10282016 weekend

The Tribune

Friday, October 28, 2016

books culture film fashion music podcasts charity entertainment

Weekend

design your lifestyle Page 19

Art of discovery Taino legacy explored in new exhibit See pages 14&15

2 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 28, 2016

charity

Icing on the cake for breast cancer awareness

BTVI daycare attendant Jennifer Rolle takes treats on the road; and left, BTVI Chair of Academic Support Cara Gibson and Dean of Student Affairs Racquel Bethel

Beauty Trades Administrative Assistant De’Sheika Coverley and Public Relations Assistant Shantique Longley

BTVI campus nurse Voreetis Barr and Associate Vice President of Fund Development Alicia Thompson

T

he Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) this week joined hearts and hands with the Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support Group to further promote awareness of the prevalence of breast cancer in the Bahamas and the importance of early detection.

On Tuesday, the northern campus square was buzzing with staff, faculty and students wearing pink, and more importantly, making purchases during the bake sale.

All proceeds from the bake sale will be presented to the Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support Group.

With BTVI having assisted the group for the past five years, Dean of

BTVI guidance counsellor Pamela McCartney enjoys her pink lemonade Student Services Racquel Bethel said she is convinced that giving is a part of learning. She said BTVI’s Student Affairs’ team will continue to push for activities that motivate students to become more community-minded.

“A mandate of BTVI is to build good citizens. We want them to value giving back. It builds character and model citizens,” she said.

Ms Bethel added how important it is for educators to venture beyond the four walls of the classroom.

“We have to connect students and society. We live in a community, and Hurricane Matthew reminded us that it’s not just about us. We have to think beyond ourselves and be our brother’s keeper,” she stated.

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Friday, October 28, 2016

Inside Weekend Interview 4 - 5 Cara Hunt talks to Gina Knowles about an unusual decades-long pen pal friendship Food 7 Fruits and Roots Juice Bar blends the healthy with the tasty

Books

8 - 10 Local author hailed as “prolific storytelling phenomenon”; a new book featuring the Bahamian celebrity raccoon Pumpkin, plus it’s time for National Novel Writing Month.

Entertainment 12 The BNT partners with the National Art Gallery for this weekend’s Wine and Art Festival

Art 13 - 15 Atlantis invites Bahamians to ‘Paint in Paradise’, plus renowned artist Chantal Bethel explores the Taino legacy in a new show

Film 18 Tom Hanks returns for third Dan Browninspired movie, “Inferno”.

Design your lifestyle 19 Victoria Sarne explores the topic of change

Culture 20 - 21 Thousands support 21st Annual International Culture Wine & Food Festival

Literary Lives 22 - 25 Imagine best-selling writer John Lennon

Forgotten Facts 25 Paul Aranha on a captivating idea for Inagua

Animals 27 Lost pets – a casualty of Hurricane Matthew, plus Pet of the Week Gardening 28 Jack Hardy talks lettuce and greens for your salad Cover art | Chantal Bethel

19 Crimes; a good white wine – Joel Gott Chardonnay, but you can give it a little flavor by adding a shot of blackberry brandy and it’s the best thing since salami.”

My perfect Bahamian weekend Shaquille “Shaton” Farrington R&B, pop singer

Q: Beach or sofa?

“Sofa, with my glass of wine and a thigh snack in mind. I like the beach, but when those sand flies from hell come out, that’s it I’m done! So to avoid a catastrophe give me comfort with A/C if BPL allows it.”

Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch?

“Saturday breakfast, because I believe in having a good balanced breakfast to get the day started.

Things like stewed chicken, sheep tongue souse, cheesy yellow grits and a nice egg white veggie omelette.”

Q: What could you not do without?

“Music! It’s helped me through a lot of unexpected happenings that I just didn’t know how to handle, but the right lyrics can do it for you. Aside from that food, alcohol, and my sofa.... and a thigh snack (I hope you guys get my thigh snack bid).”

Q: Wine, Kalik, rum or cocktail.

“Anyone that knows me know I looooove a cold Kalik Gold because I’m a heavy drinker, but a glass of wine is preferred. It’s an acquired taste, but a good glass of wine feels so good going down. A nice blended red wine –

Q. Weekend away: where would you go?

“The Big Apple. I love New York.

The characters, the food, the art, the history – I’ll take it any day.”

Things 2 Do this weekend Friday • Hallowteen – Lights Out at Mario’s Time: 7pm Venue: Mario’s Bowling & Entertainment Palace There will be prizes for best, scariest and coolest costumes. General admission is $10; VIP is $15.

• Guns Boys Rhapsody Time: 8pm (also at 5pm and 8pm on Saturday) Venue: The Dundas Black Box Theatre Dr Ian Strachan’s play, which has been called “stupendous”, presents a snapshot of the violence, decay, incest and single-parenthood that can be found in small Bahamian communities. Admission is free.

• Fangtastic Friday with Visage Time: 5.30pm Venue: Bullion Bar, British Colonial Hilton This week, there will be prizes for best Halloween costumes. Admission is $20 and includes one free drink.

• “I Do...I Don’t” Time: 8pm (doors open at 7pm) Venue: Meliá Nassau Beach Resort Don’t miss the theatrical performance of “I Do... I Don’t”, a Bahamian stage play written by Reva Dean exploring the complex nature of committed relationships. Tickets are $25. Part proceeds will be do-

nated to those affected by Hurricane Matthew.

Saturday • Craft Corner Time: 10.30am Venue: Thelma Gibson Primary School Learn the art of making paper Dahlia wreaths from instructor Maureen Catalano. E-mail contact@burrowsforelizabeth.com for more information.

• 26th Annual Wine and Art Festival Time: 12noon - 9pm Venue: The Retreat, Village Road SEE PAGE 12 • Trick or Treat at Southwest Plaza Time: 12noon - 2pm Venue: Southwest Plaza There will be spooky trick or treating with Elmo, Spider-Man and Hello Kitty.

• Trick or Treat at Mario’s Time: 2pm - 6pm (and Monday from 6pm - 9pm) Venue: Mario’s Bowling & Entertainment Palace Join Charlie the Band Man for costume competitions and more. Each child will receive a trick or treat bag.

Admission is $2 per child.

• Old School Boat Cruise Time: 6pm boarding for 7.30pm departure

Venue: Woodes Rogers Wharf Tickets are $20; food and beverages will be on sale. There will be giveaways for the best old school look. For more information call 525-9737.

• Hazardous Horrors at Atlantis Time: 7pm - 10.30pm Venue: The Cave, Beach Towers It’s a radioactive fright night for those aged nine and up. Tickets are $15.

• Rotary Halloween Party Time: 8pm - 11pm Venue: Nassau Yacht Club The Rotary Clubs of East Nassau and Nassau present a Halloween party featuring good food, music, friends, fun and more. Tickets are $30 and include one free drink and light refreshments.

The costume judging takes place at 10pm.

• Vampire Ball Time: 8pm Venue: Old Fort Bay Club Attend the Halloween Vampire Ball to help raise money for Youth Empowerment Through Soccer International.

• Dreams and Nightmares Time: 10pm Venue: Club Dream, aka Mario’s Bowling Alley Come out and celebrate an adultsonly Halloween party. General admission is $20; VIP is $30. With costumes admission is $15 before midnight.

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 28, 2016

interview They became pen pals almost 25 years ago, long before the invention of the internet enabled them to instantly communicate with one another. Earlier this month, Gosia Nielsen-Flodgaard and her family were finally able to travel from Denmark to visit the Bahamas, and Gina Knowles tells Cara Hunt all about how it felt to meet her life-long friend in person for the first time.

Gina Knowles G ina Knowles, who is known to Bahamians through the social media support group HeadKnowles, and Gosia Nielsen-Flodgaard have enjoyed a friendship that has spanned more than two decades.

Even though the close friends are separated by thousands of miles, not to mention the Atlantic Ocean, they have shared some of life’s biggest milestones with one another – their weddings, the birth of their children and the deaths of their fathers – all without ever seeing each other in person.

But that all changed earlier this month when Gosia and her family arrived in Nassau and the two were able to meet face-to-face.

“When we first saw each other at the airport we cried hugging for about 10 minutes,” Gina told Tribune Weekend.

It was a decades-long dream that had finally came true.

Gina vividly remembers the day she received her first letter from a young girl in Poland.

“I remember I got my first letter from Gosia when I was just a teenager.

My mom came home from work and she said she got a letter in the mail, saying it was a girl in Poland the same age as me. She wanted a pen pal so she could practice her English,” Gina recalled.

Back then it was all about snail mail making it across the Atlantic and back.

“I wrote her back and it took about six months for us to get letters from

Life-long friends Gina Knowles (left) and Gosia NielsenFlodgaard met for the first time face-to-face after 25 years. each other. But we stuck with it and we would write on birthdays, Christmas, Easter and send pictures and stories about our family and culture.”

Eventually, technology would hand the two friends a huge gift that would make communication so much easier than before.

“I’ll never forget when the internet

started and the first time we e-mailed each other. It was amazing, because it was immediate. Those letters that we waited so long for now changed to minutes,” said Gina.

The internet really allowed the pen pals to take their friendship to the next level. They were able to have conversations in real time as opposed to learn-

“We have been friends for almost 25 years without even seeing each other face-to-face, yet we have such a very tight bond.

She’s like my diary that just came to life.” ing about events in the other’s life well after the fact.

And over time, the bond grew and the pen pals became as close as sisters.

“We continued to share our lives with each other. About our wedding day, when we had kids, and we both lost our fathers the same year to cancer,” said Gina.

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Friday, October 28, 2016

“We are very alike. We are the same age, we both have a son and a daughter. We both would try anything like types of food or adventures. The ways we are opposite are that she can’t swim, she does not eat fish and she doesn’t beat her kids.”

As the years passed, they held onto the dream that they would one day visit one another.

“I have invited her to visit me since the beginning. And she wanted me to come there.

I asked why should I come there when you can come see paradise? This year our dream came true,” said Gina.

Gosia and her husband Torben, along with their two kids, flew 12 hours from their home in Denmark to get to the Bahamas. Their initial meeting left them both at the airport in tears.

“We have been friends for almost 25 years without even seeing each other face-to-face, yet we have such a very tight bond. She’s like my diary that just came to life,” Gina said.

Gina and her husband Andrew, and their children Skylar and Zander, set out to give Gosia, Torben and their twins Laura and Oliver the full Bahamian experience.

And for the two friends it was like they had been hanging out together all along.

“The second day here my daughter said to us, ‘It’s so weird that you two know everything about each other but never met. It’s like you were friends forever’. I said we are.”

During the visit, Gina introduced her guests to all kinds of Bahamian food. “(Gosia) tried to eat conch salad, Bamboo Shack, wahoo in salad and grilled, sheep tongue, chicken and mutton souse, tuna and grits, fire engine, plantain, hot patty, roti, guava duff, bread pudding, banana bread, peas n’ rice, potato salad, steamed pork chops, and coconut water – every possible food she hasn’t tried I let her try. She loves potato salad and the wahoo,” said Gina.

And Gina and her husband,

The Knowles and Nielsen-Flodgaard families enjoy a true Bahamian vacation together.

Gina Knowles (right) shows her long-time friend Gosia Nielsen-Flodgaard from Denmark the sights of the Bahamas, including the sea lions at Blue Lagoon.

who operate the Colours of the Bahamas Tru Tru Bahamian Tours, had no shortage of ideas about places to take their guests.

“We took tours of the forts, Arawak Cay, Montagu Beach and Blue Lagoon Island. We met the sea lions and the dolphins and went shopping in the mall and downtown and went snorkelling,” she said.

It was a wonderful vacation and an experience the two friends will cherish for the rest of their lives.

Gosia told Tribune Weekend: “Meeting Gina in real life was amazing. We planned and spoke about this moment our whole lives, and now it has happened. The experience was so special and it was so great getting to have our family’s together, to meet each other and share stories.

Coming to the Bahamas, she said, was incredible, and the country had so much more to offer than what she had seen in photos on or postcards.

“I hope there would be a part two of the story where Gina comes to visit me in Denmark,” she added.

The visit proved extra special for their kids as well, who all had a great time getting to know one other. They have pledged that they will continue a pen pal friendship between them as well.

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Friday, October 28, 2016

section

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Friday, October 28, 2016

food

Blending the tasty with the healthy

By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

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ucked away in the Henrea Carlette Plaza on the Cable Beach strip, the Fruits and Roots Juice Bar strives to provide tasty, all-natural beverages and food items for the more health conscious Bahamians.

The juice bar, which for the past three months has been owned by Vinnette Gaitor, serves an assortment of smoothies, blended fruit juices, sandwiches, soups and salads.

“We bought this restaurant which was already an existing business because I have always been drawn to the idea of operating a restaurant that focused on providing a healthy alternative to what is out there – those options are few and far between,” Ms Gaitor told Tribune Weekend.

Customers, she said, are attracted to not only to the tasty offerings, but the pleasant staff as well.

“The ‘Cat 4’ is probably our most popular smoothie. It is filled with all kinds of vegetables and people like the idea that they can get their daily serving in one shot,” she said. “The ‘Mean Green’ is the same thing because it is a blend of tasty vegetable juices.”

When it comes to the sandwich selections, customers really enjoy the “Turkey Tango”, which is served on fresh marbled rye bread.

“All of our menu selections are freshly made, bottled and packaged on the premises,” she added.

Since taking over the business, Ms Gaitor said they have seen a steady stream of customers, many of them repeat customers.

“One of the nice things we have experienced is that we have a lot of tourists who are on the Cable Beach strip and they pop into ask for directions and they end up getting a smoothie or a sandwich, and then they will come back and visit every day for the rest of their trip, which has been a nice bonus,” she said.

The Fruits and Roots Juice Bar is open Monday to Friday from 10.30am to 5.30pm, and on Saturdays from 10.30am to 3pm.

“Hot Chick” – chicken with caramelised onions, chipolte guava mayonnaise and Romaine lettuce on a brioche bun

(l-r) Tropical Paradise, Mean Green, purple beet juice and carrot juice

“Mango Storm” – Mango puree, guava puree, mint, ginger and coconut water

‘Turkey Tango’ on marbled rye with swiss cheese, mango chutney, pesto mayo.

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Friday, October 28, 2016

books

Bahamian best-selling author “a prolific storytelling phenomenon”

By FAY KNOWLES

I

nternationally recognised and best-selling Bahamian author Tanya R Taylor has been described by American author and media proprietor Diane Morasco as a “prolific storytelling phenomenon.”

Ms Morasco writes: “Tanya R Taylor is the possessor of one of the most ingenious and infinite minds in the horror genre to come along since Clive Barker, Stephen King and Ruth Rendell.”

As well as being a designer, Ms Morasco is a writer who has interviewed the cast members of television shows such as “Eureka”, “Warehouse 13” and “Sons of Anarchy”, as well as producer Kurt Sutter himself. Added to this list are many famous writers, musicians, producers, directors and celebrities, including Simon Cowell.

Ms Morasco recently interviewed Tanya twice. Tanya said in one of the interviews: “I believe the essence of my writing is what lies within my heart and soul. Whatever I do, I pour my heart into it. Who I am and the passion inside of me is embedded in my writing.”

Tanya writes in various genres including paranormal romance, fantasy, thrillers, science fiction, mystery and suspense. As her website states, “Inserting otherworldly events into many of her books just seems natural to her.”

Tanya has been writing “since she could remember holding a pencil” and published her first book titled “A Killing Rage” as a young adult. She now has 13 books, including two combined in the “Infestation” series, under her belt and will be releasing two more before the end of this year – “Cara” on November 7 (the third in the “Cornelius” saga) and “10 Minutes before Sleeping” on December 23.

In “Cara”, young Rosie Cullen meets a mysterious loner by that name.

Disturbing secrets involving the strange little girl begin to surface and a worthy deed turns out to be an unforgettable nightmare.

In the spring of 2017, Tanya will

Author Tanya R Taylor

“Cara”, the third book in the “Cornelius” saga, will be released on November 7; and Taylor’s latest book, “10 Minutes before Sleeping”, will be released on December 23.

release “The Haunting of Merci Hospital” as a continuation of her “Haunted” series, and next summer “The Life I chose”.

Her recently released book “Haunted Cruise: The Shakedown” got the attention of “America’s Most Haunted”, which in turn, picked it up and tweeted: “With Haunted Cruise, author Tanya R Taylor joins ranks of Horror Greats.”

All of her books have made Amazon Kindle’s Top 100 Paid Best-sellers’ list in several categories. “Cornelius” climbed to number one in the Teen &Young Adult Multi-Generational Family Fiction category in November 2015.

And her supernatural, suspense/thriller

“Infestation: A Small Town Nightmare: The Complete Series” was number one multiple times in the Amazon UK store, Amazon Canada and on Amazon.com, in the Religious Drama category.

“Real Illusions: The Awakening” and “Cornelius” have appeared on the top 100 Paid Best-sellers’ lists with Stephen King and also Dean Koontz.

“Haunted Cruise: The Shakedown” has appeared on the top 100 Paid Best-sellers list as well with Stephen King. And “Cornelius” was listed in the Catholic Board of Education’s Summer 2015 and 2016 reading lists in the slot for grades 11 and 12.

Tanya is currently working on a project for a world-renowned entertainer and plans to continue with ghostwriting projects next year. She’s also been invited to collaborate in 2017 with Diane Morasco and a USA Today best-selling author on a book of short stories to be published.

Tanya was born and brought up in Nassau. She is a graduate of Aquinas College and as a former employee of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, took Finance courses at Liberty University’s Distance Learning Programme.

She credits Shona Moss Knowles, her English and literature teacher back in high school, with playing an important role in her development as an author.

“Not only did she teach me the skills necessary to be good at what I do, but she recognised my talent for writing early on and encouraged me to utilise it,” the author said.

A mother of two teenagers and wife of Oswaldo Taylor, Tanya said despite her busy schedule, they enjoy family time together. Her children attend St Francis Xavier Cathedral and both parents take a keen interest in the children’s education. Oswaldo is a basketball coach and their children are sports enthusiasts, as well as high achievers in school. Tanya said her family is very supportive of her writing.

•Tanya’s books are available at Amazon and from other online retailers.

For more information visit her website at: www.tanyaRtaylor.com

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Friday, October 28, 2016

Pumpkin the raccoon holds up a copy of a new book featuring her adventures; above, Pumpkin with Toffee and Oreo; and right, the new book chronicles the wacky antics of Pumpkin

Bahamas’ celebrity raccoon raises awareness of animal welfare

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

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wners of Pumpkin, the famous Bahamian raccoon, have chronicled her wacky adventures in a new book as a “thank you” to her nearly one million fans and to help bring awareness to animal welfare in the country.

“Pumpkin: The Raccoon Who Thought She Was A Dog”, which was officially released in the US on October 4 and made its UK debut last week, gives readers a look into Pumpkin’s life over the past two years and the friendship she forged with rescued potcake dogs Toffee and Oreo.

A launch event for the book was held at The Island House last Saturday.

The book, which will also become

available in Japan, features a collection of fun pictures of Pumpkin, Toffee and Oreo. It shares funny stories about their adventures together and what it is like living with a raccoon.

Almost two years ago, Pumpkin fell out of a tree when she was only one month old after she had been abandoned by her mother. She was nurtured and brought back to health

by Laura Young and her family here in Nassau and formed a lasting friendship with Laura’s pooches.

After having Pumpkin for several months, Laura started an Instagram account to keep friends and family up-to-date with the little raccoon’s progress. Never once did she imagine that Pumpkin would attract millions of fans.

“Pumpkin has followers from around the globe – from Japan to Sweden,

Cambodia, Australia, and the list goes on and on,” Laura told Tribune Weekend.

“We have so many amazing fans from around the world and we wanted people to be able to take a piece of Pumpkin home with them. It is a feel-good book about unlikely friends and their beautiful relationship.”

The rescued raccoon’s fame was not

“It is a feel-good book about unlikely friends and their beautiful relationship.”

something Laura and her family saw coming.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I expect Pumpkin to garner such an immense following. We are now using her platform as a tool to encourage people to adopt and find homes for potcakes here in the Bahamas. We were also able to use the book launch at Island House to raise money for the Bahamas Humane Society. Her presence on social media is now a way for us to pay it forward,” she said.

Pumpkin turned two years old on October 3 and has never been better, Laura said.

“Pumpkin is wonderful. She is the princess of the house and is spoilt rotten. She spends her days munching on her favourite snacks like avocado and eggs, playing with the dogs and sleeping. Not a bad life for a raccoon.”

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Friday, October 28, 2016

books

NaNoWriMo challenges would-be authors to write 50,000 words or more in the 30 days of November.

Global novel writing event calls all aspiring authors If you have dreams of writing a novel but feel you just lack a helping hand you need to get it done, then November is the right time to start.

Every year, an annual event unites writers the world over – National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short.

The event has long grown past the national in its title, having started back in 1999 in San Francisco and expanded with each successive year.

Now, it is an internet-based challenge, calling upon writers to complete a book of 50,000 words or more in the 30 days of November – writing 1,667 words or so a day to hit their target.

That will see writers finish a book roughly the same size as the likes of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy” or “The Great Gatsby”.

One first-timer taking up the challenge is Brent A Harris, who explained why he was taking on the contest this year.

“I’m doing NaNo because of both the challenge and the community,” he said. “I get from NaNo the opportunity to learn a bit about myself and how much we really rely on each other for success.”

One of the nicest parts of the challenge is the way it brings authors together – the website tying the contest together has a forum section, with regional leaders assigned to different areas around the world where people write.

The Bahamas has its own regional leader, with the chance to meet up and get to know fellow writers at write-in events in the local area.

Last year, 16 budding novelists in the Bahamas wrote 368,445 words for the challenge, which amounts to an average word count of 23,027.

Bahamas-based writer Leo McBride said: “I’ve taken part in a couple of NaNoWriMo events now, and while I’ve not completed the challenge within the 30 days, each time it’s given me something as a

basis to work on for future. It’s also been great to connect with fellow writers – people who egg you on to keep going and get the work finished. This time round, I’m planning on finishing up a project from a previous NaNoWriMo on the side, while putting together a short story anthology as my main work.”

Taking part in NaNoWriMo is easy – all you do is go to their website and sign up. Once you begin, you can update your word count on your story as you progress, and there are awards and badges to help encourage you as you continue to write.

The event has had results, too – with many of the books written during it eventually going into print, books such as “Assassin’s Heart” by Sarah Ahiers, “Water For Elephants” by Sara Gruen, or the best-selling “Wool” by Hugh Howey, which is in development to become a movie.

For more information, visit www. nanowrimo.org.

Sara Gruen’s “Water For Elephants” is one of 14 best-selling novels to come out of NaNoWriMo.

Three-time NaNoWriMo winner Hugh Howey has found international success with his self-published novel “Wool”, which is now set to be made into a movie.

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Friday, October 28, 2016

music

Visage gives electrifying performance at Cultural Fest

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

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houts of “We want more” could be heard from enthusiastic audience members last weekend as the band Visage wrapped up its high-energy performance during the first day of the International Culture, Wine and Food Festival.

The Bahamian band, which has been making music for 35 years, is known for rocking the crowds with its extensive repertoire of party anthems. It was for this reason that they were one of the most highly anticipated acts over the course of the two-day festival.

As has been the tradition over the years, the festival was held at the Botanical Gardens, attracting thousands of visitors who were eager to try different foods and experience the culture of participating nations including Italy, Greece, Ethiopia, Mexico, India, China, Egypt and the Philippines.

Held under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the festival fosters friendly relations and understanding between Bahamians and the international resident community. The event has become a signature event on the social calender that serves to demonstrate just how diverse the Bahamas is.

And diversity was undoubtedly displayed during Visage’s two-hour performance that took audiences all around the world with their music.

“I think the performance was a success because people were asking for more at the end,” said band member Dyson Knight.

“So that is always a good look.

On Sunday, when I attended the event, just about everyone was a stopping me and asking if we were performing again.”

One of the main goals for the

band when they got on stage last Saturday night was to remind fans that they can never be put in a box.

“Many times people say, ‘Visage is a soca band’, and I kind of get annoyed at that because we are a Bahamian band. We play rake n’ scrape, we play Junkanoo. They underestimate your capabilities. But our music is so vast and wide, and we wanted to display that, given the event featured an international theme,” the singer said.

Visage’s setlist included a mix of different genres, including, soca, Junkanoo, R&B, old school reggae some new age dancehall, and more.

“We opened with ‘Party Starter’, our most recent release, and that takes a show from 0 to 10,000 in a minute. It is soca style but also very heavy on Junkanoo.

We also performed some new dancehall songs, then band mate Nehemiah got excited and kicked off some R&B and old school reggae,” said Dyson.

“Wendi (Lewis) performed some Rihanna, Benje (Alexander) did his hit song ‘La Bam Bam’, I did my song ‘I Come To Party’, then we closed the show with ‘Happy Hour’. We also did some old school and some rake n’ scrape as well.”

Fans who want to see Visage again can do so tonight as the band continues with their monthly performances at the British Colonial Hilton.

And as 2016 comes to a close, Dyson said the band is working on some new tunes for the new year.

“The songs we are working on are mainly a mixture of Junkanoo and soca. We are keeping our performances diversified, so what you are going to get moving forward are performances consistently have that ‘wow’ factor,” he said.

Visage delighted festivalgoers with a musical journey around the world.

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entertainment section

Lift a glass to the arts BNT partners with National Art Gallery for this weekend’s festival

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he Bahamas National Trust is offering Bahamians an opportunity to relieve posthurricane stress this weekend, while also helping with a good cause, by enjoying fine wines and art at The Retreat on Village Road. The 26th annual Wine & Art Festival starts today and continues until tomorrow.

“We look forward to welcoming the public to this popular annual event which supports our national parks”, said festival co-chair Gillian Ferriera.

The event is a collaboration of the BNT and the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas. Major sponsors include the Ministry of Tourism, Scotiabank, JetBlue, Bahamas Waste and Bristol Wines & Spirits.

Works by 45 local artists will be featured, including Lucas Kaighin, a ninth grader from Abaco, Stefan Davis of Airbrush Junkies, and Tribune cartoonist Jamaal Rolle, also known as the “The Celebrity Artist.”

“The National Art Gallery is our exclusive visual arts partner for this event,” said BNT Deputy Executive Director Lynn Gape.“They will ensure the quality of the works of art that we will feature. There will also be live art demonstrations.”

The NAGB is also responsible for the general aesthetic layout of this year’s booths along with categorisation.

To shake things up, the BNT has introduced four new themes to the festival which draw on the history of major art movements that have influenced Bahamian art and its development.

Bristol Wines & Spirits will be featuring 56 different wines from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Argentina, Chile, Italy, France and the United States.

“We are particularly delighted to

Sights from last year’s Wine & Art Festival

introduce organic sake wines to this year’s festival,” said Rhys Campbell, Bristol’s vice president of corporate affairs. “But all the offerings have been carefully curated to suit the Bahamian palate.”

In addition to the art displays and wine tastings, there will be a special culinary demonstration by Chef Owen Bain of Cassava Grille. Nine food

vendors will provide a range of ethnic dishes and there will be continuous live music.

A new feature this year is “Wearable Art”, featuring expert work by Dappered Concepts (men’s accessories), Tiff (silk wear), LVC Custom Swimwear, Mega Mergers (accessories made from recycled materials), and fashion jewellery by Terniska Erskin, Carolyn Anderson, Peter Bradley and Jennifer Bethel.

Proceeds from the festival raffle will aid in the restoration of national parks impacted by Hurricane Matthew. Prizes include travel vouchers, gift certificates, works of art, and more.

The festival runs from 6pm to 9pm on Friday for BNT members and guests, and from 12noon to 9pm on Saturday for the general public.

The BNT is a non-governmental, non-profit, membership organisation working to protect Bahamian natural resources by building a network of national parks and promoting environmental stewardship.

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Friday, October 28, 2016

art

Atlantis calls all would-be Picassos to ‘Paint In Paradise’

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net

T

he Earth and Fire Pottery Studio at Atlantis is giving Bahamians an artistic option for the ideal night date night in the form of the “Painting In Paradise” sessions, which are now open to the general public.

The paint and sip evening sessions were initially for hotel guests only, however, the services are now being offered to anyone, ages 18 and older, who has the desire “to uncork their creativity and bring out the playful Picasso” in them.

The sessions take place at the Beach Towers studio every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.

Participants get to try their hand at painting everything from parrots to the lighthouses, dolphins at a sunset and pineapples, and other motifs that organisers said are designed to celebrate all things Bahamian. At the beginning of each session, participants are introduced to a Paint in Paradise instructor – Erica Lightbourne or Celeste Harding – who guides them right up until the end of the painting journey.

“They advise you on using the different colour choices and also come around and see your progress throughout. We want to let persons know that we do have this event available over here and it is something different, good for your nightlife,” said event organiser Shantell Lockhart.

She said paint and sip parties have become popular all over the world in recent years. After finding out that not

Paint in Paradise participants enjoy one of the studio’s evening sessions

many Bahamians knew about the trend, Ms Lockhart said the Earth and Fire Pottery Studio decided to do more to promote their services.

“It is something different for Bahamians to do other than just going to a party. It is everything rolled into one and makes you feel like you are in a different world. Before the class starts all of the participants get their wine, chip and dip, and they socialise while

waiting around. It is almost like a little fellowship going on. I just started with guest activities about five months now at Atlantis, and when I came on board with Paint in Paradise I said to myself this is something my husband and I were coming to,” said Mrs Lockhart.

“When I experienced it for the first time I said again, we need to promote this more.”

For her, the best part of the

experience is that participants get to carry their artwork home with them.

The maximum number of painting participants is 30 for each session, but the studio hopes to see Paint in Paradise grow into being hosted in one of Atlantis’ ballrooms.

“The vision that we have for Paint in Paradise is huge. We really want to push it for the upcoming holidays because this is something truly to experience, and once you do, you will most definitely be back,” said Mrs Lockhart.

Sheridan Wilson, an Earth and Fire Pottery Studio staff member, highlighted a few other activities that are hosted at the studio on regular basis, including pottery painting and glass fusing.

“With painting the pottery, guests will come in and choose pieces. It takes about two hours to complete a piece and once they are done we fire it. They will pick up their piece the following day after 4pm,” said Ms Wilson.

“With the glass fusing, persons can make jewellery and they can also make plates and trivets out of glass.

She said the studio has been around for about 11 years now and every year they try to introduce something different to attract more persons to Atlantis from the local community.

14 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 28, 2016

Friday, October 28, 2016

The Tribune | Weekend | 15

art

Acclaimed artist honours Taino legacy with new show

W

hile Christopher Columbus is still hailed by many as the “discoverer of America”, there is an often untold and unpopular side to the explorer’s arrival in the New World in 1492. And it is this darker story that artist Chantal EY Bethel hopes to explore with her new solo exhibition called “The Holey Space”.

The show, which seeks to honour the memory of the indigenous Taino people, opens this Sunday at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas (NAGB).

Ms Bethel, considered one of the Bahamas’ foremost painters, said that the aim of this exhibition is to simply “reclaim truth while advocating peace.”

“It is estimated that 40,000 indigenous people were wiped out in as little as 25 years. As an artist it is my role to talk about the unspeakable, and in this case Columbus is being made accountable for his crime. By providing a ‘Holey Space’ for a lost race and culture, it is my wish to create a hallowed space for everyone in these chaotic times,” she said.

Last year, Ms Bethel exhibited an art piece entitled “Guanahani” in Brussels, PHOTO: CHRISTINE MATTHAI

Artist Chantal Bethel

Belgium. That show, she said, provided not only a glimpse of tropical splendour, but also explored the often ignored consequence of Columbus’ arrival in the Americas.

“Following that show I was invited by the director of NAGB to continue the conversation in the Project Space room within the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas,” she said.

Out of this was born the “Holey Space” exhibit, which she said is dedicated to Taino consciousness, peace and love.

“It took me a year to create this body of work. The show, which aims to honour the life and death of the Tainos – one of the indigenous populations encountered

by Columbus – is entitled ‘Holey Space’.

This is a play on words, referencing the holes found in the stones I use extensively in the show. I am using holey stones because they remind me of bones, and bones remind me that thousands of Tainos were killed,” said Ms Bethel.

“In the work I use the language of the Taino to invite the viewer to consider their holocaust. This includes using petroglyphs, leaves, and the holey rocks found on local beaches.”

Ms Bethel said fellow artist and freelance writer Susan Moir Mackay offered great interpretation for the exhibition.

Ms Mackay wrote: “Honouring this indestructible force offers us hope. And in these troubled times, hope is fundamental.

Since the June 12, 2016, attack in Orlando, according to Wikipedia, there has not been a day without an act of terrorism.

The world is continually lambasted by an increasing cycle of violence which is horrifying, incomprehensible, overwhelming, and numbing. Lurching from one catastrophe to another, there

“It is estimated that 40,000 indigenous people were wiped out in as little as 25 years. As an artist it is my role to talk about the unspeakable, and in this case Columbus is being made accountable for his crime.”

Tears of the Moon

Memorandum of inhumane act, Captive

Yellow Bird

is hardly a moment to blow the candles out from one vigil, till we light the next.

Bringing awareness to the plight of the Tainos, honouring their heritage and using their language, Bethel may also be creating a sanctuary for all massacres and acts of terrorism, irrespective of geography, language, sexuality, cultural difference or skin colour. The exhibit, using images of the past, art, and history, provides a safe lens and space to stir from a collective fugue to slowly contemplate these painful and overwhelming times.”

Ms Bethel said in her writing Ms Mackay as captured the essence of her work.

The “Holey Space” exhibit opens on Sunday at 4pm with a presentation of poetry and dance by artists Marion Bethel, Chivvaun Smith and Deresa -C0HEE WHICH WAS CREATED SPECIlCALLY IN response to the show’s theme.

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16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 28, 2016

fashion The Weekend Fashion Report “Doctor Strange” premiere

AP; GETTY IMAGES

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

HIT

FAIL

HIT

SPLIT

SPLIT

Rachel McAdams Christine Palmer

Ming-Na Wen Melinda May

Chadwick Boseman T’Challa/Black Panther

Tilda Swinton The Ancient One

Robert Downey Jr Tony Stark/Iron Man

Karin says: “I actually really like this dress. It has something of old-school glamour to it with the big quasi bow. The beige satin almost washes her out, but the lilac saves it and makes this an interesting look.”

Cara says: “I like the dress; it’s a style we have seen before but it still has the drama to keep it fresh. I think the peek of lavender is pretty. The only thing I am not sold on are the heels. I think a strappy pair may have been a better choice.”

Karin says: “This is the kinda dress you wear when you get a last-minute invite to a cocktail party and having nothing else to wear. But even then, deep down you know it’s not good enough. Also, those shoes are strangling her ankles.”

Cara says: “Well, this is a boring dress. It almost reminds me of the dusters my grandma used to wear or a ugly beach cover-up. I really don’t like it or her clunky shoes.”

Karin says: “Chad is serving us something different than the usual black tux, and I must say, I like it. That dark grey of the suit with the light blue of the shirt looks fantastic on him.”

Cara says: “Always love when we bring some male eye candy to the fashion report page.

I’m always impressed to see how men can take what is a basic suit and still give it their own lil’ flair. He looks awesome.”

Karin says: “OK, my first thought: this dress makes her look bloated. But maybe that’s the point of the design?

I dunno. Either way, it’s classic Tilda. And I’m impressed she actually makes this sickly green work...somewhat.”

Cara says: “Tilda always brings high couture to the red carpet and this dress is no exception.

I have to say that of all her recent looks, this is one I can get behind the most. It is simple and subtle. Even the near vomit green hue works.”

Karin says: “Rule number one: Robert is always fabulous.

But to be completely honest here...the suit is a bit weird. I like the olive green pattern to shake things up a bit, but the placement is just plain strange.”

Cara says: “Oh hey, honey!

Truth be told, I love Robert Downey Jr. He is my man crush all day, every day. So yeah, he looks amazing and fabulous and gorgeous. I mean what else did you think I’d say?”

The Tribune | Weekend |17

Friday, October 28, 2016

podcasts

Enjoy creepy tales with the “The Wicked Library” podcast.

Get into the Halloween spirit with spooky audio tales tion stories – three horror tales in a single show, and a Halloween special beckons.

For me, this is consistently one of the best podcasts on the web, and if you’re looking for some scary Halloween night tales, this should be your first port of call.

Just don’t turn out all the lights... just in case.

Website: www.pseudopod.org

By Stephen Hunt shunt@tribunemedia.net

H

alloween is upon us and it’s time for podcasts that go bump in the night. Here, we pick out three of the best horror shows you can find in the podcast world to help fill your Halloween night with scary stories.

Pseudopod Ten years is a long, long time in the podcast world – and that’s the landmark that Pseudopod is hitting this year.

The format of the show is simple, elegant and utterly professional.

Here’s where you come to hear stories that make you shiver. Where you find tales that scratch at your back door, wanting to be let in.

There are stories old and new – some from writers long departed, some from those still making their arrival on the scene, and all read by a range of talented voice actors.

The hosts also stop in with extra information about the authors and a spot of analysis of the work. The latest show features three flash fic-

Get into the Halloween spirit by listening to spooky podcasts

The “Pseudopod” podcast is “simple, elegant and utterly professional.”

The Wicked Library While Pseudopod shines with its straightforward presentation, The Wicked Library adds music, extra voices and more to become essentially an audio version of the old “Tales From The Crypt” series.

They do it well – with the music lurking in the background, adding a sinister tone to the story on show without ever overwhelming it.

There’s a hefty archive in the library, so you’ll have no shortage of stories to listen to. The latest though is well worth popping your headphones on for – a Victorian tale of a woman caught between two suitors, and haunted by a shadow that lingers even when the

lights go on.

The show has been running for seven seasons, and there’s a more recent addition, “The Lift”, with another selection of scary stories.

Website: www.thewickedlibrary. com

Storytime With Whimsy For YouTubers, let me direct you to another voice worth listening to – that of Whimsy Gardener.

Her Storytime With Whimsy features her narrating tales to a backdrop of shifting images that mirror the actions in the story.

She’s got a marvellous voice, honeyed when necessary and sharp when the action is to the point. In some ways, she reminds me of the voice of actress Felicia Day – beloved of fans of Supernatural, and that kind of story range certainly fits in with her playlist.

She reads from a range of authors, and is a delight to listen to.

Web link: https://www.youtube. com/playlist?list=PLrgFdY6Hsed bARsoNuwqOHTOAv9CwQrGK or search YouTube for Whimsy Gardener.

18 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 28, 2016

film

review

Tom Hanks returns as Robert Langdon in ‘Inferno’ INFERNO RUNNING TIME: 121 MINS

B

y a twist of fate, there are two infernos you can submerge yourself in this weekend.

You can either take the Dan Brown audio tour of Florence and Dante’s Divine Comedy in Ron Howard’s adaptation of the author’s “Inferno.” Or you can tiptoe around the edges of volcanoes with Werner Herzog, contemplating their mythic power in “Into the Inferno.”

If one must be sacrificed to appease the movie gods, it’s not a hard call.

Whether that would be enough to finally extinguish Brown’s best-sellers and their big-screen counterparts, however, is unlikely.

“Inferno” is the third Robert Langdon film, with Tom Hanks reprising the role of the Harvard “symbology” professor whose parlour trick is solving elaborate criminal plots by deciphering great works of art. If his exploits are to continue (and there is good reason to fear they might), I hope he’ll eventually be confronted with a puzzle that brings him face to face with a Rothko, leaving him utterly bereft of clues.

The first two Langdon movies (also directed by Howard) were cold, soggy soups of conspiracy that served up a very poor man’s Indiana Jones, minus the fun but plus a dubious haircut. The filmmakers have skipped one book in the series, perhaps wisely since Brown’s “The Lost Symbol” enlists Freemasons as its conspiracy-du-jour, following escapades with the Catholic church and

Tom Hanks reprises the role of symbology professor Robert Langdon self-flagellating albino monks in “The Da Vinci Code” and the Illuminati in “Angels & Demons.”

“Inferno,” a better, more simplified thriller than those films, trades less on the ancient mysteries of a shadowy organisation than the familiar arch villainy of a megalomaniac — and a good one, at that. The reliably intense Ben Foster plays Bertrand Zobrist, a billionaire who, fearful that overpopulation will destroy humanity, wants to trim the herd by half with a virus that will unleash a modern-day plague.

Langdon’s role in the scheme isn’t clear. The film begins with him waking up in a Florence hospital, his recent

memory wiped clean by a head wound and his mind haunted by apocalyptic visions. It’s that classic hangover with little to jog the noggin other than a mysterious bio-tube from the night before.

When a pursuer turns up and starts shooting, Langdon and the doctor on hand, Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), flee and begin piecing together Zobrist’s plot, one concocted with heavy shades of Dante and Botticelli’s Map of Hell painting. They chase the virus while trailed by the World Health Organization (Sidse Babett Knudsen, Omar Sy) and a clandestine security firm (Irrfan Khan exquisitely plays its gentlemanly leader). Langdon and Brooks dash through the Palazzo Vecchio, the Boboli Gardens and other starred attractions in Brown’s Florence guide book.

The opportunity to see Hanks traversing European capitals has been enough to make the Langdon films blockbusters. Along the way, Langdon — a bit of a drip — has not given Hanks much to work with. But slavishness to Brown’s text has finally given way in David Koepp’s script to an apparent understanding that the books don’t deserve such regard, or at least that few care anymore.

The benefit is that “Inferno” isn’t a burning heap of hogwash, like “The Da Vinci Code” was. It’s a lot more like a tweed-jacket version of Bond or Bourne or most any other thriller out there.

But if Langdon is distinguished from the other globe-trotting saviours by his PhD, why aren’t his movies smarter?

JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer

The Tribune | Weekend | 19

Friday, October 28, 2016

design your lifestyle

Change

By VICTORIA SARNE

R

emember that hackneyed phrase: when one door closes another opens?

I recently had the unpleasant and unwelcome experience of finding myself unexpectedly without an income which had the knock-on effect of my having to vacate my apartment and sell the contents along with my car. It was accompanied by a betrayal of what I believed to have been a long-standing friendship. Dozens of emotions ran through me. Dismay, fear, anger, panic, loss and incredulity; these emotions rapidly and randomly displacing each other until the need for practical action inserted itself into the stream of consciousness.

With that episode in my rear-view mirror and the departure of Hurricane Matthew, I reflected on the expectations we all harbour regarding the behaviour of friends and family in times of stress and how they/we sometimes fail miserably and at others go above and beyond in delivering help and kindness.

I am not a glass half full or empty person. My mindset is if there is anything at all left in the glass then there is always an opportunity and a choice of some sort as well as something good or a lesson to be learned even from the most unpleasant or challenging events.

I found the various women who bought the contents of my apartment, although they engaged only briefly in conversation, to be friendly and sympathetic, and serendipitously, arriving at just the right moment in my time of anxiety.

In particular, when I was gloomily contemplating how much there was still to do and feeling overwhelmed looking at the 300 or more books I had stacked on my dining room table (parting with books for me is like abandoning your firstborn), two young women showed up ostensibly to buy a room divider.

However, when they saw the books (which I was offering free to anyone who wanted to take them) one of them asked if she could take all of them!

I could have kissed her and naturally and happily said yes, grateful that another book-lover had been sent to

The process of packing up your life can be daunting, but it can also offer new and exciting opportunities me. So thank you ladies, if you are reading this, for the helping hands and keeping me on the right side of optimistic.

‘Thank yous’ are also due to friends who offered me help with storage and shelter both before, during and after

Victoria Sarne

my departure from my home and post Hurricane Matthew venting his rage.

Kindnesses for which I will always be obliged.

An Asian maxim says that every challenge or disaster is an opportunity and I believe that and have experienced it as true. I see now that the door being slammed in my face was a good thing in more than one way. Literally, it moved me out of an area prior to the storm which was subsequently evacuated for fear of flooding, thus keeping me safe.

Although I loved my physical space, I believe absolutely now that it was to my great benefit to be physically and emotionally upended. I had become too comfortable, a little lazy and forgotten how necessary change is and how beneficial if approached with the right attitude.

Instead of pottering along functioning at half speed or using less than any potential I possess, I am opening up to a whole range of new possibilities now that the door has

closed behind me. I remember that I was once in a much worse situation many years ago and survived eventually flourishing with far less help or support than now, although I did eventually recognise that those circumstances played a big part in forming the woman I became. It forced me to unearth survival skills I didn’t know I had and to put them to good use.

My belief is that we often slip into just coasting along settling for the status quo, only being half alive really, which to me is the same as being half dead.

Stepping out of one’s comfort zone into the unknown can be enormously energising and empowering. Try it, you might like it.

•Victoria Sarne is a

publicist and event planner. For questions and comments e-mail vixanwriter@mac.com, or visit the website www.lifelineswritingservice.com.

20 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 28, 2016

culture

Thousands come out to “Lose the Hurricane Blues”

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net

T

he international Culture, Wine and Food Festival was number one on the “things to do” list this past weekend as thousands came out to the Botanical Gardens to enjoy the festivities.

Touted as fun, two-day event to “Lose the Hurricane Blues” following the passage of Matthew, the festival had something to offer all foodies, whether it was crab and dough from the Bahamas Village, griot from Haiti, codfish and ackee from Jamaica or some adobo from the Philippines. The extensive grounds

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Friday, October 28, 2016

PHOTOS: AARON DAVIS

were full of activity, with patrons moving from vendor to vendor.

One of the main attractions was the highly anticipated live concert put on by the band Visage. Crowds gathered at the north lawn where the band got persons jumping for songs like “I Come To Party”, “ La Bam Bam” and “I Een Missing It”.

Tribune Weekend spoke to several guests who were happy to share their experiences. For Jessica Knowles, the many food options sparked her interest.

She said it was “deliciously” fun to try bites from countries like Cuba and Mexico.

“You know, I have always wanted to go to Cuba and Mexico and never got

the chance to as yet, so I’ll count this as my opportunity. This is also my first time attending the festival and I have never seen so many people in one place like I am seeing today. It is good to see that persons can still enjoy themselves in large crowds with no mishaps,” said Jessica.

Also a first-timer, Amanda Ferguson said apart from indulging in the various cuisines from the 100 countries represented, the highlight for her was the awesome performance put on by Visage.

“I mean, they had the crowd going with their diverse setlist. It was really and truly the topping on the cake.

My legs are hurting from jumping up

and down right now... reminds me of Carnival. Hope to see them same time again next year,” said Amanda.

Another guest, Matt Johnson, enjoyed the new Wine and Beer Garden.

“I can only try so much food and drinks in one day, but what I have had so far is good enough for me. I am here with my wife; she’s enjoying herself over there at Europe, and this is our second day. We came yesterday as well. It is hot but it’s something to do,” said Matt.

Janice Smith had her hands full at the kiddie’s playground with her joyful bunch, but she described the experience as “a great family day date.” She said there was something for everyone to enjoy and that is what keeps bringing

her back year after year.

“It is a lot of people, but I know where to station myself so that I don’t feel so overwhelmed in trying to get around. Since I have been standing here today I have seen so many friends, co-workers, as well as persons I have not seen in a very long time. It is almost like you know you’re going to run into people, making it great for socialising and communicating,” said Janice.

•Festival organisers are now asking

patrons to vote for the ‘People’s Choice’ booth. Vote for your favourite and you may win a prize. Voting is open on the International Cultural Festival Facebook page until midnight.

22 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 28, 2016

literary lives JOHN LENNON

Imagine there’s a best-selling writer Sir Christopher Ondaatje reveals the little-known literary talent of the co-founder of the most commercially successful bands in the history of popular music

Caption WOB grey

O

ne of the most extraordinary and immediately best-selling books of all time was the curious collection of short stories, poems and line drawings by the rebellious songwriter and leading member of the Beatles band called “In His Own Write”.

The book is notable in that it was the first solo Beatle project in any form. It was John Lennon’s first book – published in 1964 by Simon & Schuster in New York and Jonathan Cape in Great Britain. It found immediate success. The initial printing by Simon & Schuster in the United States was 90,000 copies; and the book is reported to have sold over 50,000 copies on its very first publishing day in Great Britain.

The first edition preface was written

by Paul McCartney. There have been numerous reprints and subsequent editions - both in hard-cover and

paperback - but the true, original, first run copies of the book can be identified by a few specific details: most notable of these is a red sticker, two and a quarter inches by five-eights of an inch, with rounded corners that reads “The Writing Beatle”. Additionally, there is a small printed price marking of $2.50 on the bottom left corner of the back cover of the US edition.

The main title page, on the fourth page, reads “Simon & Schuster, New York 1964” as the only publishing credit; the verso has just a copyright symbol

followed by “1964 by John Lennon” in the top third of the page, and “Cover photograph by Robert Freeman”, with “Printed in Great Britain” beneath that.

The most recent edition of the book was published in 2014 by Canongate Books Ltd, Edinburgh.

“In His Own Write” is a small, surreal and nonsensical book in which Lennon has shown great ability to improvise in linguistic explorations, both in his prose writings and lyrics. His use of puns, near-homonyms, bizarre imagery, disconnected narrative threads

and references, creative misspellings and abrupt unresolved conclusions challenge the reader to either find meaning, or bring his own meaning to the text. The unique book is a revealing treatise text on Lennon’s free-form creative abilities as well as his sense of humour.

Beatles’ biographer Bill Harry writes that Lennon began drawing and writing at an early age with the encouragement of his uncle. He collected his stories, poetry, cartoons and caricatures in an exercise book he called the Daily Howl.

The drawings were often of crippled people, and the writings satirical, with an abundance of wordplay. This love of wordplay and nonsense eventually found a much wider audience in 1964 when Lennon was 24.

As Lennon relates it: “Some journalist who was hanging around the Beatles came to me and I ended up showing him the stuff. He said ‘write a book’ and that’s how the first one came about.”

When “In His Own Write” was published, “The Times Literary Supplement” wrote that the poems and stories were “remarkable ... also very funny ... the nonsense runs on words and images prompting one another in a chain of pure fantasy.” ‘Book Week’ reported: “This is nonsense writing but one has only to review the literature of nonsense to see how well Lennon has brought it off. While some of his homonyms are gratuitous wordplay, many others have not only double meaning but a double edge.”

Surprised by this positive reception, Lennon followed it with another book, “A Spaniard in the Works”, published the following year. “In His Own Write” was eventually adapted into a play, by Victor Spinetti and Adrienne Kennedy, and after negotiations between Lennon, Spinetti and the artistic director of the National Theatre, Sir Laurence Olivier, the play opened at The Old Vic in 1968.

John Lennon was born in war-time Liverpool in 1940 to Julia and Alfred Lennon, an Irish merchant seaman who was away when his son was born. Four years later he returned but his mother - by then pregnant with another man’s child - rejected him. When her sister, Mimi Smith, complained to Liverpool’s Social Services, Julia handed the care of her son over to her. In 1946, Lennon’s father took him from Mimi Smith to Blackpool intending to emigrate to New Zealand with him. Julia, Lennon’s mother, followed them and after a heated argument his father forced the five-year-old child to choose between

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Friday, October 28, 2016

“He collected his stories, poetry, cartoons and caricatures in an exercise book he called the Daily Howl. The drawings were often of crippled people, and the writings satirical, with an abundance of wordplay.”

them. Lennon twice chose his father but as his mother walked away he followed her, crying. Lennon did not see his father again for 20 years.

Lennon lived with his aunt and uncle Mimi and George Smith for the rest of his childhood. His aunt bought him short stories to read, and his uncle bought him a mouth organ. He visited his mother, who introduced him to Elvis Presley and taught him to play the banjo. However, Lennon was a disruptive troublemaker and his school reports were damning. He failed all his GCE O level examinations but managed to get into the Liverpool College of Art. Again he was disruptive, failed an annual exam, and was expelled from the college. His mother bought him his first guitar when he was 16.

Lennon formed the Quarrymen in September, 1956 - a semi skiffle and rock band. He asked Paul McCartney to join during its second performance.

It was at McCartney’s suggestion that George Harrison be hired, although only 14, after an audition on the upper deck of a Liverpool bus. Lennon’s friend from school, Stuart Sutcliffe, then joined as a bassist. Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Sutcliffe became the Beatles early in 1960. Desperate for a drummer after they were offered a job in Hamburg, Lennon invited Pete Best

Top, a drawing by John Lennon with the caption: “Puffing and clobbering they drugged themselves rampling or dancing with wild abdomen, stubbing in wild postumes amongst themselves...”; and below, an untitled ink drawing by John Lennon of a guitar player to join them. Lennon was now 19.

In 1962, Brian Epstein became the Beatles’ manager and was the person most responsible for their dress code and attitude on stage. Shortly after this, McCartney replaced Sutcliffe on bass,

and Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) replaced Best as drummer. This fourmember band stayed together until they broke up in 1970.

In a later interview, McCartney said that the other Beatles idolised Lennon.

“He was like our own Elvis ... We all looked up to John. He was older and he was very much the leader; he was the quickest wit and the smartest.”

The Beatles began to be noticed in the United Kingdom early in 1963, and during a Royal Variety Show Performance. After a year of ‘Beatlemania’ in the UK the group made their historic February, 1964, US appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, after which followed a two-year period of touring, songwriting and moviemaking during which Lennon wrote his two books.

The four members of the band were appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire in the 1965 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

The roller-coaster years 1967 to 1970 were the Beatles’ studio years and saw the release of Strawberry Fields Forever - an astonishingly inventive record, and the group’s landmark album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. In 1967 they were informed of Brian Epstein’s death, after which the band had no real leadership. “I knew we were in trouble then” Lennon said later ... “I was scared.”

The group travelled to the Maharishi’s Ashram in India and composed most of the songs for The Beatles and Abbey Road albums. They formed Apple Corps and were involved in a wide range of business activities, but Lennon’s increased drug experimentation and involvement with Yoko Ono, as well as Continued on page 24

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Friday, October 28, 2016

Continued from page 23 McCartney’s marriage plans, left the band and Apple Corps with no sensible direction.

Lennon left the Beatles in September 1969, being aware of the hostility of the other Beatles to Yoko Ono. Lennon said later: “After Brian Epstein died we collapsed.”

John Lennon and Yoko Ono moved to New York in August, 1971. Lennon’s album Imagine was produced that October and became his most famous and the best-selling single of his career. The following year, the Nixon administration took what it called a “strategic counter measure” against Lennon and his anti-war and antiNixon propaganda. Nixon was seriously worried that Lennon’s anti-war activities might cost him his re-election.

The ensuing battle with US immigration authorities resulted in Lennon being

“In His Own Write” was John Lennons first book and was published in 1964

“The other Beatles idolised Lennon.

‘He was like our own Elvis ... We all looked up to John. He was older and he was very much the leader; he was the quickest wit and the smartest’, said Paul McCartney”

denied permanent residency.

Seriously depressed, Lennon, who was already drinking heavily, increased his use of drugs. But he continued to make recordings and continued his anti-war activities. On March 23, 1973, Lennon was ordered to leave the US within 60 days. Yoko Ono, however, was granted permanent residence.

Nixon then found himself involved in the Watergate political scandal, which led to his resignation 14 months later.

Gerald Ford, Nixon’s successor, showed no interest in continuing the battle with Lennon and his deportation order was overturned in 1975. The following year Lennon received his “green card” certifying his permanent residency.

But before that, in 1973, Lennon and Yoko Ono decided to separate.

He had become involved with May Pang and worked with her on selected recordings: Mind Games, Pussy Cats by Harry Nilsson, and produced the Mick

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Friday, October 28, 2016

Forgotten facts Paul C Aranha Jagger song Too Many Cooks. Their fragmented and debauched existence continued until Lennon and Pang moved back to New York 18 months later. Walls and Bridges was produced in October, 1974, and Whatever Gets You Thru the Night, featuring Elton John, became Lennon’s only single as a solo artist to top the US Billboard Hit 100 during his lifetime.

Lennon also co-wrote Fame - David Bowie’s first US number. That same month, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds topped the chart with Lennon on guitar and back-up vocals. Lennon and Yoko Ono were reunited shortly afterwards and Lennon released Rock’n’Roll in 1975. Stand By Me from the album became his last single for five years. He made his final stage performance in A Salute to Lew Grade on April 18, 1975.

With the birth of his son Sean on October 9, 1975 Lennon, now retired, took on the role of “house-husband” beginning a five-year hiatus from the music industry. During this career break he returned to occasionally writing and drawing and drafted another book containing autobiographical material, which was published only after he died.

Emerging from retirement in 1980 with the single Starting Over, Lennon followed it with Double Fantasy. It was not well received.

At 10.50pm on December 8, 1980, Lennon and Yoko Ono returned to their New York apartment in The Dakota.

Mark David Chapman, a troubled bornagain Presbyterian from Texas, shot Lennon in the back four times in the archway of the building. Lennon was taken to the nearby Roosevelt Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival at 11pm. He was 40.

Earlier that day, Lennon had autographed a copy of Double Fantasy for Chapman, who remained at the scene of the crime reading J D Salinger’s novel, ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ until the police arrived and arrested him. Chapman pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 20-years-to-life imprisonment. He remains in prison today, having been denied parole nine times.

NEXT WEEK Novelist and poet Rudyard Kipling and his stories from India.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is an

adventurer and writer resident in the Bahamas. A Sri Lankan-born CanadianEnglishman, he is the author of several books, including “The Last Colonial”

A captivating idea for Inagua

I

f you go to the Archives, off Mackey Street, and research Colonial Office file CO23, you might come across this May 28, 1849, letter from the Governor of the Bahamas, to his superiors in England, a portion of which reads: “Upon my arrival in this Colony, I found that Governor Mathew had taken great interest...in the development of the resources of Inagua...I do not doubt that, in the course of three or four years, the population, which now scarcely exceeds 200...will rapidly increase, and that...Inagua will very soon come into active competition with the great saltproducing islands in the neighbourhood. I allude to “Turks Islands” and the “Caicos”. ... the annual prospects of Inagua are very considerable, when we bear in mind the short time that has elapsed since the

The old prison at Mathew Town, Inagua; and left, on the outside, looking in: the prison window in Inagua Island’s capabilities were unfolded ...

The great difficulty... is the want of labourers, and I am using every exertion to encourage the migration to that Island, of labourers, from...our out-islands, where they can hardly earn their subsistence. At Inagua a male labourer is sure of obtaining eighteen pence sterling per day, and a female one shilling. ...There are certain works connected with the Salt ponds, which the Government must undertake, and we are now engaged in making the necessary

arrangements for that purpose ...To assist this object, I have...constituted Inagua a penal station, for the convicts sentenced by the Supreme Court of Nassau.

Upon the return of Mr Kortwright (the Resident Magistrate) to Inagua, a small number of Convicts will accompany him, and will occupy the temporary Gaol (jail), which he has already...prepared for that purpose.

I believe it will not be in my power to send, at the present moment, more than seven or eight of the Convicts, and it occurred to

me that, possibly, the Governments of Jamaica and Barbadoes might find Inagua a convenient place of transportation for their Convicts.

While I am on this subject I would beg permission to add that the official announcement of my intention to send prisoners to Inagua has had a salutary effect in diminishing crime, particularly among the female portion of the Community.

The...population of Nassau appears to have a great dread of being sent out of the island, and though I am anxious to give Mr Kortwright the benefit of Convict Labour, in effecting the indispensable works of Inagua, I shall be truly grateful to find that the Gaol of Nassau is becoming less-tenanted, as the terrors of removal to Inagua spread through the lower reaches of the population. islandairman@gmail.com

WANTS (across) ARROW (down)

26| The Tribune | Weekend

section

Chambers

Friday, October21st 28, 2016

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The Tribune | Weekend | 27

Friday, October 28, 2016

animals Animal matters Kim Aranha

PET OF THE WEEK

T

en years ago Freckles was saved by a kind lady on Blake Road. She was the only female of four puppies rescued. They all found good homes and settled in to their forever lives with kids to play with and adults to care for them.

However, in Freckles case, her family had an unexpected turn of events and had to leave the Bahamas. Freckles, now 10 years old and suffering from arthritis, could not move to Germany and the cold winters, but unlike some dogs in a similar situation, Freckles’ family had her in mind and went to great lengths to find her a good, happy, caring home with people who Freckles already knew because the kids of the two families played together frequently.

They even moved with her and lived in the new home with her for two weeks.

Freckles settled in very nicely and appeared to be happy and well adjusted.

She slept on her new mom’s bed, had staked out her safe thunderstorm place, was taking command of the other dogs in the house and had relegated the cats to upstairs or outdoors. A happy queen in control of her new home, or so it seemed. Hurricane Matthew came along and freaked out a large amount of dogs.

Freckles managed to escape from her yard two weeks ago when her new family went to see how their boat had fared during the storm. She had not made friends with the gardener, so usually stayed up by the house when he was there.

What happened during those two hours we will never know, but sweet Freckles was not at home when her family came back. She was wearing tags on her unusual collar (decorated with a pink skull and crossbones), but it had the phone numbers of her previous family and those were disconnected.

LINDA GILL-ARANHA

Lost pets – a casualty of Hurricane Matthew

Adorable Angelica

A

ngelica, while pup-sized, is most definitely a fully-grown potcake. This one-year-old is very dainty on her feet and is quite sociable with humans and dogs alike. She even said hello to the cat that came to check her out as the photo

By The Bahamas Humane Society

was being taken! She had a rough start at the Bahamas Humane Society, as she was quite ill for several weeks, but she’s feeling much better now and is ready for a home of her own.

Are you looking for a small-sized dog for your yard or house? One who’s happy

Her new mom did everything right since she went missing. A reward was offered, flyers were printed, doorto-door visits in the area were made showing Freckles’ picture and multiple posts were written on Facebook. The Bahamas Humane Society circulated her photo but nobody came forward.

Freckles is not the only canine casualty of the hurricane. There is a long list of missing dogs and the BHS has its share of found dogs, but why can’t we

to play, to cuddle and to walk? Then Angelica might be the dog for you. Come in to the BHS to meet her, or call 323-5138 for more information. Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday. Angelica is eager to meet you!

match the missing with the found? Why don’t people think of immediately contacting the BHS? Sadly, many people do not think of reporting lost or found dogs to us, some people just take in a dog without a thought given to the home and distraught family the dog may have left behind. You would think that the fact that the dog has collar would indicate a home left behind.

No, I do not think Freckles left her home because she was unhappy there.

They treated her with great kindness and consideration. She was probably confused, and the storm had not helped things. To make matters worse, there was probably a gap in the fence and she was curious. Out she went and the rest is history!

Freckles is just one of many lost dogs on the streets of Nassau.

Please keep your eyes open as you

• BHS 2016 Raffle tickets

are now available at the shelter. Tickets are $2 each or a book of 54 for $100. The grand prize is $10,000 worth of groceries from SuperValue.

The draw will take place on December 30 at the Mall at Marathon.

drive. If you see an animal on the side of the road, make a note where, check the BHS Facebook page, call and report the sighting. You could help reunite pet and family, and in many cases mend a kid’s broken heart.

There are many lessons to be learned from Freckles’ sad disappearance: Make sure your fence is secure, and make sure you dog has up-to-date phone numbers on their collar. Bad things happen that we cannot avoid.

UPDATE: The day after this article was submitted Freckles was found a few hundred yards from her home, with a frayed rope still attached to her collar.

She has lost weight and was very thirsty.

After a bath and food, she walked right over to her bed, sighed and fell asleep. Not all lost dogs are this lucky, please ensure that your pets are safe.

28 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 28, 2016

gardening

Lettuce and greens What makes a perfect salad?

Jack Hardy explains which varieties of lettuce and greens to plant for your desired mesclun mix

A

great deal of space is taken up in nursery catalogues and in supermarket produce aisles by lettuce and greens for the making of salads. There is a far greater choice of salad constituents than ever before and the array of options is vast.

It was the Romans that popularised lettuce and salads. A true lettuce has a slightly bitter taste and will exude white sap when torn. Greens are usually more distinctly flavoured. Mix them together and you get mesclun. If you grow your own favourite lettuce and greens you will be able to create a personal salad, one you know you will always enjoy.

And as everybody knows, salads are healthy before the dressing goes on.

The lettuces of yesteryear are still with us and still the main choice of the public at large. Butterhead/Bibb is large leafed and has distinctive flavour.

You often see it as the bed to a bowl of potato or chicken salad. Iceberg is often derided as the only choice for non-cognoscenti but still remains the only lettuce that can be served in wedges.

Iceberg has virtually no flavour but is pleasantly crisp and refreshing. Caesar salad really made the name for romaine lettuce – called cos in Europe – and demonstrated both its crisp texture and ability to withstand becoming soggy in a vinaigrette or salad dressing, even one containing raw egg. Add to these the tasty and convenient (for gardeners) loose-leaf lettuces that come in a wide variety of colours, shapes and textures and you had a large palette of creativity

A mix of greens growing in a pot long before greens came along.

Historically, greens were cooked. Many we add to lettuce to create a mesclun are picked at the young stage and include spinach, beets, chard, mustard, chicory, kale, purslane, bok choi and pak choi, and pea tendrils. Herb leaves were incorporated, including sorrel, arugula (rocket), cress, watercress, lovage, borage, epazote, salad burnet, basil, chervil, chicory, chives, nasturtiums, and winter savory. I personally love the frisee type of endive and mizuna from Japan.

Enough naming of parts, let’s get down to growing them.

Lettuces are fast growers and looseleaf lettuces can be productive in about six weeks from seed. I like to start the seeds, barely covered, in flats until transplant time. Other gardeners prefer to plant the seeds in rows or grids in the garden and remove the excess by either transplanting or pinching. Either way, lettuces have a small but compact root system that demands regular watering. A little every day is better than a lot three times a week. Because of their compact roots lettuces are one of the few vegetables in the garden that I would fertilize with a time release formula such as Osmocote, applied very close to the plants.

Lettuces are fine candidates for growing in containers, especially large rectangular plastic basins with drainage holes and filled with good potting mix.

The plants can be grown quite close together so they are touching once full

size, the actual distance determined by the variety of lettuce. As long as the plants are fed and watered well they will take a bit of crowding. Heading lettuces must be allowed to reach full size before cutting while Bibb, romaine and loose-leaf lettuce can have their outer leaves detached on a regular basis for instant use.

Greens present a different problem.

Some of them look like lettuce and these can usually be grown as lettuce.

Others, like the endive frisee, demand appreciably more space. Read up on the greens you are using and make your own calculations as to the distance between plants. Leaf spinach does not like to be crowded. Malabar spinach can be quite pathetic if it is not grown in rich soil and watered well.

If you like to eat healthy then you must grow your own salad makings. If you live alone in an apartment you can place an aforementioned plastic basin on your balcony and keep yourself provided. I bought several packets of vegetable seeds in early summer to use right now and some of the tomato vari-

eties had only 10 seeds to a pack. The lettuce packages by contrast had thousands of seeds, far more than I could use in a season.

And I have at least a dozen packages, including last year’s seeds that I am sure will still be viable. If you have a particular lettuce love – romaine, say – then grow that. If you want variety then buy a packet of mesclun which will probably have at least a dozen different lettuces and greens in the mix. Some days pick one type, other days pick every type. Most lettuces (and frisee) grow leaves back readily and are ‘cut and come again’.

Larger families will need to plant in the soil and it may be wise to sprinkle some snail and slug bait in the area.

Snails are healthy eaters too. I have a foot-long wicker basket I have had for years that I use only for lettuce and herbs. Any salad you make yourself from your own garden will be, of course, delicious. You can make an all-green salad and throw in a few halved cherry tomatoes, or impress guests with a multi-coloured concoction of green, red and bronze in all kind of shapes, some frilly, some plain, some looking like oak leaves. If your salad is composed of small leaves up to three to four inches then leave them whole. I know you are not supposed to cut lettuce when preparing a salad but it is perfectly all right to cut salad on the plate while eating.

• For questions and comment e-mail j.hardy@coralwave.com