Friday, November 23, 2018
art books film fashion music food puzzles gardening history
Weekend
Island magic
A lens on life in Eleuthera
pages 4 & 5
BELLES OF THE BALL Page 14 & 15
02 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 23, 2018
The Tribune | Weekend | 03
Friday, November 23, 2018
Inside Weekend Interview 4-5 Italian photographer Alessandro Sarno immortalises the beauty of Eleuthera in new book Music 7 Bahamian songbird Wendi Lewis wins Hollywood award Food 8 - 9 Green Parrot’s evolution includes indoor dining and a breakfast menu Entertainment 10 - 11 The Bahamas International Film Festival celebrates 15 years with 50 movies, celebrity guests, workshops and more Books 12 Local author pens self-help book for aspiring writers Fashion 14-15 The Belles of the Red Ribbon Ball Film 17 - 18 ‘Creed II’ is a knock-out and ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ boast strong female characters Gardening 19 Jack Hardy revisits the topic of tomatoes Weddings 20 - 21 Childhood sweethearts find each other again to tie the knot Literary Lives 22 - 24 Sir Christopher Ondaatje on one of the US’ most brilliant authors and a darling of high society History 25 Paul C Aranha reminisces over the ‘Friendly Bank’ Puzzles 26 Animals 27 Kim Aranha on the paying tribute to animals lost in wars, plus Pet of the Week
Cover I Alessandro Sarno
My perfect Bahamian weekend Danyelle Mackey Client care representative Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch? “Every Sunday I’m ready to crash my Grammy’s kitchen for food, so let’s say I’m a Sunday lunch kinda gal.”
Q: Wine, rum, cocktail or Kalik? “I prefer wine over rum. Plus, I really think beer is yucky.”
Q: Beach or sofa?
“The beach is way more refreshing to me than the sofa. We live in paradise.”
Q: What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving season?
“The one thing I cannot live without – food! That and my crazy, cool family and friends whom I adore.”
Q: Weekend away, where would you go? “Definitely Bimini! I’ve heard so many great stories about that island. I’m dying to stay at Resorts World and actually hoping someone sees this and offers me a free trip, wink wink!”
Things 2 Do this weekend Friday
• Prohibition: The Ultimate Rum & Smoke Experience Time: 5pm - until Venue: Bullion Bar, British Colonial Hilton Enjoy the finest selections of rums from across the country, complimentary shots and savoury snacks. The first 10 guests will receive a complimentary cigar courtesy of Graycliff Humidor. • Friday Comes Alive with Patrón Time: 5pm - 2am Venue: Halcyon Restaurant Bar And Lounge Dance into the weekend, Patrón style. Happy hours is from 5pm to 8pm; dinner from 8pm to 10.30pm, and the Patrón after-party from 10.30pm to 2am. • Bringing the 90’s Back In Style Time: 5pm Venue: Studio Café, Compass Point Enjoy classic 90’s tunes with DJ Slic Vic. Happy hour goes until 8pm.
Saturday
• Salvation Army Annual Kettle Launch Time: 11am Venue: Mall at Marathon food court The annual Red Kettle programme helps to raise funds to provide
special meals for individuals and families in need, toys and clothing for disadvantaged children, personal care products for the elderly and institutionalised, and more. The launch will feature entertainment by the String City Violinists and the Royal Bahamas Police Force Pop Band. • Carey’s Rocks Christmas In-Store Fashion Show Time: 4pm Venue: Carey’s Fabric Store, Mackey Street Leading Bahamian designers David Rolle, Theodore Elyett, Javotte Bethel, Navado Dawkins, Apryl Burrows and more will have their clothes showcased. Food will be provided by POW, Corndiggity Dog and others. • Sip n’ Canvas at Café Madeleine Time: 6pm - 8pm Venue: Grand Hyatt, Baha Mar Unwind, imagine, create and go home with memorable and unique canvas art. A local guest artist will instruct the class and guide you in painting your own work of art. Enjoy two hours of painting and bottomless champagne. Tickets are $40 per person, including canvas, paints, and champagne. Please contact NASGH-cafemadeline.reservations@hyatt.com or 242-788-7363.
• “Nostalgia and Alexander” Kraft van Ermel Film Screening and Piano Concert Time: 6.30pm and 5pm on Sunday Venue: The Nassau Music Society Pianist. Composer. Spy. Wim Statius Muller is one of the Caribbean’s greatest unsung pianist-composers. Come experience a film screening featuring this composer and a piano concert of his music performed by his grandson, Alexander Kraft van Ermel. • Night at the Oscars Party Time: 7pm Venue: Blue Mansion, Westridge Join the Rotary Club of Nassau and the Rotary Club of New Providence for fun, music, dancing, food, drinks, a raffle and other entertainment. Dress up as your favourite movie character for a chance to win prizes. Tickets are $60. Proceeds from the event will go towards funding of future service projects for each club.
Sunday
• Family Movie Night – “The Greatest Showman” Time: 6pm Venue: Bahamas Harvest Church This is a free event for the entire family. Come and enjoy free popcorn and drinks while watching the musical film starring Hugh Jackman.
04 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 23, 2018
interview Ten years ago, his new-found love for the Bahamas inspired him to become a photographer and capture the beauty of the islands. Today, he tells Cara Hunt about his third coffee table book which pays tribute to Eleuthera, its people and its unique magic.
Alessandro
Sarno I t is rare that an entire country can serve as someone’s inspiration to pursue a new passion, but that is just what happened Alessandro Sarno. The Italian first visited the Bahamas in 2008 and decided that rather than being just an idyllic vacation spot, the islands would become his second home. “I had just heard about the country and I was curious and just decided that I would take a trip there. The first island I visited was Eleuthera and I loved it so much. I made friends, and after that I have returned every year and visited more islands,” Alessandro told Tribune Weekend. His love affair with the Bahamas also inspired a new hobby – photography; primarily, because he wanted to showcase the beauty of the country to the people back home. Some of the images he captured he used to make a book as a gift for a friend. As more people saw these photographs, the idea for a coffee table book formed in his mind. His first coffee table book, “Catch da Cat” was a love letter to Cat Island featuring striking images of the landscape, people, and included by island natives Patrice Francis, Garth King and Andrew Jones. His second book was dedicated to the country’s main cultural expression – Junkanoo. He has also displayed his work at
various galleries in the country and participated in The Bahamian Project, which seeks to capture photographs of unique Bahamians. Now, just in time for the holidays, the Italian photographer has released a third coffee table book called “Eleuthera: The Garden of Freedom”, the second in his island series. It was always his intention, he said, to make the coffee table books a series; either a single book for each of the larger island or grouping several smaller islands into one book. “This collection of photographs took about two years to collect, because when you showcase an island you want to get to know the sites and meet and understand the people. I probably took about 5,000 photographs and then had to go through each of them to determine which ones I wanted to include,” he said. “It was a difficult process. The first cut took us from 5,000 images to about 2,000, and then to about 600.” After that, it was selecting photographs that featured a wide selection of subjects, colours and shapes, whether in landscape or portrait format, to expand on the variety of images. Similar attention was given to the sequence of the images in the book. As he did with “Catch da Cat”, Alessandro also invited a trio of writers to provide poetry to accompany the images of
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Friday, November 23, 2018
Sarno captures life on Eleuthera
“...when you showcase an island you want to get to know the sites and meet and understand the people.”
“Eleuthera: The Garden of Freedom”: Paula Boyd Farrington, Felicity Darville and Tyrone Sawyer. Paula also assisted Alessandro with the cover for the book, painting a colourful collage of items that are synonymous with Eleuthera. “You will notice that I decided not to put a photograph as a cover of the book, instead it is a painting. And that is because I once saw a photography exhibit in New York where the photographer had gotten (Henri) Matisse to do a cover for their book and I really liked it. I told Paula what I wanted and she created the perfect cover for the book,” he explained. The final book is a stunning declaration of love and admiration for Eleuthera. This, said Alessandro, is also due to Beat Schlagenhauf, who agreed to publish the book under his company Philautia. “The first books, I didn’t have funding, and so I had to do them myself. But with Beat’s help we were able to do something that is extremely high quality and beautiful,” he said. They both agreed that the island of Eleuthera boasts a unique brand magic different from the country’s other islands. “All of the islands in the Bahamas have similarities, yet they are different. As far as the landscape goes, Eleuthera has the Glass Window Bridge, which is pretty unique, and all the beautiful cliffs and beaches,” said Alessandro. Beat added that one can feel a special energy that pervades the island. “It is a place that one feels easily at home. I found passion and love in Eleuthera,” he said. So much so, that he is in the process of building a resort on the island. “I knew Alessandro and was familiar with his work, and so it was natural for us to partner together and we will probably work on future projects,” said Beat. The pair’s mission is to introduce the island to would be visitors, and to remind residents and repeat visitors of just how beautiful the island is, and that there are places off the beaten track that even locals may not have visited or known about. “For example, there is a lake that is north of Hatchet Bay that is known for a very rare species of sea horse which many people may not be familiar with. People may not know that the country’s first female police officer came from Eleuthera and she is in the book, or that there is an Amish community on the island,” said Beat. As a pocket companion to the book, Alessandro has also created a travel guide to exploring Eleuthera. Alessandro will host a book signing and release next Wednesday at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas at 6.30pm. The contributing poets will be on hand to read their work and photographs of the book will be on display. “Eleuthera: The Garden of Freedom” will be available in several local book stores and online.
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Friday, November 23, 2018
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Friday, November 23, 2018
music
Bahamas’ Wendi Lewis wins Hollywood
award
By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
T
HE Bahamas’ very own Wendi Knight was joined big-time writers and composers like Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar and the soundtrack team of “Black Panther” in winning a Hollywood Music in Media Award last week. Other fellow winners included Songwriters Hall of Famer Diane Warren, Mark Ronson and Quincy Jones, among others. Hollywood Music in Media is the first organisation to honour original music (song and score) in all visual media from around the globe, including film, TV, video games, trailers, commercial advertisements, documentaries, and special programmes. They also celebrate emerging independent artists and music influencers from around the globe for creative and innovative contributions. Wendi, who is still honeymooning with her husband and fellow Visage bandmate Dyson Knight (the couple wed early this year), travelled to Los Angeles, California to attend the award show. It was held at The Avalon concert theatre on November 14. And with the full support of her husband, her team, fans at home and abroad, Wendi was able to snag the HMMA for Dance with her song “Attitude”. This was a win the expectant mother, was not expecting. In front of audiences at the Hollywood Boulevard theatre, Wendi said during her acceptance speech: “I and from the beautiful islands of
the Bahamas”... to which the crowd began cheering. “My husband and I came all the way here. Thank you Hollywood Music in Media. I am very pleased, happy and shocked to win this award.” Wendi went on to thank everyone who contributed to the success of the song. “I would like to thank my producer Freddy ‘Gotstykz’; Sniper; my husband who is also from Baha Men who co-wrote this song. I want to thank everyone in the Bahamas and all over the Caribbean. I am just very excited, thank y’all so much,” she said. In an earlier interview with Tribune Weekend, Wendi shared that the release of her music video for “Attitude” received a lot of mixed reactions, with some viewers criticising her for having a Haitian flag in the video.
Wendi Lewis walks the red carpet at the The Avalon theatre in Los Angeles before accepting her Hollywood Music in Media Award.
“It caused all sort of uproar. A lot of people said, ‘Oh, why is she promoting Haiti.? Isn’t this a Bahamian song?’ and I had to explain to some people that the song is about being Caribbean and nowhere in that song did I talk about being Bahamian.”
It has been a stellar year for Wendi and her team who have hit numerous musical highs this year. In late summer, for instance, she won the International Soca Award. And she has challenged herself and voice with the recent release of her bilingual single,
“Mete”, which has a Creole flair and is currently on the airwaves. She describes the single as a spicy Haitian Creole and English song written by herself, Yvrose Valcin and Dyson Knight. It is on the “Confetti Riddim” collection, which is produced by Frederick ‘Gotstykz’ Seymour, Leonardo ‘Sniper’ Rogers and Benjamin Alexander. “I don’t speak Creole, but I had a great writing partner, a Haitian Bahamian; she does it well. She helped me with my pronunciation, so I am hoping I got it right,” the artist said.
08 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 23, 2018
food
A new era for an old favourite
Green Parrot opens indoor dining and adds breakfast menu
“When you have nice breakfast, a filling one, and you spend some time in the morning to relax, you are more likely to start your day off on the right foot.”
By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
I
t started off as a grill at Hurricane Hole in the 1990s, catering to yachts whose crews and passengers did not want to travel far for a bite to eat or a cool drink after docking at Paradise Island. So The Green Parrot was opened, offering casual dining in the form of delicious bites and refreshing drinks. Word spread, and locals began working up an appetite for what The Green Parrot was serving up. Opening a second location on East Bay Street that was closer to town and easier for Bahamians to access was a natural progression. Soon, the restaurant established a reputation for offering authentic island cuisine in a fun, laidback atmosphere. Fast forward to the year 2018. The Green Parrot is still here and continues to evolve. The latest addition to the popular East Bay Street spot is a revamped indoor-outdoor dining experience and a new breakfast menu. “Green Parrot at Hurricane Hole is the original,” said Ronnessa Duncombe, marketing manager. “Bahamians wanted Green Parrot as well. We realise we wanted a bigger space and bigger location. We do
Eggs Benedict, buttermilk pancakes, grits and corned beef are just some of the items available on the new breakfast menu. service the tourists, but Bahamians are our core (clientele), that is who we love and that is who we wanted to service. So we opened up the outside deck back in 2006,” she said. Before becoming The Green Parrot of today that so many locals love, the restaurant was housed in an older building that first needed to be renovated.
Adjacent to Green Parrot was what was previously the Harbourfront Lounge. However, it is now being utilised by The Green Parrot to offer an indoor dining experience for those who do not wish to take their meals on the outside deck. “Green Parrot has had many lives,” added Ronnessa. In addition to the new spaces where patrons can dine or host private
events, a major part of the restaurant’s revamping efforts is the inclusion of a breakfast menu. “We served breakfast earlier this year but we took it off. People asked why we let breakfast go and we explained to them that that we were making some changes,” explained Ronnessa. The breakfast menu was then reintroduced early this Fall and has been hit among patrons ever since. “We wanted to make sure we are serving our customers with quality and providing them with the right product every time,” she said. “We revamped our approach to inside-outside dining. We revamped the menu, keeping a
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Friday, November 23, 2018
PHOTOS/SHAWN HANNA/KOY MARTIN/TRIBUNE STAFF
The Green Parrot is now utilising the former Harbourfront Lounge for indoor dining and private parties.
lot of the oldies and the goodies while also adding new items.” Given that breakfast is probably the most popular meal of the day for Bahamians, The Green Parrot chefs went back to the drawing board to figure out what items locals would like to see on a breakfast menu. “Of course they want tuna and grits or corned beef and grits for breakfast. So we served that,” said Ronnessa. “We wanted people to have an option between classic American fare and classic Bahamian fare. This the reason why we have eggs Benedict, the Western omelette, French toast, breakfast potatoes. We also have souse on the weekends, mimosas and have coffee all day long.” Additional breakfast dishes include buttermilk pancakes, croissant sandwiches and more.
“People really like the eggs Benedict and they also like our breakfast potatoes. We have gotten a very positive response sense introducing the menu,” said Ronnessa. The Green Parrot is open seven days a weeks for breakfast, which starts at 7am. “Breakfast is how you start your day. You know when you were growing up your parents always said breakfast it the most important meal of the day. When you have nice breakfast, a filling one, and you spend some time in the morning to relax, you are more likely to start your day off on the right foot,” said Ronnessa. While many breakfast spots in the Bahamas are grab-and-go establishments, The Green Parrot offers a space where patrons can sit back and relax on a couch, dine at the indoor bar, or take in the view of the harbour on the outside deck.
10 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 23, 2018
entertainment
Will and Jada Smith’s
‘Sprinter’
By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@ tribunemedia.net
comes to Nassau
“S
printer,” the acclaimed sports drama produced by Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, will be officially opening the 2018 Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF).
The film, shot on location in Jamaica, stars Dale Elliot as Akeem Sharp, a teen burdened by an unstable father and an unruly older brother, who hopes that becoming the island’s next track and field sensation will reunite him with his mother, who has lived illegally in the US for over a decade.
Producers Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Dale Elliot stars as Akeem Sharp “It’s a universal story authentically rooted in the Caribbean’s diasporic experience while lifting the veil on Jamaica’s renowned track and field culture,” said producer Robert Maylor. “Storm (writer Storm Saulter) eschews stereotypical images of Jamaica while adeptly crafting an entertaining, coming-of-age journey the region is already rallying behind with anticipation and well wishes for a global splash.” The Smiths released a statement saying the film is proof that “powerful storytelling can emerge when talented voices like Storm’s are given amplification, access, and opportunity.” “This is a timely story of a family’s reunification, and we cannot wait to share it with the Bahamian audience,” said Will and Jada. Storm Saulter wrote and directed the drama which stars newcomer Dale Elliott, Kadeem Wilson (“Ghett’ A Life”), Dennis Titus (“The Mighty Quinn”), Shantol Jackson (“Yardie”), Bryshere Y Gray (“Empire,” “The New Edition Story”), with Lorraine
Toussaint (“Selma,” “Orange Is The New Black,”), and David Alan Grier (“The Wiz Live,” “The Carmichael Show,” “In Living Color”). “Sprinter is one of the best Caribbean films that I have seen in a long time. It is a story of hope with some of the finest performances,” said Leslie Vanderpool, BIFF’s founder. “Storm Saulter is a top new directing talent to watch out for. We are extremely proud to celebrate the showcase of a Caribbean and universal film at BIFF, what we anticipate will be a landmark film festival.” BIFF 2018 begins Wednesday, November 28, and runs through Thursday, December 2 in Nassau. The festival travels to Hope Town, Abaco, December 2-6. “Sprinter” will be shown on Wednesday, November 28, at 7.30pm on the Palm Lawn of the Grand Hyatt , Baha Mar. Tickets are $50 for general admission and includes drinks and the after-party, or $100 for VIP which additionally includes food.
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Friday, November 23, 2018
entertainment
BIFF celebrates swimming pigs, Sundance winners, cosplayers and more By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net
T
he Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) this month celebrates its 15th year with a slate of more than 50 films from all over
the world. The festival takes place from November 28 through December 2 in Nassau, before heading to Hope Town, Abaco, December 2-6. Among the featured films will be the closing film, “Pigs of Paradise”, about the world-famous swimming pigs of Exuma. The film, which was directed by Charlie Smith, will be shown at the festival’s final night party in Nassau on Saturday, December 1, in the Andros Room at the Baha Mar Convention Centre. Tickets are $50 for general admission, which includes the film and entry to the party, and $100 for VIP, which includes the film, drink, food and the party. There will also be a special student film showcase which is the result of BIFF’s three-week film workshop on pre-production, production and postproduction. The film was directed by students from R M Bailey, D W Davis, Columbus Primary School, the Senior Citizens Charity and the Bahamas Correctional Facility. Other notable films to be shown at BIFF this year include the Sundance Film Festival winner “The Miseducation of Cameron Post”, starring Chloë Grace Moretz of “Kick-Ass” fame. It is set in 1993 and tells the story of teenage girl who is forced into gay conversion therapy by her conservative guardian. Meanwhile “Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland” is a powerful documentary about the 28-year-old political activist from Chicago. She was arrested for a traffic violation in a small Texas town and was found hanging three days later in her cell. Fans of San Diego’s Comic Con, will enjoy “Cosplay Universe”. The film explores the rise of the global Comic
“Pigs of Paradise”
“Cosplay Universe”
“The Miseducation of Cameron Post” Con sub-culture and the evolution of cosplay, the art of becoming a character that you love. In addition to the films and documentaries, there will be several panel discussions, including a breakthrough discussion featuring Simone Missick from Marvel’s “Luke Cage” series, Jason Hanna from “Black Panther”, and “Rain” filmmaker Maria Govan. It is open to the public at a cost of $20 and will be held on Saturday, December 1, at 11am in the Baha Mar Convention Centre. Another discussion will take place on crowd funding and a blockchain
“Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland”
panel will be held at the Compass Point Beach Resort on Saturday, December 2, at 10.30am. Two panel discussions will take place in Hope Town. The first will be held on the topic of development production and international sales on December 4, and a workshop entitled “Your Pitch” will take place on Wednesday, December 5. Tickets for most of the screenings are $15 with discounts for seniors and students ($8); groups of six or more pay $6. Film packages are $30 for a day or $100 for a week pass. For a full list of films and show times visit the Bahamas International Film Festival website, www.bintlfilmfest. com.
12 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 23, 2018
books
Local author asks, ‘Are you ready to publish?’
B
ahamian author Teri M Bethel believes that everyone has a story to tell. But to get your story to the people, if that is what you wish to do, you will most likely need professional advice. Mrs Bethel, who has written 12 books, including “My Marriage Matters” and “Love on Maruba Island” has now released her latest self-help book aimed at aspiring authors. “Are You Ready to Publish Your Book?”, she said, was written to serve as a guide for those contemplating publishing but are uncertain of the steps to be taken. Like many first-time authors, Mrs Bethel said she used several well-known publishing houses for producing her books. While the final product was excellent, she noted the process was AUTHOR Teri M Bethel
THE TOP 10 AUDIOBOOKS ON AUDIBLE.COM By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Audible.com best-sellers for week ending November 16: 1. Have a Nice Day by Billy Crystal & Quinton Peeples, narrated by
a lengthy one and not as clear as she would have liked it to be. In today’s world, she said, there are many simpler and more cost effective methods for publishing a professional looking book. For a newbie author it helps to have an understanding of what publishing entails before jumping into the project headfirst. “Are You Ready to Publish Your Book?” said Mrs Bethel, makes the publishing process easy to understand; it shares information that will help writers to bring a refined product to the publishers as well as providing information on the various types of publishers. “Quite often writers add too many non-essential matter to their manuscripts which usually ends up with a rejection or instructions to remove the unnecessary items,” she said. “Having the basic information in advance eliminates delays in this regard.” Mrs Bethel hopes what she shares in her book will help writers “uncap their writing well” to begin publishing multiple quality books. Mrs Bethel believes that everything becomes simple with information and instruction. “Many writers are holding up on publishing their work simply because of a fear for the unknown.,” she said. “The publishing process, in their mind, is overwhelming.” Mrs. Bethel insists that it is no longer necessary to wait decades or
to sell your land to publish a book; publishing has become quick and affordable. After years of trial and error with vanity press publishers, she decided it was time to produce a book that would simplify and even make the publishing experience enjoyable rather than burdensome. “I received so many calls regarding the how-to’s of publishing that I decided that it would be better to produce a book that would help people through the process,” she noted. “The Bahamas has a massive writing pool that remains untouched. Most of the writers feel the need to share their experience, wisdom or skill, but have yet to transition to the publishing mode. The short stories, poetry, survival stories, history and scholarly books as well as inspirational materials which in some cases were written years ago, lay buried in jump drives or filed manuscripts.” Bahamian talent in many instances is on par with international authors in content and quality. Dr Susan J. Wallace, a former educator and Christian counsellor, has published 12
books, ranging from her early books of comedic poems and skits to empowering material. The late Dr Myles Munroe’s numerous books have not only impacted the Bahamas and the English-speaking world, but have been translated in several languages. As mentioned in “Are You Ready to Publish Your Book?” there are common mistakes new authors make in book publishing that can be avoided. The book highlights one of the biggest mistakes: the failure to have the manuscript professionally edited at an international standard, coupled with a humdrum book cover. Another issue that is highlighted is the use of non-standard fonts and a cluttered, unattractive layout. Mrs Bethel assures writers that if they have a positive message to share, publishing a book is perhaps one of the better ways to share that message. “Are You Ready to Publish Your Book?” is available in Nassau at Logos Bookstore, Nassau Stationers and The Bible Book & Gift Centre, as well as on Amazon.com in Kindle and paperback formats.
Justin Bartha, Annette Bening, Dick Cavett, Auli’l Cravalho, Billy Crystal, Rachel Dratch, Darrell Hammond, Christopher Jackson, Kevin Kline, Robin Thede & a full cast 2. Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci, narrated by Brittany Pressley & Kyf Brewer 3. Look Alive Twenty-Five: A Stephanie Plum Novel by Janet Evanovich, narrated by Lorelei King 4. The Retreat by Mark Edwards, narrated by Simon Mattacks 5. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, narrated by Cassandra Campbell
6. The Cutting Edge by Jeffery Deaver, narrated by Edoardo Ballerini 7. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty, narrated by Caroline Lee 8. The Reckoning: A Novel by John Grisham, narrated by Michael Beck 9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J K Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale 10. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate & Patricia Castelao, narrated by Adam Grupper
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Friday, November 23, 2018
celebrity
PART
I
The Weekend Fashion Report 2018 Governors Awards
SPLIT
FAIL
SPLIT
HIT
Cicely Tyson honorary Oscar winner
Ke$ha singer
Emily Blunt “Mary Poppins Returns”
Rashida Jones “Angie Tribeca”
Karin says: “This looks like an astronaut’s version of a formal gown. I know it was her big night, so she gets to wear exactly what she wants...and she didn’t go for the matronly look more mature women so often go for, so kudos. But those gloves are a bit much.’ Cara says: “Ms Tyson never disappoints, she doesn’t wear clothes, she wears ‘creations’. The only thing I’m not 100 percent feeling are the gloves – a bit too space age for me.”
Karin says: “Ke$ha has had a rough couple of years, so she can be forgiven for his pink, sparkly monstrosity. A Muppet could wear this. Anyone else? No. It might not have even been that hideous if she had left off that feathered boa around her chest.” Cara says: “Let me frank, I don’t like it at all. The sewn-on feather boa just hits at the wrong spot. It looks like her boobs are being hugged by a big pink bird. The shoes are also a hot mess and the dress isn’t the cutest.”
Karin says: “At first glance I absolutely hated it. Thought it looked like a tacky circus outfit. But it has grown on me. I’m not 100 percent loving it, but I can appreciate that it’s bold and something different. But it sure is a lot of bright yellow gold on display.” Cara says: “The details on this twopiece combo are pretty impressive. It’s a lot, but at the same time, it’s not really too much. I feel the midriff does a lot to help to break up all that gold.”
Karin says: “I normally hate caftans for the red carpet on women under the age of 70, but she is actually pulling it off. It looks comfy and stylish. Just something about how it falls. The cut-out and the colour combo helps as well.” Cara says: “This is so lovely. Sometimes it can be hard to pull off the muumuu look without it looking like you are wrapped in a bed sheet. But Rashida is bringing it. I especially love the bow at the collar; such a great fashion accessory.”
• See page 16 for more hits and misses from the red carpet
PHOTOS/JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION/AP
With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt
16 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 23, 2018
celebrity
PART
With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt
HIT
FAIL
FAIL
SPLIT
Danai Gurira “The Walking Dead”
Amy Adams “Sharp Objects”
Regina King “Watchmen”
Rosamund Pike “A Private War”
Karin says: “I don’t like the flowers. If those had been big jewel-shaped rhinestones it would have looked so much better; but I don’t like the floral and metallic themes mixing. Otherwise, she looks stunning. The gold is fantastic on her, as is the silhouette of the dress.” Cara says: “I think she looks amazing, really pretty and elegant. We see a lot of metallic and I love that she softened it up with the flowers. I also like the braided take on the classic updo.”
Karin says: “The saying is to wear your heart on your sleeve, not on your... well, heart itself. I love when redheads wear pink, so the colour combo here looks pretty, but the design of this very conservative looking gown just ages her.” Cara says: “Amy, nooooo. What were you thinking? You don’t come out in your mom’s dress. It’s just not flattering at all. I love you, but this is one of your worst looks.”
Karin says: “She’s not even wearing pasties! How daring! Or how tacky... it just comes across as a bit desperate, showing that much chest. The rest of the poufy, pale pink dress is OK, but it does look a bit too bridal for my liking.” Cara says: “As my Grandma used to say, not everything that fits you, you are supposed to wear. This dress is lovely on the hanger, but I don’t think it’s very flattering, especially at the top. Sorry, Regina.”
Karin says: “She looks like she’s about to go disco dancing with John Travolta in ‘Saturday Night Fever’. I guess it’s an unusual outfit (I would have liked it better without shredded sleeves), but without a Bee Gees track playing in the background, it doesn’t quite work.” Cara says: “Another metallic look I absolutely love. I love the cascading sleeves, and the neckline. I can see me wearing this. This is hands down my favourite this of the week.”
PHOTOS/JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION/AP
The Weekend Fashion Report 2018 Governors Awards
II
R n a (
The Tribune | Weekend | 17
Friday, November 23, 2018
film
‘Ralph’ sequel packs a punch with
strong female
characters LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Ralph Breaks the Internet” may star an arcade bad guy with powerful hammerlike fists, but the animated sequel is also packing a punch with strong female characters. Sarah Silverman, who returns as the voice of Vanellope von Schweetz, credits Disney for including more impactful female roles in the new film, which comes out Friday. Her character is one of the leading ladies, along with new cast members Gal Gadot’s Shank and Taraji P Henson, who plays Yesss. “I love it,” said Silverman, an outspoken comedian known for advocating for women’s rights. “You see how far Disney has allowed itself to grow and change, and be more inclusive and more progressive? You can’t keep on existing if you don’t change and grow with the times. With me, Taraji and Gal’s character, it’s nice to see.” In the past, Disney has been criticised for having a lack of self-sufficient female characters who focused more on their physical appearance and being reliant on a man. That pattern began to change over the years in films such as “Tangled,” ‘‘Brave” and “Frozen.” With the “Ralph” sequel, the studio is taking “girl power” a step further as directors Phil Johnston and Rich Moore wanted to incorporate more “strong and complicated” female characters. “This studio is the birthplace of a lot of these stereotypes,” said John C Reilly, the voice of the massive, overall-wearing Ralph. “It’s really an amazing and commendable thing that Disney has recognised. ... As a man, it’s not really my lane to talk about these issues. But I do think if things are going to change, men and women have to both talk about this stuff and embrace gender equality, and think of women’s rights as humans. I was a strong advocate for balance in our story.”
The sequel is a follow up to the 2012 Oscar-nominated “Wreck-it Ralph.” This time, Ralph and Vanellope’s friendship is tested after leaving Litwak’s video arcade to travel through a Wi-Fi connection that ultimately delivers them into the fast-paced internet dimension. They venture into an
unfamiliar world exploring major brands from Twitter to Amazon, online shopping, the dark web and visits inside Walt Disney Studio’s website. Johnston said the film’s imaginary of the internet mimics the look of a New York City or Tokyo. It’s where Ralph and Vanellope meet Gadot’s Shank, a
Video game bad guy Ralph and fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz venture into the expansive and thrilling world of the internet.
gritty street-racing star, and Henson’s Yesss, who is the head algorithm of the trend-making website BuzzzTube. “It’s like they’re small-town kids who are now in the big city,” said Moore, who directed the first “Ralph” film and the Academy Award-winning “Zootopia.” ‘‘This is a movie about change. I’m glad that we took the more challenging road.” “Ralph Breaks the Internet” offers an animated glimpse inside their parent company’s website showing several characters from Marvel to “Star Wars.” The film also highlights the Disney princesses in a scene where all stereotypes and cliches associated with the animated icons are dealt with head-on. Initially, the princess scene faced backlash from fans in August after a publicity photo surfaced online showing Princess Tiana with lighter skin and a thinner nose compared to the version in the black character’s stand-alone Disney movie, “The Princess and the Frog.” The studio ultimately reanimated the character after meeting with actress Anika Noni Rose, who voiced Tiana in the 2009 film, and members of Color of Change, a civil rights advocacy organisation. “Our goal is to make this film as perfect as possible as we can,” Johnston said. “I hope everyone knows we love this character as much as anyone.”
Vanellope von Schweetz hits the internet where she encounters and then befriends the Disney princesses.
18 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 23, 2018
film
review
‘Creed II’ goes more than the distance. It’s a KO CREED II RUNNING TIME: 128 MINS
T
he weight of legacy hangs heavily over “Creed II.” Not just for most of the characters, who must come to grips with their own family histories. But also for the filmmakers, tasked with making a sequel to a successful spin-off of a beloved franchise. It would put any film on the ropes. Not this one. “Creed II “ pulls off a rather amazing feat by adding to the lustre of its predecessor and propelling the narrative into a bright future while also reaching back to honour its past, resurrecting unfinished business from “Rocky IV” and adding a dash of “Rocky III.” Pound per pound, the sequel might even be better than its predecessor. Steven Caple Jr replaced Ryan Coogler in the director’s chair this time but there is plenty of continuity: Michael B Jordan returns as Adonis Creed, with Sylvester Stallone by his side as former heavyweight champ and trainer Rocky Balboa. Also back: Tessa Thompson as Creed’s love interest, Phylicia Rashad as Creed’s mom, and Wood Harris as a coach. Max Kellerman is ringside again as color commentator. The sequel pits Creed against manmountain Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago, who killed Adonis Creed’s father, Apollo Creed, in the ring in “Rocky IV.” That stirs up trauma for Rocky, who feels responsible for the elder Creed’s demise. Rocky went on
Michael B Jordan stars as Adonis Creed and Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa
Viktor Drago vs Adonis Creed in Creed II to avenge the death by beating the elder Drago but we also now learn what that disgrace meant for the Dragos. This film is about ghosts as much as it is a meditation on fatherhood. At one point Kellerman says the showdown between the sons of Creed and Drago is almost like a Shakespearian drama and — laugh if you must — it feels sort of right here. Desire — or lack of it — plays a key role in “Creed II” since we meet young Adonis as the new champion, at the top. Viktor Drago is at the bottom, hauling cement in Ukraine and burning for family redemption. “My son will
break your boy,” Ivan Drago threatens Rocky, who sort of agrees. “When a fighter’s got nothing to lose he’s dangerous,” he warns Creed. “Listen, that kid was raised in hate. You weren’t.” Dolph Lungren returns as the elder Drago and there’s even an appearance by Brigitte Nielsen, who plays Drago’s wife in 1985 and was a real-life wife of Stallone. (Talk about keeping it in the family.) Caple matches Coogler’s moody, gritty vision of a brutal sport conducted by mostly honourable men trying to outwit each other. There’s plenty of gore, slo-mos of smashed
heads and “Rocky” trademarks — the glorious montages with uplifting music as fighters prepare for their shot in the ring. (Prepare to look away if you are fans of massive truck tyres — many get horrible beat downs.) Stallone got his mitts on the script — after having had a role penning all the “Rocky” films but sitting out writing “Creed” — and teams up with Cheo Hodari Coker, creator of the Netflix superhero hit “Luke Cage.” Onscreen, Stallone returns with his dark fedora and small bouncing ball, shuffling about and mumbling, allowing his sad eyes to do the bulk of his acting. It’s in the small moments between crusty Stallone and cocky Jordan where the film finds its sweet spot. “What are you fightin’ for?” the elder man asks the younger. Jordan proves again that he’s a film force to be reckoned with, capable of searing and savage intensity and yet also goofy softness. This time, his swagger is tested and he must overcome intense pain and anguish. Watching him get up off the canvas again and again will make even the most uncharitable viewer cheer. As Adonis, he wants to carve his own legacy away from his father’s: “This is our chance to rewrite history. Our history,” Creed tells Rocky. MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer
The Tribune | Weekend | 19
Friday, November 23, 2018
gardening
Tomatoes revisited Jack Hardy gets down to the nitty-gritty and tells us all we need to know about tomatoes
S
everal people have asked me recently if it is time to plant tomatoes. When I tell them I am waiting for my first tomato of the year to ripen they get the message. So many gardeners have left matters late that I believe it would be a good idea to revisit the subject of tomatoes. Tomatoes love alkaline soil, so they thrive in the Bahamas. All we have to do is amend the soil with peat moss to help retain moisture and add nutrients using granular fertilizer and/ or compost. Thereafter, we water regularly and pick off caterpillars now and then to keep the vines happy and the tomato plants respond with a heavy harvest to keep us happy. I use the words “water regularly” advisedly. Tomatoes should never be placed under water stress while bearing fruit as this often leads to blossom end rot. Give yourself a schedule and keep to it. Water every evening or every morning. Better still, water in the morning on day one, the evening on day two, skip day three, and start all over again. Tomato seeds can be started in seed beds and transplanted to the garden when about a foot tall. Safer yet is to transfer the seedlings to gallon pots when a few inches tall and keep them there to develop a healthy root system before transplanting.
When your tomatoes reach adolescence it is a good idea to add triple phosphate around the plants and work it lightly into the top surface of the soil. Phosphate will increase yields. Tomato vines can also be given the treat of a Miracle-Gro spray every now and then. Make it a habit to pick off the lower stems as they turn yellow. In cooler countries with shorter growing seasons some of the growth points are nipped away. This pruning is unnecessary in The Bahamas but will supply the means to grow new plants. We Bahamians are influenced by our US neighbours in many ways, and Americans like large tomatoes. Go to a European market and you will immediately notice European tomatoes are considerably smaller; big enough, but
smaller. Large tomatoes take longer to grow, of course, and usually have less flavour. Have you noticed how cherry tomatoes usually taste better than full-sized tomatoes? Why not stop wrapping half a giant tomato and storing it in the refrigerator. At this stage of the season I would recommend buying some developed plants from your local nursery plus a package or two of tomato seeds that catch your fancy. The grim truth is that tomatoes from seed take almost four months to produce ripe fruit so the nursery can help us steal a march. If you know you have nematode problems with your soil I would recommend Celebrity tomato which has medium-sized fruits and great nematode resistance. Celebrity is a pink tomato, but when you move on to your second choice, why not get away from red and pink and choose a yellow variety. Yellow tomatoes are lower in acid and easier to digest. Once you have fallen in love with yellow you may wish to experiment with purple, green, orange, black and blue. For these you need to move from hybrid tomatoes to heirlooms. Heirloom tomatoes are, as the name suggests, old-fashioned varieties that
The popular Cherokee Purple heirloom tomato
have stayed around for a long time. Except for a few exotic shapes the reason heirlooms have survived is their taste. No matter how seed companies advertise certain hybrids as having “heirloom taste” the truth is that heirloom tomatoes have distinctly superior flavour that has never been matched by hybrids. Perhaps the most famous heirloom is Brandywine that bears large pink fruits on massive vines with potato leaves. Amazing as the fruit tastes, you will probably get a mere three or four from a giant vine. Heirlooms have their faults too. Very popular in recent years is Cherokee Purple, which – for truth in advertising – should probably be called Cherokee Puce. The brownishred colour needs a lot of imagination to be called purple. The shoulders are usually cracked, but who eats tomato shoulders anyway. A medium-sized fruit, Cherokee Purple makes up for all its faults in its taste. Black tomatoes from the Crimean area of the Ukraine have become popular heirlooms. Again, they are not really black but are definitely dark, and the flavour is rich and savoury. Black Krim and Black Sea Man are good examples of the type. Green tomatoes cause a little consternation because we are used to thinking of green as unripe as in ‘fried green tomatoes’. When green tomatoes ripen they display shades of gold or pink in the skin. Every green heirloom I have tasted has been meaty with few seeds and packed with flavour. Amish Orange is a lovely heirloom and one of my favourites. There are no blue heirlooms but the ones I have grown were open pollinated so you could perhaps call them apprentice heirlooms. Blue Beauty is a full-sized tomato that develops dark areas on the skin where the sun reaches. A cherry tomato called Indigo Rose has the same sort of colouration. Cherry tomatoes start producing appreciably earlier than slicer tomatoes and provide irresistible sustenance as one walks around the garden. They are great for cutting in half and adding to salads but some people complain they are too juicy and seedy. Grape tomatoes tend to be meatier and have fewer seeds and are perfect for halving and adding to salads and many other dishes. • For queries and comments e-mail jacktribune242@gmail.com
20 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 23, 2018
weddings
Love blossoms between
childhood friends By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net
A
childhood friendship blossomed into romance for a young couple who first met in the first
grade. Imani Dames and her husband Ethan both attended St Anne’s School, where they actually dated for a while in the ninth grade. “We actually stayed connected even after graduation and then
we eventually reconnected and got together,” Imani told Tribune Weekend. Along the way they also gave birth to their son Isaiah. A few years later, just before Ethan was to be transferred to work at Morton Salt in Inagua, he proposed to Imani during a family game night. “We were all playing ‘Heads Up’ – a game where your team acts out a word that is on a card or your cell phone held to your forehead – and you have to guess what it is.”
Friday, November 23, 2018
“It was my turn to guess and everyone was motioning for me to turn around and I didn’t know what was going on, but when I finally turned around, Ethan was on his knee and proposed,” she said. Imani admits that she was a very hands-on bride when it came to planning her wedding. “I have to say it was very stressful, because I planned the whole thing myself, and Ethan tended to let me decide things.” Despite the stress, the couple’s dream day of a relaxed but nature-filled ceremony and reception came to life. “Our ceremony was held at Christ Church Cathedral and then our reception was held at the Bacardi Pavilion. We had between 150 and 175 people at our wedding,” she said. Imani said they started actively planning their wedding late last year. “Our vision was to have an island chic feel, and so we went with lots of rose gold and more palm trees rather flowers, because that is really our style. “ The bride’s hard work paid off and the day went very well. “I would say that nothing particularly went wrong. The biggest thing I would say that happened was that I had a booked an emcee and at the last minute he cancelled and so I had to book someone else who was coming from another function, so he ended up arriving late, but in the meantime one of the groomsmen got the programme and started the reception until he arrived. I think that was the biggest thing that went wrong.” Imani’s advice to other couples is to remember the real focus of the wedding: a celebration of the commitment the couple is making. “Don’t take the time you are engaged for granted. Use that time to enjoy your partner,” she said. “You also need to work together as you are planning your wedding, because this is really the first chance you have to work together as a cohesive unit.” “A wedding is not just about the one day, it is about starting your life together.”
The Tribune | Weekend | 21
PHOTOS/SHAWN HANNA
22 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 23, 2018
literary lives – truman capote part i
In cold
ink
Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about the brilliant author of Southern descent – best known for his books “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “In Cold Blood” – who evolved from a small, shy boy, to the toast of New York high society.
Truman Capote (1924 - 1984)
T
ruman Capote was born Truman Streckfus Persons on September 30, 1924 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was a neglected son who spent most of his young life in the care of his mother’s relatives in Monroeville, Alabama. It was in Monroeville that he befriended a young Harper Lee who, in later life, wrote the best-selling novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1960), which won a Pulitzer Prize and became a classic of modern American literature. Capote was a sensitive young boy, often bullied by other children, while Lee was an independent tough minded tomboy. They had no idea that one day they would both be successful writers.
Capote as a young boy
Capote saw little of his father and mother in Monroeville. When he was eight years old, after his father and mother divorced, he moved with his mother and her new husband to New York. It was his stepfather who changed his stepson’s name to Truman Garcia Capote in 1935. The young Capote went to a private Manhattan school from 1933 to 1936 and developed a gift for telling stories. However, his mother did not like his effeminate ways and, wanting him to be more like other boys, made the rash decision to send him to a military academy for with disastrous consequences. Being somewhat small, he was bullied by his fellow cadets and two years later had to be returned first to New York, and then to Greenwich High School when his mother and stepfather moved there in 1939. There, he started to be noticed as a writer and entertainer and became popular with a group of friends who sought escape in smoking and drinking at Capote’s house. They also managed to sneak their way into some of the better known night spots of Greenwich and New York. It was during Capote’s heady early teenage years that his mother’s drinking became a real problem, which made his home life increasingly unstable. In 1942, they returned to New York and Capote’s student life at the Franklin School was practically non-existent. He preferred to spend his nights, avoiding his protective mother, and carousing with his new friends Oona O’Neill (the daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill, writer Agnes Boulton, and her friend Gloria Vanderbilt. Truman Capote got his first job as a copyboy for The New Yorker magazine. But they wouldn’t publish his short stories. He left The New Yorker to write full time and started work on a novella Other Voices, Other Rooms. However, Capote’s first successes were his short stories. In 1945, Mademoiselle editor, George
23 | The Tribune | Weekend
Davis, published his story “Miriam” about a curiously strange girl. This story got the attention of Harper’s Bazaar fiction editor Mary Louise Aswell, who ran another strangely dark story “A Tree of Light” that same year. “My Side of the Matter”, and “Jug of Silver” helped launch Capote into New York’s elitist literary world. He continued to work on his novella and the following year “The Headless Hawk” was published in Mademoiselle. Accepted into Yaddo, a famous artists’ colony in New York State, Capote fell in love with Newton Arvin – a college professor and literary scholar – his first public homosexual encounter. That year, 1946, Capote won the prestigious O Henry Award for his short story “Miriam”. “Other Voices, Other Rooms”, about a young boy who was sent to live with his father in a decrepit old Southern plantation after his mother died, was published in 1948 to mixed reviews. It was criticised for its overt homosexual theme. Also in 1948, Capote met the author Jack Dunphy and the two writers began a 35-year affair where they lived together, travelled together in Europe, and worked on their own literary projects. “A Tree of Light”, a collection of short stories, was published in 1949; “Local Colour”, a series of travel essays in 1950, and a second novel, “The Grass Harp” came out in 1951. This last work was adapted for the stage in 1952, but closed after 36 performances. Capote also worked on film scripts: “Stazione Termini” (released as “Indiscretion of an American Wife” in the United States) starring Jennifer Jones and Montgomery Clift, and “Beat the Devil” starring Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones and Gina Lollobrigida. His brilliant screenplay of the Henry James novel “Turn of the Screw” would not be produced until 1961 as “The Innocents”. In 1954, Capote’s story about a Haitian bordello “House of
Friday, November 23, 2018
For his Southern Gothic novel “Other Voices, Other Rooms”, Capote posed for a photo that was used on the back cover of the book, instantly making him the literary world’s ‘pinup’ boy.
Capote first found fame at age 23 with the publication of “Other Voices, Other Rooms”.
Brooklyn Heights decorating with taste and elegance. It was here that Patti Hill interviewed him for Paris Review: “Capote himself fits in very well with this impression at first glance. He is small and blond, with a forelock that persists in falling down into his eyes, and his smile is sudden and sunny. His approach to
anyone new is one of open curiosity and friendliness. He might be taken in by anything and, in fact, seems only too ready to be. There is something about him, though, that makes you feel that for all his willingness it would be hard to pull any wool over his eyes and maybe it is better not to try.” It was a revealing interview.
Continues on page 24 Flowers” made its debut on Broadway with Pearl Bailey, Alvin Ailey and Diahann Carroll, but the musical closed after 165 performances. It was in 1954, too, that his mother died causing him great anguish. He had always had a mother complex and now he realised he was an orphan. Ambitious socially, Capote catered to the whims and fancies of the wealthy elite and involved himself whenever he could with society in New York and Palm Beach: Jackie Kennedy and her sister Lee Radziwell, C Z Guest, Gloria Guinness, Babe and Bill Paley. He was a curiosity and was becoming something of a celebrity himself with the acceptance and popularity of his literary creations. He was amusing and had a quick intelligent mind. He loved being part of the so called jet-set – something he would eventually betray. Capote in a rare photo with author Jack Dunphy, with whom he had a 35-year-long relationIn 1957, Truman Capote lived in a large yellow house in ship.
The Tribune | Weekend |24
Friday, November 23, 2018
Capote in his New York apartment in 1947. Capote’s novella “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, which was turned into a film with Audrey Hepburn in 1961, was a major literary success. Continued from page 23
“When I was a child of about ten or eleven ... There was a children’s page with contests for writing ... The prize for the short-story writing contest was either a pony or a dog ... I wanted it badly. Noticing the activities of some of the neighbours who were up to no good ... I wrote a kind of roman à clef called ‘Old Mr Busybody’ and entered it in the contest. The first instalment appeared one Sunday, under my real name Truman Streckfus Persons. Only somebody suddenly realised that I was serving up a local scandal as fiction, and the second instalment never appeared. Naturally, I didn’t win a thing.” Capote explained that he always wanted to be a writer – but wasn’t sure he would be until he was 15 when he had immodestly started sending stories to magazines and literary quarterlies. At 17 he had his first, second and third acceptance in the same morning’s mail. Dizzy with excitement – the die was cast. “Short stories. All my unswerving ambitions still revolve around this form ...The short story seems to me the most difficult and disciplining form of prose writing extant. Whatever control and technique I may have I owe entirely to my training in this medium.
Capote and Harper Lee, who won the Pulitzer Prize for “To Kill a Mockingbird”, were friends since childhood. “I mean maintaining a stylistic and emotional upper hand over your material ... a story can be wrecked by a faulty rhythm in a sentence – especially if it occurs toward the end – or a mistake in paragraphing, even punctuation. Henry James is the maestro of the semicolon. Hemingway is a first rate paragrapher. From the point of view of ear, Virginia Woolf never wrote a bad sentence.” Capote is correct. Every story, or even article, presents its own technical problem. There must be a beginning, a middle and an end. Finding out the right form for a story, as Capote explains it, is to realise the most natural way of telling it. The true test of whether or not a writer has found this natural shape is to imagine it differently. Does it silence your imagination, and does it seem to be absolute and final?
When asked if there were any devices writers could use to improve their technique, Capote answered: “Work is the only device I know of. Writing has laws of perspective, of light and shade, just as painting does, or music. If you are born knowing them, fine. If not, learn them. Then rearrange the rules to suit yourself. Even Joyce, our most extreme disregarder, was a superb craftsman; he could write Ulysses because he could write Dubliners. Too many writers seem to consider the writing of short stories as a kind of finger exercise. Well, in such cases, it is certainly only their fingers they are exercising.” Capote admitted, in the interview, that he read everything he could lay his hands on – every day: New York newspapers, Sunday editions, foreign magazines, labels, recipes – even advertisements – as well as letters,
journals, biographies and first rate fiction. Faulkner, Welty, McCullers and Katherine Anne Porter have all been mentioned as having had an influence on Capote’s writing, as well as Thomas Wolfe, Poe, Dickens and Stevenson. But he now finds them unreadable. The writers about whom he remains enthusiastic are Flaubert, Turgenev, Chekhov, Jane Austen, James, EM Forster, Maupassant, Rilke, Proust, Shaw, Willa Cather and James Agee. However, he denies that any author had any direct literary influence on his writing – despite disparate statements by critics. “I am a completely horizontal author. I can’t think unless I’m lying down ... I’ve got to be puffing or sipping ... I don’t use a typewriter. Not in the beginning. I write my first version in longhand (pencil). Then I do a complete revision, also in longhand. Essentially I think of myself as a stylist, and stylists can become notoriously obsessed with the placing of a comma, the weight of a semi-colon. Obsessions of this sort, and the time I take over them, irritate me beyond endurance. “Style is the mirror of an artist’s sensibility – more so than the content of his work.” EM Forster, Collette, Flaubert, Mark Twain, Hemingway and Isak Dinesen are authors that Capote considers to possess style – a reinforcement. While Graham Greene, Maugham, Thornton Wilder, Willa Cather, Thurber and Sartre he considers styleless – but nevertheless very readable. Stylistically speaking Capote considers Hemingway to have influenced more writers on a world scale than anyone else. In 1958, after his interview with Paris Review, Capote had an enormous success with “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, where he explored the life of a New York City party girl who relied on men to find her way through life. It is a well-crafted story on which a popular film was made three years later starring Audrey Hepburn. NEXT WEEK: Literary darling Truman Capote betrays New York’s high society • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of “The Last Colonial”. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia, and from Paris Review (1957).
The Tribune | Weekend | 25
Friday, November 23, 2018
history
The Friendly
Bank I
Forgotten facts | Paul C Aranha
had planned to write about “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not”, which oldtimers will remember as an entertaining newspaper panel series. Then I remembered one of the many letters that the late Seighbert Russell wrote to The Tribune. When his home on Lakeview Avenue was sold, the new owner, a Ola Floyd, was concerned with preserving hundreds of manuscripts and clippings of his writings and asked me to scan them all, which I did. She gave a copy of those scans to the Department of Archives and allowed me to keep a copy, for my personal use, and I frequently refer to his files. On November 3, 1973 The Tribune published the following letter: “EDITOR, The Tribune, I would like to suggest that the photograph of the interior of the Royal Bank of Canada, Main Branch, reproduced in the ‘Special Supplement’ over the caption “Back in 1931”, was taken much earlier. (Sadly, I do not have the picture. PCA) I joined the staff of the ‘Royal’ in 1929, and not many months after, either late 1929 or early 1930. Sir George Gamblin was forced, by ill health, to retire. He died on October 2, 1930, several months after his 60th birthday. In the photograph referred to above, said to be taken in 1931, Sir George appears on the extreme right. I think Mr Stafford Sands, Sr is pictured on the extreme left. So, the date 1931 appears to be incorrect. The floral arrangements, including two palms in the background, suggest that this photograph might have been taken at the completion and opening of the present Main Branch, probably around 1918 or 1919. Construction of this site was started in 1917. I think the ‘Helpful Bank’ has every right to feel proud of its record in the field of finance since it first opened its doors. Before 1835, no banking facilities existed anywhere in the Bahamas; but in that year an act was passed establishing a Government Savings Bank and, the next year, it opened for business. In 1837, it became known as the Public Bank of the Bahamas; but in 1885, suspended payment due to financial difficulties. As a result of its difficulties, the Government had to raise a loan of 35,000 pounds, to settle its accounts. From 1886 to 1889, there was no commercial bank, of any description, in the Bahamas; but in that year, the ‘Bank of Nassau’ opened for business, on June 3rd, due
This monument stands on the eastern side of Parliament Street. largely, it is said, to the initiative of Sir Ambrose Chea (Governor 1887-1895). For nearly thirty years, it continued to do business, until finally it was taken over by the Royal Bank of Canada, in 1917. The ‘Royal’ has experienced phenomenal growth since, but its initial success was due, in large measure, to the fact that it chose, as its first manager, not
only an outstanding business administrator, but one of the most gracious and kindly men the Bahamas has ever produced. – C SEIGHBERT RUSSELL” • For questions and comments, e-mail islandairman@gmail.com
doe r H oHr s U w y
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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.
e P l Y e B
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
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you turn the page u HOW many words of four letters down. solution tom or more can you make from the letters shown here? In making a yesterday’s sol word, each letter may be used Black squares: 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 22 once only. each must contain the The centre Targetletter cAn you crack 27, 32, 37. 1 A 35, and there mustthe be at 2Happy, word. no Alphabeater? each grid across: usesleast one nine-letter B Families, Ibex, plurals or verbnumber forms ending in “s”. represents a letter
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words in Foxhound, Vista C 40Etch, Be – or black square. As in Conjoin, 2 the Today’s main TarGeT Alphapuzzle, every letter ofBasilisk, Wage, D good 25; excellent bodyGood of 17; verythe alphabet is used. But Alluvium, Domed 33 (or more). solution tomorrow. E Vice, chambers 28 Bea7 you have to complete the down: Technique, E 21styesTerday’s gridsoLUTIon too! use the given Pie, F Halo, Spur, Xeno letters and black aged aglet doge dotage flag squares flog Allowance, Ado, century G Raze. 10 1 fLoodGaTe footage gale galoot Used, below the grid to start. The Dictionary gaol gaoled gate gated gatefold grid is ‘rotationally H extra letter c (1999 geld glad glade gloat gloated symmetrical’ – in other I 1 181 2 0907 goad goal goat gold golf golfed 2 edition) words, it looks the same if good goof goofed legato lodge
(Deduct three min
you toga turn the page upside eachJextra clue lett HOW many words of four letters logo ogle ogled down. solution tomorrow. K full 23solutio 7 or more can you make from the call 181 2585solution for 0907 181 2 letters shown here? In making a 0907yesterday’s L Yesterday’s Yesterday’s Target solution 4, 5, 8, *Calls cost 80p per word, each letter may be used today’s Black squares: *Calls cost 80p per minute M your 33 telephone3c 9, 10, 11,company’s 16, 17, 22, 25, plusnetwork once only. each must contain theplus yourKakuro telephone Sudoku Answer Answer network access charge. N access c 27, 32, 35, 37. centre letter and there must be at across: Happy, least one nine-letter word. no O 7 2 Families, *SP: Spoke – Helpline 0333Ibex, 202 3390 PLay plurals or verb forms ending in “s”. P Mor
CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 Port worker who doesn’t carry so much weight? (10) 6 What have you here? (4) 10 A girl of Roman extraction (5) 11 Promise to look after one’s funeral? (9) 12 He wants to raise the standard of living (8) 13 Is a short account for a patriarch (5) 15 Very eager for everybody to go back after a key (3,4) 17 These clubs may need a licence (7) 19 Waiting to be stocked (2,5) 21 Treatment received by troops losing Turkish capital (7) 22 Now it changes, being pulled (2,3) 24 Travelling after the game (2,6) 27 The present perfect? (5,4) 28 Badly riled, but he does nothing (5) 29 Dies about eleven, perhaps (4) 30 Dropping off can be a problem for them (10)
Down 1 Feline connections, we hear (4) 2 Mouth-watering church decorations (9) 3 A temple ornament? (5) 4 Planning the way when touring around (7) 5 Made a searching examination, by all accounts (7) 7 Pack animal going up a shopping centre (5) 8 Training for employment (10) 9 Falling behind on the track (8) 14 Aids Alec if it is required (10) 16 Kindly feeling as expressed by a satisfied legatee? (8) 18 Male reads about girl from Notre Dame (9) 20 A feeling of easterly movement (7) 21 Arise Sir Otto and get some food! (7) 23 A step in trade reform (5) 25 Pretend to sound desirous (5) 26 Bends and breaks cars (4)
Yesterday’s Easy Solution
Today’s TarGeT Good 17; very good 25; excellent 33 (or more). solution tomorrow.
Across: 1 Sheriff, 5 Judas, 8 Elbow room, 9 Fan, 10 Fast, 12 Becoming, 14 Rueful, 15 Reveal, 17 Cocktail, 18 Stem, 21 Urn, 22 Predatory, 24 Tally, 25 Abridge. Down: 1 Sheaf, 2 Ebb, 3 Iowa, 4 Frozen, 5 Jamboree, 6 Diffident, 7 Senegal, 11 Suez Canal, 13 Multiply, 14 Recount, 16 Cinema, 19 Maybe, 20 Fair, 23 Odd.
yesTerday’s soLUTIon aged aglet doge dotage flag flog fLoodGaTe footage gale galoot gaol gaoled gate gated gatefold geld glad glade gloat gloated goad goal goat gold golf golfed good goof goofed legato lodge logo ogle ogled toga
Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Thieves, 5 Noah’s ark, 8 Peninsula, 9 Lam, 10 Cope, 12 Celerity, 14 Airing, 15 Issued, 17 Adhesion, 18 Nest, 21 Nun, 22 Date stamp, 24 Tuned, 25 Speaker. Down: 1 Topic, 2 Inn, 3 Vine, 4 Saucer, 5 Near East, 6 At leisure, 7 Samoyed, 11 Parthenon, 13 One-sided, 14 Against, 16 Foetus, 19 Taper, 20 Isle.
EASY PUZZLE
Across 1 Restate in different words (10) 6 Explosion (4) 10 Tree of Acer genus (5) 11 One blamed for others’ sins (9) 12 Closing date (8) 13 To erect (3,2) 15 Behind arrival time (7) 17 Continue determinedly (5,2) 19 Endeavour (7) 21 Transient (7) 22 Muscular strength (5) 24 Glass-sided fish tank (8) 27 Fivefold (9) 28 Clearing in forest (5) 29 Besides (4) 30 Colony (10)
Down 1 Question persistently (4) 2 Act on behalf of (9) 3 To offer in excuse (5) 4 Interval of relief (7) 5 Drastic reorganisation (5-2) 7 Overhead (5) 8 Energy and drive (3-2-3-2) 9 Dependent on others (8) 14 Southeast African country (10) 16 Tower over (8) 18 Specify as condition (9) 20 Tread roughly under foot (7) 21 Wisely cautious (7) 23 Wrong (5) 25 Swindler (5) 26 Come into contact (4)
call 0907 181 2585 for today’s Target solution *Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.
*SP: Spoke – Helpline 0333 202 3390
Foxhound, Vista, Ajar, Conjoin, Etch, Beige, Basilisk, Wage, Alluvium, Domed. down: Vice, Beak, Alibi, Pie, Technique, Ennui, Halo, Spur, Xenon, Allowance, Ado, Grebe, Used, Raze.
extra letter clues
0907 181 2560 (Deduct three minutes for each extra clue letter heard)
full solution
0907 181 2558
Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1
*Calls cost 80p per minute 21 plus your telephone company’s network access charge.
20
3
19
2
11
3
34
3
27
8
2
3
22
23
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PLay More Crosswor
The Tribune | Weekend | 27
Friday, November 23, 2018
animals
Remember
the animals Animal matters | KIM ARANHA
perished during both great wars. But that is not the end of the list, donkeys, water buffalos, zebras, camels and all kinds of regimental mascots died fighting besides men. Animals have suffered greatly in war at the hands of man, frequently, at the hands of their allies… And we spend very little time remembering them, let alone acknowledging them. Even now dogs are often at risk being used as attack animals, explosive sniffers, and mine sniffers as well as companions for war-torn soldiers who need comfort. We do not read of those dogs that, because of their unfaltering faithfulness and loyalty, were maimed or killed, all to help man in a war they knew nothing about. Recently, much to my disgust, dolphins have been used to place limpet mines on ships, and mongooses and large rats used to detect land mines. In Russia they use dogs too, because they are considered expendable. The list of fatalities in the name of war, at the hands of man, is never ending, and continues today; countries do not always admit to how they use animals. I find it extremely heart-warming that every year these brave and noble animals are recognised with a service,
The Animals In War Memorial in London a laying of wreaths by some two dozen organisations in the United Kingdom. The ceremony always starts at 11am, with a solemn minute’s silence. After the out roar from the general public in this country over a blessing of the animals I shudder to think what derision a service to remember fallen animals in war, would bring on. However, it is right, very right, that those noble horses who carried their masters on their backs and rode into guns and fire, sabres and swords, all because the human on their backs urged them to do so. Many times they were not killed outright and lay for hours, alone, on the ground long after battle was done, life slowly ebbing out of them. Poppies represent the humans who died during the war, but perhaps the tears that we can shed PHOTO/PATRICIA VAZQUEZ
O
n November 11, we celebrated Remembrance Sunday. We have a ceremony where we honour the fallen and those brave souls who gave their lives for us to preserve freedom, as we know it. We owe them much. The red poppy is the symbol of remembrance and that is because so many poppies grow wild in the fields in France and Belgium where so many young and brave men perished. Here in Nassau we have a laying of wreaths at the Cenotaph, which is in the area between the Library and the courts bordered by Parliament Street to the West and Bank Lane to the East. All over the world people remember the fallen on Remembrance Sunday, which is always the second Sunday in November. If you have travelled to London, you may have noticed a splendid memorial at Brook Gate on Park Lane. David Backhouse, who is a noted sculptor in Europe, created it. His work is simple and resonates powerfully. In 2004, the monument was unveiled by the Princess Royal (Princess Anne) to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the start of World War l, and is dedicated to the animals in war. This year, Sunday, November 11, marked the 100th anniversary of the end of WW l, alas the 1914 – 1918 war took it toll, not just on the soldiers and civilians back home, but on the animals. There is an annual service held on the Friday nearest to the 11th of November, this arranged by the Dogs Trust and sponsored by Petplan Charitable Trust at the powerful and moving animal memorial on Park Land. During the 40-minute service the vast amount of animals that have perished serving man at war are recognised, starting with the pre-Hannibal era where elephants were taken into battle. The cavalry horses and working dogs, mules for carrying and messenger pigeons all perished in frightful numbers, serving their masters and fighting a battle of no interest to them. I was recently told that over 1000 ships cats
Sweet like Honey By The Bahamas Humane Society
“H
oney, honey, how you thrill me...” ABBA must have known what they were singing about, as this sweet one-year-old potcake is sure to bring a smile to your face. Honey is friendly and outgoing with both humans and other dogs. She’s mainly a yard dog at the moment but would be happy to learn what’s needed to be an indoor-outdoor dog. Walks? Sure! Beach? Awesome! Come in and meet Honey; she might just change your life! Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday, or you can call
for those animals who died lonely and frightening deaths, can fall on the ground and out of our sorrow will grow understanding, enlightenment and compassion for the animals of yesterday who fought bravely and those animals who are still being used for warfare and protection today, loving, giving creatures. There will always be soldiers and warriors, but our animal combatants need protection, understanding, love and especially important, when they retire. be it because of age or injury, they must be allowed to end their days with the human that they loved and cared for, Animals do not fight for an ideal or a cause, they fight for their master and friend, to please and protect him, and in return they deserve consideration and respect. 323-5138 for more information. Honey looks forward to meeting you! • 2018 BHS Raffle tickets are now on sale. The grand prize is $10,000 in groceries from Super Value, and a mere $5 will get you a chance to win (or buy a book of 21 for $100 to get one extra free). Tickets can be purchased at the BHS, or from any board member. Call 323-5138 or come in to get yours today. Draw date is December 28 at the Mall at Marathon. Thank you to all the donors of our amazing prizes – Super Value, Bahamasair, Anonymous, Geoffrey Jones, Kelly’s, Keshon’s Fashion, Multi Discount, CBS, and the D’Albenas Agency.
28 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 23, 2018