04262019 WEEKEND

Friday, April 26, 2019

art books theatre film fashion style gardening puzzles history

Weekend

IT’S ‘ENDGAME’ TIME Pgs 8-10

An artist adrift Taking to the sea in quest to discover home page 7

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 26, 2019

art

g n i v i l d n a t l c a Is r t s b a e h t n I

“DADDY GONE AWAY ON A SAILING BOAT”

“AWWW SON!...SUMPTIN HAPPENIN’”

“ISLAND BOY” “GONE FISHIN’” FOR the 13th year in a row, local artist Je’Rome Harris Miller presented his annual fundraising solo show last night. The event took place at the Christ Church Cathedral.

As with all of his annual exhibits, Mr Miller had a certain theme mind. In 2017, the theme was “The Beauty of God’s Creation” and last year it was “Liquid Joy – A Glorious Expression of Colours”. The title for this year’s show was “Island Life – In Colour” and it encompassed themes like religion, sexuality, lifestyle, beauty, music and yesteryear.

Mr Miller, whose works

“ISLAND LIFE...SUNSET” can be found in collections around the world, once again held the show to benefit the Winston V Saunders Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Part proceeds from any sales of his work will go to this University of The Bahamas’ programme.

Je’Rome Harris Miller was born on August 31, 1956, in Nicholls Town, Andros. His grandmother, Netta Riley, recognised his artistic talent and nurtured it. After completing high school in New Providence, he embarked on a career in fashion design and hairstyling. He has travelled far and wide, gaining experi-

ence and knowledge in places such as Paris, London, Montreal and the US. He became one of The Bahamas’ most sought-after hair and personal stylists and produced high-profile fashion events.

His talent in the visual arts was encouraged by art teacher Joan Bethel, who helped him find his own style – an abstract expressionism.

He was also encouraged by the late Winston Saunders and his wife Gail, as well as Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling.

He works in acrylic using special textures and finishes,

and describes his style of art as bold and abstract. He is inspired by Picasso, Rembrandt and Renoir.

His art can be found in the private collections of Ian and Eleanor Phillips, Winston and Gail Saunders, Joe and Lynda Gibson, Lady Sharon and Sir Franklyn Wilson, Gary and Cleopatra Christie, Elaine Pinder, Scott Godet, and Ferron and Carolita Bethel, among others. His work has been donated in support of many local charities and fundraisers.

Mr Harris has also been a

great supporter of the CR Walker High School musical department, where he is a member of the school board.

He is also on the programme advisory committee at BTVI. His philosophy is “to not make my exhibitions commercial events, but an opportunity for patrons to come out and enjoy themselves in an atmosphere conducive to artwork.”

• For those interested in purchasing art from Mr Harris, please e-mail jeromearts@hotmail.com.

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Friday, April 26, 2019

Inside Weekend Interview 4-5 A Bahamian pianist goes from sleeping in his car to attending one of the US’ most prestigious music schools

Art 7 Kishan Munroe sets himself adrift in a self-made raft

Film 8 - 10 Everything you need to know ahead of watching ‘Avengers: Endgame’

Theatre 11 A kaleidoscope of talent in the new Ringplay production ‘Untitled’

Drinks 12 A husband and wife duo find success with cocktails in a pouch

Celebrity 13, 16 The hits and misses of the ‘Avengers: Endgame’ purple carpet

Weddings 14 - 15 A bond across oceans connected Makeda and Roman Meadows

Books 17 New releases hitting shelves this week

Carnival 18 Fete in paradise with a threeday party experience

Gardening 19 Jack Hardy tackles those pesky pests

Style 20 - 21 A Long Islander finds her calling in sewing, plus new environmentally friendly flip flops inspired by the Bahamas

Forgotten Facts 22 - 23 Paul C Aranha takes a light-hearted look at traffic in bygone days

Literary Lives 24 - 25

Sir Christopher Ondaatje on one of Abolitionism’s most important visionaries

Puzzles 26

Animals 27 A curly-tailed visitor, plus Pet of the Week

My perfect Bahamian weekend Waydelle Carey Social media guru Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch?

“Sunday lunch. Sundays are made for a good Bahamian meal.”

Q: Wine, rum, cocktail or Kalik?

“Red wine, of course. La Monte Peru to be exact.”

Q: Beach or sofa?

“Depends on my mood! But I would

have to say beach.”

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

“Instagram, according to my husband.”

Q: Weekend away, where would you go?

“I would love to visit Cuba. It has such a rich history. It would also be nice to see the beautiful architecture and experience the culture.”

Things 2 Do this weekend Friday

• Twilight Electric Festival Time: 6pm - 11pm (runs every Wednesday to Sunday until June 23) Venue: Paradise Harbour, Atlantis Twilight Electric is an entertainment and art festival that is new to Atlantis.

Enjoy a unique festival playground featuring the live show “Showtime at the Pink Flamingo” at 8pm nightly and home-grown Bahamian flavours at every turn. The Groove Quest band will perform live on Friday, and the Traffic Jam Band take over on Sunday.

Tickets for Atlantis guests and Bahamas residents are $15 for adults and $7.50 children under 12 years of age.

• Livi ResortWear x Billie Pop-up Time: 5pm - 6pm (continues on Saturday at 10am) Venue: Island Brothers & Cie Enjoy curated cocktails and music while shopping the latest from Livi ResortWear and Billie. Music by DJ Eternic.

• Friends with Benefits – The Play Time: 8pm (encore performances on Saturday and Sunday) Venue: University of the Bahamas

The creators of “Crazy Love 1, 2 & 3” present the hit production “Friends With Benefits” which had nine sold-old shows in Freeport.

• “Untitled” – The Play Time: 8pm (encore performances on Saturday and Sunday) Venue: Dundas Theatre SEE PAGE 11

Saturday • Chiccharney Farms Pop-up Market Time: 8am - 1pm Venue: Jemi Health and Wellness, Caves Village Fresh bakes, fresh Produce, organic eggs, ice-cream, jams, jellies, sauces and more will be on offer.

• St George’s Day Dinner/Dance Time: 7pm Venue: Old Fort Bay Celebrate St George, the patron saint of England, and donate to a good cause at the same time.

Tickets for this event are $120 and include a glass of Prosecco.

There will also be dancing and a raffle. All proceeds go to charity. E-mail berylking2010@ gmail.com or jagrindrod@ gmail.com to secure a space.

• Da Best Medicine Comedy Show Time: 8.45pm

Venue: The Poop Deck West Enjoy an entertaining night with some of the top comedians in the country, including Bertrum Oh Bubbler, Khing Kloud and Wellington Funny.

There will also be a magic act with Edwourral Daxon, prize giveaways and more.

Sunday

• The Geek Out! Time: 2pm - 7pm Venue: Venture Coworking, #17 Rosetta Street Enjoy Mortal Kombat 11 casual play, a “Let’s Talk Anime” session, a Rick and Morty marathon, and a screening of the teen anime drama “A Silent Voice”. There will also be a grill in the parking lot for all your culinary needs. Tickets are $5 and include free popcorn.

• Road to the Crown – Miss Bahamas Time: 5pm Venue: The Pointe The launch of the 2019 Miss World Bahamas contestants.

• Purpose In Pompey - TIP Party Time: 6pm Venue: Pompey Square Teens in Purpose and eNue Magazine celebrate purpose with fun entertainment.

Eight youngsters doing great things will honoured.

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 26, 2019

interview His pastor once prophesied that he would play before kings and queens. For a while there, as the Grand Bahama pianist was reduced to living IN his car in New York, this seemed impossible. But now his dream is back on track, and he tells Cara Hunt how he plans to change the world with his music.

Elijah Stevens

O

ne could say it was fate which set Elijah Stevens on his path to one day maybe becoming a world-famous pianist. When he was in seventh grade, he was unexpectedly chosen to learn to play the piano for his church.

“They wanted a pianist and so they got all the kids and prayed over us to decide who to send (to lessons) and they decided they would send me,” he said.

Elijah started lessons at the Woods Music Academy with Drea Rolle, eventually becoming the school’s Student of the Year.

In 2010, he transferred to the Orchestral School of Music where he studied with Reynold Robinson, who is known for his students’ impressive wins at the E Clement

Bethel National Arts Festival and for producing high-quality band performances.

“As soon as I started music lessons I knew that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” he said.

“I had shown no signs of being musically inclined before that, but my pastor (at the Church of Christ Apostolic) prophesied over me that I would play before kings and queens and they would marvel at my name.”

Today, this prophesy looks like it may indeed be coming true. Elijah, now 22 years old, is making quite a name for himself.

He recently graduated from the prestigious Bethune-Cookman University with a degree in classical piano.

But his dream of attending university almost didn’t happen.

Although he had the desire and the talent, and had been accepted to Bethune-Cookman, his family simply didn’t have the financial resources to send him to school in Florida.

Undeterred and unwilling to sacrifice his dreams, Elijah left his Grand Bahama home with just $100 in his pocket and travelled to Daytona Beach to audition at the historically black university (HBCU) in hopes of winning a scholarship. His efforts paid off and he was able to secure tuition at the university. And he made the most of the opportunity.

During his time at BethuneCookman, he won many awards, competitions and was very involved on campus, holding several presidential offices as a student leader. This caught the

attention of the United States Department of Education, which named him as “One of the Best and Brightest of Students in the US” under the title “White House HBCU All-Star”. This honour allowed him to travel to Washington, DC, where he was also able to meet many proud US representatives.

In 2017, The Daytona Beach News Journal wrote a six-column article on his musical career and journey from the Bahamas when he made history after winning top prizes at the James A Hefner HBCU Piano Competition, which gained him national attention in the US.

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Friday, April 26, 2019

interview “Staying home just wasn’t an option for me, and in my mind, if I was really serious about leaving, I would’ve needed to pack all my things in faith and that’s exactly what I did,” he said.

Now that he has completed his undergraduate degree, he is “stepping out in faith” once more and has set his sights on another milestone achievement: earning dual Master degrees.

Elijah plans to enrol in a threeyear dual degree programme at the Manhattan School of Music and Columbia University, earning a Master of Arts in Classical Piano Performance and a Master of Arts in Music Education, which he plans to use to impact the world of music and arts education.

New York was always where he envisioned himself studying music, playing at Carnegie Hall and becoming a world-renowned pianist.

He arrived in New York in August 2018 hoping to be accepted into the programme, but he didn’t get in. Though the blow caused him to question if he wanted to continue with music and even life, he vowed to not give up and to not take no for an answer. The next time he was able to audition for the programme was in March of this year. But with no place to go in the meantime, he was forced to sleep in his car.

“After staying some time in my car I went to a homeless shelter,” he said.

“It was really hard, you know, not having any money. Eventually, because I couldn’t keep up with the payments from my car, I ended up losing my car as well. It was a scary experience and it was really tough.”

However, in an interesting twist of fate, this experience ultimately helped his music.

“My teacher said that people who have suffered in some way play better, because they use music as a release. And I when I play it feels like I am releasing.”

He re-applied and auditioned to the Manhattan School of Music and additionally applied to Hunter College and Columbia University, an Ivy League school. He was accepted into all three.

“When I found out I got into the

“The world will know me. I’m fighting not just for me but for my whole family, to give them a better future.”

ELIJAH with his mother Petra.

Manhattan School of Music I just started crying because I remembered all of the pain, hurt and embarrassment I endured to get to this place and all the faith and perseverance it took, and now finally I’m able to live my dream as I study at one of the greatest international conservatories.”

While many would say that a Bachelor’s degree would have been sufficient and allowed him to return home to work, Elijah said that was never an option for him.

“I am the type of person, I always want more; I am never satisfied,” he said.

“Getting my first degree feels like nothing. I feel like I have so much more I want to do and so much more I want to say, so I never thought it was enough. Even though when I went through a lot, the thoughts would come (giving up and going home).

“I would reject then and renounce them because I have too much to say and do to contribute to the world.

“My purpose is calling me and

I have to let it out. The world will know me. I’m fighting not just for me but for my whole family, to give them a better future. I want to help other Bahamians, to uplift them and empower them. I love to share my story to inspire people no matter what.”

Eventually, Elijah said, he would like to open his own performing arts schools, host competitions and festivals, and provide scholarship funds and create foundations for deserving students like him who have big dreams but need financial support.

His story has now gained global attention.

The most recent media coverage on Elijah’s inspiring story was done by NowThis News, from the founders of The Huffington Post, which has millions of followers worldwide. They aired his story for a video report which is now trending online.

“I want to inspire people to relentlessly pursue their dreams and to never take no for an answer.

I want to show the world what can come from the Bahamas. And even though we may be small in size, we’re big in talent, spirit and culture, and we’re certainly a force to be reckoned with,” he said.

Elijah has started a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money which will go toward his room and board over the next three years in New York.

If you would like to assist him in achieving his goals, please visit www.gofundme.com/help-elijah-study-at-his-dream-school.

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 26, 2019

section

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Friday, April 26, 2019

art

Kishan Munroe sets himself adrift in a quest to find ‘home’ K

By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

ishan Munroe is an artist adrift in the most literal sense, or he will be. The artist who is known for his artistic take on social issues recently launched his latest project, “Drifter in Residence”, for which he will literally spend a few weeks adrift on the Atlantic Ocean aboard a specially constructed raft.

The project comes as he celebrates the 10th anniversary of his flagship project, “The Universal Human Experience”, a global expedition seeking to identify the common threads shared by humanity through an intensive examination of various conflicts and resolutions.

“I got the idea for ‘Drifter in Residence’ while I was in Russia doing research to follow up my ‘Flamingo’ series,” he told Tribune Weekend.

During his stay there, he became intrigued with the idea of displacement and how artists can create art when they are away from home or their natural environment.

As a member of the African Diaspora, he also was interested in exploring the idea of black people being adrift; taken across the sea, away from their homes, and still hundreds of years later still searching for their identity.

“We still are trying to define what it means to be a Bahamian,” he said.

Kishan built the vessel for the project himself.

“This vessel, the r/v Diaspora, is a 20-foot raft constructed partially of

PHOTO: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune staff

ARTIST Kishan Munroe.

Shawn Hanna/Tribune staff

repurposed and salvaged materials; some commonly associated with vessels crafted by ingenious seafaring migrants and refugees,” he said.

“Such makeshift crafts, as well as the iconic Kon-Tiki and Antiki rafts, space capsules and Bahamian sloops inspired the vessel’s design.”

He noted that the raft itself is a metaphor: it speaks of the people of the African Diaspora in the New World who have been seemingly drifting throughout the Atlantic for centuries.

“Moreover, it is the embodiment of my artistic idea; the concepts and theories conceived within me, designed to sustain my livelihood... and most importantly, my life.”

“The question now is, how well does my idea float?”

Kishan acknowledged that there is a safety concern when it comes

KISHAN MUNROE built and has tested the raft he will be using for his latest project.

to the project, but said he has spent weeks once weather conditions are the last two years preparing. deemed to be the most favourable.

“I have invested countless hours His time at sea will be retrospecdevoted to the engineering and tive and introspective, he explained. construction of the vessel as well as “This ‘introspective/retrospectraining in oceanography, navigative’ pilgrimage marks a 10-year tion and survival techniques.” milestone in my professional artistic He has already completed a journey, actively engaged in extenseries of open water trials working sive anthropological investigations with Stuart Cove and the Defence through cultural immersion.

Force.

“In this phase I literally plunge The vessel has been declared into the foreign world of the ocean, structurally sound and Kishan himseeking to tap into the narratives, self has a boat captain’s licence and realities and histories of man’s recently spent time on an expediprecarious relationship with the tion in the Pacific Ocean. sea and his never-ending quest for He is set to go off in a few ‘home’,” he said.

08 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 26, 2019

film

spoiler-free zone

The Endgame is here

By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net IT’S been a year since we first saw “Avengers: Infinity War”, and now the highly anticipated conclusion, “Avengers: Endgame”, has finally hit theatres, much to the delight of local fans.

When last we saw the Avengers, Thanos had located all six of the Infinity Stones and in one heart-wrenching snap of his fingers 3.8 billion people, including some of our favourite superheroes, were gone, leaving nothing but a cloud of ash and a ton of questions for viewers.

Little is known about the “Endgame” plot, but what we do know is that the movie is three hours and one minute long, so be prepared to skip the extra large soda at the cinema.

And we know it’s probably the most anticipated movie of the year. Unless you want to be hopelessly spoiled, it’s probably best to avoid all social media until you see the film.

Tribune Weekend chatted with some Bahamian Marvel superfans to get their take on how they think things will go down. But have no fear, none of these fans have seen “Endgame” and are just speculating along with everyone else.

“First things first, this movie is going to be massive,” said Ricardo. “The idea that a cinematic concept can span 20-plus films is beyond ridiculous.

THANOS’ armour is used for a bizarre looking scarecrow.

ROBERT Downey Jr as Iron Man and, below, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Chris Evans as Captain America.

Added to that, the ability to weave in threads that are developed and expanded by various producers and directors, that’s huge, in my opinion.”

And he has a theory that seems to be held by many Marvel fans.

“There is only one way for this story to end, the death of Captain America,” he said.

“While Tony Stark has been the backbone of the team and franchise since its start, Cap has been the heart and soul.

Nine-year-old Marvel aficionado Daniel is sure To overcome something as devastating as Thanos that humanity, and more importantly his favourite and his snap, the MCU will have to have its soul superhero Spider-Man, will be saved by the littlest altered. That’s Cap; he will go as far as is necessary Avenger: Ant-Man. to win this fight. If that means sacrificing himself “I think that the Hulk in ‘Infinity War’ is not for the good of the team, then so be it. really Bruce Banner and that is why he could not “My suggestion is, bring tissues. There will be a lot Hulk out. It may be Loki actually. But I think to unpack; pace yourself with the liquids, the movie that Ant-Man is in the quantum realm and he will is three hours, and ask all of your questions before somehow be able to turn back the time in ‘Infinthe movie starts because no one likes a talker.” ity War’ to right before Thanos does the snap thing

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Friday, April 26, 2019

film

spoiler-free zone IT’S been 11 years and 22 movies since the Marvel Cinematic Universe was launched, so you can be forgiven if you can’t remember exactly when and in which order they were released. We’re here to help you out. The sequence of films is as follows:

Phase One Iron Man (2008) The Incredible Hulk (2008) Iron Man 2 (2010) Thor (2011) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) The Avengers (2012)

KAREN Gillan as Nebula and Don Cheadle as War Machine. this will be one of the biggest, if not the biggest and Hulk will come and help them beat Thanos.”

Candi is hoping that the buzz around the Black opening, all around the world. We know somePanther and Spider-Man sequels means that per- one is going to die and that is scary, but I am still excited to see how they are going to put everything haps the majority of the gang will be saved.

“Even though they were whisked away in the last together and end the era.”

Meanwhile, Samuel is also on the “Captain movie we know that they are coming back. What will happen in this movie, I honestly don’t know. I America will die” train.

“I think that Captain America will die and Iron know that they are going to try one last Hail Mary Man will live, but Tony Stark will retire. This to try to bring everyone back.

“The appeal of the MCU,” she said, “is that you movie will mark the end of the era and so you can be sure that Marvel will end it with a bang. This is have grown up with these characters” “It’s so exciting to see these characters you love going to be huge, this has after all been 10 years in so much come to life; it’s just really cool. I know the making. It will be a landmark event.”

THANOS with the Infinity Gauntlet, containing the Infinity Stones.

Phase Two Iron Man 3 (2013) Thor: The Dark World (2013) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Guardians of The Galaxy (2014) Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Ant-Man (2015)

Phase Three Captain America: Civil War (2016) Doctor Strange (2016) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (2017) Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Black Panther (2018) Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018) Captain Marvel (2019)

What are the infinity stones?

THE Infinity Stones are six immensely powerful stone-like objects tied to different aspects of the universe, created by the Cosmic Entities. Each of the stones possess unique capabilities that have been enhanced and altered by various alien civilisations for millennia. There is the Space Stone (blue), the Reality Stone (red), the Power Stone (purple), the Mind Stone (yellow), the Time Stone (green) and the Soul Stone (orange).

The Space Stone, which can create portals in Space, was hidden inside a blue cube called the Tesseract and was first seen in “Captain America: The First Avenger”.

The Reality Stone, a remnant of a singularity that predates the universe, was first seen in “Thor: The Dark World”. At the time it appeared in the form of Aether, a red liquid that can be turned into dark matter.

The Mind Stone, which can control the minds of others, was first seen as a blue orb in Loki’s sceptre in 2012’s “The Avengers”. It then found a new home on Vision’s forehead in “Avengers: Age of Ultron”.

The Power Stone, which bestows immense power on its owner, was accidentally discovered

by Star-Lord (Peter Quill) at the start of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1”.

The Time Stone, which can be used to re-wind or fast-forward time, was discovered by Stephen Strange in the Eye of Agomoto pendant in the library of Kamar-Taj in “Doctor Strange”.

The Soul Stone was the last one to be discovered. In “Infinity War”, Thanos and Gamora travel to the planet Vormir where Red Skull, the villain from the first “Captain America” movie, tells Thanos he must sacrifice someone he loves to attain the stone.

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 26, 2019

film

Avengers 'endgame' is marvel's machine in high gear

The Endgame is here for the Avengers but who will survive?

AVengers endgame | 181 minutes SATISFACTION is a complicated concept in Marvel Land. On the one hand, every morsel of pre-release information is obsessively poured over in feverish anticipation. But by the time the movie is coming out, a sudden hush comes over die-hard fans who, to avoid spoilers, have abandoned their phones, detached from the grid and found a quiet ditch to lay in until the coast is clear and the multiplex is open. It’s an anguished dance between wanting to know everything and nothing, at once. And it never ceases. No Marvel ending (usually) lasts past the credits.

Those fans won’t read this review, but “Avengers: Endgame” will, I suspect, offer them gratification and maybe a welcome moment of respite.

“Endgame” not only answers the cliffhanger of its predecessor — that puny $300 million 156-minute “appetiser” better known as “Infinity War” — but ties together the entire 22-film arc of the Marvel “cinematic universe,” begun with 2008’s “Iron Man.” Generous in humour and sentimentality, Anthony and Joe Russo’s “Endgame” is a full feast of blockbuster-making that, through some time-travelling magic, looks back nostalgically at Marvel’s decade of world domination. This is the Marvel machine working at high gear, in full control of its myth-making powers and uncovering more emotion in its

fictional cosmos than ever before.

It was Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark (Iron Man) who kicked things off for the MCU, and it’s him who opens “Endgame” and most often takes centre stage. Providing even the most basic of plot points in “Endgame” is a fool’s errand, but it’s fair to say that it takes place some time after the rapture caused by the megalomaniac boulder Thanos (Josh Brolin). Having obtained all six of the “infinity stones,” he wiped away 50 percent of Earth’s creatures (and superheroes) at the end of “Infinity War” with the snap of his fingers.

Rather than bask in the extra parking spaces and uncrowded check-out aisles, the survivors have spent the ensuing time in a prolonged state of mourning.

The remaining superheroes are also reeling, ashamed of their defeat. One has turned angry and vengeful, another has grown a beer belly. As nauseating as the aura of momentousness around “Endgame” has been for some, the movie — while certainly not lacking in ominous solemnity — is frequently funny, as the Russos, working from a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, arrange their heroes in fresh pairings and unlikely contexts.

That’s owed sizably to the cast, which sports a number of top-tier comic actors, chief among them Downey Jr., but there’s also the

thankfully prominent Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) and Avengers regulars Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Mark Ruffalo (the Hulk). While Marvel has improved in gender parity (Brie Larson’s recently launched Captain Marvel plays a small but pivotal role here) its cosmos could still use some funny actresses. Can Maya Rudolph, please, be made queen of the galaxy?

But it is at least three clown cars worth of superheroes. Seldom, if ever, have more movie stars been brought together in one place; a film with this kind of collection of talent really can’t help but be decent, at minimum.

Among them: Chris Evans’ Captain America, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, Don Cheadle’s War Machine, Bradley Cooper’s Rocket. Yet the Russos, aided by the film’s ample running time, balance the characters and story lines swiftly and seamlessly.

Somewhere in this juggling act is a little bit of every tone in the Marvel universe: some of the wit of “Iron Man,” a touch of the madcap romp of “The Guardians of the Galaxy,” a smidge of the cosmic saga of “Thor,” and even a little of the resonance of “Black Panther.” More than any of those franchises, “Endgame,” at its best moments, carries the thrill of classic comic-book twists and reversals.

But the main difference is that a dose of finality has finally crept in

to a universe where death is seldom visited on anyone but the bad guys.

“Endgame” will likely be most remembered for its teary goodbyes.

To say who would, of course, invite my own demise. But the send-offs, tender and sincere, capture something about the “Avengers” films.

At their root, they are about family.

Never has that been more apparent than in the daughters, fathers, sons, mothers, sisters, brothers and spouses that populate “Endgame,” making up the connections that bind this fantasy realm — one that, for all its turmoil, is far more unified than ours.

Other farewells are more legitimately sombre. The late Stan Lee here makes his final cameo, and it’s a good one. Lee’s swan song, as much as anything, verifies that “Endgame” marks the end of an era. The conclusion of this chapter in the MCU, of course, won’t last long; Marvel’s assembly lines are already humming. And I suspect it will be some time before we understand just what Marvel has wrought with these movies. At their worst, they are colossal, inhuman products built for a supersized form of binge-watching. At their best, they are grand, mega-sized Hollywood spectacles. It’s not a spoiler to say that “Endgame” verges more on the latter. At least I don’t think so.

By Jake Coyle, AP

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Friday, April 26, 2019

theatre

‘Untitled’ Ringplay Productions’ new play opens tonight

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net

R

ingplay Productions is back with a new play boasting an unusual name with a message. The new piece is called “Untitled” and will be coming to the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts this weekend.

The play aims to offer theatregoers an evening of therapeutic conversations, monologues and short plays – all written by Patricia Francis and J Ben-Hepburn.

The writers said some parts will evoke laughter, while others may cause audience members to self-reflect. However, they hope everyone can find something stimulating in “Untitled” that leads to self-exploration and discovery.

The play opens tonight at 8pm.

There will be additional performances on Saturday and Sunday.

“Untitled” will also play during the following weekend. All performances will be at the Dundas’ Philip A Burrows Blackbox Theatre.

Explaining the title of the play, Ms Francis said it’s easy to get attached to labels and by so doing keep yourself boxed in.

She said many abstract artworks are labelled “Untitled” to give

Actors on stage in ‘Untitled’.

Patricia Francis

the beholder the freedom to take from the piece what they will; what they need.

“Untitled”, she said, is based on the concept that the content of people’s lives and the weight of their expressions are more significant than what they choose to

name an experience, a process or a painting. “Untitled” supports the idea that people all still in the “becoming” stage and sometimes they become something without knowing what to call it.

“It’s the actors’ response and the director’s commitment to the vision.

“It’s also the kaleidoscope of talent, both young and post-young.

“It’s experimental, and true and tempting all at once. If you think the idea of therapy and abstract art in a live stage production is intriguing, it is. Let the intrigue draw you and meet us at the Dundas.

“This one is too colourful and too singular to miss,” said Ms Francis.

The 18-member cast is comprised of both newcomers and veterans. Of the 18, four are students in junior or senior high school. There are also a few actors who participated and excelled in various drama

Photos/ Tara Woodside)

categories in the 2019 E Clement Bethel National Arts Festival.

“The cast is a mix of men, women and children who love theatre and can appreciate its link to artistic expression.

“Marcel T Sherman, an actor and Ringplay’s resident stage manager, is directing this work.

For him, it’s both a joy and a challenge and that’s a great place to be when birthing a new play,” said Ms Francis.

Tickets are $30. For more information, contact 393-3728.

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 26, 2019

drinks

Top of the pops I

T was during a visit to Charlotte, North Carolina, that Mary and Peter Davis first discovered cocktails sold in what they described as “fun little pouches”. This discovery was about to change the couple’s lives.

Peter, who is a bartender by profession, was already at the time trying his hand at creating specialty drinks for friends and family. Inspired by what they had seen in Charlotte, he and Mary realised it is easier for people to walk around at festivals and fairs with their drinks in a pouch or plastic bag. That way, they wouldn’t have to worry about spilling their beverage as they would with a cup or glass.

With a lot of encouragement from loved ones, the couple were soon creating their drink pouches for all Bahamians to enjoy, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Today, their company, Island Pops, offers a wide variety of juice and cocktail pouch beverages, as well as popsicles.

Gallon-sized drinks are offered for party events, weddings and showers.

Since launching last year, the Davis’ have expanded their brand to include the flavours Sky Juice, Red Dragon, Hennessy Passion, Pick Me Up, Fruit Punch, Blue Margarita, and Hulk.

To promote their new company, the duo have been appearing at popular festivals.

Island Pops show up at festivals and fairs to delight Bahamians with their signature brand of cocktails in a pouch.

“By far my two most memorable moments were at this year’s Red Cross Fair where a toddler of about three years old begged his grandfather for a ‘Hulk’. Hulk is popular green drink from our kid’s line. After he received the drink and took a sip, he flexed his muscles and told his grandfather, ‘Look, Papa, I have muscles. I’m Hulk’,” said Mary.

“My other memorable moment was at the Nassau Night Market where a guy came to purchase our Hennessy Passion. He was doubtful and said he knew this drink was light.

When he tasted the drink, he said ‘aheee’ and broke off running down the street. He came back smiling and said, ‘Boy, this right.’ And he has been a return customer ever since then. Those are the moments that we continue to strive for.”

The Davis’ said they are looking forward to adding more diverse line of products that is reflective of true Bahamian culture that caters to adults and children.

“We have realised it’s a lot of hard work, you have no knock-off time, and you must keep pushing in order to reach your goal. Also, starting a new business in today’s society, you can get discouraged as new companies are not easily accepted. Luckily, our reception has been positive which has made the journey more inspiring and all worth the effort. You have to build your brand and constantly promote yourself. Consistency is key, but customer service is equally as important,” said Mary.

She believes it is important to have “grit” in this business, but also to have the ability to keep things light-hearted when they become too overwhelming. With both and her Peter having full-time jobs – Mary being a professional accountant – she said it can sometimes be a challenge to find time to ensure the success of Island Pops, but they are determined “He is the mixologist and I’m the manager, marketing manager, accountant, customer service rep. We love putting smiles on people faces.

The most exciting thing about this journey has been the positive reception by the people. When someone takes a sip of one of our drinks and says, ‘Ahhh, this right’, that makes it worth it’s while. Also, you get to meet new and exciting people who are just looking for something different,” she said.

Mary names her mother as being her biggest inspiration.

“She has done so many great things that make me want to be like her.

Eighty-five years of age with one leg and she is still going strong. She still cooks and bakes and does whatever you ask of her. She has worked hard as an entrepreneur all her life while raising nine children. She worked tirelessly and consistently to ensure we had everything we needed...She has thought me to never give up and you can do anything once you work hard and stick to it,” she said.

To check out Island Pops and where they will show up next, visit the company’s Facebook page.

The Tribune | Weekend | 13

Friday, April 26, 2019

celebrity

“Avengers: endgame” Premiere

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

SPLIT

HIT

SPLIT

HIT

FAIL

Brie Larson (Captain Marvel)

Danai Gurira (Okoye)

Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch)

Karen Gillan (Nebula)

Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie)

Karin says: “I’m disappointed that she chose such a simple gown for such a big event.

She’s been wearing some fab outfits to other events in recent weeks, so why not this one? This dress is just fine. It’s a lavender silk slip dress; nothing to write home about.”

Cara says: “I do like the soft lavender colour, and her make-up is lovely. I also like the style of dress; it tries to have a little bit of flair with the slight ruching – that saves it from being the same slip dress with a spilt we have seen a million times before.”

Karin says: “Yes, finally some bold colours for Danai! She looks amazing in this, and you can tell she’s feeling the dress.

The cut of the gown, with the deep plunge, and the bight fuchsia colour are absolutely perfect for her. Brava!”

Cara says: “I, too, am loving the colour. I don’t think I have ever seen her rocking fuchsia before and this hair is very different for her. My one problem is that the straps could be a little more fitted, but other than that I really like the look.”

Karin says: “Wow, she sure looks different with bangs... and older. The dress is not hideous, but it’s nothing special either. It’s not very designer or very haute couture. I’m sure you could find a cheap knock-off at Kohl’s if you so desired.”

Cara says: “I think it’s cute in a just all right kinda of way.

It doesn’t blow me away, but I love the subtle sparkle in the fabric and I do like her bangs and hair. She’s not winning any ‘best dressed’ lists, but she’s not on the ‘worst dressed’ either.”

Karin says: “This is how you make a splash! Yes, I normally hate fringes and plastic platelets and the like, but this is so well thought out. Right down to her shoes and red lipstick.

It’s bold, brash and stylish, and it definitely makes and impression. Love it!”

Cara says: “At first glance, I was like, ‘What is this girl wearing?’ But after a few more glances... yes, I like it, even though she got attacked by fringe; it’s a very stylish look. I am a huge bow fan and so she gets points from me for rocking her bows differently on her shoes. I wonder if I am brave enough to try that.”

Karin says: “This dress looks like it’s having an identity crises. There is some sort of pattern (celestial bodies by the looks of it), but it kinda wants to hide away on the side and the back of the dress. Then there is the bandeau/bra top, but the designer also wanted a high panel up to her neck.

And why not add some pockets while we’re at it? Mess.”

Cara says: “This one of the those dresses that on paper and in the designer’s mind seem like a great idea. But then someone actually wears it on the red carpet and you see that it doesn’t quite translate in reality. It’s all just a bit weird to me.”

Photos: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

The Weekend Fashion Report

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 26, 2019

celebrity “Avengers: endgame” Premiere

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

FAIL

FAIL

SPLIT

SPLIT

SPLIT

Evangeline Lilly (The Wasp)

Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow)

Letitia Wright (Shuri)

Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts)

Zoe Saldana (Gamora)

Karin says: “OK, so she was going for the oversized PJ/ lounge suit look. I’m not sure that concept ever really works.

And here, well, the colour is pretty, but what is that waistband? She ends up looking like a wannabe Hugh Hefner.”

Cara says: “She definitely played it safe with this pantsuit, but what I don’t get is why is it’s so shapeless and why does her waistband look like a crumpled red paper bag. I really dislike it. She just doesn’t pull it off in any way.”

Karin says: “She looks a bit like a boozy housewife out on the town looking for a good time. It’s not necessarily a bad look, but it is kinda ‘blah’. I guess she was going for simple, yet sparkly. However, she commits a cardinal sin in my book by wearing so much gold jewellery with a strictly silver dress. It just doesn’t match.”

Cara says: “This is another look I’m not really feeling.

The dress is a bit snug, no?

It also seems a bit boring as though she thought the sequins would be enough to carry it off. I’ve seen her look a lot more glam than this. I do really like her ring/bracelet combo though.”

Karin says: “She’s so skinny, so I’m sure this pantsuit is like a size 0, but somehow it still manages to look too big on her. It’s an attractive pantsuits, I just don’t think it’s the right choice for a red, or in this case, purple carpet. She also needed some bling; a necklace or some dangling earrings.”

Cara says: “Now I do like this pantsuit; at least it seems a bit more tailored than Evangeline’s. But again it’s not a look I’m obsessed with. Wish she’d gone for more and bigger jewellery.”

Karin says: “I normally dislike the jacket/shirt as a dress concept, but Gwyneth is working it (I guess her long legs do most of the job). I really like the optics of this. The solid black, right up to the neck, and then the bare legs and loose blond hair.”

Cara says: “I know the look she is going for, but I still can’t help asking, where is the rest off the outfit? So even though I like what she does have on, it feels a bit unfinished to me.

Even a teensy, tiny mini skirt would have helped.”

Karin says: “Where to start? (that’s probably what the designer said to himself as well). OMG there is peplum, pleats, asymmetrical sleeves and half a silver collar. It’s a schizophrenic dress. And it’s also hideous.”

Cara says: “Ohh, I love it! It’s so different and the colour is super lovely. It’s such a fun gown and I think she looks comfy yet glam in it. The jewelled collar, the bell sleeve..

I like it all...all the crazy elements.”

Photos: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

The Weekend Fashion Report

The Tribune | Weekend | 17

Friday, April 26, 2019

books

New releases hitting shelves this week Fumbled by Alexa Martin

The Missing Years by Lexie Elliott

Single-mother Poppy Patterson moved across the country when she was 16 and pregnant to find a new normal.

After years of hard work, she’s built a life she loves. It may include a job at a nightclub, weekend soccer games, and more stretch marks than she anticipated, but it’s all hers, and nobody can take that away. Well, except for one person.

TK Moore, the starting wide receiver for the Denver Mustangs, dreamt his entire life about being in the NFL. His world is football, parties, and women. Maybe at one point he thought his future would play out with his high school sweetheart by his side, but Poppy is long gone and he’s moved on.

When Poppy and TK cross paths in the most unlikely of places, emotions they’ve suppressed for years come rushing back. But with all the secrets they never told each other lying between them, they’ll need more than a dating playbook to help them navigate their relationship.

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth From the moment Lucy met her husband’s mother, she knew she wasn’t the wife Diana had envisioned for her perfect son. Exquisitely polite, friendly, and always generous, Diana nonetheless kept Lucy at arm’s length despite her desperate attempts to win her over. And as a pillar in the community, an advocate for female refugees, and a woman happily married for decades, no one had a bad word to say about Diana…except Lucy.

That was five years ago. Now, Diana is dead, a suicide note found near her body claiming that she longer wanted to live because of the

Ailsa Calder has inherited half of a house. The other half belongs to a man who disappeared without a trace 27 years ago – her father.

Leaving London behind to settle the inheritance from her mother’s estate, Ailsa returns to her childhood home, nestled amongst the craggy peaks of the Scottish Highlands, joined by the half-sister who’s almost a stranger to her.

Ailsa can’t escape the claustrophobic feeling that the house itself is watching her - as if her past hungers to consume her.

She also can’t ignore how the neighbourhood animals refuse to set one foot within the gates of the garden.

When the first nighttime intruder shows up, Ailsa fears that the manor’s careless rugged beauty could cost her everything

Hide and Seek by Mary Burton

cancer wreaking havoc inside her body. But the autopsy finds no cancer.

It does find traces of poison, and evidence of suffocation. Who could possibly want Diana dead? Why was

her will changed at the eleventh hour to disinherit both of her children, and their spouses? And what does it mean that Lucy isn’t exactly sad she’s gone?

She’s hunting. He’s watching.

Special Agent Macy Crow is a survivor. After a vicious hit-and-run nearly kills her, she gets right back to work, and now she’s gunning for a spot on the FBI’s elite profiling team. As an audition, she offers to investigate the recently discovered bones of Tobi Turner, a high school girl who disappeared fifteen years ago.

While investigating with local sheriff Mike Nevada, a former colleague and onetime lover, Macy discovers a link between Tobi’s case and several others that occurred around the same time as her disappearance.

As Macy interviews victims and examines old cases, she uncovers a sinister picture of a stalker who graduated to sexual assault — and then murder.

18 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 26, 2019

carnival

Fete in Paradise

C

ARNIVAL is coming to Nassau in May for what is being touted as one epic weekend of entertainment. BTC’s “Mas in Paradise” will feature soca stars Machel Montano and Bunji Garlin, as well as 15 other special guests who are all expected to bring dancehall to Clifford Park in a big way.

“This show will take the audience on a far-out flight around the Caribbean and back,” said Jayde Knowles, the event’s public relations correspondent. There will be three nights and five events of entertainment.

In addition to the food village, there will two sections in which to party – a wet section and a dry one.

On Friday and Saturday night, revellers will have the option to party in the dry section and enjoy the concert lineup. Or they can fete in the wet, J’ouvert section, the Kalik Light Foam Pit, and enjoy the sounds from some of the hottest deejays from the Bahamas, Trinidad and Jamaica.

“For us, it’s more than just a concert, it is an experience. We provide every Bahamian the opportunity to experience a calibre of amazing talent from around the Caribbean on one stage, a Bahamian stage, overlooking our beautiful beaches. This kind of atmosphere isn’t offered anywhere else,” said Ms Knowles.

The three days of non-stop party kick off on Friday, May 3. Hitting the stage for the “Insomnia” event will be Bunji Garlin, Kes the Band, Patrice Roberts, Dexta Daps, Voice, Sketch Carey, Rik Carey and Benji.

Then on Saturday, May 4, it’s time for the Road Fever march in the day (from the national stadium to Arawak Cay) and “Amnesia” in the night.

On the main stage concert-goers will see Machel Montano, Farmer Nappy, Swappi, Problem Child, Shal Mashall, Teddyson, DMac, Mdeez and Fanshawn. Top soca deejays spinning tunes include Willy Chin, Close Connections, Dr Esan, DJ Bravo, Tank, and many more local deejays.

The weekend ends on Sunday, May 5, with “Unleash”, “the hypest cooler fete of the year,” said Ms Knowles.

“Unleash” will take place on Arawak Cay. “We are bringing an entire new meaning to feting on the beach. All of your favourite deejays will be taking the stage to the extreme.”

Participating road march groups this year include the Bahamas Masqueraders, Karisma, Euphoria Madness, Enigma, Barabbas, Xtreme, Hynotic Mas Band, Reckless, Island Rhythms, Feeling Fete-ish.

Tickets for are $40 for general admission on Friday and Saturday, and $60 for VIP. Sunday tickets are $20 for general admission and $30 for VIP. Weekend passes are $90 for general admission and $140 for VIP. For more information, visit www.carnivalbahamas.com.

Machel Montano is pictured performing at the Bahamas Carnival Concert at Clifford Park.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune Staff

The Tribune | Weekend | 19

Friday, April 26, 2019

gardening

PESKY PEsTS The tomato hornworm will devastate tomato plants if not stopped.

AS CONDITions grow warmer, we will notice much more insect activity in our gardens, says Jack Hardy

M

OSQUITOES and sandflies will go out of their way to ensure you notice them, but many others just seem to appear in greater numbers.

Most of these insects will not touch whatever we are growing in our yards, but the

few that do enjoy eating or destroying our plants need our attention – and action.

Just about all flying and crawling insects can be dissuaded from attacking our plants by using a soap solution to spray the plants.

Homo sapiens are the high point of creation or evolution, whichever you prefer.

With our opposable thumbs, jaw structure to allow speech, and wonderful brain, we are the monarchs of nature.

There is something in our make-up, however, that does not always allow us to do the obvious things for our own benefit.

If we see a product that claims to increase the gas efficiency of our cars we immediately snap it up. By far the best way to increase gas mileage is to check our tyre pressure every couple of weeks and keep it at the manufacturer’s psi figure. We all know this, but how many of us wait until we see a considerably low tyre before taking action? The same applies to using soap solution to deter bugs. It is too ordinary, too simple. We would rather spend many dollars on insecticides that promise quick kill.

Any type of sprayer will work to apply soap solution

and the strength of the solution is not critical. I find it best to use liquid hand soap for convenience (not dish washing liquid) but you can also get rid of those slivers cluttering up your bathroom soap dish by plopping them into warm water and shaking. The cost is negligible but the effects are considerable.

We are fortunate to live on islands where the insect life has existed for millennia and feeds (and breeds) on local flora. This means that caterpillars, by and large, do not interfere with our veggies.

We get seasonal invasions that can be quite stunning such as the black and white hooped caterpillars that love to strip frangipani shrubs and trees. What should you do if you have an invasion?

Well, you could let them walk onto your finger and trek up your arm and feel at one with nature. You can photograph them. You could move a few to a Bridal Bouquet frangipani that they have apparently missed. Do what you like, but do not kill them. Yes, they will leave your shrubs in tatters but a month later all leaves will have grown back. The lovely Attala hairstreak butterfly lays its eggs on zamia plants.

When the caterpillars hatch,

do not touch them because their hairs sting.

The most noticeable exception to the benign nature of caterpillars is the tomato hornworm, a giant of a green caterpillar with a spike near its rear end. A couple of hornworms can devastate a tomato plant and its fruits in very short order and need to be stopped.

You can pick them off and stamp on them but if you really musty spend money to eradicate them there is Bacillus thurigensis – sold under the trade name Thuricide or Dipel - that kills caterpillars and only caterpillars.

Snails and slugs do far more damage and are often a gardener’s worst pests. There are poison pellets that do a good job of protecting your lettuce beds and are harmless to birds, and these are handy for a quick solution. Have you heard about the albino crocodiles that infested the sewers of New York? It did not happen and is urban myth.

Have you heard about killing snails by putting out dishes of beer that attract them, intoxicate them, and cause them to fall into the beer and drown?

This is rural myth. It does not happen. Well, now and then you will get a stupid snail, but by and large this famed advice is useless.

The way to get rid of snails and slugs in substantial numbers is to give them a sheltered place to rest during the day after they have eaten

all night long. Take four rocks about two inches in diameter and place a slab of plywood about the size of a large breadboard on them to form a shelter. Do this under shrubs and near walls in a quiet shady spot. After a week or two you can remove the plywood and start counting the snails. Pick them up one by one and deposit them into a disposable plastic receptacle such as an instant coffee container. Replace the lid and throw the snails into the trash. Replace the plywood as a daytime refuge for more snails and slugs. If your garden is large or compartmentalised, you can set out several snail shelters. Keep going until no snails check in.

I have not had an ant nest in my garden for years.

There used to be plenty and I tried many well-advertised solutions. The one that worked was club soda. Pour a litre of the ultimate fizziness into a nest and retire.

If a new nest appears, treat it too. Club soda works by producing carbon dioxide which is heavier than air and sinks through the nest’s substantial structure. Ants breathe oxygen through their exoskeleton and have no defence. Sure, a few ants near the top part of the nest will always survive but once the queen ant is dead the survivors become aimless.

Just as with champagne, the more expensive club soda will be the fizziest – and deadliest.

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

20 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 26, 2019

style

Samba sol grows its bahamas collection Trendy flip flops made with biodegradable rubber AN international flip-flop brand is infusing more Bahamian flair into its colourful collection of environmentally friendly footwear which is designed in Miami and made in Brazil.

Samba Sol, which debuted in the local market in 2017, has expanded its footprint to include “Bahamas green”, a nod to the country’s lush foliage, and its Junkanoo-inspired sandals paying homage to the nation’s premier cultural event.

It brings the number of fashion products offered in its Bahamas Country Collection to three. The new designs are set to debut this summer.

“Since launching in The Bahamas two years ago there has been no shortage of consumers embracing the brand. Leading resorts have partnered with us for custom collaborations for retail sale or as amenities for VIPs and we have connected with Bahamians who want to demonstrate their national pride with our Bahamas flag flip flops,” said Beau Beasley, Samba Sol’s director of sales and marketing.

“To see a new market wholeheartedly embrace our footwear is enormously gratifying for our company. People are demanding more from shoe companies beyond style, comfort and durability.

“We believe that people want footwear that is natural, recyclable and utilises an ecoconscious manufacturing process. Having leading resorts such as Atlantis, Baha Mar and Albany come onboard confirms that we are on the right path.”

Inspired by the sun and the beach, Samba Sol’s trendy flip flops are made with 100 percent recycled, biodegradable Brazilian rubber called bio rubber, which decomposes in five years, compared to the seven centuries it takes synthetic rubber to break down.

Moreover, the company, led by CEO Carrie Johnson, strives to show respect for the planet in reusing all its waste.

“This is definitely a growth market for us, and we’re fully committed to bringing exciting, new offerings to a fresh crop of customers,” said Mr Beasley.

THE LATEST Samba Sol styles inspired by Junkanoo and the Bahamas’ lush green foliage.

The Tribune | Weekend | 21

Friday, April 26, 2019

style

Sewing her way to

success

BY ALESHA CADET TRIBUNE FEATURES REPORTER ACADET@TRIBUNEMEDIA.NET

W

ITH apps like Pinterest and websites like Etsy enjoying popularity like never before, the demand for handmade, homemade items is great, and growing daily. It’s a trend that Bahamians have embraced eagerly, even in remote places.

Thanks to the internet, anyone anywhere can share their talents with the world.

And doing just that is Long Islander Miriam Darville. In January, after experimenting on her sewing machine, she felt confident enough in her work to start a homebased bags and accessories business called Mim’s Designs.

“I was so pleased with how well and pretty the items (turned out), I decided to post them on my Facebook page as I was very proud of what I was able to do. I received many comments, responses and requests for me to make bags for people that I acquired a home-based business licence which allows me to sell bags out of my house,” Miriam told Tribune Weekend.

She started with cosmetic bags and has since then grown to include beach totes, messenger bags, laptop bags, eye glass and lipstick cases, Christmas stockings, and more – all available in Petty’s, Long Island.

“I got this idea after seeing some bags at a local store and realised that I had the ability to produce the same or even a better product. My motivation comes from the response and the appreciation I get from my clients. I am able to work with my clients on any special request,” she said.

Miriam describes her pieces as original, authentic, Bahamian and

handmade. Moreover, she said they are very durable and are lined with pockets. She works mainly with Bahama Hand Prints and Androsian prints.

“My logo is on all my pieces, which makes them unique. The feedback is always positive and encouraging me to continue...I often get requests for special materials and colours and styles.

“Again, there is always good feedback from Bahamians and foreigners. My most memorable client experience was when a teacher of mine saw my work in a local store and was so impressed that she actually came to my house and purchased a number of products from me...and has come back again and again to purchase bags for her friends and family,” she said.

Miriam is looking forward to one day opening a small store to display her wares.

“I also have purchased an embroidery machine which will allow to personalise my products/bags with your name or company. I also want to increase my styles in the upcoming months, adding more products,” said Miriam.

22 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 26, 2019

history

A light-hearted look at our islands’ roads

FORGOTTEN FACTS PAUL C ARANHA

C

AN you imagine driving along East Bay Street and the Eastern Road between 5pm and 7pm without a traffic jam? Before the 1950s that would have been the norm.

My first visit to an Out Island was in 1947, when my sister and I took the mail boat to Bimini, as the guests of Mr and Mrs Engler, the founder of Englerston. We got a close-up view of a manta ray (in those days, they were commonly called devil rays), but never saw a car.

Fast-forward about 30 years, when I flew some policemen to South Bimini, where we took the ferry to Alice Town on North Bimini. There were quite a few cars, trucks and golf carts, and a fair amount of traffic congestion. The police car was broken down, so we rode to Bailey Town and back holding onto the back of the fire engine.

In 1948, I spent the summer in Exuma, where I rode in Max Bowe’s “Red Devil”, a big ex-military truck called a “carry-all that Max had bought from the Royal Air Force.

Nigel Bowe and I sat on the front fenders, so we could jump down and run to open the numerous gates that blocked the road. Their purpose was to stop cattle straying from one estate to the neighbouring property.

There must have been a few other vehicles, but I don’t remember any.

In the mid-1950s I was back in Georgetown, riding in a taxi to get to Max Bowe’s Forest Estate. The driver never stuck to the left side of the road and went around numerous bends on the right (or wrong) side of the road. Fearing a head-on collision, I asked him to keep to the left, lest he collide with another vehicle.

He told me that one vehicle was in Georgetown, another was broken down and the third was on Little

Clarence Town, Long Island, was originally called Great Harbour.

“Spanish Wells had no cars when I paid my first visit around 1960, so we toured the whole settlement on foot, taking note of how to get back to the restaurant for our midday meal.”

New Plymouth on Green Turtle Cay, Abaco.

Exuma, so a head-on collision was impossible.

About this same time, I made frequent trips to Eleuthera, always renting a self-drive car from Cookie Cates at Rock Sound Airport to travel up the island, often as far Hatchet Bay (about 45 miles). There was no Glass Window Bridge in those days, so one could not drive to places like the Bluff, Upper Bogue, Lower Bogue and The Currant, but

I did occasionally visit The Cove/ Gregory Town (about 50 miles).

Yes, there were other cars on the road, but for long stretches mine was often the only one in sight. The Queen’s Highway ran right across Arthur Vining Davis’ runway at Rock Sound and the telephone lines on the side of the road were something to remember. At one time they must have connected the various settlements, but the poles were made

of casuarina trees, which obviously tasted good to the termites, because most of them had been eaten away just above ground level. In a few places, the wires were actually holding up the termite-eaten pole.

I just spent a week in Eleuthera – attending the annual “All That Jazz” festival – where there are now lots of cars and trucks, but no traffic jams, because the island is so much bigger than New Providence. There were still stretches where we were the only car in sight.

The Tribune | Weekend | 23

Friday, April 26, 2019

history Spanish Wells had no cars when I paid my first visit around 1960, so we toured the whole settlement on foot, taking note of how to get back to the restaurant for our midday meal.

When we went there at noon, the restaurant was full, but the door was locked, so I stuck my head through a side window and asked to be let in, only to be told, “Sorry! We’re closed for lunch.”

Dunmore Town, on Harbour Island, used to be a pristine settlement before the advent of motor cars and golf carts. Nowadays, it is crowded with countless golf carts and lots of motor vehicles. Traffic congestion is common. Like many of our islands, it is also a victim of “Bahamian landscaping”, meaning that roadsides and people’s yards are littered with ugly abandoned vehicles.

In 1977, I went to Crossing Rocks, Abaco, and was surprised to learn that there was a new road, connecting the settlement to Marsh Harbour.

Crossing Rocks boasted one truck, but the owner and his truck had gone to Marsh Harbour. The whole populace turned out to watch my helicopter land and wanted to know if we had seen their truck. We had not. They were desperate to get a very sick patient to the doctor in Marsh Harbour and I offered to take her (for free), but she refused to be taken anywhere near the helicopter.

For several years, Norman’s Cay was occupied by a drug cartel and off-limits to legitimate pilots flying the islands. When the drug people were chased away, the police posted officers on the cay. They lived at the edge of the runway, in a former hotel, and had only one car with which to patrol the island. It was fascinating to fly over Norman’s Cay and watch the police patrol, driving all over the island backwards because the transmission was stuck in reverse.

In South Andros there was no airport, so we used to land small planes on the Long Bay Cay beach at low tide. If the plane had to wait for a long time, it was dragged into the beach-side graveyard to protect it from the salt water and to wait for the next low tide. A Mr Shepherd built a house at Long Bay Cay and later added a landing strip. He also had the only motor vehicle on the island and its driver was constantly stopping for hitchhikers, who had nowhere to go, but wanted to ride in a truck. Many of them were “elderly” people who would get off the truck and run back to where they had been picked up.

The Fort Montagu Hotel in Nassau on East Bay Street in the 1920s.

Government built an airstrip at Ragged Island and a road to connect it to Duncan Town, about 1 ½ miles away.

My first trip to Ragged Island was for the Flying Doctor service and we had to walk to “the capital”.

On my next trip, I carried some policemen for an investigation and we were delighted to be picked up by the only car on the island. It had been sent there from Long Island for a “state visit” by the Governor General, Sir Milo Butler.

The police had a dead body to take to Nassau and it was placed on the back seat of that only car, but the rear doors could not be closed, so the policemen and I walked behind the car, followed by every man, woman and child on the island – all 104 of them.

Long Island has more road than cars, but whenever a freight boat comes in, the vehicles come out en masse and look very much like a traffic jam.

Rum Cay was an unspoiled spot with no cars, and the local constable, Ted Bain, amused my passengers and me when he turned up at the airstrip riding on his donkey.

But let’s not forget that when Peter Henry Bruce arrived from England to build Fort Montagu there were no wheeled-vehicles on New Providence at all.

Hope Town on Elbow Cay, Abaco

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

Alice Town in North Bimini.

24 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 26, 2019

literary lives – frederick douglass

from slavery to abolitionist visionary Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about an escaped american slave who became an inspiring prominent activist, author and public speaker in the 1840S.

FREDERICK Douglass was born into slavery around 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland. His mother was a Native American, and his father a white man of African and European descent – and perhaps even the owner of the plantation on which he was born. He was taken away from his mother, Harriet Bailey, when he was very young.

“I never saw my mother, to know her as such, more than four or five times in my life, and each of these was very short in duration, and at night.”

– Frederick Douglass, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, 1845” Douglass was actually born Frederick Bailey (his mother’s name) and took the name of Douglass only after he escaped. After he was separated from his mother he lived for a time with his maternal grandmother. When he was six years old

he was taken away again to live and work on the Wye House plantation in Maryland. From there Douglass was “given” to Lucretia Auld, whose husband, Thomas, sent him to work with his brother Hugh in Baltimore.

Douglass related that Hugh Auld’s wife Sophia was responsible for teaching Douglass the alphabet, after which he taught himself to read and to write. From there he was hired out to work with William Freeland and he began to teach other slaves to read, using the Bible. Hugh Auld knew that teaching a slave to read was both dangerous and illegal, and he angrily stopped his wife’s lessons.

But it determined the future life of Frederick Douglass.

“Though conscious of the difficulty of learning without a teacher, I set out with high hope, and a fixed purpose, at whatever cost of trouble, to learn how to read. The very decided manner with which he spoke, and strove to impress his wife with the evil consequences of giving me instruction, served to convince me that he was deeply sensible of the truths he was uttering. It gave me the best assurance that I might rely with the utmost confidence on the results which, he said, would flow from teaching me to read. What he most dreaded, that I most desired.”

When word got out that Frederick Douglass was actually teaching other slaves to read and write, Thomas Auld took back possession of him and hired him out to a man called Edward Covey who had a reputation for treating slaves brutally. Douglass was only 16 years old at the time and he was whipped regularly by Covey – without cause. He was made to drink the bitterest dregs of slavery, and had to beg and steal to have enough to eat.

“Douglass soon rose up against Covey and eventually escaped to the North – although in his book he

doesn’t disclose how, since and he refused Anna to risk shutDouglass ting ‘the moved to slightest avenue New Bedford, by which a brother Massachuslave might clear himself of the Frederick Douglass in his late 20s, circa 1847 setts, where they met chains and fetNathan and ters of slavery.”

– James Mustich, “1,000 Books to Mary Johnson. It was the Johnsons who convinced the couple to take the Read Before you Die” Douglass, after several failed new surname of Douglass, after the attempts to escape, finally left Cov- character in Sir Walter Scott’s poem ey’s farm in 1838, first boarding a “The Lady of the Lake”.

In New Bedford, Frederick Doutrain to Havre de Grace in Maryland.

From there he travelled through Del- glass began attending meetings of aware (another slave state) before the Abolitionist Movement – where arriving in New York at the house he was exposed to the writings of of the abolitionist David Ruggles. abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison.

When he was settled, he sent for They met when speaking at an aboAnna Murray, a free black woman litionist meeting and it was Garrison from Baltimore whom he had met who inspired Douglass to become a while in captivity with the Aulds. speaker and leader in the abolitionist They were finally reunited and were movement.

“Douglass’s ‘Narrative of the Life married in September 1838. They of Frederick Douglass, an American had five children together.

After their marriage, Frederick Slave’ was not the first account by

The Tribune | Weekend | 25

Friday, April 26, 2019

the former American slave of life in presidential election.

In the troublesome reconstruction bondage, but it was undoubtedly the most influential. It was such a suc- era following the Civil War, Douglass cess, in fact, that Douglass briefly served in several official government fled to Britain amid fears he could positions and was the first black be recaptured. While in Britain he man to hold an ambassadorial position when he was able to raise was appointed funds - $710.96 Ambassador – to purchase his to the Dominiemancipation.” – can Republic.

James Mustich, He changed his “1,000 Books to political supRead Before you port again in the Die” 1868 presidential Douglass’s election when journey to Brithe supported ain was in 1847 the Republican – two years after former Union the release of the General Ulysses most famous of S Grant, who his autobiograhad vowed to phies. Before he take a hard line left, Douglass’ against the white hand was broken supremacistin a particularly led insurgencies brutal attack on in the post-war him in Pendleton, Anna Murray-Douglass, South.

Grant Indiana. He never Douglass’s wife for 44 years, oversaw the pasregained the use portrait circa 1860. sage of the Civil of his hand.

Rights Act of On returning 1871. to the United Douglass’s wife Anna died in States, Douglass published his own abolitionist newsletter, the North 1882. He remarried the white activist Star, which would also champion the Helen Pitts two years later.

Douglass wrote further autorights of women.

“In this denial of the right to partic- biographical works covering his ipate in Government, not merely the experiences during and after the degradation of woman and the per- Civil War, but his original “Narrative petuation of a great injustice happens, of the Life of Frederick Douglass” but the maiming and repudiation of is his most important literary legacy. one-half of the moral and intellec- He remained active as a speaker, tual power of the Government of the writer and activist until his death in 1895, suffering a heart attack after world.” – Frederick Douglass, 1848 The newsletter’s name was speaking at the National Council of changed to Frederick Douglass’s Women – a women’s rights group.

Frederick Douglass remains a Paper in 1851, and was published until 1860, just before the start of the compelling inspiration to those who still fight against racial injustice and Civil War. Douglass continued to speak and who have the courage and character work tirelessly for the abolition to fight for equality and a just society.

NEXT WEEK: A Russian writer of slavery during the brutal Civil War conflict which divided the who is regarded as one of the greatyoung United States. He supported est authors of all time.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the President Abraham Lincoln after the Emancipation Proclamation author of “The Last Colonial”. He in 1863 – which effectively ended acknowledges that he has quoted the practice of slavery, but he fell liberally from Wikipedia; Encyout with Lincoln when he didn’t clopaedia Britannica; “Frederick use the proclamation to grant ex- Douglass: Prophet of Freedom” by slaves the right to vote – especially David Blight; “Narrative of the Life as they had fought the bitter war of Frederick Douglass, an American with the Union Army against the Slave” by Frederick Douglas, and South. He supported the Demo- “1,000 Books to Read Before You cratic Party candidate in the 1864 Die” by James Mustich.

Frederick Douglass after 1884 with his second wife, Helen Pitts Douglass (sitting). The woman standing is her sister, Eva pitts.

Poster from the Office of War Information, Domestic Operations Branch, News Bureau

Target times: Average: 18 mins Good: 14 mins Excellent: 10 mins Yesterday’s solution: rodeo (across) drinK (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

CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 Study discipline in a moral sense (10) 6 Fruit that grows feathers with age (4) 10 A song from Cyril (5) 11 Peevishness I shall shortly moderate (3,6) 12 Yet he stands at the head of the board (8) 13 Erect a place to live in the Mediterranean (5) 15 Conduct unusual in a Scot (7) 17 Soaked in the deepest concoction (7) 19 Presumably they have good reasons for being late (7) 21 Control may rest in the wrong position (7) 22 Deck or dock (5) 24 Authorise credit on account (8) 27 Billy took forty winks that’s novel (9) 28 Italian city in sea storm (5) 29 Regretted being audibly discourteous (4) 30 Wind instrument (10)

Down 1 Gun may be mounted (4) 2 A leading light in astronomy (5,4) 3 Naturally they raise awkward points in public activities (5) 4 Megan is confused by riddles (7) 5 Date for Roman candles to be ordered (7) 7 Failure in circuits, it’s said (5) 8 When goods are sold out (6,4) 9 Young trainers coming from the races (8) 14 His boss gets outside jobs for him (10) 16 Games period (8) 18 As the top man at this moment I should be inside (9) 20 Increase keenness? (7) 21 Roadmaker sees woman about the bill (7) 23 Deposit for a house (5) 25 A course that may have salt added (5) 26 Quite good show (4)

Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Time-lag, 5 Topic, 8 Extremist, 9 Emu, 10 Dock, 12 Eventual, 14 Candid, 15 Purify, 17 Actually, 18 Term, 21 Spa, 22 In the wind, 24 Canny, 25 Dilemma.

Down: 1 Tread, 2 Met, 3 Leek, 4 Grieve, 5 Titanium, 6 Prejudice, 7 Cruelty, 11 Constrain, 13 Hilarity, 14 Classic, 16 Elated, 19 Media, 20 Deal, 23 Ism.

E U T l i D

stucK? call FOr a clue

Across: 1 Traffic, 5 About, 8 Appraiser, 9 Fed, 10 Tide, 12 Prospero, 14 Malice, 15 Little, 17 Regional, 18 Lees, 21 Own, 22 Apologise, 24 Irene, 25 Rattled.

Down: 1 Toast, 2 Asp, 3 Flan, 4 Castro, 5 Acrostic, 6 Off-centre, 7 Tadpole, 11 Diligence, 13 Accolade, 14 Marconi, 16 Favour, 19 Steed, 20 Foot, 23 Ill.

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 Freed from blame (3,3,4) 6 Unaccompanied (4) 10 Of the ear (5) 11 Innocent (9) 12 To abuse (8) 13 Rubbish (5) 15 Make ready (7) 17 Unquestionable (7) 19 Spontaneous (7) 21 Sad (7) 22 Widespread destruction (5) 24 Mountaineering (8) 27 Arrest (9) 28 Depart (5) 29 Underdone (4) 30 Submerged (10)

Down 1 Arabian sultanate (4) 2 The heavens (9) 3 English composer (5) 4 Cleanliness (7) 5 Left out (7) 7 Final Greek letter (5) 8 Punctually (2,8) 9 Perpendicular (8) 14 Not yet decided (2,2,3,3) 16 Plane’s propeller (8) 18 Person accused (9) 20 Reading desk (7) 21 Waste away (7) 23 Venomous snake (5) 25 Farther on in the text (5) 26 Expensive (4)

21st sOlutION Century

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The Tribune | Weekend | 27

Friday, April 26, 2019

animals

A curly-tailed visitor Animal matters | KIM ARANHA

pet of the week

A FEW months ago, I thought I had a new friend in my garage. Every day, I would see this very handsome curly-tailed lizard. He would run across the garage floor and disappear into one of the cupboards in the corner where the gardening tools are kept.

For a while, I saw a younger one hanging around on the path in front of the garage doors, but as suddenly as they appeared, they disappeared. Poof, no more curly-tails to be seen, only those rather bug-eyed, quasitranslucent geckos who appear to have taken over our garden, that is, until a couple of days ago.

Imagine my delight when I drove in to our property and saw this rather large curly-tail scurry across the driveway.

He stopped to watch me get out of my car, remarkably calmly; I grabbed my phone and started taking photos, as I mentally wrote this article.

A BAHAMIAN curly-tailed lizard enjoys the sun.

He was most obliging, as you can see from the picture, and when I ventured a bit too close for comfort, he ambled off to sit on the bottlebrush tree and sun himself. He looked my way rather defiantly as if to dare me to move him. Nothing was further from my mind, as I love

having wild creatures around who trust me enough to let me feed them and approach them to a degree.

I was so happy to see him.

I had taken to putting a few pieces of dog food down in the garage every morning for him. I can now resume that practice.

When I was a child growing up in the Berry Islands, only some of the cays in the Berry’s had curly-tails. On Bird Cay there were none, but on the little island adjacent, Kitten Cay, they were plentiful. I always wondered why two cays separated by no more than 100 yards of water would have different resident lizards.

While I was researching these splendid creatures I discovered a few interesting details. One that makes me rather sad: a medium sized Bahamian curly-tailed lizard can be purchased for $9.99 and then shipped overnight to any address in the United States.

Can you begin to imagine what a dreadful and scary experience that must be for that poor creature? What is wrong with people? I found that to be very sad indeed. It is hard to imagine these spunky little fellows being held captive. hey relish in running

around the garden, and climbing trees, and are quite quick.

I cannot imagine a habitat large enough for them.

They remind me of brave and fierce little dinosaurs left over from an era long gone. I read that one of the reasons they curl their tails may be in a defensive manner. One website says they are imitating a scorpion, another says that they are fooling you to think that their tail is their head. In short, there is really not all that much known about them.

Whilst thinking about lizards, I came to realise that it has been quite some time since I saw one of those magnificent blue lizards that grow quite large. They used to be very prolific, but you don’t see them much now.

They, and the brown anole, appear to have been replaced by these alien-looking translucent gecko-type creatures who are everywhere at night where there is a light.

Puppies galore

By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY Puppies here, puppies there, puppies everywhere!

It’s Spring, which means kittens and puppies abound at the Bahamas Humane Society.

If you are looking for a bundle of energy to add to your home, why not consider a puppy? They’re young, they’re active, they’re trainable (potcakes are really smart as well).

All our pups have been spayed/neutered and have their first vaccines before going home.

Check out some puppies today! Adoption hours are 11am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 3.30pm on Saturday. You can also call 323-5138 for more information. The puppies look forward to meeting you!

PHOTO/PATRICIA VAZQUEZ