heart disease." In addition, quinoa can provide heart-healthy monounsaturated fat via its oleic acid content, as well as omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-linolenic acids, according to World’s Healthiest Foods.

Its fibre content can aid in lowering cholesterol levels. A study published in the journal Plant Foods for Human Nutrition found that rats that had consumed a high level of fructose and were then fed a quinoa diet reduced their LDL cholesterol by 57 percent.

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at the effect of whole grains on patients taking

cholesterol-lowering medications called statins. Those who ate more than 16 g of foods like quinoa every day, had lower non-HDL cholesterol levels than those who took the statins without eating such foods.

Quinoa seeds have a naturally bitter coating called saponins, to deter birds, which must be soaked off before preparing. Packaged quinoa has likely been pre-soaked, but check before cooking.

For some, saponins can do more than leave a bad taste in the mouth: they can cause stomach irritation and, according to the horticultural department at Purdue University, possibly damage the small intestine.

The high fibre content in quinoa may also result in upset stomachs, saysLivestrong.com.

Quinoa can be eaten on its own as a side dish, with a bit of butter or oil, salt and pepper, or other seasonings. It also makes a great breakfast dish mixed with dried fruit, cinnamon, milk, and maple syrup or honey.

Paired with chili, stir-fries, beans or curries, quinoa is a healthy substitute for rice, and it also makes a tasty pilaf.

As a main course, use it to make meat-free burgers, mix it into stews or toss it into salads. Quinoa works as a baking grain as well, and makes for delicious and nutritious breads and muffins.

10 Sunday Times Magazine

JANUARY 31, 2016

Times Fashion

O

verseas-based Guyanese designer pated in shows such as Miss Guyana, Talented Teen, and Hits and Jams’ Nadia Thomas Winter always had a passion for art. Now, she uses first Miss Jamzone pageant. her talent to beautify, and imparts her “I journeyed to the British Virgin Islands in 2006, where I retired from knowledge to youths.

“Art was always my passion. Growing designing for a few years to focus up, I have seen my mother at the sewon my family. I have three children: ing machine most of the time. Having two boys and a girl (15, 12 and 7). I been exposed to her line of fashion, I can am a teacher at a high school in the proudly say I grasp designing at a very Virgin Islands, where I teach visual arts, painting and drawing to grades early age. Presently, she is a professional seamstress. She is also someone I seek seven to 11. In addition, I perform advice from regularly,” Nadia said in an duties as head of the Visual Arts interview with Sunday Times Magazine.

Department. I am also an Assistant Marker for CSEC,” she outlined.

Nadia attended E R Burrowes School of Art and graduated from the institution Then in 2009, Nadia felt “stagnant” as an artist and designer. in 2001 as Best Textile Design student. In 2005, she graduated from the University Consequently, she decided to get Designer - Nadia Thomas Winter of Guyana with a degree in Fine Arts. back into designing. Nadia particiIn the 90s, Nadia modelled for veterpated in numerous fashion shows an Guyanese designers Pamela Fox and Derek Moore, who within the region, and designed festival costumes for the have influenced her tremendously.

BVI Festival Parade. She also created fashion illustrations In 2000, she started her fashion designing venture. In for private clients and had her first solo art exhibition in that same year, Nadia designed and produced costumes 2014 exhibiting paintings and drawings, which were highfor various festivals in Guyana. Subsequently, she partici- ly praised.

Nadia’s fashion line, Duo Collection was created with her niece, Natalya Thomas, who is also a talented and upcoming fashion designer. The brand was launched in 2014 at the Princess Hotel (now Ramada) in Guyana. Duo Collection is a women’s apparel brand that caters for all women.

Presently, Nadia and her niece are working on a fashion line, which will be professionally completed and available in stores in Guyana, the BVI and online, later in the year. Additionally, Duo Collection will also be hosting a fashion show in December at the Princess Hotel (Ramada) showcasing its 2017 fashion collections.

“As a designer, I would like to contribute more to this industry rather than just taking part in fashion shows. One of my goals is to get to the professional market, which could be challenging and difficult especially for a Guyanese designer.

Nevertheless, with perseverance, Duo Collection is being recognised and we will continue to work towards our goals. My encouragement to young and upcoming designers is to decide where you want to go, set your goals and work towards them. It may take years to get to the place you want to be, but be persistent,” Nadia encouraged.

For more information, visit Duo Collection on Facebook.

guyanatimesgy.com

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JANUARY 31 , 2016

Sunday Times Magazine 11

Star Times Hollywood

R

obyn Rihanna Fenty, popularly known as Rihanna, was born on February 20, 1988 in Barbados. She is the eldest of three children born to Monica Fenty, a retired accountant of Afro-Guyanese background, and Ronald Fenty, a warehouse supervisor of Barbadian and Irish descent. In January 2005, Rihanna auditioned for Def Jam Records and its newly minted president, the legendary rapper Jay-Z. She later signed on with the record label and released her first album, which sold more than 2 million copies worldwide, in 2005. She went on to release more albums and hit songs, including “Unfaithful”, “Disturbia” and “Umbrella”. Rihanna is known for frequently reinventing her style and image, most notably since hit single, “Good Girl Gone Bad”. Her work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including eight Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, 23 Billboard Music Awards, and two BRIT Awards. In 2012, “Forbes” ranked her the fourth most powerful celebrity of the year. That same year, “Time” magazine named Rihanna one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. At the American Music Awards of 2013, she received the first ever Icon Award. In 2014, Rihanna received the Fashion Icon lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). She also has an honorary title of Ambassador for Culture and Youth in Barbados.

Rihanna is known for her philanthropy work with terminally ill children and people living with HIV/AIDS.

12 Sunday Times Magazine

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JANUARY 31 , 2016

Times Hollywood

Angelina Jolie discourages her kids from taking acting as first career

A

ngelina Jolie doesn't really want her children to follow in her and Brad Pitt's footsteps to be actors. While stopping by "Today" show to promote "Kung Fu Panda 3" on Thursday, January 28, the "Maleficent" actress admitted that she and her husband Pitt hoped that their children would take other jobs first before joining in film industry as actors.

"I hope not!" Jolie said with a laugh when asked if she would get her children into the business. "We've always said if they're going to be actors I hope they do something [else first] and then be actors." However, the 40-year-old actress admitted that she included some of her children in the animated film.

"I think what was so sweet about it was that they took it very seriously," Jolie said of the moment when her children provided animal

Oprah loses 26 pounds Will Smith on Oscar boycott: ‘It's not us and them, it's we’ eating bread, gains US$12.5M on Weight Watchers stock

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noises for some of the pandas in the movie. "They came in and said, 'I don't know if I could do this. I'm not sure if I can do this'... but they really took it seriously as a job and getting it right and not doing a bad job."

In a separate interview for the upcoming issue of PEOPLE magazine, the mother of six said that her eldest son Maddox might have watched R-rated movies. During the interview, Jolie's co-star Jack Black explained that he didn't want his children to watch any of his R-rated films yet.

"I don't think they're ready for 'The Pick of Destiny', where I smoke a bong with Satan. But someday they probably will be," said the actor, to which Jolie quipped, "Whereas my eldest probably already has. My oldest especially loves Jack's music. He's introduced him to a few words, few thoughts."

(AceShowbiz)

O

prah Winfrey loves bread and investors love Oprah.

After the mogul tweeted a video of herself last week proclaiming she had lost 26 pounds while eating bread every single day on a Weight Watchers diet, shares of the diet company skyrocketed more than 20 percent, closing at US$13.29 a share.

Just a half hour before the money-making tweet, Weight Watchers’ stock was trading at US$11.35 a share.

As a result, Oprah — who owns 6.4 million shares, or roughly 10 percent of the stock, according to data from S&P Capital IQ —earned US$12.5 million dollars on a single tweet, or more than US$3 million an hour.

Add in her 3.5 million Weight Watchers’ stock option, which she disclosed in October, and Oprah made a whopping US$19.2 million Tuesday, or close to US$5 million an hour.

Winfrey took a 10 percent stake in Weight Watchers last year — nearly 15 percent including options — a move that made investors giddy then too and has helped revive the struggling company. Shares moved more than 100 percent the day of her announcement, making Winfrey US$70 million. Shares jumped again at the end of the year when Winfrey tweeted a video of herself talking about why she joined Weight Watchers, writing "let's do this together." (USA Today)

ill Smith explained his recent Oscar boycott while promoting his new film "Concussion" during an interview with BBC Breakfast on Friday, January 29. Will joined his wife Jada Pinkett Smith in saying he wouldn't be attending the awards show.

Presenter Charlie Stay asked Will about his current relation with the Oscars after deciding not to attend the show. "I was very pleased with how quickly and aggressively the Academy responded," the 47-year-old actor said, "But I want to be very clear about the spirit of what I'm saying."

"This has nothing to do with me, this has nothing to do with awards - that's a really frivolous reason for me to put my hand up and make a statement," he continued, "For me this is much more about the idea of diversity and inclusion."

Charlie asked, "And you contend that something is happening, the changes is going to come about?" Will

replied, "You know, I think that, it's not 'us' and 'them.'

It's 'we.' I were a member of the Academy. So it's much more a domestic family issue than a civil rights issue, it's a problem that we all have to solve."

Previously, Will told "Good Morning America" that he would not go to the Oscars. "My wife's not going.

It would be awkward for me to show up with Charlize [Theron]," he joked. "We've discussed it and we're a part of this community, but at this current time, we're uncomfortable to stand there and say this is okay."

"The nominations reflect the Academy, the Academy reflects the industry - reflects Hollywood. The industry reflects America. It reflects a series of challenges we're having in our country at the moment. There's a regressive slide towards racial and religious disharmony. That's not the Hollywood I want to leave behind," he added. "That's not the America I want to leave behind." (AceShowbiz)

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JANUARY 31 , 2016

Sunday Times Magazine 13

Star Times Bollywood

H

imansh Kohli, born November 3, 1989, is an Indian actor best known for his role as Raghav Oberoi in the Hindi soap opera “Humse Hai Liife”. His debut film “Yaariyaan” was released in 2014. Kohli worked as a radio broadcaster in Delhi, but later chose acting as his career. His second movie, “Abhi Nahi Toh Kabhi Nahi”, is scheduled for release in 2016.

14 Sunday Times Magazine

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JANUARY 31 , 2016

Times Bollywood

Rishi Kapoor: ‘Can’t believe Parineeti got award for losing weight’

A

W

hile fans are all excited to watch Deepika Padukone share screen space with Hollywood’s star actor Vin Diesel, the latter is also very much elated about the same. In a video, Vin Diesel said that Deepika Padukone is "just incredible" and the two were very close to working together in “Fast and Furious 7”, but now they are going to have a blast.

The Hollywood actor added that Deepika is somebody with whom he has wanted to work for a long time. He said that he had been dying to work with someone from Bollywood and bridge that gap and there is something very multi-cultural about that.

"It's very exciting and she is going to be such a delight and the world is going to go crazy about her," announced the actor.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, “xXx”

will be close to the “Fast and Furious” franchise in that Cage, character in “xXx” played by Diesel, will no longer be alone; he will now have a team of three sexy sidekicks. The report stated that Deepika will be seen

playing a huntress in the film and also Cage's ex-lover, whereas Hollywood actress, known for her leading role in the “Vampire Diaries”, Nina Dobrev will play a witty, sarcastic techie. (TOI)

ctor Rishi Kapoor, who recently won a lifetime achievement award, says award functions hold no significance these days.

“I use trophies as doorstops in my home.

What they have done to film awards is truly tragic,” the actor said in an interview to DNA. He added, “I couldn’t believe it when they gave an award to Parineeti Chopra for losing weight. Will they give me one for gaining weight?”

About his award, he said, “They pleaded with me to accept it. They think my work is over, so they keep giving me lifetime achievement awards.”

Kapoor, who has received another lifetime achievement award, this year, continues: “My work continues irrespective of whether they give me an award or not.”

Outraged by popular

awards and their commercialisation, the actor also said awards today were all for television.

“One or the other of these awards keep playing in some corner of the world. I’ve personally seen our awards functions being televised in Mauritius, New York, Los Angeles and many other parts of the world,” he said.

Known for not mincing

his words and giving it to the world (and media) as it is, Kapoor had only recently proved his ‘no-nonsense’ way of life. Little before his son actor Ranbir Kapoor and his alleged girlfriend called it quits, the “Bobby” actor had clarified that Ranbir and Katrina might be in a relationship, but Katrina wouldn’t dare to call him “papa”. (Hindustan Times)

Aishwarya Rai looks elegant in red sari

B

ollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan chose an elegant look with a red designer Banarasi silk sari for her special lunch with French President François Hollande in the national capital on Jan 26.

Aishwarya, who has been in the midst of shooting her new film “Sarbjit”, has taken out time from her busy schedule to attend the lunch, said to have been organised in Hollande’s honour by French Ambassador Francois Richier.

Richier had invited the 42-year-old actress for the lunch, which Hollande will attend following his appearance at the country’s colourful Republic Day parade on Rajpath as the chief guest.

“Aishwarya Rai Bachchan wishes all her well wishers a very happy Republic Day,” read the caption to the image shared by her publicist. The actor donned a bunched up hairdo and some polki jewellery for the occasion. A simple bindi

and red lipstick completed her look.

The sari that Aishwarya has worn is from designer duo Swati and Sunaina, and made in Banaras -- ageold weavers from where are poised for a facelift courtesy Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Apart from being a regular at the Cannes International Film Festival, where the first look of “Jazbaa” -- her comeback film post pregnancy -- was launched last year, Aishwarya has been a recipient of the prestigious Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, a civilian award by the French government.

Aishwarya, who has featured in films like “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam”, “Dhoom 2”, “Guru” and “Devdas”, is also an ambassador of French cosmetics and beauty company L’Oréal Paris, for which she recently starred in an ad with Eva Longoria. She also shot for her international film “Pink Panther 2” in Paris. (IANS)

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JANUARY 31 , 2016

Sunday Times Magazine

15

Times Trends

Weird beauty trends - we won't be trying

Star of the week

W

hen it comes to makeup and hair, it's fun to switch up your style sometimes. But some trends are just too outthere to contemplate. From silver spray-painted locks to Groucho Marx brows, these kooky catwalk looks are not for the timid…or sane!

Itty bitty bangs - Bangs are totally trending now, but these ridiculously short, choppy ones just look silly.

Groucho brows - A strong brow is definitely sexier than a skinny arch - but these pencilled-in disasters belong on the “Muppets”, not people.

Demon eyes - Way-overboard liner and feathered faux lashes were all over international runways. It was supposed to be chic, but doesn’t it look kind of demonic? It’s definitely a nay!

The ‘V’ part - This totally bizarre, triangle-shaped part gets points for ingenuity, but definitely not to be worn…ever!

Hairstyle overload - Topknots are adorable. Accent braids rock. Sideswept bangs are irresistibly sexy.

Altogether, this trend is confusing.

Crystallized lips - Glittery gloss lips are great, but when the crystals are big enough to resemble ice chips, it just makes you look really cold.

How you’re going to kiss anyone with those lips? Talk about awkward.

T

iffani Pamela Bonner is a 17-year-old aspiring television personality who is passionate about communications. Additionally, she has a passion for singing, the performing arts, baking and pageantry.

So far, she has won two pageants - one of which was the 2013 Miss Guyana Talented Teen. Now, she keenly eyes the Miss World and Miss Universe pageants. The beauty queen is presently working on her upcoming television show, “Teen talk with Tiffani”, where she will create a forum for youths to voice their opinions and concerns. Her mission is to entertain, inform and educate her viewers.

Tiffani describes herself as “pretty straightforward, amiable, determined, confident and assiduous”. She enjoys being surrounded by goal-driven individuals and people who can help her realise her true potential. Tiffani finds joy in bird-watching, baking with her mother,and writing poems. Her inspiration is legendary Jamaican singer, Bob Marley. “I believe that you should never look down on someone unless you're picking them up,” Tiffani declared.

16 Sunday Times Magazine

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JANUARY 31, 2016

Times Art

Art and philanthropy

A

visionary artist known for his lifelike portrait drawings, Compton Babb Jr. infuses “emotions and life” in his artwork.

Born in Georgetown on Oct. 25, 1981, Compton is the elder son of a sign artist, Compton Desmond Babb Sr., and his wife, Yvonne Jennifer Babb.

Compton Sr., who is described as a “hardworking man”, raised his sons in a disciplined household. It was from this humble beginning that Compton Jr. learned lessons of punctuality and determination.

In the late 90s, Compton studied at Burrowes School of Art. Excelling in his entrance exam, Compton was granted exemption to the requirements and early admission to the institution.

Though he was a relatively average student, Compton displayed a remarkable talent for drawing at a very young age. It was at Burrowes that he realised his love for the arts.

Magazine.

Throughout his years, Compton has created a variety of art pieces for G u y a n a ’ s Venezuelan ambassador, the Ambassador of the United Nations, and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.

Compton was also invited to display his work at the Burrowes School of Art 30th anniversary in 2005; at Carifesta IX in Trinidad in 2006; Carifesta X in Guyana in 2008, and recently shared the winning award for the 50th Independence Day logo (2015).

“I have extensive knowledge and experience of all forms of art, including portraits (my specialty) and fabric designs. Having held positions at Facts n’ Roses, Designing Company, Giftland Office Max (Graphic Artist and Marketing Manager) and presently at Tagman Media, I tailor my skills to meet the needs

Artist Compton Babb

By the time he was 16 years old, his portrait drawings and skill level had surpassed his father’s. It was his dream to advance in the arts and allow his raw talent to mature. His decision to pursue art, one he never regretted, allowed him to develop into a highly skilled and seasoned artist.

“My drawings aren’t just pencil on paper, but emotions and life,” Compton said in an interview with Sunday Times

Compton Babb Jr. enjoys drawing, and is an enthusiastic community leader

of various clients. I am able to interact directly with potential and existing clients and have increased customer satisfaction ratings at several companies. I have been

responsible for designing and editing animations, production of multimedia campaigns and designs and illustrations for product labels, cartoons and television,” he outlined.

In addition to his responsibilities as an artist at Tagman Media, Compton contributes in many activities in his community and church life. He attends West Wesleyan Church, West Ruimveldt, and presently serves as the dance director there. Additionally, he volunteers in assisting other church dance groups around the city of Georgetown.

Compton, along with a group of friends, has been instrumental in starting the basketball team, AllStars, whose main focus is to generate funding for the needy and less fortunate.

The philanthropist is also an active member of the Respect the Game Inc., a charity group that gives back via basketball, and continues to participate in its outreach and community events.

For more info on the artist, email cbabbjnr@gmail.com

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JANUARY 31 , 2016

Sunday Times Magazine 17

Times Tech

Apple recalls in parts of South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania A

pple on Thursday issued a recall for twopronged AC wall plug adapters designed for Argentina, Australia,

Appleinsider, Apple said that it was aware of 12 incidents around the world in which a two-pronged AC wall plug adapter broke

Macs and iOS devices between 2003 and 2015.

To determine if your wall plug is affected by the recall, check the inside slot

Brazil, Continental Europe, New Zealand and South Korea, over a potential risk for electric shock.

According to

and resulted in an electrical shock when the user touched it. The recall includes many two-pronged wall plugs shipped with

where it attaches to the main Apple power adapter. Affected wall plugs will have either four characters, five characters, or no char-

Tech news

I

M

apple.com/support/ac-wallplug-adapter for information on exchanging their adapter for a new, redesigned model.

This is Apple's first recall since August 2015, when it recalled a number of thirdgeneration Apple TV units over a defective part.

Windows Phone chief Oracle to retire Java tweets from iPhone, stirs ire browser plug-in

n the midst of a month’slong leave of absence from his post as head of the company's operating systems group, longtime Microsoft executive Joe Belfiore on Tuesday tweeted from an iPhone, which made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.

Accompanying the tweet was a photo of Belfiore in Japan — seen on Appleinsider — and the tell-tale "via Twitter for iPhone" tag.

Thousands of followers immediately called him out for his apparent platform defection, and the crisis eventually spawned dozens of blog posts commenting on the matter.

A think piece from The Verge noted that as Belfiore is on leave, it's only natural that he see other phones while away.

Belfiore rose to his own defence, both on Twitter and in the comments section of The Verge's piece.

"Consumers and business users expect their PCs and phones to work in concert— so to satisfy our customers we need to consider the devices they use AS WELL AS the devices we'd like them to use," Belfiore noted in the comments. "On a 9-month leave-of-absence, I have a HUGE AND UNUSUAL opportunity to get to know these products deeply. To understand the benefits and drawbacks of a full ecosystem like Windows, Android, iOS — you have to LIVE IN IT." On Twitter, Belfiore lamented that he had been unable to provide even more provocation.

"Right now I'm just bummed that I left my Palm Pre behind," he said. "I really loved that phone, and THAT tweet would have TOTALLY thrown you all..."

Tech BYTE

acters printed inside the slot.

Consumers who find themselves with an affected adapter can visit www.

O

racle will retire the Java browser plug-in, frequently the target of Web-based exploits, about a year from now.

Remnants, however, will likely linger long after that.

"Oracle plans to deprecate the Java browser plugin in JDK 9," the Java Platform Group said in a blog post Wednesday. "This technology will be removed from the Oracle JDK and JRE in a future Java SE release."

The Java Development Kit (JDK) 9, the reference implementation for the next version of Java SE, is expected to reach general availability in March 2017.

By then, however, most modern browsers will no longer accept the Java browser plug-in anyway.

Mozilla announced in October that it plans to remove support for plug-ins in Firefox by the end of 2016. Chrome disabled support in September for plug-ins that, like Java and Silverlight, use the old Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface (NPAPI) standard. Microsoft's Edge brows-

er doesn't support plug-ins either.

With Internet Explorer and Safari the only browsers set to still accept traditional NPAPI plug-ins after 2016, Oracle is pretty much forced into this decision, even though Chrome does support a new plug-in technology called PPAPI (Pepper Plug-in API).

"Oracle does not plan to provide additional browser-specific plugins as such plugins would require application developers to write browser-specific applets for each browser they wish to support," the company said.

The main alternative proposed by the company is to switch from Java Applets to Java Web Start applications. This type of application can be launched from the Web without the need for a browser plug-in.

From a security perspective though, Java Web Start applications can be used as an attack vector for exploiting vulnerabilities in the Java runtime, just like Applets.

A smartphone was shipped for 1 of every 5 people alive in 2015

anufacturers shipped nearly 1.5 billion smartphones to the world's 7.4 billion inhabitants in 2015 as consumers opted to replace older devices with newer LTEequipped models or those with larger displays.

The massive, increasingly crowded smartphone sector now counts some 850 competitive brands, according to new data from Counterpoint Research. The market remains a mile wide and inch deep, however — the 20 largest companies account for nearly 85 percent of shipments, says Appleinsider.

Apple has been a major beneficiary of the exploding market, shipping a record 74.8 million iPhones in the holiday quarter. That's second only to Samsung's 81.5 million shipments, though arguably more impressive.

Apple sells just a handful of high-end models, the least expensive of which costs $450 without subsidies. In contrast, Samsung sells dozens of device variants — some of which are available for under $100.

The most impressive growth among smartphone vendors didn't come from the U.S. or South Korea, though — smaller regional players in emerging markets stole the show in 2015.

Meizu, Lava, Intex, Vivo, Tecno, and Oppo all posted growth in excess of 100 percent for the year thanks in part to the swelling middle class in China, India, and Thailand.

More established brands like Asus, Huawei, and ZTE also recorded impressive numbers,

though far lower than their smaller competitors.

The shift in marketshare has come at a cost for former heavyweights like Motorola, HTC, Lenovo, Sony and Nokia, which all saw shipments contract by 10 percent or more.

18 Sunday Times Magazine

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JANUARY 31, 2016

Times Home & Cooking

Recipe of the Week

A

s the new year began, world-renown paint suppliers Benjamin Moore announced its Colour of the Year to be “Simply White”, described by creative director Ellen O’Neill in Architectural Digest as “a warm white, and it felt to us the cleanest and the most versatile.”

Ingredients 10 oz. dry whole wheat spaghetti (or gluten free option) 1/2 cup grated regular or low fat cheddar cheese 1 cup fat free or low fat cottage cheese Olive oil Pinch garlic salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 tsp turmeric 1/4 tsp smoked paprika Shaved parmesan for garnish Method Pre heat oven to 4250 F with the rack in the centre of the oven. Lightly spray muffin tins.

Cook pasta according to directions, reserve 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Be sure not to break spaghetti while cooking so you can twirl it into nests.

Combine cottage cheese and cheddar cheese in a bowl. Toss cooked pasta with a splash of olive oil, all spices and seasonings. Add some of the reserved cooking liquid if you need to. Mix with cheese mixture.

Reserve a bit of cheese to top each nest.

Twirl spaghetti with a fork and add to muffin tins, create nest shapes. Top each nest with a bit of the cottage cheese mixture. Bake for about 10 minutes.

The tops of your nests will be lightly browned and a bit crispy. Let cool for a few minutes.

Gently loosen spaghetti nests from muffin tins with a spatula and serve.

(Top with parmesan and dried basil or parsley if desired.)

Makes 8-12 servings

Whether it’s on moulding or a door frame or picture frames, white helps the eye organize and direct

GREATEST COOKING TIPS Too-soft butter means your cookie dough will be more like batter and it will spread too much as it bakes and lose shape, or cakes will become too dense.

Butter that’s too soft also won’t cream properly with sugar, and creaming is essential to creating fluffy, tender cakes with a delicate crumb.

Don’t resort to the microwave for quick results. Better to let it stand at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes to get the right consistency. You can speed the process significantly by cutting butter into tablespoon-sized portions and letting it stand at room temperature.

HOME HELP Simply White (pictured on trim) is the shade that captures today’s spirit of polished minimalism, says Architectural Digest

If you’ve managed to strip a screw and the screwdriver can’t fit anymore, place a rubber band over the screw then use the screwdriver to unscrew.

Put a few marshmallows or pieces of bread in your sugar jar to keep the sugar soft.

Ditch the polish and just use a damp cloth for the furniture. A damp cloth also holds the dust rather than just spreading it around.

Simply White, says O’Neill, “looked fresh with a warm palette or a cool palette”

Make your wood shine by polishing it with a solution of two parts olive oil to one part lemon juice.

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JANUARY 31, 2016

Sunday Times Magazine19

Family Times

PARENTING

A JOKES

The price In the hospital the relatives gathered in the waiting room, where their family member lay gravely ill.

Finally, the doctor came in looking tired and sombre.

“I’m afraid I’m the bearer of bad news,” he said, as he surveyed the worried faces. “The only hope left for your loved one at this time is a brain transplant. It’s an experimental procedure, semi-risky and you will have to pay for the brain yourselves.”

The family members sat silent as they absorbed the news. After a great length of time, someone asked, “Well, how much does a brain cost?”

The doctor quickly responded, “$5,000 for a male brain, and $1,000 for a female brain.”

The moment turned awkward. Men in the room tried not to smile, avoiding eye contact with the women, but some actually smirked.

A man, unable to control his curiosity, blurted out the question everyone wanted to ask, “Why is the male brain so much more?”

The doctor smiled at the childish innocence and so to the entire group said, “It’s just standard pricing procedure. We have to mark down the price of the female brains, because they’ve been used!”

Parental excuses These are actual excuse notes from parents excusing their children from missing school (includes original spelling): Dear School: Please ekscuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and also 33.

Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days.

Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.

Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday.

We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday.

Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part.

My feet A three-year old put his shoes on by himself. His mother noticed the left was on the right foot. She said, “Son, your shoes are on the wrong feet.”

He looked up at her with a raised brow and said, “Don’t kid me, Mom. I KNOW they’re my feet.”

Bible story A father was reading Bible stories to his young son.

He read, “The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.”

His son asked, “What happened to the flea?”

Stairway to Heaven Three men were on their way to Heaven. God told them the stairway to Heaven was 1000 steps, and on every 5th step He’d tell them a joke. But, they must not laugh or else they couldn’t enter heaven.

The first went up and started laughing on the 65th step, so he could not enter Heaven.

The second guy went next and started laughing on the 320th step, so he could not enter Heaven either.

Then, it was the third guy’s turn. When he got to the 999th step, he started laughing.

“Why are you laughing?” God asked. “I am not telling a joke now.”

“I know,” the guy replied. “I just got the first one.”

Shrinking clothes Max went into the doctor’s office for his annual checkup, and the Doc asked if there was anything unusual he should know about.

So Max told the Doc that his suit must have shrunk over the last year, because it didn’t fit when he went to get ready for a wedding recently.

The Doc said, “Suits don’t shrink just sitting in a closet. You probably put on a few pounds.”

“That’s just it, Doc, I know I haven’t gained a single pound since the last time I wore it.”

“Well, then,” said Doc, “You must have a case of Furniture Disease.”

“What in the world is Furniture Disease?” asked Max. “That’s when your chest starts sliding down into your drawers.”

family can bond together and work through things, caring and supporting each other, even when the going gets tough, making the bonds and connections even stronger than before.

Talking about things that are hard and how you are coping can be an eye-opener, sharing perspectives and solutions very empowering.

Providing stability, order, schedule, routine and a firm foundation amidst uncertainty is a huge responsibility but also an immense opportunity to remain connected with each other.

Communication lays a solid and important foundational element and nature to the family relationships and unit.

It strengthens it and deepens the bonds, connections, trust and intimacy you share – making it a home of comfort, reassurance and shared love.

After years of research, experts in child development and child psychology have come to agree that the ideal style for parenting is what is known as the Authoritative style.

In that role, the parent guides and encourages a child to reach his or her true potential.

Parents guide by providing goals and limits that are appropriate to the age, ability and interest of the child.

Parents encourage through praise and celebration of ac-

complishments.

Parents affirm through a positive relationship that includes time to play and have fun as well as time to communicate and reflect.

Parents also provide training rules to promote healthy development, learn self-discipline and develop a healthy respect for themselves and others.

Read more at childdevelopmentinfo.com

STORY TIME

Reflections

F

oolish Anansi thought he could trick a fisherman into doing his work for him. “Let’s go fishing,” he suggested.

“Very well,” said the fisherman, who was clever and quite wise to Anansi’s tricks. “I’ll make the nets and you can get tired for me.”

“Wait,” said Anansi, “I’ll make the nets and you can get tired for me!”

Anansi made nets as his friend pretended to be tired. They caught four fish.

The fisherman said, “Anansi, you take these.

I’ll take tomorrow’s catch.

It might be bigger.”

Greedily imagining the next day’s catch, Anansi said, “No, you take these and I’ll take tomorrow’s fish.”

Love after Love

The time will come when, with elation, you will greet yourself arriving at your own door, in your own mirror, and each will smile at the other’s welcome, And say, sit here. Eat. You will love again the stranger who was yourself.

Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

But the next day, the nets were rotting away and no fish were caught.

The fisherman said, “Anansi, take these rotten nets to market. You can sell them for much money.”

When Anansi shouted, “Rotten nets for sale!” in the marketplace, people

beat him with sticks.

“Some partner you are,” Anansi said to the fisherman as he rubbed his bruises. “I took the beatings. At least you could have taken the pain.”

Anansi never tried to trick the fisherman again!

(A Tale from West Africa)

all your life, whom you ignored for another, who knows you by heart.

Take down the love letters from the bookshelf, the photographs, the desperate notes, peel your own image from the mirror.

Sit. Feast on your life.

Derek Walcott

What he says and how

A

By Grammar G

Tom Swifty (or Swiftie) is a play on words taking the form of a quotation ascribed to a fictional Tom, and followed by an adverb.

“I need a pencil sharpener,” said Tom bluntly.

According to the Merriam Webster, the term was coined by Willard Espy (1911–99), who compiled two collections of poems, essays, quizzes, and other writings about the English language.

The form takes its name from the title character in “Shorthand Tom; or, the exploits of a young reporter”, serialized in 1894 and published by Edward Stratemeyer, under the pseudonym Victor Appleton afterwards.

In the series, titles included Tom Swift in the City of Gold, Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera, and Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight.

As the dictionary points out, sometimes the puns are simple:

“Welcome to my tomb,” said Tom cryptically.

“I can’t find the oranges,” said Tom fruitlessly.

Sometimes they require a little more thought: “Don’t you love sleeping outdoors,” Tom said intently.

Later, a Tom Swiftie began to include verbs: “I’m dying,” he croaked - though it is more commonly used in its original form.

Though they are rarely used these days, you can try to create a Tom Swifty. Here are a few more (of many) Tom Swifties for your enjoyment: “I just dropped the toothpaste,” said Tom crestfallenly.

“Fire!” yelled Tom alarmingly.

“I like modern painting,” said Tom abstractly.

“I can take photographs if I want to!” Tom snapped.

Incidentally, Stratemeyer was also the creator of the Bobbsey Twins,

Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and other lesser-known series.

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Times Sunday Puzzle

Place the same pair of letters onto both sets of blanks to complete a common word. Each answer will have a different pair of letters.

Example: MÂŹ__ __ __ T __ __ __ (AIN = MAINTAIN) 1. F __ __ G __ __ N T 2. P A __ __ T __ __ G 3. __ __ C K L I __ __ 4. B __ __ D S T __ __ D 5. __ __ A F __ __ T see solution on page 23

see solution on page 23

see solution on page 23

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Sunday Times Magazine 21

Times Kids

Creature Corner

GEOZONE

v

T

he Pampas Cat (leopardus pajeros) lives in the pampas or “grassy plains” of Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Columbia, in South America: grasslands, shrub-lands, and dry forest elevations of up to 16,000 ft. (5,000 m).

Between 18-30 inches (6 to 75 cm) and weighing 6-15 lbs (3-7 kg), it is said to somewhat resemble a domestic house cat, and also goes by the name “grass cat”.

It is reported to prefer feeding on small nocturnal rodents, lizards, insects, eggs, and grounding nesting birds. There

are also reports of pampas cats raiding chicken coups and attacking adult goats.

Hunted in the past for their pelts, today, habitat destruction is believed to be their primary threat.

There is some scientific debate in categorising l. pajeros. Until recently, it was categorised as a subspecies ofthe colocolo (l. colocolo), also commonly called pampas cat, leading to some confusion – more so when another species, the Pantanal cat (l. braccatus) is also called the pampas cat.

Quicksand is a combination of fine sand, clay, and salt water. When undisturbed, it often seems to be solid but a less than 1 per cent change in the stress on the quicksand causes it to turn liquid.

This causes a trapped body to sink when it starts to move.

However, a person does not drown in quicksand.

Quicksand has a density of about 2 grams per millilitre; human density is about 1 gram per millilitre.

At that level of density, sinking into quicksand is impossible. You would descend about up to your waist, but you'd go no further.

Don’t let anyone pull on you however, they might pull you apart. Instead wiggle your legs around.

This creates a space between the legs and the quicksand through which water can flow down to loosen the sand. You can get out using this technique, if you do it slowly and progressively.

Quicksand may be found inland (on riverbanks, near lakes, or in marshes), or near the coast where tides can bring disaster to anyone stuck in the sand.Quicksand does occur in deserts, but only very rarely.

Dot to Dot

1 = yellow 2 = red

3 = brown 4 = green

5 = blue 6 = black

The objective of the game is to fill all the blank squares in a game with the correct numbers. Every row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order.

Every column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. Every 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9 square must include all please see solution on page 23

digits 1 through 9.

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Sunday Times Magazine 23

World Times

Lizard in kindergartner's salad becomes new class pet

A

central New Jersey,USA elementary school science class has a new pet after a lizard was discovered in a student's salad after being refrigerated for days.

Riverside Elementary School science teacher Mark Eastburn told NJ.com the 3-inch Carolina anole lizard was found in a bundle of tatsoi greens (also called spinach mustard) last week by a kindergartner.

The lizard had been cold and lifeless af-

ter being confined in a refrigerator for days.

The animal has since been warmed up and lives in a cage in Eastburn's class.

The lizard, dubbed "Green Fruit Loop," came from Florida.The tatsoi had been bought from Whole Earth Centre in Princeton.

A store produce manager says greens are cleaned as they are stocked and that the lizard must have been tucked away in a leaf.

Man puts snakes in mouth to protest Brazil deforestation

Barbie shapes up with three new looks

M

attel, the maker of the famous plastic doll, said it will start selling Barbie dolls in three new body types tall, curvy and petite.

She will also come in seven skin tones, 22 eye colours and 24 hairstyles.

The toy company, based in El Segundo, California, will also continue to sell the original Barbie.The new line represents a change to "the face of the brand," said Barbie line manager Evelyn Mazzocco in a statement.

For years, the doll has been criticised for being an unrealistic representation of a woman's body.

The new bodies are just the latest change for Barbie as Mattel seeks to appeal to girls who have turned to tablets and other toys.

Last year, the company let Barbie kick her heels off and wear flats for the first time.

Dolls with the new body shapes will hit US shop shelves in March and roll out in the rest of the world after that, Mattel said.

The "Petite" Barbie. TIME Magazine made the new line the subject of its cover story along with the headline: "Now can we stop talking about my body?" The cover photo shows a profile of a curvy Barbie

Overdue book from 1967 returned to library

A

man known as the "Snake Ninja" in Brazil placed the heads of four live snakes in his mouth for several seconds to protest deforestation.

Arteval Duarte, who dubbed himself the "Snake Ninja," filmed a stunt last week in Goianesia do Para where he gathered the four snakes -- a chicken snake, a coral snake, a Clelia snake

Brain Teaser Answer 1. RA = FRAGRANT 2. IN = PAINTING 3. NE = NECKLINE 4. AN = BANDSTAND 5. LE = LEAFLET

SUDOKU

KID SUDOKU

CROSSWORD

and an epicrates assisi -- in a clump with their heads at the top.

Duarte places the snakes' heads in his mouth and holds them there for several seconds, before releasing them unharmed.

Duarte, an anti-deforestation activist, has previously performed attentiongrabbing stunts including wrapping a venomous snake around a poison toad and holding both creatures in his mouth.

A

UPS package delivered to Herrick District Library contained a book that had been checked out of the library since 1967.

The package also included a note that explained the sender was a student at Hope College at the time and was possibly researching World War II when they forgot to return the book.

"Somewhere along the way it got mixed up with my personal things and put

into a trunk and shipped back to New York," the unidentified man wrote.

"I have moved the trunk many times but until recently never opened it.

Upon doing so, I found your book."

The man also included an undisclosed amount of money to make up for the overdue book fees he would have accumulated throughout the years.

"Please accept the book and my modest donation to cover what I am sure is a

tremendous fine," he wrote.

Herrick District Library director Diane Kookier declined to disclose the man's identity nor the amount of money he sent but expressed her gratitude for the gesture.

"It more than covered the cost of the book," she told Michigan Live. "We enjoyed the trip down memory lane and realize that there are good, honest people who have inadvertently misplaced a book."

24

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Fun Times

Archie

Reflect on your experience to make sure you don't make (March 21the same mistake twice. Offer April 19) love and compassion in order to get the same in return.

Positive change can be accomplished.

ARIES

There will be plenty to do TAURUS that excites you, but before (April 20you indulge in something, you May 20) should make sure your motives are honorable. Kindness and generosity will bring the best results.

Dealing with authority figGEMINI (May 21- ures or institutions will result June 20) in difficulties. Don't push your luck or take on something you know you shouldn't do. Honor your reputation.

You can accomplish so much if you get off the couch (June 21and start doing things that July 22) will make a difference to your surroundings and important relationships.

CANCER

LEO Problems will develop if (July 23- you are argumentative or fall Aug. 22) short of your expectations.

Try to find the best solution, instead of thinking about where to put the blame.

Dilbert

Take a short trip or spend VIRGO time with someone who makes (Aug. 23you happy. Activities that alSept. 22) low you to test your strength or intelligence will boost your confidence and promote friendships.

LIBRA A opportunity to pick up (Sept. 23- extra work you can do from Oct. 23) home will help you make positive changes by giving you needed extra income.

Peanuts

You'll be on top of your SCORPIO game and ready for a chal(Oct. 24Nov. 22) lenge. Initiate change and let someone you love know how you feel. Progressive action will bring positive results.

Don't reveal personal inSAGITTARIUS formation or be enticed by (Nov. 23a bad influence. Unrealistic Dec. 21) expectations and unfounded assumptions will be your downfall. Take time to gather accurate facts and figures before you make a move.

Calvin and Hobbes

The help you offer othCAPRICORN ers will bring high returns.

(Dec. 22Someone who shares your inJan. 19) tegrity and tenacious attitude will propose a partnership.

Celebrate your good fortune with someone you love.

Above all else, you must AQUARIUS keep the peace. Trouble is (Jan. 20- brewing, and if you aren't Feb. 19) willing to compromise, you will get more than you bargained for. Minor accidents and mishaps are likely, so be careful.

PISCES If you push for what you (Feb. 20- want, you will come out a vicMarch 20) tor. A passionate can-do attitude will separate you from the crowd and bring you the recognition you desire.

Romance is encouraged.