Sunday Times & Magazine 16 July 2017

LOOK INSIDE !

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3273

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Sunday, July 16, 2017

PRICE

Hydro power

Moco Moco falls within Indigenous lands – Toshao Page 3

... more consultations with Amerindians needed

$120 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE: Prison fire/jailbreak

Another P7 CoI to be launched GTT launches P2 'Blaze' high-speed Internet PSC wants P10 more to be done for prison officers

… says sense of fear lingering in business community … laments slow pace of prison reforms

Linden’s Mayor leads Guyanese youth team in China P11

Prison escapee recaptured

Corentyne P14 pensioner raped, killed

Page 8

…suspect on the run

…found hiding in Canal No 1

Guyana gets US$8M to address overcrowding in prisons Page 9

Student among 3 killed in highway smash-up

…Policeman, another battling for life

Page 12

UK-based P16 Guyanese seeking to engage youths in acrobatics

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news

SUnDAY, july 16, 2017 | guyanatimesGY.com

GTT launches ‘Blaze’ high-speed Internet G

uyanese will complain no more of slow Internet service as GTT on Saturday launched its long anticipated “Blaze” high-speed Internet.

At the National Stadium, East Bank Demerara (EBD), GTT introduced Blaze Ignite, Blaze Flaming and Blaze Inferno which will see GTT customers benefiting from fast, faster, and the fastest Internet in Guyana.

With this new service – “Blaze Ignite” – customers will be able to access Internet speed at five megabytes per second, “Blaze Flaming” users will access Internet with the speed of 20 megabytes per second and “Blaze Inferno”

users, 50 megabytes per second.

Along with the fastest Internet speed, the over US$20 million investment will also provide improved streaming, gaming, browsing, easy connectivity for multiple users, greater reliability and added security along with crystal clear telephone calls.

The fibre optic service which has been in the pipeline for a number of years came to realisation when GTT used its submarine cables, taking the capacity from the shores, placing some copper lines and putting fibres so that the capacity could reach the homes of Guyanese.

The investment, which is thus far only seen in the

GTT’s CEO Justine Nedd explained the service to a father and son at the National Stadium on Saturday

more developed countries, will be provided at a low rate with installation fees being only $12,000 as affordability was considered

by the Guyanese initiators.

Some 1000 homes are already benefiting from the services and have been providing positive feed-

backs according to GTT’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Justine Nedd.

“Blaze is about us at GTT not only bringing you faster Internet but also bringing you a platform for you to do more. Blaze was inspired by you our customers and today, we have almost 1000 customers who can experience the service and who can tell you about the service,” Nedd told the gathering at the National Stadium.

According to the CEO, the provision of the fibre optic service is revolutionary for Guyanese as GTT is seeking to provide for the future of its customers.

“Even outside of the larger cities in the US, you don’t get this type of fibre optic service so this is revolutionary for Guyana. This is really what we are about at GTT, we have already started a number of partnerships and we are going to partner with young people that have ideas to drive Guyana forward.

We are building the service throughout Guyana at places that already have phone lines and also at those places that are now developing,” Nedd said.

Nedd noted that the investment was made with the thought of “losing money in a year or two, this is about being able to provide a service for decades”.

GTT will be partnering with a number of companies who would also be able to provide better services with the help of Blaze high-speed Internet.

NEWS

BRIDGE OPENINGS

Hydro power

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Moco Moco falls within Indigenous lands – Toshao

Sunday, July 16 – 10:00h-11:30h and Monday, July 17 – 11:00h-12:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, July 16 – 09:10h-10:40h and Monday, July 17 – 10:15h-11:45h.

FERRY SCHEDULE Parika and Supenaam departure times - 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily

WEATHER TODAY Weather: Thundery to heavy rain showers with sunny intervals can be expected throughout the day, while clear skies can be expected in the evening.

Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Ranging between East North-easterly and East South-easterly between 1.34 metres and 2.68 metres.

High Tide: 09:36h and 22:08h reaching maximum heights of 2.44 metres and 3.43 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 03:06h and 15:35h reaching minimum heights of 0.78 metre and 0.80 metres.

SATURDAY, July 15, 2017

LOTTERY NUMBERS F

01 05 11

12 25 29

... more consultations with Amerindians needed

T

ension is brewing over the Government’s lack of consultation with the Amerindian people of Moco Moco in Region Nine, even as the administration moves to resuscitate the hydro power station located in the community, which has been defunct for some time.

The resuscitation has progressed to the point where plans are apace to have a geotechnical investigation done into the site, where a landslide had occurred.

Expressions of Interest (EoIs) were invited from local and foreign firms to provide this consultancy service back in April.

According to Member of Parliament Alister Charlie, Government should avoid the mistake of insufficient consultations. He urged that

the hydro itself falls under the village council’s purview, and not the municipality of Lethem,” Charlie explained.

“There is a small settlement there, which the municipality of Lethem governs within the Moco Moco titled land. So it would be good if Government can go back and consult with the Village Council and have them partand-parcel of every decision-making process.”

Going green

Charlie noted that if the country is serious about going “green”, then resuscitation of the hydro plant is a good idea. He however warned that the capacity would have to be increased, due to the changes from the time it was commissioned in

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Inside the Moco Moco power station

Government have the Moco Moco Village Council included in the decision-making, since there is a prevailing argument that the site falls within its purview.

“It was an election promise by the Government that the hydro power station would be resuscitated when they get in power,” Charlie said when this publication visited the Moco Moco site last week.

“There is a little tangle within the municipality of Lethem, specifically the Mayor and the Village Council, with respect to who owns what and where. As rightly said by the Toshao,

1999 to present day.

“When we’re looking at the hydro, we have to be looking at the megawatt, because Lethem has grown tremendously. And with the coming of the Industrial Site and the hydro, it will be very feasible for Lethem, provided we are thinking ‘green’,” he explained.

Moco Moco Toshao, James George, noted that consultations should be aimed at verifying what benefits would accrue to his village. And not wanting a focus to be exclusively placed on his village, he urged that the talks serve as a precursor to development

in Lethem as a whole.

“As a Toshao, I want to see development,” he said.

“At no one time would the Village Council ever say ‘no’ to progress. But the village of Moco Moco should benefit one way or another, and they should have ‘one and two talks’ (between) the Village Council and the Government.”

It is understood that the Moco-Moco hydro power plant will be operated under the Build, Own, Operate, Transfer (BOOT) arrangement. This aims to supply power to Lethem Power Plant under a negotiated and agreed Power Purchase Agreement.

In 1995, the then Government, with assistance from the Government of China, had sought to develop the hydropower project. However, in 2003, the plant was significantly affected by a landslide. The project was since abandoned. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is currently in the process of assessing five of 69 possible sites which are proposed to house these hydro power amenities. The five sites under scrutiny are Tiger Hill, Kamira, Tumatumari, Amaila and Kumu. It is expected that their assessment will be completed in May of this year.

At present, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has signalled its intention to grant an interim one-year authorisation to Tumatumari Hydro

Moco Moco Toshao James George

Inc (THI), which brings the special purpose private company one step closer towards its planned rehabilitation of the Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni) Tumatumari Power Plant.

To promote additional financial aid for the hydro power and renewable plan, the Government is partnering with its Brazilian counterpart. It is understood that Government, in this regard, intends to use the US$80M from the Norway Fund, already allocated to renewable energy development.

Interested investors are also welcomed in this department.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan has stated publicly, during an engagement with the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association (GMSA), that the money is not sufficient for its plans. In fact, Jordan had spoken of difficulties being faced to access the funding.

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Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544 223-7230,223-7231,231-0544, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Blaze !!

Editorial

“Ethnically Diverse” GPF

I

n March, 85 recruits were added to the Guyana Police Force to join the 203 from last July. While statistics on their ethnic composition were not made available, the optics do not suggest that the recommendations of the Disciplined Forces Commission (DFC) in regard to “ethnic diversity” are being implemented. More pertinently, the latter had specified measures to increase the number of Indian-Guyanese in the GPF. The DFC, of which now President David Granger was a member, conducted hearings in 2003, and submitted its 164 recommendations to Parliament in 2004. Seventyone recommendations concerned the Guyana Police Force.

The Commission recommended, with regard to manpower, that the Police Force should aim at achieving greater ethnic diversity without employing a quota system. To achieve this, ethnically-diverse recruitment teams should be employed as openly and extensively as possible.

The recommendations were finally approved by a Select Parliamentary Committee in 2010. But while two new Police Training Centres had been opened in the meantime in Berbice and Essequibo, as recommended, no further actions have evidently been taken to date to implement its recommendations.

While, just before independence, the PPP had strenuously argued for the GPF to be made more ethnically diverse, after the free and fair elections of 1992, they attempted no rectification of the historically enforced imbalances. During the PNC protests and riots in Georgetown on Jan 12 1998, following the 1997 elections, members of the GPF were conspicuous in their refusal to prevent the assaults against Indians, even though the largest police station in the country was only a block away from the epicentre of the violence.

Subsequently, constitutional changes following the Herdmanston Accord were introduced in 2000, and one clause called for a Commission to enquire into, among other things “the composition” of the entire Disciplined Forces, which include the GPF. The changed mandated of the DSC in 2010 were constitutionally sanctioned, and there ought to be reasons why they are evidently being ignored.

The British had insisted, as part of the conditions for granting independence to Guyana under the PNC, that the latter rectify the imbalance in the armed forces, including the GPF, as identified by the PPP. The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), invited by the PNC in 1965 to investigate the ethnic imbalances in the state sector and offer recommendations towards their rectification, declared that in the GPF, Indian Guyanese comprised 20.7%, compared with 71.9% African Guyanese. They recommended that the Police Force should reflect, to a greater degree, the composition of the population. More specifically, that 75% of recruits and cadets for the next five years be Indian Guyanese, until the goal was reached.

The PNC accepted the recommendations of the Commission, and claimed that, the very next year, 76 of 102 police recruits were Indians. However, Prof. K. Danns, in his doctoral thesis on the Guyanese armed forces, (“Domination and Power in Guyana “) claimed that the PNC ceased to make statistics available after 1966, but that data collected by him showed that the Government did not implement the ICJ’s recommendations, and actually decreased the number and percentage of Indians accepted.

He showed that, between 1970 and 1977, while the size of the force was being doubled, 92.2% of recruits were Africans, with only 7.84% being Indians. The number of Indians dropped to less than ten per cent of the GPF. After more than a hundred years of being excluded from the GPF, first by the British and then by the PNC, Indians had internalized the myth that they were ‘not fit’ to be policemen. Some of the few who bucked the tide were peripheralised. Indians who were accepted after the 1970s were placed in the Special Branch, (plain clothes) and posted to Indian villages to spy on their fellow Indians. This policy created further distrust of the Police Force among Indians.

Armed with the recommendations of the DFC, this Government should rectify this historical anomaly, which has evidently been exacerbated recently.

These two fire-breathers ignited the ‘Blaze’ at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara at the launching of the GTT high-speed Internet service on Saturday

Weak monitoring system by GFC Dear Editor, It was quite shocking, sad and worrying to read about the corruption, or alleged corruption, by GFC monitoring unit and land allocation unit staffers, with possible collusion with the respective supervising officers (Guyana Times). This type of illicit or nefarious behaviour by staffers who are put in position of enforcement is quite common in a lot of revenue agencies, like customs, police, mines commission etc. We have not started producing oil, so this should be a wake-up call for the authorities to carefully select the best staff to work with the agency which will be monitoring and managing the oil-and-gas sector.

At a minimum, I would like to see the institution of polygraph testing for all staffers (staff and supervising officers) of the land administration and forest monitoring departments of the GFC. As a matter of fact, all revenue and enforcement agencies (CANU, police, customs, mines, oil-andgas, and of course forestry)

should adopt polygraph testing as a standard means to gain employment, and perhaps it should be done annually. This will, I believe, weed out corrupt officers, like what we are being told of at GFC over time. I have been told it is so easy to get a load of wood passed at any of the stations, particularly at night. It’s all part of a racket to defraud the state of revenue and enrich the pockets of the few cabals in the enforcement section. These systematic breaches are evidence of a weak monitoring system.

My other worry is this: Remember, the Government signed the EU pact for Forest Law Government Transparency Trade Program (EU FLEGT).

This is a like a Standard Operating Procedure programme to do business with the EU. It all rests on good forest systems. What we are seeing here now in Guyana is a weak forest monitoring system, and hence it puts the entire EU FLEGT programme under serious treat and jeopardy. The EU is seri-

ous business, and hefty fines are imposed for non-compliance. One need just look at Brexit and see how challenging it is to get out of the EU system. Our weak monitoring system is a recipe for disaster, and we should pause for a while and reflect on whether we are ready for the EU. After all, Guyanese are no wiser on the EU programme, there has not been a single national public education awareness conference on EU FLEGT. Who is really in charge of the programme? The public is in the dark. A miserly text message on the programme was received a few weeks ago, and that’s all the public has been informed of.

We need an overhaul of the FLEGT programme, and have people with the right skills and expertise to take it forward. Otherwise we will be shooting ourselves in the foot. Why not get our own Dr Janet Bulkan, a respectable international expert, to lead it off? It’s an international programme, so Dr Bulkan can also give advice on how to overhaul

and strengthen our forest monitoring and allocation department and systems. I am sure she would be more than happy to contribute to Dear Guyana.

Finally, like the other writer, I heard the GFC board is in the capable hands of an environmental and social activist. Madam Chairperson, we call on you to bring sanity to this lawlessness that is taking place in monitoring systems, lands management, and is spreading to the FLEGT programme. Why don’t we have a national workshop to get ideas on best practice, and also form a national steering body to give advice?

The stakeholders are your friends, and this is the best way to get on-the-ground information. Otherwise, sitting in offices in Georgetown will get us nowhere; only issues like what have been mentioned by Mr Williams in last week’s media will crop up.

P. Wong Forestry Expert/ Consultant

“Georgetown on the Move”

Dear Editor, Each Thursday evening, television viewers in Guyana are subjected to a most insipid programme aired locally on one of the channels called ‘Georgetown on the Move’ – a production that is apparently supposed to highlight the ‘good’ works of the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown.

This programme – beginning with its sardonic name – could have been considered a weekly satirical production had it not been for the very serious and sore issues it is so woefully attempting to address. A bet-

ter name for this production is ‘Georgetown on the verge of collapse’.

‘Georgetown on the move’ – where is Georgetown on the move to? More decay, more corruption, more neglect and more frustration for the citizens? On the move with increased general rates, the pending return of the burdensome parking meters, the Container Tax, etc?

A look at the cemetery and the only movement one can see is increasing bushes and overgrowth, blocked passageways and cracked tombs; at the Municipal

Abattoir, the cows stop breathing by being clubbed to death by some inhuman slaughterers. Just look at the pavement outside of the Georgetown Public Hospital where the water has not receded, making it unusable by pedestrians for months and worse, making it a breeding ground for mosquitoes that help to transmit malaria, filarial, dengue, zika etc.

Really, the only movement for Georgetown is the Mayor and Town Clerk flying around the world in luxury and when in the city driving around aimlessly in some expensive sport util-

ity vehicles with a retinue of bodyguards like they are heads of state or celebrities.

In fact, the movement to which they speak must be of the money they demand from poor property owners that they lavishly spend on contracts without adherence to tender procedures and allowances that are given to a bloated staff structure, on toilet rentals that continue to be provided to the residences of the Mayor and Town Clerk in spite of the public outcry and street sweeping of potholed roads, on retreats at luxury resorts etc. continues on page 5

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Living in Guyana can GAWU will stand by, and struggle with, workers be very challenging Dear Editor, Living in Guyana can be very challenging, especially for those who are forward-thinking, objective or constructive. The challenge is compounded by arrogance, laziness and backwardness in many sectors.

In a comment on the recent catastrophic fire and unfolding fiasco at the Georgetown Prison, the Head of State commented that the occurrence was “an accident waiting to happen”. That comment raises a few of many underlying questions. Did the prison authorities underestimate the magnitude of what was festering? Was the intellect of those incarcerated ever considered or were they merely taken for granted? Among those highlighted in the bulletin issued on the most dangerous escapees is a former Policeman. The Guyana Police Force commemorated its 178th anniversary with a route march the day before the riotous escape. Invariably the day following such an activity would be treated as a rest day, when the Force is not at full strength. What a coincidence!

Guyana gained independence in May 1966, but this country still has a clot of colonial mentality. Most people tend to think that all solutions are extrinsic and not intrinsic. There is a distinct gap between actions and consequences. In most instances, that gap is only often bridged by punitive measures as against an overarching appreciation and proactivity to enable stop-gaps. That type of mentality tends to fertilise grand-standing by some who are mere incompetents. Things only get done

as a consequence of some extremity or reproof from international sanctionative bodies. I will cite two examples.

Guyana did precious little to curb Trafficking In Persons (TIP) until it was faced with international sanctions. The same situation applied to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Caribbean Action Task Force (CFATF) regulatory chastening due to local lapses on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism prior to 2016.

There are some persons in authority who will not budge to address certain issues or act on proposals by genuine local nationalists, but will snap into intense hyperactivity like a child who is stung by a wasp on a mere hint by any representative of the American, British or Canadian (ABC) countries on any matter.

I recently went to the Brickdam Police Station to have my vehicle certified for fitness. The prescribed time for that exercise is from 09:00h to 11:00h, Mondays to Fridays. That was the same time-frame for the past 25 years when there was just a quarter of the vehicle population. That time period is the same when most working class persons, and by extension vehicle owners, are contributing to the economic growth and development of this country. Most people use a friendly connection or other method to get vehicle fitness outside of the prescribed process. I spoke with a senior Police Officer who was empathetic with my observational analysis, but merely responded by saying that “this is the system”.

I respectfully believe that

the current system employed for certifying vehicle fitness is archaic and backward. There are real solutions that I will not detail here. Solutions that would be vehicle-owner-friendly, ensure that vehicles are meritoriously certified, negate under-table inducements and corruption, thereby ensuring public safely and true compliance with the traffic laws.

Our policymakers ought to be realists, who embrace greater public consultation and feedback. True sovereignty of a country is reflected in the way its policies and systems align to meet the needs and protection of its citizenry.

In Guyana, most of those who make policy and enforce systems never have real interface with what they create and are often oblivious or overlook the associated challenges faced by the masses.

This distortion often contributes to many of the lamentable ills in our country.

Sincerely, Orette Cutting

Dear Editor, The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has taken note of Mr Abel Seetaram’s letter, titled “PPP & GAWU destroyed sugar”.

Mr Seetaram, in his latest diatribe, charged that our union was sleeping between 1992 and May 2015.

Clearly, Mr Seetaram is not acquainted with the GAWU’s work; and indeed, it seems that it is Mr Seetaram who was asleep, and clearly is still asleep. In that period, like all previous years, the GAWU continued to champion the cause of, and articulated the concern of, workers in the sugar industry.

Through our representation, workers’ rights and benefits steadily improved, and they and their families have been enjoying a better quality of life.

However, those years of improvement are currently being undermined by the actions of the Government and the recently coined ‘New GuySuCo’, seemingly aided and abetted by Mr Seetaram’s party. We need not remind Mr Seetaram that sugar workers are the

“Georgetown on... from page 4

But in dealing with the programme itself, one would have expected the Council to have at least engaged the services of a professional broadcaster to function as the host of the programme.

Someone who has a good knowledge base: An understanding of issues, names, Georgetown’s geography, history and the ability to put all of these in perspective for viewers. Command of the English language: Dead-on grammar, syntax, pronunci-

ation, tone and storytelling.

Interviewing finesse: An instinct for what people need and want to know, and the ability to draw information by skilful, informed questioning and by listening. The current host is severely lacking in all of these areas.

Georgetown is currently on the move towards becoming one big garbage pile.

Sincerely, Modi Sankar

only group of State employees who have had their pay stagnated at the 2014 levels in spite of the rise in the cost-of-living; nor do we have to remind him about the reduced API in 2015, and its outright denial in 2016.

He also should be well aware of the withdrawal of other long-standing established benefits, such as release-with-pay to attend the Union’s Congress or to participate in educational courses organized by the Union.

And since he writes with such knowledge of the sugar industry, he also ought to know of the state-owned sugar company’s flagrant violations of the laws of the land, the collective labour agreement, international labour conventions, long-standing principles and practices, and even our sacred Constitution.

While the AFC Region #5 Councillor accuses us of fooling workers, the Union questions what deceit he is referring to; for the facts speak for themselves, and do not support his propagandistic outbursts.

Mr Seetaram repeats another charge that anti-union elements have levelled at us; that is, that we are only concerned with dues. This is as

furthest from the truth as one could be. On this score, we ask the Councillor: if there is merit in what he is saying, our Union has called for the LBI and Wales workers to receive their severance. Certainly, a great lot of those workers will very likely seek employment outside of sugar, and therefore would not be paying dues. It seems the author is not rationally considering the letter he has signed.

The ramblings of Mr Seetaram are for nothing more than to deflect from the serious consequences that would befall the people and the communities of the sugar belt. There is no amount of lipstick that the author can put on the proverbial pig that would make the Government’s plans seem more attractive. At the end of the day, too many Guyanese will suffer, and the future of thousands will be blackened and shattered. As a responsible organisation, GAWU will stand by, and struggle with, the workers as they face these assaults and challenges.

Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine General Secretary GAWU

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Anu Dev

fter my paediatric rotation, I appreciate more that infants aren’t just pint-sized versions of adults: they’re actually quite different physiologically.

This triggered ruminations about exactly what these differences are - especially in those at the other end of the spectrum - the elderly.

This took me beyond the normal maturation changes that makes us “adults” into what causes “ageing”.

I often have these extraneous thoughts when exams are upon me, and then feel compelled to follow them through! Another form of procrastination?

What I discovered is that a “cure” for ageing has been a quest of mankind down the ages. Efforts long preceded Ponce de Leon’s search for a “Fountain of Youth’ in Florida in 1513, when the average lifespan at birth averaged about 35 - the same it would remain until 1900. Now, this didn’t mean that most persons died by 35, but that, with so many infants dying, this pulled down the AVERAGE lifespan. Most persons who survived to 21 would be expected to live another quarter of a

guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation

“The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.” – Robert Frost century or so.

But even without any fountains or elixirs, lifespans did double to around 70+ years today.

This has been due primarily to better diet, exercise and, yes the medical sciences through interventions starting from the birth of the child - paediatrics.

Historically, medicine developed by treating diseased organs of the body -- either from noncommunicable or communicable agents -- and not the entire body. Medicine can better be described as “sick-care,” rather than “health-care”! But with the increased lifespans, there was now an explosion in what came to be seen as “diseases” of ageing: Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, macular degeneration, osteoarthritis, heart attacks, strokes, some cancers.

This revealed that “ageing” actually occurred at the level of the cells from which all of us are made. Changes occur in the cells via a complex interplay between genes and environment, and after time, these manifest as the diseases mentioned above. In the search for a cure for those

diseases, we are glimpsing, if not a “cure” for old age, at least a way for slowing it down.

However, in general, the medical establishment still considers anti-ageing medicine as a “crackpot” idea, and the regulatory bodies don’t recognise ageing as a treatable “disease”.

It’s like when people were called “witches” for curing diseases in medieval times!

But the dream of extending lifespans has been given a shot in the arm by a confluence of two circumstances: the rise of a group of super-wealthy individuals who’re willing to fund the research (like the co-founder of Google and the founder of PayPal) and the US-planned manned mission to Mars. In space flights, exposure to cosmic rays would destroy the DNA of at least 5% of the astronauts’ cells - an unacceptable level, almost like “old people”.

At this time, there are three prospects in the anti-ageing sweepstakes that are taken seriously.

Firstly, Australian scientists have discovered a vitamin, nicotinamide

mononucleotide (NMN), which helps cells repair DNA damage and makes them “young” again. This came out of research on the molecule resveratrol found in red wine, also claimed to extend life.

NASA has taken an interest in this effort - the vitamin, not the wine!

A second is from the pharma giant Novartis. Working on an anti-cancer drug derived from the substance rapamycin, scientists noticed that while it had an effect on the immune system, it also lengthened the lives of flies, worms, and rodents too, by 25%.

It recently sold the rights to its drug called everolimus/Afinitor to a start-up “resTORbio” which will now check if it rejuvenates aged immune cells of the elderly.

Lastly, there’s research on the effects of metformin - which has been used for 60 years as a treatment for diabetes, and this is closest to overcoming the taboo on anti-ageing medicine. There’s in progress right now one study being conducted by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in NY - Targeting Ageing with Metformin (TAME). If successful, TAME would mark a paradigm shift, moving

from treating each specific medical condition to targeting ageing per se.

Medicine won’t ever be the same! Now, back to my paediatrics exam tomorrow!

Essequibo Coast youths engage in educational camps

Children of the camp participating in a game

R

These two youngsters test their artistic skills

egion Two youths from villages such as Queenstown, Capoey and Taymouth Manor on the Essequibo Coast were actively involved in five days of vacation camping sponsored by the Department of Education through its Welfare Department.

Camping commenced on Monday, July 10 and concluded on Friday, July 14, giving several young people the opportunity to participate in fun games, lectures and craft.

Camp Coordinator, Senior Welfare Officer Haimraj Hamandeo, described the exercise as successful and said it had attracted numerous youths. Camping,

he said, was held under the theme “Empowering youths through constructive learning.” Children, he said, were taught life skills to enable them to become better individuals with better morals, besides being taught things outside of the schools’ curriculum.

“We want the children to enjoy their summer vacation as well as to be occupied. The camp will be an annual feature of the Schools Welfare Department. We are also assisted by teachers from the school,” Hamandeo said.

Camping activities included art, literacy, numeracy, tie-dye, games, craft and math.

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sunDAY, july 16, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Prison fire/jailbreak

Another CoI to be launched G

overnment will be launching a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the fire that razed the Camp Street Prison on Sunday last; a little over a year after another one was conducted into a deadly blaze at that very facility.

This was made known in the wake of a meeting held between a Government team composed of Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels, Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud and members of the political Opposition.

Government has been briefing stakeholders and members of civil society on it efforts to relocate prisoners, secure existing infrastructure and recapture the prisoners who used Sunday’s blaze to escape under the cover of confusion.

During Friday’s meeting with the Opposition team comprising of former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee and parliamentarians Juan Edghill, Harry Gill and Bheri Ramsarran, Minister Ramjattan announced that a CoI would be launched into the tragedy.

Last year March, a fire raged through the Camp Street Prison, claiming the lives of 17 prisoners.

Afterwards, a Commission of Inquiry which cost the Treasury some $13 million was ordered by President David Granger, despite criticisms at the time that it would just regurgitate facts already known about Guyana’s prison and judicial system.

According to the report compiled by the Commissioners, the combination of overcrowding, uncomfortable and unhygienic confinement are all ideal

conditions for epidemics, for gangs to prosper and to propagate discontent.

Moreover, the CoI found that reducing numbers in prison to manageable levels is the single most important priority for establishing safe, humane and purposeful prisons.

It was further noted that repeat offenders have increased by over 100 per cent, “indicating not only a waste of taxpayer dollars but also the need for a more comprehensive and structured partnership within the wider justice system.”

In order to effect a reduction in the prison population, the report had been specific in explaining what needed to be done. For one, it had recommended that Government move to abolish mandatory minimum sentences and decriminalise possession of minimum amounts of marijuana for personal use.

In addition, there were recommendations for establishing and expanding alternatives to incarceration for those charged with low-level drug offences; as well as ensuring proportionality in sentencing.

The report had noted the importance of distinguishing between drug trafficking and other types of crime, low-, medium- and high-level drug offences, rank or position of the accused in drug-trafficking networks, and violent and non-violent offences.

In addition, there were recommendations for avoiding remand in the case of low-level, non-violent offenders; for the judiciary to employ non-custodial sentences in all cases of possession – such as treatment, educational opportunities or community service – that are available to those involved in other types of offences.

Under pressure, from left: Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan and Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels

The CoI report also recommended that law enforcement efforts be re-oriented to target high-level drug-trafficking networks instead of low-level drug traffickers such as consumers, smallscale farmers, low-level dealers and mules.

There had also been recommendations for the Government to undertake periodically comprehensive prison censuses to upgrade and expand criminal justice data systems and ensure timely access to criminal justice information for policymakers and the public.

Action taken

But despite the emphasis in the CoI report on reducing numbers, Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels himself confirmed that at the time of the fire on Sunday last, over 1000 prisoners were being housed at the prison, with a contingent out on labour duty. The Camp Street Prison was originally built to house nearly half that number.

When asked at a press conference about the progress made in implementing the recommendations from last year, the Director has said that money just was not there to implement the major recommendations. According to Samuels at a press conference, some were a “work in

progress.”

“As it relates to some of the recommendations made, we have gone on a recruit-

ment drive where our entry level is filled in terms of recruiting persons to assist in manning the prison,” Samuels said. “There are some 40-odd recommendations that came out of the last CoI and a lot of the major recommendations that came out require capital investment which we are currently working on.”

Government has also faced accusations that it ignored recommendations made in other CoIs, such as the CoI into the state of the Guyana Sugar Corporation.

While one of the recommen-

dations from that CoI was that no estates be closed, Government has already stated it will forge ahead with closing all estates except Blairmont, Uitvlugt and Albion.

It has also launched a plethora of CoIs into several aspects of Government, including education, public service, the Customs AntiNarcotics Unit and abandoned planes found in the recently, interior.

Most Government has announced a CoI into an alleged assassination plot against the President.

8 news

SunDAY, july 16, 2017 | guyanatimesGY.com

Prison escapee recaptured … found hiding in Canal Number 1

D

iligent work by ranks of the Guyana Police Force in D Division (West Bank Demerara-East Bank Essequibo) resulted in one of six prisoners, wanted for escaping from the Camp Street Penitentiary on Sunday during the disastrous fire, being recaptured in Canal Number One Polder, West Bank Demerara.

After receiving information, Police in the Division swooped down on an abandoned shack in Canal Number One late Friday evening and arrested 27-yearold Desmond James.

The gold miner was charged in 2014 for allegedly killing Glendon Cox on September 1, 2014, at Four Miles Arakaka Backdam, North West District (NWD), and was on remand.

Divisional Commander, Leslie James, disclosed that at about 22:50h on Friday, the ranks went to an Access Dam in Canal Number One,

Recaptured: Desmond James

where the suspect was found hiding out.

At the time of his recapture, the escapee was found in possession of a knife and a few pieces of clothing. He told investigators that he was heading to Essequibo.

From reports received, the man had a haircut with the intention of disguising himself.

The 24-year-old murder accused of Hotoquai Creek, NWD, was among six inmates of the Georgetown

The abandoned shack the escaped prisoner was hiding in at Canal Number One

Prison who escaped on Sunday and for whom wanted bulletins were issued.

Authorities had stated that James was believed to be moving with the alleged mastermind of the fire, Mark Royden Durant, called “Royden Williams” and “Smallie”; ex-cop Uree Varswyck; and Stafrei Hopkinson Alexander somewhere along the East Coast Demerara backlands.

Durant is currently on death row for both the Lusignan and Bartica massacres, while Varswyck was fingered in the robbery/murder at Sterling Products Limited. The other escapee was also imprisoned for murder.

Meanwhile, the Police were able to recapture three other prisoners who had escaped on Sunday evening while being transported from the Camp Street jail following the fire that razed the facility. turn to page 15

Milestones…

W

…for the US

hile your Eyewitness wasn’t invited to the US Embassy’s 241st birthday bash, he did follow the “glass clinking” in the newspapers. Now, love ‘em or hate ‘em, you can’t ignore the US - at least not in our neck of the woods.

And why should we? If it’s one thing they’ve shown us, it is that nations don’t have permanent enemies or permanent friends, just permanent interests. And that permanent interest is to look out for numero uno!

And boy, do we need to heed that advice right now?

With every carpetbagger in the world salivating at our two-billion-barrel oil find, and counting - they’re hoping to get a squeeze by convincing the Government they’re here to “help”. Sure they are - to help themselves to the pot of gold buried under our seabed!

And so we return to the US and all the help their Ambassador reminded us they’ve given us.

A feral blast is about the last thing your Eyewitness wants to deliver to the US on their belated birthday bash, even though he’s ever so slightly miffed he wasn’t invited to the party. Did you see those government minions freeloading in the pics! Boy, were they pigging out!! Your Eyewitness wants to highlight the US showing us fellow ex-British colonies how to become really independent.

Their written constitution - the first in the world - is still a beacon of brevity. That’s a standing indictment on OUR constitutional drafters, who still can’t get it right.

Would you believe we’ve introduced more amendments in the 37 years since our Constitution was promulgated than in the 228 years since theirs was ratified? on ?June 21, 1788? And there’s now a group – RISE -- that’s risen up to propose new changes!! Some folks think constitutions are like underwear: they must be changed daily!!

The US reminds us that as much depends on the judiciary INTERPRETING the constitution as in the writing of it. Everyone knows that as conditions change, rules may become out of date. But the solution, the US’ experience shows, isn’t to change the rules willy-nilly.

Another thing the US should’ve taught us is: we have a CONTINENTAL destiny. When they became Independent in 1776, the West Indian islands were very important in terms of trade to the US, as well as cultural ties. But the new US didn’t waste time trying to maintain historic links with the West Indies. They struck out on their own, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In the meantime, 241 years later, we’re still futzing around with that abject failure -- CariCom. What have they done for us - not even lately?!! Happy birthday USA!!

…for an oil services whale

In case you didn’t notice, Halliburton’s in town. No… not Haley Berry - Halliburton! Who’s that, you ask?

Well, just one of the world’s largest oil field service companies, with operations in more than 70 countries, employing approximately 50,000 people.

Halliburton will introduce us to how a real capitalist economy works. First, there’s the corporate nexus with governments that’s forged through “lobbying” or through personal contacts. For instance, after the US invaded Iraq and carpet bombed it to get rid of old Saddam Hussain, they gave a US$39.5 billion contract to KBR - a Halliburton subsidiary that was spun-off. Dick Cheney, an ex-CEO of Halliburton, just happened to be George Bush’s VP. Then there was the explosion of shale oil production in the US, made possible by exempting fracking - which injects water and polluting chemicals underground to force the oil up - from the US Safe Drinking Water Act. Why’s it called “the Halliburton Exception”? Well ole VP Dick Cheney sponsored it.

…for VC

The VC insists his coronation - oops, investiture -won’t cost $10 million...but neither he nor his registrar can offer an estimate.

They’re waiting on “empirical information”! It’s budgeting slackness like this that had Griffith fired from his last job!

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

NEWS

9

SunDAY, july 16, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana gets US$8M to address overcrowding in prisons

R

Some of the prisoners who were housed at the Camp Street Prison

ecent incidents within the prison system have given rise to the issue of overcrowding, something which the Guyana Government has been struggling to contain and address.

However, the recent approval of US$8 million in the form of a loan from the InterAmerican Development Bank will give Government a head-start in the process.

The Legal Affairs Ministry on Saturday said money has been secured for the “Support for the Criminal Justice System Project”, which became eligible for funding on June 16, 2017. The key objectives of the project are reducing the use of pre-trial detention and increasing the use of alternative sentencing.

According to the statement, since the March 2016 unrest and fire at the Georgetown Prison, Government, through the Ministry of Legal Affairs, has been assiduously addressing the issue of overcrowding at the prisons.

The project was scheduled for launch early last week, but had to be delayed due to the recent prison break and fire that destroyed the Camp Street facility.

Nonetheless, the project workshop was held, and the key outputs discussed were establishing a Legal Aid pilot project which would provide legal assistance to persons in pre-trial detention who have been accused of having committed minor, non-violent offences; enhancing the DPP and Police Prosecutors’ capacities to handle their cases before they proceed to trial; building capacity enhancement at the Magistracy level, to expedite cases and address alternative sentencing.

Additional components were: the implementation of a Restorative Justice pilot project under the Legal Affairs Ministry, to solve minor offences or disputes; strengthening the Probation Service Department to perform adequate follow up of

treatments delivered in and after prison, so as to better tend to the rehabilitative needs of those who present a lesser risk of reoffending; and strengthening the Law Reform Commission at the Ministry of Legal Affairs in its role of drafting new legislation introducing non-custodial sanctions suitable for different types of offences.

The Legal Affairs Ministry, Supreme Court of Judicature, Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Public Security, Social Protection, and Finance ministries are the main stakeholders of this project. Moreover, in being the executing agency, the Legal Affairs Ministry has demonstrated administrative capacity and commitment to oversee this project.

To this end, a Project Steering Committee chaired

by Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams has been established to provide oversight and strategic direction for the project.

10 news

sunDAY, July 16, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

PSC wants more to be done for prison officers …says sense of fear lingering in business community …laments slow pace of prison reforms

L

ast Sunday’s jailbreak and fire at the Camp Street Prison, which resulted in the death of one prison officer and at least six others being seriously injured, has given rise to the call for proper facilities to be put in place to protect prison wardens and other staffers.

The private sector has long been a major benefactor to the local law enforcement bodies, lending support whenever needed, or just out of their goodwill. As such, when a team of State officials sat down on Friday to brief members of the Private Sector Commission about last Sunday’s events and ongoing efforts to contain the situation, concerns were raised about the general working conditions of prison officers.

In addition to 33-yearold Prison Officer Odinga Wickham losing his life to several gunshot wounds to the chest, some of his colleagues were seriously injured from chop, stab, and gunshot wounds inflicted on them during the ordeal.

And those prison wardens who managed to escape physical injury were left traumatised by having witnessed their colleagues and partners being injured.

In fact, some of the female officers had been held hostage by the raging inmates, but were freed unharmed.

Many of the officers had, for some time now, complained of being threatened by the inmates, and had

Members of the Private Sector Commission during a briefing on Friday evening. From right: Indar Deodat, Eddie Boyer and Gerry Gouveia

even complained to high authorities; but nothing was ever done for their safety.

In fact, asked about this at a recent press conference, prison authorities told media operatives that this was treated as rumour.

Nevertheless, at Friday’s briefing, PSC Security Liaison, Gerry Gouveia, highlighted a few worrying issues that were brought to the fore following the incident at the Georgetown Prisons, one of which are the conditions under which the ranks are being made to work, given the risks they face.

Gouveia, who also sat on the Guyana Prisons Service’s Sentence Management Board for some eight years, pointed out that prison officers put their lives on the line every day, and are in a ‘war zone’ where anything can happen in an instant, just like the danger police officers face.

“But prison officers are actually on the bottom of the pecking order in our Joint Services; so the authorities need to look at the conditions they work in (and) their salaries. You can’t have 12 prison officers manning a prison with over a thousand inmates; it’s actually ludicrous... They are working long hours, they are (experiencing) fatigue, and they (cannot help becoming) complacent; so I believe the actual management and welfare and support system for prison officers and the work they do needs to be greatly enhanced,” Gouveia told this newspaper following Friday’s briefing session.

He said that if Government fails to improve the working conditions of these officers, then not only Sunday’s, but last March’s incidents are bound to be repeated. He added, too, that a lot of resources are thrown into the system, but only after there are major inci-

dents.

The businessman posited that if those same resources are injected into bettering the working life for prison officers, then such incidents can be prevented.

During Friday’s session, the authorities briefed the audience on the events of Sunday evening, and efforts that are being undertaken to contain the situation. They also fielded questions from the audience, which included representatives from the PSC, the various Chambers of Commerce across the country, the Manufacturing Associations, as well as civil society, among others.

Sense of fear

Chairman of the PSC, Eddie Boyer, commended the security authorities for their response to Sunday’s incidents. He pointed out that such a briefing was necessary, since a sense of fear has been lingering within the business community and the public in general.

According to the Private Sector Head, while business has generally been slow, last Sunday’s events have impacted business activities.

He lamented the sloth in enforcing prison reforms and recommendations emanating from the Prison CoI that was done last year.

“A lot of these things were not taken on board, so this was a situation waiting to happen,” he declared.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

Intelligence led

S

atiricus was in a quandary. Should he, or shouldn’t he? Go to the Back Street Bar, that is. It wasn’t as if he was considering abandoning beer-drinking or anything like that. Beer, Satiricus knew, was created by the Gods - well, the Norse Gods, at least - and far be it from him to mess with Divine orders. No, after that Camp St breakout, he knew he was in for it from the fellas, since his leader, Rum Jhaat, was supposed to be in charge. He decided to man up and face the music.

“Suh wha’ dis me hear fram yuh fearless leadah, Rum Jhaat?” asked Bungi without even giving Satiricus a chance to down his first beer.

“OK,” said Satiricus, rolling his eyes. “Tell me what you heard.”

“Dat ‘e bin done ready fuh buil’ wan new jail a Mazaruni,” said Bungi, as Hari listened attentively. “An’ only time ketch up wid he!”

“Well, that’s true,” insisted Satiricus. “You can’t build a jail overnight, you know.”

“Sato me fr’en’, da jus’ prove dem shoulda fyaah Rum Jhaat laang now!” said Bungi with some heat. “He t’ink de problem a space in de jail?”

“Isn’t it?” asked Satiricus.

“Well, me excuse you,” said Bungi. “But wha’ Rum Jhaat excuse?”

“OK, smart ass, tell me the problem!” Satiricus by now had stopped with the beers, and so had Hari.

“Bai, pick sense fram nansense, na,” said Bungi.

“Abee know dis escape bin plan fuh three month now.”

“Yes?” asked Satiricus snidely.

“Well, dem bais only set de fyaah fuh leh dem escape,” said Bungi. “If dem bin in wan new jail, da woulda bun down too!”

“That’s right, Sato,” said Hari at last. “Rum Jhaat’s problem is he still isn’t looking to prevent contraband getting into prison.”

“And Rum Jhaat’s talking about ‘intelligence-led policing’ to catch the escapees!” said Satiricus slowly.

How could he defend a dead man walking?

news

11

SunDAY, july 16, 2017 | guyanatimesGY.com

Linden’s Mayor leads Guyanese youth team in China The new emerging oil and gas sector – short and medium-term implications for the Guyanese economy

G

uyana is indeed a country blessed with rich natural resources. How these resources are managed and exploited, and the policies implemented in these regards, are what will determine the economic progress of a country. Strong leadership, a competent government, and an educated population with the carefully crafted conceptualisation of a bright vision at the national level for long term economic growth and prosperity are the prerequisites for the accomplishment of such goals.

It would appear, however, that there is either a deliberate distraction, or an unknowing distraction out of pure excitement, by the Guyanese Government as it relates to all that is happening with this new impending resource.

There are currently hot debates on what chunk of the revenues or profits Guyana is going to receive from the oil revenues. So far, having perused the existing literature in this respect, it is unclear what model the Government will employ/devise, and how the revenues earned will be utilised.

I am tempted to quote a ‘mantra’ chanted by the Opposition Leader, wherein he posited that oil could either be a blessing or a curse to Guyana. While this might appear to be more of a political commentary, I must say this: it is an extremely meritorious assertion, putting all politics aside.

It has so far been announced that Guyana will receive 2 percent royalty, and the profit from the oil revenues will be shared 50/50.

It is very disappointing, if indeed Guyana will accept it, that the final deal on the percentage of royalty on the oil revenues is a mere 2 percent, when we are receiving 5 percent royalty on gold revenues. I concur with some analysts that the royalty should be revised upwards minimum to be on par with that which is applied to gold earnings (5 percent) or maximum 10 percent. In fact, from manufacturing companies, royalty is charged at 5 percent, and from a trading company, it is 7 percent for the earnings received from gold. So why are we settling for a meagre 2 percent? Gold should be the benchmark, at least for a guide.

It is also disclosed that the profits will be shared 50/50.

This, from the standpoint of a vague reference, is a political diplomatic tactic that is really meant to add flavour to the announcement, so that it sounds all attractive, sound and good. But if one were to examine the technicalities of this, here is what one would find. First of all, I believe some clarity is needed on the model of profit-sharing. If my interpretation is correct, it has been disclosed that 75 percent of the revenues will go towards recovery costs to ExxonMobil. Now, this is how any major capital investment works, especially one of this magnitude and complexity.

Normally, investments like these rake in profits years after they are made; which means that, for quite a number of years, they will have to be running at a loss. So the remaining 25 percent is what will actually be split in half, which means Guyana will only earn 12.5 percent. However, to my mind, based on what I have read and interpreted, major clarity is needed. I note with concern the terms “revenue” and “profits” are being used interchangeably.

This could be grossly misleading, and cause severe damage in light of the lack of transparency of the policy framework and agreements of the complete oil & gas sector. It must be understood that “revenue” and “profits” are not the same thing. In simple understanding, profit is the remainder of revenues after deducting all expenses and financial costs.

So if they are saying 12.5 percent of profit is 50/50 sharing, then Guyana is not going to realise this anytime.

It may take probably five to ten years, or possibly twenty, before a profit is declared. Bearing in mind that ExxonMobil’s team of skilled financial experts could well design a model in which Exxon will not declare any profits, there may be a prolonged period of loss making, and there is also the risk of understating the profits. In these circumstances, Guyana will gain only the meagre 2 percent royalty. If, however, it is 12.5 percent of revenues, then yes, Guyana will earn this almost immediately after the first sale of crude oil. Hence some critical clarification is needed in this respect. Next week, I shall continue with this discussion.

(For comments, questions and responses on articles featured in this column, readers can reach the author at jbinsights@outlook.com).

A

five-member Guyanese team is currently in China attending the Fourth Forum of Sino-Latin American and the Caribbean Young Leaders.

The team comprises Linden Mayor Carwyn Holland, Director of Youth Melissa Carmichael, Legal Assistant at the Foreign Affairs Ministry Lydon Charles, Administration Assistant at the Office of the Prime Minister Cynthia Rutherford and Rosh Khan, a young entrepreneur.

The bridge to the future forum is an annual event hosted by the China Youth Development Foundation and the All China Youth Federation geared at providing a platform for young leaders of China, Latin America and the Caribbean, to interact and pilot the future’s course.

The three categories of participation are economics, politics and social affairs. Rosh Khan and Mayor Holland are representing Guyana in the economic group, while Carmichael, Charles and Rutherford were selected for the political group. The young Guyanese team joins many young leaders of the Caribbean and Latin America.

Guyanese political representatives visited the China National Museum for

The Guyanese team in China for the Fourth Forum of Sino-Latin American and the Caribbean Young Leaders

the ‘Road of Rejuvenation Exhibition’, China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China Youth Daily and Beijing federation of Young Volunteers, while the economic representatives engaged the China Railway Construction Corporation Limited, the ImportExport Bank of China, the Alibaba Group Holding Limited and China Youth Development Foundation.

In addition, the Guyanese team also met with the municipal leaders of Xuzhou City on Friday evening where

Mayor Holland grasped the opportunity to brief the Xuzhou Leaders on Guyana’s Green Economy initiative while presenting a copy of “The Green State” written by Guyana’s President David Granger.

Xuzhou city which houses over 10 million citizens with approximately 43 per cent of its forest virgin, said it will be looking to use the Guyana model as a guide and are undergoing discussions to send to Guyana delegates to strengthen ties.

12 news

SunDAY, july 16, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Student among 3 killed in highway smash-up … Policeman, another battling for life body wasn’t damage but his head sustained most of the injuries,” she recalled.

She however, does not know the others who were involved in the accident and speculated that her son might have joined one of the private cars that ply the Linden/Georgetown route.

The young man is survived by his parents and three other siblings.

Also involved in the accident were 60-year-old Vallan

N

Dead: Vallan Bowen

ineteen-year-old Keston Bollers of Lot 133 Thomas Street, Kara Kara, Linden was among the three people killed in Friday’s horrific smash-up at Kairuni, Soesdyke/Linden Highway.

The young man, who would have celebrated his 20th birthday on July 25, was returning home after submitting his documents to the University of Guyana administration as he was

Dead: Malroy Ross

schedule to commence studies in the new semester.

Speaking with Guyana Times at her home, Gloria Bollers popularly known as “Mel”, explained that her son was scheduled to graduate on July 27 after completing two years of studies at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA).

The distraught mother said that her son left home on Friday and travelled to Georgetown so that he can

The completely mangled car

Dead: Keston Bollers

present his documents to the University of Guyana for enrolment. However, the mother, who tried to hold back her tears, explained that on the fateful night, she was at home when she received news that her son was involved in an accident.

“It was about 10 o’clock so after I get the call I went to the hospital to look for him but found him dead…

He was in the mortuary. His

The parked truck which the car slammed into

Bowen of Lot 29 Fair’s Rust, Linden and 30-year-old

Malroy Fitzgerald Ross of Lot 524 Canvas City, Linden, who also died.

At the home of Bowen, his daughter, Cari Bowen was too distraught to speak but after some prompting and comforting by relatives, she explained that she was at home on Friday evening when her aunt messaged her claiming that an uncle had identified her father’s body.

At that moment, she was baffled as to what her aunt meant, and upon enquiring further, she was told her father was one of the persons killed in the accident. She noted that indeed she saw photographs on social media about an accident but at the time was not aware that her father was one of the occupants of the car.

She recalled that her father, who was logger, left home at about 14:00h to travel to Georgetown to conduct business and suspected that he was on his way home when the accident occured.

In fact, the driver of the car, Police Corporal Rayon Wilson is a relative.

While the aggrieved woman was upset, she noted that drivers have to pay more attention when traversing the roadway. “We were made to understand that the truck was there since Thursday… it’s just a little more caution that is needed when traversing the roadway,” she stated.

Bowen leaves to mourn his four children and grandchildren.

Over in Canvas City, the relatives of Ross converged upon hearing the devastating news. His sister, Shemika Thom told Guyana Times that the family is still in a state of disbelief, knowing her brother’s two young daughters have to grow up without a father.

Thom explained that she became worried on Friday evening upon hearing the constant sound of sirens.

She immediately picked up her phone and attempted to contact Ross but her efforts proved futile.

She then decided to call

her father to enquire about her brother but was told that he went to Georgetown. “I called back his phone twice again but same thing… one of my cousins later called and asked that I make urgent contact with my sister and upon doing so, I was told that Ross was involved in an accident.”

In the midst of the confusion, she received another telephone call informing her that her brother was dead. The dead man’s father, who was at home at the time this publication visited, related that he spoke with his son at about 19:00h and was told that he was on his way home.

Ross has been working with Bosai Mineral Inc for the past year as a mechanic. Before that, he worked as a private auto mechanic in and around Canvas City.

Meanwhile, Police Corporal Rayon Wilson, and another passenger, Junior Hudson of Industrial Area are patients at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

The driver of the motor lorry, a 32-year-old man from Kara Kara Linden is in Police custody assisting with investigations.

He reportedly told investigators that the truck encountered mechanical problems and he was attempting to mend the broken part when he felt the impact. He noted that as he looked, he saw the car with five occupants.

With the help of public spirited citizens, they were able to pull four who were still alive. Bollers died on the spot due the injuries he sustained. He was reportedly in the front passenger’s seat of the motorcar bearing registration number, PHH 9398 which was heading to the mining town of Linden.

In the past, several persons have lost their lives along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway involving parked lorries that were not properly equipped with proper reflectors.

(Bhisham Mohamed)

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SunDAY, july 16, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Identity and politics

O

ne of the most poignant cries heard in Guyana has to be, “Why do we have to call ourselves ‘Indian’ or ‘African’ or ‘Amerindian’ Guyanese? Why can’t we just be Guyanese?” The cries are always intensified as elections roll around, or when there’s a new political party in the offing. The latter, being “real” Guyanese, will of course resolve our vexed political impasse. The premise, of course, is that our identifications are the source of our long-standing electoralrelated miseries, and that shedding our ethnic differences would bring peace and joy in our dear land.

There are several problems with that view.

Firstly, our history has conspired to deliver us to where we are – a society Ravi Dev with very diverse cultural heritages. And it really, in the main, does not matter how deep those differences really are in the present. What matters is the perceptions of those differences. We can’t undo that with the snap of a finger or the mouthing of fine-sounding platitudes from political platforms. It is the politicians, who claim to be “beyond race or ethnicity”, who have created the most problems for us, especially with their token “multiracial” representatives.

Our ethnic identification in Guyana is a consequence of the universal human need to have a sense of self – an identity. Developing a sense of self is an essential part of every individual becoming a mature person. Identities are constructed on the basis of various traits and experiences.

We are all born into a family that itself is part of a particular group. The group’s world view and way of life are consciously transmitted to the child, who, as he grows up, (he or she) not surprisingly has more in common with some individuals than others from different cultural backgrounds.

Unfortunately, physical characteristics that comprise what we are told are “races” are given social significance that helps to influence a person’s identity. Nowadays it has become politically correct for some to claim they are “post racial”. This is wishful thinking at best, and pathological self-delusion at worst. Some thought we had arrived at this blessed state in the US following the election of President Obama; the killings and vicious harassment of AfricanAmericans and other coloured peoples have disabused them of this notion. They forgot the Thomas Theorem theory: “If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.” Especially if those defining the situation have political power.

But “identity” is not a unitary construct: each person’s self-conceptualisation is a unique combination of many identifications -- identifications as broad as woman or man, Hindu, Catholic or Muslim; or as narrow as being a member of one particular family. Although self-identity may seem to coincide with a particular human being, identities are actually much wider than that. They are also collective: identities extend to countries and ethnic communities, so that people feel injured when other persons sharing their identity are injured or killed.

This exposes the second problem with the Guyanese lament: there is not necessarily any contradiction between a person’s cultural heritage (ethnicity) and his citizenship in a particular country. In our instance, we are all Guyanese, in addition to being Africans, Amerindians, Indians, etc.

Some of the many identities people have are nested within each other, usually compatibly, as is the case for geographic identities within a country. For example, I can identity both with Guyana (my country) and the Uitvlugt (my village).

The task for us essentially is twofold. None of our several identities should be ground for us being treated by the state in an unequal or discriminatory fashion. The moment that happens – as occurred, for instance, during the preindependence era, when non-Christians were discriminated against – it will precipitate a counter-reaction. From the moment the power relations among the different groups, as they define themselves, are equal, there will be less reasons for jealously guarding their boundaries. In fact, the reverse will occur as the identity becomes more expansive.

Secondly, the Government must pursue policies that support shared overarching identities: in this case to make the identity of “Guyanese” more real and meaningful to all the citizens.

14 news Corentyne pensioner raped, killed SunDAY, july 16, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

…suspect on the run

S

Dead: Jasodra Kalisar

eventy-five-yearold Jasodra Kalisar, also called ‘Bucko’, a pensioner of Grant 1779 Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Berbice (Region Six), was reportedly raped

at her home at about 2:00h on Friday, and succumbed at the New Amsterdam Hospital to the injuries she sustained in that ordeal at about 15:00h that day.

Reports are that the woman was alone in her flat concrete house because her 13-year-old grandson who had lived with her had gone missing for three days prior to the incident.

According to the woman’s daughter, Jamette Jordan, her mother came into her yard at about 2:05h, calling for her. After putting on a light, she realised that her mother was bleeding. There was blood coming from her mother's ears, mouth, one of her eyes and her neck; and she had a sheet tied around her neck.

Anna's

Accomplices of our own demise

The house where the incident took place

According to Jordan, the sheet had three knots.

Jordan explained that there were several marks of violence on her mother’s body, suggesting that she had been beaten, and she had lost all of her teeth.

However, her mother did not tell her that she had been raped. It was at the hospital that she realised that her mother had been raped.

The victim was rushed to the Skeldon Hospital, and communicated with medical personal. When she arrived at the New Amsterdam Hospital, the Police were already there.

Police, in a release, said detectives are making stringent efforts to apprehend a male suspect who allegedly beat and raped a pensioner at her Crabwood Creek home.

According to investigators, shortly after the act was committed, the known suspect fled the scene, and the terrified victim rushed over to her daughter, who lives nearby. She was transported to the Skeldon Hospital, and then transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital, where she subsequently succumbed to the injuries she had sustained.

The now dead woman’s son, Raymond Kalisar, told this publication that he knows who the suspect is. According to him, the 34-year-old suspect works as a handyman on a cattle ranch along the Corentyne River. According to the grieving son, the suspect was away for two months, working. He returned to the area on Thursday, and was seen drinking.

He explained that a pair of slippers similar to the pair the suspect was earlier seen wearing were left at the mother’s door.

The late Jasodra Kalisar leaves to mourn five children and several grandchildren.

F

or too long Guyanese have been entrusting the task of nation-building to politicians without realising that citizens themselves have an important role to play in the process. Collective will is a key factor in nation-building, when guided by policies designed to this effect.

But sometimes one is tempted to question whether Guyanese do indeed care for nation-building and national unity, despite having heavily supported a Coalition campaign built on these notions which the Anna Correia Government has eventually proven to be nothing more than empty promises. With the outpour of cries for “change” which culminated in the 2015 “national-unity Government”, one might have thought that Guyanese themselves would have been inspired enough by the much touted “fresh approach” to trigger a sudden change in mentality which would have swept the country forward in some way. Unfortunately, half way into the Coalition’s mandate has revealed an incompetent Government led by the PNC which dominates an increasingly impotent AFC. As for that mentality shift which ought to have accompanied the change in Government, that’s another disappointment.

Obviously, one does not expect a mentality shift to occur overnight. However, looking back at the past 2 years, one is almost convinced that the fissures dividing Guyanese are widening not only because of the deliberate pauperisation of rural Guyana through reckless policy-making, but also because of the lack of solidarity among Guyanese. When thousands of sugar workers are on the brink of becoming jobless, thousands of other Guyanese stand blindly in support behind the PNC-led Coalition. Party loyalty takes precedence over humanity.

When a Region 9 REO is accused of sexually molesting a young woman of his own party, efforts to cover up the affair and silence the victim were made. When the victim pressed charges and the affair was taken before the justice, party supporters slut-shamed her and continue to do so. Party loyalty takes precedence over women’s rights.

When Junior Minister Broomes is found to possess 3 mining blocks on indigenous lands awaiting title, and is called out by the civil society for having misled the nation and refusing to relocate, she is backed by supporters who are expressive of their loyalty in the most aggressive and vulgar of ways imaginable.

Party loyalty takes precedence over indigenous land rights.

When rice farmers in Essequibo can no longer make a decent living with a trade that has transcended generations of Guyanese, because of irresponsible policy-making, some Guyanese still stand blinded by party loyalty behind the PNCled Coalition. It doesn’t matter if the rice sector is one of the largest employers in Essequibo. Political preference takes precedence even over personal well-being.

When in 2016 prisoners orchestrated a jail break from the Camp-Street prison, party supporters stood behind the Coalition and blamed the PPP. When in 2017 prisoners orchestrated a second jail-break and burnt almost the entire complex to the ground, supporters still stood behind the Coalition and blamed the PPP. Party loyalty primes over common sense.

When free speech doesn’t compliment the Coalition regime, it is attacked and suppressed where possible. Political preference takes precedence over the will to strive for democracy. And in the end, what we realise is that the Government of Guyana is only able to throttle our civil and human rights because we allow it to; because we ask it to; because some of us Guyanese are reluctant to relinquish the dangerous habits of political tribalism. We therefore become the accomplices of our own demise as a nation as we continue to bring each other down for the benefit of politicians.

And so the diaspora is accused of not being Guyanese enough, never mind so much diaspora money is injected into the economy. The human diversity which is celebrated by the Constitution is dinged by debates lined with racism as we castigate each other for the colour of our skin.

Progress is suffocated when we ourselves encourage the oppression of our women with the sexism that perverts political debates both in Government and among citizens. Women’s rights become an uphill battle when women themselves denigrate and drag each other down as retribution for free speech.

This is one of the very visible versions of Guyana 2017. Not a Guyana we should be proud of, but a Guyana we should aspire to change. Only when we raise our families with the intention to make a positive contribution to society, to the collective, can we expect “change”. Until then, we will continue to be the instigators of our own underdevelopment.

Contact sundayarrow@gmail.com

news

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sunDAY, july 16, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Private Sector to benefit from financing pact with OFID

R

ecognising the Private Sector as the creator of wealth, the Guyana Government has inked with the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) an agreement that would see local businesses benefiting from new avenues for financing and investment.

The Agreement for Encouragement and Protection of Investment was on Thursday signed in Vienna, Austria by Finance Minister Winston Jordan and OFID Director-General Suleiman J Al-Herbish.

It is the first such agreement with a multilateral partner, and sets in train a framework for the start of Private Sector operations in Guyana.

OFID’s Private Sector facility supports the Private Sector in developing countries through loans to micro, small and medium size enterprises, as well as directly to specific projects. As a pre-condition to such Private Sector in-

Minister Winston Jordan signing the agreement with OFID Director-General Suleiman J Al-Herbish in Austria (OFID/Abdullah Alipour Jeddi photo)

vestments, OFID requires the signature of a framework agreement with the country concerned, for the encouragement and protection of investment. The agreement accords OFID the same privileges as those normally granted to international developmental institutions.

The signing of this

Prison escapee...

Remanded murder accused Shawn Collins, 20, of Lot 6 Ketley and Drydales Streets, Georgetown, was rearrested in the wee hours of Monday on Hadfield Street.

The other two escapees, Mohamed Pokhan, 40, of Chateau Margot, East Coast Demerara, and Anthony Marcus, walked in the Georgetown Public Hospital Compound later on Monday both in a drunken stupor with gunshot injuries.

They were treated and

released back into the custody of Prison authorities.

Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud recently told media operatives that the prisoners were able to elude officers on the ground during their escape since focus was on the perimeter fencing of the Camp Street jail where inmates were escaping.

He added that the officers at the front gate were overpowered and five men came out of that gate. They

agreement comes at a time when a number of other initiatives are being implemented by Government to help drive Private Sector growth, including the design of a fiscal regime and a fiscal sustainability framework to address the management of natural resources’ wealth, development of a local content from page 8

then headed down Camp Street and hijacked a car in which four of them escaped, while the fifth went back into the prison.

During Sunday last jailbreak and fire, which flattened the Camp Street facility, several prison officers were attacked and injured by inmates.

One officer, 33-yearold Odinga Wickham succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds while undergoing surgery.

policy, and development of a time-lined work plan on what the Private Sector needs to do to prepare for oil and thereafter.

Additionally, building on the wide ranging concessions granted by the previous Government – the PPP/C – the Coalition has introduced several legislative and operational changes in support of the manufacturing industry.

More recently, the Government announced the first Round Table Meeting with the GMSA, scheduled for July 28th. This Round Table meeting aims for a more structured dialogue and effective engagement

with key players in the sector.

OFID is the intergovernmental development finance institution established in 1976 by the Member States of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and is bound in “the natural solidarity which unites OPEC countries with other developing countries in their struggle to overcome underdevelopment”.

OFID has 13 member countries: Algeria, Ecuador, Gabon, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Libya, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab

Emirates, and Venezuela.

Resources for the Fund come from voluntary contributions made by members, and from the various operations of the fund.

Between 1976 and this present time, OFID has committed more than US$55 million to Guyana through its public sector operations. Much of this amount was provided as debt relief – some within the framework of the Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative – while more than US$29 million were earmarked for Guyana’s energy, agriculture and financial sectors.

16news

SUNDAY, july 16, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

UK-based Guyanese seeking to 91 complete YEST programme engage youths in acrobatics N

U

K-based artist Patrick Hinds, also known as “Papa Scotchy,” is seeking to revitalize Guyanese youths’ interest in the once active sporting discipline of acrobatics and gymnastics.

Back in the 1960s, when Hinds was part of a vibrant acrobatics and gymnastics team, that sporting discipline had given youngsters a focus while teaching them discipline and imbuing in them understanding of social standards.

Now having lived in the United Kingdom for several decades, the Guyanese artist, in an exclusive interview with Guyana Times, related that since his return on vacation to Guyana, he has observed that youths of the day seem to lack focus, and find time to engage in negative and socially unacceptable activities, thus his sole inspiration is to impart to the youth what he knows in the sporting discipline of gymnastics and acrobatics.

“I can impart (to them) my knowledge, and at the same time it’s a way forward for the youths, who seem not to have much to do; and because of this (lack of activities) their minds would go in different avenues. The youths of today are our future, they are the men and women of tomorrow, and they need some form of direction. And I think

Patrick Hinds and Carlyon Kennedy

that I could contribute in this form, with my acrobatics as the vehicle to get to them,” Hinds told Guyana Times.

Hinds arrived in the country only a few days ago, and is seeking to collaborate with the Department of Culture, Youth and Sport to launch the programme. He is optimistic that gymnastics and acrobatics would emerge as a national art.

Hinds’s brother-in-law, Professor Carlyon Kennedy, a former student of acrobatics and gymnastics, told this publication that the programme is their way of giving back to the Guyanese community, while paving a way for youths to pursue and showcase their talent.

Hinds has disclosed that

the launch of the project primarily depends on the outcome of consultations expected to be held with various organisations over the course of the new week.

The acrobatic is seeking the support and guidance of relevant authorities, local organizations, and the general public for the successful launch of the acrobatic project.

“With this, I think it’s a step that we could take. He’s (Mr Kennedy’s) got the teaching ability, expertise; he’s got other things that I don’t have, but together we can do it. All we need to have is our infrastructure and someone to believe in us and give us a chance. That’s all we’re asking,” he added.

inety-one trainees successfully graduated from the Education Ministry’s Department of Culture, Youth and Sport’s Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Training (YEST) programme on Thursday at Vrymen’s Erven Training Centre, New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) while the Sophia Training Centre had its graduation on Friday.

The YEST courses offers remedial Mathematics, English and Information Technology courses to highschool drop-outs, the unskilled and unemployed aged 16-25 years, spanning all 10 administrative regions across Guyana.

Other areas of study include business, carpentry, masonry, motor mechanics, plumbing and welding.

The trainees had during the course of the programme

benefited from educational tours, field trips, sporting activities; participation in national and religious activities, counselling sessions and workshops on drug use.

Several local organisations facilitated the tour of students, providing invaluable opportunities geared at equipping them with relevant skills for the world of work.

Permanent Secretary at the Education Ministry, Melissa Tucker in her address to the graduating class (at Vrymen’s Erven Training Centre) extended congratulations to the graduates while commending them for their perseverance, dedication and commitment which they displayed over the past six-month training period.

“Very shortly you would be reaping the rewards of your labour. You are graduating here today because you

have fulfilled the requirements for your certification,” Tucker told the graduates.

“Too many of our youth start out very enthusiastically on training in different forms and levels, but somewhere along the journey they lose focus; they become distracted; they do not exhibit the kind of discipline that is necessary for success. They give up too easily; they allow the opportunity to develop themselves to go by,” she said.

The trainees while being celebrated for staying the course were advised that the training they received at the institution has made them marketable. Tucker advised them that they are now in a position to practice their trade and earn a living, support their families and assist in the development of their respective communities and country on the whole.

PSC wants more to be...

Boyer outlined that it is imperative for Government to be providing regular updates on the situation as it unfolds, because the nation at large is keen and interested in knowing what is going on.

“We want to be updated on all that’s happening; this is a national issue,” Boyer said, adding that Government officials have committed to providing daily updates.

President of the

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Deodat Indar, related that the private sector has offered to help Government disseminate authentic information to the public. He explained that a lot of incorrect details have been circulating in regard to Sunday’s jailbreak, causing people to be riled up in fear.

He said the PSC can help, and be a good surrogate to make sure that

FROM PAGE 10

Government’s information is disseminated efficiently, and not only through the DPI’s “slothish fashion.”

“It can come through the Private Sector Commission and its affiliates, to help with calming fear among the businesses and general public… We will assist them in whatever way we can, but we can only do so if we receive credible information,” Indar stated.

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SunDAY, july 16, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Younge’s Take

That jailbreak

T

he A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government must take full responsibility for the jailbreak which occurred last week that led to the loss of the life of a prison warden, the escape of eight high-profile criminals and the almostcomplete destruction of the country’s main maximum Michael Younge security prison. In any functioning democracy where ethics and integrity abound, the Minister with direct responsibility for security would have offered his resignation. The President would have even revoked his/ her appointment.

The truth is, the APNU/AFC Government, which appeared to have all the answers while in Opposition, failed to use its tenure in Government so far to advance and implement some of the most crucial reforms it had touted before the 2015 elections.

Also, one would have thought that the Government would have been driven to fast-track these reforms and implement fully the recommendations of the adhoc Commission of Inquiry (CoI) which investigated the conditions of the prison after 17 prisoners lost their lives during a fiery-inferno in 2016.

One would have also thought that such a occurrence was near impossible given the public outcry which followed the first attempted jail break and the fact that the Public Security Minister was now benefiting from advice from a pool of specially trained ex-security officials recruited by the President in almost every area of governance.

And while the Minister has argued that some of the reforms and recommendations could not be implemented because of a lack of funds, there are those who will him that the Government is very resourceful in finding money when it’s acting in the personal interest of its Ministers and financers. If it can rent a home for half a million dollars per month for Minister Simona Broomes, then it can find money to implement the reforms. Additionally, just how it raised money to fund the multimillion-dollar D’Urban Park Project which is now a white elephant, it can find money to advance the recommendations of the last CoI. It would be advisable too for the President and his Public Security Minister to stop blaming the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) for the current state of the prison system. The PPP, from all appearances, had nothing to do with the jailbreak and had nothing to benefit from such a plot politically.

The PPP is also not in power and therefore, the onus is on the Government to change the situation. It must ensure quickly that it deals with the current chaos and mayhem in a responsible manner before it has another crisis on its hands. The situation at Lusignan is going to erupt if the Administration fails to relocate a larger number of prisoners.

The news therefore that another CoI will be held into this most recent jailbreak, while the security forces are hunting the escapees, will no doubt be met with a lukewarm response from the populace. While the Inquiry is welcomed, Government needs to get its act together.

The CoI which no doubt will cost taxpayers’ millions of dollars must not become another talk shop or opportunity for the President to find employment for his former ‘squaddies’. Guyanese need answers and the security forces must also face scrutiny for their handling of the situation, even though they did well in the area of evacuating the prisoners. How did the prisoners walk out the front gate? Why haven’t they intercepted them?

Why the blackout as far as information is concerned?

Why didn’t prison officials act even though there were hints that a jailbreak was planned?

The Government must devise a comprehensive plan that tackles prison reform and share it with the political Opposition immediately. It must speak quickly with civil society organisations about the relocation and reconstruction of the country’s new maximumsecurity facility. The APNU/AFC Government must start to channel resources and personnel to this area so that no time is lost.

18 news

SunDAY, july 16 , 2017 | guyanatimesGY.com

Linden/Kwakwani access road Suddie Hospital’s VIA room out of order in deplorable state – residents F K

wakwani residents of the community in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) blame inexperienced contractors and inadequate funding as the main causes of the continued deterioration of the Linden/Kwakwani access road.

Once again calling for urgent work to be carried out on this access road, which they deem “a burden”, those residents told this publication that the condition of the road is a sore point to commuters, those living in the area, and visitors to the community. They note that the rainy season brings them additional woes in regard to using the road.

This publication was told that it normally takes three hours to travel either way from Linden to Kwakwani, but during the rainy season, it takes about five to six hours to commute either way, because of the deplorable state of the road.

Guyana Times was also told that when potholes develop on the road, rather than effecting a proper repair job, the potholes are filled with loam and sand; thus the potholes would become even bigger when logging trucks traverse the road.

One resident of Kwakwani, beauty queen

The current state of the road

Malika Russel, detailed her plight to this publication.

According to Russell, she had been travelling on the road for many hours when she sustained injury as the bus in which she was travelling ended up in one of the many ditches on the road.

She related that her teeth penetrated her tongue, and she consequently had to be rushed to the hospital, where a part of her tongue had to be removed as a result of her injury.

The young woman not-

ed that the road is in deplorable condition, and has been that way for a considerable period of time.

However, Charles Thom, a Councillor of the Kwakwani Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), told this publication that only one section of the road is in deplorable condition.

Thom explained that there currently are eight major holes in the road, and those “can be worked on.” He explained that the contractors who are retained to re-

pair the road are “not good”, hence the road continues to deteriorate after each episode of rehabilitation.

According to Councillor Thom, as he marvelled at the present deteriorated state of the road, the last time the road was fixed was prior to this current rainy season.

However, the councillor revealed that the entire road is not in a bad state, because seven miles of its stretch have recently been rehabilitated.

“The road needs to be whipped up with a bulldozer, but we need good contactors to do the work properly,” Thom noted. He noted that, throughout the years, funds have been continuously provided for the road to be repaired.

Residents are not the only ones expressing disgust at the state of the road, transporters who utilize the road to transport millions of dollars’ worth of forestry products and other resources are also complaining of the destruction being done to their vehicles. According to these transporters, it seems as if the Government does not recognise that the road is important to the economy, hence substandard works continue to be carried out on it.

emales seeking diagnosis of early cervical cancer have to incur additional expenses to travel to the Charity Oscar Joseph Hospital in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) to conduct tests, since Suddie Public Hospital VIA (Visual Inspection of cervix with Acetic Acid) room is currently out of order. This was according to People’s Progressive Party Councillor and Chairman of the Regional Health and Sanitation Committee, Arnold Adams.

Speaking at the statutory RDC meeting for the month of July, Adams told the Council that staff attached to the VIA department at Suddie Public Hospital have expressed concern over the condition of the room. Adams said the room is currently in a deplorable condition and medical practitioners in charge of conducting the VIA refuse to use the room. As such, he related the administration of the hospital was forced to stop the testing.

“One staff said that the bed that is used to conduct examinations is shaky, the room is falling apart and the staff said they don’t want any female to be injured since it’s not safe,” Adams told the Council.

Adams further related that this is causing great inconvenience for females and many cases are transferred.

Chairman of the Regional Health and Sanitation Committee, Arnold Adams

When contact was made with Regional Health Officer Afarah Khan, she said tests are conducted at the VIA clinic at Charity, however she has received reports that females expressed their concern over the long travel. She was unsure as to when the room at the Suddie medical institution will be repaired.

Most women who develop cervical cancer have not had regular Pap (commonly referred to as a Pap smear or Pap smear test) tests. It is important to have a test every two years, so that any abnormal cells are detected early, monitored and treated if necessary to prevent cancer.

Regular Pap tests can reduce your risk of being diagnosed with cervical cancer by up to 96 per cent. (Indrawattie Natram)

sunDAY, july 16, 2017

S

pain's Garbine Muguruza won her first Wimbledon title with a straight-set win over five-time champion Venus Williams.

The 23-year-old saved two set points and won the last nine games in a 7-5 6-0 victory under the Centre Court roof.

Muguruza denied the 37-year-old a first major title for nine years, which would have made her the oldest female Grand Slam champion in the Open era.

It is 14th seed Muguruza's second Grand Slam title after her French Open triumph over Serena Williams in 2016.

"I had the hardest match today against Venus," said Muguruza.

"She's such an incredible player. I grew up watching her play - sorry," she added, to the watching American.

"I feel incredible to be able to play her here. Of course I'm nervous because I always dreamed about winning it, but I was composed."

Having lost to Serena Williams in the 2015 final, Muguruza becomes the second Spanish woman to win the Wimbledon singles title after her coach, Conchita Martinez.

She is also the first woman to beat both Williams sisters in Grand Slam finals.

Michael Matthews wins stage 14 of the 2017 Tour de France

C

hris Froome reclaimed the overall lead on the Tour de France after he left Italian Fabio Aru trailing in a punchy finish of the 14th stage, a 181.5-km ride from Blagnac on Saturday.

The defending champion came seventh, one second behind stage winner Michael Matthews of Australia as Aru, who started the day with the yellow jersey on his shoulders, lost 25 seconds to the Briton in the final effort, a 600-metre climb at an average gradient of 9.6 per cent.

Aru was out of position in the run-in to the climb and as he crossed the line his face wore a mask of pain after more than four hours on the saddle battling strong winds.

Overall, Briton Froome now leads Aru by 18 seconds and last year's runner-up Romain Bardet by 23 seconds after the Frenchman finished five seconds off the pace.

Froome had lost the jersey to Aru in the opening Pyrenean stage, but normal service resumed on Saturday when he was the first of the overall favourites over the line.

"I just did not have the legs on that day, but I'd like to think that I've bounced back after two consecutive really hard days," said Froome.

"This is all thanks to my team mates today. In the finale they were fantastic.

Amazing, amazing job. It's an amazing feel-

A close contest was forecast, and for 40 minutes it proved impossible to separate the two finalists as their impressive serves dominated.

Williams had her chance to take control but failed to convert two set points at 5-4, and her challenge faded dramatically as the last nine games went to Muguruza.

"I miss Serena," Williams said afterwards, with her sister back in the US awaiting the birth of her first child.

"I tried my best to do the things you do - but I think there will be other opportunities."

Williams had opened

Froome regains control as Matthews wins stage 14 ing.

"It's still so close in the top 5. Anyone within a minute is a threat," he warned.

Colombian Rigoberto Uran, who finished with Froome, remains fourth, six seconds behind Bardet ahead of a tricky 15th stage in the Massif Central, which features two first-category climbs.

The stage went through Carmaux, the hometown of Jean Jaures, one of the great figures of the French left and a committed anti-militarist who was assassinated in 1914 just after World War One broke out.

The one-day classics specialists had the stage victory in sight but sprinter Matthews stayed on their wheels on the last climb and outsprinted Olympic champion Greg van Avermaet, who ended up second two years after winning a Tour stage that ended in Rodez.

Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen was third ahead of Belgian Philippe Gilbert, who launched his sprint too early and cracked 150 metres from the finish line.

"It's a dream come true," said Matthews, whose Team Sunweb claimed their second stage wins in as many days after Frenchman Warren Barguil claimed stage 13 on Bastille Day. "We're room mates, so it's two wins for one room," said Matthews. (Reuters)

the match with an ace, and Muguruza with a double fault, and it was the American who held a narrow edge as the first set unfolded.

A first break point disappeared into the net at 3-2 before Muguruza missed her chance with a wayward forehand return in the following game.

When the Spaniard's first serve momentarily let her down it presented Williams with two set points, but she succumbed in a gripping 20-stroke rally, and then sent a return long.

The American's forehand then completely deserted her, four errors in a row helping Muguruza to finally clinch the first break at 6-5, and a brilliant backhand lob helped the Spaniard secure the set.

It felt like the first blow in a lengthy encounter, but instead the final was over just 25 minutes later.

Williams double faulted to drop serve at the start of the second set and, moving

19

Garbine Muguruza

sluggishly, steered a volley into the tramlines to fall 3-0 down.

While the former champion faded, Muguruza accelerated towards the finish line, breaking for a fourth time in succession and pow-

ering to three match points on serve.

The first two slipped by but not the third, which required the confirmation of Hawk-Eye before Muguruza was able to drop to the turf in celebration. (BBC)

20

guyanatimesGY.com

sunDAY, july 16, 2017

ICC Women's 50-over World Cup

Petra/Corona Football Tournament

England thrash West Indies to top table

W

est Indies threw away a top-class spin-bowling performance by showing a dismal lack of intent with the bat on a slow pitch in Bristol. Having shown little urgency in a tricky chase of 221, West Indies lost wickets in a cluster, and ended up ambling to 128 for 9

as England ended the group stage of the 2017 Women's World Cup on top of the table.

England had hardly been clinical themselves when they batted. They played all around the legspin of Afy Fletcher, who returned figures of 3 for 33. With Anisa Mohammed and Hayley Matthews playing more than

SCOREBOARD England Women innings (50 overs maximum) L Winfield c Matthews b Joseph 11 T Beaumont c †Aguilleira b Fletcher 42 S Taylor† c Matthews b Dottin 0 H Knight* b Matthews67 N Sciver b Fletcher 0 FC Wilson c †Aguilleira b 5 Fletcher K Brunt st †Aguilleira b Mohammed 14 J Gunn not out 24 L Marsh not out 31 Extras (lb 2, w 24)26 Total (7 wickets; 50 overs)220 Did not bat: A Shrubsole, A Hartley Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Winfield, 9.2 ov), 2-54 (Taylor, 10.1 ov), 3-91 (Beaumont, 21.1 ov), 4-91 (Sciver, 21.3 ov), 5-105 (Wilson, 25.6 ov), 6-141 (Brunt, 36.4 ov), 7-172 (Knight, 43.3 ov) Bowling: Dottin 9-1-411 (5w), Joseph5-0-29-1 (5w), Peters 4-0-13-0 (1w), Taylor 8-0-46-0, Fletcher 10-1-333, Mohammed10-0-32-1 (1w), Matthews 4-0-24-1 West Indies Women innings (target: 221

runs from 50 overs) H Matthews lbw b Hartley 29 Kycia A Knight run out (Wilson/†Taylor) 17 0 S Taylor* lbw b Marsh C Nation c Beaumont b Sciver 23 D Dottin lbw b Knight7 M Aguilleira† lbw b Sciver 8 Kyshona A Knight not out 12 A Fletcher lbw b Sciver 3 A Peters lbw b Brunt 0 A Mohammed lbw b Shrubsole 14 Q Joseph not out 0 Extras (lb 7, w 7, nb 1)15 Total (9 wickets; 50 overs)128 Fall of wickets: 1-34 (Kycia A Knight, 9.4 ov), 2-37 (Taylor, 12.3 ov), 3-64 (Matthews, 23.3 ov), 4-73 (Dottin, 26.5 ov), 5-89 (Nation, 31.1 ov), 6-90 (Aguilleira, 31.3 ov), 7-99 (Fletcher, 35.2 ov), 8-100 (Peters, 36.4 ov), 9-128 (Mohammed, 48.6 ov) Bowling: Brunt 6-1-181 (2w), Shrubsole 6-2-12-1 (1nb), Marsh 102-26-1(1w), Gunn 7-1-120 (1w), Hartley10-2-25-1, HC Knight 7-2-25-1 (1w), Sciver 4-1-3-3 (2w)

just a supporting hand, the trio tied down England until their captain Heather Knight mounted a late fightback with a gritty 67. The cushion provided by those extra runs was all England needed. Unlike in England's innings, it was a medium pacer - Natalie Sciver - that inflicted the bulk of the damage. With her team having already combined to reduce West Indies to 73 for 4, Sciver struck thrice in the space of 15 balls to push West Indies into a hole they never got out of.

With West Indies on shaky ground, Sciver then produced a double-strike in the 32nd over to hasten the slide.

First, Chedean Nation was caught brilliantly by Tammy Beaumont running to her right at deep backward square leg, before Merissa Aguilleira misread a straighter one to be trapped lbw. Sciver finished with figures of 3 for 3 in four overs, and West Indies managed all of 29 runs from the final 88 balls.

Knight then mounted a

Inclement weather forces postponement

Hayley Matthews was strong down the ground © Getty Images

West Indies' only period of stability came during an opening stand of 34 in 9.4 overs.

Matthews and Kycia Knight employed great caution in playing out the new ball. By the end of the sixth over, West Indies had scored 16 with just one boundary.

England then swiftly seized control, helped by a 12ball duck from Stafanie Taylor, the West Indies captain. Then, Matthews, after a brief period of solidity, was deceived by the angle of a straighter ball from Alex Hartley that she attempted to sweep.

fightback in the company of the lower order. She did have her share of luck, surviving an lbw shout against Fletcher on 39, with replays showing that the ball would have hit middle and off. The legspinner should have had a slip, considering the purchase she got, but West Indies did not afford her one and Knight, on 45, benefited again. England's captain enjoyed another reprieve when she had sprinted more than halfway down the pitch at the non-striker's end after the ball had struck batsman Jenny Gunn on the pad. Aguilleira went after the ball to effect the run-out, but in her haste she couldn't pick it up cleanly.

West Indies also slightly slipped up with their fielding towards the end, letting a couple sneak through to the boundary. But the bigger mistake, perhaps, was their giving away as many as 24 wides on a pitch that was hard to score on. (Cricinfo)

The tournament has to date produced some exciting action

T

he exciting Petra-organised Corona Football Tournament has been set back by the inclement weather, with this weekend’s action being postponed to July 21.

The tournament was initially set to continue on Friday at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground, where Pele FC should have played Eastveldt.

Flamingo also was to clash with Santos FC, after which the final match would have seen Northern Rangers coming up against Riddim Squad at 21: 00hrs.

The last round of matches had seen a flurry of goals, with 29 being scored in the three matches.

The upset of the night was Camptown’s 1-0 win over GFC. The other two matches were more one-sided affairs, with Police and Western Tigers dominating their opponents.

Police Force FC netted 14 goals in their humiliation of Beacons FC, while Western Tigers mauled newcomers Black Pearl FC 13-0.

The tournament is being played on a round-robin knockout phase, in which there will be two groups of six teams.

The top four from the respective group will advance to the knock-out phase.

The teams are playing for first place prize of one million dollars and championship trophy, while second to fourthplaced teams would pocket $400,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively and the corresponding accolade.

Republic Bank renews sponsorship of RHTY&SC Summer Camp

T

he longstanding and highly successful relationship between Republic Bank (RBL) and the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, (RHTY&SC) was renewed for the 11th successive year on Thursday last when RBL, at a simple presentation ceremony at its Rose Hall Town branch, handed over a cheque worth $174,000.00 to the RHTY&SC as sponsorship of the 11th annual RHTY&SC /RBL Educational Summer Camp.

Club Secretary/CEO, Hilbert Foster, stated that RBL has, since 2007, been sponsoring the Summer Camp, which caters for Grade Six students preparing for entrance into secondary schools when the new school term begins in September.

The main objectives of the Camp, which commenced activities on Monday, 10th July, are to prepare students for a successful transition to secondary school, to promote the importance of discipline

and education, and to educate youths on their status as role models.

The Camp is being conducted by Senior Educator Rohan Etwaru, and students would be taught Maths, English, Social Studies, Integrated Science and Spanish while learning to play cricket and participating in lectures on a wide range of topics that are of interest to them. These topics include Depression, Personal Hygiene, Suicide, Manners in the Classroom, and Choosing Friends, among others.

The long-serving club official disclosed that more than 600 students have, over the years, benefited from the Camp, and that almost all of them were able to make a successful transition to secondary school. He expressed gratitude to the Management and Staff of Republic Bank, especially the Rose Hall Town branch, for their co-operation over the years, and described the Bank as a true friend of the Rose Hall Town

Youth & Sports Club.

Special mention was made of Theresa Foo, Manager’s Assistant Seema Brijemal and Branch Manager Harry Dass Ganesh. The Bank also co-sponsors the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club’s annual Magazine, Award Ceremony, Rose Hall Town Anniversary Celebration, charity programme; and is the sponsor of the RHTYSC/ Republic Bank Under-17 Cricket Tournament.

Each child attending the Summer Camp would receive a school bag and exercise books, while the top ten students would also be honoured at the end of the fiveweek Camp. The Camp is been organised by the eight cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club - Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes Under-15, Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Metro Female, Gizmos & Gadgets Under-21 and First Division Teams.

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Flyweight boxer Keevin Allicock

T

wo of Guyana’s best young boxers, Keevin Allicock and Christopher Moore, will be representing the

Land of Many Waters at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games next week.

The two boxers, who have for the last two weeks been training for the games at the Andrew “Six-head” Lewis Gym, will leave Guyana’s shores on Sunday morning for the Bahamas, where they will compete at the Youth Games slated for July 18-23.

In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sport, coach of the two promising young boxers, Seabert Blake, disclosed that the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) had known about the games for about a year, and the fighters have been participating in a lot of local tournaments in addition to doing regular training in preparation.

Blake maintained that

31st annual Sir Garfield Sobers International Schools Cricket Tournament

St Joseph High moves to 3 wins – School of the Nations suffers heavy loss

J

eremiah Scott’s half-century inspired St. Joseph High School to its third win from four matches at the end of the first week of competition in the 31st Annual Sir Garfield Sobers International Schools Cricket Tournament.

At Foursquare, St Joseph High (Guyana) beat Queen’s College (Barbados) by eight wickets, with Scott leading the way with the bat for the Guyanese students.

Facing a reduced target of 115 from 30 overs, Scott spearheaded the chase with a top score of 72, as St. Joseph lost just two wickets. The right-handed batsman who plays for the Malteenoes Sports Club locally was supported by Kennard Moonsammy with 20, and Quentin Sampson with 15 not out.

Scores in the match read: Queen’s College 145 all out in 33.5 overs (Ajani Waterman

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Stephon Wilson

Jeremiah Scott

48, Kyode Miller 16, Dijon Hunte 11, Evan Blair 3-21, Kennard Moonsammy 3-25, Stephon Wilson 2-25) St Joseph High 117-2 in 13.1 overs (Jeremiah Scott 72, Kennard Moonsammy 20, Quentin Sampson 15 not out, Diquon Alleyne 2-33) Meanwhile, School of the Nations suffered another loss, going down to French Verendah St. Vincent Community College by a huge margin of 102 runs.

Scores in the match are as follows after the target was reduced to 200 in 30 overs: St Vincent CC 2476 in 37 overs (Romando Browne 82, Zivon Walker 70, Dillon Douglas 37, Rayon Williams 19, Jeremy Layne 11, Ariel Tilku 3-51, Christopher Kowsilla 2-39) School of the Nations 97 all out in 30 overs (Mark Ramsammy 40, Suresh Jainarine 20, Jeremy Layne 4-12, Jeremy Haywood 2-10)

while the last two weeks have been mainly about the final phase of “direct training”, the boxers have been going well thus far.

Asked about their readiness for the competition, the coach said both boxers are in the high 90s in terms of readiness percentage. He warned that both fighters will be giving their all, and will strive to do their best at the games. And he noted that the main goal is to achieve the number one podium spots and gold medals.Keevin Allicock will be competing in the flyweight division, while Christopher Moore will fight in the lightweight division. Both fighters have already gained regional acclaim as they both performed admirably at last year’s Caribbean Development Boxing Tournament.

Chase Academy continues its sport drive with new gym

C

hase Academy continues to set the platform for the promotion of sports for it students at its Parade Street educational institution.

A 3.2 million dollar gym was recently opened to assist with the development of the many athletes who attend the school, and all other interested students who are inclined to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Henry Chase, Director of Chase’s Academy, noted that his objective is to help to develop professional athletes, and in order to do so, the necessary resources must be provided.

The learning institution is attended by some of the nation’s top athletes from most of the mainstream and unpopular sporting disciplines, who could utilize the fitness facility to their benefit.

The athletes attend the school on free sport scholarships exceeding more than 5 million dollars annually, and the school does not receive assistance from the Government or the private sector.

The school’s athletes would be allowed free access to the gym, while other interested students will pay $4,000 to utilize the facility.

Lightweight fighter Christopher Moore

Nedd upbeat as GTT tape ball tournament bowls off

Justin Nedd, CEO of the GTT, symbolically bowling off the tournament on saturday at the National Park Tarmac in the presence of participants and GTT representatives

A

s one of its lead up activities to the “Biggest Party in Sport”, the Caribbean Premier League, major sponsor and Telephone giant GTT bowled off its tape ball tournament yesterday at the National Park Tarmac.

So far, 60 teams have registered for the event. They come from Georgetown and East Coast Demerara, while teams from West Demerara have until next Saturday to register for the tournament.

CEO of the GTT, Justin Nedd, who officially bowled off the tournament, is upbeat in regard to how the event will unfold.

“Good morning members of the community, the teams, so many Guyanese. It is fun to be here today. This is GTT giving back into the communities, and it really kick starts the cricket season as we get into the 2017 CPL, where we are the proud sponsors of the Guyana Amazon Warriors.”

Nedd expressed optimism -- because of the overwhelming response and the amount of teams that have so far registered – that the tournament would be a resounding success.

The teams will be competing for more than $350,000, with the winners set to walk away with $200,000, a trophy and 10 tickets for the CPL opener in Guyana between Guyana Amazon Warriors and Jamaica Tallawahs.

The runners-up will walk away with $100,000 and a trophy, while the third-placed team will take home $50,000.

Additionally, there will be other prizes for outstanding performances.

The final is slated for the 30th July at a venue yet to be confirmed.

22

guyanatimesgy.com

sundAY, July 16, 2017

Alian Pompey Invitational

George, Archer sensational on record tumbling day – Codogan upstages Collins’ 100m bid

By Michelangelo Jacobus

R

ecords tumbled on Saturday at the National Track and Field Facility in Leonora as more than 15 international Olympians took to the field in the Alian Pompey Invitational meet.

A pre-race favourite for the Men’s 100 Metres Final, Kim Collins was upstaged by a late surge from Barbadian Levi Codogan, who consigned the former world champion to second place and erased the previous Meet record.

The race started at a frantic pace, and by the 50-metre mark all the athletes were neck-and-neck. Coming down on the back stretch, it was clear that the end would be a photo finish, as Collins, Codogan, Trinidadian Emmanuel Callender and Antiguan Tahir Walsh were all breathing down each other’s necks.

When the results were announced, the Barbadian Codogan had done just enough in 10.24s to hold off Collins, who was second in 10.28s, while Antigua’s Walsh finished third in 10.29s.

Codogan’s late surge meant that he eclipsed the Meet’s previous 100 metre

record of 10.25 by a mere tenth of a second.

In the women’s race, it was all about the foreign athletes, as Trinidad’s Semoy Hackett convincingly beat Tawanna Meadows of the USA to claim gold.

Hackett finished

George also set a new meet record when he ran a time of 45.41s to take gold ahead of fellow Guyanese athlete Stephan James, who finished second in 46.98s to win silver, while Jamaica’s Jonia McDonald took bronze in 47.27s.

Joanna Archer won the Women’s 800m without any serious challenge and Winston George crosses the finish line in his 400m race without a challenger in sight

first in a time of 11.16s, while Meadows took silver in 11.33s, and another Trinidadian athlete, Reyare Thomas, copped bronze in 11.34s.

Guyana’s Olympian Winston George, who has already qualified for the World Championships in London, proved why he’s currently Guyana’s best senior athlete when he took gold in a dominant 400-metre race.

The Meet started earlier in the afternoon with a new record being set in the Women’s 400m Hurdles, when Jamaican Roshell Clayton copped gold in 56.83s, while Puerto Rican Grace Claxton claimed silver in 57.28 seconds, and Katrina Seymour of the Bahamas took bronze in 58.51s.

Another record was set in the Men’s 400m Hurdles

by Keon Joseph of Barbados,

who won gold in a time of 50.34s, with Jamaican Romel Lewis coming in a close second in 50.74s, while Kem Alesie of Trinidad and Tobago was third in 51.47s.

Winston Missigher continued his dominance of the distance events when he once again beat local rivals Cleveland Thomas and Calvin Thomas in the Men’s 3000m race. Missigher finished the event in a time of 9:12.67s to claim gold, while Thomas (9:14.59s) took silver and Colin Thomas finishing third in 10:46.7s to cop the bronze.

In the Female 400m final, Ashley Kelly of the British Virgin Islands had a powerful run on her way to gold, and finished in a time of 51.92s, while her closest challenger, Roshell Clayton (Jamaica), won silver in 52.55s and her compatriot Dominique Blake finished third in 52.71s.

Guyana’s Joanna Archer produced arguably one of her

best 800-Metre performances to take gold miles ahead of Bahamian Katrina Seymour and US Virgin Islands’ Mikaela Smith.

Archer finished in a time of 2:17.03s, while Seymour recorded 2:30.38s, and Smith 2:37.24s.

South American U-20 medallist Samuel Lynch continued his good form by finishing in second behind UVI’s Malique Smith.

Smith won the event in 1:51.90s, while Lynch finished second in 1:53.25s, and fellow Guyanese Quincy Morian copped bronze in a time of 1:54.79s.

Winston George stormed to victory in the Men’s 200m Final in a record-breaking time of 20.41s, ahead of Trinidadian Emmanuel Callender, who had a time of 20.77s, and Barbadian Nicholas Desborg, who clocked 21.23s. In the process, George took his second gold of the day.

Trinidadian Semoy Hackett completed the sprint double when she sprinted her way to the Women’s 200m gold in a time of 22.79s, with her country-woman Reyare Thomas taking silver in 23.45s, and jade Bailey (Barbados) bronze in 23.49s.

Guyana’s national men’s Javelin champion Leslain Baird copped gold in that event when he outthrew his competitors by some distance. Baird recorded a best distance of 70.41m, while second-placed Kleon Spellin had a distance of 55.45m and Tremaine Beckles with a throw of 55.30m came in third.

A total of well over $3 million dollars was given away as prizes at the Invitational meet. Among the sponsors were Fly Jamaica Airways, the Guyana Olympic Association, Hits and Jams, Banks DIH and Star Party Rentals.

UDFA GT Beer Super Cup

Georgetown to battle Bartica tonight at MSC A

ll roads will tonight lead to the Mackenzie Sports Club ground in Linden, when the Group B clashes in the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) Banks DIH-sponsored GT Beer Sunday Night Super Cup football Championships continues.

The action will allow play in the other half of the drawn round-robin playoffs format to start, as the West Demerara, Berbice, Georgetown and Bartica Association teams journey to the mining town to seek their first set of points.

Last week, in Group A action, home team Upper Demerara won by a 4-1 margin against East Bank, but East Coast and Essequibo/ Pomeroon had a 1--1 drawn game.

Nevertheless, it is highly anticipated that draws will not be seen in tonight's matches, as West Demerara and Georgetown teams may appear to be favoured in their separate encounters.

With eight associations in these lucrative championships, the stakes are high, and keen rivalry is anticipated.

The first game, at 19.00hrs, will see the team from the Ancient County face opponents from West Demerara.

The West Demerara side should field several players who were part of the much vaunted Slingers Football Club, which has risen to prominence over the past couple of years. The West Demerara Football

Association last evening named a squad which is having a few national players, and they are of the view that they can reach the final, or even take away the first prize of $2M. This squad comprises Jamaal Petty, Jamaal Harvey, Lester Jacobs, Ashley Harding, Kevin Duke, Andre Hector, David Blake, Shaun Bollers, Maurice Charles, Orlando Henry and goalkeepers Joel Singh and Sherwin Bernard.

The Berbicians are not to be overlooked, and in their side will be the likes of Jamal Henry, Sherwyn Bernard and Gavin Graham, even as Coach Phillip Carrington and Manager Seon Joseph remain silent on their final selection.

The President of the Berbice Football Association did not give much information on their side as they were still conducting their final session last night under Coach Phillip Carrington and Manager Simon Joseph.

He said he could not give details of his team, only that they were in the preparation mode to challenge for the championship.

Game two will have the city side heavily favoured to bring home this championship trophy. With several players who have national experience to choose from, their job will not be that easy.

Frank 'English' Parris was not committed to sharing his list of players for

Gregory Richardson

the game, but did indicate that the prolific former national striker Gregory 'Jackie Chan' Richardson is in their squad, and will be joined by such players as Linden Pickett, Dwayne Jacobs, Regan Davidson, Hubert Pedro and Jermaine Grandison, to choose from.

The fact that they have a coaching staff comprising Clive Allen and Dwayne Babb, with National Head Coach Wayne Dover as Technical Director and Seon Graham as Manager, makes the Parris-led side seem serious about starting on a positive.

Parris, when contacted, has said the final team is still to be named, but they are confident that their final selection will be strong enough to take on all and sundry. Their opponents, Bartica, have stated that they are looking forward to doing well at this level, and relish what they can achieve from such a tournament.

Coach Kenneth Edwards has plugged hope in players like Andel Norton, Shaquin Hopkinson, Kurt Waldron and Bert Calibury to make their claim in these championships.

guyanatimesgy.com

sundAY, july 16, 2017

Hope, Reifer get nod for England tour – Roach returns

Kyle Hope

F

ast bowler Kemar Roach has been recalled to West Indies' Test squad for the series in England that begins on August 17. Two new faces feature in the 15man squad: batsman Kyle Hope, who debuted during the ODIs against India earlier this month, and Guyana's fast-bowling all- rounder Raymon Reifer.

Batsman Vishaul Singh is the only player to miss out from the squad for West Indies' previous Test match, against Pakistan in April-May. Singh had failed to go past 32 in six innings in that series.

Roach, who had been dropped on form in 2016, hit his stride in the domestic first-class tournament, the Professional Cricket League, and was the most effective of Barbados' fast bowlers with 23 wickets at 16.17. Reifer did even more for Guyana in their run to the title, taking 36 wickets at 21.58 and scoring 445 runs at 37.08.

Courtney Browne, the chairman of Cricket West Indies' (CWI) selection panel, said of the squad: "[In Reifer and Kyle Hope] we have two players who will be new to Tests, but they have experience at first-class level. Kyle will be our third option as opener and he can also be a possible No. 3. Raymon adds variety to our attack with his left-arm swing bowling and has proven to be very useful with the bat in the lower order. He, therefore, adds value to our team and could be very useful in English

conditions.

"Kemar's return is welcomed as he was one of the best fast bowlers in Tests in the recent past for us. We have seen him during the last [first-class] season show signs of his return to form. He may not be bowling as quickly as before, but still possesses that skill we all knew he had, plus his experience adds greater depth to the attack."

Although CWI declared earlier this week that it would relax the selection norms to allow senior players, who had been overlooked in the last few years, to return to top-flight cricket, the squad did not feature any of them.

One main reason behind that was the Test segment of the England series clashes with the Caribbean Premier League and most of these players had committed to the play the domestic T20 tournament. That included Darren Bravo, who had said recently he would focus on CPL where he plays for Trinbago Knight Riders.

Earlier this week Bravo became eligible for selection once again, after an apology. CWI had barred him from all cricket since November 2016 when he had been sent home from Zimbabwe following his tweet on board president Dave Cameron. Both Cameron and Bravo issued letters of apology to bury the issue. The press release announcing the squad said Bravo was not considered for selection as the selection was completed before he issued his apology. Browne said Bravo, who has not played much red-ball cricket of late, could work his way back into the squad by playing more cricket.

The three-Test series against England opens at Edgbaston, with the maiden daynight Test in the country. That is followed by games at Headingley and Lord's. (Cricinfo) West Indies' Test squad: Jason Holder (capt), Kraigg Braithwaite (vice-capt), Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Kyle Hope, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kieran Powell, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach

Get to know your Guyana Amazon Warriors

23

By Akeem Greene

Steven Jacobs Full name: Steven Anthony Jacobs Born: September 13, 1988, Guyana Current age: 28 Playing role: Bowler Batting style: Right-hand bat Bowling style: Right-arm off-break Nickname: Jakey

J

acobs might not rip through a team by bamboozling them with his off-spin, but one thing is sure: he is Mr Consistent with the new ball in hand.

His role, his usual simple bowling in the power-play overs, takes a few wickets and, most importantly, keeps it tight. With his only absence from the squad being in 2015, the all-rounder has proven himself to be a key weapon for the Warriors in 2016. He took only two wickets in eight matches, but kept a remarkable economy rate of 5.9, helping his team stifle the opposition, especially on slow pitches.

This Malteenoes Sports Club cricketer is quite a unique case, since he started his promising career as a stylish middle-order batsman with occasional roles with the ball.

With time, the former West Indies U-19 captain had a reversion of roles, with his off-spin becoming a reliable asset for teams.

However, he is still capable of providing lusty blows at the end of an innings.

Becoming more of a one-day specialist,

Jacobs has been working hard to ensure he is in top shape for the tournament. “My health and fitness are very important to me, and so I am always training and keeping on top of my game.

With CPL in the near future, I have added a few more hours to my training schedule, and preparations have been great. I am both mentally and physically prepared”. He told Guyana Times Sport.

The father of two has participated in all three finals the Warriors would have played and unfortunately lost. In this regard, he is urging all fans to come out and support the team.

“I just want the fans to know that this year is our year. Your support is not only appreciated, but it is needed. It is the fuel that keeps the team going, so come out in your numbers and support us! We look forward to seeing you there”, he stated.

The strength of the Warriors certainly lies in its bowling department, which will see Jacobs add to the efforts of talented spinners Rashid Khan and Veerasammy Permaul.

“I just want the fans to know that this year is our year. Your support is not only appreciated, but it is needed. It is the fuel that keeps the team going, so come out in your numbers and support us! We look forward to seeing you there.”

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

SUNDAY, JULY 16, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Get to know your Guyana Amazon Warriors

Hope, Reifer get nod for England tour

– Roach returns

Pg 23 After an impressive season with both bat and ball for the Guyana Jaguars, Reifer finds himself in the West Indies Test Squad

Kemar Roach has not played an international since January 2016

Steven Jacobs

Alian Pompey Invitational

Pg 22

George, Archer sensational on record tumbling day – Codogan upstages Collins’ 100m bid

A photo finish to remember! Barbados’ Levi Codogan (first from left) pips veteran Kim Collins (second from left) in the trilling 100M final on Saturday at the Alian Pompey Invitational Meet held at the National Track and Field Facility, Leonora,WCD

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July 16, 2017

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Region 9: A reservoir of untapped ecotourism

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Karanambu Lodge – Where the Giants roam Page 15

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2 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

JULY 16, 2017

Feature

…6th annual Savannah Drive to hit the road

BY ASHRAF DABIE

A

s Guyana gears up to take its place as the leading destination for Eco and Adventure Tourism around the world, local and international organisations continue to venture into initiatives aimed at promoting the unique nature experience that Guyana provides. As such, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has launched yet another event that takes adventure seekers into the depths of the lush interior and hinterland regions which allows for life changing expeditions and cultural exchanges.

Following the successful completion of the Pakaraima Mountain Safari in April, the GTA, along with its partners will now take to the roads once again for the ultimate Guyanese summer experience; the 6th annual Savannah Drive.

Started some six years ago, the Savannah Drive seeks to give coastlanders and tourists the perfect opportunity to dip their toes in the beauty and culture of the inland Indigenous communities, as they journey away from rapid town life in Georgetown to the simpler but yet magnificent en-

Event organizers and participants at the launch of the 6th annual Savannah Drive

vironment that is the natural splendour of Guyana.

Set for July 30, participants will assemble and register at Yarrowkabra along the Linden Soesdyke Highway, as they kick start the one-day excursion. The journey will take the thrill seekers through the ruins of the interior regions, passing by the natural waterways as well as a series of Amerindian villages along the way, eventually leading the pack into the picturesque landscapes of the Savannah.

Some of the villages they will encounter will include Swan and Laluni, each presenting

its own explosion of native lifestyle.

However, this year promises a heightened experience as the organisers threw in a number of additional stops, at which fun and games await. These comprise of sporting activities such as arrow and bow shoot out, mud race and other competitions, adding an exciting new element to an already intriguing trip.

Welcoming the execution of yet another tourist attraction, the Director of the GTA, Indranauth Haralsingh expressed his excitement for the upcoming Savannah Drive,

during the launch of the event last week. Haralsingh noted that the activity falls within the school vacation, giving families the chance to take along children to experience the festivities and other savannah across the country.

The Director conveyed, “The Savannah drive pro-

layed that over the years persons in the communities along trail anticipate the event, dubbing that an inspiration for exercise being an annual one. As a matter of fact, the organisers indicated that not only do they visit and enjoy these villages but the explorers are also urged to make contributions to the livelihood of these still underserved communities tucked away in the rural corners of the country.

On that note, a UK-based participant and promoter of the event, Amanda Wilson posited that, “We want to work along with the business communities to help these communities build their sporting facilities.” Wilson continued, “You can’t just pass through the communities and have a good time and not think what can I do to help?”

Meanwhile, the group emphasised that despite its similarities, a savannah drive is

there and I’m sitting there with an Amerindian woman and she is explaining to me the different types of cassava bread and how it’s made.”

As such, the 6th Savannah Drive which will take off on July 30, promises a once in a lifetime journey of exploration, discovery, relaxation and scenic beauty. It also gives participants a chance to learn about the heritage of the first peoples of Guyana while sharing with and impacting their lives.

The one-day experience was organised by The ‘Super 7 Team’ and is the result of a collaboration with UK-based Media Company, Green Mango Media and British Virgin Islands brand Absolutely Unique to present an amazing opportunity for nature lovers, both locally and those travelling from abroad. The event is supported by the GTA and is said to be the first of a phase of four drives, which will be execut-

Organiser Shane D’ Andrade making a presentation to a community during a previous Savannah Drive

vides this opportunity for persons to be allowed to explore the outdoors and to go beyond the Highway, beyond the asphalt.”

Also addressing the gathering at the launch of the 6th annual Savannah Drive was Coordinator of the event, Shane D’Andrade who re-

separate from a safari which focuses more on traversing mountainous terrain. UKbased participant explained that the journey is also for the sharing of knowledge.

With that, Wilson revisited a personal experience, stating that, “I love cassava bread and I never knew how to make cassava bread. I got

ed within the coming months and concluding in March.

Persons interested in cashing in on the journey are advised to sign up for the drive and can do so by visiting the group’s Facebook page, Savannah Drive Guyana, for more information on registration, vehicle requirements and cost.

guyanatimesgy.com

JULY 16, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine

3

Feature

BY AKEEM GREENE

A

rriving by plane to the region’s Lethem airstrip gives a delightful scenic view of lush savannahs and picturesque mountains, which immediately engulf one’s thoughts about the attractive sceneries that await on land.

Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo) is a region of Guyana bordering Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni) to the North, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) to the East and Brazil to the South and West. Given its parameters, it is also the country’s largest region.

Depending on port and mode of transportation, arriving in the region could vary from 15 minutes to 12 hours. For the ardent outdoor lovers, they can use a gruelling but exciting drive from Georgetown through the trails, while others can utilise the regular flights from the Eugene F Correia International Airport at Ogle, East Coast Demerara.

For those in neighbouring Brazil, a refreshing drive across the Takatu Bridge gets you there in minimal of time.

The allure immediately begins on arrival as the scenes from above are now at ones footsteps. The central town is Lethem, which during the early morning hours is bustling with a hive of ac-

tivity, with both natives and visitors venturing into the many stores to conduct business.

Nightlife in the region has its moments with Fridays and Saturdays seeing the various bars and clubs being the main attraction. Some areas provide cellphone, cable television and wireless connectivity so one can still be abreast with current affairs. But why take a trip into natures’ paradise and still be hooked on a phone? It must be for capturing the memorable moments.

The sore sight is ultimately the deplorable condition of the roads which can impede the smooth flow of traffic. One community leader contended “everything in Region Nine is nice but the roads.”

Lethem is a border town between Brazil and Guyana. Because of its proximity there is a rich blend of cultures – Portuguese, Amerindian and Guyanese.

Lethem provides the opportunity to get away from the ordinary life in the city.

The environment brings a feeling of wilderness blended with a hint of modern facilities.

Though city dwellers may feel being in Lethem alone is a getaway, the real adventure begins out of Lethem, since it provides access to the Kunuku Mountains, the Rupununi Savannah,

Bonfim and Boa Vista (communities in Brazil), a number of waterfalls in the area, rivers and lakes. In Region Nine, the activities are limitless to one’s imagination.

A trip to the Kumu Village which is found in the St Ignatius Mission is certainly one not to miss. A one-hour drive through the trails allows one to see a kaleidoscope of native cultures, given that the region is dominated by the Mukusi, Wapishana and Wai Wai tribes.

At the beginning of the journey there are houses which model city designs with zinc roofing, but the further you go, the more fascinating it becomes.

Some homes model the unique benab designs, with thatched roofing and the sights of small farms and cattle roaming in the savannahs emote a classic outdoor feeling.

The village provides a jaw-dropping view of the Kanuku Mountains, especially when there is no cloud cover. For ‘selfie’ lovers, this is the perfect location to take that memorable picture since there is also the Kumu Falls in close proximity.

The forested Kanuku Mountains divide this region in two. The North savannahs are about 2000 square miles in area and the South savannahs are 2500 square miles.

The settlement is home to around 400 persons and provides a platform scintillating nature expedition.

Now it’s time to get muddy! The journey continues to the Moco Moco Settlement; the area would be known due to it housing an inactive hydro power plant. However, there is more to be intrigued about.

The options vary from a hike to “white rock”, a climb up the stairs to reach the falls or relaxing at the bottom of the mountains in a Jacuzzi-like atmosphere due to cascading waterfalls.

Thrills occur even before reaching the footsteps of the mountains since the drive allows one to see unique flora

and fauna. If lucky, you can get a glimpse of the Harpy Eagle on the prowl for its next meal or bubbly and Giant Anteaters running in the savannahs.

Without cloud cover, one can see the ‘sleeping giant’ – a section of the Moco Moco Mountains which looks like a giant is resting. The settlement is also big on sport, producing national footballer Ken Slavador as well as some national athletes.

Volleyball is also a favoured

past time activity.

Returning to the mainland, you get another glimpse of what is unique – the plethora of towering ant nests. No wonder the area is home to the world’s largest Giant Anteater. A dip into the waters or on the river banks, the Giant River Otter is there wading in and out of the waters.

Annual events such as the rodeo occur around March/April and consist of an entire weekend of activi-

ties in which thousands of visitors flock Lethem.

In addition, there is Amerindian Heritage Month/Rupununi Day in September which sees the people of the area exhibiting their art and culture. At this time visitors get a chance to understand more about the natives in the area.

For anyone seeking a quite trip away from the city to detox or explore, Region Nine should be at the top of the list.

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Sunday Times Magazine

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JULY 16, 2017

Feature Girls in sport

Nicola Ramdyhan justifying her love for tennis

Nicola Ramdyhan

BY DELVON MCEWAN

U

nder the watchful eyes of renowned tennis coach Bill Adams, Guyanese teenage tennis prodigy Nicola Ramdyhan is developing her skills in Florida, USA. At 19, Ramdyhan, who stands levels above most of her peers on the local scene, is presently harnessing her talent at the Bill Adams International Tennis Academy. She is the first female Guyanese to make it to this platform and the second from the Land of Many Waters, after Duanne Lewis created history over a decade ago.

The former student of St Joseph and Bishops’ High Schools made it to

the Academy after her ability and potential first caught Adams’ attention during the Trinidad and Tobago International Tennis Federation (ITF) world ranking tournament (2015), where she competed against Annaelle Roch from Guadeloupe who was training and living at the Academy in Florida.

Breaking onto the scene at the tender age of seven, Ramdyhan found inspiration mainly in her mom, Shelly Daly-Ramdyhan, who was a national tennis champion.

She achieved her first national appearance at 11 and, at present, she is beyond a door that her mom never had the opportunity

to enter.

However, it should be no surprise to those who are acquainted with Ramdyhan that her strong forearm plays, consistent serves and agility have gotten her beyond previous expectations, especially if they witnessed her performance during the Tennis Inter-Guiana Games in French Guiana last year.

It was inconceivable; of the Guyanese players, she was unstoppable, unbeatable and superb in her singles and double matches. In fact, she was the only Guyanese player, male or female, to play unbeaten in the tournament as she won her six clashes – three singles and three doubles.

Even though she was

outstanding in Cayenne, it is not at the pinnacle of her performances to date, at least, not in her opinion.

According to Ramdyhan, the best part of her career so far was when she participated in the junior Fed Cup in 2012. Although she was the youngest at the tournament, her performance proved that she could match the better players. Not surprising at all since the greatest moments of most champions’ careers are those that went unnoticed to the spectators but are recognisable by the professionals.

Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA) President Jamal Goodluck described Ramdyhan as a model of striking tennis with work, and someone the other children can take pattern from. He said he was proud of the hard work she has put into her tennis to take her to this point in her journey.

Goodluck further stated that this opportunity in particular was a good one that gave her the needed exposure, as well as building that bridge for others to cross into the foreign tennis academy.

Although she possesses potential to elevate to the highest level, her focus is not solely there as she plans to pursue her studies at university level and play college tennis.

In 2014, Ramdyhan graduated from St Joseph High School with seven Grade Ones and four Grade Twos at CSEC. Subsequently, she graduated from Bishops’ High with one Grade One, one Grade Two and three Grade Threes at CAPE Unit One and one Grade One, three Grade Twos and One Grade Three.

She says if she is to have a second shot at life, tennis would again be at the top of her agenda, but from a younger age and playing many more tournaments.

Ramdyhan’s achievement should be highlighted in all areas of Guyana. Hers should be a household name in Guyana. In a sport that is

not in the mainstream locally, Ramdyhan managed to achieve great progress.

Today, as the world celebrates International Women’s Day under the theme, “Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030”, Guyana Times is pleased to recognise teenage tennis ace Nicola Ramdyhan.

In a special message for younger girls, Ramdyhan said: “I would like to encourage other girls to take part in any sport, because it helps to improve self-esteem, keep them socially active and it prepares them mentally and physically for everyday challenges.”

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Sunday Times Magazine 5

Feature

Rising above the challenge

Ituni primary student excels F

or 12-year-old Jenese Adelia Edwards, moving from Trinidad, the place she called home for the greater part of her life to return to her native country Guyana approximately a year and a half ago resulted in serious culture shock.

But this did not deter the vibrant A list student from continuing to get good grades at school and making the remote Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice) community of Ituni proud at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) Examinations nearly two years later.

Jenese, an aspiring military doctor, is this year's top student of the Howell Wilson Primary School (Ituni Primary) which she attended since her move from Trinidad.

Her determination to succeed led to her attaining 484 marks and securing a spot at the highest school in the Region, the Mackenzie High School.

Following her success, the 12-year-old recount-

ed how the move away from her friends and the only culture she knew had affected her, but staying true to her goal to always achieve in life, she persevered.

Jenese and her mother, Kim Edwards, had been living in Trinidad from the time she was just about a year old and she had pretty much grown accustomed to the lifestyle and culture.

C o m i n g back to G u y a n a , which she barely knew meant leaving it all behind.

"Well, when she lived in Trinidad, she was an A student.

She came here from Grade Four and was

on top of all the classes up to Grade Six. It was very challenging at first with her English and the accent, but she accomplished it very well," Jenese's mother Kim explained. " T h e S o c i a l Studies, since she started, that was her best.

Most of the times knowing nothing at all, but she did her very best," she noted, pointing to how Jenese had difficulty re adjusting and r-integrating.

J e n e s e also shared a bit on her experiences and challenges faced, both culturally and academically, since moving back home.

"When I left Trinidad, I missed my home and a lot

of things like the food, my friends and family, the cultural activities, my teachers and our school activities...to come and have a new life in Guyana. I didn't know much about the culture or history," she explained.

"I never did well in Reading because of my Trini accent, but I got through with my diagnostic test which I was proud of," she mused.

"I studied hard to meet my goals and always wanted to be the head of whatever I do," the determined student told this publication.

"I feel very proud because I came as a student from Grade Four to Grade Six. I was so happy when I heard that I topped at NGSA," the elated student said.

The top student said she was thankful to her mother and teachers for assisting her in coping academically in light of all the challenges which she faced. Jenese plans to continue her education in England upon completion of high school.

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Feature

Perspectives of the world through art

T

hrough art artists share perspectives about the world, express insights of the artist, interpret and assess the value of visual arts.

With support from the Education Ministry, the Guyana Visual Arts Competition and Exhibition (GVACE) award ceremony was recently hosted at the National Cultural Center followed on by the opening of the exhibition at the National Gallery of Art or Castellani House.

The National Art gallery (Castellani House) has works of art displayed on all the floors of the gallery which features Drawing and Fine Craft, Painting and Sculpture, Photography and Ceramics, and runs from June 29-August 19.

Renowned artist, storyteller and University of Guyana Art lecturer, Michael Khan aka Ole’ Man Pappie received the gold medal for his piece entitled “Rumination III – Green Initiative” which was entered in the Fine Arts category. In an interview Khan explained that the hand-woven 8 feet X 7feet piece along with “Rumination I” (6feet X 7feet) and “Rumination II” (8feet X 7feet) pieces which were also submitted, was completed in eighteen months. He further added that the weavings combined has an approximate 100 various types of weaving techniques, using a majority of local materials.

“Rumination III – Green Initiative” depicts the pristine forest in its natural green environment with the waterfall, tress, animals.

Khan further explained that the inspiration behind the three woven pieces

that can be used in hand loom weavings, making it more popular among art students.

An exhibition and presentation of Khan’s sabbatical leave will be done in details in September at the University of Guyana.

The Guyana Visual Art Competition and

Exhibition was established in 2012 and is a bi-annual unfolding. Art lovers and enthusiasts are encouraged to view the exhibition at Castellani House where fifty-nine paintings, sixty photographs, thirty drawings, twenty sculptures, twenty fine craft pieces and ten ceramic creations are mounted.

The GVACE aims at giv-

ing recognition and support to the creative work of Guyanese in the visual arts while providing a source of inspiration for Guyanese Artists stimulating the development of the finest expression of the visual imagination among Guyanese.

President David Granger, the capacity of Patron of the GVACE handed out the gold medals and prizes to the six winners in addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award which was given to 80-year-old artist Jorge Bowen-Forbes.

Alim Hosein explained that this year’s competition matches the previous ones in terms of the number of artists who have entered and the number of pieces entered. “A pleasing sign is that it also brings new competitors and art creators, along with the wellestablished ones…we look among these new works for new and emerging signs of creativity which will take Guyanese art to the next level,” Hosein.

“Rumination 1 – From whence we came”

versation on discrimination and racism.

PP: We need to lay some more groundwork before getting into the book. What was Guyana like and what was Canada like with reference to the subject; give a sort of comparison of the two societies.

Growing up in HA: Guyana, we had a two-tiered experience of racism. On one hand, there is this beautiful fabric of multiculturalism – different religions, different races – getting along together. For example, my mom came from a Hindu background and father Muslim, I went to Queen’s College where we did the Lord’s Prayer and where almost all my friends were of African descent. So we have always experienced a beautiful fabric of social cohesion. On the other hand, we have had a history that is spattered with racism and

violence. And that was one of the reasons I had to leave Guyana…

In Canada, at the charge of writer’s freedom, there is this beautiful multiculturalism act to respect each other religion, race and culture from all backgrounds…. On the other hand, beneath that layer of a beautiful fabric, people experience racism, people experience discrimination, Islamic phobia, anti-Semitism, homophobia…In my line of work, and my experience in writing, I address that…

PP: Your line of work?

HA: I work in a prison system as Chaplain and I facilitate people who wish to have a spiritual journey in reintegrating in civil society. Many time religion and spirituality play a role in this and I am not allowed to judge…so there are many stories like that in the book, starting a conversation.

PP: There is always a conversation going on with a subject like this.

How do you hope to sustain interest in the message of your book, and the message and the book?

HA: That’s a good point.

I am thinking of doing new editions of older books, some are on Amazon, I recently created a website where there are some parts of books, all in the way of sustaining interest. And some of the poems and essays are compiled and published in journals and other online publications by Pakaraima [Guyanese Writers and Artists Association] reaching a different audience….

PP: Let’s hear a bit more about Pakaraima…(to be continued) Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@ yahoo.com

Renowned artist, storyteller and University of Guyana Art lecturer, Michael Khan aka Ole’ Man Pappie with his winning master piece “Rumination III – Green Initiative” which was entered in the Fine Arts category.

stemmed from his sabbatical leave from the University of Guyana, “Indigenous and Unconventional Weaving

materials Used in Textile designs” with the aim to investigate indigenous and unconventional materials

The Shaping of Guyanese Literature

By Petamber Persaud

O

n Sunday, July 9, 2017, while there was a huge audience witnessing the inferno and discord at the Camp Street Prison, there was a small and appreciative gathering on the cool side of the city, at the Oasis, Pegasus, witnessing the launch of a book authored by a Federal Chaplain. The message shared at the book launch was one of love and respect, building safe social spaces and creating better communities by being your brother’s keeper. At this oasis, the love flowed and respect was evident.

This book launch was one with a difference. A great part of the programme was given over to local Guyanese poetry performers as another forum to showcase their work and also to encourage them to publish their work

in book form. Those performers include Zahir, Salimah and Suru, each in their own way laying the foundation for the launch of the book.

‘Red Coconut: Bridging the Racial Divide’ by Habeeb Alli is a collection of poems, articles and excerpts from his blog speaking to the overarching theme evident in all of the author’s projects: love.

‘Red Coconut’ is Alli’s eighteenth book.

Here is an extract of interview conducted before the launch.

PP: There are many prolific writers who claim that the novelty of a new book wears off quickly mainly because they are already thinking about the next book.

This book, ‘Red Coconut’, is your eighteenth book. Do you feel the same way – that the novelty of this new book will fade away too soon be-

cause you are already thinking about your next book?

HA: That sounds so much in line with my thoughts because only yesterday someone suggested that I write 100 stories of Guyanese pioneers in Canada.

PP: ‘Bridging the Racial Divide’ – a sensitive subject. So before we go into the book, let’s locate its author and his work leading up to this publication. Who is Habeeb Alli.

HA: That’s quite a journey. I was born in Guyana, attended Queen’s College, then moved to India where I studied Islamic Theology and Arabic Language before migrating to Canada.

I think the paradigm of racism is structured in society; this is not from firsthand experience but which I gathered through stories told to me. So I thought ‘Red Coconut’ would create a con-

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Sunday Times Magazine

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8 Sunday Times Magazine

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JULY 16, 2017

Art

Cassandra Persaud into how she creates her art.

For her, the Castellani House has the most beautiful paintings and as an added bonus, it is a stone’s throw away from where she works, so visits are frequent. “Just be there and see these other artists and their amazing talent and ex-

By Lakhram Bhagirat

L

eonardo da Vinci famously said: “A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.” Art, specifically painting and drawing, is the vehicle used to express one’s emotions in the simplest or most intricate form. For young Cassandra Persaud, it is her passion, but one that is not economically viable in Guyana.

Cassandra is a country girl at heart; she grew up in the picturesque village called Stewartville located on the West Coast of Demerara and apart from being an exceptionally talented artist, she is employed at the National Frequency Management Unit. But, there is more to this St Rose’s High alumnus; you see she is currently a Communication Studies student at the University of Guyana and a Level 2 ACCA student.

“I always knew how to draw. It’s genetics largely on the part of my mother, though my dad disputes this. It was an occasional hobby when I was younger, but it was fully realised in 2014, a period of my life where things were a bit bleak,” she told the Sunday Magazine.

She explained that unemployment led her to discover YouTube painting tutorials, which she immediately fell in love with. This led to her reading extensively on art forms, techniques, brush strokes, and what kind of paint was best.

Following her research, she first began sketching, followed

pressive work really is inspiring. Every time I leave there, I usually end up creating something. I love the Gallery even though sadly, it doesn’t have as many visitors as it should,” she explained.

Guyana has some of the most amazing artists, such

by using charcoal and pastels.

Her first painting left her in awe and she has not stopped painting ever since.

Cassandra’s inspiration is not attributed to one thing or person rather it is very extensive, but there are two major drivers for her when it comes to her artwork: emotions and Guyana’s premier art gallery – the Castellani House.

Emotions are expressive and highly complex. It really is therapeutic, since the chaotic inner workings of your mind are quelled through interpretation on canvas and that for Cassandra is a driving force

as Damian Moore – who now resides in Trinidad, and Raimund Rausch, but they are only known to a few within the culturally appreciative circles and beyond that they are non-existent, much like Cassandra. It comes down to the fact art is not appreciated by the majority of Guyanese.

Most think it is a waste of time, and it certainly is not a viable career option.

Cassandra commended those artists in Guyana who have made their living by pursuing their passion. There is not enough support given to local artists and emphasis is not being placed on the arts, since they are mostly viewed as a hobby. But across the Caribbean, they have embraced the arts; there are lots of art festivals that are marketed for tourism. “Guyana can follow such an example and even with murals on certain public buildings, imagine how attractive it would look. We have such diversity, it is a pity we cannot embrace it and appreciate it,” Cassandra said.

“My work is largely dependent on what new technique I’m trying and I’m always experimenting with new and different things. I’ve been taken with Franz Kline and Mark Rothko abstract work. I especially love the complexity and thought-provoking abilities of

abstract art. Where do I see it fitting in? I would hope it could fit into the national gallery! But I never want conformity in my artwork. Fitting in isn’t what I want my work to be about; I want it to be curious, different and maybe a touch of rebelliousness,” she says.

Mark Rothko was an American painter of Russian Jewish descent. Although Rothko himself refused to adhere to any art movement, he is generally identified as an abstract expressionist. Franz Kline was also an American painter revered for his abstract pieces.

With those influences, she pays attention to her layering and the intensity of brush strokes. “I connect to darker colours mostly because of the feral emotions it invokes. But in my original piece, which I dubbed “The Kiss”, it’s a seamless collusion of colour which again represents the emotions felt by two persons,” Cassandra explained.

Her work has not been on display as yet, but this budding young artist is looking to take her place in the high ranks of art, with a show she is planning. So, it is safe to say that we can expect to see Cassandra’s work in the public eye before the end of 2017.

For this writer, my love for art developed after I first came across the work of Gustav Klimt and my favourite piece from him is entitled “The Kiss” and coincidentally one of my favourite pieces from Cassandra is her first original piece (also titled “The Kiss”).

As Cassandra continues to create masterpieces, she urges the world to be on the lookout because when she steps in, she is coming in armed and ready to make her mark.

“The object isn’t to make art, it’s to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable” – Robert Henri.

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Sunday Times Magazine 9

Health

are not being taught how to deal with issues around them, our teachers are not trained to counsel the children, our school system have inadequate social workers to address issues of mental importance, our adults fear looking weak rather than seeking help.

When we are not equipped to deal with stresses of everyday life, we tend to buckle under the pressure. However, suicide is also attributed to some cultures. In Guyana, it

By Lakhram Bhagirat

W

ith a population of approximately 750,000, Guyana was the country with the highest suicide rate, per capita, in the world for a number of years. However, that position is now occupied by Sri Lanka, with a population of approximately 20.9 million, while Guyana sits at second place. But a pertinent question comes to mind; how did a population so small end up with a suicide rate so high?

We are all aware of Guyana statistics, which alarmingly have a suicide rate of 44.2 per 100,000 when the global average is 16 per 100,000 people. Since 2012 suicide is the leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 16-44. Females attempted suicide more than males in a ratio of 3:1. IndoGuyanese have accounted for 50% while Afro-Guyanese accounts for 26% of the suicide deaths in the country. These statistics are worrying for Guyana as well as the international community.

For the year 2017 the Public Health Ministry recorded 59 cases of suicide while the Police recorded a staggering 92 cases. This clearly shows the ministry’s inability to effectively monitor the number of suicide deaths and report accordingly.

Before we get into the underlying cause of Guyana’s high suicide rate, let us look at what really is suicide and what pushes one commit such an act. The simplest definition of suicide is the act of taking ones’ own life. Suicide is a spectrum and it have four different stages; the first one is the ideation – thinking of it, planning stage, attempt stage, completion. But what leads someone to take the decision to ingest toxic substances or overdose on medication or even hang them self?

Prior investigation by sev-

one would consider it a norm.

Movies such as Tere Naam, Aashiqui 2 and Anjaana Anjaani all uses suicide as their centerfold with no condemnation for the act. In the 2009 film, 3 Idiots one of the characters commits suicide after he failed an examination.

We have also seen several actors and actresses committing suicide. The list includes Divya Bharati, Parveen Bhabi, Guru Dutt and Jiah Khan just to name a few.

The suicide conversation

Natasha Nazamudeen and Shafraz Sattaur

eral international organisations highlighted Guyana’s poor mental health service delivery as a major contributing factor towards that high suicide rate. In order to address this the government crafted the National Mental Health Action Plan and established a Mental Health Unit in 2016.

The unit is yet to have a permanent office and operates out of the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association’s office on Quamina Street, Georgetown. The unit is grossly understaffed to tackle the scourge of suicide.

Now that the picture is painted, let us get into the causes of suicide in Guyana.

Mental illness is a major contributing factor but in Guyana, it is frowned upon and because of the stigma and discrimination, most people refuse to seek psychiatric care. This often results in them going into severe depression and in some cases suffering a complete mental breakdown. However, according to the Mental Health Unit depression and other mental illnesses are not the major contributing factor to Guyana’s high suicide rate rather it is ‘poor coping skills.’

Coping skills are methods a person uses to deal with stressful situations. Obtaining and maintaining good coping skills does take practice.

However utilizing these skills

Y

becomes easier over time.

Most importantly, good coping skills make for good mental health wellness.

There have been very little training, within the school system and beyond, that teaches coping skills to the citizens and now that this has been identified as the major contributing factor, there still have not been systems in place to address this.

Several of my relatives attempted suicide and one was successful, however I was very young when that relative died so to say I did not feel the effects of that death would be justifiable. However, while I lived in Trinidad my very close friend committed suicide by ingesting the deadly pesticide – lannate. She died within 30 minutes of consumption.

That was my first up close and personal contact with suicide.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I vividly remember hearing the news and immediately though of the signs we may have missed.

What caused her to do such; is a question that still bothers me almost two years after.

My investigations later concluded she was having troubles coping with her mother’s decision to allow her abusive father back into their lives. She was only 19 when she took her own life.

Our systems are failing us because a lot of children

ou've tried everything, but this time it is going to be different.

You're finally getting down to business and losing the weight you've gained, whether it was from too many slices of pizza and beer in college, stubborn pregnancy weight, or that "food baby" you've been growing with pints of ice cream.

You've had enough, and although you know there's no easy fix, we asked certified dietician Leslie Langevin, MS, RD, CD, of Whole Health Nutrition to share the one simple thing you need to do to jump-start your weight loss and start seeing results.

We might as well have

Deeraj Persaud and Sherry Ann Alley

is common knowledge that persons of Indian descent are more than likely to commit suicide as opposed to the other ethnicities. But why is this so?

Let me break it down for you.

The popular saying- monkey see, monkey do, comes to mind when explaining the cultural aspect of suicides. I have seen several movies that portrayed suicide because of not being able to cope with issues one is suffering. Most of the times it is the female lead that commits the act.

With indo-Guyanese accounting for almost 50% of the suicides in Guyana and females are three times more likely to complete the act and that coupled with the Unit’s assessment of poor coping skills; cements the fact that with a culture that makes it seem okay to commit suicide

asked our mothers, because her advice is the same: to "eat more vegetables."

There are so many reasons to eat them - they're low in calories and many are also low in carbs. The high water content and all the chewing it takes to break down vegetables in your mouth can help you feel full faster, so you eat less food overall. Plus the high amount of fiber in veggies will keep you feeling full for longer to prevent snacking later.

Eating more veggies is a growing trend, and the good news is that plants are becoming the new meat, moving veggies from the side of the plate to the center. The easiest way to eat more veggies is to include them in every meal and snack - even breakfast.

Not sure how to snack on veggies aside from hitting the salad bar or ordering a side of sweet potato fries? Check out the ideas below to get you on board the all-day veggie train. (www.yahoo.

com/health)

is one that needs to be taken national and all stakeholder must be involved. In 2016, Opposition Member of Parliament Dr Vindhya Persaud tabled a motion in Parliament calling for the decriminalization of suicide.

Members of the government side, namely Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, and Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr Karen Cummings, supported the decriminalisation of the act but later voted down the motion for being too ‘politicised’.

There are several organizations working to tackle the scourge of suicides. The Guyana Police Force launched a ‘Suicide Helpline’ as another initiative under the Force’s Social Crime Prevention programme. Persons desirous of accessing the services of the

Guyana Inter-agency Suicide Prevention Hotline can contact Telephone numbers (+592) 223-0001, 223-0009, 600-7896, 623-4444, Email: guyagency@yahoo.com , BBM PINS: 2BE55649, 2BE56020, Twitter: guyanaagency, WhatsApp: +592-600-7896, 592- 623-4444 or FaceBook: Guyana Interagency Suicide Prevention Help Line.

The hotline actually works. I called and was greeted professionally and spoke of troubles, which were, in my humble opinion, adequately addressed. Kudos!

Deeraj Persaud and Sherry Ann Alley- 20-year-old Deeraj Persaud of Lonsdale and Sherry Ann Ally, 14, of Brother’s Village, East Bank Berbice were found hanging from a rafter in a house in January of 2016. Alley was pregnant at the time.

Egleton Grant- 37-year-old Egleton Grant of Linden was found in a city hotel room in September of 2013 with a bottle of poison and two slits to his neck. It is believed he committed suicide following the rejection of a woman.

Amanda Neshaw - 34-yearold Amanda Neshaw of Lot 125 Bella Dam, Pouderoyen, WBD died after ingesting poison in May of 2017.

Diana Sawh and Madojri Sawh- Diana Sawh, age 17 and her mother Madojri Sawh, age 55 of Grant 1802, Crabwood Creek who committed suicide together in September of 2016. They both ingest poison.

Roshinee Pagwah- 22 year old Roshinee Pagwah plunged from the Kaieteur Falls in November of 2015.

Natasha Nazamudeen and Safraz Sattaur -Natasha Nazamudeen, 15, of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo was found dead in her home while her boyfriend Safraz Sattaur, 16, of Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara was found hanging in his bedroom in December of 2013.

2-week clean-eating plan Breakfast

Strawberry broccoli bean smoothie: 343 calories, 8.1 grams fiber, 30.4 grams protein Poached eggs with tomato, swiss chard, and Chickpeas: 339 calories, 9.5 grams fiber, 20.1 grams protein Tofu Scramble with kale and sweet potatoes: 264 calories, 4.4 grams fiber, 18.8 grams protein

Morning Snack

Banana spinach smoothie muffins: 155 calories, 1.3 grams fiber, 2.2 grams protein Carrot chips: 79 calories, 4.1 grams fiber, 1.4 grams protein Honey-roasted cinnamon chickpeas: 146 calories, 4.5 grams fiber, 6.2 grams protein

Lunch

Roasted sweet potato mason jar salad: 484 calories, 12.6 grams fiber, 15.8 grams protein Butternut squash lentil soup: 253

calories, 17 grams fiber, 18.3 grams protein Smashed chickpea avocado salad: 485 calories, 13.8 grams fiber, 14 grams protein

Afternoon Snack

Baked spinach chips: 75 calories, 1.4 grams fiber, 1.8 grams protein Squash fries: 97 calories, 1.3 grams fiber, 4.3 grams protein Cucumber cups with tapenade: 88 calories, 2.6 grams fiber, 1.6 grams protein

Dinner

Carrot fettuccine with mushrooms and red pepper: 478 calories, 13.8 grams fiber, 8 grams protein Spaghetti squash mac and cheese: 296 calories, 1.3 grams fiber, 18.2 grams protein Chickpea coconut curry with sweet potatoes: 397 calories, 7.2 grams fiber, 10.5 grams protein

10 Sunday Times Magazine

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JULY 16, 2017

Fashion

S

onia Noel is on a US tour which is the wrapping up stage.​The tour started and ending in New York has gained

more recognition for her design brand and Guyana.This shot was done in Mississippi, USA by photographer Zeramiah Smith.

Outfits are available at Makin Style Boutique Mall.Call 6493236 for more info.

A

s you’re dreaming of that perfect outfit to turn heads, get your summer wardrobe ready to go with these chic outfits.

guyanatimesgy.com

JULY 16, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine 11

Times Home & Cooking

Recipe of the Week

Spicy shrimp in coconut milk 1⁄4 cup oil

Ingredients

A collection of like-minded containers makes a superpretty display. Get inspired by these groupings. cleaned 3⁄4 cup fresh cilantro

1 cup chopped onion

Lime wedge (for serving)

1 tbsp minced garlic 2 tsp minced fresh ginger

Method

Heat oil in large skillet on med-hi heat. Add onions and stir cook for 3 minutes.

2 tbsp coriander 1⁄4 tsp cumin 1⁄4 tsp cinnamon

Add garlic and ginger, cook 2 minutes.

Add next 5 spices, cook 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, cook 1 minute.

1⁄8 tsp cayenne 1⁄8 tsp turmeric 1 cup drained canned tomato

Add coconut milk, water, and salt, and bring to a simmer.

2 1⁄2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

Simmer until thickened 5-10 minutes.

1⁄2 cup water

Add shrimp, simmer, stirring for 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro.

1 tsp salt 1 1⁄2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and

A

Classic blue and white looks cool when a hip geometric vase enters the picture.

Try blooms in the same shade as the solid-colour vase.

Serve with lime wedges. (Serves 4)

To make the medley coherent — not crazy — start with a multicolour vase, then pick up one or two of the hues in the other pieces.

Greatest Cooking Tips

dd about three tablespoons of milk to oatmeal when you reheat it and it will be as creamy as ever.

For rich, fudgy brownies without extra fat or calories bake the batter for about two-thirds of the time the recipe calls for, and then freeze with a dishtowel under the pan.

For salad that is more flavourful make sure the lettuce is completely dry - it helps the dressing stick.

When adding ground spices to bread or cake batter, cream the spices with the butter and sugar instead of adding them with the other dry ingredients.

The fat in the butter helps disperse the flavours of the spices for a much more intense taste.

T

A gathering of white and wood is always chic.

Drive home the theme by including some natureinspired shapes, like a tree trunk and a sunburst.

Home Help

he secret to efficient dusting is a proper cleaning cloth. Microfiber is the best. If you don’t have one, use a rag that’s 100 per cent cotton — like a (clean) cloth diaper, an old pillowcase or an old T-shirt — and dampen it slightly. Be sure to avoid using terrycloth towels or polyester — they can actually create more dust.

No matter which corner you start with, you usually realize you put the long end of a fitted sheet on the short end of the mattress. A hint: Tags always go on the bottom. With king sheets, the tags are on the left. With queen sheets, they’re on the right.

If a screw has lost its points where the screwdriver is placed, place a rubber band in between the stripped screw and your screw driver to give it enough grip to remove.

Cut a slit in one side of the empty toilet roll to make a cuff for your wrapping paper to keep it from unrolling into a wrinkled mess.

Solid black.

Solid white.

Black dots.

White stripes.

It all works!

(Continued from last week)

12 Sunday Times Magazine Puzzles

guyanatimesgy.com

JULY 16, 2017

Crossword

ACROSS 1 Hoopster 6 Stuff the suitcase 10 Bounded along 15 Come to an end 20 Pleasant scent 21 Food wrap 22 Keep -- -- to the ground 23 Prince Valiant’s wife 24 Resided 25 -- Haute 26 Moon position 27 Less skeptical 28 Enroll 30 Is an omen of 32 Ample 33 Jolly Roger part 35 Letter encl.

36 Nurse’s portion 39 Narrow inlet 40 Vintage 41 “Mad Max” Gibson 42 -- & The Belmonts 46 Ballpark fig.

47 August kid, maybe 48 Navy or vanilla -51 Dermal vents 53 College stat 54 Stopped momentarily 56 Interpret tea leaves 57 Soda fountain treats 59 Bassoon cousins 61 A Muppet 62 Jousts 63 Henri’s aits 64 Ironing accident 65 Cartilage 67 Thick slice 68 Put under wraps 69 Subatomic particle 72 IBM “brain” 73 Candidate 76 Mischievous one 80 A Vanderbilt 81 Sax-playing Simpson

82 Melancholy 83 Postal matter 85 High mountain 86 Thoreau’s pond 88 Zoo arrival (2 wds.)

92 Traveler’s stop 93 Left Bank chums 94 Eur. nation 95 Safari 96 Big fish 99 Light lunches 102 Look searchingly 103 -- -- face (grimace) 104 Perfect, at NASA (hyph.)

108 As -- -- (generally) 109 VIP wheels 110 Polite cough 111 Blot out 112 Court divider 113 Staggers around 115 D’Urberville girl 116 Lab denizen 117 Vocalist -- Sumac 118 Bewilder 120 Opposite of sm.

121 Sunshine st.

123 Insect 124 Software buyer 125 “Damn Yankees” vamp 127 Theater cheer 129 Some lamps 131 Culs-de-sac (2 wds.)

135 Pub plusses (2 wds.)

140 Clear 141 Magazine parts 142 Nut cake 143 “-- Doone” 144 Juicy steak (hyph.)

145 Video game pioneer 146 Moved little by little 147 Dryden work 148 Hombre’s address 149 No brain surgeon 150 Financial aid criterion 151 Galaxy units

DOWN 1 Peaceful 2 Diva’s tune Part of GI 3 4 Surface 5 Wireless set 6 Saffron dish 7 Matrix Supermarket amenity 8 9 Cypress growths 10 Largish amount 11 Waiting... (2 wds.)

12 Variety of onion 13 Smooth the way 14 Bureaus 15 Haciendas 16 Got away from 17 “Space” preceder 18 Hot pot 19 Snakes lack them 21 Artist’s rental 29 Prepared apples 31 Comet -- -Bopp 34 “-- -Tiki” 36 Deceive 37 Khayyam or Sharif 38 Told, as a tale 41 Yves’ words 43 Russian epic hero 44 Fuel cartel 45 Antique auto 47 Lascivious glance 48 Class ender 49 Wolfed down 50 Much spam 51 Annapolis frosh 52 Like bees and ants 55 Endorse 56 Ceremony 57 Surroundings 58 Sen. -- Cranston 60 Hunks’ assets 62 Kitchen meas.

64 Pagoda or lamasery 66 Cake toppers 67 Art class wear

69 Rabbit’s foot 70 “-- -- Road Runner” 71 Popeye’s sweetie 74 Stockholders, e.g.

75 “Slim Shady” 77 Motor part 78 “The Greatest” boxer 79 DJ’s platters 81 Money broker 84 “Puppy Love” singer 87 Contract 89 List parts 90 Popular cookie 91 Down mood 93 Since (2 wds.)

97 Banjo cousins

98 River floater 99 Do woodwork 100 Region 101 Skater’s jump 102 Heap 103 Fannie -105 Starr and Kyser 106 Zenith 107 Once around the sun 109 Stationery buy (2 wds.)

111 Aerie builder 114 Melodious Fitzgerald 115 Hebrew T 116 Corroded 119 Pacific current (2 wds.)

121 Young chickens

122 Highland girl 123 Sewed loosely 124 Farthest 126 More peculiar 127 Fell to 128 In many cases 129 Stuff oneself 130 Loafs around 131 Some triple-deckers 132 Grease job 133 Computer graphic 134 Not prompt 136 Caught the bus 137 -- Minor 138 Pitbull sound 139 Blurts out Solution on Pg 13

Dot to Dot

KATHLEEN SAXE

WORD GAME

TODAY’S WORD -- LIQUIDATED WORD GAME by Kathleen Saxe TODAY’S WORD -- LIQUIDATED (LIQUIDATED: LIK-wih-date-ed: Converted assets into cash.)

Average mark 42 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 63 or more words in LIQUIDATED? laddie lade laid late laud lead lied lieu liquid

lute idea ideal idle quad quail quale quid quiet

quilt quit quite utile dale date dead deal dealt

deli delta detail dial died diel diet dilate dilute

duad dual dude duel duet addle adieu adit adult

aide aided ailed alit audit tail tale teal tequila

tidal tide tidied tied tilde tile edit equal etui

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

guyanatimesgy.com

JULY 16, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine 13

Tech

C

ameras on smartphones have improved dramatically since the first iPhone landed 10 years ago. While older handsets could muster no more than a blurry snap, some of today's smartphone photos are good enough to be blown up to billboard size.

From facial recognition software, to blurred bokeh backgrounds and dedicated selfie modes, the innovations are endless and show no sign of slowing down.

Here's what you can expect to see on the smartphone cameras of the future.

Augmented reality

The unprecedented success of Pokémon Go has shown just how popular augmented reality (AR) can be. AR refers to mixing real-world views with graphics, just like the Pokémonhunting mobile game, and Snapchat's animated face filters. But while many tech firms believe that the future of AR lies in smart glasses, the technology could make much more of an impact by making use of smartphone cameras.

Dual-lens cameras

We've already seen a handful of smartphones adding dual-camera lens, including the Huawei P10, the LG G6 and the iPhone 7 Plus, but this is something that could end up on every

made steps towards including periscope-style optical zooms with Oppo combining this with software to form a 'dual' zoom. This is definitely something we'll see more of as phone makers try to adapt traditional camera tech for mobiles.

360 video

Optical zoom

treaming app Mobdro has been hailed as the “new Kodi”, as legal issues continue to cast doubt over the future of illicit third-party addons.

In actual fact, the software isn’t new at all.

Mobdro has been around for several years, though

gal. You can use it play videos, music, podcasts and other digital media files from the internet, local storage or a home network.

You can, however, also use it to watch things like TV shows, films and sports fixtures for free, through illegal add-ons created by de-

streaming that you are looking for was on the list before and now has vanished, it means that it was online but right now it is offline.”

It adds that the content of the streams is the "sole responsibility" of the pages where they are being host-

it could grow increasingly popular as authorities focus on shutting down sites and repositories that promote the use of Kodi for streaming copyrighted content illegally.

While Kodi has gone mainstream, Mobdro is unfamiliar to many.

While you can use it to illegally access copyrighted content, it isn’t a like-forlike alternative to Kodi.

Kodi is a multimedia player that’s completely le-

velopers.

Mobdro, on the other hand, is far less capable. It scans the web for free video streams, and lets you tune into them.

According to the Mirror, it's "so far untouched" by authorities.

“Mobdro is an indexation tool, meaning it only looks [at] which streams are available,” it says.

“Mobdro doesn’t have any control whatsoever on the streamings. If the

ed.

“© GeorgePeters via Getty Images Playing Mobile Games On The Street”

handset as standard in the future. Having two cameras on the rear of the phone enables it to capture more information and produce a better quality picture. It also makes it easier to snap a picture with a blurred background and to get better pictures when zooming in. What is more, the duallens cameras will pave the way for more impressive augmented reality.

Better lenses

While the cameras in phones used to be far inferior to dedicated digital cameras, many now use elements from proper snappers, including better lenses. The Huawei P10 introduced a Leica lens on its selfie camera, the very first on a front-facing cam, while Sony ported over tech from

its camera range for the XZ Premium's revamped wideangle G Lens. As digital cameras continue to become obsolete, the lens technology on our smartphones will just keep getting better.

4K recording

Just as High-Definition became standard for the majority of top-of-the-range devices, 4K or Ultra HighDefinition (UHD) will too.

Some mobiles already have 4K recording capability, including the LG G6, iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S8, while the Sony Xperia XZ Premium was the first to launch with a 4K HDR screen. Admittedly, the appeal of an ultra high-def screen on such a small scale may be limited, but the ability to record 4K opens up a whole new world of possibili-

Out of the cinema and into your living room.

By: David Lumb

A

One advantage that traditional cameras still have over smartphone snappers is the capability for an optical zoom - a lens that physically extends, rather than a digital zoom, which mimics the effect using software.

However, some makers have

Several smartphone makers, including Samsung and Huawei, have already released add-on 360-degree cameras for their handsets, but this is something that could eventually be integrated into the phones themselves.

Immersive 360-degree videos are gradually making their mark, with Facebook among the big firms pushing the technology, while virtual reality companies are gradually introducing more 360-VR content that be viewed from mobile phones. (Engadget)

year ago, MIT scientists unveiled a new technology that delivered a 3D movie experience in theaters without the need for cumbersome glasses. Now they're working to bring that technology to your living room so that one day you can watch 3D films in your home theater without eyewear.

Their system, "Home3D," translates typical stereoscopic 3D movies to "multiview," which shows three or more images to project the scene in three dimensions, portraying it to viewers as if they were really there. MIT's system converts from cinemaspecced stereo to a format compatible with "automultiscopic displays," which enable the glasses-less experience.

In a paper, the CSAIL team described how their Home3D system uses an algorithm to combine two existing stereo-to-multiview conversion techniques, phase-based and depth image-based rendering, for a superior experience. The algorithms also let users tone down the 3D whenever they wish. While Home3D can currently run on anything with a GPU -- an Xbox One or a PlayStation 4, for example -- the team believes a future version could fit on a chip to include in smart TVs or add-ons like Chromecast.

While glasses-less 3D is still in the early stages where lack of content and lack of hardware support has kept it from gaining momentum, the MIT CSAIL team's tech could solve half that problem by enabling existing media to play nice with automultiscopic displays. (Engadget)

“©ivansmuk via Getty Images Thermovision image of two-story houses in a neighborhood”

ties when it comes to photography, allowing you to grab split-second frames from videos to use as still photos.

Thermal imaging

The Cat S60 is a supertough smartphone branded by construction firm 'Caterpillar' that also happens to be the world's first to include thermal imaging.

It's a handy feature for engineers and emergency workers, helping them to locate electrical faults or search for missing people, but it could just as easily be used by the rest of us for something as mundane as searching for the cat in a dark garden or checking for weak spots in home insulation. It may be niche for now, but it could turn up on more handsets in future, just as GPS did.

S

Crossword Solution

It has a reputation for being reliable, but not one for having the highest-quality streams.

It’s also tougher to download than Kodi.

Mobdro is available on Android versions 4.1 and above, but you have to manually download it, by enabling unknown sources in your phone’s settings – a somewhat risky move that can leave you susceptible to dodgy apps. (Independent)

14 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

JULY 16, 2017

Bollywood/Hollywood

Anil Kapoor: We want Arjun Kapoor to get married A V eteran actor Anil Kapoor, who is gearing up for the release of ‘Mubarakan’, said that they chose the wedding theme for the film as they want actor Arjun Kapoor to get married and they will at least try to get him married first in the family.

“We have taken wedding theme in this film purposely because we want Arjun to get married and now he is the one who will get married first,” Anil said.

“At least we will try,” added the actor, who was present on the sets of singing based reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs here. To this, Arjun responded, “Yes, definitely! July 28 is my wedding. You all can visit your nearby cinema hall to attend my wedding (referring to his film ‘Mubarakan’), which is happening twice with two different girls. So come and check, who is marrying whom.” This is the first time that Arjun and Anil are sharing screen space together.

Asked about his excitement and nervousness ahead the release of his film, Arjun said, “I am not nervous or excited as it’s too early. At the moment I am enjoying this phase a lot because though I will continue spending my time with him (Anil), to spend time with you all (media) and with him together, is something which will remain forever in my memory and I will cherish these moments lifetime.”

The 32-year-old says for him all the “moments and bytes, are very important which I would love to cherish”.

Speaking about the film, Anil said, “Mubarakan is a family film. Arjun, Ileana and Athiya are doing some mad things and confusion in the film so it is going to get appreciated by youth and because of that, youth will have to watch me as well.”

Directed by Anees Bazmi, Mubarakan is releasing on July 28.

s ‘Wonder Woman’ goes on inexorably, relentlessly breaking box office records, the count of her admirers is increasing day by day. Now even ‘Deadpool’ aka Ryan Reynolds has become one.

The official account of the superhero (?) posted a picture of Deadpool’s typical hands joined together in heart’s shape and between them was a Wonder Woman necklace! Who knew the Merc also had a touch of humility inside him? “The Merc may be filthier, but her B.O. is stronger. Congrats

#WonderWoman,”the tweet said. It was retweeted by Ryan Reynolds themself.

‘Wonder Woman’, starring Israeli actor Gal Gadot; the film which might yet revive the floundering ship that is DC Extended Universe, has managed to take the superhero filmdom by storm. The commercial success is not such a surprise – Warner Bros and DC’s marketing team always does their job well – but what was surprising was its critical success.

Critics, after a lukewarm response to ‘Man of Steel’,

had panned the following DC Extended Universe films ‘Batman vs Superman’ and ‘Suicide Squad’. But ‘Wonder Woman’, the film on which nobody, and that includes Warner Bros and DC themselves, had put much hopes, is likely to become DCEU’s redemption. Patty Jenkins, director of ‘Wonder Woman’, and Gal Gadot, replied in the same spirit. The superheroes might be separated by a chasm of being in different universes altogether but that does not mean they cannot give credit where it is due. (Indian Express)

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli in New York on much needed break

A

nushka Sharma and Virat Kohli are one couple from the Bollywood and cricket world who have never failed to make a relationship statement whenever together. Now, the two are chilling in New York where Virat has flown to spend the much needed time with his girlfriend Anushka, who is there to attend IIFA 2017.

And as happened before, Virat dropped the first selfie from their time together captioning the picture as, “much needed break with my love.” Well, the picture definitely makes us say, ‘aww so cute.’ It was not very long back when Virat began sharing photos and posts confirming his relationship with Anushka. Often he has stated how important the actor is in his life. While Anushka has remained tight lipped and has never really expressed anything about Virat over social media, her confidence while making an appearance with him on any red carpet events shows her love. It is interesting how Bollywood and cricket have always blended well. Hazel Keech – Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra are married while Zaheer Khan and Chak De girl Sagarika

‘G

ame of Thrones’ star Sophie Turner is terrified of HBO’s epic fantasy show’s upcoming end. She says she will be “an emotional wreck for a year”. The 21-year-old British actress, who plays Sansa Stark in the HBO hit, opened up in an interview with W Magazine about how she is bracing herself for life after the fantasy drama, reports dailymail.co.uk.

She said, “I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it. It’s not like I’m brushing it under the carpet; I am fully

P

Ghagte also made their relationship official recently. Now, we are thinking when Virat and Anushka will take their relationship to next level. Anushka will be attending IIFA 2017, which will happen at MetLife Stadium in New York on July 1415, and July 16 will witness a closing party of Bollywood’s biggest event. As we spot Anusha and Virat together, we wish to see them walking down the Green Carpet of the IIFA 2017, hand in hand too, just like Anushka accompanies him at the stadiums.

On the work front, Anushka is busy in the promotions of Jab Harry Met Sejal and has started working on her next project as a producer called PARI. (Indian Express)

aware that it is coming to an end, but I don’t think I’ll be ready until I shoot my final scene, and then I think I will be completely an emotional wreck for the next year or so of my life. I’m really not looking forward to it. It is terrifying.”

‘Game of Thrones’ was created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. The first season premiered on April 17, 2011. It is about to enter its seventh season, which will be its second to last. The show is scheduled to end after eight seasons in total. The seventh sea-

riyanka Chopra is all set to go big in Hollywood. After landing the lead role in ABC TV series ‘Quantico’, she worked in ‘Baywatch’ alongside Dwayne Johnson which was her Hollywood debut.

Piggy Chops has two big releases lined up in the next two years. One is ‘A Kid Like Jake’ with Jim Parsons and Claire Danes, and the second Hollywood project Priyanka Chopra is working on is ‘Isn’t It Romantic’ alongside Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth and Adam Devine. The latter has just begun shooting.

New Line Cinema has announced the start of principal photography for the romantic comedy, being directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson.

Priyanka will be seen in the role of yoga ambassador, Isabella, while Wilson will play an architect Natalie from New York City. Liam Hemsworth stars as Blake in the film, a handsome client with Adam Devine

son will debut on July 16 in the US. It will premiere in India on Star World and Star World HD on July 18.

Sophie Turner was a teenager when she auditioned for the role of Sansa, and since then, she said, she has spent years developing two identities: her own, and her character’s. Her character, Sansa Stark, has seen incredible character development from a passive sufferer to a woman who knows how to play the Game of Thrones. (Indian Express)

as Wilson’s earnest best friend, Josh. In the film, Natalie works hard to get noticed at her job, but is more likely to be asked to deliver coffee and bagels than to design the city’s next skyscraper.

As the details about PeeCee’s new project makes us excited, pictures of Priyanka with Rebel Wilson are doing the rounds of fan pages from the film’s set.

The photos of the shoot are out and Priyanka Chopra seems to have established a special rapport with Australian actor Rebel Wilson known for Pitch Perfect musical comedy series of films. She was seen happily chatting with Wilson on the sets of the romantic comedy film. There were also a few shots of Priyanka with Adam Levine.

‘Isn’t It Romantic’ is directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson. It is set for a Valentine’s Day release in 2019. (Indian Express)

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JULY 16, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine 15

Travel & Tourism

The late Diane McTurk displaying the Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award that was bestowed to the Karanambu Lodge in 2013 (Karanambu Lodge photo)

I

t has been touted as one of the perfect getaways in Guyana - Sitting on the edge of the Rupununi River just between the lush rainforest and the rolling savannahs, Karanambu is the ideal place to go if you wish to experience Guyana’s wildlife. Karanambu was conceived in 1927 by Tiny McTurk, and has its beginnings as a cattle ranch and home for the McTurk family. In 1983, Diane McTurk started the

Karanambu Lodge. Within its 110 square mile area, the Ranch is home to four varieties of habitats, six species of monkeys, over 600 species of birds, a variety of fish species and a vast array of other wildlife.

Every visit to Karanambu also offers visitors the opportunity to see Giant River Otters, for which the location is famous; the Giant Anteater; the Jaguar; Arapaimas (world’s largest scaled fresh water fish); the

Capybara (World’s largest rodent); Black Caiman; and the Red Howler monkeys.

According to published information, Tiny McTurk and his wife, Connie, chose this spot on a wide bend in the Rupununi River to build a house and a depot for his balata business in 1927 because of its proximity to the river; the bend in the river and its adjacent sandbank provided a natural deep water bay allowing access for boats even in the dry season but most important of all the flat topped laterite outcrop at Karanambu remains well above flood level in the wet season when the river can rise up to 40 feet.

Their daughter, Diane McTurk, took over the ranch and established a tourism business now Karanambu Lodge Inc. In 1997 The Karanambu Trust was established with the objective of conserving and protecting the unique and diverse habitat of the Karanambu Rupununi Wetlands and in particular some of the rare and biologically important species that inhabit this part of Guyana.

Much of the Trust's current work involves gathering data on the local populations of species and educating local com-

munities, including children about the benefits of conserving wildlife habitats. Sadly, in December 2016, Diane McTurk passed away. She is said to be the visionary behind both the Karanambu Trust and the Karanambu Lodge with the North Rupununi her home.

For almost 100 years, the McTurk family has entertained prominent guests including Mick Jagger, who visited Karanambu just to see the Victoria Amazonica lilies.

Other guests included David Attenborough, Jeff Corwin and John Gimlette among others. The site has also been fea-

tured on the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, German television and Calgary’s Zoo Quest. In fact, Karanambu in 2013 was the recipient of the Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award.

With both the river and the savannahs close at hand, there is a wide variety of activities to be enjoyed at Karanambu, and guests are free to determine unique and interesting things they want to see. Visitors can also choose from river trips, by boat, or via Land Rover on the savannahs or along forest trails on foot to the different ponds in the area. Other activities in-

clude; searching for wild otters along the river and among the ponds, tracking a giant anteater across the savannah, admiring the flora and fauna along the walking trails among the forest ponds or bird watching.

Karanambu provides an all-inclusive rate; accommodations, meals, unlimited rum punch and two activities a day! While information is available on their website- http://www.karanambutrustandlodge.org, registered local tour operators are available to make the necessary arrangements for the perfect getaway to Karanambu. (www. karanambutrustandlodge.org)

16 Sunday Times Magazine

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JULY 16, 2017

Fun Times

Archie

Opportunities are apparent, as long as you don’t (March 21overdo it. Stick to your game April 19) plan and don’t feel you must overspend or compensate for someone else. Romance is encouraged.

ARIES

You are best off sticking TAURUS to what you know and liv(April 20- ing within your means. Don’t May 20) participate in someone else’s plans if they don’t suit your needs.

Don’t worry about the opGEMINI position you face. Use your (MAY 28- intelligence to counter anyJune 20) one who gets in your way.

Personal gains can be made, and love is in the stars.

Avoid bullies and those who put unreasonable demands on (June 21you. Don’t make unrealistic July 22) promises just to gain approval.

Channel your energy into being productive, not into arguing.

CANCER

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Dilbert

Peanuts

Put your efforts into intellectual or physical enhancements or accomplishing something that you find challenging and exhilarating. Strive for personal perfection, love and fulfillment.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

What you do for others should be done because you want to, not because you feel obligated. If guilt tactics are used, you will end up in an emotional argument.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

You’ll be surrounded by uncertainty and people who are apt to do something unexpectedly. Be prepared to counter any situation that threatens your integrity or emotional fortitude.

SCORPIO Stick to the people who (Oct. 24- share the same opinions and Nov. 22) goals as you. Avoid anyone using manipulative tactics to take advantage of you.

Make personal changSAGITTARIUS es.

Start conversations with (Nov. 23people you’d consider getDec. 21) ting into a joint venture with.

New beginnings will give you a chance to use and market your skills differently.

Calvin and Hobbes

Emotional situations CAPRICORN will be difficult to deal with.

(Dec. 22- Stay calm and refuse to get Jan. 19) into an argument. Stick to the truth and walk away from anyone showing aggressive tendencies.

A shift in the way you AQUARIUS do things will upset a co(Jan. 20- worker. Try to ease into any Feb. 19) changes to avoid distress or repercussions. Subtle personal improvements are encouraged.

Calm down, relax and rePISCES (Feb. 20- flect about the past, present Mar. 20) and future. Now is not the time

to make impulsive decisions, moves or changes that could disrupt relationships. Focus on self-improvement, not on changing others.