01112019 WEEKEND

Friday, January 11, 2019

art books entertainment television fashion gardening travel puzzles

Weekend

DIVE INTO STYLE Page 14 & 15

Riding the wave Big-name surfers seek out Long Island pages 4 + 5

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 11, 2019

community

10-year-old girl shows love to the elderly

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

W

HEN her 93-yearold grandmother lost mobility in her legs, not being able to attend recitals or command the dance floor at social events like she was used to, 10-yearold Melania Nixon wanted to do something to uplift her spirit.

As a member of the Bahamas Music Academy orchestra, Melania brought the recitals to gran, playing musical pieces on her violin to cheer her up.

Excitement and laughter followed when Melania’s grandmother heard the melodious music being played.

This act turned into a passion that Melania now channels throughout a non-profit movement called Operation Love and Gratitude.

Seeing the reaction from her grandmother made Melania eager to share this same happiness with those in homes for the elderly and those unable to move freely.

“The aim of Operation Love And Gratitude is to inspire and motivate others, especially my peers, to continue to show appreciation for those who have paved the way for us. My platform is not only to donate resources to charitable organisations, the elderly, soup kitchens and community drives, but also to support and volunteer my time, while creating a lasting impact, as time spent with those in need is priceless,” she said.

This holiday season, as people shopped for Christmas gifts and decorated their homes, Melania assembled the support of corporate employees and civic society to arrange a carolling sing-along and gift-giving event at a local home for the elderly. She shared her talent to entertain the guests who, as usual, embraced the moment, laughed, clapped, sang along; some even danced.

Melania plays the violin for the elderly.

Melania Nixon, 10, doesn’t only donate goods to brighten up senior citizens’ days, but also her time.

“The aim of Operation Love And Gratitude is to inspire and motivate others, especially my peers, to continue to show appreciation for those who have paved the way for us.”

Melania wants to encourage her peers to give of their time and love.

Melania’s mother, Danella Nixon, who has encouraged her daughter’s efforts from the beginning, said Operation Love and Gratitude hopes

to galvanise the support, volunteerism of corporate and civic society with time and resources.

“It is Melania’s ultimate goal to allow her personal vision to activate others, especially her peers to fully support this movement through their volunteerism of giving back selflessly.

We all will one day become old, hence donating should not be limited to just physical goods, but rather bringing more awareness to the need to care for one another more often and showing appreciation with our time,” said Ms Nixon.

“This initiative can be embraced by all sectors of the Bahamas to contribute in what can be dubbed a ‘win-win’ situation, as unity is strength.”

It is Melania’s aim to also encourage others to remember those in need, even if “we can’t offer physical items, our time is still just as valuable.”

So far, Melania has received an overwhelming and warm response from the elderly in various homes.

“Normally persons who visit homes are adults or teens, but it is quite unusual to find a 10-year-old child willingly volunteering her time to make others happy. Many corporate companies, after having heard her platform, have given donations unanimously. This unselfish act has truly encouraged her to keep up the great work with Operation Love and Gratitude,” said Ms Nixon.

The Tribune | Weekend |03

Friday, January 11, 2019

Inside Weekend

My perfect Bahamian weekend Abigail Smith Pilot Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch?

Interview 4-5 Long Island native Gregory Constantakis dreams of creating a flourishing surfing industry in the Bahamas

Drinks 7 Tropical Infusions aims to be trendy and practical

Art 8 - 9 A 12-year-old Bahamian student becomes the youngest participant ever in Florida’s RAW Project

Fashion 10, 14 -15 A revived model agency with a successful track record is seeking top Bahamian talent, plus Bahamian brand Pisces Swim debuts its luxury swimwear for 2019

Entertainment 11 Dynamite Daisy makes her comeback as the ‘Dangerous Doctor’

Television 12 Netflix’s ‘Tidying Up’ with Marie Kondo sparks joy in cluttered homes

Celebrity 13, 16 The hits and misses of the Golden Globes red carpet

Travel 17 Florida’s Space Coast could become your new getaway destination

Gardening 19 A lengthening of days and the impact on your planting schedule

Literary Lives 20 - 23 The greatest movies of all time

Forgotten Facts 25 Paul C Aranha on Conchtown, USA

Puzzles 26

Animals 27 Kim Aranha has a unique little visitor, plus Pet of the Week

Cover | Photo by Nick Lugo

“I prefer Saturday lunch actually, because Saturday is more of a relaxing ‘hey girls, lets go out and have lunch’ type of a day versus Sunday, a family day.”

Q: Wine, rum, cocktail or Kalik?

“I prefer wine or a cocktail like a margarita. They appeal more to ladies, you know what I mean. I am not really a big rum fan or a big Hennessy fan.”

Q: Beach or sofa?

“I am a homebody so I prefer the sofa.”

Q: What is the one thing that you can’t live without?

“One thing I can’t live without is aviation and my family, because they are what hold me together.

No matter how small or how big your family is, you always need them and that may be for some people friends or for some people that would be blood.”

Q: Weekend away, where would you go?

“I would go to Los Angeles I am planning a trip this year actually and it is beautiful there. It is amazing, you get to enjoy and take a piece of various cultures in that one city.”

Things 2 Do this weekend Friday

• Diablo Dark Red Launch Party Time: 6pm Venue: 1er Cru A launch party for the new Diablo Dark Red wine by Casillero del Diablo, with wine and free hors d’ oeuvres for guests.

• Teen Scene Friday Time: 6pm Venue: Skate City Teens can enjoy skating and good music by Nassau’s hottest DJs. Call 821-7042 for more information.

• The Celebrity Artist’s Three-Day Solo Art Weekend Time: 7pm (with events on Saturday and Sunday as well) Venue: Club House, Ocean Club Golf Course, Paradise Island Jamaal Rolle presents the opening night of his solo exhibition. It will feature live a performance by Alia Coley at The Golf Clubhouse Restaurant at Ocean Club Estates.

Admission is free, with an optional buffet for $60 for adults and $35 for kids.

On day 2, enjoy “Sip & Stroke Saturday”. Unleash your inner creativity. For $100, join a fun and interactive paint party as

Jamaal guides you through you the “strokes” of painting your own work of art. Only 40 spots available.

(2pm- 6pm).

On day 3, take part in the Sunday live painting presentation “Up Close and Personal”, as Jamaal creates an image right before your eyes from all of the strokes on the canvas by patrons. Tickets are $100.

(3pm - 7pm).

Visit thecelebrityartist.com for tickets and more information.

Saturday

• Zumba Fitness with Maydi Time: 7am Venue: Solomon’s Yamacraw Feel great, lose weight and have fun with instructor Maydi Williams.

• Majority Rule Heritage Tour Time: 10am, 1pm and 3pm Venue: Clifton Heritage National Park Celebrate Majority Rule all January with Clifton Heritage. Packages are for walk-ins only; park and beach access included. The Heritage Tour is $15; with lunch it’s $25.

• Marina Village Art Walk Time: 2pm Venue: Atlantis, Paradise Island

There will be arts, crafts and music

by Bahamian artisans. You can sample locally grown and homemade products.

• Movies in the Square Time: 5.30pm Venue: Pompey Square DNP and Pupstar Events presents a screening of “Jurassic Park”.

Concessions will be available from 5.30pm and the movie begins at 6pm.

• Bold Bahamas Carnival 2019 Time: 9pm Venue: 1er Cru The launch party for Bold Bahamas 2019 will feature Baha Men’s Rik Carey performing his hit song “Call Me”.

Sunday

• Free Smoke Car and Bike Show Time:1pm Venue: BHRA (The Tracks) Guinness, in association with Spike Entertainment and the Bahamas Hotrod Association, present a free smoke car and bike show. Children get in for free, bikers for $10 and regular admission is $15. Prizes will be awarded for the freshest ride, best bike styles on crank and outrageous stunts.

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 11, 2019

interview On a mission to rebuild the economy of his beloved Long Island, Greg wants to introduce a new surfing industry to the Bahamas which, he tells Cara Hunt, could revolutionise the current tourism product and bring adventure-seeking visitors to these shores.

Gregory Constantakis

T

he Bahamas is known for its three S’s – sun, sand and sea. But Long Island native Gregory Constantakis is determined to add another ‘S’ to the equation: surfing.

As a professional photographer, Greg has travelled and photographed some of the most beautiful places in the world, including polar bears in the Arctic Ocean.

However, he claims nothing compares to the natural beauty of Long Island.

And he recently discovered that the island has an untapped secret –it has some excellent surf.

“About six months ago we were in Long Island and I was just looking at the waves and realised how they are actually be perfect for surfing,” he told Tribune Weekend.

“Surfing is not something that a lot of people think of when they think of the Bahamas. That is actually surprising when you consider that we are a country of islands. But it does exist. In fact, the waters of the Bahamas actually hold really good surf, and Long Island in particular.

Because of where it is positioned geographically, it has some of the best waves in the Caribbean.”

And Greg says if you don’t want to believe him, you can take the word of some of the world’s best surfers who are slowly starting to descend on the Bahamas to catch the latest and biggest wave.

“My friend is a friend of Peter Mendia, and he came down with us and fell in love with the waves,” said Greg.

World-renowned surfer Peter Mendia catches a wave in Long Island.

(Photos/Nick Lugo)

The Tribune | Weekend | 05

Friday, January 11, 2019

“Because of where it is positioned geographically, (Long Island) has some of the best waves in the Caribbean.”

Mendia has been a is a professional surfer for more than 24 years and is the head of the Palm Beachheadquartered, Billabong-sponsored Mendia Boarding School.

Regarded as one of the top free surfers in the US, Mendia is known for “burying the rail like no other, and also for his bone-breaking cutbacks and devouring oncoming lips like a madman” – basically meaning he is a tremendously skilled surfer.

He stands out among his peers as a world-class athlete. Mendia also played baseball, football and basketball, until he found his true calling – surfing – which has earned him worldwide recognition.

“When he came to Long Island, his mind was blown,” Greg recalled.

“From that trip we have had some other big names coming down as well.”

Greg is already beginning to see the possibilities which surfing can open up and is passionate and determined to make it a full-fledged industry in the Bahamas.

About six months ago he launched his new business venture, Tarpon Expedition Co. The company seeks to fill what he considers a void in adventure tourism found in the Bahamian islands.

“We have spent the past few months really getting all the technical stuff together like getting the business licence so that we can be ready,” he explained. “We have already had a lot of people hitting us up on social media. We had one couple who recently moved here who said, ‘Thanks so much, because we have been looking for surf.’

“But what we want to do is really is change the tourism model. Right now it primarily focuses on the

“Right now (tourism) primarily focuses on the average 55-yearold white male looking for a high-end island resort experience and there are not many options for the younger crowd that is...seeking a thrilling vacation.”

Bahamian photographer Gregory Constantakis dreams of establishing a flourishing surfing industry on Long Island.

Professional surfer Peter Mendia takes in the surf on Long Island. average 55-year-old white male looking for a high-end island resort experience and there are not many options for the younger crowd that is on a budget seeking a thrilling vacation. We want to provide that,” said Greg.

In addition to providing surfing packages, he also plans to have ocean paddle board experiences

where people can paddle up the northern side of Long Island, doing 12-mile runs, or even island-to-island runs.

“At the moment no one is really doing stuff like that, but once things are up and running and the word is out, I really think that people will come here from all over the world,” said Greg.

He noted that one of the most beautiful things about this venture is that Long Island has much untapped potential.

“If you look at it, 15 to 20 years ago Costa Rica was in a similar situation; no one was going there until one or two people started and now it is a big eco-tourism spot,” he said.

While Greg is excited to showcase his beloved island to the world, he is also very passionate about using this new industry to improve the lives of Long Island residents.

“We are still rebounding from the effects of Hurricane Matthew,” he explained.

His vision is to encourage Long Islanders to embrace the entrepreneurial opportunities which he is sure will come from this venture.

“We have resorts in Long Island and a project coming, but a lot of them are low-entry service jobs. I want there to be options where persons can become their own boss and have their own business,” he said.

Our ocean, he added, is a natural resource that requires little to no infrastructure to create jobs.

Another untapped area, he noted, is that of water-based rescue services.

For instance, he said that he has a team of rescue workers from Hawaii who can train Bahamians in areas such as how to rescue people using jet skis and water sleds safely in surfing wave conditions. Even though they are from another island and a different culture, he said all “island folks” all share similarities.

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 11, 2019

The Tribune | Weekend | 07

Friday, January 11, 2019

Drink pouches by Tropical Infusions

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

F

or Bahamians on the go, spending the day on the each or on a boat, or for those who simply appreciate practicality, a new beverage brand has come up with what it believes is the perfect solution: drink pouches filled with delicious and refreshing liquids.

Tropical Infusions is the name of this new company which was founded by Shakanta Cooper, who said she is only too happy to follow in the footsteps of her parents, both entrepreneurs.

The twenty-six-year-old said living in a country such as the Bahamas with its hot climate inspired her to create unique

and refreshing beverages, which eventually paved the way for her growing business.

Her goal was to come up with a business venture that would appeal to both the local and international market.

Her Tropical Infusions brand offers adult Capri Sunsized leaded and unleaded pouches in flavours such as Blue Marlin, Wild Berry, Jolly Rancher, and “Hennything is Possible.” Signature drinks are also offered by the gallon as well as in bulk, designed to cater to private functions and events.

“The most favourable thing in this business so far is being one of the few to bring forward this idea to our islands and being able to set a trend here in Nassau,” said Ms Cooper, whose products have been sold out at Jollification for the past two years.

“The feedback I get for Tropical Infusions is quite incredible. Some customers may send a WhatsApp message or post a review on our company’s Facebook page.

Other customers send photos or videos that display their enjoyment of the delicious pouches. The overall goal is for Tropical Infusions to expand our business to a store front. I would like to have a place we can call home so we can provide and extensive variety of products. An expansion would improve the business, grow its customer volume and make the business easily accessible and effective,” she said, Speaking about the inspiration for Tropical Infusions, Ms Cooper said birthdays have always been a big deal for her.

It was after planning a boat

day for her birthday one year that she found herself searching for tumblers for her guests to carry their drinks. Instead, she stumbled across drinking pouches, which she thought were the perfect solution.

“For me it was a brilliant idea; spill-proof with a straw for a day on the water. After brainstorming and realising that it would be a great business opportunity as well, I began advertising and the response was amazing, even before the product was launched. The first day of sales I had completely sold out and that was enough motivation to keep going. For the year 2019 I intend to develop the growth of this company,” said Ms Cooper.

The most influential person in her life, she said is her daughter Asja Skyy. As a parent and sole provider for her family, she said she is motivated to succeed with Tropical Infusions.

“I hope to partner with more corporate entities to participate in more events.

Over the Christmas holiday, 150 pouches were prepared and sold to Doctors Hospital for their Christmas staff party and over 400 drinks were sold at the Jollification event in November 2018. Also we joined Central Bank in November at their Cultural Festival and sold our infamous pouches there as well. I plan to triple those number of events and pouches this year,” said Ms Cooper.

For more information, readers are asked to contact Tropical Infusions at 5445846, or via Facebook at Tropical Infusions.

08 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 11, 2019

art

Painting a bright

future Bahamian becomes youngest ever participant in Florida’s RAW Project

By FELICITY DARVILLE

A

12-year-old boy has become the youngest artist and the first Bahamian to participate in the RAW Project which takes place during Art Basel Miami, one of Americas’ most prestigious art events.

It all started when Sean Austin painted Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis shaking the cowbells and rushing in a Junkanoo parade. His teacher, Cicely Bodie, was proud of him and his work, and created opportunities for him to show off his art, including to the Prime Minister himself. Last summer, Ms Bodie took Sean to the the launch of the Craftsman’s Business Centre when former Speaker of the House of Assembly Italia Johnson and her sister, former Senator Gladys Johnson-Sands, were launching their new venture. A group of teachers who were visiting the Bahamas were touring the centre at the time.

So young Sean got to meet Dr April Williams, principle of Jose De Diego Middle School, who was impressed by his passion for art and his presentation

Sean Austin celebrates the Bahamas with his Junkanoo painting of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. to the teachers on why he decided to create the painting. Tribune Weekend was there and at the time and witnessed Dr Williams inviting Sean and his teacher to the next RAW Project event during Art Basel.

That promise was fulfilled during the second week in December, giving Sean the opportunity to make history as the youngest participant and the first Bahamian to decorate the walls of Wynwood’s middle school, where the RAW Project originated.

The RAW Project (Re-imagining the Arts in Wynwood) is held during Art

Basel Miami each year. Every street in Wynwood is bustling with artists, musicians, bloggers, street art murals, galleries and art enthusiasts from all over the world. Art Basel Miami attracts thousands of visitors every year to party, socialise and celebrate a love of the arts. With Wynwood being such a creative neighbourhood, it was ironic that the local schools did not have an art department or any art funding. The RAW Project began in 2014 to bring colour and inspiration to Jose De Diego Middle School’s bland white concrete walls. The school

Sean Austin and his teacher Cicely Bodie view street art and ‘Welcome to the Afrofuture’ pieces.

The Tribune | Weekend | 09

Friday, January 11, 2019

Sean’s mural takes shape with the help of others.

taught over 600 students ages 11 to 14, but lacked any art education, until the RAW Project stepped in. With the help of street artists from all over the world, the school’s walls were transformed with colour and inspiration for the students. The project is also responsible for an ongoing $500,000 fundraising campaign to support the school’s art department.

The theme for last year’s session was: “Welcome to the Afrofuture” – a theme for which Sean’s Junkanoo painting was perfect. Ms Bodie gave special thanks to Jack Thompson for the financial assistance for Sean. The major part of the funding was sponsored by the school, and Ms Bodie said Dr Williams and her staff gave her and Sean the royal treatment for the three days they were there.

Ms Bodie said the initial task was so daunting at first that they asked Dr Williams for a scale-back: “Initially they had a 40-foot wall for us to paint.

But in three days, we didn’t think that would be possible. We wanted to do a good job and do something that would represent the Bahamas well. We had to accomplish the task with spray paint, which was a first for me, so it was a learning experience for me as well.

So they took it into consideration and assigned us a 16 by 16-foot wall space.

A professional artist was assigned to assist us, Jermaine Green, and he was really great to work with.”

Artists participating in ‘Afrofuture’ included Denisio Truitt, a graphic and clothing designer of Liberian descent; Felice Gee, a Brooklyn-born artist with a long-standing interest in the

gentrification of urban neighbourhoods; Courtney “Ceaux” Buckley, a New Orleans-born multidisciplinary artsist; Sokari Ekine, a NigerianBritish feminist educator, writer, visual scholar and activist; Soraya Jean Louis McElroy, a Haitian-born mixed media artist; Nate Dee, a colourful street artist; Vitus Shell, who has painted for the National Civil Rights Museum’s NBA Pioneer’s Exhibit; and King James Britt, a DJ and Pew Fellowship recipient.

When Sean first met Dr Williams, he was a student at T G Glover Primary.

Today, he is the recipient of a scholarship to attend Windsor at Albany Preparatory School.

“Sean takes a great interest in art,” said Ms Bodie.

She started out in the Ministry of Education as a janitor and worked her way up to becoming a teacher. She is self-taught, but her combined passion and natural ability to create beautiful art paved her way to her current career as a teacher.

“There are so many students like Sean all throughout the education system. The Minister of Education needs to take note that there are opportunities like the RAW Project and Art Basel out there for these students to participate in that can expand their international exposure the way it has done for Sean and I,” she said.

She also encourages Prime Minister Minnis to pay a visit to the Wynwood school and see the larger than life painting of himself.

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Model

Friday, January 11, 2019

fashion

behaviour

St e

A

local agency, which trained Stephanie Smollett Nihon – one of the first Bahamian models to sign with New York’s Elite Model Management and to appear in Vogue Italia during the 90s – is back on the scene.

In search of top models with enough talent to chart their course on the global stage like Stephanie, Choice Model Management and Academy (CMM) is seeking those who desire proper representation and grooming.

CMM is the revival of Model Management that was once located on Victoria Avenue and Bay Street. Its re-launch is spearheaded by owner and ‘catwalk master’ Gerard Royale, who is passionate about discovering and developing Bahamian models and talent.

“Most of all we want it to be fun, healthy and give aspiring models the foundation and opportunities to excel in the fashion and talent worlds. We represent some of the top models in the Bahamas who have had training, built a portfolio and are working regularly to accomplish their goals,” he said.

Other services offered by the agency include helping models build up their confidence, develop their style and image, pageant training, tips on nailing photo shoots, casting, job opportunities and much more.

The agency is currently hosting recruitment exercises for interested models. Classes are held Sundays,

The Choice Model Management and Academy is looking for local talent.

(Photo/Karina Sterling)

el

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

from 3pm to 5pm at Mario’s Bowling and Entertainment Palace, for youngsters between the ages of seven and 12 years old; teen and adult classes are held from 4pm to 5pm.

In the 90s, Gerard, along with Dr Stevens, Victoria Sayer and Byron Coley Austin, trained Stephanie and got her signed with Elite Model Management NYC. “She modelled for years around the world with renowned photographers and magazines, walking hundreds of fashion and haute couture shows. She is now back in Nassau working with CMM and the same team is together again passionate about the same dream,” he said.

Stephanie is currently the creative director and head booker.

“Given that she has known the business well and has many contacts here and abroad, Stephanie wants to ensure models are represented, compensated and supported the way she was,” said Gerard.

“She recently helped Bahamian model Tess Carter get signed and placed with Society Models in New York. Tess has already worked in New York and Japan and for Urban Outfitters, and is set to carve out a successful career for herself.

Gerard said there is a lot of care and consideration in each model’s development plan.

“The agency has different divisions. Female and male models, a kids division, full figured, and actors.

If a model has had experience she or he can go on to be represented by the agency. If there is no work experience we encourage aspiring models,” he said.

Over the years Gerard has trained many successful models and pageant queens.

Representatives from top agencies around the world have arrangements to visit the agency with the hope to scout CMM models.

And for models looking for opportunities to break into the industry, Gerard had this piece of advice: “Stay focused and invest time into yourself and career. Having confidence and being an individual makes you stand out. Just be you and dedication and hard work pays off.”

Bahami an m od

Revived agency seeking top Bahamian talent

i an ph

tt Nihon olle m eS

The Tribune | Weekend | 11

Friday, January 11, 2019

entertainment

Dynamite Daisy returns as the “Dangerous Doctor”

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

H

ER return to the stage was met with great enthusiasm by all who came out to St John’s Auditorium last Friday eager to see Dynamite Daisy – the Bahamas’ most famous female comedian – make her comeback.

It’s been three years since Daisy, portrayed by Terez Davis Nixon, last performed in front of an audience, delivering her sharp wit and words of wisdom.

And in true Daisy fashion, slurred speech and all, she presented her latest showcase, “Daisy the Dangerous Doctor”.

In this new stage play, which is also available on DVD, Daisy’s sloop runs aground near Nassau. She finds a job in one of the local clinics, working as a janitorial assistant.

Daisy arrives at work one evening and goes about her routine, ensuring

that the clinic is clean. She comes across a doctor’s coat, left on a chair, and after only little hesitation and much excitement, decides to put it on. Daisy continues her cleaning schedule, but this time impersonating a doctor.

The doors of the clinic swing open suddenly and medical attention is needed. Daisy skills are put to the test. Of course, mayhem and laughter ensue.

“The show was a great success.

Everyone was eager to see what Daisy would come out with and they loved it. I got great feedback from those who attended,” Terez told Tribune Weekend.

Given that this new show was a hit, Terez said her intention is now to take “Daisy the Dangerous Doctor” to the Family Islands.

“If we are able to secure sponsorship we will take the show to Abaco at the end of the month,” she noted.

After Abaco, Terez said her sights will be set on having the play showcased in Freeport.

“Making people laugh is a lot of pressure.”

“We are also in talks with the Consul General in Miami to possibly take the show their, too,” she said.

Daisy’s return to the stage was the result of her fans’ demanding a comeback, said Terez. Sometime last year she spearheaded an evangelistic outreach initiative at Golden Gates Assembly Ministries and ever since then people have wanted to see more from her.

Daisy’s signature boldness, wit and humour is something Bahamians have grown to love over the past 15 years.

After nearly two decades in show business, Terez decided to retire Daisy in 2015. She felt her life was going in a new direction.

“At the time I prayed about it and it truly was time to give it a break.

While I love creating and love playing Daisy, it became very tiring after a while,” Terez admitted.

“There is also a lot of pressure that comes with this, too. You have to ensure that you are keeping up with what is going on and also present that in a way that makes people laugh

without downplaying issues. Making people laugh is a lot of pressure.”

Terez, at the time, was also juggling several other creative projects while having a full-time role at the Ministry of Culture.

But like demonstrated last Friday night, Daisy still has much more to say.

“The break gave me the opportunity to recharge,” said Terez.

“During the outreach event, people began saying, ‘Don’t go back into retirement.’ So the comeback was due to demand.

While Terez hasn’t done anything to alter Daisy’s character, audiences will have to be the judge of whether she still is the same character they have grown to love.

“Daisy has not changed in that you won’t recognise her. She is still the warm, bubbly, ‘I will tell you the truth, but I you love” kind of character,” said Terez. “She will never be so cutting that she would leave you wounded. She will cut and then she will bandage up.”

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 11, 2019

television

Review: Netflix’s ‘Tidying Up’ sparks joy in cluttered homes

By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

Best-selling author Marie Kondo now has her own Netflix show.

N

etflix has released its new series “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” just in time to help everyone with those New Year’s resolutions to leave the clutter behind

and enter 2019 with a home that truly sparks joy.

For those unfamiliar with her, Marie Kondo is a Japanese organising consultant and author. She has written four books, including her best-selling

“The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of DeCluttering and Organising”. The book has led to millions of homeowners to embrace her so-called KonMari method of cleaning.

“When you put your house in order, you put your affairs and your past in order, too,” she says in her book.

The key component of KonMari cleaning is to sort through your entire house in one fell swoop (which can literally take weeks or months). To do this, she suggests making a pile of all your belongings and then going through them in order of category – clothing, books, papers, komono (which is really all the miscellaneous stuff) and then the sentimental belongings.

You then discard anything that is trash and donate the rest... thanking each piece for the role they played in your life as you say goodbye.

The only things that should be kept are the things which spark joy.

These items are then given a permanent spot in your home, which eliminates the clutter in your life, because every time you clean you just return things to their “home”.

In the new Netflix series, Marie (with the help of her translator) arrives like an angel of organisation to help families buried in clutter to take control of their mess and as a result their lives.

I had heard about the KonMari method of tidying from several of the YouTubers I follow, and so when my husband mentioned that this show was on Netflix, I immediately ran to my TV and prepared to binge-watch.

“Tidying Up” is a bit like another of my favourite shows, “Hoarders”, but without the rat faeces, mould-infested refrigerators and environmental health citations.

It’s about people who are buried in clutter, not the garbage they are saving, because they are sentimentally attached to 150 empty coke cans or bags of dog hair.

Marie’s approach is gentle; she does not advocate a minimalist life. For example, she advises if you want to keep 50 term papers from college, just buy a cute box to put them in.

I’ve been decluttering my home for the past few months and I binged the show on New Year’s Day as I finally tackled the spare room in my house.

Marie was great company. There is something satisfying about watching other people clean their homes and get their mess under control – cue YouTube ‘Clean with Me’ videos that motivate me to get on with my own work.

It was a bit difficult to keep a straight face as she solemnly “greeted” the homes she entered, and I really don’t see myself lovingly caressing my clothes as I fold them as she does, but I did take her advice and remove many items from my home which don’t spark joy.

Twitter and social media have been abuzz about the series, with many people stating they have seen the benefits of her method and posting photos their newly organised spaces.

The definition of what “sparks joy” is of course open to individual interpretation. Many others have also taken her to task for suggesting that you definitely can have too many books and should throw some of them out.

But if cleaning is on your mind, you will probably enjoying “Tidying Up” like I did.

The Tribune | Weekend | 13

Friday, January 11, 2019

celebrity

PART

I

The Weekend Fashion Report The 76th Annual Golden Globes

HIT

FAIL

FAIL

FAIL

Lady Gaga (”A Star is Born”) in Valentino

Lucy Liu (”Elementary”) in Galia Lahav

Janelle Monae (”Hidden Figures”) in Chanel

Elizabeth Moss (”The Lupita Nyong’o Handmaid’s Tale”) in (”Black Panther”) in Dior Haute Couture Calvin Klein

Karin says: “So this periwinkle gown was actually a tribute to a dress worn by the late, great Judy Garland in her version of ‘A Star is Born’. And I love it! It’s Gaga levels of dramatic, of course, but in a way it’s also suitably subdued for the event.

The colour is to die for.”

Cara says: “So my first thought when I saw this gorgeous gown was ‘Smurfette at the ball’. Not in a bad way though, because I just love the whole look. Lady Gaga just always looks like such a star and I love it all.”

Karin says: “This looks like blobs of Play-Doh got stuck in her nude, sheer dress...that, or she’s suffering from some really bizarre skin disease. I get she wanted to experiment, but this is not even flattering on her. The sheer cape on top of all that is just the extra fussy cheery on top of this fashion disaster.”

Cara says: “I do like the shape of the dress and I don’t even mind the cape, but I agree the paint splotches all over the fabric are just a big mess. They completely ruin an otherwise all right gown.”

Karin says: “I actually like the gold bucket on her head.

But the closer I look at the entire ensemble, the less I like it. It looks too stagey for an event like this; like she stole a warrior costume off some film set and wore it to the Globes.”

Cara says “Janelle always bring that African queen type vibe to the red carpet and I usually love her looks. But she fumbled the ball this week. I am fine with the head piece and the black dress, but please tell me what was up with the white undergarments. It reminds me of when parents make you wear an undershirt under your cute top...so unnecessary.”

Karin: “Liz got every designer she wore to donate to her new ‘RAD’ initiative to raise money and awareness for charities in need. While that’s a nice gesture, this dress still looks like it’s several sizes too small...like she shopped in the teen section.”

Cara says: “I just don’t like it. I don’t think it was appropriate for the event and the fit was not right. It really is not all that flattering on her figure either. Makes her look shorter and stumpy. This was probably the worst of the night.”

SPLIT

PHOTOS BY JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION/AP)

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

Karin says: “There was A LOT of sparkle on display this year. I love this blue on Lupita; jewel tones are her friends for sure. There is something really Roaring Twenties about the design and it suits her. It’s not a big, flashy gown, but then it doesn’t need to be.”

Cara says: “What would be considered stunning on some people is just average on Lupita. Don’t get me wrong, she looks amazing as ever, but compared to some of her other looks, this is one of her less memorable dresses.”

• See PAGE 16 for Weekend Fashion Report Part II

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 11, 2019

celebrity

PART

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

SPLIT

SPLIT

SPLIT

Kiki Layne (”If Beale Street Could Talk”) in custom Dior

Rosamund Pike (”A Private War”) in Givenchy Haute Couture

Debra Messing (”Will Julia Roberts & Grace”) in Pamella (”Homecoming”) in Roland Stella McCartney

Thandie Newton in (”Westworld”) in Michael Kors

Karin says: “I was just talking about ‘too much’...this is the definition of it. And poor Debra was so proud of that cape during her red carpet interviews. Why all those feathers? It looks like some disco diva’s 1970s revue outfit.

If this had been streamlined some, it could have been regal.”

Cara says: “I really like it.

And I like her in it. It could almost be too much, but somehow I think she pulls it off and she looks fun and elegant all at once. It’s not my fave of the night, but I do really enjoy looking at it.”

Karin says: “First of all, her hair is amazing! It almost makes the entire look. The dress is pretty enough; nothing spectacular. While it’s sparkly and sequined, like so many on the night, it’s kinda simple and understated...even a little bit sexy with some skin showing.

I’m not crazy about it, but it’s fine overall.”

Cara says: “We saw lots of sequined dresses on the red carpet and this is another one that is pretty, and just a tad bit boring. She looks great in the dress but there isn’t really any ‘oomph’ effect besides the cut-outs; I’m just not in love with it.”

Karin says: “I love the colour and lightness of this chiffon dress. But the choker ruins the entire look for me; not exaggerating. It’s the only thing I see. It looks so tacky with this lovely gown. And I’m not a fan of the incredibly visible bra cups either.”

Cara says: “Oh, this is pretty.

It’s very subdued sexy, and that colour is awesome against her skin. I am not 100 percent down with the 80s throwback choker. I wish she had scrapped that and added some bling with some earrings.”

Karin says: “Another ‘less woulda been more’ scenario.

I hated that silver attached jacked the moment I saw it on the red carpet. It’s way too much. And the dress looks like it could be a fancy bondage gown. Nothing works here. It’s a very confused design.”

Cara says: “I feel two ways about this. I keep looking at it, trying to decide how I feel.

I like the idea of the sequined jacket casually thrown over her shoulders, but it may not be the best fit considering all the confusion the cut-outs are causing around her torso.”

HIT

Karin says: “People online hated this, said she looked undecided if she wanted to wear pants or a dress. But I actually kinda like it. It shouldn’t work, but somehow it does. I love the tan and black combo as well. And of course ankle-length pants are all the rage now.”

Cara says: “This is a fun look.

It’s different but still elegant and I love me some Julia. I do think that the pants are a bit too short though, they needed to cover her ankles.

This length is a bit weird, regardless of trend. Otherwise, this is very stylish.”

SPLIT

PHOTOS BY JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION/AP)

The Weekend Fashion Report The 76th Annual Golden Globes

II

The Tribune | Weekend | 17

Friday, January 11, 2019

travel

Florida’s Space Coast could be your perfect getaway (BPT) - People who visit Florida’s Space Coast often end up making it their favourite vacation destination, mainly because it features such a wide range of enjoyable activities for all ages. Rich in entertainment and adventure, new learning experiences and natural beauty, the area is considered very affordable for tourists.

If you’re already visiting the Central Florida area, the Space Coast is only a 45-minute drive due east from Orlando, making it an ideal option for extending your next wintertime getaway.

There’s good reason for the popularity of Florida’s Space Coast, notes Gabe Saglie, the senior editor for Travelzoo, in a recent report he wrote for ABC News. Space fans flock here to visit the Kennedy Space Centre, learn about NASA and watch rocket liftoffs in person. But this 72-mile stretch of beach along the Sunshine State’s Atlantic shores has so much more to offer, from gourmet discoveries and outdoor adventures to some of Florida’s most spectacular scenery.

And did we mention the near-perfect wintertime weather, with an average high of 72 degrees during the cold months, along with minimal humidity? If you’ve never experienced this fun-filled destination, consider adding these Space Coast attractions to this winter’s itinerary.

• TO INFINITY AND BEYOND TripAdvisor calls Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex the only location worldwide where you can view the space shuttle Atlantis, touch a moon rock, meet NASA astronauts, tour a NASA spaceflight facility and get up close to a Saturn V moon rocket all in the same day. And that’s not counting the chance that you might also witness a spectacular rocket launch firsthand.

Other prime spots along the Space Coast for viewing launches include the shores of the Indian River, Space View Park in Titusville, Playalinda Beach on the Canaveral National Seashore and Exploration Tower at Port Canaveral.

• BIG, BEAUTIFUL BEACHES Whether you seek a peaceful shoreline retreat, a surfing paradise, an oceanside oasis for family fun or a place near the sand that also has some decent nightlife, you’re likely to find the beach of your dreams here.

Tourist favourites include Cocoa Beach, a nostalgic coastal community featuring a historic pier and more than 50 locations for shopping, dining and enjoying the arts, and Sebastian Inlet State Park, which is great for surfing, canoeing, kayaking and camping.

• FISHING AND BOATING The Space Coast is dream territory for all kinds of angling. If you prefer the saltwater variety, Port Canaveral is your all-in-one resource for chartering an offshore fishing boat, trying your hand at bottom fishing or relaxing on a

party barge with friends and family. Other locations along the coast offer dolphin watching, manatee viewing and the exploration of area islands. If freshwater fishing is your thing, the headwaters of the St Johns River feature more than 6,500 acres of shallows harbouring largemouth bass.

• ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS The Brevard Zoo in Melbourne is home to some 650 animals representing species from Florida, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.

Zoo visitors can kayak through the Africa exhibit; zipline over gators and crocs in the South America territory; hand-feed the giraffes; pet the rhinos; stroll the boardwalks that are surrounded by lush Florida fauna; paddleboat around some 22 acres of wetlands; and cool off in the Indian River Play Lagoon. For additional eye-opening encounters, more than 140,000 acres of natural habitat are yours to explore in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which is home to at least 1,500 species of plants and animals. The pristine refuge is ideal for hiking, birdwatching, fishing and simply enjoying some of nature’s wonders.

Think about it: Florida’s Space Coast could be the place you’ve been dreaming about for your next adventure.

18 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 11, 2019

art

Supplying the tools

L

ocal artists are welcoming a recent expansion of a local paint store which is now featuring specialty supplies.

Sherwin-Williams Bahamas is seeking to create a one-stop destination for visual artists at their Prince Charles location.

With industry knowledge and thorough engagement with established and emerging local artists, the company aims to fine-tune a growing stock of supplies in keeping with what’s in demand, what’s most needed, and what’s requested by these creatives to heed their calls.

Sourcing affordable art supplies has always been the plight of Bahamian artists.

“The art business is quite expensive.

Being a creative, you have to find affordable ways to create your work, but it’s great to have a variety of places to compare when you’re buying new supplies,” said University of the Bahamas art student Rachel Pyfrom said.

“It’s great that Sherwin-Williams has created this new space for artists because it makes it easier.

General Manager for SherwinWilliams Bahamas Reto Giovanoli said: “We are also inviting schools and those that provide art lessons to visit us as we do stock a line of economy acrylics in half gallon sizes. We would love to serve this market as well. We encourage them to provide us with their stocking lists and we will strive to fill them.

“We’ve started a small selection, we’re taking feedback from the artists, and with that we are increasing our supplies more and more with every order. We want to bring in new and inventive and creative products so that Bahamians, especially artists have more use of them.

The store currently carries Golden Artist Acrylics and Mediums, the Jacquard line of Airbrush & fabric Paints, Liquitex Acrylics, Gamlin 1980 Oil Paints & Solvents, Derwent coloured pencils, Alcohol inks and markers, a wide range of artist paint brushes, stretched and rolled canvases, DecoArt hobby & Craft Paints and

“The art business is quite expensive.

Being a creative, you have to find affordable ways to create your work.”

Metallics, a full range of Art Alternatives tools such as easels, storage cases and gift sets and a full range of the exclusively-owned Krylon Spray Paint brand consisting of fixatifs and clears.

In the next couple months, the store will carry more kinds of specialty products, not only for dabblers and students

but for practicing professional artists as well.

“I remember coming up as an artist.

It was really hard because there was only one place that carried art supplies, but it was so expensive. It makes it really hard for starving artists and the talent coming up to purchase supplies,”

said Airbrush Junkies CEO and artist Stefan Davis. “It’s great to see that Sherwin- Williams has art supplies and a wide variety of them and at affordable prices. We’ve been waiting on this day.”

The company aims to be the new headquarters for affordable art supplies in the Bahamas for artists, hobbyists, and those looking to simply dive into the discipline.

The Tribune | Weekend | 19

Friday, January 11, 2019

gardening

A lengthening of days

H

owever well your vegetable garden is doing now, it will do better in the immediate future because of the lengthening days. Those extra couple of minutes every day may seem fairly meaningless to us, but plants respond to the indication of an ongoing process much the same we human beings do not overreact to small matters but keep in mind the bigger picture.

Our most important consideration right now is to keep our crops coming. With a fairly large garden we can get through the vegetable season with three crops of tomatoes: the one we sowed in August, the main one we started in October or November, and the final flush in March. The last sowing should comprise more heatresistant varieties and more cherry tomatoes to last into summer.

It will be your judgment as to when you pull the first crop of tomatoes out of the ground. Once a vine has become leggy and fruit production sparse, it is time to act. The replacement tomatoes should have been raised to six inches or so in a seed bed and transferred to a gallon pot to await their succession.

Your new tomato vines should not be planted in the same area as the first set, which is easy to say but hard to accomplish with a small garden. If you are forced to plant the second set nearby the first then use a nematode resistant variety such as Celebrity as your second (and third) crop.

Cherry tomatoes are really handy additions to the main tomato crop.

The vines tend to have wilder and more vigorous growth than larger tomatoes and are hard to control in a garden plot. You may consider planting them in random fertile spots around the garden where they can grow and be supported by small shrubs or other established plants. Not your classic English garden effect but we are in the tropics and have a little more leeway.

Isn’t it nice to be able to put together a delicious fresh salad whenever you like. The healthy home gardener grows lettuces and greens in abundance and can add scallions and tomatoes to the combo. Those who prefer their food cooked can enjoy

It’s time for harvesting new crops, planting new seeds and dealing with pests, says Jack Hardy spinach and greens such as chard and kale. Everything we eat from our gardens is healthy. A fresh sowing of your favourite lettuce and greens varieties will keep the goodness coming.

New crops could include eggplants, Irish potatoes, and fennel. Eggplants sown in autumn often flower but do not produce fruit. Those sown in winter enjoy the longer and warmer days of their maturity and produce well into – or through – summer. Remember eggplants are related to tomatoes

and should not be grown where tomatoes have recently been raised.

Irish potatoes are a home garden joy whether the tubers are giant or the size of chicken eggs. Choose a variety you like or one that is more expensive, such as fingerlings and Yukon Gold.

Fennel takes up quite a bit of garden space but is a dramatic addition. The fronds grow to shoulder height and are beautiful en masse. The root bulbs can be used raw in salads or cooked briefly and served with a delicate sauce or vinaigrette.

The winter flower beds should be blooming or very close to flowering.

Potted flowers, including hanging baskets, bring great joy but sometimes there is one plant that is not up to the standard of the rest. This is where nurseries can help find a replacement.

I have grown potted petunias for years and this year gave them a rest and made borage my main potted flower.

The first blue flowers appeared on the last day of the year and the plants seem to enjoy their promotion from herb to display specimens. If I tire of borage I can consume them but I do not think that will happen.

The end of the long carambola season has finally come. There will

be no more flowering and the last fruits will become more precious.

Fortunately they are being replaced by strawberries as a gustatory treat. More about them next week.

January is the best month to deal with scale insects on flowering shrubs and fruit trees. The recommended solution is to spray infested plants with dormant oil but if the temperature is too high the foliage can be burned.

Even in January it is best to choose a windless and cool cloudy day.

The sign that you have sucking insects on your shrubs and trees is a black residue on the leaves called sooty mould. The insects suck sap from the cambium layer and excrete a syrupy liquid called honeydew that becomes affected by mildew when exposed to air. The sooty mould is a symptom rather than the problem. A spray of dormant oil, mixed as per bottle instructions, with a further spray three weeks later usually solves the problem.

If you feel the need to prune I would suggest you leave the task for a few more weeks and do your trimming in March. Easter is late this year with Good Friday falling on 19th April.

Garden tasks we tend to leave until Easter should therefore be brought forward a few weeks.

One exception to the pruning delay is the Annonas: soursop, sugar apple, cherimoya, etc. The fruits are produced on new growth so a pruning session will guarantee a bountiful harvest.

20 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 11, 2019

literary lives

The greatest movies of all time – Part I Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about the 10 best films ever made – and compares his choices with the great movie directors and historians.

F

or the umpteenth time last month I was asked what my 10 best films were. It is an almost impossible question to answer. There are so many films, and so many really good ones. And then there was the history of film to consider.

How could I possibly ignore the 1895 public screening of the Lumiere Brothers’ short films in Paris – the first commercial public screening. In the 1900s, continuity of action – the “chase films” – were achieved by D W Griffith, heralded to be the inventor of the “close-up”. The first permanent theatre showing only films was The Nickelodeon in Pittsburgh in 1905; and the first feature length multi-reel film was a 1906 Australian production.

However, from about 1910 American films had the largest share of the

(clockwise) Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Leonard Maltin and Sir Christopher Ondaatje

The Tribune | Weekend | 21

Friday, January 11, 2019

MALTIN’S 100 best “must-see” films of the 20th century

Australian market and about the same time actors began to receive screen credit for their roles. During the First World War films changed from one-reel programmes to feature films and by 1914 continuity cinema was the established mode of commercial cinema. “Hollywood” in California became known as the geographical centre of the American film industry and by the 1920s it reached the zenith of its output, producing 800 feature films annually or 82 percent of the global total.

During late 1927 Warner Brothers released “The Jazz Singer”, with the first synchronised dialogue and singing in a feature film, and by the end of 1929 Hollywood was almost totally talking pictures. Sound saved the Hollywood studios in the face of the Great Depression. Wartime propaganda created a renaissance in the British film industry, and the onset of the American involvement in World War II brought a proliferation of films promoting both patriotism and propaganda. Television threatened the future of the cinematic industry and many film theatres would bankrupt and close. However the film industry survived and is still regarded as one of the best forms of home entertainment. Thank God we have movies.

And thus I invited a friend of mine to lunch who has an encyclopaedic mind of films and film making, and is herself the author of two plays produced on and off Broadway. Of course the lunch quickly degenerated into a friendly argument – but it did resolve some important points – the most important being that however good a film can be from a cinematographic or a director’s point of view, if the film did not affect you personally then it would not be possible to select it as one of your ten best picks. Then there was the problem of category. What about foreign films?

What about silent films? And what about musicals? It would be difficult to compare “The Third Man” in the same light as “Singin’ in the Rain”.

And it would be even more difficult to compare and rate Satyajit Ray’s brilliant “The Music Room” with “Gone With the Wind”.

Therefore we started at the beginning and listed the 100 best “must-see” films of the 20th century. Here we relied to a great extent on Leonard Maltin – one of the best American film critics and film historians. It is difficult to argue with his selection, although

1. The Birth of a Nation (1915) 2. Intolerance (1916) 3. Our Hospitality (1923) 4. Greed (1924) 5. The Gold Rush (1925) 6. Battleship Potemkin (1925) 7. The Big Parade (1925) 8. The Freshman (1925) 9. Metropolis (1927) 10. The General (1927) 11. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) 12. The Crowd (1928) 13. All Quiet On the Western Front (1930) 14. City Lights (1931) 15. M (1931) 16. Dracula (1931) 17. Frankenstein (1931) 18. Trouble in Paradise (1932) 19. King Kong (1933) 20. Duck Soup (1933) 21. Sons of the Desert (1933) 22. It Happened One Night (1934) 23. It’s a Gift (1934) 24. A Night At the Opera (1935) 25. Bride of Frankenstein (1935) 26. The 39 Steps (1935) 27. Swing Time (1936) 28. Modern Times (1936) 29. Dodsworth (1936) 30. Mr Deeds Goes To Town (1936) 31. Grand Illusion (1937) 32. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) 33. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) 34. The Lady Vanishes (1938) 35. Stagecoach (1939)

36. Gone With the Wind (1939) 37. The Wizard of Oz (1939) 38. His Girl Friday (1940) 39. The Grapes of Wrath (1940) 40. Fantasia (1940) 41. Sullivan’s Travels (1941) 42. Citizen Kane (1941) 43. The Maltese Falcon (1941) 44. The Lady Eve (1941) 45. Casablanca (1942) 46. The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) 47. The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944) 48. Double Indemnity (1944) 49. My Darling Clementine (1946) 50. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) 51. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) 52. Great Expectations (1946) 53. The Bicycle Thief (1948) 54. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) 55. Gun Crazy (1950) 56. All About Eve (1950) 57. Sunset Boulevard (1950) 58. Rashomon (1950) 59. Strangers on a Train (1951) 60. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) 61. High Noon (1952) 62. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) 63. On the Waterfront (1954) 64. The Seven Samurai (1954)

there were a few we chose that were not included in his list.

In our heated discussion, and before I could come to a final difficult decision, I armed myself with a 10 best movies list from two directors and observants who I consider to be far, far more knowledgeable than I am: Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Scorsese. It was a good tactic – and may have worked.

It certainly arranged my (our) thought process, and again cemented the definitive theory that any list of 10 best movies would have to have had a personal effect or reason for the choice.

65. The Searchers (1956) 66. Paths of Glory (1957) 67. The Seventh Seal (1957) 68. Vertigo (1958) 69. North by Northwest (1959) 70. The 400 Blows (1959) 71. Some Like It Hot (1959) 72. La Dolce Vita (1960) 73. Psycho (1960) 74. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) 75. 8 1/2 (1963) 76. Dr Strangelove (1964) 77. Mary Poppins (1964) 78. Blowup (1966) 79. The Graduate (1967) 80. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) 81. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 82. The Wild Bunch (1969) 83. Midnight Cowboy (1969) 84. The Godfather (1972) 85. Mean Streets (1973) 86. The Godfather, Part II (1974) 87. The Conversation (1974) 88. Blazing Saddles (1974) 89. Jaws (1975) 90. Nashville (1975) 91. Annie Hall (1977) 92. Star Wars (1977) 93. The Deer Hunter (1978) 94. Apocalypse Now (1979) 95. Raging Bull (1980) 96. E T the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) 97. Goodfellas (1990) 98. Schindler’s List (1993) 99. Pulp Fiction (1994) 100. Fargo (1996)

Here is Alfred Hitchcock’s list, which he gave in 1939 when he first arrived in the United States. An immediate focus of media attention he gave his list at the 21 Restaurant in New York. Hitchcock was only 40 years old at the time but there is little doubt that his list would have been the same 40 years later. He was a silent picture fanatic and it is doubtful that later movies impressed him more than the classic silent pictures included in his precious confession.

ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S 10 BEST MOVIES

Saturday Night (1922) A Cecil B DeMille directed film about two mismarriages and the consequences they bring.

The Isle of Lost Ships (1923) Based on the Crittenden Marriott novel – a science fiction story about discovering a lost race in the Sargasso region.

Scaramouche (1923) An inter-class struggle – which Hitchcock loved. The lower class character is played by Ramon Novarro who has a loving relationship with a higher-class girl that seems impossible to survive.

Forbidden Fruit (1921) Cecil B DeMille directed this story about a woman trapped inside a marriage with an abusive husband.

Sentimental Tommy (1921) Made by director John S Robertson – based on two novels by James M Barrie – Sentimental Tommy and Tommy and Grizel. Robertson is better known for his Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

The Enchanted Cottage (1924) Also directed by John S Robertson and made three years later. A faithful adaptation of Arthur Wing Pinero’s 1923 play about a bruised protagonist returned from the war who meets and comes to terms with a woman who has her own problems.

Variety (1925) Emil Jannings acted the main character in this unconventional film – a spicy film for the time about a not very good person.

The Last Command (1928) Another Emil Jannings portrayal of a Russian aristocrat who ends up in Hollywood. Jannings won an Oscar for Best Actor.

The Gold Rush (1925) The Charlie Chaplin classic about a prospector who goes on a gold-seeking expedition.

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) The story of a World War I veteran for whom bad times didn’t end with the Treaty of Versailles.

Continues on page 22

22 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 11, 2019

American mystery drama film by Orson Welles – who was the film’s producer, co-screenwriter, director and star. Considered by many critics and filmmakers to be the greatest film ever made. The film’s cinematography, music, editing and narrative structure are considered to be innovative and precedent setting. Based on the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.

Ashes and Diamonds (1958) Polish film directed by Andrzej Wajda based on the 1948 novel by Jerzy Andrzejewski. One of the great masterpieces of Polish cinema and arguably the finest Polish realist film.

Set in a small Polish town on 8 May 1945 – the day Germany officially surrendered.

Poison (1946) An Italian neutralist war drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini – the second of a Rossellini trilogy – set in the Italian campaign during World War II when Nazi Germany was losing the war against the Allies.

Vertigo (1958)

Casablanca (1942) Continued from page 21 Another film that intrigued Hitchcock was Fritz Lang’s film “M”, which starred Peter Lorre as the child murderer hunted down by a gang of criminals. Hitchcock liked Lorre’s performance so much that he cast him in the original version of “The Man Who Knew Too Much”. Later, he was so intimidated by the 1955 French thriller “Diabolique” that he bought the rights to

Boileau-Narcéjac’s next novel “D’Entre les Morts” – which became the basis for his film “Vertigo”.

**************** Martin Scorsese is known as one of the most enthusiastically cinephilic directors working in America. His essays and DVDs of his favourite movies stand as evidence for the surprising breadth of his appreciation.

He did however put together

a list of his 12 favourite movies (not 10) which is listed below.

MARTIN SCORCESE’S 12 BEST MOVIES

8 1/2 (1962) Italian surrealist comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini starring Marcello Mastroianni as Guido Anselmi, a famous Italian film director who suffers from stifle creativity as he attempts to direct an epic science fiction film. Shot in black-and-white the film is acknowledged as an avant-garde film and highly influential classic.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) An epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrik.

The screenplay was written by Kubrik and Arthur C Clarke and inspired by Clarke’s story “The Sentinel”. The film is noted for its scientifically accurate depiction of space flight, pioneering special effects and ambiguous imagery. One of the most influential films ever made.

Citizen Kane (1941)

Gone With the Wind (1939)

The Tribune | Weekend | 23

Friday, January 11, 2019

The Third Man (1949)

The Gold Rush (1925) The Leopard (1963) Italian: Le Guépard. An epic Italian period drama film by director Luchino Visconti, based on Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa novel of the same title.

Set in Sicily in 1860. Brilliantly dramatic starring Burt Lancaster as Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, and Claudia Cardinale as Angelica Sedara Bertiana.

The River (1951)

French: Le Fleuve. Directed by Jean Renoir and filmed in India – a sensitive dramatisation of a teenager’s coming of age and first love, and how her heart is broken when the man she loves is smitten by her best friend instead.

The Red Shoes (1948) British drama about a ballerina who joins an established ballet company and becomes the lead dancer in a new ballet, based on the fairy tale The

Red Shoes by Hans Christian Anderson. Starring Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook and Marius Goring. Brilliant creative use of Technicolour. Written and produced by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Salvatore Giuliano (1962) Directed by Francesco Rosi and shot in a neo-realist documentary, non-linear style, it follows the lives of those involved with the famous Sicilian bandit Salvatore Giuliano – who is mostly off-screen during the film and appears most notably as a corpse.

The Searchers (1956) An American Vista Vision Western film directed by John Ford, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May, set during the Texas-Indian wars, and starring John Wayne who plays a middle-aged Civil War veteran who spends years looking for his abducted niece (Natalie Wood). A masterpiece and probably the greatest Western ever made.

Ugetsu Monogatari (1953) A tale of ambition, family love, and war set in the midst of the Japanese Civil Wars of the sixteenth century. Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi.

Vertigo (1958) An American film noir psychological thriller film directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock – based on the 1954 novel D’Entre les Morts (From Among the Dead) by BoileauNarcéjac. James Stewart and Kim Novak starred in this film - which is now considered to be the classic defining work in Hitchcock’s movie career.

Martin Scorsese championed comprehensive film presentation, and cited the case of “Vertigo” (1958) – which Sight and Sound’s critics poll named as the greatest film of all time. After decades of obscurity the film came back into circulation with very poor sound and colour.

Eventually, responsibly restored, the film has now been seen by a host of new viewers who have recognised its hypnotic beauty and strange obsessive focus.

Nevertheless, despite my admiration for Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Scorsese, I did not follow their learned selection and reasoning. After debating the merits of Alfred Hitchcock’s 10 best movies, and Martin Scorsese’s list of his 12 best movies, I did not choose a single 10 best movies list, but instead chose three categories of film – which made the selection process a little easier. My reasons for these selections are given in the second instalment of this article.

Next week: Sir Christopher Ondaatje, the author “The Last Colonial”, breaks down his best movies.

24 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 11, 2019

history

Scientists scour WWI shipwreck to solve military mystery WASHINGTON (AP) — A hundred years ago, a mysterious explosion hit the only major U.S. warship to sink during World War I. Now the Navy believes it has the answer to what doomed the USS San Diego: An underwater mine set by a German submarine cruising in waters just miles from New York City.

That’s the conclusion of an investigation by scientists, archaeologists and historians convened by the US Naval History and Heritage Command.

Last summer, the researchers sent an unmanned underwater vessel to inspect the site off New York’s Long Island.

Their analysis ruled out a torpedo and sabotage, two other possible scenarios.

The San Diego was sailing to New York on July 19, 1918, when an external explosion near the engine room shook the armoured cruiser. Water rushed into the hull. Within minutes, the 500foot warship began to capsize. Weighed down with 2,900 tonnes of coal for a planned voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, the vessel sank in less than a half hour. Six crew members died.

“The explosion felt like a dull heavy thud,” Captain Harley Hannibal Christy, commander of the USS San Diego, wrote in a naval inquiry

Mexico finds Flayed god temple; priests wore skins of dead MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican experts have found the first temple of the Flayed Lord, a pre-Hispanic fertility god depicted as a skinned human corpse, authorities said Wednesday.

Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History said the find was made during recent excavations of

underwater archaeologist with the Navy. He presented the findings this week in Washington at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

Today, the shipwreck of San Diego is a rusting but well-preserved sanctuary for fish and lobsters. The researchers used information from the underwater vessel to create high-resolution 3D

maps of the wreck. They modelled impact and flooding scenarios to analyse how the ship might have been attacked.

The flooding patterns weren’t consistent with an explosion set inside the vessel. And the hole didn’t look like a torpedo strike.

“Torpedoes of the time carried more explosives than mines — and would have shown more immediate damage,” said Arthur Trembanis, at University of Delaware marine scientist who collaborated on the study.

The mine was anchored at optimal depth to tear open a warship, said Ken Nahshon, a research engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Centre in Maryland, who also assisted the investigation.

The underwater explosive hit an unguarded lower part of the ship, where the hull was only about a half inch thick, said Nahshon. Had it struck the warship’s armoured band, the 5-inch thick steel plating would have minimised the impact.

After the blast, the commander directed the ship’s gunners to “open fire on anything resembling a periscope.” Between 30 and 40 rounds were fired, in case an enemy submarine was nearby. The captain was aware German U-boats may have operating in the area. As the ship began to sink, Christy ordered the crew to pile into life rafts and dinghies. A passing whaleboat and two steamships helped rescue most of the San Diego’s 1,100 sailors.

CHRISTINA LARSON AP Science Writer

trunk depicting the god, Xipe Totec.

It had an extra hand dangling off one arm, suggesting the god was wearing the skin of a sacrificial victim.

Priests worshipped Xipe Totec by skinning human victims and then donning their skins. The ritual was seen as a way to ensure fertility and regeneration.

The Popolocas built the temple at a complex known as Ndachjian-Tehuacan between A.D. 1000 and 1260 and were later conquered by the Aztecs.

Ancient accounts of the rituals suggested victims were killed in gladiator-style combat or by arrows on one platform, then skinned on another platform. The layout of the temple at Tehuacan seems to match that description.

Depictions of the god had been found before in other cultures, including the Aztecs, but not a whole temple.

University of Florida archaeologist Susan Gillespie, who was not involved in the project, wrote that “finding the torso fragment of a human wearing the flayed skin of a sacrificial victim in situ is perhaps the most compelling evidence of the association of this practice and related deity to a particular temple, more so to me than the two sculpted skeletal crania.”

“If the Aztec sources could be relied upon, a singular temple to this deity (whatever his name in Popoloca) does not necessarily indicate that this was the place of sacrifice,” Gillespie wrote.

“The Aztec practice was to perform the sacrificial death in one or more places, but to ritually store the skins in another, after they had been worn by living humans for some days. So it could be that this is the temple where they were kept, making it all the more sacred.”

The USS San Diego while serving as flagship of the Pacific Fleet.

(US Naval History and Heritage Command via AP) commissioned shortly after the warship sank. He had been standing on the bridge of the ship, on a clear day with light winds.

German naval records recovered after the war revealed that U-boat 156 had sailed just off the coast of New York, planting explosives.

“We believe that U-156 sunk San Diego,” said Alexis Catsambis, an

A skull-like stone carving and a stone trunk depicting the Flayed Lord, a pre-Hispanic fertility god depicted as a skinned human corpse. (Meliton Tapia Davila/INAH via AP) Popoloca Indian ruins in the central state of Puebla.

The institute said experts found two skull-like stone carvings and a stone

The Tribune | Weekend | 25

Friday, January 11, 2019

history

Conchtown, USA

L

ast October, I left Nassau in a hurry to take one of our dogs for cancer treatment; in so much of a hurry that I failed to leave sufficient ‘Forgotten Facts’ articles to cover the period I was away. For this, I apologise.

It was, however, very rewarding to receive so many enquiries from my readers and to know that I (my writings) are missed. Thank you to those who contacted me.

I hoped to visit Riviera Beach, the subject of Charles C Foster’s fascinating book “Conchtown USA – Bahamian Fisherfolk in Riviera Beach, Florida”, but never got there.

We tend to forget that many Florida localities can trace their roots back to settlers from the Bahamas. Riviera Beach is one of them, as is Key West, but Keith L Tinker, in his 2017 book “Gateways to the New World”, goes deeply into this subject.

Tinker writes that “Bahamian mariners were generally familiar with the Florida Keys.” These were principally Loyalist settlers and their families, who had come to the Bahamas from British East Florida, after the American Revolution, and adopted the seafaring Bahamian lifestyle of fishing, turtling and wrecking.

Seasonally, they would move to Florida, where the fishing was good and an increasing number of them stayed in Florida, where many of their descendants still live.

Tinker quotes George E Merrick’s 1941 address to the Association of Southern Florida: “These Conchs began to come in the early 1800s . . . their influence reached its peak in 1870 to 1890. The colonisation reached from Key West to Lake Worth . . . at that time, our region . . . was, in essence, a part of the Bahamas.”

William Kemp, a Bahamian, is credited with introducing sponging to Key West, in 1848 and his compatriots with revolutionising the Florida fishing industry. Perhaps their greatest innovation was the “live well”, where live fish are kept, in constantly-changing sea-water.

Architecture is another field influence by Bahamians. In fact, some of the houses in Key West had been built in Abaco, then brought to Florida by ship. Bahamian buildings are still

Forgotten facts | Paul C Aranha

Key West’s Bahama Village landmarks, in Key West. The Conchs brought with them expertise in building, using locally-available materials.

Tinker says that Bahamian architecture featured large windows, for maximum

circulation of available cool breezes, while hot air was released through vents under the eaves. They also favoured separate kitchens, the use of cisterns to hold rainwater, collected

off the roof, and wrap-around porches.

They also brought advanced boatbuilding skills.

Labourers were scarce in the Keys, a lack that was filled by hard-working Bahamians, who also knew how to plant the trees and plants they brought with them – guineps, pigeon peas, soursop, sapodillas, etc. These plants can still be found in places like Coconut Grove (the first settlement of black Bahamians on the Bay, when it was called Monrovia). Other such villages are Overtown, Liberty City, Cutler and Perrine. Bahamian-built house withstood many, many hurricanes.

By 1920, some 5,000 black Bahamians made up 52 percent of the black communities in Miami and an estimated 16 percent of its total population.

We spent five weeks in Delray Beach where, on day one, while groceryshopping, my wife ran into fellow Bahamian, John Wanklyn.

• For questions and comments, e-mail islandairman@gmail.com

Excellent: 8 mins Yesterday’s solution: fUnds (across) sLUMP (down)

26 | The Tribune | Weekend

Best described as a number crossword, the task in Kakuro is to fill all of the empty squares, using numbers 1 to 9, so the sum of each horizontal block equals the number to its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the number on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Kakuro increases from Monday to Sunday.

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so the each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

the main Alphapuzzle, every sOlutION body of the alphabet is used 11, 2019 you have to comple chambers 0901 322 5607 0901 322Friday, 5601January grid too! use the giv 21st Both today’s words in a moment Halve your target time! letters and black sq century *Calls cost 75p plus your telephone company’s below the grid to st network accessDictionary charge. grid is ‘rotationally (1999 symmetrical’ – in ot edition) words, it looks the s

stucK? call FOr a clue

TarGeT

i t e o Y r Dm f

o Y r Dm f

THe aLPHa

HOW many words of four letters or more can you make from the letters shown here? in making a word, each letter may be used cAn must you crack the the once only. each contain the target Alphabeater? eachbe grid letter and there must at uses centre least one nine-letter word. no a letter number represents wordsplurals in or verb forms ending in “s”.

– or black square. As in

you turn the page u down. solution tom

yesterday’s sol Black squares: 1 10,A15,221, 27, 13 29, 32, 33, 36, 38.

B across: Incubati Period, Affirm, W C 13Psalm,36Sp Brown, Equal, D Prevent, E Strain, Juggerna down: E 31Spawn,40Be Inroads, Amazing F Here, Ajar Hymn, Extra, Inferno, O G 22 Stink.33 Among,

the main Alphapuzzle, every letter of Today’s TarGeT body of thegood alphabet is used. But Good 14; very 21; excellent you have totomorrow. complete the 28 (or more). solution chambers grid too! use the given 21st yesTerday’s soLUTion letters and black squares century cent coin cone icon inCePTion below the gridionic to start. the incite inept into intone Dictionary gridnice is ‘rotationally neon nepotic nicotine nine H (1999noetic nonce none nonet symmetrical’ – innope other extra I 9 letter note noticewords, once it open 22 c edition) looksopine the same if 0907 181 2 pectin pein you pent peon pine turn the page upside J pinion pint pinto pion piton point HOW many words of four letters (Deduct three minu solution tomorrow. each lette pone tenondown. tenpin tine tone or more can you make from the K extra 13 clue28 tonic tonne full solutio letters shown here? in making a yesterday’s solution L word, each letter may be used call 0907 Black 3, 6, 0907 181 2 181squares: 2585 1,for 38cost 80p18per onceYesterday’s only. each must contain the today’s10,target 15, 21,solution 27, 29, 30, 31, M *Calls Yesterday’s *Calls32, cost 33, 80p per plus your telephone c centre letter and there must be at plus 36,minute 38.

Nnetwork access ch your telephone company’s Sudoku Answer Kakuro Answer least one nine-letter word. no across: Incubation, network access charge.

2 plurals or verb forms ending in “s”.

Period, Affirm, Wealthy, O 33 P Brown, Psalm, Spook, *SP: Spoke – Helpline 0333 202 3390 More Equal, Prevent, Expire, PLay Today’s TarGeT Q 6 25 Strain, Juggernaut.

Good 14; very good 21; excellent R down: Spawn, Beset, 28 (or more). solution tomorrow.

CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 Play for the village (6) 4 Beaten up with flour, egg and milk (8) 9 A trail that winds; there may be a catch in it (6) 10 Goes or returns (8) 12 Pulls to one side, then another (4) 13 Prize money in the bag (5) 14 He opposed Stalin and survived to write about it (4) 17 Making good progress, a desert traveller hopes to find it (4,2,3,3) 20 When licked, it may go into a corner (7,5) 23 It scatters the foe right away (4) 24 It is a combined effort, of course (5) 25 Clearly not a good impression (4) 28 Rang Noel when out, and got him? (8) 29 The full extent of the rise (6) 30 Fool raced around, considerably vexed (8) 31 Barmaid who argued about a pound (6)

Yesterday’s Easy Solution

Down 1 Built-up area of urban Across: 1 Right, 4 Dashing, development (4,4) 8 Mob, 9 Stayed put, 2 NB, indicate a source of 10 Augment, 11 Dally, 13 Evince, 15 Prefer, 18 Pagan, 19 Archaic, water (4,4) 21 Come round, 23 Owe, 3 Quality surprisingly found 24 Nettles, 25 Elegy. among the languid (4) Down: 1 Rummage, 2 Go 5 Equipment that checks begging, 3 Taste, 4 Dearth, aircraft on carriers (8,4) 5 Slender, 6 Imp, 7 Gutsy, 12 Left 6 Take another course in alone, 14 Central, 16 Rickety, sewing (4) 17 Maquis, 18 Pecan, 20 Cadre, 22 Mat. 7 Rush upon it and revise once more (2-4) 8 He has absolute control of the French vessel (6) 11 Leave it to the majority to Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution decide (3,2,3,4) 15 Mark in writing and pass Across: 1 Iowan, 4 Started, 8 Err, on (5) 9 Old record, 10 Ironies, 11 Testy, 16 A reason for which some 13 Nagged, 15 School, 18 Circa, people fight (5) 19 Habitat, 21 Crossword, 23 Ale, 18 Window providing 24 Abridge, 25 Evens. ventilation and Down: 1 Iberian, 2 Warmonger, illumination (8) 3 Naomi, 4 Sadist, 5 Aseptic, 6 Too, 7 Daddy, 12 Short wave, 19 Light entertainment to 14 Elapsed, 16 Letters, repeat all over 17 Choose, 18 Cocoa, 20 Badge, the place (8) 22 Oar. 21 Quarrel about taking a composer outside (6) 22 Tugboat? (6) 26 Skills he requires to make a suit (4) 27 Refuse permission to examine the ring (4) Down Across 1 To lower in 1 Able to price (4,4) move quickly (6) 2 Centre of target (5,3) 4 Shrink (8) 3 Luxuriant (4) 9 Zestgiving 5 A superquality (6) stition (3,5,4) 10 Doctrine (8) 6 An implement (4) 12 Frustrate (4) 7 Positive declaration (6) 13 Bracing (5) 8 Causing 14 Farm strain (6) building (4) 11 Welcome 17 Resources (4,3,5) deliverance (4,8) 20 Enrolment (12) 15 Large black 23 Father’s bird (5) sister (4) 16 To massage (5) 24 Grown-up (5) 18 Confusion (8) 25 Scottish 19 Causing lake (4) obstruction (2,3,3) 28 Precipitately (8) 21 Get to the bottom 29 A fungal of (6) growth (6) 22 To no avail (2,4) 30 Medieval 26 Surfeit (4) musician (8) 27 Quote as an 31 Show authority (4) signs of (6)

EASY PUZZLE

yesTerday’s soLUTion cent coin cone icon inCePTion incite inept into intone ionic neon nepotic nice nicotine nine noetic nonce none nonet nope note notice once open opine pectin pein pent peon pine pinion pint pinto pion piton point pone tenon tenpin tine tone tonic tonne

call 0907 181 2585 for today’s target solution *Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

*SP: Spoke – Helpline 0333 202 3390

Inroads, Amazing, Croft, Hymn, Here, Ajar, User, Extra, Inferno, Overact, Among, Stink.

extra letter clues

0907 181 2560 (Deduct three minutes for each extra clue letter heard)

full solution

0907 181 2558

S T U V W X Y Z

1

D

*Calls cost 80p per minute 21 plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

28

21

13

33

35

9

22

33

2

3

22

23

● Alternatively, for

PLay More Crossword

The Tribune | Weekend | 27

Friday, January 11, 2019

animals

Flapper, my visiting friend

A

s the weather is so cool at the moment we tend to leave our doors and windows open as much as possible during the day, and as we have five rather large and noisy potcakes with command and access to the entire garden, we feel comfortable doing this. Gosh, if anybody is “audacious” enough to drive by the house one of them raises the alarm and all hell breaks loose.

Several months ago I noticed this little bird that would come and perch on the barbecue outside the kitchen door and watch us moving around the kitchen. Sometimes this little fellow would muster up enough courage to come and sit on the puppy gate across the kitchen door (to keep the dogs away from the gardener). This curious little bird would sit there for prolonged periods of time, tilting his head this way and that, fascinated by our movements.

I started placing some crumbs on the barbecue lid...I couldn’t scatter them on the ground because one of the dogs would vacuum them up as soon as they went outside. My bird friend would gobble them up.

After a few weeks I decided this visitor deserved a name, and as he flapped his wings to fly I named him Flapper.

Now, I do not know if Flapper is a girl Flapper the house sparrow or a boy, but for some reason I have it he has gained an amazing knowledge in my mind that he is a boy… brave, of the rooms, where the doors are and inquisitive, and always hungry. which ones are likely to be open…he It did not take Flapper long to venture into the house. Over the months comes flying through the kitchen door,

Star power

By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY

“S

tar light, star bright, first star I see tonight...”

Star is wishing very hard for a home of her own for 2019.

This very gentle potcake is about nine months old and has a sweet disposition. She’s sociable with dogs and humans alike, and would really like to find a family to call her own. She’ll be able to stay at the Bahamas Humane Society for as long as need be since it is a no-kill

shelter but a new home would be a great start to a new year. Have you been looking for a gentle girl to add to your family? Star might be the bright light you’ve been seeking!

Come in to the BHS to meet her or call 323-5138 for more information.

Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday. Star is wishing to meet you!

• Mark your calendars for February 2. More information to follow...

Thanks, and all the best for 2019!

Linda

low flying to miss any fans and takes a steep turn to the left and into the dining room. I assume that there must be crumbs on the table that for somebody the size of Flapper constitutes a banquet. He likes to perch on the bannisters where he has a commanding view of several rooms.

As soon as we know he is in the house we go around turning off all the ceiling fans in order to avoid some nasty accident. The weird thing is that Flapper appears to know to stay away from fans and gives they a wide berth…this is what makes his flying so stealth-like as he enters the house at low altitude and is almost immediately banking to the left. Such a spectacular flying display!

Everybody is always amazed that the dogs pay no attention whatsoever to Flapper. He will perch on a chair arm a few feet away from them and preen his feathers and our dogs do not even look up. It is strange because I have seen them frequently chase birds away from around the pool, but Flapper appears to have a special pass to hang out right in front of them.

We had guests to lunch over Christmas and one of them was a little alarmed that there was a bird in our house and did we need help getting it out? “No, thank you,” we told her, “That’s Flapper, he spends hours a day in the house.”

I do my best to make sure he doesn’t get caught inside the house at night

PET OF THE WEEK (Photo/Patricia Vazquez)

when we lock up, but so far he seams to want to be outside for sunset and I hear him chirping away with his friends in the Monkey Puzzle Tree outside the kitchen door.

On morning I was cooking, and I looked over at the puppy gate and Flapper had brought friends; five of them were lined up on the wooden puppy gate. They were all watching me very intently, hoping some food would come their way. I didn’t want to move because I didn’t want them to fly away alarmed. Finally, after enjoying their company for a few minutes, I crumpled up some bread and sprinkled it on the porch tiles, making sure the dogs could not get out. Flapper and his family had a feast and a few more flew in to help clear the floor of crumbs.

Just the other afternoon whilst I was getting lunch I felt a rush nearby and turned to see Flapper disappearing into the dining room. About 20 minutes later I saw him fly out the kitchen door to join his friends.

It is super cool to be able to connect with a wild animal no matter how small, and I cannot begin to tell you how much pleasure Flapper’s visits give us. It is wonderful to watch him go about his daily routines with no fear, and we thoroughly enjoy hosting him whenever he feels the urge to come and visit us. Sometimes I honestly wonder what he tells his fellow birds about where he has been.

28 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 11, 2019