THE VINCENTIAN PDF - 25-08-23

by SHERON GARRAWAY

AN UNCOMFORTABLE NUMBER of young people have been ending up in the emergency rooms of hospitals or the court system due to their consumption of cannabis edibles.

This is according to pharmacist Joanne Ince-Jack.

Ince-Jack, a speaker at a symposium on “The Dangers of Edibles and Teen Cannabis Use” held at the Methodist Church Hall on August 19th, urged that more dialogue needed to be entered into with young people here.

At the event, hosted by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Pharmacy Council

CONSUMING CANNABIS EDIBLES ON THE RISE

established that adhere to global conventions to govern medicinal cannabis.

in collaboration with the Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA), InceJack noted that parents visualize their teens smoking marijuana by way of cigarette-like joints, pipes, etc.

She, however, noted that the consumption of marijuana has become creative not least being through brownies (pastry), beverages, chocolate bars and candies, and warned that regardless of the method used to consume it, high amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, were being digested.

The pharmacist acknowledged that data on teen cannabis use in SVG was still being gathered, and referring to studies from the USA, she said it was revealed that teens were consuming cannabis edibles to reduce the likelihood of being caught.

Ince-Jack said also highlighted that the use edibles has become a preference for those who do not like to smoke, such as females, as they did not want to have their bodies carry the

odor.

She was also concerned with the marketing schemes and packaging that support the sale and use of the edibles, citing the sweet taste and colourful wrappings which far too easily attract the unsuspecting teenager.

“It was easier to overdose on edibles because of over eating, as the digestive time in the body takes a much longer time,” the pharmacist warned.

In the circumstances and in an effort to nip this habit in the bud, Ince-Jack called on parents, teachers and youth leaders to be observant and open to discussion with young people about the dangers of cannabis use, particularly at an early age.

Chief at the Technical Department at the Medicinal Cannabis Authority, MCA Dr. Jean-Saville Cummings also advocated the need for more dialogue with youngsters about cannabis use. He noted that teen

usage was not advocated unless prescribed by a doctor but also admitted that teenagers are naturally curious and would want “to experiment.”

And while he accepted that cannabis was not necessarily life threating, he, like InceJack, cautioned that it was easy to overdose on it.

Notwithstanding the creeping new practices surrounding cannabis, Dr. Cummings assured that this country has been ensuring that policies have been

Among these was that persons who have been prescribed cannabis for health-related purposes, must have a card to verify this, allowing them to use cannabis in a safe environment.

In the case of SVG, there are four legal consumption lounges - in Ratho Mill, Bequia, Georgetown and Enhams.

He warned, though, that it was still illegal to smoke cannabis in public, even with a doctor’s prescription. In effect, the cultivation and consumption of cannabis remain illegal. It has not been decriminalized here.

A cannabis brownie looks and taste just like your usual home-baked brownie.

Mc Intosh seeking roots

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Oscar Allen lecture Page 7

A musical narcotic Page 20

CDC should get more Page 16

MRI user rates ???

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Joanne Ince-Jack, pharmacist, raised concern about an increase in consumption of cannabis edibles.

Dr. Jean-Saville Cummings, of the MCA , underscored that it was easy to overdose on cannabis.

TREVOR MC INTOSH,who was part of the Sean Stanley Table Tennis Academy Regional Table

Mc Intosh seeking out his roots

Tennis Camp, held at the West St. George Secondary School from August, 11-21, is on a search for his Vincentian roots.

A member of the Queen’s Park Table Tennis Club, Trinidad and Tobago, Mc Intosh travelled to St. Vincent and the Grenadines as part of the club’s contingent to assist with the fitness, as a companion for his son Sekel, and hopefully, get to know his relatives here.

“I know that my

grandfather was Vincentian, his name was Cecil Mc Intosh, however, that is all I know… While here I was trying to find out if anyone knew him, but I got snippets of information, but nothing concrete,” Trevor said.

He disclosed that he strongly believes that someone somewhere will help him, as he continues his quest to identify and keep in contact with his Vincentian relatives.

“I have heard a lot about Frankie Mc Intosh of course because of his music, but I don’t know if

Twenty-five graduate from ESO Training

TWENTY-FIVE

YOUNGSTERSbetween the age of 6 and 16 have attained the basic knowledge in playing the steelpan.

This, after attending the LEAF Elite Steel Orchestra(ESO) Annual Training Programme, from July 17 to August 16, under the tutelage of Musical Director and bandleaderKesslon Wilson and Roshuan Peters.

Held at the CW Prescod Primary School’s compound, the home of the ESO, the young pannists learned (to play) the National Anthem, Every Praise to My God, Higher Than I, Time of My Life, Stay With Me and Happiest Man Alive.

The graduates’ moment to show off their new skills at the planned Graduation Ceremony was dampened by the adverse conditions, which restricted them to the reception of their certificates.

However, as fate would have it, five days prior, they were afforded the opportunity to perform at the inaugural World Steelpan Day Concert held in capital, Kingstown.

Reflecting on the four-week programme, Wilson was high in praise for the enthusiasm and

commitment of the graduates.

He lauded their ability to learn and play six songs within the training programme’s duration and called for their continuity in the artform.

“I am encouraging parents to still send their children out to follow up on Saturdays from 11am at the CW Prescod Primary School, beginning from September 16,” Wilson stated.

He further stressed the

importance of Music Education as a means to finding employment in the absence of “white colour jobs.”

“Steel pan is taught through rote which aids children’s memorization, their retention skills, which is critical to timetabled subjects,” Wilson reasoned.

Wilson lauded the United Nations for declaring August 11, World Steelpan Day.

he is a close or distant relative of mine,” he added.

Incidentally, Sekel Mc Intosh is the current reigning Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Education Junior Soca

Monarch. Sekel is a student of the Queen’s Royal College. To assist with Trevor’s cause, anyone with information can contact him via telephone: 1-868620-5544.

Drum Foundation opens up

PRESIDENT of the SVG Drum Foundation Victor ‘Mwata’ Byron is happy that the body has moved into its office. He made the remark at the Campden Park base last Saturday, August 19.

Byron expressed hope that the body works together to make it independent.

He is looking at financial rewards for members, and that the activities uplift the country. Byron report reflected on the January 22, 2023 gathering when a new executive was installed

The Drum Foundation was formed 2013. A tenth anniversary programme has been planned. Activities include a Drum Circle at La Familia, formerly known as Dos Rios in the West St George constituency.

That event will see drummers in action along with other cultural activists blending talents. It will take the form of a Madongo training session. Patrons will sample local cuisine and get a sense of cultural injection.

The Drum Foundation’s most recent appearance was at workshop put on by the National Library in Kingstown two weeks ago.

The Body is working on a Strategic Plan aimed at heightening the awareness of the Vincentian public.

Other executive members include Sullian Jones - vice president; Zando Rogers - treasurer, James McDonald - secretary and Georgette Nanton Assistant Secretary.

The Drum Foundation is comprised of a number of outfits including Naked Roots Cultural Organisation, Yuremie Drummers, Heartbeat Resistance Drummers, Rose Hall Drummers, Karaktr Couture and Culture, Jim Maloney Drummers, and New Dynamic Rhythm and Arts Creative Dance Organisation (N-DRACDO). Efforts are being made to broaden the membership base.

N-DRACDO, formed in 2007 holds a fund raising venture tomorrow Saturday 26 next to the Langley Park Government School.

Persons will be exposed to home-made delicacies and cultural packages.

A lecture is part of the session to be observed under the theme; ‘Reinforcing the deconstruction of our colonial legacy by redefining ourselves.’ Speakers listed include former Speaker of the House of Parliament here Jomo Thomas, and Mikail Huel Mohammed.

Victor ‘Mwata’ Byron, President of the SVG Drum Foundation.

Trevor Mc Intosh (left) with one of the divisional winners of the camp.

Some of the graduates of the ESO programme pose with their certificates.

ÂGanja gone bourgeoisÊ

Stories: HAYDN HUGGINS

“GANJA GONE

BOURGEOIS.” That’s the view of attorney Grant Connell, a staunch advocate for the decriminalization of marijuana.

Connell’s remarks came on Tuesday as he mitigated on behalf of Joel McClean, a 34-yearold carpenter of Stubbs who was charged with possession of 6,356 grams of marijuana with intent to supply.

McClean had initially pleaded not guilty on August 17, but changed his plea to guilty on his return to the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

Connell told the Court that a friend had given the marijuana to his client almost nine months ago, and it was moldy, cobwebbed, and almost rotten.

Prosecutor Corlene Samuel said the marijuana amounted to 14 pounds and placed its value at $7,000. She pointed out that the Serious Offenses Court, which deals with drugrelated matters but is currently on vacation, has been using $500 per pound as the value for marijuana.

But Connell lamented that marijuana, once the poor people’s thing, is now controlled by the bourgeois.

“Ganja is now bourgeois, and the poor man must pay the price,” he opined.

The lawyer said that the local medical cannabis investors are paying US$50 per pound for marijuana.

“When you benefit, is US$50 per pound, but when you suffer is EC$500,” he quipped.

Referring to the

marijuana which was found at his client’s home in two plastic buckets, Connell said, “That has no value, that can’t smoke, that can’t make wine. I don’t know how competent police could take that (marijuana), fill out the forms, and feed him with something (charge) like that,” Connell suggested.

Connell said there is a direct nexus between value and sentencing, as the Court could impose a fine of three times the value. He noted that the head of the Cannabis Revival Committee (CRC), Junior ‘Spirit’ Cottle had prepared an affidavit for him for a marijuana case, some years ago, in which Cottle placed the value of marijuana in SVG as between EC$250 and EC$300 per pound.

Connell said that when his client initially

appeared in Court and pleaded not guilty to the charge, he was granted bail, but the prosecution asked for reporting conditions, stop notices to be placed at all ports of entry and exit, and that his client surrender his travel documents.

“I cannot believe that the prosecutor will tell the Court that moldy ganja would carry the same value, knowing there is a nexus between value and sentencing,” the lawyer purported.

Presiding Magistrate John Ballah commented that the marijuana in the buckets found at McClean’s home which were exhibited in Court, had a very strong odour. He also told Connell that the reason why the value of illegal marijuana was higher than that of medicinal marijuana was because of the risks involved in the illegal

Police tardiness will not be tolerated

MAGISTRATE John Ballah has made it clear, not for the frist time, that he will not allow police officers to do as they like in his Court.

The Magistrate reiterated his stance on Wednesday while presiding over a wounding matter at the Kingstown Magistrate Court, for which a police officer was warned to be in Court on Tuesday.

The matter was adjourned to Wednesday, because the officer did not show up on Tuesday, despite being

warned.

When the officer took the witness stand on Wednesday, the Magistrate informed him that a bench warrant was almost issued for him.

Ballah who had been a police officer for 20 years, and held the rank of Assistant Superintendent up to the time of his appointment as Magistrate, told the police on Wednesday that he may have been a nice and understanding police officer, but he is now a Magistrate, and would not allow police officers to do as they like, including flirting the rules of the Court.

He told the officer in question, “There was ample knowledge that you were warned, and because I did not have sufficient evidence I did not issue the bench warrant. The same rules that apply to the ordinary man also apply to police officers.

This is the second time in about six weeks that Ballah has chided the police for flirting the rules of the Court.

On July 12, he took issue with a police officer for issuing the charge sheet, in a wounding matter, to the defendant, without serving the defendant with the medical form.

He had told the police then, “You all think that because I was a police officer for 20 plus years I will come here and side with you all, never happen.” and he reminded them that persons have a right to know for what they are being charged.

trade.

But Connell contended that it was the risks of those people who kept the ganja flames burning, having been in the trenches for years that, “We can now boast that we have 50 years experience in the field, one of the reasons listed why SVG is one of the leaders in the Caribbean for cannabis”.

Attorney Grant Connell put the ‘system’ through something of a selfexamination as he mitigated in a marijuana-related case.

The Magistrate smiled broadly, but he made it clear that “Until the laws are changed until it is legalized, and not just decriminalized, I have to impose the law.”

No intention to jail ganja man

JOEL MCCLEAN has been allowed until June 22, 2024, to pay the Court $4,267 for possession of 6,356 grams of marijuana with intent to supply.

If the 34-year-old carpenter of Stubbs fails to pay the fine by that time, he will go to prison for nine months.

Magistrate John Ballah, sitting at the Kingstown Magistrate Court on Tuesday, handed down the penalty, after considering representations made by McClean’s lawyer and conducting a means test.

But the Magistrate had also declared that “it’s the Court’s intention not to send him to prison.”

McClean was arrested on August 17 during the execution of a search warrant at his home at Stubbs around 1:30 a.m. The joint operation, carried out by members of the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), and spearheaded by Inspector Nolan ‘Grandpa’ Dalaway, uncovered the marijuana in two plastic buckets during a search of the kitchen.

McClean had pleaded not guilty when he initially appeared at the Kingstown Magistrate Court on August 17, and was granted bail, but changed his plea to guilty on his return to Court on Tuesday.

In handing down the penalty, the Magistrate used the value of $500 per pound, the same value used by the Serious Offences Court, which deals with drug-related matters, and he noted that the substance amounted to 13.8 pounds.

Mitigating on McClean’s behalf earlier, attorney Grant Connell asked the Court to impose a small fine. He noted that his client had two children to maintain, and things were very slow for him. He added that McClean had no previous convictions, was remorseful and cooperated with the police.

The Magistrate said the offense falls in Category 3 in terms of quantity. He found no aggravating factors of the offense, but for mitigating, he cited the lack of sophistication in the way the marijuana was concealed. He also found nothing aggravating for the offender, but for mitigating, he noted that McClean had no previous convictions and was of good character.

The Court has the power to impose a fine of three times the value of the drug, but the Magistrate, instead, went down by $600 after weighing the aggravating and mitigating factors for both the offense and the offender. McClean was also given a one-third discount for his guilty plea.(See related story)

Magistrate John Ballah reiterated his position that he will not take lightly to any tardiness and/or flippant behaviour by the police. (Photo Credit: St. Vincent Times)

Massive 11th Annual Vincy Day USA

Story and photos by NELSON A. KING US CORRESPONDENT naking@verizon.net

IN PICTURE-PERFECT

WEATHER, thousands of Vincentians across the United States on Saturday converged on the Camp Grounds at Heckscher State Park in East Islip, Long Island, New York for the 11th Annual Vincy Day USA Picnic.

Other Caribbean nationals even joined Vincentians, trekking from as far as Canada, among other places, to participate in and to meet and greet relatives and friends at the 1,657-acre (6.71 km2) state park on the shore of the Great South Bay in Suffolk County, Long Island.

The day-long, spectacular event, organized by the Brooklyn-based Vincy Day USA Committee, featured a

kaleidoscope of colors — including the Vincentian national colors, green, gold (yellow) and blue — a potpourri of Vincy dishes; and Vincentian and Caribbean music, gospel and soca inclusive.

Among others, Brooklynite Alyssa Seales played the steelpan; masqueraders from Mas Productions Unlimited, the lone Vincy mas band in New York, displayed costumes for the gigantic West Indian-American Day Labor Day Parade on Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway; and calypsonians Delahante Isles and Dennis Bowman — representing the Brooklyn-based, Vincentianowned Dynamite Calypso Tent, the lone Vincentian Calypso Tent in North America — re-energized the crowd with hits from this year’s selection in the Vincy Mas Calypso Competition.

The newly-formed, Brooklynbased Magma Band, headed by Vincentian musical arranger and keyboardist Adrian Bailey, made its Picnic debut, backing up most of the soca artistes and otherwise providing enthralling entertainment to the huge party crowd.

Delroy “Fireman” Hooper, the perennial Vincentian Soca Monarch and this year’s Road March King in Vincy Mas, also made his maiden Picnic performance, holding party animals in a frenzy with selections from his wide repertoire, bringing the Day down at the sprawling park.

During his inaugural participation last year, new Consul General Rondy “Luta” McIntosh had expressed concern about the non-participation, in the Picnic, of the Soca Monarch in Vincy Mas, vowing to change that in ensuing years.

McIntosh, himself a soca artiste — who rendered “Family, We Out Here” and “Charlie, Charlie” [partially] — described the extravaganza as “a spectacle of colors and culture, and a true depiction of who we are as a people.

“It’s love and unity at the Vincy Picnic,” he told THE VINCENTIAN, as the spectacle wound down. “It’s beyond measure. And words cannot express the overwhelming feeling of being amongst your own people and experiencing love and unity, like we do at Carnival time in Vincyland.

“My hope is that this love and unity transcend our community and everyday life,” McIntosh continued.

Later, Raymond Otis Lewis, chairman of the Vincy Day USA Committee, said: “Vincy Day 2023 is in the history books.

“This year was not without its challenges, from overall increase in expenditure, to curating a decent and respectable entertainment segment,” said

the Frenches, Kingstown native, adding that “the turnout this year was a little better than last year, being two years removed from COVID.

“And even though it’s not at the levels pre-COVID, patrons were remarking that it was the best one they’ve been to,” continued Lewis. “The Vincy Day Committee strives tirelessly to ensure that Vincy Day USA is a day filled with the love, camaraderie, respect and generosity that embodies the Vincentian spirit, and this year is no different.”

Vocalists from the Magma Band belt out soca vibes.

A banner displaying a popular Vincentian village, Biabou, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Vincy Day party crowd.

Delroy “Fireman” Hooper performs on stage.

Consul General Rondy “Luta” McIntosh performs at Picnic.

Ms SVG community service projects launched

THE NINE contestants in this year’s Miss SVG Pageant will embark on their individual community-based projects shortly.

The ladies unveiled their projects on

August 16 with Leteisha Barbour presenting ‘The Inspiration Economy; Denicia Boatswain ‘The Black Economy’; Deana Fairbain ‘The Orange Economy’; Arena Foy ‘The

Blue Economy’; Trina Hooper ‘The Green Economy’; Nia La Borde ‘The Golden Economy’; Simesha Millington ‘The Silver Economy’; Tara Richardson ‘The White Economy and Royesha Telemaque ‘The Purple Economy’.

The Projects

Barbour (Ms Grenadine House) said that her project aims at connecting people in her community of Barrouallie and providing them with the resources they need to turn their ideas into reality.

She said that the project focuses on three areas: education, entrepreneurship, and community service and spirit.

Boatswain (Ms Metrocint General Insurance) presented her ‘crime busters’ project explaining that she intends to examine the effects of gun violence in her community of Diamond.

According to Boatswain, the prevalence of gun violence has impacted the community negatively and her project is aimed at educating and encouraging residents in her community on preventative measures as it pertains to gun violence.

Fairbain (Ms Play 4) said that she will embark on a project that will help to enhance the lives and livelihoods of the residents in her community, Lowmans Leeward, through the use of creative expressions.

Representing ‘The Green Economy’ Hooper (Ms NLA) said that she will be promoting the utilization of land in the North Leeward area.

“My project will seek to create a sustainable food system that can nourish and sustain the environmental, economic and social well-being of the people without depleting our natural resources in North Leeward,” she said.

La Borde (Ms FLOW) is representing the Golden Economy and will be educating members of her community of Sion Hill on the usage of renewable energy, in order to reduce energy cost.

She said that this is important to members of her community because it has been challenging for some residents as it relates to their energy costs.

The Silver Economy project which will be presented by Millington (Ms Corea’s ACE Hardware) will highlight the challenges relating to an aging population in her community of Chauncey.

Richardson (Ms JCI Ltd) will be promoting proper dental care in the community of Questelles.

And Telemaque (Ms Intransit Exports Limited) will focus on women’s empowerment in the Marriaqua community.

Foy (Ms Massy Stores), who will highlight the Blue Economy will naturally concentrate on reinforcing the potential of the fishing industry.

GECCU’s Support

The community service component of the 2023 Miss SVG pageant will be sponsored by the Government Employees Cooperative Credit Union (GECCU) to a tune of EC$20,750.

The company’s affiliation to the project dates to 2019 when it was called The Empowerment Campaign.

Maxine Johnney, CEO (Ag) said that this segment of the Miss SVG Pageant dovetailed several aspects of GECCU’s social charter and its investment in the community.

“It is public knowledge that GECCU, being a good corporate citizen, relentlessly supports different initiatives and projects that impact our communities positively and improve the quality of life of our members and ordinary citizens,” she said.

Johnney said that the sponsorship to each contestant had increased this year and that although the contribution was small, she liked the idea of fostering volunteerism and the initiative.

She noted that following on the 2022 community service project, several of the contestants then are still involved in community projects today, speaking volumes of the initiative.

One such example is testified in the winner of the 2022 competition, Shannon John, who tackled the issue of crime in her community of Vermont.

Today the impact that she had on her community still lives on, with the creation of a football team which did well in the recent South Leeward Football competition.

She offered some advice to the 2023 contestants saying, “When you sit with your team and you are drafting your activities and also in the process of executing your project, do not only do it for the sake of only winning the competition. Yes, everybody wants to win. You want to make sure you follow your guidelines and yes, you want to make sure that your community supports you, but most of all you want to make sure you are doing this project from your heart.” (DD)

Shannon John - 2022 Community Service project winner.

Ricardo Adams, Chairman of the Carnival Development Corporation accepts sponsorship cheque from Maxine Johnney – CEO (Ag) GECCU.

Emancipation – ÂWe must tell the storyÊ

Oscar Allen in whose memory a lecture is held every year, touched lives across social strata in his native SVG.

IN TAKING THE APPROACH that genocide and slavery was a double dose of trauma that impacted this nation, Dr. Garrey Dennie believes that healing comes from telling the story.

Dr. Dennie who delivered this year’s Oscar Allen

Emancipation Memorial Lecture, August 22 at the UWI Global Campus (Open Campus), Kingstown, spoke on the topic ‘Emancipation Still Comin’, in which he established early in his discourse that the Garifuna, who were indigenous people, were free before 1797 but faced brutal trauma.

The Associate Professor of History at St. May’s College of Maryland noted that there was a systematic move to get rid of the Garifuna, whom the Europeans feared would join with the enslaved and fight.

He said in the acts of extermination and banishment against the Garifuna, have been recorded in European historical archives as some of the harshest and fastest acts of genocide committed against a particular people.

Dr. Dennie reverenced the lives of the first Vincentians peoples who gave their lives for the liberation of generations, and said that slavery was not the only means by which people suffered.

He said the legacy of genocide of the Garifuna was a “twin evil” that has been ignored for centuries, as they became an endangered species that had to survive while finding themselves on the periphery of the

Vincentian slave society. He said the British had almost, in the blink of an eye, destroyed an over 3,000-year-old civilization through mass murder, and also pointed out that there was a conspiracy to silence the Garifuna who remained in the country.

Dr. Dennis said that they were militarily defeated and robbed of their lands and sent into exile on small tracks of infertile lands.

The historian revealed that some choose selfimposed internal exile by disappearing deep into the Vincentian forests, but they were still hit by the collective and individual trauma of mass impoverishment, a crisis of faith and destruction of language.

He noted that those indigenous Garifuna people who surrendered did so not because they were weak, but because they wanted their children to survive.

The emancipation story and more so how it impacts the Garifuna will be told in a historical anthology that the government has sponsored, and will be undertaken by Dennis and other researchers.

The Lecture

The Oscar Allen Emancipation Memorial Lecture, is an annual lecture spearheaded by The UWI Open campus, Kingstown, the Friends of Oscar Allen and Diamonites.

According to Camille Lakhram,

Officer-in-Charge, UWI Global Campus, the university has hosted seminars which spur national discourse and impact on consciousness.

The Oscar Allen Memorial Lecture, she

said, remembers the man who advocated social justice, passionately but yet so humbly.

as ‘the epitome of humility’, died on July 28 at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital. He was laid to rest in his native Diamond Village, last Saturday, August 12. (SG)

Dr. Garrey Dennie, Associate Professor of History at St. May’s College of Maryland, was this year’s lectures.

As always, those who gathered for the lecture represented a diverse grouping.

Managing Director: Desiree Richards

Editor: Cyprian Neehall

Telephone: 784-456-1123 Fax: 784-451-2129

Website: www.thevincentian.com

Email: thevincentianpublishing@gmail.com

Mailing Address: The Vincentian Publishing Co. Ltd.,

P.O. Box 592, Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines.

A new LIAT???? NIS again

EVEN WITH VAST AMOUNTS of cash inflows to ‘keep it in the skies’, LIAT (1974) Ltd., the only service that one dared to refer to as a regional airline, found itself facing mounting debt and threatened with ‘going under’ during the Covid-19 rampage through the Caribbean.

All of this after, among the cash inflows referenced, the Caribbean Development Bank in 2013 provided loans totalling US$65 million to the four shareholder governments of LIAT (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines), to assist with the purchase of aircraft in the context of a fleet modernisation project, which, with much fanfare, introduced the French ATR’s as replacement for what was supposedly an aging Canadian DASH 8 fleet.

After what amounted to a period that was marked by ‘covert plans’ to realign and relocate the headquarters of the airline, squabbling among the major shareholders, dispensing of shares and infuriation occasioned by a failure to attract fresh cash injections from other regional colleagues, LIAT (1974) Ltd. went into court-appointed administration in July 2020 and an administrator was appointed forthwith, tasked with the responsibility of making an in-depth study of LIAT (1974) Ltd. and advancing recommendations accordingly..

This, the region was told, was to begin the process of reorganisation and put in place a “stay of all proceedings against LIAT, civil, liquidation proceedings by the shareholders, creditors .. .”

In three years, nothing has been heard of from the administrator.

In the meantime, even as Antigua’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne proposed declaring LIAT (1974) Ltd. bankrupt, two of the airline’s largest shareholders voted in favour of liquidating the ailing airline.

The court-appointed administration in fact put on indefinite hold plans for an early creditor vote on whether to liquidate the carrier

But with Antigua and Barbuda standing to lose the most from the fallout, that country’s Prime Minister led a move to establish LIAT 2020, a new company which operated a limited number of flights across the region.

LIAT 2020 ran into scheduling problems, and found great difficulty

in servicing some of the routes it proposed so to do.

All of these histrionics amidst a dark cloud of uncertainty unfolded with no regard for the fact that the demise of LIAT (1974) Ltd., decided on by leaders supposedly committed to safeguarding and promoting the best interest of the people they represent, left in excess of 670 employees on the breadline.

It was a natural reaction that the Unions representing workers in the individual stations (islands) called for severance payments to their members… severance pay that was put at EC$90 — EC$100m.

And what about outstanding amounts related to retroactive pay, vacation pay, and owed salaries?

What was once described as not your typical business venture but one that was a vital social service to the region for which we had to make sacrifices, was now being run like a true business entity where the first concern was the bottom line and not the human capital being sent to pasture.

PM Browne’s offer to settle severance with the Antiguan cohort remains in ‘limbo’. Only Barbados and St. Lucia have settled with the former LIAT workers.

But all of a sudden there is talk of a new LIAT, a ‘talk’ being advanced by Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines - Dr. Ralph Gonsalves.

He alluded to CDB offering some level of guidance in this regard but this only serves to further confuse the issue. While we know that CDB had been working on a proposal for regional air travel, LIAT (1974) Ltd. is still bounded by court-appointed administration, with obligations to fulfil.

Are we going to go forward leaving unattended a trail of unfulfilled, legal obligations to our own people?

It is an affront to the 600 odd former employees of LIAT (1984) Ltd. to sit with begging cups in hand, and watch some new entity simply morph while their concerns remain on paper.

How can leaders be so dastardly as to sidestep this ‘human issue’ and turn their focus on another venture that could well be doomed before it takes off.

Too much talk of our governments being labour-friendly and peoplecentred. Stop the ole talk.

SOME TIME AGO,I passively asked the CEO of NIS, Mr. Haynes, not to get too far ahead of the politicians on the solvency issue of the NIS. Well, what’s done is done; it’s yours now. Now you find yourself making the circuit again, trying to tell everyone that the NIS is in good standing and solid ground, at least for the next twelve years. No one wants to hear that. No one is looking at the recently issued financial statements. No one cares that the auditors give your operations a clean bill of health from an accounting and operational viewpoint. No one cares that you exceeded the minimum internal return on investment (ROI) target of 4.5% by 53 basis points.

What’s getting lost in today’s political climate is that you, Mr. Haynes, and your staff did a good job meeting the minimum standards set by the Board.

The thing about everything in SVG is we are often penny-wise and dollar foolish. The first time we become aware of a problem or a potential problem, we divide ourselves along political party lines. Once that is done, we frequently assign blame and articulate a party position rather than offer possible options for consideration.

So today, I am not necessarily going to talk about NIS reform; I am, however, going to address a few issues articulated in the audit. So, what am I concerned about in the recent audit?

I am concerned about the heavy investment in the Bank of SVG. While I appreciate and fully expect that you will be doing all of the NIS daily business with the BOSVG, the level of investment is excessive. Owing 20% of the Bank’s assets is too much for my comfort. Now that may be viewed by some as being ok, but I think we need to divest the NIS of some of the investment in the Bank for the good of both institutions. Having two NIS board members on the Bank’s Board does not comfort me. After all, these are two quasi-government agencies, and the Government appoints all the board members.

The number of related party transactions leaves room for the question. Probably the strangest of them are loans and advancements to the staff. Why is this privilege

afforded to your staff? I can only hope this was approved by Parliament or the Board of Directors. Is it common for other government agencies to lend members of the staff money? Loans to the lottery and the National Properties are also concerning. I believe all the related transaction activities should be approved by parliament.

The fact that the NIS participation level declined by almost 2,900 members and the decrease in the number of registered employers was down by 250 in 2021 are reasons to be concerned.

The number of early retirees increased despite the yearly 6% early retirement penalty. What was equally bewildering was that the payment to this group increased year over year. Something is wrong with your penalty structure. It is not giving the desired outcome.

Now politically, we must do better and be willing to put things in place to make NIS a solid longterm viable institution. For example, the contribution rate must be willingly adjusted to maintain confidence in the program. Speaking from experience, I have seen my retirement contribution rates over thirty years fluctuate from a low of 1.75% to a height of 12% of gross pay. I have also seen public safety pension plans where the unfounded liability of the local Government was higher than the annual payroll. I am only telling the public this to say all is not lost, and we do not need to panic. It’s fixable. We must be diligent and committed and do not need to try and fix this all at once.

In fact, some of the things being talked about today as solutions are, in my opinion, knee-jerk reactions and will hurt more than they will help.

I do not think a retirement age increase is needed to solve the problem. It is more trouble than the marginal benefit to the system. Lowering the percentage of one’s pension from sixty to fifty percent of your salary is also unnecessary as long as we are willing to follow the actuary’s recommendation every three years.

Horatio.

The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Education and basic human values

AS I LISTENmore and more to how much recognition is given by the Unity Labour Party to what it coined as the ‘education revolution’, I am more and more overcome by mixed feelings.

I will be the last, Mr. Editor, to deny that there have been benefits of this ‘education revolution’, not least being that more of our young people are in schools, at all levels, and more of those who qualify have gone on to higher, more advanced studies and we are set on a path towards building a true knowledge-based society.

But sadly, there is a tendency, or

SVG not a real place

we have been influenced into believing that this is all to education — certification…. get as many ‘subjects’ as you can.

And so much so, when I compare the approach in our education system today to what it was in my day both as student and teacher, I can’t help but conclude that we have become so ‘results-oriented’ that we have forgotten the other values of education, and that the real purpose of education is to produce a rounded, upright citizen by not only ensuring their academic excellence, but also to

lead them into adopting basic human values; basic human values like peace, love, truth, right action and nonviolence, just to name a few.

Therefore, the success of the ‘education revolution’ must also be judged on, to what degree these and other basic human values are truly visible in our society today.

It would be difficult to say that these values are prevalent when our society is riddled with spiraling violent crime, a lack of civility and good manners, an overriding ‘me first’ attitude, selfishness, drug addiction,

and the list goes on.

The questions that arise from all of this are: Would improved standards of living bring us a gentler society?

How much would education contribute to shaping this gentler society?

Education will be a major contributor only if it is value-based. After all, the end result of genuine education is (good) character.

Thomas

UWI - Standing on the shoulders

MR. EDITOR,I challenge any politician and any of the regular columnists in our newspapers to prove to me and the world that St. Vincent and the Grenadines has matured since our independence, 1979.

Can they say without any hesitation that our beloved SVG is a country in which we all live happily together; where every man has an equal opportunity to move from rags to riches; where every man has a right to his opinion and the right to protest without the fear that some black clothes police officer is going to come for him; in which the government has no problem carrying out the orders of a Court.

The honest answers to these questions lead me to believe what Abijah sang in his calypso this year i.e., that with all the talk, ‘St. Vincent is not a real place’.

And by the way, how can we ever say that we are mature when we build a new parliament in which our elected representatives will continue to ‘kicks’ and attack each other at will, while the Speaker does (or can do) little to stop the showcasing of their immaturity.

St. Vincent is definitely not a real place.

Another Abbey (Name withheld on request)

THE UNIVERSITYof the West Indies (UWI), originally called The University College of the West Indies, celebrates 75 years of existence this year. We congratulate, celebrate and thank this institution for all that it has accomplished thus far. It started out as an institution to train medical doctors. Over time it has evolved.

It has managed to not only educate many but at the same time to create a social revolution. Many alive today still recall the early years of UWI and the earliest students who set off for the Mona campus from St. Vincent. They were few and they were brilliant. The late Dr. Kenneth John would certainly have been

recalling and writing about that era, were he still here with us. He was not only a graduate of UWI but also very much part of the UWI Extra Mural history in St. Vincent.

When UWI celebrated 60 years in 2008, Kenneth named some of the First Vincentian students to go off to University. He mentioned Dr. Kenneth Antrobus and his sister, Jacqueline Antrobus, and went on to elaborate in an article in “The Vincentian” of 2/21/2008 accordingly:

“I went to U.W.I. in 1960 preceded, in order, by persons such as Elaine Gatherer-Connell, Norma Ince Keizer, and Winston Baptiste.

Rosalind Connell has left us

THOUGHmy legs felt somewhat wobbly I felt a societal obligation to attend the funeral of Mrs. Rosalind Gatherer Connell, which was held at the historic Methodist Church in Kingstown.

In her, two families were represented, who have been held in honour by their societies over several decades — the Gatherers of Georgetown, the Connells of Kingstown.

Mrs. Connell herself, has given very valuable service as a teacher at the Girls’ High School for several decades and the testimony is traceable, that she had positively impacted the lives of many hundreds of our society’s young ladies.

Mrs. Connell was also a strong player in the valuable Girls Guides

Movement which has been playing a very useful role in positively guiding our young ladies in constructive contribution to her people!

There certainly was “a sweetness in the atmosphere”, in the Methodist Church when we said farewell to Mrs. Connell that day. The preacher told of her sincere trust in Jehovah the Creator and of her commitment to her people. He also challenged the congregation with an important question, “How do we measure the worthwhileness of life?”

He implored us to address the wrongs in our society.

That made me think, that Mrs. Connell would not have tolerated the

carelessness which allowed the pools of water, to be persisting at the entrance of the property of the Girls Guides Headquarters located in Level Garden.

So, the gentle Mrs. Rosalind Connell has left us and we have lost another precious flower. May she rest in Peace.

LeRoy Providence

PEOPLE ARE ASKING:

* IS THIS THE SAME Dr. Ralph Gonsalves who once subscribed to the position of smaller government (less ministries, etc.) for SVG? Does he now lead the largest government every in SVG?

* It’s now the end of August. Have all the necessary repairs to schools been completed to allow all schools to re-open on scheduled?

* What is happening with work at the Girls’ High School? Has it halted?

* Is there a sign at Drip (Rabacca) warning against swimming there?

* How can Curtis King and Jimmy Prince stand by and watch the destruction of the National Youth Council concept?

* Why does it feel like the NDP is going to make the same mistakes all over again and the ULP is playing the same old game?

Numerically speaking, we went up in a fairly decent batch. With Wallace Dear and Michael Joshua, we formed the very first Vincentian Social Science students, funding our own way as schools were reserved for the arts in those days.

In my group were Baldwin King, who went on to record a First-Class Honours degree in chemistry; Cedric Harold, Leroy Mulraine, Jeanette BallantyneFrance Joyce Peters—Mc Kenzie, Castine Quashie, Errol King, Errol Daisley, Celitha Wiltshire- Davy and others.

We were greeted by my school-mate medics Bob Sutton, Carlos Mulraine, and Albert Lockhart who went on to distinguish himself in the field of ophthalmology, using the ganga as base for eyecures.”

I recall that Cynthia Hunt, our Mathematics teacher at GHS, went to UWI around that time. Baldwin returned to the University of the West Indies in Mona, Jamaica, to teach in 1971, having attained his Ph.D in Chemistry from UCLA/Berkeley in 1969. I was struck, immediately, by the camaraderie that existed amongst the former students and found the loyalty and common desire they shared to give back to the Caribbean remarkable. We stand on the shoulders of so many. Thank you so much. Congratulations, again. Cheryl Phills King

The importance of cultivating well-informed citizens geared towards civic and social responsibility (Pt 1)

Address by Senator Hon Benarva Brown at the Launch of the Institute of Governance and, Politics for Latin America and the Caribbean Introduction

THE NOTION THAT EVERY PERSONhas a role in a nation’s development and growth cannot be overstated. The mission of the Institute of Governance and Politics of Latin America and the Caribbean aligns itself fully with this notion.

Tonight, I will address briefly the importance of cultivating well-informed citizens geared towards civic and social responsibility in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Leadership is also critical for an improved future, so I will also lend my voice to this discussion.

Civic responsibility refers to active participation in a community’s public life in an informed, committed, and constructive manner by citizens, focusing on the common good. It can, therefore, be inferred that an active citizen should seek to promote the quality of life in a community through political and non-political processes using knowledge, skills, and motivation to make a difference in society.

So why is civic responsibility critical for developing a sustainable and prosperous Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?

• Our history is one of exclusion due to colonialism. Our colonial past meant many of our laws, practices, and even spatial configurations were determined by our colonial masters. Indigenous groups like the Caribs imported enslaved Africans, and indentured servants had limited resources and power to realize sustainable livelihoods. It was only in 1951 that we received the right to vote. This is something we must never forget. We are currently righting some of the wrongs made during the colonial eras of our history. Many of our laws need updating to reflect the modern Caribbean society we have become.

• More inclusive development where all social groupings, especially disadvantaged groups, can have a voice in mainstream development. This will bring benefits to all.

• Experiences of other Latin American and Caribbean countries allow us to learn, adopt good ideas, and avoid pitfalls. Knowledge is power, after all.

• Working together can create synergies and energies to propel the development process. But working together also creates great network linkages from one grouping to the other.

• The development of relationships and communities that are priceless, and the impact can be immeasurable. Friendships can develop and create a base for the development of wellrounded individuals.

• Embracing civic responsibility for a good society can offer great rewards, including fulfilling one’s purpose and realizing community goals and even more comprehensive national and regional benefits.

• Apart from tackling social problems in their communities, participants experienced the joy of engaging their agency and contributing to social good.

• Information and data collection are critical in high levels of civic responsibility in communities and national development. Often, SVG is described as an information desert that hinders the effective planning and execution of development programs and projects.

An institute like this one will, without a shadow of a doubt, add to the knowledge base. As time progresses and articles and speeches are published, digitized, and collected, this institute will become a huge asset to young scholars locally, regionally, and internationally. There is an appetite for knowledge and information about St.

Vincent, the Grenadines, and the rest of the Caribbean and Latin America region.

In addition, increasing civic responsibility can:

• protect individual rights

• promote the common good

• provide economic security

• Mold the character of citizens

• furthering the interests of a particular class or group

• promoting a particular religion

• Increase understanding of the importance and relevance of politics, government, and civil society to the daily lives of all Vincentians, e.g., their safety and security, education, employment, health, recreation, and overall quality of life.

• Promote civic character development by fostering recognition of public and private responsibilities and encouraging adherence to the values and principles of constitutional democracy.

• Elevate the sense of civic efficacy, the impact citizens can have on policies at all levels of government and on the character and purposes of the associations and endeavors of civil society.

• A renewed emphasis on the common core of a civic culture that unites individuals from many ethnic, linguistic, religious, and social groups is needed. It can help with the removal of barriers to social cohesion.

• We in SVG must become more civic-minded and work together given our high vulnerabilities and development challenges to natural hazards and hostile external environments.

Saint Vincent is described as a Small Island Developing State or SIDS. Countries given this distinct classification are often limited or plagued by the following characteristics:

• Narrow resources which limit the benefits of economies of scale

• small domestic markets and heavy dependence on a few external and remote markets

• high cost of energy, infrastructure, transportation, communication, and servicing

• Long distance from export markets and import resources

• low and irregular international traffic volumes

• little resilience and high exposure to natural disasters

• rapidly growing populations

• high volatility of economic growth

• Limited opportunities for the private sector and considerable reliance on the public sector.

The World Bank has described St. Vincent and the Grenadines as one of the world’s most disaster-prone and vulnerable countries. Our vulnerability is not purely geographical but also social, as disasters in our recent history have demonstrated. Using the 2013 floods as an example, a flood destroyed the lives of many Vincentians in hours.

Why You should care

Imagine Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where everyone, including the youth, takes responsibility and promotes social good through disciplined action. The results will be unprecedented with reduced crime, increased volunteerism, higher levels of education, greater participation in sports and culture, and an end to political tribalism.

We can no longer avoid conversations of individual and collective participation in nation-building and St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ transformation. As citizens, everyone has a role to play, and one person’s negligence has a ripple effect on others.

We must begin to ask ourselves, If not me, then who? If not now, then when?

Government must address the cost of living crisis in SVG (Pt 2.)

THE GOVERNMENThas a responsibility to do everything it can to cushion the effect of the cost-of-living crisis on households in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Further delay in implementing relief measures will only cause more pain and suffering for Vincentians.

The President of the New Democratic Party (NDP) and Leader of the Opposition, Honourable Dr. Godwin Friday, is deeply concerned with the cost-of-living crisis in the country. He raised those concerns last year in his National Address on Costof-Living and made recommendations for the government to implement which would have provided relief for Vincentians but they were ignored. In 2021, when the government increased the Customs Service Charge, Dr Friday warned the Minister of Finance of the impact it would have on the prices of goods in our shops, supermarkets and stores but his warnings were ignored.

In his contribution to the Finance Bill 2021, Honourable Dr. Godwin Friday, made the following comments about the increase of the Customs Service Charge on the prices of goods. He said, “During the Budget address, the matter was raised and objections were mentioned from this side of the House; although, I think the full implications of the one percentage point increase which in the Budget address was written as one percent increase. In reality, the 1% increase amounts to a 20% increase in the Customs Service Charge because it goes from 5% to 6%. The other factor to be considered and to be weighed against the good intention that the minister pointed out to this tax; is the fact that this tax is going to affect a broad range of items.

We are a small open economy; virtually everything we consume especially manufactured goods, medicine, clothing, school supplies, food items, pasta, rice, cooking oil, corned beef, sausages, Irish-potatoes, automobiles, everything is imported. What it means, the Customs Service Charge affects a broad range of items and therefore its economic impact can be masked, by saying that its only one percentage point increase from 5% to 6% and it’s only the Customs Service Charge and not the custom duties themselves.

My understanding is that the minster hopes to raise between $8 and $9 million from this single measure that occupies his two or three lines in his Budget address and he virtually congratulated himself into saying that he didn’t intend it to be a Budget in which to raise taxes. Well, if you didn’t intend it to be, then don’t raise taxes. So, we have the increase and secondly it covers a wide range of items so that when you go to the grocery store and you full your trolley, everything you put in there would have been affected by this tax so that a basket of goods will now cost more to everybody who shops whether you are earning $100,000 or $10,000 a year.

You’ve got to eat, whether you are rich or poor, you’ve got to be clothed, you need shelter. Therefore, the cement, galvanize, plywood, ‘two by

four’, that you use to build your ‘shack’ or the tiles, fixtures for the bathroom and paint, if you are building a bigger house, all will be affected by this tax.”

Remember, that government’s revenue from VAT is boosted by the higher prices for goods and services. As prices go up, so does government’s revenue from VAT. We reiterate our plan to provide relief for Vincentians. The NDP’s plan include: reduce VAT from 16% to 13%; reduce the Customs Service charge, ‘the Big Tax on Everything’ : increase support for lower income families; reduce the impact of the fuel surcharge on VINLEC bills and review the list of VAT items with a view to increasing the number of zero-rated items.

Cost Of Living Tracker

The New Democratic Party (NDP) has launched its cost of living tracker to help persons get a clear sense of the cost of living and how it has been impacting people’s lives. The cost of living tracker is made up of the average cost of key foodstuff from across the country. The NDP will continue this tracker every quarter to track what an average family spends on food and the impact on family finances.

Last week, the NDP again called for targeted support to help with the cost of living crisis. Launching the cost of living tracker, Member of Parliament for East Kingstown, the Honourable Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble, said, “Families are crying out for support during this cost of living crisis. The ULP government response has been to turn a deaf ear and ignore the problem, showing once again this is a government tired and out of touch. The NDP will always put the people first, we have set out a 5 point plan to tackle cost of living and today we announce a new tracker.”

The cost of living tracker will catalogue the average cost of a basket of goods for a family and monitor on a quarterly basis. Our research shows that the average family spends $180.00 a week on food. Further, increases in food costs are only going to put more strain on families. Something must be done urgently. Dr. Friday has outlined the NDP’s plan. And, we call on the government to put aside any pettiness and take a real look at our plan, our people need support.

The NDP cost of living tracker will also track the average weekly shopping for a family in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It is constructed by taking the average cost across 4-6 supermarkets of each foodstuff and then taking the weekly amount. The NDP believes that by showing the impact it will further show government and other stakeholders the need for action and at the same time helping families understand the impact on their household finances.

Dogged Determination

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” – Mark Twain (1835-1910) –American writer, publisher, and lecturer.

THE JAMAICAN LADIESwho represented their country at the 2023 Women’s World Cup had every reason to celebrate when they secured a 0-0 tie with Brazil, the No. 8 ranked women’s team in the world. This was considered one of the biggest upsets of the tournament that was held in Australia and New Zealand during the period 20th July to 20th August. It was the first time since 1995 that the formidable Brazilian team did not advance out of the group stage of the Women’s World Cup. Jamaica, previously ranked No. 43, was considered the under-dog.

In just their second world cup appearance, the “Reggae Girlz” finished second in Group F having amassed a total of five points; two points behind first-place France. Their dogged determination enabled them to advance to the quarterfinals. It was the first time that a team from the Caribbean had advanced to the knockout stage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Unfortunately, Colombia defeated the Jamaicans 1-0 at the quarterfinal stage. However, they had every reason to be proud of their outstanding performance reminding us of the truism that it is not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog.

Their dogged determination began several months before they left Jamaica for the competition in Australia and New Zealand. Many were concerned when it became public knowledge that the Reggae Girlz were faced with financial challenges that threatened their ability to finance their trip. However, they embarked on fund-raising efforts and invited supporters and well-wishers to assist through a go-fund-me initiative. The rest is history. The preceding paragraphs bear testimony of what can be achieved when there is a clear vision and the determination to make the impossible possible. We commend the Jamaican women’s football team for their resilience, exceptional dedication, talent, and dogged determination. Their hard work paid off. These remarkable athletes have every reason to be proud of their achievements on and off the field. Their feat will continue to inspire many throughout and beyond Jamaica.

Jamaican female athletes were also in the limelight in Cape Town, South Africa during the period 28th July to 6th August, 2023 as the Jamaican netball team participated in the Netball World Cup 2023. They created an upset when they defeated New Zealand (the Silver Ferns) 52-45 on 3rd August to advance to the semifinals. It was the first time that the five-time champions New Zealand did not win a medal at the event. However, the formidable Australian team defeated the Sunshine Girls 5754 when the two teams clashed during the closely-contested semi-finals on 5th August. The Jamaican team could be justly proud to come away with the bronze medal. Australia advanced to become the eventual champions of the tournament, having defeated England 61-45 on the final day of the tournament.

The Jamaican netball team

demonstrated incredible teamwork, strategic gameplay, and dogged determination throughout the tournament. Their ability to nullify challenges and compete at the highest level is truly admirable. Such escapades remind us of the significant positive impact of having a determination to perform at our fullest potential regardless of the strength and prowess of the opposition. In both instances, we note that it is not the size of the country that matters but the skills and steadfast determination of the players engaged in the activities.

The persistence demonstrated in the two examples featured here can serve us well when we reflect on the numerous challenges that we encounter at home, in our neighbourhoods, in the workplace, and in life in general. The temptation to give up, to call it quit, is a common one. It lures each of us from time to time. But it is not beyond us to excel at tasks, and through situations, that may initially seem unsurmountable. As in the cases of the Jamaican female soccer team and the Jamaican netball team, persistence and determination can influence the outcome. Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), the 30th president of the United States of America (1923-1929), reminds us that, “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” That critical thought process where we commit to giving our very best efforts and to pursuing our dream, regardless of the obstacles, may be considered foundational to our eventual success.

Many athletes will attest to the fact that their pursuit of athletic excellence demand that they discipline themselves to hours of training (even when they do not feel like it), eating right (and avoiding certain “unhealthy food”), making time to rest (although tempted to go partying with friends), and so on. It calls for discipline. This is considered foundational to their outstanding performance. Mental toughness is often required when tasks appear unsurmountable; when we need to drum up the courage to continue the pursuit of our gallant purposes. Theodore Roosevelt (18581919), the 26th President of the United States of America, reminds us that, “Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.” It is often that dogged determination that will ignite the courage and strength to pursue noble dreams and ambitions regardless of the challenges, setbacks, and obstacles. Life lessons abound in the annals of sport, politics, and academia to remind us of the value of creating and nurturing that dogged determination while focused on success.

A Guest Column by Ousainou Mbenga   “A soldier without political education is a virtual criminal “ – Thomas Sankara

WE CAST OUR LOT WITH ANY DEFIANT STANCE against imperialism. In this instance, French colonial — imperialism, the fattest tapeworm attached to the intestines of Africa for the past centuries. This is the first time in the history of coup d’etats in Africa that the three coupists countries: Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, delivered a joint solidarity statement against French colonial—imperialists and their neocolonial stooge governments, with a stern warning that an attack on Niger will be considered a declaration of war on the tripartite, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

This act of justifiable defiance against the parasitic French government is unprecedented. And this is why we cautiously equate these coups to the 1983 overthrow of the then ‘Upper Volta’ government by Thomas Sankara and his comrades. Sankara and his few comrades waged a fierce struggle to transform the coup into a revolution, but the revolutionary forces were not adequately prepared to repel the traitorous plots of Blaise Campoare and his criminal gang.

If another Thomas Sankara or a genuine revolutionary emerges out of this contradiction, there are lessons to be learned from the previous mistakes of Sankara. You must forthwith cultivate a cadre of revolutionaries from the masses of workers, farmers, and the few honest intellectuals steeled with organizational discipline and poised to repel any attacks from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the behest of France and its western allies. We must consciously make political education a requirement for soldiers, police and all security forces entrusted with our security before putting a gun in their hands. We should only put guns in the hands of the politically conscious sons and daughters of Africa. The best defence from this impending attack is to wage a people’s war against ECOWAS. Once political education is attained, no African soldier will follow orders to spill another African’s blood in the name of these ‘colonialists in black faces.’

Currently, the neocolonial entity ECOWAS, just like its parent organization, African Union (AU), headed by the most unreliable sector of African society, is foaming at the mouth, ready to spill African blood through their military outfit just as they carried out military mayhem in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Guinea Bissau. The president of ECOWAS commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray from the Gambia, waxing indignant, delivered the statement to Niger with an ultimatum to return Mohamed Bazoum to power or face the military consequences. Waxing more indignant than Touray is the new Chairman of ECOWAS and newly elected president of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is fanning the flames of military intervention but unwilling to subdue the ragtag ‘jihadists,’ Boka Haram.

The entire African continent is littered with American and French military bases. The buffoonery of the ECOWAS surpasses only that of the African Union, the architect of the unviable African states trapped in their false sovereignty and consciousness to keep Africa stagnant. The United States of America, ‘the greatest purveyor of violence,’ and its lap dog, France, are waiting for their stooges to start yet another war in West Africa before they ‘circle up the wagons’ around Niger.

The impotent African petit bourgeoisie leaders always resort to spilling African blood but will belly crawl and negotiate with Europeans and Arabs in every instance of crisis.

The masses of our people must refuse to be relegated to voting, electoral campaigns and begging politicians for favours. Where in Africa has a civilian government outdone a military regime in the illusions of democracy?

Let us see the world for what it is, not as we wish it were. We must organize to govern on all fronts of the African revolution but only through revolutionary politics, which sought explanations for our conditions of existence from the actual material conditions that created the hell we live on this earth, making it a heaven for Europe and America. In contrast, politics has been surviving on idealism, superstition, tribalism and blind faith religion to the point that the vast majority of our people surrender to the notion that everything that happens in our lives is God’s will on us. But our material conditions of colonial exploitation and oppression say otherwise. We believe that If God had a hand in this contradiction, food, clothing, and shelter would be guaranteed to all.

It is of great importance for the masses to grasp and understand the struggle for liberation, freedom and social justice against the propped-up neocolonial state that is responsible for our unhappiness as Africans. The most rabid opportunists, from the ‘slimy politicians’ to the guardians of the old boundaries of colonial education, believe that theory is beyond the grasp of the downtrodden masses of our people.

This long-held notion is incrementally being shattered by riotous and rebellious actions across the continent, and no ‘power’ can stop this momentum if it stays on its revolutionary path.

The attainment of political consciousness by Africans is the only guarantee from betrayals and the usual hijacking by ‘soldiers with a difference,’ the likes of Yaya Jammeh and Julius Maada Bio, who jumped out of their military uniforms into civilian clothing but maintained ‘politics as usual.’ Blaise Campoare, Mobutu and countless other traitors are still in our midst, and the ECOWAS and African Union (AU) are the breeding grounds for these ‘colonialists in black faces.’

Colonialism, Imperialism, neocolonialism and the predatory capitalist social system are not just mere words. This social system is what created hell on earth for Africans and heaven on earth for Europe, America and ‘white people’ in general. These are historical facts. Only a revolutionary purge can flush these parasites out of the belly of Africa. We know how to recognise imperialism and all its neocolonial allies. We have been living under imperialism with its knee on our neck for centuries, therefore, when imperialism is in crisis, we Africans should not panic. The question remains: What is to be done while it’s dying?

The old order is gone. This social system is damaged and broken beyond repair and reform. It will never be fixed again. There couldn’t be a better time for the African world and the rest of oppressed humanity to fight back and not allow the return of the barbaric social system that has wreaked havoc on planet Earth.

A coup d'état is not a revolution, but French imperialism must go

No tams for male Rastas in schools

MALE RASTAFARIAN

STUDENTSwill no longer be required to wear tams to cover their dreadlocks while in school.

Education Minister Fayval Williams, addressing the 59th annual conference of the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA), said the measure would most likely go into effect this new academic term.

“There have been a few times that I’ve gone to schools and I see boys, maybe not more than one or two in a particular school, wearing tams to school to cover their locks. This is 2023 we really, really should not be doing that anymore. We need to respect other people’s religion,” Williams said.

She told the conference that the new directive is a part of a new draft of the dress and grooming policy which is set to be published ahead of the 2023/2024 academic year.

“Yes, we need to say to our students you have to ensure that your hair is clean and so forth. But come on, you shouldn’t have to cover your hair

unless that’s what your religion calls for,” she added.

The JTA conference, which ends later on Wednesday, is being held under the theme

‘Advancing the Vision: Reigniting the Passion through Equitable, Inclusive Educational Opportunities’.

During her address, Williams, underscored the importance of the JTA to the island’s education sector, saying that her ministry recognises the association as an important partner in Jamaica’s education system.

“You have been united in advocating for education access for students across the country, and in this, you and the Ministry share a united vision and purpose,” Williams said, commending the educators, whom she said have acted on their passion and calling “and remained in a profession where the rewards rarely come in the form of

material things.

“In your work with the JTA, you have committed to a role of advocacy, not only for your colleagues but also for improvement in education.

“All of us, together, have a unique opportunity, not only to shape lives and minds but, indeed, future generations. Those of you being recognised this evening have played an important role in that process. You have set a fine example for others to emulate.

“Your dedication, professionalism and commitment to teaching, specifically, and the education sector, in general, have left indelible marks on the lives of hundreds of Jamaicans, and the country is the better for this. It is, therefore, fitting that your work should be recognised in the name of the stalwarts who have served the profession with excellence,” Williams added. (Jamaica Observer) and

Loop News)

No longer would he have to cover his ‘locks’ while in class.

Education Minister Fayval Williams, made the announcement to the Jamaica Teachers Association.

A Book Review of ‘Windward Family’

by CAMILLE SAUNDERS

ALEXIS KEIRlaunched his book ‘Windward Family’ at the Youlou Art Centre last April.

At the time of the launch, his book had not arrived at bookstores in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. I am happy to report that finally his book is now available in local bookstores.

‘Windward Family’ is a joy to read! It makes for interesting and satisfying reading. I will be upfront and admit I am biased. I truly enjoy reading books about my homeland, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. So, when I got my hands on his book, I knew I was going to enjoy and

treasure reading it.

I am always curious to know what the author’s take on SVG is. I want to know, are they paying attention to the things which I think make SVG special and unique? I guess I am trying to find out what issues we might have in common or do not.

Alexis set out to write a tender book. It is written with great care, love and respect. It’s a remarkable book which should be read by all “Vincies”. He writes about living abroad, what it’s like coming back (home) and visiting his family, and about what it is like to be from the Caribbean growing up in England.

He is willing to share

and he shares deeply. He shares very personal feelings. He tells it as he sees it. There is no holding back, he lays bare what he is feeling.

You learn about his family, the love and pride he has for them. He writes about the slights he suffered as a black boy growing up in England and his curiosity to experience all that is around him.

He writes about “Vincy” food, and the people from his village. You feel and recognize his community, it is familiar and endearing, it’s reassuring and comfortable when he writes about SVG. I am struck by the topics on which he has chosen to focus. There are several

‘Windward Family’ is recommended reading for all ‘Vincies’ but especially for secondary school students.

instances in his book where I was actually shaking my head in agreement and thinking “Yes, that is so true”.

His descriptions of SVG are vivid. He knows the landscape and writes about it with confidence.

What I find impressive about his book is the fact that he has included wonderful nuggets of the history of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He writes about people from St. Vincent, who lived in England during the eighteen hundreds. How they got there, what they did and when they died. He writes about

Chatoyer, La Soufrière and much more. While reading ‘Windward Family’ I kept thinking his book should

be on the reading list for students in secondary schools. I highly recommend this book.

CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL LOTTERIES AUTHORITY MURRAY BULLOCKwants more money for the Carnival Development Corporation (CDC). Bullock thinks that steps ought to be taken to ensure that CDC “gets more.”

Addressing the CDC Prize Giving Ceremony last Monday, he noted the success of this year’s Carnival festivities and dubbed it “the greatest in the Caribbean.”

He commended the components and hinted that CDC’s success is its greatest threat.

He acknowledged that “people expect more in every aspect of life.”

Bullock looked at sustaining and improving the product and analysed that “losing” money is not good for any business. He

Devine Walters – Primary School Calypso Monarch

WINNERS IN VINCYMAS 2023major

Junior competitions have been given added incentives to continue in their chosen areas of involvement.

Chairman of the Carnival Development Corporation, Ricardo Adams, made the announcement while addressing last Monday’s Prize Giving Ceremony.

The winners of the Primary and Secondary Calypso and Junior Soca Monarch competitions each received $250 to offset expenses for the new school year.

Those benefitting directly were: Devine Walters from the Sandy Bay Government School, the Primary School Calypso Monarch; Omani Cupid, the Secondary School Calypso Monarch and De’Andre Simmons, Junior Soca Monarch. Their respective schools received guitars and beginners’ music books.

The Junior King and Queen of Carnival — Joel

contends, however, that “it is in the national interest to ensure the preservation of culture.”

As far as Bullock is concerned, “We have to find ways to fund CDC.”

He alluded to the $4M generated from private promoters during the 2023 festival and pondered how, if any of that money could be injected into the CDC.

Bullock admits that it is not within his jurisdiction, but thinks that with the alcohol tax attached to the festival, CDC should be entitled to more money.

Noting that NLA earnings increased from $1M in 2001 to $100M presently, Bullock reasoned, “that is why we could give CDC $3M.

Baston and Alazne Niles respectively, both from Blondie Bird and Friends ‘Birds of a Feather’ — also received the $250.00 incentive.

Adams disclosed that these special awards were made possible through the kind support of Sea Breeze Villa.

Murray Bullock, long-standing chairman of the NLA, has recognized that CDC should receive greater financial support.

He drove home the point that CDC benefits additionally from the NLA. (Stories by WKA)

THE SUM OF $692,000was paid out in prize monies for Vincymas 2023.

And Ricardo Adams, Chairman of the Carnival Development Corporation (CDC), beamed with pride as he made the announcement during the Vincymas 2023 prize giving ceremony that took place at Murray’s Height Hotel in Kingstown, Monday evening, August 21.

Adams may well have felt a greater sense of satisfaction given that it was only in January of this year that the CDC was able to honour prizes for Vincymas 2022.

Adams described last year as “difficult,” and praised the National Lotteries Authority for its role in the prize-giving.

He congratulated Mas producers, pan players and calypsonians, including Soca and Ragga singers, for gelling to make Vincymas 2023 a success.

The CDC chairman observed that more masqueraders, local and foreign, crossed the stage at Victoria Park on Carnival Tuesday.

It (the festival) was “largely incident free,” Adams referenced, and commended the Vincentian public for their behavior.

Vincymas 2023 prize monies paid Juniors get incentives

Police Commissioner Colin John, seated in the audience, came in for high praise for the support the local constabulary provided throughout the festival.

There were no hotel rooms available during the build-up to and actual festival days, Adams indicated, and added that EC$4m was generated from shows organized by private promoters.

“We are increasing value to the economy,” he posited.

Adams is calling for a national approach to the festival and thinks that carnival and cultural activities are matters “we have to embrace. We have a strong culture. Let’s not fight the CDC.”

The Vincymas 2024 is already being promoted around the region and promotion will continue at Labour Day in the USA, September 1. Vincymas 2024 runs from June 28 to July 9.

WHEN IT COMES TO (CARNIVAL) MAS

PRODUCTION in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, there is one entity with whom all other similar entities have to reason, i.e. ‘Blondie Bird and Friends’.

Elroy Boyde is the driving force behind that organisation and does not hide that he learnt his designing skills from Mas/Carnival icon Roy ‘D Dragon’ Ralph (deceased).

With ‘D Dragon’ being no more, and his Mas Band in dormancy, Blondie Bird and Friends, some say, now dominate the Mas arena.

And what transpired at the CDD Prize Giving Ceremony on Monday 21st August at Murray heights Hotel, Kingstown, might just have testified to this.

Blondie Bird and Friends took both the Band of the Year judged at Victoria Park and the Mardi Gras Uptown titles this

year, with a presentation dubbed ‘Birds of a Feather’.

One glance at the prize list showed a Blondie Bird phenomenon. For they also captured the Best Use of Colour; Junior Queen capped by Alane Niles with Love Bird’; Junior King secured by Joel Baston with his portrayal King Corbeaux’; the double Junior Band of the Year judged at Victoria Park and Uptown, Kingstown.

Unavailability of ‘space’ to build large, individual costumes prevented Blondie Bird and Friends from entering the King and Queen of the Bands competitions.

That left room for Jennilee Glasgow from Players

portrayal entitled We salute you’. Chewalle Johnson’s ‘Steampunk Butterfly’ from Nelson Bloc was adjudged Individual of the Year.

CDC should get more $$

The ‘Blondie Bird’ phenomenon

Omani Cupid –Secondary School Calypso Monarch

De’Andre Simmons –Junior Soca Monarch

Ricardo Adams, CDC Chairman, was upbeat about what he deemed the success of Vincymas 2023.

Below: One of the eyecatching sections of Blondie Bird and Friends’ ‘Birds of a Feather’.

ÂGrowing young artistsÊ

EVERY YEAR THE YOULOU ARTS FOUNDATION(YRF)

organizes a visual arts programme for the children of SVG.

The first programme was held in 2001 in Kingstown at the Professional Secretarial Institute at Frenches Gate. Today the programme is offered in four locations, Kingstown, Georgetown, Tourama, and Spring Village.

This year’s programme was funded through a grant from the Embassy of France to the states of the Eastern Caribbean, Barbados and the OECS. It was the first time the Youlou Arts Foundation was awarded a grant.

The 2023 programme was held from July 17 to 28. The theme was climate change. There were discussions on climate change, the effects and what can be done to reduce the effects.

The idea was to get

the children engaged with the topic, to help lay the groundwork for children to understand the changes in the environment, and be ready to face the challenges of climate change, something which will affect them throughout their lives.

The idea of having these discussions from a young age will help them develop a sense of

responsibility and passion for the world around them.

The Art activities for this programme are designed to teach children to be creative, to sharpen their capacity to observe and use their imagination.

The art activities include sculpture, bookmaking, drawing and painting. The children had the opportunity to learn poems which focused on planet earth. (Source: YAF)

Right: Children from Tourama inventing their machine to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Here’s my sea monster which eats smelly, rotting seaweed.

I am proud of my painted paper mache shark he made.

The illustrated book depicting sea animals that live in the Sargassum.

The Tourama location getting ready to make planet earth.

The happy Spring Village group of future ‘visual artists’.

A Musical NarcoticCelebrating Emancipation Day

IT WAS an evening of cultural devaluation, an event that represented the worse way to awaken a broken

people whose mind needs structural repair, especially the youth who don’t know their history.

I was appalled when I saw the decadence and perversion displayed in our faces at Victoria Park last Tuesday night (Aug. 01, 2023) when we should have been celebrating Emancipation Day. How could the black masses step back and watch the degradation and cultural carnage take precedence over celebration of such a historical event? I know our ancestors that felt the brutal blows of the white slave master were dissatisfied. I know the forerunners who defended the Black Liberation Movement got to be turning in the grave. Kwame Ture, a.k.a Stokely Carmichael, George Padmore, Marcus Mosiah Garvey and Oscar Allen would feel a grieving anxiety to see what transpired on such a significant occasion.

The Legacy of Slavery

It was a musical narcotic — that celebration at Victoria Park. Most of the musical extraordinaires had nothing of substance to heal a sick, dying nation that still carries the legacy of slavery. The politicians have endorsed this musical narcotic to keep the people’s minds dormant, dull, and stagnated. It was a night of hype and boredom; as the entertainers hyped the crowd their musical narcotic; you could see a section of the crowd unenthused with the monotonous ‘jump and wave’ catch phase. That is why the nations won’t take black people seriously; because we are not serious about upholding our customs and traditions as other nations do.

The Big Man

How dare you make such ridiculous remarks? I heard the big man of the country talk about building a Country, yet how could we build the country when the passive 90 percent of blacks do not control the businesses of Kingstown? When the politicians have allowed foreigners to put the black entrepreneur out of business? What a big letdown from our caring politicians!

As a student of the right Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey, it is hard for me not to say what is on my mind, especially when looking at the crime situation; that affects the nation. We are dying! Could someone send us a rescue mission to save us from criminals and miscreant politicians?

Africa

We have celebrated Emancipation Day, yet our minds are constipated and blocked from understanding the true meaning and purpose of the Emancipation Proclamation. We cannot leave Africa out of the equation. We cannot exchange an Island for a continent full of immense natural resources.

A Black Awakening

It would take someone who sincerely loves black people to organize an event to keep us grounded in our African culture and tradition, not losing focus of our rich African heritage, customs, and spirituality. Suffice it to say it would take more than the political rhetoric of Gonsalves to awaken and free black people from the mental shackles that keep us in mental slavery. Or Dr. Friday, who doesn’t seem to have much interest in propagating black consciousness, to see the vestige of colonialism vanquish from the minds of the black populace of this country. There needs to be an awakening among the black masses. But the awakening won’t come about by the Prime Minister, the opposition leader, or Fireman Hooper. The renaissance of the black awakening would come about by those of us who want to see the redemption of those whose heads got stuck in the anus of colonialism.

Caribbean People

Here we are as Caribbean people. We shouldn’t, by any means, let Europeans define us. Or the unworthy politicians who have been leading us in the wrong direction.

Our ancestors who worked on the plantation were not West Indians; they were distinct Africans, duped and terrorized. For centuries, they brainwashed, marginalized and diluted to nothingness among the human species. Now is the time to regain ourselves, our worth, and our value, standing proud and tall. We should walk as proud Africans born in the Caribbean as the Indians, Syrians, Arabs, and Chinese. They know themselves and are proud of who they are, their lineage, culture, and heritage.

Jump and wave

Politicians of this country love it when the people let off a funky fragrance like the ‘pooping anus’. Politicians love when the black masses come together to drink, get drunk, jump and wave, and misbehave, but hate when we empower ourselves economically, culturally and spiritually. The Marxist politicians and even those that defend the interest of Europe and the United States imperialism wouldn’t want to see change. But the change is necessary and has to become a reality, setting us free from the hangovers of neo-colonialism; setting us free to master our destiny and run our affairs without taking orders from the imperialist in America, Europe, and Asia.

Carden A. Michael

NTRC closes Summer Programme

THE NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGULATORY COMMISSION(NTRC) wrapped up the second of its two MyApp Summer Programmes for 2023, with a closing ceremony at the St. Vincent Grammar School, on August 18.

The ceremony involved twenty-eight students from Kingstown and surrounding areas, ranging from age 13-18 years, who received certification designating them as being able to code using the micro:bit, a portable, pocketsized computer.

In a practical sense, the students were introduced to robotics where they were able to construct and then use their coding skills to code commands into robots.

Mr. Aaron McDonald, a student of the St. Vincent Grammar School, was this year’s Valedictorian. He received an HP 15.6’ FHD IPS laptop compliments the NTRC.

As for support/sponsorship received for the 2023 MyApp Summer Programmes, the following were recognized as benefactors in this regard: the Ministry of Education, Principal of the St. Vincent Grammar School, Bank of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Flow, St. Vincent Port Authority, Digicel, Massy Stores Ltd., C.K. Greaves and Company Ltd., Bonadie Supermarket, Knights Trading in Bequia and Open Integration Ltd.

Graduates of the second NTRC 2023 MyApp Summer Programmes with H.E. Fiona Huei-Chun Fan, Ambassador of Republic of China (Taiwan) (extreme right) and Apollo Knights, Director/NTRC (extreme left).

Husband does the cooking

Dear George,

JUST BECAUSEmy wife knows I am a good cook she has refused to cook since we got married. We have been married now for just under six months.   I have told her many times that she is my wife and wives prepare the meals for their husbands and I am not letting up on that.  She is insisting that since I am the one who gets home first it is only obvious that I should do the cooking.

My friends all brag how they are the ones who would ask at home what’s for lunch, etc. My wife is the one asking me that and every time she does it causes an argument.

George, I need your help to settle this once and for all.

Frustrated and Newly Married.

Dear Frustrated and Newly Married,

This issue among others similar in nature, ought to have been discussed before marriage which is something I’ve always advocated. It is important for each person to know their role in the relationship and the willingness should be there to be flexible and to compromise in the execution of these roles.

I find it difficult to support your argument based on the fact that you get home before your wife and possess the skill of cooking. The meal preparation should be done by the person who is best positioned to do so. You have the opportunity to assume that responsibility and it should not be a task that is tedious but done with much love and pride.

George.

Too many visits

Dear George, IHAVE no privacy in my own home. My wife’s socalled best friend does not know how often to visit and when to leave. When I have my day off and would like to spend quality time with my wife, she is there.

When I complain, my wife says I am being inconsiderate and harsh. She claims we can always find time for ourselves but her friend is lonely and needs to be around other people,

but I do not see how that is our business.

I do not want to have to be the one to talk to her (friend) but this is causing a big problem in our relationship right now.

More Than Upset.

Dear More Than Upset,

While it is a good thing for your wife to look out for her friend, it must not be to the detriment of your marriage. Anything that

comes close to compromising your marriage must be nipped in the bud.

Give your wife another chance to regulate the frequency of visits from her friend. It should not get to the place where it would require your involvement. Your wife can recommend her to a counsellor if needs be but for now, you and your happiness have to be priority.

George

ARIES (MAR. 21- APRIL 20)

Get domestic chores out of the way early. Your philanthropic contributions will bring you praise. Try making some changes to your appearance and your attitude that will reinforce just that.

TAURUS (APR. 21 - MAY 21)

Personal alterations will be in your best interest. You will be your usual charming self and the partners you attract may be the adventurous type. Set a limit on the amount you’re willing to spend, and be sure to stick to it.

GEMINI (MAY 22 - JUNE 21)

You may find travel to be most rewarding. Put your efforts into physical fitness programs or competitive sports. Someone may be trying to pull the wool over your eyes.

CANCER (JUNE 22 - JULY 22)

Use your quick wit to win points and friends. Comfort is a necessity. Check your motives. Be prepared for an active but rewarding day. Put your efforts into physical fitness programs or competitive sports.

LEO (JULY 23 - AUG 22)

Get into some activities that will help you in making new friends. You should be in business for yourself. Your added discipline will enable you to complete some of those unfinished projects.

VIRGO (AUG. 23 - SEPT. 23)

Minor health problems may flare up if you haven’t been taking care of yourself or have been burning the candle at both ends. New relationships will surface.

LIBRA (SEPT. 24 - OCT. 23)

You may cause a fuss if you come on too strongly in public. Talk to the party involved and make sure that they are informed as to what actually happened.

SCORPIO (OCT. 24 - NOV. 22)

Your stubborn nature will backfire if you give your mate an ultimatum. Your ability to get the job done will result in added responsibility and possible promotion. Risky financial ventures will result in unrecoverable losses.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 - DEC. 21)

A lot can be accomplished if you organize your time. You’ll be tempted to spend extravagantly this week. You need to get out if you want to meet potential partners.

CAPRICORN (DEC 22 - JAN. 20)

Positive connections can be made if you get involved in environmental organizations. A series of misunderstandings may be at fault. Your ability to deal with humanitarian groups will enhance your reputation.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 - FEB. 19)

This is not the time to lend or borrow money or possessions. Your best efforts will come through investments concerning your home. Relatives will want to get together. Hold on; your time will come.

PISCES (FEB. 20 - MAR. 20)

You are best to be discreet. Hard work will bring rewards. You may find yourself in a heated dispute with a friend if you try to change your mind. Take a long look at your present direction and consider your professional options.

ACROSS

1. Finland native

5. War series

13. Addictive narcotic

16. Headset

17. Don’t hold back

18. Most frightening

19. Right now!

21. Collections of china

22. Jagged mountain ranges

27. Columnist Coulter 28. Police cry 30. Mastermind 31. Excellent 33. __ dig (party) 34. Ensure he’s telling the truth 38. Manatee 40. Lady of Spain 43. Darn

5. “ ___ la vie”

6. Running contests

7. Language family

8. More lively

9. Tuna type

10. Forest grazer

11. Lt.’s inferior

12. ____ the table

14. Stretch of turbulent water

15. Tomb inscription

20. Leave it ___ (3 words)

23. Mend

24. Cheers

25. Busy

26. One with a six-yr. term

29. Circular

31. A chorus line

42. Nepalese, e.g.

44. One of “The Brady Bunch”

45. Still

46. Revise again

48. Marsh plant

50. Belief in a supreme

being

52. Prescribed amount

53. Career with numbers?

54. Hosp. areas

55. Article for Cervantes

56. Hearty cheer

DOWN

1. Classic Nabokov novel

2. Primitive humans

3. Miner

4. Peels

32. Lighthouse, old word for it

34. Leg’s midpoint

35. Article in “Die Zeit”

36. Anthem in Alberta

37. Marks the margins

38. Venom source

41. Copies

DIGICEL updates postpaid bundles

DIGICEL has enhanced its Postpaid Supreme Bundles geared toward giving customers more value. These new bundles will allow customers to share services with up to four

persons on a given plan. Customers now have more choice for their budget, more entertainment options, more talk, more data, more social messaging & more value

for their money.

Victor Kovacs, CEO of Digicel SVG said, “We’re always listening to our customers and time and time again we hear them saying they want more

value, more reliability and more choice, so we got busy and now we’re giving them what they asked for. With these Supreme bundles, Digicel subscribers now get more

local, regional and international call minutes, any-use data and choice to stay betterconnected to the people and applications that matter most.”

As part of its updated Postpaid bundles, Digicel will now give customers the options to share services on one account for as low as $169.90. Moreover, customers will now be able to share their account with up four persons - delivering huge savings for each user.

Kovacs continued, “We’re giving our customers more choice, so they can share and use their data however they choose, plus, with rollover data and talk, customers have even more options to tailor their data and their minutes as they see fit. From exciting seasonal campaigns and promotions with lots of prizes; to giving back to

our communities in meaningful ways, we always strive to balance our customers’ needs with value propositions which fit their budgets.” With the significant increase in data consumption over the last decade, as a result of over-the-top media services (OTTs) cultivating a culture of endless streaming and content creation, Digicel has managed to keep its prices in-check while serving the rapidly escalating appetite for data.

For more information on the new Postpaid bundles and price adjustments, visit the website at: https://www.digicelgroup. com/vc/en/postpaid.html

(Source: Digicel SVG)

SVGTCCU, OSV to host Trade Fair

ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES Teachers Cooperative Credit Union Ltd. (SVGTCCU) will be collaborating with OSV Group to present to the Farmers and farming enthusiasts of St. Vincent and the Grenadines an Agricultural Trade Fair. The trade fair is scheduled for Tuesday 29th, August 2023 at the SVGTCCU Ltd. Headquarters in Kingstown and will run from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.

The aim of the trade fair is to highlight the various innovative methods, cutting-edge products, equipment, machines, and tools that are currently available to farmers to help them mechanize, improve, and elevate their farming techniques for maximum efficiency and productivity. SVGTCCU Ltd. will be offering attendees financing opportunities via the Credit Union’s Agricultural and Fishing Loan, where farmers and fisherfolk can access up to $25,000.00.

The trade fair will also feature remarks from Hon. Saboto Caesar, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry & Labour, and CEO of the SVGTCCU Ltd. Attendees will also hear testimonials from farmers who have implemented this new equipment into their farms and from farmers who would have been able to expand and upgrade their farms because of a loan from SVGTTCU Ltd.

Victor Kovacs, CEO of Digicel SVG, says his company prides itself on listening to its customers.

ITF Junior Tournament concludes

THE SECOND OF TWO TOURNAMENTSof the NLA-supported ITF of the World Tennis Junior Tournament 8’s Junior

Tournament concluded last Friday, August 18, at the National Tennis Centre, Villa.

And as many had expected, the players who dominated in the first tournament did likewise in the second.

Brazil’s Ettore Romeo Baggio Danasi, for example, was once again the outstanding male performer, taking the U18 Singles, 7-5, 6-3, over Nikolas Kumaria of the USA.

He then teamed with his countryman Lucca Acioly, to defeat

Archers have been in regular practice ahead of the Championship.

Inaugural Archery Championships this weekend

THIS WEEKEND,Saturday August 26 and Sunday August 27, are red letter days for the Archery Association of SVG, as the organisation will host its first ever National Archery Championships.

The inaugural event takes place at the Diamond Track Facility, beginning at 1pm on both days.

Saturday is set aside as the qualification round, with “the set system elimination round” used to determine who will go into the overall winners’ round, which will take place on Sunday.

Archers will compete in three categories: Male 30m Open, Female 30m Open and Beginners 20m Mixed Open.

Bursting with excitement that the sport has broken new ground, President of the associationSanjay Jiandani, remarked, “It is a proud moment for the executive and members of this relatively new sporting organization to announce that they will be hosting their first National Tournament... It is a clear sign of the progress being made by the association here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”

He noted that the championships are open to the general public to attend, and Jiandani has issued a special invitation to those who have little or no knowledge of the sport.

Excited that the Archery Association of SVG, can finally have a place to call home, Jiandani said, “We wish to thank the management of the Stadium Facility, and the National Lotteries Authority and our dedicated team for their support of our event.”

The Archery Association of SVG was officially inaugurated in October 2021, but became a full member of World Archery on September 17, that same year.

Javier Gutierrez of Guatemala and Zachary Whittington of the USA, 6-4, 6-4, to take the Boys U18 Doubles.

Also repeating was Canadian Cookie JarvisTredgett who, once again, trumped the Girl’s U18 Singles, defeating Sarah Stoyanov of the USA, 6-1, 7-5, in the final.

The Girl’s Doubles Winners were Sophia Cedeno and Sofia Mills of

the USA who had the better of Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett and Karolina Lincer of Poland, 6-2, 6-3.

Eighteen countries (18) represented by over 400 players were involved in the Championship. The countries included: Barbados, Brazil, The Bahamas, Canada, France, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Great Britain, Martinique, Moldova, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Trinidad and Tobago, USA, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. St. Vincent and the Grenadines was represented by Afi Lucas, Jaiden Bowens, Joshua Veira, Che Connell, and Angello Morgan.

I.B.A. ALLEN

SVGBF Holds Summer Camp

THE ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES Basketball Federation (SVGBF) concluded its FREE 2023 Youth Basketball Summer Programme at the New Montrose Hard Court, August 18.

Starting on Monday, August 14, the team of voluntary coaches focused on teaching the fundamentals of the game of basketball.

And, in keeping with an intention to encourage a rounded exposure for the participants, a number of persons were invited to make presentations on various life skills and challenges.

Towards this end, on Day Three, a member of staff of His Majesty’s Prison system along with two female inmates addressed the young participants.

The inmates shared their negative experiences, the intent being to deter the participants from making wrong decisions that would impact their lives negatively. The participants were also encouraged by the inmates to

choose their friends wisely and to listen to their parents. The participants were enthralled.

Participants also heard encouraging addresses on Day Two, from the Minister of Sports Frederick Stephenson, Minister of Education Curtis King, along with

Participants, coaches, session presenters at the SVGBF Summer Camp.

the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Myccle Burke. I.B.A. ALLEN

Ettore Romeo Baggio Danasi (left), Singles Champion, with his Doubles winning partner Lucca Acioly.

Girl’s Doubles Winners Sofia Mills (left) and Sophia Cedeno.

Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett – Female Singles Champion once again.

Rugby Union explains teamsÊ predicament

FOR REASONSbeyond the control of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Rugby Union, two senior national teams were unable to attend the Olympic Qualifiers Tournament hosted in Vancouver Island, Langford, British Columbia, Canada, August 18 to 20.

Under the aegis of Rugby Americas North (RAN), the Sevens tournament should have involved St. Vincent and the Grenadines, USA, Canada, Bermuda, Jamaica and Mexico in the Men’s Pools, while the Women’s Pool included St Vincent and the Grenadines, Mexico, Canada, St. Lucia and Jamaica.

President of the SVG Rugby Union-

Dellon Durrant, who was among the four officials and twenty-four players set to make the trip, chronicled the events.

“We were supposed to leave for Barbados on Wednesday, (August 15) to catch our connecting flight. The flight got delayed then cancelled because of adverse weather conditions, which was out of our control”, Durrant related.

And when efforts were made to get another flight, the size of the contingent worked against that option.

“Any other changes we could have made with the flight we would have reached Canada on Saturday (August

18) and we needed to take another plane to go to Vancouver, then another to Vancouver Island, which meant we would be there on Saturday night”, the President explained.

He noted that through the whole ordeal, he was in constant contact with Niall Brooks of RAN and Canada Rugby, updating him about the events as they unfolded.

And towards keeping the players active, Durrant disclosed, “We are in the process of organizing friendlies in Barbados, both male and female teams, during next month, and we are looking to have St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago included …With this, our

hard work will not go in vain and more importantly get ranking points”, Durrant reasoned.

Dellon Durrant, President of

Rugby

spoke of plans to keep the national teams active after their recent disappointment.

In addition, Durrant revealed that his Executive has made flight arrangements a major concern towards avoiding similar mishaps in the future.

NATIONAL female football teams and the West Rouge Canadian Soccer Team completed a successful friendly football series here two weekends ago.

The action-packed weekend commenced with a thrilling match at the Richmond Hill Playing Field, where the U14/U17 Girls combined team earned a hardfought 1-0 victory over

the Canadians.

The Canadians second outing was in the Female Football Festival where they continued their interaction with the U14/U17 and Senior Women’s Female Teams. There was also time for an exchange of expertise and discussions on the integration of football into everyday life.

The series culminated on Sunday, August 13th at the Chile Playing Field, Georgetown, with the second friendly between the Canadians and the Senior Women’s Team, the latter emerging winners 2-1.

According to a SVG

Football Federation release, the triumph over the West Rouge Soccer Team underscored the dedication and progress of the national team, as can be seen by their improved performances against the same team in 2019, when they (SVG) lost both matches as scheduled.

The SVGFF also expressed appreciation to the Breakaway Masters and North East Football League for facilitating both friendlies in their respective districts.

I.B.A. ALLEN

Canadians/SVG female footballers in action SVG U15s go under to Sint Maarten

THE NATIONALU-15 Boys football team, after an unbeaten run, went under to Sint Maarten 4-1 in the final, to hand their opponents the title in League C of the CONCACAF U15 Championship held in the Dominican Republic, from August 6th to 13th, 2023.

Interestingly, SVG had triumphed over Sint Maarten in the Vincentians’ second game, beating them 5-0, with goals from Joenaldo Payne (captain), Cody Lavia, Zibeon Cunningham, and Glenrick Hazell, and an own goal by Luis Jiminez.

But the final was not without its challenges. At half time, Sint Maarten led by 2-1. Adverse weather caused the match to be suspended and resumed the following morning when SVG went under by a further 2 goals, to hand their opponents victory. Captain Joenaldo Payne was the sole goal scorer for Vincy in this match.

SCVG’s impressive run to the final included

victories over U.S. Virgin Islands (10-0), a win over Sint Maarten as already referenced, and a semifinal win (4-0) over Dominica.

Reflecting on the tournament, Head Coach Alfred Grant expressed his pride in the boys’ performance. He emphasized that SVGFF is exceedingly proud of the young players and their accomplishments, as the organization remains dedicated to the holistic development of our footballers.

I.B.A. ALLEN

SVG

Union,

Action between SVG U17 girls and West Rouge Canadian Soccer Team.

Alfred Grant, Head Coach of the SVG U15 Football team, was pleased with the team’s effort despite going down in the finals.

Deandra Dottin and West Indies cricket

DEANDRA DOTTIN set a standard as afar as West Indies cricket is concerned. She was the flagbearer and a genuine symbol of our status.

There may be interpretations to her decision to call in on day on West Indies Cricket, and seeking to entrench herself on the franchises the world over. Recent disclosures by the Barbadian born highlights a deep chasm in West Indies cricket.

That is an issue the West Indies Board will have to face. It can’t be business as usual. Reports have been too frequent about different aspects of the sport. There was a time when the world looked up to West Indies Cricket. Results on the field of play endorsed the admiration.

West Indies Cricketers still have the ability to attain the attention in any form. But what has been taking place on the field is leaving fans and supporters with a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty.

The Men’s squad missed out the ODI international which opens in India October. The omission from the T/20 competition came as the hardest blow fans have experienced.

The Deandra Dottin issue leaves a lot to be considered. She warns basically about the decline of West Indies cricket because the Board is not paying enough attention to players.

It may be more than attention that is lacking. Dottin senses a form of disregard. And she highlights it.

She cites an absence of “respect and care for the players.” That is a serious statement that the Board has to clarify.

There is a wall of secrecy about West Indies Cricket, perhaps worse than what politicians are forced to comply with when they enter parliament. West Indies Board may not be as answerable to the mass of Caribbean people, but there ought to be some level of accountability.

With a Vincentian at the helm, there will have to be some type of accommodation between the elements of regional developmental pillars if cricket is to keep its prominence.

Cricket, and other aspects of sports carry great economic value. Many a government take advantage of sporting interactions. It is a sure form of sustainable tourism.

Even before the T/20 World Cup steps up its preparatory phases, there is that absence of urgency as far the tournament is concerned. Upgrade of the Arnos Vale Playing Field commenced some time ago. That was a natural response to maintenance of the facility. It marked its 50th anniversary in 2022.

In any event the upgrade was necessary. Arnos Vale served as a happy hunting ground for the West Indies. That was in a different era. That was when cricket meant something “beyond the boundary” as Trinidad and Tobago novelist and statesman C.L.R. James coined it.

These days, we are not even concerned about what is taking place on the field of play far more off the field.

In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, there is a stalemate in the operations. There has not been any organised cricket for some time. Some persons tell me that the local cricket association has somewhat ground to a standstill.

In that regard, we suffer along the path to proper development. If St. Vincent and the Grenadines cannot show signs of progress on the regional level, with Shallow at the helm, I wonder what is the situation at the other territories.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines plans to bid for one of the Super Eight Groups at the T/20 World Cup carded for June next year. That will be one of the sporting attractions in the region. How adequately the Board finalizes its preparations for that tournament is a matter which we will see played out in ensuing days.

ALEXANDER‘ALEX’ JOACHIM was in record-breaking form at the Central America and Caribbean (CCCAN) Aquatics Championships held in San Salvador, El Salvador, August 14 to 19.

Joachim re-established five new St. Vincent and the Grenadines open records.

He reset the 100m Freestyle to 52.17s, bettering 52.78s he did at the World Aquatics Championships last month, and the 50m Freestyle record to 24.02s, erasing Shane Cadogan’s 24.26s, achieved at CCCAN last year.

Joachim also lowered the times in the 50m and 100m Butterfly.

The new 50m Butterfly record is 25.33s, Joachim eclipsing his previous best and the SVG record of 25.58s, accomplished at the World Championships in July.

He held on to his 100m Butterfly record by clocking 57.24s, erasing the 58.85s done in 2019 at the FINA World Junior Championships.

And, Shane Cadogan’s 28.89s in the 50m Breaststroke, done at the Commonwealth Games in 2022, was also lowered by Joachim, who timed 29.75s at CCCAN.

Apart from the five new national records that Joachim claimed, he achieved three Pan America B Qualifying standards.

Additionally, he accumulated 3373 FINA points, putting him in good stead for a place at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Swimming lessons for Canouan students

THIRTYstudents from the Canouan Government School were part of an inaugural swimming programme that took place on the island, August 7 to 11, at Grand Bay beach.

Conducted by Assistant Sports Officer for the Southern GrenadinesRickydene Alexander, the programme involved taking the students through the paces as they related to proper techniques of swimming, both as a sport and a survival skill.

Reflecting on the one-week of activities, Alexander said it was an exciting time for formal swimming in the Southern Grenadines.

“Yes, the students can swim because they are surrounded by sea water, therefore swimming comes naturally to them as they are cultured, but learning the proper techniques and strokes made the sessions all the more meaningful,” Alexander assessed.

Apart from the willingness to

APPROXIMATELY

twenty-five males, ages 7 — 15 years, completed the two-week (Aug 7 -18) 2023 Ian Allen Coaching Clinic Cricket Summer Camp.

Sessions were conducted at the Arnos Vale Playing Field.

The camp exposed the participants to the fundamentals of the sport, along with involving them in sessions on life skills.

According to Head Coach Ian Allen, the intention was to give the youngsters an opportunity to understand their game,

learn and enthusiasm of the students, Alexander was high in praise for the support of the school’s Principal - Mrs. Ketty KyddRhynd.

Students of the Canouan Government School, along with Rickydene Alexander (right).

“I cannot complain of the support given by the Principal. She was as enthused as the students, likewise members of her staff,” Alexander commented.

Encouraged by the success by

to be involved in formal coaching sessions while also having fun.

At the end of the camp, the coaches were pleased to see the progress the players made in every aspect.

“We just hope that we would have made a difference in all of the players’ life,” Allen commented, adding that the importance of education in their lives was also emphasized.

This year’s Summer Camp was made possible with the kind support of 007 Sports Bar, Eastern

the progamme, Alexander said that he will be courting the relevant personnel so as to have regular visits to school to do follow ups.

He is optimistic that some students will get into competitive swimming.

Caribbean Group of Companies, Allan Smith Bakery, Phillips Bakery, Fitz Gerald Dick, SVG Cricket Association and parents and guardians.

Nyasha Williams and William Edwards. The Ian Allen Coaching Clinic continues in the second week of September 2023 at the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex.

I.B.A.

Joachim in recordbreaking form

Participants and coaches of the 2023 Ian Allen Coaching Clinic Cricket Summer Camp.

Allen’s Cricket Summer Camp ends

VANDYKE KING CUPID

Friday, 18th August, 2023

Diamonds New Testament Church of God

Viewing: 1:00 p.m.

Service: 2:00 p.m.

Interment: New Adelphi Cemetery

ELAINE KELLY

Monday, August 14, 2023

Kingstown Methodist Church

Viewing: 9:00 a.m.

Service: 10:00 a.m.

ASHEKA KATRINA ASHTON

Sunday, 13th August, 2023

Maranatha S.D.A Church Block 2000

Viewing: 12:00 noon

Service: 1:00 p.m.

Interment: Kingstown Cemetery

LASZIL MATTHEW JOHNSON a.k.a. Boato

Saturday, 19th

August, 2023

Wesleyan Holiness Church

Buccament Bay

Viewing: 12:00 noon

Service: 1:00 p.m.

Interment: Peniston Cemetery

PERCY GUY

Saturday, 19th

August, 2023

Prayer & Faith Assembly Rose Bank

Viewing: 1:00 p.m.

Service: 2:00 p.m.

Interment: Rose Bank Cemetery

VOICE ID EVIDENCE NOT CONVINCING: ACCUSED WALKS FREE

by HAYDN HUGGINS

The Voice Identification evidence in the case of murder accused Abdul ‘Why Why’ Garrick of Rockies, was not enough to convince the court that Garrick had a case to answer.

Based on how that evidence unfolded at the Preliminary Inquiry (PI), which concluded at the Serious Offences Court on August 16, Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne discharged the accused after concluding that she was not convinced that the evidence

before the Court was enough to make out a prima facie case.

Garrick, 30, was charged with the murder of 28-year-old Dorsetshire Hill resident and time-keeper Purlinea ‘Sunshine’ Greaves, who died after being shot in the head at Dorsetshire Hill around 8:30 p.m. on February 9, 2023.

The incident had triggered shock waves and Garrick’s recent discharge at the Preliminary Inquiry has resulted in mixed reactions in some circles.

Based on the evidence at

the P.I., nobody saw the face of the person who may have committed the crime, but someone wearing a ‘hoody’ was seen running down the road with a gun in his hand just after Greaves was shot. Two persons said they had heard that person speaking just before the shooting.

Garrick was charged on the basis of Voice Identification, and while the Prosecution called several witnesses their case revolved mainly around the evidence of two witnesses who told the Court that while they did not see the face of the person wearing the ‘hoody’, they recognized the voice to be that of Garrick, whom they knew.

Both witnesses said they were at an establishment at Dorsetshire Hill on the night in question. Shortly before Greaves was shot, a man wearing a ‘hoody’ entered the business place and asked

whether there was any Guinness, blend (the stuff used to mix marijuana), and Bambi paper. One of the witnesses told him that a Guinness cost $6.00, and the man left. That was when they heard his voice.

Just after the man left the yard, Greaves was seen walking towards her house located nearby, and both witnesses testified that they heard three loud explosions following which they saw the same man, still wearing the ‘hoody’, running down the road with a gun in hand. Both witnesses said they had never spoken to Garrick before that night but knew his voice. One of them said that the last time he heard Garrick’s voice before that night, was in 2017 while Garrick was working as a conductor on a bus. The witness said he (witness) was then a secondary school student, and he heard Garrick communicating

with passengers. The other witness could not recall when last he had heard Garrick’s voice, prior to the night of the incident.

During the investigations, the police conducted a Voice Identification exercise at the Central Police Station, involving the same two witnesses. One of them, who was Greaves’ boyfriend, identified Garrick’s voice during the procedure, while the other did not.

After Garrick was discharged, he walked away free from the Serious Offenses Court, but he was not acquitted as Preliminary Inquiries cannot be dismissed, as they are not trials. This means that the matter could be brought back.

A legal source not connected with the case, told THE VINCENTIAN on Tuesday that it is not unusual for someone to be charged on the basis of Voice Identification, but how convincing that evidence is would depend on how it unfolds in Court.

Garrick was unrepresented at the Preliminary Inquiry.

Purlinea ‘Sunshine’Greaves' murder sent shock waves through and otherwise tranquil Dorsetshire Hill community.

Abdul ‘Why Why’ Garrick was discharged but not acquitted. He could be recharged.