Pepperpot epaper 08 14 2016

Superintendent Charmaine Stuart

â–º Page XIX

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

Ruqqayah Boyer,

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By Subraj Singh

Businesswoman

s Ruqqayah Boyer a household name in Guyana as yet? If not, then in the not too distant future, it is sure to be. Here is a woman who continues to steadily rise in a variety of artistic pursuits. She is perhaps most wellknown for representing Guyana at various pageants and she is also an actress who has appeared in plays and is currently pursuing studies in Theatre at the National School of Theatre Arts and Drama (NSTAD). Ruqqayah is also known as a singer, with her first single, “Sunshine”, currently doing the rounds on social media and local radio stations.

In spite of the varying artistic activities that Ruqqayah is involved in, there is also a strong entrepreneurial streak that runs through her which, like her artistic streak, manifests itself in many ways through several different projects. The balance between being an artist and a business person is a difficult one, but it is one that this young woman seems entirely capable of handling. With such focus on her song and upcoming theatrical performances in NSTAD’s “Performance 6” on August 20th at the National Cultural Centre, it is necessary to also showcase the business side of Ruqqayah, so her ability to manage both of those important areas of her life can become all the more obvious and, therefore, much more appreciated.

Ruqqayah says that she has always had an interest in business, which probably grew out her observing her father who is a businessman, and that she particularly likes the idea of using business as a way of being more self-reliant while being able to provide for those close to her. She describes her style of business as “eccentric” and maintains that, in terms of business models, she does not follow any single structure but, instead, chooses “a combination of things fueled by some logic and market research” but she admits that most of it is purely instinctive.

Her eccentric business strategies have contributed to her business initiative known as Provotique, launched about one year ago, which is an umbrella term that hosts two businesses. The first of these is the Provotique Walking Tours – “Leh We Tek a Walk”, which is perhaps now a fixture in local pop culture due to the catchphrase appearing in Poonam Singh’s popular song, “Guyana” – where Ruqqayah is partnered with her friend, Candasy Tuanna Layne. Ruqqayah obviously believes in establishing business partnerships with people close to her, as the second business under Provotique, the Provotique Image and Beauty Pageant Consultancy, is helmed

(Photo Credit: Saajid Hussaini)

► Continued on page III

(Ruqqayah alongside Kwasi Ace, with whom she collaborated for “Sunshine” Photo Credit: Saajid Hussaini)

Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016 ► From page II by herself and her friend, and former Ms. Guyana Universe, Niketa Barker.

The Walking Tours is the first business of its kind in Guyana and Ruqqayah highlights the importance of such an initiative when she notes how many people in Guyana only experience the various sites in Georgetown via transportation and how it becomes a whole different experience when one has to physically

(Ruqqayah Boyer and Candasy Tuanna Layne – Provotique Walking Tours) walk and experience the city, all while bonding with different people, some of whom may come from cultural backgrounds that are entirely different to your own. She also says that the tours are “a great way for Guyanese to reconnect with their surroundings and build on their national pride through the knowledge gained” from the Walking Tours. Although, the Walking Tours is a business venture, Ruqqayah and Candasy were concerned about the young people from their generation not knowing much of, and, therefore, not benefitting from a cultural and heritage-based education – as evidenced in some people’s lack of knowledge about local folklore and architecture – and catering to this need for such knowledge was one of the foundational stones upon which the Walking Tours was built. Ruqqayah is fully aware of the importance of knowledge, and the ability of her business to pass on and ingrain such knowledge, to the Guyanese people as seen when she strongly notes that “Our story has a right to be retold and understood” and that the business targets the restoration of something that unites us as a people.

Ruqqayah’s artistic side emerges even in her business initiatives, as the Walking Tours are guided by young adults who are passionate storytellers and entertainers, ensuring that the business remains informative and serves its purpose while still being fun and entertaining.

The second business that falls under Provotique is called the Provotique Image and Pageant Consultancy,

where Ruqqayah has partnered with Ms. Guyana Universe 2014, Niketa Barker. The Consultancy, despite being in existence for only a short time has been working with several prominent entities and corporate clients and has already helped to create one winner at an international pageant. On partnering with Ms. Barker, Ruqqayah opined that this was an excellent partnership because of their combined experiences and knowledge in the area of pageantry. This venture is important for Ruqqayah because of its unique focus, not only on training for pageants, but also on what the team considers to be three core areas of each individual: the physical appearance, communication skills and behavior or attitude. In her own words, Ruqqayah highlights the value being brought to the public through her business when she says that “Our aim is to enrich a person’s life with confidence because that is essentially one of the main contributors to a person’s overall success.”

On her singing career and its relationship to music, which she prefers to refer to as the Business of Music rather than simply the Music Business, Ruqqayah is fully aware that such a path can be a slippery slope. She does note that she learned quite a lot from her friends who are in the music industry and from studying certain aspects of the industry herself. Unlike many artistes who compromise their art for the sake of financial gain, Ruqqayah says that for her, the integrity of the art is what is most important and that she did not choose to pursue music for accolades or earnings. Ruqqayah has much more to come, in terms of her singing career, and will be releasing other songs in the upcoming months.

On the experience of artists, and entrepreneurs with art-based businesses, such as herself, Ruqqayah is aware of the trend in creatives from Guyana having to leave home and go to other countries in order to pursue their dreams. The lack of copyright legislation in Guyana, something that is crucial to the success of artsbased businesses, and the country’s inability to protect the work of artists from copyright infringement has been described by Ruqqayah as a “monstrosity.” She went on to comment on the importance of copyright laws by stressing its roles in protecting practitioners of various forms of art and their work, while also simultaneously helping to encourage those artists and artsbased business people to continue their work, to raise

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(Ruqqayah Boyer and Niketa Barker – Provotique Image and Pageant Consultancy) their standards and the ways in which such laws would contribute to securing a secure life for the country’s creative citizens.

As a woman who is quite young herself, Ruqqayah champions the form of youth entrepreneurship which advocates that young people should invest their time and energy into whatever they are most passionate about, whatever makes them happy, and then use that to make a contribution to society. She notes that she herself is still learning much about business, but so far she is cognizant of the benefits of entrepreneurship on the young business person in how business ventures can help the individual to “build character, skills, develop responsibility and help foster relationships that can enable you in the future.” Her advice to young people interested in getting involved in business is to do extensive research, to never stop asking questions and to never lose sight of your service standards and that which inspired the venture in the first place.

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

By Subraj Singh

Derek Walcott’s The Schooner Flight (Part 1)

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s a writer, I have always been fascinated by the past and the way it interconnects with the present. Perhaps, it was something that was born from the innate desire we all had as children to experience the life of someone else who lived in another, more fascinating time in history. Perhaps, it was born from knowledge that I, that we all, possess; knowledge which informs me, as a Guyanese, with a history that is constantly affecting the present, whether through the recurrence of undead colonial ideology or through how politics from decades ago continue to influence the contemporary landscape, to understand and appreciate how the past never really disappears or lets us out of its grasp.

Derek Walcott, Nobel Laureate and St. Lucian, has a plethora of work that speaks about the interconnectivity between the past and present in order to highlight various aspects of postcolonialism, which is crucial to his plays and poems, as in, for example, the poem, The Schooner Flight. It is impossible to write all that can be written about this poem in a single article and, for this reason, along with the importance of such a poem to the Guyanese people, the observation of The Schooner Flight will be divided into parts, with this article being the first.

At its simplest level, the plot of the poem has to do with a man, Shabine, and his experiences as he journeys around the Caribbean. The way in which his journey, forever going forward, is interwoven with images from the Caribbean’s past, however, is one of the ways in which Walcott not only blends past with present, but is also probably reminding us that the past shapes, and is responsible for, the present and, indicated by the constant moving forward of the poem’s speaker, even the future itself.

Shabine’s travels and experiences offer a lot of room for Walcott to make some scathing criticisms of a variety of aspects of West Indian society – from the need for people to search for their identity, to corruption and capitalism, to the new West Indian bourgeoisie. There is also the implicit warning that all of these things can be representative of neo (new) colonialism, where modern West Indians, unaware of their identity, begin to ape the actions and behavior (excessive capitalist interests, etc.) of the colonizers. When Shabine says of the people he lives among: “…out of corruption my soul takes wings. / But they had started to poison my soul / with their big house, big car, big time bohbohl…” that is exactly what he is talking about.

As one of the best poets in the world, it should come as no surprise that Walcott, while presenting a plethora of themes and ideas in The Schooner Flight still manages to do so using language that is beautiful and sublime. Take, for instance, the lines where he writes of Shabine, working as a diver, experiencing a fleeting underwater vision that invokes the slave trade – an important aspect of Caribbean history that is crucial to the Caribbean identity:

(Derek Walcott Photo Credit: Bert Nienhuis)

“but this Caribbean so choke with dead that when I would melt in emerald water, whose ceiling rippled like a silk tent, I saw them corals: brain, fire, sea-fans, dead-men’s-fingers, and then, the dead men.

I saw that the powdery sand was their bones ground white from Senegal to San Salvador…”

Not only is the imagery in that section particularly vibrant but, more importantly, it manages to convey a whole lot in just a small section of words. Think of how Walcott links the enslavement of the Africans to one of their descendants freely swimming the ocean that they crossed, shackled and abused from Africa. Look at how Walcott conveys images of the enslaved still being very much a part of the Caribbean Sea by connecting them to the coral and the sand, as if the Caribbean itself – the waters and the soil that makes the Caribbean – was literally created from our ancestors in the past. It is a powerful piece of imagery, one of many that can be found in Walcott’s excellent poem.

Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

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Eating Disorders - Anorexia Nervosa Hello Everyone, I hope this week has treated you well.

I’d like to talk about a serious and dangerous disorder (one with many subtypes) that I feel goes unnoticed or is ignored when brought to light in Guyana. I’d like to speak about Eating Disorders.

Eating disorders are unhealthy and abnormal attitudes towards food which result in severe changes in behaviour and eating patterns. There is a constant focus and obsession with food, weight and overall physical appearance.

This is one of the most difficult disorders, as food obviously plays a crucial role in our life- it’s a necessity and therefore a balance always needs to be there. More importantly, it effects individuals physically, emotionally and communally.

There are three types of eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa occurs when the individual is fixated on being thin and therefore purposely starves and/or exercises excessively. Bulimia involves binge eating (over eating) and is followed by purging (purposely throwing up) or using laxatives to try and to avoid weight gain. Finally, Binge Eating Disorder occurs when the individuals eats large amount of food over a short period of time but does not necessarily use extraordinary means to get it out of their system.

Therefore, this group is more likely to be overweight.

These disorders are caused by many factors. I personally believe that the main cause is the blatant social pressure to be thin. This has drastically increased in the last few years with the popularity of social media. There were many times where I had a piece of chocolate in my hand, decided to scroll through Instagram and I almost immediately felt forced to throw away the chocolate. At the time, I feel a mixture of guilt and gratitude but when does it get too serious? When does it become unhealthy?

Other causes for eating disorders are genetics (family history of eating disorders), bullying/ criticism, substance abuse, abusive relationships, low self-esteem and self-confidence, stress or being in a particular job/field that requires low body weight such as dancers or models.

Today, I would like to focus on just Anorexia Nervosa and will speak about the remaining two in the upcoming weeks.

Anorexia Nervosa usually develops from the anxiety that comes from a fear of being overweight or the desire to be thin. The majority of individuals with Anorexia Nervosa have a distorted view of themselves in the sense that they believe to be overweight when they are actually under-

weight. They believe their personal value is directly related to their weight and physical appearance.

Both men and women suffer from Anorexia Nervosa (although it is more common in women) and the onset is usually around ages 16-17.

If an individual isn’t observably underweight, it is

be fatal.

Anorexia can cause a range of psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, self-harm and even suicide. These side effects subsequently affect school and job performance as well as daily activities.

Social harms such as withdrawal from relationships and loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities are also common.

Overall, about 5% of people with anorexia die from complications over a ten-year period What can we do to treat Anorexia Nervosa?

difficult to identify Anorexia. In today’s society, it is quite normal to exercise and diet daily. So how can we identify if it is a problem? People who suffer from Anorexia will constantly count calories and/or skip meals, rarely eat in public settings, constantly complain about their weight and or weighing themselves, frequently checking themselves in mirrors and taking supplements such as diet pills.

How can this affect us?

Anorexia Nervosa affects individuals in physical, emotional and social ways.

It causes a range of physical health problems such as malnutrition, hair loss, Osteoporosis (fragile bones), sexual issues such as loss of periods/ infertility in women and erectile dysfunction in men. Issues with blood circulation, irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, seizures and kidney damage are also common. Drug abuse is very common as many people resort to using drugs like cocaine to decrease appetite and therefore lose weight. This makes addiction very common in individuals with Anorexia. If the individual is pregnant, miscarriages, premature births and low birth weight are common. In some cases, the condition can even

Honestly, people with Anorexia Nervosa very rarely seek help – a lot of intervention is needed.

The difficulty is that the first step of recovery is admitting there is a problem, which is also very rare in this case.

Most individuals can be treated in an outpatient setting but in severe cases, hospital admission is necessary.

Successful treatment usually involves a combination of things. The first is to make a food plan to return to a healthy weight. The next step is to identify the underlying psychological issues that may have caused the disorder in the first place- for example, low self- esteem or stress. It is important to pay attention to your thinking/reasoning. People tend to believe that if they feel a certain way it must be true.

“I feel fat so I am fat” is common. However, try to be reasonable, accurate and positive in your thinking. It will go a long way. Finally, behavioural changes such as staying away from places or activities that trigger the obsession of being thin may be necessary. For example- throw away your scale!

A recovering Anorexic keeping a scale is like a recovering crack addict keeping his pipe. Start basing your value on how you feel daily instead.

I would like to encourage those who are currently trying to overcome Anorexia. It can take years to fully recover and relapses are common- don’t lose hope!

Thank you for reading and please send in any topics to caitlinvieira@gmail.com. Also please remember when you can come see me.

Woodlands Hospital: Outpatient Department Drug and Alcohol group meetings - Mondays 4:15 Good mental health group meetings- Wednesdays 4:15 Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always!

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The effects of fluoride

F

luoride is a naturally occurring element that prevents tooth decay when ingested systemically or applied topically. Researchers believe that there are several mechanisms by which fluoride achieves its anticarious effect.

It reduces the solubility of enamel in acid by converting hydroxyapatite into less soluble fluoroapatie; it may exert an influence directly on dental plaque, reducing the ability of plaque organisms to produce acid; and it promotes the remineralization of tooth enamel in areas that have been decalcified by acids. Most likely, fluoride works by a combination of these effects. But the remineralization effect of fluoride is of prime importance, because it results in a reversal of the early caries process and it gives rise to enamel more resistant to decay.

In 1914, fluoride was added to toothpaste but became more widespread when it was recommended by the American Dental Association in the 1950s.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has proclaimed community water fluoridation as one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.

Most States in the USA have fluoride in their drinking water. However, relatively recently there has been some reconsideration among the scientific community about this material.

Fluoride, in various forms, is still the most popular active ingredient in toothpaste although Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) typically label sodium fluoride as “toxic by ingestion, inhalation and skin contact” and that PPE (personal protective equipment) for handling should include safety glasses and gloves. The United States FDA (Food and Drug administration) has required that all fluoride toothpastes sold in the U.S. carry a poison warning on the label. The warning caution toothpaste users to: “Keep out of the reach of children under 6 years of age. If more than used for brushing is accidentally swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away.”

Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

A journal article in the Journal of Dental Research suggests that a potentially fatal dose of fluoride is 5mg per kilogram of bodyweight.

This is the “minimum dose that could cause toxic signs and symptoms, including death, and that should trigger immediate therapeutic intervention and hospitalization…This does not mean that doses lower than 5 mg F/kg should be regarded as innocuous.”

As common sense might indicate, death isn’t the only concern with fluoride toothpaste. Other poDr. BERTRAND R. STUART, DDS. tential problems include gastric problems and fluorosis (characterized by white streaks on teeth).

The question you may now ask yourself, “Does fluoridated toothpaste do more harm than good?” The answer to that question is “No, once the toothpaste you choose to use has the ADA seal of acceptance.” Dentists and consumers have long recognized the American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Acceptance as an important symbol of a dental product’s safety and effectiveness. This author is a member of the American Dental Association and relates closely with current research and development in every sphere of dentistry.

Therefore, as a consumer, you must understand that in order for fluoride toothpaste to get an ADA seal of acceptance, it must meet ADA’s requirements for safety and effectiveness in reducing tooth decay.

The manufacturer must provide clinical studies in humans, laboratory studies to determine the amount of available fluoride, the amount of fluoride released in one minute, and the amount of fluoride absorption in normal and weakened tooth enamel. Such tests are conducted in ADA’s laboratory. With that being said, the seal is your assurance that the fluoridated toothpaste has met the ADA criteria for safety and effectiveness.

Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

VII

What do the Olympic rings mean?

In 1894, Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin—a French aristocrat and intellectual who had previously attempted to incorporate more physical education in schools—convened a congress in Paris with the goal of reviving the ancient Olympic Games (an idea Coubertin first introduced at a USFSA meeting in 1889). The congress agreed on proposals for a modern Olympics, and the International Olympic Committee was soon formalized and given the task of planning the 1896 Athens Games.

After the 1912 Stockholm Games—the first Games featuring athletes from all five inhabited parts of the world—a design of five interlocked rings, drawn and colored by hand, appeared at the top of a letter Coubertin sent to a colleague. Coubertin used his ring design as the emblem of the IOC's 20th anniversary celebration in 1914. A year later, it became the official Olympic symbol.

The rings were to be used on flags and signage at the 1916 Games, but those games were canceled because of the ongoing World War. The rings made a belated debut at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, Belgium.

Coubertin used a loose interpretation of "continent" that included Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. He never said nor wrote that any

specific ring represents a specific continent.

Because the rings were originally designed as a logo for the IOC's 20th anniversary and only later became a symbol of the Olympics, it's also probable, according to historian David Young, that Coubertin originally thought of the rings as symbols of the five Games already successfully staged.

ANCIENT RINGS? Popular myth (and an academic article) has it that the rings were inspired by a similar, ancient design found on a stone at Delphi, Greece. This "ancient" design, however, is really just a modern prop.

For the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin, Carl Diem, president of the organizing committee, wanted to relay the Olympic Flame from its lighting point in Olympia to the Olympic stadium in Berlin. Diem, it seems, had a flair for theatrics, and included in the relay a stop at Delphi's ancient stadium for a faux-ancient Greek torchbearers' ceremony complete with a faux-ancient, 3-foot-tall stone altar with the modern ring design chiseled into its sides.

After the ceremony, the torch runners went on their

way, but no one ever removed the stone from the stadium.

Two decades later, British researchers visiting Delphi noticed the ring design on the stone. They concluded that the stone was an ancient altar, and thought the ring design had been used in ancient Greece and now formed "a link between ancient and modern Olympics."

The real story behind the altar was later revealed, and "Carl Diem's Stone" was moved from the stadium and placed near the ticketed entrance to the historic site.

The inspiration for Coubertin's design seems to be a little more modern. Four years before he convened his Olympic congress, he had become president of the French sports-governing body, the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA). The Union was formed from the merging of two smaller sporting bodies, and to symbolize this, a logo of two interlocking rings—one red and one blue, on a white

background—was created and displayed on the uniforms of USFSA athletes.

"It seems quite obvious," says historian Robert Barney in a 1992 Olympic Revue article, "that Coubertin's affiliation with the USFSA led him to think in terms of interlocked rings or circles when he applied his mind towards conceiving a logo ... indeed, a ring-logo that would symbolize his Olympic Movement's success up to that point in time.... Circles, after all, connote wholeness, the interlocking of them, continuity."

LORD OF THE RINGS The IOC takes their rings very seriously, and the symbol is subject to very strict usage rules and graphic standards, including: The area covered by the Olympic symbol (the rings) contained in an Olympic emblem can't exceed one-third of the total area of the emblem.

The Olympic symbol contained in an Olympic emblem has to appear in its entirety (no skimping on rings!) and can't be altered in any way.

The rings can be reproduced in a solid version (for

single color reproduction in blue, yellow, black, green, red, white, gray, gold, silver, or bronze) or an interlocking version (interlaced from left to right; and reproduced in any of the aforementioned colors or full color, in which case the blue, black and red rings are on top and the yellow and green are on the bottom).

For reproduction on dark backgrounds, the rings must be a monochromatic yellow, white, gray, gold, silver, or bronze; full color on a dark background is not allowed.

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

The rare bird that screams and growls

Paul Banko has an enviable commute: he rides his bike through cooled lava flows and dense fern forests to reach his office at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

He’s been climbing trees, poking around in nests and rescuing imperilled birds here since his teenage years.

Back in the 1960s, his father was the first US Fish and Wildlife Service employee assigned to study Hawaii’s endemic avifauna; young Banko tagged along and later built a career out of bird-watching. Now, he’s a research biologist for the US Geological Survey, and an authority on Hawaiian forest birds. His expertise is crucial as biologists prepare to re-introduce the Hawaiian crow – one of the world’s rarest birds – back into the wild.

Hawaiian birds of all types suffered catastrophic decline in the 1800s. Habitat loss, mosquito-borne diseases and predation by introduced rats, cats and mongooses drove scores of native passerines over the cliff of extinction. The ‘alalā, or Hawaiian crow, was poised to follow

suit. In 2002, the last pair of wild ‘alalā disappeared from the forest, and now, the species exists only in captivity.

But thanks to an intensive breeding program managed by the San Diego Zoo, the ‘alalā is getting a second chance.

Banko is one of the few people alive today who has witnessed Hawaiian crows in their natural habitat. “Hearing the ‘alalā really shakes you,” he said. “At dawn, when it’s still dark, the territorial males start screaming at one another. It raises the hair on your back. During summer, the clouds move in and you’re encased in this quiet, cool mist. When the crows go off, it’s this tremendous contrast.

If they’re distant and calling, it adds to the mystique.”

Their Hawaiian name, ‘alalā, means to bawl, yelp, caw or cry. Ancient Hawaiians practiced a style of chanting inspired by the bird: vibrating intonations loud enough to project over the din of battle. But ‘alalā aren’t only screamers. The birds’ diverse vocalizations range from soft mutterings

and whistles to metallic growls that recall the twang of an electric bass guitar or a revving engine. Banko recorded hours of this mesmerizing avian chatter back in the 1990s, including behavioural notes with each call.

Tucked away in the primordial heart of the park, Banko’s office is surrounded by ambitious tree ferns and epiphytes that threaten to overtake the buildings. Not far away, the molten lake at Halemau‘u Crater spits out smoke and fire, allowing visitors a peek into the fiery origins of the planet. Banko’s desk and shelves are piled high with data collected from this fierce terrain: binders full of field notes, ornithological journals and delicately built birds’ nests. At 66 years of age, the inveterate birder is still able to climb trees and spy on hatchlings. When cradling the nest of an ‘elepaio, the native flycatcher, he marvels with childlike awe at its tight weave of lichens, twigs and poha berry husks.

Despite the loss that he’s seen during his career,

Banko remains optimistic and even inspired. “You can’t observe species going extinct and not have some way of grappling with it,” he said. Because of his efforts, and those of many others, the caretakers at the San Diego zoo are ready to release a few of their 114 captive ‘alalā into a preserve that neighbours Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park,

giving the Hawaiian crows the most promising chance they’ve had in decades.

The San Diego Zoo team is using Banko’s recorded alarm calls to train the captive birds to recognize threats they’ll encounter in the wild.

The first six hatchlings will fly free in September 2016, outfitted with GPS tracking devices and carefully monitored. Periodic releases will

continue for at least five years, to establish a strong flock with new social skills.

“They’re not going to be the same ‘alalā – anymore than we’re the same people who lived 100 or 200 thousand years ago,” Banko said. “This is a time of new development, new behaviours. But it’s the only way forward, so we hope for the best.”

The first ‘alalā hatchlings will fly free in September 2016 (Credit: San Diego Zoo Global)

Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

Leguan woman, 82, recalls

IX

Nesha

‘sweet life in the bush’ S

By Neil Primus he has conquered Great Falls, ‘manned’ motor boats and swam the Demerara River twice.

At age 82, Nesha is a sprightly, intelligent woman who still has a deep love for the interior.

She grew up on the island of Leguan with her father, step-mother and two brothers, Ayub and Kareem.

“I had very happy small days. I remember plenty of games with my neighbors and friends. Even the adults would join in and have fun.

“Most times, games were played at night.

“My Head Master lived in the same yard with me. When we began playing, he and his wife would come out and join us. After the games we would all run down to the river and plunge in. After taking a bath and swim we would go home.”

Nesha began working at the age of 14 in the rice fields.

Three years later, she gor married, and continued her work of planting and cutting rice.

“I remember working very hard back then but I have no regrets.”

A jovial Nesha explained that she is the mother of five children. Two are deceased and the three alive, Alfred, Andrew and Celina, are in constant contact with her. Her husband also passed away.

She now lives alone in Sophia, a place she moved to 14 years ago and receives regular visits from her nine grandchildren and her eight great-grandchildren.

When Nesha left Leguan, she worked as a farmer along the Demerara River planting provision. She also worked the axe, chopping wood to make a living. She then relocated to Koaw Island, where she catered for boarders. She recalls visiting the Mazaruni Prison, as a member of a cricket team and playing very competitive matches there.

“Back then I managed a small shop in the bush. This brought me into contact with many indigenous people. They

were very nice people to dwell among.”

“We became great friends. Sometimes they would come for me and take me fishing or hunting. I loved these trips. I remember catching Tilapia and Hymara. What I enjoyed most was going out to ‘juk’ fish. We would stand motionless in the water and spear fish as they came closer.

“I have warm memories of an Amerindian friend who invited me and my daughter to go fishing. We all got into a small canoe and paddled close to Great Falls. We then moored the boat and set out on foot.

“Our group consisted of our Guide, his wife my daughter and I. We headed towards our destination in the forest. I suddenly realized that the Guide was missing. I had no idea that he had left. When I enquired about this I was told not to worry. “ “As we continued our journey we noticed a young “tiger” (jaguar) sitting in the track. My daughter and I were terrified by this, but the woman told us not to panic. With her encouragement we passed the animal and it did not bother us.

“A little further along the track we came upon another unusual scene. A large snake was coiled up in the middle of the track. I was so scared that I decided to turn back. ” “The man’s wife took our hands and we passed the serpent and it did not harm us. After walking a while longer, we arrived at the Hymara Pond. I was stunned to see the Guide already there. He had caught a number of fish. That was a very creepy experience.

“Another time we went hunting for Wild Cow. My Amerindian friend went into the bush and gathered something. He tied this to a tree and we all retreated a safe distance away.

We settled down to wait for animals. A Wild Cow came out of the bushes and headed straight for the tree. It stopped and just stood there. The Amerindian moved from his place of concealment and killed the animal. This incident was even stranger than the other.”

Nesha glowed with happiness as memories of her bush life

were recalled. She spoke of visits to Great Falls, Tamereno Falls, Anareka and Thumb Print. She has also visited Barama Head where she made friends with the sweet potato farmers there.

“Working in the interior shop was very rewarding. I would begin work at 7:30 a.m. and close at 12:00 p.m. Then I reopened at 3:00 p.m. and closed finally at 6:00 p.m. I made sure that no more than two customers were ever in the shop at the same time.

I never sold any alcohol, only goods. There was another place up the hill where the boys (Porknockers) would go to drink their Bambolee and be merry. After their drinking session, they would come walking or rolling down the hill. Those too drunk slept right up there. You could hear them coming from quite a distance on the quiet nights.

“In the interior back then, there were not too many shops around. Whenever the natives ran out of essentials they would approach me and I would assist them as much as I could.

Because of my generosity I never ever punished while living in the bush.

“Whenever they went hunting they would bring me a labba or a large piece of deer meat. I would cut this up into smaller pieces and share it with others. I didn’t sell it because I didn’t buy it! Sometimes I would send out a portion for my boss.

“Occasionally my friends would come and request that I cook something nice for them. Most of the time this turned out to be Curry and Roti. They would eat and enjoy themselves then go home. How I loved Bush life. “ Nesha admits that she has grown too old for life in the interior but cannot forget it. She often wishes she could be living there and not in Georgetown. Sister Nesha is still very active. She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints. She was baptized seventeen years ago and is a Visiting Teacher in the church.

She is a fervent believer in Christ and ensures that her relatives join her in church whenever they can.

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

How young Jonathan

Mohamed fulfilled his

dream of becoming a pilot

M

By Akola Thompson

any adults often look back on their childhood dream of being a doctor, lawyer and singer and wonder why they ever thought that was a good idea.

Others would look back in regret that they did not get to fulfill those dreams they held so dearly for years.

Push through all the From the time Jonathan Anthony Mohamed was eight, he st be hurdles; try to be the would look up into the sky from his Ogle home every time an airplane went by and imagine the joy he would feel when he that you can be in what you would finally become a pilot. o wh be n ca do so that you So, without ever thinking about what would be his back up plan if he were to fail, Jonathan, now 23, went through his you were destined to be.’ primary and secondary education at Marian Academy with only one goal in mind.

After completing high school, Jonathan would take his first step to realizing his dream when he completed his work-study at Caribbean Aviation Maintenance Services, the sister company of Trans Guyana Airways, during the August holidays.

He then moved on to the Art Williams & Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School for two years, while simultaneously working with CAMS. Asked why he chose to attend engineering school when his dream was to become a pilot, he explained that while he knew the advantages of being to both able fly and fix a plane, the real reason was that he did not have sufficient funds to attend flight school as it was and still remains very expensive.

Despite the setbacks to becoming a pilot, Jonathan soon gained an opportunity that would change his life for the better and see him becoming a Commercial Instrument rated pilot employed at Trans Guyana Airways as a Captain on the Cessna Grand Caravan.

During his second year at engineering school, he was made aware of an initiative Trans Guyana had at the time, which was aimed at counteracting the pilot shortage in Guyana by sponsoring two of their employees to Flight Safety International in Vero Beach, Florida.

“That’s when I told myself this was my time to show them how much I wanted this unbelievable opportunity.”

Despite the long, three-staged process which attracted more than 50 applicants, Jonathan managed to win over the examiners with his adept motor skills and knowledge and two weeks later he and another student were on a flight to Miami where they would spend a year in strenuous training to gain their stripes.

“I cannot even explain the feeling I got when the wheels of the plane left the ground and I was flying. To know that you are defying the laws of physics is just incredible.

“The feeling one gets flying alone are unexplainable - the freedom, the adrenaline pumping through your veins knowing it's just you in the aircraft.

“As a pilot, you become more disciplined, more thoughtful, and tolerant of others, more appreciative of life. In a word, you become more joyful.”

One of his near-and-dear pilot friend put it this way: “Flying is not about transportation; it’s about transformation.”

For Jonathan though, flying is more than just an adrenaline rush and a dream realized; it’s a much needed service, which he takes the utmost pride in as he knows how much people in far flung communities depend on him to transport much needed commodities. That’s the most exciting and fulfilling part of his job, knowing that he is helping other people often is all the reward he needs.

“To anyone who wants to be a pilot and lacks the drive to do it, all that I ask is that you look at me.

“I came from an average background where my parents weren't rich and I still found a way to make my dreams possible and just as I did it, anyone can do it.

“Once you have a dream don't let anyone or anything stop you from achieving it.

‘ Jonathan Mohamed

Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

Ryan Ramdass starts new innings with wife Ashley

F

ormer Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) secretary and current chairman of the National Communications Network (NCN) Bishwa Panday was among the many invitees when his niece Ashley and former West Indies opener Ryan Ramdass tied the knot at an impressive wedding ceremony in Toronto last weekend.

Ramdass, who played a solitary Test match and also donned West Indies colours in a One-day International versus Sri Lanka in 2005, is currently based in Canada where he represents Viking Cricket Club in the Toronto & District Cricket Association Elite tournament and still has his eyes set on playing for Canada.

The couple got engaged just over a year ago and according to the right-handed batsman, he’s happy to start a new innings in his life.

The 33-year-old Ramdass is the only son of the Roy Ramdass, while the 23-year-old Ashley is the last daughter of businessman Suresh Panday.

The marriage ceremony, which was performed according to Hindu rites on Saturday at Vishnu Satsang Mandir, was followed by a lavish reception the following day at the Eastown Banquet Hall, Scarborough, Toronto.

President of Vikings Cricket Club, Bhowan Persaud, was also on hand to offer congratulations to the newly-wed couple, pointing out that he was very confident Ryan would play a fantastic “innings.”

Ramdass joined the Everest Cricket Club when he was just 11 years old, following in the footsteps of his father, Roy Ramdass, and made his first-class debut in 2004 against Kenya, playing for the West Indies B team.

The stocky right-hander also made his first-class debut for Guyana the same year in the semi-final against Barbados where he scored a half-century.

In 2005, Ramdass struck a career best 144 not out for Guyana against Barbados at the Kensington Oval, prompting his selection to the West Indies A team and subsequently the senior side.

RYAN Ramdass and wife Ashley

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

Notes from Caribbean Linked IV…

Exploring the unfamiliar

I

t’s been a week and I’m not quite sure how we got here so fast. There was a general feeling of anxiety as we contemplated our upcoming studio time. Although we discussed ideas among ourselves, the actual production was slow but not surprising. We spent the first week engaged in a whirlwind of activities that our bodies are, quite frankly, still recovering from. But in the midst of such a packed schedule, I understood the importance of being present. It was just as necessary to learn about the culture of the space we would be living in for three and a half weeks, as it was for us to spend time building meaningful relationships with each other.

It was such a beautiful thing to watch unfold and sometimes, in the middle of everything, I found myself looking around and wondering if anyone else was marveling at how easy it was for this group of fifteen artists from vastly different territories to coexist. Fifteen artists, all at varying stages of their careers and yet none of that mattered once we entered the gates of Ateliers ‘89. In a strange way it was almost as if we left that weight behind, in much the same way that our baggage tends to get left behind at the airport (cue side eye at our regional airline carriers). But in this case, it was a welcome change in pace that freed us, or at least me,

from the comfortable routine that became familiar.

Nothing about Aruba was familiar to me. The absence of traffic congestion and the road rage that would surely follow; no loud music blaring from cars as they drove through neighbourhoods; a fascinating juxtaposition of beautiful flat houses and towering, monstrous hotels; fields of intimidating cacti, thorny bushes and the largest specie of aloe I’ve ever seen; the diversity of their languages and the incredible support available to creative practitioners, or any student for that matter, all underscored how little I knew of this island.

It’s impossible for any of us to really have a full grasp of what it means to exist in this space in such a short period of time. But the intention of initiatives like Caribbean Linked is to encourage artists to be open to exchanging cultures and experiences so that when we leave, these conversations about sustaining creative practices can continue across regional borders.

There is so much that is being done but still so much more that needs to be done to get the “who’s who” to recognize that disciplines like art, music and dance have the ► Continued on page XIII

Participants of Caribbean Linked IV pose with the owners of the HArt Gallery Egilda Lartez-Hart (second from right in the back row) and her husband (left) located in the Ritz Carlton, Aruba

Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

Sculptor Ciro Abath (gesturing) guides Trinidadian artist Shanice Smith through the glass blowing process during a visit to his Terrafuse studio in Turibana, Aruba ► From page XII power to transcend borders and connect us in the most organic and powerful way. We might speak in different tongues but the moment someone hits “play” on their laptop, language becomes secondary. Everything fades into the background, bringing into focus the feelings and energies that really connect us one to the other.

One example that immediately came to mind was the night we spent at Jimmy’s Bar just around the corner from Ateliers ’89. There was a point when four languages were being spoken at our table and it just blew my mind. For me, there was a disconnect since I only spoke English whereas everyone else spoke at least two languages, and in some cases all four. Fast-forward a few days later, we were all having drinks in one of the apartments while playing music from each territory. As hard as I might try, there is no putting into words the genuine swells of emotion we experienced while various genres of music in different languages poured from the speaker. I’ve been using the word “beautiful” a lot since I’ve been here, but there just isn’t any other way to describe those moments.

At this point (half way through our second week) I think everyone is excited to see how the individual responses to this space will be reflected (if at all) in the work we produce over the next few days. Personally, I’ve been slowly gathering material, information and anything interesting that could force me to think about my production and the mounting of finished works a bit differently. Although I have been actively making work since I graduated in 2015, there were moments of mental fatigue that resulted in frightening tunnel vision-type situations.

Needless to say, being in this residency program is the perfect opportunity for the kind of

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Bahamian artist Nowé Harris-Smith (right) enlists the help of CLIV admin assistant Katherine Kennedy for the production of her work experimentation that shifts one’s perspective.

We’ve all been, in our own ways, looking at our works through different lenses since we’ve been here, looking for similarities and recognizing the differences that mark each territory as unique. More importantly, there is an eagerness to learn more and I think that is perhaps the single most important part of the equation for a successful residency program. Whatever hesitation might have existed initially is now completely obliterated. Walls have been torn down (not that there were many to begin with) and we’ve managed to find and sustain connections almost immediately, in spite of unfamiliarity.

Caribbean Linked is a regional art residency and exhibition organized by Ateliers ’89 Foundation in collaboration with ARC Inc. and The Fresh Milk Art Platform Inc with support from Mondriaan Fonds and Stichting DOEN. In the fourth installment since it’s launch in 2012, ten artists from the region were invited to participate including Frances Gallardo (Puerto Rico), Travis Geertruida (Curaçao), Charlie Godet Thomas (Bermuda), Nowé H. Harris-Smith (The Bahamas), Dominique Hunter (Guyana), Tessa Mars (Haiti), Oneika Russell (Jamaica), Shanice Smith (Trinidad), Simon Tatum (The Cayman Islands) and Laura de Vogel (Aruba). Also invited were master artist Humberto Diaz (Cuba), writer and co-founder of Moko Magazine David Knight Jr. (US Virgin Islands), specially invited curators María Elena Ortiz (associate curator at the Perez Art Museum Miami, PAMM) and Pablo Léon de la Barra (curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum for the Latin American phase of the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative. Caribbean Linked IV runs from August 1 to August 24 and will be spearheaded by Robin de Vogel (Aruba) and Katherine Kennedy (Barbados).

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

Five languages that came from English English has morphed into several other languages all over the world. James Harbeck looks at the origins and possible future of these strange descendants

(BBC) Languages are ever changing, mixing and mutating, and sometimes they give birth to new ones. Sanskrit gave birth to Hindi and others; Latin is ancestor to a set of languages including Italian, French,

Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian; more recently, Afrikaans came from Dutch. But how about English? What will it give birth to?

Three important factors linguists have identified in

languages giving birth to other languages are time, separation, and contact. All languages change with time, as speakers innovate and economise and each generation reanalyses what it received from its forebears.

This does not quickly make a new language, but it can over time; Latin went through this to become Italian, but Shakespearean English and modern English are still seen as two versions of the same language, as are Ancient Greek and modern Greek.

Separation – geographical distance, cultural divergence, political independence – helps give a changed version of a language an independent identity. As Max Weinreich famously said (and linguists often repeat), a language is a dialect with an army and a navy. Political separation has allowed Danish and Norse to be distinct.

Contact with other languages is a very important force: mutual influence leads to borrowing of words and even grammatical structures.

If a language’s speakers move en masse into an area where another language is spoken, there may be considerable cross-influence, and one or both languages may simplify grammar because their speakers are learning each other’s languages. Influence from Danish, Norse, and French helped Anglo-Saxon

Which languages will be to English as French and Italian are to Latin? become Chaucer’s English, and French is a descendant of Latin with some influence from Celtic and Germanic languages.

Sometimes a simplified version is created for the purposes of trade, often using simplified grammar mainly from one language and adapted words from mainly from the other. This simplified version – a pidgin (the word pidgin comes from a modified version of the word business in one such trade language) – can come to be so commonly used that children grow up speaking it and flesh it out as a full all-purpose language: a creole. All languages have influence from outside their direct ancestor, but a creole is a language that really has more than one ‘parent’ and sometimes more than two.

This is why some people say modern English is a creole. It is a descendant of Anglo-Saxon, but it also has substantial influence in core vocabulary

and some grammar from older versions of Danish and Norse, and it has received a large part of its current vocabulary from French.

For all that, though, we tend to think of modern English as the culmination of its history, subject at most to small changes in the future.

We seldom ask about the descendants of English: which languages will be to English as French and Italian are to Latin? Or as modern English is to Anglo-Saxon?

Never mind ‘will be’.

We can talk about what languages already are descendants of English. English already has linguistic progeny in various parts of the planet. I don’t mean the mutually intelligible dialects of American, British, Indian, Australian, and other Englishes, although they may or may not be► Continued

on page XV

Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016 ► From page XIV come more distinct from one another in future. I mean languages that are not necessarily mutually comprehensible with English and may even have official status in a country (in other words, they may have an army and a navy). Here are a few of the descendants of English currently being spoken around the world today.

TOK PISIN Tok Pisin is an official language of Papua New Guinea with about 120,000 native speakers and 4 million second-language speakers (Credit: Alamy) There are many English-based creoles in the world, and many of them exist informally and with multiple variations ranging from quite different from standard

A language is a dialect with an army and a navy – Max Weinreich Declaration of Human Rights – the one about all humans being born free and equal in dignity and rights – shows: “Yumi olgeta mama karim umi long stap fri na wankain long wei yumi lukim i gutpela na strepela tru.”

PITKERN The isolation of Pitcairn in the South Pacific and the mixture of people there made it a natural breeding ground for a distinct language, Pitkern (Credit: Alamy) After the mutiny on the Bounty in 1789, several of the mutineers and some Tahitians settled on Pitcairn Island. The mutineers were from various places, including parts of Scotland, En-

United States; it is the native language of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and a heritage language of Michelle Obama. It is also called Geechee. It is a creole based on English and West African languages, and it is spoken by some 250,000 people – mostly descendants of slaves – along the southeast coast of the US. It arose during the 1700s and 1800s, and it is proudly maintained as a linguistic heritage today.

It is to some extent – but not completely – mutually intelligible with English. If you have ever sung Kumbayah, you have used at least that one word of Gullah.

SRANAN

Sranan, spoken in Suriname, has an English base with vocabulary from Portuguese, Dutch, and West African languages (Credit: Alamy) English to very close to it. In some places, the creoles are the dominant language and have gained semi-official or official status and, with it, some standardisation. Tok Pisin is one such: it is an official language of Papua New Guinea and has about 120,000 native speakers and some 4 million second-language speakers. Tok Pisin began as a pidgin based on English with influence from German, Portuguese, and several Austronesian languages, but it gained native speakers who more fully elaborated it and made it a creole. Due to the cross-influence of several languages, it uses fewer vowels and consonants and it has a less inflecting grammar than English, preferring strings of words rather than prefixes and suffixes. It is not really mutually intelligible with English, as this translation of the first article of the Universal

gland and the Caribbean, but most were not well educated, and they had little language understanding in common with the Tahitians. The isolation of Pitcairn in the South Pacific made this mixture of people a natural breeding ground for a distinct language, Pitkern, recognisably descended from English but clearly not English: “About yee gwen?” means “Where are you going?” and “I se gwen a nahweh” means “I’m going swimming.” Fewer than 500 people now speak Pitkern, however, so in our much more mobile and less isolating world, its future is not assured.

GULLAH Gullah, also called Geechee, is a language of the United States spoken by some 250,000 people (Credit: Alamy) Gullah, also called Geechee, is a language of the

Sranan, spoken in Suriname, has an English base with vocabulary from Portuguese, Dutch, and West African languages (Credit: Alamy) Sranan (also called Sranan Tongo), spoken by some 400,000 people in Suriname (and first language for about 130,000 of them), has an English base with vocabulary from Portuguese, Dutch, and West African languages. It emerged in the 1900s but was discouraged in the Dutch-run education system.

After Suriname gained independence, Sranan’s status increased considerably. It is not truly mutually intelligible with English, as this example from omniglot.com shows: “A ben de so taki wan dei mi mama ben bori okro.”

SINGLISH Singlish arose in the last century from the mixing of many different language groups in Singapore’s

English-language schools (Credit: Alamy) The government of Singapore has not always wanted people to think that Singlish is anything other than ‘bad English’. But this popular language is different from English in important ways. Singlish arose in the past century from the mixing of many different language groups within an English school system. Much of its grammar is borrowed from dialects of Chinese, and while many of the words come (sometimes changed) from English, it also has Malay and Tamil influences.

It is now the native tongue of many Singaporeans, and much of the country’s daily life is conducted in it.

Since it is not official or standardised, it has multiple

XV varieties on a continuum from quite similar to standard English all the way to really not mutually intelligible with English. To take a couple of examples from worksingapore.com: “Wah lau, the movie damn sian” (“I didn't really like the movie. I found it rather uninteresting”) and “Kena saman?

Die, lah” (“I’m being fined?

Oh dear”).

And what is the future of English and its offspring?

There are pulls in two directions: on the one hand is the homogenising influence of the global economy and the internet, engendering greater conformity and homogeneity (but also spreading innovations rapidly); on the other hand is the desire for expression of local identity, a sense of belonging to a

place and a distinct culture.

English may come to have a global standard that is not exactly what is spoken in any local culture, which may be quite different in some places for the reasons mentioned above. Some of those local varieties may over time have strong mutual influence and convergence with global English.

Others may become independent languages.

Some local varieties will not survive – the future is not bright for Pitkern. But other local variations may come to be increasingly local and even, as deliberate expressions of independence from the dominating hegemony of global English, become standardised languages of their own, as Tok Pisin has.

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

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Legume farmers can use inocula instead of urea

I

n Guyana, legumes are consumed on a daily basis. Bora, black-eye, red-peas, pigeon peas and beans appear on Guyanese plates every day and most of it is produced by local farmers.

All farmers know that apart from water, crops need plant food. These plant foods come in the form of fertilizers containing mainly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. As such, they are familiar with the fertilizers: urea, TSP and muriate of potash.

Legume farmers are aware that the main plant food used to produce black-eye, bora and other legumes is urea. Many farmers will tell you that without the use of urea they may or may not produce a good crop. They will also tell you that the plants started well with healthy green leaves.

However, these leaves may soon turn pale green or yellow, and the crop will die or produce poorly. They may or may not be able to explain the reason behind this type of crop failure.

However, the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) has the answers and the solution for successful and economic production of legumes.

The legume is a very special crop. While all plants need nitrogen for healthy growth and production, legume is the only crop with the ability to supply itself with the nitrogen it needs. How does this happen?

The plant gets its nitrogen from the air with help from special bacteria in the soil called rhizobia. This is evident by the presence of small seed like attachments on the root of the plant called nodules. If on cutting a nodule a red colour is seen, then the nodule is producing nitrogen for the plant.

Of course, the amount of nitrogen received by the legume will depend on the presence of the rhizobia bacteria in the soil, and the closeness of the relationship between the bacteria and the plant. This explains why even without the use of nitrogen a crop of legume may give good Constrasting plant growth of legume with inocula (R) and without inocula (L). produce.

But, should legume farmers plant and hope for good production? Surely all leNodules on roots of legumes gume farmers and consumers will say no, and NAREI has the solution by providing a substitute for urea. Over the years, NAREI has captured, tested and stocked many useful rhizobia bacteria strains.

These strains are used to make rhizobia inoculum and many farmers have benefited from their correct use. This inoculant can be had from NAREI for free and farmers will have the benefit of no cost for urea fertilizer and good legume production.

The rhizobia inoculant is environmentally friendly as it is made and distributed as a powdered charcoal substance. The inoculant requires small quantities - 14 grams of inoculant to one kilogram of seeds - for it to be effective. To maintain the quality of the inoculant, inocula collected from NAREI must be stored away from sunlight and in a cool place. To obtain optimum results, inocula should be applied to moist seeds, which should be planted in moist soil in the cool of the day.

The results of field trials conducted by NAREI showed that by using rhizobia inoculant, red peas farmers will save on the cost of 100 kg/ha of urea and obtain the same yield. (Contributed by NAREI)

DJ

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

Bring the Beat…

Contest on to find the best A

By Tamica Garnett

lways on the look out to find and support talent and youth, Digicel is now on the hunt for the most versatile amateur DJ – with the best juggling and mixing skills - in Guyana, and they are certain come August 26 they will find the lucky guy – or girl.

The “Bring the Beat” Amateur DJ Competition began last month and culminates later this month when the final five disc jockeys battle it out for the chance to win a Pioneer DJ Console and over $1 million in cash and prizes.

But this is Digicel, and we know that when Digicel is involved, it’s about more than just a competition - it’s about the opportunities, it’s about the people involved, and it’s about the youth. The competition is amateur one, opened only to aspiring DJs who have not yet made it on the “big stage”.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for young and upcoming DJs who are out there doing their stuff and have the necessary talent. This stage just set the lights for us to showcase to Guyana what we are capable of doing and I think this is the perfect opportunity for people like myself,” said King Keev, one of the more popular DJs in the competition.

“Bring the Beat” seeks to give the contestants as much exposure and experience as possible, whether they win the competition or not, and to help as many of them as possible to “get their foot in the door” of what has become a highly competitive industry in Guyana.

“It’s gotten tough now, I’ve been a DJ for like 37 years and it was easier that time.

You find that it’s really tough now to find the exposure, to find jobs because there are DJs out there where they get all the jobs, the youngsters who are coming up now they will find it tough, unless somebody really hear you playing and they give you a chance.” said well-known local DJ Rocky Carew.

He too commended this project that Digicel has undertaken to provide an opportunity to those waiting for their big break.

“It’s a real good initiative that Digicel has put forward for youngsters who are not up there as yet with the professionals.

“The thing about it is that is good for them to have the chance to expose themselves in front of people, in front of a crowd, on social media, getting the big-ups. They’re getting a chance to present themselves on the stage,” Carew noted.

The competition is helping to promote the contestants not only on social media but on the radio as well. Perhaps earlier this week you caught King Keev and Selector Yannick shelling it down on 100.1FM. “Apart from the DJ Competition, we want to get them to play outdoors. They’re going to start going and playing on the radio, on the programmes, spend some time in the studio and learn how to mix music for a radio station.

“We want to get them into clubs so that they can get an experience on mixing music

for patrons there. We just want them to go in there and get that first-hand experience,” explained Ramesh Roopchand, Advertising Manager for Digicel.

Over 100 persons applied to be a part of the competition, with the contestants coming from all across Guyana, entering for all different reasons, DJ Fluffy contestant #101 did it because he “loves music, it’s a passion”. He is among those in the final 15.

Another of the final fifteen is Mix Master Toney contestant #8, who was reluctant at first to enter the competition but then decided to go for it when he realized how much just being a part of the competition would help his career.

“I started thinking about the linkages and the exposure that I can get from this so I only then started thinking of it as not only a competition but as a stepping stone to being out there as not only a DJ but as well-respected one at that,” he remarked.

Winseena Welcome – or DJ Winnie – is one of only two girls who entered the competition, and now she’s the only one remaining, as things wind down.

Talking about what it feels like being a part of the competition she said: “It means the world to me. And being a female defying stereotypes and breaking traditions makes it even more exciting, being the only female among the males and standing out!”

The competition got underway with the first audition on July 25 at Pegasus Hotel where all the applicants were invited to play before a panel of judges that included DJ Ogawe Hinds, called DJ Garwin; businessman Ravi Persaud; Digicel Head of Marketing, Jacqueline James; as well as Rocky.

From that initial number only 25 persons made it past that first round, and now things are down to the final ten, following another two rounds of competition. Five contestants are eliminated each successive week, with a new competition every week.

And the fate of that lucky finalist will depend a lot on just how much he can impress the Guyanese public. After all, being a DJ is all about being able to keep the crowd jumping. But impressing the Guyanese public is no easy task because we all know just how brutally honest judges us Guyanese love to be.

At every week’s elimination round, the contestants have to play before a crowd, and just how pleased the crowd is plays a heavy role in whether they will be moving on to the next round or not.

“Crowd response is number one. The key now is that it’s not just us anymore; it’s basically the crowd to vote for them.

“We are going to have judges at each one of the locations, but the judges are going to make sure that they don’t come with their music premixed and all of those things, and listen to their mixing skills.

“But majority of the vote would be dependent on the crowd response… that’s how we are going to eliminate them; the crowd is going to evaluate them,” Roopchand stated.

“It’s not just that they’re going to be behind a console and mix; they have to

DJ King Keev

DJ Smidjit

DJ Fluffy build crowd hype and those things. Like you would look at an EDM party and you would see the DJ hyping up the crowd; it’s that sort of energy we’re looking for,” he said.

At each performance the contestants are given five minutes to put together a mix that will get the crowd pumped up and glad they came.

But it doesn’t end there. The competition seeks to truly test just how adaptable these contestants can be. With each competition, the DJs are restricted to three genres from which they can select their music, usually with a twist in it.

“It’s not just that they will come, play dancehall, hype up the party and then go home.

“Every week they have three difficult genres to mix. Like for example in Berbice, it was dancehall, Bollywood and Afro Beat.

“So like Afro beat and dancehall would go together, but mixing in Bollywood in there is

making it a bit difficult. So we advise them on what music they will be playing so that they get time to prepare and every DJ needed to go home and practice, and get there mixes together,” added Roopchand.

Each week, the contestants’ respective performances and crowd response are combined with the votes that they receive via text messages and social media “likes” and then the bottom five are eliminated.

Right now the competition is down to its final 10 following another elimination round last Friday night in Bartica.

Lindeners can look out for the deejays this Friday, when the competition hits the Linden Bus Park Tarmac.

“As we come down to the finals it’s going to get more and more difficult. “That will be when the big boys come out to play, because every man will have to show themselves.

“The finals will be more freestyle, where they will get to play how they want to.”

Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

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For the first time in 177 years...

A woman leads the Police Force Band

“

It makes women feel that they can reach the top - whatever they aim for they can reach

W

By Tamica Garnett

omen continue to tear down barriers and create history with their achievements all across the world; here in Guyana, Superintendent Charmaine Stuart has been added to the list.

Writing her name in the history books, she earlier this month became the first Band Mistress for the Guyana Police Force, which was established 177 years ago, and it is believed that she is the first woman to achieve this feet in the Caribbean.

Her elevation to the post comes after over 30 years of dedicated service in the Police Force. Stuart has replaced Assistant Commissioner Cecil Bovell.

Stuart understands what this accomplishment means for women on the whole.

“It's really a good feeling to know that you're the first female band master,” Stuart said in an interview with the Sunday Chronicle. She sported a smile that said she wanted to be humble about what she has achieved, but that she also wanted to scream from the rooftop.

“It means a lot to me because I realize I’m the first female not only in Guyana but in the Caribbean; and for me it’s a boost to a lot of women.

“It makes women feel that they can reach the top - whatever they aim for they can reach, and hats off to those female who reached the top like me.”

Stuart, 51, is not the only one appreciating the change.

Several of those under Stuart’s stewardship are proud to see her at the helm.

“It has been a long time coming,” quipped one of the band members. Over 10 years in the band, the Lance Corporal noted that he is proud of the level of eminence that Stuart brings to the position.

“We have some excellent female players in the band with excellent qualifications. So it has been a long time coming and I think we will enjoy the change. We’re still in change mode, but she has been Deputy (of the Band) for a while and we know what she brings - she brings quality.”

Another female band member noted what an inspiration Stuart is to the others. “It’s good because she’s the first female to be a band master, so it’s a really proud moment.”

Though she now serves a role model, she said that there

Superintendent Charmaine Stuart going through the paces with some members of the Police Force Band (Delano Williams photo)

were many she looked up to on her road of development.

“I had three females in the Guyana Police Force that were my role models: Assistant Commissioner Claire Jarvis, who retired; Assistant Commissioner Carol Primo, she’s also retired; and also Ingrid Welcher. Those were the persons I looked up to and admired the way that they carried themselves; they never stood for anything that was not correct,” Stuart expressed.

Being a part of a male dominated arena never got to her.

So it was never a question for her when she made the decision to join the Force. She says it’s all about how you conduct yourself.

“When you come into an organization, you have to condition your mind that this is what I’m going into and it's totally different from what I’m used to and you got to start conditioning your mind to a certain discipline that is expected of you.

“I wouldn’t say there are challenges, as much as I would say it’s how you sell yourself to the Force. If you come with the aim that you only want to achieve and not put in the work, that makes it difficult.

“And you also have to have a love and a passion for the job that you do. If you don’t have a love and a passion for the job that you do you will always have difficulties.”

It all began for Charmaine when she took up music at the Houston Community High School, while she was living in Agricola, East Bank Demerara. She later attended Alleyne’s High School, and subsequently spent a work study stint at the Police Band Room, and found it only natural that she returned there to work when she completed school at the age of 17.

“At Houston Community High…there was a music teacher by the name of Cheryl Jarvis. She used to teach music and dance, and from there I started playing the recorder and then I was sent on work study in the Police Band Room.”

“Realizing that I had the ability to do music, I was taught to play the clarinet and I was taught to read music at the Police band room and that is the reason why I’m still here. After completing school, I thought I should return to the Guyana Police Force band and continue my career. So in 1980, I think it was, I became a band apprentice, and in 1983 I was sworn in as a constable.”

As the years moved on, Stuart continued to move through the ranks, and as the bumps in the road came along, Stuart overcame them with ease and refused to let anything stand

in her way of her love for music and being part of the band.

One particular encounter Stuart recalls is when she became and mother and had to learn how to juggle the demands of motherhood and the demands of being part of the band. But thanks to kind support of others, she was able to make it all work out smoothly. “…when I started making children, the band job sometimes became difficult but then I had supervisors and officers to talk to and they assisted me.

“Sometimes they would say, ‘Look, we have other persons at your stand playing, we can afford to ease you.’

“Sometimes when the band used to play out, I used to walk with them (the children); they used to be on the bus with me.

I used to prepare everything for them and I take them along with me.

“So most people know my two sons, because I always had them around me and today their still around me.”

The support continues to pour in for Charmaine, especially since it became clear she would be the leader of the band.

She has enjoying the love from her family especially, describing it as “wonderful, can't desire better”.

Stuart even joked that her husband, a former member of the Guyana Police Force perhaps even enjoys the limelight more than she does, especially when they meet up with others and persons say, “Wow! Your wife is the Director of Music!”

Earlier this month, Stuart was particularly surprised when she found out that news of her historic achievement was making the round on social media, namely Facebook, with nothing but loving comments for Stuart.

In the end Stuart says she must give thanks to all of those who have been there and supported her throughout her journey; top on her list is God. “I want to give God praise and thanks for bringing me from where I was to where I am presently because without him I would have been nothing.

“I would like to thank the Commissioner and his admin team, and also every member of the Force who supported me throughout my years on the Force, especially the members of the GPF band.

She also praised her previous boss, retired Assistant Commissioner Bovell.

“I know I can call on him at any time if I am in a difficulty.”

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

Painting for Gold Medals: When Art Was an Olympic Discipline

The Venice Biennale is colloquially known as “the Olympics of art,” but did you know that between 1912 and 1948, painters, sculptors, architects, writers, and musicians participated at the real Olympic Games?

According to the New York Times, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the IOC, from which the modern Olympics emerged in 1896, believed that sports and the arts were inextricably linked.

“He was raised and educated classically, and he was

particularly impressed with the idea of what it meant to be a true Olympian— someone who was not only athletic, but skilled in music and literature,” Richard Stanton, author ofThe Forgotten Olympic Art Competitions, told Smithsonian Magazine.

Jean Jacoby’s Corner, left, and Rugby. At the 1928 Olympic Art Competitions in Amsterdam, Jacoby won a gold medal for Rugby. Courtesy of the Olympic Museum Lausanne.

“He felt that in order to recreate the events in modern times, it would be incomplete to not include some aspect of the arts.”

However, the idea faced opposition from the get-go, and it wasn’t until the Stockholm games in 1912 that medals were awarded in artistic disciplines.

The resistance was understandable, as sporting achievements can be measured in easily-understood metrics such as time and distance, but judging the

arts is undeniably subjective.

The arts competition also suffered from the guiding parameter that the works created had to be associated with sport, limiting the entries to tiresome imagery of athletes and odes to sporting achievement.

Additionally the requirement of amateur status in the early iterations of the games barred professional artists from entering the competition. Consequently, the artistic greats such

as Pablo Picasso and Frida Kahlocouldn’t compete. The resulting works were inevitably, well, amateurish.

According to the Huffington Post, the Olympic art events were finally struck from the competition in 1948 amid dwindling interest. Arts medals were removed from the official Olympic records and the events were demoted to a non-competitive exhibition running for the duration of the games.(Artnet News)

Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

As Earth swelters, global warming target in danger of being missed (Reuters) The Earth is so hot this year that a limit for global warming agreed by world leaders at a climate summit in Paris just a few months ago is in danger of being breached.

In December, almost 200 nations agreed a radical shift away from fossil fuels with a goal of limiting a rise in average global temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times while "pursuing efforts" for 1.5C (2.7F).

But 2016 is on track to be the hottest year on record, also buoyed by a natural El Nino event warming the Pacific, according to the U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization.

The first six months were a sweltering 1.3C above pre-industrial times.

"It opens a Pandora's box," said Oliver Geden, of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

"The future debate about temperature targets will be about

overshoot."

Many climate scientists say the Paris targets are likely to be breached in the coming decades, shifting debate onto whether it will be possible to turn down the global thermostat.

Climate scientists will meet in Geneva from Aug 15-18 to plan a U.N. report about the 1.5C goal, requested by world leaders in the Paris Agreement for publication in 2018. Overshoot is among the issues in preparatory documents.

Developing nations see overshoot as a betrayal of commitments by the rich and a recipe to worsen heatwaves such as in the Middle East this year or a thaw of Greenland's ice sheet that could swamp island states by raising global sea levels.

"There is a risk that 'overshoot' is a slippery slope towards lower ambition," said Emmanuel de Guzman, secretary of the Climate Commission of the Philippines, which

chairs a group of 43 emerging nations in the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF).

OLYMPICS CAMPAIGN Backing that view at the Rio Olympics, some athletes have signs saying: "1.5 - the record we must not break" in a campaign partly run by the CVF, whose members includes Bangladesh, the Maldives and Guatemala.

Developing nations say overshoot lets world leaders pay lip service to 1.5C while failing to act on pledges made in Paris for a trillion-dollar shift from coal and other fossil fuels towards renewable energies.

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump doubts climate change is caused by human activities and has said he will pull out of the Paris Agreement if elected.

Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton strongly backs Paris.

The 1.5C threshold could be in jeopardy within five years on current trends of

world greenhouse gas emissions, led by China and the United States, and 2C within about 25 years, according to U.N. calculations of the amount of carbon that can be emitted into the atmosphere.

Brazilian scientist Thelma Krug, who will lead the Geneva meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said a "wholesale transformation" of economies and society will be required to achieve the Paris targets.

The IPCC report will look at both the damage to nature

XXI from a 1.5C rise and ways to rein in rising temperatures.

Many IPCC scenarios in recent years discuss ways to extract heat-trapping carbon dioxide from nature. If applied at a wide enough scale, such "negative emissions" could reduce temperatures after an overshoot.

But there are many pitfalls.

The simplest natural aid - planting trees that absorb carbon dioxide from the air to grow - would probably require too much farmland to be feasible. Industrial technologies for extracting carbon from the air are costly and in their infancy.

Draft documents for the 2018 report by the IPCC also mention more radical solutions, such as spraying chemicals into the upper atmosphere to dim sunlight through "geo-engineering".

"It's hard to avoid overshoot. It's more a question of the size," said Glen Peters, a scientist at the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo.

The Paris text is vague about the temperature ceilings and does not say whether 1.5C or 2C refers to temperatures in one year, over a decade or longer.

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Long in the tooth: the Greenland shark may live four centuries (Reuters) The Greenland shark, a big and slow-moving deep-ocean predator that prowls the frigid waters of the Arctic and North Atlantic, can claim the distinction of being the planet's longest-living vertebrate, with a lifespan perhaps reaching about 400 years.

Its extremely sluggish growth rate, about four-tenths of a inch (1 cm) per year, had already tipped off scientists that it lived a very long time, and research published on Thursday calculated the Greenland shark's lifespan for the first time.

Danish marine biologist Julius Nielsen said radio-

carbon dating that analyzed the shark's eye lens found that the oldest of 28 sharks studied was likely about 392 years old, with 95 percent certainty of an age range between 272 and 512 years.

Females astoundingly did not reach sexual maturation until they were at least 134 years old, Nielsen said.

The Greenland shark, up to about 18 feet (5.5 meters) long, is among the largest carnivorous sharks.

Nielsen, a University of Copenhagen doctoral student who led the study published in the journal Science, said the findings should bring this shark much-deserved respect.

"This species is completely overlooked, and only a few scientists in the world are working with this species," Nielsen said.

"Our findings show that even though the uncertainty is great that they should be considered the oldest vertebrate animal in the world," Nielsen added.

Nielsen said the vertebrate with the longest-known lifespan until now was the bowhead whale, topping 200 years.

Greenland sharks have a plump elongated body, round nose, relatively small dorsal fin, sandpaper-like skin and gray or blackish-brown coloration. They are slow swim-

A Greenland shark is seen on the research vessel Pamiut in southwest Greenland, in this undated handout picture from Julius Nielsen. Julius Nielsen/ Handout via Reuters mers and are nearly blind, but are capable hunters, eating fish, marine mammals and carrion.

They are known to be relatively abundant throughout the North Atlantic and Arctic, particularly from eastern Canada to western Russia.

They occasionally are spotted by deep-sea robotic sub-

marines at latitudes further south, such as in the Gulf of Mexico. They have been observed in depths down to 1.4 miles (2.2 km).

"They may widely inhabit the deep sea, potentially living anywhere water temperatures are below about 5 Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit)," said Australian Institute of

Marine Science marine biologist Aaron MacNeil, who was not involved in the study.

MacNeil said the study did an admirable job of tackling a difficult matter but questioned an element of the dating analysis and said the estimate of a roughly 392-year-old shark "seems high to me."

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The women who never leave home XXIV

(BBC) Inside a single-room stone house in the village of Hurfeish, high in the mountains of northern Israel, about 40 women filled wooden benches, plastic

chairs and modern leather couches. All were dressed in black or navy blue, wearing dresses or long skirts and blouses, with transparent white veils draped over

their heads. Their hands were busy with sewing needles, making white lace or colourful embroidery.

These crafts, which most learned from their mothers

and grandmothers, have for centuries been the pastime for women in the Druze community, a Unitarian offshoot of Islam developed in 11th-century Egypt and now practiced by about one million people scattered throughout the Middle East. But today, these women are using this handwork to ensure their future. They sit here today as part of a cooperative, making products not only for their community, but to sell as art to outsiders. It is the first time many of them are earning their own money.

“This started as a hobby, but now it is work,” said Aniba Fares, 49, as she worked on a white lace veil, similar

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to the one that covered her dark hair.

Fares is among a growing number of women in Israel’s mountainous and isolated Druze villages that are beginning to open their craft circles, kitchens and homes to tourists. They – along with other local women offering in-home meals and cooking workshops – are often helped by public grants and courses in entrepreneurship, as the government wants to increase employment among Arabic-speaking minorities.

This not only helps women economically, but allows visitors more intimate encounters with the Druze.

There is nothing in the

Druze religious texts that says women shouldn’t work, said Janan Faraj Falah, professor of gender studies at Arab Academic College of Haifa, who was the first Druze woman in Israel to earn a doctorate. “But for years, the Druze religious leadership told women they shouldn’t study or go out of their villages.” She explained this was a method of control and a way to try and preserve traditions. “The leadership said the women needed to be home.”

But that began changing in the 1990s, as more women went out anyway to work and study.

A community of women in Hurfeish sew lace and embroidery as a way to earn money (Credit: Sara Toth Stub)

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Do men really prefer the natural look?

“

Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you're wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn't love you anymore.ˮ -Lady Gaga

A

n article in Cosmopolitan magazine almost a decade ago opened my eyes and prompted me to have a whole new respect for makeup.

In a Cosmopolitan survey, men actually chose the picture of a woman with makeup - a lot of it. It's just that it's well applied, blended, and portrays a sexier type of natural. But almost every man (and woman) seems to say they prefer natural.

I think it comes from the notion of people believing that what they see on TV and in magazines are images of celebrities, models, and even ordinary folks, who aren't wearing much makeup. People actually believe that those models look like that. Like seriously?

And besides what is natural anyway? We're human, we think, there's a reason for everything we do, even if it's illogical. If we were to abide the way nature intended we'd walk on four legs, never use tools, or toilet paper. TRAGIC! Miranda Kerr's (before and after) Since the argument many, men, in particular, like to make is that makeup is not natural, and most men claim they prefer "natural beauty"…whatever that means... psshhh! The assumption is often that makeup is fooling the onlooker. Maybe if there weren't so many superficial expectations they wouldn't feel fooled, threatened, or intimidated by women in makeup.

The idea that makeup shouldn't be worn because it's unnatural is ridiculous, ludicrous, and preposterous. Of course, buying a scarlet rouge colored lipstick for $4900, and donning it on, is indeed a premeditated notion. There's obviously nothing organic

about that. However, it's also not for the purpose of attracting a man...seriously fellas, calm down!

And on that note...

There are a million things men do daily that can be deemed unnatural. Wearing a watch, shaving facial hair, cutting hair, manicures, pedicures, colognes, showers, teeth whitening, workouts (no one is born with perfect biceps) driving, washing your hair, brushing your teeth, eating cooked food, wearing patent leather shoes, and having pierced ears…just to name a few.

Human civilizations, through culture, have developed many different learned behaviors. If not, we'd be subject to the lifestyle of the other animals; our distinct feature is the ability to think.

As a result, there's nothing natural about our actions. It's often a thought process.

Wearing red lipstick is an expression of passion and self-confidence. It's art, architecture, fashion, and people live their lives in it.

There is so much more to life than trying to impress someone who might wake up one day and say "I don't want you anymore."

Think about that lipstick you just bought, did you really think "Hey, my boyfriend would love this colour?" No, you didn't, because women don't think like that. So men, keep in mind that no one is trying to appease you with a new found lipstick shade.

You're not hot, sorry! Send a note or card next time, or a bouquet of flowers, if you think you're the best thing since slice bread.

Although they are some women with those intentions to use makeup as a beauty aid, it's not all women who have that perspective.

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Fun holiday activities for the kids Short Story…

City Mouse and Country Mouse O

NCE a little mouse who lived in the country invited a little mouse from the city to visit him. When the little City Mouse sat down to dinner, he was surprised to find that the Country Mouse had nothing to eat except barley and grain.

“Really,” he said, “you do not live well at all; you should see how I live! I have all sorts of fine things to eat every day. You must come to visit me and see how nice it is to live in the city.”

The little Country Mouse was glad to do this, and after a while, he went to the city to visit his friend.

The very first place that the City Mouse took the Country Mouse to see was the kitchen cupboard of the house where he lived. There, on the lowest shelf, behind some stone jars, stood a big paper bag of brown sugar. The little City Mouse gnawed a hole in the bag and invited his friend to nibble for himself.

The two little mice nibbled and nibbled, and the Country Mouse thought he had never tasted anything so delicious in his life. He was just thinking how lucky the City Mouse was, when, suddenly, the door opened with a bang, and in came the cook to get some flour.

“Run!” whispered the City Mouse. And they ran as fast as they could to the little hole where they had come in. The little Country Mouse was shaking all over when they got safely away, but the little City Mouse said, “That is nothing; she will soon go away and then we can go back.”

After the cook had gone away and shut the door, they stole softly back. And this time, the City Mouse had something new to show: He took the little Country Mouse into a corner on the top shelf, where a big jar of dried prunes stood open. After much tugging and pulling, they got a large dried prune out of the jar on to the shelf and began to nibble at it. This was even better than the brown sugar. The little Country Mouse liked the taste so much, that he could hardly nibble fast enough.

But, all at once, in the midst of their eating, there came a scratching at the door, and a sharp, loud MIAOUW! “What is that?” said the Country Mouse. The City Mouse just whispered, “Shhh!” and ran as fast as he could to the hole.

The Country Mouse ran after, you may be sure, as fast as HE could. As soon as they were out of danger, the City Mouse said, “That was the Old Cat; she is the best mouser in town. If she once gets you, you’re a goner.”

“This is very terrible,” said the little Country Mouse. “Let us not go back to the cupboard again.”

“No,” said the City Mouse. “I will take you to the cellar; there is something special there.”

So, the City Mouse took his little friend down the cellar stairs and into a big cupboard where there were many shelves. On the shelves were jars of butter, and cheeses in bags and out of bags. Overhead hung bunches of sausages, and there were spicy apples in barrels standing about. It smelled so good, that it went to the little Country Mouse’s head. He ran along the shelf and nibbled at a cheese here, and a bit of butter there, until he saw an especially rich, very delicious-smelling piece of cheese on a queer little stand in a corner. He was just about to put his teeth into the cheese when the City Mouse saw him.

“Stop! Stop!” cried the City Mouse. “That is a trap!”

The little Country Mouse stopped and said, “What is a trap?”

“That thing is a trap,” said the little City Mouse. “The minute you touch the cheese with your teeth, something comes down on your head hard, and you’re dead.”

The little Country Mouse looked at the trap, and he looked at the cheese, and he looked at the little City Mouse. “If you’ll excuse me,” he said, “I think I will go home. I’d rather have barley and grain to eat, and eat it in peace and comfort, than have brown sugar and dried prunes and cheese, and be frightened to death all the time!”

So, the little Country Mouse went back to his home, and there he stayed all the rest of his life. THE END. (byGosh.com)

DYEING FOR SOME COLOUR A typical family day at the beach, complete with buckets and spades, sandcastles, and mum in a deckchair catching up on her reading!

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Fun holiday activities for the kids Jumping Origami Frogs

Y

our kids will jump at the chance to make this cute craft (which can double as a fun game)!

Just help them follow the instructions for folding a sheet of origami paper into a frog; then, for optional fun, challenge them to launch their creations into lily-pad targets made from stamped cupcake liners.

Here's what you need: • • •

1 square sheet of origami paper 4 green cupcake liners (optional) Number stamps and stamp pad (optional)

Here's what to do: 1. Cut a square sheet of paper in half lengthwise.

2. Fold each rectangle into a frog as follows:

Nature's laws in motion Egg in a bottle

A

boiled egg may seem unassuming, but under the right conditions, it can be a powerful thing.

In this classic demonstration of how a vacuum must be filled, the egg withstands a mighty force of nature (at least for a little while), until the experiment's surprising -- and kid-pleasing! -- conclusion.

How It's Done: 1. Gather a peeled hard-boiled egg and a thick glass bottle (we used a quart-size milk bottle).

2. Fold an 8- by 1-inch paper strip in half. Light it on fire (an adult's job) and drop it into the bottle.

3. Set the egg on top of the bottle. The flaming paper will burn itself out. Watch as the egg squeezes, slowly at first, through the opening and finally plops to the bottom.

Why It Works: The fire heats the air and causes it to expand. When the flame dies down, the air molecules cool and move closer together, creating extra space, or what scientists call a partial vacuum. The air outside the bottle tries to flow in to fill that extra space, but it's blocked by the egg. Eventually, air molecules outside the bottle exert so much pressure that they shove the egg in and rush in after.

Egg-stra Credit: To remove the egg, hold the bottle upside down and blow in the opening (a brave adult's job). Quickly turn the bottle away from your face, and the egg should fly out.

• Fold the rectangle in half to mark the center line; unfold it.

• Fold, then unfold each corner toward the center line to create two X-shaped folds. c. Bring one short edge to the center; tuck in sides to create a triangle. Repeat on other side.

You now have a diamond with an opening in the center.

• Rotate it so that the center line is parallel to you.

• Fold the top left corner to meet the top middle point of the diamond. Repeat with remaining corners to get small diamonds at the top and bottom.

• For the feet, fold each small flap in half so that the points face out.

• Fold the top two feet in half again, toward the center.

Flip over.

• Bring the outside right corner to the center. Repeat with the opposite corner.

• Fold up the bottom; tuck it under the two side flaps.

Flip over.

• Fold the bottom half up so the bottom and top feet overlap, then fold it in half back down. Flip over.

OPTIONAL: 3. Flip four green cupcake liners inside out. Cut a small wedge out of each to get a lily-pad shape.

4. Stamp numbers onto each liner. Now kids can launch the frogs into lily-pad targets!

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

Safe camping for the Environment

ature camping is a great recreational activity to spend valuable time with friends and family. After a long school term or months of work, leaving typical cares behind and getting in touch with the natural environment can be a well deserved retreat. The cool stillness of the air, sounds of birds, scenic streams, lush greenery of mountains, plains or towering forest, all provide the perfect soothing effect. We are welcomed by nature with open arms; she holds back nothing.

However, human nature sometimes seems to get the better of us and we

forget to ‘take only pictures and leave only footprints.’

Before you plan your next nature camp, here are a few tips to consider: Seek requisite permission for the use of camping area of interest.

Camp only at designated areas and never wander off from your camping group. Avoid contact with wild animals; do not touch, pet, feed or hunt wild animals. You may enjoy watching at them from a safe distance. Always keep food securely stored to avoid attracting wild animals. If by any chance you are approached by a wild cat, e.g. Jaguar or Puma, or other large wild animal, always maintain eye contact with the animal and slowly back away to a safe distance. Leave all wildlife intact; do not collect any specimen because it may be rare, or harmful. Avoid camping very close to water ways such as creeks, rivers and streams, so as to prevent soil erosion and disruption of delicate species. Keep noise to a minimum to avoid disturbing animals and other campers that may be nearby. Always carry clean boots, clothes, tents and other camping gear to camping sites to prevent the transfer of foreign species to new areas. Only build fires in established circles and do not burn plastics, food packaging or metals. Always keep fires at a manageable size and never leave camp fires unattended. Ensure that all fires are extinguished before you leave your campsite. Help prevent pollution by disposing garbage, and foreign substances properly. Never throw any waste into water ways, or on camping ground. Dispose of garbage in designated containers or take with you when you leave the campsite.Whenever possible, pack reusable dishes for cookouts and use biodegradable dish washing liquid for wash up.

Plan a camping trip during this August holiday or simply take a weekend to rejuvenate and reconnect with nature.

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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ARIES - Unforeseen changes can force you to loosen your grip on your schedule. Go ahead and seek solace in your imagination, but if you choose to postpone fulfilling a promise, don't confuse your impractical fantasies with your mundane obligations. Logical Mercury in your 6th House of Logistics is influenced by otherworldly Neptune today, so manage your time as effectively as possible. Keeping one foot on the ground allows you to accomplish your goals and still manage to indulge your dreams.

TAURUS - What you lose in mental clarity today is made up in artistic potential.

Your rationality is diffused while cerebral Mercury opposes nebulous Neptune, so writing technical manuals or detailed emails is challenging. Make time to enrich your soul by listening to music or relaxing in nature. Keeping your options open can be a viable strategy, but narrowing your field of vision gives you much-needed peace and quiet. Lao Tzu wrote, "To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders."

GEMINI - It seems like a perfect day to kick back and let your mind wander wherever it wants to go. Mischievous Mercury's opposition to surreal Neptune sets the stage for storytelling, daydreaming and other forms of mental escape.

Avoid concrete planning or initiating conversations if logic is required. Minor irritations at home can surface now, but practicing compassion and forgiveness is a better use of your time than trying to take corrective action for something that's gone wrong. Take the high road; it's far less crowded.

Cancer - Although you can see a domestic issue from all angles today, a sticky dispute conflict could still sidetrack your day. After putting in quite a bit of effort to sort it all out, you might discover that most of the disagreement originated from a simple misunderstanding. But an in-depth discussion only makes the situation worse if everyone is operating off of different assumptions. Frequently, the biggest snag in communication is that people don't listen to understand, they listen to reply. Open your mind before you open your mouth.

LEO - You're finally ready to tackle a longstanding financial issue today, only to realize the problem isn't as bad as you thought. Unfortunately, trickster Mercury's opposition to fuzzy Neptune can delude you into believing nearly anything that resonates with your fantasies. You could even mislead yourself into imagining an improved fiscal situation. Don't turn your cash flow upside down by making a decision about a major purchase; instead, list the pros and cons about each option while postponing your final choice until tomorrow when you can hear yourself think.

VIRGO - Ironically, facts range from fuzzy to fantastic now, which can lead you to erroneous conclusions. Paradoxically, analytical Mercury empowers you to focus your logic like a laser beam. However, the Winged Messenger is in a tug-of-war with delusional Neptune today, making it impossible to discern useful data from an incoming deluge of unverifiable information. Rather than making yourself crazy with frustration, grab this opportunity to explore your imagination and indulge your fantasies. Your regularly scheduled program of reality will return tomorrow.

LIBRA - You may be confused by your lack of priorities today as thoughtful Mercury opposes ephemeral Neptune in your 6th House of Daily Routine.

Retreating from the public spotlight seems like your most sensible option while several planets congregate in your 12th House of Privacy. Nevertheless, the future is pulling at you from several different directions now, obscuring your final destination. Thankfully, you can probably get away with declaring a one-day amnesty from responsibility as long as you promise to finish your work upon your return. One step backward, two steps forward.

SCORPIO - Your dreams must be placed on the back burner today so you can direct your energy toward the outside world. Pressure to renew a commitment or change direction is likely as the illuminating Sun's presence in your 10th House of Career is intensified by powerful Pluto. However, your current hypersensitivity can overrule common sense as you try to meet other people's expectations now.

No matter what anyone says, listen to your inner voice for the advice you need.

As Sufi poet Rumi wrote, "Look for the answer inside your question."

SAGITTARIUS - You long to take spiritual refuge from the demands of life today.

Messenger Mercury's opposition to metaphysical Neptune in your 4th House of Roots tempts you to escape into your imagination. However, it's nearly impossible to remain objective when every word is so loaded with illusions and emotions. While this planetary combination is wonderful for creative expression and compassionate conversation, it tends to dissipate facts in the presence of dreams. Remember the success of Walt Disney who said, "Fantasy and reality often overlap."

CAPRICORN - You want everyone to see your fair and balanced approach to resolving interpersonal differences. Unfortunately, the power of your beliefs distorts your objectivity now as relentless Pluto in your 1st House of Self is bent out of shape by the dramatic Leo Sun. But it's easier to bury your agenda than to acknowledge it. Nevertheless, what's left unsaid can tilt a conversation in the wrong direction. Although coming clean might feel uncomfortable at first, pushing through your resistance and being honest from the start brings you the respect you seek.

AQUARIUS - Your defences soften in the presence of other people's weaknesses because you have compassion for their plight today. Wanting to help someone in need is admirable, but the sharp analytical lens of cerebral Mercury in precise Virgo is diffused by its opposition to surreal Neptune. This confusing yet imaginative aspect challenges you to discern the truth from fiction. Make sure you understand the underlying message by repeating key components of any discussion and asking for verification along the way. No question is too dumb when there's so much at stake.

PISCES - Pisces Delving into the details of relationships can be a tedious process, yet it's essential work for cultivating your compassion. While it's true that love sometimes flows along with the magic of silent understanding, words are ultimately the best means for establishing deep connections. Pillow talk is the upside of chatty Mercury's opposition to dreamy Neptune today. But confusion is also possible if you don't double-check your impressions to make sure that everyone is on the same page. Don't naively assume that your interpretation matches anyone else's until you validate your instincts.

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

English

Chronicle Pepperpot August 14, 2016

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Archaeology, love and songs, Bollywood brings ancient city to life (Reuters) One of the world's earliest cities has been brought back to life in one of Bollywood's newest films, "Mohenjo Daro", which re-imagines life in 2016 B.C. in an Indus Valley civilisation whose walls, streets and citadel can still

be seen today.

Indian director Ashutosh Gowariker recreated the city to stage an epic romance that is also a tale of the fight between good and evil, in the grand Bollywood tradition.

"I like telling untold stories and I feel that about this

Bollywood Movie Review: Rustom

By Shilpa Jamkhandikar (Reuters) The story of K M Nanavati, a dashing naval officer who killed his wife’s lover in 1959 but was acquitted by a jury (he was later convicted by a higher court but pardoned by the government) is one of the most debated verdicts in India and part of Mumbai folklore. An oft-repeated tale that acquires newer hues and aspects even after all these years, it is a story that isn’t just limited to the three people at the centre of it all – it signaled the rise of tabloid journalism in Mumbai and caused the Indian state to undertake a major judicial reform by banning trial by jury.

Tinu Desai’s “Rustom” is another attempt at re-creating those times and the crime. Akshay Kumar plays Rustom Pavri, an honest naval officer who is smitten with his half-British wife Cynthia (Ileana D'Cruz). When he discovers that Cynthia has been seeing his friend and industrialist Vikram Makhija

(Arjan Bajwa), Rustom’s world is shattered.

The next day, Makhija is shot dead, and Rustom is found standing over his body with a gun in his hand. The case causes a furore, in part because a decorated naval officer is at the centre of it, and also because tabloid editor Erach Billimoria, (Kumud Chaudhary), a character obviously inspired by Blitz editor Russi Karanjia, uses the opportunity to drive up sales printing and magnifying every bit of salacious gossip he can get his hands on.

Desai’s film stays true to its time, at least on the surface – the clothes are poofy; the hair even poofier. But Desai and writer Vipul Rawal expend too much energy on painting Rustom as a hero to ever delve deep into the moral and social fabric of Mumbai’s high society during the time. It is no surprise then that Rustom is always dressed in his impeccable white naval uniform even in jail with not even a speck of dust defacing it.

Rawal and Desai’s hero is not a flawed man who couldn’t deal with betrayal, and that is a significant failing in the script.

For a story that is replete with so many layers, Desai handles the narrative with all the finesse of a bull in a china shop.

His actors are loud, the set design is garish, and courtroom scenes are devoid of any drama. There are weak attempts at humour in the form of an indignant judge and his rather unruly audience, but the real (unintended) humour comes from Esha Gupta, who plays Makhija’s sister. Impeccably made-up and dressed in the most outlandish clothes, Gupta wriggles her eyebrows, overstates every dialogue and along with veteran actor Sachin Khedekar, who plays her lawyer, forms a comedy pair that will be hard to beat this year.

The story of KM Nanavati is shrouded in mystery even after all these years, and it is difficult to point right from wrong. But predictably, Bollywood would prefer painting its heroes white or black rather than taking the effort to look at the shades of grey that colour us all. That is the biggest failing of “Rustom”.

civilisation, not much has been said," Gowariker told Reuters.

"I thought, why not weave a story based on the findings of all these archaeologists, and try and do it to the utmost sincerity and honesty.

Keep the fact as much as you can intact, but also weave in fiction, because only then can a story be told, and a cinematic story too."

Mohenjo Daro, in modern-day Sindh province in Pakistan, is a World Heritage Site, one of the best preserved in South Asia where visitors

can see a well-planned city built of unbaked brick dating back to the beginning of the third millennium B.C. From the director of 2002 Academy Award-nominated Raj-era movie "Lagaan", and starring acclaimed Indian actor Hrithik Roshan, "Mohenjo Daro" is expected to be one of the biggest movies out of Bollywood this year.

Roshan, who starred in Gowariker's 2008 hit 16th-century love story "Jodhaa Akbar", said he had been relieved to find the filmmaker was on top form.

"He is just as insane about and passionate about his films as he was, and I think he always will be,” said Roshan, who was injured while performing his own stunts for the film.

“Before we started the film ... we had spoken of this.

If he and I don’t make a film like this, then this kind of film will never be made. And if we don’t do it now, we’ll be too old to do it at a time in the future,” he told Reuters.

"Mohenjo Daro" was released worldwide on Aug. 12.

Thomas Gibson Suspended From ‘Criminal Minds’ After Kicking A Producer (Hollywood.com) Thomas Gibson, who plays Aaron Hotchner, may have just gotten himself kicked off of Criminal Minds. The actor is suspended for at least one episode — maybe two — because of his on-set behavior. It’s also pretty likely that he’ll be booted as director from the episodes he planned to work on behind-the-scenes. He may even be axed from the show all together.

According to The Huffington Post, Gibson kicked a producer during filming in Los Angeles. TMZ reports that he kicked a writer in the shin. Regardless of who exactly he assaulted, we do know he kicked someone, which is pretty unacceptable.

He has since apologized (a very half-hearted apology if you ask us), but his fate may already be sealed.

“There were creative differences on the set and a disagreement,” said the actor in a statement. “I regret that it occurred.

We all want to work together as a team to make the best show possible. We always have and we always will.”

This isn’t the first incident of the sort for Gibson. Years ago, he pushed assistant director Ian Woolf and was sent to attend anger management classes.

Gibson has previously directed 6 episodes of the series. He’s been a regular on the show since its creation in 2005, but according to TMZ’s sources, the writers are crafting a story line for next season that eliminates his character completely. If he does return to the show, he will likely never work as a director again. We’re hoping that Gibson gets the proper therapy he needs. Lashing out at your co-workers isn’t ever acceptable, as much as we may love his character on the show. If he can’t handle business like an adult, he needs to go.

(Hollywood Reporter) The long-gestating sequel, reteaming Smith with co-star Martin Lawrence, also gets an official title; in a separate move, Sony pushes sci-fi epic 'Life' from spring to summer 2017.

Bad Boys 3, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, has been pushed back to early 2018.

Originally slated for June 2, 2017, the threequel will now hit theaters Jan. 2, 2018, Sony announced Thursday.

The movie's official title also has been revealed: Bad Boys for Life.

The first Bad Boys pic hit theaters in 1995, followed by a sequel in 2003.

Michael Bay directed the first two installments of the buddy-cop film franchise toplined by Smith and Lawrence.

Sony insiders add there will be additional casting.

There had been some question as to whether Smith

would return to the franchise, but he made it clear earlier this year that he would indeed reteam with Lawrence. The former can currently be seen in theaters in Suicide Squad.

In another shuffle, Sony is moving back the re-

'Allied' Teaser Trailer: Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard Play WWII Fighters in Love (Hollywood Reporter) The action-packed preview for the Robert Zemeckis-directed film features flashes of swastikas, guns, a wedding and more.

Fans finally got their first extended look at Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard's Robert Zemeckis-directed WWII drama, Allied, courtesy of a teaser trailer that dropped Friday morning.

Pitt plays intelligence officer Max Vatan, who in 1942 meets and begins a relationship with French Resistance fighter Marianne Beausejour (Cotillard). But their coupling is haunted by secrets and threatened by the pressures of war.

"Being good at this kind of work is not very beautiful," Cotillard's character says at one point.

The action-packed preview features flashes of swastikas, guns, a wedding and more.

Steven Knight wrote the script and serves as an executive producer, along with fellow producers Graham King, Jack Rapke, Patrick McCormick and Denis O'Sullivan. >>>>>>

lease of space epic Life by two months from March 24, 2017, to Memorial Day weekend. The movie stars Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson.