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Friday, February 18, 2022

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Weekend

LET’S REMINISCE Page 14

Hot couture

Local seamstress turns into high-end designer

page 07

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, February 18, 2022

HOME

Light and airy with straw, woods and soft fabrics for clean comfy look by Spacejoy

Dining table by Crate & Barrel. Nothing matches but everything goes together

No one ever achieved greatness by

PLAYING IT SAFE

or some people the sound of nails on a chalkboard sends them crazy inducing an inexplicable intense reaction. For me it’s when I hear someone say, “I’m in search of a bedroom set” or “living room set.” In life no one ever achieved greatness by playing it safe, and in design, the same holds true. What is wrong with playing it safe? How can I possibly go wrong if I purchase matching nightstands, dresser and bed? There was once a time when “sets” were in. That was also the era when homemakers were led to believe that happiness came with a new Hoover. We have moved on in our expectations and our style. Playing it safe can be a bit boring. Live a little, get out of your comfort zone and purchase items that blend and complement each other. Your goal is to strike a balance between not being monotonous and also not entering a world of chaos where nothing matches. All the larger furniture pieces should talk to each other allowing you to bring in interest in smaller furniture items and décor. Ground your larger furniture pieces but create enough visual interest as your eye scans the room. A dining table

Studio McGee - mountainside retreat. Note mixture of textures but all pieces ‘talk’ to each other can be paired with a bench on one side and chairs on the opposing side along with head and foot. Or pair a dining table with matching chairs but stage the head and foot with slightly larger chairs, which will automatically demand attention. Pick a theme. Your bed and

dresser may both match but bring in interest by using a different material or colour in your nightstands. Or take it a step further by pairing a linen bed with a wood dresser and cane nightstands. Although they may not sound like they match, all the larger furniture pieces are able to converse with one another, they all say “natural.” Next, pay attention to scale. Pair a larger sofa with a larger coffee table, pair a smaller sofa with a smaller coffee table. Items do not need to be the exact same size so long as they create visual balance. If you have a basket on one side of a media cabinet place a similar size plant on the other side of the media cabinet. The goal is to create visual balance. Remember a basic rule: Avoid becoming overwhelmed by various styles. Look for pieces that have similar shapes so even though you are mixing different styles or textures they all “match.” For example, all the seating in a room may have rounded arms. Play off colours. Introduce a piece that has different colours so you can play off various colour tones. Be consistent, find pieces that play nicely together. Have a wooden coffee table with various wood tones? Feel

LIFE BY DESIGN

free to bring in another BROOKE PYFROM wood item that picks up one of the undertones. Have a favorite brightly patterned pillow? Use a colour in it that is especially appealing to help subtly introduce similar colours throughout the room. Don’t limit thinking outside the set to the inside of your home. Apply the same mindset to your outdoor oasis as well. Use rattan chairs as accent chairs to an outdoor teak sofa. Or use a rounded concrete coffee table with a synthetic rattan outdoor sofa. Just like putting together your favorite outfit, mixing and matching tops to pants and accessorising with jewellery, it may take several attempts to get the exact look you want. The same holds true with designing. Find your main pieces and mix and match what surrounds, highlights or accessorises them until you have curated a cohesive blended look that reflects your personal style. • Brooke Pyfrom is the proprietor of Oasis, Sandyport, and Oasis, East Shirley Street. She sources exceptional pieces from around the world to combine trendy with traditional.

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Friday, February 18, 2022

FOOD

Two-week food festival to offer a

Chef Todd English

‘TASTE OF PARADISE’ By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

Chef Nobuyuki ‘Nobu’ Matsuhisa

OME of the most star-rated chefs in the world will be making their way to the Bahamas next month to put in an appearance at this year’s Taste of Paradise. The food and wine festival will be held at Atlantis March 2-13 and promises to offer some unique culinary experiences. There will be special dinners hosted by icons in the field like Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Michelin-starred Chef Michael White, and Chefs Todd

English and Julie Lightbourne. The festival is expected to feature an exclusive set of prix fixe menus offered by both the resort’s casual and fine dining venues. A series of pop-up entertainment experiences focused on local culture and authentic fare will be available for guests and residents to enjoy. This new programme builds on the Atlantis’ previously held “EAT: Extraordinary Atlantis Taste” restaurant week series. With the success of EAT, the resort said it was only made sense to build on it, engaging Bahamians and visitors alike. Throughout Atlantis’ Taste of Paradise festival, guests will have the opportunity to dine at a variety of restaurants offering prix fixe menus and special chef helmed dinners. Featured dining outlets include: Café Martinique, Carmine’s, Chop Stix, Frankie Gone Bananas, Seafire, Olives, Fish by Jose Andres and Nobu.

Casual dining restaurants including Sip Sip, Burger Shack, McKenzie’s Fresh Conch, Pirate Republic and Marina Pizzeria. They will feature limited edition menu items, with special a focus on authentic fare. “Creating unique events for our guests to experience the Bahamas in the most authentic ways possible is one of the many reasons why Atlantis is the most remarkable resort destination in the world,” said Audrey Oswell, president and managing director of Atlantis Paradise Island. “Taste of Paradise will share a variety of different cuisines and culinary styles from celebrity chef curated menus to sustainable seafood presentations. We can’t wait to welcome our guests and community to take part in what will be a delicious and educational two -week festival.” The highlight, of course, will be the appearance of the world-famous chefs.

Chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa is a Japanese celebrity chef and restaurateur known for his fusion cuisine that blends traditional Japanese dishes with Peruvian ingredients. His signature dish is black cod in miso. His restaurants stretch across five continents, with over 40 locations across the globe. Chef Micheal White is who is known for luxurious pasta dishes. He first staked a place in Manhattan’s competitive restaurant landscape in 2002 as executive chef of the now-closed Fiamma Osteria, having earned a three-star Times review and a Michelin star. Chef Todd English is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, author and television personality, based in Boston, Massachusetts. He hosted the TV cooking show Food Trip with Todd English, on PBS. And the Bahamas’s very own Chef Julie Lightbourn will join this illustrious group. She has extended her home-made cuisine and home-grown hospitality to The Cove. Her Bahamian-inspired fare and the perfect rum punch have made her one of the most talked about Caribbean restaurateurs and celebrity favourites in the last 15 years. Chef Lightbourn’s passion for savoury, sweet and spicy “Caribterranean” flavours shines through in exclusive recipes created for The Cove, while her most popular “sips” include the signature Sip Sip Rum Punch, Sip Sip Sky Juice, a trio of Sip Sip Margaritas, passion fruit sangria and the watermelon-vodka cooler.

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Friday, February 18, 2022

INTERVIEW

Leandria

SMITH

After years of singing background for other artists, this gospel singer-songwriter is ready to step into the spotlight. She reveals to Cara Hunt what finally gave her the courage to forge her own path – a journey that starts with the release of her first single.

eandria Smith recently released her debut single – a gospel song inspired by scripture that she wrote herself. It’s called “Nevertheless”. The song marks a new chapter in her life of Christian ministry, which began years ago when she first started dancing at church. “I started dancing when I was three years old,” she told Tribune Weekend. “And from the time I started, I grew to love it, it became my passion.” While she always participated in dances at church, her vocal talents were also in demand. “I started singing in the choir and eventually that led to me being on the praise and worship team and then me leading the worship,” she said. There is a difference, she explained, in singing in a choir and being the worship leader. “When you are in choir, the material is chosen and given to you and you just have to learn it. But leading praise and worship is more you finding the material and giving it others to sing, so it’s a bit more work,” she said. Leandria also learned some piano and has had some vocal training from school. “I worked with a vocal coach as well as during the pandemic; there were a number of virtual vocal training sessions online as well,” she said. While she was happy to serve her church in the role of praise and worship leader, Leandria said she was still more comfortable performing in the background. “There were people who heard me sing, who would say, ‘You should do a song’, but I was just more comfortable in the background. I didn’t think I could handle things like the interviews and just putting myself out there,” she said. Instead, she happily performed the background vocals for both local and international artists, until a Bible verse she heard planted the seed in her to step into her own spotlight.

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Friday, February 18, 2022

her first song at the time. “There were two significant people who approached me. One told me , ‘I think it’s time for you to get a song out, you have been sitting on your talent for too long’, and the other person told me it was time that I took my gift more seriously. They didn’t even know that I was working on getting the song produced,” she said. Leandria said she wrote the song for “everyone, but me first,” because the scripture that inspired the song holds such a poignant meaning in her own life. “I feel that its saying that even though I had this fear of putting myself out there, nevertheless I needed to do it, because it I know its God will for me. I want people who hear this song to know once it is God’s will for something in your life, He will make the provisions for it to happen. Whatever your struggle is, know God has got your back , He will be your rock in a hard place,” she said. Leandria hopes others will be encouraged to release and surrender their own personal struggle to God. However, she also reminds people that it can in fact sometimes be difficult to do just that. “It’s also important to remember that just because it is God’s will that doesn’t mean that it will always be easy. Sometimes it will be difficult and painful, but we can’t let fear hold us back,” she said. Leandria noted that producing her song was an expensive process. “A lot had to happen behind the scenes to getto this point, but I am glad I did it,” she said. While she would love to write and record another song, for now she will enjoy this moment in the spotlight with “Nevertheless”. The song is available on all of the digital music platforms and a CD of the single will soon be released.

“There were people who heard me sing, who would say, ‘You should do a song’, but I was just more comfortable in the background. I didn’t think I could handle things like the interviews and just putting myself out there”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, her church went virtual. “We were having virtual church and the theme of one of our services was taken from Luke 22:42, which says, ‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.’ That verse just stayed with me all week, especially the word nevertheless,” she said. “I went back to the Bible to study that scripture and the beginnings of a song just came to me. So I took out my phone and went to the voice notes and just recorded my initial thoughts and then every so often over the next few months I added to it until I knew that I had a song that was worth making,” she said.

This weekend in history February 18 • In 1830, Pluto, which was once considered a planet but is now classified as a dwarf planet, was discovered by astronomer Clyde W Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. • 1885, author Mark Twain (real name Samuel Clemens) publishes “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” in the US. A direct sequel to

That belief she had something worthwhile on her hands was cemented when two of her musical mentors encouraged her to launch a solo career as a gospel artist, even though they didn’t know that she was actually in the process of writing “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, it is noted for changing the course of children’s literature. • 1929, the first Academy Awards are announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A far cry from the glamorous Oscars ceremony of today, the names of the award winners were simply printed on the back page of the academy’s newsletter.

February 19 • In 1847, rescuers find the Donner Party in Sierra Nevada mountains. The group of American pioneers was migrating from the Midwest to California in a wagon train when they were trapped for several months by a multitude of mishaps, including heavy snowfall. Some of them resorted to cannibalism to

survive, eating the bodies of those who has succumbed to starvation or the extreme cold. • In 1878, Thomas Edison is granted a patent for his gramophone (phonograph) – a piece of technology that made the modern music business possible. The device, which could record sound and play it back, was invented in Edison’s New Jersey laboratory. • In 1972, Harry Nilsson’s single “Without You” starts its four-week run at the top of the charts. The song was originally written and performed by the English band Badfinger in 1970. It reached the top ten again when Mariah Carey covered it in 1994.

February 20 • In 1939, six months before Adolf Hitler invades Poland,

20,000 people hold a rally in Madison Square Garden in New York City to celebrate the rise of Nazism in Germany. Nazi salutes are made towards a 30-foot-tall portrait of George Washington. Outside, 100,000 people gathered in protest. • In 1959, a 16-year-old Jimi Hendrix plays his first gig in the Temple de Hirsch synagogue in Seattle. The iconic rock and roll guitarist is fired from the band after the first set for playing too “wild”. • In 1962, John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit Earth, circling the planet three times aboard the Friendship 7. After the first orbit, a failure of the automatic-control system occurred. Glenn had to operate in manual mode for the second and third orbits as well as for re-entry.

26 Act more fiercely – journalist is mystified (10) 27 Inferno around the plant (4)

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

Down 1 He scorns to earn a living as a writer (8) 2 Come into somebody else’s land perhaps (8) 3 Swing till dizzy (4) 5 Once finished, destroyed (12) 6 Shut up and write a letter (4) 7 He had high-flying ambition but became unstuck (6) 8 Level with the Spanish team (6) 11 Bred in sin set about showing one’s pedigree? (4,8) 15 Gloss over the country (5) 16 Left on the side shelf (5) 18 Oral application for beauty treatment (8) 19 His opinion is sure to be of some value (8) 21 Homespun gin? (6) 22 There’s some point in this system (6) 26 Method is about right but be cautious (4) 27 Bowed and leaning (4)

10 11

20 21

Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Hovel, 4 Pre-empt, 8 Nil, 9 Bernhardt, 10 Vanilla, 11 Bossy, 13 Raisin, 15 Stupor, 18 Group, 19 Forlorn, 21 Spielberg, 23 Low, 24 Opulent, 25 Tasty. Down: 1 Hanover, 2 Valentino, 3 Libel, 4 Pariah, 5 Exhibit, 6 Mar, 7 Tatty, 12 Sophocles, 14 Impulse, 16 Run away, 17 Effect, 18 Gusto, 20 Right, 22 IOU.

been filled in to start you off. Solution tomorrow

9 10

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution

Across: 1 Depth, 4 Polecat, 8 Run, 9 Character, 10 Behests, 11 Abyss, 13 Equity, 15 Terror, 18 Cream, 19 Utensil, 21 Monologue, 23 Ire, 24 Allergy, 25 Takes. Down: 1 Durable, 2 Penthouse, 3 Hacks, 4 Praise, 5 Leakage, 6 Cut, 7 Turns, 12 Yardstick, 14 Tumbler, 16 Reliefs, 17 Hungry, 18 Comma, 20 Erect, 22 Nil.

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 Universe (6) 4 Duplicitous (3-5) 9 Legally bound (6) 10 False impression (8) 12 Effrontery (4) 13 Instruct (5) 14 Kind of flexible armour (4) 17 Make abject apology (3,6,3) 20 A regenerating boost (4,2,3,3) 23 Accustomed (4) 24 Intuitive awareness (5) 25 Netted catch of fish (4) 28 Battle in Greece 490BC (8) 29 A swindle (3-3) 30 Quick witty reply (8) 31 Established truth of (6)

Down 1 Loss of nerve (4,4) 2 A lack (8) 3 Unctuous (4) 5 Misery (12) 6 Disgustingly offensive (4) 7 Culmination (6) 8 Hold out enticingly (6) 11 Completely dominated (3,2,3,4) 15 Easy and comfortable (5) 16 Arousing suspicion (5) 18 Tubular form of pasta (8) 19 Insignificant people (5,3) 21 Gull-like seabird (6) 22 Be of good cheer (4,2) 26 Arouse (4) 27 A citrus fruit (4)

R T E A C H E R I

R S J R N Q F U S

symmetrical’ – in other words, it looks the same if you turn the page upside down. Solution tomorrow

A 40 38 21 B C 6 21 15 D E 23 38 2 F G 32 31 26 H I 22 25 31 J TODAY’S TARGET K 18 39 16 Good 19; very good 29; excellent 38 (or more). Solution tomorrow L M 35 26 4 Yesterday’s NYesterday’s call 0907 181 2585 for today’s target solution O 28 Answer 11 5 Sudoku Answer Kakuro *Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone P company’s network access charge. Q 20 9 37 R S 1 18 40 T U 38 12 32 FIND where the fleet of ships shown is hidden V in the grid. The numbers to the right of and W 27 38 7 below the grid indicate how many of the X squares in that row are filled in with ships or parts of ships. The ships do not touch each Y 34 6 29 other, even diagonally. Some squares have Z 1

P E X J N A X O R

palpitatE across: Atrium, Pillar, M number a letter – orTold, black square. apatite appalrepresents appeal apple lappet Whale, Chaff, Ough leap pail palate pale every palp Fling, Novelty, Ind As leapt in Alphapuzzle, letter of theExited, alphabe palpate PALPITATE papa papal down: Mammoth, Often, is used. Butpeltyou have grid to pate peal peat petal pile to complete Livid (clue),the Query, Jugg pipal pipe pitta plait letters plat plateand Dachshund, Midwife, Eve use the given black squares below plea pleat tape tappet tippet Bloat, Waylaid, Cried, Pla the grid to start. the grid is ‘rotationally tipple

BATTLESHIPS

Across 1 Projectiles cause blazes in the ship (6) 4 When the water moving ain’t deep (4,4) 9 Ropes seen on a football field (6) 10 Stage one perhaps in the development of civilisation (5,3) 12 Rebel king I turn to (4) 13 What we hope to make after joining the party? (5) 14 Government measure (4) 17 In need of a rest-cure? (4,3,5) 20 London perhaps profits from a cause of taxation (7,5) 23 Some poetry does need editing (4) 24 Said to have been seen and named (5) 25 Land in the water (4) 28 Justifies fighting and a lot of abuse (8) 29 Doubtful point in suing such a clever type (6) 30 Dray behind the house (8) 31 A fire tender (6)

E G D U J N I D R O J T E S U U L N K R E M T D Y S V I M V I X S G V R B E J V B B A R

targEt thE alphapuz cAn you crack the Alphabeater? each grid

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.

CRYPTIC PUZZLE

26 R K X B I D O A R

THE ALPHABEA

A e n i Vo Ac D

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

C E T I H C R A I T

G N U M N Friday, February 18, 2022 S W A B S

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

E K P O H S U P N U

20 Tuition; 21 Buxom; 22 Darn; 23 Identity. down: 2 Examine; 3 Dilemma; 4 Undisciplined; 6 Opinion; 7 Sincere; 8 Timber; 13 Reacted; 14 Cashier; 15 Limpid; 16 Account; 17 Comfort.

1 x Battleship

3 x Destroyer

2 x cruiser

4 x submarine

9 12

■

● Alternatively, for six Extra Letter c text DXBEAT to 64343. Texts cost £1 plu

KEIJO 2 3

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Friday, February 18, 2022

FASHION

he opportunity to study Fashion Design at Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) has been a blessing for Kersheia Strachan. The mother-oftwo has not only found a new source of income, but a new calling in life. Kersheia, who describes herself as a determined and strong woman, said BTVI helped her at a point in her life when she had quit a horrible job and was dreaming of finding a new path for herself. That new path led straight to founding her own design label and shop, Sew Fashion. “It was my last job that pushed me to create the Sew Fashion business because I wasn’t treated fairly at work. It felt like it was slavery, and I couldn’t work for my old boss anymore. I prayed to God and asked Him to guide me on the right path and bless me with a career I will love and will

Designs by Kersheia Strachan

SWEET SEWING life The

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

never get tired of. I thought about it, and my love for fashion made sewing come to mind. So I decided to take up the course at BTVI,” Kersheia told Tribune Weekend. Only a few months into the course, she was already making her own dresses. “I’ve been designing for four years now. I enjoy creating and sewing

clothes for women. I love helping them look amazing and seeing them smile with a sense of confidence and happiness glowing from their eyes. This feeling is contagious and makes me happy also,” she said. Located on Wrights Lane off Fox Hill Road, Sew Fashion offers formal and casual clothing, as well as attire for weddings, proms, funerals,

christenings and birthdays. Kersheia said really popular at the moment are mesh shirts, leather dresses, and pants, bohemian and florals patterns. She also seeing people starting to shop for spring – pastel colours, linen and cotton fabrics, maxi and summer dresses. To come up with new designs, Kersheia often uses mood boards inspired by both her fellow local and international fashion designers. “Seeing their work motivates and inspires me to keep pushing and learn new and innovative ways to perfect my craft. For the rest of 2022 I’ll be focusing on becoming a greater fashion designer and seamstress,” she said. “I will build my newly renovated storefront shop, where Sew Fashion can create any and every style of fashion for my beautiful and intelligent Bahamian ladies.”

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Friday, February 18, 2022

GARDENING

VEGGIES, FRUITS, FLOWERS… and where did that tree come from?!

ood day, gardeners. Hopefully by now, if you are growing veggies, you are well into the season and harvesting all the goods from the garden. Successive plantings are the best way to make the most of the cool weather growing season. Keep planting! My tomato plants are growing particularly well this season with little attention. I am growing Tyrannus for a slicing tomato and Super Sweet for cherry tomatoes. They are both performing wonderfully. I am

Super Sweet cherry tomato

also transplanting some heirloom varieties this week, Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, and a handful of others for some variety. I am having a tough time with regular seed grown cucumbers this season, mostly due to lack of attention. To ensure that we have cucumbers going through the next few months I am about to get planting some grafted vegetables for superior performance that outlast and are more durable and tolerant than anything grown from seed. Grafting veggies is a relatively new practice that fuses

a desirable cultivar onto a proprietary rootstock that is resistant to nematodes, fungus issues, drought tolerant and is all around much stronger and longer lasting with increased fruiting results than seed grown, hands down, and the proof is in the pudding as it were. I invite you to try some out for yourselves, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Some Avocado trees tend to drop their leaves around this time of year, there is nothing to treat as they are dropping anyway! Let the leaves drop, that process is followed by a fresh flush of leaves for the new growing season. Now is a great time to prune Bougainvillea, as many are just finishing a large flush of colour and before they put on a new flush, is the best time to prune to increase flowering moving forward. I’ve noticed mealybug starting to show up on mulberry, citrus, hibiscus, etcetera. As always, it is best to monitor them, and if they increase above your personal threshold, then it is time to spray for them. Now is also a good time to get fertilizing, I discussed fertilizing of palm trees last week with the key nutrient for palms being manganese, which unfortunately will not be found in sufficient quantities in lower cost fertilizers. Be sure to use something blended specifically for palms when fertilizing palms. With fruit trees, use something labelled for fruit trees. Mango do not like too much nitrogen as it inhibits fruiting, ensure that there is a relatively low content in the fertilizers you are using on mango trees. I use an 8-3-9, or, when I can get it, a 5-5-15. Many types of mango are pushing new flower buds, so now is not the time to be pruning

them. There has been an introduction of a fungus that affects mango trees by beginning at the terminal bud and working its way down the stem. Removal of affected branches and a fungicide drench, or if the tree is small enough a foliar spray is recommended for control. There are still a few smaller sellers that are somehow smuggling fruit trees into the country, particularly of concern with this practice is the smuggling of citrus (Calamondin for example!), as it places all existing citrus trees in danger of infection from imported disease and of highest concern is the HLB (Huanglongbing) disease, more commonly referred to as citrus greening. This is a problem that can only be controlled through enforcement by the powers that be, and closer monitoring of imports. The practice of smuggling plant material by unscrupulous sellers puts all of our gardens at risk. Please be sure to check the source, and only buy from trusted sources. Ask questions! This is a national problem, but who cares? That is the question. It doesn’t seem that the powers that be are interested in enforcing import laws that are in place for the protection of us all. Every time I import anything it is picked over with a fine-tooth comb by the authorities, why are the smaller sellers’ practices not put under the same scrutiny? Food for thought. Moving on, I urge you to get out into the garden! Whether to tend a single pot of lettuce leaf, or whether you are planting acres of fruit trees, we can all benefit from time in the garden. Plant some flowers to brighten each day. Many require nothing but a decent soil base and a little water now and again. The best time to plant anything that wasn’t planted yesterday, is today! As always, I wish you happy gardening. • Adam Boorman is the nursery manager at the Fox Hill Nursery. You can contact him with any questions you may have, or topics you would like to see discussed, at gardening242@gmail.com.

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Friday, February 18, 2022

BOOKS

Local teacher releases two CHRISTIAN ROMANCE NOVELS

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

o Aniska Stevens Gisbon, words are powerful tools. And she uses them to tell stories which she hopes will spread love. The author will be releasing not one, but two Christian romance novels this Saturday, called “Sometimes Life Gives You Endless Love” and “Fighting For Love: A Story For Believers”. The official book launch will take place at True Vine Publishing, Bahamas Boulevard, from 11 am to 2pm. “There is so much to communicate through writing. The author was always in me, waiting to birth books,” Aniska told Tribune Weekend. The mother, wife and teacher of 22 years, said she is inspired to write because she loves the romance genre but could never find that many Christian love stories. The book “Endless Love” is a sequel to the previously published “Loving You”. “ ‘Endless Love’ takes its readers on a journey from the past to the present; loving relationships of the various characters within the stories. A endless love is a sweet, passionate, forgiving and beautiful love that is sacrificial and loves unconditionally. This romance novel holds true to values and standards, and it tells realistic love stories that shows God’s role or impact in the process of falling in love,” said Aniska. Meanwhile, the novel “Fighting For Love” is the third book in the “Loving You” series. It features four stories of couples who had to fight for their love. “This novel shows how relationships grow and develop with communication and clear

“Love is indeed possible for us all. It is OK to love and it is far better when you choose not to compromise and hold fast to your truth, beliefs and values”

Author Aniska Stevens Gibson

indicators of what persons want early on,” said Aniska. “ ‘Fighting for Love’ is engaging and different from many Christian romances. It shows the commitment to love even when it gets hard, messy, rough and turbulent along the way. Therefore, the stories show that love is more action, it is dedication, commitment and a choice to love wholeheartedly,

despite of someone’s scars or past.” Aniska believes there is a market for good, clean, Christian romance novels that uphold traditional standards, values and ethical living. She uses scriptures from the Bible in her books. “I wanted to take a leap of faith and finally denounce fear and put my work out there and wait for feedback to improve and continue on in my efforts to write novels. I am indeed humbled, excited, flabbergasted, grateful and amazed to see the books published. It was a dream come true to have it done one day, but now getting it done in reality is far sweeter and so surreal. God exceeded my expectations ….and I am loving every minute of it,” said Aniska. She said the messages of both her latest books are simple: embrace love with a positive and sound mindset, but don’t do it alone. Fall in love, but also fall in love with God every step of the way. When it is time to love, ask God, communicate with Him, truly learn about your potential partner and see if you are compatible. “Love is indeed possible for us all. It is OK to love and it is far better when you choose not to compromise and hold fast to your truth, beliefs and values,” she said. Going forward, Ansika said readers can look forward more books from her in various genres. “I am not confined to only romance writing. My readers can look forward to non-fiction books like ‘Effectual Fervent Prayer’, ‘Bullying in the Workplace, ‘A Bahamian Colouring Book’, and more. I do not plan to stop writing anytime soon,” she said. The launch event this weekend, she added, is going to be “delightful and interesting”. COVID-19 protocols will be in place and there will be refreshments and giveaways.

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Friday, February 18, 2022

LITERARY LIVES – OPRAH WINFREY

From queen of daytime to America’s richest

SELF-MADE WOMAN PART II

Sir Christopher Ondaatje reveals details of the American talk show host, TV producer, actress, author and philanthropist. She was the richest African-American of the 20th century and was at one time the only Black billionaire and ranked as probably the most influential woman in the world. “When you undervalue what you do, the world will undervalue who you are.”

her voice to an animated virtualreality short film starring John Legend, directed by Eric Darnell, titled Crow: The Legend depicting a native American origin tale.

- Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey is best known for her talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which was the highest rated television program of its kind in history, and ran for twentyfive years from 1986 to 2011. She parlayed her show into ownership of cable television networks and formed Harpo Productions (Oprah spelled backwards), a film and TV production company behind her’s and other television and radio shows, and teamed up with Discovery Communications and Apple TV to create new original programs for viewers in America. She reinvented her show with a focus on literature, self-improvement, and spirituality, and although criticised for creating a confessional culture, she went from strength to strength, overcoming adversity, to becoming a powerful political force in the 2008 Presidential race with her endorsement of Barack Obama (estimated to have been worth over a million votes), to becoming a benefactor of others. She formed her own television network (OWN) in 2008, and spawned a book club where her personal endorsement resulted in the sale of millions of books. She was eventually dubbed the “Queen of All Media”, and became the richest African-American in

“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.” – Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey has co-authored five books. When she announced her weight-loss book in 2005, co-authored with her personal fitness trainer Bob Greene, her undisclosed advance fee was the highest book advance fee ever paid – higher even that that paid to former US President Bill Clinton. It was followed by her memoir The Life You Want published in 2016. From 2004 to 2008 she published a magazine O At Home. Fortune called it the most successful start-up ever in the industry. Its circulation exceeded 2.4 million. It ceased publication with the December 2020 issue, and Oprah thanked her many subscribers and supporters.

America and, at one time, the world’s only black billionaire, and the greatest black philanthropist in US history. Winfrey’s company Harpo Films signed an exclusive output pact to develop and produce series, documentaries and movies exclusively for HBO. Her voice was used for Gussie the Goose in

“One of the hardest things in life to learn is which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn.” Oprah at the 14th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in 1987

Charlotte’s Web in 2006, and Judge Bumbleton in Bee Movie in 2007. In 2009, she provided the voice of Eudora, the mother of Princes Tiana, in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, and in 2010

narrated the U.S. version of the BBC nature programme Life for Discovery. In 2018, she starred as Mrs. White in the film adaptation of Madeleine L’Englé’s novel A Wrinkle in Time; and also lent

– Oprah Winfrey Winfrey’s company Harpo created the Oprah.com website to provide resources and interactive content related to her shows, magazines, book club, and public charity. Oprah.com averages more than

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the more I wanted him. I felt depleted, powerless ... I was down on the floor ... grovelling and pleading with him.”

seventy million page views and more than six million users every month. She initiated “Oprah’s Child Predator Watch List” to track down accused child molesters. Within the first forty-eight hours two of the featured men were captured.

– Oprah Winfrey In a depressed state Winfrey evidently wrote a suicide note to her friend Gayle King.

On February 9, 2006, Winfrey announced that she had signed a three-year, $55 million contract with XM Satellite Radio – establishing a new radio channel. Oprah Radio featured a whole host of contributors to her The Oprah Winfrey Show. The channel broadcasted twentyfour hours a day, seven days a week, and her contract stipulated that she was to be on the air for thirty minutes a week and for thirty-nine weeks a year.

Oprah Winfrey now lives on her forty-two-acre estate in Montecito, California. She owns a house in Lavallette, New Jersey; an apartment in Chicago; an estate on Fisher Island in Florida, a ski house in Telluride, Colorado, and properties in Maui, Hawaii, Antigua, and Orcas Island, in Washington State.

“That suicide note has been much overplayed. I couldn’t kill myself. I would be afraid the minute I did it something good would happen and I’d miss it.” – Oprah Winfrey Interview with MS magazine Winfrey admitted that her emotional turmoil led to a chronic weight problem. A 17-year-old Oprah wins Miss Black Tennessee in 1971 – George Mair CBS Journalist Winfrey helped get Taylor a job at WVOL in Nashville, but Taylor refused to leave the city when Winfrey moved to Baltimore to work at WJZ-TV in June 1976.

Winfrey has never kept her personal life a secret. She was molested during her childhood and became pregnant at fourteen. A son was born prematurely and died in infancy. She was sent to her grandmother, and then to her father – a barber in Nashville, Tennessee, and got her first radio job while still at high school. Anthony Otey, her high school sweetheart, remembers his innocent courtship with Winfrey – but their relationship ended on February 14 – St Valentine’s Day in 1971. That same year she met and fell in love with William “Bubba” Taylor at Tennessee State University and was, according to CBS journalist George Mair, Winfrey’s “first to die for affair”.

In the 1970s Winfrey had a livein relationship with broadcaster John Tesh, but the couple split over problems of an inter-racial romance in Tennessee. When WJZTV management criticised Winfrey for crying on air, she turned to Lloyd Kramer for emotional support when her hair started falling out after a bad “perm” treatment.

“She did everything to keep him, including literally begging on her knees to stay with her.”

“I did have a relationship with a man for four years. I wasn’t living with him ... I thought I was worthless without him. The more he rejected me,

“That man loved me even when I was bald.” – Oprah Winfrey When Kramer moved to New York with NBC Winfrey had a love affair with a married man who had no intention of leaving his wife.

“The reason I gained so much weight in the first place, and the reason I had such a sorry history of abusive relationships with men was I just needed approval so much ... I didn’t like myself ... So I’d end up with these cruel self-absorbed guys who’d tell me how selfish I was ... It was the perfect way of cushioning myself against the world’s disapproval.” – Oprah Winfrey Winfrey later confessed to smoking crack cocaine with a man she was romantically involved with in the same era. She talked about it on her show: “I always felt that the drug itself was not the problem but that I was addicted to the man. I can’t think of anything I wouldn’t have done for that man. – Oprah Winfrey She was allegedly involved in a second drug-related love affair. Her former boyfriend Randolph Cook said they lived together in 1985 and did drugs. In 1997 Cook tried to sue Winfrey for $20 million for allegedly blocking a tell-all book about their alleged relationship. In the mid-1980s Winfrey dated Roger Ebert – the movie critic

who persuaded her to sign a syndication deal with King World in the early 1980s. He was the one who predicted she would generate forty times as much revenue as his television show At the Movies. In 1985, before Winfrey’s talk show had gone national, Haitian filmmaker Reginald Chevalier claims he appeared as a guest on her show and began a relationship that involved romantic evenings at home with candlelit baths and dinner with Michael Jordan and Danny Glover. The relationship ended when she met Stedman Graham. They have been together since 1986. Born in rural Mississippi to a single mother and raised in innercity Milwaukee by a mother totally dependent on government welfare payments, Winfrey has parlayed her humble beginnings with zest, good judgment, and confessional humility into becoming a millionaire when she was thirty-two, and having a net worth of $340 million when she was forty-one. By 2000 she had a net worth of $800 million, and is now believed to have become the richest African-American of the 20th century. She now earns an estimated $275 million a year, is the first black woman billionaire in the world, and has a net worth in excess of three billion dollars. She is the richest self-made woman in America. Oprah Winfrey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2013, and received honorary doctorates from Duke and Harvard Universities. It is no exaggeration when both CNN and TIME magazine have speculated that she might well be the most powerful woman in the world. • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia, including personal quotations and admissions in the medium’s biography; Oprah Winfrey: A Biography (2004) by Helen S Garson; and The Life You Want (2015) by Oprah Winfrey.

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HISTORY

bout the Nassau of my youth…a place that was not overpopulated and had no traffic jams, because there were not many cars, and no one-way streets. Parking on Bay Street was easy. Bicycling was not just a sport; it was a principal way of getting from one place to another. Motorcycles were few and far between, though every Roman Catholic priest seemed to have one. Licence plates on cars had a maximum of four digits. My father’s number was 151. One knew the numbers of all one’s friends. But the most important way of going places was by shank’s mare. The masses walked. So did my friends and I. Getting home from school was, by foot, though Bobby Barnet’s parents provided him with a bicycle because he lived at Gambier. He rode about 20 miles each day, to and from Queen’s College. My world centered on the area between Mackey Street and Armstrong Street, where we knew all the petty shops and the delicacies to be found there, such as benny cakes. For ice cream we headed for Jimmy and Anna Williams’ Ice Cream Parlour on the south side of Bay Street, just west of Armstrong. The Johnson sisters’ dressmaking establishment was on Armstrong and my godmother, Miss Ella Lotmore, lived on that street. Homemade bread was bought from Mrs Bethel, who always gave us one of her scrumptious hot buns, to eat on our way home.

Let’s

REMINISCE My best friends were John Knowles and Barrie Farrington, and we usually met at St Matthew’s Rectory, on the corner of Shirley Street and Lovers Lane. John’s father was rector of St Matthew’s and the house they lived in is still there. So is the majestic silk cotton tree in the rectory garden. Father Knowles became Bishop of Antigua. John was the first principal of the College of the Bahamas and J Barrie became the Commander of Hawkins Hill (the title of his autobiography). Sadly, all three have passed away and are buried in St Matthew’s churchyard, where John, Barrie and I played for countless hours. In the neighbouring Eastern Cemetery, we had cholera graves, each with a standing headstone. We learned to jump from one to the next, but often went home with cuts and bruises. Opposite St Matthew’s was Mrs Farrington’s Store, run by Miss Dyntie Thompson, who lived on Alice Street in the Pond. This building had two entrances on Shirley Street. The western door, where groceries were sold, was always open, but the eastern, which sold dry goods like

buttons, lace, ribbons, zippers, was kept closed. I’d go to buy leaf tobacco for PAUL C Rosa, our ARANHA maid, and FORGOTTEN FACTS another customer might pop in and ask to buy dry goods. Behind the counter, Miss Dyntie would walk into the other section and open the door. Once the sale had been made, the door was re-locked. Up the road was Ebeneezer Church, then the Underwood home, next to A B Malcolm’s Gas Station, run by Kenneth Carroll. Jimmy used to deliver gasoline and kerosene (in five-gallon cans) to our home. On the corner of Bilney Lane was Wesley Malcolm’s Grocery Store. Sands Grocery Store was on the corner of Mackey Street and, Just east of Mackey was the Eastern Senior School. Donald Davis, an exceptional educator,

was famous as its Headmaster. Cole’s Bakery was on Bilney Lane and Aubrey Bethel’s CocaCola plant was on Mackey Street. The way to a kid’s heart was a grape soda or maybe strawberry. The Maura family lived in a big white house on Bay Street with a long wooden dock. Next door to Mauras was the Carey home. Michael and I became lifelong friends. For many years, George was the champion tennis player. Paul Cooper, who founded Acme Printers, was the son of an Anglican priest. I don’t remember which of us was born first, but one of us is named after the other. Hubert Pinder, Jr lived on Montrose Avenue and palled around with John, Barrie and me. He had a bicycle, on which he, John and I explored beyond the usual boundaries of our ‘world’. Junior sat on the seat and did the pedaling; John sat on the crossbar and I sat on the handlebar, facing forward. Helmets had never been heard of, but we never got injured. For John and me, all of this came to a stop on September 1, 1949, when we boarded the Reina del Pacifico bound for Plymouth, Devonshire, England, on our way to Woodbridge School. On my return, in 1954, much had changed, and so had I. J Barrie and I teamed up to play rugby and make new friends. • For questions and comments, please send an e-mail to islandairman@gmail.com

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ANIMALS

A recipe for nursing your pet

BACK TO HEALTH

think just about everybody I know has been following the saga of Boss and his heart condition. It is very interesting how animals and humans really suffer from the same ailments and frequently take the exact same medications only the dosage changes. Once we had established that Boss had an enlarged heart, we had to start giving him a cocktail of medications, being very careful as some of the medicines can cause other bad side effects, for example, liver problems. The most interesting side effect I find with animals is that instinct clicks in and when they are seriously sick: they turn their heads away from food. The greatest challenge here is that we cannot discuss with them the merits of eating. They can’t understand when we tell them they have to eat to keep up their strength. In the wild, when an animal is seriously sick, nature tells it to take itself away from the pack or herd and lie under a bush somewhere and await death. Oh, the frustrations when your potcake (or cat) or any other breed suddenly reverts to being a wolf in the wild and turns their nose up at food that a few days ago he would have gladly sold his soul for. With Boss, I begged, cajoled and pleaded almost on bended knee. All his very favourite things came out of the fridge. One day he would eat a small piece of chicken, the next day cheese was the only food in town - hot dogs were on and off. It was very worrisome and exasperating. We finally decided that the very best approach would be to purée the food in a blender or processor and gradually spoon it down his throat. This was a wonderful method and one that I had used with our Bernese Mountain Dog when she had cancer. I spoon-fed her for six months. I simply could not bring myself to see her waste away. Well, with Boss the blending of his food has worked extremely well and it is as if the blended food has started his “engine”, and now he has started to eat and also lap the soft food

By KIM ARANHA Animal Matters

Boss the potcake is slowly improving with the help of puréed food, KFC and love

Of course all the food that he enjoys is people food, and I expect he intends to keep it that way for the rest of his life. One point of great importance was how well Kentucky Fried Chicken was received! It is a tradition that if your potcake is sick the

one thing he will eat is KFC. Well, you know what? That is 100 percent true. Boss started eating again with his beloved KFC. Perhaps the potcakes’ predilection for KFC comes from when they were street dogs and they would pick up the chicken bones discarded by unscrupulous people, and that is what keep them going and sustained them. The lesson learned in this exercise is that you must not give up when caring for a sick animal. I concede that if they are suffering and the veterinarian sees no likelihood of your pet recovering, then of course you do the right thing and help him on his way to the rainbow bridge. However, if there is no pain, as was Boss’s case, just lethargy and tiredness, it was worth the time and care to see if we could get him back again, and each day brought something new to the table. It really was a roller coaster and one day I thought there was a real recovery taking place and the next morning we would be back to square one. So now things are beginning to look like the recovery is real, and slowly but surely he is improving. He is a cheerful boy with a very happy, waggy tail.

He is showing interest in his surroundings and greeting excitedly at the door. He is not cured, he will ever have an enlarged heart, but with the help of medicines skillfully administered by an excellent vet, he can have many more happy days and nights and we will treasure every one of them that we share with him. I have received a lot of messages and emails asking me a various questions. I do not attempt to answer the medical ones; those questions are for a member of the veterinary profession. However, I can answer the questions about love, care and patience, and there is not doubt that love is the best medicine you can give anybody sick, be they human or a pet. Being loved makes them have a reason to fight and get better. The power of love knows no limits and your sick pet relishes every gentle word, stroke and every minute of time you spend with them while they improve physically. Frequently, if you deal with the mental approach, the physical will follow suit . “The greatest gift there ever is, is just to love and be loved in return.”

pet of the week

A SMALL BUT DYNAMIC DUO By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY

Siblings Cliff and Carey are about eight weeks old and both are a little bit shy around new people, but if you’re gentle, you’ll be greeted with a wagging tail and eventually a lick or two. This duo would really benefit from a temporary foster home while their skin issues are treated. They don’t mind

it at the Bahamas Humane Society, but a little extra TLC goes a very long way at this age. Do you have the patience and caring that Cliff and Carey need? If so, please contact the BHS at 323-5138. Cliff and Carey hope to meet you soon. • The BHS Thrift Shop would like to thank everyone for their support last weekend. The shop is open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 11am to 3pm, and on Saturday 10am to 2pm, selling gently used items to raise funds for the BHS. If you haven’t been yet to check us out, why not make a plan to do so? You might be surprised at what you find!

Photo/Linda Gill-Aranha

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