Friday, July 13, 2018
art photography history books theatre film fashion music puzzles
Weekend
‘I AM WE’ PORTRAITS Page 8 & 9
History takes wing Paul C Aranha on a pioneering airline pages 4 & 5
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Friday, July 13, 2018
community
Up close and personal with the NAGB
T
he National Art Gallery of the Bahamas (NAGB) hosted its first annual Open Community Forum on June 27. Artists, patrons and the general public had a chance to meet NAGB leadership and staff, and discuss various aspects of the NAGB, inclusive of its new mission, vision, values and goals and have open dialogue about its future. Â (BIS PHOTOS/ERIC ROSE)
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Friday, July 13, 2018
Inside Weekend
My perfect Bahamian weekend Viveca Lubin Floral designer and boutique owner
Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch?
Interview 4-5 Paul C Aranha talks about his new book on an airline which changed Bahamian history Entertainment 7 Keeping it ‘lit’ for Summer with successful party series Photography 8 - 9 Scharad Lightbourne sees prominent Bahamians through a new lens Art 10 John Paul Saddleton explores layers of depth and light Theatre 11 Playwright Kerel Pinder chases the creative dream with new production ‘Star’ Independence 12 Baha Mar shows patriotic pride Beauty 13 World’s top ‘weaveologists’ to visit Nassau Style 14 - 15 Fashion flies its flag at Baha Mar Independence event Film 17 ‘The Rock’ towers over tropes in ‘Skyscraper’ Gardening 19 Jack Hardy on God’s numbers in nature Awards 20 - 21 The new Bahamian Icons take centre stage Literary Lives 21 - 24 The world’s most famous recluse Forgotten Facts 25 Paul Aranha is proud to be a Bahamian Puzzles 26 Animals 27 Explaining the Animal Protection Act, plus Pet of the Week Cover | Paul C Aranha in 2018 views a portrait of himself as a pilot in the 1980s.
“Saturday breakfast for sure! You’re able to sleep in later than usual. Ideally, lobster omelette with spinach and mushrooms, a side plate of choice fruits and an oversized cup of coffee.”
Q: Wine, rum, cocktail or Kalik? “Definitely red, sweet wine.”
Q: Beach or sofa?
“The beach it is! The beach is very calming, relaxing and my place of refuge.”
Q: What is the one thing that you can’t live without? “This was an ‘aha!’ moment for me. I pondered on this question for a bit....Inspiration. I thank God daily for His inspiration.”
Q: Weekend away, where would you go?
“Being an island girl at heart, my weekend getaway
would be New York City! In New York, I’m able to take in a Broadway show, a daytime talk show, an NBA game, fine dining and shopping.”
Things 2 Do this weekend Friday
by Villas Music
Time: 1pm Venue: Meliá Nassau Beach AllInclusive resort
For all ages from 18 and older, tournament will hand out trophies, cash prizes and surprises. • Free Paddleboard Demo Day
• Friday the 13th
Superstition and fear turn into fun with Halloween-inspired activities. During the day, test your infamous villains trivia, take part in a creepy scavenger hunt, slime making workshop and a game of Pictionary. At night, enjoy a movie on the pool deck with a concession stand buffet. • Pop Up Shop
Time: 6pm - 9pm Venue: Studio Vivo, Sandyport
Get Summer ready with Island Body and Eat Me Skinny. Shop swimwear, activewear, intimates and jewellery while getting healthy with eat me skinny cold pressed juices. • Richard Bethel Medical Fundraiser
Time: 8pm Venue: John Watling’s Distillery Come and support this good cause. There will be a cash bar, silent auction, raffle and lots of games and activities. There is a $20 cover charge.
Saturday
• Judgement Day Domino Tournament Sponsored
Time: 10am Venue: Sea Breeze Park
Time: 10am and 5pm Venue: Delaporte Point
A variety of stand-up paddleboards will be provided along with and overview and basic instruction (if necessary). There will be 15-minute time slots for the boards and paddles available. E-mail info@ pappasurf.com or Facebook message PappaSurf to confirm a time slot. • Thrill Of The Grill & Parish Fair
Time: 12noon Venue: St George’s Anglican Church
This is the church’s major fundraising event. This year’s event has the following stalls: steaks and chickens on the grill, homemade ice cream, desserts and pastries, plants, books, a white elephant, kids fun centre, hoop-la, bingo, roasted corn, “chicken in da bag”, snow cones, home cookery, hamburgers and hot dogs, conch fritters, and Junkanoo with the Valley Boys. • Cook-Out in aid of Garcia Brown’s Education Fund
Time: 12noon Venue: R M Bailey Park
On the menu are chicken dinners for $10, steak dinners and fish dinner for $12, as well as drinks and cakes. • Junkanoo Summer Festival 2018
Time: 12noon to midnight Venue: Arawak Cay
Celebrate the period when Las Vegas-style reviews headlined entertainment in the Bahamas in the 1970s. There will also be crafts, cultural games and competitions, a diverse kiddie corner, mixology and culinary demonstrations, food and drinks and Junkanoo performances. • Marina Village Art Walk
Time: 2pm - 10pm Venue: Atlantis
Enjoy art, crafts and music by Bahamian artisans. Sample locally grown and made products.
Sunday
• Sherri & More
Time: 7pm - 10pm Venue: Cosmosis Yoga Centre, Cable Beach
Enjoy smooth live music in a zen atmosphere by Sherwood Rahming with an appearance by Gee The Producer. WhatsApp 395-0026 for tickets, which include a signed Sherri poster and a mixed drink.
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Friday, July 13, 2018
interview Former pilot Paul C Aranha delves into the storied history of an airline born out of the ashes of Prohibition which helped shape our modern-day island nation. He tells Cara Hunt about how work for his new book on Bahamas Airways uncovered some fascinating forgotten facts along the way.
Paul C Aranha
I
n his new book, “Bahamas Airways – The Rise and Demise of a British International Air Carrier”, Tribune Weekend contributor Paul C Aranha tells the story of how an airline helped shape the face of Bahamian aviation and changed the country forever. The glossy coffee table book with stunning photos of the Bahamian islands was truly a labour of love for the 81-year-old Mr Aranha, who was himself a Bahamas Airways pilot from 1963 to 1970. His first book, “The Island Airman and His Bahama Islands Home”, detailed his own personal experiences as a pilot in the Bahamas for over half a century. Now, he is delving deeper into the history of the airline, which was started in 1936, and the creation of a new industry which would take the country to lofty heights. Mr Aranha credits Jonathan Ramsey, proprietor of Balmain Antiques in Nassau, with inspiring him to write the Bahamas Airways story. “He told me about 11 or 12 years ago that he had wanted to write the book, but he knew that I had worked there and said, ‘Why don’t you write it’, and turned over all of his files to me. He had quite a lot of research already,” he explained. Mr Aranha was the perfect choice, considering that he was present for the airline’s beginning as well as its demise. In 1936, at the age of just three months, Mr Aranha was at the old Pam American Airport (located near BASRA’s current headquarters on East Bay Street) with his family as they witnessed the arrival of Bahamas Airways’ very first aeroplane. After Bahamas
The cover of Paul C Aranha’s new book.
Airways was put into voluntary liquidation on October 9, 1970, he was the captain of the airline’s last jet to leave Nassau and return to its birthplace at Bournemouth in England. “I left his store determined to write the book,” said Mr Aranha of his inspiring encounter with Mr Ramsey. Thus began a journey of more than a decade to complete extensive research, conduct interviews with people associated with the airline, and compile the gorgeous photos which also illustrate the story. However, the book’s progress was delayed by two open heart surgeries and serious medical issues, such as life-threatening pneumonia. Nevertheless, Mr Aranha was determined to finish the project. “I went to the National Archives every day for two years to do research,” he said. In addition to researching the roots of Bahamian aviation, Mr Aranha said he found a treasure trove of interesting facts about the country itself. “I enjoyed the research. I found out what I needed, but I also found out all these little details which I found to be fascinating, such as the fact that the first building to have air-conditioning in the Bahamas was the Grand Central Hotel, and that Home Furniture on Bay Street, where the Sue Nan Shop is now located, was the first storefront to have glass windows.” Many of these interesting tidbits formed the basis of the “Forgotten Facts” he tells Weekend readers about each week. “I’m not a historian, but I love history, especially Bahamian history. And what I have learnt is that not much happened in Bahamian history that was
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Friday, July 13, 2018
not caused by something that happened somewhere else,” he said. Mr Aranha said that this was certainly the case in the development of aviation in the country, which got a major push as a way to counter the Prohibition Act in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. So more flights were flying through the Bahamas as a means to smuggle alcohol. He recalled that in the early days, Charlie Collar, one of the men who helped create Bahamas Airways, would fly both the bootleggers and the FBI agents tasked to investigate them on the same flight. “You could be sitting next to some who was looking for you or who you were avoiding and not know who was who,” he said. Mr Aranha explained that after the end of Prohibition in 1933, and the decline in business, Mr Collar took a number of private commissions, including giving businessman and realtor Harold Christie tours of the Out Islands. Another time, he was commissioned to fly to Florida to pick up a client. However, when he arrived at the airport he only saw a man in beat-up clothing who seemed unlikely to be able to afford the $600 fare of a private air charter. Mr Collar excused himself and called his attorney, who asked for the name of the potential client. “Charlie Collar told him ‘Harry Oakes’, and his lawyer instructed him to take the man’s cheque,” said Mr Aranha. Mr Oakes was, of course, the famous multi-millionaire who owned most of the gold mines in Canada and who whose murder in 1943 became one of the most intriguing mysteries in Bahamian history. So it came about that the dashing American aviator Charlie Collar, the Canadian mining tycoon Harry Oakes and Bahamian realtor Harold Christie joined forces in 1936 to create an airline that would change the history of the Bahamas. Over the next 34 years, through war and peace, during the good and bad, Bahamas Airways aided in transforming the country from a backwater into an international tourism mecca. Along the way, the airline revolutionised transport, enhanced the islands’ medical and postal services, and dramatically changed the standard of living, particularly for the inhabitants of the Family Islands. “I tried to write a book that people who like to read can learn a lot of the history of the airline, but I also wanted
Bahamas Airways’ flight attendants
“I’m not a historian, but I love history, especially Bahamian history. And what I have learnt is that not much happened in Bahamian history that was not caused by something that happened somewhere else.”
Bahamas Airway’s first plane, a Douglas Dolphin (Photo/Ivan Sislik Collection) to put in enough pictures that those who did not want to read the entire book would be still be able to follow the story through the pictures. Much of this is now forgotten and very few of the persons involved are left. But Bahamas Airways is still remembered fondly. In fact, many of the persons who have requested copies of the book are the children of former employers who have memories of their parents’ time working there,” said Mr Aranha. Mr Aranha is currently taking pre-orders for the book which will be released in October.
“The feedback for the book has been really encouraging. Ever since I started writing the book I sent updates and kept a list of persons who were interested,” he said. Those who wish to pre-order “Bahamas Airways – The Rise and Demise of a British International Air Carrier” can contact Mr Aranha at islandairman@gmail.com. • See page 25 for Paul C Aranha’s “Forgotten Facts”
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Friday, July 13, 2018
MOBILE
APP
Take us with you Everywhere you go!
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Friday, July 13, 2018
entertainment
Keeping it ‘lit’ for Summer A music event for young and old By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net
B
ack by popular demand, the LIT Summer Series has returned with a new venue and new style to ensure that Nassau is, well, “lit” this season. From jazz and blues to rap, pop and R&B, this musical experience has it all. Organisers celebrated the event’s third annual instalment at the Bahamas National Retreat last Saturday. The series will continue on Sunday, July 29, also at the Retreat grounds on Village Road. A finale will be a downtown block party on Saturday, August 18, to light up Charlotte Street. Performers expected to hit the stage are Patrice Murrell, Rashad L Davis, Ophine, The Ceo, Chairo the Fox, Taneisha Sweeting, Stazzie Appleyard, Danielle Dorsette, Chase Fernander, and Sacha Tha Dutchess. The house band for this series, made up from the 4tune Pop and Jazz Band of the Indigo Collection, includes musicians Selah Poitier on bass, Junior Scott on keyboards, Paul Ross on lead guitar, Sean Cunningham on drums, together with Tino, Jawara and Richard of Tingum Dem. With three live sets each show, the repertoire consists of easy listening tunes from artists like Anita Baker, Lauren Hill, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu; covers of jazz standards by artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Anita O’ Day and Michael Bublè, as well as a little old-school reggae along with more recent Top 40 hits and a 90s inspired 90 R&B set. “If you like good music this is the event for you. We have an incredible line-up of artists this year making this event one that will not only be a great opportunity for artists to interact with the audience and fellow performers,
Anja Bowe, founder of the LIT Summer Series Enjoy an eclectic mix of music and performers at this year’s LIT Summer Series. (Photos/Donald Knowles)
but something safe and exciting for music lovers to do and enjoy. We will have a little something for everyone; the young and the young at heart,” said Anja Bowe, organiser and performer for the LIT Summer Series. “Last year we featured an even more eclectic group of performers; from rappers to drummers, a flutist, fabulous singers, and of course an awesome band. But now we’re gearing up for an even more exciting summer series with lots more performances and an exciting twist.” What is also great about the event, according to Anja, is the way in
which the musicians can all become acquainted with one another, giving them a chance to network and gain more exposure in a comfortable and safe environment. “Our main goal at the LIT Summer Series is to feature a multitude of young up-and-coming artists, particularly sharing good original music, but most of all the goal is having great time,” said Anja. “This year we are more than happy to open this event exclusively to the members of the Bahamas National Trust and a portion of our proceeds will be donated to
them for the upkeep and preservation of our beautiful national parks.” The block party to cap off the series, she said, will be held in front of the Halcyon Restaurant – another partnership she is happy to have made in order to ensure this year’s series’ success. Highlights at the block party will include an “electrifying group of performers”, she said, and for the first time organisers will also feature deejays in between the live music sets. “In the future it is our hope that the LIT Summer Series will become a staple on the Bahamian Summer calendar for music lovers and organically evolve into a music festival with annual concerts similar to Jazz in the Gardens. Hopefully, we can expand our reach beyond Nassau and be able to include guests from the islands and even reach markets and audiences abroad. We would love to have guests from all over the world travel to the Bahamas specifically to share and network with Bahamian artists at this festival or simply attend,” said Anja. “As a vocal and performing artist myself, I have a deep passion for providing budding artists with a platform to showcase their talent. The importance of the LIT series is simply music. Music is happiness; friendships are created, special moments are shared and you are able let loose, visit a new world and simply enjoy the moment. To me it’s a sort escape; that’s important.” For more information regarding tickets, contact 533-3649, 454-3665, or 445-4779.
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Friday, July 13, 2018
photography
Seeing through a new lens Prominent Bahamians are transformed for portrait project By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net
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ell-known Bahamian artist Scharad Lightbourne has recently launched his “I am We” photography campaign to capture the essence of the country’s most interesting people based on their background and life experiences, and to present them in a new light. “The idea for the project came because I was at a point where I needed to reinvent myself. I wanted to push my work into a different direction,” he told Tribune Weekend. “I have always liked doing different types of photography, but lately I have been doing a lot of portraits. So I wanted to do something a bit more creative with the portraits that would allow me to be more expressive while capturing the essence of the subjects.” The result was “I am We”. “When I was coming up with the name, I thought I am a Bahamian photographing Bahamians and telling their stories. And I was writing down all the things that I wanted the project to be about. ‘I am We’ seemed to be the perfect title.” Scharad launched the project with a photo shoot of four prominent Bahamians who he then completely transformed. “I wanted to start the project off with people who were well-known by a cross section of Bahamians in their own right and in their own areas. I just wanted to do something that was not expected to create excitement and interest ahead of the project,” he said.
KhingKloud as St Genesius
Willis Knowles as Malcolm X
“What I want people to take away from this project is that the Bahamas is more than sun, sand and sea. We are made up of amazing people with amazing stories to tell and we have made a difference literally all over the world.”
The four portraits so far feature politician and businesswoman Loretta Butler-Turner portrayed as Cruella de Vil; journalist Candia Dames as Cleopatra; musician Willis Knowles, of the Willis & The Illest reggae band, as Malcolm X, and performer Terrance Gilbert, also known as KhingKloud, as St Genesius. The result took social media by storm. “People were blown away. I released the photos one at a time
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Friday, July 13, 2018
PHOTOS/SCHARAD LIGHTBOURNE
Loretta Butler-Turner as Cruella de Vil and people at first didn’t recognise who they were and then when they did they went crazy. I really wanted to take these people who were public figures and transform them into someone else,” said Scharad. “I chose Cleopatra for Candia because I see both of them as girl bosses who are instrumental in telling the news. Cleopatra was known as a linguist and for doing much of the press writing in the kingdom. Candia, of course, is a news editor at The Nassau Guardian.
Candia Dames as Cleopatra
“When I approached Candia, she said yes right away. In fact, she said, ‘How could I pass up the opportunity to work with the Scharad Lightbourne?’ When I came up with the concept for Willis, I really focused on his role as a father and husband, and his lyrics really convey the same powerful themes as Malcolm X. To me, both men are similar in character and values.” Scharad explained he depicted KhingKloud as Genesius of Rome, a legendary Christian saint, once a
comedian and actor, because he used satire to get his message across in a manner similar to KhingKloud. “KhingKloud was actually a lastminute replacement, but he was completely down with it and came through at the last moment,” said the photographer. Scharad said the most talked about transformation was when he turned Loretta Butler-Turner into the iconic villain from Disney’s “101 Dalmatians”.
“People had the strongest reaction to her photos. Some people were like, ‘She is so beautiful’, others were like, ‘How could you portray her as a villain?’ Loretta was the only female leader in Parliament and she has always had to fight her way to the top, and I wanted to depict that,” he said of his vision. Scharad said he was extremely nervous about approaching Mrs Butler-Turner to be a part of the project. “She invited me to her house and my nerves were so rattled. I just started talking about the project and running on because I was so nervous. And she sat there and let me talk, and then when I finished, she just said, ‘Of course I will do it. I just wanted to hear how passionate and invested you were in the project’,” he said. “The day of the shoot she was so wonderful and we had a ball. I remember we were shooting and I was like, ‘We should have really had some red gloves’ and she goes, ‘Oh, I brought some.’ It was divine intervention. I mean, who just happens to have red gloves? And we were really pleased with the finished product.” Scharad said after releasing the four portraits, he invited the public to submit the names of other Bahamians with interesting stories to tell. “The result was mind-blowing, we got more than 300 submissions of people from all walks of Bahamian life – engineers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, athletes, people who live all over the world ranging in age from eight to 72. “Through focus groups, we were able to narrow that down to 30 who will be formally invited to be a part of the ‘I Am We’ project.” Once the photographs are completed, Scharad plans to hold an exhibit to unveil the portraits. “This project will take about six to seven months before we are ready to launch it to the project. What I want people to take away from this project is that the Bahamas is more than sun, sand and sea. We are made up of amazing people with amazing stories to tell and we have made a difference literally all over the world,” he said. To help bring the ‘I am We’ project to life, those interested can donate to the project’s GoFundMe campaign.
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Friday, July 13, 2018
art
Layers of depth and light private commissions through personal recommendation.”
By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
Q
: What form of art do you practice? “Painting, loosely based on an Impressionistic style. My focus is on colour and light, which I attempt to capture using both oil and acrylic paint. I have recently focused on a technique using multiple glazes to give a sense of depth and space within the construct of the image.”
F
rom its inception, Baha Mar has been committed to featuring the work of local artisans and craftsman throughout the resort. Several years ago, a call was made for artists to submit portfolios for review, and John Paul Saddleton answered the call. Like so many artists, he showed an interest in the medium at an early age, drawing with crayon on the floor, finger-painting the walls and sculpting with Play-Doh on the carpet. At age seven, his parents moved from their home in Nassau to Luxembourg, where his eyes were opened to the European papier-maché art in an after-school art programme. It was there that he decided that he wanted to some day pursue a career in the arts. Ten years later, at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, Mr Saddleton took as many art electives as he could, but despite his best artistic efforts, he ended up graduating with a more “practical” degree: a Bachelor’s of Commerce. However, he then attended Central St Martin’s in London, England, where he studied watercolour layering, glass manipulation and advanced colour theory. In 2012, Mr Saddleton completed an ambitious 32-foot long mural for the new Lynden Pindling International Airport with which he hoped to convey a sense of Bahamian history. Today, he is among the many Bahamian artists who have created beautiful and intriguing pieces which currently decorate the walls of the Grand Hyatt at Baha Mar. In this Q&A with Tribune Weekend, Mr Saddleton gives a little insight into his methods, his art currently on display in the Grand Hyatt lobby, and what it means to have people from all corners of the the world view his work.
Q
: How long you have been an artist? “I have been a full-time artist for just over 20 years. In the past I used to hold one-man exhibitions, but more recently have been working on
Q
: What do you love most about this genre of art? “The scope for colour manipulation and effects that can be achieved by laying down tonally varied colour to create a sense of space and pattern. The rapid drying time of acrylics enables me to create layers of colour with more depth and transparency along with a more sophisticated, and often surprising, hue that evolves on the canvas rather than being pre-mixed.” : Where is your work featured at the Grand Hyatt and how many pieces are currently on display? “My paintings are located in the lobby of the Grand Hyatt just west of the main check–in desk. There are two pieces on display in the lobby. They depict coral reefs in a semi-abstract style. The colours and loose style were chosen to accentuate the movement and flow of fish around the reef all dancing in a vibrant tropical current. The bright and intense colours attempt to convey an energy reminiscent of that found in a Junkanoo parade.” : The Grand Hyatt offers a showcase for your art which can be viewed from people all over the world. How significant is this for you? “The opportunity afforded by this (showcase) is invaluable. The significance of such a platform is that it connects art with the viewer in a relevant setting, thus enabling them to experience the piece using more of their senses and relevant experiences. Secondly, it reaches viewers from many different backgrounds, greatly expanding the work’s exposure.”
Q Paintings by John Paul Saddleton
Q
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Friday, July 13, 2018
theatre
Kerel Pinder chases creative dream with ‘Star’ New play is an all-teen ‘dansical’ By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
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reative teenagers who chase their dreams of becoming famous while trying to navigate the obstacles of sex, drugs and jealousy are at the centre of the latest production by successful playwright Kerel Pinder. “Star” is the name of the new stage play, a ‘dansical’, which will be performed July 20 - 22 at the University of the Bahamas’ Performing Arts Centre. The play explores love, jealousy and the arts, but the main theme revolves around following one’s dream and celebrating what it means to be the most authentic version of yourself. As the producer of the play, Kerel Pinder said she wanted to explore what happens when creative youngsters don’t listen to the naysayers and instead pursue their goals with all their passion. “My TED Talk that I gave in 2017 entitled ‘What if I Became a Creative’ sparked the flame for the story line of ‘Star’. In my talk I told the story of when the idea to become a creative was first inspired within me and how it was crushed moments later by friends and society. As a full-time creative, I wanted to explore the reality that we live with daily. Most people feel having a career in the arts is nothing but a hobby and that our craft can never be monetised on a level to sustain us,” she told Tribune Weekend. “Therefore, I wanted to explore the story of what it would look like if
Scenes from ‘Star’, a new ‘dansical’ by Kerel Pinder.
The cast of ‘Star’ with Kerel Pinder (centre)
young people didn’t allow society to hold them back from their dreams. What would it look like if we learned early on how to fight.” And Kerel does just that with the help of cast members Mischa Moxey who plays the title role of Star, Cristofer Ventura Paul, Katrina Dorsett, Lashaunna Williams, Anton Stubbs, Rebecca Zimmo, Caitlyn Harris, Cameron Kemp, Chivvaun Smith, Ontario Richardson, Daneisha Clarke, Tempestt Bullard, Audenique Edden, Katelyn Cabral, Kristaleah Hall, Kallista Predelus, and Kenrick Blatch. “Before ‘Star’ I had never worked with a cast of teenagers before, and in effort to push myself as a writer I wanted to explore what this story line could look like from their eyes. This new market came with a whole new set of challenges. However, it was also an overwhelmingly rewarding experience that I will never forget,” said Kerel. “This was also my first ‘dansical’, not to be confused with a musical. A play like ‘Star’ features a majority of dance numbers versus a musical that features a large amount of musical numbers. I worked with Grand Bahamian choreographer Collette Parker who beautifully choreographed our dynamic dance performances throughout the show. ‘Star’ is a greater showcase of the arts, but it still doesn’t lose that dynamic of good storytelling, and that’s something I feel will never get old.” With ‘Star’ featuring an all-teen cast, Kerel said she and her team worked diligently to ensure it appeals to all audiences, young and the old. “When the show was first introduced a lot of young adults that have been following my plays for the past (thought they) wouldn’t be able to relate to this new story line. However, once the first weekend was showcased the word got out pretty quickly that the story line, drama and love story seen through Star will leave you feeling completely nostalgic, inspired, and even more motivated to chase your dreams,” the playwright said.
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independence
Baha Mar gets patriotic By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net
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he team at Baha Mar spared no expense as they hosted a week-long celebration in honour of the country’s 45th Independ-
ence Day. Both locals and visitors took advantage of an array of memorable events throughout the resort, from a sunset Junkanoo parade and live music at the Blue Note Lounge, to signature Bahamian bites offered at the Baha Mar restaurants. The entire week was dedicated to the aquamarine, gold and black. Menu additions included a ‘Rising Sun’ cocktail at the 3 Tides Fish House and the ‘Bahamian Pride’ at Blue Note
Lounge. The Stix restaurant played its part by serving its version of “crab n’ dough”, and Shuang Ba added guava duff bao buns to its menu. Commonwealth featured conch kati rolls, while Fi’lia presented steamed hogfish, Katsuya served up conch tempura and Cleo featured fried lionfish. Retail stores at the resort like Striped Cabana and Tropic of Luxury added Independence Day souvenirs to their stock. Additionally, the Current art studio at Baha Mar hosted a series of complimentary artistic experiences, inviting guests and residents to enjoy the creative energy of Bahamian culture. Events included ‘A Night of
Poetry’, ‘Theatre Night: Becoming Bahamian’, and the reggae band Willis and The Illest live in concert. “It is our mission to showcase our dedication and pride in our Bahamian roots and create an inclusive array of immersive experiences that connect guests, residents and our associates in a universal way,” said Vanessa Christie, Baha Mar’s public relations manager. She said Baha Mar believes that having an authentic cultural experience is a determining factor the travel decisions of today’s savvy consumer, and embracing and showcasing the elements and traditions that make the Bahamas unique is a great way for Baha Mar to distinguish itself in the from other resort destinations around the globe. Last week’s Independence-inspire activities, said Ms Christie, presented an opportunity to display the various facets of Bahamian culture beyond the popular sun, sand and sea. The celebrations culminated with a memorable Independence celebration on Baha Mar’s Waterside Place Fountain show area and the Jasmine Lawn, featuring live music and entertainment, as well as culinary offerings. The Valley Boys also gave a special performance.
Three days of celebrations in Washington, DC THE Embassy of the Bahamas and the Embassy Consular Annex engaged the Bahamian diaspora, diplomatic colleagues and friends with three days of celebrations in recognition of 45 years of Independence. The celebrations kicked off on Friday, July 6, with a cocktail reception at the St Regis Washington Hotel with guests representing various embassies, international organisations and a large contingent of people representing the diaspora. Guests enjoyed Bahamian themed cuisine and entertainment by Bahamian recording artist Stileet. On Saturday, July 9, the diaspora enjoyed a Bahamian picnic at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and were welcomed with open
Sidney Collie, Ambassador of the Bahamas to the US, cuts the Independence cake with his daughter, while Theo Neilly, Consul General, looks on. arms to worship at the historic Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church on Sunday, July 8.
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beauty
Celebrity ‘weaveologists’ bring skills to Nassau event Showcase to feature Fenty, Kylie Cosmetics, ColourPop By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
T
wo of the world’s best “weaveologists” will be giving Bahamian women top tips and tricks for installing and colouring hair when they visit Nassau for the Hair Appeal Beauty Demo and Pop Up Shop next week. The famous Las Vegas colourist known simply as “Ms Pinckney” has styled the likes of Love & Hip Hop stars Erica Mena, K Michelle and JuJu. And on July 19, she will be conducting a live colouring demonstration during the event at the Meliá Nassau Beach AllInclusive resort. Meanwhile, Kenya D, an Atlantabased beauty professional who is also the go-to stylist for the current queen of rap Cardi B, will be hosting a live lace frontal demonstration. Additionally, seven-time Emmy nominee and host of the Essence Festival Kéla Walker will host the local the beauty show, which is hosted by Hair Appeal, a Bahamian beauty brand. “We are so dedicated to giving the best products like our 100 per cent virgin hair bundles that we spent one and half years sourcing and testing 25 plus raw hair suppliers to ensure that our hair is the best for our customers,” said Kiesha Outten, operations manager for Hair Appeal. “It is the best hair and the lowest prices in the country. Hair Appeal strives to provide the best quality hair and beauty products at most affordable prices, allowing women from all walks
of life to enhance their beauty – inner or outer.” Ms Outten told Tribune Weekend the Pop Up Shop event will meet all the beauty needs of Bahamian women, while also educating them on how best to take care of their hair. “Hair Appeal wanted to have a big shopping party that every woman dreams of: hair discounts, freebies, great music, your best girlfriends, beauty products, and more. This is the Instagram-worthy beauty expo that women will love attending. Our goal is to provide Bahamian women with not only the best virgin hair bundles on the island, but also the knowledge on how to slay those bundles. So we decided to bring in the world’s best hairstylists and hosts to give our future customers live demo tutorials,” she said. Throughout the event, which kicks off at 6pm, there will be signature cocktails, a live DJ, special deals on hair, and guests will all have the opportunity for an on-site photo session with style photographer Shawn Hanna. The will also be an opportunity to test makeup by Kylie Jenner Cosmetics, Fenty Beauty by Rihanna and the popular ColourPop brand. Every shopper will also receive a free gift. “Beauty is fun luxurious and a way to treat yourself. This night is a treat for the ladies to enjoy the hair appeal experience and shopping the best in beauty. We have ensured every detail is covered,” said Ms Outten. After the main event, Hair Appeal is hosting a class on the following day specifically designed for local hairstylists to learn new skills or improve upon what they already know. “Our goal is to empower Bahamian women to not only look good but to improve themselves economically, so we are hosting an additional event just for hairstylists and for anyone who has an interest in perfecting their craft. It is a four-hour look and learn class taught by Kenya D,” said Ms Outten. The look and learn class is small and can only accommodate 20 person. Seats must be reserved in advance. Entry to the event is free, but registration is required. Visit www.hairappeal.com for more information.
Every style of hair, from Malaysian deep wave, to Indian straight and Brazilian loose wave will be catered to at the upcoming showcase.
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celebrity The Weekend Fashion Report The style of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt
FAIL
SPLIT
SPLIT
SPLIT
HIT
Your Commonwealth Youth Challenge reception at Marlborough House in London
Visiting Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar
The second day of the Royal couple’s visit to Dublin, Ireland
Visiting Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland
A service at Westminster Abbey marking the centenary of the Royal Air Force
Karin says: “OK, let’s be nice. The yellow is pretty on her. The dress, however, is not. It just looks like a bright sackcloth, straight up and down; no shape whatsoever. This needed a waist, maybe a cute belt.” Cara says: “I know that modesty is necessary, but this yellow dress is just not cute. It has an awkward hemline and looks like she’s swimming in it. For someone who has access to some of the Crown Jewels, I also bemoan her lack of accessories...this is not duchess attire.”
Karin says: “Now this I actually like. The dark teal really suits her and goes well with the brown accessories, the handbag and the shoes. This could have been another very plain dress, but the cute pockets save it.” Cara says: “It’s not emerald green per se, but she did pay tribute to the Emerald Isle with this ensemble. I’m not overly fond of this one either, to be honest. It’s just ‘blah’, and surely with all her ladies in waiting she doesn’t need such a huge handbag? I just am not blown away by all this minimalism.”
Karin says: “Finally, a more interesting cut of dress. And I even like taupe colour, although it can look a bit dead sometimes. However, as with so many of her clothes, it just looks ill-fitting. Who is her tailor? Do they need new glasses or do they need to lay off the gin?” Cara says: “OK, this is more like it. We know Meghan is a huge fan of the boatneck line and this dress maintains her sense of simplicity, but still fits well and still boasts some interesting elements with that ruffle detail. She looks regal in this outfit.”
Karin says: “Oh my, is this the first time we’ve seen in pants since her wedding? I like the idea of pantsuits for duchesses, but that jacket is just tragic. I hate the big ‘80s padded shoulders and the weird short length.” Cara says: “Another win I think. Classic elegance and she looks comfortable. I like when she deviates from the messy bun and gives us flowy tresses. The outfit just needed a little jazzing up.”
Karin says: “Finally, a clear winner. Yes, it’s still very simple, but at least it has some shape, and a waist! Here, her signature bateau neck, or Sabrina neckline, really works, especially with the flared skirt and pretty fascinator.” Cara says: “This dress is almost exactly like her wedding gown, and this is what I mean when I said I wanted her wedding gown to have more shape. This is how that gown should have fit. It doesn’t hang off of her and it has presence with the slightly flared skirt and detail at the waist. And that fascinator is headwear goals.”
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film
review
In ‘Skyscraper,’ the Rock towers over action tropes SKYSCRAPER RUNNING TIME: 102MINS
NEW YORK (AP) — I like to imagine what King Kong, as a popcorn-chomping movie-goer, might make of “Skyscraper,” the latest summer actioner staring Dwayne Johnson. Would he, watching a goliath ascend the exterior of a high-rise with helicopters and klieg lights swirling, woundedly mumble, “Hey, that’s my gig.” But in Rawson Marshall Thurber’s thriller, there is Johnson steadily — and without too much trouble, really — swinging up a 100-story-high crane to then leap across a mammoth chasm and land in an open window on the burning 220-story tower where his wife and twin kids are trapped. It goes without saying that if you’re the sort to scoff at a tale’s implausibility, “Skyscraper” may not be the movie you’re looking for. Experts in fields including physics, thermodynamics and screenwriting should proceed cautiously. But then again, few go to a movie starring the Rock and a tall building (they do have great chemistry) for sensible and realistic rescue methods. They go for the dumb fun, the crazy stunts and, above all, the Kong-sized appeal of Johnson, the towering movie star whose on-screen powers easily exceed those of any other action star today, superhero or not. The Hong Kong-set “Skyscraper” is a kind of West-meets-East “Die Hard,” but without the gritty flair of John McTiernan’s film, nor anything
like the villainous heights of Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber. Johnson’s protagonist, too, is a polished family man, the inverse of Bruce Willis’ unshaven divorcee. Johnson plays Will Sawyer, a former military man who, after a haunting hostage encounter, has become a security systems consultant. “I put my sword down,” says Sawyer, who has a prosthetic leg from the incident — a
welcome touch in a movie world where disabilities are seldom represented. Along with his former combat surgeon wife (the nice-to-see-again Neve Campbell, whose part exceeds the stereotypical spouse role) and their two kids (McKenna Roberts, Noah Cottrell), Sawyer is in Hong Kong to ready the security for “The Pearl,” a state-of-the-art skyscraper promoted as three times the size of the Empire State Building. With a swirling turbine midway up and a tennis ball-like sphere at the top, it looks a little like a giant World Cup trophy. The building is the pride of billionaire developer Zhao Long Ji (Chin Han), who has filled it with extravagant attractions, like a kind of digital hall-of-mirrors that will inevitably serve as the setting for a “Lady From Shanghai”-like shootout. He presides over it from the penthouse, more than 100 floors above anyone else in the unfinished high rise. The Singaporean star Han is one of the many Asian actors who populate the film, clearly fashioned to appeal as much to Chinese filmgoers as American ones, though their roles are largely peripheral. Sawyer’s family is installed on floor 96, a precarious spot when, just below them, a band of terrorists led by Kores Botha (a ho-hum Roland Moller) sets a floor on fire, blazing a crimson line across the night skyline. (”Skyscraper” is lensed by Robert Elswit
and it regularly looks better than you’d expect it to.) Their aim, like countless bandits before them, is to smoke out Zhao. It’s an overly elaborate plan considering they mostly desire the flash drive Zhao carries with him. But what bloodthirsty international mercenary isn’t a big fan of “The Towering Inferno”? That the timing felt right to Thurber and Johnson (who previously teamed for “Central Intelligence”) for a film about a skyscraper under terrorist assault is itself noteworthy. Such a movie would have been unthinkable in the years after Sept. 11, and for some, still is. But this year, for whatever reason, seems to close a chapter in the post-9/11 disaster movie. In April, “Rampage” (also with Johnson) didn’t hesitate to topple urban towers in clouds of dust. “Skyscraper” doesn’t have any such thoughts — or, really, any thoughts, period — in mind. It’s counting on your amnesia to the past, on screen and off, and it will readily supply you with two hours of mindless escape. It does the job better than most, thanks largely to its hulking hero. When Johnson makes his crane leap — the movie’s much-promoted central set piece — throngs surrounding the building ooh and aah. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s the Rock. JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer
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Friday, July 13, 2018
books
Review: Dan Fesperman’s ‘Safe Houses’ is superior thriller
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n “Safe Houses,” author Dan Fesperman superbly melds a character-strong espionage thriller with a suspenseful mystery that also aligns with the #MeToo movement. As a spy thriller, “Safe Houses” eschews high-tech gadgets to concentrate on the emotional and physical peril of undercover work. As a mystery, it quickly becomes a family drama. The novel moves seamlessly between West Berlin in 1979 and a small town in Maryland’s Eastern Shore during 2014 as it explores the life and death of Helen Abell Shoat. In 1979, Helen Abell is a bright but inexperienced 23-year-old working for the CIA. Like many other women at the CIA during this period, Helen is relegated to a low-level position where she deals with sexism and disrespect. She’s taken
a menial assignment — maintaining the upkeep of the four “safe houses” scattered around Berlin — and made it a vital job. At one of the houses, Helen makes a life-long enemy of a higher-ranking officer, Kevin Gilley, when she interrupts him assaulting a young German woman, whose body is found a week later. Helen launches a clandestine investigation and soon learns that Kevin has a history of abusing young female agents, secure in the knowledge that male management will protect him. In 2014, Helen Shoat has been living a quiet life on a farm with her husband, Tarrant, when the couple is shot to death in their sleep. The likely suspect is their mentally challenged son, Willard. But the couple’s daughter, Anna, who knows nothing about her mother’s
Best-selling author ventures into new territory in ‘All We Ever Wanted’ BEST-SELLING author Emily Giffin ventures into new territory in “All We Ever Wanted.” If you’re looking for a book about romance, single parenthood, race, gender injustice, lost love, or high-class privilege, this novel is for you. Nina Browning married into wealth. She’s always worked hard to make sure her only son doesn’t take their good fortune for granted. Finch is on the brink of starting his life at an Ivy League college, just like his father dreamed. The world is at his feet. Unfortunately, he takes a cruel photo of a young girl passed out at a party and it spreads around the school. Suddenly, his future is in jeopardy. Nina is mortified when her husband tries to throw money at the problem to make it go away. She doesn’t believe Finch’s behaviour can be categorised as “bad judgement.” Moreover, there’s a young
past, doesn’t believe her brother could commit such a murder. As the details of the two eras are revealed, “Safe Houses” soon has multiple meanings. The safe houses where agents feel free to meet in private are anything but safe — with hidden tape recorders going — and they definitely aren’t safe for female agents. Helen’s home was her refuge, but it was also where she was murdered. Fesperman supplies plenty of tense scenes, especially during Helen’s younger years, but his affinity for character studies is the novel’s driving force. Kevin’s violence toward women is coupled with the dangerous power he wields as he moves up in the CIA. While Kevin is a villain, Fesperman never allows his characterization to go over the top.
The top 10 audiobooks on Audible.com By The Associated Press woman out there who’s crushed. Nina ignores her husband’s wishes and reaches out to the girl. Lyla wants to forget what happened, but her father has other plans. The more Nina tries to set things right, the more she realises that her marriage is broken and her elite community is a facade of real life. “All We Ever Wanted” is an emotional journey that forces readers to think through certain scenarios. The novel analyses the intricacies of parenthood and the pain of standing beside a child in need, no matter what — even if that child isn’t your own. LINCEE RAY Associated Press
Audible.com best-sellers for week ending June 29: Fiction 1. Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman, narrated by the author 2. The Woman in the Window: A Novel by A. J. Finn, narrated by Ann Marie Lee 3. The Outsider by Stephen King, narrated by Will Patton 4. The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, narrated by Dennis Quaid and a full cast 5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J K Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale 6. The Singularity Trap by Dennis E Taylor, narrated by Ray Porter 7. All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin, narrated by Dorothy Dillingham Blue, Milton Bagby, and Catherine Taber 8. The Land: Predators: A LitRPG Saga: Chaos Seeds, Book 7 by Aleron Kong, narrated by Nick Podehl 9. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, narrated by Jennifer Lim
The younger Helen is a fully formed character, intelligent, strong and just learning her limitations. The older Helen is more of a shadow until Anna begins to flesh out her mother’s life. “Safe Houses” is a superior thriller — both on the international and domestic front. OLINE H COGDILL Associated Press 10.Then She Was Gone: A Novel by Lisa Jewell, narrated by Helen Duff Nonfiction 1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Techniques for Retraining Your Brain by Jason M Satterfield, narrated by the author 2. Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis, narrated by the author 3. Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation by Mark W Muesse, narrated by the author 4. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson, narrated by Roger Wayne 5. Calypso by David Sedaris, narrated by the author 6. Pre-Suasion: Channeling Attention for Change by Robert Cialdini, narrated by John Bedford Lloyd 7. Building a Better Vocabulary by Kevin Flanigan, narrated by the author 8. Critical Business Skills for Success by Clinton O Longenecker, Eric Sussman, Michael A. Roberto, and Ryan Hamilton, narrated by the authors 9. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, narrated by the author 10. Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills by Steven Novella, narrated by the author
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Friday, July 13, 2018
gardening
God’s numbers Take a closer look at your sunflowers or pineapples, says Jack Hardy, and you will see nature’s unique numerical pattern at work
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umerology is alive and well in the Bahamas. Have a birthday and friends will call you to ask how old you are now, what year were you born, how many grandchildren you have, what’s your favourite number. We cannot get away from the fact that numbers seem to have character, and number combinations along with coincidences take on significance and are presumed to presage future events like lottery draws. We are all susceptible to number intrigue. Today is Friday the 13th. I bet you knew that long before you started reading this article. In math classes at school we learned about series, numbers linked in a sequence. There is one series that has been around for a very long time but only in the past 50 years or so has it received much attention. It appears that nature – or God, if you will – rather liked the numbers in the Fibonacci series and displays them for all to see. The Fibonacci series is very simple and consists of numbers that are the sum of the previous two numbers, hence 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144 and so on. The series had been
known to Indian mathematicians some 200 years BCE but introduced to the Western world through Leonardo of Pisa, also called Fibonacci, some thousand years later in 1202 CE. Now let’s go into the garden and look at a sunflower. The seeds in the central circle are made up of arcs that curve clockwise and others that curve anticlockwise. Take the time to count the seeds in one arc. The result will be a Fibonacci number, 55, 89 or 144. Now inspect a full pineapple or look at one in the store. Once again we have the roughly hexagonal lumps on the outside running upwards to the right and others running upward to the left. These are easier to count than sunflower seeds but will also give you Fibonacci numbers: 8 spirals to the right, 13 spirals to the left, and 21 vertical. Pineapples are compound fruits produced by bracts in a flower head. Each flower produces one fruit that fuses with the other fruits to form what we consider a single fruit. The leaves of the pineapple plant follow the Fibonacci numbers 5 and 13; the fruit follows 8 and 21. The flowering bracts form in a spiral that causes the pattern on the pineapple’s outer surface. Pine cones, chamomile, broccoli, cauliflower and artichokes have similar properties. Count the petals on any flower head. I would not ask you to do anything I would not do so while writing this article I wandered around my garden and plucked a few flowers. Crown of thorns has two petals while strawberry and bridal bouquet frangipani have five. Each gaillardia flower has 13 petals, each one shaped like three giving the appearance of 39. A Seven Sisters rose gave me 21 petals. Now a confession: African daisies have nine petals. There is a saying that an exception proves (tests) the rule. I rest my case. Count the number of leaves of each branch grouping: all Fibonacci numbers. When I was a little boy there was a popular song that ran “I’m looking over for a four-leafed clover/That I overlooked before.” Nature does not like four so the four-leafed clover is a myth. Shrubs produce branches from growth nodes in accordance with Fibonacci numbers and the level above ground that branching occurs over and
Plants that are formed in spirals illustrate Fibonacci numbers.
The Fibonacci spiral over are laterally even with each other. These phenomena obey laws of nature and go far beyond coincidence. But wait, there’s more. If you arrange the squares of the numbers of the Fibonacci sequence into a rectangle then link the corners of the squares with a curve you get the clear outline of a nautilus shell. Fibonacci numbers indicate the growth habits of gastropods, even common garden snails. Keep extending the curve and you get a spiral of distinctive shape The Fibonacci spiral is replicated in the shape of waves (think surfer style), the unfurling of fern heads, and the shape of hurricanes as seen from satellite images. The Fibonacci spiral is apparent in a deep and mysterious way in the shape of galaxies in the Milky Way, and Donald Trump’s haircut. From tiny flowers to outer space the Fibonacci sequence leaves its imprint. If you take each Fibonacci number and divide it by the previous number
in the Fibonacci sequence you end up with an approximate constant. 8/5 is 1.6; 13/8 is 1.625; 21/13 is 1.615, but as we head towards infinity the constant settles down to 1.618. The ratio 1:1.618 is called the golden mean and is generally accepted as the most pleasing rectangular proportion. It is used to make stamps, photos, picture frames and mattes, book pages and so on. A golden mean approximation – the closest you can get using single numbers - also appears in God’s instructions for Noah’s ark, the Ark of the Covenant, and the altar Moses had to build. There is much more to the Fibonacci series than can be described in one page. Fibonacci showed a practical aspect of his series in the reproduction rates of rabbits and later scientists were able to apply this to the reproduction of bees. The double helix of our DNA contains Fibonacci ratios. Is this grouping of numbers a coincidence or a key to understanding the universe? God only knows. • For queries and comments e-mail jacktribune242@gmail.com
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awards
New icons take centre stage By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net
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or the sixth year in a row, the Bahamian Icon Awards pulled off a successful red carpet and gala event to honour some of society’s most outstanding members. Dressed to the nines, more than 700 guests turned out for the black-tie event held at the Meliá Nassau Beach resort last Saturday. The Bahamian Icon Awards acknowledge the exemplary achievements of men and women who have
excelled in various industries, thus contributing to the overall development of the Bahamian community. Founder Addis Huyler said the mission is to provide an achievable goal that inspires and encourages consistent efforts in Bahamians to strive for excellence and the fostering of good will. In addition to the awards presentation, the evening’s entertainment included a myriad of diverse performers, including Icon winner Sammi Starr, Alia Coley, Angel Reckley, VISAGE and Cara Newton-Thurston. The event was hosted by Chigozie Ijeoma and Patrice Johnson.
The winners of the 2018 Bahamian Icon Awards are:
• Fine Art – Theodore Elyett, Theodore Elyett Designs • Entertainment – Sonovia Pierre, “Goddess”, “Once On This Island” • Education – Monique Hinsey, Bahamas Ministry of Education • Tourism – Jennifer Ellis, Grand Lucayan Resort, Grand Bahama • Sports – Steven Gardiner, track and field • Media – Jerome Sawyer, “On The Record” • Music – Ericka “Lady E” Symonette, “Kill Dat Roach” • Entrepreneurship – Jay and Hilda Forbes, Tasty Teas • Rising Star – Khalea Richard, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Abaco • Youth Development – Coach David Charlton, Star Trackers Athletics Club • Humanitarianism – Bishop Walter Hanchell, Great Commission Ministries • Commerce – Tanya McCartney, Bahamas Financial Services Board • Health – Dr Richard Knowles, Imperial Optical • Live Entertainment Ensemble – “Keeping Up With the Boujees” (Kerel Pinder, producer) • Recorded Entertainment Ensemble – “On the Record” (Tanya Smith Cartwright, Jerome Sawyer, producers) • Lifetime Achievement Award – Dr Gail Saunders
‘Entertainment’ winner Sonovia Pierre
‘Education’ winner Monique Hinsey
‘Humanitarianism’ winner Bishop Walter Hanchell
‘Music’ winner Ericka “Lady E” Symonette
‘Youth Development’ winner Coach David Charlton
‘Live Entertainment Ensemble’ winner Kerel Pinder for “Keeping Up With the Boujees”
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Lifetime Achievement Award winner Dr Gail Saunders
‘Tourism’ Jennifer Ellis
‘Health’ winner Dr Richard Knowles
‘Fine Art’ winner Theodore Elyett
‘Rising Star’ winner Khalea Richard
‘Recorded Entertainment Ensemble’ winners Tanya Smith Cartwright and Jerome Sawyer for ‘On the Record’
‘Entrepreneurship’ winners Jay and Hilda Forbes for Tasty Teas
Show hosts Chigozie Ijeoma and Patrice Johnson
Tribune nominees: Photographer Shawn Hanna (left) and cartoonist Jamaal Rolle on the red carpet. PHOTO/TERREL W CAREY
PHOTOS/RODERICK WELLS PHOTOGRAPHY
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literary lives j d salinger
The world’s most
famous recluse Sir Christopher Ondaatje tries to analyse the reclusive American author whose novel “The Catcher in the Rye” launched a new literary ideal for the post World War II America.
“R
ecluses are not unknown in literature, but few have been as puritanically reclusive as Salinger – a man famous for not wanting to be famous.” – John Sutherland; Lives of the Novelists, 2011 Jerome David Salinger was born on January 1, 1919 in Manhattan, New York. He was the youngest of two children born to Sol Salinger, the son of a rabbi with second-generation roots in Lithuania – a country whose brutal
(1919 – 2010) pogroms enriched 20th century American fiction with authors like Norman Mailer, Saul Bellow, Nathaniel West and Jacqueline Susann. Sol Salinger ran a thriving cheese and ham import business which, with skilful management, weathered the 1930s depression. His mother, Miriam Jillich Salinger, was from a prosperous German-American family in Iowa. She was a Gentile whose background was so well hidden that Salinger only found out about his mother’s roots at his bar mitzvah when he was 14 years old. “Sonny” Salinger, deeply attached to his mother, enjoyed a pampered
Manhattan family life. However, despite his apparent intelligence, he was expelled from the exclusive private McBurney School in New York, and then enrolled in the Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1936 and attended New York University before dropping out after a year, then was Salinger as a student sent to Austria to learn at the Valley Forge about the import food Military Academy in business and to learn Pennsylvania another language. He
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didn’t learn much about kosher cheese and ham, but spending most of his time in Vienna, he perfected his German and discovered a taste for young girls and a wayward sort of life that would pursue him for the rest of his days. On returning to New York, the young Salinger enrolled at Columbia University in a creative writing class. There he met a teacher Whit Burnett who was not only an excellent teacher, but was also the editor of Story magazine – an influential journal that published short stories. Burnett had a nose for literary genius and, while he was editor, recognised the talent of Norman Mailer, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, as well as the young Salinger. Sensing Salinger’s talent, Burnett urged him to write more and the 21-year-old was soon appearing in Collier’s Weekly, Esquire, and Saturday Evening Post. Just as his literary career blossomed and he was published in his favourite magazine, The New Yorker, in 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He had also fallen in love with the 16-year-old Oona O’Neill, only to have her stolen away by the aging Charlie Chaplin. Salinger, with his fluent German, was commissioned as an infantry-counterintelligence officer by the US Army in April 1942. His unit, the 12th Infantry Regiment, was posted to England, and invaded Utah Beach where they suffered extensive casualties. His short military career (1942-1944) also saw him involved in the gruesome Hürtgen Forest Battle and the Battle of the Bulge, after which he was hospitalised, suffering a nervous breakdown. He never spoke or wrote about his war experiences, but in hospital he met a German woman, Sylvia Welter, an antiSemitic Nazi, who he married – but only for a brief eight months. Curiously, after the war, Salinger chose to stay in Germany working for the US Defence Department. “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do you start missing everybody.” – JD Salinger; The Catcher in the Rye Salinger returned to New York in 1946 and resumed his writing career for The New Yorker with two stories “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” and “For Esme – with Love and Squalor”. Both stories revealed his longing for his childhood adolescent world. Three years later, in 1951, “The Catcher in the Rye”, his great novel, further confirmed his psychological retreat into
Salinger and his first wife, Sylvia, in Germany
1133 Park Avenue in Manhattan, where Salinger grew up
his childhood past. Holden Caulfield’s three-day escape into New York and his quest for something pure in an unrealistic and material world became wildly popular in the 1960s – eventually becoming an integral part of American academic literature. It is estimated that “The Catcher in the Rye” has now sold over 65 million copies. “The Catcher in the Rye” launched Salinger into an unrivalled position of literary fame. However, the now 42-year-old writer, who had craved acceptance as a gifted author, rejected this acceptance as fiercely as he had sought it. In 1953, he turned his back
Salinger (far left) with the 12th infantry regiment during WW II.
on the literary world, left New York, and holed up in a 90-acre retreat in Cornish, New Hampshire, where he rejected practically every contact with the public and minimised his literary output. In 1955, he married a second time to Claire Douglas, the daughter of the British art critic Robert LangtonDouglas. The marriage produced two children and lasted three years. Salinger’s output before and after 1955 was reduced to a mere trickle. People assumed that he was working on fragments of the Glass family which he had introduced after the war in “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”.
“Franny”, and “Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters” appeared in 1955; “Zooey” in 1957, and “Seymour: An Introduction” in 1959. He was featured on the cover of Time Magazine in 1961, and his final literary work “Hapworth 16, 1924” was published by The New Yorker on June 19, 1965, and took up 80 pages – about the entire issue. It was not well received and was the last piece ever to be published in his lifetime. In the years after 1965, Salinger made every effort to suppress all his letters, writings and private papers. He had a series of relationships with younger women, one of whom, Joyce Maynard, lived in Cornish with the author before Salinger threw her out of the house. Maynard then wrote a scathing article criticising Salinger as being an obsessively controlling sometime lover. She auctioned off some letters that Salinger had written to her while still in the relationship. The letters realised $156,500, but were purchased by an admiring computer programmer who returned the letters to Salinger as a gift. In 2000, Salinger’s Continues daughter on page 24 Mar-
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Continued from page 23
Salinger works on his future masterpiece “The Catcher in the Rye” during wartime.
Salinger on the cover of Time magazine, September 15, 1961.
The original cover of Salinger’s most successful work, which still sells around one million copies around the world each year.
garet also wrote a venomous account of her father. Other relationships followed, including one with the actress Ellen Joyce. In 1982, he married a young nurse 40 years his junior, Colleen O’Neill, and they remained married until he died on January 27, 2010 – still in his home in Cornish. Salinger continued to write throughout his reclusive life although nothing of his was published. Thus, it may be possible that 10 or more novels remain hidden away in his Cornish house. In 1986, he used every resource of American law to suppress a biography of him by the author Ian Hamilton. In 2009, in what seemed to be his final legal act, he used the same lawyer to successfully stop publication of a sequel to “The Catcher in the Rye”. In 2013, Shane Salerno and David Shields, two American journalists, three years after Salinger’s death, published a revealing biography of the secretive writer disclosing that Salinger left instructions authorising a specific timetable for the release of five unpublished works on the Glass family, as well as a novel based on his relationship with his first wife Sylvia Welter, the German woman he married after World War II. The authors speculate that Salinger’s life was a “slow motion suicide mission” and that the horrors of wartime combat broke him as a man and made him a great artist. Shield and Salerno also contend that Salinger was born with only one testicle – which was one of the reasons he stayed out of the media glare so as to reduce the likelihood that this information would emerge. They also state that this assertion was based on information from two unnamed women who confirmed that Salinger suffered from this anomaly. Shane Salerno also created a somewhat nebulous film documentary on Salinger that was released about the same time in 2013. As John Sutherland, the author of Lives of the Novelists (2011) has said: “The fearsome literary estate Salinger set up, before his death, may well keep what the bunker contained out of posterity’s view for ever.” NEXT WEEK: An extraordinary novel exposing the shooting of a national hero on the front of World War I. • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of “The Last Colonial”. The author acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from “Lives of the Novelists” (2011) by John Sutherland and “Salinger” by Shane Salerno and David Shields (2013)
The Tribune | Weekend | 25
Friday, July 13, 2018
forgotten facts
Proud to be Bahamian By PAUL C ARANHA
O
n a local FM radio station, I listened to a segment of a talk show which seemed to be focused on needing to be proud to be a Bahamian, because of how good things are in the Bahamas compared to how bad things are in so many countries around the world. Although the people on the show admitted that Bahamian society used to be better, they seemed to want us to pat ourselves on the back and rejoice that we are “less worse” off than people elsewhere. When we say “It’s Better in the Bahamas”, let us not forget how good it used to be. We should look in a mirror and ask ourselves how we Bahamians can reverse the ruination of our society. In the first half of the 20th century Nassau did not have gated communities, because we did not need them. I grew up in a house that had seven doors and most of them were wide open, all day. In addition, there were 16 windows and all of them were open throughout the day. When I returned home after boarding school, I found my family sleeping with the doors and windows open – wide open – and, in 1960, when my mother died, my sister lived in that house alone for several months and never closed the doors. In 1979, I moved into my dream house on the waterfront of West Bay Street and my first night turned into a nightmare when I went downstairs to check on a strange noise and found every door wide open. The police told me that burglars open as many doors/ windows as possible so they can escape easily. I beefed up the locks and latches and things were quiet for a few years until one night there was a noise on the roof, where I saw a would-be burglar trying to hide. When he took a shot at me, my wife decided we should move into a gated community where we are protected by security guards and our home is surrounded by a wall to rival Mr Collins’. It has storm- and burglar-resistant glass windows, plus steel anti-burglar screens. We also have electric hurricane shutters that can
The house in which Paul Aranha was born and raised in. Today, it’s the Budget RentA-Car Downtown office.
“I am still proud to be Bahamian, but I want my Bahamas to be a better Bahamas, and we can’t blame our ancestors. They left this place in much better shape.” be used for added protection. Oops. I almost forgot our five, very alert, sleepindoors potcakes. I am still proud to be Bahamian, but I want my Bahamas to be a better Bahamas, and we can’t blame our ancestors. They left this place in much better shape. But what is Bahamian? Who is “a Bahamian”? Anyone descended from our original Lucayan/Arawak population must be a true, true Bahamian. I have no idea
who, if anyone, qualifies under this category. After that, descendants of the Eleutherian Adventurers strike me as true Bahamians – these names include Adderley, Albury, Bethell Davis, Sands, Saunders and many others. The Adventurers came her, in 1648 from Bermuda, a British colony, so in loose terms they were Brits. There were about 70 of them. Unlike the Bahamas of today, the majority of these settlers were white Europeans. Let’s not forget. The Brits did not take these islands from ancestors to today’s Bahamians of European and African descent. Over the next 135 years, the population increased steadily, but slowly, to about 5,000 inhabitants, living on five islands. The other islands were unpopulated until the Loyalists arrived, starting in 1783. There were thousands of Loyalists, and many thousands of their slaves, plus liberated Africans, brought here by ships of the Royal Navy. The descendants of these people must be Bahamians. I am one of those Loyalist descendants. My mother’s ancestors started arriving here in 1783. Two of her great-grandmothers (Catherine Taylor and Mary Taylor) were born in Long Island. Catherine married James Forsyth, who was born in Rum Cay. Their Bahamian-born son, Alexander Forsyth, married Bahamian-born Eliza Ann Nairn, daughter of Mary (Taylor) Nairn. Their Bahamian-born daughter
(my mother’s mother) was Catherine Ann Forsyth, a third-generation Bahamian of pure Scottish blood. She married an Englishman and produced my Bahamian-born mother, a fourthgeneration Bahamian. Aranha has become a Bahamian’name, but it first appeared here in 1849. My grandfather, who was born on Inagua, married Bahamianborn Agnes Minns, daughter of Samuel Minns and Jane Jeanette Cox. The first Minns arrived here in 1800 and Cox may well have come here before that. In 1800, John Minns’ life was saved by Rosette, a slave whom he took as a concubine. Their children were born in the Bahamas. Samuel, their second child, who was born a slave, was elected to the House of Assembly in 1837. I am proud to be a fifth-generation Bahamian and I have loved the Bahamas for as long as I can remember (most of my 81 years). My children and grandchildren are Bahamians and I live here out of choice. We Bahamians need to stop using the terrible conditions in other countries to justify the fact that we have allowed our Bahamas to deteriorate. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Unless we change and improve the way we are, what we leave our descendants will be far worse than what our ancestors left us. • For questions and comments, e-mail islandairman@gmail.com
26 | The Tribune | Weekend
Best described as a number crossword, the task in Kakuro is to fill all of the empty squares, using numbers 1 to 9, so the sum of each horizontal block equals the number to its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the number on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Kakuro increases from Monday to Sunday.
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CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 Mum, listen for a change (6) 4 Bob saves the traveller’s time (5,3) 9 A ragged child may be an old city feature (6) 10 They depend on listening devices (8) 12 Many had a meal after time (4) 13 Quiet Bohemian celebration (5) 14 Drink like a fish (4) 17 Most appealing features of newspapers (5,7) 20 A fair swimmer (7,5) 23 In for a long viva voce (4) 24 Exercising we object to in middle age (5) 25 Number not in style. What an eyesore! (4) 28 Cooler in the car, warmer in the house (8) 29 To help, possibly sit on a donkey (6) 30 An accommodating woman (8) 31 The two of them show hesitation - that’s the trouble (6)
Down 1 With luck, pals organised a little capital cover (8) 2 Spot on which films are made (8) 3 An elevating Kipling poem of unaffected simplicity (4) 5 Jealousy - caused by overindulgence? (12) 6 Unusual way to serve meat (4) 7 A girl came in to study the weapon (6) 8 Sampled the last of the fruit; dates perhaps (6) 11 He’ll fulfil his promise (3,2,3,4) 15 Local regulation thus administered (5) 16 Cuts up foodstuff on board (5) 18 Is it obtained from sole distributors? (8) 19 Southern voter who prefers one to another (8) 21 Stock type of pen (6) 22 Excuse for a Spaniard under par (6) 26 Seasonal drop in America? (4) 27 Capital solo composition (4)
Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Liszt, 4 Popular, 8 Din, 9 Piecemeal, 10 Illicit, 11 Apply, 13 Groggy, 15 Vellum, 18 Water, 19 Impetus, 21 Small-time, 23 Ban, 24 Eyewash, 25 Elegy. Down: 1 Lodging, 2 Single out, 3 Topic, 4 Pretty, 5 Presage, 6 Lee, 7 Rally, 12 Palatable, 14 Gorilla, 16 Masonry, 17 Finish, 18 Waste, 20 Peeve, 22 Ace.
Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Vigil, 4 Cobbled, 8 Nor, 9 Wineglass, 10 Stirrup, 11 Needy, 13 Awaken, 15 Assume, 18 Sheaf, 19 Towpath, 21 Franchise, 23 Ian, 24 Riposte, 25 Tense. Down: 1 Vanessa, 2 Germinate, 3 Lower, 4 Canape, 5 Bygones, 6 Lea, 7 Dusty, 12 Education, 14 Effects, 16 Enhance, 17 Strive, 18 Safer, 20 Wrest, 22 Amp.
EASY PUZZLE
Across 1 Physical strength (6) 4 Wild headlong flight (8) 9 Nullify (6) 10 Excitable (8) 12 Every one separately (4) 13 Filling for cushions etc. (5) 14 Row (4) 17 Make abject apology (3,6,3) 20 Idea occurring later (12) 23 To gamble (4) 24 Spacious (5) 25 Long detailed story (4) 28 Naturally (2,6) 29 Delirious (6) 30 Given to procrastination (8) 31 Cursory look (6)
Down 1 Stilted in style (8) 2 Wisdom (8) 3 After expected time (4) 5 Avoid hurrying (4,4,4) 6 Silent (4) 7 Sovereign remedy (6) 8 Advise strongly (6) 11 Demagogue (6-6) 15 Easily offended (5) 16 Blindly opinionated person (5) 18 Of farming land (8) 19 To throttle (8) 21 To support (6) 22 Delete (6) 26 Depart (4) 27 Brazen impudence (4)
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The Tribune | Weekend | 27
Friday, July 13, 2018
animals
Explaining the Animal Protection & Control Act, 2010
T
his Act has been in force since 2011. It is very similar, in many aspects, to the English Animal Welfare Act 2007. It significantly increases the penalties for cruelty to animals – a first offence for cruelty can result in a fine of up to $5,000 and/or up to six months imprisonment. A second offence for cruelty can result in a fine of up to $20,000 and/or up to 12 months imprisonment; each offence gives rise to a separate penalty. (So four malnourished dogs can be seen as four counts of cruelty...do the math) What is considered cruelty under this act? Beating, kicking, ill treating, tormenting, injuring, overloading or overworking an animal is considered cruelty, as is abusing, mutilating, terrifying or causing an animal to be so treated considered chargeable offences. Sexually assaulting an animal is cruelty, and before you ask why this is even mentioned, alas, it does occur. The inhumane killing an animal is also a chargeable offence. Causing any animal to be cruelly treated as is depriving an animal of food, or water or shelter it needs. Cruelty offences under the act include: doing or not doing something which results in an animal being caused unnecessary suffering. (If you know that an animal is being starved and you do nothing, this could be a chargeable offence) These offences are tried in the Magistrates Court. Following a conviction, the presiding magistrate can prohibit the offender from ever owning an animal or having an animal in their custody again.
The tale of Maggie II By The Bahamas Humane Society
PET OF THE WEEK
N
o, not the same Maggie as two weeks ago, but another of the same name and similar temperament. Like the other Maggie, this Maggie likes dogs, likes kids and isn’t so keen on cats. She was initially spotted wandering in the South Ocean area with pups in tow. She took refuge in a yard during a storm, and with the help of many animal rescuers, made her way to the Bahamas Humane Society after her pups were weaned. The pups have all since been adopted, but mummy Maggie is still seeking a home of her own. She’s been spayed, so pups are in her past and she’s welcome to stay at the BHS as long as need be since it is a no-kill shelter, but she’d like a yard to call home and some people to call hers. Do you have the right place for Maggie? If so, come in to the BHS to meet her, or call 323-5138 for more information. Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday. Maggie looks forward to meeting you!
The Act requires people to take full responsibility for the animals they own – to keep them under their control so they do not cause a nuisance, roam, threaten/attack people or other animals, or cause damage to property. Ιt makes it an offence for a dog owner to allow their dog to mate with another person’s dog without that owner’s prior agreement. As we know in the Bahamas, very little consideration is paid to unneutered dogs who are allowed to roam. The Act provides strict provisions for dogs
PATRICIA VAZQUEZ
Animal matters Kim Aranha
deemed to be dangerous and for the competent authorities to sterilise/destroy them. There are also provisions for stray/ roaming dogs to be seized and, if the owner not located, to be euthanised or otherwise disposed of. Obviously, at the Bahamas Humane Society, we would not want to see animals killed because of irresponsible owners. There are requirements for the licencing of dogs, and specific provisions for the guard dogs and the licencing and regulation of guard dog facilities. The Animal Protection and Control Act provides for the licencing of animal establishments such as pet shops, breeding or boarding kennels or stables, and of any premises where or from which animals are sold, bred, hired or boarded for gain. At present, there are absolutely no guidelines. Need I remind everybody of that tragedy during Hurricane Mathew when allegedly hundreds of dogs were drowned in their cages in South Beach because of the rising water and inadequate housing? There is no doubt that the provi-
sions of the Act are comprehensive and detailed, it is an excellent Act, but certain provisions fundamental to its effective operation have not been implemented. The most glaring is that in spite of the appointment of the members of the Animal Protection and Control Board, the board has never met. I am personally now on my third appointment as a member of what could be a very useful board, if it were to meet. I have begged and pleaded for this to be a priority of our government, any government; I care not what colour T-shirt you wear. As this board is responsible for: • Advising the Minister on the regulations to be made under the Act • Granting certificates of inspection in respect of guard dog facilities and animal holding establishments • Establishing animal control units • Supervising and monitoring the animal control wardens • Licencing all animal establishments. I am sure that readers of this article can see how essential it is for the Animal Protection and Control Board to meet. On the list of people appointed, several of them are individuals who no longer live here nor work in the animal field any longer. There is no interest to get this right, to appoint a viable, hard working, animal interested and knowledgeable board; it just sits rotting on a government desk. In accordance of the appointment of properly trained animal wardens who are along with the police ultimately responsible for ensuring compliance with the Act, the Bahamas Humane Society provided for free a programme for the first set of wardens. It was our wish to provide proper training and knowledge. The course was completed, the photographs taken, but we have never been asked to train new wardens, nor about refresher courses...just gone and forgotten. We need to insist that this board meet soon. It is beyond me what to do next. I have sat and spoken to so many different Ministers of Agriculture and heard the same platitudes. Now we have a new Minister of Agriculture. Do you suppose he reads my articles? (With acknowledgement and thanks to Metta Macmillian-Hughes, BHS legal advisor, for the legal content of this article)
28 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, July 13, 2018
