Feature
The Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), a non-profit, civil society, charitable body, focuses its resources on empowering young people and their communities to develop programmes and or actions to address socio-economic and environmental issues.
The CYEN programme aims at addressing issues like poverty alleviation and youth employment, health and HIV/AIDS, climatic changes and global warming, impact of natural disasters/hazards, improvement in potable water, conservation and waste management and other natural resource management issues.
Viewing youth as an important and critical development resource, CYEN is dedicated to developing strategies to engage and facilitate youth participation in the development process. It provides a youth environment and development network in the region responsible for creating an
appropriate space for young people to participate in the design, development, implementation and promotion of new, progressive, equitable, innovative and sustainable environmental, economic and social development policies and programmes across the wider Caribbean.
CYEN is an associate member of the International Students Movement of the United Nations (ISMUN), and is officially recognised by the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought (UNCCD) as a member of RIOD. The network is a member organisation of the Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development (CNIRD) and an affiliate partner of the Caribbean Conservation Association (CCA). Beyond this, CYEN has a consultative relationship with the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC), and is a lead agency in the execution of the annual International Coastal
Cleanup that is coordinated by Ocean Conservancy.
CYEN Guyana
Public Relations Officer, Ruqayyah Boyer, speaking with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine stated that the organisation has had enormous influence in the lives of young Guyanese. She
pointed out that it has been formed locally, geared at empowering youths and their communities and to develop programmes and actions to address socio-economic and environmental issues.
Boyer noted that CYEN views youth as an impor-
opment process.
The PRO said the organisation partners with more than twenty-nine organisations, and with more than three hundred individual members across eighteen Caribbean territories, inclusive of Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St, Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago. Affiliate diaspora members reside in Bermuda, Britain, Canada and the USA.
Boyer also mentioned that since its establishment in 1992, the network has coordinated or participated in a number of activities and projects at the national, regional and international levels.
Significantly, the network has frequently sourced and financed shortterm training scholarships for youths to attend leadership and other training courses. Beyond this, the network has been actively involved in advocacy, environmental education, and public awareness programmes. CYEN frequently represents the position of
launched CYEN Guyana at the University of Guyana in March; conducted the first virtual TUNZA youth consultation on water cooperation; and in March month spearheaded the ‘Action Learning Network’ (ALN) hosted by the Volunteerism Support Platform. There was a ceremonial treeplanting exercise conducted in the Botanical Garden to commemorate International Day of Forests. CYEN celebrated Earth Hour under the theme ‘Our Earth, Our Future’ with a video production,” Boyer outlined.
Boyer added that in April, CYEN conducted a workshop on intellectual property rights and environmental creations in Guyana at the Education Lecture Theatre (ELT) of the University of Guyana and was also engaged in bird-watching activities in recognition of International Migratory Species Day.
When asked her reasons for joining the network, the reigning Miss Guyana World 2013 stated, “Due to my social interests in the environment and also apart from the issue of gender based violence (human rights), I've always believed that as ambassador we should be concerned about the way our environment is being threatened and issues relating to global warming. As such, I decided to enrol in this endeavour and to do my part in my capacity as Miss Universe/World Guyana to effect change wherever I see it necessary in this realm. I think that as role models we should lead by example.”
CYEN Guyana future projects, according to Boyer, will include workshops on leadership and organisational skills, importance of volunteerism, and travel collaboration and exchange with CYEN Team
tant and critical development resource; and that the organisation is dedicated to developing strategies to engage and facilitate participation of youth in the devel-
Caribbean youth at regional and international meetings.
“For the year 2013, the entity has hosted a career day exhibition at the University of Guyana; re-
For more information on
Suriname.
the organisation visit Caribbean Youth Environment Network –Guyana on Facebook.
Boyer (third from left) with some members of CyEN Guyana team
Some members of CyEN Guyana plant a tree in observance of International Day of Forests, in March this year
Boyer (center) and CyEN Guyana members display their duty as ambassadors of the environment by planting a tree
Overseas-based Guyanese Dr Narendra Singh, a pioneer in paediatrics locally and internationally, has been awarded for his significant contributions in providing outstanding patient care.
He has been awarded the Prix d’excellence/Specialist of the Year, which was established to recognise Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in good standing, that have made significant contributions in providing outstanding patient care to their patients and the community in which they practice.
The nominee must be a role model for excellence in patient care, and this is what Dr Singh has proven to be.
Dr Singh is the chief of paediatrics at Humber River Hospital in Toronto and associate professor in Paediatrics at McMaster University. He also practices as a paediatric intensivist in Texas.
He completed his paediatric residency at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, and continued his training in paediatric critical care at the Hospital for Sick Children and the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
The notable doctor has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, abstracts and presentations. He is also the author of a practical reference book, “Manual of Pediatric Critical Care”. He has been the recipient of many teaching awards from the University of Western Ontario, and more recently from the University of Toronto.
The doctor has developed and expanded the outpatient programme at Humber River Hospital to ensure that children in that community can receive specialised care closer to home.
Of note, Dr Singh is the founder and president of the charity, Guyana Help the Kids. The charity’s primary goal is to advance the health of children in Guyana through provision of needed technology and the education of health care providers. He is also the founder and volunteer programme director of the first paediatric postgraduate residency programme in Guyana.
Speaking in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine , the paediatrician stated while working in paediatrics in Trinidad, he developed an interest in Neonatology, a sub-specialty of paediatrics.
“This is a very technical field, and I do enjoy the technical and procedural aspects to medicine. I later specialised in paediatric critical care which allows me to be procedure-oriented, but from babies to adolescents. I enjoy the interaction
with the paediatric patients. I do also enjoy teaching both medical students and residents,” the doctor revealed.
His biggest success, he pointed out, has been helping to develop the neonatal and paediatric programme in Guyana and the founding of the Canadian registered charity, Guyana Help The Kids, which in another interview he disclosed came about after realising that while paediatric training was coming along, local technology was lagging behind.
The charity began fundraising to purchase up to date equipment for neonatal and paediatric services that included IV pumps, warmers and incubators. He expressed his gratitude to local Guyanese doctor Madan Rambaran for his vision, and Michael Khan, chief executive officer of Georgetown Public Hospital, for his cooperation in the venture.
“Dr Leif Nelin and all the volunteers for Nationwide Children’s Hospital have contributed immensely to its success to date. Dr Andrea Hunter and Dr Julie Johnston from Canada have both been catalysts for the success of our paediatric residency programme. I would also like to acknowledge the tireless work of the board of Guyana Help The Kids,” he acknowledged.
Currently in Toronto, the doctor is working with his community hospital to improve access to general paediatrics and all of the paediatric sub-specialties.
In Guyana, he has been working with local health care providers to decrease the infant mortality through training of doctors and nurses and concurrent-
ly providing them with the necessary technology.
The programme, begun last October, has so far seen some seven Guyanese doctors in training to become paediatricians.
Speaking in an Ontario Medical Association Doctor Spotlight interview online, Dr Singh recalled that at a purely social trip back to Guyana, in which he discovered that his childhood home was no longer there after being demolished, he toured the paediatric facilities of the public hospital and realised there was high mortality, and much improvement was needed for the facility.
After meeting with local health care stakeholders that included the health ministry, hospital and the university, he offered his services and was asked to prepare a residency programme through the university, to train local physicians to become paediatricians.
He noted too that the plan is to every year double or triple the number of “paediatric complements” here in Guyana.
“I’m focused on helping Guyana to provide the best possible paediatric care it can. This will be done by the local doctors and nurses within a few years. I have been very impressed by the enthusiasm and dedication of the doctors and nurses in Guyana,” he noted.
The pioneering doctor, who left his homeland when he was 14 years old, has also received a teaching award from the University of Western Ontario and the University of Toronto.
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Dr Narendra Singh
Dr Singh (front right) with health minister Dr Bheri Ramsaran (front left) at the opening of the New Amsterdam Hospital NICu
Providing a beacon of hope for the Corentyne community
The Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre aims to improve the quality of life of people by creating opportunities for everyone, including the elderly, to build life and job skills through the provision of quality adult education, skills training, and social services.
The Roadside Baptist Church, located at Lot 161 & 168, No. 68 Village, Corentyne, was established
in 1978. In years past and present, the church has always been actively involved in several community outreach programmes.
In 1990, a community outreach committee, comprising members of the church and concerned citizens of the community (non-members), was formed to conduct a needs-assessment survey of the surrounding villages of about 25,000 residents. The church
recognised the need for this survey because people of all ages, religion, and cultural backgrounds would regularly seek the church’s charitable assistance.
Via the survey, the committee saw the needs of the people. This prompted the formation of the Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre in 1991 but was officially opened in October 1995 by Dr. Dale Bisnauth, then Minister of Education. The centre was registered in March 2001.
The centre’s vision is to be a leader in promoting a higher quality of life for all through its ongoing programmes. Its programmes are focused on the development of physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of everyone seeking its help.
The general programmes include literacy and numeracy, remedial education, CSEC mathematics and English, garment construction, keyboarding/typewriting, domestic electrical installa-
tion, computer maintenance and management, information technology, and any other skill training based upon request and needs. All programmes are certified by the Adult Education Association of Guyana. The information technology programme is offered as a certificate or diploma programme.
The social programmes and community outreach services include afternoon care and support for orphans and vulnerable children and families at risk; community home and palliative care for people living with chronic illnesses; monthly meetings with the elderly at which a monthly hot meal, self care/food hamper are served; counselling especially in the area of gender based violence; fulltime library service; life skills; family life education; nutritional, financial and other support to individuals and families in difficult circumstances; and awareness and educational sessions on a variety of timely topics.
Thus far, approximately 4,000 primary/direct beneficiaries have accessed training, education, care and support services at or through the centre.
In an interview with the centre’s representative, Yetrawatee Katryan stated that the programmes, based upon surveys and requests, are designed to meet the needs of the communities and the country in general. She added that trainees are equipped with entrepreneurial and life skills which will enable them to be self-employed, become business entrepreneurs, or given a fair opportunity to compete on the job market.
The centre’s current activities are focused on implementing a project entitled, “Engaging men, boys, religious leaders and community initiatives to prevent and stop gender-based violence.” It is funded by USAID and the Community Support and Development Services.
Just concluded is the final day of training in counselling skills for those trained in the prevention of gender-based violence (GBV). Katryan pointed out that two bonus days of training are scheduled for July 16 and 17 for youths who trained as peer educators in the area of GBV prevention.
“Based on saved project funds, USAID has given permission for the additional days of training. Another bonus from saved funds is a live TV panel discussion on July 19 at 6:30 pm at NCN, New Amsterdam, for one and half hours inclusive of a call-in segment. Two weeks ago the
TV programme focused on GBV, HIV/AIDS and suicide. It will be the fourth panel discussions. The Guyana Police Force has been very supportive of this initiative as well as other initiatives implemented by Roadside and ranks have always been involved in the different types of training. Senior officers have been in two of the three live panel discussions. Other panellists included medical, probation and school welfare officers, religious leaders, professional social workers and men from the Berbice Male Action Network Group,” Katryan outlined.
There is a special “summer” programme for ages 9 to 13 that will commence from July 15 for 6 weeks. Information technology training is currently ongoing with a new batch of 36 students who started after their CSEC exam.
Katryan added that enrolment is presently ongoing on for single parents and youths to be trained through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) and Ministry of Labour in entrepreneurial skills. The training will soon start at the centre. Trainees will be reimbursed $4,000 travelling on a monthly basis. The centre has collaborated with BIT for similar programmes.
“Upgrading Math and English are also going on. Enrolment for CXC English and Math is ongoing also. Community awareness on GBV is also going on and includes sessions conducted
to all the present and past donors,” Katryan stated.
Katryan noted that the government of Guyana gives a yearly subvention, started in 2000, which supports the social programmes. The centre’s programmes have been very successful in providing a second chance to persons who seek its help. Some school dropouts who benefitted from the remedial education programme have moved on to the Upper Corentyne Training Centre, graduated, and are working with Skeldon Estate or at some private business. Denmore Garment Factory on the Corentyne and Blue Sky Call Centre always employ the centre’s trainees. Abused women have been so empowered that some of them now have the support of their husbands/spouses, some have entrepreneurial skills with their own businesses, and some benefitted from Women of Worth loan, an initiative founded by the Ministry of Human Service and Social Security in collaboration with the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Ltd.
“Some school dropouts have been placed back into the formal educational system. The entire Roadside staff received most, if not all, of their training right here in some form or the other. Donor agencies have enhanced our capacity through several training programmes for staff. Our office is always open to those who need us.
by newly trained groups of persons who report on work done. Assessment of the HIV/AIDS and GBV expenditure for years 2011 and 2012 is also going on- a Ministry of Health initiative. The school uniform voucher distribution is a new feature. Minister Manickchand kept a promise she made on her last visit. The learners and parents are delighted at this. Gratitude is expressed to the Hon. Minister and Ministry of Education for this kind venture. We’re also thankful
We are only a phone call away and folks really should make use of this valuable opportunity we provide,” Katryan urged. Through love and the dedicated services of qualified, experienced, and caring volunteers and staff, the Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre continues to be a beacon of hope in its community.
For more information on the centre’s efforts, visit Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre on Facebook.
youths being trained at the centre
Senior citizens are given special treats regularly by the centre
Men's forum on domestic violence
Overseas-based Guyanese singer Maiko Watson is inspired by life
Award winning singer/songwriter Maiko Watson brings a fresh take on soul music. The Guyanese artiste’s sweet vibes have earned her numerous awards and this has motivated her to continue to up her game in the music industry.
Watson left Guyana when she was just a few months old. Growing up, as she continually learnt about her heritage she appreciated it even more. At age 13, she first returned to her homeland. Here she had many fond memories of meeting her cousins, since she and her sister did not have much extended family in Canada.
“We clicked with our cousins immediately and were playing as if we had known each other our whole lives. It felt that way meeting all of our family in Guyana. It was a very warm and welcoming feeling,” she
reminisced in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine
Watson has been singing for as long as she can remember. She began writing songs over instrumental music at age twelve. She earned her first moment in the spotlight while still in her teens, beating out over four thousand young women to become a member of “Sugar Jones”, a girl group spawned from reality TV show “Popstars”. “Sugar Jones” debut album went platinum and had two top ten singles on the Canadian Charts.
Subsequently, Watson
called.
Her debut album, “Sweet Vibration” took home Best Urban Album at the breakout West Awards. Whether performing with a band or minimal instrumentation, her radiant sultry voice shines through- delivering a powerful, earthy, organic sound that sets her apart from the rest.
Influenced by artists such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sade, David Bowie and Bjork, Watson fuses elements of disco, duwop, jazz and rock, creating a sense of nostalgia while remaining well ahead of her time. A dynamic performer who has been on the stage since elementary school, she puts her heart and soul into every show and knows how to rock a crowd.
music that makes people feel good. That gives people comfort when dealing with life. My advice to the youths out there is if music is your dream, be prepared to work hard, because this industry is very competitive and
challenging. If you have access to the internet, then try to get your music online.
YouTube is another great way of getting discovered as an artist. Keep hustling and keep your eyes open to the possibilities. Above all,
know who you are and never compromise your integrity for anyone,” she encouraged.
Watson continues to write and perform and is currently working on her second solo album.
won a radio contest and had the chance to write and produce her first solo album, which she released independently. The artiste said it was something she dreamt about for a long time.
“It came to the point where I realised that there was nothing else I wanted to do. I was in university but I couldn't focus because music was always in the back of my mind. I was always writing, meeting with different producers, and trying to get my foot in the door. I decided to take a year off school to pursue music fulltime, and that's when things really started happening for me,” she re-
Her music has continued to spread steadily across the globe, being featured on a number of blogs throughout North America, the UK, France, and has been widely downloaded via torrent. Highlights included being featured on BET's Soul Session, The Paul Miller Soul Show on BBC and CBC, as well as placing songs on MuchMusic's Degrassi and the UK-based Soul Unsigned: The 2010 Summer Session compilation.
Watson has visited Guyana about three times, and has had the chance “to jam” with some of the musicians at the Sidewalk Cafe. She mentioned that she sings a lot of jazz music in Canada and “it was nice to have the chance to play those standards in Guyana.”
“Life inspires me- the hardships and the triumphs. Everything. I take the everyday circumstances and try to make something beautiful out of them. What motivates me is making
Watson (left) performing on stage
Award-winning Guyana-born singer and songwriter Maiko Watson
The Future of Children’s Literature III
The Lure of Storytelling
By PetamBer Persaud
hile I was lament-
Wing the shortage of children literature on the Guyanese bookshelf, I came across a front page story in the Guyana Times (June 2, 2013) that was very heartening: the presentation of copies of a collection of children’s stories to children to mark International Day for the Protection of Children. There are many issues in that story on which I could comment but for now I’d like to concentrate on the book itself.
The book, “The Lure of the Mermaid and other children’s stories”, was edited by the late Janet Jagan and
published by Dido Press, UK, 2002. There are 13 stories written by 11 Guyanese authors.
Some of the stories were reprinted from other collections of stories, such as “Iwokrami pantone: Stories about Iwokrama”, edited by Janet Forte, 2001, and “Makonaima’s Children” by Henry Josiah. However, most of the stories were taken from a slim volume, “Stories from Guyana”, which was printed by the Daily Chronicle Ltd. in the late 1960s or early 1970s.
The editor of “The Lure of the mermaid” acknowledged this in her introduction, remarking that such
a book “should have a wider audience”, giving birth to this anthology.
There was another reason for the birthing of this anthology: Jagan had a lifelong intimacy with books as a journalist, editor and prolific writer of children’s literature. By the time this anthology was published in 2002, Jagan had already published the following:
“When Grandpa Cheddi was a Boy and Other Stories” (1993); “Children’s Stories of Guyana’s Freedom Struggles” (1995); “Patricia the Baby Manatee and Other Stories” (1995); “Anastasia the Anteater and Other Stories” (1997); “The
Dog who loved Flowers” (2000); “The Alligator Ferry Service and Other Stories from Guyana” (2001).
So it was like a piece of sapodilla to Mrs Jagan researching and selecting stories for this anthology which is now a significant contribution to our bookshelf on children’s literature.
Here is a sample of some of those thirteen delightful stories, many on or about our first nation, the Amerindians; some historical, and others bearing moral messages.
“The coming of Amalivaca” by Jan Carew is the story about what happens when Wind becomes lonely; in his lamentations, he turns to mischief, bringing hardship and destruction to humankind. In order to recant his deeds he is given a task. In the execution of this task, he meets Rainbow and they produce a son called Amalivaca –“the child of my searching”. Amalivaca is destined to bring back peace and harmony to the world.
“El Dorado’s Golden Princess” by Cecile E. Nobrega is yet another retelling of the story of El Dorado. This retelling states that all girls birthed by the king and queen are killed by tossing the children into a river to be eaten by alligators; it is seen as a curse for the royal couple to produce a firstborn girl. However the fifth girl child is different in that everything she touches turns to gold. From the moment she is tossed into the river, it turns to gold; later she chases down the alligators touching and turning them to gold....She is allowed to live by public consensus and becomes the Golden Princess of El Dorado – the first female to rule over the City of Gold.
“The Lure of the Mermaid” by Evadne D’Oliviera is another story from Amerindian folklore. Once upon a time the land became barren and there was little to eat. Soon the people turned to the waterways for food. Eventually they had to tie their legs together in order to move faster in the water. It is said that they stayed so long under the water that when they decided to returned to land, they discovered that their legs were stuck together by flesh and were unable to move about on land. They returned to the water with pleasure as if it was meant
to be.
In “The Day the Sky Fell Down” by Henry Josiah, the trees complain how the birds are nesting in their foliage, preventing them from enjoying the sun and rain. The trees complain to Makonaima asking to be relieved of the duty of holding up the sky – the solution the trees suggest is to let the sky fall. Makonaima, after long thought, decides to teach the trees a lesson by sending away the birds and allowing part of the sky to fall in on certain parts of the land, crushing the trees. That’s how Guyana got its plains and Rupununi savannahs.
“How the First People Arrived on Earth” by Odeen Ishmael, is a story about how the Warraus who lived in Skyland went hunting for food and discover a hole leading to Earth which is overrun by bountiful game. Some of the people move down through the hole but one fat woman gets stuck preventing movement either way. She is stuck for a long time and when she cries, it falls to the earth as rain.
From folklore, “Iwokrama” has now become a symbol of conservation and preservation to the world.
In “Samaan” Doris Harper-Wills recreates characters from the past like Fowl Mama, Ole Man Papee, Baccoo, Jumbie and Ole Higue, bringing them to life with appropriate songs.
“Princess Sunshine’s Golden Necklace” by Sheila King, is how earth was made to look beautiful when
a necklace of stars broke and added a twinkle to the drab earth.
“By the Lotus Pond” by Rajkumari Singh, tells the story of how a plain little lilac orchard was chosen to become the queen of the Blossoms Ball.
Janet Jagan’s “Rima –The singing bird” is a lovely story of how an animal is able to do a humane deed.
“Kofi Baadu out of Africa” by Walter Rodney touches on the trade of an enslaved African.
In “The Laziest of the Birds”, Krishna Nand Prasad shows how a bird becomes lazy, fat, unable to use its wings and unable to feed, and was about to be consumed by a snake. The bird was saved, becoming watchful and careful with its gifts.
“The Legend of the Enmore Martyrs” by Janet Jagan relates the inspiring but horrific story of the Enmore Martyrs on that fateful June 16, 1948 day.
In closing, I am inclined to return to the introduction of “The Lure of the Mermaid and Other Children’s Stories”, where Janet Jagan, expresses the “hope that it [the book] will stimulate other writers to focus on children’s stories and it may, as well, result in the unearthing of children’s stories lost or neglected.”
This is also my fervent hope as this series on children literature continues. Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@ yahoo.com
Editor of “The lure of the Mermaid and Other Children’s Stories” and former first lady, Janet Jagan
Young ProfeSSionalS
Shivanie Latchman
Entrepreneur/Entertainer
As a little girl growing up, Shivanie Latchman had no idea what to expect from adulthood or life however that uncertainty did not deter her from achieving her dreams.
Latchman comes from a family that wholeheartedly believes in respecting each other’s choices, and she has used this to guide her as she works towards achieving her goals.
At the age of 25, Latchman is the successful proprietor of a leading convenience store in the community of Diamond. This, she noted, has instilled a great amount of responsibility and “business sense” in her.
To add to her accomplishments, Latchman is currently a marketing representative for MTV Ch 14/65, where she is also host and producer of “Entertainment Buzz”, designed to showcase the diverse talents of Guyanese entertainers.
Graduating with outstanding performances at CXC examinations and qualified in Micro Computer Studies, she intends to pursue a degree in Business Management so that she can equip herself with the academic skills to expand in the business world.
She had also worked as a voluntary youth activist.
Beginning her dancing career, Latchman joined the Bhuvaneshwar Mandir Youth Organisation and Dance groupe in 1999 where she stayed for the next two years. After realizing that there is more to her talent, she joined the popular Sitare Dance Troupe until 2008 when she created her own dance group called the Ishara Dance Troupe.
“With all the training, grooming, polishing and the experience gained during my 10 years as a leading dancer, I figured it was time for me to start stepping things up…I then gathered a team of dedicated and talented dancers, and from then on my journey as a choreographer had begun,” she recalled.
The Ishara Dance Troupe has ever since been performing at events all across Guyana, showcasing Latchman’s commitment and hard work through its choreography.
She explained that she is very passionate about dancing and believes through it she can express her emotions, creativity, hard work and determination.
“Ever since I could remember, I pictured myself always smiling to the sound of music, and lost in the thoughts from within,” she revealed.
In 2011 she entered Miss India Guyana Worldwide, her first pageant, and through her constant perseverance emerged crowd favourite and was awarded Miss Best Talent along with the first runner up position.
Latchman noted that she believes that “the more you give, the more you gain” hence her commitment to charity. She has done work with many non-profit organizations such as The Nirvana Humanitarian Society, where she also got a taste of acting in two musical dramas: “Visa Wedding” and “The Parika Market Starboy”. She has since ventured into several other acting projects like the recent local movie, “Brown Sugar Too Bitter for Me”.
Her advice to young persons, who have dreams and aspirations, is to work hard and truly believe in what they want.
“I believe there are admirable potentials in every human being; believe in your strength and confidence, and for those of you who look for your strength and confidence from the outside…always remember it comes from within.”
LocalStar of the week
Halima Khan
Bollywood sensation Halima Khan has been crowned GT&T’s Jingle and Song Competition Bollywood segment star. Khan, a resident of West Bank Demerara, is a 28-year-old mother of two. She had previously signed up as a contestant of the competition but did not make it to the finals. Determined to make a comeback, Khan signed up this year with the goal of being crowned the winner firmly etched in her mind. The aim to make a name for herself helped her to be resilient and ultimately win the competition. Initially, Khan’s musical talent was honed while growing up singing in masjids and Qaseeda competitions. From the Qaseeda competitions, she was titled Melody Queen of Region Three. As she continued to develop herself musically, the singer showed unyielding determination to become one of Guyana’s top artistes and this she accomplished with ease. Currently a member of the DAX New Generation Band, Khan continues to share her melodies with her fans.
Takahē
The Takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri) is a flightless bird about the size of a hen, native only to New Zealand. Also known as the South Island Takahē – pronounced TAH KAI or TAH KAI EE, it was thought extinct since 1898, but was rediscovered in 1948 in the Murchison Mountains of Fiordland. They have since been re introduced on five islands of New Zealand, though they remain critically endangered to this day.
The Takahē feeds mainly on the leaf bases and seeds of tussocks and other grasses. They occasionally take invertebrates, particular during the chick rearing period, and the Fiordland birds will feed on the rhizomes of a summer-green fern during winter.
Both parents incubate the egg and then share the feeding duties, which can last for up to three months.
Word Search
MORE COLOURS WORD SEARCH
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.
Colouring Fun
Did you know?
Formerly Porphyrio mantelli this species has been split into P. mantelli (the North Island Takahē, which is now extinct) and P. hochstetteri (South Island Takahē).
Rhizomes are thickened, branching, creeping storage stems. Although most rhizomes grow laterally just along or slightly below the soil's surface, some grow several inches deep. Roots grow from the underside of the rhizome, and during the growing season new growth sprouts from buds along the top. A familiar rhizome is the ginger used in cooking.
Baroque to Impressionism
The theme of Baroque (1600–1700) paintings and sculpture was generally meant to appeal to the senses in dramatic ways, and was theatrical or violent and often religious. The artists of this movement also introduced scientific understanding of painting techniques and experimented with dramatic combinations of shadow and light to create specific effects.
The Rococo (1700–1750) movement produced more decorative, less dramatic art, and was a reaction against the official baroque art of Louis XIV’s reign in France.
In the 18th century, two forms of art developed: Neoclassical and Romantic (1750–1860).
Neoclassical artists studied and copied classical art (including ancient Greek, Roman and Renaissance art).
Romanticism rejected harmony and balance, and emphasized the individual, the hero and the personal inner struggle of man. The Pre-Raphaelites were Romantic artists who believed art should express genuine ideas and natural beauty. They are known for their beautiful renderings of women.
The Impressionists (1860s–1880s) thought that art should be an attempt at accurately and objectively recording visual reality by using specific light and color techniques to achieve the desired effect. Acceptance of this movement opened the door for Neo- and Post-Impressionism (extensions of Impressionism that used different techniques and/or concepts), and for modern artists, too.
The Realism (1830–1870) movement had an entirely different philosophy than the Neoclassical and Romantic artists.These artists frankly portrayed scenes, and presented subjects boldly and starkly. They abandoned religious and mythological themes for reality. Over time, the art began to be less about form and more about the use of light and color.
Build a still-life painting
During the 16th and 17th centuries, still-life painting became very popular among the wealthy middle class. Using the templates below, create a 3-D painting. Arrange the pieces to match the diagram (below, right) or get creative and make your own composition.
You can make a tiny model with the given template size or photocopy and enlarge the template. (NOTE: It is much easier to work with larger pieces. Also, have an adult help.)
Simply cut, fold and assemble the pieces as shown. Use glue or tape to hold the tabs in place. Arrange the elements on the table.
Painting with dots
The Conversion of St. Paul Italian Baroque 1601 Caravaggio
Seurat used a process of painting
DerekMoore’s newest collection, Signature, was a notable feature at the recently launched and newly-formed Guyana Fashion Designers Council fashion event, held at the Umana Yana.
The veteran designer told Guyana Times Sunday Magazine that his collection showcases his ability to pay attention to details, consequently creating a “signature” look.
The collection has more than 20 designs offering a distinct look for the urbane man and chic woman.
“My next project is the Miss Guyana Universe beauty pageant. This is where you will get to see another side of my creative mind,” he disclosed.
For more information on this collection, call the designer on 663-8213.
Derek Moore continues to make his mark on fashion with new collection
Miguel Jontel Pimentel, born October 23, 1985, who performs under the mononym Miguel, is an American recording artist, songwriter and producer. Signed to Jive Records in 2007, Miguel released his debut album, “All I Want Is You”, in November 2010. Although it was underpromoted and performed poorly upon its release, the album became a sleeper hit and helped Miguel garner commercial standing. After Jive's dissolution in 2011, he moved to RCA Records and released his second album “Kaleidoscope Dream” in 2012 to critical acclaim. Miguel incorporates R&B, funk, hip hop, rock and electronic styles into his music. He co-wrote and performed the song “Beautiful” with fellow singer Mariah Carey which was released in May 2013. Of note is his Grammy Award win in the category of Best R&B Song for 2013.
Suri Cruise, the 7-year-old daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes was in New York City yesterday with her mom when she ran into a swarm of photographers and fans.
Suri, one of her friends and Holmes were walking to their SUV when paparazzi tried to get them to pose for pictures. The trio tried to walk briskly, but some fans seeking autographs and cell phone photos also got in their way.
In a video obtained by Fishwrapper, Suri can be heard yelling “Stop it!” at the crowd. As she
reaches for the car door, she adds “Get out of the way!”
One man quickly responds to the child’s demands by quipping “Bye, Suri, you little brat.”
He then growls: "She's a b**ch...a little brat kid. A little brat."
Another photographer can be heard reprimanding him at the end of the clip, reminding him that he’s speaking about a child.
It seems Holmes and Suri were already in their car when the photographer made the comments and they did not seem to hear what he said.
(Fox News)
'The Lone Ranger' trampled at box office by 'Despicable' minions
Judging from last weekend’s showing at the box office, the Lone Ranger may be heading for the last roundup while the zany, slapstick minions in “Despicable Me 2” are showing as much movie star magnetism as, say, Johnny Depp.
The minions and their movie raked in $142.1 million over the extended July 4th weekend while “The Lone Ranger,” with Depp starring as Tonto, came up lame at $48.9 million. That leaves Walt Disney Studios a long way from recouping the $225 million invested in the remake of the venerable masked man story.
The team of producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Gore Verbinski and mega-star Depp resurrected the pirate genre in a huge way with their “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. Apparently, they have not done the same for westerns. In fact, the Lone Ranger character – much beloved by older generations of radio and TV fans – may be permanently buried by this box office bomb.
Seeking an audience beyond nostalgic Baby Boomers, Verbinski tried to give “The Lone Ranger” the blockbuster treatment. Somehow, though, westerns seem resistant to the
magic of special effects and huge exploding machinery.
The Old West is not outer space and unless a director wants to go all the way and do something weird like “Cowboys and Aliens,” it is probably wiser to keep the budget low and the setting traditional. All that’s needed for a solid western, after all, is a few horses, a good script and a nice expanse of New Mexico or Alberta. Just ask Clint Eastwood, who took
the best picture and best actor Oscars for “Unforgiven” in 1993. Made for $14 million, the film took in nearly $160 million.
If a filmmaker wants to go big with a western, it’s probably best to go epic, not cosmic. Kevin Costner’s “Dances with Wolves” won seven Academy Awards, including best picture, and took in $184 million in the U.S., more than any other western. The 1990 movie
cost $18 million to make. From “Silverado” to “Appaloosa” to “Brokeback Mountain,” modern directors have shown westerns can be done well and done with originality. The pitfalls get bigger when the intent is too obviously to create an instant franchise with strong appeal to 14-year-old boys. Besides big bucks, that requires quite a bit more luck – and maybe a gaggle of giggling minions. (latimes)
Justin Bieber Apologizes to Bill Clinton
Justin Bieber reportedly called Clinton to apologize after TMZ uncovered a video of the teen pop phenom peeing into a janitorial bucket and yelling "F*** Bill Clinton!" while spraying a photo of the former president of the United States with cleaning liquid during a raucous night out in New York City earlier this year.
After his chat with Clinton, Bieber advertised his atonement on Twitter: @billclinton thanks for taking the time to talk Mr. President. Your words meant a lot. #greatguy
Though Clinton didn't tweet back — chalk it up to him still being new to the game — a conversation apparently did transpire between the two, who have met before. Extra reports Clinton accepted Bieber's apology, while advising the angsty teen to conscious of who he calls his crew (after all, it's rumoured one of his swaggy sidekicks was responsible for leaking the peeing-in-a-bucket video).
According to E! Clinton assured Bieber: "If that is the worst thing you have ever done, all is well." (celebuzz)
Lady Gaga to unleash ARTPOP album, app
The Haus of Gaga is back open for business.
After more than a year of dropping hints, Lady Gaga says Nov. 11 is the release date of her album (which EDM wunderkind Zedd produced), along with an app, ARTPOP.
In a prolific Facebook post, the singer, who's on the mend from a broken hip (using a golden wheelchair, naturally), explained the multimedia mastery that is ARTPOP.
An excerpt: "The app itself is a musical and visual engineering system that combines music, art, fashion and technology with a new interactive worldwide community — 'the auras.' Altering the human experience with social media, we bring ARTculture into POP in a reverse Warholian expedition." On Nov. 10, she will unleash what she calls "artRAVE," an exhibit celebrating the various aspects of ARTPOP, everything but the actual album itself. But "Little Monsters" and curious onlookers can pre-order the album and app starting Sept. 1.
(USAToday)
Jay-Z dabbles in performance art during six-hour ‘Picasso Baby’ event
While many pop-music critics panned Jay-Z’s 16-song album “Magna Carta...Holy Grail”— with its garish Samsung partnership and redundant themes — the art world has giddily accepted the track “Picasso Baby.”
On Wednesday, Jay-Z became Barnum yet again, inviting curators, critics and artists to his surprise act. They arrived to find themselves engulfed in a six-hour event mimicking the style of superstar performance artist Marina Abramovic, who showed up midway through. Cameras circled the duo, shooting footage for what will probably become a music video. All in attendance dutifully tweeted the happenings as Jay-Z repeated the song over and over. And over.
“Christie’s is delighted to be mentioned in good company with all of Jay Z’s art world favourites –from Leonardo da Vinci to the Louvre,” said Erin McAndrew, a spokeswoman for Christie’s. Indeed, Christie’s has partnered with Jay-Z for years now on short films he’s posted on his
Life+Times Web site. Adrian Parsons, a performance artist who’s worked in Washington for eight years, thinks Jay-Z and the fans are probably in on the joke.
“They see the parody inherent in it,” he said. “Jay-Z has an understanding of art as market and art as art.” Still, some weren’t so thrilled by the event’s “performance art” label. The art Web site Hyperallergic called it “The Day Performance Art Died.” (Bass and Cudlin assure us this is not the case.)
Eames Armstrong, curator of the Supernova performance art festival in Rosslyn, noted the irony of ironies: There’s a performance art festival in Brooklyn happening this month.
“It’s more exciting than Jay-Z at Pace but not getting nearly the same coverage,” Armstrong said. “That’s what happens with Marina Abramovic or Tilda Swinton. The celebrity is more important than the work itself.” (Excerpted from Jay-Z dabbles in performance art during six-hour ‘Picasso Baby’ event in New York. Huffington Post) jay Z giving his performance in front of a veritable Who’s Who of the art world in New york
Producer jerry Bruckheimer might have done better to star minions in his retelling of the Old West legend "The Lone Ranger," which was beaten badly at the box office by "Despicable Me 2." (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times / July 9, 2013)
Puja Gupta
uja Gupta, born July 6, 1988, is an Indian model and actress. She was crowned the winner of Miss India Universe in 2007 and subsequently represented India at Miss Universe 2007, finishing in 9th place. Gupta’s mother is a doctor and her brother an engineer. The beauty first came to the spotlight after participating in the Femina Miss India contest in 2007 and finishing in second place and winning the title of Femina Miss India Universe 2007. Gupta made her film debut in the Bollywood movie
‘F.A.L.T.U’ in 2011. This year, she appeared in ‘Go Goa Gone’ and will appear in the upcoming film ‘Shortcut Romeo’. Her hobbies are drawing, traveling, writing, yoga, and horse riding.
Priyanka Chopra unveils 'Exotic' music video featuring Pitbull
Priyanka Chopra has released the video for her new track
'Exotic'. The four-and-ahalf-minute video sees Chopra in an array of settings, including the beach, a swimming pool and a tropical backdrop.
Writing on Twitter, the “Zanjeer” star said: "Was nervous today...With the video dropping...Ur love and support is the wind beneath my wings... And I really needed that...thank u all so much."
US rapper Pitbull features in the video, which was shot at locations in Coconut Grove, Florida, a neighbourhood south of downtown Miami.
Earlier this week, the track - which features Hindi lyrics - went straight in at No.1 on iTunes India.
The actor-turned-singer, who shares the same management team as Lady
is
her upcoming
with producers such as RedOne and Sam
Aishwarya to make Bollywood comeback with hubby Abhishek?
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who has been away from the silver screen for about two years to take care of her daughter Aaradhya, is keeping mum on her comeback in Bollywood amid reports that she has been approached by Mani Ratnam, Karan Johar and recently by actor-musician Himesh Reshammiya.
The Bollywood diva, who had taken a long break from films after she was blessed with a baby girl, has recently hit the headlines with the buzz being that she will be making her comeback with actor-hubby Abhishek Bachchan.
According to reports, Himesh Reshammiya, who has discreetly managed to zero down on a deal for the remake rights of Shekhar Kapur's 1983 heart warm-
ing film “Masoom”, has his eyes on actor-couple AshAbhi to play the role, which was played by Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah in the original film.
Based on Erich Segal's novel “Man, Woman and Child”, Sekhar Kapur's directorial debut “Masoom” is a touching story about a family man, his illegitimate son, and its repercussions on his family. The film was critically acclaimed and much lauded.
Furthermore, filmmaker Bedabrata Pain, who directed “Chittagong” has sparked buzz of remaking the film in today's context.
If all goes well, the starpower couple, who was last seen together in Mani Ratnam's ‘Raavan” in 2010, may create magic on silver screen once again. (India Today)
Khan denies baby gender test rumours
BShah Rukh Khan has announced the arrival of his new baby boy born to a surrogate mother, and denied rumours of an illegal pre-natal gender test.
In a statement released late Tuesday, Khan said he and his wife Gauri had kept quiet on the matter owing to their "emotional strife" after the child, named AbRam, was born several months premature.
"Just to put the record straight there was no sex determination for our child," said Khan, 47, adding that the baby was born before such suspicions arose in the media.
Mumbai officials said last week they had received confirmation from a city hospital that a baby boy was born on May 27 to the Khans.
Rumours surfaced in June that the Khans were expecting a boy, raising speculation they had carried out a sex test.
Such a test is illegal in India, to try to prevent parents aborting female foetuses. On seeing the reports, the Indian Radiological and Imaging Association wrote to health officials demanding an investigation.
Khan, one of Bollywood's biggest crowd-pullers, already has two teenage children, a girl and a boy. The star of "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" ("The Brave heart will get the Bride") and "My Name Is Khan" confirmed his new child was born by surrogacy, an arrangement in which a woman carries the child of another couple.
"The entire process is bound by strict confidentiality. We would appeal to all, to allow us to cherish this private moment as a family," Khan said.
Back in 2011 fellow Bollywood megastar Aamir Khan and his wife also had a baby boy using a surrogate mother. (Fox News)
GaGa,
recording
album
Watters.
'Exotic' is the Bollywood actress's second international music release after 'In My City', which fea-
tured guest vocals from will.i.am and went on to sell 130,000 copies in India. (Digital Spy)
Priyanka and Pitbull on set for photo shoot
ollywood superstar
Certain health warning signs are well known -- like chest pain (heart attack), fever (infection), yellow eyes (jaundice), and irregular moles (skin cancer). But other concerning symptoms often get overlooked. Though they're common indicators of important health problems, people find them easier to dismiss or ignore.
"I find that many people feel too busy to have a seemingly minor complaint looked into," says San Francisco internist and geriatrician Leslie Kernisan, who is also Caring.com's senior medical editor. "But a regular doctor's visit can often lay the issue to rest. With a little investigation, we can figure out whether there really is something to worry about, and, if so, treat."
Sleepy during the day (for no reason)
Stress or "burning the candle at both ends" (late to bed, early to rise) can leave anyone yawning midday. So can insomnia, where you awaken and just can't get back to sleep. But sleep deprivation for these reasons is different from the all-daylong fatigue -- even to the point of nodding off -- that you might feel even when you believe you had a decent night's sleep. It's especially concerning if feeling tired and unable to concentrate strikes you day after day, and you can't fathom why.
Could indicate: Sleep apnea. This sleep disorder occurs when the soft tissues at the back of the throat disrupt normal breathing patterns. Unable to get oxygen, the body struggles for breath and
snore, especially if the snoring is loud or uneven, or erupts in snorts, or if you awaken with a sore throat or headache. Anyone can develop sleep apnea, but being overweight puts you at higher risk.
For women, excessive hair growth
Both men and women have hair all over their bodies, including the face. But it typically grows in differing patterns. In a woman, it's unusual for coarse hairs to sprout on the face, chest, belly, or around the nipples. Some women who develop facial hair growth feel a need to shave several times a day.
Could indicate: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This hormonal imbalance isn't completely understood but is linked to changes in the levels of oestrogen, progesterone, and especially androgen (a male hormone). The ovaries fail to release eggs and instead form small ovarian cysts. Infertility can result. As many as one in 10 to one in 20 American women are thought to have it, according to government data.
What else to notice: Other male-like PCOS symptoms include weight gain, decreased breast size, an enlarged clitoris, thinning hair or even balding, and a deepening voice. A hallmark symptom is irregular periods or the loss of periods after they'd begun during puberty. Acne may also worsen. Women with PCOS often also have diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol and are overweight.
Unintentional weight loss
when you hug your dad and he feels thinner, or you find yourself surprised to be cutting new notches in your belt.
Could indicate: Cancer. Unexplained weight loss (roughly ten pounds in a month) is a common warning sign of cancer. It can also indicate a possible thyroid problem.
What else to notice: With cancer, there are often other accompanying symptoms, such as (depending on the type of cancer) persistent pain, bloating, indigestion, or other sensations of something "not right." Other symptoms of hyperthyroid disease include fatigue and insomnia.
Persistent cough
Everybody gets a cough now and then. And some cold-type irritations can linger for weeks. But if a cough wasn't necessarily triggered by a cold and never seems to go away, another kind of respiratory problem may be at its root.
Could indicate: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, more commonly known by its acronym, COPD. Once called emphysema, this group of progressive lung diseases starts as a chronic cough that may not seem worrisome but represents permanent lung damage already taking place. Less commonly, a new chronic cough can be the first sign of lung cancer.
What else to notice: The other hallmark symptom of COPD is shortness of breath on exertion (climbing stairs, for example). Occasional wheezing and tightness of breath are other symptoms. Smokers are at high risk for COPD and lung cancer. Lung cancer may
Times Healthy Living
more than you used to?
Some people write this off to an "aging bladder" -- if they pay any attention at all. But if the problem is a recent one, your body may be trying to tell you something.
Could indicate: Diabetes.
Too much glucose in the blood can trigger a need to urinate often as the kidneys struggle to draw water out of the body in order to help them filter the glucose. Frequent urination is a warning sign of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
What else to notice: With diabetes, other symptoms include extreme thirstiness (again, as the body works to get rid of excess glucose), weakness, fatigue, blurry vision, and a tingling sensation in the fingers or toes.
bring on a bloody cough, frequent bouts of pneumonia, or weight loss.
Frequent urination
Running to the bathroom
(Especially in women, a sudden onset of frequent urination can also indicate a urinary tract infection. In men, it's also an indicator of possible prostate problems.)
Slipping, falling, and losing your balance a lot
Everybody can take a tumble. But slipping or falling into things often isn't
normal, even for a self-proclaimed klutz. Nor is losing your balance something that happens to every older adult. Yet people often fail to connect these "accidents" with an underlying problem.
Could indicate: A neurological problem. Many different things can cause wiring problems that result in a loss of balance and falls, including motor diseases (such as Parkinson's), autoimmune diseases (such as multiple sclerosis), and diabetic neuropathy (caused by diabetes).
What else to notice:
People with neurological disorders may also notice muscle weakness, numbness or tingling, twitching, or pain, though the exact constellation of symptoms depends on what's wrong. It's also worth noting whether the person falling has started a new medication recently. Many medications that affect balance include over-the-counter sleep aids and some medications used by people with dementia.
Home & Cooking
The powder room
Whether you call it a half bath, guest bath or powder room, a small washroom packs a lot of function into slim square footage; often placed just outside of a main living area to ensure accessibility. Add style and function to your half bath or powder room with these ideas for the space.
Chicken and chickpea bake
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons plain flour
8 chicken drumsticks
1/4 cup olive oil
300g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
1 garlic clove, crushed 1 brown onion, finely chopped
Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Combine flour and salt and pepper on a plate. Lightly coat drumsticks in seasoned flour.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan over mediumhigh heat. Cook chicken, turning occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a shallow 8-cup capacity baking dish. Add chickpeas.
2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
75g feta cheese, crumbled 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped cooked couscous, to serve
Heat remaining oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion. Cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, stock, sugar and salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until thickened slightly.
Pour sauce over chicken, stirring to coat. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with feta. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until feta has melted and chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with couscous.
Lemon coconut slice
Ingredients:
100g butter, softened
1/2 cup (100g) caster sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup (115g) plain flour
1/4 cup (20g) desiccated coconut
Lemon curd 50g butter, chopped
Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base and sides of a 19 x 29cm slice pan with baking paper, allowing the long sides to overhang.
Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until combined. Add the egg and beat until just combined. Add the flour and coconut and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Spoon mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden.
1/2 cup (100g) caster sugar
1 egg, whisked
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice
Coconut topping
2 eggs
1/2 cup (100g) caster sugar
2 cups (130g) shredded coconut
1 cup (85g) desiccated coconut
Meanwhile, to make the lemon curd, combine the butter, sugar, egg, lemon rind and juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Spread the lemon curd evenly over the prepared base. To make the coconut topping, use a fork to whisk the eggs and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the shredded and desiccated coconut and stir until well combined. Sprinkle evenly over the lemon curd. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until the coconut is lightly golden and set. Set aside in pan to cool completely. Cut into squares to serve.
Greatest Cooking Tips
For a variation in meat balls, add chopped apple to ground meat along with other seasoning, roll into small balls and simmer in tomato puree, seasoned with sage.
Diced fruits for salad or desserts can be kept from turning dark by covering them with grapefruit juice.
To make a bigger cake from a mix, add 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp. baking powder.
You can prevent any odour of mould in your bread box by rinsing it occasionally with a solution of vinegar and water.
Before storing clothes that have been dry cleaned, remove them from the plastic bag, as the bag may cause clothes to yellow.
If your white socks are getting dingy, place them into a pot of water, add two pieces of lemon or a teaspoon of lemon juice and soak for about 10 minutes. Then wash as you normally would.
Carve out
I have a common English phrase. I feed this phrase into a computer translation program. This translates it into a foreign language then back into English again. Unfortunately, because computers do not understand idiom and sarcasm, the phrase has been changed. It now reads:
BLIND, INSANITY
What was the original phrase?
Times Creative Writing
By Hans CHristian andersen
“In Africa, mother. I went out with the Hottentots, who were lion-hunting in the Kaffir land, where the plains are covered with grass the colour of a green olive; and here I ran races with the ostrich, but I soon outstripped him in swiftness. At last I came to the desert, in which lie the golden sands, looking like the bottom of the sea. Here I met a caravan, and the travellers had just killed their last camel, to obtain water; there was very little for them, and they con tinued their painful jour ney beneath the burning sun, and over the hot sands, which stretched before them a vast, boundless desert. Then I rolled myself in the loose sand, and whirled it in burning columns over their heads. The dromedaries stood still in terror, while the merchants drew their caftans over their heads, and threw themselves on the ground be fore me, as they do before Allah, their god. Then I buried them beneath a pyramid of sand, which covers them all. When I blow that away on my next vis it, the sun will bleach their bones, and travellers will see that others have been there before them; otherwise, in such a wild desert, they might not believe it possible.”
er. “Into the sack with you;” and, before he was aware, she had seized the South Wind round the body, and popped him into the bag. He rolled about on the floor, till she sat herself upon him to keep him still.
“These boys of yours are very lively,” said the prince.
“Yes,” she replied, “but I know how to correct them, when necessary; and here comes the fourth.” In came the East Wind, dressed like a Chinese.
“Oh, you come from that quarter, do you?” said she; “I thought you had been to the
so I rang the bells till they sounded, ‘ding, ding-dong.’”
“You are a wild boy,” said the old woman; “it is well for you that you are going to-morrow to the garden of paradise; you always get improved in your education there. Drink deeply from the fountain of wisdom while you are there, and bring home a bottleful for me.”
“That I will,” said the East Wind; “but why have you put my brother South in a bag? Let him out; for I want him to tell me about the phoenix-bird. The prinalways
where it grew.”
“Well, for the sake of the tea, and because you are my own boy, I will open the bag.”
She did so, and the South Wind crept out, looking quite cast down, because the prince had seen his disgrace.
“There is a palm-leaf for the princess,” he said. “The old phoenix, the only one in the world, gave it to me himself. He has scratched on it with his beak the whole of his history during the hundred years he has lived. She can there read how the old phoenix set fire to his own nest, and sat upon it while it was burning, like a Hindoo widow. The dry twigs around the nest crackled and smoked till the flames burst forth and consumed the phoenix to ashes.
Amidst the fire lay an egg, red hot, which presently burst with a loud report, and out flew a young bird. He is the only phoenix in the world, and the king over all the other birds. He has bitten a hole in the leaf which I give you, and that is his greeting to the
“So you have done nothing but evil,” said the moth-
boo canes were being broken on the shoulders of men of every high position, from the first to the ninth grade. They cried, ‘Many thanks, my fatherly benefactor;’ but I am sure the words did not come from their hearts,
wants to hear of this bird when I pay her my visit every hundred years. If you will open the sack, sweetest mother, I will give you two pocketfuls of tea, green and fresh as when I gathered it from the spot
“Now let us have something to eat,” said the mother of the Winds. So they all sat down to feast on the roasted stag; and as the prince sat by the side of the East Wind, they soon became good friends.
“Pray tell me,” said the prince, “who is that princess of whom you have been talking? And where lies the garden of paradise?”
“Ho! Ho!” said the East Wind, “would you like to go there? Well, you can fly off with me to-morrow; but I must tell you one thing—no human being has been there since the time of Adam and Eve. I suppose you have read of them in your Bible.”
“Of course I have,” said the prince.
“Well,” continued the East Wind, “when they were driven out of the garden of paradise, it sunk into the earth; but it retained its warm sunshine, its balmy air, and all its splendour. The fairy queen lives there, in the island of happiness, where death never comes, and all is beautiful. I can manage to take you there to-morrow, if you will sit on my back. But now don’t talk any more, for I want to go to sleep;” and then they all slept. (TO BE CONTINUED)
Silence
I've never been the type to say much I keep 'em all inside
Because I know I'll lose my voice someday
My silence is my loudest cry
I try to let my guard down
Tear all my walls apart
So peer inside my heart
And see that I've been hurt
Maybe then you'll understand
Why I speak with no sound
When I choose to utter the words And no one is around
Alina Barnwell
Twilight Desert
And everything was so still
Except for the frogs, and the late birds, Everything. Away from the domination of man’s will. Everything. Falling under the embrace of night’s dark gird.
The owls and moths and bats, And the moon’s silver sliver, And the first stars. Kangaroo rats, Nose out from their burrows with a shiver.
Sudden still silence, sweet, With a cold wind
Like when wolves do meet
Above the covering of glittering gild
For a meeting of the moon
On the plains before the sun comes out all too soon.
Akbar J. Singh
The servers at the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington, D.C., bustled about the dining room, handing out hors d'oeuvres to bemused and somewhat reticent guests. As attendees received their food, the looks on their faces ranged from mild interest to bafflement to unadulterated disgust. Some staunchly refused to eat, while others succumbed to their curiosity and had a few nibbles. The sound of crunching tortilla chips (and the occasional dry heave) soon filled the air.
How did a little guacamole and a few chips provoke such an extreme reaction? It may have had something to do with the roasted crickets resting atop of each morsel.
Americans have long seen the act of eating insects – entomophagy – as taboo and, let's face it, a little gross. But a recent study from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations suggests that insects can and should be more than a "famine food" and eaten when food is scarce.
"Many people around the world eat insects out of choice, largely because of the palatability of the insects and their established place in local food cultures," says Marcel Dicke, head of the Department of the Laboratory of Entomology at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
Dicke, who headlined a lecture last month at the Royal Netherlands Embassy, is co-author of the Dutch-language "Het Insectenkookboek" ("The Insect Cookbook"), which will be released in English in the United States this fall. "In short, the world is facing an upcoming animal protein crisis," he says.
Because of booming population growth worldwide – the United Nations estimates a population of 9 billion by 2050, an increase of about 2 billion people – we will be forced to more than double the current food production rate, Dicke says. But the current food production system may be ineffective and unsustainable.
"If we look at all agricultural land, we see that 70 percent is devoted to livestock, and only 30 percent is devoted to producing food for human beings," Dicke says. "That would be fine, except we only get two pounds of edible product for every 22 pounds of feed, and we only eat about half of that. This is very inefficient."
The solutions to this problem will inevitably fly, wriggle or crawl their way onto our dinner plates,
Dicke says – and in many cases, they already have. "Whether you know it or not, you're all eating insects already," he says. "Everything that's processed food contains insects."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does, in fact, allow an amount of insect contamination in certain processed foods. For example, canned citrus fruit juices are allowed to contain five or more Drosophila (fruit fly) eggs or one or more maggots per 250 millilitres.
That's no reason to quarantine your orange juice, though. Of the estimated 6 million species of insects on Earth, at least 1,900 are considered edible, and Dicke says there are many advantages to eating insects, including nutritional quality comparable to processed beef, pork and fish.
"In many cultures outside of North America and Western Europe, insects are actually considered delicacies and are an important source of protein," Dicke says.
Caterpillars, for example, contain about 28 grams of protein per 100 grams, are chock-full of iron and thiamine (vitamin B1) and are only 370 calories. Beef and fish have comparable protein levels but don't provide as many vitamins or as much iron. One hundred grams of crickets contain 121 calories, 12.9 grams of protein and 5.5 grams of fat. One hundred grams of ground beef, by comparison, packs 23.5 grams of protein, but also has more than double the calories at 288, along with 21 grams of fat.
Michael Raupp, a professor of entomology and cicada expert at the University of Maryland who runs BugoftheWeek.com, shows his support of insects as a viable food source by snacking on cicadas whenever he gets the chance. "They have a very earthy taste, like a juicy nut," he says.
Fears of disease in-
grained in insects are unfeasible, Raupp says, because entomological dis-
eases, such as malaria, Dengue fever and Lyme disease, must enter the bloodstream, and humans don't become infected by eating insects. And, he points out, entomophagy occurs regularly in nature: "I mean, 2 million birds can't be wrong," he says.
So which bugs can you eat? Daniella Martin, who runs GirlMeetsBug.com, lists edible insects and their nutritional values on her website. She also provides recipes for treats like the "Bee-LT Sandwich" with sautéed bee larvae and deep fried scorpion. Martin says her favourite bugs to eat are wax worms, bees, wasps and fried bamboo worms.
One warning: Don't go into your backyard and
start munching on the insects you find. Rather, buy farm-raised, healthy bugs that have been bred for the specific purpose of being eaten.
The first step to introducing entomophagy into western diets is awareness, Raupp says – not just talking about the benefits of eating insects, but the broader subject of living with insects. "It's very difficult to change entrenched attitudes," he says. "I really focus on getting children interested and fascinated in nature because, unfortunately, western culture is often times totally disconnected with nature. They don't understand some fascinating aspects of nature like watching bugs, raising
bugs and, in some cases, eating bugs."
Dicke says he believes the greatest hurdle standing in the way of entomophagy in North America and Western Europe is our culture, and overcoming that culture will require a shift in mindset from seeing insects as "pests" and "creepycrawlies" to seeing them as delicacies, as much of the world already does. "As much as we'd like to think it, this is not a planet of human beings," Dicke says. "This is a planet of insects, and we're just being hosted by them." (Source: Eating Insects: A Healthy Solution to Food Shortages, Why we should (and already do) eat insects by Steven Holbrook, US News)
Some of the unusual ingredients (raw and cooked) on the menu of a restaurant near the outskirts of Sichuan’s capital Chengdu in China (fuchsiadunlop.com)
There are a lot of places to spend money on digital music, but all of them are dwarfed by iTunes. Apple owns about 75 percent of the digital music market. Leaving the rest for a group that includes subscription services like Pandora, Deezer, Rhapsody and assorted retailers like Amazon.
That domination shows you why the music labels are still very eager to see anyone and everyone compete with Apple, as long as they can pay up for advances/royalties.
Apple doesn’t worry about making money from digital music, but it does benefit mightily from music’s lock-in effects. Or at least
Apple still has a giant advantage in digital music
foundly unenthusiastic about ads. Apple could end up with a goose egg for iRadio revenue and still consider the service a success. If iRadio helps sell more iPhones, or keeps iPhone users from ditching their handsets for a Google X phone or whatever, then it’s well worth the hassle. But it’s hard to see this making real money for the people who own the songs.
it used to. The more that platform-agnostic rivals like Spotify grow, the weaker that lock gets. Apple is finally ready to announce its iRadio service. We don’t know if Apple is actually calling iRadio “iRadio.” But at this point we do know quite a bit about the streaming music service: IRadio is meant to be a “Pandoraplus” offering: It will be free, and will give listeners more control over their music than Pandora or other Web radio services, but not as much as paid subscription services like Spotify or Google Play Music All Access (they really call it that).
• Like most digital music services, Apple will pay the music owners a fraction of a
penny every time someone plays one of their songs. Unlike most digital music services, Apple also plans to sell advertising, and will give music owners a cut of that, too.
If you’re trying to gauge iRadio’s prospects, it’s that last part that should be most interesting. Because it sets up the possibility that iRadio could work very well for Apple — by creating a sticky feature that keeps people using its iOS platform instead of jumping ship to Google/ Samsung/Amazon/whomever — but end up disappointing music owners, who are still looking to replace the giant pile of money that Napster and file-sharing evaporated way back in 1999.
Apple’s previous forays into ads, which started off when the company bought Quattro three years ago and launched iAd, haven’t amounted to much. And at the D: All Things Digital conference last month, CEO Tim Cook sounded pro -
The total spending per iTunes account is $43 per year across all media, says Dediu. At 575 million iTunes accounts, that works out to $24.7 billion of consumer spending at iTunes per year.
The trend in average account spending is equally important as how much each account generates. Geographic expansion and market penetration can explain the declines in annual music spending. Average annual spending on music is likely to decline as iTunes expands from wealthier nations to less wealthy ones. iTunes has expanded to many countries in the last few years, including India, Russia, Turkey and across Latin America.
In addition, annual spending on music will decline as more consumers within a particular market adopt iTunes. Early adopters were more avid music consumers and buy more music than other consumers. Later adopters are much more casual music consumers and spend less on music. Thus, it's only natural for the average spending per iTunes account to decrease over time.
Seal system aims to keep kids from drowning
It can’t be easy, being a lifeguard at a pool full of children. The kids that catch your attention are going to be the ones who are splashing and yelling, whereas the ones that you really need to look for could be silently slipping below the surface, where they won’t be seen or heard. North Carolina-based emergency physician Graham Snyder decided that those potential drowning victims needed more attention drawn to their predicament, so he created the Seal system.
Snyder attended to one particular incident, in which a six year-old girl drowned in a backyard pool. She was surrounded by various other people at the time, but no one noticed that she had sunk to the bottom of the pool until it was too late. If only there was some way in which people could have been alerted as soon as she’d been underwater for an unsafe amount of time, she
might still be alive.
Thus it was that Seal was invented.
The system consists of waterproof SealBands that are clasped loosely around the necks of swimmers, GuardBands worn by lifeguards or other supervising adults, a portable hub unit that sits near the pool, and a battery charger.
The SealBands, GuardBands and hub form a wireless network with one another, all communicating via a radio signal. Whenever one of the bands is immersed more than a couple of inches below the surface, it ceases to communicate with the other devices, and the network is broken.
Sensing this interruption, those other devices begin a countdown, and a warning is issued to the GuardBands. If the submerged band resurfaces before that countdown is complete, everything goes back to normal. If it doesn’t, however, then sound,
light and vibrating alarms go off on the other bands and the hub.
While the system doesn’t point out the location of the troubled swimmer, it does at least let everyone know that someone needs help, so they can look for them. Additionally, the alarms will also go off if a band is unclasped while still in the water, or if a wearer swims out of range of the network.
Because not everyone has the same swimming (or breath-holding) skills, the amount of time that a band can remain underwater before issuing a warning or alarm can be set individually on each band – there are four settings to choose from. This means that a relatively fit 10 year-old won’t be hampered by the same settings as required by a water wing-wearing baby.
Snyder and his team are currently raising production funds for the Seal system,
on Indiegogo. A pledge of US$149 will get you a complete single-swimmer set-up, when and if they’re ready to go. Packages with multiple bands for multiple swimmers are also available at larger pledge levels.
If a SwimBand remains submerged too long, then sound, light and vibrating alarms go off on the other bands and the hub (GIZMAG)
Raimund Angelo Rausch is the newest trending artist on the local art scene. His pieces are vibrant and speak of his everyday experience with life.
Speaking with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, the artist said during his childhood days, he was always intrigued by the drawings by one of his good friends. His friend was always sketching superheroes and preparing show cards for his mother, a nursery school teacher.
“So one day, long after my constant box figure sketches, I got the comic book “Ghost Rider- A Spirit Reborn” and I tried my hands at a portrait: the character’s famous skull engulfed in flames. Let’s just say it was accepted by everyone. But that’s how it all started,” he reminisced.
The self-taught artist pointed out that his inspiration comes from “simply someone...something, or being engaged in a casual conversation which may initiate an image, or good music, which hits those very
nerve endings that emit a jagged feeling upon your skin, and not forgetting poetry.”
Deciding to take up his art more seriously, Rausch entered his pieces at the recently held Kiss My Art exhibition, which is his first art showing.
“It was my first exhibition and I’m humbled and thankful for the opportunity given to me by those wonderful young ladies of REDEntertainment - Chelsea, Saskia and Kristina!” he exclaimed.
Those studying Rausch’s art would notice a recurring line of beautiful women painted in vivid colours. These, he pointed out, are based on the theme of women’s empowerment. Growing up with three sisters, and being the only brother, he is amazed by their strength, which inspires his paintings. His mother and grandmothers are also the baseline of most of his pieces.
Rausch’s paintings exude his nostalgic feelings: images that remind him of “what it was like”, whether photographs, paintings
or drawings, his fears and every feeling he has encountered.
The artist described his art as being “contemporary art with a bit of abstract entwined within it.” The abstract, he noted, is to add suspense to his pieces.
In outlining his plans for his art, Rausch said, “I do have a few things planned for the future, but as they say, things can change within an instant. However, I can only say that I do hope as time elapses, the public is appreciative of my work, enabling me to, maybe, exhibit in galleries. And I hope that people accept my pieces into their homes too, both locally and internationally, young and old. I shall work each day to augment my skills, build and explore my thoughts.”
He added, “Art is therapeutic to me; it is a coherent interpretation of my thoughts, it enables me to be lost mentally, which I’m sure most artists will agree with me.”
For more information on the artist, email him at raimund.angelo@gmail.com or check
Artist Raimund Angelo Rausch
"Native Beauty"
"The Expressive Child"
"Women of Colours II"
"Women of Colours I"
"Passionate Love"
The missionary John Wray’s arrival to fulfil Post’s desire to have the slaves taught religious education and to read and write brought much censure from other plantation owners who felt that it would lead to revolt.
They accused Post of creating “anarchy, chaos and discontent among the slaves” that would lead to “destruction” of the colony. The planters insisted that if they were teaching the slaves religion, they should teach them “their duties to their masters”. Newspaper articles also arose that warned of the dire consequences of teaching slaves to read.
But Post, his health deteriorating, refused to listen to the protestations and instead sought to have more missionaries appointed to other places in the colony. Post did have some supporters of his cause who also wrote to overseas missionaries and to the colonial council insisting that there would be no endangerment to the colony.
Post also offered land in the city to build a chapel but colonial authorities “refused to cooperate.”
On Le Resouvenir, religious services were initially conducted in a shed, but after a steady increase of worshippers over a year, Post decided to build a chapel on the plantation. In September 1808, the Bethel Chapel was completed and inaugurated, "crowded with people of various colours”
said to number around 600.
A house for the missionary building was completed the following year on the plantation. However further expansions would be stymied by Post’s creditors demanding their payments or he would face bankruptcy.
One of the situations Post found himself in was that his plantation did not prosper as well as the surrounding plantations, and one reason suggested was that the better treatment and living conditions of the slaves on his plantation played a role.
After four consecutive years of cotton crop harvest failures, Post had been forced to ask for credit to maintain the plantation and the mission.
Despite these financial difficulties, in October 1808, the first group of children were baptised at Bethel Chapel, and on December 26 that same year, 13 women and seven men took confession, to the tearful delight of Hermanus Post, according to Wray.
But by early 1809, Post’s health began deteriorating rapidly. He was suffering from severe asthmatic conditions and was always in much pain. He soon developed increasingly painful gout and became unable to use his hands and feet. Restricted to his bed, he died April 29, 1809.
Wray described the grief of the plantation population:
On April the 29th, about half after eight o'clock in the evening, he fell asleep in Jesus. The poor negroes spent most of the night in
Preserving
weeping for him, exclaiming, "Oh, my massa, my massa!" A more Affecting scene was, perhaps, never presented. I suppose there were more than 500 negroes of his own, and from other estates, lamenting Their loss. Mr. Purkis and the manager went among the negro-houses, to request them to be still, but in vain. They continued to weep aloud, exclaiming, "My massa, my massa! - My tatta, my tatta '! - I was much affected with the language of one poor woman. She said she had [lived]
20 years on the estate, - Not able to do any work, but her massa had Given her everything to make her comfortable.
HH Post was buried Sunday, April 30 at 5 o'clock in the afternoon in the cemetery on his plantation, under a large mango tree. He was carried by eight slaves of whom some were baptized. Despite the heavy rain, there was a large number of "people of different colour” present. There were some songs sung and Wray held a brief sermon. Then on
Sunday, May 14, Wray held a special funeral sermon. Wray had wished Post be buried in the chapel but Post had refused because he (Post) felt it could be considered as pride or self-glorification.
The London Missionary Service carried an obituary for Post in its Annual Report of 1809, describing him as important to the teaching of religion on the colony
and calling him a “generous benefactor”. Tragically, after Post’s death, Le Resouvenir went under the management of Johannes van der Haas, and the treatment of the slaves quickly deteriorated. The whip became enforced and slaves made to work on Saturdays and Sundays when previously Post had given them those days off.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
le Resouvenir early 19th century. View includes the planter’s house and Bethel Chapel. Figures probably HH Post and slave. (Reinhart: Nederlandse literatuur en slavernij ten tijde van de Verlichting)
A natural aquatic sanctuary
Crane Pond is located not far from Karanambu Ranch, Rupununi; its visual spectacle is equalled only by the diverse chatter of its various avian and aquatic inhabitants, making the area one of the impressive features of the Rupununi region.
For birding enthusiasts, excellent bird watching is available at Crane Pond. Hundreds of boisterous ibis, anhinga, heron and egret birds can be seen roosting, which is a highlight on the trip to the pond. There is also the beautiful spread of Victoria Amazonica flowers on the water that increases the beauty of this natural water feature.
Boating on the pond offers an unparalleled opportunity to observe up close the unique ecosystem existing there. The view from the pond provides an amazing backdrop of hills, mountains, and savannah. That makes the area for tourists to experience the biodiversity at Crane Pond a treat when visiting the Karanambu Ranch.(Cover Jabiru stork feeding at Crane Pond)
A crane flies above the pond
Panoramic view of Crane Pond
The pond is home to a variety of tree species
A spectacular spread of Victoria amazonica beautifies the pond
Last Laugh
By Melvin Durai
If the telephone is a big part of your life, you'll be happy to learn about two developments. The first could keep you on the phone forever -- or at least until the world ends on Jan. 1. The second could make you feel more comfortable about answering the darn thing.
Let me explain.
Say you're a woman involved in a long-distance relationship. You were on the Internet and met this great guy named Sam who lives in a remote part of West Virginia, but still has all his teeth. Or so he claims.
Your relationship has progressed from the Internet to the phone, and though you've never set eyes on Sam or his molars, you're beginning to plan your wedding. Hey, you're an optimist. Besides, the earlier you start planning, the more likely you'll remember the names of all your relatives.
You've even selected a reception hall, picked your bridesmaids, and opened a gift registry at K mart.
There's only one problem: Sam stops calling you.
You try to call him, but get his answering machine. Still, you're glad to hear his voice on the machine, though he says only, "Yo!"
After a week or so, your phone rings again. You dash out of the bathroom, shampoo running down your back. "Hello," you say, your heart pounding like you just met Ricky Martin.
"Hello," says the caller. "I'm calling from Diewell Cemetery to offer you a special deal on a burial plot."
It's a telemarketer, one who's apparently making plans for your death. You slam the phone, cursing Alexander Graham Bell.
After your cold shower, you check your email and find a message from Sam:
"Dear Fatima, I couldn't call you because the phone company disconnected my long-distance service for not paying the bill. I wanted to pay it, but it was more than double my rent. Those six-hour calls aren't cheap. I tried to get a job, but they aren't hiring at McDonald's. And the guy at the pawn shop refused to take my collection of hub caps. I'm really sorry about this. All my love, Sam."
So now you have another problem: Your name isn't Fatima.
It isn't even Fat-anything.
But you're in a forgiving mood. You're willing to overlook this faux pas. You don't want to lose the deposit on the reception hall.
You write to Sam, telling him about the low rates phone companies have started offering. Sprint's offering 5-cent nights. MCI's offering 5-cent nights and early mornings. AT&T's offering 7-cent mornings, afternoons and nights. And perhaps 3-cent birthdays.
For just a nickel, you can call your ex-husband and tell him to get a life. He's not achieving much in Congress.
What's more, if the heated competition in the phone industry continues, it's possible that long distance -- combined with Internet access and other services -- will eventually be FREE. That could take your romance to a whole new level. You could even get married by phone.
You have other good news for Sam: You heard that some states are passing laws against telemarketers, forcing them to respect "do not call" lists. They won't be interrupting your cold showers again.
Sam writes back: "Dear Fatima, I have something important to tell you. My name really isn't Sam. It's Samantha. That's why I sound a lot like Michael Jackson."
Now you have another problem: Which one of you will undergo the sex change operation? There isn't much time before the wedding.
Ad for hair styling gel
Riddles for Kids
Why did the chicken cross the basketball court?
- He heard the referee call a fowl
Why don't cats play poker in the jungle?
-Too many cheetahs
Why was the computer so tired when it got home?
-Because it had a hard drive!
What has to be broken before it can be used?
-An egg
Fishing Secret
Two experienced fishermen went ice fishing. They chopped holes in the ice about twenty-five feet apart, put worms on their hooks, dropped their lines in the water, and hardly got a nibble. This went on for several hours, but no luck.
Mid afternoon, a schoolboy arrived. He walked confidently onto the ice, chopped his hole between those of the two men, and caught fish after fish.
The men were amazed, and finally one approached the boy and asked, "Tell me, young man, what is your secret?"
The boy replied, "Mmmm yymmm mmms wmmm."
"What's that?" asked the man. "Say it again, please."
The boy said, "Mmmm yymmm mmms wmmm."
The man said, "I'm sorry, I just can't understand you. Would you speak a little more clearly?"
At that, the boy cupped his palms, spit out a large amount of substance into them, and said clearly, "Keep your worms warm."
Served by Weight
A man and his wife went out to dinner to a casual dining restaurant.
For dinner, they had ordered the chicken tenders plate.
When it arrived, the woman stopped the waitress. "Why do I have only 4 pieces when my husband has 5?"
"The dinners are served by weight," re plied the server.
"Weight?" asked the surprised wom an. "No one weighed me when we came in!"
Friendly Customer Service
The manager of a restaurant called his waitresses together for a meeting pri or to the opening of the day’s business.
"Ladies," he began, "I want you to all look your best today. Greet every custom er with a smile and a kind word."
"What's up?" asked one of the women. "Bunch of big shots coming in today?"
"No, the meat's tough today."
Rejected Greeting Card Ideas
OUTSIDE: As the days go by, I think of how lucky I am
INSIDE: that you’re not here to ruin it for me.
OUTSIDE: Looking back over the years that we’ve been together, I can’t
help but wonder:
INSIDE: What was I thinking?
OUTSIDE: I’ve always wanted to have someone to hold, someone to love.
INSIDE: After having met you, I’ve changed my mind.
I'm The Boss
The company boss was complaining in a staff meeting that he wasn’t getting any respect. Later that morning he went to a local sign shop and bought a small sign that read: "I’m the Boss!"
He then taped it to his office door. Later that day when he returned from lunch, he found that someone had taped a note to the sign that said: "Your wife called, she wants her sign back!"
Telling Time
Even though he could not tell time, my three-year-old grandson was wearing a watch when I visited.
Later, when I was putting on my coat to leave, I asked him what time it was. He looked at his watch blankly then brightened. "It's time for you to go," he answered triumphantly.
First Fight
The newlyweds were having their first fight, and finally he said, "When we got married, you promised to love, honour and obey."
She said, "I know. But I didn't want to start an argument in front of all those people."
Historic Achievements
TEACHER: Name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
STUDENT: Me!
Movie
Did you hear about the great pirate movie?
It’s rated ARRRR!
