No water or electricity…
Though battling severe arthritis pain, Iris Sutton, 90, clings to what she knows best – baking cassava bread for a living. In this photo she starts the process by grating the cassava
‘Life in
Dog Point
is no walk in the park’ ► CENTRE
R
esidents of Dog Point, a village located less than four miles from the gold mining hub of Bartica, survive without water or electricity. In fact, their only means of livelihood is cassava bread. Svetlana Marshall recently travelled to the village and spoke with residents about how they manage to eke out a living.
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Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
LIKE SOMEBODY SPRINKLE Part 3 GUINEA PEPPER? TO give context to the exchange between the characters Simon and Rastaman, in this week’s episode of Somebody Sprinkle Guinea Pepper?, it should be noted that the idea for this story was conceived circa the early 1990’s; many years before the United Nations designated the current ‘Decade For People Of African Descent’ 2015 to 2025. I should point out also, that in last week’s column, the views about cognitive power beginning from within a mother’s womb, expressed by Steel Donkey, and her contention with Sweet Beak are really a reflection of my creative idea re rescuing our future by encouraging mothers to begin educating their children while still in the womb. This creative concept entitled: IN UTERO THEATRE was shared in a workshop conducted by The South Road Clinic in the hope it would gain currency through dissemination by nurses concerned with pre-natal care; whatever became of that idea? Is not his turn to cook, but Putagee mekking a quick-boil only cause he worms throwing cuffam and Endsaman only deh pon skin-up chasing fawbs in d bush. Putagee vex baad, but he cooking and d sparks flying from d congo-pump fyah-wood and d tekups in d camp. Is two pots – one got a lill salt-pork with black-eye and d other one got black-eye just so – with only a lill buck-thyme (no salt) for them who doan eat deaders like Rastaman and Whitey. And some rice of course. Somebody calling out: “Whitey? Is where you hiding your self bwoy? Is how come you so quiet?” And is just-so – jus-jus-so another tekups gon start-up in d camp. Listen, hear; is a voice sounding like if it come from foreign saying: I’m over here….” And is just so another tekups starting up. Is Rastaman and Whitey this time. “Whitey?” whappening man, why you ain answering?” ...is Rastaman, and a soft voice answering he now –
“I usually respond to: Robert, Emanuel, Cunningham. Any one or all of those – that’s my name, William. But you can call me Rob if you wish…that’s me; or you can even call me –“ “Cunning?....that okay with you too Whitey? But ah can’t call you deh-bad right? Cause you ain no “deh-bad white man”, eh Whitey? “I guess I’m not, William – whatever that means.” “YOU can call me Blackey, if you want, Whitey, but doan ever lehme hear that N-WORD you calling me in your mind.” “I’ll keep calling you William, or Rastaman, if you prefer –“ “Any one – Rasta then…just call me Rastaman, Cunningham; but what I really trying to find out is exactly who…” “Forget about it William, I’m already calling you William...comfortable with that…as for me – I’m just a run-of-the-mill biologist who happens to be a guest in your camp; whatever you call me won’t change that fact. “Haaay! Doan leh we worry with what name I calling you BY, man, just worry with what I calling you FOR ...by the way you could just turn off that damn tape recorder a lill bit please?...getting on my nerves. Hear, this ain no joke, I gotta get this off my chest or I ain never gon sleep comfortable – what I really want to know is – what you going to do with all the inform-ation you collecting, eh Cunningham? Is how much you and yours getting for all this intellectual property yall gathering? Last night whole night, you picking poor Simon brain – is how much all that does sell for? But Mister Simon so busy turning “buck-foreman”… he ain even understanding is con he getting con all over again.” Just then somebody in d camp shoutout: “Pay d man, Whitey! Pay d man. Is knowledge…is intellectual property! It got a fee attach!” But Simon say – “I know to talk for myself I didn’t ask ► Continued on page III
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
III
LIKE SOMEBODY SPRINKLE GUINEA ... ► From page II
nobody to … “
Then Rastaman pounce pon Simon – “Ohhh yeah, yeeess, Mister Simon, I nearly forget... you got a whole decade devoted to you and yours. You doan need my help to get screw-up again like your blabber-mouth ancestor – remember that “...Indian who had known no change...who strayed content along a sunlit beach gathering shells?” d banna did peaceful as hell (peaceful as hell? well, yuh know wuh ah mean d banna didn’t diggin nutten) till Columbus land...” “Columbus didn’t land here”, Simon say. “Here, there, the Bahamas, San Salvador – anywhere in the ‘NEW WORLD’ – I talking bout – those peace-full, bliss-full, Arawak Indians HESTORY say Columbus did “discover” – they were your ancestors, right; you disowning dem, or wuh, Simon?” But Rastaman ain waiting for no answer from Simon; he tekking-off like akuri; eh-eh, watch, listen... hear – “...when that bad-ass navigator Christopher Columbus and Pizzaro and, and whoever – find they way here to this NEW WORLD, limping and loss, with all dem lampy-pampy ship and hungry-belly sailors, if they (your great great great ancestors, I mean) did drop two arrow in dem....tek d Pinta, d Nina and d Santa Maria – all dem bruk-up ship – mek firewood, instead a telling some shine-eye white people bout El Dorado – some damn city full of gold – my history and yours woulda been different today, yuh sight?” He barely taking a breath before Rastaman gone again; eh-eh – is guinea pepper? “But no, just like you and yours today, your ancestors were suckers fuh Whitey; now look..look again how all these NEW COLUMBUSES swarming like acoushi ants through this forest; watch Columbus descendant siddown again – rite-deh, yeeaaah – right
heah, RIGHT HERE! just picking your brain and tekking you again. Watch you, Mister Simon! You a-talkin-a-d-microphone. You giving interview. Is just so you giving away your birthright; THAT IS WHAT YOURE DOING SIMON! And tomorrow morning, insteada you joining d hustle by d pit with d rest a we...see if you could ketch a lill wing self? No, not you, you gone off in the bush showing and telling Mister Cunningham! “You right, though. You don’t need no help from me, you know EXACTLY how to repeat your history. But learn this, Bro…" Rasta rumbling on – is guinea pepper; it got to be guinea-pepper somebody sprinkle pon d ground. Is Rastaman rumbling and complaining: “THIS TIME I here, hear? And I OVERSTAND, so I want you understand that I-man got to have a say in d matter THIS TIME, cause D-I gotta take care ah me and mine cause nobody ain gon name no decade after me. I-man is just the son of a son of a ex-slave grandson, come down from dem man and dem condition that your ancestor help to cause, that’s all. But this time, D-I gotta have a say in this matter, yuh sight? D-I ain gon just sit back and let you repeat my history for me. “What history you talking about Rastaman? Mine or yours? You don’t even know your history. Black people don’t know –“ STOP! – IS WHO TELL MISTER SIMON TO SAY SO? – IS NOW D TEKUPS GON GET BITTER – bitter like a gall – worse than bitter aloes. Is now this tekups getting hot like a fyah...Blackie spring out he hammock...he raise his self to he full height (and Rastaman is a tall tall banna – sometimes he does even answer to d call-name: “Stretch”), then he start jooking Simon with
African history. Rastaman start with d Maafa – d African Holocaust, d Slave Trade; then he reeling out Maroon History in Brazil, Suriname, d Guianas; he talking about d Djukas and d Saramakas in Suriname; about Palmares in Brazil – is everybody jaw dropping cause like they didn’t know Rastaman got all that knowledge store-up in he head. Eh-eh, watch how Rastaman stand-up like if HESELF is “Amsterdam the bravest and the baddest” of the maroons in the Guiana forest? Then Rastaman gone back to before all that and he find he self till in Greece and Rome. Rasta talking bout Esop and Memnon…Terrence and Cleopatra, “ when Africans used to appear in the literature and the legends and the history of the Greeks and the Romans. You could hear a pin drop in d camp; even d fyah burning easy now, cause Putagee left so – he stand-up with a piece congo-pump in his hand – he forget to stuff it in d cumbus, he forget he vex that is he got to cook dinner... he ain tekkin on d worms throwing cuffam – he just listening Rastaman like every udder body in d camp tonight. And when you think Rastaman gon done? D banna cranking-up again like he drink water after horse; cause now he taking off pon his favourite track –HIS MAJESTY HAILE SELASSIE-I THE CONQUERING LION OF JUDAH! which-in we all know is a itation Rasta man could stay pon whole day. And when all a that done? d tekups still didn’t done yet. ...is guinea pepper is guinea pepper, ah telling yuh... somebody sprinkle guinea pepper... Next Week...the conclusion.
IV
Edmonia Lewis and the death of Cleopatra HER story reads like a movie script, filled with equal measures of drama, suspense, triumph and mystery. One would be tempted to call it a great fiction but in fact, these were her lived experiences playing themselves out in the most frightful and extraordinary ways imaginable. Mary Edmonia Lewis (born 1844 in Greenbush, New York) was the first professional African-American and Native-American sculptor to receive international success
for works that examined religious and classical themes. Orphaned at an early age, Lewis spent the rest of her childhood with her mother's relatives, a group of Ojibway (Chippewa Indians). Reports claim that she was “raised in the wilds” of upstate New York, running free under the name Wildfire, a name given to her by the same relatives. She would indeed live up ► Continued on page V
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
EDMONIA LEWIS
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
V
Edmonia Lewis and the death ... ► From page IV to her moniker later in life, bobbing and weaving through critical acclaim and complete obscurity for over a hundred years. In 1859 Lewis, through the encouragement of her brother, decided to pursue her art education at the Oberlin College in Ohio. But before she could complete her third year at the institution, her college life was violently cut short. She found herself embroiled in a terrible scandal and was falsely accused of attempting to poison two white classmates. In an attempt to exact their own justice prior to the trial, a group of vigilantes described in reports as a “white mob” kidnapped and proceeded to beat her in an open field, shattering her collarbone and injuring her legs. She appeared in court, supported by crutches, stood trial and was eventually acquitted of all charges. In spite of this, the sensation around the scandal continued to plague her even after the trial, forcing her to abort her studies and leave for Boston, Massachusetts. Upon her arrival in Boston, Lewis connected with the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. So impressed was he with her work that he arranged for the sculptor Edward A. Brackett to be her mentor. By the early 1860s, her clay and plaster medallions of popular abolitionist leaders had given her some modest commercial success. And it was through the sale of a bust of Robert Gould Shaw that she eventually bought a one-way ticket to Rome. Once there she became exoticized by her peers for her non-white status and reduced to an “untutored” female with “childlike” qualities, despite her advanced education. Nonetheless, her work continued to receive rave reviews. Lewis prided herself in carving her works by hand, as opposed to employing tradesmen as was the custom in Rome at that time. But like everything else, the winds of fortune eventually shifted and her signature Neoclassical-styled works were no longer considered hot commodities. All of this unfolded at the same time the art hub moved from Rome to Paris, and would’ve without a doubt weighed heavily on her mind. Sometime during the late 1880s Lewis disappeared from the public eye. Her last known sculpture was carved in 1883. And although she was rarely seen, it was reported that Frederick Douglass met with her in Rome in 1887. Much like her childhood, Lewis's final years were shrouded in mystery. For quite a long time, there was no definitive date of Lewis’ passing. British records only recently revealed that at some point she relocated from Rome to London, and died from Bright’s disease (chronic and painful inflammation of the kidneys) in Hammersmith Infirmary on September 17, 1907.
The Death of Cleopatra is perhaps Lewis’ most famous work. The impressive marble sculpture, measuring 63 x 31.25 x 46 inches and weighing almost two tons, was created for the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial, and later exhibited at the 1878 Chicago Exposition amid glowing reviews. A hundred years would pass before the sculpture would re-emerge, shedding the cloak of obscurity that had befallen it at its last location before rediscovery, the grave of a racetrack owner's favorite horse ironically named Cleopatra. The subject of the sculpture (b. 69 BC), ruled as queen of Egypt from 51 BC until her death in 30 BC, and is perhaps best known for her dramatic suicide. Most historical accounts describe a tragic tale of love lost. Following the defeat of her forces in the Battle of Actium, Cleopatra and her lover Mark Antony both fled to Egypt where she retired to her mausoleum and he left to fight his final battle. During combat, Antony attempted to commit suicide after receiving false news of her death. He would later die by Cleopatra’s side. After burying him, she locked herself in the vault with two female servants and proceeded to take her own life by allegedly allowing herself to be bitten by an asp (also known as the Egyptian cobra). For years, historians have speculated about alternate theories surrounding her death, suggesting that it was a lethal drug cocktail and not the snakebite that killed her. In her sculptural rendering of Cleopatra, Lewis reimagined the immediate moment after the queen’s death. Unlike most portrayals of this iconic scene, Cleopatra is depicted in her royal garb, posed with authority on her throne, with no trace of discomfort in her expression. In fact, the queen appears to be smiling, if not content. It was uncommon for artists at the time to not portray Cleopatra reclining, and either in despair or undeniably dead. This distinction made Lewis’ interpretation all the more impactful. In her right hand Cleopatra is firmly gripping a tiny Egyptian cobra, the symbol of divine royalty but also, as many believed, the symbol of her own death. Identical sphinx heads flank her on either side of the throne and are believed to represent the twins she bore with Antony. While most representations of the Egyptian queen tend to expose her as a foreign, power-hungry seductress, Lewis chose instead to reaffirm her majesty even in death, by bearing her vulnerable yet composed state. In some ways one could understand why she felt so passionately about the queen. There was certainly no shortage of drama and mystery in either woman’s life. Dominique Hunter is an independent visual artist who recently graduated from the Barbados Community College with a Bachelor of Fine Art (First Class Honours).
Edmonia Lewis’ The Death of Cleopatra, 1876, marble, 63 x 31.25 x 46 inches. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Gift of the Historical Society of Forest Park, Illinois.
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Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
By George Barclay
Conviction quashed because accused did not consent to 11-member jury IN 1968, burglary and larceny accused Gulliver Jerrick was convicted by a 11-man jury without the consent of the accused, resulting in the Appellate Court quashing the conviction and ordering a new trial. The Appellate Court constituted by Chancellor Kenneth Stoby, J. A. Luckhoo and P. A. Cummings held that according to the provisions of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Ordinance, the consent of an accused person must be obtained before a trial may be continued with 11 jurors, and the consent of counsel for the defence, even in the presence of the accused, was not enough. J. O. F. Haynes, Q.C. appeared for the appellant
while J. Gonsalves-Sabola, in association with G. A. Pompey, appeared for the respondent. Chancellor Stoby, delivering the judgment of the court said, the appellant was indicted and convicted for burglary and larceny contrary to ss. 238 and 187 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Ordinance, Chapter 10 [G]. The evidence in the case was quite simple. On the night of April 20, 1967, a Mrs. Rachael Collins retired to bed about 9.45 p.m. During the night, she was disturbed by sounds in her bedroom and saw two men - one rifling the â–ş Continued on page VII
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
Conviction quashed because accused ... ► From page VI dressing case and the other searching a suit case. She recognized one of the men and made an alarm but the men escaped before the arrival of assistance. The police were contacted and after about two weeks one man was arrested. He was placed on an identification parade and was identified by Mrs. Collins. Justice Stoby said that several matters were raised on appeal but the Court would only make reference to two of them. It was submitted that the indictment was bad in law for duplicity in that in one count it invalidly charged the offence of larceny in a dwelling house contrary to s. 187 and the offence of burglary contrary to s.288. Counsel contended that the specimen form in Archbold’s Criminal Pleading, Evidence and Practice (32nd Edition) was not applicable to the law at the time. Burglary and larceny were, he said, common law offences and in charging burglary and larceny in one indictment the prosecution was charging one offence. At the time, he argued, each offence was a statutory offence and each should have been charged in a separate count. The other ground of appeal was that the trial was improperly continued with eleven jurors. The trial began on the morning of October 17. 1967. It was adjourned at 11.30 a.m. until 1 p.m. On the resumption, counsel for the Crown informed the judge that one of the jurors was not feeling well and asked to be excused. The judge asked whether it was a trivial or serious indisposition. Crown Counsel replied that it appeared to be quite serious and requested that the juror be excused for the duration of the trial. He drew the judge’s attention to Chapter 11 [G.], s.84. Counsel for the appellant said he had no objection to the request. The judge thereupon excused the juror in accordance with Ch0ap.11 s. 84, and the trial proceeded with 11 jurors. Chapter 11 [G.], s.84, provides that in every case the jury shall consist of 12 persons, provided that where in the course of a trial any juror dies or is discharged by the court as being through illness incapable of continuing to act or for any other reason ,the jury shall nevertheless , so long as the number of the jurors is not reduced below 10, be considered as remaining for all the purposes of that trial properly constituted, and the trial shall proceed and a verdict may be given accordingly.” Whereas in England counsel can sign the written consent on behalf of the accused, in Guyana the consent of the accused is imperative; where the written consent is signed it is open to the court to presume, as in Browne’s case, that consent could be implied. Browne’s case did not decide that in a criminal case the position of counsel is the same as in a civil case. Further, it was stated that the fact that only the prisoner himself can plead shows that counsel cannot always act on behalf of his client; Nor can it be said that the counsel’s consent must be implied as the discussion took place in his presence because anyone who has had experience of criminal trials in Georgetown knows that most prisoners do not always appreciate what is said in Court. The judge’s duty was to obtain the accused’s consent and as he did not do so, the Court of Appeal quashed the conviction and ordered a new trial.
VII
THEATRE
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Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
By Subraj Singh
Ras Leon Saul’s For Better…For Worse O
n Saturday, 19th March 2016, the National Cultural Centre hosted a production of Ras Leon Saul’s For Better…For Worse. This newest incarnation of the play was directed by Max Massiah, assisted by Rae Wiltshire. The cast of the play was large – composed of thespians of Guyanese theatre alongside new and fast-rising stars of the local stage. However, unfortunately, a lot of the actors were hampered by the bland directing of a script that needed some revision in order to make it as strong as it needed to be for the contemporary Guyanese stage. The plot offers several storylines that circle around drugs: Canadian detectives go undercover to capture a drug baron, an elderly couple becomes embroiled in the world of drugs due to their children’s relationships with drug dealers and drug mules, and a former drug addict is about to get married to the drug baron the detectives are searching for. Despite the efforts of the directors to integrate these storylines into each other, each one still felt very separate by the end of the show, almost as if the play was a montage of several scenes that are only bridged briefly and coincidentally between character interactions instead of being an actual plan that is meant to offer a single play with various plot threads coming together to form a unified production. While there were minor incidents that didn’t work for the production – such as the actors’ continuously shifting accents and the shadows the lighting cast on the actors’ faces – there is a major problem of the play that needs to be discussed: the presentation of women in the play. Most of the female characters felt underwritten and underdeveloped when compared to their male counterparts and many of the women were highly sexualized, not for the purposes of emphasizing the play’s themes or ideology nor to drive the plot along, but simply, it seems, to
entertain the audience. So, for example, the scenes where the scantily clad women of the “Dopa Gang” perform individual raunchy dances by playing directly to the audience do nothing for the play except to expose these women (pun intended) to the cheering crowd. It doesn’t do anything for the play and its messages. The women are presented as addicts, victims, sexual objects, drug mules, or a combination of all those things. In fact, it’s almost quite tempting to use the term “sexist” to describe the play. Even the female characters who are supposed to be strong – such as the two detectives hunting the drug lord – are reduced to nothing more than mere damsels in distress by the end of the play, where they have to be rescued by a man. In terms of the performances, there were quite a few players who managed to stand out. Opara Samuel as Nicholas “Pa” Fennimore was really very, very good. He has good comic timing and is a welcome addition to the Guyanese stage. Clemencio Goddette, as his wife, performed with ease. Paul Budnah, as Ras Yoshua, was a pleasant surprise as some people were quite skeptical about his ability to play the role leading up to the performance. However, he pulled it off, giving a fine performance. Mark Luke Edwards was well suited to his part and also performed well. Nathaya Whaul, Kimberley Fernandes and Melinda Primo-Solomon are fabulous actors and deserve more than the eye-candy parts they were allotted. Two of Guyana’s fastest rising stars, Le Tisha Da Silva and Ackeem Joseph, who both turned in three outstanding performances each at last year’s National Drama Festival, have little to do in the production and neither Da Silva’s searing sensuality nor Joseph’s confidence managed to redeem their roles. Mark Kazim, Sonia Yarde, Kanini Fyffe, and Timolyn Barclay also starred and performed ably.
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
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CONSUMERISM AND RELIGION CONSUMER SHARE ETHICHAL, : S N R E C N O C SOCIAL ASPERATIONS
GUYANA has experienced a really Holy Week in the week which has just passed since two holy days of our two great national religions fell in close proximity to each other. The first was Phagwa or Holi and the other was Good Friday. The message which all world religions bring is much the same, though the metaphor and terminology they use may differ. Very often, followers of various religions tend to focus, not on the deeper meaning of their faith, but rather how it is expressed. When they do this, they conclude that the various religions do not lead to the same essential goals and Truth. The reason why terminology and metaphor and expression of various religions differ is simply because they made their advent in the world at different millennia. Hinduism, as we know it, could be traced back to nine or ten thousand years ago while Christianity is approximately two thousand years old. Accordingly, man, nine or ten thousand years ago, used language differently with different metaphor and expression to express the same truths thousands of years afterwards. But when we are analytic and discerning enough, it may surprise us to find the moral and ethical message of all religions is the same and even their metaphysics do resemble each other. Last week, Holi or Phagwa was the first of the holy days followed 24 hours after by Good Friday. Phagwa, like all very ancient holy days, has many traditions meeting in it. The main tradition is that King Hiranya Kasipu had once practiced the most strenuous and rigorous religious austerities and as a result had achieved many supernatural powers. Among the powers he achieved was that he could never be killed in either night or day, that he could never be killed on the earth and that neither man nor animal could kill him. He felt himself immortal and became an extreme tyrant. He finally declared that no God could harm him and he himself was God and compelled his subjects to worship him. But his young son Prahalad refused to worship him as God and the knowledge of Prince Prahalad's opposition spread to the citizens who were given a sense of morale. But Hiranya Kasipu
was no ordinary tyrant and he decided to murder his son. He tried a number of stratagems but each time Prahalad miraculously escaped. Eventually, the people's sufferings became unbearable. God saw the terrible tragedy and decided to incarnate himself on earth, eliminate the evil and restore normality. He decided to incarnate himself as Narasingha, a being who was half man half lion. One day, at dusk, Hiranya Kasipu decided to visit the main temple to ascertain that no one was there to worship. He arrogantly strutted about shouting that he was God and if there was another God, let that God come forward and kill him and in his demented rage. He struck one of the columns with his sword. Immediately and unexpectedly, God incarnate as Narasingha came out of the column and attacked him. They struggled until they tumbled to the steps of the temple. Here, Narasingha managed to catch Hranya Kasipu by the throat, lifted him off the earth and strangled him. Hiranya Kasipu therefore met his death at dusk which was neither night nor day, and he was strangled off the earth by a being who was neither Man nor animal. The people wildly celebrated and this celebration came to be known as Holi or Phagwa and was perpetuated over the thousands of years to the present. The story of Good Friday and Easter are very well known. It is perceived by some that God reincarnated himself in human form as Lord Jesus to renew the message of peace, love, morality and compassion to mankind. Lord Jesus's teaching began to make an immediate impact and the purveyors of evil decided to use their power to kill him by crucifixion which they did on the first Good Friday. Jesus' murder was a very sad event but it helped to propound God's message in a dramatic and reverberating way for which human beings are constantly grateful. The drama became more memorable with the resurrection when God shows, even to the doubting persons like Thomas, that Jesus was indeed an incarnation of God and is still alive. Today, Sunday is Easter and commemorates the ascension which completes the message of Jesus. Hinduism and Christi-
anity and all world religions teach the message that all human beings are equal, that man must not oppress or exploit his fellow man, that poverty and want must be minimized, if not eradicated and that all human beings are a brotherhood and should meet as a fraternity. Though religion stress redemption and salvation and are mainly concerned with matters of the spirit, it is also interested in the bet-
terment of society in a more general way. It is apposite to point out that that consumerism has no difference from the ethical, moral and social teachings of religion. Everyone is a consumer and we think of the consumer community as being a worldwide fraternity. All consumers are equal with equal aspirations and when consumer people meet each other in any part of the
world, they do so with welcome closeness. One of the primary concerns of consumerism is to prevent anyone from being exploited and we are committed to minimizing poverty. We are also committed to fairer distribution of Society's wealth. The ethical and moral teachings of religion are on all fours with consumerism. GCA's email:patdial26@gmail.com
Pat Dial
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Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
Common chronic diseases and oral health SINCE the most common chronic diseases are diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, and because all three are significantly involved in the victim’s oral health, I will examine the implications. Diabetes mellitus commonly called “sugar” is really a syndrome and not a disease. While a disease is essentially a single entity, diabetes (mellitus and insipidus) is condition in which nearly every system is serious affected. In fact, over 300 000 people die every year from this syndrome in Dr. BERTRAND the United States alone. R. STUART, DDS. Diabetics suffer from a lack of an enzyme called insulin which is responsible for utilizing glucose. Without insulin, the blood sugar rises until it “spills over” in the urine. Protein and fat are burnt for energy, water is removed from the tissues and electrolyte (vital mineral particles) is lost. Excessive lipolysis (fat breakdown) leads to a large amount of free fatty acids in the bloodstream. The acid in the blood interferes with the uptake of oxygen by the cells and may depress consciousness to the point of a coma. In addition, the high concentration of sugar in the blood eventually leads to glaucoma, skin disorders, heart disease, arthritis and an increased inclination for gangrene with amputation of the feet. Recently, in a lecture to the general membership Guyana Diabetic Association, I highlighted three major consequences of diabetes on the oral health of its victims. First, there is oral thrush (candidiasis). This appears as a whitish, creamy deposit on the gums. The gums may also appear red. Thrush is actually a fungus infection and can be found also in babies as well as people with AIDS. Another problem of uncontrolled diabetes is the lack of proper healing after an extraction or oral surgery since the condition somewhat hampers the regeneration process. So while the treatment for advanced gum disease is extraction, this should be avoided in a diabetic. The key therefore is prevention through meticulous oral hygiene. One must also avoid dentures that damage the gums. The oral tissues reflect the cellular dehydration by being prone to gingivitis and candidiasis. Hypertension, (high blood pressure) is a major cause of excessive bleeding after an extraction. The condition also exposes dental patients to stroke (brain hemorrhage) because the dental anesthetic contains a substance capable of further elevating the blood pressure. Some stroke risk factors cannot be changed, such as increasing age, gender (more men have strokes), diabetes mellitus, prior stroke and family history of stroke. Others can be controlled, including hypertension, heart disease, cigarette smoking, and lack of exercise, high cholesterol and high red blood cell count. Women using oral contraceptives tend to have more strokes. Normal blood pressure is when the systolic pressure (when the heart contracts) measures less than 160 and diastolic pressure (when the heart relaxes between beat), measures less than 95. Ninety percent of hypertensive persons do not present a specific underlying cause. However, excessive salt intake, alcohol use, obesity, stress and genetic attributes are common contributory factors. These patients are susceptible to arteriosclerosis (hardening of artery wall) and enlargement of the heart due to that organ having to do extra work. The result is often death by heart failure. Persons who have defective heart valves should be extra careful about their oral health. An extraction done in such individuals may lead to subacutebacterial endocarditis, a potentially fatal disease. In event that an extraction must be done, the patient must be covered with heavy doses of penicillin over a period of at least three weeks. It is clear that many diseases cannot exist in isolation. There is always the involvement of other systems and organs. The principal cause of death among all human beings is cardiovascular disease (hypertension, heart disease, stroke etc). But the good news is that you need not be in statistics if you adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
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11 Ways you've been applying your makeup incorrectly 1. Using the upward circular motion: This so called "gravity defying motion" is not only theoretically impossible in combatting the laws of physics, but is also causing more harm and damage to the skin since its allowing product to slither into pores along with dirt and bacteria. It might cause pimples and wrinkles if it's continuously done. Therefore, when applying makeup products like foundation to the face, it's always best to pat, brush in a sweeping motion or stipple. Never rub! 2. Applying blush all over cheeks: Blush should be
won't suffice. To completely be transformed and achieve a natural three dimensional appearance, different tones must be used when applying your eye makeup. 8. Red lipstick without lip liner: Lipstick bleeds. The bolder the lip color the brighter the smudge. When lip color seems to be running along the lip line, it's because that individual decided to skip a step. It's not called mouth stick; keep your lip colour intact by applying lip liner. 9. Using the wrong foundation shade: It looks good in the mirror, or because you want to believe it looks good. But applying the wrong foundation shade won't make your skin magically adjust to the foundation. Makeup should fit you, not vice versa. Please use your jawline and swipe several foundations along it, â–ş Continued on page XII
applied just on the apples of the cheeks, under the cheek bone, or along your natural contour...nowhere else. Period. 3. Wearing too much foundation for extra coverage: Packing on product isn't going to be rid of those unwanted blemishes. And applying your foundation as if you have something to hide won't help. Take the more sophisticated approach, and apply it in layers. Build coverage and blend. Please don't pack on foundation then cross your fingers hoping no one notices it. They will. 4. Applying concealer first: You applied concealer first because you couldn't wait to cover up that microscopic 0.2 mm diameter pimple that has you walking around in shame. Relax, breathe, and repeat after me, "you can't apply blush without a good foundation, you can't apply concealer either." Foundation is always the primary step in makeup application for the face. As a makeup artist I've realized there is little to no use for concealer, since the right foundation and application technique covers up and tones the entire face. 5. Applying concealer around brows for extreme definition: We see your brows! You've defined them with pencil already! You've exhausted all brow products, and Steve from the barbershop hooked you up good, Kimmy from Shekinah Glory Salon gave you the holiest tweeze, and Malika from South Street Brow Bar waxed your brows with class...so all that's left for you to do is fill in the gaps, and enhance those baby girl brows. No need to add extreme definition by highlighting your brows with thick three shades lighter concealer...we see them! 6. Applying too much eyeliner: Okay, everybody just calm down, since the gothic 90s punk rock era some of us just can't get enough of that dark black smokey eye. But did you know you can apply that look without dawning on massive amounts of eyeliner to the very sensitive skin around the eyes? Eyeliner, especially pencil liner should be placed only on the water line, to reduce pulling and tugging of skin on the eyelids. Take it easy on your eyes. Damaging skin to achieve a beauty look is a baffling oxymoron. 7. Only using one shade of eyeshadow: Whether the look is ombrĂŠ, neutral, or smokey, one colour or shade
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Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
11 Ways you've been applying your makeup ... â–ş From page XI
to find your correct shade. 10. Not setting your mascara: Your mascara is applied too wet then you run out in a hurry because you can't be late for the Beres Hammond concert, and bam! Your mascara smudges and runs onto the under eye, you panic then attempt to wipe it away with tissue, now you have dark circles...and Beres calls you on stage to serenade you, then you're on Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat, frustrated with your mascara. It's not the mascara's fault.If you took an extra minute to set your mascara with powder, there would've been no artificial
dark bags under your eyes. Use a translucent powder with miniature fan brush or blending brush and pat gently. Apply another coat to mask and voila! Perfect lashes. 11. Not blending your contour: I don't wanna go there, but it's imperative that we understand and never underestimate the power of contour. Makeup can make someone look as beautiful as it can make them look ugly. Take control of your makeup and blend, blend, blend. It's your face, your makeup, and with motivation, determination, and the right blending technique you can overcome any obstacle. Grab a hold of your brushes and sponges, and work that contour in its rightful place. Seeing isn't believing with makeup, believing is seeing. Leave the skeptics guessing.
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
THE LOCAL PREDICAMENT OF ‘MINDS AT LARGE’ WE are challenged today by issues we can no longer sweep under the rug because the predominance of bestial crimes, suicide and mental illness cannot be further dismissed as incidents of inevitable punishment from God. I witnessed a great aunt sink into a mental breakdown because she had lost control of one of her children. I lost friends to “mind altering substances.” These experiences led me to explore as
much as time would allow the realms of mental defects. I was stunned even further when many years ago, while exercising one morning on the seawall I felt a presence, and there some paces away stood a so-called “mad man” that I recognized. He used to occupy a space on the bridge vehicles used as an exit from Irvin Street towards Campbelville. He had a distinctively huge head. He looked at me and asked, “Wuh yuh’s ex-
ercise every morning for?” I replied intending to humour him, “Ah preparing for the Revolution.” He shot back “yuh think yuh got the stomach to kill all the people who deserve to die?” I was speechless, and grinned like an idiot, and was relieved when he turned and walked away. I never knew what his story was, but to me this was sanity, that possibly placed the rest of us as insane. A few years ago I read an
article about the EU funded “Human Brain project.” They were spending billions
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to create a simulated brain. Off course I felt the usual shrills of conspiracy theory, but what was even more worrisome was what Dr Henry Markram the neuroscientist founder and coordinator said, “There’s not a single neurological disease today in which anybody knows what is malfunctioning in this circuit-which pathway, which synapse, which neu-
ron, which receptor. This is shocking.” The article also quoted Markram as saying “...the global burden of brain disease will exceed 20 percent of world GDP very soon.” Brain malfunctions constitute a vast labyrinth of expressions, and possibly ► Continued on page
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THE LOCAL PREDICAMENT OF ... a parallel realm of cures outside of depressants, and with depressants. Recruitment in organizations like the joint services has to be screened thoroughly. A good example is that of a Policeman facing the courts today on murder, one of many he is alleged to have committed, and had found his way in the presence of a young witness brandishing a weapon and boasting of using it in his related activities.
It was highlighted to me that he has relatives who had/ were known to be affected with mental illness; several other precedents could be cited to demonstrate a need for change in those organizations. The roadways, creeks and alleyways that lead to the mundane “mind at large” are numerous; possibly genetics. Narcotics Anonymous refers to several cases where drug addiction leads to thoughts of suicide and to suicide. Both [street] cocaine
and marijuana are composed of psychotic elements and can lead to the expressions of the violent gods of hallucinogens. Lack of self expression can lead to low self esteem and harbour thoughts of inadequacy, another pathway to suicide. A Stabroek article September 30, 2014 “Feelings of inadequacy fuel suicides among young” carried a synopsis of engagements by an NGO on the subject of suicide among the young, and is a must read for re-
searchers interested in what is happening locally. From the emergence of the nouveau/riche from the mid-nineties on, and the depletion of the teaching corps migrating to the lure of greener pastures, many struggling parents sought to invest their children in then private schools,not to compete academically, but to confront challenges of idolatry, spoilt-connected above reproach cliques whose obsession was what you wore, the ability of their parents to drive and purchase brand name clothing…and show off with dad’s weapon, which even if the police were called, nothing happened. This was a doubled coin. One face devastated the self esteem of the local vulnerable, many ended up trying to prove themselves in the new machismo of fitting in at clubs etc: UG student arrested as drug courier; another paid as contract killer; another killed in robbery. This also extended to all levels among the under privileged. The other face of the coin
► From page XIII
extended to the new–rich and rich, in an atmosphere that demanded, surrendering of self to sexual habits and criminal connections that were cool to fit in, but then evolved into emotional upheavals where suicide seemed a plausible option, and the cultural shock upon migrating only to realize that the once nouveau/riche status was meaningless in the real world they thought that they were representing from a virtual –reality perspective at home. Was suicide that common when schools offered the alternatives of an extended curriculum? End of school terms involved students participating in plays, skits, and woodworking and home economic displays. Shool sports encouraged competition and all mentioned included the audience of parents. What does this have to do with suicide and mental health? The percentage of feelings of inadequacy is cut down by the options of involvement. They need to pray at school to bond and enter a philosophical landscape. Par-
ents need to participate, not to teach that their children are superior by religion, culture or physiognomic variation, imposing creeds they will reject mentally and mentally rebel against, urging them to find the paths to suicide, drug usage and the insanity that envelopes both. This new frontier we are forced to deal with is spiritual, scientific and cultural. My mother used to refer to the “sober insane” people who are mad but demonstrate nothing our old school markers indicate. I close with this test to you the reader. There are markers for perhaps the most dangerous of mental defects, that of the psychopath: Glibness and superficial charm; grandiose sense of self-worth; pathologically lying; conning and manipulation; lack of remorse or guilt; failure to accept responsibility for own actions; callousness and lack of empathy; shallow effect. Does this remind you of a particular politician? It does to me.
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Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
Choose the right workout gear THE clothing you wear to work out is just as important as bringing water with you. Clothing has many functions, and it is important to choose the right outfit for the activity you are performing and for the conditions you will be performing it in. With a little preparation, you can choose the perfect clothing for your workout. WEATHER If you are exercising outside, you need to consider the weather. In hot weather, the right clothing can help prevent heat-related illnesses. Loose clothing allows air to cool your body and evaporate sweat. Choose light colours instead of dark to reflect the sun’s rays away from your body. In cold weather, choosing easily layered clothing allows you to remove clothes as you heat up and add layers if you become cold from sweat. A polypropylene layer near your body can absorb the sweat, so you won't become chilled when it evaporates. Outer layers with ventilated openings can also help you regulate your body temperature in colder weather. A face mask or scarf can
protect your lungs from the cold air, and gloves and warm socks can protect your hands and feet. In both types of weather, head protection is essential. In the winter, choose warm hat to insulate your head. In warmer months, a light hat shields your head from the sun. MOVEMENT Choose loose clothing for physical activity so you have the right amount of movement to perform the exercise correctly and comfortably. For instance, if you wear jeans and try to stretch, you won’t be able to push your body as far as if you wear loose clothing. CONFIDENCE You also want to choose clothes that make you feel self-confident. The better you feel in your clothes, the more likely you will be to feel positive about exercise and want to continue doing it. It is said that women who feel self-conscious about the way they look and the clothing they exercise in are less likely to participate in physical activity. SHOES Shoes are extremely important for physical activity, especially for high-impact exercises such as running. Most ► Continued on page XIX
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All set for SUNIDHI CHAUHAN concert
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
Sunidhi Chauhan
THE Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha will next Sunday stage a mega concert by Indian playback singer Sunidhi Chauhan. The event is billed for the Guyana National Stadium. Sunidhi Chauhan is a world renowned singer who has had numerous blockbuster hits during her career as one of India’s foremost playback singers. Popular for her superhit songs like Desi Girl, Ishq Sufiyaana, Dhoom Machale, Aaja Nachle, Sheila ki Jawani, Kamli, Dilliwali Girlfriend, Kachi Kaliyaan, Thaare Vaste, Aayo re aayo re and numerous others, Sunidhi has also been nominated for and won several awards including the prestigious Indian International Film Awards, ZEE Cine Awards, Filmfare Awards, Global Indian Music Awards, Star Screen Awards and Mirchi Awards. She has a number of international collaborations to her credit including the huge hit “Heartbeat” with Enrique Iglesias. Guyanese have enjoyed Sunidhi’s songs for years and the Sabha has no doubt that they will greatly appreciate Sunidhi’s cocert as they did previous concerts held by the Sabha, featuring Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan. Sunidhi will be coming to Guyana with a troupe of about 25 persons including singers, musicians and technical personnel. Sunidhi’s concert is being held by the Dharmic Sabha as a fundraiser for the construction of its new Dharmic Rama Krishna Secondary School and expanded Primary School at Pattensen, East Coast Demerara and towards the operational costs of Bal Nivas, the Sabha’s Shelter in Ankerville, Berbice for children who are victims of abuse. Bal Nivas, which was opened in 2014 and funded from earlier concerts held by the Sabha, currently houses 34 children. The Sabha provides them with shelter, food, clothing, school supplies, uniforms, staff support, counselling and all other requirements. More than 25 of the children attend schools in the community. The current cost of running the shelter is some $600, 000 monthly and this is likely to go up with the increase in population. Children are directed to Bal Nivas by the Child Protection Agency. The Sabha covers all the costs of the Shelter through its fundraising activities and donations received. The new Dharmic Rama Krishna School ► Contiuned on page XXI
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Choose the right workout ... ► From page XVII
stores sell specialty sneakers for different types of exercise, such as running, cross-training and basketball. Experts at these stores can often advise you on the best shoes for your preferred activity. The right cushioning is important to provide comfort to the sole of your feet during workouts. Lastly, I recently went to the national park and noticed quite a few people wearing these plastic looking sweat suits called “suit saunas” or “thermal sweat suits” hence the idea to inform the public of this health hazard. I do NOT recommend this workout gear at any time or for any reason. Your pores should be free to breathe during your workouts. Whatever you wear, perspiration starts from the inside out and not the other way around so you will sweat regardless.
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Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
Sunday
Nostalgia
Independence hats Models of an Independence hat contest in March, 1966, from left to right, Mrs Sonny Boyce, Mrs Donna Smith, Lena Bowen, Bona Jay and Bridget Chow-How. The hats were chosen as those women were likely to wear on Independence Day.
Liberty Cinema opens Prime Minister Forbes Burnham cuts the ribbon to officially open the Liberty Cinema in Georgetown on March 25, 1966. The cinema was built at a cost of $200, 000 and showed English and Hindi films, thought it became known mainly for showing blockbuster Bollywood films to sold-out audiences. The cinema eventually closed in September, 2000.
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All set for SUNIDHI ... ► From page XVIII
Project was launched in November 2015 and will provide high quality education to children at the Primary and Secondary levels in line with the national curriculum in addition to providing cultural, religious, moral and sports education with an
aim of producing well rounded individuals who could make a positive contribution to Guyana. The Sabha currently runs the Dharmic Rama Krishna Play, Nursery and Primary School in Barr Street, Kitty which has been achieving excellent results over its more than 15 years of existence and boasts a well trained
and experienced teaching and management staff. There have been calls over the years for the Sabha to extend the school to the Secondary level. Tickets can be bought from Red Mango - Robb Street, Bhagwan’s – Water Street, E-Networks – all locations, Harinarine & Sons – Regent Street, M & M Snackette near
the Harbour Bridge and the Dharmic Kendra. They cost VVIP all inclusive $20,000; VIP numbered seating $6,000; General Seating $2,500; and standing $1,500. Paid parking within stadium is also available for $1,000. Persons can also call 227-6181 or 219-1900 for more information.
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Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
Radar scan of Shakespeare’s grave confirms skull apparently missing (REUTERS) SHAKESPEARE’S skull is likely missing from his grave, an archaeologist has concluded, confirming rumors which have swirled for years about grave-robbers and adding to the mystery surrounding the Bard’s remains. Four hundred years after his death and burial at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford-upon-Avon, central England, researchers were allowed to scan the grave of England’s greatest playwright with ground-penetrating radar. But in the area under the church floor where the Bard’s skull was expected to be, they found signs of interference. “We have Shakespeare’s burial with an odd disturbance at the head end and we have a story that suggests that at some point in history someone’s come in and
An actor performs during William Shakespeare’s theatre play ‘’Hamlet’’ at the Jerusalem Centre for the Performing Arts in this file photograph dated December 11, 2008. (REUTERS/ ELIANA APONTE/ FILES) taken the skull of Shakespeare,” said archaeologist Kevin Colls from Staffordshire University. “It’s very very convincing to me that his skull isn’t at Holy Trinity at all.” The findings deepen the mystery around Shakespeare’s last resting place. The grave does not bear his name, merely this warning rhyme: “Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear, to dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones.” In their quest to find Shakespeare’s skull, Colls’s team also investigated a long-standing tale that it was hidden in a sealed crypt in another church 15 miles (24 km) across the English countryside in Worcestershire. But analysis of that skull showed it to be that of a woman who had been in her 70s when she died. The story of Shakespeare’s missing skull appeared in The Argosy magazine in 1879, which blamed the removal on trophy hunters from the previous century ►Continued on page XXIV
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Genetic study tracks start of Zika’s invasion of Americas back to 2013
(REUTERS) THE Zika virus currently sweeping through the Americas looks to have hitched a ride on a plane into Brazil in 2013 and begun its invasion of the continent from there, scientists said on Thursday. In the first genome analysis of the current Zika epidemic, which has been linked in Brazil to cases of birth defects known as microcephaly, researchers said the virus’ introduction to the Americas almost three years ago coincided with a 50 percent rise in air passengers from Zika-affected areas. The strain of the virus circulating in the current outbreak is most closely related to one from French Polynesia, the scientists said, although it is also possible that Zika was introduced separately to the Americas and French Polynesia from South East Asia. Oliver Pybus, a biologist in Britain’s Oxford University who co-led the research with a team from Brazil’s Evandro Chagas Institute, said the findings suggested increased international travel helped the virus extend its reach. “We looked at broad-scale patterns of human movement and focused on air passengers who traveled to Brazil from countries that had reported Zika since 2012,” he said. “From late 2012 onwards, there was a 50 percent rise in the number of passengers traveling to Brazil from countries with Zika.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus an international health emergency. This declaration was largely based on evidence linking Zika to a birth defect known as microcephaly, marked by babies having small heads and underdeveloped brains. It is not yet clear whether the Zika virus actually causes microcephaly in babies, but the WHO and other infectious disease experts say evidence for a causal link is growing. For this study, Pybus’ team sampled several Zika virus genomes linked to the recent Brazilian outbreak – including one from a blood donor, one from a fatal adult case, and one from a newborn baby with congenital malformations and microcephaly. Using next-generation genetic sequencing, the researchers mapped the samples’ gene codes and found there was little genetic variability among them. This suggests there was a single introduction of Zika into the Americas, probably between May and December 2013 – more than a year before virus was first reported in Brazil. Nuno Faria, a researcher at Oxford University and at the Evandro Chagas Institute who worked on this study, said these first genomic data from the Brazil outbreak provided “a good baseline for future research”. He said the team had also looked for links between Zika and microcephaly - and had found some spatial and temporal correlations. To test that link conclusively, however, scientists need to see results of full case-control epidemiological studies. “There is a lot of work still to be done in terms of tracking and predicting the spread of Zika in Brazil,” Faria said. “We will have a much better picture of the virus later this year.”
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen at the Laboratory of Entomology and Ecology of the Dengue Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in San Juan, March 6, 2016. (REUTERS/ALVIN BAEZ)
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Radar scan of Shakespeare’s grave confirms skull apparently ... ► From page XXII
when grave-robbing was common. Skulls were worth collecting because genius, thought some at that time, would be evident in the remains of a man like Shakespeare, whose character Hamlet famously holds a skull while musing on death. The scan of the grave where Shakespeare’s remains rest next to those of his wife Anne Hathaway was conducted in a non-intrusive way, said the team, who
will present the results in a Channel 4 television documentary due to air in Britain on Saturday. “There are so many contradictory myths and legends about the tomb of the Bard,” said Colls in a statement. “These results will undoubtedly spark discussion, scholarly debate and controversial theories for years to come. Even now, thinking of the findings sends shivers down my spine.”
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
Ms Theresa ‘Terry’ Pemberton PERHAPS her struggles as a young woman raising six children contributed to her desire of advocating for the less fortunate; or maybe it’s because she lost interest in politics and thus had the additional time on hand to devote to others. Whatever is responsible for the way her life turned out, Ms. Theresa Pemberton, well-known as “Miss Terry” for short, today advocates for several organisations including the Guyana Blind Cricket Association, the Guyana Society for the Blind and the Guyana Council of Organisations for persons with disabilities. Ms Terry, 67, was just 34 years old when her dear husband, Mr. Winston Victor Jankie, died and left her with six children. Their last child was just about five years old when Mr. Jankie died. Ms Terry hadn’t a secondary education, as she dropped out of St. Roses High to marry Mr. Jankie after just six months of attending that school. While her parents, Doris and Rupert, and older siblings came to her rescue, Ms. Terry used the opportunity to go back to school and took up classes at the Critchlow Labour College. “I was the last of my siblings so my older brothers and sister sheltered and looked after me. Those were different times; families were bonded. I wanted so much to go back school and I was allowed that privilege while my family looked after the kids,” Ms. Terry said in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle this week. Although Ms. Terry had opportunities to remarry, she said she is glad she chose not to, as she would not have been able to be an activist today. POLITICS In her youth, Ms. Ter-
ry loved politics and she began pursuing it when she became a member of the Young Socialist Movement (YSM), the youth arm of the People’s National Congress (PNC). “I loved politics and I loved the challenges that came along with being a YSM person.” She recalled: “My mother was a very strong PNC woman and my father was a very strong United Force (TUF) man and when I got married, my husband was a very strong PPP (People’s Progressive Party) guy and I was a strong PNC woman. But that didn’t stop us from loving each other and never
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Theresa Pemberton: advocate for the blind
caused a problem with our marriage,” Ms. Terry recalled. H o w e v e r, M s Te rry’s feelings about politics changed when the late President Forbes Burnham died. “I’m a member of no party now. Politics is way out of my grasp. I’m just a Guyanese citizen wanting to see the best in each Guyanese and whatever is best for them, I’m with it. “I loved politics. To be honest, when Burnham died, politics died in me. That’s it. I don’t know why but that was it. He was like a father figure and after he died, I realized I wanted nothing else to do
with it. A lot of things hurt me when he died. And so I didn’t want anything to do with politics anymore, on to this day. Ms Terry, who served as the Coordinator of the Kitty/Campbellville District under the PNC, later continued her career at the Parliament Office. She is a relative of Mr. David Rose, who was once governor of Guyana and died in England. BLIND CRICKET Ms Terry got into her advocacy career in 2005 with the Guyana Blind Cricket Association where
Ms Terry recently helping out at the launch of the ‘Next Generation Foundation,’ a facility that caters for underprivileged kids.
she works with those who are totally blind and the partially sighted. “The ball they use is one that makes noise. I help to train them; keep them in line,” she explained. In fact, Ms Terry generally likes to work with young people and would do her best to be of assistance to them. “I’m a very strong disciplinarian. I believe in young people being very respectful and disciplined regardless of whatever their life status is. I strive for discipline in them. I love people. I love to see young people aspire to meet the top. I go all the way out for them.
“Always have a listening ear for young people. They might not be what you want them to be. The challenges they face today… I don’t think I could have coped with them. For them to be strong, we have to help them. Our children are what we help them to become. We have to fight to save them,” she expressed. Ms Terry is a member of the Malteenoes Sports Club and an executive member on the West Indies Cricket Council for the Blind. She is also a proud grandmother and great grandmother.
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Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
No water or electricity…
‘Life in Dog Point is n By Svetlana Marshall
GREYS have now replaced the beautiful black hair she remembers having as a young girl living in Guyana’s northwest district. She still wears it loose today though, and uses her upper arm to swipe away the strands the breeze sends to bother her careful gave on the grater. The predominance of wrinkles across her face and arms too makes it clear that this is not the same woman who cultivated her own cassava plantation and drugged the roots on her back for hours to where she would later process it to make the flat bread delicacy that is the staple food in Amerindian homes. I meet Iris Sutton under a tent attached to the shack at Dog Point, where she now calls home. I can’t tell her age, and she is none the wiser, having no birth certificate. Her face leans toward the basin, as she applies all the energy she could muster to grate the cassava. The bread she would later make from it is what she would eat and also sell to passersby. It’s all she can do these days. Up to one year ago, before arthritis got the better of her joints, Iris would travel the three and a half miles to Bartica – the central business hub of Region Seven – where she would stand on the side of the road and sell the cassava bread. Then, from the 100 pounds of grated cassava, she would make an average of 20 cakes of cassava bread, but now she can only muster about 10-12 cakes, selling them whenever she gets a customer for just $400 a cake. Iris is among scores of Dog Point residents who depend on cassava for a living. In a small wooden cottage, just a stone throw away from where she operates, her 43-year-old
Iris Sutton in her little cottage on the western side of Agatash, some three and a half miles from Central Bartica
With her granddaughter in hand, Sandrine Lindore displays her finished product
daughter-in-law Sandrine Lindore cultivates a small plot of cassava plant, both bitter and sweet. Once harvested, Lindore, like her mother-in-law in her healthier years, would trek close to four miles to sell her sweet cassava on the streets of Central Bartica. But it’s the “bitter sticks” she depends on to make her cassava bread – grating approximately 100 pounds at a time. Single handedly, the mother of one grates the “bitter stick” before placing the cassava meal into a matapee – a flexible basket in the form of a cylinder used to squeeze the poisonous juice out of the cassava meal. “I would leave it over the fire to dry for three days before I sift it using a sifter,” Lindore says in explaining the process that has become almost a daily ritual. Once sifted, the cassava meal is placed on a huge tawa (or flat baking pan) and baked in the open. The fact that she bakes close to 40 cakes of cassava bread with little or no help is not the most fascinating thing; what is fascinating is the fact that Lindore, like Irish, has used the shells of three kerosene stoves and old pots to create a stove of her own. When she is ready to bake or cook, she would just add fire sticks to the center of the makeshift stove and set it afire. Lindore’s husband, who works in the interior, helps her to sustain the family, but Denise Chacon said “life in Dog Point is no walk in the park.” For Chacon, keeping her two sons in the school is a major challenge. “I sell cassava bread for a living but when sales down it does be real hard pun we because we don’t get to send we children to school,” she says, using Guyana Creole refrain to explain that the low cassava robs her of the money needed to educate her family. “Sometime you get the cassava sell good out there, sometimes you don’t…I usually take a 20 cake very day to Bartica
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no walk in the park’ and sell pun a table but most times I only get 17 sell,” she laments. It is no secret that Dog Point has been cut off from development – for it lacks basic necessities ranging from electricity to potable water. Sixty-one-year-old Morris Francis, who also plants cassava, says several years ago, a road was built through self-help but it needs upgrading. “We currently have a road stemming from the Agatash Public Road but we would like to have it developed,” says Francis, an Amerindian of the Carib nation. For many years, the community has not had potable water. Though he cannot remember the exact year, Francis says the water authority had installed a solar pipe system but that has stopped working. “We use to enjoy getting here,” he says, pointing to the standpipe. Now they depend on creeks but the creeks are now dried up as a result of the ongoing dry spell. Francis’ house is powered with electricity from a solar panel he received through a government programme but other residents are not as fortunate as him, hence there is a general lack of electricity. “We need more farm lands and even land to live on,” he added. There is no health centre, recreational facility or even a school situated in Dog Point and as such life for Kowsilla Dieram and her three children is made difficult. “Buses don’t normally come in here. During school time you would find one or two, but it’s tough on them children because they would have to walk until they get a bus.”
Morris Francis
Denise Chacon and her neighbour peeling approximately 30 pounds of cassava stem
The solar standpipe which was installed by GWI but is now non-functional
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Easter Monday fashion ideas
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
Love is in the armpit at New York’s Smell Dating
LOVE at first whiff is the idea behind Smell Dating, a New York matchmaking service that promises to help single people sniff out their perfect match by breathing in the odors from dirty T-shirts. Artist Tega Brain, who teaches at New York’s School for Poetic Computation, and Sam Lavigne, an editor and researcher at New York University, created Smell Dating, which they describe as an art project. Each of its first 100 clients received a T-shirt to wear for three days straight without bathing. The clients then mailed the T-shirts back to Brain and Lavigne’s “Sweat Shop” at NYU, where they were cut into swatches. Smell Dating then sent batches of 10 mixed swatches back to the clients to sniff this week. A match will be made if one client likes the scent of another and the olfactory attraction is mutual. In other words, if “Client 55” likes “Client 69” and vice versa, put a heart around it, Brain said. The idea is based on the science of pheromones, the
Jesse Donaldson smells a sample swatch sent to him from Smell Dating at his apartment in the Brooklyn borough of New York March 23, 2016. (REUTERS/ Brendan McDermid) chemical signals that creatures from gerbils to giraffes send out to entice mates. Clients, who pay a one-time fee of $25, dive in nosefirst, unaware of a potential smell-mate’s age, gender or sexual orientation. “Most normal dating services, you rely on profile pictures, assumptions that come from visual information,” Brain said. “You either really like the smell of someone or you don’t. It’s much more innate.” On Wednesday, 25-year-old NYU graduate student Jesse Donaldson excitedly opened the package of white swatches in individually numbered plastic bags that had arrived at his apartment in Brooklyn. He said he hoped Smell Dating could help where other popular matchmaking services had failed. “I’m like so many other people in New York City, using Tinder, using OK Cupid,” Donaldson said, “and my main issue with these things is you feel ► Contiuned on page XXXI
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Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
Think your kid has a sleeping problem? Look in the mirror (REUTERS HEALTH) - PARENTS who don’t get enough rest are more
likely to conjure sleep difficulties for their children that don’t really exist, a new study suggests. Researchers compared sleep patterns that parents reported for themselves and their kids to readouts from gadgets called actigraphs that used motion detectors to assess how well children actually slept. When the actigraphs said kids had slept just fine, the parents with sleep struggles of their own still tended to report sleep disturbances in their children. “Parents who are stressed out and have poor sleeping quality are more disturbed themselves by little noises and awakenings of their children during the night than those parents who sleep better,” said senior study author Dr. Helena Lapinleimu, a pediatrics researcher at the University Hospital of Turku in Finland. To see how well parents’ perceptions about children’s sleep matched up with reality, Lapinleimu and colleagues studied 100 children between 2 and 6 years old who attended 16 different daycare centers. They asked the children’s biological parents to complete sleep diaries for themselves and for their kids as well as health questionnaires. Among other things, researchers asked parents if their kids had trouble falling and staying asleep, excessive sleepiness or drowsiness, or disorders such as talking, jerking or cramping during sleep. Each night for a week, the kids wore actigraphs on their wrist, hip or ankle. The devices counted periods of inactivity as uninterrupted sleep and measured the duration and intensity of motion during the night to assess disturbances. According to the actigraphs, children typically slept around 8.5 hours a night. Most of the kids used the devices for each night of the study, though about 8 percent of them missed at least one night. Even after adjusting for factors like the child’s age, gender, number of siblings, existence of chronic illnesses and medication
use, parents who reported poor sleep themselves were much more likely to report sleep disturbances in their kids that were not confirmed by the actigraphs. One limitation of the study is that researchers didn’t have the parents wear actigraphs, so it’s not clear if the parents who reported sleep problems actually had them or only perceived difficulties getting enough rest, the authors note. The broad age range of the children may have also influenced the results because kids tend to have very different sleep routines and needs from ages 2 to 6. Previous research has found two main reasons that poor parental sleep quality is associated with over-reporting sleep problems in kids, said Jocelyn Thomas, a psychology researcher at the Sleep Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Individuals who obtain insufficient sleep are more likely to attend to and remember negative events in general,” Thomas, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email. “Additionally, individuals with sleep difficulties are more likely to focus their attention specifically on their sleep and the sleep of those around them.” Because the parents didn’t wear actigraphs, the study results may reflect parents’ negative perceptions about sleep that they apply to themselves and their children, said Michelle Garrison, a sleep specialist at Seattle Children’s Research Institute and the University of Washington. The trouble with parents projecting sleep problems on their kids is it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, Garrison, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email. “It can lead to labeling their child as a `bad sleeper’ – and going forward, it could harm the development of independent sleep habits if the child internalizes the belief or if the parent’s belief results in reduced opportunities for the child to learn and practice healthy sleep habits,” Garrison said.
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
Love is in the armpit at New York’s Smell ...
► From page XXIX like you’re shopping for somebody as opposed to making a genuine connection with another human being.” Brain said she and Lavigne consulted “a lot of smell researchers” about their art project, which explores whether a person’s body odor can trigger Cupid’s arrow. “We wanted to see if people would be interested in meeting other people just based on this one bit of information rather than this avalanche of information that you usually get,” said Lavigne as he watched
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volunteers wearing hooded white jumpsuits and blue rubber gloves cut up the worn T-shirts at the Sweat Shop. “Whoa! This one is ready to go!” said a worker, wincing as he sniffed a swatch before putting it into a plastic bag marked #34. In Brooklyn, Donaldson tore into the first plastic bag, removed the swatch and sniffed. “Fresh-done laundry,” he said. He opened another and inhaled. “Oh. That is nutty. I’m just going to seal that back up.” Then he brought yet another swatch to his nostrils, nodded and said, “Oh.” He savored a second whiff and added, “That’s my match.”
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Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
Artist uses raw pig and sheep parts to sculpt Donald Trump
U.S. Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has been pilloried in many ways, over his bouffant hair, orange skin and supposedly small hands, but a British artist has now used raw pig and sheep parts to sculpt him for a Hong Kong art show. The Trump installation is a photograph of a human model wearing a blond bouffant hairpiece over a face constructed from a real pig snout and sheep eye balls. A half-eaten croissant, raw fish, chunks of rubble covered in gold leaf and a suit splashed with crude oil complete the look.
British artist James Ostrer poses beside a photo taken by him of his creation entitled ‘’Emotional Download’’, which depicts Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, as part of his series ‘’The Ego System’’, during an art exhibition in Hong Kong, China March 23,2016. (REUTERS/ BOBBY YIP) “I wanted to create a visual icon of the megalomania that has got to the point where his need for attention is overriding any kind of relationship or care for anyone else in the world,” artist James Ostrer told Reuters. In a separate written statement, Ostrer explained he was responding to the “vast divide between what we are being sold and what we are actually getting” and said he couldn’t see Trump as anything other than a “deranged insecure attention seeker”. There was no response from Trump’s team to an email seeking comment about Ostrer’s caricature. The real-estate billionaire and former reality TV star has made a series of controversial statements on subjects including illegal immigration and national security. Such remarks have boosted his popularity with supporters who see him as someone who speaks uncomfortable truths, but have also outraged millions in the United States and around the world. Ostrer, whose Hong Kong installation also includes equally grotesque portraits of U.S. golfer Tiger Woods and celebrities Kim Kardashian and Miley Cyrus, said he chose them for what they represented. He describes his celebrity caricatures as “honesty portraits”. Each portrait includes the number of Google searches on its subject at the time of the exhibition, based on Google Trends data. “I didn’t choose them purposefully because I disliked them,” he said. “I felt like they, as individuals, were perfectly emblematic of certain aspects of the contemporary human condition.” Ostrer said he visits meat and fish markets for materials, which he mixes in much the same way as a painter might mix colors.
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
Pregnant Bridget Jones back with more men woes in trailer for new film (REUTERS) BRIDGET Jones, the fictional bumbling Londoner obsessed with her love life, is back, this time pregnant as well as with more men woes, in a new trailer for the latest film based on the hugely popular novels. Fans got a first glimpse of "Bridget Jones's Baby" with a two-minute trailer released on Wednesday, showing Oscar winner Renee Zellweger returning as the much-loved, weight-fixated singleton, now in her 40s. Beginning with a wedding scene, with Jones in a white dress walking down the aisle, it soon becomes clear that there is no- happily-ever-af-
Actress Renee Zellweger waves at the 21st annual ELLE Women in Hollywood Awards in Los Angeles, California October 20, 2014. ter as she has split from old love interest Mark Darcy, played by "The King's Speech" actor Colin Firth. Single again, a new love interest, played by "Grey's Anatomy" actor Patrick Dempsey, enters the fold and when Jones becomes pregnant, she is not sure who the baby's father is. The trailer shows plenty of comedy scenes, typical of Jones, as well as cameos from Oscar winner Emma Thompson and singer Ed Sheeran. The film is the third installment of the franchise following 2001's "Bridget Jones's Diary" and 2004's "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason", based on the 1990s novels by Helen Fielding. In 2013, the author released "Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy" in which she shocked fans by killing off Darcy, with Jones a widowed mother with a toy boy. "Bridget Jones's Baby" is set for release in September.
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Lawyers for Cosby, accusers open to settling defamation claim (REUTERS) LAWYERS representing Bill Cosby and seven women who have accused the comedian of sexual assault are open to settling a defamation lawsuit, they told a federal judge in Massachusetts on Wednesday. Cosby, 78, had previously rejected an offer to settle the lawsuit. First filed by Tamara Green in 2014 and since joined by six other women, the complaint says the once-beloved entertainer defamed them by saying that they lied when they accused him of sexually assaulting them. “Mediation might be appropriate here ... we’re open to it on our side,” one of Cosby’s attorneys, Marshall Searcy, said during a hearing at U.S. District Court in Worcester, Massachusetts. However, he cautioned that he could not commit to mediation without checking with his client, who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. Cosby, who built a long career on family-friendly comedy, has been accused by more than 50 women of sexual as-
Actor and comedian Bill Cosby departs a hearing on sexual assault charges at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania February 3, 2016. sault, often after allegedly plying them with drugs or alcohol in a series of incidents dating back decades. Most of the alleged assault cases are too old to be cause for criminal prosecution. But Pennsylvania prosecutors late last year filed charges against Cosby related to an alleged 2004 sex assault, just days before the statute of limitations was about to expire. He is currently out on bail awaiting trial. “I need to consult with my client,” Searcy said. “I don’t want to talk out of school about that.” Joseph Cammarata, an attorney for the women, said he would be open to settlement talks. “Let’s give it a shot,” Cammarata told U.S. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy. “It sounds like there may be some response that has a dollar (amount) attached to it and then we can start the process.” Hennessy urged both sides to consider that a considerable amount of money had been spent by Cosby’s insurers in his defense. “I would ask you at least to explore it; $2 million is a lot to defend a case, no matter whose money it is,” Hennessy said. Hennessy also rejected a request by Cosby’s attorneys that he sit in on scheduled April depositions of the entertainer and his wife and business manager, Camille Cosby. “I don’t sit in on depositions,” Hennessy said. “Mr. Cosby is like everyone else who comes through the doors of this courthouse. Rich or poor, known or unknown, you get the same treatment.”
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
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Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
CLIMATE change is happening and it knows no boundaries. Its effects are being felt worldwide by people whether wealthy or poor, and wherever they live whether in Africa, India, Asia or the Caribbean. Here in Guyana, Climate Change is affecting people who live on the coast, and those that live in hinterland regions. It is clear, that to fight Climate Change all must be united in their efforts locally and globally. To better understand why we should join the fight, consider these sobering facts*: • Global temperature has risen by 1.40F since
1880. • By 2025, rising temperatures will result in the amount of water available per person decreasing by 30%-70% in some areas, including the Caribbean region. • Carbon dioxide levels in the air are at their highest in 650,000 years. ► Continued on page XXXVII
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
Fighting climate ... ► From page XXXVI
• Global average sea level has risen by more than 7 inches over the past 100 years, more than double the amount of the last century. • In South and Central America, more than 600 extreme weather events occurred between 2000-2013, affecting 52.6 million people, resulting in 13,500 deaths, and economic losses of US$45.3 billion.
These facts provide solid evidence that climate change is real and if we fail to adjust our actions, then our Earth’s climate will become dangerous for people. Climate change has influenced changes in weather patterns, the emergence of new diseases and pests, an increase in the incidence of extreme events such as floods, droughts and hurricanes and destruction of wildlife habitats. These effects have also put a strain on the economic resources of countries since measures have to be put in place to combat them in order to provide relief to people. Therefore, climate change is an issue of urgency and hope. Every individual must take action and use their power to fight climate change. Simple actions can be taken to aid in addressing this issue. These include: • Mending and reusing clothes and other products to save money and reduce waste going to the landfill; • Replacing old appliances with energy efficient models and light bulbs. • Saving electricity by plugging appliances into a power strip and turning them off completely when ► Continued on page XXXVIII
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Fighting climate ... ► From page XXXVII
not in use; • Eating less meat, poultry, and fish and composting kitchen waste; • Planting trees; • Buying minimally packaged goods; • Decreasing your personal carbon footprint by walking, cycling, and using public transportation whenever possible. Consider carpooling with friends, neighbours, and co-workers; • Taking the stairs instead of using the elevator. In addition to saving energy, taking the stairs gives you a mild workout which will help keep you healthy; and
• Adapt energy efficient technologies for your factories and industries. *Sources: http://climate.nasa.gov/ http://www.emdat.be 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. Also check out our Facebook page, Environmental Protection Agency-Guyana.
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English
THOUGHT for TODAY When mother’s relatives visited, delicacies were cooked. When father’s guests arrived, mother swelled and had a fit. PUNJABI PROVERB, trans, by Gurinder Singh Mann STUDY SUCCESS Dear Students, Discussion is a group activity that helps the individual student to form a clearer picture of his progress especially at this time. He who uses discussion to check his progress at regular intervals learns faster than he who studies in isolation and runs on self-checks. Get yourself explaining things you’ve learnt, and responding to probing questions. Listen to your partners’ contributions. Set regular dates for group activity. Some weeks from now you will be confidently able to do much work on your own before the examinations. Be wise. Love you. THE PASSAGE Writing a Product Evaluation The hottest roller skates don’t look much like the skates most grownups remember from their childhood. The hardware most resembles flashy ski boots with a line of plastic wheels down the centre of the sole. They’re known formally as inline skates…. We tested ten skates in time trials around the paved running track, in our parking lot and along some country roads. We also rolled on an exercise treadmill and measured the amount of force needed to keep rolling along…. The hard, molded-plastic boots provide good ankle support – provided you can pull the laces tight enough. That wasn’t always easy to do, we found…. Beginners might well look low in the Ratings [of specific models], for skates at less than $5000. (Just make sure the boots feel comfortable for you.) Those skates may not roll quite as easily or rapidly as higher-priced models. But then, you may not want a lot of speed as a beginner. Once the original wheels and bearings wear out, you can swap them for a good set for about $12,000. Changing wheels is fairly easy. (Consumer Reports: “In-Line Skates: They aren’t just for Kids”) About the Model The above writing on roller skates is a model demonstration of a persuasive product evaluation. The article begins in the first paragraph with an explanation of what the product is. In the second paragraph the writer explains what kind of testing the evaluators did; and in the third paragraph there are recommendations that might help the consumer. ● Bear in mind that a product evaluation must be backed up with solid evidence. ● Standards can be developed to evaluate the product in mind and to then determine how well the product measures up to your own standards. ● Such products are evaluated by running them through a series of tests. ● If you want to know about a product you are planning to buy, why not go to some product users for evidence? Why not conduct an informal survey, asking your friends, neighbours, and family to answer questions about the product you plan to evaluate? What to Do 1. Find out what kind of testing the evaluators did on the roller skates in the report. 2. Pinpoint the report’s recommendations. 3. How might these recommendations help you, the con-
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
sumer? 4. Think of a product you bought recently, and evaluate it according to the standards in the chart below. Release your findings to your study partners. Would you have purchased the chosen product if you first had evaluated it according to these standards? Write your response in your journal. Standards Chart for Evaluating Products Price – Is the price reasonable? How does it compare with those of similar products? Features: What are its most important features? Are any desirable features missing? Are any of its features unnecessary? Workmanship: Is the product well made? Is anything easily broken? Design: Is it good-looking? Is it easy to use? Grammar At Your Fingertips A. Select from among the pronouns within the brackets the one that is correct in each sentence. 1. Is Joan as qualified as (he, him)? 2. The producer was (she, her). 3. No invitations will be issued to (whosoever, whomsoever) is willing to go to see the talking donkey. 4. Hanna asked that the sensitive documents be sent only to (myself, me) and the Hamilton’s clique. 5. Everyone got the gist of it but (they, them). B. Indicate the prepositions that should be used in these sentences. 1. Our allowance increases are retroactive ….. June 1. 2. The Bishop of Georgetown’s official residence is adjacent ….. The Great Pool Hut. 3. Are you sure that these drawing specifications are identical ….. those? 4. Did Mrs. Dalloway give her approval ….. the new training programme? 5. The owners were unsatisfied ….. the last shipment of bedroom carpets. 6. Rug is synonymous ----- carpet. C. Dealing with Numbers Can you find and correct the errors in number expression in the following sentences? Write OK for any sentence that is correct. 1. Please be sure to add seven percent sales tax to the total amount. 2. We expect about 2/3 of the shareholders to vote in favour of the proposal. 3. There is no delivery charge for a package having a mass of under three kilograms. 4. Printing the brochures on this better-quality paper will increase the unit cost by about $150.00. 5. The deadline for submitting the report to headquarters is July 29th. 6. To assemble this product, you will need 16 15-cm screws. 7. In 2009 our company spent about $11.5 million on research alone. 8. Over the past five or six years our raises have averaged about 10%. 9. Although the quality is excellent, I am convinced that this small bookcase is over priced at $28,456.00. 10. One thousand five hundred requests for more information were received in the first two days. 11. Please make a duplicate of Policy No. 89-877-765; send the copy to Accounts Receivable. (See key to Dealing with Numbers next week.)
Chronicle Pepperpot March 27, 2016
Amitabh Bachchan misses B-Town’s ‘innocent, fun’ times on Holi
(INDIAN EXPRESS) ON Holi, megastar Amitabh Bachchan reminisced about not just some of the best days that he had playing the festival of colours, but also the times when the Hindi film fraternity members were used to “losing their status and position to become one” for fun. The 73-year-old, who has been associated with some of the best Bollywood songs on Holi, shared personal photographs of his past celebrations of the festival with some of his colleagues from the film world. He wrote: “It was such innocent and fun times… Just gangs of friends enjoying… Losing their status and position to become one with us and all… Such a humbling feel. Now… Well I don’t know, everything has become so… Ah forget it… Love to all and happy holi.” Big B mentioned how Holi is a festival “played with such abandon and passion”. “The best ones were played at Allahabad when I was very young and Father
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Amitabh Bachchan, who has been associated with some of the best Bollywood songs on Holi, shared personal photographs of his past celebrations of the festival with some of his colleagues from the film world. was in University teaching in the English department. The students would all come
over and over ribald songs and music our homes were a flush of great camaraderie
and happiness,” he added. Delhi, he said, was a little “subdued, because it
invariably fell in March when it was still quite cold and the water was a most
unwelcome commodity”, he stressed that in Kolkata it was “rage.”
Sequel to ‘Sarfarosh’ will happen next year: Director John Mathew Matthan
(INDIAN EXPRESS) DIRECTOR John Mathew Matthan said sequel of Aamir Khan’s acclaimed “Sarfarosh” will happen next year. Apparently, it was Aamir who felt a sequel to his hit 1999 thriller should be made. He suggested to John in 2013 to start working on the script for the second instalment. “The sequel to ‘Sarfarosh’ will take some time. I am not ready with a proper script as of yet. It will happen next year. Presently, I am busy with two-three other scripts,” John told PTI. The filmmaker was, however, not keen to divulge details about the projects he is
working on. “The sequel will have a different story. We are yet to zero-in on an area around which the plot would revolve,” John said. In “Sarfarosh”, Aamir played the role of a tough Mumbai Crime Branch cop Ajay Singh Rathod, who cracks down on cross-border terrorism along with his team. The film saw veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah playing the antagonist. “Once I am ready with the script I will talk to Aamir about it,” John said. Meanwhile, Aamir is currently busy shooting for his most talked about film, “Dangal.”
Wonder Woman leads the fierce females of 'Batman v Superman'
Cast members (L-R) Diana Lane, Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams and Henry Cavill attend New York premiere "Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice" at Radio City Music Hall in New York, March 20, 2016. (REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz)
Gal Gadot arrives for the European Premiere of "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" in Leicester Square in London, Britain, March 22, 2016. (REUTERS/Luke MacGregor)
(REUTERS) "BATMAN v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is centered on the clash of two of the most recognizable caped heroes of the comic book world but it is the women of the DC Comics universe who defy expectations. The movie has "four really great female characters ... but not a single one of them is an archetype," said Amy Adams, who reprises her role as intrepid Daily Planet journalist Lois Lane. The film, which opens around the world this week, introduces Israeli actress Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and sees Holly Hunter as a senator determined to hold Superman accountable for the destruction caused by his actions. Diane Lane plays Superman's mother, Martha Kent. Wonder Woman, also known as Diana Prince, is an elusive force in "Batman v Superman," immaculately dressed, coyly intelligent and drawing the attention of Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne - the playboy billionaire alter-ego of Batman. "She's been around, she's very experienced, she's darker, she's sassy, she understands a lot about mankind," Gadot said of her character. Gadot, a former model who served two years in Israel's army, will reprise her role in 2017's "Wonder Woman," the first standalone female superhero movie in a decade.
"She's as elegant as a supermodel and she kicks it with the boys," Adams said of Gadot's Wonder Woman. The superhero genre has long been skewed to male characters but female characters have slowly become a larger presence in recent years. That potentially broadens a film's appeal for female audiences and its commercial success. Wonder Woman is not the only one to get feisty in "Batman v Superman." When Lois Lane is referred to by an interview subject as a lady, she snaps "I'm not a lady, I'm a journalist." Hunter's Senator Finch holds her own against the psychotic villain Lex Luthor as he tries to coerce her to do his bidding, while Martha Kent fiercely tells Superman that he does not owe anyone anything as he faces growing dissent from the public. Warner Bros' "Batman v Superman" is projected by analysts to take some $300 million worldwide on its opening weekend. The film lays the groundwork for "Wonder Woman," which will explore the origin story of the Amazonian heroine with powers of super strength. "The story deals with Diana becoming Wonder Woman so she starts very pure, very naive, this young idealist who doesn't really understand the complexities of life," Gadot said.