Pepperpot epaper 10 02 2016

The eternal teacher –Leonard Fredericks

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Leonard Fredericks (74) spent over half of his life teaching at interior locations in Guyana

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Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

‘I always wanted to be on the radio’ -‘The Hangout’ with Feliz Robertson

By Tamica Garnett ALMOST all of Guyana has come to know the bubbly personality, sassy style, sharp opinions and signature voice of HJTV’s Feliz Robertson through her early morning radio show “The Hangout” which airs on 94.1 BOOM FM. Listening how natural Feliz’s engaging vibe is in the mornings, anyone could tell that this woman was born to be on the radio and television, so it comes as no surprise that this was precisely what Feliz has actually always wanted to do.

Growing up in the family-oriented village of Highdam, Mahaicony, young Feliz would often envision herself as a broadcaster. She admired persons like Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Lawrence,

and Guyana’s own Ron Robinson for their talent, personality and grit.

“I always wanted to be on the radio and to some extent TV. I would always pretend that I was a broadcaster with my sisters and friends. I was groomed for it with speech and diction training from a Call Centre I worked at years ago called Atlantic Tele Centre. That gave me the confidence to pursue my broadcasting passion.”

And now we hear her today, almost daily, on the radio entertaining with her quick wit and welcoming personality, which leaves her audience feeling comfortable and involved. Her show includes exciting and amusing segments such as “Reveal” and “Battle of the Sexes” during which listeners would “Tell Fel” about issues in

their everyday life, and she engages the public in chatty discussions.

At a very young Feliz had to deal with the pain of losing a parent.

“My childhood was like any other, mostly care free until my dad died of cancer when I was 9-years-ld; that changed everything for me.

“I found myself praying to grow up fast so I could work and help take care of my family,” Feliz recalled.

She attended Carlton Hall Primary in her community before graduating and earning a place at St. Joseph's High in 1995.

Feliz came to treasure her education.

“Coming to school in town was difficult because I was living in Mahaicony but now more than ever I realize that it was my saving grace.”

And then came the media life! Feliz first got her foot in the door as a media person back in 2007, when she started out in the newsroom of the National Communications Network (NCN).

She later left the country to pursue a family, but her happily-ever-after aspirations ended in tragedy when her husband became abusive.

The silver lining was her son, Zion.

Feliz returned to Guyana, with her son, and was incorporated into the Hits and Jams (HJ) family, right around the time the entertainment company launched its 94.1 BOOM FM radio back in 2013.

It was a decision she does not regret, though she was somewhat apprehensive at first.

“To tell you the truth, when I consider the amount of scrutiny my life is under I rethink my decision to be in the public eye. But I am still here so I guess this is God's way of toughening me up,” she said.

Feliz describes herself as a woman “for all seasons”, who is “a good listener”, saying “as much as I can talk I do prefer to listen. I am a warm person with the ability to run cold if taken for granted. I am a woman of resolve.

If God brought me to it he will take me through it.”

For Feliz being a broadcaster is not only a job, it’s a tool she uses to help become a more positive person, a place where she can get away from the world and all that may be going wrong around her, and put her focus into her audience.

“One man rightly described radio as ‘theatre of the mind’ I couldn't agree more. It’s a place where I can block out what is going on in me and project a happy, powerful and positive day for someone else.”

Feliz is particularly touched by the encouraging messages she receives from her fans, especially those heartened in one way or another by something she may have said.

“The people who message me to say ‘thanks for saying what you did, it helped me’. That's what it’s all about. There is no greater reward. One day I was talking about my loving son and I was quite emotional.

As I was done talking my phone blew up with messages and someone I was

Feliz Robertson angry with hugged me and that anger just disappeared and made me realize that life is so short and that people are hurting just like me but through a microphone and some wires we can reach each other and find healing.”

But of course like any other job, the profession has its bad sides.

“As much as I love people who message me there are also those who message with the negative but as I always say don't let the devil use you. If what you have to say will not edify me, touch me or bless me in some way, keep it to yourself. Please and thanks. I have enough stress with bills.”

But being the optimist that she is Feliz continues to rise above the negativity, and on her oh-so-bad days when things start to get more than she can handle, she simply turns to doing what she does best – laughing.

“Oh I have bad days, trust me; you name it, I have it, but I also have the biggest laugh you have ever heard from a tiny person.

When my days get major stressed out sometimes I just burst out laughing.

People think I am crazy when I do it but I just have to say, ‘Jesus help me here’ as I laugh my way out of the doldrums.”

As accomplished as she is, Feliz, who celebrated her 33rd birthday last Thursday still thinks she has some way to go before she can say she is where she wants to be.

Feliz has hopes of also getting involved in marketing, with aspirations one day owning her own marketing firm. She currently also works for 360 Marketing out of Trinidad.

She also uses her plat-

form as a radio personality to lend awareness to issues, especially women empowerment.

The mother of one is currently working on a project with Maggi that is looking to empower and change the lives of some 150 women in Guyana's poorest areas such as Sophia and Albouystown.

“In many ways I feel like there is still so much to do and yet I look back and truly thank God because I never expected to be where I am today. Don't get me wrong, I am on no pedestal but rather I am on a path of reaching as many people as I can with a message of hope that if my life could be changed so can yours.”

But Feliz is not just all about that radio life, or work life, outside of it she is all about that home life, bringing her own little touch of cheerfulness to even the most mundane of tasks.

“I like shopping, not necessarily for clothes but for things like spoons and curtains and things for the house. I find that relaxing.

I love reading and watching a good comedy series too. I don't have a boo to Netflix and Chill but I got YouTube and snacks, similar combination.”

Outside of that Feliz puts the rest of her energy into being a mother.

“Motherhood has changed everything about me - from my stretchy tummy to my resolve. I do not give up as easily now because I know this little person is depending on me for EVERYTHING. That is the biggest responsibility God would ever give a person.

Don't take it lightly, work and give them everything including real love.”

She gave up teaching to run the orchard

Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

III

––Ms Joan, the boss of NAREI’s Horticultural Station

THE National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI)’s Horticulture Station is situated at Kairuni, amidst hills and tall stretching vegetation.

Approximately 35 acres of land is being utilized for the cultivation of 2,000 fruit trees (such as citrus, avocado, Carambola, cherry, billimbi and sour sop) and as research plots.

The facility is maintained by 10 staff (one forewoman and nine labourers). Ms. Joan Rodrigues-Klass is the forewoman responsible for supervising the operations of the Horticulture Station.

From observing plants for pest and diseases symptoms, recording maturity period of fruits, to delegating daily tasks to workers are all part of her responsibilities.

She is respectfully called Ms. Joan by colleagues. Ms. Joan started working at the National Agricultural Re-

search Institute (now NAREI) on May 27, 1999. She and her husband were given the opportunity to be the caretakers of the Horticulture Station. They lived in a humble house located on the facility with their five children.

At that time, most of the grounds of the Horticulture Station were uncultivated and there was thick vegetation. Ms. Joan, who once had a small farm in Moruca, Region One (where she is originally from) was ecstatic when NARI asked her husband to engage in land clearing for the creation of orchards. For her, the farming experience was like being home in the peaceful rural Amerindian community.

As Kairuni became home for the Klass family, Ms. Joan gave up her hat as a primary school teacher and had taken on farm life in full. Even without any formal

knowledge on farming Ms. Joan was performing exceptionally well. To increase her knowledge, NAREI selected Ms. Joan to be a participant of a Food and Agriculture Organization workshop that targeted Nursery Management, and Data Collection, among other related topics.

She values the knowledge gained from that workshop.

In fact, the lessons learnt are what help her to effectively manage the Horticulture Station.

In 2011, her husband passed away. That was a challenging period of her life. Her partner was no longer around. But, Ms. Joan knew she had to be strong for her children. She is a proud mother, who relishes in her children’s accomplishments.

Of course, those five small children who played hide and seek and ran freely at Kairuni are now adults.

Three of her children are

Ms. Joan and labourer Carlos Hall

serving the people of Guyana. Two of her sons are in the Guyana Defence Force (one is a Lieutenant and the other a Corporal), while her elder daughter is a Community Health Worker. Her other son is a machine operator and the baby of the family is pursuing a Degree in Economics at the University of Guyana.

At the age of 57, Ms. Joan enjoys walking the grounds of the Horticulture Station inspecting each plant. She does not entertain any thoughts of retirement. She is aware of the importance of her job and takes pride in doing it.

“I am dedicated to this work because I love farming and it is my sole means of providing for my family,” Ms. Joan said. (Contributed by Keeran Danny/ NAREI)

Joan Rodrigues-Klass

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Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

film

Bazodee

FILMS have always been an important art form.

It is a form that contains both the written aspect of art, of literature, in the way that it is born from a screenplay, from what is written, and it is also a form that, like theatre, relies on the visual in order to express what has

been written.

Strangely, while written literature and visual mediums of art, such as theatre and painting, have been embraced and cultivated in Guyana and the Caribbean, the region, especially Guyana, seems to be a bit behind the rest of the world when it comes

to films. This is not to be interpreted as Caribbean people not liking films.

In fact, everything points to the contrary. Everyone has “movie-memories” of some kind – watching Kuch Kuch Hota Hai with your mom or Disney classics like The Little Mermaid or Mulan with your

siblings or staying up late at night and watching the pulpy horror films, such as Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, from the revival of the slasher subgenre in the nineties, and I am certain that for Halloween this year, many young couples will be going to their costume parties as the Joker and Harley Quinn from this year’s Suicide Squad.

The point is that Caribbean people love films as much as the rest of the world, despite the region’s fluctuating success at creating and marketing films that are representative of the region and all the people who live there.

It is for this reason that Bazodee, written by Claire Ince and directed by Todd Kessler, a film coming out of Trinidad, has become so popular, as, honestly speaking, it is not a great film. However, despite its flaws, I can also, with equal honesty, say that I quite enjoyed the film, and that I do like Bazodee.

Now, for the sake of clarity on how one can recognize that something is not great, yet continue to like that said thing, let us turn to literature for an example. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is considered a classic and is widely regarded as one of the greatest books ever written. A keen reader can observe

By Subraj Singh

Austen’s contribution to prose, can recognize the early form of feminism in the work, can be appreciative of the representation of the era, can recognize why the work is important and how it contributes to litera-

ture and still not like the work. Liking something is different from appreciating something. Perhaps the style in which Pride and Prejudice is written is not to the reader’s liking, or perhaps the concerns of the novel are ► Continued on page VI

Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

V

Birthdays, Celebrations and Mental Health

Hello Everyone,

I hope this week has treated you well.

Tomorrow is my father, Denis Vieira’s birthday and he’s never been one to celebrate, as I’m sure most people are. No matter how much I push, he never wants to do anything. Therefore, this week I would like to dedicate my article to him and talk about how celebrating birthdays or just celebrations in general have an impact on our overall wellbeing.

Like everything else, it has both negative and positive effects. I cannot deny this so I’m going to get the negative out of the way so I can more focus on the positive.

The thing that birthdays, anniversaries or anything worth celebrating have in common is warning and notice. This means we know they are coming up. In many people this causes excitement and high expectations but that’s not always a good thing, especially with people going through hard times.

More often than not, high expectations result in many disappointments. It sounds very pessimistic, I know, but unfortunately it’s true. Then, of course, there is the organizing and planning-if there are celebrations/ parties involved. This can lead to stress, both emotionally and financially, as well as overuse of food and alcohol/ drug use.

Most Guyanese are “fashionably late” so when planning/ throwing an event, most people don’t show up on time which causes anxiety and the feeling that no one is coming. Then of course when they do show up, the pressure is on the host to make sure everyone has a good timeand that is stress! Then there is the reminder that you’re the one that’s going to have to clean up and that’s more stress! We’ve all been there, don’t deny it!

If you’re one of the many who are suffering from depression, anxiety or whatever mental disorder you have, I understand not wanting to celebrate as those already suffering from mental illness will have a much harder time if/when these things happen Then of course, there are the birthday blues.

Many people, myself included, dislike the feeling of becoming older, especially if they have not yet accomplished all they have wanted to or felt they would have by that age. It this case, it is an unwelcomed milestone that draws attention to the negatives in life.

Many people, especially women, have a

hard time with aging. The reasons for this could be as superficial as they don’t want wrinkles on their face to more serious thoughts like fear of death. I, myself, at 26 sometimes have anxiety about how fast time is passing me by. So I understand.

What is a better, more positive outlook on aging? It’s a celebration of life, all your achievements thus far and a chance to consider where the next year will take you. If you haven’t achieved all your goals, now is a time to bring this into sharp focus. Who says it can’t be done this year ahead?

Celebrations are much more than cakes and decorations. It is a time to relax, socialise, de-stress and just have fun- for both kids and adults in any setting. It is a celebration of the relationships in our lives as we always encourage those closest to us to be around. It’s a celebration that we’ve made it to another year, as so many do not.

Celebrate the joy of being alive, and having the opportunity of doing something worthwhile with that life.

When researching this topic, I found an interesting study that focused on the positives of celebrating birthdays in the work place. It was found to be one of the most powerful motivators for employees as it increases recognition and lowers stress.

What about for children? My research showed how much we underestimate the importance of a birthday party for a child. When I was a child, my parents threw me the best and biggest parties. Some I remember and some I don’t but saw on home videos. I know that those functions shaped the way I socialise and the relationships I still have today.

I read the findings from a study done in the United States on children between the ages of 3-5. They were told three stories about two-yearold children who were celebrating birthdays One had a party, one didn’t and the last one had two parties. The participant children in the study believed that the birthday party is what caused age. For example, they believed that the child who did not have a party remained two and the child who had two parties became age four.

Interesting huh?

So, how can we make celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and accomplishments easier?

Honestly, just lower your own expectations.

You have don’t to spend all your money and

time to throw a big party. Do something small or just go out with some close friends. That also means you don’t have to worry about the clean-up.

Also, it is good to reflect on your life and what you still need to accomplish but it’s even better to remind yourself of all the greatness you have achieved so far. Celebrate those! You do not need to focus on the future just yet but celebrate the brilliant year you’ve just had and everything you have overcome.

I always stress the importance of self-care.

With all that we go through – work, school, house-work, raising children- everything, it is important to be pampered, acknowledged and to feel special for even one day. Also, presents/

gifts. Enough said there really. Who doesn’t enjoy those?

Finally, statistics show that people who have the most birthdays live the longest. Ha, just a little captain obvious humour.

Thanking you for reading. Please keep sending any topics you’d like to talk about to caitlinvieira@gmail.com Or come in to see me at: Georgetown Public Hospital: Psychiatric Department: Monday- Friday – 8am- 12pm Woodlands Hospital: Outpatient Department Drug and Alcohol group meetings - Mondays 4:15 Good mental health group meetingsWednesdays 4:15 Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always!

Bazodee

VI

► From page IV not those the reader is interested in.

So, I contend that if one can recognize the worth and values in a work of art and appreciate the art and can still not like the same piece of art, then the opposite can also happen – one can recognize the flaws and the lack of any particularly great content in a piece and yet still like the piece, despite its flaws, because reasons that are related to individuality and viewer’s subjectivity and rationale for liking something. This is where we bring the conversation back to Bazodee, a film that belongs to the second category of thought where I recognize it to be flawed and yet I still choose to like it. Now, we will examine the reasons for this.

How is Bazodee flawed? What prevents it from being great? Let’s start with the plot. Submissive Indian girl Anita (Natalie Perera), daughter of heavily indebted businessman (Kabir Bedi), is engaged to a rich businessman (Staz Nair) from London. However, she bumps into Lee de Leon (soca superstar Machel Montano), as he sings, almost minstrel-like, at Trinidad’s Piarco airport. Lee, unlike the rich fiancée, is penniless, but that doesn’t stop Anita from falling in love with him and soon she is faced with a decision to make: Should she follow her heart or do what is expected of her?

Does that synopsis of the plot not sound vaguely similar to half a dozen Bollywood movies? Not only is the whole thing formulaic, but it has been beaten to death by many other movies that we have already seen. The plot is nothing spectacular which means that the film relies on its other elements to remain interesting – the acting, for instance.

Natalie Perera in the lead role is a gorgeous woman, but her acting is a bit stilted at times. It doesn’t help that

the director gives so many close-ups of her face which only serves to further emphasize her occasional woodenness. Her singing too needs some work, especially when she is paired opposite Machel Montano. Speaking of Machel Montano, I was actually not expecting him to be as good as he was. Sure, he was a bit flat sometimes, but it is also true that his performance was a lot better than a whole host of singers who have tried to move into acting.

While the leads were only impressive in bits and pieces rather than in entirety, the supporting cast (no, not Kabir Bedi) managed to make up for the times Machel and Natalie fell down in their performances.

Triniadadian actress, Teneille Newallo, as Poorvi, Anita’s talkative and sassy cousin, is a good actress with a thorough understanding of her purpose in the film and she carries out her role with panache. Equally good is Cindy F. Daniel who plays Lalima, a friend of Anita’s who also works for her family, and although it is a small role, Daniel’s acting showcased several layers of complexity (and complicity) in two standout scenes – the one at the Carnival when she serves as the lookout for Anita and then a later scene when she tries to persuade Anita to follow her heart.

I also liked very much Valmike Rampersad as the film’s “villain.” He contrasts well with Anita, Leon and everyone else he plays against, while seeming to be enjoying the whole thing tremendously. Chris Smith, as Leon’s friend, Bud, also deserves a special mention for being the only character who actually manages to be effortlessly funny, most of the times.

The film, like most of Bollywood from which it draws inspiration, is a musical and features songs by Machel Montano. The good thing about the songs is that a lot of them are songs we know already and it is interesting to see the way soca is used to form the musical backdrop for some of the scenes.

It is a nice touch and the integration of Caribbean music into the film is something I definitely appreciate and like. It is new and fresh and it is shocking that, until now, I had never realized how much potential there was for the use of soca in films.

It is true that sometimes the songs seemed to be randomly added into a scene simply for the sake of adding a song into the scene and yes, the musical numbers

Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

could have been bigger, better choreographed and could have incorporated even more elements of the Caribbean, but overall the use of that particular kind of music in the film was an achievement. It represented the upbeat, fun, and carnivalesque feel of the Caribbean and even the background score composed for the film was a piece of music thatWest Indians could groove to and enjoy.

In truth, the best moments of the movie are those which highlight Trinidad itself. Forget the acting, forget the clichéd plot and the contrived ending. Focus on Trinidadian setting. Focus on the little things that the characters say that remind you of Guyana and how similar are the things we say. Focus on the lilts and rhythms of the speech of the Trinidadian characters and marvel at the fact that you are watching a movie where there are Caribbean people telling a story and entertaining people, that the film is being shown on the same screen where you watch the latest Hollywood blockbusters, that you are watching this movie while surrounded by the same people who go to see all those other movies over the years and that they, like you, are enjoying being exposed to the still fledgling Caribbean cinema.

Continue to marvel at the fact that Caribbean talent, coming from coloured people, West Indian people (well, some of them) is what is being showcased in Bazodee.

See how beautiful Trinidad is. Let the film remind you of the passion and the colours and the alcohol coursing through your veins and the music pulsing through your feet as you fly wild through the kind of nights that come with Carnival.

See the rastaman at the beach, the water, the tassa drummers, the Indian dancers, the smoky insides of a bar selling cheap liquor, a phone with a cracked screen which is bound to remind you of someone you know; see all these things and then, without a doubt, you will be able to understand why, despite its flaws, I still like Bazodee.

The film presents the Caribbean, a section of Caribbean society and Caribbean people. In this time and age when representation in all forms of art and media is so important, it is astounding to come across a feature length film that has the Caribbean at its core, even if the film is not a perfect one and does come with its flaws.

Yes, I am aware that as a Guyanese a Triniadian film cannot represent individual states within the Caribbean, but with the dearth of feature-length films coming out of the region, with nothing coming out of our own CineGuyana (and with the short films they did several years ago not being shown often enough to make greater public, and even international, impact), Guyana and other countries in the Caribbean will have to take Bazodee and embrace it.

Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

Can tooth decay be deadly?

IN most cases, dental problems such as cavities or toothaches are viewed as trivial. Many persons do not consider these as “a big deal.” This is so although there may be pain. A visit to the dentist can quickly bring relief.

However, believe it or not, tooth decay and gum disease are not trivial and should never be considered as such. They are chronic diseases. They can be the root cause for systemic infections and degenerative conditions which may eventually lead to death.

Tommy’s headache was caused by a brain abscess – a bacterial infection in the brain. The infection had come from the infected tooth he had complained about previously. The tooth became abscessed and the bacteria spread, causing a secondary infection in the child’s brain. Some species of streptococcus bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease have a tendency to accumulate in nerve tissue.

From an infected tooth they can migrate up through the nerves and into the brain or spinal column, where they

Yes, death can be caused by a simple tooth decay. If the immune system is weak as a result of poor diet and lifestyle choices, the effects of a focal infection can be dramatic and deadly.

Rarely will a death certificate indicate that a toothache was the cause of death.

The blame is usually placed on the effects of a secondary infection somewhere else in the body. Now, a twelveyear-old, let me call him Tommy, as it is obviously unethical to publish the real name of private patients, ignored the pain in one of his teeth. His mother had five children to support and at the time was unemployed.

So visiting a private dentist would have to wait. Before long, the toothache was no longer noticeable. The pain seemed to have migrated into his head. The resulting headache became so unbearable that Tommy’s mother took him into the emergency room at the Public Hospital.

can cause a secondary infection. This is what happened to Tommy.

Tommy underwent two surgeries and the removal of the infected tooth. For several weeks afterward, he seemed to be on the mend, working with a physiotherapist to regain full use of his right arm and leg, which the brain infection and surgeries had impaired. But despite thoroughly disinfecting the tooth socket and taking antibiotics, some of the infection remained and continued to spread.

Within a few weeks the infection inside Tommy’s brain returned, and this time with a vengeance. Again he was rushed to the hospital, but it was too late. Tommy died before doctors should help. The cause of his death was attributed to a brain abscess, but the real culprit was an infected tooth.

In another case of which I am aware of, a 57-yearold man was admitted to

a hospital complaining of a toothache accompanied by a fever and swelling in his right cheek and neck.

The man was a diabetic and suffered from liver cirrhosis due to excessive alcohol consumption.

His immune system was obviously overworked dealing with the consequences of poor lifestyle choices. His symptoms worsened in spite of antibiotic therapy. Infection from the tooth eventually spread to his lungs (pneumonia), kidneys and liver.

After 35 days in the hospital the patient died of multi-organ failure. Antibiotics were useless. The infection in his mouth continued to feed the systemic infections until it killed him. Although weakened by other health problems, his death, like that of Tommy’s, was literally caused by an infected tooth.

Relatively young and otherwise healthy individuals are affected as well as those who are older and in poor health. A 19 yearold woman with no serious health problems had an infected tooth extracted.

Soon after, she developed chest pain. Even though she was treated with antibiotics before and after the dental procedure, bacteria from the infected tooth spread to her heart. Thirteen days after the tooth extraction, she died of a heart attack brought on by the infection.

While deaths due to tooth infections are uncommon, they do happen more often that we suspect. In most cases they go unreported or unrecognized, with the secondary infection getting all the blame. In most cases the patients suffered from poor nutrition, low immunity (especially HIV infection), or had other health conditions which exacerbated the situation.

If a tooth infection can cause death, it can certainly cause other health problems. Even people who can eat well and take care of their health can be, and are affected, by the health of their teeth.

VII

Dr. BERTRAND R. STUART, DDS.

VIII

Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

Preventing the establishment of fraudulent/inadequate educational bodies

O

VER the last several years, there have been reports of inadequate or fraudulent educational institutions making their appearance in Guyana. Several of these have offered tertiary and professional certification while others have operated even at the secondary school level.

These "institutions", and they are little more than an attractive name and one or two rooms, attract students who trustingly part with their money.

These trusting young people soon find out that the institution which they joined is recognized by no one, little or no teaching is done and there is no administration.

Sometimes the founders or organizers of such institutions disappear with the students being fleeced of their

money. Sometimes the cry of "fraud" is raised and the organizer, for there is usually one, is investigated by the Police and the whole affair fades away and is soon forgotten.

The young people who are victims of such educational fraud are simply persons who have a very laudable desire to study and learn, young people who are ambitious and who are an asset to their country. In Guyana today, there is no institution or persons to whom such young people could turn for advice and guidance and so they fall into the hands of the fraudsters.

There are a number of measures that could be taken to protect young people and ultimately the educational reputation of the country.

In the first place, the licensing authorities must fully investigate all applicants who wish to set up educa-

tional institutions here or to do educational work. They would be assessing the financial strength of the person or institution, the numbers and quality of the teachers and educationists available and the premises from which they would operate. In this process, the National Accreditation Council would have a primary role.

A career guidance NGO or a governmental or semi-governmental office should be established to guide and advise young people who may be exploring the courses they should pursue. Such bodies could work closely with the sixth forms or the upper school in general of the secondary schools.

Young people must also be encouraged to explore the Internet to find out about educational institutions and to take advantage of scholarships and other assisted training courses which may be on offer. Such exploration my help them to choose a career and may give them a fuller understanding of educational quality. Graduates of the University of Guyana may also find this a useful exercise. Indeed, I have known one of two UG graduates who succeeded in being awarded scholarships to good European institutions from their exploration of the Internet.

PAT DIAL

There is a National Accreditation Council which had been established in 2004 but very few citizens are aware of its existence or even where it is housed. The remit of the National Accreditation Council is very comprehensive: “It is the principal body in Guyana for conducting and advising on the accreditation and recognition of educational and training institutions, providers, programes and awards, whether foreign or national and for the promotion of quality and standards of education and training in Guyana."

If the Accreditation Council and the other offices whose duties and responsibilities are to maintain high standards in education and training were more proactive, many of the difficulties which are now encountered would not have occurred. And this includes fraudulent educational institutions and exploiting young people and fleecing them of their money.

The Consumer community look forward to the National Accreditation Council and the Ministry of Education in particular, maintaining and improving the standards of Education and training and preventing fraudulent or inadequate institutions from attempting to establish themselves in Guyana.

Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

IX

Melika Edmonds and Randy Critchlow, members of the Merundoi Street Theatre, with Ann Samuel, Miss Whitewater, Region One at Heritage Day Celebrations

THIS WEEK’S PREVIEW

YUH tel tara and tara tell tara. What does Shelly tell James?!

What are Ignatius, Wong and Coretta planning? Why does Kevin leave? What advice did his mother give him?

Shelly sees James at the mechanic and engages him in conversation. What does she tell him that gets him really

upset?

What started with a simple handing over of mail by Dinah to June nearly ends in a family breakup.

Is the Village Council on the brink of a disaster?

Don’t miss this week’s episode. You can also listen on www.merundoi.org

X

Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

XI

Emerging Artist

Darshani Kistama IN an attempt to highlight some of Guyana’s emerging talent, particularly from our premier art institution the E.R. Burrowes School of Art, I decided to extend my platform so that the public could be better acquainted with future Guyanese art practitioners. This week’s feature highlights Darshani Kistama, a young artist whose works are predominantly textile designs and paintings.

Dominique Hunter: Tell

me a little bit about who you are and how you got started.

Darshani Kistama: I’m a 21-year-old artist from Berbice. I liked drawing ever since I was little, ever since I knew about books and pencils. There wasn’t much art in Berbice. There wasn’t any [place] I could’ve gone to do anything. I didn’t know about Burrowes until one day my uncle was looking for art schools in town and then he found out about Burrowes.

I had just finished writing

CXC. I wrote art for CXC but I didn’t have an art teacher until I had to do the SBAs. Then someone came to the school to help us. When I finally found out about Burrowes, I enrolled there. At the time, I only knew about drawing and painting. I didn’t know about subjects like ceramics, sculpture, leather craft or anything like that. At first it was fatiguing because I was traveling from Berbice to Burrowes every day but after a while I got used to it.

There were a lot of challenges. I was supposed to graduate last year but an easel fell on my head in Burrowes so I was hospitalized and had to stop school for a year. I finished off the semester this year and that’s how I’m able to graduate.

DH: How has it been readjusting to work after the accident?

DK: Now and then I would feel like I can’t overwork myself. When I do overwork myself I would get a lot of headaches. I did a lot of tests and one CT scan showed that I have a fractured skull. It’s nothing big but I find that when I overwork myself I would get these headaches. So I can’t overwork myself like I used to. It’s hard because I liked to push myself but now I can’t.

DH: How did you choose your major and minor?

DK: I didn’t exactly choose them. Before this cur-

DARSHANIE KISTAMA rent administrator, there was a different one who chose [these areas] for us. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

They told us to work on all these subjects and whichever subjects we were weak in we should work on them more. That way eventually we would get to do what we wanted to do. But we didn’t.

In the end, it changed and they chose textile design and painting for me. I really wanted to do ceramics and painting. But eventually I got to like textiles so I don’t regret doing it. I enjoyed it and I had a wonderful textile design teacher.

DH: Tell me about your major task for this exhibition.

DK: I was inspired to follow in the steps in the great Nihâl Chand (chief ► Continued on page

A few hand painted designs on cushions done by Kistama

Kathak Dancer by Darshani Kistama

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Emerging Artist ...

Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

► From page XI painter at the court of Kishangarh in the 18th century) using the Rajput style of painting to create my major task, since it is best known for depicting the life of Lord Krishna. This style of painting requires great attention to detail and colour variations (particularly colours such as gold, bright yellows, greens etc.) and sometimes took days to complete.

I was working on this painting for about three months.

This was an assignment where we were asked to choose a scripture from a religious text and produce a painting.

I decided to incorporate textiles in the painting by including a soft toy of Radha and Krishna depicting my theme “A divine love.” Though each loves the other deeply, their love is complicated. They barely spend any actual time with each other – maybe a fleeting moment here or a few wee hours of the morning there.

Their love is never consummated by the fires of marriage.

It always remains in this early romantic stage, where each is perpetually consumed by the other, in thought, word and action.

Their relationship had its challenges. Despite their love, they both eventually married other people (in Krishna’s case, thousands of others). What they represent then, is not some idealized romance but rather, the attachment of our desire to experience the divine.

Since the main attire during the Rajput period was the Sari (wrapped over the whole body with one end thrown on the right shoulder), I used fabrics such as georgette, silk, cotton, chiffon etc. I also used different methods of fabric printing such as stenciling and block printing, to create these Sarees and to capture the sensuality of the female figures in Rajput paintings.

DH: What has the response been to your work?

DK: The teachers were happy with what I did and I got a lot of compliments from the public. They found it hard to believe that the printed sarees were what I made.

DH: What are your plans now that Burrowes is done?

DK: It’s sad that Burrowes is the only art school in Guyana. I wish there was more I could’ve done there. But Burrowes is the end of it for me right now. I hope to get more into textiles and painting. Maybe I will go overseas to learn a bit more, come back home and do my own thing.

Darshani Kistama along with eight other students (all female) exhibited their art works at the recently concluded examination exhibition at the Umana Yana, as part of the requirements for graduation from the E.R. Burrowes School of Art. The graduation ceremony for the budding artists will be held later in the year.

Kistama produced a number of intricate hand printed designs on various types of fabrics

A colourful mixed media painting

Darshani Kistama’s mixed media major task depicting her theme “A divine love”

Evening Offering by Darshani Kistama

Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

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Confident and Confidential Part 2 ‌

If glitter is too much...use shimmer powders MAKEUP artists are often compared to magicians, because it may seem like what they do are magic tricks.

It's more of an art form that is often used with psychological illusions- yes, it's a science!

On a daily basis what we see and what we interpret are two completely different things, suffice to add the adage, "It's all mind over matter."

Our perspective can

ate and accomplish chiaroscuro, depth, and dynamic of an image. What we perceive isn't exactly what we see.

Therefore, allow your mind to be open, and know the tricks your own head is playing.

Accomplishing Perfection I am a perfectionist. But, no one is perfect, (except maybe, me, of course) and if you see anything lacking flaws, ask it what moisturizer it uses, and plastic surgeon...

'You can live through anything, if magic made it' - Kanye West change with knowledge, art and creativity.

The lighting and the vantage point of a person can cre-

or who it's Makeup Artist is!

If you embrace your flaws and the features that make you unique you'll discover

Here's a before and after selfie!

that "there is a kind of beauty in imperfection"- Conrad Hall The Ultimate Trick ...is to use highlighting powders and shimmer eyeshadows to fill in wrinkles and reflect light.

1. Apply foundation as you normally do and add concealer if necessary 2. U s i n g a s m a l l blending eyeshadow brush, dip shimmering eyeshadows and apply it under the eyes, gently and lightly into the creases of the eye socket.

Add more, if necessary 3. U s i n g a d a m p sponge apply a matte face powder under eye to eliminate the appearance of excess oiliness. The aim is to subtly reflect light to disguise the dark circles

4. Wisp away any excess powders, and blend in a circular motion There's no better way to beat darkness than with light.

So let your light shine through, and keep sending more requests!

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Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

World Habitat Day 2016 OCTOBER 03, 2016, is World Habitat Day, which will be celebrated under the theme “Housing at the Centre”. This day was first observed30 years ago, when the UN designated the 1st Monday of October,

to our health and that of the environment. If we live in a poor housing environment, it may expose our children to pollutants which pose a risk to health.

The quality of our surroundings is also vital to

our social and economic well-being.In recognition of this, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is implementing a number of Regulations and an Environmental Authorisation processes to protect our health

and environment. This may apply to projects that are in proximity of housing developments which may have potential to affect people’s well-being in some way. As such projects such as roads, factories, lumber processing, spray-painting, poultry and pig rearing etc. are required to include measures to reduce impacts on people and settlements. Further, the EPA collaborates with the Cenas World Habitat Day. It is a day set aside to reflect on the state of our towns and cities, and on the basic right of all, to adequate shelter.

Wo r l d H a b i t a t D a y serves to remind the world that we all have the power and the responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns. It is a day that brings focus to the reality that there is a global housing crisis, where approximately 1.6 billion people worldwide are living in the substandard housing, and almost 100 million people are homeless.

Here in Guyana, our housing industry is booming as we continue to make steady progress towards improving the living conditions for all. However, at this juncture, it is useful to reflect on this year’s World Habitat Day theme, especially in terms of the relationship between development activities such as housing and its effects on the environment.

Housing and Our Environment Housing is more than having four walls and a roof over our heads. The quality of our housing and surroundings are equally important

XV

tral Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) which is responsible for housing development to safeguard housing areas from noise, dust, and other forms of pollution.

What you need to know Do a quick analysis of where you live, what are some things which affect you? Is it noise, dust, poor

water quality or litter?

Now think about how these things became a problem and how much stress they cause to you and the environment. You would agree that our housing conditions and how we care for our surroundings sometimes contribute to these stressors. By putting stress on ► Continued

on page XVIII

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Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

Fun activities for the kids

The Bad Girl

By W. K. Clifford SHE was always called ‘The Bad Girl’, for she had once, when she was very little, put out her tongue at the postman. She lived with her grandmother and her three brothers in the cottage beyond the field, and the girls in the village took no notice of her.

‘The Bad Girl’ did not mind this, for she was always thinking of the cuckoo clock.

The clock stood in one corner of the cottage, and every hour, a door opened at the top

Dyeing for some colour

of its face and a little cuckoo came out and called its name, just the same number of times that the clock ought to have struck, and called it so loudly and in so much haste that the clock was afraid to strike at all.

‘The Bad Girl’ was always wondering whether it was worse for the clock to have a cupboard in its forehead, and a bird that was always hopping in and out, or for the poor cuckoo to spend so much time in a dark little prison. "If it could only get away to the woods," she

said to herself, "who knows; its voice might grow sweet, and even life itself might come to it!" She thought of the clock so much that her grandmother used to say, "Ah, lassie, if you would only think of me sometimes!"

But ‘The Bad Girl’ would answer: “You are not in prison, granny dear, and you have not even a bee in your bonnet, let alone a bird in your head. Why should I think of you?"

One day, close by the farm, she saw the big girls from the school gathering flowers.

"Give me one," she said.

"Perhaps the cuckoo would like it." But they all cried, "No! No!" and tried to frighten her away. "They are for the little one's birthday; tomorrow she will be seven years old," they said, "and

she is to have a crown of flowers and a cake. And all afternoon we shall play merry games with her."

"Is she unhappy, that you are taking so much trouble for her?" asked ‘The Bad Girl’.

"Oh, no! She is very happy! But it will be her birthday, and we want to make her happier."

"Why?" "Because we love her," said one.

"Because she is so little," said another.

"Because she is alive," said a third.

"Are all things that live to be loved and cared for?" ‘The Bad Girl’ asked, but they were too busy to hear her, so she went on her way, thinking.

And it seemed as if all things round—the birds, and bees, and the rustling leaves, and the little tender wild flowers,

half hidden in the grass—answered as she went along.

"Yes, they are all to be cared for and made happier, if it be possible."

"The cuckoo clock is not alive," she thought. "Oh, no!

It is not alive," the trees answered, "but many things that do not live have voices, and many others are just signposts, pointing the way."

"The way! The way to what, and where?"

"We found out for ourselves; we must all find out for ourselves," the trees sighed and whispered to each other.

As ‘The Bad Girl’ entered the cottage, the cuckoo called out its name eleven times, but she did not even look up. She walked straight across to the chair by the fireside, and, kneeling down, kissed her granny's hands. (kidsgen.com)

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Fun activities for the kids

Environmental Matters …

GLOBAL WARMING: AN INTRODUCTION SCIENTISTS believe that the Earth has warmed considerably from what it once used

to be, and that it’s continuing to get warmer.

But how much more will it warm in the future is anybody's guess. The scientists have reached the conclusion that global surface temperatures (land and ocean) have been approaching a 1 Degree Celsius increase since the year 1880.

In short, global warming refers to an average increase in the Earth's temperature, which causes changes in climate. A warmer Earth may lead to a rise in sea level, changes

most of the outgoing infrared radiation from the surface and lower atmosphere from escaping into outer space. This process is called the "Greehouse

in rainfall patterns, and can even adversely affect plants, wildlife, and humans.

GREENHOUSE EFFECT Earth is enveloped by a blanket of air called the atmosphere, which comprises of several layer of gases. The sun's radiation reaches the Earth after passing through the atmosphere. The rays from the Sun travel back into the atmosphere after warming the Earth. But the greenhouse gases prevent

name is derived from the greenhouses, which look like small glass houses, used to grow plants in the winter months. The glass panels of the greenhouse let in the sunlight, and keep the heat from escaping, which, in turn, helps the plant to survive the chill.

GREENHOUSE GASES Carbon dioxide, methane, halogenated fluoro-

Effect", and has kept the Earth's temperature about 60 degrees Farenheit (60 °F) warmer than it would otherwise be.

Current life on Earth could not be sustained without the natural greenhouse effect. The

carbons, nitrous oxide, ozone, perfluorinated carbons, hydrofluorocarbons and water vapor are the greenhouse gases. They absorb infra-red radiation in the atmosphere, and make the Earth warmer by trapping energy in the atmosphere.

CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING Some of the activities of Man are accelerating the damage done, due to the greenhouse gases.

Burning of fossil fuels like oil and coal releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which, in turn, causes most of the warming. Another cause is the cutting down of trees or deforestation. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases, from the air.­

World Habitat Day...

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► From page XV

our environment we create a chain reaction of problems such as flooding and outbreak of vector and waterborne diseases.

At the EPA, our Environmental Protection Regulations on Air Quality, Noise, Water Quality, Hazardous Wastes Management and Litter Prevention are enforced for your protection. We encourage you to pay attentionto issues of air and water pollution, noise,the building materials used in the construction and maintenance of your home and your waste disposal methods. It is also essential to knowabout issues linked to crowding in homes and adjacent land uses in the community; this will better enable you to protect the Environment and maintain adequate housing conditions. Also ensure you adhere to the codes of practice governing housing development.

The United Nations recognize the importance of housing and adequate living condi-

tions. Consequently, World Habitat Day will continue to advocate the need for better shelter all over the world and to share the priority of affordable and adequate housing. It also seeks to bring positive changes through the development and implementation of policies, programs and plans to better housing and living conditions around the world. At the same time, it will continue to change attitudes and pay attention to the basic human rights for adequate shelter while increasing awareness worldwide for the future generation’s habitat.

Remember the change begins with you!

Work with your local government authority to improve you living standards. You can also notify the EPA if you are affected by environmental pollution.

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

Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

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The eternal teacher –Leonard Fredericks

By Faizool Deo

WHEN Leonard Hubert Fredericks reached Great Falls (up the Demerara River) in September of 1979, he wanted to turn back. The school, which he was employed to teach at, was a little shed at the river bank, and the community was desolate and miles away from the civilised world.

In fact, getting to Linden, without help, meant paddling for days in a canoe. By the end of his first class, Fredericks forgot all that was wrong about the community.

Nineteen curious little faces had actually begged him to teach beyond the cut off time of 15:00h and he was hooked.

“They were eager to learn, and I felt sad to leave them.”

In the years that followed, his input in Great Falls helped numerous students into secondary schools in Linden and Georgetown.

Fredericks was born into teaching and when he finally retired in 2010, he had accumulated over 40 years in the profession.

Born in Santa Rosa, Moruca in 1941, Fredericks got his formal education from the Santa Rosa RC School. He had no knowledge about his father, but his mother was a teacher and she had a reputation of being good at her profession. As a single mother, she taught the Caribs in the Barama River. When she married, the Roman Catholic Church sent her to Kopinang, North Pakaraimas to open a school there.

His mother started classes in 1952 and four years later, at the age of 15, Fredericks began to teach, but on a voluntary basis. As the school numbers increased, the need for another full-time teacher became obvious and in 1963 he was hired in an interim position. During this time, he became big brother to four brothers and five sisters.

When his mother died (during child birth) at the age of 40 in 1964, he took over as acting headmaster until 1967.

He then returned to his grandmother’s home in Santa Rosa.

For an entire year he did farming before he agreed to teach at the Kamwatta RC School in

1968.

Since Fredericks was unqualified, his teaching career came to an abrupt end when it was announced by the government that all teachers should be qualified. He had responsibilities and needed to take care of his family— college was not on his radar at that time.

In 1969, he ventured into Linden looking for work, but it proved difficult and he eventually reached a village in the interior called Malali (approximately 50 miles from Linden), where he did postal work from 1970-73.

Fredericks then did woodcutting for a timber company down river. Since he wanted to send money home, he decided to write a letter to his boss, who was shocked at his level of education.

“Buckman (the colloquial expression for Amerindians) don’t write like this,” he said, before offering Fredericks a job in bookkeeping.

A few years later, an education officer in Linden was looking for someone to teach in Great Falls. In 1979, after some effort, he convinced Fredericks to take up the post as acting headmaster.

Leonard Fredericks received an award from Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe last Monday in recognition of his outsnading contribution to the teaching profession In the years that followed Fredericks worked hard with the students. They even battled through a flood which damaged the school in 1981.

In 1983, a young Afro-Guyanese girl went to the community to teach and she

was enthralled by the education level of the students.

She convinced the acting HM to sign up six of them to write Common Entrance.

They were all successful.

One child got a scholarship to North Georgetown Secondary School, while the

Leonard Fredericks (centre in front row) is seen with others who were honoured by the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs last Monday at a special event at the Umana Yana in Georgetown

others got schools in Linden.

The education department was so impressed that in 1985 they sent Fredericks to the Linden branch of the Cyril Potter College of Education. While at college, he taught at the One Mile Primary School.

At the age of 46 Fredericks became a qualified teacher.

And he just did not pass, he did exceedingly well, among his grades was a distinction in social studies/history.

Fredericks returned to Great Falls, but in 1990, upon the request of the ministry, he left to open a new school at 47 Miles on the Mabura Road. Until his retirement in 2010 (initially 1996, but he was asked to stay on) he divided his time between the two schools and the 58 Miles Mabura Mission Primary Annex.

Fredericks never got married, but he does have a son who lives in Georgetown.

In 2012, Great Falls school was left without a tutor after both of its teachers were due for maternal leave.

Fredericks returned to the school on a voluntary basis and worked until he was replaced last year.

Now at the age of 74 (75 in November) he is looking forward to helping the next batch of youngsters who will write the exam in 2017.

Power to Make

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Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

-Republic Bank’s Commu

WITH a longstanding record of support for education and development initiatives for the young people of Guyana, Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited is of the firm belief that education plays a major role and positively impacts a nation’s prospects and accomplishments.

And with an overarching focus on building successful societies, Republic Bank continues to distinguish itself as being a good corporate citizen, giving back to the nation of Guyana - billions, through ongoing investment in education and developmental initiatives for our young people in diverse ways.

As Guyana wraps up Education Month (September 1- October 5), the Guyana Chronicle features Republic Bank’s community education initiatives over the last decade.

Not only does the Bank focus on its Power to Make a Difference Social Investment initiative, but it is also committed to strategies for educating, developing, empowering and rewarding its customers and the local communities it serves.

Power to Make a Difference (PMAD) This initiative commenced in Guyana in 2003 and focuses on making a difference particularly among Guyana’s youth, and in communities through various projects undertaken in partnership with government ministries, charitable and educational institutions. In the previous two phases, over $200 million was expended on a range of projects.

For the current phase – a four year period from 2014-2018 - Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited has committed over $150 million.

The following are the Bank’s PMAD ed-

ucation initiatives: Republic Bank University of Guyana Scholarship: Awarded to one student pursuing a degree in studies relevant to national development such as Forestry, Agriculture, Earth & Environment Science, Technology and Natural Sciences is offered every four years. The current Awardee is Mr. Kareem Hinds of New Amsterdam, Berbice and he is due to graduate in 2018. Previous Awardees include Mr. Jhaman Kundun and Mr. Dharamdeo Singh and they have gone on to pursue their Masters in Australia and Trinidad and Tobago respectively.

Republic Bank Career Coach: This is a two day workshop for final year Degree and Diploma students of the University of Guyana.

The aim of the programme is to equip participants with the necessary tools for succeeding in today’s work environment and is hosted in partnership with the University of Guyana.

Under the themes Marketing Yourself and Understanding the Working World, participants benefit from related workshops, interactions, and simulated interviews for practical insight and application of the ideas learnt.

Republic Bank RightStart Music Literacy Programme: This collaboration with the Ministry of Education’s Department of Culture Youth and Sport, commenced in 2010 and provides training – both theory and practical - to new and experienced school-aged steel pan players, in introductory and advance modules. At every level the participants are taught practical skills, steel pan history and music theory. There is also a special programme dedicated to youths with an aptitude

Pan Minors 2016

NGSA 2016 Awards for Employees Children: Managing Director Richard Sammy makes a presentation to Shania Azeez for Steel Band Arranging. To date over 900 (nine hundred) students have attended this annual programme.The recently concluded 2016 programme graduated 128 (one hundred and twenty eight) youths from the regions.

Republic Bank Youth Link Apprenticeship Programme: This seven (7) month programme was launched in Guyana in 2009 and is open to Secondary School graduates between the ages of 16-19 years from the business studies stream. The objective of the programme is to bridge the transition from classroom to the world of work – from student to working adult. In addition, it equips participants with basic training and marketable skills in business related disciplines, in order to improve their career options. To date, 213 (two hundred and thirteen) Apprentices have graduated from the Youth Link Apprenticeship Programme and have gone on to enrich several Organisations across Guyana, including Republic Bank itself.

Teen Mothers Empowerment Programme: This initiative, in partnership with Women Across Differences, offers support and empowerment to school-aged girls facing the challenges of teen pregnancy. Through the Bank’s sponsorship, teen mothers and pregnant adolescents from Region 4 and Georgetown are afforded the opportunity to improve their livelihoods via comprehensive education programme that encompasses reproductive health, personal development and entrepreneurial development.

Iwokrama - Climate change mitigation and conservation in schools: Through its

e a Difference Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

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unity Education Initiatives partnership with Iwokrama, Republic Bank (Guyana) Ltd is able to support the environmental literacy programme in schools with the initial outreach in 2015 benefitting the community of Fairview Village in Region 9.

Step by Step Foundation: Autistic Children receive Republic Bank’s sponsorship of the annual tuition for two students and the annual salary for two tutors. The Bank’s annual sponsorship also covers the cost of services of a US medical practitioner specialized in autism, and who visits thrice annually to assess the children’s progress and monitor tutors’ performance. The Foundation also conducts assessments on potentially autistic children during the medical practitioner’s visit. The Bank also focusses its efforts on allowing individuals the opportunity to showcase their learning and skills through the following activities: Republic Bank Mashramani Panorama Steel Band Competition: This is an annual competition which started in 2009. During February, individuals, small and large bands compete in various categories. The school band segment has expanded to nine competing bands from three initially as a direct result of the training provided students at the Republic Bank RightStart Music Literacy Programme.

The Biennial Republic Bank National Drawing Competition: In collaboration with the National Art Gallery, Republic Bank has had a long standing record of support for the Arts and has been supporting Guyanese artists by sponsoring the Castellani House biennial National Drawing Competition in various media such as pen

and ink, pencil and charcoal with the 10th competition having concluded in December 2015.

Promoting Literacy in our communities: Through the Bank’s Staff Volunteerism programme, members of staff lend voluntary assistance to projects across the Bank’s footprint. Literacy has been a high priority for a number of the projects executed so far and both communities and schools have benefited from the rehabilitation of libraries; provision of books and school supplies; and support for reading programmes.

Rewarding Academic Excellence: Supporting education also extends to rewarding excellence in education. To this end, the Bank rewards Guyana’s top performers at the annual National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA); the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC); the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE); and from the University of Guyana, the best student graduating with a degree from the Faculty of Social Sciences, and the best student for the Diploma in Banking And Finance.

OTHER Other forms of the Bank’s Education Focus target the general public, including some of the Bank’s own customers who hold the Republic Right Start Account and existing and aspiring entrepreneurs. In this the Bank provides opportunities, rewards excellence and seeks to empower all participants and award recipients.

Republic Bank RightStart Academic Achievement Award Each year, the bank’s top RightStart ac-

count holders at the NGSA and CSEC receive monetary awards and plaques for outstanding academic performance. These are distinct product-related awards to the Bank’s high performing customers and are different from the PMAD academic awards to the nation’s top performers as outlined above.

Regular donations to Schools and Educational institutions Across its networks Republic Bank gives extensive donations to schools and educational institutions across the Bank’s network for various initiatives. RHY&TC’s Annual Summer Camp; Computers; texts; furnishings; school supplies; graduation gifts and trophies; cash for various needs are among our donations. Significant sums are dedicated to these activities annually.

Republic Bank Commercial Customer Business Programme Since 2010, Republic Bank has collaborated with the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business - University of the West Indies has been offering this specially designed Programme for the bank’s high-potential entrepreneurs/clients with defined venture borrowings or capital positions.

The objective of the programme is to strengthen Commercial Customers’ business skills for better planning, organizing, and operation of their small to medium sized businesses in various sectors within the economy (which can include manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing or service trade).

On completion of the programme, Commercial Customers leave with an enhanced

2016 Youth Link Graduation

ability to assess and understand the business environment, and understand how to effectively drive business strategy and implementation, manage finances and marketing.

So far, 95 of RBL’s business customers have benefitted from sessions. Approximately G$3.3 million annually is invested in this initiative.

Empretec Venture Out! for Women - Republic Bank has been the major sponsor of this and sees an annual outlay of approximately G$1.5 million. programme since 2010. As the name suggests women are the beneficiaries.

The aim of the programme is to provide a motivational forum for aspiring and practicing women entrepreneurs that will allow for passions and interests to be developed into sustainable business ventures.

The primary objective is to enhance the quality of life through increased knowledge and skills and through a mentorship programme by successful peers.

As a consequence, confidence is built, participants enjoy greater entrepreneurial awareness and are empowered to ‘stand on their feet’ and provide for their families thereby uplifting their status.

Over the years approximately 640 women across Guyana have participated and benefitted various groups of women across Guyana with notable outcomes and success stories.

In all of its efforts Republic Bank’s overarching focus is building successful societies. We are of the firm belief that education plays a major role and positively impacts a nation’s prospects and accomplishments.

‘I am doing what I know is right’

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Chronicle Pepperpot October 2, 2016

–– Environmentalist, human rights advocate Jean La Rose

By Shirley Thomas JEAN La Rose has an amazing track record of success in advocating for the rights of the indigenous peoples, and she does it with pride and purpose.

An indefatigable fighter for human rights, Jean La Rose, Programme Administrator of the Amerindian People’s Association, has been advocating for land tenure and security of indigenous people for more than 25 years and sees that connection as sine qua non.

Testament to that is the fact that after serving as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Guyana National Newspapers Ltd, for just under one year, she has resigned that position, citing the need to dedicate more time to the work of the APA. La Rose is taking up a new appointment as Executive Director of the APA. Serving at the helm of the struggle for indigenous peoples full rights to traditional lands, La Rose coordinated the first indigenous land rights lawsuit in Guyana to protect streams, rainforests and endangered indigenous communities harmed by mining.

She has travelled extensively around Guyana and internationally in pursuit of this cause. Her travels have taken her to the US Congress in pursuit of recognition and justice for the indigenous peoples of Guyana.

For her work, she has since won several awards and accolades, including the Goldman Environmental Award for South America in 2002 and Guyana’s prestigious Golden Arrow of Achievement (A.A.), which was conferred upon her by President David Granger at the 2015 Investiture Ceremony.

Outside of Guyana, she’s been to other parts of the Amazon, the Panama Canal, Ecuador and many American indigenous territories where farming is done.

Whilst her travels were many and her experiences varied – both local and internationally - La Rose claims she was most fascinated by

her tours around Guyana.

“I’ve been way down South in the Wai-Wai territory of Essequibo, Phillipai, climbed the Chai Chai mountains, walked the Savannah to get to Chenawing, traveled

Simmons, now 20, a third year student of the University of Guyana, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Rehabilitation Physiotherapy.

Soroya is also a national swimmer.

A proud environmentalist and human rights advocate, Jean La Rose stands in the foreground of the Pakaraimas Mountain Range for days on the river, moving from one community to the next. I’ve traversed the savannahs of the Rupununi, been on the Iwokrama canopy walkway and just recently travelled to the North Pakaraimas in Region Nine.

I’ve done it,” she said with a feeling on contentment.

What probably prepared her for all those jungle treks were her childhood activities of playing in the Moruca Savannahs and swimming for hours in the river.

And now she is looking forward to the adventure of travelling from Georgetown to Lethem by road.

Reflecting on her years of struggles and challenges as she advocated for the rights of indigenous peoples across Guyana, Jean proudly acknowledges the support of her daughter, Soroya

“I am proud to say that she’s stood my through it all, growing up and understanding what the issues were and understanding and appreciating that my intensions were always good - even when the job took me away from her for prolonged periods,” La Rose said.

The fifth of seven siblings to Jenevieve La Rose and Benson La Rose, Jean was born, grew up and educated at Santa Rosa Mission, Moruca in the Barima Waini region.

Her grandfather, Bertie La Rose, an Indigenous village captain and also a successful shopkeeper, left a proud legacy which specified that his children and by extension, his grandchildren should all move on to Georgetown and attend High Schools, noting that educa-

tion was the key to life.

And so, her father Benson, who died when she was just four, moved on to Central High School in Georgetown, in pursuit of higher education. Pathetically, her mother also passed on in 2006, but by then Jean was already firmly grounded in education.

At age 14, she won a Hinterland Scholarship and travelled to Georgetown where she attended South Georgetown Secondary School. She later attended the University of Guyana from whence she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in History.

Other strides the APA made through La Rose’s intervention included: • Fighting, in the early 1990s, against large multinational companies, particularly Barama, with regard to the effects of their production on Amerindian lands • Getting the government to place a moratorium on mining concessions. Even though it did not last for too long, it was put into effect • Paving the way for engaging multinational companies such as the World Bank with regard to Indigenous Land Rights and the consequences of mining on indigenous communities socially, economically and otherwise. La Rose highlighted all the possible threats and human rights violations • Highlighting the disadvantages of expanding the Kaieteur National Park as was being resolutely pursued by the then President Janet Jagan and the implication for the livelihood of the indigenous peoples living in the community • Land titling (which is still ongoing), and demarcation, which was seriously displacing residents from lands they previously occupied, leaving them on naked lands, minus their hard earned gains (agricultural produce) • Re-examining the issue of the lack of emphasis on indigenous culture, citing that in schools, children are being taught about other cultures at the expense of reinforcing their own. This they feel, will ultimately cause the indigenous people to lose the

worth of their own culture.

• Pointing out the ills of the Protected Areas Systems, targeting about six areas, including Shell Beach, the Kanuku Mountains, Kaieteur National Park, Deep South in the Wai Wai communities. The APA applied pressure on government and highlighted the infringements on indigenous rights. La Rose said they cautioned the World Bank on the detrimental effects of going ahead with projects planned for those areas, in the absence of Legislation to protect the indigenous peoples. As a result, the World Bank pulled back on some of the projects they had planned supporting, in the interest of the livelihood and well-being of the indigenous peoples. Other works planned, while couched

in development, had the potential to have negative consequences, infringing on people’s land rights, creating greater access for narco-trafficking, banditry, trafficking in persons, as well as greater pressure on animal life upon which the indigenous communities depend for hunting; fishing and their waterways.

Indefatigable and fervently doing what she set herself to do on behalf of the indigenous community, La Rose (for obvious reasons) would prefer not to be said of, as “championing” their cause.

“I just want to say that I was doing what I know is right,” she modestly asserted.

But the overarching need is for other people to have respect for the indigenous community’s wishes, she concluded.

Jean La Rose and daughter Soroya on a visit to her homestead, Moruca, Region One

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The Confucius Institute

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– Language, Culture, and the New Chinese Presence in Guyana

By Subraj Singh

LANGUAGE is one of the most obvious things that set humans apart from other animals.

It is a form of communication that is varied and manifests itself in hundreds of forms and yet, all those different languages â–ş Contiuned on page XXIX

Scene from the Exhibition to celebrate Confucius Day at the University of Guyana

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The Confucius . . ► From page XXVIII

retain the same features which make “language.”

One such feature, it might be argued, is that language is often reflective of the culture from which it emerges. So, language can teach us a lot about the way of life of certain peoples, the beliefs and philosophies of certain societies, and the things that are most valued and appreciated by a certain culture.

In short, if you know the language then you will know the people. For example, if a language contains six different words for “rice”, then surely it indicates that rice has an important place in the culture from which that language emerged.

Similarly, if a language has no word to describe “rice”, then we can assume that rice is relegated to an inferior position in that culture and society or that rice may not even be found within such a society.

Of course, these are hypothetical examples, but they do reflect the way in which language and culture are often connected. In fact, we do not need to look very far in order to see how language reflects what is happening in a society.

Take the words used in our very own Caribbean to denigrate homosexuals, for example: “antiman,” “chi-chi man,” “fish,” “battyboy,” “fag” and so on. Does this range of discriminatory words not highlight the homophobia that runs rampant throughout most of the Caribbean?

Similarly, think of why Guyanese people would need to create the word “backtrack” to describe illegal entry into other countries, or the word “gyaff” to describe a particular kind of chatting done in this part of the world.

We made those words, and many others, because those are things are prevalent in our society and our need to name them and to allocate particular words to those particular actions tells a lot about Guyana and the Guyanese society. The point being made here is that words and language are crucial to knowing and to understanding a society and the culture of that society. Words, and even the lack of them, can be very telling.

The Confucius Institute (named after China’s greatest philosopher) is a school that thoroughly understands the importance of language and how language-learning is tied to learning about societies and culture.

The school, coming out of China, has partnered with several universities and learning institutions around the world in order to teach Chinese language (Mandarin) to non-native speakers, as well as showcase to the rest of the world various aspects of Chinese knowledge and culture. The branch of the Institute that is found here in Guyana is tied to the University of Guyana (UG), where the Director of that particular branch is Ms. Janet Ma, and has been in existence since 2013, offering courses in Chinese language, Tai Chi, and many other activities in order to expose Guyanese people to China and things Chinese.

The Institute is known for hosting exhibitions, stage performances and fairs in an effort to get more Guyanese interested in the activities being put on by the Institute. Importantly, the Institute takes part in the World Storytelling Day and World Poetry Day activities, where Chinese tales and poems are relayed to the Guyanese audience.

Earlier this year, a production was held at the National Cultural Centre where Chinese folk forms, such as dance and music, were showcased for the local audience. As recently as the end of September this year, another exhibition was held on the Turkeyen campus of the University of Guyana where students were allowed to view traditional Chinese clothes and crafts, and were also exposed to ancient Chinese performances, such as the playing of musical instruments, Chinese folkdances, and the ancient art of pouring tea.

As discussed earlier, language is the main focus of the Confucius Institute. However, according to Al Creighton, the local Director of UG’s Confucius Institute, the Institute has plans to explore a number of other exchanges in Chinese culture and other academic disciplines, where experts from China can be brought in to teach in different areas, as well as teaching people in Guyana the language so after they have achieved a certain level of prowess and achievement in Mandarin, they would be able to go ► Contiuned on page XXX

A dragon costume on display at the Exhibition

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The Confucius . .

One of the Chinese instruments used in performance at the Exhibition

â–ş From page XXIX

to China and further their studies.

Mr. Creighton also highlighted that it is possible for people through the Institute to get scholarships to go and study at Chinese universities, with the possibility of academic exchange for research. Without a doubt, it does seem as though the act of learning a language, while, as we have discussed earlier, can be reflective, on a holistic scale, of societies and cultures; the act of learning Mandarin at the Confucius Institute, on an individualistic level, seems to bring about other rewards that the students of the classes will definitely find beneficial to their own goals and academic ambitions.

For example, last summer, a group of students from the Institute’s Mandarin classes were taken on a trip to China where they were able to get a first-hand experience of Chinese language and culture.

Mr. Creighton also pointed out that there are existing relationships between China and Guyana and that the Institute offers an opportunity for Guyanese people to get to know and to understand Chinese people instead of adhering and promoting the many stereotypes which exist.

The dismantling of stereotypes, which is aided by the learning of Mandarin and the exposure to Chinese culture being offered by the Institute, is something that can help to reinforce the links between the two countries while simultaneously allowing the local populace a chance to gain a better understanding of an entire nation of people.

While some may not regard language-learning as an agency for change, the whole concept of language and its purpose, rooted in communication, proves that language is an important tool, whether political or social, and that it is powerful enough to help bridge the gap between locals and the Chinese.

The Institute is also important because of Guyana’s historical connection to China. Of course, anyone familiar with Guyanese history should know that there were Chinese immigrants who came to Guyana as indentured labourers.

However, because the local Chinese population has always been so small and, in some ways, rather reserved, it has been difficult throughout the years for people to get a thorough understanding of Chinese culture by being immersed in it, in the same way that, on a daily basis, we are immersed in African and East Indian culture.

The Confucius Institute offers Guyanese people, then, a chance to experience a culture that is a part of their own history. Although there have been other efforts over the years, the Confucius Institute remains a strong avenue for Guyanese people to learn more about the Chinese component of our history.

A chart of the Chinese Zodiac

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Doctors don't communicate well about terminally ill patients

(REUTERS HEALTH) - CANCER specialists and primary care physicians are not communicating very well about the end-of-life concerns of the patients they share - and according to one new study, they often rely on those patients to convey information back and forth.

Researchers in the Netherlands found that end-of-life discussions are rarely a subject of direct, interprofessional communication.

Although the study, published in the journal Family Practice, reflects European realities, its findings likely

resonate across the siloed American health system, too.

“Most patients in the U.S. have many doctors, and if each is doing their own little thing, no wonder patients are confused,” said University of Washington professor and oncologist Dr. Tony Back, who was not involved with the study. “The primary care doctor says, ‘I think I should talk about end-of-life care with this patient,’ and the oncologist says, ‘We have another treatment to try.’ The patient is saddled with sorting that out, and it’s not fair.”

The research team, led by Dr. John J Oosterink at VU

University Medical Center in Amsterdam, interviewed 16 general practitioners and 14 cancer specialists about the last discussion they had with a patient about end-of-life issues. Oncologists were asked whether they knew what their patients’ general practitioner discussed, and general practitioners were asked the same about oncologists’ involvement.

The study investigators did not respond to a request for comment.

While general practitioners and oncologists all recognized the importance of timely end-of-life discussions, most believed general practitioners - due to longstanding patient relationships - were in the most appropriate role to facilitate them.

General practitioners who spoke about end-of-life issues emphasized patients’ wishes and concerns. Oncologists focused on incurability and non-treatment orders.

Some American oncologists don’t expect primary care physicians to be involved in end-of-life planning at all.

“That relationship gets lost in a cancer diagnosis, and most of my patients stop seeing the internist,” said Virginia Kaklamani, a professor of medicine and leader of the breast oncology program at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio who wasn't involved in the study. “The person closest to the patient should initiate an end of life discussion, and that person ends up being the oncologist.”

Kaklamani told Reuters Health that after an initial phone call following a new patient appointment, talks with primary care physicians are rare. “If everything was done right, it would be extremely helpful for communication to be better. But for impact, the internist would need to have a relationship with the patient and continue to follow the patient. That’s not happening.”

According to internist Dr. Cheryl Wilkes, a clinical practice director at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, the primary care doctor’s communication with oncologists is often limited to what is written in the electronic medical record.

“I get a copy of their note, and it’s on me to look at it,” Wilkes told Reuters Health. “I’ll have a feel for how the cancer is progressing, but as an internist, I don’t know the exact implications of what that means for their time frame.”

Wilkes does initiate these essential talks herself. Medicare’s new coverage of advance care planning as part of the “Welcome to Medicare” visit and annual wellness visits that follow encourages her to start this conversation more frequently. “I love it that once a year, I am enabled to do it,” said Wilkes, who also was not involved in the study.

Back says that efforts like Wilkes’ are essential to prepare patients for the end of life and ensure they receive the same message from each physician they see. Challenges arise when internists initiate end of life dialogue, but oncologists tell patients that such discussions are premature.

Back is one of the co-founders of the non-profit Vital Talk, which develops communication courses to foster better connections between patients and clinicians - particularly surrounding end-of-life care.

“What is happening in our system is the internist, who maybe knows the patient well and is better at drawing out that patient’s values, doesn’t have a very clear place at the table,” Back said.

“They can bring something very important to this situation.”

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BP decries Deepwater Horizon film as inaccurate (Reuters) BP has criticized the new "Deepwater Horizon" film as being an inaccurate Hollywood dramatization of the deadly oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

"The Deepwater Horizon movie is Hollywood's take on a tragic and complex accident.

It is not an accurate portrayal of the events that led to the accident, our people, or the character of our company," Geoff Morrell, BP senior vice-president of U.S. communications & external affairs, said in a statement on the British

Actor Mark Wahlberg (L) poses alongside Mike Williams as he arrives at the European premiere of 'Deepwater Horizon' at Leicester Square in London, Britain September 26, 2016.

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez oil and gas company's website.

"Deepwater Horizon," which is released in the United States on Friday, focuses on the hours before and after the explosion from a well blowout on the BP rig in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, leading to the worst offshore oil disaster in U.S. history. Eleven workers were killed and millions of barrels of oil spewed onto the shorelines of several states for nearly three months.

BP, which has had to pay over $55 billion in clean-up costs and fines, said the film "ignores the conclusions reached by every official investigation: that the accident was the result of multiple errors made by a number of companies."

Actor Mark Wahlberg, who plays an oil engineer who survived the disaster, said the film aimed to honor the 11 men killed in the accident.

Other than BP, rig operator Transocean and services contractor Halliburton were also found to be at fault .

"Coming as it does six-and-a-half years after the accident, the movie also does not reflect who we are today, the lengths we've gone to restore the Gulf, the work we've done to become safer, and the trust we’ve earned back around the world." BP said in the statement.

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ARIES It's smarter to do one thing with all your heart than to spread yourself too thin today.

Although sudden inspiration reveals new and unusual ways to tackle a tough job, originality only goes so far. If you are over committed, take a deep breath and consider your options before blindly pushing ahead. There's no reason to waste your energy trying to move forward in a straight line while confusing cosmic messages turn you around in circles. You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

TAURUS You may think it's the perfect time to start a pet project, but unaccommodating circumstances raise questions about your decision. Unfortunately, a challenging Sun-Neptune aspect seduces you into believing that your fantasies are real. Additionally, the presence of unorthodox Uranus encourages you to look for answers outside of the box. Don't be discouraged by unplanned events that slow your progress. Instead, think of these obstacles as lessons that allow you to hone your skills and improve your chances for success.

GEMINI A single stroke of genius empowers you to leap over doubts today and discover shortcuts to achieving your goals. However, applying your brilliant insights is tricky while the willful Sun in your 5th House of Self-Expression is misled by slippery Neptune.

You might feel dejected when you realize you're no longer on the right track, triggering thoughts of self-defeat. However, you have an opportunity to advance and evolve if you overcome your fear and adopt a beginner's mind to explore the unknown territory ahead.

CANCER Your unsatisfied needs for emotional security are triggered by memories of unsuccessful attempts to get what you want. Although you must be specific when talking about your plans today, it might be uncomfortable to share them with others. Whether you are embarrassed by your current desires or just afraid of rejection, pushing past your own resistance now is the first step toward realizing your eclectic goals. Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent."

LEO Your thoughts can slip out unexpectedly today, shocking others with your apparent lack of empathy or confusing them with your radical point of view. But even if you are the one to upset the apple cart, you still might assume a kind-hearted individual will come to your aid. Instead of flaunting your neediness, make time to pamper yourself without relying on anyone else. Once you have taken responsibility for soothing your own weary soul, you're more likely to feel compassion for everyone else.

VIRGO A few poorly chosen words might be all that's necessary to start an argument today.

A stressful aspect from talkative Mercury to explosive Uranus in your 8th House of Deep Sharing puts everyone on edge. Fortunately, brilliant concepts will emerge from the storms of clashing ideas if you maintain an even temper and a healthy sense of humour. Minor adjustments may save a relationship now, even if you think that drastic changes are the only way to keep it from falling apart. You have two ears and one mouth so you can listen twice as much as you speak.

LIBRA Satisfying your need for intellectual stimulation doesn't necessarily require a partner while cerebral Mercury is visiting your 12th House of Inner Peace. Quiet time for reflection or prayer is emotionally satisfying and revitalizes your spirit. Nevertheless, your current lack of motivation can drain your energy. Thankfully, innovative Uranus kicks in with a sudden spark of inspiration. Sometimes, flying solo is best because you don't have to communicate your every move with anyone else. George Washington said, "It is far better to be alone than to be in bad company.

SCORPIO Your intentions may wobble today if you lack the control or direction you desire.

Unfortunately, talking to a trustworthy person won't necessarily bring you the stability you seek while chatty Mercury in your 11th House of Friends misaligns with unpredictable Uranus. Nevertheless, your hopes are high and you're eager to regain your balance now. However, tackling everything at once won't produce the expected results. Instead, narrow your focus and concentrate on the specific issues at hand; save the delights of dream-time until you complete this simple exercise in self-discipline.

SAGITTARIUS You could be obsessed with taking a creative or romantic risk today. However, your judgment may be clouded, leaving you lost in a daydream as the distance between you and reality grows wider. Although an inventive resolution might seem obvious in a spontaneous flash of genius, don't push your luck. Going to extremes can provoke a negative reaction; tone your rhetoric down a bit, or you might agitate unnecessary conflict. Keep the faith, even if it's difficult at first to tell whether you're slipping backward or making real progress.

CAPRICORN Your apparent nonchalance is misleading now and others may be quick to judge your uncharacteristically cavalier behaviour. However, you might just be feeling like you can't get anything right, so there's no point in even trying. You're ready to make false assumptions about a close friend or partner without asking the necessary questions.

It's difficult to know where to establish boundaries today, yet it's better to err on the side of caution. Remember, everyone has moments of doubt and confusion. As author Margaret Atwood writes, "When nothing is sure, everything is possible."

AQUARIUS Your current behaviour has the potential to change the shape of your professional relationships, even if you don't interact with anyone in person today. You're passionate about creating new connections or bringing original ideas into an ongoing partnership.

You're being offered a rare opportunity to try combining your sense of excitement with the security that you crave. Sufi poet Rumi wrote, "Life is a balance of holding on and letting go."

PISCES Radical thinking propels you toward new and exciting destinations today. Ingenious Uranus and imaginative Neptune reveal alternative avenues that lead you to exploration and experimentation. This spontaneous dance with curiosity can work wonders as long as you're into sincere discovery and not into controlling the end results. Approach life like a mountain climber who is well secured by a rope and always has an escape route nearby if needed.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY All seems infected that th’ infected spy, As all looks yellow to the jaundic’d eye.

ALEXANDER POPE (1688-1744), An Essay on Criticism, 1.558

STUDY SUCCESS Dear Student, Today we will look at both direct and indirect speech usages in the study of grammar for the practical purpose of good performance upon examination. (We are leaving aside all linguistic controversies over definitions and usages in this matter and sticking mainly to things traditional.)

In direct speech a speaker or writer uses the exact words spoken, written, or thought by someone else. In indirect speech the speaker or writer’s original thoughts are told without using the original words exactly. Be wise.

Love you.

GRAMMAR Direct and Indirect Speech A. Direct Speech This is the term used when we write the exact words of a speaker.

We use direct speech in our short story dialogues, and when we repeat word for word or quote what comes directly from a person. Bear in mind there must be no change in these words.

Words in direct speech are usually preceded by a comma and put inside inverted commas or lifted commas, also called quotation marks (“”).

Note, below that in each sentence, speech marks are around the actual words.

The preacher said, “Blessed is the LORD God of Israel.”

In his sermon, Peter said: “I am the gate-keeper.”

B. Indirect Speech This form of speech gives the words of a person as reported speech.

Indirect speech gives the same information as direct speech but is not said exactly word for word.

Just examine a local newspaper to see a report, let’s say, on a meeting placed at a local thriving company to get the full idea.

[Newspapers normally use indirect speech when reporting.]

Watch the conversion from direct to indirect speech in this bit of report.

The CEO of GRUNDG said, “My Company will provide cell phone assistance for each Fifth Form student at President’s College.”

The CEO of GRUNDG said that his Company would provide cell phone assistance for each Fifth Form student at President’s College.

Changing from direct to indirect speech There are some rules to follow here. (a) First and second person pronouns (I, we, you) become third person pronouns (he, she, they). (b) The present tense verb becomes past tense: has, are, shall, may become had, were, should, might. (c) Words denoting nearness in time and place become words denoting distance or remoteness: now, this, today, yesterday become then, that, that day, the day after. (d) At times it may be necessary to add a noun in brackets to make clear the meaning conveyed in the direct speech:

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Direct Speech: Sandrine said to Joy, her best friend, “I have the better answer to our immediate plight.”

Indirect Speech: Sandrine said to Joy, her best friend, that she (Sandrine) had the better answer to their immediate plight. (e) The clause containing the verb of saying in the past tense sometimes indicates what kind of statement was made.

Verbs such as: urged, replied, ordered, declared, demanded, enquired, advised, indicated, suggested, told, reiterated are often sued.

Direct Speech: The reader said, “Then Alice gave the rat a terrible look!”

Indirect Speech: The reader indicated that Alice, at that time, gave the rat a terrible look.

Direct Speech: “Try a little harder,” said the mother.

Indirect Speech: The mother urged her to try a little harder C. Further Notes a) We may be reporting on the following: i) Something that's being said NOW (for example a telephone conversation), or ii) Something that was said at a previous time. b) The clause containing the verb of saying can be in the present or past tense. i) Sheba says, "How long will you be away from home?" ii) Sheba said, "How long will you be away from home?" and John said, "I don't have a truthful answer to that!" c) It goes without much saying that reported or indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the actual words spoken. d) 'Say', 'tell', 'ask' verbs: When we use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', we may use the word 'that' to introduce the reported words, but it is all right to omit ‘that’. e) Inverted commas are not used in indirect speech. f) i) The ‘say’ and ‘tell’ verbs: Use 'say' when there is no indirect object.

He said that he was unwell. ii) Always use 'tell' when you say who was being spoken to (i.e. with an indirect object).

He told me that he was unwell. g) ‘Talk’ and ‘speak’ verbs: Use the verbs ‘talk’ and ‘speak’ to describe the action of communicating.

Herman talked to us.

Sheila was speaking on the blue cell phone. h) Use ‘talk’ and ‘speak’ with 'about' to refer to what was said.

He talked (to us) about his parents.

COMPREHENSION In Mrs Johnson’s kitchen garden, the vines were laden with long, white squash. There were tomato plants too, full of ripe tomatoes. To the right of us the pepper beds were covered with ripe fruit falling from the cherry tree. The cherry tree which was the lone tree allowed to remain in Mrs Johnson’s garden, sheltered the seed beds and containers.

This nursery was full of pepper, shallot and Chinese calaloo. Birds were on the cherry tree eating the fruits. The sound of the honey bees in the background could be heard loud and clear as we approached the back of the garden.

What to Do Make a summary of the surroundings in Mrs Johnson’s garden.

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Pakistan cinemas ban Indian films amid escalating Kashmir tension ( R E U T E R S ) PA K I STANI cinemas have stopped screening Indian films in "solidarity" with the country's armed forces, after an escalation of violence in disputed Kashmir between the nuclear-armed neighbors, theater owners said on Friday.

Tension between India and Pakistan has been high since an Indian security forces crackdown on dissent in Indian-controlled Kashmir began in July. Relations worsened in September after militants killed 18 soldiers in a raid on an Indian army base, an attack New Delhi blames on Pakistan. " We h a v e s t o p p e d screening Indian movies at our cinemas from Friday till the situation improves and normalcy returns," said Nadeem Mandviwalla, whose Mandviwalla Entertainment runs eight cinemas in Karachi and the capital, Islamabad.

India said on Thursday it had carried out "surgical strikes" in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a claim that Pakistan condemned and denied.

The Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA), a small filmmakers' body, on Thursday banned their members from hiring Pakistani actors. Mandviwalla and other cinema owners said the ban in Pakistan was also in response to IMPPA's move.

Indian media reported that a leader of regional right-wing party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, last week gave Pakistani actors 48 hours to leave India or faced being

"pushed out".

The party, which was not available for comment, is one of two hardline parties based in Mumbai that has regularly called for Pakistani artists to be banned from working in India.

Indian films are spectacularly popular both at the cinema and on bootlegged DVDs in Pakistan.

Pakistan's domestic film industry has seen a revival in recent years, but is dwarfed by India's Bollywood. Pakistani actors have increasingly been appearing in big budget Bollywood films in the last few years.

Some Indian actors came to the defense of their Pakistani counterparts.

"They are artists. These are two different subjects.

They were terrorists, these are artists. What do you think, artists are terrorists?" Salman Khan, one of Bollywood's biggest stars, told reporters when asked if Pakistani actors should be forced out.

Khurram Gultasab, general manager at Super Cinemas, which runs ten cinemas in cities across Pakistan's Punjab province, confirmed his group would also not be screening Indian films.

"I think we should show solidarity with our army engaged at very hot borders right now and secondly with our actors," said Gultasab. He said the move had been made by cinema owners themselves, rather than on government directions.

Other Pakistani cinemas posted on social me-

dia saying they would not be showing Indian films after Thursday's violence.

An advertising poster for an Indian film is seen outside a movie theater in Karachi, Pakistan, September 30, 2016. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

Entertainment Daniel Craig still first choice for Bond, says producer

(REUTERS) THE team behind the James Bond films wants Daniel Craig to return as 007, the spy series' executive producer said on Friday, even after the British actor said he would rather slash his wrists than appear again.

The 48-year-old star was "absolutely the first choice ... We would love Daniel to return as Bond," Callum McDougall told BBC radio.

Craig said last year he was "over" the role after filming wrapped up on the last installment "Spectre", which went on to gross $880 million worldwide.

When asked if he could imagine doing another Bond movie, Craig told London's Time Out magazine: "Now? I'd rather break this glass and slash my

wrists."

His words triggered a flurry of speculation over who might appear next, with Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston and Aidan Turner among the top contenders.

Craig was widely praised for bringing a fresh grittiness to the role of the suave secret agent over four films, starting with Casino Royale in 2006.

A report by RadarOnline earlier this month said Craig had already been offered $150 million by studio Sony to return for two more films.

McDougall told the BBC that Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson both shared his views. "I know they are hoping for him to come back," he said.

Actor Daniel Craig poses during a photo call for the new James Bond 007 film ''Spectre'' in Mexico City, November 1, 2015. (REUTERS/Ginnette Riquelme)

Uganda's underdog community finds spotlight in 'Queen of Katwe' (REUTERS) DISNEY'S "Queen of Katwe" isn't just the true story of Ugandan chess champion Phiona Mutesi overcoming overwhelming odds stacked against her; it's also a rare uplifting tale from the African continent.

"God knows there's an immense paucity of films about anything to do with Africa that is about a specific place or specific street or country or character. It's always a kind of colonial nostalgia that we're presented," director Mira Nair said.

"The story of Phiona specifically was the inspiration. I'm always inspired by people who make something out of nothing," she added.

The slums of Katwe become a character within "Queen of Katwe," out in U.S. movie theaters on Friday, providing the backdrop for Mutesi's humble small world as the child is taught chess by charity worker Robert Katende, who is played by David Oyelowo.

She eventually rises the ranks of the chess world to play on the Ugandan team as a teenager in the 2010 Chess Olympiad in Russia.

"Though they live in a world of struggle, that is not what defines who they are," Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o, who plays Mutesi's mother Harriet, said of the Katwe community.

"You see a lot of personality, color and style. Uganda has a style that would make you gasp, I tell you," she added.

In the film, Mutesi often doubts her abilities, but it is the calm, upbeat and optimistic 'Coach' Katende who keeps guiding her to believe in herself.

Both the real life Mutesi and Katende joined the cast to discuss the film at its Toronto film festival premiere earlier in September. It is based on a book by sportswriter Tim Crothers.

Mutesi said she still cannot believe that her life is on the big screen, but her ambitions will not stop with Hollywood.

"I want to become a lawyer in my academics and I also want to become a Grandmaster in chess. I'm still playing chess, and I also want to become a teacher in chess," she said.

As for the people of Katwe, many of whom were involved in the shoot as extras or assistants to the production team, the film presents new opportunities, Katende said.

"The whole community became so vibrant, and then also looking at the whole story, it's more like creating hope because people in there, they live in a vicious cycle, so right now they say 'no, I think we can break this cycle,'" he said.

Actors Lupita Nyong'o (L), Madina Nalwanga (C) and David Oyelowo pose in the same manner as they appear on the movie poster seen behind him during the Los Angeles premiere of ''Queen of Katwe'' in Hollywood, California September 20, 2016. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok