Pepper pot 07 31 2016

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

‘The Spotlight’ gets down to the final 15!

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By Tamica Garnett hings are about to heat up in the ENetworks/ Red Entertainment talent show “The Spotlight” as the final 15 contestants to make it through to the next round will soon find out their fate.

Of the over 100 contestants who auditioned, a shortlisted 40 returned to the Giftland Mall to face the judges last Saturday; this time the judges were looking for those competitors who went back and improved their art enough to move ahead.

“Out of this 40, we

wanted to see the people who made a decision to improve on what the judges have told them so far, and we want to see that they were interested in taking the time to do it,” said Russell Lancaster, one of last Saturday’s three judges.

“What we’re looking for is diversity, age, ethnicity, quality of performance; all those things are important.

Because it’s a television show, it’s got to appeal to people’s eyes. More importantly we want the artistes to take it up to the next level.

“We have seen them; we decided that they have talent to get into the competition.”

The other judges on Saturday’s panel were former

Miss India Guyana, Alana Seebarran and Music Unlimited founder, Christian Sobers. Though the judges knew what they were looking for in the selected few, making the decision was by no means an easy job as quite a number of the contestants were very impressive.

“Quite a few have (left a lasting impression), but I don’t want to say much right now because we have a difficult job of deciding which 15 will go forward,” Lancaster commented.

Perhaps it was acts like eclectic dance troupe “Now You See Me”, consisting of dancers from the renowned Classique, and Unique Arts dance groups, that had the

judges scratching their heads in deciding just how to narrow the acts down. The quartet of dancers – Travis Bowen, Paul Charles, Kelton Jennings, and Nevon – came together just over a month ago to compete.

“We’re a brand new group. Some of us come from Classique and also there’s Unique Arts, we basically came together as friends to form the group at the beginning of this competition,” Travis explained.

And just what do these dancers bring to the table?

According to Travis these agile performers are coming with a lot of energy and creativity as they seek to get

that much closer to the win.

“Yea, definitely (we have what it takes to win); yea we’re dancers but we emphasize on various types of dances, as opposed to just one genre, so we bring all of that. We also bring energy, we bring creativity. I must say we have competition but I trust that once we do what we have to do, we’ll take it,” Travis asserted.

Travis and his gang are one of several dancing groups in the talent show. They are coming up against other groups like the all-boys “Euphoria Dance Crew”, comprising friends Jamal Ellis, Seon Douglas and Carlus Persaud.

Judges at one of the auditions: Christian Sobers, Alana Seebarran and Russel Lancaster

The trio first came together when they met on the set of dancing competition back in 2013; that show was eventually cancelled and the boys never got their chance to perform.

However, the racially diverse group decided to stick together and are elated that they made it into the final 40 and can’t wait to see if their “kick-ass” performance last Saturday was good enough to get them through to the next round.

“We just found ourselves chasing one passion, so we continued dancing together as one group,” a member of the group said as they prepared their hip-hop and Punjabi routine.

Performance aside, they definitely impressed with their outfit if nothing else.

The crew was decked out in eye-catching, matching black and green outfits.

Though the dancers are many, the competition is also littered with several singers, who bring some of the most competitive acts. The show also has its share of comedians, and it leaves to be seen how diverse the talent of the final 15 will be.

The organizers are not ready just yet to say which of the acts from Saturday made it through, but the final 15 are expected to be announced by next month, ahead of the show’s September airing on ENeteworks cable TV. As things wind down from the final fifteen, contestants are expected to be eliminated each week. However the show is scheduled to feature a number of twists and surprises to keep the excitement going, and may even give ousted acts a chance to make their way back into the competition.

So keep looking out, and cheering on your favourite act!

Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

Indian Muslim women defy tradition Indian Muslim women attend Eid al-Fitr prayers to mark the end of Ramadan in Srinagar July 6, 2016. (REUTERS/Danish Ismail)

– and men – to be judges

(Thomson Reuters Foundation) – An Indian Muslim women’s rights organisation is training women to be qazis, or judges, a role traditionally reserved for men, amid growing demand for more representation for women.

The Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) is training its first intake of 30 women in Koranic law, constitutional law and gender rights. The year-long programme aims to produce a steady stream of female qazis across India, its co-founder said.

The Indian constitution allows Muslims, the country’s biggest religious minority, to regulate matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance through their own civil code.

The qazi, usually a hereditary title, plays an important role by solemnising marriage and finalising divorce and settlements.

“Traditionally, qazis have all been men, and their judgment has never been questioned, even if many are unfair to women,” said Zakia Soman, a co-founder of BMMA in Mumbai.

“But it’s important to have women hear and represent women who are in a vulnerable position. Besides, there is no bar on women qazis as per the Koran,” she said.

The move comes at a time of growing dissent against laws that activists say discriminate against Muslim women. A survey by BMMA last year showed more than 90 percent of Muslim women want to end the “triple talaq” divorce tradition and polygamy.

Last month, the Supreme Court said it would examine how far it could interfere in Muslim laws, as it heard a plea to end the practice allowing Muslim men to divorce their wives by saying “talaq” three times.

Muslims make up 13 percent of India’s 1.2 billion population, yet government data show they are among some of the most excluded and marginalised communities.

The women being trained to be qazis are largely community workers and activists from states including Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Bihar, Soman said.

There are some female qazis in Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia.

Women qazis in India can help prevent child marriage, ensure that a woman marries willingly, and that a divorce is only granted after a period of reconciliation, and with fair terms for the woman, Soman said.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, a non-governmental institution that oversees the application of Muslim personal law in the country, has criticised the female qazis.

“Women don’t have the right to be a qazi,” said Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali, secretary of AIMPLB. “Besides, there is no need – there are enough men who are qazis. So it’s completely unnecessary,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

But female trainee Safia Akhtar said there was a need for women qazis.

“There are many grave injustices against Muslim women, and we deserve a say in matters that concern us,” said Akhtar in the city of Bhopal.

“If women can be prime ministers and pilots in this country, then why can’t we also be qazis?”

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock

By Subraj Singh

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he Rape of the Lock is an 18th century satirical poem written by Alex-

be accused of sexism, but it is possible that Pope may have simply been presenting sex-

ander Pope. It is a long poem and is written in the style of a mock epic

ist aspects of the society in which he lived, as there is a difference between presenting

poem. Epic poetry were those poems that belonged to canons such as

something and representing something. After all, based on the ending of the poem, it is

those of the ancient Greeks relating tales of ancient heroes and their

obvious that he may have been on the side of Belinda after ensuring that she gets the

exploits.

upper hand in the battle with the Baron. Hilarious and witty, The Rape of the Lock is a

The mock epic, then, served to do the opposite, in true satirical fashion, by focusing on

must-read poetic battle of the sexes.

seemingly trivial things but allowing them to have, and presenting them in a manner that was reminiscent of, all the grandeur and greatness that were to be found in the true epics.

In a way, the mock epic form reminds me of celebrity culture today, in the 21st Century, where so much attention and importance is given to even the most meaningless and trivial of acts committed by celebrities.

Belinda, the heroine of Pope’s poem, and a great beauty, seems to be quite the celebrity herself – albeit in eighteenth century England. She is pretty, appears to be wealthy and has people waiting on her. One of her most significant characteristics are two locks of hair that she wears in curls at the back of her neck. The Baron, in love with Belinda, lusts after these locks of hair and ends up snipping off one of them from Belinda’s head. Belinda, of course, flies into a great rage and attacks the Baron, causing everyone at the party to join in the brawl caused by the snipping of the lock.

The poem is a highly comedic and a great part of that has to do with the mock epic style it is written in. Such examples include the way in which Pope assigns “slyphs” – slight, fairylike creatures as the invisible protectors of women, in much the same way that the ancient heroes would be watched over by the gods. The only difference is that the sylphs are tiny and cannot do a whole lot, as opposed to the all-powerful gods from the conventional epics. Then there’s the way in which Belinda’s act of getting dressed is presented as her arming herself for an upcoming battle the way the heroes in the epic poems did.

There is also quite a lot of sexual allegory in the poem, starting from the very beginning when the main conflict of one of Belinda’s curls (described as labyrinths of love which can entrap men) is cut off and stolen by the Baron. The cutting of Belinda’s hair, a physical aspect of herself, is meant to be interpreted as a violation of her body and is representative of rape itself – with the male lover forcefully taking what he wants from the woman. In many ways, particularly through his presentation of the woman in his poem and his use of the patriarchal stereotypes of his time, Pope might

(Alexander Pope, painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller)

Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

V

To Phone or not to Phone Hello Everyone, I hope this week has treated you well.

As some of you know, my speciality is addiction and I have written about many types, such as alcohol and marijuana. Today, I would like to talk about a different kind of addiction- one that also isolates us, causes insomnia as well as a loss of interest in previous activities that we once loved.

Are you addicted to your phone? Particularly, smart phone?

I must admit, I check my phone compulsively; I would say every 10-15 minutes. I do not always know what I’m looking for but I always look. My phone is such a normal part of my life and so constantly in my hand that I cannot count the amount of times I have searched for it, while it was actually in my hand. The first thing I do when I get up in the morning and the last thing I do before going to sleep is check my phone. I decided that this wasn’t healthy and something must be done.

I looked it up and found that women were more likely to become addicted to their phones as men are less likely to have social media apps.

Also, older people are less likely to become addicted. I believe this is because they do not know how to use smart phones. (My father actually still uses a Nokia) I asked some of my colleagues and friends how bad losing your phone would be on a scale of 1-10. 98 % said 10 and 2% said 9. They all claimed that it would be the worst material possession that they could ever lose. They continued to say that feelings of anxiety, irritation and overwhelming sadness would be felt if they were to lose their phone today.

It seems harmless right? Caring so much about a phone? Well, this week I’ve been really paying attention to the importance that I and others around me give to a phone, rather than what’s actually going on around them.

Our phones- whether we are speaking to other people, using social media or playing gamescan be addictive as they alter our moods, beliefs and trigger enjoyable and unenjoyable feelings.

Apart from obviously being my main source of communication, my phone is my newspaper, watch, alarm, map, recorder, day planner, calendar, camera, music player, calculator, a weapon

(sometimes) and my friend when I’m bored or lonely- basically everything.

However, it is also my constant interrupter and distractor. I (I imagine much like most of you out there) have a deep desire to know everything that is going on. I believe that is human nature. But when does it become too much?

Well, I believe it’s too much when it has a name. ‘Nomophobia’ is the term coined to describe the fear of being without a mobile phone.

Seriously, what have we come to?

It becomes an addiction when the object begins to control your life and interferes with your daily activities, work, and relationships. I read somewhere that “The biggest obstacle to productivity is connectivity” but over use can affect a lot more than our productivity. The truth is, overuse of our phones can harm us psychologically, socially and physically.

In regards to affecting our social skills, how many of us miss out on a joke or good conversation as we were on our phones? How many times have we annoyed our good friend or family member because we were posting on social media how much fun we are having with them?

It really effects our relationships without us even realising it. A common thing that some of us (yes, myself included) do as well is to be on our phone when we are left alone- just out of sheer discomfort. This stops other people from engaging with you.

Now, what are the psychological implications of cell phone over use?

This is done mainly by our apps on our phone than the phone itself. Social media apps such as Snapchat and Instagram are associated with bullying, privacy violations, stress and anxiety.

Low self-esteem and depression are also common when we decide to compare ourselves and our lives to what others ‘share’ about theirs. Cell phones have somehow also become a representation of social status so there is pressure to get the newest releases. This can of course result in monetary and (at times) legal issues.

Finally, cell phone overuse can physically affect us. For example car accidents. It is a law of physics that no one thing can occupy the same space at the same time in your mind. If your eyes are on your phone, they are not even a little bit

on the road. Overuse can also give us headaches, blurred vision, impair our memory and concentration and even cause dizziness. I have paid attention to my use lately and have experienced all of the above, along with neck pain and less sleep. I also tend to get sick quite often and I now believe it is because I take my phone everywhere with me and tend to put it down anywhere!

So, what can we do to decrease our cell phone use?

Firstly, keep track of the reasons why you check your phone. Is it boredom or loneliness? Is it just to check the news? It is important to know why so a substitute can be implemented.

Secondly, try not to use your phone (unless it’s an emergency) for the first hour of your day. This worked very well for me. This is because when the day is start a certain way, it has the ability to shape your entire day in that direction.

For example, if you start a Saturday lazing around all morning, chances are you won’t get much done in the afternoon either. When I didn’t check my phone for the first hour, I didn’t check it as much as I would normally throughout the day.

Also, try creating a ‘No-Phone Zone’. This can happen any time throughout the day – for two hours at work, when you’re having lunch with someone or when you have to spend time with your children. Simply put it down and walk away. Finally, read an actual book or newspaper before bed. This way you will still be entertained and informed but you won’t be up all night – more than likely minding someone else’s business.

What can making these efforts bring? I believe self- discipline, better concentration, higher productivity and deeper awareness of your surroundings.

Thank you for reading and please send in any topics to caitlinvieira@gmail.com. Also remember the group meetings you can attend: Woodlands Hospital: Outpatient Department Drug and Alcohol group meetings - Mondays 4:15 Good mental health group meetingsWednesdays 4:15 Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always!

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

Dealing with NEW DENTURES

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believe if it were not for the fabrication of false teeth there would have been far less dental “quacks” in Guyana.

Despite loosing their teeth for one reason or the other, some persons are often skeptical of wearing dentures due mainly to erroneous perceptions or ignorance.

However, in order for those who will be wearing dentures for the first time to obtain maximum benefit from it, certain practices should be observed.

One should first remember that dentures are not permanent and that changes continue to occur in the bone and soft tissues of the mouth.

Now here is some basic advice for those who either wear or intend to wear removable dentures:

and revisit your dentist for post – insertion consultation. It would be ideal if you visit the dentist while wearing the new dentures. In such an event he or she can actually see the problem first hand Feelings of fullness and increased salivation will decrease with time

3.

Sucking sweets may help any gagging sensation

4. Expect sore spots to develop during this initial adjustment period as this it is not unusual. It is important that the dentist sees these sore spots in order to identify the exact place to relieve on the new denture 5.

It is advisable to use denture adhesive cream for at least the first few days.

Eating with your new dentures: Dr. BERTRAND R. STUART, DDS.

During the initial adjustment period you should: 1.

2.

Leave the dentures in for the first 48 hour period. Note any discomfort or pain

1.

Cut up food into small bite-sized pieces

2.

Eating with food on both sides of your mouth may be helpful

3. Biting foods with your front teeth will tend to dislodge dentures and the underlying tissues 4.

Avoid sticky foods

5. Learning to eat with dentures takes time. Eating with dentures will be as easy or efficient as eating with natural teeth but you need to be patient Talking with your new dentures: 1. Adjustment and getting used to its presence takes time – read out loud to speed up the process 2.

Muscles will need to be “re-educated” so they will retain the denture

3.

The feeling of crowding of the tongue will decrease with time

Cleaning your mouth and your dentures: 1.

Cleanse and massage your gums daily with a soft toothbrush

2. Brush dentures with a soft toothbrush and ordinary facial soap Never use toothpaste to brush your dentures – it is too abrasive 3. Soak dentures overnight in either a commercial denture soaking solution/tablet or a weak mixture of bleach and water Dentures Do’s and Don’ts: 1. Do leave your dentures out at night while you sleep 2. Only use denture adhesives on advice of your dentist 3. Never attempt to adjust, repair, or re-fit your denture yourself because you can damage it and may require a new one. Consult your dentist if you encounter any problem 4. Do see your dentist for your regular check-up

Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

VII

Judge’s misdirection causes confusion in jury’s mind – sets murder accused free, pending new trial

IN 1960, the Federal Supreme Court in its Criminal Appellate jurisdiction allowed the appeal of murder accused, Baldeo Dihal on the grounds that the trial judge’s misdirection on the law as it related to the facts was likely to cause confusion in the jury’s mind.

The accused, who was found guilty by the jury, was sentenced to death. He appealed.

The Federal Appellate Court, constituted by Justices Rennie, Archer and Wylie, allowed the appeal, set aside the conviction and death sentence, but ordered a new trial in the interest of justice.

The appellate court held that on the trial of a person charged with murder, the judge should relate the law to the facts in the case.

It was pointed out that when dealing with the question of provocation, mention should not be made of cooling time, if the evidence clearly shows that no time elapsed between the provocation and the retaliation, and more so, where any such mention of cooling time may cause confusion in the mind of the jury.

The appellate court ruled, as it allowed the appeal and ordered a new trial, that it is the duty of the judge, in his summing up, to deal adequately with the evidence relating to self-defence.

Attorney-at-law, Mr. Stanley Hardyal appeared for the appellant, while Mr. W Persaud represented the Crown.

Delivering the judgment of the court, Justice Rennie declared that at the close of the argument, they allowed the appeal, quashed the conviction and set aside the sentence.

According to him: “The grounds of appeal are numerous and somewhat wide in scope, but, with the exception of the ground of misdirection, we saw no merit in any of them, and for that reason, refrain from making reference to any ground other than misdirection.”

He said “exception was taken to the form of the directions when dealing with the questions of self-defence and provocation,” and that it was submitted “that the law was laid down in one compartment, so to speak, and the facts were referred to in another.” No attempt was ever made to relate the one to the other, Justice Rennie said, adding: “The directions do seem to deserve this criticism.

The law of self-defence was meticulously explained as a lecturer might well explain it to a class of students.”

He, however, stressed that nowhere in the directions

is the jury told what facts they should take into account when considering this aspect of the case, and that the nearest they ever came to having the facts related to self-defence is the statement that when considering self-defence, it would be relevant for them to compare the wounds on the body of the deceased with the injuries on the appellant. The statement at reference, however, deals with only one factor of self-defence, and that is whether there was the necessity to use such force.

On the issue of self-defence and the direction con-

cerning it, Justice Rennie said: “We shall have more to say at a later stage of these reasons, but now return to the matter under consideration.”

According to Justice Rennie, the jury was told: “If in all the circumstances as a reasonable man, he feels that he is in danger — serious danger — he is entitled to take steps to defend himself, if necessary to the extent of killing, but though he can do that, it is his duty to retreat if he can reasonably do so in all the circumstances.

“You may think that it is not a very manly thing to do to run away if a person is attacking you or threatening to attack you. But it is the law.”

Noting that nowhere in the directions were they told what facts they should take into account in determining whether or not to retreat was reasonable, Justice Rennie said: “The evidence I accepted would seem to suggest that retreat was not possible, and it must be confusing to

By George Barclay a jury in such circumstances to be told that although it may be considered not manly to retreat, the law nonetheless requires it if the person attacked can reasonably do so.

“As in the case of self-defence,” he said, “so in the case of provocation; no assistance was given to the jury by relating the evidence to the law. We can see a possibility of some confusion being caused in the minds of the jury by this failure to relate the one to the other.

Such a confusion could have been caused by reason of their being told: “If there was time for cooling between the time that the provocation was given and the time that the killing was done, then, of course, you cannot get the benefit of provocation to reduce the offence from murder to manslaughter.”

These directions, Justice Rennie said, were given in spite of the fact that the evidence, if believed, showed that no time had elapsed between the provocation and the retaliation. “In another case,” he said, “such an excess of direction in law might not have confused the jury, but in the present case, where evidence was given of the relationship that existed between the deceased and the appellant’s mother as a motive for the alleged offence, the jury might very well have found themselves in the position where they would ask themselves the question: ‘What did the judge mean when he referred to cooling time? Had he in mind the relationship between the deceased and the appellant’s mother?’ There was nothing else in the case, apart from the encounter, that might have affected the appellant’s mind, and if there could have been no question of cooling time with regard to the encounter, the jury must necessarily have wondered why they were told about cooling time and, more-so, when they remembered that they were told that it is important, and still more-so, having regard to the fact that the directions on provocation ruled out the relationship between the deceased and the applicant’s mother.”

In noting that apart from the criticisms at reference of the directions that there is also a serious misdirection on the question of self-defence, this being the evidence of the attack which the appellant said he repelled, Justice Rennie said: “That evidence, shortly put, is to the effect that the appellant was held by the neck, choked, and when he fell in the swamp, was being stifled.”

Justice Rennie noted that the choking and stifling seemed to the court to be of far greater consequence and amounted to a serious misdirection.

The appeal was allowed, conviction and death sentence set aside, and a new trial ordered.

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

TELECOMS LIBERALIZATION The recent passage of the Telecommunications Bill in Parliament and the concomitant liberalization of the telecoms industry is a very important news event.

From the time of the establishment of the telecoms monopoly, the Guyana Consumers Association (GCA) has been struggling against its iniquities as the records of the Public Utilities Commission will attest.

In the past, the iniquities of the monopoly were far greater and more blatant than they are today. Indeed, it was heartening to see that on the day after the Bill was passed, GTT carried a full-page advertisement in the press admitting that the removal of their monopoly would result in "Lower International Rates; Faster Internet; Better Customer Service; and a Wider Range of Service."

In the Parliamentary debate, several speakers reiterated the benefits liberalization would bring to the industry, the country and the consumer.

Among the points made was that Guyana would be able to catch up with the advances Information and Communication Technology (ICT) had made over the years and would now be able to establish more fruitful social and economic relationships with the rest of the world.

It would stimulate competition within the Industry itself to the benefit of both providers and consumers. It would allow more service providers to enter the market thereby bringing new investment into the country and at the same time having more intensive competition between companies resulting in better packages for the consumer.

The Act prescribes the establishment of a Regulatory Body which will give effect to its mandate. That Regulatory Body would be responsible for seven areas which together are comprehensive.

These areas include: Licensing; spectrum allocation; pricing; interconnection and access to universal services; telecoms and consumer related matters. It will also address the extension of network to unserved and underserved areas in the various Regions across Guyana.

It would be apposite to say a few words on two of these areas, Spectrum Allocation.

Spectrum is a term taken from Physics and to try to

explain it here would be complicated, but it is sufficient to know that it is absolutely necessary for wireless telecommunication.

It is a very limited and valuable national asset and in other Caribbean jurisdictions it has been auctioned, bringing in several million US dollars.

ATN/GT&T had initially been demanding that additional spectrum be given to them free of charge, or at most a very peppercorn rental. The allocation of Spectrum is a very important responsibility since one has to be au fait with market value as well as how will Spectrum allocation affect new entrants to the market and space for competition.

The other area we will mention is the extension of the network to underserved areas and the Interior.

For social and economic cohesion, it is necessary that the whole country have telephonic connection.

When the original contract was signed between Government of Guyana and Atlantic Telenetwork (ATN) giving GT&T a monopoly of the telephone services PAT DIAL of the country, the major consideration on GT&T's part was that they would provide landline service to a number of named Interior locations as well as install several thousand new landline telephones per year.

GT&T never did their part of the contract. We shall return to this issue later.

The test of the validity and effectiveness of any Law is its enforcement. But the structures for the enforcement of the Telecommunications Act are not in place and this could mean the Act could not be fully enforced for many months, probably a year while structures are put in place. This would cause much disappointment and a dampening of the euphoria which the public felt on the passing of the Bill.

It would seem to us that we could have a functional regulatory body in a month-and- half if the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU), a Department

CONSUMER

CONCERNS:

which is efficient and has a great deal of knowledge and experience in the field of Regulation, were regarded as the nucleus department to which the other areas are grafted on.

The naming of the new Department, reclassification of staff and recruitment of some new personnel as well as working out new structures and their functions could all be done in just over a month.

This would avoid embarrassing delay and the pitfalls of bureaucratization. The new Regulatory Body will perfect itself as it begins to work.

Just two days after the Telecommunications Bill was passed in Parliament, GTT held a press briefing. They first welcomed the new Liberalization Act and then immediately opened a new front with the Government of Guyana by calling upon the Government to honour what it termed the Government's contractual obligations to them.

If the Contract GTT is referring to is the one made in 1979 giving them the monopoly of the telephone services, then the GCA has long been pointing out that the main consideration ATN/GT&T has offered the Government was the establishing of several thousand landline telephones per year and the placing of landline connections in several named Interior locations.

GTT never fulfilled these obligations and had breached the Contract in a very real and substantial way. Further, the renewal of the Contract in 2010 could not be legal since it was not the identical contract of 1979 which was renewed.

These and other related factors will be brought to the fore from a consumer's perspective as soon as GTT begins the engagement with Government.

Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

IX

A guide to getting started online (Pt. 3)

A

strange thing happened last week. The day after my last article was published I received an email notification from Wix (the web development platform I use). If you read last week’s article you would recall me complaining about the one thing about Wix that drove me absolutely crazy: hashbangs. Well, imagine my surprise when I saw the subject line of the email: Important notification about your URLs. Now I usually trash emails left and right, but this I had to read. Come August 8 those ugly hashbangs will be a thing of the past! Millions complained and millions were heard! They’ve finally found a way to give their users much cleaner looking URLs without compromising the search engine optimization, something literally every other platform has been doing for years. I felt compelled to work this news into today’s article because (hashbangs aside) Wix is actually a really beautiful platform and now there’s no reason to not use it. Needless to say, I’m completely overjoyed. Now, back to the matter at hand.

So you’ve registered your name and your website is finally up and running after months of work. What next? Contrary to popular belief, the work doesn’t end once the website is completed. In addition to consistently making updates you will have to find ways to drive traffic to your site and expand your network. There are a number of ways you can do this but keep in mind that, like most things, it will take time. Sure you can throw money at it by paying for likes/followers/subscribers but organic user engagement is always best. Spend time cultivating meaningful online connections.

One way to do this is by blogging. While platforms like Wordpress and Blogger are popular within Guyana’s literary community, our visual artists are yet to tap into this valuable resource.

There is the widespread misconception that artists need not write since viewing their work should be good enough to satisfy any curious mind. This belief is the result of an education system that trains creative individuals to think that their strength lies primarily in their technical skill. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. I could get into that some more but that’s a topic for another day. What I will say is that blogging is a great way to keep viewers engaged with your work and it allows curators a glimpse into your thoughts and processes.

Another way to drive traffic to your site is by linking it to all of your social media accounts. You can include a social media bar with icons to each account so that viewers can readily access your profiles, and in most cases you also have the option of auto-sharing your own posts to your various profiles with the click of a single button.

It should go without saying that this feature makes life so much easier. By eliminating the need to update each account individually this feature not only cuts the time spent managing your online presence in half, but it allows you to expand your network by reaching out to persons who might have an account on one platform and not the other.

Hashtags (not to be confused with hashbangs) are another great way of driving

traffic to your website and social media accounts. What started as a feature unique to Twitter eventually became incorporated into almost every social media platform after developers realized how powerful they were. Hashtags are used when searching for specific content, particularly images related to their respective tags. Within the creative community it is often used to brand an individual’s artwork (for example, Jane Doe would use the hashtag #JaneDoe so that viewers who click on that tag would be able to see all of her work). This is a great way to discover works by artists and it’s an even greater way to be “discovered.”

Now your website is functioning as it should, all of your social media accounts are connected and you’re starting to create a buzz, what else could you possibly need? The answer is pretty simple: sales. Imagine how great it would be if you were able to generate sales from your online accounts to help cover some of your expenses. At this stage you would’ve already gotten your Visa debit card and your PayPal account in order so this next step is fairly easy.

You need to consider how you would want your online shop set up, keeping in mind the type of items you will have on sale.

Most web development platforms would have an option for establishing an online shop in the menu of your website. Alternatively, you can set up shop with an online marketplace like Etsy and link it to your website. It makes sense to capitalize on this since Etsy has over 50 million registered users and potential buyers. In exchange for paying a few miscellaneous fees and a 3.5% commission from individual sales, you get access to a thriving market without the hassle of having to look for that market yourself. Not a bad deal if you ask me. You can also include Etsy buttons on most social media platforms to help drive even more traffic to your site.

Of course, with an online shop you need to also consider which shipping company you will be using when the orders start to roll in. Take some time, do your research and a lot of ask questions before you commit to any one. Granted you could always switch companies if you’re not satisfied with their service, you would want to avoid having any bad experience that could possibly cost you a repeat customer. Those shipping companies will also have regulations that determine how your art product will be packaged and you should make it your duty to find out the best options for packing and shipping your items. Be sure to review their Terms and Conditions or any other legal documents to ensure that you understand what you’re signing up for and that you agree to avoid any difficult situations in the future.

This brings me to the end of what I hope was a helpful guide to getting started online. There is so much more involved in creative disciplines than simply making work. The end of production only signals the beginning of a new and often exhausting process of moving the work out of the artist’s studio and into the public domain, both physical and virtual. Thankfully we live in an era where every question we could ever imagine is but a few clicks away from being answered.

So whatever ground I failed to cover in this series could most definitely be covered with a little research. Good luck!

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

The mystery of Van Gogh’s madness (BBC) On 27 July 1890, Vincent Van Gogh walked into a wheat field behind the chateau in the French village of Auvers-sur-Oise, a few miles north of Paris, and shot himself in the chest. For 18 months he had been suffering from mental illness, ever since he had sliced off his left ear with a razor one December night in 1888, while living in Arles in Provence.

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam displays the weapon with which the painter is supposed to have shot himself (Credit: EPA) In the aftermath of that notorious incident of self-harm, he continued to experience sporadic and debilitating attacks that left him confused or incoherent for days or weeks at a time. In between these breakdowns, though, he enjoyed spells of calmness and lucidity in which he was able to paint. Indeed, his time in Auvers, where he arrived in May 1890, after leaving a psychiatric institution just outside Saint-Remy-de-Provence, north-east of Arles, was the most productive period of his career: in 70 days, he finished 75 paintings and more than 100 drawings and sketches.

Despite this, though, he felt increasingly lonely and anxious, and became convinced that his life was a failure.

Eventually, he got hold of a small revolver that belonged to the owner of his lodging house in Auvers. This was the weapon he took into the fields on that climactic Sunday afternoon in late July. However, the gun was only a pocket revolver, with limited firepower, and so when he pulled the trigger, the bullet ricocheted off a rib, and failed to pierce his heart. Van Gogh lost consciousness and collapsed. When evening fell, he came back round and looked for the pistol, in order to finish the job.

Unable to find it, he staggered back to the inn, where a doctor was summoned. So was Vincent’s loyal brother Theo, who arrived the next day. For a brief while, Theo believed that Vincent would rally. But in the end, though, nothing could be done – and, that night, the artist died, aged 37. “I didn’t leave his side until it was all over,” Theo wrote to his wife, Jo. “One of his last words was: ‘this is how I wanted to go’ and it took a few moments and then it was over and he found the peace he hadn’t been able to find on earth.”

On the Verge of Insanity, a new exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, provides a meticulous and balanced account of the final year-and-a-half of the artist’s life. Although it does not offer a definitive diagnosis of Van Gogh’s illness – over the decades, a number of causes have been suggested, from epilepsy and schizophrenia to alcohol abuse, psychopathy and borderline personality disorder – it does contain a severely corroded handgun that was discovered in the fields behind the chateau in Auvers around 1960.

Analysis suggests that the pistol, which was fired, had been in the ground for between 50 and 80 years. In other words, it is probably the very one that Van Gogh used.

Van Gogh’s Tree Roots features a complicated, ‘all-over’ composition, with no defined point of focus (Credit: Van Gogh) the doctor who treated Van Gogh in Arles, Felix Rey, it con- the prism of our knowledge that, shortly after it was made, tains a diagram illustrating precisely which part of his ear the Van Gogh attempted to commit suicide. What does it tell us artist removed. For years, biographers have debated whether about his state of mind?

Van Gogh sliced off the whole of his left ear or just its lobe.

This letter, which was found by the independent researcher GOODBYE TO ALL THAT? Bernadette Murphy, who has written about her discovery in Certainly, the painting appears agitated, as though fraught a new book, Van Gogh’s Ear: The True Story, proves without with emotional turbulence. “It is one of those pictures in which doubt that the artist cut off his entire ear. you can feel Van Gogh’s sometimes tortured mental state,” The letter, of course, is the revelation of the show at the says Bailey. Moreover, its subject matter seems significant.

Van Gogh Museum. When I visited recently, though, some- Years earlier, Van Gogh had made a study of tree roots that thing else caught my attention: an unfinished painting, a metre was meant to express, as he put it in a letter to Theo, someacross, called Tree Roots (1890). Van Gogh worked on it thing of life’s struggles. Shortly before his death, in another during the morning of 27 July, a few hours before he tried to letter to Theo, Van Gogh wrote that his life was “attacked at kill himself. It is the last painting he ever made. the very root”. Could it be, then, that Van Gogh painted Tree At first glance, this dense picture appears almost abstract. Roots as a farewell?

How are we supposed to ‘read’ its thicket of blue, green and When I put this to the curator Nienke Bakker, who is yellow brushstrokes, all vigorously applied to the canvas, responsible for the collection of paintings at the Van Gogh which remains visible in various places? Gradually, the image Museum, she urges caution. “There is a lot of emotional agiresolves itself into a landscape depicting bare roots and the tation in works from the last weeks of Van Gogh’s life, such as lower parts of trees seen against light-coloured sandy soil on Wheatfield with Crows and Wheatfield under Thunderclouds,” a steep limestone slope. A small patch of sky is visible in the she says. “It’s clear he was trying to express his own emotional picture’s upper left-hand corner. state of mind. Yet Tree Roots is also very vigorous and full of Aside from this, though, the entire canvas is devoted to a life. It’s very adventurous. It’s hard to believe that somebody compact tangle of gnarled roots, trunks, branches and massed who painted this in the morning would take his own life at the vegetation. As Martin Bailey, the art historian and author end of the day. For me, it’s hard to say that Van Gogh painted of the forthcoming book Studio of the South: Van Gogh in it intentionally as a farewell – that would be too rational.”

Provence, points out, “The upper parts of the trees are cut Ultimately, Bakker is keen to scotch the idea that Van off in the unusual composition – rather as one might find in Gogh’s illness was the cause of his greatness as an artist.

Japanese prints, which Van Gogh so admired.”

“All of these tortured, gnarled roots make Tree Roots a Indeed, in many ways, Tree Roots is an extraordinary very hectic, emotional painting,” she says. “But it’s not a image: an innovative, ‘all-over’ composition, without a sin- painting created by a crazy mind. He knew very well what gle focal point. Arguably it anticipates later developments of he was doing. Until the end, Van Gogh painted in spite of modern art, such as abstraction. Yet, at the same time, it is his illness, not because of it. It’s important to remember impossible not to view the painting retrospectively – through that.”

ROOT CAUSE The exhibition also features a recently discovered letter, which has been extensively reported in the media. Written by

A letter from a provincial French doctor, Félix Ray, shows how much of his ear Van Gogh sliced off in December 1888 (Credit: AP)

Wheatfield with Crows, also from July 1890, features a similarly agitated technique – but the atmosphere is darker, more foreboding (Credit: Van Gogh)

Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

The Darfur conflict's DEADLY GOLD RUSH (Reuters) With its scrubland, unpaved roads and mud brick huts, the Jebel Amer area in Darfur, western Sudan, can look like a poor and desolate place. Under the ground, though, lies something sought by people everywhere: gold.

In the past year or so the precious metal has begun to alter the nature of the decade-old conflict in Darfur, transforming it from an ethnic and political fight to one that, at least in part, is over precious metal.

Fighting between rival tribes over the Jebel Amer gold mine that stretches for some 10 km (six miles) beneath the sandy hills of North Darfur has killed more than 800 people and displaced some 150,000 others since January. Arab tribes, once heavily armed by the government to suppress insurgents, have turned their guns on each other to get their hands on the mines. Rebel groups that oppose the government also want the metal.

The gold mine death toll is more than double the number of all people killed by fighting between the army, rebels and rival tribes in Darfur in 2012, according to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's quarterly reports to the Security Council.

U.N. officials and diplomats told Reuters the government has been complicit in the violence by encouraging at least one militia group to seize control of mines, a charge the government denies.

Until last year the Darfur conflict pitted the government and its Arab militias against three large rebel groups. The Jebel Amer attack changed that, dividing Arab tribes against each other.

But international peace efforts are still focused on bringing the main rebel groups into a Qatar-sponsored deal Khartoum signed with two splinter groups in 2011.

A boy plays in front of an UNAMID (African UnionUnited Nations Missions in Darfur) peacekeeper standing guard as a delegation of Ambassadors of the European Union to Sudan visits a women development program centre funded by the World Food Programme (WFP) at Shagra village in North Darfur. (Reuters photo)

At the last meeting to discuss the Qatar deal in September, Qatar's deputy prime minister, Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Mahmoud, expressed concern about the recent tribal violence, but stressed a key factor in bringing peace to Darfur would be to get the rebels to the negotiating table, according to Qatari state media.

LOST OIL The conflict in Darfur began as a struggle between African pastoralists and Arab cattle-owning nomads over access to land. It grew into what the U.S. State Department described as genocide after the government began sponsoring militias to put down a rebel insurgency.

In all, fighting in Darfur since 2003 has killed more than 200,000 people and forced some 2 million from their homes according to human rights groups and the United Nations.

In 2009, the International Criminal Court charged Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir with war crimes for his role in the Darfur violence, charges he rejects.

The recent resurgence in violence is rooted in Sudan's loss of a huge chunk of its territory in the south two years ago.

When South Sudan seceded in 2011, the rump state of Sudan lost most of its oil production - worth some $7 billion in 2010 - sending the economy into a spin. Sudan's GDP contracted by 10 percent last year, according to the World Bank.

To replace the oil the government in Khartoum has encouraged people to dig for gold. Now half a million diggers roam Darfur and the north of the country with mine detectors and sledgehammers, according to the mining ministry. The gold rush helped boost output by 50 percent last year to around 50 tons, making Sudan Africa's third-largest producer, equal with Mali after South Africa and Ghana, according to official data and expert estimates.

Gold exports have become Sudan's lifeline, providing the government with $2.2 billion (net) last year and making up more than 60 percent of all exports.

Sudan's central bank, desperate for anything to secure foreign currency, pays artisanal miners up to 20 percent more than the global market price, several gold trading sources told Reuters. The central bank denies this.

At the same time, around a quarter of Sudan's annual gold output is smuggled abroad, industry sources inside and outside Sudan said. If that figure is right, the government lost up to $700 million last year - money it badly needs.

"The government is so desperate for the gold that they are willing to stoke conflict to get artisanal mines under its control," said Magdi El Gizouli, a fellow at the Rift Valley Institute, a think tank based in London and Nairobi.

He said the mining ministry had handed out hundreds of exploration licenses to firms but only 20 were actually producing gold. "So they need to control mines which produce like Jebel Amer."

The mining ministry said it wants to improve the performance of license holders, many of which do not yet produce.

REBELS Darfuri rebels want gold, too. Tribesmen from the Zaghawa, the backbone of the rebel Sudan Liberation

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Darfuri women participate in a peace rally on International Peace Day at the town of Al -Fashir in North Darfur. (Reuters photo)

Gold mine workers wait to get their raw gold weighed at a gold shop in the town of Al-Fahir in North Darfur . (Reuters photo) army (SLA), until recently operated its own mine in Hashaba to the east of Jebel Amer. There is no data on how much rebels make from gold sales but locals and UNAMID staff say Hashaba's output was much smaller than Jebel Amer.

The potential spoils are huge. To the south of Jebel Amer, for instance, there is an area called "Shangil Tobaya", which is Sudanese Arabic for "turn a brick and you find gold." Rebels and Arab militias are vying for control for a strip of low-rise mountains. "People say there is gold up there but we cannot check it because the armed militias are there," said Adam Saleh, a local farmer.

Khartoum downplays the tribal violence and the changing nature of the conflict. "The security situation improves from day to day," said Osman Kibr, governor of North Darfur. "We had some issues but we've fixed them," he told diplomats who had come to El Fasher in June to discuss the recent surge in tribal violence.

But security in Darfur has deteriorated. Aid groups report a sharp rise in hijackings and robberies by Arab militias since mid-2012. This has stopped the U.N. World Food Programme delivering food to several areas, and delayed development projects backed by a Qatar-sponsored donor conference in April where pledges of $1 billion were made.

Even some government officials now wonder if the Rizeigat are out of control. In the past, tribal leaders would call a meeting and try to end bloodshed by offering compensation for families of victims and pressing local leaders into making peace. Now "the traditional tribal reconciliation mechanism doesn't work anymore," said Tijani Seissi, head of the regional Darfur authority and a former rebel who made peace with Sudan under the Qatar deal. "We need to fight them."

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Farmers Field School helps to change farming practices

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edicated extension officers of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) have been venturing into farming communities across Guyana, transferring technology and providing answers to cash crop farmers through the Farmers Field School.

Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

NAREI's Research Assistants Premdat Beecham and Aretha Peters and farmers examine sweet potatoes owned farms. They are maintained by both extension staff and the farmers. Depending on the crop maturity rate NAREI arranges the FFS. The FFS are done to inform farmers of the technologies used to produce the crop and compare NAREI’s plot against that produced using the farmers’ practice. While the FFS is not done weekly farmers are welcome to visit the plots.

What is the Farmers Field School?

Demonstration plots As the name suggests, the Farmers Field School (FFS) is an informal field setting where farmers learn and exchange ideas. It is not unique to Guyana. The FFS was developed by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and partners 25 years ago.

According to the FAO, farmers, with guidance from a trained facilitator, meet as a group once a week in a field setting throughout a cropping season. There, they observe and compare two plots, one being the local conventional method of farming whilst the other is the experimental plot.

The FFS is conducted in a similar manner in Guyana. NAREI has been constructing demonstration plots on privately

Only recently, NAREI conducted a FFS at Parika Backdam, East Bank Essequibo, benefitting over 20 cassava and sweet potato farmers. The interactions were held on the farms of Sudesh Baldeo and Kapeldeo Rampersaud, where cassava and sweet potatoes are grown, respectively.

The cassava project is being done to determine whether bio stimulants and adequate irrigation would increase yield. Meaningful exchanges were made and harvesting was done to see root progression. The project received approval from most of the farmers, but a few farmers boasted of having bigger roots than that of the experi-

Aretha Peters, NAREI's Research Assistant, briefing farmers before going into the fields

mental plot.

The sweet potato project was also done to determine whether adequate irrigation would increase productivity. A sprinkler irrigation system was installed on the demonstration plot. Farmers were impressed with the size and quality of the sweet potato produced.

Rampersaud is pleased that the project was being implemented on his farm. He is of the view that the information disseminated by NAREI helps to improve farmers’ knowledge.

Rampersaud appreciates the more farmer friendly way of these sessions since they allow farmers to express their opinions.

The use of demonstration plots together with the FFS is likely to increase as NAREI seeks to take technology and innovation to farmers. They will definitely help to achieve the Ministry of Agriculture’s aim of organizing the non-traditional sectors to perform as that of rice and sugar.

Already, the FFS has been recording success stories of better pest and disease management, incorporation of good farming practices, greater productivity and improved living standards of farmers.

NAREI's Research Assistant Premdat Beecham interacts with farmers at Mr. Sudesh Baldeo's cassava farm

Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

EPA engages Region 10 youths in environmental day camps ‘An old tree is hard to bend’ is an old proverb which implies that it is easier to impress change on the young, compared with older persons, who may be set in their ways. This view is sometimes referred to as the impressionable age hypothesis, which has been supported by some studies. Recognizing this fact, the EPA targets youths for many of its environmental awareness and capacity building activities.

Last week, the EPA’s education and training team arrived in Linden to engage the town’s youths on environmental issues, their causes, impacts and actions to reduce them.

Twenty-eight (28) youths from the mining town, participated in two Environmental Day Camps conducted at the New Silvercity Secondary School. The youths were drawn from three youth groups existing in Linden, namely, the President Youth Awards Republic of Guyana (PYARG); Youths for Change (YFC); and Young and Thoughtful Youth Group (Y&TYG).

On day one, the group of enthusiastic youths took part in team-building exercises to strengthen their communication, problem-solving and decision making skills. Following this, they were introduced through interactive presentations, to different environmental issues; ways to care for their environment; and what Biosafety is all about. To allow the youths to practically

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demonstrate their appreciation for the environment they were engaged in making birdfeeders using ‘upcycling’ techniques.

On day two, the motivated group of young people were made aware of the issue of climate change, its impacts and solutions. With this background, the youths were given the opportunity to articulate their perspectives on the future of our planet through art. This was a particularly interesting and useful exercise as the youths unleashed their talents of poetry, drama and even singing. To further enhance environmental awareness and knowledge, the youths were introduced to the value of Guyana’s biodiversity and the threats to this resource. Through a series of “waste wise” activities, the youths’ understanding of the issue of improper waste management was deepened. The session ended with upcycling craft focused on the reuse of old CDs and DVDs to make coasters and other innovative items. The interactive and hands-on approach of the sessions were educational fun geared to stimulate critical thinking to deal with current environmental issues.

This Environmental Day Camps were well received by the Region 10 youths with many of them expressing their desire for an extension to the Camp. The EPA plans to continue this activity in other regions of the country.

Participants at the EPA’s Environmental Day Camp, 2016

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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Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

A cheese made from …donkey milk?

This little-known delicacy from Serbia, made with milk believed to slow down the ageing process and boost virility, is the most expensive cheese in the world.

(BBC) Slobodan Simić lounged on the crude wooden bench in Zasavica Special Nature Reserve’s dining room like the caterpillar from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, holding court and puffing on the quarter-bent Calabash-style briar pipe that dangled delicately from his teeth. Tanned creases ran down his face like tributaries, and his eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Rakia?” he said, offering me a shot of the strong Balkan brandy that is often drunk in the morning, even before coffee.

“Ne, hvala,” I replied, shaking my head and thanking him. Instead, I accepted a cup of thick Turkish coffee accompanied by a shot glass of donkey milk from Zasavica’s herd.

A glass of sweet donkey milk accompanies a cup of Turkish coffee (Credit: Kristin Vuković)

It was my first time tasting the sweet milk; I was even more eager to try the donkey cheese, a delicacy I’d learned about a few years back when rumours swirled that Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic was buying up their entire stock for his restaurants. Although the rumours were untrue, they brought global attention to Zasavica – and Serbia.

Despite being a nature lover, Simić never set out to create a farm. Twenty years ago, the former MP-turned-conservationist remembered that he’d heard about some wetlands in west-central Serbia. His ex-wife’s parents, who lived in a nearby village, took him to see them.

“I fell in love immediately,” he said.

Zasavica, named after the river that runs through it, is located just 90km northwest of Belgrade, but the 1,825-hectare area was virtually undiscovered. The place is ripe for bird watching, and in the summer, hues are so vibrant they seem otherworldly. With the help of his political contacts, Simić transformed the wild marshland into a nature reserve in 1997.

Three years later, Simić was at a fair in the nearby town of Ruma and saw some abused Balkan donkeys. No longer needed for work or transportation, they’d been beaten and were in bad shape. He had the idea to rescue them and bring them to Zasavica. Today, 180 Balkan donkeys, smaller than most donkeys and marked with crosses on their backs, roam the verdant marshland. Other native animals were added, including the Mangalica, related to the Hungarian “curly pig”, and the Podolian cow, originating from the European wild cow. Beavers were also reintroduced to the area.

“We lost contact with animals, and we need that contact,” Simić said.

But I’d come for the donkeys. More specifically, for the

Donkeys are social and intelligent creatures (Credit: Kristin Vuković) donkey milk cheese, which is the most expensive cheese in the world due to the extremely low milk yield of the magarica (female donkey): just 300 millilitres per day. Rich in vitamins and minerals, donkey milk is believed to slow down the ageing process and has been used as an immunity booster in the Balkans since ancient times. Cleopatra allegedly even bathed in it. It is also purported to boost virility.

“If you drink our milk, you can even sleep with your own wife,” joked Simić, who has been married three times.

Simić had the notion to produce donkey milk cheese a few years ago.

“He is full of crazy ideas, but he is always right,” said farm manager Jovan Vukadinović, a formidable former traffic police chief with a near-white moustache that resembled a bristle brush.

Donkey milk has been used as an immunity booster in the Balkans since ancient times (Credit: bane.m/Alamy) No one had produced cheese from donkey milk before, and it took some experimentation. Stevan Marinković, a dairy technologist, was brought in to consult. Donkey milk doesn’t have enough casein to make cheese, so he compensated by adding goat milk to the mix. The winning formula, which Marinković is in the process of patenting, turned out to be 60% donkey milk and 40% goat milk.

But despite there being no established rules for donkey milk (or donkey milk cheese) in Serbia, concerns arose over the use of unpasteurized milk, and Zasavica was forced to stop factory production of the cheese.

In the meantime, until official regulations are determined, local cheese makers Zoran Nedić, Momčilo Budimirović and his assistant, Milena, are producing small amounts of donkey cheese with milk pasteurized at low levels for Zasavica in a room adjacent to Budimirović’s kitchen in the nearby village of Glušci.

I sat at Budimirović’s dining table with Nedić, Vukadinović and Simić, who were chatting in rapid Serbian. Domaće crno vino(domestic red wine) and a wedge of white cheese were on the table.

“Is this donkey cheese?” I asked. Vukadinović shook his head. “Goat cheese, so you can taste the difference.” It was tangy and crumbly, with a dark kora od hrast (oak bark) rind.

Then, without much ceremony, Budimirović brought out a much smaller bell-shaped chunk of magareći sir (donkey ► Continued on page XV

Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

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and leaned her body into mine. When we turned to leave she followed me, nudging for more attention.

“They are very intelligent and social,” Vukadinović said. He bent down and hugged her neck. “This is very good for the stress.”

We sat down at a picnic table for lunch. Sun illuminated the flat landscape, highlighting various shades of green – moss, pine, fern ¬¬– against a clear blue sky. Frogs sang. A stork soared overhead, landing on her nest atop Zasavica’s 18m-high watchtower.

Vukadinović brought out a plate of cured meats: Mangalica sausage, speck and donkey sausage. I cringed a little. “Try it,” he urged, gesturing to the donkey sausage.

This was one of their products I had not planned to sample. “How do you choose which donkeys are made into sausage?” I said. He explained that male donkeys sometimes become interested in their daughters, and then “it’s sausage time for them.”

I speared a mottled slice with a toothpick. The fatty meat was tough and slightly gamey.

Even eating an incestuous donkey felt wrong after communing with these gentle creatures – but Zasavica embraces the cycle of life, replete with its imperfections.

Here you can go back to a way of living that has all but disappeared, when people cured their own meats and made their own cheese. You can experience virgin nature.

You can believe, even for a moment, the local legend: on this land there was too much sun from Christ, which forever marked the Balkan donkey with a cross pattern on its coat, running down its spine.

Donkey milk cheese is the most expensive cheese in the world (Credit: Kristin Vuković) cheese). It had a yellowish tinge, and was less crumbly than the goat cheese. This piece, the size of a cupcake, would sell for 50 euros, I was told. Nedić cut me a slice. Its flavour was sweet, clean and mild, unlike any cheese I had ever tasted.

We headed to the cheese room to see how it was made. That day, the trio of cheese makers were crafting goat cheese, but they explained donkey cheese is essentially made the same way – although the exact method is a secret. Rennet is added to the milk to help it coagulate, and the curds are strained and hand packed into moulds. The cheese stays in the mould for 24 hours, then it is removed and refrigerated in a large trailer cooler in Budimirović’s yard.

Zasavica also sells donkey milk cosmetics, such as donkey milk soap and anti-ageing face creams, which contain essential fatty acids and high levels of vitamin A; and donkey milk liqueur that tastes like milky Limoncello.

The reserve, which has been supported by international grants, is working to become self-sustaining. Selling animal products is part of that plan, as is camping: Zasavica was rated among the100 best campsites in Europe in 2013 and 2014.

“We made something in the middle of the nothing,” Vukadinović said. “We always have to find new ways to survive. It’s easy when they say ‘sustainable tourism’, but it’s not easy.

We want to be the best. We know we can’t change the world, we can’t change Serbia, but we always want to do just a little better than normal. That is our mission.”

Just before I left, Vukadinović and I took a walk through the reserve. Donkeys grazed on shrubbery and frolicked in the grass. They nuzzled, cleaned each other and nursed. A grey donkey ambled toward me.

“She’s pregnant,” Vukadinović said. “A magarica can be pregnant for more than a year.”

I reached out and rubbed her forehead, fingering her coarse hair. She nuzzled my hand

Vukadinović feeds one of his donkeys (Credit: Kristin Vuković)

A charcuterie platter of Mangalica sausage, speck and donkey sausage (Credit: Kristin Vuković)

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

Innovations give African leaders hope malaria can be beaten by 2030 LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - African governments are confident malaria can be wiped out within 15 years as research innovations, including a vaccine against the disease, are developed and tested, the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) said.

The continent has made good progress in fighting the mosquito-transmitted disease in recent decades, slashing death rates by 66 percent overall since 2000. However Africa remains the world's worst affected region, accounting for 88 percent of new cases and 90 percent of deaths.

In 2015, about 188 million Africans contracted malaria and 395,000 died of it - most of them children under five, according to the alliance dedicated to ending malaria deaths in Africa.

Last week, the African Union adopted a roadmap to eradicate the disease by 2030 following the lead of the United Nations which has set ending malaria epidemics as one of its Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.

ALMA's executive secretary, Joy Phumaphi, said African leaders were "relatively comfortable" the target could be reached as a number of new anti-malaria products were expected to be marketed in the next five to 10 years.

"We have new vaccine, we have a new treatment for malaria, we have new insecticides," Phumaphi told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview late on Wednesday.

"There is no reason why using all of these innovations when they become available we should not be able to control malaria."

Currently there are more than 30 malaria vaccines under development. Last year the Mosquirix vaccine, became the first to win regulatory approval from the European Medicines

Agency, but studies say its efficacy is limited.

A drug able to wipe out all parasites in the body with a single dose could also become available by 2019, according to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Researchers are also working on new insecticides used to spray inside homes and in bed nets, as mosquitoes have grown resistant to those already available.

INVESTMENT Technology alone is not enough to beat malaria. Governments also need to tackle corruption and reform their healthcare systems to ensure resources are managed efficiently, Phumaphi said.

Member countries of ALMA, which comprises 49 of Africa's 54 states, could do more to cut costs by regularly teaming up to place bulk orders of equipment and medications, she added.

Finally, for the 2030 goal to be reached, African nations and the international community must keep up their investments in research, treatment and prevention, Phumaphi said.

Global spending on malaria currently stands at $2.7 billion a year. To achieve a target of a 90 percent cut in malaria cases by 2030, spending will need to rise to $8.7 billion a year, according to WHO. Phumaphi said she hoped the next U.S. administration would match current levels of investment.

Washington is the biggest donor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, having contributed almost $11 billions since 2002.

Returns are high as malaria eradication could unlock $2 trillion in economic benefits by 2040 from a healthy, more productive workforce and health systems that are less burdened by the disease, according to the United Nations.

"It's a very good area to invest," Phumaphi said.

Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

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‘I can’t imagine life without swimming’ - Hannibal Gaskin and the road to Rio

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By Daniel Haynes annibal Gaskin was only seven-years-old when he began what would later become his life’s passion in the sport of swimming.

Initially, swimming was something he just wanted to do - to keep him busy, for fun and the like – no dreams of competing in the Olympics or anything of the sort.

But 11 years and several international meets later, he could be considered our local swim Phenom, and his outing to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro proves that.

Hannibal (named after Hannibal Barca, a Punic military commander from Carthage who lived in the second and third century and is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history) is the second of four children born to Han and Dominic Gaskin; you may know them, his mother is the President’s daughter, and his father is the Minister of Business.

With his middle name that of his grandfather, the President, and the fact that he was catapulted into the status of “the President’s grandson” just over a year ago, you’d say he has a lot to talk about, but not Hannibal. In fact, in scheduling the interview, he gave us just 15 minutes.

At first glance, or, first encounter rather, Hannibal comes across as quiet, seemingly reserved, and doesn’t come across as a chauvinist, which you could be forgiven for thinking of a chap 5’7’’ and packing 155 pounds of lean muscle.

After interacting with him for a few minutes you would be well within your right to ask, “Is he really this quiet?”

The truth is, yes, he is.

Even when water is surrounding him and he is swimming or he is talking about swimming, (something that is his passion) he still retains his quiet demeanor.

In the pool, he is like a shark, stalking his prey and delivering quick and decisive blows when taking on the competition.

His first swim club was and remains Dorado. His first swim meet, came at the age of 10, upon recommendation by his coach.

Academics had always come first in his life, and rightfully so, with a family heritage steeped in the blood of both Queen’s College and Bishops’ High School. He attended Marian Academy up to Grade Six, where he secured marks to take him to Queen’s College.

Swimming, however, continued to dominate his life throughout his Queen’s days.

This proved to be no great challenge; he managed to balance both swimming as well as academic life and he proved this when he wrote the examinations offered by the Caribbean Examinations Council. He was in the Tech stream in school, and he wrote nine (9) subjects, passing all nine with seven distinctions. Later on, he’d

like to continue his studies, though he is not sure yet. Another dream of his is to be a mechanical engineer.

For now, swimming is ahead of other pursuits. He has travelled to several Goodwill Games, Inter Guiana Games, and many world championships, with those meets taking him to China, Peru, Paraguay, Turkey and quite a few Caribbean islands. Superstitious persons would say that his competing at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in China was a glimpse of what was to come two years later, this year and Rio. "It’s tiring sometimes, the travelling, the competing, the entire workouts, but it’s necessary and that’s something you have to remember every morning you wake up,” he says, the disciplined, committed side of him coming out.

“Swimming is my life; it takes up most of my day, but to be at the next level, I have to work, it does get hard.”

His dedication to swimming was displayed when he was chosen to undertake a seven-month FINA High Performance Swim Training stint at their centre in Delaware, Ohio. It was a stint that almost didn’t happen due to technical issues.

It was on the day of the deadline itself that his Dorado coaches - Stephanie Fraser and Shyka Gonsalves - found out about the programme. The scramble to get all the information necessary for the application would take at least two days, but swimming’s governing body granted the time extension and within a week he found out that he was selected.

Once he was selected, there was the rush to Ohio and all that comes with settling in that seemed overwhelming at first. But once he was settled, he could see how the programme would make a world of difference.

With the training, under coach Thad Schultz, his technique has definitely improved and he feels freer in the stroke.

And he needed that, and more, for what would be his biggest showcase yet.

“I was speechless, it was the best feeling in the world,” he says of his initial reaction when he learnt he was selected to represent Guyana at the Olympics.

“On a scale of 1-10 it was an 11.”

At the age of 18, Hannibal is taking on the biggest challenge of his life, competing against some of the best in the world and his entry time of 59.98 puts him 9.53 seconds behind Michael Phelps, who is also competing in the 100m Fly. Going into the games he’ll be taking his knowledge, his recent training experience, his self-belief and the belief of his coaches. Between those elements, coupled with his track record, as well as his determination and his approach to swimming and life, Hannibal embraces the challenge, and when the Games open, he will represent his country with pride, and the entire nation will be wishing him on.

As for being quiet, a revelation at the end of the interview: “Maybe I’m not when I’m hanging out with my friends or family, and just being myself.”

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

Seven to compete in Miss Emancipation pageant

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ome August 14, seven Afro-Guyanese women will take to the stage at the National Cultural Centre to vie for the crown of the Miss Emancipation Pageant. Tamica Garnett sat down with the contestants earlier this week and shares what she found out about each of them.

Delegate # 1 - Shellon Andrea Massiah

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Age: 19

n aspiring cardiologist, Shellon hails f ro m t h e m i n i n g town of Linden. The Texila University medical student wants to one day open a cardiac clinic in Linden. She also hopes to give back to her community by contributing to the development of recreational facilities.

She is a member of the Linden Youth Corps, which engages in volunteer work around the community. She was driven to become a doctor after seeing her mother’s love for nursing.

“My mom is a nurse and I always loved hearing her experiences at the hospital caring for persons and helping them. So I always wanted to follow her footsteps, but she always taught me that I should strive higher. So, I thought, why become a nurse in three years when I could become a doctor in five years?”

Outside of being a medical student, Shellon enjoys doing a bit of modeling, something she has been doing ever since she was little. She recently auditioned to model for Guyana Fashion Week.

“I started modeling since I was in nursery school. When I am on stage it just takes away all of my stress and all of my worries, I just feel good. It helps to boost my self-confidence, so I really enjoy modeling.”

She also enjoys cycling, and represented District 10 at the Schools’ Nationals for three years. This is not Shellon’s first time dabbling in pageantry; she was one of the contestants in last year’s Miss Linden pageant.

“I entered pageants before and I have learned from those pageants, so I have experience and great self-confidence, which I will use to win this pageant. If I win this pageant, I will use my crown to advocate for the promotion of African culture.”

Delegate # 2 - Faith Harding

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Age: 21

his former Christ Church Secondary student loves a good challenge, which is why, she says, she took up the mantle to become a Mathematics teacher. Currently, a student at the Cyril Potter College of Education, Harding is a Math teacher at the South Ruimveldt Secondary School, where she has been teaching Form One to Form Four for the past three years.

But teaching is just a stepping stone to Faith’s aspirations of becoming a Regional Education Officer. This South Sophia girl decided to become involved in the pageant because she wanted to get more involved in her culture.

“The experience is what I would like to take away from this. It gives me a chance to actually focus on my culture, because before now I wouldn’t have placed that much focus on African Studies. So win or lose, I’ll be taking away that experience; I get to learn and embrace my culture.

“Basically, the fact that it’s more of a cultural pageant and not beauty-focused is why I decided to do it. A friend referred me to the pageant and she told me that you don’t have to worry about your body and wearing bikinis and all of these things.”

This petite beauty, who rocks a natural hairdo, will be letting her confidence shine through come competition night.

“Being the queen would just be a bonus for me because I’m comfortable with being me. Being the queen would mean that they chose the most confident, naturally beautiful, selfless, and success driven individual.” Faith commented.

Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016 Delegate #3 - Shomane Daniels Age: 19

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Delegate # 4 - Kipenie Jordan Age: 23

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medical student of the Georgetown American University, Shomane is an aspiring paediatrician. Once a prominent athlete, Shomane had to put her athletic pursuits on the back burner a bit when she began moulding a medical career, though she still trains and participates whenever she gets the chance.

The former Richard Ishmael student is also a physical trainer. She made the decision to be a delegate in the pageant because she wants to be an example to her fellow young people of African descent, encouraging them to learn more about their culture, and embrace who they are.

“Growing up I’ve always seen people with straight hair, and I've always wanted to know what is my identity in the community, who am I, what is my culture about, so doing this pageant I will be educated on African history, and also I will be empowering other youths in the community to know more about their African history, and to tell them not to be disappointed about things like their complexion - that they should be proud to be African, it’s a phenomenal thing.”

Shomane is also a math tutor and enjoys a range of activities.

“I love to explore the world beyond limitations.

“I would describe myself as a phenomenal, educated, beautiful, and an outstanding person.

I’m confident in myself, and when you’re confident in yourself, you have that belief that you could excel to the highest.”

Delegate #5 – Gabriella Chapman Age: 21

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ehind the bright smile of 21 year old Gabriella Chapman is a determined self-motivated Black woman who works hard for what she wants. A third year University of Guyana student , studying for a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture, this gorgeous farm girl hails from the town of Bartica.

“I’ve always been a lover of pageantry but I don’t exactly suit the stereotypic description of a pageant girl. I don’t have a flat stomach…I don’t have a perfectly toned body that can walk confidently in a swim suit on a stage in front of a lot of people. Basically I have a lot of flaws that I need to become comfortable with, and I wanted something that could help me with that. So I said, why not Miss Emancipation? When you hear Emancipation, it’s about the Africans, so it doesn’t matter if you don’t have long flowing hair, and any of regular pageant girl looks.”

She hopes to use this pageant to help build up her confidence and self-esteem. Gabriella loves to sing, dance and make people laugh. She most recently worked as a teacher at the Bartica Secondary School where she taught English, Agricultural Science and Health and Family Life, after she took a year off from her studies at University.

If she wins the crown, Gabriella hopes to use the influence to encourage programmess that look towards mentoring children, especially young women so that they can learn to embrace and love themselves for who they are.

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third year University of Guyana Communications Studies student, Kipenie Jordan wants to be a lawyer, hoping to specialize in welfare cases. Kipenie joined the pageant for the Afrocentric experience.

“I wanted to learn more about my African heritage. I just feel that there was a lot that was left out and simply not taught while we were going to school.”

If she wins, the former Richard Ishmael student would use her platform to promote African culture. Kipenie describes herself as a very energetic and determined individual who always gets the job done when she needs to.

And now she’s turning that determination to win the Miss Emancipation crown.

“I’m very energetic, I’m very friendly, and I have a very determined spirit, when it comes to getting things done; if something is very important I make sure I get it done.

Being a pushy person, if matters are brought to the table I’m able to get them taken care of in a speedy manner.”

Kipenie hails from Pattensen, Turkeyen on the East Coast of Demerara, and has a love for reading, cooking and karaoke.

Delegate # 6 - Delesha Wright Age: 21 elesha Wright, from the East Bank of Essequibo village of Vergenoogen, is a bubbly country girl. She has a deep appreciation for nature and the great outdoors.

Though she currently works as a Typist at the Leonora Technical Vocational Training Centre, she wants to one day realize her dream of becoming a teacher, and of course she wants to teach Agricultural Science.

Towards that end, Delesha is looking to soon register at the Cyril Potter College of Education to become a qualified teacher.

“I find it complements the lifestyle that I want to live. It’s who I am. I love the country life, so I want to work in the Agriculture area, get people to understand that if you grow your own food, plant your own stuff, then you’ll eat healthier.”

This nature girl describes herself as a fun loving person, who likes to dance and sing.

“I’m a fun person, a very fun person.

I would sit down and observe my environment if it’s very new, and after that I would just groove and everybody would know what a fun person I am.”

Delesha is enjoying every bit of the experience the pageant has to offer, especially the friendships and bonds she gets to form with her fellow delegates.

“My fellow queens are totally amazing and no crown, no position could be compared to what I’ve learned from them.”

Outside of the amazing friendships she has made, Delesha hopes to “take away soul food and brain food” from her participation at the pageant as she builds on her knowledge of the African culture.

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Delegate # 7 - Jasmine Adams Age: 19

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nvironmental officer Jasmine Adams is one who likes to follow her own path. She is the youngest environmental officer attached to Environmental Protection Agency.

She is passionate about advocating against bullying, having personally experienced what it feels like to be bullied.

"I want to open a shelter for kids who have been bullied. I was bullied a lot as a child, physically, emotionally, verbally; people were just mean. I’m really tall and I was always the tallest person in class, so I was bullied about that. And the fact that I was always the smartest in the class that used to intimidate people, they would call me a nerd.”

But what were once major flaws are now great assets for Jasmine, who is now, among other things, a smart, confident model.

“Modeling helped me to boost my self-esteem, and help me to see that I am beautiful and talented, and that I shouldn’t really care about what other people think. They teach you a lot when you’re modeling. People think it’s a self-absorbed type thing but it really isn’t, at least not for me."

Modelling for the past two years, she is a model with the ASX Modeling Agency and wanted to get into the world of pageantry, and so she was told that the Miss Emancipation pageant was a great place to begin.

She also hopes to use the pageant to better her knowledge on African culture. She describes herself as an easy going, unique individual, who’s in love with being different.

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

Why selfishness is so common (BBC Earth) It is another peaceful day on the savannah.

Herds of buffalo mill around, chewing the cud and flicking their ears to keep the flies at bay. On their backs, tiny oxpecker birds hop here and there to remove tiny skin parasites, unnoticed by their large hosts.

But there is a dark undertone to this tranquil scene. Closer examination has revealed that oxpeckers do more than simply clean their hosts' skin. Some of them are poking away at open wounds and feeding on buffalo blood.

It seems like even this famous symbiotic arrangement between large herbivores and grooming birds is hampered by organisms' inherent tendency to be selfish.

In fact, this might be a general rule. Mutualistic interactions in nature are often regarded as unstable, precisely because one partner will generally take advantage of the other given half a chance.

This suggests that selfishness is a dominant force in nature;

Red-billed oxpeckers (Buphagus erythrorhynchus) on a giraffe (Credit: Richard Du Toit/naturepl.com) an inevitable symptom of the "survival of the fittest" mantra.

So is there any such thing as a truly selfless act? And how should we interpret human acts of charity?

Darwin was a diligent thinker. He agonised over any example he came across of organisms behaving in a way that seemed to run counter to his idea of evolution through natural selection. He soon recognised altruism as "one special difficulty, which at first appeared to me to be […] fatal to the whole theory".

"He who was ready to sacrifice his life," he fretted in The Descent of Man, "would often leave no offspring to inherit his noble nature." How can genes for selflessness propagate if the heroes carrying them spend more time doing good deeds than

Siberian jays (Perisoreus infaustus) warn each other when danger threatens (Credit: Markus Varesvuo/ naturepl.com) animals placing the safety of others above their own, they are playing with very high stakes. Research has demonstrated that making certain calls increases the likelihood of an individual ground squirrel ending up as lunch.

About 100 years after Darwin first published his theory, biologists finally formalised a hypothesis that could explain such baffling behaviour.

A potentially apocryphal story helps explain the basis of this hypothesis. When J.B.S. Haldane, co-founder of the "modern synthesis" of evolution, was asked if he would throw himself into a river to save his brother, he replied: "No, but I would to save two brothers or eight cousins."

This is the concept of kin selection, which was formalised in 1963 by the highly influential biologist W.D. Hamilton.

According to Hamilton, the altruistic behaviour of an individual ground squirrel is easy to explain when the selfless act is put into its proper context. One animal might be prepared to sacrifice its life – and its ability to reproduce – in order to raise the chances of its relatives surviving and breeding.

Relatives share many of your genes, so they can be considered as proxies for your own evolutionary success and – as per Haldane's statement – the closer the relative, the better.

Ground squirrels, it turns out, are a textbook example of

A common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) (Credit: Dietmar Nill/naturepl.com) Arguments have been traded back and forth over whether or not eusociality results from kin selection alone, and indeed over how significant kin selection is in general.

But whatever the conclusion, the idea of genetic ties lying at the heart of selfless behaviour is now an important tenet of evolutionary biology.

However, there is another key theory concerning altruism that has proved rather more contentious.

In 1984 Gerald Wilkinson from the University of Maryland, USA, reported on food sharing in vampire bats. This is a fairly disgusting process that involves bats regurgitating blood into each other's mouths, but it is also a necessary one. A vampire bat cannot go for more than 36 hours without a meal, so regular food sharing can save some animals from starving.

Wilkinson's observations were of note because while the bats do live in groups with other family members, they were preferentially helping those who were the hungriest, not just those with whom they shared genes.

What Wilkinson had uncovered was the best example to date of a concept, previously proposed by eminent evolutionary biologist Robert Trivers, known as reciprocal altruism.

Reciprocal altruism is a model wherein animals help unrelated individuals and accept a short-term loss if it means a long-term gain. So if a starving bat is helped by a well-fed one, the action is done because of some deep, unconscious instinct that in the future the tables might be turned: today's starving bat might be tomorrow's well-fed one.

"You can think of this as 'social capital' – when vampire bats go hungry they depend on a network of family and friends," says Gerald Carter, a researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the University of Toronto, who previously completed a PhD under Wilkinson. Carter has since worked on strengthening the case for reciprocal altruism in these bats, responding to claims that even this behaviour can be ascribed to kin selection.

While kin selection has seen wide acceptance both on theoretical and empirical grounds, reciprocal altruism has been harder to pin down, not least because it involves long-

Honeybee (Apis mellifera) workers give up their entire lives in service of their hive (Credit: Chris Gomersall/2020VISION/naturepl.com) Belding's ground squirrel (Spermophilus beldingi) (Credit: David Kjaer/naturepl.com) ensuring their own survival?

All sorts of animals seem to be capable of acts of kindness.

Primates groom their peers, birds warn each other when they see a predator, and African wild dogs willlook after pups belonging to their fellow pack members.

These altruistic behaviours do not necessarily carry a significant cost in terms of an individual's chances of survival, but some other examples do.

Take Belding's ground squirrel. This rodent is found in the mountains of the north-western US, where it lives in sociable groups and provides a delicious snack for various birds of prey and predatory mammals.

When a predator approaches a colony of ground squirrels, the individual who sees it will delay fleeing in order to emit a series of noises, alerting its fellows to the imminent danger.

This is exactly what concerned Darwin. Not only are these

kin selection.

Paul Sherman, a researcher at Cornell University, spent three years in the 1970s monitoring populations of ground squirrels, paying particular attention to their familial relationships. His conclusion was that alarm calls are in fact a function of entrenched nepotism in squirrel society, with individuals more likely to emit them if there are relatives nearby.

Hamilton also suggested that kin selection might explain the most extreme form of self-sacrifice in nature: eusociality.

The average honeybee, ant or termite has pretty limited options in life. They inhabit highly cooperative colonies where, unless you are queen, you must pay the ultimate evolutionary price: your reproductive ability. The societies these animals form are what biologists call "eusocial" ones.

Since Hamilton, kin selection has been the most popular explanation for this counterintuitive phenomenon, although there have been various modifications to his original proposal.

The fact that ants in the same colony are all sisters explains why one member might sacrifice her reproductive capacity, and even her life, for the good of the colony.

Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) console each other (Credit: Shattil & Rozinski/naturepl.com) term – even lifetime – monitoring of animals to determine costs versus benefits.

But the real issue with both kin selection and reciprocal altruism is that, by our standards, they are not particularly altruistic. Both seem to exist only because they actually benefit the "altruist", albeit in a roundabout sort of way.

This suggests that all forms of altruism evolve for selfish means, at least in terms of the survival of genes. Trivers ac► Contiuned on page XXI

Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016 ► From page XX knowledge this point when he stated that models of altruistic behaviour in terms of natural selection "take the altruism out of altruism".

So where does that leave humans? Surely we are capable of no-strings-attached charitable acts?

Perhaps we are, says Jonathan Birch, a philosopher of science at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

"We should distinguish 'biological altruism' from 'psychological altruism'," he says. "Biological altruism is action that has consequences for reproduction – it causes the altruist to reproduce less and the beneficiary to reproduce more."

"Psychological altruism is action motivated by concern for others – something humans do a lot."

The question is whether our psychological altruism – what we might call "true altruism" – is uniquely human or whether it has deeper evolutionary connections to the altruism seen in other animals.

Michael Platt, a neurobiologist at Duke University, USA, who has spent years investigating the neurological mechanisms that underlie decision making in animals, thinks that animals and humans have more in common than we might imagine.

Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) are good at sharing (Credit: Bernard Castelein/naturepl.com) "From my own point of view, the notion of 'true altruism' is probably a bit misplaced," says Platt. "I have seen nothing special about the human brain that distinguishes motivated behaviours that benefit another individual compared with monkey brains, or even rat brains."

Platt and his colleagues have undertaken behavioural experiments with rhesus macaques that reveal a degree of charitable behaviour to their fellows. Monkeys, like us, are social animals, and such behaviour might be an adaptive strategy that allowed us all to build and maintain social bonds.

When the researchers conducted brain scans on the monkeys, they identified brain cells that are associated with giving rewards to another individual. Crucially, these cells inhabit a part of the brain that is active in humans when we are em-

pathising with other individuals.

This type of observation suggests that the factors motivating us to be "psychologically" altruistic are probably shared with at least our primate cousins, and maybe other animals as well.

"When people are motivated to help a refugee from Syria, or give to Oxfam, I think that motivation is deriving from this brain circuitry," says Platt.

"Of all the differences between man and the lower animals," wrote Darwin. "The moral sense or conscience is by far the most important." Does Platt's evidence that links our "true" altruism with the apparently selfish instincts of animals devalue this "moral sense", and the charitable actions that result from it?

"Some people have suggested that evolutionary explanations of morality show it to be a kind of illusion. After all, natural selection doesn't care about right and wrong," says Birch. "But I think a lot of this involves overselling the role of natural selection, and underselling the role of cultural evolution."

More than any other animals, we are products of our culture, and the addition of cultural evolution to the mix makes comprehending our own behaviour that extra bit more difficult.

"It's less clear that cultural evolution is a fundamentally amoral process," says Birch. "So a story of human altruism as the product of cultural evolution is potentially more 'morality-friendly' than a story based solely on genetic evolution."

But culture aside, there is a danger in entirely separating us from animals, and in writing off altruism by natural selection as inherently selfish.

The capability for altruism displayed by chimpanzees, for example, has been compared with that observed in young human children. A paper published in January 2016 even seems to show voles consoling each other in times of distress; behaviour that the researchers linked with similar neurochemistry to that of empathetic humans.

"To suggest that monkeys and other non-human animals are just motivated by instinctive drives is belied by the evidence," says Platt. If we consider ourselves a species capable of selflessness, then we may have to conclude that at least some non-human species share that

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) groom their fellows (Credit: Anup Shah/naturepl.com)

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"Drawing a hard and fast line between humans and animals would impede progress in understanding how and why we are motivated to give to others," he concludes.

"Investigating this subject will hopefully tell us how to bring out those 'better angels of our nature'. If we can understand why people do this, I think we will be aiming towards a greater good."

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How the humble fruit fly is answering life’s big questions (BBC) It’s a phrase loved by linguists to show how a sentence can be read in multiple ways. It also holds truth about the common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, which has been studied by scientists for more than 100 years.

Fruit flies do like bananas. They are the flies you find on your fruit bowl when things start to rot – a reminder that the "five-a-day" hasn’t been going quite so well.

Macro of common fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) on piece of rotting banana fruit (Credit: Sylvie Bouchard / Alamy Stock Photos)

But they are also a great mechanism for studying time or, more specifically, the effects of time because fruit flies' life cycle is so fast, it allows scientists to study them over generations that would be near-impossible with humans.

They are cheap to breed and reproduce extremely quickly. At room temperature a female can lay 30-50 eggs per day throughout her lifetime and they have a short reproductive cycle, usually about 8-14 days and can become grandparents in only 3-4 weeks.

At 3mm in size, populations in the millions can be kept in the lab at any one

Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016

Laboratory culture of Drosophila melanogaster at the Vienna Drosophila RNAi Center, Institute for Molecular Pathology, Austria (Credit: Nature Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo) time and fed on a simple diet of carbohydrates and protein, usually cornmeal and yeast extract.

This creature, which most of us brush aside, has been responsible for some of the greatest discoveries in modern science.

In 1933, Thomas Hunt Morgan won a Nobel Prize for studying how Drosophila inherited a genetic mutation that meant they had white eyes rather than red. His research led to a theory that genes made by DNA were

carried on chromosomes, which were passed down through generations. The finding laid the groundwork for the study of genetic inheritance and modern genetics.

Since then research carried out on Drosophila has led to five Nobel laureates in 1946, 1995 and 2011. Current thinking on how we develop, our behaviour, ageing and evolution are all built on the foundation of fruit fly re► Contiuned

on page XXIII

Chronicle Pepperpot July 31, 2016 ► From page XXII

Drosophila melanogaster eye colour variations - red (wild type) and white. The white eye gene is sexlinked (Credit: Martin Shields / Alamy Stock Photos) search. The more we study them the more similar we discover we are: 75% of human disease genes have a recognisable match in the common fruit fly.

Drosophila has four pairs of chromosomes and around 14,000 genes. Compare that with humans, which have an estimated 22,500, and yeast, which has about 5,800 genes, and we are much more similar than you might expect.

This relative genetic closeness means experiments onDrosophila translate effectively to humans and scientists. We get them drunk to study alcohol addiction, we study sleep and how they are affected by coffee and we have learned that older flies sleep less. The first ‘jet lag genes’ were found in flies, and we

Research scientist Dr Anne von Philipsborn sorting a laboratory culture of common fruit flies (Credit: Nature Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo) now know we have them too.

Thousands of scientists use Drosophila as a model organism across all of the world, even outside it. Fruit flies were the first animals launched into space and there is a permanent Fruit Fly Lab on the International Space Station. This is used to study questions such as why astronauts are more susceptible to disease when in space.

Why then, if we are genetically close are we different in so many ways to the fruit fly or even yeast? Dr Peter Lawrence, author of The Making of the Fly, describes this as the "third secret of life".

In an interview for the BBC Radio 4 series Natural Historieshe said the first secret is Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, which “drives the genesis of all the plants and animals, everything, from scratch”.

“The second is the discovery of DNA because without understanding that information is coded and stored in this molecule then we wouldn’t have much of an understanding of a mechanism that lies behind life,” he said.

The third secret is a question Dr Lawrence sees as the greatest problem that must be tackled by the biologists of the future.

“It is so every day that we don’t think about it. What makes the difference between a rhino and hippo?” he said.

“When you look at the genes, it’s not much. So, what

Fruit fly on a peach... because it can (Credit: blickwinkel / Alamy Stock Photo)

makes the pattern and the size and so on? Where is the length of your nose specified and what information present when you are developing fixes it at a particular length? What makes children resemble their parents, what makes the shape of a face? We actually don’t know.

“That for me is the biggest unsolved problem in biology and is what I call the ‘third secret of life’. You see it every day but it is so big it’s not obvious how to approach it.”

“You can’t build an animal without vectorial information so we need to know where a cell is, what it is and where it’s pointing.

Imagine an architect’s plans without any orientation of north or south you wouldn’t know which way to put the building.”

It’s a subject scientists have tried to break down. Flies with larger wings have been studied to try to isolate the genes responsible for the increase in size. Scientists have compared

XXIII species that are evolutionarily closely related and tried to examine the differences that lead to differences in their morphology.

But, according to Dr Lawrence, these studies are valuable in contributing pieces in a puzzle but there is long way to go before we answer the big question and we need to make it a greater focus of scientific study.

“If you look at the whole cosmos of science you see a big dark area, space, and if you look more closely you see that, here and there, there are many rooms full of light and in each there are people all beavering away and arguing and discussing with one another but they don’t look out of the windows and see and wonder what there might be out there.”

Whatever the answers are, Dr Lawrence says, the chances are that they will be found by studying Drosophila.

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Elephant poaching in Africa down, but still far too high: CITES (REUTERS) The illegal killing of African elephants for their ivory seems to have fallen from record peaks but poaching of the animal is still far too high, an international report said on Thursday.

More patrols in wildlife parks, better forensic techniques for tracking the origin of tusks, and a crackdown on corruption by China, the main market for ivory, were among factors helping to limit the slaughter.

"There are elements of good news, but we are nowhere near the success we need to turn the trends around," John Scanlon, secretary-general of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), told Reuters of CITES findings.

About 60 percent of the elephants found dead in the wild in 2015 had been killed by poachers for their ivory rather than having died of natural causes, down from almost 80 percent at a peak in 2011, it said.

A CITES index tracking the illegal ivory trade dipped in 2014, the latest year for which data are available, from peaks

A Kenya Wildlife Services ranger inspects part of elephant tusks in Mombasa, Kenya, July 22, 2016.

REUTERS/Joseph Okanga/File Photo in 2012 and 2013 that were the highest since international commercial trade in ivory was banned in 1989.

Taken together, the data indicated that poaching was declining or had at least stabilized after a surge that began a decade ago, CITES said. But rates were still far too high to enable depleted populations of the world's largest land animal to recover.

Scanlon said that best estimates were that illegal killings peaked at around 30,000 in 2011 and were still in the "low tens of thousands" a year.

"In some parts of the African continent we are confronting potential local extinctions, in particular in central and western Africa," he said. Southern Africa had the lowest rates of poaching.

Africa now has only about 500,000 elephants, down from 1.2 million in the 1970s. Ivory is prized in everything from bracelets and buttons to carved ornaments.

CITES, with about 180 member governments, will meet in Johannesburg in September to discuss how to protect wildlife.

Kenya will lead calls for stronger bans on the ivory trade and torched thousands of elephant tusks and rhino horns from a government stockpile in April.

By contrast, Zimbabwe says the best way to raise funds to help protect its 83,000 elephants is by allowing it to sell ivory stockpiles. The last legal sales of African ivory from stockpiles, to China and Japan, ended in 2009.

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Subtle and Sweet - Demystifying the Natural Look

T

he first probing question is: "What really is considered a natural look?"

Makeup could be applied in droves and still look fabulous, flawless, and effortless. However, some assume that the Natural Look means little to no makeup at all or just powder and mascara.

Since makeup is more than just looking pretty, a natural look could mean realism, as with special effects and theatrical makeup tricks, simply changing the appearance and character features of a face.

Sculpting and rebuilding a new face may also be natural makeup, for example, transforming Kim Kardashian into Kate Winslet.

Suffice it to say, even extreme makeup can be natural makeup.

When a client says to me "I want a natural look" I ask what they mean, because your natural and mine may be two different things.

So is a Natural Look one that entails minimal makeup, or is it one that looks natural no matter how much makeup was used? Hmmmm... Aargh... Ah... Uh... take the latter. A Natural Look is one that looks natural (obviously). Please excuse the redundancy but it is indeed that simple..

Makeup should always look as if it were achieved with admirable ease; it should inspire others to say "I can do that, it looks easy."

With all the YouTube beauty vloggers and beauty magazines, makeup books, DVDs, and the constant beauty tips on Instagram and Twitter, as well as morning shows on Television, still I am bombarded everyday by my peers probing and complaining that they can't do makeup. As if makeup is a secret code that needs deciphering by a CIA agent. Anyone can do it!

However, I must confess that through my mere nine years in this biz, not many people care to know, and want to put the work in, because every time I show or tell the techniques and efforts required, I get the shrug by some, enthusiasm by others and the sighs of many. Eyes roll, lips purse, and jaws drop when observers realize that's it's a marathon not a sprint. And as the adage says "the race is not for the swift but for those who endure to the end" Too often I've heard "Kerry, me ain't able with all that, I just wanna get ready in five minutes" As Kim Kardashian's makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic said: "This takes four hours" So brace yourself John Public! Getting ready like a star will not only cost you money but also time...but the end it's all worth it; red carpets will roll out in your honour, paparazzi will follow you, necks will break as heads turn, the hem of your gown will be grabbed, and even God will part the Red Sea for you! Which is why it's best to say a little prayer before you put on your makeup.

The trick is always to blend the makeup even when you think it's already well blended; blend some more. Allow the makeup to set and adhere to skin, to create the perfect symbiosis.

Makeup should be seen and not heard.

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Fun holiday activities for the kids Short Story… T

The rooster that wouldn't crow (Part IV)

By Artie Knapp

oby couldn't sleep a wink that night. He didn't know what he was going to do. He thought about running back to the McHenry farm, but was afraid that that would only get him and Edna both in trouble. The next morning as the sun peeked over the horizon, Toby followed his heart and let out a very loud MOOOOOOOOOOO! About ten seconds after doing so, Peter ran out of the house to confront Toby!

"Toby, what are you doing? Did you not listen to a thing I said yesterday?"

"I did Mr. Harpole. believe in."

But I've got to do what I

Peter shook his head and went back into his house to get the keys to his truck.

"Annie, we've already talked about this; we can no longer have this rooster causing so much disruption in our lives."

"He doesn't cause me dis-rup-tins, Daddy," cried Ellie. Peter looked at his daughters’ sad faces, and it tore him up inside.

He got up from the table and went outside to take a walk. As Ellie was being consoled by her mother, Annie became excited and blurted out: "I have an idea, Mommy! I have an idea how we can save Toby!"

"Well, what is it?" asked Mrs. Harpole.

"Where are you going so early?" asked Mrs. Harpole.

"Toby wants to be with Edna more than anything, right?"

"I'm going to town to hopefully find a buyer for that crazy rooster."

"Yes, I'm listening."

"Daddy, please don't sell Toby! We love him!" pleaded Annie.

"I don't have a choice, Annie. We've got to make a living." Peter stormed out of the house and sped off in his truck.

"Mommy, please don't let Daddy sell Toby. Please Mommy," cried Ellie.

Well! We’re down to our final installment in this riveting tale about a rooster who is madly in love with a cow. How do you think this odd couple will fare, seeing that the owner of the farm, Mr Harpole, is dead set against Toby’s mooing for fear of losing business, and Toby’s being equally adamant that he won’t give up his Edna for anything in the world, and that he would go on mooing his love for her for as long as he pleased. The only way of finding out is to keep on reading…

"Daddy, I am begging you, can we please keep Toby?" asked Annie.

T

HE NEXT month was not the best of times at the Harpole farm. Peter had failed to find a buyer for Toby, because word had already spread about his mooing rooster. Every morning, Toby mooed with all his might. People were starting to flock to the Harpole farm like seagulls to see Toby moo his heart out. When Toby's unusual behaviour was mentioned in the local paper, Peter had all he could stand, and decided he would have to find a buyer for Toby out of the region. He didn't care if it meant driving three states away. Peter wanted to be done with this troublesome bird, once and for all.

One evening during supper, Peter mentioned his intentions to sell Toby out-of-State. It didn't sit well with his daughters.

ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE ON FOOD CHAINS & FOOD WEBS! OVER the last few weeks, you have learned quite a lot about food chains and food webs. Most importantly, you should now understand that all organisms in nature are important to each other’s survival.

We have learnt many terms related to the food chain and the food web. Let’s see how many you can remember! Tell at least two (2) friends about food chains and food webs!

Below is a list of ten (10) key words you should know: Food Chain; Food Web; Carnivore; Herbivore; Omnivore; Organism; Energy; Predator; Prey; and Photosynthesis.

Can you find each word in the word-search below?

Good luck!

‘Environmental Matters’ was written especially for children, and is brought to you courtesy of the Environmental Protection Agency, 7 Broad and Charles Street, Charlestown, GEORGETOWN.

"Well, why can't Toby and Edna be together at the petting zoo in Belvar?"

Mrs. Harpole was sold on Annie's idea the moment she suggested it, and was anxious to share it with Peter upon his return. Mrs. Harpole believed in her heart that this could be the solution to their ever-growing dilemma. And it was! After a long sit-down talk with both Peter, and Mr. McHenry, the Belvar Petting Zoo agreed to take on Toby and Edna as pets.

Most of the money generated to see this unusual couple would go to the petting zoo, and the rest would be split equally between Peter and Mr. McHenry.

In no time at all, Peter had made more money from the zoo than he would have done with twenty roosters on his farm. And as for Toby and Edna. Well, they're still together to this day; they couldn't be happier. People who see them now don't find it that odd anymore. But they do have the strangest looking kids you ever did see!

THE END Didn’t turn out too badly, did it?

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Fun holiday activities for the kids DYEING FOR SOME COLOUR

How to make a terrarium

This easy terrarium shows kids the water cycle in action.

The Project 1. Help your child use scissors to cut a plastic bottle in half. Use a utility knife to cut off the spout (an adult's job).

2. Fill the bottom half in layers: 1 inch of pea gravel, 1 â„ 2 inch of activated charcoal (find it at pet stores), and the rest with damp potting soil.

Insert plants (we used wood fern, strawberry begonia, and asparagus fern) and plastic toys into the soil.

3. Secure the top of the bottle to the bottom with washi tape. Place a small bouncy ball onto the spout opening to seal it (hot-glue in place, if desired). Set the terrarium in a bright area, not in direct sunlight, and watch it grow!

The Lesson In the terrarium, water moves from the soil into the plant, out to the air, and back down again in a process called the water cycle. Here's how it works: Transpiration: Moisture is carried from the soil through the plants' roots to small pores on the leaves.

Evaporation: The tiny drops of water transform from a liquid to a gas, leaving as a vapor from the plant.

Condensation: The water vapor can't get out of the closed terrarium, so it collects on the inside of the bottle and turns from a gas back into a liquid.

Precipitation: When a lot of condensation forms, it gets too heavy to stick to the bottle. It slides down the sides, just like rain or snow falling from a cloud. The plants soak up the precipitation through their roots, and the process starts over again. (www.parents.com)

Lemon Cups If life gives you lemons, make lemon cups!

INGREDIENTS: 2 teaspoons lemon zest 4 to 5 lemons ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (from the lemons) 3½ cups water 1¼ cups sugar Mint leaves and lemon zest for garnish 1. Scrape the 2 teaspoons of zest from one of the lemons, then cut all of the lemons in half and juice them. Measure 1 cup, reserving the rest for another use.

2. Use a melon baller to remove any remaining pulp.

Slightly trim the bottom of each lemon cup so it sits flat, then

set them on a plate, cover, and place them in the refrigerator.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the water to a boil, then add the lemon juice and zest and boil for 2 minutes.

4. Transfer the liquid to a mixing bowl and allow it to cool to room temperature. Place the bowl in the freezer until the mixture begins to freeze, several hours or overnight. Use a fork to break up the ice, then stir it until fluffy.

5. Spoon ½ cup of the slush into each lemon half, then cover them and freeze until you're ready to serve. Garnish with a mint leaf and lemon zest before serving, if you like.

Serves 8 to 10.

See you again next when we’ll have more fun things for you to do over the August ‘hols’.

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Leonardo da Vinci’s

lessons in design genius (BBC)Famed as a conspirator in The da Vinci Code and as the master painter behind the “Mona Lisa Smile”, Leonardo da Vinci was a true Renaissance man – with passions spanning geology, geometry, astronomy, mathematics, botany, pyrotechnics, optics and zoology. Among his many achievements, he was first to explain why the sky is blue and wrote the words “for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction” 200 years before Newton was born.

But his artistic talent and scientific understanding pale in comparison to a lesser-known side of this enigmatic genius: his inventions.

He is popularly, though erroneously, credited with inventing scissors. In fact many of his ideas were much, much weirder. From shoes for walking on water to a plane which resembles

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a giant mechanical bat, to revolving bridges which evoke the magical staircases in Harry Potter; his elaborate designs have a dream-like quality which is irresistibly compelling. After the plague devastated Milan in 1484 he even drew up plans for a utopian city.

For hundreds of years his futuristic designs lay unpublished and unread, languishing in trunks and outhouses. Some 700 pages of notes and sketches were rediscovered in the late 19th Century, but his inventions remained in obscurity until Italian dictator Benito Mussolini commissioned a series of models as part of an effort to stir up nationalist pride in 1939.

On the 500th anniversary of da Vinci’s birth in 1952, a further 39 were made in Milan, recreated using materials which would have been available to him in the 15th Century. The models are on display –among others – at London Science Museum’s exhibition Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Genius, which runs until 4 September 2016.

“At that time engineering was very practical, so Leonardo was unusual with his sketches. He really invented a new way of inventing, by combining his talent as an artist with his skill as an engineer,” says the exhibitions co-curator, Claudio Giorgione, from the Museo Nazionale della Scienza Though it looks impressive, the mechanical tank e della Tecnologia in Milan. would only have been able to move at a slow jerk (Credit: Science Museum) A PROTOTYPE TANK? If many of da Vinci’s inventions were like something out of a dream, then his design for an armoured vehicle is straight out of a nightmare. Shaped like a cross between a tortoise and a spaceship, this behemoth would have been powered by eight men turning pedals by hand. Though it was never made, he envisaged a metal-plated wooden structure on wheels, with canons around the edge and slits to allow soldiers to shoot their weapons from inside.

“This is a beautiful example of the innovative way Leonardo used his technical drawings.

They are much more powerful than those of his contemporaries. He represents how the tank would move over the ground with dust and speed,” says Giorgione.

The tank was commissioned by the then Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, who had been charged with defending the city from invasion. “It’s one of da Vinci’s many, many hundreds of drawings of military engineering. It was a profession and a salary, so it was a very important starting point for his career here in Milan,” says Giorgione.

Intriguingly, the original design included a major defect: the front and rear wheels were geared to turn in opposite directions. If built as drawn, the vehicle would never have worked.

Given the polymath’s pacifist views and clear understanding of mechanical forces, some historians believe this was no mistake, but an act of deliberate sabotage.

THE METALLIC MAN Over 500 years before C-3PO and the invention of artificial intelligence or computers, da Vinci created the ‘robotic knight’, a humanoid robot able to wave its arms, sit down and even open and close its mouth.

By studying the anatomy of human corpses, da Vinci taught himself how muscles and joints work together to move bones. His mechanical Da Vinci dissected around 30 bodies and drew them doll was designed to mimic by candlelight, with a piece of cloth covering his these processes using a system mouth and nose (Credit: The Royal Collection) of pulleys, gears and cables operated by a hand crank.

Da Vinci’s robots were mostly for the entertainment of his wealthier patrons, such as the automatic lion he invented for the king of France. The knight was mostly used for theatrical displays at parties thrown by Sforza.

“His work with special effects is one of the few moments where his studies in engineering were really known to his contemporaries. Most of these drawings were kept in his private diaries,” says Giorgione.

Little did da Vinci know, later his designs would be resurrected and incorporated into Nasa’s Anthrobot, a highly dexterous, anatomically correct robot hand currently used to carry out tasks requiring nimble fingers on Mars.

HISTORICAL HELICOPTER Long before engines, Perspex windows or strong-but-light aluminium alloys, this vertical takeoff flying machine was truly ahead of its time. Made of stretched linen “sails” and wooden masts, it may be more reminiscent of a circular sailing ship than a modern helicopter, but the invention demonstrates da Vinci’s grasp of physical laws which wouldn’t be formally discovered for centuries.

“This is an incredible drawing, unique from all the others. The drawing is described very carefully by Leonardo with a note talking about how he had made little paper models,” says Giorgione.

The “aerial screw” is thought to have been inspired by watching the spiralling descent of the seeds of the maple tree; with enough rotation, da Vinci hoped the sails would bore upwards into the air. We now know it would never have worked as a flying craft. Instead he had inadvertently invented a precursor to the propeller. “He was aware it was impossible to make this design – in its current form – rotate. He had the first intuition for how propellers can work but he could not develop the idea,” says Giorgione.

With long-lost sketches turning up as late as 1966 – and the discovery of one of his paintings in 2011 – there may be more inventions out there The helicopter would have been somewhere. Who knows, he may have thought up powered by four men turning cranks (Credit: Science Museum) something we haven’t invented yet.

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ARIES - Your message is as upbeat as you are today and you feel like you're as good as gold. For once, there's no need to monitor your words before speaking them since your positive attitude won't likely offend anyone. Don't waste energy defending your behaviour. There's no reason to curb your enthusiasm now; accelerate confidently in the direction of your drive while it lasts.

TAURUS - You're eager for a play day and, fortunately, reality seems to be conspiring with you to make it happen. However, you might be so confident that everything will fall into place today that you don't put any effort toward manifesting your vision. It doesn't matter how smoothly events unfold; you need to take the first step by voicing your intention. Circumstances will follow a different trajectory unless you share your ideal scenario. Your words are very convincing now, but only if you speak them out loud.

GEMINI - The sparkle in your eyes tells it all today; you're looking to create some mischief and you should be able to do so without too much delay. But flying by the seat of your pants won't work now because thoughtful Mercury trines Mars in your 6th House of Logistics, requiring you to think through your day in advance. You are better equipped to take advantage of a sudden turn of events if you have a rough schedule sketched out. Ironically, spontaneity is especially kind to you if you already have a plan in mind.

CANCER - You're quite content in your own little corner of the universe today. Although your friends might encourage you to join them in a variety of activities, you're more inclined to spend some quiet time with your family or partner. You're not interesting in changing the world when you can carve out a piece of paradise to be your very own. Emotional rewards are yours now if you go deep instead of wide.

LEO - You're more flexible when it comes to making plans today than others expect. You're often the one with the inspiring agenda, but you're not usually willing to negotiate. However, the diplomatic Libra Moon is visiting your 3rd House of Communication, blessing you with an extra helping of people skills.

Even if your friends have conflicting preferences, you're capable of facilitating easy conversation that leads to a common goal. But don't wait for a better time to initiate a sensitive discussion; your chance to find a resolution now is as good as it gets VIRGO - You may be reconsidering your position on a complex issue because of a recent mind-altering experience. You might have learned something important that catalysed your thinking and is now rippling inward to impact your core beliefs. But don't let anyone push you one way or another just yet. Continue to gather information with an open mind and draw your own conclusions in a natural and organic process. It's been said that you're not using your mind if you can't change it LIBRA - Your notorious ambivalence is a bigger problem for others than it is for you. However, the ever-changing Moon's return to your sign is annoying if you thought you already made up your mind about your feelings. You might wish you took decisive action early in the day because your certainty seems to fade as the hours tick by. But things happen (or don't happen) for a reason.

It's better to wait until you're sure than to regret an overly passionate but premature reaction. Silence can be a source of great strength.

SCORPIO - Although you have a silver tongue today, you don't want to waste it on meaningless chatter. In fact, you want to investigate unspoken motives while talkative Mercury harmonises with energetic Mars, now moving direct in your penetrating sign. It's not as much fun splashing in the shallows when you can be fully immersed in the deep end of the pool. Luckily, there seem to be others willing to join you on your mystery mission. It's unnecessary to hesitate while the cosmic waters are calling your name.

SAGITTARIUS - People are attracted to your big ideas today. Everything you talk about seems like a grand adventure while still sounding feasible.

But you're probably not telling the whole story; if you did explain everything, others might be scared away. Some exploits are better experienced in the mind than in the real world. Don't hide any perilous details when stirring up interest for your undertaking. Arm everyone with all the facts so they are empowered to make the best decisions for themselves.

CAPRICORN - You have a rare opportunity to forge a new path in a current relationship today if you're willing to open your heart. Powerful communication is facilitated by a Mercury-Mars alignment that energises your 7th House of Relationships. But you won't be able to hide behind safe formalities or intellectual analysis as emotional water signs are prominent. It may feel awkward, or even scary, to express what you are feeling in the moment.

Allow your words to flow directly from your soul and your fears will dissipate as the conversation deepens.

AQUARIUS - You would like to follow your regular Sunday routine but it's impossible if your schedule is disrupted by events that are beyond your control. Luckily, you are blessed with the ability to adapt to the unexpected changes today, even if this is not your normal modus operandi. The most important tool in your toolbox now is your skill of putting your perceptions into words. Helping others see things in a new light initiates conversations that inspire you to greater heights.

PISCES - The most complex relationship dynamics are temporarily simplified today by some unknown cosmic intervention. For some reason, you're suddenly able to talk about a subject that was previously taboo. Thankfully, an honest discussion now reduces conflict to the point of non-existence, even if it would have started a war just a few days ago. But you must take the initiative or you'll lose the chance to finally clear the air. Don't let an opportunity that could change your life pass you by.

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It is difficult to be peaceful in Bollywood: Sidharth Malhotra (Indian Express) Four years and six films later, Sidharth Malhotra (above) says he is “grateful” for what he has achieved in Bollywood. As he prepares for his first world tour, the actor talks about his career so far, his “comfort” with Alia Bhatt, and more.

Are you at peace with the way things have progressed in your career?

It is difficult to be peaceful in Bollywood. There is no such thing, especially at this stage of my career. Everything comes with a lot of ups and downs, anxiety, struggle and excitement.

I think I am still exploring. But I am grateful for reaching where I am. I have no complaints.

It’s a learning process, as I have to go through the grind. It is like a boxing match, where you take the first few rounds to figure out your opponent, before you start pounding or strategising (smiles).

Sidharth Malhotra says his rumoured girlfriend , Alia Bhatt didn’t host a party to introduce him as her ‘boyfriend’

You are a Delhi boy, so being an outsider, how difficult was it to survive in Bollywood?

It is a big task. First, you need to start dreaming. If people don’t laugh at your ambitions, then you’re being safe. Ten years back, if my parents or friends wouldn’t have smiled or smirked at my Bollywood dreams, then what I have achieved now wouldn’t have been so special. It’s more about how driven you are. One thing that was a constant in my heart and head was my dream. Now that I’m here, I don’t want to be average or mediocre. I want to be the best in the industry.

You have worked with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Katrina Kaif. Were you ever their fan?

These are two women I have had major crushes on. I am a big Bebo fan and have always admired Katrina’s work. It was exciting to work with them. It was like a dream come true, when Katrina danced next to me or did a scene with me. It was surreal since I have done a full film with her. Both of them are extremely attractive.

Your personal life is always under the scanner, especially with regards to Alia Bhatt…

Film stars and the media share an interesting relationship. I recently read Karan Johar’s article about the media and actors, and I agree with him when he says that we are like husband and wife, who keep having tiffs. You don’t really leave your wife, you learn to live with her and appreciate the good things in her (smiles), without taking certain opinions to heart. It’s difficult, but as long as it doesn’t cause any harm to anybody, I have pretty much learnt how to live with it.

Did Alia throw a party to introduce you as her ‘boyfriend’?

Alia is not launching me in a film; Karan did that four years ago. So, she doesn’t need to introduce me. I was surprised when I heard this. But it is definitely not true.

Alia says she is fond of you. Are you two ‘just friends’?

Nobody can decide that. No one knows what can happen in the future. We want to make

the most of our time [in the industry], and during that process, you connect with people. I have done two films with Alia, so, it’s only natural that we both have a lot of fondness for each other. There’s a great amount of comfort because we’ve worked together. It’s great if you get along with a colleague.

So she is just a colleague?

Yes, Alia is a very dear colleague (smiles).

There is so much competition in your age group. Does it push you to work harder, or does it worry you?

For me, anything that is challenging pushes me to do better. Positive things drive me. Earlier, my motivation was that I needed to make it in this industry. I didn’t want to go back without a job. But there was no shortcut to enter the industry and become a star. I had to go through the grind, and keep myself driven to make it. Collaborating with someone who is attempting a new film, telling a novel story, or trying to prove his or her craft drives me more, instead of worrying about kaun kya kar raha hai (who is doing what). I would rather be a person who does something new every time.

When the release of your film is coming up, what’s your state of mind? Do you still get butterflies?

I think the butterflies keep getting bigger and at times, they enter other body parts too (laughs). My new film has been most challenging, especially because it has a high-concept love story, and I’m portraying a character across multiple age groups. It is a big challenge, and I am anxious and excited since it is my sixth film. I feel there has been an improvement in my craft, as I enjoy playing around with different emotions.

Sidharth was last seen in Kapoor &Sons with Alia and Fawad Khan.

Sidharth has been linked with Alia Bhatt for a long time now

Is it frustrating when people call you a good-looking actor, and take the focus away from your talent?

It is not frustrating; looking good can’t be a negative thing in the entertainment industry (smiles). We are here to sell dreams and glamour. But I do believe that I have much more to offer than just the way I look. I think I am in the early stages of my relationship with the audience, so they are still mesmerised with the way I look. I think once they are used to my face, they will start seeing beyond it, and will realise that I have more hidden talents and emotions to show on screen (smiles).

Sidharth made his debut with Student Of The Year

Sidharth Malhotra will next be seen with Katrina Kaif in Baar Baar Dekho

Is Jason Bourne worth the wait?

(BBC) Break out the ‘Bourne again’ headlines: nearly a decade on from The Bourne Ultimatum, Matt Damon and writer-director Paul Greengrass have reunited for Jason Bourne, another propulsive yarn about the CIA’s memory-impaired rogue super-spy. The character was born in a Robert Ludlum novel, and his big-screen debut, The Bourne Identity, was directed by Doug Liman, but the series is now associated so closely with Damon and Greengrass that if someone else makes a Bourne film - eg, The Bourne Legacy, with Jeremy Renner - it feels like a karaoke version of a classic song. Jason Bourne, on the other hand, is the sound of the band getting back together.

Since we last saw him, Bourne has been living off the grid as a bare-knuckle boxer. It’s disappointing that he hasn’t made more productive use of his phenomenal skills, but the idea is that he was traumatised by his time as a brainwashed blackops killer. The fact that the viewer gets to see an alarmingly muscular Damon with his top off is, I’m sure, an unintended bonus.

At any rate, Bourne’s anonymous existence is interrupted when his old CIA buddy Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) tracks him down to share some new information about his murky past. Bourne is intrigued enough to investigate further, but his enquiries upset the CIA’s director (Tommy Lee Jones, providing the air of elder-statesman gravitas and deviousness that Brian Cox, Chris Cooper, David Strathairn and Albert Finney brought to prior instalments). He believes that Bourne should be dispatched by an assassin known only as The Asset (Vincent Cassel, who is an asset indeed), whereas his shrewd lieutenant (Alicia Vikander) argues that Bourne can be persuaded to rejoin the Agency.

It’s just like old times. Once again, Bourne hurtles from one grey and gritty European metropolis to another at breathtaking speed. Once again, he is never more than half-a-step ahead of his enemies. And once again, Greengrass stages the action with bone-jarring immediacy, using wobbly handheld cameras and rat-a-tat editing to make the viewer feel as if they

could be hit by a stray fist or bullet at any moment. Greengrass’s hectic, immersive style has been much imitated since The Bourne Supremacy rewrote the rules of the secret-agent genre in 2004, but no one else has his ability to construct a fight sequence that is so head-spinningly fast and fragmentary, but which is also possible to follow.

Just to show the copycats how it’s done, he puts the film’s first extended set piece in the middle of an anti-government demonstration in Athens - and the confidence with which he orchestrates the chaos is astounding. Once you’ve seen Bourne barrelling through crowds of protesters and riot police in a city choked by smoke and tear gas, you’ll never be able to rewatch 007’s daft car chase in Spectre, through a conveniently deserted Rome, without smirking.

BOURNE, JASON BOURNE But even when Jason Bourne has you on the edge of your seat, it’s still hard to shake the feeling that it isn’t as satisfying as the earlier films. Partly, it’s a simple matter of the law of diminishing returns. Greengrass and Damon (and, to a lesser extent, Liman), have done a positively scientific job of refining the Bourne-movie formula. They know exactly which elements it has to have in order to distinguish it from every other espionage thriller on the market. The downside of this precision, though, is that they haven’t left themselves much room for manoeuvre.

It’s not as if they can let Bourne ski-jump off a cliff, or hop on a space shuttle, or acquire a taste for vodka Martinis and risque one-liners. They can’t let him do anything that he didn’t do in The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum - and there’s no way he can it any more electrifyingly than he did in those. After two films which deserved to have “supreme” and “ultimate” in their titles - more or less - any follow-up will inevitably seem like a slightly less impressive retread of what we’ve seen before.

Sometimes, the repetition makes you roll your eyes.

Isn’t it ridiculous, for instance, that the CIA is still hunting down Bourne, a task they first had a crack at in The Bourne Identity 14 years ago? Considering how much money, man-power and futuristic technology they have at their disposal in the film, you’d think they would have caught him by now - and yet here they are spending a fortune and mowing down countless innocent bystanders in the attempt. What a palaver. Wouldn’t it make more sense if they concentrated on catching terrorists instead?

But the problems with Jason Bourne aren’t all to do with familiarity breeding contempt. There are a few other off-key notes which suggest that, having reunited, the band isn’t quite playing in tune. For one thing, Greengrass resorts to more spy-movie hokum than he used to: more jargon, more absurdly quick computer uploads, more scenes in which someone looks at a photo on a screen, and barks, “enhance!” and the blurry picture magically comes into pin-sharp focus.

For another thing, it seems as if Greengrass is trying to make two films at once. One of them is about Bourne and his identity, just as the previous ones were. But the other is about a high-tech cyber-conspiracy which has nothing to do with him. It’s strange that Jason Bourne should have that full name as its title, because Bourne himself is almost a supporting character, with less screen time, less depth, and less dialogue than ever. Perhaps the film should have been called “Chasin’ Bourne” instead.

The non-Bourne plot concerns the CIA’s shady dealings with a Silicon Valley entrepreneur (Riz Ahmed) whose social networking service is more popular than Facebook, Instagram and Twitter put together. Inspired by Wikileaks and Edward Snowden, it’s a storyline that’s turned up in too many films already. After all, the villain’s scheme involves “full-spectrum surveillance - watching everyone, all the time.” But wasn’t that what Blofeld had planned in Spectre? You know something’s wrong with a Bourne film when it lags a year behind Bond.

The Rolling Stones to appear in cinemas worldwide (BBC) Not everyone can see The Rolling Stones in concert, so the band is putting on a show in a different venue - namely cinemas all over the world. The legendary band played a free concert in Cuba in March this year, which was filmed by award winning director Paul Dugdale.

The result is 'Havana Moon', which is billed as a unique cinematic experience, with super high definition visuals and surround sound.

The title 'Havana Moon' comes both from the moon the band played under - and the name of a Chuck Berry song. It's estimated that around 1.2 million people turned out to the Stones play at the concert.

Thousands of cinemas across Europe, Australia, Russia, Japan and Latin America will screen the film for one night only - September 23, 2016. A spokesman said the film will not be shown in the United States.

The band's Cuba concert was particularly spectacular as it was the first time they had visited the country - and they were one of the first bands to perform in the country after the lift of the ban of rock music, imposed by communist rulers. Fans of the Rolling Stones will be able to buy tickets for the event at the beginning of August.

Members of the Rolling Stones (L-R) Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards arrive for the ''Exhibitionism'' opening night gala at the Saatchi Gallery in London, Britain April 4, 2016.