11112016 weekend

The Tribune

Friday, November 11, 2016

culture books theatre television fashion music food relationships

Weekend

beach party fun Pages 14&15

A love affair Filmmaker celebrates Bahamas debut Interview, pages 4&5

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, November 11, 2016

life through a lens Photos/Shawn Hanna

Walking in a winter wonderland

T

he Christmas season has officially begun at Kelly’s Home Centre with the opening of their popular Toyland and Fantasy Forest.

The magic started last Saturday as Santa Claus and Snowbear descended on the department store’s southwest parking lot.

They were accompanied by Kelly’s Bride of the Year Erin Brown and beloved characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Dora the Explorer, Elmo, and others. Customers were also treated to the musical stylings of the Aquinas Marching Band.

And to keep both young and old entertained, Kelly’s set up a Coca-Cola selfie booth, and handed out free balloons and popcorn. Other fun activities on offer included face painting, a bouncing castle and various games.

From now until November 28, Santa and Snowbear will be available for photos every Saturday at the Fantasy Forest.

Have you taken a selection of photographs that might make a Life through a lens feature page? If so please submit it to weekend@ tribunemedia.net for consideration

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Friday, November 11, 2016

Inside Weekend Interview 4 - 5 Cara Hunt talks to up-and-coming American filmmaker Corey Harrell about what the Bahamas means to him.

Food 7 - 9 Bahamian chef captures silver and bronze at the Culinary Olympics, plus Luciano’s of Chicago offers fine dining in a historic setting.

Culture 10 Bahamas’ first museum celebrates its 40th anniversary Music 11 - 12 Tingum Dem band bring back old school dances, plus reggae stars Jah Cure and Romain Virgo live on stage in Nassau Fashion 13 Local designer Kevin Evans showcases at LA Fashion Week Entertainment 14 - 15 Bahamians hit the beach for a Sundance party

Relationships 17 Dr Edrica Richardson talks the importance of “me” time Television 18 Love, loss and royalty star in Netflix drama ‘The Crown’ Design your lifestyle 19 Victoria Sarne contemplates packing up a life in boxes Books 20 - 21 Latest releases reviewed

Literary Lives 22 - 24 Branwell Brontë – a ruined genius overshadowed by famous sisters Forgotten Facts 25 Paul Aranha talks Nassau’s first airfield and the start of the jet age Animals 27 Kim Aranha’s reaction to selling fishing rights, plus Pet of the Week

Gardening 28 Jack Hardy on starting over after Hurricane Matthew

My perfect Bahamian weekend Tania Delmonte Fine art photographer Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch?

“Saturday breakfast. I work Monday to Friday and it is always such a rush on those mornings; it’s grab a coffee and go. On Saturdays it is nice to ease into the day, I wake up later than usual, have my coffee, make breakfast and enjoy eating it outside on my patio. I like eating al fresco.”

Q: Wine, Kalik, rum or cocktail?

“This is an easy question, most definitely wine. It is all thanks to my Italian grandmother; she loved red wine. My cousins and I wonder if she even drank water. As children she would give us a drop of wine mixed in a glass of water. I guess that is where my love of wine started.”

Q: Beach or sofa?

“It depends on the day. If it is nice and sunny, I love a day at the beach. Salt and sea are healing to the mind and body. On a rainy day nothing is better than sitting on

the sofa reading a great book.”

Q: What could you not do without?

“My friends and my camera.

I am blessed to have friends who will stick with me through the ups and downs of life. My camera, because it helps me capture moments that would otherwise be lost.”

Q: Weekend away: where would you go?

“I truly look forward to a weekend on a Family Island. It is nice to get away from Nassau and enjoy the simple pleasures of island life. The beaches are breathtaking. There is no one on them for miles; a true paradise.

The rhythm of life slows down on a Family Island. The people are laid back, there is less traffic, and there nothing like having the native food; it just tastes better. I think that is because everything is directly from the sea and soil, and it is cooked right there on the spot, not precooked and warmed up.”

Things 2 Do this weekend Friday • The Good Girl’s Guide to Love and Romance Time: 7.30pm (showtime at 8pm) Venue: Myles E Munroe Diplomat Centre The play about four friends, one pact and 99 problems, asks the question, “Can true love really wait?”

• Island Rock Concert Series Time: 9pm Venue: Hard Rock Café, Bay Street The concert series hosted by SawyerBoy TV continues this week with performances by Tanisha Sweeting.

Saturday • ‘Shift the Culture’ Meetup at Starbucks Time: 12noon Join‘Shift the Culture’, a weekly and open meetup for all creative people in Nassau. Grab a cup of coffee and join in on discussions on art, design, technology, and business. Bring your ideas and inspiration and get feedback and insight on whatever you’re working on.

• Eye on Health Seminar

Time: 2pm - 4pm Venue: Solomon’s Fresh Market, Old Fort Bay Town Centre The seminar features chiropractor Dr Kelly Kramp offering solutions to target your unique health needs, including neck pain, lower back pain, headaches, limb pain, carpel tunnel syndrome, asthma, and more.

• 23rd Annual Red Ribbon Ball – Beyond the Mask Time: 7pm Venue: Atlantis, Grand Ballroom The Bahamas AIDS Foundation presents the 2016 instalment of its biggest fundraiser. For tickets to the gala event call 325-9326/7 or e-mail aidsfoundationbahamas@ yahoo.com.

• Popup Picnic and Movie Night Time: 7pm Venue: 1er Cru, Gladstone Road.

The Beringer Founders’ Estate presents Popup Picnic and Movie Night, a benefit for Hands for Hunger; the event is BYOB (bring your own blanket) Admission is $75. Chef Simeon Hall Jr will be providing culinary treats.

• Jah Cure and Romain Virgo Live in Concert

Time: 9pm Venue: Kendal G L Isaacs Gymnasium SEE PAGE 12 • Tim Daniels with Strings Attached Time: 9pm Venue: The Bearded Clam, downtown Nassau.

Toronto native Tim Daniels takes the stage, singing live and playing the acoustic guitar.

Sunday • 242 Colour Run Time: 7.30am Start: Eastern Parade, opposite Green Parrot Nassau Run, walk, skip, hop or jump your way through this colourful 5km (3.1 mile) course. Beneficiaries are the Rotary and Rotaract Club of East Nassau.

• Old School Sunday Jamz with Tingum Dem Band Time: 7pm Venue: Balmoral Club General admission is $25; $50 for VIP, and includes food and drink.

For reservations e-mail TheClub@ BalmoralBahamas.com or call 3024230/1.

SEE PAGE 11

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, November 11, 2016

interview A young, up-and-coming American filmmaker returns to the Bahamas – the scene of treasured childhood experiences – to present his vision of star-crossed lovers facing the end of the world to a local viewing audience. Corey Harrell tells Cara Hunt how much it means to him to once again visit Nassau following the painful loss of his family.

Corey Harrell T he Bahamas holds a very special place in the heart of young American filmmaker Corey Harrell.

Throughout his childhood, Nassau was the go-to destination for happy family vacations.

And today, after having experienced the loss of both his sister and his mother, the UCLA graduate is grateful to be able to return to the place that still holds so many precious memories.

Corey will be in Nassau next month to present his short film “From Where the Opera Sings” at the Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF).

The film, which he wrote, directed and edited, will be screened at the festival on December 9.

“From Where the Opera Sings” stars Lyndsey Sondker, Gordon James Jr, Sonalii Castillo, Jennifer Wolski Tatyana Figueiredo and Kofi Bamfo.

“It is a story which takes place during a single day. It is the day that world is going to end and it tells the story of a pair of star-crossed lovers – a young teenaged interracial couple from different sides of town. You have London, a 17-year-old white girl, and Chance, a 17-year-old black skater boy, and the journey they take to try and find themselves so that they can be together in the end,” Corey told Tribune Weekend.

“The film tries to answer the question of what would you want to do

“Nassau is very dear to my heart because it is the place where my family vacationed when I was a child. My mother and sister passed away, and the idea of me returning to a place where I shared my dearest memories is a bit of an emotional trip for me.”

Friday, November 11, 2016

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and who would you want to be around if you knew it was all going to end. The film is 15 minutes long and there is no dialogue, just the sound of opera music in the background.”

The lack of dialogue is intentional, Corey explained.

“I wanted the story to be the same for everyone who sees it no matter where they are in the world.”

“Throughout the film, the focus is not on the events leading to the end of the world, instead everything is focused on the couple, with gives a sense of peace in the middle of chaos,” he said.

Of Chance, the lead character, Corey said: “He kind of represents me. Growing up I listened to both urban and opera, although I had to hide the opera side of me.”

The film has enjoyed screenings at other festivals around the world, including Cannes in France this May, and at the Los Angeles Indie Film Fest in September. And it is not by chance that the film will now make its way to Bahamian movie screens.

“Growing up it was just my mom, my sister and I. We would visit the Bahamas every year. Growing up when it was vacation we knew that meant time to go to Nassau, Bahamas,” he recalled.

After graduating from high school, Corey attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Television Production. He began his career by directing commercials, documentaries, short films and music videos. He also focused on writing and directing features that entertain a broad, mainstream audience. So far, he has sold two feature-length scripts to major Hollywood studios: “Party Up” to New Line/Warner Bros, and “The House Next Door” to Lionsgate/Sony.

His successes, however, have come on the heels of heart-wrenching tragedies that threatened to kill his creative spirit and prevent him from moving forward in his film-

making career.

“I lost my mother and sister back-to-back a few years ago.

My sister died of cancer in 2008. I fell into a very dark place and depression. My career was on the rise, but I fell off due to drug and alcohol abuse – self-medicating myself. My mom and sister were the closest family I had,” he said.

Corey said that the double loss was overwhelming. “I had to take a hiatus from my career. It was just an extremely emotional and painful time.”

Fortunately, he was able to slowly rebuild his life and return to his love of filmmaking.

“Through the grace of God I was able to get back on my feet with the help of my childhood pastor. I was able to get clean; put my life back together again. I stepped back into the entertainment business a year ago and was able to sell a script to Lionsgate.

Last year, I directed this short film. Now I’m returning to the one place that my mother loved most. So BIFF isn’t just a festival, it’s something much deeper,” he explained.

“Nassau is very dear to my heart because it is the place where my family vacationed when I was a child. My mother and sister passed away, and the idea of me returning to a place where I shared my dearest memories is a bit of an emotional trip for me.”

Corey’s latest script, “On the Fifth Day”, a metaphysical thriller, has been optioned

by Nobody’s Perfect Pictures and is scheduled to shoot in late 2016. Michael Steinberg (“There’s Something About Mary”, “Bodies” and “Rest and Motion”) will produce and direct the project.

In addition to Corey’s “From Where the Opera Sings”, BIFF will be screening 95 films from 26 different countries, including 31 features, of which several are international premieres and all are Bahamian premieres. Now in its 13th year, BIFF will take place from December 5 to 8 in Harbour Island and December 8 to 11 in Nassau.

“Through the grace of God I was able to get back on my feet with the help of my childhood pastor.

I was able to get clean; put my life back together again. I stepped back into the entertainment business a year ago and was able to sell a script to Lionsgate.”

The poster art for “From Where the Opera Sings”, which will be shown in Nassau on December 9.

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, November 11, 2016

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Friday, November 11, 2016

food

Bahamas wins silver and bronze at Culinary Olympics

D

espite preparatory setbacks due to Hurricane Matthew, Bahamian Chef Sheldon Tracey Sweeting was able to take the Culinary Olympics by storm, winning both silver and bronze at the international competition held in Erfurt, Germany, last month.

Chef Sweeting and well-known Bahamian Chef Ron Johnson competed in two individual competitions, going up against 50 countries in all-day culinary showdowns.

Chef Johnson was awarded a certificate, while Chef Sweeting won silver and bronze medals.

The International Exhibition of Culinary Art, termed the Culinary Olympics, is a quadrennial chef competition, and the biggest culinary exhibition in the world. The event, which was last held in 2012, was conceived by a group of German chefs in 1896 with an aim to promote German cuisine to the world while receiving impulses from other cooking cultures.

During this year’s competition, Chefs Johnson and Sweeting had the task of turning traditionally hot dishes into delicious cold pieces for a five-course meal.

Before they left, the pair, who were supported by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and other sponsors, admitted that they encountered some unforeseen challenges as Hurricane Matthew knocked out power in New Providence, forcing them to throw out hundreds of dollars worth of food and prep work.

Despite this, Chef Sweeting impressed the judges with dishes like lightly smoked bay scallop wrapped with celery and vegetable, tomato water, trout roe; quail devilled eggs with chicken liver parfait, beef-port gel, herb cracker; butternut squash tortellini with mushrooms-leek ragout, Parmesan veloute; sweet chili=glazed salted flank steak with corn tortilla and salsa; pickled red onion and avocado.

For his five-course festive menu, Chef Sweeting prepared cured salmon and salmon pastrami with honey dill mustard, pickled cucumber and red onion; truffled breast of Cornish hen and leg roulade with corn royal, quail egg, bell pepper flakes and Cornish hen with saffron bouillon; tomato and buffalo mozzarella terrine with yellow tomato sorbet, semi dried tomato, balsamic jelly, basil

Some of Chef Sheldon Tracey’s prize-winning dishes

aioli, tomato cracker; bacon wrapped pork tenderloin and sous vide pickling spice glazed baby back rib with gratinated potato, cabbage variation, pumpkin custard and poached apple in Madeira sauce.

For dessert, the chef made milk and white chocolate Bavarian chocolate, a double chocolate brownie, red fruit textures, vanilla tapioca, strawberry ice cream and red fruit sauce.

Chef Sweeting said he is proud to have performed so well for his country.

“I have learnt better time management and discipline, and that I’ve got to spend even more time paying attention to simple details to go to the next level. Everything I do must be identical and balanced straight across the board. I’ve also learnt how the judges’ perspective of food truly differs from my perspective as a chef in terms of details and conceptualising dishes; they think in terms of practicality in a day-to-day service operation in relation to the food the chef actually produces. This was an eye-opener,” he said.

Chef Sweeting, who competed in the Culinary Olympics for the first time by himself in 2012, said there is a high possibility that he will return for 2020.

“Even though the competition was extremely tough and hard, I still feel a void in my career simply because I’ve not attained my goal of winning the gold medal at the Olympics level,” he said.

“If I compete at IKA I know I’ll be better prepared with more experience and would also now have the help and support of a few other international chefs who have themselves offered their assistance to guide me in the right direction with critiques and concepts.”

Chef Sweeting is one of the Bahamas’ most decorated chefs and has competed in the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s (CTO) Taste of the Caribbean, where he was inducted into the competition’s Hall of Fame.

“My message to other Bahamian chefs is that if you are truly serious and passionate about your craft, then put your all into what your doing to be the best at what you do. Learn all that you can so that we can further develop Bahamian cuisine to showcase to the world,” he said.

“I feel more chefs need to get involved in culinary competitions because it would fast-track theirs knowledge and careers in the culinary arts, plus they would be more updated on new trends and standards within the profession.”

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Friday, November 11, 2016

food

A historic dining experience Luciano’s invites to brunch by the harbour

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

L

ocated in a bright coloured Tuscan style structure, Luciano’s of Chicago not only offers its guests a scenic view overlooking the Nassau Harbour and Paradise Island, but also a historic dining experience.

What is today a popular Italian fine dining restaurant was once the waterside mansion known as Green Roofs.

Built in 1959, Green Roofs was the former residence of Sir Roland Symonette, the Bahamas’ first Premier. The mansion remained a family home for the Symonette family until it was converted into a restaurant in 2004.

The restaurant offers a wide selection of Italian cuisine, from seafood to pastas, steaks and chops, salads and desserts.

Thanks to its menu, and importantly its tranquil setting, Luciano’s has become a popular choice for social gatherings like engagement parties, weddings, birthday parties, as well as corporate events.

“It is very quiet and it is not a loud environment. We just play house music. We don’t have any live bands or live entertainment during the restaurant hours. It is more like a romantic setting,” said Nadia Pinder, a representative of Luciano’s.

She said she believes the restaurant is also popular because of the consistency.

“From the food to the service, these are

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Friday, November 11, 2016

PHOTOS/AARON DAVIS

“From the food to the service, these are two important things that always draw people in.

We have clients that have been coming back since the day that we opened 11 years ago and they bring their families down during the holidays.” two important things that always draw people in,” said Ms Pinder. “We have clients that have been coming back since the day that we opened 11 years ago and they bring their families down during the holidays.”

Ms Pinder further credited Chef Lorenzo Martinez with the menu’s success. Chef Martinez, she said, prepares his food with love.

“People are usually wowed by the food and the atmosphere, especially during the evenings when everything is lit up and the lights are on,” she said.

In an interview with Tribune Weekend, Chef Martinez said preparing food is something he enjoys and pleasing the guests is his number one priority.

“For example, we don’t have sushi on the menu, but I have done it for persons before that have asked for it. There are people coming from all over the world so I try my best to work with everyone. If they want tacos, I will fix them tacos.

If they want enchiladas, I will do that,” he said.

He also spoke about a fairly new addition to Luciano’s offerings: the now trendy Sunday brunch menu that offers dishes like as shrimp and grits, boiled fish, fried chicken and waffles, smoked salmon eggs Benedict, and so much more, to pair with your favourite mimosa or cocktail during the hours of 11.30am to 3.30pm,” he said.

“Every Sunday I try to do different dishes for the breakfast menu – the boiled fish, stewed fish, fresh snappers, and pair them with white or yellow grits. The brunch menu was introduced three months ago. We used to do it before, but in more of a buffet style. Now we are offering a brunch menu from which persons can choose. The feedback has been very good since starting.”

Chef Martinez said he believes the brunch option has become so popular with their guests because the concept is not a widespread one in the Bahamas, and people love to enjoy the experience with their friends and family, especially on Sundays.

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, November 11, 2016

culture

Bahamas’ first museum celebrates 40th anniversary Green Turtle Cay plays host to “An Evening to Remember”

F

orty years ago this month, on November 6, 1976, surrounded by Bahamian, American, Canadian and British dignitaries and hundreds of well-wishers, Bahamian artist and historian Alton Lowe watched as then Minister of Tourism Clement Maynard cut the ribbon to officially open Green Turtle Cay’s Albert Lowe Museum.

To commemorate the museum’s 40th anniversary, a cocktail reception, under the theme “An Evening to Remember”, will be held at the Bluff House Beach Resort on Green Turtle Cay on Saturday, January 7, 2017.

The event will feature a concert

by Ronnie Butler Jr, the launch of “Those Who Stayed” – a coffee table book about Green Turtle Cay’s history by Bahamian writer Amanda Diedrick – and several memorable surprises. Originally planned for this month, “An Evening to Remember” was rescheduled to January 7 so as not to conflict with relief efforts related to Hurricane Matthew.

Named for Alton Lowe’s father, a renowned model ship maker, the Albert Lowe Museum was the first historic museum in the Bahamas. For more than a year, Alton scoured the country, collecting historic photographs, paintings, sculptures, writings and artefacts that told the tales of the Lucayans

The Albert Lowe Museum in Green Turtle Cay, Abaco (Photo/Tom Walters)

Inside the Albert Lowe Museum (Photo/Tom Walters)

The crowds gather for the opening of the Albert Lowe Museum on November 6, 1976.

Artist and historian Alton Lowe, founder of the Albert Lowe Museum who lived here more than 500 years ago, the Loyalists who established modern-day Abaco and generations of Bahamians who overcame astonishing adversity to make their lives on these islands.

In the four decades since its launch, tens of thousands of Bahamians and tourists have toured the Albert Lowe Museum, including former US President Richard Nixon, Lillian Carter (mother of former US President Jimmy Carter), singer Perry Como and M*A*S*H star Loretta Swit.

Bahamian artist Alton Lowe (left) gives former US President Richard Nixon a tour of the Albert Lowe Museum.

The museum serves as a vital educational tool, with hundreds of Bahamian school children visiting each year to learn about their country’s remarkable and unique history.

Tickets for “An Evening to Remember” are $50 and may be purchased through Mandy Roberts by e-mailing seaweed@ oii.net or calling 365-4402, or online at www.albertlowemuseum.com. All event proceeds will benefit the Albert Lowe Museum.

Alton Lowe looks on as Sir Clement Maynard, then Minister of Tourism, cuts the ribbon to open the Albert Lowe Museum in 1976.

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Friday, November 11, 2016

music

Old school dancing Balmoral and Tingum Dem partner for new monthly event

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

W

ith the help of the high-energy music from Tingum Dem band, the Balmoral Club will be taking Bahamians back to the good old days.

Every second Sunday of the month, Balmoral will be hosting its Old School Sunday Jamz shindig at 7pm.

The event is designed to get lovers of old school music dancing and gyrating if they feel an itch to do so.

Old School Jamz will feature the Tingum Dem band performing all the

best tunes from the past decades. Fred Ferguson, leader and producer of the band, said the event is for all the grown folks who are able to appreciate music from bygone eras.

“This is an interactive kind of thing because we allow our fans to request the music they want us to perform. So it is very interactive even though it is a dance.

“People who are familiar with the Balmoral Club know that it has a welcoming atmosphere, but it will be topped off with Tingum Dem music.

We will be playing music from the 60s, 70s and 80s, and beyond. We will be covering a wide range of songs from artists like the Earth, Wind & Fire, and of course we will cover some of our local artists like Ronnie Butler. So it is just grown folks’ music for lack of a better word,” said Mr Ferguson.

The first Old School Sunday Jamz was held in September and attracted scores of Bahamian who did more than have a good time, they also got their dance on in a fun way.

“We have partnered with Balmoral Club to host the event because there are not many places you can really go to hear live band music, especially the kind of old school music that we play,” said Mr Ferguson.

“We have partnered with Balmoral Club to host the event because there are not many places you can really go to hear live band music, especially the kind of old school music that we play.”

“As you know, this is something that we are doing every second Sunday in the month, and although we have only had one so far, it was very well

received. What we plan to do to keep things interesting is invite a special guest performer to join us.”

The Tingum Dem band was created to back all of the local artists during the Bahamas’ 30th Anniversary of Independence Concert.

The band consists of a number of top musicians who come together and play just to have fun and perform quality music.

The band members include Fred Ferguson, Colyn “Moe” Grant, Byron Thompson, Earl Forbes, Darrell Hurston, Donrica Burrows, Sonovia “Novie” Pierre, Andrew “Tino” Richardson, D’Angelo “Da Boss” Moss, Dion Turnquest, Denteria Jackson, and Richard Sands.

In recent times, the band has been working on new music with a new message.

“As the producer and band leader of he group, I have taken the position that we have a more serious role to play in our country than just creating dance music. So I have been trying to get message music out there. So that has been our focus,” said Mr Ferguson.

“The new album that we will be releasing will have some party music, but it will lean more towards lyrics that get people thinking.”

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, November 11, 2016

music

Jah Cure and Romain Virgo take Nassau stage tomorrow night Newly renovated gymnasium serves as first-class concert venue

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

Jah Cure

O

ne of the things the organisers at Fresh Entertainment Bahamas pride themselves on is being able to take an empty space and turn into a worldclass venue for one-of-kind concert experiences.

And tomorrow night will be no different, as the entertainment company transforms the Kendal G L Isaacs Gymnasium into a state-of-the-art concert venue for its “Fresh Live” event featuring reggae stars Jah Cure and Romain Virgo.

After a brief hiatus, Fresh Entertainment is back on the scene and encouraging audiences to “come for a concert and stay for a party” during their two-fold event.

The concert and party all rolled into one will begin at 7pm, with showtime set for 9pm sharp. The concert will then segue into a night-long party.

Africa Allah, spokesperson for Fresh Entertainment, told Tribune Weekend, that tomorrow’s night event will recall the company’s “Celebration of Love” concert which is usually hosted in February.

“We wanted it to be similar to our ‘Celebration of Love’, which was the reason why we are hosting artists who perform mellow music resonates with

The Kendal G L Isaacs Gymnasium undergoes a transformation into a world-class concert venue. people here,” she said.

“We are adamant about the show starting at 9pm because after then show we will continue with the postparty. It will be in the same location as the concert because we don’t want people to have to leave. It is going to be one big party.”

After each headliner performs, the party will be left in the hands of the deejays, who are expected to take things to the next level. The deejays that will provide entertainment for the night include Barry Da Pusha, Xtra Large and DJ Reds.

“The initial thought behind this was that we were going to have the party and have the artists perform. But then again the artists resonates with the audience so there was a demand for a

full-fledged concert than the demand for a party. We have combined the two,to create one big party the entire night,” said Ms Allah.

She also explained why Fresh Entertainment decided on the Kendal G L Isaacs Gymnasium.

“The gymnasium where the concert and party will take place has recently undergone renovations to feature superior sound quality and over 200 tonnes of central air-conditioning. It’s multipurpose characteristics were the deciding factor in having the event hosted there,” she said.

“The gym has been upgraded and renovated so it can be used as multispace. That means, sound proofing, sound proofing devices, the flooring has been upgraded so that when you

hear the acoustics it doesn’t bounce off. In addition, we are making it an indoor-outdoor event so we are extending the front end of the gymnasium into the street so you can have that kind of feel.”

Ms Allah said they hope to provide a unique experience the audience.

“We have a few people travelling into Nassau for this event, which is interesting because we haven’t really been doing any heavy international push. But because we have been branding over the past few years, we have some international followers and supporters. We want people to come out and enjoy themselves,” she said.

For more information visit www. freshentbah.com.

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Friday, November 11, 2016

fashion

Local designer has ‘life-changing’ experience Kevin Evans shows at LA Fashion Week

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

W

ell-known Bahamian fashion designer Kevin Evans has reached another major milestone in his career after showcasing his work at an event which seeks to be a part of the cultural renaissance in Los Angeles.

He’s been in the business for more than a decade now, but Kevin is still making strides and continues to reinvent himself so that he can stand out in both the local and global market.

And his latest showing was also one of his most important.

Last month, Kevin got the opportunity to show his line of menswear at LA Fashion Week, a biannual event hosted in southern California.

LA Fashion Week is now a permanent feature on the international fashion week circuit alongside London, Paris, Milan, New York, and Tokyo.

During the event, some of the season’s newest collections are showcased to media, buyers, the industry elite and private clientele.

Kevin chose this avenue to showcase his unique fashion sense with his bold men’s collection. He said the experience was very rewarding, as he was also able to network with the fashion industry’s movers and shakers.

“After returning from LA I was even more encouraged and motivated to continue pursuing my dreams.

This trip was truly a life-changing experience. I was able to have a lot of opportunities extended to me and I met persons who can help further my ventures,” he told Tribune Weekend.

“Ultimately, having an opportunity to watch my clothing displayed on LA’s runway was the highlight of the week. I’m thankful to God and my

Models show off the designs of Bahamian Kevin Evans at LA Fashion Week.

“Ultimately, having an opportunity to watch my clothing displayed on LA’s runway was the highlight of the week. I’m thankful to God and my supportive team, for without them none of this would’ve been possible.”

Designer Kevin Evans

supportive team, for without them none of this would’ve been possible.”

Kevin’s first collection was displayed in November 2009 at the Islands of the World Fashion Week. He was then featured in runway show at RAW Miami, where he placed top three out of 15,000 designers across America.

“From when I was a young boy I loved to create and design with my hands. Later in life my passion for fashion and designing was inspired by the screen style of a film called ‘The Matrix’. Since then I’ve been a designer for over 11 years,” he said.

Kevin completed his fashion design studies at the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) nine years ago.

“My next endeavour, Lord willing, is to travel to New York Fashion Week to exhibit the new line I’m working on,” he said.

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, November 11, 2016

fashion The Weekend Fashion Report “Almost Christmas” premiere

HIT

FAIL

HIT

Kimberly Elise “Hit the Floor”

Gabrielle Union “Being Mary Jane”

Karin says: “Tangerine is not a very Christmassy colour, but it looks fantastic on her.

Love this look. Simple, classic lines and showing off some shoulder. Love her jewellery and hair choices as well.”

Cara says: “I agree. This is normally a summery colour, but she still looks awesome.

It’s simply chic and yet oh so festive. I love the hair, and the choice of jewellery and accessories as well.”

Karin says: “I always felt the oversized-faux-jacket-as-adress trend is better suited to a smoky cocktail party, not the red carpet. Gabby always looks fab, but this ensemble just look incomplete.”

Cara says: “This is such a lazy look. Like she was thinking, ‘I am not even gonna bother trying to be cute, because I have legs and everyone will look at my legs’. You can tell she thought this because her hair and make-up aren’t even on point. Gabby you fail.”

Singer, Willow Smith Rachel Kylian Mo’Nique “Hung” “Precious” Karin says: “OK, in general this a cool party dress. While I’m not completely sold on stripes – they make the skirt part of the dress look a bit too pedestrian – I must say it fits her to perfection. I am also liking the soft short curls.”

Cara says: “This is really pretty. I think it’s a great look on her. Stripes can be tricky to pull off, especially if you are not a size two. But Mo’Nique looks stunning. Love the Vneck and the bow.

FAIL Karin says: “This is hideous.

It doesn’t even look like real velvet. She was so determined to be sexy that she failed to realise how cheap this dress looks. The colour of the netting for the “peek-a-boo window” and at the sides of the gown also does not suit her. Please tell me this dress didn’t cost more than $50.”

Cara says: “I was a bit on the fence there, but ultimately decided that, yes, I’m afraid it’s trashy. I sorta get it, but I am not a fan. It’s also a bit pageantry as well. This is a no for me.”

SPLIT

AP PHOTOS

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

Keri Hilson singer Karin says: “Super chic!

With those all those crucifix necklaces and high-necked, classic white blouse it seems Keri is serving us with a look that screams ‘former nun who ran away from the convent and now gets to wear fab shiny pants on the red carpet.’ I like it.”

Cara says: “I like the sparkly pants, but the top is a bit stale, and for some reason I don’t think the crosses do anything for the outfit either. A big ‘nope’ from me.”

The Tribune | Weekend | 17

Friday, November 11, 2016

relationships

Does what keep you up at night include you?

By EDRICA RICHARDSON

T

he truth is that often times we are worried about the wrong things, whether it is financial troubles, failing health of broken relation-

ships.

Life is filled with challenges that rob us of our peace. If you feel like giving up, ask yourself, why?

Did you decide what matters? Did you decide who matters? Many of us are sometimes controlled by an external reality that does not exist.

This is when you want to step back and reevaluate your relationships with people and things.

The best way to control changes in your life is to control the energy and peace from within.

What do you believe determines what you do and how you operate, so be careful of what you allow into your mind. The energy that you have around your body is one of the greatest gifts, especially when you’re at peace, because you have the most positive energy around you. So be aware of those that are attracted to the energy.

Fight those who disturb the energy of peace, as your relationship with yourself is most important. As you continue to check your wealth, mental health, etcetera, stop letting every voice be heard. Everyone in your life who has an opportunity to speak doesn’t necessarily deserve to be listened to, that includes your own negative self-talk. So notice who is speaking and who you are listening to.

This week, let’s focus on priorities.

You know, those things that you make matter in your life. Let’s list your top 10 priorities in order. Writing them down makes you accountable in your own life, but also cognizant of who and what matters.

I’ll give you my top five list: 1. My spirituality 2. Me 3. Health

Nighttime is often when we are vulnerable and become overwhelmed with negative ‘self-talk’.

4. Peace of mind 5. Relationships We lead crazy, busy lives. And the one thing we never seem to have time for is ourselves. This problem seems even more pervasive as we work harder to meet the challenges of this new economy. Creating more personal time tops the list of goals many people want to accomplish. With work time, partner or family time and social time all demanding our attention, we are constantly juggling our day-to-day responsibilities. Finding as little as 15 to 30 minutes a day of uninterrupted, relaxing “me” time is challenging at best.

But we all instinctively know that when we take time for ourselves to pursue our passions, do the things that we enjoy, relax or even do nothing at all, we end up happier, healthier and feeling better. “Me” time allows us to de-stress, unwind and rejuvenate.

Taking time for yourself allows you to renew, heal, and create reserves of

energy and peace.

When I ask my clients why they don’t plan more “me” time in their schedules, three common themes arise: not enough time, feeling guilty, or feeling selfish. The more giving and caring a person you are, the more these feelings seem to emerge. Remember that no matter what we do, there are only 24 hours in a day, so you can’t create more time. But you can clear some time by reevaluating priorities, perhaps saying “no” more often and practicing time management.

“Me” time is not something you should feel guilty about. It’s nothing more than taking some time to put aside your everyday business and treating yourself to an activity that you enjoy. It gives you an opportunity to relax, refocus and recharge. And when you do that, you can come back to your responsibilities with greater focus, commitment and enjoyment.

Remember if you don’t make your own list, then whose priority are you?

• Dr Edrica D Richardson is licenced marriage and family therapist in multiple states in the US and an AAMFT approved supervisor. She currently runs private practice in Nassau and the US. Her clinical specialities include relationship issues, stress management, family conflict and life coaching, to name a few. She works with adolescents, couples and families. For more information, visit her website at www.dredrich.com.

18 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, November 11, 2016

television

Love, loss and royalty star in Netflix drama ‘The Crown’ Alex Bailey/Netflix via AP

Claire Foy (Elizabeth II), left, and Jared Harris (King George VI) in a scene from “The Crown”.

Netflix via AP

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is known for her dedication to a demanding job. Claire Foy, who plays Elizabeth as a young ruler in Netflix’s “The Crown,” can claim the same.

Foy accepted the central role in Netflix’s 10-part series when she was pregnant, knowing that filming would begin just a few months after her daughter’s arrival.

“I’d never had a baby before, so I had no idea what I was getting myself into,” the actress said by phone from London. “But I’m so glad I made that decision.”

The series that Foy (“Wolf Hall”) jumped into reportedly is Netflix’s costliest to date, pegged at $100 million and with a second season already in production. The money is on the screen in lavish scenes such as Elizabeth’s coronation and location shooting in Scotland and South Africa.

“The Crown,” debuting Friday on the streaming service, opens in the bleakness of postWorld War II Britain, with a respite provided by Elizabeth’s marriage to Philip Mountbatten (played with sexy swagger

by Matt Smith of “Doctor Who”).

The scene in which they exchange vows is a charmer, with a nervous-looking Elizabeth coaxed along by teasing smiles from Philip. There’s no film of the ceremony, Foy said, but a preserved radio broadcast inspired the scene’s direction.

“She did sound fragile and very, very little and sort of, not unsure, but she definitely didn’t belt out her vows,” Foy said. Given Elizabeth’s youth, her longtime love for Philip and “the idea of forever and everybody you know is watch-

Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II ing you,” it was natural for her to be overwhelmed, she added.

The bride’s expectation of playing helpmate to her new husband and his naval career is ended by the death of her father, King George VI, at 56. Elizabeth was 25 when the royal responsibility she believed to be decades away passed to her.

The drama follows her early years as a monarch in a changing world, along with those in her orbit including her free-spirited sister, Princess

Margaret (Vanessa Kirby), and political leaders Winston Churchill (John Lithgow) and Anthony Eden (Jeremy Northam).

Writer and executive producer Peter Morgan didn’t come to the topic cold: He wrote the 2006 film “The Queen,” which dramatised the battering that Elizabeth and the royal family’s image took after Princess Diana’s death. It earned an Oscar for star Helen Mirren and a nomination for Morgan. Last year, Mirren’s portrayal of the queen in Mor-

gan’s play “The Audience” received a Tony Award.

For “The Crown,” Morgan’s prose rests on the findings of researchers who spent more than two years reading archives, biographies and cabinet minutes, as well as Morgan’s own conversations with people “connected to the Royal Household,” as Netflix coyly put it.

At a news conference, he acknowledged the careful dance between members of the royal family and the production.

“I think that they’re very, very aware of it,” he said, and “countless approaches” were made “through untraceable back channels.”

“And in a way that protects both sides: I want my independence and I’m sure they want their independence,” he said.

He believes the family understands the project was done with “some degree of respect,” Morgan said.

“These are people who

are used to slander, cartoons, satire. These are not people who are used to being taken seriously. And whilst that might be a terrifying prospect, I think it is also the only worthwhile way of looking at our recent history,” Morgan said.

For Foy, portraying someone with such a crafted public image was a challenge. But ultimately, she said, the goal was the same as with any part: Striving for authenticity and humanity in depicting Elizabeth’s loss of a parent, a universal experience, as she takes on “the biggest job that anyone can do.”

“That’s all you hope for when you do a drama,” Foy said. “If you’re portraying anything that anybody has been through, you don’t want people to watch it and not recognize it or feel betrayed by the portrayal of it. That’s true if you’re a queen or not.”

LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer

The Tribune | Weekend | 19

Friday, November 11, 2016

design your lifestyle

Boxes PART I

By VICTORIA SARNE

M

oving house and home, which I have done far more times than the average person, and packing boxes of stuff made me think of all the boxes I have packed and unpacked in my life and what they have represented – change of lifestyle; change of status, from single to married, to divorced; change of countries and jobs. Life changes packed into boxes.

Boxes that have contained everything from normal household items, linens, pots and pans, clothes, sometimes furniture and all the small things which we collect: photographs, books, artwork, and then those other most precious items, those made by my children years ago in school projects, some identifiable, others perhaps not, but all made specially for me. More significantly, they aren’t just items, they are bits and pieces of life – my life and my memories.

In my mind I ponder on boxes – the many ways in which the word box can be used: to describe the real, physical wood or cardboard ones into which we pack those tangible bits and pieces of our lives and then the psychological and emotional ones in which we imprison ourselves and the ones in which others place us.

I reflect on the many real boxes I have packed and what they represent as well as on the memory of the first time I changed my life by moving from England to Canada with my new husband and baby. Our lives were packed into two wooden tea chests – all that we apparently needed to start a new life in a new country. There were many subsequent moves, involving more boxes each time, until eventually in more affluent circumstances, hiring movers to pack an entire household, with every size of box imaginable.

Which brings me back to now, a solitary move by me which involved leaving the country for another and leaving a home I created and lived

Victoria Sarne

Moving day

in for 16 years, the longest I have ever lived in one place. This time I have compacted my life into eight boxes, some small, some medium sized. They contain a lot of the things that were in previous boxes, the children’s mementos, the photographs, souvenirs and notes from friends and congratulatory letters from clients.

I have had to relinquish almost all of my book collection, which felt like donating a kidney, but I can no longer cart around 300 or so books. As my son once said in exasperation to me on one of those previous moves after he had carried out 13 boxes of books, “Have you read all of these?”, and when I acknowledged that I had he said, “Then why are you taking all of them with you?” An eyebrow-raising question for me because I would naturally

assume anyone would have my point of view regarding books: “They are part of me.”

How do we pack our entire lives into a few cardboard boxes? Excluding the obvious question of cost, why do we do it? Why not just walk away, leave it all behind and start over?

Do the boxes merely contain our stuff or something more meaningful? Is it an essential ritual marking some passage of time or are we trying to capture and hold onto elusive, ephemeral but important memories? Do the contents re-assure us that everything we hunger for in life is real and tangible and those are the benchmarks which define our physical and emotional lives? Do we need to do this packing and unpacking for reasons other than the obvious ones of practicality?

Because there are the other kind of boxes, the ones in which we mentally place ourselves; where we define ourselves; where we create our identity, our persona and our personality – not only how we see and think of ourselves and our abilities, but how we present ourselves to the world at large. Do these imaginary mental boxes free us or constrain us? Can we climb out of them as easily as we sometimes seem to climb into them? Do they really offer a safe haven? Are we following our natural human instincts for sanctuary and comfort or are they a place to hide our deepest anxieties so that we don’t have to confront them?

• Victoria Sarne can be reached at vixanwriter@mac.com, or visit the website www.lifelineswritingservice.com.

20 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, November 11, 2016

books

Two Canadians sleep in coffins at Dracula’s Castle

A

Canadian brother and sister passed Halloween night curled up in red velvet-lined coffins in the Transylvanian castle that inspired the Dracula legend.

It was the first time in 70 years anyone has spent the night in the gothic fortress.

The siblings from Ottawa bested 88,000 people who entered a competition hosted by Airbnb to get the chance to dine and sleep at the castle in Romania.

Events manager Tami Varma and her brother Robin, a PhD student, are the grandchildren of Devendra P Varma, a scholar of English gothic tales and an expert in vampire lore who visited the castle in 1971.

They were asked in the competition: “What would you say to Dracula if you met him?” and Tami Varma answered that their late grandfather “was the world’s leading expert in Gothic Literature, and was considered to be an expert in Dracula. ... We would do just about anything to stay as a guest with the original vampire who inspired him.”

Adding to the eerie atmosphere, light snow fell on the 14th-century castle where Vlad the Impaler, the prince who inspired Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” novel, is believed to have stayed.

The pair arrived in a stagecoach

review JOHN Grisham’s latest novel, “The Whistler,” involves the rich and powerful and abuse of the justice system.

The Florida Board on Judicial Conduct investigates accusations involving judicial misconduct. Judges need to be impartial, but if that appears not to be the case, then a team from the BJC investigates. Lacy Stoltz and her partner, Hugo Hatch, are assigned to a potentially dangerous one when they talk to Greg Myers, someone who changed his name after being

AP PHOTO/VADIM GHIRDA

Tami Varma, right, and her brother Robin pose in coffins at the Bran Castle in Romania.

John Grisham returns with ‘The Whistler’ released from prison. He has obtained his license to practice law again, and with his connections, he has access to insider information.

He tells Lacy and Hugo that a judge has not only sent an innocent man to jail, but is also working with a corrupt casino owner and taking massive kickbacks to insure the operation stays free from potential roadblocks.

Corruption is difficult to prove, especially when nobody is talking. The judge has covered her tracks well, and

those close to her aren’t talking. A mysterious man who owns the casino might have ties to organised crime, and since it is such a huge moneymaking enterprise, he’ll do anything to keep the money coming.

Grisham novels are crowd-pleasers because he knows how to satisfy readers who want to see injustice crushed, and justice truly prevails for those who cannot buy influence.

JEFF AYERS Associated Press

drawn by two black horses as a buzzing drone filmed the event. “The nerves are kicking in. It’s becoming real, really fast,” Tami, 31, exclaimed, climbing down from the stagecoach in a slinky red dress and boots.

She told castle manager Alex Priscu she was “overwhelmed. This may be the best day of our lives.” Her brother spoke little and at times seemed embarrassed.

They were greeted inside the castle

by Dacre Stoker, the great-grandnephew of Bram Stoker and guardian of the Dracula legend who repeated the words used by Count Dracula. “Welcome to my house! Enter freely. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring!”

They were to dine later on chicken paprikash, the meal described in the 1897 horror novel. A candlelit table was set, laden with Transylvanian smoked cheeses, fruit and bottles of plum and blackcurrant brandy.

The pair recalled their grandfather’s trip to the castle 45 years ago. “He left before the sun had set, in the daytime, and he heard footsteps, somebody following him,” Tami said. “So in a bizarre and interesting way we are honouring him tonight, and we know he’s with us in the castle.”

ALISON MUTLER Associated Press

The Tribune | Weekend | 21

Friday, November 11, 2016

books

Author looks for somewhere to belong in ‘Family Happiness’

M

addie Dawson writes a charming story about family in her new novel, “The Survivor’s Guide to Family Happiness.”

Readers are transported back and forth between a mother who gave up her baby for adoption and that daughter’s eventual journey to know the story of her life.

It’s 1979 and 17-year-old Phoebe Mullen is desperate. Her parents are dead and she lives with her newly married sister in a house that clearly sits on the wrong side of the tracks from her rich boyfriend Tilton O’Malley. Phoebe had Tilton’s baby two years ago and now they are expecting another child. His mother wants her son to go off to college and pretend all is right with the world.

Thirty-five years later, Nina Popkin finds herself starting a new chapter in her life. She’s officially an orphan, thanks to her mother’s cancer, is recently divorced and wants nothing more than to find her birth mother. After reaching a potential dead-end at the orphanage where she was dropped off when she was two years old, Nina learns she has a sister, Lindy,

AMAZON PUBL ISHING

VIA AP

who lives in the same city. Lindy wants little to do with Nina or her quest to find their birth mother.

Nina doesn’t take “no” for an answer — and Lindy gives in. Together, they uncover bits of information and eventually find Phoebe. They weren’t expecting the harsh reality that their mother didn’t want to be found.

Nina falls in love with a divorced man along the way and quickly enters his world, taking his ornery teenage son and daughter under her wing. Her effervescent personality and sheer grit slowly break Lindy down, and before Nina knows it, Lindy is behaving like a loving sister instead of a stranger with many physical similarities.

Dawson weaves an endearing story of love and loss in “The Survivor’s Guide to Family Happiness.” Readers share Nina’s ups and downs as she tackles the origin of her story with optimism.

With every new discovery and every new adventure, Nina slowly realises that “belonging” is a state of mind.

LINCEE RAY Associated Press

McHale celebrates his talents in ‘Thanks for the Money’ his luscious locks are indeed not a hairpiece.

He invites readers to use his experience as a somewhat famous person to be the best household name they can be. He writes about how famous people diet and explains the task of choosing a celebrity feud that’s right for you. The book also delves into the details of his day-to-day life, answering questions such as: What would it be

like to challenge Chevy Chase in a fight? And how many head injuries can a person sustain before being hospitalised?

McHale manages to take everyday scenarios and twist them into witty and oddly relatable life lessons. The book is smart, honest and clever.

LINCEE RAY Associated Press

SONS VIA AP G P PUTNAM’S

WHEN thinking of Joel McHale, some may immediately conjure images of the actor in the cult classic “Community.” Others may know him as the host who provided enough sarcasm to fill a room in the pop culture talk show “The Soup.”

In “Thanks For the Money,” McHale is quick to point out that how you know about him is irrelevant — as long as you admit

22 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, November 11, 2016

literary lives

branwell brontë

A ruined genius overshadowed by famous sisters Sir Christopher Ondaatje exposes the troubled life and times of the least understood Brontë.

T

he Brontës were a 19thcentury literary family associated with the village of Thornton in Yorkshire, England. The sisters – Charlotte, Emily and Anne – are wellknown as poets and novelists.

They were originally published under the pseudonyms Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell.

Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” first drew the public’s attention, followed by “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë, and “Agnes Grey” by Anne Brontë. However, it was their brother Branwell who might well have inspired their Gothic stories and writings, and could have achieved literary success himself had he not succumbed to his complex set of demons.

The Brontë family can be traced back to the Irish clan Ó Pronntaigh – a family in Fermanagh. Ó Pronntaigh was later anglicised as Prunty or Brunty, and Patrick Brontë, the father of the sisters and Branwell (born Brunty), being a man of letters, changed his name to Brontë – perhaps

to hide his humble origins.

He was born in Loughbrickland, County Down, Ireland from a family of farm workers, but eventually after winning a scholarship to St John’s College, Cambridge, where he studied divinity and history, he became the Church of England perpetual curate of the parish of Haworth in Yorkshire. He was also a poet, writer and polemicist.

Branwell was the only son of the Brontë family and his father rigorously tutored him at home. His sisters, however, were sent away to boarding school. Branwell was the fourth of six children born to Patrick and his wife, Maria. His two elder sisters died before his eighth birthday affecting him a great deal, but he shared much of his younger sisters’ creative talents and was very much the leader in a series of fantasy games he created based on a set of 12 wooden soldiers which he distributed to his sisters thus creating heroes in an imaginary world “Angria” which they all wrote about, spawning their impressive literary talents.

In 1829, when only 11, he produced a magazine “Branwell’s Blackwood Magazine” which included their plays, poems and opinions. Branwell was the leader in these early literary efforts but, unlike his sisters, his strict classical education did not prepare him for any work or career. Instead, he joined the Haworth Masonic Lodge and received some artistic instruction from William Robinson, a portrait painter.

He showed some latent talent and, in 1834, painted a portrait of his three sisters, including his own image which he later painted out. The Brontë painting now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Despite their father’s influence and with the benefit of a good education, the Brontë sisters had few options open to them: marriage, work as school mistresses or becoming governesses. Thus they were forced to find positions with families educat-

Patrick Branwell Brontë from a silhouette in the possession of A B Nicholls

“Branwell fell into a welter of self pity. His impossible behaviour became increasingly embarrassing to the Brontë family and, at one time, he set fire to his bed, after which his father had to sleep in his room for their safety.” ing often rebellious young children, or as school teachers. Only Emily, who preferred roaming around in isolation on the Yorkshire moors, stayed at

home. Charlotte, however, had several teaching positions in England and in Brussels. Anne, too, became a governess, eventually working for a Mrs Rob-

The Tribune | Weekend | 23

Friday, November 11, 2016

The Parsonage, built in 1778-9 at Haworth, West Yorkshire, was the life-long home of the Brontë family. It was opened as a museum in 1928.

Branwell painted himself and his three famous sisters – (l-r) Anna, Emily and Charlotte – in c. 1834, but later chose to erase his image from the family portrait.

Branwell’s “Blackwood’s Magazine”, January 1829, with the cover made from recycled advertisements and bound with brown yarn.

inson at Thorp Green Hall near York, where she had some influence getting employment for her brother. But this was at a later date.

In 1835, Branwell Brontë applied to the Royal Academy of Arts in London, hoping to be accepted to study painting. But acceptance failed to materialise, and it was later proved that either he was too intimidated to present himself at the Academy, or that he had discovered a far more pleasant occupation in the bars and taverns of Cheapside. Certain of his paintings showed style and character such as an earlier portrait of Emily Brontë, but he returned to Haworth seriously in debt.

He continued his writing and poetry but could not find any permanent employment, drinking, boasting, and losing a brief tenure with the Robert Postlethwaite family in Broughton-inFurness for wayward and irresponsible living.

Eventually, in 1840, Branwell moved near to Halifax where he worked with the Manchester and Leeds Railway as an assistant clerk in charge of Sowerby Bridge Railway Station. He was paid £75 a year. The following year, he was promoted to “clerk in charge” at Luddenfoot Railway Station, where his salary was increased to £130. He was dismissed from this post when a deficit in the accounts of £11-1s.-7d. was discovered. This deficit was attributed to incompetence rather than theft, as the money was probably stolen by the porter while he was drinking in a nearby tavern.

A description of Branwell Brontë by Francis Leyland at the time described him as “rather below middle height, but of a refined and gentleman-like appearance, and of graceful manners. His complexion was fair and his features handsome; his mouth and chin were well-shaped; his nose was prominent and of the Roman type; his eyes sparkled and danced with delight, and his forehead made up of a face of oval form ...”

But others described him as “almost insignificantly small ... with a mass of red hair which he wore brushed off his forehead - to help his height ... small ferrety eyes, deep sunk and still, hidden by the never removed spectacles.”

In January, 1843, after nearly a year at Haworth and on the recommendation of his sister, Anne, who had been a governess to the Reverend Edmund Robinson’s young son, Branwell took up his own tutoring position in Thorp

Continued on page 24

24 | The Tribune | Weekend

Continued from page 23 Green. Rev Robinson was the wealthy owner of Thorp Green Hall at Littleouseborn, near York. Branwell was then 25 and he was given the job of tutoring the Reverend’s young son who had become unruly and too much for Anne Brontë to handle. During the 30 months Branwell worked at Thorp Green Hall he wrote to several old friends about his increasing infatuation with the Reverend’s wife Lydia (née Gisborne), a charming and sophisticated woman who, at 43, was almost 18 years his senior, and already the mother of five children. It now seems plausible that she enticed the young tutor into a secret affair which lasted two and a half years. Branwell was smitten with his employer’s wife and hoped that the relationship would lead to marriage after her husband died. In July, 1845, Rev Robinson found out about the illicit relationship and sternly dismissed the young Brontë immediately, stating that “his proceedings were discovered, characterising them bad beyond expression and charging him, on pain of exposure, to break off immediately and forever, all communication with every member of the family.”

Devastated, the love-sick Branwell returned to Haworth, increasing his drinking as well as experimenting with laudanum and opium. Charlotte’s letters at this time indicate that she was angered by her brother’s behaviour.

The disgraced Branwell penned this sonnet to his former lover which he titled Lydia Gisborne: On Ouse’s grassy banks - last Whitsuntide, I sat, with fears and pleasures, in my soul Commingled, as “it roamed without control”, O’er present hours and through a future wide Where love, me thought, should keep, my heart beside Her, whose own prison home I looked upon: But, as I looked, descended summer’s sun, And did not its descent my hopes deride?

The sky though blue was soon to change to grey I, on that day, next year must own no smile And as those waves, to Humber far away, Were gliding - so, though that hour

Friday, November 11, 2016

“He was dismissed from his post as clerk in charge at Luddenfoot Railway Station, when a deficit in the accounts of £11-1s.-7d. was discovered.

This deficit was attributed to incompetence rather than theft, as the money was probably stolen by the porter while he was drinking in a nearby tavern.” might beguile My hopes, they too, to woe’s far deeper sea, Rolled past the shores of Joy’s now dim and distant isle.

Some of his other poems appeared in local newspapers, but the ultimately tragic wastrel genius steadily declined into alcoholism and opiate addiction.

For several months after his dismissal, he regularly received small amounts of money from Mrs Robinson in an attempt to dissuade him from blackmailing his former lover and employer. Less than a year later, when Rev Robinson died, she made it very clear that she was not going to marry Branwell, informing him that Robinson’s will stipulated that if she was ever to resume her relationship with him, she would lose the estate and access to her children. On receiving this news Branwell fell into a welter of self pity.

His impossible behaviour became in-

A self-caricature of Branwell (1847) in bed waiting to die.

A self-portrait carcicature sketch

by Branwell Brontë. A resemblance to John Lennon has been noted by many. creasingly embarrassing to the Brontë family and, at one time, he set fire to his bed, after which his father had to sleep in his room for their safety.

His health deteriorated and he was reduced to begging from friends for “five-pence worth of gin”, even stealing from his father. He continued to purchase opium from the apothecary at Haworth, which might have reduced the pain from his worsening chest pains, but also brought on nightmares with the onset of delirium tremens. It is doubtful that he was ever informed of the debut novels of his sisters in 1847 for fear of depressing him further.

He died at Haworth in September, 1848, after several months of decline with tuberculosis aggravated by alco-

holism and opiate addiction. Curiously, he wanted to die standing up, which he did collapsing into his father’s arms who tearfully repeated, “My brilliant boy. My brilliant boy”, while his sister, the fearfully loyal Emily, merely commented that his condition was hopeless.

Branwell Brontë was buried in the family vault at Haworth parsonage. None of his sisters survived for very much longer. Emily died a few months later of consumption and Anne the next year of the same affliction.

Charlotte, who married Arthur Bell, her father’s curate, died of pregnancy complications in 1855.

Despite the literary fame of the Brontë sisters, in the 170 years after their deaths, the ghost of Branwell – the failed alcoholic, opium addict and philanderer – has grown to mythic proportions even though his literary achievements were far inferior to those of his siblings. Perhaps this is because he is wrongly cited as being the inspiration for his sisters’ romantic heroes, or perhaps simply because his own flawed pathetic character has provided a legendary magnet for biographers.

Whatever the reason, his tormented life is now almost better known than that of his famous sisters. He left an unfinished and unpublished novel, “And the Weary are at Rest”.

NEXT WEEK: the turbulent summer Van Gogh and Gaugin spent together • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is an adventurer and writer resident in the Bahamas. A Sri Lankan-born CanadianEnglishman, he is the author of several books, including “The Last Colonial”

The Tribune | Weekend | 25

Friday, November 11, 2016

forgotten facts

Nassau’s first airfield and the start of the jet age

By PAUL C ARANHA

I

n the accompanying 1934 drawing of the proposed Pan American Airways marine airport for Nassau, the two cars are driving on what most people think of as East Bay Street, but the name was officially changed to Mathew Avenue, in honour of George Benvenuto Mathew, Governor of the Bahamas, from 1844 to 1849.

The ramp to the left of the dock, where the seaplane is moored, is now used by BASRA and, to the west of that is the Green Parrot bar and restaurant and the new Bay Street Marina.

Once Oakes Field opened, in December 1939, landplanes quickly replaced seaplanes and the air traffic at the new airport increased steadily, until World War II, when the Royal Air Force turned the whole Oakes Field area into a military base. The area stretched from Harrold Road, in the south, to Farrington Road, in the north, and from the College of the Bahamas to the junction of JFK Drive and Harrold Road, taking in today’s Stapledon Gardens.

After the war, Oakes Field returned to civilian use and on July 18, 1946, British South American Airways (BSAA) made the first flight from London to Nassau.

It all started when an Avro 691 Lancastrian 3, christened Star Land, spent the night at Oakes Field on a routesurvey flight. Thirteen passengers filled the seats of this British-built airliner, but only two disembarked at Nassau Jocelyn and David Malcolm, who were on their way to Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, where their mother had rented a house.

Young Jocelyn liked the Bahamas, married Lorraine V B Pyfrom of Governor’s Harbour and, now known as Joy Pyfrom, still lives on the hill overlooking that settlement where I visit her every year during the Eleuthera ‘All That Jazz’ Festival, and we drink iced tea and talk about the days when she watched Bahamas Airways’

A 1934 architect’s rendition of Pan American Airways’ proposed Marine Airport on Mathew Avenue, Nassau. (Illustration: The Betty Cole Collection)

seaplanes land in the harbour below.

Oakes Field served as Nassau’s international airport until the end of 1957, when Windsor Field (built as another military field and named after the Duke of Windsor) was rehabilitated to become Nassau International Airport.

You might be surprised to know that Oakes Field was abandoned because the British Overseas Airways Corpora-

tion (BOAC), a successor to BSAA and a forerunner of today’s British Airways, was operating the world’s first civilian jet planes – the DeHavilland Comet – and planned to introduce jet service between New York and Nassau. But the runways at Oakes Field were not long enough. Not only were the Windsor Field runways longer, but there was room to make them even

longer.

Work was well underway on the new Windsor Field when the Comet ran into problems and had to be withdrawn from service. It would take many more years before the first passenger jets came to Nassau, but the work at Windsor could not be stopped.

• islandairman@gmail.com

E L D TARGET E V D THE Chambers

26 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, November21st 11, 2016 Century Dictionary (1999 edition)

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 State of Carolina if reformed (10) 6 Issue a period return (4) 10 Vegetable highly thought of in France (5) 11 A bad forecaster (9) 12 First-class fare for Olympians (8) 13 It is in fact a long claw (5) 15 Toils on, making ointments (7) 17 The cause of many a painful admission (7) 19 Mother repeatedly passes round the hat for an Asian teacher (7) 21 Horseman may give an ace turn (7) 22 New book (5) 24 Part of New York set aside perhaps (4,4) 27 It enables one to take the long view (9) 28 He tangles with cop that will mean time (5) 29 An onlooker (4) 30 They sell papers in several quarters and in streets (4,6)

1

2

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4

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Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Parsnip, 5 Axiom, 8 Suez Canal, 9 Pun, 10 Rave, 12 Grandeur, 14 Bellow, 15 Facial, 17 Inundate, 18 Zeus, 21 Doe, 22 Rigmarole, 24 Putty, 25 Angular.

Down: 1 Poser, 2 Rye, 3 Nice, 4 Penury, 5 As long as, 6 Imprecise, 7 Mongrel, 11 Volau-vent, 13 Corduroy, 14 Buildup, 16 Stigma, 19 Smear, 20 Bang, 23 Owl.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Pet lamb, 5 Light, 8 Condition, 9 Via, 10 Seam, 12 Denounce, 14 Pitied, 15 Belief, 17 Teetotal, 18 Bear, 21 His, 22 Gathering, 24 Reset, 25 Delayed.

Down: 1 Pecks, 2 Tan, 3 Avid, 4 Baited, 5 Londoner, 6 Given time, 7 Tea leaf, 11 Actresses, 13 Besought, 14 Pitcher, 16 Parted, 19 Rigid, 20 Tell, 23 Icy.

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 Review of past events (10) 6 Anxiety (4) 10 Round, flat woollen cap (5) 11 Sporadic (9) 12 Lasting only two years (8) 13 Swell outwards (5) 15 Tendency (7) 17 Act as surety for (7) 19 Brought about (7) 21 US Civil War president (7) 22 Desolate region (5) 24 Shy (8) 27 Flirtation (9) 28 Hazard (5) 29 Broad (4) 30 Speaking for oneself (10)

Down 1 Deep red gem (4) 2 Bring to an end (9) 3 Frequently (5) 4 Transitory (7) 5 A French white wine (7) 7 To register (5) 8 Misleading clue (3,7) 9 Difficult to overcome (8) 14 Venomous spider (5,5) 16 Dauntless (8) 18 Rogue (9) 20 Drive mad (7) 21 Literary learning (7) 23 Unanimous (5) 25 To mature (5) 26 Stiff, sticky earth (4)

P E O E L D E V D

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The Tribune | Weekend | 27

Friday, November 11, 2016

animals

Reaction to selling fishing rights

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n the last two weeks I have read the newspapers and Facebook posts with grave concern.

Am I really seeing that we as a nation, even for a split second, have considered, or are prepared to discuss giving up, selling, sharing our fishing rights? Has anybody stopped to consider how fragile our marine ecosystem is at present?

Have the gentlemen responsible for “giving due thought” or “examining the possibilities” looked at how the quantity of fish available to our fishermen has dwindled, how we have to enforce seasons on crawfish and grouper, and if we are not very careful the conch supply will be on its way out, too. And then everybody will panic and start yelling and screaming.

Responsible leadership means to look ahead and anticipate the problems, and do something about the situation before the problem arises, not contribute to it.

Our animal world and ecosystems are fragile, and are not given sufficient care and attention at present. Things that were prolific in my youth are now rare or practically non-existent. Much of this because of careless management of our nation.

We used to see hundreds of starfish in the sea back in the 1980s. If you were boating on a sandy bottom you would see the starfish rushing by on the bottom of the sea, so many that when I was a kid I believed that those starfish were actual stars that had fallen out of the sky. Nowadays, if you are boating and see one starfish it is cause for excitement.

Where are all those starfish, you may ask. Dead on the side of the road being sold to clueless tourists who know no better. But we should know better. We should know not to allow our seas to be pilfered by Bahamians or foreigners. We should know what to allow and what not to allow. These de-

PET OF THE WEEK

A ‘Shaggy’ dog story

By The Bahamas Humane Society

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haggy is a one-year-old terrier mix currently residing at the Bahamas Humane Society and looking for a home of her own.

She’s playful and friendly with everyone she meets – dog, cat and human alike. Shaggy would love to accompany you to the beach or for a good long walk in the cool evenings.

Do you have a place for Shaggy in your family? If so, come in to the BHS to meet her or call 323-5138 for more information. Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday. Keep an eye out for extended adoption hours in December.

PATRICIA VAZQUEZ

Animal matters Kim Aranha

Come out and shop for your pets or for that animal-lover on your Christmas list.

BHS 2016 Raffle tickets are now available at the shelter. Tickets are $2 each or a book of 54 for $100. The grand prize is $10,000 worth of groceries from SuperValue. The draw will take place on December 30 at the Mall at Marathon.

• The BHS will have a table at the Christmas Jollification at the Retreat on Village Road, November 18 - 20.

“Preserving our flora and fauna should transcend all political aspirations.” cisions should not be governed by what political party is in power or about preserving votes. Preserving our flora and fauna should transcend all political aspirations.

This latest possibility of selling certain fishing rights to the Chinese is probably one of the worst proposals ever. We know that we have had to be very forceful in protecting our sea cu-

cumbers and sharks, next will be our stingrays, our shells, our sea plants.

There is no need to bring in a different culture to plunder our resources. We already have to protect our resources from our own people who frequently get over-enthusiastic and want to fish more than the law allows.

When we have the need to rein in our own countrymen who have a vested interest in protecting our fisheries, how do you imagine for a moment that we will be able to control the fishing habits of a Chinese fishing fleet?

China is a land far away from the Bahamas with an entirely different culture; a culture that frequently ignores the needs of animals and fails to respect the fact that they have feelings or can suffer. There are parts of China where it is totally acceptable to eat dogs; there are still dog eating festivals in those areas. Shark fin soup is a delicacy, one that is served traditionally at weddings and is vastly expensive. We have a law against fishing sharks; they are protected in the Bahamas. Sharks provide a huge livelihood for many dive operators.

The sharks are practically “tame”.

How do we for a moment think that we will be able to monitor if sharks are “finned”? We will eventually find the helpless, suffering finless sharks at the bottom of the sea dying a dreadful and cruel death.

And what about the sea turtles?

Some years ago I led a very successful battle to protect the sea turtles of the Bahamas. Most turtles who are found in our country are on the endangered list. Since the Turtle Protection Act came into effect the quantities of turtles have almost tripled, much to the delight of the visitors who see them swimming by. Can we guarantee their safety?

All our lives we have looked out to our remarkable waters and known that if everything on earth went wrong we could cast out a fishing line or walk through the shallows and catch or pick up dinner. If we allow any dynamic fishing fleets from any country to come in to our waters and fish, that dream is gone.

I urge all of the individuals in a position of influence and authority to stop this now.

We have given away enough of the Bahamas. Please keep the one thing we all grew up to know would always be ours, that amazing blue sea and what’s in it, and those pristine white beaches and what they hide.

28 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, November 11, 2016

gardening

The garden after Matthew Jack Hardy advises on how to start over following the passage of a destructive Category 4 hurricane.

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or many Bahamian home gardeners Hurricane Matthew meant starting the vegetable season over again.

Seedlings and young plants that could have been producing by the end of November have had to be raised again from seed.

The only consolation I can offer is that starting and nurturing new plants provides both therapy and hope. Time is a great healer and one of these days we will look back on Matthew without tears and feelings of deprivation, frustration and exhaustion. Until then we must be Bahamian strong.

The fastest main crop we can raise is lettuce. Within weeks of sprinkling and covering seeds we can be cutting and preparing our own salads. Try a mesclun mix or open leaf variety to use while romaine and other heading lettuces are maturing. Individual leaves can be nipped off as needed for use in sandwiches and such.

There is no getting around the fact that tomatoes take four months from seed to ripe fruit, and peppers take almost as long. Check your local nursery for vegetable plants; these can be a comfort while waiting for your own veggies to become productive.

One crop that needs special attention is onions. Check your nursery for seeds, ensuring that the package you buy has “short day” in the description. Long

Open leaf lettuce can be grown quickly to replace greens lost in Hurricane Matthew. day onions will never bulb out in our subtropical conditions and we will end up with meaty scallions. Also check for long storage properties. From planting onions seeds to chopping the bulbs on a cutting board takes about six months.

Unlike tomatoes and peppers, good storage onions can be tied in bunches and hung in a dry and breezy location and last for months.

Plant your selected seeds in flats and in January set the slips out in the garden. You can expect a harvest in May once the green stems have dried down.

We will discuss onions fully next month but sowing your seeds now will put you ahead of the game.

The Romantic poet John Keats called autumn the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”. Here in the Bahamas there is little in the way of mellow fruitfulness but mists are becoming evident. What we call morning draughts tend to coat the leaves of vines – particularly cucumbers and squashes – in a damp layer that allows fungus and mildew spores to attach themselves. When the sun rises and warms the leaves these spores develop and begin to eat into the fabric of the plant and turn beautiful foliage into a skeletal mess.

The solution is to use a spray fungicide early while the leaves are green and healthy. I say solution but really the application of a fungicide is more containment than remedy. The use of

a fungicide should make it that we can pick a heavy crop of fruits before the vines succumb.

Although insect activity is less in the cooler months than in summer it still demands our attention. By far the cheapest yet very effective prevention measure is the application of soap solution to our vegetable plants. A soap spray does not kill insects but does create a hostile environment for them.

Some gardeners like to boost the soap solution with hot pepper or/and garlic, but this is not necessary. It is the stickiness of the soap that deters insects. Remember to re-apply the soap solution after heavy rain and your vegetables will remain protected. The ratio of soap to water is not critical; a little works, a lot lasts longer.

Soap solution is particularly effective at reaching the underside of leaves where most insect activity takes place.

In order to spray the leaves properly you need to sweep the leaves upright with your hand while spraying. If you are using a chemical insecticide this is a problem. With soap you only end up cleaner.

Keep your eye out for tomato horn worms on your tomato vines. These large caterpillars are capable of stripping a vine of leaves and making craters in your fruits. Although they look rather fierce with a spike towards their tail they are completely harmless. You

can pick them off with your fingers (or tongs is you are squeamish) and dispose of them according to your conscience.

Those of us who planted tomato and pepper seeds in mid-August that survived Matthew will be picking ripe fruits by the end of this month or early December. I hope we have remembered to plant new seeds in the meantime. A stand of, let’s say, half a dozen tomato vines will ripen at different times and last a family for about a month before diminishing returns become evident.

Now let’s do the math; these plants took four months to grow and one month to harvest. It is evident we must have new crops coming through if we are going to keep our family provided. New seeds should be sown every month.

It is the rare garden that has enough room to grow half a dozen different harvests of tomato. I suggest your backup tomatoes be raised in three-gallon pots and transplanted when you find space in the garden where cabbages or cucumbers or whatever have completed a cycle. Do not plant tomatoes in the same area where you remove old tomato vines. You may even find that your back-up tomato vines do so well you leave them to produce ripe fruits in the pot. If you use four-gallon or five-gallon pots you can grow one cycle of tomatoes in the ground, the next in pots, and so on. Tomato towers fit nicely into pots.

Most tomato plants are indeterminate, meaning they produce fruits for a long time after the main harvest.

The number of tomatoes produced, however, declines drastically (except for cherry tomatoes) and the perceived wisdom is to pull them up at this stage.

I can assure you that pulling up bearing tomato vines is easier to do when you have replacements just beginning to ripen. Farmers tend to use determinate tomatoes which produce one large harvest that ripens in short order, then die.

Peppers will produce over a long period – perhaps more than a year – so do not have to be sown successively. That said, it is a good idea to sow more in early spring so you have younger, more vigorous plants to get you through summer.

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