12292017 weekend

Friday, December 29, 2017

books theatre film fashion music puzzles gardening food animals

Weekend

MISS DAISY RETURNS Page 7

‘Home’ is where the art is Bahamian identity explored pages 14 & 15

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Friday, December 29, 2017

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Friday, December 29, 2017

Inside Weekend Interview 4-5 Bradley Roberts celebrates the launch of his autobiography, “Big Bad Brad”

Theatre 7 Dynamite Daisy returns with new hit play for New Year’s Day

Food 8 - 9 The Cooking Channels shines its spotlight on Louis & Steen’s New Orleans Coffeehouse

Music 11 - 12 Abaco’s Wilner Pierre has ‘sexy and soulful’ debut, plus Lady E wants people to ‘mash the roach’ again

Books 13 A national literary treasure and her tale of a mythical sea monster

Art 14 - 15 Jodi Minnis explores what it means to be Bahamian

Entertainment 17 - 18 CeCe returns with the popular ‘Island Grooves’ show, plus a three-day extravaganza with the Elevation Media Awards, and Regina Whylly launches The Whole Woman Network

Gardening 19 Jack Hardy dispenses essential repotting, watering advice

Celebrity 20 - 21 Roll call of those who died in 2017

Literary Lives 22 - 24 Judy Garland at her rainbow’s end

Forgotten Facts 25 Paul C Aranha on the often forgotten Cay Sal Bank

Puzzles 26

Animals 27 Wishes for 2018, plus Pet of the Week

Cover Photo | Shawn Hanna

My perfect Bahamian weekend Koji Wright Fire safety professional, drummer Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch?

“Saturday breakfast, because I fast on Sunday. Saturday breakfast gives me the fuel I need to take the kids around to all of their extracurricular activities.”

Q: Wine, rum, cocktail or Kalik?

“Wine would probably be my choice out of those options.”

Q: Beach or sofa?

“Beach. I am very much a water person and I have always been more of a beach person than anything else.”

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

“I cannot live without my ability to just spend time with me...I need to be able to figure out myself.”

Q: Weekend away, where would you go and why?

“My weekend getaway would be Jamaica. I just love the place.”

Things 2 Do this weekend Saturday

• Sting live in concert

Time: 9pm Venue: Imperial Ballroom, Atlantis

Ring in the new year with music legend and former Police frontman Sting. Tickets start at $225 and include two hours of complimentary champagne, beer, wine and soft drinks.

• A Bond Affair New Year’s Eve Gala

• Kool & The Gang live in concert

The Paradise Island resort kicks off its New Year’s weekend with a special performance by the funk and R&B legends Kool & The Gang. Guests can expect the twotime Grammy Award-winning band to perform classics ranging from “Celebration” to “Ladies Night,” as well as songs from their latest album. Tickets start at $100.

Sunday

• Under 18’s Countdown to 2018

Time: 5.45pm - midnight Venue: Atlantis

The ‘Up ‘Til Midnight’ kids party starts at 5.45pm at Atlantis Kids Adventure with makeovers, car racing, crafts, a pizza dinner and more. Then, the tweens’ ‘Glow with the Flow’ event starts at 8.30pm at Club Rush, while the teenagers get their groove on at “Midnight in Paradise: An All White Affair” at Crush, also starting at 8.30pm. Proof of age is required.

Time: 9pm Venue: Imperial Ballroom

Time: 7pm - 1am Venue: The Ocean Club

Bahamian beach chic meets the quintessentially British and all things Bond. The evening promises an electric atmosphere with the glitz and glamour of 007, live music, entertainment, DJ sets and a sensational firework show. Tickets start at $600.

• Tomorrowland – TIH New Year’s Eve Party

Time: 8pm - 3pm Venue: The Island House

Plans are in full gear for an epic New Year’s Eve Party at TIH! Under the theme “Tomorrowland”, The Island House will transform into an alternate reality. There will be two stages with a total of five DJs performing and a Junkanoo rush-out at midnight. General

admission is $195 and include drinks all night as well as a midnight buffet serving snacks and bites.

• Green Parrot’s New Year’s Eve

Time: 8pm - 1am Venue: Green Parrot Bar and Grill, East Bay Street There is no cover charge and the event will include a live DJ and Junkanoo rush-out at midnight, as well as a special menu and drink selection.

• Marley Resort’s New Year’s Eve

Time: 8pm - 1am Venue: Marley Resort & Spa, West Bay Street Party the night away with live a DJ playing all of your Bob Marley and festive favourites. Plus, best view of fireworks display from across the water at midnight.

There will be complimentary rum punch from 9pm - 10pm.

Monday

• Judge Daisy Reloaded

Time: 1pm, 8pm Venue: Church of God Auditorium SEE PAGE 7

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Friday, December 29, 2017

interview For the second week in a row, Tribune Weekend found a Christmas baby to be the subject of our interview. This week, Felicity Ingraham speaks to Bradley Roberts, who is still in birthday mode after celebrating 74 years of life on Christmas Day. He’s not only counting his blessings, he is also proud of completing his newly released autobiography.

Bradley Roberts

front, Mr Roberts swears he is as humble as a “pussycat”.

“My constituents say I am a sweet, kind, gentle, generous individual, and that’s why they elected me for six consecutive terms,” he told Tribune Weekend.

On Christmas Day, the birthday boy finds himself year after year in the role of Santa Claus, giving gifts and writing cheques for his close family members. Giving to others gives him joy – an attribute he says was handed down from his father.

“My father instilled in us that if you can help someone, do so. You are only passing through this world. You came with nothing and you will leave with nothing.”

That sentiment laid the path for a life of giving for Mr Roberts. He also followed his father’s footsteps and has become a successful businessman, which provided him the opportunity to build wealth for himself, and in turn, give to others.

His father once served a long tenure as chief accountant for the Bahamas Telecommunications Company. He started the first coin operated laundromat in the Bahamas, BayYork Laundromat, which was located on the corner of East Bay and York Streets. His father and a partner opened a book store on East Hill Street, which became the only place to attain black magazines and newspapers. He also owned a store which was named after

“B

ig Bad Brad” is the name of the recently published autobiography of Bradley B E Roberts, National Chairman Emeritus of the Progressive Liberal Party, a Member of Parliament for 25 years and former Cabinet Minister. It is now on shelves of local book stores and contains more than 200 pages of the history of one of the most colourful characters in Bahamian politics.

Veteran journalist Steve McKinney coined the name “Big Bad Brad” while he was working at the More94 radio station and was conducting debates in 1998, shortly after the Free National Movement was in its second term as governing party. He found that Mr Roberts had a knack for digging up facts and doing his research, and coming well-prepared to battle his political opponents with a booming voice and the vigour and energy of a lion.

“I call a spade a spade and I lay out the facts,” said Mr Roberts, alluding to why the name has stuck with him over the years.

In contrast to his audacious personality on the political PHOTOS/SHAWN HANNA

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his son – Bradley’s Discount Store. He was also a sign painter and a musician.

His beloved bass fiddle played many a tune from the iconic nightclub The Cat & Fiddle. Yes, one man accomplished all of this and in turn inspired his son to become just as successful.

As a young boy growing up in a family of humble means on Augusta Street, the young Bradley found a way to support himself and assist in providing for his family. The family lived near the Western Cemetery. Oftentimes after a burial, mounds of unused soil would be left at the grave site. He cleared a space in the backyard and built a little fence around it, and filled it with that rich graveyard dirt. He set about planting vegetables, and it turned into a profitable venture. He was selling his produce to the neighbours and the local food store nearby. Even back then, he couldn’t just do one thing, so he solicited work from the women in the community who would pay him to go to the grocery store for them. Eventually, he expanded by purchasing potatoes and onions by the sack and selling them in smaller quantities.

Mr Roberts has never attended a university, yet he has proven that having goals, vision and the drive to do it can take you further than others may expect. Despite not receiving tertiary education, Mr Roberts worked hard to help his siblings fulfil their dreams of higher education. His late brother Stephen became an obstetrician and gynaecologist; his sister Linda became the first Bahamian female dentist, and Dr Robin Roberts is a noted urologist – all beneficiaries of their brother’s determination to see them all succeed.

Mr Roberts’ professional path started in telecommunications where his father had worked for so long.

However, he found the civil service less than challenging. He moved on to work for Caribbean Motors for a time before joining Burns House, where he stayed for 44 years. He worked himself up the ranks and became an accountant for the company. Eventually, he approached the company’s owners about buying shares. Although he was not initially successful, his shrewd business advice that resulted in the profits for the company led to bonuses for him that over the years allowed him to prosper and help his family.

Today, as a member of the Sunshine Boys group and is successfully involved in a myriad of profitable business ventures. Pointing to his humble past, Mr Roberts advises young Bahamians to unite in order to create wealth for

themselves and become owners in their own country. He credits former Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling and his drive for Bahamian ownership in the country as a significant contributor to his own success. Opportunities for Bahamians to thrive under the government of an independent Bahamas was critical to his growth and the growth of so many Bahamians like him. The Sunshine Boys have Arawak Homes under their belt, significant shares in Shell

Oil and Freeport Oil, run a lending company, mortgage management, and now they are preparing to launch a resort project in southern Eleuthera.

“Young people, you can be successful by pooling your resources to be able to advance and achieve growth and development, but you have to be consistent and you have to trust one another,” he said.

“You have to look 10, 20 years down the line. Think futuristically.

Look and see what it is that you can do that is needed, that would have an impact on the Bahamian landscape. Decide on the business and work together.”

When the Sunshine Boys started, he said, it was five young men who put up $5,000 each.

They did not resort to attaining a loan from a bank. They worked with their own resources, and for over 40 years they did not pull heavily from their profits so that they would be able to experience the kind of success they have today. He admits that there were growing pains and that along the way some members had to be purged from the group, but they stuck together through “growing pains and disappointments”.

“Don’t let anyone detour you from your goal,” he said. “You cannot have a seed today, plant it today, except it to germinate, grow, and give you

fruit today. It takes time; you must be focused and determined to achieve your goals and objectives.”

He credits his wife of 51 years and the mother of his four children, Hartlyn Roberts, with being a source of strength through the years, and advised young people to value partnerships in the home and in business, because they are key to success.

“Your partner in marriage is an important life stabiliser. A good woman and good man can achieve so much together. My wife is very supportive.

Oftentimes when I have difficulties, I go home and get her view before making a decision,” he said.

He has also given generously on a national level. Mr Roberts has created a national family tree. The collection is huge and he has input all the information on ancestry.com to create one of the most extensive family trees on the website. He said Bahamians can put in their ancestor’s name to find out so much more about their lineage. It’s important, he said, for Bahamians to know and understand who they are and where they come from.

Mr Roberts also encourages persons to purchase the book for an “exciting read” of a colourful life of a man in politics who has stated that he has no intention of slowing down. As a matter of fact, he said he will probably go to his grave still into politics and making a contribution to the country he loves.

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section

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Friday, December 29, 2017

theatre

‘Judge Daisy’ returns for a dynamite New Year’s Day

By FELICITY INGRAHAM

D

ynamite Daisy had the crowd rolling during her two Christmas performances over the holiday weekend. Her “Judge Daisy Reloaded” show was so hilarious, in fact, that she will be back by popular demand to spend New Year’s Day with Bahamians who want to laugh their way into 2018.

On Boxing Day, Miss Daisy (created by Terez DavisNixon more than 18 years ago) and her team of actors, singers and entertainers performed a brand new production to bring holiday cheer to Nassau.

On New Year’s Day, the show – written by Trent Davis – will return for two encore performances. “I’ll be home for the holidays baby. Ow!,” said Daisy. It will be held once again at the Church of God Auditorium and showtimes are 1pm and 8pm.

The holiday play comes to life in the courtroom where Judge Daisy presides over proceedings. In the first scene, Molly English brings Bennet Rolle to court. She bought some products from him that were intended to lighten her skin, however, something went awry. In the second case, two women are in court as a part of a love triangle feud. In the third, a pastor’s wife finds herself at the centre of a lawsuit.

While filled with great jokes, Miss Daisy still manages to touch on critical issues such as the immigration issue, marital rape and relationships.

Comedienne Terez Davis-Nixon had intended to retire the character of Dynamite Daisy three years ago, but her adoring public soon led her to make brief returns to the stage. She has also continued to make special appearances and has released a DVD of her stand-up comedy routine.

Terez is now planning to host acting classes in the near future. Additionally, after praying on it, she will officially be bringing back Dynamite Daisy Productions to provide wholesome family entertainment throughout the year.

Miss Daisy invites the public to show up at the door in time to attend one of the two New Year’s Day shows. As for her advice on attending the show, she had this to say: Tip #1: “Ensure ya weave is sew on good or glue down properly.”

Tip #2: “If you wears dentures please use plenty Polly Grip dat day specifically.”

Tip #3: “If it’s five or less of ya’ll together, carpool...dat mean come in one car!”

Tip #4: “Make sure to have a designated driver cause most of y’all ga leave drunk in spirit!”

For tickets and more information, call 465-7904.

Comedienne Terez Davis-Nixon brings Dynamite Daisy back to life on New Year’s Day.

“Judge Daisy Reloaded”, a hit with the Christmas crowd, returns to the stage for two encore performances.

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Friday, December 29, 2017

food

Brewing it up for the Cooking Channel

Louis & Steen’s in the limelight

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

T

he production crew of the Cooking Channel made their way to the Bahamas this month in search of the ideal backdrop and restaurant to shoot its popular ‘Beach Bites with Katie Lee’ TV show. And they Food Channel host Katie Lee enjoys a cup of found the perfect venue in Louis & Guatemalan coffee brewed by the pour over method.

Steen’s New Orleans Coffeehouse.

For her travelogue show, Katie Lee Orleans, after whom the coffee house is Seeing the professional video cameras, has visited beaches in places like St named. amazing lighting, and pro crew while Thomas, Mackinac Island, Montauk, After becoming familiar with the being mic’d up and continuing to serve Michigan, and now the Bahamas, Louis & Steen’s New Orleans Coffee- our customers was a total thrill. We where the West Bay Street coffeehouse house via its social media pages, the showcased our coffeehouses’ specialty was selected as one of their featured ‘Beach Bites’ team sought to reach out coffee slow brewing techniques, a first locations.

The Bahamian specialty coffeehouse in effort to make the production a real- of its kind in the Bahamas,” said Ms offers freshly roasted beans from the ity. Tara Russell, managing director, Russell.

She said Katie Lee had a cup of the countries of origin, and slow brew and Quinn Russell, marketing manager at Louis and Steen’s then interviewed Rainforest Alliance Certified Guatemethods that to highlight the roasting profile of each bean – all in a beauti- with producers, telling them the story malan Finca El Retiro bean brewed ful oceanfront setting at West Bay behind the coffeehouse and its spe- as a pour over. This Japanese brewing method involves a barista grinding Street. In addition to specialty coffees, cialty offerings.

“We are so thankful for this oppor- enough beans for a single cup of coffee, the menu offers authentic Cajun and Creole dishes made from heirloom rec- tunity to have worked with Katie Lee. using a cone brewer with filter, and ipes that have been passed down from Her team of 15 transformed our cof- then custom-brewing one single serving Louis and Earnestine Carter of New feehouse into an all out television set. of coffee by pouring hot water over the

beans within a specific amount of time and with a specific total weight.

“Our Guatemalan bean is grown within the mountain tops of the Ayarza region. Today, the region produces some of the finest coffees in Guatemala due to the perfect combination of good altitude, rich volcanic soil, and ideal climate conditions throughout the whole year. Having it as a pour over produces a bright and crisp cup of coffee with flavour notes of dark chocolate, honey, walnut and fruit. We paired the pour over with our signature, made in-house The sweet potato pancakes have hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and real bourbon. It’s sweet and savoury

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“Seeing the professional video cameras, amazing lighting, and pro crew while being mic’d up and continuing to serve our customers was a total thrill.”

Sweet potato pancakes, topped with Louisiana sugar cane infused sausage and caramelised apples

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis chats with host Katie Lee during the filming of a “Beach Bites” episode for the Food Channel.

combination that is a satisfying and surprising treat,” said Ms Russell.

Although not officially confirmed todate, the episode is scheduled to air in April 2018 as part of the show’s third season.

Having the business profiled by an international TV channel and an authority on food is a great achievement for Louis & Steen’s, Ms Russell said; it takes the family business beyond the shores of the Bahamas.

“It’s all about the numbers. With 1,758,375 Facebook followers and 549,000 Instagram followers, the Cooking Channel’s content is seen by millions of television viewers and digital subscribers. Katie Lee’s résumé includes being an American cookbook author, television food critic, chef, and novelist. She is a co-host of Food Network’s talk show “The Kitchen” and headlines “Cooking Channel’s Beach Bites with Katie Lee.” Her 338,000 Instagram followers take her recommendations to heart and stomach,” said Ms Russell.

Louis & Steen’s New Orleans Coffeehouse, formerly Traveller’s Rest, is run by the Russell family – Tara and her husband Davin, and his parents Larry and Joyce. It is named after Joyce’s parents – Louis and Ernestine “Steen” Carter.

It is an authentic Louisiana styled coffeehouse where guests can enjoy traditional “N’awlins” fare such as Creole egg croissants, Cajun avocado toast, sweet potato hummus, spicy shrimp and sausage po’ boys, Creole salads, and seafood.

The Louis & Steen team is expecting to close out the year with a bang, with a release of the company’s first television advertisement produced by Davrielle Burrows and filmed by Jiggy Productions. The advertisement can be viewed on CNN, MSNBC and OURNews.

In 2018, they will host their second annual Mardi Gras celebration in late February; continue their quarterly oceanfront craft markets; host a screening event for the “Cooking Channel’s Beach Bites with Katie Lee” Bahamas episode; introduce creative workshops, and continue to be a leader in specialty coffee culture in the Bahamas.

“We hope to be profiled by many more international and local publications. Condé Nast Traveller UK has reached out to highlight Louis & Steen’s as one of the ‘10 Amazing Things To Do in Nassau’. We are truly blessed, and in 2018 we hope to continue embodying our slogan: ‘Brewing Love in Every Cup,” said Ms Russell.

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Helping the Community section

A RENEWED COMMITMENT TO JUNKANOO BTC RETURNS AS TITLE SPONSOR OF BOXING DAY PARADE

T

he Bahamas Telecommunications Company was once again the title sponsor for this year’s Boxing Day Junkanoo parade.

The company, known for its support of all things Bahamian, recently renewed its commitment to Junkanoo. BTC has been a partner with the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence for more than five years now.

This Christmas, an exuberant spirit flooded the streets as Junkanoo enthusiasts rocked to the hypnotising tunes of their favourite groups. It was simply a magical evening.

BTC’s Senior Manager of Marketing Carol Barnett said: “We want to be able to continue to foster the growth and development of culture in the Bahamas. We want to be able to afford individuals the opportunity to participate, understand, grow and continue Bahamian culture.”

Minister of Culture Michael Pintard said: “Junkanoo has a way of breaking down barriers between occupations, socioeconomic brackets, religious differences and political differences. I’m so proud to be a part of something that acts as a glue to pull this country together.”

BTC is also the title sponsor for the upcoming New Year’s Day Junkanoo parade. BTC’s support for Junkanoo demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to connecting communities and transforming lives.

Helping the Community section

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Friday, December 29, 2017

music

Lady E gets people to ‘mash the roach’

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

T

he name Lady E is a wellknown one among avid party-goers, as the singer never fails to create hits that get people on their feet. And she’s at it again. This time she’s putting her spin on the traditional “mashing the roach” dance.

Following the recent music video release of her newest single “Kill Dat Roach”, Lady E said the feedback from the Bahamian audience has been nothing short of amazing.

“People have been calling, sending me congratulations, and even sending videos of them dancing to the song. I am humbled and appreciative of all their love and support. I really wanted to think outside of the box with this song and create a fun and vibrant song that would get people dancing. It was my intent to make the ‘mashing/killing da roach dance’ relevant again,” she told Tribune Weekend.

She wanted to find a way to preserve Bahamian culture and at the same time invite the whole world to look at the Bahamas and Bahamian music as something notable. She strives to make an impact in the manner of local icons like the T-Connection, Baha Men, Tony McKay, Ronnie Butler, and others.

Involved in music for most of her life, Lady E started singing at the age eight as a part of a church choir. She later became the lead soprano for the Bahamas National Youth Choir, going on to produce her first album called “If You Feel It” with fellow musician Colyn McDonald.

She followed this up with singles like “Hard Worker”, “Home is My Bahamaland”, “When the Music Hits Me” featuring the late Ronnie Butler, and “For You” – a song that went on to win the Junkanoo in June competition and was also featured on the hit show “Scrubs”.

“I really wanted to think outside of the box with this song and create a fun and vibrant song that would get people dancing. It was my intent to make the ‘mashing/killing da roach dance’ relevant again.”

Meanwhile, her track “My Islands in the Sun” won first place in the 2016 Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival Road March competition. Other successful singles have included “Feel That Rhythm”, “Live For the Road”, “Down Home”, and now “Kill Dat Roach”.

“I’ve been working on my brand and studying the business side of music by travelling and making connections. I left my band to pursue a solo career on my own. I’ve been writing and focusing on the next step while working on my overall image, exercising at the gym.

I’m nominated now for Best Female Artist and Song of the Year for the Elevation Awards. This all feels really good, I cannot take the praise, however.

It has been truly a labour of love due to the determination and purpose that God has planted in me. I believe in my country and its people. My goal in life is just to do my little part to make the world see and respect us,” said Lady E.

Speaking about the music video for “Kill Dat Roach”, the singer said making it was miraculous. Her goal was to always make the video a comedic and energetic one for all to enjoy. With a limited budget, she found local comedians and actors such as Daddi Whites, Dion Johnson and Cara Saunders to play the lead characters.

“I was able to use my videographer Cubes Pro – Owen Pettit, dancers from the Valley Junkanoo Group, and the church dance group, the Elite Dancers. I also got partial sponsorship from Bahama Grill. I directed my own video with the help of Jomar Miller and the assistance of my immediate family and close friends. The response has been fantastic and I’m preparing for world wide distribution from Sony mid-February for the song to fully take off,” she said.

She believes the key to being a good musician is to always be true to yourself

and not to let anyone tell you anything different. She enjoys the fact that other local artists are now being innovative with the craft.

“Going forward I would like to collaborate with more producers and artists locally and internationally. I would like to travel the world as a musical ambassador for the Bahamas and continue teaching young entertainers coming up how to do things the right way. Presently, I mentor kids at the St John’s College, and I know that I have to be an example for them to follow and pave the way for their future,” said Lady E. Follow Lady E’s musical journey on iTunes and Spotify. Or contact her at emonnette@yahoo.com or via her social media handles ‘Lady E’ on Facebook and ‘OfficialladyE242’ on Instagram.

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Friday, December 29, 2017

music

Abaco’s Wilner Pierre makes ‘sexy and soulful’ debut

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

A

baco’s very own Wilner Pierre is beginning the new year on a high note, after teaming up with influential reggae star Tanya Stephens for the music video to accompany his latest single, “Gimme Your Love Reload’. And in just a matter of days he will release his debut album.

Wilner’s debut project, entitled “0.4”, will be available to listeners on New Year’s Day.

Wilner Pierre and Tanya Stephens The singer, songwriter and producer said the album is a true representation of him as an artist.

Songs on the record deal with love, unity, passion and motivation. Wilner said the songs are “sexy, soulful, and listeners will be able to relate”.

“The album also features two songs that are sang in Creole and English. I am proud to have produced and written nine of the 10 songs on this album. The journey to completing this project has been a trying one. I truly poured myself into it and I’m truly happy with the finished product. I hope that everyone who listens will find at least one that they truly like,” he said.

One of the songs he believes listeners will appreciate is “Gimme Your Love Reload”, for which he teamed up with Tanya Stephens in May. The track, he said, was inspired by Bob Marley’s “Wait in Vain”.

“It was sort of a more forward and modern approach to telling someone you love and want to be with them. The song is fun, sexy and has a nice rhythm that everyone can rock to,” he said.

Working with Tanya Stephens on this project was a great experience for Wilner, who said she has always been an artist he admired and respected.

“She is someone that I had always looked up to, listened to her music and attended her concerts whenever she came to Abaco. In fact, we met while

The “0.4” album drops on New Year’s Day she was in concert in March this year.

She was really impressed with the first version of ‘Gimme Your Love’ and expressed her interest in the song. Fastforward a few months later and we had the ‘Gimme Your Love Reload’, and a few months after we shot the official music video in Nassau. The video was shot by Jackson Petit. It was a dream come true to work with an artist of that magnitude,” he told Tribune Weekend.

Along with being a solo artist, Wilner is also one of the lead singers of the New Entry Band. He has been singing and performing since childhood, starting while he was in church.

“I consider myself a versatile artist.

From being in a cover band, I have learned how to perform a diverse array of genres, from soca to pop, reggae to R&B and more,” he said.

Wilner’s album “0.4” will be available for download from New Year’s Day on iTunes, Google Music, Amazon, Spotify, as well as on his website, www. wilnerpierre.com.

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Friday, December 29, 2017

books

A literary treasure and her tale of a sea monster

By RICHARD COULSON

I

f we have a literary “establishment” in the Bahamas, Patricia Glinton-Meicholas must be judged its leader. A month ago, our National Art Gallery staged for her many followers the presentation of “Lusca and other Fantastic Tales”, her 18th published work, produced after a lifetime as a novelist, poet, historian, biographer, essayist, teacher, publicist, art critic, TV and film producer – you name it – in the fields of literature and Bahamian folklore.

Starting with the first Cacique Award for Writing in 1995, her complete list of recognitions and publications would fill this entire column, and then some.

Patti, as she is known to friends, was born in 1950 in Cat Island, whose enigmatic monastery ruins seem to bestow mystic gifts on many of its offspring.

While shuttling to schools in Nassau, her early life was inspired by the amateur literary abilities of her mother and the intellectual discipline of her maternal grandfather, assigned as headmaster of the local one-room school. With that intellectual background, she could hardly remain an insular provincial.

Her career in education led on to the University of Miami, then to a BA at the University of the West Indies, where she majored in French and Spanish, a year as assistant teacher at a school in southern France, and a 17-year academic period as professor and department head with the College of the Bahamas, where she was the keynote poet at the ceremony when it became a university. Her later life has embraced conference lectures in London and Leeds in the UK and a memorial tribute for poet Maya Angelou in St Louis, Missouri, as well as Latin American symposia in the Caribbean and Washington, DC. Like all serious writers attaining prominence, Patti has struggled between commitment to her craft, requiring uninterrupted hours of composing interspersed with solitary brooding, and the constant distraction

Patricia Glinton-Meicholas of teaching classes, calls for public appearances, and chairing worthy committees. It’s remarkable that during her long obligations to COB, her published output included the following, plus innumerable articles and monographs: • Satirical vignettes of Bahamian life for “True-True Bahamians” and dictionaries for “Talkin’ Bahamian”, still perennial best-sellers.

• A biography of renowned painter/ sculptor Antonius Roberts, virtually an emeritus figure now running his own gallery.

• Historical studies of the local Roman Catholic Church.

• A critical review of the development of Bahamian art since 1492 • Diplomatic relations between Bahamas, Cuba and the US after the HMBS Flamingo sinking.

The most impressive result was her novel “A Shift in the Light”. Like many mature novelists, she drew her inspiration from childhood memories, in this case the experiences of a fictional family in the tiny settlement of Port Howe, Cat Island, where handsome buildings now stand vacant and derelict. In the same way that James Joyce wandered the Dublin of “Ulysses” to explore both the inner and outer lives of his characters, Patti weaves together the thick strands of conflict between young and old, between pastors of the

2,000 copies of “Lusca and other Fantastic Tales” are being donated to high schools. militant church and casual believers, between old habits and the new ways imported from Nassau and the wide world, sometimes poignant but often shot through with dead-pan humor. As did Joyce, she uses to dramatic effect the vivid contrast between her own educated author’s voice and the local vernacular, full of “dem” and “dat” and “chile”, which she captures with sharp accuracy and not a trace of condescension. The speakers were often the shrewdest people in Port Howe.

Much better than any dry history, or sociological jargon about racial relations and “the ancestry of slavery”, this novel should be required reading for anyone aspiring to understand how “True-True Bahamians” have evolved to the present day.

About seven years ago, Patti retired from COB to devote herself to independent projects. She now partners with Pamela Burnside to bring Creative Nassau to life as a vigorous member of the UNESCO-sponsored consortium of world-wide creative cities. She also found time to write Lusca, giving the name to seven short stories illustrated like all her books by her husband

Neko Meicholas, the wildly imaginative graphic artist who runs Guanima Press. The first six stories are delightful fantasies featuring Bahamians and foreigners encountering bizarre local events — trees metamorphosing into humans, and historic events recurring today Not until the seventh selection does the title character appear, whose name I thought derived from Greek or Roman mythology, only to find a fearsome sea monster arising from obscure Caribbean traditions. In this tale Patti shifts gears, to write a tough political parable: a corrupt Cabinet Minister in Nassau colludes with a mega-bucks foreign developer who arrives on his yacht to despoil a family island with a crass tourist resort, in cahoots with the avaricious Commissioner and a local thug who murders an objecting environmental scientist. Beach-front construction begins, but in an apocalyptic “Vengeance is Mine” scene, Lusca arises from the deep to wreak a destructive tsunami and wrap his tentacles around the foreign yacht, drowning both Minister and investor. All a surviving observer could tell was that “a cosmic court had met, pronounced judgment, and justice had been served.”

These tales are recounted in the author’s rich, evocative prose that draws readers down every twist and turn of the dense, suggestive plots.

Her admirers organised to contribute 2,000 copies of “Lusca” free to local high schools, whose librarians will hold scheduled sessions to assure it being read and not just relegated to a dusty shelf. It is gratifying that instead of the bland literary pabulum often served to the young, they will now get a book that encourages them to write and think for themselves.

“When The Wind in the Willows” was published in 1908. It was soon recognised as far deeper than a children’s story celebrating the joys of “messing about in boats” by Ratty and Mole.

Equally, “Lusca” is far more than a book for kids celebrating the appeal of our Bahamian skies, seas and woodland coppices.

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 29, 2017

celebrity

With Karin Herig and Farah Gibson PHOTOS BY CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION/AP

The Weekend Fashion Report 2017 GQ Men of the Year Party

HIT

FAIL

FAIL

HIT

SPLIT

Jussie Smollett ”Empire”

Garrett Hedlund ”Mudbound”

Jonathan Fernandez ”Lethal Weapon”

Jay Ellis ”Insecure”

Karin says: “I’m loving this aubergine colour! And the sleek cut of the suit (pants not too skinny, jacket not too short) is so attractive. I also like that he paired it with a dark purple shirt and gives us just a hint of a pop of colour with his blue pocket square.”

Farah says: “Can someone say dapper! Love the colour and cut of this suit. Sometimes guys are so limited in what they can actually do with their attire, but I like the fact that he added a pop of colour with the blue handkerchief. It’s a nice touch.”

Karin says: “Just no, honey.

In cut it’s similar to Jussie’s double-breasted suit, but the jacket is too short and the pant legs look weirdly tapered.

Also that faux ‘fuddy duddy’/ college professor crisscross pattern and tan colour look horrendous.”

Farah says: “I don’t hate this look, but I think he chose too much brown to accent this tan suit. Maybe the vest could have worked if it were not so visible and not a rounded neck. I second what Karin says, the pants looks like they were fitted for someone much smaller, maybe Justin Bieber.”

Karin says: “Oh look, it’s the mad scientist look! He seems to love the ‘waistcoat-but-nojacket’ look. And while I like the style in theory, there is just a bit too much going on here.

The different coloured tie and pocket square, the silver belt buckle and the not quite closed tan shoes make this a mess.”

Farah says: “This is really a tragedy…a catastrophe.

Everything he is wearing is just too small, with the exception of those ugly shoes!

There is no cohesiveness with this look at all. A big no from me.”

Armie Hammer ”Call Me By Your Name” Karin says: “His newest movie may just get nominated for an Oscar, but here is Armie trying to look like the Hollywood version of a lumberjack? Or is it supposed to be a checkered letterman jacket? Either way it’s a major fail. Just stick to classic suits from now on, OK?” Farah says: “Oh God was he going to watch a hockey match but decided to attend this event instead? This quilt of a blazer/jacket will never work.

I don’t care if it’s the festive season, someone should have told him to take it off.”

Karin says: “Just what we needed, more plaid. This time in purple. I guess he heard it was a party and he wanted to wear a ‘party suit’. The design of the suit is so old-fashioned that the loud pattern just doesn’t work. And then there is the bow tie...I hope he at least had a good time.”

Farah says: “I must say he is a breath of fresh air among the bunch. And while I am not crazy about this suit – it looks like he threw on a coat over his PJ pants – I think it fits him well. The plaid pattern is already bold enough so he did not need the bow tie. But he’s handsome nonetheless!”

The Tribune | Weekend | 17

Friday, December 29, 2017

entertainment

CeCe gets back into the island groove Influential music show returns

By FELICITY INGRAHAM

I

f it wasn’t for ‘Island Grooves’, many Bahamian teenagers in the early 2000s may not have had access to the latest in entertainment in the Caribbean and America. Today, with the click of of button you can be kept up-to-date with the happenings of your favourite celebrity artist on the internet. That wasn’t the case ‘back in the day’. So tuning in to the ‘Island Grooves’ entertainment TV show with host CeCe was a real treat for many.

CeCe would travel throughout the Caribbean and across the United States to attend high-level events and get the scoop from the stars that other hosts simply couldn’t. Her lively personality and beaming smile proved a win with entertainment TV, as week after week the ratings improved.

Now, ‘Island Grooves – The Relaunch’ is set to air in early 2018 after the show’s five-year hiatus. Devoted fans have already expressed eagerness to watch the first episode. The show will return in its classic style with expanded content and outlets, including but not limited to, television and social media.

Look for CeCe in a new, diverse, more exciting role that producers say will be sure to capture her viewers as never before and “attract a new generation that will have the opportunity to see what evolution looks like at its finest”.

For Charlotte “CeCe” Mitchell, the ‘Island Grooves’ journey started in 1999 when she became the face of the Caribbean-based entertainment show, put together each week by Island Grooves Productions. Over the years, she served in various capacities in the

CeCe has travelled all over the region for the show ‘Island Grooves’. country, including in production, all whilst maintaining her role as the face of the show. She took a five-year hiatus from in front of the camera to work behind the scenes and focus on being a mother.

CeCe says she is returning to the forefront to do “what comes most natural” to her. For over a decade, she has successfully nabbed interviews with some of the hottest artists and has scores of celebrity interviews and events under her belt. While she continues her

CeCe with husband of 20 years, Dalton, and five-year-old son, Santana Justice journalistic journey in this genre, she has also broadened her scope of work to include sports, women’s issues and island life. This broadening of her skill set has led to her latest upcoming project – a sub-series to the show ‘Island Grooves’.

An entertainment journalist and producer residing in Miami, Florida, CeCe is still closely connected to her island roots in both her personal and professional life. She has a Caribbean queen aura and island hospitality in

her nature, which makes for her unique style that has influenced others in the region in the fields of entertainment and journalism.

Her on-screen mantras are wellknown, such as “Keeping you in the know and taking you where you want to go!” and “We’re grooving whenever these islands are moving!”

Look out for announcements in print, electronic and online media so as not to miss the first episode of the relaunch of ‘Island Grooves’ early next year.

18 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 29, 2017

entertainment

Artists to be honoured in three-day awards extravaganza

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

A

three-day red carpet experience is what organisers are promising for next year’s Elevation Media Awards.

As nominees have recently been named, plans for the event are now in their final stages. The award show is expected to take place at April 6-8, 2018, at Baha Mar. This weekend extravaganza will feature a red carpet experience, a pre-show, the live awards ceremony, and will culminate in community event called “A Night of Hope”.

This time around there are expected to be close to 18 categories, with six nominees in each bracket. They will include: Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Gospel Song of the Year, Music Video of the Year, Producer of the Year, Short Film of the Year, TV Show of the Year, Vlog of the Year,

Party DJ of the Year, Radio Announcer of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be given to playwright James Catalyn for all the work he has done to promote Bahamian theatre over the last three decades.

CEO of Elevation Media Group Vincent “V-Mac” McDonald, Jr, said the awards are designed to honour the accomplishments of those performers and creators that work year-round to provide quality entertainment for Bahamians and the world at large.

The event’s objective is to also provide a platform for new and upcoming artists.

“A initiative like this is beneficial to the entertainment community because it is also internally recognised,” he told Tribune Weekend.

Mr McDonald said they are building on the momentum of last year’s success.

“We gained up to 95,000 views on national television and close to 500 in attendance.

Next year will be an exciting year as we have expanded our show to a regional audience by adding a Caribbean Artist/Song of the Year category,” he said.

Vincent “V-Mac” McDonald, Jr, CEO of the Elevation Media Group

Online TV for the ‘Whole Woman’ THE Whole Woman Network, a wellknown media entity in the Bahamas, launched its online television station, www.thewholewoman.tv, earlier this month.

CEO Regina Whylly believes that this launch will greatly impact media in the country because it will now make it possible for persons to view television from their computers as well as any of their mobile devices. This platform will also make it financially attractive for businesses to have their products and services placed before thousands of persons at a more cost effective price point.

Mrs Whylly is no stranger to the field of media, having worked as a reporter for one of the leading newspapers in the country where she wrote for five sections each week. After resigning, she became the executive producer of her own television show ‘The Whole Woman’ that aired on ZNS Channel 11. She was also the first individual to have her own radio show on the leading

gospel station, Joy 101.9 FM. Never one to slow down, Mrs Whylly also a magazine supplement that was distributed by The Tribune.

The Whole Woman Network is an online TV station that will air programmes that are produced by an inhouse production team. The first show out the door is “Shoppers Delight”, a programme that goes into business establishments and showcases their products and services. The next show is “Phenomenal Women”, which puts the talents and abilities of women in our country on display. These shows and the station will be supported by commercials, sponsorship and advertisements.

Never one to keep advancement and growth for herself, Mrs Whylly said: “This media platform is one that will be used to allow other local producers the opportunity to have their shows placed on the station, thereby creating a financial platform for these individuals”.

Regina Whylly

The Tribune | Weekend | 19

Friday, December 29, 2017

gardening

Essential tips for watering, repotting Jack Hardy looks at different methods of irrigation and when to repot your plants.

O

ur first tip comes from Bernard Curry who was the owner of Green Thumb Nursery in Centreville for many years before retiring to Treasure Cay, Abaco.

In a presentation to members of the Horticultural Society of the Bahamas (Abaco branch) in November he spoke on creating ornamental delights using shallow dishes and succulent plants.

These, he noted, should never be watered with a hose. He recommended using ice cubes.

When we irrigate potted plants with a hose, the water rushes through the soil. This is fine for tomatoes and many other plants, but tends to overwater succulents that need careful moisture control. When the right number of ice cubes is added to a dish containing succulents, the ice melts slowly and the soil absorbs the water completely. This method of controlled watering allows you to use a bowl without drainage holes. If you have a beautiful ceramic dish you would think twice before attacking it with an electric drill. I have been using this technique for years almost by accident. When it is bedtime and I have finished my evening cocktail I make it a habit to add the leftover ice cubes to my African Wisteria bonsai plant dish.

After decades of gardening I have decided the best way to raise plants from seeds is in three stages. There are many plants that must be planted directly into the ground – carrots, corn, beets – but most others benefit from

the three stages of seed tray, pot, and transplant.

A seed tray can be any shallow container at least three inches deep. A wooden box, wicker basket, plastic tray with drainage holes drilled in the base are all good seed trays. The trays used by professionals and available to the general public are made of plastic and have cylindrical recesses that are filled with damp potting mix.

Whichever you choose make sure your potting mix is of the finest quality. I like Miracle-Gro in the yellow plastic sack. Always dampen your mix before adding seeds. In an open tray the seeds should be planted an inch or more apart. In recessed trays one seed per compartment is the obvious choice.

Roots will run together in an open tray but are kept separate in a recessed tray.

All watering should be done using the mist setting.

When the plants are two or three inches tall they should be transferred to individual pots. For herbs and most vegetables four-inch pots filled with potting mix are fine. For tomatoes and pepper plants I would suggest one gallon pots.

Label your pots with the plant variety and date. If the pots are green, orange or white you can use a garden marker.

If (as usual) the pots are black you can use a white correction pen, the sort that look like pregnant ball point pens such as Paper Mate. We are used to these

as hiders of our mistakes but they do a great job as white pens on dark surfaces – and they do not fade or wash off in the rain. When you have finished with the pot you can scrape off the white lettering very easily with a sharp knife.

The amount of time spent in small pots will vary according to the variety but whenever you see roots extruding from the drainage holes you can be sure it is time to transplant. You can also dispose of any weaker brethren and runts that appear at the four-inch pot stage. The transplanting of wellrooted juvenile plants from pots to the soil is always 100 per cent successful.

Because the transplants are well on their way to maturity (and may even be flowering) they are strong enough to resist diseases and insect attacks that might incapacitate a younger plant.

There are some rules of pruning that should never be broken. Rule number one is never to remove any more than one-third of a plant’s foliage. Up to this point the plant will recover nicely from its trauma. If you remove half or more of the foliage your plant will definitely become stressed and may even die.

A large tree such as a mango that has been hat-racked for a hurricane will probably survive but may not produce fruit for two or three years.

All Annonas – sugar apple, soursop, et cetera – only produce fruit on new growth. Cut the last one-third of each

branch away during the winter months to increase the amount of new growth and the number of summer fruits.

Trim away any dead twigs on a citrus tree on a regular basis. If you see any growth below the grafting area nip it off immediately with your thumb nail or your beautiful grapefruit tree may turn into a sour orange tree. Remove all water shoots. These are healthylooking branches with larger leaves than the rest of the tree that are fast growing, lie more or less parallel to the trunk of the tree, and have an almost rectangular cross section. Water shoots are unproductive but take sustenance from the rest of the tree.

Gardeners over the years have noted that tomato plants seem to yield heavier crops than usual when the colour red is nearby. I do not know how much scientific research has been done into the matter, but I do see seed catalogues advertising red trays and pots specifically designed for tomato plants.

If you are piqued by the idea, you could pin an FNM T-shirt to a tomato frame. If you have a matador’s cape that you have not used for a while, that too should do the trick. Either way, have a Happy New Year!

• For questions and com- ments, e-mail hardy1342@ yahoo.com

20 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 29, 2017

celebrity

Final goodbye: Roll call of some who died in 2017

T

hey made music that inspired legions of fans.

Rock ‘n’ roll founding father Chuck Berry and Fats Domino, rockers Tom Petty and Greg Allman, grunge icon Chris Cornell, country superstar Glen Campbell and jazz great Al Jarreau were among the notable figures who died in 2017, leaving a void in virtually every genre of music.

Comedians Jerry Lewis, Don Rickles and Dick Gregory left their own indelible mark with their iconic routines. And the story of the 1960s could not be told without Hugh Hefner and Charles Manson, who were synonymous with the decade in vastly different ways.

Hefner founded Playboy magazine and was credited with helping rev up the sexual revolution in the 1960s. The decade ended with Manson becoming the face of evil across America by orchestrating seven murders that marked the end of the era of peace and love.

Entertainers who died in 2017 also included actors Roger Moore of James Bond fame, Bollywood star Reema Lagoo, “Batman” actor Adam West and Mary Tyler Moore.

Here is a roll call of some of the people who died in 2017.

JANUARY: Clare Hollingworth, 105. A British war correspondent who was the first to report

AP PHOTOS

Charles Manson

Al Jarreau

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner the Nazi invasion of Poland that marked the beginning of World War II. (January 10) Tommy Allsup, 85. A guitarist best known for losing a coin toss that kept him off a plane that later crashed and killed rock ‘n’ roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and JP “Big Bopper” Richardson. (January 11; complications from a hernia operation) Gene Cernan, 82. A former astronaut who was the last person to walk on the moon. (January 16)

Fats Domino Masaya Nakamura, 91. The “Father of Pac-Man” who founded the Japanese video game company behind the hit creature-gobbling game. (January 22) Mary Tyler Moore, 80. The star of TV’s beloved “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” whose comic realism helped revolutionise the depiction of women on the small screen. (January 25)

FEBRUARY: Mike Ilitch, 87. The billionaire businessman who founded the Little

Caesars pizza empire before buying the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers. (February 10) Al Jarreau, 76. A Grammy-winning jazz singer who transcended genres over a 50-year career. (February 12)

Bill Paxton, 61. A prolific and charismatic actor who had memorable roles in such blockbusters as “Apollo 13” and “Titanic” while also cherishing his work in “One False Move” and other low-budget movies and in

The Tribune | Weekend |21

Friday, December 29, 2017

PHOTO/NAME NAME

the HBO series “Big Love.”

(February 25; complications due to surgery.)

MARCH: Joni Sledge, 60. With her sisters, she recorded the enduring dance anthem “We Are Family.” (March 10) Chuck Berry, 90. He was rock ‘n’ roll’s founding guitar hero and storyteller who defined the music’s joy and rebellion in such classics as “Johnny B. Goode,” ‘‘Sweet Little Sixteen” and “Roll Over Beethoven.” (March 18) David Rockefeller, 101. The billionaire businessman and philanthropist who was the last in his generation of one of the country’s most famously philanthropic families. (March 20) Chuck Barris, 87. His game show empire included “The Dating Game,” ‘‘The Newlywed Game” and that infamous factory of cheese, “The Gong Show.” (March 21)

APRIL: Don Rickles, 90. The big-mouthed, bald-headed comedian whose verbal assaults endeared him to audiences and peers and made him the acknowledged grandmaster of insult comedy. (April 6) Erin Moran, 56. The former child star who played Joanie Cunningham in the sitcoms “Happy Days” and “Joanie Loves Chachi.” (April 22; cancer)

MAY: Chris Cornell, 52. A rocker who gained fame as the lead singer of the bands Soundgarden and Audioslave and was one of the leading voices of the 1990s grunge movement. (May 17; suspected suicide) Roger Ailes, 77. He transformed TV news by creating Fox News Channel, only to be ousted at the height of his reign for alleged sexual harassment. (May 18) Roger Moore, 89. The suavely insouciant star of seven James Bond films. (May 23)

Manuel Noriega, 83. A former Panamanian dictator

and onetime US ally who was ousted as Panama’s dictator by an American invasion in 1989.

(May 29)

JUNE: Adam West, 88. His straightfaced portrayal of Batman in a campy 1960s TV series lifted the tight-clad Caped Crusader into the national consciousness. (June 9) Helmut Kohl, 87. The physically imposing German chancellor whose reunification of a nation divided by the Cold War put Germany at the heart of a united Europe. (June 16) Carla Fendi, 79. One of the five sisters who transformed the family leather goods business into a global luxury fashion house long known for Actress Della Ree se its furs. (June 19)

JULY: Martin Landau, 89. The chameleon-like actor who gained fame as the crafty master of disguise in the 1960s TV show “Mission: Impossible,” then capped a long and versatile career with an Oscar for his poignant portrayal of aging horror movie star Bela Lugosi in 1994’s “Ed Wood.” (July 15) George Romero, 77. His classic “Night of the Living Dead” and other horror films turned zombie movies into social commentaries and he saw his flesh-devouring undead spawn countless imiChuck Berry tators, remakes and homages.

(July 16) Chester Bennington, 41. The self-conscious screen auteur Linkin Park lead singer whose and found an even greater screeching vocals helped the following as the host of the rock-rap band become one of annual muscular dystrophy the most commercially suc- telethons. (August 20)

cessful acts in the 2000s. (July

20; apparent suicide) SEPTEMBER:

AUGUST: Jake LaMotta, 95. An ironGlen Campbell, 81. The affable superstar singer of fisted battler who brawled his “Rhinestone Cowboy” and way to a middleweight title “Wichita Lineman” whose and was later memoralised by appeal spanned country, pop, Robert De Niro in the film television and movies. (August “Raging Bull.” (September 19) 8) Hugh M Hefner, 91. The Jerry Lewis, 91. The manic, rubber-faced showman who Playboy magazine founder rose to fame in a lucrative who revved up the sexual revpartnership with Dean Martin, olution in the 1950s and built settled down to become a a multimedia empire of clubs,

mansions, movies and television. (September 27) Monty Hall, 96. The genial TV game show host whose long-running “Let’s Make a Deal” traded on love of money and merchandise and the mystery of which door had the car behind it. (September 30)

OCTOBER: Tom Petty, 66. An oldfashioned rock superstar and everyman who drew upon the Byrds, the Beatles and other bands he worshipped as a boy and produced new classics such as “Free Fallin,’ “Refugee” and “American Girl.”

(October 2)

Fats Domino, 89. The amiable rock ‘n’ roll pioneer whose steady, pounding piano and easy baritone helped change popular music while honouring the traditions of New Orleans.

Oct. 24.

NOVEMBER: Salvatore ‘Toto’ Riina, 87.

The Mafia “boss of bosses” who was serving 26 life sentences as the mastermind of a bloody strategy to assassinate both rivals and Italian prosecutors and law enforcement trying to bring down Cosa Nostra. (November 17) Malcolm Young, 64. The rhythm guitarist and guiding force behind the bawdy hard rock band AC/DC who helped create such head-banging anthems as “Highway to Hell,” ‘‘Hells Bells” and “Back in Black.” (November 18) Lil Peep, 21. The rapper was a budding star whose emotional, downtrodden lyrics gained a cult following online.

(November 15; suspected drug overdose) Della Reese, 86. The actress and gospel-influenced singer who in middle age found her greatest fame as Tess, the wise angel in the long-running television drama “Touched by an Angel.” (November 19) Charles Manson, 83. The hippie cult leader who became the hypnotic-eyed face of evil across America after orchestrating the gruesome murders of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and six others in Los Angeles during the summer of 1969. (November 19) David Cassidy, 67. The teen and pre-teen idol who starred in the 1970s sitcom “The Partridge Family” and sold millions of records as the musical group’s lead singer.

(November 21)

DECEMBER: King Michael I, 96. Romania’s former monarch, who was forced to abdicate by the communists in the aftermath of World War II. (December 5)

BERNARD McGHEE Associated Press

22 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 29, 2017

literary lives – judy garland

At the end of the rainbow Sir Christopher Ondaatje takes a look at the final years and premature death of one of Hollywood’s biggest Golden Age stars.

PART II

D

uring 1950 and 1951, Garland appeared eight times in the Kraft Music Hall radio show hosted

by Bing Crosby, a faithful friend and admirer. Her success invigorated her and she went on to a four-month concert tour of Britain and Ireland. The concerts were sold out, culminating in a show-stopping performance at the London Palladium.

“I suddenly knew that this was the beginning of a new life. Hollywood thought I was through; then came the wonderful opportunity to appear at the London Palladium, where I can truthfully say Judy Garland was reborn.”

She appeared at the Palace Theatre in New York to more acclaim, receiving a special Tony Award for her contribution to the revival of vaudeville.

Garland divorced Vincent Minelli in 1951 and married her tour manager Sid Luft on June 8, 1952. Her daughter Lorna Luft was born that same year.

In 1954, Warner Bros financed a remake of the film “A Star is Born” produced by Luft and their production company Transcona

Enterprises. Her co-star was James Mason and the film was directed by George Cukor. It was a gruelling schedule for Garland, and again her unreliable appearances on the set led to costly overruns and angry confrontations. Helped by James Mason – her fellow actor and lover – her performance as Esther Blodgett was superb.

“He gave me a look at myself I’ve never had before. He saw something in me nobody else ever did. He made me see it, too. He made me believe it.”

The film met with tremendous critical and popular acclaim, but despite grossing over $6 million in its first release it did not make back its cost. As a result, the profits Garland had expected, which would have put her in a secure financial position, did not materialise. Garland was nominated for an Academy Award and expected to win, but lost to Grace Kelly for “The Country Girl”. Time Magazine labelled her performance as “the greatest one-woman show in modern movie history”, and Groucho Marx sent her a telegram declaring her loss as “the biggest robbery since Brinks”.

Many others agreed with him.

The Tribune | Weekend | 23

Friday, December 29, 2017

Judy Garland during her triumphant performance at Carnegie Hall in New York on April 23, 1961. (AP Photo/Carnegie Hall) Garland won the Golden Globe Award for best actress in a musical.

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”

Garland’s other films after “A Star is Born” included “Judgment at Nuremberg” (1961), “Gay Purr-ee” (1962), “A Child is Waiting” (1963) with Burt Lancaster, and “I Could Go On Singing” (1963) co-starring Dirk Bogarde.

She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Judgment at Nuremberg” for both the Academy Awards and Golden Globe, but didn’t win. “I Could Go On Dancing” was Garland’s last film.

Judy Garland appeared in a number of TV specials and concerts starting in 1955, and signed a three-year $300,000 contract with CBS, but the relationship broke down after only one show over a dispute over the planned format for the TV specials. She then performed in Las Vegas (at a salary of $55,000 per week) and was the highest paid entertainer at that time. She also opened another rave performance in the Palace Theatre.

It was in 1959 that Garland collapsed with acute hepatitis and was hospitalised and told that she would always be a semi-invalid and would never be able to perform again. Somehow she recovered, played the London Palladium again, and then made her appearance at Carnegie Hall on April 23, 1961 in what most people in theatre still consider to be the greatest night in show business history. The show went on to win four Grammy Awards, including

Album of the Year and Best Female Vocal of the Year.

“My singing style really has no style because I try to sing each number differently. I’ve always believed that if style takes precedent over the words and music, the audience gets cheated.”

Garland was devastated by her third husband Sid Luft’s gambling addiction which lost her millions of dollars between 1955 and 1961. He had spent her money as fast as she had made it, leaving Garland virtually destitute and owing huge amounts of back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service. With the help of a new agent, Freddie Fields, she settled her contractual disputes with CBS in 1961 and negotiated a new round of specials.

“The Judy Garland Show” was aired on February 25, 1962 and featured guests Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. The success of the TV special prompted CBS to offer $24 million for a new weekly television series – at that time heralded as the largest deal in TV history. With her medical history and her doctors’ warnings it was a risky undertaking, but she was in a precarious financial position and desperately needed the money. The show started on September 29, 1963, but had disappointing ratings and only lasted one season. It was cancelled in 1964 after 26 episodes. One reason for this failure was because the show was erroneously slotted opposite NBC’s hit programme “Bonanza”.

The demise of the programme, which won four Emmy Awards, was another shattering blow for the vulnerable

Judy Garland wed her third husband, businessman Sid Luft, in 1952.

They would remain together for 13 years and had two children together — Lorna Luft and Joey Luft.

Garland. She sued Luft for divorce in 1963 claiming cruelty and physical abuse while drunk. Her own behaviour too was becoming more and more irrational. She returned in November 1964 to her fans at the London Palladium – her final appearance; returned to the US for performances on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “The Tonight Show”, and hosted (with Vic Damone) an episode of “The Hollywood Palace” – again her final appearance because of unreasonable behaviour. Invited to Australia, a concert in Sydney drew unexpectedly large crowds, but a second show in Melbourne was disastrous. Accused of being drunk, a crowd of 7,000 booed and heckled her. She fled the stage after 45 minutes.

“My life, my career, has been like a roller coaster. I’ve either been an enormous success or just a down-and-out failure.”

Judy Garland married her business promoter Mark Herron off the coast of Hong Kong after the disappointing Australian tour, but the marriage was not recognised as she was still married to Sid Luft. The Luft divorce was finally granted in May 1965, and she did not legally marry Herron until November 14, 1965. They separated six months later.

“In the silence of the night I had often wished for just a few words of love from one man, rather than the applause of thousands.”

In February 1967, Garland was cast as Helen Lawson in “Valley of the Dolls” for 20th Century Fox, but she was impossible to control and was fired in April after three months of impossible behaviour. Susan Hayward replaced her. She made her final appearance at the Palace Theatre in New York and Continued on page 24

24 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 29, 2017

Continued from page 23

Judy Garland married her fifth husband, musician Mickey Deans, three months before her death in 1969.

Garland’s three children, (l-r) Joey Luft, Liza Minnelli and Lorna Luft, brave the crowd at their mother’s funeral.

Barbra Streisand made her iconic appearance on “The Judy Garland Show” in 1963

survived for an amazing 27 shows, but her health was deteriorating at a frightening pace. She returned to London where she had always been popular and performed at the Talk of the Town nightclub for five weeks. She made her last concert appearance during March 1969 in Copenhagen, and married her fifth and final husband Mickey Deans at the Chelsea Register Office in London on March 15, 1969.

Only four months later, on June 22 1969, Deans found Garland dead in the bathroom of their rented mews house in Chelsea.

She was 47 years old. The coroner stated that she had died because of “an incautious, self-overdose of barbiturates.” He stressed that there was no evidence that she had killed herself.

“We cast away priceless time in dreams, born of imagination, fed upon illusions, and put to death by reality.”

Judy Garland’s embalmed body was flown to New York, where 20,000 fans paid their final respects to one of the greatest female stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. James Mason gave a eulogy at an Episcopal Service held at St Marylebone Parish Church in London. She was interred in a crypt at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York, but then, at the request of her children, her remains were relocated at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.

She has been the subject of over two dozen biographies since her death, including the best-selling “Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir” by her daughter Lorna Luft.

NEXT WEEK: A young Welshman who became a world-famous, but doomed, poet.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of “The Last Colonial”.

The author acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia, as well as “Rainbow: The Stormy Life of Judy Garland” (1975) by Christopher Finch; and “Judy Garland: The Secret Life of an American Legend” (1992) by David Shipman.

The Tribune | Weekend | 25

Friday, December 29, 2017

history

Every island...every rock... every cay, except...

Forgotten facts Paul C Aranha

O

ne of the most-popular misconceptions regarding the size of our Bahamas is the length of New Providence, usually quoted as 21 miles. In fact, if you measure it with a GPS, or if you draw a straight line from McPherson’s Bend to a point near the Clifton Heritage site, you will find that his island is a mere 18.77 miles long. It would not be unreasonable to think of it as 19 miles long Jack Culmer’s Bahamas Quiz Book is a useful reference booklet, but it fails to say that Mayaguana is the most easterly island and does not know that the Cay Sal Bank is much farther west than Bimini. If you draw a straight line from Mayaguana to the western limit of the Cay Sal Bank, the distance is 506 miles.

North to south, in a straight line, Google Earth measures 542 miles from

This weekend in world history December 29 • 1170 Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by four knights of Henry II. • 1890 – In the final chapter of America’s long Indian wars, the US Cavalry kills 146 Sioux at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota.

• 1940 – London suffers its most devastating air raid when Germans firebomb the city in the evening.

December 30

a group of small rocks, just north of Walker Cay, Abaco, to Great Inagua.

It is hard to find a map of the Bahamas that includes Cay Sal and the Cay Sal Bank. Even the Ministry of Education left them out of their 1971 atlas, but added them in the 1976 edition.

I visited BTC’s website to check the coverage of their cellular service. As far as I could see, it does not reach the west coast of Andros, so if you were anchored in your boat near William’s Island or Billy Cay, I expect you’d get no service.

When Hurricane Katrina moved past Andros, ZNS announced that it had left the Bahamas, whereas it must have travelled about 50 miles away from the Cay Sal Bank where, admittedly, there are very, very few inhabitants.

Nevertheless, the Bank is a part of our Bahamas, so much so that we had to chase away a small group of Cuban invaders, and after Howard Hughes died and his corporation gave up their lease, we had to send the RBPF to Cay Sal to defend it from further incursions.

• 1922 – In post-revolutionary Russia, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is established, comprising a confederation of Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, and the Transcaucasian Federation.

• 1924 – Astronomer Edwin Hubble formally announces existence of other galactic systems at meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

• 2006 – Saddam Hussein, former Iraq dictator, is executed by hanging for crimes committed against his own people during his rule.

December 31 1783 – The import of African slaves is banned by all of the Northern US states.

1852 – The richest year of the gold rush ends with $81.3 million in gold produced.

1879 – In the first public demonstration of his incandescent light bulb, American inventor Thomas Edison lights up a street in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

The decommissioned Cay Sal lighthouse on North Elbow Cay, 23°59’N latitude, 80°20’W longitude, the westernmost land in the Bahamas.

After a while the RBDF replaced the police contingent.

The last time I flew to Cay Sal for the RBDF, we were cruising along at about 120 knots, minding our own business, when I became aware that something, totally unexpected, had come into my peripheral vision. A glance through my window revealed a US Customs’ Cessna Citation jet, struggling to fly as slowly as my STOL Britten-Norman Islander. I could see a piece of paper being held up to the co-pilot’s window,

One of Edison’s early light bulbs

with a VHF radio-frequency written in big letters, so I switched to that frequency and a voice said, “Are you lost”, to which I answered, “No. Are you?”

Once they established that I was taking RBDF personnel to Cay Sal, the Citation pilot accelerated so quickly that I almost believed my already slow BN-2A Islander was flying backwards.

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

Yesterday’s solution: PrinT (across) inBoX (down)

26 | The Tribune | Weekend

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

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

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CRYPTIC PUZZLE Down 1 No other organisation can compete with it (8) 2 Writer isn’t upset about unorthodox love (8) 3 Experts in cards (4) 5 Are tailors so addictive? (5-7) 6 The last men to raise offspring (4) 7 Thin piece of silver (6) 8 Resent having to change a name (6) 11 It’s played for someone’s benefit (7,5) 15 A measure in progress (5) 16 I do it wrongly, being a fool (5) 18 Feel a bit upset by a trifling annoyance (8) 19 Wrong director still has to be paid (8) 21 Ain’t it difficult for an old master? (6) 22 It’s lucky mother’s gone to bed (6) 26 Not an area of growing importance in Asia (4) 27 Capital expressed in endless loose change (4)

Across 1 Physical training instructor? (6) 4 He is confused with praise, being a selfrighteous chap (8) 9 A struggle between northern and southern sea forces (6) 10 A place of grazing (8) 12 The force of influence? (4) 13 The lighter side of chess (5) 14 Sets out to find a Hardy heroine (4) 17 Unable to say why you can’t solve a crossword? (4,3,5) 20 Last thing an American can bet with? (6,6) 23 Scottish boy about five who had a terrible reputation (4) 24 Improve on a repair (5) 25 It might hold more than one suit for a worker (4) 28 Rudimentary hat I once replaced (8) 29 A fool it’s wrong to help (6) 30 Left in error? (3,5) 31 He shares what’s left (2-4)

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Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Thump, 4 Defrock, 8 Age, 9 In earnest, 10 Forbear, 11 At bay, 13 Cohere, 15 Demand, 18 Abyss, 19 Envelop, 21 Bear fruit, 23 Ado, 24 Totally, 25 Lisle.

Down: 1 Traffic, 2 Unearthly, 3 Pride, 4 Dreary, 5 Forsake, 6 Owe, 7 Kitty, 12 Be all ears, 14 Restful, 16 Deplore, 17 Penury, 18 Ambit, 20 Vital, 22 Act.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Clubs, 4 Contact, 8 Ash, 9 Atrocious, 10 Barge in, 11 Stake, 13 Rather, 15 Daring, 18 Sieve, 19 Marshal, 21 Turned out, 23 Ire, 24 Dresses, 25 Sagan.

Down: 1 Chamber, 2 Usherette, 3 Scale, 4 Caring, 5 Nicosia, 6 Ado, 7 Taste, 12 Alighting, 14 Elevens, 16 Galleon, 17 Emboss, 18 Sated, 20 Rates, 22 Rye.

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 Scarcity (6) 4 Eventually (2,6) 9 Ingenious (6) 10 Instruction (8) 12 Deep red gem (4) 13 Defamatory accusation (5) 14 Sin (4) 17 Deeply involved (2,2,4,4) 20 Contentment (12) 23 Annoy (4) 24 Defraud (5) 25 Over-hasty (4) 28 Abusive harangue (8) 29 Convey as gift (6) 30 Calmly submissive (8) 31 Brave (6)

Down 1 Proper (8) 2 Bitterness of speech (8) 3 Rain hard (4) 5 Refuse to listen (4,1,4,3) 6 Shallowest Great Lake (4) 7 Mourn (6) 8 Favourably (6) 11 Everlasting (12) 15 Outspoken (5) 16 Mannerism (5) 18 Huge (8) 19 Causing obstruction (2,3,3) 21 Merchant (6) 22 Ever (6) 26 To boast (4) 27 Loud ringing of bells (4)

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Extra letter clues

0907 181 2560 (Deduct three minutes for each extra clue letter heard)

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The Tribune | Weekend | 27

Friday, December 29, 2017

animals

Wishes for 2018

H

ello everybody and a Happy New Year! This is the final Friday of 2017.

We have much to look on back and hopefully even more to look forward to. Each year brings its own challenges and surprising delights. I prefer to look forward in anticipation and with optimism than looking back in anger and disappointment.

There were some amazing high points in 2017 for me, including my youngest son Scott’s wedding to his beautiful bride Bianca, and Scott’s childhood dog, Buddy walking my son, his boy, down the aisle and “giving him away” to his married life. Buddy then sat behaving beautifully near the happy couple during the entire service. Happy moments indeed. Almost all my happy moments have included a dog in my life and I hope that for the years left to me there will always be a furry friend by my side.

The Bahamas Humane Society continues to expand and morph in to a world-class facility. We continue to strive to excel and provide top-class service to our clients and patients. Our clinic team, comprising three highly skilled veterinarians Dr Solomon Kwakye, Dr Issah Hanson and Dr Tanya Chase, lead our vet tech and kennel crew to excel and grow in knowledge and excellence daily.

The BHS needs you though. It is simply impossible to continue making strides in the animal protection field without the assistance of the humans who, incidentally, benefit greatly from the service we provide. Just imagine how many broken-hearted children and families of limited means there would be if they could not come to us for assistance and medical care for their pet.

Just imagine how many animals would suffer and die. Imagine how many people would have to surrender their pet because they could not afford to feed them when times are hard, where would they be without our closely monitored food bank...how many more stray dogs there would be if we were not constant-

ly involved and supporting spay and neuter clinics. Yes, without a doubt the services we provide benefit the humans just as much as they benefit the animals themselves.

In 2018 we would actively love to see more people become members of the BHS. Membership is the bread and butter of any association. It is the regular dues that we can count on that can assist us to grow in all direction. Let’s make this the year you become a member of the Bahamas Humane Society.

Please call the shelter at 323-5138 to

get more membership information.

This new year needs to bring greater awareness to humans of the needs of animals in the Bahamas. We are too dismissive on the premise that they are “only animals”. What is “only” about animals? I ask you, were they not created by God to be our helpers and companions? Surely in this Christian nation of ours we cannot and do not dismiss anything created in God’s image as “only”? Why does the church not step in and preach against cruelty to animals? My priest does. Archdea-

A precious pal for 2018

By The Bahamas Humane Society

O

ur last Pet of the Week for 2017 is Precious. “But haven’t I seen him before?” you may be asking yourself. You have!

Precious was Pet of the Week way back in May of this year and had, at that time, been at the Bahamas Humane Society for almost a year. Precious has seen several kennelmates come and go, but because he’s shy and undemanding, he always seems to be the one left behind. Do you have the patience to help Precious come out of his shell? This almost two-year-old is unlikely to ever become a house dog, but he’d be happy to guard your home from the yard in exchange for a quiet place to call home.

He’s friendly with most other dogs and was very civil with the

cat who showed up at his latest photo op.

When the holiday excitement has ended, please come in and meet Precious. You might just help fill his New Year’s resolution of ‘find new home’! Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday, or you can call 325-3542 for more information.

Precious looks forward to meeting you!

• Happy holidays from the BHS! And all the best for the new year! Please note we will be closed on Monday, January 1, 2018. Normal hours resume on January 2. Enjoy the festivities and please remember to keep your pets secure when there will be fireworks.

con Keith Cartwright holds a beautiful service for the animals every year in recognition of St Francis of Assisi. Let’s see if we can find a second church to follow suit. Ask your priest, or pastor or preacher; we need a movement of kindness.

The BHS is always in need of donations: donations of items for our thrift shop, donations of time, volunteer hours, and money donations. All and any help would be so greatly appreciated.

Kindness and love make the world go around. If we cannot reach out and help those who cannot speak, who cannot fend for themselves, who are at our mercy, then I personally hold very little hope for our future and that of our children.

Love is like a seed, it starts out small, plant it, and care for it, it grows and blossoms. More love and compassion could turn this country around. Improvement, like all voyages, starts with a single step.

The Bahamas Humane Society invites you to hold our hand and help us fulfil our wish and dream of kindness, love and compassion in the year 2018 and in the years to come.

Come out together, join forces with each other, sweep away the hatred and callous uncaring. We are stronger when walking towards a common goal. Reach out and touch the lives of people and animals alike and let’s make this the kindest and happiest little nation on earth.

PET OF THE WEEK

PATRICIA VAZQUEZ

Animal matters Kim Aranha

28 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 29, 2017

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