09152023 WEEKEND

Party on the move

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer |

You bring the good vibes; they bring the booze. New Providence’s newest mobile bar, Blissfully Boozy, is ready for action and will pull up to wherever the party is.

Owner Rakia Wong said the idea for a mobile bar came to her two years ago during a conversation with her husband.

“I really enjoy drinks; cocktails, mocktails, tea, iced tea…you name it. I was fleshing out ideas and thought of several different things, but it wasn’t until we attended a friend’s birthday party that the idea for Blissfully Boozy sparked,” she told Tribune Weekend.

“There was a mobile bar at the party; a table set up with pre-batched drinks, and I thought to myself, ‘I love this; I can do this. I can create a company that brings a full bar experience, but make it mobile.’ I knew right away what I wanted to do. From that night on I kept talking about the new business I wanted to start and today here we are; Blissfully Boozy went from an idea two years ago to a reality on July 1, 2023.”

What makes Blissfully Boozy unique, she said, is in addition their bartending services – available from either a trailer, bar cart or as a bartenders package – they also offer customised elements, depending on what the client requests.

Rakia said their syrups and dehydrated fruits are all made in-house by their team and their juices are freshly pressed.

“We can make (a lot) on our own; we try to do that as opposed to buying store-bought items,” she said.

Rakia said they also support local farmers, especially when it comes to purchasing the garnishes they use for the cocktails; including edible flowers from Green Leaf and ingredients like peppers, rosemary and ginger from Down To Earth Farms.

“Not only do we plan the look of the bar to match the event and theme, but we plan the way the cocktails and garnishing should look to match it as well,” she said.

Although “boozy” is part of their name, Rakia said she is amazed that it’s the mocktails – non-alcoholic cocktails – that are so popular with costumers. The two most popular are the guava ginger and the hibiscus punch. When it comes to the regular cocktails, the passion fruit daiquiri has been a big hit.

Blissfully Boozy also offers private and public mixology classes. The most recent were held on September 2 and 3 at The Current Art House & Gallery at Baha Mar.

“Both classes were completely sold out; in fact, they were overbooked. We have persons already requesting to have priority for firstaccess booking to our upcoming class in October,” she said.

Before turning her hand to boozy creations, in 2016 Rakia baked pastries, cheesecakes and cake pops for her business Leauxkey Indulgence.

Then in 2018, she started creating content around her natural hair journey and began making her own

hair products. Her DIY hair products became popular among women here in the Bahamas and abroad, so she started her haircare line Key To Curls.

“Key To Curls is no longer available today, but honestly, that brand has played a crucial role in me being

the entrepreneur that I am today,” she said.

For the upcoming fall season, Rakia said Blissfully Boozy has a few things in store, and those interested should follow them on social media @blissfullyboozy to stay up-to-date.

Collective spreads Bahamian music across the US and the region

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

THE collective known as Shaad Collie & The VIPs is spreading the joy Bahamian music brings wide and far as they gear up for a very busy Fall and the release of several new songs.

Founded in 2016 by Ri’shaad Collie, the group consists of 12 musicians. They are best known for playing rake n’ scrape, soca, reggae, hip hop, pop, blues, rock n’ roll, and even ballet music, jazz, neosoul, soul and funk.

After winning the Bahamas Carnival Experience Battle of the Bands earlier this year, the band is now preparing to take part in another carnival event: the Miami Carnival in Florida on October 8.

After that, they will be performing at a show in the Turks and Caicos Islands on October 27.

“We have been really travelling this year,” said Shaad. “We did performances in Miramar, Coconut Grove, Atlanta, Idaho, Philadelphia, New York City. Most of the international gigs we have are Caribbean events, so the crowd’s response to the music is always good We really got a good response in Philadelphia; that was crazy. Regarding our upcoming show in Turks, we are looking forward to this because it gives us a chance to play much more than rake n’ scrape, because we are playing at a ball. It’ll be more diverse; we will be doing ballads, instrumentals with the horn players and so forth. We will get to showcase the band more because people mainly know us for rake n’ scrape, but we do much more.”

In addition to continuing with her international performances, the group will also be bringing out new original music.

One of the band’s lead vocalists, Ilsha McPhee, is expected to be release her new single, “Bahamian Woman”, next week. This will be followed immediately by the release of the song “Deal” by bass player Leon Clarke. The group hopes to perform both songs at their next gig.

Following that, lead singers Danielle Lee Dorsette and Don Seymour will each bring out a song;

“Dying in Your Arms” and “Only”, respectively.

“We have new music from basically each singer in the band. Some of them are band songs, and some

are solo efforts, but that we still all peform together. We still represent Shaad Collie and The VIP’s. The

solo songs also feature the band because we produced the music,” explained Shaad.

Depending on what the rest of the year has in store for them, he said the band will try to bring out a Christmas song.

When Shaad formed his new band in 2016, it was not only a dream come true, but the fulfilment of a family legacy. His grandfather, Al Collie, is a well-known Bahamian musician and one of his biggest musical mentors.

Al Collie and the VIPs were the house band of one of Nassau’s hottest spots in the 1960s, the swinging Buccaneer Lounge at the Flagler Inn Hotel on Paradise Island.

Today, Shaad is paying tribute to his grandfather with his own VIP band.

Shaad Collie & The VIPs gained popularity in 2020 during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

They used the down time during the lockdowns to entertain hundreds of viewers online.

“We went live on Facebook to keep people entertained and our fanbase really started to grow,” said Shaad, who is also the band’s lead guitarist.

He said they have worked hard to stay relevant by utilising the group’s social media pages to update supporters and fans.

“We are more than a band; we are family, and that’s how we basically live every day, like brothers and sisters,” he said.

The current band members are Uwe Dames on lead guitar; Joey Young on drums; Leon Clarke on bass and vocals; Christineko Pinder and Christopher Christie on keys; musical director Jefferson Williamson, a baritone singer, on trombone; Brian Saunders on trumpet; Danielle Lee Dorsette, Ilsha McPhee, Don Seymour and Destin Pratt as the lead singers, and Terrance Cole and Luke Caley are the band’s engineers.

Investing in a dream

Young sailor promotes the Bahamas’ national sport with a new school

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

Branden Sands is doing his part to ensure that the country’s national sport of sailing is accessible to children all over the country.

And now he is asking the public’s assistance to provide the necessary equipment to help foster the sailing talent of the future who can represent the Bahamas at international events.

Growing up on Abaco, Branden spent the majority of his childhood out on the water.

“I grew up sailing. I started racing at the age of ten. When I was 13, I was a member of the national sailing team and participated in two World Championships,” the now 23-year-old told Tribune Weekend.

Although he stopped racing at the age of 17, the sport remains a huge passion of his.

One of the things he loves most about sailing is that it provides a great insight into the mindset one needs for life.

He explained that this is because life’s circumstances can often be uncontrollable, forcing you to adapt, which is something you have to do when

you’re sailing as well. Being at the till of a boat and being able to change your course, gives you power, he said.

Additionally, Branden said he enjoys the friendships he has made with sailors all over the world, and the sense of camaraderie that the sport inspires.

He also has a passionate about giving other young Bahamians the opportunity to explore the sport of sailing.

When he discovered that Spanish Wells, Eleuthera, was one of the few islands which didn’t have a sailing school, he immediately knew it was something he wanted to make a reality.

The Spanish Wells Sailing School, he explained, exists to provide the residents of the island with the opportunity to learn the art of sailing, inspire spiritual and personal growth, and represent their community in regattas.

Currently, Branden said he has about two dozen young students on the island who are learning the mechanics of sailing. That number is expected to increase.

“The optimal age to begin learning is about nine, although I will take kids from age eight to around 13. By age nine you are old enough to be able to handle the boat but young enough not to have any preconceived notions or bad habits,” he said.

“If a student has the national talent for sailing, they can usually become proficient after around five lessons. We had students who took part in our summer camp and were sailing after just a few sessions.”

Branden said that while the school wants to be able to identify top sailors who can go on to represent the Bahamas at sailing events, his ultimate goal is to just inspire youngsters to be comfortable and enjoy being out on the water.

Sailing is also a great way for his students to develop personally and grow, he added.

“I think that the hardest part of sailing is learning how to read the wind. It is not something that you can see; you have to be able to see the effects of the wind. So it’s all about harnessing power that you cannot see,” he said.

“

I think that the hardest part of sailing is learning how to read the wind…it’s all about harnessing power that you cannot see.”

BRANDEN SANDS, 23, and his sailing students

Branden is now looking to expand the sailing school and is asking the public’s help in doing so. They are looking to acquire eight Optimist sailboats which, when added to the two they have already been promised, would bring the fleet to up ten.

Branden explained that he chose the Optimist brand not just because they are a perfect vessel for beginners, but because they are the type of vessels

weekend in history

September 15

that are used in many of the national and international tournaments.

“This would ensure that our students are on the same page as other programmes,” he said.

Branden explained that in return for sponsorship, the vessels will proudly bear the names of Spanish Wells fishing boats and their generous sponsors.

“By sponsoring one of these boats, you are investing in the dreams and aspirations of future

sailors’ and your name will forever be associated with their achievements,” he said.

“By partnering with us, you become a part of the process of getting Spanish Wells’ sailors to represent their islands in the sport of sailing for the first time.”

Branden also explained that the eight boats they are looking to purchase are available at a significant discount because they are already in New Providence, which eliminates the expense of landing costs. However, it also means that any donations would need to be given as soon as possible to take advantage of the current discount.

In addition to the youth classes, the school also hosts community sailing events, offers private lessons, and will cater to visitors to the island who may wish to go sailing.

Those interested in learning more about the school and/or wish to donate, can visit the ‘Spanish Wells Sailing School’ on Facebook for additional information and contacts.

September 16

THE ICONIC Marilyn Monroe ‘flying skirt’ moment

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

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

hesitation, socialist was wrong (5)9 Library, 10 Lava, 12 Arm, 13 Possess, 14 The, 15 Down, 17 Decided, 19 Streak, 20 Completed. Down: 1 Pollutes, 2 Asia, 3 Rub, 4 Classical, 5 Horned, 6 Tears, 8 Demanded, 11 Asleep, 13 Photo, 16 Were, 18 Dot.

D T A Y N I U N M

THE

● The Target uses words in the main body of Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (1999 edition)

HOW many words of four letters or more can you make from the letters shown here?

In making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each must contain the centre letter and there must be at least one nine-letter word. No plurals. Verb forms ending in S permitted.

TODAY’S TARGET

Good 14; very good 21; excellent 28 (or more). Solution on Monday

Call 0907 181 2585 for today’s Target solution

CRYPTIC PUZZLE

Across

1 Soldier with papers in order (6)

4 How mince is cooked by Chinese? (4,4)

9 I misdo translations due to language peculiarities (6)

10 Downpour makes it hard to see (8)

12 The way to travel to gain time (4)

13 Fun and games in Parliament (5)

14 It must have been sunk skilfully (4)

17 Hard case for the beautician? (4,8)

20 Prospective challenge faced by shop assistants? (12)

23 People go crazy running this way (4)

24 Recreation wear (5)

25 Jewish priest of evil disposition (4)

28 Supporter leaped exultantly about the street (8)

29 Could be Mr A to Z of music (6)

30 Act a central role then quit (8)

31 Trojan bully (6)

THE ALPHABEATER

CAN you crack the Alphabeater? Each grid number represents a letter – or black square. As in Alphapuzzle, every letter of the alphabet is used. But you have to complete the grid too! Use the given letters and black squares below the grid to start. The grid is ‘rotationally symmetrical’ – in other words, it looks the same if you turn the page upside down.

Solution

TARGET TIME: 36 minutes

CROSS DOUBT

Across: IRONS Down: SOLID

Black squares: 1, 2, 26, 28, 29, 30, 36, 38, Across: Guardian, Angel, Hedgerow, Joked, West, Exam, Femur, Valuable, Discrete. Down: Gallows, Antler, Relaxed, Venerable, Became, Raja, Veto, Squeeze. TRIUMPHAL hail hair halm halt harm harp hart haul haulm hilt hilum hula hump hurl hurt lath lathi mirth path phial pith rupiah ruth thrum thump triumph TRIUMPHAL

SUMMIT UP

Down

1 Files put in the wrong order with malicious intent (8)

2 International shipping line (8)

3 She takes me up to mother (4)

5 To be frank the throat and ear need treatment (5-2-5)

6 Good evidence of a beating? (4)

7 Wiped out as deer may well be (6)

8 A weedy type and stingy (6)

11 Period of overtaking on the road? (7,5)

15 He may play a drunken Croat (5)

16 Period of calm for one after exercising (5)

18 Join in but don’t seize the lot (4,4)

19 Make me turn sharp and sour (8)

21 Touched for a drink (6)

22 Support delay (4,2)

26 New star played a major role in Russia (4)

27 Nothing can be blamed for world revolution (4)

Across

1 Western US state (6)

Across: 1 Babel, 4 Liaison, 8 Log, 9 Green-eyed, 10 Inertia, 11 Sober, 13 Modify, 15 Cyprus, 18 Older, 19 Hurtful, 21 Forearmed, 23 Con, 24 Rigidly, 25 Ridge.

Down: 1 Belgium, 2 Big-headed, 3 Light, 4 Leeway, 5 Amnesty, 6 Say, 7 Nadir, 12 Barefaced, 14 Forward, 16 Silence, 17 Chummy, 18 Offer, 20 Rider, 22 Rug.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution

Across: 1 Snaps, 4 Contest, 8 Rid, 9 Atrocious, 10 Amongst, 11 Stake, 13 Theory, 15 Daring, 18 Stage, 19 Marshal, 21 Turned out, 23 Ice, 24 Dresses, 25 Organ. Down: 1 Servant, 2 Andromeda, 3 Slang, 4 Curate, 5 Nicosia, 6 Ego, 7 Taste, 12 Alighting, 14 Reefers, 16 Galleon, 17 Emboss, 18 Sited, 20 Ratio, 22 Roe.

EASY PUZZLE

Down

1 Author of fiction (8)

Yesterday’s Sudoku Answer

*Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

Yesterday’s Kakuro Answer

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

Solution on Monday

● Alternatively, for six Extra Letter clues to your mobile, text DXBEAT to 64343. Texts cost £1 plus your usual operator rate

Place the tiles into the grid so that four different numbers and four different shapes appear in each row and column. Solution on

4 Produce routinely (5,3)

9 Defame (6)

10 Often experienced (8)

12 No longer alive (4)

13 Mutual harmony (5)

14 Fit of peevish annoyance (4)

17 Let oneself be seen (4,4,4)

20 Neutral mediator (6,6)

23 Enfold (4)

24 Abnormally large (5)

25 Power of holding attention (4)

28 East African country (8)

29 Fencing sword (6)

30 Generous (8)

31 Powerful (6)

2 Exercise of the will (8)

Yesterday’s Easy Solution 12345678 91

3 Adroit (4)

5 Cruel nature (5,2,5)

6 Pour down (4)

7 Abominable (6)

8 Table of fixed charges (6)

11 Before noon (4,8)

15 Giver (5)

16 Widespread alarm (5)

18 Minor military engagement (8)

19 An attribute (8)

21 Transfer (6)

22 Automatic gun on aircraft (6)

26 Gather in large body (4)

27 Vehicle for hire (4)

The Weekend Fashion Report 2023 MTV Video Music Awards

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

SPLIT Ice Spice

Karin says: “Ah, so she’s back to her ‘Orphan Annie’ wig… and it still suits her! This looks like an alternative wedding outfit. There is so much going on! Maybe too much. For some reason it reminds of an 80s’ Madonna look. It’s not the worst thing I’ve seen.”

Cara says: “My first thought looking at this very elaborate ensemble was, ‘This reminds me of those itchy tights you were forced to wear to church as a child.’ Second thought: ‘Nah. I’m not feeling it.’ Third thought: ‘Oh, that hair though!’”

FAIL Saweetie

Karin says: “Is she trying to be Wilma Flintstone, Betty Rubble or a grownup Pebbles? We don’t often see red carpet outfits inspired by the Flintstones, so she gets an ‘A’ for originality. Still, it is an absolutely bizarre choice. Is this cavewoman chic? The sparkly pink is pretty on her though.”

Cara says: “I grew up watching the Flintstones, so I can appreciate the appeal of bones as a fashion accessory… in theory. But girl, you know that this is just ridiculous. That bone up top looks like it’s about to take you out. I can sort of accept the one at the waist if she had left it at that, but this is hot mess city.”

FAIL

Shakira

Karin says: “Shakira put on a show at the VMAs! Incredible energy. Probably the best performer of the event. So I can give her some leeway when it comes to her fashion. But yeah, the safety pin look is not it; especially those extra big pins. It’s a very lazy design that we’ve seen in many variations. The baby blue also isn’t her colour.”

Cara says: “I kinda see her vision, and it’s just OK. It’s not completely hideous and she pulls it off, but it’s not a look I’m crazy about. Her wavy, honey-coloured mane is gorgeous though. And let’s face it, Shakira would look good in just about anything.”

HIT

Nicki Minaj

Karin says: “The Barbie of rap and host of the show made her grand entrance in a pseudo wedding dress, complete with veil. Actually, this Dolce & Gabbana almost looks like lingerie. The lace does look a bit tacky. And it’s very dramatic, but I still like it.”

Cara says: “I think I love it. Yes, it’s theatrical. Apparently, she was going as a Barbie bride…remember, she gave herself the moniker ‘Barbie’ long before the recent hype around the iconic doll… and I totally get the vision. Nicki is beautiful, and if anyone can pull off the look, it’s her.”

HIT Taylor Swift

Karin says: “It’s nothing spectacular, but it’s quite a cool look, this asymmetrical Versace gown. And she gets a chance to show off her long legs! I really like the layers of gold jewellery. But frankly, I’m amazed she’s up for getting dressed up like this, considering she’s in the middle of a massive world tour with multiple costume changes.”

Cara says: “I am a devoted Swiftie, so of course I love this look. It’s the perfect balance of sexy and classy, yet simple. And it has just enough interesting touches – the gold studs, the asymmetrical hemline and the multiple gold necklaces – to give it a nice edgy vibe. No need for big dramatics; it’s just cute.”

Bougainvillea loopers

Good day, gardeners. As many of us may know, to get a maximum number of flowers throughout the year for splashes of colour, one of the best plants to use in any landscape is bougainvillea.

Maybe you’ve noticed that many around the island have no colour right now. That’s because many folks have recently been pruning them back.

This is a perfect time of year to prune back any bougainvillea hedge, but why?

It all has to do with the timing and it has been that time recently due to the nighttime invasion of the bougainvillea looper.

What is a bougainvillea looper?

Bougainvillea loopers are small, worm-like caterpillars that are commonly called “inchworms.” They will move by bunching up their body and then stretching back out, as though they are measuring the space.

The bougainvillea looper caterpillar will be yellow, green, or brown and will be found on Bougainvillea, but may also be found on plants from the same family as the bougainvillea, such as four o’clocks and amaranthus.

These bougainvillea worms are the larva of the somber carpet moth (Disclisioprocta stellata). This moth is small, only about one inch (2.5 cm.) wide, and has brown wings. It is very difficult to be aware that these pests are present until the damage becomes visible.

These bougainvillea plant pests are very hard to spot, as they tend to blend into the plant and feed only at night, while hiding deep in the plant during the day.

The signs that you have bougainvillea looper caterpillar is mainly damage to the leaves. The edges of the bougainvillea leaves will look

chewed on, and have a scalloped edge.

A heavy infestation may even result in tender shoots being eaten and even complete defoliation of the affected bougainvillea vine.

While the damage may look terrible, bougainvillea caterpillar damage will not kill a mature bougainvillea plant.

However, it may be a threat to a very young bougainvillea plant. If you’ve got any young ones that you’re starting or have purchased, it is important to treat the plant to remove the infestation. For larger and established plants, especially those that are not maintained, it’s sort of nature’s way of pruning the plant for you! Bougainvillea loopers have many natural predators, birds being the main one in our region.

Attracting birds to your yard can help keep the bougainvillea looper caterpillar population under control. Even with natural predators, Bougainvillea loopers can sometimes multiply faster than the predators can eat. In these cases, you may want to spray the plant with a pesticide.

Spinosad and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are both effective against these bougainvillea plant pests.

Not all pesticides will have an effect on bougainvillea loopers, though.

Check the packaging of your chosen pesticide to see if it affects caterpillars. If it does not, then it will not be useful against the bougainvillea looper caterpillar. Read the label. This too shall pass. The bougainvillea looper does have a limited lifespan and they are quite predictable as to their timing. As with most pests, it’s the fresh, tender, new growth that is affected. If I was fastidious about record keeping (I’m not), I would be able to predict the timing of their lifecycle, and I would be able to treat accordingly ahead of time if I had high value plants that I wanted to protect (I do). As with most pests, temperature, day length, and the growth stage of the plant are indicators and parameters that are quite regular and they are reoccurring. It is not necessary to treat mature bougainvillea, but again, the damage caused by the loopers can be very unsightly. At the first signs of damage, or a week or two into it, that’s the time to get pruning! The plants will flush out with new growth in no time. One way to reduce the chance

of infestation is to let bougainvillea plants be a bit stressed out, not only will there be less new growth to attract the moths to lay eggs, but there will also be more colour! These plants tend to be a lot more colorful when they’re a bit stressed.

Reducing irrigation and fertilizing is a good way to reduce damage. Bougainvillea generally are not very leafy, lush, full plants. If they’re coming from a showroom or a plant nursery that irrigates and fertilizes a lot, they may be very full of leaf, this is not typical of their natural growth habits and once planted you’ll likely find that they take on more of their natural patterns. At our nursery, we tend to grow very hard, tolerant plants that are a bit more towards their natural growth habits rather than forced growth habits. This leads to a strong plant, and one that gets better as it sets in rather than the opposite. Go get ‘em. As always, I wish you happy gardening.

New Bahamian platform offers live virtual experiences

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

BAHAMIAN creatives interested in hosting live streams, virtual tours and concerts now have a new platform to do so.

Whatchadoing.cam is seeking to position itself as the go-to platform for Bahamians who want unique live and on-demand virtual experiences.

It is a digital space designed to host live streams, concerts, virtual tours, events of any kind, virtual premovie releases and any conceptual real-time activity.

Essentially, it is a Bahamian live streaming platform that offers such features as the ability to create live events, host prepaid concerts, and create interactive paid and non-paid chat groups.

According to public relations official Kendia Laramore, Whatchadoing.cam was developed by “a benevolent Bahamian entrepreneur with a desire to pay it forward to the Bahamas.”

“Whatchadoing.cam aims to continue to bridge the gap between the world and your reach bearing in mind your privacy and safety. With this platform, we want to bring the jungles of Africa into your living room in real time. How would this be possible? Through live virtual tours,” she said.

“Another goal of the platform is to foster community development. Streamers can educate, entertain, and be compensated all at the same time by sharing their content.”

Whatchadoing.cam functions like most social media platforms.

“Sign-up and registration are free. Once a user creates an account, the next step is for it to be approved. The reason we have an approval process is because we want to ensure that the platform is not used for any malicious or inappropriate content,” said Kendra.

“Once their account has been approved, they can customise their account by adding a profile picture and upload their pre-recorded content or choose to live stream.”

Although there are a variety of platforms offering similar capabilities, Whatchadoing.cam is uniquely

Bahamians and caters to specific needs, according to Kendra.

“Time is moving forward and so should all of us. If ever there was a time to embrace a technological future, it is now. With the 2020 pandemic still fresh in our minds, we recall being grateful for the reach of the internet to connect with the

world while it required us to be still,” she said.

“The platform’s existence was conceived to answer the need for an alternative way for us to interact and communicate. The platform’s owner is a proponent of personal development and education. They wanted to create a space where experts could

share their expertise and skills, either for a cost or for free, and the public could benefit by having an option for online education.”

The platform is the first of its kind in the Bahamas that focuses on giving its users an opportunity to compete globally at very little cost to them.

“Think of this as an opportunity to have someone 100 percent finance your start-up company and the only contribution you have to make is to provide your product,” said Kendia.

“We believe that once more persons become aware of its capabilities and how they would be able to capitalise on this emerging opportunity, we are certain that the platform will prove to be more successful than anticipated.”

The platform is up and running and can be found at https://www. whatchadoing.cam.

LOCAL users who have already signed up for Whatchadoing.cam.

literary lives – Dorothy L Sayers (1893-1957)

A queen of crime and mystery

Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about the renowned English crime writer, poet, playwright, translator and Christian humanist.

“Even idiots speak the truth accidentally.”

– Lord Peter Wimsey, one of Sayers’ best known fictional protagonists

Both Dorothy L Sayers and Agatha Christie were members of the Detection Club – the group of leading crime writers who met regularly and had to abide by a strict set of literary rules, designed to give the reader a fair chance of guessing the guilty party in their books.

Sayers devised the club’s elaborate initiation rituals and took on the formidable task of organising collaborations with her fellow writers.

On the other hand, the reserved Christie merely submitted to her initiation. When she succeeded Sayers in accepting the role of president, she did so on the condition that some other member be appointed to make speeches and chair events.

Both writers were schooled largely at home. Christie’s mother held her back from reading until she was eight, but the impatient girl taught herself by the age of five. While Christie’s learning was mostly ad hoc, and focused ultimately on helping her find a good husband, the parents of Dorothy Sayers kept her to a rigorous schedule. There was rivalry but also admiration. While Christie had few intimate friends, due to her shyness, Sayers was more outgoing, including joining in with the search for Christie during her famous 1926 “disappearance”.

Dorothy Sayers, in her complicated life, worked as an Oxford don, an advertising copywriter, and a radio dramatist.

However, she is best known for her mysteries, set between the First and Second World Wars, sometimes cruelly described as “snobbery with violence”. These detective novels feature the English aristocrat and amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey. Several of her novels also include the unfolding relationship between Wimsey and the crime novelist Harriet Vane.

Sayers was an only child, born on June 13, 1893, at the Headmaster’s House, Christ Church Cathedral School, Oxford.

Her father, the Reverend Henry Sayers, was the Chaplain of Christ Church and Headmaster of the Choir School. He taught her Latin when she was six years old. After he was appointed Rector of the village Bluntisham-cum-Earith in

Huntingdonshire, they moved there, and many of the characters in her mysteries feature the surnames found in the graveyard next to their elegant Regency rectory. She was, from 1909, educated at The Godolphin School – a boarding school in Salisbury.

In 1912, Sayers won a scholarship to Somerville College, Oxford where she studied modern languages and medieval literature.

She finished with first class honours in 1915 but was not awarded a degree as they could not be awarded to women. This changed a few years later and she was one of the first women to receive one. She graduated with an MA in 1920.

Sayers had two books of poetry published by Blackwell Publishing in Oxford – for whom she worked after she left Oxford, but for nine years, from 1922 to 1931, she worked as a copywriter at the SH Benson advertising agency in London with some considerable success. Coleman’s Mustard and Guinness were two clients and the famous jingle illustrated by a Toucan arching his bill under a glass of Guinness is attributed to her:

“If he can say as you can

Guinness is good for you

How grand to be a Toucan

Just think what Toucan do.”

Dorothy Sayers began working on a plot for her very first novel, Whose Body?, as early as 1920 and 1921.

“My detective story begins brightly, with a fat lady found dead in her bath with nothing on but a pince-nez. Now why did she wear pince-nez in her bath? If you can guess, you will be in a position to lay hands on the murderer, but he’s a very cool and cunning fellow ...”

Lord Peter Wimsey arrived on the detective fiction scene in Whose Body? (1923) and was involved in no less than eleven novels and two sets of stories created by Sayers. He is a languid, monocled aristocrat whose foppish manner conceals that he is a cricketer who has a first class Oxford degree, was in army intelligence during the First World War, collects incunabula – books from the earliest days of printing, plays the piano like Arthur Rubinstein, dances like Fred Astaire, is an expert on food and wine and male fashion, and one of his cars is a 12-cylinder (double six) 1927 Daimler four-seater. He is aided and abetted by his former batman – his manservant Mervyn Bunter.

“Lord Peter’s income ... I deliberately gave him. It cost me nothing and at the time I was particularly hard up and it gave me pleasure to spend his fortune for him. When I was dissatisfied with my simple unfurnished room, I took a luxurious flat for him in Piccadilly. When my cheap rug had a hole in it, I ordered him an Aubusson carpet. When I had no money to pay my bus fare I presented him with a Daimler double-six, upholstered in a style of sober magnificence, and when I felt dull, I let him drive it. I can heartily recommend this inexpensive way of furnishing to all who are discontented with their incomes. It relieves the mind and does no harm to anybody.”

Sayers introduced the character of detective novelist Harriet Vane in Strong Poison (1930) and hoped to develop her character with a view to end her Lord Peter Wimsey character via matrimony, but then admitted that once she had created the husky voiced, dark-eyed Harriet Vane while writing Gaudy Night (1935) she had imbued the two characters with so much life that she was never able to completely “kill” the character of Lord Peter Wimsey.

Nevertheless, the introduction of Harriet Vane caused a schism. Critics felt that the love interest detracted from the purity of the detective story form. It is probable that Harriet Vane – almost certainly Dorothy Sayers’ alter ego – was an attempt to improve on the disappointment of her own romantic life.

Sayers is often credited with being the best of all the mystery writers. Her plots are ingenious and intricate, and she relishes technical detail and literary quotation. She is sometimes criticised for a tendency to get bogged down in detail, as in the involved plot of The Five Red Herrings (1931).

By the late 1930s Sayers vowed that there would be no more Lord Peter Wimsey novels, but on her death (in 1957) an unfinished novel, Thrones and Dominations, was found and completed by the author Jill Paton Walsh.

A passionate Anglican, Sayers also wrote extensive theological essays and seven plays, causing a stir with The Man Born to be King (1940), by making Christ speak modern English. There were also endless letters, reviews, and some early feminist writing. She taught herself Old Italian, and she considered her translation of Danté’s Divine Comedy to be her best work.

Not content with writing pure detective stories,Sayers explored the difficulties of First World War veterans in The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (1928), discussed the ethics of

advertising in Murder Must Advertise (1933), and advocated women’s education and role in society in Gaudy Night – which also can be read as an attack on Nazi social doctrine. Gaudy Night is possibly the first feminist mystery novel. Sayers’ Christian and academic interests are obvious in The Nine Tailors (1934), and the Playfair cipher and the principles of cryptoanalysis are explained in Have His Carcase (1933).

“Nothing goes so well with a hot fire and buttered crumpets on a wet day without a good dose of comfortable horrors within. The heavier the lashing of rain, the ghastlier the details, the better the flavour seem to be.”

In the 1920s, in London, Sayers had an unhappy love affair with the Russian émigré poet Johann Gregorievitch Korshoon who later changed his name to John Cournos. Her affront at his subsequent marriage to a fellow crime writer is documented in her collected letters, and fictionalised ten years later in her novel Strong Poison.

On January 3, 1924, when she was 30 years old, Sayers secretly gave birth to an illegitimate son, John Anthony (later surnamed Fleming), although his father in reality was William “Bill” White – a motorcycle mechanic. John Anthony was brought up by her cousin Ivy Amy Shrimpton and introduced as Sayers’ nephew to friends.

Two years later Sayers married Scottish journalist Atherton Fleming on April 8, 1926, who was divorced with two children and a veteran of World

War I. Fleming’s health, damaged by shell shock and gas, worsened.

He was not able to work and was resentful that Sayers was the only financial provider.

Her life was a mess and she had to keep writing to escape into the literary characters of Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane – who would blossom and flourish. Have His Carcase, The Nine Tailors and Gaudy Night are among Dorothy Sayers’ best loved and most entertaining books that benefitted from the distress in her personal life.

Fleming died on June 9, 1950, after a decade of severe illness.

Sayers died suddenly of a coronary thrombosis on December 17, 1957, aged 64.

Her remains were cremated and her ashes buried beneath the tower of St Anne’s Church, Soho, London, where she had been a churchwarden for many years.

Only after her death was it publicly revealed that her nephew, John Anthony, was her son. Under his mother’s Will, he was her sole beneficiary.

Sayers’ house at Christ Church Cathedral School, Oxford, is named after her.

BRONZE statue of Sayers with her cat in Witham, Essex

SAYERS in younger years

EDWARD Petherbridge as Lord Peter Wimsey in the 1987 BBC television adaptations of Sayers’ novels

Senior citizens get their shine

The members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s Western Division wanted to do something special for their community’s senior population.

Under the theme, “Celebrating Our Seniors Better Together”, officers at the Western Division therefore organised and hosted a twoday initiative to honour the elderly residing in the area.

The first part of the initiative took place on Wednesday this week. The selected seniors were treated to a day of pampering. The men were taken to a barber shop and the women to a hair salon to get a mini makeover.

They were then treated to lunch at the Poop Deck at Sandyport, West Bay Street. This was followed by an island tour by Majestic Tours.

Then on Friday, a luncheon was hosted at SuperClub Breezes on Cable Beach to honour 23 well-deserving seniors from Gambier Village, Adelaide Village, Dignity Gardens, and surrounding areas, along with three seniors who are members of the police reserve at the Western police station. The honorees were picked up and dropped off from their residences by limousines.

In addition to being wined and dined, the seniors were given gifts and prizes, experienced surprises, and were entertained by the famous Police Pop Band.

Photos by Dante Carrer

An interesting conversation –Part I

By KIM ARANHA Animal Matters

On Wednesday there was a very interesting radio show about ‘Animals in the Bahamas’ and how to deal with the endemic problems that many animals face in this country of ours.

So many topics were discussed that my article cannot cover them all in one week, so this will be a two-part article (or maybe even three).

Assistant Superintendent Bruce Capron spoke eloquently on Immediate Response with Spence Finlayson. He was joined by several other members of the RBPF and Metta Macmillan-Hughes, KC, who is board member and legal counsel to the Bahamas Humane Society. There were many call-in questions, and some of the answers were based on the Animal Protection and Control Act and some were not, and their accuracy needs to be established.

I was disturbed by how there was a definite tendency to stop people giving a sad and starving dog food and water. This gesture of kindness was being perceived as taking ownership of the animal. If I give a beggar on the street a sandwich, does he become my son?

Countless times we see the police not react as the surrey horse passes them overloaded and out on the roads during rest hours. Surely, if the policemen had been issued these laws in writing they would not intentionally turn a blind eye.

They need to be further instructed as to the animal protection laws.

I am told that the police need to have ticket books (discussed and requested more than once). It is my understanding that without those ticket books the law is difficult to enforce because they are unable to issue the required tickets.

Sergeant Cassandra Burnside was very eloquent as she spoke passionately against the cruelty that animals endure frequently at the hands of their owners, shrouded in ignorance

She addressed the chaining of dogs, how some dogs are brought into a yard and chained to a tree and

are never, ever, unchained again. Some of these animals end up having the chain embedded in their necks. The owners do not check their necks, because, quite honestly, they do not check their pets at all. This is considered cruelty, and cruelty is punishable by a hearty fine.

To be chained in the hot, beating sun with no access to shade is cruelty. All animals must be provided with drinking water fit to drink, which means clean water not green or slimy and hot. All dogs must be free to move around. No chains above a quarter of an inch thickness should ever be used on a dog, and the only acceptable way to restrain a dog is with a running chain.

We were assured by ASP Capron that we are moving fast towards the enforcement of the legislation that governs animals, that is the Animal Protection and Control Act, easily downloaded; this act was passed in 2010. We now have a board in place that is the “competent authority”. This board has a wide scope and covers many aspects of animal protection and control provided we are finally given free reign. Once again, we come up against a brick wall unless the Animal Protection and Control Board is provided with what is needed to do the job intended.

At present, there is a lack of a budget for the Board. Even though they are the competent authority, the

Board is made up with people who are heavily involved with animals. Excellent people to do the job, but with no premises, no phone number, no social media page; it is extremely difficult to get things moving as the act mandates.

An example is that dog breeders require a licence to run a breeding business. It is not supposed to be a backyard hobby with dogs closed up in pseudo wooden boxes. Breeders need to have regular inspections by the competent authority and then pay for a licence. But how can a breeder get a licence if there is nowhere for them to go and ask for an inspection for licencing?

It is essential that the Animal Protection and Control Board be given

the tools to carry out the important task mandated for them to perform.

Under the Act, all dogs require a licence, and licencing is possible online, however, there is no great advantage to that because you then have to go in and pay in person and pick up the dog tag.

It has long been my own personal belief that dog licences should be very cheap if your animal has been spayed or neutered, and very costly if they have not.

It is the unneutered and unspayed roaming dogs that suffer the most, through no fault of their own. Puppies are being born with no homes to go to because humans are not doing their part and having their pets fixed, all because of human indifference.

ByTHEBAHAMAS

Don’t let the one-eyed bandit look fool you. Sheldon is loving and playful and really enjoys going out on the dog walks at the Bahamas Humane Society. Sheldon is about three years old and heartworm-free.

He gets along better with the lady dogs!

If you need a one-eyed wonder in your life, why not check out Sheldon? Or call 323-5138 for more information! Sheldon looks forward to meeting you! -

THE ONLY acceptable way to restrain a dog is with a running chain, not tied to a tree in the hot sun.

A lovable ‘bandit’

HUMANESOCIETY

(Photo by Judy Young)

pet of the week

Paint the town red

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

Just like Doja Cat’s current charttopping song says, “I don’t care, I paint the town red.”

Yes, red is back as one of the season’s hottest colours. And not just any red, but tomato red, to be exact. Normally, when you think of Fall, you think of browns, oranges and shades of gold, but red is also a perfectly suitable, even desirable, colour for the season.

Tomato red is slightly more orange in tone compared to cherry red and it’s brighter than a deep scarlet. This is a very joyful hue to fulfil all your dopamine dressing needs.

We have seen bright tomato reds grace the runways of all the major fashion houses for their Fall/Winter 2023 collections.

Red played a major role during ‘Hot Girl Summer’ and now it will add its own sizzle to counter the dip in temperatures. While cosy sweaters and killer red boots may not be the Bahamian fashionista item of choice, there are quite a few ways to pull off the tomato red trend even in our climate.

You don’t have to go red from head to toe (unless the diva in you is on fire, and hey, we are here for you if you are). A few choice items are enough to jazz up your Fall wardrobe.

You may decide to just add a small pop of colour; think red Mary Janes or a cute tomato red handbag, or a head band.

And if you want the perfect lipstick in Fall’s favourite shade, you can’t go wrong with MAC’s Ruby Woo, Maybelline’s More Ruby, Chanel’s Pirate, Fenty’s Uncensored or Clinique’s Red Hot.

Nothing is sexier than red nails, so when you head out to your next mani and pedi, why not try these colours on for size: Tom Ford’s Carnal Red, Revlon’s classic Revlon Red, Sally Hanson Red-iance or Chanel’s Gitane.

When it comes to your threads, try a cute red halter or a long-sleeved top, or choose a pair of wide leg pants.

A great staple would be to get an exquisitely tailored red jacket which could form the base of multiple great Fall looks.

Red pairs with just about everything; it looks great with jeans, blacks, khakis, and can be dressy or casual.

Tomato red is a colour that works on just about every complexion as well.

TOM Ford’s Carnal Red

LINEN mix wide leg pants by Marisota

TORY Burch red monogram tote