03102017 weekend

Friday, March 10, 2017

design culture entertainment society film fashion music food

Weekend

designer bags Page 17

Shower of blessings Life’s ups and downs in paper Art, pages 12&13

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, March 10, 2017

life through a lens

The farm life

Have you taken a selection of photographs that might make a Life through a lens feature page? If so please submit it to weekend@ tribunemedia.net for consideration

T

he humane treatment of animals and the Ol’ Freetown Farm were the topic for the EARTHCARE Eco Kids’ Saturday environmental education programme last weekend.

Gail Woon, founder of EARTHCARE and a director of Save The Bays, said: “Our guest speaker was Tip Burrows of the Humane Society of Grand Bahama.

“The interaction between animals and humans is at the heart of humane education. It is all part of our concern for the well-being of our planet; over

the use and often, abuse, of the animals, plants and natural resources we share the Earth with.

“Why is the humane treatment of animals important? Because they are also intelligent, sentient beings – just like us. They feel happiness, sadness, pain, hunger, thirst – just like us. They have hearts, brains, lungs, etcetera – just like us. Because it’s morally and ethically wrong to mistreat, neglect, abuse, torture, tease or otherwise harm another living creature.”

The children were taught the humane way to treat animals and how to take care of pets.

Students will also learn about mangroves, pollution, habitat destruction, sustainable fisheries, climate change, invasive species.

Eco Kid Rachelle Manchester said: “I have visited the farm several times before so I expected the same routine, and only went because I love seeing the animals, but I was surprised at how much more I learned.”

At the Ol’ Freetown Farm, the students learned about the many animals there. Owner George Johnson, a veteran farmer, gave them an educational tour, during which the kids saw the Inagua donkeys and many types

of chickens, turkeys, peacocks, rabbits and guinea pigs.

The students were amazed by the many animals on the farm, including a pot-bellied pig named Patches who was hand-raised as a family pet, and even Abaco boars.

Horseback riding lessons are also available at the farm.

The programme started in October 2016 and runs through April 2017, with the sessions being followed by a related field trip. Students will receive certificates at the completion of the programme.

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Friday, March 10, 2017

Inside Weekend Interview 4 - 5 Writer and TV producer Stephen Hanna tells Cara Hunt how he reaches Bahamians through humour Internet 7 Famous Bahamian potcake Amigo inspires new Disney show

Entertainment 8 - 9 Rediscover the magic of Junkanoo at Atlantis

Film 10 King Kong returns in “Skull Island”, starring Samuel Jackson and Tom Hiddleston Culture 11 QC’s Human Library puts community leaders ‘on loan to readers’ Art 12 -15 Jordanna Kelly explores life’s bugs and blessings, plus Bahamian finds success with Hallmark Cards UK

Fashion 16-18 Bahamian designer showcases during London Fashion Week, plus KendiKain label unveils prom collection

Design your lifestyle 19 Victoria Sarne talks wedding planning 101

Society 20 - 21 Bahamian Icon Awards founder Addis Huyler celebrates ‘Forty Shades of Grey’

Literary Lives

22 - 24 Diane Arbus’ life through a lens

Forgotten Facts 25 Paul Aranha brings out postcards of yore Puzzles

26

Animals

27 Kim Aranha discusses the dying pigs of Exuma

Gardening 28 Jack Hardy on the benefits of aloe vera

Cover photo | Terrel W Carey

My perfect Bahamian weekend Chantal O’Brian Miss World Bahamas 2015/16 Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch?

“Definitely Sunday lunch! Sunday is probably my only day of complete leisure. After church, I’m either with close friends or family, and I take that opportunity to unwind with some good food.”

Q: Wine, Kalik, rum or cocktail?

“Daiquiri. Ha! It’s not an option but it’s what I’d totally go for, and if you’re wondering, piña colada is one of my favourites.”

Q: Beach or sofa?

“I’d say sofa. Throw my feet up and have some quality time with quality people. That’s really the best. Holiday weekend, then maybe the beach.”

Q: What could you not do without?

“Hmmm...that’s usually an easy question. Probably my phone. Typical answer but the truth. Between Instagram and Snapchat, those sites see most of my weekend activities.”

Q: Weekend away: where would you go?

“I recently travelled to Marsh Harbour, Abaco, for one day. I know one day is clearly not enough, but I stopped in at the Bliss Coffee Shop to host musical artist Wilner Pierre’s music video release party. I had such an amazing time that I can’t wait to go back!”

Things 2 Do this weekend Friday • The Human Library Time: Queen’s College Auditorium Venue: 6pm-9pm SEE PAGE 11 • Plaid and Polka Dots Golden Anniversary Party Time: 7pm Venue: Sapodilla Estate, West Bay Street Join the Sir Lynden Pindling Foundation in celebrating its 50th anniversary. Tickets are $75. There will be live entertainment and prizes. For more information e-mail slyndenpindlingfoundation@gmail. com.

• GLOW Fete Time: 8pm Venue: BahMas Control Centre, Sir Milo Butler Highway and Firetrail Road Feterans, get ready for the first official Bahamas Masqueraders party of the year, hosted by Hope Shelly Ann and Giselle The Wassi One. All-inclusive tickets are $60 and

include entry into the Paint, Water and Dry Zones, or $20 for the general admission.

Saturday • Art Walk at Marina Village Time: 10am-3pm Venue: Marina Village, Atlantis Enjoy Bahamian art, crafts, and music and sample locally grown and made products.

• 14th Annual Horse Show Time: 11am (continues Sunday) Venue: Camperdown Stables Presented by the Rotary Club of New Providence, this family friendly event is in aid of community projects.

• Fusion of Melodies – An evening of music by Bahamian musicians Time: 7pm auction preview; 8pm concert Venue: Performing Arts Centre, University of the Bahamas Rotary presents pianist Dion Cunningham and sopranos Joan Fritz-Creary and Keri Sherman live in concert. Tickets are $35 for general

admission and $50 for VIP special seating. Wine is included with each full-price ticket. Students with ID pay $10.

• Hennessy Pure White All White Party Time: 8pm Venue: The Pier Presented by Co Entertainment, the dress code is smart casual and all white.

Admission for ladies is $10 ($20 for VIP) before 9pm, and $15 ($20 for VIP) after 9pm. General admission for gents is $20 and $30 for VIP all night long.

Sunday • Fusion of Melodies – An evening of music by Bahamian musicians Time: 6pm Venue: St Paul’s Catholic Church, Lyford Cay Rotary presents pianist Dion Cunningham and sopranos Joan Fritz-Creary and Keri Sherman live in concert. Tickets are $30. Students with ID pay $10.

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, March 10, 2017

interview Using comedy to bring attention to the country’s social ills, Stephen Hanna tells Cara Hunt how he has found an avenue to reach the masses in a way that makes them pay attention.

Now, as the election season heats up, the writer and TV producer is gaining more and more fans with his videos satirising the political landscape.

Stephen Hanna

W

hen Stephen Hanna first picked up a camera in 2005 he discovered almost immediately that he had a talent to tell stories in a way that made persons take note of what he had say.

Now, more than 10 years later, he is using that same talent and a comedic touch to stir the nation’s conscience about social issues.

The writer and producer said he got started in the business as a high school student, using his sister’s laptop

webcam to film segments Stephen said that even back then he enjoyed writing about issues, but said he found that there was no one willing to sit down and read what he had written.

“At first I thought it was because I was a mediocre writer, but now I realise that it may really be more because the Bahamas is more of an oral society, not a written society. I discovered that people prefer to see things.

And after all, you want people to get the full benefit of the thing you create.

It is like if you are a chef, you want

people to be able to enjoy the food that you cook. I found that videos were the best way to get my messages out to the masses,” he said.

From those early days tinkering around with a borrowed webcam to now, Stephen has come to realise just how he enjoys working in media related professions.

He has worked on many music projects for E-Life and on several projects with local comedienne Tracy Ann Perpall (TAP), including co-writing her comedy show ‘It’s Complicated’.

Some of his other projects have

included the documentary ‘Here and There’ and a series to commemorate the country’s 40th anniversary entitled ‘40 Days Leading up to Independence’.

He also got a job working at Cable Bahamas where he was given the opportunity to work on a number of interesting and innovative projects.

“I have to say that it was Ferrano Ferguson, Donald Knowles and Dr Keith Wisdom who really helped me with my career. They were the ones who went beyond saying, ‘Oh, he is talented’ to literally giving me the tools

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Friday, March 10, 2017

and the opportunity that I needed to express that talent,” he said.

“Dr Wisdom gave me the money to buy my own camera, and before that Farreno let me use his camera and Donald would let me use his lights and other equipment.”

One of his big projects at Cable Bahamas was ‘The Not So Late Show’, which he wrote and produced.

“I did it with Glen Sherman. It was a current affairs weekly show where we would analyse and make fun of the government and news events.”

Stephen said he soon realised that his comedic voice was the best way to get people to focus on the more serious issues affecting the Bahamas.

“I think that comedy is the language of traumatised people. If certain groups of people are oppressed, comedy can be a way to deal with and express what they are going through.

It also means that if you present something in a humorous way, you will be more likely to get your message across. People might not want to listen to something serious, and for Bahamians with a lot of trauma, we just process everything better through the lens of comedy.”

And laughter can be very cathartic, he added.

In recent months, Stephen has gained quite a following – more than 11,000 views – with a series of videos he has posted on social media – again with the intent to provide a statical look at some of the country’s most pertinent issues. Some of them of course, he said, have been more popular than others.

One of his biggest hits has been the fictional character called ‘Frank PLP’.

“I got the idea for Frank PLP from all the rallies that happen during election season. Frank PLP is a character who is a die-hard supporter and has legally changed his last name to PLP. You have all these songs that the politicians use and they just add their party line into the lyrics. That also led me to create an election mix tape of the songs that might be used, such as ‘Marathon Springs’ – where the water is spicy all roads lead to the Marathon beach party.”

He noted that there has already been much comedic fodder as the political parties head into full campaign mode, and he hopes that he can use his voice to help Bahamians deal with all the issues that are bound to come up before they head to the polls.

“You can already see recently that the political ads are getting crazy,” he

Photos/Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff

“I think that comedy is the language of traumatised people. If certain groups of people are oppressed, comedy can be a way to deal with and express what they are going through.”

said.

Stephen admits to being a bit jaded when it comes to the choices offered by the political parties this year, particularly in his own constituency of Garden Hills.

And he hopes that his comedy can help others deal with their feelings of frustration regarding the current crop of politicians during this silly season.

“They are the same,” he said of the three major parties, “no better than the other. And when you look at some of the options you have been given, then for someone like me the spoil the ballot initiative becomes a more viable option, because we need to be able to say that we are not happy with the choices we are constantly being given.”

Stephen said another problem is that rather than being treated as servants of the people who are put in place to work for the people, Bahamian politicians are given reverence and deferential treatment.

“We are partially to blame as a people, because if we demanded more, then we would get more,” he said.

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Friday, March 10, 2017

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Friday, March 10, 2017

internet

Bahamian potcake inspires interactive Disney show

The 2009 commemorative postage stamp honouring the famous potcake.

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

H

e may no longer be with us, but Amigo, the worldfamous Bahamian potcake, continues to break barriers and promote

animal rights.

In January, Disney Junior introduced a first of its kind, interactive show inspired by the former mascot of the Grand Bahama Humane Society and the BEKIND Campaign.

‘Amigo to the Rescue’ is the name of the app series that blends storytelling with game play. It lets children interactively problem-solve with brave and adorable Amigo as they save the day Bahamian potcake Amigo is the inspiration together. Amigo loves helping others. behind Disney Junior’s ‘Amigo to the Rescue’.

But when his new owner gives him COLLAR (Computerised Online Life animals. and the Bahamas on the whole.

Like Assistant Robot), his hero potenWhile attending the Bahamas Mrs Singer-Hayward, who has lived tial rockets to the next level.

Film Festival in Nassau, Mrs Singerin Grand Bahama for many years and is The real life Amigo was rescued Hayward was able to connect with all an animal lover and advocate, recalled as a stray, starving pup and helped the right people that made the show first seeing the little stray. to international stardom by Freeport happen, including BIFF founder Leslie “I spied him when I was coming philanthropist Frances Singer-Hayward. Vanderpool and a representative of We- home from a trip to New York. He He unfortunately lost his battle with ber Shandwick, which later connected was this tragic little puppy, so pathetic cancer in 2007. her with Dennis Dundia of Rogers & looking, and I would leave food on the “It’s so amazing that years and years Cowan, an entertainment public relaground and I would drive away and later here is Amigo where he is. He is tions and marketing agency. look in the back mirror and see him gone, but his legacy lives on,” said Mrs Mr Dundia, a dog lover himself, sneak out and eat it,” she said.

Singer-Hayward. became enthused about the whole con“We got the people from Animal “Sir Jack (Hayward) and I rescued cept of Amigo and wanted to advance Control to set a trap and he finally went so many animals (in Freeport). Amigo it. He introduced Mrs Singer-Hayward in the trap. And once he was inside in was Sir Jack’s dog, too, and he would to agents in California. the trap, he lost all his fear of people he be so proud (in heaven) to see that it “An agent at Creative Artist Agency was smiling and jumping.” finally happened. What Disney Junior (CAA) sent us to Disney, and Disney Mrs Singer-Hayward took the has done is actually followed what fell in love with it and here we are,” she scrawny puppy to the clinic and the rest Amigo’s mission in life was. Amigo said. “The people at Disney were so is history. was a little stray and his mission in life impressed with Amigo’s story and they “He lost all his fear of people as soon was to be an (advocate) to help other loved that a commemorative stamp was as he was rescued. It makes me feel so little animals. That’s what I wanted him named after him.” sad that there are so many Amigos out to be, an animal activist, and raising The Amigo commemorative postage there,” she said. people’s consciousness of being kind to stamp was commissioned and unveiled She credits trainer Bill Brimmer with animals.” in May 2009 in honour of the famous getting Amigo socialised.

In the new show, Amigo is the hero potcake who brought awareness to the “He made Amigo who he was. Who that saves the day and helps other stray animal problem in Grand Bahama knew this little stray had all this poten-

Freeport philanthropist Frances Singer-Hayward with the late Amigo. tial to become a star in the Bahamas,” she said.

Amigo was also featured in his own music video with Bahamian legend Ronnie Butler and Sweet Emily. In 2007, Amigo was awarded the ARF Ambassador of Good Will Award, which was presented to him by film star Alec Baldwin. Amigo also starred in two consecutive Mardi Gras parades – as Kind of Barkus in 2006 and as Grand Marshall in 2007, where he was honoured for his contributions. After his death in 2007, Amigo continued to be honoured and was presented with the key to the City of New Orleans, which was accepted on his behalf by Mrs Singer-Hayward.

“Amigo has now made it,” she said.

08 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, March 10, 2017

entertainment

Rediscover Junkanoo at Atlantis

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

F

RIDAY nights at Atlantis have just gotten a bit livelier, as the resort’s Royal Towers lobby now offers a ‘Discover Junkanoo’ experience for visitors and locals who want to enjoy authentic Bahamian entertainment.

The fun kicks off every Friday at 6pm. There are arts and crafts on display and for purchase, Junkanoo dance lessons, information on the history of the Junkanoo tradition, a Bahamian food buffet at the Great Halls Café, costume creation, photo ops, and a rush-out finale.

Discover Junkanoo participant Dennis “Koolaid” Lockhart said the committee hopes to take the Bahamas to the world through Junkanoo.

“Here we are offering (everything) Bahamian: the cuisine, artwork and straw work all around the room. The guests can create a little mask or hat piece and enjoy the climax around 8pm.

People want to know why we don’t do this all the time, that New Year’s Day feeling,” he said.

Howard Karawan, president and managing director of Atlantis, said his experience of Junkanoo on Bay Street has shown him that not many tourists attend the amazing event.

“I remember about 20 years or so when Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace and I were talking about the Bahamas and tourism, and we talked about the millions of dollars that we spent to advertise Junkanoo in New York City, and then people come here and they can’t find Junkanoo. So this is all about giving our tourists a taste of the Bahamas and showing them Junkanoo,” said Mr Karawan.

“In my opinion there is nothing more symbolic and emblematic of Bahamian

“There nothing more symbolic and emblematic of Bahamian culture...

Junkanoo is all about the soul that exists here of the Bahamian people.”

Friday, March 10, 2017

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Photos/Shawn Hanna

Atlantis’ new weekly event offers Bahamian art, food, and of course Junkanoo, in the lobby of the Royal Towers.

culture. I am obviously not Bahamian, but I have spent so much time here I feel like I am part Bahamian and I think Junkanoo is all about the soul that exists here of the Bahamian people.”

Three weeks into ‘Discover Junkanoo’ at Atlantis, Mr Karawan said there is still some fine-tuning needed as the event progresses.

He said organisers are going to begin looking into also moving the festivities to the outside to add an outdoor feel to the proceedings.

“We are committed to offering this to our customers and to locals. So far people love it – the rush-out, food and art. It’s a fun family event and it is just different from just sitting in a restaurant and ordering from a menu. We have a Junkanoo costume exhibit, steel drums playing, conch salad, fritters, all kinds of foods. It is an interactive opportunity to do some pasting on costumes and really participate in the lead-up to the Junkanoo finale, and the rush-out goes throughout various areas of the hotel for about half an hour,” said Mr Karawan.

He said the Paradise Island resort is truly embracing everything indigenous to the Bahamas.

“In the next few months we are going to be making changes to the Marina Village, bringing more authentic Bahamian food.

We will be making changes throughout the resort because we want our guests to understand what it means to be Bahamian. We also want our staff to share their stories with guests, so this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Keep your eyes open, we are not going to announce anything today, but we have a lot of things to come,” said Mr Karawan.

Tickets for ‘Discover Junkanoo’ are $80 for adults and $40 for kids, and can be purchased at the Atlantis Box Office.

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Friday, March 10, 2017

film Warner Bros. Pictures via AP

review

In ‘Skull Island,’ Kong gets drafted into Vietnam kong: skull island running time: 118 mins

N

ot since Marlon Brando in “Apocalypse Now” murmured of “the horror” has such a brooding beast lurked deep within a war-ravaged jungle as the King Kong of “Kong: Skull Island.”

Yes, the big ape is back, this time with a rollicking Vietnam War backdrop and the Creedence Clearwaterthumping soundtrack to match. The year is 1973, Nixon is pulling troops out of Vietnam and American explorer Bill Randa (John Goodman) has convinced a senator (Richard Jenkins) to bankroll a quick expedition on the way out to an uncharted South Pacific island where “myth and science meet.”

Unlike Brando’s Colonel Kurtz, we don’t have to wait very long for our errand boys — a cobbled-together team lead by Lieutenant Colonel Packard (Samuel L Jackson) — to encounter Kong on the exotic island. No sooner has their swarm of helicopters penetrated the island’s permanently stormy perimeter is Kong swatting them away like flies, and the soldiers —fresh off the failed war — yet again find themselves in a gruesome quagmire.

What’s a gorilla got to do with Vietnam? Well, that’s the 800-pound metaphor in the room.

“Kong: Skull Island” is the latest in a long line of reboots going back to the 1933 original. The disappointment of Peter Jackson’s lavish but bloated 2005 attempt pushed producers to explore some other kind of evolution for the chest-pounding primate. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (whose only previous feature was the indie comedy “The Kings of Summer”) has uprooted

King Kong is back, this time with a rollicking Vietnam War backdrop.

Tom Hiddleston, left, and Brie Larson in a scene from, “Kong: Skull Island.”

Samuel L Jackson plays Lieutenant Colonel Packard, a bloodthirsty Vietnam vet.

the tale from its imperialist origins (beware of what you plunder abroad) and commissioned Kong as a stand-in for the folly of Vietnam.

The shift, which follows a brief World War II preamble, gives “Kong: Skull Island” a strange and surreal energy. An “Apocalypse Now” with monsters is about as bizarre a fit as you’d expect. It is, at least, not the cookie-cutter monster movie it might have been, and Vogt-Roberts — who fills his movie with napalm gas, a chattering Nixon bobble head and fireballs

in dense jungles — gleefully plunges into his cartoonish, digitally rendered heart of darkness.

The result is at turns grim and goofy.

“Kong: Skull Island” is never quite sure which it wants to be, but VogtRoberts is having too much fun to care.

The team includes a British ex-spy (Tom Hiddleston, who tries to do little beyond handsomely smolder through the film), a self-described “anti-war” photojournalist (Brie Larson, mostly just running with the pack and, later, catching Kong’s eye), and a handful of Vietnam vets under Packard’s command.

The island, shot in Hawaii, is a verdant, mountainous paradise filled with not just Kong but other gargantuan creatures — a giant octopus, a longlegged spider — and, it turns out, John C Reilly. He pops up as Hank Marlow, a WWII pilot downed on Skull Island decades earlier, whose long years there have left him a little nutty.

There’s something here about the tragic sacrifices and wasted heroism of soldiers, used as pawns against the wrong foes.

Ultimately, the film’s Vietnam setting is less about warfare and history than finding an intoxicating canvas for a pretty old story. “Kong: Skull Island” is more about the monster clashes and, as the post-credit clip (a true commercial) proves, setting up future installments.

JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer

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Friday, March 10, 2017

culture

Step into the ‘Human Library’

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net

P

icture this: You are browsing the shelves of a library when a book catches your eye. You pick it up, and as you start to read it and become engrossed in the story, the characters suddenly come to life right before your eyes.

This is the experience that Queen’s College hopes to offer tonight with its Human Library Showcase.

QC’s Centre for Further Education (QC-CFE) and KBII Communication are partnering for this event which will take place in the school’s auditorium from 6pm to 9pm.

The Human Library is inspired by an international organisation that showcases people from different backgrounds and experiences.

They share life from their perspective. The concept is designed to build a positive framework for conversations that can challenge stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue.

Katherine Beneby II, lead organiser for the project, said this experience will bring together real people who are on “loan to readers”.

Those featured include Janet Bostwick for ‘Women and History’; Jamaal Rolle for ‘Fine Arts’; Rev Angela Palacious for ‘Religion’; Carlyle Bethel for ‘Youth in Action’; Freddie Munnings Jr for ‘Entertainment’; Dionisio D’Aguilar for ‘Entrepreneurship’; Dr Darius Unwala for ‘Health’; Mavis Collie for ‘Communications’; David Beneby Jr for ‘Chronic Diseases’; Gillian Curry-Williams for ‘Fashion’; Monty Knowles for ‘Photography Art’; Angelique McKay for ‘Culture’;

Freddie Munnings Jr

Mavis Collie

David Beneby Jr

Jamaal Rolle

Angela Palacious

Carlyle Bethel

Dionsio D’Aguilar

Janet Bostwick

Angelique McKay

Ranard Henfield

Gillian Williams

Monty Knowles

Ranard Henfield for ‘Activism’, and Keithra Morley for ‘Personal Triumph’.

As format is designed to foster intimate conversations, participants will have the opportunity to sit and have individual conversations with the featured persons in groups of no more than three for up to 10 minutes. Attendees are challenged to come with their best questions.

“This is the first time this

event is being held. I saw a video from a Human Library event hosted in the United States some time ago and wrote the idea in my journal for the appointed time. Late last year I ran the concept by the Queen’s College CFE team, where I am the coordinator, and they all liked it. We thought this experience would be life-changing and enriching for all attendees, especially our nation’s youth,” said Ms

Beneby.

She believes the format of the Human Library allows each participant to get the specific insight and encouragement he or she may need.

“Each of the features was chosen as an outstanding individual from their category. I am looking forward to actually seeing the event take place.

This is a bit of a cultural shift for us. We are used to speeches, panel discussions and just

sitting in the audience, but this model will allow us to engage our leaders in an unscripted way. Nothing like this has ever been done in the Bahamas and I truly believe this event will leave a lasting impact in our community,” said Ms Beneby.

Tickets for the event are $40 for adults and $20 for students with ID. For more information contact 677-7600/544-3854 or e-mail cfe@qchenceforth.com.

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Friday, March 10, 2017

art

An exploration of life’s bugs and blessings

Artist Jordanna Kelly

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

U

p-and-coming Bahamian artist Jordanna Kelly explores the good and the bad in the form of the ‘blessings and bugs’of life with her latest body of work.

It was the first solo exhibition for the practicing artist who is eager for viewers to understand and appreciate life through her artistic lens.

The “Blessing, Bugs & Barriers” opening reception was held at the Central Bank of the Bahamas Art Gallery last Friday. Ms Kelly unveiled 44 pieces which will remain on display until the end of the month.

The series uses eccentric colour compositions to explore varying sources of blessings and bugs in our lives.

There are 25 detailed, layered hand-cut paper assemblages and compositions encased in shadow boxes ranging in size; some as small as 6” by 8” and others as large as 24” by 36.”

Then there are 17 hand-made

paper umbrellas or barriers, stark and unembellished at first glance, which are transformed when touched by light, which reveals their inner beauty and intricate patterns hidden by muted tones.

An interactive sculptural installation, where the viewer is invited to step onto a 6ft by 6ft white base, hold a cardboard umbrella surrounded by more than a hundred sheets of folded paper flowers that create a ‘shower of blessings’, is also a feature of the exhibition.

There is also a large-scale installation that measures 22ft across, filled with thousands of paper flowers that seem to float mid-air in the bank’s open ceiling area.

The blessings are brought to light by “bizarre candy-hued colours and flowers,” the artist said.

“Blessings are experienced when one has achieved a state of freedom from emotional disturbance and anxiety, and peace of mind over a problem. Blessings can come in the form of positive things, such as feelings of happiness and relief after times of trouble. It’s peace, not pressure. It’s tranquility, not tension. It’s confidence, not conflict. It’s strength, not stress,” Ms Kelly explained.

Meanwhile the ‘bugs’ in the show are representative of the problems in life.

“The insects are the negative prob-

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Friday, March 10, 2017

Photos/Terrel W Carey

lems that ‘bug’ us. They can come in the form of depression, low self-esteem and fear.

It’s the biting bachac. It’s the stinging jack spania. It’s the screeching cicada. However, they too can bring with them blessings that at first go unnoticed. Through conflict and negative experiences we grow and obtain new blessings,” she said.

Initial inspiration for the show came from a visit Ms Kelly paid to Trinidad, which also happens to be the birthplace of her mother.

In Trinidad, she took in the lush beauty of the mangrove forests that were “full of life, both high in the canopy and below in the depth of their roots.”

“Mangroves captured my attention and struck a chord deep within me because of the dichotomy of their complex root and branch systems. On top, bright lush vegetation full of growth; directly beneath, almost a mirror image, is its root system; tangled and chaotic in the mud. The mangroves reflect our own internalised struggle masked by an outward calm,” she said.

Breaking down the greater meaning behind her solo show, Ms Kelly said: “The theme for the show would be positive versus negative; it’s the triumph of one over the other – internalised struggles and their reflections of what we interpret to be good or bad. It’s a matter of opinion or a different view that allows you to see the true beauty of creation as you try to find balance amongst the negativity in life. So when you see my bugs, does it create a barrier of negativity around you or do you see that these bugs are blessings that were created for a reason and all have a purpose. You learn from the negativity in life.

The mistakes you make can become a lesson of purpose and positivity for the future of your success in love and life.”

Viewing hours for the show are 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday.

Jordanna Kelly is exhibiting her first soloshow at the Central Bank of the Bahamas Art Gallery

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Friday, March 10, 2017

celebrity With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

HIT

FAIL

HIT

SPLIT

Mariah Carey “Mariah’s World”

Zoe Kravitz “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”

Michelle Dockery “Downton Abbey”

Scarlett Johansson “Ghost in the Shell”

Karin says: “As befits British TV aristocracy, this is a very elegant look.

The ivory skirt with the front slit is very sleek and fits her perfectly. And the embellished front and sexy cut-out detail make this a stand-out from the crowd. Great choice!

Cara says: “This dress is cute. I like it.

It’s very different in a fun party way.

The print on the bodice is just enough and it’s really something we have not seen before. I think she looks really good in it. One thing I have to say, I don’t like the severe hair. Something softer would have been a better option.”

Karin says: “This genuinely baffles me. On the one hand this is such an ‘old’ dress, but then we have the sheer top...and no, this juxtaposition does not work here. And then we have that half-cape? I don’t even know what it is. It’s the most awkward looking thing ever is all I know.”

Cara says: “This is another dress I don’t understand. The dress by itself is just OK. It actually looked slightly better on the Alaïa runway, but I could have lived with it. But then she pairs it with this sweater/shrug/whatever that I don’t think goes with the dress. Maybe she really was just cold and wanted the photography aspect of the night over with. Also, her hair is not cute.”

Karin says: “First of all, Mariah is looking good! Love the design of the dress and the unusual pattern and colour, BUT her poor boobs! They actually look dented in this dress. That must have been painful. Otherwise Mimi is looking really nice. Love the high slit here.”

Cara says: “My problem is not so much the dress – although we have seen this style worn to death, it’s so overplayed – Mariah’s chest is just out there distracting me, and not in a good way. I think her accessories – necklace, shoes and bag – are really nice though.”

Karin says: “That is certainly....a look.

OK, so the Cruella de Vil version of a Roaring Twenties hairdo is absolutely hideous on her. Meanwhile, the dress is just boring. It could be anyone’s prom or cocktail dress. A complete and utter fail.”

Cara says: “For want of a better word, this entire look is weird to me. I can’t figure out what is going on with her hair. And while the dress is certainly sexy, she is so tiny it seems ill-fitted. I don’t know, I really don’t care for the look.”

Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

The Weekend Fashion Report Vanity Fair Oscar Party

The Tribune | Weekend | 17

Friday, March 10, 2017

fashion

Bahamian luxury in London Handbag designer showcases bespoke brand during Fashion Week

B

ahamian designer Anya Willique Pratt last month had the opportunity to show her Willique brand of luxury handbags at Fashion’s Finest off-schedule shows during London Fashion Weekend.

In its seventh year, Fashion’s Finest is one of the biggest and most successful independent off-schedule events that coincides with London Fashion Week.

As a leading international platform for emerging designers, the event draws press, buyers and industry figures – eager to see fresh, creative talent and trends.

After showing its range of luxury and bespoke leather bags and accessories in Fashion’s Finest exhibition space, the Willique brand received an extremely positive reaction from media, fashion bloggers and the public alike. It was also the first time that the new Spring/Summer 2017 addition to the ethically and sustainably produced Conscious Collection was seen.

Anya explained that it was a natural and easy move for her to design the Conscious Collection, as this is a reflection of Willique’s values and commitment to being both an ethically and environmentally conscious brand.

The Conscious Collection, first released for the Fall/Winter 2016 season, is a range of alternative leather, bespoke handbags crafted from a variety of sustainable materials. Recognising that it can be difficult to find luxury leather goods that are both bespoke and cruelty free, Willique has forged links with an innovative alternative leather company.

The Conscious Collection is designed to be gender neutral and sympathetic to Willique’s core values of design, quality and practicality.

Anya is a Londonbased designer who was born in the Bahamas, and raised both here and in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Her designs often reference her Caribbean heritage and memories from the islands.

After producing a small range of handbags as gifts and encouraged by the positive reaction from friends and family, Anya made the bold move to establish Willique as a brand within its own right in 2016.

“My vision for Willique is for both men and women to appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship within the most everyday practical item – the handbag. As a self‐taught, young female designer who has been fully immersed in every aspect of establishing Willique, I am both passionate about showcasing the quality and durability within my designs and excited for the future of the Willique brand,” she said.

Established just last year, Willique has already gained the attention and support of the Royal Prince’s Trust and its debut collection was showcased at the Library London private member’s club. Anya’s bags have been gifted to international singers Kelis and Laura Mvula, and the founder of the MOBO Awards, Kanya King.

Reflecting on the success of Willique and looking towards the year ahead, Anya said: “As a young, London-based Bahamian woman and entrepreneur, I am proud of what Willique and I have achieved in a relatively short space of time. I believe that I am part of a new wave of successful and young black female creatives who represent diversity within the London fashion industry.

Willique is a wonderful marriage of design, my Bahamian heritage and love of British craftsmanship – all lovingly produced in my luxury handbag range Willique. I look forward to the rest of the year, forging ahead with producing more collections and developing my brand.”

To discover more about Willique visit www. willique.co.uk.

18 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, March 10, 2017

fashion

Bahamian designer unveils prom collection

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

W

ith prom season fast approaching, many high schoolers will be on the lookout for the dress which will make them stand out in the crowd and make them queen of the ball. Nothing less show-stopping is acceptable.

But before getting carried away with viewing hundreds of gowns online and getting lost in countless styles, colours and fabrics, Bahamian designer Kendi Smith, of Kendikain Designs, recommends choosing a theme and allowing everything flow from there.

“I would recommend choosing a dress that best complements your figure and personality. Choose a theme and work around that, an idea for a dress will come easier that way,” she said.

But those who have not yet decided on a theme might get some much needed inspiration when Kendi unveils her prom collection this Sunday at Breezes Resort. The fashion show starts at from 4pm, and Kendi will be showcasing designs for all occasions: from casual to office and evening wear.

“People can expect to see garments reminiscent of the vintage Hollywood era. It will showcase versatility, style and elegance. In addition to the prom pieces there are my after prom party pieces,” she told Tribune Weekend.

“The style that will be showcased are ballroom gowns and the red carpet looks. The colours to look out for are antique gold, ivory and black.”

Kendi has been sewing since 2012 and designing clothing since 2014. She said she finally feels fulfilled now that she found her true passion.

“I was not one of those people who knew what their niche was. I discovered my gift because I asked God for help; He showed me what I was good at. I love making people feel beautiful by designing a piece uniquely crafted for them,” she said.

Kendi said her journey to becoming

Designer Kendi Smith promises to showcase versatility, style and elegance during Sunday’s fashion show.

a designer was not a conventional one, since she did not development an interest in fashion until later on in life.

“I was not one of the fortunate ones to discover my gift at an early age. I graduated from R M Bailey Senior High School in 2003 with the intent of studying medicine. I entered the College of the Bahamas (on a scholarship) that year and later changed my major to Law And Criminal Justice,” she said.

“I graduated in 2006 with an Associate’s degree (with credit). I attempted to pursue my career, however, my plans were thwarted by lack of finances. It was difficult to obtain a job after college. I was either too qualified or not qualified enough. I worked odd jobs to get by and was utterly devastated

“The style that will be showcased are ballroom gowns and the red carpet looks.

The colours to look out for are antique gold, ivory and black.” by the state I was in. I was between a rock and a hard place when I realised that I had to create an avenue for me to make money, but I did not know how.

I prayed to God for a change. I needed to know what to do next. I remember walking into a clothing store with a friend; just browsing. I picked up a lingerie piece and my friend said, ‘You can make that’. Those words changed my life. That week when I received my pay cheque I invested in a sewing

machine and started designing lingerie.

From there I ventured into designing clothing. Sewing came easy; it was my gift. I thank God for it.

Kendi hopes that her gift gives those attending the show on Sunday the much needed inspiration for an attentiongrabbing arrival at their prom this season.

Tickets are available at Commonwealth Fabrics, Quality Fabrics and Carey’s Department and Fabric Store.

The Tribune | Weekend | 19

Friday, March 10, 2017

design your lifestyle

Wedding planning 101 – A celebration

pART

i

Victoria Sarne continues her examination of life-changing moments and daily challenges.

I

f you are planning your wedding, you are probably asking yourself if you should hire a wedding consultant/planner/coordinator (different names, same function).

Even though I am a Canadian certified wedding planner and you may think I have a bias, I really don’t. I just have common sense and a lot of experience.

I have been in the business for any years, planning, coordinating and producing weddings of every size – from bride-and-groom-only ceremonies to a wedding party for 600. I have pretty much seen it all and know what works and what doesn’t.

Hiring a planner doesn’t mean the bride and her family or the groom are not involved. Of course they are, but the heavy lifting should be left to the experts so that the bride and family can enjoy contributing to the creative and exciting part of the process while they get on with their busy lives.

I have seen many brides and their mothers get unduly anxious trying to do everything themselves, then ending up almost too exhausted and stressed to enjoy the actual event. Even on the day they were still trying to oversee every last detail. Then when it is over, coming to me and saying they wished they had handed it to me, but it’s too late then

A wedding consultant can make life as a bride so much easier for a do-over.

It is easy to do as much or as little as you want to have the day you dreamed of. Here’s how: • Talk to a wedding consultant or more than one. Make your choice. First consultations are usually free. Pick the one you feel comfortable with because it’s going to be a partnership. Then establish the fee.

• Define your budget and discuss your wants and wishes with the consultant. He or she will tell you how reasonable they are or if some of your requests cannot be met within the budget.

• When you have selected someone you would feel comfortable working with and trust, establish how much participation you wish to have. Tell your consultant so that both of you are clear and working from the same song sheet.

• With the easy access to internet information and shopping, many of you will be able to and want to buy items yourself which is perfectly acceptable.

If you need advice on any aspect, ask for it if it hasn’t been covered, that’s

why you hired them – for what they know.

• Trust your consultant. Even though we all strive to make each wedding special and unique, remember that he or she will have produced many more weddings than you have, and experience counts. They will know what works and what doesn’t. Even if something seems like a terrific idea to you at the time, experience may have proven that it does not pan out.

• Your consultant will in most cases be able to get better prices from subcontractors than you, as they will have long-standing working relationships or can research the market, saving you a lot of time, money and stress.

Having said that though, of course the final decision is always yours. You are always working together towards a common goal.

Almost all consultants will personally oversee the set-ups for ceremony and reception. Not only do they want to produce a truly memorable and special occasion for you, but their reputations are also on the line.

Victoria Sarne Doesn’t it sound like the best of both worlds? You dream, imagine, fantasise, plan, shop for the dresses, spend time with your fiancé. Then concentrate on the big day with hair and makeup, time with your parents and bridesmaids – maybe even a spa day – while the consultant organises all the logistics: flower delivery, tables, chairs, the timing of the limo, the marriage officer in his place, the musicians playing for your guests, and everyone ready for your grand entrance.

And it’s a funny thing, after all these years and hundreds of brides, it’s a fact that on the day every bride has that special, timeless beauty which has nothing to do with makeup or hairstyle; it simply takes your breath away.

• Victoria Sarne, formerly a wedding and event planner in Nassau, is happy to stay in touch with readers from the Bahamas and welcomes comments and questions. E-mail her at vixanwriter@ mac.com, call 437-992-9093, or visit www.lifelineswritingservice.com.

20 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, March 10, 2017

Society

An iconic birthday

T

aking inspiration from the popular book and movie franchise “Fifty Shades of Grey”, Bahamian Icon Awards founder Addis Huyler last weekend celebrated the big 4 0 with a unique party.

“A year ago I started thinking about what I wanted to do to celebrate my 40th birthday.

I went back and forth until two weeks before the date when it clicked. Instead of celebrating my birthday, why not use it as an opportunity to celebrate my amazing circle of family and close friends that hold me up and support me every day.

They are my crew, my support, my foundation, and it’s on their shoulders that I stand to see my way,” said Mr Huyler.

“Only 40 invitations were sent. Everyone was asked to dress in any shade of grey, and they all joined me for an elegant, fun-filled evening dinner at the Balmoral Club.”

Décor for the event was provided by Bahama Fantasies, the cake was made by Take A Bite, and the birthday boy’s tuxedo was designed by Michael Lam. While some people might dread reaching 40, Mr Huyler said he embraces it.

“Getting older is the best thing that ever happened to me. I wake up every morning rejoicing that I’m still here with an opportunity to begin again and be better. I wake up every day grateful for the life I get to live. I think about all those who didn’t make it to 40 and were claimed to a different calling before they realised the beauty and wonder and majesty of life on earth. Or – in some ways worse – those who reach this age without an appreciation for the value of each breath,” he said.

“I’m certainly feeling more like myself than ever. I find I have little tolerance now for pettiness and superficial pursuits. There’s a wealth that has

The promo photo for Addis Huyler’s 40th birthday bash.

Birthday boy Addis Huyler, founder of the Bahamian Icon Awards

The Tribune | Weekend | 21

Friday, March 10, 2017

Photos/Aaron Davis and Roderick Wells

nothing to do with dollars, that comes from the perspective and wisdom of paying attention to your life.”

As he and his company, SIDDA Communications Group, continue to grow, Mr Huyler said he seeks to be used for a greater purpose by the Creator.

“I consider it a living blessing and privilege to have this opportunity to come into people’s lives every day, to uplift, encourage, comfort, educate and inform through my work. I know this is a calling for me, but I feel the greater work is yet to come,” he said.

In January, Mr Huyler officially

launched the 2017 ALIV Bahamian Icon Awards season.

The Icon Awards acknowledge the exemplary achievements of men and women who have excelled in various industries, thus contributing to the overall development of the Bahamian community.

The fifth annual Bahamian Icon Awards will take place on June 17 at the Meliá Nassau Beach Resort.

Nominee submissions are now being accepted through the website www.bahamianiconawards.com. The deadline for submissions is March 31.

22 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, March 10, 2017

literary lives diane arbus

Life through a lens Sir Christopher Ondaatje reflects on the tortured life of an American photographer renowned for her creative focus

L

ast July, the Met Breuer – part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York – held an exhibition of more than 100 photographs by one of the most influential and provocative American artists of the 20th century, ‘Diane Arbus: in the beginning’.

Most of the exhibition focused on the first seven years of her career, from 1956 to 1962, when she developed her idiosyncratic style.

Arbus’ creative life in photography after 1962 is extremely well documented, so now for the first time viewers were able to properly examine her creative origins.

In 1972, a year after she took her own life, Arbus became the first American photographer to have photographs displayed at the Venice Biennale. Millions viewed travelling exhibitions of her work between 1972 and 1979, and the book accompanying the exhibition ‘Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph’, edited by her daughter, Doon Arbus, and Marvin Israel, published in 1972, is the best-selling photography monograph ever published and is still being reprinted today.

Between 2003 and 2006, Arbus and

The Mamiyaflex enabled Diane Arbus to frame her intensely personal squareshaped portraits with irregular black borders.

her work were the subjects of a second major travelling exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

The book ‘Pictures From The Edge: Revelations’, published to coincide with the exhibition, included 200 full-page duotones of the artist’s photographs, and included a compassionate explanatory essay by Sandra S Philips, the senior curator of photography at the San Francisco Museum, and a discussion of Arbus’s printing techniques by Neil Selkirk, the only person authorised to print her photographs since her death.

The 104-page chronology compiled by Doon Arbus and Elizabeth

Sussman, the curator of the San Francisco exhibition, together with letters, notes, and other writings provides a mesmerising biography of the tortured photographer.

Diane Arbus, née Nemerov, was born in 1923, into a wealthy New York Jewish family. She grew up privileged but isolated and was sent to the best New York private schools, though not to college.

She married Allan Arbus when she was 18, and five years later opened a fashion-photography studio with him. Thirteen years after that, separated from her husband and having devoted herself for over a decade to stylised fashion work, she changed her focus to portraying people

The Tribune | Weekend | 23

Friday, March 10, 2017

“Her subjects literally expose themselves in the centre of the square format, which became her trademark”

‘Identical Twins’, New Jersey (1967) Diane Arbus’s photograph of Eddie Carmel in ‘A Jewish giant at home with his parents, in the Bronx’, New York (1970).

who lived ‘on the edge’.

“I want to photograph evil”, she declared.

Norman Mailer once said that giving a camera to Diane Arbus was “like giving a hand grenade to a baby”. He was one of her early sitters, as were the lovers Erik Bruhn and Rudolph Nureyev, and Mae West, who posed in her bedroom. She also photographed herself nude and pregnant - producing a strangely alluring and vulnerable portrait. But, increasingly, Arbus directed her attention to outsiders: eccentrics, nudists, the mentally retarded, transsexuals, dwarfs, vagrants, female impersonators, freaks. She developed a unique understanding of the relationship between photographer and subject.

“I really believe there are things which nobody would see unless I photographed them,” she said, and added, “For me the subject of the picture is always more important than the picture.” She did not romanticise her subjects. Instead she acknowledged their complexity.

In 1962, Arbus switched from a 35mm Nikon SLR to a 2 1/4 twin-lens reflex Rolleiflex camera and then a Mamiyaflex. With the larger square negative she achieved a sharper image, more light and more clarity.

Using a 35mm camera allowed Arbus to capture her subject unprepared and quickly move on just as CartierBresson did, calling the resulting photographs “images à la sauvette” (pictures on the run).

However, using the bulkier 2 1/4 camera, invariably held at waist level with the photographer looking down into it, meant that Arbus required her subject to co-operate and participate, which created a tension, an emotional connection, between them.

She captured this tension and looked for it, admitting, “I think it does, a little, hurt to be photographed”. Indeed, some of her heartrending portraits like ‘Child with a toy hand grenade in Central Park, NYC 1962’, and ‘A Jewish giant at home with his parents in the Bronx, NY 1970’ defy analysis. Initially, with the wide-angled Rollerflex, Arbus tended to isolate her subject: “This visual effect served to emphasise the psychological component of the subject.”

The 2 1/4 Mamiyaflex she favoured later did not have a wide-angle lens and enabled her to frame her intense-

Continued on page 24

24| The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, March 10, 2017

Continued from page 23 ly personal square-shaped portraits with irregular black borders.

“The borders called attention to the fact that the print is an image on a two-dimensional sheet of paper rather than an ‘objective’ windowlike view onto the subject.

This in combination with the use of flash helped to assert the picture as a real, tactile object made by someone, an expression of someone’s point of view.”

Certainly no photographer before or after Arbus has been able to use the uncropped square image to such enduring effect. Her subjects literally expose themselves in the centre of the square format, which became her trademark.

For many years Diane Arbus suffered from severe depression. She contracted hepatitis in 1966 and again in 1968, a devastating illness.

Nevertheless, she managed to sustain an amazingly productive intensity of work. At the age of 48, she spent the last week of June, 1971, teaching at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. She then returned to her apartment on Central Park West in New York. She saw friends, but she was alone. Her exhusband, Allan, had left for California. Her daughter Doon was in Paris, and her younger daughter, Amy, was away at boarding school.

On July 26, after swallowing barbiturates, she slashed her wrists and died clothed in an empty bathtub. When her body was found some days later decomposition had already set in.

NEXT WEEK: The extraordinary bravery of a Canadian war hero and ‘Saviour of Ceylon’ • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is an adventurer and writer resident in the Bahamas. A Sri Lankan-born CanadianEnglishman, he is the author of several books, including “The Last Colonial”.

‘Albino Sword Swallower at Carnival’ (1970)

‘Child with a toy hand grenade in Central Park, NYC’ (1962)

The Tribune | Weekend |25

Friday, March 10, 2017

history

Fruity feasts at Higgs Hog Island Forgotten facts Paul C Aranha

A

visitor, who had read my article about Esso’s oil tanks on Hog Island, wanted to know more about life before Atlantis.

So, without leaving my home, I took him on a postcard tour of New Providence, starting on Hog Island at a longlost tourist attraction, where we ‘saw’ the proprietor, Captain Higgs himself, standing at the end of fruit-laden tables and wearing his trademark Greek fisherman’s hat, while eight tourists feasted on his home-grown fruit.

Capt Higgs used to own a shipyard on the island, but in the early days of tourism he turned it into a fruit orchard that developed into a popular bathing spot for visitors. There was no bridge in those days, but with a fleet of large rowing-boats, for only 24 cents he transported guests between Nassau and ‘Higgs Hog Island’, where one could spend all day at the beach and feast on all the fruit one wanted.

This card, addressed to New Haven, Connecticut, bears a one penny stamp and a message, written on January 22, 1910. The message reads: “Left NY in the blizzard Jan 14th and in 36 hours could sit out on deck comfortably.

Found summer here. Shall stay abt 10 days longer and leave sister and her friend, who expect to return abt middle of April. We go bathing almost every day. Wish Mr C could try the water under such ideal conditions.” – Signed G B A. In his excellent book, ‘Reminiscing II’, Ron Lightbourn wrote that “picture postcards hold more of our physical history than any other source” and pointed out that collecting postcards has become a popular hobby, closely behind coins and stamps. This card is one of some 200 scenes produced by J O ‘Doc’ Sands, starting around 1904, many of them showing Paradise Beach scenes.

In 1900, the Detroit Publishing Company had sent William Jackson to Nassau, to take photographs of, seemingly, everything. The result was the very first

The front and back of a postcard written from Hog Island in 1910.

“Picture postcards hold more of our physical history than any other source.”

Bahamian postcards, a vast collection of scenes, published in 1901.

At that time, under the very strict rules of the US Post Office, the back of a card was used only for the name and address. If the sender wanted to send a message, it had to be written on the front and some manufacturers left blank space on the front for messages.

This was relaxed in 1907 and postcards appeared with a ‘divided back’, the left side for the message and the right

side for name and address. Until the start of World War I, in 1914, the best postcards were printed in Germany. By 1915, postcards with white borders were introduced.

A much-overlooked variation is the RPPC, short for Real Photo Postcard, the brainchild of the Eastman Kodak Company. Long before anyone dreamed of a ‘selfie’, Kodak introduced a special ‘Autographic’ camera that produced 3 1/4” x 5 1/2” post-card

sized negatives that anyone could print onto special postcard-printing paper.

This camera had a hinged flap that allowed the photographer to write a caption onto the film. The best photos of my father’s parents are RPPCs, which had been mailed to him, in 1910, when he lived in New York.

• Comments and responses to islandairman@gmail.com

K R T H TARGETC O THE

(across or down)

26 | The Tribune | Weekend

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

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

WA B K R T C OH

body of the alphabet network access charge.

Chambers you have to Friday, March 21st 10, 2017grid too! Use letters and b Century below the gr Dictionary grid is ‘rotati (1999 symmetrical edition) words, it look

The Target uses words in the main Coxcomb, Alphapuzzle, every letter of G body of TARGET TODAY’S the alphabet is used.Nutmegs, But FeasQ Blaze, Good 27; very good 40; excellent Chambers you have to completeDown: the Jum 53 (or more). Solution tomorrow.

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CRYPTIC PUZZLE Down 1 Stop, don’t switch on again! (5,3) 2 He’s willing to let others succeed (8) 3 They carry weapons (4) 5 I claim it’s why it might be a fanciful characteristic (12) 6 A loud part of the play, it’s true (4) 7 Its membership is limited (6) 8 Extent of one’s education (6) 11 It’s taken to give one restful retirement (8,4) 15 A wild shot gets the musketeer (5) 16 Threatened strike that doesn’t come off (5) 18 Time of year that includes the present time (8) 19 If you want to use the weighing machine, hurry!

(4,2,2) 21 Assimilate the sailor’s world? (6) 22 It may be done up, but not up (6) 26 A case for a sempstress (4) 27 See 10 Across

Across 1 All the difference between life and death? (6) 4 False description of a court-card (3-5) 9 Put it on without being told? (6) 10 and 27 Down: Fascinating time, midnight (8,4) 12 Vivacity is part of the language (4) 13 An order form, perhaps (5) 14 Third power block (4) 17 Settles for leading parliamentarians (5,7) 20 Upheaval Scot’s ain rule could bring about (6,6) 23 Be a shade overextravagant? (4) 24 Stone for a garden entrance, perhaps (5) 25 Detain in a secure place (4) 28 How to beat the streaker? (8) 29 Reel composed of endless curtseying (6) 30 Blonde that is seen to be very lazy (4,4) 31 Where the Ark went fast (6)

1

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20 21

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Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Canal, 4 Regatta, 8 Air, 9 Portrayal, 10 Channel, 11 Lofty, 13 Raisin, 15 Basics, 18 Cheap, 19 Analyse, 21 Chronicle, 23 Ant, 24 Augment, 25 Trend.

Down: 1 Chaucer, 2 Narrative, 3 Lupin, 4 Rarely, 5 Gorilla, 6 Try, 7 Alloy, 12 Fairy tale, 14 Impinge, 16 Scented, 17 Mascot, 18 Cocoa, 20 Adept, 22 Rig.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Canal, 4 Engaged, 8 Low, 9 Nostalgia, 10 Prudery, 11 Ingle, 13 Ornate, 15 Mended, 18 Plant, 19 Tallies, 21 Small arms, 23 Emu, 24 Delayed, 25 Oasis.

Down: 1 Calypso, 2 New guinea, 3 Lance, 4 Essays, 5 Granite, 6 Gag, 7 Drake, 12 Godliness, 14 Totally, 16 Discuss, 17 Stored, 18 Posed, 20 Lasso, 22 Awl.

Down 1 Disadvantage (8) 2 Uncommunicative (8) 3 Highest point (4) 5 Symbol of cowardice (5,7) 6 Tense (4) 7 As a substitute (2,4) 8 Rotate (6) 11 Unstable enterprise (5,2,5) 15 Fashion (5) 16 Set of beliefs (5) 18 Reduce speed (4,4) 19 Meanly inadequate (8) 21 A hedging plant (6) 22 Racial (6) 26 Pick out (4) 27 To harvest (4)

each extra cl

you turn the page upside Full s HOW many words of four letters down.

Solution Call 0907 181 2585 fortomorrow.

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TODAY’S TARGET Good 27; very good 40; excellent 53 (or more). Solution tomorrow.

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION agent ante anteing anti antigen eaten eating gait gannet gate genet gent gentian geta giant gite gnat innate neat neaten NEATENING negate tang tannin tanning teeing teen tine tinea ting tinge

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

EASY PUZZLE

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AL

you turn the HOW many words of four letters down. Soluti or more can you make from the letters shown here? making CANInyou cracka the Yesterday word, each letterAlphabeater? may be used Each grid Black squa once only. Each must contain the 14, 15, 18, 2 number represents a letter 29, 31, 35, centre letter and there must be at Across: Da least one nine-letter word.

No – or black square.

As in Plumb, Dw plurals or verb forms ending in “s”.

*SP: Spoke – Helpline 0333 202 3390

Coxcomb, Got, Era, Nutmegs, Quelled, Blaze, Feast, Zonal.

Down: Jumping, Uvea, Adjunctive, Limb, Xenolith, Dyed, Opt, Dozy, Scramble, Bank, Forestalls, Bike, Adhered.

Extra letter clues

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

Full solution

0907 181 2558 *Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

PLAY MORE CRO

The Tribune | Weekend | 27

Friday, March 10, 2017

animals Animal matters Kim Aranha

A grand little lady

By The Bahamas Humane Society

The dying of the pigs

pet of the week

“I’

Photos/Linda Gill-Aranha

W

hat a series of tremendously busy weeks we have had in the Bahamas pertaining to animals/ The deaths of a number of the swimming pigs have been on the pages of a vast amount of international newspapers, online, and on the radio shows all over the world. Personally, I have been pursued by the press for information. The international press frequently feels that tourists are being blamed for something that may not be quite as simple as a couple of shots of tequila.

Not that I condone in any way the feeding of alcohol to any animal to try and get it drunk and laugh at it, nor do I condone the foolish practice of trying to ride those pigs. In fact, I really do not understand the visitor who wishes to attempt that. Those pigs are very large and very strong, and the human could get very hurt.

We will probably never really know what actually killed the swimming pigs.

The majority of people I speak to have difficulty believing that they died from sand in their stomachs. The coincidence of seven pigs all succumbing,all at the same time makes it a very unlikely scenario. The same with the liquor theory. Do you have any idea how much liquor would be needed to kill seven pigs all at the same time; the hours of feeding it to them, the cost?

No, that doesn’t fly either I have been told on more than one occasion that the pigs at Big Major Spot are actually a crossbreed with the wild hog. I do not know if this is accurate or not, but they certainly look powerful enough for that to be a fact, which of course would make them very resistant to island life.

So much negative reporting has not put the Bahamas in a particularly good light. It is not very classy to fling accusations at our beloved tourists.

m too busy playing with this pen to look at the camera right now. Besides, I can’t see it anyway.”

Yes, you read that correctly. La Grandeza is a playful, outgoing tabby kitten approximately five months old, and she is blind. La Grandeza doesn’t let her impairment slow her down though. She plays, she climbs and she purrs just like any other kitten.

Her friendly nature is sure to make her popular in your household. Come down to the Bahamas Humane Society to meet this grand little lady; she is eagerly awaiting your arrival. After all, you will take the time to play with her, won’t you?

For more information visit to the BHS or call 323-5138. Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday. Many

purrs and snuggles will greet you on arrival.

If we have learned nothing else from this rather tragic exercise, it is that our tourists love our animals. They are totally smitten by the concept of the swimming pigs. They go back to far-flung countries talking about these amazing animals.

There is no doubt the tour opera-

tors appreciate the pigs and the pigs’ existence is certainly their bread and butter, taking down hundreds of tourists a week to see and feed them. I am greatly encouraged by how many tour operators have contacted me and the discussions we have had as to how to continue forward in a more posi-

• Come and see the BHS booth at the BKC Dog Show on Saturday, March 18, and Sunday, March 19, and join us for the BHS Mini Fun Day on the Sunday. Waggiest Tail, Best Kisser and more awards will be handed out. The Dog Show will be held at Clifford Park, 9am to 2pm on both days. Proceeds from the Mini Fun Day and part proceeds of Sunday’s gate fees will go to the BHS. Also, pull out those hippy outfits!

The BHS Flower Power Party is back on Saturday, April 29, at the Nassau Yacht Club. The fun starts at 7pm. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes. Tickets are $75 and are available at the shelter.

tive way so that the pigs are better protected and have a better quality of life.

They all assure me that they provide the right foods as well as water for “their” pigs, and I believe them.

A large adult pig needs about 10 gallons of water a day. When you think how many pigs are on these beaches, that is a lot of water being toted back and forth by boat.

I was, however, very alarmed when a friend of mine actually saw several people getting ready to butcher a dead pig that they had bought cheap from a farmer after it had died.

I cannot help than be very concerned as to the quality of the meat if a pig died of mould or some other kind of poisoning. Is this common practice I ask myself? Has the Ministry of Health inspected these dead pigs? Can humans eat the flesh of these animals safely? This becomes even scarier when you open the paper on Wednesday and the Minister of Agriculture V Alfred Grey is quoted saying that perhaps it is not the food but an airborne disease that the pigs are contracting. So how safe is native pork right now, and should an immediate warning be issued?

We are promised the results of tests, which are sitting on his desk, he says. Will these results affect the lives of farmers and their swine? Why wait to disclose their contents? Why wait if you fear an epidemic? Will a warning ever be issued?

Are there any more bags of contaminated feed or by now have they all been eaten?

These are all very essential questions that require answering. My phone rings all day long. So many informants with stories to share.

Outraged farmers who have lost their livelihood who are at a loss as what to do next. The stories are revealing.

There is so much more to this than the seven that died at Big Major Spot.

I look forward to these reports being made public, though it is closing the stable gate after the horse is gone.

My biggest concern are for families who have nothing left after their pigs die. Who will help them back on their feet? And now that we have inserted the added fear of the possibility of an “airborne epidemic” there is serious cause for concern.

And, my own personal FYI: Many more pigs than just the ones at GRAC and the Exumas were affected. Farmers up and down this island will tell you that.

28 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, March 10, 2017

gardening

Aloe vera The aloe plant can be very beneficial to your health, but Jack Hardy advises doing extensive research before making use of its leaves for various purposes.

Y

ears go a teacher friend of mine rushed his daughter who had scalded her arm with boiling water to a Scottish doctor on Collins

Avenue.

The doctor went into the yard and came back with a leaf of aloe vera that he split, applied to the girl’s arm, and bandaged in place. “That will be $20,” the doctor said. “But I could have done that!” my friend complained. “Then why didn’t you? Wrap her arm again with new aloes tomorrow and that should do it. There is nothing better for scalds and burns than raw aloes.” $20 for a doctor’s visit and treatment? I told you this took place a long time ago. At the time $20 could buy two cases of imported Heineken beer and a 40 oz bottle of Trinidad rum and

Harvesting aloe vera you would still have change.

Aloe vera has been a treatment for scalds and burns from time immemorial and few doubt its efficacy. A problem with aloes does arise, however, when the gel of the leaves is taken as a tonic. The State of California has declared aloe vera to be a carcinogen and that must give one pause for thought.

Supporters of aloe vera as a tonic say that the relative amount of gel ingested by rats in laboratory conditions is far beyond what any person would or even could use.

The dispute goes on and in the meantime aloe vera extracts are being used commercially in cosmetics and shampoos, moisturisers, soaps, sunscreens, hemorrhoid treatments, and shaving cream. Rastafarians apply the gel directly to their hair.

Aloe vera grows throughout the tropical and subtropical world and probably originated in the Arabian region. It is a succulent with thick leaves that have thorny projection at

the edges and a mass of gel within. This gel has been used for generations by Bahamians as a burn remedy and as a tonic. How effective aloes is as a tonic is open to debate but I had a neighbour in Ragged Island years ago who took it daily and lived to a good and spritely age.

I have dabbled half-heartedly in so-called healthy supplements and once took about six weeks collecting and refining noni juice that I only consumed for three days before giving up. It tasted too bad. Aloe juice did not need refining but tasted just as bad.

The use of aloes as a tonic came up in the following e-mail from a reader: “I made an aloe drink with the stalk of the aloe, cut the sides off in strips ¼ inch wide and soaked them in a 32 oz jar. I take a shot every other morning.”

My immediate response was to encourage the practice, but research on the internet gave me pause for thought.

I am a gardening correspondent, not a dietician or doctor. I can give advice

on how to grow aloes and mention ways in which aloes is known to be used but I have no qualifications to assess and advise. For the same reason I rarely write about bush medicine, and if I do I am guarded in my statements.

My opinion on dietary and medical matters is worthless.

My internet research did reveal that within the skin of an aloe leaf there are two different layers. Close to the skin is latex that has a slight yellow tinge, and in the centre is the gel. It is the latex that gives cause for concern. It seems clear to me that cutting a leaf lengthwise and then removing the central gel with a small spoon in a brushing manner (like de-coring a cucumber) would be better than using both latex and gel mixed. As far as I am aware there are no downsides to using aloes as a topical application; the problem comes with ingestion.

It is almost Spring according to the calendar. This year it seems we have had no winter, just a very few chilly days. We should be grateful, of course, but one of the most important gardening jobs is saved for winter because normally there would be cool and cloudy conditions. That job is spraying for scale insect infestations and the wonderful weather gave me two problems: carambola fruits were still on the trees I needed to spray right into March, and every day was clear and sunny so that spraying dormant oil on the trees was out of the question.

Many plants have reacted to the sunny days. Shooting Star clerodendrum had the shortest – and earliest – blooming season I can remember. Here on Abaco a great number of bull (turpentine, hairy) mango trees flowered in profusion in early January. Mango trees such as Julie, Mai Doc Nam and other fairly early producers flowered in mid-February. Just a little later – before March – Keitt mango trees were flowering, very early for them. My wax jambu tree which normally comes alive in April put out flowers in late February.

The warm conditions may bring the salad season to an early end because most lettuce varieties grow bitter in warm weather. It has been a great year for tomatoes and peppers, two vegetables that rarely complain about warmth. Those gardeners who took my advice to start eggplants in January should be happy with their plants’ progress.

• For questions and comments e-mail j.hardy@coralwave.com.