Sunday Magazine 20th Oct 2013

Sunday

Times October 20, 2013

Star Times Hollywood:

Lady Gaga Covers Up with Grass in Promo Art See story on page 12

Magazine

FREE DISTRIBUTION

The Aurora Collection Page 10

Agriculture Month 2013

Women turn subsistence farming into business Page 3

Star of the week Page 7

A Guyanese Tradition Page 2

‘Together We Fight’

Page 5 Fighting Breast Cancer

Experience a Georgetown Aerial Tour

Page 23

2 Times Sunday Magazine

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October 20, 2013

Times Feature

Workers at Limacol’s manufacturing site undergo thorough measures to ensure strict quality control

T

The Limacol tradition continues

he Limacol brand name has been a tradition in Guyana and around the world since its Guyanese developer, J. A. Adamson (later nicknamed Johnny “Limacol” Adamson) was employed as chief pharmacist, chemist, general manager and managing director at what was then known as Bookers Drug Store in British Guiana in the early 1900s.

According to Alvin O. Thompson writing in “Colonialism and Underdevelopment in Guyana 1580 – 1803” (1987) Adamson developed Limacol “after some months of experimenting”, when he needed to find a substitute for bay rum, which was expensive, and was asked to develop a less expensive lotion that could be used instead of eau de cologne.

The result was the “creation and introduction of the lotion ‘lime rum’ ”, which would become so popular that Bookers, who named it Limacol, registered it as a trademark to protect the creator, the product and its market, as cheap imitations started appearing.

The result of Adamson’s experiments is, according to its current manufacturer, a “unique combination of alcohol and blended aromatic oils, with a lime fragrance” whose “proprietary formula [is] sourced from the Amazon and beyond”.

Adamson’s Limacol formula began selling across the Caribbean, and, by the 1930s was on sale in Britain. Close to a century later, Limacol remains a household name throughout Guyana, the Caribbean, and the West Indian diaspora.

By the late 1930s, with the introduction of Limacol and Ferrol, the latter also a well-known cough and cold elixir in which JA Adamson was also involved, Bookers Drug Store was on its way to becoming the Caribbean region’s oldest and largest pharmaceutical company, and its Limacol brand a Guyanese tradition.

But it almost never happened. Events affecting its compa-

ny would place the Limacol brand into hard times before it would survive to continue its tradition in Guyana and the Caribbean.

Under the umbrella of the Bookers Group of Companies, a firm with interests in the colony’s sugar, rum, shipping and many other industries at the time, Bookers Drug Store had opened in the 1920s at the corner of Church and Main streets, Georgetown, with the aim of manufacturing and distributing pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.

Within a decade of their Limacol introduction, Bookers Drug Store’s manufacturing and retail site was razed in the 1945 “Great Fire of Georgetown”, and much activity reduced or suspended for a period.

After a spate of temporary locations and – according to an autobiography of Wilfred A. Gilkes, who was hired by Adamson in the 1930s and managed the company’s Bourda branch – a period of hardship for employees, Bookers eventually rebuilt on its original site as Bookers Universal Store, and relocated the manufacturing section to La Penitence, then considered just outside the city, where it continued producing the Limacol brand as Bookers Manufacturing Drug Company Limited (BMDCL).

When the Limacol manufacturing company was nationalised in the 1970s, it was renamed, and fell behind in its services. It would take privatisation of the Limacol company to put the brand on more solid ground, when a new company was formed to ensure its continued production.

Today, Limacol has added to its international recognition after being awarded the Caribbean Premier League cricket competition franchise under its well-established flagship brand.

Vintage collectible from the early Limacol product of yet unknown date. The creator and period of introduction of its current slogan, “The Freshness of a Breeze in a Bottle” is unknown.

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October 20, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine

3

Times Focus

Agriculture Month 2013

By Indrawattie Natram

W

omen have traditionally lived as subsistence farmers, eking a meagre living off a few crops just to maintain their family, with or without male assistance. Today, while many women dominate in offices, some women from the Upper Pomeroon choose to remain farming – but not to exist in poverty.

They have adopted farming because they have seen the satisfying advantages of farming as a business.

Four women from Kabakaburi, a village in the Upper Pomeroon, located 40 miles from Charity on the Essequibo Coast, told Guyana Times Sunday Magazine that farming is beneficial and it helps them to earn.

Three of the hard-working women in the community, Nicola Williams, Judith Lyte and Beverley Lyte, revealed how farming has changed their lives, and how they entered the profession.

Beverley Lyte, a mother, housewife and a farmer, related that cassava cultivation has changed her family’s life. The 33- year- old said that cultivating cassava, a crop traditionally grown in the Kabakaburi area, has made her into someone she is truly proud of.

The mother, who takes care of her home before she ventures into the fields, said that as a small child growing up, her eyes were always on her father, who was a farmer, "I grow up in farming, it’s like a tradition: it pass on," she mused.

Shedding traditional roles

Beverly noted that before she began her business, she would realize that sometimes, providing all the necessary amenities for the home was difficult with her

fessed, “to just put a stick in the earth and next day it blossoms into a fruit then food for persons."

The farmer advised those who love farming to take it up. She maintained that anyone can become a farmer, however great commitment and dedication is needed.

She said it’s a wonderful profession and can provide good earnings. She said too that she would sometimes even "Google" new farming techniques so as to keep up with technology.

husband’s earnings alone.

She said her home needed many things, and many wants were left unsatisfied.

One day she was making cassava pone and realized that cassava as a plant has much potential in local markets.

She said that she spoke later to the two other women, who also faced similar challenges in their homes, and asked them to join her on the farm. She knew about farming, she stated, but she never knew she was so good at it.

Lyte said she met with Nicola Williams and Judith Lyte, and the idea of cultivating 10 acres with cassava emerged. She recalled that they were all excited, and their journey into business

Plans for the future

Beverly Lyte among her eddo plants

would sell the raw materials to other women in the village who in turn bake cassava bread and sell at the Charity Market.

‘God bless’ opportunity

Lyte, who spoke on behalf of the other women, said that farming has opened many opportunities for them, and described the profession as “God bless”.

She declared that she is earning, and enjoying her life because of farming.

She said farming is a great profession where one can see tangible results within weeks, and she remains humbled by the experience. " It is amazing,” she conDaniels, who cultivates two acres, with her children who help on weekends

began.

Today, the three women are thrilled to be earning profits from their 10 acres of land under cultivation.

Farmers Beverly Lyte and Nicola Williams in their fields

A ‘Normal’ Day

Beverly said that also being a housewife makes farming a great challenge. She related that a normal day for the three of them is going to work on the plot of land, located not far from the community. She said after breakfast is prepared for the children and they are sent off to school, the three women go into the fields.

She noted that clearing the lands is most tedious, and requires many laborious hours. In achieving a smooth and level plot of land, the farmer said they would clear and clean the plot with axes and cutlasses. She said that their husbands would sometimes help them when they were not busy, but most of the work is done by the women themselves: the clearing, land preparation, sowing and harvesting.

Harvesting, she disclosed, is difficult for them since their land is located far back of the landing, and the harvesting is done manually then transported to their boats. The distance is a challenge, however it is a challenge endured by the strong women.

After harvesting, they

Due to the profit gains , the three farmers are hoping to extend their lands and plant more cassava. They noted that they are receiving full support from their toshao, and they are thankful.

Apart from bitter cassava cultivation, the women also cultivate eddoes. They said eddo as a cash crop, helps them earn as well, and added that vine crops are sometimes planted between the main crops.

Extra earnings

Another female from the village who finds love in farming is Hazel Daniels, who operates her farm separately. Daniels cultivates two acres of cassava and said that she enjoys farming because she earns extra.

She said that she enjoys the company of her children on the farm at weekends, and it is her fervent wish for them to become farmers also one day.

Crucial Support

Cleveland Simon, toshao of the village, was on the farms with the women while they were harvesting the cassava. Simon said that when he took office in the village, his main aim was to get persons involved in agriculture.

He said today he is very proud of the achievements, and thanked the Ministry of Agriculture for providing proper drainage and irrigation network system in his area. He pointed out that millions of dollars was spent to allow the smooth flow of water to farmlands.

Lands, the toshao also disclosed, are easily available to persons who want to pursue farming.

He also thanked the Ministry of Agriculture for providing staff from the National Agriculture Research Institute to give farmers technical advice, and noted that field officers attached to the ministry are always prompt and offer the necessary advice for the proper growth of the crops.

He also said that many youths from the area are attending the Guyana School of Agriculture.

As Guyana observes Agriculture Month, the work of these women in the community highlights the need for others to get involved to help satisfactorily feed themselves, their families and ultimately the nation, and avoid food shortages, prevalent in many other countries today.

Toshao Cleveland Simon on the farm with Lyte and Williams

4

Times Sunday Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

October 20, 2013

Times Feature Canada-based Guyanese singer/songwriter Terry B. talks about his experiences in the entertainment industry Christmas”, according to his website, www.terryb.ca, is a collection of Christmas classics done in Terry B's style: a little R&B, Soca, Reggae and Salsa.

The Christmas CD, released under the Spotlight Records label in 1999, “was well received back when it was released, and today it is still one of the top selling CD's of its kind,” he recalled. “As a matter of fact, my family and I went to an Engelbert Humperdinck concert and were lucky enough to meet him after his show; we gave him one of these CD's and another to his musical director. At his next concert in Toronto, the musical director contact-

Singer/songwriter Terry B. performing at a West Indian event

T

erry B. was born Terry Bacchus in Georgetown Guyana in 1959 and attended the Dolphin Government School until his family migrated to Canada in 1971. For him, singing is a gift from God; a gift he accepts wholeheartedly, and which, he said in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, chose him rather than he chose it.

Terry got his first gig just five years after arriving in a completely new world when he performed in 1976 at a Country and Western club in downtown Toronto, which was arranged by one of his teachers.

“The response from the large, all-Caucasian audience was tremendous – and this was in a time of high racism. So for me to get this kind of response showed that my talent was such that the audience forgot that I was not one of them,” he recalled.

While working as a fitter/ welder, he would perform as lead singer in bands such as Electric Vision, Sage and Sapphire during the 80s, but left the music scene when his daughter Amanda was born in 1991.

Following her father into the music industry, Amanda is now also a singer/songwriter and goes by the name Manda B.

His wife Rena, whom he met in 1977 at a party at a mutual friend’s home, works in the insurance industry and is also his writing partner and public relations liaison for him as well as their daughter Amanda.

After Amanda was born, his love for singing and performing still strong, he returned full-time to the music business in 1999; and to solo performances.

“Bands were being phased out and the singers were going solo. But instead of joining this scene, I decided to re-enter with a CD, “If Everyday was Like Christmas,” he revealed.

“If Everyday was like

His first CD album, recorded when he returned to the music scene

ed me and asked for another. He said that Engelbert had taken the one I gave him to his home in England and had taken the one from the musical director for his home in L.A. He said that Engelbert always has my CD in his carousel and plays it every Christmas.”

His other CD albums include “These Moments Last Forever” (2002) under Spotlight Records and “A Jackpot of Golden Hits Volume I”; while by request of many disc jockeys, his dance remix recording of The Temptations’ hit “My Girl” has been released on Patrons dance to the soulful music of Terry B

Terry B. doing what he loves best

vinyl (45 RPM).

Recalling his early years trying to make it in an industry that is fraught with more failures than successes, he said that he was never discouraged, only frustrated. “The music business,” he pointed out, “is a very, very competitive field, and your competition did not want you to get ahead of them, so there was a lot of “back-stabbing” – no different from today.”

That is something he is obviously concerned about for his daughter. “[I am] trying to be a good role model for my daughter as she discovers the pitfalls of this business,” he revealed.

And he knows a thing or two about facing discrimina-

tion, despite his talent. “In the early days, there was discrimination, and my performances were restricted to “West Indian” clubs and events. But this is now reversed, as most of my paying gigs are outside the West Indian community and the discrimination I face is from the West Indian community,” he noted.

But it has not dampened his enthusiasm for performing in any community, so far in both the U.S and Canada.

And, with his first love singing ballads he wrote and the old classics, he is satisfied with his successes in life.

“I am realistic enough to know that at my age and the type of music I sing, it is unlikely that I will ever make it big – I am comfortable where I am, getting paid for what I love doing best,” he stated.

That’s the best part of his work; the worst part, he revealed, is that he feels his fellow Guyanese don’t support him. But he plans to continue recording and performing until, as he put it, “...it is time for me to ride off into the sunset.”

Terry B has just completed what he described as a “lover’s rock CD”, and would love to be back home for a performance someday.

guyanatimesgy.com

October 20, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine 5

Times Women

‘Together We Fight’

T

he Cancer Institute of Guyana officially opened June 1, 2006, and, in the month of October, annually designated Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the agency looks at enforcing their awareness campaigns on educating Guyanese about the disease.

They are not alone in the nationwide fight against breast cancer, which is described as a common cause of cancer deaths in the country, where it has been reported that some 70 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer are over 55 years.

The CIG has continuously partnered with NGOs such as the Periwinkle Club, an organization that is involved in helping persons prevent, cope with and rehabilitate from cancer, including breast cancer; the Avon Community Help Fund (ACHF), which annually donates to organisations, or sponsors related events; and the Guyana Cancer Association which, among other things, along with the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre’s orthotic and prosthetic department, manufactures low-cost breast prostheses for women who have had a mastectomy.

This year, the CIG is offering free mammograms for women over 40 during the months of October into November, to ensure as many women as possible benefit

Some Periwinkle Club members who are breast cancer survivors, along with those who provide support

cer awareness, as part of their contribution to the fight against breast cancer in Guyana.

Breast cancer survivors share common stories of courage and determination in the face of hardships and challenges in coping with the disease, which often include the physical side effects of chemotherapy such as rapid weight loss, hair loss and, in some cases, damage to other organs; surgery, and the emotional effects on themselves and family.

Many find solace in their spirituality; others find lifestyle changes and attitudes essential to surviving the disease and preventing recurrence. Sadly, yet others find themselves alone as spouses or family abandon them during this difficult period, while some women refuse treatment, preferring to face and accept their death from the disease.

In 2012, well-known Guyanese singer Pamela Maynard lost her battle with breast cancer, and died in Canada in November at the age of 58.

Guyana Times Sunday Magazine urges all Guyanese women to get tested.

A previous year’s breast cancer awareness walk through the city

from the medical technology and expertise of the CIG. The offer especially targets, but is not limited to, uninsured and low-income women, who would otherwise be unable to afford the cost of screening.

The CIG and ACHF are unanimous in their concern that women take advantage of the occasion to get tested as early as possible so as to begin treatment, if needed, to ensure a better survival rate.

Radiation Oncologist at the Institute, Dr Narendra Bhalla, especially appealed to women in remote, rural areas to make the effort to be tested since they are usually low-income earners who, either from lack of awareness or finances, generally arrive at the institute when the cancer is tragically at a too advanced state.

This year, Bhalla made a public presentation on the disease as part of the month’s breast cancer awareness activities. Other activities earlier included a “wear pink” day in support of breast cancer awareness, while some breast cancer survivors are to be treated to spas and makeovers by private business entities. The annual breast cancer walk, sponsored by beauty conglomerate Avon (Guyana), was scheduled for Saturday, Oct 19.

In addition, a candle light vigil at the CIG clinic is expected to be held this Friday, Oct 25 as the month draws to a close.

This year also, entertainment group Hits and Jams has come onboard the fight against breast cancer, with the organization of a walk to be held Sunday, Oct 27.

The group also pledges to educate with its infomercial on breast cancer awareness.

Mobile phone giant Digicel (Guyana) is also contributing to activities during the month with a cycling race in collaboration with the Guyana Cycle Federation and the Roraima Bikers Club, sponsored to convey breast can-

Myths and Facts about Breast Cancer Myth 1: A breast lump is probably cancer Most breast lumps women feel (8 out of 10) aren't cancer. It's more common for them to be a cyst (a sac) or a fibroadenoma (an abnormal growth that's not cancer).

Some lumps come and go during a woman's menstrual cycle. You can't tell what it is by how it feels.

But never ignore the possibility. Ensure you get tested.

Myth 2: If you have a lump but your mammogram is normal, you’re done You may need more tests, such as an MRI, ultrasound, or follow-up mammogram, to take another look at the lump. You may also need to get a biopsy, which is when a doctor takes a small sample of the lump to test it.

In addition, it may mean you need to be tested more often.

Myth 3: Cancerous breast lumps are always painless Not necessarily. Although breast cancers aren't always painful, having breast pain doesn't rule out cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer, which has early symptoms such as redness, swelling, tenderness, and warmth in the breast, can be painful when there is a lump.

Myth 4: If you find a lump while breastfeeding, it can't be cancer Though breastfeeding does make you less likely to get breast cancer, it can still happen. If you notice a lump while

you're breastfeeding, don't ignore it. Get an ultrasound.

Myth 5: If you’re young, a breast lump can't be cancer Even though most women who get breast cancer are past menopause or older than 50, a lump can be cancer, even in a younger woman. At any age, you should get breast lumps checked.

Myth 6: A small lump is less likely to be cancer than a large lump Whenever you feel a lump that's new or unusual, even if it's tiny, see your doctor. Even small lumps can be aggressive cancers. Size does not dictate if you are cancer free.

Myth 7: If you feel a lump soon after a mammogram, it's ok to wait another year Mammograms can miss some cancers, especially if you have dense breast tissue or if the lump is in an awkward location (such as near your armpit).

Call your doctor if you notice a lump soon after your latest mammogram, even if the results were normal.

Myth 8: A lump is probably harmless if there's no breast cancer in your family Get all lumps checked by a doctor, whether or not breast cancer runs in your family. Less than 15 percent of women with breast cancer have a relative who's had the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. (Source: WebMD)

6 Times Sunday Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

October 20, 2013

Times Book World

The Shaping of Guyanese Literature

2012 Guyana Prize for Literature IV

By Petamber Persaud

(Continued from Oct 13)

T

he 2012 Guyana Prize for Literature was awarded in September 2013.

Extract of an interview with Brendan de Caires in Georgetown, Guyana, August 16, 2013. de Caires is a literary critic and reviewer, working in Canada. He has worked in Trinidad as editor and book reviewer for the “Caribbean Review of Books”, (CRB) and for the review section of “Caribbean Beat”. He has also published other literary articles and reviews, and is a co-founder of Moray House Trust in Georgetown.

De Caries is a native of Guyana who has lived in Britain, Trinidad, Barbados, Mexico, and New York, working as editor, human rights activist, and English literature and ESL teacher. He is currently program and communications coordinator for PEN Canada. This is the second time he has sat on the panel of judges for The Guyana Prize for Literature.

PP So the writers and

artists have their role?

abandoned

BdC No, not at all, I don’t think that is the case...

PP Then why it is not coming out in our writing?

BdC That’s a structural problem. I sure there are writers right now composing the very book that I’d like to read. But where would they publish and who would read it? These are the obstacles. I mean nobody can live in a society with serious problems without wishing to respond to them. But why would you respond to it in a novel when novels are not read in your society? It’s a chicken and egg thing.

PP Am I beating a dead horse with my projects – two columns and two TV programmes on Guyanese literature … trying to show how our writers deal with these issues?

BdC No. What you’re doing sounds very honourable. I think that how you come to love literature is irrelevant, getting there is the thing. Good writers

are people who have something worth saying about their reality. They put this down on paper as intelligently and as honestly as they can. That is the hallmark of any writer who becomes a classic. Somehow we don’t have that idea of writers anymore; we have a nonsense notion of writers.

PP So they are not given the regard and respect they deserve. Earlier you suggest we may have a structural problem with our literature.

BdC Yes, but I think the problem of the structure is larger than you’re suggesting. In this case the structure is the entire society.

PP Expand BdC You can’t fix one aspect of this situation – you just can’t drop a million dollars on the problem and create a publishing house in a vacuum. People need good bookstores, and a culture of reading. There have to be book clubs, and that means children have to be reading from an early age.

That, in turn, means

Brendan de Caires (R) in conversation at Moray House Trust with Dr Rupert Roopnaraine

that writers have to visit those children and talk to them so that they can start thinking that instead of aspiring to business school, they might eventually consider becoming writers.

I grew up in awe of Martin Carter and I can think of nothing finer than to be a writer, precisely because he was my idea of what it would mean to be a writer.

and I hope...I know – I feel you’re also thinking along this same line.

BdC Intelligence never disappears from a culture altogether, it goes elsewhere, and all I am hoping is that it returns to books and words and the pursuit of explanation of your own society in more conventional forms.

PP So all is not lost?

PP And you could help in this respect.

BdC I’ve never felt that all is lost. What has been lost is the culture of reading. But cultures return, they don’t just disappear.

BdC I am part of the disaspora, I am safely tucked away in Canada, but I will do whatever I can from afar.

PP As we see in fashion...I started this conversation by talking about reading and it seems we have come full circle now focusing on a reading culture. I hope this trend of a reading culture returns

PP Your book reviews will be helpful – we cannot diminish the support of critical writing to creative work. We’d be happy for whatever help you can offer.

Responses to this author telephone (592) 2260065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com What’s happening: • The Guyana Annual 2012-2013 magazine is now available at Guyenterprise Ltd, at Austin’s bookstore and from the editor at the above contacts. This issue of the magazine is dedicated to E. R. Braithwaite. The magazine also features articles on copyright, law of intellectual property, creative industries, oral traditions of Guyana, the future of West Indian cricket and the future of books.

• Coming soon: “An Introduction to Guyanese Literature” by Petamber Persaud. This 150-pagebook is a rich collection of Guyanese pride and joy, containing more than 100 photographs.

guyanatimesgy.com

October 20, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine 7

Times Feature

Young Professionals

Star of the week

Rajiv Singh Entrepreneur

By Vahnu Manikchand

L

eading a successful life is not an easy road, and this is realized by 28-year-old Rajiv Singh, an entrepreneur who understands the meaning of hard work.

Singh is the owner of the newly established Smart Aid 24 Hour Pharmacy, which recently commissioned its second branch within months of its existence. With this rapid growth, the young entrepreneur is striving to expand his business across Guyana and to supply other pharmacies with materials.

This endeavour, he noted, has been in the making for years, and is a dream he shared with his long-time girlfriend, now fiancée.

“Since in secondary school, she wanted to open a pharmacy, and I thought it was a good idea then, and so, after ten years, here we are, living our dream.”

The success of Smart Aid 24 Hour Pharmacy can be credited to the fact that Singh was already a businessman with a cellular phone store which is still in operation but is being managed by his sister.

Singh was born in Georgetown but spent his childhood back and forth between there and Bartica. He attended the Stella Maris Primary School but subsequently moved to Bartica where he attended secondary school and had registered for CXC. However, due to the political situation in the country at the time, he was attacked during the time the examinations were also being held, and was hospitalized.

After recovering, Singh returned to Georgetown and wrote his exams the following year at a private institution.

He began working immediately after completing school, joining the media and worked as a cameraman/transmission operator with several media agencies.

“Video editing was my passion. I loved it. I remember always having an interest in it and had committed myself to pursue it, but I had to leave it and move on to bigger things; but it still remains my hobby.”

In 2005, he landed a job at the Ministry of Health at the time run by Dr Leslie Ramsammy. Singh continued working there until early this year when he life to pursue his dream.

He had worked as the health minister’s personal assistant and communication officer.

During this period, Singh lost both of his parents and had to work to maintain himself and younger sister. However he noted that they were greatly supported by their relatives.

“My family was supportive of us, but one of my uncles took more interest in me and kept pushing me to get into business. He was like my mentor, but my biggest mentor is Minister Ramsammy. He has always been like a father figure to me, always guiding me and helping me out with whatever difficulties I’m facing.”

Singh credits his success to his soon-to-be life partner, Fazeela Baksh, without whom he could not have gotten anywhere close to realizing his dreams or be as successful as he is today.

“I could have never gotten so far without her support; and with all of the hardship I had to endure in my life, she is basically my rock, she keeps me grounded and stable.”

He is advising young persons with dreams and aspirations, to do what makes them happy and never comprise.

“I remember when I was working in the media, someone came up to me and told me never to do anything just for the money or because other people want you to; do what you like and what makes you happy. This is what I have been following and it has helped me.”

A

left-hand middle-order batsman, Leon Rayon Johnson, born Aug. 8, 1987, made his first-class debut for Guyana at 16. He played two matches that season but then had to wait four years for his next opportunity, in the meantime captaining West Indies at the Under-19 World Cup in 2005-06. When he returned to the Guyana line-up in 2007-08, Johnson had a solid Carib Beer Series, and scored 427 runs at 42.70, a consistent effort considering that he did not make a century during the campaign. The promising signs were enough for the West Indies selectors to choose him for the ODI tri-series in Canada later that year. He impressed with a halfcentury in his second match. He later earned a call-up to the Test squad to New Zealand. Johnson is said to be the only Guyanese cricketer with a double century at the Regional U-19 level. He attended St. Roses High school and is a member of the Demerara Cricket Club. (Excerpted from www.espncricinfo.com)

8 Times Sunday Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

October 20, 2013

Times Kids Page

Fishing Cat Did you

T

he fishing cat, (Prionailurus viverrinus) as its name suggests, hunts and catches fish with a swipe of its paws. It also preys on other animals like crabs, crayfish, frogs and snakes, as well as rodents and ducks.

Found in the wetlands and tropical forests of parts of southwest India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, China, Java, and Sumatra, the fishing cat, weighing between 15-25 lbs, is nocturnal, and an excellent swimmer.

Fishing cats’ paws have webbing between the toes to help them swim. When swimming, the fishing cat may use its short, flattened tail like a rudder, helping control its direction in the water. The wide paws also help them walk through muddy areas without sinking.

They are listed as endangered on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species; threatened by habitat loss and hunting for food and fur.

Colouring Fun

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.

know?

S

ometimes fishing cats dive into deeper areas and catch a meal with their teeth.

They have been seen swimming underwater to grab a duck’s legs.

In addition to aquatic prey, it is powerful enough to take larger prey, such as calves and dogs.

please see solution on page 22

Spot The Difference Find ten differences between the two pictures

Fun Facts Sharks *Baby sharks are called pups. * Shark skin is tough and hard. Before the invention of sandpaper it was used to polish wood * A shark always has a row of s m a l l e r teeth developing behind its f r o n t teeth. Eventually the smaller teeth move forward, like a conveyor belt, and the front teeth fall out.

guyanatimesgy.com

October 20, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine 9 Did you know?

Sharks don’t have bones — their skeletons are made of cartilage.

The human body is continuously destroying and rebuilding the material that makes up bones. Osteoporosis is a disease that occurs when bone mass decreases because he body is reabsorbing more bone material than it produces, making bones brittle and weak.

By Laurie Triefeldt

Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals (including humans) have a skeleton made of bones. This bony frame serves to hold the body together, protect vital organs and allow movement. Some animals have a backbone (vertebrates), and some do not (invertebrates). Insects, crabs and shrimp have an exoskeleton — a skeleton on the outside of their bodies.

The human hand and wrist contain 27 bones.

Bat

The femur (thighbone) is the strongest human bone.

Giraffe

Elephant

Most mammals, including humans, have seven neck bones (cervical vertebrae).

What are bones?

When an animal is alive, its bones are living, too. Bones grow and change continuously over a lifetime.

Bones are made up of three main materials: compact bone, spongy bone and bone marrow. The outer layer of compact bone is the heaviest, hardest type of bone. Spongy bone surrounds and protects the inner bone marrow.

Old bones

Humans have used animal bones in a number of ways. Large animal bones, such as jaws and femurs, may have been carried as weapons. Smaller bones have been worn as charms and thought to have magical powers. People have carved bones into sculptures and jewelry. Some cultures use chicken bones and bones of other animals as a way to tell fortunes.

Archaeologists have discovered 8,000-year-old human skulls with tiny holes deliberately cut into them. The procedure is called trepanation, and in modern medicine it is used to relieve pressure on the brain. These prehistoric, surgically altered skulls have been found in many places around the world.

Bone regrowth indicates that many of these early surgery patients survived.

Fossil records also show that prehistoric man knew how to straighten a broken bone.

In an effort to achieve an idealized form of beauty, some ancient peoples bound the heads of babies to create an ideal shape, either elongated or flat.

To make it lighter, an elephant’s skull has holes with pockets of air.

Birds have 13 to 25 neck bones, but they tend to have fewer total bones than mammals or reptiles.

Bones are made mostly of a protein called colCompact lagen and the bone mineral calcium phosphate. Marrow

Bones do more than give a body its shape and structure. Nutrients and waste move through bone.

The center of the bone, or marrow, is where red and white blood cells are created.

Early bone surgery

The toe bones of an elephant sit on a soft pad of fat that serves as a kind of cushion.

Spongy bone

Busy bones

Elephant skeletons support a lot of weight.

4,000-year-old trepanned skull

To make it easier to fly, birds have strong, thin, hollow bones.

Skulls that have been reshaped to conform to a cultural ideal of beauty

Domestic cat

Cats have between 230 and 250 bones. (Adult humans have 206.) Unlike most mammals, a cat’s collarbone is detached and does not connect with other bones.

This gives a cat the ability to squeeze through narrow spots.

Bones as clues

The scientific study of bones is called osteology. Osteologists can determine whether bones are human or not, and if so, the age, sex, probable ethnicity and general size of a person.

These primate skeletons show how the body structure of apes compares with that of humans.

Humans have a curve in their spine that allows for an upright posture and the ability to walk on two legs.

This science is used by archaeologists who study bones as a way to understand ancient people.

Forensic anthropologists use osteology to solve crimes. Examining skeletal remains can provide an approximate time of death and a possible cause.

helv

Gorilla

Human

If you want to see some cool skeletons and are in the region, visit the Museum of Osteology located in Oklahoma City.

10 Times Sunday Magazine

October 20, 2013

Times Fashion

T

he 34-24-36 fashion label, by USbased Guyanese Sarah A. Bacchus, has recently launched its newest clothing line, Aurora Collection.

In a press release, Sarah mentioned that since launching in 2010, her brand has become very successful. She noted that all aspects of her business are done within the New York State. The fabric qualities utilized by her label are only natural fibres: silks, cottons, blends of silk and cotton, rayon and rarely novelty manmade textures.

The Aurora Collection was created to give women options and is deal for the upcoming Christmas holiday celebrations.

The colourful statement pieces offer a stunning fit that are guaranteed to turn heads.

“Now, the appeal factor for 34-2436 as per the various fans, whether it

Designer Sarah A. Bacchus

is Facebook friends and acquaintances, our foreign clientele, local boutiques, and our roster of clients, it’s just a small

fraction of where we see ourselves in the coming years. While the brand has been attracting the likes of many, even those far and wide, with its avant-garde aesthetics, there’s more that the brand has in store, if given the right exposure. This year, we plan on meeting with many boutiques and organizations to take a look at our brand, with the hopes of becoming a part of their roster of designers. 34-24-36 plans on giving exclusive rights when requested to the various stores and boutiques, as we are flexible on that thought process,” she stated.

The designer’s mission is to continue customizing features of her collections to achieve the “perfect fit” for her clientele, as well as expanding her current market.

For more information on this collection, go to 34-24-36.com/Sarah Bacchus on Facebook.

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October 20, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine 11

Star Times Hollywood

R

ebbeca Marie Gomez, better known by her stage name Becky G, is an American hip hop recording artist from Inglewood, California. Becky spent her early childhood in Moreno Valley, California, but financial struggles forced her family to sell their home and move into the garage of her grandparents’ house in Inglewood when Becky was nine years old.

Becky wanted to earn money to help out her family and began doing work including voice-overs and commercials. This helped her to develop into the artiste she is today. She performed in two girl bands, G.L.A.M. and B.C.G. She gained recognition in 2011 after she posted several videos of herself performing covers of popular songs on YouTube. She was then featured in "Oath" by Cher Lloyd, "Wish U Were Here" by Cody Simpson, and a remix of "Die Young" by Ke$ha. Becky released her debut single "Becky from the Block" in 2013. The single’s music video was released on April 8, 2013. On May 6, Becky released the video for “Play It Again” which serves as the next promotional single of her career and first taken from her upcoming debut studio album, still untitled, that’s scheduled for release later this year.

Becky G

12 Times Sunday Magazine

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October 20, 2013

Times Hollywood

G

uy Ritchie and Madonna split in 2008 and in a new interview, the “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” director admitted it was a rollercoaster ride.

“I stepped into a soap opera, and I lived in it for quite a long period of my life,” Guy told Details magazine’s December issue. “I’ll probably be more eloquent on it 10 years from now.”

Guy and Madonna met in 1998 at a dinner party and the two married two years later in December 2000 at Skibo Castle in Scotland, and the director said he has no regrets about their union.

“I enjoyed my first marriage. It’s definitely not something I regret. The experience was ultimately very positive,” he said. “I love the kids that came out of it, and I could see no other route to take. But you move on, don’t you?”

The split between the cou-

P

F

ple resulted in a reported cost – for Madonna – of between $76 million and $92 million.

When asked what he learned from their marriage, Guy mentioned money.

“When you end up with a lot of the things you set out to chase and find that you’ve

op singer and heartthrob Austin Mahone was hospitalized Thursday, and his tour, which was to kick off the same day, has been postponed until next year. He's now on strict doctor's orders to stay on rest, his rep tells Yahoo Music.

"I've never felt so bad," the 17-year-old wrote on Instagram, along with a snapshot of himself, looking worse for wear, in a hospital gown.

stumbled into all sorts of hollow victories, then you become deeply philosophical.

I’m quite happy that that experience was accelerated for me. I’m glad I made money, in other words,” he said.

“And I’m glad I got married.”

(Access Hollywood)

Despite being hooked up to what appeared to be an IV, the floppy-haired young star was able to flash a peace sign to his fans. But make no mistake — he's sick. Earlier this week, he came down with flu-like symptoms and tweeted that he had a fever of 103 degrees.

Austin, who toured with Taylor Swift, was looking forward to headlining his own concert series. But it will have to wait to be on centre stage. (OMG)

or the cover art for the single "Do What U Want," her collaboration with R. Kelly, 27-yearold Lady Gaga decided to strip down and replace her clothing with stuff one normally finds on the front lawn.

Mother Monster shared a super sexy naked pic from her ARTPOP booklet.

"The booklet includes photos of the day [artist] Jeff [Koons] and I explored different poses for the sculpture," Gaga captioned the photo, referencing her ARTPOP album cover. "IT IS COMPLETELY AMAZING Been leafing through her allll day."

The song will be released on Monday, Oct. 21, but fans

got a 30-second snippet of the tune this week in a commercial for Best Buy's Beats by Dr. Dre Beats Studio headphones.

Gaga recently tweet-

ed about the song, which will be on her upcoming album ARTPOP. "I REPEAT R KELLY IS ON ARTPOP. AND HE SOUNDS INCREDIBLE." (eonline)

‘What Does the Fox Say?'

T

here are going to be millions of foxes running around this Halloween ... 'cause the furry animal costumes are selling at record numbers this year -- and it's all thanks to that insane viral video "What Does the Fox Say," TMZ has learned.

By now, you're probably one of the 131 million people who watched the bizarre, hilarious (yet strangely fascinating) video by the band Ylvis on YouTube (and if you

haven't seen it, get out from your fox hole!).

TMZ spoke to three of the biggest costume outlets in the U.S. -- Spirit Halloween, Buycostumes, and Amazon -- and were told that fox costumes are exploding this year, crushing last year's sales.

In fact, one outlet says fox costume sales are up almost 40 percent from last Halloween ... and the number is expected to rise, with Halloween still another two weeks away. (TMZ)

N

ew singer on the block Lorde has stood by her criticism of Selena Gomez, saying she "can't help but express" her "strong opinions".

The 16-year-old singer, who is enjoying success on both sides of the Atlantic, described Selena's song “Come & Get It” as antifeminist, prompting Selena to hit back, saying: "It's not feminism if you're tearing down another artist".

Lorde responded, saying: "I think there's a funny culture in music that's only happened over the last 15 years, that if you have an opinion about something in music that isn't 100 percent good, you're a 'hater'."

"Even if you have perfectly reasonable grounds for that critique. People will say exactly what they think about a movie or a TV show, and that's fine, but as soon

as you say it about a record, you're like some little zombie in a funny dungeon.

"I have pretty strong morals and opinions being in pop music, and I can't help but express those, which I think people appreciate. I mean, I don't think I say anything that isn't backed up. Most of the time I will stand by things that I've said."

Selena Gomez had a sur-

prise supporter in the shape of Cher Lloyd, who called Lorde "a knob" for making the comments. "Why would she do that? She's sitting at number one. I think she's going to eat her words, which she obviously already has, and I think for someone who's gaining so much success so early, she should be considering herself lucky - it takes a lot of work." (Glamour)

A rjan Bajwa is an Indian actor who has acted in Telugu and Hindi films. He made his Bollywood mark as the antagonist opposite Abhiskek Bachchan in 2007's Mani Ratnam movie “Guru” where he received much appreciation from the critics as well as fans. His big break came with Madhur Bhandarkar's 2008 movie “Fashion” where he was paired opposite Priyanka Chopra, proving his versatile and outstanding talent yet again and making a place in the list of mainstream Bollywood heroes. After receiving critical acclaim for his intense role in “Lanka”, the actor tried his hand at comedy in the film “Son of a Sardar” where he was paired with Sonakshi Sinha. Once again his acting was well-received making him one of Bollywood’s favourites.

guyanatimesgy.com October 20, 2013

Star Times Bollywood

Times Sunday Magazine 13

14 Times Sunday Magazine

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October 20, 2013

Times Bollywood

Robbery at Shilpa Shah Rukh Khan likely goodwill ambassador of South Korea Shetty's house

B

ollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan is likely to become the Goodwill Ambassador of South Korea for its relations with India.

South Korea was looking into the possibility of making Shah Rukh Khan the Goodwill Ambassador, Tae In Chung, a Minister in the Korean Embassy said in a recent event.

SRK was in the city to roll out the five millionth car at Hyundai Motor India Limited's manufacturing

A

ctress Shilpa Shetty and businessman Raj Kundra's Juhu residence was robbed earlier this week, said police officials in Mumbai. An expensive music system and an iPod were missing from the house.

The police are investigating the matter.

"An FIR has been filed by her house manager on Oct 16. We have not caught anyone so far, but the investigations are on," an official from the Juhu police station told media.

Meanwhile, the couple is busy with new projects. The first look poster of Dishkiyaaoon, their debut production under their home banner Essential Sports and Media Pvt Ltd. in association with Eros International, was launched recently.

The film stars Harman

Baweja and Sunny Deol and will also introduce newcomer Ayesha Khanna.

Raj is also occupied with the launch of his maiden book “How Not To Make Money”. The book will be

launched on Friday.

"Looking forward to meeting readers for my book launch tonight," Raj posted on Twitter, and added: "Thank you all for your kind wishes". (TOI)

Dengue menace puts entire Bollywood on guard as well

T

India and South Korea were marking the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

(IndianExpress)

Sonu Nigam alleges sabotage

Bachchans purchase expensive anti-dengue machines he Amitabh Bachchan family is scared of the deadly dengue fever.

Giving other mosquito repellents a go-by, the family has ordered a costly new gadget available in the market that works effectively against dengue-causing mosquitoes.

In fact, some stars like Anil Kapoor have categorically informed their staff to

unit at Irungattukottai here.

The Korean envoy also said the roll out of the car came at a time when both

get rid of dry bouquets and keep the gardens well-maintained.

The Bachchans have investigated, and found, that there is a special gadget that keeps the dengue spreading 'aides' mosquito away, and have five bungalows in Juhu, which need protection. The gadgets will be installed in all five bungalows. (Santa Banta)

S

onu Nigam has alleged that the producers of the film “Sooper Se Ooper”, whose music score has been composed by him, are sabotaging its release.

The singer-composer says that Reliance

Entertainment, the producers of the film which opens in theatres on October 25, have not yet released its music. "This is deliberate sabotage. No promotion, no publicity, they have not even given a letter of consent to T-Series so they can start playing the music on TV channels. I am furious with this step motherly treatment." Nigam told Mirror.

The film is Nigam's first collaboration with Bickram Ghosh, the classical and neofusion musician.

When we contacted Sanjeev Lamba, CEO of Reliance Entertainment, he told us, "All partners are meeting tomorrow to discuss the film's release. Till we agree on firm plans, it's premature to comment on this."

A source from T-Series, which has the rights to the film's music, said "We are doing our bit and we have already started playing the film's music on our YouTube channel."

(Mumbai Mirror)

All is not well between Priyanka and Kangana

B

uzz is that the two leading ladies of the upcoming film, ‘Krrish 3”, Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut, do not get along. The rift is reportedly so bad that Priyanka has refused to be seen in public with Kangana.

Both actresses have pivotal roles in the film but still they are fighting to establish their supremacy over one another. The two beauties feared that each might miss the limelight if the other is present at the same place.

Due to the same fear, many actresses in the past refused to act in “Krrish 3”. Earlier, Jacqueline Fernandez and Chitrangada Singh rejected the movie as they were concerned about sharing screen space with Priyanka. Kangana also walked out of the movie due to the same reason but later she took up the challenge.

"A lot of girls rejected that role. It is really stupid to do it as it is an amazing role. I am the heroine of the film, I am playing wife

of Hrithik and that is how it is," Priyanka said in an interview here.

Priyanka feels Kangana`s role is also quite interesting and she wished if she had the opportunity to enact her part. (Bollywood Mantra)

I make films for Indian audiences, not Oscars: Mahesh Bhatt

F

ilmmaker Mahesh Bhatt doesn't digress but drives the point straight home when quizzed about the Indian film industry not churning out Oscarworthy movies.

The filmmaker flatly says such awards are nothing more than marketing tools that fetch money.

Having contributed to Bollywood for around four decades, the illustrious moviemaker is known for landmark films like, Arth, Saaransh, Zakhm and Sadak and for writing the story and screenplay of pop-

ular erotic noir films like, Jism and Jism 2.

The 65-year-old debunked the myth that Indian cinema has made its mark worldwide. Bhatt

pointed out the industry is yet to zoom in on the magic formula to hit the bulls' eye.

"We do not have that recipe yet. Contrary to what we claim, the western world is not remotely interested in our cinema," said the National Award winner.

Besides, the real deal, according to him, is to get the West going for Indian films 'on our own terms'. "But we have our own people loving our films and that's enough.

But, yes, we would be happy if they (west) like our films on our terms, not their terms." (Hindustan Times)

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October 20, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine

15

Times Healthy Living

Myths and Facts about Cellulite Part One

G

ot cellulite? You're not alone: The cosmetic condition affects nearly 90 percent of women at some point during their lives, even women who are otherwise slender and fit.

As common as cellulite is, there's also an awful lot of misinformation out there about what it is, what causes it, and how to get rid of it.

So before placing blame, scheduling a cosmetic procedure, or spending a fortune on over-the-counter products, read up on Health magazine’s real story behind cellulite.

Myth: Cellulite is caused by toxins in your body Some over-the-counter cellulite products may claim to help remove impurities and toxins from the body. But neither their efficacy nor their claims about what causes cellulite are supported by science. Rather, cellulite occurs when underlying fat deposits begin to push through layers of collagen fibres, or connective tissue, under the skin (often in the buttocks and thigh areas, but also on arms, stomachs, and other common trouble spots, as well). Connective tissue can be weakened by

hormones, lack of exercise and muscle tone, excess fat, and poor circulation, says New York City-based dermatologist Cheryl Karcher, MD. But the condition is not caused by "toxins."

Fact: Women get more cellulite than men Women tend to carry more f a t

around their hips and thighs. We also have less supportive connective tissue to keep it all in place. "If you think of scaffolding outside a building that has those X crosses on them, that is sort of what men's fat chambers have," says David McDaniel, MD, director of the Institute for Anti-Aging and assistant professor of clinical dermatology at Eastern Virginia Medical School. It is estimated, however, that about 10 percent of men suffer from cellulite, as well.

Fact: Cellulite gets worse with age

Hormones also seem to play a role in the appearance of cellulite: As women age, their bodies produce less oestrogen—a hormone that helps keep blood vessels flowing smoothly. Less oestrogen can mean poorer circulation, which can also mean a decrease in new collagen production and the breakdown of older connective tissue.

Fact: Cellulite may be in your genes It's true that cellulite runs in families; if your mother and grandmother had cellulite, you have a better chance of also developing it. In fact, there's even a genetic test on the market that can tell you whether you have a gene variant that puts you at higher risk for moderate to severe cellulite— but, considering that most women will develop cellulite in their lifetimes (and the fact that you'll know it when you see it), it's not exactly worth its hefty price tag.

If you're not one of the lucky ones with smoothskinned relatives, take heart: Genetics is only one small part of the cellulite puzzle; factors like diet, exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight also play a role.

Myth: Cellulite only happens to out-of-shape people Being overweight does make the appearance of cellulite more noticeable; the more

Relationship Issues

What causes relationship problems

By Dr Yeaswantie Beekhoo PhD (Continued from Oct 13)

Conflict

Staying friends is more difficult when there is ongoing conflict; which leaves you feeling angry, disappointed, frustrated or hurt. It is really important that this conflict is dealt with in a way that doesn't drive your partner away or leave a build-up of resentment. Conflicts often begin early in the relationship when those differences that we knew were there, and may have admired or managed in the early stages of our relationship, become challenging. Each thinks all would be well if only the other partner would change; the blame game begins.

Although change can happen, we are less likely to consider changing if we feel we are being misunderstood, misjudged or attacked for who we are, how we behave, or what we want or need. Research shows that when one partner's request for change in the other becomes criticism, the other partner is likely to become defensive.

Jennifer shouted at Tom in rage: “You good for nothing, I don’t know why you don’t look for a job!”

Tom replies: “If they had accepted my curriculum vitae, maybe I would have had a job!!!”

When the conflict grows over time, criticism can become contempt, and is likely to be met by the other partner blocking it out or ‘stonewalling'. These behaviours can be deadly for the relationship. Therefore, it is really important to find ways to manage the issues that are leading to conflict and this includes constructively expressing your anger instead of destructively.

The distress that accompanies arguments leads to behaviour that often brings out the

worst in us, and that is certainly not to our advantage when we are dealing with our partner for life. When we are worked up, we don't think straight. We can say or do things that we later regret, and cause growing damage to the relationship. It is really important to calm down before tackling difficult situations.

Poor management of differences between partners

Differences between partners will always be there as we are all individuals with different values, priorities and ways of dealing with issues. Examples include attitudes to money, where we like to spend holidays, how much time we spend with extended families and friends, how much time we spend together or alone, how we show our love, how to discipline children, where we send our children to school, how we drive the car, how tidy to keep the house, how much effort goes into buying presents and the list goes on. We of course, tend to see that our way is the right way, and that means that our partner is wrong and should change. However it is more sensible to find a way to manage these differences rather than try to wipe them out.

Withdrawing care

We tend to become stubborn in our determination to have our way. We often try to let our partner know how wrong they are by telling them, and as that usually does not work, we then punish them by removing things from the relationship that we know our partner values - for example a man may stop discussing issues with his partner, or a woman may stop showing interest in sex. As talking and sex are two important ingredients for feeling close to our partners, it is not surprising that both partners end up feeling lonely, despairing and misunderstood. (TO BE CONTINUED)

fat you have underneath your skin, the more it's likely to put stress on your connective tissue and bulge out of its weak spots. But cellulite also hap-

pens to women of all shapes and sizes, says Shira EinDor, owner of the American Cellulite Reduction Centre in New York City. "I even treat

Victoria's Secret models," she says. "They're very lean, they work out and eat well, they do everything right but they still have cellulite."

16 Times Sunday Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

October 20, 2013

Times Home & Cooking

Bump outs: alternatives to full-scale additions A bump-out addition hangs new living space off the side of the house, with no need for a new foundation—and sometimes little or no roofing work necessary either. In general, a bump out can project a maximum of 3 feet from the house and stretch up to 10- 12 feet long. What can you do with your addition? HGTV provides some possibilities...

Separate the master bathroom shower and tub. A bump-out addition can yield the added square footage needed to separate your tub and shower.

Devilled Crab Ingredients: 6 large eggs 1 1/2 cups chopped green onions 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 tablespoons grated lemon rind Method: Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.

Add 1 cup melted butter, 4 cups breadcrumbs, and next 3 ingredients. Spoon crabmeat mixture into 10 baking shells or individual baking dishes.

Top servings evenly with remaining 1 cup breadcrumbs; drizzle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup melted butter. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Turn oven setting to broil. Broil 3 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Popcorn Balls Ingredients: 1 tablespoon canola oil 3 tablespoons unpopped popcorn kernels 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 1/4 cups mini marshmallows

Put an eating area in the kitchen. You could build a large conventional addition to accommodate a table and chairs. Or use a kitchen island, peninsula or dinerstyle booth, which require less space than a table and chairs—and can often be accommodated by a bump out, at a fraction of the cost of a full-fledged addition.

1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, drained 1 1/2 cups butter, melted and divided 5 cups soft breadcrumbs, divided 1 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup honey-nut toasted oat cereal 1 ounce pretzel sticks, broken into pieces 1/4 cup chopped dryroasted peanuts, salted

Method: 1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add kernels; cover and cook 4 minutes, shaking pan frequently.

When popping slows, remove pan from heat.

Let stand.

2. Melt butter in a pan over low heat. Add marshmallows; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 3 cups popcorn and remaining ingredients; stir. Cool 2 minutes. Form into 10 (3-inch) balls.

Greatest Cooking Tips For best results when you're baking, leave butter and eggs at room temperature overnight.

To get nice, crispy caramelization on roasted vegetables, simulate the intense heat of an industrial oven: Bring your oven up as hot as it goes, then put an empty roasting or sheet pan inside for 10 to 15 minutes. Toss the vegetables — try carrots or Brussels sprouts — with olive oil, salt and pepper, and put them on the hot pan. This method will give you the high heat you need to caramelize the sugars in the vegetables quickly.

After you drain pasta, while it's still hot, grate some fresh Parmesan on top before tossing it with your sauce. This way, the sauce has something to stick to.

Home Help

Create a walk-in wardrobe closet. A few extra feet tacked onto the master bedroom might not seem like a lot, but it can be just what you need to expand your wardrobe closet from a cramped pole-and-shelf setup to a full walk-in with adjustable shelving, cubbies and other functional storage options.

Want to make your windows "frosted" for more privacy? Add 1 tablespoon of Epsom Salt to 1 cup beer. Brush on the window. Let dry. Just remember to cover any wood or furniture nearby, because this drips. To remove the frost, wash off with ammonia.

To keep lint and dust off glass top tables, wash them in a solution of warm water and fabric softener. Add one tablespoon of liquid fabric softener to one quart of warm water. The fabric softener will clean the glass inexpensively and will help keep lint from gathering on the glass.

Toss a few old bath towels in the washing machine when you wash your shower curtains.

The towels will rub back and forth against the curtain, which helps remove all traces of dirt and soap scum. Hang shower curtains back up right out of the washing machine. They will dry quickly and the wrinkles will fall right out.

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October 20, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine 17

Times Sunday Puzzle

John is riding his bicycle along a circular track. It takes him 2 minutes and 13 seconds to complete one lap.

Without any calculator, and in less than 15 seconds, you should be able to say how long it takes John to complete 60 laps. see solution on page 22

see solution on page 22

see solution on page 22

18 Times Sunday Magazine

October 20, 2013

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October 20, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine19

Times World

Rain Forest Plants Race to Outrun Global Warming F

rom a 13,000-foot peak of the Andes Mountains in southern Peru, gazing east over the dense rain forests of the Amazon basin, all you see is undulating green—one of the most verdant places on the planet.

It's what you can't see that matters.

The plants are on the run, trying to move to higher ground, where the air is cool enough to support their existence.

"Most of these species are not going to be able to tolerate climate change," says Ken Feeley, a tropical biologist from Florida International University in Miami, "mostly because climate change is happening so fast."

Feeley spoke as we hiked into the jungle with a small group of other scientists— through an area that contains more tree, plant, bird, and animal species than the entire eastern seaboard of the United States.

It is here that an international collective of scientists, called the Andes Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research Group, has mapped one of the largest field grids of its kind for a wide range of climate change studies.

According to a decade of research by Feeley and his colleagues, including tropical biologist Miles Silman of Wake Forest University, tropical species are frantically migrating upslope as they reproduce. But they may not be moving fast enough.

Tropical Andean tree species are shifting roughly 8 to 12 vertical feet (2.5 to 3.5 meters) a year on average—the arboreal equivalent of a dash. Yet for those trees to remain in equilibrium with their preferred temperatures, they need to migrate more than 20 vertical feet a year.

"We are looking at what entire populations of these species are doing in response to climate change," Silman said. "It's fairly spectacular and quick. But it might not be quick enough."

As we hike, I notice a large, bushy schefflera with umbrella-like leaves. It looks just like the one I have in a pot on my porch back home in North Carolina. Silman says it could survive the race. Of 38 species tracked in the 2010 study, schefflera is migrating the fastest, as much as a hundred vertical feet a year. But ficus, another common houseplant native to the tropics, could be doomed. It is migrating less than five vertical feet annually.

Research models by other biologists project that more than 50 percent of tropical species could die off by 2100 or sooner if average

temperatures rise by 7 degrees Fahrenheit, as climate experts predict. If the planet warms even more, which is possible, extinctions could reach 90 percent.

"Particle Accelerator of Tropical Biology"

When ice caps melt, it is relatively easy for scien-

The boundaries—delineated with bright plastic tape—were installed in 2003 by Silman with assistance from a group of hardy Peruvian graduate students. Each of the plots is a chaotic morass of trees covered with epiphytes and vines; some are on sheer slopes with precipitous

a high-tech plane called the Carnegie Airborne Observatory. Other scientists are studying the soil, the insects, the ferns, and the frogs, which are dying off. The San Diego Zoo has been invited to join the Andes Group to study animals in the area.

ifications for the entire Earth system," Malhi of Oxford told me. "Changes in rainfall in the Amazon, for example, feed forward to changes in rainfall in North America and Europe and in central Asia."

It's the sheer size and intensity of what happens in the tropics that makes

Tagged trees in the Amazon rainforest help gather data on species diversity of trees

tists to describe what is going on—and calving glaciers make for dramatic images.

But the tropics are difficult to access, and are less well understood.

For the past decade, however, the Andes Group has been helping to fill the relative research vacuum.

The scientists, including cofounder Silman, are from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Peru.

They use an ancient, rock-strewn Incan trail, the Troucha Union, for access to their study field. After ascending a series of switchbacks on a six-hour ride from Cuzco, the trail starts at 13,000 feet in the southernmost part of Manú National Park. It then winds and drops deep into the Amazon basin.

The research plots initially consisted of eight onehectare squares (110 yards by 110 yards) and now number more than 20. Each of the higher plots is separated by about 800 feet of vertical elevation. Because of the changes in elevation, the temperature between plots differs by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit.

As a result, species change from plot to plot too: Between plot one at 11,320 feet and plot four at 8,860 feet, for example, there is about a 90 percent differentiation in species. There are no species in common between plot one at the top and plot eight at 5,905 feet.

drop-offs.

"Tropical regions are understudied because they have been mostly inaccessible to science," Greg Asner, a biologist with the Carnegie Institute for Science at Stanford, told me during a conference of the Andes Group in Pisac, a village in Peru's Sacred Valley not far from Machu Picchu.

"On the ground, where there is only difficult terrain or rough jungle, it's famously difficult to access."

The Peruvians visit the area several times a year to gather data on the growth patterns of trees inside the taped boundaries; the statistical analyses of that data led to the tree-migration findings.

"Miles's initial vision for the plots as an open-source research tool for our field has really come to fruition," Brian Enquist, an ecologist and evolutionary biologist from the University of Arizona, told me. "Those plots are to tropical biologists what the particle accelerator has been to physicists."

Many biological and climate studies are under way here. Yadvinder Malhi of Oxford University and Patrick Meir of the University of Edinburgh use the plots to study how carbon is absorbed and converted into plant tissue in the process of photosynthesis.

Asner uses infrared lasers to examine the area from

Small Changes, Big Implications

In two weeks of interviews with biologists— while hiking through the Andes or meeting between lectures in Pisac—I heard dire concerns not only about biodiversity, but also about impacts on natural systems that regulate temperature and weather patterns around the world.

"Small changes in the tropics can have huge ram-

the impact so alarming.

Greenhouse gases are absorbed and stored as biomass in the trunks, limbs, and roots of tropical trees.

Water pulled from the oceans cycles through the trees and then exits as moisture that turns into the clouds that help cool the Earth or deliver rain.

It's easy to see how degraded or reduced tropical forests could mean less greenhouse gas being ab-

sorbed and fewer clouds being produced. Under that scenario, global warming could accelerate, the scientists fear, and less rainfall could make raising crops more difficult where populations are growing the fastest.

The Conservation Challenge

What can be done? Many of the tropical biologists I interviewed in Peru argue that the United States and China, which account for more than 40 percent of greenhouse gases, must implement sweeping policies to reduce those emissions significantly. Plus, the scientists say, poorer countries rich in tropical forests like Peru, Ecuador, and Indonesia will need lucrative financial incentives from wealthy countries to preserve and protect those forests, instead of mining or drilling for the natural resources beneath them.

"If you have so many billion tons of carbon stored in your forests – that becomes an asset like Saudi Arabia's oil money," said Sassan Saatchi, a senior scientist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology.

The idea of carbon offsets, promoted by the United Nations since 2009, is promising. But it's been slow to catch on. Ecuador, for example, recently requested $3.6 billion from developed countries to set aside 4,000 square miles of rain forest. Virtually no investors stepped forward. The president of Ecuador pledged to drill for Amazonian oil instead.

(Justin Catanoso, National Geographic)

20 Times Sunday Magazine

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October 20, 2013

Times Tech

On Internet, Brazil is beating US at its own game Guyana plans first IXP as well Part I

I

n response to the revelations revealed September by Glenn Greenwald, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff announced measures to protect the privacy of Brazil's citizens from U.S. National Security Agency spying.

According to Greenwald, NSA documents from 2012 show that the intelligence agency recorded email and telephone calls of Brazilian and Mexican heads of state as well as the Brazilian state oil producer Petrobras and other energy, financial and diplomatic targets.

Rousseff’s measures include: Increase domestic Internet bandwidth production Increase international Internet connectivity Encourage domestic content production Encourage use of domestically produced network equipment Rousseff could make these significant announcements not because of any government resolution or investment but because they are, by and large, successful existing Brazilian private-sector initiatives that have been

under way for many years.

Only those who haven't been paying attention to Brazil's phenomenal Internet development mistook the announcement for news; it was opportunistic spin on what Brazil has already been successfully doing for most of the past decade.

Nor is Brazil's planning a repudiation of the United States. Brazil is following the path of Internet development that has been proven in the U.S. and is advocated by the U.S. State Department. What's interesting about Brazil is not that it's defying the United States' under-the-table agenda but that it's doing so by executing moves from the U.S.'s above-the-table playbook so masterfully.

In private hands

The NSA is able to record conversations not because it has suborned people or placed advanced spying equipment in Brazil and Mexico but because those countries -and many others -- depend on communication routes and infrastructure in the United States, where the NSA's eavesdropping capability predominates.

The Internet's detractors often claim that the

U.S. government has structured it in its own favour in order to somehow retain disproportionate control of the Internet, despite the fact that the Internet has been international for 40 years. Some of these claims of skulduggery have merit, and many others are fanciful paranoia -- but all of them are insignificant and beside the point.

Here is why: The Internet is almost entirely composed of private commercial networks. Despite the self-aggrandizing assertions of governments, the Internet is driven by private-sector commercial decisions rather than national policies.

Governments may attempt to incentivize or punish through regulation, but they cannot compel the private sector to invest, and that private-sector investment is how the Internet is built. The residual centrality of the United States is a result of the combined momentum of many companies competing to build Internet infrastructure there over several decades, but that centrality is waning as those companies expand to global markets and encounter new competitors arising internationally.

Studies by both Telegeography and Packet

Tech news

Global Distribution of Internet Exchange

Clearing House (where I am executive director) show that Europe has surpassed the United States in many measures of Internet bandwidth production and centrality of routing and that the percentage rate of growth in Latin America is currently outstripping any other region, thanks largely to Brazil's efforts.

So far, local companies who have indicated their willingness to collaborate and build Guyana's first IXP (and produce our own bandwidth locally), include: Global Technology, I-Net Communications, Starr, E-Networks, Qualphon, University Of Guyana and

NFMU; DigiCel has indicated a willingness to look at the local IXP proposal.

(TO BE CONTINUED) (Sources: ‘On Internet,

Brazil is beating US at its own game’ by Bill Woodcock, Aljazeera America. Local information from Global Technology)

Tech Byte

Jellyfish-shredding robots Protests follow Google 'endorsed advert' change dispatched to clean Korea's coast

G

oogle is facing a backlash over and places.

Many people protested about the plans to put people's faces and comments about products and change to Google, and some altered their places into adverts. image profiles on the Google+ social netThe "shared endorsements" policy work in response. change starts on 11 November and covers So far, Google has not issued an ofthe comments, "follows" and other actions ficial comment about the protests over "shared endorsements". However, in its people do on Google+.

One protest involves people swapping explanatory pages it said it was easy to their profile picopt out of the systures for that of tem by clicking a Google boss Eric box on the Google+ Schmidt so his imaccount settings page. age rather than It warned that their own appears if people did not on ads.

Google said it want to be part of had made it easy the programme some of their comfor people to opt ments and folout of the system.

The search gilows may no longer ant started alertbe visible to othing people about ers they know on the upcoming polGoogle+.

The change might mean comments icy change via banSocial network made on Google turn up on adverts Facebook faced ners on its main webpage and in a page explaining the strong criticism over a similar system change to its "policies and principles". called "sponsored stories" it rolled out in Google also gave examples of how the 2011. "shared endorsement" system might work.

Legal action following the criticism This showed people's faces and comments eventually led to Facebook paying out appearing below Street View images of a $20m to compensate people whose images bagel shop and search results for products it used without permission. (BBC News)

A

team led by Associate Professor Hyun Myung of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has developed JEROS (Jellyfish Elimination RObotic Swarm), a series of autonomous robots that work together to track down jellyfish in the ocean and grind them into a pulp.

It may sound like a harsh method for getting rid of them, but in South Korea, jellyfish are becoming a serious pest, and in some cases a fatal hazard.

In recent years, officials have attempted to tackle the problem by trawling with nets and releasing natural jellyfish predators into the area, but these methods have proven to be either too costly or ineffective.

Jellyfish populations along South Korea's coastline have risen to the point where they are adversely affecting the fish populations and marine indus-

A large portion of the JEROS project has focused on developing an algorithm to have several robots coordinate their efforts

tries in the area, costing the country over 3 billion won (about US$2.8 million) each year.

One lone robot would take far too long to deplete the jellyfish's numbers, which is why a large portion of the project has focused on developing an algorithm to have several robots coordinate their efforts.

A single robot can be designated the leader and will determine a path to follow, while other JEROS bots trawl alongside it in formation, covering a much larger area.

While travelling in a

"swarm," as the developers are calling it, the robots will wirelessly exchange information about their locations to ensure they remain spaced apart evenly.

This also makes the removal process easier on the controllers, since they only have to focus on the leader bot's course.

Myung's team recently ran a series of test in Gyeongnam Masan Bay with three JEROS bots moving at a speed of 4 knots (7.2 km/h or 4.6 mph) and found they were able to eradicate 900 kg (1,984 lbs) of jellyfish per hour.

(GIZMAG)

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October 20, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine 21

Times Art

Guyanese-American artist presents U.S. solo exhibition

C

arl E. Hazlewood is a Guyanese-American multimedia artist, writer, and curator. His solo exhibition, “Temporality and Objects”, is currently ongoing at Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art, 591 Broad Street, Newark, U.S. The exhibition opened on September 26 and will be on view until December 21, 2013. Following close upon this event, Hazlewood

will also be part of a twoperson exhibition with the brilliant African-born poet/scholar and artist, Olu Oguibe, at FiveMyles Gallery, in Brooklyn, opening November 2 and continuing through December 16, 2013.

In 1983, Guyanese artists Victor L. Davson and Carl E. Hazlewood envisioned Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art, as a

place which would embody the essence of its etymological roots. By selecting the name Aljira, the Australian Aboriginal word for “dreamtime”, the founders defined the heart of Aljira’s mission, a mission that embraces the concepts of timelessness and open possibilities –ideas inherent in the creative process. Aljira continues to be open to possibilities and plays an integral

Hazlewood relaxes next to his self-portrait on exhibition at Aljira (Photo by Arlington Weithers)

role in the professional life of many artists.

Notably, Hazlewood’s solo exhibition is his first at Aljira. On view is a gallery of five large wallworks made onsite within three days preceding the opening reception. The hybrid installations use mixed techniques and materials including painting and drawing. Also on view in a second space, are Hazlewood’s photographic works, focusing on the visual quotidian.

"Untitled (Provisional Black Presence)"

"Untitled (Letters from Pythagoras)"

The artist’s exhibition was recently featured in the 2013 issue of BOMB magazine as an “Editor's Choice”, with an article written by poet, Patricia Spears Jones.

Part of the public programming for his solo exhibition there will be a feature presentation by the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company (CDDC). “All the world’s a stage” as choreographer Carolyn Dorfman and Carl E. Hazlewood join forces for a unique gallery experience.

As Dorfman’s dancers join

the viewers, their internal and external experiences will take physical form. As Hazlewood’s art dances on and off the walls, the dancers both observe and become the art. These artists celebrate what Hazlewood describes “the concrete poetry of seeing”, creating a personal and collective experience.

For more information on Hazlewood’s work and Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art, visit www.aljira.org

22 Times Sunday Magazine

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October 20, 2013

Times Heritage

A

wetland variety of rice called “Carolina Gold Rice” appears to have been first introduced to the-then Dutch occupied Guiana, from Carolina, USA, though there is record of importation around 1782 from the French colony of Louisiana, USA during the French occupation of the Guiana territory.

According to the “Handbook of British Guiana 1913”, during that time Governor Gravesande recognized the possibility of rice cultivation especially to feed Dutch plantation slaves. By the end of the 18th century,

of Mahaicony that a special expedition was recommended to be sent to destroy it.

When supplies from the U.S. stopped in 1813, there were suggestions to begin large scale rice cultivation on the colony, but nothing was done. It would not be until 1848 that records would show that rice was being cultivated in Berbice by a group called “Timini” Africans there.

In 1853, paddy was introduced from Georgia, USA which grew well in the colony, and in that same year a company was formed that began cultivation of some

Women work in the rice fields of Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara (1956)

British Guiana stamp depicting the rice industry

runaway slaves were cultivating rice in their secret enclaves that expeditions into these regions would find and destroy. In fact, in 1810 it was reported that there was such a large quantity being cultivated in the backlands

150 acres on a plantation called Plantation Vive-laForce on the Demerara River. This venture failed however, as did several other attempts in different areas of the known colony, from what is considered lack

of knowledge and also lack of water.

It would take some encouragement given to Indian indentured labourers in 1865 to officially restart rice cultivation on some 16 acres on the West Coast of Demerara.

Although the industry expanded until around 1870, land areas reduced to small cultivations in the Abary region by 1872.

It wasn’t until 1886 that re-encouragement saw some 200 acres cultivated on the lower Essequibo coast, along with small areas in Mahaicony, Abary and Canje Creek. The industry gradually grew from this year so that by 1898 some 6,500 acres were under rice cultivation.

However, after a shortage of rice in 1901 from what

was called “the Indian crop”, local rice prices increased, which subsequently increased acreages under cultivation to 19,000 acres. In 1908 areas under rice cultivation reached some 38,000 acres then reduced by 2,000 acres in 1911.

Much of these areas were worked mainly by small farmers who either rented lands from the larger landowners or cultivated their own lands. Many of the coastlands abandoned for sugar cane cultivation became excellent rice lands, and government passed “Polder Bills” that intended to make it easier for groups of contiguous land owners to have cooperative schemes for irrigation.

While most of the development of the rice indus-

Preserving our heritage through pictures

try has been almost entirely due to the East Indian immigrants, upon recognising the profitability of the crop, some blacks had also begun rice cultivation. An American company also acquired 5,000 acres in the Abary district and began cultivation.

Rice was first exported in 1902-03, from what was by then British Guiana, when some 5 tons with a value of £60 left the colony; most shipments went to the West Indian islands and French and Dutch Guiana. Just a few years earlier, in 1899, British Guiana had imported about 11,300 tons of rice, but by 1911, imports had dropped dramatically to 354 tons.

The First World War is said to have spurred

the growth in the British Guiana rice sector as following that, exports declined and only increased during the Second World War in 1936. Following the latter event, the rice industry saw local problems with pricing that led to the colonial government establishing a rice industry agency.

This agency purchased all the country’s milled rice directly from the producers, which served to stabilise prices through government control of the prices paid to the producers and charged to the consumers. The rice was sold to some British Caribbean islands but, according to some researchers, the industry remained unstable, even after Guyana gained independence in 1966.

Brain Teaser Answer 2 hours 13 minutes

KID SUDOKU

SUDOKU

CROSSWORD

Group of Coolie Immigrants, British Guiana

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October 20, 2013

Times Sunday Magazine 23

Times Travel & Tourism

Experience a Georgetown Aerial Tour

For that ultimate thrill, nothing beats an aerial tour of the capital city, Georgetown. See still- vast green lands, colourful rooftops and signs of an expanding city where old and new mingle, and you will appreciate how beautiful – and developing the city is. Several local agencies offer aerial tours at the end of their day trips, so check them out.

A section of the Georgetown coastline with the Demerara River to the left

Area of the city showing the Ruimveldt Industrial Site and its environs

The Seawall Bandstand is among the sights along the seawall

The National Library, Bank of Guyana and world-renowned St George’s Cathedral at left

24

Times Sunday Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

October 20, 2013

Times Last Laugh

Taking a Shot at Bollywood

By Melvin Durai

E

veryone has dreams, and mine was to become a Bollywood star. I know it sounds crazy, but please don't laugh.

I'll be the first to admit that it was a long shot, that I had a better chance of becoming a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model.

But I've listened to enough motivational tapes to realize the importance of "going for it." What did I have to lose? So after much deliberation, after consulting my friends ("You're nuts!"), my mother ("You're crazy!") and my wife ("You're delusional!"), I decided to audition for a Bollywood agent, giving him a quick look at my acting, dancing and singing skills. Following my performance, he asked me to have a seat, scratched his chin and looked directly into my eyes.

Agent: "Thank you for auditioning, Mr. Durai. Since you're so determined to work in Bollywood, I might be able to find you a job. The directors are always looking for someone to fetch them coffee."

Me: "But I want to be an actor."

Agent: "I'm sorry, Mr. Durai. We have four major criteria for Bollywood actors and I'm afraid you fail all of them."

Me: "I realize I don't speak Hindi, but I'm willing to learn."

Agent: "Speaking Hindi is not a requirement anymore. The producers are very good at dubbing. They can even make George Bush speak Hindi."

Me: "Is it my singing then? I realize I don't sing very well."

Agent: "Well, your singing isn't bad, Mr. Durai -- it's terrible. I've heard better singing from a donkey. But singing isn't an issue. The producers can easily dub the voice of a professional singer, so moviegoers don't have to stuff popcorn into their ears."

Me: "Is it my looks then? Am I not handsome enough?"

Agent: "Well, let's just say you're no Salman Khan. Come to think of it, you're no Salman Rushdie either. What's more, Mr. Durai, you're not exactly fair-skinned.

You'd have to be a villain."

Me: "But I'm willing to do anything: wear a mask, cover my face with talcum powder, or see Michael Jackson's plastic surgeon."

Agent: "Really? While you're at it, you might as well see Michael Jackson's dance instructor. You dance like a cow. I hope you're not offended by that. I really don't mean to insult cows. Dancing is very important in Bollywood, Mr. Durai, more important than acting. But of even greater importance is your name. Yours, unfortunately, does not end with 'han.'"

Me: "What do you mean?"

Agent: "All the top Bollywood actors, in case you didn't notice, have surnames ending with 'han.' For example: Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, and Hrithik Roshan. This formula has even worked for another top Asian star: Jackie Chan."

Me: "What's the significance of 'han.'?"

Agent: "We're not sure. 'Han' means 'yes,' but it might also be a short form of 'handsome.' It makes these actors more appealing on screen."

Me: "Well, in that case, I'm willing to change my name to Melvin Roshan. In fact, I'm even willing to change to Mohan Roshan. That way, you'd get twice the 'han.'"

Agent: "Your determination is inspiring, Mr. Durai. But if you're not born with such a name, then I am sorry to say, the gods have not smiled on you. Are you sure you don't want to fetch coffee?"

Shirt Size

Curious when I found two black-andwhite negatives in a drawer, I had them made into prints.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were of a younger, slimmer me, taken on one of my first dates with my husband.

When I showed him the photos, his face lit up. "Wow, look at that!" he said with appreciation. "It's my old Plymouth!"

Sick Aunt

My husband, Michael, and I were at a restaurant with his boss, a rather stern older man.

When Michael began a tale, which I was sure he had told before, I gave him a kick under the table. There was no response, so I gave him another poke. Still the story went on. Suddenly he stopped, grinned and said, "Oh, but I've told you this one before, haven't I?" We all chuckled and changed the subject. Later, on the dance floor, I asked my husband why it had taken him so long to get my message.

"What do you mean?" he replied. "I cut the story off as soon as you kicked me."

"But I kicked you twice and it still took you awhile to stop!"

Suddenly we realized what had happened. Horrified, we sheepishly we returned to our table.

The boss smiled and said, "Don't worry. After the second kick I figured it wasn't for me, so I passed it along!"

Finally, the good-natured boss was compelled to call Smith into his office.

"It has not escaped my attention," he pointed out, "that every time there's a home game at the stadium, you have to take your aunt to the doctor."

"You know you're right, sir," exclaimed Smith. "I didn't realize it. You don't suppose she's faking, do you?"

Telephone Call

A teenage girl had been talking on the phone for about half an hour, and then she hung up.

"Wow!" said her father, "That was short. You usually talk for two hours.

What happened?"

"Wrong number..." replied the girl.

New Glasses

Crazy Cakes

Old Photos

While I was working in the men's section of a department store, a woman asked me to help her choose a white dress shirt for her husband.

When I asked about his size, the woman looked stumped at first, and then her face brightened. She held up her hands, forming a circle with her forefingers and thumbs.

"I don't know his size," she said, "but my hands fit perfectly around his neck."

A woman walks into the optometry store to return a pair of eyeglasses she had purchased the week before.

"What seems to be the problem, ma'am?" the optometrist inquired.

"Well, I bought these glasses for my husband last week and they're just not working," the woman complained.

"Perhaps the lab made an error in filling the prescription."

"I'm sure they must have," the woman confirmed. "My husband's still not seeing things my way."

Learning to Cook

When our seven-year-old granddaughter comes over, she loves to watch her grandmother when she is baking.

"Grandma," she asked one day, "where did you learn how to cook?"

Grandma told her that she learned from her mother and passed on this knowledge to her daughter. "Someday," she continued, "your mother will pass this knowledge along to you."

There was a short silence. "No, I don't think so," she said. "Mom puts everything in the microwave."

Pass It Along

Get Me Out!

My husband David's colleague at a package-processing centre was trapped in a small rest room by a faulty lock.

When he was finally discovered, David and another worker were able to open the door with some difficulty. The lock was still jammed, so they kept the door open while a maintenance worker was called.

A bit later, David noticed the door was closed again. He jiggled the doorknob and a voice from inside called, "Get me out!"

"Don't worry," David replied, "maintenance should be sending somebody."

"They did," said the voice.

Making Babies

A 3rd-grade girl came home from school. She was very happy, and her Mom noticed this.

Mom asked, "What makes you so happy today?"

The girl said, "Mom, we learned how to make babies in school today!"

Shocked, and thinking that 3rd grade was a bit early for that, she asked her daughter to tell her how.

"It's easy, Mom -- you just drop the “y”, and add “i-e-s”," the daughter said.

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