The Tribune
Friday, August 26, 2016
art books social media film fashion music culture gardening
Weekend
HEALTHY LUNCHES Page 7
Meet ‘Shark Boy’ 12-year-old dives into history
Interview, pages 4&5
02| The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, August 26, 2016
education
FOCUS students zero in on climate change, democracy and the Olympics
C
ompleting its sixth Summer SLAM, FOCUS engaged some 200 students in grades five to 10 in solving real world problems at the College of The Bahamas. An initiative of the Lyford Cay Foundations, FOCUS is a tuition-free, out-ofschool time enrichment programme aimed at college readiness and access. Participants are public school students from the northwestern district (Bain and Grants Town through to Gambier Village) who are recruited in grade four and continue the programme through high-school graduation. The majority of students will be within the first generation of their families to complete college. Students attend sessions on 15 Saturdays during the school year and 30 days in the summer. A project-based learning curriculum, programming that emphasises the development of the entire student, and a teaching team committed to making learning exciting and fun are hallmarks of FOCUS. Eight-year-old Chris Cesar spent his first summer at FOCUS this year. “FOCUS is amaaazzzing,” said the fifth grader from Eva Hilton Primary School. “The projects are the best part. My group is working on ‘heat wave.’ I learned that you can get a heat stroke if you’re in the sun too long.” Chris is referencing FOCUS’s project based learning curriculum. This summer, grades five and six researched the topic of climate change and its impact on the Bahamas; grades seven and eight explored the concept of democracy and its alternatives as systems of government; and students in grade nine investigated the Summer Olympics and the implications of the Bahamas’ participation from a social, economic and cultural perspective. Meanwhile grade 10 students began their second phase of FOCUS, “On Course to College”, which transitions from project based learning to more individualised summer learning and mentoring based on students’ interests and career goals. “Project-based learning allows students to develop critical thinking skills that they aren’t usually introduced to. In FOCUS, they have to research,” said Gwenique Charlow, a returning intern.
Grade five to 10 students explore pertinent issues through project-based learning
“During my six years with FOCUS, I’ve grown professionally and gained classroom management skills. I’ve also gained organisational skills and had the benefit of working with seasoned professional educators.” This year, FOCUS incorporated Character Week into its summer schedule as a way of offering students structured exploration of character development. Students were introduced to character traits such as courage, temperance, wisdom, transcendence and justice. For the week, these traits were defined and reflected upon at start of the day during “ASR” (All School Rally), the energy packed morning student assembly at Summer SLAM. Jazmyn Munnings, a 10-year old from Albury Sayle Primary School, summed up her FOCUS summer this way: “FOCUS is challenging. We do a lot of work that we don’t usually do in school. But sometimes, I think about how I’ll be famous walking down the aisle for graduation and becoming a veterinarian.”
The Tribune | Weekend | 03
Friday, August 26, 2016
Inside Weekend Interview 4 - 5 Young diver Adam Richford tells Cara Hunt about his hopes of setting a new world record Food
7 Smart Lunches Bahamas serves up internationally inspire dishes
Entertainment 8 The “I’ve Gat Joy” comedy show to raise money for a good cause, plus the TV show Happy Foods 242 returns
Art 10 - 11 Former police officer turned caricaturist Willard Cunningham hosts workshop for aspiring artists
Culture 12
My perfect Bahamian weekend Vera Chase President of the Commonwealth Writers of the Bahamas Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch? “Sunday lunch at Poseidon buffet at Atlantis is always good.”
Q: What could you not do without? “I could not do without my computer; it keeps me connected.”
Q: Wine, Kalik, rum or cocktail? “Coconut water or fruit punch would be my pick; they are just so delicious.”
Q: Weekend away: where would you go? “Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, on Bahamas Ferries, with breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Sunset Inn, whose proprietor is Lionel Fernander.”
Q: Beach or sofa? “The beach any day – Yamacraw or Fort Montagu Beach.”
Things 2 Do this weekend
Bahamas Chorale Festival offers rich cultural exchange
Friday
Social media 13
• Back to School Fitness Rave
Bahamian blogger celebrates modern-day womanhood
Weddings 14 - 15 Juliette Dorsett and Benjamin Pinder go from co-workers to lovers
Books 17 - 18 Latest releases reviewed
Relationships 19 Dr Edrica Richardson on feeling alone in a crowd
Style 20 - 21 Boot camp teaches the art of wardrobe styling
Film and television 22 - 23 Thriller “Don’t Breathe” reviewed, plus new must-watch shows for Fall
Literary Lives 24 - 25
Time: 6pm Venue: Club One Fitness Centre
The fitness rave is for students and teachers. Come party with to the hottest DJs and sample nutritious snacks. Kids aged 10-17 can try a free BFYTT class. Fitness professionals will also be available for a equipment 101 workshop for parents and teachers and those new to the gym. This event is free to the public. • “I’ve Gat Joy” Comedy Show
Time: 7pm Venue: Bahamas Harvest Church
Artists Sawyerboy, Manley, E’tora, Solo, Young Rev, Stacs & Sii, and Bertrum Oh Bubbler will take the stage. Tickets are $12. Part proceeds from the event will go towards a fun day at the Children’s Emergency Hostel. SEE PAGE 8
Hannah Rothschild – a true patron of the arts
• iElevate Empowerment Summit
Puzzles 26
The summit offers panel discussions, networking opportunities and giveaways. Hosted by entertainer Vince “V-Mac” McDonald, the faithbased event seeks to uplift, motivate and inspire. Free admission and Starbucks coffee.
Animals 27 A potcake goes to the Germany, plus Pet of the Week
Gardening 28 Jack Hardy on growing early vegetables
Time: 7pm Venue: Potential Church
• Island Rock Concert Series
Time: 9pm Venue: Hard Rock Café
Hosted by Sawyerboy TV, this weekend’s instalment feature a performance by the band Haeven. This six-month long concert series will culminate in the patrons’ favourite band winning a trip to an international Hard Rock to play live. Admission $10 at the door. Proceeds go to Royal Nassau Skate Park. • Willis & the Illest Live
Time: 10pm Venue: Compass Point
The good vibes return with the Bahamas’ most popular reggae band.
Saturday • BBFF 2016 National Championships
Time: pre-judging at 10am; finals at 7pm Venue: Meliá Nassau Beach Resort, ballroom
The Bahamas Bodybuilding and Fitness National Championships determine this year’s winners. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. • iElevate Empowerment Music Workshop
Time: 10am - 12noon Venue: Potential Church
The iElevate summit culminates with a music and entertainment workshop for those who want to learn how to become successful artists. Admission is free.
• 3D Teen Church Launch Party
Time: 3pm - 5pm Venue: New Birth Church, Robinson Road The launch features speaker Quentin Miller, and musical guests Ricardo Clark and Spirited. • Beer Olympics
Time: 8pm Venue: Pirate Republic
In honour of the Olympic Games in Rio this year, round up your crew of pirates and wenches and join in the fun. Sign-up requirements: Choose a country flag to compete under; teams must consist of six people; teams must be ready to drink and be of drinking age. There is no entry fee. To enter inbox Pirate Republic on Facebook or e-mail blackbeard@ piraterepublicbahamas.com and list all team members competing and the country you will represent. • Da Spot Improv Sketch Comedy Show
Time: 8pm Venue: The Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts
After a five-year hiatus, the popular variety show troupe is back with a new show to feature not only comedy, but also art. Each show will end with a performance by the drum band Ubuntu Jammers. Tickets are $20.
04| The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, August 26, 2016
interview
He may be only 12 years old, but Adam Richford is about to dive into history. He tells Cara Hunt all about his love of the sea and how he earned the nickname “Shark Boy”
Adam Richford
L
ess than two weeks after Shaunae Miller stunned the world with a dive across the finish line to win the gold medal in the women’s 400m at Olympics in Rio, young Adam Richford is expected to earn the country another honour with a very different type of dive. Today, Adam is set to become the world’s youngest PADI Scuba Junior Master. When Tribune Weekend chatted with Adam on Tuesday he was just two days away from his 12th birthday and three days away from possibly setting a world record for being the youngest diver ever to gain PADI Master Scuba Certification. PADI stands for the “Professional Association of Diving Instructors”; it is the world’s largest organisation of recreational divers and diving instructors. “I am nervous but excited,” said the soonto-be sixth grader who attends the Lyford Cay School. “If I can get the record, I think it will make me more comfortable about doing other dives and then I would be able to advance to shark feeding dives.” Adam has always had a love of the water and the outdoors, and has such a huge fascination with sharks that he earned the nickname “Shark Boy” from his family and friends. “I learned to swim from a very early age and I have always loved the ocean, snorkelling, fishing, anything to do with the water and being outdoors I love,” he said. Adam first got interested in diving about four years ago when he met Georgiana Merlusca, a dive instructor at Stuart Cove Dive Bahamas, who encouraged him to participate in a Bubblemaker programme. The Bubblemaker programme is designed to introduce children eight years old and older to the world of scuba diving. The
The Tribune | Weekend | 05
Friday, August 26, 2016
“When you snorkel it is like you are a tourist in the sea, but when you can dive you can be a part of it and you see so much more, and you are right up close with (marine life).”
Adam and his dive instructor Georgiana “Gigi” Merlusca. children learn from a experienced PADI certified diver how to breathe and clear their mask in water that is less than six feet deep, blow bubbles and then clear their masks again. Once he turned 10, Adam got his PADI Junior Open Water Certification – the PADI Junior Open Water Diver Course is an entry-level diver certification that is recognised world-wide. A PADI Junior Open Water Diver between the ages of 10 and 11 may only dive with a PADI professional, a certified parent or certified guardian to a maximum depth of 40ft or 12m. Additionally, Adam earned certification in underwater photography, underwater navigation, as an underwater naturalist, in peak performance buoyancy, and in the programme Awareness Sea Turtle (a course which teaches divers and snorkellers basic sea turtle identification and conservation), and as an emergency first responder. And now at the age of 12, Adam is about to embark on a new diving adventure – gaining his PADI Junior Advance Certi-
“I would love to dive with whales and whale sharks and do a great white shark dive in South Africa. I love sharks. I want to be a part of helping protect them.”
fication along with his PADI Rescue Diver Certification. To earn the certifications, Adam has to undergo two days of diving. The first day – which was scheduled for yesterday – was to gain his Junior Advance Certification. The second series of dives are to earn his certification as a rescue diver. The rescue diver requirements cannot be completed on the same day and so Adam’s plan was to do the first requirements on Thursday and finish the rest early this morning. Once those are completed, he will have earned the Junior Master Scuba Diver certification. The certification means that he would have completed the required number of dives and skills, including several
speciality diving courses. The youngest PADI diver completed his dives around 8.30am on his 12th birthday. Adam hopes to finish his dives around 8am, which would make him the youngest PADI Junior Master diver ever. Although it is not a Guinness World Record event, the achievement would be known in PADI dive circles and Adam is excited about the honour. He said that diving is an excellent way to get up and close and personal with the beauty that can be found beneath the surface of the sea. “When you snorkel it is like you are a tourist in the sea, but when you can dive you can be a part of it and you see so much more, and you are right up close with (marine life).” He said one of the things he laments about diving is actually never having enough time underwater. “I hate if I am down there and I am seeing something that is interesting and then it’s time to go back up. And I hate having to stop what I am doing and get out of the water.” Adam said he would definitely encourage other kids to get involved in the activity. “Diving is a lot of fun, but it is also very educational and it can help you learn a lot about the environment,” he explained. Adam usually goes diving out of Stuart Cove Dive Bahamas, a company he says has made conservation and preservation of the environment its main focus. It is something that he wants to spend his life doing as well. “I want to study to be a marine biologist and also become a dive instructor and work at Stuart Cove,” he said of his future plans. He also has big dreams of diving with sharks and whales some day. “I have done dives with hammerheads in Bimini already,” he said, “but I would love to dive with whales and whale sharks and do a great white shark dive in South Africa. I love sharks. I want to be a part of helping protect them.”
06 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, August 26, 2016
The Tribune | Weekend | 07
Friday, August 26, 2016
food
Healthy lunches with international flair By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net
W
hen it comes to cooking, Lou Jupp, the owner of Smart Lunch Bahamas, said she has been inspired
by the world. The Frenchwoman is the daughter of a Moroccan mother and moved to Nassau when she married her Bahamian husband. Her culinary tastes and skills have also been influenced by African, Asian, European and Caribbean methods of cooking. “My cooking style is definitely ‘fusine’,” she told Tribune Weekend of her fusion style dishes. “When you taste it, you won’t be able to say. ‘Oh, this is French food, or this is Bahamian food’; it’s a mix of all the cultures I have been exposed to.” Lou got her start in cooking when she was just ten years old. “My mother is from Morocco and Moroccans love food and will spend hours every day cooking,” she said. “When I was little, I really was not that interested. But when I moved away from home and had to cook for myself, then I would call her every day and get advice, and that is when my interest really grew. When she got married last year and moved to the Bahamas, Lou got the opportunity to expand on her skills and develop her own catering company – Smart Lunch Bahamas – in April. “When I moved here last year, I was looking for something to do. Originally, I thought being from France I would do something with wine, but when people started telling me about how they struggled to find healthy, tasty lunch options, I decided to give up the wine and start preparing food instead,” she said. Initially, Lou only cooked for close friends and her husband’s co-workers, but eventually expanded her client base. Customers interested in ordering can contact the chef via her Facebook
Chef Lou Jupp offers lunches influenced by international cuisine delivered to your workplace or home.
page, phone or e-mail to place their orders. They can also visit the website www.smart-lunch-bahamas.com. “Because of the nature of the business, for now they have to place the order the day before and then we can determine a time frame in which I will deliver their meal,” she explained. Lou prides herself on the fact that all of the meals she prepares are made with all natural and fresh ingredients. “I don’t use anything that is processed and everything that I use is made from scratch. For example, I make my own ‘mayonnaise’, which is really a sauce that has a lot less fat than mayonnaise,” she said. “Our motto is, ‘Eat Better, Feel Better’, because what you eat has a big impact on how you feel. Also, a lot of times people focus on the calories in food and that is one thing to take note of, but you have to always pay close attention to the nutrients in the foods you eat, because it is the nutrients that will sustain you,” she said. The Smart Lunch Bahamas menu includes items such as quinoa salad, an assortment of wraps and baguette style sandwiches with fillings like spicy tuna, roasted chicken and vegan delight.
08| The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, August 26, 2016
entertainment
The gift of laughter Tonight’s comedy show to benefit children in need
Stacs & Sii
By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
W
E’tora
ITH everyday life in the Bahamas throwing up numerous challenges, there are many people out there, especially children, who are in need of some joy in their lives. This is the thinking of Unorthobox Entertainment, which in collaboration with God Squad Universal is hoping to provide its audience with relief in the form of laughter when it presents the “I’ve Gat Joy” comedy show tonight. The show will be performed at the Bahamas Harvest Church. Doors open at 6.30pm. The event will feature a wide array of artists, including Sawyerboy and Manley, who will be doing standup routines; E’tora with a funny spoken word piece; singer Solo performing his hit songs for comedy effect and the act Young Rev and Stacs & Sii, who are known for bringing fire to the stage through their rap performances.
Sawyerboy
The show will culminate in popular comedian Bertrum Oh Bubbler taking the stage. “Unorthobox Entertainment and God Squad Universal have come together for the dual purpose of pulling on the inner joy in the hearts of people and to use the gift of laughter to be a blessing to those kids who might have less to smile about on a daily basis,” said organiser Jaquay Adderley. Mr Adderley said the aim of the show is for audience members to forget their troubles for a moment and soak up the joy. “All in attendance are guaranteed stress-relieving laughter throughout the entire night. There will also be a sense of satisfaction that we are collectively sowing seeds into the lives of children and having a blast while doing so,” he said. Part proceeds from the event will go towards a fun day at the Children’s Emergency Hostel.
Bertrum Oh Bubbler
Young Rev “This is back-to-school time when we know needs are high and those underprivileged need as much help as possible. We decided that the best way to reach out to them and show them God’s love is through giving. We will be donating a fun day along with school supplies for each student,” said Mr Adderley. Tickets for the event are $12.
A taste of wine and Rotary IF you enjoy wine, doing good in the world, and mingling with positive-minded community leaders, then “A Taste of Wine and Rotary” might be the event for you. The Rotary Clubs of Nassau and East Nassau are hosting a wine tasting event on Saturday, September 3, from 6pm - 9pm at Premier Cru on Gladstone Road. Tickets are being pre-sold at
$30 and are required for entry. No tickets will be sold at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Geoffrey Jones & Co on Rosetta Street in Palmdale or from one of the clubs before their weekly meeting. Come during fellowship between 12.30pm and 1pm to purchase a ticket or stay for the meeting (1pm - 2pm). The speaker on August 26 at the Rotary Club
of East Nassau, meeting at the Nassau Yacht Club, is Ministry of Tourism Director General Joy Jibrilu. The speaker on August 30 at the Rotary Club of Nassau, meeting upstairs at Luciano’s of Chicago, is Club President Sam Boodie who will review the club’s plan for the year, which will include a summary of projects. For questions contact Diane de Cardenas at DianeDeCardenas@gmail.com.
Solo
The TheTribune Tribune||Weekend Weekend||09 9
Friday, August 26, 26,2016 2016 Friday, August
entertainment section
By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net
T
he continuous support of Bahamian viewers is what drives the team behind the local hit television food show Happy Foods 242. And they are all back for a fifth season on Cable 12 (Channel 212), beginning next Saturday at 7.30pm. This season, the show will air Saturdays and be re-broadcast on Wednesdays at 8pm. As in previous seasons, the show will explore the world of food and beverages in 10 episodes; showcasing restaurants, home-based food companies, private chefs, pastry chefs and more. “Season five will be better than the first four seasons,” said the show’s producer and host Sasha Lightbourne. She assures viewers that every aspect has been improved, from the production values to the wardrobe and makeup. Since its debut in 2014, Sasha said the show has grown tremendously in popularity – a fact that brings her great joy. Whether it’s walking into a food store and seeing a child mimicking her signature 2-4-2 hand gesture or having people stop her and ask the question, “242, when will ya’ll have some new shows?”, these are the things that make the ride worthwhile for Sasha. “Fans always make suggestions to us based on what they see, and we like that. We are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, so those are the vehicles fans use to send us messages and sometimes critique what they have seen. We also have our own YouTube
‘Happy Foods 242’ returns for fifth season ‘Happy Foods 242’ returns for fifth season
Happy Foods 242 producer and host Sasha Lightbourne (above) and centre with team members Jay Isaacs (left) and Kendrick Strachan; inset above, Happy Foods once again sets out to find the Bahamas’ best eats and treats
channel. I remember someone writing in and telling me that they missed me doing my happy dance and saying ‘bangalang’, so this season I had to make sure I incorporated those things,” Sasha told Tribune Weekend. In terms of any major changes to the show, Sasha said they have definitely made adjustments to the audio quality, which was something pointed out by viewers throughout the previous season. Most importantly, she said what keeps the show running is the input and inspiration derived from its team members. “There is some input from friends, family and viewers, but everything mostly really starts with us and that’s the reason why at the end of every season and before the beginning of a new season we meet as a group to hash out what we like and what we didn’t like, what needs to improve; those sort of things. We are always aiming for a top-notch product. We want to take the viewer to a place where five minutes, 10 minutes into the show, they are drooling and want to go wherever we are or call the chef we are dealing with,” she said. Without giving too much away, she said this season will be a good combination of sweet and savoury. “We also for the first time did an online bistro company. So this one will be good, very good; the best season to date. We also returned to one of our clients so we have a reunion show. We did some up-and-coming local places which will soon be the talk of Nassau, so this season has all new shows, an all new look, but the same warm, happy spirit.”
10 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, August 26, 2016
art
Caricaturist hosts workshop for aspiring artists Willard Cunningham invites Bahamians to “Draw With Me” By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
F
ormer Royal Bahamas Police Force officer Willard Cunningham may have traded in his service weapon and the handcuffs for a pencil and canvas, but the family man is still seeking to assist members of the public to the best of his abilities. Only this time around he hopes to help them with learning the basics of drawing when he hosts a workshop at Balmoral on September 24. During the “Draw With Me” event, which starts at 5pm, Mr Cunningham will endeavour to impart his knowledge to other aspiring artists or those just interested in drawing. The former police officer said he retired from the force a few years ago because he wanted to pursue his dream of being a fulltime artist. He said he wanted the pleasure that comes with doing something he loved while being able to provide for his family at the same time. His art career allows him to do both. During tomorrow evening’s workshop, Mr Cunningham will share some of the techniques he has learned since he was a just a budding artist in high school. “I have always had an artistic side to myself, from as far back as pre-school,” he said. “Some of the kids would leave their desk to come and watch me scribble. My teacher at Jordan Prince Williams pointed out that I had great talent, and she said, ‘You know, Willard you are a budding artist and that is who you
Artist Willard Cunnigham
Tourists at Meliá enjoy Willard Cunnigham’s lessons
The inspirational children’s book “I Can Help” was written by Gabri elle Pratt and illustrated by Willard Cunni ngham
“I get inspiration from God because He is the ultimate artist; He created the universe and paid attention to detail.”
The Tribune | Weekend | 11
Friday, August 26, 2016
will be one day.” After completing high school and even during his time working as a police officer, Mr Cunningham continued drawing, but only for fun. Then one day he came to the realisation that his art needed his full attention. But before taking that leap of faith, Mr Cunningham, like many aspiring Bahamian artists who have the talent but are unable to make a lucrative income from it, needed to weigh his options. While it is no secret that it can be extremely difficult to live off one’s art here in the Bahamas, there are some who have succeeded. And it was this thought that kept Mr Cunningham motivated. “I did 11 years on the police force and I always had the desire to make art my main income source. One day, while in my police attire, I was walking in Atlantis and I saw Jamaal Rolle’s work back in 2009. When I saw his work it was as if I saw myself in his work. I immediately connected with myself and I remember being so amazed by it. I said, ‘This guy would have had to been doing this full time and would have had to been developing himself in order to be at that level. That was when I realised that I had to do something. I resigned (from the force) to actually pursue my dream. I saw others were doing it and making it, and I thought if he could do it and make it; I can do the same,” he said. Although he started off doing pencil portraits, over the years he has grown to love caricatures, simply for the fact that a subject’s characteristics are exaggerated to create a humorous effect. “What I also love about this form of art is that is an easy way to make a steady flow of money. If you are really fast and accurate, you can do very well. My wife always says to me, ‘People do not like paying for average, so if you love what you are doing and you do it quick, people will be willing to pay for that.’ Portrait art on the other hand takes about six hours to do one person’s face. I don’t really like portrait art because it requires you to be very accurate and it is not fun for me. But with the caricatures I can play with a person’s face and their body and it is fun,” he said. Mr Cunningham said so far his career in art has been very rewarding. “I get inspiration from God because he is the ultimate artist; He created the universe and paid attention to detail,” said Mr Cunningham. “My wife inspires me to do art because when I can provide via my talent and when I look at the expression on her face you can see that she is satisfied that I am doing something with my gift. She gives me the fire and it’s like I have meaning to go forward and provide. She is always in my corner and my number one supporter.” For more information about the artist call 395-6816 or e-mail cunninghamsartistry@ hotmail.com.
Aspiring artists learn the basics of sketching
Drawings by Willard Cunningham
A happy customer holds up a caricature of herself by Willard Cunningham
12 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, August 26, 2016
culture
Bahamas Chorale Festival offers rich cultural exchange 16 choirs lift up their voices to appreciative Bahamian crowd
S
ixteen choirs from around the world have united to join their melodic voices in harmony for the 10-day cultural and musical immersion programme currently being held in Nassau. America Cantat 8 is the premier cultural music festival of the Americas and is the only non-competitive choir festival to unite singers, conductors and festival choirs from North, Central
and South America. Choral groups from Estonia, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Cuba, and Canada are also in town for the event and will be performing throughout the week until August 31. Senior Manager of Culture and Heritage Dr Cleveland Williams said events such as this exist to improve the quality of the Bahamas brand. “When an event such as the America Cantat 8 comes to the Bahamas, it does a lot for the cultural landscape in the Bahamas,” he said. “There’s a niche market for cultural tourism and I think these type of activities will help to build a better Bahamas and to give our young people something to aspire for.” Participating Bahamian choirs
The National Youth Choir is one of the four participating Bahamian groups include the Bel Canto Singers, the National Youth Choir, the COB Concert Choir and the Highgrove Singers. Festival Development Director at American Choral Directors Association Eden Badgett said the Bahamas is the perfect place to have an event such as the American Cantat. “Choral music is wonderful. It unites people and when you bring it to a place that is as beautiful, welcoming and exciting as the Bahamas with the people being so warm to us, nothing could be better,” said Mr Badgett. Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchombe said the America Cantat 8 serves as a gateway for music to be used as a marketing tool. “The Chorale has brought young people to the Bahamas; these young people serve as the voice of our country, they will speak to what they’ve discovered, they will speak to the fact that music is a universal language,” he said. Minister Wilchcombe added that the Bahamas should start using Junkanoo as its own unique marketing tool to draw
more visitors to its shores. “We have to include Junkanoo in more of what we do because it’s a marketing tool – it is so distinctive,” he said. Visiting choir director of the Hamilton Children’s Choir, Zimfira Poloz, said the America Cantat 8 is much more than choirs singing; it’s about sharing and learning from each other. “This event is wonderful as it’s all about friendship. It’s all about music. It’s about children. I think it’s so wonderful when children come from around the world to sing together,” she said. “It’s a magical moment when they become friends and you can see their smiles as they share their songs. They want to teach each other, they learn names and they make music instead of war.” The Ministry of Tourism also hosted the children for a few hours to show them what growing up in the Bahamas is like. The kids came together to play musical chairs, build kites, hula hoop and experience ring play. Senior Manager of Industry Training Ruthann Rolle said the cultural exchange is simply about creating unforgettable experiences for guests. “What we’re doing here is exploring all of our cultural games, the ones we enjoyed as children. The ones that kept us on the cutting edge and what’s important is sustainability, by bringing it out here and sharing it with our visitors, we are enjoying it ourselves,” she said. “It’s all about guest satisfaction when they come here all we can give them is the experience. I always tell people that the product of The Bahamas is in the performance of its people.” During the 10 days, participants are not only providing free concerts to the public, but they are also taking part in workshops and cultural exchanges. The festival includes seven days of free concerts at various churches throughout Nassau. Mid-day concerts will be held at 1.30pm to 3pm. The evening concerts kick off at 8pm. For the full schedule, visit www.TourismToday. com.
The Tribune | Weekend | 13
Friday, August 26, 2016
social media
Bahamian blogger celebrates modern-day womanhood By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net
E
xploring 21st century womanhood one page at a time is the goal of a new blog by Bahamian Sonovia Burrows. Called “The Little Lady’s Diary”, the blog talks about everything from love and relationships, to travel, etiquette and inspiration, and encourages women to embrace being a “lady” in today’s society. Sonovia told Tribune Weekend that the idea for the site came from writing her own diary. The 23-year-old blogger has always been an avid writer, but up until now has never shared her work with others. After graduating with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Spanish last year, Sonovia decided to take a time-out to determine what goals she wanted to set for herself in life. “I was already writing, so starting a blog wouldn’t be hard at all. Therefore, in July, I put all my fear and doubts away and started. As with anything we decide to do, we would like it to be successful. A successful blog would be for me to reach the maximum number of young women possible and then some,” she said. “The Little Lady’s Diary”, Sonovia said, currently doesn’t offer any specific services except posts offering inspiration and motivation, which are all free and available to anyone in need of some encouraging words. The blog is modelled on an actual diary and as such is divided into chapters. The ‘Love & Relationships’ chapter explores the ups and downs, as well as the joys and tears of being a woman and being in a relationship. Here, Sonovia offers tips based on personal experiences and those of others around her. The ‘Inspiration’ chapter focuses on just that – inspiration – and aims to help get readers through those tough days. “ ‘Travel’ is a chapter that I absolutely love. I believe every woman should be well-travelled. When you
travel you gain insight into new things; you see the world very differently. You experience new cultures and meet new people,” she said. Meanwhile, the chapter titled ‘Etiquette’ was a must for her blog. “When one thinks of being a lady, etiquette is a word that always accompanies it,” said Sonovia. A new, special feature of the blog is the “Little Lady of the Month” section, where Sonovia conducts interviews showcasing inspiring young women and girls from the community and
their accomplishments. “The feedback is what keeps me going. It’s what makes me want to sit down and write a post or feature a ‘Little Lady’ doing great things in her community and life. I usually receive all facets of feedback. Sometimes I receive constructive criticism in the form of suggestions for a ‘Little Lady of the Month’ or a topic to write on. I also receive encouraging feedback pushing me to keep up the good work,” she said. Apart from the blog, Sonovia is an
active member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Eta Psi Omega Chapter, and serves as the co-leader for her youth ministry at Church of God of Prophecy in Elizabeth Estates. She is also a youth mentor for the European Baptist Federation and a member of the Toastmasters International Club 7178 – Healing Communicators. “Moving in silence is my signature move and I prefer it so much more because I believe you are what you do, not what you say you’ll do. 2016 has been a great year for me and my movement, and I look forward to even more in the near future in this same year and going forward. I am letting God steer this ship, and wherever he takes me and ‘The Little Lady’s Diary’ we are willing to go with no hesitation. He planted this vision and purpose in me and I strongly believe he won’t let me settle, nor will he let it fail,” said Sonovia. “The Little Lady’s Diary” can be found at http://littleladydiary.com, or on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
16||The The Tribune Tribune | Weekend 16 Weekend
Friday, August Friday, August26, 26,2016 2016
fashion The Weekend Fashion Report Society events
HIT
HIT
FAIL
SPLIT
SPLIT
Bethenny Frankel Real Housewives
Chanel Iman, model
Ariel Winter Modern Family
Elle Fanning The Neon Demon
Natalie Portman Jane Got A Gun
Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood event
Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood event
AOL’s BUILD Speaker Series
Karin says: “I’m so over this seemingly Beetlejuice inspired striped suit look. If this pantsuit were plain black, not so shiny, and the pant legs were maybe flared, the whole idea would work with the sexy top. This way...nah. It’s just not an attractive look.” Cara says: “If she lost the just a bit too tacky crop top, I would be a bit more enthusiastic about the outfit. It’s just OK. And again, the ankle straps with the cropped and very tight pants just don’t work for me. Makes her legs look short.”
Karin says: “OK, normally I would say this type of dress is a mishmash nightmare. But it actually works for me. It’s fun and all the elements balance out somehow. What is a crime, however, is wearing those boring black pumps. Otherwise it’s a cool look.” Cara says: “She’s young; it’s a young event. I get it. What I don’t get is why she thinks this looks good. All the details are cute...well, not the overplayed bra top so much ...but the cute bows and the embellishments on the skirt, but add it all together and you have a hot mess.”
Skinny Girl Cocktails RHONY viewing party Karin says: “Finally, something a bit different in shape. I love this fresh looking colourblocked gown (and can’t fault the clever advertising for her new Watermelon Lime Margarita). However, I do not like the new Anna Wintour hair cut.” Cara says: “The very first thing I noticed was her watermelon bag. I had that exact bag when I was a little girl. OK, so her’s is a $1,000 Judith Leiber and mine was plastic, but still. I love this outfit. The top is popping; the flowiness of the skirt is fun, and that bag seals the deal. Great summer look.”
W Dubai Hotel’s opening celebration Karin says: “This makes being chic look effortless. Love the embellished crop top with the different straps and the fact that she paired it with a pair of classy, flared, white slacks. It just looks so stylish yet comfortable.” Cara says: “Now this crop top I like. It’s sexy; the girls are where they need to be, and it has just enough going on to be unique and different. I like that she steered clear of the predictable black pants or skirt and went with white instead.”
Karin says: “Is Natalie still wearing her wardrobe for the upcoming Jackie O film? Otherwise, this is just a bit too prim and proper. It’s sorta cute, but needed an outrageous element to spice it up a bit. The lace shoes are not enough.” Cara says: “This is pure 1960s. I almost expect to see a pillbox hat. It’s cute. I especially like the pearly floral detail on the fabric. The top would have looked too dowdy with anything other than a mini skirt, and I think the lace pumps are a great choice.”
AP
With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt
The Tribune | Weekend | 17
Friday, August 26, 2016
books
Schumer keeps it real in ‘Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo’
A
my Schumer is a powerhouse in the entertainment industry, thanks to her Emmy-winning TV series, “Inside Amy Schumer,” and feature film box-office smash “Trainwreck.” A comedian, actress, writer, producer and director, Schumer is on her way to adding “best-selling author” to her list of achievements with her new book, “The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo.” Schumer is a talented storyteller. She’s known for standing in a spotlight and sharing every corner of her soul with thousands of strangers. So it’s no surprise that her book is packed with hilarious, honest and often vulnerably raw details of her life. Her self-deprecating essays reveal a young Amy navi-
gating the tricky waters of adolescence, including new love, lost friendships and the accidental discovery of what the naked body of an older woman looks like up close and personal. Readers also get a peek inside Schumer’s “new money” world. She starts by chronicling the better part of a decade when she hustled comedy clubs for work in order to make a name for herself. She notes that her achievements are the result of hard work, never passing up an opportunity to get on a stage, and the ability to poke fun at herself. Schumer writes that life isn’t all butterflies and rainbows. She’s been the subject of emotional and physical abuse. Her parents’ divorce was pain-
Rowling e-books about Hogwarts coming in September JK Rowling has so much more to say about Hogwarts. The “Harry Potter” author has completed a series of short digital works, Pottermore Presents, centered on the school where Potter and friends honed their magic. Three collections will be released September 6 through Rowling’s Pottermore web site, pottermore.com, which announced the books Wednesday. The upcoming works include “Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists,” ‘’Short Stories from Hogwarts” and “Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide.” Rowling already is having a busy year. In May, she was honored by PEN, the literary and human rights organization. The stage production “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” opened in July and the film “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” for which she wrote the screenplay, is coming out in November. NEW YORK Associated Press
ful. Her father suffers from a debilitating disease. And she’ll never forget the dreadful night when two young women were killed in a shooting while watching her movie at a theater. As a result, she’s an advocate for domestic abuse and gun-violence awareness. Through all the pain, she’s used each experience to grow into the version of Amy Schumer that she’s supposed to be. Readers will laugh and cry, and may put the book down from moments of honesty that result in uncomfortable realistic details from her life. More important, the essays challenge readers to harness their own stories and rest in the fact that they’re good enough. LINCEE RAY Associated Press
PHOTO BY JOEL RYAN/INVISION/AP
JK Rowling
Comedienne Amy
PHOTO BY JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION /AP
Schumer
Two more books planned for hit young adult ‘Ember in the Ashes’ series SABAA Tahir has more battles planned for her heroine Laia in the best-selling fantasy series “An Ember in the Ashes.” Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that it had a deal for books 3 and 4. The author’s first novel, “An Ember in the Ashes,” came out last year and was an immediate critical and commercial hit, with Paramount Pictures acquiring film rights. The sequel, “A Torch Against the Night,” is scheduled for publication at the end of this month. Book 3 is expected in 2018. The series is set in a world inspired by ancient Rome and tells of young Laia’s fight, which leads her to disguise herself as a slave, against the tyrannical Martial Empire. NEW YORK Associated Press
18 | The Tribune Tribune || Weekend 18 Weekend
Friday, Friday,August August26, 26,2016 2016
books section Orchard House, today a historic house museum, is where Louisa May Alcott wrote and set “Little Women”
review
‘The One Man’ is heartfelt and compelling
A
ndrew Gross, known for his contemporary thrillers, takes the reader back to World War II and the brutality that Jews faced in the concentration camps in his novel, “The One Man.” The dilemma Nathan Blum faces is determining how much one life is worth. Blum has escaped a Polish ghetto and made his way to the United States. He lost his entire family to the Nazis, and he has decided to help the US government by becoming an intelligence officer. Alfred Mendl is a physics professor who has been torn apart from his family and thrown into Auschwitz. His entire life’s work was burned in front of his eyes, and he spends each painful day struggling to stay alive so he can see his family reunited. He meets a teenager named Leo who has
the ability to do complex mathematics and remember vast amounts of data without using paper or a calculator. Mendl begins tutoring Leo in physics. Blum receives an assignment that he knows is a suicide mission. His superiors tell him they need Mendl’s expertise to assist them with a topsecret plan to design a special bomb to end the war and beat the Germans in the design of this weapon. Though they aren’t sure if Mendl is alive, he was last seen at Auschwitz. They want Blum to sneak into the camp and rescue Mendl. He will have 72 hours to achieve his mission. Gross has written his most heartfelt and compelling book to date, and fans of World War II fiction should add this to their reading lists. JEFF AYERS Associated Press
Family home of Louisa May Alcott spared by tornado in town
A
tornado that briefly touched down in the Massachusetts town of Concord uprooted trees and damaged dozens of houses but spared the family home of author Louisa May Alcott. The National Weather Service says the EF1 tornado had winds of about 100 mph. EF1 is
the second-lowest of six tornado levels. It struck just after 3 a.m. Monday. Meteorologist Alan Dunham says it caused a swath of damage about a half-mile long. Fire officials say 39 homes were damaged, including one that suffered significant structural damage. But Louisa May
Alcott’s Orchard House was untouched. The historic house and museum’s Facebook page says the tornado “hit right above” the home and knocked out power, but the building was unscathed. The home is where Alcott wrote her 1868 novel, “Little Women.” CONCORD, Mass. (AP)
‘The Couple Next Door’ is well-sculpted domestic thriller
I
n Shari Lapena’s highly suspenseful thriller “The Couple Next Door,” Anne and Marco Conti return home from a dinner party to find their front door open and their 6-month-old daughter, Cora, missing. The Contis had been at their neighbors’ house for a birthday celebration. Their baby sitter canceled at the last minute, so they set up their baby monitor
and one of them went home to check on Cora every half hour. After all, they were just next door. And so what if they miss the 1 a.m. check; they’ll be home soon. But sometime between the last check at 12.30am and their return home around 1.30am, Cora vanished. Police detectives Rasbach and Jennings can find no evidence that anyone came into
the house after the couple’s last bed check. The townhouses where the couples live share a wall, but no one heard anything during the party. As the police scour the upstate New York town, a few clues — and a lot of inconsistencies — show up. While the couple’s fears for their daughter’s well-being seem genuine, the detectives have
misgivings. Could the Contis have harmed their child and faked the kidnapping to cover up their actions? Or did the kidnapper know that Anne’s parents are uberwealthy? Each aspect of their life becomes fodder for the investigation — from Anne’s postpartum depression to Marco’s business dealings. Twists are subtly revealed with
aplomb, taking the story to increasingly unpredictable levels. Lapena delves deep to show how the stress of Cora’s disappearance affects the story’s characters, from the Contis to Anne’s parents to even the detectives. “The Couple Next Door” is a well-sculpted domestic thriller. OLINE H COGDILL Associated Press
The Tribune Tribune || Weekend The Weekend||19 19
Friday,August August 26, 26, 2016 Friday,
relationships section
Are you surrounded by people, but drowning in solitude? By DR EDRICA RICHARDSON
S
ometimes you can find yourself surrounded by other people, for example in a social situation like a party, but you realise that you don’t have a real connection with any of the people there. When you are alone, you are not confronted with the superficiality of your relationships. But when you are in a room full of your friends, you can suddenly realise, “I don’t actually like these people. I have nothing in common with them. They don’t really know me; who I really am. Why do they seem happy while I’m miserable?” You can discover, unhappily, that you have outgrown your social circle, which can make you feel isolated and disconnected. One of my clients told me he didn’t realise this disconnect had happened to him until he was confronted with his friends for what was supposed to be a joyous occasion.Speaking with me, my client explained: “(It didn’t happen) after my mom got sick, after my girlfriend at the time and I split up, and after losing loved one after loved one to cancer and other diseases. Instead, it came when a group of people I loved went out of their way to organise a party for me after I graduated from college. Walking into a room full of people, party streamers hanging from the ceiling, and friends in multi-coloured cone-shaped hats greeting me at the door, all I wanted to do was make them feel the way they wanted me to feel, which was happy. But I didn’t have the energy. I smiled widely while greeting my friends and walking into the party, but
Social situations like parties or other celebrations can sometimes bring out a feeling of isolation internally my emotions felt the result of whatever was hiding deep in the back of my mind, and fighting it was exhausting.” You know that feeling when everybody needs you, but you don’t have it to give, but you give it (and yourself) anyway? This feeling can be hard to express to other people, especially those who are used to you always making them feel good. Sometimes it’s hard to always be “on”, particularly when others need you but you need yourself most. If you are in a crowded situation with strangers, your mind can wander to thoughts about how we live in a society where people live anonymous lives and Despite being in a relationship, many persons find themselves experiencing loneliness
try, often in vain, to form real connections to each other. It can seem like a statistical impossibility that you will find someone with whom you are compatible, even though you are surrounded by hundreds of people. It’s a less personal and more existential feeling of aloneless you can experience in the midst of a group. My client’s instability transformed from a period of waiting to a period of self-recognition. He found himself taking a backseat to his own emotional decisions, and he began to look inward to find anything that would make the process more pleasant and worth it. It was, and continues to be, a period of incredible change. So if you’re feeling like this, it’s time to regroup. Take a time-out. Alone time is necessary so you can quiet all the other voices; so that your voice becomes the loudest again. This will help you ensure that your vision is clear to really see who is around you. The process of climbing back into the driver’s seat of your life entails many things: asking what makes you feel better or worse; what fuels your productivity; what gives you purpose, and what provokes negative or triggering emotions.
Such questions can be largely transformative to the process of you recognising yourself again. Just don’t give up. Find a professional to talk to. And remember, it’s time to hear your voice the loudest and be your best self.
•Dr Edrica D Richardson is licenced marriage and family therapist in multiple states in the US and an AAMFT approved supervisor. She currently runs private practice in Nassau and the US. Her clinical specialities include relationship issues, stress management, family conflict and life coaching, to name a few. She works with adolescents, couples and families. •For more information, visit her website at www.dredrich.com
20||The The Tribune Tribune | Weekend 20 Weekend
Friday, Friday,August August26, 26,2016 2016
fashion
The art of wardrobe styling Boot camp teaches newcomers how to get a start in the industry By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
W
hile professional wardrobe styling may still be a relatively new concept locally, participants of the recent Joe Stubbs Stylist Agency Boot Camp were eager to learn all about how they can pursue a successful career in the field right here in the Bahamas. The job description can vary with assignment, but in general a wardrobe stylist is a consultant who puts together a certain look or theme for a specific project – be it a published editorial feature, print or television ads, music videos or concert performances, and for any public appearances made by celebrities or other public figures. They are often part of a larger creative team that collaborates with fashion designers, photographers, hairstylists and makeup artists. The recent fashion boot camp for aspiring stylists here in Nassau featured a rigorous three-day curriculum hosted by Bahamian stylist and image consultant Joe Stubbs. It was packed with information and activities for participants to engage in. Participants were given a fashion stylist manual and work book written by
The 2016 participants of the Joe Stubbs Stylist Agency Boot Camp receive their certifcates of completion; left, Prenecha Lightbourn puts the finishing touches on her vision for the government’s Director of Youth, K Darron Turnquest; and right, Turnquest shows off the finished look
Mr Stubbs, titled “The Beginners Guild To Styling”, as well as a photo shoot to help jump-start their professional lookbook. They also took part in numerous hands-on activities and challenges. Given that the fashion industry covers a broad spectrum of disciplines,
Mr Stubbs said there are always numerous opportunities for those interested in becoming professional stylists. “When persons hear ‘fashion’, the only thing they think about is designing or sewing. However, there are other lucrative areas within
the field that a stylist can venture into – areas such as fashion merchandising, wardrobe tailoring, art and visual merchandising, interior design, image consulting, fashion writing and wardrobe styling. These are all milliondollar industries; it simply takes aligning your passion and work ethic to achieve success,” he said. Success in the fashion industry, Mr Stubbs stressed, depends on how much work someone is willing to put in. “It truly depends on each individual and their drive and passion for the art form. Wardrobe styling is still a relatively a new concept for many
TheTribune Tribune||Weekend Weekend||21 21 The
Friday,August August26, 26,2016 2016 Friday,
Bahamians. However, being creative and innovative with your business plan will assist in ensuring that you maintain a stable career as a stylist,” said Mr Stubbs. “We’ve also created a family-like support system where no one is left behind. There are times I have new clients and/or projects I’m unable to take on, so it’s only fair that I recommend one of my fellow Joe Stubbs Styling Agency alums for that particular job.” Upon completion of the boot camp, participants were awarded a certificate.
Above, Warren Henfield styles K Darron Turnquest; and below left, Turnquest’s finished look
Above right, Elkeyra Ware styles Brandon Huyler; and below Huyler’s finished look
“The highlight of this year boot camp was having Director of Youth K Darron Turnquest participate as a surprise celebrity client to our aspiring stylists. They were required to conduct a one-on-one consultation with Mr Turnquest, complete a rebranding style board and execute their new look for him during a professional photo shoot. If you know Mr
Turnquest, you know he’s never short of words, so he provided them with very candid feedback that would only prepare them for their future clients,” said Mr Stubbs. He said he believes the boot camp fulfilled its goal of assisting Bahamian stylists get their start in the industry. “I am confident the JSSA Fashion Stylist Boot Camp has assisted in jump-starting the careers of its participants. Reflecting on our 2015 boot camp alums, they’ve all become successful in their own right,” said Mr Stubbs. “We’ve had participants who went on to study fashion merchandising in London, UK; launched their own clothing line as designers, created and produced charity fashion shows, and most importantly, created a means of income through their love of fashion styling. I’m sure this (new) cohort of aspiring stylists will accomplish even more, having more resources to access and more opportunities.”
“When persons hear ‘fashion’, the only thing they think about is designing or sewing. However, there are other lucrative areas within the field that a stylist can venture into ... These are all million-dollar industries; it simply takes aligning your passion and work ethic to achieve success.” Stylist and camp faciliator Joe Stubbs of the Joe Stubbs Stylist Agency
22||The TheTribune Tribune || Weekend Weekend 22
Friday,August August26, 26,2016 2016 Friday,
film section GORDON TIMPEN/SONY/SCREEN GEMS VIA AP
review
‘Don’t Breathe’ is a well-plotted, thrilling trap DON’T BREATHE RUNNING TIME: 88 MINS
T
o all you Detroit-area robbery crews, we should probably warn you right away: It’s just not a good idea to pick 1837 Buena Vista Street for your big — and final — score. Take our word for it, walk away. Sure, it sounds like an easy hit. The address is a home in a run-down section of the city, so there’s nobody around. The house is kind of moldering, too. And, yes, the owner is an old blind man living alone who apparently has a fortune stashed somewhere. But, listen, let this one go. You won’t? Fine. Then beware, you are walking into the well-plotted
Stephen Lang in a scene from “Dont Breathe.” trap of Fede Alvarez, who made his Hollywood debut with the reboot of the horror classic “Evil Dead,” and returns this month with “Don’t Breathe .” It pits a team of inept burglars against a homeowner who fights back. In that sense, it’s kind of like a twisted “Home Alone” for millennials.
BBC lists Top 100 films of 21st century; David Lynch tops it
T
here still may be 84 years to go, but a new list ranks David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive,” Wong Kar-wai’s “In the Mood for Love” and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” as the top films of the 21st century — so far. The BBC created the Top 100 list by surveying 177 film critics — from every continent except Antarctica — and included films from 2000, though not technically the start of the century.
Among the notable entries were Todd Haynes’ “Carol” at No. 69, Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” at No. 67 and “Her” by Spike Jonze landing at No. 84. No films directed by Woody Allen, nor any by Alejandro G. Inarritu, who won back-to-back directing Oscars for “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” and “The Revenant,” made the list. The list does include Richard
This isn’t a gore-fest or a flick that relies on the supernatural. It’s more a thriller wedded to a horror film. Our trio of would-be predators quickly becomes hunted by the surprisingly spry old man, who happens to be a military veteran and comfortable with all sorts of weapons. Oh, did we
mention his rather nasty dog? Written by Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues, “Don’t Breathe” is almost a throw-back to older horror films. It’s meticulously planned and thrillingly satisfying with a camera always a step ahead — if you see an array of sharp tools near the beginning, bet on them being used at some point. Roque Baños’ discordant soundtrack manages to capture dread beautifully. The set-up stars three young Detroiters — a brutish Daniel Zovatto, his lovely girlfriend Jane Levy and their smart friend Dylan Minnette. They have bought into that cliche that somehow makes robbers less villainous — one last job and they’re out. “If we do it right, we never have to do it again,” the young woman promises. That turns out to be correct, but not in the way she means. In their way is Stephen Lang, playing the blind guy. He harbours a dirty little secret that the trio soon uncovers and most of the film is spent with everyone rushing about in his claustrophobic home, filled with creaky floorboards and more locks than a Lowe’s. Everyone seems to die multiple times, even the dog. The plot gets sort of ludicrous by the end — right around the time Lang gets to start talking — but there were moments at a recent preview where a pin could drop and make more noise than one of the poor burglars trying to do what the movie title demands. MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer Linklater’s “Boyhood” at No. 5, George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” at No. 19 and Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave” at No. 44. The highest ranked film directed by a woman was Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation” at No. 22. Spike Lee’s “25th Hour” is the only movie by an African-American to make the list. Two Ang Lee films — “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Brokeback Mountain” — made the list, as did three by Christopher Nolan — “The Dark Knight,” ‘’Memento” and “Inception.” There were also three films by Joel and Ethan Coen — “A Serious Man,” ‘’Inside Llewyn Davis” and “No Country for Old Men” — and three by Wes Anderson: “The Royal Tenenbaums,” ‘’The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Moonrise Kingdom.” AP
The TheTribune Tribune||Weekend Weekend||23 23
Friday, Friday, August 26, 2016
television section
TV series to watch this fall
and a wife (to co-star Thomas Haden Church) who’s having an affair and wants out of her marriage. But there’s no simple escape for her or anyone else among the series’ crumbling collection of marrieds, and this show about modern life and suburban mores is a shrewd reminder why. Funny and wellobserved, “Divorce” is a comedy that could have viewers saying “I do.”
Insecure
T
Picture Caption tyty tyty tytyty tyt ytyt ytyty ty
he fall television season has been an annual rite since viewers were splitting their time between the trio of networks on their black-and-white TVs. Nowadays, watching TV isn’t even limited to TV screens, while dozens of channels are spewing out new series for the modern pampered audience. Although the major broadcast networks still make the most noise when it comes to promoting their new wares, savvy viewers may find the best new shows often blossom far afield of mainstream outlets, as cable channels and streaming services prove more and more conclusively they’re where the action is. Viewers who take the broad view this fall across the video landscape will find a host of delights such as these dozen new arrivals:
forth a varied group of individuals ranging from rich to poor and from reckless to righteous, minus the stereotyping. This series is executiveproduced by Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay, director of the Oscarnominated “Selma.” A breath of fresh air, it’s a series that could bring viewers to OWN who have never come before.
The less said beyond that, the better, other than to note that the impressive cast includes Ben Daniels and Geena Davis — and to promise a twist that, all by itself, will make the pilot episode worth checking out. Here’s hoping the same creative spirit haunts this show in episodes to come.
Atlanta
The Good Place
HBO; October 2 This two-pronged odyssey is simultaneously set in an imagined sci-fi future and the reimagined Old West past in the form of an epic theme park where life-like robots indulge every appetite of its paying guests. What measure of depravity does this unleash in the humans who visit? And what measure of upheaval will be triggered when the robots go haywire? A huge ensemble includes Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton and Jeffrey Wright. The series’ visuals — both its western splendour and its futuristic labs — is spellbinding. The potential sprawl of its mythology seems limitless. In short, this is a candidate to be HBO’s next “Game of Thrones.”
FX; September 6 Starring and created by Donald Glover, who’s also one of its writers, this remarkably gritty yet heartwarming comedy focuses on two cousins as they try to break into the Atlanta rap scene with many a stumble in both their professional and personal lives. Everything about this show rings true, sometimes painfully so: “I just keep losing. I mean, some people just supposed to lose ... just to make it easier for the winners?” Good question. But hope springs eternal, along with well-earned laughs, on this winning new series.
Queen Sugar
OWN; September 6 If it were only a robust melodrama, that would be enough. Its African-American ensemble and perspective make this family saga instantly appealing. But along with an intoxicating tale of the at-odds Bordelon clan and their at-risk cane farm in the Deep South, “Queen Sugar” does something any series should be proud to accomplish: It puts
The cast of the new show “Queen Sugar”
NBC; September 19 Clerical errors can happen anywhere, even in the Hereafter. On this comedy, a paperwork glitch leads to a not-sogood young woman being mistakenly dispatched to the exclusive Good Place, where only the most virtuous are meant to gain entry. Kristen Bell plays the misappointed Eleanor, who, through wiles if not through personal improvement, means to hang onto her Good Place posting — and to keep the mistake hidden from her Good Place overseer (Ted Danson). It’s a refreshingly loopy, ultimately goodhearted romp, occasionally punctuated with surreal flights of fancy (Eleanor’s invasive presence in the Good Place has wildly disruptive effects). It’s a good place to settle for half-hours of fun.
The Exorcist
Fox; September 23 To judge from the pilot, at least, this is no pro-forma remake. No, it appears to truly be its own thing while recapturing the (evil) spirit of the chilling 1973 film.
Westworld
Divorce
HBO; October 9 Sarah Jessica Parker has passed beyond “Sex and the City” to a next-stage comedy that takes her out of New York City and up to the ‘burbs for a role that could prove as totemic as single-girl Carrie. This time, she plays a mother
HBO; October 9 What’s it like to be a modern young black woman who can function in a mostly white world (and the totally white workplace of a social-service agency) but savours sisterhood with her favourite gal pal? This charming comedy was created by and stars Issa Rae (creator of the YouTube web series “Awkward Black Girl”) as an insecure LA girl on the make and Yvonne Orji as her seemingly has-it-all-together chum.
Berlin Station
Epix; October 16 Could any series be more timely? A whistleblower has gained fame and notoriety for leaking secrets from the CIA’s Berlin office. CIA Officer Daniel Miller (Richard Armitage, “Hannibal”) arrives in Berlin on a clandestine mission to identify and stop this obscure scoundrel. The mood is tense and somber. The look is brooding. This thriller boasts an international collection of flawed or broken characters played by a global cast including Michelle Forbes and Richard Jenkins. In sum: Think John le Carre meets “True Detective.”
People of Earth
TBS; October 31 As loopy as this comedy is, it comes from a real place: There really ARE support groups for (self-declared) alien abductees. The show centers on a journalist visiting a small town to write about such a support group and the alien encounters its members allege. His initial skepticism then gives way to unsettling suspicions that he, too, has been spirited away. He is forced to claim his spot among this group of misfits — and, even more unnerving, to acknowledge the possibility of alien life. Wyatt Cenac stars as the journalist going through a major head trip as he learns to be more tolerant of others, however alien they may seem. FRAZIER MOORE New York, AP Television Writer
24||The TheTribune Tribune | Weekend Weekend 24
Friday, 26,26, 2016 Friday,August August 2016
literary lives HANNAH ROTHSCHILD
A true patron of the arts A woman born into money has found her calling at last, Sir Christopher Ondaatje says
H
annah Mary Rothschild is a most remarkable woman. Born on May 22, 1962, she is the daughter and eldest child of Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild - scion of the famous Rothschild banking family. Hannah Rothschild first came to the public’s attention when she started producing documentary films in England, including profiles about the artists Frank Auerbach, Walter Sickert and R B Kitaj. In 2008, she produced a feature about her great-aunt Pannonica de Koenigswarter, the notorious jazz patron who left her husband and had a lasting and unlikely intimate relationship with the jazz musician Thelonious Monk after hearing one of his records. Her non-fiction book “The Baroness: The Search for Nica the Rebellious Rothschild” was published by Virago in 2012 to considerable acclaim. She had by then already become a trustee of the National Gallery in London and in 2013 became the liaison trustee for the Tate Gallery - also in London. In December 2014, it was announced that she would become the first woman to chair the National Gallery’s board the following August - an incredibly prestigious and responsible position in London’s burgeoning art scene dealing with the Museum’s attendance of 6.5 million people a year (in a building built for less than a million) and having to raise in excess of £12 million a year in a dangerously problematic financial climate with falling grant aid. So it is not surprising that Hannah Rothschild’s first novel, “The
Hannah Mary Rothshild
The “Pierrot” “Pierrot” paiting The paiting by Jean by Jean Antoine Antoine Watteau that Watteau that inspired inspired Hanna Rothchild’s Hanna Rothschild’s first novel, novel, “The first “The Improbability of Improbability of Love”, which Love”, which was was released last released last May May to to critical acclaim critical acclaim
“I was very, very,very very lonely. IIcame lonely. came face to face face with with the painting paintingby by accident andgot got accident and a real emotional emotional shock. There Therewas was something about something about the painting paintingand and I knew knew that that the the man in in the the picture picture was feeling feeling what what I was feeling: feeling: displacement and displacement and loneliness.” loneliness.” HANNAH ROTHSCHILD HANNAH ROTSCHILD
Improbability of Love”, was set in the art trade. It was published in May 2015, by Bloomsbury in the UK and Knopf in the US. It is a rip-roaring story of a rediscovered old master painting which leads the fascinated reader into a cavalcade of exiled Russian collectors, Arab sheikhs, rap stars, hedge-fund moguls, auctioneers and museum executives all trying to get their hands on a 300-year-old grimy oil sketch, “The Improbability of Love”, which turns out to be a lost painting by the 18th century French painter Jean-Antoine Watteau. It is interesting that Rothschild has chosen Watteau, a little-known painter, as the artist of the painting that inspired her novel. Jean-Antoine Watteau (16841721) was a French painter whose brief career spurred the revival of interest in colour and movement as seen in the tradition of Correggio and Rubens. He revitalised the waning Baroque style, shifting it to the less severe, more naturalistic, less formally classical Rococo. Some of his best-known subjects were drawn from the world of Italian comedy and ballet. The subject of his hallmark painting Pierrot (otherwise known as Gilles) is an actor in a white
The Tribune Tribune||Weekend Weekend||2525 The
Friday, 26, 2016 2016 Friday,August Friday 26,
Forgotten facts Paul C Aranha CREDIT HERE
Legendary wartime frogmen and a Nassau beach
W The “Bebop Baroness” Pannonica “Nica” de Koenigswarter (shown there with jazz musician Thelonious Monk) was the topic of a feature and non-fiction book by her grandniece Hannah Rothschild. satin clown’s costume who stands isolated from his four companions, staring ahead with an enigmatic expression on his face. Pierrot is the painting that Rothschild saw in the Louvre and she remembers exactly the instant that she first saw it, during her gap year before university, while she was working at the museum in Paris. Rothschild is quoted as saying, “I was very, very lonely. I came face to face with the painting by accident and got a real emotional shock. There was something about the painting and I knew that the man in the picture was feeling what I was feeling: displacement and loneliness.” It took 30 years for this inspiration to become the subject of Hannah Rothschild’s intriguing first novel. It is a masterful journey through London’s art world and the very diverse people who value the painting in a host of different ways and for different reasons. But throughout this gripping story one feels the emotional reaction that the author feels for the artist. She does not disguise her feelings, and it is not surprising to learn (although she does not talk about it in her book) that Watteau died at the home of one of his patrons in France from tubercular laryngitis when he was only 36 - clutching a paint brush and painting imaginary paintings in the air. There is a detectable sadness in Rothschild’s writing. Clearly all her characters are taken from very real people from her experiences in the art world. She exposes the seedy side of a glamorous business and, like Watteau’s paintings, there is a mannered camouflage in an otherwise perfect and
romantic scene where trees seem to be wilting in the background creating a sinister and menacing aspect, just like her story which she clearly intended to be a social satire with parallels in today’s reality. Despite being born into one of Europe’s richest dynasties, Hannah Rothschild is a hard-working and incredibly gifted woman who has survived loneliness, a marriage (in 1994 to William Lord Brookfield - with three children), divorce and nepotic criticism. Her features and interviews have appeared in Vanity Fair, The Telegraph, The Times, The New York Times, the Spectator and both British and American Vogue. Her documentaries have been shown on the BBC, HBO, and at film festivals in Telluride, the London Film Festival and Sheffield. She is the co-founder of Artist on Film trust, and a trustee of Waddesdon Manor, owned by the National Trust. Now 54, she is a well-known author and a respected patron of the arts, holding the chair position of perhaps London’s most prestigious museum. But it has taken a very long time to get out of the shadows of her family and her life. “I am what I am,” she said recently. There are no apologies ... and there don’t need to be. NEXT WEEK: Charlie Chaplin, the man behind the famous moustache
• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is an
adventurer and writer resident in the Bahamas. A Sri Lankan-born CanadianEnglishman, he is the author of The Last Colonial and is a past trustee of the National Portrait Gallery in London
hen I saw the book “The Frogmen of Burma”, written in 1968 by Lt Cdr Bruce S Wright, telling the story of Britain’s Sea Reconnaissance Unit (SRU) of World War II, I wondered why Jonathan Ramsay was offering it among his inventory of books about the Bahamas. It’s the story of the SRU frogmen who crossed the broad and treacherous Irrawaddy River in Burma and became the eyes and ears of the British Fourteenth Army in their attack against the occupying Japanese forces. Lord Mountbatten wrote that “there were over a million men in the Fourteenth Army, but only 40 men in the SRU”. Bruce Wright, Commander of the SRU, was one of those lonely frogmen, so named because they wore flippers on their feet. After training in California, these commandos came to Nassau to perfect their ability to land on enemy-held coastlines and do what frogmen do, without getting caught. Salt Cay was chosen for their battlefield training, because it was secluded, yet close to Nassau, where the commandos were quartered. The men had to be proficient in the use of underwater breathing apparatus and the only equipment available was of World War I vintage - an oxygen re-breather that, today, would be considered unsafe to use. The instructors had very limited knowledge of what they were teaching but this small group learned to breathe underwater while handling explosives and defend themselves against killer whales, sharks, barracudas, moray eels, stingrays and jellyfish. An unexpected problem arose when it was found that the unit’s doctor knew nothing about diving, nothing about treating the bends and could not even swim. In civilian life, he had been a gynæcologist. He proved to be a quick learner. A special demonstration was staged for some military brass,
The 1968 book “The Frogmen of Burma” includes the story of Britain’s Sea Reconnaissance Unit’s training trip to Nassau
recently arrived from Washington. The mission was launched from Salt Cay and an old building near the eastern end of New Providence became the target of a commando attack. Using paddle-boards and carrying explosives, the frogmen travelled four and a half miles, at night and in fog, reached the targeted landing area, sneaked ashore and demolished the building. Then came an invitation to dine at Government House, where HRH the Duke of Windsor asked to see a demonstration. So that every stage could be seen and described, this demonstration took place in daylight and the highlight of another successful attack seems to have been when the Royal party stood on the beach and were told how a commando, carrying a machine gun, could camouflage himself so well, that nobody would see him. By rubbing himself with oil, the frogman would roll over on the beach until he became covered in dry sand then scoop a few handfuls of sand against himself to break up his outline, making him invisible. The Duke and his party scanned the beach, looking for men with guns, but not finding any. When Lt Cdr Wright shouted “Stand up!”, a figure arose at the Duke’s feet and fired live bullets into the sea, enough to have killed everyone on the beach. It was 1943 and the frogmen’s Bahamian sojurn lasted for only a matter of months. But it was a stepping stone to British military history. islandairman@gmail.com
26 | The Tribune | Weekend
section
TARGET
TRE I CN J E T
The Target uses words in the main body of Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (1999 edition)
HOW many words of four letters or more can you make from the letters shown here? In making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each must contain the centre letter and there must be at least one nine-letter word. No plurals or verb forms ending in “s”. TODAY’S TARGET Good 13; very good 19; excellent 25 (or more). Solution tomorrow. YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION elute feel felt ferrule ferule flee fleer fleet flue flute fuel furl glee glue glut gruel gulf leer leet left luge lure lute reel reflet refuel reglet REGRETFUL rule ruler
Call 0907 181 2585 for today’s Target solution *Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.
*SP: Spoke – Helpline 0333 202 3390
I C N J E T THE ALPHAB 21st26, 2016 Friday, August Century Dictionary (1999 edition)
HOW many words CAN you crack the of four letters A 1 or more can you Alphabeater? Eachmake grid from the letters shown here? In making number represents a letter B a word, each letter may be used – or black As in contain C the once only.square. Each must 6 Alphapuzzle, letter of centre letterevery and there must be at D the alphabet is used. But least one nine-letter word. No plurals orto verb formsthe ending Ein “s”. you have complete 23
25 18 19
grid too! Use the given
F TODAY’S TARGET letters13;and black squares Good very good 19; excellent 25 G below the grid to start. The 32 (or more). Solution tomorrow.
27
grid is ‘rotationally H YESTERDAY’S symmetrical’ – in SOLUTION other elute feel felt ferrule ferule 3 words, it looks the same if I flee fleer fleet flue flute fuel furl you turn the page upside J glee glue glut gruel gulf leer down.left Solution tomorrow. leet luge lure lute reel reflet
34
26
*Calls cost 80p per minute 21 plus your telephone company’s network access charge.
26
34
(Deduct th each extra
4 Full
31 plus*Calls 40cost your tel network
9
V W 19 0907 181 2560 X (Deduct three minutes for Y 36 each extra clue letter heard) Z 2
34
0907
Extra letter clues
1
15
39 0907 16
Black squares: 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 13, 15, 19, 20, 25, M 7 27, 37, 40.181 2585 Call34, 0907 N for Across: Flying, Start, today’s Target solution *Calls cost 80p per minuteO 7 Duplex, plus Equate, your telephone company’s access charge. P Falsetto,network Overthrow, Perfumed, Jackal, Q 20 Alkali, Maths, Legend. *SP: Spoke – Helpline 0333 202 3390 Down: Usher, Explain, R Uproar, Orca, Awe, S 36 Refer, Maize, Yodel, T Hadji, Nip, Clay, Thwack, 11 U Coxcomb, Blush.
Full solution
38
Yesterda Black squ 4, 8, 13, 15 27, 34, 37 Across: F Duplex, Eq Falsetto, O Perfumed Alkali, Ma Down: Us Uproar, O Refer, Ma Hadji, Nip, Coxcomb,
Extra l
K 38
refuel reglet REGRETFUL rule Yesterday’s solution L ruler
0907 181 2558 C
grid too! Us letters and below the g grid is ‘rota symmetrica words, it loo you turn th down. Solut
37
PLAY M
40
18
12
32
31
36
6
29
3
4
5
22 23 24 25
■
● Alternatively, for six Extra Le
PLAY MORE CROSSWORDS AN
The Tribune Tribune||Weekend Weekend||27 27
Friday, Friday,August August 26, 2016
animals section Animal matters Kim Aranha
Nothing fishy here... By The Bahamas Humane Society
Hamster takes on Germany
F
PATRICIA VAZQUEZ
F
or those of you who read my column regularly and enjoy it, you will remember the threepart series about Snowy, the bravest of little puppies who belonged to my son Scott Aranha and his lovely fiancée Bianca Jones. You will also remember that, very sadly, little Snowy lost her brave battle and has subsequently become an angel on puppy patrol (but that’s another story all together). Snowy’s mom had six little girls, all beautiful. Snowy was the only white one. Three were predominantly black and one was a perfect Oreo mixture. This little one was actually the biggest of the pups. When they were but a few days old – their birth date was December 6, 2014 – they slowly acquired nicknames (because we knew that they would get new names when adopted). This one black and white puppy looked just like a guinea pig, or so I thought. But you can’t call out, “Here, guinea pig, come girl!” So I named her the next best thing, “Hamster”, knowing full well that she would get a new name in a couple of months. The puppies grew swiftly, and got very big and active. Scott and Bianca found a home for the mummy and daddy dogs they rescued from the SuperValue parking lot, and their puppies were ready for adoption. My stepson’s family had recently lost one of their potcakes and they came over frequently to gaze at the pups. When the time came for a decision, each member of the family of four chose a different puppy. As my stepgrandson Zachary’s birthday was coming up in a few days, they chose his favourite: the biggest, black and white sweetie, and swore us to secrecy. Hamster was to arrive at the 12th birthday party as a complete surprise, and what a surprise it was when Zak realised that his choice of puppy was his birthday gift from his parents. He hugged them and hugged her.
PET OF THE WEEK
Fast forward 18 months, Zak’s dad, former COB lecturer and Chair of Social Studies Stephen Aranha, gets offered a spot at the Max Planck Institute in Frankfurt to do his PhD. Well, where dad goes, invariably, so goes the family. After much preparation, cages bought, papers signed, blood tests taken, microchips implanted and obedience classes attended, Zachary and his sister Kayleigh were ready to send their beloved potcake to Frankfurt to become yet another international ambassador for the Bahamas in Europe. Lets return to names again. As you know, I was sure that Hamster was a temporary name bestowed on this fragile and unsuspecting puppy by silly and whimsical me whilst cleaning out some of the tons of newspapers those six puppies went through growing up. Well, the funny
ishy was originally an East Street resident before making his way to Arawak Cay, and eventually to the Bahamas Humane Society. This five-year-old male has a very mellow personality and gets along well with the other shelter dogs. Fishy is allowed to roam free at the shelter and would appreciate a home with a large yard, though he’ll probably gravitate towards the house as that’s where the food smells come from. Do you have a good home for Fishy? If so, come in to the BHS
thing is, Hamster stuck like white on rice. Her family call her Hammie, and I, just to be different (or is it difficult?) have dubbed her “Hamlet”. No sweeter, prettier dog exists on earth – an expert digger who frequently tried to connect Deal’s Heights with Sydney, Australia by digging direct. A skilled ratter, and she knows exactly when to put her inborn potcake, guard dog skills on display. On Tuesday of this week, Hamster... Hammie...Hamlet boarded a Bahamasair jet to fly to Miami and transit to Air Berlin to make the long flight to Duesseldorf, followed by a car drive far longer than the length of New Providence to finally arrive in Frankfurt. She will encounter new smells, sights, sensations, and eventually the bitter cold. Gone will be the romps on the beach or “Hammie” with Zachary and Kayleigh Aranha
to meet him, or call 323-5138 for more information. Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday. Fishy looks forward to meeting you!
• The Bahamas Humane Society Thrift Shop will be holding its next jewellery sale on Saturday, September 3, from 10am to 2pm. We have a large assortment of jewellery at a wide variety of prices. All proceeds go to the BHS, so come out and indulge while at the same time helping the animals.
jumps into the pool. They will be replaced with delicious runs through the park in autumn, chasing squirrels, who will outsmart her constantly. The first snowfall will be a bit of a shock, but she will soon learn that if you “jump run” though snow drifts you can disappear all together. Her young master is prepared to purchase the prerequisite overcoat that all potcakes need, especially during the first winter. Heavy on the kids minds was what colour would be appropriate for her. Purple was the chosen colour (for now). Hammie will curl up at the feet of her family, keeping their feet toasty warm. She will still dream of a land far away with sand and coconut trees, where crabs scuttle sideways ahead of you and disappear down a hole on the beach at the very last moment. But best of all Hammie will know that she is a member of the Stephen and Suzy Aranha family, that they all loved and cherished her enough to go to the trouble and expense to take her to Germany and share their new life with her. If makes me proud to have relatives who “got it” and care enough to share their lives unconditionally with their potcake. Godspeed Stephen, Suzy, Zachary, Kayleigh and Hammie. Your Bahamian family will miss you something fierce.
28 || The The Tribune Tribune | Weekend 28 Weekend
Friday,August August26, 26,2016 2016 Friday,
gardening
Early vegetables While you still have to bide your time when it comes to growing certain vegetables, Jack Hardy says the season does lend itself to a few early plantings
T
here are a few vegetables we can start from seed right now, and many more that can wait another month or two. Among the early vegetables are tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, cabbage, broccoli, snap beans, chard, squash and cucumber. Vegetables that are best left until the end of October are those leafy plants associated with salads – lettuces, greens, spinach – and cool weather loving crops like garden peas and cauliflower. Eggplant is a warm weather crop that grows well if planted early; I find it flowers but does not produce fruit in the cooler months. You may well have better luck. I will wait until the new year before I sow eggplant seeds. Peppers sown in August and September do not have the virility of those sown in December and January. The temperature is cooling gradually and the days are getting shorter, hardly ideal conditions for optimum growth. They are tough plants, however, and will produce fruit before Christmas. For many people sweet peppers mean bell peppers. The standard bell pepper for many years has been California Wonder but there are many hybrid varieties to choose from that are heavier bearers. Most bell peppers end up red if left on the plant. If it is red peppers you like then plant seeds for peppers designated as red. Some green bell pepper plants stop growing if their
Sweet Peppers that grow long and narrow, like the Marconi, generally produce more fruits are left to turn red. They may resume production after a few weeks but sometimes they do not. Last year I grew Chinese Giant, an open-pollinated variety that turned red from green quite early but was not advertised as a red pepper. Bell peppers come in many colours: green, red, orange, yellow, white, purple, brown and almost black. At the store you will find yellow and orange peppers priced higher than green or red which I find is a good incentive to plant them in the garden. Generally more productive are sweet peppers that grow long and narrow. Sweet Banana, Marconi, Cubanelle, Corno di Toro and Carmen are among the favourites in this group. I like the fact you can cut the sweet peppers into rings to add to salads.
Very similar in appearance are varieties of pepper that are mildly hot and these are particularly good when gently cooked in a little oil in a skillet. These peppers are usually Anaheim or NuMex types and are prolific producers. Like all peppers, they are sweetest at the red stage. Thereafter we get into the truly hot peppers: our beloved Bird pepper, Goat and other Habanero types, Cayenne, Jalapeno, Serrano, Tabasco, Thai and such. Very popular is a small round pepper introduced to the Bahamas by our Guyanese friends called Wiri-Wiri that has a Goat pepper taste. The plants produce masses of fruits that freeze well for future use. Peppers are best started in flats, containers with a large surface area but relatively little depth. A rectangular 18”
long plastic basin from the hardware store with a few drainage holes drilled in the base is perfect. You could use a regular round pot that start seeds but this would waste potting mix. The soil is only about 5” deep in flats, over a foot in most pots. Pepper seeds usually take about three weeks to germinate, sometimes longer. It is important to press on and firm down the soil on top of each seed for fast moisture absorbance. If you are a cigarette smoker, put on latex gloves before handling your pepper seeds or plants, even picking ripe fruits. Once pepper plants are about 5” tall they can be transplanted to the garden or into individual pots. Most peppers can grow in a 3-gallon pot but 4-gallon is appreciably roomier and therefore encourages better crops. The medium you should use is fresh top-quality potting mix. Once the pepper plants are transplanted, water them and leave them for a few days before adding fertilizer. Time-release water soluble fertilizers are made for container growing so use Osmocote or a similar brand, sprinkling it onto the surface and then working the grains into the top inch or so of soil. After a month or so you can add a little superphosphate (0-50-0) to encourage fruiting. Whenever you pick peppers from your plants make sure you remove the stems from the branches. If birds eat your small peppers, finish the job off by removing the stems they leave. Water your pots three times a week and do not use saucers at the base of the pots. Coffee filters can be used to cover drainage holes so you do not lose soil when watering. Do not allow your peppers to put on a good show. It is lovely to see a pepper tree laden with bright fruits but it is far better for the peppers to be harvested as soon as they are ripe. If you have too many peppers for your immediate purposes you can freeze the excess or make a pepper sauce. Much the same culture applies to cabbages and broccoli, albeit cabbages are usually transplanted into the garden. Cabbages are gross feeders and require plenty of fertilizer to do well. The hard-headed cabbages we Bahamians love should be transplanted into soil that has been nourished by 6-6-6 granular fertilizer and water for a week or two. Try to transplant when the sky is cloudy and the forecast dull. All plants should be transplanted into soil that is richer than that they came from.
• For questions and comment e-mail j.hardy@coralwave.com