08092019 WEEKEND

Friday, August 9, 2019

books film fashion music food history animals gardening

Weekend

HONOUR FOR MDEEZ Pages 8-9

Battle of the Belles Miss Universe hopefuls show their style Pages 14-15

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, August 9, 2019

education

Ardastra impacts US teens through unique programme IT WAS an unlikely classroom for middle and high school students from the US, but within the lush, tropical gardens of Ardastra – the Bahamas’ only zoo and conservation centre – American teens discovered whether their true life’s calling is to provide care for animals.

In Ardastra’s second year of collaboration with Broadreach – a unique programme which combines global exploration with experiential learning opportunities – students gained exposure to the many sides of animal medicine and the different opportunities available to pursue their passion for birds, mammals, reptiles or marine mammals.

“When Broadreach first approached Ardastra in 2015 to discuss participating in an ‘Introduction to Veterinary Medicine’ programme here in Nassau we knew this was a great opportunity to showcase some of the incredible veterinary and animal science talent here in the Bahamas, and hopefully impact the career paths of students from around the globe,” said Ardastra’s animal curator, Bonnie Young.

From July 5-16, chaperoned middle school students aged 12 to 14 took part in the 12-day programme.

When they left, a group of high school students, aged 14 to 17, came for the start of their adventure which ran July 19-30.

“Broadreach uses locations outside of the United States to broaden students’ exposure to different cultures and different ways of doing things. The Bahamas is the perfect location. The weather is good. It’s fairly easy to get to

and there are lots of different species here,” said chaperone Jessica Smith, a veterinarian from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Students from across the US learned about animal care, nutrition, husbandry, wildlife and conservation. They collected data on Ardastra’s world-famous flamingo colony, in addition to observing surgeries and lending a helping hand at the Bahamas Humane Society and demonstrating the skills they learned by catching goats for physical exams at the Maillis family farm.

A packed schedule featured hands-on lessons in anatomy, physiology, suturing and capture and restraint. Still, it wasn’t all work and no play. Memorable experiences included getting up close and personal with dolphins and stingrays at Dolphin Encounters, a kayaking excursion and a snorkelling adventure, among other fun-filled events.

Given unprecedented access to an exotic array of animal species including iguanas, monkeys, snakes and more at Ardastra, students learned not only how to interpret animal behavior but also how to properly handle a variety of different creatures.

“It has been, actually, one of the best times of my life. I can’t do any of this stuff where I live,” said Molly Louvau, a 17-year-old rising twelfth grader from California.

AMERICAN students participated in the Broadreach Veterinary Medicate 12-day adventure in the Bahamas.

“Here there are so many different animals, so many learning opportunities, but Broadreach makes it fun. It’s not dry, sitting in classrooms.

“It’s totally hands-on. I’m learning stuff that I never would have been able to learn in a classroom setting about the animals, veterinary medicine and marine biology.”

For Harper Carroll, a 16-year-old rising 10th grader from Maryland, the trip affirmed his career choice.

“I want to become an army vet and this experience confirmed this is the right thing for me to do,” he said.

Like Carroll, 15-year-old Ashleigh Provoost from New Jersey embarked on the veterinary medicine adventure to discover whether she was truly interested in the field as a career.

“Before going into this programme I was uncertain about whether I wanted to do anything with animal science in the future, but taking this programme reaffirmed me wanting to do veterinary studies in the future,” she said.

“I think it’s really great to have a programme like this to expose you to what’s out there. It’s been really eye opening to see all these different branches of veterinary science, really just scratching the surface but still exposing me to different types of animals and jobs that I could have.”

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Friday, August 9, 2019

Inside Weekend

My perfect Bahamian weekend Butch ‘Plati Dread’ Bartlett Musician and author Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch?

“Sunday lunch, because it is my only day off.”

Interview 4 - 5

A young classical pianist returns home to stage his very first solo performance

Food 7 Vegan chef encourages Bahamians to trust their “gut feeling”

Entertainment 8 - 9 MAVS Summer Festival puts spotlight on new talent and honours the late MDeez

Gardening 10 Jack Hardy on early tomatoes that are sweeter than ever

Community 11 Fraternity brothers and sorority sisters are having a stomping good time during the Bahamas Greek Weekend

Music 13 Wendi Lewis Knight juggles motherhood and music

Pageants 14 - 15 Miss Universe contestants strive to embody the avant-garde

Film 17 ‘Dora the Explorer’ has a slightly more grown-up adventure

Books 18 New releases hitting shelves this week

Calendar 19 Things to do around town this weekend

History 20 - 21 Fifty years later: The night Sharon Tate was slain

Forgotten Facts 22 - 23 A first-hand account of the Bahamas in 1914

Literary Lives 24 - 25 Virginia Woolf’s ghostly love story

Puzzles 26

Animals 27 Kim Aranha says ‘Shame, on you Florida!’ for their reaction to iguana overpopulation, plus Pet of the Week Front page photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

Q: Wine, rum, cocktail or Kalik?

“Wine. I can pick and choose which one fits the mood I’m in.”

Q: Beach or sofa?

“Beach, so I can vibe with the planet.”

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

“A good book. My brain is hardwired to print (editions) and the feel of paper.”

Q: Weekend away, where would you go?

“Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera. I hunker down at Pineapple Fields and pig out out at Buccaneer’s Restaurant.”

Junkanoo Summer Festival resumes this Saturday

THE Junkanoo Summer Festival resumes this Saturday at Arawak Cay. The event which encompasses all aspects of Bahamian culture is the Ministry of Tourism’s most anticipated signature event of the season and is enjoyed by both locals and visitors.

There will be Bahamian dishes from 21 vendors, authentic arts and craft, dancing and sing-alongs with local musicians and bands, and of course the heart-thumping sounds of Junkanoo from both A and B groups.

There will also a lively

kiddie corner featuring games, bouncing castles, toy shops and a magic man, along with heritage games.

The Ministry’s Director of Events Charity Armbrister said officials were overwhelmed with the level of support from patrons over the first two weeks of the event. She hopes the momentum continues.

“Bahamians and visitors from all walks of life showed up and supported over the first two weeks. We’ve had successful years in the past, but this year we can see how much the event has grown

significantly. We are hoping that people continue to come and support us as we close out the summer Bahamianstyle,” she said.

This week, there will be musical performances from Gernie Flower and Caribbean Express, the one-man band of Gawain Clarke, the Sky Juice and Falcons bands, the La Chic dancers, Elon Moxey, Funky D, and Junkanoo performances from Body of Christ and the Saxons Superstars.

August 17 will be the last date of the festival, which kicks off at 1pm on Saturdays.

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Friday, August 9, 2019

interview He has an unusual dream for a young man: to inspire an appreciation for the classical arts in Bahamians. The 22-year-old pianist tells Jeffarah Gibson how he hopes his very first solo recital will show why it's important to invest in young people, and it will also help him garner sufficient support so he can continue his ambitious studies.

Elijah Stevens P

IANIST Elijah Stevens is excited to present his first ever public solo recital in Nassau later this month. The 22-year-old is using this event to showcase the skills he has mastered over the last few years and to raise funds to continue his education.

Elijah will be studying Classical Piano Performance in a Master’s degree programme at the Manhattan School of Music, his dream school and one of the world’s leading international conservatories. There, he will be in the studio of the 2001 Van Cliburn piano competition winner Olga Kern, who has been his idol for a long time, and who is recognised as one of her generation’s great artists.

He also plans to complete a dual degree

"I am fighting not just for me, but for all those who are coming behind me. I would like to see my country go to new heights when it comes to arts, particularly the classical art forms. " programme between the Manhattan School of Music and Columbia University, which will allow him the opportunity to add a Master in Music Education to his performance degrees.

“To get to this point in my life I have had to survived homelessness, poverty, and discouragement from college professors who felt I was not able to attain these goals. With $65,000 a year being the only obstacle standing between me and the realisation of these goals, I am determined to see full manifestation in these endeavours,” he told Tribune Weekend.

Elijah is sending out a special invitation to the public to the join him at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Kirk on August 18 at 6pm. All funds raised from the event will go towards his Master’s degree programme at the Manhattan School of Music. He also recently launched a Go Fund Me campaign to raise money for his continuing education. So far a total of $3,280 has been donated to his cause.

Friday, August 9, 2019

He hopes to raise $70,000 in total.

“I am elated to make my concert debut in the nation’s capital,” he said.

The recital will feature classical, contemporary, baroque and romantic music with a few surprises.

“This exciting performance in a way describes my journey through music and life, and will show the community what I am made of, that is, what a determined Bahamian can do with little. I am a firm believer that with faith all things are possible. More importantly, I believe that in order for any dream or goal to be manifested there must be a significant investment of not only faith, but work. Overcoming many challenges musically, technically and in life, my performance will showcase the artistic voice that has now been cultivated in me. Through toil, sweat and tears, I am proud of what I have evolved into musically and as a person,” he said.

Some of Elijah’s musical influences will be on display during his upcoming recital. He has been inspired by the work of RussianAmerican pianist Olga Kern, because of her “phenomenal ability to communicate her love and passion for music through her instrument with incredible flare, fire and sincerity”.

Elijah said he and Kern share interest in the work of Sergei Rachmaninoff, the famed 20th century Russian composer.

“His music speaks to me in a way I’m not sure I can fully express.

Nonetheless, he creates the most gorgeous melodies that interweave harmonies that soar and textures which allow one to feel the spirit of Russia.”

Another beloved genre for the 22-year-old is the Negro spiritual.

A contemporary piece he will be playing is called “Fantasie Negre”, written by African-American composer Florence Price. It is an arrangement on the Negro spiritual “Sinner, Please Don’t Let This Harvest Pass”.

“In this song you can hear the pain, struggle and the hope that was experienced by slaves. This piece contains jazzy elements that are still framed within a classical structure and allows one to feel the best of both worlds. It’s a crowdpleaser that always gives the ‘wow’ effect,” he said.

“I am so excited to share this side of me with my fellow Bahamians and to exhibit how, as a natural

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ambassador, I’ve represented the country abroad and what I’ve been able to do with my four-year degree. Overall, I would like to invite the community to sit back, relax and enjoy some of the finest music made by several of the musical giants of the classical genre.”

A native of Freeport, Grand Bahama, Elijah began his musical studies at the age of ten with Drea Woods-Rolle (daughter of Pamela Woods) at the Sidney Woods Music Academy.

His home church, Church of Christ Apostolic, under the leadership of Bishop Patterson Williams, afforded him his start as a pianist.

“Once I began taking lessons I immediately fell in love with the piano and spent countless hours practicing. This led to my appointment as the 2009 Sidney Woods Student of the Year... I became the most advanced student in only two years of lessons. In the 10th grade I transferred my musical studies to the Orchestral School of Music with Maestro Reynold Robinson, who was known for his exceptional work in band and his students’ outstanding National Arts Festival prizes.”

It was Mr Robinson’s mentorship, he said, which allowed him to flourish and take a leap of faith to travel to the US after being denied a total of six Bahamian scholarships.

As a result of a successful audition, he was awarded the scholarship funds needed to attend the prestigious Bethune-Cookman University. He is now the first person in his family to have graduated from college.

“I have many plans to give back to the Bahamian community in the form of scholarships, arts programmes, festivals, and so much more. I am fighting not just for me, but for all those who are coming behind me. I would like to see my country go to new heights when it comes to arts, particularly the classical art forms,” he said.

“My recital will show why the Bahamian community should invest in me and my dream, and why they should invest in young Bahamians, especially those who are artists and like me may not have the resources to realise their goals. I would also like to show the Bahamian community, and young men in particular, that there is another career path that they can pursue and flourish in.”

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Friday, August 9, 2019

section

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Friday, August 9, 2019

food

Trusting that gut feeling

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net

DESSERTS and other sweet treats are considered an indulgence at best, and at worst, a dietary sin, especially when consumed in large quantities.

But what if there were a way to make those treats more beneficial for the body, for the more healthconscious, modern Bahamian?

This was the question pondered

by Ominique Charmaine, who so far has made her mark as a fashion model, both here at home and abroad. However, owning a bakery has been a dream of hers since childhood.

At first, during her international travels, she was inspired to create traditional treats using ingredients like milk, sugar, butter and flour.

However, her own plant-based lifestyle soon led her to up come with a business venture that specialises in 100 percent raw vegan desserts. She named this business Sea Treats.

“The goal is to share recipes that do not compromise on flavour, but prioritise gut health and holistic beauty. This is a life where trusting your gut, treating your body right and nourishing your soul are the greatest ingredients of them all,” she told Tribune Weekend.

Ominique said even as a child she told her mother she was going be both a model and a chef one day.

Back then she was not quite sure how she was going to blend the two careers. However, years later, after she was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), she decided to gradually make the transition to a plant-based diet. It was making this shift that helped her realise her

combination chef/model career dream was possible.

“I am now a plant-based chef and a mindful model. I see myself using my modelling and culinary careers as platforms to bring awareness to the importance of digestive health and inspire women to trust their gut and treat their soul to the sweet life. I have built a passion towards helping Caribbean women build a strong mind and body connection,” she said.

When she first started experimenting with raw vegan treats, her taste testers were her family and friends. They raved about her creations and told her they were so decadent and delicious that she should start charging for them.

Ominique took their words to heart and and decided to turn her hobby into a business.

“I see Sea Treats in the frozen dessert section and on the shelves of specialty grocery stores.

The grand vision will include recipe books, dessert truck tours, hosting classes to teach people how to make their own great tasting, nourishing desserts, and so much more,” she said.

While Sea Treats is currently in a rebranding phase, Ominique is excited to officially introduce a new line of products and services this October. She is also looking forward to collaborating with established brands that share her values.

Sea Treats is set to offer an array of unbaked, plant-based desserts which will include tartlets, cake bars, parfaits, cookies and puddings. Services will also include special event catering, restaurant dessert menu consulting and dessert-making classes.

OMINIQUE CHARMAINE

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Friday, August 9, 2019 PHOTOS: SHAWN HANNA/TRIBUNE STAFF

entertainment

A spotlight on exciting new artists

MAVS Summer Festival honours former mentor MDeez

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net POMPEY Square was the place to be this last Sunday as MAVS Bahamas hosted its fifth annual Summer Festival chock-full with local talent.

The 2019 edition of the festival offered an exciting event with dynamic live bands, gifted vocalists, thoughtprovoking spoken word artists, skilled dancers, and talented visual artists creating live paintings during the event.

MAVS, which stands for “Musicians, Artists and Vocalists Showcase”, has for the past few years been a platform for musicians, vocalists, dancers, visual and spoken word artists to make meaningful industry connections, as well as an opportunity for large-scale exposure.

The organisation facilitates opportunities for networking, collaboration and communal learning with the help of mentors such as Dyson and Wendi Knight, and Lee Callender. The mentors donate their time in hopes of bridging the gap between the generations and connecting lives through the arts.

Highlights of this year’s event included a special tribute to the late Devon “MDeez” Knight, who

supported MAVS from its inception.

Victor Johnson, MAVS founder, said MDeez was a mentor to all of the rappers who participated over the years. “Unfortunately, he was taken from us through violence in June. We want to pay tribute to him and all he stood for,” said Mr Johnson.

MDeez died in hospital on Friday, June 21, after he was involved in an altercation with a man who allegedly stabbed him.

The injured entertainer tried to drive himself to the hospital but lost consciousness on the way and collided with another vehicle. According to his manager Luval Culmer, MDeez was on the cusp of international stardom before his death, as he was set to kick off a 12-week, multi-country tour this Summer.

Mr Johnson said this year’s MAVS experience began on June 4 with a meet and greet for various artists and culminated with the grand finale, the MAVS Summer Festival, last Sunday.

“The mentors are all

passionate about preserving CHRISTIAN HEPBURN the culture of the arts for future Bahamian creatives.

This allowed the organisation to hold field-specific workshops, giving the participants one-on-one time with the mentors,” said Mr Johnson.

Singer and mentor Wendi Knight said: “Mentorship in music is key and MAVS is on the cutting edge in ensuring that future musicians are equipped for our industry.”

Fred Ferguson, a Cacique Award winner, noted: “An organisation or programme CLAR like MAVS is timely, necessary, and it can only do good things if the artists take advantage of what it’s supposed to be.”

The first MAVS event was held at The Moat at Fort Charlotte in 2015.

Since the second festival, Pompey Square has been the home of the yearly event. Organisers said it has been a great pleasure to be able to assist the young, creative Bahamians who have passed through the programme and provide them with the tools necessary to succeed and survive in show business.

Mr Johnson said when participants leave the programme, MAVS hopes to have imparted knowledge that will

"Mentorship in music is key and MAVS is on the cutting edge in ensuring that future musicians are equipped for our industry. "

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Friday, August 9, 2019

DALE KNOWLES MR PRESTONISM, left, with a dancer. equip them to become savvy industry professionals who have fine-tuned their skill sets within their particular fields. More than 20 young Bahamians were highlighted this year at the festival.

Those who emerged on top were people like visual artists Preston Hanna, Theodosia Bastian, Aamani Hepburn, Dylan Miles, and Eddion Whyms; dancer Marciano Darling; rapper Clarence Knowles; the band Judah Tha Lion and the Truth Band; spoken word artist Willard Barr; instrumentalists Donovan Rolle and Mansa Campbell, and singers Edraneice Ferguson, Christian Hepburn, Dale Knowles, Ilsha McPhee, and Jermaine Taylor.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff The 2019 MAVS experience also included an artist development seminar with the theme “Presenting Your Brand to the World” which featured an intimate session with rapper and songwriter Chase Fernander; singer and songwriter Rashad Leamount, and certified production manager Sonia Brown, founder of Brown Entertainment Group. The visual artists also had a workshop which featured one-on-one sessions with MAVS’ visual arts director, Jodi Minnis, and MAVS’ assistant visual arts director, Christina Wong.

“It is not a competition, there are no prizes. We just want to create opportunities and nurture relationships for these artists,” said Mr Johnson.

MARCIANO Darling with a female dancer.

JUDAH THA LION

JERMAINE TAYLOR

DONOVAN ROLLE

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Friday, August 9, 2019

gardening

EARLY TOMATOES SWEETER THAN EVER Summer tomatoes coming into the country taste better than ever, but nothing beats home-grown, says Jack Hardy

THERE is no doubt about it: tomatoes from the US imported by the Bahamas during the Summer months have improved in ripeness and quality considerably over the past two years. It used to be the tomatoes were gassed at an early stage of ripeness which turned them red and made them look ready to eat while, in effect, they were inedible.

A slice through the fruit would show white tissue that should have been pink meat. These tomatoes were pretty but inedible.

Obviously the exporters now gas their tomatoes at a later stage and there has been a great improvement in taste and texture. This was forced, I am sure, by people like you and me who complained loud and long about the situation. The stores take a greater loss in in wastage but deliver a usable commodity.

That said, there is no real substitute for a home-grown tomato picked from the vine at the peak of perfection. For six months of the year we can enjoy our own tomatoes, but in order to have a full six months we need ripe tomatoes in December.

Tomatoes take four months from seed to ripe fruit, no matter what

it may say on your seed package.

That means we have to sow our new season tomato seeds in August, as early as possible.

There are several factors that make the mission particularly difficult. First of all there is the heat.

Not only does it discourage us from working in the sun, the heat is higher than the seedlings are comfortable with. Heat can be reduced by growing the seedlings in partial but that means an extra and delicate stage of adapting them to full sun at a later date. The days are growing shorter and most plants – tomatoes included – fare better when the days are growing longer. Also, there are more insects and diseases present in our gardens in summer than in winter.

An important aspect of growing early tomatoes is the right selection of seed. It would be wise to buy a fresh packet or two and use a hybrid variety with medium sized fruits. Americans in particular love large tomatoes which often lead to wrapped hemispheres in the refrigerator. If you were to do a taste test of four tomatoes that were large, medium, golf ball size, and cherry I am sure you would conclude that the smaller tomatoes were the tastiest.

So much could happen to our early tomatoes that choosing two or three different varieties would be wiser than putting all our eggs into one basket. It would also be wise to raise the seedlings individually in small four-inch pots then transplant them to one-gallon pots. Our aim is to get them into the ground early in October when they are at the budding stage.

Plant more seeds than you think you really need and ensure the pots are misted without fail every day. The pots should be in semi shade, ideally in a position where they receive morning and evening sun but are fully shaded at midday.

Once the seeds have been sown give the surface of the potting mix a brief spray of fungicide and repeat this when the seedling emerges.

This helps prevent ‘damping off’, a disease that could cause all your seedlings to rot at the soil level, fall over and die.

Most potting mixes contain enough in the way of minerals to ensure good early growth and each plant has a pair of seed leaves to help feed it. A small sprinkle of Osmocote worked into the top surface will ensure adequate dietary needs. Osmocote is a top quality time-release fertilizer that feeds for about three months. One tiny application at this stage will be more than sufficient.

When roots appear at the drainage holes of the pot it is time to transplant to a one-gallon container. Dampen the receiving potting mix and bury the contents of the small pots right in the middle so you have to add potting mix to cover most of the stem of the plants. Tomatoes develop roots on their underground stems and burying the deep encourages greater root growth. At this stage the pots can be gradually moved from their semi-shaded position to full sunshine.

This hardening process should take about a week. When the plants are in full sun you can add Osmocote to the mix around the edge of the pot and work it into the soil with your fingertips. This should occur in early to mid-September.

Once your plants are in gallon pots they will grow at a faster rate. Keep up the daily watering without fail and also give them a weekly spray of Miracle-Gro tomato special. Around about the middle to end of October they should develop flower sprays with buds. Now is the time to transplant to the garden.

Always choose a cloudy day when you transplant. The garden should be prepared in advance with wellworked soil and the tomatoes planted about two feet apart. Again, plant the vines at a good depth and cover some the main stem with soil. Let the plants be in the ground for two or three weeks before applying granular 6-6-6 to the soil. Your tomato plants are quite close together so if you spread your fertilizer in straight line grid between the plants and the rows you will be feeding the roots of two plants at a time.

By the end of October we should be getting cool nights and some of them will be cool enough to enable the tomato flowers to set fruit. Tomatoes are self-pollinating so we do not have to worry about a paucity of bees. Once fruit has set you can stake or frame your tomatoes in order to hold them and their fruits above ground. Any tomato that touches the ground will be lost to insects.

The first fruits should ripen in early December. I can assure you that eating the very first fruits will give you distinct pleasure. You have swum against the tide and walked against the wind to produce your early tomatoes and you deserve your reward.

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

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Friday, August 9, 2019

community

It's all Greek in the Bahamas this weekend

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net PLANS to bring members of historically Black Greek letter organisations from around world to the Bahamas to network, party and stomp have come to fruition.

Presented by KO Productions and the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), the annual Bahamas Greek Weekend kicked off today and will continue through Sunday.

Today’s all-day “Pulse Mixer & Pre-Party” event is taking place at Smugglers. There will also be “Steppin on Da Shores”, “Craze the Official After Party” and “Flip Flops” cooler fete events.

While each event promises loads of fun, the main focus of the weekend is to bring the best step teams from the “Divine Nine” (prominent Black Greek letter organisations in the US) and eventually other Greek letter

organisations from around the globe, all expenses paid, to the Bahamas to compete and walk away with cash prizes and bragging rights as the best step team in the world.

According to Ozzie Pratt of KO Productions, the Greek organisations have grown tremendously in the Bahamas in recent years and they wanted to find a way to highlight this phenomenon.

“Greek life is very strong throughout the islands, with local representations from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, and to some degree, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity,” he said.

“We had a vision in 2007 to take it bigger.

We saw an avenue where the Bahamas could become the number one hub for ‘Greeks’ all over the world. Instead of just making a local event, let’s make it larger than that and we can invite people from all over the world to be here to network, whether they are ‘Greeks’ from any organisation and they come to network, enjoy activities, climaxing with a jaw-dropping step show.”

Originally, the Big Greek Weekend was created to mainly highlight the annual step show known as the Barefoot Summer Jam. KO Productions then came up with the vision to make the Bahamas the number one Greek networking hub for Black Greek letter organisations. BTC joined forces with NPHC and KO Productions to officially launch Bahamas Greek Weekend.

“The goal of the Bahamas Greek Weekend is to become the largest international event of its kind, attracting historically Black Greek letter organisation members and visitors from all over the world to network on the shores of our beautiful island,” said Mr Pratt.

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Friday, August 9, 2019

leisure

Bahamian families go on aquatic adventure

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net JUST like last year, Atlantis is once again inviting locals to enjoy a fun-filled, playful day at its Aquaventure waterscape. Resort representatives said they received such an overwhelming, positive response from the Bahamian community last Summer that the team decided to bring back the special resident offer and extend its time frame.

Because its right on our doorstep, Aquaventure is often overlooked by Bahamians as an option for some Summer fun. But the team at Atlantis say it’s perfect for a day out, an overnight staycation, or for Family Island residents visiting Nassau during the holidays.

Michelle Liu, senior vice president of Marine & Water Park Operations at Atlantis, said: “We have the opportunity to offer an experience that rivals all international resorts around the world...We offer so much for all demographics.”

In a recent visit to the park, Tribune Weekend got the opportunity to experience a number of the rides; namely the water slides Serpent, Surge and The Falls. While waiting in line at each slide we got a chance to speak with a number of riders. One

man said what he enjoyed most about the Serpent was the exit, which gives you a view of the shark tank.

“I try to visit almost every year, or when I can.

My family loves Aquaventure. As guests we usually try to come down to the water park often. The sharks terrified my wife in the beginning, but look ahead, she’s at the front of the line, leaving me behind,” said Gary Lowe.

Michelle King, a local visiting from Exuma, waited in line to take on the Surge. She said: “I love visiting theme park experiences abroad, but since the very first time at this one, Aquaventure keeps drawing me back. My son knows this is something I enjoy, so he tries to make it an annual family day out while we are in town.”

Nassau resident Jessica Johnson said she is not adventurous when it comes to what she calls the “scary rides”, so her husband takes the kids on all the more daunting slides.

Bryan Banner, executive director of Waterpark Operations at Atlantis, added: “There is so much to see that our waterscape leaves you wanting to come back to experience more. Aquaventure provides a fun, safe experience for kids and the kid trapped in all of us.”

He assured readers that experiencing the Leap of Faith, the park’s iconic signature ride, is a must.

The ride itself lasts only six seconds, but the anticipation while climbing the steps to top, he said, matches the intensity of the screams.

So before heading over the Sidney Poitier Bridge for all the fun in the sun, what are some the important tips people should to know?

Mr Banner said comfortable footwear is important, as are sunglasses, sunblock, hats and any other items that will help protect you and your family while you are enjoying the waterscape.

Aquaventure is a cashless environment with very limited options for cash purchases, so credit/debit cards are recommended. Gift cards are another option; they can be purchased indoors at any of the Atlantis Signatures stores. Lockers offered in small, medium and large sizes can be purchased at the Hospitality Centre in Aquaventure, ranging in price from $17 to $28.

“Prepare for a full day. Staying hydrated is important. Enjoy water from our refill stations located at all our dining facilities. Also, riding positions on the rides are very important.

Follow the signs and listen to the dispatchers.

Get to the park early and find your spot. I highly suggest doing the rides and slides first and spending the afternoon on a sun bed soaking up the atmosphere,” said Mr Banner.

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Friday, August 9, 2019

music

Wendi juggles motherhood and music

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net THE old Wendi Lewis Knight who did what she wanted, went where she chose and could “mobilise at the drop of the dime”, no longer exists, said the singer. Today, she’s a new mother managing a music career and still trying to find the balance between family life and her calling.

Wendi is married to fellow musician Dyson Knight. The couple welcomed their baby girl ZeeZee into their life this January. And while Wendi has been experiencing a level a joy unmatched in her life, it has not been the easiest time she admitted.

“It has been challenging to say the least,” Wendi told Tribune Weekend. “I was already a pretty busy woman, so throwing motherhood into the mix has me in a tailspin.

Finding a new balance is what I am working on, and accepting that the old Wendi no longer exists...at least not right now.”

Wendi said she can longer operate as she once did because “my new baby needs me to be her eyes, her ears, her voice, and it is a full-time job that I take very seriously”.

That doesn’t mean her music has been put on the back burner. Wendi has been nominated for International Soca Awards for ‘Female Soca Performer of the Year’ and ‘Female Music Video of the Year’ for her song “Attitude”. She shares the categories with soca stars like Nadia Batson, Patrice Roberts and Shenseea.

WENDI and baby ZeeZee.

Wendi has already released three songs this year. And as she adjusts to motherhood she is also preparing for a new era of music in 2020.

“Music, though still my priority, now has to share the space in my heart and in my schedule. For now, I try to get all of my studio work done before a certain time at night in order to get back to my baby girl for bedtime routines and nursing. This important and special time is going to pass by quickly, so I’m trying to ensure that I do not miss it. However, this year I’ve taken on new management with a fresh and exciting direction for my career and a booking agency. There are some exciting things in the pipeline.”

One of those exciting ventures is the recent release of her fourth single for 2019, “In Front of You” from the Sapodilla Riddim record. The video for the song debuts today.

The track is a fusion of pop, soca, and Wendi’s signature vocal stylings.

Together, it makes for a sexy and sizzling song for the summer.

“This song is written by myself, Dyson Knight and Anwar McDonald. When I first heard the track, the line ‘Wine in front of you’ immediately popped into my head. The track was very sultry to me, so I wanted to write a sexy song,” she said.

“The fusion of Caribbean music, pop and hip hop is my absolute favourite thing about this song. It sounds so international and I am very proud of it.”

To vote for Wendi in the upcoming International Soca Awards, visit the website https://socaawards.com/vote.

Village People co-founder, songwriter Henri Belolo, dies HENRI Belolo, who cofounded Village People and co-wrote their classic hits “YMCA,” ‘‘Macho Man” and “In the Navy,” has died.

He was 82.

Scorpio Music, founded

by Belolo, announced on Wednesday that Belolo died last Saturday. No details about the death were provided.

Belolo was born in Casablanca, Morocco, on November 27, 1936. He grew up with American

and African music brought over by US troops. In his 20s he moved to Paris, France where he worked as a DJ and music producer. In 1973, he moved to the US, where he set up Can’t Stop Productions in New York City and he later teamed up with producer Jacques Morali.

With Morali and lead singer Victor Willis, Belolo founded the six-member Village People. The group’s self-titled debut album was

released in 1977.

In 1978, the group released two albums, “Macho Man” and “Cruisin’” — which featured the international hit “YMCA,” co-written by Belolo. It peaked at No 2 on the Billboard chart.

A year later, Village People released the album “Go West,” which included “In the Navy,” another song co-written by Belolo that peaked at No 3 hit on the chart.

HENRI BELOLO

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Friday, August 9, 2019

pageants

forward with

flair

By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net The 11 contestants of the Miss Bahamas Universe pageant showcased their creativity, poise and elegance during the preliminary competitions was held last Saturday at the SuperClubs Breezes.

The event was the first time the ladies were able to impress the judges in an officially scored competition “The 11 beautiful contestants put on a performance equal to that of professional runaway models,” said the organisation’s national director Anthony Smith.

“They earned it and deserved it. After several weeks of modelling, communication and public speaking workshops, it was evident that the contestants not only brought all of their training onto the runway, but the winning attitudes to match. They had their competition armour on in the fierce battle to take all or nothing.”

Saturday’s schedule kicked off with the evening gown competition, in which the contestants were judged on their overall elegance, beauty and confidence.

Following the evening gown segment, the ladies went for a colourful under the sea vibe as they showed off their figures in the ‘Body Beautiful’ swimsuit competition.

The final event of the evening was the ‘Avante-Garde’ competition for which each contestant had

CONTESTANTS in the Miss Universe swimsuit, evening gown and avant-garde competition at Melia Nassau Beach resort.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

Friday, August 9, 2019

to create an outrageous fashion ensemble with the assistance of aspiring Bahamian designers.

“These extravagant outfits spoke to the imagined personality, the alter ego of each contestant,” said Mr Smith.

“Designers from the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) were responsible for the incredibly innovative fantasy pieces displayed in this year’s pageant. This was the perfect crescendo to a two-hour, fun-filled night of pageantry and passion.”

The evening’s host and hostess, Chester Robards and Kim Welcome, were the perfect match for the show which needed an entertaining and flawless flow.

During breaks between the fashion segments, guests were treated to footage from the pageant’s prior activities and events.

The grand finale is slated for Sunday, August 18, at the Atlantis Theatre, Paradise Island. The winner will represent the country at the Miss Universe pageant, however, Mr Smith noted that the location of the international pageant has not yet been confirmed.

This year’s contestants are as follows:

Rejean Bosh – Miss Universe Harbour Island Natalya Pratt – Miss Universe Andros Tenielle Adderley – Miss Universe New Providence Petra Williams – Miss Universe Inagua Katherine Weech – Miss Universe Bimini Nyisha Tilus – Miss Universe Abaco Tarea Sturrup - Miss Universe Grand Bahamas Roxan Smith – Miss Universe Staniel Cay Esther Pierre – Miss Universe Rum Cay Shakera Hall – Miss Universe Eleuthera Michelle Louidor – Miss Universe Paradise Island

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Friday, August 9, 2019

celebrity

2019 TCA-ABC All Star Party

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

SPLIT

SPLIT

SPLIT

SPLIT

Tika Sumpter Mixed-ish

Cobie Smulders Stumptown

Tamron Hall The Tamro Hall Show

Kim Raver Grey’s Anatomy

Karin says: “I think I actually like this. I like the idea of a fresh looking, white jumpsuit for Summer. The ‘sexy’ element is of course a bit obvious, but it still works and doesn’t look tacky...by Hollywood standards. What doesn’t work, however, is that goody two-shoes hairstyle. Who told her bangs were a good idea?”

Cara says: “Unfortunately this is such a sloppy fit that it ruins any chance that this outfit could have had to be cute. It takes what could have been a great Summer look and makes it my worst pick of the week. I’m very disappointed, Tika.”

Karin says: “Red velvet in Summer?

Anything velvet, especially in deep colours, should be reserved for late night, really glamorous events, preferably during the cooler months... if one MUST wear velvet at all. This being a two-piece doesn’t help either.

It’s not clever; it just looks like a fashion student’s failed project.”

Cara says: “This is a two-piece that looks all right and isn’t something we have seen a hundred times before. We have two bows-on-shoulders looks this week and I really like it. Although the fabric looks like it could be a bit hot, the style of the dress is still Summer appropriate.”

Karin says: “This is a quintessential Summer daytime party dress. It’s pretty, it’s harmless; nothing to write home about. It’s very casual, and Tamron looks like she’s have a breezy, carefree time with it. But I think she could have been stunning in something a little more dramatic. After all, she was there to announce and promote her new show.”

Cara says: “This is such a cute dress in a pretty colour combo. And Tamron looks very fresh and summery. This is a dress that I would wear. I especially love the bows on the straps. And her earrings and sandals are a great accent choice.”

Karin says: “This is much in the vein of Tamron’s dress – a casual, very summery style dress for the daytime.

That being said, I actually like it a lot.

Yes, it’s your basic wrap dress, but the bright yellow with the floral print is gorgeous. I could see myself wearing this.”

Cara says: “The print of the dress is lovely. However, I do feel that the style itself is a bit boring. It’s an awkward length at the hemline. I do like the little frill detail at the sleeve, but overall it’s just a ‘meh’, nothing special dress.”

PHOTOS/CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION/AP

The Weekend Fashion Report

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Friday, August 9, 2019

film

New live-action Dora features a more grown up explorer

By CLAUDIA TORRENS Associated Press

ACTRESS Isabela Moner says she didn’t expect so much action when she signed up for “Dora and the Lost City of Gold”, the upcoming film about the adventurous Latina explorer.

Moner said she thought it would be a funny film, with Dora in a “fish out of water” kind of situation as she starts high school.

“It’s a whole ‘Tomb Raider’ meets ‘Indiana Jones’ movie,” Moner, 18, said during a recent interview. “It just kind of takes you on this journey that has so many layers and so many characters and it’s wonderful. What I want, what I hope for is for not only kids but adults to really connect to the movie too, as well as people my age.”

While the live-action film is based on a popular children’s cartoon character that debuted in 2000, “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” presents a new, older version of the character.

The film’s Dora is encountering society for the first time in years when she is sent to California for high school.

“It’s nothing like the TV show,” director James Bobin said. “We have nods to the TV show, but the TV show is education for kids. This is a kind of adventure comedy that happens to feature the character of Dora you may know from the TV show. And in fact, plays with the idea that you know who she is and how she would behave if she were a real person.”

The film, which is in theatres on Friday, features a large Latino cast, a rarity for a major Hollywood production.

Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez, also a producer of the movie, plays a mysterious explorer; while Eva Longoria is Dora’s mom and actor Michael Peña is Dora’s dad. Jeff Wahlberg, who is of Dominican descent, plays Dora’s famous cousin, Diego. And Benicio Del Toro is the voice of Swiper, the fox that steals

Dora’s things in the animated series.

Longoria said that it was an honour to participate in “such a positive ISABELA Moner in portrayal of a “Dora and the Lost City young Latina of Gold.” who is smart, Photo: Vince Valitutti/ and kind and Paramount Pictures via brave and fearAP) less and speaks Spanish and really celebrates that”.

“It’s definitely the biggest budget movie I have ever done so to see a studio invest in our (Latin) community like this was really, really cool to see”, she said.

“She is a Latina heroine, I think in many ways, and I think that’s so underrepresented in filmmaking.

This film feels like an ‘Indiana Jones’ starring a girl who’s 16 and Latina, and that would never have happened 20 years ago,” Bobin said.

A kidnapping whisks Dora, Diego and two other teens to the jungle, where they must work to help save FILM lovers and those lookher parents and solve the mystery of ing for a different kind of a lost city. entertainment are in for a treat.

For Moner, who was born in CleveThe Bahamas International Film land and learned Spanish as a first Festival (BIFF) and The Current language through her Peruvian mom, Art Gallery at Baha Mar are partplaying Dora presented the opportunering with Sunshine Holdings and nity to explore her own heritage.

Bristol Wines & Spirits to showcase The movie contains several lines in a series of films every other week, Spanish as well Quechua, prompting kicking off this coming Tuesday, Moner to call her great aunt in Peru August 13, at 7.30pm. The first film during filming so she could ask about to be shown is the thriller “Live some words in the indigenous lanCargo” featuring “Atlanta” star guage, spoken in the Peruvian Andes LaKeith Stanfield and “Ballers” and the highlands of South America. star Robert Wisdom. The film “I felt closer to my culture, my series will run until December 10. roots,” Moner said.

There will be a mix of local, With the live-action movie, Derbez regional and international short and expects movie-goers to have fun. features films shown. Enjoy a movie “It has a lot of comedy so everyand glass of wine in an environment one is going to laugh. It is not one of filled with artwork from local artists. those movies that you go with your At each screening, guests will have a kids and you get bored”, said Derbez. chance to win door prizes from SLS Longoria agreed. “I am so excited Baha Mar, Bristol Wines & Spirits, I’m finally in a movie that my son Arawak Homes, Café Matisse, and can watch. He can’t watch it yet, but others. For more information, visit when he grows up, he’ll appreciate www.bintlfilmfest.com. it,” she said.

BIFF and The Current kick off Past, Present & Current film series

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Friday, August 9, 2019

books

New releases

hitting shelves

this week • House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A Craig In a manor by the sea, 12 sisters are cursed.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor with her sisters and their father and stepmother. Once there were 12, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last--the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge--and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that her sister’s deaths were no accidents.

The girls have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who – or what – are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family--before it claims her next.

• The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai Rhiannon Hunter may have revolutionised romance in the digital world, but in real life she only swipes right on her career—and the occasional hookup. The cynical dating app creator controls her love life with a few key rules: - Nude pics are by invitation only - If someone stands you up, block them with extreme prejudice - Protect your heart Only there aren’t any rules to govern her attraction to her newest match, former pro-football player Samson Lima.

The sexy and seemingly sweet hunk woos her one magical night... and disappears.

Rhi thought she’d buried her hurt over Samson ghosting her, until he suddenly surfaces months later, still big, still beautiful — and in league with a business rival.

He says he won’t fumble their second chance, but she’s wary. A temporary physical partnership is one thing, but a merger of hearts? Surely that’s too high a risk…

• The Perfect Wife by JP Delaney Abbie awakens in a daze with no memory of who she is or how she landed in this unsettling condition.

The man by her side claims to be

her husband. He’s a titan of the tech world, the founder of one of Silicon Valley’s most innovative start-ups.

He tells Abbie that she is a gifted artist, an avid surfer, a loving mother to their young son, and the perfect wife. He says she had a terrible accident five years ago and that, through a huge technological breakthrough, she has been brought back from the abyss.

She is a miracle of science.

But as Abbie pieces together memories of her marriage, she begins to question her husband’s motives—and his version of events. Can she trust him when he says he wants them to be together forever? And what really happened to her, half a decade ago?

Friday, August 9, 2019

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Friday, August 9, 2019

literary lives

A ghostly love story

Sir Christopher Ondaatje digs deep to reveal the mystery of Virginia Woolf's short story "The Haunted House" which first appeared in her 1921 short story collection "Monday or Tuesday"

ADELINE Virginia Woolf, née Stephen, was born on January 25, 1882 into an affluent household in South Kensington, London, the seventh child in a family of eight. Her mother, Julia Prinsep Jackson, was a celebrated Pre-Raphaelite artist’s model, and had three children from her first marriage. Woolf’s father, a notable man of letters, had one previous daughter. The Stephens produced another four children, including the modernist painter Vanessa Bell.

Her mother died in 1895, causing Virginia Woolf’s first mental breakdown. She attended the Ladies’ Department of King’s College, London where she studied classics and history.

Encouraged by her father, she began writing professionally in 1900. Her father’s death in 1905 caused another mental breakdown. After Leslie Stephen’s death the family moved from Kensington to the more Bohemian Bloomsbury, where, together with the brothers’ intellectual friends, they formed the artistic and literary Bloomsbury Group.

After Virginia’s marriage to Leonard Woolf in 1912 the couple bought a 16th century weatherboarded cottage, Monk’s House, in the village of Rodmell, three miles south of Lewes, East Sussex.

The couple founded The Hogarth Press in 1917, which published much of her work. They received many visitors at Monk’s House connected to The Bloomsbury Group, including T S Eliot, E M Forster, Roger Fry and Lytton Strachey. Virginia’s sister, Vanessa Bell, lived nearby at Charleston Farmhouse in Firle.

The Woolfs spent more and more time in Rodmell, eventually living at Monk’s House full time in 1940 when their flat in Mecklenburgh Square, Bloomsbury, was damaged during an air raid. Life in the village allowed Virginia peace and quiet, away from the tumult of London, and it was in the small wooden lodge at the bottom of the garden that many of her novels took shape: “Jacob’s Room” (1922); “Mrs Dalloway” (1925); “To The Lighthouse” (1927); “The Waves” (1937), and “Between The Acts” – her final novel published posthumously in July 1941. In March 1941, Virginia committed suicide by drowning herself in the nearby River Ouse.

Leonard Woolf continued to live at Monk’s House

VIRGINIA Woolf in 1927. until he died in 1969.

It was in Monk’s House that Virginia wrote the short story “A Haunted House”. Leonard Woolf, in his 1943 introduction to “A Haunted House and Other Short Stories” by Virginia Woolf, wrote: “All through her life, Virginia Woolf used at intervals to write short stories. It was her custom, whenever an idea for one occurred to her, to sketch it out in a very rough form and then to put it away in a drawer. Later, if an editor asked her for a short story, and she felt in the mood to write one (which was not frequent), she would take a sketch out of her drawer and rewrite it, sometimes a great many times. Or if she felt, as she often did, while writing a novel that she required to rest her mind by working at something else for a time, she would either write a critical essay or work upon one of her sketches for short stories.”

A Haunted House

by Virginia Woolf

Whatever hour you woke there was a door shutting. From room to room they went, hand in hand, lifting here, opening there, making sure - a ghostly couple.

“Here we left it,” she said. And he added, “Oh, but here too!” “It’s upstairs,” she murmured. “And

THE ENGAGEMENT photo of Virginia and Leonard Woolf, July 23, 1912 in the garden,” he whispered “Quietly,” they said, “or we shall wake them.”

But it wasn’t that you woke us. Oh, no. “They’re looking for it; they’re drawing the curtain,” one might say, and so read on a page or two. “Now they’ve found it,” one would be certain, stopping the pencil on the margin. And then, tired of reading, one might rise and see for oneself, the house all empty, the doors standing open, only the wood pigeons bubbling with content and the hum of the threshing machine sounding from the farm. “What did I come in here for? What did I want to find?”

My hands were empty. “Perhaps it’s upstairs then?”

The apples were in the loft. And so down again, the garden still as ever, only the book had slipped into the grass.

But they had found it in the drawing room. Not that one could ever see them. The window panes reflected apples, reflected roses; all the leaves were green in the glass. If they moved in the drawing room, the apple only turned its yellow side. Yet, the moment after, if the door was opened, spread about the floor, hung upon the walls, pendant from the ceiling - what? My hands were empty. The shadow of a thrush crossed the carpet; from the deepest wells of silence the wood pigeon drew its bubble of sound. “Safe, safe, safe,” the pulse of the house beat softly. “The treasure buried; the room...” the pulse

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Friday, August 9, 2019

stopped short. Oh, was that the buried treasure?

A moment later the light had faded. Out in the garden then? But the trees spun darkness for a wandering beam of sun. So fine, so rare, coolly sunk beneath the surface the beam I sought always burnt behind the glass. Death was the glass; death was between us; coming to the woman first, hundreds of years ago, leaving the house, sealing all the windows; the rooms were darkened. He left it, left her, went North, went East, saw the stars turned in the Southern sky; sought the house, found it dropped beneath the Downs. “Safe, safe, safe,” the pulse of the house beat gladly. “The Treasure yours.”

The wind roars up the avenue. Trees stoop and bend this way and that. Moonbeams splash and spill wildly in the rain. But the beam of the lamp falls straight from the window. The candle burns stiff and still. Wandering through the house, opening the windows, whispering not to wake us, the ghostly couple seek their joy.

“Here we slept,” she says. And he adds, “Kisses without number.” “Waking in the morning-” “Silver between the trees-” “Upstairs-” “In the garden-” “When summer came-” “In winter snowtime-” The doors go shutting far in the distance, gently knocking like the pulse of a heart.

Nearer they come; cease at the doorway. The wind falls, the rain slides silver down the glass. Our eyes darken; we hear no steps beside us; we see no lady spread her ghostly cloak.

His hands shield the lantern.

“Look,” he breathes. “Sound asleep. Love upon their lips.”

Stooping, holding their silver lamp above us, long they look and deeply. Long they pause. The wind drives straightly; the flame stoops slightly. Wild beams of moonlight cross both floor and wall, and, meeting, stain the faces bent; the faces pondering; the faces that search the sleepers and seek their hidden joy.

“Safe, safe, safe,” the heart of the house beats proudly.

“Long years-” he sighs. “Again you found me.” “Here,” she murmurs, “sleeping; in the garden reading; laughing, rolling apples in the loft. Here we left our treasure-” Stooping, their light lifts the lids upon my eyes. “Safe! safe! safe!” the pulse of the house beats wildly. Waking, I cry “Oh, is this your buried treasure? The light in the heart.”

“A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf is a short story that may or may not be a ghost story. In it she describes the house where she lives (almost certainly Monk’s House) with her husband. They hear noises: a couple moving from one room to another; a door shutting; voices... looking for something.

“Here we left it,” she said. And he added, “Oh, but here too!” “Quietly,” they said, “or we shall wake them”.

More voices in the house – heard from the garden. But, on investigation, the house all empty, the doors standing open, only the wood pigeons

MONK’S HOUSE, East Sussex, where Woolf wrote “A Haunted House”. babbling with content.

The story teller is puzzled.

“What did I come in here for? What did I want to find?”

The ghostly couple’s search continues.

“Perhaps it’s upstairs then?”

But Woolf, the story teller, has cleverly confused the issue. Her writing blurs the boundaries between her characters, as well as between the living couple and the reader. Ambiguity is her power. The perspective and concentration shifts from the ghosts to the living couple, then to the story teller, and even to the reader.

The perspective becomes even more suspenseful and more difficult to follow.

“But they had found it in the drawing from. Not that one could ever see them.”

Do the window panes separate the reality of the visible and the spectral uncertainties?

Or even the chasm between life and death? Woolf almost seems to be trying to convince herself of the unreal situation. “... what? My hands were empty.”

Is light the metaphorical certainty of what is happening? Or an understanding or discovery of love?

“The treasure buried; the room...” the pulse stopped short. Oh, was that the buried treasure?

Woolf continued to follow her tension and descriptive discovery of the truth.

“Safe, safe, safe,” the pulse of the house beat gladly. “The Treasure yours.”

The wind roars up the avenue. Trees stoop and bend this way and that. Moonbeams splash and spill wildly in the rain ...

“Here we slept,” she says. And he adds, “Kisses without number.”

And then Woolf reveals her own interpretation and discovery of the treasure.

“Look,” he breathes. “Sound asleep. Love upon their lips.”

“Long years –“ he sighs. “Again you found me.”

Waking, I cry “Oh, is this your buried treasure?

The light in the heart.”

VIRGINIA Woolf’s parents, Leslie and Julia Stephen.

By straddling the boundaries of convention Virginia Woolf has, under the pretext of writing a ghost story, taken her reader along an ambiguous experimental journey, through the thoughts and feelings of the ghosts, towards the memory of love.

NEXT WEEK: Anais Nin and the Blue Nude

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of “The Last Colonial”. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; “The Collected Short Stories” of Virginia Woolf; “A Haunted House and Other Short Stories” by Virginia Woolf (Leonard Woolf – editor).

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Friday, August 9, 2019

history

20,000 leagues down, 105 years ago - The Bahamas in 1914 Forgotten facts | Paul C Aranha

IN 1914, PIONEER PHOTOGRAPHER AND FILMMAKER JOHN ERNEST WILLIAMSON CAME TO NEW PROVIDENCE TO MAKE A MOVIE, WHICH HE DID, VERY SUCCESSFULLY, BUT HE ALSO MADE A LIFE HERE. HIS ELDER DAUGHTER, SYLVIA, FOUNDED THE HIGHLY REGARDED MUNROE SCHOOL, OFF WILLIAM STREET. HER SISTER, NICKI, MOVED TO HARBOUR ISLAND, AND HER SON, CAPTAIN CHARLES MUNROE, TOOK TO THE SKY AND BECAME A PILOT WITH BAHAMASAIR. SOME 43 YEARS LATER, IN 1957, MR WILLIAMSON GAVE TALK AT THE LIONS CLUB, PAINTING A VIVID PICTURE OF THE BAHAMAS HE REMEMBERED FROM YESTERYEAR. HERE IT IS IN FULL:

“HOW Bay Street looked to me, 43 years ago (in 1914), when I landed here from Norfolk, Virginia, hoping to make motion pictures under the sea, is the spot I am shooting at tonight.

The fact that the Bahamas, and its people, made good with me and my gallant company, in the making of the first undersea motion pictures in history, films that pierced the sea and revealed its wonders in motion, something that hadn’t been done before, not in this world anyway – is a pretty well-known story today.

In this ten-minute talk we can only take time for a peep at the more human side of the news of way back yonder and, in these push-button days, we might even get a laugh out of those old-fashioned human beings who lived happily then.

Let’s take a look at traffic on Bay Street 43 years ago. Recalling this famous highway, as it looked to me then: East to the city limits at Victoria Avenue

“EAST Street with Donkey and Cart” (1914) from the collection of American artist Elmer Joseph Read.

A PROP from the 1916 version of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”. (beyond that was country) and West to the Colonial Hotel end of the shell-paved road. I do not recall seeing any traffic on Bay Street in 1914. Not the moving mass of fancy machinery we now live and die with anyway.

A few horse-drawn carriages stood still, or moved gracefully about, in 1914 and, strangely

enough, people seemed to be walking, actually walking about, cheerfully, with no wheels beneath them.

Merchants closed up around noontime, shuttered the shop windows, put an iron bar across the shutters and a padlocked the door, so they could nap peacefully, for an hour or so, after lunch. That was good for the help, too. They took a nap. The customers were home, in bed, also. It worked out OK. I did, eventually, see a couple of cars. There were at least seven cars registered in Nassau at that time.

I got this, recently, from Mr A K Cole. ‘Oh, yes,’ he said, ‘I had car number seven. It was a Cadillac, a ‘one-lunger’. You stood alongside, where a chain belt was situated, put in an iron crank, turned it and turned (it), giving it the works. Then, suddenly – Bang! Bang! Bang! You jumped aboard. – You were off!’

The ‘high cost of living’ hadn’t arrived in those early days. ‘Prohibition’ hadn’t been invented.

Liquor was reasonable. Gin, the best, was 2/6 (two shillings and six pence) a quart. Whiskey, a

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The Tribune | Weekend | 23

DR J E Williamson descends into a photosphere to film underwater footage and, below, A POSTCARD sent from the Williamsons to the Aranhas in 1940 from the ‘Sea Floor’, the a poster for his 1916 silent film. world’s first underwater post office created by Dr J E Williamson here in the Bahamas.

40-ounce bottle of Spey Royal or Johnnie Walker 1915 put on a mighty hot summer – it was ‘a sizIt is something for all of us to realise that during 8s (eight shillings). Beer, a 40-ounce bottle of Ten- these two pioneering years of unique and most zler’! One day, we got so desperate we cabled to nants, 1/6 (one shilling and six pence). difficult filming in the Bahamas, Nassau could be Cuba for ten tonnes of ice, to be put on the Ward For an appetiser, conch salad, a tasty dish. Well, reached only once every two weeks, by steamship Liner, coming north. in 1914, big ocean going conchs were 2s (two shil- from New York. In stormy weather, with a good Our film development got going again and we lings) a hundred. For dinner, a good big fish, you rage on the bar, the ship might skip old Nassau rushed a big cake of ice to the (Bahamas General) know a family meal, 6d (six pence). If you wanted and head for Cuba. Nobody seemed to worry too hospital. Then, the good old sport who ran the govto go all out, an arm’s-length fish, 9d (nine pence). much about that. There would be another chance, ernment’s Ice House, where our precious load was I spent my first in Nassau at the Rosecote, a in another two weeks. housed, asked if we would mind his selling some little two-storey cottage, across the street from the There were no flying machines to book a flight of our ice to the panting public. That was easy and Lucerne (Hotel) on Frederick Street. on and flit (flee). No swift PAA; no flashing BOAC, we could cable for more, so the good old keeper of Giant, monster-clawed, blue and white land nor other wings, to get you here to there. No tel- the Government Ice House (hung) a sign on Bay crabs greeted me on the stairs. I evision. Not even a telephone to Street: ‘Moving Picture Ice’, and it sold like hot didn’t know whether they wanted cakes. the mainland. to shake hands with me or bite We didn’t miss the piped-in supply of city water.

If you had to get in touch with me. the outside world, you hustled Good old rain-water was stored in tanks around That night, well tucked in with a down to the west end of Bay the town and our tank was working. We did run new mosquito net, I was trying for Street where now a golden sign into a long dry spell, however, and had to call on sleep when a sharp tropical storm reads ‘Bahamas Electricity Cor- friends to sell us their rain-water, for 50 cents a sent coconuts bouncing along the poration’. That was the spot, and barrel, while waiting for God to send us some veranda and the shouts of the men the building. Climbing up a long more. of the sponge fleet, along the Bay Our film results of those two glorious years have flight of wooden stairs on the outStreet waterfront, with their ships’ side, you entered the front room been said to surpass, in photographic quality and masts entangled, added weird and met a charming young lady – natural dramatic punch, some of the most super sound-effects. efforts to beat them, made recently. (He is referMiss Farrington.

The ‘scrunch’ of a big land crab, Miss Farrington had a small, ring to Disney’s 1954 re-make of ‘20,000 Leagues.) crawling through the coiled bedFrankly speaking, it was easy, in a way – I can but mighty instrument on her springs beneath me, finally put desk, a Morse code ticker – the tell you that now. It was a natural! Here we were me off peaceful into slumberland. ‘key’ to the situation. Soon, your in virgin territory, surrounded by nature in all its I knew the son-of-a-gun couldn’t urgent message was on the way. glory. Like Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden – get to me. Wouldn’t tourists give all we had to do was to make do with what we had.

‘Tick, tick. Tack. Tick-tick!’ something for a Nassau night like Crank the cameras, like Mr Cole with his oneYour message, in Morse (code), that? Something to remember! had to go out to the world via lung Cadillac, and then show our magical movies Hectic, yet happy, days were Cable Beach, where the cable to the world.” ahead of me in 1914. Four months • J E Williamson, who was born in Liverpool from Florida had been pulled of hard work, above and blow the ashore. A tin-roofed shed on in 1881, died in Nassau on July 15, 1966. He was sea, resulted in the smashing film Cable Beach marked this his- the inventor of the “photosphere” from which he ‘Williamson Submarine Expetoric spot. It was about the only filmed and photographed underwater. He is creddition’, which ran successfully around the world building to be seen there in 1914 along that rugged ited as being the first person to take an underwater when movies were in their infancy. photograph from a submarine. He is also credited coastline, now paved with gold.

After that first peep into the deep with my phoVital to film production was the matter of ice with opening the world’s first undersea post office, tographers, and with these ‘sun-caressed islands of and water. There was no ‘city water’. Ice came in Nassau, in 1939.

Summerland’ calling me home to the underseas, I from Abaco, packed in sawdust. Occasionally, a Today, you can view Mr Williamson’s version of bounced right back to Nassau, from Broadway, in three-masted schooner brought ice from Maine, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” (1916) on You1915.

USA, a thousand miles away, but the two-master Tube on the ‘Timeless Classic Movies’ channel.

Here in this wonderland, for six months to the from Wilson City, Abaco was the life saver and it

day, I gave all I had to the creation of the first film worked out nicely, when there was wind to ‘blow

version of ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’, making the ice down’ but, if you hit into a dead calm, for a • For questions and comments, e-mail islandJules Verne’s drama come true. airman@gmail.com week or so, there was no ice.

24 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, August 9, 2019

history

Fifty years later: The night Sharon Tate was slain FIFTY years ago this week, Charles Manson orchestrated the slaughter of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and six other people over two successive nights in Los Angeles.

The Manson family, as the cult leader’s followers were called, killed five of its victims August 9, 1969, at Tate’s home: Tate, who was 8½-months-pregnant, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, celebrity hairdresser Jay Sebring, Polish movie director Wojciech Frykowski and Steven Parent, a friend of the estate’s caretaker. The 19-year-old caretaker was arrested in the case but soon released after being cleared of any involvement. The next night, Manson followers killed a wealthy grocer, Leno LaBianca, and his wife, Rosemary, in the couple’s home across town. This article is a reprint to mark the anniversary.

It first appeared August 10, 1969.

SLAIN actress Sharon Tate, left, and at right, her body being taken from her rented house in the Bel-Air area of Los Angeles on August 9, 1969. Photos: AP

By JOHN PHILLIP SOUSA Associated Press LOS ANGELES — A Hollywood actress, an internationally known male hairdresser and an heiress to a coffee fortune were found slain along with two other men Saturday in what one policeman described as a “ritualistic” killing.

The scene was a $200,000, tomato-red home in fashionable Bel Air, rented by the actress’s husband, a Polish producer of suspenseful and macabre films.

A 19-year-old, bare-chested caretaker was arrested in a guest cottage at the mansion and booked on suspicion of murder.

Police identified the victims as: • Sharon Tate, 26, a pregnant honeyblond actress who played sexy parts in movies, including “Valley of the Dolls,” and slapstick comedy on television’s “Beverly Hillbillies.”

• Jay Sebring, 25, Miss Tate’s former boyfriend and operator of hair stylist salons in Hollywood, San Francisco, New York sand London.

• Abigail Folger, 25, a business associate of Sebring’s and a member of the Folger

CHARLES Manson on December 3, 1969, en route to court in Independence, California, following his arrest at nearby Barker Ranch.

The Tribune | Weekend | 25

Friday, August 9, 2019 Coffee Co family of San Francisco.

• A man, 37, identified as Voyteck Frykowski, who police said was a friend of Miss Tate’s producer-husband, Roman Polanski.

• The fifth victim was Steven Earl Parent, 18, of suburban El Monte.

The coroner said a priest who made the identification could not explain what the youth was doing at the house.

Investigators said the victims were slain 12 hours before their bodies were discovered by a maid, who ran screaming to neighbours.

The neighbors called police.

Officers said the killings appeared methodic and ritualistic because one victim had a hood over his head, and two were tied together by a white nylon rope around her neck and pulled across a ceiling beam in the living room.

“It seemed kind of ritualistic,” said an investigating officer.

“It didn’t appear as if the two connected to the rope had been hanged because there was blood on them, said Lt James Shannon.

Investigators said all five victims appeared to have been shot.

The word “pig” was scrawled on the front door in what appeared to be blood. Officers said the writer may have used his hand or a rag. “There was ample blood around,” a policeman said.

Sgt Stanley Klorman said there were signs of a struggle in a large room and in a guest room.

“It looked like a battlefield up there,” said Sgt Klorman.

Miss Tate and Sebring were found in the living room, two others — including Miss Folger — were discovered on the lawn, and the fifth victim was in a car.

Telephones and electricity were cut off, police said, and Miss Tate’s

THREE members of Charles Manson’s hippie style clan leave a Los Angeles Courtroom just after being found guilty, along with Manson of first degree murder, January 25, 1971, Los Angeles, California, From left are Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins and Leslie Van Houten.

Photo: AP husband was reported in Europe.

Police said the maid, Winifred Polanski produced “Rosemary’s Chapman, discovered the killings Baby”, among other macabre-fantasy when she came to work around 9am films.

PST. “She ran screaming to a neigh“In all my years, I have never seen bor, who called police,” an officer anything like this before,” said officer said. The first call arrived minutes Klorman. All of the beds, including later at the downtown Los Angeles those in the guest house, appeared police department. to have been used. But there was The caller told Officer Robert no indication of robbery, unless they Fishel: “You better get a police car were very selective.” over here right away. There’s a man Coroner Thomas Noguchi told lying on the front lawn and blood newsmen he planned to announce all over the place. It looks like a bad autopsy results about noon Sunday. one.”

He refused to disclose his findings Investigators arrived to find the after examining the bodies in the five bodies, the two women dressed house. in lingerie nightgowns, and the In an interview there years ago, three men “appearing in hippie-type Miss Tate said of Sebring: “Before clothes,” said an officer.

Roman Polanski, her husband, I The death scene was off a canyon guess I was in love with Jay. But the in a hilly region between Beverly truth is I was no good for Jay. I’m not Hills and the San Fernando Valley organised. I’m too flighty. Jay needs northwest of downtown Los Angeles a wife. And at 23, I’m not ready for — an area where many Hollywood wifehood. I still have to live, and actors and entertainers live.

Roman is trying to show me how.”

Miss Tate, a beautiful blonde who

had parts in “The Americanization of Emily” and “The Sandpipers,” also starred in the television comedy “Petticoat Junction.” She liked to refer to herself as “sexy little me.”

At the age of 6 months, she was chosen “Miss Tiny Tot” of Dallas, Texas. At 16, she was Miss Richland, Washington. She got bit parts in the movies by the time she was 18.

Her movie and television roles included comedy, sexy parts — and even the morbid. One of her first roles was in “The Dance of the Vampires” and had her bathing nude in a bathtub. She also did television commercials for automobiles and cigars.

Sebring, the noted hairstylist whose salons drew the famous, opened a new operation in San Francisco last May. Husband-wife acting team Paul Newman and Joan Woodward were among those attending his champagne celebration in the financial district. Miss Folger was one of Sebring’s business associates.

Miss Folger, accustomed to high society living, attended Santa Catalina School for women near Carmel, California, and was graduated from Radcliffe. Her father, Peter Folger of Woodside, California, is president of the Folger Coffee Co, a subsidiary of Proctor & Gamble.

Folger said Saturday his daughter had become active in social welfare causes around Los Angeles about six months ago and “more or less commuted” between here and the family home near San Francisco.

“She always has led a clean life,” he said.

The other victim identified by police, Voyteck Frykowski, was a Polish friend of film director Polanski, officers reported. He was associated with Polanski in the director’s first film, “Knife in the Water,” police said.

THE FIVE victims killed on the night of August 9, 1969, at the Benedict Canyon Estate of Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate. From left, Voityck Frykowski, Sharon Tate, Stephen Parent, Jay Sebring, and Abigail Folger.

Photos: AP

26 | The Tribune | Weekend

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

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

CRYPTIC PUZZLE Down 1 Craft of many wise people (8) 2 It turns up before five in a city business (8) 3 People go crazy running it (4) 5 Their bliss is shattered in the United Kingdom (7,5) 6 It’s flat and square (4) 7 A little dessert (6) 8 Very strange verse on love (4,2) 11 It’s bound to include all those who stay at a hotel (8,4) 15 Ran out - of water (5) 16 Ranks as a creature of Carroll’s imagination (5) 18 Its aim is to produce winners of course (4,4) 19 Les Miserables - or the Turn of the Screw (8) 21 Conflict over a study for the one in charge (6) 22 Business may be started with it (6) 26 Goddess who emphatically exists (4) 27 Darned bad news (4)

Across 1 A tie worn widely (6) 4 Sailor sent to quarters for being a defaulter (8) 9 Share out in rota perhaps (6) 10 Half-lick of a cat on hand (8) 12 Hollow warning (4) 13 A sedentary occupation (3-2) 14 Break seal to get the drink (4) 17 Fixing this bangle is complicated (12) 20 He may be objecting to modern arts perhaps (12) 23 A spirit of the garden (4) 24 Show into Poe’s house? (5) 25 I’d turn in at the entrance (4) 28 The cause of Ironside’s confusion? (8) 29 Phrase possibly carved over the tomb (6) 30 Am as keen to gain a similar title (8) 31 Legendary banking characters of Zurich? (6)

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18 mins Good: 14 mins Excellent: 10 mins Yesterday’s solution: grILL/LadLe (across or down)

Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Crisp, 4 Codicil, 8 Ask, 9 Out of step, 10 Overdue, 11 Amble, 13 Shiver, 15 Stench, 18 Sight, 19 Inhuman, 21 At present, 23 Ass, 24 Patient, 25 Hasty.

Down: 1 Chamois, 2 In keeping, 3 Proud, 4 Cutter, 5 Defiant, 6 Cot, 7 Lapse, 12 By no means, 14 Extreme, 16 Honesty, 17 Divert, 18 Swamp, 20 Hitch, 22 Put.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Dutch, 4 Charles Dickens, 8 Cue, 9 Dissemble, 10 Eastern, 11 Tie-up, 13 Stripe, 15 Prison, 18 Maria, 19 Empower, 21 Reputable, 23 Eye, 24 Tapered, 25 Every.

Down: 2 Treasurer, 3 Hedge, 4 Casino, 5 Abettor, 6 Lob, 7 Steep, 12 Elsewhere, 14 Planter, 16 Nursery, 17 Sea bed, 18 Merit, 20 Piece, 22 Pep.

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 Rook (6) 4 Full of life (8) 9 Pass (6) 10 Openly (2,6) 12 Discourteous (4) 13 Quick and energetic (5) 14 Loosen (4) 17 Without principles (12) 20 With total dedication (5,3,4) 23 Be worried (4) 24 Black-andblue (5) 25 Immediately following (4) 28 Bitterly scornful (8) 29 Pamper (6) 30 Revealing (8) 31 Unorthodox opinion (6)

Down 1 Definite (5-3) 2 Carelessly done (8) 3 Growing luxuriantly (4) 5 Northeast US state (12) 6 Put to flight (4) 7 Special aptitude (6) 8 Physician (6) 11 In ratio (12) 15 Issue instructions to (5) 16 Show the way (5) 18 Utterly lazy (4,4) 19 Exaggerated praise (8) 21 Compensate for (6) 22 Order to return (6) 26 Small drink of liquor (4) 27 Region (4)

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The Tribune | Weekend | 27

Friday, August 9, 2019

Shame on you, Florida!

animals

By KIM ARANHA

A FEW months ago, Florida made the most amazing announcement to the general public. They virtually invited people to go out and kill iguanas any time, anywhere, any way… open season on iguanas!

They went so far as to say that not only can you kill them whenever you see them on your property, but that there are 22 “Public Lands” in Florida where you may kill them without a permit.

At the time of the announcement, I said that something horrible would happen, that people would intentionally torture and kill iguanas, and sadly I was correct. There is a simply disgusting video clip of three of four teenage boys killing an iguana by throwing a shopping cart at it, on it, bludgeoning the poor creature to death. The image of it lying helplessly on its back to receive full force the weight of a shopping cart on its stomach will stay with me always.

This was shown on nationwide TV in the States over and over again. Feeling proud of yourself, Florida?

Iguanas have been seen in Florida

THE IGUANA population in Florida has exploded in recent years.

since the 1960; they have gradually increased.

These magnificent reptiles are indigenous to Central and South America and some Caribbean islands.

How did they get to Florida? They got there the same way the coral snake got to The Bahamas: the fault of careless, not thinking, and irresponsible humans. We make our messes, we fool with Mother Nature and then we sit back and use the only solution we have to all things “animal” that do not suit us or please us: Kill, kill, kill.

It is a mentality we see here all too often. “Eek, it’s a snake! Kill it!”

And invariable they do.

If there were more proper and thorough examinations of grass and plants when imported, these new species would not get into places they do not belong. Years ago we planted a bunch of plants all over New Providence, and since then we have been seeing all sorts of reptiles who do not belong here.

Florida, undoubtedly, made the

similar error, because these big fellows cannot be the descendants of a few exotic pets gone wild.

So the solution for our stupidity is the old favourite of killing. Any thought on how many animals will be injured, get winged by some gun-happy idiot who can’t aim if his life depended on it, but totes a gun to satisfy his fragile ego and boost his image to whatever woman he can get to look his way?

Where were the Florida authorities storing their brains when they issued that foolish and thoughtless statement? Now they are scrambling saying that is not what they truly intended to say. Hogwash! They simply did not stop to think of the atrocities and repercussions, and now they are asking people, who are unable to kill in a humane manner, to call in experts.

You know it’s funny that “humane killing” really is an oxymoron, isn’t it? The ultimate cruelty is taking a life, however, we hide behind the

PET OF THE WEEK | win the heart of a shy young lady

“H

AVE you come looking for me?

I’ve been waiting, oh so patiently! My name’s Lauren and I’m about four months old, and yes, I am a little shy. I will need someone with a great deal of patience to help bring me out of my shell. But I’m smart and I can learn! Do you have the time to spend with me? To maybe teach me about walks and the beach and inside the house? Then I’m the pup

you’ve been waiting for, just like I’ve been waiting for you. Come in to the Bahamas Humane Society to meet me, or call 323-5138 for more information. Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday. I am waiting very patiently to meet you!

• Make a note in your calendar! February 29, 2020 – Party for the Animals! A fun time will be had by all, and you’ll be helping out the BHS as well. See you there!

PHOTO/PATRICIA VAZQUEZ

By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY

word “humane” and feel comfortable, even have fun, doing it.

Don’t get me wrong, speeding up the final days of a terminal and suffering animal (and humans in some countries) is a very different topic, and categorically not under discussion today in this article.

Back to Florida and their “invasion” of iguanas. Iguanas dig, they eat plants; they poop on the lawn or deck. It is a man-made problem that Florida should frankly be ashamed of. They showed lack of foresight.

Earlier on there could have been a concentrated effort to perhaps disturb nests when the eggs were laid.

I often wonder why we are not able to set out food for these animals that we wish to see numbers reduced, food that contains some chemical or other that would render them sterile.

Surely with all the amazing things that can be achieved in medicine and with such effective contraception in the human field the same knowledge could be applied to animals, and in this case, iguanas.

I somehow feel that people do not take the very real danger of joy-killing and mistreatment of animals seriously.

It is a red flag warning that I wave in the faces of authorities in The Bahamas whenever possible to blank stares and smirks. They think I am crazy.

Those violent and cruel teen boys were having a great time, loved seeing the animal suffer. What will they progress to when small animal torture is no longer exciting and stimulating?

I am sure Florida authorities are already embarrassed with the repercussions from their senseless announcement. I really would have expected better from them.

Meanwhile, in The Bahamas, authorities will continue to disregard my warnings and we will continue to read about senseless killings daily.

28 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, August 9, 2019

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