Pepperpot 2015 7 19

Moruca Expo 2015 - to be held from July 23 to 26 under the theme ‘One Culture: Many Livelihoods’ ►

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Daily cruise for residents of Moruca

‘Tuffy’ The lost gem in my family

How to stave off chronic ► diseases in XX adolescents

The Beauty Industry…

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- begin with healthy eating habits and regular exercise

UG Lecturer Lois Stephanas

Cocktail hailed as alternative to

HEAVY RUM ► DRINKING XII

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► Page XVIII

► Page XI

Joan always knew she would end up here! ► Page XI

Produced and Edited by Mark Ramotar | Graphic and Layout Design by Duane Prince

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Black Crows Flying (Continuation)

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

maureen.rampertab@gmail.com

II

A story of trust, murder and an avenging soul

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By Maureen Rampertab ER revenge would be slow for they must suffer but she would give them space to live their lives until the stage was set for her final coming.

People were still talking about her death and the crows on her funeral day, wondering who were the guilty ones and what would happen next.

The questions and speculations were unnerving so the killers went their separate ways, not wanting to be seen together, each going his own way as the police investigations continued.

The DNA samples of the skin under her nails and hair found were in the lab waiting to be sent overseas for testing, but to hide their crime they had to ensure that it would yield no conclusive results.

One of the young detectives on the case was their friend and she had sat in the private corner of a bar and saw him take payment to tamper with the evidence.

She knew the detective and she smiled, cold fury in her eyes, “It’s your time.”

She waited until the midnight hour had passed and in the dead quiet of the night, the crows continued their mission, a message from hell. The screams of terror from the man’s family awoke the neighbourhood and his mother gasped, close to a heart failure.

“Oh my god, what was that? What is our sin?”

The detective knew what was happening but he couldn’t tell his mother. He could feel the presence of an evil force, close, almost suffocating him and a quiet voice, so cold, it chilled his bones, whispered, “Return the money, it cannot buy your life.”

They were at a bar drinking, a long way from

home, waiting on their detective friend, worried and restless.

“Do you think she will haunt us?” one of them asked.

“I don’t know,” another answered, “But I have a feeling something bad will happen.”

“Worse than what we did to her?”

None of them answered that question, not wanting to dwell on their unholy acts.

The detective arrived and sat down, not saying a word for a long moment as he took two shots of vodka on the rocks. The terror of last night was evident on his face, his friends realising something was dreadfully wrong.

“What is it?” they questioned. ► Continued on page III

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

III

Black Crows Flying ► From page II He returned the money in a paper bag and said hoarsely in a low voice, “I cannot risk putting my family’s life and sanity on the line for the sake of money.”

“Why this change of heart?”

He paused for a long moment then he said, “The crows came after midnight last night and they created such terror--”, his voice broke and he walked away, leaving the four friends, stunned, the bottles of vodka, not strong enough to numb their minds.

Uncertain what to do, fearful of her unbridled fury on a path of revenge, they sought the help of spiritualists.

“Our sons are innocent,” their mothers said, “How can they be protected?”

“If they are innocent then they have nothing to fear.” The spiritualists assured them, “That dark force was called for from a place our spiritual minds can’t cross. The agony and hate of the one who made that call is so deep, it has become evil and deadly.”

“There must be something you can do.” They pleaded, their desperation rising at the distant cawing sound of crows.

“For those whose hands are stained with her blood,” the spiritualists said, “they cannot escape her wrath, for hell answered her call.”

The sins of their lust spawned by evil, had spawned a greater evil.

At her thirteen day memorial service, prayers were chanted so her soul could ascend to Heaven and rest in peace but none she heard, her soul now the Devil’s.

She watched her killers, as new days were born, wanting to prolong their fear until they break down and reveal to the world, their unholy crime.

The shame and the scorn would be a life sentence for them, handcuffed and the keys thrown away.

Her mother continued to pray for her soul, days for her passing by with no other interest but her daughter’s waltz with evil continuing as freak accidents caused near death mishaps to her killers. Her real friends were beginning to look at them with suspicion and the police were pressured to give answers from their investigations.

The evidence was inconclusive and the killers did not crack under intense questioning because of their high priced lawyers.

Every rope has its own end is an old saying and when the end came, it was unforgettable, the final coming she had been waiting for.

Time was drawing closer for the finale and it came when the first one whose unkind hands had torn her clothes and touched her, laughing at her fear, announced his engagement.

The celebration was at a top class hotel in the city, only for family and special friends. The atmosphere, the lights and the décor, a beautiful affair until the rings were exchanged.

A pretty foreign girl, the fiancé was.

Pretty girls, innocent girls, one alive, one dead.

Time for her last dance as the lights flickered, the amps in the music set, smoked and a strong wind blew in, shattering the chandelier, a chilling scream filling the banquet hall.

She did not send the crows this time, she came

herself.

The smell of death filled the air as her vision appeared, creating a chaotic scene but no one could leave for the exits were sealed.

“Oh dear God, what is happening?!” were the cries of fear and shock as they cowered in corners.

She stood there in her torn dress, tears and sand on her face, bruised lips, wounds on her shoulders and arms, so the families and friends in that room could

see her, now for the last time.

The Priest who knew the young girl and her fate said, calmly, his words like the sound of bomb blasts in the hushed room.

“Her killers are here.”

She possessed a power bestowed on her by a colossal evil and with one finger she pulled her four killers in a tight circle.

“No,” one of the mothers cried, “not my son!”

The fury burning inside of her unleashed with all its force and she threw the woman across the floor, sparing no one who had protected them. Such a power her killers knew they could not fight and they broke down, confessing their crime.

“The drugs in her drink was supposed to knock her

out but it didn’t and she fought against us, screaming, so we had to silence her.”

The colour ebbed from the cheeks of the young girl, just engaged and she ripped the finger from her finger, as though it was diseased.

“Oh my God,” she cried, choking, sinking on her knees, “Oh my God.” “They were my friends.” She said to the girl, pain and hate in her eyes, “but their lust betrayed me.”

And screaming, she slammed them, one after another against the walls, over and over, tearing the clothes off their bodies until they were lying half naked, bleeding and helpless on the floor, just as they had left her.

“Hell awaits you with open arms.” She said and left the scene.

She stood at the water’s edge, as dusk approached, looking at the far horizon. Heaven’s soft light still shone, as the angels waited but the dark angels of hell were also waiting, not because she was a sinner but because hell had answered her call.

Now that the hate and fury had left her, she was uncertain what to do.

“Arishani” Her mother’s soft voice spoke, “You’re a good girl, Heaven is your home.

You do not belong in the dark world.”

“I have no choice mom,” she said, a voiceless whisper, “I used evil to fight evil.”

She closed her eyes, “I’m sorry, Lord that I’ve caused my mother so much more grief but you wouldn’t have empowered me to avenge my death so I sold my soul to the Devil.”

She heard her mother crying, helplessly and she wished she could wipe her tears and comfort her but she must now leave to keep her end of the bargain. She opened her eyes but beheld a bright light that had awaited her, since that tragic night, the dark angels gone.

She gasped as the light touched her and she looked at her mother, who could now see her in that heavenly moment.

“How did this happen, mom?”

“I never stopped praying for you to find peace because your heart is filled with love and compassion, my sweet child. Love is stronger than hate so go with the Lord, one day I will see you again.”

The light disappeared and as the mother stood on the beach where her beautiful child’s body had lain in the sand, a feeling of peace now within her, she saw on the horizon, whites dove flying.

IV

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

opyright and you

(The following is extract of an interview with Ms Abiola Inniss in Georgetown, Guyana, 2014. Inniss is a leading analyst and author on Intellectual Property and a special consultant to WIPO UN on Caribbean Copyright issues)

* Petamber Persaud (PP): How has copyright become a bad word?

* Abiola Inniss (AI): There are many reasons why copyright could have become a bad word in our situation. But I think it is due to a fear of compliance. Looking at it as I do from an international legal perspective, there are many, many issues that involve governments, international laws, and international relations particularly in this time when we deal with international intellectual property law and policy…so those are issues that governments are sometimes unable to face – they don’t have the wherewithal, they don’t have the human resources or they just don’t know how to approach it Copyright is an important aspect in the world today because so much of what we do has gone into cyber space. So much of the world economy focuses on the internet and all of the internet relations and issues around it – there is no way you can escape it. If you want to do international trade you do it via the internet. If you want to get into international consumers laws it is via the internet and because of that the world economy is focused heavily on it. The intangibles are now out there in cyber space; you cannot avoid it. * PP: There is no escape. So one, are we fooling ourselves, two, are there people competent to let us know what’s happening and they are not sharing that knowledge and three, are we totally turning our back on the issue. * AI:

There are people who are competent and two, yes, those people in public policy, who are your policy makers are turning their backs on the issue because they don’t know how to approach it. But there is no way you can avoid it now. You have the incident in 2012 with the British booksellers and the Government of Guyana, and you saw the outcome. Things are changing, you are expected to change with them and you will have to learn to adjust pretty quickly in terms of intellectual property. You should not be afraid of intellectual property. In my role as WIPO Consultant on Caribbean Copyright, I had gone to countries and sat down with Government officials to discuss how they would approach intellectual property rights and how they would approach copyright. And one

of the things I’ve looked at is what is happening on the ground. So you have public interest and you can now look at how you can create public policy. And from public policy, you will decide how you will deal with regulations that suit your country’s situation as well as comply with international regimen such as WIPO…

Ms Abiola Inniss * PP: Can this happen that you could prepare your own sets of rules and regulations to suit the world organisations? * AI: In the sense that you have some amount of leverage. There are certain minimum standards that you will have to comply with.

But what you do not want to do is to put the regulations in place without knowing how it would affect your country. And you don’t want to ignore it complete and pretend you are a settlement on the moon because it is not going to work today. So you look at what will affect the circumstances and how you deal with it, again because the world economy is structured around intellectual property so much these days, your economic policies will have to take that into account and what many countries have been doing is dealing with innovations among other things – the South East Asian countries have

invested heavily in research and development for innovation. So it is not a question of sitting by and hoping it goes away or begging for extra time… * PP: There is a current issue on which we are begging for time. * AI:

Bgging for time wouldn’t work; there is no more time. You either get with the programme or get off… * PP: Is it possible to get off the programme? * AI:

No, it is not possible to get off the programme. So you must get with it or you’d be swept away. * PP: At this time, let’s look at the direct impact of copyright on three areas. Tell us, show us how important copyright is to one - the lay person, two – the creator/artist and three – to the country, the development of the country. * AI: First of all, you need to have a cumulative policy which allows you to understand what copyright is all about and why it is important to you. If your writers, do not write, then you don’t enjoy books; if your songwriters do not produce, then you don’t have entertainment; if your actors and playwrights don’t come up with ideas, then we lose parts of our culture – you have to remember always our culture is documented by our writers, some of our consciousness is created by people who think about things like that and develop cultural awareness. What do we do for them? Take their works, give them nothing and then let them go. It takes a lot to be a writer. * PP: So what I’m getting here is that if there is nothing in it for me as a writer, singer, actor, then I would not produce. * AI: You probable will produce. But it is better if we respect those persons, and allow them to make a livelihood so that our culture and our national consciousness can flourish….

WHAT’S HAPPENING: * The Guyana Annual Magazine 2014-2015 issue in now available at Guyenterprise Ltd., Lance Gibbs and Irving Streets, Tel # 226-9874 (Persons wishing to respond to this author can telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com)

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

V

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

CAN THEY CATCH THE DOGS? (Guiana Graphic October 28, 1959)

By Steve Narine CITY fathers may soon use cats as decoys to catch stray dogs.

Although the suggestion was met with smiles from the councillors on Monday afternoon, it shows that some serious thought is being put to rid the city of the dog menace.

Councillor Gonsalves raised the idea after recognising that the Municipality has been unable to find a solution to the problem. People are being bitten daily by dogs about the streets.

NIGHT TERROR The reign of terror at nights prevents many people from riding or even walking along some streets of the city.

So far efforts by the dog catcher – using somewhat primitive methods – have been unsuccessful.

No longer does he return with large catches because the dogs have gotten too slick for him.

As soon as the cart appears on the scene all is quite. The

yapping growling strays vanish.

Why? Because the old dog catcher and his cart are so well known by every stray dog they can smell him and his cart a quarter mile away- no matter how hard he tries to hide his “death noose”.

In fact the evasion is so successful it would appear that the culprits have a planned defence - sentries and all.

So the council is now devising a counter-attack.

And using cats to catch them may be the answer.

Abandon the old contraption and use a technique that will turn the tables -like attracting them for instance.

And by this he clarified he did not mean throwing huge chunks of cat steaks at them.

For one thing, cats are cats and it is an established fact that a dog will chase a cat as long as it can see its legs.

Mr Gonsalves surmised that if a cat ran into some enclosure undoubtedly the dog would follow it and thereby be more easily caught.

Inside the Courts:

MAGISTRATE LOOKED AT CLIFF AND GROANED (Guiana Graphic November 10th 1959)

Remember Cliff who was given an early Christmas present last week by Magistrate Frank Vieira, his real life Santa? A present in the form of a let-off when he appeared before the Court on a charge of disorderly behaviour and so chalked up his 95th conviction.

Well Cliff has gone and spoilt it all. For on Saturday morning bright and early, two days later, he was back in the dock before Mr Vieira.

What a persistent chap this Cliff was. How unthankful too, for his return shows clearly that he did not appreciate his Xmas gift.

And how prolific a “scorer” too. For two days ago he recorded a double and is now headed for a certain century.

Ninety-seven not out is Cliff but for the fact that he was put away for a month on Saturday.

I would have been willing to wager that Cliff would have gained that coveted hundred before the end of 1959.

But don’t be surprised if he still makes it. For only with a month to serve Cliff is sure to be out for the Festive Season. And when Cliff fetes anything and as a rule everything happens.

He still seemed to be under the weather when he made his usual untidy appearance before the Court.

And Mr Vieira groaned in disgust as he recognised the name and caught sight of the familiar face.

“This man again?” he lamented and Cliff managed a slight smile.

“You’re back here again and only two days ago I gave you a Christmas present?” demanded Mr Vieira.

“Sir ah sick,” Cliff complained. But Mr Vieira took no notice of him. Instead he picked up the two

case jackets bearing Cliff’s name.

“You’re charged with disorderly behaviour at the Alberttown Police Station of all places. Guilty or not?”

“Ah guilty under condition,” Cliff answered.

And realising that there is no condition to a plea, for Cliff knows these things, he quickly added: “Ah want to explain.”

“And disorderly in Camp Street early this morning,” Mr Vieira announced.

“Ah guilty on all two,” Cliff assured the Court, “But ah want to complain.”

“Sure you’re going to get a chance to explain,” Mr Vieira told Cliff and there was an ominous note in his voice.

So Cliff remained quiet while the Prosecutor explained how at two ‘clock that same morning, Cliff was found sitting on the pavement next to a business premises.

It is safe to assume that the Policeman who met Cliff did not know him. For had he known him, he would have known that Cliff was right there sleeping off his booze and there was hardly the possibility that he would attempt to break into the nearby shop.

However, the Constable did not know Cliff and he was not prepared to leave him so near to the business premises.

“Get a move on,” he ordered as he nudged Cliff into wakefulness.

THE UP-SHOT Well Cliff is never one to take such an interruption kindly.

And as he opened his eyes and saw the uniformed figure hovering over him he did not hesitate to tell him where to go.

The upshot was that Cliff was arrested and when he reached the Station, his mood had by no means improved. There he repeated his abuse of the particular Policeman and added a couple of words about Policemen in general.

“Well now you’ve gone to 97,” Mr Vieira “congratulated Cliff,” when the Prosecutor resumed his seat.

“You’re just three short of a hundred.”

Cliff however did not acknowledge the compliment. He seemed more intent upon explaining his predicament.

“Ah sick me Worship,” he renewed his complaint.

“Ah was in pain and ah was going to the hospital.

But ah sit down lil and de Policeman come and say move from hey.”

“Ah tell he as soon as the pain ease, ah gon move,” Cliff went on apparently still in pain judging from his plaintive tones.

“And he start to lash me with a whip.”

“When ah go to de station ah beg dem to send de ambulance, but dey start fuh ill-treat me,” he told Mr Vieira and he seemed to be on the verge of tears.

NO TIME TO PAY “Fifteen dollars on each charge,” he told Cliff, and no time to pay.

“Ah beg for lil time,” Cliff pleaded.

But Christmas for Cliff was over.

There were no more presents to be handed out.

“No,” snapped Mr Vieira,” If you can’t pay now go down for a month.”

And of course Cliff could not pay. So he went down for the month apparently happy nevertheless in the thought that he would at least be out for Christmas.

(Clifford Stanley can be reached to discuss any of the foregoing articles at cliffantony@gmail.com or cell phone # 694-0913)

VI

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

THE MYSTERY OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (Part 2)

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season this in thee!’’

By Rev. Gideon Cecil

HE incredible bulk of Shakespeare’s plays and poems reveal that the author was a voracious reader, citing over two hundred books, some of which were un-translated works published on the continent of Greek, Latin, French, British, Italian and Spanish.

His incredible canon of knowledge includes: lawyers, politicians, theologians, physicians, astronomers, philosophers, linguists, military tacticians, sailors, botanists, literary scholars, musicians, classicists.

He was a great genius in metaphysics, dabbling in the spiritual world, the underworld, and the natural world of humans, ghosts, goblins and witches.

Shakespeare was one of the most learned and broadly educated authors in history. He was the Homer of the Western world, unequalled until today.

Shakespeare’s works also convey a familiarity with specialised knowledge of places and cultures that could not have been found in books or taught in school.

The plays and poems reveal a well-travelled world citizen, one who had intimate familiarity with Italian, French, Roman, Greek, Spanish and British cultures.

The profound metaphysical density and lyrical beauty of his works remind us of the biblical poetry of King Solomon and the Psalms of King David that have been a source of Shakespeare’s inspiration behind the magnificent images of his immortal poetry and prophetic sayings of his fascinating characters.

For example: Polonius:

Hamlet Act 1, scene 3, 78–82 The monumental body of collected plays and poems put together are 37 plays, 154 Sonnets, the longer poems Venus and Adonis, A Lover ’s Complaint, The Rape of Lucrece, Funeral Elegy. His complete works are longer than the King James Bible. Table below shows his work in Chronological Order:

________________________________________ Shakespeare and the Geneva Bible Shakespeare’s indebtedness to the Bible is a subject of neglect among many literary scholars and academics. We can never be able to comprehend the spiritual depths and philosophy of Shakespeare’s poetry and plays unless we are scholarly educated in the Bible, literary history, Latin, and classical literature. Shakespeare refers to 42 books from the Bible, 18 from the New Testament and 24 books from the Old Testament.

His writings contain more references to the Bible than any other poet, including Dante and Milton.

He used the Geneva Bible of 1557 that was re-published in 1599. This Bible was replaced by the King James Bible; in 1611. Shakespeare never used the King James Bible he died six years after it was published. His plays and poetry contained over two thousand allusions and prolific references to the Bible.

‘‘ T h i s a b o v e a l l : t o thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Farewell, my blessing

Shakespeare's debt to Scripture is profound; biblical imagery is Rev. Gideon Cecil

► Continued on page VII

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

VII

THE MYSTERY OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ► From page VI woven into every play. No writer has integrated the expressions and themes found in the Bible into his own work more magnificently than Shakespeare. It would take volumes to examine comprehensively Shakespeare’s use of biblical imagery.

Here’s an example of an allusion in Hamlet to the Gospels - a reference to Judas that is very appropriate given the context: Macbeth: If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well It were done quickly… (Hamlet, Scene VII) John 13:27 (Geneva Bible): Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

Another example is taken from The Merchant of Venice Act 1 Scene 3:

(Antonio) “The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.

An evil soul producing holy witness Is like a villain with a smiling cheek, A goodly apple rotten at the heart.

O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!”

His knowledge from scriptures tells him from Luke 4:9-11 and Matthew 4:5-6 the devil said the following to Jesus: 9 The devil led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here.

10 For it is written: " 'He will command His angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' " A careful analysis of what the devil quoted here to Jesus comes from Psalms 91:Verses 11-12 as follows: Psalm 91:11-12 New King James Version (NKJV) 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.

12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

William Shakespeare’s profound knowledge in scripture led his character Antonio from the ‘The Merchant of Venice’ to Say ‘the devil can quote scripture’ he did not pen those words by mere inspiration of the muse, but from his encyclopedic knowledge of the Bible.

Was Shakespeare a born again Christian?

When people ask, ‘Was Shakespeare a Christian?’, they usually have something more specific in mind. Was he a true disciple? Did he actually believe in Jesus? Did his faith, whatever it was, come out in his poetry? Shakespeare left no personal papers, no spiritual diary, no Confessions, no Journal.

Many in his time did write spiritual journals. His plays do reveal some things about their author, and from the plays we can infer conclusions about Shakespeare’s knowledge of Christian faith and his commitment to those beliefs. They may be opaque, but we can see through them. When I look at the plays, I see a playwright with a poetic imagination molded by the Christian Bible.

We have the opening lines from Shakespeare’s Will: In the name of God Amen I William Shakespeare of Stratford upon Avon in the countrie of Warr' gent in perfect health and memory God be praised do make and Ordained this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following that is to say first I Commend my Soul into the hands of God my Creator hoping and assuredly believing through the only merit’s of Jesus Christ my Saviour to be made partaker of life everlasting And my body to the Earth where of you made.

His Will in his own hand writing tells us who he was, as a Reverend I can conclude that William Shakespeare was a true believer in Jesus Christ.

(Persons wishing to respond to Rev. Gideon Cecil can call Tel#220-7008, Cell# 690-4755 or email: gcecil2010@hotmail.com) ********

(Sources of References: Shakespeare by another name published by penguin group USA 2005; William Shakespeare The Complete Works 1951;quoted works in the public domain also from the Bible)

VIII

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

HELPFUL HINTS FOR HOUSEHOLDERS

* Householders should be aware by now, of the dangers of leaving keys in corners, tins, plant-pots or on ledges. Burglars too know that this is done. So it is better, the police say, to make individual sets of keys for selected family members. Never leave keys around idly. * Have various locks placed on the outside and inside of your doors. * Invest in and construct secure windows and sliding glass-doors.

Thieves may cut through the glass but, at least you can ensure that the frame won’t budge when locked. Grills seem to be popular these days also. But think of fire, when deciding. * Nothing can beat good-neighbourliness.

Be on good terms with your neighbours in the house behind yours, on both sides and opposite.

Ask them to “keep an eye” when you’re out.

Make friends with trusted Security Guards. * The thieves are savvy, but it might still help “second thought” or prevention, if you leave certain lights and the radio or TV on whilst away. * Your street or “spot” is dark because for years the street-lights don’t work. What about getting together with sympathetic, co-operative neighbours and erecting poles with 100-watt light bulbs to be located in certain secure yards?

With understanding for one another’s security, the monthly bills could be shared. * Similarly, “join up” to hire a Security Guard. * If you don’t have your own telephone, approach GT&T as a group to install a public pay-phones in a secure place. * Exchange telephone numbers and other contacts with trusted neighbours.

RECENT (HELPFUL) NUMBERS FOR SOME POLICE STATIONS 1. Alberttown 2. Alberttown CID 3. Brickdam Enquiries 4. Brickdam CID 5. Beterverwagting 6. Cove & John Enquiries 7. Providence

8. Kitty 9. Kitty CID

10. Timehri 11. Ruimveldt

12. Ruimveldt CID 13. Sparendaam

-592-225-2672 -592-226-2417 -592-226-4701 -592-225-3052 -592-220-2222 -592-229-2566 -592-265-2222, 592-265-3237 -592-225-2694 -592-226-2407 -592-261-2222 -592-225-2683 -592-226-9122 -592-222-2232

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

IX

THINK LIKE A THIEF!

By Allan A. Fenty

During special (holiday) seasons, or out of season, when there is increased commercial activity - buying, selling, other cash transactions, trading and exchanging of goods and services, increased movement and traffic throughout all towns, villages and other communities – the criminal-minded prepare their own programme of activities to prey on law-abiding citizens.

On the other hand, the ‘busy-ness’, the lapses of memory, the little carelessness of older folks, encourage even the ‘occasional bandit’ or petty thief to be tempted into instant, short-notice, onthe-spot crime.

CRIMEWATCH GUYANA therefore encourages you the reader, you the ordinary, law-abiding Guyanese citizens, TO PUT YOURSELF IN THE PLACE AND MINDSET OF THE CRIMINAL AT THESE TIMES. Remember, the criminal is an individual WITH NO SCRUPLES, LITTLE OR NO VALUES, NO CARE FOR RIGHT AND WRONG. AND THE MORE VICIOUS AMONG THEM, HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO REGARD FOR THE LAW, OR THE LIFE OF OTHERS. Now imagine you are the thief. What would be some of your plans? Depending on your speciality, you would do some of the following:

a. AS A THIEF, you walk around the localities and observe and record how people secure their homes or business-places, schools, clubs, churches and all buildings with valuables. Grills or Wood as protection?

Thieves observe by day HOW AND WHERE PEOPLE SHOP AND WHAT THEY BUY. b. An experienced thief studies the shopping centres and the shoppers – their routes, their habits, the care or carelessness displayed. c. You the thief will listen for and observe the coming and arrival and habits of OVERSEAS VISITORS. d. Thieves look at the alterations being done on buildings.

e. Thieves observe how children are left at home and school or what is bought for them during special occasions. f. You the thief observe and visit school parties and school sports for their own wicked reasons. g. You plan to deceive, TO CON, citizens in keeping with people’s weaknesses. Thieves know people like to donate to charities and other

organisations during times of difficulties. They therefore plan how they may exploit even tragedy.

h. You the thief pay careful attention to VEHICLES LEFT UNATTENDED outside homes and business places. i. Thieves concentrate on ‘COUNTRY-PEOPLE’ and shoplifting in busy, crowded stores at holiday time. j. False bargains, counterfeit and phony consumer items are passed off at this time. k. As a thief, you’ll also check out where BOX HANDS, BONUSES, EVEN BACK PAY, are being paid out. l. Thieves try to obtain charity gifts for the needy in order to sell them for a profit.

Admittedly, the ‘techniques’ listed above are only a sampling of the plans and behaviour of certain types of crooks. However, even if honest citizens study only those, it is a good start IN BEING READY, VIGILANT AND ALERT TO THE WAYS OF CRIMINALS AT THIS TIME. You readers and citizens should think of other plans of the criminals and take steps to AVOID, TO PREVENT. (Note too, that we have not discussed use of weapons in this feature)

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

Moruca Expo 2015 - to be held from July 23 to 26 under the theme ‘One Culture: Many Livelihoods’

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HE Moruca Expo Committee 2015 is inviting local and international tourists to join in celebrating the rich heritage of the indigenous people of Moruca village during Moruca Expo, which is to be held from July 23 to 26 under the theme ‘One Culture: Many Livelihoods’.

The organising Committee noted that the objective of this expo is to showcase the talents of the people and rich flora and fauna of this rural indigenous community.

Some features of this year’s festivities are the upright bicycle race and the road race; competitions in archery, slingshot, pad-

dle and craft making, besides strong man and strong woman competitions; face painting; viewing the Piaiman Pot; fish trap demonstrations; H’aichisiro (pepper sauce eating) competition; and the widely anticipated Miss Moruca Pageant.

Visitors can also take the opportunity to visit the various communities and villages surrounding Moruca, where they can ‘soak up’ the colourful culture of the people; and tours can be organised with the locals to visit areas within the Moruca sub-region.

The Committee said visitors would be able to purchase fresh ground coffee,

avocado, crabs and fish among other niceties at the Expo.

MORUCA The village of Moruca, in Region One (Barima-Waini), is a centre of dazzling beauty and community cohesion. It is home to a number of Guyana’s fascinating ecotourism wonders, among which are numerous bird species and endangered turtles.

One can also catch glimpses of other wildlife species native to the collection of communities that constitute the Moruca sub-region, and see meandering waterways that harbour little marvels of their own.

An ideal location to visit after the expo is Santa Rosa.

It is a collection of small islands that are distinct in the rainy season when the savannah floods, but are linked by paths and bridges in the dry season.

The boat ride into Santa Rosa from Charity is comfortable and well worth the experience. Sail up the mouth of the Pomeroon, up the coast, then back inland up the Moruca river through a canopy of trees with immense roots which later open into savannah with floating reed beds and trees, where the boatmen speed over mats of vegetation.

Quiet and peaceful, the beautiful village of Moruca is ideal for nature walks, swimming, canoeing and breath-taking boat rides in and around Moruca, which would help you connect with the people and nature. (Rebecca Ganesh)

Boats in Moruca ready to expo transport visitors to the

The meandering Moruca River flows through the vast savannah (Photos compliments of the Guyana Tourism Authority)

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

The Beauty Industry…

Joan always knew she would end up here!

Working at her new place in Garnett Street

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By Telesha Vidya Ramnarine S a child, Joan Kamach McCalman admired her mother’s friend, who often went to visit the home. This was a well-dressed woman whose red lipstick, red nail polish, long nails, and the rest of the works often captivated little Joan.

In fact, she admired the woman so much that she thought to herself that when she gets older she definitely will dress up like her! And so Joan’s interest in the beauty industry goes as far back as she can remember. She always knew that she would end up there eventually.

Today a trained Cosmetologist/Trichologist, Joan, 55 (and not looking it for one bit!), is the proud owner of the popular Hair Tech International, along with her husband Joseph, who has been trained in the same way as her.

Joan met Joseph in Barbados just after she finished her two-year study of cosmetology in England at Maxine’s International. Together, they joined forces and have been able to realise their dreams in the beauty industry.

NEWSPAPER AD Joan attended Rama Krishna Primary, and then pressed on to Singh’s Commercial School. She later got a go at Ram’s Variety, on Regent Street, where she spent a couple of months, before moving to work with Francis DeCaries at Frandec.

Moving on in the world of work, Joan then went to work for Progress Cinemas Limited, where she managed two cinemas. After three years of this, though, she decided that she had enough of working for people.

“I always had the love for the beauty industry. I knew I wanted to study in the field, but I didn’t want to do so in Guyana, so I opted and got through to do it in England.”

In 1990, she graduated from Maxine’s International with a certificate in Cosmetology, and then went to live in Barbados. She also participated in other hair care programmes, workshops and hair shows.

“I got a job at a salon and worked for six months. We then branched off to Hair Tec International, and left after four years for home. So that is where Hair Tech Int. was born,” Joan recalled.

The intention was not to come home and open up business, but when Joan came to Guyana on vacation and saw the response she got if she were to open up a beauty school, she thought it was definitely something to consider. ► Continued on page XXIV

Joan, with her husband Joseph

Joan’s daughters, Keina

and Kelisa

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Cocktail hailed as alternative to heavy rum drinking

-unlikely to cause domestic violence, accidents and possible drowning

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By Tajeram Mohabir RINKING pure alcohol to the last drop is a devilish thing that can negatively affect a person’s mental state and give a bad name to drinking in general.

Raphael Lochan is vowing to change this perception by creating an alternative to the rum drinking culture, which many would concur is decadent.

Lochan is the president of the Bartenders Association, an organisation he established in October 2014 with the objective of setting standards of excellence in bartendering services, and to promote healthy drinking habits.

As part of a wider effort to create a positive change in drinking lifestyle, Lochan will be staging the inaugural ‘Bartender Mixology’ competition which he intends to make an annual feature. This event is set for July 30 at the ever popular 704 Club, and in the Sky Lounge, to be exact.

Having spent more than a dozen years working in the tourism and hospitality industry in Barbados, the young businessman told this publication that consumption of pure alcohol is a nuisance.

The fact is well established that heavy consumption of alcohol is a major cause of domestic violence and accidents.

In fact, a study spearheaded by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has

Heavy consumption of alcohol has been a primary cause of accidents and domestic violence in Guyana indicated that Guyanese from 15 years and older are the most prolific drinkers of pure alcohol in the world. Titled “Heavy drinking and violent behaviour in youths in Guyana”, the study indicated that, on average, Guyanese consumed some eight litres of pure alcohol per capita in 2010, compared to the global figure of 6.2 litres.

The study also found that about 15 per cent of male drinkers (10 per cent of the population aged 15-plus) engage in heavy episodic drinking. That is, they consume at least 60g of pure alcohol at least once per month.

The study also shows that not all risks to health come from disease, since, in the case of young people, a large number of risks comes from unintentional injuries and violence.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been among other health organisations that have been at the forefront advocating for policies that address the relationship between alcohol use and violence.

that Guyanese need to move away from the rum culture and embrace cocktail as the new culture in social interaction. This, he said is way better than the process of ‘emptying rum bottles’.

At cocktails, a man can take his spouse with him and enjoy a healthy evening out; but he can’t so do if he is going to drink rum, Lochan observed.

He conceded that some amount of alcohol is good for the system; and he said that cocktail, which is a blend of alcohol, botanicals and fruits, provides this sort of “lightening up”.

Three or four rounds, he said, are good enough; as persons should drink responsibly, leave their drinking places sound and sober, and wake up the next day bright and refreshed, ready for work.

This is how it should be, the businessman said; not persons staggering, swearing at others, beating their wives, being at risk of falling in a trench and possibly getting drowned, getting into an accident, or getting charged if caught by a policeman.

Bartenders who sell drinks to inebriate customers should be charged, he posited as he pointed Raphael Lochan out that slurring, wobbly customers who ask for more drink should be encouraged to buy food instead.

The Bartender Competition, which is expected to feature mostly Georgetown bartenders, will provide opportunity for persons so employed to showcase their skills in presenting a viable alternative to the rum-and-Coke tradition.

Lochan said the objective is to get persons to engage in clean, healthy recreation, and build a standard of excellence in bartendering service. This, he said, can be tied into the tourism package of giving visitors a quality and memorable experience when they visit Guyana.

ANTI-SOCIAL Lochan has said it is a known fact that many men who drink heavily beat their wives, and many also perish in accidents.

This, he contended, happens because the drinks they consume make them anti-social rather than social. The answer to this plight, Lochan is convinced, is cocktail.

Drinking rum and downing bottle upon bottle of beer constitutes a life of hopelessness, he posited. He argues

Cocktail is being promoted as an alternative to rum

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE (Part II)

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by Terence Roberts T would be unfair to claim a just review of 'Walk on the Wild Side' without speaking of its director, Edward Dmytryk's artistic life, and even this film's social relevance far beyond its North American location, mainly in the tropical Southern city of New Orleans.

DMYTRYK'S BACKGROUND

Dmytryk, like numerous other film-makers and Hollywood stars to date, was a Canadian (of Ukrainian immigrant ancestry) who only achieved artistic and professional success by crossing into the neighbouring USA during the 1930s, when he Edward Dmytryk

â–ş Continued on page XIV

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Terence Roberts

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE ► From page XIII entered the Hollywood film industry as a studio assistant to 'B' films, until given his first opportunity in 1943 to direct an 'A' list film titled: 'Tender Comrade'.

A film which, among others, ironically, would cause Dmytryk much distress and social instability half a dozen years later, when he was summoned and accused by the HUAC, 'House of Un-American Activities', of having Communist affiliations, and a sympathizer.

By now this embarrassing era in Hollywood film history is a stale cliché, at least for those who pay close attention to the socially effective implications of cinematic art.

But as regards the actual value and relevance of these suspected films like 'Tender Comrade' - including 'Walk on the Wild Side' of 1962 - to the social, racial, and moral problems of both North American and foreign societies, especially Guyanese society of today, these films are far from stale clichés, and remain on many levels, socially and morally relevant works of outstanding cinematic merit.

AMERICA’S SOCIAL ERA A brief look at Dmytryk's life brings into focus the unique creative opportunity which the past Hollywood/American film industry allowed talented foreigners to develop both personally and socially for an international audience; at least those democratically allowed to be exposed to such films.

At the same time it is realistic to assert the open-minded, even experimental, and moral influence of Franklin D. Roosevelt's government in its ten years of

extraordinary duration between the 1930s and 40s, when artists in all categories were encouraged to produce critical works of art, which coincided with a unique socialistic era in the history of the USA. Dmytryk's 'Tender Comrade' reflected the communal lifestyle and factory worker camaraderie pervasive among American women (and some men) left at home to continue in tight economic circumstances produced by the lack of prior paychecks from men now enlisted, fighting, and often dying overseas during the 2nd World War. SOCIALISTIC HOLLYWOOD FILMS Numerous Hollywood socialistic film classics of the 1940s Roosevelt era ► Continued on page XV

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

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WALK ON THE WILD SIDE â–ş From page XIV included: 'The Best Years of Our Lives'; 'Since You Went Away'; 'The More the Merrier'; 'They Drive By Night'; 'Till the End of Time'; 'Pinky'; 'His Girl Friday'; 'Pride of the Marines'; 'Take a Letter Darling', etc. They existed in conjunction with a multitude of black and white film classics in the unique American 'Film Noir' film form; one of the greatest cinematic styles which explored and exposed the psychological, social, economic, and even political motivations and influences behind individual and organised crime, increasingly relevant today beyond the USA. DMYTRYK'S HOLLYWOOD PEERS Dmytryk was just one in that long list of impressive Hollywood directors, which included: Elia Kazan, John Huston, Robert Rosen, Abraham Polonsky, Martin Ritt, Michael Curtiz, Frank Capra, Jean Negulesco, Billy Wilder, Howard Hawks, William Wyler, Delmer Daves; screen-writers like Dalton Trumbo, Robert Riskin, Lillian Hellman, Ring Lardner, William Faulkner, Raymond Chandler; actresses/actors like Lauren Bacall, Ginger Rogers, Rosalind Russell, Barbara Stanwyck, Ida Lupino, Kathy Jurado, Jennifer Jones, Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, Claudette Colbert, Humphrey Bogart, Henry Fonda, John Garfield, Charlie Chaplin, Danny Kaye, Fred MacMurray, Clark Gable, Dana Andrews, Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Sterling Hayden, Jeff Chandler, Richard Widmark, Montgomery Clift, among others, who were homegrown American socialist sympathisers either summoned to court, or even prevented from practicing their profession, while accused of being Communist sympathisers, after the end of the Roosevelt government and the beginning of the Cold War. One way to beat the rap was to go into exile, and Dmytryk fled to England, but served six months in prison upon his return to the USA in 1951, released

only when (like others) he identified other socialists in Hollywood. A major recent honest Hollywood film concerning this era, is 'Guilty By Suspicion' starring Robert De Niro and Annette Bening.

DMYTRYK BEFORE 'WALK....'

By the time Dmytryk made 'Walk on the Wild Side' in 1962, he had completed an unforgettable list of profound films which exposed racial bigotry, social intolerance, authoritarianism, and organized crime. Before his exile and imprisonment he made the highly rated film classics: 'Murder My Sweet' (1944); 'Cornered' (1944); 'Crossfire' (1947); upon his release, he made three brilliant color Westerns centered around racial bigotry, lawlessness, and organized crime: 'Broken Lance' (1954); 'Raintree County' (1957); and 'Warlock' (1959). But it was 'Walk on the Wild Side' which gave Dmytryk the chance to create a film from Nelson Algren's novel of the same name, in which theme song, opening graphics, story or content, and cinematography, combined in perfected semiotic aesthetics.

XVI

DIAMOND-GROVE LIONS CLUB places spotlight on youth, education

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

In photo, at 4th and 7th from left respectively, are President Eric Benjamin and Ivan Waithe with their Melvin Jones Awards, surrounded by members of the Board of Directors

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By Tajeram Mohabir HE Diamond-Grove Lions Club will this year focus on youth and education, in keeping with the Lions Clubs International (LCI) President, Dr Jitsuhiro Yamada’s Theme: “Bringing Dignity to Others Through Humanitarian Service”.

The Motto of the Lions is “We Serve”. And Dr Yamada, who was elected the 99th International President, said he looks forward to serving with a difference.

“So I hope my year as President is like any other as Lions continue to serve with tremendous enthusiasm and impact. Yet I also hope to make a difference in how we serve,” President Yamada said.

Local Club President Eric Benjamin, in articulating his plans for youth and the promotion of education, said closer attention will be paid to teamwork while making a difference through service to children.

Benjamin was recently installed as President when the club installed a new Board of Directors during its annual handing over ceremony at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown.

The highlight of the installation was a presentation of two Melvin Jones Fellowships awards to Immediate Past President Ivan Waithe and Incoming President Eric Benjamin.

The awards were presented to District Governor Maxine Cummings.

Each Lion received an inscribed wall plaque and a lapel pin that would identify

him or her as a Melvin Jones Fellow (MJF). In addition, their names will be displayed on a computerised plaque in the Lions Clubs International Recognition Room at Lions International Headquarters.

Lions have been helping people since 1917. That year, Melvin Jones, a Chicago businessman, encouraged his club, the Chicago Business Circle, to go beyond promoting good business practices.

He convinced the members that selfless service to others would create a better community – and a better world – for all.

Melvin Jones also saw that a network of clubs working together could do much more than individual clubs acting alone. He invited similar groups from around the United States to a meeting on June 7, 1917 in Chicago, Illinois, and thereafter, the new group assumed the name of one of the invited clubs.

The ‘Association of Lions Clubs’ was born. The association was founded for the purpose of serving others, and in so doing, makes the world a better place.

Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organisations, with 1.35 million members in more than 46,000 clubs, and countless stories of Lions acting on the simple idea: Let’s improve our communities.

Lions Clubs International extends its mission of service every day - in local communities in all corners of the globe.

Services provided include sight, health, youth, elderly, the environment and disaster relief.

The Lions International network has grown to include over 200 countries and geographic areas.

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

CITY OF CONFUSION

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By Ras Michael eorgetown was a city noted for its beauty and hospitality. Today it is famous for the debris that spills out into the streets and clogs the canals.

The only hospitality that seems available is at the Georgetown Public Hospital, where wounded victims shot by bandits receive treatment.

I used to saunter through the city at leisure both day and night. At present, one has to pick one’s steps while negotiating the numerous potholes and the crazy menace of vehicular traffic, many driven by just boys.

Respect there is none; ask the people who travel in minibuses. Love there may be, but it may be of a kind more aptly termed ‘self-love’.

Everything today seems to carry a prefix of self. People are taking out their own pictures and calling them selfies. It is a situation that is startlingly inhuman and without relevance.

The problem is DRUGS. No one expected it. Even the middle tier pushers and hustlers have become victims of their own cupidity.

Only the big-fish swims on serenely. He is not in awe of the law. He has become the law and the accompanying disorder.

Where is the big-fish? Right here he is in plain view of all. Who knows the bigfish? Everyone who reads newspapers and watches T.V. news. Who knows the big-fish for what he is? Those who swim in the same pond.

The problem is not in being able to identify the culprits, but in being able to prosecute them. Drugs and Corruption have taken over the city and have had a strange impact on the minds of those who chose to acquire money and wealth rather than good living.

I watched it begin, and I knew how it would end. All the signs were there, but those whose watch it was fell asleep at post.

Those who did not sleep were wide awake dreaming dreams that no sane person ought to dream. Dreams of power over others and fabulous wealth will cause a disease known as megalomania. It affects the mind, and the only cure is death. It is said whom the Gods wish to destroy they first make mad.

The introduction of drugs was beginning of our pain. I am not including marijuana in this reference to drugs, since it is not a drug and unlike foolish notions is not dangerous nor habit forming. In fact, is has a calming effect which is unlike the confrontational effects of substances like cocaine or alcohol. I watch with horror how some parents especially at Christmas time, will introduce their young children to a drink of rum without contemplating the consequences. If they had taken time to study history, they would have known that it is through the use of rum that slave owners controlled their slaves, and even won the support of the Amerindians.

Today there is confusion. The city’s streets are literally packed with cars. There was a time when the importation of personal vehicles was regulated in order to protect the wear and tear to the streets and the loss of life to persons.

But the greed for power and authority has relegated that exercise to uselessness.

Today the streets are packed with vehicles and cursing, screaming drivers, and no one has the power to control it, for it began with a process and can only be curtailed by process.

The culture has changed. People have accepted that the only way to correct a wrong doing is to pay a bribe. As a matter of fact, all sins can be forgiven for a monetary penance paid to the priests of the public disorder.

There was a time in the past when writing these columns brought me much grief.

My MURDER was ordered by a particular BIG FISH. It was planned in the highest law enforcement office by the highest law enforcement officer in the land. I was given two testimonies by persons who had knowledge of this plot, but the time to reveal it will come. What is of much more importance are those who have not been able to acquire the kind of socialisation that young people need in order to develop into productive human beings. Instead, they have been misled for decades. They have been coerced at every international show of foreign artistes to Guyana to drink excessively without restriction.

Four bottles of beer for a thousand dollars claimed the advertising, but the commercial interests who advertise these events never give support to events at the Cultural Center nor the Theatre Guild.

Culture is not their way of life. Our youths have been terribly abused and pushed in negative directions. Parents have lost control. Young girls of thirteen and fourteen leave home for places unknown. There are teenaged murders and rapes, car jackings and gun crimes all for a BOX OF MONEY. Most of them die. All of them will die and THE BOX will remain an illusion to be dreamed of but never attained.

RAS

XVII

MICHAEL is

Back

The confusion is evident in these random scenes from downtown Georgetown

‘Tuffy’

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

The lost gem in my family

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By Shivanie Sugrim ANY are familiar with the 1870s proverb: “Dogs are man’s best friend”.

Although it would be a cliché thing to say, I’ll still say it: my dog was my ‘best friend’, and so much more.

He was the gem in my family, my father’s right hand, my mother’s everyday companion, and my brothers’ playmate. And for me, he was that annoying little terrier whom I couldn’t resist loving.

The first time I met ‘Tuffy’ - as I named him - or saw him for that matter, was when Emma, his mother, who was on her second litter, was giving birth to eleven jet-black puppies on a shabby bookshelf in my bathroom while I watched.

They were all beautiful creatures, but ‘Tuffy’ would’ve won the award for being an ideal “chip off the old block”, for he was identical to his father, ‘Toby’, except that he was graced with jet-black hair and a distinct beauty, compliments of his mother ‘Emma’.

As I watched him grow -- and do note, dogs grow really quickly -- Tuffy soon became the ringleader of the litter, accompanied by his brother ‘Tequila’, who was big in size but reticent when it comes to defending himself from the other little devils. It was always Tuffy who would stand up for his rights, especially when it came to food.

And that’s how I ended up naming him ‘Tuffy’, because he was a tough little warrior, my favourite little warrior, to be exact.

As the days went by and the puppies grew, some were sold while others were given as gifts to close relatives and friends; but I kept Tuffy. How could I part with the little pup who had taken control of my heart right from the beginning?

I remember I would often pretend to discipline him so that I could witness his pretentious anger. One could not simply cuddle him, for he had severe temper issues and disliked being handled roughly.

My mother loved his physical features and personality, and my father loved his wit. Tuffy would often spend his days in the kitchen staring at my mother while she cooked, hoping that she would throw a piece of chicken at him. And of course she spoiled him! It was inevitable.

I remember how much he loved the water, so rain was like Christmas to him. He would often run from one end of the yard to the other, soaked in the rain. He had this weird thing about finding his way up the patio zinc to sit and bark at passing vehicles in the hot sun. Most times he and our neighbours would have a one-on-one conversation after he had shamelessly barked at them for no reason at all.

My father would look forward to his big brown eyes glaring at him when he would open the doors in the mornings. He liked the idea of walking around the yard as my father went about his morning chores.

Then one time he ran behind my father’s car when he drove off to purchase dog food. It was such a funny sight, since my father had no choice other than to stop the car and let him in. What was even funnier was that he hopped on the passenger’s seat, all eyes on the road, ready for take-off. And it so happened that my father was thereafter obliged to take him with him whenever he had to purchase dog food.

He would even hop on the steering wheel, so that his body weight would lean against the horn to signal my father that he was tired of waiting. And that is why he was known to be my father’s right hand.

But Tuffy had his flaws. He liked being on the road just like his father,

Toby. Toby was a tad wittier than Tuffy. We call him the ‘professor’ at home.

He normally sits in strict ease with his head lifted high, looking as though he is teaching a bunch of invisibles.

Toby has “road sense”, and is smart enough to know that when a car is approaching, he should buckle in a safe corner. Sometimes cars would have to stop and wait on him to cross the street when they notice him. He feels he is that important; and no doubt he is.

Tuffy, on the other hand, was not that road smart. He would often run on the road once he was not properly monitored, making us catch a “fit” screaming at him to come back inside, or running to fetch him back inside.

It was around the second week in June 2015 that I woke up to my mother’s urgent call. I hurried down the stairs half asleep to hear that the great warrior who was just one year old had been crushed by a passing vehicle earlier that morning. He was picked up by my father and placed in the yard with his eyes nearly popping his smashed head.

I stood far from his carcass because I knew that if I had seen it I would’ve gotten into a rage and would have ventured out to find the person who had done this cruel deed to the jewel of our home.

His mother Emma went to see him and figured he was dead, so she walked towards me and stood there handling the situation calm as ever, assuming she was giving me some moral support. His little sister Teddy ran towards him, scratching him with her little paw, hoping that he would get up. But he didn’t.

My father cried for weeks. My mother was distraught, while my brothers mourned their loss of someone who had known the rules of cricket and basketball more than they did. My father thereafter developed a habit of feeding the strays around our area, and he has even built a shelter for them.

Dogs are like jewels in my household. They have become such a part of our everyday lives that we would even celebrate their birthdays by giving them the two things they need most: lots of food and affection.

After the loss of Tuffy, my family and I came to realise the influence these dogs have on us. We have become so attached to them that we are clinging to them so that another does not end up like Tuffy. He will forever be remembered as the lost gem in my family.

Many dogs are being smashed by vehicles on the road every day. Most are strays which had lived suffering lives. There are many of you who have a pet that you cherish and can relate to the above; and, as such, it is up to us to help these innocent animals and the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) in their fight to end animal cruelty and in the capturing of strays and lost animals that are often hit by careless drivers.

Tuffy, the gone warrior Teddy, Tuffy’s sister from Emma’s third litter

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

Tuffy at seven months old (Tibetan terrier)

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Shivanie Sugrim

Two of Tuffy’s mischievous days captured

Toby, Tuffy’s dad (Tibetan terrier)

Tequila, Tuffy’s brother, in his young days

Emma, Tuffy’s mom (Tibetan Terrier/Spaniel)

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

How to stave off chronic diseases in adolescents - begin with healthy eating habits and regular exercise

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By Tajeram Mohabir

The study utilised a cross-sectional Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey, and some 724 students from Forms 1 to 4 participated. Selected schools were Anna Regina Secondary and Johanna Cecelia Secondary (Region 2); Leonora Secondary and St. John’s Secondary (Region 3); Soesdyke Secondary and Golden Grove Secondary (Region 4); Rosignol and Fort Wellington Secondary (Region 5); New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary and Winifred Gaskin Memorial (Region 6); and Cummings Lodge Secondary and Houston Secondary (Georgetown).

From the study, conducted in 20132014, Stephanas found that 54 per cent of the participants engage in physical activity that made them sweat and breathe hard for at least 20 minutes; 48.7 per cent on average play video games for one or more hours; 56 per cent do not attend Physical Education classes, and only 12.6 per cent and 12.9 per cent of students ate two or more cups of fruits and vegetables respectively.

energy drinks that are high in caffeine and other sweetened beverages in daily quantities that may be displacing more nutritious beverages, such as milk,” she said.

Stephanas also pointed out that only a quarter of the youths were consuming recommended daily amounts of milk.

She noted that milk helps to increase bone strength; builds a stronger immune system; and prevents illnesses such as hypertension, dental decay, dehydration, and respiratory problems.

She said the high consumption of sweetened beverages and those high in caffeine, coupled with lack of exercise or no exercise at all, are unhealthy for adolescents and are habits that should stop the earliest.

Continuing in these habits, she stressed, would make the children vulnerable to non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.

Stephanas also found that while Physical Education is on the curriculum of the schools which participated in the study,

NIVERSITY of Guyana (UG) Health Sciences Lecturer Lois Stephanas has said the inculcation of healthy eating habits and regular exercise in adolescents may be key factors in preventing chronic diseases like cancer, heart diseases, hypertension and diabetes mellitus, which are among the leading causes of death in Guyana.

Stephanas holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from the Kurnool College of Nursing in Andhra Pradesh, India, and a Masters Degree in the same discipline specialising in nutrition from the St John’s College of Nursing in Bangalore, India.

In an exclusive interview with the Chronicle, Stephanas, who lectures in the UG Faculty of Health Sciences of the Department ► Continued on page XXI of Public Health, indicated that eschewing the widespread availability of fast foods and maintaining healthy eating habits and adequate daily exercise could stave off many of those negative conditions.

HIGH SUGAR The World Health Organisation CONTENT (WHO) estimates that non-commuThe renicable diseases (NCDs) account for searcher also 66 per cent of all deaths occurring found that in all age groups in Guyana. Of this 85.9 per cent percentage, cardio-vascular diseases of youths con(CVD) account for 36 per cent of sume soda at deaths; cancer 8 per cent; diabetes least once per 8 per cent; respiratory diseases 2 per UG Lecturer Lois Stephanas week, and about cent; and other NCDs 12 per cent. a quarter reported consuming soda twice per day. Practically PROBLEM STUDIED all soft drinks are high in sugar content.

In a study titled ‘An Assessment of Dietary and Physical Stephanas told this publication that UG Health Science Lecturer Lois Stephanas says healthy eating habits Activity Behaviour of Adolescents in Selected Secondary the consumption of soft drinks -- which and regular exercise in adolescents may be key factors in preventing Schools of Guyana’, Stephanas found that participation in are high in sugar content -- is contrary to chronic diseases healthy dietary and physical activity behaviours among ado- recommended dietary guidelines. lescents at 12 selected schools was far from optimal.

“Half of them (participants) consume

Physical Education helps to refresh the mind, build strength, and develop strong and healthy bodies

Lois Stephanas says high consumption of sweetened beverages and beverages that are high in caffeine, coupled with lack of exercise or no exercise at all by adolescents, make them vulnerable to noncommunicable diseases in later life

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

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How to stave off ... ► From page XX the subject was not implemented in all of them.

Some of the schools, she noted, did not have Physical Education teachers, and the majority of the students who did not participate in the subject were girls.

STRONG, HEALTHY BODIES Stephanas emphasised the importance of children exercising regularly. She pointed out that it helps to refresh their minds, build strength, and develop strong and healthy bodies.

She noted that poor eating habits and lack of exercise could lead to illness or premature death later in life.

Stephanas is also recommending that the Ministry of Education collaborate with the Ministry of Health and other associated organisations in Guyana to develop specific school health policies that focus on strategies to inculcate healthy dietary lifestyles and physical behaviours in students.

She contended that schools can play a critical role in improving the dietary and physical activity behaviours of children and adolescents by creating an environment that is supportive of healthy eating habits. This, she said, can also be supported through active implementation of policies and

practices that support healthy eating and regular physical activity, and by providing opportunities for students to learn about and practise these behaviours.

GUIDELINES Stephanas’s study has identified nine guidelines to achieve this goal. These are: use of a coordinated approach to develop, implement and evaluate healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices; establishment of school environments that support healthy eating and physical activity; providing a quality school meal programme, and ensuring that students have only appealing, healthy foods and beverage choices offered outside of the school meal programme; implementation of a comprehensive physical activity programme with quality physical education as the cornerstone; implementation of health education that provides students with the knowledge, attitudes, skills and experiences needed for lifelong healthy eating and engaging in physical activity; providing students with mental health and social services to address healthy eating, physical activity and related chronic disease prevention; partnering with families and community members to de-

velop and implement healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices and programmes; providing a school employee wellness programme that includes healthy eating and physical activity services for all school staff members; and employing qualified persons and providing professional development opportunities for physical education, health education, nutrition services, and health, mental health, and social services staff members; as well as staff members who supervise recess, cafeteria time, and out-of-school-time programmes.

Stephanas said these guidelines were adopted from the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention; and while resource limitations would be a constraint, they could be implemented incrementally.

The UG lecturer presented a PowerPoint version of her research at the Caribbean Public Health Agency’s (CARPHA) 60th Health Research Conference, which was held in June in Grenada.

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

IT HAPPENED IN 1967…

Judge’s misdirection frees convicted rapist

Unsworn child allowed to corroborate sworn evidence

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ONVICTED burglar & rapist Boodram Lall who, in 1967, was found guilty on the unsworn evidence of a child that corroborated sworn testimony of the mother, appealed

the conviction and was freed by the Guyana Court of Appeal.

Constituted by Chancellor Kenneth Stoby and Justices of Appeal P. A. Cummings and Victor Crane, that court found that the trial judge had erroneously

George Barclay

told the jury at the trial that the child’s unsworn testimony was capable of corroborating the mother’s evidence.

As a result of that error, the appeal was allowed and the convictions and sentences were quashed.

The facts of the case disclosed that the appellant was indicted on two counts; firstly, for ‘burglary with intent to commit rape’ on K., the mother of K.R., a nine-year-old girl.

The trial judge questioned the child and recorded the opinion that she was of sufficient competent understanding to give evidence; but he did not permit her to be sworn, as he did not think she understood the nature of an oath, and, as a result, she gave unsworn evidence. Her testimony, If admissible and if believed, afforded strong corroboration of her mother’s evidence.

The jury was directed that the rule of practice was to look for corroboration of the mother’s evidence. Quite properly, the trial judge had told them that they could convict on the uncorroborated evidence of the mother, but he also told them -- over and over again -- that K. R.’s unsworn evidence corroborated the mother’s testimony.

That court held: (i) The unsworn evidence of a child could not be used to corroborate the sworn testimony of another person; (ii) The directions were of such a nature that it was impossible to say whether the jury had relied for their verdict of “Guilty” on the uncorroborated evidence of the mother alone, coupled with the warning about what they were entitled to do, or on the evidence of the child as corroborative of the mother’s testimony.

That court which allowed the appeal, quashing the convictions and sentences, had made reference to nine cases. ► Continued on page XXIII

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

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Judge’s misdirection frees ... ► From page XXII

Queen’s Counsel Mr. J. O. F. Haynes had represented the appellant, while Mr. N.A. Graham, Senior Crown Counsel, appeared for the respondent.

Delivering the judgment of the Court, Chancellor Stoby said that the Jury trial took place in April, 1967 at the Demerara Assizes. After a trial which lasted 2 days, the accused was convicted on both counts and sentenced to concurrent terms of imprisonment of seven years.

According to him, at the trial, a nine-year-oldgirl, K.R., was called by the Crown as a witness.

The judge questioned the child and, at the conclusion of the questioning, recorded that in his opinion she was of sufficient competent understanding to give evidence.

The judge did not permit her to be sworn, as he did not think she understood the nature of the oath, and in the result, she gave unsworn evidence. Her evidence, if admissible and if believed, afforded strong corroboration of her mother’s evidence.

The main ground of appeal, said the Chancellor, is whether the trial judge was correct in directing the jury that the unsworn evidence of a child could corroborate sworn evidence.

The Chancellor explained, “The manner in which the law developed to permit the unsworn testimony of witnesses is not without interest. In early times, all evidence had to be given on oath and on the Gospel; no one but a Christian could testify.

Competency to testify depended upon acceptance of the witness’s belief in the Gospel.

Non-Christians and children of tender years were deemed to be ignorant of the nature and obligations of an oath, they were not allowed to be sworn, and so could not testify.

Such was the state of the law until the celebrated case of Omychand v. Barker, (1744) 1 Atk 22,

in which the depositions of Indian witnesses of the Gentoo religion, taken by Order of Court according to the local ceremonies on commissions in the East Indies, were admitted and read in evidence after being objected to.

In the report of this case, at page 29, LORD CHIEF JUSTICE LEE remarked that it was determined at the Old Bailey, upon mature consideration, that a child should not be admitted to give evidence without oath; and LORD CHIEF BARON PARKER, in the same case, said that it was so ruled at Kingston Assizes before LORD RAYMOND, where, upon an indictment for rape, he refused the evidence of a child without oath.

The old cases of R. v. Powell (1775) 1 Leach 110 and R. v. Braster, (1779) 1 Leach 199 both emphasize the fact that, though there was no precise or fixed rule as to the time within which infants are excluded from giving evidence, the testimony of an infant was not receivable under any circumstance except under oath.

After reviewing a number of cases and perusing the directions of the trial judge, the Chancellor

declared, “It is impossible for us to say which of these two alternative situations the jury accepted -- whether they relied for their verdict of “Guilty” on the uncorroborated evidence alone, coupled with the warning as they were entitled to do, or on the evidence of the child as corroborative of the mother’s.

Indeed, the jury having been told that it would be dangerous for them to act on the uncorroborated evidence of K. alone, may very well -- it is contemplated -- have heeded the judge’s warning and convicted with the help of the evidence of the child, which was repeatedly suggested to them as being capable of corroborating the mother’s.

“It seems to us that the likelihood of a verdict of “Guilty”, returned in such circumstances without the proviso (14) being explained to them, is unsafe; and founded as it is on a non-direction which amounted to a misdirection in law, ought to be set aside in the interests of justice.

“The appeal is allowed and convictions and sentences quashed”.

Justices of Appeal Cummings and Crane concurred.

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Joan always knew she ... ► From page XI

“I came home on a vacation and just tried running an ad in the paper to see what kind of response I would have gotten if we came home and opened up a beauty school. Within two weeks, we had about 25 students registered. So I called my husband and told him I wanted to come home and that Guyana was ripe for our kind of business.

From there, when we came home, the sky was the limit.”

When the couple closed shop in Barbados and came home, they began teaching theory as well as practical. In 1998, they opened up Hair Tech Int. at America and Longden Streets and then moved to Lot 9 North Road, where they have remained to date. Just recently, Joan opened up another branch at Lot 10 Garnett Street, Campbellville.

“At Garnett Street, we work here by appoint-

ments. I didn’t want to have that packed out business anymore, cause we’ve been there, done that. I didn’t want to have the excitement with the school. Joseph is handling that at North Road. He is fully in charge of that side and I have my thing here.”

After studying cosmetology, they branched off into the study of trichology, which involves the study of the hair and its different disorders. “We deal with hair loss, internal problems and so on.

We haven’t gone into dermatology as yet, but we are still furthering our experience and knowledge in the business. It’s something you have to keep going at and topping up. Every year something new comes up.”

DOLLY HOUSE

Joan Kamach McCalman

Joan had an interest in the beauty industry for as long as she can remember. “I was always fascinated by it. Mom had a girlfriend who used to visit her, and she

used to dress up real nice with her red lipstick and nail polish. She was a well-dressed woman, and I thought to myself that, when I get big, I would dress up just like her. As soon as mom wasn’t around, I took her make-up and dressed up. When my little friends came over, we played ‘dolly house’ but this was a dress up thing. I always looked at the celebrities like Joan Collins; she was my favourite. I knew, eventually, I would end up here.”

In Joan’s days, theory was a must before any student could have done the practical. “It is a serious business that if you didn’t know what you are doing on someone’s head or their skin, you were never allowed to do anything practical. Now, you have people offering practical courses only.”

Joan said she feels fantastic about all of the plans she had made and the fact that she managed to accomplish all that she had set out to do. “We have students we have trained all over the world. The feedback we get is that the training they got here was just what they needed. We know we have achieved what we set out to do. My dreams have come through, and I am quite happy with no regrets.”

Joan and Joseph have been married for 25 years and have two daughters, Keina and Kelisa.

Trash to Fashion

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

We buy, we use, we throw away. This trend seems to be getting the better of us judging from our constantly overflowing dumpsters and the Styrofoam and plastics that clog the drains and the quickly filling landfill.

Is it that we have too much? Do we have too much money or perhaps too many things to buy?

Whatever the reason, the fact is that we just have too much trash!

For many years we have been hearing of the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Here in Guyana however, there is very little recycling being done.

It is most practical for us to focus at this time on 2Rs - Reduce and Reuse! Besides, we can reduce and reuse our trash in fun ways.

Whenever you think of throwing something away, stop and think about ways that it can be used again. Plastic bottles, snack wrappers, newspapers, clothing, jewellery, household containers, etc., can all be reused to make useful items.

It is quite possible to have a fashion experience every time you step out in public by considering making clothing and accessories from ‘trash’ – materials you would normally toss into a bin.

By using a few smart techniques, you can turn your trash to treasure.

Here are a few examples:

PAPIER-MÂCHÉ Papier-mâché which literally means ‘chewed paper’ is a useful technique to make items that require rigidity and stability. This technique can be achieved through different methods, but one simple method is to use an adhesive like flour glue to attach paper strips to a form for support. The form, such as balloon or wire mesh, is used to give the desired shape to the created piece. This is a great idea for

making hats, masks or even shoes!

WEAVING

We a v i n g i s o f ten used in fashion whether to style shoes, bags, scarves, belts or garments. In fact this ► Continued on page

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Trash to Fashion

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

► From page XV

year, bags with a woven design are the craze. It is a common thing to think that weaving involves tiny pieces of thread or yarn interlaced to make a piece of fabric.

But weaving can also be done with bulkier materials such as straw, cloth, or even plastic bags. Getting this technique right may take a bit of practice but when it comes to saving the environment, no task is too great.

PATCHWORK The fashion magazine Vogue highlighted in March this year, that patchwork was one of the top designer fashion trends for the 2015 spring-summer season!

You can get in on this trend by sewing together different pieces of material, usually cloth of different colours and patterns to get a larger design.

You may be more familiar with this technique on quilts, but it is also very useful for hats, skirts, pants, dresses and almost any other garment you can think of.

So think twice the next time you decide to throw out your old pre-washed denim jeans. It will make a great patch.

Giving yourself a practical experience will take your ideas of “reusing” to another dimension.

You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: ‘Our Earth, Our Environment’, C/O EIT Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at eit. epaguyana@gmail.com

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

XXVII

BUYING ELECTRICAL CONSUMER APPLIANCES CONCERNS:

By Pat Dial AMONG the most distressing complaints which the Guyana Consumer Association receive are those relating to household electrical equipment such as washing-machines, cookers, food-mixers, blenders and vacuum cleaners which become dysfunctional in a short time after use.

These items are usually purchased by ordinary simple consumers, many of them from the countryside. Most of these folk never visit the long-established stores, since there is a widespread myth that the prices in these long-established stores are much higher than those of the numerous small stores which have proliferated in the downtown areas of Georgetown, and to a lesser extent in New Amsterdam. Most of these small stores are owned and operated by foreigners,

mainly East Asians.

Most of the goods sold in these establishments are deceptively cheaper than goods sourced from established manufacturers with known brand-name products but the quality and durability are invariably inferior.

This is particularly true of household electrical appliances.

Most of these appliances bear brand-names of which Guyanese consumers have never heard and which are suspected of being given to products in an ad hoc manner; sometimes they may even carry forged well-known brand names.

A fairly high proportion of these appliances perform very poorly or become dysfunctional in a few weeks and the purchaser has to incur the costs of repairs since these items are often sold without warranties or have no more than four-week warranties, which in any case is difficult to enforce for a va-

riety of reasons. Almost all these East Asian appliances carry no spare parts.

Consumers are urged to protect themselves by the following action:(1) Before purchasing consumer durables and other household appliances, ascertain what is on offer at the established stores. Check â–şContinuedon page

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Pat Dial

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BUYING ELECTRICAL ... ►From page XXVII on the brand-names, the guarantees or warranties which go with the product, the repair and technical services which are provided, the availability of spare parts, whether free or subsidized transport delivery service is provided, and to insist that from the time an appliance is reported as being out-of-order to the time of its return in good order, that time should not be debited to the period of the warranty since the consumer would not have been able to enjoy usage during that time.

(2) If a consumer decides, for one reason or another, to buy his appliance from one of the smaller recently established stores he should:(a) Insist on being given a proper bill or receipt which should carry the name and address of the store; the correct price clearly stated; the item purchased adequately described; the date of the purchase; and revenue stamps if required. Except you have a valid receipt of purchase, you cannot prove ownership, for example, if a police problem were to arise; or you wish to return

the purchase; or you wish to complain about the item to the store or to the Guyana Consumers Association (GCA). If the store refuses to issue a proper bill, do not make the purchase. (b) In the purchase of electrical home equipment or appliances, the price is only one of the several factors you should take into account. Some of these factors are outlined at (1) above.

We will however emphasize a few of these factors:THE WARRANTY Many of the stores tell you there is a month's warranty but this is meaningless as the store will never honour it and this was done simply to dodge the requirement in the Consumer Protection Act which provides that if no warranty is given an automatic 6-month warranty becomes applicable.

REPAIR FACILITIES AND SPARE PARTS All these small stores have no technicians or repair facilities and they never stock spare parts. If one's appliance goes bad, the purchaser will almost certainly have to abandon it, thus losing the money he had paid.

VOLTAGE Check carefully on the electrical voltage.

TRANSPORTATION Established stores offer free delivery of purchases within a certain radius and subsidized delivery outside of that radius. Small stores offer no delivery. Delivery costs could increase price sharply.

Consumers are strongly enjoined to ‘Get value for money’. And remember in buying electrical equipment, price is only one of the several factors to take into account.

In the event a consumer has exhausted all efforts to have problems with the vendor redressed, he may contact the Guyana Consumers Association at email: patdial26@ gmail.com

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

Dr. BERTRAND R. STUART DDS.

How often should I visit the dentist?

I frequently have patients who ask me how often they should visit the dentist. The answer to that question can differ depending on the state of their oral health.

For example, the more precarious it is, the

more often a visit is required. Notwithstanding, the general rule is that you should visit your dentist at least every three months for a check-up and to have any necessary work done. Incomplete care and untreated problems are a sort of “watchful waiting” that unnecessarily leads to worsening conditions, loss of teeth, more discomfort and more expense to treat.

It is common for us Guyanese to visit our dentist when we are in pain. That is a shame because pain is only an indicator of a problem that has gotten so bad that it results in pain. Many ► Continued on page XXXI

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

How often should ... ► From page XXX

dental problems do not cause pain at all until the problem is so bad that the offending tooth, gum needs significant treatment. So pain is not a healthy indicator for timing dental care. At that point, it is often too late. For instance, if your negligence makes you to lose even one tooth, you can greatly reduce your chewing ability. The teeth around that gap drift that way, leaving their natural “utility zone,” and are re-purposed for a job they are not perfect for.

Your teeth are not self-healing. We wish they were. Dentists and dentistry have long fought for preventive health care. We are justifiably proud of our efforts in the war to battle decay and to teach the public the value of oral health.

But the reality is that when teeth are ignored, they will get worse until they can no longer be ignored. I still get patients who consistently put off their oral health, time after time. Often these patients come back to see me later on after they have had many of their teeth removed and had dentures, saying “Please, can you fix me.” Most of the time I can, but at an exponentially higher fee than would have been required if I have been able to treat them before.

Dentures do not work just as well as natural teeth. With your natural teeth, you can put enough pressure to chew through some pretty tough stuff. In fact, common bite or chewing force ranges from twenty-five to seventy-five pounds per square inch. Back teeth, when needed, can apply up to two hundred and fifty pounds per square inch. So what about dentures? Well, they generally function at about twenty-five percent of normal chewing function. That is right. Dentures function seventy-five percent less than natural teeth. Unless a person’s teeth are painful, rotting, and/or moving, healthy teeth versus dentures are two different worlds. Over a fifteen year period of wearing dentures, chewing ability deteriorates to five pounds of biting pressure. Talk about changing what you can chew! There are individuals that become true dental cripples.

Some say, “I will just wait until it hurts, breaks, falls out or gives me trouble.” As a solution, it is not a solution. I am still amazed at what people will do for their oral health versus their car or their house. I have seen people with impeccable homes and cars which they spend lots of time and money on, but when I examine their mouths, my God!

Is dentistry expensive? “Yes, it is,” and, “No, it is not.” Let me explain. If you look at the total fees for care, dentistry or what we call “maintenance” or “check-up” dentistry is pretty reasonable. A person over a lifetime can average twenty thousand dollars per year in caring for their teeth. Yet when a person neglects their teeth, gets partial treatment, or does not see a dentist on a regular basis, dentistry does get way more expensive. It could have been prevented. So yes, dentistry can be expensive at times, but here is something to ponder, “Would my dental expenses been considerably cheaper if my dental visits were more frequent?”

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

XXXIII

ARIES - Although there’s fun to be had, this week does have its moments.

A developing tension could reach its peak midweek, resulting in either a breakthrough or a meltdown. As an edgy blend of energies encourages a clash of views, you’ll need to stand your ground in order to make the best of the situation. There’s also a New Moon on Wednesday, which might encourage a fresh start reached through making one or two key decisions. Later, lifestyle matters develop in importance.

TAURUS - Social opportunities and home-based entertainment can bring plenty of satisfaction and a chance to mingle with new people. Communication and interaction can play an important part in the events of this week, particularly if something needs to be discussed. In order to make the best use of this week’s influences, it helps to tackle any misunderstandings early, before they have a chance to fester. The New Moon can bring a chance to forgive, forget, and start again with a clean slate.

GEMINI - Make use of positive influences to advertise your goods and services. Don’t let this be hit or miss - you’ll have better success with a wellplanned strategy. Watch finances around Wednesday, when you may have to scramble to pay a bill or deal with an unexpected expense. If you know what’s coming, you can keep things from taking a downward turn. The New Moon encourages you to make a fresh start by working out a budget CANCER - It’s time to secure your boundaries and stand up for your principles. A potent alignment that peaks midweek needs handling with care. While it’s an opportunity to make a few changes, you might have to deal with other people’s objections, which could be a hassle. Your courage and determination seem to increase with the potent New Moon in Cancer. If you know what you want, the days ahead can be instrumental in encouraging you to get it, no matter what the consequences.

LEO - Make time to relax and connect with your feelings and heartfelt desires. If you’ve been busy meeting deadlines, dealing with the pressures of everyday life, and keeping all the plates in the air, it’s time to kick back and recharge. Allow time to reflect on any problems, creative projects, or inspired ideas, as time spent doing so can bring the answers you need. Wednesday’s New Moon encourages you to make meditation or other spiritual practices a regular thing for peace of mind.

VIRGO - The path of true love may not be smooth this week, especially when it comes to a budding romance. If tension has been building or you’ve noticed jealousy from a friend or competitor, you’ll need to tread carefully.

An early heart-to-heart talk can accomplish much, but if you overreact spontaneously, especially midweek, you could lose out in the long term. Venus edges into your sign on Saturday, making you an even more attractive and desirable option.

LIBRA - Money matters continue to be important, particularly early on. It helps to curb indulgence in order to save for something a little bit special.

Your work/life balance may need attention over the days ahead, particularly if family members object to your plans. Your current focus is on forging ahead with your career or personal ambitions, but you might need to water down your schedule to tend to family responsibilities. Later, Venus in Virgo encourages you to keep a secret.

SCORPIO - You’ll shine in the spotlight this week, particularly if you showcase your products and skills. This isn’t the time to hide your light away.

You could encounter a lot of red tape in the pursuit of one plan, which may cause obstacles and frustration. You’ll need to be determined if you’re going to resolve it, particularly if it lingers until midweek. The New Moon can be an excellent opportunity to start a course or travel to expand your horizons.

SAGITTARIUS - Pay attention to financial matters, particularly if you’ve let things drift recently. This week’s intense blend of energies suggests that things could be urgent unless you take action sooner rather than later. The New Moon offers a chance for a fresh start, particularly if you’re willing to discuss your issues with someone who can offer some helpful advice. And if you haven’t had a break for a while, make a point of enjoying a short vacation CAPRICORN - If you face an edgy situation this week, try to compromise.

A matter that has been building up could boil over, and you might need to adopt a conciliatory note to resolve it. Although the influences involved could encourage outbursts and arguments, you’d be better off engaging those involved in a heart-to-heart chat. Putting yourself in their shoes can help you understand where they’re coming from and how to respond. Saturday’s move of Venus to Virgo hints at romance in an exotic setting.

AQUARIUS - It seems you’ll be busy juggling all kinds of chores, deadlines, and other tasks this week. Try to give yourself a chance to recharge, especially if you’ve been under pressure for some time. The presence of Saturn in your career sector may mean you have even more on your plate, so it’s vital to pace yourself. The New Moon can help you decide to make a few changes, particularly if you’re eager to tweak your everyday routines and schedules.

PISCES - There’s a passionate and rather intense quality to romantic relationships, which might enhance intimacy. If you and another are just getting to know each other, things could get pretty hot and spicy over the week ahead.

Be sure this is what you want before you get too involved. Venus dances into Virgo on Saturday, adding extra warmth to all of your business or romance interactions. However, avoid being too critical of certain people if you want to keep the peace.

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Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

English

Chronicle Pepperpot July 19, 2015

Ideal Autos to launch Hyundai dealership for new passenger and commercial vehicles - promises to establish first modern, state-of-the-art auto centre in Guyana

I

deal Autos Inc., has announced the launch of a Hyundai new passenger car and commercial vehicles dealership at Little Diamond, East Bank, Demerara, scheduled to open at the beginning of August, 2015.

The company said it will establish the very first modern, state-of-the-art, auto centre in Guyana.

The auto dealership company, in a statement, said it has secured the distribution rights for new passenger, commercial and special purpose vehicles for Guyana from the multi-national powerhouse Hyundai Motor Company headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.

The first shipment of vehicles, from South Korea, arrived in Guyana last week and will be on display at the Company’s premises currently under construction at Little Diamond.

The company said it will be expanding its business in the next few months to include a range of agricultural machineries (e.g., ArmaTrac tractors); a state-of-the-art quick service centre for oil and brake change for all makes of passenger vehicles; a retail and wholesale distribution centre for high-quality motor oils and lubricants (Coastal Oil) for passenger vehicles, heavy-duty trucking, construction, mining and farm equipment manufactured by the iconic U.S. based Warren Oil Company.

According to the statement, the company was formed by a combination of domestic and foreign investors, some of whom are members of the Guyanese Diaspora looking forward to investing in Guyana. The group comprises Mr Peter Rippon and Mr Paul Rippon of Antigua; Mr R.L. Singh, a respected local businessman based in Georgetown; Mr Heralall (Hera) Nandlal, a Chartered Accountant based in Toronto, Canada; and Bhaktraj (Raj) Singh, a financier and real estate developer based in Toronto, Canada.

Peter Rippon, CEO of Ideal Autos, said the first person to introduce Hyundai in CARICOM, a British trained mechanical engineer, and a 35-year veteran in the automotive, trucking, agricultural and farm equipment business states “we are pleased to offer the Guyanese people new Hyundai vehicles with comprehensive three years warranty at prices that are competitive to the prices of reconditioned vehicles offered without warranty. I think the Guyanese people will see the huge economic benefits of buying a new vehicle. Stay tuned for our exciting promotions.”

Mr. Nandlal added, “Our decision to make this investment was accelerated by the Government’s stated intention to rationalise the duty and taxes on new vehicles. We would like to see more Guyanese drive new vehicles – we need to catch up with our neighbours and the rest of the world. There will be significant benefits to the environment from the use of new vehicles with higher emission standards compared to older vehicles.”

Mr Raj Singh further stated that “I am very happy to be back in Guyana as an investor and am looking to get involved in other projects that will benefit the Guyanese people. Ideal Autos will create a number of quality full time jobs for skilled, sales and administrative personnel”.

The company is looking to fill a number of vacancies, including licensed mechanics for passenger vehicles, trucks and tractors; sales persons for passenger and commercial vehicles and tractors; and staff for administrative positions. Qualified persons can send their resume to: jobs@idealgroupgy.com or Ideal Autos Inc. 252, South Road, Bourda, Georgetown

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From left, Directors Paul Rippon, Peter Rippon, Raj Singh, Hera Nandlal, members of Religious Orders and some of the workers at the turning of the sod on Friday,12th