01212022 WEEKEND

Friday, January 21, 2022

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Weekend

Forever keepsakes Page 11

Living the dream Local singer auditions for America’s Got Talent

pgs 08 +09

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 21, 2022

Striking gold – Local baker’s cookies featured at Hollywood celeb’s party

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

food

M

ichelle Roper started baking and decorating cookies strictly for friends and family. But a decade on and her little artworks of dough have been featured at a party hosted by Hollywood royalty – the birthday party of Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, who showcased them on Instagram.

It all started with a baby shower over 10 years ago. Michelle Roper’s family hosted the special event for a relative. And as everyone was contributing in some way, Michelle decided she would try her hand at making decorated cookies. She had no idea what she was doing, but she thoroughly enjoyed the process. From there on out, she made cookies and gave them to family and friends, until eventually she received calls from strangers asking if she could make cookies for them as well.

Today, Michelle is the owner of Goldensmiths, a bakery business that offers custom decorated cookies for all occasions.

“It’s been a long process to get to today’s Goldensmiths. I also initially started out baking quick breads, pumpkin rolls and cheesecakes and other treats for co-workers. Eventually, I became a stay-at-home mother and was able to dedicate more time to baking. However, it would be many years before becoming the Goldensmiths that exists today,” said Michelle.

She told Tribune Weekend that each cookie is customized for the recipient. And that is what makes a Goldensmiths cookie so unique.

Michelle tries to find out as much as she can about the recipient in an effort to give them something that is not only beautiful, but personal.

Goldensmiths cookies are mainly offered in the flavour of vanilla sugar cookies, but seasonal flavours also include chocolate, pumpkin spice and gingerbread.

Michelle said one particularly popular product is her DIY (do it yourself) cookie decorating kit which gives children and adults alike the opportunity to be creative and decorate their own cookies.

A highlight of a career as cookie baker came last summer when she discovered that she had actually made cookies for Jada Pinkett-Smith and Jaden Smith.

“They were for Jaden’s 23rd birthday. It was exciting to see my creations on Pinkett-Smith’s Instagram stories,” she Michelle.

Michelle said while she is not at liberty to discuss the client that initially put her on to the Smith family, she is grateful for the exposure.

JADEN Smith with his mother Jada Pinkett-Smith

MICHELLE Roper “I know someone who works in the tourism industry and I am a vendor for them for when they need cookies. They don’t tell me who the cookies are for but these particular cookies were for Jaden’s birthday. My client contacted

me after they were delivered and said, ‘You need to check Jada Pinkett-Smith’s stories (on Instagram)’, and I said ‘What?’ And the client said, ‘Check it out and you will see what I am talking about.’ I then posted it a few days after Jada did. They generally keep their clients quiet so I had to wait before I could actually post it because they obviously want their privacy,” she said.

“All they told me were the types of cookies they wanted made based on the theme, I was allowed to do whatever I wanted, as long as I included the words ‘Trippy Summer’, which I found out later to be some clothing brand of his or something to that effect. They gave me (license) to pretty much do whatever I wanted to do, which is the best type of client. (Jada) liked them and it was exciting. I was over the moon and I just could not believe it. When I got the message to check the stories, it was so cool that she filmed my cookies. It felt really good and it was a trip to see them on Instagram, knowing that millions of people saw my cookies.

Even though they don’t know I did them, I am glad that the client was very happy about it,” she said.

For Michelle, creating and decorating cookies is a labour of love.

“I can customise a set of cookies based on a child’s favourite animated character or a father’s favourite hobby. Because of this, it takes many hours to create a final product. My main ingredient for decorating is royal icing that can be coloured and piped onto the sugar cookie.

Sometimes other edible accents are used to create texture and depth,” she said.

Michelle said Goldensmiths’ popular children’s cookie decorating classes will be back this year and she will be adding adult classes as well.

The Tribune | Weekend | 03

Friday, January 21, 2022

Bahamian entertainers share their Dubai triumphs

By JEFFARAH GIBSON | Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net

A entertainment

N overjoyed Dillion “D-Mac” McKenzie could not help but share his elation upon hearing his recent rake n’ scrape hit “Looking Fa Sugar” playing on the radio in

Dubai.

While in a taxi in the desert metropolis, D-Mac told the driver, “Muddasick, turn the radio up, sir, turn the radio up…hold on, hold on… this what gern on…this is what Dubai is all about!”

It was moments like this that made the artist’s trip to Dubai, who along with a Bahamian delegation performed at the World Expo last week, an experience that will be cherished forever.

It was both a proud and a humbling moment for the artist who has been churning out song after song. For years, D-Mac has stayed true to the rake n’ scrape sound and has been doing his part in promoting this uniquely Bahamian genre both here at home and abroad. The Dubai trip afforded him the opportunity to present his sound to a new and wider audience.

“I think my performance went great. I must give a shout out to the backing band that performed with us as well as all the technical crew and engineers that travelled with us to highlight our music.

Every single entertainer and the dancers that performed left everything on the stage. We left it all on the stage,” he said.

More than 100 people, including Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, made up a delegation that went to Dubai to attend a world expo that showcased the country’s cultural and technological offerings.

The delegation included choirs, among them Shaback led by Clint Watson, who is also the press secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, a Junkanoo group and bands.

The size of the delegation was reduced due to the surge in COVID-19.

D-Mac believes the Bahamas’ presence at the World Expo 2020 presented a significant opportunity for the country.

“It was a significant opportunity for our culture. There were over 170 that were featured and showcased our culture and everything our country has to offer. It was a really good look for us all as nation,” he said.

Lynn Terez Davis, who is known for the audacious character of Dynamite Daisy, along with members of the Dynamite Daisy Drama Company were also present at the World Expo.

They presented “Daisy’s Family Dinner”, an abbreviated and augmented version of the play “Daisy’s Family Christmas”.

Artistic director of the drama company, Trent Davis, told Tribune Weekend it was a once-in-alifetime opportunity.

“The highlight of trip was meeting the Prime Minister in the pavilion and them being so

DYNAMITE Daisy with new fans proud of us. The congratulatory remarks that we received from our leader let us know that he was totally with us and in support of us,” he said.

Mr Davis said the Bahamas’ presence at the expo will yield exponential rewards.

“It was significant because of the world stage that we were on. If we had gone to New York we would only have been around Americans.

But there were people from all around the world, so it was almost like being in all of the countries at the same time,” he said.

And as for Dynamite Daisy herself, she left audiences wanting more.

“At the end of the drama there were so many people who were waiting to take pictures with Daisy and ask her tons of questions,” he said.

D-Mac The Bahamas’ attendance at the expo, however, did not come without controversy, as some Bahamians took issue with the selection of delegates chosen to represent the country.

Mr Davis said while this may be the case, he believes Dynamite Productions did its best to represent the country well.

“All that we can say is that may the work we have done speak for us. Dynamite Productions has been producing plays in this country for more than 25 years and we seek to bring the best in comical acting entertainment everywhere we go. The work of Dynamite Daisy and Lynn Terez Davis has been critically acclaimed both near and far and she comes very humbly and we are grateful for the opportunity. We feel a sense of pride,” he said.

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 21, 2022

Johnson

Ebony

interview

Armed with a passion for the Spanish language and culture, this educator is eager to promote second language learning among Bahamians. To this end, she tells Cara Hunt, she has published her own set of popular textbooks.

Friday, January 21, 2022

E

bony Johnson, an educator, social media personality and artist who goes by the stage name Ebony Bahamas, is very passionate about Spanish.

So passionate, in fact, that she doesn’t consider herself “just” a teacher of the language. She is in fact a paedagogical specialist in the discipline of foreign language education with a specialty in Spanish.

And she is on a mission to inspire her students to fall in love with the language the same way her own Spanish teachers inspired her when she was at school.

“I really didn’t know what I wanted to do after high school,” she told Tribune Weekend.

“I just knew that I wanted to travel, eat well and live good.

My Spanish teachers at LW Young really inspired my love of the language and served as mentors in a way.”

Ebony’s original plan was to study in Costa Rica as part of a Spanish immersion programme. However, when the scholarship funds she needed fell through, she instead was able to get funding by entering a teaching programme instead.

In August 2015, she spent six weeks in Santiago, Chile where she obtained her diploma in the teaching of Spanish as a second language at the University of Chile. In 2016, she attended the Boston Language Institute where she obtained international certification in the teaching of English as a second language.

Additionally, she has studied the Spanish language extensively in both Salamanca and Valladolid, Spain; in Havana, Cuba; San Jose, Costa Rica; Lima, Peru, and most recently, in Panama City, Panama in 2018 where she earned several certificates pertaining to the Spanish language and culture.

Ebony is a strong advocate for immersion when learning a foreign language.

“You not only get to practice speaking, but you can see firsthand the culture as well. It takes a while to master a language, I am still learning new things in Spanish. A good immersion time frame would be six months to a year. I think that the longest I have been on a single trip is about six weeks. I would love to go longer but of course I have I would have to take a leave

of absence and I have my daughter to consider. But it is also something I would love to see young teachers have the opportunity to do - an immersion programme as part of their training,” she said.

For now, she is helping her students explore the language right here at home.

“I want my students to love this language and to become fluent,” she said.

Initially, Ebony started creating work sheets as extra support for her students.

“People told me they were such a help maybe I should turn them into Spanish work books,” she said.

Thus, the idea of the Lo Básico series of books was born. They are a series of books designed to help students improve their vocabulary.

“I

The Lo Básico Manual de Vocabulario is a vocabulary builder which consists of an easy-to-follow table of contents inclusive of Spanish and English vocabulary that follows the current Ministry of Education guidelines for Spanish language instruction at the basic level.

The textbook includes useful grammar tips, sentence structures and examples, making it an easy tool for Spanish language learners at all levels to utilise in class and independent of the formal classroom setting.

There are several work books which also supplement the textbook discussing topics such as basic introductions and conversations, things around the home such as meals and the family, and physical and personality descriptions. They even cover more advanced topics such as knowledge of the present, preterit and simple future tenses while discussing themes such as the body, aches, pains, places in town, travel and packing, and even emergency situations.

They are designed to help students prepare for the BJCs in ninth grade.

“I basically went through all of the words that the students would be expected to know between seventh and ninth grade and included them in the book. The more vocabulary words they can grasp, the easier it will be for them to respond, so the books also focus on sentence structure,” she said.

To make the books more visually

want my students to love this language and to become fluent.”

appealing, Ebony engaged the services of a young Spanish artist to illustrate them.

Julia Rodriguez is a young illustrator artist from Seville, Spain, who loves comics, animation and creating cute drawings for children’s stories.

She obtained her college degree in Arts at Complutense University in Madrid, Spain, and has also studied comics at Esdip Design School of Arts in Madrid. She currently holds a Master’s in Editorial illustration from the Trazos School of Art and Design in Madrid.

As a professional, she has worked as a freelance illustrator on many private projects, using the online platform, UpWorks. In addition, she has served as a background artist and an in-betweener on several projects by 12 Pingüinos Animation Studio.

One of her most notable accomplishments to date is the work that she has done on short film “Cazatalentos” that has won myriad prizes including the “Goya Award” from Spain’s national annual film awards where it received the award for the best animated short film in 2019.

The books have been very successful thus far and she is hopeful that more students throughout the country will utilise them.

Ebony added that learning a foreign language needs to be a priority in the Bahamas, particularly given the importance of our tourism industry and international business ties.

She noted that in many cases students learn some Spanish in primary school.

In junior high, they then either take Spanish or French to the BJC level, but then often do not continue their foreign languages in senior high to instead focus on other electives.

“Then what happens if you have a student who then goes off to university where it is required to take a foreign language for two semesters, there then becomes that disconnect because it has been at least three years since they have been in a class,” she said.

Ebony also offers tutoring in Spanish and teaches adult classes as well.

22 Mad car5design by8unknown Portend; Onerous; characters (5) 13 Opinion; 11 Lunatic; 15 Craven; 16 Avenge; 21, 24 TraceFriday, out a box January (5)

28 Switzerland developed dread for cheese (7)

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

17 Stage; 20 Cut.

l t o GoH Y i l

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 Target uses words in the main body of Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (1999 edition)

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 once only. each must contain the centre letter and there must be at least one nine-letter word. no plurals.

Verb forms ending in s permitted.

TODAY’S TARGET Good 11; very good 16; excellent 21 (or more). Solution tomorrow

Yesterday’s call 0907 181 2585 Sudoku Answer for today’s target solution

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

BATTLESHIPS CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 Mother’s involved with plan for making bombs (6) 4 Coming in last after me she gets caught (8) 9 Names include a famous soprano (6) 10 One may put his suit in a case - or vice versa (8) 12 Headland or loch (4) 13 Cheat people (5) 14 Ring starts involuntary movement of the ear (4) 17 As found in the doll’s hospital? (5,7) 20 An incoming charge (9,3) 23 Can recall Napoleon’s exile (4) 24 Gain favour with a hot dish (5) 25 Withdrawal of 101 meeting points (4) 28 Charge too much? (8) 29 He takes orders to break the circle (6) 30 Easy opponent to beat and knock to the floor (8) 31 An indication of cold perhaps (6)

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Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Awful, 4 Build-up, 8 Fir, 9 Single out, 10 Outcome, 11 Musty, 13 Thatch, 15 Robust, 18 Pedal, 19 Alberta, 21 Prime time, 23 Off, 24 Whereas, 25 Steal.

Down: 1 Affront, 2 First-hand, 3 Lasso, 4 Bunker, 5 In limbo, 6 Duo, 7 Petty, 12 Square one, 14 College, 16 Tearful, 17 Rabies, 18 Papaw, 20 Bless, 22 Ire.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Suppe, 4 Rackets, 8 Oar, 9 Incurable, 10 Arrayed, 11 Veers, 13 Eldest, 15 Inlets, 18 Cheat, 19 Holland, 21 Interrupt, 23 Inn, 24 Bemused, 25 Punts.

Down: 1 Stowage, 2 Partridge, 3 Emily, 4 Recede, 5 Caravan, 6 Ebb, 7 Seeds, 12 Elevation, 14 Satires, 16 Sidings, 17 Should, 18 Climb, 20 Lit up, 22 Tom.

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 In addition (2,4) 4 Self-satisfaction (8) 9 Special aptitude (6) 10 Exaggerated praise (8) 12 A part of speech (4) 13 Causing laughter (5) 14 Extend across (4) 17 Insipid (4-3-5) 20 Pompous bore (7,5) 23 To harvest (4) 24 Quite impossible! (2,3) 25 Thin streak of smoke (4) 28 An aromatic spice (8) 29 Manage with what there is (4,2) 30 Balanced proportions (8) 31 Stiffening strip in a sail (6)

Down 1 Right of selfgovernment (8) 2 Intentionally (8) 3 Connecting element (4) 5 Many-sided (12) 6 Number of spectators at game (4) 7 Free from liability (6) 8 Adage (6) 11 Solemn promise (4,2,6) 15 Precipitate (5) 16 Be vaguely aware of (5) 18 Embrocation (8) 19 Resign from a position (4,4) 21 Plant of iris family (6) 22 Large wine bottle (6) 26 Get on (4) 27 Factual information (4)

FIND where the fleet of ships shown is hidden in the grid. The numbers to the right of and below the grid indicate how many of the squares in that row are filled in with ships or parts of ships. The ships do not touch each other, even diagonally. Some squares have been filled in to start you off.

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Solution tomorrow ridge tiger trig A 15 31 8 2 B C 31 4 12 25 D E 32 26 11 10 F G 3 9 23 17 H I 33 28 34 8 J K 14 10 7 35 L M Yesterday’s 33 11 5 24 N Kakuro Answer O 30 25 23 7 P Q 11 5 3 31 R S 5 19 8 28 T U 1 35 18 10 V W 31 39 21 14 X Y 40 32 31 8 Z 1

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D T Y E O M T M F U I C A M O C A E

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Friday, January 21, 2022

The Tribune | Weekend | 07

The giftgiving guru

entrepreneurship

By CARA HUNT | Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

K

adian Thomas has managed to turn her love of gift-giving into a business that allows her to help people find the perfect present that will say what sometimes is difficult to say with words.

“A lot of my friends call me the gift guru,” she told Tribune Weekend, “because I really enjoy helping people find creative and very personalised gift options for the people in their lives.”

It was in 2017 that she really decided to branch out and turn a passion into a lucrative career.

“I got started making stamp and stickers for persons to put on their own packages or paper products, just to make them feel extra special and give them a one-of-kind signature look. That just expanded the business,” she said.

Kadian then started making items such as tumblers and T- shirts to incorporate a personal aspect in the gift-giving.

“I realised that I really enjoyed the process of creating the perfect experience for my clients. There is just something special about the process of finding the perfect item for someone.

Kadian eventually branched out and created two companies that focus on curating a luxurious gift-giving experience for her clients - LuXuri Box and Cre8tive Mind Design.

Her efforts have turned into a very lucrative business which boasts many clients, often repeat customers.

“A lot of times people just don’t know how to say what they are feeling, but taking the time to curate a basket or a gift box which has items that reflect the interest of the recipient can mean a lot. And this can be a significant other, a family member, or even a corporate gift to say ‘I appreciate the service that you have provided’,” she said.

“These items can be edible such as fine chocolates, personalised items or

even gift certificates for a spa day or for a favourite meal.”

Kadian is about to once again expand her gift-giving business. This time she will be introducing bridal boxes that brides can offer their bridal party as the perfect thank you. She is also offering oversized balloon gifts as well.

“My advice is definitely turn your passion into profit. I had no idea when I started that the business would expand the way it has, but I am glad I did it,” he said.

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 21, 2022

gardening

A WILD fig tree in Africa

Ficus and the fig

G

ood day, gardeners!

One genus of plant that has been and continues to be ubiquitous in the Bahamian landscape and in homes, offices or patio spaces is the ficus.

The ficus genus consists of over 800 or possibly 1,000 (who’s counting?) species that range in growth habit from vines to shrubs, and in some cases, massive trees of 100’ in height and width or larger!

South Eleuthera is host to some massive ficus trees, just to the north of Rock Sound. Ficus used to be much more commonly used as trees in the landscape than they are these days. They can be negatively affected by hurricane winds and fungus or pest issues.

The Cuban laurel thrip is of particular importance to monitor, and that if left unchecked can have fatal results in the worst cases. One major drawback to using some larger growing species of ficus in the landscape is their massive size.

According to the website World Atlas, there is a tree in India that is reported to have grown to cover four acres of land, as one individual living specimen! For reference, this is equal to three football fields covered by one tree. Unless you’re interested in spending a lot of time managing them, some species of ficus are best kept controlled as potted specimens

for indoor or patio use in any but the largest of settings.

One ficus species that is easily grown in the Bahamian landscape without the issue of size is the ficus carica or the fig tree, which produces the edible fig that is used in the culinary world for food. Food products containing figs include fig paste, fig concentrate, fig powder, fig nuggets and diced and sliced figs.

Oddly enough, the fig fruit is not actually or technically a fruit, rather, it is referred to as a syconium. A syconium is an encapsulated grouping of flowers inside a receptacle, or in the case of the fig, this is what is considered the edible fruit. Fig trees can be grown as a potted specimen anywhere in the world as an interior plant, and if kept at an average temperature comfortable for humans, with several hours of bright light each day, they will possibly produce figs indoors if a self-pollinating cultivar is used and a little help given, maybe. I cannot find anything that says it cannot be done, although, as a critical caveat, the fig fruit can be quite particular and complex. It has a symbiosis with a wasp that pollinates the flowers by living its lifecycle inside the syconium completed by the female flying to another fruit and laying larvae inside of it.

In our climate figs will produce fruit as a potted specimen or as a landscape shrub or tree, although they tend to be a bit more shrub-like

in stature rather than tree-like. Fruiting may be increased with occasional pruning, and very little maintenance is required, from my experience. Figs are quite un-demanding when it comes to nutrients, and they tend to prefer get‘Fruit’ from the fig tree is used in many ting dry in between different ways waterings. Ficus carica does not dry like to sit in season would likely be a saturated soils for benefit although not critical extended periods to the survival of the plant. of time but they Easy breezy. are quite tolerant There are many ficus of drought. that are worthy of attention I have experiand mention for use in the enced very few landscape and for the intemajor pest issues riorscape and I will touch with Ficus carica. on those that are considered They are an easy to have value from time to plant to grow, time, but the ficus carica is and they tend to worth planting more of, in thrive with a bit my opinion. What are you of neglect which planting this weekend? As makes them peralways, I wish you happy fect for someone gardening. who has little time to pay attention to the garden or to their plants. One • Adam Boorman is the nursery watering a week and a fertilizing manager at the Fox Hill Nursery. once or thrice a year ought to keep You can contact him with any a fig growing well when used as a questions you may have, or topics potted specimen. In the landscape, you would like to see discussed, at gardening242@gmail.com. supplemental watering during the

Friday, January 21, 2022

Making memories

The Tribune | Weekend | 11

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

crafts

I

n 2017, Theda Sturrup-Evans gave birth for the first time. She was so infatuated with every detail of her baby’s features, she wanted something to capture them forever so that she could remember the experience of becoming a mother.

For the past four years, Theda has been doing research on imprint casting, making sculptures of children’s hands and feet.

When the COVID-19 global pandemic hit, she told Tribune Weekend, she finally found the necessary determination to turn her ideas into a business.

“Time is something that we can’t get back. It’s priceless. For many, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected them negatively, but for me, it has catapulted me to take the necessary steps to turn my vision into reality,” she said speaking of sculpture brand Precious Prints 242.

“It is a unique business in that it offers new ideas for clients to create a keepsake in real time. At Precious Prints 242, we specialise in offering personalised castings. Our goal is to create and capture unforgettable moments; unforgettable moments such as capturing your infant’s imprints (hands and feet) at birth; you and your spouse/significant other’s intertwined hands representing a union, or your matriarchs’ or patriarchs’ imprints for future generations, for example your grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren and so forth - to embark on their family history or legacy journey,” said Theda.

She said Precious Prints 242 is grounded in educating and informing the public about the importance of and the impact that art has on one’s life by using a method of sculpting to produce memorable replicas that will last a lifetime.

“The artistic process of creating any imprint casting is exceptionally long and tedious. This task involves booking an appointment where we’ll visit the customer’s location. Next, we create the mould. This involves dipping the hands and feet into a warm gel-like solution.

The solution will solidify within 1.5 to 5 minutes and will take a full impression of the body part.

Whilst the gel is setting, it is very important to remain as still as possible to obtain a good mould that is usable. Overall, the appointment takes roughly 30 minutes to an hour, as the solution is warm and freshly made after each attempt,” she explained.

“Once completed, we take the mould with us to finalise the process, which includes pouring it with a hard gel. Once the hard gel is set, it is removed from the impression. After the impression is removed, we wait one week for the drying process to be completed. Next, the casting must be sculpted. Last, but not least, the sealing and painting of the cast moulding is performed before framing and putting on the décor.

Despite the long and tedious process, I really enjoy what I do. I take pride in the work that I do. Every casting created, I strive to execute

and perfect my craft with always pursuing the goal of elevating my creativity skills.”

She said owning such a creative business allows her the opportunity to explore various designs ideas, whether those include silk flowers or real dried flowers. Depending on the client’s culture and heritage, she can also make it personal for the customer.

Precious Prints 242 is a home-based business located in Bel-Air Estates, Ambergris Street.

Theda said her number one seller at the moment are her 3D hand and feet casts for infants that are placed within a frame or on a plinth. Also popular are the casts of couples with their hands intertwined, family casts with up to six family members’ hands that are placed in a frame, and the most recent product - a custom-made name 3D hand sculpture nightstand - this is offered with the option of a photo and/or an eight-mode nightlight.

“More than ever, during this COVID-19 era, the keepsakes that Precious Prints 242 provides would make for a perfect gift. We have lost a lot of people due to COVID-19, and so many of us have nothing to remember them by. Having our casting keepsake is perfect to have after a loved one has died, when a child is born, when a marital union has been formed and overall, to capture special moments in real time,” said Theda.

“These keepsakes represent a continuation of family history and legacy through imprints.

As the great Italo Calvino once said, ‘Memory really matters…only if it binds together the imprint of the past and the project of the future.’ That’s exactly what these castings of imprints keepsakes signify.”

Readers can stay up to date with Theda’s creation by checking out her business Facebook page, “Precious Prints 242” and her Instagram account, “Preciousprints242.”

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 21, 2022

literary lives - Cher

The goddess of pop Sir Christopher Ondaatje looks back on the extraordinary career of the American singer, actress and television personality – often referred to as “The Goddess of Pop”. She is the only artist to have had a number one single on a Billboard chart in six consecutive decades.

When Cher was sixteen she dropped out of school and moved to Los Angeles with a friend. She took acting lessons and supported herself by dancing in small clubs on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip. She met Sonny Bono in November 1962 when he was working for Phil Spector, and accepted his offer to be his housekeeper. Bono introduced her to Spector who used her in back-up recordings. Spector also produced her first single, “Ringo, I Love You”, which Cher recorded under the name Bonnie Jo Mason. The song was a flop and rejected by radio stations as programmers thought Cher’s deep contralto voice was a male homosexual singing a love song to Ringo Starr – the Beatles’ drummer.

Cher and Sonny Bono became friends and eventual lovers. They performed their own wedding ceremony in a hotel room in Tijuana, Mexico on October 27, 1964.

“I only answer to two people, myself and God.” - Cher

“A girl can wait for the right man to come along, but in the meantime that still doesn’t mean she can’t have a wonderful time with all the wrong ones.”

Cher was born Cherilyn Sarkisian in El Centro, California on May 20, 1946. Her father was an Armenian truck driver with drug and gambling problems. Her mother, Georgia Holt (born Jackie Jean Crouch) was an occasional actress with Irish, English, German and Cherokee ancestry. Her parents divorced when she was ten months old. Her mother married actor John Southall with whom she had another daughter, Georganne. She married and divorced several more times and moved around California, Texas and New York with her two young daughters. They had very little money and Cher remembered using rubber bands to hold her shoes together.

- Cher Bono wanted to launch Cher as a solo artist but she suffered from stage fright. At the end of 1964 they emerged as a joint act “Caesar and Cleo” releasing the singles “Do You Wanna Dance?” and “Let the Good Times Roll”. The songs did not go down well.

In early 1965 “Caesar and Cleo” began calling themselves “Sonny & Cher” and made the recording “I Got You Babe”.

“I’m scared to death of being poor. It’s like a fat girl who loses five hundred pounds but is always fat inside. I grew up poor and will always be poor inside. It’s my pet paranoia.”

“The Rolling Stones told us ... that Americans just didn’t get us, and that if we were going to make it big, we were going to have to go to England.”

- Cher Her mother left Cher at an orphanage for a number of weeks. A traumatic experience.

- Cher SONNY and Cher on their popular TV show

Inspired by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Cher began mimicking her behaviour and copying her clothes. She also tried to duplicate the mannerisms of Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, and Katherine Hepburn.

She was disappointed that there were no darkhaired actresses that she could emulate, and felt unattractive with no talent.

She had an unusually low contralto voice, acting male parts in fifth grade school musicals.

After her mother married the bank manager Gilbert LaPiere she was sent to Montclair College Preparatory School in Encino, California, with her sister. She was intelligent, creative and unconventional.

“I couldn’t think of anything that I could do. I couldn’t be a singer or a dancer, so I just thought, well, I’ll be famous. That was my goal.”

“I was never really in school. I was always thinking about when I was grown up and famous.”

- Cher

Part I

- Cher

When they arrived in England they were thrown out of the London Hilton because of their unconventional outfits. Almost immediately newspaper photographers, who turned up to capture the event, made them overnight stars.

They had never seen anything like it, and the London crowds went crazy for the Sonny and Cher look – almost mod and not quite rocker.

“I Got You Babe” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart – and became one of the biggest-selling and most beloved of the mid 1960s. Rolling Stone magazine listed it as “One of the Greatest Songs of All Time”, and knocked the Beatles off the top of the British charts. English teenagers copied their

The Tribune | Weekend | 13

Friday, January 21, 2022 Imperial Records, and Sonny & Cher were dropped from Atco.

In 1969, Sonny Bono began dating other women and the relationship with Cher started to break down. He tried hard to win her back and succeeded, saying he wanted to marry her and start a family. They officially married after she gave birth on March 4, 1969 to Chaz Bono.

Sonny and Cher mortgaged their home and invested $500,000 to make the film Chastity (1969). It was written and produced by Sonny, who did not appear in the film, and tells the story of a young woman, played by Cher, searching for the meaning of life. The film failed miserably, putting the couple $190,000 in debt, together with back taxes.

“Don’t take your toys inside just because it’s raining.”

- Cher

CHER in the 1970s bell-bottom trousers, striped pants, ruffled shirts, industrial zippers and fur vests.

Returning to the US, Sonny and Cher’s first album “Look at Us” (1965) spent eight weeks at number two on the Billboard 200 behind the Beatles’ Help! They somehow became the leading exponents of the rock-folk-message type of song.

By the end of 1967 they had sold forty million records worldwide and had become rock’s “It” couple.

“Until you’re ready to look foolish, you’ll never have the possibility of being great.”

- Cher By the end of the 1960s Sonny and Cher’s music had become less popular in the face of heavy loud sounds like Jefferson Airplane and Cream.

“I loved the new sound of Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, the electric-guitar oriented bands. Left to myself, I would have changed with the times because the music turned me on. But Sonny didn’t like it – and that was that.”

- Cher Their monogamous lifestyle during the sexual revolution and their anti-drug posture lost them popularity among American youths. They produced a film Good Times (1967) which was commercially unsuccessful. So was Cher’s next album Backstage (1968). She was dropped from

This was the low point of their career. They created a nightclub act that was so depressing that people started heckling them. At one point Cher started heckling back ... and Sonny reprimanded her. Then Cher heckled Sonny. It became a part of their act and attracted viewers. They made guest appearances on prime-time shows and Fred Silverman, the head of CBS, noticed them when they were guest hosts on The Merv Griffin Show in 1971. The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour premiered as a summer replacement series on 1 August 1971 and had six episodes. It was an immediate hit, and the couple returned that December with a full-time show. The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour was watched by thirty million viewers during its three year run. They were praised for their comedic timing, and deadpan banter. Cher mocked Sonny about his looks and short stature.

They were funny and the show included hilarious sketches by Cher posing as a brash housewife, a sardonic waitress, and historical vamps including Cleopatra and Sadie Thompson.

one single. In 1974 they released “Dark Lady” as the lead single from the same album and it too reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 – making Cher the female artist with the most number one singles in the US. Between 1971 and 1973, during a rocky period in their relationship, Sonny & Cher released under KAPP Records four albums: Sonny & Cher Live (1971), All I Ever Need is You (1972), Mama Was a Rock and Roll Singer, Papa Used to Write All Her Songs (1973) and Live in Las Vegas (1973).

“I could do a whole album in three days ... we were on the road ... and we were doing the Sonny & Cher Show.”

- Cher It couldn’t last. They had had marital problems since 1971 but kept up appearances until 1974.

“The public still thinks we are married, ... and that’s the way it has to be.”

- Sonny Bono In February 1974, Sonny filed for a separation, citing “irreconcilable differences”. A week later Cher countered with a divorce suit charging Sonny with “involuntary servitude”, claiming that he had withheld money that was a rightful share of their earnings. They battled in court over money and the custody of Chaz, their daughter – which was granted to Cher. Their divorce was finally granted on June 26, 1975.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; CHER: A Biography (1986) by J Randy Taraborrelli; and The First Time (1998) by Cher (with Jeff Coplon).

As Sonny had been pathetically unsuccessful reviving their record career, KAPP Records hired Snuff Garrett to work with them and he produced “Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves”, Cher’s second US number one single. It was the first by a solo artist to rank number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart at the same time as the Canadian singles chart. It remains one of Cher’s greatest 20th Century songs. Clearly, Snuff Garrett knew a lot more about Cher as a singer than Sonny did. She released Foxy Lady in 1972 and Garrett left KAPP as a producer, disagreeing with Sonny about the material Cher should sing. He was right. Sonny then forced Cher to release Bittersweet White Light in 1973. Another commercial disaster. The same year the lyricist Mary Dean brought “Half Breed”, a song about the daughter of a Cherokee mother and a white father which she had written for Cher, to Snuff Garrett. He thought it perfect for Cher and simply held on to it for several months until he could work with Cher again.

“Half Breed” was featured in the album of the same name and became Cher’s third number

1956 - When she was in the fifth grade, Cher produced and starred in a performance of the musical Oklahoma!

14 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 21, 2022

Observations on an election My son, Stephen, was a history lecturer at the College of the Bahamas but moved to Germany’s Max Planck Institute for European Legal History in Frankfurt to study for a PhD degree from the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University. I hope his former COB colleagues will be as pleased as I am that he successfully defended his thesis, Cumma Sum Laude, and is now in the process of having it published to become a PhD. Stephen has a special interest in the development of our Bahamian political system and on May 9, 2017 he posted observations about that’s year’s election. His words make me think of what I see and hear every day, on channels like ABC, CNN, FOX and MSNBC, whichever I happen to be watching, and this seems an appropriate time to re-print Stephen’s observations:

history

“One Lone Election Observer This is a list of some occurrences, around the 2017 general election, that raise doubts about the integrity of the exercise.

1. Non-Registration of citizens whose outfits the employees of the Parliamentary Registrations Department found objectionable. While B J Nottage as minister with responsibility for elections, spoke out relatively quickly on the issue and reminded the PRD of their duty to register all eligible voters, the response from the Parliamentary Department and its then-Commissioner, Sherlyn Hall, lacked sincerity. More importantly, though, it may have already deterred people from again trying to register and, thus, de facto suppressed their votes.

2. The Report of Constituencies Commission was not prepared and submitted to the GovernorGeneral, within the timeframe mandated by the Constitution. Article 70 states that this must be done “at intervals of not more than five years”.

Being late is not being slack. It’s being in violation of the country’s fundamental law.

3. The Order by the Governor-General laid before the House of Assembly, as a result of the Constituencies Commission’s Report, contained changes. These changes were made by the Prime Minister, after the opposition representative had signed the Report. This is very poor style, in a democracy, but according to the letter of the law, within the realm of what is constitutional in the Bahamas. In such cases, however, the Constitution demands that the PM “lay before the House of Assembly, together with the draft, a statement of the reasons for the modifications”. Whether the reasons for the change were satisfactorily stated is a matter for debate.

4.The Voters Register contained glaring errors.

Weeks before the election, it became apparent that the information contained was, in many cases, erroneous, with the birth dates of some voters as far back as the 18th century, or as recent as this year. It also became apparent that some voters were registered more than once. Given the level of disorganisation that the Parliamentary Registration Department and its Commissioner, Sherlyn

Hall, have displayed over the past couple of years, especially during the Constitutional Referendum, where some reported that were not only obviously wrong but plain impossible, the public’s confidence in the Parliamentary Registration Department having discovered and rectified the errors in the short time since is minimal, at best.

Officially, to save face, Sherlyn Hall left, because his contract happened to expire between the advance poll and the general election, that he did not seek renewal, that he was going to retire.

If you organise an election and overlook the date on the contract of the person in charge of that entire exercise, then you 5. The majority of the candiare either incompetent or dates filled in their nomination deliberately want to create papers incorrectly and the Parliachaos. A few days later, however, mentary Registration Department did STEVE at Max-Planck- the Acting Parliamentary Comnot check. We all know that the veracity missioner Charles Albury declares Institut of the information contained in these that the previous Parliamentary documents is not checked, but one would expect Commissioner and now retiree, Sherlyn Hall, has that the Parliamentary Registration Department in fact been retained as a consultant. This makes would not accept nomination papers that did not no sense. What makes the least sense, though, is even meet the formal requirements. The most who orchestrated the replacement. Newspapers common error made, incidentally, was that most reported that in the aftermath of the advance candidates forgot to put their names on Form E – poll high-ranking executives of the governing the Declaration of Assets, Income and Liabilities. party have been seen going in and out of the Unfortunately, there were further mistakes made Parliamentary Registration Department and the by the Parliamentary Registration Department, announcement that an Acting Parliamentary in the transmission of the candidates’ nomination Commissioner had been appointed by the Cabipapers to the newspaper, and by the newspaper net Officer. According to law, however, it is the in the layout stages so that, for some candidates Governor-General, which, at least in theory, is some, or even all, of the information has not been a non-partisan position, who appoints the Compublished, meaning the electorate is prevented missioner, and not the politicians running for (re) from scrutinising the information. election.

6. By the previous Parliamentary Commissioner, Sherlyn Hall’s admission, the voter register was certified late. Given the errors mentioned above, it is remarkable that Hall was confident enough to certify it at all.

7. The certified register must be made available to all candidates, upon request but, apparently, some candidates are more equal than others. One candidate proudly declared on social media that this was not done in the time stipulated by law, however, other candidates not affiliated with the same party suggest that this was not done in all cases in the time stipulated by law, that it was still not done by the end of the advance poll.

8. The advance poll was a disaster. The lines were so long that this led, in some cases, to de facto voter suppression. In many cases, participants in the advance poll found that thee names were not on the lists and they were prevented from casting a regular ballot; they were not given the opportunity to cast a protest vote either, and thus stripped of their right to vote. Furthermore, many overseas polling stations ran out of ballots; this, too, de facto disenfranchised a number of voters.

9. The replacement of Sherlyn Hall must raise eyebrows. To replace a Parliamentary Commissioner, in the seven days between the advance poll and the general election, is unfortunate though, given the level of incompetence, displayed by Sherlyn Hall, keeping him on may have been even more unfortunate. However, questions remain.

10. By the Acting Parliamentary Commissioner, Charles Albury’s admission, the register, despite certification, contains “clerical errors”. Albury’s choice of words - “think” and “would” - does not instil confidence: “I think to that extent in terms of the multiple names, or rather the double registering, I think that would have been cleaned up.”

11. The political parties’ campaigns seem to be fuelled by potentially illegally-obtained information about the competition. The political opponents are frequently accused of illegal doings.

However, this is only ever done on the campaign trail, demonstrating that our politicians do not care about enforcing the law, and making offenders face legal consequences for wrongdoings, but rather use such information for blackmail and politicking. Things that have been lacking from the campaign, are vision and policy proposals and discussion of the same.

I am looking forward to reading the reports of the four international organisations observing our elections, this year.

• For questions and comments, please send an e-mail to islandairman@gmail. com

PAUL C ARANHA

FORGOTTEN FACTS

The Tribune | Weekend | 15

Friday, January 21, 2022

Animal matters

Love sharing funny animal videos?

You’re part of the cute economy

animals

By GHALIA SHAMAYLEH, PHD CANDIDATE, MARKETING, CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY and Zeynep Arsel, Research Chair in Consumption, Markets, and Society, Concordia University (THE CONVERSATION) – Was one of the last DMs you received on Instagram a video of ducklings wearing flowers for hats, or floating in a sink full of water? An overly zealous cockapoo dancing on the couch with his human? A husky throwing a temper tantrum because he couldn’t come indoors?

If sharing cute animal content is your love language, you’re not alone — you are part of a bigger cultural phenomenon called the cute economy.

The cute economy is not only a network of cute content that people participate in making, sharing and circulating but also a multibilliondollar business due to creators’ ability to monetise their content.

What is the cute economy?

Media researcher James Meese defines the cute economy as the creation and circulation of usergenerated content depicting entities (animals, babies, plants, objects, etcetera) that are perceived to be cute.

While researchers and journalists have shed light on this social media phenomenon, sharing cute animal photos is not new. Over 100 years ago, photographer Harry Whittier Frees was creating novelty postcards of anthropomorphic animals.

Our research focuses on the specific but sizeable segment of the cute economy that circulates pet content.

We find the cuteness of pet content is depicted through the following archetypes: goofy or silly animals, small (aka “smol”) or young animals, inter-species content, child-animal pairs, extreme sizes and ratios (very small or very big), unusual looks and

animal behaviours that we construe as human-like.

While some pet accounts have more followers than politicians and celebrities to generate their own virality — like Jiff Pom at 9.9 million, Nala at 4.3 million, Doug the Pug at 3.9 million and Juniper at three million — another catalyst for the circulation of cute pet content is meme or feature accounts that display curated reused content like Matt Nelson’s omni-platform enterprise WeRateDogs.

The creators and their inter-species families Much like mom influencers who create social media accounts for their human babies, pet parents have also been creating social media accounts to show off their domesticated companions.

Given that people have been humanizing their pets since before the dawn of the internet, a pet’s social media presence is a form of pretend play.

Pet account managers humanise their fur babies visually by using clothing, accessories or props. They also humanize their pets textually, by providing them with a human-like

voice.

The content creator will even add species-specific lexicon like catspeak, also known as meowlogisms, or infantalised speech such as lolspeak — the Internet slang originating from lolcat memes.

Still, cuteness has a threshold.

Several participants we interviewed for our research explained that while anthropomorphism can be cute, if it appears forced or inauthentic, it becomes perceived as the opposite of cute.

And many content creators have caught on to this curation of cute and ensure their content doesn’t deteriorate into cringe.

One of our interviewees (who manages an account for her tortoise) expressed her discomfort and uncertainty over creating captions.

She says its hard finding “the balance there between, it being cringey and entertaining.”

What does consuming and sharing cute content do?

Nurturing relationships: Cute content is shared because it depicts a relatable experience to its appreciators. It also serves as a gift of care and a sign of closeness in a relationship.

One of our interviewees knows her stepdaughter is a fan of horses, and specifically sends horse content to her. We find that this gesture signals that the sender truly knows what warms the receiver’s heart.

Aspiring for a future: Consuming cute content can also be aspirational.

For instance, one of our interview-

ees hopes to adopt a dog when she moves to a pet-friendly building. She is dedicated to following accounts that portray her aspirational lifestyle like The Golden Ratio.

Vicarious interspecies connection: Cute content fulfils its consumers because it allows them to interact with animals from a distance, without the need to allocate any resources for taking care of them.

One of our interviewees, an otterlover, insatiably consumes online otter content but does not wish or have the skills to domesticate one.

For a cause: Cute content can also serve as a medium of change.

A creator or appreciator may share content to increase awareness about a cause or to change the opinion of others.

For example, one of our interviewees manages her domesticated duck’s account which depicts her duck being friendly, loving and having a unique personality, much like any traditional domestic animal.

Through her duck account, this pet parent aims to teach her followers about the harms of speciesism, and advocates for a cruelty free co-existence with all animals.

Cute for good Research has shown that watching cute animal videos is good for our own mental health.

Whether you are a creator, appreciator or both, cute content is a conversation starter and relationship facilitator: it breaks ice when people lack topics to discuss, or when they wish to let others know that they care.

Given people’s inability to get together as frequently and intimately due to the pandemic, we’ve been able to share our love from a distance using these small tokens of care.

Society is fortunate that technology enables people to strengthen connections. But, because we can’t have nice things, there exists a dark side of the cute economy so be mindful of sharing content of animals who might have been exploited.

• This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 21, 2022