Pepperpot 17 05 14

Winners of the Junior Category: Third place winners Jennel Lynch Davis and Sade; first place winners Renatha Exeter and Azalyah; and second place winners Tessa Pratt and Ariana

Centre

Page IV Page X

II

The Thorn Bush

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ike a bleeding rose, memories were an endless trickle in her mind and words she wrote, the ink from her pen, always seemed red.

Maria closed her journal and glanced out the plane’s window but there was nothing to see, just the passing clouds. She sighed and closed her eyes, the troubled feeling that had entered her mind since she boarded the plane still lingering and she understood why.

She was returning for the first time after eighteen years, something she had been reluctant to do, but her sister and brother had spent hours and days trying to convince her, it was something she should do.

“He doesn’t have much time,” her sister Diane had told her.

“I don’t really care” Maria had responded, her voice expressing no sympathy.

“I know how hard this is for you Maria”, her brother James had said, “because you witnessed what happened that night; but you had always wanted to know why he took what was most precious in your life. Now is your chance to find the truth and as a writer, it maybe the story of a lifetime.”

It had taken her days as she pondered her sister and brother’s words and she came to the realization they were right. It was a story she wanted more than anything else in the world that would reveal the truth of that fateful night.

Maybe then the blood would vanish and the rose would bloom.

She had been six years old when her mother’s sister had taken her far away so the nightmares that woke her up every night would go away. An unexpected tragedy had silenced the songs from a young child’s heart and stole her smiles and laughter. Stories from her fairy-tale books she could enjoy no more, not her dance lessons nor tea-parties for her dolls. Often as she grew, she would look at the heavens, sadness in her eyes and whisper, “Why did you have to leave me, Mom? I miss you so much.”

The plane started its descent and a sudden feeling of dread gripped her, “Oh God, will I be able to do this? How do I look at him, talk to him?”

She took a few deep breaths to regain control of her mind, telling herself, “I have to do this before he dies, it’s been long enough.”

The plane landed and she exited, her feet touching her home soil after eighteen long years. A soft breeze touched her face and she closed her eyes briefly, a fleeting feeling of someone unseen close to her.

“I’m home, Mom.” She whispered, “Help me to see this through.”

Maria checked in at the hotel where Diane had made reservations for her, had a light lunch and relaxed little before travelling to the home for the elderly. A nurse attendant guided her to the garden’s lawn and pointed to an old man sitting alone in the shadows of an old oak tree, a chess set on the table in front of him - her father.

Maria walked towards him, slowly, and stopped a little distance away, not saying anything, just looking at him, a man separated from the world waiting here to die alone. She watched his trembling hand moving the chess pieces, big hands that had been fists of steel, like a thorn bush, prickling those close to him, draining blood.

He seemed to feel her presence and looked up slowly at the young woman standing there; and as his eyes met hers, Maria gasped as the horror of that night came back like screaming winds.

She was alone with her mother that night because the other children had gone to see a school play. Her mother’s soft voice was singing her to sleep so she did not hear her father come home. It was the terrified screams and crashing sounds that woke her and she sat up in bed, crying quietly, not knowing what was happening. She could hear her mother’s cries of pain and pleas and her father’s angry voice, then it became quiet. Maria crept out of bed, trembling with fear and opening the door a crack, she saw a scene that froze the blood in her little body. Her mother lay helpless on the floor, gasping for breath and her father standing over her with a knife, blood dripping from its blade. Her mother lifted her hand to her a little and smiled then her hand fell and her eyes closed. Maria couldn’t scream, she couldn’t move until she heard her father call her name and she ran and hid under her bed.

“Maria, my child.” The old man rose, stretching his hand out to her, bringing her back to the present; but she saw him as that strong aggressive man, a knife in his hand and she turned and ran, the fear suffocating her. She had thought she had the strength to face him but she couldn’t. He had taken away from her the most beautiful thing in her life, her mother, and she had had to grow up without that comforting love, the sound of her voice, her smile, the wonderful life they shared as mother and child, all gone like a candle in the wind.

It was late in the night when Maria crawled out from under the sheets. She looked at her disturbed face in the mirror and smoothing back her hair she thought, “I’m now a young woman, a journalist, not a scared six-year-old, why is this still affecting me so much?”

She took a warm bath and sat for a long while thinking. “I have to go back to see him

Chronicle Pepperpot May 18, 2014

maureen.rampertab@gmail.com and face my fears. I have to be brave, it’s what my mother would have wanted.”

The next morning, after a late breakfast, she went back to the home. He was sitting in the same place, fiddling with the chess pieces. He looked up at her, standing in front of him a few feet away, and said in a hoarse voice, “You look so much like your mother, I thought she had come back to haunt me.”

“She wouldn’t do that” Maria said in a serious tone, “She’s too much of a nice person.”

He nodded his head, deep pain in his dull eyes.

“It took me a while to realize that, but too late.”

A heavy coughing racked his body for a short moment and after it subsided he said, “Part of my suffering is this sickness and my children whom I’ve lost.”

“Your sins are your own,” Maria said, a cold look in her eyes, “Your dark anger and cruel hands took away the most special person in our lives.”

He bent his head and said nothing for a while.

Maria pulled a chair and sat down not too close to him.

“Why?” she asked, a tremor creeping into her voice. “What was her wrong? She gave to you her heart and soul, her everything. How could you hurt her, how could you not feel her pain?”

He looked at her and said without any conviction, “She betrayed me.”

“Really?” Maria looked at him incredibly, “A simple woman with simple ways, who was so taken up with home and family, she hardly had any time for herself. How did that happen and with whom?”

“I don’t know, I was told.”

“You were told?” Maria could not stop the disbelief and anger rising in her voice, “By whom, your drinking buddies who did not value the worth of their own wives?! How could you take a life created by God because of a lie, who gave you that right?”

He shook his head regretfully and hit the table with his fist, scattering the chess pieces.

She got up to leave and he called after her, “No, don’t go, please. I haven’t seen any of my children in such a long time.”

Maria turned back, unable to feel pity for this man, whom she was supposed to call father.

“When you stabbed our mother and ended her life, despite her pleas, you did not stop to think of your children, why should we think of you now?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I committed a grave sin.”

He lifted his trembling, wrinkled hands, “These hands were supposed to protect, not harm, the blood I cannot wash away.”

Maria said nothing, knowing to the end of his days, her father would live with the burden of his sin. She rose to leave when a young woman walked over and spoke to her.

“Hi, I’m Suzanne. My father would like to speak to you.”

She pointed to an old man, sitting a little further away.

“Why?” “He says he’s your father’s friend and he has something important to tell you.”

Maria nodded her consent to speak to him and the old man came over, leaning heavily on a walking stick. He seemed not to notice Maria’s father and said to her in a shaky voice, “You look so much like your mother, I’m sorry for the way she died. I’ve been living with that guilt for a long time.”

Maria looked at him puzzled, “Why is that?”

“It was my lies that put doubt in your father’s mind and when I saw you this morning, I knew the time had come to tell the truth. I never thought he would have killed her, she was innocent.”

Maria and Suzanne looked at the old man, shocked.

“You told such a lie on your best friend’s wife, how could you?” Suzanne asked.

“I don’t know, we were drinking buddies and we said some bad things about women without thinking, not knowing the pain and destruction it would cause.”

“Your lie destroyed a family and now my mother’s blood is on your hands too.” Maria said, visibly disturbed.

“You don’t know how sorry I am,” he said with regrets.

“Sorry,” Suzanne said, truly dismayed, “You mistreated my mother to the day she died and I still held you close as my father, now this.”

Maria looked at her father and said, her voice breaking a little, “I’m sorry that I can’t call you ‘father’. Good bye.”

The two daughters turned and walked away and their fathers watched them go, regrets too late for the wrongs they had done to the mothers.

They sat alone, two old men unwanted by their own children because of their sins, the thorn bush now withered, slowly dying, waiting for the devil’s angels.

Chronicle Pepperpot May 18, 2014

III

By Petamber Persaud

A sort of Guyanese Hinglish (Excerpt of an interview with Harry Hergash, Georgetown, Guyana, September 2013.

HERGASH was among the first batch of students of the University of Guyana. He is a founder and president of the University of Guyana Guild of Graduates, Ontario, Canada. Harry was taught Hindi by his parents, then studied the language at the Hindu College, Cove and John.

Hergash recently released the book, ‘A Collection of Indian-Guyanese Words & Phrases and their meanings’ PP I’d like to start this discourse by quoting a few words of commendation said by Harry Persaud and cited in the book: ‘Words are essential symbols expressing multiple experiences, values and customs in the daily lives of a people; hence we come to know the construct of a culture and its reality by its language usage’. There is a whole lot being said in these few words. But I know you have your own reasons for writing this book....Let’s hear those reasons.

HH Yes, there are several reasons, but the driving force to a large extent is tied up with what Dr Persaud said there in his commentary on the book. I believe language is an essential part of a people’s cultural heritage; and in Guyana, as far as I know, the Indian ancestral language, or if I may say languages, because there was more than one language brought to Guyana PP Namely.

HH Like Bhojpuri, Bengali...also if we look at the Southern languages – we have Telegu PP I hear of a Madrasi language; how does that fit into the picture, if it’s a language?

HH My feeling is that Telegu and Madrasi are southern languages which fall within the Dravidian group of languages. They were called Madrasi because in those days Madras was a Presidency under the British, and the people from South India came from the [state] Madrasi Presidency; today Madras is a state in South India, but in those days it was a presidency. The British had three presidencies around that time, so I think it was an all encompassing term for the languages.

PP Oh, here’s something of interest – my wife comes from a Madrasi lineage, and she still uses some of the more colourful words HH That’s interesting. Now that you mentioned this, allow me to jump ahead - I am doing something else looking at [the novel] ‘Hendree’s Cure’ with the permission of the author, Moses Nagamootoo.

To tie that with the impetus for writing this book – the words and phrases and the language have been in a decline to an extent where I have to say the Indian ancestral language is in danger of becoming extinct.

PP There are still a handful of speakers here....

HH Which you may be able to count on the fingers of one hand. But such speakers are mostly overseas. In the case of the South Indian languages, they are almost completely gone.

Just a few words exist, and those few words are not as well established into the Guyanese

( Part 1)

creolese as the North Indian dialects. Incidentally, several of the languages that came were grouped together and called Hindustani; it wasn’t called Hindi or Bhojpuri, as we are now hearing from scholars. Bhojpuri was only one of the many dialects that came from North India Now, you would know from history that the North Indians were the majority of recruits who came [to Guyana as indentured labourers], so it is not surprising that their words and phrases have dominated the scene. Now there is a danger in that, although some words like mamu and cha cha have a greater usage in the wider society, their usage within the Indian community is dying out.

PP Danger? I’d look at it as fortunate if the wider society is using some of those words (and many such words are in currency in the foods and songs we consume).

But let’s take a closer look at this decline. Allow me to return to the text, page XII....were there other subtle things that caused the decline?

HH There are a number of factors, and it is interesting; and I am hoping in the near future to ventilate my thoughts on that. But one of the reasons is the snobbery associated with the use of the English Language, and the looking down upon the Indians who could not speak proper English. That was a major factor.

I remember when I was studying Hindi...

PP

In Guyana?

HH Yes, Hindi was being taught in the temples in the evening and many people passing on the road would make noise and mockery....(to be continued) Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com • The 2013-2014 issue of The Guyana Annual magazine is now going into production. This issue is dedicated to A. J. Seymour and will focus on the increased interest in photography, the expanding arenas for cultural activities, what’s happening in the Diaspora (Guy-Aspora) and will continue its role championing the cause of locally based emerging writers and of Guyanese writers in general, offering space and encouragement for their work. * The first reprint of my book ‘An Introduction to Guyanese Literature’ is now available.

What’s happening:

IV

MRS HELENA MAUD MC ALLISTER

Chronicle Pepperpot May 18, 2014

Managing Director at 100

T

By Shirley Thomas HOSE who think it is impossible for a person to be a manager at age 100 have yet to meet Mrs. Helena Maud Mc Allister, fondly called Aunt Maud, one of Guyana’s latest centenarians and a person who is pleasant, calculative, alert and witty.

The Chronicle extends “Happy Mother’s Day” and other greetings to Mrs. Mc Allister, the proud Managing Director of Mac’s Housing and Facilities, located at 208 Duncan Street, Newtown, Georgetown.

Mac’s Housing and Facilities is the expanded and refurbished venue which once housed the popular Mac’s Secretarial School, reputed to have turned out hundreds of students who were all well rounded academically.

Albeit, ‘Aunt Maud’ is blessed with the kind of vision that would allow her to count every dollar placed into her hands; and she makes sound financial management decisions that could only redound to the best interest of the business. She, however, has a secretary, Nadira Ramoutar, who runs the office under her ‘say so’.

This was told to the Chronicle by Aunt Maud’s daughter, Mrs. Ruth Cumberbatch, who, along with her husband Clifton, lives in one of the apartments.

On April 16, 2014, Aunt Maud joined the treasured and enviable ranks of Guyana’s few documented centenarians, and at the same time scored a proud first as probably Guyana’s first or only female to be actively serving as Managing Director of a profit-making entity at age 100.

With a proud heritage of being the matriarch in a family-owned business that has actively contributed to the academic moulding of the nation for more than 50 years, Aunt Maud has more recently diversified, and is now in the apartment rental business, overseeing the rental of a three-storey apartment building in Newtown, Georgetown.

Mac’s Secretarial School was registered as a business entity sometime around 1977. Then, it was owned and operated by Aunt Maud’s husband, Hilton Mc Allister, a dynamic and visionary leader with a passion for education delivery. He ran the school for almost 25 years, with his wife at one time on the teaching staff, and was later assisted by his two sons, Godfrey, Hilton (Jnr.) and only daughter, Ruth, who took over from him as principal. The school was eventually closed in 2001.

Known for his visionary qualities, Hilton regrettably lost his vision to glaucoma, and transitioned in 2008, after a period of illness, but not before making considerable impact in the education sector in a private capacity.

All smiles. Our winsome centenarian, Mrs. Helena Maud Mc Allistair, and her daughter, Mrs. Ruth Cumberbatch, share a moment together.

KINDERGARTEN AND BEYOND Prior to commencement of his teaching career, Hilton worked as a nurse at the Palms in Georgetown, whie his wife worked as an attendant at the Mahaica Leprosy Hospital.

Please see page V

A 1987 portrait of a closely bonded family: Seated: Mr. & Mrs. Hilton and Maud Mc Allister, with their three children, Ruth (at centre), Godfrey at left and Hilton (Jnr.)

Chronicle Pepperpot May 18, 2014

From page IV A few months after leaving employment at the Palms in 1942, Hilton ventured into teaching by assisting six young ladies to become stenographers and also helping them in Home Economics.

He married Maud in 1943, and a few years later, with the literacy needs of their first child, Ruth, in mind, he opened a kindergarten school in his mother’s home in Albert Street, Queenstown.

Their next move was to venture out into education at the secondary level, establishing ‘DAY HIGH SCHOOL’, housed at the Frolic Hall at Robb and Light Streets, Bourda, opposite what is now Nigel’s Supermarket. That institution did well for several years, coaching students to the level of Junior and Senior Cambridge Examinations.

Aunt Maud recalls that her husband was headmaster for several years, and former President Desmond Hoyte was Deputy Head of the school. He was, at the same time, studying to become a lawyer.

Eventually faced with hardships such as late and/or non-payment of school fees by a good many students, and attitudinal problems from both staff and students, Mr. Mc Allister eventually became disenchanted and closed the business.

He subsequently went over to Cambridge Academy, where he functioned as Deputy Headmaster.

A few years later, at around 1977, Mr. Allister opened what was to become the popular Mac’s Secretarial School,

V

catering to the academic needs of both full-time and parttime students. That was a success story. It is often said that behind every successful man there is a strong and supportive woman, and so it was with Mr. and Mrs. Mc Allister. In fact, even before the family ventured into the education business, Aunt Maud, in every way, demonstrated her mettle as an asset in the home. An industrious woman, even whilst caring for their three children, she helped increase the family earnings as a seamstress and by making artificial flowers which she offered for sale.

Aunt Maud recalls their venture into the delivery of higher education was a huge success, and grew from strength to strength through the years. Many benefitted from the school’s well-delivered and innovative academic programmes. One such person is Member of Parliament Volda Lawrence, who was a student there, and later joined the teaching staff. And so too, was Ms. Anne Green, former Chief Probation and Welfare Officer.

Ruth said that one of the school’s greatest breakthroughs was when it took the lead in introducing computer technology on the curriculum. She also recalled, with some degree of sadness, the devastating blow they were dealt when the Guyana Power and Light’s (GPL) unstable power supply destroyed four computers at one blow through high voltage. And so that probably signalled the beginning of the end for the school.

PROUD CENTENARIAN Having attained the age of 100, and asked how she felt on The building at Lot 208 Duncan Street, Newtown, G/ town which previously housed Mac’s Secretarial School has now been transformed into Mac’s Housing and Facilities. that achievement, Aunt Maud, winsome and smiling, replied that though she was not overly excited, she felt happy and was deeply appreciative of all that her children, grand-children, in-laws and other relatives and friends did to make her day bright.

She engaged in sober reflection, and recalled that the first thing she did on awakening was to give God thanks and praise for that special moment. “I just gave Him thanks and praise for bringing me this far,” she modestly asserted.

And of course she was honoured that family members from three generations came from both the United States and the United Kingdom to be part of her centenary celebrations.

CELEBRATION To mark the significant milestone, there were three days of celebration, and each brought fun galore. The tra-

Please turn to page IX

VI

Chronicle Pepperpot May 18, 2014

Braces are now a status symbol

TROPHY HUNTER

First of all, greetings from Hong Kong. Please excuse my English as I am not a native speaker.

Recently my girlfriend decided to break up with me because she found I kept the contact number of a girl who is her former coworker and whom I really don't know. To be honest, I stole that number from my girlfriend's phone. Why I added her contact in the first place is an interesting question.

I did not intend to hook up with her. I merely kept the contact as a sense of achievement or pleasure. For the record I kept other pretty girls' numbers, too, but some of them I had actually talked to. Plus I've checked out other strangers' Instagram pictures and kept them for pleasure. My girlfriend couldn't accept this. She feels I fantasize having sex with other women.

Yes, she frequently checked my phone, which I didn't forbid her, though I must admit I didn't quite like it. Twice she caught me having conversations with a girl who flirts with almost every man. As it is, my girlfriend forgave me but made it clear, if I committed another mistake, I would lose her.

There was also another girl. I dated her a couple of times before my girlfriend. I didn't like her, but I didn't delete her either.

For the record, my girlfriend has serious trust issues due to her family and previous relationships. So she cannot put up with my "dirty little secrets" as she feels she will find more when she digs deeper. We met yesterday without much progress and now, as you can imagine, she refuses to see me.

Almost everybody I know says I have to learn a lesson this time, obviously, by losing her.

Am I sick? Should I see a doc? What can I do to get her back? Appealing publicly on Facebook or through mutual friends is not quite the way that can succeed.

Time is running out.

Jon Jon, some people kill a magnificent animal like an elephant for the ivory tusk. That's an unimaginable waste. A tragedy. If everyone did it there would be no elephants. That's why in many cases, even when the animal dies a natural death, it may be illegal to trade in its tusks.

You collect phone numbers and pictures of attractive women. It makes you feel victorious, like a big game hunter, but in reality you have no use for these pelts. That mentality is no longer acceptable. It belongs to a lower level of maturity.

If you love a woman and want to spend your life with her, you have to surrender your hunting license. No more poaching. You captured the prize. You don't need to hunt anymore.

Your girlfriend feels, rightfully, you are still out there looking.

Is she the one for you? It's okay if she's not. But if she's not, let her go. If she is, you must be willing to wait for her forever. That means focusing on her alone and no other. If you cannot honestly do that, release her because she is that person to another man.

It may make you feel powerful to collect mementos, but it's done at her expense.

While it gives you a figment in your mind, to a woman looking for true love you become despicable.

If you kill an elephant, is the world better for that? No. If you kill a love, are you better for that? No. You are not better for that. You are not better for collecting these little trophies, pictures and phone numbers. This pattern of thought prevents you from having a love that can sustain you for a lifetime.

Are you sick? We don't think so. Just immature. Collecting photos and contacts is what schoolboys do. It's time to act like a mature man living in the real world. The real world.

WAYNE & TAMARA

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ANY years ago, children tried hard to avoid having to use braces. So did their parents once they knew the high cost of orthodontic treatment. Now it is virtually a status symbol for middle and upper class children to have metal smiles.

Television advertisements show pert teenagers speaking to each other with closed mouths, only to break into broad grins as each recognizes the other had braces. There are jokes about kids calling out the emergency squads to separate braces entangled during a kiss. Even adults who have long suffered unsightly crooked teeth now undergo years of orthodontic treatment. I had a seventy-five year old patient requesting braces a few weeks ago.

Given the popular concern over crooked teeth, one cannot overemphasize that malocclusion is not a disease. There is no convincing evidence linking crooked teeth to decay and periodontal disease. Dental caries and periodontal disease are bacterial plaque diseases.

Even though the uneven surface presented by crooked teeth requires a little more diligence in brushing and flossing, people with malocclusion do not necessarily experience more decay or gum problems.

But there are exceptions to most generalizations. The lower front teeth may hit the palate rather than coming to rest on the inside of the upper front teeth. The palate and gum may then be periodically, sometimes continuously, traumatized. Correction of this type of malocclusion is the best way to eliminate discomfort and prevent further injury.

Dentists also recommend correction of malocclusion to improve mastication, the chewing of food. But unless the condition is so severe as to prevent the opposing teeth from coming together, virtually any bite – “good” or “bad” from the dentist’s viewpoint – functions adequately. In fact, teeth barely meet in chewing. The mouth senses contact of opposing teeth as they shear and grind food, immediately reversing the movement of the lower jaw so that the teeth are not gnashed together. It is sort of like tough football. You do not have to tackle the ball carrier to stop the action. A slight tough of tooth contact is all that is necessary to have the play whistled dead. If it were not this protective proprioceptive mechanism, the teeth would be ground down to the gum line in the first two or three decades of life.

Nonetheless, many people develop pernicious habits such as clenching and grinding – bruxism – of teeth, which wears the enamel flat and may even penetrate into dentin, causing hypersensitivity and pain. Night grinding is also quite common even among children and can be damaging to the teeth and supporting bone. But these habits have nothing to do with normal chewing. Correction of malocclusion does not cure bruxism. In fact, bruxism may not be curable, particularly when it is done during sleep. In that event, the patient needs a protective plastic occlusal night guard, much like a football or basketball player’s mouthpiece to prevent tooth-on-tooth contact during sleep or during the daytime.

Other conditions frequently attributed to malocclusion are myofacial pain dysfunction (MPD) and temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ/TMD), in which the individuals suffer mild to extreme pain in the facial muscles and joints of the jaws. For unknown reasons, MPD and TMD problems occur much more frequently among women in their late twenties and early thirties, after which pain frequently disappears when or not treated.

Despite the lack of controlled studies to link MPD and TMD pain with malocclusion, orthodontic treatment is often recommended for present or anticipated problems. Rather than malocclusion, the common causes of MPD or TMJ discomfort are tension, clenching, and muscle spasms or injury to the attachment ligaments of the joints, which makes opening and closing painful. The injury may follow a large yawn or third molar surgery or occasionally, orthodontic treatment. Quite often the condition is alleviated by physiotherapy, including dry or moist heat packs and ultrasonic treatment, muscle relaxants, antidepressant drugs for chronic pain, special muscle stretching and relaxation therapy, the avoidance of extreme jaw movements such as yawning and biting whole apples, and simply outliving the symptoms. In a small number of TMJ osteoarthritic degeneration of the bony ball and socket comprise the joint. In such extreme cases surgery may be necessary to replace the disc with a plastic insert or to reconstruct the jaw joint. This procedure is far from reliable and is notorious for its failures. It should be considered only when there is no other recourse. Too often premature and unnecessary surgery is performed, at times leaving the patient much worse off that if nothing had been done.

TMJ/MPD diagnosis and treatment should be viewed with caution and skepticism.

Most X-rays taken for TMJ diagnosis are not worth the price of film. X-ray films of the joints purportedly demonstrating displaced discs or osteoarthritis often are of such poor quality as to require a great deal of imagination in diagnosis. Even with good films, X-ray diagnosis of the jaw joints is notably inaccurate. Before subjecting yourself to head X-rays, which radiate the brain as well as the joints, rely on symptomatic diagnosis to identify the location of pain and restriction of movement. Initial treatment should be limited to alleviation of the symptoms. Only when significant pain persists for a long time and is not relieved by symptomatic treatment should one consider TMJ X-rays, and then only by an experienced TMJ X-ray technician.

Chronicle Pepperpot May 18, 2014

Full Court erred in price control ruling in 1974 …Appellate Court allowed appeal, ordered retrial

IN 1974, the Full Court held that the police had committed a wrong by entering Ng-Qui-Sang premises in a price control matter, without authority from the competent Authority.

The police appealed and the Court of Appeal, constituted

by Chancellor E. V. Luckhoo and Justices of Appeal Mr. Victor Crane and Mr. J. O. F. Haynes, allowed the appeal.

The mater was sent back for hearing de novo to the magistrate of the court of the relevant jurisdiction.

According to the facts of the case, two police officers entered the grocery store of the defendants with a marked $1 note for the specific purpose of purchasing controlled articles which they had reason to suspect were being sold to the public above prices fixed by law.

The Full Court held that ss. 3, 4, and 5 of the Trade Act and clause 15 of the Trade Order applied, and also that an unlawful act, that is, a trespass, had taken place on the premises in the absence of written authority from the competent authority to the complainant to enter the premises to purchase goods.

The Full Court also held that, as a consequence, it was not lawful for the respondents to bring proceedings. On appeal by the police, the Appellate Court held that there was no mandatory requirement for the production of a written authority signed by the Competent Authority. A shopkeeper ought to see this and demand it from a purchaser for the purpose of making a lawful entry on his premises in which price controlled articles were displayed for sale. Without such an authority, a prosecution against him would be illegal.

Senior State Counsel Mr. George Jackman appeared for the appellant.

Delivering his judgment, Justice of Appeal Crane said, “I agree with the judgment and order which has just been pronounced by my brother Haynes.” After hearing the case, the magistrate accepted Counsel’s submission that written authority was required from the competent authority to enter the premises and to bring the prosecution, and that as this was not proved, there was no case for the defendants to answer.

Astonishingly, the Full Court agreed with the above submission and, in addition, made the alarming pronouncement that because there was such want of authority in writing , the prosecution before the magistrate was illegal.

Justice Victor Crane said,“ In my view , any question about the requirement of an authority in writing to enter the premises and to prosecute under Price Control Orders is wholly irrelevant in proof of the kind of transaction that took place between the two investigators, viz.,Det. Const.

Williams and Omar Persaud, on the one hand, and the defendants, on the other.

These two officers, with the intention of entrapping the Defendants, entered their grocery at Albion, Corentyne ,with a marked $1 note for the specific purpose of purchasing controlled articles which they had reason to suspect were being sold to the public above prices fixed by law .

“They did not enter for the purpose of inspecting those premises in accordance with clause 15 of the Trade (Control of Prices) Order which requires, as a condition precedent to the legality of entry and inspection, a written authority from the competent authority to do so.

“The purpose for which premises are entered is highly relevant in matters of this kind and makes all the difference. Purchasing and inspecting goods are not entirely the same kind of acts. While purchasing may involve inspection, the converse is not true. Personally speaking , I do not think Clause 15 applies at all to a case like th present where a price control officer enters , a decoy specifically, to purchase goods

above fixed prices and to entrap contraveners. He, like an ordinary member of the public, needs no authority in writing from the competent authority to effect that purpose.

Nevertheless, The Full Court thought ss.3, 4 and 5 of the Trade Act and clause 15 of the above Trade Order applied, and also that an unlawful act, i.e., a trespass had taken place on the premises in the absence of written authority from the competent authority to the complainant to enter the premises to purchase goods.

“Consequently, that Court held it was not lawful to bring these proceedings.

I am unable to agree, however. Authority in writing is not like the requirement of a fiat prosecution from the Director of Public Prosecutions which is a condition precedent to launching criminal prosecutions where non-production renders a prosecution null and void ab initio.

“It is trite law that even where entry is unlawfully made for want of authority, a conviction can still be sustained. So where under the Spirits Ordinance ,1893, a Commissary of Taxation applied for and obtained a warrant to search the house of a man named Warner , but in error and without a warrant, searched the house of a woman called Warner . Bovell, C. J. said in Warner vs. Fenton, A.J 31st March, 1905 , OG8.405.

‘But even if the search was illegal, I think this would be no objection to the conviction, though the appellant would have the remedy for trespass committed by unlawful entry.’ “ I am sorry to say the Court below came to the wrong conclusion when it held that the persons above=mentioned must have been authorized in writing , and, further , that persons so authorized in writing by the competent authority , should normally be the only persons who ought to institute criminal proceedings since only they would have personal knowledge of whether or not any breach of any of the provisions of the order occurred in any business premises visited by them in the course of their duties. I do not know what this means, but I think it is certainly going too far. There is nothing in the Trade Act. Chapter 91;01 or the Trade (Control of Prices) Order that restricts the bringing of price control

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prosecutions to a particular person or class of persons.

“If this view of the Full Court is allowed to prevail, it would so adversely affect those prosecutions as to undermine the main purpose of a very salutary piece of legislation that is aimed at bringing to justice contraveners who, like harpies , prey upon the vitals of the poor. As I remarked during the course of the argument ,

By George Barclay the present offence of selling a price controlled article above the fixed price may be instituted not only by officers employed by the competent authority to act as decoys , but also by anyone who has purchased above the fixed price.

The prohibition against selling a price controlled article at a price exceeding the maximum price prescribed by Law is a “summary conviction offence”[see s.5 (4) of the Trade Act Cap.91:01], so anyone may make a complaint against any person committing a summary conviction offence unless it appears from the written law on which the complaint is founded that a complaint for that offence shall be made only by a particular person or class of persons.

“It is unnecessary for me to say anything more, save to emphasize that there is no “mandatory requirement “, as the court below thought, for the production of a written authority signed by the competent authority which a shopkeeper ought to see and demand from a purchaser for the purpose of making a lawful entry on his premises in which price controlled articles are displayed for sale, and that without such an authority a prosecution against him would be illegal”.

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MRS HELENA MAUD MC ALLISTER From page V

ditional birthday party was held on the first day, April 16, at the Pegasus Hotel. It was complete with cake sticking and the works. President Donald Ramotar and Mr. Oscar Clarke of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) were among guests at that party.

The second celebration, which catered for 80 persons, was held in the foyer of the National Cultural Centre and was largely for the elderly and shut-ins from indigent/retirement homes.

The third celebration was a get-together in her honour, sponsored by the Women’s Bible Class of the Kitty Brethren Church.

CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH Except for having an eye problem which compels that she read only coarse print, Aunt Maud sees and reads very well. She reads her Bible every day, and can be said to have a clean bill of health. She has never suffered from diabetes or hypertension; her hearing is fairly good; she is alert and sensitive to the environment around her; moves around unaided, and is incredibly still an active user of the computer – catching up on the news, and reading and sending e-mails.

Aunt Maud has a hearty appetite, but eats and drinks only nutritious foods: plenty of fruits and vegetables; salads; recommended daily requirements of milk; whole-wheat bread and brown rice in moderation; fish and chicken (no red meat

Mr. and Mrs Hilton Mc Allister in the good old days. or fried foods). Aunt Maud also joins the rest of her family in extending thanks to her Personal Assistant, Michelle Van Rossum, who provides home care for her; and Secretary, Nadira Ramoutar, who efficiently and effectively runs the family business.

Averse to, but very much grieved by, what’s going on globally today, Aunt Maud condemns all criminal acts confronting society. To this end she is urging people to turn to God, affirming that Satan is on the rampage, going about seeking whom he may devour.

Aunt Maud, who was born and raised in a devout Christian family in Georgetown, was the last of five siblings to her parents - Alberta Bunyan (a Guyanese) and James Yard, a carpenter (Barbadian by birth). Yard, a member of the Salvation

Army, later took his wife to the Christian Brethren Church, where they remained committed unto the time of their death.

Asked to which church she belongs, Aunt Maud pleasantly replied, “I fellowship at the Christian Brethren Assembly, but I belong to Jesus.”

Of quiet dignity,the proud centenarian credits her longevity to the blessings of her Divine Maker and essentially her lifestyle; and not least, to living in an environment where love abounds. She has also expressed gratitude to her only daughter, Ruth Cumberbatch, and Ruth’s husband Cliff, as well as her sons and their families living overseas, as well as other relatives, for doing whatever it takes to satisfy her spiritual, material and emotional needs.

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Worse Than Sex? ‘M’ Is for May and Masturbation Month

The fact that a whole month is devoted to self-pleasure raises two important questions: Who decides these things, and what are people meant to do over the 11 months from June through April?

On the former question, it seems that anyone can declare that a day, a month or even a year be dedicated to a particular cause. The UN endorses some of these. For example, last year, 2013, was both the International Year of Water Cooperation and the International Year of Quinoa. Oh, yes, it was!

Perhaps I needn't say it, but International Masturbation Month has not been recognized

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by the UN... yet.

Like many ideas surrounding sex, Masturbation Month is American. Formerly "National Masturbation Month," it did not require Republicans and Democrats working "across the aisle" to enact a special law. It only took a unilateral declaration of self-service by Good Vibrations sex shop in response to the firing of U.S. Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders.

Elders' dismissal followed comments at the UN World AIDS Day in 1994. Asked

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HOUSEHOLD USES FOR HYDROGEN PEROXIDE Here are some quick facts about hydrogen peroxide: The chemical element is: H202 It's made of water and oxygen, with an extra oxygen atom.

Your white blood cells naturally produce hydrogen peroxide.

Fruits & Vegetables naturally produce hydrogen peroxide.

3% Hydrogen Peroxide Uses BEAUTY Acne – to help clear up skin, dab pimples with peroxide using a cotton ball.

Finger Nails – to whiten, soak a cotton ball with peroxide and rub it on your nails.

Hair – to gradually give your hair highlights, mix equal parts peroxide and water and spray on wet hair. Comb the solution through your hair and dry.

Mouthwash – instead of purchasing expensive mouthwashes, try using peroxide instead.

Teeth – to whiten, hold one capful of peroxide in your mouth for 10 minutes daily.

Toothpaste – to make your own, make a paste using peroxide and baking soda.

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Hold the spoon so it's hugging your eyelid, and then apply your mascara like you normally would. As you sweep the mascara wand against your lashes and back of the spoon, watch as the residue coats the back of the utensil rather than your skin.

REAL SIMPLE Salmon with Bok Choy and Apple Slaw Ingredients * 1 teaspoon olive oil * 1 1/4 pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces * Kosher salt and black pepper * 1/2 head bokchoy, thinly sliced (about 6 cups) * 1 red apple, cut into bitesize pieces * 4 scallions, thinly sliced * 1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt * 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Directions * Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the salmon with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes per side. * Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss the bokchoy, apple, and scallions with the yogurt, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Serve with the salmon.

GARDENING Mites – to kill, spray the area with peroxide.

Plants – to improve their root system, water them with a mixture of 32 parts water and 1 part peroxide.

Seeds – to sprout, soak seeds overnight in a mixture of 1 ounce peroxide and 2 cups water.

KITCHEN Cutting Board – to kill germs, after rinsing off your cutting board, spray it with peroxide.

Dishrags and sponges – to clean, soak them for 15-30 minutes in a solution using equal parts peroxide and warm water. Rinse.

Fruits & Vegetables – to clean, spray them with peroxide (food grade) and let them stand for a few minutes, then rinse and dry.

BEAUTY USES FOR A SPOON Use A Spoon To Create The Perfect Winged Liner.

Holding the stem of a spoon against the outer corner of your eye, draw the straight line as the first step for your cat-eye. Then flip the spoon so it's hugging your eyelid, and use the rounded outer edge to create a perfectly curved winged effect.

Use that same spoon to avoid mascara marks on your upper eye lid.

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FIRST LOOK OF FITOOR The film is an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations. Abhishek Kapoor’s much awaited film Fitoor is out with its first look. The film stars Katrina Kaif, Aditya Roy Kapur and Rekha. The film was supposed to star Sushant Singh Rajput but Aditya replaced the actor. The film goes on floors this August.

AISHWARYA RAI BACHCHAN AND ABHISHEK BACHCHAN,

CANNES FILM FESTIVAL: WHICH BOLLYWOOD MOVIES IN THE PAST MADE INDIA PROUD? While the buzz about the prestigious film festival is on, we decided to list the movies that bagged coveted awards at the French Riviera. Movies may be many to have been screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, but very few have made the mark and won the laurels. As the 67 Canes Film Festival unfolds we decided to take a list of the Indian films that bagged the awards.

Neecha Nagar (1946):Chetan Ananad’s masterpiece bagged the coveted trophy on the global platform. This Hindi movie was remarkable in its achievement since it bagged the Palm d’Or after competing with 10 other equally competent movies that had arrived from ten different countries.

Do BighaZameen (1953):Bimal Roy’s classic tale starring Nirupa Roy and BalrajSahani was heart-achingly beautiful and received tremendous appreciation along with awards at Cannes.

B o o t P o l i s h (1954):PrakashArora’s directorial venture told a heart-wrenching story that not only brought tears to the discerning eyes at Cannes, but also won many hearts!

PatherPanchali:Satyajit Ray at his best, this movie even made Hollywood giants like Martin Scorsese sit up and take notice!

Gotamathe Buddha (1956): Directed by RajbanaKhanna was known for its strong mes-

sage and delectable content. It bagged Palm d’Or as well as special mention!

Salaam Bombay (1988): Mira Nair emerged as one the strongest directors on the international map who stunned the audiences and the critics alike with her craft.

Piravi (1989): Haji N Karun’ Malyalam movie earned a special mention at Cannes for it’s a solid screenplay that exploited the growing disparity between urban and village folks.

The Lunchbox (2013): A year after Anurag Kashyap’s gangster flick Gangs Of Wasseypur got a standing ovation at Cannes, director RiteshBatra’s The Lunchbox went on to bag the Grand Rail d’Or.

THE LATEST BOLLYWOOD COUPLE TO DIVORCE? Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s issues with her mother-inlaw Jaya Bachchan came to the forefront last year at Ambani’s party in Juhu. However the latest buzz doing rounds is that the young Bachchan couple – Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek are now heading for divorce! It seems that all’s not well between the blue-eyed couple of Bollywood. This isn’t the first time that reports of problem in the Abhi-Ash marriage have made headlines. So will Aishwarya and Abhishek, like Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan announce their separation?

Abhishek Bachchan has often accompanied his wifey to Cannes Film Festival, while he missed travelling last year, and instead we spotted Aaradhya Bachchan being closely guarded by mommy and security, this time too Ash is going solo. Is there indeed trouble in the Bachchan paradise? The family has kept their personal life extremely guarded. Aishwarya has in fact remained away from the limelight and shutter bugs ever since she became a mommy. And with reports of her comeback making headlines, the latest news will certainly make Abhi-Ash fans sad.

According to a leading daily, “Like the Gandhis in politics we have the Bachchan’s in Bollywood. You can criticize them, you can loathe them, but you can’t ignore them. Everything seems to be going very smoothly in this royal family, but looks can be deceptive.” They suggest that Aishwarya and Abhishek may get divorced soon.

The couple has been married seven years now and we hope, like in the past, this matter is resolved and the couple continues to live happily ever after!

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UCHE JUMBO MARKS WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

On May 16, 2012, Nollywood Actress Uche Jumbo got married to her beau Kenney Rodriguez at a private beach wedding on the Island of Puerto Rico. Her wedding took many by surprise as she made it a secret.

Last Friday the couple marked their wedding anniversary; Uche Jumbo is also reported to be pregnant with her first child. She took to her social media page to announce how happy she is about her anniversary; she also prayed that they may always have reason to laugh. She posted memorable pictures of her wedding day.

RITA MARLEY'S DAUGHTER MARRIES A GHANAIAN Sharon Marley Prendergast, daughter of Reggae

legend Bob Marley and EkowAlabi Savage, officially tied the love knot at a private family location in Accra, Ghana on Tuesday, May 13, 2014.Sharon and Ekow first met in 1991 and 23 years later the love connection has finally brought them together as husband and wife.

“The Marley family is an iconic family, and they welcome you into their family. And they have allowed you to be part of their (Marley) family. They asked me to give you a message – No Woman, No Cry – they don’t want to see any tears in her eyes. The tears she’s shedding today are tears of joy, but there should never, never, ever, be any tears of sorrow. I will like to raise this glass and make a

toast for Mr. and Mrs. Savage; may you have health, happiness and wealth,” Dr. Bennett stated.

The wedding was a very colourful ceremony with just few family folks of both couple and a few invited guests.The marriage of Sharon and Ekow has inked a very respectable history in the long standing Afro-Caribbean relationship. Dr. Erica Bennett, Ambassador for the Diasporan African Forum (DAF), was present at the ceremony to represent Rita Marley who had travelled out of the country to the USA.

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Chronicle Pepperpot May 18, 2014

INTERNET ADDICTION: How to fight it What is Internet addiction?

An impulse control disorder which does not involve use of an intoxicating drug, and is very similar to pathological gambling. Some Internet users may develop an emotional attachment to on-line friends and activities they create on their computer screens. Internet users may enjoy aspects of the Internet that allow them to meet, socialize, and exchange ideas through the use of chat rooms, social networking websites, or "virtual communities."

Similar to other addictions, those suffering from Internet addiction use the virtual fantasy world to connect with real

• Feelings of guilt: If you feel guilty about the amount of time you spend online, or if you often find your partner or family nagging you about the time wasted, it is possible you have an addiction.

• Isolation from family and friends: Is your social life suffering because of the amount of time online? Losing touch with friends and family is a sign that you are becoming addicted to the Internet.

What are the effects?

Internet addiction results in personal, family, academic, financial, and occupational problems that are characteristic of other addictions. Real life relationships are disrupted as a result of excessive use of the Internet. Individuals suffering from Internet addiction spend more time in solitary seclusion, spend less time with real people in their lives, and are often viewed as socially awkward. Arguments may result due to the volume of time spent on-line. Those suffering from Internet addiction may attempt to conceal the amount of time spent on-line, which results in distrust and the disturbance of quality in once stable relationships.

Some suffering from Internet addiction may create on-line personas or profiles where they are able to alter their identities and pretend to be someone other than themselves. Those at highest risk for creation of a secret life are those who suffer from low self-esteem.

Many persons who attempt to quit their Internet use experience withdrawal, including: anger, depression, relief, mood swings, anxiety, fear, irritability, sadness, loneliness, boredom, restlessness, procrastination, and upset stomach.

Being addicted to the Internet can also cause physical discomfort or medical problems such as: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome,

people through the Internet as a substitution for real-life human connection, which they are unable to achieve normally.

What are the warning signs of Internet addiction?

• Pre occupation with the Internet. (Thoughts about previous on-line activity or anticipation of the next on-line session.)

• Use of the Internet in increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction.

• Repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop Internet use.

• Feelings of restlessness, moodiness, depression, or irritability when attempting to cut down use of the Internet.

• On-line longer than originally intended.

• Jeopardized or risked loss of significant relationships, job, educational or career opportunities because of Internet use.

• Lying to family members, therapists, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the Internet.

• Use of the Internet is a way to escape from problems or to relieve a dysphoric mood. (e.g. feelings of hopelessness, guilt, anxiety, depression.)

• Losing track of time: Hours can fly by without your realizing because you are so absorbed in the activity. If a plan to spend a few minutes on the Internet regularly turns into hours, you may have a problem.

• Irritability when interrupted: If you regularly get cranky if you are interrupted online, it could be a sign you are spending too much time on the internet.

an assessment to determine what level of care is most appropriate.

I believe it is a very different thing to be addicted to certain applications online, such as gambling, gaming, shopping or online sex - these are addictions on the Internet, rather than to the internet, and should be treated differently. As with any treatment, it is essential to understand the underlying causes of the addiction.

One person, for example, could suffer from low self-esteem which leads them to create an online persona instead of interacting offline. In this case, any treatment should focus on increasing their sense of self-worth.

Another person, who is very good at online gaming could get rewards from their success; they will be praised by their peers for being the best at it. In this case, they should find other activities which give them the same rewards.

There are a wide range of treatments available for addiction; however, there is no evidence to show that one treatment is better than any other.

Tips for breaking an internet addiction:

dry eyes, backaches, severe headaches, eating irregularities, (such as skipping meals), failure to attend to personal hygiene, and sleep disturbance.

How can someone get help?

The first step is to determine if there is a problem. A Certified Addictions Counsellor trained in identification and treatment of Internet addiction can effectively perform

Ask yourself, “What am I missing out on when I spend so much time on the Internet?” Write down these activities and decrease your Internet time to pursue some of them.

Set reasonable Internet use goals and stick to them.

Take frequent breaks, at least 5 minutes each hour, and do some other activity.

Alter your routine to break your usage patterns. If you spend evenings on the Internet, start limiting your use to mornings.

Seek out friends and acquaintances who “couldn’t care less” about the Internet. Take time to appreciate the fact that all life is not yet online.

Stay connected to the offline world. Visit newsstands, book and music stores, and participate in entertainment such as museums, music, and live theatre. Novels and poetry readings are hard to experience online.

Treat the Internet as a tool. Stay focused on the fact that the Internet is a means to an end. Plan your strategy—whether you’re looking for information or entertainment—with the end in mind, and you’ll save valuable time.

Attend and get involved in your place of worship and its activities (Mandir, Mosque, Church, etc.)…after all, God is in charge!

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NGO sets example in medical and community outreach

By Derwayne Wills “PERSONS often sacrifice by walking long distances for miles to collect clothing and medication”, this according to Guyana International Relief Organisation (GIRO) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Shazaad Khan. Surely these words are the thrust that continues to drive the need for the NGO to vehemently pursue its quest for the provision of humanitarian relief.

The CEO noted that the response to the programmes conducted by the organisation is a reflection of the needs of the people in those locations.

The Guyana International Relief Organisation (GIRO), a name not too

familiar among citizens of Guyana, has continued to make its strides in a more than impressive way in the more remote and underprivileged regions of the

country. The organisation has set itself to be a shining example of altruism and humanitarianism, owing to dedication and sheer Please turn to page XVI

GIRO’s $500,000 contribution to Haiti Relief Fund. In photo: GIRO CEO Shazaad Khan and then Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand

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NGO sets example in medical ...

From page XV

passion for giving back.

GIRO began its operations in 2004, receiving accreditation from both the Ministry of Human Services and the Guyana Revenue Authority. Since that time, the entity has aided in the provision of humanitarian relief extending through medical outreaches, feeding programmes, clothing distribution, and skills training programmes.

In December 2013, the organisation conducted a number of medical outreaches with the assistance of Doctors Paez Hernandez Pedro, Shaneeza Mohamed, Afeefa Mohamed and Medex Kamine Mahadeo. The outreaches were conducted in Lima Sands, Essequibo and included a feeding and clothing distribution programme. The CEO, in an interview with the Sunday Chronicle, was eager to note that GIRO had also engaged in the cleaning and painting of the Masjid Al-Kahf- Lima Sands.

The efforts of the organisation were lauded by the Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsarran, as well as the Corentyne Chamber of Commerce. So much so that the Ministry has since sought to collaborate with the NGO, and has assigned a liaison to the entity as

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Patient at outreach receiving one of the many medical services offered by the NGO

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Brazil: Police warn visitors, ‘Don’t scream if robbed’

(BBC News) BRAZILIANBrazilian police have put together a pamphlet of top tips for staying safe during the World Cup next month, with suggestions such as making sure not to scream if someone tries to rob you, it is reported.

"Do not react, scream or argue," says the brochure, which will be handed out by Brazilian embassies and consulates, Estadao de Sao Paulo newspaper reports. Sao Paulo police, who reportedly put together the document, are aiming their security tips at football fans planning to attend the World Cup tournament that kicks off in June.

The idea is apparently to warn visitors not to provoke robbers into further violence, and avoid the increasingly common crime of "latrocinios" - or robbery that ends in murder. "Tourists come mainly from Europe and the United States, where they do not see this Please turn to page XXXII

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There will be tight security at World Cup football games

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Post-Fukushima, Japan’s favourite monster may never go home again

By Elaine Lies

(REUTERS) – HE’S DARK and lumbering, crashing through cities and destroying them with swipes of his massive tail and blasts of radioactive breath. Godzilla is back on the rampage, roaring and stomping, for the first time in ten years.

But the much-anticipated return of Japan's most famous and beloved monster, 60 years and 28 movies after he first rose from the depths following a hydrogen bomb test, has been filmed not in the land of his birth but in the United States - and analysts say there is a chance he may never go back to his homeland.

For in the wake of the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years, when a tsunami tore through the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and touched off meltdowns that spewed radiation over a wide swathe of countryside, Godzilla and his traditional anti-nuclear

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A tourist bus passes a statue of movie monster Godzilla in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX forecourt on Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California, May 9, 2014. (Credit: Reuters/David McNew)

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NGO sets example in medical ...

From page XVI

a gesture of goodwill, this according to the organisation’s CEO. Khan was instrumental in coordinating a team of dedicated doctors, pharmacists and volunteers who have vehemently advocated for and succeeded in acquiring wheelchairs for physiotherapy at the Suddie Hospital, Region 2 (Pomeroon Supenaam), which are loaned to patients and returned to the care of the facility after they would have recovered, so that others could benefit from them.

The organisation played an integral role in alleviating shortages at the Blood Bank at the

Chronicle Pepperpot May 18, 2014

Georgetown Public Hospital. Some 172 units of blood were donated from medical outreaches conducted at Leonora, La Grange and Providence, with a proposed blood drive to be convened in Anna Regina. This move has been approved by the Anna Regina Town Council, and will be facilitated by the Ministry of Health, according to Khan, who was also identified as being a Patient Care Advocate appointed by the Minister of Health.

Khan observed that in no way was it possible to accomplish the works done by the organisation had it not been for the kind patronage of supporting entities. He noted that the Ministry of Health was integral in facilitating the organisation in its interventions, particularly in the donation of medical supplies. The CEO reiterated that the organisation had seen sizable contributions from Best Buy Pharmacy, Mike’s Pharmacy, Twin’s Pharmacy, Discount Palace of Lusignan.

GIRO clothing distribution at Lima Sands

Masjid Al Kahf- Lima Sands, before and after GIRO clean-up campaign

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Golden love fused with glitzy fashion dazzle at

2014 Mother and Daughter Pageant L oved shimmered in golden droplets, richly accentuated by top-notch glitzy fashion last Saturday, as the contestants of the 2014 Mother and Daughter Pageant set the National Cultural Centre ablaze with startling colour.

And with a dazzling hue associated with ‘Storybook Fairyland’, the contestants put on a show that drew ‘oooohs’, and ‘aaaahs’ of amazement from the audience which received a treat of a lifetime.

The show kicked off with the contestants in the Junior Category taking to the stage, lighting up the venue with twinkling eyes, beaming smiles and ‘stage moves’ of a lifetime.

And the various designers certainly unleashed their creativity as outfits of ginable dreamy nature blazed across the stage, the

wearers strutting and showcasing with confidence that added much lustre to their apparel.

There were fairies and goddesses, water nymphs and pretty urchins, all unleashing shining charisma as they vied to outdo the other. The mothers were enthralling, but it was the little ‘missies’ who stirred up the audience with captivating moves and finesse like so many professionals.

The audience whooped in delight as the battle surged on, but none could match the aura of the enchanting Renata Exeter and Princess Azalyah, who stole every heart with peppy girlish demeanour, saucy moves, and dashing smiles that sent the battle fire flashing in their eyes. Of course they were the eventual winners in this segment.

In second place were the delightful Tessa Pratt and Ariana, while the very impressive Jennel Lynch-Davis and Sade

took the third spot. This segment was sponsored by Igloo Ice Cream and Sterling Products, and was further heightened with very suave female models sashaying gracefully as they showcased large cups of custom-made Igloo Ice Cream promos.

Hosted under the theme, ‘Love that glitters is Gold’, this was the 23rd production for the successful Supa Stylistic Team.

The contestants in the middle category took things to a pinnacle of excitement bringing to life a fusion of clashing liquid colour, accentuated with creative cuts and styles that spoke excellent fashion volumes for those who created them.

This time around the mothers could not be outdone and blazed a surprisingly scorching trail as they brought to the platter a rich mix of saucy moves, enthralling aura

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Some of the highlights that added glitz and glamour to the prestigious pageant.

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Central Mahaicony Bustling with activity and refreshing village camaraderie

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By Alex Wayne

HIS WEEK, I certainly relished my trip to the East Coast Demerara countryside, and marvelled at the great camaraderie evident almost everywhere in Central Mahaicony, a place where everyone seems to have deep love for, and harmony with, each other.

MAHAICONY

Mahaicony is a very large district encompassing an attractive clutch of dynamic villages, most of which reflect a jovial, upbeat, old-world aura that compels the visitor to return after spending time in any one of them.

Mahaicony villages are always abuzz with some positive activity; and the people always seem to be on the move in pursuit of some objective or the other. One area that has certainly piqued my interest is the popular ‘Central Mahaicony’, which, over the years, has become a mind-boggling fusion of approximately four villages, all seemingly growing steadily into a posh settlement with fantastic economic potential that cannot be hid.

The very alluring spectacle that seems to entice visitors is the way in which the residents of Farm, Zeskendren, L’Enterprise, and even those residing along the Railway Embankment seem to have come together as one, somewhat obscuring the fact that ‘Central Mahaicony’ is made up of several villages.

Mahaicony falls within the administration of Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice), the country’s premier agricultural region.

It shares a boundary with De Hoop, Mahaica on the west, and extends to Calcutta, immediately west of the Abary River, which divides West Coast Berbice from the easternmost extremity of the County of Demerara.

The major economic activities of Mahaicony are fishing, farming and, to a lesser extent, hunting; and Mahaicony produces over 15,000 metric tonnes of paddy each year.

Mahaicony is usually affected by flooding during the rainy season; but during the dry weather, ponds dry up.

MAHAICONY IN BYGONE YEARS According to the elderly ‘Auntie Majorie’, who has been selling metai, cheese sticks and other sweets by the market square for several years, although she’s confined to a wheelchair, she braves the sun every day, making sure she equips herself with a really large umbrella.

She said that in years gone by, the area now called Central Mahaicony was not the bustle of activity it is today. This location was very quiet in those days, as residents adopted the ‘stay in position’ attitude, meaning that they preferred the comfort of their homes to the freedom of the outdoors, unless they had to go shopping or run other errands.

There were many areas which were very bushy and rugged, especially the railway lines that were used by commuters and travellers in the great old age of the train and train lines.

Today, several large metal structures remain to tell the tale of chugging train rides from outside villages to Central Mahaicony. One such steel structure is the enormous railway structure that had allowed trains access across the Mahaicony River.

During that time, it was the Gonsalves Grocery Outlet that supplied the needs of residents, and persons even travelled from as far as Calcutta Village, some five miles away, to stock

up on their pantry supplies. This area was always the ‘busy point’ of the Mahaicony District, since farmers and vendors gathered close by on weekends to sell their produce at the junction of the Central Mahaicony Public Road and the Perth Village Access Road.

That popular grocery outlet has now been bought by a prominent businessman, and has been converted to the N. Singh Lumber Yard and Hardware Store.

In years gone by, Central Mahaicony was also a business point for hire car drivers transporting travellers to Perth Village and other areas, and everyone loved to shelter from the elements under the ancient towering building left by the Dutch. That building has since been torn down by the same businessman, and a spanking new and attractive supermarket has taken its place.

And now that the Chinese have rented a spot adjoining the supermarket, Central Mahaicony will soon enjoy excellent Chinese cuisine.

The old Texaco Gas Station is situated just close by. The gas station is no more, but the rotting structure reminds villagers of the excitement they felt when the gas station was erected over 25 years ago.

Villagers are not really missing anything, since the Guyana Oil Company has erected a gas station within a few rods of the Mahaicony Bridge, which is also in Central Mahaicony. And this gas station also sports a cafeteria where can be obtained hot snacks and drinks.

On many days in the 70s and 80s, Central Mahaicony would be almost void of activity, but certainly not today.

Shops have popped up all over, and there always seems to be a flurry of people around, tending to their business or just chatting or taking a stroll.

And in the olden days, residents had to wait for the annual Mahaicony School Fair as a form of major entertainment; but today, Collis Nunes’s Guinness Bar at Zeskendren is attracting patrons from all walks of life, and even from the city.

is no more, and the structure is rotting, taking away memories of the good old days.

In the early 80s, the road leading to the first wooden bridge that allowed vehicular transport across the Mahaicony River would become active only during the Saturday Market scene.

Today snackettes and shops have been erected along the road shoulders. There are now butchers’ shops, mini bars, and many small outlets selling clothing and other items.

Central Mahaicony now boasts two barber shops, and several barbers also work from their homes. It is just fun to watch the upbeat villages and the wave of merriment that engulfs them as their residents interact in the streets and byways, their laughter sounding like music to the ears.

The Midway, owned by Conrad Charles, is not the small structure it used to be. Things have changed, and it is now a much larger and striking joint that is satisfying the grumbling stomachs of Mahaicony residents and those from afar.

EDUCATION There is a government institution of secondary learning, the Mahaicony Secondary School, and there is also a school at Novar which provides secondary education. Overcrowded classrooms are one of several problems faced by both teachers and students of Mahaicony Secondary School. Despite these limitations, Mahaicony Secondary has been achieving high percentage passes in all subject areas at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams.

There are also a primary and a nursery school, and a play school has also now become available to villagers at Central Mahaicony.

THE GUINNESS BAR What some ten years ago was just a very small shop at which a few men would gather to drink rum and whisky has now evolved into the ‘Mahaicony Hotspot’, and is certainly setting the youths and oldsters on fire.

On practically any day, persons can be found playing pool, dominoes, or just filling up on Banks Beer and Guinness Stout at this joint, which seems to have an unexplainable magnetic pull for the residents, according to villagers.

From Wednesday night things heat up, and the crowds begin to build with expectation of meeting the ‘Mahaicony gals’, who, it seems, have thrown away all inhibitions these days and are donning some of the most provocative attire.

On Wednesday night, the ‘Banks Beer Frenzy’ begins, and patrons can win fantastic Banks DIH giveaways.

On Friday nights, all Mahaicony seems to converge at this bar in a huge and wild mass of swaying bodies, and the ‘Guinness Stampede’ begins. Patrons are offered smart deals on the Guinness sale.

The Guinness Bar aside, a few smaller clubs have popped up around Central Mahaicony, and these would keep parties of much smaller volume. But before this wild, entertainment fiesta, it was the Pool’s Night Club that would ‘get it locked’ for villagers wanting to have a real good time. This business

A section of the very impressive Central Mahaicony D

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The Mahaicony boat stelling is in dire need of repairs.

Guyana’s boxing icon Terrence Halley originated from Mahaicony.

In the surrounding areas, primary schools are scattered from Zeeland in the west, to Calcutta in the east, to Mora Point in the Deep South. Access to primary education is not a problem, but the culture of the community is that teens take up employment in the agricultural field at an early age, hence few attend secondary school. The general reasoning is that somebody has to do the farming.

LIVELIHOOD Some years ago, most residents were engaged in farming as a means of survival, while others were employed at the rice mills in the nearby Perth Village, or the then existing Burma Rice Mill, some eight miles away. A few sought employment at Uncle Ray’s Workshop, which was really a very large joint that undertook repairing of vehicles and electrical appliances.

Today, the popularity of this workshop has dwindled, and with it the scope for employment.

Some have sought jobs as nurses, others as teachers; and some have their little food stalls and shops selling clothing and related accessories. There are a few drivers as well, but quite a few have netted employment at the still new N. Singh Lumber Yard and Hardware Store.

District

This little lad is so proud of his darling pet puppy, ‘Lucila’.

Young Briana Williams aspires to make Mahaicony proud by becoming a medical doctor Some of Central Mahaicony’s grown children have joined the Guyana Police Force, and quite a few are actually working in their home territory.

And, of course, some persons are still actively engaged in farming on lands adjacent to the railway embankment and in the backlands.

It appears like vending is the order of the day, since this seems to be bringing in the quickest dollar.

HEALTHCARE The Government of Guyana has recently renovated

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Students of the Mahaicony Secondary School chit chat during a lunch break.

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Central Mahaicony From centre pages

the district hospital. Along with the renovation came an upgrade of the equipment and other facilities at the hospital. Many people have welcomed the upgrade, and would like the Government to upkeep the hospital in its current state, and further improve on it. Some residents feel that more nurses are needed at the facility.

There are several health centres across Mahaicony, so access to basic healthcare is not a problem.

INTERACTING WITH VILLAGERS Today, Central Mahaicony has a very impressive infrastructural layout, showcasing some of the more modern and almost exotic looking buildings; and development seems to be escalating rapidly, since residents there join forces in conducting several exercises to ensure their village is kept clean and they reside in comfort.

On entering the very breezy village, we encountered the aged and very cheery soul named Reginald Rockcliffe, who took us into his home as he told his tale on issues surrounding the village.

Rockcliffe tells a stirring story of toiling in the broiling sun to develop and level his land to have it fit for cash crop cultivation and for living purposes.

He said that since drainage is still a bugbear to the village from time to time, his feat of raising the level of the land above flood level was not easy.

He lauds the Government for its intervention on renovating the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital, and is pleased that the area now has a community centre and playfield to host leisure time activities.

Every village has its problems, and life has its ups and downs; so I certainly did expect some villagers to lament over some issue or the other.

Despite the jovial banter of residents and their flashing smiles, there seems to be some turbulence that needed addressing.

Villagers use the Mahaicony River to access the villages along the river bank, and fishermen also use an area on the river (close to the police station) to moor their boats as they wait the correct tides. They also sell their catch there, and would spend sometimes weeks at this location before going home to their families.

However, what was really a good small boat stelling many years ago has become a very rotten structure which can collapse at any time, according to many boat captains. Water has rotted the large planks that were driven into the river to sustain the structure, and the structure is now also very shaky.

There are large holes on the stelling floor, since lots of the wood has rotted away, and careless persons can fall through gaping holes.

Boat Captain Shivnauth Shamlall was adamant that urgent repairs need to be effected to the structure to avoid any impending catastrophe. “Boss, we wukking like this fuh years now with this boat landing falling apart, and nobody ain’t doing anything! The water rotten out de wood; and if a boat should crash into this thing, I sure it gon collapse. People are using this landing to travel up the river, and it ain’t safe at all, especially when mothers with young children got to walk on the landing.

“It ain’t safe at all, boss! We talk till we weary, but nobady ain’t doing anything because dem just ain’t care! When somebody dead, then maybe dem gon repair this boat landing!”

Shamlall lamented.

Vegetable vendor Afiya Sealey said she certainly disapproves of the way they are made to vend -- without any form of toilet facilities. “I don’t know what is going on, sir. Imagine, we are selling here for years, and we keep complaining to the Village Council that we need to have toilet facilities; but every time we talk, it fall on deaf ears.

“Imagine, we have to run great distances or catch cars and go home to ease our bowels or to urinate. Someone certainly has to look into this matter. We are human beings and at least deserve to ply our trade with a little comfort,” she said.

Other vendors felt there is vital need for youth groups to be initiated in the district to keep the large volume of youths gainfully employed. Rose Trotman feels that lack of such activity is forcing the youths to engage in alcohol consumption and other negative activities.

“There are many youths in Central Mahaicony, and most of them are unemployed because of lack of jobs. What needs to be done is for prominent citizens to form youth groups and

The one-man-band is quite a popular feature in the area.

Everyone lives as ‘one’ in Central Mahaicony

Villagers engage in self help work to renovate their homes and businesses teach them trades, so that they can be(come) positive persons.

Also, groups need to be formed to instill in them discipline and the need to boost their self-esteem.

“There is a trade school just a short distance over the bridge, but the young people are refusing to go, since all they are concerned with is ganging up at the Guinness Bar to drink alcohol and behave reckless”.

Some villagers lamented the need to fill three huge potholes on the road shoulder in front of the Mahaicony Police Station. Some said that these holes have done much damage to vehicles, and cause much discomfort for residents during heavy rainfall.

Vendors are lamenting the state of the Mahaicony Post Office, which has been left to deteriorate, and is presently in

The Mahaicony ladies take great pride in their appearances, and take time out for a little pampering. a deplorable state. Examining the structure, I was aghast to realize there was green moss on the walls, which are rotting in some places. Windows need repairing, the steps too, and the poor building was crying out for a coat of paint. To think that authorities would allow their employees to work in this condition and have villagers do business in such unpleasant surroundings is appalling.

SELF-HELP INDULGENCE What struck me and was very pleasing to the eyes was the manner in which villagers exude a ‘ready to go attitude’, and seemed ‘ready to fix things’ in the village, and not wait on the relative authorities, who sometimes drag

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XXX

Post-Fukushima, Japan’s favorite monster ...

From page XXI

subtext may simply be too touchy a subject for any Japanese film maker to handle.

"Godzilla gains his strength from nuclear power and he spews radiation everywhere," said Toshio Takahashi, a literature professor at Tokyo's Waseda University. "If

Godzilla appeared (in Japan) now, he'd ultimately force people to ask themselves hard questions about Fukushima."

The nuclear disaster at the plant 220 km (130 miles) northeast of Tokyo is a sensitive subject in Japan. Directors making

Chronicle Pepperpot May 18, 2014 mass-market films about Fukushima tiptoe into the debate or set their movies in an unspecified future. Sponsors are skittish and overall film revenues falling, with viewers shying away from anything too political.

Things were different when Godzilla first crashed ashore in 1954, a symbol of both atomic weapons - less than a decade after Hiroshima and Nagasaki - and frustrations with the United States, which had just held a hydrogen bomb test at Bikini atoll that irradiated a boat full of Japanese fishermen.

The high-powered reboot of Godzilla, directed by Gareth Edwards and out in U.S. theaters from Friday from Warner Bros Pictures and Legendary Pictures, features stars including Juliette Binoche and Ken Watanabe.

It gives a nod to Fukushima with a tsunami - set off by monsters - hitting Hawaii, and a no-go zone in Japan after a nuclear accident years before. But much of the story, and most of the destruction, takes place in the United States, far from Godzilla's birthplace.

"GODZILLA EQUALS RADIATION" Japan's March 11, 2011, natural and nuclear disaster killed nearly 20,000 people and forced some 160,000 people to evacuate, with tens of thousands unable to return. The plant still battles radioactive water and decommissioning is expected to take decades and cost billions of dollars.

"You can basically think of Godzilla equal ling radiation.

It's something that can't be solved by human strength or power, and it attacks," said film critic Yuichi Maeda.

"The reactors currently can't be made normal by humans if there's an accident. It's the same with Godzilla."

Sixty years ago, the black-and-white version of the towering, dinosaur-like creature - his name combines "gorilla" and the Japanese word for whale - packed viewers into theaters.

"That year was also when Japan was starting to debate the peaceful use of nuclear energy," said Takahashi. "So the movie expressed fears about nuclear power as well as weapons."

The nuclear theme was a constant through the Cold War, although Godzilla, who remained a man in a rubber suit stomping through model cities - a touch that humanized him to many - gradually lost his edge and took on a more cuddly tone.

His radioactive connections were blurred in the last few films before film company Toho ended the series, Takahashi noted, perhaps because of a series of accidents at Japanese nuclear facilities around then, including a 1999 criticality accident set off by workers mixing compounds that killed two.

A U.S. version of Godzilla in 1998 was widely panned.

Early reviews of the new film are mixed, with many in Japan saying the monster looks "fat". It opens in Japan in late July, timed to hit school summer holidays.

A Toho spokesman said the company abandoned the franchise in 2004 on its 50th anniversary because the timing was right, and that no decision has been made about future revivals in Japan.

"The current movie has a message that is a warning from nature about things mankind has done," he said. "We have to see how people respond, including those who experienced Fukushima."

Takahashi says that Godzilla's longevity shows there is something far deeper at work than the usual monster movie.

"Godzilla shows us that we must return to our dark past and then accept it," he said. "His purpose is to make us question ourselves. So I think we need to still walk with him a little more, especially after Fukushima."

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Golden love fused with glitzy fashion dazzle ...

From page XXIII and smiles that mirrored a lifetime of love and blissful affection for their daughters.

This segment saw an intoxicating mixture of catchy cocktail pieces, dreamy summer dresses, suave pantsuits, and evening creations full of feminine glitz and glamour. Pleats were arranged magically, and ruffles and flounces were infused with billowing skirts, and clinging bodies.

For this segment it was local fashion taken to the very limits of true Guyanese creativity and designing talent. The pieces that really stood out throughout the entire night were created by designers Olympia Small-Sonoram and Mwanza Glenn.

The battle was fierce and almost gruelling, but none could match the fire ignited by Sandra Johnson and Nokasy who took the top honours. In second place were Marguerita JohnDeen and Tibina, while Urva Connel and Quianna were third.

Then everyone gripped their seat and breath was bated as the contestants in the Senior Category got ready to make their grand entrances.

Breath-taking Caribbean shades glided across the stage, mingling with sombre European hues that were smartly at times interwoven with the trademark colours of South America. The Guyanese gold and greens seemed to blend naturally, creating an ambience that reeked of dew-dropped roses and pretty water lilies unfurling their soft petals to absorb the radiance of the blue sky. Hazy tones exploded amongst a blinding kaleidoscope of scarlet reds, metallic silver, pulsating pinks, moody mauves, stirring whites and mellow yellows that heralded the cheery chirping of Caribbeans .

Gowns clung suggestively to adorable curves, billowed out in glorious ruffles, riddled with plunging necklines and styles that bared sapodilla shoulders.

Heavenly trails of glittering fabric swirled headily behind

the models, bringing to life pairs upon pairs of majestic angels and starry eyed little fairies, filling our hearts with laughter.

As the audience became engulfed in the magical wonderland tale unfolding before them, the contestants further propelled their adrenaline with steps, glides and feminine swirls that evoked a spirit of divine allure in the National Cultural Centre.

As expected, the ever smiling Badyawattie Dindyal and Latita took the top spot, with Felicia Geness and Katusha grinding on their heels for the second position. Copping third place was the very suave Carmel Williams and Leah.

Each segment oozed a cauldron of motherly love that boiled over, spilling harmony and a vivid inseparable bond between mothers and daughters.

The show was made even better with spectacular performances from the Heatwave Band’s Calvin Burnette and members of the National School of Dance.

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Brazil: Police warn visitors ...

From page XIX

crime very often," says Mario Leite, who is in charge of World Cup security in Sao Paulo.

Tourists are also advised not to flaunt valuable objects that might attract robbers, to be careful at night, make sure they are with other people and to check nobody is following them.

The guidelines might sound extreme, but police officer Mario Leite says they are there to deal with realities on the ground. "There is no use crying over spilt milk," he says.

Brazil has one of the world's highest murder rates. In 2012, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said 25.2 people are killed per 100,000 population

Chronicle Pepperpot May 18, 2014 There is a tense relationship between Brazilians and the security forces

Chronicle Pepperpot May 18, 2014

Worse Than Sex? ‘M’ Is for ...

From page X

whether promoting masturbation might discourage school-aged children from riskier sexual activity, Elders agreed, noting that children should be taught that masturbation is a natural part of human sexuality.

Conservatives, already outraged by her progressive views on abortion and drugs, construed her as saying masturbation should be taught in schools. An embattled President Clinton, whose own seed-spilling later sucked the life out of his presidency, saw this as a step too far.

So, in Elders' honor, Good Vibrations says: We started National Masturbation Month -- now International Masturbation Month with people celebrating across the globe! -- to raise awareness and to highlight the importance of masturbation for nearly everyone: it's safe, it's healthy, it's free, it's pleasurable and it helps people get to know their bodies and their sexual responses. Of all the kinds of sex people can have, masturbation is the most universal and important, yet few people talk about it freely -- worse, many people still feel it is "second best" or problematic in some way. Masturbation Month lets us emphasize how great it is: it's natural, common and fun!

POLITICS OF THE PULL The U.S. political battle over masturbation that led to Elders' firing nearly two decades ago represents one minor shift in a centuries-old ideological tug-of-war over self-pleasure.

The history of attitudes toward masturbation -- from the ancient Egyptians, whose creator god Atum masturbated the universe into being and then generously continued to control the Nile's flooding by his ejaculations, to the ancient Indians with their rather athletic how-to instructions in the Kama Sutra -- makes for fascinating reading.

The Judeo-Christian tradition has usually not embraced, and occasionally condemned, the solitary vice. But things got seriously weird in the 18th century, when masturbation attracted the blame for all manner of evils and ailments. One early pamphlet, published anonymously, really says it all in the wonderfully descriptive title: Onania, or the Heinous Sin of self-Pollution, And All Its Frightful Consequences, In Both Sexes, Considered: With Spiritual and Physical Advice To Those Who Have Already Injured Themselves By This Abominable Practice.

Nineteenth-century quacks such as Rev. Sylvester Graham lectured against the dire health consequences of "venereal excess" and the corrupting evils of self-pollution. Today much of his health recommendations look like common sense: exercise, bathing, brushing teeth, drinking clean water and consuming a diet of mostly vegetables and whole grains.

Visionary as he was, he is remembered because the bland diet he promoted, and the whole-wheat Graham cracker he invented, were designed to dampen libido. Likewise, the equally odd Dr. John Harvey Kellogg proclaimed, "If illicit commerce of the sexes is a heinous sin, self-pollution is a crime doubly abominable." Masturbation is worse than sex?

Not as good, maybe, but worse? Kellogg's lasting contribution to suppressing libido was the insipid corn flake.

And it wasn't only the self-abuser who was in line to suffer. In "What a Young Woman Ought to Know," Mary Wood Allen counseled young ladies to consider the fate of their asyet unborn offspring. Does this sound familiar?

The results of self-abuse are most disastrous. It destroys mental power and memory, it blotches the complexion, dulls the eye, takes away the strength, and may even cause insanity. It is a habit most difficult to overcome, and may not only last for years, but in its tendency be transmitted to one's children.

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Central Mahaicony From page XXVI

their feet on issues.

As we walked about the village, some young men could be seen weeding drains and yards overgrown with bushes, while others were observed mixing cement by the roadside to effect repairs to buildings, and alterations to their homes.

We were very surprised when told that some of the more magnificent buildings in the housing scheme were actually built through combined family efforts.

Speaking to grocery story proprietrix Pamela Charles, we received information that, on weekends, residents and a few males join forces to clean and upgrade the ball field they are attempting to create for the youths of Belfield. While they seem to be making headway with their positive exploits, Charles noted that they faced a major problem which, over time, has grown into a very serious issue for them to deal with.

“Mahaicony is made up of many families and households, and we are very proud that we have obtained a proper playfield for the children. I am very angry, however, that persons from outside our district are dumping garbage around the ball field and other areas even as we attempt to clean and develop the place”.

Abary Village. They use that area as a port to go to sea and return, and to trade their daily catch.

Many complain that the structure is in a broken down state and is unsafe for fishermen to use in attending to their business. Some fear that, in an extremely high tide, there can be immense flooding.

ENTICING HARMONY

Garbage is disposed of either by burning or by dumping surreptitiously by night. The place chosen for this nefarious activity is an open plot quite close to the stalls at the Mahaicony Market.

Since in olden days, Central Mahaicony has always been a village where harmony flows naturally amongst dwellers. As we traversed sandy streets and passed animals grazing lazily in the hot sun, housewives could be seen chatting from their bedroom windows to others in their yards, peals of feminine laughter renting the air as they exploded mirthfully at their very suggestive jokes and girlish gossip.

Their chiselled bodies shining in the sun, men bellowed at each other in ‘mock wrath and anger’, as they argued and chided each other over games of cards and dominoes at a few small stalls by the roadside.

Youngsters hopped about gleefully in open yards, tumbling over each other as they engaged in games of circle tennis, hop-scotch and marbles.

Conversations in the grocery outlets were jovial and merry as mothers stocked up on their kitchen supplies and goodies for the kids.

Young girls going on errands were in pleasant conversation, pausing every now and then to showcase their ‘gesticulating sauciness’ as they discussed ‘boyfriend topics’ and hot school gossip quite loudly, without a care in the world.

FOLKLORE On Emancipation Day every year, villagers would don African wear and would sing, dance and engage in great festivity in the streets.

Some elderly folks in the village reflected on nights of story-telling around campfires; picnics in the woods or savannahs; and of course the traditional yearly soiree event at which great masses congregate for a night of sizzling activity, where they ‘connect with their roots’.

There are quite a few single-parent mothers in the village, but what was noted is that these mothers are not waiting around for the irresponsible fathers to ‘come up with the cash’, but instead engage themselves in economic activities.

GARBAGE DISPOSAL

Getting that ready supply of fresh vegetables for household uses.

An emotional Kavita Ramchand, vendor at the market, voiced her concerns: “This is a very serious problem, and it needs addressing immediately! We have no proper garbage disposal system in Central Mahaicony, and, as such, many business places and individuals would throw their garbage in that open spot outside the market!

“This is a serious health hazard, since the garbage begins to smell terrible and the heap continues to grow.

Some days it’s almost impossible for me to open my shop with the intolerable stench that comes from the garbage pile”.

Vendors said they have approached their village council with the problem, and have been told it would be addressed; but nothing has been done to ease their plight.

Aside from their peeves, it was quite a thrill to soak up the tropical beauty, the festive atmosphere, and jovial banter of these very happy people.

This village is simply adorable, and the way in which residents attempt to meet their needs through self-orchestrated means is truly amazing.

But I urge you, readers, to hop into a bus or car, let down your hair if you have any, and let the fresh country breeze invigorate you as you journey to this now impressive Mahaicony District to enjoy the story of its birth and continuous evolvement.

You will live to tell the story that sprawling pastures and verdant foliage can certainly be transformed to some of the more spectacular locations if we really just put our minds and energies to the task of conversion.

Selling vegetables at the Mahaicony Market Square rakes in a quick dollar for some residents.

EMPLOYMENT Despite what was told me earlier, this village, it seemed, was not affected by unemployment; since its inhabitants are either working in other areas, or are gainfully employed as shop owners or mini-bus drivers, or are engaged in other activities.

It was a pleasurable sight to watch mothers watering young vegetable gardens as they kids trailed after them, trying to be of some assistance in one way or the other.

In some homes, mothers were busy cooking up a storm, and the succulent aroma of polouri, egg balls, dhal puri and fried chicken wafted in the air. These items would be displayed in tidy looking little glass cases later in the afternoon, for sale to villagers and school children as they trek home to their various houses.

And some seemed to be making quite a fortune on the sale of custard blocks, icicles, cubed ice, and cool down (local fruit juice in plastic bags). I almost guffawed at the amusing sight of little boys attempting to lick the apparently delicious trails that ran down their wrists and even elbows as the custard blocks melted in the sun.

Some residents are either pork-knockers in the interior, or work with the SAJ Rice Milling Complex at Burma, some five miles away. Some earn a living from selling vegetables and other items at the Mahaicony Market Square, especially on weekends.

Just a few may have obtained jobs as teachers at the Mahaicony Secondary and Primary schools, while others travel some five miles away to Perth Village (Mahaicony) to work with various entities as labourers.

Regular employment abounds only periodically during the rice harvesting season, when rice farmers in Calcutta, Pert Village and other outside villages would require labour for harvesting, paddy drying, and of course milling.

Those who have resorted to fishing are complaining bitterly about the state of the sluice area, some distance away at

Youth in Mahaicony indulge in barbering which rakes in a quick dollar

Taking an evening stroll...

These lads cool down with lemonade at a road side stall

Everyone tries to make an honest dollar in this district

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Melissa Sophia Varswyk Melissa Sophia Varswyk.

The Rwanda genocide made her become a doctor

G

By Telesha Ramnarine

ROWING up, she had in mind becoming a lawyer; but at age 14, in 1994, when she saw a CNN report on the Rwanda crisis, for which several UN doctors had to be deployed to help save lives, she decided that she wanted to become a doctor.

This was a moment of impact for Melissa Sophia Varswyk. It made her think about the welfare of others and ways in which she could be of assistance to them.

“That is what really inspired me; and actually, last year I went to Vienna and I met three young people who were representing Rwanda, and we were discussing that same period, and one of them was born in that same year, during the genocide. It was an ‘aha’ moment for me, because I was telling them what I was seeing, and it was kind of an emotional moment that we all went through at that point. I never ever forgot that period,” she recalled in an interview with the Chronicle.

From that point in 1992 on, Melissa, now 34, took her science studies seriously, and eventually ventured into the science stream, though this was not the popular course.

The majority of students were pursuing business and Please see page XXXVII

Melissa’s moment with Ban Ki-moon last year.

Chronicle Pepperpot May 18, 2014

From page XXXVI arts studies, but Melissa enjoyed being part of the small science class.

Melissa, who describes herself as a career woman and a humanitarian, was born to parents Mary and Uray, and has spent all of her life so far in Georgetown. She attended Palmsville Nursery, Winfer Gardens Primary, St. Joseph’s High, and the University of Guyana .

She did a first degree in biology while at UG, and finished off medicine in one of the offshore medical schools in Guyana. She graduated as a doctor, and is now in the process of opening her own medical school.

HER OWN MEDICAL SCHOOL Only last year, Melissa came up with the idea of opening a

medical school, and related this to a few persons, who thought it was brilliant. And it is understandable why she now feels “very accomplished,” because the school is set to open in a matter of weeks.

The school, in Bel Air Gardens, is a partnership arrangement, and Melissa will be taking up the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Melissa wanted to open her own school because she found that private medical schools in Guyana operate mainly for the money first and foremost. “The interest of the students is not even second. It’s all about the money. I went through the system before. I hated it. I know what I went through as a student, and I am basically trying to correct that and, at the same time, provide an education,” she explained.

The National Accreditation Council has promised to go for a site visit at the end of the month, and so Melissa and the

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team are excited. “There is a lot more yet to be done. I am always trying to make myself busy. If I find a million and one things that I can do, I will do them. I just like to keep myself busy. I still have to go save all the kids in Africa and Syria,” she joked.

On a serious note, though, Melissa does plan to visit these children in the future. “I like promoting education, especially STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

I am a STEMstress. This is something girls don’t get involved in much; so promoting it is one of my next five-years visions.

I also hope to have a STEM school, because that’s basically the way forward. We are not promoting it much in Guyana because the majority of students right now are in social sciences. We are building cities in the sky. Everything is about robots. That is the future. Why are we not getting there? That is where the money of all the big countries is going.”

POSITIVE THINKING Melissa basically started with just one idea, and has managed to reach far with it. She credits her success positive thinking and having faith. “Just staying positive. The mind is so powerful. Whatever you think about, whatever you put out there, that’s what can happen. So when I get an idea, I just say it’s going to happen despite how bizarre it is. And I’m telling you it works. Trust me. The mind is a powerful instrument.”

For instance, when she visited Vienna last year to attend a UN conference, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was present where it was being kept, and Melissa was determined to meet him before it was over.

He was in a private meeting with heads of state and had all of his bodyguards around. One of them went up to Melissa and they began chatting. He is from Trinidad, and he introduced her to the head of security who is a Guyanese. The head security brought Ban-Ki-moon over, and Melissa had a chance to take pictures with him and so forth. “It was another ‘aha’ moment I had. I tell you the power of positive thinking. Trust me.”

Within the next ten years, Melissa hopes to be in ‘People’ Magazine as one of the hundred most influential women.

“And you know the power of the mind,” she laughed.

MISS EMANCIPATION

Melissa, at left, with some of her colleagues in Vienna last year.

Melissa is the franchise owner of Miss Emancipation, Miss Emancipation Queen and Miss Emancipation Pageant.

She stressed that the event, which is held annually at the Cultural Centre, is not just a pageant, but a cultural experience.

One of the aims of the Miss Emancipation Show, she said, is to promote young African girls, and not only in the Diaspora. The girls go through extensive training, and Melissa helps in preparing them for the event.

The focus is not on modelling and the like. “I like to train the girls education wise; African lectures, women’s empowerment and so forth.” They are already in the process of preparing for this year’s event.

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ARIES - Take care of whatever happens to be on your to-do list -- during the day, at least. Expect a dear one to demand your time this evening, and don’t dare to refuse them. You’ve undoubtedly had all the fun you can stand by being good and all the stress you can handle after last week. Try to keep your opinions to yourself tonight. Why start it up all over again if you don’t have to?

TAURUS - Just the facts, ma’am -- that’s your style, your credo and what you’re famous for. It applies most to your style of communication, especially to conversations with strangers or platonic acquaintances. Right now, though, you’ll feel the need to go on at length, about the silliest things, too. Don’t worry; it’s temporary. In the meantime, chat up a storm and enjoy it.

GEMINI - It’s time to have that conversation you’ve been putting off for far too long. The good news is that you’re in the perfect mood to do it. Just be sure not to get too carried away. You may want to make up for lost time, but going overboard won’t help anything. Let the other party get a word in edgewise.

Remember, they’ve probably been holding on to a few things for a while, too.

CANCER - Have you been looking for a new and interesting companion?

Someone who’s just bright and witty enough to capture your attention and hold it? Well get ready, because they’re right around the corner. What do you have to do to ensure that the feelings will be mutual? Just show up and smile that dazzling smile. No one could ever resist you, especially when you’ve been waiting for them for so long.

LEO - It’s finally starting to dawn on you that it’s over, and that you’ve actually gotten yourself out of a really tough situation. You’re feeling free -- like it really is the first day of the rest of your life. Well, don’t stop now. If you have a couple of other changes in mind, this would be a good time to give them some energy and consideration, too. Why not make it a clean sweep?

VIRGO - You’ve been on an emotional roller coaster lately, haven’t you? And you’ve taken some of your friends and family members along for the ride, too.

Well, it’s time to get rid of all those emotions -- the highs and the lows -- and prepare yourself for some good, old-fashioned fun. Fun of the light-hearted variety. Your friends will be so relieved they may need to dab their eyes.

LIBRA - You’re entitled to give yourself the luxury of speaking your mind whenever you want to, and lately you’ve done just that. But today, you woke up without the urge to shout, spout or go on at length about anything at all.

It’s a bit of a relief, isn’t it? Well if you’re feeling that way, you can just imagine how your dear ones are feeling. Treat them to dinner at your place.

It’s only fair.

SCORPIO - Oh, here we go. Someone who obviously doesn’t know you -- or doesn’t know how close they can come to trouble with a few badly placed words -- has decided to push your buttons, just to see what will happen. After they manage to close their mouth, they’ll probably want to apologise. Whether or not you allow them to, is up to you. But it would be generous, at this point.

SAGITTARIUS - Someone who counts on you to keep things together for them will be on the phone -- or at your door -- in serious need of your talents.

Fortunately, you can calm them down especially well today, because you have what it takes to get the job done: Humour, wisdom and the gift of gab, which the heavens have tossed your way as of early this morning. Better get busy.

CAPRICORN - Everything you’re thinking, feeling and even remotely wondering will emerge immediately from your lips. No, that’s not your usual style, and yes, you’ll definitely be shocking and amazing the masses -- not to mention your inner circle. That doesn’t mean you should stop yourself, though. Not for a second. Say every word just the way you want to. It’s your turn to be unceremoniously blunt. Enjoy it.

AQUARIUS - While the rest of the world seems to be oh so eager to let go and just say it, whatever ‘it’ happens to be, you’re in the opposite mood for once. You want to keep quiet, draw back and watch. And it’s going to be quite amusing.

You’re so used to acting this way that it will be like watching a kid try to ride a bike for the first time. Be kind, though -- and offer some pointers, if you’re feeling especially generous.

PISCES - Spend the day keeping a nice, healthy distance between you and whomever you’ve been trying to duck out on -- even if you know they’ll notice and take offense. What’s more important, after all? Having a good day? Or placating someone who really does need to realise once and for all, that nobody in their right mind wants to be around a Debbie Downer. You win.

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Mileposts

Happy third wedding anniversary greetings to Delmar and Alana Ward.

May you enjoy many more years of wedded bliss. This wish comes from your loving daughter Adele, your parents, brothers and sisters and other family members and friends.

Happy 15th wedding anniversary greetings to Errol and Lecia Abriggo.

May every new tomorrow for you be as happy as today. Greetings from your children, family and friends.

Happy 39th wedding anniversary to Raymond and Dolly Jamaludeen, formerly of Corriverton, now residing in Canada.

Greeting from Mom Samsoon and Dad Jimmy, and brothers and sister in New York

We never thought this could happen: Angelina Jolie looks foolish.The actress is always flawless when she hits the red carpet, but on Monday night in NYC she had a huge makeup disaster -- when her face powder was nowhere near blended in on her forehead, chin and even chest.

Angie joined fiancé Brad Pitt for the premiere of "The Normal Heart," an upcoming HBO movie he produced with Ryan Murphy.

Minus the major makeup snafu, Jolie looked pretty great in a LBD and matching heels. She complemented Pitt, who was also dressed in a dark ensemble for the event. At least Jolie can rest easy knowing she's hardly the first actress to hit the red carpet looking less-thanperfect.

Stars like Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Miley Cyrus and Kelly Osbourne have all had makeup meltdowns before too ... and some of them were even worse than Jolie's!

ANGELINA JOLIE HAS A HUGE MAKEUP MALFUNCTION!

ANGELINA JOLIE TALKS WEDDING PLANNING, SAYS KIDS WILL PICK THE THEME!

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's wedding will be one fun family affair! The "Maleficent" star covers this week's PEOPLE magazine, where she opens up about her wedding plans with Pitt. Angie says that the couple's six kids will plan the wedding, and the themes they've already come up with are pretty adorable.

"They will, in a way, be the wedding planners," the actress says of children Maddox, 12, Pax, 10, Zahara, 9, Shiloh, 7, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 5. "It's going to be Disney or paintball – one or the other!" Adding, "Which is verging on hysterical, how kids envision a wedding." While the wedding has been a long time coming for the high-profile pair, Jolie also says that she and her 50-year-old fiance are already a family, despite not having an official title.

"You're not lovers or boyfriend and girlfriend as much as you are a family," she explains. The Oscar-winner -- who opted for a preventive double mastectomy last year -- says that she's content with her health decisions, too. "I'm really happy about the choices I've made, and I feel even more connected to other people, especially women," she reveals. Well, we think the 38-year-old looks amazing and she'll definitely make one gorgeous bride! What do you think about Jolie's candid comments?

BEYONCE & JAY Z SHARE PDA AFTER BLOWOUT SOLANGE FIGHT

Beyonce and Jay have been spotted again ... the first time since the video was released. They were seen sitting court side at Monday night's Nets' game in Brooklyn. They still look happy and are clearly putting on a united front in the wake of the Solange fight.

If these photos are any indication, Beyonce and Jay Z are still O.K. after his blowout battle with Solange Knowles ... or at least pretending to be. The two were seen courtside at Saturday night's game between the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets in NYC, where they shared some PDA in the front row.

At one point, Bey was seen smiling as her husband rubbed her leg. They were later seen chatting it up with Jake Gyllenhaal, who sat next to them. The sighting comes after TMZ's explosive video of Beyonce's sister attacking the rapper in an elevator at a Met Gala after-party last week. It's unclear what set off the fight, but Solange can be seen hitting and kicking her sister's husband ... while Beyonce did little to intervene.

JENNY MCCARTHY, 41, SHOWS OFF HOT BIKINI BOD IN SHAPE!

Jenny McCarthy is fit and fabulous! "The View" cohost graces the cover of the June issue of SHAPE magazine, where she's talking about everything from family and fitness to her fiance Donnie Wahlberg. The 41-year-old beauty, who shows off her hot bod in a red booty shorts and a white crop top, admits that she doesn't depend on a scale to maintain her weight.

"The last time I weighed myself was 12 years ago, when I left the hospital with my newborn son, Evan, and I was 185 pounds," she tells the mag. "Now I measure by

how my jeans fit. But I want to be real here and tell you that my weight goes up and down a lot."

So, how does she drop those unwanted pounds? "I was definitely up after the holidays last year, so I tried what everyone always says to do: running. I was on that treadmill every day for 45 minutes," she explains.

"I didn’t do anything fancy with intervals to spike my pulse rate, because I have palpitations and my heart can’t handle the intensity.

I did a moderate pace and kept it there the whole time.

After a few weeks, the extra

weight dropped off."

The blonde bombshell also opens up about the first time she saw her hubby-tobe. "The very first time I saw him, I was in eighth grade and New Kids on the Block was on MTV. I was like, ‘Who are they?’ I thought Donnie was the hottest one but too tough for me, because I was this goody twoshoes," she reveals. "But now when I look at him, I think, ‘I’m totally marrying a New Kid on the Block.'"

"His proposal was so sweet. One afternoon, my son walked into the living room with a piece of paper

that read, ‘Will.’ He ran out, then he came back with another piece that said, ‘You.’ Then he came

back with another piece that read, ‘Marry.’ Then Donnie walked in wearing a t-shirt that said, ‘Me?’

He was carrying the ring, he got down on his knee in front of Evan, and…I said yes."