12202019 WEEKEND

Friday, December 20, 2019

art books film fashion music events food puzzles history

Weekend

A CAKE FILLED WITH LOVE Pages 14 & 15

Behind the music Patrice Murrell’s star on the rise pages 4 & 5

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 20, 2019

CELEBRITY

TONY Okungbowa

BEBE REXHA

LINDSEY Stirling

Star names to see in New Year

By ALESHA CADET

F

| Tribune Features writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

OR the first time, the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort will ring in the New Year with an outdoor celebration - titled Party Like A Royal.

Among the performers will be BeBe Rexha, Lindsey Stirling, Tony Okungbowa and the world famous Royal Bahamas Police Force Band. The night is expected to end with champagne and a fireworks display by Grucci. Additionally, all guests will enjoy craft cocktails, fine desserts and much more.

The American recording artist Bebe Rexha is known for her hits like “I Got You”, “I’m Gonna Show You

Crazy” feat Nicki Minaj, “No Broken Hearts,” and more; American violinist, singer and songwriter Lindsey Stirling is known worldwide for her skills; and British born actor and film producer Tony Okungbowa is to give Bahamians a taste of his disc jockey vibes.

And that’s not all on the line up, as the festivities will kick off on Monday, December 30, with a live performance by the Grammy-nominated multiplatinum powerhouse trio The Jonas Brothers. The performance is part of the resort’s entertainment series, Atlantis Live, which provides guests with an all-access pass to top musicians and artists.

“The concert marks ten years since the Jonas Brothers’ previous resort concert and fifth time performing as part of the Atlantis Live series and we could not be more excited to host them on property and execute another spectacular concert with them,” said Cara Douglas, on island marketing director at Atlantis.

The team is looking forward to The Jonas Brothers hyping the crowd with a mix of classics from the “It’s About Time”, “Jonas Brothers”, “A Little Bit Longer”, and “Lines, Vines and Trying Times” albums that catapulted them to success, plus a variety of songs from their newest hit album, “Happiness

Begins”. The trio reunited in 2019 following the successful solo careers of Nick, Joe, and Kevin Jonas. They recently made history with their single, “Sucker”, which marked the first time a band debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this century.

Katie Longley, director of public relations at Atlantis, told Tribune Weekend that the Atlantis Live series is known for hosting some of the most popular names in entertainment, with previous performers including John Legend, Diana Ross, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Reba McEntire, Jerry Seinfeld and more. She

encouraged fans not to miss these upcoming performances.

“Atlantis is known for showcasing the best in entertainment, shows and concerts.

The Atlantis Live concert series are about attractive and interesting acts that both resort guests and the wider Bahamian community are excited about seeing and this spells success and growth for the concert series,” said Ms Longley.

Tickets for both the concert and the party are available at the Atlantis Box Office in the Convention Centre. Readers can call 363-6601, email box.office@atlantisparadise. com or visit www.atlantisbahamas.com.

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Friday, December 20, 2019

Inside Weekend

My perfect Bahamian Christmas Santa Claus Toymaker/Gift giver Fruit cake or pumpkin pie?

“That depends on how soon you put it out. If I’m getting to a house toward the end of the night, pumpkin pie can be a bit soggy, and my reindeer really love fruit cake.”

Celebrity 2 Atlantis to ring in the New Year with star names Interview 4-5 Rising star Patrice Murrell speaks to Cara Hunt

Egg nog, mulled wine or apple cider?

Film 7

“Ho Ho Ho, there is a reason I am so jolly. I love ‘em all.”

Star Wars returns with the end of the saga - but is it a hit or a miss?

Event 8-9

Artificial tree or real tree?

Adventure Learning Centre opens its doors for a Christmas festival of lights

“I am a real tree lover, of course, although I admit that artificial trees shed less after you put

Film 10 Stage sensation Cats takes to the big screen

Event 11 Old school reggae comes to the fore for Concepts show

Entrepreneur 12 A talent for business at a young age, discover six-year-old Daniella Williams

Junkanoo 13 Groups have their say on preparations as they prepare to compete

Food 14-15 Cake maker Latisa Rolle puts her passion into pastry

Fashion Police 16 Is the Force strong with the red carpet stars at Star Wars premiere?

Event 17 Can you go phone-free? Party puts away the phones

Books 18 Artist and author Maz Joachin launches latest comic creation

Calendar 19 Fashion 20 Christmas style for children

Books 21 Reviews of the latest releases, including Disney’s Land

Literary Lives 22-23 Reliving one of the most treasure Christmas stories ever written, The Little Match Girl

Forgotten Facts 24 The refugee from the American Revolution who found his way to Nassau.

Art 25 Angelika Wallace-Whitfield brings Hope Is A Weapon pop-up to national art gallery.

Puzzles 26 Animals 27 Christmas is a time of love for pets too

the presents under them.”

Go to Junkanoo or stay at home?

“Junkanoo people - you know that sweet, deep sleep you have after the parade? That’s the sleep I have after delivering presents. I am too tired to fly back to The Bahamas, but me and Mrs Claus always make sure we catch our favorite holiday parade on tv.”

If you could spend Christmas anywhere, would it be?

“Are you kidding? The Bahamas, of course, my favourite vacation spot in the world.”

this week in history

Julie Delpy is 50. Rock musician Anna Bulbrook (Airborne Toxic Event) is 37. Steven Yeun is 36.

December 22

December 20

• In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was completed as ownership of the territory was formally transferred from France to the United States.

• In 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union as all 169 delegates to a special convention in Charleston voted in favor of separation.

• In 1963, the Berlin Wall was opened for the first time to West Berliners, who were allowed one-day visits to relatives in the Eastern sector for the holidays.

• In 1968, author John Steinbeck died in New York at age 66.

• In 1987, more than 4,300 people were killed when the Dona Paz, a Philippine passenger ship, collided with the tanker Vector off Mindoro island.

Today’s Birthdays: Original Mouseketeer Tommy Cole (TV: “The Mickey Mouse Club”) is 78. Psychic/illusionist Uri Geller is 73. Producer Dick Wolf (”Law & Order”) is 73. Rock musician Alan Parsons is 71. Actress Jenny Agutter is 67. Actor Joel Gretsch is 56. Country singer Kris Tyler is 55. Movie director Todd Phillips is 49. Singer David Cook (”American Idol”) is 37. Actor Jonah Hill is 36.

December 21

• In 1988, 270 people were killed when a terrorist bomb exploded aboard a Pam Am Boeing 747 over Lockerbie, Scotland, sending wreckage crashing to the ground.

• In 1620, Pilgrims aboard the

Mayflower went ashore for the first time at present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts.

• In 1891, the first basketball game, devised by James Naismith, is believed to have been played at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. (The final score of this experimental game: 1-0.)

• In 1913, the first newspaper crossword puzzle, billed as a “Word-Cross Puzzle,” was published in the New York World.

• In 1914, the US government began requiring passport applicants to provide photographs of themselves.

• In 1945, US Army Gen George S Patton, 60, died in Heidelberg, Germany, 12 days after being seriously injured in a car accident.

• In 1968, Apollo 8 was launched on a mission to orbit the moon.

• In 1969, Vince Lombardi coached his last football game as his team, the Washington Redskins, lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 20-10.

Today’s Birthdays: Talk show host Phil Donahue is 84. Actress Jane Fonda is 82. Actor Larry Bryggman is 81. Actor Samuel L Jackson is 71.

Movie producer Jeffrey Katzenberg is 69. International Tennis Hall of Famer Chris Evert is 65. Actress Jane Kaczmarek is 64. Country singer Lee Roy Parnell is 63. Actor Kiefer Sutherland is 53. Actress

• In 2010, President Barack Obama signed a law allowing gays for the first time in history to serve openly in America’s military, repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

• In 1808, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, and Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58, had their world premieres in Vienna, Austria.

• In 1944, during the World War II Battle of the Bulge, US Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe rejected a German demand for surrender, writing “Nuts!” in his official reply.

• In 1989, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu, the last of Eastern Europe’s hard-line Communist rulers, was toppled from power in a popular uprising.

• In 1992, a Libyan Boeing 727 jetliner crashed after a midair collision with a MiG fighter, killing all 157 aboard the jetliner, and both crew members of the fighter jet.

• In 2001, Richard C. Reid, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, but was subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Hector Elizondo is 83. Baseball Hall of Famer Steve Carlton is 75. Former ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer is 74. Baseball All-Star Steve Garvey is 71. Rapper Luther “Luke” Campbell is 59. Actor Ralph Fiennes is 57. Actress Dina Meyer is 51. Sen Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is 49. Actress Heather Donahue is 46. Rhythmand-blues singer Jordin Sparks is 30.

Pop singer Meghan Trainor is 26.

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 20, 2019

interview

With a head for business and a talent for music, Patrice Murrell is a rising star on the Bahamian scene. An award-winner and one of the hottest tickets in the country, she spoke to CARA HUNT about her rise, and her plans for the future.

Patrice Murrell

P

atrice Murrell had a double major in college studying both music and finance - and while she excelled at both there is no question where her passion lies.

“I have been singing since I was a young girl and I got my start in church. Both my parents were musicians so music was always a part of my life, I would say my career really started to flourish in 2017 when I performed in the Bahamas Carnival Junkanoo Masters and that’s when I really went into it full time.”

The singer is now one of the hottest recording artists and performers in The Bahamas.

After a successful 2018 with her massive hit “Feelin’ Good” enjoying popular radio airplay and streams on all major online platforms and with deejays locally and abroad, she is also known for songs such as “Rest of My Life”, “Cuz A Da Wine” and “T.O.M.” – that had listeners moving straight through 2019.

In the past few years, Patrice has received multiple awards for her success as a singer/ songwriter.

Most notable are a Bahamas Top Music Award for her song “Come 2 Wave” and Contemporary Song of the year for “Feelin’ Good” (Elevation Awards). As a first-time entry, Patrice was chosen as a finalist for the 2017 Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival Music Masters Competition.

Patrice holds a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from Nova Southeastern University, a degree in finance and accounting from Palm Beach Atlantic University and also did music as well.

“Finance was something that came naturally to me. I am a very analytical person

The Tribune | Weekend | 05

Friday, December 20, 2019

and I needed to do something that would pay the bills because you know in The Bahamas, if you want to have a career in the arts, people encourage you to get a real job you can fall back on,” she told Tribune Weekend.

Patrice says it’s hard to describe the enjoyment she feels when performing.

“It’s a feeling of completion,” she says, “knowing that I am doing what I was born to do.”

And she says that even when something occasionally goes wrong it still does not dampen the thrill of performing.

“I’ve not had performances where something has gone totally wrong, but there have been performances that have been more difficult in the sense that I may not have been feeling well or something has happened with the sound, but what makes you a professional is that you learn to push through it, she says.

And as much as she loves to perform, Patrice also enjoys trying her hand at song writing.

“I enjoy collaborating with other people, but I do also write some of my own material. I feel it’s important to write myself because I feel it gives me a deeper level of expression in my music from a business standpoint. When you write your own material, it is smart because then then you can control your royalties, but of course there are many singers who didn’t write their own material, but went on to have a

Their music is very classic, yet it is still current at the same time and they are great performers as well. I love music that is not just a fad and is music that will stand the test of time and you will be able to listen to it 100 years from now.”

And if a successful musical career isn’t enough, Patrice also enjoys a second passion - Zumba.

“I am a certified Zumba instructor and I do a lot of personal one-on-one classes and a few corporate events.

Doing it like that allows me to be a bit more flexible with my schedule,” she said.

“I also do volunteer work and fundraise with my fellow Zumba sisters for the Cancer Society and more recently this year for Hurricane Dorian survivors. I feel it is very important,” she said.

And she is so busy these days it is unlikely that she will slow down in time for the holidays.

“I love Christmas, especially sitting down for Christmas breakfast and Christmas with my sister and her family. I also love to decorate.

The reality is that with my schedule I

“I feel it’s important to write myself because I feel it gives me a deeper level of expression in my music from a business standpoint.” successful career.”

She says that her favourite song she has written is her hit song “Feelin’ Good”.

“I love how people have responded to the song and told me how it made them feel,” she said.

Patrice says the best performers are those who can stand the test of time.

“If I could perform a duet with anyone, I think it would have to be Celine Dion and Lionel Ritchie. I just love the fact that they have had so much longevity in their careers.

am usually busy working during the holidays but still I try to enjoy as much as I can. My favourite Christmas song is The Greatest Gift of all by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton,” the singer added.

Moving into 2020, Patrice hinted that she has a major project in the works.

“We will be announcing it in the New Year,” she said but it will be a collaboration with some very big industry names in the industry and I am excited to show what we can offer,” she said.

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 20, 2019

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Friday, December 20, 2019

film

'Rise of Skywalker' is a sour end to a grand saga rise of skywalker | 142 minutes

N

ot much has caused a disturbance in the “Star Wars” galaxy quite like Rian Johnson’s “The Last Jedi,” an erratic but electric movie that, regardless of how you felt about it, was something worth arguing about.

The same can’t be said for J. J. Abrams’ “Rise of Skywalker,” a scattershot, impatiently paced, fan-servicing finale that repurposes so much of what came before that it feels as though someone searching for the hyperspace button accidentally pressed the spin cycle instead.

A laundry list of plot points cluster like an asteroid field in “Rise of Skywalker.” It’s a spirited, hectic and ultimately forgettable conclusion of the Skywalker saga begun 42 years ago by George Lucas.

It was also surely a lot to ask for. Abrams, having already ably and nimbly resuscitated Lucas’ space opera with the far less cluttered “The Force Awakens,” was brought back (like seemingly everyone is in “Star Wars,” dead or alive) with the task of not only wrapping up a trilogy but repairing the divides stirred up by “The Last Jedi” and stabilizing the franchise’s revolving door of directors. Abrams here took over for the jettisoned Colin Trevorrow, who retains a “story by” credit.

More significantly, “The Last Jedi” had to solve the

underlying existential crisis in “Star Wars,” a franchise in search of a reason beyond nostalgia (and, cough, billions of dollars) for continuing. The film, for sure, tries its damnedest to come up with something.

It is one busy, hardworking movie. But if anything has been proven by the many attempts to rekindle the magic of the original trilogy, it’s that Lucas’ cosmic amalgamation of Flash Gordon and Akira Kurosawa isn’t so easily refabricated.

As the trilogy’s third act, “Rise of Skywalker” takes the general shape of “Return of the Jedi,” even resuscitating its villain: Emperor Palpatine (the very spooky Ian McDiarmid, now mostly a shadowy heap of CGI). He was last seen exploding in a Death Star air shaft, thrown to his apparent death by Darth Vader.

Yet as “Star Wars,” the most forever war there is, marches into its fifth decade, the undying demands of a pop culture phenomenon and corporate revenue generator has led to some unsettling resurrections.

This third “Star Wars” trilogy began with a plan: the first movie would belong to Han (Harrison Ford), the second to Luke (Mark Hamill) and the third to Leia (Carrie Fisher).

Life interfered. Fisher, who along with Ford did more to enliven the original trilogy than any special effect, died of a heart attack in 2016. But she, too, has been brought

back for “Rise of the Jedi,” via bits and pieces of old footage. For an actress of such live-wire verve, the composite result — a handful of brief lines and gazes — is a hollow non-performance.

Palpatine, residing in a dark Sith lair, essentially sets the table. He summons Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) with an order to “kill the girl” (Daisy Ridley’s Rey) and thereby inherit the throne. With the wave of his hand, Palpatine unearths an entire fleet of Star Destroyers. They rise from the depths, a new armada of doom for the First Order.

But this is only a piece of the movie’s manic start.

Abrams, who penned the screenplay with Chris Terrio (”Argo,” “Justice League”), races to catch up with the many characters of the Resistance, among them Leia, Finn (John Boyega), Poe (Oscar Isaac), Rose (Kelly Marie Tran), Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels). From the start, there’s a rush to speed through a complex plot that sends a crowded Millennium Falcon in search of the hidden Sith base, a quest that includes a series of MacGuffins including — like a relic from a more earthbound adventure — a secret-wielding dagger.

“Star Wars” has never lacked for velocity but the pace here is schizophrenic.

The movie can’t sit still.

Everyone’s yelling and most of the bits of humor along the way are too blandly inserted.

(C-3PO, at least, is in fine

form.) Part of the rush, it seems, is to dismantle some of Johnson’s groundwork and refocus the spine of the story on Rey’s destiny and her complicated relationship with Ren. Whether that’s a gesture to the toxic fandom unleashed by “Last Jedi” or not, some characters suffer for it, most notably Rose. She was the highlight of “The Last Jedi,” which stirringly realigned the traditional power dynamics of “Star Wars.” But she’s regrettably sidelined for much of the action this time.

Some of the tropes that Johnson deconstructed have been reassembled. Poe, the Han Solo heir apparent, is again central. New worlds bring new friends — a Stormtrooper-turned-rebel played by Naomi Ackie; an old rival of Poe’s named Zorri Bliss (Keri Russell); a cute Muppet-like creature named Babu Frik — and old (Billy Dee Williams’ Lando).

Many of them make a good impression but the encounters proceed predictably.

To go too much into the narrative of “Rise of Skywalker” isn’t necessary and, besides, I’m not totally sure I could explain it all, anyway. That, in itself, is one of the movie’s most disappointing aspects: It’s trying too hard. What the streaming spinoff “The Mandalorian” has proven (besides that people will go absolutely gaga over infant Jedi Masters) is that simplicity of story line pays in “Star Wars,” just as it does in westerns. “Rise of Skywalker” aims for the brilliant

parallel action of “Return of the Jedi” but ends up with mounted horse-like creatures charging on the wing of a Star Destroyer. Somewhere, Jar Jar Binks is celebrating. He might not be the most misplaced thing in the galaxy far, far away, after all.

But even if “Rise of Skywalker” has its fair share of missteps, it gets some things right. The grief of a Wookie, for one. Kylo’s new black helmet, laced with bloodred cracks, for another. A lightsaber fight amid the seastrewn rubble of a Death Star swells with watery grandeur.

And most of all, the anguished Rey-Ren duel finally takes on the mythical dimensions of earlier “Star Wars” tugs between good and evil.

Yet for a movie predicated on satisfying fans, “The Rise of Skywalker” is a distinctly unsatisfying conclusion to what had been an imperfect but mostly good few films. But hope springs eternal among “Star Wars” fans. Some will likely emerge from this latest installment paraphrasing Leia: “Help us, Baby Yoda. You’re our only hope.”

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” a Walt Disney Co. release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for sci-fi violence and action.

JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer

08 | The Tribune | Weekend

event

Flocking to the lights

Y

OUNG and old flocked to the Adventure Learning Centre last Friday for the return of the Christmas Festival of Love and Light to the venue.

Visitors were urged to join organisers under the stars and thousands of lights as they recreated their very own little town of Bethlehem at the centre, with a “Hope and Happiness Village”.

There was a giant tunnel of lights, and people were able to pet animals at the adventure farm.

Performers provided music and were there to talk to visitors about the Christmas story - while people were also encouraged to bring donations of gifts and groceries for Hurricane Dorian survivors.

The event was also sponsored by the Ministy of Tourism, Aliv, Samaritan’s Purse and Mount Tabor Church.

Friday, December 20, 2019

Friday, December 20, 2019

CHRISTMAS Lights Festival at Adventure Learning Centre.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

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10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 20, 2019

FILM

Forget CGI. Dench is the special effect in 'Cats' CATS | 110 minutes here’s apparently enough groundbreaking technology used in “Cats” for NASA to send a rocket to unexplored parts of the universe — perhaps to a far-off planet where cats sing, dance on two legs, and recite TS Eliot poetry in half-Cockney accents.

But let’s forget the much-discussed “digital fur technology” used to turn stars like Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Swift and Idris Elba into stateof-the-art, fabulous felines.

Spoiler (or spoiled milk) alert: It’s not the technology that makes a whisker of difference here (sorry for the cat puns, but if you see this film, you’d better get used to them).

No, it’s an old-school quality that’s the real “special effect” worth talking about in “Cats”, the new film version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber juggernaut that launched the mega-musical in the 80s: veteran stage talent. Case one: Judi Dench, who can take any silliness and somehow make it genuine and moving, even in a computer-generated cat suit.

Case two: her old friend Ian McKellen, who can embody an aging cat as well as he can Gandalf or Macbeth (which he once played opposite Dench).

Case three: James Corden, who, let’s not forget, is a Tonywinning stage actor especially good at slapstick, which he uses here to amusing effect.

Bottom line: However you feel about “Cats” the show — and let’s face it, some love it and some hate it, exactly as it will be with this film — give director Tom Hooper credit for assembling a cast that knows its way around a stage.

This estimable group includes, along with the theater veterans, music stars like Hudson and Swift, who each make

T

TAYLOR Swift as Bombalurina in a scene from “Cats.” (Universal Pictures via AP) the most of one blockbuster number suited to their talents.

It includes movie stars like Elba — who talks and growls more than sings — and Rebel Wilson, a “Gumbie cat” who really should be called a “Raunchy cat”.

And dance stars. Choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (”Hamilton”) brings in top talents like Robbie Fairchild, the former New York City Ballet principal dancer who can sing and act, too, besides being one of the most graceful cats in the alley. Alongside him dances Francesca Hayward, a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, in the ingenue role of Victoria, and other stars of ballet, tap dance and hip hop.

Before explaining the plot — and really, there’s never been much to explain — a brief primer: “Cats” is not so much a show as a cultural phenomenon. It ran in London’s West End for 21 years, and on Broadway for 18. Those are

just the original productions; it has been performed in more than 50 countries and in 19 languages.

All this for a show with no real narrative arc, based on a series of poems adapted by Webber from Eliot’s 1939 “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats”. Here, as opposed to the stage show, the action is set in 1930s London, where Eliot would have lived.

It is Victoria (Hayward) who begins our story. The innocent young newcomer is unceremoniously dumped by her owner in an alleyway.

Suddenly she is surrounded by cats — the Jellicle cats, who have come together for the annual Jellicle Ball. (Their opening song, “Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats,” is addictively catchy.)

The ball marks the night when one lucky cat is chosen to rise skyward to the “Heaviside Layer,” and be reborn.

The choice lies with Old

Deuteronomy, the grand old patriarch, who traditionally was a man — but this is the #MeToo era, and besides, they got Dame Judi Dench — so, He is a She. Dench, whose slated appearance in the original London show was thwarted by injury, takes her appointed place here, and lends the proceedings needed heft and authenticity.

If Dench embodies good, Elba’s character, the greeneyed Macavity, embodies evil.

He’s desperate to win the ball’s prize, even if he has to abduct every other cat he’s competing with.

But before the ball, each cat sings what amounts to a personal audition song — sort of “A Chorus Line” for ambitious felines. They include Jennyanydots, played by Wilson in her usual raunchy, anything-goes style. (”Stop milking it!” she meows.) Jennyanydots lives in her owner’s kitchen and sleeps by day, but

dances with cockroaches by night.

Bustopher Jones (Corden) is the well-groomed glutton, in spats, who eats his way through his entertaining number. We also Gus (short for Asparagus) played by McKellen, an elderly feline who recounts a life in the theater, and the younger Mr Mistoffelees (Laurie Davidson), a magician in training.

There’s Rum Tum Tugger (singer Jason Derulo in an charismatic performance), the evening’s heartthrob.

And then we have Bombalurina! Swift enters dangling from on high on a moon crescent for her number, an appropriately showy piece about her partner in crime, Macavity the mystery cat (it rhymes with “depravity”).

Bombalurina is, well, pretty much everything you’d expect or want in a cat version of Taylor Swift.

But the big number in “Cats” is, and will always be, “Memory”, sung by Grizabella (Hudson), a former Glamour Cat who’s now shunned, and looking for redemption.

Hudson sings this song twice (always crying), so don’t worry if you don’t hear the full belt the first time — it’s coming.

(Broadway stalwarts may still miss the famous Betty Buckley version.)

Does all this work? Well, it depends on how you feel about ... “Cats”. Did you love the show? You’ll find stuff to love here. Did you hate it?

Ditto! Or maybe ... you’ll have both reactions? That’s possible too.

And “Cats” will live on.

This is a piece of pop culture that has WAY more than nine lives.

“Cats”, a Universal Studios release, has been rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America “for some rude and suggestive humour”.

JOCELYN NOVECK Associated Press

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Friday, December 20, 2019

events

Back to our roots

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

N

OSTALGIA, good vibes and classic reggae hits are on the playlist as Concepts continues its 15-year run next week.

Concepts’ One Blood XX old school reggae party series was born in 2004. And as the end of another decade draws near, it is still eagerly awaited by revellers looking for a mature party experience.

The event continues to fill the niche for a memorable night out for the slightly older crowd, said Leah Davis, its creator.

The Boxing Day party takes place at the newly renovated Club Waterloo on East Bay Street.

“Many of our regular patrons would have fond memories of partying in Waterloo ‘back in the day’ to the same old school reggae tunes that they look forward to at our event. As such, when Waterloo reopened earlier this year, it was a natural fit for an old school vibe, despite its modern and sleek facelift,” she said.

One of the things that has made the reggae parties successful is staying true to the event’s concept. And since its old school reggae themed - it’s the only kind of music and vibes attendees can expect to partake in.

“Patrons have grown to expect a mature crowd who are simply out to enjoy a musical trip down memory lane, dancing the night away to the golden oldies of good, reggae music. What has certainly grown is the following and we are very grateful to the loyal One Blood patrons who have

made the event a favorite over the years.

“Obviously the venue is new and I think that being at Waterloo will add a special nostalgia to the event which will only add to the positive energy. Stay tuned for One Blood merchandise in 2020,” she said.

She encourages anyone who has an appetite to be taken down memory lane to enjoy a great night.

“It will be a fun musical experience where guests will hear songs they have not heard since way back when, laugh and dance the night away. The party is guaranteed to be a trip down memory lane, as deejays bring back old school reggae tunes from the likes of Half Pint, Dennis Brown and Barrington Levy, just to name a few. Music for the throwback reggae party will be provided by two of Nassau’s most skilled and versatile deejays when it comes to old school reggae – Selector Ty and Selector 3D. Following the recent Old School Reggae Party benefit edition for Dorian, in the spirit is spreading love and positivity, Ms Davis has decided to dedicate a portion of all future events’ proceeds to a charitable cause.

“The beneficiary for One Blood XX will be Beyond the Alley, a grassroots organisation, working to build aspiration in and positively impact children, ages four to 13, who are residents of Balls Alley in Nassau,” she said.

Interested persons should follow @ConceptsMarketing on Instagram and Facebook for event updates.

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 20, 2019

entrepreneur

Six-year-old Daniella means business

A

T A time when most six-year-olds are making their lists for Santa or helping to decorate Christmas trees, Daniella Williams is doing something very different - launching her own business.

The budding entrepreneur has been working with her parents, Don and Raeh Williams, to launch her online hair accessory boutique, Love is Daniella.

It may sound unusual - but Daniella has been closely involved in her parents’ businesses. Over the summer, the family opened their latest venture, Dani’s Deli, in the Coral Harbour Shopping Centre and customers were delighted to find the six-year-old ringing up the orders on an iPad in the deli.

“We’ve been intentional about introducing Daniella to the concept of business and ownership from a young age.

We want her to know that any dream is within reach if you work as a team to accomplish a goal,” her father explained. Mr Williams, who is the developer of the mobile gaming App Island Run Bahamas, believes the lessons his daughter is learning as a young entrepreneur will benefit her now and in the future.

“For her, it’s still all fun and she lets us know by her level of interest and engagement what she enjoys helping with in the businesses. She is learning how to be an independent thinker, how to problem solve and how to channel her creativity.”

Daniella, born in Florida but with a Bahamas passport, is the “Chief Excitement Officer” for her new business, and is responsible for product selection - and doubles as a model on the company’s social media platforms and website, www.loveisdaniella.com.

She also helps her mother with inventory and packaging online orders to ship to customers in The Bahamas and the United States.

Daniella has also been sharing the love closer to home - when Hurricane Dorian hit The Bahamas, she thought about all the little boys and

DON and Raeh Williams with Daniella

girls who lost everything in the storm, including all their toys, and started collecting all the stuffed animals in her room.

With the help of her grandmother, Gina Mortimer-Storr, she shared her mission with her church family, dance class and classmates in Florida.

Her story was picked up by television and before long,

Daniella’s community had collected more than 600 stuffed animals for children in The Bahamas.

Her church family in Florida also donated $2,100 to the Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands for hurricane relief.

With the help of the Bahamas Girl Guides Association, Daniella is looking to complete that mission of providing toys - and setting her sights on collecting and donating school supplies to children affected by the storm.

“As parents, we love that Daniella is taking an interest in business but that pales in comparison to how proud we

are of her willingness to help others in need,” her mother Raeh Williams said. “Her desire to help is so sincere and we will continue to provide avenues for her to accomplish these goals.”

To learn more about how you can help Daniella send school supplies to Hurricane Dorian survivors, visit https:// islandrun.com/.

The Tribune | Weekend | 13

Friday, December 20, 2019

Dey coming Junkanoo Groups ready to take Bay Street by storm

PHOTO by Donavan McIntosh

junkanoo

It’s less than one week until the big showdown on Bay Street, the 2019 Boxing Day Junkanoo parade and while the major groups are busy making the final preparations, they are all confident that they will be the one to take home the coveted crown.

Tribune Weekend checked in with the major groups to see what how the final preparation is going

The Valley Boys

The group has the unenviable position of being first out of the gate, but D Leslie Brown who serves on the group’s public relations committee, said that they are unfazed because they are ready - saying they will be first out the

gate and will also come first on Boxing Day. “This year, our theme is Life on the African Serengeti and we will be showcasing everything that you find on the Serengeti such as the animals so think lions, elephants, tigers, crocodiles and birds. Our fans can expect to see the high level of standards and the quality of the costumes you would expect from the country’s winningest Junkanoo group. We certainly intend to live up to that standard next week. Our costumes will be the most detailed and structurally creative,” Mr Brown said, adding that people should take particular note of the group’s banner.

“It will be the gateway into the Serengeti and get ready to move and dance because our music will be out of this world.”

The Saxon Superstars

Although it is a theme that would not normally be connected with a Junkanoo parade, Kendenique Campbell Moss, the Saxons co-chair says that her group is confident that they can execute their Cancer theme well enough to rush to victory. “We are focusing on the fight against cancer and paying tribute to the fighters of the disease,” she told Tribune Weekend. “A lot of people when they think cancer only think of the pink associated with breast cancer, but cancer has many colours and we will be focusing on all of them. For example, our dancers will depict sisters in the battle so think nuns and angels.

Our music will really focus on being uplifting and spiritual songs like I’m a survivor.”

“This year, we definitely wanted to think out of the box and do something very different from what we have done before,” she said. “We also are inviting persons watching to bring pictures of loved ones who have battled or who are battling cancer as we pay tribute to them.”

One Family

The One Family group is inviting Junkanoo attendees to “Get their game on”. The group will be showcasing all of the favourite arcade and videos from the past and the future.

“Think Donkey Kong, Pacman, the games of the Atari console and new

games such as Pokemon, Fortnite and Legend of Zelda,” said Anthony Coakley, a special events co-ordinator for the group.

“This is a theme that we first thought about last year, but we needed to flesh it out and we confirmed the theme around March.”

He said fans should especially look for the line dancers who will be street fighters and for an amazingly detailed Donkey Kong costume that is a real throwback to the old-style Junkanoo pasting. “We are also mixing our music up with contemporary tunes and wellknown video games. We have not had the music crown for six years and so we are hungry.”

Genesis

The country is invited to the Wedding event of the year as presented by the Genesis Junkanoo group.

Nathan Taylor, the group’s grand marshall, says that they will be depicting everything connected to the blessed day from the bridal show to the invitation to the guests, the ceremony, the reception and when the happy couple leaves on honeymoon.

“Our final lead piece is the honeymoon and it will blow you away,” he said.

He added that the choreographed dancers will depict the elegance of the engagement ring, because diamonds are a girl’s best friend and the second line of dancers will be flower girls while the back line will be swans.

The group is happy with their second place position in the line-up. “It’s a good number and we are satisfied with that and we will be ready.”

Roots

Grab your passport and prepare for an epic adventure with the Roots Junkanoo group.

The group is inviting everyone to witness as they “dig up the road” on Christmas Night.

“This Boxing Day, we bring you Dream Vacations, A World of Beauty!

Join us on a journey to all the best vacation destinations, ending at the best vacation spot in the world: The Bahamas.”

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 20, 2019

celebrity The premiere of Star Wars The Rise of Sky Walker in London and Los Angeles

With CaraHunt and Farah Gibson

HIT

FAIL

SPLIT

HIT

Daisy Riddle Rey

Keri Russell Zorii Bliss

Cara says: “This is amazing, the colour and fabric are soo soo rich and vibrant and the bustier top is super nice. It’s dramatic yet simple all once. Love it all. I wish the hair was a bit more dramatic, but it’s not a deal breaker.”

Farah says: “I am in love with this royal blue ensemble. This has to be one of the best looks I have seen on the red carpet in a while. The colour is so wintry and I love the popping red lips.

Cara says: “This outfit is just ugly I know statement sleeves are a thing, but this outfit just is unflattering. She looks like the sleeves swallowed her up whole. And maybe the sleeves were too restricted and that is why she couldn’t comb her hair?”

Farah says: “She did not even try.

I don’t mind the polka dots or the exaggerated sleeves because it is Star Wars, but I just expected more. This was a great opportunity to be creative and out of space and she failed.”

Kelly Marie Tan Rose Tico

Naomi Ackie Jannah

Cara says: “The colour is lovely and fits her well. I like it, I am just not blown away by. It seems that she hoped the sparkle would help very safe choice.”

Farah says: “I like that she tried to stay on theme with a galaxy-like dress, however, how many times have we seen this on the red carpet It’s a lazy attempt at looking Star Wars ready at the event and she should have worn her hair up.”

Cara says: “This is my second favourite look the week behind Daisy.

I think she looks lovely and regal and I like that it something a bit different.

Again I would have done something a bit different in the hair department and maybe more statement earrings, but she looks great.”

Farah says: “I like the look. I have a thing for cape and flowy sleeves so I really like the cut of the dress, but she loses me with the makeup and the hair style.”

The Tribune | Weekend | 17

Friday, December 20, 2019

EVENTS

Can you go phone free?

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

I

| Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net

TS a sight often seen: a group of people out to a party or social gathering, but instead of immersing in the experience, they are occupied in their phones.

This is something Rhandi Elliott hopes to change with the introduction of the phonefree party concept tonight at Smugglers beginning at 10pm.

“You Had To Be There” party is presented under the LIM company and seeks to present people with an innovative event experience.

One new party experience the group introduced several years back was the headphone party.

The phone-free event is Rhandi’s latest undertaking.

He said too often people are handicapped by their phones and miss out on key parts of an event.

“We want to eliminate all the distractions and make sure people focus solely on enjoying our specially crafted party environment. Unplug, socialise, dance and forget about capturing the moment for your social media followers that missed out,” he said.

In order to maintain this environment, upon entering the venue all phones are placed in locked pouches to ensure guests are unable to access them.

Guests maintain possession of their phones throughout the entirety of the event. Pouches do not block cell signal or texts, so all of your messages and texts will still be there when you exit or step out to the dedicated Aliv Phone Zone.

“In the phone zone, partygoers will not be able to see what is going on in the party.

Aliv will set up wifi hot spots and charging stations as well.

But this is some place where people can sneak off if they want to check their messages quickly without actually exiting the venue,” he said.

Nowadays, Rhandi said at a lot of parties he attends people are not necessarily having fun because they are distracted

by what is going on on their phones.

“They will enjoy themselves for bit and then you will see

the women pull out their selfie cameras and record themselves singing the lyrics to a song. Then they would post

it to social media and stand around until a next opportunity to do that comes around,” he said.

Rhandi is not concerned the limited use of phones at the event would turn people off who love to document their time out on social media. In fact, he has already garnered great interest.

“I have been to these parties before and for the first five minutes it feels kind of weird because we use phones as crutches. You open up the screen and so it is kind of weird for the first minute. So you grab a drink by the bar and you actually engage in conversation. Once the music really kicks off you are just having fun.

The aim of this event is to bring groups of friends together where they can have fun distraction free.

“So far, interest has been there. They are interested just to see how it will be. People do have an annoyance but they are interested in new experiences. The experience is a worthwhile one and it lives up to its name.”

The LIM phone pouches were first introduced this year at the Bahamas Bridal Show.

Rhandi said brides and grooms have also been incorporating the unplugged concept into their weddings.

“I have seen it happen at weddings while the bride is coming down this aisle and everyone has their phone out.

People are live streaming weddings and it takes away from the intimacy of the moment.

“So brides and grooms have been requesting that their guests refrain from using their phones to capture moments at the weddings. With the pouches you are not taking anyone’s device away from them but the bride is able to strictly monitor that moment,” he told Tribune Weekend.

18 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 20, 2019

books

Canyon 3

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

E

VER SINCE he can remember, Maz Joachin has always been an artist - so much a part of him that he tells Tribune Weekend creating characters and writing stories are like breathing to him, he must do it to live.

Usually, he can be found at home reading some forgotten book or sketching in his sketch pad. Maz’s biggest inspiration has honestly been the life that has lived thus far.

“They say write what you know, and it’s been something I’ve tried to stay true to, mostly in the sense of subject matters I choose to touch on,” said the 29-year-old comic creator, animator and illustrator.

His newest book, Canyon 3, wraps up the story of Adowa, a 16-year-old who has been banished to wander the desert after a series of misfortunes.

“In this story, I really wanted to focus on the destructive male gaze on

ARTIST, Maz Joachin young women, and more specifically how harmful unchallenged traditions can be. The story follows her journey through a wretched place called the ‘Sha-ra’ and the many obstacles she faces.

Adowa represents stolen innocence, but also the will to fight forward. With Canyon, my hope is to start a conversation about how we view women in our society,” he said.

This story of Canyon 3 is one that had been floating in Maz’s head for a while, but what really intrigued him was how often he would see religion used to police a woman’s body, and inadvertently or otherwise, the burden had almost always fallen on women. So Canyon was his way of asking why.

While the book is set in a fictional world, Maz said the

issues are very much real. He said the feeling of completing a project never gets old, it is pure bliss.

“The one thing I wanted to portray is how we’re all victims of circumstance, no one really is inherently bad, more like different perspectives and views. Yet those views should be discussed with an open mind, especially if it harms another person. If I had to do it all over again, in the book I think would’ve liked to show more of the main characters home life, that’s the one thing I’d change,” said Maz. The book signing for Canyon 3 will take place on Saturday, December 28, at Gypsy’s Books and Tea Parliament Street at 6pm to 8pm.

Maz said at the launch he is looking forward to discussing the process of making the book, as not enough attention is given to that part of the creation.

The book will also be available at the National Art Gallery Of The Bahamas after the signing.

The Tribune | Weekend | 19

Friday, December 20, 2019

FRI 20/12

You Had To Be There Time: Friday, December 20, 2019, 10pm-2am Venue: Smugglers You Had To Be There is a phone-free party. In order to maintain this environment, upon entering the venue all phones will be placed in locked pouches to ensure you cannot access them. Guests will maintain possession of their phones throughout the entirety of the event and pouches do not block cell signal or texts, so all of your messages and texts will still be there when you exit or step-out to our dedicated ‘Phone-Zone’.

Tickets $15-20.

Nazya’s Christmas Sip and Paint Event Time: Friday, December 20, 2019, 7-9pm Venue: Green Parrot, East Bay Street All art supplies and one drink is included as you paint a holiday painting to give as a gift or keep as a memento. $30.

The Tribune Established 1903

Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree Time: Friday, December 20, 2019, 9am-3pm Venue: Ardastra Gardens A holiday dance party for kids. Rate (includes lunch): $30 for non-members, $25 for members (Ardastra, BHS, BNT or BREEF) and attendees of any our 2019 camps.

Paint, Peace and Love Time: Friday, December 20, 2019, 7-10pm Venue: Final Hour Ministries, Fox Hill Road South A fun Christian-based event with amateur painting much like “sip and paint” franchises. (Stencils from preformed images are transferred to blank canvas with painting instructions).

No experience needed.

Live band and refreshments.

Seating is limited. $10 required to secure a space.

Games evening Time: Friday, December 20, 2019, 3.30-4.30pm

|100 Jamz | Y98

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

weekend

Venue: St John’s College Kids engage in tabletop games that stimulate critical thinking and other soft skills.

This is time to just have fun.

Editior’s Voice

Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl Time: Friday, December 20, 2019, 2pm Venue: Thomas A Robinson National Stadium Buffalo will represent the Mid-American Conference and Charlotte will represent Conference USA as both institutions accepted bids to the 2019 Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl in Nassau’s Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. The Bahamas Bowl is a NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually in Nassau, Bahamas.

SAT 21/12 A Twisted Xmas Time: Saturday, December 21, 2019, 10pm-3am Venue: Botanical Gardens Not your typical Christmas party - this opens a fantasy world. Dark, twisted, but mostly fun and intriguing.

Think Maleficent, A Nightmare before Christmas.

General access includes drinks, music w/ Dj Chelo, entertainers Slawta House and King Zulu. All access adds twisted poetry with De’Angelo Whyms aka “Harsh Reality”, and Tamara B. Exclusive entertainer J SanJardo Bethel. and Dj Donovan Ace Lightbourne on the turntables. $15 general ($20 at door), $25 all access ($30 at door). Dress code encouraged of dark colours and shades of purple, violet, midnight, red, green brown.

African Pop-up Shop Time: Saturday, December 21, 10am-5pm Venue: Black Food Bookstore and Culture Shop, corner of Robinson Road and East Street Come out to purchase African books, clothing and accessories, gift items and other handmade, quality products. Admission is free.

Complimentary appetizers will be available.

Friday

Nassau Night Market Time: Saturday, December 21, 10pm-1am The Nassau Night Market is an outdoor street festival in the heart of downtown Nassau on Market Slope.

It celebrates Bahamian culture and entrepreneurship through offering exciting entertainment, flavorful 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.

Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Qualifier Time: Saturday, December 21, 2019, 3-8pm Venue: King of Games Hobby Store, Spring Hill Plaza Unit, Fox Hill This is a regional world championship qualifier, held at the King of Games hobby store. Entry fee is $15. Three packs of CHIM per entry. For details, email 242bestleague@gmailcom or message KOGHobbystore on Facebook.

Family Movie Marathon

Time: Saturday, December 21, 5.30-9pm Venue: Ardastra Gardens A Christmas Story is a 1983 film, set in the 1940s, about a boy who has to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift. Gates open at 5.30pm. Come early to explore our Night Lights, choose your best spot and get settled in with your movie snacks before the movie starts promptly at 6pm. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children & members. Seniors are free. First 50 guests receive a cup of Ovaltine.

Farmers and Craft Market Time: Saturday, December 21, 8am-noon Venue: Solomon’s Yamacraw A showcase of farmers and local craftspeople’s work at Solomon’s and a chance to support local vendors ahead of Christmas.

SUN 22/12

Twas Three Nights

Before Christmas Time: Sunday, December 22, 6pm-10pm Venue: Ardastra Gardens Bring your children dressed in their PJs for a holiday Zoo Adventure! They’ll listen to a story read by Mrs Claus, take selfies with Santa, play reindeer games, decorate Christmas cookies and make a special treat to leave for Santa’s reindeer. Admission $10 for adults/$5 for children, seniors and members.

Very Merry Christmas Market Time: Sunday, December 22, 6-9pm Venue: Incudesk, Chesapeake Road

On sale will be Christian books, Christian and designer clothing, accessories, shoes, make-up, electronics, skincare and hair products, jewelry, candles and more. Services will include food by Allie’s Cafe and Deli, drinks by Drip Drop Liquors, face painting and kids crafts, henna art, $20 gel manicures, free massage demos, live music and more. Entry $3 adults, $1 children aged four to 13.

20 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 20, 2019

fashion

Start the season in style ///////////////////////////////////

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

S

| Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net

INCE giving the gift of clothing is truly personal, a local stylist is recommending those hoping to snag some fashionable outfits for kids this Christmas probe parents to find details that will make the choice easier.

Erica Pratt, stylist at Sandbox Children’s Emporium, a new store in Harbour Bay, said getting a sense from parents of their child’s personality is a great starting point.

“We recommend that you do a little sleuthing beforehand. Reach out to parents for the child’s size. While age often relates to standard sizing, you also need an update on any growth spurts, on body type and development. Most parents prefer your discreet questions to a well-intentioned guess that could make the child feel selfconscious. Bringing parents on board allows them to coordinate gift-giving, and often saves them from having to drive around doing post-holiday exchanges.

And personality matters.

“Is the child a functional dresser or fashion forward, tidy or creative? Is she a girly-girl, or does she prefer activewear?

You want your gift to offer delight, so ask parents about the kid’s interests and favorite colors.

Knowing their dislikes also narrows down

options,” she told Tribune Weekend.

Ms Pratt also suggests consider sizing up as children tend to grow fast within months.

“When the child bolts in a few months, parents will adore your foresight, and the kids will reconnect with your generosity. If you’re shopping without all this intel, a clear, recent photograph can cue in sales associates. And gift cards aren’t just a thoughtful alternative. From five years of age, children begin to enjoy selecting their own clothes.

Some suggestions for kids apparel can be a great hat, fashion sneakers, a funky purse, or hair jewelryaccessories offer the gift of confidence.

“They signal that the child is seen, unique, appreciated.

As a family friend, your loving eye is invaluable. Your gift might encourage a shy kid to move a little farther past

his comfort zone, or refuel a young creative,” she said.

Sandbox got the Christmas season under way with a heartwarming opening event recently.

The elegantly decorated showroom transformed its play-themed space into a kids’ holiday fantasy. Guests at the exclusive event stepped past toy soldiers figures guarding the front doors.

Within, the space glowed with toy-bedecked trees, swagged garlands, and a sparkling Instagram curtain.

Another “Light Up Christmas!” infused home-grown event at the store will be held on Sunday from 10am-6pm.

During this time, some of the most on-trend winter looks for kids will be showcased.

“The feel of the season is glamorous, plush, stylish, luxurious. For girls, we’re seeing a lot of glimmer, shimmer, and sequins.

I’m really impressed with elements such as animal prints, and shag. They are

fun, vibrant, and unexpected in children’s lines.”

Ms Pratt continued: “The classics are definitely back, including black, white and neutral tones that ground an outfit.”

Retro couture-inspired looks sizzle, like the pink, fringed tweed “Chanel” shift or the bronze-sequined flapper dress. Some pieces use clean lines to play with texture, giving dresses great flexibility to accessorize or dress down.

They’re a great option for a variety of holiday events.

Formal dresses are monochromatic, using exquisite construction, layered fabrics, and glittery trims for drama.

Pure elegance.”

She said achromatic looks are also big for winter. “A related design theme we are seeing interprets color and emphasises patterns with shades of greys and neutrals. The greys recall winter softness, and are offset by color blocked trousers, cardigans, and accessories.

Ms Pratt added: “Boys’ looks are updated with sweaters and blazers. Plaid and striped, button-down shirts are favorites for formal occasions.

“About 37 percent of children are kinesthetic learners who learn best by doing.

Heavily tactile, they explore the world by touch. So they are impressed with interactive clothing, like our novelty tees with two-way sequins kids can riddle back and forth. Outfits with supple fabrics, textured appliques, and layered features bring great pleasure to these kinds of children.”

The Tribune | Weekend | 21

Friday, December 20, 2019

books

Inside Disney's Land

“D

isney’s Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park that Changed the World,”

by Richard Snow (Scribner) Scores of books have been written on Walt Disney and the entertainment colossus he created, but author Richard Snow finds some new running room, delivering an elegantly written chronicle focusing on how Disney created and funded the famed park that bears his name.

Disney knew the importance of characters in storytelling and so does Snow, examining many of the people who helped Disney on his passage from idea to game-changing park.

One such character is Buzz Price, who completed some early research on the economic feasibility of Disney’s park. A jogger, Price had tabulated the distance of every run and the costs of socks, shoes and other running-related expenses to get his per-mile running cost.

Price was the right man for the Disneyland feasibility job.

Snow also thoroughly explores Disney’s older brother Roy’s role in the creation of Disneyland. “Walt . . . was the creative one,” he writes. “But he could not have brought forth his creations without Roy’s business acumen.”

The book suggests lessons that extend to today: Passion for an idea and a plan are important, but so is research.

Disney’s focus and self-confidence allowed him to push on despite family and friends who told him that an amusement park was folly.

He leveraged everything he owned to build an amusement park the likes of which the world had never seen. But Disney not only had research to bolster his confidence but he also had the wisdom to hire people of superior skill who shared his vision. Perhaps most important, he gave his team creative freedom.

However, Disney clearly was the visionary and his staffers

learned to read the arched eyebrow (disapproval) and to live with stingy praise, seemingly incongruous traits for a man who wanted to create an idyllic place of wonder and limitless imagination.

The last Disneyland employee remaining from when Walt ran the place retired years ago but Disney remains nearly mythical figure to employees – “cast members” in Disney parlance.

“Walt would like it” remains the highest praise bestowed on a Disney employee.

Disney fans will enjoy this rendering of the founder and entrepreneurs will find their time well spent inside the covers of Snow’s book.

• “Genesis,” by Robin Cook

(Putnam) The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner investigates about 8,500 deaths a year. Whatever thriller fans may fantasize about — mutilated corpses, forensic pathologists brandishing scalpels — can be found there.

So it’s no surprise that Robin Cook has set 12 of his medical thrillers at the facility, including his latest, “Genesis”.

As the novel begins, it’s business as usual at OCME, but it all changes when Dr Aria Nichols arrives to spend a month there as part of her training.

The young woman is bright, and she possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of pathology, but her superiors and co-workers can’t stand her. That’s because she ignores rules and orders and can’t open her mouth without uttering profanities.

One day, Aria autopsies the body of a social worker who was found rotting in her apartment after an apparent drug overdose. To her surprise, Aria finds an embryo lodged in the corpse’s uterus.

Aria can’t forgive the unknown man who got the social worker pregnant and then abandoned her. She wants to find him and learn what role he played in the tragedy.

The deceased woman’s colleague and best friend, Madison

Bryant, suggests that they look for him in genetic genealogy’s DNA databases. Since the DNA of the mother and her fetus are already known, identifying the father couldn’t be difficult, she says.

Aria agrees, but the next day, Madison is pushed under a subway car, and while she is in the hospital, she’s murdered.

The familiar protagonists of Cook’s OCME series, Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton, appear in “Genesis”, but they are mired in family problems, so they do little to make the novel suspenseful.

Scaring his readers silly isn’t what Cook is aiming at. With his thrillers, he clearly hopes to educate the public about a major scientific topic of the day.

With “Genesis”, he successfully sheds light on genetic genealogy and some privacy concerns involving its ever-expanding DNA databases.

“Trace of Evil” by Alice Blanchard (Minotaur) Witchcraft—both historical and current—becomes a gripping metaphor for how violence can continue to permeate a community for decades in this intricately plotted launch of a new series. In her sixth novel, Alice Blanchard masterfully weaves in history and contemporary issues as she explores how the tragedy of a community and a family are intertwined.

The rural community of Burning Lake in upstate New York thrives on its tourist trade, as visitors come to see where centuries ago several young women accused of being witches were publicly executed.

Many of the town’s residents are uneasy that acts of violence have provided a steady income.

Rookie Detective Natalie Lockhart knows all too well about a family tragedy—about 20 years ago her older sister, Willow, was murdered by a local teenager who is still in prison. Willow’s murder is never far from Natalie’s mind, nor that of her surviving sister Grace, the single mother of 15-year-old Ellie.

•

“Disney’s Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World” by Richard Snow.

(Scribner via AP) But the lore of violence also appeals to a group of high school girls who form a “coven,” complete with seances in the woods, death spells and poppet dolls buried in backyards to explore the dark side of Wicca. Of course, these curses aren’t real, more of a game for these girls; the coven is a way for them to feel as if they belong. Natalie understand their motives—in high school she also dabbled with studying witchcraft until it scared her, but she now worries that her niece may be drawn to the dark side.

The murder of popular schoolteacher Daisy Buckner has Natalie wondering if the someone took the witchcraft game too far. But the investigation is stymied because the main suspect, the teenage son of a local drug kingpin, is in a coma. The case is personal to Natalie—she knew Daisy quite well as being the wife of a fellow cop and Grace’s closest friend. As she and the small Burning Lake police force investigate Daisy’s murder,

Natalie also continues to look into the disappearance of nine transients who vanished throughout the years.

Blanchard keeps the tension high in “Trace of Evil,” balancing the plot between the police investigation and Natalie’s own family drama. Blanchard’s view of a small town excels. Here, people may think they know every detail of their neighbors’ lives, but secrets still can be kept.

The well-sculpted Natalie quickly proves herself to be an intelligent and a shrewd investigator guided by compassion for her community and love of her family. Her relationship with her fellow officers, especially a growing affection for one of her colleagues, elevates “Trace of Evil.”

Readers will welcome a return to Burning Lake with Natalie at the helm.

JEFF ROWE Associated Press

22 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 20, 2019

Literary Lives | Hans Christian Andersen

The Little Match Girl Sir Christopher Ondaatje reminds us of one of the most treasured Christmas and New Year’s Eve stories ever written – with a special plea for those less fortunate than us in the Bahamas who have been casualties of Hurricane Dorian.

“If you looked down to the bottom of my soul, you would understand fully the source of my longing and – pity me.

Even the open, transparent lake has its unknown depths, which no divers know.” Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen has written some of the best-loved seasonal stories of the past two centuries – but none more moving than “The Little Match Girl”. He was born poor in Denmark,

the son of a cobbler and washerwoman – an awkward dreamy youth who fled Copenhagen when he was 14, suffering hunger and hardship before being rescued by the kindness of patrons who gave him enough education to sponsor his travels and writing. He was a social misfit whose loneliness inspired his affection for outcasts and deprived people.

The emotional sophistication of his stories has made an enormous impact on our collective imagination.

“But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore

The Tribune | Weekend | 23

Friday, December 20, 2019

she suffers so much more.” Hans Christian Andersen Anderson’s story of “The Little Match Girl” is rich in imagery and symbolism and revolves about a poor girl’s struggle for existence. He clearly uses irony as a literary device to expose the utter coldness of society to a little girl’s poverty and wretchedness and is a shocking indictment emphasising the need for compassion in the world.

Through his various descriptions he has brutally brought home the apathetic attitude of the wealthy towards the poor and the issues of social classification, poverty and child abuse.

The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. Evening came on, the last evening of the year.

In the cold and gloom a poor little girl, bareheaded and barefoot, was walking through the streets. Of course when she had left her house she’d had slippers on, but what good had they been?

They were very big slippers, way too big for her, for they belonged to her mother. The little girl had lost them running across the road, where two carriages had rattled by terribly fast.

One slipper she’d not been able to find again, and a boy had run off with the other, saying he could use it very well as a cradle some day when he had children of his own. And so the little girl walked on her naked feet, which were quite red and blue with the cold. In an old apron, she carried several packages of matches, and she held a box of them in her hand. No one had bought any from her all day long, and no one had given her a cent.

Shivering with cold and hunger, she crept along, a picture of misery, poor little girl! The snowflakes fell on her long fair hair, which hung in pretty curls over her neck. In all the windows lights were shining, and there was a wonderful smell of roast goose, for it was New Year’s Eve. Yes, she thought of that!

In a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected farther out into the street than the other, she sat down and drew up her little feet under her.

She was getting colder and colder, but did not dare to go home, for she had sold no matches, nor earned a single cent, and her father would surely beat her. Besides, it was cold at home, for they had nothing over them but a roof through which the wind whistled even though the biggest cracks had been stuffed with straw and rags.

HANS Christian Andersen Her hands were almost dead with cold. Oh, how much one little match might warm her! If she could only take one from the box and rub it against the wall and warm her hands. She drew one out. R-r-ratch! How it sputtered and burned! It made a warm, bright flame, like a little candle, as she held her hands over it; but it gave a strange light! It really seemed to the little girl as if she were sitting before a great iron stove with shining brass knobs and a brass cover. How wonderfully the fire burned! How comfortable it was! The youngster stretched out her feet to warm them too; then the little flame went out, the stove vanished, and she had only the remains of the burnt match in her hand.

She struck another match against the wall. It burned brightly, and when the light fell upon the wall it became

transparent like a thin veil, and she could see through it into a room.

On the table a snow-white cloth was spread, and on it stood a shining dinner service. The roast goose steamed gloriously, stuffed with apples and prunes.

And what was still better, the goose jumped down from the dish and waddled along the floor with a knife and fork in its breast, right over to the little girl. Then the match went out, and she could see only the thick, cold wall.

She lighted another match. Then she was sitting under the most beautiful Christmas tree. It was much larger and much more beautiful than the one she had seen last Christmas through the glass door at the rich merchant’s home.

Thousands of candles burned on the green branches, and coloured pictures like those in the print shops looked down at her. The little girl reached both her hands toward them. Then the match went out. But the Christmas lights mounted higher. She saw them now as bright stars in the sky. One of them fell down, forming a long line of fire.

“Now someone is dying,” thought the little girl, for her old grandmother, the only person who had loved her, and who was now dead, had told her that when a star fell down a soul went up to God. She rubbed another match against the wall. It became bright again, and in the glow the old grandmother stood clear and shining, kind and lovely.

“Grandmother!” cried the child.

“Oh, take me with you! I know you will disappear when the match is burned out. You will vanish like the warm stove, the wonderful roast goose and the beautiful big Christmas tree!”

And she quickly struck the whole bundle of matches, for she wished to keep her grandmother with her. And the matches burned with such a glow that it became brighter than daylight.

Grandmother had never been so grand and beautiful. She took the little girl in her arms, and both of them flew in brightness and joy above the earth, very, very high, and up there was neither cold, nor hunger, nor fear-they were with God. But in the corner, leaning against the wall, sat the little girl with red cheeks and smiling mouth, frozen to death on the last evening of the old year.

The New Year’s sun rose upon a little pathetic figure. The child sat there, stiff and cold, holding the matches, of which one bundle was almost burned.

“She wanted to warm herself,” the people said. No one imagined what

beautiful things she had seen, and how happily she had gone with her old grandmother into the bright New Year. *** The category five killer Hurricane Dorian which powered ashore on Great Abaco and Grand Bahama islands on 1 September 2019, with sustained winds of 185 mph and gusts of 220 mph caused catastrophic damage, in great part because of its very slow motion of less than 15 mph for the 27 hours it spent at Category 5 strength. It was the most fierce and prolonged battering by an Atlantic hurricane of any populated place in recorded history.

The death toll is thousands and still over four thousand are homeless and need help.

“But shouldn’t all of us on earth give the best we have to others and offer whatever is in our power?” Hans Christian Andersen Listed below are five responsible Bahamian charities. Please be generous.

The Ranfurly Homes for Children Phone: +1 (242) 393-3115 E-mail: joey.premock@SIRbahamas. com P.O.Box N–1413 Nassau, Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) P.O. Box N–7147 Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas Web Site: www.bahamas.gov.bs/ nema E-mail: NEMA@bahamas.gov.bs Phone: +1 (242) 322-6081/5 Bahamas Red Cross 94 John F. Kennedy Drive P.O. Box N- 8331 Nassau, Bahamas Phone: +1 (242) 323-7370 Fax: +1 (242) 323-7404 E-mail: info@bahamasredcross.org The Lyford Cay Foundation P.O. Box N-7776 Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas E-mail: bgoulandris@gmail.com E-mail: fhumblestone@lyfordcayfoundation.org Phone: +1 (242) 362-4910 Fax: +1 (242) 362-5449 Bahamas Humane Society P.O. Box N-242 Nassau, Bahamas Phone: +1 (242) 327-5138 After hrs: +1 (242) 357-4318 E-Mail: petinspector@gmail.com and: berryislandsgirl@gmail.com • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial

24 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 20, 2019

history

LT COL ANDREW DEVEAUX Forgotten facts | Paul C Aranha

T

he British called it the American War of Independence and the settlers, in Britain’s 13 North American colonies, called it the American Revolution. The fighting turned into a civil war, between those settlers who wanted independence and many of their neighbours, who came to be called “Loyalists” and wanted the colonies to remain British.

To the victor go the spoils and the defeated British military, plus thousands of Loyalists were evacuated to various British possessions, including East Florida, which the British had wrested from Spain. Among the refugees was Lt Col Andrew Deveaux (1758-1812), of Beaufort, South Carolina, whose military record was highly respected.

It was 1783 and there was a lot of talk, in St Augustine, about Nassau and the Bahama Islands, which had been occupied by Spain since the previous year. Deveaux, who was considered highly qualified, by temperament and experience, to lead a raid on New Providence, picked up on this idea and devised a “workable” plan, which started with collecting volunteers for the expedition. Each volunteer was required to sign “Articles of Agreement”, under which Deveaux committed to supplying the men with arms, ammunition and provisions for the expedition and would be in sole command, even after the expedition. March 15th was set as the date for the volunteers to assemble in St Augustine, ready to go on board ship, on three hours’ notice.

Other clauses included “all prizes taken, on land or sea, would be divided among the officers and men, according to rank, after deducting the expense of the expedition” and “those guilty of disobedience of orders, or of mutiny, were to forfeit their prize-money and suffer imprisonment”. Those who wished to settle in The Bahamas were to be given land.

The volunteer raising the most men was to be secondin-command, which position went to Maj Archibald Taylor, of Bladen County, North Carolina, my mother’s great great-grandfather.

Deveaux embarked at St Augustine on April 1, 1783, with 65 men, aboard two armed brigantines and set sail for Harbour Island, where he recruited for a few days and increased his force to 220 (Interestingly, not more than 150 had muskets.) to face a well-armed Spanish garrison of 700 trained soldiers.

Deveaux and his contingent attacked, and captured the shore defences, starting with Fort Montagu, while Captain Thomas Dow, of the ship Perseverance, and Captain Daniel Wheeler, of the brig Whitby Warrior, despatched Archibald Taylor, with a detachment of 70 men, to capture the Spanish fleet of three war galleys, at anchor in Nassau’s harbour. A transcript of Taylor’s ‘Commission’ accompanies this article.

Using skill and subterfuge, Deveaux had carried the day. The Spaniards had been defeated and sent back to Havana, with their tails between their legs.

The Tribune | Weekend | 25

Friday, December 20, 2019

art

Hope at the heart of pop-up shop

F

OR artist Angelika Wallace-Whitfield, a project she hoped would cause a ripple effect has made a real splash in the art community.

Hope Is A Weapon began as a street art and graffiti tagging project at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas last year - but struck a real chord with Bahamians.

“I wanted to create a project that reached so many Bahamians, it would cause a ripple effect,” said Ms Wallace-Whitfield. “I wanted whatever my contribution was to this exhibition to be accessible to every Bahamian.

That’s what the street tagging allowed for. T-shirts were made to continue the goal of spreading motivation through the island as the street tags were doing.

“The shirts allowed people to carry the phrase with them and spread it in the way that I did on the streets.”

The project returned to the National Art Gallery last weekend, with a pop-up shop to make her work available to the public - and to keep spreading the word.

“It went really well,” she said. “It was really good widening the range of people who see the work. It expands your reach.”

Ms Wallace-Whitfield has also taken her work to Baha Mar - with Hope Is A Weapon becoming a series of small works so far and four large canvases in the Fair Wind exhibition at the resort.

She added of the project: “Hope gives us confidence to pursue life with enthusiasm.

Hope is intrinsic to faith and nourished by patterns & habits of care. However, we have become desensitised to hope: the word and the concept, through inattentive over-use of the word. Hope

ANGELIKA Wallace-Whitfield “Hope Is a Weapon” Pop-Up Shop event at NAGB. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff has become euphemistic; it is what is offered, indifferently, in reaction to good or bad news.

“Almost any inanimate object can be a weapon if employed as one. Weapon, through definition, indicates an object that is used as a means to an end. However, the end is typically only attainable with human conviction behind the object.

It is the conviction behind a screwdriver or hammer that changes its categorisation as a tool to that of a weapon.

Hope, with human action behind it, becomes a weapon.

“Hope is a weapon, when used as one.”

To learn more about Ms Wallace-Whitfield’s work, visit www.angelikawallacewhitfield.com.

26 | The Tribune | Weekend

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

suspension (6) 4 Crease; 2 Thong; 27 E G P M H A E 22 Way to dress that’s 5 Unattractive; 6 Abscond; F T S V H L V flashy (6)7 Ewer; 8 Significance; Friday, December F B20, Y T2019 D T X 24 Lug back12 cold husband to Crescent; 14 Blister; I V N D U O E gorge (5)16 Muddle; 18 Orate; E C I D M N C 19 Doom.

therapy (4,4) 28 Problematic, moving north to coordinate (6)

D J L T L L M G D H G U O D Y W H U D D E

VDA t c E At i

● 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 14; very good 21; excellent 27 (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 Unnecessarily detailed design of sewer’s working (10) 6 Combined nations look into pre-Christian era (4) 10 An air of sanctity (5) 11 Dancer all bare in confusion (9) 12 Wild cat’s leap subdues (8) 13 Fittingly test (3,2) 15 Give help to one easily duped we hear (7) 17 Something special encountered if you go straight down (7) 19 Original place for holding races every four years (7) 21 One giving a talk on the radio? (7) 22 What pacifists have but don’t use (5) 24 Plenty of room for classy Picasso design (8) 27 Fears to be converted to traditional English food (5,4) 28 The head examiners may read them (5) 29 The advantage of keenness (4) 30 A country unable to exercise self-control (10)

1

2

3

4

10

5

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12 14 15

16

17

19

22

20

23

24

27

29

30

21

Yesterday’s Easy Solution

Down 1 She has them shortened Across: 1 Unearth, 5 Sum up, to a degree (4) 8 Poke fun at, 9 Key, 10 Role, 2 Call for action? (6,3) 12 Escalate, 14 Viking, 15 Tenant, 17 Leave out, 18 Head, 21 Bin, 3 It provides a measure 22 Take heart, 24 Enter, of one’s spirit (5) 25 Rapidly.

4 One in argument Down: 1 Upper, 2 Elk, 3 Rift, re a debt unsettled (7) 4 Honest, 5 Situated, 6 Make 5 Arrives with bread a face, 7 Payment, 11 Like as and drink (5,2) not, 13 Ancestor, 14 Voluble, 7 Ordinary people 16 Sucker, 19 Ditty, 20 Chip, 23 Aid. from Italy (5) 8 Secures rent for one of a group of shops (5,5) 9 Taken by those who are sick and tired Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution of work? (4-4) 14 Police chief’s last Across: 1 Stardom, 5 Pumps, resort? (3,2,5) 8 Overtaken, 9 Tea, 10 Mean, 16 It is brought in to resist 12 Multiple, 14 Patron, 15 Broody, on the other side (8) 17 Electric storm, 18 Oslo, 18 Reconciliation officer 21 Cos, 22 No regrets, 24 Desks, who works behind 25 Everest. the scenes? (4-2,3) Down: 2 Ave, 3 Date, 4 Make up, 5 Puncture, 6 Metaphors, 20 To lead such a life 7 Shapely, 11 Actresses, is simple - and hard (7) 13 Portends, 14 Pierced, 21 This is the simple bit (7) 16 Tierce, 19 Onset, 20 Ague, 23 Coarse jargon used in 23 Eve. various languages (5) 25 Where the retired gardener may be found working? (2,3) 26 See the key goes to the agent (4) Across Down 1 Addendum to 1 Rate of 6 7 8 letter (10) progress (4) 6 Greater part (4) 2 Autonomous (9) 9 10 Protect by 3 Throw away (5) insurance (5) 4 Exult (7) 11 Middle East 5 Presage (7) holy city (9) 7 Assign as 13 12 Pencil lead (8) share (5) 13 Complete (5) 8 Likeness (10) 15 Building (7) 9 So to 18 17 Wishful speak (2,2,4) thinker (7) 14 Maintain watch 19 Cure for over (4,4,2) all ills (7) 16 Angry (8) 21 Ostensible 18 Turbulent reason (7) confusion (9) 25 22 Decorate (5) 20 Indict (7) 24 Unsparing (8) 26 21 Decorative 27 Very reticent (9) design (7) 28 28 Coalesce (5) 23 Happen (5) 29 Authoritative 25 State of standard (4) uncertainty (5) 30 Ignorant (10) 26 Be inclined (4)

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

3

B

2

C

2

D

2

E

1

F

2

G

1

H

1

I

1

J

5 1

1

3

3

1 x Battleship 2 x cruiser

1

2

2

E I R C Z O S

Z E A B P B F

THE ALPHABEATER

TARGET 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

S I K F N R R

4

0

3 x Destroyer 4 x submarine

3

targEt alphapuz cAn you crack the Alphabeater? thE Each grid Extra number represents a letter square. across: pauNchiEr ache achier arch – or black Rhombus, 0907 Freak, Ignorant, Post, M As in Alphapuzzle, every the alphabet chain chair chap char cheapletter chin ofHostage, (Deduct Ajar, Magazine, each Ant extr ischina used.chine But chip you chirp havechurn to completeCitrus, the grid too!

Onion, Decay, Ineptly. cipher each enrich hair hare harp use the given letters and black squares below fu down: Requiem, Award, O heap hear heir heparin hernia the start. thepaunch grid is ‘rotationally 0907 Elastic (clue), Bankroll, Env hiregrid inchtoniche parch symmetrical’ – in other words, it looks the *Calls cost Sphinx, Safari, Fish, Pinafo PAUNCHIER peach perch phrenic your tel same you turn page upside Enamour, down. Idiot, Knelt, Ster pinch ifpreach punchthe puncher netwo punchier ranch reach rhea rich Solution tomorrow ruche rupiah unhip urchin

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

26 35 30

29 6

23 24 26 40 9

16 2

24 28 11 25 16 2 30 7

30 27 13 4

38 22 20 9

10 16 6

15

17 4

17 3

35 33 21 2

37 8

7

5

11

34 16 17 30 30

32 28 11 25 18 33 17 22 25 9 30 38 17 36 30 19 10 30 10 35 Yesterday’s

Answer 15 8 26 32 28 2Kakuro

37 15 35 8

26 37 35 16 13 30 39 35 38 13 13 22

16 19 31 28 32 19 17 5 6

36 31 15 29 35 24 14 6

25

7

33 6

40 22 38 11 8

32

3

23 10 31 17 12 4

5

13 3

7

1

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30 31

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34 35

36

K

P

■■

● Alternatively, for six Extra Letter clues to your m 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.

Solution

1

1 Bef

2

2 sea

3

3 Fre

4

4 Bre

5

5 cat

6

6 DN

7

7 Bor

The Tribune | Weekend | 27

Friday, December 20, 2019

animals

Christmas is a time of love for pets too Animal matters | KIM ARANHA

C

hristmas is a strange season for me, often peppered with moments of sadness. My amazing father, Francis Francis, passed away totally unexpectedly on Christmas Eve in 1982. I will never forget that phone call, the shock, the sadness. However I have always insisted that he would have wanted us, his family, to enjoy the season and would have been absolutely mortified to think he might have spoiled Christmas for any of his loved ones.

So, I always focus on the beauty of Christmas and the preparations, the sparkle in a little boy’s eyes when he sees Santa, a little girl’s delight at the Christmas lights, these are the beacons of hope heralding in the most wonderful time of the year.

There is however a dreadful trend at Christmas that shelters have to deal with all over the word: the fact that people want a puppy for Christmas and they already have a older dog, so, they dump the older dog at a shelter and then go out and get a puppy.

Facebook is rife with posts looking for homes for senior dogs, every Christmas it is the same thing.

What an absolute Christmas oxymoron, the season of giving, brotherhood and forgiveness becomes the vehicle of sadness and despair.

It sets me to thinking how can people ever do something like that? These are dogs that have been in a family for eight, ten or even twelve years, they have played with the kids, joined in with the family celebrations, guarded the house faithfully only to be

PET OF THE WEEK

CHIEFIE Santapaws joins me in wishing our readers a Merry Christmas.

SWITCHER

By The Bahamas Humane Society

“Summer parties, here I come... oh, wait, it’s December. Well, that won’t make me any less enthusiastic to greet you when you come to meet me at the Bahamas Humane Society! My name’s Switcher, yes, kind of like switcha, I know. I’m about two years old and very outgoing and ready to meet the world. I’m probably a lab mix and I’m about three years old so I’m past those puppy nerves and ready to settle down into a home of my own. Are you that home?

Come meet me, or call 3235138 for more information.

Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm Saturday, so you won’t have to wait till Happy Hour to see me! Come see me soon, Christmas is almost here!”

BHS raffle tickets are still available from the shelter or from any board member.

Grand prize is $10,000 worth of groceries from Super Value. Get your tickets early! The draw will be held

Photo: Patricia Vazquez.

rewarded by total disregard from fickle humans who have told themselves that dogs don’t understand and do not have feelings! What ignorant nonsense! Scientists have told us that a dog can understand as much as a four-year-old child.

They understand words, more than one linked together.

Of course some dogs understand more than others, the more you interact with your dog the more they will grow to understand! You are really the one who decides how intuitive your furry friend will be by how you share your life with him; if he is left in a kennel at the bottom of the garden, if you never talk to him and never stroke him, but just feed him and turn away, he will not have to opportunity to flourish and show you how smart he really is!

I know one elderly lady who has two perfectly sweet dogs who live in her garden, they protect her faithfully and she feeds them well. That’s it she feeds them well. She will not touch them, so she never strokes them, they are never allowed in the house,

fortunately they have a copious porch with plenty of shelter, and much to her despair they climb on the patio furniture when her back is turned. These dogs do not know cruelty, they are provided for but they are starved of human interaction. When you visit they are so needy that people find it annoying. Frequently the say “don’t stroke him or he’ll never leave you alone!” In other words, deprive him even more of friendship and love. Funny thing is, if they were given the attention they crave they would be such great companions for a lonely elderly person! They will never be given the opportunity to show just who they really are.

I was recently at an event here in Nassau and we were all discussing our dogs and their role in our lives.

Interestingly enough, everyone felt that their pet enriched their lives and completed their families. We all had different routines and boundaries. I was certainly the most hopeless having to admit that I gave up my TV chair to Chiefie about six years ago because he likes

sitting there and looks so cute!

But it gives me pleasure to do that! I think that is the key with many dog owners; we actually enjoy the sacrifices that we make for our furry friends.

I want to reach out and wish every one of my readers and followers a very Merry Christmas, whether you are in Nassau, New York, Padova, London, Dubai or Delhi.

I treasure your messages, comments and suggestions.

I love the way you come up to me on the street or in a shop and ask how Chiefie is doing or for an update on Buddy. We are a family of five dogs and today Bella, Garmin and Boss (all feisty Potcakes rescued from the streets) join me, Chief and Buddy, to wish you a very safe and happy holiday season.

Please stay safe on the roads and in your homes, exercise caution and common sense, be aware of your surroundings and don’t let a looser ruin your holidays with your friends and family,

• Don’t forget your pets and have a merry Christmas!

28 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 20, 2019