Pepperpot 2015 8 16

MISS INDIA GUYANA CORONATION set for August 18 at Marriott Hotel ► Page XXX

► Page XIX The 2014 Miss India Worldwide 1st Runner-up, Cynferth Turrian

Entertainment pioneer

DIMPLE

Reigning Miss India Guyana, Divya Sieudarsan

COUNTRY LIVING NICE ► Page IX

SINGH

returns home ► Page XII

74-year-old Patricia McGarrel, at her ‘stand’, where she sells plantain chips, cassava balls, juice, polouri, tamarind balls, tamarind syrup, pickle mango, mango syrup and ‘chicken foot’, among other things

FRESHLY SQUEEZED & HEALTHY:

Darrel McCalman, ► Page XXVIII the cane juice specialist

Dimple hosted Rhythm Nation in Guyana for several years

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

II

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

Wither Thy Bloom?

C

By Maureen Rampertab

HRISTOPHER opened his eyes and lay still in the dimly lit hotel room, listening to his own breathing. A song, a voice softly humming, had awoken him once again. The slight quiver was like a plea, a deep emotion of something that was lost.

He got up, his thoughts somewhat troubled, wondering about the recurring dream, the voice that he felt a strong connection to.

Was she trying to reach out to him?

He opened his wallet and took out a small faded photograph, the only thing he had of her. It was the picture of a beautiful young woman, the smile on her lips spelling happiness; a young woman with a life to live, to love, to have children, but she had lost it all.

Where could she be now?

He sighed deeply, tears misting his eyes.

“What happened to you, dear mother? How did you fall from grace and lose your children?”

He could not remember much of her, being the youngest of three children, just four years old when they took her away to the hospital late one night.

She never came back.

His father had explained to them that she was sick and she needed medical attention; but strangely, he did not seemed worried.

“What is wrong with mommy?” Christopher had cried, but no one had answered him.

At night, he would awake and search all over the house for her, until one night he had opened the door and walked out onto the road in his pajamas.

His father had held him firmly by the shoulders and told him in a stern voice, “Your mother is not coming back, she has left you.”

His little heart had grieved, not understanding why she had left. Then one day, two months later, a new woman came to the house; a beautiful, stylish woman introduced by his father as their new mother.

It had brought a change in the children’s lives, and not for the better, for the new mother was reluctant to give them the love and comfort they needed.

“I miss my mommy,” Chris had cried.

No answers were given for the mother’s prolonged absence, until almost a year later, when the children were told that their mother was confined to the asylum because she had lost her mind.

“How did that happen?” his older brother, Jason, had asked.

“Drug abuse,” was the shocking answer from his sister Carol.

It had shattered the little boy’s hopes of seeing her again, and all seemed lost when the family migrated to America -- to a new life, a new home; not a picture, not a word of her, nothing to celebrate, only for the father.

At twenty-four, Christopher had become mature and brave enough to ask his father a few questions, given the step-mother had often insulted them about their mother

maureen.rampertab@gmail.com

The story of a son’s quest to find his lost mother

being a drug addict.

“Was my mother really an addict?”

“Why do you care?” his father asked impatiently.

“It’s the past, it’s gone.”

“She’s my mother,” Chris had answered, “I have to care.”

The more Chris reflected on it from little things he had overheard spoken by his father and step mother, the more he was apt to believe something bad had happened to his mother. His brother and sister, busy with their lives, showed no real interest; so it left him with one thing to do, and that was to return home.

The answers would be there, he knew. Someone had to know something, but it was not an easy task, for too much time had passed. His mother’s family he did not know too well, because his father had kept them away, and his father’s family were not too inclined to answer his questions. So he went to the media requesting information on his mother, and was pleased with the response from family, past friends and colleagues.

They spoke of her in glowing terms, during her younger days as an ambitious girl, her rewarding achievements as a journalist, and her marriage to a sports personality. A wonderful life she had had, until cracks appeared in the marriage; the stress then took a toll on her, and she had turned to drugs.

Chris had visited the asylum the first day he had come back home, but she was long gone. The administrator had told him that no one knew where she was ► Continued on page III

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

III

Wither Thy Bloom? ► From page II or what had become of her.

“One thing she kept asking though,” Chris was told by a nurse: “All the children gone?”

Since that first night he had been awoken by the song, he knew in his heart she was somewhere waiting.

Chris put her photograph on the pillow beside him and closed his eyes to sleep, more determined than ever to find his mother.

Days became weeks with no success, but in the meanwhile, he made a great contribution by opening a soup kitchen and shelter for those he had found living on the streets -- men and women, outcasts condemned to rags and crumbs, minds and hopes lost in withering gloom.

He was sitting alone at the hotel bar one night contemplating where else to continue his search in the morning when a man, tall and muscular with graying hair, approached him: “Christopher Daniels?”

“Yes,” Chris answered, not sure who the stranger was.

“I know your father,” the man said, “and your mother.”

That aroused Chris’s interest, and he shook the man’s hand.

“I’m happy to speak to anyone who had known my mother.”

He ordered a couple of drinks, and after allowing a moment to relapse, he asked anxiously, “How do you know my parents?”

“Being a sportsman like your father, and knowing your mother who was a journalist, I became close friends with them until…” he paused, “until things started to go wrong.”

“What things?”

The man took a long drink before answering. “I don’t know how it began, but your father developed a possessive attitude towards your mother, shadowing her and regarding everyone she spoke to with suspicion, so I distanced myself from them.”

“Were you there when she turned to drugs?”

The man did not answer again for a long moment. He had a disturbed look on his face when he said, “I was not, but from what I heard, several years ago, your mother was not on drugs. She was going to take the children and leave, but he couldn’t allow that to happen.”

“Why?” Chris asked, intrigued by the story that was

unfolding.

“She held his best kept secret, and if it was revealed it would have destroyed his career, so he plotted with a friend to destroy her mind.”

Chris looked at the man with disbelief, but allowed him to continue talking. “She had been using anti-anxiety medication for stress, and he expertly replaced the medication in the capsule with cocaine. Over time, her behaviour pattern started to change, her health slowly deteriorated, she lost her job and her close friends, and soon she became an addict. He shut her out from the world, totally controlling the children’s lives, until she lost her mind.”

This was a shocking revelation that seemed to numb Chris’s mind. For a long tense moment, neither men said anything; then the man said, “I’m really sorry about what happened. Christina was a good wife and mother.”

Chris could not sleep that night. His mind was in turmoil, and he was bitter that the man he had called father all his life was so evil and heartless. Many more days he searched, determination to find her knotted like steel cords in his mind; then late one afternoon, as he drove along a desolate area and was passing an old abandoned church, something caught his attention. It was the statue of the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus cradled in her arms, partially hidden by wild clinging shrubs.

Somewhere at the back of his mind he knew this place, and walking through the open gateway, he stood at the entrance of the church but saw nothing in the dim interior. Chris sighed deeply, frustration starting to creep into his mind, and he whispered, “Where are you, mother?”

He turned to leave, then stopped at the sound of a soft voice, humming a song he knew so well. Relief filled his heart like the wings of a bird soaring high, and he stepped into the church.

She was sitting in a dark corner, clothed in rags, her hair unkempt and her face streaked with dirt. Her eyes were closed as she sat there in helpless posture, hugging a small bag.

“Mother?” he called softly.

She opened her eyes and looked at him, but there was no recognition in the dull eyes, no smile on her chapped lips.

“It’s Christopher,” he said to her, “your son.”

She looked at him for a long moment, then she laughed.

It was the sound of someone who had lost her mind.

“Gone!” she said, taking out a doll and two small cars from the bag she had been hugging. “The children gone.”

Her lips quivered, a sad look filled her eyes as she

cried quietly.

So many years lost, a mother’s life shattered, wandering with empty arms, knowing what was most special had been torn from her. Christopher sat there on the damp floor, crying with her, and now he got up, taking her hand.

“Come on, mother. It’s time for you to return to your children and the world.”

Three months later, Chris returned to America, to his father ’s home for one last time. His brother and sister anxiously awaited his return.

“How was your vacation, son?” his father asked in a casual manner.

“Great!”

Chris answered. “I found someone special I had lost.”

“Who, your old girlfriend?” his father joked.

Chris took a sip from his drink, and looking his father in the eye, he said slowly, “I found my mother.”

“What?!” Jason and Carol exclaimed together in surprise, but Chris did not miss the guilt that flashed in his father’s eyes.

“After all these years?” he asked nervously.

Chris took out the two toy cars and doll from his pocket and put it on the centre table for everyone to see.

And he said, “After all those years she was still crying for her children.”

His father took a drink and said after a long while, “She was a drug addict who lost her mind.”

“The addict you turned her into when you tampered with her medication to destroy her life.”

“Nonsense!” his father shouted angrily. “Who told you that?”

“I did!” a voice said from the doorway.

Chris had found, living in another state, the friend who had supplied his father with the cocaine, and had set the stage for his entry.

The father stared at his old friend dumbfounded, shaking his head in denial. “Lies!” he said. “It’s all lies!”

Jason and Carol looked at their father in disbelief.

“You made us believe your lies so we could forget our mother? How could you?”

They turned to Chris, regret in their eyes. “You never forgot her. How is she?”

Chris turned to the door and said, “Mom?” The door opened and a beautiful woman stood there, simply dressed, a smile of genuine love on her face.

The father looked at her stunned, the evil in him had made her insane, but the love within her had brought her back from the darkness.

Today she could now embrace her children, the withered bloom now a fresh flower.

IV

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

opyright and you (Part 5)

(Extract of an interview with Burchmore Simon, Georgetown, Guyana, August 2015.

Simon, a musician, is founder of Kross Kolor Records and Guyana Music Network)

PP: We must expand on that; this creativity is hardly seen, it is an intangible. When former President Desmond Hoyte established ‘The Guyana Prize for Literature, he said, ‘We must give stature and status to our makers of words as we do to our makers of things.’ At that time, 1987, Hoyte saw the importance of the arts. But back to you and the intangible. Now, when you’re locked away in your studio, sort of sealed off from the outside, what is this thing you do? Is it a product?

people it seems to come so easily. They think that writing a song is a couple of words you put together. But if you should minus music from the world – from all the television and radio ads, from all the films and operas -- just minus music for just one day from your life and tell me what you come up with; it is empty…

BS: It is a product that someone else could take and use without a financial transaction.

PP: No, it’s not too late. What I’m getting from you is that there is somewhere to start and we could start with the legislation revamping those laws.

BS: And the legislation is not the panacea, is not the end-all of it; but it provides that stage on which we can build so many things.

Think of stimulating an industry where you have all the village competitions in terms of music, poetry, art; the government providing performance centres in area of Guyana – that would be the rebirth of art and culture and literature and everything ….

PP: We must look at it as an industry. I write, someone else does the layout and design, someone else the book covers, someone else printing and publishing. You make music, someone prints and designs the labels, someone else the DVD jackets; then there is marketing, storage and distribution. So many aspects/spinoffs to an industry…

PP: Why do others treat your product and my product as if it is nothing, it has no value?

BS: Because they see it as an intangible thing.

There is no weight levied on talent and creativity.

And I don’t understand that, because if you look at, say, Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ selling eighty million copies and selling at say one dollar each, that’s eighty million dollars! But somehow in Guyana we have traditionally seen creativity as intangible – it has no weight, no value, because for non-creative

BS: Licencing…

PP: Designing…

BS: It is an industry that is bearing fruits for millions of people from around the world. Look at America; why is America so powerful? Is it because of their art, their sport? No, it is mainly because of how they export those things. Look at how the foreign culture has dominated Guyana…

PP: And we have to pay for that…

BS: Yes, to the detriment of our own…

PP: Burchmore, you have produced music, you have ‘found’ and nurtured many singers and performers. The talent is there…

Burchmore Simon PP: It would be a sad world BS: An extremely sad world. So we need to start from the government, from the top. We need to treat creativity as an industry, like becoming a doctor or a lawyer or any other professional. So when I’m in my studio working, I expect value for my work, just like a tailor who makes a shirt or a jacket and sells it for money; he expects to be paid for his work.

At Kross Kolor, we create a piece of music, or Petamber writes a book; that is your creative energy turned into a commodity, a product, from which you expect a return, like from rice, sugar, bauxite, gold. We expect a return, and despite reports after reports of billions of dollars being brought back to a country in foreign exchange, like Jamaica and Barbados, Guyana has failed miserably to take hold of that opportunity. But it’s not too late…

BS: But look what is perpetuated on local radio and television. 99% of what is aired to the people is foreign. We have had our fits and starts and little glory areas, but it has not become institutionalized that we push our own, a national pride; that I prefer to play a Jomo Primo instead of a Machel Montana.

That’s what I’m talking about. That is what we need! We need a general resurgence; that force coming from the people to the people; our national radio station making it mandatory that we will also play 60% local content. Then you encourage me and all the other local people to create and fill that void, and a chain reaction begins. We can’t stop importing, but I, as a Guyanese, can make that commitment to support our own. So when I use the example of the restoration of the Arch, I felt so good -- national pride -- that resurgence of pride in your own! That is what Guyana is missing, and if we can harness that, whether it is our products using art and culture, and if we can then extend that to the people, what unity ► Continued on page V

opyright and you

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

► Continued on page V

and prosperity will prevail!

PP: I need to slow down, because something is growing on me. I’m getting the feel (of) how important we the creators are, and how important we the creators are to a country’s wellbeing. You are into music in a big way, let’s play that analogy, think about putting different words and phrases, bits and pieces to create a harmony, and you are able to do it. Let’s think of copyright in this same way -- bringing harmony to our creative industries.

BS: And that’s what I’m talking about. If we can develop respect for the work we create…

PP: Great word that: ‘respect’. We will spend some time on respect for the work of the writer, artist, performer…

BS: Once I respect what I create, I respect you as a fellow Guyanese; because I understand what it is to love what I create. And what I create is my child that I nurture, that I develop, that I give you as a gift, and you’re supposed to take care of that gift and add value to that gift as we go along. But we don’t get that from people with creativity in Guyana, and creativity and the creative industries can bring so much more joy and pride to Guyanese people. But we need to add value to it. The requisite framework MUST be put into place, not SHOULD be in place, but must be in place so that we must have a creative environment -- that enabling environment that we can earn from our creativity. It is a love for Guyana that has kept many of us here. That love of country…

PP: Fortunately/unfortunately…

BS: I don’t know, but we are here because we want to see things get better. So let’s have these things in place…

PP:

And the onus is on us to make it happen.

BS:

Yes, the onus is on us, the creative people…

V

PP: Having said all of that, there are some people who are benefiting from the ‘confusion’…

BS: Yes, the pirates, but there is a legitimate way to do things and to stay in business. The owners of copyright get a cut, the foreign companies get a cut, the creators get a cut, the local country gets a cut…

PP: A win-win situation….

Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com What’s happening: The Guyana Annual Magazine 2014-2015 issue in now available at Guyenterprise Ltd., Lance Gibbs and Irving Streets, Tel # 226-9874 and from yours truly.

VI

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

Are we searching for true love?

Jesus Christ

Saint Paul

King Solomon

(Part 1)

by Rev. Gideon Cecil

Love Is Unselfish First Corinthians 12:4-8 “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.”

The word ‘Love’ I believe is the greatest of all words in the English Language. Great writers, poets, singers, film makers, philosophers based their philosophies around this simple and precious word ‘love’.

When this fascinating word is traced to its root from the Greek concept it gives us the true meaning of the word ‘love’ from four Greek words:

Eros, Philia, Storge and Agape. Eros has to do with sexual love between a man and woman; Philia means close friendship or brotherly love in Greek; Storge is family love, the bond among mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers; but the greatest love is what most experts called the ‘agape love’ or the God kind of love; selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love, of all human beings.

This is the God kind of love Jesus spoke a b o u t i n S t . J o h n ’s Gospel Chapter 15:12 which are as follows: ‘‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you”.

This is the type of love Gandhi, Mandela and King demonstrated to their enemies in the world.

Gandhi wrote: “An eye for an eye gives the world a blind eye”. If we can follow this profound philoso-

Rev. Gideon Cecil

► Continued on page VII

Are we searching for true love?

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

► From page VI

phy of love we can live in a better world devoid of hate, greed and malice. What we need in Guyana is the God kind of love in our hearts that can keep the prison doors closed that will give us lasting peace even in our parliament and our own homes.

The ultimate source of all encouragement is the fact that God is love, and He loves us and has a perfect plan for us. We live in a world full of hate, greed and human selfishness; we search for love in the person we love but discover sooner or later we still long for a deeper and inner love that only God can give to us but no human. We search for love and joy in money, sexual pleasure, drugs, rum and false friends but we sooner or later discover it’s all a mortal form of illusion. We even try psychology and all types of psychiatric treatment but found it’s of no use to us but gives us a mental break down.

We search for love in fulfilling our academic dreams by hard studies and discover that our education created more envy, strife and hatred in our lives from our evil minded contemporaries.

We earn money have the most beautiful husbands and wives and soon discover our wives and husbands are unfaithful to us and they have become our mortal enemies when our beauty, fame, popularity and money have come to an end. Then we suffer in fear, rejection, and humiliation and even ended up committing suicide or mental suicide until we die slowly. Our endless perpetual search for love in this material world like Alexander the great can never be found in material things that will fade away like our dreams in the pristine beauty of the serene night.

The illustrious King Solomon the wisest and richest of all Kings if anyone was going to find purpose in “life under the sun” it would be Solomon. He had all the wealth, power, sex, wisdom and achievements he could possibly pursue. And he went after them with relentless passion. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines yet he found life to be meaningless with all his worldly possessions and wrote the following: Ecclesiastes 1King James Version (KJV) 1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth forever.

5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.

6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.

7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

Though King Solomon possessed a great abundance of wealth, wisdom, knowledge and divine power to rule over his people he referred to his possessions as ‘vanity’, meaning useless in Hebrew - the state or quality of being valueless, futile, or unreal something that is worthless or useless.

He penned great spiritual wisdom from the book of Ecclesiastes. He wrote it as a Preacher and a Poet who realised that all his material possession will fade away but his soul shall never die and he longs for a place with his Creator when he is gone from this world.

Just like Jesus said: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) Our souls, according to the Greek in the Bible, has to do with our minds, will and emotions so Jesus is telling us here not to lose our minds and hearts by gaining material things in this life that will take the place of God. The great Apostle Paul admonishes us when he wrote: ‘For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ (I Timothy 6:10) What words come to mind when you think of this phrase: The love of money is the root of all evil. Greed? Corruption? Vanity? What about when I simply say the word money?

Nothing is wrong to have wealth and money what is definitely wrong is when we make our money becomes our God. Paul was explaining to Timothy that pursuing wealth and ignoring contentment is a recipe for disaster. He goes on to tell Timothy that trusting in money is unreliable, a truth that we can still relate to today. But it seems so obvious, right? Of course we don’t ever think that we trust money more than we trust

VII

God – that sounds absurd. But here’s Paul, training another leader in the church, sharing how the love of money has turned even the most knowledgeable teachers into corrupt pursuers of money. Even today I have seen people using the church and the name of Christ and God to exploit their followers to get rich quick while they have no concern for the poor and needy but only concern about themselves.

I am reminded constantly of my very noble Christian friend Jason Cameron from J .C Chandisingh High School who migrated thirty years ago to the United States. Since the first week he entered the USA he would write me some long ‘ten pages’ letters. Until today, he messages me on Facebook and called me weekly for 30 years. He has demonstrated the true essence of love in friendship.

These divine words from Shakespeare best describe my true friend, Jason Cameron.

“He that is thy friend indeed, He will help thee in thy need: If thou sorrow, he will weep; If thou wake, he cannot sleep: Thus of every grief in heart He with thee does bear a part.

These are certain signs to know Faithful friend from flattering foe.”

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

VIII

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

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

ILLEGAL DENTIST FINED $150 (Guiana Graphic - January 11, 1962)

Arnold Henry of Hadfield and Hardina streets was yesterday fined $150 for the illegal practice of dentistry.

The Prosecutor told Magistrate Dhan Jhappan that the Police sent a decoy to Henry to arrange for an extraction and the making of a plate of dentures.

When Henry had extracted two teeth from the decoy’s mouth, the Police caught him with a marked $5 bill.

STOLEN

- a rosary and a bible

THE END OF A RAILWAY

FARINE EXPORT THIS MONTH

(Guiana Graphic - January 7, 1962)

Government has obtained its first export order to supply Bermuda with about two tons of farine monthly.

The first shipment will leave later this month. The Director of Marketing Jack Alli said that their latest order would provide a ready market for about 16,000 pounds of local farmers’ cassava.

The farine, a by-product of cassava, will be manufactured by Augustine Cassava Factory at Plaisance on the East Coast of Demerara.

Alli said the sale of farine would bring in about $1200 monthly and also provide employment for a number of people.

The order had been placed following negotiations with the Government of Bermuda by the Marketing Division

- and in its place buses and cars A new era has dawned at Port Mourant, Courentyne and buses and cars and other means of transportation have come into their own.

For the Estate train line has been dismantled, leaving workers who have been accustomed to making use of this facility to turn to other forms of travelling to get to work.

The passing of the train is an event which many no doubt will badly miss.

(Guiana Graphic - January 3, 1962)

GRAPEFRUIT SELLOUT

A rosary and a bible were among a quantity of articles stolen over the holiday weekend. The rosary was stolen from the home of Mrs. Dias of the British Guiana Credit Corporation and the bible from William Sue-A-Quan of Robb Street.

Detectives have arrested and accused a school girl of stealing $47 from Lilian Francis a Stallholder at the Stabroek Market.

From the home of Toolsie Persaud, a timber merchant, a “Grundig” radio and a bottle of champagne was stolen.

On the Courentyne, a bull, the property of Harripersaud Mohabeer was stolen from the No. 57 Village Cattle Pasture.

Four men are accused of the offence.

Scores of disappointed people were turned back from the Government Produce Depot yesterday following their efforts to buy grapefruits for the attractive rate of 100 for $1.25.

The majority were housewives who had pooled their money to secure these vitamin rich fruits.

They were turned away because the response to the grapefruit sale had exhausted the supply by lunchtime.

An Official of the depot however used these words: “Tomorrow we should get more grapefruit for sale”.

WORK TO START ON FARM SCHOOL SOON (Guiana Graphic - January 22, 1962)

Construction work is expected to start shortly on Government’s new $80,000 farm school at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara.

An Official of the Department of Agriculture said that all arrangements to erect the school were being made by the Public Works Department.

He added that it was likely that the PWD will soon select tenders to carry out the project.

In the meantime the various laboratories of the Mon Repos Agricultural Station have almost been completed.

These will be used to carry out experiments in agriculture and animal husbandry.

At the new farm school, over 50 young farmers will be admitted on a long-term basis and others on a short-term basis to be trained in modern methods and techniques.

Residential accommodation will be provided in the compound for those farmers who will attend the school on a long term basis.

$50 FOR PENKNIFE (Guiana Graphic January 25, 1962)

An 84-cent penknife earned a man a $50 fine when he pleaded guilty before Magistrate Dhan Jhappan.

Lennox Carrol was found with the penknife in High Street early on Monday night by the Police on patrol.

Mr. Jhappan told Carrol that the Court took a serious view of people walking the streets with an offensive weapon without lawful authority.

(Guiana Graphic - January 23, 1962)

GUNS OF NAVARONE (Guiana Graphic - January 27, 1962) Nine top stars! Ten years in the making: The Greatest High Adventure ever filmed. Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn in Carl Foreman’s The Guns of Navarone. A tingling bundle of suspense and action - could easily be acclaimed as the most exciting battle picture since the war…tremendous climaxes packed in thundering succession.

Gala Premiere at the Plaza Cinema 8.45 p.m & continuing with two shows daily. Pit 50c, House $1.00; Box $1.75. All complimentaries suspended.

(Guiana Graphic - January 16, 1962)

GUIANESE HAM EATERS INCREASING (Guiana Graphic - January 10, 1962)

Ham and bacon bought for last Christmas was double the amount purchased by Guianese for Christmas 1960.

Figures from the Government Marketing Division yesterday showed that f or the holidays housewives purchased: 10,000 pounds of beef; 12,000 pounds of pork, 3,500 pounds of bacon and 4,500 pounds of ham.

The number of people who use ham is jumping up daily as the popularity of local ham increases.

NEW FACE AT GAS STATION (Guiana Graphic - January 10, 1962)

Mr. Herby Phang has been granted the franchise to operate the Esso Service Station at D’Urban Street and Louisa Row. He was formerly employed as chief maintenance mechanic at the ESSO Standard Oil Company for over six years.

Mr. Phang has been in the mechanic field for about 25 years.

He recently attended a service station training program.

$7 LEAD POLICE TO $3,000 (Guiana Graphic January 4, 1962)

A boy who was seen with $7 at school one day was detained by his teacher and the Police called in.

This action by the teacher led to the rec overy of most of $4,000 said to have been stolen from a vault at Rose Hall Estate, Courentyne, eight months ago, the Police alleged before a Magistrate in Berbice yesterday.

Assistant Superintendent Norman McLean told Magistrate Mungal Singh that when he questioned 13 year old Seedarson Singh, the boy told him that the money was hidden in a fowl pen in a yard at Adelphi Village Canje but no money was found there.

However after he was questioned again, he suggested to the Police that they search in a drain at the back of his home.

After digging for some time Supt. McLean said, they found $3,111 in a glucose tin.

Mr. McLean said that after the money was found both Mangala Mahadeo, the boy’s father and Balkissoon, his brother claimed the money and said that they had worked hard to save it.

Mahadeo is also alleged to have later said that the money was not his and he had claimed it only to help his son.

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

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

COUNTRY LIVING NICE

IX

W

By Neil Primus

HEN most of us are making our second turn in a nice cozy bed, a workaholic is up and about.

She cleans and prepares fruits, provision and other ingredients for her mouthwatering delicacies. Patricia McGarrel, born in Paradise Village, West Coast Berbice, is the mother of nine and grandmother of many. And this hard working woman is 74 years of age.

Before bird’s wife awakes, she is busy in the kitchen, making a variety of eatables. Her small table (stand) has on it plantain chips, cassava balls, juice, polouri, tamarind balls, tamarind syrup, pickle mango, mango syrup, and ‘chicken foot’. When she puts out her produce for sale, they sell very quickly.

Patricia is the eldest of 16 siblings, including two sets of twins and one set of triplets. She had to work very hard from a young age.

“We used to rub down with coconut oil and run to school barefoot. Some days there was little to eat; on others there was ‘shine rice’.

On good days there was cook-up and other nice dishes. Milk was sold to the passing train every day. When the milkman was late or the train was early, the milk was then sold cheaply ► Continued on page X

74-year-old Patricia McGarrel, at her ‘stand’, where she sells plantain chips, cassava balls, juice, polouri, tamarind balls, tamarind syrup, pickle mango, mango syrup and ‘chicken foot’, among other things

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

COUNTRY LIVING NICE ► From page IX

in the village at 6cents a pint. Those were opportunities rarely missed.

When that day arrived, many children could be found polishing old, abandoned coins, or rummaging around to find same. Then it was sweet, silky milk for eager hands and hungry bellies”.

She remembers with nostalgia her early life in the country.

“We would go into the backdam and pick green mangoes. These were packed into baskets and covered with plantain bush to quail for a few days.

The following weekend, we would take it to market and sell ripe mangoes.

One basket got you $300 - $400. You were then able to purchase school clothes. We also created our own savings bank. An old empty sardine tin was nailed to the wall. A slit was cut into it in order to put in coins. When this was filled, it was glee for the thrifty kid. Hopefully, nobody raided the bank, including the banker.

“I loved working,” she said. “I cooked, cleaned and baked at an early age. We had mud oven and fireside. Baking was done every Saturday. The smell of the fresh bread would make our tummies rumble. When I was not doing anything inside (the home), I would head for the trench and catch fish by hook or feel for them. That was fun. Swimming was my hobby. Even now, whenever I go home to the country, I would swim every day. I am a good swimmer.

“The most exciting time for me was when crabs were marching. We would get our buckets or bags and catch them by the dozen. Whenever they were not on the move, we had to feel for them. Once I miscalculated and my fingers ended up in front of a Sheriga crab instead of behind. It grabbed my finger and wouldn’t let go. I screamed and bawled, shaking my tormentor

off on the seashore. In anger, I stomped him to a pulp.

This did not stop me from feeling for crabs again.”

Rice was our main food. We would buy rice from the mill when it was swollen and hot. When we did this, we got much more than when it was cold. I loved rice porridge with coconut milk. We would pay 45 cents for a ¼ bag of rice.

“Some weekdays we would cook provision using mainly a kind of plantain called ‘Four Corner’. There was the ever present Water Calaloo, called Guma. This would be cooked with shrimp. Yum! Yum! Back then, whenever you peeled plantain, your hands would be black because the plantain was rich and pure. We were even allowed to drink the black water (in which the plantain was boiled) after boiling them. Nowadays you could peel a dozen plantains and your hands would be spotless; too much fertilizer being used today.

“This small business has helped me to educate all my children and remain independent. Town life is different from country life. In the country you could spend the day in the backdam eating fruits and cooking provision and greens reaped from villagers’ farms. No one attacked you. If you are ever hungry, all you had to do was go to your neighbour and you would get a good meal. If they were in the same situation, they could come to you.

“But in town you have to buy everything. Town people don’t give anything away. I remember some nights we would get together with neighbours and have fun playing and listening to Nancy and jumbie stories. When it was time to go home; trouble. The children were always sent in a little earlier than the adults. We would have to follow each other half-way home. Then slippers were removed and little feet were heard scampering desperately for the safety of home.

“We were all afraid of ‘Auntie Stiff Coat’. She was said to be a spirit that would appear out of nowhere and skin her face on people walking late at night, especially children. She was very, very ugly. No sane child wanted to meet her,” Patricia McGarrel said.

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

XI

From ‘Brown Sugar too Bitter for Me’…

New movie ‘Protection Game’ to be filmed in Guyana - Producer Mahadeo Shivraj talks about need for modern copyright legislation

Mahadeo Shivraj

F

By Tajeram Mohabir ROM the producer of ‘A Jasmine for a Gardener’ and ‘Brown Sugar Too Bitter For Me’ comes ‘Protection Game’. The movie, being produced locally, is centred on a murder/mystery.

Veteran actor and producer Mahadeo Shivraj told the Chronicle that the motion picture is a story about a young guy who drives home and sees a car in his driveway.

He ‘eyes up’ the car, which does not belong to him, before deciding to head into his house. And almost immediately after, 2 gunshots ring out and a female screams.

Moments later, a young man who appears to be in his 20s bolts out of the house in short pants with his clothes in his hands, jumps into the car and speeds away.

The next day, he is arrested by the police and placed in custody; and shortly after, a lawyer sent by his father appears at the station to represent him.

But the father is actively working to suppress any evidence against his son.

Shivraj said the movie captures the extent a father would go to protect his son. He says the movie is packed with suspense and drama on who is the real killer of the woman.

The producer has returned to filming in Guyana after making a decision last year to move on from this country.

Shivraj related that piracy is a cancer which has permeated the local creative industry, and like other members of the fraternity, he is hoping that the new Government would put its foot down on this matter.

A veteran producer, Shivraj operates on a shoestring budget, and is faced with piracy, an absence of cinemas outside of Georgetown, and having to organise the ► Continued on page XXXII

Mahadeo Shivraj says the absence of a modern copyright legislation has been stifling the creative industry

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Entertainment pioneer

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

DIMPLE

SINGH

returns home

- promoting her daughter’s book Dimple with her hubby, Winston

Dimple hosted Rhythm Nation in Guyana for several years

R

By Telesha Vidya Ramnarine EMEMBER ‘Rhythm Nation’ on Channel 9 with its gorgeous host Dimple Singh? Approximately 12 years ago, Dimple migrated to the Unites States (U.S.), but has continued Rhythm Nation Entertainment there.

Today, though leading a successful life abroad, Dimple said Guyana has always remained close to her heart.

The former local TV personality, now Dimple Singh-Willabus, is in the country promoting her 8-year-old daughter Anaya’s book. The young writer launched her book, ‘The day Mohan found his Confidence’ at the National Library a few days ago, and it was there that the Chronicle spoke with Dimple.

Though not naming the specifics of an intended project, Dimple revealed plans to continue working with the Government of Guyana.

“I always have Guyana at heart. Though I have been working in the U.S. for 12 years, I always have Guyana at the back of my head. I am always Guyanese no matter which part of the world I go. I could have taken my daughter to the islands (to promote her book), but I chose to bring her home,” Dimple said.

To her, returning to live in Guyana one day is definitely not off the cards. “It is definitely possible for me to come home back if I can find a good job with the right pay. My husband and I had this conversation,” she laughed. Her husband Winston is also a Guyanese who is now a Sergeant with the Police Force in the U.S.

ENTERTAINMENT INTEREST Dimple was born to caring parents who have instilled certain values that have stuck with her to this day. The family lived at Princes Street, Lodge, in Georgetown, before moving to the United States. The family has always been into the liquor and grocery business. This makes Dimple a third generation liquor store owner since she has a business of this kind in the United States.

Dimple attended D’Urban Street Primary before pressing on to St. Joseph High School. After moving away, she continued with her studies and today has a ‘Masters of Science’ in Media Studies and a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism with a Minor in Marketing and Economics.

Growing up, Dimple recalled that she has always had an active interest in the entertainment industry. “I was always involved in entertainment; in modelling, dancing, or some kind of elocution competition in school; always actively involved in sports and academics. All of my five years in high school, I played volleyball. I was captain of the volleyball team at one point.

“As I was growing up, I was always in entertainment, in some form. So I always wanted to be in entertainment.

Entertainment was always intertwined in my blood. It was something I knew I was good at; public speaking and so forth came naturally to me.”

Dimple has never forgotten the people in Guyana who truly impacted her life. “I still maintained communication with most people I’ve been in contact with while I lived in Guyana

like GuyEnterprise, Stan Gouveia, Vanda Radzik, and a list of others. I know these people for over 18 years.”

RHYTHM NATION ‘Rhythm Nation’ was on for almost 10 years before Dimple migrated to the United States. She was just 18 years old when she began on television what became a successful show that was loved by many, especially the young generation.

The show, a pioneer programme for Hip-Hop (Rap) and R&B music, never moved from Channel 9. “It was the first show of its kind. I was the first female to have a live TV show at the hour and the time at that time, in the 1990’s, 1996 to be exact,” Dimple proudly recalled.

“A lot of people don’t know about it because it’s a different generation but the people who are in their late 20’s, early 30’s, would know of the programme,” she noted.

Rhythm Nation had set the platform for many more entertainment programmes and activities. “Through Rhythm Nation, we promoted local artistes, topics of interest to people, educating them about HIV, etc.”

Dimple was also a part of Entertainers Making a Difference (EMAD). “I remember going around with colleagues to raise awareness of various issues.”

Dimple’s career had reached the pinnacle of success in Guyana but she said for some reason, she no longer felt stimulated at this point.

“So I decided to just try something new. My parents were ► Continued on page XIII

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

Dimple with her family while promoting her daughter’s book overseas ► From page XII in the U.S. for many years and always encouraged me to go and I never did. So 12 years ago, I decided to go.

“I still have Rhythm Nation Productions in the United States. My older daughter and I are business partners.

She does most of the work.

We do more of an international business because we work with hip-hop and reggae artistes. We do a lot of music videos for them. We also do TV commercials,” Dimple explained.

While abroad, she has also worked at CBS Network

as an assistant to the editor.

One of her jobs there included writing for the online version of CBS. At present though, Dimple said she is going slow on her career so as to really be there for her children.

Though her older daughter Chantelle is already educated and in the working world, her two younger children Anaya and Brandon still very much need her time.

“At present, I take a back seat in my career. I could have been much further along with my career but I have chosen to put my children first. I don’t want to be ex-

Dimple Singh-Willabus

tremely successful and then my children are suffering in school. Their academics and schooling and life are more important to me than anything else. So I have pretty much slowed down to focus on them. They need my time right now and I believe I am the best person to take care of them and raise them. I want to ensure my children are healthy and educated. My career takes a backseat for now.

I will see about it when they get a bit older. I am trying to make sure they are raised the proper way.”

Dimple believes this view of her children is due to the way her mother treated her and four siblings while they were growing up. “Dimple can be described as a woman who was loved by her parents and got the best kind of support and nurturing. My parents always put us first and through the years, I have grown into the woman I am.

My dad also taught me how to be a successful businesswoman,” she said.

“Never forget where you came from because it can create a platform for where you are going. It is important to be our brother’s keeper and foster the community spirit,” urged Dimple.

In her liquor store in the United States

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

The things that happened to children…

GROWING UP IN THE DIGITAL AGE

C

hildren growing up now have great fun and learning experiences with new technology such as iPads, Galaxies, Whatsapp, Skype, etc. But, alarmingly, they are missing out on a whole range of learning, social interaction, physical activities, and emotional intelligence skills. Let me tell you what has happened to these children. You cannot say you were not warned!

tial study suggests that a child’s reading comprehension could be negatively affected. Their study showed that the kids who read “paper books” were better at comprehension than those who were using only e-books. Kids on e-books were inclined to skip the text and concentrate on all the interactive visual features such as popups. The best solution would be to encourage kids to read more paper books.

Kids have never played board games Kids are online most of the time. Whatever happened to those board games? Look at all the benefits a child gets, when you play together: • Child learns vocabulary, counting, math, reading, etc.

• You can bond with him or her • Child learns about turn-taking, winning and losing • She or he can gain confidence, builds self esteem • Satisfies competitive urges • Increases attention span and focus • Helps concentration While many ga mes and apps on smartphones are also good at building some learning skills, they can never replace the human interaction.

Kids are not playing outside anymore More and more children are playing inside and are attached to their devices, computers, and video games.

When last you see kids playing on the street or in front of your home? Yes, ‘security’ is not as robust as before, but that is an area where parents can get involved…put an eye out for your kid.

Kids’ reading ability may be affected There is not much research on this. But one ini-

Kids are not learning empathy Being tolerant, caring and controlling your emotions are life skills that will serve you well. But the digital era kids are not learning any of these skills at all. You cannot empathise with a device, at least, not yet! The best way is to play with other kids and to learn about sharing, turn-taking and giving. No, I don’t think there’s an app for that yet!

Kids are getting no input on values and attitudes The lack of real social interaction with parents and peers means that there is less and less time spent on teaching core values such as tolerance, kindness, honesty, diligence and respect. The devices are great for some learning activities but the parent-child relationship is becoming tenuous.

Kids are losing sleep Children may lose track of time while they are online.

This has serious consequences for doing household tasks and chores. It also affects their mood and they become irritable when they are forced to switch off. One of the most serious aspects is loss of sleep because this impacts on schoolwork the following day.

Kids need supervision Parents should be on the alert for any sort of online addiction. They themselves have to set the example and make sure that there is a balance between more traditional games and online activities. A happy balance can be achieved with these tips: • Use Skype together to bond with grandparents • Play video games together • Negotiate digital break times where both parents and kids switch off all devices • Encourage outdoor activities when possible • Digital media is here to stay.

They are great learning and entertainment tools but they need to be used with caution and not at the expense of real face-to-face interaction.

Kids are not learning through face-to-face interaction How does a baby learn to express and judge emotion?

How do they start to learn language? They do it by watching their parents’ facial expressions and they begin to become social creatures, acquiring essential skills which will be vital when they start playgroups and schools. But guess what is happening? The parents are increasingly absorbed in their electronic devices and cannot be bothered to even look, smile or coo at their own children! Watch parents in a café and you will see what I mean.

Parent-kid relationships are negatively affected The digital parents are opting out of parenting and this is unfair to the children. The use of devices was also having a very bad effect on the way the parents actually interacted with their children. There was a lot of negative, harsh interaction when it actually took place. It also made parents more cranky.

Kids are losing their creativity Trevor Baylis, the famous inventor of the ‘wind up radio’, fears that children are not getting the hands-on experience that he got when he was a boy. This is affecting their creativity. He learned about putting things together by playing with a Meccano set or by building model airplanes and so on. Few kids now never get their hands on games like this. Everything is done for them.

Kids do not know what real friendship means When we grew up, we had friends, real friends. Virtual friends did not exist. Look at today’s teens who can count up to a few hundred friends on Facebook. The problem is that they have never seen most of them and they only know them very superficially through a virtual friend of a friend. Staying connected is great and today’s teens send an average of 3,000 texts a month.

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

XV

‘Trini’ con artist still at large in Guyana - residents angry that culprit continues to elude local police

By Alex Wayne AFTER almost a year of orchestrating several scams and conning unsuspecting citizens, it appears that Trinidadian con artist Daniel Ali is still on the loose in Guyana, parade at leisure and pouncing repeatedly on innocent, unsuspecting individuals.

After this newspaper had broken several stories on the man’s illegal practises, he had somehow managed to elude local police ranks and continue scamming persons around Guyana of cash, jewellery, laptops, cellular phones, and other items.

When, earlier this year, police intensified their search for the ‘confidence trickster’, he had reportedly sought refuge with the relatives of an accomplice in Black Bush Polder, Corentyne; but they had eventually kicked him out and held on to all his household appliances. Thereafter, he had seemed to disappear from existence.

He resurfaced a few weeks ago, and managed to cunningly relieve a male from the East Coast of Demerara, whom he had befriended, of a brand new lap top and a substantial amount of cash.

Just recently, the victim, after seeing several stories on the Internet about Ali, contacted this publication. He was very embarrassed and asked that his identification be kept anonymous.

The man noted that, not so long ago Ali, who is said to be a homosexual male, befriended him at an Internet website, and the two quickly became friends. The man said that he soon began to trust Ali, and lent him cash, since he said he was awaiting ‘some money from relatives in Trinidad’.

He said Ali subsequently asked to borrow his brand new laptop, and cunningly disappeared from sight with it when he was not being observed.

Our informant told this newspaper that Ali is now travel-

ling to Suriname from Guyana, and has already committed similar acts in that country. He said the con man managed to steal the birth certificate of another friend, which he has reportedly used to get the Guyanese passport he uses to travel to Suriname. The man informed that Ali is using the name of the owner of the birth certificate, but has his (Ali’s) photograph in the passport instead. The man’s story was supported by a few friends and relatives.

This reporter, last week, contacted several locals who had also been conned by Ali, and they all sputtered with rage to think that, until now, the police are unable to capture this marauding con artist.

Alex Lawson, from whom he conned $30,000, was very vehement about his distaste for the inability of the police to capture the culprit.

“That is a horrible man, and if I catch him I would give him a beating he never forgets…How the police are unable to catch him totally beats me…. And the fact that he has now launched his evil attack on residents in Suriname makes me even angrier…He robbed me $30,000 pretending that he could assist me with accommodation in Trinidad, and I fell for it…

It’s a good thing I did not pay him the full amount he wanted.

That as a down payment….when I called Chronicle and they printed the story, he called me two days after and promised to pay back the cash. I received it in two separate payments, and it was delivered to me by a strange man…”

Guyanese designer Olympia Small-Sonoram was furious that Ali has not as yet been held by the police, since he had conned her of over $100,000. “Wait, dem ain’t catch that hooligan yet? Somebody needs to do something about this man. How dare him come here and continue to rob innocent Guyanese, who work so very hard for their money.”

Ali had befriended Sonoram through a friend, and had actually bought a few of her designs before turning up one day

The Trinidad driver’s license of the conman

Daniel Ali, the Trinidadian conman telling her a solemn story about his lover mistreating him and leaving him on the streets. He begged her to lend him a large sum of money, promising to leave his Trinidadian passport and other valuable documents as security until he returned to repay the loan.

The amount was given to him in sympathy, and Sonoram, being busy with clients, did not check the contents of the bag Ali had handed to her until sometime later. She was shocked to realise that the bag contained only face powder, lipstick, eye shadow and lots of old newspapers folded together. By that time the man had already disappeared.

Mr Butch, a businessman at Uitvlugt Public Road, expressed dismay when contacted. “Wait, yuh mean dem ain’t catch that wicked man yet? What really going on wid dem police today? Like this man does disappear when the police arrive or what? Till now he owe me tons ah cash in rent for my bottom flat he had rented to do a catering business.”

The businessman said Ali and an accomplice had rented his bottom flat to do catering, and he had noticed them driving several shiny cars. He said after a while police arrested his accomplice and held him at Lenora before releasing him on bail. He has never returned to the police as instructed after he was bailed and it is presumed he is hiding out at relatives in Black Bush Polder.

Ali and his accomplice were wanted by the police for selling several cars they rented from various dealers. As the ‘water became hot’ they disappeared from their location at Uitvlugt and police at Brickdam missed capturing the two when they rented an apartment at a guest house in Eccles.

During their stay in Uitvlught they had reportedly credited large amounts of alcoholic beverages from various beverage outlets on the West Bank of Demerara, and those persons have not been paid to date.

It is also known that a woman who worked at a popular hotel on the Westside actually opened a bank account in her name to secure the cash Ali and his accomplice got from their illegal orchestrations.

A Chinese restaurant owner from the East Bank of Demerara was also reportedly conned by the Trinidadian, while a market vendor was also outsmarted of his S6 cellular phone and cash.

MANGROVES

XVI

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

This week we will focus on a very important plant species well known across the coastal plains of Guyana.

Mangroves cover about 290 km of Guyana’s 430 km coast, and line many of our rivers. They are unique plant species as they can survive under harsh conditions, such as water poor in oxygen, salt water, and brackish water (a mixture of salt and fresh water).

They are fast growers and reach up to 25m.

Worldwide, mangroves cover approximately 172,000 km2 of the earth’s surface. However, about 35% of this was lost during the last several decades. The quantity of mangrove forests in Guyana has also been declining.

TYPES In all, there are seven species of mangroves.

Three of these (the red, black and white mangroves) are found in Guyana.

Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) The red mangrove is easily recognised by its exposed prop and aerial root system which stabilises the tree, and also by the long seedlings (propagules) that hang from the branches.

Red mangroves are commonly found along inland rivers.

Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans) Also known as Courida, this type inhabits Guyana’s coastline, which is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. It is not usually found along river banks.

Black mangroves, like red mangroves, are easily ► Continued on page XVII

MANGROVES

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

► Continued on page XVI

identified by their roots. However, it is not the exposed prop roots that make the black mangroves stand out. Instead it is the numerous breathing tubes, called pneumatophores, which stick vertically out of the ground. These pneumatophores trap oxygen for the plant.

White Mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa) This type grows shorter than the red or black mangroves and is found in the back portion of the mangrove forest. The white mangrove’s leaves have special openings/glands which allow salt to pass from inside the plant to the outside. This causes a coating of white salt crystals to remain on the leaves, hence the name white mangrove.

IMPORTANCE Mangrove forests provide a range of services which benefit both the environment and us. They: • Trap and cycle various organic materials, chemical elements, and important nutrients in the coastal ecosystem.

•

Provide food for marine organisms.

• Provide physical habitat and nursery grounds for a wide variety of marine organisms, such as fish, shrimp and crabs.

•

Serve as roosting and nesting sites for

XVII

many of our birds.

• Serve as storm buffers by reducing wind and wave action in shallow shoreline areas.

• Assist in protecting water quality and clarity by filtering runoff and trapping sediments and debris from adjacent uplands.

Mangroves are important sea defence structures. They break the force of waves and reduce erosion. Without these mangroves most of Guyana’s coastline would have been severely eroded leading to bank collapse and increased flooding. Fishes, shrimp, crabs and other organisms would lose their habitat and their numbers would decrease. Since it is these same organisms which we harvest for food, fewer organisms would mean less food for us.

RESTORATION Given the threat of climate change and sea level rise along with the fact that Guyana’s coast is below sea level, it is especially important for us to maintain our mangrove forests. To achieve this, the Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project (GMRP) was launched in February 2010 with funding by the European Union (EU).

Stretches of mangrove forests were restored along the coast and persons were educated on the importance of these forests. Subsequently, the GMRP was undertaken by the National Agricul-

ture Research Extension Institute in 2013.

Additionally, mangroves have been declared a protected species in Guyana and there is a fine for illegal cutting of mangroves. You MUST receive a permit from the Guyana Forestry Commission before destroying any mangrove tree. Although there is no specific legislation in Guyana concerning mangroves, there are clauses in four legal documents, namely the Environmental Protection Act, the Sea Defence Act, the Fisheries Act and Forest Acts that can be interpreted to include regulation over the management of mangroves.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? You can: •

Avoid grazing animals in mangrove areas

• Avoid careless cutting of trees for fuel wood and poles for fishing nets.

• Harvest tannins in the amount needed and with responsible harvesting techniques •

Avoid dumping garbage at mangrove sites

• Avoid pulling fishing boats through the mangrove forest • Talk to other persons about avoiding the above bad practices Sources: http://www.mangrovesgy.org https://envirodiva.wordpress.com/tag/ white-mangrove/

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

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

Basics on teeth

W

e tend t o think o f teeth as being solid, but they are not. The enamel, although quite hard and durable, has tiny tubules running through it which connect to literally millions of other tubules that permeate the dentin.

All these tubules are filled with fluid that flows constantly between dentin and enamel, and through to

the nerve endings and blood vessels in the center of the tooth. This fluid provides a

constant exchange of nutrients between the tooth and the rest of the body. To show

this dynamic interchange, studies have been done in rats.

A fluorescent dye was injected into the abdomen of rats and within ten minutes the dye was found in the dentinal tubules.

In a healthy mouth, the

Dr. BERTRAND R. STUART DDS. fluid flow is from the center out through the tubules into your mouth. In other words, your body delivers nutrients and oxygen through your blood stream into the root

of the tooth. The tooth gets “nourished” and passes the fluid out the tubules through ► Continued

on page XIX

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

Basics on teeth

► From page page XVIII the dentin into the enamel.

This fluid flow is very important in understanding the process of tooth decay. For decay to occur three conditions must be met; (1) You need a specific type of bacteria (2) you need fermentable carbohydrates; (3) the tooth must be susceptible.

If only the first two are present no decay will take place, or the third can be present, but if you do not have number one or two, no decay will occur. Brushing and flossing help with the first two conditions, but the real key is number three.

If the fluid flow is kept in a direction going from the pulp outward decay can be prevented or arrested. This positive outward pressure prevents the penetration of destructive by-products.

This fluid flow will be affected by a number of things.

Diet is critical – a diet high in refined sugar will cause the flow to go from outward to inward. Stress and lack of certain vitamins and minerals can also do the same thing. I believe that depending on the health of the tissue and organs relating to specific teeth, the fluid flow will be more or less susceptible to change direction. Thus we see, balancing an overall chemistry is a key step in battling the caries (decay) problem. Combine this with proper home care and you have a dynamic duo. most basic purpose of your teeth is to chew food so you can start the digestive process. The average adult person has 32 teeth including the third and last molars commonly referred to as the “wisdom teeth”. The variation in shapes and sizes that are designed for specific functions.

In your cheeks and under your tongue, you have salivary glands from which digestive enzymes are excreted to help the initial breakdown of food while you are chewing.

If the teeth are not thoroughly cleaned after eating, tiny bits of partially digested food can cling to the tooth and continue to break down, becoming a feeding ground for bacteria.

This causes plaque, which feels like a sticky substance when you run your tongue along your teeth. The bacteria in the deeper part of the plaque now have an anaerobic (airless) environment and can produce by-products which could possible affect the fluid flow in a specific spot on the tooth.

Plaque is easily removed when it is soft. However, if left to harden, it becomes tartar (calculus, in dental language) and must be scraped off during your routine dental cleaning.

Tartar can act as a local irritant, much like pebble in your shoe, causing inflammation in the soft gingival tissues surrounding the tooth. This results in gum disease which is the number cause of people losing their teeth worldwide.

The gingival tissue (gum tissue) surrounds the tooth and provides a covering over the bone in which the tooth is suspended by fibres. This gum tissue is like a loose-fitting collar around the tooth, and normally one can measure with an instrument called a periodontal probe one to two millimeters between the tooth and gum.

Some types of diseases can cause bone loss, which simply means that the bone shrinks somewhat. In that case the gap between the gum tissue and teeth can get bigger and create a pocket. The depth of the pocket will now go beyond the normal 1 -2 mm often being 6 – 10 mm.

These bacteria-laden pockets and their toxic by-products can further erode the bone and inflame the gum tissue.

Tartar can also build up in the pocket. This is how gum disease progresses.

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

With 20 Grade Ones…

SARASWATI VIDYA NIKETAN

student tops country at CSEC - another student from same school places second with 19 Grade Ones

Victoria Najab

Vamanadev Hiralall

Aliyah Rasheed

Joshanna Hopkinson

Ashley Anthony

Paige Carter

Kadesh Daniels

Shawn Shewram

S

BY SHIVANIE SUGRIM TEALING this year’s spotlight at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations is Cornelia Ida’s Saraswati Vidya Niketan Secondary School, whose students, Victoria Najab and Vamanadev Hiralall secured 20 and 19 Grade Ones respectively.

After writing a daunting 20 subjects at one sitting, Victoria is relieved that her parents’ money did not go to waste. The aspiring engineer, when contacted, said she is ecstatic, and sees her academic prowess as a blessing, since she did not have a study routine.

“My brilliance is a blessing, and I’m ever grateful to God and the countless number of teachers and my parents who harnessed my potential, and were the driving force throughout the months of examinations in order for me to achieve such a feat,” a proud Victoria said.

She gained Grade One passes in Additional Mathematics, Agriculture Science, Biology, Caribbean History, Chemistry, Economics, EDPM, English Language, English Literature, Geography, Human & Social Biology, Information Technology, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Office Administration, Physics, Principles of Accounts, Principles of Business, Social Studies, and Spanish.

This year’s top performer said she will be completing her ‘A’ Levels, and will thereafter pursue her studies at the Colorado School of Mines to fulfil her dream of becoming a petroleum engineer.

ASPIRING INTERNIST Like Victoria, her schoolmate, Vamanadev, is also elated that the results are finally out, and is in keeping with his expectations.

“My success is credited to the staff of the Saraswati Vidya Niketan School, and my parents and all my teachers who

helped me throughout this journey,” the aspiring doctor said.

But unlike Victoria, Vamanadev is uncertain about his next move, but indicated that he is “a big fan” of Chemistry, and will pursue a career within the medical field, possibly Internal Medicine. Besides the 19 Grade Ones, he also obtained a Grade Two pass at this year’s examinations.

Coming in third is Alyiah Rasheed, who has topped the Anna Regina Multilateral School (ARMS) in Region 2 (Pomeroon-Supenaam). Like Hiralall, Alyiah gained passes in 19 subjects, while her colleague, Jagindra Persaud, secured 16 Grade Ones and two Grade Twos.

The young scholar said she is proud of her achievement, and putting her school in the spotlight once more.

Her mother said she is a very proud parent. According to Mrs Rasheed, her daughter deserved her success, because she studied and worked hard towards achieving what she did.

QC’S FINEST Earning the top position for Queen’s College is the aspiring journalist and possibly lawyer, Joshanna Hopkinson, who secured 18 Grade Ones at this year’s sitting. She said when contacted that she was expecting this, since she studied diligently throughout the months of her examinations.

“I had a time table, and made it my duty to study every day.

And I thank God, because without Him, this was not possible,” said the proud student.

Hopkinson also credits her success to her teachers, Miss Browne and Mr Bernard, as well as the schools’ headmistress, whom she credits with being “the best headmistress a school can ever wish for.”

Following Hopkinson is Ashley Anthony of Queen’s College, who attained 17 Grade Ones. Currently, Anthony is pursuing an intensive summer programme (SPISE) at the University of the West Indies. When contacted, Anthony said her study routine was not as “structured” as most people’s, as she managed to balance her work to avoid being stressed.

“Definitely towards CSEC, I started to feel a little pressure, but it wasn’t anything impossible, since I still excelled,” she said.

In crediting her success, Anthony said her friends as well as her family (especially dad Dr Frank Anthony and mom Dr Shanti Singh) provided moral support throughout the entire journey. Asked about her aspirations, Anthony said she is currently uncertain, but has a high interest in stem-related careers.

Securing 16 Grade Ones is Abigail Somrah, also from Queen’s College. Efforts to contact her, however, proved futile.

Just below Somrah is Paige Carter, another exceptional student from Queen’s College, who secured 14 Grade Ones and five Grade Twos. Carter said she expected better, but is still proud to be one of the top performers at this year’s sitting. The aspiring paediatrician said she worked tirelessly to achieve this success, as she studied endlessly.

Attaining 14 Grade Ones and three Grade Twos is Kadesh Daniels, who is also from Queen’s College. Daniels said she is ecstatic and extremely proud of herself, since it was difficult to balance her studies. With a love for the sciences, Daniels said she has her sights set on a career in pathology, since she is extremely curious and interested in the field.

“Plans for the near future are to continue schooling at a high-rated institution, which will further advance as well as challenge me academically, as I also plan to complete the SATs by the end of the year,” said Daniels, who is also pursuing the SPISE programme at UWI with Anthony.

“Aside from God and my parents and all my teachers at Queen’s College; my teacher, Mr Antalov Jagnanan, who taught me on Saturdays, is to be credited for my success,” said a proud Carter.

“I’m so excited right now, as this was unexpected!” exclaimed St Roses High’s Shawn Shewram, who attained 14 Grade Ones and two Grade Twos. The happy 16-yearold said he prepared a study time-table that required heavy commitment every night, and owes this success to his teachers and friends and family, who boundlessly supported him throughout his journey.

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QC’s Cecil Cox tops CAPE once again - St. Rose’s Shonta Noel among other outstanding performers

By Shivanie Sugrim ONCE again emerging as the top Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) student is Queen’s College’s Cecil Cox, followed by colleagues Larissa Wiltshire and Sasha Woodroffe, who all secured Grade One passes in six units.

St. Rose’s High’s Shonta Noel has also emerged as an outstanding performer at this year’s CAPE sitting.

Cox secured Grade One passes in all seven of his CAPE

used to study one subject per day for about three hours after I returned home from lessons. In addition, I read my textbooks every chance I got in order to constantly refresh the information in my mind. Coming closer to the exam, specifically six weeks before, I dedicated a week to each subject, so that I could really focus and retain all the information.”

The aspiring dentist credits her success to the dedication of her teachers at Queen’s College, as well as her extra lessons teachers, her family and God. Larissa is a national squash player, and has recently moved up to the U-19 Division.

Cecil Cox

Larissa Wiltshire

attending the University of Guyana and also starting my Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) programme soon, so that one day I can become the Minister of Finance!” Noel told media operatives yesterday at the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD) in Kingston, Georgetown.

Noel wrote the examinations last year, and secured six Grade One passes and a Grade Two. Sonia Noel, Guyana’s established fashion designer and proud mother of Shonta, on a social media post said she was overjoyed when she heard the news of her daughter’s CAPE results.

“She got six Grade ones and a Grade two this year, making it nine ones and 2 twos overall. These results made her the top 6th Form student of her school, St Rose's High. When I attended her CSEC graduation in 2013, she whispered in my ears, ‘Mom, my name will be on the top performers shield, and I will be valedictorian’,” said the proud mother.

Aiming to become the President of Guyana one day is Queen’s College’s Phillipe Walker, who gained five Grade One passes; two Grade Twos and two Grade Threes at this year’s sitting. Walker said he is indeed happy about his achievement, though he could have done better.

“I am grateful for having placed among the top performers.

I owe this all to God, my hardworking and dedicated parents, and the wonderful teachers and staff of Queen's College. My next path is not known. I, however, wish to become the President of Guyana one day, and I think I will lean to political studies for the future. I've been trying to get a scholarship

Phillipe Walker

Sasha Woodroffe

Shonta Noel

Unit One subjects at last year’s sitting, and has once again managed to secure passes in seven subjects this year in Communication Studies; Applied Mathematics; Chemistry; Pure Mathematics; Physics; Digital Media; and Computer Science, in which latter subject he attained a Grade Three pass.

“The more effort you put in, the better the results,” advised a proud Cox when contacted by the Guyana Chronicle. Maintaining his position on pursuing a career in computer science, Cox said he is elated, as he is nearing his goal.

“I’m excited! My routine was basically reading text books and working question papers during the examinations period,” he said.

Close on Cox’ heels is Wiltshire, who attained Grade One passes in Applied Mathematics; Biology; Caribbean Studies; Chemistry; Environmental Science; and Pure Mathematics.

“It took a lot of dedication and hard work,” Larissa said. “I

Attaining Grade One passes in Accounting, Communication Studies, Applied Mathematics, Economics and Pure Mathematics is Sasha Woodroffe, who is proud that all her hard work has yielded positive results.

“I’ll be heading to UWI St Augustine to study Actuarial Science, and I want to say thanks to God, my family, teachers, and to all those people who would have offered me support, or expressed belief in me at any time,” said a beaming Woodroffe.

St. Rose’s Secondary has managed to top the list of outstanding performers, as its proud 19-year-old student; Shonta Noel attained Grade One passes in Caribbean Studies, Tourism, Accounting, Law, Management of Business and Entrepreneurship, and a Grade Two pass in Economics.

“I am very proud of myself and teachers and having given my school recognition. I want to be an economist, so I’ll be

since CSEC, when I placed third, but I wasn't able to,” said the proud scholar.

Walker has participated in a host of activities during the course of this year, and served as Head Prefect of Queen’s College, and was adjudged the best speaker of Youth Parliament 2015, where he was positioned as the Leader of the Opposition.

“I advise all students to use their syllabus while studying, and stay focused and never allow anyone to deter them from their goals,” concluded the aspiring President.

The overall pass rate this year is 87.54 per cent as opposed to last year’s 85.07 per cent. An increase was however noted in the number of candidates securing Grades One to Five passes. (The above is a reprint for our Sunday edition)

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‘Going to the dogs’ is a thriving business - but Dr. Steve Surujbally is concerned over product quality

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By Michel Outridge HAT the business of selling dog f o o d on the roadside is a thriving enterprise is beyond question. The

dog food business is on the increase, and is thriving in the city and its environs.

Within recent times, several roadside stands have popped up along David Street, Kitty; D’Urban Street, Middleton Street, Duncan

Street, Norton Street and along Mandela Avenue, among other locations.

One of the many ubiquitous dog food vendors is Abena Johnson, a mother of six who said she used to work with someone but

quit because she was being underpaid, and decided to start her own dog food business.

Abena said she established her own business on a small scale, and each day sells about 50 bags of dog food at $100 each.

Strategically placed, her roadside stand is easily accessible, and she has her own clutch of regular customers who would patronise her business.

Johnson explained that the ingredients for the dog food are similar to that of cook-up rice: in the case of dog food it is pet rice sourced from Bourda Market, plus chicken cubes; thyme; garlic; a vari-

ety of meats, including chicken, pork and beef; all scraps from the butchers.

She prepares the food without salt, and does so in bulk quantity. Sometimes she cooks every day, after which the food is measured via a butter bowl and placed in regular $10 plastic bags.

Johnson said pet rice retails at about $3000 per bag, and presently the business is slow because a lot of people are doing it, thus there is a flood of dog food stands concentrated in Georgetown.

Another dog food vendor, Whitney Embleton of First Choice Dog Food Stall located

at the corner of David and Sheriff Streets, Georgetown, told this publication that the dog food business was started by her aunt at Broad and Russell Streets, Charlestown.

She said the idea was conceptualised by Jade Stone Chinese Restaurant, ‘Black Chiney’ at Mandela Avenue, whose owner started to sell as dog food the Chinese food that was left over.

Whitney Embleton currently manages her father’s roadside dog food stall, which is operational from noon to 10pm daily. The woman says she vends about 100 bags of the dog food per day to regular customers.

These two individuals are among many who have dog food stalls, and it is reported that some drug addicts (junkies) would sometimes purchase bags of the dog food for personal consumption.

One unnamed dog food vendor said the junkies would ask for a bag with a lot of bones, since they prefer bones, and he has already observed a particular drug addict eating the dog food.

Prominent Veterinarian, Dr Steve Surujbally, however, has told this publication that he is not trying to ► Continued on page

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What the cooked dog food looks like

‘Going to the dogs’ ... tional benefit to the animals as well.

Dr Surujbally said that dogs consuming the local dog food bought from roadside vendors would not be able to fight off diseases, and the placing of spices and chicken cubes in that food is not good for the animal’s metabolism and health.

He disclosed that the local food would not be beneficial to a pregnant dog and the puppies in her womb, since it would not be satisfying to her. She would still be hungry; and once in a stage of pregnancy or advanced age, she needs to have a good diet.

► Continued on page XXII put anybody out of business, but, at the same time, the Guyana Veterinarian Association needs to advise the dog food vendors on what ingredients to put into the food, since, if not properly prepared, it becomes of no nutritional value to animals, much less humans.

He opined that the dog foods being sold locally are of no nutritional value to dogs, and he said dogs should have a balanced diet, which he was certain those local dog foods could not supply. He described the local dog foods as overwhelming carbohydrates but no protein, and with little or no long-term nutri-

Two of the many roadside dog food stalls

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

Vizion Sounds Records:

the true icon of ‘real Guyanese music’

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By Alex Wayne

IZION Sounds Records, an independent recording company created by Walter ‘Wally’ Fraser to channel his passion for Reggae music and provide an outlet for inner city youths to record their music and showcase their talent, was founded in London in 1992 under the name ‘Nu Vizion’, trading as (T/A) Vizion Sounds Records.

The company recorded several hits, including the national charting track ‘Loving Inside’ by Sharon Forester. Wally (as he is more popularly known) has a passionate love for his country, and the region saw him re-migrating to Guyana to build a recording studio and promote music tours in Guyana, hence the birth of Vizion Sounds Promotions, incorporating Vizion Sounds Records and Recording Studio.

Vizion Sounds Records has successfully carved its name in the Caribbean by recording several international reggae artistes the likes of Denis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Luciano, Taurus Riley, Natural Black; Foundation Legend Big Youth; Anthony B; Reggae Superstar Jah Cure; singing sensation and August-town star Duane Stephenson; Guyana’s number one reggae recording group, ‘First Born’; the fast emerging Guyanese talents Shelly G and Fojo; and the very popular Ghanaian bassist, singer/song writer ‘Commander Messiah’.

The company has most recently added to its very extensive music catalogue Guyana’s youngest Soca artiste Jonathan ‘Lil Red’ King, Soca Queen Michelle ‘Big Red’ King, I Lambie out of First Born, female Dancehall artiste JP, Errol ‘Ejaay James’ and Shacole.

Vizion Sounds has also launched a publishing company, WFrazier Publishing.,It is registered with the Performing Rights Society (PRS), and artistes can register their music to have their royalties (mechanical & performing rights) collected.

The company has entered into a contract with Zojak Worldwide LLC, the premier digital download distribution company; so check out their site for Vizion Sounds music availability. Or for more on Vizion Sounds Records, visit their website at www.vizionsoundrecords.com.

Listen out for more beautiful sounds from Vizion Sounds Records.

In 2006, Guyanese reggae label Vizion Sounds Records launched its latest multi-million-dollar investment project in Guyana with the hope of giving Guyanese music a major boost on the in-

ternational scene. The $10 million state-of-the-art Vizion Sounds Promotion & Recording Studio opened its doors in March, enabling Guyanese musicians to now access international standard recording at home.

The hi-tech studio, at that time situated on Robb Street in Georgetown, could produce both

‘As a company, our calling isn’t to arrive at a destination of stability, but to travel a pathway of constant growth and transformation’ analog and digital recordings, and can accommodate up to 20 persons at one time.

The then Prime Minister of Guyana, Samuel Hinds, who attended the inaugural ceremony, lauded the continuous efforts of Vizion Sounds in building and investing in Guyana.

To mark the opening, Vizion Sounds' promoter and owner, Walter 'Wally' Fraser, and then manager, Kevin Adonis, had organised a five-kilometre race in front of the studio, and a football match to emphasise the importance of fitness in the music industry. Wally said that 5k runs along with other exercises would help singers to produce better notes.

This was a breakthrough for 'Vizion Sounds' group First Born and the Guyanese music industry as a whole, as it meant “lower costs and greater access to all Guyanese wishing to make headway in the music industry," according to Adonis then.

Adonis had said that Fraser's goal was to establish a recording company that would provide greater marketing services to Guyana's aspiring musicians. The company had staged regular auditions to give Guyanese citizens the opportunity to showcase their talent.

Fraser, a Guyanese who worked for many years in the music industry in England, urged the Guyana Government, private companies and other stakeholders to collaborate in order to advance Guyana's music industry.

Vizion Sounds Records manages Guyana's internationally recognised reggae music group First Born. The group has released five albums since its debut in the mid-1990s. Its latest is 'Irits', which was launched recently and has since enjoyed tremendous response from music lovers all around the world.

First Born's recordings are now done in Guyana at the studio. The savings are great, as previously the group would travel to Jamaica six or seven times per year to record its work.

Vision Sounds Recording Studio has since been moved to its new location in Anira Street, Queenstown, Georgetown. Vizion Sounds is a dream realised by Fraser in unearthing and promoting budding talents with positive mes► Continued on page XXV

First Born

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Vizion Sounds Records ...

Celeste David

Lil Red

Shelly G

Some of the top-notch artistes that Vizion Sound Recording Studio produces and, in many times, manages ► From page XXIV sages to spread, as well as getting opportunity to produce excellent music.

In 1995, Vizion Sounds International Promotions was established in Georgetown, Guyana, with the mission of bringing to Guyana and promoting international reggae shows featuring such greats as Big Youth, Don Carlos, Sizzla, Luciano, the late Dennis Brown, Freddie McGregor, Terror Fabulous and Buju Banton. At the same time, the aim was to not only establish Guyana as a country with vision, but also Vizion Sounds as a company with insight, foresight and vision.

With these successes came a renewed sense of positive vibes, and Wally chose to once again

pursue his ambition of music production on his own label, nurturing and displaying the talents of the young with positive messages to articulate.

Today, Fraser, and the Vizion Sounds team manage the careers of Guyanese reggae group First Born and many others. The company has also released albums for several of reggae's veteran singers, such as ‘Bi Youth’, Gregory Isaacs and Luciano; and has done work with Dennis Brown, Guyana’s Natural Black, and Fantan Mojah, among others.

The company also produces excellent reggae music. Some of the albums Guyana and Jamaica-based Vizion Sounds has produced include 'Exodus Chapter XIII Verse 2', 'Confident', 'Wake Up Call' and 'Irits' from the quintet First Born; 'Iration' from Andrew Bees; 'Running Stream' from King Prof; Big Youth's 'Musicology'; Greg-

ory Isaacs's 'Cutie Cutie' and 'Substance Free'; 'Gideon' from Luciano; and 'King Juggler' from various artistes.

While the company’s mission declares its belief that its calling isn’t to arrive at a destination of stability, but to travel a pathway of constant growth and transformation, the company records music; builds tracks; burns, prints and packages CDs and DVDs. It also manages a few Guyanese artistes like Michelle 'Big Red' King, First Born, Khyran 'Was Sent' Khan, Errol 'Ejaay' James and Jonthan 'Lil Red' King, among others.

Annually, the company takes some of its artistes all across the world to locations like London, Jamaica, Suriname and other areas with the aim of promoting their music and reaching to higher heights, so to speak.

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The humdinger is on!!

15th Annual Lake Mainstay Regatta set for today

LAKE Mainstay Resort is all set to host its 15th Annual Regatta on Sunday, August 16, 2015, and folks from in and around Essequibo are all throbbing with excitement.

This year around, Lake Mainstay folks are hyping things even further by adding a scorching stage show to the event. It will see performances from the likes of Soca King Jumo ‘Rubber Waist’ Primo, Yoland Nedd, and Chutney star Prince JP and the Caribbean Hot Shots Band. These scintillating performances will take place alongside a bevy of steamy exotic dancers, and music will also be provided by Pream’s Mega Sounds.

This year’s event, dubbed ‘Clash of the Titans’, will feature sixteen categories of powerboat, canoe and swim races, as the daredevils from Bartica take on their counterparts from the Pomeroon in a head-on encounter.

A fun park will be set up for the kids; and, of course, they can enjoy ‘Merry-go-Round’, Bouncy Castle and much more…

Advance adult tickets have been set at $1000, while the gate price has been set at $1200. Advance children’s tickets are being sold for $500, with gate tickets tabled at $700.

Tickets can be obtained from Elton Snackette (Supenaam Market), Universal Pharmacy (Suddie), Anil Cell Phone Stall (Anna Regina), G & P Jaigobin Supermarkets (Henrietta and Suddie), Mahese Grocery (Lima Sands), and Gutty’s Variety Store (Charity).

Persons are more than welcome to dial 226-2975 or 610-5144 in Georgetown for reservations; or they can dial 771-4957 or 623-9888 in Essequibo for reservations.

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FRESHLY SQUEEZED & HEALTHY: Darrel McCalman, the cane juice specialist

Darrel McCalmon believes fresh cane juice is very good for diabetes

T

By Neil Primus HE sharp crack of the cutlass followed by the irritating sound of scraping tells a story of hard work and independence. At the crack of dawn, this young entrepreneur is preparing cane to be ground in order to harvest its syrupy juice. This wonderful and delicious liquid is then refrigerated until it is chilled to perfection.

Even though his operation is a small one, he employs two close relatives to keep the business going. The most difficult challenge he faces is the cleaning and preparing of the cane. â–ş See page

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â–ş From page

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This enterprising youth collects the much-needed cane from abandoned fields waiting to become new housing areas. This reduces his overhead costs and helps his small business to thrive. He is out selling every day at the junction of Yarrow Dam and Ruimveldt Road. Sunday is his best day. Most people are at home relaxing, and they would purchase juice readily. His best customers are taxi drivers and minibus operators.

Darrel thinks that fresh cane juice is very good for diabetes. He also encourages any hardworking youth looking to work on their own to get involved in cane juice selling if they want to make a successful start to business.

Darrel attended the North Georgetown Secondary School and resided in the Eve Leary Police Compound. His father was a trainer of the GPF horses. He became an excellent rider at a young age, and is still proficient at this skill. He is a fine athlete, who has also played hockey for the Guyana Police Force.

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Miss India Guyana coronation set for August 18 at Marriott Hotel

THE word is out and is causing quite a buzz!

Chandini Rambalack and folks from the ‘Apsara Camp’ are preparing for the grand coronation of the 2015 Miss India Guyana on Thursday, August 18, 2015 (18:30 hrs) at the Marriot International Hotel!!

To further flavour a spicy dish, Ms Rambalack has indicated that she will be bringing to Guyana the first runner-up of the 2014 Miss India Worldwide Pageant, Cynferth Turrian, whose dancing presentation earned

Chronicle Pepperpot August 16, 2015

her a standing ovation.

That aside, this event will also showcase dazzling dance routines by the Apsara Dance Troupe! It’s a cultural whopper by any standard!

Tickets for the event will be on sale shortly, but please be forewarned that the amount is limited.

Persons are more than welcome to call Ms. Rambalack on telephone number 640-2085 for more information, or by sending mails to apsara_guyana.com

Reigning Miss India Guyana, Divya Sieudarsan

The 2014 Miss India Worldwide 1st Runner-up, Cynferth Turrian This event will feature a cocktail reception which will last from 18:30 hrs to 19:30 hrs, and there will be distribution of snacks and a cash bar.

Tickets are obtainable from King's Jewellery World (Quamina Street, Georgetown), Feed-Shop (Sandy Babb Street, Kitty), or by contacting Ms Chandini Rambalack on 640-2085.

The dress code is elegant, and this event comes to you with the kind compliments of Limacol, Guytrac, Fusion Restaurant, Pulse Entertainment, and Apsara School of Dance. During this event, a special drawing will select two lucky persons to go on a trip to the Kaieteur Falls, compliments of Air Services Limited.

Don't miss this Prestigious Event.

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New movie ‘Protection Game’... production, launch, transportation and other activities for his movies.

All of his films are within a US$30,000 budget.

Shivraj also said that legislation dealing with piracy and copyright have to be upgraded and modernised to address the current realities of the creative arts industry.

Shivraj, who says he has no affiliation with any political party, related that from his conversations with top officials of the former Administration, there was no inclination to change the outdated laws. But he said he is hopeful that the new Administration would so do, thereby allowing the creative arts industry to breathe.

OPTIMISTIC The film producer told this publication he is optimistic that modern copyright legislation would be passed. Keeping the faith, he has returned to film ‘Protection Game’.

The cast for the movie includes Margaret Lawrence, Ron Robinson, Richie Coomach and Nirmala Narine.

All of Shivraj’s movies looked at real life situations. ‘Till I Find a Place’ examines infidelity; ‘A Jasmine for a Gardener’, a Bollywood type movie, looked at greed and power; ‘Brown Sugar Too Bitter For Me’ put the spotlight on moral values, harmony, family and sacrifices; ‘83 million Gs’ showed the levels of greed and corruption, and ‘Forgotten Love’ is a story about love.

‘Protection Game’, he said, is about a story that will resonate with Guyanese. The dialogue for the movie is written is Standard English.

Mahadeo Shivraj was born and raised in Georgetown, Guyana. As a kid growing up he knew he wanted to be an actor. In 1987, he began his acting career at the National Cultural Centre in Georgetown, and to date has acted in more than 90 plays and directed more than 30 in Guyana and New York together.

► From

page XI

He migrated to the United States in the 1990s to continue his acting career. He has since acted in more than a dozen films and television shows.

In 2010, he made his debut as a film director/producer with the movie ‘Till I Find a Place’, which was filmed entirely in Guyana and received rave reviews. He subsequently produced, directed, and starred in 3 more films: ‘A Jasmine for a Gardener’, ‘Brown Sugar Too Bitter For Me’, and ‘83 Million Gees’, all of which received rave reviews from critics and audience alike.

According to Shivraj’s website, he recently acted in an episode of ‘The Americans’, with lead actress Keri Russell. He played the cab driver in a scene with Neal Patrick Harris in ‘The Smurfs’. He played a bellboy in the movie ‘Three Backyards’ with Elias Koteas and Edie Falco of The Sopranos and Nurse Betty. And he has acted in two scenes in an episode of ‘30 Rock’ with lead actress Tina Fey.

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Sleepless In‌

Dear Wayne & Tamara,

I am in a terrible situation, still stunned I ended up here.

My boyfriend of one year, the only man I've been madly in love with, began displaying signs of verbal and emotional abuse seven months into our relationship.

As I write this he is asleep in my bedroom. Last month alone I tried to end the relationship five times. I always go back to him and hate myself for it. I am working with a therapist to understand why this keeps happening.

The biggest reason I cannot end it is a longstanding battle with severe insomnia. The chronic lack of sleep is debilitating.

Paying my bills and getting out of bed in the morning can be challenging, much less finding the inner strength to break a powerful addiction to a destructive relationship.

Yet that is precisely what I must do. I feel as if someone asked me to climb Mt. Everest with one hand tied behind my back. The lack of sleep brings me to my knees, and my boyfriend is a comforting presence in spite of his episodes of ugliness.

My family is far away. I am not close to them. I have little support in my city, where the culture is unfriendly and standoffish towards strangers. I am so tired, just getting through the day is often all I can manage.

I've been following your column for a decade and would appreciate words of wisdom to see me through this dark chapter in my life.

DEANA ************************* Dear Deana, You mention two problems. One, insomnia, and two, a boyfriend. You're working on number two with professional help, so far without success. You don't mention receiving professional help for problem number one.

Insomnia distorts reality. It can make a friendly culture and friendly city seem hostile and aloof.

So first, get thee to someone who deals with serious sleep

disorders. It doesn't matter if you don't have money, you have to find someone you can go to. You have to get the insomnia, which is a physical condition, under control.

It doesn't matter what it costs. A good night's sleep is priceless. Work out a payment plan, see someone and get treated.

Be totally honest. "I am debilitated. My lack of sleep has put me in harm's way."

Your insomnia must be treated first because it may be the cure for everything else in your life.

Insomnia colours everything: your view of the city, your view of your support system, your view of your boyfriend.

Sleep is the foundation of good physical and mental health. It is the time when the body repairs.

It would be no different from: you've broken your fe-

mur and you want to talk about your boyfriend. The first thing is to get your femur fixed. Which came first, your boyfriend acting out or the insomnia? Deal with what came first.

WAYNE & TAMARA