Sunday GTimes September 15, 2019

Nationwide coverage coverage from from the the best best news news team team in in Guyana Guyana Nationwide Issue No. 4047 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON BEACON OF OF TRUTH TRUTH THE

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Several local banks shoring up on offshore investments …billions of dollars worth of offshore securities purchased …indicates lack of confidence in economy - economist Page 3

Fire razes Good Hope house, woodworking facility See story on page 10

Duty-free concessions to be handled non-politically – PPP promises

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Police nab several P14 men with “Molotov cocktails”

Electricity woes

GPL finds loophole in power purchase licence P12 …can now buy power from private renewable energy sources

Page 9

Cracks on Canje Bridge worry commuters Page 7

Assault allegation against REO

Police awaiting advice from DPP – senior cop P13

WCD, EBE P13 communities without stable water supply again

The Anglican Church of Guyana on Saturday installed a Dean of Georgetown and a Canon to the Stall of St Andrew’s Church. In photo the Reverend Canon Thurston Riehl (kneeling) during his installation ceremony as Dean of Georgetown and Rector of St George's Cathedral. Anglican Bishop of Guyana, the Right Reverend Charles A Davidson presided over the ceremony at the St George's Cathedral

Guyanese family from hurricaneP16 ravaged Bahamas returns home today

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

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The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

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WEATHER TODAY A short period of thundery showers is expected during late morning hours; however, there will be sunny conditions for the rest of the day. There will be clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-Easterly to West North-Westerly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 05:06h and 17:20h reaching maximum heights of 2.67 metres and 2.66 metres.

Low Tide: 10:58h and 23:12h reaching minimum heights of 0.56 metre and 0.52 metre.

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Several local banks shoring up on offshore investments …billions of dollars worth of offshore securities purchased …indicates lack of confidence in economy – economist

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ome big names in the local banking sector have been increasing their offshore investments over the past year, partly through their purchase of debt instruments— a trend one economist said is a potential indicator of the lack of confidence in the local economy.

In the case of one particular bank, its investment in securities, including Government of Guyana treasury bills, increased by over $1 billion. According to data gleaned from the bank’s financials, its investments in the other’s category jumped by over 50 per cent.

The bank’s total assets showed billions of dollars in increases. Its investments in securities were cited as one reason for the increase.

Another bank, however, saw its investment securities jump by over a billion between 2017 and 2018, associated with the very same reason.

Factors cited by the banks in their report include political instability— which one bank noted has affected the economic activity that was being generated.

According to the bank, this has led many of its debtors to miss instalments.

The state of the economy has been cited by some for the Bank of Baroda to sell its operations. They made that announcement last year, weeks after Scotiabank itself announced it was pulling out its operations in Guyana and several other Caribbean countries.

At the time it made its announcement, the Bank of Baroda had said that it wanted to focus on its key countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom. However, the bank has since reversed its decision to pull out.

There has also been a general economic downturn among the major sectors, evidenced in the Bank of Guyana’s first quarter statistical bulletin. In the bulletin, it showed that sugar experienced a major decline of 34.3 per cent, owing to the restructuring process the Guyana Sugar Corporation

(GuySuCo) is undergoing.

On the other hand, the decline of rice output by 9.3 per cent was attributed to rice bug infestation and the increased costs of produc-

Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote

tion. The mining and quarrying sectors exhibited lower production. According to the bulletin, there was a 4.9 per cent decline in gold declarations.

Since the No-Confidence Motion was passed against the Government last year, the political climate has not improved attributable to the fact that the elections that were supposed to have been held never occurred.

Instead, the Government went through several levels of court, unsuccessfully arguing that the NoConfidence Motion was not validly passed.

Article 106 (6) of the Constitution states: “The

of confidence”.

Meanwhile, Article 106 (7) goes on to say: “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such lon-

ger period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election”.

After the announcement that elections in March 2020 was being considered by GECOM, Private Sector Commission (PSC) Chairman retired Captain Gerry Gouveia had warned that a prolonged caretaker government was not in the best interest of business.

Since then, the Guyana Elections Commission, complete with Chairperson retired Justice Claudette Singh and the six Commissioners, met with the two main political parties. At these meetings, assurances were given that GECOM would seek to hold elections this year.

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SUnDAY, september 15, 2019

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, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

PNC’s uncompromising politics

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ix months ago, as President Granger’s handling the not unconnected issue of choosing a new Chair for GECOM segued into his response to the successfully passed NCM in the National Assembly, we noted in this space: “If there is one overriding characteristic of the David Granger regime, it is his refusal to compromise with any of the political forces both inside and outside of his coalition. In this regard, he was acting in accord with the posture of the PNC established by its founder, Forbes Burnham”.

Granger’s inflexibility of the GECOM Chair and his unilateral appointment of James Patterson was eventually declared illegal by the CCJ but by then, the latter had set into motion the H2H Registration exercise which remains a bone of political contention. In his response to the successful NCM in the National Assembly, there were several opportunities where he could have flexed with the Opposition Leader on enforcing the constitutionally sanctioned elections date without recourse to the courts. But not surprisingly, that was a road not taken, and we have a country at its most severe level of polarisation since the 1964 ethnic violence.

Back in 2012, as the polarisation of politics was becoming intensified both quantitatively and qualitatively in the US, political scientists Amy Gutman and Dennis Thompson offered some very salutary advice to our political elites in their book, <<<“The Spirit of Compromise: Why Governing Demands It and Campaigning Undermines It”>>>.

“If politics is the art of the possible, then compromise is the artistry of democracy. Unless one partisan ideology holds sway over all branches of government, compromise is necessary to govern for the benefit of all citizens. A rejection of compromise biases politics in favour of the status quo, even when the rejection risks crisis”.

“Compromise is difficult, but governing a democracy without compromise is impossible. Why is compromise so hard in a democracy when it is undoubtedly necessary?

Much of the resistance to compromise lies in another necessary part of the democratic process: campaigning for political office. Though valuable in its place, campaigning is increasingly intruding into governing, where it is less helpful.

The means of winning an office are subverting the ends of governing once in office.

It is only a slight exaggeration to say that in (Guyana), “every day is election day in the permanent campaign”.

“Resistance to democratic compromise can be kept in check by a contrary cluster of attitudes and arguments — a compromising mindset which favours adapting one’s principles and respecting one’s opponents. It is the mindset more appropriate for governing, because it enables politicians to more readily recognise opportunities for desirable compromise. When enough politicians adopt it enough of the time, the spirit of compromise prevails”.

“In general, compromise is an agreement in which all sides sacrifice something in order to improve on the status quo from their perspective, and in which the sacrifices are at least partly determined by the other sides’ will. The sacrifice involves not merely getting less than you want, but also, thanks to your opponents, getting less than you think you deserve. The sacrifice typically involves trimming your principles. We call these defining characteristics of compromise mutual sacrifice and wilful opposition”.

“In an era characterised by the permanent campaign, the balance in democratic governing needs to shift more toward the compromising mindset and the promotion of political compromises that it makes possible. Our defence of compromise in democratic governance is consistent with— indeed requires—a vigorous and often contentious politics in which citizens press strongly held principles and mobilise in support of boldly proclaimed causes social movements, political demonstrations, and activist organisations are among the significant sites of this kind of politics. The citizens who participate in these activities play important roles in democratic practice”.

In Guyana, the PNC’s intransigence has led to a situation where cynicism has seized the body politic and it is up to the citizens of the country to come out in their numbers to remind the Government of the need for compromise.

These youngsters dressed in traditional cultural garments on Friday at the Agriculture Ministry celebrations of Heritage Month 2019

Humanitarian aid reduces shortages in Venezuela emergency rooms – NGO

H

umanitarian aid has led to a small improvement in the availability of medical supplies in Venezuelan emergency rooms, although shortages continue to plague public hospitals, non-governmental organisation Doctors for Health said on Wednesday last.

Opposition Leader Juan Guaido in February attempted to bring US-backed aid into Venezuela via Colombia against the wishes of President Nicolas Maduro’s government, which blocked the entrance of supplies in a violent standoff along the border.

Maduro later gave permission to the International Federation of the Red Cross and the United Nations to provide hospitals with emergency supplies that included power plants, medicine and surgical gloves.

“Despite the improvement, in our opinion, there is not much stability,” said Julio Castro, of Doctors for Health, which gathers data from employees in 40 Venezuelan public hospitals.

Emergency rooms for the

The logo of the International Federation of Red Cross is seen on boxes at the warehouse of Venezuelan Red Cross, where international humanitarian aid for Venezuela is being stored, in Caracas, Venezuela [Photo by: REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino]

last six months have lacked around 50% of the supplies they need, he said.

A lack of medicine, water and power outages, and the migration of personnel due to low wages, have crippled Venezuela’s health sector.

UN agencies this year provided 358 tonnes of medicine and supplies, Castro said, enough to provide treatment for as many as 3.5

million people.

The International Federation of the Red Cross as of August had delivered 100 tonnes of supplies, it said in a news release.

Castro said aid groups have not provided a breakdown of how much aid reached each hospital or if any was distributed to Venezuela’s 300 smaller public health clinics.

A UN official said in response to questions that the United Nations works with a number of Venezuelan hospitals and provides aid through organizations that include the Pan American Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Venezuela’s information ministry did not reply to requests for comment.

Guaido, who has been recognized by more than 50 countries as Venezuela’s legitimate President, says the February aid effort boosted pressure on Maduro to allow aid into the country.

Humanitarian relief groups had said that effort risked politicising aid.

Venezuela’s Government until this year had refused such aid on the grounds that the country was not in humanitarian crisis.

Castro said that despite announcements by Russia and China about providing humanitarian aid, no follow-up information on aid from the two has been provided, making it impossible to evaluate its impact.

(Reuters)

Venezuelan Opposition Leader denies ties to criminal gang

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enezuelan Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó rejected allegations Friday that he has ties to an illegal armed group in Colombia, as officials launched an investigation based on photos appearing in social media purportedly showing him posing with members of the gang.

The pictures were allegedly taken in late February when Guaidó crossed into Colombia and made a surprise appearance at a concert organised by billionaire Richard Branson aimed at helping deliver humanitarian aid to Venezuela.

Government officials loyal to President Nicolás Maduro are holding up the photos as proof that Guaidó’s covert journey was orchestrated with the help of a Colombian criminal gang known as the Rastrojos, an accusation he denies.

“That day I took photos with many people,” Guaidó told Colombia’s BLU radio.

“Evidently it’s hard to know who is asking you for a photo”.

The spat over the pictures comes amid escalating tensions between Colombia and Venezuela as the Presidents of both countries accuse one

another of harbouring illegal armed groups plotting across-the-border attacks.

On Wednesday, a dozen nations including the United States invoked the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, which contends that a threat against any single signatory should be considered a danger to them all. The act raises the stakes of a potential military response though all sides have said they want a peaceful solution.

Venezuelan Interior Minister Nestor Reverol appeared on state television Friday laying out evidence

for a new probe into Guaidó, displaying images at the center of the controversy.

“They prove yet again Guaido’s association with all the terrorist actions being planned in Venezuela to disrupt the stability and peace of our democracy,” he said.

Gen Luis Fernando Navarro, the commander of Colombia’s military, said two of the men seen in the photos with Guaidó are members of the Rastrojos who have now been captured. The photos show both men posing individually with Guaidó before a wooded background.

(Excerpt from

AP News)

guyanatimesgy.com

SUnDAY, september 15, 2019

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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

GECOM must be objective Help us save our children and impartial!

Dear Editor, Guyanese are indeed frustrated and worried with the deliberate and deceptive signals emerging from the GECOM Secretariat, which seems to have usurped the authority of the Commission.

The expressed lawlessness of the GECOM Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, and other actors under his charge, exemplifies a clear lack of transparency and obvious partiality in favour of the PNC and Granger Government. They have utilised every sinister persuasion while undertaking calculative moves, aimed at forestalling, in hopes to sway decisions of the Commission or creating public confusion.

The continued actions of these contaminants of GECOM consistently bring the organisation into constitutional disrepute and it does not seem to matter, as they illegally advance the PNC’s delaying and dodging tactics, preventing readiness for early National and Regional Elections. As we slowly approach September 18, 2019, a timeline of 90 days since the CCJ’s ruling on the NoConfidence Motion, the time has come for the Hon Chairman, Justice (retired) Claudette Singh, to exercise increased assertiveness regarding the decisions of the Commission and the unauthorised output emerging from the Secretariat. In this respect, she must hold the false miscreants and disciples of deceit accountable.

The recent visit by the Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo to a meeting with GECOM has realised and induced a measure of freshness and great expectation to the Guyanese people. We are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and a more definitive position towards the date of elections. The humongous task of Justice (retired) Claudette Singh has become more evident by the public

releases emerging from the GECOM Secretariat following the meeting in which they sought to counter and twist the clear discussions held by the Commission with the Leader of the Opposition.

It is, therefore, necessary for Guyanese citizens to up the pressure on this sinister cabal at the GECOM Secretariat, and expose all the manipulations and serious wrongdoings that is taking place at the institution under the hands of the Chief Elections Officer.

GECOM Secretariat is not the property of the PNC and is not an autonomous body to make and implement decisions without the formal delegation by the imminent Chairperson and her respectable Commissioners. The GECOM Commission must, therefore, take swift actions to ensure we have a clean and highly respectable organisation.

After the meeting held between the Opposition Leader delegation and the GECOM Commission, it is clear that there was satisfaction regarding the discussions towards the way forward. It was quite surprising but not unexpected to see GECOM Secretariat putting out a highly controversial press statement that according to GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj, was not authorised by the Commission and which misrepresented the discussions with the Commission.

The position of 55 days recommended in the advisory timeline to the Chairman advanced by the GECOM Secretariat, as the period between Nomination Day and Election Day is quite abusive and of much concern.

Although the Representation of the People Act, Chapter 1:03 provides for the minimum period to be 32 days, precedence establishes that this period never exceeded 32 days in previous elections conducted. If the Secretariat

is really concerned about having early elections, they must ensure that all the unnecessary activities are curtailed and certain activities run simultaneously.

These deliberate acts to suppress the holding of elections in a timely manner is an insult to our democracy and the Constitution of this country. These actors must be held accountable for their actions, as GECOM is a creature of the Constitution and not the other way around.

The Chief Elections Officer has fallen ill, again, just prior to the decision-making meeting at GECOM on Friday 13.

Is this reported illness deliberate or feigning?

It is of note that upon the highly controversial appointment of Roxanne Myers as Deputy Chief Elections Officer, it was widely touted by the PNC that she was capable and qualified to manage that position. Now would be appropriate to test that so there could be no excuse that the Secretariat functions are on hold because of Lowenfield’s reported illness and the fact that the business of elections must go on. Our citizens must not allow this wicked cabal to hold Guyana ransom any longer, with their sinister pack of trickery!

The Secretariat’s position currently is neither flattering nor transparent. Towards the required impartiality, it is also necessary that the eminent Chairman of the Commission clearly define the functions of the Secretariat to Lowenfield so that no overlapping is encouraged. Additionally, the Commission must also remind the Secretariat of its limits because it is the Secretariat’s responsibility to carry out the mandate of the Commission and not the other way around.

orders, intense fear, horror, helplessness and depression are just some of the many issues our youths are bombarded with. Higher incidences of suicidal attempts, dysfunctional relationships, violence and self-destructive behaviours are becoming even more apparent in these victims.

It is evident that we are in a drastic situation when it comes to paedophilia and child sex abuse, and, therefore, we need drastic action.

I am, therefore, supporting chemical castration for good – that is not reversible. If we don’t have the facilities for chemical castration, then we do surgical castration, where there will be no pain or chopping of the organ.

Chemical castration is a method used to suppress sexual urges. It is already available to some sex offenders, both in prisons and communities worldwide, except Guyana as far as I know.

Countries such as Poland, Australia, India, Indonesia and a host of other countries have already implemented this system. A May 2016 issue of The New York Times, reported that a number of US States already use chemical castration, as part of a

range of measures to reduce reoffending. In June 2019, Will Stewart of The Mirror reported that officials in Ukraine approved the law for the use of chemical castration on convicted paedophiles and rapists.

Unlike Indonesia, where chemical castration is a non-optional punishment, Guyana should impose it as an alternative to life imprisonment or the death penalty. The opportunity of going through counselling and guidance may be given to paedophiles and rapists, with the understanding that they will be castrated.

It has been found by many countries that have already implemented this system that imprisonment and behavioural therapy are not particularly effective, as offenders usually repeat their crimes when released into society. Chemical castration is championed as an effective tool for achieving this.

Therefore, I plead with our Government to implement this system so that we can save our youths. Help us save our children.

Sincerely, Roshan Khan

Bipartisan approach needed to decriminalise suicide

Dear Editor, Director of the Mental Health Institute, Dr Util Richmond-Thomas was recently quoted in the media as being “in full support of the decriminalisation of suicide and self-harm in Guyana”. The Director is the latest in a long line of Government officials who have made this call over Sincerely, the years. Non-Guyanese Neil Kumar who have also made this call include British High Commissioner Greg Quinn and PAHO/WHO representative, Dr William AduKrow.

However, a bill to decriminalise suicide and of what was taking place in read the relevant documents self-harm was moved in the National Assembly, with that would ensure that when Parliament by the political the involvement of the PNC, he chooses to criticise, he does Opposition in 2016. Piloted which delayed the holding of so from an informed position. by Dr Vindhya Persaud, Now in all this, there is the bill came about partLocal Government Elections?

The letter writer also mis- one point that no one can ly through the work of The leads when he said Bharrat run away from, not even Caribbean Voice, more speJagdeo referred to GECOM the staunchest critics of cifically Dr Frank Anthony, as a “runaway horse” when the PPP/C, and that is that a member of our Board of it is headed by retired Justice Guyana’s standing as a naDirectors. Although the Claudette Singh, who was tion that upholds democracy chosen by Bharrat Jagdeo and constitutional rule is at Government spoke in supand nominated to President risk. After the No-Confidence port of the bill, they argued David Granger. At no point in Motion was passed in the that the manner in which Assembly, the the legislation was framed time did Bharrat Jagdeo refer National to the GECOM Chairwoman Caribbean Court of Justice both politicised and trivias a “runaway horse”. The said clearly that elections alised the issue, but no exGECOM Secretariat, how- should have been held since planation was ever provided ever, is a different story. March 21, 2019. It is now six to indicate how this was so.

Ranfred Williams seems ig- months past that deadline.

In 2015 Minister norant of the distinction be- Are we as Guyanese prepared Khemraj Ramjattan had tween the full Commission to suffer the consequences of called for the decriminaliand the GECOM Secretariat being a nation where the rule sation of suicide when he that is headed by the Chief of law is not upheld by our spoke at the launch of the Elections Officer, Keith own Government? I think Suicide Helpline. According not.

Lowenfield. to the Minister, the decrimiBefore advising Bharrat nalisation could help to solve Yours faithfully, Jagdeo to “take several the whole issue of suicide in Todd A Morgan seats”, Ranfred Williams a more holistic manner and should take just one seat and

Target one of Guyana’s more formidable politicians Dear Editor, The letter by Managing Director of Quantum Technologies, Ranfred Williams, exposes how desperate some elements are to target one of Guyana’s more formidable politicians, Bharrat Jagdeo – or as Ranfred Williams admits, a politician of “real calibre” – so desperate that they resort to blatant misinformation.

Ranfred Williams talks about Bharrat Jagdeo’s “expectation” of snap elections after the No-Confidence Motion was passed. Is Ranfred Williams not aware that Article 106 of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana mandates that elections are to be held within three months of the passage of a No-Confidence Motion?

He talks about the importance of Local Government Elections being ignored under PPP/C Governments. Is Ranfred Williams not aware

Dear Editor, It breaks my heart to know that paedophilia, trafficking and other child sex offences have become a scourge and industry in Guyana and around the world. In Guyana, we have seen many instances where mothers are prostituting their own underage children, where fathers are sexually molesting their own daughters, and in some cases, even their own sons. I recall a case, in the Vreeden-Hoop area, where a Corporal from the Guyana Defence Force, molested his two-year-old stepson. Some stepfathers are also known to take advantage of their stepchildren. Girls are being threatened that if they “tell anyone, they will be killed along with their mother”.

There are even many uncles who are involved in paedophile activities with their nieces and nephews.

Children are being sold every day on the dark web around the world to some of the most prominent people in society.

Victims of this kind of abuse usually undergo a series of psychological damage and destruction as they age.

Poor self-esteem, eating dis-

give persons an opportunity to reform themselves through counselling. Yet he was most vociferous in declaring that Government would not support the motion in Parliament in 2016.

In 2015 Minister Ramjattan also called for national consultations on the issue but nothing was ever done. However, a 2016 poll commissioned by The Caribbean Voice found that most Guyanese agreed that suicide should be decriminalised. The following are the question and responses obtained:

Should attempted suicide be decriminalised?

Suicide is punishable under Chapter 801 Section 96 of the Criminal Offences Act, which states, “Everyone who attempts to commit suicide shall be guilty of a misdemeanour and liable to imprisonment for two years”.

Also, Section 95 of the Criminal Law Offences Act Cap 8:01, states, “Everyone who aids or abets any person in the commission of suicide shall be guilty of felony and liable to imprisonment for life”.

According to Dr William Adu-Krow, “If such a person escapes prosecution, this person is encouraged to

commit suicide”. In addition to calling for the decriminalisation of suicide, he lamented that the existing legislation makes no provision for psychological assistance to survivors.

In October last year, Attorney General Basil Williams was quoted in the local media as stating that plans were afoot to decriminalise suicide. Almost a year later, no move has been made towards this end.

In 2016, after the Government voted against the bill, TCV called for a bipartisan committee to prepare and take another bill to Parliament but there was absolutely no response from

the politicians. While we are aware that until elections, no bills can be passed in Parliament, we do repeat our call for a bipartisan committee to be set up to craft another bill so as to eliminate “politicising and trivializing” and ensure that next time around the bill becomes law. We also urge that this new legislation makes provision for psychological assistance for suicide survivors. Surely this is something our politicians can agree on?

Sincerely, The Caribbean Voice

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Foundation

The 4 keys to unlocking a great school year for the whole family

By Robert Myers, PhD

I

t’s that time of year when school has started. Back to school is a great time to work together as a family to make the school routine go smoothly.

Families should take a moment to start the year off with some routines that can benefit the whole family.

In my book, <<<The Well-Balanced Family>>>, I cover four key elements that help create a supportive family environment. I also provide tips on how to reduce screen time. The four key elements are connectedness, open communication, fitness, and organisation.

In this article, I will provide suggestions that will get your school year off to a great start. Implementing these tips will also replace excessive screen time with more beneficial activities.

Organisation is essential to making family life run smoothly

I recommend regular family meetings as the best way to get and keep everyone on the same page. If you are not currently holding family meetings in your home, this is a great time to start. You can use the first meeting to discuss ideas about routines for school days covering mornings, afternoons, homework, and how to spend free time during the week and even on the weekends.

Once your family has agreed to some routines, you should set up a command centre in your home that helps everyone stay on track. A command centre is an area of your home where you post calendars, lists (chores, school assignments, etc) and schedules.

It could be a bulletin board in a central location, the

side of your refrigerator or whatever works for you.

You may want to have a routine list for each child, so they can check off each item as they complete them.

Another way to help keep everyone on schedule is to use coloured tabs to mark times on a wall clock. Place the tabs to indicate the time for homework, dinner, chores, free time, and bedtime.

To keep communication open, make sure everyone has input on the routines and the schedule

If there are second thoughts, suggest that you try it for a week or so and then have another family meeting to review and revise based on everyone’s input. Another way to promote open communication along with connectedness is to have set family

mealtimes where all family members are expected to be present. Use the time to let each member share how their day went.

Another way for the whole family to stay connected is to schedule family time. These usually are evenings where everyone gets together regularly to play games, watch a movie together, or engage in a hobby activity. I also suggest that parents try to spend at least 15 minutes a day in one-on-one time with each child. Reading together not only fosters connectedness, but open communication as well. Playtime is great for younger children while holding a conversation may work well with older children.

Children should also be encouraged to spend at least 30 minutes per day engaged in physical activity.

This might take place individually, with a parent or as

a group. When possible, encourage them to participate in the activity outside. This promotes fitness as well as a positive alternative to screen time. Research shows that most children are not getting enough exercise as well as exposure to sunlight, which results in problems related to both physical and mental health.

Setting firm bedtimes during the school week is extremely important

Many if not most children are not getting enough sleep, which not only negatively impacts health but academic achievement as well. Check with your child’s doctor for recommendations based on age. Also, important is to be sure bedrooms are free of any kind of digital device. Also, children and adults should not be exposed to any form of screen time for at least 30

minutes to one hour before bedtime.

Finally, I encourage you to decide on fun family time activities for at least two weeks out of the month.

These should encourage everyone to get out of the house. Physical activities such as a walk in the park, hiking, biking, or skating.

Make a trip to your local library to select some books.

Visit a museum; go on a picnic, go to a movie, play or concert together; volunteer together for a community project. By working together as a family on the four key elements, you can improve how you interact with each other. You will also find you are having more fun and enjoying family life while encouraging a healthier lifestyle for all members of the family.

(Adapted from childdevelopmentinfo.com)

Picture writing H ieroglyphics is the early writing system invented by the Ancient Egyptians more than 5000 years ago. The Shipwrecked Sailor by Tamara Bower is based on a real papyrus scroll of hieroglyphics that tells a tale of a voyage on the Red Sea to an enchanted land. Parts of the story are translated into hieroglyphics – pictures of people, animals, and everyday objects.

Have your child create an Egyptian scroll and write something in hieroglyphics (we provide the alphabet). It can be a proclamation, directions to find a hidden treasure, a sleepover invitation, or anything you like.

What you’ll need:

• Paper, adhesive tape for the scroll • Pencil or coloured pencils for writing the hieroglyphs First, your child will create his scroll. Measure the scroll using the Ancient Egyptian unit called a cubit. That’s the length of your child’s forearm.

So, a 3-cubit scroll might be three sheets of 8-1/2 x 11 paper taped together (overlap the paper a bit before taping).

Use the hieroglyphic alphabet provided. The Ancient Egyptians didn’t use vowels (A, E, I, O, U) as we do today, so the symbols here represent the closest sounds.

Left to right … or? Hieroglyphics can be written from top to bottom, or right to left, or left to right.

Confusing? Here’s the secret: If the animal or person is

facing left, you read from left to right (as we do in English).

But if the animal or person is facing right, you read from right to left.

Once your scroll is done, roll it up and tie it with a piece of twine (would the Egyptians have had fancy ribbon?) and present it!

More to think about

What if you invented your own pictorial alphabet? What would it look like? Create your own set of symbols to represent the letters A to Z and practise writing using your invented alphabet. How would someone be able to read your writing?

We learnt how to read hieroglyphics from the Rosetta Stone – a stone that had the same words inscribed in three languages: hieroglyphics, Greek, and another Egyptian language called Demotic.

Seeker of Knowledge: The Man Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphics by James Rumford tells the story of Jean-Francois Champollion, who – from the time he was a young boy – dreamed of becoming the first person to read hieroglyphics. ( startwithabook.org)

news

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SUnDAY, september 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Cracks on Canje Bridge worry commuters C

racks, which appeared in the Canje Bridge, are now opening and have become a traffic hazard. The concerned Regional Chairman said that it is not the responsibility of the regional administration but that of the Public Infrastructure Ministry to remedy the situation.

Several cracks along the bridge have been, for months, a major concern of vehicle operators travelling from Canje to New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The Canje Bridge is the only access linking the East Bank of Berbice and the Corentyne coast, it also links New Amsterdam on the Corentyne.

Several commuters and vehicle operators told this newspaper that the current state of the bridge is not only dangerous to the public but is causing damages to vehicles.

Drivers who operate public transportation services have also been appealing to authorities over the expenses to replace damaged tires.

In fact, Regional Chairman David Armogan said many of the operators have also complained to him about the situation.

“I have reported almost a year and a half to two years ago that the bridge is beginning to have some serious cracks on it. People who own vehicles have been complaining to us that it is destroying their tires - bending their tires. But they keep harbouring on street lights, forgetting about the bridge. I do not know why the Minister of Public Infrastructure does not pay some attention to the Canje Bridge because it will

vised programmes in Berbice said NDCs can have one hundred street lights installed for $300,000 and suggested that Neighborhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) raise the money from residents.

However, several NDC

Chairpersons told this publication that GPL has no knowledge of such an arrangement and each light will cost over $36,000. In addition to that, there will be an installation fee and they will have to pay for the rental of

each light.

Armogan noted that he too spoke with Heads of several NDCs in the region, advising them to take advantage of the offer as related by Minister Patterson.

GPL “smart meters” to be introduced next year …prepaid meters out of stock A section of the Canje Bridge, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne)

continue to damage vehicles and it seems as though they just don’t care,” Armogan told this publication.

Only recently the Public Infrastructure Minister announced that he had his engineers carry out an assessment of the Canje Bridge. He claimed that the engineers reported to him that nothing was wrong with the infrastructure.

Street lights

Meanwhile, the Chairman also expressed concern over street lights in the region.

In New Amsterdam, street lights which were in existence during the previous Administration were removed by the Public Infrastructure Ministry and replaced. Of the replacement, more than 50 per cent are currently out of order.

According to the Regional Chairman, the Public Infrastructure Minister should pay more attention to the street lighting in the re-

gion and more particularly those along the Canje Bridge.

“Every time the Minister of Public Infrastructure opens his mouth, he speaks about street lights. Now if you drive around in the night in the entire Berbice area, you will find that half of the lights that they have on the road are not working and that is what he should be talking about. He should be fixing those lights on the roads which are not working rather than boasting about how many lights his Ministry has installed because as of now, [in] many areas in Canje the lights are not working. Lights in many areas in Vryheid are not working. Along the entire Corentyne coast, the lights have not been working and on the Canje Bridge the lights have not been working.”

Minister Patterson had publicly stated that the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) will provide 100 lights to NDCs at a cost of $300 per light. The Minister on tele-

E

ven as the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) is yet to fulfil the demands of its customers in supplying prepaid meters, the company is forging ahead with bringing smart metring systems to Guyana early next year.

Since its introduction of the prepaid metring installation services, the GPL has had difficulties in meeting the demands of numerous customers, who request that these types of meters be installed at their homes instead of the postpaid meters.

According to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GPL, Albert Gordon, while the company is trying to correct this, it will also be introducing smart meters in Guyana next year “We are also moving to introduce AMI infrastructure which are smart meters which will allow customers to monitor their supply but also allow us to monitor your voltage and whether or not you are out so that will help us. Those meters will be able to provide both prepaid and

postpaid capabilities and we are in fact in the process of installing those. And we’ll get that system up and running sometime early next year so customers can benefit from that,” Gordon said.

He further explained that the company serves thousands of customers with both the prepaid and postpaid metring service and that the shortfalls in meeting the needs of some customers were because of the customers’ preferences.

“In terms of our customer base, over 200,000, we do offer postpaid and prepaid services. The prepaid services have become increasingly popular to the point where we are not keeping up enough with the increasing demand for meters so we are moving to address that”.

Additionally, GPL Board of Directors Chairman Rawle Lucas noted that the company is doing all it can to ensure that there are enough prepaid meters available countrywide.

“Getting meters has been a real challenge for custom-

ers. Prepaid meters, which apparently is the preferred choice, have been unavailable for long periods of time.

I can tell you that GPL management has received the support of the Board to take the necessary steps to bring that situation to a halt. GPL itself remains dis-satisfied with what is taking place and has been very proactive in trying to deal with the matter”.

Meanwhile, GPL Customer Services Director Rhonda Lafar noted that plans are apace by the company to ensure that enough prepaid meters are available for customers quite soon.

“We have already put systems in place to ensure a cycle of procurement to ensure that as soon as one batch of meters is here another order is already placed and that will be coming shortly. So that should help us as it relates to making sure we have a steady supply of prepaid meters to fulfil the requirements of our customers”.

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SUnDAY, september 15, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com

Another day... …another PNC ploy The PNC’s so predictable…if for no other reason, you can be sure they’ll never allow the PPP to “one-up” them in anything political. Of course, we’re embroiled in the rear-guard action they launched after the PPP pulled the rug out from under them with their successful NCM. If Guyanese weren’t pigmentally challenged, they would’ve been beet red after their taunt to the PPP to “bring it on!”

They haven’t been able to live with the fact that the PPP blind-sided them!

This proclivity to label regular political activities by the Opposition as “one upmanship” is demonstrated in even the most innocuous situations. Take the recent visit by the Opposition Leader and some members of the PPP to GECOM to ascertain the status of the elections preparations. There’s nothing untoward in this and in fact, the GECOM has always entertained such visits from its inception. In this case, the Opposition was merely seeking to clarify a press release by the GECOM Secretariat that elections wouldn’t be possible before March 2020.

After their meeting, the Opposition reported they were assured that GECOM was working assiduously to be ready to hold elections before yearend. Well, how dare the PPP say that!?! That would be one-upping the PNC, who see any date before their term of office would’ve officially expired in May 2020 as infra dig! So up comes Volda Lawrence, Chair of the PNC, with an APNU delegation to visit GECOM and issue their own statement.

Funny enough they couldn’t say anything different from what the PPP announced – that GECOM was trying for elections before yearend. It doesn’t appear that GECOM was speaking from both sides of its mouth. But to one-up the PPP, Basil Williams, who Volda had defeated for the PNC Chairmanship, took it upon himself to remind GECOM that even if they were to say they’d be ready before year end, the PNC had another arrow in their quiver to deal with that.

He pointed out they’d appealed Chief Justice George’s ruling that they couldn’t use the new H2H Registration list to strike off persons from the NRR. This appeal, of course, could go all the way to the CCJ! Not so subtly, Basil the Bully was reminding, especially the new GECOM Chair, that the PNC wasn’t to be one-upped. By now, you, dear Reader, would know that Williams’ gauche reminder was irrelevant. Even though he’s a caretaker President, Granger remains the only person who’s constitutionally mandated to declare an elections date! But he wants to have his cake and eat it too.

However, he should remember that there are unintended consequences and unattended causes that could bite them on their behinds. …another carpetbagger So, where does all of this obsession with oneupmanship leave us? Well, for one, to be robbed blind by all these carpetbaggers crawling out from the woodwork!

Now since, as I pointed out recently, our Finance Minister doesn’t seem familiar with the term since he took umbrage at the Opposition Leader so describing some Trini businessmen being courted by that business maven, Moses Nagamootoo.

The term “carpetbaggers” originated in the US following their Civil War, when businessmen from the victorious Northern states descended on the devastated Southern states to exploit the southerners in the chaos. Travelling with their bags made from cheap carpet materials, they were derided for their opportunistic, exploitative and mercenary tactics.

The question for Jordan is, in this neo-liberal world where Ann Rand’s philosophy of “greed is good” and “look out for number one” reigns supreme, is he vouching for all these businessmen descending like locusts on us?

Maybe he can ponder this other aphorism of Ann Rand: “We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality”. …another question After questions were posed to the CEO of SARA as to why he was a major participant in a meeting of Africans and Haitians, Tacuma Ogunseye revealed the fella was a “Pan Africanist”.

Philips, Ogunseye and now Retemeyer? What gives??

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

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SUnDAY, september 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Duty-free concessions to be handled non-politically – PPP promises

T

he current arrangement which enables the Finance Ministry to process duty-free concessions to stakeholders will be placed under the portfolio an autonomous body by a People’s Progressive Party Government.

This was announced by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo during a recent press conference, where he affirmed that the process will be conducted in a non-political manner. This is detailed in their manifesto, which will be released in full shortly to the public.

According to the Opposition Leader, the current procedure was practised prior to PPP’s victory at the 1992 elections. Upon assuming office, it was modified to allow the Guyana Office for Investment (GOInvest) or the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to carry out these functions.

“One promise is to go back to processing duty-free concessions in a non-political fashion. We had taken the politicians out. We said that the Ministry of Finance must not process duty-free concessions…In the early days, that’s how it was. The Minister had to sign. I did on a few and then we changed the system. We said if you apply, we are going to enshrine all your benefits in

law. You go to GOInvest – a technical body and GRA,” the Opposition Leader informed.

The party’s General Secretary explained that this system was put in place under their Administration to prevent Government Ministers from negotiating how much concessions a person is entitled to.

Jagdeo indicatOpposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo ed that the Finance geared towards improved Minister is presently given leverage to modify access, quality, affordabilithe reductions individually ty and preparing Guyanese – something that would be students at the Technical and Vocational Education eliminated.

“We didn’t want politi- and Training (TVET) and cians to be negotiating how Tertiary levels, so as to enmuch concessions you get. It sure that they secure betshould be rule-based. They ter-paying jobs in line with changed that and so now in the requirement of the econthe last budget, you can go omy.

Prominent among these to the Minister of Finance and you can say ‘you know, would be the delivery of free I don’t like this VAT here’ education at the University and he can say ‘alright, I’ll of Guyana (UG) and enreduce your VAT’. And the hanced access through the interest on penalty, he can use of Information and wipe that out too…This is Communications (ICT).

Previously, it was exto facilitate corruption,” he plained that fee universimaintained.

Apart from this, a num- ty education would not be ber of valid developments available initially but withhave been promised in the in two or three years as they party’s manifesto. The edu- work out the details of this cation sector under the PPP policy initiative. The party Administration is said to be had also announced plans to

give out 20,000 online scholarships, which will help with private education especially in courses that are not offered by UG. Meanwhile, as it relates to the power woes, the PPP has also committed to the resuscitation of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project would be among its top priorities for the energy sector.

“Our plan is resuming discussions on Amaila. Immediately, starting to move forward on that project but recognising that that project will take some time into the future because it will take about four to five years to be completed. You can wait on that to bring in power now – baseload,” Jagdeo had acknowledged.

To this end, the General Secretary said that the PPP Administration will move onto a gas power plant, which it believes could be done easily. However, while this will bring another 20 megawatts into the system, he stressed that it will not come into fruition until maybe 2021. As such, they will have to rely on fossil fuel initially to stabilise power supply in the country and bring an end to the constant blackouts.

10 news Fire razes Good Hope house, woodworking facility A SUnDAY, september 15, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com

woodworker and his family were awakened from their slumber on Saturday morning by a fire at their Good Hope, East Coast Demerara property, which completely destroyed their house and an adjacent furniture workshop.

According to information received, the fire started at Lot 243 Good Hope, at about 04:00h.

The family was asleep in the one-story house when they were roused by neighbours who shouted for them to inform them that the buildings were burning. At that time, the fire had already engulfed a large section of the building and the only plan was to usher everyone to safety.

When <<<Guyana Times>>> arrived at the scene, the entire structure was flattened by the inferno and the proprietor, Mohan “Pradeep” Jangbir, was devastated. He recalled that four other persons were at home – his wife, son, daughter and grandson, at the time of the tragic incident. After

flames. As such, he was unable to save pertinent documents or any valuables.

“The fire start till at the back of the building. Me could only save two bird that was inside the house and a speaker system. The fire already reach inside the house and after one big boom inside the house, the entire house

sets that was done and waiting to reach the store. The building alone is over $35M million and over $20 million in furniture what went in the bond…If was five minutes more that the man didn’t come and wake us up, we would still be in there because we didn’t know,” he explained.

Proprietor: Mohan Jangbir

hearing numerous calls in the morning hours, a whiff of smoke got his attention.

He then rushed outside and public-spirited neighbours informed that the house was afire.

“We didn’t know what happen. A neighbour come and call and wake we up. I smell smoke in the house. I hustle to open the door but when I go to put on the light, there was no light. When I open the door, a man said that the place on fire,” a distressed Jangbir relayed.

As his wife was rushing the children and grandson

A section of the building completely engulfed in flames

out of the burning premises, the man said he managed to move two vehicles, which would have been damaged in the blaze.

“I run to come by this door (the workshop) but me couldn’t go inside anymore because the place was done on fire. A pick-up was out here and I hurry push it down and then went to get the key for the canter because that was going to burn. My wife was trying to get the children

them out.”

The businessman believes that the flames started at the back of the two-sto- The aftermath showing the buildings completely flattened ry workshop and spread was on fire. We couldn’t save Meanwhile, his son, Alex rapidly as it progressed into any documents, nothing. Jangbir, said that he was the three-bedroom house.

Everything burn up. Them completely in shock. He conMinutes after, a deafenbeds outside was saved and tended that the compressors ing explosion caused the enthree rolls cloth,” he detailed. used in their trade could have tire house to be engulfed in All of the furniture, mate- escalated the pace at which rials and equipment that was the house burned, since it is stored in the facility were extremely flammable. Loud also destroyed, except for a crackling sounds and small few bedframes that stood explosions were heard as the outside. Jangbir explained fire ripped through the structhat he would produce fur- ture. niture at the workshop and This publication was inmarket them at his store in formed that the Guyana Fire Better Hope, ECD. He cur- Service arrived promptly at rently had about 20 persons the scene but the two buildinvolved in the trade, who ings were already engulfed. have now lost an income.

Nevertheless, an investigaTheir losses are esti- tion was launched to determated to be in the millions. mine the source of the fire.

However, the distraught “When they come, the man said he remains thank- house already burn down but ful to his neighbours for sav- from the time people called, ing their lives. they reach in like 15 or 20 “We had a bond there and minutes. Them reach fast.” that had furniture and chair (Rupa Seenaraine)

NEWS

NAREI overseeing nearly $100M in sea defence contracts

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SUnDAY, september 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

…as works commence along ECD, Essequibo Coast

I

n a bid to shore up sea defences along the coast, a contractor on behalf of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute’s (NAREI) Mangroves Department has commenced work along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) and in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

According to a statement from NAREI, they will be installing $95.7 million worth of groyne sea defence structures at Anna Regina (Region Two); as well as La Bonne Intention (LBI) and Beterverwagtning (BV), on the ECD. One contractor, Ideal Engineering Services Incorporated, has snagged both contracts. In the case of Anna Regina, NAREI revealed that the contract totalling $31.5 million was signed last month between the institute and the contractor.

Ideal will be installing 200 metres of geotextile (synthetic and permeable) tube groyne along the Anna Regina foreshore.

According to NAREI, the works are scheduled to be completed in February 2020. The defects liability period has been set for five months.

“The foundation of the geotubes shall be constructed by pumping sand along the foreshore 1 metre from ground surface at location designated for the proposed structure along with the fabrication and installation of bamboo rafter 21 feet wide and 700 feet long. The bamboo rafter shall be used as part of the foundation of the second tube,” NAREI explained.

“Four 50-metre geotextile tubes and four 52-metre geotextile scour aprons shall be placed at the foreshore of Anna Regina to Henrietta to form two 50-metre and one 100-metre groynes. The orientation of the groyne shall be 90 degrees to the Anna Regina foreshore followed by the filling of all tubes with sand and sealing of fill ports.”

Meanwhile, Ideal will also be constructing two 120-metre rubble mound groynes – one along the LBI foreshore and the other at BV. Both contracts, each valued at $32.1 million, were signed in August 2019.

“The contractor is expected to complete works in February

2020. The defects liability period is six months. The foundation of the rubble mound groynes shall be constructed by pumping sand along the foreshore 1 metre from ground surface at location designated for the proposed structure along with the fabrication and installation of bamboo rafter 21 feet wide and 400 feet long for each site. The bamboo rafter shall be used as part of the foundation of all groynes,” NAREI stated.

Groynes are direct barriers built perpendicular to the foreshore, which are intended to block the longshore drift. This, therefore, slows down the momentum of the wave before it reaches the shore.

“This structure will protect young and existing mangroves, aid in accretion of the foreshore, prevent overtopping which cause flooding in the community, while preserve and protect a unique ecosystem,” NAREI said.

Spring tides are a threat to sea defence structures and coastlines, as evidenced last month when spring tides caused serious damage to recently repaired structures at Prospect, Mahaicony. In fact, it was reported that emergency funding had to be sought to carry out the rehabilitation. That funding was subsequently approved.

Sea defence breaches also place crops in danger. This was highlighted in May when fears were expressed that breaches in sea defence at Mahaica would place over 25,000 acres of farmland in jeopardy.

Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal had expressed concern, saying that Government appeared not to be paying attention to his appeals despite the sea defence being breached at more than one point.

Ramphal had told Guyana Times the situation was deteriorating on a daily basis. He said that three months ago he visited the area and having made several observations he contacted the Civil Defence Commission (CDC); the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA); and the River and Sea Defence Board.

Stoking the fire

A

couple of years after the 1992 elections, I, along with Eusi Kwayana and several others, were nominated to the fledgling “Race Relations Committee” chaired by Bishop Randolph George. Invited to a 1995 panel discussion in Trinidad on “Violence and Youths in the Caribbean” chaired by Prof Errol Miller, I offered an analysis of the political situation in Guyana. I predicted ethnic violence would break out in a few years because the political system was ignoring the wellsprings of politics in the Guyanese milieu – ethnic entitlement. Two years later, it did and segued into the open warfare launched by the “African Freedom Fighters” based in Buxton.

I have consistently acknowledged my debt to Donald Horowitz for his socio-psychological theory of ethnic conflict which I had introduced into Guyana. This was succinctly encapsulated in his equation: GROUP COMPARISON + GROUP LEGITIMACY = THE POLITICS OF ENTITLEMENT. Meaning, that while in all societies groups will compare themselves with each other, in ethnically plural societies, this comparison process is especially invidious, especially if a former Ravi Dev “forward” group has been superseded by a putatively “backward” group. This is what was happening in Guyana, between the previously “backward” Indians and the previously “forward” Africans/Coloureds.

The former is blamed for the latter’s predicament and they become receptors of all the negative projections of the latter’s fears. After the universal franchise was introduced in 1953, this group comparison process was increasingly played out in the competition over which group would control the state under the new dispensation which proposed that, politically, Guyanese of all colour, race and creed were now “equal”.

Horowitz’ second factor – group legitimacy – now kicked in.

Some groups – here Africans and Coloureds – were convinced because of “prior arrival, slavery, earlier education, ‘greater suffering’, white bias cultural orthodoxy, civilising the landscape” etc, they had a greater legitimacy to inherit the state after the departure of the British. By this logic, the West Indies was an “African Nation” which should be ruled by Africans. While Indians might have been a majority/plurality in Guyana and Trinidad, the claim to greater legitimacy precipitated “the politics of entitlement”, which justified jettisoning the international norm of equality, if necessary, to satisfy its logic.

As George Lamming wrote in his foreword to Rodney’s “History of the Working Peoples in Guyana”, “This perception of the Indian as alien and a problem to be contained after the departure of the Imperial power, has been a major part of the thought and feeling of Black West Indians and a very stubborn conviction among the Black middle layers in Trinidad and Guyana.

Indian power, in politics or business, has been regarded as an example of an Indian strategy for conquest”.

But the conflicts created by the politics of entitlement do not lead ineluctably to ethnic violence. What then, were the factors that precipitated my 1995 prediction about the violence that broke out in 1998 Jan 12, and continued for a decade? The work by one Ted Gurr, who had written a seminal text, “Why Men Rebel”, helped and his thesis has become increasingly relevant to Guyana as the “politics of entitlement” now plays out once again. Gurr offered some salutary advice to scholars Guyanese politicians should take note: “Begin by examining the group identities and grievances of disadvantaged people, including the poor, underemployed urban youth, and members of ethnic, national, and religious minorities.

Understand the sources of people’s grievances by examining their status and their treatment by governments and by other groups. Listen to what people say, not just what others say about them.

Ask why group identities and disadvantages make their members susceptible to different kinds of political appeals and ideologies that justify protest or rebellion.

Analyse the motives and strategies of leaders who seek to build political movements among aggrieved people.

Study the motives and strategies of governments in dealing with disadvantaged groups. Are governments open to political participation by such groups? Do government policies increase or reduce the potential for disruptive conflict? Analyse the international pressures and constraints that influence the way governments respond to political action.

Consider how political action and government responses affect the groups involved. How much does a group gain or lose?

Do governmental policies restore public order or do they provoke further resistance?”

Sadly, the PNC-led Government has been tone-deaf to Gurr’s advice and once again, the cauldron boils as they insist on controlling the state by any means necessary.

12 news

SUnDAY, september 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Electricity woes

GPL finds loophole in power purchase licence ...can now buy power from private renewable energy sources

D

ays after admitting that it could not purchase power from the Giftland Mall or any other private company due to the restrictions in the existing licence, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has found a loophole that will allow it to proceed with buying power from those sources.

The company had recently stated that its existing licence would have to be amended before it could proceed along such a path.

However, on Friday, the Chairman of GPL’s Board of Directors, Rawle Lucas, announced that the company can move ahead with inking the deal with the Giftland Mall.

“GPL was facing legal and regulatory restraints, which had to be addressed, nevertheless, the Board agreed to work with GPL to deal

with its concerns as quickly as possible…and after dedicated efforts by Directors and Management of GPL, was able to find a pathway forward. I am particularly grateful to Directors Morsha Johnson and Dr Mahender Sharma for leading the process that has placed the entity in a position to eventually sign an agreement with Giftland,” Lucas said.

Purchasing power

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the power company, Albert Gordon on Friday stated that plans by GPL are already apace to ensure that the company will be in a position to purchase power supply from private generators. He noted that the legal framework to allow GPL to do this is presently under review.

“Going forward we are looking to install our own capacity but we are also looking to buy power where power is available, that includes private generators, and even people with rooftop PVs, policies to encourage people to invest in distributed generation. In fact, we have a programme where we will assist you and help you to source the financing to implement your rooftop PV systems but the current framework,

legal framework, does not provide for us to buy power from you, which we need to do to encourage you to invest more. So we are looking to address that.”

Gordon explained that for persons who would be selling power to GPL, they would be able to benefit from this in multiple ways while simultaneously helping the power company to provide efficient and quality service to its customers.

“We are going to be buying power from people who self-generate on the principle of avoided cost, meaning that you save us some cost in burning fuel, we will pay that over to you…Right now that is somewhere around nine cents or so. We think that will help you not just to supply some of your needs but you could earn some revenues selling power to GPL.” According to GPL’s CEO, this will be done as part of the company’s policy to help promote renewable energy usage in Guyana while meeting the demands that presently exist in relation to the company’s capacity levels.

Two weeks ago, after a shortfall of approximately 23 megawatts of power, GPL renewed its commitment to buy electricity from the Giftland Mall.

This announcement by the utility company came after Giftland Mall’s Chairman, Roy Beepat, slammed GPL for pussyfoot-

ing on finalising the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

In June Government’s Department of Public Information (DPI) had reported that GPL and Giftland Mall concluded an agreement for the supply of electricity and all that was needed was the ratification by the new GPL Board.

This development came after thousands of households and businesses were widely affected by constant service disruptions, owing to two damaged submarine cables – which resulted in a power deficit of more than 14 megawatts.

Independent Power Producer

Since 2016 Giftland Mall had offered to sell Government its excess electricity but this was rejected. At a press conference in June, GPL CEO Albert Gordon had explained that buying power from an Independent Power Producer (IPP) is a complicated issue which includes negotiating pricing and legal matters.

To this end, he noted that GPL had enlisted the help of the Public Infrastructure Ministry to iron out these issues.

Besides Giftland, there

were also some talks with Banks DIH to purchase power.

GPL announced on Thursday that the Board also authorised the utility company to commence inviting Expressions of Interest (EoI) from other potential power providers with immediately available generation capacity who may be interested in supplying electricity to the national grid.

While GPL is looking to increase the capacity on the interconnected grid with the purchase of fuel oil power from private firms, the company is also catering to have natural gas integrated into its system to produce electricity.

In fact, Gordon had mentioned that they were seeking an agreement for the purchase of power from the Hope Wind Farm project, which is expected to come on stream by next year, generating between 10 to 16 megawatts of power.

Amaila Falls

The parliamentary Opposition and other energy experts have argued that all these energy woes could have been avoided had the Amaila Falls Hydro Project (AFHP) that was initiated under the previous Administration been pursued by the new Government.

The AFHP would have assisted GPL in getting adequate electricity supply.

In fact, the Norway-funded project, when completed, would have provided 165 megawatts to the national grid, thus providing cheaper and more reliable power to citizens and businesses.

news

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SUnDAY, september 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Assault allegation against REO

Police awaiting advice from DPP – senior cop

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olice in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) have contacted the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice on the way forward with respect to allegations levelled against Regional Executive Officer (REO) Dennis Jaikarran following a report that he assaulted the Vice Chairperson.

The region’s Vice Chair, Nandranie Coonjah, had reported to the Police last week Tuesday that the REO hit her on the shoulder following an incident at the monthly Regional Democratic Council meeting in the regional boardroom.

According to a senior Police source close to the investigations, the file was dispatched to the office of the DPP and is expected to be returned soon “given the sensitive nature of the matter”.

The source further noted that only upon guidance and direction from the DPP can the Police take any form of action and that any charges to be laid could only be determined after the file is returned.

Meanwhile, efforts to contact Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan for a comment on the matter proved futile.

and “REO must respect women”.

However, the situation in front of the RDC escalated

when the REO confronted the protesters.

WCD, EBE communities without stable water supply again

Region Two Regional Executive Officer (REO) Dennis Jaikarran

On Wednesday, the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO), the women’s arm of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), along with a number of other persons joined in protest action condemning the alleged assault against Coonjah.

Reports are Coonjah had closed the main door to the RDC office when the REO and supporters of the A Partnership for National Unity left the boardroom.

According to the Regional Vice Chair, the REO and supporters of APNU left after disturbing the monthly statutory meeting by protesting and shouting slogans inside the boardroom.

However, the REO reportedly returned to the board-

Vice Chairperson Nandranie Coonjah

room “annoyed”, according to the Vice Chairperson.

Coonjah claimed that the REO accused her of slamming the door as he and the protesters exited.

She alleged that it was then that the REO hit her on the shoulder, in the presence of the Regional Chairman Davanand Ramdatt and other councillors.

On Wednesday, protesters outside the RDC office called for Jaikarran to respect women. The protesters also called for the Government to dismiss Jaikarran for his alleged actions. Among the slogans written on the protesters’ placards were “REO must go”, “REO must respect the RDC”, “REO must show respect for the people”, “Investigate the REO now”,

F

or the past two weeks, a number of villages along West Coast Demerara (WCD) and East Bank Essequibo (EBE) have been suffering from little to no supply of potable water – a constant issue which has not been rectified despite numerous verbal and written complaints.

Just last month, the villages along the WCD were faced with a shortage of water which took weeks to rectify.

Zeelugt Councillor Poorandai Sukhu told Guyana Times on Saturday that she received dozens of complaints throughout the past week about the lack of water in the villages. Later on Saturday, the water supply was restored for a few hours after which it was disconnected again. Some of the affected areas include Zeelugt and Tuschen.

“The water off for one week, it come on by the weekend and then cut off back

again. When the water shut off for many days, they (the residents) have to use water from the trench to do housework. Sometimes, the water is contaminated with dead animals so persons would have to use alternatives. If the water does come on after a few days, the pressure is very low,” the Councillor lamented.

The Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) of Tuschen – Uitvlugt had sent written complaints to the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) but when inquiries were made, they were reportedly told that there were no such reports.

“With all those complaints and written correspondence sent to GWI, they are now claiming that nobody reported to them that there is a shortage of water in the area,” the Councillor told this publication.

Last month, a similar situation was reported in other

villages, namely De Kinderen and Meten-Meer-Zorg.

Persons were forced to fetch water from long distances while some were forced to purchase water, while others had to do without.

The water supply was restored just over a week ago.

During that time, some villages on East Coast Demerara were facing water shortages as well. Those villages that were affected were Plaisance, Better Hope, Ogle and Goedverwagting.

In 2018, Sukhu had detailed the inconvenience faced by residents after they spent three weeks without potable water. She vented her frustration at the way GWI had handled the matter, as she explained that no interventions were made to fix this longterm issue. The only relief the community received was half barrel of water to fuel an entire household. This did not suffice for even a few hours.

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NEWS

SUnDAY, september 15, 2019| guyanatimesgy.com

Police nab several men with “Molotov cocktails” ...drugs, illegal motorcycles unearthed during raid in Linden W

“32 years and healing” – World Ozone Day

orld Ozone Day is finally here! Observed annually on September 16, it brings attention to the critical role of the ozone layer and actions taken to protect it. The theme for this year is “32 Years and Healing”, celebrating over three decades of remarkable international cooperation to protect the Ozone Layer and the climate under the Montreal Protocol. It reminds us that we must keep up the momentum to ensure healthy people and a healthy planet.

S

everal alleged arsonists were nabbed by the Police after ranks swooped down at the premises they had gathered in Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice), and discovered multiple homemade incendiary bombs called “Molotov cocktails”.

A number of other illegal items were also unearthed during the Police raid.

According to a senior

What is the Ozone Layer and where it is located?

The Ozone Layer or the Ozone Shield refers to a region of Earth’s stratosphere that shields us from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. It contains high concentrations of ozone (O3) relative to other parts of the atmosphere, although it is still very small relative to other gases in the stratosphere. The ozone layer is mainly found in the lower portion of the stratosphere, from approximately 20 to 30 kilometers above Earth, though the thickness varies seasonally and geographically. The ozone layer protects all life on earth from UV radiation which can cause severe damage to plants, animals, microbes and people.

Police source, most of the suspects are between the ages of 20 and 25, and had been wanted by the Police for recent crimes involving torching a motor vehicle and setting houses afire.

Reports are that the Police operation commenced at 06:00h on Thursday and lasted some six hours.

When ranks arrived at the location where the men had gathered, the Molotov cocktails, along with small amounts of illegal narcotics were in their possession.

The men were immediately arrested and taken into Police custody.

Meanwhile, two of the suspects were charged with illegal possession of motorcycles.

The motorcar that the men are believed to have torched belonged to ex-Policeman Teon Allen, also called “Spoil Child”, who Police had issued a wanted bulleting for on September 4.

The press release had announced that Allen was wanted in connection with attempted murder and some five days later after Allen turned himself into the Police, his vehicle was torched while parked at a location at One Mile Wismar, Linden.

It is alleged that the suspects arrested on Thursday are a part of a “gang”, while Allen belonged to another.

The torching of the vehicle is said to have been as a result of a turf war between the two gangs.

When contacted by Guyana Times on Saturday for an update on the matter, Commander of E Division (Linden-Kwakwani), Ramesh Ashram, was reluctant to comment on the issue.

He referred the publication to contact the Guyana Police Force’s Public Relations Officer for any information about the detention of the suspects.

Serious effects of ozone depletion Damage to human health - If the ozone layer is depleted, it means humans will be overly exposed to strong UV radiation.

Overexposure to strong UV light causes skin cancer, cataracts, sunburns, weakening of the immune system and quick aging.

Devastation to environment - Many crop species are vulnerable to strong UV light and overexposure may well lead to minimal growth, photosynthesis and flowering. Some of the crop species vulnerable to UV light include barley, wheat, corn, oats, rice, broccoli, tomatoes, and cauliflower, just to name a few. Forests equally bear the brunt of ozone depletion.

Threat to marine life - Certain marine life, especially planktons, are greatly impacted by exposure to strong ultraviolet rays. In the aquatic food chain, planktons appear high up. If planktons decrease in number due to ozone layer destruction, the marine food chain would be disrupted in many ways. Also, overexposure of sun rays could reduce the fortunes of fishers. On top of that, certain species of marine life have been greatly affected by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation at their early stage.

Effects on animals - In domesticated animals, too much Ultraviolet radiation could also lead to skin and eye cancer.

Impacts certain materials - Materials like plastics, wood, fabrics, rubber are massively degraded by too much ultraviolet radiation.

32 years and healing This year’s theme celebrates over three decades of remarkable international cooperation to protect the ozone layer and the climate under the Montreal Protocol. It reminds us that we must keep up the momentum to ensure healthy people and a healthy planet. The Montreal Protocol has led to the phase-out of 99 percent of ozonedepleting chemicals in refrigerators, air-conditioners and many other products.

At projected rates, Northern Hemisphere and mid-latitude ozone will heal completely by the 2030s. The Southern Hemisphere will follow in the 2050s and Polar Regions by 2060. Ozone layer protection efforts have also contributed to the fight against climate change by averting an estimated 135 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, from 1990 to 2010.

Solution to ozone depletion Desist from using pesticides - Pesticides are great chemicals to rid your farm of pests and weeds, but they contribute enormously to ozone layer depletion. The surefire solution to get rid of pests and weeds is to apply natural methods. Just weed your farm manually and use alternative ecofriendly chemicals to alleviate pests.

Discourage driving of private vehicles - The easiest technique to minimise ozone depletion is to limit the number of vehicles on the road. These vehicles emit a lot of greenhouse gases that eventually form smog, a catalyst in the depletion of ozone layer.

Utilise environmentally-friendly cleaning products - Most household cleaning products are loaded with harsh chemicals that find way to the atmosphere, eventually contributing to degradation of the ozone layer. Use natural and environmentallyfriendly cleaning products to arrest this situation.

Prohibit the use of harmful nitrous oxide - The Montreal Protocol, formed in 1989, helped a lot in the limitation of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). However, the Protocol never covered nitrous oxide, which is a known harmful chemical that can destroy the ozone layer. Nitrous oxide is still in use today. Governments must take action now and outlaw nitrous oxide use to reduce the rate of ozone depletion.

Let us continue to work and heal together!

References: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/globalwarming/ozone-depletion/ https://www.epa.gov/ozone-layer-protection/health-andenvironmental-effects-ozone-layer-depletion https://www.un.org/en/events/ozoneday/ https://ozone.unep.org/ozone-day/32-years-and-healing You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O ECEA Programme, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

news

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SUnDAY, september 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

No more tax exemptions for certain vehicles after November

I

Macroeconomic stability outlook 2020-2023 (part 2)

n the previous week’s article, it was contended that the Bank of Guyana (BoG) net foreign assets will continue to deplete to stabilise the international foreign reserve which in turn is the most important determinant of the macroeconomic stability framework. Today’s article extends on the last week’s analysis in which the author sought to highlight the assumptions which underpin the analyses and projections made herein.

See table below with projected forecast of anticipated losses in FX based on historic trends and analysis: Table (1)

Table (2)

Readers might recall that in a previous article, it was shown that Guyana has lost about US$3 billion in foreign exchange (FX) in four years from the traditional export commodities except for gold and other exports. This means that Guyana has lost an average US$750 million per annum over the last four years or approximately G$160 billion, which works out to about 17 per cent per annum. At the same time, the BoG net foreign assets or international reserve has been depleted over the years by an average of 6 per cent per annum in order to fund the continuously deteriorating balance of payment deficit to pay for the huge increases in the import bill.

In the above table, using the rate at which total imports increased for the first half of 2019 relative to the previous halfyear period in 2018, that increase was about 32%. These are the basic assumptions in the projections in the above table which gave rise to a negative net effect of US$324 million, in 2020 and -US$393 million by 2023. Bear in mind that total imports may well increase by more than 100% when Guyana starts to produce oil, thus, the assumptions used for these computations are nothing but conservative.

One can only hope, therefore, with cautious optimism, that with the foreign exchange earned from gold exports, which is not included in the projections for obvious reasons, may or may not be sufficient to offset the negative outturn that even oil revenues may not be able to achieve in terms of ensuring a sound level of net foreign assets by the Bank of Guyana to ensure a sound and stable macroeconomic environment.

Extending on the above analysis on an even broader spectrum, the second table shows that RBL, GBTI, & DBL increased their investment portfolio (Guyana Govt securities and investment in securities out of Guyana), by 112%, 47%, and 16% respectively, while their loan portfolios changed by 14.6%, -3% and 5% respectively.

Interestingly, of the total investment portfolio of these three institutions, more than 80% represents investments outside of the Guyana economy. These statistics therefore tell a damning story of the domestic economy to the extent that they validate the notion that there is limited lending opportunities in the Guyana economy, thus, triggering the banks to ramp up their foreign and domestic investments in government debt instruments, in order maintain the high level of profitability achieved by these institutions. Important to note, is that the level of profitability of the banks is not necessarily attributed from increased lending activities in the domestic economy, but largely through investments out of the economy.

This discussion and analysis shall be continued next week wherein the interpretation of these numbers will be further simplified.

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

A

fter November 30, 2019, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) will not be allowing tax exemptions on certain Toyota vehicles being registered in the G series.

The tax agency in a notice on Saturday said it decided to extend the July 1, 2019, deadline so that imported vehicles can be registered.

Previously, GRA halted the registration of the Toyota Noah (Model # ARZ60); Toyota Voxy (Model # ARZ60); Toyota Liteace (Model # KR52); Toyota Grand Hiace (Model # ACH); Toyota Alphard (Model # MNH); Toyota Regius (Model # RCH) and Nissan Serana (Model # TC) in the G series since it was found that the vehicles are not being used for the purpose intended.

Vehicles registered in the G series are intended to be used for the transportation of goods. They are not supposed to have seats to cater for passengers, however, it

was found that the owners of such vehicles are using them to accommodate passengers.

As a consequence, the agency said, “Importers are also advised that no extension will be granted beyond the November 30, 2019 deadline. After this date, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) will no longer be granting tax exemptions for these models of motor vehi-

cles to be registered in the ‘G’ Series”.

The tax exemptions of those vehicles in G were halted on July 1, 2019, but GRA said it has extended the timeline to November 30, 2019, to allow dealers to sell their vehicles which were im-

ported prior to June 30, 2019 deadline.

The tax collection agency said, “The public is reminded that this directive was issued because many owners of the said models of vehicles, though registered as goods (G) vehicles and thereby exempted from excise taxes, utilised the vehicles for purposes unrelated to the G registration category. The public is also reminded that persons breaching the requirements will be subjected to fines and penalties or be required to remit the duties previously exempted.”

16 news

SUnDAY, september 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyanese family from hurricane-ravaged Bahamas returns home today A

f i v e - m e m b e r Guyanese family is expected to return home today from the hurricane-ravaged Bahamas.

Director of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Kester Craig told this publication on Saturday that officials from the Social Protection and Public Health Ministries will be at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport to offer health assistance and care to the affected persons.

He was unable to say the ages of the family members but explained that other affected persons in The Bahamas have signalled their intent in coming to Guyana.

In some instances, he said the CDC in collaboration with the Government will be funding the tickets, while some persons, on the other hand, are able to handle their own expenses.

On September 1, appealed for internationHurricane Dorian, a al recovery aid and climate Category 5 hurricane, ripped change action. through the small Caribbean “I want to express my island with winds near 240 very deep appreciation kilometres per hour (150 for the very quick and efmiles per hour), the US fective response that the National Hurricane Center Government was able to mobilise and coordinate and for said.

While dozens have been the impressive support of so confirmed dead, over 1300 many entities in the international community expressing persons are still missing.

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres travelled to The Bahamas on Friday to show solidarity with the country’s people and Government in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.

He highlighted the impact on Small Island Developing United Nations Secretary General António States (SIDS) of Guterres during a joint press encounter with devastating cli- the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Hubert mate events and Minnis (The Nassau Guardian photo)

Bahamas coroner team carries a body out of The Mudd neighbourhood in the Marsh Harbour area of Abaco Island in The Bahamas in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian

[VOA photo]

their solidarity with the people of The Bahamas and in particular from other Caribbean islands, namely other islands that have been themselves, victims of similar situations in the past,” Guterres said during a joint press encounter with the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Hubert Minnis.

In some areas, more than three-quarters of all buildings have been destroyed. Hospitals are either in ruins, or overwhelmed.

Schools turned into rubble.

Thousands of people will continue to need help with food, water and shelter. Many more are facing an uncertain future after losing everything.

“In our new era of climate crisis, hurricanes and storms are turbo-charged. They

happen with greater intensity and frequency – a direct result of warmer oceans…

Without urgent action, climate disruption is only going to get worse. July 2019 was the hottest month ever. The period from 2015 to 2019 is on track to be the hottest five years since records began.

Every week brings news of climate-related devastation,” Guterres added.

The BBC reported that Dorian was the most powerful storm to hit The Bahamas since records began. It brought ferocious winds and massive amounts of water to both areas, which are in the north of the Bahamas archipelago. Grand Bahama, with a population of about 50,000, is only 100km (60 miles) east of West Palm Beach in Florida.

Even as the Government and people of The Bahamas

are left to pick up the pieces following Hurricane Dorian’s arrival and departure, another storm hit the island on Saturday.

Meanwhile, a Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) account has been set up here for persons to make contributions towards assisting persons in the Bahamas.

Persons desirous of contributing financial donations are asked to make those contributions to the account name: GBTI Hurricane Relief Fund - Bahamas with the account # 011802963011.

Bahamians are now facing severe health threats as they are trying to cope with the lack of access to toilets, clean water and medications.

The stagnant waters have paved the way for mosquitoes to breed, giving room for diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika.

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17

SUnDAY, september 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

MACORP launches new line of parts for Caterpillar machine

Some of the Yellowmark machine parts on display

T

he need for machinery parts that function effectively and considers its users’ budget has now been met by the Machinery Corporation of Guyana Limited (MACORP), as the company introduced its newest line of machinery parts specifically designed for the wide range of Caterpillar heavy-duty construction equipment in Guyana.

Yellowmark, the product line developed by the Caterpillar brand, is designed for small and medium-sized Caterpillar construction equipment and was made to be reliable, convenient and affordable for machine owners.

The new initiative was undertaken in line with the needs of customers, with regards to

the purchasing of the right repair and replacement parts for CAT machines.

This was divulged by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MACORP, Guillermo Escarraga at the launching ceremony held at the Pegasus Hotel on Friday evening.

“You have been telling us what you need, what you expect from the brand, what you expect from the dealer and we are telling [you] we have listened and we are proud to present the Yellowmark brand, this is an initiative which is a global Caterpillar initiative and we’re excited because Guyana is part of the global village,” he stated.

On this note, the CEO assured that the Yellowmark parts bring a number of bene-

fits to its users, including reliability, convenience and lower cost.

“Well, Caterpillar had answered the question, and is bringing to the market a brand that will fit exactly in those situations where you need to get the job done when you’re not thinking about durability but rather reliability…Well this is Yellowmark is a brand that will be very likely at a similar price, but you are going to get the assurance that these parts will do the work,” Escarraga pointed out.

New machine models and parts will be added to the brand regularly, as it now covers machines such as loaders, motor graders, excavators and tractors.

18

SUnDAY, september 15, 2019

guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World

T&T grants work permits to over 3000 Venezuelans

T

&T grants work permits to over 3,000 Venezuelans Acting Prime Minister Colm Imbert says 3,091 Venezuelans have so far received approval to work for one year in the twin-island republic, based on the amnesty implemented by the government.

Imbert, who made the disclosure in Parliament on Friday, said the just over 3,000 permits come from the 16,523 applications from Venezuelans for registration cards to legally work in the country In response to questions, Imbert said the entire system takes time as cards are processed on verification of identity and background checks conducted by the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).

“I’m told that 5,148 applications in total have been verified by the Venezuelan authorities and INTERPOL and local authorities and have been recommended for Ministerial approval. So far, I am advised that 3,091 cards have been processed and printed and the relevant applicants have been contacted to collect them,” Imbert said.

He also revealed that over 100 of the Venezuelans were found to have criminal records. “I have been advised that out of the total number that was registered, so far, 112 have been found to have criminal records ranging from robbery, larceny, drug trafficking, and homicides.”

He could not say whether those individuals were in Trinidad and Tobago or repatriated to Venezuela.

On May 31, the Government began a two-

Abqaiq is the site of Aramco’s largest oil processing plant

Acting Prime Minister Colm Imbert

week registration process as they sought to provide refuge to Venezuelans. The amnesty allows those without a criminal record to legally work in the country for one year. (CMC)

Osama bin Laden’s son killed in US raid – Trump Hamza bin Laden, a son of slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and himself a notable figure in the militant group, was killed in a US counterterrorism operation, President Donald Trump said on Saturday.

In a statement issued by the White House, Trump said the operation took place in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, but he offered no further details. “The loss of Hamza bin Ladin not only deprives al-Qa’ida of important leadership skills and the symbolic connection to his father, but undermines important operational activities of the group,” Trump said, using an alternative spelling for the group that carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

A US official told Reuters

Hamza had been killed months ago near the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Trump was briefed at the time on the operation.

The US Government believes Hamza, who is thought to have been about 30 years old, had succeeded his father as the head of what remains of al Qaeda, the official said.

Osama bin Laden was killed

by US forces in 2011.

Hamza was at his father’s side in Afghanistan before the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. He also spent time with his father in Pakistan after the USled invasion of Afghanistan pushed much of al Qaeda’s senior leadership there, according to the Brookings Institution.

The US State Department

Hamza bin Laden, a son of slain Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden

designated Hamza a global terrorist in 2017 after he called for acts of terrorism in Western capitals and threatened to take revenge against the United States for killing his father. (Reuters)

Malaysia Queen denounces arrest of online critics

Malaysia’s queen has briefly returned to Twitter to express disappointment at police arresting people for allegedly insulting her on social media.

The Raja Permaisuri Agong said she and the king had not asked the police to act and she was very upset at the news.

This followed Friday’s arrest

of an activist in the western city of Klang for allegedly posting insults.

The Raja Permaisuri Agong is thought to have first deleted her account on Wednesday.

It prompted thousands of Malaysians to urge her to reconsider and continue posting updates. The Raja Permaisuri

Drone strike hits Saudi oil production

Agong - full name Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Sultan Iskandar is the wife of Malaysia’s current head of state.

Malaysia has an unusual constitutional monarchy, where the top job rotates between nine hereditary state rulers every five years.

In a series of tweets that have now been deleted, the Raja Permaisuri Agong said she had originally left Twitter for personal reasons.

“I am truly upset that the police have detained those people. Through the years, my husband and I have never made any police report on bad things said about us,” she wrote, according to the Straits Times newspaper.

“It’s a free country,” she added.

She said she had reactivated

S

audi Arabia’s oil production has been severely disrupted by drone attacks on two major oil facilities run by stateowned company Aramco, reports say.

Sources quoted by Reuters and WSJ said the strikes had reduced production by five million barrels a day - nearly half the kingdom’s output.

The fires are now under control at both facilities, Saudi state media say.

A spokesman for the Houthi rebel group in Yemen said it had deployed 10 drones in the attacks.

The Saudis lead a Western-backed military coalition supporting Yemen’s government, while Iran backs the Houthi rebels.

The Houthi spokesman, Yahya Sarea, told al-Masirah TV, which is owned by the Houthi movement and is based in Beirut, that further

attacks could be expected in the future.

He said Saturday’s attack was one of the biggest operations the Houthi forces had undertaken inside Saudi Arabia and was carried out in “co-operation with the honourable people inside the kingdom”.

TV footage showed a huge blaze at Abqaiq, site of Aramco’s largest oil processing plant, while a second drone attack started fires in the Khurais oilfield.

Saudi officials have yet to comment on who they think is behind the attacks.

“At 04:00 (01:00 GMT), the industrial security teams of Aramco started dealing with fires at two of its facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais as a result of... drones,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

“The two fires have been controlled.”

There have been no de-

tails on the damage but AFP news agency quoted interior ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki as saying there were no casualties.

The US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, John Abizaid, condemned the drone attacks.

“These attacks against critical infrastructure endanger civilians, are unacceptable, and sooner or later will result in innocent lives being lost,” he said.

United Nations envoy Martin Griffiths described the attacks as “extremely worrying” in a statement in which he called on all parties in the Yemen conflict to exercise restraint.+ Abqaiq is about 60km (37 miles) south-west of Dhahran in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, while Khurais, some 200km further south-west, has the country’s second largest oilfield. (BBC)

New storm hits Bahamas 2 weeks after Hurricane Dorian

A

new storm has brought heavy rain to the Bahamas two weeks after Hurricane Dorian devastated the islands.

Tropical Depression Nine strengthened into Tropical Storm Humberto on Friday night, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.

It is now slowly moving north away from the Bahamas and is expected to steer clear of the US coastline.

Humberto is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane

by Sunday night or Monday morning, causing stormy seas.

Although the hurricane will not threaten land, it will bring dangerous swell, surf and rip tides to the south-eastern US coastline and the north-western Bahamas.

Rescuers fear that strong winds, heavy rain and flooding in the Bahamas could

hinder efforts to find people still missing after Hurricane Dorian.

Carl Smith, from the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency (Nema), told report-

gistics, Nema had contingency plans in place.

“I hope it does not disrupt it,” he said. “We have taken precautionary measures to address the potential impact that we may encounter.”

ers the storm could affect the ongoing search for missing people, as well as efforts to get essential supplies to Grand Bahama and Great Abaco – the worst hit islands.

But he said although the weather would slow down lo-

“Fuel and water remain the biggest needs in Abaco,” Mr Smith said.

About 1,300 people are missing after Dorian, while at least 15,000 are in need of shelter, food and medical care. (Excerpt from BBC News)

her Twitter account after hearing about the arrest because she was “angry and upset”.

“I myself told the Pihak Istana to inform the police to not take any action. I repeat again, I did not deactivate my account because of them,” she said.

“My husband and I have

never made police reports, and I have never been sad (when I read comments about me); instead I laugh because Allah knows who I am!” she added. Late on Friday evening Khalid Ismath, a member of the Parti Socialis Malaysia (PSM) party, was arrested for allegedly posting offensive messag-

es about the queen.

He was arrested under a 1948 sedition law - which has long been criticised by the political opposition and rights groups - and subsequently spent the night in a police station before being released on bail on Saturday.

(BBC)

sunDAY, September 15, 2019

19

Denly and Stokes build England’s chance for series-levelling win T

he urn is gone, but England gave themselves a terrific chance of levelling the series - in what would be the first drawn Ashes since 1972 - following a day of steady accumulation under the autumn

127 stand between Denly and Stokes, then supplemented by more runs from Jos Buttler.

Australia’s attack r e m a i n e d wholehearted, and took six wickets during the final session, but the overall demeanor was of a weary group who had peaked with the Joe Denly salutes the crowd after falling for 94

Jos Buttler’s cameo lifted England past the 300 mark

sunshine; led by Joe Denly, who fell six runs short of a maiden Test century, and Ben Stokes, who ensured he will finish as the team’s leading scorer.

By the close, England led by 382, anchored around the

emotional high of last week in Manchester.

Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood kept pounding away, yet had 1 for 112 to show for it, and Nathan Lyon battled against uncertain form and a painful

spinning finger to finish with 3 for 65; but there wasn’t a matchturning spell. The ‘verbals’ went up a level as well, with the umpires briefly stepping in during the morning session.

It was Denly, who did much to ensure England didn’t relinquish the good work of the second day, which secured a 69-run lead, and was within touching distance of a century when he was squared up by some late swing from Peter Siddle and edged to slip. Whether three figures would have helped the Denlys come up with a name for their newborn daughter, who arrived yesterday, we’ll never know.

He made Australia pay for dropping him before scoring on the second evening, the chance to Marcus Harris leaving the opener needing seven stitches in split webbing and being unable to field. The rest of the innings wasn’t without alarm: he would have been lbw on 54 if Australia had reviewed an appeal from Mitchell Marsh, and he was struck a fierce blow from Cummins which broke his box; but, overall, it was the most assured Denly had looked at Test level.

Whatever the future holds for him, he has shown considerable mental strength to take on the opening role in these last two Tests.

His early aggression against Lyon helped set the tone for England, as he skipped down the pitch and lofted a straight six. The shot took the opening stand to 37, which marked a new high point for opening pairs

Roglic all but seals Vuelta title ꟷ as Pogacar claims stunning stage win

P

rimoz Roglic effectively clinched the 2019 Vuelta a Espana overall title as Tadej Pogacar made a late break to take victory on the race’s penultimate stage.

Despite a crash on stage 19, Roglic went into the 20th section of the race with a lead of two minutes and 50 seconds, and on the brink of a first Grand Tour crown. A 190.4-kilometre ride from Arenas de San Pedro to Plataforma de Gredos, featuring six climbs, was always set to provide a testing final challenge to the Jumbo-Visma rider.

However, he came through it with little difficulty, finishing in fifth, one minute and 41 seconds behind Pogacar.

Roglic leads the general classification by two minutes and 33 seconds going into the processional final stage on Sunday, which will end with a sprint finish to Madrid.

There was no celebration from the Slovenian as he crossed the line at the top of the Plataforma de Gredos, where compatriot Pogacar preceded him, the 20-year-old reaping the rewards of an incredible individual performance.

Pogacar had already won on stages eight and

Primoz Roglic crossed the line fifth to preserve his lead going into tomorrow’s processional final stage

13, and the UAE Team Emirates man became only the second rider to win three stages in a Grand Tour race before turning 21, following in the footsteps of team manager Giuseppe Saronni, who achieved the same feat at the 1978 Giro d’Italia.

He attacked 4.5km from the summit, and nobody had the legs to go with him, his display providing a clear sign he has what it takes to replicate Roglic, who will be able to bask in the glory of his victory on Sunday’s leisurely route to the capital. (Sportsmax)

this English season in what have been tough conditions.

Denly and Rory Burns carried their partnership to 53 before Burns toe-ended a cut against Lyon to end his series with an impressive tally of 390 runs.

Joe Root played positively before a tired push forward at Lyon resulted in an outside edge to slip from a ball that didn’t turn. Such has been the frailties of England’s batting that it couldn’t be ruled out that they would squander their position; but what followed was one of the more positive stands they have produced this series.

Stokes offered a tough chance to Steven Smith at slip on 7, when he cut Lyon before becoming increasingly positive against the off-spinner, including a flat six to deep square leg which brought up his fifty from 89 balls, although he would have been out on 52 had Matthew Wade hit direct from mid-on.

Stokes looked in the mood to race Denly towards three figures when he drove Siddle for a brace of boundaries, but Lyon then ripped one which would have provided as much encouragement for Jack Leach as it did Australia.

Though Denly fell three overs later, this time Australia did not look like a team who believed

SCOREBOARD England 2nd Innings RJ Burns c †Paine b Lyon JL Denly c Smith b Siddle JE Root (c) c Smith b Lyon BA Stokes b Lyon JM Bairstow † c Smith b Marsh JC Buttler c Labuschagne b Siddle SM Curran c †Paine b Cummins CR Woakes c Smith b Marsh JC Archer not out MJ Leach not out

Extras 19 (b 7, lb 11, nb 1) TOTAL 313/8 (91 Overs, RR: 3.43) Yet to bat: SCJ Broad

20 94 21 67 14 47 17 6 3 5

they could run through the rest of England’s batting. In a rare position of relative freedom, with the lead approaching 300, the middle order was keen to play their shots. Jonny Bairstow edged Marsh to slip to finish with a series return of 214 runs that should at least bring a debate around his position, but Buttler played with confidence on the back of his crucial firstinnings runs. However, there was another missed review against Tim Paine’s name when he didn’t ask for an lbw against Buttler on 19, when he played back to Lyon; though, again, the on-field umpiring did not go Australia’s way.

Cummins took the second

Fall of wickets: 1-54 (Rory Burns, 16.3 ov), 2-87 (Joe Root, 27.2 ov), 3-214 (Ben Stokes, 63.6 ov), 4-222 (Joe Denly, 66.6 ov), 5-249 (Jonny Bairstow, 72.3 ov), 6-279 (Sam Curran, 80.4 ov), 7-305 (Chris Woakes, 86.6 ov), 8-305 (Jos Buttler, 87.1 ov) BOWLING O M R W PJ Cummins 19 4 55 1 JR Hazlewood 19 5 57 0 NM Lyon 22 4 65 3 PM Siddle 13 4 52 2 MR Marsh 11 1 40 2 M Labuschagne 7 1 26 0

new ball, and had Sam Curran caught down the leg side, but the tanks were nearly empty.

However, in a match where Australia have missed chances, they were able to pull off two fantastic catches late in the day.

Smith, who will carry Australia’s batting hopes, pulled off a stunner at second slip, diving to his right to remove Chris Woakes; then, next ball, Marnus Labuschagne claimed something equally good, running in from deep square to grab Buttler’s top edge.

Fielding can often be a window into a team’s mindset, and if they’ve saved their best for last, who knows what the chase will bring? (Cricinfo)

20

guyanatimesGY.com

sunDAY, september 15, 2019

Records tumble as Trinbago Knight Riders smash SCOREBOARD 267 to beat Jamaica Tallawahs T

rinbago Knight Riders have blasted the highest-ever Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) total -- the third time that record has been broken this season -- in thrashing the Jamaica Tallawahs by 41 runs at Sabina Park to return to the top of the table.

Colin Munro, a hero of the TKR’s success last season, celebrated his return to the side with an unbeaten 96, while Lendl Simmons smashed 86 and Kieron Pollard 45 not out, as fours and sixes flew all around the ground and the Tallawahs paid a heavy price for an error-strewn display.

The Tallawahs attacked the chase bravely, with big-hitting pair Chris Gayle and Glenn Phillips exploding from the blocks.

There was no other way for the Tallawahs to go, but their progress was checked in the eighth over by a double strike from Mohammad Hasnain, who bowled Gayle for 39 from 24 and then had Chadwick Walton caught behind from a topedged pull.

Things got tougher still when Rovman Powell had to retire hurt with what appeared to be an abdominal injury, after smashing his second ball over midwicket for six. He had been in discomfort when bowling, and didn’t return to the middle.

With Andre Russell also sidelined after being hit on the head in the match against St Lucia Zouks, the sight of Powell in such obvious pain will be a worry for the Tallawahs, who have three more home games to come over the next week.

Phillips went through to his 50 from just 22 balls, having been dropped twice when on 37, but his luck ran out on 62 when he miscued Pollard to deep midwicket, where Munro made no mistake.

Even with the Tallawahs scoring as freely as they were, the required rate had skyrocketed to 17 an over, and while boundaries continued to come for the likes of Ramaal Lewis (37* off 15) and Javelle Glen (34* off 24), so too did wickets, as the chase fell away – if indeed a T20 innings can fall away to a total of 226/5.

It will not be the batting that disappoints the Tallawahs when they come to analyse this defeat, though. No-balls and dropped catches cost the Tallawahs dearly, with the tone set in the Power Play when Simmons was caught at mid-on off a no-ball.

The Knight Riders racked up 65/1 in those six overs, and accelerated from there when Simmons pulled the second ball of the night behind square-leg for a boundary, before a high wide beat everyone to add five more to the total.

It got worse for the home side, with Jerome Taylor taking 17 balls to complete his first two overs, which included three wides and two noballs. Both no-balls proved costly: the free hit after the first no-ball was heaved for four by Simmons; but, even more importantly, he would have been dismissed had Taylor not overstepped a second time. Simmons chipped the ball to mid-on and starting Lendl Simmons pulling a to walk off before ball down to the boundary

the umpire’s call saved him.

In between those two overs, Sunil Narine smacked Green for four and six in successive balls. Three fours – two of them admittedly off thick outside edges – in Oshane Thomas’s first over sent the score racing past 50 without a wicket being lost.

Zahir Khan finally made the breakthrough when he spun one back to Narine and beat his attempted sweep.

Any thoughts the Tallawahs had entertained of regaining some control after that wicket were soon forgotten as Munro, 2018 Hero CPL leading run-scorer, strode to the middle for his first bat of the season. His first ball was cut hard for four, and his third was reverse-swept all the way for a Hero maximum.

Simmons was dropped in the deep twice in the 10th over, while also picking up his second Hero maximum of the night, as TKR took advantage of their hosts’ generosity to reach 96/1 at halfway.

A cut for two took Simmons through to 50 from 32 balls in the 12th over, and thereafter the Knight Riders’ innings truly went stratospheric, as 154 runs came from the last eight overs.

In the 13th over, Powell’s last, 23 runs were scored. Munro smoked two sixes over the leg side, and Simmons added another with a wristy whip of a shot that screeched hard, low and flat back over the bowler’s head to clear the rope.

It was the same story in the next over, as three more sixes rained down on Sabina Park. Munro reverse-swept Zahir for successive sixes as he cruised past 50, before Simmons almost took out a cameraman with the third Hero maximum of the over.

The Tallawahs finally saw the back of Simmons in the 15th, but not before another 20 runs were added to the increasingly daunting total.

There was an element of farce to the wicket when it came.

Simmons was caught in the deep off a free hit after yet another no-ball, and Derval Green began celebrating the catch before realizing it was a free hit and arrowed a throw in to the bowler’s end to run Simmons out as he attempted a third. Simmons totalled 86 from 42, with eight fours and five Hero maximums.

Again the wicket did nothing to change the momentum of the innings, as Pollard walked in and picked up from where Simmons had left off.

Munro hit Green for back-to-back sixes, as a hundred started to look a real possibility, but it was Taylor’s final over – the 18th of the innings – that ensured the record books would be rewritten.

Two more no-balls didn’t help the bowler’s cause one bit, as 30 runs came in all. Remarkably, it would have been even worse had Lewis not produced a heroic piece of fielding in the deep, leaping high and flicking back into play a ball that seemed certain to go for six.

There was still time for four more fours and another six, as the partnership finished unbeaten on 88 in just 5.2 overs. Slight disappointment for the Knight Riders was Munro selflessly giving up the strike in the final over and finishing just four runs short of a century. (Excerpt from CPLT20.com)

Trinbago Knight Riders Innings (20 overs maximum) LMP Simmons run out (Glen/ Thomas) 86 SP Narine b Zahir Khan 20 C Munro not out 96 KA Pollard (c) not out 45 Extras 20 (lb 1, nb 7, w 12) TOTAL 267/2 (20 Overs, RR: 13.35) Did not bat: D Ramdin †, JDS Neesham, JPR ScantleburySearles, S Prasanna, K Pierre, Mohammad Hasnain, Ali Khan Fall of wickets: 1-55 (Sunil Narine, 5.2 ov), 2-179 (Lendl Simmons, 14.4 ov) BOWLING O M R W DC Green 4 0 51 0 JE Taylor 4 0 55 0 O Thomas 4 0 63 0 Zahir Khan 3 0 42 1 R Powell 4 0 46 0 RA Lewis 1 0 9 0 Jamaica Tallawahs Innings (target: 268 runs from 20 overs) CH Gayle (c) b Mohammad Hasnain

39 GD Phillips † c Munro b Pollard 62 CAK Walton c †Ramdin b Mohammad Hasnain 6 R Powell retired hurt 6 GH Worker c Ali Khan b Neesham 18 J Glen not out 34 DC Green b Narine 15 RA Lewis not out 37 Extras 9 (b 1, lb 3, w 5) TOTAL 226/5 (20 Overs, RR: 11.3) Did not bat: JE Taylor, Zahir Khan, O Thomas Fall of wickets: 1-88 (Chris Gayle, 7.2 ov), 2-96 (Chadwick Walton, 7.6 ov), 2-102* (Rovman Powell, retired not out ), 3-126 (Glenn Phillips, 11.2 ov), 4-136 (George Worker, 12.3 ov), 5-163 (Derval Green, 15.2 ov) BOWLING O M R W Ali Khan 4 0 41 0 Mohammad Hasnain 4 0 51 2 SP Narine 4 0 47 1 JDS Neesham 4 0 44 1 K Pierre 2 0 26 0 KA Pollard 2 0 13 1

Colin Munro frustrated the Tallawahs’ bowling lineup

Windies Women, Aussies set to clash in T20Is C ricket West Indies (CWI) Interim Selection Panel has named an unchanged 13-member West Indies Women squad to face Australia Women in three Twenty 20 Internationals at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

The games are slated for Saturday September 14, Monday September 16, and Wednesday September 18 at Kensington Oval at 7:00pm each match day, and the team consists of the same thirteen players who were selected for the third Colonial Medical Insurance One Day International versus Australia Women in Antigua on September 11. The team will be captained by Stafanie Taylor.

Young debutants Shabika Gajnabi and Sheneta Grimmond impressed selectors and spectators alike with their fearless approach to the Aussies. The pair posted one of the highest

West Indies Women’s run partnerships: 59 in the ODI Series.

The athletic Britney Cooper, replacement for Kycia Knight who suffered a lower back injury in the first match, made an instant impact during the team’s fielding in the third match.

Tickets are available for online purchase via the Buy Tickets button on www.windiescricket.com and at the local box office at the Kensington Oval. Tickets cost just US$5.00/ Bds$10.00.

FULL SQUAD: Stafanie Taylor (Captain), Anisa Mohammed, Afy Fletcher, Chinelle Henry, Shamilia Connell, Stacy Ann King, Natasha McLean, Britney Cooper, Kyshona Knight, Reniece Boyce, Karishma Ramharack, Shabika Gajnabi and Sheneta Grimmond. (Excerpted from CWI)

sunday, september 15, 2019

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21

Warriors assist teen in battle against cancer

I

n her battle for survival, 14-year-old Shaniece Nahoe who has been diagnosed with a cancerous facial tumour has been given assistance by the Guyana Amazon Warriors team.

While in the twin-island CARICOM state of St Kitts and Nevis, preparing for their clash against the SKN Patriots in Basseterre in this year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the Warriors learnt of the Washington Archibald High

School student’s situation, and immediately pooled their financial resources to make a donation to her relatives.

Nahoe was born in Guyana, but is currently with her mother Shelly Jailall at the University of the West Indies Hospital in Jamaica, while her father and two younger siblings remain in St Kitts, praying for her speedy recovery.

The form two student is, however, far from full re-

covery, having just recently undergone her first chemotherapy session. The next session is set for the end of September, and once the tumor begins to shrink, radiation treatment will begin.

Receiving the GAW donation, Nahoe’s father, who also was born in Guyana, thanked the Guyana Amazon Warriors for their support, and wished the team well in their quest for a maiden CPL title. (John Ramsingh story)

More lucrative prizes up for grabs in PM T20 Cup 3

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The Regal Masters squad

T

he Prime Minister’s T20 Softball Cup was a hugely successful tournament last year, but this year’s staging -- the PM T20 Cup 3 -- is slated to be an even bigger success as more lucrative prizes would be up for the taking.

Set to get underway from November 1-3 at various grounds across Georgetown, the PM T20 Softball Cup will, for the first time, have a category for over-50 participants.

The tournament will also be contested in the All Stars and Over-45 categories. First prize for the Legends Over-50 is $300,000, while runners-up will receive $50,000. The man of the match in the finals will receive $10,000 and a trophy, and the man of series will receive one gold bracelet.

In the Masters Over-45 category, the winner will pocket $500,000 and the runner-up $100,000. The ‘man of the match’ in the finale will receive $10,000 and a trophy, while the ‘man of the series’ will walk away with a brand new 55” Smart Tv. In the All Stars category (open to all ages), the winner will pocket a handsome $500,000, the runner-up $100,000, ‘man-of-the-match’ in the finals $10,000 and a trophy, while the man of the series will receive a Hero Honda

motorcycle.

In Legends-over 50 category, teams participating are Regal Legends, Savage Legends, President XI, New York Hustlers, Marine Masters, Orlando Legends, and Ontario Masters Softball Cricket Club. The Masters Over45 will also feature Regal Masters, Wellman Masters, HS Masters, Fisherman Masters, NYSCL Masters, and SVC Masters.

The All Stars category will see teams such as Regal All-Stars, Speedboat XI, Farm XI, Corriverton Spartan, Cotton Field Wild Oates, Bartica Rangers and SVC All Stars.

Fans will have opportunity in the finale to witness some of the most modern equipment and forms of entertainment being brought to the game, including lighted bails and cheerleaders.

Among the sponsors of this year’s tournament are Banks DIH; Regal Stationery and Computer Centre; Crown Mining; Rajiv Gandhi University; Green Heart University; Star Party Rentals; Supreme Ventures; Elegance Jewellery; Cyber Sports Pakistan; Ink Plus; the Computer Store; Dyna’s Embroidery; USA Cricket Zone; Krishna and Balram Printery; and Hero Motorcycle - Rose Ramdehol Auto Sales.

St Leger at Doncaster…

Logician wins showpiece Group One race

L

ogician maintained his unbeaten record to win the prestigious St Leger at Doncaster and give jockey Frankie Dettori his sixth win in the Group One race.

The 5-6 favourite won by four lengths to give trainer John Gosden his fifth success at the meeting.

Sir Ron Priestley, ridden by 49-year-old Franny Norton, finished second, with 40-1 shot Nayef Road in third.

The mile-and-six-furlongs’ race was Logician’s fifth win in succession.

“He’s amazing. He’s the favourite. There are 30,000 people here, and he delivered. It’s great for the sport,” Dettori told ITV Racing.

“He’s not short on speed. He’s only run

five times, and it’s a good horse to have, with plenty to come,” Dettori declared.

Trainer Aidan O’Brien, who had three horses in the field, was aiming for a third win in three years, but his best place was Sir Dragonet in fourth.

Dettori’s five previous wins in the showpiece race came in 1995, 1996, 2005, 2006 and 2008.

Elsewhere, jockey Ryan Moore landed a treble with a win on 11-10 favourite Magical in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.

O’Brien managed a 1-2-3, with Magic Wand and Anthony Van Dyck finishing in second and third respectively. (BBC.COM)

Rising Stars, UG Trojans in tournament

By Timothy Jaikarran

A

t this time of the year, many top teams from Guyana and Suriname will again compete in the Cyril Bonar Memorial T/20 Cricket Competition, the second edition of which will be held at the DR Snelle Park in Paramaribo Suriname in late September.

The matches will be staged on Friday September 27, Saturday September 28, and Monday September 30 from 09:30h to 19:00h daily, and attendance is without charge to the public.

Among the teams participating in this tournament are defending champions Spartan CC out of Suriname, and the UG Trojans, Guyana Eagles CC, Satro CC, and Rising Stars CC all out of Guyana.

Runners-up team of last year’s tournament, the UG Trojans, will be seeking to defy the odds and defeat the S p a r ta n s , who had denied UG the shot at the title.

With a fresh squad and new faces under the leadership of Head Coach Kenroy Joseph, the Trojans will be looking to dominate all teams with their lineup of top players.

The Rising Stars Cricket Club of the West Side (West Demerara) are participating in

this tournament for the first time; and President of that club, Elroy Fernandes, has said, “We are currently preparing for the trip, and trying to get everything in place. You know, we have been invited to the tournament in Suriname because of how successful we have been in our cricket matches around Guyana, defeating some of the top teams. So they heard of the Rising Stars and they sent us a written invitation, and thus we are preparing to leave (for Suriname) and do our best and hope to defeat the top teams.

“We have a disciplined club, and it is my desire to win the competition and see our club recognised, and even provide opportunities for us to play in countries such as Trinidad etc.”

Fernandes has declared his intention is that, through recognition, players can play cricket at a higher level and provide for their families.

His fervent desire, he said, is that while still in its developmental process, the club would b e able to upgrade its pitch to First Division standard, a n d continue its off-the-field work by investing in the lives of its players.

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SUnDAY, september 15, 2019

Hemraj focused on taking Warriors to the finals ꟷ aims to lift CPL trophy

By Timothy Jaikarran

A

t commencement of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2019 tournament, every fan of the Guyana Amazon Warriors was ecstatic at the news that Chandrapaul Hemraj

would be representing the Warriors franchise.

The local boy had, in previous statements made to this publication, noted that he was working hard on his fitness, and was aiming to take the Warriors into the finals.

This opening batsman’s hard work is now bearing the fruit of success, which he is reaping at the top of the order; and his entire attitude towards the game has been drastically improved, compared to his posture of 2018.

He has thus far shown class, defense and aggression when needed, to keep the Warriors ticking; and after the three rounds of home matches, has been able to surpass his high score of 37 with a brilliant 63 against the Barbados Tridents at the Providence Stadium.

In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sport, Hemraj was asked about his performance thus far, and his response was, “I’m happy for the start so far with the bat; but, more importantly, helping the team win games is something I want to be consistent about. You know, the atmosphere was really electrifying, and I must thank the crowd for the support. The team has been jelling really well, and it makes it all easier when you’re winning.

“We’re focusing on one game at a time, and not thinking too far ahead; but with the runs I have been making, all my mind is focused on at the moment is

taking the Warriors to the finals and lifting the (Championship) Trophy. I am still putting in the work in the nets and gym (and) getting feedbacks from my coaches and senior players. (I am) just trying to keep it as simple as possible.”

Hemraj will be looking to make the best of his opportunities for the Warriors. Emerging as one of the top players for CPL 2019 would skyrocket his career and earn him the chance to be recalled to the West Indies team and become one of the most-sought-after batsmen in foreign leagues.

He has also proven himself with his part-time offspin, as this left-arm spinner was able to remove the big wicket of Alex Hales in the GAW match against the Barbados Pride at the National Stadium at Providence on September 9th.

Whatever challenge lies ahead, Hemraj is determined to exceed his present limitations and go the extra mile to ensure victory for his beloved Warriors team.

He has said, “I just want to be the best version of myself. I must thank my wife, my parents and family for the constant support. I won’t have been here without them.”

Chandrapaul Hemraj

Triskit Biscuits 11-Stage Race…

Briton John cruises to victory T

By Brandon Corlette

Hemraj celebrates the wicket of Alex Hales

he cycling event held yesterday at the National Park under sponsorship of Banks DIH Limited through its Triskit Biscuits, Midwest Cookies and Tea

Biscuits brand was a huge success.

Briton John easily completed the 35-lap event in one hour 18 minutes and one second to emerge winner.

Team Evolution’s Christopher Griffith, who rode in second position, was followed by Deeraj Gharbaran in third position, the Veteran Alex Mendes in fourth position, Adealie Hodge in fifth, and Curtis ‘Chappy’ Dey in sixth.

Briton John got away from the pack at the second lap of the race to set the tone early. He controlled the race, while Griffith and Gharbaran tagged along, enjoying a half-lap lead over the pack, which included Dey, Paul DeNobrega and Mendes.

Jamaul John and Michael Anthony had their own battle at the tail of the race, but they recovered well to close in on the lead bunch.

Andre ‘Padlock’ Green and Junior Niles were among those who fell victim to mechanical issues and could not finish the race.

Gharbaran kept the intensity high during the race, and copped five sprint prizes while his United We

Stand team mate Briton John copped three sprint prizes.

In the other categories of the race, the BMX Boys 9-12 two-lap event was won

by Jason Ryan, while the 5-lap Veterans Over-50 category was dominated by Ian Jackson, with Andrew Spencer coming in second position and Kennard Lovell in third.

Junior Niles won the Under-50 5-lap race in a time of 11 minutes and 59 seconds, grabbing two sprint prizes in the process.

Sherwin Sampson won the Juveniles 10-lap race by defeating Mark Lewis in a time of 16 minutes and 39 seconds. Sampson also won three sprint prizes along the way, while the BMX boys 6-9 years’ categories saw Jose Rodrigues defying all odds to emerge victorious. Lennox Jackman rode in second and William Green came in third.

Uttamkumar Isuradeen also compete in the event, and won a special prize.

After the race, Senior category winner Briton John was delighted with his win. “After two laps I made my move. I just wanted to test the field, and I kept on going and it worked for

The outstanding cyclists and the new GCF officials

me”, he disclosed. He added that this was an easy race for him, since he had a long rest and was in full preparation mode.

With cycling returning to Berbice today, Sunday September 15, John has said he is looking to continue his good form and win another race in Berbice.

In the 2018 event, Walter Grant-Stuart had won in one hour 17 minutes in the same 35-lap event at the National Park.

Triple Threat: John, Griffith and Gharbaran on the battle field

23

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sunDAY, september 15, 2019

Warriors continue winning streak

The Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) defeated St Kitts and Nevis Patriots for a second time this season to remain unbeaten in the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League.

GAW prevailed by seven wickets over the Patriots this time.

GAW began their winning ways with the toss, asking the Patriots to bat at Warner Park in St Kitts and Nevis.

C a r l o s Brathwaite and his team posted 121 all out in 19 overs Quais on the small Ahmed boundaries in Basseterre.

Playing with two gunning leg-spinners in Imran Tahir and Qais Ahmed, GAW looked a complete unit filled with quality bowlers.

Offspinner Chris Green removed Devon Thomas with the first ball he bowled.

Patriots had a mini-resurgence with Laurie Evans and Mohamed Hafeez showing solidity. The dangerous Evans was run out at the end of the power play with the score on 36-2.

SCOREBOARD Patriots Innings DC Thomas † b Green 1 Mohammad Hafeez c Hetmyer b Qais Ahmad 14 LJ Evans run out (Imran Tahir) 26 JN Mohammed lbw b Imran Tahir 4 SSJ Brooks c Hetmyer b Qais Ahmad 34 DC Drakes c Qais Ahmad b Imran Tahir 2 FA Allen c Paul b Qais Ahmad 16 CR Brathwaite (c) c Green b Paul 3 AS Joseph c King b Green 15 RR Emrit not out 2 SS Cottrell c & b Paul 0 Extras 4 (nb 1, w 3) TOTAL 121 all out (19 Overs, RR: 6.36) Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Devon Thomas, 1.1 ov), 2-36 (Laurie Evans, 5.6 ov), 3-47 (Mohammad Hafeez, 7.4 ov), 4-51 (Jason Mohammed, 8.1 ov), 5-53 (Dominic Drakes, 8.6 ov), 6-97 (Shamarh Brooks, 15.1 ov), 7-101 (Fabian Allen, 15.4 ov), 8-118 (Alzarri Joseph, 17.6 ov), 9-120 (Carlos Brathwaite, 18.4 ov), 10121 (Sheldon Cottrell, 18.6 ov) BOWLING O M R W C Hemraj 2 0 10 0 CJ Green 3 0 28 2

and Fabian Allen, smashing huge sixes to set the tone early.

King fell short of a fifty when he was run out for an aggressive 49 as GAW reached 64-1 in six overs, and Shimron Hetmyer, who put down a simple catch earlier in the match, fell for one hitting one down the throat of Evans at long off off Hafeez; but Chandrapaul Hemraj and Captain Shoaib Malik joined forces and added 20 runs before Hemraj’s patient innings of 22 from

Imran Tahir

Wickets fell at regular intervals for the Patriots, with Test batsman Shamrah Brooks top-scoring for the Patriots with 34.

Ahmed, the 19-yearold from Afghanistan, took 3-28, while veteran Tahir took 2-17 and Keemo Paul had 2-24 in their four overs.

In reply, GAW were off to a brisk start, with Brandon King taking on the likes of Sheldon Cottrell

Brandon King

Imran Tahir R Shepherd KMA Paul Qais Ahmad

4 2 4 4

0 0 0 0

17 14 24 28

2 0 2 3

GAW Innings BA King run out (Mohammed/†Thomas) 49 C Hemraj c †Thomas b Emrit 22 SO Hetmyer c Evans b Mohammad Hafeez 1 Shoaib Malik (c) not out 24 N Pooran † not out 18 Extras 7 (nb 1, w 6) TOTAL 111/3 (13.5 Overs, RR: 8.02) Yet to bat: SE Rutherford, KMA Paul, CJ Green, R Shepherd, Qais Ahmad, Imran Tahir Fall of wickets: 1-64 (Brandon King, 5.6 ov), 2-66 (Shimron Hetmyer, 7.2 ov), 3-86 (Chandrapaul Hemraj, 10.3 ov) BOWLING O M R W SS Cottrell 2 0 22 0 AS Joseph 2 0 22 0 Mohammad Hafeez 4 0 24 1 FA Allen 1 0 16 0 CR Brathwaite 2 0 9 0 RR Emrit 2 0 15 1

25 balls ended when Rayad Emrit bagged his first wicket.

GAW, nevertheless, had the game under control, as Malik and the aggressive Nicholas Pooran ensured GAW’s fourth victory in as many matches.

CPL action will continue today, Sunday September 15, with two matches. At 13:00h, Jamaica Tallawahs and Barbados Tridents will meet, while St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and St Lucia Zouks will battle at 18:00h.

Playoff double-header confirmed for Providence

C

Guyanese cricket fans are expected to come out in their numbers to take advantage of this favourable arrangement

ricket fans in Guyana will enjoy an extra treat of T20 action, as the Hero Caribbean Premier League announced earlier today that the first two playoff games will be staged in Guyana.

For the second year running, the massive turnout and avid support from Guyanese CPL fans have earned them opportunity to

host the first two playoffs at the National Stadium at Providence.

Contrary to what had obtained last year, this year’s playoff eliminator 1 and qualifier 1 games will be staged as ‘double-header’ matches on Sunday October 6.

The addition of the double-header has carried Guyana’s tally of games to seven, the

same number that obtained in 2018.

The double-header arrangement means that Guyanese patrons will be able to witness the entire top four teams from this year’s CPL on October 6. The first match on that day will be the Eliminator, which will see the 3rd place team play the 4th place finisher in a battle to stay alive in the competition.

The winner of this game will play the loser of Qualifier 1 in the semi-final on Thursday October 10 in Trinidad and Tobago.

The second match of the day is Qualifier 1, which will see the first place team after the group stages take on the side that finished second on the table. The winner of this game will go straight to the final on Saturday, October 12, which will also be hosted in the twin island republic.

CPL COO Pete Russell was elated about the host announcement. He said, “We are blessed to get to bring games to Guyana, where the fans are ‘out of this world’. The playoff matches were a huge success last year, and with the games being a double-header, there will be even better value for supporters, as they will get to see two games between the four best teams on one day.

“We know the support we will get from Guyanese fans at both the group games and the playoffs will be second to none.”

Meanwhile, Director General, Hon. Joseph Harmon, MSM spoke on Guyana’s behalf, stating, “We are very pleased to have the Caribbean Premier League returning to Guyana in 2019. The tournament has made a huge impact, showcasing our beautiful country to viewers around the world as well as creating jobs locally. We are delighted that the proud and passionate Guyanese cricket fans can look forward to this world-class spectacle this season. With seven matches, including the two crucial playoff games, Guyana will be at the heart of the tournament in 2019.”

While the games are expected to begin at 11am and 3.30pm respectively, ticket information will be released when it is made available.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2019

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From Best Nursery School teacher to Education Officer - Linden’s La Shanna Anderson tells her story

By Utamu Belle

W

ith 22 years in the education profession, 40-year-old Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) Educator, La Shanna Anderson has had an exciting and fulfilling career.

Anderson who now serves as Education Officer (1) with responsibility for SubRegion 2 (areas along the Berbice River) currently supervises 19 schools in the Sub Region.

The Sunday Times Magazine recently caught up with the Educator at the Department of Education in her hometown of Linden, where she shared her experience in the profession spanning over 20 years.

Anderson recalled that she commenced her exciting journey in the Education profession as a classroom Teacher on November 16, 1997, at the Half Mile Nursery School in Linden, Region 10. Thereafter she attended the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), graduating as the ‘Best Graduating Student’ for the Linden Centre in the year 2000. She also copped the National prize for the ‘Best Nursery Teacher’.

She then propelled from being a classroom Teacher to Senior Assistant Mistress, then to Graduate Senior Assistant Mistress at the school. Then on September 1, 2009, she was promoted to Graduate Head Teacher of the West Watooka Nursery School in Linden.

She later joined the Regional Education Department in September of 2013 where she pursued the Ministry of Education’s Cadet Officer Programme and was later successfully appointed Education Officer (1) on June 1, 2017. Anderson noted that her passion for teaching has always been a motivating factor.

“I always had a passion for teaching, ever since I was young. I would teach the plants and I would just teach,” Anderson humorously related.

“I can recall one day one of my mom’s friends came to visit and I was teaching the wall, and so she told her, ‘You know she would make a good teacher!’ And so she saw that in me. So I guess it’s just something inside of

me to just want to teach. So here I am today- an educator,” she continued with a light chuckle.

Outside of her regular job at the Education Department, she is also a Lecturer at the University of Guyana where she has been attached since 2008. There, she lectures in the faculty of Education, working along with students pursuing Early Childhood Education as well as General Education and Administration. She also teaches Education Research, Introduction to Curriculum Theory and Evaluation. Anderson is also a certified Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) Assessor for Early Childhood practitioners.

She related that earlier on in her teaching career she benefited from good mentorship as she attested her success to all those whom she has learned so much from. One such person, she recalled is a former Head Teacher Brenda Lymerick.

She recalled that when she first started teaching at the Nursery level she was just out of high school and untrained, but she garnered much knowledge with the help of those already in the profession. She recalled an enlightening experience when she first started at the nursery school.

“I can recall when I first saw all of the ‘manipulative blocks’ and bricks and so on, I packed them up and I said well, ‘I got to clean up’ and I was about to put them away because I thought ‘I had to clean up’. But then Teacher Brenda said, ‘No, that is how children learn, by manipulating’. And so, from then I started understanding that children learn differently from adults and so on and I grew to love Early Childhood. I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. It’s fascinating”, she explained.

Anderson continued that she has had many experiences with students at the Nursery level, including those who are considered slow learners. She also recalled working at a Nursery school which had a stigma attached to students going over to Primary School since they were perceived to be slow learners. She noted that she and other teachers were able to positively impact and change the perception by instituting an extra hour work programme for the students who were lagging.

“We taught them Phonics, we did lots of Numeracy with them and from there we saw growth. When we took those students on the transition visit to Primary School, all of the teachers were fascinated that they were able to read and write”, she mused.

As such, she stated her belief that every child can learn regardless of their background or status. She encourages parents and educators to not give up on such students.

“You just have to provide the right attitude, the necessary resources, give the necessary support and they will learn”, she advised.

Anderson’s passion for community development also leads along the path of community work. She noted, however, that with her increasingly busy schedule these days she is unable to do some of these things any longer.

Zeroing in on the Policies of the Education Ministry as it relates to education delivery she noted that the mandatory Cadet Officer programme which was reintroduced in recent years been a great means for appointing Education Officers based on their training. Having been a part of the programme she acknowledged that it provides an excellent opportunity to explore Education Districts and a good learning experience.

On the occasion of Education Month 2019, Anderson extends greetings to all Educators across the country as she encouraged all to continue to put their best foot forward to ensure the development of education in Guyana.

“If you want to excel, you have to develop the right attitude. It has to be your habit to excel. Education is dynamic. You have to have a passion for education and once you’re passionate about it you’re going to go that extra mile to ensure that those children under your charge excel. You’re going to do whatever it takes and everything in your power. Even if it means that you have to go out of pocket to ensure that they get clothes to come to school or provide a meal for them. Because sometimes those are some of the difficulties that parents have, that cause them not to be able to send their children to school”, she urged.

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Feature

By Lakhram Bhagirat

T

eachers have the uncanny ability to impact our lives and the lessons they teach us remain with us forever. They paint our minds and encourage us to think outside of the proverbial box.

They cheer us on from the sidelines. Our achievements are theirs and our burdens become theirs.

They act as mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends. They go above and beyond the call of their duties to ensure that we are the best versions of ourselves.

They encourage us to break the barriers and hold ourselves to higher standards.

Teachers are truly an inspiration and the lessons in the classrooms remain etched in our minds forever.

The fact that they work even when they are at home and on vacation makes teachers even more specials and in order for one to become a teacher, they must love the profession.

Nothing speaks for a profession like being in it for almost two decades and making countless sacrifices. For 18 years now, Rashlie Joseph has been sacrificing, inspiring and nurturing the thousands of students who passed through his classes.

The 36-year-old is a social studies teacher at the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School in Georgetown. Rashlie has always had a passion for teaching mainly because of the teachers in his life. He saw them as an inspiration and wanted to give back and make an impact as they did in his life.

“My passion for teaching developed during my senior years at secondary school. I was extremely fond of children and the many ways I can contribute to life and happiness. Added to that I was always thinking about how I can correct the errors I’ve seen and faced during my school life. I wanted to treat children better than I was treated and carry on the legacy of greatness I experienced having dealt with some teachers who were very good to me,” he noted.

“I somewhat started practising to be a teacher through the roles and duties that were given to me as a head prefect for the Grade Seven students at the time and with my fun, down to earth personality, I felt confident that I had the basic qualities and attribute to fit the profession, create excitement and enjoy a successful career.”

In his earlier days, Rashlie grew up with his grandmother, whom he described as his first teacher. She encouraged him to follow his dreams and always ensured that he had the resources to accomplish all he set out for.

He attended the Tucville Primary School and after he sat the Common Entrance exams, he gained a place at the East Ruimveldt Secondary School.

However, at that time, his grandmother was leaving the country for a short time so he moved to Linden where he attended the Christianburg Secondary School.

When his grandmother returned home, he moved back to Georgetown and completed his secondary education at the school he now teaches at.

When he wrote the Caribbean Examinations Council exams, he immediately knew that teaching was the path he wanted to take. He would have applied to the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and got rejected four times but on his fifth try, he was successful.

Additionally, Rashlie completed a certificate in Early Childhood Education at the University of Guyana’s Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE) in addition to receiving educa-

paths. I was nervous, scared but determined to get it right. My class excelled and ranked among the top performers for that year. With such results, my self-esteem took flight and I believed in myself a bit more,” he recalled.

The road to where he is now has been long and challenging, but that did not deter him. Rashlie advises anyone who is contemplating joining the teaching profession to be prepared to exercise compassion, show love and care, and fight for justice when necessary, all in support of our children.

“Being a teacher, for me, means quite a lot. It means creating a new and better world with one heart, mind and soul at a time. It means moulding a generation to become greater than the previous. It means creating a happy environment away from home for our children and in many cases a happy home away from a home where life is filled with misery, pain, abuse, and depression.

Teaching, for me, also means breaking barriers, lifting standards and defying the odds when negativity presents itself. Whether in the form of people, misconceptions, biases, lack of support or setbacks.”

tion in the arts at the Burrowes School of Arts.

“After being turned down three times in my attempt to attend the teachers training college (CPCE), I decided in the meantime to complete a diploma for Teachers and Trainers from Cambridge University.

I made a fifth attempt to enter CPCE and was successful. There, I completed that which is now called the Associate Degree in Education Programme, with my major

in social studies.

“As it relates to the subject area I now teach, it was my experiences in those classroom sessions that had a massive influence. I was allowed to express myself and be involved in several debates and public speaking competitions and be as vocal as I can.”

In the classroom, Rashlie is quite the charismatic teacher. He not only brings the books but his experiences and personality as well. He speaks to his students in a language they understand, which sets him apart from the rest of the teachers.

When asked to pick out one memory that still stands out to him, the search was long and hard. In the past 18 years, he has been making countless memories so to pinpoint one is indeed a tough task.

But he searched and came up with one.

“I would recall my first opportunity to prepare students for CSEC examinations.

I had to exercise bravery and confidence, given that this was not an exam to play with, one which rates the school and prepares students for their lifelong career

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she was so shy and hardly spoke on public, but after two years of attending the program she became a strong leader,” Hongyu Yang, Senior Education Specialist, World Bank.

Monitoring and evaluation was one of the key elements of the program’s success. Master trainers visited the teachers up to twice per semester to observe and support the implementation of instructional methods and learning activities, as well as provide support on the spot.

Providing effective learning materials

T

raditionally, Guyana’s hinterland regions faced several disadvantages in early childhood education compared to coastal areas. These remote regions suffered from a lack of appropriate learning materials in schools. Teachers were required to improvise using what was donated by parents, community groups and NGOs or make their own. Therefore, learning materials were frequently not aligned with the curriculum, nor available when needed.

The lack of trained teachers also posed a challenge: in 2011-2012, 53% of early childhood education (ECE) teachers in hinterland areas were untrained. Even among trained teachers, their instructional methods didn’t follow best practices; many of them were unaware of how play can stimulate cognitive thinking and develop social and motor skills just as much as learning letters and numbers.

Moreover, these regions had the highest poverty rates in the country. While quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) is essential to all children, the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children benefit the most.

The combination of poverty, inadequate teaching practices and the lack of appropriate learning materials had a negative effect on learning outcomes.

In 2013, the Ministry of Education (MoE) administered a diagnostic assessment to more than 700 children entering Grade 1 in hinterland areas. The findings were alarming: approximately 60% of children had not mastered pre-requisite skills for reading, and less than 10% could demonstrate any understanding of text. Additionally, 40% showed very little or no ability to identify any numbers from 1 to 10.

Along with improving teacher training, GPE supported the distribution of 750 early childhood education resource kits to schools as well as teachers’ manuals explaining their use.

These included 30+ learning resources such as stackable cubes, numeracy flash cards, mega blocks building bags, alphabet and numbers foam puzzles, among others.

Aiming to promote more experiential and inquirybased learning activities for children, the learning materials helped students learn independently and in small groups through play. The teachers’ manual helped teachers develop learning materials from locally available resources that are culturally specific to the learning environment.

“In some schools, the kit has now become a whole school resource. It’s not just for the early childhood level. You have grade 2, 4, and 6 teachers asking to borrow the kits, so that they can give a more action-oriented approach to the children’s learning. That says there is a mental shift in how we treat education, Quenita Walrond, Nursery Technical Coordinator, Guyana’s Ministry of Education

Training programs for primary caregivers

A commitment to improve early childhood education

Based on evidence of the clear benefits of investing in students’ early years, the Go vernment of Guyana decided to prioritize investments in early learning.

Global Partnership for Education (GPE) supported the government’s objective and provided a US$1.7 million grant for the period 2015-2018. The goal of the program was to improve literacy and numeracy skills for children living in hinterland regions and remote riverine areas, from preschool to Grade 1.

To achieve this goal, the GPE-supported program promoted an integrated intervention that focused on three pillars: providing capacity building for teachers; improving the supply of teaching and learning materials; and providing training to primary caregivers.

Strengthening the teaching force

To improve teacher effectiveness, 526 teachers participated in a compulsory, annual training program which covered pedagogy, phonemic awareness, phonics instruction, and the use of resource toolkits. The training was delivered by master trainers, the best and brightest teachers across the different regions, whose role was to not just to train, but also monitor and mentor early childhood education teachers.

This training was vital for many teachers. Most of them had weak or no academic background. The training helped them acquire new techniques for teaching in the classroom, while putting them in a better position to deliver the content of the curriculum.

“Overall, the program has been very successful. I talked to many teachers…I particularly observed one teacher during the training workshop that when she came the first year

In Guyana, few parents are exposed to methods to support their children’s learning and are unaware of the behaviors that can help their children succeed.

Recognizing that parents and caregivers play a key role in reinforcing lessons from school at home, the ministry of Education, with support from GPE, decided to make primary caregiver education a critical area of intervention.

The program supported face-to-face training sessions for primary caregivers at school and during parent-teachers associations meetings, parent-teacher conferences, learning resource centers; and home visits, to name a few.

To reinforce these messages, GPE funded the “Read. Play. Love.” campaign, the first (and internationally award-winning) literacy and numeracy mass media campaign for parents and caregivers of children under 5 that encourages them to start modelling pro-educational behaviors at home.

As a result, parents learned about their role in supporting their child’s development while acquiring the necessary skills to support their children’s’ learning more effectively.

A sustainable investment in learning and equity

Ensuring sustainability after the GPE-supported program ended was a key priority for the Ministry of Education. To achieve this, teachers and master trainers will continue to receive training as part of the ministry’s continuous professional development program. In addition, the replenishment of the learning materials toolkits is already budgeted in the next financial plans.

Thanks to the program, according to the Ministry of Education, more than 8,000 school children living in hinterland and riverine areas improved their literacy skills by 139% and their numeracy skills by 133% (compared to 90% and 75% respectively in coastal areas).

“When I looked at the data to see the percentage in terms of success and growth that we have seen in the Hinterland, it certainly tells a very good story. A story of growth, a story of hope, and a story of encouragement, particularly for our most vulnerable and disadvantaged population,” Nicolette Henry, Minister of Education.

GPE’ support to Guyana has gone beyond financial resources. With GPE’s support, Guyana developed an education sector plan for 2014-2018 that was robust and evidencebased. Additionally, the GPE program helped the government take a more holistic approach to ECE, moving away from fragmented interventions in the past.

“I think GPE has set the course for us to understand that there is need for partnership in moving education forward. Education cannot be confined to the chief education officer alone, or to the classroom, it has to be a partnership approach. Because when we come together, there will be a collective impact, and that is what we’re constantly searching for in education…collective impact,” Marcel Hutson, Chief Education Officer, ministry of Education.

GPE has supported the Government of Guyana in making a long-term investment in ensuring that future generations of children have equal learning opportunities. These children, who will be tomorrow’s workforce and the nation’s future leaders, are now better prepared to undertake any challenge. (Global Partnership for Education – 2018)

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Sunday Times Magazine 5

Feature

By Lakhram Bhagirat

T

eaching requires the patience to deal with multiple personalities. Teaching requires the ability to see a classroom of students as individuals as opposed to a collective. Teaching is the art of simplifying the most difficult thing so that your students can grasp the concept.

A teacher is judged by the achievements of their students because it is believed that a teacher has the ability to work miracles. Quite often, teachers go above and beyond what is required of them to get the job done. They sacrifice their personal lives so that they can give your child an extra minute to grasp the concept.

Teachers neglect their own health so that your child can become the best version of themselves. While teachers are appreciated by society, they are often undervalued. They are neglected by a system that is conditioned to judge

them by how much of the curriculum they complete in a term. A system that not only expects them to teach a variety of topics within a school term but also drowns them in paperwork on a daily basis.

The saying “not all superheroes wears capes” certainly applies to all teachers.

One such teacher is young Rezwan Amid Persaud.

Though fairly new in the teaching profession, Rezwan has been making an impact in the lives of those he encounters. The 25-year-old is a teacher at the CV Nunes Primary School on the Essequibo Coast.

“I never once thought I would have joined the teaching profession since my patience was limited. It took me five years before I considered the teaching profession. My aunt noticed I had much love for children and she encouraged me to join the profession.

“In 2015, I applied for at the Cyril Potter College of Education and was accepted at Turkeyen campus. Since I was an Esseqibian, I was accommodated at the dormitory. The life there was a bit challenging but I’ve made it with the help of the almighty father and support from my grandma and friends.”

When he graduated from CPCE in 2017, Rezwan returned to the Essequibo Coast where he began his career as a trained teacher. Now he is more himself in front of the classroom as anywhere else. He understands the struggles some of his students have and he is on the path to making them overcome their fears and get over those struggles.

Rezwan sees himself as an inspiration to those students because, like many of them, he too had his fair share of struggles while he was a child. He grew up with his grandmother, away from his parents, which itself was a challenge.

However, his grandmother never allowed him to feel the absence of his parents and for that, he is grateful.

She encouraged him to aim big and conquer. She ensured that he had the tools necessary for a quality education so that he could become the independent person he is now.

Although teaching was not his first career option, Rezwan cannot see himself doing anything else at this point. The idea of serving as a role model and nurturing the minds of Guyana’s future generation has consumed him. He has made it his task to be the best teacher that his students will ever have, not because he wants to be the best, rather, because he wants them to be the best.

Like many teachers, Rezwan too gets tired at times but never had he thought of giving up because of the immense responsibility he has. During the short years he has been teaching, Rezwan has made memories that can fuel him for a lifetime but he knows there’s more ahead.

“I’m no different from other educators, we are all unique in our own little way. The memories are great. I live in the moment and as a teacher, one of my best memory was when the National Grade Six Assessment results were announced earlier this year. When I heard that my pupil, Venisha Lall, topped the country and that Pradesh Dwarka placed second and Gevasha Harpaul, third in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), I was beyond happy.

The hard work had indeed paid off and that is quite fulfilling as a teacher.”

6 Sunday Times Magazine

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by

Ameena Gafoor

F

ollowing in the wake of her magisterial work on Roy Heath in ‘Aftermath of Empire: The Novels of Roy A.K. Heath’, published by the University of the West Indies Press, Ameena Gafoor has produced another book of immense import to the literature of Guyana but particularly and more importantly this book is a timely addition to the slim list of scholarly works on the writings of East Indian of Guyana.

‘The Evolution Of Writing In English By And About East Indians Of Guyana, 1838-2018’ has been compiled with meticulous care to details and great concern for the preservation of the literature of East Indians. This work, coming 180 years after the arrival of East Indians to Guyana, flies in the face of sins of omission and sins of commission with regards to the composition of the literature of the region. The quantity and quality of literature that was bought here by the people who came is an indication that the Indians who came were not mere ‘illiterate peasants’ and that their contribution to the literature of the region was slighted and undervalued. The quantity of the literature that came was described by Dr. David Dabydeen as a ‘body of texts of staggering physical bulk and philosophical dimensions…The Ramayana rolls on to a hundred thousand lines, much longer then Virgil’s Aeneid or Homer’s Iliad. The Mahabharata quadruples that sum; the Vedas when collected form eleven huge Octavo volumes, whilst the Puranas extend to two million lines’. Furthermore, the literature of the Quran and the significance of Haffizs who could recite the Holy Quran from memory must be added to the above.

Dabydeen further elucidated, in his preface to this compilation, that he brought quantity into the equation so as ‘to highlight that the act of ignoring these texts is an act of monumental bias’. Other scholars have denounced this bias in Caribbean literature and the shunning of such from the mainstream of Caribbean literature.

Long before Dabydeen’s pronouncement and condemnation, Emeritus Professor Kenneth Ramchand declared in his groundbreaking book, ‘The West Indian Novel and its Background’ that ‘writers are not writing about Indians for the sake of emphasizing Indianness but more to create understanding and deepen meaning of the many cultures which co-exist’. Neglecting to appreciate such a contribution for so long has robbed the region of a resource that could have done more for the region than the efforts of Caricom and the portrayal of Carifesta, all put together.

One of the reasons for Gafoor’s most recent publication is ‘a significant effort to set the record straight with respect to Indian Guyanese literacy, and literary scholarly production’ (Dabydeen).

Other reasons, as if justification is necessary, cited by the author include the commemoration of two landmark events namely the centenary of the abolition of Indian Indentureship to Guyana and the 180th anniversary of the arrival of Indians from India to Guyana. Further, there is no known comprehensive compilation of the literary and artistic efforts of the East Indian and as such this book is the best form of commemoration.

Gafoor spells out the objectives of this work saying that ‘this bibliography seeks to capture the imaginative and objective writings of East Indians in Guyana including statements by Guyanese artists as well as statements by art historians and critiques by art critics of the significant works of visual arts produced by Guyanese artists of East Indian extract…includes works of Anthology, Literary Criticism, Critiques on the Visual Arts, Creative Writing, Social History, Education, Governance, Politics, Journalisms, Accounting and Financial Management’.

More importantly, this work is organized in chronological order to better trace the development of the body of writings’. This timeline serves many purposes including events that may have has ‘an impact on the consciousness of East Indians in Guyana and, in some instances, prompted the writings’ and facts that possibly ‘shaped the lives of East Indians as well as citizens in modern Guyana’.

Ameena Gafoor is the founder of The Arts Forum and editor of The Arts Journal. This book is dedicated to and built on the legacies of the struggles and sacrifices of ‘our foreparents’. The cover image is designed from a painting ‘Journey into the Dark Circle: the Arrival’ by Philbert Gajadhar.

‘The Evolution Of Writing In English By And About East Indians Of Guyana, 1838-2018’ by Ameena Gafoor was published by Hansib Publications.

Education, the light of our life A gift of academic rife.

Education, the key to a bright and rewarding future A glue that joins our dreams like a suture.

Education, a path to divine success A smooth drive to our greatness.

Education, gives our thinking a different appearance And helps drive away all our ignorance.

Education, it leads us to the path of prosperity And gives our tomorrow a sounding security.

Education, the process of teaching and learning Which will help us in our future earnings.

Education, shaping our true character is the motto Leading to a successful life it is the major factor.

Education, the progressive discovery of our true self And exploitation of the potentials of oneself.

Education, a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army A life boat that see us through our days of stormy.

Education, a torch of academic brilliance And backbone of inner resilience.

Education, the key to unlock the golden door of freedom And stage our rise to stardom.

Education, a life sustaining material Without it we can’t lead a life which is congenial.

Education, not all about bookish knowledge But it is also about practical knowledge.

Education, makes a person stand up on his on toes And helps a person to fight with all his foes.

Education, a fundamental foundation For any country state or nation.

Education, a thick line between right and wrong A ladder that takes us to the height where we belong.

Education, mother of all profession That helps acquires all our possession.

Education, is our right For in it our future is bright.

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

By Stanley Oguh

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september 15, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 7

Feature

By Lakhram Bhagirat

O

ur culture, heritage, and practices are what distinguishes us from everyone else. In today’s world, we are rapidly losing all that we hold near and dear to us. Traditional practices that defined us as a people are being lost because of the need to integrate into a global culture.

However, not all hope is lost. Some people are determined to preserve the uniqueness that is theirs and make it their mission to educate as much as possible.

Never had he thought that the preservation of his culture and traditional practices would have been so threatened that he needed to step up to protect it. Now he is on a mission to ensure that the uniqueness of the Indigenous Peoples is understood and their practices remain.

He calls himself Kapohn because of his Indigenous pride but the legal system knows him as Romario Hastings, a 24-year-old from Kako Village in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

Kapohn or Kapong is an endonym of the Akawaio peoples. It means “sky people” (kak=sky) which speaks to the perceived closeness of the Indigenous nation with the sun – a source of life, as they dwell in the Pakaraima Highlands. As with most, if not all, of the Indigenous nations, the names they are known by today (whether Akawaio or Arawak) are merely corrupted versions of names attributed to them by their sister nation(s) with whom interactions occurred in pre-Columbian Guiana.

“Importantly, Kapong is a collective and an individual identity which determines relations with each other through language, customs, beliefs etc. Hence, by virtue of heritage, I am Kapong and my family is Kapong,” he said.

To understand Romario’s drive for preserving his heritage, one would have to first understand where he came from and how his experiences shaped him into the person he is today.

For him, his childhood in Kako was ideal. There were no gadgets, intrusion of addictive technologies, and everything was done outdoors in nature. Afternoons at the riverside were his favourite and included swimming with his cousins, playing “aquatic ketcha” and war-break with mud.

“Upriver expeditions for fishing and camping were hallmarks of my childhood, which contributed significantly to my appreciation and advocacy for the environment. I remember slipping in the rapids and broke my thumb. Education-wise, the challenge was the state of the under-resourced schools.

For instance, our libraries were and are still outdated. I was also separated from my parents as they worked in a distant village for about 5 years but I coped fairly well with my grandparents. My greatest triumph was to secure entry into a secondary school on the coastland. Generally, it’s an experience for the books.”

As with the majority of hinterland youths, Romario’s nursery and primary education were completed in his community. He attended Kako Nursery and P r i m a r y Schools.

In 2006, he wrote the Common Entrance Exam and was awarded a Hinterland Scholarship and was placed at President’s C o l l e g e .

Subsequently, he enrolled at the University of the Southern Caribbean to study Theology Romario decked in traditional in 2012. wear using a blowpipe

The Kako River

However, in 2014, he transferred to the University of Guyana and read for his Bachelors in Environmental Studies at the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences. It was here, through research, that his interest in Indigenous peoples was born.

Kako is a small village on the left bank of the Kako River, named after a Jasper rock. It is a conservative community as Adventism is the predominant faith.

“We do have basic health services, school, and energy supply is limited to household generators and solar for some units. This is a key challenge which the community needs to address.

Hopefully, with the green state framework, we can establish a solar farm soon.

Kako has the potential for

Aeiral view of Kako village

citrus production and processing and energy is of essence for projects like these.

Another major challenge I’d like to highlight for Kako relates to mining in the river. Tributaries of Cuyuni-Mazaruni are devastated by mining effluent and mercury. Our river, in the sense of stewardship and traditional occupation and use, remains devoid of such activities and we have dared to deter several miners by forestalling their equipment as a desperate effort to protect the river. We have faced litigation where cases were adjudged in their favour. But Kako remains steadfast in their position. Freshwater is shrinking at a global scale, and our river must remain within that meagre per cent.”

Coming from the Akawaio nation meant that there are some distinguishing traits from the other Amerindian tribes but to pinpoint this is somewhat difficult for Romario since he has not lived among the other nations. However, off the bat, he identified the practice of the Alleluia religion, which is a syncretic religious system of Christian and Indigenous beliefs.

“We have the parishara and tuguit dances. Casiree and

Piwari making is also prevalent as opposed to fly and parakari. There is also a special naming system for our different river groups unlike the Savannah Indigenous groups such as Kuguigok vs Kakologok. We customarily sequence our livelihood activities based on our ecological calendar which is peculiar to our geographic area. In fact, we now approach the Wei pia season in Upper Mazaruni.”

Romario is fluent in Kapong maimu, meaning the Kapong language which binds together his people as one. He now feels it is his responsibility to transfer this language to future generations.

When it comes to protecting the very culture that makes his people unique, Romario said: “I think we have a long road ahead in protecting our culture and I believe this begins with the collective vision and demands of the people themselves. Our family units, livelihood practices and our ancestral territories form the nucleus of our culture. The magnitude of our cultural loss is immeasurable and continues to decline. But one will only understand such loss if one knows what existed, which is the sad situation of many Indigenous youths because Indigenous history is not commonly taught exhaustively.

“The integrity of our rivers are starkly diminished. We continue to struggle for rights to our ancestral lands. The education system is not wholly integrative of our worldviews, realities and knowledge systems especially when schools have replaced our cultural learning institutions and methods of learning. Our languages are sometimes discouraged in an attempt to erase social stigmatisation at a household level, among other issues.

In essence, protection of our Indigenous culture spans a myriad of fundamental issues which remains to be addressed from the grassroots to policy levels. But as Kapong people or Indigenous peoples, we must want and assert this cultural continuity, and our youths must propel this movement as we become empowered.

“I think relearning and embracing your cultural heritage is in itself an act of cultural reawakening which through sharing and the intergenerational transfer will translate to preservation. We must accept who we are first and foremost before speaking about preservation or protection.

Preservation will not manifest through exercising indifference, conscious aversion and outright neglect. It’s easier for Indigenous youths to shun their culture than to revalorise it which stems from decades of cultural dissent and ridicule from the dominant society. It’s okay to eat cassava bread or Tacoma. It’s okay to speak your language. It’s okay to express your roots. It’s okay to relearn what was lost. It’s okay to be different. Change the narrative and own your identity and let us experience our own cultural revolution and evolution.”

Romario is currently an Environmental Protection Officer with the Environmental Protection Agency but foremost, he is a teacher. A teacher in the sense of educating those about his culture and practices. He takes his role as a teacher with pride as he shares his journey of relearning and imparting.

“My academic career and community development constitute the core of my long term goal. I envision Kako being a model community and hope to work in a closer relationship with my people and embark on projects that fulfil our social, economic, environmental and cultural aspirations. And I do aspire to be a phenomenal Kapong Akawaio Chief.”

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Feature

The Potaro River from above

G

uyana has been named the #1 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best of Ecotourismâ&#x20AC;? destination in the world, leading ecotourism destinations like Sierra Gorda, Mexico and Tmatboey in Cambodia. The award was presented to Guyana at the ITB global travel trade fair in Berlin, Germany in March this year.

Guyana was awarded the 'Number One Eco-tourism Destination of the World' because of its holistic approach to sustainable destination management and development from their now world-renowned tourism enterprise.

Here are a few photos of the Kaieteur and Orinduik Falls.

The Orinduik Falls Kaieteur Falls from the Rainbow Viewpoint

Orinduik from above

The Majestic Kaieteur Falls

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september 15, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine

9

Health

L

upus is a systemic autoimmune disease that occurs when your body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs. Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems — including your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs.

Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because its signs and symptoms often mimic those of other ailments. The most distinctive sign of lupus — a facial rash that resembles the wings of a butterfly unfolding across both cheeks — occurs in many but not all cases of lupus.

Some people are born with a tendency toward developing lupus, which may be triggered by infections, certain drugs or even sunlight. While there's no cure for lupus, treatments can help control symptoms.

Symptoms

No two cases of lupus are exactly alike. Signs and symptoms may come on suddenly or develop slowly, may be mild or severe, and may be temporary or permanent. Most people with lupus have mild disease characterized by episodes — called flares — when signs and symptoms get worse for a while, then improve or even disappear completely for a time.

The signs and symptoms of lupus that you experience will depend on which body systems are affected by the disease. The most common signs and symptoms include: • Fatigue • Fever • Joint pain, stiffness and swelling • Butterfly-shaped rash on the face that covers the cheeks and bridge of the nose or rashes elsewhere on the body • Skin lesions that appear or worsen with sun exposure (photosensitivity) • Fingers and toes that turn white or blue when exposed to cold or during stressful periods (Raynaud's phenomenon) • Shortness of breath • Chest pain • Dry eyes • Headaches, confusion and memory loss

Causes

Lupus occurs when your immune system attacks healthy tissue in your body (autoimmune disease). It's likely that lupus results from a combination of your genetics and your environment.

It appears that people with an inherited predisposition for lupus may develop the disease when they come into contact with something in the environment that can trigger lupus. The cause of lupus in most cases, however, is unknown. Some potential triggers include: Sunlight. Exposure to the sun may bring on lupus skin lesions or trigger an internal response in susceptible people.

Infections. Having an infection can initiate lupus or cause a relapse in some people.

Medications. Lupus can be triggered by certain types of blood pressure medications, anti-seizure medications and antibiotics. People who have drug-induced lupus usually get better when they stop taking

the medication. Rarely, symptoms may persist even after the drug is stopped.

Risk factors

Factors that may increase your risk of lupus include: Your sex. Lupus is more common in women.

Age. Although lupus affects people of all ages, its most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 45.

Race. Lupus is more common in African-Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans.

Complications

Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many areas of your body, including your: Kidneys. Lupus can cause serious kidney damage, and kidney failure is one of the leading causes of death among people with lupus.

Brain and central nervous system. If your brain is affected by lupus, you may experience headaches, dizziness, behavior changes, vision problems, and even strokes or seizures. Many people with lupus experience memory problems and may have difficulty expressing their thoughts.

Blood and blood vessels. Lupus may lead to blood problems, including anemia and increased risk of bleeding or blood clotting. It can also cause inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis).

Lungs. Having lupus increases your chances of developing an inflammation of the chest cavity lining (pleurisy), which can make breathing painful. Bleeding into lungs and pneumonia also are possible.

Heart. Lupus can cause inflammation of your heart muscle, your arteries or heart membrane (pericarditis). The risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks increases greatly as well.

Other types of complications

Having lupus also increases your risk of: Infection. People with lupus are more vulnerable to infection because both the disease and its treatments can weaken the immune system.

Cancer. Having lupus appears to increase your risk of cancer; however the risk is small.

Bone tissue death (avascular necrosis). This occurs when the blood supply to a bone diminishes, often leading to tiny breaks in the bone and eventually to the bone's collapse.

Pregnancy complications. Women with lupus have an increased risk of miscarriage.

Lupus increases the risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy (preeclampsia) and preterm birth. To reduce the risk of these complications, doctors often recommend delaying pregnancy until your disease has been under control for at least six months.

Treatment

Treatment for lupus depends on your signs and symptoms. Determining whether your signs and symptoms should be treated and what medications to use requires a careful discussion of the benefits and risks with your doctor.

As your signs and symptoms flare and subside, you and your doctor may find that you'll need to change medications or dosages.

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Fashion

I

t seems that over the years, a teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wardrobe has changed quite a bit. It went from dresses and ties to everyday casual. The choice of clothing a teacher chooses can influence the students, as well as have an impact on the school day. While many teachers would prefer to be comfortable, this luxury is out of the question -- or is it?

In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classrooms, many teachers have taken it upon themselves to make every day be dress down day. Many teachers may argue that they are on their feet all day, or they have to care for the little ones but here are some statement pieces that gives you the comfort you desire but also screams high fashion:

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Sunday Times Magazine 11

Home & Cooking

Home Décor Ingredients DONUT

1 ½ cups milk, warm to the touch (360 mL) 1 cup sugar (200 g) ½ oz yeast (15 g) 1 stick unsalted butter, soft 3 eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 5 cups flour, sifted (625 g) 1 tablespoon vegetable oil Shortening/vegetable oil, for frying GLAZE 3 cups powdered sugar(360 g) 1 cup dry milk powder(70 g) 1 tablespoon vanilla extract ½ cup water, hot (120 mL)

Preparation

In a medium bowl, add the milk, sugar, and yeast, stirring to combine. In a separate medium bowl, add the butter, eggs, and vanilla extract, stirring to combine. Add the milk mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Transfer to a large bowl and add the flour in thirds, stirring between each addition.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, until smooth.

Gently poke the dough with a finger--the dough should bounce back up from the indentation. Place the dough in a large bowl, and lightly coat the dough with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour.

Take the dough out and knead on a floured surface for 5 minutes until smooth. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and repeat with rise overnight in refrigerator. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.

Cut out the doughnuts and donut holes with a cookie cutter and piping tip.

Fry the donuts and donut holes for 45 seconds on each side, or until golden brown.

In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar, dry milk powder, vanilla extract and hot water until smooth. Strain the glaze through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps.

Dunk the donuts in the glaze or drizzle the glaze on top. (Tasty)

A

bathroom may be the smallest room in the house but that doesn’t mean it can’t have big style.

Antique or vintage accessories can bring the classic and sophisticated look of a by-gone era

Ingredients CHICKEN MARINADE

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ½ cup plain yogurt (125 g) 2 tablespoons lemon juice 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon minced ginger 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons garam masala 2 teaspoons paprika

SAUCE

3 tablespoons oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 tablespoons minced ginger 8 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons ground turmeric 2 teaspoons ground coriander 2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons chili powder 2 teaspoons garam masala 1 tablespoon tomato puree 3 ½ cups tomato sauce(800 g) 1 ¼ cups water (300 mL) 1 cup heavy cream(250 mL) ¼ cup fresh cilantro, for garnish (10 g) cooked rice, for serving naan bread, for serving

Preparation

Slice the chicken into bite-sized chunks. Combine the cubed chicken with the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, salt, cumin, garam masala, and paprika and stir until well-coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). Line a high-sided baking pan or roasting tray with parchment paper. Place the marinated chicken pieces on bamboo or wooden skewers, then set them over the prepared baking pan, making sure there is space underneath the chicken to help distribute the heat more evenly. Bake for about 15 minutes, until slightly dark brown on the edges.

Make the sauce: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, then sauté the onions, ginger, and garlic until tender but not browned. Add the cumin, turmeric, coriander, paprika, chili powder, and garam masala and stir constantly for about 30 seconds, until the spices are fragrant. Stir in the tomato puree, tomato sauce, and 1 ¼ cups of water, then bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Pour in the cream.

Remove the chicken from the skewers and add to the sauce, cooking for another 1-2 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice or alongside naan bread.

A claw-foot tub can bring luxury to your bathroom

Ingredients

2 cups watermelon, chilled and cubed (300 g) 1 cup coconut water(235 mL) 1 lime lime juice ice cube

Preparation

Place watermelon, coconut water, and lime juice in blender and blend until smooth. Serve over ice.

Add potted plants for a luxurious look

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Puzzles

97 100 Bite down 102 Game fish 103 Squander 104 Dwindles 108 Perfect, at NASA 109 Skywalker’s dad 110 Needle cases 111 Circumvent 112 Tax time 113 Cabbie’s fare 115 Gemini symbol 116 Where Ephesus was 117 Groovy 118 On one’s own 120 Type of chocolate 121 Grab the phone 123 Ambergris source 124 Hagen of “The Other” 125 Noted star-seekers 127 Essential 129 Home page addr.

131 Colorful carp 136 Attorneys’ degs.

138 Depot info 142 Damascus loc.

SOS receivers 143 Alps’ Mont - 144 “-- Gratia Artis” 145 Nervous - 146 Exercise aftermath 147 Look of loathing 148 Poe’s visitor 149 Dark 150 Home with a dome 151 Grind, maybe 152 Piano parts Honey-colored Asian mammal 153 (2 wds.)

“Simpsons” kid DOWN Rain icy pellets 1 Samoa’s capital 2 Want-ad letters 3 Main Tahitian industry 4 Glue on 5 Army off.

6 1140, to Flavius 7 Rope-a-dope boxer 8 Nave neighbor 9 Miss Piggy’s word 10 Equip 11 Prepare for use again (2 wds.) 12 Funny Charlotte - 13 RN assistants 14 Storytelling dance 15 Gusted 16

ACROSS 1 6 10 15 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 34 36 37 40 41 42 44 48 49 50 53 55 56 58 59 61 63 64 65 66 67

69 70 71 74 75 78 81 82 83 84 86 87 89 93 94 95 96

Eradicates (2 wds.)

Rubicon crosser Roulette color Nulls Hoople’s mutterings Single Goes first Galway Bay islands Visigoth king Glamorous wrap Millionaire’s toy Friendly Stein filler The Plastic -- Band Makes a comment Deposed Amin Comic-strip prince Planet, in verse Future MD course Infuriated Make bread Pounced Tiny slices of time Math term Two-masted vessels Great Buddhist king of India (var.)

A moon of Jupiter Socrates’ forte Early anesthetic Amazon port Flat Olive-green bird Shoplifting Hot dip “Gigi” composer Taiga denizens End-of-year temp James of “Rollerball” Be optimistic Slimy veggie Rum drink (2 wds.)

Traffic cone Pearl or Beetle -Intense feeling Submachine gun Mole cousin Suite amenity (2 wds.)

As desired (2 wds.)

Honeymoon -Windshield option Latin I verb Violin middle Sworn promise

KATHLEEN SAXE

WORD GAME TODAY’S WORD -- FORTUITOUS (FORTUITOUS: for-TOO-ih-tus: Happening by accident or chance.)

Average mark 36 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 54 or more words in FORTUITOUS? TODAY’S WORD -- FORTUITOUS first fist foist foot fort fortis four frit frost fruit furious ours oust outfit

rift riot riotous risotto roof roost root roust rout rufous rust tiro tofu toot

torso tort tortuous torus tour tourist tout trio trot trout trust tuft turf tutor

tutu sift soft soot sort sour stir stout strut suit suitor surf

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.

17 18 19 21 31 33 35 37 38 39 42 43 45 46 47 49 50 51 52 53 54 57 58 59 60 62 64

Hawaiian goose A Great Lake Pronto on “ER” Desk compartment Archaeology find Kind of terrier Warm welcome Waiter’s offering Ra’s symbol Nerve MOMA artist Trireme mover Groovy light source (2 wds.)

Singer Jacques -9-digit IDs In -- (as found) Bruins Brusque Company VIP Inclinations Invent Hartman or Bonet Ancient (hyph.)

Omar of films Edible seaweed Mine passage Wild goat

66 68 69 71 72 73 76 77 79 80 82 85 88 90 91 92 94 98 99 100 101 102 103 105 106 107 109

Distinct stages Drink of the gods Claus von -Historian’s word Few, to Pierre Obstructing (3 wds.)

Cisco Kid movies Dark red Not pro That guy’s Milord’s spouse Butter squares Firecracker part WWII craft (hyph.)

Skidded Jacques, in song Links org.

Port near Algiers River in the Congo Young wolves Dwarf buffalo Radar’s soft drink Skip a commercial Elvis’ middle name Actress -- Merrill Laird or lassie Type of PC screen

111 114 115 116 119 121 122 123 124 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 137 139 140 141

Goya’s duchess Candy-striper Go -- -- diet Steep gulch Uses tobacco Mr. Greeley Home turnover Hazards a guess Christie of mystery Japanese volcano Jack, in cards Take the car Wading bird Natasha’s refusals Apprehends Not in harbor NFL coach Chuck -Amoebas have one Fridge stick Seed covering “-- in Rome ...”

Not right Tijuana Ms. See Solution on page 14

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Sunday Times Magazine 13

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Bollywood/Hollywood

A

ctor Shraddha Kapoor has spoken about her struggles with anxiety, and how she has learned to ‘embrace it’. The actor has shared that even though she isn’t fully cured, she has accepted it as a part of her life.

She told Pinkvilla in an interview that initially, she didn’t even understand what she was suffering from. “I didn’t even know what anxiety was,” she said.

“We didn’t know it since a very long time. It just after Aashiqui where I had these physical manifestation of anxiety. There’s this pain happening where there was no physiological diagnosis. We got so many tests done but there was nothing wrong with me in the doctor’s report. It’s bizarre because I kept thinking why I was getting that pain. Then I kept asking myself why that is happening.”

Shraddha, who recently commenced work on Baaghi 3 with co-star Tiger Shroff, con-

tinued, “Today, it’s something that I still deal with but it has become so much better than what it was.

Also, somewhere you have to embrace it.

You have to accept it as part of yourself and approach it with a lot of love.

That made a big difference.

Whether you have anxiety or not, you always need to understand who you are or what you stand for.”

Shraddha, in the span of a few days, appeared in the multilingual action extravaganza, Saaho, opposite Prabhas, and then in the Nitesh Tiwari dramedy, Chhichhore, opposite Sushant Singh Rajput.

Shraddha first spoke about her history with anxiety in 2018. “I have had anxiety issues now for the last three to four years and it’s something that I am dealing with in a positive way, every single day,” she said post the success of her film Stree, according to India Today. (Hindustan Times)

C

elebrity interior designer Gauri Khan on Thursday shared a still of actors Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol from their song Ye Kaali Kaali Aankhen, revealing that she designed her husband’s look for the hit track.

“Can’t believe I designed this look in the 90s ... Those jeans, legwarmer tee, bullet belt and a red shirt thrown over. The hand painted jeans were my favourite.

Gauri Khan designs has come a long way! Major throwback,” Gauri tweeted.

In the image, SRK is seen wearing a red loose shirt with a pair of painted jeans, while Kajol donned a pink dress. The song from the 1993 movie Baazigar was composed by Anu Malik.

Gauri recently took part in a special photoshoot for Vogue India’s Casa Vogue edition, which took place at the family home in Mumbai, Mannat. Several pictures from the

A

fter a nighttime skincare routine video Millie Bobby Brown recently shared to promote her new Florence by Mills makeup line went viral for all the wrong reasons, the actress has issued an apology.

In the controversial clip, the 15-year-old “Stranger Things” star attempted to demonstrate how she uses her brand’s face mist, scrub, face wash, moisturizer and lip oil, but obviously applied nothing to her skin throughout the video, with her eye makeup remaining intact.

“I can’t believe she’s literally just dry rubbing her hands together and rubbing her face.

Like … is this a prank?” one fan asked on Reddit, while another wrote, “WTH was this.

Do brands really think we don’t have eyes, like for real?”

Brown addressed the backlash in a Notes app screengrab she posted Thursday on Instagram.

“I’m still learning the best way to share my routines as I get to know this space better — I’m not an expert,” the star began. “I thought doing a quick video replicating my personal process for that night was okay, but that’s not what was conveyed. I understand, I appreciate all of your feedback on this journey, please keep sharing your thoughts and I will too! ily guys x #loveandlight.” (Page Six)

T

shoot, including the magazine cover, were shared online by Gauri and Shah Rukh.

The family, along with Shah Rukh and Gauri’s sons AbRam and Aryan, and daughter Suhana Khan, recently took a trip to the Maldives. Sharing a picture of the three kids, Gauri wrote on Instagram, “My three little hearts.” (Hindustan Times)

errence Howard revealed he is “done” with his acting career, and won’t be pursuing any more on-camera roles after “Empire”‘s sixth and final season ends.

“I’m done with acting,” he told “Extra.”

“I’m done pretending.”

Howard, 50, did not share why he decided to quit and did not elaborate on what career he plans to pursue instead.

However, he shared that his future plans are

“not philanthropy,” adding, “I’m just focusing on bringing the truth to the world.”

In August, Howard posted a photo of a mathematics equation on Instagram that posed the question, “Does one dollar bill times one dollar bill equal one dollar or two dollars?”

Howard has acted in dozens of films since 1995, and earned an Academy Award nomination for his role in “Hustle & Flow.” (Page Six)

Crossword Solution

S

inger-composer-actor Himesh Reshammiya has said the internet has misunderstood Lata Mangeshkar’s views on Ranu Mondal, adding that it is important for an artiste to draw inspiration from someone.

“I feel we have to see in which connotation Lata ji has made that statement. I feel when you start copying another singer then it doesn’t work that well. But I also feel that taking an inspiration from someone else is really important,” said Himesh, during the launch of a new song on Wednesday. Singer Ranu Mondal also attended the event.

Himesh added: “Kumar Sanu always tells that he is

inspired by Kishore Kumar.

Similarly, we all are inspired by people in some way or the other. When I started singing songs in high pitch then people criticised me, terming it as nasal singing. But if you look at the international scene, it has become a common trait.”

Himesh and Ranu were interacting with the media at the launch of a new song from the upcoming film Happy Hardy And Heer. The song is titled Teri meri kahaani, and is sung by Ranu.

Present at the event were also producers Deepshikha Deshmukh and Kumar Taurani, and Himesh’s wife Sonia Kapoor. Ranu Mondal, who has now recorded three tracks for Bollywood

singer-composer Himesh Reshammiya, became an overnight social media sensation after a video of her singing Lata Mangeshkar’s soulful number Ek pyaar ka nagma hai at Ranaghat railway platform went viral on the internet.

The video has paved the way for her phenomenal rise

from a street singer to a debutante playback singer in Bollywood. Melody queen Lata Mangeskhar’s reaction to Ranu Mondal, stating that the internet sensation should “be original”, has disappointed many fans and social media users, who feel the legendary singer could have been “more gracious”. (Hindustan Times)

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Sunday Times Magazine 15

16 Sunday Times Magazine

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SEPTEMBER 15, 2019

Fun Times

Archie

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Before you consider sharing your emotions with someone, take time to find out if he or she is on the same page as you. Be willing to make adjustments.

You’ll learn valuable inforTAURUS mation from someone older or (April 20- more experienced. A change May 20) you make will encourage you to pick up added skills and knowledge. Take action and make a difference.

You’ll have a handle on GEMINI what’s doable and what isn’t.

(MAY 28- If someone tries to outmaJune 20) neuver you, use your intelligence and present what you have to offer. Romance is in the stars.

Be careful how you handle others. A sensitive sit(June 21- uation will escalate if you July 22) aren’t willing to compromise. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes and act with compassion.

CANCER

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Dilbert

Peanuts

Personal improvements can be made. Adopting a healthier lifestyle will enhance your appearance, energy and attitude.

A romantic gesture will improve your personal life.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Participation will be a pivotal component in the way your day unfolds. What you learn will lead to a positive emotional, financial or domestic change.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Look for the good in everyone and move forward in a positive and friendly manner.

Your charm, intellect and experience will attract people you want to get to know better.

Invite change into your SCORPIO (Oct. 24- life. Take an energetic apNov. 22) proach to everything you do.

Associate with people who are helpful and heading in a direction similar to yours.

Challenge yourself.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Calvin and Hobbes

Spend time with people who bring out the best in you, not the worst. Say no to indulgence, excess and poor choices, and yes to moderation and common sense.

A change at home will turn out better than anticipated. The more you put into a situation or project, the more respect and admiration you will get from others.

Know your limits and AQUARIUS set boundaries. If you have (Jan. 20- a plan in mind, you will Feb. 19) reach your target. Personal improvements can be made that will improve your life.

Financial gain is apparent.

An exaggerated point of PISCES (Feb. 20- view or offer will not help you Mar. 20) or anyone else get ahead. Be truthful and practical, and stick to the basics.