Guyana Times Sunday Magazine

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Guyanese traditional Page 2 medicines

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2 Sunday Times Magazine

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NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Times Feature

By D mitri Allicock

O

ur grandparents and older folks would swear of the healing properties of herbs, leaves, roots and seeds that cured illnesses.

Sadly, many of these traditional medicines are being forgotten as we opt for pharmaceutical remedies instead.

Let’s look at some of the traditional remedies used widely in Guyanese homes in the past and may still be used for curing illnesses.

There’s the ever effective aloe, often called aloe vera. It is a plant related to cacti and found growing all over Guyana. It produces two substances, gel and latex, which are used for medicines. Aloe gel is the clear, jelly-like substance found in the inner part of the aloe plant leaf.

Aloe latex comes from just

under the plant's skin and is yellow in colour. Some aloe products are made from the whole crushed leaf, so they contain both gel and latex.

Aloe gel is taken by mouth for osteoarthritis, bowel diseases including ulcerative colitis, fever, itching and inflammation, and as a general tonic. It is also used for stomach ulcers, diabetes, asthma, and for treating some side effects of radiation treatment. It is also said to make a great poultice for abscess or boils.

L e m o n g r a s s , (Cymbopogon) is a genus of about 55 species of grasses. It is a tall perennial grass. Common names include barbed wire grass and fever grass in Guyana.

Lemongrass is used in traditional medicine for treating digestive tract spasms, stomachache,

Lemongrass

high blood pressure, convulsions, pain, vomiting, cough, achy joints (rheu-

Dried sweet broom (Photo by Amanda Richards)

matism), fever, the common cold, and exhaustion. It is also used to kill germs, and as a mild astringent. Some people apply lemongrass and its essential oil directly to the skin for headache, stomach ache, abdominal pain and mild discomfort.

This versatile plant might help prevent the growth of some bacteria and yeast. It also contains substances that are thought to relieve pain, reduce fever, stimulate the uterus and menstrual flow, and have antioxidant properties.

Senna (from Arabic sanÄ ) is a large genus of flowering plants and is native throughout the tropics, with a small number of species reaching into temperate regions.

Senna is really only used for one thing, as a cathartic or laxative. Limited as it may be however, senna is extremely effective at this particular job along

Senna pods

with Epson Salts, carrion crow bush, castor oil and a few others.

Older Guyanese cultural belief of regular bowel cleaning meant a dose of senna monthly. Although children despised it, senna has been used for generations to help keep families healthy.

Sweet broom is another common plant of Guyana and the Caribbean noted for many healing qualities.

It has been used as a remedy for diabetes in India and hypertension in Taiwan. Traditionally, the fresh or dried plant has been used as a remedy for treating stomach ailments, hypertension, diabetes, inflammation, bronchitis, haemorrhoids and hepatitis, and as an analgesic and antipyretic agent (pain and fever).

A hot water infusion and/or decoction of the leaves or whole plant is used medicinally by indigenous tribes of Nicaragua

to treat malaria, stomach disorders, menstrual disorders, insect bites, fevers, heart problems, liver disorders, and venereal disease. It has been used for blood cleansing, as an aid to child-birth, and as a general tonic.

The herb is also used in Brazilian folk medicine to treat bronchitis, gastric disorders, haemorrhoids, insect bites, and wounds.

In Asian medicine it is used to treat hypertension.

In Guyana, sweet broom is made into a tea in treating fever or to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Of course there are many more traditional home remedies of Guyana that have indeed earned a place in history. Notably, the qualities of some of our natural remedies are only now being understood and may change the course of many medications and treatments of the future.

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Sunday Times Magazine

3

Times Feature

B

lack caimans are among the largest and least known of the crocodile cousins, and are said to be the largest predator in the Amazon Basin.

Wanting to know more about these magnificent creatures, international and local researchers have continuously studied black caimans, especially in the Rupununi region, and have documented significant findings for further research.

Research done last year

by Dr Adam Rosenblatt

of Yale University in the United States, Fernando Li of Caiman House and Leanna Kalicharan of the University of Guyana, captured and sampled the stomach contents of 30 black caimans.

In total, 57 per cent of the black caimans contained evidence of fish, seven per cent consumed other black caimans; crabs, agoutis and snails had been eaten by only one individual each.

Ten of the black caiman had empty stomachs, which is not particularly surprising

since crocodilians are coldblooded and therefore can go for long periods of time without eating anything.

Also, the occurrence of other black caimans in the diet was expected because cannibalism is common amongst crocodilians.

However, the researchers were surprised by two of the items found inside the black caiman. First, one of the individuals had consumed the seed of a tree locally called ‘rabreye’, which indicates that black caimans may not be strict

Bones of an agouti found inside a caiman

Helping to change futures

S

peaking with Times Sunday Magazine, president and founder US-based Guyanese philanthropist Mohan Singh explained that USA Guyana Humanitarian Inc.was founded in March 2011. With the conception of the organisation, a two-week workshop was held. There, children were taught dancing, music, philosophy and drama, among other activities.

“Whenever I visited Guyana, I always travel to different parts of the country Guyana asking questions regarding the people’s welfare and about their children. During these visits, I realised that there is lots to be done for the poor,” Singh recalled.

According to Singh, during the past years he and his team have visited 30 villages- from Crabwood Creek to Bartica, Essequibo Coast, Leguan, Wakenaam, West Coast Demerara, East Bank Demerara, East Coast Demerara, West Coast Berbice, East Bank Berbice, and West Bank Berbice, Canje.

“During these visits, we would give out packages for the children. We also gave out donations to every village we visited. Packages for the children included school supplies, and each child received a Hanuman Chalisa. We also

A 440 pound black caiman being weighed as part of a mark-recapture study of this species in the Rupununi (Rupununi Learners' photo)

meat-eaters as most people assume. In fact, recent research by an international team of crocodilian experts has found that 70 per cent of crocodilian species regularly consume seeds and fruits, though this behaviour has never been observed in black caimans before.

Second, two of the black caimans had porcupine quills stuck in their tongues.

Porcupines are not common in the Rupununi, so it was surprising to find that black caimans attempt to eat them every once in a while, but no evidence of porcupines actually came out of the stom-

Porcupine quills found in a caiman's tongue

achs. This suggests that the black caimans bit the porcupines but did not actually swallow them, which was probably a wise decision since the quills likely could do some serious damage to the black caimans’ throat and stomach.

Another interesting finding was that black caimans in different areas eat prey at different frequencies. Only 44 per cent of black caimans in the main channel of the Rupununi River had consumed fish. In the nearby Simuni Lake, 82 per cent of the black caimans had consumed fish. This finding likely reflects differences in fish availability and abundance between the two areas - a fact that local indigenous fishermen know very well.

Ultimately, only time and more studies will enable the researchers to fully understand the mysteries of these fascinating creatures.

For further information on the black caiman, visit Rupununi Learners on Facebook. (Information by Dr Adam Rosenblatt)

Fostering social and economic empowerment among underprivileged communities in the US and Guyana is the mission of the USA Guyana Humanitarian Inc.

Some of the USA Guyana Humanitarian Inc members. Singh, president, is far left

visited orphanages and gave them donations. We renovated the library at

Number 56 Village in 2012, and in 2014 we donated a computer to the library.

During a visit to Guyana in 2014, we visited the drop-in shelter on Hadfield Street to which we donated 64 backpacks with school supplies. We also donated snacks for all of the kids,” Singh mentioned.

Singh added that the organisation’s members also give lectures on domestic violence, suicide, and dharma. In Hinduism, dharma signifies behaviours that are considered to be in accord with order that makes life and universe possible and include duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and “right way of living”.

Recently, the organisation held its first Walk-A-Thon in October 2015 in aid of Guyana. USA Guyana Humanitarian Inc. is planning its third skills workshop in Guyana for 2016 where classes on computer, photography, tailoring, health, reading, literacy, woodworking and much more would be held. A computer lab would also be opened.

“Our mission is to give the people the tools to change their lives, doing this through our various programmes,” Singh declared.

For more information on this organisation, visit USA Guyana Humanitarian Inc. on Facebook.

4

Sunday Times Magazine

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NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Times Feature

A Guyanese swing sensation H

ailed as Britain's first black bandleader, Kenrick Reginald Hymans-Johnson was a long way from home, performing his signature ‘fluid and flexible’ dance moves that earned him the name “Snakehips” and a place in the history of black entertainers breaking down barriers of colour in England during the early 20th century.

Born in Georgetown September 10, 1914, in what was then British Guiana, Kenrick Johnson was born

into a family considered one of the colony’s elite: his father was a well-known and respected doctor in the city.

After attaining a place at Queen’s College, the colony’s premier school where he excelled in academics, music and sports, (he played cricket and football) he was sent to England in 1929 to further his studies. At 15, he enrolled in the prestigious William Borlase School in Marlow, Buckinghamshire; a school that featured much of the entertainment arts like music,

Ken Johnson and his West Indian Orchestra recreated the swing sound for British audiences

dance and theatre in its curriculum.

While his family expected him to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a doctor, Johnson’s passion

was for music and dance, an enthusiasm that began in British Guiana from the colony’s thriving music scene of the time. At Marlow, that passion flourished, as did his interest in dance, which he began studying.

When acclaimed American choreographer Buddy Bradley arrived in England to train British dance star of the time, Jessie Matthews, Johnson began dance training under Bradley. Bradley himself was recommended to train Matthews by Hollywood star Fred Astaire, whom Bradley had coached.

Johnson completed school in 1931, and by 1934 he was in the US, appearing as a dancer in the 1934 film “Oh Daddy” and in Hollywood cabarets, being introduced to swing music, a new American trend. But viewing an orchestra gig in Harlem by famed American swing musicians Cab Calloway and Fletcher Henderson inspired Johnson to form his own orchestra band, moving him away from film.

Johnson returned to England in 1935, and in 1936, Leslie Thompson, leader of a band called Emperors of Jazz, asked Johnson to be the band’s “dummy conductor” because Thompson wanted a compelling personality fronting the band as it played, and Johnson’s dance style suited this concept.

It is said that Johnson’s supple six-foot four-inch frame that moved sinuously and smoothly was what earned him the name

A young Ken Johnson

“Snakehips”. Indeed, there are also reports that while he was considered such a refined, well-spoken young man, immaculate in his white suit with a flower in his lapel when the music started, he was often asked to tone down his performance – a precursor to Elvis Presley, some suggest.

The arrangement with Thompson did not last long however, and Johnson went on to form his own band with some members of Thompson’s band, calling it ‘Ken Johnson and the Rhythm Swingers’.

Later, in 1937, he invited some West Indian musicians into his orchestra, and four new players joined the band.

Ken Johnson and the Rhythm Swingers played at London's Old Florida Club to rave reviews, and by 1940 it was considered among the top swing bands in the country. It was renamed that same year to the West Indian Orchestra, and shifted its venue to regular performances at the Café du Paris, a London West End nightclub. Johnson became a wellknown personality, attaining a fan base through BBC radio broadcasts.

On March 8, 1941, during the height of the London blitz by German air raids of the Second World War, the Café du Paris, located underground and considered safe from the bombs, was hit.

Ken Johnson and his West Indian Orchestra were at the second verse of a requested song when the glass ceiling came down amid a flash of

It is said that Johnson’s supple six-foot four-inch frame that moved sinuously and smoothly in dance was what earned him the name 'Snakehips'

bright light, to leave a scene of death and destruction.

Ken “Snakehips” Johnson was among the more than 30 persons who died that night; he was just 26 years old.

It would be revealed later that the bomb came through an air shaft and exploded over the band’s stage area where Johnson and saxophonist David Williams were the two band members to be killed, and guitarist Joey Deniz among the more than 60 injured.

Ken Johnson’s funeral was well attended by members of the music fraternity, his Marlow alumni, a student from British Guiana who was also a member of the colony’s cricket team, and several other West Indians of London.

His mother was unable to attend but gave her permission to have the funeral in England.

Receiving his mother’s approval for her son’s final resting place, the William Borlase School’s chapel holds Johnson’s ashes after his funeral at Golders Green. His old school also honoured him May 6, 1998 with a blue memorial plaque, and offers the ‘Ken “Snakehips” Johnson Prize for improvised music’ on its Prize Day. The West Indian Orchestra is now known as the first regular black band of any size in England, and the BBC radio broadcasts have today become the only sources of Johnson’s repertoire since the band recorded only 16 songs through the BBC. After the war, West Indian immigration to England brought many gifted West Indian musicians to enrich British music genres, but Guyanese Ken “Snakehips” Johnson remains the pioneering black West Indian entertainer, who paved the way for others to follow.

It has been reported over the years that the cellar of the rebuilt Café du Paris, which once housed the bandstand, now houses the ghost of Ken Johnson. Staff members say they have seen “a handsome young immaculately-dressed black man appear out of nowhere and vanish”.

Johnson’s memorial plaque at his alma mater reads, 'Ken ‘Snakehips’ Johnson dance band leader was a pupil here 1929-1931'

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Sunday Times Magazine 5

Times Women

Empowerment centre creates industry Sponsors and markets scarce however

P

reparing youths with life skills for self-development, the Grove Craft Production Centre, despite its challenges, is focused on its empowerment mission.

In an interview with Times Sunday Magazine, headmistress Sharon Redman stated that the centre caters for early school leavers from ages 15 to 21.

The programme lasts for one year and a certificate is given upon completion.

“This is my 23rd year at the centre. I was the one who proposed to the RDC to open it after seeing the need for one, and they did. I travel every day to get to the centre. I’m living on the West Bank. I’m employed by the RDC as an officer and also teach at the centre. I didn’t expect to be with the centre so long, but when I saw the needs of the youths com-

Embroidery on pillow cases

Redman holds up an embroidered piece done by the students

Centre's headmistress Sharon Redman

ing here it motivated me to stay,” Redman revealed.

The centre comes under the Regional Democratic

Council (RDC) Region Four.

Programmes include embroidery, macramé, straw craft, tie-dye, crochet, fabric painting, floral arrangement, and cooking and baking – among others. There are also evening classes from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.

The centre is located at Station Street in Grove, East Bank Demerara, next to the nursery school. The programme caters for about 15 girls. Males are also welcomed at the centre, but none have yet expressed interest to join the programme.

According to the headmistress, initially the centre received its first donations of a sewing machine, gas stove and baking utensils from Demerara Distillers Limited, which she used to start the programmes.

However, over the years, there has not been any support from corporate Guyana, which limits the centre’s potential.

“Due to a lack of funding, students are asked to bring along materials and

pay a small stipend to cover the other volunteers/ teachers’ travelling expenses. Bringing their own materials tends to hamper the timeline of the programmes because some of them cannot afford to purchase the items. Most of the girls coming here are from single parent families and face financial difficulties. However, we still welcome them to the centre and work with whatever they have,” Redman pointed out.

Redman’s commitment and passion to help youths is commendable. Despite financial difficulties faced by the centre over the years, Redman has been able to maintain the centre’s programmes. Her dedication is certainly acknowledged.

Last year she was given an award for her dedicated services by the RDC’s Women

Decorative knitted piece

Affairs department.

The centre’s programmes have become so popular among youths, advertisements are not sent out anymore. Every September, persons flock to the centre to register. Like every other educational institution, the centre is governed by rules, which everyone must adhere to. This, according to Redman, instils values that will help in self-development.

“I’m hoping hotels and other businesses can approach us to market our products so that the girls can earn something from their craft. These girls are very talented, but we just don’t have market for the work. I’m also hoping we can have a craft shop right in the Grove area to help in the

marketing of the products made at the centre, which ultimately will bring in an income for the girls. I encourage businesses to reach out to us and help in empowering our youths to become earners,” Redman encouraged.

A past student, who graduated from the centre in 2014, Jenesse Thomas said, “I wasn’t able to finish school. I’m from a single parent family. I came to the centre to learn the skills that will help me to earn. This has certainly helped me in fulfilling my career goals.

Miss Redman is also my role model and a huge support.

She constantly encourages all of us to develop ourselves and I’m thankful for that.”

For more information on the centre, call 265-2144.

6 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Times Book World

The Shaping of Guyanese Literature

Small presses and the Guyana Prize B y P etamber P ersaud

T

he Guyana Prize for Literature is once again a talking point of (part of) the tongue. While (all) eyes will be focused on the writers, some of whom will emerge winners, let’s remember one of the main players behind the scene – the publishing houses – especially the small presses that saw merit in the work, enough to encourage them to invest in a precarious business. Book publishing is no easy joy walk on the Kitty seawall; there are too many vagaries to be considered, including marketing, distribution, piracy and sale.

In a previous article, we looked at the contribution of the Caribbean Press to the 2014 Guyana Prize for Literature and by extension to the literature of Guyana. The examples were “Rasta Lyrics” by

Cedric Castello, and “The Hinterlands” by Stanley Niamatali, both debut collections of poems.

Here I hasten to include the contribution of other “small” publishers/presses. I use “small” cautiously because in this piece I will not concentrate on self-published books and manuscript submissions, both of which will warrant separate treatments.

Please note also that imprints that were created for the sole purpose of publishing a single title for submission to the prize will also find space devoted to those efforts.

Following are examples of the efforts made by small presses whose publications appeared on various shortlists of the Guyana Prize for Literature over the last three decades, tabulated in no particular order.

“Role Play” written by Roopnandan Singh and

Prizewinner David Dabydeen

published by Roopnandan

Singh Publication (in conjunction with the Association of Guyanese Writers and Artists) made the shortlist in 2000 under the fiction category.

Incidentally, “Role Play” was listed alongside two other books which did not advance any further in the competition. (Yes, there were/are some juicy stories attached to this eventuality. I like telling stories but…)

“Cornerstone”, (poems) and “In Retrospect” (poems) by Elly Niland, and “Our lady of Demerara”, (novel) by David Dabydeen, published by Dido Press, UK, all made it to the shortlist; two went on to win the prize in their respective categories. Dabydeen’s novel won in 2004 while Niland’s poetry won in 2006.

(Anand Kumar and partners set up the Dido Press to publish mainly Guyanese literature and it was funded out of pocket.)

“Kyk-over-Al” 1995 published by Red Thread Women’s Press was awarded the Guyana Prize Special Award in 2000.

“Selected Poems: Martin Carter” was published by Demerara Publishers and went on to win the poetry prize.

“Janjhat” by Rooplall Monar was published by Roraima Publishers in 1992 alongside three other books, one of which went on to win and the other given a Special Award.

“Estate People” by Rooplall Monar was published by Roraima Publishers (1994) appeared on the 1994 shortlist along with five other books, two of which went on to win in various cat-

Elly Niland 2006 Prizewinner

egories of fiction.

“The Comfort of all Things” (poems) by Ian McDonald published by Moray House in 2012 appeared on the shortlist with two others entries, one a published book and the other a manuscript; that book went on to share to top prize with the manuscript.

Too often we see only the end product in a long line of machinations it takes to publish a book.

Publishing houses play an important role in the promotion of literature. A major aspect of the book industry/literature is publishing – book publishing.

Writers are important,

so too are editors, literary agents, critics, readers, proof readers et. al. Book publishing is not a consideration in the determination of the winner/s of a literary prize. But book publishing could tell a lot about the development and direction of a people’s literature.

Hats off to the small presses making their imprint on the shortlist of the Guyana Prize for Literature; be encouraged to continue the good work of adding strong writings to our literature.

Responses to this author telephone (592) 2260065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com

Cover of “The Comfort of all Things” by Ian McDonald

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Sunday Times Magazine 7

Times Heritage

T

he history of Jews in Guyana is little-known. Whatever little information is available on a Jewish Guyanese community comes from a few books, website snippets, blogs and online forums discussing the country’s colonial era.

The most recent reports are of a small Jewish community during World War II, but presently it is said that there is no knowledge of a Jewish presence in Guyana.

“The Guyana Story: From earliest times to independence” by Odeen Ishmael, notes that the West India Company had at first encouraged Jews to settle in Essequibo.

According to Ishmael, “the few who established plantations apparently treated their slaves badly, thus encouraging small slave rebellions.

For this they earned the dislike of the other Dutch colonists who discouraged other Jews from settling in Guyana.”

Samuel Oppenheim in his book, “An Early Jewish Colony in Western Guyana 1658-1666 and Its

H. M. Penal Settlement, Mazaruni, British Guiana

Loading sugar for shipment to America, 1905

Relation to the Jews in Surinam, Cayenne and Tobago” states that in 1658 the Dutch encouraged Jewish migration to Guyana, known then as Essequibo, a Dutch colony.

Based on an account of Major John Scott who had captured this Dutch region for Britain in 16651666, a Jewish group had previously settled on the Pomeroon and adjoining Moruca River in 1650/1651 Some are said to have arrived at Fort Kykoveral after being driven out of Brazil when the Dutch lost the territory in 1654.

However, this information has since been disputed by some scholars.

Oppenheim writes that in 1658 and 1659, “many Jews” came to the Dutch colony of “Nova Zeelandia” (Essequibo) in “four or five ships.”

In one of the book’s footnotes he mentions that some Jews arrived from Hamburg, Germany, where it is said a large Portuguese-Jewish community existed, and Flushing (Vlissingen in Dutch), Holland.

There are records of Jews ar-

Synagogue of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of Amsterdam (Author Massimo Catarinella) Many of the Jews who arrived during the later colonial period are said to have been Western Sephardic Jews of Spanish and Portuguese descent. According to a feature in The Times of Israel, Western Sephardic Jews were largely exterminated during the Nazi Holocaust, but they also decreased in numbers due to the high assimilation rate among some of them.

riving in Essequibo from Tobago, as well as documentation of 25 Jewish-Italian families arriving in Pomeroon in the spring of 1658, some who had first travelled to Tobago.

The footnote also says that an 1893 Timehri magazine article states, “…it would appear that it was to the Jews that Essequibo owned the introductory of cane cultivation” as many Jews with knowledge of cane cultivation had arrived from Brazil.

It has been said too that the Jews who had settled in Pomeroon abandoned the place after it was destroyed by the British invasion of January 1665-66. Most of these Jewish congregations dispersed to Suriname and Cayenne, and established a Jewish presence there.

Those who remained were soon routed once again; this time by the French who were at the time Dutch allies. By the time of the Breda Treaty of 1667, not one Jew is said to have been found at Pomeroon.

When the colony of Essequibo was eventually re-established, Oppenheim notes there was a single reference to “Salomon de la Roche” a “Jew travelling in Pomeroon” who had died in 1684 and was the only person there who knew “how to prepare the vanilla bean for trade.”

The West India Company however, to whom the reference appeared in a letter, rejected this claim as false and misleading.

Another of Oppenheim’s footnotes states that a 1744 reference mentions a “Jew in Essequibo named Moses Isaac de Vries” who captured runaway slaves and who died in 1746. de Vries had once attempted to establish a cane farm “[a]bove the first fall in Essequibo … Aretaka.”

No historical documentation seems to exist of the Jews in Essequibo after this.

Then in the 20th century, just before the outbreak of the Second World War, when the colony was united as British Guiana, published accounts state that Nazi

Germany had in 1938 considered exiling Jews to British Guiana but no formal arrangements were ever made.

According to “The Third Reich and the Palestine Question” by Francis R. Nicosia, in late 1938 then British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain had also proposed Jewish settlement in British Guiana.

During WWII, Jewish refugees were allowed to migrate to British Guiana and, in 1942, 50 Jews displaced from their homeland arrived from Spain after having moved first to Curacao. They were accommodated in Mazaruni at the site of the present Mazaruni prison, in a venture funded by the British government.

On the website Guyana Then and Now, some members of a discussion forum chat about their Jewish heritage while living in British Guiana around the mid20th century, revealing that perhaps not all Jews moved to or stayed in Mazaruni.

One of independent Guyana’s presidents, the late Janet Jagan, was a Jew who migrated to Guyana when she married Cheddi Jagan, also one of Guyana’s late presidents.

In an interview with J.J Goldenburg, published on the website forward.com, the reporter stated, “Janet Jagan never talked much about her Jewish identity, though it came up constantly in her public life. “Jewishness wasn’t much of a factor in my life,” she told me in a phone interview in 2000. “There’s no Jewish community in Guyana.”

There are no synagogues, ruins or records of synagogues in the country either, which suggests that the Jews worshipped privately in their homes or not at all.

Some conclusions to be formed from the fact that no known Jewish community exists in Guyana is that they later migrated elsewhere, perhaps stopped practicing their religion openly or at all, or assimilated into another religion.

8 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Times Travel & Tourism

Panoramic view of the river

A

journey along the Potaro River reveals scenic views of mountains, dense forest and stunning waterfalls.

A tributary of Essequibo River, the source of the Potaro is in the Mount Ayanganna area of the Pakaraima Mountains in the North Rupununi savannahs.

Majestic waterfalls are found on the Potaro River, most notable being Kaieteur and Tumatumari Falls. Below Kaieteur Falls are Amatuk and Waratuk Falls.

In the 1930s, the Denham Suspension Bridge, also known as the Garraway Stream Bridge, was constructed over the Potaro River in an area known as Garraway Stream.

The bridge remains a beautiful feature along the river.

Located in forested terrain along the Potaro River, south of Kaieteur Falls, is Chenapau – a small indigenous village.

Upriver from Kaieteur, the Potaro plateau stretches out to the distant escarpment of the Pakaraima Mountains. (Photos

by Marco Basir, Cover photo: Denham Bridge spreads over the Potaro River) Placid waters

Potaro winding through dense forest

Water gushing from Amatuk Falls into the Potaro

View of Amatuk Falls from a distance

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Sunday Times Magazine 9

Times Healthy Living

T

he World Health Organisation in October 2015, hosted a Q&A on the link between red meat and processed meat and cancer, based on recent findings by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) which is a part of the WHO. Below is an excerpt.

What do you consider as red meat?

Red meat refers to all mammalian muscle meat, including, beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse, and goat.

What do you consider as processed meat?

Processed meat refers to meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavour or improve preservation.

Most processed meats contain pork or beef, but processed meats may also contain other red meats, poultry, offal, or meat byproducts such as blood.

Examples of processed meat include hot dogs (frankfurters), ham, sausages, corned beef, and biltong or beef jerky as well as canned meat and meatbased preparations and sauces.

Do methods of cooking meat change the risk?

High-temperature cooking methods generate compounds that may contribute to carcinogenic risk, but their role is not yet fully understood.

What are the safest methods of cooking meat?

Cooking at high temperatures or with the food in direct contact with a flame or a hot surface, as in barbecuing or pan-frying, produces more of certain types of carcinogenic chemicals (such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic aromatic amines).

However, there were not enough data for the IARC Working Group to reach a conclusion about whether the way meat is cooked affects the risk of cancer.

Is eating raw meat safer?

There were no data to address this question in relation to cancer risk.

However, the separate question of risk of infection from consumption of raw meat needs to be kept in mind.

Red meat was classified as Group 2A, probably carcinogenic to humans. What does this mean exactly?

In the case of red meat, the classification is based on limited evidence from epidemiological studies showing positive associations between eating red meat and developing colorectal cancer as well as strong mechanistic evidence.

Limited evidence means that a positive association

has been observed between exposure to the agent and cancer but that other explanations for the observations (technically termed chance, bias, or confounding) could not be ruled out.

Processed meat was classified as Group 1, carcinogenic to humans. What does

tional health recommendations advise people to limit intake of processed meat and red meat, which are linked to increased risks of death from heart disease, diabetes, and other illnesses.

How much meat is it safe to eat?

this mean?

This category is used when there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans. In other words, there is convincing evidence that the agent causes cancer. The evaluation is usually based on epidemiological studies showing the development of cancer in exposed humans.

In the case of processed meat, this classification is based on sufficient evidence from epidemiological studies that eating processed meat causes colorectal cancer.

What types of cancers are linked or associated with eating red meat?

The strongest, but still limited, evidence for an association with eating red meat is for colorectal cancer. There is also evidence of links with pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer.

What types of cancers are linked or associated with eating processed meat?

The IARC Working Group concluded that eating processed meat causes colorectal cancer. An association with stomach cancer was also seen, but the evidence is not conclusive.

Is the risk higher in children, in elderly people, in women, or in men? Are some people more at risk?

The available data did not allow conclusions about whether the risks differ in different groups of people.

Should I stop eating meat?

Eating meat has known health benefits. Many na-

The risk increases with the amount of meat consumed, but the data available for evaluation did not permit a conclusion about whether a safe level exists.

What makes red meat and processed meat increase the risk of cancer?

Meat consists of multiple components, such as haem iron. Meat can also contain chemicals that form during meat processing or cooking. For instance, carcinogenic chemicals that form during meat processing include N-nitroso compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Cooking of red meat or processed meat also produces heterocyclic aromatic amines as well as other chemicals including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are also found in other foods and in air pollution.

Some of these chemicals are known or suspected carcinogens, but despite this knowledge it is not yet fully understood how cancer risk is increased by red meat or processed meat.

What is WHO’s health recommendation to prevent cancer risk associated with eating red meat and processed meat?

IARC is a research organization that evaluates the evidence available on the causes of cancer but does not make health recommendations as such. National governments and WHO are responsible for developing nutritional guidelines.

This evaluation by IARC

reinforces a 2002 recommendation from WHO that people who eat meat should moderate the consumption of processed meat to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

Some other dietary guidelines also recommend limiting consumption of red meat or processed meat, but

these are focused mainly on reducing the intake of fat and sodium, which are risk

factors for cardiovascular disease and obesity.

Individuals who are concerned about cancer could consider reducing their consumption of red meat or processed meat until updated guidelines related specifically to cancer have been developed.

Is there a type of red meat that is safer?

A few studies have in-

vestigated the cancer risks associated with different types of red meat, such as beef and pork, and with different kinds of processed meats, like ham and hot dogs. However, there is not enough information to say whether higher or lower cancer risks are related to eating any particular type of red meat or processed meat.

Could the preservation method influence the risk (e.g. salting, deep-freezing, or irradiation)?

Different preservation methods could result in the formation of carcinogens (e.g. N-nitroso compounds), but whether and how much this contributes to the cancer risk is unknown.

How many studies were evaluated?

The IARC Working Group,consisting of 22 experts from 10 countries, considered more than 800 different studies on cancer in humans (some studies provided data on both types of meat; in total more than 700 epidemiological studies provided data on red meat and more than 400 epidemiological studies provided data on processed meat).

(Q&A on the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat. October 2015, WHO)

10 Sunday Times Magazine

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

guyanatimesgy.com

Times Fashion

S

onia Noel Designs presents a limited edition animal print collection. The designs are described as “sexy and timeless”; perfect for any occasion.

“These are one-of-a-kind pieces and will not be duplicated. If you want a statement look for your next party, these pieces are perfect,” Noel declared in an interview with Times Sunday Magazine.

For more info on the collection, call 609-8388. (Models: Rea and Nkechi)

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Sunday Times Magazine 11

Star Times Hollywood

M

eghan Trainor is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Nantucket, Massachusetts, Trainor wrote, recorded, performed and produced three independently-released albums between ages 15 and 17. After signing a record deal with Epic Records in 2014, Trainor rose to fame with the release of major-label debut studio album, Title (2015). The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and produced three top 10 singles: "All About That Bass", "Lips Are Movin" and "Like I'm Gonna Lose You".

Prominently influenced by the 1950s and 1960s eras in music, Trainor's music has been noted for its retro style aesthetic. Common themes in her lyrics include subjects of modern womanhood, body image, and empowerment. Trainor's work has been recognized with several awards and nominations, including the Music Business Association's Breakthrough Artist of the Year accolade and won two Billboard Music Awards in 2015.

12 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Times Hollywood

Justin Timberlake Is PEOPLE's Porsche claims Paul Walker Sexiest New Dad Alive of 2015 caused his own death

P

J

ust months after Justin Timberlake and his wife Jessica Biel welcomed their son Silas Randall, the "SexyBack" singer is honored with PEOPLE magazine's Sexiest New Dad Alive of 2015 title.

The doting dad reveals to the magazine that he enjoys his daily activities to take care of his 7-month-old son.

"I've never slept less and dealt with more poop and been so excited about it!" the 34-year-old singer tells the publication. In an interview on "Today" show last month, his wife Jessica said that the singer was on diaper duty. "He is doing it all. He is in there; he's in there deep," she revealed.

While stopping by "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" earlier this year, Justin told host Jimmy Fallon about his experience as a father, "It is the most insanely amazing, wonderful, unbelievable thing to ever happen to you." At that time, the former NSYNC singer also proudly told the audience that Silas' first word was "dada," referring to Justin as his dad.

The crown aside, earlier this week, Justin made headlines for scolding paparazzi while he's drunk. The singer was clearly dismayed by paparazzi who were trying to take pictures of him after he left Chris

P

Stapleton's concert in L.A. He told the photogs, "I gave you guys shots before I walked in. And if you're too lazy, and if you're too lazy to be the paparazzi.... that's on you."

Not paying attention to what he said, the photogs took his pictures. (AceShowzbiz)

rince William is shining a spotlight on an issue that was important to his late mother, Princess Diana: homeless youth in England.

Centrepoint was one of the first charities that I officially became associated with,” the prince said in his speech. “During that time, I have seen the charity adapt

On Thursday, the prince, 33, gave a speech at the first annual Centrepoint awards in London. The royal has been a patron of the organization, which provides a safe place to live for thousands of young people every year, since 2005.

“Ten years ago,

to the challenges of tackling youth homelessness with continued optimism and enthusiasm.”

He continued, "Some young people can find themselves denied the most basic of comforts, such as a safe place to sleep, a guaranteed source of food or simply

R

ihanna is playing zero games when it comes to her Anti rollout.

Pop’s ‘baddest’ gal has offered up few details about her highly anticipated eighth studio effort, but on Thursday (Nov. 19), she tweeted the link to ANTIdiaRy.com, a site powered by Samsung that prompts users to access it via their mobile device and shares the cryptic message: “You’ll know when it’s time.”

According to a release, more details about her col-

laboration with Samsung will be revealed at the American Music Awards, airing this Sunday, Nov. 22 on ABC. In October, Rihanna unveiled the Anti cover art, designed by artist Roy Nachum, at a Los Angeles art gallery. She’s unpacked three new singles this year so far including “American Oxygen,” “Bitch Better Have My Money” and the Kanye West and Paul McCartneyassisted “FourFiveSeconds.”

(Billborad)

someone to turn to for advice. This can often be due to reasons beyond their control.

“But the challenges can also be deeper than having a safe place to stay. The impact of homelesseness is not temporary. All too often, a person’s long-term mental and physical health, education and sense of self-worth can also be at risk.

"Ending youth homelessness remains an urgent challenge – too many in society are still unaware of just how many young people need our help."

As children, Prince William and Prince Harry made private visits to Centrepoint services with their mother, who herself was a patron of the organization.

And William’s strong ongoing commitment to Centrepoint was underscored when, in December 2009, he spent one night on the streets with the charity's chief executive, Seyi Obakin. (PEOPLE)

orsche has responded to a wrongful death lawsuit filed two months ago by Paul Walker's daughter Meadow.

The luxury car company remains headstrong that the actor caused his own death, believing that the teenager should be barred from receiving any compensation because her father "was a knowledgeable and sophisticated user of the car."

Back in September this year, Meadow stated in her lawsuit that the type of car her father rode, Porsche Carrera GT, "lacked safety features... that could have prevented the accident or, at a minimum, allowed Paul Walker to survive the crash."

It further claimed that Paul might have been able to exit the vehicle before it caught on fire if the seat belt was well-designed.

Porsche begged to differ.

In a document obtained by PEOPLE, Porsche "alleges that Mr. Walker knowingly and voluntarily assumed all risk, perils and danger in respect to the use of the subject 2005 Carrera GT, that the perils, risk and dangers were open and obvious and known to him, and that he chose to conduct himself in a

B

lue Ivy had a hit before she turned 1. In fact, as a newborn, she became the “youngest person ever to appear on a Billboard chart” after her guest vocals blessed her dad Jay Z’s “Glory.” Now, she’s taking her career to new heights with a guest spot on Coldplay’s new LP A Head Full Of Dreams.

“Everyone who got asked to sing on our album has an important part in our lives,” Chris Martin told The Wall Street Journal, before explaining how the B.I.C. collab came to be. “We recorded Blue Ivy Carter in New York when her mom Beyoncé was in the studio.”

manner as to expose himself to such perils, dangers and risks, thus assuming all the risks involved in using the vehicle."

The car company continued, "Mr. Walker's voluntary assumption of the risk should bar the plaintiff's recovery or, in the alternative, should reduce the plaintiff's right to recovery from PCNA in an amount equivalent to Mr. Walker's fault." They believed that the car "was misused and improperly maintained, and that the misuse and improper maintenance proximately caused or contributed to the incident and to Mr. Walker's death."

Paul's friend Roger Rodas was actually the one behind the wheels when

the car lost control and hit a concrete lamppost as well as trees in November 2013.

Police determined that the driver was going between 80 and 93 MPH in a 45 MPH speed zone. Rodas also died in the incident.

This is not the first time Porsche has responded to Meadow's accusations. "As we have said before, we are very sad whenever anyone is hurt in a Porsche vehicle, but we believe the authorities' reports in this case clearly establish that this tragic crash resulted from reckless driving and excessive speed," Porsche said in a statement immediately after Meadow filed her papers in late September.

(AceShowbiz)

Queen Bey also appears on the album. Interestingly enough, her guest spot was partly inspired by Flo Rida and Lil Jon. “The original kernel was that I was listening to Flo Rida or something, and I thought, it’s such a shame that Coldplay could never have one of those late-night club songs, like ’Turn Down for What,'” he explained.

“What would we call it if we had one? I thought I’d like to have a song called ’Drinks on Me’ where you sit on the side of a club and buy everyone drinks because you’re so…cool.

“I was chuckling about that, when this melody came — ’drinks on me,

drinks on me’ — then the rest of the song came out,” he continued. “I presented it to the rest of the band and they said, ’We love this song, but there’s no way you can sing drinks on me.’

So that changed into ’drink from me’ and the idea of having an angelic person in your life. Then that turned into asking Beyoncé to sing on it.”

After reading about Blue and Bey’s appearances on this LP, you gotta wonder where Hov’s feature is.

A “Beach Chair” follow-up would’ve been dope.

In any case, A Head Full Of Dreams is set to be released on Jigga’s birthday, Dec. 4. (MTV)

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Sunday Times Magazine 13

Star Times Bollywood

A

ditya Roy Kapur is an Indian film actor who works in Hindi films. After a brief career as a video jockey, he made his film debut with a minor role in “London Dreams” (2009) and followed it by playing supporting roles in “Action Replayy” (2010) and “Guzaarish” (2010).

Kapur rose to prominence in 2013 by playing the male lead in the highly successful romantic drama “Aashiqui 2”. Also in 2013, he played a supporting role in the coming-of-age romantic comedy “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani”, which ranks among the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time. Kapur has also nearly completed filming for “Fitoor”, an adaptation of Charles Dickens' “Great Expectations”. The film is scheduled for release in February 2016.

14 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Times Bollywood

Shah Rukh Khan finds it ‘strange’ to call Kajol a friend

S

uperstar Shah Rukh Khan, who will be seen on the big screen with Kajol after five years, says he finds calling her a ‘friend’ strange.

“Kajol is such a close friend of mine that I find it strange to refer to her as a friend. It’s been 20 to 22 years since we started our careers. We have a very comfortable relationship and there is a certain ease,” Shah Rukh said.

“We care for each other in a very easy way and naturally... whenever we meet each other, we feel as if we’ve begun from where we left. So that comfort, love, care and genuine desire is there. Even if she’s not there in a film with me and wherever she is, I’ll hope the best things happen to her and she’d also wish the same,” he added.

“Gerua” is the first song from the Rohit Shetty directorial. “Dilwale is set for a December 18, 2015 release. It also stars Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon. “It was Rohit’s idea to have a beautiful love song.

So everything was decided by the team... We

[he and Kajol] were watching the song from the sidelines and we’ve been in the business of cinema for 20 years now. And that’s what she was saying that we should keep on acting more because we love doing this. And I would tell her the same,” Shah Rukh shared. (TOI)

C

urrently, he is one of the biggest stars in Bollywood. But, interestingly, apart from an epic adventure love story, Hrithik Roshan doesn’t have any other projects in his kitty.

Of late, the actor’s name has been associated with a few other movies. But the one that has officially made its way to Hrithik’s next list of projects will see him teaming up with filmmaker Kabir Khan in Sajid Nadidwala’s next production.

Hrithik confirms, “Working with Kabir will be fantastic. And I feel very as-

sured (working) with Sajid.”

Kabir says, “Hrithik, Sajid bhai and I have been

W

hile many heroines have cried gender inequality in terms of how much they’re paid, filmmaker Farah Khan believes one’s earning should be according to what one generates.

She finds nothing wrong in A-list male actors making big bucks as compared to their female counterparts, as long as their box office figures match what they get paid.

“You get paid what you deserve, according to the money that your movie gen-

erates. I get much more than a lot of male directors and I also get less than some. But I get paid what I deserve and what I ask for…” she declared.

very eager to work together for a while now. It’s happening, for sure.”

Work is said to be underway at breakneck speed.

Kabir and his team of writers are “working out the final draft of the script”, as the trio readies for “one of the most ambitious ventures” of their careers.

Sajid says, “I am very excited about the film. I just can’t wait to start working with the lethal combination of Kabir and Hrithik.”

The rest of the cast and crew members are yet to be locked in. (Hindustan Times)

The 50-year-old filmmaker adds that this issue has also come up because Hollywood is talking about it. “It’s also about too many people wanting to copy Hollywood.”

Meanwhile, Farah was recently honoured at the 37th Cairo International Film Festival for her film “Om Shanti Om” (2007).

She says, “This is not like a competitive award, this is a big award there which they give for excellence in cinema to one filmmaker every year.” (Hindustan Times)

A

nupam Kher is starring in a film with Hollywood actor Gerard Butler. Directed by Mark Williams, the film is written by Bill Dubuque, who has earlier penned the Oscar nominated “The Judge”.

“I have already started shooting for the film in Toronto, Canada. Gerard is a great actor, and working with him is so fun,” says Anupam, who plays an Indian-American pediatric oncologist in the film.

Veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher (left), it seems, is craving for “aloo parantha” in Toronto, Canada.

The 60 year-old actor took to Twitter and lamented missing the paranthas.

“Finally landed in

K

angana Ranaut’s nine-year-long Bollywood journey has been no less than a roller-coaster ride. After giving a memorable performance in her debut film, “Gangster” (2006), she took some time to come into her own, before giving hits like “Fashion” (2008), “Tanu Weds Manu” (2011) and “Queen” (2014).

“I like being who I am,” says the actor. “Now is the time when I’m getting my due.”

The 28-year-old says that she has always wanted to do

Toronto. It is so chilly here.

But they say it is supposed to be a warm day. Feel like having an Aloo parantha (sic),” he wrote.

Anupam, who was awarded the Filmfare Critics Award for his role in the 1989 flick “Daddy”, recently staged his play “Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha” 61st show in the Capital.

a biopic, and now that she is playing Rani Laxmi Bai. “I get so many offers for these so-called blockbusters, or big hero or big banner films, but I do a film only if the character is exciting enough. It’s amazing to see the number, and the kinds of people who wish to work with me. It feels great,” she says.

On the other hand, Kangana is currently toiling for her role in film-maker Vishal Bhardwaj’s next.

“I’m working from 5am to 10pm. I sometimes don’t

After his return from Canada, Kher will start shooting for Neeraj Pandey’s film, which is based on the life of cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Kher will be playing the role of Dhoni’s father, while the World Cup winning captain will be played by actor Sushant Singh Rajput. (Hindustan Times)

even remember where I am.

There are so many classes going on. It’s a character that’s demanding enough for me to have sleepless nights over it. She’s a woman from an era that I’ve not lived in.

It’s challenging for me, but I’m trying my best,” she says.

(Hindustan Times)

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Sunday Times Magazine

15

Times Trends

Trending Now

Star of the week

Glass nail art is the latest beauty craze T

he latest festive manicure to arise from the holy land of beauty trends, Korea, is deemed "glass nail art," though it is often referred to as "opal."

The technique was developed by Eunkyung Park, owner of Unistella Salon in Seoul, who has done the nails of just about every celebrity in Korea.

The manicure is meant to transform nails into diamonds or glass bottles

(much like the beautiful ones that hold perfume).

And there are many ways to interpret it — you can do it against an iridescent white or a gothic black.

Some creative ladies even brought in colours like deep blue, burgundy, and rustic red. Or you can strategically position it, covering half of your digits and only the tips. Overall, it's pearly, it's sexy!

It goes: basecoat, nail

polish, stickers, and topcoat. You can use whatever colour you want, and because the cellophane is transparent and holographic, it beautifully takes on the undertones of your chosen shade.

The stickers are precut to fit each nail, which makes them easy to arrange and apply. Packing them in tightly will leave a clean perimeter around the nail.

N

icolette La Rose, born May 25, 1997, is a brilliant actress, singer and hockey player. She will be seen in the upcoming local mystery/drama series “WHO?” as Cassie Graham. She has also contributed towards the writing of the television series. Beyond entertainment, La Rose has been a part of church choirs and youth groups, and is currently a hockey player for the Hikers Hockey Club.

Graduating from Christ Church Secondary School as a business student, the talented young lady hopes to be a successful entrepreneur and an inspiration for young girls.

16 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Times Art

R

onald Cecil Savory comes from a long line of explorers and pioneers in Guyana. His antecedents and current achievements make him the perennial Guyanese and Caribbean man, exploring and evoking his world through his art.

Savory was born in 1933 in British Guiana. After leaving college he worked at several jobs before becoming a civil servant in the crown solicitor’s office.

He then transferred to the Department of the Interior in 1959. After serving a few months at the head office, he was posted to Kamarang in the Upper Mazaruni in October of 1959 where, as a Class 2 clerk to the assistant district commissioner, he was expected to be typist, radio operator, weather reporter, weather station record keeper, trade store supervisor, and run the show when the commissioner was off station.

He later resigned from the service and was appointed administrative officer in the British Council.

"Forest Path, Night Fall" 1996

"Forest Study" 1973

"Kamarang" 1962

His work in amateur theatre, and activity as an artist earned him a British Overseas Development training stint in television and radio production with the BBC in 1968. He worked at the Guyana Broadcasting Service from its inception as a producer/announcer, until becoming self-employed in 1974.

Savory’s vocation as a painter began shortly before joining the Working People’s Art Class, run by the late E.R. Burrowes, operating in 1957from Smith’s Church School on Hadfield Street.

There were several teaching attachments: Guyana School for the Arts, St Margaret’s School and Cyril Potter College of Education.

He was coordinator for the 1972 Carifesta Visual Art exhibitions.

Several factors, including two terms of working in the Guyana interior, influenced his interest in indigenous art and the landscape of the hinterland.

Savory was arguably the first in contemporary Guyanese visual art to offer

Artist Ron Savory

sustained interpretation of the landscape of the interior, to the point where it was acknowledged as his primary source and subject matter.

The artist’s engagement with the landscape and with a wider subject matter, then, including the literature of outstanding Caribbean writers and poets which forms the theme of the current exhibition, reveals the particular and universal instinct of the artist.

He absorbs, comments on and interprets their vision – whether imaginative storytelling or documentary record - of exploration,

adventure, discovery, of the social as much as topographical experience of the Caribbean: the exhibition’s listing here including the most celebrated as well as the less well known of our writers and poets, and including, since his first exhibition on this theme in Port-of-Spain in 1982, a wider reference to younger writers such as Augier and Hippolyte of St. Lucia, his adopted home since migration in 1980.

Savory migrated to St Lucia in 1980 with his family and continued to practice creative activity. (Photos courtesy of Castellani House)

"Rupununi Landscape, Caiambe Trees" 1976

"Rocks and Water Landscape" (Orinduik) 1977

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Sunday Times Magazine 17

Times Tech

Beware of ads that use inaudible sound to link phone, TV, tablet, PC P

rivacy advocates are warning federal authorities of a new threat that uses inaudible, high-frequency sounds to surreptitiously track a person's online behaviour across a range of devices, including phones, TVs, tab-

Tech news

P

lets, and computers.

The ultrasonic pitches are embedded into TV commercials or are played when a user encounters an ad displayed in a computer browser. While the sound can't be heard by the human ear, nearby tablets and smart-

P

The CDT letter went on to cite articles reporting that cross-device tracking has been put to use by more than a dozen marketing companies. The technology, which is typically not disclosed and can't be opted out of, makes it possible for marketers to

assemble a shockingly detailed snapshot of the person being tracked.

Use of ultrasonic sounds to track users has some resemblance to badBIOS, a piece of malware that a security researcher said used inaudible sounds to bridge

air-gapped computers. No one has ever proven badBIOS exists, but the use of the high-frequency sounds to track users underscores the viability of the concept.

(Excerpted from arstechnica.com)

Messaging app founder reverses opinion

avel Durov knew that terrorists were using his app to communicate. And he decided it was something he could live with.

“I think that privacy, ultimately, and our right for privacy is more important than our fear of bad things happening, like terrorism,” the founder of Telegram, a highly secure messaging app, said at a TechCrunch panel in September when asked if he “slept well at night” knowing his technology was used for violence. “…We shouldn’t feel guilty about it.

We’re still doing the right thing, protecting our users’ privacy,” he added.

Even after Islamic State used his app to claim responsibility for an attack that killed 129 and wounded more than 350 in Paris, the man known as “the Russian Mark Zuckerberg” was unswayed, BuzzFeed reported.

“I propose banning words, There’s evidence that they’re being used by terror-

Tech BYTE

phones can detect it.

When they do, browser cookies can now pair a single user to multiple devices and keep track of what TV commercials the person sees, how long the person watches the ads, and whether the person acts on the ads by doing a Web search or buying a product.

Cross-device tracking raises important privacy concerns, the Centre for Democracy and Technology wrote in recently filed comments to the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC has scheduled a workshop on Monday to discuss the technology. Often, people use as many as five connected devices throughout a given day—a phone, computer, tablet, wearable health device, and an RFID-enabled access fob. Until now, there hasn't been an easy way to track activity on one and tie it to another.

Pavel Durov. Founder, CEO, Product Manager at Telegram Messenger

ists to communicate,” he wrote in a mes-

Porsche heads for the track with Cayman GT4 Clubsport

orsche is hitting the Los Angeles Auto Show in a big way this year. The Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport is the German automaker's latest entry-level track car.

Powered by a 3.8-liter flat-six engine, the Clubsport runs the 385 horsepower (283 kW) through an exclusive modified six-speed Porsche double-clutch transmission with shift paddles on the steering wheel.

A mechanical rear-axle locking (racespec) differential has also been added. The front axle from the road-going GT4 has been removed and replaced with the lightweight strut front axle of the 911 GT3 Cup. At the rear is a lightweight strut suspension with transverse arms, also from that GT3 Cup. Since the Cayman GT4 Clubsport isn't made for public roads, most of the niceties of the Cayman production models have been stripped out. A welded-in safety cage, racing

bucket for the driver, and a six-point harness are now standard equipment.

The entire car weighs just 1,300 kilograms (2,866 pounds). The Cayman GT4 Clubsport is available now from Porsche Motorsport starting at US$118,714 plus taxes.

sage on the Russian social networking site VKontakte (which he co-founded) mocking calls that ISIS channels on Telegram be removed.

In a Facebook post, Durov blamed “short-sighted socialists” in the French government for the attacks as much as Islamic State militants.

Which is why a statement from Telegram posted on its site Wednesday is such a surprising reversal of course.

“We were disturbed to learn that Telegram’s public channels were being used by ISIS to spread their propaganda,” it read. “… As a result, this week alone we blocked 78 ISIS-related channels across 12 languages.”

While tech companies like Twitter and YouTube have been active in shutting down Islamic State-associated accounts and removing propaganda videos, until Wednesday Telegram has been vehemently opposed to doing the same.

Tech BYTE

S

It’s unclear what changed Durov’s mind since Monday, when he wrote the VKontakte post mocking the idea of banning Islamic State channels.

But in a statement released shortly after the first, he rushed to clarify that the move wouldn’t apply to any types of banned speech.

“For example, if criticizing the government is illegal in a country, Telegram won’t be a part of such politically motivated censorship,” it read. “While we do block terrorist (e.g. ISIS-related) bots and channels, we will not block anybody who peacefully expresses alternative opinions.”

Not long after, Telegram’s (former) Islamic State users took to the site to express their outrage. “The war on Telegram has started,” one wrote, according to Charlie Winter, a senior researcher at the Quilliam Foundation, a research organization in the United Kingdom.(Excerpted from Washington Post)

NASA developing robotic astronauts

ending astronauts into the harsh, unforgiving environment of space is both dangerous and expensive.

To find a way to minimize risk and cost, NASA is sending a pair of prototype humanoid robots to university groups at MIT and Northeastern University for advanced research and development of robotic astronauts that could act as vanguards for manned missions or as assistants for humans traveling to Mars.

Standing 6 ft. (1.9 m) high and weighing 290 lb (125 kg), the formidable-looking humanoid R5 “Valkyrie” was built by NASA's Johnson Space Centre and the University of Texas and Texas A&M. It has an onboard power pack, a suite of sensors and cameras, and detachable limbs.

"Advances in robotics, including human-robotic collaboration, are critical to developing the capabilities required

for our journey to Mars," says Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) associate administrator Steve Jurczyk.

"We are excited to engage these university research groups to help NASA with this next big step in robotics technology development."

R5 "Valkyrie"

18 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Times Home & Cooking

Recipe of the Week

H

ouse sun shades can reduce your home’s amount of exposure to the sun and heat.

Besides (the environmentally unfriendly) air conditioning systems, sun shades play a major role in cooling a building and reduce the need for a costly AC.

Ingredients 1 1/2 cups cubed whole wheat bread 3 3/4 cups cubed white bread 1 lb ground turkey sausage 1 cup chopped onion 3/4 cup chopped celery 2 1/2 tsp dried sage 1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1 apple, cored and chopped 3/4 cup dried cranberries 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley 1 cooked turkey liver, finely chopped 3/4 cup turkey stock 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Canopies cool the side of the home they are constructed on and are also popular for patio picnics

Method Preheat oven to 350 degree F (175 degree C). Spread the white and whole wheat bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until evenly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl.

In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned. Add the celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to blend flavours.

Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in chopped apple, dried cranberries, parsley, and liver. Drizzle with turkey stock and melted butter, and mix lightly. Allow stuffing to cool completely before loosely stuffing a turkey.

GREATEST COOKING TIPS Awnings over doors and windows keep out the sun and help cool the building. They come in many materials including fabric, steel or glass

To prevent kebabs from becoming too hard to chew, marinate for a longer time and avoid overcooking.

To store fish for more than a day and still keep it fresh, first clean it, rub it with salt, add turmeric and a dash of vinegar, and then freeze.

Potatoes soaked in salt water for 20 minutes will bake more rapidly.

To make homemade pastes of garlic, ginger or green chili last longer and taste fresher, add a teaspoon of hot oil along with salt to it.

To make omelette light and fluffy, heat a non-stick pan and add a little more butter than usual. Now beat the egg and stir briskly (even while frying) with a fork.

HOME HELP Don’t scrub spills out of carpeting. Scrubbing untwists carpet fibres, causing the pile to become distorted – you won’t ever be able to fix untwisted fibres. Remove a stain is by first scraping up what you can with a spoon.

Then blot the area with a clean white cloth or white paper towel (avoid styles with designs; they may bleed). Continue blotting until dry. Now you’re ready to treat the spot with a stain remover but be sure to pre-test the product in a hidden area first to make sure it won’t fade your carpet’s colour. Remember too that staining is influenced by many factors, and no carpet is completely stain proof. Immediate action is necessary because the longer the delay, the higher the probability of a spill becoming permanent.

Strategically placed louvered shutters allow breeze but block out the sun’s damaging rays

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Sunday Times Magazine19

Family Times

PARENTING

Facing the school drop-out dilemma Part II

D JOKES Blackout

Two factory workers are talking. The woman says, “I can make the boss give me the day off.”

The man replies, “And how would you do that?”

The woman says, “Just wait and see.”

She then hangs upside down from the ceiling.

The boss comes in and says, “What are you doing?”

The woman replies, “I’m a light bulb.”

The boss then says, “You’ve been working so much that you’ve gone crazy. I think you need to take the day off.”

The man starts to follow her and the boss says, “Where are you going?”

The man says, “I’m going home, too. I can’t work in the dark.”

ropping out of school severely limits the chances of future success for far too many children.

Students who drop out of school face a difficult future. They are more likely to be unemployed, incarcerated, and/ or impoverished. For students with disabilities, the risks are intensified.

Family involvement is one of the most important contributors to school completion and success.

Let your child know that you value education as important to his/her future. Talk to your child about school

problems and achievements every day.

Help your child use problem-solving skills in difficult situations at home and at school. Maintain contact with your child’s teachers throughout high school.

Monitor school attendance. If your child is skipping school, it may be a warning sign that he/she is having trouble.

Encourage your child to seek out extracurricular activities or employment where they can develop positive relationships and have success outside of a classroom setting.

STORY TIME

Reflections

Happy the man

The idiots

As a group of soldiers stood in formation at an army base, the Drill Sergeant said, “All right! All you idiots fall out.”

As the rest of the squad wandered away, one soldier remained at attention.

The Drill Instructor walked over until he was eye to eye with him, and then raised a single eyebrow.

The soldier smiled and said, “Sure was a lot of ‘em, huh, sir?”

Order of Operations

The sales chief, the HR chief, and the boss of a company are on their way to lunch when they stumble upon a beat up, but valuable looking brass container.

The sales chief picks it up and starts cleaning it with his handkerchief. Suddenly, a genie emerges out of a curtain of purple smoke. The genie is grateful to be set free, and offers them each a wish.

The HR chief is wide-eyed and ecstatic. She says, “I want to be living on a beautiful beach in Jamaica with a sailboat and enough money to make me happy for the rest of my life.”

Poof! She disappears.

The sales chief says, “I want to be happily married to a wealthy supermodel with penthouses in New York, Paris, and Hong Kong.”

Presto! He vanishes.

“And how about you?” asks the Genie, looking at the boss.

The boss scowls and says, “I want both those idiots back in the office by 2 PM.” Moral of the Story: Always let your boss speak first.

Employee Motivation

The owner of a company tells his employees: “You worked very hard this year, therefore the company’s profits increased dramatically. As a reward, I ‘m giving everyone a check for $5,000.”

Thrilled, the employees gather round and high five one another.

“And if you work with the same zeal next year, I’ll sign those checks!”

Kids Q&A

Q: What did the 30 degree angle say to the 90 degree angle?

A: “You think you’re always right!”

Q: What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?

A: Short Q: In California, you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not?

A: You can’t take pictures with a wooden leg. You need a camera to take pictures.

Q: Which is correct to say: “ The yolk of the egg are white” or “ The yolk of the egg is white”?

A: Neither, the yolk of the egg is yellow Q: Why did the computer break up with the Internet?

A: There was no “Connection”.

Help your child explore career options that interest them and the education needed to be successful in those careers. The most important questions to ask are: What interests your child? What is your child good at?

Let your child know that individuals who successfully finish school or its equivalent are likely to earn twice as much each year compared to those who don’t. (To be continued)

Happy the man, and happy he alone, He who can call today his own: He who, secure within, can say, Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.

W

hen Tiger jumped on Fox, Fox cried out, “How dare you attack the King of the Jungle!”

Tiger looked at him in amazement, “Nonsense! You are not King!”

“Certainly I am,” replied Fox, “All the animals run from me in terror! If you want proof, come with me.”

Fox went into the forest with Tiger at his heels. When they came to a herd of deer, the deer saw Tiger behind Fox and ran in all directions.

They came to a group of monkeys. The monkeys saw Tiger behind Fox and they fled.

Fox turned to Tiger and said, “Do you need more proof than that?

See how the animals flee at the very sight me?!”

“I’m surprised, but I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Forgive me for attacking you, Great King.”

Tiger bowed low and with great ceremony he let Fox go. (A Tale from

Be fair or foul or rain or shine The joys I have possessed, in spite of fate, are mine.

Not Heaven itself upon the past has power, But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour.

John Dryden

China)

Join the club

By Grammar G

J

argon is the vocabulary peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group.

It is said to be Old French for “a chattering” of birds; arriving in Middle English as jargounen “to chatter”, as well as “language, speech; idle talk; thieves’ Latin.”

Jargon can be found in instruction manuals, corporate memos, marketing and political rhetoric to name a few.

We often hear or read of “engaging stakeholders” in many different circumstances today. This phrase started as “stakeholder engagement” in corporate jargon, to describe a strategy of more inclusive conversation with persons who would be affected by company policy/decisions.

The euphemistic term “collateral damage” is used by military to refer to civilian casualties, while “enhanced interrogation techniques” has come to describe state-sanctioned torture.

Abbreviations may also be jargon, usually understood only by those in its particular profession. These may include, “ABG” in medical terms meaning “Arterial Blood Gas”, or military jargon such as “SAM”, meaning “Surfaceto-Air missile”.

Some abbreviations may eventually become conventional, such as the medical abbreviation MRI (Magnetic

Resonance Imaging) or the computer jargon RAM (Random Access Memory).

Words can be powerful, so it’s no surprise we (some more than others) often try to manipulate words to suit our agendas – whether it is to sell an idea or ideology. Jargon also means unintelligible or meaningless talk or writing; gibberish, often deliberately created to befuddle.

This way, it is also used for comic effect or in formal situations to deliberately confuse.

20 Sunday Times Magazine

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

guyanatimesgy.com

Times Sunday Puzzle

There is a very special five digit number.

The special thing about it is that its first digit describes how many 0s there are in the whole number, the second digit describes how many 1s there are in the whole number and so on, all the way to the fifth digit describing how many 4s there are in the big number.

For example, if the second digit is 3, then there are three '1s' in the big number. see solution on page 23

see solution on page 23

see solution on page 23

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Sunday Times Magazine 21

Times Kids

Creature Corner

Amazonian giant centipede

T

he Amazonian giant centipede (Scolopendra gigantea) is also called the Amazonian centipede or Peruvian giant yellow-leg centipede. It lives in the Amazon rainforests of South America and can also be found in some Caribbean islands.

The Amazonian centipede is the largest centipede in the world, growing up to 35 cm (approx. 14 ins) long.

Like all centipedes, they are predatory.

Preferring dark, damp places to hunt, the centipede eats lizards, frogs, spiders, mice and snakes, as well as birds and bats. It is equipped with venom which it fatally injects into its prey.

Though the Amazonian centipede’s bite is lethal to its victims, it is not considered deadly to most humans.The pain has been described as being stung by 20 bees at once, and can last for days; side effects can

Colouring Fun

include nausea, fever and palpitations.

While the name “centipede” literally means “100-footed” they do not actually have

100 legs.Scolopendra gigantea have 42 - 46 legs (21-23 pairs) and are swift runners and skilful climbers.

Festive

GEOZONE

Unscramble the words to ring in the festivities yrtpa cukpaec tfigs

A

tidal bore is a strong tide that pushes up a river, against the current. A tidal bore is described as a surge, and occurs at certain times along a coast where a river empties into an ocean or sea.

National Geographic says a tidal bore is a true tidal wave.

Although tidal bores occur along the coast, not all coasts can create tidal bores. Certain land and water

condition shave to be in place to allow a tidal bore to form.

Some rivers in Asia, Australia, Europe, Papua New Guinea, North and South America are places around the world that experience tidal bores.

The Qiantang River in China has the world’s largest tidal bore,which can reach up to 9 metres (30 ft.) in height, and travel at up to 40 km per hour (25 miles an hour).

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.

ibonrbs

kace

mfliya ekoicos nirkds

asht

youjfl Answers party gifts cake cookies drinks hats cupcake ribbons joyful family

A tidal bore wave, known as pororoca, goes up the Araguari River in Brazil. The name pororoca is said to come from an Amazonian indigenous dialect meaning "destroyer" or "great blast."

22 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Exploring the realms of history, science, nature and technology

THE CHEROKEE

By Laurie Triefeldt

The Cherokee people share a proud and ancient history, culture and language. Despite adopting and adapting to many changes brought by European settlers, the Cherokee were forced to abandon their ancestral homes and move Tah-chee was a Cherokee chief and warrior (also west.

Did you know?

known as Captain William Dutch). In 1828, Tah-chee refused to move his people to the Indian Territory, instead he took them to the Red River region of Texas, where he battled Comanche for years.

November is Native American Heritage Month. This is when the United States officially celebrates the cultures and traditions of Native American people.

What’s in a name?

The Cherokee originally called themselves the Aniyunwiya (pronounced Ah-nee-yuhn-wee-yah), which translates as “true people” or “principal people.”

18th-century Cherokee warrior

The word “Chelokee” was the name given to the Aniyunwiya tribe by the Creek people.

It means “people of a different speech.” The word “Chelokee" was mispronounced by Europeans and became “Cherokee.”

Language

Cherokee men traditionally wore a ribbon shirt of calico.

A turban, also made from calico, is still worn by some men.

The Cherokee language is called Tsalagi Gawonihisdi. It is related to the Iroquoian language. Today, more than 20,000 people in North Carolina, Oklahoma and Arkansas speak Tsalagi. This is a remarkable number, considering that for decades the U.S. government removed Cherokee children from their homes in an effort to assimilate them and discourage Native American language and traditions.

Cherokee arrowhead Statue of Chief Sequoyah, carved from a giant sequoia tree in 1989

by Peter Wolf Toth.

Ruth Muskrat, as photographed wearing a beaded buckskin ensemble.

Ruth Muskrat was a Cherokee advocate of Native Americans who believed in uniting the tribes and preserving their culture. She was concerned that school-educated Native Americans were not returning to their tribes because they did not want to impose new ideas and ways of thinking on their respected elders.

At one time, the Cherokee lived in the Great Lakes region of Ohio and Pennsylvania before moving south to the Appalachians.

A 16th-century Cherokee town had 30 to 60 houses built around a central meeting house. The homes were wattle-and-daub structures built of interlocking branches plastered with mud.

Cherokee society is organized into clans. The clans are matrilineal (based on kinship with the mother).

In 1923, Ruth met with President Calvin Coolidge to discuss the issues of education and assimilation of the Native American people. Ruth wore a buckskin dress to her meeting with President Coolidge, but the dress was mostly symbolic, not an actual representation of traditional Cherokee clothing.

In 1540, the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto met the “Chalaque” on the Tennessee River.

Cherokee wattle-anddaub house

Cherokee baskets have been woven since prehistoric times. Traditionally, the women do this weaving.

The principal materials used by the Cherokee are cane, white oak, hickory bark and honeysuckle.

European contact Initial contact between the Cherokee and Europeans was friendly, and the white man considered the Cherokee to be a civilized tribe.

In 1756, the Cherokee were allies of the British in the French and Indian War. But disagreements and misunderstandings resulted in the Anglo-Cherokee War of 1758.

Stone pipe

Where in the world

When Europeans arrived in the 1500s, the Cherokee were wellestablished in the Appalachian highlands, with 200 or more large towns in Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

The Cherokee Phoenix was the first newspaper published in the U.S. by a Native American tribe and the first printed in a native language.

Cherokee women have worn many styles of clothing unique to their people, but the Cherokee tear dress is still worn as a traditional fashion statement. The tear dress was worn along the Trail of Tears. It was made of calico print material with applique diamonds.

The term “Cherokee” has come to be accepted by the people, but many prefer “Tsalagi” (pronounced Chah-lah-kee).

The Cherokee syllabary (a kind of alphabet) was invented by a Cherokee scholar and chief named Sequoyah (aka George Gist). The syllabary was developed between 1809 and 1824. It is estimated that by 1830, 90 percent of Cherokee people could read and write in their own language.

Cherokee man taking part in the Celebrations of Traditions Pow Wow, an annual monthlong Native American pow wow in San Antonio,Texas.

Today, the Cherokee people are made up of three federally recognized bands. The Cherokee Nation, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, has nearly 300,000 tribal members.

Flag of the Cherokee Nation Also in Tahlequah is the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, with about 14,000 members.

The third is the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, headquartered in Cherokee, North Carolina, with about 13,000 tribal members.

During the 18th century, as more colonists arrived, the Cherokees lost much of their land. They were drawn into wars and exposed to epidemics that devastated their population. It is estimated that the Cherokee population in 1674 was about 50,000. By 1882, the Cherokee population was 20,366.

Between 1790 and 1820, many Cherokees, hoping to preserve what remained of their traditional culture, voluntarily migrated west of the Mississippi River, settling in what is now Missouri, Arkansas and Texas. Those who stayed on their ancestral lands were eventually forced to move west by the United States Indian Removal Act, initiated in 1830.

Trail of tears Between 1838 and 1839, 16,000 to 18,000 Cherokee were forcibly marched to a new home in northeastern Indian Territory.

Between 4,000 and 8,000 died on the march, which has come to be known as the Trail of Tears.

At the same time as the Trail of Tears, another group of Cherokee was being forcibly removed to Oklahoma from Texas.

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Sunday Times Magazine 23

World Times

‘Gold finger’ Kit Kats to go on sale in Japan

Largest diamond in over a century found in Botswana

A

1,111 carat "high quality diamond" has been discovered at a mine in Botswana, said to be the biggest find in more than a century, according to the mine company.

The gem, only second in size to the Cullinan diamond which was unearthed in South Africa in 1905, was mined by Lucara Diamond Corp.

"The magnificent stone, which originated from the south lobe of Lucara´s Karowe Mine, is the world second largest gem quality diamond ever recovered and largest ever to be recovered through a modern processing facility," the Stockholm listed company said a statement.

Botswana is the world´s second biggest diamond producer, and Lucara said the gem was the largest ever to

A

gold-coated Kit Kat bar will hit stores in Japan later this month at 2016 yen (US$22.50) a finger.

Five hundred of the single bars will be made and sold only in the country, according to Nestlé Japan, which has produced over 200 flavours — from strawberry to green

Nestlé’s limited edition Sublime Gold finger

tea and even wasabi — since introducing the chocolate treat there in 1973.

Nestlé’s limited edition “Sublime Gold” one-finger treat, which is covered in gold leaf and described as having a rich, bitter chocolate taste, will go on sale at chocolate boutiques in eight upscale department stores from Tokyo to Sapporo in the north and Fukuoka in southern Japan.

The Lucara diamond

be recovered in the country.

The stone is yet to be evaluated, but commodities and mining analyst Kieron Hodgson, said it has "the potential to be one very expensive diamond."

Lucara indicated on its website that the Karowe

Mine had also this week turned up further finds -an 813 carat stone and a 374 carat stone, prompting William Lamb, president and chief executive of Lucara to laud "an amazing week" for the company.

In battle to create most tear-jerking Christmas ad ever, Spanish Lottery ad rivals John Lewis ad

Emoji chosen as word of the year

T

he famed Oxford Dictionary's "word of the year" isn't a word at all. It's an emoji. An emoji that indicates tears of joy.

The tears of joy emoji was chosen as the 'word' that best reflected the ethos, mood, and preoccupations of 2015," Oxford wrote in a blog entry that announced

Brain Teaser Answer The number is 21200.

There are 2 zeroes, 1 one, 2 twos, 0 threes and 0 fours.

SUDOKU

KID SUDOKU

the yellow cartoon as its choice word.

Oxford points out the popularity of emojis has increased dramatically since they were introduced in online messaging in the late '90s.

It was the most frequently used emoji in the world this ‘Word’ year, accordof the ing to statistics year compiled by 2015 mobile technology business SwiftKey. "Emojis are no longer the preserve of texting teens," Oxford said.

"Instead, they have been embraced as a nuanced form of expression, and one which can cross language barriers."

W

Justino in a scene from Anuncio Loteria navidad 2015

hile most agree the annual John Lewis Christmas ads are a teary tradition, this year an ad from the Spanish Lottery is giving it a run for its money.

Like the 2015 John Lewis “Man on the Moon” ad, it’s a reminder that the Christmas season can be a lonely time for some people.

The lottery ad tells the story of Justino, a night shift worker at a mannequin factory who builds wonderful scenes for his col-

leagues to enjoy in the morning.

Meanwhile, in “Man on the Moon”, a little girl called Lily makes friends with a lonely man on the moon, and eventually shows him he’s appreciated.

John Lewis teamed with Age UK for their Christmas campaign, and hopes to raise “awareness of the issue of loneliness amongst older people and encourages others to support in any way they can”, according to Customer Director Craig Inglis.

The Philonoist

A sweet story

CROSSWORD

Q: How did the candy cane become associated with Christmas?

A

ccording to legend, in 1670, a choirmaster was worried about the children sitting quietly all through the long Christmas nativity service, so he gave them something to eat to keep them quiet. As he wanted to remind them of Christmas, he made it into a 'J' shape like a shepherd’s crook, to remind them of the shepherds that visited the baby Jesus at the first Christmas.

However, the earliest records of 'candy canes' come from more than 200 years later, so that story most likely isn't true.

The Christmas Candy Cane is said to originate in Germany about 250 years ago as straight white sugar sticks.

Sometime around 1900, red stripes were added, flavoured with peppermint

or wintergreen. No one is quite sure why that happened either.

The candy cane became associated with the season especially when it started appearing as illustrations on cards, and hung

on Christmas trees, bent (by hand during the manufacturing process ) in the shape we know today for hanging.

Around 1920, an American invented the machine that automatically made straight candy sticks into curved candy canes.

Some Christians suggest the 'J' can also mean Jesus. The white of the cane the purity of Jesus Christ and the red stripes the blood he shed when he died on the cross. The peppermint flavour can represent the hyssop plant that was used for purifying in the Bible.

24

Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Fun Times

Archie

Keep your emotions under control and put greater em(March 21phasis on self-improvement April 19) and engaging in talks or activities that will enhance your personal life and your relationship with someone special.

ARIES

Consider all your opTAURUS tions and take into account (April 20what is going on around you.

May 20) Attending events that feature unusual lifestyles or novel activities will be enlightening.

GEMINI Look for positive changes (May 21- that will improve your emoJune 20) tional well-being. Don't be discouraged by someone who is being fickle or playing games with you. Don't overspend.

Follow the path that brings you the most comfort and joy.

(June 21It's time to explore new and inJuly 22) teresting people and places. A change at home will give you a new lease on life.

CANCER

LEO Don't get down; get moving.

(July 23- Use your experience, knowlAug. 22) edge and playful charm to wheel and deal your way to the top. Set your sights high. Plan a romantic celebration.

Dilbert

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Listen carefully and don't rush to share your thoughts.

You are best off absorbing what's said and observing what's going on around you before you take action. Time is on your side.

Pampering and pleasLIBRA ing yourself and the ones you (Sept. 23love should take top priority.

Oct. 23) A get-together will allow you to share your ideas and plans and to convince others to join your pursuit.

Peanuts

SCORPIO A shrewd approach to your (Oct. 24- financial dealings will pay off.

Nov. 22) Negotiation is favored as long as you handle matters yourself.

Be careful when making SAGITTARIUS changes that affect other peo(Nov. 23ple. Asking permission may Dec. 21) not bear fruit, but at least you'll know what you are up against.

Calvin and Hobbes

An emotional oversight CAPRICORN (Dec. 22- will be costly. Make sure your Jan. 19) facts and figures are accurate before you offer suggestions.

A conservative approach will bring a better return.

Use your charm to get AQUARIUS (Jan. 20- what you want. Get involved Feb. 19) in a cause and you will meet people who will offer ideas and interesting ways to improve your image and your lifestyle.

Expand your creative PISCES (Feb. 20- ideas. Don't worry about what March 20) others think or say. It's you who needs to feel good about what you do, not onlookers.

Make changes that encourage success.