Pepper pot 06 26 2016

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Ferlin Pedro photos

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Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

Forging a national identity through agriculture - The Yukuriba farming community & evergreen nature study club

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’ve already confessed to being obsessed with this issue of Guyana’s National Identity, especially as it affects my profile as an African Guyanese; however, as focused on my own aesthetic as I am, on this issue I keep reminding myself not get carried away from the fact that our particular GUYANA NATIONAL IDENTITY is unique in its variety; it is not all about self or any individual

group...we African Guyanese...Indians or Amerindians, Chinese or Portuguese and Europeans.

From my POV, our initial task is to conceive the glue that would unite (and bond) the wholesome disparate constituents of our cultural plurality into the medley that is our national identity.

Speaking for the creative community at Yukuriba Heights,

On Jan 5, 1999, I made this trip with Fitz Ogle and his North Georgetown Secondary students, preparing to travel up the Siparuni River from Iwokrama Field Station, on our way to Turtle Mountain (a 150 km high trek)

The Yukuriba Creative Farming Community, the solution is in FARMING; this is what we believe will fuse our unity. I’m comfortable with that idea essentially because my great fore grandparents, those maroons in honour of whom we’re creating The Maroon Sculpture Trail on Yukuriba Heights, were farmers. They gave meaning to the very art of agrarian culture, the idea of Agriculture, Agronomy, and plant husbandry. The maroons survived in marronage, mainly because of their ability to sustain themselves in the forest; not only because of their wealth of knowledge from Africa that survived THE MIDDLE PASSAGE with them, knowledge of the forest’s abundant resources – the medicinal plants (pharmaceuticals), edible leaves and roots; they also knew enough to wheedle produce, sometimes from the most unfriendly terrain, in order to endure...

Focused as I am on the overall montage of Guyanese Identity, nothing is escaping my imagination....will help you picture my POV of a national Identity with this recollection – Remember when Guyana was known as ‘THE BREADBASKET OF THE CARIBBEAN’? Whatever became of that label?

I believe we lost that designation because it celebrated the ‘Burnham Era’ was inspired by President Burnham’s vision to: FEED HOUSE AND CLOTHE THE NATION BY 1976, therefore those revisionist, myopic fools, in their effort to falsify the true picture, have been slopping some careless paint all over the canvas of our recent history since Britain cut the colonial umbilical cord. Anything to do with Forbes Burnham...the Burnham image and era, had to be torn down or tarnished and the initiatives such as National Service which propelled national development strategies during that era, were mindlessly rejected; Guyana slipped into the mediocrity of the PPP era.

Consider the Burnham vision expressed by Major General (retd) Joseph G Singh at an occasion commemorating ► Continued on page III

Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016 Eight years after Joe Singh expressed that, and 43 years after Burnham’s vision, it’s even more relthe 23rd Death Anniversary evant. A basic element of of President LFS Burnham, that vision, the pursuit of OE, SC, Wednesday, August Agriculture, could be the 06, 2008 glue that will hold together “I do believe however, the cultural components of in that Vision of President our NATIONAL IDENTITY; Burnham as outlined in the our farming activity could 1973 State Paper of the bind us together like cells in GNS-promoting the concept a honey comb...Queen Bee of the new Guyana Man and – Guyana! We need to start Woman, oriented towards with the children, begin their role in nation-buildteaching them respect for ing, equipped with the apthe land in a vision of the propriate skills, fired with future in which we revisit pioneering zeal and enthuForbes Burnham’s idea of siasm, working collaborafeeding ourselves and the tively in a spirit of mutual wider Caribbean. respect with persons of all Throughout the decades ethnicities, religious and in which his focus has cencultural affiliations, carving tered on stimulating the out viable settlements away imaginations of our children from the coast, developing to see their future in Agriculthe lines of communication ture, no matter what other and infrastructure to facilvocation they may choose to itate access, courageouspursue, I’ve been in converly defending our territory sation with Fitz Ogle, Chairagainst the would be invadman of the The Evergreen er, supporting our hinterNature Study Club about land communities with bacollaboration in my vision to sic services, and developing establish a farming commucentres of enlightenment nity at Yukuriba. The Everthat would-be catalysts for green Nature Study Club has broad based national deled the way in environmental velopment. In my opinion, education and advocacy for such a Vision cannot be nearly twenty (20) years, cofaulted in the context of the ordinating tours to various national, regional and globparts of Guyana in a bid to al environment at that time. expose our students to the I would also be bold enough multifaceted nature of our to posit that such a Vision biodiversity. has relevance today… 35 Over these years, Fitz years later” ► From page II

Ogle, an Agronomist himself...trained at the Guyana School of Agriculture and later at University in Brazil, has managed to establish Evergreen Club Chapters in all ten regions of Guyana. Club activities include Outreach educational programmes for Secondary and Tertiary Level students. When Fitz Ogle established the Guyana Natural Farmers Association he in 2013, I was invited to be PR representative; it was a defining moment for Evergreen, charting new directions based on a 5H PROGRAMME expressed in these statement excerpts: “Every clear thinking Guyanese dreaming of our country someday taking its place in the forefront of the world’s developing nations, will agree that Guyana needs to apply some urgent and well thought out interventions first; to rescue the endangered minds of its youth.

We in the Evergreen Nature Study Club recognize this “danger” as a crisis of identity fuelled by ignorance of the Guyana’s awesome potential, embodied in the beauty of its natural environment and the value of its resources... We understand that once Guyanese youth (the most valuable of all our resources) keep demoniz�-

ing their country because of the hard times they are currently experiencing: the disillusionment about the availability of “work” after leaving school and consequently the inability to pay bills...Guyana’s future is imperiled... ...Our youth need to be re-educated…taught to think afresh…introduced and led through fresh new *sirihis. ...Over the years, in keeping with our motto: Ever researching, Ever Serving, Evergreen Nature Study Club has been conducting tours to our Yarrowkabra Research Base... ...Recognizing the need for interventions, in 2013 and beyond, we plan to intensify tours to all ten regions of the country in which we have established branches, as well as to neighbouring countries including Brazil and Suriname... ...We plan to broaden the minds of our youth through knowledge sharing and exposure to the breadth of possibilities for sustainable life in their own Guyana environment; edible leaves and medicinal plants are a couple of examples... ...We are encouraging people of like mind to join us, help our ideas to flourish through cross-fertilization with yours. THE 5H PROGRAMME thus envisages a family- oriented group applying the principle of joined HEADS, HEARTS and HANDS in HARMONIOUS approaches to HEALTHY communities. We are encouraging participation of parents and their children, uncles…aunts…cousins as well as the extended family...”

Yukuriba Creative Farming Community and Evergreen Nature Study Club will be collaborating in the future of Yukuriba Heights, to realize our dream of decades.

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Evergreen study base, Yarrowkabra

...a field day at Mc Garrell’s plant nursery, Vergenoegen

Students of North Georgetown Secondary at Hauraruni Agricultural Development Project, Soesdyke-Linden Highway, Region 4

...at McGarrell’s plant nursery, Vergenoegen

...grafting and budding on a mango sapling

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Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

Diversifying crops aids food security By now many persons are familiar with the term “diversification” in the agriculture sector. A visit to the market place would show the wide assortment of fruits and vegetables grown locally.

For years, the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) has been working assiduously in the areas of research and development and the transfer of technology to farmers to achieve this objective of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Institute is currently engaged in several projects across the country. These include trials on spices, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower,

Irish Potato, sweet potato, watermelon, hot peppers, sweet peppers, breadfruit and cassava.

Some of them are being conducted at NAREI’s facilities and others on farms owned by private farmers.

These trials are being conducted to identify which conditions are suitable for a particular plant variety. During the trial period factors such as soil type, fertilizer, pest and disease control, and the growth of rate of the variety are taken into consideration. The information obtained guides NAREI as to which technology is transferred to farmers.

The diversification initiative does not only

focus on the introduction of new or exotic crops to Guyana. NAREI is seeking to introduce new varieties for crops such as sweet potato, breadfruit, sweet pepper, cassava and watermelon for food security purposes. In event, pest or diseases or other elements destroy a particular variety there are others remaining for consumption. Such safeguard is necessary in light of climate change.

Chief Executive Officer of NAREI, Dr. Oudho Homenauth during a recent interview with the Government Information Agency emphasized the importance of diversification in agriculture. He explained that core to the diversi-

fication initiative is the production of highly nutritional crops for food security. The production of these crops could also help to reduce the food import bill, generate wealth and provide employment opportunities.

He related that NAREI is conducting trials on cauliflower and broccoli. Once grown in shade houses these two crops could be produced in Guyana. “People may say they are imported in small quantities but

these attract very high prices at the supermarkets, which mean there is a demand for them…

We believe farmers can produce these crops and even look at exporting in the later stage,” Dr. Homenauth added.

But for the diversification initiative to produce results farmers need to adopt modern technologies in their farming practices. Some farmers are already on this path. Khedu Deonarine, a cash crop farmer

Sweet and hot peppers

at Laluni, approached NAREI a few months ago to conduct a plastic mulch trial at his farm.

This gave NAREI the opportunity to setup a demonstration plot for a scotch bonnet pepper trial. NAREI provided all the resources to establish the plot while Deonarine provides the labour and manure.

“The trial is going excellent…we did one ► Continued

on page V

Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

Ginger plants

Diversifying crops aids food security ► From page IV

Cauliflower

with the plastic mulch and one without…we are looking at the progress and the plants with the plastic mulch are growing better…and they did not get problem with pest and disease,” he said.

This trial is equally beneficial to NAREI and the farmer. The data obtained from this trial would enable NAREI to transfer knowledge and allow Deonarine to establish his sweet pepper farm using plastic mulch. He already has sweet pepper seedlings in a shade house waiting to be transplanted.

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“Theatre” VI

Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

By Subraj Singh

Gregory Maguire’s

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

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ometimes, especially in fairy tales and folklore, villains are often presented as one dimensional figures, with their villainy being primarily the only interesting feature of the individual that comes to the forefront. The goblin is hunting the little boy simply because, as the villain, the goblin needs to commit the act of trying to eat the boy. The sea-witch tricks the mermaid into giving up her voice because the sea-witch is just a malicious creature whose sole purpose is to doom the mermaid. But is that really all there is to our villains? How often do we stop to consider that they might be more than what we see? Perhaps the goblin is starving and is only hunting the boy because there is nothing else to eat? Perhaps the sea-witch has self-esteem issues regarding her own voice? Gregory Maguire’s Wicked, on which the popular musical is based, is destined to become a cult classic, if it already isn’t, because of the manner in which it presents the concept of “villainy” by presenting a complex and ravishing story about one of the most famous villains in literature: the Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz. Maguire’s book goes back to the witch’s story, presenting her and not Dorothy as the protagonist, and traces her life from her birth, all the way to the end shown in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy vanquishes the witch by dousing her in water. Maguire from the outset of his own novel sets out to redeem the character of the witch, showing how no one is ever born evil, how notions of what is “evil” really depends on who is having the conversation, and how oftentimes there are many factors that lead to the creation of any single perceived “villain” and their ideology.

One of the most interesting things about Wicked is the way in which the author always pays homage to Baum’s original work, and manages to do so through multiple callbacks and Easter eggs that are always respectful of the source material while ensuring Wicked remains suitable for the contemporary reading audience. Thus, we see Maguire using original figures, like the Munchkinlanders, the talking Animals, and others to highlight themes of class, discrimination, nature, the environment, etc.

Elphaba (yes, the Wicked Witch had an actual name) and her own relationships and many significant events of her life is a lesson in the concept of “othering”, where her green complexion and her views on important matters makes her an outsider.

Indeed, out of all the changes Maguire made, from the portrayal of Glinda, the Good Witch, as a bit of a snob, and the presentation of the “Wizard” as a despot, it is the re-writing of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch (perhaps now better written as the “Wicked” Witch) that is most astounding. In Elphaba, Maguire reveals to the reader that villains, much like heroes and heroines, are complex people, with motivations that are rooted in what they believe to be good. Therefore, in the end, Maguire makes us see that his Witch is beautiful, complicated, strong, witty and passionate, but most definitely not wicked.

(Harper 2007)

Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

VII

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking…

Listen First Hello Everyone, I hope this week has treated you well. Today, June 26th is International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

This day was created in 1987 by the United Nations (UN) in an effort to bring awareness to all those suffering from addiction.

It is a very important day, especially to the individuals in my field, as addiction has mostly been a neglected and taboo topic.

The UN created this day when the organization came to the realization that over 200 million people worldwide use illicit drugs such as cocaine, cannabis and opiates such as heroin. When we consider the many mental and physical harms associated with drug use and abuse, as well as the lack of education available around the world, this number is incredibly frightening.

I recently had a discussion about the importance of this day and the attention paid to it. If there are any activities happening today, I haven’t heard of them. The pertinent agencies in Guyana (they know who they are) are not recognising it or using it to instigate any change in the supply or demand reduction of drugs.

Why should we pay attention to today?

There are known risk factors for substance abuse such as economic deprivation, low education, accessibility, low prices, abuse, etc. All of these are reflected heavily in Guyana. This means that Guyana is at serious risk for drug abuse and dependence all on its own.

It is clear that regardless of an individual’s employment, socio-economic or social status, addictions involving cocaine, prescription drugs, alcohol and tobacco are commonly found in Guyana, especially among the youth populations.

Guyana is also a major transhipment point for trafficking drugs – to the Caribbean, South America, Europe and the United States. This is because of our geographical location, large (and mainly) unsecured ports and a large urban population. My research shows that 359 Guyanese were arrested for drug trafficking in 2011 (but not all were convicted).

The possession, cultivation, retailing and trafficking of illicit substances are of course considered criminal offenses in Guyana. According to CICAD 1998 laws, possession charges results in a fine of G$30,000 and up to 3-5 years in prison while trafficking charges results in a fine of G$75,000 and life in prison.

It is also important to take this day seriously as drug taking increases spreading of diseases, domestic violence, and increased crime rate which

affects our nation’s mortality rate, tourism and natural resources as acres of land are destroyed because of marijuana cultivation. In 2011, between regions 3, 4, 6 and 10, 10,372,371 acres of land were destroyed in Guyana.

This is such a shame as we have one of the largest untouched forests in the world, with the largest species of its kind- but I’m not sure it will stay that way.

This year’s theme for International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, created by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), is “Listen First”. I think it’s a great theme as we all hear, but don’t always listen. There is a major difference between hearing and listening.

Of course there is the actual scientific definition where hearing is simply the ear perceiving sound and vibration while listening is a conscious decision to interpret information. However, it can go much deeper than that.

Listening is a practiced skill that requires effort, concentration and the want to make a difference in the topic being discussed.

When we speak, we wonder if people actually listen (I know I do)everyone wants to be not just heard, but acknowledged and understood.

Really listening results in immediate rewards. It is intimate and lowers the possibilities of misunderstandings, judgement and resentment and therefore encourages positive/ healthy relationships. People tend to not really listen when they perceive a superiority between them and the other person converting (at least this is what I notice). It’s a wrong approach as you truly can learn something from everyone.

If you really listen to those talking about the harms of substances today, maybe you might be more willing to reduce use and increase a healthy lifestyle.

Days like today promote education, unity, celebration and awareness within our society. I would like to challenge everyone to respect today and make our society a drug free one- To see the immediate improvements of lowering use. Today will definitely be a dry day (no alcohol!) for me. What about you?

If you feel like you have an issue with drugs or alcohol and is motivated by today to do something about it, go to your nearest health centre. Head to Phoenix Recovery Project in Mon Repos or the Salvation Army in Water Street for inpatient help.

OR write in to me at caitlinvieira@gmail.com Let me know what else you would like to talk about!

Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always!

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Non-direction by trial judge in 1986…

Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

‘Frankie’ freed of rape, robbery and burglary A trial judge’s failure to deal with weaknesses of the evidence of identification in 1986 resulted in the Appellate Court setting free Frank David, who was accused of Burglary, Robbery and Rape.

The Appellate Court was constituted by Chancellor Keith Massiah and Justices of Appeal Mr. Charles Fung-A-Fatt and Aubrey Bishop.

Attorney-at-law Mr. Stanley Moore appeared for the appellant.

W. Henry, Senior State Counsel, represented the State.

Following an incident on June 3rd, 1984 the appellant Frank David was charged with burglary, robbery and rape.

The prosecution’s case depended entirely on the evidence of identification by the complainant.

The complainant had reported the matter promptly to the Police on the June 3, but did not make a statement until June 6, some hours after she had identified the appellant who had been sitting in an office at the police station.

She then for the first time stated that she recognized her assailant as someone called “Frankie.” At his trial the appellant was not represented and, although he challenged the complainant’s evidence that she recognized him, the allegation of recognition was virtually unexplored.

In summing-up the trial, the judge did not criticize the identification at the police station, nor did he deal with weaknesses of the identification in the complainant’s bedroom.

The appellant appealed for the quashing of his conviction.

It was held that the identification at the police station

By George Barclay

ought to have been strongly criticized by the trial judge and stigmatised as worthless; the jury should have been told that the failure to hold an identification parade tended to lessen the force of the prosecution case. Further, the trial judge’s failure to deal with the weaknesses of the evidence of identification in the bedroom was a serious non-direction.

It was unanimously agreed that an identification parade provides an excellent opportunity for riveting an observation and provides (or otherwise) some proof of the guilt of an accused. It is a safeguard valued and relied on by the courts in cases based wholly on visual identification of strangers.

Per Justice Bishop, the State prosecutor would have known that the witness, in testifying, had varied fundamentally from her statement to the police on a point that was

directly related to her claim to have recognized her assailant, in a case where visual identification was the crucial issue, and she the only witness.

In the circumstances, it was the duty of the prosecutor, as a minister of justice, to submit the relevant part of the statement to the trial judge for his consideration and action, on behalf of the unrepresented appellant.

Chancellor Massiah, in delivering his judgment said, there has been built up, both locally and abroad, such a massive body of legal literature on the question of visual identification that “I had come to believe that the problems relating to that question had been securely interred and could therefore no longer beget any serious judicial difficulties.”

He added: “The present case illustrates that I was ► Continued on page IX

Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

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‘Frankie’ freed of rape, robbery and burglary ► From

pag e VIII

guilty of wishful thinking for a measured non-conformity to the principles embodied in the literature has caused the problems to arise from their grave like resurrected fiends complete with cerement, ready to haunt us all over again.

“When a young woman retired to bed…at her home in Thomas Street, in suburban Kitty, little did she imagine that in the early hours of the next day she would be visited by an unwelcome intruder whose immanity permitted him not only to burglarise her home and rob her at knife point of her jewels and other possessions , but to rape her as well. That unfortunate woman related her harrowing experience to a judge and jury when

the appellant , Frank David , was arraigned at the criminal assizes in Georgetown, Demerara, in June 1986 to answer charges of burglary, robbery and rape.

“He was found guilty on all three counts and in the result he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of ten years for each of the offences of burglary and robbery, and to a term or 15 years for rape, the sentences to run concurrently.

“The appellant has appealed against his convictions and sentences. The crucial point at issue is whether or not his trial was fair.

“The story told by the virtual complainant was that while she was in bed on the morning in question she saw ‘the outlines of a man’ over her.

The woman’s narration went thus: ‘“When I turned

around and saw the man I saw his face. The building was well lit. I had a screw bulb burning. It was a 60watt bulb. I recognized the man to be the [appellant].

Before this incident I knew the [appellant] about one and a half years.”

She then explained that the appellant raped her, took off her earrings and other rings, picked up two tape recorders and forced her to give him $200 from a wardrobe.

She said: “He took me to the wardrobe and told me to open it. Before I opened it I glanced into the mirror of the said wardrobe and I saw the left side of his face and his right shoulder.

“During the 18 months that I knew the appellant I have heard his voice. I looked at the appellant for about one second in the wardrobe mirror. All this time the light was still on in

the bedroom and bright.”

According to the victim, the appellant then pushed her back on the bed and told her to lie down. He then left the home. Her husband arrived home almost immediately afterwards, and sometime about 6.30 a.m. that day they reported the matter to Police Cons 8627 Carlton Sutton at Kitty Police Station.

It does not appear from the evidence of the virtual complainant or of Police Cons Sutton that the virtual complainant told the police when reporting the matter that she knew who her assailant was, or that she gave them his name, although she said in evidence that she knew him by the name

“Frankie” before the day in question, and used to see him near the Hollywood cinema almost every day.

It is instructive and significant that Police Cons Sutton said in evidence that he recalled the virtual complainant and her husband coming to the station.

They reported that thief broke into the house and stole a quantity of articles valued at about $8, 000.

Later in his judgment Chancellor Massiah had said: “The matters which I have referred are sufficient ground by themselves to cause the convictions to be quashed; but I must call attention to the failure of the trial judge to deal with the weaknesses of the identification said to have been in the

victim’s boudoir.

“I do not propose to refer to those many weaknesses; would content myself with saying that they deserved to have been brought to the attention of the jury clearly and simply and their importance emphasized, to enabled the jury to appreciate fully every aspect of the question of identification dictated by the circumstances of the case.

“The failure of the trial judge to treat with those matters was a serious non-direction. There has been a grave miscarriage of justice in this case and the convictions cannot stand.

“Appeal allowed. Convictions and sentences set aside.”

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Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

The clinical iceberg

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ormal care services depend on informal care-givers to ensure good health.

For example, dentists rely on patients to restrict their children’s diet and to teach them the importance of oral hygiene during the socialization process.

If lay members of society did not form their own care networks, the dental profession would be overwhelmed by disease. The importance of this is illustrated by the attempts to encourage self-care, as shown by the publication of self-care advice to the public on prevention of dental disease. This advice is summarized as this: - Reduce the consumption and especially the frequency of intake of sugar-containing food and drink - Clean the teeth thoroughly twice every day with fluoride toothpaste - Request the local water supply company to adjust to the optimum fluoride content - Have an oral examination by a dentist every year

Dr. BERTRAND R. STUART, DDS.

These are explicit attempts to encourage the informal health care system. The emphasis is upon individuals developing control over aspects of their diet and oral hygiene. There is evidence that populations are improving their oral hygiene activity, with most people in industrialized countries brushing their teeth one or two times a day. As people develop these informal health care skills, their understanding and practice of what is appropriate behavior in terms of diet and oral hygiene may affect their relationship with formal health care workers. There could be both positive and negative effects of their increased personal control.

If people feel confident about their personal knowledge and skills, then they might develop a greater sense of competence. However, at the same time, they might not readily accept the value of what a dentist says. On the one hand, the informal health workers are expected to accept responsibility for personal health and know when they should access the formal care system, but on the other hand they are expected to be passive when meeting the professional. This has been described as a “double-blind”.

In general, studies of the dentist-patient relationship have not considered this double blind in detail. Research has been mainly concerned with variations in the behavior, feelings and attitudes of patients as these relate to patient management.

One outcome of the finding that informal health workers may have particular ideas about the management of symptoms is the discovery in many surveys of what has been termed the ‘clinical iceberg’. When people are asked to keep diaries of their health symptoms, many more symptoms are recorded in the diaries than are actually reported to the formal health care system. Thus, health professionals see only a small part of the illness in the community, just as only a small part of the iceberg is visible above the surface of the water.

There is a large discrepancy between the need for medical and dental care and the demand for formal health care services. Self-care is used to treat symptoms. A gradient of the likelihood of symptom experience leading to a consultation has also been established.

People are much more likely to consult if they have a major disabling or threatening symptom, such as pain in the chest, than if they feel the symptom is more minor, such as a change in energy.

There are many oral health examples of this phenomenon. The UK National surveys of adult dental health, conducted every 10 years, usually report an almost universal presence of the clinical signs of gingivitis and periodontal disease in the general population.

Similarly, Locker (2009) asked a sample of Canadians to report any symptoms of oral or facial pain in the previous four weeks. Forty percent reported at least one symptom within this time period, but of these only 44% had sought professional attention. Indeed, only 62%of those with severe toothache had sought formal help.

This finding was not dissimilar to those reported by Anderson and Newman (2006), who found that 75% of their respondents with toothache would visit the dentist 61% with tooth loss, 54% with sensitivity to hot or cold and 45% with sore or bleeding gums. As with general health, there is a gradient of response to symptoms.

Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

XI

Makeup is not magic!

- You need the right tools Many of you truly believe makeup is magic - that it takes nothing but a powder brush and some colour.

But, am, actually, it's an artistic trade, and an intricately complex one; precision, accuracy, and efficiency are key.

Although every artist has their own tricks, skills and tools help in orchestrating the illusions.

Whenever I show up to a client's home with all types of rings, scissors, pins, brushes, sticks, tapes, bracelets and metals...looking like MacGyver, they often ask "Kerry what's that for?" Then we waste an extra minute explaining what it is...tragic! As a result I will explain for all aspiring makeup artists and enthusiasts alike, a few of my favourite beauty gadgets.

Just a refresher on what tools are, for a better understanding. Tools are defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "devices or instruments, especially ones held in hands used to carry out particular tasks."

It shouldn't be confused with the professional executing the task. It's still the artist who has to know and operate the tools effectively - after all a good carpenter doesn't blame his tools.

A job should always be done at its absolute best in the most resourceful manner. Time shouldn't be wasted, money shouldn't be wasted, product shouldn't be wasted, consistency over flash. In this chaotic world, it's important to be organized to create some sort of balance and Zen. The Paw Palette: I have these in two f o r m s - - l a rg e and miniature, one is strapped around my wrist like bracelet, and the other is worn as arming on my left ring finger (signs that I'm married to makeup). It's a mixing palette that moves with you. There's no need to run back to the table, it makes for less mess, since there is no need to wonder, "Where did I put that palette?"

The Ear Swab: this is my go to tool in any makeup emergency. One day my trade secret (one of them) was let out of the bag when Stacy Ramcharran mentioned what happened when I forgot my entire brush collection at home! It was cause for panic, but I've been in that situation before. First time was on location at Splashmins Resort, so there was no turning back to Georgetown 40 mins away!

So instead of using my Mary Kay, MAC, and Sephora Professional brushes, I had to resort to good ole Johnson and Johnson cotton swabs for application. Result: smooth finish.

Stainless Steal Mixing Palette: This is perfect for mixing any solid to liquid product, and is perfect for applying heat. To warm up product, you'll need a palette that delivers great

piquancy in producing consistency while it's being applied. Mixing palettes are an artist's dream. It's just as important as choosing the right canvas, and working with its textures. In order to blend, one must first properly mix. And a stainless steel palette (as a heat conductor) offers the right viscosity when low bouts of warmth are administered.

The Z-Palette: This is an empty magnetic palette that can be used for both storage and convenience, instead of carrying around a thousand palettes. Easily depot your favourite makeup from its original palette and customize them in the z-palette with ease.

Precision Brushes: These are tiny eye makeup brushes that fit in the small crevices of the face. Eye liner brushes, eye crease brushes, concealer brushes, all help in creating the perfect winged eyeliner look, or cut crease and makes for meticulous colour placement. It's one of the best investments for makeup.

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Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

The Visions 2016 Photographic Exhibition I

- A shift in the right direction

n last week’s article, I wrote about the importance of artist-led initiatives and how they could be used to activate cultural spaces across the country. A few days later, in a strange and unplanned way, a brave new creative undertaking was opened to the public for everyone’s viewing pleasure.

An informal group of creative practitioners banded together after a series of unfortunate events led to the cancellation of what was supposed to be a grand photographic exhibition facilitated and funded by the government in celebration of Guyana’s golden jubilee.

The government’s failure to launch the much-anticipated “Capture Guyana” exhibition made way for Visions, an exhibition of 42 works by 17 Guyanese photographers including Fidal Bassier, Elizabeth Deane-Hughes, Roshana Mahadeo, Kester Clarke, Jermana de Freitas, Kenny Harrinaraine, Sharon Ramkarran, Nikhil Ramkarran, Meshach Pierre, Ryan Dos Santos, Taijrani Rampersaud, Salim October, Aisha Jones, Brian Gomes, Michael Jackson and Michael Lam, organizer of the exhibition.

It is hardly news that human beings consume visual material at alarming rates and discard them even faster. In an era where everyone has immediate access to a camera and they are constantly uploading snapshots, how do you create images that stand out and capture the viewer’s attention for more than three seconds at a time? This was one of the many challenges the group of photographers addressed in their installation of photographic works.

As models for innovation, Visions and similarly mounted exhibitions become crucial to the way we contemplate and engage with works of art. And, make no mistake, the exhibits on display are precisely that, works of art. Whether they capture the beauty of our Guyanese landscape, brilliant sunsets over the Atlantic Ocean, profiles of our beautiful native birds, dilapidated colonial styled buildings, the beauty of the female form, celebrations, rituals or even the more abstract imageries, they all share the same elements and principles of art.

Here we have a group of photographers actively working towards changing the public’s reception of photography as a legitimate creative discipline that should warrant the same critical discourse as any of the older and more institutionalized media.

It was exciting to see the traditional model of gallery display challenged by a group of creative individuals working with a relatively “new” media. We are finally in the process of playing “catch up” with the rest of the world and this exhibition marks a significant shift away from traditional gallery displays to something more innovative but still practical.

Tangentially, three things stood out about the Visions exhibition: architecture, space and movement. There was an interesting juxtaposition where a dark and cramped staircase eventually gave way to an airy, light filled room anchored in the center by an almost sculptural display of photographs. While making my way around the centralized monument of nuanced themes on display, it became obvious very quickly that I was engaged in a type of performative and cyclical act of viewing the work. It was indeed a clever way of activating the space by “shepherding” the viewer’s movement in a very specific way that perhaps would not have been successful in a traditional gallery setting.

It was evident that the core concept of the exhibition was much more than simply viewing a selection of works from local photographers.

I imagined the viewers function much like bodies orbiting this planet of exceptional photographic works. And so the way the exhibition was viewed became inextricably linked to the quality of work itself and this is what fascinated me about this group’s undertaking. They have a clear understanding of the parameters of traditional gallery display and have chosen to tastefully challenge that presentation model.

These ideas of challenging the use of space and directing movement were echoed in a statement provided by the exhibition’s curator Karran Sahadeo: “The Visions exhibition purposely breaks this mould by creating a three dimensional experience which allows the viewer to traverse through the carefully positioned photographs in order to unravel the overall story being told. The viewer is asked to literally walk around the exhibition and notice the subtle shifts in each artist’s work. These shifts are informed by formal connections; those of colour, shapes and similar elements, and as they approach the end of the story, the viewer may be compelled to navigate the exhibition again as more connections will be made.”

Sahadeo also referenced the famous “white cube” in his text, as the go-to model for displaying two-dimensional works of art in most spaces across Guyana. The term was coined in the 1970s by artist and critic Brian O’Doherty, and has since been used to describe an ideological construct that both emphasizes the formal qualities of a work of art and dominates it.

As a physical space the “white cube” embodies absolute perfection (pristine walls, hidden

light sources and polished floors). These have long been thought to be pre-requisites for any serious exhibition in any global art hub.

While creative practitioners worldwide have been actively fighting against this ideology, ours is a unique situation here in Guyana. We’ve never had the good fortune of being exposed to anything remotely close to the “white cube” but we have been plagued by a bastardized version of “white cube mentality.” And so it was particularly refreshing to see these considerations coming from a group of creative individuals often pigeonholed because of their primary media.

Architecture was another interesting facet that, in my opinion, presented new and exciting ways of reading the exhibition. Regarding this aspect of Visions Sahadeo stated: “The exhibition references the space it is housed in and uses the unique characteristics of this aged colonial structure turned office space in order to naturally light the selected photographs. The large, almost wall-sized windows which line both eastern and western walls allow for natural light to permeate the space and ensure a well lit environment.”

I would venture to go even further by underscoring the fact that viewers are presented with an intriguing mix of “new” media addressing contemporary issues housed in a colonial building. On a much smaller scale, this exhibition represents a significant section of the “Guyanese personality,” planted firmly in the center of a colonial incubator of sorts. So then, ironically, we are (in both instances) continuously strengthened by apparent limitations as we ► Continued on page XIII

Kenny Harrinaraine - The Master's House

Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016 â–ş From page XII Fidal Bassier - Untitled

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work simultaneously with and against them.

For the visitor with a keen eye the Visions exhibition represents a number of converging ideas deceptively shrouded by a veil of simplicity. It points to a serious consideration of curatorial practices and the conceptualization of themes that extend far beyond how well the images work together. That it is the first independent photographic exhibition of mostly selftaught practitioners in a space where even at the highest level of education there is no course that nurtures those theories and practices, only solidifies the idea that there are small pockets of talented individuals who are willing and able to take chances amid the most uncertain cultural climate.

The Visions exhibition continues daily until Thursday June 30 from 9am to 4pm at the Fitzgerald House on Hadfield Street (opposite the St. Stanislaus College).

Jermana de Freitas - Untitled (Stained glass window), 2015

Taijrani Rampersaud Diversity, 2014

Kester Clarke - Blue Gray Vs Palm Tanager, 2015

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Remigrant sets up

Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

Backyard D

By Alva Solomon elvern Adams returned from overseas to pursue a project which he views as preserving the Guyanese culture. Today, his Backyard Café is attracting food adventurers from many quarters including one visitor from the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean who went all out to find the unique eatery.

Located in West Ruimveldt , the café is unlike the usual restaurant setting; it’s in Adams backyard . Wooden stools line the main table which sits next to the fence, flower petals line the edges of the

café backyard, a bar-b-que grill sits in the corner and the ever-popular charcoal fireside graces the environs of the café. In addition, the “wall of fame” where many have signed their names, stands over the entire setting.

Adams told this publication during a recent interview that he conceptualized the idea for a café during a visit to neighbouring Suriname . While there, he was invited to an evening of soup where the meals were served from the frontyard of the venue. His though was:

Adams (right) poses with a satisfied customer in front of the unique form of signage at the Backyard Café

► Continued on page XV

Bakes from the fireside

For brunch: Sautéed vegetables with mashed eddoes

A simple breakfast of pumpkin and oats pancakes with honey and eggs from the Backyard.

Gooseberry cheesecake, a unique combination prepared by Adams for guests

Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016 ► From page XIV “So why not in the backyard?”

He said that he has been cooking for years, and he has spent many hours in the United States cooking with some of the better chefs he knew in parts of that country. “I learnt from the French guys, guys out of Brooklyn , the Italians.”

He said he views the Backyard , which is less than a year in existence , as a stepping stone and the business started with catering for small events.

“And as I raised funds, I started to develop the idea,” he related.

Initially, most of his clients came from overseas but he started to cater for additional persons at the Backyard since more persons were knocking at his door. The Backyard Café Facebook page has been receiving welcomed hits in recent weeks , Adams said.

“I want to preserve our culture, I want to put it out there to the next level,” he said. And he is threading that line with the usage of only local produce, herbs and spices. He said he shops at the local stands at Bourda Market while he orders his meats from the meat stands around town.

For now, the process is one of “reservation only” where requests are made at least a day in advance. He said persons would call him and indicate their preferences and on most occasions, they would request the fish meals.

“We are raising the awareness of eating local foods,” he said. Adams makes his own jerk seasonings, sauces, flavoured oils and even his own wines. He held a few bottles of the potions as the interviewed tapered. The flavoured oils, a combination of coconut or vegetable oils, mixed with peppers, onion garlic and thyme are one of many ideas Adams has brought to the Backyard.

He said that the response to the venue has been heartwarming. “We have a fireside in the backyard, a grill and these are the things people want to see, the old way of cooking,” he said.

During the Golden Jubilee celebrations in May, Adams said he hadn’t any space for the number of persons who flocked the Backyard.

“One day we had 40 persons here and the next day they came back while I’m here cooking away.

We had birthday parties here, even a wedding,” Adams noted.

And while he may have his menus in his thoughts, sometimes his customers would create new ideas for him. He said that someone ordered breadfruit steamed in coconut milk several days ago. “And when it was finished, I went back and wrote everything down,” he said, laughing.

Adams cooks anything which is ordered. “But I have to know in advance so that I can know what to cook,” he added.

During the interview, Adams was busy preparing his foods for this publication as workmen hammered away at the roofing which is being erected above the backyard to cater for the rains.

His helpful cousins were also on hand to assist in the preparation of the table.

And though it rained moments earlier that day, eating his baked snapper glazed with his local sauces simmered the taste buds. And to crown the day, a concoction of juices including mango and sorrel brought the curtains down on a meal which seemed too little for those who were at the table.

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Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

Cinemas, movies, and Guyanese society (Part 1)

by Terence Roberts It is common knowledge that certain creations, or inventions of man, function almost perfectly in environments far away from where they were originally created or invented. The cinema is one. When I say “cinema” I do not mean only the cinema building, but the films it shows within.

This combination is important because some inventions are changed over time by their original owners, often for reasons related to greater profits, and the introduction of new functional processes such as DVDs which act as small duplicates for larger original film reels, and do not need cinemas to be shown.

Everyone knows and accepts this today. The cinema building then may seem obsolete. I say “seem” because it is really not, not even in the metropolitan cities where the latest films are shown on the big screens of cineplexes.

However, the current films of today that are shown in metropolitan cineplexes abroad are 90% relevant to life there, quite unlike at least 50% of PAST Hollywood and continental European films made between the 1920s and 1980s.

How is this? Because drastic rapid changes occurred in metropolitan film industries after the 1980s, which affected film content (stories, characters, plots, locations, producers, directors,

actors/actresses) previously creatively shaped, and promoted in cinemas in faraway places like British Guiana and independent Guyana up to the 1970s.

Drastic social changes and turmoil also occurred in 1960s Guyana which negatively affected the original local owners of cinemas who had previously thrived successfully in collaboration with overseas cinema studios and production companies, such as RKO, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Universal International, United Artists, Allied Artists, MGM, 20th Century Fox, Cineritz, etc.

At a certain point, the Guyanese cinema industry became pressurized between the freedom of its Independent post-colonial parliament pursuing its own new social priorities, and the foreign film companies decisions to adjust to both ideology changes as well as their own intentions to install new technical viewing processes at their metropolitan end of the huge industry. The big loser was the Guyanese public who had no real say in both these changes affecting a public entertainment medium.

Yet for half a century that local public had experienced that medium's benefits, without realizing exactly HOW it benefited them, because the experience of seeing films in ► Continued

on page XVII

Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

The Metropole Cinema in Georgetown (Guyana Heritage Museum photo) â–ş From page

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cinemas had become taken for granted like the daily experience of life itself.

The changes which occurred in the metropolitan film industry's headquarters perhaps had a far less drastic effect on their own societies (though this is debatable), as it did in a faraway society like Guyana's.

The major reason for this is that Guyana's social reality is not shaped or guided by the same multitude of simultaneous rapid technological, fantasy, crime inspired and militarized content which comprise the largest part of the subject matter of American films and TV today.

But if we concentrate on American/Hollywood films made between the 1920s and 80s, we discover that thousands of films (over five thousand between 1929 and 68 alone) whose subject matter or content about social aspirations, pioneer ambitions, rural lifestyles, materialistic or economic motivations for diverse crimes, conflicting class and race relations, artistic freedom, values, and lifestyles, fears about a nuclear age, territorial disputes, family problems and love affairs, etc., all remain quite relevant to Guyanese society today, despite these films being made 30 to 85 years ago.

The importance of the metropolitan movie industry for Guyanese society has little to do with automatically consuming most of whatever continues to be

made in American studios today, but MUCH to do with the relevance of what was ALREADY made under different circumstances. The miracle and beauty of film culture is tied, like great literature, to the perennial human values it preserves and REPLAYS in what inevitably becomes “the future.�

In Guyana today, there is a growing interest among a number of architects, engineers, and various other professionals, about the history of local buildings and neighbourhoods in which they once stood, or still stand; and are also preserved in precious archival photographs.

Cinemas, in the capital particularly, comprised a special and important group of such architecture, which leads us to consider what social purpose they served, and in what ways the lifestyle and character of Guyanese citizens benefited from their existence.

The first point to consider is that the new art-form of cinema led to the creation of outstanding local buildings where citizens spent hours together absorbing and contemplating the problems and pleasures of living in endless examples.

Would they do that if they gained no benefit from sitting collectively in huge buildings before stories projected in life-like motion of screens? If that activity has changed, were citizens mislead, or uneducated to appreciate it in the past? Far from it.

In the past, films inspired the creation of

special buildings to show them since the 1920s in BG. These special buildings called cinemas were chosen to be built in neighborhoods which acquired both public attractiveness, and relaxed, entertaining businesses feeding off the presence of these cinemas.

Who built these beautiful cinemas in Georgetown, such as Plaza on Camp Street, Empire on Middle Street, Astor and Globe which faced each-other at Waterloo and Church, or Metropole at Robb and Waterloo, etc.?

Did local architects copy the way cinemas were built in metropolitan America and Europe? Largely, no.

Locally there were usually two rows of high windows which opened in such a way to prevent little outer exposure when dusk fell, and natural breeze was added to that of internal fans.

At day time 1 pm shows, only fans circulated breeze, but the exciting steamy midday indoor atmosphere of these 1 pm shows was expected, and was fueled by the swift Westerns, Film Noirs, Intrigue and drama films which dominated such midday matinees.

One of Georgetown's best designed classic cinemas, the cream concrete Globe, solved the problem of daytime natural ventilation in a most unique way without the use of windows.

There were oblong openings in Globe's two side walls which were blocked by two narrow unattached walls built parallel and

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The Gaitey Cinema, burnt in the 1920s closely on the outside; in the detached outside walls smaller openings existed to the side of the openings in the actual cinema walls, so light was blocked, but not air or breeze, which passed through and around the detached walls and entered via the larger openings in the actual walls of the cinema.

Globe had a semi-circular glamorous lobby and its entrance short curved steps; another short stairway led from the lobby circle to House straight ahead; beside it a longer stone stairway be-

side the cinema's front wall led up to Balcony, where viewers could pause and look down through small chessboard perforations to Church Street and its clean serene canal. Globe had the steepest and best Balcony, like a Greek amphiteatre, looking down at its curved screen and stage.

The day and night social activity of Georgetown from the 1930s to the 70s radiated from a unique section of downtown sidewalks starting at Church Street and ending at Charlotte Street, a distance

of three to four hundred yards over four corners. In this zone the Globe, Astor, Metropole, and Strand de Luxe (the city's youngest cinema back then, built in 1958) brought to Guyanese 75% of the finest Hollywood and European films.

If the same strip of cinemas existed today, but showed only current films, the social relevance and importance of this unique urban zone to Guyanese intellectual and moral growth would not exist as it did before.

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Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

Resuscitating flower CONSUMER cultivation enrichens NS: CER CON Guyanese life Some weeks ago, this column pointed out that many of the fruits which once used to be very common and very widely enjoyed by Guyanese have almost now been forgotten.

We called upon the Agricultural Authorities to resuscitate the cultivation of such fruits and disseminate knowledge of them as an Independence Jubilee project.

The project could still be accomplished as part of the remit of the Ministry.

In similar vein, this week we call upon the Ministry to assist in the dissemination of knowledge of flowers and ornamental plants which once used to adorn the homes and gardens but which are now being forgotten. Today in Guyana, there has been a great deal of education about and promotion of a healthier environment, with the aesthetic (beautification) being a

necessary part of the healthy environment.

There are many ways the aesthetic is captured when working for a healthy environment. For example, layout and planning of towns and villages, the architecture used, the colours of buildings and streets, the type of street-lighting and so on. But the time-honoured way of having a pleasant and healthy environment is by the use of plants, trees and flowers.

Until a generation or two ago, homes in Georgetown, New Amsterdam and the villages generally had gardens often with hedges of flowering plants. With Indian homes, it was a deep tradition to cultivate flowers, since flowers were used in pujas and decorated the altars in mandirs.

Among poorer folk, such as those who lived in the rooms and tenement yards in Albouystown or Tiger

Bay in Georgetown, they invariably had plant pots or boxes where they grew flowers such as fairy roses, chrysanthemums, geraniums, marigolds, jump-and-kiss and bachelor buttons. With these they would grow herbs such as mint, toyo and ginger for making of "teas".

From the beginning of the 19th century, at various times, certain shrubs and flowers were fashionable.

For example, at the turn of the 20th century, coralitas were very common for fences. In the Kingston Ward of Georgetown where the wealthier resided, for example, all fences bloomed with coralitas until the fashion changed and coralitas were replaced. Today, many coralita vines still survive in the Young Street parapet bordering the GBTI where the gardeners had thrown them, as a reminder of those past times.

Hibiscus fences were very popular, often with bell-hibiscus. Bell-hibiscuses are rarely seen to-day. Hibiscus fences have held their own for much over a century.

The white scentless jasmine fences were once a great favourite and the last prominent survivor is the jasmine fence around the Georgetown Town Hall which was planted at the end of the 19th century.

Bell-hibiscus also still survives in a part of the Town Hall's fence.

Lillies were very common and tended to be planted at the sides or in front of houses. The bell or trumpet lily was more valued than other types. When the fashion changed, these gave way to other flowers. Some bulbs which were thrown out of the gardens of High Street, Kingston took root on the parapet and to-day one could see descendants of them on the parapet outside the GAWU headquarters.

Roses of all types and colours had always been popular and the most loved and appreciated was the perfumed creole red rose. Roses were found everywhere until about twenty years ago when they inexplicably began disappearing. Roses are the flower most celebrated in poetry and song and their absence is a loss that needs to be quickly addressed.

Other flowers which were once common in yards and gardens were Queen of Flowers in their different colours: scarlet and pink oleanders,

PAT DIAL the scarlet giving off a pleasant perfume. Other popular perfumed flowers were the stepanotis, the jasmine and the mimosa. The mimosa gives off its perfume in the evenings and it could be smelt and enjoyed long distances away, Sun flowers were a great favorite with children who would patiently wait to see the flower turning to face the sun as it moved across the heaves. Morning glory always recalled the freshness of the mornings.

Dahlias, chrysanthemums, marigolds, blue-bells, cockscombs, anemones and carnations were mainstays of most gardens.

The golden showers and the lancianas were the two most popular orchids and were grown on any tree or tree stump or in hanging baskets.

The lancianas bloomed twice each year and always during

the Christmas Season; it was thus known as 'the Christmas orchid. 'It gave off a pleasant haunting perfume. Also grown in hanging baskets were various types of ferns.

The main flower trees as distinct from smaller shrubs and plants, were the frangipanni of different colours and the pouis with mainly the gold and cyclamen flowers. A yellow or gold pouis survives in the property now occupied by the Prime Minister in Main Street. When its flowers fall on the green parapet, they create a memorable sight in that part of Main Street of an emerald carpet with gold flowers.

Though crotons are not flowers but plants with very colourful leaves, they were cultivated in yards and gardens and treated in the same way as flower plants. Some crotons were stunningly beautiful and need to be revived.

Today, the main flowers found in gardens are bougainvillas of various colours and buttercups. The revival of flower cultivation, and especially those flowers and ornamental plants which used to be so common in the past would enrichen and beautify the environment of Georgetown and the rest of the country and bring much pleasure to the population.

The Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of the Environment could easily adopt such a programme since it would entail very little cost.

Saajid Husani Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

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eyes int’l photography career

By Michel Outridge I am sure I am not the only one who has done a double take at Saajid Husani, or at his hairstyle, rather.

It turns out that it’s all part of his plan, his marketing strategy. I found that out when he opened up about his career path, having all but dumped his degree in Environmental Science.

“My hairstyle is all about marketing me; I sell me and it is good for my business which is very lucrative and I do not see myself doing any other work that photography since I aspire to be one of the best in the Caribbean” he told the Guyana Chronicle in a recent interview.

His lofty plans belie who he actually is. He comes across as an unassuming, simple, down to earth guy.

Husani aspires to become one of the best international photographers in the Caribbean in a few years, and to kick the adventure off, he takes up his first overseas job in the Dominican Republic this August.

He has been in the private photography business for about three years.

His interest in photography started when he started to observe the work of photographers three years ago; and so he thought he could do similar work.

He has a Bachelors of Science degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Guyana (UG) but has strayed from that career path with no regrets.

When he was two years into his university programme, he left his countryside West Coast Demerara home and moved closer to campus and has been residing at Industry, East Coast Demerara since.

With Husani, a lot of discipline and dedication goes along with his work. His shoots are planned, whether the photos are of people, landscape, weddings, or fashion.

He is not in the habit of just picking up the camera and deciding there and then what shots would work best.

In any case, he doesn’t feel safe carrying around his camera after an incident earlier this year when he was robbed of almost all his equipment It was a difficult time for Husani having to start back from scratch, but he bounced back eventually.

Husani works on call and his clientele ranges from middle-class to high end customers.

He basically works from home every day, and so if he is not doing photo shoots, he is editing videos and photos, working more than 12 hours on any given day.

Husani, aged 22, does every aspect of photography and is also starting surreal photography.

Husani is all about being unique, and that explains why his hairstyle caught by attention a recent event at the Marriott.

“A photo shoot is a work of art from you to yourself, just as a painting or a sketch would be,” he explained.

And so, for Husani, taking a photo is not about filling a frame with an image and clicking; it’s about putting effort into producing a collection of memories.

Husani’s method to photography is very simple: “Talk less, shoot more” since he is of the opinion that a camera doesn’t make you a photographer but it is rather the photographer who is ultimately responsible for a stunning image.

And from images Husani has taken thus far, I’d say he is an excellent photographer.

Saajid Husani

This photo depicts his first version of Brenizer’s method, which typically exhibits a shallow depth of field in tandem with a wide angle of view

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Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

Capturing the Cosmos Astronomy and Astrophotography in Guyana

By Subraj Singh Does anyone look at the night-sky anymore? Are we still awed when we do look up or have the many years of walking under a seemingly motionless blanket of stars rendered us to now be unmoved and unimpressed by the many miracles that exist in the wider universe? Have we really fallen so far away from the traditions of our ancestors who looked at the stars for the signs that fed religions and, therefore, gave birth to culture and civilizations? Is the sky now completely bereft of meaning and fascination for all of us?

In light of everything else that is happening in the world, and in Guyana, are these questions, or anything leading to a discussion of that which we see every night in the sky, still valid or still important? After having a conversation with one of the few amateur astronomers in Guyana, the necessity of asking such questions are sure to become much clearer, with the significance of the answers to such questions leading to a profound analysis of the cosmos and its relationship to the earth and the people who live here.

Ferlin Pedro and his friend Mahendra Mahadeo, both belonging to that field of enthusiastic amateur astronomers and astrophotographers living in Guyana, recently organized an event that allowed the public to experience something they have both been enjoying since they obtained their telescopes: the chance to see the celestial bodies in the night-sky up close and to take pictures of the moon, the planets and the stars.

Ferlin, currently using an Orion Astrograph 10” telescope for scoping out the sky, has noted that before he obtained a telescope, like a lot of people, he “used to simply look up and admire the grandeur of the heavens” saying also that “there’s something about contemplating the vast universe that reinforces our humanity.”

Mahendra, who, in a truly astounding display of creativity, has managed to make, by hand, his own telescope and is perhaps the only person in the country to do so, feels the same way and is as enthused and awed by the cosmos as Ferlin as evidenced when he says, relating astronomy and astrophotography specifically to Guyana, that such events can lead to a further appreciation of our country.

He highlighted the fact that Guyana’s abundance of rural and forested areas coupled with the small population creates many spaces with low light pollution, which is ideal for these types of activities and that our unique location so close to the equator, gives us the perfect vantage point for seeing both the Northern and Southern skies, meaning, according to Mahendra, that “our land of many waters is also one of many stars.”

He further noted that astronomy is “a humbling and unifying force” and pointed out Carl Sagan’s excellent passage often referred to as “Reflections on a Mote of Dust” as a way for readers to understand the interconnectivity between the concept of unity in Guyana (and the world) and astronomy and astrophotography.

Having then established that giving the Guyanese public the opportunity to see and take pictures of the celestial bodies can have a greater significance and simply bringing people closer to the stars, and with the necessary tools in place, Ferlin and Mahendra have embarked on a mission to organize several events (Star Parties) where people can come together at specific locations, at specific times, to observe the night sky, which, in all truth, is an event that many Guyanese have never taken part in. Although star parties are popular in many other parts of the world, it is only now becoming a part of the Guyanese consciousness thanks for people like Ferlin and Mahendra.

The first Star Party was held on June 18th at the bandstand on the seawalls, which was selected after days of scouting for potential locations. At the Star Party, people who indicated

Some of the attendees at the first Star Party (Photo by: Ferlin Pedro)

Ferlin Pedro

Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

XXI (Mahendra and the telescope he made by hand)

(Ferlin Pedro and his telescope)

An image of the moon, taken at the Star Party (Photo by: Ferlin Pedro)

an interest and attended based on the invitations that were circulated on social media, as well as random passersby, were allowed the opportunity to use the telescopes to see up close the moon and planets such as Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. It was observed that the dominant reaction upon being introduced to the sky through the telescope was one of wonder and amazement.

Mahendra says that on the night of the Star Party, exclamations of “wow” were “as common as the sound of the waves out in the ocean”, which really does impart the magic that the night sky can have on people. Ferlin called the reactions of the people the best part of the event and pointed out that most “people are used to seeing close up images of the moon and planets on TV or as pictures in magazines or on the internet but it’s quite another thing to see it with your own eyes in real time.” Apart from seeing the planets for the first time, many people at the Star Party also, through discussions and interactions with others who were present, were able to learn more about the universe while meeting new people and making new friends at the same time – which are simply some of other perks of attending a Star Party.

Amateur astronomy seems to be making a comeback in Guyana with the establishment of such events as the Star Parties, and groups like the University of Guyana Astronomical Society and the Facebook Group, Amateur Astronomers of Guyana. With local amateur astronomers and astrophotographers finding each other and forming hubs such as those, it is possible that in future years, astronomy and astrophotography will only continue to grow and, hopefully, reach the point where a majority of people in Guyana can say that they have actually seen a close up image of the moon in real time. Seeing the celestial bodies, based on reports of the first Star Party, seem to exert a strong unifying force on the group of people who attend the event, and everyone knows that unity is something that our country has been striving towards for years. It does not take much to imagine the scenario: a group of Guyanese people, from varying backgrounds, from different age groups, with different career paths, all connected and unified by their awe and appreciation for the night sky. Star Parties can help Guyana.

An image of Saturn, taken at the Star Party (Photo by: Ferlin Pedro)

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Having no lower arms is not a problem for entertainer

Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

Leon Dameon Cummings

Leon Cummings W

By Telesha Ramnarine

HAT Leon Dameon Cummings calls a “freak” accident in his mother’s womb, where the umbilical cord somehow got wrapped around his hands, was responsible for him being born without his lower arms and some fingers.

But Leon, 26, a local entertainer, can still write perfectly thanks to an upstairs neighbour, Ms. Constance Welcome Barker, who spent some time with him each day before she left for work, teaching him to write.

Leon now feels that there is nothing that he cannot do with his hands; he just has to brainstorm a way to do the task differently. Above all, he chooses to focus on the positive side to everything, even taking up acting to help others laugh and get rid of their blues.

His father, Mr. Linden Berkley Cummings (now deceased), was also a funny guy who always wanted to make his family laugh. “My father was very funny and did a lot of voices to make us laugh. Some things just rub off on you I guess, because I too was funny in school and I just like making people laugh. I don’t like to see people, especially girls, crying; and I like to entertain people,” Leon told the Chronicle in an interview recently.

Leon was born and raised in Georgetown and he attended Enterprise Nursery and Primary Schools in Lodge, before moving on to South Ruimveldt Secondary. He then attended the Government Technical Institute to pursue a diploma in Commerce.

When he joined the Theatre Guild, he did so out of boredom after finishing school; he never thought he would someday enjoy being an entertainer. He recalled that there was a Church of Christ concert that a cousin encouraged him to participate in and he sought Shellon Benjamin’s permission to perform her poem, titled “Satan in Heaven.”

“The poem was about what life would be like for Satan if he lived in heaven. Going there, I found out the requirements for joining the Theatre Guild and I never looked back ever since.

“The pastor at Church of Christ instrumental Jeffrery Tasher married my cousin Destini Martin-Tasher and she, along with my other cousin, Latoya Martin, and my sister, Leanna Cummings, encouraged me to take part in the concert and helped me rehearse the poem to perfection. So I owe the beginning to those three.”

It was while at Theatre Guild that he met Jennifer Thomas whom he credits with teaching him everything

With Jennifer Thomas

A scene from, “To Sir with Love.”

► Contiuned on page XXIII

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Leon with other entertainer Henry Rodney ► From

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in the entertainment industry. “Jennifer Thomas who taught me every single thing in theatre and she is basically the reason I am here where I am. She treated me like a son, like a friend. She’s been there for me all the time.”

What drew Leon to Ms. Thomas was that she didn’t pity him but assigned tasks to him that she would assign to anyone else. “There was a big wooden chair outside and she told me to pick it up and bring it inside. Nobody ever did that to me before.

She didn’t let me get away with anything. That was the first time that a stranger ever did that to me so I was interested to see how else she would deal with me.”

T h e n e x t d a y, M s .

Thomas asked Leon to pick up a ladder and throw it over a wall. “That’s how our relationship got close. She never got annoyed with me, and she always answered all of my questions.”

Ms. Thomas was the first stranger to treat Leon in this way, and he greatly appreciated it. “Thanks to my parents, I never had that spirit of depending on people. The way they dealt with me is that I had to go after everything I wanted.

Everything I ever wanted to went after it and got it. It doesn’t pose a challenge to me. I can do everything. I don’t like pity period.”

But Leon does not regret that his hands are in this condition. “It’s been a stepping stone for me. It has humbled me. It has caused

me to think. It has helped me to become very resilient and to always see a way out of every situation. So I never look at the negative side of anything, no matter what it is. I have always gotten through it.”

Explaining what happened with his hands, Leon said: “It was the umbilical cord wrapped around my hands. It is very rare.

Probably it had to do with how my mother moved that caused the cord to move a certain way. This resulted in a lack of growth and development of my hands.

This doesn’t happen a lot.

So I would say I am the lucky one. The doctor told me this is extremely rare; it doesn’t happen. It’s like what you would call a freak accident.”

FIRST LEAD ROLE In 2012, Leon had the opportunity to play the lead role in a play called, “To Sir with Love.” He decided to accept the part because it meant he would have to play the role of a teacher, an occupation that his dad had preferred him to pursue.

Sadly, a short time before the play, Leon’s relatives called to inform him that his dad had died in hospital. “That was extremely devastating, but I blanked out everything and I finished the play. At the curtain call, I broke down; I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

My dad was at all of my plays and at curtain call I would always go out and see him. But for that curtain call, he was not there.”

Leon’s goals include

becoming a producer and a director someday as he is hoping to be able to give back.

A few of Leon’s favourite artistes are Gerard Gilkes, Henry Rodney, Mark Luke Edwards, Michael Ignatius, Chris Gopaul, ‘Jumbie’ Jones, Abigail Brower, Kimberly Fernandes, and Nicola Moonsammy.

Leon said he grew up in church and prays before each performance.

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Just teaching others to read can be a profession - As Lawanda Curry found out LAWANDA Marcia Curry, who decided earlier this year to begin teaching people how to read for a living, now has a place in Bel Air Village for those who are interested.

“If I’m to travel to each student’s home to tutor them, I lose a lot of time just by traveling

to and from the location. There were people who called me from as far as Mahaicony and also the West Bank Demerara. One parent even suggested traveling to Georgetown twice a week from Mahaicony so that her young child can benefit from this exercise. I truly felt sad that I was unable to

Lawanda Marcia Curry provide the required help to the students,” she told Chronicle recently.

She is happy that she was finally able to find a place in May to accommodate the increasing number of persons who are showing interest.

“Initially, my focus was to have students of all ages but I have decided to tutor only children at the moment from 3 1/2 years old to grade 6.

At present, I also teach basic Mathematics to the younger children; but my main focus is really to help the children with the Literacy Programme.”

Lawanda is currently preparing to host summer classes in July and August, and anyone who requires more information can contact her on 611 1900.

With suitable jobs hard to find these days for some people, Lawanda thought long and hard about the possibility of teaching people how to read for a living. The idea occurred to her years ago but she decided to get serious with it earlier this year when she found herself without a job.

“I was unemployed for a while and looking for jobs, but to no avail. So, I thought to myself why not take this up now. For a number of years, I have been teaching people to read, but on a voluntary basis. So I thought, why not make it a job?”

Born and raised in Buxton Village, East Coast Demerara, Lawanda attended Company Road Primary, Annandale Secondary, and then Critchlow Labour College where she did a course and emerged as the best graduating student in English Language. She also did a business course at Cambridge University through School of the Nations.

“Currently, I am involved in a voluntary work and I get to meet people of various back► Contiuned on page XXV

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Teachers others to read can be ... ◄ From page XXIV grounds and social status. I find that some persons simply cannot read.

It can be something embarrassing because most people do not come out and tell you. You have to discern it in most cases. Just recently I was in a café and I saw someone who had a form to full but someone else was doing it for her. And the form had such simple questions. It’s really a sad situation,” she expressed.

Lawanda is confident in her abilities to help others learn how to read. “I have been an ardent reader since childhood. I love reading. I would read literally anything!”

She is advising persons not to be embarrassed over their inability to read but to step up to the challenge and do something about it. “There are different reasons why people are not able to read. For example, people didn’t go to school because of poverty. But they should not confine themselves to the fact that they cannot read and just be comfortable with that. They should want to learn how to read so they can identify their names and other basic information. There is nothing to be ashamed of.”

With some of her current students

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Making Guyana beautiful, one community at a time

W

hile there is continued discussion over what actually defines a community, for many people it is a sense of cohesiveness. For generations, communities have served a vital role in offering their members camaraderie and a support system. However, our society is quickly changing to one that is becoming more detached an effect often attributed to accessibility to communication and virtual technologies. This shift in the norm, is sadly

resulting in the sense and value of community gradually being lost.

A stroll through most communities in the city and other parts of the country, will reveal a changed aesthetic. While in the past, the country-side conjured up images of wide open fields to play, animals grazing, trees providing shade, fresh fruits to eat, wide cool trenches to take a dip, and togetherness, today, this is a much removed from the sad reality caused by social, cultural and environmental changes.

Our capital city, Georgetown, was renowned for its pleasing aesthetic which earned it the name “Garden City” no doubt an acknowledgement of its wide tree-lined streets and avenues, and quaint Dutch colonial and Victorian architecture, reminiscent of its history. Today, many of these beautiful buildings have either been replaced or are in disrepair, while keeping the avenues and streets uncluttered and canals free-flowing is a constant battle. But should we give up? Not at all! As citizens of this dear country, whether living in the city or country-side, the power is ours to return our environs to one that we can enjoy. To help you along, here are some steps you can take to get your community moving towards that fresh and pleasing look that will lure you outdoors to take a stroll, admire the architecture, smell the flowers, enjoy the breeze, reading a book on an outdoor bench and the list goes on…..

Getting started…

Assessing the needs of your community First, you will need to assess your community by looking

at what needs to be done and in what areas. Focus on facilities like parks, gardens, ponds, and playgrounds etc. that need attention. The best way to do this, is to form small groups with each group being designated a specific task. Take the opportunity to go on a community walk-through and speak to new and old members who have been there in earlier times, and may be able to provide pictures and traditional information on what the community was once like. This will also give you the opportunity to meet your neighbours while fostering inclusiveness.

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Planning cleaning up and other restoration activities

After you have arrived at an idea or a rough outline of what and where works need to be done in the community, you should then start planning how you will do it. This will be one of the most important stages and probably a bit challenging, ► Continued on page XXXI

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Making Guyana beautiful, one community at a time â–ş From

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but the prospects are worth it. Approach your elected constituency representative in the City Council, Neighborhood Democratic Council or Regional Democratic Council with your plan of action.

Convince the representative to take this proposal for consideration at the next meeting of Councilors. Your next step is to approach corporate businesses within your community. Since members of the community support these businesses, it is quite likely that they may be willing to give back to their customers and the community. Do not just ask for finances, but accept any form of help, whether materials such paint, tools and safety gear, manpower, clean-up machinery or meals for workers - whatever the gesture be thankful. Most importantly be accountable in this process especially with

finances; people like to see their money’s worth and the community will like to see progress.

Beautification Ideas

Now that the planning is taken care of, here are some great ideas for restoration projects to help make your community playgrounds, parks, gardens, ponds and other open spaces beautiful

and functioning again.

Planting flowers and trees This idea will add a pop of color for residents and visitors in your community to enjoy. Choosing brightly colored blooms and planting them in old â–ş Contiuned

on page XXXII

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Making Guyana beautiful, one community at a time ► From

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reusable containers like cans, tires, kitchen pots and pans, even an old bath tub will add interest, stimulating conversation on reuse - one of the 3 R’s of waste management.

Planting trees with wide

canopies will provide not just beauty but other benefits to environment. Trees provide shade on sunny days; this will encourage picnicking.

Trees also help to control erosion and pollution within that area by reducing runoff and anchoring the soil. Trees also help to filter the air of carbon dioxide and other pollutants making it healthier.

Many species of plants and animals find homes in trees, so the more trees there are, the more birds and butterflies you can enjoy seeing in the environment.

Clean and clear old ponds and water ways Rid the community of

stagnant water bodies by clearing ponds and trenches. This action will make it difficult for vermin like rats and vectors like the mosquito to find breeding grounds in your community. Imagine how comfortable it would be to enjoy looking at the night sky without the nuisance of mosquitoes, or the worry of getting any dreaded mosquito borne diseases. So, organize the community to get working to clear drains and canals of debris that block the free flow of water. Not only is this good for the health of us humans but also for other water dwelling life-forms such as fish and tadpoles.

Have you ever wondered what causes the water in some ponds or trenches to become green and smelly?

This occurrence is evidence of “algal bloom.” Algae are microscopic plants which grow and thrive in conditions where there are a lot of “nutrients.” The nutrients come from decomposing garbage, animal and human waste that find their way into our trenches, canals. The abundance of “nutrients” cause algae to grow and multiply quickly – hence the green slimy mass seen in polluted waterways. As the algae quickly use up the nutrients and oxygen in the water, they die and decompose – this is what leads to that terrible smell! We can save ourselves this discomfort if ponds and trenches are kept clear and free-flowing.

This will enable fish to grow and thrive; would it not be great to be able to revive

recreational fishing again in your community?

Enhancing community parks and playgrounds Parks and playgrounds can provide recreation and fitness activities for members

you are successful with these, you can try other ideas with your community members. It is important to inspire people to want to be a part of this movement for a positive change in communities. While engaging

of your community. It is a great idea to get communities interested in activities such as track and field, running, long and high jump. To engage the children, cycling, swings and slides are good options to look at. This does not need to break the bank! Using reusable material can make it affordable - old tires, pallets and other durable materials can be used to safely enhance and develop the parks and playgrounds in your communities.

With these few ideas you will be well on your way to a better community. Once

in these “physical” projects at the same time the spirit of community is being nurtured. Though your actions may be in your immediate community, the benefits of what you do also transfer to the region, country and globally. As always, the EPA is willing to assist you with ideas to get your project started and completed.

We invite you to post your pictures to our Facebook page, Environmental Protection Agency-Guyana so that we can see the progress you are making in your community.

Share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O EIT Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com or you can contact the Agency on 225-5467-9.

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Florida man brags about burglary on Facebook, lands him in jail (Reuters) A Florida burglar who posted a Facebook video bragging about a $500,000 jewelry haul has landed himself and one of his accomplices in jail, police said on Thursday.

Officers from Pinecrest, Florida said they arrested Raderius Glenn Collins, 18, after he uploaded the video to Facebook on May 27. His friend, Marcus Terrell Parker, 27, was arrested after another burglary on June 9, police said.

They are still searching for a third suspect, who is seen in the video in the passenger seat of the car flashing $100 bills to the camera.

The video, which runs more than seven minutes long and has over 3,000 views, showed the men bragging about their illegal earnings, exclaiming: "We got a safe" and "Can someone say check please?"

The man in the driver's seat makes sure the traffic light is still red and proceeds to proudly reveal his bag of cash to the camera while the other two men cheer.

The burglars stole a safe from a home with jewelry valued at more than $500,000.

Police say Collins and Parker later burglarized a second home and stole jewelry valued at more than $10,000 and a screwdriver that would later tie one of the arrested men

to the burglary.

One of the arrested subjects told police that he and the other two subjects sold the stolen jewelry to a jewelry and watch shop and received $1,300 each in return.

Michelle Hammontree, communications director for Pinecrest, told Reuters that the Facebook video helped police establish a link between the burglary and the jewelry store, where the suspects pawned their ill-gotten goods. The bag featured in the video is the same one given to the suspects at the store.

"It was just one dumb decision after another," Hammontree said.

Police said that while they are seeking a third suspect in the May 27 burglary, it is unclear whether he had involvement in the second break-in.

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‘Aspire to be the best’

- Junior election professional’s programme trains future leaders

Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016

“I can say without any doubt that when I left that programme I was very much richer in terms of knowledge.”

J

– Vishnu Persaud, Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Guyana Elections Commission

unior election officials from across the Commonwealth are on their way to becoming the next generation of leaders of election management bodies, delegates heard at the 2016 Commonwealth Electoral Network conference.

Vishnu Persaud of Guyana’s Elections Commission was one of four alumni of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Junior Election Professionals (JEP) Initiative who addressed the biennial conference in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday 23 June.

The programme was established under the direction of the Commonwealth Electoral Network and with funding from Australia’s

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and has since trained nearly a hundred staff of election commissions from Commonwealth member countries.

Persaud attended the first-ever JEP training event in New Delhi, India, in 2013. Now he is the Elections Commission's Deputy Chief Election Officer. “I can say without any doubt that when I left that programme I was very much richer in terms of knowledge,” he says.

He has since been leading reforms in► Continued

on page XXXV

Chronicle Pepperpot June 26, 2016 ► From

page XXXIV cluding steps to move from manual to electronic voter registration. “The knowledge I acquired is what I am applying in terms of developing the methodology for the implementation of electronic registration.”

“We refer to ourselves as the JEP family because we have a network through which we communicate every day, sharing our experiences and the challenges we encounter,” Persaud adds.

It is a sentiment echoed

by Dorcas Crentsil, an Electoral Officer from the Election Commission of Ghana, who joined the JEP Initiative at an Africa region training

event in Botswana in August 2015.

“I would advise and encourage anyone who has the opportunity to join to do so, because it’s going to open up networks for you. We, the 2015 Botswana group, go online to discuss any difficulties we encounter. If anyone has a solution, you will get it.”

“Aspire to be the best.”

This, she says, is a mantra she picked up during the programme, which has stayed with her ever since. “It is a slogan we still use. It is about aspiring to be the best among your team and also your EMB [election management body].”

Vincentia Laurent Adrien from Dominica’s Electoral Office attended a JEP training

event in Jamaica in September 2014. “I learnt about the role of women in politics, the independence of EMBs, and also learnt a great deal about voter registration.”

“I would encourage others to take part in the JEP programme as it is an avenue for developing your skills and gives you the opportunity to get a promotion in your electoral body," she says.

Abdul Qayyum Khan, Deputy Director of the Election Commission of Pakistan, also attended a JEP workshop in India in 2015 which covered gender and women's participation in the electoral process. “After attending the JEP Initiative back in India last year, I held a meeting with all the officers in the

Election Commission,” he says.

“As a result the commission made a decision that a chapter in support of women in the electoral process shall be included in the training plan for election officials.”

This is set to be rolled out for the country's upcoming 2018

XXXV general elections, he adds.

“The JEP Initiative was the best platform through which I got the opportunity to gain knowledge and ideas on how to promote the inclusion of women in the electoral process,” he continues.

The Commonwealth Electoral Network’s 2016

Biennial Conference, from 22 to 24 June 2016, is convened by the Commonwealth Secretariat and hosted by Trinidad and Tobago’s Elections and Boundaries Commission, led by its Chairperson, Mark Ramkerrysingh. (Commonwealth Secretariat)

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Female pet owners may be less likely to die of stroke Can pets be good for your health?

Possibly yes, a study suggests.

(Reuters) U.S. women over age 50 and generally healthy were less likely to die of cardiovascular events like stroke if they had a cat or dog, the researchers found.

After accounting for the increase in physical activity required of dog owners, owning a cat instead of a dog was still tied to a lower risk of death from stroke.

The researchers studied almost 4,000 adults age 50 and older without major illnesses who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 1988 to 1994 and who reported their pet ownership.

Participants also answered questions about physical activity, weight and height, cigarette smoking and other health risk factors. More than half were overweight or obese.

About 35 percent of people owned a pet, most often a dog. Pet owners tended to be younger, more often were married, and more often were white.

According to the National Death Index, as of 2006, 11 of every 1,000 non-pet owners had died of cardiovascular disease, compared to about 7 of every 1,000 pet owners.

Specifically for stroke, male pet owners were just as likely to have died, but female pet owners were about 40 percent less likely to have died of stroke.

Most of this association was driven by cat ownership, according to results in High Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Prevention.

“Anecdotally, we believe that walking a dog is good for heart, reducing life pressure and blood pressure as well,” said senior author Jian Zhang of the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University in the U.S. “I strongly believe that putative benefits of keeping a dog have not yet fully translated into reality, and we found that pet owners did not walk pets, certainly, dogs, more often than others,” Zhang said. “This explains why owning a dog did not reduce CVD mortality among dog owners.”

Cat owners may have a personality that protects their hearts, rather than cats actually having a concrete effect on heart health, he said.

“We are short of overall assessment of the associations of companion animals with human health, and our study should not be interpreted to encourage more people to own pets, either dog or cat,” Zhang said. “Pets are good, but have to be kept responsibly.”

“In my study, there was a tendency for pet owners to have a higher risk of dying,” said Dr. Richard F. Gillum of Howard University College of Medicine in Washington D.C., who was not part of the new study but did study the same NHANES surveys.

Most findings show no association between pets and survival, he said.

“Data from NHANES are really inadequate to settle the question, since one can only determine there was a pet in the household, but not the number of pets or whether the study participant was the owner, cared for it or interacted with it,” Gillum said. “So we need to wait for better studies before making any firm conclusions about pets and survival among their owners.”

“Even if there were a reduction of death from stroke among women with cats, of what importance is that in public health terms if they are just as likely to die as other women, just from another cause,” he said.

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The Barbados Museum and Historical Society, The builders of the Panama Canal, Balboa, Canal Zone. Hutchinson Panama Canal Postcard Collection Preparing for a blast: The Barbados Museum and Historical Society, Herbert Hutchinson Panama Canal Postcard Collection

Caribbean workers played vital role in the construction of Panama Canal - UNESCO

T

he extraordinary history and heritage associated with the construction of the Panama Canal has been recorded since the 19th century, through a magnificent collection of stamps, archival records and photographs, which have been inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register and are being shared with the world.

As Panama gets sets to inaugurate the expansion of this vital waterway on Sunday 29 June, the Director of the UNESCO Cluster Office in San Jose, is hailing the extraordinary contributions of thousands of Caribbean labourers whose hard work paved the way for the expansion.

“The history behind this construction is compelling. We also take note of one aspect of the construction which is not often highlighted – the contributions of the laborers. Over one hundred thousand people journeyed to Panama to work on this project. Many of them never returned. Fathers and mothers left their homelands and families behind in search of better opportunities. This movement of people had a significant impact on the Caribbean and Panamanian societies,” Pilar Alvarez-Laso noted.

This documented collection entitled “Silver Men: West Indian Labourers at the Panama Canal,” has been promoted

by UNESCO through the Memory of the World Programme since 2011.

Its inscription was championed by Jamaica, St Lucia, Panama, Barbados, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The collection also highlights the recruiting process which was ultimately responsible, both directly and indirectly, for the extraordinary pattern of West Indian emigration - one of the most significant movements of voluntary migration to emerge during the post emancipation period after 1838.

The UNESCO official stressed that the inscription of this collection reaffirms the vital role of the Memory of the World Programme. The vision of the Memory of the World Programme is that the world's documentary heritage belongs to all, and should be fully preserved, protected and be permanently accessible to all without hindrance. (UNESCO Cluster Office, Costa Rica)

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Bollywood Movie Review:

Raman Raghav 2.0 Nawazuddin Siddiqui's portrayal of Ramanna is spot-on. The glint in his eye, snarl on his face, menace in his voice – all enough to give you chills. Shot in squalid slums and deserted godowns, Jay Oza’s camera twists and turns through narrow alleys, ably capturing horror unfolding on screen.

(Reuters) In Anurag Kashyap’s “Raman Raghav 2.0”, a serial killer bludgeons three people to death. In the next scene, he saunters out with a smirk on his face and walks with an unmistakable swagger. The scene is shot in slow motion, and a punchy, upbeat song plays in the background.

There is a thin line between making a film about a serial killer and glorifying his actions.

With “Raman Raghav 2.0”, Anurag Kashyap seems to be unsure which side of the line he’s standing on.

Publicity material for the film asks people to be “ramantic” instead of romantic, exhorts fans to take “ramantic” selfies, and ape the character’s style. You have to wonder at the bloodthirsty-ness of it all. Asking people to imitate a man who kills indiscriminately and suffers from an incurable mental illness isn’t the most prudent promotional strategy.

The man at the centre of the film is Ramanna – an unhinged, ruthless psychopath. “Killing comes as naturally to me as breathing,” he tells another character. Ramanna is inspired by Raman Raghav, a real-life serial killer who murdered more than 40 people in the 1960s for no apparent reason. He prowls the streets of Mumbai at night, dragging an iron wrench and looking for his next victim.

Raghav is a cocaine-snorting police officer with daddy issues and a girlfriend whom he treats like dirt. He is investigating the gruesome murders Ramanna has committed, but can barely focus on the job at hand, given he is either acting like a petulant five-year-old or snorting cocaine.

The scales, therefore, seem tilted in Ramanna’s favour. Of the two, his is the more etchedout character and Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays him with relish. Raghav (Vicky Kaushal), on the other hand, seems hurriedly put together and tacked on for some conflict in the film. He pales in front of Siddiqui’s Ramanna and his problems seem too clichéd and too trivial to care about.

Director Kashyap is obviously inspired by Sriram Raghavan’s short film on Raman Raghav, lifting several scenes. But in his attempt to make it an edgier, contemporary narrative, Kashyap

loses out on the potency of the plot.

Raghav’s relationships and his anger issues are dealt with rather carelessly, and even though the film is supposed to be about the parallel lives of these two men, Kashyap and co-writer Vasan Bala don’t devote enough screen time to that relationship. Thus, the final encounter between the two men seems out-of-place and a little superficial.

Not that “Raman Raghav 2.0” is without plus points – Siddiqui being the biggest one. His portrayal of Ramanna is spot-on. The glint in his eye, the snarl on his face, the menace in his voice – all enough to give you chills. Shot in squalid slums and deserted godowns, Jay Oza’s camera twists and turns through narrow alleys, ably capturing the horror unfolding on screen.

But again, I keep coming back to the morality of it all. And somehow, a film that almost revels in murder, rather than seeing it for the crime that it is, makes me more uncomfortable than I’d have liked to be.

Lindsay Lohan fumes over #Brexit, Elizabeth Hurley sleeps soundly (Reuters) Lindsay Lohan went viral on social media in the early hours of Friday. Only this time, it wasn't about her transgressions.

The actress, who is as well known for her legal troubles and stints in rehab as she is for her roles in Disney's "Freaky Friday" and "Parent Trap," weighed in on the global financial panic over Brexit in dozens of tweets posted through early Friday morning. "good luck with the pound.. will take you about 15 years to get it back up #REMAIN instead," Lohan (@LindsayLohan) tweeted to 9.3 million followers as sterling began to plummet and markets came to terms with the fact that British voters had decided they wanted their country to leave the European Union.

Reuters counted at least 31 tweets in two hours before the former child star, who has taken up residence in London for a West End production of "Speed the Plow", deleted her anti-Brexit rants Friday morning.

Lohan wasn't the only celebrity to flaunt economic insights on social media. Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco), the retired All-Star baseball player who tweeted loudly against Brexit in the days leading up to the vote, posited on the currency's fall.

"Pound is sinking faster then [sic] the Spanish Armada.

Hug for u Great Britain," Canseco tweeted as sterling fell as much as 12 percent off its Thursday night high.

As the sun rose in the United Kingdom and the BBC declared that Brexit would win the day, some of the country's top talent expressed all manner of devastation.

"I truly believe this is one of the most devastating things to happen during my lifetime. I felt a fear I've never felt this morning," tweeted singer Ellie Goulding (@elliegoulding).

Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling (@ jk_rowling) tweeted: "I don't think I've ever wanted magic more."

Model and actress Elizabeth Hurley, however, appeared to sleep soundly Friday morning. A photo posted to her Twitter account @ElizabethHurley about an hour after the BBC declared a Brexit shows her asleep next to her dog with the caption "Sweet dreams," the hashtag #Brexit and emojis of a champagne bottle and Union flag.

Ahead of the vote, Hurley had urged Britons to vote "Leave" by posting a photo of herself on social media wearing only a Union flag.

The momentous decision for Britain revved up internet searches and social media usage.

According to Google Trends, the search term "what happens if we leave the EU" surged by 250 percent at around midnight British time, nearly two hours after the polls had closed.

On Twitter, more than 3.5 million tweets from around 9 p.m. ET Thursday to 5 a.m. ET on Friday had the hashtag

#Brexit. The sentiment on those tweets was evenly split, according Amobee Brand Intelligence, a marketing technology company.

During the Prime Minister David Cameron's resignation speech on Friday morning, Twitter usage in the U.K. was double its normal levels, with about 13,000 tweets per minute.

Led Zeppelin did not steal 'Stairway' riff, jurors say (Reuters) The guitar riff Led Zeppelin used in the 1971 classic "Stairway to Heaven" differed substantially from one the English band was accused of stealing from the U.S. group Spirit, a jury found on Thursday in a copyright infringement trial in Los Angeles.

The decision was a victory for Led Zeppelin, one of the top selling rock acts of all time, after an week-long trial in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles that had called into question the originality of their signature song.

The jury, in their second day of deliberations, found Led Zeppelin's singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page had access to Spirit's 1967 song "Taurus" but that the riff they were accused of taking was not intrinsically similar to the opening chords of "Stairway."

Page and Plant, who have attended court since the beginning of the closely-watched trial on June 14, showed little reaction immediately after the verdict was announced in court.

The lawsuit accusing Led Zeppelin of taking a descending chord progression in "Stairway" from the instrumental "Taurus" was brought in 2014 by Michael Skidmore, a trustee for the estate of the late Spirit guitarist and songwriter Randy Wolfe.

Guitarist Jimmy Page, who co-wrote the song with Plant and worked on the guitar riff, testified that he was largely unfamiliar with "Taurus," but that he did own a copy of the band's self-titled album that contained the song.

Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant (L) and guitarist Jimmy Page are shown sitting in federal court for a hearing in a lawsuit involving their rock classic song "Stairway to Heaven" in this courtroom sketch in Los Angeles, California June 14, 2016. (REUTERS/Mona Edwards)

I got you babe: Cher aims to free lonely, chained elephant in Pakistan (Reuters) The plight of a lonely elephant in a Pakistani zoo has inspired help from pop icon Cher, who has sent a representative to oversee improvements in his living conditions.

Cher first became aware of 29-year-old Kavaan's plight when pictures of the elephant in chains with only a dilapidated shed for shelter and a small, dirty pond to play in spread on social media.

Kavaan, a 29-year-old male elephant, is seen inside its enclosure at a zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan June 21, 2016. (REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood Picture taken June 21, 2016)

Cher sent her representative, Mark Cowne, to Islamabad to check up on Kavaan, who has been kept chained for 27 of his 29 years at the Maraghazar Zoo in Islamabad.

"Mark got Kaavan Water, Shade & Unchained. MARK IS TRYING EVERYTHING TO FREE HIM," Cher tweeted after Cowne visited the zoo.

Cowne told Pakistan's Dawn newspaper that Cher would soon launch an international campaign to help elephants in captivity.

Kavaan's caretakers last week said they had never heard of Cher or her music but were grateful for her help.

"We hope this will change things for him," said Kavaan's caretaker, Muhammad Jalal, as another caretaker sprayed the animal with a high-pressure hose while he bathed in a pond of muddy water.

Zoo management did not respond to calls seeking comment but told reporters last month that they were trying to get a new mate for Kavaan from Sri Lanka.

Kavaan was given to Pakistan by Sri Lanka in the 1980s. His only companion died in 2012.