05012020 WEEKEND

Friday, May 1, 2020

art books entertainment music fashion gardening food puzzles animals

Weekend

STROKE OF A PEN Pages 14 -15

Be your own muse Local artist creates live painting challenge pages 8 - 9

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, May 1, 2020

photography

A ROSE-COLOURED LENS Our three forts from a different perspective

B

eauty is all around us in the Bahamas, on land and in the sea. But many of us are too busy with everyday life to pause and really see and enjoy the astonishing sights that surround us. Veteran photographer ROLAND ROSE captures both the ordinary and extraordinary and puts it in frame for us so we can see our environment in a new light.

The use of drones and low-level camera angles makes it possible to get a different perspective than what is normally seen from a car window.

(From top left clockwise) Fort Fincastle, Fort Montagu, Fort Charlotte (when it was used as the setting for a ‘son et lumière’, or a sound and light show, to tell the fort’s history),Fort Montagu, Fort Charlotte, Fort Fincastle.

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Friday, May 1, 2020

Inside Weekend

MY PERFECT BAHAMIAN QUARANTINE PHILLIPPA SANDS Assistant teacher/mental health counsellor Q: What items are you stocking up on?

2 Photography Focus on forts

4-5 Interview

Boat captain Kevia Knowles

7 Food

Creative quarantine recipes

8-9 Art

Artist unmasks a new painting challenge

10 Gardening

Can fruit trees be grown from seed?

11 Music

Way forward for youth choir

12 Music

Singer lets her light shine

13 Crafts

Bringing beach life to jewellery design

14-15 Art

Capturing pandemic scenes in artwork

because I would choose Genie from Aladdin and ask him for a personal chef, a personal fitness trainer, and a pool. I think I’m fatigued with cooking and eating. I’m trying not to gain this ‘quarantine 15’. Also, the pool would be nice to enjoy in this lovely sunny weather.”

“All of my mother’s home-cooked meals so I can just eat those... In my lockdown grocery cart I would have fruits and veggies, tuna, seafood, potatoes, and gummy bears. I need my fruits and veggies for my smoothies, which are quick to make and healthy. I absolutely love tuna and seafood. Potatoes are the ultimate food because you can do so much with them. Then, for a little sweetness, I would have gummy worms.”

Q: What do you miss most having to practice social distancing?

“I miss my family, friends, church, and going to the beach, gym, and work. Interacting with humans through Facetime and Zoom isn’t as satisfying as being with them face to face.”

Q: What shows or movies will you be binge-watching?

“I honestly don’t binge-watch on Netflix. I have been rewatching ‘Gossip Girl’... XOXO. I find myself doing other activities like reading, writing, working on my YouTube channel, exercising, and cooking.”

Q: If you had to be stuck somewhere other than your house, where would it be?

Q: If you could choose to be quarantined with a celebrity, who would it be?

16 Fashion

“Can it be a fictional celebrity,

17 Relationships

THIS WEEKEND IN HISTORY

“I would definitely go to Andros, because that’s where my parents, niece and nephew live.”

Shell out on a new handbag Married life in the lockdown

18 Entertainment

Michelle Obama documentary on Netflix

19 Entertainment

Top 10 movies and shows on Netflix

20 Books

New releases this week

21 Books

Discover latest in Oprah’s book club

22 History

Looking to the past to look to the stars

23 History

The youngest bishop in Christendom

24-25 Literary lives Edgar Allan Poe

26 Puzzles 27 Animals

If you could talk to the animals

28 Fashion

Androsia Batik making face masks

May 1

•In 1707, the Kingdom of Great Britain was created as a treaty merging England and Scotland took effect.

•In 1931, New York’s 102-story Empire State Building was dedicated.

• In 1967, Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas.

(They divorced in 1973.)

Today’s birthdays: Singersongwriter Ray Parker Jr is 66.

Country singer Tim McGraw is 53. Movie director Wes Anderson is 51. Gospel/R&B singer Tina Campbell (Mary Mary) is 46.Actor Jamie Dornan is 38.

May 2

• In 1908, the original version

of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” with music by Albert Von Tilzer and lyrics by Jack Norworth, was published by Von Tilzer’s York Music Co. •In 1994, Nelson Mandela claimed victory in the wake of South Africa’s first democratic elections; President F W de Klerk acknowledged defeat.

• In 2011, Osama bin Laden was killed by elite American forces at his Pakistan compound, then quickly buried at sea after a decade on the run.

Today’s birthdays:Singer Engelbert Humperdinck is 84.

Actress Christine Baranski is 68. Fashion designer Donatella Versace is 65. Wrestler-turnedactor Dwayne Johnson (AKA The Rock) is 48. Former soccer player David Beckham is 45. NBA AllStar Paul George is 30. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge is five.

May 3

• In 1913, Clorox had its beginnings

as five entrepreneurs agreed to set up a liquid bleach factory in Oakland, California.

• In 1937, Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, “Gone with the Wind.”

• In 1978, spam email was born as Gary Thuerk, a marketing executive for the Digital Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Massachusetts, transmitted an unsolicited sales pitch for a new line of computers to 400 prospective customers on ARPANET, a precursor to the internet; the stunt generated some business, as well as complaints.

Today’s birthdays: Singer Frankie Valli is 86. Music and film producer-actor Damon Dash is 49. Actress Christina Hendricks is 45. Actor Dule Hill is 45. Dancer Cheryl Burke is 36.

- The Associated Press

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, May 1, 2020

interview

Kevia Knowles At just over five feet, this licenced boat captain had to stand her ground so she could stand tall in her male-dominated industry. She tells Cara Hunt how she is living her dream, and how she came to recognise that mailboats are the backbone of our archipelagic nation.

K

evia Knowles may only be five feet two inches tall and weigh just around 100 pounds, but the 21-year-old is already proving that she can hang with the big boys.

The Eleuthera native is making a name for herself in the male-dominated mailboat industry and has spent the past five years fulfilling her dream to sail the waters of the Bahamas delivering essential supplies to Family Island residents.

Kevia is Class A licenced by the Bahamas Maritime Authority.

“Although I’m a certified captain, I work on mailboats as a mate or second captain. I’ve navigated to and docked to every Bahama island besides Rum Cay, Acklins and Crooked Island.

I currently have 16 maritime related certificates, one which allows me to assist in navigation on any type of vessel anywhere in the world. I operate forklifts and I’m not stopping there. My goal is to be one of the best and one of the top recommended captains in this ‘man’s world’,” she proudly told Tribune Weekend.

It is the perfect career choice for Kevia, who grew up on the water in Eleuthera.

“I grew up in Savannah Sound, Eleuthera.

My dad was a fisherman and so was my mom’s brother, and we lived right on the water, so I was always around the water, and of course we used to travel around the island on boats a lot as well.”

Her father also worked for Bahamas Fast Ferries.

“One of his friends, who I call Uncle Louie, also worked on the Bo Hengy and he would let me come on the bridge and show me around. I was around 12 at the time when he said, ‘You will retire me’. That was when I knew that this was what I was going to do.”

In preparation for her planned career, Kevia joined the Bahamas Maritime Cadet Corps programme. The programme, which was first implemented in January 2004, prepares students for employment in the maritime industry, teaching them things such as the different ship types, seamanship, navigation, fire-fighting, and ship husbandry.

After completing the programme and graduating from high school, Kevia immediately transferred to Holland College in Nova Scotia, Canada, where she spent three months earning certifications in the maritime industry in areas

such as first aid, fire-fighting, ship safety and survival craft.

“I already knew from the Cadet Corps that this was the area I wanted to be in, so going to Holland just really sparked more interest in me, especially as I was learning about operating larger ships.”

After she completed her certification in Canada, Kevia returned home to do the required six months practical ship experience.

Her six months (which turned into eight) were aboard the Fiesta Mail, and she was lucky enough to have a captain who pushed her and set her challenges and gave opportunities which really helped her gain practical, hands-on experience.

“I really looked up to him,” she said.

While Captain Limas Taylor was confident in her ability, Kevia had a lot to prove to others in the industry.

“This is a male-dominated industry and I am five two and weigh about 100 pounds, and many of the men in this industry are set in their ways. I looked like I was 13 and so they were like, ‘I am not listening to this little girl’. Fortunately, I have always had captains who believed me and encouraged me to believe in myself. One of my captains, Captain (Tyrone) Archer of the Bahamas Daybreak, used to call me the female pirate. He would put me in conditions where I was forced think and not doubt my abilities. So for example, I would be docking and he would say, ‘Are you sure you are doing that correctly?’ and I would automatically stop what I was doing...which would be right...but he wanted me to trust myself.”

Being the only woman in an all-male crew at sea for days at a time can be challenging, Kevia admitted.

“I have to be very careful about the company and the ships I work for, because let’s be honest, sometimes men can be perverted. My advice to females is to find a vessel with a female cook and also have a crew member who can watch your back. On many of my boats the captains would look out for me and many people actually would think I was their daughter, so no one bothered me.

You have to stand your ground and show no fear.”

Eventually, just being herself and being a consummate professional led to the other crew members learning to respect her and she became part of the ship’s family.

“Honestly, sometimes they start talking about women and stuff and it’s just like I am one of the boys.”

Kevia said one of her favourite parts of her job is the loading and offloading, especially on roll-on roll-off vessels.

And one of the hardest parts of the job is dealing with fatigue when she is assigned to watch duty.

“It can be hard if you have been loading all day and you are tired and then you are on watch, so at times like those I will put on some music or if I have a (cellphone) signal, call someone to help me stay awake,” she said.

Sailing has its challenges and Kevia recalled a time when she was returning to Nassau from Spanish Wells and encountered bad weather.

“We had to detour through the Six Shillings Passage, which adds about an hour to the time it takes to get to Nassau. We were on the Bahamas Daybreak, which does not have an autopilot, and I had to take the wheel and steer us through the entire time. It wasn’t scary, it was just very tedious because I had to concentrate as the boat was rocking so much with six feet waves.”

Fortunately, Kevia does not get seasick very often.

“I think there have only been two times where it has been really bad. Usually, if I can, I will just take a nap,” she said.

“Another thing I love is that we always have troll lines out, so we always have fresh fish to eat.”

Kevia said the mailboat boat industry is truly the backbone of the Bahamian archipelago.

Growing up she remembers merchants telling customers that they would have to wait to shop because a shipment hadn’t come in. But she said it wasn’t until she started working on one that she realised just how important a role mailboats play in an archipelagic nation.

“They are the backbone of this country,” she said. “I would like people to be more respectful of the persons who work on mailboats and be understanding of the role we play, what prices we have to charge and the amount of freight which we can carry.”

Kevia would also love to see Potter’s Cay given a facelift, one that would facilitate the loading and offloading of passengers and freight.

Her five-year career so far has been a rewarding one, allowing her a first-hand view of the beauty of the islands. Next to her home of island of Eleuthera, Ragged Island is her favourite because of its friendly people and peaceful nature.

“My proudest moment was this February when I came home to Governor’s Harbour to bring

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Friday, May 1, 2020

“My goal is to be one of the best and one of the top recommended captains in this ‘man’s world’.”

the students and teachers over for Junkanoo. My parents and godfather were there recording. Many of the teachers and parents also knew me.

That and navigating through the Devil’s Backbone (which is one of the most dangerous waterways in the Bahamas) were my greatest achievements and proudest moments,” she said.

“Although I haven’t been given my own ship to command as the captain, that is still my goal. But I love my job as the mate.”

Kevia also has also attended Maritime Professional Training in Florida where she earned additional advanced certifications in nine maritime areas.

Moving forward, Kevia said she can also see herself in the yacht, speedboat delivery service and doing private vessel runs, which would allow her to sail in international waters.

She also knows there may come a time when she has to retire her sea legs.

“I know that I want to eventually start a family, and a seven or eight-month pregnant woman won’t be able to be at sea and so I did start another side business to help for that time.”

“I always had fish growing up and I had some guppies that had babies and I gave them away and then people offered to buy them and that is how it got started,” she said.

Her business is KLK Aquatics, where she breeds fish to sell as pets. She also offers tank set-up and maintenance services as well.

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, May 1, 2020

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Friday, May 1, 2020

food

Creative QUARANTINE RECIPES

C

hef Diann Watson, the owner of D’vine Eatery, is here to help Bahamians spice up their weekend quarantine menus with two meal ideas perfect for both meat lovers and vegetarians. So as you make your next essential grocery run, be sure to include the ingredients on your shopping list and enjoy a weekend of quarantine cooking.

Chickpea stuffed sweet potatoes (with sweet mustard BBQ sauce)

“This first dish is perfect for vegetarians. I love the lightness and deliciously creamy texture of this dish, and the added hint of sweetness from the potatoes. Plus, they’re rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The chickpeas are a protein-rich addition to the recipe, and the vegetables and spices give the dish a nice kick,” said Chef Watson.

Yield: 4 Prep time: 20min Cook time: 1hr Ingredients: 4 medium sweet potatoes 1 can 15-once chickpeas, drained 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil 1 clove garlic finely minced 1 small yellow onion diced 1/2 medium size red bell pepper diced 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon paprika A pinch of cinnamon A pinch of cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt Cracked black pepper 1 cup vegetable stock Fresh cilantro 1 cup sweet baby ray’s golden mustard

Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Wash potatoes properly and stick them on both sides with a fork, place potatoes in a baking dish and bake for 45min or until completely tender. Remove and let sit.

While the potatoes are baking, on low heat place a skillet with olive oil 1 1/2 cup, when oil is at its desired temperature add chickpeas and let sizzle until golden. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic, also the vegetable stock, stir and let cook for 10min until fragrant. Add Sweet Baby Ray’s golden mustard, cumin, dash of cinnamon, paprika, cayenne pepper, pepper and salt and let cook until thickened. Adjust seasonings for desired taste.

At the top of each the potato cut lengthwise and fluff with a fork, then add chickpeas evenly and garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.

Pepper steak stir fry with butter poached potatoes

Chef Watson’s second dish is a hearty steak and potato stir fry.

“I created this dish a few months ago on one of my charters at sea - I work as a private chef. I like to put my own stamp on traditional dishes by adding ingredients that I know will complement and lift the dish to a more palatable taste and sometimes texture,” she said.

“I must say, it was a winner.

Initially, I had thought of the Philly cheesesteak concept minus the bun, because my guests had requested a bread free diet. I capitalised on the poaching method of the potato, giving it a delicate and elegant twist.

I had no zip lock bags at the time, so what I did was to poach the potatoes in a pot for an hour. I covered the potatoes with water, bringing to a

boil. Then let cook on medium high heat, when they where cooked I cut into the potato with thin fan like slices and then add my herb butter.

Be assured, you won’t regret experimenting and even dashing a bit of your personal touch to this recipe.

“We all need some excitement to our daily isolation routine presently and what better way to do this than to prepare a meal that tantalise the palate.”

Yield: 4 Prep time: 20min Cook time: 1hr 30min Poached potatoes Instructions: 4 medium Yukon potatoes (halved) I stick of butter 2 tablespoon virgin olive oil I tablespoon thyme, rosemary and chives minced 1 teaspoon salt , kosher preferably Freshly ground pepper Method: Fill a pot with water and place on the stove and let come to a boil.

Combine all ingredients in a large zip lock bag, you can place two medium size spoons inside the bag just to keep it from floating. Place the bag in the water bath and set the timer for 1 hour. When complete, remove the bag from the water bath. Transfer the contents to a plate of choice. Serve hot and enjoy.

Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 green bell pepper cut in strips 1 red bell pepper cut in strips 1/2 yellow bell pepper cut in strips

Medium size onion cut in medium strips 1 1/2 pounds flank steak cut thinly Fresh mint and rosemary chopped finely 2 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon ginger Pinch cayenne pepper Salt and pepper 1/4 cup teriyaki marinade 1 cup soy sauce Instructions: In a small bowl whisk together soy sauce, teriyaki marinade and cornstarch until smooth. Pour the mixture over the steak and let simmer for 3 minutes until the sauce thicken. Set aside.

1. In a bowl, place flank steak and

season with pepper and salt to taste.

2. In a skillet on high heat, add 1tsp of the oil, add steak and cook until cooked through for about 8-10 min.

Then remove steak to a plate

3. Add the remainder of 1tsp oil,

bell peppers and onion, cook until slightly soft. Add garlic, ginger, mint and rosemary to the skillet cook stirring for 3-4 min until fragrant. Place the steak back to the skillet and stir together all the ingredients carefully, add the pre-prepared sauce. Cook, stirring together for 2-3 min until thicken and glossy.

4. Serve and enjoy.

•You can follow Chef Diann Watson on Instagram: chef_diann and on Facebook: Chef D’vine.

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

‘MASK ON!’ Local artist finds success with new live painting challenge

08 | The Tribune | Weekend Friday, May 1, 2020

art

THE ‘muses’ of Benjamin’s ‘Mask On’ challenge

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Friday, May 1, 2020

T

here is not a day that goes by that you don’t hear some piece of depressing news about the coronavirus pandemic. However, Benjamin Ferguson Jr is trying look on the bright side, and finding inspiration ineven in the necessary quarantine accessories.

Benjamin’s inspiration for starting his “Mask On” challenge” came soon after hearing producer music IMarkkeyz’ “Coronavirus” remix made solely from funny Instagram rants by Grammy Award-winning rapper Cardi B. “I took a picture of myself wearing a mask and decided to record myself creating an art piece of the same picture, with the song playing on repeat actually. After uploading the video I thought of how I could engage others in a non-physical way by involving them in my fun activity. Then my challenge was born. I knew that the challenge would also assist with the awareness of protecting oneself. I posted the instructions on March 23 with a deadline for March 24 at 2pm. The instructions were simple: post a creative photo of yourself wearing a mask and tag me in it on Instagram or on Facebook to be selected as my next muse,” the artist told Tribune Weekend.

Benjamin then arranged the photos into a grid, labelling them and asking for the public’s vote.

“Voting time was until 7.30 pm that night. Soon after, I announced the winner on Instagram and Facebook. I painted the first muse live on Facebook at 8pm. The next muse was done the following night at 8pm. Four days later I posted a video thanking all those that participated and gave a few words of encouragement and suggestions on what to do with their time during the lockdown,” he said.

“I saw the need to give my friends, followers and the public a break from the bombardment of frightening and depressing content. I thought of how art plays an important role in community and the community is made up

of people. One thing they all had in common was that they are all at home, faced with the uncertain outcome of a pandemic that was spreading fast and have now increased their use of the internet.”

As an artist, Benjamin said what he enjoys most about his chosen profession is being able to see things in ways others don’t, and the ability to pay attention to details.

“As I remain safe during this global pandemic, I can truly say that for most artists this is a blessing. I’m making good use of my ‘extra time’ to work on my craft while being an inspiration, and creating fun and bonding activities.

I have been working on my craft and on work that I had to the side because of a busy schedule. Additionally, I have been working along with the Grand Bahama Artists Association, adjusting to the time

ARTIST Benjamin Ferguson Jr and ways we can still display our work as well as do our part virtually in the community.

I’ve made my Painting with Ben paint party service available as a product called the Painting with Ben Home Kit. It provides people with the opportunity to be creative and bond with their families. I will be starting a virtual session very soon,” he said.

“I’ve also been on a live interview with Renbert Mortimer, founder of Waynehead, on a show called ‘Creative Leadership’, he recently started in response to how the

current situation is affecting Bahamian artists, their business and also sharing information. Lastly, there has been a Bahamian ‘dontrushchallenge’ for artists that I am a part of. Our video shows different artists and their artwork; it was fun to take part in.”

Speaking about the feedback he has received for his ‘Mask On’ challenge, Benjamin said response has been great. In addition to people from New Providence, Grand Bahama and Bimini, he also got entries from Bahamians living in Texas and China.

“It was really interesting to see how creative they got.

One person used a Mardi Gras mask, another wrapped a diaper around their head, a Junkanoo mask, a Snapchat filter, a gas mask, and more. There were a few that sent me their pictures after

the deadline and those who expressed that they wished they had participated. Many people were still voting up to two days later. The two that won were so excited and touched that it moved me to share some of their story,” he said.

The first muse, Sherrad Coakley, is a Bahamian nurse who currently lives in Nassau, but is originally from Eleuthera. Her goal is to become a doctor.

“I was touched when she said that she works with a mask on all day sometimes, but it was refreshing to do the challenge. I was further moved when she said this painting will be her inspiration to keep going and pursue her dreams,” said Benjamin.

“Shavone Rolle, my second muse, is a wife, mother, psalmist, nail tech enthusiast, bow tie creator and high school counsellor in Grand Bahama. She also has a knack for making people smile.

She spoke to me earlier this year about getting a portrait done and she sure made that happen. I was happy for her.”

Benjamin believes it is vital for creative entrepreneurs to stay focused during this time because they all have goals to accomplish and cannot let the pandemic stifle their creativity or progress.

“This time will pass and it will show us all who can adapt to change and who could not.

We are all looking to soar, but we must not forget every challenge and opportunity that is present for take-off. Besides the fact that one can earn money, the field of art can open doors for artists. As it is known, the Bible says, your gift shall make room for you.

There are benefits for those who create art and those that enjoy it. Relaxation, escape, healing, fun, inspiration, confidence-building, mindopening and life-changing are just some of the things art (can offer and can be). Every artist has their own path and it can develop into something so great...and comes in many forms: teaching, innovating, helping and solving,” he said.

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, May 1, 2020

gardening

T

his is a common question and there is not one simple answer.

Yes and no are both correct, and I ask that you bear with me here for a moment. The ability to grow a plant that will give an exact fruit as that spectacular fruit you’re hoping to propagate depends in many cases upon the exact type of fruit tree in question.

In the plant world there is a naming system, a system of nomenclature, known as a binomial. This allows for a (relatively) precise and thorough system of naming and classifying every known plant so that there is no confusion or ambiguity when identifying a particular genus, species, variety, or cultivar.

The current method of nomenclature was developed

by Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist, in or around the year 1735. The binomial classification system has been refined and changed often since then.

It is very important to know the binomial name for the plant in question. This is the only way to accurately know whether your favourite fruit will come true from seed and be able to propagate. There is a lot of research available to browse regarding specific types of plants and their ability to

CAN FRUIT TREES BE GROWN FROM SEED? be propagated from seed and whether they come true from seed or not.

One example of a fruit that the yes and no answer applies to is mango. The binomial for mango is Mangifera indica, ‘Kensington Pride’, or one of many other cultivar names, with the first name being the genus, the second name being the species, and the third name being the variety or cultivar (depending again on several factors). Mango seeds can either be mono-embryonic (one part to the seed), or polyembryonic (two or more parts to the seed). One cultivar of mango that can be propagated from seed and grow true to type is ‘Kensington Pride’, as

it has a poly-embryonic seed.

One cultivar of mango that cannot be propagated from seed and grow the same fruit as the mother plant is ‘Haden’, as it has a mono-embryonic seed.

This means that the seed grown from ‘Haden’ will not give the same fruit as ‘Haden’. The only way to propagate ‘Haden’ and to have the same fruit is through grafting.

Citrus is similar to mango in that some types will grow true to type and give the exact same fruit (key lime, some lemons, some oranges, et cetera). A popular fruit that cannot be propagated from seed and give the same fruit as the original tree is avocado. Growing avocado from seed is not worth

anything other than for rootstock, the seedlings which will be used to graft superior selections onto. Unless you’ve got lots of time, lots of space, and lots of patience to weed out the inferior trees (it may take 10 or more years to even get to that point), avocado grown from seed has a very small chance of being as good as or better than the mother plant. The only way to know what the fruit will be for avocado is to buy or grow grafted trees. The seed in the store bought fruit will not resemble the fruit that it came from, once the tree finally fruits.

Fruiting trees from seed can take many years to bear, and may or may not resemble the original fruit. It is a gamble

with some things to grow with this method, as most likely the fruit and/or the tree itself will be inferior. For some things it is quite straight forward that you’ll have the same fruit eventually. For some trees, there is literally zero chance of having the same fruit as the original fruit. I would suggest that before even bothering to take up lots of time, space, and resources to grow a fruit tree from seed, that you do some research into the tree by researching the binomial and weighing your options.

Grafted and budded fruit trees will bear usually within a year or two of being planted. Seed grown trees can take a decade or more before bearing. Bear this in mind when considering which path to take, and think about how badly you look forward to picking those amazing fruits, or maybe you decide that you’ve got the time to wait!

Happy gardening!

Some helpful resources: https://ucmp.berkeley. edu/history/linnaeus. html https://www.agric. wa.gov.au/mangoes/ propagating-mangoes.

•Adam Boorman is the nursery manager at the Fox Hill Nursery. For questions and comments, e-mail foxhillnursery@gmail.com.

The Tribune | Weekend | 11

Friday, May 1, 2020

music

BAHAMAS NATIONAL YOUTH CHOIR

“RE-THINKING” WAY FORWARD

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

P

LANS to attend this year’s World Choir Games in Belgium have been deferred to next year for the Bahamas National Youth Choir, which is now rethinking how to present performances considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

After the necessary postponement of the World Choir Games, the international choral world will celebrate the largest international choir competition considered the ‘Olympics’ of choirs - in the heart of Europe in 2021.

Antwerp and Ghent are the main hosts for the World Choir Games 2021 and promise top-class venues, fantastic choir concerts and unforgettable experiences.

Thousands of international participants will be warmly welcomed when bringing their music and cultures to Flanders in summer 2021.

The Bahamas choir is hoping to participate in the Games. However, the choir’s director Dexter Fernander said funding this trip may pose a challenge for the group.

The choir was also expected to travel to France in August for another performance.

“This year we would have been celebrating our 30th anniversary and the lockdown happened during our concert season, which is our major revenue source,” he told Tribune Weekend.

“As you can imagine, we were waiting for those organisations to come to us and tell us that those events had been cancelled.”

Now that it’s official that the Choir Games have been postponed to next year, the BNYC must find a way to create revenue in order to meet the expense of carrying a 45-member group abroad.

With the country in a current state of lockdown, and no telling when restrictions on gatherings might be eased, the choir finds itself in a unique situation.

And cancelling the trip can also be costly as well, Mr Fernander said.

“We have vendors in these various countries who we have made legal

curfew lifts and restrictions are eased, the choir members will still adhere to social distancing practices.

contracts with and it will still end up costing us if we do not go.

“Some people have said to us, ‘Why don’t you all go to the Family Islands?’

But as much as we would like to travel to the Family Islands, going there also brings it share of challenges too. Finding hotel accommodations on the island is a challenge and then finding a place that can accommodate a performance is another roadblock that we hit,” he said.

The preservation of the Bahamian music culture and the choir’s continued existence will boil down to “re-thinking” their whole situation, he added.

“The choir has to rethink how best to preserve folk music and how to meet our target audience and the demand.

The reality is we are in a strange position we have never been in before.

“The hold dynamic of people getting comfortable with the performing arts again will take some time. And to think about the future…it is going to be a little while before you see someone

going to a Broadway show, much less a Bahamian show,” he said.

Mr Fernander said they are waiting to hear what recommendations will be made by the World Health Organisation as it relates to gatherings and hosting large events so that when the time comes to put on a performance they are able to do so in a way that keeps audiences and choir members safe.

So far, their rehearsals have been affected by the lockdown. When the

“There are two things we can do… for instance we can do sectionals where everyone does not have to be there at a rehearsal the same time. We have section leaders who can call those persons together and rehearse in smaller groups.

We normally handle these situations like that,” said Mr Fernander.

“Now we have to think about working in a bigger space. This may raise a challenge with dance. We started to record dance practices so there is a space over in our Dropbox where individuals can go and revisit dance moves.

But the challenge moving forward now is that we must understand our patrons.

They can wear masks and we can have them seated at a distance, but we are waiting on recommendations and we hope they are made quickly.”

In the meantime, choir members have been researching and sourcing various music pieces to practice.

“I have seen a lot of virtual programmes, but none of them quite fit our needs or do what we want them to do.

So right now we are just looking at how best we can present ourselves for when the time comes,” he said.

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, May 1, 2020

music

NEVANDRIALYRIIC PRAISES ‘YOUR LIGHT’ WITH NEW SONG AND VIDEO

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

inger NevandriaLyriic was “super nervous” about the release of her newest music video, as she had originally envisioned a celebration with the cast, crew, industry friends, a few special people to honour, and of course with her family present.

But thanks to the current COVID-19 pandemic, things went very differently, and she was only able to premiere it online.

“I was assured by one of the producers, Kyle Stuart, that this could potentially be a blessing in disguise and it turned out to be way more meaningful this way. The feedback has been so amazing so far. My intention for this video was to encourage people, and everyone who saw it has been encouraging me during this time. It’s been a blessing both ways and I’m grateful,” Nevandria told Tribune Weekend.

She said, the pre released single entitled “Your Light” is her first official release as a recording artist and she is really excited about future works she is currently putting together.

“The inspiration behind this song is my late aunt, Rebecca Davis. She was

one of the most selfless, encouraging people I’ve ever known. When she died, I reflected on the things she normally told me to help me get through tough times. This was the hardest period of my life so far and the only sense of relief I had was to write what I felt she would have told me. When that turned into a song, I wanted it to help people who may have been going through hardship and at the same time I wanted it to honour her,” the singer said. “ ‘Your Light’s message is somewhat of a charge to people to realise that their very existence is necessary, that they have a purpose the world needs and that purpose, what I refer to as light, is with you and a part of you regardless of what you’ve been through, who is with or not with you ,or even what you’ve done. It’s something to hold on to and take pride in because there’s only one you.”

For the video, she was inspired by and wanted to celebrate the hardworking people who sometimes tend to be overlooked and undervalued.

Nevandria said the storyline follows a high school teacher who is battling a chronic disease but still carries on to

be there for her students and enjoy the life she has.

“I chose to use a teacher because my family is full of them; mom and grandmom included, and I honestly believe that we should be doing more to sing their praises and show appreciation for them because they are the foundation of our society in my opinion,” said Nevandria.

“The illness being incorporated was to encourage persons with the same struggle to keep fighting and pushing on because they mean the world to someone, even when they don’t feel like it or see it every day. Overall, I just wanted to show and spread love from a different perspective.”

As to the video’s visual style, Nevandria said she wanted it to be as natural as possible, with inserts of emotionally provoking performance scenes in black and white.

“I am grateful to have had such an amazing team of producers like Leonardo Newman of New Hills Productions and Kyle Ferguson of Jiggy Productions, who brought my vision to life exactly the way I dreamed it, but at the same time was somehow able to make it even more amazing with their ideas and skill,” she said.

During this time of quarantine, when many are staying connected through the internet, she hopes the message of “Your Light” will reach a lot more people than anticipated, whether it be through social media, traditional media or just word of mouth.

For her personally, she is making a point during the current lockdown to learn more about herself and plan ahead for the future of the ‘NevandriaLyriic’ brand.

Going forward, the artist said the goal is to take each day as it comes; to be grateful for everything and to take time to listen to the voice inside of her.

“I saw posts on social media sort of guilt-tripping people into being productive during this time...please ignore those. They were starting to get to me, until I realised we’ve never lived through so much uncertainty worldwide and it’s OK to take time just to spend with family, or focus on yourself.

Some days you’ll find inspiration to get things done and some days you’ll need to take a break from the stress of our current reality,” she said.

Nevandria’s music can be found on YouTube, iTunes, Spotify and Amazon.

The Tribune | Weekend | 13

Friday, May 1, 2020

crafts

JEWELLERY DESIGNER ‘BRINGS THE BEACH’ TO THOSE IN LOCKDOWN

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

ewellery designer Vanessa Turnquest has found the silver lining of social distancing and quarantine. She is using her time in lockdown to think up of new designs and learn new techniques for her V Jeweled fashion brand. And she has already come up with a new collection called “Seaside Gems”.

A teacher in her usual day job, Vanessa is participating in online workshops and webinars to perfect her craft in hopes of building her inventory for the next season.

“I believe that it is of utmost importance for creative entrepreneurs to keep focused. It is very easy to get depressed and despondent at this time. However, for everything there is a season and this COVID-19 season will not last forever. The extra time that it is affording creative entrepreneurs is perfect for experimenting with designs or ideas that you may have had in your head but never had time to bring to fruition,” she told Tribune Weekend.

“I believe that this is a time to explore new techniques and skills that will enhance your craft. It is also a time to add to your skill set. There are many free online classes that you can participate in to help you to diversify your product.”

Under her V Jeweled brand Vanessa offers handmade jewellery, including

necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings. She also provides jewellery repair and frequently teaches jewellerymaking classes. She hopes to soon offer jewellery-making parties for kids and adults as well as she continues to work from home.

“I am a full-time teacher by profession, so I usually work on my designs on weekends and during school breaks. So my response would always be, ‘As soon as I get a break from school.’

Although I am working from home, I guess quarantine has afforded me that extra time that I needed,” she said.

Vanessa has always loved working with her hands and being creative. She has also always loved wearing costume jewellery to enhance

JEWELLERY designer Vanessa Turnquest has found inspiration in quarantine. her wardrobe. She said it made sense to merge these two interests and create her own jewellery.

“When I see persons wearing jewellery or see pieces in stores, I often observe them carefully and in my mind devise a plan of creating a

similar piece for myself. I also love to collaborate with other Bahamian artisans to see the unique ways that they are using their gifts and talents,” she said.

“Recently, I have started teaching jewellery classes at Shell Craft Supplies and have been able to inspire others to explore their creative side. It is always amazing to see your students succeed in the craft and be able to provide an extra stream of income for themselves, especially in this day and time.”

One of her most memorable experiences occurred when one of her students was able to sell her rings in a Downtown store. At this shop, a customer bought one of the rings for his girlfriend, then got down on one knee and proposed to her right then and there.

“I was a proud teacher that day, knowing that I had played a small part in someone else’s happiness. I am always ecstatic when I see a customer’s face light up when they see a jewellery piece that is a perfect match for an outfit they own and they can picture themselves wearing it,” she said.

When asked about some of the pieces she has created while in quarantine, Vanessa said she’s created charm bracelets and interchangeable charms for necklaces utilising sea glass.

“At first I had no inspiration to make any jewellery during this time. I was depressed as I listened to the reports of this pandemic in our country as well as

around the world. I was basically just organising my jewellery studio and taking an inventory of my materials. Then, after listening to a series called ‘Learning with Chelsea’, the Creative Business Strategist, on Facebook, and hearing her say that this is the opportunity to build up your inventory because when we bounce back you have to be ready, I decided to fiddle with some beads that I had left over from my Christmas collection.

“In doing so, I found some beads with various shades of blue and green and some sea life charms. I also created some stackable stretch bracelets, as this trend seems to be popular and I had never really had the time to make any,” she said.

“This quarantine time has allowed me to experiment with a lot of ideas that I never had time to explore.”

Vanessa has now created a new collection, ‘Seaside Gems.’

“As I thought of a name for this collection, I realised that the 24-hour lockdown and curfew had Bahamians longing to visit our beautiful beaches and since they were closed it was a no-brainer for me. I figured that if they couldn’t visit the beach, I would bring the beach to them. It was my hope that people would feel a sense of serenity and calm when they wore the pieces and that it would remind them of a relaxing day by the seaside,” she said.

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, May 1, 2020

fashion

‘SHELLTASTIC’ DESIGNS TO HONOUR MOTHERS

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

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ith Mother’s Day fast approaching, designer Mardia Powell has introduced her latest collection of native handbags under her Crab Toes label.

Mardia started her company after her own mother died and she needed a creative outlet for her grief that would also honour her mom.

Crab Toes was inspired by the beautiful life of Mardia’s mother.

Her mom, she said, had a funky sense of style and was never afraid of anything.

In mid-2016, as a form of relaxation, Mardia started collecting shells during a trip to Long Island. She was overwhelmed with inspiration and directed this energy to creating Crab Toes, a home-based company that currently offers not only jewellery and accessories, but also graphic T-shirts, shell embellishments and various art.

Mardia graduated from the College of the Bahamas in 2008 and completed her Graphic Design studies at the Art Institute of Atlanta in 2012. She later worked as a graphic designer with

Georgia Public Broadcasting and as an art teacher at the Lyford Cay International School.

“My goal is to merge the sophistication of fashion and design with elements of island style. My favourite brand is Chanel and I love its backstory that tells of such humble beginnings to the greatness it has come to now. My overall goal is to reach these heights and grow the brand on a wider scale internationally. I’d also like to expand into home and interior décor,” she told Tribune Weekend.

The new ‘He Love Me’ Spring/ Summer 2020 collection prominently features the conch horn.

“The name plays on the little rhyme ‘He loveme; he loves me not’,” she said.

“It pulls from the elegance of a flower petal, so there are elements that are embellished to take on the look of a palm branch or a flower blossom without having to be so literate. This way the essence is still conveyed and experienced.”

During this time of quarantine, Mardia said customers can shop from the privacy and safety of their own homes.

To keep up with Mardia and her Crab Toes brand, follow her on Instagram or Facebook, or WhatsApp her at 544-1053.

The Tribune | Weekend | 17

Friday, May 1, 2020

relationships

NATIONWIDE SHUTDOWN: Can your marriage stand it?

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ccording to Newsweek, an unprecedented number of divorce appointments were requested in China following their quarantine for the coronavirus, and Americans can look forward to the same.

In Texas, domestic violence shelters are reporting a big increase in calls for help. All around the world, families and couples are struggling with the effects of self-isolation and quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many here in the Bahamas may find themselves challenged as they have to live in close and constant contact with families members and spouses.

Reasons for these challenges can be varied, but for some it may include holding on to grudges, not being forgiving, as well as the constant bickering and arguments resulting from not being accustomed to such a prolonged time together.

There may also be stress over loss of income or troubled finances, the lack of escape that work provides, or the sense of helplessness being confined at home brings. Whatever the reason, couples need to acknowledge and understand what is causing their frustration.

During this time of crisis, is your marriage going to get better or worse?

Are you going to pull together or push apart? Will this be an opportunity for you to reconnect, heal, mend fences and move forward? This crisis came unexpectedly and threw you together, but you have the choice to get better or get bitter. It is all up to you.

So take a deep breath, realise that this situation is only temporary, and make the decision to pull together, and find ways to cope.

For couples who want to survive this time, we offer the following coping strategies:

1

. Reminisce about the past Take out those old photo albums, wedding pictures and videos, and spend time reflecting on the happy times in your relationship.

Believe it or not, at one time you were happy to announce your love to this person in front of the entire world.

Enjoy your walk down memory lane and stay focused on the positives.

2

. Just talk Communicate with your spouse about what is going on, talk about positive past and anticipated future events, and take time to express your feelings. Simply starting your messages with “you” instead of “I” will allow you both to express yourselves without making the other defensive.

Of course the words you say, the tone in which you say them, and timing and location all matter.

3

. Connect with God Invite God’s presence and seek His guidance. Let’s face it, the reality is if you don’t keep a prayer in your heart many things will go haywire. As a couple, set aside time to have a brief devotion. Sing a few choruses, read the Bible (try Psalms, Proverbs and Song of Solomon); create a list of things about your spouse you want to thank God for, pray for yourself, each other, your family, healing, and help to overcome the crisis.

VITO and Linda Patrick of Unique Couples Rekindled

4

. Have fun together Take time to have fun and laugh together. A little laughter will go a long way. Try out some of these activities: Binge-watch your favourite shows/movies, cook together, try out new recipes. Play a competitive or cooperative game, start a new exercise routine (exercising makes you feel better - lots of happy hormones released). Set up a scavenger hunt that ends in an ideal location. Colour; make up a love jingle, or create a dance routine together. Just make each other laugh.

5

. Create intimate moments Don’t let all this time together go to waste. Hold hands and walk in silence in and outside your home twice a day. Find more time for physical intimacy. Set aside time to relax together, massage each other, and take long baths together. Use those hurricane or scented candles you have around the house and create a sensual environment. Take out that special lingerie, select your music, get your chocolates, fruit pieces, and enjoy feeding each other before or after your time together.

6

. Learn more about each other You remember the newlywed game we so love to have at weddings? Well, now is a great time to hear your spouse’s response.

Times have changed and you both have grown. Take this time to ask your spouse about their likes, dislikes, interests and preferences, as if you are meeting for the first time. It is not a quiz, this is an opportunity to learn more about each other.

7

. Dine together Your busy schedule might not have allowed you to have breakfast, lunch and dinner together in the past, but now you have the opportunity. Research has found that couples who have at least one meal together have longer, healthier marriages. Make dinner time exciting, take out your best china, set the table, agree to only discuss positive things, unwind, and have a great time.

With a house full of people it will require ingenuity and creativity on your part, but you can do it. We believe in you and your marriage depends on it. The crisis will pass.

Where will your marriage be when it does? You decide!

• If you want to learn more about surviving this crisis or get daily inspirational marriage tips, follow Unique Couples Rekindled on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Coronavirus or not, healthy marriages are here to stay.

Vito and Linda Patrick

18 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, May 1, 2020

entertainment

MICHELLE OBAMA DOCUMENTARY ‘BECOMING’ PREMIERES ON NETFLIX NEXT WEEK NEW YORK (AP) — A documentary portrait of Michelle Obama titled “Becoming” will premiere on Netflix next week, the streaming company announced Monday.

The film, described as “an intimate look into the life of former first lady Michelle Obama” chronicles her 34-city book tour in 2018-2019 for her best-selling memoir “Becoming.” Obama’s promotional tour, managed by the concert promoter Live Nation, had the scale of a rock tour, with a string of dates at sold-out arenas.

The film will debut May 6 on Netflix. In a statement, Obama said the experience of the tour “drove home the idea that what we share in common is deep and real and can’t be messed with.”

“We processed the past and imagined a better future.

FORMER first lady Michelle Obama during “Becoming: An Intimate Conversation with Michelle Obama,” in Atlanta.

(Photo by Paul R Giunta/Invision/AP, File)

In talking about the idea of ‘becoming,’ many of us dared to say our hopes out loud,” said Obama. “I treasure the memories and that sense of connection now more than ever, as we struggle together to weather this pandemic, as we care for our loved ones, tend to our communities, and try to keep up with work and school while coping with huge amounts of loss, confusion, and uncertainty.”

“Becoming” has sold more than 11 million copies and been translated into more than 20 languages. The former first lady’s popularity has made her a potentially pivotal figure in the 2020 presidential campaign. Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, recently said that he’d pick her as a running mate “in a heartbeat,” before adding that he didn’t think she

had any desire to be part of presidential politics again.

Nadia Hallgren, a veteran documentary cinematographer making her feature directorial debut in “Becoming,” trailed Obama on the book tour from city to city. “She moves quickly and I had to learn to move with her,” said Hallgren.

“Becoming” is the latest release from Higher Ground Productions, the production company created by Barack and Michelle Obama.

Their exclusive multi-film deal with Netflix has already proven fruitful. Their first film, “American Factory,”

by Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, earlier this year won the Academy Award for best documentary. (The Obamas did not attend the Oscars, nor received a statuette.) Higher Ground was also behind the acclaimed recently released documentary “Crip Camp:

NEW ON STREAMING

She’s retained her Ivy League ambitions but, more immediately, wants a boyfriend and popularity. Devi, a first-generation Indian American, is at odds with her mother (Poorna Jagannathan) and leans on her loyal pals Eleanor and Fabiola, (Ramona Young, Lee Rodriguez). The series, co-created by Kaling and Lang Fisher, features tennis great John McEnroe as its unlikely narrator. We won’t spoil the explanation.

“The Half of It” This charming teen romance about a high school loner who helps a jock woo the popular girl in school may look like something you’ve seen before, but no one is exactly who they seem to be in this smart Cyrano de Bergerac-with-a-twist film from writer-director Alice Wu. On Netflix today, it’s Wu’s first feature since her 2004 debut, “Saving Face.”

“Never Have I Ever” A coming-of-age story from Mindy Kaling of “The Office” and “The Mindy Project” — which means comedy rubs shoulders with vividly

A Disability Revolution,” by James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham.

The former first lady acknowledged the timing is difficult for a film about community, and that social distancing doesn’t come naturally to her: “I’m a hugger,” she said. During the pandemic, Obama has read children’s books to kids stuck at home in an online series titled “Mondays with Michelle Obama.”

“I’m here for you,” she said in her statement. “And I know you are here for one another.”

“Empathy is our lifeline here. It’s what will get us to the other side,” said Obama.

“Let’s use it to redirect our attention toward what matters most, reconsider our priorities, and find ways to better remake the world in the image of our hopes.”

JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer

“Hollywood”

RYAN Murphy’s Hollywood drawn characters and empathetic storytelling. Newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan stars as Devi, a

type-A high school sophomore rebounding from a family tragedy in the 10-episode series on Netflix.

Perhaps one of the most anticipated limited series ever on Netflix is the arrival of Ryan Murphy’s “Hollywood”. Complete with a fabulous star-studded cast, the series will look into multiple stories during the Golden Years of Hollywood. Starring Darren Criss of “American Crime Story” and “Glee”.

The Tribune | Weekend | 19

Friday, May 1, 2020

entertainment THE WILLOUGHBYS

The complicated life of a modern-day first generation Indian American teenage girl, inspired by creator Mindy Kaling’s own childhood.

TOP 10 NETFLIX MOVIES 2. Extraction AND SHOWS IN THE BAHAMAS 3. The Last Dance

(film; 1h 57m) Tyler Rake, a fearless black market mercenary, embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when he’s enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord.

Starring Chris Hemsworth.

With Bahamians practicing social distancing, working from home, and the kiddies stuck in the house, it’s time to turn to Netflix for some entertainment.

Here are the top 10 movies and shows Bahamians are watching this week:

1. Never Have I Ever 10 episodes)

(series;

(series; ten episodes) A docuseries that gives a definitive account of Michael Jordan’s career and the 1990’s Chicago Bulls, packed with unaired footage from the 1997-98 season.

4. American Made

(film; 1h 55m) The story of Barry Seal, an American pilot who became a drug-runner for the CIA in the 1980s in a clandestine operation that would be exposed as the

Iran-Contra Affair. Starring Tom Cruise and Domhnall Gleeson. . Sprinter (film; 1h 51m) A boy separated from his mother who has moved to the US for a better life, is set to be Jamaica’s next track-and-field sensation.

5

6. The Set Up

(film; 1h 44m) A former drug smuggler and a confidence artist gets more than she bargains for when she is hired by a down on his luck businessman to assist with his scheme to marry a wealthy heiress.

7. The Willoughbys

(film; 1h 32m) Convinced they’d be better off raising themselves, the Willoughby children hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation. The siblings then embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family. The family film includes the voice-acting of Maya Rudolph, Ricky Gervais, Terry Crews and others.

8. Outer Banks episodes)

(series; ten

A group of teenagers from the wrong side of the tracks stumble upon a treasure map that unearths a long buried secret.

9. The Last Kingdom

(series; four seasons) As Alfred the Great defends his kingdom from Norse invaders, Uhtred - born a Saxon but raised

by Vikings - seeks to claim his ancestral birthright.

In season four, the TV adaptation reaches books seven and eight of Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Stories.

The new season sees another time jump and aged-up versions of Uhtred’s children who will have their own storylines this time around.

10. Blindspot

(series; five seasons) A mysterious tattooed woman is found naked inside a travel bag in Times Square by the FBI. She has no recollection of her own past or identity. But her tattoos contain clues to crimes they will have to solve.

20 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, May 1, 2020

books

NEW PAGETURNERS THIS WEEK •Camino Winds by John Grisham (mystery/thriller) When Hurricane Leo threatens Florida’s Camino Island, the Governor is quick to issue an evacuation order. Most residents flee but a small group of diehards decide to ride it out. Amongst them is Bruce Cable, proprietor of Bay Books in downtown Santa Rosa.

The hurricane is devastating: homes and condos are levelled, hotels and storefronts ruined, streets flooded, and a dozen people are killed.

One of the victims is Nelson Kerr, a friend of Bruce’s who wrote timely political thrillers. But evidence suggests

that the storm wasn’t the cause of Nelson’s death - he had received several mysterious blows to the head.

Who would want Nelson dead? The local police are overwhelmed with the aftermath of the storm and in no condition to handle the case.

Bruce begins to wonder if the shady characters in Nelson’s novels were more fact than fiction. And somewhere on Nelson’s computer is the manuscript of his new novel - could the key to the case be right there, in black and white? Bruce starts to look into it and what he finds between the lines is more shocking than any of Nelson’s

plot twists - and far more dangerous.

• Dangerous Engagement (Wedlocked Trilogy Book 1) by Charlotte Byrd (romance) Not long ago, there was nothing I couldn’t have. Now, I don’t even have the choice of whom to marry.

To save my father’s life and our family’s legacy, I have to marry a cruel man who wants me only as a trophy.

Henry Asher was just supposed to be a summer fling, but we fell in love. We thought we would be together forever, but life got in the way. After we broke up, I vowed to never tell Henry the truth about my engagement.

What happens when the lies that were supposed to save me start to drown me?

Henry Asher I didn’t always have wealth or power. There was even a time when I didn’t want any of that.

Then I met her: Aurora Tate is an heiress to a billiondollar fortune. She grew up

on Park Avenue, had a house in the Hamptons and skied in Aspen. Our first summer together was magical. We were naive enough to think that love was going to be enough.

Now, she’s forced to marry a man she hates to save her father’s life.

To get her back and to make her my wife, I need to become the man she needs me to be.

Can I do it in time?

• The Wedding Dress by Danielle Steele (romance) The story of a family and a special dress, handed down from mother to daughter, during times of fortune, loss, tragedy and victory, by the world’s favourite storyteller, Danielle Steel.

The Deveraux family were among the most important members of 1920s San Francisco society, and the wedding of their daughter Eleanor to wealthy banker Alexander Allen would be the highlight of the 1929 social calendar.

The wedding, held in the

family’s magnificent Pacific Heights mansion, was everything they’d hoped, and Eleanor’s dress was a triumph.

Designed by one of the most famous fashion houses in Paris, it was exquisite in every way.

But the dream life, along with the most perfect honeymoon in Europe, was about to come to an end when Alex received news of the Wall Street Crash. It appeared that the family had lost everything . . .

In the years that followed, the Deveraux lived through periods of huge social and political change. What helped to unite them was the beautiful wedding dress, first worn by Eleanor, which remained a family heirloom and continued to hold a special place in the hearts of a family desperate to survive the turmoil and changing fortunes of the times.

The Tribune | Weekend | 21

Friday, May 1, 2020

books

WINFREY CHOOSES “HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD” FOR BOOK CLUB NEW YORK (AP) — Oprah Winfrey’s new book club pick is Robert Kolker’s “Hidden Valley Road,” an in-depth account of a 1950s family in which six of 12 children were diagnosed with schizophrenia. Winfrey says she will continue picking books during the coronavirus outbreak, and will seek new ways to engage readers.

In announcing her choice Tuesday, Winfrey called “Hidden Valley Road” a “riveting true story of an American family that reads like a medical detective journey. It reveals the shame, denial, shock, confusion and misunderstanding of mental illness at a time when no one was really sure what schizophrenia was or how to treat it.”

“Hidden Valley Road,” tells the story of the Galvins, an attractive, high-achieving Colorado family that was devastated by the illness. Kolker learned about them four years ago through a mutual friend and received extensive cooperation, speaking with nine of the siblings and their mother, and also drawing upon family letters, diaries and medical records.

In a review that ran last weekend in The New York Times, Sam Dolnick praised Kolker as a gifted storyteller and “a restrained and unshowy writer who is able to effectively set a mood.”

Kolker has written for New York magazine and Bloomberg and is the author of “Lost Girls,” which has been adapted into a Netflix film starring Amy Ryan.

Kolker’s new book, released this week, is Winfrey’s fourth selection since starting a partnership with Apple last fall. She usually tapes a live appearance with the author that runs

on Apple TV Plus. Because of the coronavirus, she will interview Kolker and Galvin family members remotely for a program expected to air in May. Winfrey spoke to The Associated Press recently from her home in Santa Barbara, California, where she has been sheltering in place since early March, She said she had chosen “Hidden Valley Road” before the virus became widespread, but says it’s even timelier now, because of its story of a baffling and horrifying illness. She was also personally drawn to

the narrative, explaining that a young student from the school she runs in South Africa has three siblings diagnosed with schizophrenia.

“I’ve watched the ways that mental illness can rampage a family, and how they deal with the stigma of it and overcoming the shame of it,” Winfrey said.

Winfrey has helped generate millions of sales over the years, but her announcement comes at a time of deep declines in book sales and widespread industry layoffs, from bookstores to the publisher Macmillan, where

Winfrey has an imprint. She began her club in 1996, and has never had a year of such unexpected and troubling challenges.

Her previous selection, Jeanine Cummins’ “American Dirt,” had received widespread early praise and seemed set to be a critical and commercial hit. But a month before its January release date, some MexicanAmerican writers faulted the novel about a Mexican mother and son fleeing north as uninformed and exploitative. What Winfrey had thought would be a show about immigration ended up being a forum about the lack of Latino representation in publishing, and in Winfrey’s club. (Winfrey reiterated that she plans to choose books by Latinos in coming months).

Not long after the Cummins show aired, in early March, the coronavirus spread around the country and Winfrey briefly wondered whether she should delay further choices. She decided instead that books, and conversations about books, were needed more than ever.

In addition to her programs on Apple, Winfrey hopes to organize what she is calling literary pajama parties on Instagram.

“You have virtual dance parties,” says Winfrey, who took part in an all-star online gathering hosted by DJ D-Nice. “So I was thinking of doing the same thing for books, trying to see how many people you get for a pajama party where you talk about a book.”

HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer

APPLE BOOKS TOP 10 The Associated Press 1. Masked Prey by John Sandford 2. Dune by Frank Herbert 3. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson 4. Madam Temptress by Meghan March 5. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng 6. Savage Son by Jack Carr 7. The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda 8. The Tattooist of Auschwitz

by Heather Morris 9. Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker 10. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

22 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, May 1, 2020

history

FOUR AMAZING ASTRONOMICAL DISCOVERIES FROM ANCIENT GREECE 1

(THE CONVERSATION) - The Histories by Herodotus (484BC to 425BC) offers a remarkable window into the world as it was known to the ancient Greeks in the mid fifth century BC. Almost as interesting as what they knew, however, is what they did not know. This sets the baseline for the remarkable advances in their understanding over the next few centuries – simply relying on what they could observe with their own eyes.

Herodotus claimed that Africa was surrounded almost entirely by sea.

How did he know this? He recounts the story of Phoenician sailors who were dispatched by King Neco II of Egypt (about 600BC), to sail around continental Africa, in a clockwise fashion, starting in the Red Sea. This story, if true, recounts the earliest known circumnavigation of Africa, but also contains an interesting insight into the astronomical knowledge of the ancient world.

The voyage took several years.

Having rounded the southern tip of Africa, and following a westerly course, the sailors observed the Sun as being on their right hand side, above the northern horizon. This observation simply did not make sense at the time because they didn’t yet know that the Earth has a spherical shape, and that there is a southern hemisphere.

. The planets orbit the Sun A few centuries later, there had been a lot of progress. Aristarchus of Samos (310BC to 230BC) argued that the Sun was the “central fire” of the cosmos and he placed all of the then known planets in their correct order of distance around it. This is the earliest known heliocentric theory of the solar system.

Unfortunately, the original text in which he makes this argument has been lost to history, so we cannot know for certain how he worked it out.

Aristarchus knew the Sun was much bigger than the Earth or the Moon, and he may have surmised that it should therefore have the central position in the solar system.

Nevertheless it is a jawdropping finding, especially when you consider that it wasn’t rediscovered until the 16th century, by Nicolaus Copernicus, who even acknowledged Aristarchus during the development of his own work.

2

. The size of the Moon One of Aristarchus’ books that did survive is about the sizes and distances of the Sun and Moon. In this remarkable treatise, Aristarchus laid out the earliest known attempted calculations of the relative sizes and distances to the Sun and Moon.

It had long been observed that the Sun and Moon appeared to be of the same apparent size in the sky, and that the Sun was further away. They realised this from solar eclipses, caused by the Moon passing in front of the Sun at a certain distance from Earth.

Also, at the instant when the Moon is at first or third quarter, Aristarchus reasoned that the Sun, Earth, and Moon would form a right-angled triangle.

As Pythagoras had determined how the lengths of triangle’s sides were related a couple of centuries earlier, Aristarchus used the triangle to estimate that the distance to the Sun was between 18 and 20 times the distance

to the Moon. He also estimated that the size of the Moon was approximately one-third that of Earth, based on careful timing of lunar eclipses.

While his estimated distance to the Sun was too low (the actual ratio is 390), on account of the lack of telescopic precision available at the time, the value for the ratio of the size of the Earth to the Moon is surprisingly accurate (the Moon has a diameter 0.27 times that of Earth).

3

. The Earth’s circumference Eratosthenes (276BC to 195 BC) was chief librarian at the Great Library of Alexandria, and a keen experimentalist. Among his many achievements was the earliest known calculation of the circumference of the Earth. Pythagoras is generally regarded as the earliest proponent of a spherical Earth, although apparently not its size. Eratosthenes’ famous and yet simple method relied on measuring the different lengths of shadows cast by poles stuck vertically into the ground, at midday on the summer solstice, at different latitudes.

The Sun is sufficiently far away that, wherever its rays arrive at Earth, they are effectively parallel, as had previously been shown by Aristarchus. So the difference in the shadows demonstrated how much the Earth’s surface curved. Eratosthenes used this to estimate the Earth’s circumference as approximately 40,000km. This is within a couple of percent of the actual value, as established by modern geodesy (the science of the Earth’s shape).

Later, another scientist called Posidonius (135BC to 51BC) used a slightly different method and arrived at almost exactly the same answer. Posidonius lived on the island of Rhodes for much of his life. There he observed the bright star Canopus would lie very close to the horizon. However, when in Alexandria, in Egypt, he noted Canopus would ascend to some 7.5 degrees above the horizon.

Given that 7.5 degrees is 1/48th of a circle, he multiplied the distance from Rhodes to Alexandria by 48, and arrived at a value also of approximately 40,000km.

4

. The first astronomical calculator The world’s oldest surviving mechanical calculator is the Antikythera Mechanism. The amazing device was discovered in an ancient shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera in 1900.

The device is now fragmented by the passage of time, but when intact it would have appeared as a box housing dozens of finely machined bronze gear wheels. When manually rotated by a handle, the gears span dials on the exterior showing the phases of the Moon, the timing of lunar eclipses, and the positions of the five planets then known (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) at different times of the year. This even accounted for their retrograde motion – an illusionary change in the movement of planets through the sky.

We don’t know who built it, but it dates to some time between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC, and may even have been the work of Archimedes.

Gearing technology with the sophistication of the Antikythera mechanism was not seen again for a thousand years.

Sadly, the vast majority of these works were lost to history and our scientific awakening was delayed by millennia.

• This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

Read the original article here:https:// theconversation.com.

Gareth Dorrian, University of Birmingham, and Ian Whittaker, Nottingham Trent University

The Tribune | Weekend | 23

Friday, May 1, 2020

history

THE RIGHT REVEREND ROSCOW GEORGE SHEDDEN The youngest bishop in Christendom

I

Forgotten facts | Paul C Aranha

t used to be common wisdom that one knew one was getting old when policemen looked like children.

When the Commissioner of Police looked like a kid, I knew that I was getting old. These were my thoughts the day I found this postcard of the 37-year-old Right Reverend Roscow George Shedden (18821956), Bishop of Nassau (1919-1931), looking very much like a child.

Online, for a mere $185.95 plus shipping and packaging, one can buy the original photograph (framed), signed by the Bishop, on the day of his consecration, when he became the youngest bishop in Christendom.

Some time ago, the now late Dr John Knowles described to me a six-week sea voyage John’s father, the Rev Donald R Knowles (later Bishop of Antigua) took in 1931 aboard the schooner Livonia, owned and commanded by Bishop Shedden, an accomplished amateur yachtsman. Eva Shedden, the bishop’s sister and housekeeper, accompanied them, and Captain Joseph Taylor led the Bahamian crew. Inter-island travel by sailboat was the norm and the trip went very well, until they reached the Plana Cays to the southeast of Nassau.

Since sailboats don’t travel in straight lines, 300 miles would be a conservative estimate of the distance.

The steady progress of the Livonia came to a sudden stop when the schooner struck a reef and sank in

about 10 minutes. Fortunately, the Bishop had launched his lifeboat, and with all hands on board, they rowed to one of the two tiny, deserted Plana Cays (also called the French Cays), frequented by mosquitoes.

They were alive, they were ‘safely’ on land, but nobody knew of their plight.

Each night, the survivors built a fire hoping to attract passing ships, but none came.

Meanwhile, Captain Taylor was determined to rescue the Bishop’s belongings by diving into the submerged cabin to fish for clothes and supplies. I found no record of whether or not anything was recovered, but sadly on

his last dive, Captain Taylor never came back.

Fortunately, Father Knowles was a keen yachtsman, andhe and the crew improvised a mast and sail for the lifeboat and set off for Acklins, some 20 miles away. Underway, they came across a sailing sloop from Turks Island. It is not reported whether this sloop took the castaways off the Plana Cays, but the news made its way to Nassau and, a week later, a boat was sent to bring home the ‘Bating Bishop’.

Once safely back in his Addington House residence, the Right Reverend resigned his See.

24 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, May 1, 2020

literary lives • Edgar Allan Poe

MASTER OF MACABRE

Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”

Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, Though its answer little meaninglittle relevancy bore; For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being Ever yet was blest with seeing bird above his chamber door Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door, With such name as “Nevermore.”

PART II

Sir Christopher Ondaatje continues remembering the American writer, poet, editor and literary critic best known for his poetry, short stories, and tales of mystery and the macabre.

I

n January 1842, Poe’s wife Virginia revealed the first signs of consumption – spitting blood while singing and playing the piano. She only partially recovered and Poe began to drink more heavily under the stress of her illness. He left Graham’s Magazine and returned to New York working briefly for the Broadway Journal.

On January 29, 1845 Poe’s poem The Raven appeared in the Evening Mirror and became a popular sensation. It made Poe a household name immediately although he was only paid $9 for its publication. It was concurrently published in The American Review: A Whig Journal under the pseudonym of “Quarles”.

The Raven

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

“Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door Only this, and nothing more.”

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow— sorrow for the lost Lenore For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating, “Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;This it is, and nothing more.”

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, “Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, That I scarce was sure I heard you” - here I opened wide the door; Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before; But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,

EDGAR Allan Poe (1809 - 1849) And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore!”

This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”Merely this, and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning, Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.

“Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice: Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; ‘Tis the wind and nothing more.”

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore; Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he; But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore.

“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven,

But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.

Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered Till I scarcely more than muttered, “other friends have flown before On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.”

Then the bird said, “Nevermore.”

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken, “Doubtless,” said I, “what it utters is its only stock and store, Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore Of ‘Never - nevermore’.”

But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling, Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door; Then upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bird of yore Meant in croaking “Nevermore.”

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core; This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o’er, But whose velvet violet lining with the lamplight gloating o’er, She shall press, ah, nevermore!

The Tribune | Weekend | 25

Friday, May 1, 2020

Then methought the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer Swung by Seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor.

“Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he hath sent thee Respite - respite and nepenthe, from thy memories of Lenore!

Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!”

Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!”

Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil - prophet still, if bird or devil!

By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.”

Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Be that word our sign in parting, bird or fiend,” I shrieked, upstarting “Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!

Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!

Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!

Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!”

Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming, And the lamplight o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor

Shall be lifted - nevermore!

In 1846, The Broadway Journal failed and Poe moved with his wife and mother-inlaw to a cottage in Fordham, New York in what is now the Bronx. Virginia died in the cottage on January 30 1847.

Poe became increasingly unstable after his wife’s death.

For a while he attempted to court Sarah Helen Whitman in Providence, Rhode Island, but that relationship was aborted because of his drinking and erratic behaviour. Whitman’s mother wisely did everything

in her power to derail the relationship. Returning to Richmond Poe resumed a relationship with his childhood sweetheart Sarah Elmira Royster.

On October 3, 1849, Poe was found delirious on the streets of Baltimore. He was taken to the Washington Medical College where he died on Sunday, October 7, 1849. His sad and haunting poem, almost certainly written about his wife Virginia, was not published until after his death.

Annabel Lee

It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child, In this kingdom by the sea; But we loved with a love that was more than loveI and my Annabel Lee; With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven Coveted her and me.

POE is buried at Westminster Hall in Baltimore, Maryland. The circumstances and cause of his death remain uncertain.

THE COTTAGE in Fordham (now the Bronx) where Poe spent his last years.

And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom by the sea, A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My beautiful Annabel Lee; So that her highborn kinsman came And bore her away from me, To shut her up in a sepulchre In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven, Went envying her and me Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know, In this kingdom by the sea) That the wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we Of many far wiser than we And neither the angels in heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea, Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee. For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling - my darling my life and my bride, In the sepulchre there by the sea, In her tomb by the sounding sea.

No one will really ever know the truth about Poe’s death. He was 40 years old when he was found wandering the streets of Baltimore wearing someone else’s clothes.

His income, in his last year, had been reduced to hardly more than $150 – mostly from slurred recitations of “The Raven”. His medical records were either lost or destroyed.

Yet his work lives on. As a grateful Conan Doyle noted, each of Poe’s stories is a root from which literatures develop. These literatures continue to grow.

NEXT WEEK:A notable story of the Anglo-Irish writer best known for her fiction about life in wartime London.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; Lives of the Novelists (2011) by John Sutherland; and Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy (1992) by Jeffrey Meyers.

26 | The Tribune | Weekend

Apropos, Flake, Envy, Thirty, Stripe, Ward, Queer, Godsend, Gauzy, Rota, Keyhole. down: Accent, Wager, Runt, Microdot (clue), Facility, Cranky, Curdle, Strength, Appendix, Bull, Hasty, Enjoys.

tV croSSword

Cider

5 Muriel Spark 6 Roy Rogers having to pay tax (4-4) 7 The Omen 8 Chelsea Bridge 28 Writer caught one Liberal 9 Hammer 10 Chris Tarrant behind enclosure (6)

MuddlESoME

5x8=40, 3x4=12, 8x4=32

Queen Elizabeth, King Stephen, Queen Victoria

SMall croSSword

wordS

control (2,4) 4 2 9 8 4 makes 7din 1 about 22 Expert 7 9 6 outside 6 9(6)8 Friday, place 4 2 1 has 4 8 left a 1 3 24 Passenger 1 8 signal 2 3 4 (5) distress

SuMthiNg

1 3 5 4 2 4 8 9 5 9

TARGET

across: 1 Chocolate, 7 Aura, across: 5 West, 7 Gugino, 8 Garai, 8 Sedan, 10 Hug, 11 Erodes, 11 Lynch, 12 Cold Feet, 13 Alan, clock-wiSE 13 Tip-and-run, 14 Depend, 16 Roc, 15 Away, 16 Skinner, 17 Otto, Best described as a number crossword, the task in Kakuro 18 Italy, 19 Ewer, 20 Artefacts.

Chub, Uber, Ergo, Gone, Arch Sudoku a Ugly. number-placing puzzle based on Near, a 9x9 griddown: 1 Cafeteria, 2 Hubris, 3 Card, 18 Elisha, 21 Nina,is22 is to fill all of the empty squares, using numbers 1 to 9, so given down:with 1 Judy,several 2 Anthea, 3 Paul,numbers. The object is to place the4 Leg, 5 Adheres, 6 Engenders, the sum of each horizontal block equals the number to its numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so the each row,8 Scenery, 9 Copycat, 12 Punnet, 4 Hi-de-Hi, 5 Wallace, 6 Siân, left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the number of thEthe wEEk 9 McPartlin, Atack, 14 Bonas, each 10 column and each 3x3QuiZ box contains same number15 Plea, 17 Ale. on its top. No number may be used in the same block more 17 Open, 19 Liu, 20 Hay. only once.

The difficulty 1level of the Conceptis Sudoku Germany 2 Rome 3 Monday 4 Paris than once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Kakuro increases from Sunday Horse 6 Scotland 7 Jack Nicholson croSS douBt tV show: The New PopeMonday to 5 increases from Monday to Sunday.

8 Trollope 9 The Specials across: LEARN 10 La La Land down: OPERA

8 3 9 1 2

toG PHr t i E

● The Quick croSSword across: 7 Rough estimate;Target 8 Sprawled; uses 9 Undo; 10 Static; 12 Outset; 14 Admire; words in 16 Scarce; 18 Pass; 20 Purveyed; the main 22 Sailing vessel. body down: 1 Competed; 2 Aghast; 3 of Well; Chambers 4 Studious; 5 Amount; 6 Stud; 11 Creeping; 13 Exceeded; 15 21stInsult; 17 Averse; 19 Afar; 21 Rave.

Century Dictionary (1999 edition)

HOW many words of four letters or more can you make from the letters shown here? in making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each must contain the centre letter and there must be at least one nine-letter word. no plurals or verb forms ending in “s”.

TODAY’S TARGET Good 11; very good 15; excellent 22 (or more). Solution tomorrow

Yesterday’s call 0907 181 2585 Sudoku forAnswer today’s target solution *Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

BATTLESHIPS CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 Famous orator upsets Eric in company (6) 4 Agitated girl with unusually neat figure (8) 9 Raced back to the line with not much room to spare (6) 10 Chaperon round a stormy situation (4,4) 12 Fish to breed we hear (4) 13 Eat my cooking; it’s full of interest (5) 14 A girl to avoid (4) 17 Give reason for displeasure with ground for barrier (5,7) 20 Play rehearsal? (8,4) 23 Grain of discomfort (4) 24 Change me inside and out (5) 25 Fitted tables for one’s home (4) 28 Does some spelling? (8) 29 Stick a small company in this place (6) 30 G 00.00 (8) 31 Primate replaces the ushers (6)

1

2

3

4

9

EASY PUZZLE

5

10 11

12

13 15

17

20 21

22

23

Yesterday’s Easy Solution

Down 1 Yet it may help a company Across: 1 Screw, 4 Lebanon, to expand (8) 8 Log, 9 Like as not, 10 Citizen, 11 Armed, 13 Trifle, 15 Hobnob, 2 Execute and remove 18 Fight, 19 Showbiz, on a stretcher (5,3) 21 Corpulent, 23 Air, 24 Subvert, 3 African goes up into 25 Niche. space (4) Down: 1 Solicit, 2 Right-wing, 5 Both weather prophets 3 Waltz, 4 Liking, 5 Bravado, and motorists must be 6 Non, 7 Noted, 12 Mont Blanc, 14 Lettuce, 16 Bizarre, 17 Ascent, able to (4,3,5) 18 Focus, 20 Often, 22 Rub. 6 A wise man reforms as he grows older (4) 7 Girl with a halo (6) 8 Man enters another order (6) 11 Ideal partners for an Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution exciting game (7,5) 15 African animal that goes Across: 1 Hopes, 4 Crosses, round in bands (5) 8 Gut, 9 Bilingual, 10 Athlete, 11 Brace, 13 Drogue, 15 Oscars, 16 It needs a driver to enter 18 Oakum, 19 Narrate, the wood (5) 21 Delivered, 23 Chi, 18 Thoughtless advice 24 Receded, 25 Sheaf. to those who are Down: 1 Haggard, 2 Patchwork, over-worried (8) 3 Sabre, 4 Caller, 5 Omnibus, 19 Swapping presents - the 6 Sou, 7 Solve, 12 Avalanche, 14 Unmoved, 16 Sheriff, impudence! (8) 17 Ingrid, 18 Order, 20 Rides, 21 Second best part in a 22 Lac. hilarious performance (6) 22 Found and copied (6) 26 Embargo put on one in an Italian port (4) 27 Reluctant to leave the Heart of Midlothian (4) Down Across 1 Embarrassed in 1 Evasive (6) shame (8) 4 Gossip (4,4) 6 7 8 2 Unquestioning (8) 9 To increase in 3 Take bulk (6) care of (4) 10 Agree to (8) 5 Approach 12 Sanctimonious its person (4) end (4,2,1,5) 13 Monetary 14 6 Every value (5) one 14 Overcast (4) 16 separately (4) 17 Vacillate (6-6) 7 Hostility (6) 20 Small but fatal 8 Set weakness (8,4) 18 19 alight (6) 23 Throw with 11 Physical force (4) make-up (12) 24 Overly 15 Remiss (5) decorative (5) 16 Conflict (5) 25 Decisive 25 18 Frightening (8) point (4) 19 Pliant (8) 28 Intolerantly 27 21 Follow assertive (8) secretly (6) 29 Self-possession 22 Sparing (6) (6) 26 A cooking 30 Cooked fat (4) thoroughly (4-4) 27 Incentive (4) 31 Mourn (6)

24 26

28

29

30

31

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

Solution tomorrow 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9 10

A

2

B

4

C

1

D

1

E

2

F

3

G

0

H

3

I

3

J

1 1

3

1

3

1

2

0

4

2

1 x Battleship

3 x Destroyer

2 x cruiser

4 x submarine

3

27

1

3

2

4

May 1, 2020

3

2

4

1

4

1

3

2

THE ALPHABEAT 7 6 9 1 2 5

targEt cAn you crack the Alphabeater? Each grid crocodilE cider circle circled number represents a letter – or black square. cleric clod coco code coder coil As in Alphapuzzle, every coiled coir cold colder coleletter colic of the alphabet cooed cool have cooledtocooler iscolor used.

But you complete the grid too! cordthe core cored cred credo cried squares below use given letters and black croc CROCODILE deco decor dice the griddolce to start. gridloco is ‘rotationally docile iced the lice loci recoil relic rice riced symmetrical’ – in other words, it looks the same if you turn the page upside down.

Solution tomorrow

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

0

( ea

0

*Ca y

38

29

31

13

17

36

11

31

34

5

35

1

8

28

24

4

38

29

4

28

31

29

18

8

12

28

5

26

17

16

23

14

28

9

10

2

35

22

29

15

5

31

11

2

1

13

8

24

29

27

29

34

12

19

30 28 12 1 28 Yesterday’s

33

25

38

29

34 6 13 40Answer 31Kakuro

36

37

29

12

13

34

8

13

16

13

34

39

19

40

28

10

20

22

38

39

22

20

26

3

11

7

1

6

26

11

29

38

22

31

33

13

22

20

27

14

1

10

12

14

23

17

8

37

20

1

2

3

4

21

22

23

24

5

6

7

25

26

27

■

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

28

29

30 31

32

33

34

■

P■

● Alternatively, for six Extra Letter clues to text DXBEAT to 84901. Texts cost £1 plus your u

WORD BUILDER Answer the clues so that each word contains the same letters as the previous word, plus or minus one.

Solu

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

5

5

6

6

7

7

The Tribune | Weekend | 27

Friday, May 1, 2020

animals

A conversation

ON THE PORCH Animal Matters | KIM ARANHA

Buddy: Hey, Chiefie Chief: Yes, Buddy?

Buddy: Do you know what “back by popular demand” means?

Chief: Sure I do, that’s what’s happening to us. Mum got so many calls and messages from people who read our “conversation on the couch” last week.

Buddy: Exactly. They asked for another one…

Chief: Yes, a conversation on the porch.

Buddy: You know two legg’eds are always trying to understand what we are saying to them. If they would just listen a little more carefully they would understand.

Chief: I think Mum speaks some dog. I find she frequently “gets it”. A couple of years ago I would wake up at night and need to go out and re-count the rain lilies, all I had to do is go to her side and nudge her with a couple of woofs, and downstairs we would go.

Buddy: Why did you need to

count the rain lilies again?

Chief: Well, Bud, I am a whole year older that you, so in dog years that’s like seven, and I forgot if there were six or seven rain lily buds.

Buddy: So who cares if there

were six or seven. Chief?

Chief: I happen to care, Buddy.

I keep stock of the garden, who walks up the path - not much of that going on right now - what birds perch, what flowers bloom. It is important stuff, if you don’t mind!

Buddy: so you would wake Mum just for that?

Chief: Yes, Bud… Buddy: Did you at least lift your

leg?

Chief: Now you are getting personal! But OK, I’ll answer. I had to, or Mum would get cross. She never quite

understood how important it was to re-sniff those flowers.

Buddy: So you stopped?

Chief: Yes, Buddy I stopped. Now

I just bark at the gaulin from the bed when he squawks or drinks from the pool.

Buddy: Can we get back to Mum talking dog please?

Chief: Sure.

Buddy: She does seam to under-

stand when we want something…but then why should she not understand dog, after all, we understand what they are saying.

Chief: Bud do you know what Facebook is?

Buddy: Sure I know what

Facebook is; we are on it all the time.

There are special pages for potcakes, senior dogs, rescue dogs, two legg’eds love showing off their dogs. Have you noticed that all two legg’eds on those social media pages think their four legg’eds are the best?

Chief: Two legg’eds are like that actually. Once you are “theirs”, you are the best. Makes me laugh because we are not theirs, they are ours, but we have to let them think they have this ownership thing.

Buddy: Well, clearly we own them. Do you know how I know?

Chief: No, Bud, what’s the clue?

Buddy: Well, remember when

you were in the States and you would go for a walk?

Chief: Yes, Buddy

Buddy: Well, if you pooped, who

cleaned it up? Who walked behind you carrying the offending bag? The two legg’ed, right? Clear as the stars in the sky. We own them!

Chief: But we have to let them think that they are in charge and smarter. Remember they didn’t want us up on the bed when we were young?

And where do we sleep now?

PET OF THE WEEK

Buddy: Yes, they even have put steps up on to the bed so we do not have to jump up.

Chief: Our legs are a bit arthritic to jump up anymore.

Buddy: We are lucky to have found such great two legg’eds to call our own. Not every pup out there is that lucky.

Chief: I know, that makes me sad.

I was rescued off Blake Road, but your human, Buddy, who was just 13, chose me.

Buddy: You were already almost

a grown up Chiefie when I came the year later. You taught me everything I know.

Chief: Except swimming. I can’t fathom why you like doing that!

Buddy: Swimming is great. I am

not as strong as I used to be, but I still have my beautiful blue toy. Mum takes me in; she says it’s good for my back legs.

Chief: Well, Buddy, we have learned a lot over these years. You are 13 and I am 14. We have control over our two legg’eds, we have a following in the paper, and on Facebook.

Buddy: We are pretty famous.

But not at all spoiled!

Chief: Gosh, no, Buddy. We are not spoiled at all. Mum says we are not!

Buddy: We should remind our friends that the Bahamas Humane Society food bank is feeding 20 surrey horses and lots of pets. Without the thrift shop, full clinics and normal revenue, we need donations to continue to help!

Chief: Yes, good thinking Hey everybody! Please help the BHS.

Photo by Linda Gill-Aranha

We’ll always have Paris

By The Bahamas Humane Society

S

ince we won’t be going to Paris, France, any time in the near future, how about bringing a little Paris to come to live with you? This three-month old girl is very outgoing and adventurous. She likes to explore places high and low and is very curious about life. She’s just been spayed and is looking forward to finding that perfect home of her own. Have you been waiting for the ‘Kitty of Love’? Paris might just fit the bill! Please give the Bahamas Humane Society a call at 323-5138 or 325-6542 to arrange an adoption!

Paris looks forward to meow-ting you!

•

The BHS is Nassau’s oldest charity and as such we are feeling the pinch from the national shutdown. While we are an essential service, our fundraisers and Thrift Shop are on hold until further notice, so we need your help more than ever. To make a donation, please contact Donna at b_humane@hotmail. com. Thank you in advance from the bottom of our hearts and warm fuzzy paws!

28 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, May 1, 2020

fashion

F

ace masks are not only a must right now, they have also become a new fashion staple. The Androsia Batik Factory has joined the list of companies and designers manufacturing face masks.

The company made the decision to produce the masks in response to the shortage locally. Since early last month, the factory has added fabric surgical masks to its production line.

As is their usual practice, the colours and designs are all inspired by and represent unique facets of the Bahamas’ natural beauty, but never has Androsia been used for something as serious or as helpful.

As the inter-island and international borders were closed, it became obvious that the entire Bahamas, and the Family Islands in particular, would suffer from a shortage of protective gear. Using all the fabric in its boutique, the factory’s talented seamstresses Theresa Hall and Sheneka Mackey immediately cut 2,000 masks and started sewing.

The priority was local frontline workers, Central Andros’ police stations, clinics, Immigration and Customs and the administration staff.

“It became clearer and clearer that face masks had a really important role in keeping people safe from COVID-19. However, we also saw the terrible stories coming out of other, larger countries about the short supplies of medical grade masks and knew that whatever medical grade masks the Bahamas could get needed to be reserved for our healthcare workers. So, fabric masks would be helpful for civilians, and we knew that we had the equipment and experience to supply them. This is one of the few ways we can help during this pandemic. We were especially worried that Andros, as an Out Island,” said Casey Birch, a representative of the factory.

“When the first reports came in that some supplies

ANDROSIA BATIK BUSY SUPPLYING BAHAMIANS WITH FACE MASKS

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

might be blocked from the Bahamas and the government decided masks should be mandatory, we knew that we should try to produce as many as we can to try to ensure people can protect themselves.”

So far, the company has donated over 650 masks to the local community and ensured all essential workers have received a mask or two.

As long as COVID-19 remains a threat, the factory

will keep on producing the masks.

“We are committed to continuing to produce them as long as there is a need, or we have the supplies too. We hope this might also help us to preserve as many jobs as possible during this tumultuous period,” said Ms Birch.

“It has been difficult to source the elastic used for the masks, but we have enough now to continue to produce.

We have received a lot of

interest in them in the Bahamas and internationally. When the border opens, we will ship them internationally.”

Since 1973, the Androsia Batik Factory has been producing handmade fabric and garments. The factory concentrates on producing casual island wear and gift items, custom fabric and uniforms for businesses and customers all over the country and beyond our shores.