Kaieteur News

Monday November 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Timehri residents say Govt. must meet with them

By Zena Henry Timehri residents at an emergency meeting yesterday said that the Government must meet with the community to discuss plans for the future of the residents living there.

The residents have rejected claims by Minister of Works Robeson Benn that the Government has been in talks with them and that they are working towards an amicable solution to relocate members of the community to facilitate the airport expansion project.

Chairman of the Timehri (North) Community Development Council (TNCDC), Daniel Fraser said that Minister Benn must meet with the residents since they have a proposal to put forward.

Fraser said that residents are willing to discuss the Inter- American Bank document “Guidelines for resettlement.” According to Fraser in this document it is stated that for massive projects such as the airport expansion there must be an

“Environmental Impact Assessment,” where a specialist comes in and takes note of the impact the project would have on inhabitants of the particular area.

Within this assessment, Fraser said the document noted that if there are persons who would be affected by the project, “squatting or not” there must be an assessment of the inhabitants social life.

In that assessment the Chairman continued, “Persons’ houses must be valued, notice must be placed in the media about the resettlement plan, and officers set up to engage residents for compensation.”

This assessment Fraser noted goes to the livelihood of the residents.

Apart from that, Fraser insisted that if moving is absolutely necessary then the Government must identify and make available an area that will accommodate all of the dislocated residents, while that area must have basic infrastructure. The residents called for an area where a school, a community centre, police station and other basic

services are available.

In addition, Fraser said that the Government should compensate everyone living in the community who has taken time to develop the area.

The Chairman noted that since the commencement of the Timehri community, residents have received no assistance from the Government towards developmental efforts, and thus believes that the affected people must be paid for their homes and their possessions at its current market value.

A second alternative, the residents said is for the Government to give the community proper infrastructure and services such as roads, drains, upgraded water supply, electricity and titles for the lands, so that residents could sell the land to those persons seeking to build hotels around the airport.

The residents said that it was the Housing Minister Irfaan Ali who had made it known that they were in receipt of five applications sent to the Ministry for the construction of hotels around

Residents start to gather as Fraser addresses the meeting the airport.

Fraser later said that residents cannot be referred to as squatters since they were told by the Government via their officials that the area would have been regularized.

According to Fraser, Timehri was not the original place of settlement for some of the residents.

He noted that it was a handful of persons who lived in Timehri while the other persons settled at the Timehri Base Road about two miles away. He argued that those persons were subsequently removed and they came to Timehri North, having been

told that the land at the Base Road was agricultural lands that belonged to the Government. Those same lands, Fraser stressed, are now occupied and persons living there have been regularized. The residents noted that it would be unfair to be treated the same way again.

Fraser said when the Ministry official, Ms. Philomena Sahoye-Shury went to the area she regularized residents of the Kali Road, another community about a quarter mile away and persons living on the Timehri Base Road. He argued that

residents of Timehri North were the last to be tended to and the promise of regularization was made.

The residents said they were told to get the utility poles for electricity, pipelines for water and telephone service. The amenities were put in place, the residents argued, but they are still to be regularized.

The Chairman also argued that Timehri North is in no way hampering the extension of the airport. He said that the residents are not in flight paths and none of the artist’s impressions highlight the (Continued on page 7)

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Kaieteur News

KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

Editorial

Obama or Romney?

Americans go to the polls tomorrow to choose their president for the next four years. Who will it be, Obama or Romney? If foreigners (including Guyanese) could vote Obama would win overwhelmingly, but the enthusiasm level is much lower than four years ago. In the country that counts however, the US, the two candidates are in a dead heat at 47 percent each according to the latest polls.

Because of an idiosyncrasy of the US electoral system, the popular vote is intermediated by ‘electoral votes’ that individual states are allocated. This device was inserted to satisfy fears that the new system of ‘democracy’ introduced would not fall prey to the dangers of demagoguery. This system introduces the possibility that the candidate with the highest number of votes will not necessarily win the election. There are certain states, dubbed ‘swing states” that are crucial in the stretch and in the last week the candidates’ attention have been focused on these states.

Hurricane Sandy interrupted the ‘great push’.

That Romney could have pulled even with Obama might have surprised many Guyanese, but the first debate between the two candidates was a turning point. It demonstrated the power of image over substance in American politics. Before the debate, Obama was a firm favourite and most pundits had written off Romney. But when Obama appeared lackadaisical and uncertain, in contrast to the apparently decisive and firm Romney, the instantaneously generated TV tracking of viewers’ preferences showed a shift towards Romney.

After Romney was declared ‘the winner” the next day, subsequent polls showed Romney inexorably closing the gap. This was so even though the substantive analysis verified that many of his assertions during the debate had no factual basis. Style, not substance, triumphed. This shift was also quite extraordinary in light of the demographic shift that each census in the last half century had confirmed: the US is inevitably headed towards a majority of non-white citizens.

With the Republicans firmly locked into the popular mind as a bastion of white and rich America – somewhat discordantly since it was their party that fought a war to abolish slavery - their success has been dependent on consolidating that base. The traditional trope the Republicans use is to attack the ‘entitlement’ programs such as ‘welfare’ and Medicaid. These were identified with poor African and minority populations, who were accused of ‘sponging’ off working class whites. Ironically there have always been more whites than minorities enjoying the criticised government programs.

Of recent, the low birth rate of the white population coinciding with higher birth rates of minority populations combined with increased immigration (legal and illegal) from non-white countries. An additional trope now became attacks by Republicans on immigration and ‘benefits’ to illegal immigrants. Romney’s Mormon background has also served to alienate him from some of the conservative, white, southern Christian demographic that are suspicious of the unorthodox pretentions of the Mormon Church.

With all of the foregoing factors against Romney, it should be obvious that he has only caught up with Obama because of the latter’s performance. Obama should recapture the 2008 95% of the African American vote even though there has been some trenchant criticism from some quarters.

But the greatest shift away from Obama has been due to the disenchantment of progressive and leftist Democrats and independents, with Obama’s handling of the economy.

Obama’s refusal to take a firm stand against the top 1% of the US population that still garners 20% of the income; 35% of total net worth and 42% of financial (non-home) wealth – has been the largest sticking point. His retention of basically the same team from the financial world has convinced progressives that Obama will not administer the strong medicine necessary to fix the US economy to sop up the 9 million unemployed. Our bet is still on Obama however.

Foreign policy has not figured much in this electionreflecting what third world leaders should have figured out long ago. When it comes to dealing with the outside world, there is not much that separated Republicans from Democrats.

Monday November 05, 2012

Letters... Where your views make the news

Impartiality seems to be selectively applied DEAR EDITOR, I too, as with a few others prior, would like to express my profound chagrin with some of the things I observed about this much vaunted Commission of Inquiry currently in vogue. It became compulsive when I read of the fact that Attorney at Law Mr. Hughes had quit.

This was bound to happen sooner or later, although I am of the humble opinion that it seems more related to the defence failure to seriously implicate the ‘’BIG’’ fish, Mr. Rohee, particularly since the phone records did not reveal his participation/ involvement in the police operations before 18:00 hours on July 18.

‘THEREFORE THE WIND HAD BEEN TAKEN OUT OF THEIR SAILS’, rather than their having to adjust their lines of questioning since this is an inquiry and the cross examination is required to be inquisitorial and not adversarial.

Even for seasoned lawyers in the criminal jurisdiction this can be an onerous undertaking.

Therefore frustration can abound. This frustration can be

and is oft’ times exacerbated by those on the Commission, as I observed with, in particular, the Chairman Mr. Wolfe and Mr. K D Knights.

Why would a Senior Superintendent, who has given, in the opinion of these Commissioners, ‘’satisfactory and /or plausible evidence’’ be commended publicly while another of similar standing, whose evidence was so poor and atrocious and borders on the contemplation of the criminal charge of perjury, not stringently admonished?

This is mind-boggling and leaves the layman to deduce that impartiality is selectively applied.

Maybe we should all purchase a copy of Leonard Levitt’s book “N.Y.P.D ‘Confidential’” and read of the many similar C.O.Is, which were held in the 70’s and 80’s in the United States and inform ourselves about police and civilian witnesses, who, having taken the oath to speak the truth, were found to have ‘’TESTILYED’’ instead of TESTIFYING and of the dire consequences they faced including jail time, resignation and suspension.

But the issue which troubled

me the most was when Mr. Desmond Trotman was admonished by Mr. Wolfe, seemingly for being a Parliamentarian who was indifferent to persons breaking the law.

Mr. Wolfe ought to know by now that there is growing public discontent in many countries of the world and the nature, form and intensity of such public discontent and its concomitant civil disobedience are manifestly evident .

Therefore he should refrain from overtly expressing his opinions during the inquiry. But permit me to retrospectively go back in time,toaperiodinthe1960’s calledBlack Friday [February 16, 1962], when during protest demonstrations, the loss of lives and property resulted, prompting the authorities to establish the now known Wynn Parry Commission of Inquiry.

Regarding the role of the police, this is what the Commission wrote: ‘’With regards to the steps taken by the police, it must be borne in mind that the work of the police, upon occasions of this nature, is ‘extremely difficult’.

They have, when faced with a hostile and menacing crowd, to avoid alike the scylla of vicious retaliation and the charybdyis of seeming timidity, a too hasty step may arouse and exacerbate the latent wrath of a sullen crowd and provoke its members to commit acts of open violence, and yet a period of prolonged inaction may be mistaken for a display of cowardice and encourage wanton breaches of the law.’’

Further it states: ‘’... the crowds, although they were technically breaking the law, by making an entry into the proclaimed area, remained peaceful.

It is very unwise in these circumstances to attempt arrests, very unwise because inevitably it brings about clashes, when you have got thousands of people and a handful of police, such action[arrest] would not be advisable.’’

Mr. Editor, as a nation, as a Police Force, as people with more learning, 50 years later, it seems quite clear that we have not learnt much.

Name withheld

President Ramotar should honour this outstanding obligation Dear Editor, Kindly allow me to respond to the Freddie Kissoon column of Friday October 19, 2012 entitled “Things are Brown but Brown is Coming”.

The second paragraph had some errors that need to be corrected. At no time did the Theatre Guild loan its Playhouse to the Carifesta Secretariat. The use of the

Playhouse was a rental. We are still to receive the said monies due for this rental.

The third paragraph I find amazing in that Freddie Kissoon assumed: That he knows the position of Dr. Paloma Mohamed, who is the current Chairperson of the Theatre Guild, who in her capacity as a Dean at the University of Guyana on the issue of the former Chancellor

Dr. Compton Bourne.

No one, who is associated with the Theatre Guild, has ever been silent on the issue of the Carifesta rental.

It is absurd of Freddie Kissoon to attack Dr. Ian McDonald on this outstanding matter of the rental of the Theatre Guild by the government of Guyana during Carifesta.

It is particular and peculiar that the government has not honoured this

obligation. This default creates a distortion in an otherwise successful achievement of the then President.

I am hopeful that the current President, his Excellency Mr. Donald Ramotar will instruct his competent Minister to honour this outstanding obligation thereby clearing a distortion on the reputation of his predecessor.

Malcolm DeFreitas

Monday November 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Letters... Where your views make the news... Letters... Where your views make the news Policy slippage occurred under Jagdeo’s watch Dear Editor, In May 1999, the IMF s a i d t h a t G u y a n a ’s “economy improved substantially in the period 1991-1997 as r e s u l t o f t h e e c o nomic reforms implemented since 1988”.

The IMF however went on to say that the economic performance slipped as a result of shocks and policy slippage.

Under whose watch did these policy slippages occurred? Dr. Jagan was long dead and gone and Mrs. Jagan was out of the way of Bharat Jagdeo as a “private citizen” when these policy slippages occurred.

There are a few issues that must be highlighted to destroy the myth of the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime that they brought economic prosperity to Guyana namely: The debt write-off that shaved 54% of Guyana’s debt off the books was as a result of hard economic work that started since – 1988.

Who was the President of Guyana in 1988? – Desmond Hoyte. Who was the Minister of Finance – C a r l G r e e n i d g e ? Wo r k

continued until 1997 but the hard initial policy measures and negotiations was done under the Hoyte administration; this is a fact.

This work was continued under the Presidency of Dr Cheddi Jagan and his most able Minister of Finance Dr. Asgar Ally.

By the time Bharat Jagdeo came to office, the heavy lifting was already done but unfortunately he chose to get his propaganda machinery to give him all the credit and not recognizing the hard work of the world class economist like Carl Greenidge, Haslyn Parris, Asgar Ally and Dr. Gobind Ganga (a key advisor to Dr. Cheddi Jagan at the time) and their political leader Desmond Hoyte and Cheddi Jagan, who were collectively the principle thinkers behind the entire strategy.

In the interest of truth, we would like this publication of facts to be highlighted for the records books.

Dr Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh

The drumbeat of ethnically divisive messages

Dear Editor, The dangerous and pulsating drumbeat of racebaiting and divisive rhetoric as often evidenced in the taxpayer funded state newspaper, Guyana Chronicle, only s e r v e s t o l e a d Guyanese down the path to further social, political, geographic and economic division, a division that will spell disaster for this budding nation.

The irresponsible assertions in the Sunday 28 October editorial titled, Despotic opposition leaders again hold nation to ransom,” following the racist charges in the Monday 2 July editorial titled, Opposition rampages to sow disunity in the country” as well as the myriad of false and divisive assertions made by several PPPC Ministers through the m u l t i p le taxpayer funded media channels regarding Agricola and the COI ,collectively, will drive the nation to the dangerous precipice of ethnic conflict.

The divisive assertions seem intended to reinforce fears which motivate the PPPC constituency to ignore massive corruption, extrajudicial killings, growing unemployment, rising crime, p o o r w a t e r, s e w a g e a n d electricity infrastructure as well as the poor quality of

education and healthcare offered to citizens.

The consequence of which is continued political dominance by the PPPC party, no real social or economic change, no big vision of unity and development, pervasive racial discrimination and the restriction of an entire ethnic group from benefiting from the resources, which belong to all the citizens of Guyana.

The PPPC party must know that citizens whose ancestors worked hard to build the nation of G u y a n a , v i l l a g e b y village, will not in perpetuity accept second class citizenship in the land of their birth. The drumbeat of ethnically divisive messages sent to the PPPC constituency is not good for national unity, neither is it the right message for a developing nation, which must depend on the strength and input of every citizen in order to achieve the nation’s development goals.

It appears that the Guyana Chronicle and the other statefunded media outlets have taken the gamble that they will be able to manage the message of racial division in such a way as to ensure a continuation of ethnic voting patterns, but not so much as to push the nation over the edge of ethnic conflict leading to violence and worst yet, partitioning.

The problem with this

scenario is that once the message of ethnic division reaches a fever pitch, once enough citizens are infected with the propaganda used to revive old stereotypes and fears, then it becomes difficult to apply the brake, resulting in only some small spark to set the nation ablaze. Guyana is too small a nation, too ethnically diverse a nation, too ethnically interdependent a nation, and too armed a nation to survive an all-out descent into national ethnic violence.

The lessons of history are clear and we have only to look at the suffering and despair caused by the partitioning of India on 14 August, 1947; which saw the birth of the new Islamic Republic of Pakistan, to understand the ultimate consequence of a divided society. It was a painful division, which resulted in the displacement of 15 million people and the deaths of more than 1 million Indian citizens.

It was the culmination of discrimination, suspicion, fears, stereotypes and religious division, pushed upon a population that once lived in peace with neighbours of all religions. It is a brutal lesson of history from which our great nation of Guyana must learn and more importantly when the fever of partition began, even the great leader Mahatma

Ghandi was powerless to stop it. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

Citizens of Guyana must not allow those who benefit most from racial division to set us one against the other.

Our fortunes are tied to each other and we must continue to reach out across the ethnic divide to understand each other, to support each other, and to live in peace with each other. Citizens must reject the politics of race and must be suspicious of any attempt to vilify and label one ethnic group as violent and aggressive and label another as innocent victims.

We are all citizens and we are all human, and as such, each and every one of us is capable of violence, anger, love, hate, war and peace. If Guyana is to develop into the great nation, we yearn for her to be, if we are to leave a better nation for our children, if we are to seek a future of peace, then we must embrace the politics of unity and hope and change, and we must insist that the taxpayerfunded media channels for which all citizens pay, end the divisive messaging and represent the interests of all Guyanese.

Karen Abrams

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Kaieteur News

Monday November 05, 2012

Letters... Where your views make the news... Letters... Where your views make the news

Opposition Councillors are also to be blamed for substandard works

Dear Editor, Please grant space to ventilate some political issues in our country.

It is our culture that if you belong to a particular political party then your party members are infallible and it is conventional that you do not speak out against their wrongdoings until the point that you want to leave that party.

We desperately need to

change that type of practice if we really love our party.

The great Mahatma Gandhi put this succinctly when he said, “Be the change you want to see in this world.” So why not be the change you want to see in your party, instead of quitting? We must not be fettered and be afraid to speak the truth and as Gandhi again said, “Even if

you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth” and one of the seven deadly sins is, “Politics without principle”.

On November 1, 2012, it was alleged at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) meeting that an AFC Councillor in the Works Committee tried to solicit bribe from a Contractor in Blackbush Polder for passing sub-standard

work. This Councillor never brought this to the attention of the RDC at any time that this contractor or any contractor was involved in doing sub-standard work.

He signed and certified all the works that he visited.

The said contractor gave a written statement which was read at the meeting. We always blame the government for sub-

standard work but the question is, how can we really blame the government when opposition Councillors are certifying work that they know are sub-standard?

Now this Councillor is claiming that he is being framed because that contractor is guilty of substandard work, which he certified as being correct according to the stipulations in the contract.

This AFC Councillor claimed that the Vice-Chairman, who is the h e a d o f t h e Wo r k s Committee, instructed him to accept the work even if it is 80% correct!

In other words, this Councillor is willing to rob taxpayers 20% of the monies that they have contributed to the economic and social development of our country.

This is unacceptable f r o m a n y C o u n c i l l o r, especially one from the opposition party. Every day we are hearing about the poor quality of work executed by contractors but all these works were also certified by opposition Councillors! Are they not culpable?

I want to draw to the attention of all Councillors that when we were sworn in we took an Oath which says that we will do our jobs w i t h o u t ‘ f e a r, f a v o u r, affection or ill-will according to the best of my judgement and ability’; so at no time should councillors compromise their functions. I stood up and among other things said that this Councillor

should do the honourable thing and resign. If he is willing to accept a standard of 80%, then he is not fit to function in the capacity of a Councillor! By his own admission he is guilty of a breach in his duty to the people of this country.

On Saturday ,November 3, on DTV 8 a known AFC member took offence to what I had said at the RDC meeting and questioned my loyalty to the AFC and suggested that I was in the process of ‘crossing the floor’ and that I should have defended the AFC Councillor. I will never condone wrongdoings, be it on the government side or on the opposition side.

This member, who is an attorney by profession, also questioned my legal knowledge and that I had passed judgement on the Councillor without a trial.

If I could recall this is the modus operandi of the opposition but this presumption of innocence does not have any effect when the said Councillor admitted that he was accepting 80% substandard work.

In conclusion it gives me great satisfaction to know that I am not alone as Gandhi once said; “I should love to satisfy all, if I possibly can; but in trying to satisfy all, I may be able to satisfy none. I have therefore, arrived at the conclusion that the best course is to satisfy my conscience and leave the world to form its own judgement, favourable or otherwise.”

Haseef Yusuf

Park patrols are most welcomed Dear Editor, I believe I speak for many other park goers when I say kudos to the Ministry of Natural Resources on the launch of the “Safe Parks Initiative.”

THe park has been somewhat dangerous in recent times, with a few

bicycle bandits prowling around. The presence of members of the police force should serve as a major deterrent.

This is most welcomed and long overdue, we hope it is maintained. Next activity: Fixing street lights in the park.

Monty Chester

Monday November 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Reconstruction of One Mile Primary to cost $100M - Expected to conclude by September 2013

Reconstruction of One Mile Primary School ongoing Reconstruction of the gutted One Mile Primary School with additional features is anticipated to conclude by September 2013.

The reconstruction is estimated at $100M. This project is being realized through self-help by Linden residents and contributions by organizations and individuals.

Murray Butters, Chairman of the Self-help Committee established to oversee the rebuilding of the learning institution is optimistic that the project could conclude before September but contributions from the public are needed.

The school was torched by arsonists in August, while residents in Linden were protesting the intended increase in electricity tariffs for the district.

Protesters had denied their involvement since education is a priority in the Region. As such, they vowed to rebuild the school through self-help and donations.

According to Butters, organizations and individuals locally and internationally have been contributing to the effort.

Reconstruction started about three weeks ago with concrete works being executed on the foundation and ground floor.

Mr. Butters disclosed that the building will be a twostorey structure and larger than the original school. The structure will comprise new features including an Information Technology laboratory and staff room.

Butters related that during a visit to the Region, Education Minister Priya Manickchand was informed of some areas in which Government could help, but the Minister did not make any commitments. However, any contribution from Government even if it includes furnishing the classrooms would be appreciated, he added.

Meanwhile, One Mile students are attending

classes at three schools and one community centre in the district. According to Region Ten Chairman, Sharma Solomon, placement of the students at other learning institutions has not interrupted teaching and learning.

In fact, thanks to the Regional Education Department, the transition was smooth with the provision of furniture, textbooks and minor adjustments to infrastructure.

For instance, at Wismar Hill Primary School where One Mile Primary’s Grades Four, Five and Six are located, the infrastructure was upgraded and additional water supply installed, Solomon said.

He is confident that students’ performances have not decreased with the relocation. He noted that following assessments conducted it was concluded that students are adequately equipped to sit the upcoming National Grade Six Assessment.

(From page 3) hindrance residents pose.

Fraser later said that Cheddi Jagan International Airport Chief Executive Officer, Ramesh Geer had contacted him last month asking that a delegation from the community meet with Housing Ministry officials and Ministry of Works personnel.

Fraser said arrangements for that meeting were cut short when he was met with hostility when he asked about the Government

officials that would be present. Fraser said he was met with further disrespect when he said that attorneyat-law Nigel Hughes would be present representing the community.

Hughes, according to the chairman will be representing the interest of the community.

Fraser said he was contacted again last Thursday by Geer for another meeting and the community was asked to have no legal representative present, likewise no political affiliates

from the Government would make an appearance, since according to Fraser, Geer called the get-together, “a preliminary meeting.”

The community Fraser said is still awaiting a date for that meeting.

Timehri residents say...

A mini health check is the first step to donating blood

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Kaieteur News

GuyWid remembers elderly women at Good Samaritan Home

GuyWid members pose with senior citizens of the Good Samaritan Home The Guyanese Women in Development (GuyWid), as part of wrapping- up activities for Month of the Elderly (October) recently visited the senior citizens of the Good Samaritan Home (GSH) in Stanleytown, New Amsterdam.

GuyWid is registered on the Friendly Societies’ Act of July 2002. It was formed by a group of women who challenge themselves to empower other women to contribute meaningfully to the development of their

communities.

According to the President of GuyWid, Mrs. Phulmanie De Nobrega, the mission of the group is to “create an environment of care and confidence, to empower women to take up leadership roles; and to share their talents with others. We do this through community services providing information, skill training and raising awareness”.

De Nobrega added that the initiative at the GSH was fueled by the fact that

October was also Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“We are here to share with these elderly women and to show our appreciation for their contributions to society during their lives”.

The group is also planning a set of activities for Domestic Violence Month which is being celebrated this month.

The GSH is managed by the local Catholic Church in New Amsterdam and the home has 12 residents, all elderly women.

Monday November 05, 2012

Police uniforms, bullet-proof vests, ammo, gun and masks found in abandoned suitcase Residents of First Dam, Garden of Eden, received a disturbing surprise at around 06:00 hrs yesterday, when they found a large arms cache on the roadside in the East Bank Demerara farming community.

Police revealed that the ammunition, amounting to 1, 407 rounds of various calibers, and a loaded .38 Taurus Special Revolver, were stashed in two suitcases and a travelling bag.

The ammunition included .38, 7.62x39, .45, .44, .40, 9mm, .25 and .380 rounds; and 12 gauge cartridges.

Two bullet proof vests, two pairs of black leather boots, three face masks, and a quantity of clothing in two black suitcases and a travelling bag were also in the suitcase.

Police officials confirmed that some of the clothing and the leather boots, appeared to be similar to clothing worn by members of the Guyana Police Force.

Police said that they are still trying to trace the owners of the cache and ascertain why it was abandoned.

Some sources speculated that the individuals may have been disturbed by a police patrol and were forced to abandon the cache.

Residents told Kaieteur News that they spotted the suitcases while walking in the area at around 06:00 hrs. Some claimed that the firearm and some of the ammunition were outside of the suitcases.

Residents also claimed that they heard strange vehicles passing through the street on Saturday night but saw nothing unusual.

It was just last month that police at the Guyana/Brazil border location of Lethem unearthed a large cache of arms and ammunition in a yard at Tabatingan. That cache comprised four automatic rifles, along with four magazines and 389 rounds 7.62×39 calibre ammunition; six M-16 rifles along with two

magazines and 74 matching rounds; two Shrapnel hand grenades; one Icon VHF radio set; one Icon hand-held radio set; and a roll of camouflage material.

A teenage lad was subsequently charged in connection with the arms find, and police also issued wanted bulletins for businessman Ricardo Ignatius Rodrigues, called “Fatman” and Clive Lloyd King, called “Bora.”

Rodrigues was released after turning himself in. Just a few days later, Rodrigues, a well known associate of convicted drug dealer Shaheed ‘Roger’ Khan, was riddled with bullets as he sat at a table at the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club compound.

Fifteen days later, Rodrigues’ close associate, Marlon Osborne aka Marlon Scott and ‘Trini’, was gunned down in almost similar fashion near the junction of Peter Rose and Laluni Streets, Queenstown.

NOC curriculum assessment report handed over The Curriculum Assessment Report of the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) was officially handed over to Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony on Friday, at the institution in Anna Regina, Region Two. A GINA release said that the curriculum that was done in 2010, with the support of UNICEF, was tested and under which, the first batch of students graduated. This curriculum was assessed by Jamaican volunteer, Dr. Rohan Williams in July and found some shortcomings due to the environment from which the students would have come.

Speaking at the handing over of the report to Minister Anthony, Dr. Williams pointed to his findings. “The curriculum seemed male centric because the programmes offered tend to attract more males than females. Females need soft skills like cosmetology,” he said.

As a result, catering and home management will be immediately introduced at the NOC through the support of Eerepami, a charitable, nonprofit foundation whose work encompasses supporting remote area development, biodiversity conservation, as well as the exchange of science, culture and education between Germany and Guyana. Agriculture theory will also be added to the curriculum, as the

Jamaican Professor Mr. Rohan Williams addressing the gathering at the NOC in Region 2 students are already involved in the practical aspect, as well as more training programmes to address life skills.

The NOC is an institution that provides for youths and children between the ages of 10 and 18, to develop both educationally and socially, thereby empowering them to function as well rounded individuals and contribute to national development.

Minister Anthony said that he is very grateful for the work that is being done at the institution, noting that the children are given a second chance to correct their mistakes and educate themselves.

He added that the NOC is considered a special institution because some of the students at the institution

would have passed through the court system.

There have also been remedial programmes designed because some of the students have literacy and numeracy issues and these have proven very successful. One of the things that was emphasised in the curriculum is there must be understanding of the individuals whom the teachers are serving because these are special children with special needs.

There are several courses which the students are exposed to at the NOC including joinery, masonry, carpentry, welding, handicraft and construction.

The institution has a modern computer laboratory as well.

Monday November 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Rank and rancorous politics Politics is not a gentleman’s game in Guyana.

Good sportsmanship is for sport not for politics, and especially not for politicians in Guyana.

There is political division in Guyana. But all divisions are capable of being overcome even those that are rooted in our history.

However, when these divisions are characterized by viciousness, hatred, vengefulness and ill-will, it makes the task of political reconciliation all the more difficult, if not impossible.

Especially in Guyana, too many of our politicians are interested in getting at their counterparts on the other side, humiliating them, ridiculing them and holding them up to public shame and contempt.

There seems to be a woeful shortage of civility in our politics and we have to ask why.

Too many of our politicians are not interested in winning an argument through persuasion. They want to ram down their positions down the throats of others. They are often unreasonable in their demands, knowing fully well that unreasonableness will yield either conflict or gridlock.

There have been however instances in which our politicians have been able to reach some agreement but

these are far and in between and are often lost in the constant stream of differences between our leaders.

Sometimes one has to ask whether change is what some of our politicians are after or whether it is simply to get at their opposite numbers.

Is the objective a change in the political culture of the country or is the objective solely to assume power.

If, for example, all sides are interested in reforming the Guyana Police Force, how does simply changing the Minister of Home Affairs achieve this?

How change is going to be achieved, by going after individuals rather than trying to advance an agenda of change.

The government always speaks about an inclusive Budget. But it always reduces consultations to a cosmetic exercise. Its consultations are limited to certain stakeholders and there is often insufficient time to be able to adequately consult as one should. And when the Budget comes out those who were consulted complain that much of what they wanted is not reflected in the Budget.

The mood at present is not ideal for consultation on the Budget. The political opposition and the government are at loggerheads. A more civil tone from all sides would aid in

Dem Boys Seh

Please Uncle Donald, duh something Uncle Donald, all over de world people does jail all dem who thief, whether dem is big ones or ordinary people. Under Jagdeo in Guyana only people who thief banana and cherry get jail. But nuff big ones been thiefing and everybody know, Uncle Donald.

In Brazil de people decide that dem gun prosecute all of dem who thief. De President didn’t intervene even once and nuff get jail. De whole country praising de judge.

If was in Guyana, Uncle Donald, de judge woulda get jail.

Uncle Donald, de messenger does get jail too because all de big ones does blame dem fuh seeing too much. Ask Babby.

Dem boys been talking bout corruption all de time and nutten ain’t happening. Some of you own people, Uncle Donald, still thiefing and getting ketch but dem smiling and walking away. Some of dem does tell people how dem done got Uncle Donald in dem pocket like how dem had Jagdeo by he shorts.

Brazil is a big country wid more money than Guyana can ever get and people tekking kickback and some actually thiefing. Well dem have a judge who jailing al of dem fuh a long time. Even if dem hide de money, by de time dem come out of jail dem too old to spend it.

Dem boys begging you, Uncle Donald, tek a stand and dem ain’t mean de other stand. Dem pleading wid you, every day hundreds of phone call does go to de Waterfalls paper reporting corruption and thiefing. Dem does name people and dem seh dem does send de name to you and you nah do nutten. Please do something. Dem boys ready fuh guh down pun dem knees fuh de nation, dem a beg yuh.

If you want evidence, ask de revenue boss. He does ketch nuff a dem. De only thing he can do is fuh mek dem pay.

Uncle Donald, dem boys want yuh know that dem not only thiefing, dem refusing fuh pay tax pun de money. Check Babby and A kneel. Talk half and do something Uncle Donald.

improving relations but because our political culture is so tempestuous this is going to be hard to achieve.

The Guyanese people have to expect that there will be constant quarrels amongst our politicians. This is not good for the younger generation. And it is one of the main reasons why so many of our best and brightest young people are not active in politics. Many of them simply do not have the time or constitution for this highly charged and confrontational style of politics in which reason is sacrificed for narrow political ends and in which intractability is the norm.

When our brightest and best young people look and see how our politicians behave, when they witness the venom, when they hear the caustic language, see the vested interests that some politicians represent, they are not keen to be part of that process.

Politicians are by definition persons who are into the business of competing for political power.

But that competition should not mean that you cannot be civil to your opponent.

Despite the political differences between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, these guys have been extremely civil to each other

during their campaign. And when the results are declared, they will set aside their differences and work for the betterment of the country. The United States is not going to shut down for two weeks because of the aftershocks of elections. Yet this happens after every election in our tiny and internationally obscure country.

They may not have been like that to other leaders in the world but at home, they set a good example that will encourage young Americans to become more involved in politics. The first step in reshaping our politics and of promoting change for the better has to involve greater

civility in politics. If we continue to lampoon our leaders, to put them up to ridicule, to go after political scalps, then we are not promoting change for the better. We are instead institutionalizing a political culture of viciousness, hatred and hostility that will end up creating a self- perpetuating cycle of frustration, animosity and bitterness.

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Kaieteur News

Monday November 05, 2012

Parika Market vendors, police in stand-off

By Rehanna Ramsay Market vendors from Parika yesterday engaged in a standoff with armed policemen as they staged yet another protest to condemn the actions of Market officials to have them removed from the roadsides.

The escalated confrontation was between the vendors, representatives from people’s parliament, Lincoln Lewis of the General Worker Union, newspaper columnist Freddie Kissoon, Ode Best of the Vendor’s Union, and Market Committee Member Lyndon Fowler, who later called in a team of armed policemen.

However the conflict subsided after the two opposing sides decided to meet today at the Regional Democratic Council’s (RDC) office with a hope of having the issue sorted out.

“We are hoping to accomplish a solution that will work for both the vendors and the Council because at the end of the day people have to live and in so doing they must be allowed to ply their trade in a reasonable manner.”

Leonard Craig of the

- opposing sides to meet today People’s Parliament said.

Lincoln Lewis noted that while vending on the roadside has become illegal the method used by the administration to notify the people is morally incorrect since this has been the culture as it relates to vending in the local society for decades now.

He also pointed out that no requisite ground work has been conducted to find a proper alternative solution to the problem.

Meanwhile, columnist Freddie Kissoon commended the police for their actions during the early morning confrontation.

“We like to laud the police for professionalism. When we came, th e r e w a s a busload of policemen, some who were unarmed.

T h ey were taking instructions from Mr. Fowler who is not in position to give such orders.”

“We made independent inquires and later found out from Fowler’s superiors that they didn’t want a standoff and are prepared to review the issue but Mr. Fowler in our presence was telling the

police to cart off the people’s things and have them arrested. It was after we insisted that Fowler produce some sort of authorization that the police acted in wisdom and agreed, otherwise they would have been arrests and people’s stuff carted off.”

In his remarks Ode Best of the Vendors Union said that as a representative of the people it is only fair that governing bodies take into consideration persons who are involved in entrepreneurship at the lowest level.

“We refuse to subscribe to a western culture that talks about only big supermarkets that only certain people can own and control.”

Approximately 60 vendors on Friday last, held a protest in the vicinity of Fowler’s residence after he reportedly ordered the demolition of several roadside stalls and the burning of pallets.

On that occasion, Fowler allegedly promised the workers that “Sunday will be worse.”

Vendors in picketing line

As promised armed police ranks turned up to bring the picketing exercise to a halt.

According to the vendors, it is not unusual for Fowler to instruct the police to bully them off the streets.

“We ain got no problem moving into the market, but the market it aint got proper toilet facility and it can only hold seventy stalls and is more than three hundred awe

does come and sell. The flooding is another thing. Just now when the Christmas rain come nobody nah go want come in the market fu buy cause it a flood.”

However, speaking with Kaieteur News, Fowler said that the issues of flooding and sanitation would be addressed when the people comply with the regulation of ceasing to vend on the streets. Fowler says that

plans are being streamlined for the development of the market.

“But we want to get people inside so we can know exactly where to start and what we can do.”

“They are saying that market is inadequate to them, these issues cannot be solved overnight it will be addressed in time, we will have to hold discussions to decide on the way forward.”

Monday November 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Region Two schools receive copies of Guyana Classics Students of Aurora Secondary School

Three secondary schools on the Essequibo coast, Region Two were presented copies of Guyana Classics by Minister of Culture Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony on Friday.

A GINA release said that Abram Zuil, Aurora and Johanna Cecilia Secondary schools in Region Two were presented with 28 copies each at the Abram Zuil Secondary school auditorium.

The release said that Minister Anthony stressed the importance of documenting Guyanese history, especially by Guyanese writers. He added that the first book that was written about Guyana was “Discoverie of Guiana” by Sir Walter Raleigh.

Minister Anthony also

highlighted that the nine Indigenous dialects of the Amerindians are becoming extinct.

These languages are taken for granted, their importance in Guyanese heritage is not noted. Minister Anthony said that the Ministry has taken steps to document these languages, allowing for their preservation.

Headmaster of Abram Zuil Secondary Mr. Roopcharan Persaud thanked Minister Anthony for the books and promised to ensure students utilise them fully so that Guyana’s heritage will not fade away.

The Guyana Classics collection comprises 36 books. The books that were presented to the schools were

“Selected Poems Poesias Escogidas” by Martin Carter, “The Chinese in British Guiana” by Cecil Clementi”, “Guyanese Poetry” by Egbert Martin, T.R.F Elliot and Walter Lawrence and “Short Stories” by Cyril Dabydeen Professor David Dabydeen is the honorary editor of the Caribbean Press, which was formed in 2009 by the Guyana Government to reprint out of print and rare books on Guyana and to circulate modern-day writings by Guyanese and Caribbean writers.

The Ministry of Culture has been presenting these books to secondary schools to ensure students are au fait with their country’s history.

Crime threatening economies and livelihoods in Caribbean countries -Report An increasing crime rate is threatening economies and livelihoods in Caribbean countries, states a new United Nations report that calls for the right mix of policies and programmes to tackle the problem.

The Caribbean Human Development Report 2012, prepared by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), says that with the exception of Barbados and Suriname, homicide rates – including gang-related killings – have increased substantially in the last 12 years across the Caribbean, while they have been falling or stabilizing in other parts of the world.

Latin America and the Caribbean are home to 8.5 per cent of the world population, yet the region accounts for some 27 per c e n t o f t h e w o r l d ’s homicides, according to the report.

The report – the first UN Human Development Report focusing on the Caribbean – is the result of extensive consultations with 450 experts, practitioners and leaders and reflect a large-scale survey with 11,555 citizens

in the seven assessed countries in region: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Only El Salvador and Honduras have higher rates, with 66 and 82.1 murders respectively per 100,000 people, the report notes, citing figures from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). “ Vi o l e n c e limits people’s choices, threatens their physical integrity, and disrupts their daily lives,” said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark at the report’s launch.

“This report stresses the need to rethink our approaches to tackling crime and violence and providing security on the ground,” said Miss Clark. “ We n e e d t o f o l l o w approaches that are centred on citizen security and address the causes of this recent increase in violent crime, including social, economic, and political exclusion.”

Although murder rates are exceedingly high by global standards, Caribbean nations can

reverse the trend, states the report, which calls for governments to beef up public institutions to tackle crime and violence while boosting preventive measures.

Among its recommendations, the report calls on Caribbean governments to implement youth crime prevention through education, as well as provide job opportunities that target the marginalized urban poor.

Because crime harms social cohesion, Caribbean nations must better address youth violence and street gangs, whose crimes are rarely prosecuted, the report adds.

As for the impact on the region’s economies, estimates by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) show that the cost of gang-related crime is between 2.8 per cent and 4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the region through both the cost of policing and as a result of lost income from youth incarceration and reduced tourism.

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Monday November 05, 2012

The battle against malaria Everyone is aware of the annoyance mosquitoes create however, what is important is the drastic change in a person’s health a simple mosquito bite can cause.

Guyana is well known for its vast forests where many males engage in mining and logging, and while these activities contribute to the well-being of many Guyanese and development of the economy, malaria poses a challenge.

Over the years malaria has become a major public health problem in many countries, and in Guyana, Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9 are the areas where the disease is prevalent.

In the 1940s and 1950s more than one-third of the Guyanese patients in hospitals and almost 20

percent of all deaths were due to malaria. The renowned malaria scientist, George Giglioli, used DDT to stop malaria on the coast of Guyana, where almost 90 percent of the population lives, and as a result of that intervention, now, over 60 years later, malaria has not returned to the coast.

The average number of malaria cases in Guyana annually between 1991 and 1998 was approximately 48,805, and in response to that government’s efforts in 1999 and 2000 were directed at reducing the numbers.

Malaria types Malaria is a disease caused by the presence of very small parasites in the blood. It is spread by the

‘anopheles’ mosquito however, the disease is both preventable and treatable.

There are three different types of malaria in Guyana: plasmodium falciparum, plasmodium vivax, and plasmodium malariae. Over 50 percent of the malaria cases in Guyana are of the most serious form – plasmodium falciparum. There are also cases of persons having a ‘mixed malaria infection’, a combination of the three types.

Symptoms/ treatment Malaria symptoms occur at least seven to nine days after being bitten by an infected mosquito and include symptoms such as fever, chills, sweats, headache, body aches,

nausea and vomiting and fatigue. Malaria may also cause anemia and jaundice.

Importantly, the plasmodium falciparum infection if not promptly treated, may cause kidney failure, coma and even death.

This disease can recur after treatment for three reasons, and is as a result of when parasites are not cleared by treatment, where reinfection indicates complete clearance with new infection established from a separate infective mosquito bite; however both can occur with any malaria parasite species.

With regards to available treatment, the Health Ministry is working towards removing substandard malaria drugs from the market, principally in

A Region Nine resident receives a chemicallytreated bed net from President Donald Ramotar hinterland areas. The Ministry recognises there is a need for malaria treatment in the hinterland, and that there is a certain degree of ignorance and people sometimes are fooled by buying unauthorised drugs.

Drugs such as Quartem are authorised and certified by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and Guyana has an abundance of such drugs, hence persons are advised against purchasing inferior drugs.

It is important to note that malaria is preventable through the use of medications, mosquito eradication and the prevention of bites.

Globally, while many countries have eradicated malaria, they are seeing an increasing number of imported malaria cases owing to extensive travel and migration.

Social responsibility Citizens’ activities also play a role in preventing the spread of malaria, and in this regard, community participation and health education strategies promoting awareness of malaria and the importance of control measures have been successfully used to reduce the incidence of malaria in some areas of the developing world.

Since Guyana signed onto the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), overall records indicate steady progress towards this sixth MDG of combating HIV/ AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Reports show positive news for malaria control, with prevalence rates confirming that the country has succeeded in meeting the target of reducing the incidence of the disease.

Decline in malaria cases The prevalence of malaria has decreased from 5,084 per 100,000 persons in 2005 to 1,541 per 100,000 persons in 2008. This improvement can be attributed to successes in prevention efforts, as well as in the detection and treatment of contracted cases. The priorities include improving compliance with treatment, and overcoming the logistical difficulties associated with detection, treatment and monitoring of interventions.

I n s e c t i c i d e -

Treated Mosquito Nets (ITNs) and Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) have been shown to be highly effective vector control interventions in preventing malaria morbidity and mortality among children in malaria-endemic settings.

In 2010, the Ministry of Health introduced a new alternative, the BTI bacteria to reduce the mosquito population. The BTI bacteria – Bacillus Thuningiensis Irsaelensis, is able to kill 72 species of mosquito larvae, when released into mosquito breeding areas. The initiative not only focuses on the malaria mosquito, but on all vector borne diseases.

The Ministry obtained the services of a vector control specialist from the University of Peru to carry out the project with support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and is managed the Canadian Centre for Minerals and Energy Technology (CANMET).

This new method is fairly cheap and easy to use by communities, and thus far, has been tested in Bushlot, Region 5 and Micobie, Region 8 with positive responses from the communities.

The ministry has been continuously encouraging citizens to appropriately discard tyres, unwanted containers, and to keep their surroundings clean; in an effort to reduce the mosquito population.

Capacity building Recently the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) held a training programme for 25 medical technicians in malaria microscopy, and is seen as a major investment in strengthening its response to diagnosis and treatment of malaria in Guyana.

This training comes in response to the need for an early diagnosis and early treatment of malaria.

Training technicians as microscopists would enable the jump-starting of a new and efficient system of diagnosing and treating persons at the GPHC Emergency Room and other health facilities in the regions. (a GINA feature)

Monday November 05, 2012

What do the terms “criminal lawyer” and “foolish virgin” have in common? There are people who will say that they are both tautological and repetitious. Tautological comes from “tautology” – the combination of the Greek words “tauto” meaning “the same” and “logos” for “words”. It is like saying “Déjà vu all over again.”

My “first introduction” to tautology came when my father reversed the car. Since then I have met many more, not the least of which are criminal lawyers. We’ll deal with the virgins later when we complete the course of words verging on the absurd.

Wikipedia lists several, one of which is “added bonus”. The author of the article rightly points out that “bonus” means “extra” so that an extra bonus is an “added added extra”. This Christmas, stores are offering a lot of goodies at the “cheapest price” and the new cars on the market are capable of “faster speeds”.

We already had “first introduced” which is really not a “new innovation”.

Recently, in doing some work in the civil service (which, like “civil lawyer” is believed to be an oxymoron and the opposite of a tautology) I met

Kaieteur News

the term “forward planning”.

Planning is always done in advance so if you “plan ahead” it should mean that you are an American intending to construct a lavatory.

If there is nothing like a free lunch there is also nothing like a “free gift” since a gift is supposed to be free.

By now many of you might be asking what is the intended purpose of this article? Since “purpose” is an “intended result” then “intended purpose” is, in this case, intended but the article is not solely about tautology and I don’t mean to “over exaggerate”. This leads us into virgin territory and I absolutely don’t mean any planes, balloons or property owned by Richard Branson.

While foolish virgins hide their light beneath a bushel there is one who is smarter than that and is spreading her light and subsequently certain parts of her anatomy for money. Recently a Brazilian student sparked an outrage after selling her virginity online for $780,000 to raise money for poor families.

Catarina Migliorini, a 20year-old physical education student, sold her virginity to a Japanese man called Natsu who topped the fifteen bids

that she received for her virginity.

Britain’s Independent newspaper revealed that the victorious bidder from Japan, who seems to have a yen or two for virgins, managed to win despite competition from an Indian big-spender Rudra Chatterjee, who seems to like making whoopee as much as rupee. Catarina’s decision to make the money the hard way was not universally supported. Many people accused her of prostituting herself. Her response was, “I saw this as a business. I have the opportunity to travel, to be part of a movie and get a bonus with it. If you only do it once in your life then you are not a prostitute, just like if you take one amazing photograph it does not automatically make you a photographer. The auction is just business, I’m a romantic girl at heart and believe in love. But this will make a big difference to my area.”

While not specifying exactly what area will be affected, Catarina’s big event will be made into a documentary called “Virgins Wanted.” Catarina will apparently be “delivered” to her buyer on board a plane (not Virgin Airlines) between Australia and the United States.

The Independent commissioned a survey to see what their readers thought about paying for sex and prostitution in general. The majority of the 1,200 people who responded thought prostitution should be legal (73 per cent).

Only 25 per cent thought being a prostitute was morally wrong, but a greater number thought visiting a prostitute was wrong (37 per cent). 17 per cent of readers had visited a prostitute, but a whopping 57 per cent would lie about it to their partner if they had.

42 per cent of people said they would think badly of a partner who had visited a prostitute, while only 37 per cent said they thought it was immoral in general. As for auctioning your virginity to make money for charity, most people didn’t think it was wrong, but the majority did consider it prostitution. Over one in five people would also be more inclined to pay for sex if it was for charity.

There are two interesting footnotes to Catarina’s story.

The first is that Romanian student, Alina Percea, who also advertised the sale of her virginity on the internet, asked for £50,000 for school expenses but only got £8,800 (around $13,500 U.S. dollars).

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The winner was an Italian business man, 45, who flew from Percea to Venice and met her in the airport with a box of chocolates.

After going sightseeing, the two retired to a five star hotel where they exchanged medical certificates, one affirming that Percea was a virgin and the other verifying that he was STD free. After a night of unprotected sex, Percea took the morning after pill during breakfast. “I was attracted to him, so I enjoyed it,” Percea later told the press, “even though it was quite painful.”

A newspaper headline for Alina’s story was “Romanian woman sells virginity for the price of a used Honda.” The second is that men should expect a lower price for their virginity. Alex Stepanov, a 21year-old Australian student appearing in the same TV show as Catarina, got $3000 for his from a Brazilian woman called Nene B. This might buy a used Honda but it will be a bike instead of a car. *Tony Deyal was last seen saying that the bed in the airplane where Catarina’s big night takes place can be called a “virgin berth”.

Suspect held in shooting death of labourer Police have detained a suspect in the November shooting death of 49-year-old Herman La Cruz in the Aranka backdam.

According to reports, La Cruz, a labourer, was consuming alcohol at a shop in Aranka when he got involved in an argument with a man. The other man allegedly drew a gun and shot La Cruz to his chest. Meanwhile, there has been no arrest to date in relation to the murder of 34 year-old Royston Moore who was found at White Creek, Matthew’s Ridge, North West District with gunshot wounds.

Moore’s body was found on Monday last.

A post mortem, conducted by Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh, revealed that Moore died as a result of hemorrhage and shock due to multiple gunshot wounds.

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Monday November 05, 2012

New Carifesta logo and website unveiled Fate of CLICO Barbados

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - CMC - Carifesta 11, slated for August 16 to 26 2013 in Suriname, is rapidly starting to take shape with promises for high standards.

The colourful design of the new logo was presented along with the website at a function in The Hague on Saturday.

“This is the premier culture and arts festival of the Caribbean and what we’re planning here is an event that will put Suriname, CARICOM and Unasur on the worldmap.

That is why we’re striving for the highest possible quality in whatever we put out. We cannot afford to issue the slightest element that is not up to par,” said Management Team Chairman Ivan Graanoogst.

The new logo, a design that brings together images of the region’s first inhabitants, Suriname’s Aprinti drum and the colours of the Caribbean intertwined with those of the Union of South American States (Unasur), was produced by veteran designer Henna Brunings.

The website, which blends pictures of Suriname with information of Carifesta and promises of what to expect in August 2013, was produced by Karel Donk.

Carifesta 11 brings the region’s roving festival back to Suriname for the second time, under the theme “Culture for Development”.

The event was first held in 1972 in Georgetown, Guyana, and has since been held 10 times, each time

turning a different nation into the region’s heartbeat.

Suriname first hosted it in 2003. This time around the festival will be centered in the wooden inner city of Paramaribo.

Graanoogst said the Interim Festival Directorate (IFD), the regional advisory body to CARICOM, has already approved much of the plans. “They’re very adamant that certain quality standards are met and we’re adamant that the people from the Caribbean know that we’re following those guidelines.

Participating countries are expected to bring their best of the best; and they should know that they’re not coming on holiday, but to represent they’re countries. That way, when people visit Carifesta 11, they can expect a professional staging of the region’s most important cultural festival,”

Graanoogst said.

Graanoogst who is in the Netherlands to officiate the installation of Carifesta Netherlands Boards, said the support from the Surinamers here is crucial. “Half of our people live here in The Netherlands. You’re at quite a distance from home yes, but distance is not a restriction anymore for people to be involved and render support,” he said.

The Carifesta chairman assured them that the event’s hosting is free from political influence. “In Suriname we have quite some experience from people who have been involved in previous Carifesta, albeit from various political backgrounds. But this is one matter in which politics has no bearing.

Everybody has the same goal: to make it a resounding success,” he said.

still up in the air

David Holukoff Barbados Nation – With the fate of CLICO Barbados still up in the air, there’s word of a possible lasting settlement for the 14 774 local policyholders and investors in its sister company British American Insurance Company Limited (BAICO).

In a SUNDAY SUN exclusive interview yesterday, BAICO’s judicial manager David Holukoff

revealed key aspects of the plan, dated October 15, which has been detailed in a report filed last month in the High Court. Unlike the CLICO International Life proposal, the BAICO (Barbados) plan is not predicated on any Government intervention, but much of its success depends on Sagicor Life, which has been named in the report as the “preferred interested purchaser” of what’s left of the BAICO portfolio, including 8 437 traditional life insurance policies and 6 337 flexible premium annuities.

If the transfer is approved by the court, British American, which was previously declared insolvent, would be no more.

Its old policies would therefore be cancelled and new ones issued by Sagicor.

Policyholders may lose 50% Barbados Nation - CLICO Policyholders will lose out on more than half of their investment under the plan recently proposed by judicial manager Deloitte Consulting Limited.

Details of the $400 million loss are contained in the

judicial manager’s 13-page update to the High Court, a copy of which the SUNDAY SUN has obtained.

“All policyholders, traditional and EFPAs [executive flexible premium annuities] would have their liability of $837 million written

down to $441 million, representing a loss of approximately $400 million,” stated the document, which indicated that the write-down amount represented the current value of CLICO International Life (CIL) assets – $288 million of which are in

Barbados.

“The loss would be applied equitably across all policyholder types so that the restructured traditional business would have total liability of $177 million and the EFPA would have total liability of $264 million.”

Monday November 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Study shows Jamaicans growing more tolerant, but majority still opposed to homosexuality Jamaica Observer - Last week’s beating by security guards of a student accused of engaging in homosexual acts in a University of Technology (UTech) bathroom, captured on video and widely circulated, brought into sharp focus a 2012 study that suggested that Jamaicans are becoming increasingly more tolerant of homosexuals.

The National Survey of Attitudes and Perceptions of Jamaicans Towards Same-Sex Relationships, released in June this year, found that while Jamaicans continue to have strong negative attitudes towards homosexuality, one in every five is tolerant of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons and would support an addendum to the Charter of Rights affording impartiality to that community.

“These findings speak to the progress we are making as a people in respecting the humanity, dignity and equality of LGBT persons,” is how Dane Lewis, J-Flag’s executive director, interpreted the data.

The study, conducted by University of the West Indies statistician, Professor Ian Boxill, was commissioned by J-Flag (Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays). It was funded by international advocacy organisation AIDS-Free World and was a follow-up to the 2011 study on Jamaicans’ views about homosexuality and what determined those attitudes.

Boxill used a nationally representative sample of 1,000 persons between 18 and 84 years and two focus groups.

One of these focus groups comprised highly skilled professionals and the other, inner-city males who were predominantly low-skilled, self-employed and/or unemployed.

According to the survey, “The professional group was mixed along gender lines and the inner-city group was an all-male group whose ages ranged between 18 and 35 years”.

Males comprised 49 per cent of the sample. The study had a margin of error of plus or minus four per cent.

Overall, the Boxill study found that there was very little variance between the results of the 2012 study and its 2011 predecessor; with this year ’s instalment showing the persistence of strong negative views

towards same-sex relationships across all sectors of Jamaican society.

However, similar to the 2011 study, “females, higher educated persons, and those who do not listen mostly to reggae and dancehall music are likely to have less negative attitudes towards homosexuals.

“Religious persons are seemingly becoming more tolerant, but positive attitudes to homosexuals are still more likely found in less religious individuals who attend church infrequently or not at all.

“Young persons (35 years and under) were found to be slightly less negative in their views than older persons,” the researcher said.

Additionally, although the majority of respondents (82 per cent) disagreed with the idea of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms allowing for samesex marriage in the 2012 survey, 37 per cent felt that the Government was not doing enough to promote the rights of the LGBT community and give them freedom from discrimination and violence.

At the same time, most persons in the survey group disagreed with amending both the buggery law (76.7 per cent) and the Charter to protect the rights of the LGBT community (65 per cent).

However, 21.3 per cent said they would support an amendment allowing for consensual sex between adults of the same sex, but only in private.

Eighty-eight per cent of the respondents felt that male homosexuality was immoral, 83.7 per cent thought the same of lesbianism, and 83.5 per cent felt bisexuality was immoral. These figures represent an increase over 2011 when 82.2 per cent felt male homosexuality was immoral, 75.2 per cent felt female homosexuality was immoral, and 75.3 per cent felt the same of bisexual relationships. There was a general consensus among participants of the two focus groups that same-sex relationships were immoral.

Sexual experimentation that involved homosexual acts was also frowned upon by most respondents. A total of 66.9 per cent were strongly against anal sex between a man and a woman. Just over half, or 53 per cent, strongly disagreed with one woman having sex with two men at the same time.

Most persons surveyed (92.8 per cent) for the 2012 study said they believe homosexuality is between somewhat and very prevalent in Jamaica, with a large number (48.5 per cent) saying that it is present in all social classes.

But this, too, was an increase of 3.8 per cent over the previous study’s finding.

When broken down, approximately 42 per cent of respondents felt that homosexuality was most prevalent among the upper class; 8.5 per cent said the middle class, with 1.4 per cent identifying the lower class.

“It should be noted that whereas most persons previously believed that homosexuality was most prevalent among the upper class, almost half of those interviewed now seem to feel that it is equal across all classes,” the Boxill study concluded.

Approximately 53 per cent of the sample felt that professional help “can change a homosexual’s sexual orientation to heterosexual” — this represents an increase of about six per cent, compared to the 2011 study.

The 2012 national survey also included a sub-sample of business persons who said that although they would not fire an openly LGBT person, a little over half of them would not employ them.

This group said they felt that these persons “would make their co-workers uncomfortable, they do not support the sexual

orientation, they feared being stigmatised, and they feared losing customers”.

However, focus group results showed that coworkers did not see working with homosexuals as a significant problem “as long as they acted professionally”.

Despite this seeming slight increase in the tolerance of homosexuality among certain groups in Jamaican society, J-Flag has tasked the Government with doing more.

“Urgent national leadership is required to address the chronic intolerance for LGBT Jamaicans so they can be afforded equal rights and protection of the law like any other person,” Lewis said in a release Friday in the wake

of the incident at UTech.

He pointed to the Boxill study and called on the prime minister, Opposition leader, and ministers of national security and education to take urgent action to address “the chronic demonstration of intolerance for LGBT Jamaicans”.

The UTech incident, he said, “is evidence of the malignant level of homophobia which continues to pervade all levels of Jamaican society and ravage lives”. Lewis also sought to “remind the prime minister that almost 40 per cent of Jamaicans believe the Government is not doing enough to protect the LGBT community from violence and discrimination”.

Also, on Friday,

numerous groups rushed to condemn the actions of the security guards involved in the beating of the student.

Among them were civil society groups, human rights advocates, and the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party.

In the aftermath of the UTech incident, the two security guards involved were fired by their employer, Marksman Security Limited.

“The actions of the security officers are not in keeping with Marksman Limited’s contractual arrangements and ongoing mandate to protect and secure life and property,” said Robert Epstein, the company’s managing director, in a late afternoon statement on Friday.

Page 20

Kaieteur News

Monday November 05, 2012

Market produce up by more than 100 per cent, vendors estimate Sandy hikes food prices…

Jamaica Observer - One week after wreaking multibillion-dollar damage on her romp across the country, Hurricane Sandy is being blamed for what vendors say is an alarming increase in the prices of most agricultural produce.

Checks by the Sunday Observer at two of Kingston and St Andrew’s busiest fresh foods markets revealed that consumers are being asked to dig deeper into their pockets to purchase fruits and vegetables, and there are indications that the prices will continue to climb in coming weeks due to scarcities stemming from the impact of the hurricane.

Up to last Friday, agriculture ministry personnel were fine-tuning their islandwide estimate of total damage to the sector.

Based on preliminary information presented to parliament by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, the

sector sustained damage amounting to $1.5 billion.

Last week, officials of the ministry also indicated that damage to the agricultural sector was most severe in Portland, St Thomas and St Mary, the three eastern most parishes.

Despite these parishes sustaining most of the damage, vendors at both the busy Coronation market in downtown Kingston and the Papine market in St Andrew have indicated that produce from across the country has been hit by price hikes. They believe that some farmers are capitalising on the fact that certain produce is in short supply as a result of hurricane damage.

Vendors who travel to the downtown Kingston landmark to purchase produce are upset at this, as they claim they will have difficulties selling the items to their customers.

“Everybody tek the

opportunity to ride the price,” said one vendor as she detailed some of the items that have been hit by price adjustments.

Another listed plantains, bananas, dasheens, peppers, cabbage and carrots among the items which have gone up by more than 100 per cent in some cases.

“Sweet pepper move from $80 a pound to $160 and hot pepper gone up to $200 a pound from $80. Even cho cho gone up. Is $100 fi three now,” said a vendor who identified herself as Maureen.

She explained that many crops such as peppers were destroyed in the hurricane and as a result farmers who still have the produce have moved to hike their prices in response to the rush on their farms.

One elderly male vendor who said he travelled from Guys Hill in St Catherine to the Coronation market explained that the price of the

ripe bananas he had on sale moved from a farm gate price of $80 per dozen. “We use to buy the banana for 80 dollar a dozen but now it gone to $120 and we have to sell it fi a profit,” said Mr Davis who indicated that he now sells a dozen bananas for anywhere between $150 - $200 per dozen, depending on the size of the fruits.

The hikes have infuriated and frustrated several consumers who spoke with the Sunday Observer at the Coronation market on Friday

while on their regular shopping trips.

An elderly man who was seen roving with his market bag complained that his food bill had gone up.

“Ah used to spend $1000 dollars at the market, but based on what ah seeing today mi going to spend $1,500 fi the same things,” he argued.

Another woman who said she had travelled from Hart Hill in Portland to purchase produce told the Sunday Observer that she had to

search for good prices, as her plans were to return to Portland to sell them.

For her, while the price of most items have gone up, others, such as yams, escallion and pumpkins remained within a reasonable price range. “Even yam up and down, tomato up and down. Some place tomato a’ $60, some place $50, that nuh bad. Sweet potato, some place have it for $50, some $60, and some $70. Escallion not so bad, but cabbage up to all $80 a pound,” she complained.

Monday November 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 21

Kuwaiti security forces teargas opposition-led protest KUWAIT (Reuters) Kuwaiti security forces fired tear gas to disperse an unauthorized demonstration yesterday by thousands of opposition supporters against new voting rules for

parliamentary elections on December 1.

OPEC member and U.S. ally Kuwait has so far avoided the mass pro-democracy unrest that has toppled rulers in four other Arab countries

since last year, but tension has mounted this year in a long-running power struggle between parliament and the government which is dominated by the ruling AlSabah family.

Bomb shakes Damascus as opposition begins unity talks AMMAN (Reuters) - A bomb exploded near army and security compounds in Damascus yesterday, Syrian television said, and fractured opposition groups seeking to topple President Bashar alAssad began unity talks abroad to win international respect and arms supplies.

The 50-kilogram (110pound) bomb, near a large hotel in a heavily guarded district, was described by state media as an attack by “terrorists” the government’s term for insurgents in the 19-monthold uprising against Assad.

Opposition activists said the blast appeared to be the work of the Ahfad al-Rasoul (Grandsons of the Prophet) Brigade, an Islamist militant unit that attacked military and intelligence targets several times in the last two months.

“The terrorist explosion caused several injuries. One of (the injured) is in critical condition,” state television said.

Video from state media and posted online by activists showed shattered windows and battered cars but little other damage. Rebels have carried out a series of bombings targeting government and military buildings in Damascus this year, extending the civil war into the seat of Assad’s power.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights, an activist monitoring group, said government forces had killed 57 people in bloodshed elsewhere in Syria on Sunday.

It said most of the dead were civilians and the rest rebels in battles that continued around Damascus and in the northern provinces of Idlib and Aleppo. In northern Idlib, opposition sources said rebels were forced to halt an offensive to take a big air base because of a shortage of ammunition, a problem that has dogged their campaign to cement a hold on the north by eliminating Assad’s devastating edge in firepower, especially warplanes and helicopter gunships.

Islamist insurgents had launched the attack on the Taftanaz military airport at dawn on Saturday, using

Residents react after a Syrian Air Force fighter jet loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad fired missiles at Binsh, near the northern province of Idlib, Saturday. REUTERS/ Muhammad Najdet Qadour/Shaam News Network/Handout three tanks captured from the Doha ahead of the meeting.

The meetings would also military, disrupting government air strikes on elect a new executive nearby rebel-held towns and committee and leader for the SNC, he said. villages.

The United States called The conflict began with peaceful protest rallies that last week for an overhaul of morphed into armed revolt the opposition’s leadership, when Assad tried to stamp saying it was time to move them out with military might. beyond the SNC and bring in About 32,000 people have those “in the front lines been killed, wide swathes of fighting and dying”.

The mainly Sunni Muslim the major Arab state have been wrecked and the civil rebels are supported by Sunni war threatens to widen into a states including Saudi Arabia, regional sectarian Qatar and neighboring Turkey. Shi’ite Iran remains conflagration.

The opposition talks that the staunchest regional began in Qatar marked the supporter of Assad, whose first concerted attempt to Alawite faith derives from meld feuding, disparate Shi’ite Islam.

Veteran opposition leader groups based abroad and coordinate strategy with Riad Seif has proposed a structure melding the rebel rebels fighting in Syria.

Divisions between Free Syrian Army, regional Islamists and secularists as military councils and other well as between those inside insurgent units alongside Syria and opposition figures local civilian bodies and opposition based abroad have foiled prior prominent attempts to forge a united figures. Called the Syrian opposition and deterred National Initiative, his plan Western powers from offering envisages the creation of an Initiative Body, including more than moral support.

Four days of talks in the political groups, local Qatari capital Doha were councils, national figures and expected with the goal of rebel forces; a Supreme overhauling and broadening Military Council; a Judicial the Syrian National Council Committee and a transitional (SNC), the largest of the g o v e r n m e n t - i n - w a i t i n g overseas-based opposition composed of technocrats.

Western, Turkish and groups, from some 300 members to 400. SNC leaders Arab recognition of the new hoped this would pave the opposition structure, Seif said way for a separate meeting in in an interview with Reuters Doha on Thursday including last week, will help channel other anti-Assad factions to anti-tank and anti-aircraft crystallize a united coalition. missiles to the rebels and “The main aim is to “decide the battle”.

Western powers keen to expand the council to include more of the social and political see Assad removed have components. There will be been loath to arm rebels in part new forces in the SNC,” because of the growing Abdulbaset Sieda, current prominence of radical Islamic leader of the Syrian National fighters fighting separately Council, told reporters in from more secular groups.

Next month’s elections will be the second in Kuwait this year after an opposition bloc of Islamists, liberals and tribal leaders won a majority in polls in February.

That parliament was effectively dissolved by a court ruling in June that reinstated a more progovernment assembly, but the old legislature was unable to meet due to a boycott by lawmakers leading to another dissolution and a call by the emir for snap elections to end the deadlock.

The emir then announced changes to the electoral law last month which some opposition politicians say are an attempt to give progovernment candidates an advantage in the polls.

Opposition leaders have said they will boycott the elections and have called for demonstrations.

Hundreds of police lined the route in central Kuwait City hours before the planned march on Sunday, raising fears of a repeat of clashes last month between police and thousands of demonstrators that ended with at least 30 people hospitalized.

The Information Ministry had cleared its car park on the orders from the National Guard, news service al-Rai said in an SMS alert, while a large shopping mall along the proposed march route closed early.

Protesters instead gathered on the side of a motorway away from the centre of town, but security forces moved in and fired tear gas to disperse the main crowd of around 2,000.

Many more Kuwaitis joined the protest in their cars or on the fringes of the main protest, but exact numbers were difficult to judge.

“Our duty is to maintain internal security and public order and to deter lawlessness in all of its forms,” Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad al-Hamoud alSabah said on state news agency KUNA. But opposition activists were undeterred.

“We will continue. The opposition no longer cares about government statements,” said an activist who declined to be named.

The Kuwait stock index fell to its lowest level since July 2004 on Sunday,

according to Reuters data.

Kuwait has one of the most open political systems in the Gulf with an elected parliament with legislative powers.

However, the 83-year-old emir has the final say in state affairs and picks the prime minister, who in turn selects the cabinet, with most of the important portfolios held by members of ruling family.

Under Kuwait’s constitution, parliament confirms governments, passes laws presented by the cabinet and oversees the performance of various ministries. Lawmakers also have the right to summon ministers for questioning over policies.

The current crisis was sparked when the emir used his powers to order amendments to the voting rules, saying they were necessary for national unity.

The opposition has called the changes - which allow voters to choose only one candidate per electoral district - “a coup against the constitution”, saying the reform would prevent its candidates taking the majority they won in the last vote.

Page 22

Kaieteur News

Monday November 05, 2012

Politics call the tune in U.S, China and Europe

LONDON (Reuters) - In the politically packed days ahead, an election, a coronation and a two-part parliamentary vote each has the potential to alter the course of the global economy for years to come.

The election, of course, is tomorrow for the White House and Congress. Two days later, China’s ruling Communist party begins the 18th congress in its history.

Barring one of the biggest political surprises in modern times, the carefully choreographed gathering will culminate a week later in the crowning of Xi Jinping as successor to Hu Jintao. He will hold the reins of power for the next decade.

That the world’s two biggest economies are choosing their leaders at the same time is unprecedented.

Investors are right to be transfixed.

Yet arguably it is a pair of votes in Greece, an economic minnow, on whether to accept labour reforms and more austerity that could have a greater short-term impact on financial markets.

In the U.S. election, markets are pricing in the

status quo - victory for Barack Obama in enough swing states to return him to the presidency to renew battle over tax and spending with a hostile House of Representatives and a bitterly divided Senate.

The outcome of talks over the ‘fiscal cliff’ - a package of tax increases and spending cuts that will take effect in January if there is no longterm pact to cut the budget deficit - is already a major uncertainty for markets.

Tomorrow’s voting could muddy the waters even further.

“It’s not easy to map out what the outcome of the election will mean for policy, both immediately afterwards and also for next year,” Bruce Kasman, an economist with J.P. Morgan, said on a conference call.

In any event, Bill Adams, an economist at PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh, said negotiations on the fiscal cliff would have a greater impact on growth for 2013 than tomorrow’s election itself.

“Similarly, with the 18th Party Congress in China, we know who’s going to win

Xi Jinping THAT election. The odds for an upset coming out of those two events are relatively small,” Adams said.

As for Greece, the assumption is that Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s coalition will muster enough support on Wednesday to win a vote on structural reforms and a follow-up vote on Sunday on an austerity budget for 2013.

But it will be a close call.

Holger Schmieding, an economist with Berenberg Bank in London, said it might take the defection of just three more coalition lawmakers to doom the reform package.

“In this unlikely but not completely impossible case, the euro zone could be headed for a period of turmoil,” Schmieding said in a note. “The Grexit debate could be back with a vengeance despite the clear desire of Germany to keep Greece in the euro.”

He saw a 25 percent chance of Grexit - Greece’s exit from the euro - in the next six months.

At the very least, the tight votes will show that Greece is reaching the limit of its capacity to accommodate its international creditors, who are demanding ever more

austerity to hit deficit goals that grow ever more distant the longer the economy contracts. Greece is now in its sixth year of recession.

“There isn’t an effective pro-growth policy for the euro zone right now,” Adams said.

“Sooner or later the political process will have to acknowledge that this policy mix isn’t working, and that will open a lot of rifts.”

The financial crisis in the euro zone, which is flirting with recession, is still the biggest obstacle to global growth, according to a senior U.S. official.

Nevertheless, a Reuters survey of 73 economists saw an 80 percent chance that the European Central Bank would hold its main refinancing rate unchanged at 0.75 percent on Thursday.

In the same vein, economists attached just a 40 percent probability to a further round of asset purchases from the Bank of England, which also meets on Thursday. The odds on extra monetary easing have lengthened since the British economy grew more strongly than expected in the third quarter.

The biggest day for data could be Friday, when China issues investment, retail sales and industrial output figures for October.

But this is a week for the political economy, and the main focus will be on any signals from the party congress in Beijing that a change at the top might augur a quick shift in economic policy to spur consumption.

Nothing is impossible, but China-watchers reckon gradualism will remain the hallmark of what is a collective leadership. The new team will need time to consolidate its grip on power.

Economists at Barclays Capital led by Yiping Huang said consideration of systemic policy changes is probably a year away, but the new leaders could show their reformist credentials by picking low-hanging fruit in areas such as resource pricing, income distribution and tax policy.

“We might start to hear such discussions at the annual economic work conference in early December or at the National People’s Congress in early March,” they said in a report.

Monday November 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 23

Housing crisis looms as cold hits storm victims NEW YORK (Reuters) - A housing crisis loomed in New York City as victims of superstorm Sandy struggled yesterday against nearfreezing temperatures and officials fretted that displaced voters would not be able to cast ballots in tomorrow’s presidential election.

Fuel shortages and power outages lingered nearly a week after one of the worst storms in U.S. history flooded homes in coastal neighbourhoods, leaving many without heat and in need of shelter. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said 30,000 to 40,000 people in New York City alone would need housing.

Overnight, at least two more bodies were found in New Jersey as the overall U.S. death toll from Sandy climbed to at least 111.

“People are in homes that are uninhabitable,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said alongside Bloomberg at a news conference. “People don’t like to leave their home, but the reality is going to be in the temperature.”

Officials were figuring out how to provide short- and long-term housing for tens of thousands of people, Cuomo said, without giving details about where the displaced would be housed.

Temperatures dipped to 39 Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) early yesterday in New York City, the lowest in days, with freezing temperatures expected on Monday. An early-season “Nor’easter” storm was expected to hit the battered New England coast this week with strong winds and heavy rain.

Fuel supplies continued to rumble toward disaster zones and electricity was slowly returning to darkened neighborhoods, after the storm hit the coast last Monday.

It would be days before power is fully restored and fuel shortages end, Bloomberg said. Cuomo said fuel shortages are improving but problems will persist for “a number of days.”

Bloomberg on Friday abruptly called off the city’s marathon, which was set for yesterday, bowing to criticism that the event would divert resources from flood-ravaged neighborhoods. Instead, hundreds of runners set off on informal runs to deliver food and clothes to the borough of Staten Island and other hard-hit areas.

Power restorations over the weekend relit the skyline in Lower Manhattan for the first time in nearly a week and allowed 80 percent of the New

York City subway service to resume. Some 1.9 million homes and business still lacked power across the Northeast on Sunday, down from 2.5 million on Saturday.

President Barack Obama, neck-and-neck in opinion polls with Republican challenger Mitt Romney, ordered emergency response officials to cut through government “red tape” and work without delay to help affected areas return to normal.

Officials have expressed concern about getting voters displaced by Sandy to polling stations for Tuesday’s election. Scores of voting centers were rendered useless by the record surge of seawater in New York and New Jersey.

Bloomberg said the Board of Elections has “real problems,” and that the city will do “anything we can” to get people to the polls.

Some voters in New York could be casting their ballots in tents. New Jersey is allowing voters displaced by Sandy to vote by email.

An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released on Sunday found that 68 percent of those surveyed approved of how Obama handled Sandy and just 15 percent disapproved.

The post-storm chaos in the region has overshadowed the final days of campaigning.

“I’m not thinking about the election too much right now,” said Frank Carrol, 59, a retired New York City transit worker who lives in Staten Island. He planned to vote, but did not know if his local polling station would even be open. “We’ll stop by and see what happens,” Carrol said.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie ordered county clerks to open on Saturday and yesterday to accommodate early voters and ensure a “full, fair and transparent open voting process.”

New Jersey authorities also took the uncommon step of declaring that any voter displaced from their home by Sandy would be designated an overseas voter, which allows them to submit an absentee vote by fax or email.

The two new deaths in New Jersey - where the storm came ashore last Monday night - included a 71-year-old man who suffered from hypothermia and a 55-yearold man who died from smoke inhalation in a house fire, police said on Sunday.

That raised New Jersey’s death toll to 24 while the New York City death count was 40.

Sandy killed 69 people in the Caribbean before turning

north and hammering the U.S. Eastern Seaboard on Monday with 80 mile-perhour (130-kph) winds and a record surge of seawater that swallowed oceanside communities in New Jersey and New York, and flooded streets and subway tunnels in New York City.

Subway-system electronics are damaged from sea water and some stations remained underwater, a spokeswoman said.

New York City’s overstretched police got a

break with the cancellation of Sunday’s marathon, a popular annual race expected to draw more than 40,000 runners to the city.

More than 1,000 people, many of whom had planned to run the race, crowded onto two Staten Island Ferry boats early on Sunday, headed to the stricken borough with relief supplies including food and plastic bags to help residents store belongings from damaged or destroyed homes.

Lara Duerrschmid, 27, was

among the marathon runners boarding a ferry to help residents of Staten Island. “I know it’s going to be tough to see (the damage), but I just wanted to do something good,” she said.

New York’s Central Park also was crowded with runners near what would have been the marathon’s finish line, scores of them shivering in the cold. A group called run4allcauses was collecting donations for Sandy victims.

Tight gasoline supplies

have tested the patience of drivers - fistfights have broken out in mile-long lines of cars - but a reopened New York Harbor meant fuel was reaching terminals.

Despite the slow return of power across the region, a quarter of New Jersey and almost a tenth of New York remained in the dark, the Department of Energy said.

Just after Sandy tore across the densely populated area, more than 8.5 million customers were without power.

Page 24

DTV CHANNEL 8 08:55hrs. Sign On 09:00hrs. GMA 10:00hrs. Live! With Kelly and Michael 11:00hrs. The Ricki Lake Show 12:00hrs. The View 13:00hrs. World News 13:30hrs. The Young and the Restless

Kaieteur News

14:30hrs. The Bold and the Beautiful 15:00hrs. The Talk 16:00hrs. Beverly Hills, 90210 17:00hrs. MacGyver 18:00hrs. World News 19:00hrs. Greetings and Announcements 20:00hrs. Channel 8 News 21:00hrs. Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars

23:00hrs. Hawaii Five-0 23:00hrs. Sign Off NCN CHANNEL 11 05:00h – Inspiration 05:30h – Newtown Gospel 06:00h – NCN News(R/B) 06:30h – Feature 07:00h – Guyana Today 08:00h – Weekly Digest 08:30h – Feature 09:00h – Stop the Suffering 09:30h –Cartoons 10:00h – CCTV 11:00h – History 12:00h – CNN 12:30h – NCN Newsbreak 12:35h – Feature 13:05h – Movie 16:00h – Cartoons 17:00h – Anderson 18:00h – NCN News Magazine – Live 18:30h – Pulse beat 19:00h – Remembrance Quiz 19:30h – NCD & You 20:00h – 3d/daily millions/play de dream/lotto draw 20:05h – Feature 21:05h – We Linkin 21:35h – Excellence Dazzel Show 22:05h – NCN News Late Edition 22:35h – Caribbean Newsline 23:00h – Movie

Monday November 05, 2012

Monday November 05, 2012 ARIES (March 21 - April 19): If you have an urge to tell a particularity rude person what you think of them, don't suppress it -- vent it! Someone in your life who rarely (if ever) considers other people's feelings is in desperate need of a wakeup call today -- and you are the perfect person to dial their number. ******************* TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): You might find it hard to accurately communicate your feelings, right now. This is probably a sign that you don't quite know how you're feeling! ****************** GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Some great news is coming down from on high today.

An authority figure will inform you of a changing situation - one from which you'll benefit greatly. ******************** CANCER (June 21 - July 22): You need to start paying more attention to yourself, and less to what other people want or expect. It's wonderful that you are concerned about the health and well-being of the people in your life, but there is only so much you can do to help them. ********************* LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): Do not let any false modesty rob you of the right to be proud of what you've accomplished! Go on -- demand (nicely) the praise you know that you are due, no one is going to fault you for it. ******************* VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept.

22): Your emotions are a strong asset, and you haven't been using them as much as you should be. ********************* LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22): A warm smile from a stranger will send more electricity through your body than the loudest rock concert ever could today. ********************* SCORPIO (Oct. 23 Nov. 21): You're usually the one who is pushing for things to go farther faster, but right now speed is not a high priority for you. ******************** SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 Dec. 21): Follow any and all moods you have today. If you feel the urge to have some alone time, do it. .********************* CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 Jan. 19): The needling issues at hand today will be plentiful, but thankfully they will also be quite minor. Don't let this become a situation where you suffer a death from a thousand cuts, though! ******************** AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 Feb. 18): Have you been getting enough exercise lately? Well, if you have been feeling a bit down in the dumps, then the answer is definitely 'no.' ********************* PISCE S ( F e b . 1 9 March 20): Looking to have some fun today? Look no further than into the nearest mirror -- you are a great source of entertainment and joy right now, believe it or not.

Monday November 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 25

Letters to the Sports Editor GFA executive overstepping its boundary What is Banks DIH Interest?

Dear Mr Editor, I write this letter in response to a letter which was published in the Daily Kaieteur News on Wed Oct 31st 2012 under the caption “Is Banks contributing to football or is it something else?”

Sir, I am a Banks DIH Shareholder for approximately thirty (30) years and a businessman based in the North West District and when I saw that letter in the newspapers I became livid.

I am quite amazed that Banks DIH Ltd is into promoting football, who will benefit. As a Businessman and a shrewd one at that, it baffles me how some people think and operate. I am not saying they are not to sponsor these activities, it is good for business and public relations but come on man not at that magnitude, maybe the returns would be three (3) fold but who benefits, not the shareholder, I know because I am one.

Doing business in the Interior is a costly exercise and it calls for heavy investment. Transportation cost is high hence the mark up on goods will eventually entail the consumer having to bear the burden.

I sell lots of liquid stuff such as Beer, Malta, Stout, etc, etc. If Banks DIH really cares about us they should channel some of those money and energies towards the reinvigorating of the company. Ansa Mc Al sells Carib Beer, Stag Beer, Mackeson Milk Stout and other stuff in can (tin), it is more convenient to transport those to the interior, but gosh, to transport all those bottles in and out of the interior is so cumbersome and costly.

What they should be doing is trying to modernize the company. Start putting

systems in place so that the Banks Products could be marketable, attractive and consumable.

In order for me to survive I have to sell the products of our competitor with some amount of reluctance, but business, profit and losses don’t look at faces or names.

The bottom line is dollars.

As a shareholder, I am quite sure that our returns are maybe the lowest in this part of the world, I may have to do a research to ascertain such.

I am not too much into football, I watch it on TV especially during World Cup as a matter of fact, everybody becomes great football fans and critics who knows when the Referees are cheating and when a tackle is a foul and when a foul is not committed.

What I am actually seeing is people using this lovely game to their benefit and by doing so damaging the Sport and eventually the company. As a shareholder it is my humble view and I refer to the letter, that Banks DIH Ltd should not be supporting the Georgetown Football Association, because I see this as getting back at the Kashif & Shanghai Organisation and they are using the GFA who are none the wiser to enforce their

sinister objective. Not because a company loses out on a deal makes it the correct and moral thing to counterattack with such actions.

Did Cable & Wireless after not being with West Indies anymore decided to form a parallel tournament to compete with DIGICEL? Remember this is our money and it should be used, as I said earlier, to improve the image of the company and enhance the quality of its products, not to be getting into a dog fight with your competing companies.

If the Directors were wise and they wanted to make an Impression on the Guyanese Public they should have taken that nine (9) million dollars and put it towards creating a proper facility where International Football could be played and all Guyanese would be proud to say that this was built and supported by a Local Company.

In closing I urge the Directors of this local company to relook at their operating procedures, the other Beverage Company (DDL, Ansa McAl, Busta) are getting away from you, you got to play ketch up.

Shareholder

DEAR EDITOR, People are given farewells in all forms and for various reasons. The one of which I write is most unique. I consider the recent victory by West Indies cricket team in the 2012 T20s as a most fitting send off for Dr. Earnest Hillaire. He took appointment with the West Indies cricket board and racked up one of the worst records any manager ever would. The players he mismanaged are all smiling (money in bank).

Dr. Hillarie’s departure from West Indies cricket means so much that it was celebrated with a win in a major competition in gangnam style.

I guess he watched it with a long face since he seems to have had no interest in progress. Good riddance!!!

Come on David Rudder, put it in song or we may soon forget how the doctor messed up West Indies cricket; in song it will last long and we will sing it for a long time.

Frank Peters

The best farewell

Dear Editor, THE decision by the executive of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) to invite teams from outside its jurisdiction to participate in its second edition of the Banks DIH- sponsored Knockout Competition (yearend) in essence is a clear indication that the executive is bent on being disruptive rather than proactive.

This comes against the backdrop that the association, which isn’t an affiliate of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), presently cannot take it upon itself to communicate with clubs from other associations without duly informing the respective parent bodies.

Once the approval is granted for participation, with the relevant conditionality’s in place, the GFF grants approval pertaining to its conditionality’s, some of which are as follows: Lodging of prize monies, or a Letter of Intent from a reputable sponsor, honouring payments of prizes; Copies of rules and fixtures; Payment of Levy Fees; Officiating personnel from the Guyana Football Referees Council; Adequate security, inclusive of uniformed police; Ambulatory service; Medical

personnel, including stretcher and bearers; and the prohibition of beverage sales in glass bottles.

Editor, the mere idea that the GFA executive was granted an injunction in the High Court restraining the GFF from meddling in its internal affairs; reciprocally, the GFA then ought not to meddle in the internal affairs of affiliates of the GFF by way of invitation for participation in its tournament, since it can be construed to be a miscarriage of the very judicial system it sought solace in! The biggest display of public tomfoolery emanates from none other than the GFA President, who was quoted in the S.N. publication of 20.10.12 in an article captioned “GFA in talks with Linden Football Association for parallel tournament”, wherein the GFA President was quoted as saying: “The GFA was still negotiating with the Linden Football Association.

We are still in talks with Linden, and as you are aware, Linden has no proper facility to play high quality intensity Football right now, and we have been open to them”.

Editor, is the GFA President sincere in his comments, or was he

misinterpreted? To the best of my knowledge, football in that region is governed by the” Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA), and definitely not the LFA”! So, to whom is Burnett speaking?

And what facilities are there in Georgetown to play high quality intensity football! Is it GFC, where one has to stand; or Tucville, running the risk of being mugged when matches are finished!

Definitely it cannot be the GDF or police grounds, since if this were so, matches in the GFA Premium Beer League would have been played at those venues along with Camptown and UG in pursuit of completing the competition within an adequate time frame.

And by the way, which referees, assistants and fourth officials are to be used?

Definitely not from those affiliated to the GFA, as many of them are unfit and ignorant of the Laws of the Game.

Is the UDFA that stupid to run the risk of being banned by the GFF to participate in an unsanctioned parallel tournament that would be conflicting with the Annual Kashif and Shanghai K.O., which over the years has become a permanent fixture on the GFF’s annual calendar of activities?

Orin Davis

Page 26

Kaieteur News

Hearts of Oak Masters Football Club parents’ day successful Action during the Parents Day held by the Hearts of Oak Masters Football Club in Berbice.

The first organised parents day hosted by the Hearts of Oak Masters Football Club of New Amsterdam, Berbice was successfully held. This is according to President and the Secretary of the club, former national players Neil “Grizzly” Humphrey and Kenrick Bowry who coordinated the event.

The activity, which was held last Tuesday at the All Saints Scot Church ground, and commenced at approximately 16:30hrs, saw a number of parents in attendance as they interacted and participated in events with their off springs.

During the two hours sessions the parents, some of who were dressed in sports gear and others in their work garments, were brought up to

the date with the working of the club and were sensitized on the activities their children are engaged in whilst at the club in the afternoons.

During the afternoon of interaction the children were involved in a number of drills and exercises which allowed them to display what they have learnt since joining the club.

Their parents and guardians thus had an opportunity to see some of the programmes activities that are being done at the club during the afternoon.

They were also able to assess what if any progress has been made by their offspring since they joined the organisation.

Many of the parents took time to participate in some of the drills with their children and by themselves.

There were lively interactive sessions in which parents gave their views on what could be done to improve the activity and have a better rapport between them and the club. They suggest regular session be held and pointed out that at weekends would be appropriate for such activities.

According to the coordinators, all of their objectives were met and they are looking forward for the next session.

Hearts of Oak Masters Football club was established on April 20th 1992 and is celebrating its 20th year in existence. It was established with the sole purpose of developing and promoting football among the youths in the New Amsterdam/Canje Community.

The club is presently the leading organizer of Youth Football in Berbice and as part of its objective of promoting and developing football among the youths, the club annually organises about eight youth tournaments in addition to an ‘Annual Summer Camp and Teach them Young football programme.’

The Club uses the New Amsterdam Prison Officers club and the Scot’s Church Ground as its meeting places, while the Scot’s Church ground is its training base.

It recently, with the help of some public spirited citizens, erected lights at the venue making it the only venue in Berbice with permanent lights and capable of hosting night football.

(Samuel Whyte)

Monday November 05, 2012

Fed Cup: Czech Republic beat Serbia to retain title in Prague The Czech Republic secured back-to-back Fed Cup titles with a 3-1 win over Serbia before fervent fans in Prague.

A backhand winner from world number 17 Lucie Safarova sparked celebratory scenes in the Czech capital as she beat Jelena Jankovic 6-1 6-1.

Petra Kvitova and Safarova had put the defending champions in control on Saturday by winning the opening singles rubbers for a 2-0 lead.

Ana Ivanovic reduced the arrears by beating Kvitova 6-3 7-5 on Sunday.

But Safarova defeated Serb number two Jankovic in one hour and 17 minutes to prevent the first-time finalists becoming the first team in the competition’s history to overturn a 2-0 deficit in the final.

The world number 17

hit 32 winners, describing her performance against the world number 22 as one of her best.

“It’s hard to describe how I feel. I played an unbelievable game,” Safarova said.

“I desperately wanted to win and I’m really delighted. It’s fantastic to win at home, in Prague.

I played one of the best matches of my career.”

Kvitova seemed to be suffering from the illeffects of a cold that forced her to pull out of last w e e k ’s WTA Championship.

The defeat by Ivanovic ended the world number eight’s 11-game unbeaten run in the Fed Cup. “I lost a lot of strength [on Saturday] and I was also drained emotionally,” said Kvitova.

“I lacked energy. The doctor gave me some sugar during a bathroom break but it didn’t help much.”

Monday November 05, 2012

Suarez goal gives Liverpool draw with Newcastle

Liverpool’s Luis Suarez (top) takes the ball past Newcastle United’s Tim Krul to score during their English Premier League soccer match at Anfield. REUTERS/Phil Noble LONDON (Reuters) - (league) games but I am sure Liverpool failed to mark we will soon turn that into captain Steven Gerrard’s wins because with that type 600th appearance for the club of football we will always with a win when they were create chances.” Newcastle held to a 1-1 draw by manager Alan Pardew was Newcastle United in the upset that Coloccini was sent Premier League at Anfield on off but did not criticise referee Sunday which leaves them Anthony Taylor, saying match officials had enough mired in mid-table.

Liverpool needed a well- problems to deal with at the taken 67th minute equaliser moment. “He said he thought from Uruguay forward Luis it was serious foul play. The Suarez to save a point after morale of referees must be Newcastle took a first-half really low because of constant lead through Yohan Cabaye’s criticism and the issues around them are unfair. We stunning strike.

Earlier, Queens Park accept his decision and I Rangers and Reading drew 1- thought he had a good 1 at Loftus Road, leaving the performance.”

RELEGATION CLASH two sides still looking for In the early kickoff, QPR their first League wins of the season and both in the and Reading shared the points in an early-season relegation zone.

Gerrard was presented relegation scrap at Loftus with a statue of Liverpool’s Road. QPR manager Mark has been city emblem, the liver bird, by Hughes former skipper Gary consistently backed by McAllister before the match owner Tony Fernandes but when manager Brendan Hughes admitted afterwards, Rodgers compared him to “we need to get maximum Superman although not even points on the board as soon his astonishing powers could as possible.” Former QPR bring victory. Hatem Ben Arfa defender Kaspars Gorkss put created Newcastle’s opener Reading ahead with an with a superb run down the acrobatic volley in the 16th right before crossing for minute after the ball Cabaye who lashed the ball rebounded off the bar before into the far corner of the net Djibril Cisse equalised with a well-taken goal, controlling after 43 minutes.

Suarez levelled with an and firing home from close excellent goal when he range after 66 minutes.

Adel Taarabt had a golden controlled a long ball from Jose Enrique and rounded opportunity to win it for QPR in the closing stages but keeper Tim Krul to score.

Reading keeper Alex RED CARD Newcastle were then McCarthy made a superb reduced to 10 men when block with his feet to steer the captain Fabricio Coloccini ball past the post.

It was his second was sent off for a careless lunge at Suarez in the closing important save after a brilliant effort stopped Esteban stages.

The result left Newcastle Granero’s freekick in the first in 10th spot, two places above half. The result left Reading Liverpool whose fans also in 18th place with five points had to contend with being from nine games and QPR soaked by a malfunctioning 19th with four from 10. pitch sprinkler which Southampton, who have a drenched them instead of worse goal difference than watering the pitch during the QPR, also have four points and are now bottom although halftime break.

Liverpool have now gone they have a game in hand at five league matches without West Bromwich Albion on defeat - although they have Monday. Manchester United only won one home match all moved into first place when season - and Rodgers told they beat visitors Arsenal 2-1 Sky Sports: “Our possession on Saturday when Chelsea, was good and it was fast, but who were top, slipped a place we just could not finish it off. after being held to a 1-1 draw

Kaieteur News

Page 27

Raikkonen wins Abu Dhabi thriller From back page true champion. "I think it's one of the best of his career. He really went for it. To go from pit lane to podium is phenomenal."

Red Bull could have clinched the constructors' championship for the third year in a row on Sunday but were made to wait after Australian Mark Webber crashed out. They now have 422 points to Ferrari's 340 with 86 remaining to be won.

Vettel, who had led every lap of the last three races, and Alonso are the only drivers still in contention for the title with Raikkonen third overall but 57 behind Red Bull's 25year-old German.

DEADPAN STYLE Raikkonen, a man who has always done his talking on the track, swigged from his bottle of fizzy non-alcoholic rose water on the podium as the other two sprayed theirs at him.

Asked in front of the crowd by retired McLaren

team mate David Coulthard what it was like to win again, the 33-year-old Finn replied in the deadpan fashion his myriad fans have come to love: "Not much really.

"Last time you guys were giving me grief because I didn't smile enough but I'm happy for the team. It's been a hard season and not easy times lately," he added. "Hopefully this will give everyone belief and turn the tables so we can win more races, if not this year then next year."

Raikkonen, who had signed a contract extension before arriving in Abu Dhabi, had seized second place at the start and inherited the lead after Hamilton slowed and pulled over after 20 of the 55 laps. McLaren said a mechanical fuel pump had failed.

When the team advised Raikkonen of the gap between him and his rivals, the Finn was typically blunt: "Leave me alone, I know what to do," he told his engineer.

"Yes, yes, yes, I do it all the

time," he added later on when they reminded him to warm the tyres.

The win was the first since 1987 by a car racing under the Lotus name, although the new Lotus is effectively the old championship-winning Renault outfit that Alonso took his two titles with.

Vettel's performance matched Raikkonen's for emotion, with Red Bull changing the 25-year-old's gearbox and suspension to more aggressive settings before the race. His was a rollercoaster evening, forced to pit for a new front wing after he hit a trackside marker board while weaving behind Toro Rosso's Australian Daniel Ricciardo with the first safety car on track.

The safety car was deployed on the ninth lap following a dramatic flying smash when Germany's Nico Rosberg piled into the back of Indian Narain Karthikeyan's HRT that had suddenly lost hydraulic pressure. Rosberg's

Mercedes was pitched into the air and over the Indian before plunging backwards into the safety barriers. Both drivers walked away unhurt with debris strewn across the track.

The second safety car period, which set up Vettel's final chase, followed a multi-car collision that ended Webber's race along with that of Raikkonen's unfortunate French team mate Romain Grosjean.

McLaren's Jenson Button was fourth, sealing the team's record 56th successive race in the points, ahead of Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado for Williams. Japan's Kamui Kobayashi took sixth for Sauber with Brazilian Felipe Massa seventh for Ferrari and Bruno Senna eighth for Williams.

Britain's Paul Di Resta took ninth for Force India, despite colliding with team mate Nico Hulkenberg and Senna on the first lap, while Ricciardo bagged the final point.

Page 28

Kaieteur News

Monday November 05, 2012

Persaud’s brilliance secures Guyana Open title - Sukhram’s control continues in Ladies category Three-time champion Av i n a s h P e r s a u d ’s perfect chip on the last hole proved to be the most decisive moment on the final day of competition in this year’s XM Guyana Open Golf Championships which ended yesterday, at the

Lusignan Club.

Persaud, who along with defending champion Papo Haniff started the day in pole position played consistently throughout the day to add another lien to his burgeoning titles rack to edge out Canada-based Roger Rajkumar and

Kassim Khan respectively.

He closed the tournament with a gross 155 playing off a 3 handicap to edge out Rajkumar, who all-week long promised to rebound from an inconsistent performance in the Digicel Open to finish with a gross

Guyanese Avinash Persaud and Christine Sukhram male and female winners of the Guyana Open

156 playing off a 7 handicap, while Khan had a gross 157.

Haniff, who like Persaud started the day as joint leader faded badly to end outside the top three positions.

Meanwhile, Christine Sukhram, who like Persaud hails from Lusignan, bounced back on the final day to win the Ladies title for a record six times in a row.

On a competitive last day in the Men’s Championship Flight, which featured players in the 0-9 handicap, Persaud played possibly the shot of the day to finalize the title which is his fourth Guyana Open crown.

Coming into the final hole, the championship was wide open with Persaud, Rajkumar and Khan all in with a chance to grab the coveted accolade, but it was Persaud, who single-handedly dictated the outcome with a shot of expert precision, much to the delight of his supporters and agony of his rivals.

Sukhram, who trailed Suriname’s Sook Choi Nam

Guyanese Avinash Persaud and Christine Sukhram male and female winners of the Guyana Open at the completion of the first day in the 0-36 handicap, recovered in dramatic fashion, by notching up a gross of 160 and net 138.

Choi Nam had to settle for second with a gross 176 and net 148, while her compatriot, M.J. Kim secured the third spot after registering a gross 191 and net 151.

Both Persaud and Sukhram were presented with the winner’s jacket.

The Men’s ‘B’ Flight (10-18 handicap) was won

by Roy Cummings with gross a 165, while Seupaul Suknanan and Colin Ming

finished in second and third respectively, both with gross 167.

Maurice Solomon emerged champion of the ‘C’ Flight (19-28 handicap) with gross 185. Esau Shamshudin took the runner-up spot with gross 192, while Brij Bisessar finished third with gross 194.

The tournament was sponsored exclusively by Banks DIH Limited under its XM brand of aged rums.

All the competitors were presented with special tokens, compliments of the beverage company.

Monday November 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Berbice Table Tennis Open one day tournament serves off this Saturday T h e B e r b i c e Ta b l e Tennis Sub Association continues to be active as they take steps to spread and keep the game going in the Ancient County.

The Association has taken a number of initiatives and completed a number of programmes so far for the year. Among them are conducting ongoing coaching programmes and organizing tournaments throughout the county. All of which have been successful held so far.

In the meanwhile, plans are moving full steam ahead for the grand one day knockout table Tennis Table competition, termed “the B e r b i c e Ta b l e Te n n i s Championship� which is being held in collaboration with the overseas based G u y a n e s e , Berbician Souvenir Ramdyal of 2009 Hall of Fame Realtor of Queens, NY. The tournament is slated for Saturday 10th November 2012 at the Berbice High School Auditorium beginning at 09:00 hrs.

The competition is open to persons living and working in Berbice for the last three years and is expected to see the best Berbice racquet wielders in action.

Play will be in a number of categories including U13, U15, U18 and Open and is expected to see action in both male and female categories.

Incentives will be presented to the top three finishers in each division, while prizes will also be awarded to the most outstanding player, most promising, and most improved among others.

Players are expected from all over the ancient county including New Amsterdam Skeldon, Rose Hall, Berbice River, Canje

and West Berbice. Snacks will be provided and the sponsor is expected to be on hand to meet the players, declare the competition open and distribute the prizes at the end of the competition.

Mr Ramdyal has planned to make the competition an annual affair.

Among some of the players expected to be in action are Gibran Hussein, Floyd Conway, Richard Bacchus, Levi Nedd, Omraj Singh, Lakeram Sanichar, D a v e M a n g r a , Ry a n A l e x a n d e r, Michael Newland, Brentnol Richards, and Sherwin Sahadeo.

A number of youngsters will also be in action as they challenge the older players including national U16 players Briton Murray and Joshua Lalbachan, U13 selectee J a d e n C o n w a y, u p a n d coming Julian Haniff, Nicolas Lawrence, Stephen Sankar.

On the distaff side former national nine times F e m a l e Ta b l e Te n n i s champion Desiree Lancaster is expected to get stiff competition from former Caribbean junior doubles champion Petal Bennet as they lead the charge amongst the females.

Outstanding players will also be kept in training for future competitions.

Officials from The G u y a n a t a b l e Te n n i s Association are expected to be on hand to help oversee the proceedings and help with the distribution of the prizes.

Interested persons can still make contact with any of the following persons Floyd Conway No 6238481, Gibran Hussein 6284248, Richard Bacchus 6739112, Johnny Persaud 3332869, Stanley 686-6431, Levi Nedd 641-9592 and J. Murray on 619-2107.

Page 29

t r o Sp

Persaud's brilliance secures Guyana Open title - Sukhram's control continues in Ladies category

Winners and officials at the XM sponsored Guyana Open Golf tournament following the presentation yesterday

Raikkonen wins Abu Dhabi thriller

A

Lotus F1 team principal Eric Boullier (L), Ferrari Formula One driver Fernando Alonso (2nd L) of Spain, Lotus F1 Formula One driver Kimi Raikkonen of Finland and Red Bull Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel (R) of Germany. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

BU DHABI (Reuters) - Kimi Raikkonen won an Abu Dhabi Grand Prix thriller for Lotus on Sunday while Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel defended his Formula One championship lead by fighting sensationally through the field from last place to third.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso finished runner-up, just 0.8 seconds behind the Finn after reeling him in with a string of fastest laps, to close the gap with Vettel to 10 points with two races remaining.

On an evening with a huge crash, two safety car interludes and a string of retirements including McLaren's Lewis Hamilton while leading from pole position, the floodlit Yas Marina circuit hosted one of the sport's great races and kept the stewards busy.

The victory was Raikkonen's first since 2009 when the 2007 world champion won in Belgium, the 19th of his career, and made him the eighth different driver to triumph in 18 races so far this season. He stopped just once.

Vettel, who had to start from the pit lane due to a fuel irregularity and finally set the fastest lap of what he called a 'crazy race', now has 255 points to Alonso's 245 and can clinch a third successive title in Austin, Texas, in two weeks if results go his way.

"I went to see Sebastian before the race and he said 'I'll see you on the podium'," said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner of a race in which Vettel's run of four successive wins come to an end but added considerably to his reputation as a (continued on page 27)

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