Sunday Magazine 11th August 2013

Sunday

Times August 11, 2013

Star Times Bollywood:

Priyanka Chopra to paint the town ‘pink’ See story on page 14

Magazine

FREE DISTRIBUTION

From waste to works of art A local art company transforms garbage into functional art Page 21

A sense of duty

Page 3

Why a group of Guyanese aims to lift standards

2 Times Sunday Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

August 11 , 2013

Times Feature

Despite challenges, caring for Guyanese senior citizens is the foundation of an organisation

F

or two decades, the Upper Corentyne Senior Citizens Organisation has been offering love and affection, and providing hot meals for the seniors of its community; but these are just a few ways the group ensures our senior citizens are never forgotten.

The organisation was formed in late 1993 by Pastor Almond and Yetrawatee Katryan, as an outreach activity of Roadside Baptist Church. The launching ceremony took place at Corriverton Civic Centre where Beverly Braithwaite Chan, then manager of Futures Fund/CIDA, was the guest speaker. Her encouragement, after she witnessed several activities of Roadside Baptist, led to the formation of the senior citizens’ group. It was the first activity at the Corriverton Civic Centre- a project of Futures Fund. About 50 seniors were present.

The objectives of this pro-

gramme are to provide an appropriate environment for the elderly to socialise, enjoy recreational activities, and showcase their skills and talents.

This programme includes monthly meetings and one hot meal prepared and served weekly by the seniors themselves with supervision by the president and secretary.

Dry food items are provided by Roadside Baptist Church Skills Training Centre through the World Food Program and Food for the Poor. The meals are prepared in the kitchen of the Corriverton Town Council next to the Corriverton Civic Centre. Stoves, pots and pans were donated to the group by kind-hearted community residents. Monthly packages are also given to the seniors.

“The executives and helpers from the beginning: Ms Victorine Stuart, Ms Joyce and Ms Flatts who were always assisted by the vibrant and youthful Mr.

Flash – a young man from the community. Over a period of time the group was so big that it had to be divided into Groups A and B according to location. Group B started to meet at Roadside Baptist Church where Mr Narsingh, Mr Stokes; Aunty Leena and Aunty Tara – all seniors, undertook to do the cooking for the monthly meals and meetings. Pastor Katryan was always their willing helper and technical advisor,” Yetrawatee Katryan said in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine.

Over the years, Yetrawatee pointed out, because of the difficulty in accessing the Corriverton Civic Centre, although statutory meetings were fixed, Group A became disenchanted as they had to meet several times outside of the building while the building remained locked and unused.

Coordinator of the group, Nalin Katryan, had several

Senior citizens happily receive gifts from Roadside

discussions with the leadership of the Council and even sought the assistance of the Regional Chairman, Mr Bacchus, who himself came once and saw the group locked out of the building.

Unfortunately, the seniors had to continue their meetings on the pavilion in the compound of the Town Council while the Corriverton Civic Centre next door remained locked up, although one of the objectives of the centre was for purposes of this nature.

“Many seniors dropped out because it was difficult for them to climb the steps

Ms Joyce (both septuagenarians), Pastors Motielall Harlall of Livingstone Baptist and Pastor Terry Rohit of Roadside Baptist.

Previous cooks Aunty Leena and Aunty Tara have retired from cooking owing to poor health but still attend monthly meetings. Uncle Narsingh, another cook, sadly passed away a few years ago. The cooking is done over huge firesides with firewood– quite a messy job to clean up afterwards, but these seniors continually cooked and cleaned.

Food items and packages are provided by the Roadside

reach by medical staff to test blood pressure and have relevant discussions; indoor games; sharing of experiences and skills among themselves and with youths; mixing with youths at Roadside; educational discussions by resource personnel; and giving assistance to needy seniors.

The senior group benefitted from one educational tour, sponsored

by Dr Pasram Thakur, to University of Guyana Berbice Campus a few years ago. That was really a treat for them.

“Heartfelt gratitude is

Enjoying a meal and socialising at Roadside Baptist Church

of the pavilion, and during rainy season it was not safe for them as they not only got wet but the steps became very slippery. Also, the council had to repair the kitchen so the group was left with nowhere to prepare meals. That contributed to the fall of Group A. Many of the members there started to come to meetings at Roadside,” Yetrawatee recalled.

With accommodation at Roadside, the group flourished. The present membership at Roadside is about 60.

On a monthly basis about 30 to 40 seniors attend meetings. They continually benefit from monthly hot meals and a package with basic hygiene items such as bath soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, and much more. Meals are prepared

by Joycelyn Shepherd and

Baptist Church Skills Training Centre. Shaminee Rohit coordinates this aspect of the programme with support from Yetrawatee.

Besides monthly meetings, another activity of the group is the annual December Treat where about 80 to 100 seniors are hosted.

For this event, assistance to prepare meals comes from members of Livingstone and Roadside Baptist Churches.

As is customary, the seniors also help with the preparation. Gifts are presented to all. The entire staff of Roadside is involved in this activity – sorting, wrapping and distributing gifts, serving meals to the seniors as well as eating with them.

Some young volunteers of Roadside also help at this time.

Additionally, other activities include medical out-

extended to all who support the monthly programme by way of cash or in kind donation and their valuable time.

Special thanks are extended to the business community for their tangible support of the grand annual Christmas treat for the seniors, to Roadside Baptist Church for facilitating it and providing all the necessary facilities and to Roadside Baptist Church Skills Training Centre for their all round support to ensure that those who have paved the way for the younger generation, are shown some sort of basic appreciation for their services,” Yetrawatee and the Upper Corentyne Senior Citizens Organisation’s committee thanked.

For more information on this organisation call the Roadside Baptist Church on 338-4215.

guyanatimesgy.com

august 11, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine

3

Times Focus

INSIDE Why a group of Guyanese aims to lift standards

Encouraging independence

he Benab Foundation is a non-profit, politically unaffiliated, independent think tank and association of sociallyminded individuals dedicated to improving the health, the standard of living and education level of Guyanese.

The foundation first came together December 2012 and was founded by Robo Matheson and Elson Browne-Low. Speaking with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, Browne-Low said they felt a duty as socially-minded, talented young people to work towards ensuring that the lives of every Guyanese are greatly improved. They also found that they had excellent ideas that could do this in numerous ways and, in light of this feeling of duty, wanted a way to both develop and carry out those ideas.

“Our foundation is a youth think tank and non-profit which means that we look to research and generate new ideas that can help Guyanese in any field which our members think especially important or relevant. We then work to bring those ideas which are currently relevant to life. Our emphasis, in doing this, is a positive one, focusing not on blame but the great potential Guyana bears,” Browne-Low mentioned.

Apart from meetings, where members carry out critical analysis in an effort to build critical thinking skills, the foundation is involved in a volunteer tutoring project, The Cognitive Initiative, where it is currently testing if such a programme can improve Mathematics and English pass rates at the Caribbean Secondary Examination’s Council Examinations in Guyana.

“Though we are only a recently formed foundation, we have completed our programme, The Cognitive Initiative. What we would therefore say we have accomplished is helping third form students from poorly performing schools to improve their Mathematics and English skills. We have also worked extensively to improve group members’ leadership abilities and critical thinking skills,” disclosed Browne-Low.

Through her charity, ‘I Can Foundation’, Shabakie Fernandes is able to give women seeking help a second chance at Pg improving their lives

T

5

Star of the Week Pg 7 The Metamorphosis collection Pg 10

Young members of the Benab Foundation

bust organisation with a large membership all working together to improve Guyana in many areas.

“Working with the students involved in The Cognitive Initiative has been phenomenal, and we really feel that it has allowed us to appreciate young people who we may not have otherwise come into contact with, and who have great aspirations. Seeing students correct grammatical or mathematical misunderstandings they may have had makes us feel like we’re setting a foundation from which students can, if they engage their minds and work hard, reach opportunities they would otherwise not have been able to. Mathematics and English are important for getting jobs in Guyana and so our success story is that we’ve helped students come that much closer to a world of great earning opportunities,” he revealed.

Welcoming others to join in this initiative, the foundation looks forward to form linkages with other non-profits to develop projects. Browne-Low pointed out that they are willing to accept private donations

Anyone who is interested can email us at thebenabfoundation@gmail. com or call 609-6909 or 642-7198.

They can also feel free to contact any of our members or leave a message on our Facebook page, The Benab Foundation.

Membership is open to everyone between the ages of 16 and 30, but because our work can be demanding and we only grow the organisation by a few members at any one time we require a face to face interview where we will discuss not only your interest in our organisation and in helping Guyanese, but your relevant skills and talents,” Browne-Low explained.

Avril Lavigne debuts dark, defiant album Pg 12 cover

At Land’s End Pg 23

Browne-Low working on Maths syllabus with Ms. Parker, head of the Maths department at Queen's College

Benab Foundation members teaching English at schools with low CSEC pass rates

Passionate about helping the children of Guyana develop academically, Browne-Low said it is the foundation’s sincerest hope (and expectation) to expand The Cognitive Initiative next year with the goal of eventually implementing (provided it proves successful) a country-wide programme. He and his colleagues would also like to build a ro-

(whether in cash or kind) in order to carry out those projects provided donors meet with them to discuss seriously and clearly the terms of their support.

“We also appreciate greatly word of mouth, so the more people you tell about us the better. If you would like to volunteer on any of our projects feel free to contact us.

4

Times Sunday Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

august 11, 2013

Times Feature Toucan II Multipurpose Club

T

he Toucan II Multipurpose Club was established Aug 3, 1996 by Yvette Herod, a teacher and prominent community activist, who has continued to work tirelessly for the restoration of cultural, social, educational and economic progress in the village. It was also an offshoot of the annual Emancipation celebrations held in Buxton.

A non-profit organisation, it strives to guide youths of the greater Buxton-Friendship, East Coast Demerara, into developing exemplary lives for themselves, their families and their community.

Toucan II had very humble beginnings, starting off at the home of Kwame Apata, who willingly offered a small cottage at the front of his yard, in Friendship, for the organisation to conduct meetings with the following admonition: “You have your work cut out for you.”

Membership grew rapidly, and members were forced to move to the bottom of a bigger house, also owned by Apata and in the same yard.

About six months later, the club was offered another meeting place at the Seaforth’s residence, at 51 Buxton Middle Walk, from where it operated for approximately 2 years, after

which it was forced to relocate due to needed repairs to the building. Timely approval was granted by the chairman and councillors of Buxton-Foulis NDC for the use of the Village Hall in 2002. The club operated from there until 2003 when the Ministry of Education allocated two classrooms on the top floor of the reconstructed BuxtonFriendship Primary School for use by Toucan II. Helping to build wellrounded individuals, the club activities include: fundamental literacy skills; information technology; academic studies; music lessons; fine arts study; communication/public speaking/debating; selfempowerment/career development; planning of activities for Emancipation programme in collaboration with the First of August Movement among many other activities.

The club’s uniform consists of gold shirt and navy blue skirt/trousers with its motto: “Together We Build, Together We Share, We Are One.” In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, founder Yvette Herod said that Toucan II has grown tremendously over the years and continues to give back to the Buxton-Friendship.

She added that youths are of-

fered a secure place where they can take advantage of all the services offered.

“The club is a sanctuary for young people. We are training youths not only to be gainfully occupied but also to become future leaders and examples to their peers and others. If I can help in some small way to have a positive impact on a child’s life, to make them ‘somebody’ then that

joys strong participation by more than 150 active members, whose ages range from 6 to adult.

Over the years, Toucan II has expanded its contribution to make a meaningful impact on the Guyanese society through its hard work and dedication to fostering a strong and positive environment for children and young adults. It is a designated commu-

Club’s youths encouraged to learn about their cultural heritage

Encouraging females to know self-defense techniques

is enough reward for any hard work I might have put in,” noted Herod.

Toucan II has hundreds of members on roll, and en-

nity-based organisation for the execution of special programmes and projects, often collaborating with government agencies and community organisations, such as the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sports; Ministry of Labour and Human Services; Ministry of Education; The National School of Dance; First of August Movement; African Cultural Development Association (ACDA); Buxton-Foulis Neighbourhood Democratic Council (N.D.C.); and many more.

The club has executed significant projects. One project of note is the club collaborating with ACDA and the community’s NDC in implementing a chicken rearing project, underwritten by the United Nations Development Programme.

Each of 40 farmers in the community benefited from the distribution of 100 chicks, a 7-week supply of feed and a coop.

During the early years of the criminal siege, the club collaborated with the Guyana Defence Force in hosting a 2-week recreational camp for 100 youths residing in areas most affected by the crisis.

Toucan II continues to work with groups and exemplary individuals, based at home or overseas, to deliver lectures on topics of interest and benefit to the community. Some of those covered recently were: youth responsibility, gender and equality, HIV/

AIDS, leadership and other life skills.

The slate of educational activities includes classes in computer literacy.

Through the generous donations of several computers by various charitable

body of elders, in collaboration with the Executive Committee, oversees the club’s day-to-day operations and offers policy advisory when needed. Many are of the opinion that this may be the reason for its many years of existence.

The club’s most recent undertaking is the erection of a club house to accommodate its growing list of members and essential programme of activities.

Construction of the Youth & Community Centre, which was started in 2007, has been on hold due to the lack of available resources.

“We’re currently trying to raise funds for the completion of the centre. Many of our youths have moved on to further their education at the University of Guyana and so we keep

Giving back to their community

organisations and government agencies, the Club offers free classes to residents. The programme caters to students, teachers and parents. By appealing to single-parents, Toucan seeks to equip these household heads with increased skills to better provide for their families. Other activities on the agenda include sewing, craft and a reading club.

Toucan II Club has a unique organisational structure when compared to typical youth clubs. It has an executive body as well as a ‘Board of Elders’, which is tasked with the overall management of the organisation.

The

enlisting and need a bigger space to welcome even more. Toucan II executes its mandate by way of donations from public/community-spirited individuals and donor agencies, as well as proceeds earned from fundraising events.

The club takes this opportunity to express its sincere gratitude to all who have contributed to, and supported, its efforts to establish a model youth organisation for community development and character building,” Herod declared.

For more information on the Toucan II Multipurpose Club, call Yvette Herod on 610-4339.

guyanatimesgy.com

august 11, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine 5

Times Women

Encouraging independence P

Through her charity, ‘I Can Foundation’, Shabakie Fernandes is able to give women seeking help a second chance at improving their lives

hilanthropist Shabakie Fernandes believes it is never too late for women to empower themselves, be independent and have the earning power they yearn for. In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine,

I Can Foundation's president and founder Shabakie Fernandes

Fernandes stated that the I Can Foundation is a nonprofit organisation, officially launched last year, which seeks to reach out to various communities to provide information as part of its vision to transfer knowledge on social issues to these communities.

The foundation, Fernandes outlined, aspires

change.

The humanitarian has observed that many persons lack skills to be able to provide for their families, and there are some who are hurting and facing problems due to some trauma they have experienced. Most of them have even lost the will and confidence to repair their lives. That is why the foundation is on a mission to help these people reorganise and rebuild their lives.

This year, more than 70 women were trained in cosmetology and bookkeeping.

The foundation has also worked with over 300 parents and youths in the areas of parenting, domestic violence, and child sexual abuse.

Working with numerous charities for several years, Fernandes knows the plight of some women who yearn for a skill, to read and write, and earning power. She related one experience of a woman who could not read nor write and was only able to identify money by their colours. Now, that woman, Fernandes noted, has completed all the foundation’s courses and is earning a salary.

“Some of these women do not have a push or start but definitely has the willpower. My experiences being involved with charity work have helped me to realise

The foundation's students pampering residents of the Uncle Eddie's Home

Fernandes recalled, the woman was undecided because of not having materials for the cosmetology classes. She was then told that the materials would be provided and the courses are free. Feeling assured, the woman decided to sign up for the classes.

Fernandes said although the woman started a month late, she never missed a class and excelled throughout the programme. Now she has a small business at home and Fernandes plans

Ladies during an I Can Foundation cosmetology programme

to excel as a valuable, effective, and influential organisation advancing the lives of persons, and serving as a uniting force for women, serving as a major catalyst for the stimulation, growth, and dissemination of knowledge and practice, being the primary resource for all in relation to social issues and development, and acting as a principal leader and global partner in promoting knowledge and effecting

that teaching these women a skill along with reading and writing are necessary for them to be independent and so I started the I Can Foundation to fulfil this mission,” Fernandes cited.

Of note is the foundation’s power to help women to transition into budding entrepreneurs. This is particularly evident with a 34-year-old mother of 10 who suffered domestic abuse for years. Initially,

to help her build a small shop where she will have more working space.

Not having a building, because of lack of funds to construct one, to facilitate the foundation’s programmes does not deter Fernandes from helping women achieve independence. Investing her time, resources, and energy, a passionate 27-year-old Fernandes travels to vari-

ous communities, teaming up with professionals to offer women a chance to have a skill. She has collaborated with fellow humanitarian Malinda Marks, a professional cosmetologist, who has worked tirelessly in facilitating cosmetology courses for women in Plaisance on the East Coast of Demerara. In addition, Fernandes has held courses at the Ruimveldt Children’s Aid Centre which has warmly opened its doors to facilitate the foundation’s work.

“For many of these women this is a last hope last chance opportunity. Some of their husbands allow them to come to the cours-

es but when they see how their wives are being empowered and becoming independent that presents a problem. The husbands get abusive and even put out the wives from the homes.

One woman, who benefited from the foundation’s programmes, told me that it was time for her to leave because she could not cope anymore with the abuse.

Some others have decided to team up to start a business together, being unafraid of what their husbands had to say. Seeing how brave these ladies have become because of the I Can Foundation’s work motivates me even further to continue my work.

This is the cause for which we are seeking donations from generous people, so that our mission can be accomplished, and we succeed in spreading the message of humanity,” Fernandes declared.

“Our undertaking is to help women, men and children thrive and to build, strengthen and sustain individual family and community life. We aim to advance the knowledge of persons to benefit society and improve people’s lives. The I Can Foundation understands that persons of all ages are in danger of becoming victims to many social ills.

Many live with some degree of fear, and many lose their identity or do not realise their potential because of the social ills affecting them. The foundation is also committed to addressing these social ills by increasing awareness, encouraging assertiveness, and helping persons recognise they are worth the effort to secure and preserve,” Fernandes pointed out.

To achieve this, the foundation has been visiting and working with communities, addressing problems such as child sexual abuse, parenting, domestic violence, trafficking in persons and community life competence.

Persons who wish to support the work of the I Can Foundation can do so by contacting Fernandes on telephone number 672-1930 or making a contribution to the I Can Foundation.

6 Times Sunday Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

August 11 , 2013

Times Book World

The Shaping of Guyanese Literature

History of Plaisance Village ‘From Emancipation to Independence and Beyond’ by Beryl Adams-Haynes

By Petamber Persaud

(Extract of an interview with Ms Beryl Adams-Haynes, author of “Plaisance: From Emancipation to Independence and Beyond” in Georgetown, Guyana, July 2010. Adams-Haynes was born in Plaisance and was an educator for many decades. She was honoured with a National Award – Medal of Service – for her outstanding contribution to society. Plaisance has also produced internationally recognised musician Eddy Grant, and a former world boxing champion, Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite.)

PP Our history first recorded by

was the

Europeans colonisers who did take a certain amount of licence with the facts, and that history was so written to show the Europeans in a good light. But it is a matter of pride that more and more scholarship on our history, written by our own people, is turning up; rewriting that initial and sometimes flawed history. One such scholarship is “Plaisance: From Emancipation to Independence and Beyond” written by Beryl AdamsHaynes…Our history is important. Recording and righting that flawed history is imperative. What were the factors leading up to the research, writing and distribution of this book?

AH The idea came to

me some years after I remigrated and discovered by chance that Plaisance was bought by freed slaves; this discovery came late in my life. I started talking to older folks in the village and found out that no one has ever approached them for such information. Then again not many of them – the older folks – knew much about our ancestral history.

The inspiration came from the situation of them not knowing, me not knowing and the question of how will the younger ones know; and that’s what set me on the path of research, documenting, and finally the book.

PP Research material on Guyana in Guyana is not easy to obtain; I am

a researcher on Guyanese Literature and a sort of quasi-historian, so I know the difficulties in getting information, cross-referencing etc. Tell us about your research stages.

AH The research stages, as you said before, were not easy; it was an uphill task. I started here at the archives and the library, finding very little information on Plaisance. You may come across an article running into many pages with just a mere reference – one line – a few words on Plaisance. Thanks to my children, who are still in London, and who were feeding me with some amount of information as to websites that would be useful.

The bulk of the material for happenings in the village from the 1920s onward came from the older folks.

I contacted many villagers who provided information up to recent times. Some prominent “Plaisancians” were listed in the earlier manuscript. The idea of the annexes came from my editor Dr Laurence Clarke, a prominent “Plaisancian”.

To get information as to what some of our villagers (as you must be aware most of our people are residing outside of Guyana) were doing, assistance was sought from villagers abroad who were enthusiastic and excited about this long awaited publication.

PP Much of our history, in various forms, is stored in foreign archives…

AH Yes, I know that now: researching, cross referencing, documenting and finally the end product took some six years, not continuously, before it finally came to fruition. When I set out to write the history of Plaisance, I didn’t set out to do this [showing the book], I set out to write a few pages, a twenty-fivepage document perhaps for my own satisfaction, but it took on new dimensions and has taken off in way beyond my expectations. Let me explain: when I came back home, Plaisance never celebrated Emancipation at village level. I got together with other villagers, and one thing led to another, and the birth of our Emancipation celebrations began twelve years ago.

This led to an awakening of our villagers and their quest for knowledge of our history.

PP It would be a good time to talk about the history of Plaisance and the village system.

Beryl Adams-Haynes

AH In the beginning it was not easy. There was friction as persons jockeyed for the better plots to build.

Remember, some 65 persons bought the plantation and all of them couldn’t live or build in the same area.

Assistance was sought from the government – plantocracy – to help put their affairs in order. There were also problems of flooding, sanitation, drainage, difficulties collecting rates and taxes and other woes…but those problems were overcome to an extent, leading to better life style.

PP That’s the past, let’s look at the present Plaisance, to those who have endured and have made and are making significant contribution.

AH The Plaisance of today is different from the Plaisance I grew up in, and even more different from the Plaisance of our ancestors who worked so hard to develop it and call it their home. Plaisance has produced and will continue to produce many outstanding citizens both local and of international stature – right on our doorstep is the first female judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice, a trailblazer: Madam Justice Desiree Bernard; Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos; Director of World Bank (Sudan, Africa) Dr Laurence Clarke; Prof Denis Benn who heads the Michael Manley Institute, Mona Campus; Dr Imran Ali; Eddy Grant, international recording songwriter and artiste; Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite, former world boxing champion;

Nizam Ali, chartered accountant, and many others.

PP Many of these achievements came about because of three main factors mentioned in your book: deep roots in the church, education, and political and cultural awareness.

Now we have a book in which you have put a lot of hard work to bring the history of Plaisance to the fore; very commendable. But here’s my pet peeve: are our young people reading?

AH That is one of our problems – reading. Lack of reading could defeat the purpose of the book.

We – various committees – have planned to go into the schools, to read extracts and do other related activities …

PP Making that connection with the youths is crucial and I hope you succeed, for it would benefit your community of Plaisance and eventually the country.

Congratulations again on gifting us this important scholarship, which is already going into a first reprint.

Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@ yahoo.com What’s happening: • The Guyana Annual 2012-2013 magazine is now available at Guyenterprise Ltd and at city bookstores.

• Coming soon: “An Introduction to Guyanese Literature” by Petamber Persaud.

guyanatimesgy.com

august 11, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine 7

Times Feature

Young Professionals

Attorney Konyo SandifordThompson

Star of the week

T

w e n t y six-yearold Konyo Mbeke Zalika S a n d i f o r d Thompson has proven that hard work and perseverance can only lead to a successful path, where dreams are realized.

Born to Linden parents and growing up in Amelia’s Ward Linden, Konyo attended Mackenzie Primary School and Mackenzie High, where she went on to graduate in 2003 with nine CXC subjects including five Grade Ones. She placed fifth among Region Ten’s top students.

During her secondary years, Konyo proved to be an outstanding all-round student ,as, apart from excelling academically, she was also involved in other activities, including dramatic poetry competitions, science fairs and inter-house and inter-school sports.

In her quest for higher education, she furthered her academic goals in 2004 by completing CAPE with eight subjects.

Konyo explained that she was always fond of dramatic poetry, and from Primary Four until fourth form, she won all the competitions she participated in. From this hobby, she developed an enthusiasm for public speaking, arguments and presentations. It was this, along with her wish to help people, which made Konyo decide to become an attorney.

In 2005 she enrolled at the University of Guyana to pursue a Law degree, which she completed in three years. After graduating from UG, Konyo moved to Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago for two years, after which she obtained her Caribbean Legal Education Certificate.

Two weeks after being admitted to the Bar in Guyana, Konyo joined the director of public prosecutions chambers in November 2010, where she worked as a prosecutor for the state. Working at the DPP chambers was a “rich experience” Konyo said. “It’s like you’re being thrown into the deep end of the sea,” she recalled.

She pointed out that her tenure at the DDP was filled with wins and losses, but it was all worth it because it allowed her to improve as an attorney and an individual.

She is also proud that she was given the opportunity to work before several judges from whom she learnt much, and that she was a part of history in the judicial system by having the first video conference in a criminal trial.

“I worked on a lot of rich cases, and there were some that fell through because there was not enough evidence to yield a conviction, but working at the DPP is a good place for an attorney to start his or her career. It allows you to build confidence in the courtroom, and I left without any regrets.”

Thompson is now living her long-time dream of owning her own law firm, which she is operating out of Mackenzie Linden. She said that it was not an easy task but her efforts are bearing fruit as her law firm is gaining momentum.

In her quest to gave back to society, for the past three years Konyo has been sharing her knowledge and experience with the young law generation in Linden by teaching sixth form law students at the Mackenzie High School.

The young attorney advises young persons who want to pursue law as a career is to be resilient. “You have to be able to bounce back from whatever downfalls you experience and keep going forward. I detest people with a spirit of victimhood. Challenges will come your way no matter who you are, but you must always be prepared to bounce back.”

Alicia Bess is a 23-yearold focused on marketing her beautiful country to the wider world. She was recently crowned Miss Guyana Jamzone 2013, and would be competing in this year’s Miss Caribbean Culture Queen Pageant slated for Aug. 5 in St Kitts and Nevis. Bess would be competing against 12 other beauties from across the Caribbean for the coveted title. The 6-foot-tall beauty possesses a humble personality, filled with ambition, generosity and consideration. Her philosophy in life is that through hard work and determination nothing is impossible. The elegant young woman is also enthusiastic about the arts. At a very young age she trained in dance, drama and singing, and continues to be a notable figure in the performing arts arena. In 2009, she was rewarded an RBL Arts and Culture Award for her dedication to the three arts: drama, singing and dancing.

Alicia believes that true beauty comes from within, and this she has portrayed through her humanitarian work. The beauty queen is an active member of charitable and community work, and is a peer educator offering advice on various social issues, and assistance to persons in need. Alicia was always interested in pageantry and has excelled in it. This year she was first runner up in the Miss Bartica Regatta Pageant where she won the Miss Congeniality award. In the Miss Jamzone pageant she also won People’s Choice, Best Body, Best Gown and Best Smile. Alicia is currently enrolled as both an ACCA and ABE student with the hopes of reading for her master’s in business management in 2014.

8 Times Sunday Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

August 11 , 2013

Times Kids Page

Bushmaster Did you

T

South American Bushmaster (L.muta)

he Bushmaster snake (of the Genus Lachesis) is described as the longest venomous snake in the world, with a maximum known length of over 12 feet. Its habitat ranges among scrublands and forests of the Amazon River basin north to Costa Rica in Central America.

Three species of bushmaster are known to exist: L. muta, (South America) L. Stenophry , (Central America) and L. Melanocephala (Costa Rica). They all possess potentially lethal venom.

The bushmaster is a pitviper that has two heat sensing pits on its face. The heat sensing pits are used to detect warm-blooded prey such as small mammals and birds, as well as to direct predatory strikes.

The venom of the bushmaster is less toxic than many other snakes, but it produces large quantities (411 mg (0.014 oz), compared to just 52 mg (0.0018 oz) from the highly venomous copperhead snake) and has very long fangs, making it a very dangerous animal.

Fatal bites are not uncommon.

know? t is the only pit viper

I

in the Americas to lay eggs instead of bearing live young.

A Bushmaster can survive on fewer than 10 large meals per year.

Their heatsensitive pits allow a bushmaster to detect a heat difference of just 0.0036째 F (0.002째C)

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE Find and cirlce EIGHT differences between the two pictures.

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 digits 1 through 9.

please see solution on page 22

Colouring Fun

guyanatimesgy.com

august 11, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine 9

Causes Most oil spills are accidental.

Storms and shipwrecks can cause major leaks on giant oil tanker ships. Large tanker trucks full of oil can spill oil onto highways.

Underground pipes carrying crude oil may break, usually the result of tectonic events (earthquakes).

How oil kills birds

Containment

Oil spills are especially dangerous for seabirds. Feathers give a bird a waterproof and airtight coat that keeps the bird insulated from heat and cold.

Containment is the greatest part of responding to an oil spill — it is vital to control the size and location of the spill.

Containing an oil spill helps reduce environmental damage. Spills may take weeks, years or even decades to clean up.

Oil mats and separates the feathers, exposing the bird to the elements. Exposure will kill the bird if the oil is not removed.

Oily feathers also prevent the bird from flying, while some lose their buoyancy and drown.

The bird ingests the oil when it tries to clean itself, causing toxic damage to internal organs.

Feathers naturally overlap to form a waterproof seal.

All oil spills impact the living organisms of the affected regions.

Did you know?

The amount of oil the Exxon Valdez spilled in 1989 could fill 125 Olympicsized swimming pools. Twelve years later, oil could still be found on half of 91 randomly surveyed beaches.

Land oil spills may lead to underground water contamination, which is almost impossible to control.

Long, flexible tubes called containment booms are used to help control oil spills on water.

These floating booms are placed around the oil slick to minimize its spread. Detergents and special chemicals are used to help disintegrate the oil.

Depending on the spill, booms can be deployed from ships or shore.

Foam Freeboard: sits above water Water line

The 2010 Transocean Deepwater Horizon rig explosion caused the largest Gulf of Mexico oil spill to date. The explosion killed 11 platform workers and injured another 17.

One method of treating an oil spill is to burn the oil in a contained area, but this has negative effects on the environment.

Most oil refineries have earthen dams around storage areas to absorb potential spills. Dirt that has been contaminated by an oil spill must be moved to special disposal sites. Oil spills on roads or concrete floors are cleaned up with oil-absorbent clay.

Marine oil spills can contaminate vast regions.

They can spread to coastal areas and reach inland tributaries.

Smaller, but more common, are oil spills caused by private boats spilling fuel or cars leaking motor oil. Many people illegally, but deliberately, dump motor oil or other oil products into the environment.

More than 30,000 people responded to the spill in the Gulf of Mexico and its coastlines, working to collect oil, clean up beaches and rescue animals.

The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill is estimated to have killed more than 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 250 bald eagles, 300 harbor seals and 22 killer whales, as well as countless herring and salmon.

Draft: below water keeps oil from escaping from under the boom Weight Oil separates the feathers, causing hypothermia and loss of buoyancy.

Booms have between 18 to 48 inches of material under the surface. They are only effective in calm water because high waves can wash over them.

A helping hand: Cleaning oil from feathers and fur Large populations of birds and other wildlife can be devastated by an oil spill. Without human intervention, most oil-contaminated animals will die. Rescue operations sometimes accept and train volunteers to help wash the animals in need. Only specially trained personnel should handle hazardous materials and wildlife. The stress of being handled can be as deadly as the oil. A veterinarian determines if the animal is calm enough to be washed. Handlers wear long rubber gloves to keep dry and work in pairs to better control the process.

Juvenile Northern gannet

By Laurie Triefeldt

A form of pollution, oil spills are the release of crude or refined oil into the environment. Most oil spills are accidental, but some have been intentional acts of war. Oil spills are mostly man-made disasters that can happen on land or sea, but spills in water are much harder to contain and clean up. Spills often have terrible consequences for plant and animal populations in the affected regions and can impact global economies.

10 largest spills 10. MT Haven Type: Tanker When: April 11, 1991 Where: Genoa, Italy Gallons spilled: 45 million 9. ABT Summer Type: Tanker When: May 28, 1991 Where: Off the coast of Angola Gallons spilled: 50-80 million 8. Amoco Cadiz Type: Tanker When: March 16, 1978 Where: Portsall, France Gallons spilled: 69 million 7. Castillo de Bellver Type: Tanker When: Aug. 6, 1983 Where: Saldanha Bay, South Africa Gallons spilled: 79 million 6. Nowruz Oil Field Type: Platform When: Feb. 10, 1983 Where: Persian Gulf, Iran Gallons spilled: 80 million gallons 5. Kolva River Type: Pipelines When: Aug. 12, 1994 Where: Usinsk, Russia Gallons spilled: 84 million 4. Atlantic Empress Type: Tanker When: July 19, 1979 Where: Trinidad and Tobago Gallons spilled: 90 million 3. Ixtoc 1 Type: Tanker When: June 3, 1979 Where: Bay of Campeche, Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico Gallons spilled: 140 million 2. Deepwater Horizon Type: Platform When: April 22, 2010 Where: Gulf of Mexico, southern U.S. Gallons spilled: 206 million 1. Gulf War (A deliberate act of war) Type: Pipelines When: Jan. 19, 1991 Where: Persian Gulf, Kuwait Gallons spilled: 380-520 million

The eyes are flushed with a warm saline solution, and a cotton swab is used to removed oil from the nostrils and bill. A suction tube may be inserted to remove oil from the stomach.

The bird’s body and wings are washed in a mild dishwashing solution (ironically, an oil product).

Wings and feathers are gently stroked in the direction of growth.

It takes three or four washes before the job is finished. The bird is then towel-dried. Birds usually recover a few days after treatment. The process is similar for most other wildlife.

SOURCES: World Book Encyclopedia, World Book Inc.; http://oceanservice.noaa.gov; http://interestingenergyfacts.blogspot.com; http://www.ehow.com; http:// www.mnn.com; International Bird Rescue; http://bpoilspillcrisisinthegulf.webs.com; BBC; www.ehow.com

10 Times Sunday Magazine

August 11 , 2013

Times Fashion

L

Designer Nelsion Nurse

ocal designer Nelsion Nurse’s recent collection ‘Metamorphosis’ is a story of his personal growth and transformation in the fashion world.

The designer believes “growth not only relates to age but one’s open-mindedness to face challenges with optimism.” His usage of the colours pink and blue are incorporated harmoniously in ‘Metamorphosis’ as they both represent peace, stability and tranquillity.

“Pink is the colour of happiness and sometimes makes people feel light-hearted, especially those who are over worked and burdened. Blue is the colour of the sky and symbolizes ‘the sky is the limit’. It is also associated with depth and stability which is considered beneficial to one's mind and produces a calming, peaceful effect,” Nelsion explains in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine.

Working diligently to etch his name on the local fashion scene, the young fashion connoisseur did not sit on his laurels since his debut winning collection ‘Patches’ in 2010 at the Guyana Fashion Weekend 4 (GFW4). Nelsion has been consistently

active, working in various facets of the creative industry since that hallmark introduction. He has been doing costume art for children and adult bands and set designs for public and private sector entities. The designer works with different schooling groups to teach movement and craft.

Additionally, Nelsion has worked closely as the production assistant for Caribbean fashion guru and expert, Richard Young, for the Guyana Fashion Weekend and Guyana Model Search and Designers Portfolio. He has also won numerous awards at various pageants, including Miss Guyana Talented Teen and Miss Amerindian Heritage, for gowns he designed.

Nelsion crafts designs which speak volumes about his own metamorphosis. He credits his mother, Joan Woolford, for being his greatest influence and inspiration. She has been instrumental in Nelsion’s designing ideas and plans.

The fashion extraordinaire has also inspired and paved the way for young creative individuals, mentoring fashion and set designers, and always sourcing an avenue for them to exercise their passion.

Designer Sonia Noel disclosed to Guyana Times Sunday Magazine that Nelsion, since becoming the most promising designer in GFW 2010, is now ranked among the top names in the local fashion industry. She added that his collection will be one of 40 presented at the upcoming Guyana Fashion Weekend 2013.

For more information on Nelsion Nurse and his recent collection, call 226-3099.

guyanatimesgy.com

guyanatimesgy.com

august 11, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine 11

Star Times Hollywood

J

essica Lucas is a Canadian actress and singer. She was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Jessica has been acting since she was seven years old, receiving professional training with the Children's Theatre Arts. She earned theatre credits in local productions of “Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs”, “Grease”, “Cinderella”, “Mousetrap” and “Music Medley”. Jessica has developed herself as a professional and is best known for her roles in the series “Melrose Place”, “Edgemont” and “Cult”, and in the movies, “She's the Man”, “The Covenant”, “Cloverfield” and most recently, “Evil Dead”. In 2008, she guest starred as Kimberly MacIntyre in four episodes of The CW's “90210”. In 2011 she played Haley in “Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son”, where she showcased her singing talents as well as her acting skills. She will soon be seen in the upcoming American romantic comedy film, “Are We Officially Dating?” alongside Zac Efron.

12 Times Sunday Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

August 11 , 2013

Times Hollywood

Avril Lavigne debuts dark, Katy, John to make Amanda Bynes sweet music ‘gravely disabled’ defiant album cover

K

aty Perry is set to appear on boyfriend John Mayer's forthcoming album, “Paradise Valley”.

The “Teenage Dream” hit-maker recorded a country track titled “Who You Love” which will appear on the album - Mayer's sixth.

News of Perry and Mayer's musical collaboration comes after the pair recently reconciled after a brief split earlier this year.

Speaking about his girlfriend when he returned to the stage in July, after undergoing surgery on his vocal chords, Mayer told the crowd: "She was so patient... [She took the time] to continue to get to know me and love me."

Perry's appearance on the album comes after Mayer recently collaborated with Frank Ocean on the track “Pyramids”. (Glamour)

O

A

manda Bynes has been placed on an immediate, extended 30-day psychiatric hold, ahead of a planned conservatorship hearing Friday morning in L.A. Doctors at the psychiatric hospital where the troubled actress has been held the last two weeks determined she was not well enough to leave the hospital to attend the hearing, where Bynes's parents are trying to win temporary conservatorship.

Bynes's doctors went to the judge overseeing the actress's case, sources told TMZ, and the judge traveled to the hospital to conduct an emergency hearing.

After that meeting, the judge granted the doctors' request.

According to the law, doctors can only get such an order if the patient is

"gravely disabled as a result of a mental disorder."

Bynes's parents can still pursue temporary conservatorship, which would allow them to control her finances.

(People)

n her new single "Rock N Roll," Avril Lavigne defiantly declares "I am the motherfreakin' princess" ... and now, she's got her royal portrait.

Late Thursday, she revealed the cover art for her upcoming album, a stark and striking photograph in which she gets decidedly dark (What would Winnie Cooper think?) Her eyes are ringed in smeared eyeliner, her hair is pulled back tight on her head, and her stare is piercing And as if the image wasn't statement enough, well, consider the fact that this album is self-titled ... that's about all you need to know.

The album is reportedly due in September, and has already been preceded by a pair of singles — the

aforementioned "Rock N Roll" (co-written by her husband, Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger) and "Here's To Never Growing Up." She's been working on the follow-up to Goodbye Lullaby since late 2011 with producers Martin Johnson, Max Martin and David Hodges, and as recently as April, she was still writing and recording. In fact, Lavigne has written so many songs that she's re-

portedly considering releasing a second album in the near future: "I definitely wrote a lot of songs. I've got about two records worth of music, so maybe I'll do back-to-back records," she said in a recent interview. "I kinda want to do the back-to-back records because I've worked so hard on writing a ton of songs and I just want to tame it perfect. And then, because there were so many, it was like 'Okay, well, what makes sense?' " Makes sense to us. And given how cool this cover is, we can't wait to see what she'll do for an encore.

(MTV)

Beyoncé breaks another record

Y

et another milestone for the fabulous Mrs. Carter!

Not only do we give Beyoncé kudos for undergoing a bold new cut, but she can now add “fragrance mogul” to her ever-expanding list of accomplishments.

Her “Heat” collection of signature scents has just been named the best-selling celebrity fragrance brand worldwide. Since 2010 she’s launched six, to be exact — the latest is a limited edition of Heat for her Mrs. Carter Show world tour (now available at Beyonce.com). If you missed the show, it’s the best-smelling alternative.

(People)

S

august 11, 2013

tarting his career off as a model in Delhi, Rohit Bakshi never dreamed of becoming a Bollywood hero or even someone who would be very popular on the small screen. However, after moving to Mumbai for better opportunities, Rohit got a chance to act in the serial “Titliyan” on Sahara One. This was followed by a plethora of shows both on Sahara One as well as those produced by Balaji Telefilms. He has wooed the small screen audiences with his roles in popular soaps like “Kahiin To Hoga”, “Kahiin Kissi Roz” and “Kyunki Saans Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi”.

Currently, Rohit is busy promoting his debut film “Dehraadun Diary”- a movie based on true events of an ordinary man who struggles with life and love.

guyanatimesgy.com

Times Sunday Magazine 13

Star Times Bollywood

14 Times Sunday Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

August 11 , 2013

Times Bollywood

Case filed against Shah Rukh for gender test of surrogate son A

complaint has been filed in a local court seeking action against actor Shahrukh Khan, his wife Gauri and others under the Pre-conception and PreNatal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act in connection with their surrogate son AbRam. The complaint, filed by lawyer Varsha Deshpande on Thursday, alleged that the child's gender had been determined before birth, thereby violating the sections of the Act. The 47-year-old actor's third child was born to a surrogate mother recently at a private hospital, the complaint said and claimed that gender testing was banned under the Act. The lawyer said she had earlier filed a complaint with health department of Brihanmumbai Municipal

Corporation (BMC) follow-

ing media reports about

a child being born to the couple through surrogacy amidst allegations that gender test had been conducted.

Soon thereafter, civic officials visited the actor's house on June 17 to ascertain the facts. However, the team was sent away and the actor had rubbished allegations that the provisions of the Act had been violated.

The complainant alleged that the civic officials had failed to take action against the couple and hence she moved the magistrate's court with a fresh complaint.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Uday Padwad has fixed the matter for hearing on September 12.

Meanwhile, the court has issued notices to the couple, civic health officials and other respondents. (India Express)

Priyanka Chopra to paint the town ‘pink’

B

ollywood’s ‘Desi Girl’ Priyanka Chopra, who will be seen in Apoorva Lakhia’s action thriller, “Zanjeer”, opposite Telegu star Ram Charan Teja, is being featured in one item number after the other.

The film’s song, “Mumbai Ke Hero”, saw Priyanka don a ‘sexy’ police outfit for the very first time, and now, the makers have come out with another special song featuring the actor. This one

would be PeeCee’s introductory song in the film. Titled, “Pinky”, it has been choreographed by ace choreographer Ganesh Acharya.

Speaking about this special number, Priyanka says, “We’re going to paint the dance floors pink! We had such a blast doing this song.

Ganesh Acharya, Mamta Sharma, the Meet Brothers and Apoorva Lakhia… we’ve all come together to give you a tune that you can’t help but dance to!”

Meanwhile, the actor is ready to work with actor Ranbir Kapoor in filmmaker Anurag Basu’s ‘Jagga Jasoos”, a detective thriller that will also star Alia Bhatt.

This is the third time that she will star with Ranbir after “Anjaana Anjaani” and “Barfi”, and she shares a good working relationship with both Ranbir and Anurag. (Hindustan Times)

Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor to star together

M

ega star Amitabh Bachchan would be shooting for Sudhir Mishra's next film “Mehrunnisa”.

A lavish stage is being erected in the Chowk area for the shoot, which will see Big B, as Amitabh Bachchan is popularly known, Rishi Kapoor and the main lead of the film, Chitrangada Singh, shoot in the city.

Permission for shooting has been sought by the film unit for places like the Chowk, Bada Imambada, La Martinere Boys' College and Colvin Taluqdar's College.

The film is a tale of two

friends who meet again after a span of 40 years. The script was written in 1996 by director Sudhir Mishra, and revolves around the friends, who fall in love with the same woman and get separated. The woman they sought, played by Chitrangada, re-enters their life when they are in their 60s.

The tale that the film tells begins in 1945 and spans four decades.

“Mehrunnisa” is produced by Nikhil Advani.

Director Sudhir Mishra hails from Lucknow. (Times of India)

Aishwarya Rai to do an item number in ‘Ram Leela’

B

ollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has lost most of her post pregnancy weight and is geared to come back on big screen.

Aishwarya, who was last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's “Guzaarish” in 2010, is likely to make a comeback with the same director. Bhansali, who admires Aishwarya's work and shares a good rapport with her, has allegedly offered the pretty actress an item number in his next film “Ram Leela”.

This is not the first time that Aishwarya will do a Bhansali's film. She has given memorable performances in director's “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam”, “Devdas”

and “Guzaarish”.

While her fans want to see her back on screen, Aishwarya is busy playing a doting mother to her twoyear-old daughter and taking her own sweet time to return to films. However, her fans hope she takes up this offer. (Times of India)

guyanatimesgy.com

August 11 , 2013

Times Sunday Magazine

15

Times Healthy Living

Does sugar make children hyperactive?

Dread birthday parties because of the effect cakes and drinks will have on your child? Evidence shows this actually affects parents’ behaviour, not the child’s

M

any of us have watched children arrive at a party as reasonable, polite human beings, eat copious amounts of cakes and sweets and then transform into overexcited, over-energetic little devils – so how do we account for this?

If you’ve ever been to a children’s birthday party and noticed how they tear around the room, getting more and more excited the longer the party goes on, you’ve probably also heard an adult remark that the increasingly rowdy behaviour is due to the amount of sugar they’ve consumed. In an attempt to hold calmer, more relaxing parties, some parents hold sugar-free events, swapping fairy cakes and fizzy drinks for hummus sandwiches and water.

The idea that sugar affects behaviour is widely believed and has even been used in court. It’s known in the United States as the “Twinkie defense”. There are various hypotheses that

attempt to explain how behaviour could be linked to sugar consumption, including some children might have an allergic response to refined sugar, or have abnormal patterns of blood glucose levels.

But the evidence for a link between sugar consumption and hyperactivity is surprisingly slim. The most comprehensive study is a meta-analysis carried out in 1995, where the authors searched for the bestdesigned studies on the subject, combined the data and re-analysed it. There are two main types of research: some studies gave children either sucrose or an artificial sweetener, such as aspartame, and then monitored their subsequent behaviour without children or parents knowing whether they ate real sugar; others focus on children with a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or another condition to see whether sugar affects them particularly.

Between them, the studies covered age ranges from two to thirty, and were well-designed though fairly small. All but one of the sixteen studies had fewer than fifty participants and one had just five. But the results of the meta-analysis were clear: sugar could not be shown to affect behaviour or cognitive performance.

Yet so many of us have watched children arrive at a party as reasonable, polite human beings, eat copious amounts of cakes and sweets and then transform into over-excited, over-energetic little devils – so how do we account for this?

As the party goes on children play more games, and inevitably get more excited and then over-tired, when of course their behaviour deteriorates. We see kids get more unruly, notice how much sugary food they’ve had, and then assume there must be a link.

One study set out to test the expectation of parents who believed that sugar had

a bad effect on their sons.

In the experiment half the mothers were led to believe their sons were drinking something sugary. The other half were told the drinks really contained an artificial sweetener, not sugar. When the mothers were then asked to observe and rate their children’s behaviour, those who thought their sons had been consuming sugar said they were more hyperactive than the mothers who knew they had drank a placebo. But there was another twist to the study. While the mothers were observing their children, the researchers were observing them.

They noticed that the mothers who thought their sons had drunk too much sugar not only criticised them more, they also stayed closer to them and watched them more. So the supposed sugar had not changed the boys’ behaviour, but their mothers’.

So, at the moment there isn’t good evidence that the quantity of sugar consumed

at parties makes children more hyperactive. Far fewer studies are published on this topic these days, but some researchers are still looking for a link between high sugar consumption over a long period and ADHD. They point out that sugar intake in the UK and the US has risen over the past two hundred years and that more recently the diagnosis of ADHD has as well. But this is still only a correlation, and the study authors

do stress that far more research is needed before any causal link can be proven.

Despite their better efforts, the precise causes of ADHD are still unknown.

There are, of course, plenty of other reasons for children not to consume too much sugar, chief among them being rotten teeth and weight-gain. But it seems that the risk of over-excitement isn’t one of them. That will happen anyway. (BBC Future)

Is age the cause of receding gums?

T

he phrase “long in the tooth” comes from the practice of gauging a horse’s age by the length of its teeth. Nineteenth century horse-traders were not a particularly trustworthy bunch, so a wise buyer would often check inside the animal’s mouth. If the teeth looked long it meant its gums had already receded, suggesting the potential purchase might be older than claimed. This might have served people well when it came to buying horses, but what about humans?

Gingival recession, as it’s formally known, is more common amongst the elderly. A US study of almost 10,000 people found that 38 percent of people aged 30-39 had some degree of the condition, compared with 71 percent in the 50-59 age group, and 90 percent for those aged between 80-90. However that doesn’t mean ageing in itself is the cause. It’s a long process that can start in your teens, and one that can be triggered by various factors.

In some cases, there is nothing people can do to reduce their chances of developing the condition. Some people inherit thin and fragile gums which recede more easily. Others have teeth which are overcrowded or stick out, meaning that there’s not enough jawbone to cover the root of the tooth.

Dental hygiene also plays a big role. Plaque, consisting of a sticky film of bacteria, is constantly forming on our teeth. Failure to clear the build ups through brushing and flossing can lead to gum disease. If left untreated, one possible complication is the destruction of the bone around the teeth and the gum tissue in which they sit. As the tissue recedes, the root of the tooth is exposed, making it appear longer.

Then there’s the way you brush your teeth. If you use a sawing action with a hard brush, there’s a danger of gradually wearing away the gum. For this reason dentists tend to advise brushing in small circles with a soft brush or using an electric toothbrush to prevent you from pressing so hard. The damage accumulates over time, causing the gums to recede imperceptibly, until one day you look in the mirror and realise you’ve changed.

As this transformation can take decades, many people assume it’s a natural part of the ageing process.

Research on receding gums often relies on asking people what kind of toothbrush they use, the brushing motions they use and how hard they brush. Some argue that due to a lack of controlled studies, there’s no definitive evidence that hard brushing does anything more

than cause temporary abrasions, but many dentists do consider there to be a link.

The condition is also more common in smokers.

With so many different factors involved, controlled studies are difficult to do.

Many are cross-sectional, meaning they take a snapshot in time. Participants have their teeth examined and then are asked to describe their tooth-cleaning habits. But intriguing research from Spain studied not the general public, but a group of people who should know exactly how to look after their teeth – dentists.

Their teeth and dental habits were examined in their final year at dental school and again ten years later.

Surprisingly 7.5 percent of the dentists admitted they only brushed their teeth once a day. After a decade, the proportion with receding gums was the same, but among those with the condition an average of 6.5 teeth were affected compared with 5.1. So in a group likely to have good dental hygiene on the whole, the passage of time saw receding gums get progressively worse but did not increase the numbers affected.

The condition is worth taking seriously and not just for cosmetic reasons. The root of the tooth isn’t protected by enamel in the same way as the crown, so once it’s

exposed it causes sensitivity and is more prone to decay. Treatments range from dealing with any tooth decay present, to crowns and even surgery, whereby tissue from

another part of gum or the roof of the mouth is grafted onto the problem area.

So if you’re looking to buy a horse it might be worth their checking their teeth,

but ageing is not a direct cause of receding gums. It’s simply that the damage accumulates and becomes more obvious over time.

(BBC Future)

16 Times Sunday Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

august 11, 2013

Times Home & Cooking

Quibebe (Butternut Squash Soup)

A beautiful overhead bed canopy and matching drapes adds opulence to the room

Ingredients: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 medium onion, chopped 1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 small garlic clove, minced 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, chopped fine 2 lbs butternut squash, cut into 1/2 in cubes, peeled and seeded

Method: Melt butter over medium heat. Add the onion, tomato, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minute Add the squash, beef stock, salt, and sugar.

Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered for 30 min., or until the squash falls apart when touched.

Puree soup, put back into pot.

Add potatoes and cook for 15 minute or until potatoes are tender.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese

Bedroom wall decor When it comes to decorating the wall over the bed in your bedroom, think outside the box of standard artwork or mirror decor and get creative...

Window in the way? No problem when you opt instead for an elegant chandelier

Szechuan Shrimp Ingredients: 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 tablespoon ketchup 1 tablespoon chilli sauce 1 tablespoon rice wine or 1 tablespoon sherry wine 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 teaspoons canola oil (peanut oil if you prefer) 4 green onions, chopped 2 tablespoons minced gingerroot 2 teaspoons minced garlic Method: Mix ketchup, chilli sauce rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper flakes, and corn starch in small bowl to make sauce.

Pour oil in seasoned wok before heating and wipe around.

Heat wok and add scallions ginger and garlic.

Stir-fry for a few seconds, and then add shrimp.

Stir constantly for about 2 minutes, adding small amounts of water if food starts to stick; cook until shrimp turns pink.

Stir sauce again, and then add to wok, stirring constantly until mixture thickens.

Serve with steamed rice.

Greatest Cooking Tips Put coffee in an ice tray so when you make an ice coffee later it doesn’t get watered down.

When you deep-fry, hold each piece of food with long tongs as you add it to the oil. Hold it just below the oil's surface for five seconds before releasing it. This will seal the exterior and stop it from sticking to the pot or the other food.

Fill a plastic bottle with water a quarter of a way full and lay it on the side in the freezer. That way, when frozen, you can fill with water and have ice cold water on the go.

Home Help

Providing the illusion of floating books or mementos, white shelves on white walls is a unique decorating trick. Don’t worry, once packed properly nothing should fall

Avoid the burn from a lit match when trying to light a hard to reach candle in its holder. Light a stick of spaghetti that’s long enough to reach and light the wick with that.

Before you throw away that used Post-It, run it between the keys in your keyboard to collect fluff and crumbs.

Tired of all those tangled cords lying around? Fold them into empty toilet paper rolls and store them in a shoe box for when they’re needed.

The best way to clean the inside of your toilet tank is to turn off water at the base. Flush the toilet, which will empty the tank, then wipe the inside with paper towels.

guyanatimesgy.com

august 11, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine 17

Times Sunday Puzzle

What is the smallest whole number that, when written out, uses all the vowels, A, E, I, O, U and even Y one and one time only each in its spelling? see solution on page 22

see solution on page 22

see solution on page 22

18 Times Sunday Magazine

August 11 , 2013

ly among them, and the shepherd yodelled sweetly in the valleys. Then banyan trees bent their long drooping branches over the boat, black swans floated on the water, and the strangest animals and flowers appeared on the shore. This was New Holland, the fifth portion of the world, which glided past them with a view of its blue mountains. They heard the song of priests, and saw the dances of the savages to the sound of drums and pipes of bone. The pyramids of Egypt reaching to the clouds, with fallen columns, and Sphinxes half buried in sand, next sailed past them. Then came the Aurora Borealis blazing over the peaks of the north; they were fireworks which could not be imitated. The Prince was so happy, and he saw a hundred times more than we have described.

“Can I stay here always?” he asked.

“That depends upon yourself,” answered the Fairy. “If you do not, like Adam, allow yourself to be tempted to do what is forbidden, you can stay here always.”

“I will not touch the apples on the Tree of Knowledge,” said the Prince. “There are thousands of other fruits here as beautiful.”

(TO BE CONTINUED)

By Hans Christian Andersen

W

ere these palm trees or giant water plants growing here? The Prince had never seen such rich and mighty trees. The most wonderful climbing plants hung in wreaths, such as are only to be found pictured in gold and colours on the margins of old books of the Saints or entwined among their initial letters. It was the most extraordinary combination of birds, flowers and scrolls.

Close by on the grass stood a flock of peacocks with their brilliant tails outspread. Yes, indeed, it seemed so, but when the Prince touched them he saw that they were not birds but plants. They were big dock leaves, which shone like peacocks' tails. Lions and tigers sprang like agile cats among the green hedges, which were scented with the blossom of the olive, and the lion and the tiger were tame. The wild dove, glistening like a pearl, beat the lion's mane with his wings; and the antelope, otherwise so shy, stood by nodding, just as if he wanted to join the game.

The Fairy of the Garden now advanced to meet them; her garments shone like the sun, and her face beamed like that of a happy mother rejoicing over her child. She was young and very beautiful, and was surrounded by a band of lovely girls, each with a gleaming star in her hair.

When the Eastwind gave her the inscribed leaf from the Phœnix her eyes sparkled with delight. She took the Prince's hand and led him into her palace, where the walls were the colour of the brightest tulips in the sunlight. The ceiling was one great shining flower, and the longer one gazed into it the deeper the calyx seemed to be.

The Prince went to the window, and looking through one of the panes saw the Tree of Knowledge, with the Serpent, and Adam and Eve standing by.

'Are they not driven out?' he asked, and the Fairy smiled, and explained that Time had burned a picture into each pane, but not of the kind one usually sees; they were alive, the leaves on the trees moved, and people came and went like the reflections in a mirror.

Then he looked through another pane, and he saw Jacob's dream, with the ladder going straight up into heaven, and angels with great wings were fluttering up and down. All that had ever happened in this world lived and moved on these window

guyanatimesgy.com

Poem

The Fairy of the Garden now advanced to meet them

panes; only Time could imprint such wonderful pictures.

The Fairy of the Garden now advanced to meet them; her garments shone like the sun, and her face beamed like that of a happy mother rejoicing over her child.

The Fairy smiled and led him into a large, lofty room, the walls of which were like transparent paintings of faces, one more beautiful than the other. These were millions of the Blessed who smiled and sang, and all their songs melted into one perfect melody. The highest ones were so tiny that they seemed smaller than the very smallest rosebud, no bigger than a pinpoint in a drawing. In the middle of the room stood a large tree, with handsome drooping branches; golden apples, large and small, hung like oranges among its green leaves. It was the

Tree of Knowledge, of whose fruit Adam and Eve had eaten. From every leaf hung a shining red drop of dew; it was as if the tree wept tears of blood.

'Now let us get into the boat,' said the Fairy. 'We shall find refreshment on the swelling waters. The boat rocks, but it does not move from the spot; all the countries of the world will pass before our eyes.'

It was a curious sight to see the whole coast move. Here came lofty snow-clad Alps, with their clouds and dark fir trees. The horn echoed sad-

Eldorado Gaily bedight, A gallant knight, In sunshine and in shadow, Had journeyed long, Singing a song, In search of Eldorado.

But he grew old-This knight so bold-And o'er his heart a shadow Fell as he found No spot of ground That looked like Eldorado.

And, as his strength Failed him at length, He met a pilgrim shadow"Shadow," said he, "Where can it be-This land of Eldorado?"

"Over the Mountains Of the Moon, Down the Valley of the Shadow, Ride, boldly ride," The shade replied-"If you seek for Eldorado!

Edgar Allan Poe

Send your creative writing to sundaymagazine@guyanatimesgy.com

guyanatimesgy.com

August 11 , 2013

Times Sunday Magazine19

The egg box that updates a humble yet classic design I

t is just over 100 years since Canadian inventor Joseph Coyle perfected a design to prevent eggs breaking on their way to market.

His design was the first egg carton, offering a measure of protection for this most breakable of commodities. Coyle’s cardboard creation was first made by hand before a machine was invented to manufacture them after World War I. Later in the 1950s, British designer H G Bennett created the design we see on supermarket shelves and in corner stores – made of cardboard, moulded paper pulp or plastic, and with an individual space for each egg to sit. As food packaging has become more sophisticated – from aseptic linings in cartons of milk to vacuum-packed fish – the humble egg carton has changed little. Shock absorbing and cheap to produce, the carton has also become a signifier for what it contains – you don’t need to see the eggs to know what it contains.

Hungarian design student Eva Valicsek, however, may have come up with a replacement. Her concept for an egg carton of the future – made of cardboard and a rubber band – was made for a university competition but has already received some cautious commercial interest.

Her redesign came from a challenge

Eva Valicsek designed her replacement for the current egg carton as part of her course studying package design at the University of West Hungary (BBC/Nora Denes)

set by the Institute of Applied Art at the University of West Hungary, in the city of Sopron, where she was studying.

“I looked at existing egg cartons and found many problems with them,” she says.

“Most importantly, the existing boxes cannot be adjusted to the size of the eggs - smaller eggs may turn around in the stand.”

The current egg box protects the eggs but also keeps them out of sight; when we buy

other products, such as fruit and vegetables, we’re able to choose exactly which ones we want to buy.

The open top is one of the most striking elements of Valicsek’s rethink. “As a starting point I wanted to design a flexible box to fit the different egg sizes,” she says. “I made many models to find the right form. During these experiments, I accidentally used a rubber band that was sitting on my table - then

realised that I found the perfect solution.”

The box also had to be easy to transport.

Valicsek designed the carton so it could fold up flat, making it easier to move.

“I designed a carton that can be flatpacked. I assembled my piece without using any glue; the carton is fixed to the base at one point.”

Those whose eggs have survived a drop or crush thanks to the relative strength of the traditional egg box may view the opentopped re-imagination with some suspicion.

But Valicsek believes her design is just as robust as the current model.

“The eggs are held firmly in the carton thanks to the flexible rubber band and the cut-out holes, you can even turn the box into its sizes, and the eggs will not break. It can stand lateral forces. The eggs will not roll out.”

The cardboard used to make Valicsek’s design is environmentally friendly – and recyclable. She says the box can be reused many times.

At the moment, she adds, the egg box is “still an idea, not a product.” But there has been tentative interest, partly because of the flat pack design. “I had a call a month ago from a Croatian producer and we have just started discussions,” Valicsek says. (BBC Future)

Could carbon dioxide be converted to electricity?

T

he greenhouse gases produced by power plants could be a source of electricity, says new research. A new paper published this week in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, written by a team of researchers in the Netherlands, describes how CO2 could be mixed with a fluid electrolyte, generating electrical energy in the process.

A press release from the American Chemical Society, which publishes the journal, calls this a "trash-to-treasure" story, saying it could help produce billions of kilowatts of energy every year while reducing the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

The research was conducted at Wetsus, which describes itself as a centre for excellence for sustainable water technology. The team

forced CO2 into water and other fluids, where the carbon dioxide split into positive and negative ions. Two special membranes were placed on either side of the water, one of which the positive ions could pass through and another which the negative ions could pass through.

This produced a flow of electrons between the two membranes which could be captured by an electrode. Voila, electricity.

Too good to be true?

The research to date is just a proof of concept, and it actually uses more electricity than it generates, but lead researcher Bert Hamelers told NBC News that it could be scaled up and there are alternative approaches that could flip that equation.

If truly scaled up to massive proportions, the researchers say this new process could help to use the 12

billion tons of CO2 released every year by burning coal, oil and natural gas to produce electricity (another 11 billion tons are generated by home and commercial heating). They say that using all of the CO2 from power plants, industrial factories and residences could generate more than 1.5 trillion kilowatts of electricity every year. That, according to the paper, is 400 times more energy than is generated annually by the Hoover Dam. Of course, the process doesn't actually consume the CO2. It just puts it to use, so the carbon dioxide may still need to be captured in some way rather than released into the atmosphere. But Hamelers told NBC News that this process could put to use energy that would otherwise be wasted, making power plants and other facilities more ef-

ficient and allowing them to produce more electricity without increasing their

levels of CO2 emissions.

Hamelers' previous research has covered topics

such as microbial fuel cells and removing heavy metals from sewage. (mnn.com)

20 Times Sunday Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

august 11, 2013

Times Tech

Every day, more people connect face to face on the iPhone than any other phone

V

ideo conferencing seemed to be finally finding its footing when the late Steve Jobs first announced FaceTime at the 2010 World Wide Developers Conference.

More than two years later, the feature is in full swing, allowing Mac users to make video calls over both Wi-

number or email address of the person you are trying to call in order to use FaceTime.

Open FaceTime

FaceTime is included with OS X Lion or later. Mac OS X v10.6 users can download FaceTime from the Mac App Store. There is no offi-

password or select Create New Account and fill out the necessary fields (i.e. name, email, location, etc.).

Choose the phone number and email addresses you want associated with your FaceTime account. Apple will automatically verify your account information afterward. If you’re using an iPhone, make sure to toggle FaceTime on under the FaceTime options in your phone’s main settings.

Make a call

Fi and cellular networks on a variety of Apple devices.

The feature didn’t revolutionize the way we carry out phone calls, but serves as a handy alternative to Skype or Facebook Chat. Plus, it’s simple to set up, easy to use, and does all the basics.

Check your system requirements and what you need

FaceTime comes with a few stipulations. First off, the app can only be run on the following devices: - iPhone 4 or later.

- iPad 2 or later.

- Fourth-generation iPod touch or later - Mac with Mac OS X v10.6.6 or later Keep in mind FaceTime video calling availability depends on carrier policies and data charges may apply while using the app over your wireless network. You will also need the phone

Tech News

A

cial FaceTime app for the iPhone as the Phone app has FaceTime functionality built in.

Activate FaceTime

iPhones automatically register your phone number for FaceTime upon activation, but you will need to enable FaceTime while using the iPad, iPod touch or Mac desktop app. To begin, enter a valid Apple ID and

There are several ways to make a standard FaceTime call depending on which FaceTime-enabled Apple device you’re using. If you are using an iPad, iPod touch, or the FaceTime app for Mac, you’ll need to add a person as a contact using the FaceTime or Contacts app before you can place a call with them. iPhone: Using Contacts: Tap the FaceTime icon in the bottom-right corner while viewing a contact to place a FaceTime call Using Phone: Tap the FaceTime icon during a phone call to invite the other party to a FaceTime call Using Messages: Tap the FaceTime icon at the top while viewing messages to

place a FaceTime call iPad, iPod touch, or FaceTime app for Mac OS X: Using Contacts: Tap or click the FaceTime icon while viewing a contact or place a FaceTime call Using FaceTime: Tap or click a contact from the Favourites, Recents, or Contacts list to place a FaceTime call

Give it a go

That’s basically all there is to it. FaceTime doesn’t tout any particularly grand features or tools — just basic video calling from one Apple user to another. Be sure to check out the Apple Support Centre for more information.

Facebook Moves Cautiously on Video Ads

s soon as this fall, Facebook plans to launch a video-ad service that will show members 15-secondor-less clips on both smartphones and the Web, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Facebook needs the ads to be sufficiently splashy that they will convince brands to fork over roughly $2 million per day.

Yet since earlier this year, Mr Zuckerberg and his engineers have toiled over how to make the ads not so distracting and slow that they alien-

ate users, according to current and former employees and advertisers. The videos will appear prominently on members' homepage news feeds, the people familiar said.

Striking that balance between consumer happiness and commercial opportunity has been a challenge for the young company, leading to delays and frustrations among the marketers it is trying to woo.

With more than one billion users, Facebook can guarantee marketers a global reach that

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's cofounder and chief executive

few can match. But many advertisers are concerned about the high price of the ads themselves, several media buyers said.

According to executives familiar with the ads, Facebook will charge around $2 million per day to let advertisers reach the full Facebook audience of adults aged 18 to 54. As a comparison, a 30-second spot during the last Super Bowl cost advertisers about $3.8 million.

The company is also allowing advertisers to pay less money to reach segments of the

Facebook audience, such as all males aged 18 to 54.

Facebook has told ad executives that the video content will be approved by the company, according to people familiar with the matter. Some advertisers worry they will end up spending more money on creative development, on top of what they are spending on the ad placements. Others, however, are repurposing content made for television, according to one ad executive. (Online WSJ)

guyanatimesgy.com

august 11, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine 21

From waste to works of art

Times Art

Flower made from plastic bottles

A local art company transforms garbage into functional art

in the near future. Adults have called and expressed their interest in being involved so we’re planning on expanding our efforts. I hope we can also work with groups and schools to make this a bigger project,” Steve declared.

Outlining his plans for this project, Steve is focused on getting schools involved by encouraging the collection of certain garbage items and teaching them artistic ways of using these. In addition, he is urging companies and groups to team up with Bravo Arts to make this a countrywide initiative. He disclosed that Bravo Arts plans to set up a booth at the

D

upcoming GuyExpo and exhibit all the artwork made by the children.

A final ‘Get Creative Funshop’ class will commence on August 12 to 23 where children ages 7 to 11 and 12 to 15 can register. There is a fee of $12,000 and Bravo Arts provides all materials for the children.

Steve indicated that they can only facilitate 10 children for each age group and so spaces are limited.

“This is a great opportunity for the kids to find themselves, to see how artistic they can get and explore the possibility of becoming future artists. This is not a strict classroom setting, so prepare to have fun and get creative. Certificates are given to the kids upon completion of the classes,” Steve explained.

For more information on the ‘Get Creative Funshop’ call 223-0677. (Cover photo: Chair made from old tires)

Getting creative at Funshop

oing their part in the crusade against the garbage epidemic in Guyana, local art company Bravo Arts has introduced their fun initiative for teaching youths how to get creative in transforming recyclable garbage into wonderful art.

In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, Bravo Arts’ Steve Douglas revealed that he is

and this motivated him to come up with inventive ways in dealing with garbage locally. He noted that making a difference calls for ingenious thinking and seeing beyond these items being just garbage.

“I found that preaching on people to desist from littering does not work because they still do the same thing. But coming up with creative ways in recycling

Photo frames made from old CDs

peeved with the littering situation in our country and has conceptualized a ‘Get Creative Funshop’ painting and recycling art class, to get youths involved. He believes if the younger generation is taught how to treat garbage correctly then this would definitely start a revolution against the littering plague.

“This fun and creative programme is suited for students during the August holidays. It is eyesore seeing garbage around Georgetown but I believe we can all play a part in ending this situation. If we all can come up with creative ways in recycling garbage then that would make a great impact on our littering habits.

Bravo Arts realized we have to teach our younger generations in order to change this dirty habit because the adults are not really setting an example. So we started this programme to impact the youths in a creative way,” stated Steve.

Through his research, Steve was astonished to see how plastic bottles were used in the U.S. to build a house

garbage items has so far been effective. These young minds are still fresh and perfect for shaping artistically.

They are open to ideas and even gave us suggestions. It was truly a learning experience for us professional artists to learn from these children. We were pleasantly impressed with their brainstorming and imaginative work,” Steve expressed.

‘Get Creative Funshop’ is Bravo Arts’ inaugural art programme on recycling garbage. The first class was held in July and Steve expressed his amazement on how creative the children were with plastic bottles, cardboard rolls, newspapers, paper bags, CDs, and old tires. They made chairs out of tires, flowers out of plastic bottles, hats out of bottle labels, and art frames from CDs- just a few ways the garbage was artistically used.

He disclosed after completing the programme the children were still collecting garbage and creating artistic items. Their parents, Steve pointed out, were equally amazed, and were posting

pictures on Facebook. The response Steve received was tremendous. Persons were astounded as to how garbage can be transformed into art.

“The children said their parents told them they are not allowed to bring the garbage into the house.

However, when they saw how beautiful the items looked after their kids were done with them the parents were adamant in placing the once ‘garbage’ into a focal point in their homes.

This has really inspired us at Bravo Arts to take this initiative to another level

Steve explaining how to go about creating art from trash

22 Times Sunday Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

august 11, 2013

Times Heritage

Our natural Heritage

T

he Guiana Shield, within which most of Guyana falls, is a 1.7 billion-year-old geological formation located in the northern part of South America, covering an area of one million square kilometres. It hosts one of the world’s most biologically diverse and lush forested regions, and remains one of

Shield gets its name from a combination of old world and new world terms, where Guiana, Guayana and Guyana are variants of what is generally believed to be a traditional Amerindian word meaning “water” or “much water”. (Though others suggest the name derives either from a small tributary of the Orinoco;

the name of an Amerindian tribe called Guaynos; or from uayana, the term for “pale” or “white”, used to describe the Europeans the tribe first encountered.)

The word “shield”, on the other hand, is used in a modern scientific context to describe a large region of very old, exposed rock that is generally not affected by

Map of the Guiana Shield. The population densities of the Guiana Shield is said to be comparable to (shield) regions such as Nunavut in northernmost Canada and Siberia in Russia, and remains the least populated forested region when compared to similar regions in Indonesia, Bangladesh, southern India and Nigeria

modern volcanic or earthquake activity, which geologists call Precambrian basement rock.

The Guiana Shield covers 13 percent of the South American continent and almost all or most

On Mount Roraima, a tepui within the Guiana Shield often called “the lost world”

the least (human) populated areas on the planet.

The Guiana Shield is described as a “vast expanse of lowland forest, mountains, wetlands and savannah in northern South America wedged between the llanos of northern Venezuela and eastern Columbia and the Amazon River in northern Brazil.” (Hammond, 2005) According to the book “Tropical Forests of the Guiana Shield: Ancient Forests in a Modern World”, edited by David S. Hammond, the Guiana

Kaieteur Falls flow in the heart of the Guiana Shield

Preserving our heritage through pictures

of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, while Brazilian territories make up about half the region. Hammond writes that the area falls within four northern Brazil states and “accounts for virtually the entire area of the shield draining into the greater Amazon Basin.”

Some suggest the “Amazon” is part of the Guiana Shield. However, while the term “Amazonian rainforest” has routinely been used to describe the region, strictly speaking, “Amazonia” refers to what Charles C Mann describes in his book “1491” as being defined by geologists as “the bigger region bounded by the Andes to the west, the Guiana Shield to the north and the Brazilian Shield to the south...” In addition, not all areas of Amazonia are rainforest. In fact, only half

of Amazonia harbours an ecosystem most persons understand as the “Amazon”.

Likewise, the “Amazon Basin” refers only to “the drainage of the Amazon and its tributaries.”

As Hammond also notes, the Guiana Shield was first associated not as a “geographical province” but as a “geopolitical entity”, following the arrival of Europeans to the region in search of gold; their subsequent conquering of its original peoples and, following that, distribution of and settlement in the region; a historical occurrence that has forged a distinctly new and different society in modern times.

Today, Guyana is making efforts to preserve vast areas of the Guiana Shield, one of the few remaining pristine habitats in the world, and a significant part of the country’s natural heritage.

Brain Teaser Answer 6020 ( sIx thOUsAnd twenty)

SUDOKU

KID SUDOKU

CROSSWORD

Palm Avenue, Houston, British Guiana nd

guyanatimesgy.com

August 11 , 2013

Times Sunday Magazine 23

Times Travel & Tourism

M

The quiet beauty of Moleson Creek

oleson Creek is one of the last communities you’ll meet on the Corentyne River in the East Berbice-Corentyne region before arriving at Guyana’s ‘land’s end’. This small, usually quiet farming community, which takes its name from the small creek or stream between Guyana and Suriname, is more known for its Guyana-Suriname Ferry crossing route but has the potential to become a major hub in Guyana’s travel tours.

Looking out over the Corentyne River from Moleson Creek

The ferry crossing at Moleson Creek

New Amsterdam to Moleson Creek Road

24

Times Sunday Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

august 11, 2013

Times Last Laugh

When your Neighbour Doesn't Favour Curry

By Melvin Durai

A

scant two weeks had passed since we moved into our temporary apartment in Toronto and we had yet to meet our neighbours across the narrow hall. But as I stood in the entryway one evening with my two daughters, waiting for my wife, Malathi, to return from her daily jog, I noticed that the neighbours had left a message on their door, presumably for us. Below their number plate was a round, powder-blue air freshener. Harmless enough, until I looked further down and read two words inscribed in red ink on a strip of paper: "Curry stinks."

Apparently the smell of our Indian cooking had drifted from our poorly ventilated kitchen into their air space, triggering this response. At first, I found it amusing because, just a few days before, Malathi and I were riding the elevator up to our 16th floor apartment when the aroma of a curry dish enveloped us like a fog, prompting Malathi to inhale deeply and say, "Mmmm, that smells so good."

As natives of India, we aren't apologetic about our love for curry. Over the years, we've relished curry at a variety of restaurants, not just Indian, but also Caribbean, Sri Lankan, Vietnamese and Thai. We cook it at least twice a week, usually chicken or fish curry, spreading it over white rice or scooping it with chapatis, the leftovers tasting even better the next day.

And if I try to wash the pot without scraping out the brown sauce at the bottom, Malathi protests: "Hey, that's the best part!"

Nevertheless, when she saw the neighbours’ note, she wondered aloud if she should knock on their door and apologize. "I feel bad for them.

I mean, we like our curries, but they don't like the smell."

Her eagerness to appease them surprised me, for I was entertaining other ideas, such as running a tube directly from a pot of bubbling curry into the gap under their door. Or inviting them for dinner and serving a curry so spicy, they'd soon be making a mad dash for the fire hose.

It's not that I had no sympathy whatsoever for them. The smell of curry can be overpowering, hanging thickly in the air, soaking into your clothes, clinging to your skin. The cavewoman who concocted the first curry, mixing chilli with ginger, garlic, mustard, turmeric and other ingredients, must have wanted to not only feed her family, but also keep the wild animals away.

Even so, the word "stinks" seemed a little harsh, especially when describing something that's such an integral part of our culture. I've spent most of my life outside India, exposed to other cultures, separated from my own, yet my mother's cooking fostered a connection to my homeland that will last as long as my taste buds do. Curry isn't just another item on the menu -it's part of my identity.

Indians abroad have long had to defend their food from its detractors, who find it too spicy, too smelly or both. Try eating curry in an office and brows will furrow, noses will scrunch, as though someone left the bathroom door open.

Meanwhile, the smell of microwaved popcorn or fried chicken flows around freely, welcomed in every cubicle, like a snippet of gossip about the boss's secretary.

In some parts of the world, the racial slur "curry-muncher" is hurled by people who somehow believe that they're insulting us. Let me just say this: I'm a proud curry-muncher, a cardcarrying member of the curry club. I savour my curry, in much the same way as some people savour milkshakes. To this day, it remains a mystery to me why no one has developed a curryshake. And what about curry ice cream?

But my affinity for curry hasn't kept me from appreciating other foods, though I'm not quite as adventurous as Malathi, who will eat just about anything that appears on her plate and doesn't bark. We've enjoyed everything from poutine to pizza, sushi to souvlaki, injera to nshima. Exposed to other cultures, we've learnt to be more open-minded, more accepting.

If our rice is wrapped in seaweed, we don't call it strange. And if we're unaccustomed to a smell, we don't say it stinks. (Adapted from an essay)

True Copy

A young devout Christian named David joined a monastery, worked hard, and eventually was allowed to take his vows. He promised to be free of the desire for possessions, to be obedient, and most importantly, celibate. He was initiated into the holy order and became one of the brother monks.

He was put to work copying ancient holy manuscripts which he did for a number of years. After some time, having been religiously obedient and celibate, he was elevated to the post of fact checker. He was entrusted with reading the original manuscripts and making sure they had always been copied letter for letter, word for word.

One day the rest of the monks were having lunch, and they noticed David was missing. The head abbot went down to the archives to find Brother David, and discovered him bent over an original ancient text, sobbing and weeping.

Alarmed, the abbot asked, “Brother David, what is the matter?”

“All this time....all this time....” was all David could choke out.

“David, all this time...what?” the abbot insisted.

“All this time...we’ve been copying it wrong. The word is ‘celebrate.’”

Birth certificate

A young grandson asked his grandfather how old he was, and the grandpa teasingly replied, "Well, I'm not exactly sure how old I am."

The little boy advised, "You have to look in your underwear, Grandpa. Mine says I'm 4 to 6."

Holding the Bag

Two rednecks are waiting for the bus, and one is holding a large bag.

“What’s in the bag?” asks the other redneck.

The redneck with the bag replies, “Porcupines.”

“How many porcupines you got in that bag, then?”

“I’m not telling you,” says the redneck with the bag.

“If I guess how many porcupines you got in that bag will you give me one?” asks the other redneck.

“Tell you what; if you guess how many porcupines I got in this bag I’ll give you both of ‘em.”

The Ultimate VIP

The Pope has just finished a tour of the Napa Valley and is taking a limousine to San Francisco. Having never driven a limo, he asks the chauffeur if he can drive for a while. Since the chauffeur really doesn't have much of a choice, he climbs in the back of the limo and the Pope takes the wheel.

The Pope proceeds down Silverado, and starts accelerating to see what the limo can do. He gets to about 90 MPH, and suddenly he sees the red and blue lights of the highway patrol in his mirror. He pulls over and the trooper comes to his window.

The trooper, seeing who it is, says, “Just a moment please, I need to call in.”

The trooper calls in and asks for the chief. He tells the chief that he's got a REALLY important person pulled over, and asks how he should handle it.

“It's not Ted Kennedy again is it?” asks the chief.

“No Sir!” replies the trooper, “This guy's more important.”

“Is it the Governor?” asks the chief.

“No! Even more important!” replies the trooper.

“Is it the PRESIDENT?” asks the chief.

“No! Even more important!” replies the trooper.

“Well WHO THE HECK is it?” screams the chief.

“I don’t know Sir.” replies the trooper, “but he's got the Pope as his chauffeur.”

The Humour of Rodney Dangerfield

- My wife and I were happy for 20 years. Then we met.

- When I was a kid my parents moved a lot, but I always found them.

- I haven't spoken to my wife in years.

I don't want to interrupt her.

- My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying.

- I looked up my family tree and found out I was the sap.

- Some dog I got too. We call him Egypt; because in every room he leaves a pyramid.

- We sleep in separate rooms, we have dinner apart, we take separate vacations we're doing everything we can to keep our marriage together.

Riddles for kids

Q: What type of music do mummies listen to?

A: Wrap music Q: Why did the skeleton go to the party alone?

A: He had no body to go with him!

Q: Who does a pharaoh talk to when he's sad?

A: His mummy Q: How did Darth Vader know what Luke got him for Christmas?

A: He felt his presents!

Want to contribute to the Sunday Times magazine? Email us for possible publication at sundaymagazine@guyanatimesgy.com.

Please include legal name(s), address and a brief synopsis of your article with attached word document.