02152019 WEEKEND

Friday, February 15, 2019

art books theatre film fashion music gardening history puzzles

Weekend

THE LOVE LIST Page 8

A bid for love

Charity event auctions off dates page 9

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, February 15, 2019

community

Charity spotlight: Cans for Kids Bahamas During the upcoming months, Tribune Weekend is taking a closer look at the valuable role Bahamian charities play in our community.

By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

C

ans for Kids Bahamas has collected over 41lbs of cans for 2018 and is determined to increase that number as they head into 2019.

And to start the year off on the right track, during the month of February the organisation is hosting a campaign called “Love You Back” which is designed to encourage people to show love to the environment.

On Saturday, Cans for Kids will be at Monroe Landscaping on Gladstone Road. The public is asked to stop by and bring their old cans between 10.30am to 1.30 pm. Those who donate cans can receive discounts if they purchase items from Monroe Landscaping.

The charity’s mission is two-fold: collecting cans to recycle and helping its participates achieve their fundraising goals.

“Our aim is to promote recycling though the collection of aluminium cans which would normally end up in a landfill or the ocean,” said Lesly Williams, project manager for Cans for Kids.

“Although we are an environmental organisation, we are also a civic organisation whose goal is to raise funds for schools and youth organisations through the recycling of aluminium cans and then incentivising, in other words, giving money for the cans collected.

The life cycle of aluminium cans Cans for Kids was founded by Ginny McKinney in 1998.

“Mrs McKinney is a long-time environment and social activist as well as president of the first environmentally conscious waste management and composting company in the Bahamas.

“Currently, we have 27 schools and five youth programmes that are a part of our programme. We also have eight churches and 11 corporate companies, and a total of 14 depots throughout the Bahamas, eight of which are in Cat Island. Our goal is to educate the Bahamian population on the importance of recycling aluminium cans; make recycling more accessible by

increasing our depot locations. We all want to increase our corporate sponsorship,” said Ms Williams.

And despite it’s name, Cans for Kids is not only focused on the youth.

“We actually want everyone to recycle, not only kids, but we realise that if we start with our kids, our future will be filled with environmentalists.

It is important for our kids to recycle, because it will teach them how to manage life.

“Although we are called Cans for Kids, the organisation is not just focused on kids, the proceeds go towards schools and youth groups. It is

the proceeds that focuses on kids,” explained Ms Williams.

She noted that the response to the charity over the years has been very good.

“Most schools and students want to do their part,” she said. “There are a lot of good people out there who are looking for something positive to do. They want to join Cans for Kids because they see the benefits of doing your part for the environment.”

Participating schools and organisations are given sacks or bins to collect the cans, which are then turned over to recycling centres.

One of the added benefits is that schools and companies find that they have less waste in their garbage areas, because there is a greater focus on recycling, Ms Williams added.

The organisation has three main goals this year. One, it wants to educate more Bahamians about the importance of recycling; two, it wants to partner with more schools, civic organisations and charities, and three, it would like to increase the level of can depots it has throughout the country.

Cans for Kids will also be hosting a number of pop-up shops throughout the island to encourage people to recycle their cans, the first of which is this Saturday’s event.

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Friday, February 15, 2019

Inside Weekend

My perfect Bahamian weekend Phylicia Duncombe Photographer Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch?

Interview 4-5 Odaz Lightbourne explains the intricacies of being a brand coach and enhancing your idea of success

Art 7 Paint Night participants create masterpieces on glass

“While I am hands down a breakfast person, I would have to go with Sunday lunch. My Sundays feel incomplete without a good ole’ Bahamian dish. So, to trade Sunday lunch for Saturday breakfast? I could never.”

Q: Wine, rum, cocktail or Kalik?

‘The Love List’, by Canada’s most famous playwright, comes to Atlantis

“ I like beers on fun, down to earth, ‘be yourself’ occasions. I like wine when I want to ‘wine down’ on the couch or at social events. If I had to choose though, I would lean slightly more towards a nice cold beer.”

Charity 9

Q: Beach of sofa?

Theatre 8

Bid on bae for Valentine’s Day weekend and contribute to a worthy cause

Film 10 - 11 ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ is big on effects and ‘Isn’t It Romantic’ brings the rom-com back to the big screen

Entertainment 12, 17 Enjoy a night of sweet poetry and wine, plus local filmmakers can get tips from a top Hollywood producer

Style 14 - 15 A crafter’s paradise

Culture 18 Indians residing in Nassau celebrate Republic Day

Gardening 19 Jack Hardy on the joys of Winter

Society 20 - 21

“Can I get beach for $300?

Ideally, the beach for me would be late in the evening at sunset.

If it has to be during the hot

Friday

• Mingle, Sip & Paint Party

• Wine Regions of France

Artistically Yours Art Studio presents a unique adult themed paint party with an artist-guided painting of live models. Tickets are $60 in advance; $70 at the door and includes all art supplies, dance party and a free drink.

Prepare your palates for a unique experience with resident wine experts Rusty Scates and Kyle Stubbs. Tickets at 1er Cru for $50. Spaces are limited.

Time: 7pm Venue: The Rooftop at the Pointe

Noted Chef Horatio Alexander presents a nostalgic evening of classic Bahamian cuisine and culture with gourmet flair. The evening features cocktails and a three-course dining experience, the Muddasik series exhibition by Shawn T Photography, a performance by Bodine Victoria and rake n’ crape with DJ Ampero. Tickets are $75.

Puzzles 26 Animals 27 Kim Aranha laments the shooting of two dogs, plus Pet of the Week

Venue: Club One Fitness

Time: 7pm Venue: Hillside House SEE PAGE 9

Literary Lives 22 - 24

The first time the American captured Nassau

“Definitely my MacBook. It’s usually always by my side.”

The annual Red Week “Love On The Run Run/Walk”. The route goes from Club One Bahamas to the Meliá Nassau Beach resort and back to Club One Bahamas. Free to All.

• Boo’d Up In Paradise

• Heat by Chef Horatio Alexander

Forgotten Facts 25

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

Q: Weekend away, where would would you go?

“I would visit an island that I’ve never been to before, sign up for a few local activities that I’ve never tried ,and dine at their best restaurants. Oh, I would also take photos and videos all weekend.”

Things 2 Do this weekend

A grand Goombay opening for Nassau’s new cooking studio

The quintessential Romantic poet

midday afternoon, then I would probably need my $300 back.”

Time: 7pm Venue: Doongalik Art Gallery

Saturday • Love on the Run

Time: 6am

Time: 11am - 2pm Venue: 1er Cru

• Holy Cross Valentine’s Fair

Time: 12noon - 8pm Venue: Holy Cross Anglican Church, Soldier Road

Food options include fritters, roti and more. There will be a kiddie corner and a raffle, with two cars up for grabs for grand prize winners.

• Hutias Habitat Opening

Time: 1pm Venue: Ardastra Gardens

Come meet the newest cute and cuddly critters at the zoo as they make their public debut. Chat with the zookeepers about hutia habits. Adopt a hutia and you may win a chance to help feed them.

Help name the new furry residents with the hutia naming contest.

• “#ifellinlove” book launch

Time: 6.30pm Venue: Life Changers Ministries This is a launch event for the book “My First Love: A Call From Ritual To Relationship With God” by C Jillian Gray. Join the author and panelists on a journey from introduction to intimacy.

Tickets are $10 ( admission and refreshments) or $20 (admission, refreshments and one book).

• Foreplay

Time: 9pm - 2am Venue: 1er Cru, Gladstone Road Playhouse Entertainment, Primetime Promotions and The Corporation presents “the sexiest Valentine’s Day party.” Free Foreplay bags for the first 69 ladies.

Sunday • Sunday Cool Down

Time: 7pm Venue: Balmoral Club Come and hang out with the Groove Quest Band during the month of love’s cool down.

As always, it’s an event for the grown and sexy, and will feature a ‘Rockers’ Jam Love Session’.

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, February 15, 2019

interview She considers herself a natural born saleswoman, and has been in the business of selling things since she was a teen. Now, she tells Cara Hunt, she wants to do more. As a brand coach, she wants to help Bahamians expand on their visions of success.

Odaz Lightbourne

O

daz Lightbourne has always been good a selling things, ever since her first job in retail.

And now the brand coach is using those same ingrained skills to help people buy into their hopes and dreams for a better and more productive life.

“I started my career in sales at the age of 17,” she said. “My first job was as a sales person at Lorene’s selling clothes. I love selling things, it is just the most fun to me.”

After a career in retail, Odaz moved on to auto sales, a business she was in for 12 years.

“I loved that,” she said.

Additionally, she has worked in other sales fields, including real estate, particularly selling timeshare properties.

Odaz said her experiences have led her to understand there is a gap between sales and marketing.

“The marketing people want to create beautiful ads, whereas the sales persons want ads that target their special clients, and I wanted to help bridge that gap.”

Odaz said what eventually started happening was that her clients – the business owners who would hire her to help them find ways to increase their productivity – also infused their companies and their employees with a new energy.

But she soon understood that there were limits to what outside advisors could do.

“One of the things I realised is that no matter how many techniques a company may implement, they can only go so far as the owner’s vision,” she said.

The Tribune | Weekend | 05

Friday, February 15, 2019

It was this understanding that inspired her to enter the field of brand coaching - to help people enhance and expand upon their visions.

Personal branding is the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands.

Odaz has completed the Meyers and Briggs training certification, which is a psychology-based assessment course. She also gained experience from working directly with several seven-figure coaches in the United States, and she is a member of several international internet associations.

So far, she has worked with wellknown Bahamian personalities Sawyer Boy and Duquesa, and several big companies in real estate, finance, law and medicine.

“It is not just about the business, I see it as a mission, because it is really about helping people transform their lives,” she explained.

“One of the reasons that I started this was that I had a client who told me that had she met me sooner, she would have been able to save her home, and I realised it

“One of the things I realised is that no matter how many techniques a company may implement, they can only go so far as the owner’s vision.”

would be selfish to not help people who could benefit from my help.”

She said it is the most amazing feeling in the world knowing you were instrumental in helping people to become their best selves.

“I know what it is to be fearful and unsure. I love all my clients and I love to see people achieve their dreams,” she said.

Eventually, she noted, she would love to have a global impact.

“I’d love to help a million professionals change their lives,” she said.

Odaz said in her experience many people are held back by their own fears and insecurities “It’s the fear of not believing in themselves, procrastination and worrying about what other people think or say,” she said.

“I wrote an article for LinkedIn and it was called ‘Why stupid people are more successful than you’, and even though the title is harsh, it is true,” she said.

“Sometimes we overthink simple things and how they can affect our lives, such as being consistent, pushing past our fear of critics and our lack of confidence – all of these are factors.”

Odaz has now reached a point where she doesn’t have sufficient hours in the day to meet the demands for her services.

“I recently launched a group coaching programme called Brand Body Bank account. This ties in all the elements of what someone needs to become the person that they always knew they could be, financially and lifestyle wise.”

In addition to her coaching, Odaz has also extended her platform to a wider audience through her weekly appearances on talk radio.

“I am on several times a week.

It basically came about because a talent scout was a following an argument I was having with someone on Facebook. They contacted me and asked if I could do the same thing verbally, and they invited me to come down on a trial the following Monday. I was so nervous the weekend before that I spent the entire weekend throwing up,” she said, “But when I got in front of the microphone, it seemed the most natural thing in the world, I was blown away by how comfortable and natural it was.”

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, February 15, 2019

The Tribune | Weekend | 07

Friday, February 15, 2019

art

Creating masterpieces on glass

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

B

y the end of the evening, all participants of the intimate Art (sea) Paint Night had created a masterpiece of their own to take home.

They brought their imagination and willingness to tackle the unique challenge of painting on glass during the event last weekend.

Artist Genaye Sherman was pleased at the interest the event sparked in customised glassware art – a skill she has perfected over the past several years. She facilitated the event, conducting a demonstration of the technique before leaving guests to try their hand at it.

“The turnout was amazing. I prayed for 10 guests and got double the amount,” she said.

Paint Night was a preview of a series of events by Art (sea) Creative, featuring the techniques and designs of artists Genaye Sherman and Toby October, the founder and artist of Junkanoo Box. The design for this event were a pair of pink flamingos, one on each glass. Once placed together, the glasses create a heart, symbolising two love birds.

“Of course one or two guests the claimed they had never painted before, but at the end of the evening everyone had masterpieces. You can see in the photos how proud they were of the work they have done,” said Genaye.

Having wrapped up the first Paint Night event for the year, Art (sea) is already preparing for the next edition, scheduled for April 20.

This time around participants will get to design their very own Junkanoo Box centrepiece. The lesson will be led by Toby October.

“Everyone seemed to be very please with the event. From the painting lesson to the salads and treats provided at the end of the session. They all wanted to know when we would have another event,” said Genaye.

Art (sea) has grown tremendously over the past few years, both locally and internationally. Its work is now available at the Nassau boutique The Craft Cottage.

“Art (sea) was also privileged to establish a tremendously advantageous relationship with Deltec Bank. Our Bahamian inspired glassware was featured at the 2017 Deltec Conference Gala dinner. We were also honoured to participate in the Deltec Initiative for Young Entrepreneurs in the Bahamas,” said Genaye.

Paint Night participants learn how to create art on glass.

08 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, February 15, 2019

theatre

Be careful what you wish for Atlantis brings ‘Love List’ play to the Bahamas

love slump. Bill is gifted a mysterious membership to a dating service that promises 100 percent satisfaction. So Leon and Bill concoct a list of attributes of the ideal woman; the top ten best qualities in a mate. When this allegedly “ideal woman” actually arrives on the scene, the men quickly learn that their list could use a few revisions. Be careful what you wish for – especially in choosing a mate, is the message. This old adage leads to hilarious results in Foster’s sparkling new comic hit.

The play, described by Atlantis as “a side-splitting and thoughtprovoking comedy”, is directed

by David Nairn and stars Heather Hodgson Kosoy, Terry Barna and Neil Foster.

Organisers at Atlantis are proud to note the play has been successfully produced widely in theatres across North America. Critics have praised the play as sharp,

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

A

tlantis is bringing something a little different to these shores this Valentine’s weekend, as the Paradise Island resort is showing a romantic comedy play by Canada’s most popular playwright.

“The Love List” by Norm Foster is coming to the Atlantis Theatre for a nine-night run. The premiere was on Thursday. The remaining performances will take place tonight and tomorrow, and then again next week, February 19 to 23, at 8pm nightly (doors open at 7.15pm).

The play is set in the untidy New York City apartment of Leon, a lonely statistician. He wants to jolt his best friend Bill, a philandering novelist, out of his middle-aged

Broadway in Florida

Inspired by the beloved 1997 film, this romantic new musical transports audiences from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat.

Together, they embark on an epic adventure. Includes the hit songs “Journey to the Past” and “Once Upon a December”.

The Broward Centre for the Performing Arts has announced their lineup for the 2019 Bank of America Broadway in Fort Lauderdale season:

• Fiddler on the Roof (February 20 - March 3)

A fresh take on the longest-running Broadway musical of all time. Set in Imperial Russia in 1905, the show centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his Jewish religious and cultural traditions as outside influences encroach upon the family’s lives. Featuring the Broadway classics “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” and “Matchmaker, Matchmaker”.

• Dear Evan Hansen (March 27 - April 7)

snappy and irresistibly funny, as well as sophisticated and sexy, and offering a hilarious look at being middle-aged and single.

“As usual, Atlantis is always looking for quality entertainment to offer our guests and residence and this is a romantic comedy that sure be a hit during this the month of love,” said Katie Longley, director of Public Relations at Atlantis.

Ms Longley said audiences can look forward to a funny, thought-provoking and enlightening experience this weekend. She said Atlantis is also offering the perfect Valentine’s package that includes dinner and a show; dinner will be served at either the Bahamian Club or Casa D’Angelo. She said it is the perfect choice for couples looking to do something different and special during Valentine’s night weekend.

For more information and tickets for play, call the Atlantis Box Office at 363-6601 or email box.office@atlantisparadise.com

• A Bronx Tale (June 11-23)

Journey to the past with “Anastasia” Winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, the show starts with a letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have.

Evan Hansen is about to get the one

thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. “One of the most remarkable shows in musical theatre history,” says The Washington Post.

• Anastasia (April 23 - May 5)

Broadway’s new hit musical is described as “Jersey Boys meets West Side Story”. The crowd-pleaser takes you to the stoops of the Bronx in the 1960s, where a young man is caught between the father he loves and the mob boss he’d love to be. Featuring high-energy dance numbers and original doo-wop tunes from the songwriter of “Beauty and the Beast”, “A Bronx Tale” is a story of loyalty and family.

Academy Award winner Robert De Niro and Tony winner Jerry Zaks direct this streetwise musical.

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Friday, February 15, 2019

charity

Marketing manager Dominique Butler

Travel writer Kristoff Ayala-Strachan

Some of the young professionals you can bid on.

For more, see rotarauction.com.

Journalist Sancheska Brown

Accountant Noelicia Turnquest

Banker Ken Adderley

Actor/producer Rossano Deal

Bid for a Bae Get yourself ‘boo’d up’ for a good cause

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

S

ingles are the target of tonight’s charity event that will give patrons an opportunity to put their money where the mouth is and bid on a beau or a belle, if they want one.

The Boo’d Up in Paradise – A Charity Date auction is being presented by the Rotaract Clubs East Nassau and Nassau Sunset with the aim of raising money for the club’s community service efforts in a fun and unique way. The event will be held at Hillside House Gallery from 8pm to 11pm.

Tickets are $10.

Audience members can “Bid on Bae” for as low as $20. Whoever wins

the bid also wins the bae, or at least a date with them.

There are more than 30 young professionals who have offered themselves up for the auction. They are excited to join Rotaract in raising funds for their special community service efforts.

“This is the first time that the Rotaract Clubs of East Nassau and Nassau Sunset have gotten together for a major fundraiser. We decided to have an event that reaches young professionals in a different way. A date auction was the perfect avenue and many persons are coming out simply for the networking aspect of the event,” said Cyd Ferguson, president of the Club.

Rotaract promises the event will be a fun environment featuring mixed drinks, music by DJ Ace and hosted by PeeJae Fuego.

“We have prizes and surprises for the highest bidders and we encourage everyone to come and enjoy the show, even if it is just to watch,” said Cyd. Those who are interested in attending are encouraged to thoroughly enjoy themselves as the event will move quickly.

“They can expect a fast-paced auction in an exciting environment, surrounded by like-minded young professionals. So attend if you want to take a risk and go on a date of your dreams. Or attend if you want to simply meet new people in a laid-back environment. It’s the perfect place to be right after Valentine’s Day,” she said.

Rotaract is a Rotary-sponsored service club for young men and women ages 18 to 30. Rotaract clubs are either community or university based, and are sponsored by a local Rotary club

making them true “partners in service” and key members of the family of Rotary.

As one of Rotary’s most significant and fastest-growing service programmes, with more than 7,000 clubs in about 163 countries and geographical areas, Rotaract has become a worldwide phenomenon.

All Rotaract efforts begin at the local, grassroots level, with members addressing their communities’ physical and social needs while promoting international understanding and peace through a framework of friendship and service.

Up next for the organisation is its third annual blood drive on Saturday at that the Mall at Marathon, 11am to 5pm.

For more information, visit rotarauction.com

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, February 15, 2019

film

A

lita is just like a typical teenage girl. She loves chocolate, breaks curfew and crushes on a bad boy with floppy hair, a leather jacket and a motorcycle. But Alita isn’t typical in other ways. For one, she can slice apart a single falling tear with her ferocious battle sword.

Those are the two sides brought up by “Alita: Battle Angel ,” our film entry into the thrilling manga world of artist Yukito Kishiro and imagined for the screen by producer James Cameron and director Robert Rodriguez. The film crams in so many plot lines that it risks being overstuffed but somehow stays true to its mesmerising vision and emerges as a sci-fi success, if not a triumph.

Alita is both machine and human and the big-budget screen adaptation is both live action and computer generated, each element present in Alita herself, played with equal parts tenderness and ferocity by Rosa Salazar. She’s been given huge CG eyes but they’re not as distracting as you may fear. Somehow, Salazar still conveys deep emotion without a crucial acting tool. The film also has appearances by Jennifer Connelly, who is chilly and mysterious, and Mahershala Ali, who is chilly and dangerous.

Alita, voiced by Rosa Salazar (Twentieth Century Fox via AP)

review

‘Alita: Battle Angel’ is big eyes and big effects ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL RUNNING TIME: 122 MINS

The film begins with Alita’s torso found in a junk heap by a compassionate cyber-physician played by Christoph Waltz. The year is 2563 and we are in the crowded, chaotic streets of Iron City, a melting pot of survivors from a post-apocalyptic war. Cyborgs are everywhere and getting fresh parts seems to fuel the economy. (Curiously, plastic umbrellas are still in use.

Cities can float in the sky here, but the population still relies on cheap plastic umbrellas.)

Alita’s human core is given a body and she awakens but has no memory of what came before. She must find out who she is and what her destiny is. “Whose rules do I live by?” she asks. Meanwhile, she falls for a human cyborg jacker (bland but hunky Keean Johnson) who has some moral issues to work out since he’s romancing a cyborg by day and slicing them apart at night.

There are several subplots involving cyberpunk bounty hunters, a ruling elite that lives in the sky and the town’s favourite sport — Motorball, a combination meth-fueled roller derby and Death Race. The film is rated PG-13 but there’s quite a bit of cyber-gore here, including gouging out eyeballs (more than once) and slicing metal folk in half or amputating them. If these were human, we’d be moving toward an R for sure.

The filmmakers are not afraid of making our heroine absolutely lethal and yet swooningly immature (she actually digs into her chest and offers her own artificial beating heart to her boyfriend, later laughingly admitting that gesture was “intense.”) She can give a beat-down to a roomful of hardened killers but still curl up on the

couch and put her head on her adoptive dad’s chest. She can do flips worthy of an Olympic gymnast but her dad still wants her to wear knee pads and a helmet while competing at Motorball — against lasers, huge spinning saws and knives.

Alita has a strong moral compass — “I do not stand by in the presence of evil,” she announces — and, thankfully, triggering her special brand of martial arts mayhem must be earned. When a cute dog is senselessly slaughtered (relax, off camera), she dabs its blood on her face out of respect and revenge, squints really hard and coils up like lethal spring. It’s very clear whoever did that will not survive the next 5 minutes.

“Alita: Battle Angel,” which, in the end, needs more humour and less violence, kind of staggers quietly to its end. A sequel isn’t just hinted at — it’s practically dangled in front of our eyes as Alita looks heavenward to the next battlefield in the sky city. Well, count us in. Like Hailee Steinfeld in “Bumblebee,” Salazar’s Alita is part of a welcome wave of films about complex young women who know how to handle even the worst machines.

Girls rule.

MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer

The Tribune | Weekend | 11

Friday, February 15, 2019

film

review

Learning to love the rom-com in ‘Isn’t It Romantic’ PRETTY WOMAN RUNNING TIME: 88 MINS

E

ven when done well, the romantic comedy is easy to pick on. They’re so earnest and full of clichés and unrealistic Rebel Wilson, channelling Julia Roberts in “Pretty Women”, with Liam Hemsworth. (Michael Parmelee/Warner Bros Pictures via AP) fairy tale standards. Intelligent women have been taught that there should be a healthy serving of self-hatred And that’s kind of the but her mom is right, “Pretty a magazine spread, a handblend of 90s and early 2000s with whatever enjoyment you rom-com music staples, from premise of “Isn’t It Romantic” Woman,” unlike so many great some billionaire named Blake might glean from a well-done “Lovefool” by The Cardigans in which a rom-com hating romantic comedies, is actually (a wonderfully goofy Liam makeover montage. You don’t to Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thouwoman played by Rebel evil.

Hemsworth) wants to date have to look much further sand Miles.”

Wilson bonks her head and Cut to adulthood and her and everyone is very, very than the phrase “rom-com” “Isn’t It Romantic” stays ends up in one herself.

It’s Natalie is a normal, messy nice (except her best friend (like chick-lit) to know that. pretty surface level, which written by Katie Silberman adult. Her apartment is small at work, Whitney, played by The dismissive term seems to makes for a fine and pleasur(who wrote the great “Set It and dirty. Her hair is a little Betty Gilpin, who has turned have been thrown at the genre able viewing experience, but Up”), Erin Cardillo and romfrizzy. Her clothes are illinto a rival). to take it and its fans down a doesn’t exactly do anything com veteran Dana Fox (”The fitting.

Her co-workers at the It’s an enjoyable surfacefew pegs, as if to say, no no, to show that rom-coms would Wedding Date,” ‘‘What Hapvery ordinary looking archilevel experience that hones silly girl, that’s not cinema or be better if the best friends pens in Vegas”) and directed tecture firm where she works in on all the generic romliterature or even art. had more of an inner life, for by Todd Strauss-Schulson. treat her like an assistant and com tropes you love to hate.

This is the world we and example. In fact, it just kind of Natalie is introduced as a she can’t seem to see that her Natalie now falls down all Natalie, the heroine at the redeems the formula in some young girl glued to the televifriend with the 90s Jim Carrey the time, but it’s adorable! heart of “Isn’t It Romantic ,” ways. It’s fun to join a world haircut, Josh (Adam Devine), She wakes up with full hair live in, where these addictively sion in a run-down apartment with unrealistically glamorous where her mother is off to is in love with her. and makeup (glossy lips, fake appealing and occasionally jobs and apartments and wardthe side making an ice cream Much like Amy Schumer’s eyelashes, perfectly applied great films come our way robes and cities, especially and boxed wine float. On the underappreciated and themateyeliner and all). The man that we have to relegate to when there’s a good story to screen is a young Julia Roberts ically similar “I Feel Pretty,” it down the hallway in her buildguilty pleasures or couch with go along with it! And also that in a bubble bath in “Pretty takes a traumatic head injury ing has turned into a magical disclaimers. And it can get you can never go wrong with Woman.” Natalie’s mother for her to wake up in rom-com gay best friend who is always, rather exhausting that the jusan upbeat song and dance tells her not to expect anything land, where Manhattan smells inexplicably there to freak tification always has to come scene. No guilt necessary. like that out of life. They don’t like lavender, cupcake and out over minor developments back to a comparison to Nora and never will look like Robwedding shops adorn her city in her love life. Everything is Ephron, the only purveyor of

LINDSEY BAHR erts and so the fairy tale is out street, her apartment is palamoving exaggeratedly fast too rom-coms who has undeniable AP Film Writer crossover film snob appeal. of the question. Pretty harsh, tial and clean and looks like and it’s all scored to a fizzy

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, February 15, 2019

entertainment

A night of sweet tastes and

sweeter sounds

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

B

RING along a thirst for fine wine and an ear for poetry as you attend the new Decanter event, organisers suggest.

A group of Bahamian artists and musicians have come together to showcase their talents through this event that promises guests an evening packed with art, music, poetry and great wine.

There will be eight acts throughout the night: five poets, two lyricists and one singer, who will bare their souls to audiences at the intimate venue of Syrah on February 28

Performers during the event will include Harsh Reality, Dot, Colecut, Niggerita, PJ Fuego, Big Homie Ferb, Shad Fer and Nikkole. Each artist will bring a unique sound to the event.

“If you are a person that loves wine or you are a foodie who loves spoken word, poetry, or you are an art lover, then this is definitely up your ally,” said Nikkole.

And the excitement does not stop there. A live painting will be done by artists Blade Lewis and Skylar Cheng who will paint model Jalan Harris.

“With Blade’s abstract and jaded style next to Skylar’s Chinese-infused style, we can’t wait to see their masterpieces at the end of the show, which will be up for auction,” said Nikkole.

The event is presented by House Of Music Entertainment (HOME), a

record label founded by Big Homies Ferb and Miyagi in 2012.

Initially, the intention was for HOME to only be a record label, but over time it expanded to other areas of entertainment.

“We love art in most forms and at HOME. We wanted to share our passion with the public. We want folks who enjoy hearing some poetry, who can sit down and hear the pain or the joy of one’s spoken pieces while sipping on a glass of Cabernet as a smooth jazz sample plays. We want to create an environment just for those people and we are ecstatic that it’s slowly coming together the way we want it to,” said Nikkole.

“Because this is our first event ever, HOME wants to set a certain standard on the market on the kind of events we

Harsh Reality

PJ Fuego

will be hosting in the near future. Our events will range from casual to formal in due time.”

During the event, guests will entertained by performers while also enjoying various wine and food pairings.

“HOME is an ever-growing company and we hope in the near future we can give back to the community that has helped us get to where we are now. We also want to continue nurturing ourselves so we can become better artists and individuals,” she said.

There will be an art auction at the end of the night.

Tickets for the event are $60 advanced and $75 at the door. For more information, contact (242) 676-0962.

Big Homie Ferb

Nikkole

The Tribune | Weekend | 13

Friday, February 15, 2019

celebrity

PART

I

The Weekend Fashion Report 61st Annual Grammy Awards

PHOTOS BY JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION/AP

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

HIT

SPLIT

SPLIT

FAIL

FAIL

Cardi B

Lady Gaga

Janelle Monae

Katy Perry

Kylie Jenner

Karin says: “She was like a pearl in an oyster. Simply fabulous! The torch of outrageous Grammy fashions has officially been passed from Gaga to Cardi. Apparently, this is a vintage creation from ‘95 by the Mugler fashion house, which hardly ever dresses celebs for red carpets.”

Cara says: “Cardi B for the win – and just for Best Rap Album. It’s so different and theatrical yet stunning at once.

She has the personality to carry this off. It’s a hit for me.”

Karin says: “Cardi goes big and old Gags goes demure.

How far we have come from meat and egg ‘dresses’. This is gown is fine. It’s nothing spectacular. But I do like the kinda 80s’ pop star look she’s serving with the hair and the silver foil dress.”

Cara says: “Gaga has been riding the ‘Star is Born’ wave with a slew of white movie star dresses. She looked consistently flawless, but a tad predictable. So I am really glad she went with silver for the Grammys. This dress isn’t my favourite, but I do like it. Her hair is really stringy though; don’t like that.”

Karin says: “Another stunning and over-the-top ensemble.

Sometimes I get a bit bored

by Janelle’s black and white signature (usually menswear) look, but here she shakes things up. This is how you re-interpret those big 80s’ shoulders. The headgear is the perfect cherry on top.”

Cara says: “So I just am not feeling the flying saucer on her head; sorry not sorry. I agree with Karin that I am getting a young sexy Alexis Carrington/Dynasty vibe with this ensemble, which is OK. Again, not my fave look though.”

Karin says: “She looks like a loofah or a pink toilet brush.

The Grammys are always an event to go a bit crazy and get creative, but I don’t think this silhouette works. At least this gown has been good for numerous funny memes (check the out on Twitter).”

Cara says: “This reminds me of Babette the feather duster from Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’. I just think it’s a comical dress. I can’t imagine her taking her self seriously in this.”

Karin says: “Same designer as Katy Perry’s dress, Balmain, but this pink sculptural pantsuit is much worse. It’s the first time she hasn’t felt the need to dress ‘sexy’, so kudos, but this looks awful on her.

Too big, too much material, and just bizarre.”

Cara says: “This is just an example of trying too hard to be great. It’s hideous; all that pink is just obnoxious on her.

It’s probably the worst I have seen her look and usually she looks fine.

• See PAGE 16 for Weekend Fashion Report Part II

16| The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, February 15, 2019

celebrity

PART

II

The Weekend Fashion Report 61st Annual Grammy Awards

PHOTOS BY JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION/AP

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

SPLIT

HIT

HIT

FAIL

HIT

“Fences” Margot Robbie

Mary J Blige

Octavia Spencer

Amy Adams

Karin says: “This is how you do a pantsuit! I love the train and the fact that the jacket is two-toned...and that she’s swept her tawny coloured hair mostly to the white side of the jacket for contrast. Talk about styling and coordination!”

Cara says: “Mary J looks classic yet bejewelled in this gorgeous pantsuit. We have seen lots of white menswear inspired suits on ladies, but she took it up a very fashionable notch. Very nice.”

Karin says: “See how much better Octavia looks in some colour? Just gorgeous. Love the read, love the off-theshoulder sleeves with the really clever appliqué. The band at the waist is also a nice touch. Brava!”

Cara says: “Ooh la la, Octavia is here looking like a whole Valentine in this red dress. I think she looks fantastic. Love everything about it: the soft curls, the beaded bodice, and the sheer neckline and sleeve details.”

Karin says: “Too old, too drab.

That heavy satin just doesn’t mould well to the body. It almost looks like some sturdy, water-proof material. And the dark maroon does not suit her. The slicked down hair just adds to the depressing overall image.”

Cara says: “This makes her look so boxy and kinda shortens her neck. Her hair is just a tad too severe. A little loose curl may have helped to soften up the overall look. I don’t know, it’s a lovely colour, but it just doesn’t work for her.”

Kate, Duchess of Cambridge

Karin says: “Just a really weird look...maybe inspired by an ostrich, I dunno? At first I absolutely hated it, but you know what, look at it a bit longer and you may develop an appreciation for it as an unusual high fashion look.”

Cara says: “I think the problem is that the fit is off. I think that a more fitted bodice would have changed the entire perception of this dress. Don’t get me wrong, It is still a bit weird though.”

Karin says: “I actually like this. People were saying she’s copying Meghan with this white Alexander McQueen gown...I just have to roll my eyes at that. This one-shoulder number is beautiful, flouncy and feminine. It softens her, in a good way.”

Cara says: “Katherine can sometimes dress a bit too matronly so I was excited to see her in this stunning, young, feminine dress. She looks lovely. Dare I say, regal!

Keep it up, Kate!”

The Tribune | Weekend | 17

Friday, February 15, 2019

entertainment

Filmmakers, students to get tips from top Hollywood producer

T

he Movie Masters forum returns to Nassau and Grand Bahama this month to Bahamian filmmakers access to accomplished Hollywood professionals.

The Bahamas Film & Television Commission launched the Movie Masters lecture series in 2018 to provide opportunities for Bahamians to benefit from the experience of individuals who have already made their mark on the film industry.

Prolific film and television producer Sean Robins will be the special guest of this year’s instalment. Robins is a partner of Broken Road Productions, which has produced films such as “Knight & Day” with Tom Cruise, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” starring

Movie producer Sean Robins

Nicolas Cage, and “Tag”, starring Jeremy Renner.

“We are fortunate to have Sean on board with us for the next Movie Masters,” said Clarence Rolle, general manager of the Bahamas Film & Television Commission. “Sean started his production career at George Clooney’s Maysville Pictures and has gained a wealth of experience since then. With his experience in production and his screenwriting degrees, he will be particularly helpful to those who want to be producers and screenwriters.”

Movie Masters lectures will be held February 25 and 26 in Nassau at the University of the Bahamas’s Franklyn R Wilson Graduate Centre, and on February 27 and 28 in Grand Bahama at the Pelican Bay Resort’s Convention Centre. Lectures begin at 6pm each

evening. The first night on each island is dedicated to “Lessons for the Producer” and the second night focuses on “Screenwriting: Structure for Stories and Characters”.

The inaugural Movie Masters event brought Vince Gerardis, co-executive producer of “Game of Thrones”, and Marcus Nispel, director of dozens of music videos and films such as “Friday the 13th”, to the Bahamas to share their experience and knowledge with local filmmakers. University students and local filmmakers enjoyed talks with the special guests and discussed with them the various aspects of the film and television business.

Movie Masters is a complimentary event presented to the public by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism.

Elevation Awards renames Lifetime Achievement honour after Ronnie Butler The FML Group of Companies recently became a category sponsor for the Elevation Awards’ Lifetime Achievement award, which has been renamed the Ronnie Butler Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award was renamed to pay homage to the late Ronnie Butler who contributed tremendously to the entertainment industry in the Bahamas through music.

Elevation Awards CEO Vincent McDonald Jr expressed his gratitude.

“The Elevation Awards is privileged and honoured to have the opportunity to partner with Craig Flowers for the renaming and branding of our Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Mr McDonald also highlighted the importance of telling the stories of Bahamian entertainers who paved the way for the younger generation.

CEO of FML Group of Companies Craig Flowers said he considers the

Craig Flowers, CEO of FML Group of Companies, and Vincent McDonald Jr, CEO of the Elevation Awards

partnership with the Elevation Awards an honour and a privilege.

“On behalf of the FML Group of Companies, we certainly have supported everything Ronnie stood for in his entire life supported everything that Ronnie stood for in his entire life and we will continue to stand by events like this with substance that gives back,” he said.

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is Ira Storr. The third annual Elevation Awards will be held Saturday, April 6, at the British Colonial Hilton at 5.30pm. The event will be hosted by comedian and radio personality Inigo “Naughty” Zenicazelaya. Performers include: Dyson Knight, Patrice Murrell, Julien Believe, Charisa, Ton Ash, Bodine, Fanshawn, Leo, Oslien Jadorte & GOM Worship, Latasha Sweeting, Kenyatta Taylor, Ilsha, and many more. Tickets are available for $75, and $40 for students. For more information, contact Elevation Media at 676-1526 or e-mail theelevationawards@gmail.com.

18 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, February 15, 2019

culture

Indians in Nassau celebrate culture, history for Republic Day

By FELICITY DARVILLE

I

ndia’s Republic Day was officially celebrated for the second time in the Bahamas last week when High Commissioner Sevala Naik hosted Bahamian government officials, Indian residents and Bahamians from other sectors of society to an evening of culture, food and fun.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield attended, along with the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Jack Thompson and a host of other government representatives. Senator Mildred Hall-Watson and Dr Elwood Donaldson were also there, warmly welcomed by the India Bahamas Association and other Indians who now call the Bahamas home.

India’s 70th anniversary of its Republic Day is actually January 29.

During this time of year, India is also celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of India’s Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, who was instrumental in India’s fight for freedom.

The reception was held at Breezes on Cable Beach and featured an array

of Indian cuisine, dancing performances and speeches.

Since his credentials were presented to the Bahamas government in January 2017, High Commissioner Naik said he has been “touched by the warmth of the people.”

“We greatly enjoy the beauty of the city Nassau, including its clean beaches,” he said. “India and the Bahamas have traditionally enjoyed very cordial and friendly relations, which are based on historical Commonwealth linkages and strong democratic traditions. Both countries have convergence of views on various important contemporary issues, shared concerns, aspirations, and excellent cooperation at various multilateral fora.”

Speaking about India’s history and its vision for the future, High Commissioner Naik said: “During the last seven decades, India has demonstrated its commitment to achieve economic and social development with deep rooted democratic values.”

“India has been transformed from food grains importing to today surplus producing country. Although India is an agro-based economy... lot of emphasis has been (placed) on the

development of industries, service sector and socio-economic infrastructure. India is one of the few countries in achieving great amount of success in science and technology, engineering, space, pharma and medical field, information communication technology (ICT), innovations, and research and development.”

India with its population of 1.25 billion, over one billion mobile phone connections and over one billion biometric-based national identification cards (Aadhaar), is witnessing rapid economic and social changes.

The Indian government envisions transforming the country into a “New India” — a strong, secure and prosperous nation where everyone has access to opportunities of development. In order to have these changes sustainable, India’s government launched four flagship programmes namely Digital India, Make in India, Clean India, and Skill India.

High Commissioner Naik added: “Today, India is sixth largest economy with US$ 2.89 trillion GDP and poised to reach over US$ 5 trillion economy by 2025. Democracy, demographic dividend and demand give India a unique

advantage in the world. Given the fact that most of the developed countries, including China (have) an aging society, it is only India that could mitigate the shortage of skilled manpower in the world as India has huge young population.”

He expressed his deep gratitude and appreciation to the government of the Bahamas, particularly senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for extending visas on arrival for Indians travelling here.

“This liberal visa regime will boost visits from Indian community for tourism, destination weddings and the Hero Cup, which brings a huge amount of financial benefits to the island. I am sure these trends are just beginning and will multiply such events in the days to come.”

He commended the Indians who live here, many of whom are “vibrant professionals”, including doctors and businessmen. Among them were Dr Murthi Gali, energy consultant, Deepak Bhatnagar, and the Jagadeesh family.

The High Commissioner’s office is located in Kingston, Jamaica.

The Tribune | Weekend | 19

Friday, February 15, 2019

gardening The garden landscape is subtly different during the winter months, says Jack Hardy

Y

es, hibiscus and bougainvillea are at their best and the roses are cheerful, but there is still a feeling of restraint in winter, the sense Mother Nature is waiting for Spring to reveal her best.

There are very few fruits to enjoy.

By the time you read this I will have picked the last carambolas of the season. I have several bags of stars and fingers in the freezer to get me through to July when the trees will flower and flush with fruit again. As with most fruit trees the end of the season means maintenance in the form of dormant oil spray to deal with sucking insects and this is particularly important for carambola.

This is a great time of year for papayas. These reliable producers seem to enjoy having the fruit duties all to themselves and tend to show off a bit. If you get too many fruits to deal with remember that papaya makes a serviceable jam when lemon or passion fruit is added to the pulp. It is a good idea to eat a slice of ripe papaya after a meat meal to assist with digestion.

Just a few decades ago we had to depend upon the local papaya, a variety that grew large fruits from sow plants pollinated by boar plants. Local papayas were not very sweet when full and were often cooked when green as an addition to soups. Nowadays we enjoy a wide variety of sweet perfect flower papayas that do not need cross pollination. Papayas have come a long way in a short time.

We can include strawberries in our available fruits of the season. Although not considered tropical the Ever Bearing type of strawberry produces well during late winter and early spring.

Supermarket strawberries are mostly white fleshed with red outsides while

Joys of winter home grown are red throughout and have that quintessential strawberry taste.

Americans in particular – and we Bahamians by proxy – love things to be big. It is generally accepted, however, that the best tasting strawberries are the very small wild ones in temperate zones, followed by Alpine strawberries that are also small. With strawberries big is not necessarily better. One of winter’s treats is an early morning rummage through the strawberry patch to pick ripe strawberries that somehow never make it back to the house.

The true glory of winter is the almost unreal display put on by shooting star or starburst clerodendrum shrubs.

Native to New Guinea and the Philippines, starburst clerodendrum (C. quadriloculare) is one of the most stunningly dramatic of all flowering shrubs.

The whole colour scheme is atypical of the tropics, a mélange of pink and purple.

You would think that a plant so beautiful needed great care and diligence to propagate and maintain but the opposite is true. Starburst clerodendrum is easily grown from simple cuttings taken shortly after the flowering season. It can also be propagated from root sections. Starburst clerodendrum is not fussy about soil conditions

and puts on a great show with the minimum of care and attention.

Starburst shrubs are best grown in full sun but will take some shade.

Those grown in shade tend to be leggy and less compact. The one disappointing feature is the plant’s very short flowering season, usually about a month. For the remainder of the year it is a passably handsome foliage shrub with leaves that are green on top and purple below, an echo of the blooming colour riot.

There is no such thing as a perfect vegetable garden season. Every year brings disappointments and surprises, both fair and foul. I have spoken with several dedicated gardeners on Abaco in recent weeks and there is a consensus that this has been a poor year so far for tomatoes. Returns have been slow and unspectacular with both hybrid and heirloom varieties. Peppers on the other hand have been very productive.

I had failures with both leaf spinach and basil. Many seed companies have stopped stamping a date on their packages. This is fine if you live in the US or Canada because all seeds are called in before the end of the year. They are either sold as specials or discarded.

Whenever you buy in North America you are buying that year’s seeds. We have no such laws in The Bahamas

Blooming clerodendrum and date-less seed packages are a real menace. My sowing of two dozen spinach seeds gave me two rather miserable plants, a sign that I had old seeds that were no longer viable.

My basil sprang up fine but after reaching two or three inches turned white and died. I finally got basil established in January. I took the precaution of sprinkling seeds in spare parts of the garden in the hope colonies will become established independent of the main herb crop.

Lettuce and endive have been mainstays of the salad season and chard has grown well to take the place of leaf spinach. Chard is closely related to beets and although the flavour of chard leaves is not as distinctive as beet greens it makes for great boiled greens. Kale of the curly leaf variety (Vates) has been highly productive but the leaves need to be picked young to be tender.

Cabbages and beans are doing well. A 10-foot tower in a 15-gallon container is producing an abundance of pole beans while the cabbages are plumping up just fine.

• For queries and comments e-mail jacktribune242@gmail.com

20 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, February 15, 2019

society

A grand Goombay opening PHOTOS/DONALD KNOWLES

Goombay House owner Cutelle Neymour

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

T

he ribbon was cut and the doors are now officially open for Nassau’s newest venue designed for food enthusiasts: Goombay House, located in the secluded neighbourhood of Queen’s Street.

Journalists, social media influencers and foodies all recently came out to celebrate the grand opening with owner Cutelle Neymour.

Whether you are looking for a culinary adventure to share with a loved one, a unique occasion to hang out with friends, or just trying to learn something new, the Goombay House Cooking Studio welcomes people of all skill levels. From learning how to recreate beloved Bahamian staples to perfecting popular international dishes with exotic flavours, there are cooking classes to satisfy any interest.

The journey starts with signing up for a session. Then, when you walk through the doors you are greeted

warmly with Goombay House apron by owner Ms Neymour and Chef LeWaun Johnson, who prepares you for the day’s assignment. You are also offered a choice of coffee, tea or orange juice while you wait for the class to begin.

Themed sessions include “Issa Brunch Vibe,” which includes three mimosas per participant; “Goombay Gourmet Nights,” a dinner and a lesson; “Cook Smart,” a healthy eating series; “Happy Hour Bim,” a mixology class with hors d’oeuvres, and “Kids Cook Too” for the younger chefs.

Ms Neymour, widow of former MP and Cabinet Minister Phenton Neymour, said it brings her great joy to see her new business being so well received, as it was one the dreams of her late husband.

“I travelled to Thailand with my late husband for our honeymoon three years ago and we participated in a cooking class there. It was an awesome activity and we discussed at that very moment that this was missing in the Bahamas. Over the years we’ve worked on the idea, but not until (last) year we started to put

pen to paper. Phenton came up with the name. We always wanted it to be representative of the Bahamas, and Goombay is just that,” she told Tribune Weekend in a previous interview.

Her ultimate goal is to make Goombay House a household name; turn it into a company that showcases Bahamian dishes to the world.

For all those interested in attending a cooking class, call 804-2665 or e-mail goombayhousecompany@ gmail.com.

Friday, February 15, 2019

The Tribune | Weekend | 21

22 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, February 15, 2019

literary lives – samuel taylor coleridge

A quintessential Romantic poet Sir Christopher Ondaatje gives his historic opinions on the English poet, critic, philosopher and theologian who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder member of the Romantic movement in England.

S

amuel Taylor Coleridge was born on October 21, 1772 in Ottery St Mary in Devon, England. He was the youngest of 10 children by the

Reverend John Coleridge and his second wife Anne Bowden. After the Reverend Coleridge died in 1781, the eight-year-old Samuel was sent to Christ’s Hospital, a charity school founded in the 16th century in Greyfriars, London – where he remained for the rest of his childhood. He wasn’t interested in sports, but he studied hard and wrote poetry. He became friends with Charles Lamb, a fellow pupil, and wrote a series of autobiographical letters to Thomas Poole, a Somerset philanthropist who used his wealth to improve the lives of the poor in Nether Stowey where Coleridge later lived.

“At six years old I remember to have read Belisarius, Robinson Crusoe, and Philip Quarll – and then I found Arabian Nights Entertainments – one tale of which (the tale of a man who was compelled to seek for a pure virgin) made so deep an impression on me that I was haunted by spectres whenever I was in the dark. I remember the anxious and fearful eagerness with which I used to watch the window in which the books lay – and whenever the sun lay upon them, I would seize it, carry it by the wall, and bask, and read.”

Later, Coleridge wrote about his appreciation of a teacher in Biographia Literaria:

“I enjoyed ... a very severe master ... I learnt from him that Poetry ... had a logic of its own, as severe as that of science, and more difficult, because more subtle, more complex, and dependent on more, and more fugitive causes. He showed no mercy to phrase, metaphor, or image, unsupported by a sound sense, or where the same sense might have been conveyed with equal force and dignity in plainer words ...

He would ask the writer, why this or that sentence might not have found as appropriate a place under this or that other thesis: and if no satisfying answer could be returned, and two faults of the

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 - 1834); portrait by James Northcote same kind were found in one exercise, the irrevocable verdict followed, the exercise was torn up, and another on the same subject to be produced, in addition to the tasks of the day.”

He later wrote of his loneliness at school in the poem “Frost at Midnight”.

From 1791 until 1794 Coleridge attended Jesus College, Cambridge. In 1792 he won the Browne Gold Medal for an ode he wrote on the slave trade.

Curiously he left the college in December 1793 and enlisted in the 15th Light Dragoons – perhaps because of debt or perhaps the girl he loved, Mary Evans, had rejected him. He obtained a discharge by reason on “insanity” a few months later and was readmitted to Jesus College, but never received a degree.

While at Jesus College, Coleridge made friends with the poet Robert Southey where they were both exposed to radical political and

theologian ideas. The two friends not only planned to establish a utopian society in the wilds of Pennsylvania in America, but in 1795 married two sisters Sara and Edith Fricker. Detesting his wife, Coleridge soon separated from her. It was a short-lived marriage.

He also ill advisedly started a journal The Watchman in March 1796. But that venture, too, was short-lived. It stopped publication only two months later.

In 1797 and 1798 Coleridge lived in Nether Stowey in Somerset. While there he met William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy. Wordsworth was so taken by the West Country surroundings that he rented Alfoxton Park barely three miles away. It was in Nether Stowey that Coleridge wrote the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, and also the symbolic poem “Kubla Khan”, about the Mongol emperor and his palace Xanadu. Coleridge admitted that the poem was the erotic result of an opium dream.

The Tribune | Weekend | 23

Friday, February 15, 2019

Kubla Khan In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea.

So twice five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers were girdled round; And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills, Where blossomed many an incensebearing tree; And here were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!

A savage place! as holy and enchanted As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted By woman wailing for her demon-lover!

And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething, As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing, A mighty fountain momently was forced: Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail, Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail: And mid those dancing rocks at once and ever It flung up momently the sacred river.

Five miles meandering with a mazy motion Through wood and dale the sacred river ran, Then reached the cavern measureless to man, And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean; And ‘mid this tumult Kubla heard from far Ancestral voices prophesying war!

The shadow of the dome of pleasure Floated midway on the waves: Where was heard the mingled measure From the fountain and the caves, It was a miracle of rare device, A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!

A damsel with a dulcimer In a vision once I saw: It was an Abyssinian maid And on her dulcimer she played, Singing of Mount Abora.

19 Highgate, London, where Coleridge lived and died, bears a plaque in the poet’s honour.

Coleride’s manuscript of “Kubla Khan” Could I revive within me Her symphony and song, To such a deep delight ‘twould win me, That with music loud and long, I would build that dome in air, That sunny dome! those caves of ice!

And all who heard should see them there, And all should cry, Beware! Beware!

His flashing eyes, his floating hair!

Weave a circle round him thrice, And close your eyes with holy dread

For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drunk the milk of Paradise.

Coleridge also wrote “This LimeTree Bower My Prison”, “Frost at Midnight” and “The Nightingale” at around this time. Curiously, Coleridge, suffering from financial difficulties, performed clerical duties at the Mary Street Unitarian Chapel in Taunton, and again in 1797 in Shropshire. He was seriously thinking about a career in the ministry. However, Josiah

Coleridge at age 42; portrait

by Washington Allston

Wedgwood II, on hearing about Coleridge’s financial problems, offered him an annuity of £150 at which point Coleridge gave up his ministerial ambitions and returned to poetry.

Coleridge and Wordsworth travelled to Germany in 1798, but didn’t spend much time together. Coleridge, always the innovator, enrolled at the University of Göttingen where he not only

24 | The Tribune | Weekend

learned German, but became interested in German philosophy, especially the transcendental idealism of Immanuel Kant, and in the literary criticism of the dramatist Gotthold Lessing. A very accomplished translator, when he returned to England he translated Fredrick Schiller’s “Wallenstein” into English. He included some of these ideas in his own critical writings.

In 1799, while staying with Wordsworth at their friend Thomas Hutchinson’s farm at Sockburn on the River Tees, Coleridge wrote his ballad-poem “Love to Sara Hutchinson”. In 1800 he moved to Keswick in the Lake District of Cumberland to be near Wordsworth who had settled in Grasmere. He actually stayed with Wordsworth and his sister for 18 months. It was there that his addiction to laudanum became problematic. He had nightmares, and his continued marital problems created a strained relationship with his friend. Opium dependency grew, and his poetic powers seemed to fail him, resulting in his composition “Dejection: An Ode”.

Coleridge travelled to Sicily and Malta in 1804, working as Acting Public Secretary of Malta under the Civil Commissioner Alexander Ball, returning to England in 1806. Wordsworth’s sister Dorothy was shocked at his deteriorating condition. He returned again to Sicily hoping that the dry climate would rid him of his bronchial problems and cure his addiction to opium. However, his dependency increased and, according to Thomas De Quincey in “Recollection of the Lakes and the Lake Poets”, Coleridge succumbed to serious opium addiction, using as much as two quarts of laudanum a week. He separated from his second wife and quarrelled with Wordsworth. Nevertheless, he made another attempt at publishing a journal called “The Friend” in 1809 – a weekly publication written and edited singlehandedly drawing on his extraordinary knowledge of law, philosophy, morals, politics, history and literary criticism.

Doomed from the start, the journal ran for only 25 issues despite several injections of capital from wealthy friends.

Coleridge lost part of his annuity in 1811, and his worsening addictive condition caused him to be put under constant medical supervision in 1814.

Severe constipation required regular and humiliating enemas. Many years later “The Friend” became an influential and respected work on both writers and philosophers.

Friday, February 15, 2019

Memorial plaque for Coleridge on a stone wall in the churchyard of St Mary, Ottery St Mary, Devon, where the poet was born.

Coleridge’s only daughter, author and translator Sara Coleridge

Much of Coleridge’s reputation as a literary critic is based on the lectures he gave in 1810-1811. These lectures were given under the title “A Course of Lectures on Shakespeare, and Milton, in Illustration of the Principles of Poetry”, and delivered in Fleet Street, London. Disorganised, sickly, opium addicted and unstable, Coleridge’s lectures were rambling and ill-attended. Nevertheless, he renewed public attention and created enthusiasm for the then much denigrated Shakespeare play “Hamlet” – and he is solely responsible for the play’s continuing popularity.

Despite Coleridge’s irresponsible behaviour, his reputation as a translator and an authority on demonic literature resulted in Lord Byron’s publisher, John Murray, giving him a commission in 1814 to translate Goethe’s classic “Faust”, written in 1808. He accepted the project but was rumoured to have abandoned it after only six weeks despite his claims to the contrary. Almost a century later, Oxford University, now clear of copyright restrictions, published an English translation of Goethe’s work which first appeared anonymously in 1821, and which purported to be Coleridge’s long-lost masterpiece. The publication was met with heated controversy.

Coleridge’s addiction continued to be problematic. Between 1814 and 1816 he lived in rooms rented from a local surgeon in Calne, Wiltshire, and while there wrote his first draft of Biographia Literaria. When his condition worsened he moved to Highgate, north of London, under the supervision of the physician James Gillman.

His use of opium, dissolved in brandy, was an additional cause of growing depression. He remained at Highgate for the rest of his life, and completed Biographia Literaria in 1817 – a volume composed of 23 chapters of autobiographical notes. It was his main prose work. Other writings included: “Lay Sermons” (1816-1817); “Sibylline Leaves” (1817); “Hush” (1820); “Aids to Reflection” (1825), and “On the Constitution of the Church and State” (1830). “Essay on Faith” (1838) and “Confessions of An Inquiring Spirit” (1840) were published shortly after he died. “Opus Maximum” – a work intended as a post-Kantian work of philosophical synthesis was not published until 2002.

Samuel Coleridge died in Highgate, London on July 25, 1834 of heart failure and a lung disorder, almost certainly the result of opium addiction. He had spent 18 years in the care of James Gillman. He is buried in the aisle of St Michael’s Parish Church in Highgate.

*** Coleridge is one of the most important figures in English poetry. His poems directly and deeply influenced all the major poets of the age. He was a meticulous craftsman influential in his advice – particularly to Wordsworth, who owes Coleridge the idea of utilising everyday language to express profound images and ideas. Coleridge was equally important to poetry as a critic. His philosophy of poetry continues to be admired in the field of literary criticism.

NEXT WEEK: In honour of the 91st Academy Awards, a closer look at the history of Hollywood’s most coveted prize.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of “The Last Colonial”. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from “Coleridge and Philosophy” by Dorothy Emmet; Wikipedia; “The Life of Samuel Taylor Coleride: A Critical Biography” by Rosemary Ashton (1996), and “Writers’ Lives: Samuel Taylor Coleridge” by Seamus Perry (2003).

The Tribune | Weekend |25

Friday, February 15, 2019

history

The first time the

Americans

captured Nassau

M

ost people – Bahamians, Americans and others – react with surprise when told that it was against Fort Montagu that the Marines made the first amphibious landing in Marine history.

It all started in Philadelphia, during the 10th month of the American Revolution, in the winter of 1776, when the Delaware River was clogged with ice.

Commodore Esek Hopkins, a former privateer, led his fleet of eight small merchant ships – converted into menof-war at Philadelphia – out to sea on the first deployment of the Continental Navy. (It became the US Navy after the birth of the United States of America.)

The fleet included 236 Continental Marines, a separate adjunct to the regular Navy and patterned after Britain’s Royal Marines, under the command of Captain Samuel Nicholas.

As it turned out, their destination was Britain’s weakly-defended port of Nassau, where he felt he could capture arms, ammunition and gunpowder, for use by the Continental Army.

The assault took place on March 3, 1776. The attackers captured Fort Montagu but did not advance to the town, where the gunpowder was stored. And that night Nassau’s governor, Montfort Browne, had most of the gunpowder loaded aboard British ships that sailed to St Augustine. Next day, the Continental Marines advanced and took control of the poorly defended Nassau, where they remained for two weeks.

The Americans had not come to capture territory and once they had loaded onto their ships all the remaining gunpowder and munitions they could find, they waved goodbye to Nassau and headed for New London, Connecticut, on a return voyage that was uneventful until they encountered and captured the HMS Hawk and a ship called Bolton, which was laden with stores

Forgotten facts | Paul C Aranha

Victorious American Marines at Fort Montagu

that included more armaments and powder.

On April 6, 1776, the HMS Glasgow, a 20-gun sixth-rate post ship of the Royal Navy encountered and engaged the six Americans ships. Badly outnumbered, the Glasgow was able to escape intact. In naval history she is remembered for this encounter with the maiden voyage of the Continental Navy .

On arrival at New London, on April 8, Hopkins and his fleet were cheered, but Hopkins’ decision to go to Nassau, rather than to the Chesapeake Bay of Virginia and North and South Carolina, upset southern members of the Continental Congress, and on August 12, 1776 the Continental Congress censured Hopkins.

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

Commodore Esek Hopkins, a former privateer, led his fleet of eight small merchant ships to Nassau.

26 | The Tribune | Weekend

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The Tribune | Weekend | 27

Friday, February 15, 2019

animals Animal matters Kim Aranha

A Shadow by your side

By The Bahamas Humane Society

Trigger happy

J

ust imagine having to be the one who bends down over the bleeding body of a dog, shot calmly and deliberately by a policeman. By now we have all seen that video – disgusting, shocking, and it defines where our country has got to. Dear Lord, the animal was tied up! What was this, Friday evening target practice?

Should the police not protect our possessions and us? How can we possibly behave like this?

These two beautiful and friendly pit bulls were doing their jobs when the house was stormed by a team of armed police to search for unlicenced guns. At first, barking at the intrusion, protecting the people who love them, their protective barking soon turned into terrified yelps of pain as the police aimed their guns at the them and shot them!

The shocking detail is that these poor dogs were tied up. They were unable to reach their assailants, they could not run away, they could not defend themselves; it’s all on the video. The dogs were doing their jobs, but is this what we expect our police to do?

All we can do is thank God profusely that the marksmanship left much to be desired. Both dogs were shot at least twice, both have leg wounds, one has a bullet lodged in his jaw and has had to undergo surgery.

The BHS immediately dispatched our animal ambulance to the scene of the crime (shooting a tethered animal is cruelty). Our ambulance driver was the one to untie the dogs, unclip their leashes, as they lay on the ground bleeding, dying, because they were shot. Why were they shot? What motivates anybody to shoot an animal that poses no threat? I am hoping that we can at some time understand the motivation to commit such a base and timorous act. We need answers.

What is very worrying is that if you spend some time on Facebook reading the hundreds of posts, many people claim to have been the victim

“I

have a little shadow that goes in and out with me...”

Shadow at the Bahamas Humane Society does not behave much like the shadow in Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem, though he may jump in the bed before you!

This lively four-month-old potcake was brought to the BHS after being hit by a car. His bones had already begun to heal from a previous injury so surgery was not possible.

Shadow will always walk with a bit of a wobble, but he hasn’t let this slow him down one little bit.

Shadow has all the energy of your typical pup and would love to have a companion to romp with or a person who’d enjoy boisterous walks and maybe trips to the beach. He’s outgoing and friendly (and loves BHS staff member Raquel, seen in the photo with Shadow). Do you need a little Shadow in your life? If so, come in to the BHS to meet him, or call 323-5138 for more information.

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

BHS staff member Raquel with Shadow (Photo/Patricia Vazquez)

One of the stricken dogs of the same unnecessary actions.

There are horror stories about the RBPF shooting dogs; read them for yourself, I am not making them up.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I admire many of our men in uniform and I am the first one to respect and defend them frequently. Many of them put their lives on the line daily for our protection, and to those heroes I say,

“Bravo and thank you!” But those are not the actions we are discussing here. What I am trying to get my mind around, and you might be trying to as well, is why would they shoot those dogs when there was no danger?

We, the citizens of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, have a right to our homes and gardens. Should the RBPF have cause to enter my

property to speak to me, or if they have a search warrant, then surely, even if my dogs are loose but behind my wall or fence, they should ask me to secure my animals and give me the time to do so.

My Chiefie is big and barks, and he can bite. If somebody barges into my yard he will most likely attack, and for this I am grateful. Must we all now live in fear that our animals can be or will be shot for guarding our property? We really cannot accept or allow this gunslinging protocol to persist, and most certainly not allow tethered animals to be shot wantonly.

The BHS had to pick up the two dogs because the government-owned and operated animal control van, which should have picked them up and brought them to the shelter, was not working (why am I not surprised?) The BHS ambulance driver had to be the one to unclip their leashes.

At the very least, professional training is required for the police squads who carry out raids and searches.

Training is needed for the safety of the policemen and the well-being of our animals, not to mention what damage stray bullets could cause. All the bullets travelled through these dogs, bar one, one that could have killed a child. What about the bullets that missed completely? Food for thought.

I have visited these two dogs, on painkillers, as they recover. I ask myself, will there be any response from the RBPF? So far no word, or will it be the same reaction as when a police dog was left in a police car for hours and died from sever heat prostration? The same silence?

Then I wonder, will I be vilified for this article?

28 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, February 15, 2019

society

Bahamian Buju fans celebrate his return

H

undreds of reggae and dancehall fans turned out recently for the launch party of Buju Banton’s “Long Walk To Freedom” tour.

The Grammy Award-winning reggae superstar Buju Banton is scheduled to perform in Nassau on March 30 at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. Concert promoters are expecting a crowd of up to 15,000.

According to Paradise Productions, which is organising the event, a few of Buju’s friends will also hit the stage for performances. However, they are remaining tight-lipped about who performers will be, at least for now.

A day before the concert, on Friday, March 29, Buju will be welcomed back to the Bahamas with an all-white party to be hosted at the FIFA Beach Soccer Stadium.

The recent launch party, which was held at Breezes on Cable Beach and hosted by David Bong, saw die-hard fans mixing with local entertainers and politicians.

The band Visage played a string of hits throughout the night while DJ Pencil and DJ Studda kept the mood fun.

Junkanoo performers, fire dancers and several Bahamian singers also entertained the crowd.

Paradise Productions’ executive team addressed Buju’s fans and urged them to purchase concert tickets early.

During the launch, fans were treated to a taped message from the singer, who said he was excited to return to his second home, the Bahamas.

The night ended with fireworks and a high-energy Junkanoo rush-out.

Organisers say concert safety is a top priority and will be provided by Falcon Security/Damas Group, in conjunction with the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

Tickets for the event are available online at www. paradiseproductionsinc.com or at Cash N’ Go, which is the official ticket distributor.

Early bird ticket sales began February 1 and last through March 1.

Buju’s triumphant return to the stage – after serving seven years behind bars for drug charges – is highly anticipated and has been welcomed worldwide. Within 24 hours of his release, 10 of Buju’s albums climbed to the top 30 in the US reggae iTunes charts. He also reached the No 1 spot on the reggae album iTunes chart in the US, the UK and in various European countries.