12062019 WEEKEND

Friday, December 6, 2019

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02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 6, 2019

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Yandi's Seasons

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

I

T’S time to put up the Christmas tree - but a Bahamian stylist has some tips to bring a personal touch to your festive decorations this year.

As people become more creative in theming their Christmas trees with ideas inspired by characters, hobbies and colour schemes, Tribune Weekend has some styling tips from Bridgette Goodridge - a Bahamian woman who, for more than eight years at her Yandi’s Seasons business, has been a part of helping families and businesses create a beautiful experience during the holidays.

“When I go out to create a tree, I first ask the client, what do you like, what is your favourite colour, do you have a theme, what do you want to use to make this happen? If the tree is for a couple with kids, I ask what do their kids like? This year, one of the popular themes is the candy cane tree, which is my favourite. On this tree, everything is basically red and white. I have these huge candy canes placed on the tree that we call blow pops, it’s beautiful and creates an amazing sight. The ribbons are all red and white,” said Bridgette.

She said people this year are also using a lot of black, red and white on their trees. “Some people ask, black on a Christmas tree? But I can say this looks amazing on a tree. The checkered plaid is also coming out again so that is also popular,” said the entrepreneur.

Her favourite part of the experience of decorating a Christmas tree for families is the look on people’s faces she gets to see once she is completed with her task.

“When they ask me how did I think of this, how did I think of that, the look on their faces is unbelievable. And that is what I want to see. I get to go into these people’s homes and business spaces to do this. When I work, I tell them to please leave me alone, let me

A MICKEY Mousethemed tree has created a buzz on social media - and it was created by Bahamian Bridgette Goodridge.

work. And when I am done, if there is any problem, please don’t hesitate to let me know. 90 percent of the clients trust me to get it done, even when it comes to purchasing the decorations for the tree, they leave it in my hands,” said Bridgette.

Her Mickey Mouse tree has received much attention via her Yandi’s Seasons Facebook page. She said this particular tree was actually booked by a client in Florida three weeks ago.

“I am still receiving phone calls about it from the family saying thank you. They said I have to come back again. At first they didn’t know what to expect because I purchased everything for the tree. All she did was tell me that her kids like Mickey Mouse, and I went from there. I got the Mickey ears and placed them on every branch and they loved it. They have told me it has gotten so many likes from her followers in Florida and people are asking more about it. Since that time, I have gotten another request for a

Disney-themed tree and that also turned out great.

I also did a tree last weekend at The Tiki Hut, an outside bar located on Junkanoo Beach - and on the trees I placed signage like “the beach is my happy place”, and flip flop and anchor ornaments on the tree, as opposed to putting things on an outside tree that the sun will fade. The owners were quite pleased with it,” said Bridgette.

Her most memorable tree, however, would have to be her sister’s 14ft gold, silver and red tree. “I never do a plain tree with just lights and ornaments, I don’t need to be there if they are going to book me to do just that - that is defeating the purpose of the creativity.

A lot of persons say their trees don’t look like mine, but my advice is to just put everything you have on it. Whatever you have at home, utilise it on the tree if it is possible,” she expressed.

For those persons who take pleasure in decorating the outside of their homes as well during this time of year,

Bridgette said it is best to chose ornaments that are not expected to fade too soon due to the sunlight; shatterproof balls in case of winds; and if it is an outside tree - put a lot of lights on it.

“My customers are repeat customers, I must say. I guess they are happy because they call me every year. Every year, I get a few new customers and I am grateful for all. I am busy like every night basically. As long as I have strength, I think Yandi’s will grow along with it because of my love for Christmas and the holiday season.

“I was decorating trees from I was about ten years old, and every year I get better and better. We have had a hard year this year in the country so I just feel as if everyone should just put up a tree regardless if you don’t usually do it. Especially if you have kids, create that cheer. I feel like once you have that tree, it is like everything when the family comes over,” said Bridgette.

Yandi’s Seasons is located at the corner of West Bay Street and Chippingham Road. Bridgette said her team tries to make it a one-stop shop where people can pick up everything from tree stands, ornaments and lights, to garlands, wreaths, poinsettias and more - all that is needed for a home around Christmas time.

The Tribune | Weekend | 03

Friday, December 6, 2019

Inside Weekend

My perfect Bahamian Christmas Antonio Rolle Gospel Artist Fruit cake or pumpkin pie?

Style 2

Art 14-15

Designer bringing a special flair to Bahamas Christmas trees.

Ceramics designer Gina Smith finds her designs catching the cultured eye.

Interview 4-5

Fashion Police 16

Despite being abused as a child and raped as a teenager, Brenda Harris Pinder is a survivor and more. She has becoming a prominent advocate for the victims of gender-based violence, and tells her story as a global campaign seeks to bring such violence to an end.

Books 7 Bahamian author Tanya R Taylor has lived up to her father’s encouragement by winning an international award for her book, Cornelius. She tells of her journey to Miami to receive her prize.

Music 8 Vice Versa is thriving, adding more venues to their schedule and preparing for the release of a new album.

The hits and misses from Britain Fashion Night.

Event 17 Foundation launch to honour Bahamian musician Minerva Kemp.

Film 18 The Bahamas International Film Festival returns with guest of honour, director Roger Corman.

Events 19 Your guide to events this weekend.

TV guide 20 Your look ahead to the treats on TV this holiday season.

Film 21

Back from the US, Bahamian rapper Vargo ready to reintroduce himself to his hometown audience.

As Junkanoo season arrives, a new documentary receives its debut, lifting the lid on the preparations and the hard work on the road to Bay Street.

Gardening 10

Literary Lives 22-23

Cooler weather makes a great time to plant peas, writes Jack Hardy.

From royalty on screen to tragedy in real life - Sir Christopher Ondaatje tells the story of Romy Schneider.

Music 9

Events 11

Paradise Plates is back - get a preview of one of the top nights in the Bahamian social season.

Film 12 The Aeronauts takes a daring balloon ride up, up and away.

Fashion 13 Twirling tutus come to the Two-Four-Tutu.

History 24-25 Looking back at population densities in The Bahamas almost a century ago.

Puzzles 26 Animals 27 Kim Aranha writes about preparing for the Christmas season with your pets.

“Fruit cake, because it has such great ingredients and of course it is just the traditional taste of the season we are in.

Go to Junkanoo or watch it at home?

“I grew up with my whole family going to Junkanoo from 3-4am to support our favourite group, The Saxons, so Junkanoo has always been an important part of our family’s life.”

Egg nog, mulled wine or apple cider? “ Egg nog, I just love how smooth it taste going down.”

Fake tree or real tree?

“A real tree because of the nice scent it leaves in the atmosphere, it just adds to the moment of the season.”

If you could spend Christmas anywhere else in the world, where would it be?

“I would love to go to New York to see the snow falling.

I would love to see the awesomeness of God to know that it can be bright and sunny here and snow in other parts of the world.”

Today in history December 6 • In 1865, the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, abolishing slavery, was ratified as Georgia became the 27th state to endorse it.

• In 1923, a presidential address was broadcast on radio for the first time as President Coolidge spoke to a joint session of Congress.

• In 1973, House minority leader Gerald R Ford was sworn in as vice president, succeeding Spiro T Agnew.

• In 1998, in Venezuela, former Lt Col Hugo Chavez, who had staged a bloody coup attempt against the government six years earlier, was elected president.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress JoBeth Williams is 71. Actor Tom Hulce is 66. Rock musician Rick Buckler (The Jam) is 64. Country singer Bill Lloyd is 64. Rock musician Peter Buck (R.E.M.) is 63. Writer-director Judd Apatow is 52. Tennis player CoCo Vandeweghe is 28.

Football quarterback Johnny Manziel is 27.

NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo is 25.

December 7 • In 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as part of its plan to conquer Southeast Asian territories; the raid, which claimed some 2,400 American lives, prompted the United States to declare war against Japan the next day.

• In 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

• In 1796, electors chose John Adams to be the second president of the United States.

• In 1972, America’s last moon mission to date was launched as Apollo 17 blasted off from Cape Canaveral.

Today’s Birthdays: Linguist and political philosopher Noam Chomsky is 91. Bluegrass singer Bobby Osborne is 88. Actress Ellen Burstyn is 87. Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench is 72. Country singer Gary Morris is 71. Singer-songwriter Tom Waits is 70.

Sen Susan M Collins, R-Maine, is 67.

Basketball Hall of Famer Larry Bird is 63. Actress Priscilla Barnes is 62. Former “Tonight Show” announcer Edd Hall is 61. Actor C. Thomas Howell is 53.

Former NFL player Terrell Owens is 46. Pop-rock singer/celebrity judge Sara Bareilles is 40. Singer Aaron Carter is 32.

December 8 • In 1980, rock star and former Beatle John Lennon was shot to death outside his New York City apartment building by an apparently deranged fan.

• In 1940, the Chicago Bears defeated the Washington Redskins, 73-0, in the NFL Championship Game, which was carried on network radio for the first time by the Mutual Broadcasting System (the announcer was Red Barber).

• In 1987, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S Gorbachev signed a treaty at the White House calling for destruction of intermediaterange nuclear missiles.

• In 1998, struggling to stave off impeachment, President Bill Clinton’s defenders forcefully pleaded his case before the House Judiciary Committee.

Today’s Birthdays: Flutist James Galway is 80. Singer Jerry Butler is 80. Pop musician Bobby Elliott (The Hollies) is 78. Actress Mary Woronov is 76. Reggae singer Toots Hibbert (Toots and the Maytals) is 71.

Actress Kim Basinger is 66. Rock musician Marty Friedman is 57. Actress Teri Hatcher is 55. Actor David Harewood is 54. Singer Sinead O’Connor (AKA Shuhada’ Davitt) is 53. Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Mussina is

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 6, 2019

interview

Brenda Harris Pinder

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

B

renda Harris Pinder is an unwilling but bold poster child for gender-based violence in The Bahamas.

After suffering abuse at the hands of her stepfather as a child, she was also a victim of date rape as a teenager which resulted in a pregnancy and has seen other family and friends also suffer similar situations, including her sister who was murdered by her husband who then drove himself, and Brenda’s niece and nephew over Clifton Pier - only her niece would survive the ordeal.

“My story is wide and long,” she told Tribune Weekend in a candid interview.

“But through everything that happened to me, I knew that it was not my fault and it was always wrong for the persons to do what they did to me and what I realised is that if you keep silent, it only helps the predator.”

Instead, she quietly but passionately became an advocate and counsellor for other victims by sharing her story and lobbying for legislation regarding the penalty for committing abuse to change.

“We don’t need your sympathy, we need your empathy,” she said.

“And that is why I am an advocate for women to be at

the decision-making table. We have to drive the policies, legislation and change the laws,” she said.

Brenda recently took part in the activities which were held in observance of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.

It is is an international campaign which kicked off on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until Tuesday, Human Rights Day. It was started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and continues to be co-ordinated each year by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership. It is used as an organising strategy by individuals and organisations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

“There is still so much stigma when it comes to victims,” she said.

“Even when I tell my story, I can see that sometimes it is not well received and people have this look and this energy like what did you do to cause this to happen to you, and so we really need to get past this judging of victims. But it does not discourage me from telling my story because telling it

BRENDA HARRIS PINDER, top, and Minister of Social Services Frankie Campbell at a Zonta Club event launching the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls last month.

helps me to own my story and my situation,” she said.

She also wants to show women that they can rise above painful situations and have fulfilling lives even in the aftermath of such violence.

“I was able to successfully complete my tertiary education and obtain various professional certification

including certified public accountant and certified international risk mananger. I have held top positions including chief operating officer, director and manager at local and international organisations. I lived and work in The Netherlands and Cayman. I am thankful to God that i was able to accomplish so many

of my goals and aspirations,” she says,” and that is definitely the encouragement I want to give other women only you can limit you from attaining your goals.”

Brenda says that her recovery from her ordeal and her ability to continuously share her story came from the fact that she is just a strong person.

“I realise that everyone is not strong and everyone is not able to do this, but I focus on what needs to be done and God continues to give me the strength I need each day so that I can be a voice for the women who are not strong.

Because we need to be the voice for others and we need to provide safe havens for victims where they can release their pain without being judged,” she says.

Brenda says that the country still has quite a way to go when it comes to enforcing the law, and ensuring that there is justice for vicitims.

“One of the things that I really am lobbying for is that the age of consent be raised to 18 from 16, because at the moment you are telling 16-year-olds that they can legally have sex, but if they then need medical assistance, their parents have to be notified, if you are telling them that they are old enough to have sex, they should be old enough to go to the doctor on their own.”

Additionally, she wants to see that the perpetrators of gender-based crimes are brought to justice as swiftly as possible and that they serve sentences that fit the crime.

She says she knows someone who was raped and even though it has been more than a decade, the case is just now making its way the legal system.

The sense of closure is very important for the healing process, she says.

Brenda explained that years after her stepfather abused her, she was able to confront him and asked why he had done what he had done to her.

“He tried to pretend that he didn’t know what I was talking

The Tribune | Weekend | 05

Friday, December 6, 2019

THE ZONTA Club campaign against violence towards women and girls has received support across the political divides. The wife of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, Patricia Minnis, is pictured above and below left, while Anne-Marie Davis, the wife of PLP leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, is pictured below right.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff about, but I said what I had to say to him and that was a form of inner healing for me and I would encourage other woman to get that closure, even if you never actually confront them, maybe just write a letter to them and they don’t even have to see it, it is just for you,” she said.

Another reason she feels it is important to advocate is because she says that women are the best voices to advocate for issues that affect women.

“We need our voices to be heard, and really just about every process will affect a woman somehow and you need that female balance to the equation so that our voices can protect our families,” she said. We need the support of our men we don’t want to overshadow them but work with them to address gender base violence which also impacts men and boys as we see increase in incidents against males as well.

They call it domestic violence when it’s violence against the same gender.

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 6, 2019

The Tribune | Weekend | 07

Friday, December 6, 2019

BOOKS

Author lives up to father’s encouragement

By Fay Knowles

T

he first words bestselling Bahamian author Tanya R Taylor saw on a huge billboard after landing in Miami recently were the two words her late father used to say to her when she was growing up, “Think Big!” Ms Taylor was in Miami to receive a book award - she won the silver medal in the Readers’ Favorite 2019 International Book Award in the Young Adult (Paranormal) section for her tale Cornelius, the first book in her Cornelius Saga.

The author’s father, Cecil Caleb Ferguson, passed away seven months ago.

She says: “I knew it was Daddy’s way of letting me know that he was right there in spirit for my amazing journey. He was always a strong supporter of my craft and believed I definitely had what it took to succeed.”

Ms Taylor’s husband, Oswaldo, daughter Mercedes, son Christian, mother Gwendolyn Ferguson and brother Cecil Ferguson Jr accompanied her from The Bahamas to attend the event. Her friend Kathleen Kalambay, who lives in Florida, also joined them.

Ms Taylor said: “Kathleen drove a whole hour from where she lived to share my special moment with me. I proudly received the silver medal for my book Cornelius with wonderful family and a beautiful friend with me every step of the way.

“I’m thankful for having had the opportunity to attend the ceremony. It was a fabulous event - one which my family

and I will always cherish. It was truly memorable. Sitting there amongst many other talented authors gave me a real sense of literary family as we all know what it takes to pen an award-winning book, but aside from that - what is involved in taking every literary project from a mere idea to publication for readers out there to enjoy. I’m sure they all can identify with the hard work, mental fatigue, blood, sweat and tears that go into each novel written from the heart. Although it is a creative and enjoyable process, it is not an easy one and that’s something I know that every author in the room understood very well.”

Unfortunately, for much of the day, she was stuck in bed after getting very sick - to the point she thought she might not make it to the event. “It turns out that I was coming down with the flu and that hit me hard! The thought crossed my mind that one of my family members would have to collect the award on my behalf.

However, to my amazement, things took a positive turn and I started to feel better. I did attend the ceremony. We were warmly greeted when we arrived and after a while took our seats. Then the ceremony commenced. All the authors went up and accepted their awards and pictures were taken while we were on stage. As I was waiting for my name to be called, one of the organisers spoke with me about the recent hurricane and how devastating he had heard it was.”

As Ms Taylor walked onto the podium, it was announced she was from The Bahamas. “I

GROUP PHOTO 1 (left to right) – Cecil Ferguson Jr., Mercedes Taylor, Oswaldo Taylor, Tanya R. Taylor, Gwendolyn Ferguson, Kathleen Kalambay, Christian Taylor.

TANYA R. TAYLOR WITH “CORNELIUS”

CORNELIUS’ PAPERBACK COVER

was so grateful to have been able to do this,” she said. “I was being honoured outside of my country - something that often happens to us Bahamians who have dared to step outside the box and share our talent with the world.

“I felt so proud as my name was called and the attendees erupted in applause when they were told that I was from The Bahamas. Despite all the heartache from Hurricane Dorian and the negativity associated with it, Bahamians are still held in high regard and that makes my heart proud.”

She says being a Readers’ Favorite Award-winning Author was a blessing from above - one she and her loved ones will forever cherish. “I had never entered the contest before and this one turned out to be their biggest one ever with thousands of entries from around the world. They selected Cornelius, written by this fairly unknown Bahamian girl. It makes me look forward even more eagerly to everything else God has in store for me as an author.”

Ms Taylor says she has worked very hard to have gained a following around the world. “My readers constantly express their appreciation to me as a writer. Every talent in

this country deserves a chance to be enjoyed, but many times dreams are killed long before they ever take off because of a lack of interest and support. I’m thinking about the thousands of young people out there who have something positive to offer but are never given the time of day because we’re all very ‘familiar’ and oftentimes only foreign talent is regarded as worthy.”

She says: “It is my heartfelt wish that Bahamians will learn to recognise the talent within their own midst, nurture and support it and one day be the first to honour their own. This country is loaded with talent and just as America, Canada and the United Kingdom support and celebrate their own, we need to shift our mindset as a people and follow suit - only because it’s the way it should be.”

Cornelius is an Amazon #1 bestseller and is also listed in the Catholic Board of Education’s Summer Reading List for grades 10, 11 and 12. Ms Taylor is now working on ‘Til Death Do Us Part, the 13th book in the series.

For more information about Ms Taylor’s books, visit www.tanya-r-taylor.com.

08 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 6, 2019

music

Vice Versa gets the balance right

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

F

INDING the right combination of musicians who share similar values is not as easy as it appears, according to ViceVersa band members - but getting the balance right is paying off with a new album due this month.

They proudly expressed that their collective represents a group of gifted musicians who are mutually committed to delivering good, wholesome music by upholding a high level of excellence. The trio - Naomi Taylor-Crawford, Ralph Munnings, and Clinton Crawford - describes themselves as a group of friends, who all happen to be committed to developing and creating good music at a superior standard.

Initially, the group was identified primarily as a jazz trio, with a wide repertoire of traditional jazz standards.

Today, they have significantly expanded their repertoire to include pop, soul, R&B, Caribbean and other musical styles, making them one of the most versatile Bahamas-based bands.

Very recently, Naomi told Tribune Weekend, ViceVersa introduced a weekly Jazz Jam in the community of Adelaide Village where musicians and singers drop in and jam with the band. She

said the vintage art form of jazz marries perfectly with the nostalgic community of Adelaide.

“There never seems to be a dull moment with the sensational ViceVersa band. In March 2017, while performing as the resident band at a newly opened luxury resort in Norfolk, Virginia, we received and accepted an invitation to return home to The Bahamas to perform at the Grand Hyatt on opening night in April 2017. This evolved into a long-term arrangement and ViceVersa now remains one of the two house bands currently entertaining guests with lively shows, four nights weekly, at the Piano Bar at the Grand Hyatt, Baha Mar,” said Naomi.

Known for their “Live

by Request” performances, Naomi said the band is constantly exploring new music and adding new tunes to their repertoire. Guest requests for the past week included songs from artists such as The Eagles, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Gladys Knight, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Donna Summer, Sade, Earth, Wind and Fire, Lionel Ritchie, Etta James, Bob Marley, Maroon 5, Amy Winehouse, John Legend, Shirley Bassey, Barry White, Aretha Franklin, Diana Krall, Nina Simone, Eagles,

Luther Vandross, Sam Smith, ABBA, Ed Sheeran, Barbara Streisand, Frank Sinatra and Billy Joel.

“ViceVersa has been able to satisfy each of these requests.

This reflects the versatility and scope of our repertoire and commitment to growing and expanding as musicians. We are also currently completing an exciting recording project with a compilation which includes original songs by Bahamian composers Timothy Treco and Keysha EdwardsTaylor, daughter of the late legendary cultural icon Kayla

Lockhart-Edwards, and former Member of Parliament and Senator Desmond Edwards.

“This project would stretch the band in a positive way as we have spent months sharing ideas and raising funds to execute our first release as a band. The scope of this recording project took us to Montreal, Canada, where we have collaborated with some of Montreal’s top musicians for full orchestration on some of the arrangements. Musicians for this project were carefully and meticulously

handpicked to achieve the best overall results. All 12 tunes were beautifully arranged by band leader Clinton Crawford,” said Naomi.

She said as the band is appreciative of the support of so many wonderful people over the years, some of the tunes on their upcoming album, entitled “Free”, were selected to honour a few of their dedicated supporters.

The album is scheduled to be released this month.

Following the release of the album, the band has further plans for yet another recording project, which will include several of their original compositions.

“ViceVersa believes in acknowledging and honouring those who have laboured and sacrificed to protect the plight of live entertainment in our country. For 2020, we will produce a spectacular oneof-a-kind live musical show exhibiting the life and contributions of various current and past musical pioneers through music and spirited storytelling adventures,” said Naomi.

The Tribune | Weekend | 09

Friday, December 6, 2019

music

Headed to the Top of the World

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

T

| Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net

HOUGH Bahamian rapper Vargo has his sights on international success, he is making an official introduction to local audiences this weekend.

The “Top of the World” event, to be held at Prive Lounge tomorrow night, will serve as a celebration for the performer - who resides in the US. Tempo network will be in Nassau to cover the event.

Vargo was recently the station’s artist of the week and his music video for the single “On Top of the World” is being aired on the Tempo Network.

During the event, Vargo will perform, and the showcase is also expected to feature entertainment from DJ Extreme, DJ Gorgun, DJ Techno, DJ Mugglin, Pusha Jr and Selecta Zoe as host.

A major highlight for Vargo is sharing his music and performing his single “On Top of the World”.

The song was officially released at a listening party in New York, and opened the door to negotiations with major record labels in New York like Roc Nation and Def Jam. He has been pushing the single and music video ever since.

“It has been on Tempo for several weeks now and we got confirmation that it is moving to number one spot on Tempo countdown,” he told Tribune Weekend.

“The inspiration behind this song is to empower someone that once he dreams it, he could achieve it. It doesn’t matter where you grew up or if the current situation you are in makes your dream looks far-fetched. Being on top of the world is a mindset, where

“It has been on Tempo for several weeks now and we got confirmation that it is moving to number one spot on Tempo countdown.” you envision yourself being ‘On Top of The World’ then you work your butt off as one who is aiming to be ‘On Top of The World’. Don’t stop working and lastly but certainly not least you have to have faith and believe in God,” he said.

As a young boy growing in Nassau, Vargo was heavily

influenced by the music of The Notorious B.I.G. “One of the reasons I was inspired was because he was a ‘chubby guy’ and I grew up as a ‘chubby kid’ and those moments watching him perform made me realise that that could be me one day. I began thinking out of the box, thinking ‘when I become a star’ I will be just like him.

But all I can be is a better and the best version of myself. He definitely was an inspiration,” he told Tribune Weekend.

The seed was sown in him and Vargo’s aspirations to become a world famous musician grew. This dream meant so much to him the he saved up money he made while working with his father to pay for recording sessions.

“I worked with my dad who was finally able to own his own heavy equipment business, consisting of two backhoes, a dump truck and a fork lift.

I was his right hand person.

I saved my money to pay for studio sessions here in Nassau, where I started recording songs. So I would work as a heavy equipment operator in the day and I would go to the studio in the night to record songs. During that time, I worked with producer Kendal Richardson,” he said.

After being unsuccessful in attempts to get his music known in the US, Vargo’s sister, Shenique Knowles, connected the rapper with New York publicist Derrick Thaxton.

The publicist then made introductions between the rapper and several producers.

“The rest is history,” he said.

Those connections have been opening doors for Vargo’s international breakthrough, that he believes he is on the cusp of.

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 6, 2019

gardening

Cool days for green peas Gardener Jack | Jack Hardy

W

e have had a cool autumn so far and the shortest day of the year is approaching on December 21.

The months of December and January allow us to re-stock our garden with mainline vegetables plus put some new ones into action.

If you have never grown green peas, this looks like a good year to try. Peas like the coolest time of year and grow very quickly. You can use regular green peas or a type called Oregon that grow as plain peas but also have tender edible shells that double as snow peas. These I recommend.

Sow the seeds in rows with bare branches from pruned trees, about two to three feet tall spaced along the rows. The vinous stems will run up the branches and keep the pods well off the ground. Pick your pods early for sweet green peas and later for soup peas and snow peas.

Onions demand to be grown at this time of year.

They respond to length of light in a day and, if started in November and December, will be able to be transplanted to the garden when about six inches tall. Production time for onions is May. If you started your seeds in November you will only have to wait until the green seedling stems are 6 inches long before transplanting.

Onions like sandy soil that has been enrichened. Stems that are buried deep tend to grow their onions underground while shallow planting tends to expose the tops of the onions.

Regular garden favourites such as tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and greens, cabbages, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, cucumbers, squashes, carrots and beans can be re-sown to

PEAS like the coolest time of year - and grow very quickly. avoid the embarrassment of running dry in mid-season.

We chose the most rugged of tomatoes in August, hybrid and fast-growing. Now we can grow heirloom tomatoes, perhaps the best being Cherokee Purple, Cherokee Green, Brandywine, Great White and Pineapple. This is a good time of year to establish cherry and grape tomatoes to nibble on as you survey your estate.

There’s a highly productive grape-like tomato called Juliet that bears fruit mighty like miniature Roma. When you have too many, you can sauce them up. Make sure you have lots of different colours such as brown, black, red, pink, yellow, orange, white, green (usually the best tasting) and blue (yes, blue). A selection of different colours arranged on a plate gives the background to a great meal.

When the new year comes you may find you do not have to sow any more bell peppers for these can last into summer.

Try to add Italian type bullhorn peppers or ###, which are heirlooms.

A good vegetable to get started at this time of the year is eggplant. Usually any eggplants sown in September grow very well and produce plenty of flowers, but these often do not germinate. Conditions are far better for them now. The biggest and best eggplants are Black Beauty heirlooms but these and others closely related are available very cheaply at the supermarket. Try instead Oriental or European eggplants that are smaller and longer and have delicate pink and purple markings on a white background. As for all fruit-bearing vegetables, an application of

Phosphorus (0-50-0) is very beneficial when applied at the flowering stage.

Another good vegetable for December and January is the humble potato. To make the effort worthwhile you should choose expensive potatoes instead of regular reds and bakers. But from the store and look for specimens with eyes showing above the skin.

You may have little room left in your garden and choose to grow potatoes in a five-gallon container with drainage holes or an old plastic fertiliser (or whatever) bag with knife slashes for drainage. Fill your vessel of choice with the best potting mix you have.

Cut your potatoes into sections that include one or two eyes. Dig away excess eyes with a knife point or thumbnail. Potato rot is one of the worst diseases you can

introduce into your garden.

Avoid this by preparing a cupful of water with a dash of bleach. Dip your seed potatoes into the bleach (a fork is handy here) and allow to dry out on paper towels overnight.

With each bag or 5-gallon container remove enough mix to create a five-inch hole. Lay your seed potatoes sharp edge down with the eyes on top.

Refill some of the mix into the hole and water. As the eyes grow stems and rise above the mix level, add more mix to cover. When the shoots break ground, you can cover the lower stem/stems with additional handfuls of mix.

Potatoes are vigorous growers and you will soon have a healthy plant above ground.

The new potatoes are produced below the seed cutting and can only be detected by plunging your hand down the side of the container and feel for tubers. The potato plant will wilt when the below-ground crop is close to maturity. When you are happy with what you can feel just tip the bag or bucket upside down and start sorting.

Another interesting vegetable to start at this time of year is tomatillo. This tomato relative is heavily used in Mexican cuisine and is easy to grow if conditions are right.

One thing is sure: you must have bees around. Many plants that are often pollinated by bees are covered by other insects when bees are absent.

Not so with tomatillo because its pollen is so heavy only bees can manage to fly laden.

So make sure you have bees around before venturing into tomatillos.

• For queries and comments,

email jacktribune242@gmail. com.

The Tribune | Weekend | 11

Friday, December 6, 2019

EVENTS

Compassion and culinary perfection

P

aradise Plates, the largest and most talked about foodie event on the island, is set to kick-off this weekend at Atlantis on Paradise Island.

The event is usually held in September - but was postponed following Hurricane Dorian Touted as a night of culinary compassion, Paradise Plates, set for this Saturday, December 7, will feature more than 40 booths with talented chefs and beverages on offer as part of a showcase of some of their most delicious signature creations.

The event is expected to attract around 2,000 guests, and the proceeds will go toward Hands for Hunger’s campaign to eliminate unnecessary hunger and food waste in The Bahamas.

Ed Fields, Atlantis’ senior vice president of public affairs, said the resort has forged a relationship over the years with Hands For Hunger that is “beyond excellent”.

“We would have it no other way,” Mr Fields said, “that’s why it’s called Paradise Plates. It would be out of place anywhere else. The event keeps getting bigger and better and is generally sold out and we expect that trend will continue.”

CHEFS, guests and entertainers at Paradise Plates previously

Mr Fields also expressed how important it was for Atlantis to play a role in helping to eliminate hunger and reduce food waste.

“It’s almost cliché, but we are entrenched in this community like no other corporate entity,” he said. “Our team membership of 7,500 does not allow us to separate ourselves from this community. Hands for Hunger is a significant contributor to the welfare of this community, and we are happy to be a part of it.”

This year’s Paradise Plates event will feature three of Atlantis’ finest gourmet restaurants - NOBU, Fish and Café Martinique.

Paige Hanna, multimedia manager for Hands for Hunger, said the organisation is delighted to partner once again with Atlantis to host this

year’s event, which will feature a boho chic theme.

“Atlantis has been a strong partner of ours since inception. First, as a food donor to our food rescue operation, then naturally as the home of Paradise Plates,” Hanna said.

“We’ve worked with Atlantis since 2009 from the Crown Ballroom to the Imperial Ballroom and we are proud to see how our partnership and event has grown over the years.

“Every year, Atlantis has been a stronghold for Paradise

Plates, not only providing a beautiful location for the event, but also some of its top players in the culinary department. This year we’re excited to welcome for the first time Café Martinique.”

This year, Hanna said the goal is to offer guests an opportunity to “party with a purpose”.

“Ultimately, we hope that that those in attendance will consider supporting Hands For Hunger long after the party is done,” she said.

Tickets can be bought online at www.handsforhunger.org or at the Hands For Hunger office in the New Providence Community Centre on Blake Road and at Bahamas Vision Centre in the Harbour Bay Shopping Plaza.

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 6, 2019

film

The Aeronauts doesn't exactly soar, but Jones does The Aeronauts | 100 minutes

W

ould you like to ride in Eddie Redmayne’s beautiful balloon?

Tom Harper’s The Aeronauts, starring Felicity Jones and Redmayne, is loosely based on a record-setting 19th century balloon expedition into the atmosphere. On September 5, 1862, James Glaisher (Redmayne) took off from London with the aim to ascend higher into the firmament than anyone had before in a balloon floated by coal gas.

Hot air balloons haven’t often been the favoured modus of flight in movies.

They have historically rated somewhere in between blimps and feathered bird suits. Since The Wizard of Oz, it’s been mostly losing air, save for the occasional cameo: the aloft opening of Tarkovsky’s Andrei Rublev (1966), the harrowing runaway balloon of the Ian McEwan adaptation Enduring Love (1997).

But Harper, the British director of one of the year’s most pleasant surprises, Wild Rose, has tried to bring some modern flare to the old balloon, utilising computer-generated effects to send soaring its star attraction: a red-and-white striped Victorian contraption graced by a band of aqua blue and a thicket of ropes and sandbags.

EDDIE REDMAYNE, left, and Felicity Jones in “The Aeronauts.”

Amazon Studios via AP

More notably, The Aeronauts has also crafted an entirely fictional character out of the ether, pairing Glaisher with a female pilot named, a little too perfectly, Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones). Glaisher was actually accompanied by Henry Coxwell, and Wren’s substitution is, from the start, self-consciously far-fetched. Not because she’s a woman (there were equally adventurous female balloonists) but because she enters the movie as such an extravagant figment of dramatic imagination.

Before the balloon’s much-anticipated liftoff before a crowd that has bought tickets for the event, Wren comes careening in at the last moment atop a charging horse-drawn wagon, and then commences to regale the audience with acrobatics that continue after the balloon is off the ground. He’s there for the science. She’s there for the entertainment.

“This is absurd,” grumbles Glaisher as Wren dangles in midair, and it’s hard to disagree. The Aeronauts, particularly at first, sags under the weight of a schmaltzy concept, tedious flashbacks and reach-for-the-sky metaphors that, given the mission, are a little too close at hand.

But as the balloon rises, the film does too. Not because it achieves the kind of splendor it seems to seeking, exactly,

but because it grows simpler and even sillier. The Aeronauts turns into not a prestige picture but a novel big-screen adventure — even if Amazon has truncated the film’s exclusive theatrical release to two weeks before it begins streaming.

Part of that is from the thrill of upward movement, as the balloon rises above a windy storm into tranquility above the clouds and, later, nearer the starry expanse of space. As they ascend, Glaisher’s excitement at their findings grows while the temperatures drop. The atmosphere was then an airy, little-understood foreign land.

(Jack Thorne’s script is derived partially from Richard Holmes’ 2013 book Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air.) The Aeronauts re-teams Redmayne and Jones who memorably starred in 2014’s The Theory of Everything, the movie that won Redmayne an Oscar. But this time, it’s Jones who dominates the film, including one genuinely spectacular scene in which she scales the outside of the balloon — a scene all the more powerful for its frozen quiet, occurring at the upper reaches of the

stratosphere. She might not be real, but she steals the show.

The Aeronauts, an Amazon Studios release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America some peril and thematic elements.

Film Writer Jake Coyle Associated Press

The Tribune | Weekend | 13

Friday, December 6, 2019

fashion

Twirling tutus for the fashionforward girls

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

T

he tutu started out as part of the performance costume in a classical ballet.

However, over the centuries, and in especially in recent years, tutus have evolved from being a ballerina’s “uniform” to becoming a cute fashion staple. Tennis champion Serena Williams even wore several different tutus on the court when she competed in the US Open last year.

For the little ones, tutus are the height of girly chic. After all, who doesn’t like twirling around in a colourful tulle skirt?

Someone who knows all about little girls’ love of tutus is Melanie Phillips who has built a whole company around this piece of clothing with the fun name of Two-Four-Tutu, a play on the Bahamas’ area code.

“Two-Four-Tutu (came about) when we realised that cute, quality tutus were not easily accessible here in the Bahamas and had to be ordered. The tutus are handmade in the Bahamas

by Bahamians, so what better name to have than Two-FourTutu,” she said.

The small business currently offers customised tutus, headbands and bows for special events. There are also Mommy & Me tutu packages for that mother and daughter duo or other family members who want to have coordinated attire for a special occasion

CUSTOM tutus by Two-Four-Tutu or the holidays. The company is based in Nassau, but they also provide the option for orders to be shipped to other locations.

The Two-Four-Tutu team, Melanie said, enjoys producing original attire and they are delighted to assist individuals in expressing themselves through their outfits.

“We’ve all heard a version of the quote ‘If you look good, you feel good; you feel good, you do good.’ We want every little girl that wears an original piece from Two-FourTutu to do good and be their best selves when they rock one of our (tutus). In the near future, we see Two-Four-Tutu expanding and making personalised tutus for ballet and

dance production groups and one-of-a-kind special events in the Bahamas,” she said.

“The company has been present for only a few months

now, but we just made a Facebook page in October.

Our customers order online through our Facebook page and we also provide the option for PayPal, which gives our customers easy ordering and a smooth retail experience.”

Melanie said they definitely see how social media is beneficial to marketing and increasing the company’s reach.

“Our most memorable client was a mother/daughter duo that came in for a Mommy & Me original for their annual photoshoot. We enjoyed the fact that the daughter was able to express exactly what she wanted and the mother was also able to get what she desired while complementing her daughter’s colourful and creative vision for her tutu,” she said.

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 6, 2019

CELEBRITY The Weekend Fashion Report Britain’s Fashion Awards

FAIL

HIT

HIT

SPLIT

HIT

Shailene Woodley

Cate Blanchett

Emilia Clarke

Winnie Harlow

Rihanna

Cara says: “This is definitely different. Wow, well she was definitely cozy and warm on the red carpet. It’s like Little Blue Riding Hood meets a bed spread meets a bouncy castle. At a fashion award event, she certainly caused a lot of the focus to be on her one of the most talked about looks on the carpet.”

Alesha says: “A bubble jacket, wow. This one picture describes the saying of ‘doing too much’. I feel like if she walks by a sticky object, the she will start the process of deflation.”

Cara says: “If you really look close, the material in this dress is quite lovely. It has quite the sparkle to it. The neckline is just enough and I don’t think it’s overpowering. I don’t think I would have chosen such dangling earrings though.

They are a bit too much.”

Alesha says: “I love it, the fussy top, waist band, earrings, the hairstyle. She looks lovely. I would lose the shoes, however, other than that, it’s a go.”

Cara says: “She looks great.

That yellow is really lovely on her. The details on the train are quite lovely. My one complaint is the length of her dress. I think it should have been shorter and less of that bubble hem action.”

Alesha says: “Everything about this ensemble is cute.

Those sleeves are everything!

Queen Daenerys Stormborn slayed in the world of Game of Thrones - and she is slaying on the red carpet. honey.”

Cara says: “This dress has sexy Victorian sexy vibes all over it. I like it in theory, but I wish she had gone with a more dramatic ball gown skirt. That would have given it a bit more dramatic flare.”

Alesha says: “The hair, makeup and accessories are beautiful, and so is Winnie as always. I am absolutely, and positively, not a fan of the dress. Again, too much is going on. Where does it begin, where does it end? The questions that need answers.”

Cara says: “She just has that natural goddess vibe going on with those amazing braids.

This colour just suits her to perfection. Love it all, the shoes, the cape and the dress.”

Alesha says: “An entire queen! This fashion goddess does no wrong. I am one of those persons that agrees, if Rihanna wears a carpet itself - then please believe that is going to be the hottest carpet on the red carpet.

It is just something about her confidence in whatever she wears. So yes, I love everything about this outfit.”

Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

With Cara Hunt and Alesha Cadet

The Tribune | Weekend | 17

Friday, December 6, 2019

eventS

THE MUSIC BEHIND THE FOUNDATION

By CARA HUNT

| Tribune Features Writer | cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

W

hen Grand Bahama songbird Minerva Kemp passed away in February following a 15-year battle with leukemia, tributes poured in for the singer - not only for her musical contribution, but from the many people whose lives she quietly touched through her philanthropic efforts.

“The weekend of my mom’s funeral, we heard from so many people whom she had helped - whether it was help them attend college or purchase a home or just have someone to talk to. And we realised that we had to continue that legacy as a way to honour her,” her son, Philip Bowe, told Tribune Weekend.

“My mother was just a giving person,” his sister, Anja Bowe, added. “And she had this way of making everyone who came into contact with her feel special and as if they were her best friend - she had many best friends.”

Minerva also entertained thousands of Bahamians and visitors alike with her voice, which has been compared to that of Whitney Houston.

She came from a family of musicians. Her father, Johnny Kemp, was an entertainer, as was her brother, Johnny Jr, who was nominated for a Grammy for his hit song Just Got Paid.

“Music was a huge part of her life from a young girl growing up on East Street but while her brother was allowed to go and sing in the nightclubs, that was not considered ladylike and so my mother had to sing in church,” Philip said.

“When she moved to Grand Bahama, she became the songbird of Grand Bahama and everyone knew her and loved her.”

ANJA BOWE, right, with her mother, Minerva Kemp Next weekend, the siblings will hold the official launch of the the Blue Rose Foundation, with the goal of launching a scholarship at the University of The Bahamas for aspiring music majors and to give support and hope to Bahamians battling leukemia.

Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells, which primarily affects children.

Minerva was considered a miracle because after initially being told she only had a year to live, she survived for 15 years following her diagnosis in 2004.

“She fought so hard and even when you knew she had to be in tremendous pain, she never complained,” Philip said.

“This is our first Christmas without our mom,” Anja said, “and we know that it will be extremely difficult, and so we wanted to launch the foundation at this time just to give us something to look forward too.

Christmas was special to our mom because both her kids came home to be with her. All her siblings with their families would get together for family dinner and play games and of course sing. This was the highlight of Christmas for her,” she said.

Philip explained that the idea for Blue Rose came because it was his mother’s favourite colour and she loved to receive just a single rose.

PHILIP and Anja Bowe with Minerva Kemp The launch will be a Christmas dinner show called A Few of My Favourite Things and will feature performances by notable Bahamian musicians such as Alia Coley, Charisa Smith, Naomi Taylor-Crawford and the Vice Versa Band, Osano Neely, Patrice Murrell, Sammi Starr and Sanovia Pierre, with a comedy segment

by Das Quay and hosted by Dwain Wallace.

Philip and Anja are both strong musicians in their own right and will also perform.

Philip is a full-time musician who performs at many local venues and private functions and Anja also performs full-time and most recently participated in Shakespeare in Paradise’s Once Upon

This Island, Eddie Minnis’ Der Real Ting and Ain’t Misbehaving.

“This is the first of a series of this kind of musical theatre experiences the foundation will be presenting a few times each year and guests can expect to just have an awesome evening with fantastic performances,” Anja said.

“We wanted to start with a bang so that people can know the musical standard that they can expect from our events.”

A Few of My Favourite Things takes place on Sunday, December 15, at the Balmoral Club. Cocktails begin at 6pm and the show begins at 7pm.

Tickets are $75 for general seating and $150 for dinner seating.

18| The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 6, 2019

film

famed director joins biff 2019

T

HE Bahamas International Film Festival returns on Monday - bringing with it international talent such as famed director Roger Corman, hailed as the king of the cult film and who helped start the career of the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese and James Cameron. He has hundreds of movies to his credit, including stars such as Jack Nicholson, William Shatner, and Sylvester Stallone. In 2009, he won an Oscar for lifetime achievement.

The event also sees the best and brightest of local talent in the spotlight, while the movies on show feature such stars as Michael B Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz.

This is the 16th festival, and it will run until Sunday, December 15, at Baha Mar. Eleven Bahamian films will feature - Ad Meliora, directed by Rebekah Burrows; Being, directed by Cathleen Dean; Child of the Cenote, directed

by André Musgrove; Dio Gracias, directed by Michelle Malcolm; Freedom to Paradise, directed by Luke Madden; License 2 Create, directed

by Kerel Pinder and Matt Bull; Plastic Warriors, directed by Lavado Stubbs; The Aftermath, directed by Anaya and Santia Dean; The Autobiography of the Dictionary, directed

by Vijay Subramanian; We Are CocaCola Bahamas, directed by Tatiana Clare; and a student and 48-hour competition showcase.

A number of films will also feature question and answer sessions following the films with their makers, and panels to discuss issues in film-making.

The opening gala film is Just Mercy, starring Brie Larson and Michael B Jordan, while the festival closes with Pain and Glory, starring Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz. Tickets for each cost $75.

There will also be a Hurricane Benefit Concert on Saturday, December 14, with tickets costing $50 and starring Italia Johnson, Julien Believe, Foreign Sound, Yulee B and more.

For more information about the films and schedule, visit the film guide at www.bintlfilmfest.com.

LAVADO Stubbs

DIRECTOR Roger Corman

ANTONIO Banderas in a scene from “Pain and Glory.”

A SCENE from “Pain and Glory.”

SCENES from “ Just Mercy.”

The Tribune | Weekend | 19

Friday, December 6, 2019

FRI 6/12

Food and drinks available for purchase.

Best of the Best Regatta Time: December 6-8 Venue: Montagu Bay foreshore

The fourth annual Best of the Best Regatta will be held this weekend, with competitors doing battle in races at sea, and crowds enjoying music, food and drinks on shore. Races will include A, B and C class boats, while onshore activities will also include a kiddie corner with face painting, magic and a bouncy castle. Santa Claus will also make a visit. More than 50 boats are expected to compete.

Sip and Safari Time: Friday, December 6, 6-10pm Venue: Ardastra Gardens Zoo

Live music by Steve Holden and the Loose Crew. $10 cover charge, adults only.

Proceeds go towards Ardastra’s animal rescue and rehab programme.

The Tribune Established 1903

SAT 7/12

Time: Saturday, December 7, 5-6.30pm Venue: National Art Gallery of The Bahamas

Open Studios with Sue Katz.

The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas invites you to an Open Studios session with Sue Katz. The informal conversation will look at her practice into expatriate experience, Jewish heritage, and making home away from the home you grew up in. The Open Studios session and all programming in support of exhibitions are free and open to the public.

A Christmas Arternoon at the NAGB Time: Saturday, December 7, noon-4pm Venue: National Art Gallery of The Bahamas

The ARTernoon events are holiday-themed fun for the

|100 Jamz | Y98

What's going on this Being Bound To Swear To The Dogmas Of No Master

weekend

whole family. The feature art activity is specially designed for children ages four and over, under the theme “A Storybook Christmas”.

Parents are encouraged to participate or observe their children as they create an original piece of art all their own. In addition to the art activity there will be tree decorating, Santa photo booth fun and a ceremonial tree lighting - all included in your donation of $12 per child. Food vendors will also be on site selling delicious treats while you enjoy the festivities. For more information or to book, contact Community Outreach Officer Zearier Munroe at zmunroe@nagb.org.bs or 328-5800.

Nassau Night Market Time: Saturday, December 7, 10pm-1am Venue: Downtown Nassau

The Nassau Night Market is an outdoor street festival in the heart of downtown Nassau on Market Slope.

We celebrate Bahamian culture and entrepreneurship through offering exciting entertainment, flavourful foods, and precious products. The goal is to develop local business while creating an interactive and family-friendly experience for visitors, revitalising downtown’s dead hours.

Laughfest Time: Saturday, December 7, 7-11.30pm

Editor’s Voice

FRIDAY

Bel Canto Singers present Christmastide 2019 Time: Friday, December 6, 8pm Venue: Trinity Methodist Church The Bel Canto Singers will perform under the direction of Eldridge McPhee to stage their Christmastide concert. Friday is the final night of the Bel Canto’s Christmastide celebration, following a Gala on Thursday hosted by Patricia Minnis.

The concert will feature the original Christmastide quartet, which debuted on December 16, 1999, and were comprised of singers Candace Bostwick, Eldridge McPhee (founder), Linda Osborne and Naomi Taylor Crawford. Patrons can expect beautifully arranged choral works for choir and chamber orchestra of holiday favorites such as “We Three Kings”, “Silent Night”, “O Come All Ye Faithfull”, “Angels from The Realms of Glory’ and others. This year’s concerts and events are in memory of Cassie Jane (Catherine) Deleveaux McPhee, Mr McPhee’s mother. For tickets or further information, contact emcphee@belcantosingersbahamas.com or eldmcphee@gmail.com or call 376-2772.

Venue: Grand Hyatt, Baha Mar

Laughfest returns featuring headliner Gray Owen.

Guest comedians Say Em and Wildcat. This night will be hosted by Bahamian comedian and radio personality Naughty. Tickets $50 general, $75 VIP. Ticket locations: Fine Threads, Harbour Bay and SW Plaza, Johns Shoes, Carmichael and Rosetta Street, Radio House, Shirley Street.

First Aid and CPR Time: Saturday, December 7, 8.30am-4pm Venue: Bahamas Red Cross Society, JFK Drive

The next First Aid and CPR class will be held on Saturday. To register and pay visit www.bahamasredcross.org or visit the head office on

JFK Drive. Office hours are from 8.30am to 4.30pm.

Basketball and Bocce Tournaments Time: Saturday, December 7, 9.30am-2pm Venue: Stapledon School Grounds

Special Olympics Bahamas will host its annual basketball and bocce tournaments.

This is the final sporting event for this calendar year.

Free admission. Friendly family atmosphere, exciting action. Food and drinks will also be on sale.

SUN 8/12 Christmas Treats with The Bahamas National Symphony Orchestra

Time: Sunday, December 8, 7-8pm.

Venue: St Andrew’s Presbyterian Kirk Join The Bahamas National Symphony Orchestra for its annual Christmas concert at St. Andrews Presbyterian Kirk. Admission is free!

Donations will be accepted at the door.

Paul Hanna in Concert Time: Sunday, December 8, 6-8pm Venue: Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts

Paul Hanna will perform alongside Tanya Hanna in the Philip Burrows Theatre (formerly the Black Box).

Part proceeds to aid the Inspire Foundation. For tickets, call 802-8363 or email tanyahanna@yahoo.com.

20 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 6, 2019

television

Holiday TV forecast: a sleighful of movies and music LOS ANGELES (AP) — There are enough holiday TV movies to overturn Santa’s sleigh this season. A more expansive view of the world also is part of the ride, with a lesbian couple included in a Freeform film and Hanukkah shout-outs on the Hallmark and Lifetime channels.

Other small-screen options are available to distract you from gift-wrapping and family squabbles, including the Grinch, the Brady Bunch and John Legend. Here’s a sampling from broadcast networks, cable and streaming services, all times EST:

POPCORN TIME

• “Mistletoe & Menorahs,” 6pm, Saturday, December 7, Lifetime. An executive (Kelley Jakle) who needs a quick education about Hanukkah to land an account and finds just the man (Jake Epstein) to help her in work and maybe love.

• “Christmas at Dollywood,” 8pm, Sunday, December 8, Hallmark Channel. An event planner (Danica McKellar) returns home to Tennessee for a challenging job, Dollywood’s 30th Smoky Mountain Christmas celebration, and gets matchmaking help from Parton herself.

• “Holiday Date,” 8pm, Saturday, December 14, Hallmark Channel.

Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations combine when Brooke (Brittany Bristow) is dumped by her boyfriend before a visit home and an actor (Matt Cohen) playing stand-in shares his Jewish traditions.

• “You Light Up My Christmas,” 8pm, Saturday, December 14, Lifetime.

Emma (Kim Fields) returns home to find the town built around her family’s Christmas light factory has lost its glow. Can an old flame (Adrian Holmes) help?

• “A Christmas Carol,” 7.30pm Thursday, December 19, FX. The dark new take on Charles Dickens’ tale stars Guy Pearce as Scrooge and Andy Serkis as the ghost of Christmas past, with the screenplay by “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight.

• “It’s a Wonderful Life,” 8pm December 24, NBC. A man’s midlife crisis fuels the 1946 sentimental favourite from filmmaker Frank Capra, starring Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed and, as Clarence the angel, Henry Travers.

LIFETIME’s “You Light Up My Christmas,” starring Kim Fields and Adrian Holmes

FA LA LA LA LA

• “Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir,” 9pm, Monday, December 16, PBS. Kristin Chenoweth joins the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra for a night of classic carols and pop tunes, airing as an hour-long special.

• “Holidays with the Houghs,” 10pm, Monday, December 16, NBC. A variety special showcasing sibling dancer-choreographers Derek and Julianne together and separately in musical performances and comedy sketches, with celebrity friends dropping by.

• “Great Performances — From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2020,” Wednesday, January. 1, PBS. The Vienna Philharmonic and guest conductor Andris Nelsons usher in 2020 with the Vienna City Ballet and host Hugh Bonneville of “Downton Abbey” fame.

STOCKING STUFFERS

• “Ellen’s Greatest Night of Giveaways,” 8pm, Tuesday to Thursday, December 10-12, NBC. DeGeneres and guests including Michelle Obama, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Timberlake and Sterling K. Brown surprise “everyday deserving people” with gifts.

“Frozen” star Idina Menzel hosts 21st annual “A Home for the Holidays”.

JAMES Stewart and Donna Reed in the holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

• “A Very Brady Renovation: Holiday Edition,” 10pm, Monday, December 16, HGTV. The actors who played “The Brady Bunch” siblings decorate the house used for the sitcom’s exterior shots. Food Network’s Ree Drummond and HGTV’s Jasmine Roth lend a hand.

• “Top Elf,” 8pm, Fridays, Nickelodeon. Seven children from across the nation compete in a building and design contest to earn the title of best elf and benefit worthy causes in their hometown. The weekly series’ finale airs 8pm on Saturday, December 21.

• “I Love Lucy Christmas Special,” 8pm, Friday, December 20, CBS. Two colourised half-hour episodes of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz sitcom, “The Christmas Episode” and “Paris at Last,” air back-to-back, both from 1956.

• “A Home for the Holidays with Idina Menzel,” 9pm, Sunday, December 22, CBS. The “Frozen” star introduces heartening stories about adoption from foster care and sings tunes from her new album, “Christmas: Season of Love.” Adam Lambert, Ne-Yo and Kelly Rowland also perform.

LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer

The Tribune | Weekend | 21

Friday, December 6, 2019

film

Documentary lifts the lid on Junkanoo

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

I

T is not Boxing Day or New Year just yet, but Junkanoo will be taking front and centre stage tonight.

After months of gathering interviews and going behind the scenes, the “Who Are We” documentary will be unveiled tonight at Fusion Superplex.

The documentary will give a “360 degree insight into the world of Junkanoo, showcasing every aspect of the process from start to Bay”.

It is being released as part of the “Who Are We” campaign launched by Kalik.

The campaign, which launched on November 4, is focused on

highlighting Junkanoo while bridging the gap between the traditionalist and millennials.

This is the first time Junkanoo will be documented in film in such a way.

From its inception, Kalik has enjoyed a deep association with Junkanoo - the name has a direct link to the sound of the cowbells. And the brand has been doing its part continuously promoting the iconic cultural festival in a positive light.

According to Jared Cartwright, brand representative for Kalik Beer, one of the main goals of the campaign is to “educate persons on

Junkanoo and bring more attention to the art form while showing the intricate details that go into the production of the elaborate costumes, music and everything else it entails”.

“We also wanted to use this as an opportunity to attract the millennials and encourage them to become more involved in our culture and keep Junkanoo alive for years to come.”

Roots, The Saxons, The Valley Boys & One Family will be featured on 16oz Kalik Beer cans and bottles, while Genesis, Prodigal Sons and

Music Makers will be featured on Kalik Beer bottles only.

The campaign was embraced and met with excitement by members of the Junkanoo.

“It is an honour for us to be featured, it shows that Kalik recognises the importance of the Roots Junkanoo Group in the Junkanoo community and the cans will assist us with promoting and building our fan base. Our group’s mascot is the lion, and lions are leaders… this is how we see ourselves, the fact that our mascot is displayed on the cans is truly an honour,” said

Andrew Edwards, director on Roots Junkanoo Group executive board.

Chairman of Saxons Toby Austin said: “To be featured immortally is the epitome of distinction and prominence, for the mighty head of The Saxons to be on a Kalik beer speaks to the authenticity of what it means to be Bahamian.”

The campaign goes a long way in putting the spotlight on a cultural event that has gone under-promoted and under-appreciated, said Brian Adderley, chairman of The Valley Boys.

22 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 6, 2019

literary lives - Romy Schneider (1938-1982)

From royalty on screen to tragedy in real life

Sir Christopher Ondaatje tells of the charmed, but ultimately tragic life of the talented Austrian-French film actress who moved to France and made some of the most critically acclaimed films with notable film directors in the mid-20th century.

R

omy Schneider was born Rosemarie Magdalena Albach in Vienna on September 23, 1938 into a family of actors that included her paternal grandmother Rosa Albach-Retty, her Austrian father Wolf Albach-Retty, and her German mother, Magda Schneider.

Soon after she was born her parents moved to Schönau am Königssee in Germany, where she and her brother Wolf-Dieter grew up with their grandparents Franz Xaverius and Maria Schneider on their Mariengrund Estate. Busy with acting careers, Romy Schneider’s parents were seldom present. They separated in 1943 and divorced in 1945. Schneider was educated initially by a governess, but eventually

ROMY Schneider (1955, Erma Film Portrait) was enrolled first in the Schönau elementary school and then, in 1949, at Castle Goldenstein – a girls residential secondary school of the Augustinian Canonesses of the Congregation of Notre Dame in Elsbethen near Salzburg.

The young Romy Schneider was an unusually beautiful girl, with an immediate passion for acting. She left Castle Goldenstein in July 1953 and went to Cologne, where she was to have started art classes at the Kölner Werkschulen but instead performed in her first film “When the White Lilacs Bloom Again” (1953).

She was only 15 years old and used the stage name Romy SchneiderAlbach. The next year she played the young Queen Victoria in the Austrian film “Mädchenjahre einer

Königin” (The Story of Vickie). Schneider’s mother, Magda, now living in Cologne with her new husband – the entrepreneur Hans Herbert Blatzheim – began to supervise her daughter’s career, often appearing with her.

Romy Schneider’s great breakthrough came with her portrayal Elisabeth of Austria in the romantic biopic “Sissi” (1955) and its two sequels: “Sissi – The Young Empress” (1956), and “Sissi –Fateful Years of an Empress” (1957), made with the director/producer Karlheinz Böhm, who became a close friend.

She also made two films in 1957 with the young Horst Bucholz, “The Girl and The Legend” and “Montpi”, both directed by Helmut Käutner.

Schneider then played the title role “Christine” (1958), a French period drama, and a remake of Max Ophül’s 1933 film “Liebelei” by Arthur Schnitzler in which Romy Schneider’s mother Magda Schneider had starred. The film was directed by Pierre Gaspard-Huit.

“In 1906, a young lieutenant Franz (Alain Delon) has an affair with a married baroness, Lena, but decides to put an end to it when he meets Christine (Romy Schneider), a musician’s daughter. Christine is almost engaged to a composer, Binder. But she falls for Franz. Franz breaks it off with Lena but Lena’s husband, the Baron Eggesdorf, has found out about the affair. While Christine and Franz plan their marriage the Baron

The Tribune | Weekend | 23

Friday, December 6, 2019

challenges Franz to a duel. Franz is killed in the duel. Christine commits suicide.” – Film synopsis, Christine (1958)

During the filming of “Christine Schneider” fell in love with the French actor Alain Delon, who had just started his career and who co-starred in the movie. She left Germany to join him in Paris, and announced their engagement in 1959.

There are times in the movies that the chemistry between leading actors creates great love affairs and partnerships – like Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier, and Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.

So it was with Romy Schneider and Alain Delon. They were two beautiful people – obviously in love with one another. Luckily for us there is a brief four-and-a-half minute film clip titled “In Memory of a Crazy Young Love” made up of black and white still photographs of the young couple – with Michael Bolton singing “A Love So Beautiful” as the soundtrack. It is worth watching.

Schneider decided to live and work in France, attracting the interest of film directors such as Orson Welles in Franz Kafka’s “The Trial” (1962). Alain Delon introduced her to Luchino Visconti, under whose direction she performed as Annabella in the Théâtre Moderne (with Delon playing Giovanni), and also in John Ford’s “‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore”(1961), and in the film “Boccaccio ‘70” in the segment “The Job”, also with Alain Delon.

In 1962, Schneider played Anna in Sacha Pitoëff’s production of “The Seagull”, also at the Théâtre Moderne. In Hollywood she starred in “Good Neighbour Sam” (1964) with Jack Lemmon and “What’s New Pussycat”(1965) with Peter O’Toole, Peter Sellers and Woody Allen.

Although they remained lifelong friends, Schneider and Delon decided to separate in 1963. They continued to work together in “La Piscine” (The Swimming Pool, 1968), and “The Assassination of Trotsky” (1972).

During the 1970s Romy Schneider continued to work in France, particularly with director Claude Sautet on five films. Their first collaboration, “The Things in Life” (Les choses de la vie, 1970) with Michel Piccoli, made Schneider an icon in France.

They worked together again for the noir thriller “Max et les ferrailleurs”

ROMY’s mother, Magda Schneider, also played her mother in the “Sissi” trilogy.

ROMY Schneider in the 1971 film “Max et les ferrailleurs”.

(Max and the Junkmen, 1971), and she appeared with Yves Montand in “Sautet’s César et Rosalie” (1972).

Schneider portrayed a more mature and realistic Elisabeth of Austria in “Ludwig” (1972), Luchino Visconti’s film about the life of King Ludwig II of Bavaria.

“Romy Schneider’s Elisabeth is considerably more than novelty casting; she made her name as a young actress playing the Empress in three lushly romanticised biopics, beginning with 1955’s ‘Sissi’, a key factor in the modern personality cult that still surrounds the Empress. Schneider’s Elisabeth – thirteen years after the last ‘Sissi’ film – presents her as a woman successfully sustaining her

own revolt again the prison of monarchy, and well aware of the scandal that attaches to her independence.

This Elisabeth embodies grandeur and defiance, social poise, but also a distinct, perhaps lonely individualism; she appears both of this world and outside it, entirely her own.

Schneider’s tender knowingness, her altogether regal beauty, and the naturalness of her movements in costumes that might otherwise be cumbersome, present Elisabeth as a woman who knows absolutely how to perform a role that she herself has created.”

– Jonathan Romney at “Visconti: A Retrospective”, Film Society of Lincoln Centre, June 8, 2018.

Schneider once said “Sissi sticks to me just like oatmeal.”

Other film successes from this period included “Le Train” (1973), where she played a German-Jewish refugee in World War II; Claude Chabrol’s thriller “Innocents with Dirty Hands” (Les innocents aux mains sales, 1975) with Rod Steiger, and “Le vieux fusil” (1975). The courageous film “That Most Important Thing: Love” (L’important c’est d’aimer, 1974) won Schneider her first César Award (France’s equivalent of the Oscar), a feat she repeated five years later, in her last collaboration with director Claude Sautet, for “A Simple Story” (Une histoire simple, 1978). She also acted in “Le Trio infernal” (1974) with Michel Piccoli, and in “Garde à vue” (1981) with Michel Serrault and Lino Ventura.

Schneider starred in Bertrand Tavernier’s “Death Watch” (La mort en direct, 1980), portraying a dying

woman whose last days are watched on national television through a camera implanted in the brain of a journalist – based on David G Compton’s novel. Schneider’s last film was “La Passante du Sans-Souci” (The Passerby, 1982).

After the end of her relationship with Alain Delon, Romy Schneider married German director and actor Harry Meyen in July 1966. They had a son, David Christopher, but later divorced. In 1975 Schneider married Daniel Biasini, her private secretary. They separated in 1981. Their daughter Sarah Magdalena is an actress who made her film debut in 2004 in the Emmy-nominated French adventure miniseries “Julie, chevalier de Maupin”.

Tragically, Schneider’s 14-year-old son David Christopher died in an accident in July 1981 when he was impaled while climbing a spiked gate at his grandparents’ house. Schneider was heart-broken and never recovered. She died mysteriously of a heart attack after reputedly taking painkillers with wine on May 29, 1982, but the coroner investigating her death refused to order an autopsy. The actress was known to have been unwell following a kidney operation.

A film “3 Days in Quiberon” was made based on an interview Romy Schneider gave to the German magazine Stern in 1981 while recovering at the spa resort Quiberon in Brittany – the year that her son died.

The film, directed by Emily Atef, contained multiple insinuations that Schneider was an alcoholic. She was not - although understandably she was drinking more than usual. The film won seven prizes at the German Film Festival in 2018. Later, the film’s director admitted to fictionalising parts of the Stern interview so as “to have that licence from the real events to reach a truth about the character.”

NEXT WEEK: The eccentric life and extraordinary artistic legacy of a Surrealist Spanish master artist • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial.

He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; Biography by Suzanne Gretter, 2007; Ludwig by Jonathan Romney, Visconti: A Retrospective at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, June 8 2018; and Romy Schneider ne c’est pas suicidée: Paris Match, 2012.

24 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 6, 2019

history

Bahamians on the move

population densities in 1926 versus today Forgotten facts | Paul C Aranha

I

got a call from a man looking for a list of islands with very unusual names. The greatest number that I could think of are in Abaco: Centre of the World Rock; Cooling Temper Bay; Don’t-ye-may and Noname Cay. Andros has Far for Nothing, and in the Berry Islands you will find Cockroach Cay. On Cat Island, there’s Labour-in-Vain and there is (was?) a place on Eleuthera called Face and Eye Bay. I checked my father’s 1926 atlas, “Maps of the Bahamas” – finding no other notable place names, but I was captivated by the Table of Areas and Population, which has changed so much in just under 100 years.

In 1926, there were only 53,031 people in the entire Bahamas, living on a total of 4.403 square miles of land.

Divide the number of people by the number of miles and you get a population density of 12 people living on each square mile of land. The 2010 Census shows 351,451 but the population is believed to now exceed 400,000.

Some 12,975 people, or 24 percent of the population, lived on New Providence, an island of only 50 square miles, for a population density of 26 per square mile. The 2010 Census shows 390,000 people on New Providence, but by now it must have exceeded 400,000, making the population density about 8,000 people per square mile – by any standard overcrowded.

A total of 7,547 lived on Eleuthera (including Harbour Island and Spanish Wells), an island of 166 square miles, giving an average of 45 people per square mile. The

most-densely populated settlements were Harbour Island with 917, Governor’s Harbour with 637, Spanish Wells with 582, Tarpum Bay with 565, and Rock Sound with 505.

According to the 2010 Census, there were 11,515 people in Eleuthera.

Some 6,976 were spread over our largest island, Andros, with an area of 1,600 square miles. Its biggest settlement, Mangrove Cay, boasted 1,150 inhabitants – second only to New Providence, but with only four people per square mile. In 2010, 7,490 people lived on Andros.

Then, 4,659 people occupied the 130 square miles of Long Island, an average of 35 people per square mile; 719 of them lived at Deadman’s Cay. In 2019, 3,094 lived in Long Island, 272 of those in Deadman’s Cay. A total of 4,273 people made their homes on the 160 square miles of Cat Island, averaging 27 people per square mile. The three biggest settlements were Arthur’s Town with 562, Old Bight with 540, New Bight with 506. In 2010, the island’s population had been reduced to 1,522 – 200 in Old Bight, 143 in Arthur’s Town and 117 in New Bight 117.

Some 3,993 people were spread over the 776 square miles of the many islands that make up Abaco, an average of only five inhabitants per square mile. Hope Town with 511 and Green Turtle Cay with 402 were the most populous settlements. By 2010, Abaco’s population had exploded to 17,224.

In 1926, the (reportedly) 365 islands of the Exumas boasted 3,730 people. Together these islands and cays comprise 100

Friday, December 6, 2019

square miles of land, giving a population density of 37 people per square mile. Rolleville with 56 and George Town with 349 were the centres of population. In 2010, the Exumas had 6,928 inhabitants, with 1,437 living in Georgetown.

Some 3,458 people lived on Acklins, Crooked Island and Long Cay (also called Fortune Island). With a total land area of 204 square miles, the population density was 17 people per square mile and the biggest settlements were Snug Corner with 257 and Colonel Hill with 211. By 2010, the island’s inhabitants had been drastically reduced to 895, with allegedly zero population on Long Cay. In Grand Bahama, 1,695 people were spread over the 430 square miles for a population density of four people per square mile. West End with 305 and Water Cay with 143 had the biggest populations – a half-century before Wallace Groves created Freeport. The emergence of Freeport brought the population up to 51,368 in 2010.

Some 937 people inhabited the 560 square miles of Inagua – less than 2 two people per square mile; 640 of them lived in Matthew Town. Meanwhile, 686 inhabitants occupied the 60 square miles of Watling’s Island (now accepted as being the San Salvador of Christopher Columbus), for an average of 11 per square mile. Cockburn Town with 194)and United Estates with 162 were the principal settlements. In 2010, Rum Cay was included in the consensus and 1,039 residents were recorded.

The eight square miles of land at Bimini were occupied by 610 inhabitants, giving us 76 people per square mile, in Alice Town and Bailey Town.

In 2010, 1,988 were recorded; this was including Cay Sal and Cay Lobos.

Some 432 people lived on Mayaguana, an island of 96 square miles, averaging five per square mile; Abraham Bay with 210 and Betsy Bay with 144. The island-wide number of inhabitants went down to 277 by 2010.

Ragged Island had 366 inhabitants, almost all of them in Duncan Town (named after Duncan Taylor, my mother’s second great granduncle). With an area of only five square miles, that works out to 73 people per square mile. By 2010, only a handful remained; 72 to be exact.

Some 338 lived on the 29 square miles of Rum Cay, an average of 12 people per square mile. Port Nelson with 146 and Port Boyd with 58 were the centres of population. In 2010,

The Tribune | Weekend | 25

Rum Cay’s population was fewer than 100.

In 1926, 328 people were spread out over the Berry Islands, a total land area of 14 square miles, for an average of 23 per square mile. Bullock’s Harbour, on Great Harbour Cay, had a population of 133. In 2010, the Berry Island’s inhabitants had increased to 807, with 695 on Great Harbour Cay. Only 28 people lived on the seven square miles of land that make up Cay Sal and Cay Lobos – a population density only four people per square mile. Many Bahamians are not aware of the Cay Sal Bank, an almost forgotten part of the Bahamas between Andros and Cuba, but nearer to Cuba, and most maps of the Bahamas fail to include them. They were, and still are, Out Islands. In the 2010 Census, Cay Sal and Cay Lobos are included with Bimini, but their population is unlikely to have increased.

Sadly, many old settlements in the Out Islands have become unpopulated.

The houses are still there, but unoccupied and falling apart, like the ghost towns in old Western movies. Some time ago, I flew a representative from the EU to Crooked Island where the Commissioner joined us for an aerial inspection of Acklins. The Commissioner named every settlement, including its population: zero, zero, three, zero. Only a few had a substantial number of residents.

• For questions and comments, e-mail islandairman@gmail.com

9 Subplot, 10 Mild, 12 PGA, 22 Fools son 13 to Frigate, produce14 Tar, 15 Rust, 17 rate (6) Situate, 19 Heeded, 20 Assessors.

Friday, December 6, 24 Meeting aDown: fellow1Brit (5) 2 Etui, 3 Lab, Mismatch, 4 Delegates, 5 Isobar, 6 Usage, 8 Toasters, 11 Divide, 13 Fades, 16 Star, 18 Ago.

28 Coven removes initial irritations (6)

26 | The Tribune | Weekend

E Yn rH l or t

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

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

HOW many words of four letters or more can you make from the letters shown here? in making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each must contain the centre letter and there must be at least one nine-letter word. no plurals or verb forms ending in “s”.

TODAY’S TARGET Good 15; very good 22; excellent 30 (or more). Solution tomorrow

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

BATTLESHIPS CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 Not against roughing up an opponent (10) 6 Engaged sign on the telephone (4) 10 A charmer about to be detected in depravity (5) 11 French wine department (9) 12 Ensure it will make you rapacious (8) 13 For centuries it was the language of the masses (5) 15 King who had plenty from various sources (7) 17 Grass around the seaport (7) 19 Colours from Dresden (7) 21 Puts on something saucy? (7) 22 Maybe Poe’s a past expert at telling fabulous tales (5) 24 A bitter blow is wanted badly (4,4) 27 Obviously not in the pink (3-6) 28 Appeal either way (5) 29 False witness who turns to abuse (4) 30 Lately here - in heavenly guise (10)

1

2

3

4

10

5

11

12 14 15

16

17

19

22

20

23

24

27

29

30

21

Yesterday’s Easy Solution

Down 1 Likewise enveloped in Across: 1 Hideous, 5 Table, coals of fire (4) 8 By the book, 9 Out, 10 Yard, 2 A carry-over of marriage 12 Baccarat, 14 Such as, 15 Triple, 17 Construe, 18 Myth, ritual (9) 21 Eye, 22 Remainder, 24 Surly, 3 Ron for example may be 25 Tragedy. beyond help (5) Down: 1 Hobby, 2 Dot, 3 Open, 4 Uncle is out to get us; 4 Slogan, 5 Take care, that’s the heart of the 6 Biography, 7 Entitle, matter (7) 11 Raconteur, 13 Masterly, 5 Let’s eat out in America (7) 14 Success, 16 Summit, 19 Hardy, 20 Lima, 23 Doe. 7 Used in transporting other metals besides gold (5) 8 He urges one change to facilitate quick growth (10) 9 Such an order can’t be Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution bettered - it includes fruit (5,3) Across: 1 Leads in, 5 Mufti, 14 Have a shot at winning 8 Mercurial, 9 Eft, 10 Note, the soccer game 12 Left over, 14 Chance, perhaps (5,1,4) 15 Debris, 17 Discount, 18 Veil, 16 Animal trained to work 21 Coo, 22 Anchor man, without worrying (8) 24 Lathe, 25 Soprano.

18 Nurse felt funny Down: 1 Lemon, 2 Air, 3 Slum, 4 Nailed, 5 Muleteer, 6 Free taking ill (9) verse, 7 Interns, 11 Transport, 20 Leave the ranks 13 Accolade, 14 Codicil, and walk briskly (4,3) 16 Knocks, 19 Lingo, 20 Soup, 21 Justify being wrongly 23 Moa. severed (7) 23 A capital seat I snuggle into (5) 25 Swore to reform but hasn’t got any better (5) 26 Combat wear (4) Down Across 1 Raise to third 1 Harmonise (10) power (4) 6 A long time (4) 6 7 8 2 Beyond 10 Go swimming (5) 9 control (3,2,4) 11 Person next 3 Reside (5) door (9) 4 Women’s 12 Well-to-do (8) convent (7) 13 Worker in 5 Corrupt (7) stone (5) 13 7 Flagrant (5) 15 Utter 8 Reinforce (10) lawlessness (7) 9 Dishonourable (8) 17 Insolently 18 bold (7) 14 Concocted to deceive (10) 19 Reparation (7) 16 Disposition to 21 Excessively be lenient (8) flattering (7) 18 Formerly (2,3,4) 22 Thicket of small trees (5) 20 Person of 25 importance (7) 24 In handcuffs (8) 26 21 Subtle tact (7) 27 Refusing to let go (9) 23 Imposing 28 punishment (5) 28 Bring up (5) 25 Piece of 29 Stupid person (4) bric-a-brac (5) 30 Well-disposed 26 Dexterous (4) (10)

EASY PUZZLE

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

Solution tomorrow 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9 10

A

2

B

2

C

1

D

2

E

3

F

2

G

2

H

2

I

2

J

2 1

2

1

4

1 x Battleship 2 x cruiser

3

1

2

27, 29, 31, 34, 36, Across: Laundry Jointly, Fast, Caly Akimbo, Marquis, Down: Fathom, P Amazing, Anchov TArgeT cAn you crack the Alphabeater? Each grid Extra Rubric, Rhythm. number represents a letter – or black square.

0907 reguLATor Asague in Alphapuzzle, every letter of the alphabet argue arguer auger auto euro CroSS(Deduc Do isglue used.glut Butgout you grout have to complete the grid too! each ext gruel lour lout Across: FLAME use given and black squares below fu lugethelure lurerletters lute outage outer the grid toragout start. regular the gridREGULATOR is ‘rotationally DoWN: SMOKE 0907 outrage symmetrical’ in other looks the *Calls cos rogue rouge –rout routewords, routeritrule SuMMiT your u te same you turn upside rulerifrural tolu the tourpage tourer true down. netwo 105 and 104 truer trug ultra urea urge urger Solution tomorrow

THE ALPHABEATER

TARGET 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.

THe ALPH 2019 black squares: 7

0

3

3 x Destroyer 4 x submarine

3

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

39 18 17 20 9

13 2

39 18 8

32 18

13 39 40 10 32 5

33 1

36 33 18 35 22 15

14 19 12 4

21 10 9

15

38 24 28 18 38 32 31 27 1

38

23 18 20 17 19 1

18 33 39 17 37 5

2

33 12 3 5

34 21 10 27 16 8 10 20 Yesterday’s

20

Answer 14 28 29 33 17 5 33 31 27 8Kakuro

5

22 11 26 16 12 37 31 4

25

37 22 26 22 10 35

29 33 39 6

13 27 30 39 11 29 26 37 31 26 9

8

1

32 12 9

9

28 38 18

28 37 22 23 40 29 26 31 17 3

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

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13

14

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21

22

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28

29

30 31

32

33

34 35

36

■

K

P ■

D

● Alternatively, for six Extra Letter clues to your text DXBEAT to 84901. Texts cost £1 plus your usual o

WORD BUILDER Answer the clues so that each word contains the same letters as the previous word, plus or minus one.

Solutio

1

1 tu

2

2 Pe

3

3 cip

4

4 Or

5

5 Fu

6

6 str

7

7 sti

The Tribune | Weekend | 27

Friday, December 6, 2019

animals

Christmas season with pets Animal matters | KIM ARANHA

G

ee wiz, it’s Christmas. Music booms loudly from loudspeakers in every shop, gas station, grocery store and Christmas tree sales centre how could we possibly miss that the Yule season is upon us?

Shops are elaborately decorated with bright green and red garlands and baubles literally everywhere - Christmas trees glitter and twinkle in the dark and Nassau roundabouts sport coloured lights representing everything from a nativity crèche to garishly colorful candy canes!

How could anybody possibly miss THE season? This is supposedly the “most wonderful time of the year”, for many, but not for all. Some humans suffer terribly from depression during the Christmas season - frequently we forget those who needs us most because we are just having room much fun!

How many of us have pets at home and forget them during this amazingly busy period. Our furry friends do not understand the hype and excitement.

“Why do Mom and Dad bring a tree into the house, hang shining objects on it that attract our attention (especially cats!) And then when we show interest in it - they all start to scream at us to leave it alone?”

Just imagine how confusing that must be! For 11 months of the year, Fido is encouraged

to lift his leg on tress outside, suddenly there is a tree inside that is off limits! And it is not just that! So much more is confusing and some of the foods are dangerous and could kill your beloved pet.

Last week, I went to a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration, the family dog was safely tucked in his very roomy crate and was sleeping soundly, dinner was amazingly good and we left late and sated... the family went up to bed and so did their dog — next morning he went out for a short walk, and the humans went upstairs, he stayed in the sitting room which he frequently does - only this morning the family was not aware that someone the night before had left a box of chocolates on the counter!

Of course, naughty boy, he got hold of the box and by the time they got downstairs the entire box of chocolates had been consumed and there were wrappers everywhere!

One dog very pleased with himself whilst his worried owner tracked down their vet.

That particular story has a happy ending and the naughty dog came through the ordeal none the worse for wear but that is not necessarily the case with chocolate, which is highly toxic for dogs.

It is not just chocolate that is a mortal enemy of all canines, grapes are bad news too, as are the dried version: raisins, which renders all Christmas pudding, fruit cake and mince pies on the forbidden list.

Got a spot for Pitty?

CHIEF sharing the task of gift wrapping Turkey in small quantities is acceptable but please avoid the skin. Dogs are better off with just a few tidbits at Christmas, any drastic change to their diet can upset their tummies, and take days to get them back to normal Christmas and your pets is really a case of that old friend of ours, “Common Sense”, who is not so common after all, and who we do not encounter very often any more.

Emotionally, your dog and cat can become very confused with all of the “goings on” at home, try and put yourself in their place. Don’t suddenly ignore them because you are rushing from one social event to another.

Stop for a few seconds and think about what is important. Amidst all the glitter and glamour of celebration, there is a faithful friend who waits patiently for you to come home, who cares not if you look a bit bedraggled or disheveled. He or she has sat watching the front door ever since it closed behind

you, ever watchful, even when sleeping, one ear up and one ear down. Stop and stroke that friend, share a few kind words and offer him a treat.

When Christmas is over and the tinsel has been swept away and we dive into whatever 2020 may have in store for us, we will still have our Fido or Fluffy by our side. When the phone doesn’t ring, when your car breaks down, when your heart has been broken, they are they to give you love and comfort.

Remember these all-important words this season. Keep your pets safe for dangerous foods, protect them from foolish pranksters, secure them when there are fireworks: Fireworks can cause a dog to completely loose all sense of reason, they become so terrified, Best advice to follow this Christmas is to just love them, pet them, talk to them and you will benefit from being loved in return.

And above all, have a very Merry Christmas season this year with your pet!

P

itty considers himself very much the ladies’ dog about town. He’s neutered, so this two-yearold won’t be fathering any puppies, but he has a decided preference for the company of lady dogs.

Pitty has an outgoing friendly personality and would love a house that respects that pits can look tough but also be cuddly.

Walks and beach trips would be enjoyed, too! Do you have a spot for Pitty?

If so, come in to the Bahamas Humane Society to meet him. Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 2pm Saturday, or you can call 323-5138 for more information. Pity looks forward to seeing you!

The Fourth Annual Christmas Jewellery Sale will be held at the BHS Thrift Shop this Saturday from 10am to 2pm. Come check out the selection.

Find a great Christmas gift for that loved one or something shiny for yourself. All proceeds go to the BHS.

28 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 6, 2019