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Produced and Edited by C. Naipaul | Graphic and Layout Design by D. Prince

Buried Alive II

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

(Conclusion)

he shock of monstrous waves stormed through her mother’s body.

“What are you saying, Nandita?” she cried.

“Oh please Dear God, tell me I didn’t hear right, tell me you’re at the door, that I’ll see you any

moment.”

She started to cry and Nandita swallowed hard not to break down, not to let the icy fingers of fear overcome her.

“Mom,” she called, “Mom, please, you can’t break down.

You have to stay strong to find me.”

“How did this happen, my child? Oh God—“ “Mom, listen to me carefully,” Nandita said between gasps of breath, “I’m not getting much air and I can barely move, every second is precious. I want you to record everything I say and take it to the police.”

She related everything from the moment she got in the car with Dravid to when Brian beat her into unconsciousness.

“I don’t know what happened to Dravid, mom. Talk to the police to find him too. Please hurry, I can’t die here, I can’t die.” she said, her voice fading away.

“Dear Lord Krishna,” her mother prayed as she hurried to the police station, “Please keep my daughter alive until I find her.”

At the station, detectives were called in to listen to the phone recording as the tearful mother battled to stay calm and controlled.

“A report of this accident on the highway was sent to us a short while ago,” one of the detectives said. “We have to talk with your daughter now.”

Nandita’s mother dialled her phone and she answered immediately, “Mom!.”

“The detective wants to talk to you, baby.”

“How are you doing, miss?” the detective asked her.

“Not good, sir.” she answered tearfully.

“Try to stay calm.We need all the information you can give us to find you,” he said, with an urgency in his voice.

As the detectives questioned her, Nandita recounted the drive, the snackette she and Dravid had stopped by, the roadside bar, Brian had bought the beers and the number of sharp turns he had taken along the highway.

“You’ve done great,” he said, impressed with her for the precise details, “That has given us an idea of the area you could be. Now tell us when he drove away after hitting the man, did he turn right or left?”

She thought for a moment then answered, “He turned left.”

“Can you remember anything else?”

“No,” she said, a little sob escaping her lips.

“That’s okay miss.We’ll work with what you have given us. Now describe what is around you.”

She paused a little as she gasped for air. “I feel rocks around and about me in a small space.”

“Then you must be confined in a small cave. A team from the location you’ve described will be now dispatched to start searching the area whilst we pick up the boys for questioning.”

“Sir, you cannot mention I’m alive and have contacted the police,” she continued, “They can send someone to finish me.”

“Don’t worry, the detective reassured her, “We know what to do.”

Detectives picked up Brian and his friend in no time at a bar, investigations revealing they were with the girl and speeding up the highway. What was shocking was that they had dumped Dravid’s body on the roadway where he could be found and he was now lying in the ICU at the hospital, suffering from a concussion to his head.

The mysteries of fate as tragedy intruded in the lives of

two young innocent people whose intelligent minds could make great impact in the scientific world. Now their survival was balanced precariously on the threshold of life and death.

Two young men’s confessions could have shifted the balance for Nandita but Brian and his friend maintained their innocence of any wrong-doing, even after intense questioning, but the police had enough to detain them as the investigations continued. Brian’s parents were adamant their son was telling the truth, that Dravid had dropped him and his friend off at a roadside bar and someone else along the highway must have hijacked his car. The detectives were careful not to let out any information on the phone recording because with the money and contacts Brian’s family had, a leak could endanger the life the girl was clinging onto.

So the story of the missing girl was not given to the media that night as police units searched desolate rock areas along the highway hoping to find her before morning.

The police found the area where Brian had turned off the

road and a piece of the girl’s torn clothing but there was no more indication she was anywhere there.

“They must have taken me somewhere else,” Nandita concluded, “Lord,” she prayed, “I need you now, more than any other time in my life. Please don’t let me die here.”

She closed her eyes, not knowing that a lone star had peeped out from the sky as she lay in the dark, silent cave, waiting.

The detectives continued to talk to her as their search continued. “Units are spread along the highway,” she was reassured, “Now, I want you to listen carefully and tell us what you hear around you, anything.”

There was silence for a while then she said: “I can hear heavy vehicles driving a distance away and I feel a slight shudder as they pass. There’s also a faint sound of music, Spanish music.”

“That’s got to be somewhere on the trail to the interior.”

The detective said with confidence, “That’s where they probably dumped the car.”

“My phone battery is dying,” she said, fear now creeping in her voice, “and the air is becoming less. Let me talk to my mom, please.”

“Nandita,” her mom said, “We’ll find you, darling, please believe that.”

“I know, Mom, the Lord is with me. Look for something out of the ordinary that will guide you to me.”

“What are you saying?”

“I believe in divine help mom so do you. You will recognise it when you see it.”

It was part midnight, approaching the morning hour when the stars in the sky would be gone. The mother hadn’t yet seen

maureen.rampertab@gmail.com anything strange but she didn’t lose hope, knowing whatever it was, it would show. As they approached the road to the interior, she saw a lone bright star, in the westerly direction, like a guiding light.

“Is this it?” she wondered. “Is this the divine help that will guide me to her?”

She dialledNandita’s phone but there was no answer.

The phone battery had died!

The terrain way off the road was rough and the search parties, set off on foot in different directions. Heavy vehicles with fuel and goods drove by and faintly a distance away could be heard, Spanish music.

It was the right area.

“She’s here!” the mother cried overwhelmed with relief.

“She’s here, somewhere.”

She followed the unit that was moving in the direction of the star and came to the end of a rocky hill. Below were scattered rocks of various sizes. It was not a long drop down and the police found footholds to climb down. The mother waited at the top, her anxiety like sharp needles prickling her skin, seeming to draw blood. For every minute that passed, more blood trickled until a voice shouted from below, “We found her!”

The mother broke down, sinking on to her knees, her hands clasped to the Heavens.

“Thank you so much, Dear Lord.”

Nandita was barely alive when they brought her up, her clothes torn, her skin bruised and bloody.

“Mom,” she said as her mother, sobbing uncontrollably hugged her. “You found me.”

Not until she was in the special care of doctors, under Police protection and surrounded by family and friends, did the detective feel it was safe to give the media the story and the phone recordings, a story that hit the nation like a freak storm. The expressions of shock, dismay and anger flooded in from all levels of society as they gave support to this brave girl who stayed strong and held on to faith, to stay alive. Dravid rescued from his head injury and was taken overseas for further treatment after giving a damning testimony against his brother.

“It’s time to be brave,” he said, “to be a man.”

“I cannot stop blaming myself for what happened to you.”

He had told Nandita at the hospital. “If I had been braver and stronger, I could have protected you, now all that will change.”

Nandita stayed at home, the place she felt safer, to recover mentally. Messages, cards and gifts continued to be sent to her home from well-wishers for her bravery. One gift from an overseas women’s group was an unexpected surprise.

It was a nice little car.

“So you don’t have to ride in anyone else’s car.” They said.

Nandita laughed, her heart filled with thanks, “This is so nice, thank you.”

In her private moments she offered her prayers to Lord Krishna. “Thank you Dear Lord.My faith in you won the battle to survive and to live for a new day.”

“Nandita!”A familiar voice interrupted, calling her name.

She looked out from the window and saw Dravid standing at the gate with a cute white teddy bear in his hand.

“Hi!” He called.

She smiled and ran downstairs to meet him.

A new day indeed.

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

III

By Petamber Persaud

Another woman writer brings glory to Guyana

J

ust as Guyana was preparing to honour its women writers, Maggie Harris brings more fame to the land of many writers by winning the 2014 Commonwealth Prize for the Caribbean Region with her short story ‘Sending for Chantal.’ The Prize website described the story thus: The leaving of children with relatives whilst parents go abroad to seek employment is a familiar story, borne by promises of eventually being ‘sent for.’ But what happens when a child never gets sent for? The central question remains, how do we measure achievement, and at what cost is economic migration to displaced and ‘broken’ families?

Harris has achieved such a feat, following in the ink-flow

David Dabydeen

Grace Nichols

of Mark McWatt (book of short fiction), Karen King-Aribisala (novel and book of stories), David Dabydeen (book of poems), Pauline Melville (book of short stories), Dennis Nichols (short story) and Grace Nichols (book of poems).

The first Guyanese to have won a Commonwealth Prize is Grace Nichols who won it in 1983 for her collection of poems, ‘I is a Long-Memoried Woman’ which is a mythic story of an Afro-Caribbean woman going through all the stages of historic exploitation. Grace Nichols was born in Georgetown, Guyana in the 1950s. She migrated to the UK in the 1970s and is making significant contribution to children literature.

In 1984, David Dabydeen won the Commonwealth Prize for his first collection of poems, ‘Slave Song’; the title denotes a contradiction between slave and song where the author showed a ‘way of life that survived brilliantly and wickedly, mischievously and tragically, in spite of certain experiences of violence and brutality.’ David Dabydeen was born on the Corentyne Coast of Guyana in the 1950s. He migrated to the UK in the late 1960s from where he is making a significant contribution to literature.

In 1999, Karen King-Aribisala won the prize in the Best First Book category with her collection of story stories, ‘Our Wife and Other Stories.’

In 2000, Dennis Nichols won with his short story ‘The Release’ which is a hilarious clash between Standard English and Creolese in a classroom setting. Nichols, born in Guyana migrated to the Caribbean and is related to Grace Nichols.

In 2005, Mark McWatt won the Prize in two categories for his collection of short fiction, ‘Suspended Sentences’; winning in the Best First Book category for Canada and the Caribbean region and for Overall Best First Book. Mark McWatt, born in Guyana, is now working out of Barbados from the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies.

Mark McWatt

Dennis Nichols

In 2008 Karen King-Aribisala won the prize for the Best Book in the African region, making it twice she has won the Commonwealth Prize. Karen King-Aribisala was born in Guyana; she now lives in Nigeria and is attached to the Department of English at the University of Lagos.

Pauline Melville in 1991 won the Best First Book Overall with her book of short stories, ‘Shape-shifters.’ She was born in Guyana in 1948 and is now based in the UK. Maggie Harris was born in 1954 in New Amsterdam, Berbice. New Amsterdam has spawned some of the most significant Guyanese writers including Wilson Harris and Edgar Mittelholzer. Her father worked for the Reynolds Metals Company. Her mother was from Demerara.

Maggie Harris started her formal education at a primary school before moving to a convent in New Amsterdam. At eleven, she won a Reynolds scholarship to St. Rose's High School in Georgetown but completed her formal education at Berbice High School. Here, she confessed with delight that she received an excellent and well-rounded education which exposed her and increased her thirst for art and literature. Her artistic inclination was encouraged by Stanley Greaves, an art-

ist and poet, and her drawings found an outlet in her school’s magazine. Literature was enhanced by her teachers and by VSOs who knew the role literature plays in the development of a nation. Her good grades at General Certificate of Examinations (G.C.E) show her bias to English Literature, English Language and Art. Harris was also part of the Berbice Arts Theatre which performed at the Town Hall, New Amsterdam.

So her formative years in British Guiana were full and fruitful.

In 1971, Maggie Harris migrated to the UK where she started a family that put her artistic inclinations on hold. This is an unfortunate act to women in society–putting their career on hold. Fortunately and to the greater benefit to mankind, many women have risen to the challenge, coping with such

Karen King-Aribisala

Maggie Harris

a delay with dignity, fortifying themselves for the next opportunity to exhale. And exhale she did when the time was ripe.

In 2000, her book of poems, Limbolands, won her the Guyana Prize for Literature. Her other literary and artistic awards include Leverhulme Research Abroad for Performance Poetry in Barbados, and MUZE for Women Writers in Europe.

Her other books include ‘From Berbice to Broadstairs,’ ‘After a Visit to a Botanical Garden,’ ‘Sixty Years of Loving,’ ‘Canterbury Tales on Cockcrow Morning’ and a few memoirs.

Maggie Harris was a founder member of ‘The Write Women.’ *During the month of May 2014, the Ministry of Human Services in collaboration with the National Library (with contribution from the University of Guyana Library) staged an exhibition honouring fifty Guyanese women writers.

Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email:oraltradition2002@yahoo.com

IV

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

Lutchmee and Diloo

By John Edward Jenkins

A

Introduction by Joseph Jackson

new edition of Luctchmee and Dilloo is apposite for 2010, a year which marks the centenary of the death of the novel’s Indian-born British author, John Edward Jenkins. A lawyer, politician and writer, Jenkins was an enthusiastic campaigner for colonial justicAe, chronicling unscrupulous prtactices, poor living conditions and civil unrest across the Empire; Lutchmee and Dilloo is his creative manifesto, a fictionalised account of his experiences and insights. It provides a critique of indenture practices, bearing witness to the lives of a silenced and exploited population, and makes an early contribution to the distinctive Guyanese literary landscape of prominent authors such as Edgar Mittelholzer, Martin Carter, and Wilson Harris. Although the spatial focus of the novel falls on British Guiana, Jenkins intentions were to depict the broad spectrum of indentureship, with a liberal application of satire at the expense of the colonial government. His criticism of inept colonial rule, nepotism and inadequate recognition and protection of indentured labour rights is a metonym of perceived deficiencies elsewhere in the Caribbean and across the Empire, such as in Mauritius, Fiji, Malaya and South Africa.

The novel is notable as one of the first works of fiction that promotes the ‘coolie’ subject, or East Indian indentured labourer, as worthy of imaginative literary treatment, and the first in the context of British Guiana. Jenkins’ aims, made clear by his introductory comments, were instructive and reformist: he sought to alleviate the living and working conditions of plantation labourers through a cultural appeal, to ‘enable many persons to understand the subject better, and that must lead to a more earnest consideration of the questions it involves. This political fiction was a strategy to capture the imagination of a wide leadership, to embody many aspects of character and varieties of incident, the more picturesquely to bring out the lights and shadows of the system, but its impact fell short of his expectations and he failed to garner public support in his mission to reform the indentureship system.

Jenkins inspiration resulted from his time in British Guiana, observing the 1870 Royal Commission of Inquiry, formed to investigate conditions of indentured plantation labour at the instigation of the former magistrate George William Des Voeux. Sponsored by the Aborigines Protection Society and Anti-Slavery Society, Jenkins’ efforts resulted in the publication of his exhaustive 1871 monograph The Coolie: His Rights and Wrongs. He carried this passion into his tenure as a Member of Parliament for Dundee, the midpoint of which coincided with the publication of Lutchmee and Dilloo: examining historical records of his parliamentary contributions reveals the same attitudes to indentured and minority populations, and skepticism over appointments to positions of powers in colonised countries, that emerge from his writing. He speaks frankly on the opacity of colonial governance, noting that our colonial

Please see page V

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

administration hitherto has been conducted on the basis of concealing from the country what the ministers are doing’, and that ‘in the colonies many of the nominated members had claims on the government, and were by no means fit for the office,’ a suitable description of the cowardly and ineffectual Governor Walsingham. Another link can be seen in one of his parliamentary questions, presented in July 1878: Jenkins queries the legitimacy of dual parliamentary and colonial administrative roles of one Sir Bryan O’Loghlen of County Clare, the probable figure caricatured by the novel’s comical and incapable IntendantGeneral, major O’Loughlin.

Jenkins activism within the corridors of British power is conveyed by his agitating and disruptive voice in Victorian discourses on indentured labour, Empire and the Caribbean, consistently returning to the administration of the colonies and the impact of law on ‘coolies’ and ‘kaffirs’, demanding transparency and protesting the slow-moving wheels of colonial injustice.

At the same time, his parliamentary oration echoes the problematic imperial ideology that can be read in Lutchmee and Dilloo, namely the difficulty in reconciling Jenkins dedication to the British Empire with his humanitarian concerns.

As Jeremy Poynting has argued in ‘John Edward Jenkins and the Imperial Conscience’, Jenkins’ commitment to exposing an exploitative system of indenture does not go so far as to condemn the system, or British colonialism, out of hand.

Concluding a speech on the prospective independence of the Gold Coast with a Classical Flourish, he argues: “If we take this course, the trade we have created and the civilization we have introduced will perish away – Christianity itself will be extinguished; and when her lights are extinguished, where is the promethean torch which will re-illuminate that gloom?”

For Jenkins, civilisation, trade, religion and colonization are interrelated. The British imperial project is entwined with an ennobling, classical ideal; flaws must be corrected and the system maintained rather than abandoning the colonies to the vagaries of independence. He exonerates plantation economies: for the author, British and Indian interests are mutually served by more responsible, and less expedient, practices of indentureship, and his preface argues that a Coolie system, under proper supervision and restraint, could be made a system of incalculable benefit to Asiatics. This ‘imperial conscience’ also extends to issues of representation. Despite his benevolent intentions.

Jenkins’ writing is a form of representation which appropriates the voice of his ‘coolie’ characters. David Dabydeen, in his introduction to the 2003 edition, articulates this silencing effectively when he says that Indian labouers ‘remain indentured to (Jenkins) authorial decisions that affect indentured labourers without consultation, Latchmee and Dilloo is a protest spoken from the imperial centre without an Indian inflection.

Poynting’s assessment of the text also dissects its deeply rooted racial prejudice, which is indicative of is historical context. Afro-Caribbean characters such as the men servants Sarcophagus and Simon Pety are ridiculous, lacking adequate language or complex conceptual thought, reduced to an oversimplified, pejorative pidgin. Personified by the Obe, African ethnicity has an animalistic quality, primal and exotic; he detailed as ‘an African of the lowest type’, whose ‘receding forehead, huge broad face, with its baboon-like features, enormous ears altogether made a creature whose physical characteristics were worthy of the terror inspired by his infernal profession. Racial stereotyping accounts for the villainous character of Chester, the divisive overseer: ‘(y)our Barbadian or half-negro, when he is bad, is as dangerous and as devilish as Lucifer’; similarly, Chinese labourers are treated with a negative homogeneity, possessing ‘strange, unimpressive faces’ and prone to ‘dissipations of opium-smoking and gambling.’

As Poynting concludes, ‘the radical implications of the narrative are undermined by the limitations of (Jenkins) political and racial attitudes’.

Representations of regional characters from the British

From page IV

Isles are also employed, ostensibly to give depth and colour to agents of the Crown, but with a similar reliance on typecasting and universal traits. The pioneering lawyer, Williams, is ‘a game little Welshman, whose life, and wife, and home were at the time by no means as secure as one would have been proud to assert of them in an English colony’; his courage, coupled with a diminutive stature, are opposed to the consistent baseline of Englishness that comprises the ‘British’ Empire in Jenkins’ perception. The Irish Catholic origins of Major O’Loughlin are left in no doubt, as ‘one of the numberless tries of the O’Loughlin of O’Loughlin in County Kelly, a district which in its situation is suggestive of extremes’. The stereotype of a ‘numberless’ population is accentuated by his obsession with charity, stray children and orphanages. A sympathetic, but still homogenous, regional representation is reserved for the Scots, in the form of overseer Craig. Returning often to Craig’s ‘deep Scotch nature’, Jenkins’ generous depiction is suggestive of an essential goodness and humanity: ‘the manliest and most rugged (of) Scotch natures…consistent with the tenderest spirit and the broadest sympathies.’ Even in describing ‘(t)he repugnance of race, which I fancy to be as extreme in Scotchman as in other people,’ Jenkins notes ‘their proverbial adaptability to any circumstances.’ The effect of these generalisations is to simultaneously destabilize and reinforce a unitary British Empire: highlighting the existence and participation of regional actors in the colonial project, but demarcating them as essentially different to its central English identity.

Scots in the colonial plantation era of British Guiana were active far beyond the low-leveled responsibility of a field overseer such as Craig, comprising some of the leading financial and political influences that created the successive plantation economies of slave-holding and indentureship.

Mercantile dynasties flourished in the aftermath of the Act of Union, which permitted Scottish participation in colonial and slave-trading in British Guyana; the Baillies owned large plantations and participated in the West India trades for over a century, and other Scots families such as the Frasers, Cummings and English proliferate through colonial records.

Cruickshank’s History of the Scottish Kirk in British Guiana records the quantity and perseverance of Scottish emigres, profiteers and missionaries, noting that the ‘pushing ad ubiquitous Scot still had his place on the map, and more largely so than ever’ at the dawn of the 18th century.

This involvement was not lessened by the transition from slavery to indentureship. Dabydeen’s introduction to the 2003 edition begins with the Scottish merchant and industrialist John Gladstone, detailing his central role in driving the importation of labour from India to work his Guianese plantations. As Chairman of the West India Association, and owner of numerous plantations across the West Indies and America, Gladstone’s substantial fortune was grounded in imperial enterprise and the profits of indentureship, the wellspring of wealth that contributed to the rise of his son, William, to the most prominent position in the British political hierarchy. When Lord Glenelg drafted a bill intended to regulate and protest Indian labourers in the colonies, Gladstone countered his dismissively by arguing that his legislation was full of ‘enactments’ most of them calculated to be vexatious’.

The fact that Glenelg himself was a Scot reflects the important role Scottish statesmen played in the negotiation, implementation and management of the indentured labour system. Connections such as these contribute to an expanding area of enquiry which takes a historical and comparative view of Scotland and the Caribbean, focusing on the colonial legacy which continues to affect both, and Jenkins himself is representative of such as connection, moving from Georgetown to Dundee. Lutchmee and Dilloo is a historical example of ‘constructions of Scottishness grounded on the rhetoric of liberty’, revealed in what is not said, and which characters are not present: a Scottish figure of colonial and economic power such as John Gladstone, to counterbalance the tenderness and honesty of Craig which was portrayed as quintessentially Scottish

V

traits. Nevertheless, the narrative does help to bridge the neglected imaginative gap between Scottish and Caribbean history.

A notable aspect of the novel worth considering more closely is its engagement with the landscape and environment of 19th century British Guiana, the juxtaposition of industry, cultivation and primal wilderness making Lutchmee and Dilloo ripe for eco-critical analysis. Its publication falls in the later stages of the industrial and Romantic periods, both significant for literary themes of ecology, and foreshadows modern theoretical work relating to the environment and Caribbean literature. Upon arrival, indentured laboureres are met with ‘slender shafts that looked like reeds – the lighthouse at Georgetown, and the chimneys of the coast estates,’ the natural and man-made imagery representative of a meeting between the lush, gravid environment and intrusive industrial forces. On viewing the plantation shanty towns, the narrative describes No quaintly-gabled in, no thatched and rose-emboweredcottages, no lazy stream purling along under the bowling arches of an ancient bridge, no ivy-covered church peeping from among the paternal trees; nothing but a treeless waste, in wet weather a swamp, in dry weather baked and cracked with torrid heat; intersected by mud cause ways, which constituted its streets, all jagged and broken away in many places by draining floods.

Traces of Romantic pastoral sentiment are evident in Jenkins comparison between English idyll and Caribbean shanty, and the use of such pastoral themes in the passage emphasises the severe impact of the plantation industries on natural environments, distancing the abject living conditions of former slaves and indentured labourers from the idealized comforts of English rural life.

Admiration for British Guiana’s diverse ecology recurs through the text; describing ‘the Frangipani, the Cannon-ball tree, the guava or the tamarind, precious specimens of the orchids in infinite variety,’ the natural world is shown as a manifestation of Romantic wonder and sublimity. The rainforest is ‘impassable’; ‘gigantic’; ‘festooned with vast, embowering creepers’; ‘every nook and shoulder…gemmed with rare orchids,’ ‘ the perfection of tropical vegetation in a soil and climate most favourable to exuberance’. The mystical, forbidding quality of the interior, anticipating later works by Dabydeen and Harris, is reflected in the concluding scenes, in the forest’s ‘densest part, where the dampness of the ground and the luxuriance of the gestation warned off human beings by its deep gloom and its fetid atmosphere.

It was a home of poisonous plant and teasing insect and deadly snake, and of the rankest luxuriance of vegetation. As Garrard identifies, the Romantic sublimity of wild, natural places has been undercut by extensive modern mapping, chronicling and taming in Europe and America; Jenkins’ novel, however, respects the awesome and hostile presence of the rainforest, one of the last frontiers of true ‘wilderness’ globally, still a keenly contested space in present-day Guyana and the wider world.

The dominance of imperial rhetoric, and a self-reflexive urging for social reform, are powerful themes that shape the narrative of Lutchmee and Dilloo. These historically fixed aspects sharpen the contradiction at the heart of his work: a petition against the destructive iniquity of colonial exploitation, but an appeal which ultimately does not fully recognise the error of racial differentiation, the failure of the indentured labour system, and the culpability of the British imperial project. Although dated in its treatment of colonial issues, the novel remains an important benchmark in the study of the cultural encounters of indentureship, and a productive intersection between fields of research such as Indo-Caribbean and Diaspora studies, Coolitude, literary eco-criticism, and broader postcolonial theory.

Jenkins’ exploration of ‘the wonderful variety of incongruous natures in this medley of a world’ prefigures a multicultural world view, and the characters of Lutchmee and Dilloo populate a creative illustration of indenture and plantation culture in British Guiana.

VI

At least 80 percent of Guyanese have a “bad bite,” or malocclusion

T

he way teeth come together is called occlusion. It is my professional view, after more than a quarter of a century as a practising dentist, that at least 80 percent of Guyanese have a “bad bite,” or malocclusion. There are many possible causes for malocclusion in children: some sort of airway obstruction during the child’s development period, allergies, bad habits such as thumb sucking, and so forth. The normal way of breathing is through the nose. When a child has a stuffy or runny nose for prolonged periods of time, he or she starts breathing through the mouth and that could pose a big problem for the teeth.

If one cannot breathe through the one’s nose properly, it cannot do its job of filtering environmental pollutants any more. Instead, the adenoids (glands in the throat) and the tonsils receive the pollutants and toxins inhaled along with the air. The adenoids and tonsils get enlarged in order to fight these pollutants. That is a normal immunological reaction of the body meant for protection, but it closes the airways further and increases the risk of sleep apnea. This is a serious condition especially in children. There is even the possibility of the child suffocating and dying in their sleep.

Now, let us look at how mouth breathing can cause bite and tempero-mandibular joint (TMJ) issues. During the stages of nasal breathing, the tongue rests against the palate. The outward pressure of the tongue from the inside balances the inward pressure of the cheek muscles from the outside. This creates a nice U-shaped arch of teeth. During the stages of mouth breathing, the lower jaw comes down, and the tongue settles on the bottom teeth, to allow air to pass through the mouth and into the airway.

With the outward force of the tongue out of the picture, there is no counteracting force to balance the inward force of the cheek muscles. This causes the arch of the teeth to constrict and become V-shaped, with less room for all the teeth to act in alignment. As the tongue rests on the lower molars, it prevents those molars from erupting completely. As a result, a mouth-breathing individual has to over-close the mouth to get his or her back teeth to come together. The situation can become increasingly worse if left unchecked.

This creates an excessive overbite which is among the most common reason why children wear braces.

Therefore, something that started as a reaction to simple, seasonal allergies for a prolonged period of time, (say for a few months), can actually make an individual a mouth-breather for life and create malocclusion in his or her mouth. In such a case the abnormal position of the tongue causes an abnormal swallowing motion. The tongue pushes on the sides of the teeth and creates indentations in its lateral borders, known as scalloped tongue. This is what dentists look for during a comprehensive dental examination.

Braces and other orthodontic appliances can fix the problem. Sometimes selective extractions might be involved. The younger the patient (about 9 years old) usually results in the fastest and most successful treatment. The older the patient the treatment becomes more complex and may even require surgery. The best approach is always prevention. Observe if your child is a mouth-breather. If such a condition is allowed to continue the consequences could include he or she having to undergo corrective treatment with braces.

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

She Loves Him, She Loves Him Not...

The Essential Ingredient

I

am currently at the hardest part of my life, where I need to make a decision which will impact my future.

I have a boyfriend. Earlier this year he proposed to me. We've been together almost nine years through a lot of ups and downs. He is consumed with work and making money, and time spent with me is limited. Many times I voiced the need to spend more time in our relationship, but he hasn't.

Three years ago we commissioned a house which will be ready at the end of this year. In May of last year we had a baby and decided to go for an abortion. He, as my boyfriend, wasn't there for me. I went alone. Since then things changed. We argue and communication is no longer possible.

I wouldn't say the abortion led to that.

It was more accumulated issues which were never resolved. My boyfriend isn't a good boyfriend, but he definitely could be a good family man. He is educated with a stable career, and he truly loves me more than I love him.

Earlier this year I met someone who is my soul mate. We understand each other even though we've only known each other a few months. He is caring. From everything he does for me, I know he wants me. I feel the same and want to be with him.

However, he is not strong in terms of education and career, though he is willing to take courses to upgrade himself. Every woman hopes their man is someone they can depend on. So do I. In February I broke the news to my boyfriend. He was devastated. He also did many stupid things to win me back. I admit I screwed up his life. After all, he treated me well.

Right now I am so lost. I want the house but don't think I can marry him. At the same time I feel responsible for the nine year relationship he and I invested in. But marrying him will hurt my soul mate badly.

This is tough. Should I leave my soul mate, proceed with the marriage to get the house and be responsible for my boyfriend? Or cancel the house, pay the monetary penalties and call off the wedding?

PENNY Penny, one man can't buy you a house, and the other man represents money and security but you don't love him. Whichever way you go, you have mortgaged your future.

Your boyfriend loves the idea of you but doesn't have time for you. He's like a man who gets a dog then ignores it, so the dog sits in the yard at the end of a chain. You are yet another acquisition. Job, money, house, wife.

When you say he is a bad boyfriend but will be a good family man, you are talking about two different men. There is no reason to expect him to make time for children when he won't make time for you.

Your relationship went on too long. In effect, you've already had a marriage, pregnancy and house plans, and the relationship is still not working. In all probability your bad boyfriend will become your bad husband and you will want a divorce. Why? Because married, your needs still won't be met.

At this point, unconsciously, you feel you can't walk away with nothing, so you will need to walk away with a divorce.

Shakespeare compared love to a lighthouse "that looks on tempests and is never shaken." When you marry for a reason other than love—money, security, or whatever—once married, all you will see is what you don't have. Love. Love is what would allow you to stay married.

One man is wrong. If the other man were right, you wouldn't have a decision to make.

The decision would make itself.

WAYNE & TAMARA

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

Appellant -respondent receives 000 costs loses Rental $50, & $4M rental Agreement case

T

HE Guyana Court of Appeal in 2004 disposed of a Rental Case by holding that there was an oral agreement to extend the original rental agreement and as such the case was not one of statutory tenancy and need not be heard before the Magistrate Court.

The Court of Appeal also dismissed the appeal brought

by Milco Garment Industries Ltd., et al against the respondent, Ivan Shurland and ruled that the decision of the trial judge be upheld.

The facts of the case disclosed that the appellants rented a building from the respondent.

The respondent claimed that the appellants were in arrears of rental for the said property from July 2001, and that the rent due was $4,020, 000.

The Appellants claimed that the rental agreement ended on June 7, 2001. The respondent claimed that the lease was continued under the same terms by oral agreement of the parties in June 2001.

The respondent claimed that the lease was continued under the same terms by oral agreement of the parties in June 2001.

The appellants testified that they continued to pay the rent despite the fact that the rental period had come to an end, however they admitted under cross-examination that they still had occupied the premises but that the rent was not up to date.

The issue addressed at the trial was whether a statutory tenancy came into being or whether the contractual ten-

ancy continued. The trial judge found that the contractual tenancy continued, premised on an oral agreement.

It is this decision that was appealed.

The appellants contended that the trial judge had no jurisdiction, as statutory tenancy is a matter to be dealt with by the Magistrate Court and not the High Court.

The respondent argued that there was in fact no statutory tenancy, but rather simply an extension of the original rental agreement by oral agreement.

The Court of Appeal,

dents, entered into a written agreement on June 8, 1996, with the appellants-Milco Garments Industries Limited in relation to building premises situated at E ½ 37,Industrial Site, Ruimveldt , Georgetown, at a monthly rental of $360,000 payable in advance with effect from August 1, 1996.”

“By way of a specially endorsed writ the respondent claimed that the appellants were in arrears of rental for the said premises from July 2001 and that the rental due was $4, 020, 000.

“The appellants, in their

constituted by Justice of Appeal Justice Claudette Singh, Justice of Appeal, Mr. Nandram Kissoon and Mr. Ian Chang, held that: There was an oral agreement to extend the original rental agreement, and as such the case is not one of statutory tenancy, and need not be heard before the Magistrate Court; the missed rental payments are owed to the respondent.

affidavit of defence sworn

by Claude Miller at paragraph 2 deposed : “I am a Statutory Tenant in respect of a piece of land rented from the plaintiff at a monthly rental of $360, 000, payable at the end and each of every month.”

“At paragraph 3 it was contended that the tenancy was for a period of 5 years which ended on June 7, 2001 and that the High Court had no jurisdiction to hear the matter. The respondent in its affidavit in reply contended that the written lease was continued under the same terms and conditions by oral agreement between the parties in June 2001.”

“Ivan Shurland, the

The appeal was dismissed and the decision of the trial judge upheld. Costs were awarded to the respondent.

Justice of Appeal Claudette Singh who delivered the judgment of the Court said : “Shurland’s Case and Pallet Manufacturers, the respon-

Managing Director, tendered the written agreement which was for a duration of 5 years. He testified that although the written agreement had expired in June 2001, they had entered into an oral agreement to continue on the same terms and arrangements.”

“Claude Miller who testified on behalf of the appellants said that despite the fact that the agreement had come to an end he had continued to pay the rental of $360, 000.” “ Mr. Benjamin Gibson, counsel for the appellants, contended that the agreement came to an end on June 7, 2001 but that the

tenant remained in possession and was deemed a statutory tenant. That the tenant fell into arrears and paid no rent after June 2001 and on June 17, 2002, the respondent commenced proceedings to recover the rental for the period of July 2001 to June 2002.

Moreover, that the statement of claim did not disclose any new agreement of tenancy.”

“In this case, Claude Miller, one of the appellants, admitted under cross-examination that the rental is not up to date.”

“The payment of rental in accordance with the terms of agreement was made a condition by the section. It is crys-

VII

By George Barclay

tal clear from the wording of Section 21 of the Act that a tenant who owes rental would be in breach of the terms and conditions of the agreement of tenancy, and would not be able to claim any benefits under the Act.” “Senior Counsel, Mr. Ashton Chase submitted that the written agreement came to an end on July 31, 2001, but prior to that in June 2001 the parties orally agreed that the agreement be continued on the same terms and conditions,” Justice of Appeal Singh declared as she upheld the decision of the learned trial judge.

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

BELLY FULL

S

By Neil Primus

amuel was a single parent. He worked hard as a dock worker to support his two sons. Both were doing well in school and the older boy played cricket at a club in the next village. The father of two had one problem, his son Ian. Time after time, the boy would get into trouble for over eating. He was always hungry.

One evening Samuel worked late so his mother came over to stay with the children. Ian was eleven years old and Vic eight. Their grandmother made supper for them both. A cup of tea and two tennis rolls with nut butter. Feeling all was okay she instructed them to take a bath then go straight to bed. She sat watching TV while she waited for her son to get home.

An hour later she ran into trouble.

“Granny I hungry.”

Ian stood looking at her, his face a picture of misery.

“But you not too long eat boy!”

“I still hungry granny.”

With disbelief she went to a nearby shop and bought some snacks. Two cheese rolls, two red cakes, and one large, rock bun. She gave the boy one cheese roll, the big bun and another cup of tea. She then ordered him to bed.

When his father arrived home she complained about the child’s appetite.

“Samuel! You training Ian badly. I feed he and he still say he hungry.”

“Don’t worry about it mummy. That’s how he is.”

“I couldn’t try that wid my parents!”

“I know.”

While they were chatting, Samuel took his food and sat in front of the TV eating. Ian wandered in from the bedroom and sat in a chair across from his father. Each time his dad put a spoon of food into his mouth Ian would follow the process with eager eyes.

“Boy get back in yo blasted bed before yu mek yo father choke!”

The old woman’s anger was directed at the child who would not take his eyes off his father’s food. Samuel continued eating slowly. Before long Ian began to yawn repeatedly.

“Boy go and sleep. Yo yawning because yo sleepy.”

“No granny. Me na yarn fo sleep, me yarn fo food.”

Samuel handed the boy the remaining food and went to bed.

Ian ate greedily and granny sulked angrily.

After that incident Ian kept up his eating ways. As soon as the school bell rang in the afternoon, he would sprint home and eat his food and some of Vic’s. His smaller sibling told the father about this practice. Samuel scolded the boy but that did not force any change. His father decided the best thing to do was to teach him a lesson.

The next Saturday morning after all the chores were completed Samuel called Ian. “You alright Ian?” “No daddy, a hungry.”

Just as Samuel suspected he would respond. His father smiled in satisfaction. His plan was coming together nicely.

“Wat yu want fo eat?”

“Cook-up daddy.”

“How much yu want son?”

“Plenty daddy.”

So far so good.

“One pint or two pints rice?”

“Two pints!”

“Wat kinda cook-up?”

“Black eye cook-up!”

Samuel set to work cooking a sweet pot of black eye cook-up with pig tail, tripe and chicken. As the pot bubbled the deliciously rich aroma filled the small apartment and made the two boys tummies rumble. Ian paced up and down anxious for the pot to be finished cooking.

When the cooking was done, Samuel took down a big bowl and filled it with food. Steaming hot, he gave it to his restless son. Ian sat on the floor with the bowl between his legs and started eating at once. Samuel smiled. This would be a lasting lesson for his son.

Slowly but surely the food decreased. Samuel watched, first in amusement then utter amazement, as his son undid the buttons of his pants and kept demolishing the food. His tummy was bulging but he kept going. His father watched in total fascination as he put the last spoonful into his mouth.

“You okay now son?” His father’s voice held a note of disbelief.

“No daddy!”

Samuel’s eyes and mouth reacted in dismay.

“What happen son?”

“Daddy yo ent give me no swank fo wash it down!

Samuel fell out of his chair in shock.

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

JASON STATHAM

J

a s o n Statham, born July 26, 1967 in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, England, has done quite a lot in a short time. He has been a Diver on the British National Diving Team and finished 12th in the World Championships in 1992. He has also been a fashion model, black market salesman and finally of course, actor. He got the audition for his debut role as Bacon in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) through French Connection, for whom he was modelling. They became a major investor in the film and introduced Jason to Guy Ritchie, who invited him to audition for a part in the film by challenging him to impersonate an illegal street vendor and convince him to purchase fake jewellery. Jason must have been doing something right because after the success of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) he teamed up again with Guy Ritchie for Snatch. (2000), with co-stars including Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina and Benicio Del Toro. After Snatch. (2000) came Turn It Up (2000) with US music star Ja Rule, followed by a supporting actor role in the Sci-Fi film Ghosts of Mars (2001), Jet Li's The One (2001) and another screen partnership with Vinnie Jones in Mean Machine (2001) under Guy Ritchie's and Matthew Vaughn's SKA Films. Finally in 2002 he was cast as the lead role of Frank Martin in The Transporter (2002).

Jason is also in the summer 2003 blockbuster remake of The Italian Job (1969), The Italian Job (2003), playing

IX

- Has done quite a lot in a short time Handsome Rob. Did nearly all of his own stunts in The Transporter (2002), including car chase sequences, scuba diving sequences and fight sequences.

His break into the entertainment business came when an agent put him on an advertisement for the French Connection clothing company.

Prior to The Transporter

axe, The Transporter (2002), Transporter 2 (2005) and War (2007).

Has appeared twice in two different movies in a scene involving his character talking to himself in an elevator, during what appears to be a hallucination. Once in Revolver (2005) and once in Crank (2006).

Has appeared in two films with Ray Liotta, Revolver (2005) and In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007), both in which he is the protagonist and Liotta is the antagonist.

Was in a relationship with English model and actress Kelly Brook for several years.

P a i d $10,625,000 to purchase a 3,355-squarefoot oceanfront Jason Statham house in the Malibu Colo(2002) he already had a back- ny in Malibu, California. In ground in martial arts which addition, since mid-2005 enabled him to perform his has owned a 2,281-squareown fight sequences. foot house in Los Angeles' Was originally set play Hollywood Hills, which he Private Cooper in Dog Sol- purchased for $2.4 million. diers (2002), but dropped Is in a relationship out to star in Ghosts of Mars with Rosie Huntington(2001).

Whiteley.

Offered the role of Agent Has appeared in two films 47 in Hitman (2007) after Vin which include the song "I Diesel was dropped from the Wanna Be Your Dog" by The project. Timothy Olyphant Stooges: Lock, Stock and eventually took the role.

Two Smoking Barrels (1998) Well trained in Mixed and Transporter 3 (2008).

Martial Arts and is an expert Has worked twice with in Kickboxing.

Chris Evans and Jessica Biel, Has appeared in three dif- first on Cellular (2004), then ferent films in which his char- on London (2005). acter gets attacked with an Jason Statham spent 12

years on the British national diving team, competing on the 10-metre platform and the 3-metre springboard. In 1992, he was ranked 12th in the world as a platform diver.

Is friends with actor Vinnie Jones, and worked with him 3 times: first in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Bar-

rels (1998), then in Snatch.

(2000) and finally in Mean Machine (2001).

A keen supporter of Nottingham Forest Football Club.

Makes a fleeting appearance just over a minute and a half into the video for "Dream a Little Dream of

Me", performed by British band The Beautiful South.

Sofia, Bulgaria: Filming The Expendables 2 [October 2011] Currently, filming In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. [July 2005]

X

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

(A look at some of the stories that made the news ‘back-in-the-day’ with CLIFFORD STANLEY)

FARMER KILLS TIGER WITH AXE (Daily Chronicle January 31, 1972)

A brave Berbice cattle farmer who killed a six -foot long tiger with an axe and pitchfork last Thursday was cheered lustily as he exhibited the tiger’s paw to leaders of the East Berbice Union of Local Authorities at their general meeting on Saturday afternoon.

The farmer, Walter Odai of Bloomfield Corentyne was assisted in killing the tiger by his two sons Lloyd 25 and Claude 21.

Claude was struck on the right hip by the beast and had to be treated by Dr. Ramlall of New Amsterdam.

The President of the Guyana Association of Local Authorities (GALA) Mr. Hulbert McGowan and Rose Hall Mayor George Trim praised Odai for his brave act.

YOU MUST PAY TO LISTEN (Daily Chronicle January 14, 1972)

Magistrate Rupert Trim yesterday told 20 persons, mostly women, that if they wanted to listen to “Auntie Cumsie” the “Guiding Light” and “So help me God” they must take out their radio licenses.

Fines totalling over $150,000 were collected from them for not taking out radio licenses for 1972.

The Guyana Consumers Association has reported that a monkey in a section of North Cummingsburg is driving housewives to distraction.

“This monkey is active both day and night and there is considerable concern about the danger to children,” the Association said in its magazine WHY. It recalled that another monkey gained entry into homes in the Subryanville area causing fear and destruction.

“If owners of these pets are unable to control their animals the authorities will have to be asked to intervene to get rid of these nuisances,” the organisation stated.

RARE GUYANA BUTTERFLY IN BRITISH EXHIBITION (Daily Chronicle April 8, 1972).

A comprehensive collection of Guyana’s rarest herbs and butterflies adorned the exhibition hall of the City Library of Winchester England last month.

The display which was described by the Hampshire Chronicle as an exhibition “of unusual interest” was staged by the Cambridge Expedition which spent June to September 1971 at Baramita North West District.

The six young Cambridge graduates who comprised the expedition to Guyana collected among other things specimens of plants used medicinally by the Caribs of the area and of

MARABUNTA FIRE DESTROYS SCHOOL

after completing a Wood Badge course.

Mr. Newsum attended the “Bigi Krootoe” in Suriname and the 3rd Caribbean Jamboree in Guyana.

He expects to attend the 4th Caribbean Jamboree in Barbados later this year.

PALMS AMONG BUILDINGS TO BE PRESERVED (Guyana Graphic July 26, 1972)

THE PALMS, the institution being run by the Government on Brickdam for the poor, is to be among at least nine buildings to be preserved by the National Trust for their architectural importance.

The GRAPHIC also learnt yesterday that other buildings identified for preservation because of their historical and cultural significance are the Victoria Law Courts and City Hall on the Avenue of the Republic, Sacred Heart Church on Main Street, St. George’s Cathedral, St. Phillip’s Church, Leguan and a Hindu Temple at Woodley Park, West Coast Berbice.

A Bill passed in Parliament on Monday provides for the setting up of a nine member corporate body to be known as a National Trust which will be charged with the responsibility of preserving sites, buildings , monuments and other things of historical and cultural importance to the nation.

As a result of research done by the National History and

(Guyana Graphic October 4, 1972)

A fire that was used to kill marabuntas at the Lutheran Government School at Kimbia, completely gutted a $3,000 school building in the Berbice River last week.

An official of the Lutheran body in New Amsterdam yesterday confirmed that the fire that was being used to kill marabuntas got out of control and razed the building.

The building, the property of the Lutheran body was insured for $2,000 while the furniture, property of the State was insured for $500.

Nothing was saved.

butterflies, moths and beetles.

Over 100 different plants were collected some of which were left on exhibition in Georgetown.

“Of the butterflies found, at least one was so rare it was not represented in the British Museum Collection,” the Cambridge newspaper reported.

The collection also included 30 items of Amerindian craftwork and some 70 photographs.

NEWSUM APPOINTED (Daily Chronicle May 19th 1972)

MONKEY BUSINESS IN THE CITY (Daily Chronicle June 1, 1972)

Monkey business is causing a new kind of headache for Georgetown housewives.

The Boys Scouts Association of Guyana has recently appointed Mr. Edward S.F. Newsum as District Commissioner for Scouts for New Amsterdam.

His appointment has come after more than 35 years as a cub, scout, master and Assistant District Commissioner.

Mr. Newsum was born in Georgetown in February 1927 and lived in New Amsterdam from the age of four.

There began his long service to the Boy Scouts Association when he joined the 48th Mission Chapel Troop as a cub.

In the early 60s he was put in charge of the 2nd New Amsterdam (St. Aloysius) Troop and shortly after received training in scouting.

In 1966 he was appointed Asst. District Commissioner

Arts Council, a number of pre-historical and historical sites, wilderness areas and sites of natural beauty have also been identified for preservation by the National Trust.

These include in terms of pre-historic sites, the famous Timehri engravings in the interior region, rock carvings in the Cuyuni and a mound at Port Mourant.

The sites of historical importance will include Orealla in Berbice where Sir Walter Raleigh is believed to have made his first landing in the country; an area in Kamuni, Demerara River, reputed to have been a Chinese settlement, Fort Nassau, Fort Island and Kyk-over-All. A windmill at Hogg Island and the old Dutch built koker in Kingston, north of the Rice Marketing Board will be among other historical sites to be preserved.

The wilderness areas and sites of natural beauty to be declared of historical importance by the Trust will include Mount Roraima and Great Falls.

(Clifford Stanley can be reached to discuss any of the foregoing articles at cliffantony@gmail.com or by Telephone # 657-2043).

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

XI

material under stress.

9. Hot glue the bottom of little girl dress up shoes to prevent slipping

HOUSEHOLD CLEANING - MAINTENANCE 1. Place an empty paper bag over an electric light globe before removing it from its socket. If the globe should shatter, the bag will hold the pieces and avoid what could be a nasty accident.

2. Scuff marks caused by shoes on vinyl floors, which usually take hard scrubbing to get off, can be easily removed by wiping with a small quantity of eucalyptus oil on a paper towel.

3. To re-use an old paint roller tray or to keep a new one clean, simply place the tray into a plastic supermarket bag or small garbage bin liner. Pour in the paint and the bag will sink into the shape of the tray. When you've finished, take off the bag and dispose of it, leaving your tray ready to use next time, with out cleaning.

4. If your child has trouble holding a glass, slip several rubber bands around the glass at regular intervals.

The glass will be much easier to grip.

5. Stop the tears flowing when peeling onions, especially with large quantities for pickles etc. Peel and cut onions in half, place in a plastic bag in a single layer and put in the freezer. When frozen (usually a few hours, depending on quantity), remove from freezer, leave for a short time so they are not too hard, then chop or slice with a sharp knife.

6. GROW AN ALOE VERA PLANT in a pot near the kitchen door. Break off a leaf and apply the juice for the best-ever relief from burns or insect bites. The plant will grow and proliferate with little care apart

from some occasional watering. It's a natural remedy, virtually free, and unequalled for burns from stove or iron.

7. For beautiful, shiny clean jewellery, use a soft toothbrush and toothpaste. Rub lightly, rinse and polish with a towel. Diamonds and gold will simply glow.

8. Stitch on the lowest button of button-through dresses or uniforms using fine shirring elastic instead of cotton. This allows plenty of give and prevents the button tearing from the

Continued on page XXVII

XII

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

I am a bad singer, but I sing: Salman Khan Salman Khan, who has sung the song Hangover for Sajid Nadiadwala's directorial debut Kick, has said that he is a bad singer.

Salman, nonetheless, added, "I sing badly, but I can sing just about any time.

If I am singing on my own then I am fine. But to be suddenly put in a spot and be told to sing, then I get hesitant."

As much as he is enjoying the popularity of the song, Salman is also quite surprised to see the hype around him singing. "I have sung before — in Hello Brother (1999) and Wanted (2009) — so, all this hype is making me feel like I am singing for the first time. I have just sung a bit better than the last two times," he adds.

As much as he is enjoying the curiosity created by Hangover, Salman is also quite surprised to see the hype around him singing a song for a film. "So all this hype is making me feel like I am singing for the first time. I have just sung a bit better than those two times," he added.

Hangover has been composed by Himesh Reshammiya.

Kick also stars Randeep Hooda, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Jacqueline Fernandez and hits theatres 25 July.

Danny, Hrithik bond over philosophy Actors Hrithik Roshan and Danny Denzongpa, who are working together for the first time in director Siddharth Anand's next movie, have been spending a lot of time chatting with each other on the sets of the action flick.

While Hrithik was bowled over by Danny's fitness levels and dedication to his work even at the age of 66, the latter seemed thoroughly impressed with the 40-year-old's body of work.

"Hrithik and Danny have been bonding over various aspects of their lives. They have also been discussing philosophy at length," says an insider from the sets. According to the source, Danny's enthusiasm on the sets had left Hrithik

pleasantly surprised. "He has just been marvelling at how Danny performs the stunts like an 18-year-old. At his age, he is doing scenes that require him to do so much action all day long," adds the source.

While Hrithik couldn't be reached for a comment, his spokesperson confirmed, "He is truly inspired by Danny and believes his stamina, dedication and enthusiasm is commendable. They have been getting along extremely well on the sets of the film."

Parineeti: 'I am sick of being single' Her professional life has been quite exciting so far, but Parineeti Chopra thinks her love life hasn't matched up to it. While her contemporaries have had their share of link-ups, Parineeti is believed to have been single so far, and she says it's "the sad truth of her life".

"But this is my year. I am going to find a boyfriend in 2014," she proclaims, adding, "I am sick of being single.

There's no reason for me to be. I need to find a boyfriend but, [till now] I haven't found anyone."

Though she jokes that she has been saying that for the past two-and-a-half years now. "I only end up meeting either my directors or co-stars. And unless you date them, which I haven't till date, who else will be there? I don't think on those lines about them (co-stars)," says the actor, who was briefly linked with director Maneesh Sharma in the past.

So, what does she miss most about not having someone special in her life? "This is the time to have relationships and a boyfriend. [It's nice when] you come home to someone. Now, I am going to Phuket, Thailand. I will find someone there, and am going to bring [back] a boyfriend," she says with a laugh.

And, does she feel she's the only single actor around? "No, some of them - at least two or three of us - are single. I know best because I am very close to them," says Parineeti, who doesn't believe in arranged matches. "I can't even think about it. How would someone else know who I would get along with?" she quips.

(Bollywood.com)

Katrina minding her own business!

Of late, Katrina Kaif has been keeping to herself while shooting for Siddharth Anand's film.

An insider from the sets reveals that the actor is rarely seen interacting with her co-stars when they aren't shooting. "She rushes back to her vanity van soon after the sequence is shot," says the source.

Hrithik Roshan, who stars opposite her in the film, also prefers to retreat to his van in between shots.

Interestingly, earlier this year, rumours had claimed that Hrithik and Katrina are seeing each other, however, the news was rubbished by the actors.

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

I’m Not Searching for another Soulmate — Divorced Juliet Ibrahim Speaks Few weeks ago, top Ghanaian actress, Juliet Ibrahim surprised many when she announced, via her publicist, that she is divorced. According to a press statement, she had dissolved her union a long time ago, but she kept it away from the media and her fans.

“Juliet Ibrahim has found it necessary to let her fans know today that she is no more married to Kwadwo Safo and the marriage ended a while back.

"With the interest of an innocent child on the table, we ask that you treat this difficult, but necessary decision to put her divorce out there for her fans to know with utmost respect.

"Juliet Ibrahim and ex-husband Kwadwo Safo have agreed to remain friends and stay in close contact for the benefit of the child, despite the fact that their marriage didn't work as planned," some parts of the statement released by Juliet’s publicist read.

However, when asked after the divorce if she would move into another relationship soon or if she is already in one, the actress was quick to say no man is giving her warmth at the moment. She stressed that though she is single, but she is not searching. “No, I am not into any relationship at the moment. I am single, but not searching,” she said.

Juliet is one of the pretty stars in the movie industry in Nigeria. She was rumoured to have been dating a fellow actor, IK Ogbonna, who some alleged to have ruined Juliet’s marriage, but the duo has debunked such rumour. (www.nigeriafilms.com)

The Craziest Thing I’ve Ever Done …Ini Edo Sexy and pretty prolific Nollywood actress, Ini Edo’s life in Nollywood started with a school strike, when she went with a friend to an audition for a role in the movie “Child of Destiny”. However, her breakout role came when she acted in the film, ‘World Apart’(2004) and since then she has not looked back, going on to act in more than 100 films such as ‘Games women Play’, ‘Games Men Play’ and the sequel ‘Reloaded’.

Ini Edo has gone ahead to become a household name in the Nigerian movie industry and one of the top paid female actresses. She became a producer in 2010 when she co-produced and starred in a film, ‘Memories of my Heart’ with Emem Isong.

Ini Edo has been recognised by top brands in the Nigerian Industry and is currently an Ambassador to a couple of well known Beauty, Telecom and Food industries. She is a Noble Hair Brand Ambassador, Glo Ambassador, Face of Chivita [the fruit juice company] and in 2011 she was appointed United Nations Habitat Youth Envoy.

Married to her husband, Phillip Ehiagwina over five years ago and the union is yet to be blessed with children.

Sharing the craziest thing she had ever done in life, this amiable actress said on an entertainment programme, Village Square on ON tv ‘’I was on movie location at Magodo, Lagos State few years back and I had to take a risk and dashed to Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja on a bike in mini-skirt to welcome a relation who just returned from abroad. I decided to take the risk of taking bike to avoid traffic and getting there late in the car’’.

Born in Calabar, Cross River State in 1982, to her parents Mr & Mrs, Ekim.

She is a native of Akwa Ibom State. She had diploma in Theatre Arts from University of Uyo and B.A in English Language from University of Calabar. (www. nigeriafilms.com)

XIII

I Am Governor Rochas Okorocha's Daughter-Like, Not His Girlfriend -Nkiru Sylvanus Nollywood actress, Nkiru Slyvanus, who has been off the movie scene for some time after being the former special assistant on Lagos Affairs to Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State , has been having little controversies lately which she was able to address as a guest on Channels TV program 'Sunrise Daily.'

She gave her take on the issue of being in a polygamous marriage as it tends to be one trend going on for ladies now; here is what she said “It depends on who and the condition. If the situation is right and the person is good, I will go for him. It is the situation and seeing the right person that makes you settle for a partner.

There is no problem about that at all,” “I am single but not searching because someone has already spotted me,” On the allegations of having an affair with the Imo state Governor, Rochas Okorocha, she debunked the rumour stating that the governor takes her as his daughter.

“I have known the governor for a very long time. There is nothing between us. He even sees me as his own daughter” she said. (www.nigeriafilms.com)

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

BRAZIL DEFEAT BREAKS TWITTER RECORDS

Germany's 7-1 victory over Brazil in the World Cup semi-finals has become the most discussed sports game on Twitter so far. A record 35.6 million tweets were sent during the 90-minute game. It also broke the tweets-perminute record, when the fifth goal triggered 580,601 in one minute.

Six of the 10 top-trending topics on Twitter were references to the match, with Brazil vs Germany taking the top spot.

MiroslavKlose was the most tweeted German player, followed by midfielder Toni Kroos. Julio Cesar, Oscar and Fred were the most tweeted Brazilian players.

The previous record for a sporting event on Twitter was held by another World Cup match, Brazil v Chile, which recorded 389,000 tweets per minute.

Previous to that the 2014 Super-bowl held the record, with 382,000 tweets per minute.

Many of the tweets took a wry look at the routing of Brazil, with some pointing out that Germany were scoring faster than they could type 140 characters.

Tumblr pages dedicated to "sad Brazilians" sprang up during the game. Some faked images purporting to show Brazilians rioting were also posted.

There were also plenty of Photoshopped images doing the rounds.

Pictures of Rio de Janeiro's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue crying and taking off into space were popular, as were images of people drinking 7Up. A mock-up of Germany's goalkeeper sitting down and reading a book gained thousands of retweets.

Let see the clash between Argentina and Germany…would it another 7up?

WINDOWS 9 SPECULATIONS So far there's only been speculation around Windows 9,

but the newest iteration of the OS is said to come with device awareness. It will be able to tell if workers are using a tablet or a desktop, then deliver the UI that works best for that medium.

There's been a lot of talk about Windows 9 over the past few weeks, though you may have seen it called by its code name "Threshold”, evolving with "new" features such as a Start Menu and the ability to run Metro apps in windows, it looks like Microsoft has ably blended the user interfaces of Windows 7 and Windows 8 into something that I would dare call "usable."

Frankly, usability seems to be the core theme of all the Windows 9 talk thus far. It's said that the OS will work differently depending on the hardware it's running on. If the computer doesn't have a touch screen, the OS will feature the desktop more than Metro. Conversely, if it is a touch-screen device, perhaps also without a mouse or keyboard, it will focus on Metro.

That’s about all I know at this point, but I still feel pretty comfortable suggesting that Windows 9 will shake things up in the desktop virtualization space, which is dominated by Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2.

Anything can happen between now and next Spring when Windows 9 is expected to be released. I'm not holding my breath, but all signs point to change in the air. Microsoft CEO SatyaNadella is cloud-minded, and given the long tail of Windows applications, the one-two punch of a good OS and favorable licensing could improve people's opinions of Windows and Microsoft in general.

LG UNVEILS CHILD-TRACKING KIZON DEVICE LG has announced a wrist-worn device designed to let parents keep track of where their child is and listen to what they are up to.

The Kizon uses GPS and wi-fi signals to identify the wearer's location and sends the information to an Android app.

LG is targeting the device at families with pre-school and primary school children.The Kizon is water- and stain-resistant and only features one button on its front. Privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch has also called for more details to be made available.

The South Korean firm is not the first to market such a device - start-ups including KMS Solutions, Tinitell and Filip have announced similar products - however, LG's launch marks the entry of a major tech company into the sector.

LG says the Kizon can run for up to 36 hours between charges, is water resistant and works with 2G and 3G cellular networks.

The wearer can call a pre-configured phone number by pressing a button on its front.

The button also allows the child to accept calls from approved numbers, and if they fail to press it within 10 seconds the device will automatically let the caller listen in to the machine's built-in microphone.

Some parents may want to know the precise location of their children, but most will probably remain happy to yell across the playground or send a text. The key thing is to establish good lines of communication with your children, and let them feel that they can talk to you about any tricky situations they find themselves in.

LG said it planned to launch the device in South Korea this week, and introduce it to Europe and North America before the end of September.

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CHANDRASEKHARA VENKATA RAMAN - First Indian scholar who studied wholly in India to receive the Nobel Prize.

C

. V. R a m a n is one of the most renowned scientists produced by India. His full name was Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman. For his pioneering work on scattering of light, C.V. Raman won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930.

Chandrashekhara Ven-

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C.V Raman

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

Guyanese Women in History:

MONA WILLIAMS

– Emmy Award Winning StoryTeller, Educator and Published Author

Mona Williams is a storyteller, children’s writer and educator whose action-packed stories and dramatic presentations enthrall audiences of all ages. She covers a vast spectrum of stories including myths, legends and heroic tales; folk, fairy and wisdom stories, fables, riddles and autobiographical adventures.

Born in the town of Mackenzie, Guyana on 27 July 1943, Williams secured a place at the exclusive girls’ school Bishops.

The school lends it name to her autobiography, Bishops: My Turbulent Colonial Youth (1995) which recounts her experiences at the school, both destructive

and enriching. She was educated in Guyana and at Stanford University, California, USA, where she was a Fullbright and Ford Foundation scholar.

Mona Williams

Williams is the author of more than twenty four books, mostly for children. She has performed at storytelling festivals, and at numerous schools as part of the New Zealand Book Council’s Writers in Schools Programme.

She has taught English at Primary and Secondary schools for fifteen years and has lectured at University level. She was the 1993 Waikato University Writer-in-Residence.

Her list of books include: How we made a colour television show (1973); The turtle who longed to be a bird (1973); Christmas in Guyana (1974); The day I swam the river (1974); How the goat lost his voice

(1974); Old Medicine (1974); The ant who refused titles (1975); Granny (1975); Father Martin Heale (1975); Old Bell (1975); When I went to the pictures (1975); Stealing the gooseberry jam (1975); Thinking about it (1975); Speaking the truth (1975); You really saw my father? (1976); A tale to match (1977); Spell wool (1977); Sharing (1977); The outsider (1977); Secrets (1978); The Bicycle

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(1978); Old Mrs Davidson (1983); The strange cure (1984); Two of a kind (with Joy Cowley) (1984); Bishops: My Turbulent Colonial Youth (1995).

As of 2013 , Williams has visited over 5 0 f o re i g n c o u n t r i e s .

She taught writing in the Middle East for ten years, and performed as

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

CHANDRASEKHARA VENKATA RAMAN From page XVII

kata Raman was born on November 7, 1888 in Tiruchinapalli, Tamil Nadu. He was the second child of Chandrasekhar Lyer and Parvathi Amma. His father was a lecturer in mathematics and physics, so he had an academic atmosphere at home. He entered Presidency College, Madras, in 1902, and in 1904 passed his B.A. examination, winning the first place and the gold medal in physics. In 1907, C.V. Raman passed his M.A. obtaining the highest distinctions.

During those times there were not many opportunities for scientists in India. Therefore, Raman joined the Indian Finance Department in 1907. After his office hours, he carried out his experimental research in the laboratory of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science at Calcutta. He carried out research in acoustics and optics.

In 1917, Raman was offered the position of Sir Taraknath Palit Professorship of Physics at Calcutta University. He stayed there for the next fifteen years. During his tenure there, he received worldwide recognition for his work in optics and scattering of light. He was elected to the Royal Society of London in 1924 and the British made him a knight of the British Empire in 1929. In 1930, Sir C.V. Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on scattering of light. The discovery was later christened as "Raman Effect" In 1934, C.V. Raman became the director of the newly established Indian Institute of Sciences in Bangalore, where two years later he continued as a professor of physics. Other investigations carried out by Raman were: his experimental and theoretical studies on the diffraction of light by acoustic waves of ultrasonic and hypersonic frequencies (published 1934-1942), and those on the effects produced by X-rays on infrared vibrations in crystals exposed to ordinary light. In 1947, he was appointed as the first National Professor by the new government of independent India. He retired from the Indian Institute in 1948 and a year later he established the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore, where he worked till his death on November 21, 1970

MONA WILLIAMS ...

From page XVII

a storyteller at various festivals, conferences and weddings around the world in Rotterdam, Edinburgh, Zurich, Selkerk, Salmiya (Kuwait), Bergen (Norway), Ontario (Canada), Tembagapura (Irian Jaya), and Norfolk Island. Her 1971 story-telling program Roots and Branches, produced by KQEDTV in San Francisco, won an Emmy.

Williams is now a citizen of New Zealand, and a foundation vice-president of the NZ Storytellers’ Guild and a pioneering contributor to the Glistening Waters Storytelling Festival. The published author is a mother of two daughters and grandmother of five. (guyanesegirls@rock.com

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Chateau Margot Where happy residents thrive through humble means of existence

By Alex Wayne I stood there relishing the peals of happy laughter coming from jovial residents. It was laced with the pleasant mutterings of still peppy grandmothers as they fussed around the many roadside stalls, arguing over the rising prices of kitchen items. The constant hum of men engaged in pleasant conversations by the rum shops was soothing to the soul, and the bubbly chattering of students hopping about in the Chateau Margot Primary School compound caused me to marvel at the rich and yet humble existence of this village.

I was lucky to be visiting the enchanting East Coast Demerara village of Chateau Margot, ensconced between the appealing locations of Success on the west and La Bonne Intention (LBI) on the east. With an estimated population of 1,000 residents, some think this village is the home of the historic Chateau Margot Chimney, which once was part of a nineteenth century sugar factory that was broken down or perhaps disintegrated. All that remains now is the tall brick chimney which reaches into the sky and is something of a landmark on the lower East Coast Demerara.

Chateau Margot had once been a sugar estate, but the vil-

lage, according to one resident, had its origins in the 1860s.

The humble cottages from those days have been replaced over time with posh and, in some cases, stately buildings, creating a distinct indication that the village is rapidly evolving with time. While the village is predominantly occupied by residents of East Indian ancestry, there are a few persons of African ancestry and some of mixed races who have taken up residence there over the years, and they all live as one big happy family, so to speak.

THE CHATEAU MARGOT CHIMNEY The Chateau Margot Chimney dates back to July 1, 1889. This Chimney stands at the front of the village from which its name is derived-Chateau Margot on the East Coast Demerara-some eight miles from the capital city. It is the solitary remnant of a former sugar factory which, according to a description from the weekly Argosy of 1883, ‘boasted the finest cane land in the colony of British Guiana during the nineteenth century, operating successfully on the vacuum pan process for many years.

The chimney was constructed of red bricks on a huge concrete base by a brick layer named Anlemo Gordon, who hailed

The famous Chateau Margot Chimney

Welcome to Chateau Margot, the land of pleasant memories from Buxton, East Coast Demerara; and despite its functions during the time of sugar operations, the chimney served as a beacon to ships approaching Port Georgetown even after the sugar factory was demolished. Still standing today, this site represents an aspect of our nation's industrial heritage, thus signifying a very important historical milestone. It reflects mankind's dual power of creation and destruction; the hope of a better life, and the ever greater power over matter.

On completion of his task, when he saw the volume of smoke that was being emitted from the chimney, Anlemo Gordon exclaimed: “Had it not been for the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, I would have drowned the heavens with smoke!”

The chimney has been the theme for two Annandale poets- Rooplal Monar, a national prizewinner and ‘Guska,’ a poet and artist.

TOUCHING DOWN I arrived in the village at around 08:30 hours, just as mothers were ensuring their kids were rushing off to school before the sudden chiming of the 09:00 hours school bell.

Some mothers sat under their homes still enjoying a breakfast of roti and salt fish, or bake and stewed pumpkin, looking up sharply at our entrance and attempting to hide their stew bowls as they smilingly enquired of our presence.

At many houses, fathers looked up sharply, wiping beads of perspiration from their foreheads as they paused from their energetic chipping of soil or forking of the earth

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Chateau Margot From page XIX

in their kitchen gardens.

These people are just so simple that I marvelled and wished that I had been living in a village of such a pleasant lifestyle. Even the cows and sheep seemed to be at ease and docile as they grazed lazily in open wide spaces, chewing on lush, green and juicy looking grass and plant species made tastier by constant rainfall. Every now and then they seemed to roll their eyes heavenward, and looked at us accusingly as if to ask, “How dare you people interrupt my pleasant morning meal?”

In some areas, pigs ran about squealing and grunting noisily, and how they ran off with shrill noises as enraged housewives chased after them with sticks and large bricks for daring to tumble amongst their flower plants, celery, or well kept earth beds of eschallot.

Young girls busied themselves at roadside stalls, trading polouri, egg balls, dhal puri and other snack items to hungry males arriving all muddied and soiled from toiling at nearby sugar estates.

The village was a kaleidoscope of colours, made even more striking by brightly painted houses and shops, and yards almost overflowing, in some cases, with flower plants that are associated with the tropics. Mango and cashew trees were straining under the weight of ripened fruits, and young boys were just savouring the fruits of their choice, pausing to lick the delicious juices from their fingers.

INTERACTING WITH VILLAGERS Intent on getting detailed information on the makings of the village, I made enquiries and was directed to 77-year-old Mohan Samaroo, who was more than ready to chat with us.

Realising we were media operatives, he quickly buttoned his shirt, fixed his cap, and mustered one of his most boyish smiles as he directed us to a seat under a rather shady mango tree in front of his residence.

Mr. Samaroo had lived all his life in the village, and he reminisced on growing up there as a young boy. Through he wishes that the ‘good old days’ can return, he welcomes the vibrant changes of modern transformation. “Bai, lang time was really good days. Ah we nah bin get prappa currant and good wata supply like today, but we bin always ah live in peace and harmony wid neighbours and friends, and everybady bin ah share with dem mattie. In dem time, people bin ah live in logies and mud houses, and only a few rich people bin get fancy buildings. Dem house bin deh far apart and most ah de village was open pastures. Me can still remembah dem days when me mumma used to bake ah roti pon a big taawah pon de open fyahside, and how we used to sit down flat pon de well daubed battam house and eat we food wid we fingas.

Dem days was real nice days, bai,” Samaroo said.

Mr. Samaroo echoed the sentiments of many villagers that life was ‘bright and beautiful’ in Chateau Margot, and he said he was thankful that the Government has ensured residents enjoy a good water supply, electricity, and comfortable means of living.

Shabanie Ali, a young vendor and mother of one, lives in a small makeshift house by the roadside, and assists in fending for her family by selling vegetables and ground provisions.

She, too, was a reflection of the deep humility and contentment that appears to be strong points amongst the people of Chateau Margot.

She surprisingly was well spoken, and smiled endearingly

throughout our entire conversation.

“I have been doing this business for just about over one year now. The reason I started was because, as we know, more working hands in the home will certainly make things easier.

It took a little time for my customer base to build up, but eventually it did, and so there are many happy faces that come to my stall these days. I try to keep my prices at a point where it meets the pockets of villagers and where I am able to make a profit to turn over my goods. ‘Every day is not Christmas,’ and as such it does not surprise me when the demand for my goods goes up or down. But this is what I do for a living, and I have been getting by if not excellently, really comfortably.

At least it brings in an honest dollar and it helps to make the cost of living a bit easier,” he said.

Ali wakes up at about 06:00 hours in the morning to prepare breakfast, and then she sets up her stall at 07:00 hours.

She alternates between selling her customers and tending to her one-year-old daughter all day, before retiring, sometimes at 20:00 hours, to make dinner and later retire to bed.

Kalouttie Seetaram, a very kind and considerate woman, sells water coconuts in a little stall in front of her home, and she does this to bring in an extra dollar and to help out her husband who works in the fields as a labourer.

“My husband is a very hard-wukking man, and taking care of a family these days is not easy, so I decided to do dis lil venture to help out in de home.” “My son would help me in getting dem wata coconuts together, and sometimes my daughter will help me to sell also. Dis kindah business pays off, and we always get a fast turn ovah. I bin doing dis fuh de past sixteen years, and meh customers does always be satisfied with meh price rating.”

Mrs. Seetaram would customarily set up her lush looking water coconuts at 06:00 hours, and would operate her small stall sometimes till after 20:00 hours, depending on demand.

JUST A FEW MISGIVINGS We searched the village high and low, but all the reports received suggest that all is well with the residents, who noted that they are ‘living reasonably well and always ‘looking out for each other.’

However, villagers are concerned about the state of a few access roads which have begun to deteriorate in the area, and are of the view that if those roads are ignored they will eventually become intolerable. Several housewives are, however, aghast at the manner in which some farmers are allowing their pigs to ‘stray about the village,’ romping in the drains around homes, and in many cases in kitchen gardens.

Babita Sooklall was forthright in voicing her disgust at the situation, and hopes that the authorities could have the animals impounded and their owners pay a fine.

There she was, a big buxom woman, with hands on her ample hips as she heaved and puffed with anger at the menace the pigs had become. “I can’t understand why dem stupid people this can’t keep dem pigs in dem pens. Like dem is some pigs themselves, because I can’t see why dem get dem suwah pigs all ovah de place, destroying we flowah plants and crops. Yuh see if yuh catch dem and duh dem something bad, then yuh gon see how dem ownah ah call down fyah and brimstone pony yuh”.

Some residents declared that the garbage trucks would only come to the village once per month, and some inconsiderate residents are in the habit of throwing their refuse on The Chateau Margot Primary School

dams in the village.

That aside, many were of high praise over the fact that the NDC body was looking into the welfare of villagers and had recently begun to clean and desilt drains to prevent flooding.

With street lights present on the main road, some villagers are calling to have the same installed in every access road in the village.

ENTERTAINMENT The village has no big time night club or anything like that, but residents make the best of a few hangout bars and liquor shops there. So it is customary to see reasonable gatherings on weekends at such joints, or larger groups if the Muntie’s Liquor Restaurant and Bar, or Anands’s Country Club and Karaoke Bar, when it decides to host a major entertainment venture.

Apart from that, villagers are contented with hosting birthday and wedding celebrations, to which almost all of the village will attend upon invitation.

With almost a non-existent threat of criminal elements, the village is normally festive and appealing with the feisty inhabitants living there.

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Posh houses seem to be the ‘in thing’ for many villagers

One of the village’s feisty grandmothers

Villagers will soon enjoy the comfort of an expanded highway being constructed on the East Coast Demerara Mintie’s Liquor Restaurant and Bar one of the prime entertainment hideouts in the village

Village elder Mohan Samaroo was happy to provide information about the village Kalouttie Seetaram and son Ramroop Udan help out in the home by selling water coconuts to villagers

Vendor Shabani Ali (left) makes an honest dollar by selling vegetables and ground provisions

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Chateau Margot

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

From centre pages LIVELIHOOD Villagers all seem to possess the ‘get up and get attitude’, so there is really no unemployment problem there, like obtains in some other locations.

Residents are engaged as masons, carpenters, and fishermen, while a few qualified persons are employed at the Chateau Margot Primary School as teachers. A large number of residents seek work at the Enmore and other sugar estates, while many have chosen to be vegetable and fruit vendors.

Yes, there are a few taxi drivers around, and others earn a living by transporting items on horse drawn carts.

Villagers are indeed thankful for the operations of the Richie’s Furniture Establishment, which has offered numerous employment opportunities to youths in the village.

Teachers attached to the Chateau Margot Primary School hurry off to a well deserved lunch break

CONCLUSION At the end of my visit, I was not only elated at being there, but sincerely regretted leaving. The warmth that exuded from the people had somehow found its way quite deep into my soul, and their infectious smiles and welcoming laughter kept flashing on my mind’s horizon.

Not to mention the fact that the succulent juices of sapodilla, mangoes and juicy cashews were still lingering in my mouth. Of course I was saving a few in my bag for later when I got home and can enjoy them with relish.

Come on, folks, this is an opportunity of a lifetime…

Come take a trip to Chateau Margot and be caught up in a whirlpool of smiling faces, tropical laughter, and warm camaraderie that would leave lingering pleasant memories.

Come get your tasty sweets and biscuits

Carpenter Balram Narine (standing) and his team prepare to do major repairs on a building in the village

The Richie’s Furniture Establishment offers job opportunities for youths in the village

Residents are always gainfully engaged in one job or another

The camaraderie amongst residents of Chateau Margot is very refreshing

Chateau MARGOT is the home to many masons and carpenters

Villagers are concerned about the state of some access roads in the area

This ranting pig was the target of great wrath from housewives as it ploughed through the drains and flower gardens

Taking the little ones for an afternoon stroll

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

BOOK REVIEW

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The Hunger Games (Bk. 1) S

By Shivanie Sugrim

uzanne Collins’s Hunger Games Trilogy, published in September 2008 became one of The New York Times bestselling books that spent approximately three years on the list.

After such success on the market, the first movie was released on March 2012, thereafter, releasing the second one Catching Fire, in November 2013, leaving Mockingjay Part One to be released in the following year. Sources confirmed that Collins was

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by Suzanne Collins

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

The Hunger Games (Bk. 1) From page XXIII

an ideal Greek and Roman mythology fan, hence, the idea of the Hunger Games was focused on the exposure of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Focusing primarily on Collins’sHunger Games (Book 1), this particularly featured the life of the protagonist, 16-year-old KatnissEverdeen and life surrounding her in District 12 that captured a great deal of reality as it relates to dictatorship/ absolute rule over a country, war and unique forms of fashion trends that seek to boost particular events/daily activities. This book is ideally suited for teenagers since it

perceives adventure and poses as an awakening to some.

The title of the book “Hunger Games” stands literal. In the country of Panem that poses 12 districts, ruled via dictatorship, every district has an area of expertise; in which one provide another with the basic necessity for survival, in order to keep the Capitol in authority.

Annually, there is the Hunger Games which is done via reaping-choosing two representatives from the 12 districts- a male and a female, labelled as ‘tributes’ to participate in the games.

These tributes must battle or rather slaughter each other in

the arena that is controlled by the Capitol, leaving only one survivor that is labelled the ‘victor,’ thus, giving his/ her district significance. The winning district will receive lavishness and basic necessities. In this particular case, Katniss along with the other tributes from District 12, won because they were viewed as a ‘couple’ in the arena. Obtaining the title of ‘victors’ was not an easy task; they both had to kill foes and lose close friends.

Katniss portrayed a great deal of bravery in order to return home alive for the sake of her little sister and mother. She is an

epitome of determination and heroism.

The perception that this novel places on the minds of avid readers is that it is ideally vast in debate as it relates to politics, desire for freedom, and to be a submissive to society’s expectations. Needless say, it contains violence and disturbing images of teenagers slaughtering each other for survival.

The use of diction was quite commendable since the book was action-packed as well as emotional at certain instances. Though this is contradictory to reality, it places emphasis on the

general theme of the ‘desire for freedom/survival’ and captivates the attention span of its readers.

Collins’s fiction was penned with the optimal aim of demonstrating how dictatorship works. It is a force upon society that propels it to commit unwanted and unnecessary activities. Her portrayal of it is extreme since she captured teenagers and how it affects them both mentally and physically.

The Hunger Games is a unique dimension in the history of fictional novels.

Collins’ work is distinctive and portrayed an abundance of messages. Initially, the protagonist was engraved with bravery and courage that every girl should possess. Responsibility must be something everyone should

adhere/allocate to, given that it prepares one for life, as it did in Katniss’ place. We must not allow tyranny, or in the future we may encounter cold hearted rulers just as illustrated in Collins’ novel, hence we should hold onto democracy.

The Hunger Games proceeds to be one of the bestselling novels of all times, this goes to show how excellent this trilogy is. As a Hunger Games fan, I would recommend this book to everyone particularly the teenagers as well as the little ones as to expose them to such a splendid read which will foster critical thinking.

You can pick your copies from the Austin’s book store on Church Street, Georgetown Guyana. Happy reading!

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

People that use mobile phones are 2.5 time more likely to develop cancer in areas of the brain that are adjacent to the ear they use to talk on the mobile phone.

Over 90% of diseases are caused or complicated by stress.

Over 436,000 U.S. Troops were exposed to depleted uranium during the first Gulf war.

On average, 90% of the people that have the disease Lupus are female.

Many cancer patients that are treated with chemotherapy lose their hair. For some when the hair grows back, it can grow back a different colour, or be curly or straight.

Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., accounting for about 180,000 deaths per year.

Chances of a women getting breast cancer are increased by excessive use of alcohol.

A popular superstition is that if you put a piece of bread in a baby's crib, it will keep away diseases.

A person that is struck by lightning has a greater chance of developing motor neurons disease.

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

ESSENTIAL BBQ CLEANING TIPS The key to mastering the art of cleaning is to treat your BBQ as you would your body: every time you use it, you should clean it! Additionally, it’s also a good idea to schedule a thorough deep-clean (ie Detox!) every 12 months to make sure all the parts are free of grime and residue, and are in good working order.

Taking good care of your BBQ is not only good for your health, it helps maintain the quality and taste of the food you cook..

1. Clean While Warm It’s always easier if you clean grill plates and grates while they’re still warm so when you’ve finished eating and you’re ready to start cleaning, fire up the BBQ again. The heat will help loosen any food or grime remaining on your grilling

surface and make light work of the cleaning process.

2. Use Foil For charcoal grills, lay aluminium foil under the grill so when you’ve finished cooking you can simply fold up the ash and remaining coals (once cold!) in the foil and remove them in one easy step.

3. Apply Oil If you have cast iron grates it’s ideal to clean them and then brush or spray on some food oil. This will help maintain them and prevent rust from forming.

4. Yearly Overhaul Give the BBQ a Once a Year overhaul - use some detergent and a high pressure cleaner to get grease and grime from all of those hard to reach places.

6. Soak and Scrub If your BBQ is really bad, let grill grates and the grease tray soak in soapy water, and then scrub them with your Man Law BBQ Giant Grill Brush. Make sure you clean the grates thoroughly as a build-up of grime can seriously deteriorate the finish and condition of the grates. A high pressure cleaner can make light work of this dirty job.

7. Cover Up Finally, make sure you keep your BBQ covered when you’re not using it, this will stop dust and dirt from building up and will also prevent bugs from creeping in and calling your BBQ home.

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JOYCE ENID SINCLAIR

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

–Service excellence high on her agenda

By Telesha Ramnarine JOYCE ENID SINCLAIR, a very accomplished woman, aims to impart service excellence to anyone with whom she comes into contact. She has worked with countless organisations in Guyana, having been hired to improve the efficiency and etiquette of various departments.

Sinclair is a Management and Training Consultant, who now works on her own having in the past graced organisations like the Ministry of Public Service, CARICOM and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

“I do consulting, teaching, advising groups, organisations, individuals; in my case, in any management area that they request. Sometimes I have to introduce such areas because they may not know which department they need training in,” she explained in an interview with this newspaper a few days ago.

Sinclair started off at Smyth’s Church Congregational Primary School before moving on to Ray High School where she remained until reaching fourth form. She did her fifth and sixth form studies at Bishops’ High School.

She has a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh, USA, a post-graduate certificate in Education from the University of Hull, England and a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica.

and today has a Ph.D in economics.

“I feel very proud of that,” she related.

OFFICES IN A MESS Sinclair has recently introduced an item on her agenda called correct pronunciation of words. “So I now have this little extra sheet at my training functions of words that are frequently mispronounced. You hear them every day; on the radio, etc. It sounds very bad.”

She provides training on office etiquette, customer service and service excellence in general including how to dress for work and how to speak and interact with colleagues, among many other things.

“Some offices are just in an absolute mess. Nobody is bothering with standards today; come to work anyhow, you can look anyhow, you can talk to people anyhow, you can be rude, and you cannot answer them when they ask you a question, or you can answer them with a sour face. It’s just very bad in some offices and they don’t care about customer service. This disappoints me a lot because this is my field,” she lamented.

Furthermore, there is the trend of workplaces engaging in training but forgetting all about it once Sinclair leaves.

“When I do a workshop and leave, I expect that there should be some kind of follow up. The seniors must keep a tab on what I stressed and see if the staff is following that. I have volunteered to do follow-up work for one hour for three firms at no cost, but no one called me up till now.”

“I don’t think we show enough interest in them. I like people who help younger ones; people who are not selfish, who have plans to make something of themselves. There are lots of young people who don’t care if rain falls or sun shines.

I think they must be helped,” she said.

Ms. Sinclair has published three monographs to date: Receptive Courtesies (1996) for the public and private sectors and Courtesy Tips for Children and Young Persons (2006)

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT Sinclair related that among her strong points is showing kindness.

“I believe that one should always be kind, especially to older folks and persons who are not well. A sense of responsibility is very important.”

Furthermore, she would like to see persons being more concerned about the development of young people in Guyana.

Joyce Enid Sinclair for children themselves, parents and teachers, and High Quality Customer Service and Polishing your Telephone Manners (2008) for the public sector.

She was awarded the Golden Arrow of Achievement (A.A) by the Government of Guyana in 1983 for her contribution to Education and Public Service. In 1989 she was the recipient of one of the 12 Outstanding Women’s awards given by the Women’s Studies Unit of the University of Guyana.

In 1995, she was awarded a special commemorative plaque by the CARICOM Secretariat for “her contribution to Caribbean Integration through her laudable concern for the Welfare and development of the Secretariat’s staff.”

In 2003, she was selected as one of YWCA’s “Women of Distinction” at an award ceremony at Le Meridien Pegasus, Georgetown, Guyana.

After Ms Sinclair’s three year stint at The Bishops High School.

She taught for many years at St. Joseph’s High School and Bishops’ High School before becoming Chief Training Officer in the Public Service Ministry of Guyana. Later, she became Permanent Secretary in the Public Service Ministry, a post she held for nine years.

She also held the position of Programme Manager, Human Resource Management at the CARICOM Secretariat, after which she operated as an independent Management Consultant.

More recently, she held a contract appointment as Assistant Resident Representative (Operations) at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). She was later appointed on contract as Special Assistant Human Resource Management at the CARICOM Secretariat.

Sinclair fondly recalled that she was a school counselor during which time she had the opportunity to help young people on a one on one basis. She can never forget her experience with a young woman who wanted to end her life because of family issues but who later changed her mind with some help

Receiving a gift after doing some training for the Rotary Club.

At a monthly staff meeting at the Public Service Ministry back in the days.

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

Miss Guyana Universe 2013, Katherina Roshana

A

By Alex Wayne s time nears for Miss Guyana Universe 2013, KatherinaRoshana to hand over the crown to her successor, the super talented beauty queen has been engaging in a series of important issues in the areas of both health and fashion.

Addressing a prestigious forum for suicide prevention recently, Katherina noted that suicide is a tragic event with strong emotional repercussions for its survivors and for families of its victims. Thinking we all deal better with tragedy when we understand its underpinnings.

Katherinan Roshana offers the following advice in the hope that anyone who's been left behind by a suicide reading this might be able to more easily find a way to move on, to relinquish their guilt and anger and find closure, and also to help anyone contemplating suicide.

Teenage suicide is a serious and growing problem and if everyone can focus positively on the following points, they may be able to if not completely alleviate, at least significantly reduce this dilemma “The teenage years can be emotionally turbulent and stressful. Teenagers face pressures to succeed and fit in.

They may struggle with self-esteem issues, self-doubt, and feelings of alienation. Some because of peer pressure, others for love disappointment or lack of parental understanding in what may be love or perceived love.

For some, this leads to suicide. Depression is also a major risk factor for teen suicide. At times depression could come from illness such as endometriosis,” Katherina offers She also advises that if you are assailed by suicidal thoughts, the first thing to remember is that many people who have attempted suicide and survived ultimately feel relieved that they did not end their lives. At the time of attempting suicide they experienced intense feelings of despair and hopelessness because it seemed to them that they had lost control over their lives and that things could never get better. The only thing that they still had some control over was whether they lived or died, and committing suicide seemed like the only option left. This is never true!

The Miss Universe Guyana/Miss Limacol New GPC Inc. Beauty Queen says: “Hold fast, have patience, pray, think, breath, take a jog. Speak to an elder, a mentor, a former or current teacher, your priest, or even call my secretariat at 226-7541 or 22-60168, or message me via my FaceBook fan page.”

She notes that Guyana cannot afford to waste a mind, a

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Miss Guyana Universe 2013 shares her ideas on suicide and its prevention

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soul or a citizen, since there can always be a way out, if our people would listen, have patience, and be prepared to help.

Katherina notes that 90% of the people who attempt or commit suicide don't usually want to die but do want to alert those around them that something is seriously wrong.

She informed that virtually every person that she has spoken with who attempted suicide and survived, was glad that they did.

The beauty queen observed that the tragedy is that they often don't believe they will die, frequently choosing methods they don't think can kill them in order to strike out at someone who hurt them. Many times they are often tragically misinformed.

She counsels that if you are in intense emotional and/ or physical pain, to remember that your judgment is being clouded by that pain.

“If you are considering suicide, you are trying to end that pain. Please do not confuse ending your pain with ending your life. The prototypical example of this is a young teenage girl

suffering genuine anger because of a ruptured relationship, either with a friend, boyfriend, or parent, and eventually swallows a bottle of sleeping pills. She of course would be rushed to a hospital and may die days after ingestion because of a damaged liver or some other organ,” she exhorted.

Katherina relates that the wounds suicide leaves in the lives of those left behind by it are often deep and long lasting.

The apparent senselessness of suicide often fuels the most significant of pains.

She warns that some of the thoughts that may accompany suicidal tendency include: • I want to escape my suffering.

• I have no other options.

• I am a horrible person and do not deserve to live.

• I have betrayed my loved ones.

• My loved ones would be better off without me.

• I want my loved ones to know how bad I am feeling.

• I want my loved ones to know how bad they have made

me feel.

She stresses that whatever thoughts you are having, and however bad you are feeling, remember that you have not always felt this way, and that you will not always feel this way.

The risk of a person committing suicide is highest in the combined presence of (1) suicidal thoughts, (2) the means to commit suicide, and (3) the opportunity to commit suicide.

Katherina advises that if you are prone to suicidal thoughts, ensure that the means to commit suicide have been removed.

For example, give tablets and sharp objects to someone for safekeeping, or put them in a locked or otherwise inaccessible place. At the same time, ensure that the opportunity to commit suicide is lacking. The surest way of doing this is by remaining in close contact with one or more persons, for example, by inviting them to stay with you.

She also opines that sharing your thoughts and feelings with people can also help.

Our 2013 Woman of Substance Awardee notes that if no one is available or no one seems suitable, there are a number of emergency telephone lines that you can ring at any time.

She declares that a potential suicide victim can even ring for an ambulance or take them self to an Emergency Room at a medical institution.

She advises against the use of alcohol or drugs as these can make your behaviour more impulsive and thereby significantly increase your likelihood of attempting suicide. In particular, do not drink or take drugs alone, or end up alone after drinking or taking drugs.

She suggests that you make a list of all the positive things about yourself and a list of all the positive things about your life, including the things that have so far prevented you from committing suicide. These lists are to be kept on your person and read over and over each time you are assailed by suicidal thoughts. She also suggests that on a separate sheet of paper, you write a safety plan for the times when you feel like acting on your suicidal thoughts. Your safety plan could involve delaying any suicidal attempt by at least 48 hours, and then talking to someone about your thoughts and feelings as soon as possible. Discuss your safety plan with a health care professional and commit yourself to it. Sometimes even a single good night’s sleep can significantly alter your outlook, and it is important not to underestimate the importance of sleep. If you are having trouble sleeping, speak to a physician.

EXAMPLE OF A SAFETY PLAN 1. Read through the list of positive things about yourself.

2. Read through the list of positive things about your life and remind yourself of the things that have so far prevented you from committing suicide.

3. Listening to classical music, or watching your favourite movie can also help.

Distract yourself from suicidal thoughts by reading a book, watching a film or comedy.

4. Get a good night’s sleep. Take a sleeping tablet if necessary.

5. Delay any suicidal attempt by at least 48 hours.

6. Call someone on the phone and talk with them. Alternatively, call a health care professional on (phone number), or the crisis line on (phone number).

7. Go to a place where you feel safe such as the community centre or the sports centre.

8. Go to the Emergency Room.

9. Call for an ambulance.

The erstwhile Miss Guyana Universe 2013 and International Peace Ambassador advises that once things are a bit more settled, it is important that you address the cause or causes of your suicidal thoughts in as far as possible, for example, a mental disorder such as depression or alcohol dependence, a difficult life situation, or painful memories. Discuss this with your physician or another health care professional, who will help you to identify the most appropriate form of help available.

Katherina notes that: “Life is a precious gift of the Creator of the Universe. We must prize it, cherish it and make good use of it. We need our difficulties, our disappointments for they make us better persons, give us the impulsive, the drive to strive harder, and if it does not work, say it is destiny, and accept fate, and live a bright and hearty life, knowing that life can never be all perfect, nor all difficult.”

Katherina Roshana concludes by stating: “All things are temporary. Hardships and difficulties are temporary, and joy and successes are temporary. But they are all important in life.

A life of everlasting sweet is not impossible to have. As one must taste the sour to appreciate the sweet. Therefore, do not hurt yourself, and leave your loved ones in pain for the rest of their lives, for them it is also a shame, a stain.”

Next week we will continue with Katherina as she focuses on health issues that affect almost everyone in our society.

Chronicle Pepperpot July 13, 2014

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Every year in the U.S., there are 178,000 new cases of lung cancer.

Every three minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer.

It is a known fact that chocolate has caffeine in it. But did you know that you would have to eat more than a dozen chocolatebars to get the same amount of caffeine from a cup of coffee? There are about 5 to 10 mg's of caffeine in one ounce of bitter chocolate, 5 mgs in milk chocolate, and 10 mgs in a six-ounce cup of cocoa.

Chocolate is actually a valuable energy source. A single chocolate chip can provide enough energy for an adult human to walk 150 ft.

Chocolate has great health benefits. It helps with depression, high blood pressure, tumours and pre-menstrual syndromes.

Chocolate does not cause or aggravate acne, this is a myth.

One ounce of baking chocolate or cocoa contains 10% of the daily recommended intake of iron.

Chocolate can be deadly for dogs. Chocolate contains an ingredient called "Theobromine" which can be toxic to a dogs central nervous system and cardiac muscles.

People spend more than $7 billion dollars a year on chocolate.

The per capita consumption of chocolate indicates that each person consumes 12 pounds of chocolate each year.

Milk chocolate is the most preferred type of chocolate, however dark chocolate is especially popular among men. . In Alfred Hitchcock's movie "Psycho" chocolate syrup was used to indicate blood in the famous shower scene.

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ARIES - No matter how far off your goal seems, try not to fret -- your aim is true. You’ve been working hard for a long time, and it’s vital that you not slacken your efforts right now, just before the big finish. Take a deep breath, pull back and just push forward at maximum speed. The outcome is still in question, but don’t let that affect your performance. Have a little faith in yourself and you should hit the bull’s-eye.

TAURUS - If you fight the law now, the law just might win. If you’re facing a tough battle, especially with some kind of authority figure, your time is best spent in quiet, temporary withdrawal rather than in head-on confrontation. Your arguments are good, but they might have a stronger impact in a little while, when the powers that be feel slightly more amenable to your case.

GEMINI - Consider the long-term implications of what you’re doing today. If you don’t, it might be time to hunker down with a couple of trusted friends or an old adviser and get their advice about your next moves. Whether you know it or not, you’re probably already on the right track, but at this point it can’t hurt to check in with a new perspective. An extra pair of eyes never hurts in a situation like this.

CANCER - You really need to shake things up right now. It may be your work routine or your personal life, but some part of your daily schedule is as stale and flat as a last year’s crackers. It doesn’t have to be a catastrophic change, either -- at least, not at first! Even if you want a big metamorphosis, you need to start small. Radical change requires a set of subtle changes before it can take place.

LEO - If you get it right the first time, you don’t have to bother with covering up mistakes later. Try taking it a little slower than you’re used to (or would like to) today, and you can’t go wrong. It’s worth it to not have to backtrack and overcomplicate your life with work that you should be long past by now. Go at a natural pace and keep an eye out for anything that could potentially trip you up.

VIRGO - Your latest complex issue is like a DVD of a classic film -- and you have the director’s cut. If there are certain scenes you’d like to delete, go for it. You may want to see if there’s a commentary track available that can give you extra insight into the situation. Most importantly, you may be able to add scenes that can completely change the character and feeling of the story as a whole. You have creative control!

LIBRA - You need a radical shift in P.O.V., even if it’s just contained within your imagination. Try inhabiting the mind space of someone close to you right now. It could give you just the insight you need -- and eliminate recent misunderstandings. Once you’ve seen the world through someone else’s eyes and really understand where they’re coming from, it’s so much easier to get along.

SCORPIO - Your personal energy is starting to place new demands on you, but it’s not like it’s something you want to avoid all that much: You need to start laughing more. Things might be a bit complicated, but that doesn’t mean they’re heavy or gloomy. Your powerful intellect came with a pre-installed sense of humour, so figure out what you need to do to activate it today!

SAGITTARIUS - You’ve got big issues to talk about -- and not a moment to spare! Of course, your ability to speak plainly and clearly is vital, but even more important is your profound ability to listen. You know better than most that true communication is made up of both in equal measure, so put your eloquence to good use right now -- but make sure that your sympathetic ears get just as much of a workout.

CAPRICORN - Your new energy comes with a brand-new attitude, so make sure you treasure it and make the most of it. An old fixed idea or deeply held belief has suddenly turned around completely in your head, and now a whole new set of possibilities has opened up in a way that you never would have thought was possible. What lies ahead for you? If this could happen, anything can!

AQUARIUS - Just like any other gem -- rough or polished -- you need the right setting to show off your best attributes. Fortunately, your energy is pushing you in the right direction, so just about anywhere you go today, you should be displayed to your best advantage. Your eloquence, smarts, charm and uncanny ability to connect with exactly the people you need should all impress all the right people. Dress the part, too!

PISCES - It might feel like you’ve got a million things to get done, but you (temporarily) have the attention span of a mayfly. Everyone has days like that, and you do know how to cope, don’t you? Use all that ephemeral energy to tie up loose ends or finish old projects, if possible. Try to carry around a pad and paper for all those ideas and tasks you want to do later. Don’t rely on your memory!

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NATURAL FARMING: ORGANIC FERTILISER: REPELLENT PESTICIDES N

By Clifford Stanley ot all soils have enough nutrients or the right balance of nutrients.

Plants also remove nutrients from the soil as they grow, so these nutrients must be replaced in order for the soil to remain productive.

For these reasons, gardeners enhance soil by adding fertiliser, a material that contains one or more of the nutrients plants need.

The two categories are synthetic and organic fertilisers.

Synthetic fertilisers are concentrated salts or minerals, some of which are produced as by-products of petroleum production.

Organic fertilisers originate in plants, animals, or minerals and include compost and humus.

A newly formed group: the Natural Farming Association of Guyana (NFAG) is frowning on the use of synthetic fertiliser and promoting the use of organic fertiliser.

Formed by Agronomist and Head of the Evergreen Nature Study Club, Fitz Ogle, the group is also promoting the use of repellants as pesticides rather than chemicals.

Ogle explained that the group cannot correctly identify itself as promoting organic agriculture since the implications and ramifications of the term organic farming are beyond its scope.

“You want to be careful with the use of the words organic farming. Organic farming involves verification and certification from Europe.

The certification stamp costs over $200, 000. There is a stipulation that says that for at least five years before you apply nobody should have been using insecticides or pesticides or artificial fertilisers within a five-mile radius of your farm.

If anybody had been found doing that within the five mile radius you cannot be certified. Organic farming certification is a hard thing to come by so we call ourselves Natural Farming for which the criteria are less stringent.”

The mission of the NFAG, which has been formed about a month now, is to encourage the production of naturally grown food in Guyana, thereby producing better food for

better health; improving the standard of human well-being and advancing humility in a 'green' environment. Their motto: “Reaching conscious persons across Guyana and beyond and bringing them on board!”

Ogle said that the NFAG is targeting two sets of individuals for membership: those who want to buy naturally farmed produce and those who want to grow natural grown produce.

The Association places emphasis for fertilisation of plants and vegetables wholly and solely on organic fertiliser.

“We don’t support chemical pesticides. We promote natu-

ral repellents like pepper water garlic water, neem and so on.

Pesticides kill. So we don’t kill anything while controlling and managing pests. We control pests leaving the natural environment as it is.”

He said that the Association is inviting members who will be required to pay a membership fee of GD$1,000.

The Association will also be providing training for those interested in doing Natural Farming.

Information on the new NFAG can be found on their Facebook Page National Farming Association of Guyana.

Miley Cyrus Secretly Dating Music Producer Mike Will Made-It For Months

Jessica Simpson Cried As She Walked Down The Aisle

Miley Cyrus has been secretly dating the producer behind her Bangerz album for the past nine months, according to a U.S. report. The Wrecking Ball star is said to have struck up a romance with Mike Will Made It last year (13), shortly after she split from her fiance Liam Hemsworth.

A source tells Usmagazine.com, "Everybody in her circle knows they've been together this whole time," while another insider insists the pair keeps in close contact while the pop singer is away on tour, explaining, "(They) talk and text all day, every day."

Mike Will Made It, real name Michael Williams, 25, has previously worked with Rihanna and Lil Wayne, and was the executive producer on Cyrus' hit 2013 album.

George Clooney Wins Apology Over False Marriage Claims Hollywood actor George Clooney has won an apology from a U.K. tabloid over the publication of false reports about his fiancee’s family.

The Ocean’s Eleven star publicly criticised the story, which suggested his future mother-inlaw was opposed to his upcoming marriage to Amal Alamuddin because of religious beliefs, in a column for the USA Today newspaper on Wednesday (09Jul14).

Clooney branded the claims “completely fabricated” and accused editors of Britain’s Daily

Mail newspaper and its Internet arm, which originally published the story, of “inciting violence” by exploiting “religious differences where none exist”.

The Hollywood heartthrob and his fiancee have now won an apology from the publication. A statement from Daily Mail bosses reads, “The MailOnline story was not a fabrication but supplied in good faith by a reputable and trusted freelance journalist... We only became aware of Mr Clooney’s concerns this morning and have launched a full investigation.

However, we accept Mr Clooney’s assurance that the story is inaccurate and we apologise to him, Miss Amal Alamuddin and her mother, Baria, for any distress caused.”

Clooney is expected to wed the human rights lawyer later this year.

Ellie Goulding Stops Gig to Break Up Girl Fight British pop star Ellie Goulding stopped her gig in the U.K. on Tuesday night (08Jul14) to break up a fight between a group of girls.

The Burn hitmaker was performing at the Eden Project venue in Cornwall, England when the drama unfolded during a rendition of her song Anything Can Happen.

Reports suggest a number of female audience members began brawling and hurling bottles, and

Pop star Jessica Simpson burst into tears as she walked down the aisle at her wedding on Saturday (05Jul14).

The singer/actress married former football player Eric Johnson at a ranch in Santa Barbara, California in front of more than 250 guests, and the ceremony was officiated by Simpson's father Joe. The groom has now revealed his bride began crying as she walked down the aisle to him before they exchanged vows, telling People.com, "I saw my gorgeous wife coming towards me and she was crying. I think my heart was exploding a little bit."

Simpson adds of her big day, "It's so surreal. This has been something we've wanted ever since we met... It's all about family for us."

The couple is parents to a young son and daughter, who acted as a ring bearer and flower girl, and the singer

Goulding stopped the show to chastise them.

The singer is quoted by Digitalspy.co.uk as telling the unruly gig-goers, "Girls, what's up? That song is meant to be happiness, not fights... No drink throwing. It's not nice. It's really annoying and it's bl**dy sticky."

Other audience members began booing those involved in the incident, prompting Goulding to retort "Stop

boos. Booing isn't nice." She later added, "It's quite a laddish crowd tonight, fights breaking out, drinks spilling." (Hollywood.com)

reveals the youngsters received a rapturous reception as they walked out in front of the congregation, adding, "Before I walked out, I kept hearing all the applause, so my kids got standing ovations!"

Simpson wore a gold dress by Carolina Herrera for the ceremony, and later changed into a sparkly blue mini-dress for the reception, and she adds of her fashion choices, "Everybody thought I was going to wear a dress that completely showed off my new bod (body). But I can't help but want a princess dress! I'm a Southern girl at heart. I like everything big!"