12302016 weekend by tribune242

The Tribune

Friday, December 30, 2016

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Weekend

NYE Parties Page 3

Fit for royalty Cardell McClam presents new collection Fashion, pages 14&15

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Friday, December 30, 2016

life through a lens Have you taken a selection of photographs that might make a Life through a lens feature page? If so please submit it to weekend@ tribunemedia.net for consideration

PHOTOS/DAVIDE DE PAS

Leslie Vanderpool and filmmakers at the opening night of BIFF in Rawson Square.

Hollywood comes to Rawson Square - the opening night of BIFF.

Cinema in Paradise

T Leslie Vanderpool and Dr Daniel Johnson at the opening night of BIFF in Rawson Square.

he glitz and glamour of ‘Bahamawood’ was on show earlier this month at the annual Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF), with filmmakers coming to Harbour Island and Nassau for the 13th edition of the seven-day event. From the relaxed setting of Romora Bay to a formal opening night showing of ‘Blind’ in Rawson Square, the festival encompassed awards and tributes, panel discussions and masterclasses, special screenings and receptions. Michael Mailer, the American director of ‘Blind’, and the Ca-

A discussion panel at BIFF 2016 Photo: Davide De Pas

nadian twins Karissa and Katie Strain, who wrote and starred in ‘I Had A Dream’, were among 50 filmmakers and industry professionals invited to the festival by Founder and Executive Director Leslie Vanderpool. The 2016 BIFF - ‘Cinema in Paradise’ - showcased over 90 films from 26 countries. “I believe we have the chance to ‘make a difference’, a huge difference, in the artistic and cultural life of the Bahamas and, more widely, the world,” Ms Vanderpool, reflecting on the festival, said. Next year’s BIFF is scheduled for December 10 to 17.

Karissa and Katie Strain, the Canadian twins who wrote and starred in ‘I Had A Dream’ screened at BIFF 2016.

Leslie Vanderpool and Michael Mailer, director of ‘Blind’, at the opening night of BIFF in Rawson Square.

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Inside Weekend Interview 4 - 5 Cara Hunt talks to talented teen Giveton Gelin who has been listed among the US’ top young artists. Food 7 Puffee spins cotton candy in exotic flavours Film 8 -10 Inaugural Island House Film Festival to show award-winning “Lion” and “Moonlight”, plus latest releases reviewed

Music 11- 12 John Legend takes to the Atlantis stage; a Bahamian teen makes waves abroad, plus a new contest to encourage local artists Art 13 Jodi Minnis displays her ‘Undefined’ work

Fashion 14-15 Cardell McClam tailors clothes fit for royalty

Pop culture 16 A look back at a year of painful goodbyes

Podcasts 17 The best shows of 2016 Books 18 - 19 Carrie Fisher’s last book reviewed, plus the latest releases Fitness 20 - 21 Time for a health revolution over health resolution

Shopping 22 ‘Shop the CC’ brings global trends to Bahamian shores

Literary Lives

23 - 25 Sir Christopher Ondaatje interviews Paul Aranha about the legend of Conchy Joe

Animals 27 Kim Aranha’s New Year’s hopes and wishes, plus Pet of the Week

Gardening 28 Jack Hardy’s tips and topics Cover photo | Shawn Hanna

My perfect Bahamian New Year’s Eve Kishan Munroe Artist Q: Ring in the New Year at church, at a party, or at home? “At church, because that is the way I was raised and it’s good to start the year with like-minded people, and on the right foot…as long as the sermon is not too much fire and brimstone.” Q: Champagne or apple cider? “Champagne. You have so many different types of champagne and you can get a real kick from it. I appreciate good champagne.” Q: Are you making any New Year’s resolutions? “Yes, I am making some, although I don’t really focus too much on New Year’s. My 2017 calendar started last week, because as an artist you have to plan in advance.” Q: A kiss at midnight or just a hug? “A kiss from someone I want to kiss me and a hug from everyone else.” Q: Who are you spending New Year’s Eve with, family or friends? “Family and friends who I consider to be family.”

Things 2 Do this New Year’s Eve • NYE at Olive’s Meze Grill Time: 6.30pm Highlights: The option of a special four-course dinner and dessert or you can choose from our regular menu items. The annual all-night afterparty will follow with music, dancing, champagne and all the party favours. Tickets are $150. • Sapodilla Estate’s Countdown Time: 9pm Highlights: A complimentary bottle of champagne, tapas, chocolate fountain, party favours, DJ, a Junkanoo rush-out and fire works. Tickets are $100. RSVP at 327-2161 or e-mail livetheexperience@sapodillabahamas. com. • “Enter the Wild” at The Island House Time: 9pm Highlights: TIH is transforming into a midnight jungle. Guests can enjoy a tropical night of live music and DJs, as well as a traditional Junkanoo rushout. Visit, call or e-mail the front desk at 698-6300 or info@the-island-house. com to purchase your Forest Floor tickets.

• NYE at Palm Cay Time: 8pm-2am (dinner); 10pm-2am (drinks party) Dress code: White and silver attire Highlights: Fabulous food, entertainment and dancing on the beach. Live music by DJ CRX, fireworks, Junkanoo and fire dancers. Call 242 698-0234 or e-mail clubinfo@ palmcay.com for ticket information. • The Pier’s Cirque Du Soleil Masquerade Party Time: 7pm-4am Highlights: Masquerade under the stars by the water, with live band performances, stilt walkers and fire dancing. RSVP at 635-0431 or e-mail thepierbahamas@gmail.com. • NYE at Harbourfront Time: 7pm-2am Highlights: Complimentary cocktail hour from 7pm-8pm, gourmet fourcourse meal, DJ Ron on the wheels of steel, and a champagne toast and Junkanoo rush-out. Tickets are $115 per person + VAT and gratuity.

• Balmoral Club’ NYE Gala Ball Time: 7.30pm Highlights: “We know you’ll have a blast as we ring in the new year and say goodbye to the last. This will be a perfect celebration for you and all of our friends as the clock winds down and the old year ends. The champagne is chilling, we know you’re willing to make your reservations today and come to party the night away.” • Marley Resort NYE Party Time: 7pm - 1am Highlights: Enjoy festive holiday drinks, live music and Caribbean cuisine throughout the evening, then finish with a champagne toast at midnight. $90 per person. Reservations required; call 424-8826. • Shipyard NYE Party Time: 6.30pm-3am Highlights: A Live band, DJ, party favours and a champagne toast. Call 333-5010, send a message on Facebook or e-mail info@ shipyardbahamas.com for more information.

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interview At 17 years old, trumpeter Giveton Gelin stands on the brink of international success. The Nassau native tells Cara Hunt about his musical journey and how he came to be among the US’ top promising young artists.

Giveton Gelin

iveton Gelin never really thought that the trumpet would become the musical love of his life. As a young boy, he joined his primary school marching band to play the drums, but later made an instrument switch that would change his life. “I started playing music at my primary school as a part of the Sadie Curtis marching band. Originally, I was a drummer in the band. There weren’t any trumpets and the director wanted to expand the band and so he asked for people to switch to trumpets,” the 17- year-old musician told Tribune Weekend. Giveton decided on a whim to switch instruments and the rest, as they say, is history. “I didn’t even have a trumpet, but my father told me that he had a trumpet that he had lent to one of his friends 10 years ago. I went out looking for the friend and amazingly she still had it and she gave it me. What I found out and what I love about the trumpet is that it is so versatile an instrument.” Although he had never played the trumpet before, Giveton soon found he had a natural gift for the instrument. His band instructor also worked with him outside of regular practice so that he could perfect the songs that they played. “I didn’t have any formal lessons until I went to college, but I studied the great trumpet jazz players such as Louis Armstrong – who really is just one of the gurus of the trumpet – Blue Mitchell, Miles Davis, and Freddie Hubbard. I fell in love with

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jazz music and have just been so inspired by these artists.” He also found inspiration here at home and mentorship through Adrian D’ Aguilar. Giveton originally met Adrian, himself an established jazz musician who has played with many of the greats in the US, at Jacaranda House. The two formed a strong bond and Adrian became Giveton’s mentor. “Adrian D’Aguilar is the person who really gave me a foundation for playing jazz. I am where I am today as a musician because he is the person who taught me how to improvise, how to swing, really everything. He has taught me a lot about the process of jazz, because he has been through the process playing with the likes of Eddie Henderson in New York. He is my mentor.” Giveton and Adrian are a part of the group Jazz Cats, which was formed by Adrian to harness the talent of young musicians. “We’ve been playing for a while now. We practice in Adrian’s studio and on Thursday nights we play at The Island House,” the teen said. The group also includes Giveton’s siblings: his brother Giveton on drums and his sister Givedy on the alto sax. Adrian’s son Daniel plays the alto sax and violin, while his daughter Hanna is the vocalist for the group. Other members are Eric Boxerman on piano and the sister duo of Amina and Melia Ledee. The exposure they got from their performances allowed Giveton and his brother the opportunity to attend music camps at the Manhattan School of Music for the past several years. Giveton said it was an awesome chance to network with other musicians, both young and old. The teen attended Government High School before graduating from Windsor Prep Academy. Today, Giveton has just finished his first semester at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio, where he is majoring in Jazz Trumpet.

Giveton and the other young members of the Jazz Cats group

“I want to be able to touch as many people as I can with my music. And I want to do what all the great jazz cats do, which is just keeping working on your craft and always trying to be onto something new to keep things fresh.”

Giveton Gelin plays the trumpet during a jazz performance at Jacaranda House

“It was amazing. I didn’t expect that I would be able to go there and do all the things that I was able to do,” he said of his first few months at the school. Giveton joined the Oberlin Band and said that one of the highlights of his semester was when the band got to open for jazz great Terrance Blanchard. The Grammy Award winner is a renowned trumpeter, composer and film score composer. He has written the score for almost every Spike Lee project, including the films “Malcolm X”, “Mo Better Blues”, “Jungle Fever” and “Summer of Sam”, as well as the HBO documen-

tary “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts.” “To have had the opportunity to open for someone who I admire so much was a true honour,” he said. Next week, Giveton will embark on an other great experience. As a testament to his stellar ability on trumpet, he was recently recognised by the National Young Arts Foundation. The organisation selected Giveton as one of the 691 of the US’ most promising young artists in the literary, visual, design and performing arts fields. He was selected to be a finalist, which is signifies the organisation’s highest honour. Selected through a blind adjudication process conducted by an independent panel of highly accomplished artists, the 2017 winners represent the top 8.67 per cent of applications and include only 166 finalists. With the Young Arts Finalist award, Giveton will have the opportunity to participate in the 36th annual National Young Arts Week in Miami, Florida, January 8-5, 2017. “This is a great opportunity for me,” he said. “I was looking up ways to get my name out there, and Young Arts was something that kept coming up as something great if you could get in. I had to send in an audition tape and I am very thankful and humbled by the opportunity.” While in Miami, Giveton will be able to take part in master music classes and will perform with other young, talented musicians at a special concert. Looking forward to his future as a professional trumpeter, Giveton said he hopes to eventually showcase his skills on a larger stage to reach more people. “I want to be able to touch as many people as I can with my music,” he said. “And I want to do what all the great jazz cats do, which is just keeping working on your craft and always trying to be onto something new to keep things fresh.”

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food

Sweet as cotton candy By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

uffee Gourmet Cotton Candy is a new and chic way to enjoy a traditional childhood favourite. Offering almost two dozen exotic flavours and toppings for cotton candy, the company has taken spun sugar and turned it into a real gourmet experience. Jonaé Reckley, Puffee’s owner, told Tribune Weekend that she came up with the idea because there was nothing like it the market. “There was nothing like that here for the longest time. There were companies here that would just do pink or green or purple cotton candy, like you would see at fairs, so I wanted to change that. I wanted to create a company where cotton candy is more than a colour; it’s flavoured. We wanted to add toppings as well to enhance the flavour of the cotton candy for a modern twist on a traditional favourite,” she said. Jonaé chose the name “Puffee” to reflected the fluffy goodness of the treat. “When you think of cotton candy you think round, fluffy, puffy, and I just wanted something unique – Puffee.” And one of the great things about the product, she added, is that there is a flavour for everyone. “I think it’s so popular among adults because it’s a modern twist on a confectionery that they remember from their childhood, but in new exotic flavours. And the children like it because it’s sugar and they just like anything sweet,” she said. Her young customers, Jonaé said, enjoy flavours such cookies and cream, pina colada and birthday cake, while adults tend to go for Kahúla, chai, and Bahamian fruit flavours such as soursop, guava and mango. For the holiday season, Jonaé offered ‘Santa Sugar Cookie’, which is vanilla cotton candy with sprinkles on top, as well as ‘Hot Chocolate’, chocolate cotton candy with mini marshmallows, and the ‘eggnog, peppermint and toffee nut’ creation, which is caramel cream cotton candy with crushed almonds and toffee pieces throughout.

The team at Puffee enjoy creating new, unique flavours for their cotton candy

And while the majority of her flavours have been popular, Jonaé admits that there have been some mishaps. “When I first started the company in April I really wanted to have a mojito flavour, but it was really hard to get

the right balance between the peppermint and the lime, and it really didn’t taste true to a mojito. Sometimes that happens, so I am still trying to get that onto the menu. I really think it would be a cool flavour,” she said.

Jonaé said she feels humbled and grateful for her company’s success. “We are excited to see what 2017 will bring, but so far we have done Paint the Lanes Pink, the No Lye Hair event, the University of the Bahamas launch events and the Ministry of Tourism 16 Weddings, as well as a number of private events,” she said. Jonaé said that Puffee will soon introduce alcohol-infused flavours. Eventually, she added, they would like to evolve into a confectionery store that provides unique and modern twists on all the childhood favourites.

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film “Moonlight”, starring Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe and Naomie Harris, will be shown on January 15 at 5pm.

“Lion”, starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman, will be screened on January 13 at 8pm.

Award-winning ‘Lion’ and ‘Moonlight’ to feature at Nassau’s new film festival By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

“L

ion” and “Moonlight”, two internationally acclaimed movies which are both considered Oscar contenders, will be screened in Nassau next month as part of first The Island House Film Festival (TIHFF).

The independent non-competitive festival runs from January 12 to 15 at The Island House (THI) on Mahogany Hill, and will showcase award-winning films in a space uniquely created for avid local movie-goers of all ages, aspiring filmmakers and actors who have been invited to interact and inspire in workshops and talks. Both “Lion” and “Moonlight”, as well as features by Bahamian Maria Govan and other Caribbean filmmakers, all embody the theme of the

festival: “Life’s Journey”. “Moonlight”, which critics are calling one of the best movies of the year, chronicles the life of a young, gay black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighbourhood of Miami. Meanwhile, “Lion” – starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman – tells the story of Saroo Brierley, a five-year-old Indian boy who gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometres

from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family using Google Earth. The festival’s opening night film is “Play the Devil” by Maria Govan, a local filmmaker who is known for her award-winning debut “Rain”. Set against the backdrop of Trinidad and Tobago’s mystical Carnival, the film focuses on a gifted and struggling young man who becomes the object of intrigue for an older, well-meaning businessman until their worlds collide. The Hollywood Reporter described the plot as “awkward melodrama gives way to primal intensity”, and praised the cinematography and pared-down dialogue. Other highlights of the festival will include UK director Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or at Cannes winner “I, Daniel Blake”, and the Bahamian films “My Father’s Land” – the story of a Haitian gardener who after 40 years in the Bahamas returns home – and “It’s a Potcake’s Life”, an inspirational story about the plight of the Potcake and their very dedicated rescuers. The festival will also show four Caribbean short films from Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, offer a free acting workshop by the Bahamas Artist Movement (BAM), and more. “We are one destination, The Island House, and people will come to this destination to experience the festival as a whole, meaning we are using all of the different spaces on our property and we are going to have some beautiful outdoor properties and events where we are going to screen the movies so people can enjoy that space,” said Anja Allen, marketing representative at THI. “We will be having workshops in our meeting room and also going to be using our cinema to screen films. So it is not like people are going to be going to different destinations throughout the island; it is all going to be based here at The Island House. From the receptions and cocktail parties, it is just going to be a weekend of entertainment. It is going to be an intimate space. Kareem J Mortimer, Bahamian director/producer and TIHFF board member, said it is a great feeling to see the festival come to life with the focus on the filmmakers, the project itself and the opportunity to create a unique experience for the local audience. Other board members include Jon Voigtman, managing director of RBC Capital Markets; Lauren Holowesko, TIH director; Stephane Cathelin, film producer; John Cox, artist, and William McKechnie, THI general manager.

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Mr Mortimer said they all came together early last year to discuss bringing the festival to life. It was then that the decision was made to it non-competitive, and to focus on giving attention to Caribbean filmmakers who have made a significant contribution to cinema. They also decided to keep the selection of films at a manageable number so that people have a change to see all the movies and meet the filmmakers themselves. “I think these film festivals are really important and there cannot ever be enough. What it does is connect a filmmaker with the audience who may have never heard of their work. We have about seven Caribbean films and they are all super relatable to the audience that live here, and so the purpose of what we do is connect the filmmakers with his/her first audience so we can celebrate some of our own in the region,” said Mr Mortimer. Speaking about his own experience with submissions to film festivals, he admitted that he is no stranger to rejection. But Mr Mortimer said rejection is never a reason to quit pushing ahead. His advice to young filmmakers is to always keep at your craft. “I have been rejected many of time, and I can tell you that when it happens it sucks, but it is part of the business. Getting rejected from a festival has nothing to do with the quality of a film. I’ve learned from being accepted into festivals and being rejected by many more festivals that it is never anything personal. We only exist as an Island House Film Festival because of the filmmakers, and we are just people, so keep at your work, and when you continuously put out work and release work, people take notice. You will discover that there are people around that want to showcase your work. This is part of the reason why I find my job here so good because I get to see what people are doing and I have access to a platform,” he said.

Bahamian filmmaker Maria Govan’s new film, “Play the Devil” will be the festival’s opening night film. She will also participate in a THIFF Talk on January 15.

The documentary “It’s a Potcake’s Life” will be shown on January 14 at 12noon.

Ken Loach’s “I, Daniel Blake”, a stark reflection of the welfare state, will be screened on January 14 at 5.30pm.

• Tickets and the schedule for TIHFF are available at www. tihff.com. You can also call 698.6300 or e-mail info@theisland-house.com.

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film Barry Wetcher/Warner Bros. via AP

review

Oscarcalibre cast can’t elevate ‘Collateral Beauty’ collateral beauty running time: 97 mins

ith its cast of Oscar-caliber actors and pervasive theme of loss, “Collateral Beauty”

review

sing running time: 108 mins

One can imagine the pitch meeting: It’s “American Idol,” but animated, and everyone’s an animal. We’ll star a cuddly koala. We’ll get McConaughey, Witherspoon, some other A-listers. We’ll throw in everyone’s favorite pop songs — get Legal on the phone! And hey, we’ll add a fart joke. How could it miss? And actually, that pitch meeting

would be pretty much on the money. “Sing” doesn’t miss, at all. What this new holiday entry from Illumination (“Despicable Me,” ‘’Minions,” ‘’The Secret Life of Pets”) might lack in originality of concept, it more than makes up for in execution — in smarts, energy, star power and plain old entertainment value. And with a satisfying ending that also packs an emotional punch, it’s hard to imagine you won’t exit the theater smiling, if not, um, singing. The story, by writer-director Garth Jennings, revolves around Buster Moon, the aforementioned koala. A short digression here: why Buster doesn’t have an Australian accent or any discernible relation to Australia — he’s a KOALA! — is certainly curious. Then again, Matthew McConaughey certainly isn’t Australian. And we love his distinctive drawl. So, we’re good. Buster is a theatre owner, and his dedication to live entertainment will be touching to all those musical lovers out there (and this IS the season for musicals). However, he appears to have horrible taste in the shows he picks (“War of Attrition” is one of the amusing titles.) Times have been tough. So Buster decides to put on a singing competition. He scrapes together $1,000 for the cash prize. But due to an

Will Smith plays the grief-stricken Howard in “Collateral Beauty”. This, of course, is bad for the bottom line, which is the main concern for Howard’s closest colleagues, Whit (Edward Norton), Claire (Kate Winslet) and Simon (Michael Pena). Because Howard is the company’s main shareholder, the other three can’t make moves without him. At first, they reach out in friendship. Claire brings food over to Howard’s apartment; Whit tries to have a heartto-heart with his friend. When those attempts fail, though, they resort to more devious means. They decide to spy on their boss and prey on his grief-

ridden instability. If they can prove Howard has become incompetent, they can override his authority. They hire a detective, who finds that Howard has been sending letters addressed to Love, Time and Death. So his colleagues decide to trick him by hiring actors to play human apparitions of those concepts who will respond to Howard in person. By filming these encounters and editing out the actors, Whit, Claire and Simon will have evidence of Howard’s incompetence. Even this stellar cast can’t make such selfish sneakiness jibe with idea of “collateral beauty.” (What is that, anyway?) The only bright spot in the story is Howard’s relationship with Madeleine (a luminous Naomie Harris), who runs a grief-support group for parents who’ve lost children. Love, time and death are forever ripe for artistic exploration, but director David Frankel and his all-star cast miss the mark with “Collateral Beauty.” SANDY COHEN AP Entertainment Writer

Meena, voiced by Tori Kelly, gives it her all in “Sing.”

Illumination Entertainment/ Universal Pictures via AP

‘Sing’ sings along, with humour and poignancy

should have been a deeply moving tear-jerker. Instead, it comes off as a melodramatic contrivance. It’s unfortunate — not just because it’s a waste of an incredibly talented ensemble, but because the film has a worthy goal: highlighting the human need for connection by exploring universal concepts of love, death and time. But it undermines itself by mixing in greedy manipulation, a forced magical element and a painfully precious ending that makes any meaningful message evaporate before the closing credits roll. Will Smith is Howard, the oncegregarious leader of a big, successful advertising firm. He’s charismatic and inspirational, plying his staff with such platitudes as “We are here to connect” and “Life is about people.” He tells them that everyone on Earth is motivated by the longing for love, the wish for more time and the fear of death. But Howard withdraws into depression and isolation after his young daughter dies. Instead of leading his company, he spends his working hours silently building and collapsing domino towers.

unfortunate typo on the flyers printed by his somewhat blind but lovable secretary, Miss Crawly (voiced by director Jennings himself), the prize is upped to $100,000. Needless to say, hordes show up to audition. Which is good, because who doesn’t love a good audition montage? This amusing scene gives Jennings a

chance to pull out all the stops. (Until the end of course, when he REALLY pulls out all the stops.) What ensues is a funny series of inappropriate animal/ pop song mashups, like the snail singing Ride Like the Wind.” You get the picture. JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer

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music

Chloe’s ‘Sick’ gets healthy airplay By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

he may only be 16 years old, but Bahamian singer Chloe Campbell is already taking her first steps towards international stardom. In October, she celebrated the successful debut of her breakup anthem “Sick” on Billboard; a song which is now increasingly gaining in both local and global airplay. This was followed by articles in Nylon magazine and The Huffington Post about the singer – the latter describing Chloe as a breakout artist who is sure to set the tone for a dynamic 2017 with her natural soul voice. “The inspiration for ‘Sick’ is about having someone in your life that makes you physically sick. It could be a boyfriend, a friend, or anyone really. They have crossed you or your trust in some way, and now the thought of them truly makes you sick I try to have fun with it though. It is not super angry, but it gets the point across,” Chloe told Tribune Weekend. And she is delighted with her success so far. “The song has been doing very well, especially here in my hometown,” the native Nassuvian said. “I’ve been getting tons of support and love here and I’m very grateful for it.” Chloe currently divides her time between Los Angeles and the Bahamas, and has been working hard on her perfecting her live performances and creating a show around her original music. The teen, who cites vocal greats such as Etta James and Amy Winehouse, as well as pop stars Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj as her influences, said her musical style can be described as pop with reggae and soul influences. “Growing up here in Nassau I was exposed to a lot of great reggae, so you can hear it in my songs like my single ‘Sick’,” she said. To her family and friends it came as no surprise that Chloe would choose music as a profession. Her maternal grandfather was a life-long musician and entertainer, and following in his footsteps, Chloe began singing almost as soon as she could talk. Her parents were so convinced by

Bahamian singer Chloe Campbell pictured during her interview with radio host Saraan on Y98.7FM. her talent that they built her a proper performance venue in their home, including props, lighting and a stage at the age when Chloe was just three years old. “There was something that drew me to music since I was born. I believe everyone is moved emotionally one way or another by music. I loved it in my soul since I can remember,” she said. “I think experiences and music itself inspire me. Being able to create music that people can relate to and are inspired by is also very inspiring.” But music is not her only talent. She has also dabbled in cooking, the arts and pageantry. At age 11, Chloe began to learn about the culinary arts from Chef Elijah Bowe at Graycliff, the only five-star restaurant in the Bahamas. She also worked on weekends and evenings, studying with Bahamian artist John Cox, a childhood friend of her father’s and owner of Popopstudios. When she was 12, she moved to the United States to attend grades six

and seven at the Galloway School in Atlanta, Georgia. She then went straight on to high school, while also attending a pre-college programme by the New York University. In 2013, the teen entered and won the teen category of the Little Miss Bahamas pageants. Chloe won the titles of Miss Ideal Bahamas and Miss Teen Universe Bahamas, making her the first doubletitle holder in the pageant’s history. This qualified her to represent the Bahamas in the Miss Teen Universe Pageant in Nicaragua in 2014, where she was the youngest contestant. She won the overall “Talent” category and placed seventh overall in the world. For the new year, Chloe hopes to be able to carve out her own unique path to international success. “I have been in the studio record-

Chloe Campbell’s latest single, the breakup anthem “Sick”, is making waves both at home and abroad.

ing a lot and rehearsing with my band. I will keep releasing new music through out 2017. I also have a show in Los Angeles on January 9 for an event called ‘Its A School Night’. That should be a good time,” she said.

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music

John Legend live in concert tonight By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

et ready to celebrate an early New Year’s with some firstclass crooning, as award-winning and platinum-selling singer/songwriter John Legend takes to the stage at Atlantis tonight. Legend, who celebrated his 38th birthday on Wednesday, will be performing some of his biggest hits, including the smash “All of You”, which this week hit one billion views on YouTube, as well as other songs off his current studio album, “Love In the Future”. The concert is part of the Atlantis LIVE series and will start at 8pm sharp in the Imperial Ballroom. Atlantis’ Senior Vice President

of Public Relations Ed Fields said the resort has featured some of the biggest names in music and comedy over the past few years, and John Legend was the perfect fit for them during this festive season. “The Atlantis LIVE experience is very intimate and personal. It is very different experience than your typical concert venue. Every seat in the venue feels like you are close to the artist and offers a-once-ina-lifetime experience,” said Mr Fields. After the show, Legend will be jetting off to New York City to perform at Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. Meanwhile, Atlantis will be gearing up for its “Light Up” New Year’s Eve shindig. Featuring Miami DJ Ray Costa and local DJ Mighty Pencil, the party takes place from 9pm to 2am at Fathoms, located in the Royal Towers.

Competition to find the best new Bahamian song By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net A new song competition will give local artists the opportunity to win cash prizes while simultaneously preserving the cultural heritage of the Bahamas. The Ministry of Tourism last week extended an invitation to all singers, songwriters and musicians to participate in “Da Bahamian Ting Song Competition”. The contest aims to help stimulate the evolution of Bahamian music by encouraging the development of new material and new artists, according to Arlene Nash Ferguson, Director of Culture and Heritage Tourism.

Additionally, the competition hopes to foster Bahamian music as a creative and cultural industry and develop a vehicle which “will bring prominence and prestige to Bahamian music and the associated artists,” she said. Mrs Nash-Ferguson said the contest will also build on the Bahamas’ rich musical culture. “We simply want to build on what is already here. We have a number of Bahamian artists who are committed to producing music in Bahamian genres, and this is really an encouragement for them, so we hope that they will join in. At the end of the day we will have a greater body of work of Bahamian music,” she said. Contestants have until January 20, 2017, to submit their songs to the Ministry of Tourism. Following that, 10

John Legend finalists will be selected and the winner will be named at the Bahamian Music and Heritage Festival in Georgetown, Exuma, in March. The overall winner will be selected by the public. Songs must be in a Bahamian genre like rake n’ scrape, Goombay or Junkanoo, and around three minutes long. The winner will receive $25,000, with second place taking $20,000, third place $15,000, fourth place $10,000 and fifth through 10th receiving $1,000 each. Rik Carey, of the Cultural Heritage Tourism Department, said the competition is a great platform for local musicians. “From my experiences working with local and international musicians, there are many benefits to having competitions of this magnitude,” said Mr Carey, who won a Grammy Award as a member of the Baha Men. “It provides another musical platform for professional and aspiring Bahamian musicians, artists, produc-

ers and songwriters,” he said. “It will continue to preserve our culture. Modern technology also helps to push the Bahamian sound to the highest quality possible. Recording artists all around the Bahamas will have new means of promoting their music and their brand through this network provided by the ministry.” Director General at the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism Joy Jibrilu said she is looking forward to hearing the submissions, and believes it will be challenging to select just one winner from the amazing talent pool. “Culture is an important element of a destination’s uniqueness and appeal, and we know that many travellers from around the world visit destinations to experience their food, interact with the people, and of course enjoy the music,” she said. Application forms and competition rules are available at the Ministry of Tourism in the British Colonial Business Centre.

The Tribune | Weekend | 13

Friday, December 30, 2016

art

Jodi Minnis is ‘Undefined’ By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net

S she prepares to further her studies at the University of Tampa in 2017, Bahamian artist Jodi Minnis is closing her 2016 artistic calendar with an exhibition called “Undefined”. The 28 pieces – all made of found objects, tape, joint compound, acrylic paint, and spray paint on canvas or canvas board – can be viewed at The ProGallery, University of the Bahamas. The “Undefined” theme, the 21-year-old artist told Tribune Weekend, symbolises the ambiguity of the works themselves, and how they served as catalysts for “self-investigation”. “They are analogically the break own of a long division problem, if I may. Whenever I had an instance of self-doubt, worry, or contemplating a change, I would approach them to think of solutions and ultimately leave with a conclusion for a next step. So I do not think of myself in a linear and clear fashion. I am a complex being who can not be clearly defined as one set thing, therefore I think of the works in that manner as well,” said Jodi. After graduating with an Associate of Arts degree from the College of the

Pieces from Jodi Minnis’s newest exhibition, ‘Undefined’. Bahamas in 2015, Jodi travelled with the Bahamian contingent to the Fiesta del Fuego in Santiago, Cuba, under the umbrella of National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, to co-curate an exhibition entitled “From Columbus to Junkanoo” alongside Averia Wright. Following that trip, she visited Oranjestad, Aruba, to participate in the Caribbean Linked III Residency Programme, and at the beginning of this year she opened her first solo exhibition, “It’s A Bahamian Thing.” “Later in the year, I curated the

Central Bank of the Bahamas’ inaugural participation in the Transforming Spaces tour this year. Popopstudios became my second home as I transitioned into a studio space there. Very recently I exhibited in the eighth National Exhibition,” said Jodi. She is hoping that viewers at the recent exhibition got the opportunity to become introduced to her thought patterns, experience the music that she listens to while painting, and become expose to imagery in video form. “Through my work I would want to

“Self-expression is necessary, and if that expression is not wrapped in a super politically charged concept, it’s OK to share. It is also OK to question yourself and your motives.” encourage people to just create. Selfexpression is necessary, and if that expression is not wrapped in a super politically charged concept, it’s OK to share. It is also OK to question yourself and your motives,” she said “This would be the first time outside of a college critique that I exhibited abstract works, so I believe that many were surprised by the lack of pictorial representation.” Going forward, Jodi plans to continue working in a studio space and exploring performance art while curating a few exhibitions.

14 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 30, 2016

The Tribune | Weekend | 15

fashion PHOTOS/SHAWN HANNA

Tailored for royalty

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

ashion fit for royalty is what designer Cardell McClam offered his audience at his latest showcase under the theme “We Three Kings”. For the December 18 presentation of his fall/winter 2017 collection, Cardell’s team transformed the Dundas’s Black Box Theatre into a decadent throne room-esque space to fit the theme. Delighted to tell the story of “We Three Kings,” the event’s host, Perez Clarke, assured Tribune Weekend that every time Cardell puts on a show it is always the best show he has ever had. “I have hosted all of Cardell’s shows here in the Bahamas and this show itself is more regal in its appearance and it’s also a departure from what he usually does. His fashions are predominantly female driven and this time he is focusing on a number of colours and styles for both female and male,” said Perez. “His shows are growing with the momentum and the public itself is growing along side it. I would think that very soon we will see an international show coming from him.” “We Three Kings” is Cardell’s third fashion show. His first, “Let it Snow in the Islands”, was held in 2015, while his second show, called “Island Blossom”, was held earlier this year. Loretta Butler-Turner, leader of the Official Opposition, attended this year’s show and spoke highly of the young fashion designer and entrepreneur who featured her in his “Island Blossom” show. “He actually designed a gown just for me and I modelled it because he is looking at filling that niche for larger women and full-figured persons, and it was a very enjoyable experience,” said Mrs Butler-Turner. “And he also introduced me through his designs to colours that I traditionally wouldn’t use, so I thought it was amazing. I’m just happy that there are Bahamians that are innovative enough and bold enough to want to go outside of that fashion niche and capture women of all sizes and descriptions, so I certainly salute him.” When asked about her thoughts on the Bahamian fashion industry,

Mrs Butler-Turner said there is nothing finer that what is produced here in the Bahamas. “Whether it is actually fashion or other crafts, Bahamians are head and shoulders above so many persons in the region, and I think that our unique style and the essence of what it is to be Bahamian can take us very far in the world,” she said. In the showroom, Cardell described a few of his new pieces in detail. There were plaids, African prints and bright colours everywhere. “I fell in love with this fabric (stretch cotton),” he said as he pointed out a model wearing a black and white camouflage pantsuit. “I was looking for a client to hit me up and say, ‘I want something different’, and actually someone did. Stefan from Airbrush Junkies, he wore this piece in blue at the Icon Awards. It is very classic and polished for the modern man,” said Cardell. Calling another design “Hobbs, New Mexico,” the designer said inspiration for the orange plaid suit came from his visit to New Mexico where enjoyed the changing of the colours in fall. “I love Africa, so there are African prints. It was actually one of the last prints chosen in the collection. I really wanted to celebrate the motherland because I have a very strong connection to it. I love overcoats, so there are many of them in the collection as well,” said Cardell. Speaking about the theme, “We Three Kings”, he said: “We should see ourselves as ambassadors of whatever we were placed on earth for; men should be kings and women should be queens. We are losing our men and we need to address that. As an artist and designer this is my attempt to address it. Tonight there are colours that are a little more expressive than average. It is based on the fact that men have emotions, they have feelings and an identity; (a desire) to be seen as more. This collection is hiding nothing; we are expressing ourselves through clothing,” said Cardell.

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By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 30, 2016

pop culture

2016, a year of painful goodbyes and politics Our politics are often reflected in our popular culture, and vice versa — especially in an election year. That relationship seemed closer than ever in 2016, when a TV personality was elected president, reality shows and beauty contests were referenced in presidential debates, and even a Broadway show ignited partisan sparring. At times, it seemed like the election overshadowed everything, but of course there was more, much of it painful. A slew of high-profile deaths rocked the entertainment world, especially in music, where we said sudden, stunned goodbyes to icons like David Bowie, Prince, and, on Christmas, George Michael. And then there were the shocking deaths of a beloved mother and daughter — actress Carrie Fisher and, just a day later, her grieving mother, Debbie Reynolds. Herewith, our annual, highly selective journey down pop culture memory lane:

JANUARY: The death of DAVID BOWIE casts a pall over the pop culture scene as the year begins. The elegant rock star succumbs to cancer — an illness he fought in secret — just a few days after his 69th birthday and the release of his final music video, “Lazarus,” which begins with the line: “Look up here, I’m in heaven.” ALAN RICKMAN, the classicallytrained British stage star and sensual screen villain in the “Harry Potter” saga and other films also died in January. He, too, was 69.

FEBRUARY: A year after #OscarsSoWhite in 2015, the Oscars are

... #SoWhiteAgain! For the second year, all 20 nominated actors are white. The lack of diversity leads to some sweeping membership changes at the Academy. Meanwhile, the Super Bowl halftime show is allegedly headlined by Coldplay. But it’s BEYONCE who rules with a commanding performance of her new song, “Formation,” proving that Queen Bey is still very much among our royalty.

MARCH: The ROLLING STONES perform in Cuba, a onceunthinkable event that happens a week after President Obama visits the island nation. Speaking of Obama, he hosts a White House concert performance of “HAMILTON,” part of a remarkable 2016 for LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA and his rap-infused Broadway musical about founding father Alexander Hamilton. We say goodbye to GARRY SHANDLING.

APRIL: HAMILTON wins the Pulitzer for drama (to add to a Grammy and, soon, 11 Tonys), and current Treasury Secretary Jack Lew reverses a plan to bump Hamilton from the $10 bill after fans kick up a fuss — undoubtedly the first time a Broadway show influences currency policy. And April showers bring Purple Rain: Rock legend PRINCE dies a shocking death at 57 of an accidental opioid overdose, launching countless poignant tributes.

MAY: “It’s not over ‘til I say it’s over,” says BERNIE SANDERS to HILLARY

CLINTON, of the fight for the Democratic nomination. Actually, that’s LARRY DAVID talking to KATE MCKINNON on “Saturday Night Live.” As MCKINNON hones her acclaimed, manically ambitious portrayal of Clinton — one of nine actresses to portray her in SNL history — DONALD TRUMP (in real life) clinches the Republican nomination.

Hollywood icon Debbie Reynolds (left) and her daughter Carrie Fisher died within a day of each other.

JUNE: The greatest is gone: MUHAMMAD ALI dies at 74 after a three-decade battle with Parkinson’s disease.

JULY: Hollywood always turns out for Democrats, and the Democratic National Convention is no exception. Performers include KATY PERRY, ALICIA KEYS, CAROLE KING, DEMI LOVATO, BOYZ II MEN and PAUL SIMON, among many others.

AUGUST: MICHAEL PHELPS ends his historic Olympic career (or so he says) with a mindboggling 23rd career gold. Goodbye, Willy Wonka and Leo Bloom: Actor GENE WILDER — whose name could easily describe his famous eyes and untamed hair — dies at 83 of complications of Alzheimer’s.

SEPTEMBER: The first CLINTONTRUMP debate draws 84 million viewers, the most ever for a US presidential matchup, and yields at least one catchy meme: The “Hillary Shimmy.” Bye Bye, BRANGELINA: One of the most high-profile

(l-r) Prince in 1985, David Bowie in 1995, and George Michael in 2008. The entertainers were among a number of influential entertainers, sports stars and political figures who died in 2016. couplings in Hollywood is over.

OCTOBER: Hello, NASTY WOMAN: Trump’s frustrated comment about Clinton in their third, extremely contentious debate becomes one of the more famous exchanges of the season, launching “nasty woman” merchandise like the “Madam President If You’re Nasty” T-shirt.

NOVEMBER: Something happens in early November ... what was it again? Meantime, let’s remember singer LEONARD COHEN, dead at 82. Many find themselves singing “Hallelujah,” his much-covered ballad — including a somber MCKINNON on “SNL,” a few

days after the election.

DECEMBER: This month will always be remembered for a series of shocking deaths in the final week of the year. The influential, golden-voiced British pop star GEORGE MICHAEL is found dead on Christmas Day at 53, stunning his many fans across the globe. Actress CARRIE FISHER, beloved for playing Princess Leia in the original “Star Wars,” dies at 60 after a falling ill on a plane flight. And there is even more sadness to come: The year comes to a mournful close with the news that Fisher’s grieving mother, screen star DEBBIE REYNOLDS, 84, has succumbed to a stroke just a day later. JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer

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Friday, December 30, 2016

podcasts

The best listens of 2016 By Stephen Hunt shunt@tribunemedia.net

ver the past year, I’ve reviewed more than 70 different podcasts, covering all kinds of topics – from the US elections to health and fitness, from readings of stories to discussions of culture. As we reach the end of the year, it’s time for a look back – and here are my top five shows of the year. The shows I’m picking aren’t always the biggest, aren’t always the most polished, but for me are the shows that go that bit further, that bit beyond what you might expect, and awaken a sense of wonder.

Entwined It was a very tough call to choose between this show and The Memory Palace, but for me Entwined edges it because of the clever way in which it draws together different threads to show unexpected connections in life. PS McKay and Elliot Gladstone are the creators of the show, and though the episodes are not overly long, they join a world of dots together as they go. Dive in at any episode, but I was particularly touched by episode nine, Mama Tried, in which the landscape of Great Depression-era America is illuminated in the most insightful of ways. Website: www.entwinedpodcast.com

Stride And Saunter One of my picks for shows of the year last year, and still very much on the list. Stride and Saunter is a relatively simple format – conversations on a host of topics. Show regulars Kip Clark and Caroline Borders are smart and worth listening to. As Caroline says, the show is by nature exploratory.

In these last hours of 2016, relax and pop on a pair of headphones to enjoy some of the best podcasts of the year. They admit they’re not experts on the topics, but they ask good questions and explore issues honestly and thoroughly. This year, one of their shows mirrored the big name Serial, talking about the Bowe Bergdahl case in the US, but taking an interesting different tack, discussing the issue of loyalty, and when disloyalty might be useful. It’s that different kind of thinking that makes Stride And Saunter a show that continues to be well worth your time. Website: www.strideandsaunter.com

Broadway Backstory A new podcast, but one that already is strong enough to go on my list of best shows of the year, is Broadway Backstory. I only encountered this one a few weeks ago, but it’s a deeply thorough exploration of the history behind the shows that people flock to on Broadway. Host Patrick Hinds starts off the show with a two-party look at the Thomas Kail and Lin-Manuel Miranda show ‘In The Heights’, and it’s the detail that fascinates. Sometimes it seems that hit shows are so unstoppable that

it’s hard to imagine all the work that went in for years behind the scenes, when the creators had no idea that they would ever even reach the stage, let alone create a hit. For theatre lovers, this is absolutely essential listening even if it’s only five episodes old. That’ll just leave you hankering for more. Website: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/broadway-backstory

Pseudopod Another show to return from last year’s top five is Pseudopod, and with very good reason. The show has now hit its ten year mark, and that’s no small thing in a world where podcasts come and go. The focus of the show is horror stories, with stories by a range of authors being narrated professionally by talented voice actors. More than that, it’s the nice touches in the presentation that give it added class, the sometime analysis, the gentle pointing the way of where you can find more by the writer, the mood-setting introduction. Pseudopod is part of a wider family of podcasts covering Young Adult fiction, fantasy,

science fiction and more, but for me, the intimate connection you get listening to a horror story with the headphones on and the lights turned low is a perfect combination. Just don’t blame me if you can’t sleep easily afterwards… Website: www.pseudopod.org

Song Exploder Music has always been a big part of my life, and Song Exploder neatly goes behind the music to look at the creation process. As its title suggests, they explode the song into its individual parts and examine how those pieces came together into the whole. The songs they examine range from movie soundtracks to hip hop, rock to soul and all parts in between. They talk with the artists, their producers, and everyone involved in the process of creating the final song. There are big names here, and with 92 episodes and counting, a wealth of previous shows to dive into. A great show for expanding your knowledge of how the songs you sing along to came to be. Website: songexploder.net

18 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 30, 2016

books

Wagner embraces great actresses in engaging Hollywood memoir

love letter to actresses he admired on and off the screen, Robert J Wagner’s engaging memoir, “I Loved Her in the Movies: Memories of Hollywood’s Legendary Actresses”, offers a warm embrace for the many women who helped him establish a successful career as a leading man or inspired him professionally and personally in their unforgiving business. Take Claudette Colbert, an Oscar winner for “It Happened One Night.” Wagner was a 20-year-old newbie when they made 1951’s “Let’s Make It Legal.” He flubbed his way through 49 takes of one scene. “She could easily have had me replaced by uttering a single sentence,” Wagner recalls. “Not only did she not have me replaced, not once did she roll her eyes, not once did she sigh, not once did she betray any impatience or anger at my incompetence. It was an object lesson in the discipline necessary to be an actor, not to mention a star.” “I Loved Her in the Movies” is a delight in large part because Wagner can also see Colbert and other great female stars from a fan’s perspective. They were his colleagues and friends — some were his lovers — but he never lost his admiration for the women who could move an audience to cheers and tears, among them: Marilyn Monroe: “I thought she was a terrific woman and I liked her very much. When I knew her, she was a warm, fun girl. ... I never saw the Marilyn of the nightmare anecdotes — the terribly insecure woman who needed pills and champagne to anaesthetise her from life, and who reached a place where she couldn’t get out more than a couple of consecutive sentences in front of a camera.” Joan Crawford: “Joan had drive. She also had a quality of directness I’ve always liked. She was never a particularly nuanced actress, but she was open to the camera in a very touching way. Men came and went with Joan, but her devotion to the camera never waned, because the camera was her true love.” Barbara Stanwyck: “She loved to work and emotionally she needed to work. She had been very poor as a child and young woman, so money translated into security for her. Work always improved her mood. ... Whether it was a movie or TV show

The top 10 books on Apple’s iBooks Week ending December 25 The Associated Press 1. The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer 2. Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen 3. The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer 4. Cross the Line: Alex Cross, Book 24 by James Patterson 5. The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds by Michael Lewis 6. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah 7. No Man’s Land: John Puller Series by David Baldacci 8. Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick 9. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Alexander Freed 10. Tom Clancy True Faith and Allegiance: A Jack Ryan Novel, Book 17 by Mark Greaney

The top 10 audiobooks on Audible.com Week ending December 23 The Associated Press

didn’t seem to make much difference to her; she just wanted to keep acting.” What might be most surprising in the pages of “I Loved Her in the Movies,” Wagner’s third book with Scott Eyman, is the streak of feminism that runs through his reflections on stardom, the nature of talent and the demands of a Hollywood career. Actors had it tough in the studio system, but actresses endured even more in a business that, Wagner notes, was run by and for men who expected women to be submissive. Those who were not, like Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland, paid an even higher

price for daring to rock the boat. Looking back after 60-plus years, Wagner finds a characteristic common to the female stars that still shine. “The truth is that the vast majority of those who came up during the studio system were well defined in their own minds,” he writes. “They knew what they wanted, and if they didn’t, they didn’t last long. Almost all of them had endured hardships as kids, and as show business invariably presented its own kinds of hardships, they were by nature and necessity survivors.” DOUGLASS K. DANIEL Associated Press

1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, narrated by Tim Curry 2. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, narrated by Joe Morton 3. The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer, narrated by Ellen Archer 4. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, narrated by Jason Isaacs 5. St Nick by Alan Russell, narrated by Patrick Lawlor 6. All the Winters After by Sere Prince Halverson, narrated by George Newbern 7. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, narrated by Anna Fields 8. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, narrated Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey and India Fisher 9. Finding Dory by Disney Press, narrated by Adam Verner 10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale

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Friday, December 30, 2016

books Blue Rider Press via AP

offbeat flavors. But Fisher, who died this week at the age of 60, lets the reader down. Having waited 40 years to publish what one expects to be a dishy tell-all about the romance behind the iconic movie of a generation (that generation mournfully sandwiched between the baby boomers and millennials), the actress, writer and raconteur only offers a few wisps of the goods.

Fisher blames her hazy recall of the behind-the-scenes affair with Harrison Ford on the potent marijuana they smoked on their lost weekends between scenes. She also decides that “with uncharacteristic reservation and scruples that I quash any details” of their first weekend together. Sex is private, she says. No problem, but she also draws the curtain over the interesting bits: their chemistry, their conversations, her point-blank impressions of a man poised to become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Or maybe we’re supposed to believe, as she insists, that Ford just didn’t talk a lot when they were together. In any case, we are left with a few interesting glimpses wrapped around excerpts of the diaries Fisher says she kept while shooting “Star Wars” and recently discovered. Even the diary bits are not very revealing, being the moody musings, including poetry, of a young woman on the cusp of 20 years old. It’s clear from the final two chapters of the book, one of them titled “Leia’s Lap Dance,” that Fisher published this book with making money in mind. Her closing meditation on fame leaves Ford and the affair far behind. However, many “Star Wars” fans will read this book anyway or likely did so the instant it appeared. CARA ANNA Associated Press

that information to enemies of the United States. In a crowded New Jersey restaurant, US Navy Commander Scott Hagen is on leave with his family when a man shows up and tries to kill him. The gunman is a Russian whose brother was onboard a submarine that Hagen destroyed when he was serving on the USS James Greer. Meanwhile, in Tehran’s airport, a Canadian businessman who has previously made a dozen visits is flagged as a CIA spy. These are only two examples of a growing problem with a data breach of such extreme magnitude. How does this informant have such top-secret details?

Is everyone who works for the government or military now a target? While President Ryan contemplates what to do, his son Jack Ryan Jr is undergoing training to join an elite special-ops group known as The Campus. The organisation is recruiting a few others as well, and their expertise will be needed when a terrorist begins striking at individuals inside the United States. Has this enemy been given classified materials to strike at the heart of America? President Ryan will need to put his personal feelings aside to save the nation from a ruthless adversary. Tom Clancy died in 2013. His novels were blockbusters that focused primarily on technology while the people involved were secondary. Action-thriller author Greaney, who has continued the series, handles the tech side with grace and has fleshed out the cast and given them depth. Clancy fans will enjoy “True Faith and Allegiance.” JEFF AYERS Associated Press

review

Fisher’s ‘The Princess Diarist’ doesn’t dish enough

“I

’ve spent so many years not telling the story of Harrison and me having an affair on the first ‘Star Wars’ movie that it’s difficult to know exactly how to tell it now,” Carrie Fisher announces on page 49 of her brisk but vague new memoir, “The Princess Diarist.” “Excellent, here we go,” any solid fan of the real “Star Wars” movies (certainly not the prequels) will think, settling in for the literary equivalent of an ice-cream sundae of the more

review

“Tom Clancy True Faith and Allegiance” The latest novel featuring Jack Ryan, Tom Clancy’s iconic hero and now president of the United States, delivers all the elements that fans expect from the franchise. In Mark Greaney’s “Tom Clancy True Faith and Allegiance,” someone with inside knowledge and access to personal details of key military and government personnel has been selling

This cover image released by Blue Rider Press shows “The Princess Diarist,” by Carrie Fisher.

Oprah Winfrey to call her book imprint ‘An Oprah Book’

prah Winfrey’s new book imprint has an easy name to remember. She’s calling it “An Oprah Book,” Flatiron Books told The Associated Press on Wednesday. A division of Macmillan, Flatiron first announced in 2015 that it would work with Winfrey on a line of nonfiction books, personally selected by her. The first release, Winfrey’s “Food, Health and Happiness” cookbook, is coming out January 3. The second book, also announced Wednesday and scheduled for 2018, is Maria Smilios’ “The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis.” The book tells of 300 black nurses who helped prevent a public health crisis. In a statement issued through Flatiron, Winfrey said “The Black Angels” was a story of heroism and achievement that “needed to be shared.”

20| The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, December 30, 2016

fitness

Health revolution over health resolution Instead of the usual start-of-year resolutions, make realistic, lasting and life-changing decisions about your health.

By Regina Smith

f it’s one thing we are not short of during the holiday season, it’s resolutions. The ending of the current year and the beginning of a new year brings a new sense of hope to our capability to set and achieve new goals. What has changed between last December 31 and this December 31 eludes me. But for some reason we feel invigorated, enthused and motivated this time around. I personally think it’s an unconscious guilt of the overindulgence in empty calories that prompts us, but that’s personal. This year, let’s be honest. Let’s be realistic. Let’s take a look at the habits we can eliminate this year. Then, let’s focus on choices, habits and actions that will help us achieve our health and fitness goals. Things we need to stop right now 1 . Let’s stop obsessing over online fitness models out with the envy; let’s get inspired.

Let’s face it, we are inundated with images and information. We are bombarded with messages every day, consciously and subconsciously. It’s time to limit what we expose our conscious minds to. I read a quote once that said, “Even the girl on the magazine doesn’t look like the girl on the magazine.” More than ever, editing software has made it easy to manipulate photos. Constantly comparing yourself to an unattainable image is not conducive to your emotional or mental health. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to be inspired by a fitness model or a fitness guru; it’s also important to balance that admiration and avoid obsessing over their physical image. Our bodies are different and we should embrace that. Embrace every part of the transformation. You may reach your desired goal and still not look like your idol, and that’s perfectly OK. Health first, image second. 2 . Let’s stop weighing on the scale every day. Unless you are intentionally trying to drive yourself into a depression, do not weigh yourself every day. Studies

which in the long run improves your overall bone health. Lift something! 4 . Let’s focus less on the next fitness/weight loss challenge and focus more on long-term lifestyle changes and habits.

Stop weighing yourself on a daily basis. Also remember, muscles weigh more than fat. show that one needs to burn an additional 500 calories per day over a five-day period in order to lose 0.5 to one pound per week. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. Step off, and step away from the scale! 3 . Let’s stop spending all of our gym time on the treadmill. Muscles are not built on the treadmill. While cardio has its place in the weight loss journey, weight training increases lean muscle mass and helps you to burn more calories at rest. More importantly, resistance training also helps to strengthen your bones,

If there is one thing the fitness industry is not short of, it’s weight loss challenges. But ask yourself honestly, what happens after the challenge? What is your long-term plan for a healthier lifestyle? Do you go back to the same way you were eating and being inactive? While fitness challenges are fun and motivating, weight loss success requires long-term planning to ensure success and enforce sustainability. When we fail to plan, we plan to fail. Formulate a long-term health plan. Start…here! 1. Let’s pick up weights. It’s hard to believe that in 2016 there are people that don’t want to workout with heavy weights because they are afraid of getting “too

Lifting heavy weights will not automatically cause you to bulk up, but will help you burn more calories when at rest. bulky”. Resistance training or weight training has such a positive impact on our resting metabolic rate. Your degree of “bulkiness” or increased hypertrophy has nothing to do with the amount of weight you lift, but has more to do with the amount of reps you perform and your weight lifting frequency. Again, lift something! 2 . Let’s start to focus more on body fat percentage. Fact: Muscle weighs more than fat. If you are incorporating weight train-

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Friday, December 30, 2016

fitness ing into your exercise programme there will be a point when your weight may increase. Your body fat percentage is an excellent secondary reference point for the overall weight loss experience. You may be losing inches and fat and gaining more muscle mass. Use this as a reference point to successfully track your progress. 3 . Let’s start to focus more on a long-term healthier lifestyle as opposed to a quick fix or yo-yo dieting. The weight loss industry is not running low on diets. Believe it or not, there are people out there that try a different diet every three to six months. The key to successful weight loss is to consider your health conditions, consult with your physician and determine which weight loss plan is appropriate for you. As a side note: it’s also beneficial to choose a programme that provides a safe transition and emphasises portion control with the various food groups. 4 . Let’s start to focus less on “cleansing” and more on consuming fresh foods and adding more vegetables to our plate. While low carb dieting is always the rave, let’s take it a step further and try to consume less processed foods and more fresh foods. Let’s keep our plates colourful on our weight loss journey. Let’s make it a mandate to add more nutrient-rich foods such as squash, spinach and chia seeds to our diet. 5 . Let’s commit to starting the day with exercise. Before you close the paper, or stop reading this article, let me explain why early morning exercise is good for your health and your brain. Your brain benefits from physical exercise via a protein called brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Exercise initially stimulates the production of a protein called FNDC5, which in turn triggers the production of BDNF. BDNF not only preserves existing brain cells but it also activates brain stem cells to convert into new neurons, and effectively makes your brain grow larger. More exercise means more engagement at work, more energy, more creativity and a better memory. What better way to start your work day?

“More exercise means more engagement at work, more energy, more creativity and a better memory. What better way to start your work day?”

Exercise in the morning activates the body and the brain. begins with pen and paper. 6 . Let’s commit to utilising our There is a popular quote that gym memberships instead of states, “A goal is dream until you wasting our hard-earned money. write it down.” Commit to showing up every day. Writing down your goals sets the Yes, you heard me, every day. foundation for plotting a course of action. Our success lies in our choicThe big “C” word that everyone es. Our success is made up of the sum hates to talk about – no, I’m not talk- of small choices, habits and actions ing about carbohydrates, I’m talking compounded over time. I’d like to about commitment! share a quote with you from business When it comes to weight loss, the mogul and founder of Success Magastruggle isn’t beginning the journey, zine, and author of the “Compound the problem isn’t the restrictiveness Effect”, Darren Hardy. of the meal plan, the difficulty doesn’t Hardy states: “Since your outlie in the purchasing of a gym mem- comes are all a result of your mobership...we fall short at committing ment to moment choices you have an to the process. How can we overcome incredible power to change your life this shortcoming? Find an account- by changing those choices. Step by ability partner, a friend, preferably step and day by day your choices will a personal trainer that will keep you shape your actions until they become accountable; who will ensure that you habits, where practice makes them show up to your workout and that you permanent.” stick to your prescribed meal plan. A resolution is not enough. Achieving success in our fitness and nutriConclusion tional goals requires us to make the right decisions consistently. We can’t Some definitions of resolution just workout when we feel like it; we include: “a decision or determina- have to commit to an active lifestyle. tion” or “firmness of purpose”. Truth If weight loss is the goal we can’t just be told, a decision is not enough. eat healthy for the six-week chalAwareness for a need to change is a lenge. We have consistently make the start, but true change of behaviour right choices to achieve and sustain

our goals. Resolutions don’t change our lives; choices do. We make our choices and they make us. Make the right choices consistently this year! 2017, here we come! Get fit! Get healthy! Stay active!

• Regina Smith is a certified personal trainer by the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Dance Paedagogy and Exercise Science. She is also a certified level one TRX trainer, and Total Barre and Pilates instructor. She can be reached for personal training and consultations at regina. tonia.smith@gmail.com. Follow her on instagram: ginag_cpt or her fitness tips and tweets on Twitter @ginagcpt. You can also find her on Facebook under ‘Regina Smith’.

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shopping

Bringing global fashion to Bahamian shores By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

ocial media has put the latest trends and styles of the international fashion world at the fingertips of everyone in possession of a computer, tablet or cell phone. Instagram, especially, is a platform used by popular blogs such as the Fashion Bomb Daily, Fashion SoS, The Fashion Mogul and others to inspire fashion lovers. Taking advantage of this accessibility to the global fashion scene is one of the Bahamas’ very own fashionistas, LaVonne Alexis Ferguson. And this month, she brought designer pieces, trendy accessories like eye wear, makeup, shoes and purses, as well as funky tech gear like cool iPhone cases from the internet into the real world with her ‘Shop the CC’ pop up shop called ‘The Collectibles’. The shopping event took place at The Art Room on East Bay Street after LaVonne and her team transformed the venue into a woman’s dream walk-in closet. ‘Shop the CC’ is part of LaVonne’s online boutique and brand Cuveitier’s Closet. She describes it as “the most coveted online fashion closest for trendy taste-makers and fashion-forward risk-takers.” The young entrepreneur and designer said she has always been interested in fashion, and is someone who stays true to herself, wearing whatever she wants to wear, whether that be a fur coat in summer or a crop top in winter. “I would wear whatever I really wanted to. A lot of people would laugh, but I said to them, ‘I am already living in a place where fashion is limited, so why not create my own world here?’ I am not going to succumb to not having to wear fur one day. If I want to wear it I should be able to because I want to create my fashion haven and that is what this is. Everything you see here you wouldn’t see in a local store or be

‘Shop the CC’ founder LaVonne Alexis Ferguson (left) with happy customers able to easily pick it up. You can now ‘Shop the CC’ and get your unique pieces,” said LaVonne. “I want to describe the ‘Shop the CC’ girl as a fashion collector. She has ranges of items; they can be inexpensive. She purchases what she loves and treasures. That is what ‘Shop the CC’ is trying to bring to the women, especially local women, just creating their own fashion world here in the Bahamas. ‘Shop the CC’ is basically taking a look into the closet that I love. I handpicked each item and I have been doing it for a long time, going through thrift stores and vintage stores, and just basically building a collection of my own,”

LaVonne told Tribune Weekend. The ‘Shop the CC’ pop up shop featured items such as bomber jackets that are in now, as well as sheer shirts, Yeezy inspired shirt-dresses, satin dresses, crop tops, chokers and more. “As my day job I work for a Canadian shoe store company doing fashion analyst work. I know what is on-trend and what is coming out and how we should wear it, so that is basically what (I’m doing) here today. You have your graphic tees, which is a very hot commodity for the fall. There are sequins and velvet, which is a romance vibe for the fall, and so I got those pieces here just so we can have that world here in

the Bahamas,” said Lavonne. She said hosting the event at The Art Room was a great choice because it is a bright and creative space, reflective of her brand. “My pieces are almost like art because they are statement pieces,” she said. LaVonne said the company has now also relaunched it’s Instagram page which had been lost. “Unfortunately a hacker took over our Instagram. We wanted to have this event to also shine light on the relaunch of that page and show persons that we are coming back with a vengeance,” she said.

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literary lives

The legend of Conchy Joe Sir Christopher Ondaatje interviews Paul Aranha about the history of ‘Conchtown, USA’ and how Bahamian settlers contributed to the character of south-east Florida.

lthough an Anglican Dutch Burgher from old Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), I had heard of the word “Conch” long before I left the island for England in

1947. This is because I have always been interested in Eastern religion. The original word “Conch” is from the Tamil Sangu and which means spiral in Tamil. The conch played a major role in Tamil civilisation where the shell was used as an instrument to summon a meeting. When the Portuguese first encountered India on the western coast, the local dialect had an “o” pronunciation for the middle “a”, and a softening of the initial “sh” and final “kh”. The word was pronounced locally as “Sonka”, which in Portuguese was transliterated as “Concha” (with a very similar pronunciation as “sonka”) and eventually dropping the final “a”. Thus the English word

Continued on page 24

Paul Aranha, whose great-great grandmother was a slave, says he is a proud ‘Conchy Joe’

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Continued from page 23

William Keye and Mary Jane Roberts, whose family migrated to Florida from the Bahamas in 1915, sit making straw hats in Conchtown in 1939. (Charles C Foster/Florida Writers Project)

The flag of ‘the Conch Republic’, as Key West is called, thanks to the contributions made by Bahamian settlers.

“conch” is a spelling mispronunciation of the original Portuguese word. The shanka or conch shell is used in the East as an important ritual object in Hinduism - as a ceremonial trumpet and as part of religious practices, for example puja or ritual prayers. The chank trumpet is sounded during worship at specific points, accompanied by ceremonial bells and singing. In the story of Dhruva, the divine conch plays a special part. The warriors of ancient India blew conch shells to announce battle, as is described in the war of Kurukshetra, in the Mahabharata, the famous Hindu epic. So when I arrived in the Bahamas 16 years ago, I realised that the conch was not only an historically important source of food for the inhabitants but also a word used to depict fair-skinned settlers. It was quite a surprise! So I determined to research the origin of this usage, which was so very different from that in the East. Thus I contacted several people - all of whom gave me conflicting opinions - and it was not until I had a long interview with Paul Aranha, whose great-great grandmother was a slave, that I got a satisfactory answer. I have recounted exactly what he told me: “In 1991, Charles C Foster wrote ‘Conchtown, USA’, a book about Riviera Beach, Florida (a little north of Palm Beach) and the Bahamian families who settled there in the early 1920s and proved that you can take the man out of the island, but you can’t take the island out of the man. “Much of the history of Riviera Beach revolves around names like Cates, Key, Moree, Roberts, Sands, Saunders, Symonette, Thompson, Weatherford - all from the Bahamas. Many of these names have obvious Abaco origins, but George Washington Moree was born in Long Island, in 1880, and Symonette must have been from The Current, Eleuthera. These Bahamians came to Florida because of the fishing and most of them stuck to that trade - not an easy life. “Like fishermen around the world, they got up early and often spent many days at sea, harvesting a catch to deliver to the fish-houses, where they had to hustle to get a good price. The off-season was spent patching their nets and repairing their boats - and building new ones. They were quick to recognise, and capitalise on, the opportunities offered by Prohibition, going so far as creating a special

type of lightly-built boat, with an engine powerful enough to drive it at speeds up to 60mph, perfect for seamen who knew not only the east coast of Florida, where the illicit liquor would be delivered, but the neighbouring islands of the Bahamas, especially Grand Bahama and the Biminis, where the suppliers were eager to sell. Only a small percentage of these expatriate Bahamians engaged in rum-running, thinking nothing of making two round trips a night, but the money they earned benefitted the whole community. “The more-sophisticated residents of Palm Beach looked down on the people of Riviera Beach and coined the word ‘Conchtown’ to reflect their disdain, leaving the Bahamian settlers to decide whether they liked being called Conchs, or not. Some did and some didn’t, but there is no denying that, without the Conchs, Riviera Beach would not have thrived. Today’s Conchs hold their heads high, as do their counterparts in Key West, who contributed so much to the flavour of that city. In Florida, one can’t go much further south than Key West, nor much further east than Conchtown, USA.” The Eleutherian Adventurers “Everybody knows of the Eleutherian Adventurers, but how much do we know about them? After all, they, not the Arawaks or Tainos, are the founding fathers of the colony that became the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. “The expedition, to what is now called Eleuthera, was set in motion by religious conditions in Bermuda, where Captain William Sayle was Governor. Sayle was able to get permission to set up a new colony in the Bahamas and, in 1648, he sailed south on a small ship (50-ton) and a six-ton shallop, to establish Eleutheria. He was accompanied by some 70 would-be settlers. I’ve often wondered what a shallop looked like, until Ron Lightbourn sent me this image. “There may still have been descendants of the Arawaks/Tainos living in these islands, but as far as anyone knew, the islands were uninhabited and these 70 Adventurers became our first settlers. This group landed safely, but a Captain Butler created so many problems that Sayle and a majority, including Sayle, had to find a separate island, on which

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to settle. During this move, the ship ran aground and was lost. Fortunately, only one settler died, but all the provisions and stock animals were lost. “To obtain new supplies, Sayle and eight men sailed the shallop to Virginia, a one-week journey of more than 800 miles. There he secured a ship and supplies to take back to the settlers who had stayed behind on Eleutheria where, having been left without animals, axes, hoes, saws, seed corn, they had been almost unable to sustain themselves. “Life on Eleuthera was tough and the colony took a long time to stabilise and grow. To quote Dr Gail Saunders’ ‘Islands in the Stream’ (vol. 1) ‘Adderley, Albury, Bethell, Davis, Sands, and Saunders families, whose descendants are still found in the islands, formed a kind of rude elite’. Saunders goes on to say the population ‘was intermittently reinforced as a result of the Bermudians’ habit of using the Bahamas as a dumping ground for those they regarded as socially undesirable ... a few poor whites ... and non-whites ... the toughest of these were slaves ... the most numerous, and most useful as colonists, though, were the free blacks and coloureds’. “Over the next 150 years, the population of the Bahamas increased very slowly, reaching a total of just over 4,000 inhabitants, living, mostly on seven islands: Abaco, Cat Island, Eleuthera, Exuma, Harbour Island, New Providence and Spanish Wells. Then, after the American Revolution, there was an influx of Loyalists with their slaves who settled all over the Bahamas, changing these islands forever, so that most true, true Bahamian family-names came here with the Loyalists. “Since 1648, the majority of the population of the Bahama Islands had been white. This changed after 1783, when Colonel Andrew Deveaux led an expedition that recaptured these islands from the Spanish occupiers. Second-in-Command of this expedition was Major Archibald Taylor, my mother’s great, great grandfather. Deveaux and Taylor can be considered the forerunners of the Loyalist settlers. The influx started in 1785 and, despite its historical and geographical inaccuracies, Robert Wilder’s ‘Wind from the Carolinas’ paints a riveting picture of what happened in the Bahamas. I tend to think of it as the story of my Taylor ancestors. “There was great enmity between

A six-tonne shallop, used by Captain Wiliam Sayle to establish Eleutheria in 1648

Wash day in Conchtown in 1939 (Charles C Foster/Florida Writers Project)

The home of Wilbur Roberts’ family in Conchtown in 1939. Electricity is available but cannot be paid for. The Roberts migrated to Riviera, Florida, from the Bahamas in 1915. (Charles C Foster/Florida Writers Project)

the 4,000 inhabitants of the Bahamas and the 16,000 newcomers, the majority of whom were slaves. The Loyalists tended to be better educated and better off than the people who were already here, upon whom they looked down. They coined the word ‘conch’ to describe them. In return, the ‘conchs’ felt disdain for the people who had been driven out of the newborn United States of America and retaliated by calling the Loyalists ‘refugees’. “When Bahamians started to relocate to Florida, they carried with them the nickname ‘conch’, which is still used throughout the areas where they settled. Key West is called ‘the Conch Republic’, thanks to the contributions made by Bahamian settlers. In the Bahamas, the word has been corrupted into ‘Conchy Joe’. I cannot recall ever having heard someone called a ‘conch’, always a ‘Conchy Joe’. On the other hand, in Florida, the word ‘Conchy Joe’ seems to be unknown. “How, exactly ‘Conchy Joe’ became so much a part of our language, I do not know. Most often it is a derogatory word, used by non-whites, to describe whites, especially poor whites. It is also used by whites, including poor whites, to describe ‘poor white trash’. “On the other hand - including me - white Bahamians continue to brag that they are ‘Conchy Joes’.” Paul Aranha’s explicitly frank treatise explained a lot. NEXT WEEK: the ‘Sex and The Single Girl’ author who changed magazine publishing in America • 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”.

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section

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Friday, December 30, 2016

animals

New Year’s hopes and wishes

ime to put 2016 to bed and see the New Year in, full of hopes and wishes for a better, more productive year. 2016 was not an easy year for most people I know, and personally it was anything but good, however, it is ending on a high note with the Red Dress Soiree, perhaps an omen of a wonderful year ahead. For the animals of the Bahamas I would like to wish for more recognition, better understanding, compassion and empathy. I would like to see the surrey horses have better housing, pastures to have rest weeks, a route that does not take them through the heart of town, breathing in all the fumes from cars and trucks. In the summer standing with large trucks vibrating besides them, spewing filth into the atmosphere, and the heat rising up from the asphalt. I want to see cool water under shady trees, long leisurely walks in uncrowded areas, and see that all drivers have respect for their horses’ needs, and never overload their carriages I would like to see responsible animal ownership, all over the islands. I would like to see dogs kept safely in their own yards. With shelter from rain and sun, and easy access to cool, clean water. I would like to see dog owners reach out and pat their dogs, give them teats, and be grateful for their companionship. I would like to see no dog chained ever. I would like to see children unafraid of dogs. I want to see them walk past a dog in the yard without instinctively bending down and picking up a stone

A cat for the New Year By The Bahamas Humane Society “Wake me for the New Year, OK?” Kymani is a two-year-old male ginger cat. His New Year’s Resolutions include finding a loving home, sleeping some more, playing with his new humans, and making friends with anyone new around him. He’s generally a sociable fellow, when he’s not sleeping off his holiday excesses! Are you able to help Kymani fulfil at least one of his resolutions? If so, then come in to the Bahamas Humane Society to meet him or call 3256742 for more information. Kymani looks forward to meeting you soon. Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday.

pet of the week

Patricia Vazquez

Animal matters Kim Aranha

• Please note, the BHS will close at 1pm on Saturday, December 31. We will also be closed Monday, January 2, for the New Year’s holiday. Emergencies only on that

day. Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? If one of them is to help animals, please consider becoming a BHS member, adopting from the BHS, or donating your time as a volunteer. We also have a thriving Thrift Shop where you can make donations or purchase a variety of items. Shop hours are 1pm to 4pm, Wednesdays through Fridays, and 10am to 2pm on Saturday.

to throw, or a stick to raise in threat even if the dog is behind a fence. I would like to see guard dog kennels where the dog is trained to guard and attack when instructed and not all the time.

A guard dog should be like any other dog when not on duty, gentle and friendly. Here, most of them are trained to bite and bite some more (before I get jumped on, I know that there are some exceptions).

I want to see more people spay and neuter their cats and dogs. Lose this ridiculous theory that every female has the need to have a litter, or that neutering the male is ruining his life. Animals are not like humans in that respect; they do not sit pining that they do not have a “love life”. I want to see the butterflies come back. Where, oh where, have they disappeared to? Once upon a time, when I was a child, there were butterflies everywhere. We would drive the jeep through the bush in the Berry Islands and huge clouds of butterflies would rise up and surround us. Are we spraying all this junk to kill mosquitoes and actually killing off a whole lot more? And while we are at it, where have the hummingbirds gone to? I want to see the starfish return to our sandbanks. Once upon a time when you went boating and looked over the side you would see hundreds of the orange starfish on the seafloor. As I mentioned before, they are being harvested and killed for unthinking tourists to purchase and carry home and stick on a mantelpiece to remind them of a brief visit to paradise. I want to see a large and lazy 14foot hammerhead shark be allowed to swim unharassed through Nassau harbour. No need for hysteria, no need to try and kill him, but have people admire what the are seeing and stare in utter amazement. I want to see schools teach kids not to litter, and teach them to respect our frail ecosystem. Somehow these children need to have it engraved in their little minds that if we want to continue to have the beauty of the Bahamas at our fingertips and continue to market it and attract tourists, then we must nurture it; protect it. These kids must teach their parents the lessons they are learning. I would like to see a kinder Bahamas, a land where people respect the views of others; where people respect the rights of others, where animals are considered non-human persons with rights, where married women are entitled to their wishes and respected for them. A Bahamas where we take the time to care for each other and the environment we live in without taking prisoners. A Bahamas where you can take your dog to lunch with you without being shooed away. I would like 2017 to be a year like none other for humans and animals alike.

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Friday, December 30, 2016

gardening

Tips and topics Choosing the right fertilizer is vital to achieving a thriving garden. Jack Hardy explains how to make sure your plants get the nutrients they need.

here is a gardening tradition that only an odd number of plants should be in one pot. As with most traditions there is good reason behind the rule. A single plant in a smallish pot is a given. Two plants in a pot is plainly wrong. If from one angle you see two plants, from another you will only see one. With three plants evenly spaced in a triangle the view from all quarters is aesthetically pleasing. When we go beyond three plants we are virtually bound to have one in the centre and the others ringed around equidistant between the centre and the rim. Five and seven plants work nicely this way and seven is about the limit unless you have a zinc tub for a flower pot. The odd number of plants allows you to colour coordinate very readily. Imagine

for example five or seven flowering plants alternately red and yellow on the perimeter and a single white in the centre. Very pleasing, but impossible with an even number of plants. Granular fertilizers are sold with 6-66 as the standard, although 8-8-8, 10-1010 and 12-12-12 are available. I would advise all except master gardeners to avoid high element numbers and stick with 6-6-6 which represents 18 per cent usable nutrients in the form of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium salts. To these are added a number of minor nutrients and the total will be about 20 per cent usable nutrients, which seems about right. The higher the percentage, the “hotter” the fertilizer becomes. A slight mistake when applying high percentage fertilizer to plants in the ground can cause root burn that may kill off your crop instead of enhancing it. There are higher percentage fertilizers available but these come in water soluble form for spraying and slowrelease capsule form for potted plants. Used as per the instructions on the container these fertilizers such as MiracleGro and Osmocote will not harm your plants while feeding them. There are specialist granular fertilizers such as 4-8-6, designed for specific plants. A 6-6-6 fertilizer will still do the job but technically there will be some wastage. Home gardeners can ignore this waste but someone growing acres and acres of mango or citrus trees in Florida will benefit financially from a tailored mix. Please note, however, that some specialist granular fertilizers have greater amounts of minor elements and these adjustments are significant. Palm fertilizer, for instance, contains two per cent each of manganese and magnesium. You would have to apply Epsom salt and manganese sulphate separately if you used 6-6-6 to fertilize palm trees. Another point to bear in mind is that fruit and citrus fertilizers are designed for adult producing trees. While the trees are juvenile they will benefit just as well from 6-6-6. Have you ever found a packet of rare seeds you had misplaced and had your initial enthusiasm dampened by a glance at the ‘use by’ date. You plant them anyway but have no success. They are too old and you head for the

Using the right fertilizer is vital to seeing success in your gardening ventures. garbage bin. But hold on, all may not be lost. Your seeds may be in a coma instead of dead. By using a time-honoured technique you may still be able to get plants from your seeds. The most important nutrient for plants (and seeds) is nitrogen. It can act like smelling salts to a dormant seed. Take a small receptacle such as a pill container and half fill it with lukewarm water. Add a pinch of high nitrogen soluble fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro and shake well. Add your seeds and shake again. If any of the seeds float you can give the container a shake once every hour or so until they sink. After a day – no longer than two days – place your seeds on damp seed starter mix in a tray and apply light pressure to ensure they have good contact with the medium. Cover the seeds with a little more of the medium to match the planting depth on the packet. A quarter of an inch will do most vegetable seeds. Dampen the added medium with a mist spray. Set the tray in a location where it does not receive direct sunlight but does get plenty of light and ventilation. Mist regularly with a very dilute solution of Miracle-Gro – a tablespoon to a gallon of water - to keep the medium damp but not waterlogged. Add patience to your list of requirements; it may take two months for your seeds to show signs of life. Got milk? More importantly, do your vines have milk? We are talking cucumbers, squash and pumpkin here and milk is both a fungicide and a fertilizer. It appears milk can prevent powdery

mildew when mixed one part milk with two parts water and sprayed on vine leaves top and bottom. Some gardeners swear milk also works on roses to deter black spot. Doesn’t the milk smell after a while, you might wonder. Yes, but for only a brief period. You could use reconstituted dried milk to avoid both the smell and the charge of depriving your children of their morning doses of high sugar cereal. Birds love hot peppers, especially during the dry season. If you only have one pepper tree such as bird or finger pepper then mockingbirds may leave you frustrated when you go to pick fresh fruits to enliven your morning eggs and fixings. The best way to overcome the problem is to grow more peppers than the birds can consume. You could use fine mesh nets but these are unsightly and could entangle an adventurous avian. The problem does not stop there, however. Birds eat only the flesh and seeds of the peppers and leave the stalk with its cup-like corolla. Too many of these on a pepper tree may persuade the plant that its duties in the way of propagation are over and it could start to die. It is well worthwhile to take a small pair of scissors and cut the stalks at the midway point, removing the corolla end. Do this every couple of weeks and both you and the mockingbirds will be happy. • For questions and comments e-mail j.hardy@coralwave.com.