09022016 weekend

The Tribune

Friday, September 2, 2016

books culture film fashion podcasts food charity relationships

Weekend

back to school shoes Pages 14&15

Join the circus Emanji auditions for new talent Entertainment, page 10

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, September 2, 2016

culture

Florida Museum of Natural History opens new doors for Bahamian researcher For three weeks, Nameiko Miller, research department supervisor at Antiquities, Museums and Monuments Corporation (AMMC) put her skills to the test as an intern at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.

The comprehensive and interactive training took place on the campus of the University of Florida where the local researcher focused on museum structures, curating collections and managing research budgets.

“The objective of this internship programme was for me to gain practical museum training that would help to solidify my career goals,” said Ms Miller.

As the official state natural history museum, the programme in Gainesville is one of the largest and fastest growing in the United States with affiliated research sites throughout the world.

“Florida Museum of Natural History is one of the most impressive museum programmes in the region.

Many of their collections and research has focused specifically on the Bahamas and the Caribbean,” said AMMC Director Dr Keith Tinker.

“Partnering with them allows our staff to enhance their skills while showcasing the work that we are currently doing here in the country.”

With the internship training under her belt, Ms Miller is now taking the next step in her professional development. She recently relocated to Gainesville to pursue a Masters in Museum Studies at the University of Florida.

“By completing the graduate programme in Museum Studies at the University of Florida, I will have a broad academic and professional

Dr Dave Steadman of the Florida Museum explaining the ornithology collection to Nameiko Miller

Nameiko Miller touring museum with Assistant Director of Marketing and Public Relations Paul Ramey

AMMC Research Supervisor Nameiko Miller with Darcie Macmahon, director of Exhibits and Public Programmes and in front of the Columbian Mammoth at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

training in all aspects of museum work,” she explained. “I am especially interested in exhibitions—their history, form and design. My primary objective upon my return will be to ensure the strength of our Museums collections for the diffusion of knowledge.”

Over the summer, she worked closely with Dr Bill Keegan, chairman and curator of anthropology at the museum, taking full advantage of the opportunity to explore the Caribbean collection specifically aspects focused on The Bahamas.

“Dr Keegan has done extensive archaeological work in the Bahamas beginning in 1978.

The Caribbean collection is one of the largest systematic collections of pre-Columbian artifacts from the West Indies in North America.”

Among the areas of focus for Ms Miller during her advanced studies will be the processes of accession, collections documentation, research and information dissemination through exhibitions, publications, lectures, public programming and public addresses.

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Friday, September 2, 2016

Inside Weekend Interview 4 - 5 Former gang member turned Christian reggae artist Monty Sweat tells Cara Hunt about his hope of spreading a message of love.

Food 7 - 9 New La Caverna restaurant is authentically Italian, and Mahogany House offers a variety of experiences

Entertainment 10 The Emanji Circus is hosting auditions for new talent

Lifestyle

11 Eleutheran car builder exhibits in Michigan

My perfect Bahamian weekend Naomi Taylor Jazz singer Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch?

“Definitely Saturday breakfast!”

Q: Wine, Kalik, rum or cocktail?

“Cocktail. Always.”

Q: Beach or sofa?

“The beach!”

Q: What could you not do without?

“Jazz music and chocolate.”

Q: Weekend away: where would you go?

“The Cove, Eleuthera, Bahamas.”

Charity 12 Rotary Club of Nassau Sunrise hosts fun run/walk Fashion Report 13 & 16 The hits and misses of the MTV VMAs 2016

Fashion 14 - 15 Find the perfect fit for back-to-school shoes Relationships 17 Speed dating event seeks to connect Bahamian singles

Podcasts 18 Listen and learn – educational podcasts

Books 19 The latest releases reviewed

Literary Lives 22 - 25 Charlie Chaplin – The man behind the moustache

Forgotten Facts 25 Postcards from a small island Puzzles 26 Animals 27 A potcake’s adventure across the Atlantic, plus Pet of the Week Gardening 28 Jack Hardy on preparing for annual flowers

Things 2 Do this weekend Friday • Tebby live in concert Time: 9pm Venue: Compass Point Singer Tebby, featuring DJ Clay Wizzo, takes to the stage.

Saturday • Bahamas Education Expo Summer 2016 Time: 10am - 4pm (continues until Saturday) Venue: Myles E Munroe Diplomat Centre, BFMI, Carmichael Road The expo, designed for kindergarten teachers, seeks to lay a solid foundation with its an early years workshop. Topics include identifying students with special needs, parental involvement in early literacy stage, progress monitoring, and differentiated instruction.

For more information call 556-8240 or 676-0736.

• The Paradise Island Open Golf Championship Time: 12.30pm (continues on Sunday) Venue: Ocean Club Golf Course The first event of the Bahamas Golf Federation’s “Cup Series” to aid the development of the organisation’s junior programme and the fight against breast cancer features two-day individual stroke play in several gross, net and senior competitions for men, ladies and for juniors (under 17). The registration fee is $275 for adults and $150 for juniors.

• Kiwanis Club of Cable Beach’s 32nd Annual Car Show Time: 12noon - 6pm Venue: Arawak Cay The car show and steak-out is a fundraiser in honour of the late club president Charles “CJ” Johnson.

Proceeds are in aid of the BTVI scholarships. Tickets are $12.

The cars on display will be provided

by the Bahamas Antique Auto Club.

• Back 2 School at Bacardi Park Time: 3pm - 7pm Venue: Bacardi Park, Golden Isles Golden Isles MP Michael Halkitis invites the community’s families to enjoy food, drinks, free school supplies, a scholarship raffle, entertainment and more.

• A Taste of Wine & Rotary Time: 6pm - 9pm Venue: 1er Cru on Gladstone Road The Rotary Clubs of Nassau and East Nassau are hosting event for wine lovers and those who like to do good in the world and mingle with positive minded community leaders. There will be a grand raffle and light snacks.

Tickets, which are $30, are pre-sold and are required for entry. No tickets will be sold at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Geoffrey Jones & Co on Rosetta Street in Palmdale.

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, September 2, 2016

interview After experiencing life as a gang member and losing friends to violence and jail, Monty Sweat decided to embark on a new life filled with music and Christian values. He tells Cara Hunt about his hope to do his part in curbing the high crime rate in the Bahamas with his songs.

Monty Sweat

N

adine Nad Sifort, commonly known as Monty Sweat, is determined to bring a message of hope and inspiration to the nation’s youth.

The former gang, member who managed to turn his life around through gospel reggae and rap music, said he is determined to win souls for Christ and spread a message of love and unity.

“Music has always been a part of my life. I loved it from the time I was a little boy,” he told Tribune Weekend.

“I remember growing up my mother used to tie my leg to stop me from moving the furniture and all her things trying to make music.”

But his childhood was not always easy. Growing up as the son of a single woman who had to fulfil the roles of both mother and father had its share of challenges, he said.

“I started to rebel,” he recalled.”I wanted to feel love and I got more love on the street, so I joined a gang.

But back then in the day we used to bust you in the head with a rock and go ‘bout our business. It was not like the gangs of today.”

Still, he said that as he grew older and wiser, he realised that the gang life was not the way to go, especially since several of his friends were killed or went to jail for their actions.

After graduating from DW Davis High School in 1997 he went on to join a religious group called Good Fellaz of Christ, which finally allowed him to find a positive way

“I am a true example that there can be change when you believe in the Almighty.

I am here doing my thing and some of the guys I used to be with, some are in jail and some are in the grave.”

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Friday, September 2, 2016

“I realised that the gang life was just not the way. I need to be here to show (my kids) how to do the right thing.”

to fill the void in his life. He continued to believe in himself and expand his career long after the group separated. At that time he also decided that he wanted to establish himself as professional musician.

However, it was birth of his first son in 1999 that was final catalyst to make the former gang member leave his old life behind once and for all.

“When my son was born I realised that I wanted to be there for him the way my father was not there for me. I realised that the gang life was just not the way. I need to be here to show (my kids) how to do the right thing,” he said.

Monty said he was lucky enough to be able to turn his life around and now uses his music to spread positive messages to the country’s youth.

“When I look back, I am a true example that there can be change when you believe in the Almighty. I am here doing my thing and some of the guys I used to be with, some are in jail and some are in the grave,” he said.

Monty’s first major project came about in 2006 with the release of his “Love and Unity” album.

“The focus on that album was really to stop the violence – trying to tell the guys in the county to stop killing your brothers,” he said.

Since then his career has grown steadily, with several more album releases, including “Change My Life” featuring Demetrius Stubbs, and performances with popular artists such Buju Banton, Christian Massive, Landlord, DJ Nicholas, St Matthew, Monty G, DJ Counsellor, Mr Lynx, Richie Spice, Snatcha and Spanner Banner.

His latest project, the gospel reggae single “Can’t Give Life”, stems from his frustration with the country’s high murder count. It is a collaboration with Jamaican artists Jah-Mar and Gumbye.

“I decided to write the title song ‘Can’t Give Life’ after we started having all these killings,

and I wanted to just give a message that since none of us can give life, can’t give breath, then who are we to be taking another person’s life?”

“Because someone does something to you doesn’t mean that you have to respond with violence. What happened to the days when you could just talk it out, or at the worst you may get mad at someone, punch them, you have a fist fight and the next day you friends again. Now everyone just wants to kill someone,” he said.

The chorus of the new song goes: “You never give life, want to take life, put down di gun and put down di knife...let’s live as one...build a positive vibe yo, for two wrongs don’t make a right.”

Monty said he also wants to encourage Bahamians to support positive Bahamian music.

“Listen to the Bahamian artists and request that they be played on the radio waves. I had a friend from Jamaica who came to visit, and as we were driving around listening to the radio, he said, ‘I feel like I am in Jamaica. Where is the Bahamian music?’ So if you demand it, they will play it more. And also you have to remember that your children hear what you listen to. How can you tell them to be decent and do the right thing when you are with them listening to slack music,” he said.

If there is one thing he hopes people will take away from his songs is that they can realise their full, positive potential no matter how they started out in life.

“If there is anything I would tell the young ones it’s don’t ever give up and don’t ever let anyone tell you that you should give up. Success does not come overnight. I never thought I would have gotten what I have been able to get – to be able to give my boys things I never even dreamed of growing up.

But just keep at what you are doing and you will improve.

Someone out there will be watching and you never know how you can have an impact on someone’s life,” he said.

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, September 2, 2016

section

The Tribune | Weekend | 07

Friday, September 2, 2016

food PHOTOS/SHAWN HANNA

Did you know?

P

Capricciosa pizza

Pasta alla scarpara

Bruschetta

An authentic taste of Italy

By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

T

ucked away in the Caves Village shopping plaza is a new restaurant whose name matches its location perfectly and whose goal it is to offer an authentic taste of Italy to all its guests.

The suitably named La Caverna offers a warm, inviting and casual environment which is perfect for a quick weekday lunch or a more leisurely dinner.

The restaurant, which opened just last week, is the culmination of a lifelong dream for Giorgio Bombino.

Mr Bombino told Tribune Weekend that he has finally opened his own space after being in the business for almost three decades.

“I have always wanted to open my own restaurant,” he said. “I have been in the restaurant business for 25 plus years.

During that time I have opened and managed more than 30 restaurants all over the world, including the Middle East, Europe, the United States and several in the Bahamas. It was finally time for me to go out on my own.”

Using his extensive knowledge of food, Mr Bombino created a menu

for La Caverna which is designed to provide Bahamians, expats and visitors alike with an authentic Italian culinary experience.

“I know my food and I wanted to provide dishes that would taste just like the food that you would eat from an Italian kitchen. A lot of the food that is served in Italian restaurants have American influences, but the dishes we prepare are very much Italian – the way it is prepared in Italy with very simple wholesome flavours,” said Mr Bombino.

The menu includes a variety of thin crust pizzas such as margherita, quattro formaggi (four cheese pizza), calabrese (spicy chili peppers and sausage). and capricciosa (artichokes olives and ham), as well as different varieties of pasta, quiche and steak.

For the something sweet at the end of the meal, La Caverna offers an assortment of traditional Italian desserts such as cannoli and tiramisu. Italian beer is also being served.

The head chef at the restaurant is Chef Clevin Rolle, who has an impressive resume of restaurants to his name, including Five Twins, Bimini Road and Atlas. Chef Rolle has also represented the Bahamian culinary industry in numerous competitions.

“I know my food and I wanted to provide dishes that would taste just like the food that you would eat from an Italian kitchen. A lot of the food that is served in Italian restaurants have American influences, but the dishes we prepare are very much Italian.”

izza – originally flatbreads coated with oils, spices, herbs, cheese, sometimes dates – did not originate in Italy, but rather in ancient Greece.

And one important ingredient was missing in those days: the tomato, which didn’t arrive in Europe until the 16th century.

The term “pizza” was first recorded in 997 AD in a Latin manuscript in the town of Gaeta in Central Italy. However, the modern pizza as we know it was invented in Naples, Italy.

In in the 1700s and early 1800s, Naples was a thriving waterfront city, and its many poor inhabitants required inexpensive food that could be consumed quickly.

Enter the pizza – flatbreads with various toppings, sold by street vendors.

As legend has it, in about 1889, Queen Margherita took an inspection tour of her Italian kingdom. During her travels she witnessed the peasants eating this large, flat bread.

Curious, she let her guards bring her one of these pizza breads. The Queen reportedly loved the bread and would eat it every time she was out amongst the people. Summoning Chef Raffaele Esposito from his pizzeria, the Queen ordered him to bake a selection of pizzas for her pleasure.

To honour the queen, Esposito decided to make a very special pizza – a pizza topped with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil to represent the colours of the Italian flag: red, white, and green. This was her favourite pizza and hence the famous Pizza Margherita was born and pizza rose to new heights of popularity. Recent research, however, casts some doubt on this legend.

08 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, September 2, 2016

food

Choose your own experience at Mahogany House

Chef Dan Quirk at work

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

W

hether you’re looking for fine dining for that special occasion or just want to mix and mingle at the bar, at Mahogany House it’s all about choosing your experience.

“It can be whatever you want it to be,” said Head Chef Dan Quirk. “If you want to come here with a fancy shirt and a tie on for your anniversary you can do just that, and if you want to come in shorts and a Tshirt and sit at the bar to have a drink and a pizza, you can also do that.”

Mahogany House opened in December 2010, built on the belief that simple is good. This mentality extends from the architecture and design to the service and the menu.

“Dining at the bar is very popular. The bartenders make you feel welcome and the

whole entire menu is offered. The selection of alcohol and whiskeys are great. It is something different than you would find anywhere else,” said Chef Dan. “The first thing you see when you walk in here is the wine display throughout the restaurant. There are nice wood tables; it is loud with the acoustics, but not where it is disturbing. It is an open kitchen. You may hear some pots and pans, but this all makes it real. Everything is out in the open. The ambiance is personal, but the tables are spread out just enough. It’s spacious yet comfortable, but then again we constantly try to change things up.”

He said once a month Mahogany plays host to a free wine tasting event in the restaurant’s wine market. The last event was themed “biodynamic wines” and featured sommelier Chris Farnum explaining the history behind most of the wines on display.

Mahogany House currently offers lunch Mondays through Fridays from 11.30 am

Friday, September 2, 2016

“We don’t buy any processed or pre-done food; everything is done from scratch...I don’t believe in frozen stuff. I believe once you put stuff in the freezer it kills it.”

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to 3pm, and dinner on Mondays through Sundays from 6pm to 10pm.

With inside and outside dining available, the restaurant offers a comfortable environment for guests of all ages.

They can choose from menu options like chilled gazpacho soup, panzanella and lyonnaise salads; pasta and risotto such as the bucatini, linguine, pappardelle; meat and fish dishes like the award-winning Loch Duart salmon, the very popular blackened snapper, lamb shank and crawfish, as well as greek pizzas, and bread pudding and tiramisu for dessert.

For Chef Dan, the goal is to always provide simple, fresh and homemade dishes. He believes in never offering anything to a guest that he is not proud of.

“We don’t buy any processed or pre-done food; everything is done from scratch. Everything as far as soups, stocks and sauces are done from scratch. We also make our own pizza dough. We are flying in salmon two times a week from the United States for freshness. I don’t believe in frozen stuff. I believe once you put stuff in the freezer it kills it,” he said.

And the attentive chef is not afraid of his kitchen running out of products.

“If I have way too much and I never run out, that means the stuff has been sitting there for way too long,” he said.

With a kitchen staff of 18, Chef Dan’s philosophy is to be an inspiring teacher. He was happy to note that a lot of the current chefs moved up through the ranks from dish washers.

“Every restaurant should be evolving and changing with the trends, seasons and with the clientele. With time not only will I get better, but my staff will as well. I believe in trying to push things because the end results are very rewarding. The waiters here are very accessible which gives them a good opportunity to give good service,” said Chef Dan.

10| The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, September 2, 2016

entertainment

Emanji Circus looking for new talent

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

The silk aerial act

H

ave you ever dreamed about running off to join the circus? Well, here’s your chance.

Emanji Circus Arts, the first Bahamian circus, is looking to add several talented individuals to its team of performers.

Those who have a talents in the areas of music, dance, writing, marital arts, athletics, or those who are simply flexible, are welcome to showcase their abilities during ongoing auditions.

The auditions started at the National Dance School of the Bahamas on Rosetta Street yesterday and end on September 30. They are held Mondays to Fridays from 7pm to 9pm.

Jarvis Grant, a director of the group, said during the auditions they will not only be looking for individuals who are talented, but those who exhibit great personal characteristics.

“We are not looking for a particular number of people. We are looking for people who are the right fit for the organisation, so it might be two or 20 persons that may make it into our organisation. It just depends on what people bring to the table,” he said.

“We are looking for individuals who have a positive outlook, who are humble, open-minded, willing to learn, patient and someone who has stickability.”

Persons interested in participating must audition for the entire month, he said.

“They will have to impress our panel of judges with their characteristics and talent throughout the entire month of auditions,” he said.

Emanji is a not-for-profit circus arts and entertainment company that presents live family friendly entertainment. It is comprised of a cast of 25

The ‘Rola Bola’ act

The candle stick act

The human balancing act

artists between the ages of 14 and 37, all trained in the Bahamas.

Since its inception, Emanji has been on a mission to provide quality circus entertainment in the Bahamas by passing on the art form to the youth through training. They also strive to offer wholesome entertainment that can be enjoyed by persons from all walks of life, to generate more interest in the circus arts and to further develop the entertainment industry in the Bahamas.

The circus company is now gearing up to hold its next show in December.

“Emanji Circus Arts is becoming a self-sustaining organisation,” said Mr Grant. “We are now in our seventh year and our sixth annual show. We have performed in the Family Islands and internationally.”

“As always, Bahamians can expect a unique experience filled with aweinspiring circus entertainment. Our next show is December 15-18 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts.”

For more information contact 242424-4532 or e-mail emanjicircus@ gmail.com.

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Friday, September 2, 2016

lifestyle

Bahamian car builder showcases in Michigan

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

B

uilding cars has been a lifelong passion of James “Skidoo” Thompson, and now the Eleuthera native had the chance to display some of his work at a popular automotive show in Michigan.

Mr Thompson, whose vast knowledge of automobiles has not only saved him a lot of money over the years – he is able to build and repair his own vehicles – but has also continues to open doors for him.

The 62-year-old was born and raised in Eleuthera and always had a love for cars, and especially the building process.

In 1969, he left the island to study automotive engineering in Canada and that was where his career in the field began.

“My dad then later sent me to another school in Wisconsin to finish my studies and after that I went back to Canada and from there went back home to Eleuthera and opened a garage. I worked in Gregory Town for quite a number of years and that was when I started playing around with cars and started building stuff,” he told Tribune Weekend.

Mr Thompson partnered with his brother to establish Hilltop Service, an auto mechanics shop.

He completed his first cars in the early 1980s and has made around 10 cars over the decades, some which were purchased by foreign winter residents and visitors to Eleuthera.

“Building a car to me is pretty easy,” he said. “I see it as a like human body…you have the bone structure, the material on the outside and then you have the inside structure, and that is all that there is to automobile building.”

Once the body work and design is complete, Mr Thompson goes on a quest for car parts that can be salvaged.

“I went to a salvage yard bought an

James “Skidoo” Thompson with one of his self-built vehicles

“The Jameson”, with its Bahamian flag and licence plate, immediately attracted positive attention in Michigan. engine for $150 and I took it down and rebuilt it. Then I found a transmission that was good and I didn’t have any work to do to it. Then I bought two sheets of metal, cut out the metal. And whatever I have I just used it,” he said.

“Since we owned a garage I would work from 9.30am in the morning to 6pm in the evening at the garage. Then

“The Jameson” when we closed down the I would stay there sometimes until 5am in the morning just experimenting and playing with different things and putting one piece together at a time.”

One of the obvious benefits of being able to build your own car is that you don’t have to buy one. But even without this advantage, Mr Thompson said

his love for car building would have kept him in the garage, tinkering away day and night.

This passion also led to him entering one of his cars, “The Jameson”, in the “Back to the Bricks” auto show held in Michigan earlier this month.

Attending and displaying at the industry showcase was a wonderful and worthwhile experience, he said.

“This was the very first car show I entered this year. It goes on for the entire month of August and last week they had almost over a half million cars at this show. The car show was such an awesome experience. I wish someone from home was here to see the reaction from the people and the way their heads were turning. I got a lot of comments on the car. I also had two Bahamian flags and a Bahamian licence plate. And there was this lady who was walking across the street, and I don’t know how she recognised the licence plate, but she yelled out, ‘We got the Bahamas in the house.’ And when she shouted that everyone’s head started turning and I was nervous,” he said.

Mr Thompson said many of the guests at the show did not believe he built “The Jameson” all by himself.

“Some of them said they didn’t believe that I had done it. But truly, the only people who could say that I have done it are people who have been around me while I was building it,” he said.

“I believe I was the only one there that built the car being showcased.

Most of the cars showcased were antique, classic cars.

Mr Thompson said he is hoping to the enter his work in more car shows following the positive experience in Michigan.

“I would like to enter some more shows. And hopefully it opens doors and take me places,” he said.

“I know one of these days I would like to come back home to see if I could start something down there, at least to employ people. And we could have our own automobiles down there without having to import them.”

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, September 2, 2016

charity

Nassau Sunrise encourages Bahamians to run for a good cause Rotary club raises money for school lunches

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

People are encouraged to run, ride, walk or stroll to help raise money for school lunches.

H

elping Bahamians stay fit for a good cause is the aim behind the The Rotary Club of Nassau Sunrise’ fun run/walk event to be held tomorrow morning.

This is the second year the organisation is hosing the event. It all kicks off at 6am at Arawak Cay, and participants are welcome to run, ride, walk or stroll during the activity.

The event’s organiser, Anglican Archdeacon Father James Palacious, told Tribune Weekend that the club is seeking to raise funds for two initiatives.

However, for Saturday’s event there no need for training or even a competitive spirit.

“There is no real preparation for this. We just want people to come out and have fun, and walk at your own pace; that is the point,” said Father Palacious.

Last year’s event, he said, received a great deal of support from the public.

“We had a great crowd last year and we are hoping to have even more participation this time around. We would like to have corporate sponsorship on board to also continue supporting these causes,” he said.

The Rotary Club of Nassau Sunrise was chartered on May 8, 2001 and is made up of men and women of varying professions. While small, club has made a significant contributions in the name of Rotary to its community since its inception. Very early on, it initiated a spaying and neutering programme of stray dogs inhabiting New Providence.

This was successfully carried out with the help of The Bahamas Humane Society.

“Many children have enough supplies to go back to school with, but on an ongoing basis the children need lunch or breakfast, and that is what we are trying to do.”

“We are raising funds for back-toschool supplies and the back-to-school lunch programme,” he said.

“Many children have enough supplies to go back to school with, but on an ongoing basis the children need lunch or breakfast, and that is what we are trying to do.”

Father Palacious said the event will also give people a chance to exercise, keep fit and healthy.

“People can expect a good time, a healthy walk. Whenever there is walkathon happening and I am in Nassau, I go. I love to walk. I like to encourage the cause; it helps to keep me fit and I make a financial contribution,” he said.

“When I see someone out there walking I get encouraged. I walk competitively and I like to beat people.”

The club’s signature project, for which it won a literacy award, is the annual Reading Fair held every March.

More than 700 underprivileged students from public schools are entertained and provided with food for one day, read stories and given bags with school supplies. As a part of this initiative, books and computers are donated to schools.

Other projects by the club include work at local orphanages, senior citizen homes, reform schools and hospitals.

The club has also chartered two Interact Clubs at local high schools and each club has done significant work in their school and community.

For more information about the walk and other events, contact the Anglican Diocesan office or call 457-2979.

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Friday, September 2, 2016

fashion The Weekend Fashion Report MTV VMAs 2016 Part I

AP PHOTOS

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

FAIL

HIT

FAIL

FAIL

SPLIT

Beyonce

Simone Biles

Britney Spears

Ariana Grande

Cassie

Karin says: “I guess someone had to eventually fill the void Lady Gaga left when she stopped attending these shindigs. It’s the first time Bey has really experimented, so kudos for that. However, she basically looks like a sparkly ostrich. Also hate that you can see her underwear.”

Cara says: “At the risk of being attacked by the Beyhive, can I say I was not that in love with Bey’s look. I thought her performance slayed more than this bird about to take off that she was wearing.”

Karin says: “I’m loving this deep salmon colour on her.

It’s gorgeous! And can I just say, she is already displaying a much better red carpet fashion sense than many an athlete out there. I’m not crazy about the shoes, but she looks pretty.”

Cara says: “Well, doesn’t Miss All Around Gold medallist look cute. I am not a huge fan of the shoes and bag, but she looks adorable in this little sparkly dress. Look at those muscles, y’all!”

Karin says: “The problem is that her lazy hairdo runs everything. The dress is nothing special, but could have been styled vastly different. Maybe with a sleek updo and some long dangly earrings it could have been somewhat decent. This just looks like she couldn’t be bothered in the least.”

Cara says: “So what was more of the hot mess, the slasher/stripper dress or her ‘live’ performance? Not sure, but it’s a close call. Her hair is atrocious and the dress doesn’t fit.”

Karin says: “What is this, Flamenco chic? Boca Raton bingo night extravaganza? I hate it. It’s just not attractive. I don’t like the style of the pants and the ‘top’ is just silly. Also, look at that difference in her face makeup and her body.

They couldn’t match it better?

It’s a no from me.”

Cara says: “Why does this remind me of ‘I Dream of Genie’ for some reason. It’s not hideous, but we have seen it a lot on the red carpet, just like her never-leave-homewithout-it ponytail. Yawn. It’s just boring.”

Karin says: “Actually, this is not a bad outfit for the VMAs, if a bit risque. P Diddy’s girlfriend – let’s face it, that’s what she’s mainly known for – looks stunning, but I am a bit puzzled by the neon yellow hair. She’s not a big star, but her makes her stand out, that’s for sure. And he more I look at it, the more it grows on me.”

Cara says: “I just don’t know. I think the pants are cool. I like the jacket. And if she wants to show her boobs, oh well, she wouldn’t be the first. And the hair is interesting. So it’s not a mess, but I’m just not 100 per cent sold on it.”

• SEE PAGE 16 for Fashion Report Part II

14 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, September 2, 2016

Friday, September 2, 2016

The Tribune | Weekend | 15

fashion PHOTOS/SHAWN HANNA

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By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

I

t’s that time again to get the kiddies ready to go back to school, and one of the biggest purchases parents always have to consider is what footwear will grace their little darlings’ feet.

After all, children wear their school shoes nearly all day, five days a week. And if your kids are like my son, those shoes will find their way into muddy puddles and be used as soccer balls, but still have to hold up to protect little feet on the playground.

Additionally, in a school system which requires that all students wear uniforms, shoes serve as one of the only ways kids can express individuality.

Believe me, shoes are a big deal.

This week, Tribune Weekend spoke with Chelsea Saunders, the website manager of The Shoe Village, about the newest trends and tips.

Ms Saunders said that the most important thing to consider is how the shoe will fit the child’s foot.

“When shopping for school shoes it is essential to find the right fit. A good school shoe should be supportive and comfortable with a sturdy back and a flexible front. To ensure the correct fit at purchase we offer foot sizing and recommend that our customers bring the socks or tights that their children will be wearing with the shoes,” she said.

For girls of all ages the most popular style shoe

“Children spend 30 to 40 hours per week in their school shoes.

Investing in a pair of quality shoes ensures that they will last longer, enduring the wear and tear of the school year.” is the Mary Jane. Meanwhile, for younger boys the “ath-leisure” trend has resulted in popular styles featuring a combination of lace and velcro fastenings. For teenaged boys, Ms Saunders said that shoes from the Clarks Originals range continue to be the most requested style.

“For parents that are interested in full-leather school shoes we recommend Clarks, Florsheim, Nunn Bush, Stacy Adams, Mr. Jones or UMI, an eco-friendly brand based in the US. For customers looking for an affordable but durable leather alternative, both UMI and Nina offer several styles in these materials. This back-to-school season we also are offering select styles from Jumping Jack and Easy Strider at 50 per cent off their original prices.”

And once the school year starts, it is important to maintain the shoes so that they last and still look great for a long time.

“Children spend 30 to 40 hours per week in their school shoes. Investing in a pair of quality shoes ensures that they will last longer, enduring the wear and tear of the school year,” said Ms Saunders.

“We recommend parents insure their investment by labelling their child’s shoes so that they don’t get mixed up during changing times at school. To maintain school shoes we recommend purchasing shoe care product specific to your chosen shoe; whether that be shoe polish, a suede brush or an extra pair of laces. In the event that school shoes get wet it is important to dry them out as soon as possible. Inserting newspaper into the shoes is a good way to draw the moisture out, but avoid using the dryer or a hair dryer as this is damaging to the integrity of the shoe.”

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By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

I

t’s that time again to get the kiddies ready to go back to school, and one of the biggest purchases parents always have to consider is what footwear will grace their little darlings’ feet.

After all, children wear their school shoes nearly all day, five days a week. And if your kids are like my son, those shoes will find their way into muddy puddles and be used as soccer balls, but still have to hold up to protect little feet on the playground.

Additionally, in a school system which requires that all students wear uniforms, shoes serve as one of the only ways kids can express individuality.

Believe me, shoes are a big deal.

This week, Tribune Weekend spoke with Chelsea Saunders, the website manager of The Shoe Village, about the newest trends and tips.

Ms Saunders said that the most important thing to consider is how the shoe will fit the child’s foot.

“When shopping for school shoes it is essential to find the right fit. A good school shoe should be supportive and comfortable with a sturdy back and a flexible front. To ensure the correct fit at purchase we offer foot sizing and recommend that our customers bring the socks or tights that their children will be wearing with the shoes,” she said.

For girls of all ages the most popular style shoe

<=4#>$"*6(?+*6$( @0(,A(;0(4A5"?( +*"(B**9(#6(,4*#"( ?C4AA>(?4A*?D( E6F*?,#6G(#6(%(+%#"( AH(I5%>#,&(?4A*?( *6?5"*?(,4%,(,4*&( B#>>(>%?,(>A6G*"'( *6$5"#6G(,4*(B*%"( %6$(,*%"(AH(,4*( ?C4AA>(&*%"DJ is the Mary Jane. Meanwhile, for younger boys the “ath-leisure” trend has resulted in popular styles featuring a combination of lace and velcro fastenings. For teenaged boys, Ms Saunders said that shoes from the Clarks Originals range continue to be the most requested style.

“For parents that are interested in full-leather school shoes we recommend Clarks, Florsheim, Nunn Bush, Stacy Adams, Mr. Jones or UMI, an eco-friendly brand based in the US. For customers looking for an affordable but durable leather alternative, both UMI and Nina offer several styles in these materials. This back-to-school season we also are offering select styles from Jumping Jack and Easy Strider at 50 per cent off their original prices.”

And once the school year starts, it is important to maintain the shoes so that they last and still look great for a long time.

“Children spend 30 to 40 hours per week in their school shoes. Investing in a pair of quality shoes ensures that they will last longer, enduring the wear and tear of the school year,” said Ms Saunders.

“We recommend parents insure their investment by labelling their child’s shoes so that they don’t get mixed up during changing times at school. To maintain school shoes we recommend purchasing shoe care product specific to your chosen shoe; whether that be shoe polish, a suede brush or an extra pair of laces. In the event that school shoes get wet it is important to dry them out as soon as possible. Inserting newspaper into the shoes is a good way to draw the moisture out, but avoid using the dryer or a hair dryer as this is damaging to the integrity of the shoe.”

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, September 2, 2016

fashion The Weekend Fashion Report MTV VMAs 2016 Part II

HIT

HIT

FAIL

HIT

HIT

Kim Kardashian

Rihanna

Bebe Rexha

Jaden Smith

Nicki Minaj

Karin says: “Kim actually looked good this time around (at least front on). She’s still shying away from any colours except black and beige (thanks, Kanye!), but this sultry wet hair look works for her. The dress looks sexy, and for once it seems she isn’t trying quite so hard.”

Cara says: “It’s not that bad actually. Dare I say it’s a bit tame for Kim K. I mean, it covers everything and the shoes are way cute. Good job, Mrs West! This one’s a winner.”

Karin says: “I mean, Rihanna can pull off basically any look and this is no exception. This belted robe is like a funkier version of something Meryl Streep would wear. Which is not a bad thing! It’s unique and the gold tone is unusual.

It’s classy without being staid or boring. Bottom line, it was the perfect choice.”

Cara says: “Wow, I love it!

She went so tasteful and classy for her big night...not hat she never does, but she looks especially awesome here. One of my favourite RiRi looks to date for sure.”

Karin says: “This is a very early 2000s look. Are we already at that nostalgia stage? C’mon! Yeah, Britney might have pulled this off in 2001, but Bebe in 2016? Nah. It’s such a boring Forever 21 type of choice. And what are those knee-high boots? Why are they beige? Why are they suede? So many questions...”

Cara says: “And the hot mess award goes to…not Britney, I take it back. Bebe get’s it.

This ensemble is not cute or stylish. It is just a cheap, tacky mess. It’s uninspired and does nothing for her. Let’s move on.”

Karin says: “The Smith kids have their own unique style, and I respect that. At least they always wear something interesting. And you know what, for an occasion like this I actually like it. It’s just crazy and edgy enough, but somehow still manages to give the impression of high fashion.

Not to mention, it probably cost a fortune.”

Cara says: “He is just doing him – no more no less. I don’t get it, but ya know what, he is still young so I’m going to just leave him alone. At least he seems to genuinely love fashion and is interested in it.”

Karin says: “This is really, really pretty. And for Nicki, the height of classiness. Blue looks great on her, and I’ve always loved her with the sleek, long hair. This gown shows off all her curves and has a train to boot! Yep, we’ve come a long way from the bubble gum pink Nicki we used to see at these events.”

Cara says: “I actually like this on her. The colour is gorgeous and it’s a clean, polished look for Nicki. On someone else it might have looked a tad tacky, but yeah, she looks really nice here.”

AP PHOTOS

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

The Tribune | Weekend | 17

Friday, September 2, 2016

relationships

Speed dating arrives in the Bahamas New event company helps to connect singles

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

I

F you’re one of those people who goes out every weekend in the hopes of some day meeting “the one”, then a recently introduced event on Nassau’s nightlife calendar is just the thing for you.

As the newest event producers on the block, Link Bahamas, has introduced speed dating to the Bahamas.

The social networking company, which specialises in dating events for singles, recently hosted a singles mix and mingle event at The Underground Bahamas entitled “Icebreaker”.

Hosted by Kedar In Style, the inaugural event also offered its patrons a speed dating session.

Kedar led a session to break the ice where the participants opened up and engaged in a group chat as to why they were single and what they were looking for in a relationship. Organisers said soon after the group chat, the speed dating session took place in a series of four to five-minute mini dates where the participants engaged in conversations with one another.

At the end of each short date, a buzzer sounded and each participant filled in their score card to help determine if they had met their potential match.

At the end of the night all score sheets were handed in to the organisers and participants received an e-mail

within a few days stating whether or not they had been successful in making a connection.

As the founder of Link Bahamas, Erin Gay said the purpose of her events company is to provide Bahamians with the opportunity to meet people with common interests and motivations when it comes to pursuing relationship goals.

She said Link is designed for those who are serious about the dating process and are looking for a potential lasting connection.

Moreover, Link aims to provide an experience that is fun, stress-free and as helpful as possible. Erin said she wanted everyone that attended to be open to the process and participate.

For her, it was a joy to see people still mingling at The Underground Bistro even two to three hours after the event officially concluded.

“I’ve always had persons that I know, both male and female, young professionals in particular, complain that they can never find anyone to date and feel as if there are no appropriate venues to meet anyone you might want to date. I decided to create an event where single persons can gather, network and feel comfortable approaching and interacting with each other and not feel intimidated,” said Erin.

She said the event was important because it got people to communicate face-to-face and interact with each other without interference of mobile devices.

“It helped persons to step outside of their box and open up to meet persons they may have never consider approaching in their day-to-day life. The event helped persons begin to break out of their shyness and boost their confidence. I met persons that found the night helpful and I encouraged them to get back out on the dating scene after some three to five years of a dating and relationship hiatus,” she

“I’ve always had persons that I know, both male and female, young professionals in particular, complain that they can never find anyone to date and feel as if there are no appropriate venues to meet anyone you might want to date.” said.

Erin said in this age of technology people are often glued to their mobile devices and tend to miss out on actual face-to-face conversations and human interactions. She believes these devices

tend to distract people at social events and actually cause them miss out on a lot of the fun.

“We complain that the time away from home was a waste, not considering that we spent the majority of our time on our phones and not enjoying the events or people at the event. I can admit to being guilty of this on a few occasions, so for me seeing everyone at the event actually interacting with very minimal cell phone use was a huge win for me,” she said.

Erin has a lot planned and lined up for Link Bahamas. “Icebreaker 2” will take place on Tuesday, September 20, at The Underground Bistro, and another event is scheduled for October.

The team is now accepting registrants for “Icebreaker 2” for age groups 25 to 30 and ages 30 and up.

“When it comes to the future I have so much planned for Link; more events and activities, not only for single persons, but dating events for married couples and persons in committed relationships. With Link we will have events for single persons of all ages just as long as you are serious, honest, up-front and respect the process,” said Erin.

Readers are encouraged to follow Link Bahamas via social media on Facebook and Instagram, or e-mail linkbahamas@gmail.com

18 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, September 2, 2016

podcasts

Listen and learn

By STEPHEN HUNT shunt@tribunemedia.net

A

s the thoughts of parents turn towards their children going back to school, we take a look at three podcasts that focus on education.

Stuff You Should Know There’s a range of great podcasts under the How Stuff Works umbrella, and Stuff You Should Know slots right in alongside them.

Chuck Bryant and Josh Clark are the hosts, and aim to tell people cool and interesting things about the world around them.

Jellyfish are the subject of the latest show, in all their weird and fascinating glory. The chat is interesting for parents as well as children.

I’d say it’s a better show for older children to listen into rather than younger ones, as they chat about things such as the sex lives of animals in a relaxed way and some of the discussion might be a little out of place for younger ones. That said, my sixyear-old stepson drifted in during the show and started asking questions about jellyfish when I wasn’t really aware he was listening, so they succeed on sharing knowledge in a way that draws younger listeners in too.

They do it in a fun way, too, while debunking myths such as peeing on jellyfish stings to cure them!

For parents, I’d recommend listening to a show or two first to gauge whether it suits your child’s age range, but for adults too it’s a fun way to learn about the world around you.

Website: www.stuffyoushouldknow.com

Educate The Educate podcast is a short and sweet weekly show looking at different aspects of education. The latest episode is just eight minutes, for example, so makes a great listen over a coffee break.

The latest show looks at the importance of food to studies, with a survey showing that seven per cent of college students went an entire day without eating.

The hosts chat about how being hungry affects the student’s ability to focus - though with surprisingly few studies into the problem. They also point out the increasing problem in the area for adult students, too, worrying so much about how they’re going to be able to afford to eat that they can’t focus on their courses.

It’s amazing how much is packed into the few minutes of the podcast, from the APM Reports team. Seriously, have a listen, but go grab that coffee first, and perhaps a bite to eat too.

Website: http://www.stitcher. com/podcast/apm-american-radioworks-20459

All The Wonders All The Wonders is a podcast focusing on children’s books - and mostly on chatting to the creators of those books. Recent guests included the likes of Ellen Potter, author of the Piper Green and the Fairy Tree series, and Aaron Zenz, creator of Monsters Go Night-Night.

The latest show features Kelly DiPucchio and Greg Pizzoli, author and illustrator of Dragon Was Terrible, who chat about the process of creating the book, and about how they consider how children will read the story aloud.

Again, this is probably a show for parents rather than children, but offering great ideas for books that they might want to introduce to their children.

Youngsters might well want to sit down and enjoy a show with an author that might be their favourite, but it’s a lot more about the behind the scenes of the books as the host and guests share a fun chat about the work.

Clearly, here are people who love their work, though, and that is always a joy to listen to.

Website: allthewonders.com

Podcasts can entertain and educate both young and old

The Tribune | Weekend | 19

Friday, September 2, 2016

books

L

inda Thompson, who lived with Elvis Presley and was married to Bruce Jenner, has kept the details of her highprofile relationships private over the years.

But Thompson has learned that if you’re in the public eye and you keep quiet, others will write their version of what happened. Case in point: the now fabled story about Elvis shooting his television.

Thompson said she has heard others say, “I was there when he shot the TV set out and Robert Goulet was singing,” but she was alone with Presley in his bedroom when it happened.

She writes about Elvis, Jenner and her ex-husband, music producer David Foster, in her new book, “A Little Thing Called Life: On Loving Elvis Presley, Bruce Jenner, and Songs in Between”.

“For so long I just let people surmise what they would about my life and my choices and other people have written books and told tales,” she said.

Thompson said Jenner, now Caitlyn Jenner, told her he wanted to transition to a woman.

“It was nice to exhale after harbouring certainly Caitlyn’s secret and so many wonderful stories about Elvis, but also so many painful truths about him as well,” she said.

Thompson talked about her personal relationships, the notion of celebrity and her sons, Brandon and Brody Jenner, in a recent interview with The Associated Press. ___ AP: Elvis Presley is still so iconic. If you hear one of his songs or see one of his films on TV, are you able to separate your past with him and see him as the celebrity he still is?

Thompson: There’s still a spot in my heart that’s raw ... and still stings from that loss. When I was with Elvis I used to remind myself there’s Elvis on the marquee and then there’s the living, breathing Elvis. There’s a great lesson in that as well in the way we celebrate

people and we put them on a pedestal.

It’s an impossible way to sustain your life. I think we do people a great disservice by putting them on a pedestal and not allowing them to be human.

AP: When the world was speculating about Jenner’s transition from Bruce to Caitlyn, you knew the truth.

What was that like?

Thompson: Strangers would sometimes come up to me on the street and say, ‘What’s going on with Bruce?’

People took a lot of liberty in asking questions. It was difficult.

AP: So what did you think when he told you that he identified as a woman?

Thompson: As much as it disrupted my whole life, I had to feel a great deal of empathy for her. That was an internal battle he had fought for his whole life. I say in the book and I tease Caitlyn sometimes, ‘You kicked manhood’s butt. You did that man thing really well.’

David Freed’s ‘Hot Start’ has sense of authenticity FOR a fictional action hero, Cordell Logan, a former military assassin now scraping out a living as a flying instructor in Southern California, is a real softie.

He never stopped pining for Savannah, the love of his life, and has been inconsolable since his actions in “Voodoo Ridge” inadvertently led to her death. He spoils his cat, Kiddiot, who returns his affections by alternately clawing and ignoring him. He’s striving — and largely failing — to find serenity as a Buddhist. And he dotes on Mrs. Schmulowitz, his ancient busybody of a landlady, whose health problems provide an emotional subplot for “Hot

Start,” the fifth novel in this fine series.

The main story line gets rolling when a strident animal rights advocate is arrested for gunning down an international big game hunter and his wife at their luxurious California estate. The accused is a distant relative of Savannah’s father, who uses Logan’s guilt to persuade him to look into the matter.

But soon, the case takes several surprising turns, and Logan finds himself tangling with the police, an international call-girl ring, a corrupt congressman, the White House and a vicious Czech crime boss who wants Logan taken off the board.

David Freed is unusually well

equipped to tell such tales. He won a Pulitzer Prize covering the police for the Los Angeles Times, covered war in Kuwait and Iraq, worked for a government security agency, holds a security clearance from the Department of Defense, and is an experienced pilot who, like Logan, owns his own airplane.

The result is another well-written yarn told with both a streak of quirky humor and a sense of authenticity.

And like many real-life action heroes — as opposed to most fictional ones — Cordell Logan is as uncomfortable with violence as he is capable of it.

BRUCE DESILVA Associated Press

Linda Thompson during an interview in New York.

AP: How are your sons since this revelation?

Thompson: Brandon and Brody have displayed such remarkable integrity. I’m astounded at what good human beings they are. Bruce was not around a lot when they were growing up and they have been able to look back, understand now the inner turmoil he was experiencing and forgive him, and to embrace Caitlyn as kind of their new parent.

ALICIA RANCILIO Associated Press

AP PHOTO/BRUCE BARTON

Linda Thompson on loving Elvis Presley, Bruce Jenner, and the songs in between

20 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, September 2, 2016

film

10 things to look forward to at the movies this fall

O

ut with the summer, in with the fall. Please hurry.

After a bruising three months when movi-egoers often had to strain to find something good to see, this year’s fall film season looms like an oasis. It’s about to get better at the multiplex. Here are some movies, performances and story lines that AP film writers Lindsey Bahr and Jake Coyle are most looking forward to, come autumn: LONERGAN-MANIA: Little is settled about this fall’s coming awards season except for this: Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester by the Sea” (November 18) is one of the best films of the year. Already celebrated at its Sundance premiere, it’s the third film from the acclaimed New York playwright following the wonderful “You Can Count on Me” and the criminally underseen “Margaret.” Casey Affleck excels as a small-town New Englander haunted by tragedy. Lonergan’s naturalistic touch and deft feel for the rhythms and details of life remain unmatched. — Jake Coyle A MORE DIVERSE OSCARS: After two straight years of “OscarsSoWhite” blanketing a dishearteningly homogenous Academy Awards, a richly diverse array of possible nominees is lining up for this season.

Though a rape case from the past is clouding the once-bright fortunes of Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation,” a revamped Academy of Motion Pictures may be hard pressed to ignore the likes of Denzel Washington’s “Fences” (December 16), Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” (October 21), Theodore Melfi’s “Hidden Figures” (December 25) and Jeff Nichols’ interracial marriage tale “Loving” (November 4). — Coyle FEMALE DIRECTORS TO (RE) DISCOVER: While the percentage of female directors remains dismal, there are a number of exciting projects from new and veteran talents this fall, like the feature debuts of Julia

Where to Find Them” (November 18).

Oh, and another little “Star Wars” film is coming: Gareth Edwards’ spinoff “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (December 16). — Coyle OLD HOLLYWOOD THROUGH BEATTY’S LENS: The Golden Age of Hollywood holds a not-so-surprising allure for directors of a certain age, but perhaps none has seemed quite as suited to the task as Warren Beatty, coming off of a 15-year hiatus from acting and an 18-year break from directing with his long-time-coming “Rules Don’t Apply” (November 23), once simply known as the Warren Beatty Howard Hughes pic. Beatty plays Hughes, but it looks to be more of a showcase for a youthful romance between an aspiring actress (Lily Collins) and her driver (young Han Solo himself, Alden Ehrenreich). — Bahr

Birth of a Nation

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” Hart (“Miss Stevens,” September 16) and Kelly Fremon Craig (“The Edge of Seventeen,” November 18). Also coming are films from exciting veterans like Jocelyn Moorehouse (“The Dressmaker,” September 23), Andrea Arnold (“American Honey,” September 30) and Kelly Reichardt (“Certain Women,” October 14). — Bahr EMMA STONE GETS A PROPER SHOWCASE: How do you come off of a dud like “Aloha”? By singing, dancing and romancing your way back into America’s hearts in what could be a career-defining performance in Damien Chazelle’s musical love story “La La Land” (December 16) of course. Stone stars as Mia, a struggling actress in Los Angeles who falls for a moody musician in the form of

Ryan Gosling. Looking like “Singing in the Rain” meets “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” ‘’La La Land” — and Stone’s touching melodies and emotive almond eyes — promises to have audiences swooning and sobbing in no time. — Bahr SMARTER SPECTACLES: Even the blockbusters this fall look more enticing than the summer’s. There’s Denzel in glorious cowboy-hero mode in “The Magnificent Seven (September 23), Peter Berg’s visceral true tale “Deepwater Horizon” (September 30), the brainy smarts of Benedict Cumberbatch in “Doctor Strange” (November 4), the mind-bending sci-fi of Denis Villeneuve’s “Arrival” (November 11) and the cosy fantasy of JK Rowling’s “Fantastic Beasts and

ANG LEE, INNOVATOR: Ang Lee is continually pushing cinema to new technological heights, and his adaptation of “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” (November 11) is no less ambitious than bringing a hyper realistic CG Bengal tiger to the frames of “Life of Pi.” The first screening will be in 4K, 3D and 120 frames per second — essentially, hyper reality.

Oh, and he also manages to meld all that tech talk with some extremely resonant stories. Take us there, Mr Lee — Lindsey Bahr HAILEE STEINFELD GROWS UP: Steinfeld was just 13 when she made her Oscar-nominated breakout in the Coen brothers “True Grit” in 2010. In Kelly Fremon Craig’s “The Edge of Seventeen” (November 18) — a coming-of-age tale in the John Hughes tradition — her maturation is self-evident. As a whip-smart but confidence-lacking high-schooler, Steinfeld navigates embarrassment after embarrassment with wit and spirit. — Coyle JAKE COYLE and LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writers

The Tribune | Weekend |21

Friday, September 2, 2016

film

Fall Preview: J K Rowling’s Potter world roars back to life

T

he pop culture juggernaut of JK Rowling’s Potter-mania appeared to be breathing its last gasp when the eighth film in the series, part two of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” made its premiere amid teeming throngs of bittersweet Potter fans in London’s Leicester Square in 2011.

Wands went into their cases. Hogwarts scarves were hung up.

“When ‘Potter’ finished, I thought that was it,” says producer David Heyman, who oversaw the movie adaptations from the start and has since produced “Gravity,” ‘’Paddington” and other films. Director David Yates, who helmed the final four Potter movies, staggered away for a much-needed holiday.

“I wouldn’t have imagined that I’d come back so quickly,” says Yates.

“But it was the script that pulled me back in.”

The script was “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” and it, unlike all the Potter films, was penned

by Rowling herself. Based on Rowling’s 2001 book, which was framed as Harry’s Hogwarts textbook, “Fantastic Beasts” is set in Rowling’s familiar, magical world, but takes place 60 years earlier, in a more adult 1926 New York where wizards and Muggles (called “No-Majs,” as in “no magic,” in America) live in disharmony.

This fall, Rowling’s $7.8 billion film franchise will roar back into life, resurrecting one of the most potent and lucrative big-screen sensations. It’s a two-pronged attack. While “Fantastic Beasts” is reaching back into the past of Rowling’s Potter world, the twopart West End play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” (only co-written by Rowling) is going into the future. It moves the tale 19 years ahead of where the books left off.

Authorship, timelines and casts may be extending in new directions, but the old obsession is still goblet-of-fire hot.

The script of “Cursed Child” sold two million copies in two days.

Big expectations naturally also surround “Fantastic Beasts” (Nov. 18).

For Warner Bros., which has endured sometimes rocky times in the inter-

Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne plays magizoologist Newt Scamander

Colin Farrell as Director of Magical Security Percival Graves

vening non-Potter years, it’s a happy reunion. In today’s constantly rebooting, ever-sequalizing Hollywood, did you really think Rowling’s world was finished?

“This isn’t Harry Potter. There aren’t Harry Potter characters in this,” says Heyman. “But there is connective tissue. To (Rowling), it’s part of one big story.”

That connective tissue, like a prequel, will grow more pronounced in coming “Fantastic Beasts” instalments, eventually leading close to Harry himself. A trilogy is planned, with the next chapter going into production next July. Less diehard fans should prepare for some very hardcore nerding-out by Potter fans as they trace illuminating hints in the tale’s history.

Eddie Redmayne stars as the bumbling magizoologist Newt Scamander, the future author of the Hogwarts textbook. Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler and Colin Farrell are among the many supporting roles. The story about escaped magical beasts loose in a city with anti-magic elements, the filmmakers claim, bears contemporary relevance.

“We in a time of great bigotry in America, the UK and around the world,” says Heyman. “This context of the story, while not political with a capital ‘P,’ is relevant in this time. It’s an entertainment but it’s not a hollow entertainment.”

Along with the new cast and the hop across the Atlantic, the biggest change is Rowling’s deeper involvement as screenwriter. She’s also writing the next “Fantastic Beats” film.

Rowling has written four adult novels since the end of “Harry Potter,” but she has fully plunged back into her most famous creation. While sometimes angering fans by the endless tweaking, she has continued to mould her wizard world (announcing that Dumbledore is gay, for example) and on Tuesday she’ll release three short “Harry Potter” eBooks, written partly from her online community Pottermore. With a few twists, Potter-mania is again shifting into high gear.

JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer

22 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, September 2, 2016

literary lives charlie chaplin

The man behind the moustache

“With demonic single mindedness he created film after film, each seeming to break new boundaries in comedy. He completely disregarded the comfort of others involved in any film production, usually reworking scenes ten or 20 times until he was entirely satisfied with the result.”

The legendary funny man and genius of the silver screen was a tireless perfectionist driven by personal demons, Sir Christopher Ondaatje reveals

T

here have been many excellent biographies of Charles Spencer Chaplin, including “Chaplin: Last of The Clowns” in 1972 by Parker Tyler, and “Chaplin: His Life and Art” in 1985 by David Robinson, as well as Chaplin’s own “My Autobiography” in 1964 written almost entirely from memory when he was 75.

Chaplin is also the subject of a 1992 biographical film “Chaplin” directed

by Richard Attenborough and starring Robert Downey Jr. However, it is Peter Ackroyd’s 2014 biography “Charlie Chaplin”, published by Chatto & Windus in London, that has made us understand this unique creative icon

of the silver screen who remains one of the most recognisable faces in Hollywood - even 100 years after his first film was made. But who was the man behind the famous moustache? The director holding the camera as well as acting in front of it? The humble Cockney boy underneath all the stage make up?

What is exceptional about Ackroyd’s haunting biography is that, quite apart from making us remember all the wonderful films Chaplin made, the author used his enormously sensitive talents to tell us about Chaplin’s humble theatrical beginnings in music halls, through the glamour of his golden age and murky scandals of the

1940s, to his eventual exile in Switzerland. His masterful short biography has brought us fresh revelations of the first truly great genius of the film world.

Records show that Charlie Chaplin was born in Walworth, London, on April 16, 1889, but no certificate of his birth has ever been found. He once travelled to Somerset House in London searching for his birth certificate but found nothing. He confided to friends that he was not sure of the identity of his biological father: nevertheless he took the name of a sometime music-hall artist Charles Chaplin, who was married to his mother for a short while. His mother Hannah

Chaplin (née Lily Harley) was a 19-year-old singer, already pregnant, when she met and married Charles Chaplin in 1885 but the baby was not his. Sydney (his older brother) was the result of an earlier elopement with a certain Sydney Hawkes. Chaplin gave the infant his surname - as well as his second son - but he walked out on Hannah a year after the birth. The fault was her infidelity and he must have guessed that the second infant son was not his either.

Later in his life Charlie Chaplin admitted that his mother had many affairs and she that she had taken to the streets in times of poverty and distress. In many of his later films he

The Tribune | Weekend | 23

Friday, September 2, 2016

seemed preoccupied with the role of the prostitute. Charles Chaplin Sr had some success on the musichall stage but soon descended into alcoholism.

Hannah Chaplin lived with her two small sons in East Street in London, and then West Square, where she entered into yet another relationship with a lover, Wheeler Dryden, who fathered another child by her but left her within a year, taking his son with him and saying that Hannah was not considered by him to be a fit mother. It was about this time that the family’s troubles really escalated, and they spent most of their lives in and out of charity homes and workhouses between their mother’s bouts of insanity before she was eventually committed to Cane Hill Asylum in May, 1903, where she stayed until 1921 when the young and now successful Charlie Chaplin moved her to California.

Chaplin had an interesting beginning on the stage. When he was five, his mother, while performing, lost her voice and was unable to continue singing. The manager, seeing young Charlie in the wings, brought him on stage and ordered him to sing a popular tune - which he did with some success - even imitating his mother’s cracked voice. His education was skimpy to say the least, but his official acting career began when he was eight, touring with Eight Lancashire Lads. He had taught himself clog dancing.

The next ten years were seriously hard work – but he learned the ropes of performing until, when he was 20, he had created the character of a drunken clown.

In his private life he was withdrawn, dejected and desperate but on the stage he was another person - incredibly funny - and completely different. “I had no idea of the character,” Chaplin has been quoted as remembering.

“But the moment I was dressed, the clothes and the make-up made me feel the person he was.

I began to know him, and by the time I walked onto the stage he was fully born.”

He joined Fred Karno’s Vaudeville team when he was 18, and went with them on their 1910 tour to the United States two years later. On the liner to North

America he vowed that his name would become household - on the lips of every man, woman and child. America was the promised land and ambition surged through his body while he dreamed of ever more fantastic comedy acts. On arrival, Karno’s ‘A Night at the English Music Hall’ was an immediate sell-out and it did not take long for Mack Sennett, the comedy director of Keystone Studios, to send for the young Chaplin.

He travelled west to California in 1913 and forsook any future he might have had on the stage for a new life in the fledgling

movie industry. While at Keystone Studios, Chaplin appeared and directed in no less than 35 films, starring in all of them. He sent for his brother Sydney to become his manager. His character, the little Tramp, was an immediate sensation and after a little over a year he left Keystone and Mack Sennett to join the Essanay Company, which paid him $1,250 a week - a considerable amount of money in those days. He made 15 films with Essanay, including ‘The Tramp’ in 1915. It was his first classic short film, establishing his film character. By the

Continued on page 24

Actress Mildred Harris, Chaplin’s first wife, whom he married when she was only 16.

Chaplin with Oona O’Neill, his last and fourth wife, at the Amsterdam airport Schiphol, the Netherlands, in 1965.

“In his personal life, Chaplin was tormented by scandal and controversy.

England questioned his loyalty in World War I and called him a coward for fleeing to America, who in turn criticised him for never becoming a US citizen and for injecting Communist propaganda into his films. He also fell prey to his own devils and weaknesses.

His off-screen dramas with child-like women became as famous as those of his on-screen performances.”

24 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, September 2, 2016

Continued from page 23 time he was 26 and a mere three years after his stage and vaudeville days, Chaplin was a superstar. He moved over to the Mutual Company, who paid him a staggering $670,000 a year. He was a very wealthy man but this financial success did not deter him from his creative drive. With the Mutual Company he made some of his best works including “One Arm” (1916), “The Rink” (1916), “The Vagabond” (1916) and “Easy Street” (1917). Two years later he signed with First National Studios and, in 1919, founded United Artists with Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and D W Griffith.

During the next decade, Chaplin’s career blossomed even more and he made landmark films including “The Kid” (1921), “The Pilgrim” (1923), “A Woman in Paris” (1923), “The Gold Rush” (1925) and “The Circus” (1928).

Charlie Chaplin was not the easiest person to work with but his career rise was immediate and meteoric. Mack Sennett had already recognised Chaplin’s talents and tolerated not only his perfectionist demands but his need for total creative control.

With demonic single mindedness he created film after film, each seeming to break new boundaries in comedy. He worked tirelessly in these pioneer days of cinematography and used the relatively new medium to portray not only character but passion, pathos and narrative. He completely disregarded the comfort of others involved in any film production, usually reworking scenes ten or 20 times until he was entirely satisfied with the result. He was an original artist and he subconsciously knew that he was breaking new ground and creating a new art form.

To observe Chaplin at work was a terrifying experience. He was constantly afraid of losing his power and his creative intuition.

But they did not fail him. For 30 years, through the advent of sound, his creative genius did not desert him and as both a director and as a performer his virtuosity was on a level with anything and anyone in the creative world, including Puccini, Fellini or Laurence Olivier. People recognised

A portrait of Chaplin c. 1920

A rare photo of the young Charlie Chaplin c. 1916

Charlie Chaplin was an avid filmmaker throughout his life

Peter Ackroyd’s 2014 biography explores the unique creative icon that was Charlie Chaplin

The Tribune | Weekend | 25

Friday, September 2, 2016

Forgotten facts Paul C Aranha his ability and talent. In 1931, “City Lights” - a silent film which, opening during the new era of synchronised sound (Al Jolson and “The Jazz Singer”) in Los Angeles and then in New York, was greeted with enthusiastic celebration. The film was released in the beginning of the great Depression during a period of distress and destitution when the figure of Chaplin’s Tramp becomes more pertinent than ever before. As Peter Ackroyd states in his book: “The closing scene is perhaps the greatest triumph of his art. The blind girl can now see but she has never known the identity of her benefactor. The Tramp, more degraded than ever, encounters her; she takes his hand, to give him a coin, and at that moment understands who he is.

‘You can see now?’ he asks her. ‘Yes, I can see now’. That is where the film ends, with a look of exaltation and also of terror on the Tramp’s face. James Agee (America’s greatest film critic) concluded that it is enough to shiver the heart to see, and it is the greatest piece of acting and the highest moment in movies. City Lights remained Chaplin’s own favourite among his films.”

Chaplin concentrated on aiming his films to the lower classes and to poor people. Love, lust, sadness and anger were always his main themes and Chaplin spoke to the masses through his creation of the little Tramp. However, in his personal life, he was tormented by scandal and controversy. England questioned his loyalty in World War I and called him a coward for fleeing to America, who in turn criticised him for never becoming a US citizen and for injecting Communist propaganda into his films. He also fell prey to his own devils and weaknesses. In fact, his off-screen dramas with child-like women became as famous as those of his on-screen performances.

In 1918 he married 16-year-old Mildred Harris. The marriage lasted two years. In 1924 he married another 16-year-old, Lita Grey, whom he had cast in “The Gold Rush”. He was forced into this because of an unplanned pregnancy, but the marriage, which produced two sons (Charles Jr and Sydney), was an unhappy one and ended in divorce in 1927. In 1936, Chaplin married again, this time to Paulette Goddard, which lasted until 1942. This was followed by a nasty paternity suit with another actress, Joan Barry, in which tests proved that Chaplin was not the biological father.

Nevertheless, the jury ordered Chaplin to pay for full child support.

He had developed a reputation, according to Peter Ackroyd, as hav-

ing “legendary genital endowment and being involved in joyless sexual marathons”. In 1943, even while the Joan Barry paternity suit was going on, Chaplin met and married the 18-year-old Oona O’Neill. This final fourth marriage was a happy one and they had eight children together.

Chaplin continued to make interesting films in the 1930s and 1940s: “Modern Times” (1936), which did incorporate sound and which was a scathing commentary of the world’s economic and political infrastructure; and “The Great Dictator” (1940), which ridiculed the governments of Hitler and Mussolini. But Chaplin was not universally popular. He was rebuked by women’s groups which led to him being barred from entering certain US states; and he became the target of right-wing conservatives who pushed for his deportation.

Eventually, when he travelled to London for the 1952 premiere of “Limelight”, he was denied re-entry into the United States because of his supposed immorality and communistic affiliations - even though the government had no definitive proof that he was a threat to National Security. Instead, Chaplin and his wife, Oona, decided to settle on a small farm in Corsier-sur-Vevey in Switzerland.

Charlie Chaplin did make one last visit to the United States to receive an honorary Academy Award for the “incalculable effect he has had in making motion pictures - the art form of his century”. This award came five years after Chaplin’s final film “A Countess from Hong Kong” (1967), which was the filmmaker’s first and only colour movie.

Despite a cast that included Sophia Loren and Marlon Brando, the film was not a success. He received one last piece of recognition when he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975.

Chaplin died at his home in Corsiersur-Vevey on Christmas Day, 1977. In an extraordinary twist of fate his body was stolen, not long after he was buried, from his grave near Lake Geneva by two men who demanded $400,000 for its return. The men were arrested but Chaplin’s body was not recovered for almost three months. He was re-buried in a vault surrounded by cement.

NEXT WEEK: Katherine Govier and the genius behind the Audubon bird paintings • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is an adventurer and writer resident in the Bahamas. A Sri Lankan-born CanadianEnglishman, he is the author of several books, including “The Last Colonial”.

The message on this postcard picturing a loaded donkey-cart reads: “A load of coals from Auntie Maggie.”

Postcards from a small island

B

ecause you’re reading Forgotten Facts, you’re probably interested in Bahamian history and a good place to experience more of what went on in these islands is to visit the Bahamas Historical Society’s Museum, on the northwest corner of Shirley Street and Elizabeth Avenue, where I happened upon a collection of old Bahamian postcards, donated in 1972, by Kathleen Walton Smith, of Wimbledon, London.

I collect old postcards of the Bahamas but I had never seen so many cards sent to members of one family - in England, the Channel Islands and Africa.

When I came across cards addressed to James C Smith, Postmaster General of Sierra Leone, bells began to ring and I hurried to my favourite book on Bahamian history, Dr Gail Saunders’ ‘Islanders in the Stream’.

In Volume 2, Gail wrote that Stephen A Dillet, a respectable coloured man, found out that his 24-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, was carrying the illegitimate child of James C Smith, the Colony’s most-prominent coloured man - a Member of the House of Assembly (MHA) and Postmaster General of the Bahamas.

Love letters revealed that Smith had no plans to marry Elizabeth and, added to that, he was actively courting a white English visitor from Yorkshire, who he ultimately married. Mr Dillet charged Smith with seduction and abduction but, although the

case never came to court, Smith’s reputation was already ruined and he lost his job as Postmaster. He remained an MHA until his term expired in 1896 but, understanding that he stood no chance of being re-elected, he emigrated to Sierra Leone as Assistant Postmaster of that west African colony.

Most of the cards were addressed to Kathleen, but one was addressed to Mrs J C Smith, Thornton, Near Bradford, Yorkshire. Another was sent to James C Smith, Esq, Postmaster General, Free Town, Sierra Leone. Mailed on January 28, 1903 it was received a month later on February 29.

Reading the cards convinced me that Kathleen was a daughter of James C Smith and that her relatives in Nassau had, lovingly, tried to bridge the Atlantic Ocean and keep the family connected.

The first card was mailed in 1903 and the last one in 1913.

An early card, carrying the message “Little Miss. I have come to bring you Your “Valentine” from Your Auntie Maggie” was addressed to Miss Kathleen Walton Smith, St Saviour’s Road, St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands. It was mailed in Nassau on January 31, 1903, and was delivered at 11am on February 14, just two weeks later. Airplanes had not been invented yet, so this card must have crossed the Atlantic by ship.

• islandairman@gmail.com

PYGMY (across) GOOSE (down)

26 | The Tribune | Weekend

section

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The Tribune | Weekend | 27

Friday, September 2, 2016

animals Animal matters Kim Aranha

PET OF THE WEEK

Hamster settles in – Part II

LINDA GILL-ARANHA

L

ast week I wrote about my family taking their sweet and beautiful potcake Hammie (Hamster) to Germany.

My article focused on Hammie’s first two years and how she became a member of the Aranha family – pure luck actually. Being in the right place at the right time governs the lives of many a potcake.

Last Tuesday, Hammie was loaded into one of those rather forbidding sky kennels that she never really liked. Her family was very careful to include a T-shirt that had been worn by my stepgrandson Zak several times so that she could be reassured during the voyage by smelling him and connecting him to the sky kennel.

Hamster left Nassau on Bahamasair to Miami on the 6.30am flight, so there were no temperature issues. The flight left relatively on time and Hammie and her dad, my stepson Stephen, got to Miami International Airport with a minimum of fuss. Nobody was interested in the myriad of documents that had been acquired at a relatively high expense (that is another article).

Steve and Hammie had a sixhour layover in Miami, so they took themselves out to the green area at MIA and settled down to read a book (or chew a toy) and enjoy the sun.

The hours whooshed by and in no time at all they were ready to check into Air Berlin. Several other dogs were on the same flight. Bravely, Hammie climbed into her sky kennel for the final and longest leg of her air journey.

The flight left Miami almost on time, and 10 hours later Hammie was delivered into the loving hands of her master. Once again the myriad of documents were barely looked at and Hamster was officially welcomed on German soil at the International Airport in Duesseldorf.

Because the family was actually moving to Frankfurt, Hammie still had

Kirk enjoys a belly rub from BHS staff member Justin Stuart

a two-and-a-half hour drive in the car before seeing her new home.

Now just imagine, Nassau dogs have never experienced that long a drive, unless they went over to the States for a trip or to the vet. Hamster loved it! She sat in the passenger seat and watched in amazement as so much traffic and unusual landscapes passed her by.

Her brief stops at the layovers to attend to the calls of nature were so filled with unusual smells and sights that she could barely focus on the task required. Those unusual smell – squirrels and then the flowers, the trees, the food, the sound of the highway – whoa, it was all moving a bit

Courageous Kirk

By The Bahamas Humane Society

L

ast week, you may have read the story of Hamster, the potcake whose family loved her so much, they took her with them when they moved to Germany.

Unfortunately, Kirk was not as lucky. When his family moved, they left him behind, chained at their former home. By the time the Bahamas Humane Society ambulance driver arrived, this lovely young male had a wound in his neck from the tightness of the chain, and he had lost a great deal of weight.

Kirk is probably about two years old, and will take some time to begin to trust again. He has one leg that was broken and hasn’t healed quite right, but he’s still able

fast for this potcake.

The reunion with the kids in the apartment in Offenbach (a town adjacent to Frankfurt) was a warm and happy one. The kids had flown over via another route that was not dog friendly.

Hammie actually thinks that apartment living is kind of cool.

Whenever she needs to go out a human has to go with her,and walk with her and keep her company. Oh yes. And here is the best bit: the humans have to clean up behind her. Now who is the boss?

Back in Nassau where she had a garden, they would just open the door.

But not in Offenbach, they have to walk with her. She enjoys sniffing each Zak Aranha with potcake Hammie in Germany

to walk and will eventually love to play. He already enjoys having his tummy rubbed.

Do you have the loving, patient heart that Kirk will need in his new forever home?

If so, come down to the BHS to meet him, or call 3235138 for more information.

Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday.

Kirk is looking forward to meeting you.

• Jewellery sale! This

Saturday, from 10am to 2pm, the BHS Thrift Shop, will offer pieces in a wide range of prices. Come out, find yourself some bling, and help support the animals.

and everything she comes in contact with. Every smell is different.

Hamster has also discovered, along with her family, how welcome dogs are in Europe, unlike the hostile approach one encounters if you attempt to take your dog anywhere in Nassau.

Hammie goes to restaurants and curls up under the table. There are dog water bowels everywhere. Recently she went to the dog park on the river Main. Other dogs were there and many of them were swimming in the river. Hammie was a good swimmer in Nassau and did not let a bit of muddy water stop her from having fun. So Zak had to follow her in. No, it is not like the Bahamas, you can’t see your hand through the muddy water, but Hamster was welcome to play there and she didn’t care. It was a wonderful start to her new life.

When Zak starts school, Hammie will wait patiently at the door to hear his footsteps walking up the flights of stairs. She will greet him excitedly and he will have to grab the leash and take her downstairs and for a walk along the river.

Happy, lucky Hammie. Folks, remember if you adopt a pet, make it for life. They travel very well and adapt in no time.

28 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, September 2, 2016

gardening

The garden in September With the start of Fall almost upon us, Jack Hardy says it is soon time to prepare planting the first annual flowers.

S

eptember is the month when the hurricane season for the Bahamas starts in earnest. We tend to think of hurricanes as having forward motion, but the movement of a hurricane is caused by slippage along the surface of water. A hurricane does not go forward; it goes backwards, at a slower rate than the Earth’s rotation. Early in the hurricane season we seem to have storms launched at us from the waters off West Africa. They ostensibly plough towards the Caribbean and need careful watching. The end of most hurricanes is an inevitable turn to the north, then northeast, caused by the Earth’s curvature.

Later in the season, usually October and November, hurricanes tend to form much nearer to us in the warm waters of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. These hurricanes give us less time to prepare than the Atlantic ones. The tracks of these hurricanes are also harder to predict.

Let us hope for a quiet time with all the dangerous storms missing us – and everyone else.

The vegetable season has started even though temperatures are still high. You could wait until the end of October before putting in your seeds but many vegetables can be started now and be productive much earlier. Veggies that can be started

now include tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, snap beans, squash, cucumber, pumpkin and carrots. Best left until mid-October or later are spinach, lettuce and salad greens, cauliflower, scallions, kohlrabi, English and snow peas and any other vegetables that are cool weather lovers.

Flowers – annuals and perennials – brighten any garden, and even if you have no official flower beds you can find areas in your yard where flower seeds can be grown. The only flowers blooming right now are those that can withstand summer heat. Once we reach the end of October conditions will be much cooler and we can grow virtually any annual.

The favourites for bedding and potting are impatiens and petunia. Very small seeds are best started in (or rather on) a special seed-starting mix. The seeds should be misted at least two times a day. No mister? Buy a hose-end sprayer shaped like a flashlight that has a mister nozzle. You’ll need a mister for your thyme seeds too. Once your plants have reached about two inches tall they can be transplanted to pots or to the flower bed. Impatiens and petunias both like well-drained soil so should be put into pots without saucers.

There are so many flowering annuals. Those I have grown and observed in friends’ gardens include Echinaceae (coneflowers) and the somewhat similar Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan). More common are marigolds and vinca.

Calendula is a great choice because the flowers of some varieties can be dried for extended display. Asters are wonderful flowers for cutting. Nasturtiums are reliable performers and trailing nasturtiums can be sown in hanging baskets.

Blue Lobelia is my favourite flower bed ground cover.

You can have a varied and satisfying flower collection in your yard by growing only zinnias. These easy to grow annuals come in such a wide range of sizes, shapes and colours, that it seems impossible to believe they are all of one stock.

Zinnia seeds can be planted right now but the seeds of cool weather annuals should be left until late October.

Impatiens in a pot The planting of bulbs is best done early in the new year. Each bulb has its specific flowering time and if it is early in the year your bulbs will be in place to perform. Those bulbs that flower in warm weather will be completely established when their season comes along. Were you to plant some bulbs right now you will probably find they will flower once bedded, but out of season. The bulbs would then have to adjust to their regular flowering season.

The pruning of flowering shrubs that bloom all year round often means weeks without blossoms. You may wish to try partial pruning by trimming only one-third of the shrub one month, another third the next month, and the final cutting a month later. This is a particularly good system in a garden with lots of hibiscus.

Roses can be pruned quite heavily and will bloom again quickly. I like to cut my roses back by at least one-third at the end of October in the belief that the new growth will adapt to and enjoy the cooler conditions. I repeat the process in April or May. Many fruit trees benefit tremendously from judicious pruning. The

A petunia flower in blo

om

Annonas in particular (soursop, sugar apple) produce fruit on new growth so pruning is essential for healthy subsequent harvests. Older mango trees benefit from a light pruning – no hat-racking. Citrus trees should be inspected for growth from the lower trunk where the graft was performed. Cut away any growth from this area. If a branch grows vertically, level with the trunk, it too should be cut away. This is a water shoot that takes energy from the tree but does not produce fruit.

The only other pruning a citrus tree needs is removal of dry branches or twigs.

If you have a look around I am sure you will see many lawns that are suffering towards the end of the grass-growing season. This is often caused by cutting grass too low. Your front lawn does not have to look like a golf course green. If your grass is St. Augustine, never lower your cut to less than two inches. At this time of year it would be even better to raise the level to three inches.

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