10262018 WEEKEND

Friday, October 26, 2018

art books theatre film fashion music food puzzles gardening

Weekend

FROM ZULU TO BATMAN Pages 18 & 19

Something wicked...

page 10

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 26, 2018

music

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Dyson Knight Dyson aiming to clean up as the Vibe beats on

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

W

ITH 2019 fast approaching, his wife and fellow Visage band-mate Wendi expecting their first child together, there is absolutely no winding down for Dyson Knight.

The artist has had a stellar year from a dream wedding, rocking crowds at Atlanta carnival and performing on Trinidad national radio. And concerning milestones in his music, the biggest highlight was Bacardi and Major Lazor selecting his single “Just Vibes” as the only entry from the Bahamas to make their top 12 picks from the US and the Bahamas in the #MusicLiberateMusic competition.

“International accomplishments speak volumes to what my team is doing for our country. We don’t talk

much about these things. We’re all so consumed by the commitment it takes to keep it going. But we do value it all very much,” said Dyson.

Dyson believe there is still a lot more to come and he is already planning for the year ahead.

“Locally produced music doesn’t usually circulate as fast as new international releases. Because of this, there’s a need to plan ahead. My hopes for late 2018 are for one or two of the songs I released late last year and early this year, like “Just Vibes” and “Free” to be popular enough for Junkanoo groups to take to Bay Street. The songs I release now is what I hope to be popular by next year this time,” he said.

“For this to happen I need to release and promote music early enough to build familiarity with the Bahamas market before the more regionally popular artist get picked up by local entities that enjoy this type of music.

“What keeps me going is that my production team is awesome. This makes the creative process really exciting and we all have a desire to gain the professional respect of global markets. We want to have just as much footing during Bahamas Carnival as any other artist in the world.

Not only as Bahamians but as international recording artist. I have accepted that this isn’t an accomplishment that is just going to handed to me.”

With those goals to the forefront, Dyson released his newest single “I Like It” - a song that promotes fun, dancing, love and owning who you are.

“This particular song is inspired by the magic of meeting new people, partying together and haphazardly falling in love. It is about a man who is most excited to go out to a dance theme event because he knows there’s a chance he will meet the woman he loves dancing with there,” he said.

“What I love most about this song is its theatrical dynamics. It starts slow

and simple then gradually burst into a bright ball of fun, innocent passion.

It is a playful song and since I’m often told that I play too much, this works out great for me.”

Dyson and Wendi are also planning One Plugged part two project.

“Like last year, it will be an acoustic-styled break down of some of our original songs along with a few Christmas covers. That will be early December. I also have two festival performances abroad before the end of the year. Those will be with Visage and Bahamen respectfully.There’s also the Be A Hero campaign, fitness goals with Club One, a few school performance, a trip with Wendi to Los Angeles for her Hollywood Music and Media Award (HMMA) nomination and more music to be released,” said Dyson.

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Friday, October 26, 2018

Inside Weekend

My perfect Bahamian weekend Duquesa D Artist Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch?

Interview 4-5 Kingdor National Parkinson Foundation founder Mavis Darling tells Cara Hunt about the new book she wrote in honour of her father Theatre 7 Broadways Wicked turns 15

Fashion 8-9

This week’s hits and misses

Entertainment 10

Weekend’s guides to Halloween Fun

Literature 11 To Kill A Mockingbird is America’s Favourite Book

Film 12- 13 Reviews of Johnny English and Hunter Killers

Fashion 14-15 Honouring Fashion icons

Sunday Llunch for sure. Saturday is my only option for a late sleepin morning and even those are rare. Sunday lunch is a time for family, refuelling and rejuvenating.

One of my most favourite things to do in the world is to spend time with my immediate family.

Sunday is a sacred day for me, not just as a worship day but a day totally devoted to my family.

Wine, rum, cocktail or Kalik?

Shy smile as I read this question.

Yes, I know I may be called a dud or boring. I am not much of a drinker.

My friends laugh at me when I suggest a cocktail hour. That usually means they will get “sweet” and I will perhaps be the sober one. I have an occasional glass of red wine. Well, a part of the reason is I am already switched on and my “big” personality comes out. I’m more introverted than extroverted so after I’ve been “on” for a few hours recovery is a

Friday

Too many cooks - but not at Atlantis

•Eat, Drink & Be Pink Time: 4pm Venue: British Colonial Hilton The event has been held every Friday this month in honour of Breast Cancer awareness. There will be pink martini and pink margarita specials.

• Julien Believe “Going Down on Bay Music Video Time: 8pm Venue: Mountbatten House Join local artist Julien for the release of his new music video for my Goin’ Down On Bay” featuring Angelique Sabrina. There will be food, drinks, live entertainment, music and Junkanoo.

Tickets are $25.

Meet designer Brittany Woodside

Books 18 and 19 Michael Caine looks back on his life

Television 20 Season 2 of Cindy Central

Gardening 21 Jack Hardy discusses herbs Literary Lives 22-24 Continuing the look at the Fortune Hunters

Art 25 Art from the Heart

Saturday

Puzzles 26

•Wine & Arts Festival Time: noon Venue: Bahamas National Trust This year there will local fine art, international wine experts, complimentary delights by local celebrity

Animals 27

Beach or sofa?

What kind of question is that!!!!!

Beach of course! The ocean draws me to it like a strong magnet draws metal. I particularly love watching the waves crash on to the shore.

The sound soothes my soul and I feel so connected to the Creator and like one with the universe.

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

I haven’t found that one thing yet.

Ummmm, wait, air conditioning!!

I hate feeling sweat rolling anywhere on me. A/C is no longer optional. It’s a necessity.

Weekend away, where would you go?

An island in the Bahamas. Some of my favs are Abaco, Long Island and Eleuthera. I love the quiet and serenity I find on these getaways.

The beautiful waters, the kind and hospitable people who go above and beyond to meet needs and the having the beach all to myself is awesome!

I love the islands of the Bahamas.

Things 2 Do this weekend

Food 16 Fashion 17

must and to combine that with a buzz from alcohol does not work in my favour. I’m usually the one at my gatherings with the glass of water.

chefs, interactive art experiences, live musical performances and also the new “Heineken Beer Garden”.

The BNT has partnered with Commonwealth Brewery for the festival.

•Sweat Fete Time: 7am Venue: Goodman’s Bay Anita Rolle, a seven-year cancer survivor, is hosting Sweat Fete, a breast cancer awareness fitness event.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Gennie Dean Caring & Sharing Cancer Support Group, which has a mission to provide spiritual, emotional, financial, physical and emotional support to women who are cancer patients or cancer survivors.

There will be free health screening, food sampling & health information.

•Kalik Junkanoo Jam Time: 5pm Venue: Arawak Cay Dance with your favourite Junkanoo group, and be entertained by Nassau’s finest DJ’s at tomorrow’s Junkanoo event.

Lots of food and drinks will be on sale.

Sunday Family and Friends Day Time: 9.30am Venue: Life Centre Ministries The general public is invited to join Bishop Aaron Nixon, Elder Karen Nixon along with the Life Centre Ministries Family in our Family and Friends Day on Sunday beginning at 9.30am.

Those attending are asked to bring a friend or family member, as it will be an inspiring time God. Light refreshments will be served after the service.

• Vibe Sundaze at Rooftop Lounge Time: 9pm Venue: Pompey Square Every Sunday, Rooftop Lounge (Pompey Square, Downtown) present, Vibe Sundaze. It’s an opportunity to turn up before the new week day begins.

There will be bottle service music

by Nassau Hottest Dj’s

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 26, 2018

interview - mavis darling

A family unites to fight

deadly diagnosis

By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

W

hile it may not be her family’s exact story, Mavis Darling certainly relied on personal memories when she wrote her new book, The Invisible Companion.

It tells the story of Markus Rodriguez whose energetic and happy life comes crashing down around him when he is diagnosed at age 67 with Parkinson’s Disease. The book chronicles how he and his family finally came to grips and accepted the devastating diagnosis.

Parkinson’s is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms generally come on slowly over time with the earliest symptoms being shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulty with walking; thinking and behavioural problems may also occur. Dementia, depression and anxiety may also occur.

Other symptoms include sensory, sleep and emotional problems.

The cause of Parkinson’s disease is generally unknown, but it is believed to involve both genetic and environmental factors.

But back in 1986, Mavis Darling had never heard of Parkinson’s and no one in her family had no idea they would soon become experts in the field.

That is when her father the late Dr King S Darling was diagnosed with the disease.

“At that time all we knew was that something was ‘just not right with my father’,” she told Tribune Weekend.

“We didn’t know what, but we took him to the doctors here and then

finally went to the University of Miami Jacksonville Hospital to get a second opinion and that’s where a doctor says yes it sounds like Parkinson’s Disease.

“We were all stunned,” she explained.

“In the Bahamas at that time no one really knew anything about it, but that was when we started our journey, we made sure that he had nutritious meals and therapy and exercise, we just did everything that we thought would help.”

Ms Darling, said that Parkinson’s may be a disease where one member of the family has the actual diagnosis but the entire family is affected.

“I was very close to both my parents, and I didn’t want ‘fly to light on them’ and I lived at home so I was there to help my mom in the evenings with my dad.

“My father had always been very energetic and independent and as he slowly lost that, it was very difficult to watch.It was hard for him to come to terms with it and for us to have to watch him.”

In particular, she said, it was extremely difficult for her dad when he became to ill to drive.

“When you have a family member with Parkinson’s, it is so important that the entire family ban together to get them not just the medical care that they need, but provide the emotional support that they need. For example when my dad was no longer able to drive himself, I ensured that I was available to take him for drives in the evenings. Like many persons with Parkinson’s eating becomes a challenge and so you have to encourage them as much as possible. Parkinson’s also affects a person’s mobility and my Dad would sometimes fall down and you could see that he would be embarrassed. But he knew that we were there for him and that he didn’t have to be

Friday, October 26, 2018

Grammy Award-winning artist Jeffrey Osborne with Mavis Darling

“People would stare etc and many people thought that Parkinson was a disease that affects you mentally. I remember one day my dad and I were out and this lady came and said hello Dr Darling, you don’t remember who I am and and my father was ‘like no Mrs So and So I don’t remember you.’ But a lot of people had no idea what Parkinson’s entails.”

The Tribune | Weekend | 05

ashamed. It is a disease that impacts the entire family.”

Knowing how difficult her family’s journey had become prompted Ms Darling to create the Kingdor Parkinson Foundation.

Its title is a portmanteau of both her parents names King and Dorothy.

It was established in 2000 as a way to raise awareness and educate persons on the disease.

“People would stare etc and many people thought that Parkinson was a disease that affects you mentally. I remember one day my dad and I were out and this lady came and said hello Dr Darling, you don’t remember who I am and and my father was ‘like no Mrs So and So I don’t remember you.’

But a lot of people had no idea what Parkinson’s entails.”

Over the years the foundation has helped more than 1,000 persons by way of organised functions such as training for caregivers, gala events, walk/run competitions and a speech competition for which they train younger persons to understand and learn about the disease.

“Our most known event is the gala ball we have each year and the reason that I specifically wanted a ball is that dance is extremely therapeutic for Parkinson patients. Movement is life.”

Dr Darling died after an eight-year battle with the disease and Ms Darling said that in the back of her mind, she always had the idea to write a story based on her father’s life.

“I was taking notes throughout his life, I would start it and then pick it up again, but it was about a year ago that I really said this has to happen and I finished it. It is a story of fighting a disease having Faith in God and family relationships.”

Above all, the message she wants people to take from the book is that it doesn’t have to be a death sentence and that persons should live their life to the best of their ability despite their physical limitations.

“Family is paramount in the fight and they have to encourage their family member who is ill to remain strong and positive.”

She also encouraged people to be aware of their bodies, exercise and drink lots of water and to seek medical attention when things don’t seem right.

Ms Darling will hold a book launch for the Invisible Companion on Thursday at 6pm at the British Colonial Hilton.

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 26, 2018

The Tribune | Weekend | 07

Friday, October 26, 2018

theatre

Wonderful Wicked

still casts its spell

F

ifteen years ago, one of the top films in the land was “Finding Nemo” and Shania Twain played the Super Bowl halftime show. 50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” was a hit album and a couple of witches-tobe took over Broadway.

The musical “Wicked” shook off some tepid reviews to roar into Broadway history and this Monday is celebrating its coming-of-age with a Halloween-themed NBC special starring its original stars Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, as well as Ariana Grande.

“First of all, I can’t believe it’s been 15 years. I think it was yesterday. And yet it feels like it’s been 15 years. So there’s that I’m battling in my brain,” says Chenoweth, laughing. “I just wanted to be in a show that someone would have heard of.”

Mission, accomplished: “Wicked” is Broadway’s sixth longest running show and is regularly sold out, last week commanding a $120 average ticket.

There is currently a North American tour, a West End production and another touring the United Kingdom.

The ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s has launched a special sandwich in its honour.

The musical reimagines the relationship between the Good Witch of the North (Chenoweth) and the Wicked Witch of the East (Menzel), who were introduced in L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and immortalized in a 1939 film adaptation. The songs by Stephen Schwartz include “Defying Gravity,” ‘‘Popular” and “For Good.”

“I knew it was something special,” says Menzel, who had already achieved success in “Rent” when she tried out for “Wicked” director Joe Mantello.

She said she shook while rehearsing the songs: “I knew I thought it was important and it moved me when I first auditioned and got a call-back.”

Critics were not always kind, with The New York Times sniffing that the musical “does not, alas, speak hopefully for the future of the Broadway musical.” Variety called it “lumbering,

Kristin Chenoweth, left, and Idina Menzel from the Halloween-themed TV special

Ariana Grande performing in the Halloween-themed TV special.

Eric Liebowitz/NBC via AP

overstuffed” and New York’s Daily News described it as “an interminable show with no dramatic logic or emotional centre.”

Fans politely disagreed. The show went on to win a Grammy Award and three Tony Awards, opening in 16 countries including Brazil, South Korea, Germany, Japan, Australia and Latin America.

The musical premiered long before the #MeToo movement but has benefited from its focus on two young women — one seemingly perfect in looks and popularity, the other a

restless, green-skinned outsider — finding their voices and forging a bond despite their differences.

“It’s a testament to the piece, to how good ‘Wicked’ is that 15 years later, it’s even more important and really resonates with this movement that we’re in. And how wonderful to have two female-centric characters who end up supporting each other and loving each other and changing each other and accepting in each other what makes them different and special,” says Menzel.

“It’s also really timely because we have a voice right now and ‘Wicked’

is about not being ashamed to have that voice when it’s powerful and even angry and fierce. We can’t be afraid of how that will be perceived. We have to own that. Harnessing that kind of power is what really makes change and what true beauty is.”

Chenoweth agrees: “I love that ‘Wicked’ was done and such a success and that movies like ‘Frozen’ are done because it’s a recurring theme to our new generation of girls — be strong, be courageous, stick up for who you are and what you are and what you believe.”

NBC’s special was filmed Oct. 16 not at Broadway’s “Wicked” home in the Gershwin Theatre but in the empty Marquis Theatre. “A Very Wicked Halloween” will also feature Pentatonix, Adam Lambert and Ledisi.

“Wicked” came at an important time for Menzel, whose career was struggling after she was dropped by her record company. The character of Elphaba was the perfect role for the actress, who would go on to sing “Let It Go” for “Frozen.”

“I was really insecure. I hadn’t worked in a little bit and so I was trying to find my process. I was competing and I was battling my own insecurities just like my character was.”

Menzel would win a Tony for the role.

Chenoweth, a Tony and Emmy Award-winner who would go on to have parts on “The West Wing,” ‘‘Glee” and NBC’s “Hairspray Live!,” remembers first getting a taste of “Wicked” when Schwartz asking her to stop by his Los Angeles home to hear him sing her “Popular.” She adored it but made it her own by adding a little flip, making it “pop-u-lar.” She insists she knew “Wicked” was going to be big.

Just how big?

“I just remember thinking: ‘This is so big. I feel this could be big. Like, I think this could be ‘Cats,’” she says, laughing. “And I’ll leave you with that.”

‘A Very Wicked Halloween’ will air on NBC on Oct. 29 at 10pm Mark Kennedy Associated Press

08 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 26, 2018

celebrity The Weekend Fashion Report Britain Film Festival

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

HIT

SPLIT

SPLIT

HIT

Rosamund Pike

Melissa McCarthy

Emma Stone

Dakota Johnson

Cara says - “Wow she really went all Gothic with this look. I think it’s stunning. Black lace is always one of my favourite looks and I do like this.”

Alesha says - “I like this but only at a percentage of about 70 because I can’t really tell what’s going on, it may look better in person. Also because I am not sure if there was a dress code or theme, I don’t know if she is following or breaking the rules here. Either way she is getting a pass from me.”

Cara says - “I am totally loving this pretty in pink look. Melissa looks so lovely and that make-up is perfection on her.”

Alesha says - “Sigh,with these red carpet choices this week, everything is just not going together well. Think about it, a pink pleated maxi gown with an asymmetrical blazer and what looks like a peak of silver shoes. A mess.”

Cara says - “So this outfit is another winner. We’e been seeing a lot of metallic dresses but the gold and silver shades can look a bit cheap if not done right. But this pale blue looks better than most and I love the dark lipstick and the side swept hair.”

Alesha says - “LOL this ensemble screams foil paper. It’s plain and I can deal and compliment plain but this is not only plain, it is also dry and does nothing for her. Her make-up is cute and the dress is even taking away from that fact.”

Cara says - “I am really pleasantly surprised. Dakota really dresses like a plain Jane a lot of the time, but this dress is gorgeous. Also she went the extra mile and added some more make-up so she doesn’t look so pale.

Maybe she got a new stylist, ‘cos this is a lot better than some of the things she shows up in.

Alesha says - “I mean it looks a bit “‘prom-y’. It doesn’t do much for her and the hairstylist didn’t try, like at all.

It’s so disco ball themed, NYE party.”

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Friday, October 26, 2018

The Weekend Fashion Report 25th Annual Elle Women in Hollywood Celebration

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

HIT

SPLIT

HIT

HIT

Charlize Theron

Sarah Paulson

Laverne Cox

Lady Gaga

Cara says - “Charlize didn’t do too bad with this look.Red, black and white is always one of my favourite colour combos. I love the sexiness of the top.”

Alesha says - “Lose the black pleated skirt pants thingy. Keep everything at the top and the booties. I also like the undo and the deep Burgundy lip.”

Cara says - “I am on the fence with this one. Colours I love, hint of a face on the bodice, cute, but somehow the neckline just doesn’t work that well for me. So I don’t hate it, but there is something there I don’t know about.”

Alesha says - “Okay I like this outfit, but I would prefer everything separate. Let me explain - the top is fine, extremely cute and can be paired with something as simple as jeans and those exact same heels she has on, along with the clutch. The shirt is also cute, but can be better paired with a more fitted fussy top. Hugh fan of my girl Sarah though.”

Cara says - “Laverne is killing it. That make-up is fierce and the dress is goals. It’s very glam and pretty.

Alesha says - “Laverne always looks cute on the red carpets and hardly ever disappoints in the fashion area.

You can’t really go wrong with a plain but fussy black gown. The necklace, make-up, hair, all on point in my opinion.”

Cara says - “So the menswear trend continues to be really popular and I like the colour, it’s a more feminine choice than the usually black or pin stripe and let’s be honest, I am usually all over anything she wears anyway.

Alesha Cadet - “To know where Lady Gaga has came from in terms of fashion and style, this is a step up the ladder. And this oversized suit is actually bomb in gold. I’ve seen a few on red carpets here and there this year and this one is the cutest. I like the make-up, the pony and the cleavage peek.”

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 26, 2018

entertainment

Get ready to scream this

Halloween

By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

I

t’s Halloween and that means it’s time to gather all the little ghost and goblins, princesses and super heroes in your life to celebrate the spookiest time of the year.

And this weekend there is no shortage of events for trick or treaters of all ages all in a safe and wholesome environment.

The festivities begin today with Trunk or Treat, a fun event for the whole family sponsored by New Providence Community Centre.

The free event will feature a Junkanoo rushout, hay rides, bonfire fireworks and food items will be on sale. Persons are asked to decorate their trunks and provide candy and treats.

Prizes will be given for the best costume and the best decorated trunk. The event begins at 6pm.

Art lovers may enjoy Friday at the Museum an event hosted by the National Art gallery.

The gallery promises guests will have an evening of spookiness and fun along with food lots of mystery and tricks and treats. Guests are invited to come in costumes or make a mask at the workshop. Bodine will also perform. A Night at the Museum will be held from 6-10 pm.

Poley’s Playhouse celebrates its grand opening with a Halloween explosion starting at noon tomorrow. Kids packages which include rides, treat bag, pizza, a drink and game tokens will be on sale for $15. The playhouse open from noon to 5pm.

Children can play games and ride the train while trick or treating. There will also be a costume competition.

Both Fresh Market stores in Harbour Bay and Old Bay will hold Freshtival a fun event with holiday themed activities such as pumpkin

carving, face painting and free goodies such as popcorn and cotton candy.

Want to combine your child’s love of art with Halloween? The Big Picture Paint Studio will be the place to be from 3pm to 5pm tomorrow where they can chose a special Halloween print.

Spider Man, Elmo,and their friends will be at the Southwest Plaza from 1 -3 pm. to meet the kids. There will be candy and prizes for the best costumes.

Ready for some grown up Halloween fun?

Head over the bridge for the epic Superheros vs Villain party at the Aura nightclub or your and your partner may consider competing for the $400 best dressed couple prize at Sharkeez.

In the mood to see some ghosts? The Bahamas Humane Society and the Nassau Yacht Club will turn the club into a haunted house with am open bar light bites and a live band.

Are you a big Walking dead fan, then the Zombie Land Costume Party may be perfect for you.

The party which is Nassau’s first Zombie costume themed party will held at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville starting at 10pm.

If any of these events tickle your fancy have a spooky good time.

Family movie fright night

By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net While many Halloween/ horror movies can be terrifying (Think It, Pyscho, The Haunting and The Shining to name a few etc) here are some great movies that capture the essence of the holiday that are perfect for family movie night.

1. THE HOTEL TRANSLYANNIA FRANCHISE

There are three instalments to this funny cartoon featuring Count Dracula, his daughter Mavis, her family and all the guests at Hotel Transylvania. With cute not scary monsters and an endearing storyline that centres around family, this is one for all ages.

2. HOCUS POCUS

This 1993 comedy/horror starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker as three witches resurrected from 1693 to the present day has now reached cult Halloween status classic. It may be a bit scary for some of the younger members of the family, but tweens and up should love it. Perfect time to watch the original ahead of the planned remake next year

3. IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN CHARLIE BROWN

The Peanuts gang have seemed to withstand the passage of time. This movie first debuted in 1966, but modern day kids and the older generation nostalgic for a time when TV shows were simpler will all get a kick celebrating the season in this true classic.

4. BEETLEJUICE

Go ahead and say his name three times so you can enjoy this fun tale of a newly deceased couple and their adventures with the dysfunctional title ghost. This movie ( which won the academy award for best make-up) may be a bit scary for young kids as the it does contain some dark themes, but it’s still more treat than trick.

5. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

If Beetlejuice is too scary, then consider this lighter movie by the same director Tim Burton.

In this stop action feature film, Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King of Halloween town travels to Christmas town in an attempt to spice up things back home.The whole family will enjoy the chaos that ensues.

6 THE ADAMS FAMILY

Gather everyone around the TV to watch the world’s most bizarre yet sweet ( in their own twisted way) clan. Based on a 1960’s cartoon, The Adams Family can still enchant a modern day audience who will enjoy seeing their morbid antics.

The Tribune | Weekend | 11

Friday, October 26, 2018

literature

To thrill is still a

Mockingbird

“T

o Kill a Mockingbird,” a coming-of-age story about racism and injustice, has overpowered wizards and time travellers to be voted America’s best-loved novel by readers nationwide.

The 1960 book by Harper Lee emerged as No. 1 in PBS’ “The Great American Read” survey, whose results were announced this week on the show’s finale. More than four million votes were cast in the six-month-long contest that put 100 titles to the test.

Books that were published as a series counted as a single entry.

The other top-five finishers in order of votes were Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” series about a timespanning love; J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” boy wizard tales; Jane Austen’s romance “Pride and Prejudice”; and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” fantasy saga.

Turns out the contest was a “Mockingbird” runaway.

“The novel started out at No. 1 on the first day of the vote, and it never wavered,” series host Meredith Vieira said.

Joining her to sing the book’s praises was writer Aaron Sorkin, whose adaptation of “Mockingbird” starts Broadway previews next month, and cast members. Sorkin (”The West Wing,” ‘‘The Social Network”) said reading Lee’s novel was his first brush with “astonishing writing.”

“There is soul-crushing injustice The cover of her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The in this book that still exists,” he said. book was voted No. 1 in PBS’ “Great American Read” survey to determine “And at the centre, morality, decency America’s best-loved novel. (AP Photo, left, and Harper via AP) and what it is to be a person strikes books was showcased on an episode overcome the popularity of hefty epics us.” of “The Great American Read,” adapted as blockbuster movie franLaTanya Richardson Jackson, who expressed disappointment they didn’t chises (the Potter and Tolkien works) portrays Calpurnia in the play, marwin. But she delighted in the attenor for TV (”Outlander”). Even “Pride velled at Lee’s achievement. tion they — and the joy of reading and Prejudice,” the 200-year-old inspi“I was most impressed that a woman — received. ration for numerous TV and movie wrote that way” during that era, the “I believe this PBS series has versions and with an army of “Janeiactress said, and that Lee was so reminded some of us again that readtes” devoted to Austen and her work, “deeply involved on the right side of ing is important, and it has exposed us couldn’t best Lee’s novel. right.” to books that we may not ordinarily Debbie Ford of Orion, Illinois, an Lee’s slender, Pulitzer Prize-winning pick up. And that’s such a good thing!”

“Outlander” fan whose love of the novel proved enduring enough to

Author Harper Lee Ford said in an email Tuesday, adding a friendly plug: “So please go read a book that you have not read before — especially if you haven’t yet discovered ‘Outlander’!”

“To Kill a Mockingbird” has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and remains a fixture on school reading lists. The 1962 screen adaptation won three Oscars, including a best-actor trophy for Gregory Peck’s portrayal of heroic Atticus Finch.

Set in the 1930s South, the book centres on attorney Finch and his young children, daughter Scout and son Jem. When Finch defends an African-American man falsely accused of assaulting a white woman, the trial and its repercussions open Scout’s eyes to the world around her, good and bad.

Lee’s second published novel, “Go Set a Watchman,” was written in the 1950s before “Mockingbird” but is essentially a sequel. After being put aside by the author, it was rediscovered and released in 2015. Lee died the next year at age 89.

Besides the TV series, “The Great American Read” initiative included a 50,000-member online book club and video content across PBS platforms, Facebook and YouTube that drew more than five million views.

The 100-book list voted on by readers was based on an initial survey of about 7,000 Americans, with an advisory panel of experts organizing the list. Books had to have been published in English but not written in the language, and one book or series per author was allowed. Bookworms could vote once daily for their favourite work.

LYNN ELBER Associated Press

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 26, 2018

film

review

Low tech charm and chuckles

Rowan Atkinson in a scene from “Johnny English Strikes Again.”

JOHNNY ENGLISH RUNNING TIME: 88 MINS

T

here’s nothing really new or fresh or bold in “Johnny English Strikes Again,” the third instalment of Rowan Atkinson’s bumbling-spy saga/James Bond spoof.

And for some of us, maybe that’s not such a terrible thing. Sometimes you don’t want the hip new cocktail.

Sometimes you just want the same beer at the same temperature at the same time in the same comfy chair.

(Especially these days, perhaps, but we digress.)

So when Atkinson’s Johnny, on the run in a Scottish castle, winds up in a room of decorative suits of armour, you start chuckling preemptively.

Because of course you know he’s going to hide in one of those suits, and of course you know he’s going to have a massively difficult time staying upright, and, well ... it’ll be funny. Not innovative or thought-provoking, and certainly not snarky or biting. Just funny.

If that’s not enough, we also have Emma Thompson as the British prime minister. Thompson as anything at all would be a plus, but watching her channel her inner Maggie Thatcher — and mix in a little Theresa May — may have you immediately bemoaning the fact she only got to play a prime minister’s SISTER in “Love Actually”.

What a waste!

In any case, we begin a week before the PM is to host a crucial G12 summit in Scotland. Things are not going well. A major security breach at MI17 exposes the identity of every British secret agent. To replace them, they call in ageing former agents. Enter Johnny, who’s been spending his days teaching schoolkids the essentials of Bondian

GILES KEYTE/ FOCUS FEATURES

spycraft (seduction via martini, for example).

He’s a fish out of water. In a hightech world, he’s lower than low-tech; he’s no-tech. He rejects even a smartphone. All he wants is a gun, and a dusty old Aston Martin to drive. He’s joined in this venture by his erstwhile partner from the first movie in 2003, loyal sidekick Bough (a pleasant Ben Miller.)

But, you ask, who’s the villain? Well, that would be technology itself, in the form of a (truly annoying) Silicon

Valley billionaire smartypants — you know the type — named Jason Volta (Jake Lacy, in a one-dimensional role).

Jason has completely charmed the tech-challenged prime minister, who is unaware of his sinister hidden goals.

But he can’t track an enemy who has no digital footprint. At least that’s Johnny’s theory. He’s untraceable, but he also can’t make a phone call. His low-tech strategy extends to everything: He has a mixtape on a cassette!

His spy gadget works with a floppy disc! It’s unclear if kids in the audience

will know what these things are.

But they likely will crack up when Johnny tests out a virtual reality headset and ends up wandering into streets and stores and attacking people randomly. They’ll also laugh, as will most anyone, when Johnny takes an energy pill instead of a sleeping pill and hits the dance floor for an entire night, posing and preening as only Atkinson, still agile at 63, can.

Sure, the scene is telegraphed about an hour ahead of time. But that doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining. At these moments, director David Kerr does the logical thing, which is to just get out of the way and let Atkinson perform.

The finale comes at that Scottish castle at Loch Ness, where smarmy Jason makes his intentions known — they’re rather confusing, actually, but they definitely involve the internet — and it’s up to no-tech Johnny to save the day.

You may forget the barely serviceable plot on the way out of the theatre.

But you’ll likely remember when Atkinson gets a cocktail umbrella stuck in his nose, while trying to woo gorgeous — and dramatically named — Ophelia (Olga Kurylenko), an enemy agent. Or when he’s trying to defy gravity in that darned suit of armour.

It’s not complicated. But there are worse things in life than 88 minutes of uncomplicated chuckling.

JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer

The Tribune | Weekend | 13

Friday, October 26, 2018

film decide — against the protest of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Donnegan (Gary Oldman, for some reason) — decide their best option is to rescue the Russian president from his own soldiers and not tell anyone about it. The plot and the international politics leave a lot to be desired, although they do end up manufacturing a silly but effective stand off by the end.

Based on the book “Firing Point,” this is the first Hollywood film from South African director Donovan Marsh, and he does cook up some captivating action set pieces, like navigating a submarine through a fjord of mines, or even just an old fashioned, ridiculously over the top shootout, which may have you laughing, rolling your eyes or even cheering (as a fair amount of people were in my screening), but it’s never boring.

review

‘Hunter Killer’ is a submarine movie on steroids HUNTER KILLER RUNNING TIME: 120 MINS

T

here are so many good movies in theatres right now — thoughtful, artistic, wellacted and well-told movies that studios preciously save for this time of year with the distant hope of Oscar gold in their future.

The Gerard Butler submarine movie “Hunter Killer “ is not one of those movies — it is bombastic and garish, ridden with clichés, preposterous politics and diplomacy, and frenetic, video game energy. And it so often so unintentionally silly that it’s actually kind of a fun watch.

“Das Boot” this is not, nor is it “The Hunt for Red October,” but you probably already knew that from name at the top of the marquee. In Gerard Butler parlance, “Hunter Killer” is the “London Has Fallen” of submarine movies, genetically engineered in a lab to entrance the nation’s dads in basic cable reruns for next 25 years.

The film starts out confusingly. An American submarine is torpedoed by a Russian sub in Russian waters, but back in the U.S., all they know is it’s disappeared, and they’ve got to go find it. The man for the job, Rear Admiral John Fisk (Common) concludes, is Captain Joe Glass (Butler), who we’re told is not like the other guys. He “never went to Annapolis”. Why that makes him especially qualified for this mission will basically remain a mystery, other than the fact that he’ll readily disobey orders and go rogue at any opportunity. He’s seen stuff, guys, and not in a Naval Academy classroom.

Michael Nyqvist, left, and Gerard Butler in a scene from “Hunter Killer.”

JACK ENGLISH/LIONSGATE VIA AP

We meet him in the middle of nowhere, in snowy terrain about to shoot a CGI buck across a glassy lake with a bow and arrow. But then he looks to the right of the buck and sees its CGI family close by and decides to lower his weapon. This moment lets the audience know a few things: a) That Joe Glass has empathy and b) that this movie has no subtlety. The next thing we know a military helicopter is swooping down to pick him up and take him to his sub.

Their mission gets even more puzzling, as a Russian sub hidden in the crevasse of an iceberg starts firing on them. Back in the U.S., NSA worker Jayne Norquist (Linda Cardellini, one of three women in this film), decides Fisk needs to send a ground team (Toby Stephens, Michael Trucco, Ryan McPartlin and Zane Holt) to Russia, which ends up feeling like a Peter Berg short film accidentally cut into a submarine movie. It all eventually comes together when they realize there’s been a coup on the Russian president, but why anyone makes any of these decisions prior to this is just baffling to say the least. Also no one seems to be able to communicate with anyone else, like when Captain Glass decides to save a Russian captain played by the late Michael Nyqvist, except in an extremely pivotal moment that makes you wonder why no one did this earlier.

Diplomacy conversations really go out the window when the Americans

LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 26, 2018

food

Too many cooks -

never at

Atlantis F

or over two decades, Atlantis has made an impression on visitors and residents for its diverse culinary offerings.

With over 20 restaurants and 19 bars and lounges ranging from celebrity chef collaborations to fine dining, grab and go casual and authentic, traditional fare, the operation has continued to develop new menus and programming that truly speaks to the authentic flavours, fresh ingredients and traditions of The Bahamas.

The resort continues to continiues to provide classics on its menus but always seeks to reinvigorate dining experiences.

“From menu upgrades to added cooking techniques and a revamp of concept and theme in some cases, this latest evolution of Atlantis’ Food & Beverage offerings takes an already great product to a higher standard,” explained General Manager and Vice President of Culinary Operations, Atlantis Paradise Island, Chef Sean O’Connell.

Under the leadership of Head Chef Iesha Henfield, Bahamian Club is being transformed to a classic English Grill with Bahamian influences, featuring tableside carving trolleys and traditional meat cuts.

Chop Stix has paired Bahamian chefs with a South Asian team to

create a great selection of authentic Asian dishes utilizing specialized techniques and ingredients.

Nobu’s menu has also been revamped to now offer new dishes incorporating contemporary techniques and encompassing all that the global Nobu brand has to offer.

Additionally, Nobu’s Chef Andy has introduced co-creative and engaged dining experiences at the sushi counter and has also created a new Omakase menu.

Keeping it fresh and local, The Point Restaurant at Harbourside has been transformed into a Caribbean Grill offering waterfront dining with fantastic harbour views and traditional dishes from The Bahamas and around the Caribbean.

Seafire Steakhouse has not been left out of the restaurant enhancements.

The resort has improved its beef program across the Paradise Island property allowing the Culinary team to offer perfectly aged meats and bring the outlet to classic Chophouse glory.

“From lionfish at Fish by José Andrés to sea grape (Dorothy) ice cream at Sun & Ice, tropical conch salad at McKenzie’s Fresh Conch, cracked conch at Frankie Gone Bananas and boiled fish at Sip Sip, we

are especially proud of our authentically Bahamian culinary delights,” explained Charles Colebrooke, Vice President of Specialty Restaurants.

“None of these enhancements to our offerings would be possible without the talent, commitment and creativity of our outstanding culinary team here at Atlantis,” stated Bryan O’Shields, Senior Vice President of Food and Beverage. He noted that it also brings added exposure to the resort’s local culinary talent.

“We want to always continue developing natural talent in the culinary arts in The Bahamas. Our culinary team, of 767 men and women, boasts highly trained professionals from diverse backgrounds who strive to offer the ultimate sensory experience to our diners.”

To highlight these new and exciting changes, Atlantis is hosting EAT: Extraordinary Taste @Atlantis – a dining experience that features specially priced menus of three and four course meal options at some 14 participating restaurants throughout the resort – now through November 11.

Chef Sean and his executive culinary team (pictured above) invites you to experience taste at our tables.

Pictured left to right (Front row): Tiffany Linden, Annie Forbes, Joseph Fernandez, Hazel Rolle, Anna Strachan, Rachel Cartwright, Laxmiprasad Mamgain, Carol Ferguson, Clement Williams, Cedric Bain. Middle row: Theodore Burrows, Rebekah Brice, Ivana Moncur, Valencia Moss, Saji Andrews, Brian Porteus, Sean O’Connell, Sachka Jacques, Andy Huynh, Alex Ochs, Claudio Infanti & Trevor Taylor. Back row: Gerald Rolle, Arvin Humes, Lorenzo Woodside, Elson Bowleg, Oliver Oertel, Varun Nagrath, Abelardo Vargas, Clete Dean, Eric Mistry, Rendol Rolle & Anthony Butler.

The Tribune | Weekend | 17

Friday, October 26, 2018

fashion

Fit me baby one more

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

T

WENTY- TWO-year-old Brittney Woodside’s start into the fashion industry began at the age of 14 - an age and time where she was inspired to sell “hair bows” made from her C I Gibson Senior High School garments.

With successful sales to her fellow classmates over a period of three years, Brittney took a leap of faith into custom made clothing after her high school graduation. She found herself binge watching shows like the popular “Project Runway” reality fashion show and receiving a sewing machine as a gift from her mom gave her the further push she needed.

In an interview with Tribune Weekend, Brittney said what she enjoys most in fashion is being able to express her personality through clothing and also being able to bring her clients’ vision to life. Seeing their reactions after receiving a product is most rewarding.

“I do believe that because I am young in this field, I have a lot to prove which is why I have developed a perfectionist mentality and I ensure that every piece I create is of good quality and looks store bought,” said Brittney.

“Most of my clients don’t know who I am until they schedule a consultation. And when they see me walk out the door their first response is ‘you’re Brittney, wow you’re so young to be a dressmaker.’ I find it really funny but it normally creates a relationship with my clients and I and get them more excited to see the finished garment.”

The young designer’s home based “Brittney T Collection” includes clothing pieces fit for bridal, prom, evening wear and funeral attire.

When asked how did it feel to make her very first official piece seven years ago, Brittney said it is quite funny looking back on the growth. She remembers creating a dress for her mother and becoming so amazed and overjoyed that it had actually fitted and looked pretty decent.

“I had a few complications with the dress but overall, I was well pleased that I was able to take a piece of fabric and turn it into a wearable

time piece. This garment also gave me the push to further my knowledge and to see how far my abilities would take me. I now look at that garment and just laugh but also notice how far I’ve come and the growth I have obtained as a designer,” said Brittney.

There has been so many memorable client experiences over the years, the designer said she can’t just think of one. However, she did note her involvement with sponsoring a few clothing pieces for Miss Universe Bahamas 2018 contestant Vernique Chandler was an honour.

“I was honoured to be not only her sponsor but her designer. I was able to really put everything I have taught myself in this eight year journey to good use and create pieces that I am so proud of and that truly represents my brand and my aesthetic.

My overall goal for Brittney T Collection is to become a household name and to be known not only here in the Bahamas, but internationally. I want to be able to showcase at different Fashion shows globally and to become an international designer.

Alongside working with influential persons and companies all over the world,” said Brittney.

18 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 26, 2018

books

A nobody from nowhere, knew nothing about anything but became a star

M

ichael Caine has been looking back, and on the whole he likes the view. Regrets? He’s had few.

The 85-year-old star of “Alfie”, ‘‘Get Carter”, “Zulu” and “The Dark Knight” — among many, many others — reminisces fondly in “Blowing the Bloody Doors Off,” whose title adapts a line from his 1969 heist caper “The Italian Job.” Published Tuesday in the United States by Hachette, it’s part memoir, part advice manual for aspiring actors and anyone else nursing an elusive dream of success.

Most of the advice is resolutely old-fashioned. Learn your lines. Work hard. Be nice to people. And be lucky.

Caine knows he has been extremely fortunate.

“The luck I’ve had, you couldn’t make it up,” Caine said during an interview in his riverside London apartment, with a panoramic view up and down the Thames. “I mean, even once I was a success, I made a lot of flop movies. But I only made three at a time before I had a hit.”

In print and in person, Caine describes his success as sequence of lucky breaks. His first big movie break,

as a British Army officer in “Zulu” in 1964, was followed by a role as a world-weary spy in “The Ipcress File.” On the back of that came his breakthrough as a callous man-abouttown in “Alfie.” That film made blond, bespectacled Caine a symbol of Swinging London, brought him American fame and earned him the first of six Academy Award nominations.

He went on to win two Oscars — for “Hannah and Her Sisters” and “The Cider House Rules.” Later came a stint as butler and mentor Alfred in three Batman movies directed by Christopher Nolan. Along the way,

British actor Michael Caine poses for a photograph in London, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. The 85-year-old star reminisces fondly about his life in his book “Blowing the Bloody Doors Off,” published Tuesday Oct. 23, 2018, in the United States, which is part memoir and part advice manual for aspiring actors and anyone else nursing an elusive dream of success.

PHOTO BY VIANNEY LE CAER/INVISION/AP

he became an icon, and his signature glasses and Cockney accent spawned a thousand imitators.

Caine says his optimistic outlook is rooted in his hardscrabble early years.

Born Maurice Micklewhite into a working-class London family, he was a child during the London Blitz and later, as a teenage conscript, was sent to fight in the Korean War. “I have found it pretty easy to be happy since then,” he notes in the

Friday, October 26, 2018

book. “Once you’ve been on manoeuvers in Korea, everything else seems like quite a lot of fun.”

When he returned to London and a dead-end job in a butter factory, Caine resolved to be an actor, although he had little idea how to go about it.

“I was nobody from nowhere who knew nothing about anything,” he said. His drive to succeed came from “desperation — the determination to become something other than a factory worker.

“My father was an example of what I was and how lucky I was to have been born all those years later,” he said. “My father was an extremely clever, intelligent man but completely uneducated and a complete waste of a brain — and that’s what was happening to me, and I could see that.”

Answering a classified ad led to small parts in a provincial repertory company. Then came work on the London stage, television parts, movie roles and global stardom. If he has a secret, he says, it’s that he kept going when others gave up.

“If someone rejected me, I never worried about it,” he said. “I tried again, because my only alternative was working back in the butter factory.

“But also, timing played a massive part in my career.”

Caine was starting out just as a new generation of writers was emerging — playwrights like John Osborne and Harold Pinter, telling stories about working-class life.

“Suddenly every working-class boy who was going to work said: ‘Sod this.

I’m going to do something I want to do and do it my way,’” he recalled. “And that’s the way the 60s started.”

The 60s made Caine a star, and he wasn’t alone. Suddenly, he writes in the book, “everybody I knew seemed to become a household name.”

Caine enjoyed fame, when it came, but also worked extremely hard, at one point making 12 films in four years.

The result is a resume of more than 100 features, of varying quality. Caine is cheerful about the low points, films like schlocky shark sequel “Jaws: The Revenge” or “The Swarm,” a disaster movie in both senses of the word where Caine and his co-stars learned another lesson: Never work with bees.

“None of us realized it was a disaster ‘til about halfway through, when the bees turned up,” Caine said. “We were doing a scene and they all shit on us.

“I learned from them — also earned from them,” he said of his critical duds.

The Tribune | Weekend | 19

“I got the same money for the flops as I did from the successes.”

When leading-man parts dried up, Caine retired — briefly. The last two decades have brought some of the most rewarding parts of his career, including his six films with Nolan, whom Caine calls “a brilliant director ... the new David Lean”.

These days, Caine is contentedly unretired, balancing work and time with his family: Shakira, his wife of 45 years; his two daughters; and his three grandchildren aged nine and 10, with whom he is “besotted”.

“I have such great times with them,” Caine said. “What astonishes me the things they know. It’s like talking to a 20-year-old.”

Of his recent films, he’s proudest of Italian director Paolo Sorrentino’s “Youth,” in which he played an ageing orchestra conductor.

“I don’t play the leads in movies now — I’m too bloody old to be getting up every morning at half past six,” he said.

“I just take little character parts and have a bit of fun.

JILL LAWLESS Associated Press

20 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 26, 2018

entertainment

Cindy Central’s back with Dr Deluu centre stage

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

W

HAT STARTED as a popular web series, Cindy Central, now in its second season has skyrocketed with TV broadcasting bringing viewers all over the Caribbean.

Fans can watch the comedy show not only on The Cindy Central Facebook Page, The Cindy The Creative Youtube Channel, but also via OUR TV Channel 212, and Flow TV Channel 333 every Friday at 8pm.

For Bahamian comedian and founder Frecinda Mullings, it is a very exciting feeling to reach such a milestone in the show’s second edition to premiere tonight. It was just last year when she decided to take a chance to follow her comedic dreams.

Frecinda started by posting funny videos on social media and promoting her best known character, Bahamian anchorwoman Bad Ann Boujee. As the demand for more characters and videos grew, so did her following. Today she has more than 5000 followers on her Cindy The Creative Facebook page.

“We have grown so much within a year. Between the cast and the fans, everyone has been waiting patiently for an entire year for this new season.

Our second season has been carefully handcrafted and it will not disappoint.

The production and writing team has worked tirelessly on it, and I’m very proud to be releasing this ten episodic season,” said Cindy.

It may sound a bit cliche but Cindy tells Tribune Weekend, one of the things she has learned on the journey thus far is the importance of the saying that goes “ team work makes the dream work”. Cindy said she definitely didn’t do it alone and is grateful to producers like Cordelia Dean, La’Donya Pratt, and Shanaye Smith for all their help, ideas and consistency in completing this season.

The show is set to feature 13 talented Bahamian actors and comedians; names like La’Donya Pratt, Shanaye Smith, Devard Kemp, Taniquia

Fowler, Trevonya Ferguson, Felicia Wallace, Rashad Adderley, Charleah Taylor, Noleha Forbes, Valene Rolle, Stermon, De’Vaughn Rolle, and Cindy herself. Writing assistance was received from screenwriters Davette Strachan and Tremain Arnett.

“Viewers can expect the new season to be filled with a new cast, new stories, and definitely new characters.

I have devoted the entire season to one of my newer but not so unfamiliar characters, Dr Deluu, OB/GYN. Her spicy and no nonsense personality has grown on the fans, and with this season we delve a bit more into her everyday life by placing her in almost every episode,” said Frecinda.

She believes the first episode is going to really hit home for some tonight, and the content for that episode will kick the season off to a good start.

With a comedic twist, episode one is focused on how Bahamians were raised growing up back in the say, as well as how locals see themselves as a people and country. “ What motivates me to continue pushing the show is that I greatly believe the representation of Bahamians and our culture in local and international media spaces is very important. Cindy Central continues to strive for the preservation of Bahamian culture and socially relevant content in a comedic way.

“Moreover in Season 2, we captured a lot of Bahamian nostalgia. We addressed dating, customer service and even driving in the Bahamas.

When it comes to creating content, my company FSM Media seeks to always develop ideas that are entertaining, engaging and educational. I can honestly say Cindy Central Season 2 reflects that vision,” said Frecinda.

The Tribune | Weekend | 21

Friday, October 26, 2018

gardening

All about

herbs Jack Hardy expands local herb horizons

I

n my articles I spend much time encouraging and describing the culture of plants from seeds to fruits. When we consider herbs, however, there is a strong case for buying plants from your local nursery rather than sowing seeds. True, you could buy two or three packets of seeds for the price of one plant, but what would you do with them? Enough is enough.

Thyme is the undisputed king of herbs in Bahamian cuisine so provides an exception. I would suggest that you buy a mature thyme plant and a packet of seeds. While the young plants grow you will have access to sprigs of thyme from your adult plant. Be sure when you snip your thyme to do it from the outer growth of the plant, not the middle.

Many gardeners claim they find it difficult to grow thyme from seed.

This is almost certainly due to planting the tiny seeds too deep. Thyme seeds need light to germinate so once spread on the surface of your seed tray mix they should only have the addition of a mere sprinkling of further growing medium, if that. After sprinkling the seeds I usually press down on them to seat them using a 3” x 3” cubical ceramic pot but a small block of 2” x 2” lumber would also do the job. The growing medium should be kept mildly moist by using the mist control on your sprayer.

Thyme seedlings are often sold several in a small pot. This means the buyer has to separate the tender roots of the delicate plants in order to pot each individually. Thyme plants will never reach their full potential size if they have to share their growing space.

Once your seedlings are established you will have to wait two or three

months until the plants have developed bark and have good size before going anywhere near them with a pair of scissors.

European cuisine calls for a plethora of parsley while Bahamian cuisine barely uses it at all, so you must choose whether to go packet or plant. Parsley comes in flat leaf (Italian) and curly leaf forms. It is flat leaf parsley you need for cooking or adding chopped and raw at the end of some dishes; curly parsley is used merely as a garnish. If you entertain often then a curly parsley plant or two will be worthwhile buying for decorative purposes but for serious cooking you will need plenty of parsley on hand.

Parsley seeds contain a natural germination inhibitor in their shells and sometimes take weeks to break ground after being planted. The remedy here is to soak your seeds in several changes of water over two days. You seeds should then spring within two weeks or so.

When your parsley is large and mature make it a habit or cutting what you need down low, as for chives. If you merely cut the leafy part and leave the stalks you may harm the plant. In soups and stews the stalks add plenty of flavour so a bunch of parsley – stalks and leaves tied with twine for easy removal – can really enrich a serious soup or stew.

I cannot imagine a family needing more than a single sage plant.

When two or three feet tall they produce a mass of leaves, enough to season a whole hog roasted on a spit. Sage is definitely a herb to buy potted. Your chicken and pork dishes will love it.

Chives are a form of onion that are really indispensable for cold and lightly cooked dishes. Chicken salad, potato salad, egg salad – all

Cilantro growing in a jar

these cry out for chives. Add chives to omelets before cooking and to many other dishes after cooking.

The potted chives you buy from your nursery will almost certainly be sold in bunches that need separating. Chives almost always are grown in pots so choose a large one and carefully replant your chive seedlings two inches apart. You may get the feeling that this is too far apart but once your chives mature they will be plump and sturdy. Chives grown too close together tend to stay thin and find it hard to stand erect. Cut your chives with scissors about one inch above soil level. A pot of chives will last forever if you treat it right. Chives are the quintessential cut and come again herb.

Definitely seeds for cilantro. The plants are so short-lived they must be sown at least once a month in the quantities you need. Cilantro leaves are a herb and the round seeds are coriander, a spice, so you get two in one value. Cilantro lovers should try using the half-way stage when juicy green seeds develop and are available for a few days before hardening.

These give a piquant addition to raw salsas and can also be incorporated in relevant sauces and dips. Save your coriander for re-seeding and also for making your own curry powder. Fresh hard cilantro can constitute up to 50% of a curry powder and because it is fresh it will highlight your other additions such as cumin seeds, turmeric, cardamom, peppercorns and such once ground together.

Rosemary is another herb where one plant will suffice. Allowed to grow naturally in a sunny spot a rosemary sapling will quickly turn into a goodsized shrub. At this point you can prune away branches and use them for beds when barbecuing large cuts of meat or whole birds by the indirect heat method.

Enjoy your plant nursery shopping!

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

22 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 26, 2018

literary lives – charlotte hays

‘The Fortune Hunters’ Part III Mercedes Bass and Marylou Whitney go all the way to the top Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about two more great courtesans in North America who achieved wealth, fame and fortune in the latter part of the 20th century.

“A

fortune hunter takes a perfectly ordinary skill and uses it as her recipe for riches. She may be a great cook, have a great gift for sparkling conversation, or be a perfect hostess. She may be kind and understanding, have a cheerful

Marylou Whitney personality, or exhibit the kind of limitless tact that is helpful when dealing with rich people who take deference for granted. Whatever her talent, she uses it to one end: pleasing her rich husband.

She is, in short, a courtesan. The word courtesan conjures up sexual aptitude, being a courtesan encompasses far more.”

Two of the greatest courtesans operating in North America, as outlined by Charlotte Hays, were Mercedes Bass and Marylou Whitney.

The first of these adventurers was Mercedes Tavacoli, an Iranian-born party girl in her 20s who lived with Ambassador Francis Kellogg in the Watergate apartments in Washington

Mercedes Bass in the 1960s. He was a special assistant to Secretaries of State William Rogers and Henry Kissinger during the Nixon administration. Mercedes was waiting for Kellogg to marry her. Friends knew that she was worried that he would not. Not surprisingly, Kellogg finally succumbed. They were married in Geneva on October 12, 1972, first in a civil ceremony performed by the Chief Registrar and then in a Muslim ceremony. They settled in New York, where Mercedes became a popular adornment of the social circuit – a hearty, vodka-drinking extrovert.

During the 80s, Mercedes gave two lunches a week. She remained the perfect courtesan. Kellogg, however, became a stay-at-home husband. This

may have been because Mercedes had done her job too well. He just wanted her to take care of him. She used to complain about this. “I want to be rich,” she said.

Marylou Hosford’s recipe for riches was – quite literally – her recipes.

She used her culinary talents, that most quintessential of skills, to reel in Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney. She was born Marie Louise Schroeder in 1925 in Kansas City – one of four daughters. She graduated from Kansas City’s Southwest High School in 1943 and went to the University of Iowa but returned to Kansas City after her freshman year when her father died.

She became a disc jockey at KCKN and was quite popular. Still ambitious

The Tribune | Weekend | 23

Friday, October 26, 2018

of headlines, Sonny agreed to pay Eleanor $5 million in tax-free dollars – then the second-largest divorce settlement after that of Babe Rockefeller.

The former Marie Louise Schroeder had married into the upper reaches of the American plutocracy. She could now claim a Duchess of Marlborough, the lovely Consuela Vanderbilt, as a relative. “Marrying C V Whitney was like standing before the world in your underwear,” said one literary agent.

Everybody was waiting for this new trophy wife to make a mistake. She was common but smart. She said, “I am the fourth Mrs Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, and I’ll be the last Mrs Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney” – a seemingly impossible undertaking.

Whitney was known to be one of the unhappiest rich men in America.

Possibly the greatest love affair of the mid-1980s began with the toss of a dinner roll at the Black and White Ball, a charity event at Blenheim Palace, the ancestral home of the

Sid Bass and Mercedes Kellogg on their wedding day in 1988 and still toying with the idea of being an actress, she went to New York and walked into “21” on the arm of theatrical agent Ted Howard. Unquestionably glamorous, she was noticed by Frank Hosford – a pudgy, hard drinking John Deere heir who was at the bar. She realised that publicity was the way to fame and success, and in 1947, rode up to El Morocco on a horse, which she hitched outside while she went inside and partied. She was a fun-loving girl, popular, and married Frank Hosford when her Prince Charming didn’t come along. He had some money, and that was better than nothing.

It seemed on the surface like a good marriage. They bought a sprawling three-storey house in Greenwich, Connecticut. Four children, two boys and two girls, were born in rapid succession. Frank Hosford was a terrible investor and was drinking heavily. In 1953, they moved to Phoenix hoping to start afresh. But he continued to goof off and go to bars at night. He’d end up in jail, and she had to pick him up off the street. They renovated a house in fashionable Scottsdale, but Marylou was forced to get a job as a part-time TV cooking show hostel and to get a real estate licence to keep the family afloat.

Cornelius Vanderbilt “Sonny” Whitney met Marylou at the Backstage

Club when he saw her walk in. He thought she would be perfect for the role of Anna Lore Price in “The Missouri Traveller” – a movie he had invested in. Whitney was 57; Marylou was 32. He was married to Eleanor Searle Whitney and was so miserable in his marriage that he spoke of suicide on their first date. He was fascinated

by Marylou’s job – cooking on TV. He said he had never seen a woman cook before. Marylou was soon in a house in Los Angeles’s fashionable Bel-Air section. She got an uncontested divorce, charging cruelty, but Sonny Whitney’s divorce was a horror story. Marylou was described as a home-wrecker.

Whitney, however, was used to making headlines with a messy private life. At Yale he had to flee the country when a Ziegfeld Follies dancer sued him for breach of promise. Living in Paris he married Marie Norton (the future Mrs Averell Harriman) – who got a Reno divorce from him before he married Gee Hopkins, a Main Line horsewoman. This ten year marriage ended when he spotted Eleanor Searle.

Eleanor Searle, living in the Whitney Old Westbury estate on Long Island, was determined to save the marriage, but Sonny Whitney filed secretly for divorce in Lovelock, Nevada, after which he was driven to Carson City for his wedding to Marylou. After months

Continues on page 24

Marylou Whitney with her children in 1959

24 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 26, 2018

Continues on page 23 Dukes of Marlborough. Mercedes Kellogg was simply trying in her own uninhibited way to liven up the evening. Sid Richardson Bass, the handsome Yale-educated Fort Worth billionaire and one of the richest men in America was seated next to Mercedes. Not too far away was his wife, Anne Bass, known as the ‘Ice Princess’ – a serious minded patron of the arts better at running things than taking orders. Her dignified vitality was in stark contrast to Mercedes vampy vitality. The regal Anne would not dream of throwing a dinner roll.

Sid Bass, however, seemed to like the vivacious Mercedes. They lunched together the next day.

Two weeks later the Basses and Kelloggs ended up at Elizabeth Fonduras’s Bastille Day party in East Hampton.

There were about 125 guests, including Lauren Bacall and Princess Lee Radziwell. Somehow Mercedes had got herself a seat again next to Sid Bass, and somehow another food fight broke out among the giddy socialites with Mercedes appearing to be the prime motivator. A few nights later another food fight broke out at a dinner in Southampton hosted by Jamie and Fernanda Niven for the Basses. When the hostess suggested her guests change places for the dessert course, Mercedes sprang from her seat to one at Sid Bass’s side. They connected that night and a worried Anne Bass telephoned around asking guests if they’d noticed anything. That September Mercedes, saying that her mother was sick, flew to Paris to join Sid Bass in his suite at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée.

They were spotted and the cat was out of the bag. Anne Bass telephoned her husband to ask what was going on, and Mercedes phoned 69-year-old Francis Kellogg to say, “Goodbye, darling, I’m marrying Sid.” The news stunned New York and Forth Worth societies. Sid Bass and his brother presided over a fortune worth over $14 billion, Sid owning major stakes in Disney, Famous Amos Cookies and Texaco, plus a clutch of important Impressionist and other paintings including Rothko, Degas and Monet. In the end Bass paid over $200 million, plus the apartment in New York, and the paintings. The bon vivant columnist Taki quipped, “Sid Bass paid $200 million for a used Mercedes.”

Author Charlotte Hays

Marylou Whitney became the doyenne of five houses in the United States and two in Spain. She planned elaborate parties, was the perfect hostess for the Whitney 540-acre stud farm outside Lexington, Kentucky, and never let Sonny get bored. In fact he published a little book entitled “Live a Year with a Millionaire” which was a hymn of praise to Marylou and the happiness she had brought him – including blissful descriptions of her fried chicken, green peas, and freshly baked cakes. She wooed him through her cooking. She played the role of the simple girl from the Midwest who loved to cook, and Sonny Whitney loved to be fussed over. “I cater to him,” Marylou admitted. “If I didn’t look after him some other woman would, and I’m not going to let that happen.”

During Whitney’s final years, when he had Alzheimer’s and a serious bipolar disorder, Marylou supervised his care with devotion and detail. When Whitney died on December 13, 1992 at the age of 93, he left almost his entire estate, valued at over $100 million, to Marylou – the fourth and last Mrs Whitney. Surprisingly, she shed her pretence of weakness after Whitney’s death and emerged as a hard-headed businesswoman to take control of the sprawling Whitney Industries. But

after a few years on her own she preferred to have a man do it but wanted more than a business partner. She wanted romance as well, and chose her third husband, John Hendrickson – a man 39 years her junior. They were married on a mountaintop in Alaska in October 1997, and, true to form, Marylou was soon cooking steak and her famous apple brown Betty in her twobedroom condo. He who has the gold

makes the rules – and now Marylou had the gold. She made Hendrickson president of Whitney Industries and he turned out to be her not-so-secret business weapon. He negotiated a lucrative sale of Adirondacks land to the state, and even renegotiated royalties on “Gone With the Wind”. “We worked together,” Marylou said. “And, yes, John did some of the dirty work. But isn’t that what a man does?”

Marylou Whitney may have been the only Mrs C V Whitney to prepare tuna noodle casserole with a can of celery soup, or serve “hors d’oeuvres Honolulu” made with a jar of hickorysmoked cheese. Simple and corny perhaps. But in the right hands, worth millions.

Meanwhile, as Mercedes settled into her role as Mrs Sid Richardson Bass, people began to notice something curious – she was no longer so much fun. She changed from uninhibited and fun-loving to tense and chilly.

She might not have realised quite how rich and quite how powerful the Basses were. She also seemed to get thinner by the minute, and people noticed an increasing resemblance to the pencil-thin Duchess of Windsor – the ultimate example of how to marry a wealthy person. But Sid Bass was blissfully happy. He ended his “perfect” marriage to Anne Bass and finally did what he wanted to do – marry the perfect courtesan. And as for the sex part – this was not an area in which Mercedes was remiss. During one important Disney negotiation the Basses remained holed up in the Carlyle Hotel in New York avoiding the frantic board meeting. They had better things to do. They spent their time between Aspen, Fort Worth, and New York. Mercedes took up shooting and fishing because that’s what Sid liked to do. She also became a popular member of Forth Worth society, cultivating her powerful mother-in-law Nancy Bass. It is said in Fort Worth that Mercedes let Sid Bass call the shots. Quite obviously, that’s the way he liked it.

NEXT WEEK: In the final part of ‘The Fortune Hunters’, two dazzling women who achieved worldwide adulation only to have their dreams shattered.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of “The Last Colonial”. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from “The Fortune Hunters”

by Charlotte Hays.

The Tribune | Weekend | 25

Friday, October 26, 2018

art

Unlocking youngsters’ Art From The Heart

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

W

HAT BETTER way to celebrate a 30-year anniversary than to do so through the love of art.

Not just any type of art work - this recent effort hosted by the team at Furniture Plus - encourages young artists to create their “ Art From The Heart”.

In a competition dubbed “Art From The Heart” youngsters aged eight-18 will have an opportunity to win over $2000 in prizes as well as have their work displayed on a brand new fleet of Furniture Plus delivery trucks - all in celebration of the company’s 30 years in existence.

“With Art From The Heart, we were in the process of ordering new trucks for the streets, and certainly we like to change up our fleet so we are in the middle of rebranding after 30 years. With this I said I am not going to have the trucks come without us knowing what we are putting on them. As we are huge advocates for the community - and more specifically for children - we said how about we do art work on the trucks done by kids,” said Krystynia Lee D’Arville, VP of Sales, Marketing and Organisational Development.

Furniture Plus’ communkty work includes the Charity of Hope Foundation,created to further the development of children’s physical, spiritual, intellectual and emotional well being.There’s also the company’s Plus Arts and

“

We called her and told her what we were looking to do and we certainly wanted to not just do the competition and have it end there. We wanted to truly incorporate and weave the tapestry of children that aren’t going to stop at the end of the competition.

All of our finalists will have an opportunity to take part in workshops at NAGB. We are very excited about this because we want the art to continue.”

Culture initiative founded to express the importance of art regardless of the age or profession. Through both initiatives - along with Furniture Plus’ mission to “ create the beautiful home you desire,” right down to the trucks that are pulling into your driveway - Ms D’Arville is hoping to make the very first “Art From The Heart” a success.

“We thought how can we make this happen and do it fairly diplomatically, and have a huge campaign that ties into the 30th anniversary and the charity foundation? Based on the art community and the public’s response we’re quite hopeful this can be developed into an annual Furniture Plus/Plus Arts and Culture

tradition. Children, they are joy, love and inspiration. They are the ones that hold the hope,” said Ms D’Arville.

An artist herself, Ms D’Arville said there is a lot of artistry that comes with making your home beautiful. She truly believes home is where the heart is, and it is also where the art is.

It is your sanctuary, the place where you find comfort, solace after a long day at work or school. Home is the place where you go to recharge your batteries. It is where your heart finds its peace and comfort. We wanted everyone that entered the competition to think about their home and what it means to them, and or within their hearts, where

do they find their home. We wanted the art to speak from their hearts, the place that is the most comforting,” said Ms D’Arville.

She is grateful to collaborate with Amanda Coulson, Director at The National Gallery of The Bahamas, who she describes as a tremendous advocate for art. Ms D’Arville commended Ms Coulson for her efforts and works in the Bahamas.

“We called her and told her what we were looking to do and we certainly wanted to not just do the competition and have it end there. We wanted to truly incorporate and weave the tapestry of children that aren’t going to stop at the end of the competition. All of our finalists will have an opportunity to take part in workshops at NAGB. We are very excited about this because we want the art to continue,” said Ms D’Arville.

“Art From The Heart” prizes for ages 8-12 will include: a laptop, full scholarship to NAGB’s Mixed Media Summer Art Camp, art supply

gift set, and a public exhibition of artwork. Ages 13-18 will include: $2000 Furniture Plus gift certificate, full scholarship to NAGB’s Mixed Media Summer Art Camp, new laptop for art teacher listed on entry form, art supply gift set, artwork showcased on one of the Furniture Plus delivery fleets, and a public exhibition of artwork.

“Rules are: you cannot use anything electronic or digital, this has to be done by your hands and your medium that you choose to use. Once this is done, take a photo of the artwork and send to PAC@ furnitureplus.com. Of course we have already had some entrants come. This is open to all the schools, public and private,” said Ms D’Arville.

For more information, readers are asked to contact PAC@ FURNITUREPLUS.COM or call 397-7587 (Nassau) or 352-7587 (GB). Deadline for submissions are November 30. The Art From The Heart Exhibition will take place in the first quarter of 2019 at the Furniture Plus showroom.

Excellent: 10 mins Yesterday’s solution: PUMPs (across) sPeed (down)

26| The Tribune | Weekend

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

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

CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 Capital example of a once walled city (4,6) 6 Backward island not lacking in skill (4) 10 To begin court proceedings present with a writ (5) 11 One at the receiving end (9) 12 It can make a man hate what is repellent to him (8) 13 Bent over an inlet? (5) 15 Those who count in banking (7) 17 One may put one’s foot down using this vehicle (7) 19 Being at home, possibly greet a number (7) 21 The prospect for a guardsman (7) 22 Spritely number in fine disarray (5) 24 Ann becomes engaged to a lean historian (8) 27 A play group organised a short race (9) 28 Might be cold, yet good tempered (5) 29 Aristocrat in a real mess (4) 30 Main thoroughfare used by merchants (5,5)

Down 1 Simple? Yes, with a new form (4) 2 A fount of small type (9) 3 A sheepish expression? (5) 4 Some students are Reds perhaps (7) 5 American citizens with specific reservations (7) 7 You’ll find Arabs around this city (5) 8 Choose to speak to the voters (10) 9 Old towel might be worth quite a lot of money (4-2-2) 14 House supports industrial action to make its mark (6,4) 16 Cause to develop and end green, perhaps (8) 18 This outfit fits a French philosopher to a T (9) 20 Possible creator of atomic energy (7) 21 Whistle cord, any enclosed in grease (7) 23 The one opposite appears to look right (5) 25 Light beam that’s very strong (5) 26 Frozen field left in the grip of the enemy (4)

Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Cry wolf, 5 Hoard, 8 Contusion, 9 Peg, 10 Ewer, 12 Innuendo, 14 Cheque, 15 Hazard, 17 Together, 18 Term, 21 Act, 22 Prominent, 24 Lucky, 25 Foxhole.

Down: 1 Cycle, 2 Yen, 3 Onus, 4 Friend, 5 Honduras, 6 Appendage, 7 Dogwood, 11 Energetic, 13 Multiply, 14 Catcall, 16 Set off, 19 Mitre, 20 Jinx, 23 Ego.

STUCK? CALL FOR A CLUE

c T A I r l TarGeT THe aLPHa Halve your Target Time!

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 Out-of-theordinary (10) 6 Stream (4) 10 Manufacturer (5) 11 Olympic winner’s award (4,5) 12 Use roughly (8) 13 North American cattle farm (5) 15 Absence of government (7) 17 Quick sharp retort (7) 19 Appeal to (7) 21 Very large sum of money (7) 22 Settled tendency (5) 24 Assailant (8) 27 Make worse (9) 28 Quantity of one baking (5) 29 Orient (4) 30 Unlucky (3-7)

Down 1 Nominate (4) 2 Dismantle (4,5) 3 To defeat (5) 4 Fraud (7) 5 Pistol case (7) 7 Burdened (5) 8 Prosperous (4-6) 9 Unseemly (8) 14 Express in other words (10) 16 Pretentious nonsense (8) 18 Waterproof storm hat (9) 20 Great toil (7) 21 Suitability (7) 23 Counterfeit (5) 25 Venomous snake (5) 26 Cast off (4)

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P A c c T A I r l

call 0907 181 2585 for today’s Target solution *Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Bananas, 5 Auger, 8 Sideboard, 9 Ass, 10 Mode, 12 Sheepdog, 14 Call in, 15 Across, 17 Advances, 18 News, 21 Tar, 22 Orangeade, 24 Cadet, 25 Dogtrot.

Down: 1 Besom, 2 Nod, 3 Nibs, 4 Swathe, 5 Audience, 6 Grandiose, 7 Resigns, 11 Delivered, 13 Signpost, 14 Chaotic, 16 Regard, 19 Spent, 20 Agog, 23 Air.

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PLay More Crosswords

The Tribune | Weekend | 27

Friday, October 26, 2018

animals

The marvellous

seagull

h, the wonderful call of the seagull in the Out Islands, the cackle and squawking that I love to hear! I was brought up to believe that when the gulls were back, the tourists had gone. I have no idea where that saying came from, but in my young mind I honestly believed that there was a changing of the guard, so to speak. My mother always told me that every Summer when a marching army of seagulls would appear on the beach of Bird Cay and their cry would drift over to the house. Summer would be fast approaching and our beaches would be full of their antics.

“Jonathan Livingston Seagull”, written by Richard Bach in 1970, was a book of my teenage years, and by 1972 over one million copies of the book had been sold. It remained on the New York Times best-seller list for a stunning 38 weeks. Richard Bach wrote so beautifully of the seagull; the bird of the sea. I think that thanks to him and Jonathan Livingston we paid more attention to these birds who are so often accused of being scavengers of the sea (or sky?).

Mr Bach wrote: “He was not bone and feather but a perfect idea of freedom and flight limited by nothing at all.” What a marvellous image of these free-flying, swirling and twirling birds who follow our boats long distances out to sea, calling to us to provide them with any form of food whatsoever.

Boat trips to the islands would not be complete without their presence when cleaning fish, cracking out conch, or simply eating a snack. They must have the most amazing eyesight, because no sooner do you open a packet of chips, or better still, a barrel of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and they swoop down overhead calling to you to throw them a piece of your snack.

I must admit, the fact that they will willingly eat KFC is always a point of surprise to me, because isn’t that almost cannibalism? A chicken is a

bird. But then some might say that fast food takes on an identity all of it’s own.

The gull that I am the most fond of is the laughing gull, I presume named because of its distinctive cry. There are actually at least five types of gulls in the Bahamas. In addition to the laughing gull, there are: the black headed gull, the herring gull, Bonaparte’s gull, and the lesser black-backed gull. These birds are prolific in the Bahamas and can be seen all over the country.

Seagulls are monogamous; they meet and mate for the duration, though “divorce” is known to happen in some pairs. They usually have three eggs, breeding once a year. The eggs take up to 26 days to incubate, with the Mother and Father taking turns incubating them. Most species of Gulls build their nests on the ground, which make them susceptible to attack by feral cats. They tend to build their nests in colonies and use twigs and roots to build them in the shape of a “cup”. Many Gulls will come inland to nest, however in the out islands, inland is a bit of a misnomer.

They do like to be near fresh water if

A laughing gull

PET OF THE WEEK Sasha’s smart and full of energy

By The Bahamas Humane Society

O

ne-year-old Sasha is sure she’s the Energizer bunny in dis-

guise. This sweet friendly girl has plenty of energy to walk and run and maybe some to spare after that.

She’s young and smart and trainable. She’d love a home with a large yard to run in, perhaps with another canine friend or two, but please no cats.

There is no more wonderful experience than to sit on a beach watching the amazing flying abilities of the gull.

Watch them flying high up in the air with a lazy flap of their wings and then glide on the air currents created by the wind… then, suddenly they spot a speck in the sea, a flash of silver, and dive down gracefully, flying off in triumph with their trophy dinner to share with their mate and children.

In the book Jonathan Livingstone Seagull is written: “Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is short and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long and fine life indeed”…

Food for thought!

at all possible. A body of fresh water leads itself to be the ideal sleeping spot for a gull, If they do not have a body of water they will frequently choose an open area (like a parking lot or a playing field), open areas allow for them to sense and see danger from a distance and take off before any attack.

I am often amazed by the amazing amount of gulls that one sees congregate on the lake shore of Lake Cunningham, and also on the point of Go Slow Bend. They are thousands of them who all, by some magical “bird telegraph”, seam to know that there is a meeting spot for all Gulls in the area.

How do they know to be there? Yet another miracle of nature, for sure!

PHOTO/PATRICIA VAZQUEZ

O

Animal matters | KIM ARANHA

A home with older children who could walk her regularly and take her to the beach would also be welcome.

Do you have just the right match for spirited Sasha? If so, come in to the Bahamas Humane Society to meet her; she’d love to take you out for a test-walk!

Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm Saturday or you can call 323-5138 for more information. Sasha looks forward to meeting you!

The Nassau Yacht Club will be holding a Haunted Halloween Mansion on Saturday, October 27th, at 8 p.m. with part proceeds going to the BHS. Come out for a spooktacular time! Tickets are $50 in advance or $55 at the door.

BHS Raffle Tickets are now available! Get yours today from the BHS or any Board member. For a mere $5 you could find yourself the winner of $10,000 worth of groceries from Super Value or any one of a number of other awesome prizes. The draw will be held December 28th at the Mall at Marathon. Don’t miss out; buy yours today!

28 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 26, 2018