Guyana Times Magazine - Sunday, July 15, 2018

JULY 15, 2018

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2 Sunday Times Magazine

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Feature

Q

The Robot

uite often, smaller communities are underestimated in relation to what they have to offer and in order to break that mindset, Shahad Hussain has created the Crabwood Creek STEM Club to show the small Region Six community has the potential to shine.

STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, is not a new concept, but it is now really taking off in Guyana, and is an absolute necessity for the technology age. With this in mind, the 22-yearold Shahad began following the work of STEMGuyana and when time came for him to start studies at the University of Guyana, his dream of being a part of the STEM league became a reality.

In January, STEMGuyana co-founder Karen Abrams was offering coaching sessions at the Public Telecommunications Ministry, and Shahad was lucky enough to be selected

for that. After that session, he returned to Crabwood Creek and immediately got a team together and started the Crabwood Creek STEM Club.

“I was always interested in STEM. I am particularly biased to engineering and I completed the GuySuCo Apprenticeship Programme in mechanical and electrical engineering and that is what inspired me to go after my dream of STEM,” he said.

According to Shahad, his love for STEM and Robotics was cemented when Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield spoke at his apprenticeship graduation in 2016. During Lowenfield’s speech to the graduands he encouraged them to go after the STEM field and position themselves and their communities to make their mark.

Now the Crabwood Creek STEM Club has five members, just enough to participate in STEMGuyana league competitions. Shahad says that for now the aim is

to build a reputation for the Club and then expand to accommodate more members of the community.

The Crabwood Creek team at the Robotics Expo

“The aim for the future is for me to complete the challenges and get more students aware of the STEM aspect of things. I want them to say that coming from a small community does not mean that you can’t dream big. I want them to know that they can compete and be a part of anything that they want to,” he said.

With the Education Ministry pushing for the implementation of STEM in the school curriculum, Shahad says that before that is done, it is the intention of his Club to ensure that every student within

the community has a foundation in STEM. He said while the immediate goal was to secure sponsorship and donations to expand the reach of the Club, the near future would see them going into schools to educate the children.

“I would like to see different facilities offering robotics and Scratch coding classes to get the youths involved.

Technology is rising and we want to educate everyone.

Also, the schools should be a part of the leagues and then persons from school would have some knowledge going into the STEM field,”

The team with Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes

Robot building

Shahad said.

Speaking about the challenges relating to starting up a STEM Club, Shahad said time management was key as well as a stable and powerful Internet connection, in addition to the resources needed to acquire equipment for robotics as well as programming.

When asked what drives him, Shahad had this to say: “The passion that I know that I am making a difference. I want to make this place better and for the youths to transition without much issues.”

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Sunday Times Magazine

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Feature

Defying the odds to be on the ICT frontier “Parents didn’t get their permission slip in time after we would have dropped it off and so we didn’t get much support there when it comes to permission to have the kids go over Melanie to have the project completed. Well, the thing is most of the kids we worked with is from Buxton, so the facility was a big deal and even though they had, we didn’t had like teachers who were willing to stay back and help us out with gaining access to the room and things like that.

We had 10 students and more were interested, but the [lack of] access to facilities, that caused us not to accommodate all of them,” Aisha explained.

At the end, however, they were able to complete the tasks assigned by STEMGuyana in just three days. There were times when the team lost motivation, but as Aisha explained the level of determination exhibited by the students was the

D

Students being taught Scratch Coding

espite not receiving the level of expected support, the Buxton STEM Club is pushing through to ensure it is positioned to take advantage of the opportunities offered by Guyana’s booming Information Communication Technology (ICT) industry.

The Club was started in February of this year as part of the initiative to push STEM education.

The Club was launched at the Buxton Secondary School with the students being really excited to learn programming and robotics. According to STEMGuyana Coach Horace Mosely, they have six active students in the Club and they have all been exposed to Scratch Coding as well as robotics building.

Horace, being a Buxtonian, said he was extremely excited to be part of a team that was pushing the STEM initiative in his community. When speaking about the im-

pact of the Club, he said that he has been approached by a number of organisations to aid them in the establishment of their own STEM Clubs.

“It actually has a great impact, because, currently, I have over four places that reached out to me in Buxton to start STEM groups. They will be starting STEM groups and this is Churches and we have two other youth fellowships and two other Clubs. It’s technology, and children and technology is moving really fast right now,” Horace said.

Like every new initiative, there are quite often challenges and for the Buxton STEM Club the challenge was the lack of support – lack of support from the teachers at the Buxton Secondary School and facilities, given the lack of commitment. Coach Aisha Peters said that the lack of support resulted in them having to move over to Melanie in order for them to complete the tasks set out

by STEMGuyana.

driving force.

“Determination to learn because they were very involved and they were texting and calling parents to get permission and to see how they can get out and all the different things, so it was their determination that gave us the courage to go forward in aiding and assisting in completing the challenges. We started late and then they finished all four challenges within three days, so the kids actually motivated us when we were not like feeling it, because without their support we could not have made it.”

The aim of the Buxton STEM Club is to go bigger and better. The Coaches want to get the school involved as well as the teachers. The immediate plan is to raise funds to purchase their own Robotics Kit for the children, since the one they used in the competition was loaned by STEMGuyana.

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Feature

Coach Melissa Gordon

I

f we are to go by the predictions of the development pundits, then within the next decade 80 per cent of jobs will require some sort of technological skill, so with this in mind the Belladrum STEM Club was birthed.

The Club was the idea of Lelon Saul, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority. Saul, who hails from Belladrum, West Coast Berbice, wanted to position the youths of the community to take advantage of the opportunities of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) age. However, initially he could not find someone to manage the Club.

According to co-founder Melissa Gordon, the idea really got implemented after she attended a training seminar with STEMGuyana founder Karen Abrams.

“I attended that training and after that, the other Coach, Tyreke Wilson, he is a Computer Science student at UG. The two of us are working together. He

came on board and we are launched the Club.”

When they launched the Club over three months ago, they started with over 20 students, since the intention was to focus on the secondary school youths, but soon after they started, primary school students started to show up. Melissa told the Sunday Times that presently they have over 60 students on roll explaining that they could not turn away the primary school children since the intention is to afford everyone the chance to take advantage of the opportunities.

“We would meet twice per week. Primary on Saturday and Secondary on Tuesday and Saturday from 2:30pm to 5:30. We are running two programmes in one. They are doing the Scratch programming and robotics,” she said.

Students who are in Form Three and below are being taught Scratch programming while the older students learn robotics, which is much more technical. However, the Club

would soon be switching things up with students learning both robotics and Scratch programming.

The Club is housed at the Community Development Centre Building with most of the equipment for the functioning being donated by local and overseas donors.

“All the materials we are working with has been donated and some people overseas came forward and donated stuff and so on.”

When asked about the impact of the Club, Melissa said that judging from the response of members, it has been “impactful”.

“The way the world is working everything is moving towards technology and they would have realised that and the parents also, and so it is important that we get them there. They are very excited and enthusiastic and they are learning. We have people from out of Belladrum coming here and it’s from as far as Mahaicony,” she said.

“We are hoping to get them into Information Technology and we are giving them the fundamentals they need for them to move on, so we’re hoping that with the knowledge they would have gained that they are going to take up study in IT that’s going to help them.

We are hoping that we can get some great inventions

Some members of the Club

coming out from them that we can use in the near future to solve some of the problems.”

At the recently-completed Robotics Expo, the Club had a successful run and showed off four robots. One of the robots tackled the garbage problem by being able to recognise recyclable

waste while another had the ability to pick up any form of waste.

But the one that was most impressive was the demolition train robot that had the ability to not only demolish but also clean up.

This caught the attention of Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes,

who commended the group, noting that City Hall could utilise that robot.

For now, the Club is focused on making the members the best version on themselves while positioning them to take advantage of every afforded opportunity.

Introduction to Robotics

Some members at the Robotics Expo

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Sunday Times Magazine 5

Feature

N

ot e v eryone can say that while in school they were afforded the opportunity to create something unique and invent something that could possibly position them on the frontline

of greatness, but for a few students of the Bartica Secondary School that opportunity has presented itself and they are taking full advantage of it.

Bartica is being touted as the “Green Town” of Guyana and with that in mind, the Bartica S e c o n d a r y School’s STEM Club invented the Roco163A. The Roco163A was created to aid the Town to promote the green agenda by assisting with garbage disposal.

The Club was started in February as a part of the STEMGuyana initiative to introduce

The Bartica Secondary School STEM Club during the Robotics Expo

Learning Scratch Coding

Putting together Roco

STEM into the school’s curriculum.

“We have 20 students with 16 being active members, and they are involved in robot building and Scratch coding and we don’t have any problems as yet, but we were able to gain outstanding research in the recent robotics competition,” Coach Onicka Chisholm said.

Onicka is the Science and Technology teacher at the School and was selected to undergo the Coaching Training Workshop with STEM Guyana after which she started coaching the Club along with her coCoach Clinton Bobb.

“The children are very excited about it, especially about the robot building and when it comes to the Scratch coding the students are able to express their ideas through stories and how they see it in Scratch coding. It’s basically allowing them to create different animations of their choices and it is encouraging to see them create things,” she noted.

“It has impacted the students and their eagerness to learn. Come September we will be taking in more and more for our STEM Club. We are trying to have more females join the Club because we have 65 per cent males and 35 per cent females.”

For now, the Club meets Monday to Friday after classes.

At the recently-concluded STEM Robotics Expo, apart from introducing Roco163A, they also built a bulldozer that works hand in hand with Roco to aid in garbage disposal.

When asked what advice she has for a young person wanting to be a part of the STEM field, Onicka said that they should follow their passion and dream big. However, she noted that focus and determination were everything.

Testing Roco

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Feature

Angel and Makenna

and the Caribbean.

The Clubhouse Story

Now that we are aware of the impact of STEMGuyana and the amount of interest its model is generating, let us look at the softer side of things. STEMGuyana team member Farnaz Baksh wrote this piece titled “The Clubhouse Story”: Angel is a dedicated member of the Sports

S

STEMGuyana co-founder Karen Abrams during her presentation

TEMGuyana cofounder Karen Abrams generated much interest in the organisation’s model for STEM engagement of Guyana’s youth, which she presented to an energetic audience at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) eighth Annual Meeting.

Abrams, whose presentation was titled “Robots In The Caribbean”, showcased STEMGuyana’s activities in four quadrants: preparing the robotics national team, creation of social good apps, the training of STEM club trainers and

expansion of the STEM club network throughout the country, and the management of a national robot building and Scratch coding competition throughout the country.

Abrams made the point that, “STEMGuyana is working with partners to make investments today which will pay off in 10, 15, 20 years. We want our young people to be prepared to provide technology services for the world. Estonia, a nation of 1.3 million people, is home to 14,000 tech startup companies; Guyana

has a little more than half their population, so a target of 5000 Guyanese tech startups in 15 years is what we’re aiming for.

STEMGuyana is working with partner organisations to make longterm investments in Guyanese youth.”

The presentation was also well received by leaders of Indigenous groups who expressed interest in making the programme ac-

“HOW?!”

I shared her excitement and answered the best I could. A short while later, Makenna was stuck on creating her first Scratch program, so I told her there is another girl across the room who can help since she’s been creating programs for a while now. I introduced Makenna to Angel and Angel to Makenna.

A few minutes later, Angel was helping Makenna; they were creating a conversation program between t w o Preparing a robot

cess i b l e to their communities.

Additionally, representatives from several Guyanese communities and Caribbean countries expressed interest in replicating the STEMGuyana model in their respective communities and countries.

STEMGuyana recently received the first tranche of a $2 million donation from GTT, which will be used to sponsor its upcoming robot exhibition and the expansion of STEMGuyana programmes across Guyana

Hall STEM Club (usually visits every Saturday) while Makenna was a new student visiting yesterday. I met Makenna sitting in a corner of the room; it was her first time trying to learn Scratch programming. She was a bit shy but quite open to answering all of my questions [She doesn’t have a favourite subject at school; she loves everything. When I told her that she could create her own web and mobile apps, her eyes opened with excitement and she asked

pers o n s and had my teammate Ryan Benschop voicing the male character. We transitioned the clubhouse room into a re-coding studio for 5 to 10 minutes so they could finish their Scratch coding challenge.

Angel and Makenna became friends yesterday and two innovators have joined the STEMGuyana family.

They also learned about collaboration and teamwork yesterday. With such enthusiasm to learn, I’m sure they will go on to help change Guyana and the world for the better! (Taken from STEMGuyana website)

Some of STEMGuyana team members

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Sunday Times Magazine 7

The Guyana Annual:

by

Petamber Persaud

T

Guyana Times Journalist Jarryl Bryan receives his award for the Photography Competition

he subject/thrust of the Editorial for the 2018 issue of The Guyana Annual is ‘no idle boast’ and the custodians of the magazine have ensured that this issue lived up to that declaration in every aspect of production including brainstorming stages which moved from actual meetings into the realms of virtual meetings. In fact, the use of the internet played a notable role in the production from announcing the start of production to uploading the rules and regulations of competitions and submission of entries to publishing the shortlists to offering the magazine for sale.

It was ‘no idle boast’ that this issue is ‘bigger and better’ by many furlongs. For one, it has placed control into the broad spectrum of a management committee as against leaving it to the confines of a single editor/individual. This is not to cast aspersions on the ability of the single party but the installation of a management committee was a move to add more value to the publication. Additionally, and a more populist move, was the return of various competitions, a hallmark of this annual tradition. However, the return of the competition aspect was a move to add value in that many of the existing and new competitions were named in honour of local exponents in various art forms, obviously acknowledging their in contribution and legacy.

The full list of compe-

titions offered by this issue of The Guyana Annual are as follows: Dr. Puran Singh Open Short Story, Sheila King Writing Short Story for Children, Bobby Fernandes Award for Photography, Stephanie Correia Award for fine Arts, David De Caries Award for Journalism, Bertram Charles Award for Drama, Hawley Harris Award for Cartoon, and Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh Oil and Gas Essay Competition. This extensive range of competitions warranted a huge amount of work in each stage of production especially at the adjudication stage which was executed by capable hands namely Dr. Joyce Jonas (Open Short Story), Mr. Alim Hosein (Open Poetry & Sheila King Writing Stories for Children), Mr. Subraj Singh (Open Poetry & Junior Poetry), Ms. Elfrieda Bissember (Stephanie Correia Fine Art), Ms. Denise Hopkinson-Braam (David de Caires Journalism), Mr. Paul Harris (Hawley Harris Cartoon), Mr. Wellesley Davis (Bobby Fernandes Photography), Messrs Christopher Ram & GHK Lall (Tulsi Dyal Singh Oil & Gas), and Ms. Mosa Telford (Bertram Charles Drama).

It was ‘no idle boast’ that this issue is ‘bigger and better’ for instance the book is much thicker and weightier (on many counts).

Beginning with the cover which featured a Guyanese literary heavyweight, one of Guyana’s most prolific and ‘original’ novelists, Wilson Harris – what an inspiration for emerging writers! And

Notice to Readers

Literary Corner

continuing into the magazine proper with the (return of the) judges’ reports. The reports served many purposes including the main purpose which is of grave and great interest to the competitors. These reports contained notes of interest for the custodians in arranging various competitions especially in regards to the photography, art and drama.

One of the judges also raised the need for Guyana to standardize its creolese.

And of course, the prize money packages were bigger and better. That apart for the winners to see his or her name in print, especially for the first, was worth the effort. And all of these things come courtesy of The Guyana Annual which is ‘now snugly into its second century of life’ (Dr. Singh).

And the winners in sequential order are: Open Short Story 1. Andrew Hutson 2. Rae Wiltshire 3. Malcolm De Freitas Junior Short Story – 1. Analise Samaroo Hon Mention Lucas K. C. Jonas Sheila King Writing Stories for Children – 1. Kathleen Henriquo 2. David Thomas 3. Adelaja Dalrymple Junior Poetry – 1. Hadiya Mcbean 2. Brianna Gopie 3. Abike Barker Open Poetry 1. Scott Ting-A-Kee

2. Francis Farrier 3. Gabrielle Mohamed Stephanie Correia Fine Art 1. Jermana de Freitas 2. Walter Gobin Bobby Fernandes Photography 1. Amanda Richards 2. Dwayne Hackett 3. Jarryl Bryan David de Caires Award for Journalism Hon Mention - Lucas K. C. Jonas Dr.Tulsi Dyal Singh Oil & Gas Essay 1. Omari Joseph 3. Vishani Ragobeer Hon Mention Joenitta Arthur-Mckenzie Bertram Charles Drama Rae Wiltshire Hawley Harris Cartoon Prize Hon Mention – Chabilall Persaud Hon Mention – Walter Gobin Launched in December 1915, the magazine is still a vibrant presence in the lit-scape of this country. In fact, this magazine is the only such outlet and springboard for local writers and artists.

The 2018 issue of The Guyana Annual was launched on Thursday, May 24, 2018, coinciding with Guyana’s Independence celebration, signalling respect for our creators of ideas and images.

Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@ yahoo.com

If you have a poem and/or short story you would like to publish on our Literary Corner page, please email to timessundaymag@gmail.com. Kindly include your correct name and a contact number in your email. If you have any questions, please call 223-7230 or 223-7231.

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JULY 15 , 2018

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Travel & Tourism

P

aruima is an Amerindian settlement with a population of about 800 persons and is located in the Upper Mazaruni District of Region 7 (CuyuniMazaruni). Paruima is said to be the only Arecuna speaking community in Guyana.

The journey to get to this scenic village is a long one from Georgetown but worth every second of the ride there. If you are up for an adventure you can take the approximate 1 hour 15 minutes flight from Ogle to Kamarang as opposed to the direct flight to Paruima. If you opt for option one you will not regret any of it since you will enjoy the scenes at the Kamarang Airstrip and the river leading to another village just outside of the Paruima. This village, the natives call Falls Mouth.

It takes about 7- 8 hours on a low tide due to huge rocks formations and fallen trees in the Kamarang River in order for you to get to the village. Is recommended that your captain be a skilled one with knowledge of the river or someone preferably one from the Paruima village. Along the way, you will pass a lot of different Amerindian settlements and enjoy the views of mountainous terrains, dense The Paruima Seventh Day Adventist Church

forests, huge volcanic rocks, fallen trees, all kinds of birds, turtles, otters, and so much more fun than being in the plane for a few more hours.

Upon arriving to the Falls Mouth drop off, a 20 minutes hike through a mountainous forest like terrain leads you to another part of the Kamarang River where a 20 minutes canoe ride takes you to the lovely village of Paruima. There you are greeted by the warmest of smiles and words of welcome from the villagers.

Our photographer, Subhash Haimraj, writes, “Surrounded by mountains, forests and rivers the village is alone worth all the long travels.�

The Paruima and Panasima Falls are scenic waterfalls in that territory, and, located in the CuyuniMazaruni region between Guyana and Venezuela, the area also hosts stunning views of the Kamarang River leading to Venezuela. There are also huge rock formations between which children enjoy playing hide and seek.

Paruima Village also contains a place of worship, sports ground, and a college named the Davis Indian Industrial College. (Photos

by Subhash Haimraj)

The Panasima Falls

Drying laundry by the riverside

A typical house

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Sunday Times Magazine

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Local talent

Members of the Dynamic Tassa Troupe

By Rupadai Seenaraine

M

usic is an art that is used to determine the cultural identity of many people and it has evolved throughout the centuries since its existence.

In fact, we see changes every day in the way it is portrayed to suit varying audiences.

Tassa drumming is one such musical art form that has nestled its way into Guyana via the indentured immigrants and has evolved throughout the region. While the practice is something that many enjoy on celebrative occasions, it is something that is also appreciated by all who would dance according to the beats of the different instruments that are used to create one unique sound.

Furthermore, while it is

popularly seen with persons who invest all of their time into perfecting these beats, those who haven’t heard of the idea of a fashion designer, comedian, technician, photographer and chemistry student as versatile musicians are up for a treat.

The Dynamic Tassa Troupe is a group of young lads who are known for their heart throbbing performances and according to them “it pushes the boundaries of all rhythms”. For them, they have experimented with modern beats and have now been able to bring a change to the stage by incorporating chutney, soca and calypso rhythms into the olden style of drumming. But this is just a part time activity that the lads have incorporated into their busy schedules and professional careers. This is a mere hobby and their full-

time job still awaits when their weekend is over.

In fact, the nine of them are quite talented and are responsible for a different component which compliments their performances.

Currently, the group consists of Ray Khan, the fashion designer who is recognized for branding their group with his remarkable taste in clothing; Navindra Jaimangal, the interior decorator and floor specialist; Chanshekhar Jaimangal, the guy who is titled as the jack of all trades for his ability to pursue numerous musical instruments; Mohan Singh, the comedian and actor; Deepak Rupchand, the one with a quick notch for instruments such as the keyboard and guitar; Chanderpaul Jaimanjal, an outstanding chemistry student;

Some of the guys on stage at the Dubraj Tassarama 2018 Competition

Jagdeo Persaud, the barber and Subhash Haimraj and Kevin Somwaru, the guys behind the camera that captures their unforgettable moments.

But this journey of theirs which began some nine years ago started some time ago when practicing musical instruments was just a leisure activity. While ruminating on their journey which has brought both admiration and fame, the guys explained that it was never planned. Three of them, who are brothers, recalled the day that they were given their first sets of instruments about nine years ago by an uncle who saw their passion for drumming.

“Our love for tassa and music grew with each event or play out we encountered.

The bonds between this

Blessing the drums

group also grew a lot and we now cherish each other as brothers more than just band mates,” one of them said.

From then, practice sessions were happening every day and folks were treated to their performances at cultural programs and small venues, after which they would include other tassa enthusiasts and developed exceptional pieces of music.

However, in 2014 the group was officially formed and they branded themselves under the name The Dynamic Tassa Troupe.

From their recollections from then onwards, the group recalls participating in a number of events on the coast and the interior locations, at pageants and motorcades; weddings and fundraisers.

“We played for a lot of events and to say the truth we enjoy them all, just going out there and just having fun with our clients. But if we had to narrow it down to some of the best ones, we would say working in Karia Karia.”

They have participated in innumerable events in the past but just a few months ago marked their first participation in a competition.

At the Dubraj Tassarama 2018, they secured the second place while stealing the prize for the Best All Round Performance. They were part of the Miss Earth Pageant just a few days ago and are currently participating in Drum Festival Competition 2018 which is set for July 15.

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Sunday Times Magazine 11

Home & Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 tsp oil • ½ onion, chopped • 5 sprigs thyme • 2 tsp crushed garlic • 2 cups long grained white rice • 1 tsp black pepper • 1 cup coconut milk • 2 ½ cups water • 1-15oz can pigeon peas or 1 1/3 cup • ½ tsp salt • 1 scallion

Directions

1. Place oil in a large pot over high heat. When oil is hot add onion and sauté until softened then add thyme and garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

2. Add rice, black pepper, coconut milk, water, pigeon peas, salt and scallion and stir.

3. Bring to a boil and stir.

Lower heat to a simmer and add cover pot.

4. Cook for 20-25 minutes, until the rice is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.

(Jehan Can Cook Blog)

Some people call it a living room, others, a lounge, or more formally, a sitting room. However you refer to it, there's no doubting this room's main purpose in your home: to be a comfortable space where the household can relax. These living room ideas will help you create your dream space however much you have to spend.

Whether you are looking for inspiration to completely redecorate or just want to give your space a quick refresh, we've got living room decorating ideas, styling tips and the best shopping advice to help you choose the perfect sofa or find the ideal colour for your walls.

Ingredients

Instructions 1. In a bowl combine chicken, garlic, ginger, salt, thyme and pepper and set aside. In a large pan over high heat, add oil. When oil is hot add chicken and cook until browned.

2. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and white onion and stir. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes start to break down.

3. Add coconut milk and water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low and allow to simmer until the liquid thickens.

4. Remove from heat and garnish with chopped scallions. (Jehan Can Cook Blog)

• 3 lbs boneless chicken thighs cut into strips • 1 tbsp crushed garlic • ½ tsp crushed ginger • 1 tsp salt • 5 sprigs Thyme • ¼ tsp hot pepper, diced • ½ tsp oil • 2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped • 1 tbsp tomato paste • ½ white onion • 1 cup coconut milk • ½ cup water • 3 scallions

Make it modern Dusty purple looks great with off-white furniture for classic style, but team it with shades of cool grey for a more modern scheme.

Combine dusty purples – plum, aubergine, fig – with blush pink and grey for a harmonious palette that creates just the right mellow mood for a bedroom.

Alternatively pair with shades of linen, mushroom or soft green for an additional contrast

Mix jewel colour with boho style

Take the jewel colours and painterly details of boho style, but put them with contemporary furniture instead of country or vintage-look pieces. It’ll give your room bags of character and an eclectic vibe that’s easy to evolve. The trick is to layer dark, mid-weight and light colours, adding lots of white and pale grey so they don’t overwhelm. Here watercolour washes and oil-painting prints are key to creating a successful boho style. And why not include an oversized chandelier for instant va-vavoom?

Stick to soft accessories and furnishings Neutral tones and plush soft furnishings give this stylish living room a homely feel.

The purple rug provides a grounding for the scheme that boosts the impact of the pale walls and sofas. While the chandelier and sumptuous curtain fabric are luxurious touches; the pinks of the odd-one-out cushion and lampshade are off-message tones that lift the scheme above the ordinary. At least this way, if you get bored, you can easily change the look in an instant.

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Puzzles

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ACROSS

95 Striking

96 Covered with water

97 Nina of fashion

98 Tired of it all

99 Make -- -- for oneself

100 Slacks material

101 Edible bulb

102 Suspicious

104 Army doc

105 Innsbruck locale

106 "Gunsmoke" doc

109 Nature walk

110 Records in advance

111 Gusting

115 Ale sources

116 Drop -- -- line

117 Wandered off

118 Salon creations

119 Mete out

121 Part of PGA

123 First-down yardage

125 Keep -- -- to the ground

126 Lively

127 Hurt

128 Relieve

129 Johnnycake

130 Coral reef locales

131 Implored

132 Mr. Philbin

133 Cooking vessels

Seesaw support

1 52, to Livy

2 Jeweler's weight

3 Shade of green

4 Arizona river

5 Zoologists' mouths

6 Be the basis of

7 Celts, to Romans

8 Zorro's marks

9 Gorby's realm

10 Alpine gear (2 wds.)

11 Fog up

12 Feudal underling

13 Welcome

14 Voice an opinion

15 Usual fee (2 wds.)

16 Ms. Zadora

17 Stream

18 Box or bucket - 19 Igneous rock, once

20 English or French

30 Thin coating

32 Map a course

34 Batman's garb 37 Neighborhood market? (2 wds.)

38 Aberdeen kid

39 Inland sea of Asia

41 Party thrower

42 Cotton pods

43 Bond

44 Was forced to apologize (2 wds.)

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Coal seams Goes backpacking Execs Seer's decks Comic -- Kaplan Renowned James or Ventura Promote Prepared fish -- -de-sac Dandelion, to many Osprey kin Soybean pastes Met (2 wds.)

Best-seller Coffee brewers Clotheshorse Lark or oriole Full-size Later than Erect Spiked the punch Tint twice Burgs Michael Caine role Merman or Waters Dislodges Crumble away Relish Down at the heels DOWN Seductive women Like helium Darth of "Star Wars" Followed suit Composted Went on stage Motives Tire filler Vegan morsels (2 wds.)

Time off Drivers' needs -- 500 Hush-hush org.

Write music Affront Diner orders Poet's contraction Squeezes oranges Ohio Indians "Hurricane" singer Fountain or light -Mail-motto word Sullies Dark Hideaways Sir -- Guinness One-celled plants Region Pac-12 team High mark (hyph.)

Metallic sound

KATHLEEN SAXE

WORD GAME TODAY'S WORD -- HULLABALOOS (HULLABALOOS: HUL-uh-buh-looz: Uproars.)

Average mark 25 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 34 or more

words in HULLABALOOS? hall halo haul hobo hula hull lash loll lull lush abash alas

aloha also ball balsa basal bash blah blush bola boll bolus buhl

bull bush shall shoal shoo slab slob slub solo soul

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

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Fictional orphan Eagle's lair Cronies Popped up TLC provider Nobody's fool Come from behind Tall mirror (2 wds.)

Vassal's holding Barely speak Woman, but not she "Primal Fear" star -- salts Dart Frat Z Where Asia begins Tea clipper Squirrel away Coats with gold Earth sci.

Engrossed

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Knitting stitches

101 Rain forests A sharp's homophone (2 wds.)

103 Showy Gaucho's rope

104 Price offered Senior

105 Little Engine verb Picnic fare 106 Dock Made hay

107 Quilt filler Sees steadily

108 Chopin opus Hodgepodges

110 Dah-dit guy Formation fliers

111 Aaron Copland work Do well

112 Pigeonhole Message concealer

113 At bay Like farm oxen

114 In a strange way Theater and dance

116 Sporty trucks Goddess of spring

117 Get healthy again Chomps down

118 Mask feature Dorm denizen

120 Drain cleaner Headquarters

122 Couple Oahu port

124 Possibilities Like cardinals Pursues intently (2 wds.)

See Solution on Pg 13 Oats container

guyanatimesgy.com

JULY 15 , 2018

Sunday Times Magazine 13

Tech

A

pple has updated its 13-inch and 15inch Touch Bar MacBook Pros today with Intel’s latest eighth-generation chips. It’s also offering up to 32GB of RAM and 4TB of SSD storage — if you’re willing to pay for it. While the base models of Apple’s laptops still cost the same (starting at $1,799 for the 13-inch model or $2,399 for the 15-inch model), the updated MacBook Pro now tops out at a whopping $6,699 for the top configuration. That’s $2,400 more than the best 2017 MacBook Pro you could buy.

That may sound a lot at first, but Apple hasn’t really changed the prices on anything from last year to this year: the top-spec MacBook Pro is priced higher than ever because Apple is offering more options than it has in the past.

Both the 2017 and 2018 models have the same starting prices: $2,799 for the “highend” version of the 15-inch computer, with a faster processor, better GPU, and twice the SSD storage as the $2,399 “base” 15-inch model. Like last year, Apple offers a $300

upgrade to an even better Intel processor — here from a 2.6GHz Core i7 chip to a 2.9GHz Core i9 — and storage upgrades to 1TB (an extra $400) or 2TB (an extra $1,200) for the same $4,299 price as last year’s specced-out machine.

The difference is that Apple is also offering two new options for 2018. You can pay an extra $400 for 32GB of RAM or an extra $3,200 for 4TB of storage. Together, those push the price up to that $6,699 figure. (And while the SSD pricing is almost ludicrously high, the $400 for 32GB of RAM is almost reasonable, at least by Apple pricing standards.)

That $6,699 price tag is shared by another computer in Apple’s lineup: the top configuration of the aging Mac Pro. There, your money will get you a 2.7GHz 12-core processor, 64GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. But Apple hasn’t updated the specs in over a year (plus the planned redesign is said to be coming sometime next year), so you’re probably better off putting the cash toward a new laptop at this point. (The Verge)

M

icrosoft is preparing to add Dolby Vision support to its Xbox One S and Xbox One X consoles. The addition will mean Microsoft’s consoles join the Apple TV 4K and Google’s Chromecast Ultra as the only streaming devices that currently support both Dolby Vision and Dolby

ing out its Dolby Vision support with Xbox Insiders right now, and it appears to be limited to streaming apps for now. Netflix is one of the first apps to be updated with

Atmos.

Microsoft is test-

Crossword Solution

Dolby Vision for the Xbox One S and Xbox One X, and it’s not clear if Microsoft plans to extend this to Blu-ray discs too.

Dolby Vision is widely considered to be more superior to the current HDR10 support found on the Xbox One. Dolby Vision adjusts the brightness and color of scenes with metadata, and supports up to a 12-bit color depth and higher peak brightness targets than HDR10. While you won’t necessarily see an immediate difference on current TV sets, Dolby Vision support (alongside HDR10) on the Xbox One makes it more future proof in the current HDR standards war.

Microsoft’s main rival console, Sony’s PlayStation 4, still doesn’t fully support Dolby Atmos or Dolby Vision. (The Verge)

A

flying car that will not require a pilot's licence to operate has been unveiled in California. The BlackFly can travel for up to 25 miles (40km) at a speed of 62mph. Its makers say it will eventually cost the same as a typical sports-utility car, but early models will be more expensive.

Kitty Hawk - another US start-up, which is backed by Google co-founder Larry Page - is also testing a personal aircraft in Las Vegas. Several other rival flying cars are in development across the globe.

BlackFly's creator is the Palo Alto-based firm Opener. The car has been tested in Canada, where the country’s aviation authority has authorised its use. Like Kitty Hawk, BlackFly could perhaps be more accurately described as a human-carrying drone.

It is not designed to be driven on roads. The vehicle carries one person in a small cockpit, powered by “eight propulsion systems, spread across two wings”.

It works best, Opener says, when taking off and landing from grassy surfaces.

While the vehicle will not require a pilot's licence, Opener said as a precaution riders would have to undergo a training programme in order to become acquainted.

“Even though not required by Federal Aviation Administration regulations, BlackFly operators will be required to suc-

cessfully complete the FAA Private Pilot written examination and also complete company-mandated vehicle familiarisation and operator training," it said.

Opener’s chief executive Marcus Leng said the on-board controls offered “instant gratification”.

“You have total command of three-dimensional space. When you press the thumbstick to climb, you have absolute full control.

When you stop in the middle of the air and go off the joystick, the aircraft freezes. And when I say freezes… it literally freezes in the air,” ” he told CBS News correspondent John Blackstone Opener joins a long list of companies chasing the ultimate science fiction dream of a flying car, and thanks to rapid improvements in drone capabilities, that future seems closer than ever. As well as BlackFly and Kitty Hawk, companies such as Uber are also seeking to get into the flying car market - if indeed there ever is one.

The Hiller Aviation Museum in Northern California is a graveyard of failed attempts to create a flying car.

But the museum’s head of operations, Willie Turner, believes this latest batch might be on to something - as long as aviation authorities can accommodate the new ideas. (BBC)

Robots will lead to more human trafficking, slavery, report says

T

he rise of robot manufacturing will dramatically alter the labor market in southeast Asia and result in a spike in human trafficking, slavery and other labor abuses, according to a report released Thursday.

The "Human Rights Outlook 2018" report from corporate risk-analysis consultancy Verisk Maplecroft plays out the scenarios of a United Nations prediction that 56

adapt or the cushion of social security will have to compete for a diminishing supply of low-paid, low-skilled work in what will likely be an increasingly exploitative environment," Alexandra Channer, the consultancy's head of human rights, said in a statement.

"Without concrete measures from governments to adapt and educate future generations to function alongside machines, it

percent of workers in Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam will lose their jobs to automated alternatives over the next two decades.

Those countries are specifically at risk for increased slavery and human trafficking due to the "dependence of the workforce on low-skilled jobs and existing high levels of labor rights violations," the report said.

"Displaced workers without the skills to

could be a race to the bottom for many workers."

The report highlights Vietnam as the country at greatest risk among the five countries included in the research, with 36 million workers expected to lose their jobs to automation. In addition, the report cites the garment, textile and footwear industry as being particularly at risk from automation. (CNET)

14 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

JULY 15 , 2018

Bollywood/Hollywood

After Sanju, Sanjay Dutt set to release his autobiography

A

ctor Sanjay Dutt will come out with his autobiography next year in which he will reveal many interesting stories that he “never had the chance to tell before”. The memoir will be published by HarperCollins on his 60th birthday on July 29, 2019.

“With this book, the reader will finally get to look into his soul. Finally, we will get to hear the fascinating stories about his youth, his Bollywood stint in the ’80s and ’90s, his experiences in prison, and his selfdiscovery, that have never been told before,” the publishers said.

The autobiography is billed as “perhaps the biggest, most dramatic and honest star memoir to emerge out of Bollywood”.

A biopic on the controversial actor, titled Sanju and starring Ranbir Kapoor as Dutt, was recently released to rave reviews.

The film has amassed over Rs 250 crore at the box office.

Commenting on the book, Dutt said, “I have had the fortune of living a remarkable life, full of ups and downs, joys and sorrows.

There are so many interesting stories to tell that I’ve never

F

arhan Akhtar is all set to reunite with Priyanka Chopra for Shonali Bose’s next The Sky is Pink. This will be the second instance of Farhan and Priyanka sharing screen

space. The two actors were last seen together in Zoya Akhtar’s 2015 directorial Dil Dhadakne Do. Before Dil Dhadakne Do, Priyanka collaborated with Farhan on films such as Don and Don 2, which the actor directed and produced under his banner Excel Entertainment.

Priyanka had recently shared a photo on Instagram with a caption “And it begins #prep #hindimovie”.

Reports also suggest that

S

had the chance to tell before. I am looking forward so much to sharing my memories and emotions with readers everywhere.”

What makes Sanjay Dutt’s journey an epic story, quite apart from his professional accomplishments, are the ebbs and flows that have characterised his life, the publishers said.

“He’s a star like no other, and what an extraordinary life he’s had! This is a memoir that is going to be told from the heart, and will reveal a Sanjay Dutt that even his most ardent fans don’t know,” said Udayan Mitra, publisher (literary) of HarperCollins India.

(Indian Express)

C

Zaira Wasim has joined the film’s cast and will play the couple’s onscreen daughter. Zaira is known for her roles in Dangal and Secret Superstar.

“So they have started the

workshop for the film. And Zaira is also a part of it. the sky is pink is a working title. This is the first Hindi film Priyanka Chopra is doing after two years. Also, this is the fifth film she is doing with Ronnie and Sid Roy Kapur,” a source told indianexpress.com.

The film has been written by Shonali and the dialogues have been penned by writer Juhi Chaturvedi.

Shonali had earlier directed films such as Margarita with

ince becoming engaged to Prince Harry, the former Hollywood actress bid farewell to her longtime lead role on Suits with the season seven finale, which coincidentally aired just weeks before her royal wedding.

While the star has since assumed several new off-screen roles since walking down the aisle at St. George's Chapel—wife, royal and Duchess of Sussex—the 36-year-old Los Angeles native has not forgotten her beloved Hollywood character and the show that made her a star.

She confirmed this while chatting with a woman from Dublin after a visit to the Irish Emigration

a Straw and Amu. Earlier, there were speculations that Abhishek Bachchan might be cast opposite Priyanka.

The Sky is Pink reportedly tells the true story of Aisha Chaudhary, a young girl diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, more commonly known as immune deficiency disorder, at the age of 13. After her diagnosis, she went on to become a motivational speaker at events like TEDx and INK conferences. She also authored a book called My Little Epiphanies.

Farhan Akhtar is currently working on his production Gold which is slated to release next month. He is set to helm Don 3 as writer and director too. Farhan is also involved in the production of Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt starrer Gully Boy. Priyanka, meanwhile, is constantly juggling between New York and Mumbai. She will be next seen in Salman Khan’s Bharat, which arrives on Eid next year.

(Indian Express)

ardi B's bundle of joy is officially here!

The hip-hop superstar has given birth to her first child, a baby girl, with rapper Offset. The star confirmed the news on Wednesday with a pink and floral-themed nude photo and simultaneously revealed her little one's name. "Kulture Kiari Cephus 07/10/18," she captioned the photo, revealing that the baby was born on Tuesday.

News of the newborn's arrival comes three months after Cardi finally confirmed rampant pregnancy rumors during an unforgettable performance on Saturday Night Live. All eyes were on the "Bodak Yellow" MC when cameras panned down to reveal her growing bump, which she draped in a skintight white gown.

With a baby on the way, Cardi's professional commitments only continued to skyrocket as she co-hosted The Tonight Show alongside Jimmy Fallon, took the stage across two weekends of Coachella, attended her very first Met Gala and dominated award show after award show.

Not to mention releasing her debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Chart and broke several genre records. And when asked to address the seemingly negative impact a pregnancy might have on her career, Cardi (whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar) had this to say: "You know what—I'm a grown woman. I'm 25 years old," she told Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club. "I'm a schmillionaire and I'm prepared for this."

"It just really bothers me and it disgusts me because I see a lot of women online [commenting], 'I feel sorry for you. Your career is over.' Why can't I have both?" she added. "Why do I gotta choose a career or a baby? Why can't I have both. I want both."

Of course, the Bronx native had to begin slowing down at some point to fully prepare for her daughter's arrival. In late April, Cardi cancelled several tour dates but promised she was "working my ass off" behindthe-scenes on upcoming projects.

The proud parents' relationship is now better than ever, having moved past the alleged sex tape scandal that nearly pushed Cardi to call their engagement off for good.

Cardi B and Offset's took their romance public in early 2017. In October of that year, Offset popped the question in front of a soldout crowd with an 8-carat diamond ring.

Just recently in late June, the star confirmed that she had already married Offset in September 2017. (E-News)

J

ustin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin have returned to New York, Thursday just three days after the singer popped the question to Hailey in the Bahamas.

The two looked very happy in the Big Apple—and her huge ring was hard to miss.

Justin and Hailey stayed in the Bahamas for a few days to enjoy and celebrate their engagement. A source told People, “They were having the best time. They’re just enjoying being engaged.

They know when they leave, there will be a lot of attention on them.”

The couple was spotted walking around in back in New York after their romantic vacation. Hailey paired her oversized white "Rap-ALot Records" varsity jacket with a black crop top, cutoff denim shorts, black sporty sneakers, and of course, her new bling. Justin opted for very casual shorts and a t-

Museum on the final day of her first royal visit to Ireland with Prince Harry on Wednesday.

"I'm a fan of Suits and I said to her that I miss it and she said 'so do I'," Fiona Moore recalled to reporters. "She seemed very relaxed and was joking and laughing."

While the world has bid farewell to Zane, there still seem to be remnants of her in Markle's closet. The royal immediately made us think of her Suits character when she changed into a bespoke black Givenchy wool tuxedo suit for part of the day's events on Wednesday.

Though that chapter of her life has closed,

shirt, which has been his goto style recently.

Justin confirmed his engagement to Hailey on Instagram on Tuesday, and called his new fiancée the "love of my life."

"Hailey I am soooo in love with everything about you! So committed to spending my life getting to know every single part of you loving you patiently and kindLY," he wrote in the post.

Justin and Hailey’s re-

it sounds like Markle has impressed the public since assuming her newest duties as a duchess.

"Meghan really took her time and looked us in the eye. She was really nice," Caroline Bates told the press. "She's a breath of fresh air in the royal family. Meghan is a great role model for women," Heather Nicell echoed. "She is very likeable and relatable."

Meanwhile, if Markle finds some downtime back home at Kensington Palace in front of the television, season eight of Suits premieres on July 18. (E!)

cent getaway was the latest of their many vacations together, following trips to Miami and the Hamptons.

Rumors about the engagement started to swirl over the weekend when the model arrived to a crowded beach bar in the Bahamahas wearing an oval diamond ring on that finger. Onlookers immediately snapped photos and videos of the two showing PDA and her rock in all it's glory. (Harpers Bazaar)

guyanatimesgy.com

JULY 15 , 2018

Sunday Times Magazine 15

16 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

JULY 15 , 2018

Fun Times

Archie

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Say what's on your mind, but don't make a fuss if someone counters with his or her own opinion.

Debate with finesse and the willingness to admit when you are wrong.

Stop talking and start doTAURUS ing. It's up to you to make the (April 20first move. Don't let emotionMay 20) al situations deter you from doing what's best for you.

Home improvements will GEMINI enhance your relationship (MAY 28- with someone who appreciJune 20) ates your effort. If you discuss your intentions, you'll be offered suggestions and the help required to reach your goal.

You can be entertaining without sending a false mes(June 21- sage about someone or someJuly 22) thing you experienced. Stick to the truth and you'll make an impression and build trust and respect.

CANCER

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Dilbert

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Peanuts

Don't let your vision lead you to the poorhouse. Live within your means. Make changes at home that are necessary, not frivolous. Do the work yourself and save money.

Embrace changes that will give you the edge you are looking for. Adopting a new look, connecting with influential people or doing things with loved ones will help you build a better future.

Keep moving forward and make changes at home or in your community that will leave you and your loved ones feeling proud of your accomplishments. Don't let a negative individual dampen your day.

Decisions can be made that SCORPIO (Oct. 24- will alter the way you live.

Nov. 22) Follow your heart and do what suits you best. Express your feelings and let your intentions be known.

SAGITTARIUS Look for an outlet that will (Nov. 23- keep you busy and out of trouDec. 21) ble. If you address emotional issues, you are likely to come up short. Choose to do your own thing.

Implement the changes CAPRICORN you want to see take place at (Dec. 22- home to improve your attiJan. 19) tude. Plan a romantic evening and express your feelings.

Calvin and Hobbes Don't feel pressured to AQUARIUS make a snap decision. When (Jan. 20- in doubt, slow down and Feb. 19) wait to see what happens.

Taking on too much will lead to added stress.

Mix and mingle.

PISCES (Feb. 20- Socializing will bring out Mar. 20) the best in you and attract someone who can change your life. Romance will enhance your personal life.