Guyana Times International

Hydropower is the most sensible option for Guyana – research scientist

By Svetlana MarShall

Guyana can face a dark future, if it fails to turn to hydroelectric power in the near future, Guyanese-born research scientist in Canada, Professor Suresh Narine said. Speaking at the opening of the two-day National Economic Forum at Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown on Wednesday, Professor Narine said currently, 94 per cent of all energy consumed in Guyana is imported, accounting for approximately 45 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2008.

“That’s a crippling amount to spend for any country,” he said, noting that all of the imported fuel derives from fossil fuel.

Linking the demand for fossil fuel to population growth, the Trent University research scientist said given the world’s rapidly growing population which is expected to jump from seven billion to nine billion by 2015, Guyana should turn to alternative energy sources to dodge the impacts of fuel shortage.

Demand

Between 2024 to 2040, the demand for fossil fuel is expected to peak, a period in which diminishing fossil fuel would result in rise in oil prices. Countries, like Guyana, he said will suffer the worse.

“Fossil fuel is a finite resource, it is not if, it is simply a when. Long before we hit peak oil, speculation of a dwindling resource will result in escalating

prices. We have seen this already.”

Zooming closer to home, the research scientist said too the Caribbean currently has a fragile relationship with the PetroCaribe programme.

“Surely, the Caribbean nations are in serious jeopardy of energy security,” he lamented.

Under the PetroCaribe programme, 17 beneficiary nations buy oil from Venezuela, paying a percentage of the purchase’s value upfront, with the remainder being paid off in installments over a 25-year period.

The PetroCaribe initiative was initiated by the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in June 2005.

Sensible option

Taking into consideration fossil fuel, hydroelectricity, wind generation,

photo voltaic, biogas, biomass, biodiesel and ethanol, gas thermal, wave generation and nuclear energy, Professor Narine said studies have shown that hydro power is the most sensible option for sustainable generation of energy, with the most lucrative return of investment, given the density of energy required.

He further pointed out that, from the more than 60 sites in the country, the Amaila Falls is the most suitable location. “Guyana simply can’t afford to lose this opportunity,” he said.

Additionally, the research scientist advocated for a national energy policy approved by the Cabinet and the National Assembly. He said President Donald Ramotar should establish a taskforce with representatives from all

facets of society, including government, opposition, the private sector and marginalised groups, to produce the draft national energy policy.

“It should be chaired by a very nonpartisan respected person... because what this taskforce says needs to be respected,” he said.

Benefits

Private Sector Commission (PSC) Chairman Ronald Webster said the Amaila Falls project is currently in limbo because some political leaders’ failure to make decisive decisions.

According to Webster, Guyana can rake in tremendous savings, pointing out that US$ 120 million can be saved per annum from fuel, US$ 20 million on diesel generation, and overall, avoid the impact of fuel price escalation.

INTERNATIONAL

To contact: Guyana Times International

New York Office

106-15 Sutphin Blvd, Jamaica NY 11435

Email: guyanatimesnyint@gmail.com

Tel no: 718-658-6804

Preferred method of contact via EMAIL Guyana Office Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana. Tel no: (592) 227-0704, 227-0709. Fax (592) 225-8696, 227-0685

Email: guyanatimesint@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Secondary schools’ results

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is one of the standout successes of the Caribbean integration movement through the Caribbean Community (Caricom). Launched in 1979, it has grown by leaps and bounds with its mission to provide a standardised curriculum for the secondary schools of the region, as well as testing the success (or failure) of the impartation of that knowledge base to the student population.

It performs the latter task through the Caribbean Secondary School Examinations (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE). CSEC, which replaced the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary (O) Level from England, is administered at the end of fifth form.

To be considered matriculated (or qualified for further enrolment) a student must obtain passes in at least five subjects, including Mathematics and English Language, with a minimum of grade three. CAPE is intended to prepare students who intend to pursue higher academic or technical training and replaced the GCE Advanced (A) Level.

In what has introduced a great deal of confusion, however, CXC divided the syllabus for the GCE A Level subjects that used to be offered, such as Biology, Physics or Mathematics, among others, into two segments, dubbed “Unit 1 and Unit 2”. A student would write the Unit 1s in the subjects they decided to specialise in at the end of the lower sixth form and the complementary Unit 2s at the end of their upper sixth form year.

The confusion arises in two ways and is evident in the CAPE results just released. Firstly, the results of the upper and lower sixth formers (Unit 1s and Unit 2s) are all combined.

There is no need for this: Unit 1s are of no consequence without their complementary Unit 2s. The upper sixers’ Unit 2 results should be combined with their results from their previous year’s Unit 1s to obtain the rankings on CAPE performance.

If this were done, it would be clear that Melodie Lowe of Queen’s College is the top performer at CAPE this year. This has implications for the scholarships that the government introduced last year for CAPE performances.

The other confusion arises if students from some schools are allowed to write Units 1 and 2 in the same year as was the case in one instance. The number of passes thus becomes higher for those students for that year, while if combined with their passes with the previous year’s results, could be lower overall. We can see that this will open up new manoeuvres in our highly competitive atmosphere.

While it is laudatory that some of our students can continue to push the boundaries of the total number of subjects that can be written at CSEC in any one sitting, this simply highlights the abysmal results that plague our secondary schools overall in the face of ever increasing spending by the government in the sector.

The Achilles heel continues to be the inability of the Ministry of Education, school administrators and the teaching staff to come up with an answer to the inability to significantly raise performances in the compulsory matriculation subjects of English and Mathematics.

According to figures supplied by CXC, passes for English A were recorded at 45.69 per cent compared to last year’s 37.02 per cent. This of course, represents a slight improvement, but is within range of the variations observed over the last few years.

In Mathematics, there was an insignificant decrease from last year’s 29.69 per cent pass rate to 28.92 per cent.

What this means is that the energy injected last year by the ministry with the interventionary pilot programme to boost performance in these subjects have ebbed.

We need clear answers as to what is to be done, since the fact that 70 per cent of our students leaving secondary schools who will be entering the work force are deficient in this crucial area makes for a very gloomy picture.

miss guyana world

2013 ruqayya Boyer and kieron Pollard pose for a photo op. before the Barbados tridents Vs guyana amazon warriors match at Queens Park oval in trinidad

Caribbean nations wooing Indian immigrants with attractive citizenship-for-cash offers

Soon, cricket may not be the only connection Indians have with the Caribbean. Countries like St Kitts & Nevis, Dominica and Antigua have rolled out attractive citizenship-for-cash programmes to woo Indian immigrants.

The latest to launch a citizenship-by-investment (CIP) programme is Antigua & Barbuda, a tiny independent Commonwealth state in the eastern Caribbean which will open up its borders to other nationals in a month. It is giving full citizenship for an investment of at least US$400,000 in an approved real estate project. A St Kitts citizenship, too, comes for US$400, 000 while tiny tropical Dominica is even cheaper at US$100,000.

Both countries have set their sights on wealthy Chinese as well as Indian immigrants. "Since the programme was announced in March, we have had a number of inquiries from Indian citizens. Most of them view it as a lifestyle investment," says Jason Taylor, CEO, Janik Partners, an Antigua-based company that specialises in CIP.

So what are the advantages of an Antigua and Barbuda passport, besides the tropical breeze, swaying palm trees and white sand beaches, of course?

An Antigua passport can get you visa-free travel to 126 countries including Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK and Europe. St Kitts gets you over 100 countries. An

Indian passport only gets you 55 countries.

As a Commonwealth citizen, one also receives certain preferential treatment in the UK. For example, your children may enter the UK to study without first having to apply for student visas. After studying, they may work there for two years without a work permit.

Eric Major, CEO, Henley & Partners, the global leader in international residence and citizenship planning, says, "Most Asian clients are keen on providing a western education for their children, and this is one of their primary reasons for seeking a citizenship. Another reason is mobility thanks to visa-free travel."

Henley & Partners recently advised the Antiguan government on the design, implementation and administration of its CIP and also reformed the CIP of St Kitts & Nevis. Major adds that about 20% of its overall clientele for immediate citizenships are Indians, many of them NRIs.

"We get about a 1,000 such applications each year in total and the overall numbers are growing. NRIs account for much of the demand because of the Dubai situation. Even though many Indians work there, most don't have the privileges of residency. Those who have done well there but don't have status often want a better standing, passport ranking wise. This is the new breed of people we call global citizens and we are helping them be-

come that," says Major. That the Caribbean nations are serious about Indian immigrants became clear when Denzil Douglas, PM of St Kitts, who was in India in April, requested Indians to look at its citizenship programme and invest in it. St Kitts has the world's oldest CIP that was launched in 1984. The country's CIP unit did not respond to emails.

But what is the profile of potential Indian customers? Amir Zaidi, managing director, Westkin Associates, a London-based immigration law firm says, "They are mostly married with kids, very successful and in businesses that generate a lot of cash very quickly, such as property and real estate. A vast majority of our clients for CIP may apply from U.S. or Dubai (NRIs). Indians often start UK citizenship and St Kitts CIP applications simultaneously, so that the quickly processed St Kitts passport can give them easy access to the world till they get a UK passport after six years."

And what will a US$400,000 investment house in Antigua get you? "European finish. Italian designs. German kitchens," says Taylor, whose company is also developing luxury real estate projects meant for CIP investments. If that isn't enough, the island also boasts the presence of celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Giorgio Armani, Timothy Dalton and, Taylor adds with an embarrassed laugh, "Berlusconi". (Times of India)

Banks, private sector fear implication of blacklisting – say CFATF sanctions catastrophic for trade

With Guyana’s financial sector in a limbo due to the failure to comply with international standards and regulations as it relates to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Financing Terrorism Act (AML/ CFT), corresponding banks are already eyeing the country as bad place for trade and investment.

In light of this negative image, banking and private sector officials have joined forces to voice their concerns about a possible serious shrink in investment, owing to failure to sign on to worldwide AML/ CFT Act after missing for the second time around, the deadline laid out by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF).

Central Bank Governor Lawrence Williams, Republic Bank’s Chief Executive Officer

John Alves and private sector representatives Gerry Gouveia and Clinton Urling on Wednesday highlighted some of major challenges Guyana would face for noncompliance with the international antimoney laundering act.

In separate interviews with Guyana Times International, the officials expressed dissatisfaction at the setback caused by non-consensus among the political parties, which led to Guyana being unable to complying with both deadlines initially set by the CFATF.

Alves said this situation would now put the banking sector at a loss, and there will be great difficulties for both incoming and outgoing foreign exchange activities with corresponding banks.

“I’m sure you have heard the people talking about Guyana being blacklisted, what in fact

that would mean, it would be much more onerous for foreign exchanges,” he said.

According to Alves, already there are a number of difficulties and challenges in processing transactions, and this is not good for Guyana.

Central Bank Governor Lawrence Williams said Guyana being blacklisted would mean that there will be enhanced monitoring by corresponding banks.

This, he noted will be ruinous for financing in Guyana

since trade and banking depend heavily on corresponding banking relations.

Williams said being blacklisted would position Guyana as risky and partners would most likely terminate relations with the banks in Guyana.

According to Gouveia, blacklisting will have a negative impact on Guyana’s economy, shrinking the investment climate.

“This blacklisting and if we don’t comply with the criteria will have a negative effect on the economy and with corresponding banks… we will continue to have issues in this regard, coupled with the failure of several major projects, and this is not good,” Gouveia said.

Urling, who also expressed dissatisfaction at the situation, said the severity of the implications is not yet known, but it will not bode well for Guyana.

Hindu college obtains 95 per cent CSEC pass rate

The Cove and John Ashram’s Hindu College on the East Coast of Demerara has recorded solid performances at this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations with a number of students achieving grade

one passes. The Hindu college has obtained an overall pass rate of 95 per cent at the examinations. The private school sent 29 students to write the exams, of which 12 were males, but it was the females who emerged as top performers.

Of the 13 subjects offered by the school, four students wrote 11 subjects, namely Reshma Singh, Keisha Jagnarine, Omadai Goberdan and Ghandai Bhagwan. Singh and Jagnarine are the school’s top performers, each obtained nine

grade ones, one grade two and one grade three.

Support

The girls thanked their teachers and families for their support and encouraged other students to study hard as this will help them to be successful at their examinations.

In addition, four students who wrote 10 subjects obtained grades one in six or more subjects.

According to the school’s principal Rajkumarie Singh, there was a 100 per cent pass rate in Agriculture and Integrated Science, Electronic Document Preparation and Management, English B, Human and Social Biology, Principles of Business, Social Studies and Religious Education.

There was an 83 per cent pass rate in Chemistry, 96 per cent

in English A, 74 per cent in Mathematics, 95 per cent in Office Administration and 75 per cent in Principles of Accounts.

Satisfaction

In an interview with Guyana Times, Singh expressed her satisfaction with the performances of the students, noting “the students who come to the Hindu college are not the top achievers at the NGSA exams, we may have one or two per cent of persons with good marks coming in here, but most of the students, 90 per cent of them got just above 400 marks and even less”.

Nevertheless, Singh said she is quite pleased with the performances of the students this year, adding that there has been an increase in the pass rate and several specific areas when compared to last year.

She disclosed that the pass rates in Mathematics and English have increased and is a big achievement for the school.

The principal pointed out that the school does not allow extra lessons, but when it nears exam, make up classes are held early in the mornings and on weekends.

“We don’t give lessons in the afternoon because most of the students live very far, for example, our top performer lives in Mahaicony Creek and the runner-up lives in Mahaica Creek,” she noted.

The Hindu college, which was opened in 2004, is a secondary school which provides an opportunity for underperforming students to improve themselves academically, while being taught about morals and the importance of religion.

Private sector is an integral part of nation’s security sector -Minister Rohee

The private sector has, and continues to play a key role in enhancing the local security apparatus, Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee said as he addressed a security seminar organised by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) on Tuesday.

The Home Affairs Minister said that “On all the interviewing panels to hire persons to work at the ministry there is a representative of the private sector who sits on that interviewing panel. We have also representatives visiting regularly to speak with the task forces that have been established by cabinet, task force on smuggling and contraband and a task force on drugs and illegal firearms. We invited representatives from the private sector to engage these task forces, share their experiences and tell us how we can help them in the furtherance of their business activities”.

According to Minister Rohee, representatives also sit on the various bodies of the Guyana Fire

Service, Prison Service and Police Force, “So that by action and by deeds, the private sector is a partner of the government in the security sector”.

He added that the role of the private sector is recognised as the Home Affairs Ministry conducts its daily business and as such all must be on board with strategies and plans as they move forward with their mandates.

The minister stressed the need for unity among stakeholders, noting that, “if they are not coordinating or collaborating, criminals will take full advantage of those situations. So we look to the private sector not only as a partner in formulating policies but in implementing polices, as well through their regional institutions or individual constituents”.

The fact that the private sector is the largest employee after the state, security is a primary concern and the state is expected to assist in this vital task, Minister Rohee said.

continued on page 26

Guyana-born man charged for beating four-year-old to death in Washington D.C.

The Washington Post is reporting that a man, upset when the four-yearold boy he was babysitting rode his scooter on the wrong side of the street, was charged Wednesday with beating the child, and police say he then went outside his Northeast Washington apartment to sell marijuana as the youngster died.

D.C. police made the allegation in court documents that charge Peter Ignatius Hendy III, 33, with felony murder in the death of his girlfriend’s child, Kamari Zavon Taylor. According to the documents, the suspect, said to be born in Guyana, told detectives that Kamari was a “smart-mouth kid.”

A D.C. Superior Court judge ordered Hendy detained until an Aug. 30 preliminary hearing. His attorney with the D.C. Public Defender Service did not return a call seeking comment.

The boy’s mother was not identified in court documents, and attempts to reach her were unsuc-

cessful.

On Tuesday, a police officer guarded the second-floor apartment, which had been sealed by authorities, in the 5600 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue.

Neighbours declined to comment.

The charges offered new details in the case, which had been a mystery since Kamari’s body was found about 2 p.m. Monday, when police said the suspect called 911. By then, according to the court documents, the boy had been badly injured for some time.

Police said in the court papers that the boy’s mother took Kamari to

the apartment on Sunday and that she did not notice any bruises when the child bathed that night. She did note that he appeared congested.

She left for work on Monday, police said, leaving Kamari with Hendy. Police said Hendy called her at work several times to report that he had disciplined Kamari for riding on the wrong side of the street. Police said he told her that he had hit the child.

Police said the child rode off on his scooter again and returned 45 minutes later, sweating profusely and shaking. Hendy told police that he brought him inside, gave him water and put him in bed. “Hendy admitted that he then went outside to sell marijuana,” the charging documents say.

He returned about an hour later, and the boy had a “blank look” and “looked spent,” the court papers say. Hendy also later told police that he noticed pronounced bruising on the boy’s abdomen. Still, police said, he went back outside to sell more marijuana, returning after another hour to find the child unresponsive. Police said he then called 911. Kamari was pronounced dead at Children’s National Medical Center. (Excerpted from the Washington Post)

Hendy told police that when he scolded the youth, Kamari told him, “I don’t have to listen to you — you’re not my daddy.” Hendy said he then punched the child twice in the abdomen, according to the court documents. Police said the suspect told the child, “Now you’re going to listen to me.”

Govt working to address skills deficit – president

By Danielle CampBell-lowe

President Donald Ramotar said government has made tremendous investment in the area of education which has created the need for an increased, additional technical skill and human resource capital. Speaking at the opening of the twoday National Economic Forum, Ramotar noted that the most recent of these investments include new technical education centres.

The annual forum was organised by the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) and is being held under the theme “Promoting Economic Growth through Innovation, Diversification and Partnership”.

Ramotar, who chairs the council, said human resource investment has been scaled-up on assumption that Guyana is on the verge of moving from being just an agricultural country to an industrial hub where a lot of skills will be required.

The president stressed that many of the constraints faced by the country have been more internal problems with skills and human resources. Ramotar made mention of the brilliance of local students, evident by this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) results, stating that the investment in education is beginning to pay dividends.

“This is a reminder that we in Guyana have the capacity and the brain power as any other country in the world. It is for us to harness

that and channel it towards the development of our country,” the head of state mentioned.

Infrastructural projects

Ramotar said based on the realisation that infrastructure remains a major constraint to economic development; government has embarked on several infrastructural enhancement projects.

He listed the construction of a modern airport which has the potential for transforming Guyana into a major hub for air transport between the northern and southern hemispheres and the development of a branded hotel. “We have recognised that the development of our infrastructure will facilitate economic growth and social development. This will help Guyana to play a more important role in the international economy as well.”

Ramotar emphasised that at this stage in the country’s development, stakeholders must have all hands on deck to achieve the basic needs of all citizens as this is

vital to the growth of the economy. He stressed though that Guyana cannot, however, achieve this goal unless there is economic growth.

According to the president, Guyana’s economy is operating in an international environment that is complex, complicated and not always friendly to small economies.

Good conditions to advance

Although there have been some signs of improvement in the international economy, it is still complicated and has forced the region to create over the years very good conditions to advance at a faster pace.

Ramotar remarked that although government will always be criticised, he acknowledged that increased emphasis must be placed on the efficiency of implementation of decisions made.

“I intend to pursue this and to ensure that government delivers on the commitments which were made for the rapid development of society,” the head of state noted.

Plaisance man knifed to death by reputed wife

Less than a week after a teenager of Sparendaam was killed by her 18-yearold fiancé; a man was on Wednesday morning stabbed to death by his reputed wife. Clifford Singh, 34, of Lot 28 Prince William Street, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara was reportedly stabbed several times in the vicinity of the heart and lashed to the head by the woman whose name was given as Dacia Bourne.

Guyana Times International understands that the couple were involved in a heated argument about 01: 00h on Wednesday in the middle of the street, when the woman called another man who occupied the same house and the two allegedly attacked Singh.

About 02:00h, his body was discovered on the road in a pool of blood by passersby who raised an alarm.

The name of the man who aided Bourne was given as “Jumo” and is in police custody, while the woman is on the run.

The dead man’s sister, Jennifer Persaud-Bovell explained that about 03:

00h, she was awakened by her son’s mobile phone which started to ring and thought that it was someone dialing the wrong number.

The phone continued to ring and when her son answered, it was a cousin informing him that his uncle was stabbed to death.

He related the news to his mother, and a few minutes later, PersaudBovell disclosed that she heard a voice at the gate and upon looking out; she was again told of the tragic event. As she ran up the

road, which is about 200 feet from the incident, she saw her brother lying on the ground covered with blood.

“The scene was cordoned off and the police were conducting their investigation, so I couldn’t go close to see what injuries he received… a police later told me that he was stabbed to his heart and other parts of his body and was also lashed to his head with a piece of wood which was recovered… they also found the knife which was used to commit the murder,” the woman explained.

Driving me crazy

By Anu Dev

So recently, I started to take my mandatory theory driving classes. And after spending 15 years in a school system where most of my classmates were in my peer group, these classes, with persons running the gamut of the ages was a new, interesting experience.

Of course, I’m also sure that my teachers in school weren’t ever police officers. So I never had to worry that they might start handcuffing me and reading me my Miranda rights if I handed in my homework late. This circumstance added a whole new edge to these classes.

Frequent fights

She went on to say that the couple were in the habit of fighting, noting that they normally spend the night together and when he leaves for work in the morning, she would spend the rest of the day at her grandmother’s home.

Her brother, she noted was a mason and has a 14-year-old child from a previous relationship, and the woman also has a two-year-old son from another relationship. The couple reportedly fell in love after they met about two years ago when she moved in with her grandmother.

She is formerly from South Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

At the scene, there were blood stains on the road as curious onlookers were seen enquiring about the fatal stabbing.

The house in which the couple lived is located in a yard filled with bushes, and shared by one of the dead man’s friend.

A neighbour, who lives opposite the couple’s home, also related that brown and Singh had frequent misunderstandings which would turn violent.

But seriously, it’s really nice. The older members of the class are clearly really knowledgeable about most of these things than I am. I’m just coming out of high school I never really gave much thought to the theory part of driving. In such spare moments I had, I more or less fantasised about jumping into a car and speeding off in a cloud of dust. Wait, did I say “speed off”? In case any of my (police) instructors are reading I meant “driving off within the speed limits”, of course! So honestly, the driving classes, which are going so well aren’t driving me crazy. They’re quite pleasant actually.

What’s driving me crazy is our Warriors’ last performance against Trinidad. One would hope that coming back from a defeat, the troops would have rallied and crushed Trinidad (like we did the first time around). But instead, we handed TT their first win.

And I mean “handed”. What was most heartwrenching about the defeat was how sloppy we were in the field – catches were dropped, runout chances were messed up, fours were let through. They seemed to be having delayedaction responses to everything. They were a sharp contrast to Barbados the night before.

The Barbadian players, also coming back after a bit of a break, were intense in the field. They made an effort to keep up the intensity even though they already had 3/ 3 wins.

As Pollard said, West Indians have a tendency to relax, so they made a conscious effort to counteract that. They were diving and throwing themselves all over to the field to save singles, and we were slowing down and giving up when chasing down balls about to go for four.

I’d hoped the game would’ve distracted me from the countdown to my CAPE results – which were supposed to go online at mid night – the night of the game.

But thankfully results came out two hours early and I was happy enough about my results that it helped to soften the blow of Guyana losing.

Out of the five subjects I wrote at CAPE (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Maths and Caribbean Studies), I got all ones. I felt a bit like the Barbados Tridents with my results.

May the force be with our Amazon Warriors and may the odds be ever in their favour.

Go Warriors!!!

The Guyana Amazon Warriors’ visit to the Children’s Convalescent Home was a good gesture

Dear Editor,

It is very noble that the Guyana Red Cross Children’s Convalescent Home was visited by the Guyana Amazon Warriors. The timeliness and importance of such a visit cannot be minimised in any way at all.

Many of these children may never get the chance to visit a stadium or even watch a game on television, so having the chance to actually interact with these known stars has to be very fulfilling.

The members of the

Guyana Amazon Warriors shared out goodies to the children and made them feel very much at home.

The financial donation comprised fines imposed on the players in keeping with rules laid down by the management team along with other donations from the players. The part about using the funds from fines made me smile –what an innovative way to exact disciplinary measures!

Overall, participation in sports is important for the physical and emotional health

of the physically challenged children. We all agree that sports can improve strength, endurance and cardiopulmonary fitness, while providing companionship, a sense of achievement and heightened self-esteem.

However, when this is not possible – maybe due to the nature of various disabilities or lack of facilities – then to me, the next best thing is to have some interaction with sports people. Children with physical challenges often have difficulty with relationships

Limacol CPL has a great future

Dear Editor,

The Limacol Caribbean Premiere League (CPL) has surpassed expectations. It has also dispelled doubts regarding the value of cricket to the people of Guyana and the region as a whole. This is how the legend Sir Vivian Richards is seeing it too.

The legendary and former West Indies batting great and captain is now expecting this tournament to be a resounding success, judging from the fans’ response.

To this I say add things like preparation, organisation and promotion, which have all been excellent in this tournament so far.

The other thing about this inaugural tournament is that it is just right – six teams and 24 games, and all will be said and done in a matter of a month.

The Olympics and World Championships take a two-week frame. When things are too stretched out, people tend to await just the final round of matches. Not so with this Limacol CPL. It can be yearly all because of its brevity.

In Sir Viv’s words, the Limacol CPL would definitely take West Indies cricket to another level. “I just think it is a great opportunity for some of our young professionals to be involved

in a professional tournament starting in the Caribbean. With the other events being staged around the world, this is a platform for these cricketers to also travel further afield,” is what he was quoted as saying and is worth repeating here.

I encourage a lot of local club Twenty20 tournaments. This can complement regular first class cricket. What will happen is that at the club level, the players will be eyeing the Limacol CPL tournament. The motivation will be exceptionally high.

Respectfully submitted, Kelvin Culpepper

Guyana must continue to push tourism

Dear Editor,

I am never surprised when I read about any large influx of tourists to Guyana. People know that there are many undocumented cases of actual tourists and their coming and going where Guyana is concerned.

I think of our church alone and I have some figures to add. I remember not too long ago, members from our sister church in the U. S. sent volunteers to put up a building to house worshippers here in Guyana.

The actual group was big – there were 12 builders and they all came with their families. We had a total of 43 people. Then just a few years back, workers from another church came and repaired our old stelling at the camp site. Some 25 people came. So we are missing a few here and there. These did not come as tourists as such, but they definitely toured and enjoyed Guyana.

“Destination Guyana” continues to attract tourists from around the world, and has already recorded an 11.5 per cent

increase for the first half of the year. I think that since Christmas is our big season, we are set for an improvement on this number.

The latest batch came from Suriname and Holland as over 300 disembarked the Kanawaima ferry that services Guyana and Suriname. They stayed for three days, experiencing and enjoying the country’s rich cultural heritage, the many historical sites in Georgetown, the Essequibo Islands, the country’s flora and fauna, the exotic cuisines and entertainment spots.

This particular trip was organised by the Garage Tour Company of Suriname, which has been collaborating with the Tourism Ministry and has been bringing over 40 visitors in Guyana on a weekly basis.

According to the Guyana Tourism Association (GTA), this kind of activity will bring greater economic development to the Corentyne. When things like this are ongoing, it

because of their physical limitations.

In fact, moving through each stage of development, in cluding social, emotional, in tellectual and physical devel opment, it is much harder for them.

So this puts into perspec tive this visit by the team: I see it as a very mature move. The challenge now is for other sports to come on board.

Yours faithfully, Terry Knight

PYO demonstrated how protests should be conducted

Dear Editor, Whenever we do, we must protest very peacefully. I am seeing this in the actions of the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO), as it is continuing its protests against the parliamentary opposition’s actions to stifle key projects to develop Guyana’s economy.

I was passing by one day and PYO groups were all the on the seawall opposite Sheriff Street. The protesters were displaying plac-

ards, and from what I gathered, the two groups will continue with weekly protests in order to demonstrate their firm stand against the actions of the opposition parties.

The important lesson I got from this is that there is a need to voice opinions in a visible manner and this can be done with order and decency. I will never be a part of anything that is belligerent and unlawful. This protest did not impede anyone and

there was no need for police confrontation. This is so dissimilar to what took place recently in front of the acting town clerk’s home. We have to make sure that when we protest, we do not disturb the peace, intimidate nor frighten others and become unruly and threatening. Protesting is a choice and no one must be frightened into it. We must not destroy public property too.

Yours sincerely, Brian Francis

gives us the incentive to lift our standards.

I think here of the Number 63 beach, where a lot of work is being done to enhance its surroundings.

The many relapses must stop quickly. GTA is now working towards zoning in on other areas, namely the crossings from the Lethem border, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and the Ogle International Airport, in order to have a better picture of the number of visitors to Guyana.

I care about the figures, yes, but I am more for getting people from around us, going back and forth. They come and go back with nice stories, only to drive others to come and experience Guyana.

If this kind of zeal should continue, it will be just a matter of time before whole new industries and businesses can start up.

What the GTA must do is to continue in this vein, but do some more publicity.

Yours sincerely,

Cyril Hinds

week ending august 18, 2013

Mainstay regatta helps boost Essequibo’s tourism

The 13th Annual Lake Mainstay Regatta in Guyana, which was held on Sunday at the black water resort, was dubbed a success despite a slight drop in attendance compared to the previous year. This was perhaps as a direct result of the accident, which led to the death of Orin Belle during the 12th edition of the regatta. Nevertheless, Director of the resort Wilfred Jagnarine, expressed his satisfaction with the turn out and level of participation at this year’s event.

Jagnarine said he had anticipated that, after the unfortunate accident last year the attendance would have dropped even more since the Belles were diehard racing fans. He is, however, optimistic that the time will come again when the Belles will participate.

Jagnarine also expressed his gratitude to the Regional Democratic Council for rehabilitat-

ing the road, which has been a major challenge to the regatta. The road, he noted, was graded twice since they had expected a high influx of patrons. He also thanked the sponsors who came onboard to make the event a success.

Toshao of Mainstay/ Whyaka Joel Fredericks also called on the government to complete the allweather road that leads to the villages. This road, he stated is a very important as it leads to one of the most attractive resorts on the Essequibo Coast. Without a proper road, Fredericks noted that patrons would not be too keen on visiting the resort, and this will ultimately hamper economic growth. He reiterated that tourism is a major economic activity for the settlement.

Tourism Ministry Deputy Permanent Secretary Daneshwar Deonarine said the Lake Mainstay Regatta has become a part of the national calendar and peo-

ple look forward for such an event on an annual basis.

Positive impact

He said the event has a positive impact on tourism and ultimately on the country’s economic growth, noting that it is an opportunity for small and medium enterprises to provide services such as transportation, accommodation, wildlife, arts and entertainment. It will also bring about the creation of new jobs and generate foreign exchange, investment and payments for goods and services provided.

Some 18 events were held on Sunday. Patrons came out in their numbers with their baskets and tents to have a grand time. During the races, they cheered with energy as they supported their favourite competitors.

The Gonsalves out of Pomeroon River created a whirlwind as they dominated the day’s proceedings.

From open races to

200 horsepower to novelty events, the day was accident free.

Rocking party

As the place got dark, patrons were seen gyrating to the music dished out by the Chinese Assassin and Pream Music Systems, but it got even better with performances by chutney singer Anil Bheem out of Trinidad and Tobago; Vanilla and other local acts.

As usual, Bheem did a splendid job in get-

ting the patrons to get their grooves on. With some excellent chutney, soca and a few dancehall vibes, he had the ground partying none stop. The night also saw a versatile performance by the Caribbean Hotshots Band, which added some spice to the evening with some salsa, chutney, dancehall, Spanish, soca and Latin selections.

Guyana’s soca queen, Vanilla also performed to perfection. Vanilla’s cool moves and excellent

choice of songs had the crowd behind her. There were also performances by 2K4, a young group out of the Essequibo.

Apart from the adult fun, there were also a number of fun-filled events for the kids, including bouncy castle, face painting, merry- goround and others. The curtains came down on the 13th Annual Regatta around 23: 00h, leaving patrons with smiles on their faces. (Excerpt from Guyana Times)

Guyana experiencing booming tourists’ arrivals

Destination Guyana continues to attract tourists from around the world, and has already recorded an 11.5% increase for the first half of the year, heading for a larger increase this year. The figure was further boosted last week when the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) welcomed over 300 Dutch visitors from Suriname and Holland at Moleson Creek after they disembarked the Kanawaima ferry that services Guyana and Suriname.

The tourists were scheduled to stay for three days in Guyana. They said they were looking forward to experiencing the country’s rich cultural heritage; the many historical sites in Georgetown and the Essequibo Islands, the country’s flora and fauna, the exotic cuisines, and entertainment, among others.

The trip was organised by the Garage Tour Company of Suriname, which has been collaborating with the tourism ministry of Guyana and

has been bringing over 40 visitors in the South American Caribbean country on a weekly basis.

GTA’s Director, Indranauth Haralsingh, who greeted the guests at Moleson Creek in Berbice, said, “this

does not only bring economic development to Georgetown, but the Corentyne and then you can see that area being a hub for influx of tourists.”

He highlighted the resuscitation of the Number 63 beach on which a lot of work is being done to enhance its surroundings.

“Immediately one can see the economic benefits and the spin offs,” Haralsingh pointed out, not only for Guyana, but Guyanese as a whole in terms of transportation, fuel, hotels and stores whose sales will be boosted. And so when they shop in Georgetown, when they stay and dine and travel it is bringing a lot benefits to all Guyanese,” he noted.

Haralsingh stated that GTA is looking forward to continue fostering the partnership between Guyana and Suriname so as to ensure there is a consistent flow of tourists in the country.

The tour compa-

ny will also be bringing a large contingent on August 24 for the R Kelly Show at the Jamzone summer break international night.

Both government and the private sector have been collaborating to promote ‘Destination Guyana’, and Haralsingh said that this has resulted in many persons wanting to visit the country to experience what it has to offer.

Additionally, GTA is working with Suriname at the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation (ACTO) level to establish a tourism manual among Guyana, Suriname and Brazil to promote crossborder and multi -destination tourism.

Suriname is close to Guyana, and is a key partner and through ACTO, a Caribbean tourism trail of which Suriname and Brazil is a partner with Guyana has been established.

Meanwhile, GTA also welcomed a team on that same day from three communities in Berbice who came from New York to conduct community works in their respective villages.

Visitor arrivals have been increasing significantly in Guyana over the last decade. Last year, there was a recorded figure of over 175,000 visitors compared to 10 years ago when it was just 70,000-80,000. (Excerpt from GINA)

Guyana patriot act

Satiricus was moved. If the truth was told (and it must be told), Satiricus was very, very moved. Nowadays, very few people step up to the wicket to bat for their country. Everything was about me, me, me. No wonder people talked about the “me generation”. But in one fell swoop, here was Duvid GrainJa showing one and all that he, at least, was one man who could rise about self and act for his country.

Everybody and their uncle had come out for this Waterfalls Power. But heck, that was easy. The Waterfalls Power would make all sorts of businesses come to Guyana. People would be bringing in the big bucks, they would have life in London. Power would be so cheap Satiricus and the rest of the country could have air conditioning and fans running all day long like the people in Linden. No more sweating.

We would be like Miami: running around in nice white pants and jackets, with no worry about sweat marks under one’s armpits. Come to think of it (and Satiricus thought long and hard about it) this would be like heaven, no?

But while everyone thought about their own comfort and happiness, it took Duvid GrainJa to think about country. Like the little boy who had asked the stark naked emperor about his trousers, GrainJa asked, “But what would all this do for the country?”

GrainJa reminded us that we were really a simple people. We had allowed ourselves to be corrupted by people from the North who drove around in Mercedes Benz and drank cappuccino all day. Our country was unspoiled.

Weren’t we happier when we used to ride on donkey carts and drink creek water? What was so great about electric lamps when we could read with flambeaus? And we would not be spoiling the beauty of our great country if we left the waterfalls just the way Sir Walter Raleigh found them. Let those who want to have air conditioning all day long go to Miami. Didn’t they know what that led to? Why else did they name that popular show, “Miami Vice”? Did they want that vice to come to Guyana? And so GrainJa killed the waterfalls power.

And as GrainJa spoke, Satiricus realised that he has been so selfish all along. “Ask not what your country can do for you,” John F Kennedy had said.

“Ask what you can do for your country.” GrainJa shouldn’t stop with just stopping waterfalls power. And so it was that Satiricus decided to seek out GrainJa and join him in this quest to leave his dear land of Guyana unspoiled.

He would tell GrainJa to leave his airconditioned mansion and together they could take their flambeaus and walk from village to village, barefoot and hatless, to spread the message.

Satiricus thought of the greatness of the founder leader who had sent GrainJa abroad as a young man to be trained at great expense by this country to think only of the country. Who else could be such a great patriot?

Guyana well represented at Bird Watching Fair in London

Guyana will once again be represented at the annual British Bird Watching Fair in Rutland, London on August 16 to 18. Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) Director Indranauth Haralsingh confirmed the country’s presence while he explained that the Guyana team will comprise of representatives from the GTA, the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Rupununi Trails, Wilderness Explorers, Dadanawa and the Guyana High Commission in London.

Specialist bird guide, Luke Johnson will also be on hand to answer pertinent questions.

God’s Garden

With over 860 bird species found in Guyana, the country has over the years evolved into a bird watcher’s paradise, and the increase in interest to sell the destination is as a direct result of market driven strategies focusing on bird watching as a niche market.

After the fair, a seminar titled “Guyana Summer Evening” will be staged; attracting the international press and tour operators.

This event will also feature presentations being made by members of the Guyana delegation.

In recent years, Guyana has been ranked by numerous tour companies and international travel publications, receiving a very good branding and endorsements.

The destination was labelled “God’s Garden, a Birder’s Paradise”, and

branded as the hottest new neo-tropical birding destination; Guyana was also listed as one of the top 20 places to visit and among the top 100 adventure destinations of a lifetime.

Alluding to additional features of Guyana’s par-

ticipation this year, the GTA director revealed that for the first time, the country will be promoting Butterfly Spotting. This, he said will add to the appeal of the destination.

To boost this potential, the GTA will also

be promoting the publication, “An introduction to Butterflies of the Iwokrama Forest and Communities of the North Rupununi District”. The GTA/ THAG booth will be located in marquee four, in the Travel/ Tourism category

PC student tops CAPE

By Whitney Persaud

President’s College student Shalita Appadu came out on top in this year’s Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination with six grade ones and one grade two. In 2011 Appadu who attended the New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary School attained 15 grade Ones at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations coming in second in the country after Anuradha Dev.

Tying for the second position are: Melodie Lowe, Kaleshwar Singh, Prashant Shivdas, Deowattie Narine, Anuradha Dev and Benedict Sukra, all of Queen’s College with five grade ones each.

Preparation

Meanwhile, speaking to Guyana Times International, the erudite Dev said preparation for the examination was a challenge as she did not attend any lessons. According to the young lady, she studied with the help of her father and her teachers who again contributed to her success.

“Well first of all, I

didn’t take any lessons; I did a lot of work at home with my dad by using the CAPE syllabus,” she disclosed.

Dev, who was ordained head prefect at her school, said the opportunity gave her the opportunity to become more organised for CAPE Unit Two as she had to prioritise her work.

Elaborating on her home studies, Dev said she and her dad would do online studies and research, but this was a challenge since she had to choose specifically what to study based on the makeup of the CAPE

syllabus.

According to the young scholar, she was not aiming to top the country, but worked to secure grade ones in the five subjects she sat. “Well I was aiming to get five ones, had no idea or was I aiming to be on the top, but just to pass the five subjects that I did… this is combined with grades from Unit One and Unit Two,” she stated.

Dev wrote Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Pure Math (all Unit Two) and Caribbean Studies this year, and in 2012 in Lower Sixth Form, she wrote

– Anu Dev tied at number two with five ones

Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Pure Math and Communications Studies (all Unit One). Her next step is to move on to Trinidad, where she will pursue her medical studies. Dev was the Caribbean top student when she wrote the CSEC examinations. Intention

The young woman said her intention is to wait until internship to choose a specialty area; however, she is more inclined to become a paediatrician.

She thanked her teachers, families and friends for their support during her studies, and

is advising students sitting next year’s exam to break the habit of procrastination and to manage their time wisely.

“Choose subjects that will mean something to you in future work within your ability,” she said.

Meanwhile, Guyanese students have this year contributed to an approximately three percent increase in passes at the examinations, Education Minister Priya Manickchand revealed on Tuesday.

This year 748 students wrote the examinations, eight more than last year. The pass rate has been recorded as

89.19, as compared to last year’s 86.2. This year candidates were offered units in 23 subject areas, with each unit comprising three Modules equivalent to 150 credit hours. The Single Unit subjects offered were Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies. The overall pass rate in 2013 is 86.6 per cent. This is an increase from 2011 when a pass rate of 82.5 per cent was attained and a marginal increase over the 86.2 per cent pass rate in 2012.

In relation to gender, females have outweighed the number of males sitting the exams and have also dominated in recording pass marks.

Meanwhile, Queen’s College students account for the majority of the country’s top students in the CAPE exams, producing 11 such students. Completing the remainder in the top five performers are Malinie Tulsie with four grade ones, one grade two and one grade three, Amrita Milling with four grade ones and one grade two and Andy Sattan with four grade ones and one grade two.

Teen charged for killing schoolgirl

The 18-year-old young man who hacked his teenage girlfriend to death last Thursday was on Tuesday charged with murder at the Providence Magistrate’s Court. He was arraigned before Magistrate Leron Daly.

Joshua Baveghems of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, was not required to plead to the indictable charge when it was read to him. The charge alleged that on August 8 at Diamond, he murdered his 17-yearold girlfriend, Angela Tamika Mc Allister, of

Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara.

In a packed courtroom, the young man stood in the dock dressed in a shirt and pants as the magistrate read the charge to him.

During this, he was expressionless and for the entire time he was in the courtroom, he appeared to be in a daze. Baveghems was unrepresented by an attorney.

Relatives of both the accused and the deceased were present in court and when the charge was being read. The relatives of Mc Allister broke down in tears in the courtroom.

The mother of the accused also appeared to be in a sad state.

Police Corporal Bharat Mangru was the prosecutor in the matter. Baveghems was remanded to prison and will make his next court appearance on October 7. According to reports, on the day in question, the 17-year-old Mc Allister was reportedly called to the accused’s home in Diamond and she left home around 11: 30h with the understanding that she had to return by 17: 00h.

While at her boyfriend’s residence, the two reportedly had an argument sometime around 14: 30h during which Baveghems began hitting the teenage girl.

His sister and mother who were present tried to stop the young man, but to no avail. Baveghems reportedly then dragged his girlfriend into the yard where he chopped her behind her neck.

The young woman was subsequently taken to the East Bank Demerara Regional Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival. After committing the act, the young man sat in the yard until the police came and arrested him.

Highflyers! Essequibo students dominate top spots at CSEC

By IndrawattIe natram

“Iam satisfied with my grades. I knew I was going to gain excellent grades – the news of topping the country made me feel elated, I just couldn’t do this by myself, my parents and teachers supported me a lot.”

These were the words of Zamina Rasheed, a future structural engineer, who came out with 20 subjects, 18 of which are grade ones, at this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

Though acknowledging that some of the examinations were challenging, the Anna Regina Multilateral School (ARMS) student said she had done all the hard work and was expecting to perform well.

Success Rasheed’s 18 ones and two twos beat her county girl Sarah Hakh of Abram Zuil Secondary who gained 16 grade one passes last year. The 16-year-old credited her success to her parents and teachers, who supported her throughout

her studies.

Speaking about her tutelage at the ARMS, Rasheed said the school teaches beyond the ordinary curriculum.

“ARMS is a really excellent school, the teachers are friendly, the classrooms are conducive for learning, the school teaches every student integrity, selfpreservation, religion, sports; way beyond ordinary curriculum, when a child achieves an education at ARMS, he/ she is a well-rounded individu-

al.”

Holding back tears of joy, Rasheed told Guyana Times International that studying for CSEC was very challenging, as she had to make a lot of sacrifices, and remained steadfast throughout. The young lady said sometimes she was called a nerd, but that did not deter her.

A top performer at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), Rasheed said by the time she got into fifth form, she had already devel-

oped a love for books. She said she love technical drawing and has a passion for tall buildings.

The top student for Guyana said she plans to continue her education at the University of Guyana, and has already been accepted at the institution.

Rasheed, a youth ambassador, thanked her parents and teachers for the support she received during her studies.

Her mother, Verna Rasheed could not hold back tears of joy during an interview with this publication. “I am so happy about my daughter’s success, she has always been an educated individual; I knew she was going to do well, but not this well, she said.” Rasheed is the second child for her parents.

Stay focused

Meanwhile, runnerup to Rasheed is another ARMS student, Yogeeta Persaud, who gained 18

ones. She is encouraging upcoming CSEC students to stay focused. The 16-year-old said she wants to become a doctor.

Persaud credited her successes to her extra lessons and research on the Internet. Persaud said leading up to the examinations, she spent long hours on the Internet researching and finding out about new topics.

Persaud, who is the only child for her parents, said she has not yet decided if she will pursue studies at the University of Guyana in September. She thanked her parents and teachers, noting that her favourite subject is Biology.

Tikram Singh, 17, also of ARMS, secured the fifth position in Guyana. Singh attained 14 ones and one two. He also said extra lessons also helped him to excel at the examinations.

Singh said he is

proud to be one of the products of ARMS and thanked all his teachers for his success. He also thanked his parents for the support given to him during his studies.

Supervision ARMS Headteacher Lalljeet Rooplall when asked what makes his school different from the others, said “supervision”. He said teachers at his school closely monitor students and their performance.

Rooplall, in congratulating all the top performers of his school and Guyana, said he is happy ARMS has done Guyana proud at this year’s CSEC. The headteacher said monitoring students is important and he always admonished his teachers to sit with students and discuss difficult subject areas.

Rooplall said too that the Roraima Learning Trust (RLT) project which was introduced to his school via the One Laptop per Family Programme helped prepare the students for the examinations.

He said the programme, which was introduced through the OLPF, provided multiple choice questions in the core subjects areas for the students. The top five performers for ARMS are Rasheed, Persaud, Singh, Bibi Latiff and Reshma Ramdahin.

Some 94 students from ARMS obtained five subjects and more, with passes in Mathematics and English.

Laparkan in partnership deal with Jamaican money service

Apartnership agreement between the Jamaican remittance company JN Money Services Limited (JNMS) and Guyaneseowned Laparkan Financial Services has enabled the expansion of JNMS’ global JN Money Transfer network to four more Caribbean countries.

According to a release by Laparkan, JN Money Transfer, which already has operations in Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, St Vincent and Dominica, now has payout operations in Guyana, Trinidad, Antigua and Barbados through a partnership agreement with Laparkan Financial Services.

Laparkan Financial Services, a subsidiary of one of the Laparkan Group of Companies, has nine payout locations in Guyana. The Bank of Guyana in a notice recently had said that approval has been granted to Laparkan Financial Services Limited (LFSL) to voluntarily cease conducting business for

which it was licensed under the Financial Institutions Act 1995.

After-tax profits

Therefore, it said that the licence issued to LFSL is revoked pursuant to Section 11 (One) (b) of the Financial Institutions Act. LPSL had also reported a significant net reduction in after-tax profits for the financial year 2009/ 2010.

“The agreement has deepened JN Money Transfer’s ties in the Caribbean and strengthens its position as the leading Caribbeanowned remittance entity,” JNMS General Manager Leesa Kow stated.

She revealed that the partnership began in March through Laparkan’s eight payout locations in Guyana, which may soon be increased to 50 through post office locations across Guyana. In June, the partners strengthened their agreement and included Laparakan’s six payout locations across Trinidad, Barbados and

Antigua.

Affordable service

Glen Khan, chairman of the Laparkan Group of Companies, which owns Laparkan Financial Services, said the agreement with JNMS will enhance the remittance experience

work through another partnership with the Philippines-based Gxchange (GXI) in March, up from 350 JN Money Transfer agents and branches at the start of the year.

GXI is the owner of the Philippines money transfer brand, GCASH REMIT. Kow said: “Our customer base encompasses Caribbean people living outside of the region; as well as people who have migrated to the Atlantic region from other parts of the world, and require remittance services that are quick, reliable and convenient.”

ed new branches and agent locations to its operations in the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom, while solidifying its agent partnership in Ghana in 2011, increasing its JN Money Transfer network, at the time, to more than 350 agents and branches.

for customers.

He pointed out that it provides “access to an affordable Caribbean remittance service that understands their needs”.

The partnership with Laparkan follows the addition of more than 8000 locations to the JN Money Transfer net-

And, she also underscored that the partnerships were a testament to the global strength of the JN Money Transfer brand. This current initiative is a part of the company’s ongoing expansion, which picked up speed in 2010, when JNMS acquired the assets of the Cayman-based remitter, QuikCash, to become the main remitter along the Cayman to Jamaica corridor.

Following that acquisition, JNMS also add-

Kow also explained that the Philippinesbased, GCASH REMIT partnership will be very important to the company’s U. S. and Canada markets, as well as Cayman Islands operations. The U. S. is home to about 3.4 million Filipinos, while over 400,000 live in Canada. Filipinos are also the second largest group of migrants in the Cayman Islands.

Excellent partnerships

She said the agreements with Laparkan and GCASH are excellent partnerships, which will bolster JN Money Transfer’s global strength, commitment to quality customer service and its thrust to develop sustainable linkages around the globe.

UG student crowned emancipation queen

Miracle Hilliman, 21, a secondyear communication student at the University of Guyana (UG) on Sunday evening outshone her six rivals to cop the coveted title of Miss Emancipation 2013 when the pageant was staged at the National Cultural Centre.

Hilliman was undoubtedly a top contender from the beginning of the competition, dazzling the judges with her flawless presentations.

She continued to impress the audience and the panel of judges during the Business Wear Segment when she appeared on stage dressed as a lawyer.

She continued her dominance as she performed her talent piece – a poem she wrote entitled “I Am An African Woman”. The young lady moments later left the audience spellbound when she appeared during the evening gown competition, looking regal in her

outfit, which was well complemented with a beautiful head wrap.

She sealed the deal when she was asked the final question: “The United Nations has declared 2013-2023 the Decade for People of African Descent, what is your 10-year vision for

your people?”

The young lady said that during the 10-year period, she hopes to move Africans who are at the bottom of the ladder to the top, noting that they are buyers and not sellers.

Coming in as first runner-up was Joelle

Valentine, 19, also a UG second-year communication student while the second runner-up spot went to Franale Holder, 23, who aspires to become a pilot.

Jonell Lovell, 19, who wants to become a medical doctor, secured the third runner-up spot.

APNU never raised issues when given opportunity – finance minister

Finance Minister

Dr Ashni Singh on Tuesday described the issues now being raised by the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) in relation to the Amaila Falls project as excuses and a mere fig leaf to attempt to justify and disguise

the jeopardy in which that party has placed the project by opposing it in Parliament.

Minister Singh pointed out that since March last year, President Ramotar met with the opposition leader David Granger and his team, gave them a detailed pre-

sentation on the project, and invited them to go away and study the information, consult their technical advisers, and return any questions they may have. To date, the APNU has not taken up the president’s invitation to ask questions.

“Instead, more than

one year and several additional presentations later, they have proceeded to attempt to torpedo the project and throw up spurious reasons to justify their negative vote.

“The irrefutable fact of the matter is that Amaila is good for Guyana, the APNU re-

fused to avail itself meaningfully of government’s numerous efforts to consult and engage them on the project and then, for purely political reasons, they attempted to sabotage the project, knowing full well the consequences of their vote on July 18 and last

Thursday.

“In summary, should Amaila fail to materialise, the APNU will have to shoulder responsibility for this and for the tremendous setback that would be inflicted on Guyana’s development prospects as a result,” Minister Singh added.

APNU says it will not budge -

wants hydro project 'repackaged'

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is urging government to repackage the hydroelectricity plan for the country, even as it declared it will not budge from the earlier position of non-support for the mega project.

Opposition Leader David Granger during a press conference on Monday reiterated the coalition’s position on the Amaila Falls project, and said that his party will not bend on its decision.

The APNU, he said remains firm on its position that the financial architecture of the project is likely to place a bur-

den on taxpayers’ dollars.

“APNU is aware that no comprehensive document on the AFHP has ever been presented for debate in the National Assembly. The partnership cannot give its unequivocal support for a project which will fail to provide assurance that the final cost of power to the consumer will be appreciably lower than the current tariff,” Granger stated.

Granger said the coalition’s position is based on a number of conditions it has outlined. He said too that unless government provides more information, further dis-

cussions on Amaila will be affected.

Granger noted that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is currently engaged in a due diligence study of the Amaila Falls project, and until that time, only then the main opposition would be able to pitch in, based on the findings.

Meanwhile, APNU’s finance spokesperson Carl Greenidge also contended that the financial architecture of the project is not feasible.

“Repackage it in a way that brings back to the energy plan… as part of an energy plan… as part of a set of projects to develop the Potaro ba-

Queens group making a difference in underprivileged communities

The recently formed group West Indians Serving Humanity (WISH) has bold plans to aid underprivileged children through tapping the large West Indian community in Queens.

WISH group members Safraz Deen and Deven Dindiyal in a recent interview spoke of their

are plans to network with other aid groups and expand to other countries this year. This may even include locations outside the West Indies. Dindiyal noted that refugee children caught in the current Syrian civil war are also in dire need of aid.

The group gathers clothing, books and toys

dents are aware of how to donate and have the opportunity to give their donated items directly to WISH. As Deen observed, the vast majority of donations to WISH are from individuals who live in Queens, New York, and are otherwise unaware of how they can have their contributions reach needy families in

experiences, aspirations for their group and the charitable spirit they have discovered in borough residents.

Many members of WISH grew up in poverty, a powerful motivation behind their current efforts to improve the lives of children living in poor areas of the West Indies.

Dindiyal, who grew up in Cornelia Ida, Guyana, noted that “my family was very poor, at times my parents would beg the neighbours for milk to feed me as a child while they starved themselves. We did not have government resources to tap into for clothing, food or any main necessities of daily life”.

WISH currently serves Guyana and Trinidad, though there

and inspects the items for quality. Toys must be in packaging, though books may be lightly used. This quality inspection prevents the shipping of useless items in the otherwise limited space available, as the items are packed into bulk shipping barrels.

Monetary donations made to WISH covers the cost of shipping. WISH members then meet the shipment in the destination country and ensure it is distributed to those who need it most. Once the shipment arrives, it is distributed by that group member to all children in the community, regardless of race, religion or gender.

A critical aspect of WISH’s efforts is ensuring that borough resi-

sin and in which that specific project does not carry the inflated cost it carries.”

The Hydro-Electric Bill was last Thursday passed in the National Assembly with the support of the Alliance For Change (AFC), after lengthy deliberations.

The Guarantee of Loans (Public Corporations and Companies) Bill, which sought to lift the debt ceiling, was also passed with the AFC’s support. The APNU voted against both measures.

Government had initially proposed to raise the debt ceiling from Gy$ 1 billion to $ 150 billion, but later reduced the fig-

ure to Gy$ 130 billion.

However, during the debate, the AFC further reduced it to Gy$ 50 billion. Only recently too, the developer of

Caricom Change Team pleased with Guyana consultations

The Change Facilitation Team based at the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat has expressed satisfaction at the response by participants at the Guyana national consultations on a five-year strategic plan for the community.

the West Indies.

In June, WISH hosted the Guyana Exposition at Queens College. Miss Guyana World 2012, Arti Cameron, was present at the event and helped to promote the group’s charitable efforts. Deen noted that due to this successful event, the group had received several requests to pick up bags of clothing and boxes of young adult books from those who had attended the expo.

Plans for WISH include a toy drive in the fall. Last year’s toy drive had the donations go to Toys for Tots, but plans for this year’s drive will instead focus on having the toys shipped to Guyana in time for Christmas. (Times Ledger)

The strategic plan is a critical part of the reform process within Caricom, which has been initiated by the conference of heads of government.

Speaking on behalf of the team, Maria Mason-Roberts said “very solid recommendations and ideas have been put forward” during the sessions, which began on Monday.

Mason-Roberts was high in praise of the organisation of the consultations led by Foreign Affairs Ministry Director, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper, who has been appointed the ‘change driver’ for Guyana.

The heads of government approved the outline of the strategic plan at their inter-sessional meeting held in Haiti last February, and agreed to appoint change drivers in each member state with overall responsibility for coordinating and facilitating the change process at the national level.

The change drivers are coordinating the national consultations, which are scheduled to be held in all member states and associate members. The first was held in Barbados last June, with Guyana as the second, to be followed by Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Montserrat, St Lucia, Suriname, and

Trinidad and Tobago scheduled for September.

The Bahamas, Belize, Haiti, Jamaica and St Kitts and Nevis consultations are scheduled for October. The consultations in member states will include stakeholder groups, including heads of government, opposition leaders, members of Parliament, representatives of business, labour, youth and other civil society groups, Caricom institutions, and other regional organisations with headquarters in the member state.

These consultations are intended to address the vision, mission and core values of the Caribbean Community, priority areas for the attention of the community in the period 2014-18, and the most appropriate and efficient governance and management structures for the community.

Mason-Roberts indicated that over the course of the consultations, the team met with all the targeted groups. She added that the process would continue subsequently with a wider engagement of the general public in order to get the widest possible participation and feedback from the process. The recruitment of a Change Facilitation Team resulted from discussions among heads of government at their inter-sessional meeting in Suriname in 2012 after receiving a report on the review of the secretariat.

The leaders agreed that it was necessary to re-examine the future direction of the community and the arrangements for carrying this forward, which would include the role and function of the Caricom secretariat.

The strategic plan will, among other things, identify the priority areas of focus for the community and guide the restructuring of the secretariat. Caricom Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque is leading the change process at the secretariat and has initiated some corporate reforms within the organisation while awaiting the completion of the strategic plan.

The facilitation team, which has a three-year mandate, is being assisted with resources from the government of the United Kingdom through the Department for International Development (DFID) and began work in the Caricom secretariat last November. (Caricom Secretariat)

“I will try to convince hydro investors to stay” – Ramotar

President Donald Ramotar has pledged to continue to explore all possible ways and means to see the realisation of the Amaila Falls Hydro Power Project, so that Guyana can benefit from more affordable electricity. The president made these comments during an address to the nation on Monday regarding the withdrawal of Sithe Global/ Blackstone from the over US$ 800 million project.

He assured citizens and stakeholders that he “will continue to work to get cheaper energy for Guyana”. “I will continue to try to convince investors to stay on and invest in this project and in this country and I still hope that the opposition, particularly the A Partnership for

National Unity (APNU) could see the bigger picture and that they would put the interests of our people above nar-

row party lines and rise to the call to support this project.”

Involvement

During his address,

the president reiterated the steps that were taken to get all stakeholders involved, including the parliamentary political parties whose input into proceeding with the project was vital, were kept informed about the specifics and benefits of constructing the hydro facility.

“A few months after assuming the presidency in 2011, I invited the two opposition parties in Parliament, the APNU and the Alliance For Change (AFC) to the Office of the President to give them a presentation on the Amaila Hydro Falls Project and its status to date,” the president pointed out.

He added that “I pointed out to the opposition leaders that their buy-in was critical

continued on page 23

94 graduate from Sophia Training Centre

Ninety-four students graduated from the Sophia Training Centre (STC) on Friday with skills in areas ranging from catering, handicraft, information technology and office administration. Other areas include masonry, plumbing and sheet metal work, refrigeration and air conditioning and welding and fabrication.

Speaking at the occasion, Culture, Youth and Sport Minister Dr Frank Anthony charged the graduating class to set goals and work to achieve them.

“This is the first step of empowerment and an avenue for continuous study and to have better jobs,” said the minis-

devanand ramdat with the sophia training centre 2013 graduating class

ter, noting that “it is not about having quick money, but about achieving a goal in your life and adding purpose in your life to take you forward… set goals of where you want to be and what you want to achieve in a five-year span.”

The minister emphasised that there are numerous opportunities for youths to better themselves as individuals, noting the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry is seeking to bring the schools of art, drama and dance under one umbrella, and is moving forward with training youths in the fields of museum science, anthropology and archeology.

“We need historians

to tell your stories to the world and the possibilities are endless in these areas… at the end of the day, the youths will be well-rounded individuals with the qualities of a true Guyanese,” said Minister Anthony.

The graduation ceremony was filled with colourful cultural performances from the graduating class and featured the success stories of past STC students who have become successful youths, contributing meaningfully to society.

Meanwhile, the teachers and trainers alluded to the benefits the training centre has brought to the youths. A parent of one of the graduates told Guyana Times International that the

Double role

Satiricus was basking in nostalgia. One of the benefits of living in Guyana during what Satiricus still called “the Forbes Burnham Days” was developing an addiction to Indian movies. He had to pay Voora for the box and all that – but it was worth it. Took his mind off standing in the Guylines for hours to collect oil and such- like for his mother.

Anyhow back to what prompted Satiricus’ nostalgia for the Indian movies. It was the shocking revelation that NoGel Huge was not just the man who would bring a new morality into politics into Guyana. Sorta like Amitabh Bachan in Sholay? He was also a main man in the big, bad organisation, he and his sidekick Rum Jhaat (like Dharmendra?) was fighting to bring down with their KFC. Why!!! This was just like the double-roles Pran used to play in so many of the old Indian movies.

On one hand, Pran would be the villain, doing all kinds of nasty deeds especially to the heroine – like dragging her off to be ravished – as she screamed “Bachow!!!” Of course, this being Indian movies, nothing happened to the “star girl”.

The same couldn’t be said about the “bad girl”. But then, the script always insisted she kinda liked the ravishing... But back to the double-role memory. With a flick of the hair (or parted on the other side) Pran would become a good guy, whom no one recognised as being just like the bad guy.

“And here it was”, thought Satiricus excitedly, “NoGel was playing a double role in real life.” Who said life wasn’t stranger than fiction? Satiricus looked at the first pictures of NoGel – as chairman of KFC standing on a pickup.

He was holding a mike in his hand and calling upon the poor and powerless people to rise up and overthrow the yoke of tyranny from their necks. “Star boys spoke just like this,” Satiricus mused with a fond smile. Satiricus looked carefully to see on which side his hair was parted. It was tough to tell. All this running around saving the poor and the powerless had caused most of NoGel’s hair to fall out.

introduction of the feeding programme was very helpful to her as she is a single parent.

Assistant Youth Director Devanand Ramdat said the newly-commissioned 1823 Slave Revolt Monument was in part a product of teamwork by STC graduates.

“We are here to work with young people and to make a difference in the country… in very simple ways we can make big contributions…,” said Ramdat. During the ceremony, two of the teachers were also awarded certificates for their exceptional contribution to the centre and molding the youths. Keisha Ajudia graduated as the top student.

Anyhow, Satiricus then looked at the picture of the other NoGel working for the evil corporation, which was sucking the blood of the poor and the powerless. How could he tell who was who? Well, Satiricus mightn’t be a rocket scientist where brains was concerned but he knew that since the NoGel had resigned from the KFC, the one making the announcement had to be his evil double.

And lo and behold, Satiricus saw that the part in his hair was indeed on the other side!! “Yes!!” said Satiricus as he pumped his fist in the air, “I knew it was a double role!” He’d have to have a talk with his wife who complained about him lolling too long on the sofa watching these three hour movies. Look how the movies had proved useful.

But a thought now struck Satiricus. With the good NoGel out of the KFC, Rum Jhaat was now the big enchilada. Or, as the Indian movies would have it – he was now the Don!

Sizing up leaders...

... in cricket

You, dear readers, will have to excuse your trusty Eyewitness if he isn’t as bright-eyed and bushy- tailed as he usually is. Blame it on Guyana Amazon Warriors cricket. And because of this, he’s also going to invert the usual order of his observations. Short one first. In the end, the nail-biting finish to the Amazon WarriorsRed Steel game was due to the sloppy fielding our boys displayed when the Trinis were batting. In this aspect of the game, more than any other, the buck stops with Roger Harper. He has to step up to the crease.

... in AFC

We’re not going to spend any time today on the Amaila Falls debacle, per se. Save to say that the debacle is all in the opposition’s camp as the voters now see how cynical they’ve been about the country’s development. We want to make some observations about the meltdown in the leadership ranks of the Alliance For Change (AFC).

One of the most debilitating factors working against the success of any group is when they’re not united by any common vision or ideology – but simply hatred against a third person or party. This is basically what the organising principle of the AFC has always been – specifically with those in the leadership. Take Raphael Trotman. Please!! But seriously, some were taken in by his “holier than thou pose” and forgot that when he was in the People’s National Congress (PNC) leadership corps – his charge was to “oppose, expose, and depose” the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/ C). This extreme language was not hyperbole... if you follow his actions after his departure from the PNC, he’s done nothing to change that orientation.

Just look at his rulings as Speaker – a position that’s explicitly supposed to be neutral. His coming together with Khemraj Ramjattan wasn’t fortuitous.

It was determined by their common antipathy to the PPP/ C. Ramjattan, of course, had been whinging for years because he was passed over by Bharrat Jagdeo in the leadership sweepstakes.

In a Marxist-Leninist party structure, he felt his bourgeois lawyer’s certificate gave him transport to a top slot!! And that lawyer’s presumptuousness brings us to the sorry tale unfolding over the revelations about Nigel Hughes’ role as an officer of Amaila Falls Hydro Inc. Okay, let’s say that back in 2009, when he was appointed company secretary, the chairmanship of the AFC wasn’t even a gleam in his eye. But by the time he did decide to take the plunge, his wife had already become embroiled in a nasty name calling about her role as an executive of the AFC while fronting for Fip Motilall’s Synergy – the precursor to the Amaila Falls Hyrdo Electric Project.

Shouldn’t this have focused his mind a bit? Ahhh... but there was not only the urge to make some dough (remember he had to pay some back taxes) ... there was the primeval urge to stick it to the PPP/ C that hadn’t conferred him with silk.

... in stopping bullyism

Rather than taking on Hamilton Green directly, those in charge of our local government administration keep handling him with kid gloves. With people like Green, there’s only one language they understand: brute force and ignorance. Treat Green by the rules of the Marquis of Queensbury and he’ll just walk all over you.

With Green, it’s like the anarchy of interstate relations – where might is right. But like all bullies in this game, Green will insist in using the language of morality even as he commits the most despicable acts. Look how’s he’s using the vendors. By the rules of the game (which Green wants the local government authority to use with him), these vendors are all breaking the laws of the city, which the acting town clerk wants to enforce.

So Green uses the lawbreakers to fight the law enforcer! There are any number of laws that Green’s breaking when he encourages lawlessness against Sooba. Lock him up and throw away the keys!

U.S. envoy says hydropower good for Guyana

United States Ambassador to Guyana D Brent Hardt said the Amaila Falls hydro project is good for Guyana, positing that it will have great benefits for the country’s people and the local economy.

His comments were made days before the developer of the project, Sithe Global pulled out of the initiative, citing a lack of parliamentary consensus. Hardt told Guyana Times International recently that the project could have numerous spin-off benefits, noting his satisfaction with the compromise that was met in the National Assembly to have the bills passed to continue with the project.

“All over the world, hydropower has proven to be very cost-effective and climate-friendly power, and I believe Guyana will benefit tremendously if it moves forward on that, so I hope whatever is needed to make that move forward also takes place,” the U.S. diplomat added.

In addition, the U.S. ambassador said other critical pieces of legislation are still to be passed by the National Assembly, which will pave the way for further development in the local economy.

Insufficient support

Sithe Global on Sunday formally decided to pull out from the US$840 million initiative that has been dogged by political brinkmanship and a lack of consensus in the National Assembly. The company had previously stressed that consensus was a key prerequisite to moving forward.

According to reports, the New Yorkbased company said the support of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C); minority opposition party the Alliance For Change (AFC); and non-partisan organisations and stakeholders was not enough for the project to receive international development funds critical to its completion.

The main opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is the only political party

that did not support the passage of the HydroElectric Amendment Bill in the National Assembly early last Thursday. Sensitisation campaigns on the project were intensified after the combined opposition voted down the hydro-electric bill on July 18. Since then, the developers, government, and other stakeholders only managed to secure the backing of the AFC to pass the legislation.

Guyana’s investment Head of the National Industrial Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Winston Brassington said: “I feel a deep sense of loss”, adding that Guyana’s investment climate has suffered severe damage. He noted that Sithe Global has closed its Guyana offices after investing at least U$16 million on preparatory work. “It sends a shock

to anyone else who is looking to contemplate investing in Guyana. Investor confidence is very much affected by this,” Brassington added.

One day before the convening of Parliament on August 7, when the hydro bill was up for discussion and debate, Sithe Global President Brian Kubeck, via a letter to the media, reemphasised the need for a consensus in Parliament by all political parties, to continue the company’s investment into the development of the Amaila Falls Hydro Power Project.

The project involves the construction of a hydropower plant in west-central Guyana, where the Amaila and Kuribrong rivers meet. Electricity produced at the plant will be delivered to the capital, Georgetown, and its second largest town, Linden, via transmission lines.

The project, a fundamental component of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy, once completed, will result in significant foreign exchange savings and a regular supply of inexpensive, reliable electricity. It would also lower the nation’s carbon footprint while reducing its exposure to imported oil price volatility.

“I will try to convince...

to the success of this... I mentioned that I did not want to taint this project in wild charges of corruption. Finally, I made it clear that we were ready to answer any question and provide as much information as we could to satisfy their concerns.”

Prior to its recent visit to Guyana to host consultative forums on the details of the project, Sithe Global in 2012, also met the leaders of the opposition to sensitise them on why it was an important undertaking for the people of Guyana, Ramotar highlighted.

Government had also invited the InterAmerican Development Bank to host related discussions with opposition parties.

“During the debate on the estimates of the 2012 budget, our ministers, including the prime minister and the minister of finance answered exhaustively ev-

ery question put to them by the opposition on this project. This was repeated in the 2013 parliamentary budget debate,” he noted.

Additionally, President Ramotar said that in June this year, yet another presentation was made to the APNU, after the AFC declined to be a part of the discussion.

“They were also advised on the two parliamentary interventions that would have to be submitted and supported in order to conclude the financing of this project. Copies of the Hydro-Electric Power Bill and the motion on the increasing of the debt ceiling in order to guarantee the investment were shared with the opposition delegation.”

As a result, the head of state said opposition parties cannot say that there was not transparency into the development of the hydro elec-

tric facility, as they were “privy to exactly the same information that the government had”.

The president noted that despite these efforts, the hydro project still remains in jeopardy to be realized in its entirety, following years of work and investments by both the developer of the project and government.

The project is now on shaky ground after Sithe Global withdrew its services, citing a lack of consensus from all political parties to pass the Hydro-Electric (Amendment) Bill.

The bill, which was put forward by government, was only supported by the AFC. As such, following Sithe’s announcement, President Ramotar said he spoke with Opposition Leader David Granger and “urged him once again to join him in showing support for the Amaila Falls project, for our country’s future development and

from page 22

for the life opportunities of generations of Guyanese”.

Future cost

Outlining some of the specifics of the project, the president said, “The total cost to the taxpayer is US$ 100 million in equity, of which US$ 15 million has already been spent and (US$ 80 million) of the remainder is already deposited in the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) and is awaiting transfer. The future cost to the taxpayer is limited to the outstanding amount needed for the access road.”

“The total savings to the taxpayer because of the removal of GPL’s subsidy will be at least US$ 30 million per year, or US$ 600 million over 20 years – far in excess of the US$ 100 million provided by the taxpayers in equity.” He also thanked all supporters of the project and urged them to remain committed.

Man sentenced to 5 years, fined Gy$40M for cocaine in ochro destined for N.Y.

Just two days after the latest drug bust at the Cheddi Jagan airport, the suspect in the case was placed before the courts and was slapped with jail time and a hefty fine.

25-year-old Hadrick Cummings of John Street Campbellville, Georgetown was sentenced to five years in jail and fined Gy$40.5 Million after he pleaded guilty on Wednesday to drug trafficking.

The young man appeared calm as he stood before

Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and entered the guilty plea. He was not represented in the matter but told the Magistrate that he is a businessman that operates an import and export company in John Street, Campbellville and wanted to “try a thing” by making an attempt to get the cocaine out in an effort to help his sick mother.

The Court was told that the over 30 pounds of cocaine that was found hidden in several ochroes carried a

street value of over Gy$13 Million. The bust was made by the Police at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on Monday as the shipment of vegetables were being prepared to be loaded onto a New York bound flight.

The 25-year-old was arrested at the airport. Other persons familiar with the investigations are of the view that the police should have probed the case even more since investigators believe that the man may have had accomplices for the drug shipment.

Sukhai says Amerindians making tremendous progress

Guyana’s indigenous peoples have progressed significantly in terms of education, health and infrastructural development over the past two decades with the assistance of government, Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai said.

She expressed these sentiments on Friday at a press briefing as the country joined with the United Nations (UN) and other countries to observe World Indigenous Peoples Day 2013 under the theme, “Building Alliance: Honouring Treaties, Agreements and other arrangements”.

She noted that with the assumption of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in office, it pursued accelerated support for devel-

opment in improving the lives of indigenous people in the country, which has seen noteworthy progress.

She said presently Amerindian people have access to services that were once denied them or limited. Making reference to education specifically, which, according to her, will propel the people away from a level of sheer “vulnerability”, she underscored that the administration has achieved universal access to primary education in the hinterland and is working to expand access to secondary education.

Sukhai said government recognises that there are still communities in the country that remain in vulnerable positions. “We have not denied that; we recognise it, and each year the gov-

ernment places additional investment to enhance services related to education and the same can

be said of health and advancing and improving infrastructure in indigenous communities,” she

Guyana to benefit from € 2.7M regional REDD + project

Guyana is one of four countries to benefit from a € 2.7 million regional REDD+ project supported by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM) and the local government of French Guiana (Région Guyane).

The project’s overarching aim is to support the reduction of Greenhouse Gases (GhG) associated with deforestation and forest degradation through information sharing and strengthening the technical capacity of REDD+ focal points and forest service institutions in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and the Brazilian State of Amapa.

According to a release from the Office of

Climate Change, a technical platform will be established which is aimed to support estimation of land cover changes and forest carbon stocks; identifying deforestation and degradation drivers; and modelling land use changes and socio-economic development.

At the first meeting of the project, held on August 8 in Paramaribo, adviser to the president and head of the Office of Climate Change, Shyam Nokta recognised the genesis of the project which was initiated out of a meeting by the then president of Guyana Bharrat Jagdeo and the environment ministers of France and Suriname at the United Nations Climate Conference in Poznan in December 2008.

Nokta provided an overview of Guyana’s REDD+ initiatives under

shyam nokta

the framework of the Low Carbon Development Strategy and with support from the Kingdom of Norway. He emphasised the critical role the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system has played in Guyana’s REDD+ model in helping to determine with greater accuracy the extent of forest cover and drivers of defores-

tation and the important role a robust MRV system will play in future REDD+ mechanism.

In lending support to the project, he outlined Guyana’s willingness to share experiences and lessons learnt while at the same time seeking support from the project to continue to build a REDD+ model. Guyana’s Office of Climate Change and the Guyana Forestry Commission are represented on the project’s Steering Committee.

The Guiana Shield is one of the largest blocks of primary tropical forest worldwide as well as a region with very high biodiversity.

With 90 per cent covered with intact rainforest, the Guiana Shield plays a critical role in mitigating climate change and in water regulation of the Amazon and Orinoco basins.

noted.

Advancing communities

She pointed out that government has never used these communities’ remoteness as a reason for not supporting them, adding that they will be vulnerable because they have experienced years of marginalisation and neglect.

Presently, Amerindians are enjoying much more opportunities and access to services than before, so the minister urged them to take advantage of these opportunities to develop themselves and their communities, particularly in the area of land ownership.

“We are the largest collective private land owners in this country and we have to rise to the challenge to utilise resources that can assist in moving to a high-

er level, with the support of government by advice, expertise, and financially,” the Amerindian affairs minister noted. She added that over the past three or four years, indigenous people have received millions of dollars to assist their communities with respect to advancing productive and economic activities from government. Thus, the government affirms its commitment to propelling Amerindian development without losing sight of international concerns that beset them as they observed the day. National Toshaos Council Chairman Derrick John said indigenous people have come a long way in terms of development over the last two decades, adding that hinterland communities have been transformed.

De mayor-fuh-life Green Ham is a man from de old school. Now that ain’t mean that de mayor-fuh-life been to school in he old age. Is only one of de Old Rams and de Nagga Man been to school in dem old age, not Green Ham. In fact, de way de mayor-fuh-life talkin and behavin, it ain’t even look like he been to school fuh very long, or at all.

De Bell Crier find that out because de other day when de mayor-fuh-life was tryin to knock off de town clerk Carol Sober, he end up mekkin a big mistake. Green Ham ask Sober fuh she qualifications and when Sober ask he back fuh he own, Sober find out that de mayor-fuh-life ain’t got none. And imagine this was a man who was PEE-M fuh a very long time. That was a time when people in Guyana was going through de dark ages because of people like Green Ham. But then again, in dem dark days, any body coulda hold very high office once dem was very high wid Green Ham and Burn Ham. And de two Hams was always high wid one another. So ever since de mayor-fuh-life couldn’t produce he qualifications, he realise he can’t stand up to Sober. De woman stand up back strong to he. One of de councillors at de **ity council seh that de mayor-fuh-life can’t stand up at all. He even try a couple of tablets from de pharmacy that don’t pay taxes, but dem didn’t wuk wid he.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! So is no wonder de mayor-fuh-life sendin street vendors and usin de council vehicle to stand up fuh he. But tings so bad wid Green Ham that no matter what he try, nuttin ain’t standin up fuh he!

Gov’t spending huge sums in social sector – President

Some 70 Cubantrained Guyanese doctors graduated last Saturday at a ceremony held at the International Convention Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, the first such convocation in Guyana. President Donald Ramotar charged the doctors to serve the people of Guyana and their country, noting that Guyana has been spending more on the social sector than any other Caribbean country.

The president emphasised that through bilateral relations with Cuba, the medical sector has benefited immensely.

“This was born in the service of humanity, by developing the people means that our country will be developed… for our country to develop, we need to not only develop our resources but our quality of people,” said the president, noting that “One common factor every developed country has is that [it has] highly educated people, and living in multi-ethnic society needs equal opportunities to all its people and the government of Guyana is continuously enhancing its social sector.”

Health Minister Dr

Bheri Ramsaran said the South-South cooperation between Cuba and Guyana has transformed Guyana’s health sector.

“Research agenda is poor in Guyana, so I hope that you as new blood will join the various research teams to push the research agenda for the

country,” said Ramsaran, adding “The doctors will be attached to centres across Guyana.”

Cuban Ambassador to Guyana Raul Gortazar Marrero said his country is always a willing partner in development.

“Today, Guyana and Cuba have once again

bring together ideas and aided in building friendship… the newly-trained doctors will serve Guyana well because of the expertise of skills and knowledge they have gained during their scholarship,” said Marrero.

He noted that Guyana

has also received Cuban specialist doctors over the past years, and they have aided in the development of the health sector, strengthening bi-lateral relationships between the two countries.

Best

Graduating Student Timothy

Imanuel Morgon said the combination of efforts and prevailing motivation by his colleagues to become servants of the people of Guyana has paid off.

Some 25 of the doctors graduated with gold certificates while the others gained passes.

Guyana launches ambitious anti-HIV strategy

BY SVETLANA MARSHALL

The National Aids Programme Secretariat (NAPS) on Thursday launched Guyana’s National HIV Strategic Plan 2013-2020 at the Grand Coastal Inn with UNAIDS Guyana calling for the Health Ministry to waste no time in implementing the ambitious project.

The project dubbed “HIVision 2020” was crafted to reduce the social and economic impact of HIV and AIDS on individuals and communities and simultaneously reduce the spread of HIV. Additionally, it seeks to improve the quality of life of persons living with HIV.

Eliminate HIV Project Manager Dr Shanti Singh, in a detailed presentation, said the project was designed to place Guyana on a trajectory to eliminate HIV.

“This plan takes into consideration the priorities for national development and specifically for the prevention and control of HIV, the regional priorities as guided by

the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework (CRSF) and the international commitments to the Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS and the Millennium Development Goals.”

HIVision 2020 comprises five priority areas: coordination, prevention, treatment, care and support, integration and strategic information.

Five strategic objectives were incorporated under coordination to “ensure a coordinated multi-sectoral response, mainstream HIV services into the programmes and services provided by the non-health, line ministries; create and strengthen strong and sustainable partnership… and mobilise, harmonise and align re-

life and reducing morbidity and mortality for persons living with HIV were placed high on the agenda.

sources,” she pointed out.

Meanwhile, under prevention, the Health Ministry, through NAPS, is anticipating that they will accomplish a zero new HIV infections, zero-discrimination and zero-AIDS-related deaths by 2020. It was explained that the strategic plan will create social, economic, legal and institutional environment for unhindered HIV prevention.

Turning her attention to “treatment, care and support”, the progamme manager said improving the quality of

Prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), maternal, newborn and child health have been closely linked to HIV, and as such, the strategic plan strives to integrate the coordination and implementation levels, national primary healthcare and public health programmes.

Under the “strategic information”, HIVision 2020 will enhance the ministry’s capacity to translate data into strategic information that will be subsequently used as the basis for action.

UNAIDS Country Coordinator Dr Roberto Brant Campos applauded the Health Ministry for the gigantic step taken to combat HIV/AIDS, but said work has just begun.

Private sector is an integral part of...

As the sector that also pays more taxes, the ministry is expected to fulfil the private sector’s expectation of proper representation. The minister said he believes that the way forward is to continue with current strategies and build on them.

“I think that everyone would agree that were we to disengage with the private sector that would not help our country that would not help the government or the country.

So, if we are not to disengage, then obviously the path which we must tread is to deepen the engagement, broaden that engagement both vertically and horizontally.

This is how I see the engagement between the government and private sector”.

Dispelling suggestions that he had any role in the appointment of the Strategic Management team which has been implemented to oversee the Guyana Police Force’s reform process, Minister Rohee said he stood behind the decision by the interview panel to pick Patrick Mentore, a former Assistant Superintendent of Police, and other team members.

“A man published a book the other day and tried to discredit him to say that he ought not to be part of the Strategic Management Department of this new institution that was established because of his association with some ep-

isode that took place in this country some time ago but we (are) not accepting that”.

Minister Rohee added, “We have expressed our full confidence in the persons who are part and parcel of this Strategic Management Department because an interviewing panel sat, some very distinguished individuals in our society,” he said.

Heading that panel was former Guyana Defence Force Chief of Staff, Retired Major General Joseph Singh. “They interviewed these individuals one by one, grilled them, asked them some very searching questions and at the end of it they made their recommendations.”

He added that his ministry had nothing to do with the work of the interviewing panel other than accept the panel’s recommendations.

Minister Rohee said that the partnership will result in more work being done by stakeholders, particularly in the area of collaboration.

In closing, Minister Rohee said the seminar should result in a better understanding of what the local security architecture is about, it should point the direction in which the Home Affairs Ministry and security sector is moving to combat crime in its various forms with the latest available equipment and technology.

GECOM ready for local govt elections – Dr Surujbally

By Samuel Sukhnandan

Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)

Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally said his entity is fully equipped and ready to stage the long-anticipated local government elections. Surujbally’s statement comes after the final four local government reform bills – the Fiscal Transfers Bill 2012, the Municipal and District Councils (Amendment) Bill 2012, the Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2012 and the Local Government Commission Bill – were passed by the National Assembly last Wednesday.

Local government elections, he said, could happen within the next six months, once President Donald

Ramotar assents to the bills. A GECOM official had earlier said that the commission would not be ready for local government elections within six months.

The GECOM chairman explained that apart from that, certain statutory provisions will

have to be made in order to move ahead with the successful hosting of local government elections.

“But generally speaking, the team is ready; we are starting in September, a new continuous registration exercise, which will en-

El Dorado maintains supremacy at international competition

The El Dorado 8 Year Old Rum has surprised its competitors by winning the Best Rum Trophy at the annual International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC).

At the 2013 IWSC, held in London, the El Dorado 8 Year Old was awarded the Best Rum Trophy while its more popular counterparts, the El Dorado Special Reserve 15 Year Old Rum and the El Dorado 12 Year Old, both won Gold Outstanding trophies. The El Dorado 21 Year Old won the Gold Trophy while the El Dorado 5 Year Old and the El Dorado 3 Year Old won Silver Outstanding, a release from the Demerara Distillers Limited said.

In judging the El Dorado 8 Year Old, the judges described the product as “amber gold. Very complex aromas combining orange pekoe tea, roasting nuts (brazil, walnut and pecan) and smooth caramel. This complexity rolls around in the mouth, achieving a wonderful balance of aged richness, and a superb integrated sweet/bitter balance that is outstanding. The finish is long and evolves

beautifully”.

The El Dorado 15 Year Old, the flagship brand of Demerara Distillers Limited, also boasts the distinction of being the only rum ever to have won the title Best Rum in the World, a record 8 times since 1998 at the IWSC.

The rum has also won the IWSC Gold Medal a remarkable 12 times during the years 1998 to 2013. It was also adjudged the Best Spirit of the Caribbean at the Caribbean Rum Fest for four years with outstanding recognition as the Best Spirit of 2001. In addition, the Eldorado 15 Year Old was awarded the Platinum Medal by the Chicago Beverage Testing Institute in 2001 and the Gold Medal at the 2003 Rum Fest held in Newfoundland.

The judges described the El Dorado 15 Year Old as “Deep bronze amber colour. Crêpe Suzette aromas waft, sprinkled with dots of barley sugar and dried pineapple, coconut and papaya. This is sipping rum, a thinking not drinking glass, pensive, pervasive and ultimately satisfying”.

The El Dorado 21 Year Old evoked the following response from

sure that the voters list is even more perfect,” Dr Surujbally posited.

According to him, GECOM has already demarcated the various boundaries and constituencies – 71 districts. Each of these areas has been targeted for voters’ education.

Further, Dr Surujbally added that with support from foreign donors and funds covered under the commission’s own budget, finance will not be a problem. “So I’m very positive about everything,” the GECOM chairman remarked.

“We must get it right”

Dr Surujbally said GECOM has been ready for local government elections since April 19, 2010, when it had been

scheduled to take place.

The GECOM head said that his institution will be more ready to carry out the elections effectively, especially since the final voters’ list will be updated through the next continuous registration exercise.

This is the first time that GECOM, under the stewardship of Dr Surujbally, will be hosting local government elections. He said, “We must get it right, especially after we have waited… years to have local government elections. We can’t have mistakes and miscalculations… that cannot happen” in response to queries about the importance of the elections.

U.S. Ambassador D Brent Hardt expressed

satisfaction with plans to host local government elections. Hardt said the U. S. government is supportive of local government reform in Guyana and will assist GECOM in preparing for this through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The diplomat said a new head of USAID will soon arrive in Guyana, which is the right time to coincide with plans for an election. Hardt and other local envoys of the Western nations have been advocating for the holding of local government elections, making several public calls for such and urging the political parties to facilitate the urgent holding of local polls.

the judges: “Dark bronze amber colour. Molasses, smoke, syrup and mocha on the nose. There is a quite pronounced oak influence evident, both on the nose and in the mouth, but this does not detract from the wonderful character of this product. Enjoy”.

According to DDL, it has always been committed to producing the finest quality products for its customers the world over. It said the fact that its rums have gained sustained international acclaim is testimony to the company’s commitment to quality and excellence.

Guyana’s CARIFESTA team ready to roll

Guyana’s CARIFESTA delegation coordinator

Lennox Canterbury said the country’s delegation was about 95 per cent prepared for the regional event and will be well represented in the various disciplines.

Speaking with Guyana Times International , he disclosed that Guyana’s delegation will consists of about 60 plus persons.

Canterbury noted that there are plans to showcase Guyana as much as possible, and Guyana’s delegation will use whatever space is available and whatever opportunities it has.

“Guyana will have a country booth in the cultural market and that runs every day from Friday – that is where we will be showcasing Guyana not only from a cultural aspect but also Guyana as a tourist destination and also as a place for investment,” he explained.

He said one of the major setbacks is the country not being

able to take a larger delegation to Suriname, adding that “we have our financial constraints that we have to live with”.

The head of the delegation stated that many Guyanese have taken up the call and opted to go to Suriname to participate in the festival through self-sponsorship.

Additionally, he said the

Culture Ministry has not, to his knowledge, gone over its Gy$ 20 million budget for CARIFESTA 2013. The funds were allocated from the Gy$ 100 million set aside for the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry’s Sports and Arts Development Fund.

CARIFESTA XI is slated for August 16 to August 25.

Barbados’ PM weighs in on same sex relationships

Prime Minister Freundel Stuart believes the issue of same sex relationships is one which must be wrestled with and resolved in the way Christ would have settled it.

Stuart expressed this view Monday while delivering the feature address at the opening of the Anglican Church Province of the West Indies’ Congress 2013 at the Roy Marshall Complex, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. He said the church must ask what Christ would have said and done.

Acknowledging that the issue was a very sensitive one and a new agenda item, which was difficult for Christians to grapple with, he continued: “It does not seem to conform to anything that we think God intended and we are going to win

the argument as long as it is framed in moral and ethical terms.

“But, I have noticed, as I am sure you have, that those who are promoting this idea have themselves realised that they cannot win the argument if it is left in moral and ethical terms. So, they have shifted it, quite wisely I think, on to human rights grounds. And, once you put it there the question has to be asked, if heterosexuals are entitled to enjoy the human right of interaction with one another and of marriage, why can’t homosexuals?”

The five-day Congress has as its theme, ‘Challenges Facing Caribbean Families–The Church’s Response’, and it will give participants an opportunity to look at critical issues in the family. (Excerpt from BGIS)

Chinese to invest US$1.5 billion in Jamaica

The government of Jamaica Monday night announced that it is in negotiations with a major Chinese corporation that wants to invest US$1.5 billion in Jamaica.

Addressing the South East St Andrew constituency conference at the Mico University, Works Minister Dr Omar Davies said the project involves major expansion to existing facilities at the island's main seaport.

He explained that the investment will change the employment picture across the entire Kingston Metropolitan Region. Dr Davies said this project will provide major opportunities for

investment across several sectors, particularly the information technology sector.

Davies said he could not divulge too much information about the negotiations, which he is spearheading, but promised that there will be an announcement in months.

He, however, revealed that the Chinese company is seeking to make Jamaica its central location for the western hemisphere.

Dr Davies said Jamaica was chosen because of its location and because the Chinese have found that Jamaican workers are easy to train. (Jamaica Gleaner)

With more than eight million viewers worldwide tuning in, the romantic islands of Antigua and Barbuda took centre stage recently as the scenic backdrop for the Rose Ceremony Episode of ABC’s Television primetime reality series, ‘The Bachelorette’.

Antigua and Barbuda, ‘The Romance Capital of the Caribbean’ was chosen from amongst other Caribbean destinations as the perfect location for this season’s twopart finale episodes of the ABC TV show, ‘The Bachelorette’.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, John Maginley commented, “Antigua and Barbuda was proud to be showcased on U.S. national television during ABC’s season finale episodes of The Bachelorette. This was a fantastic opportunity to introduce our beautiful islands to the entire world, along with the high-standard of accommodations on-island through our partnership with Elite Island Resorts.”

Larry Basham, Chief Operating Officer of Elite Island Resorts, noted that, “This project has given Antigua and Barbuda a tremendous boost in terms of public relations, market profile, and exposure to millions of viewers within the island’s travel demographic.”

The two-part finale episodes featured the spectacular beaches and exotic scenery of Antigua and Barbuda, coupled with the romance and style of St. James’s Club & Villas, The Verandah Resort & Spa and Galley Bay Resort & Spa. Antigua & Barbuda provided the idyllic setting for the remaining suitors and Bachelorette, Desiree Hartsock, who found true love during the finale episode which

“Breathe In & Breathe Out”

By Tisha BosTon

When having an asthmatic attack the symptoms include shallow breathing, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness. But, what is actually happening inside of an asthmatic person’s body? An asthma attack occurs in the body’s airways, which are path-

a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the body’s airways. It affects people of all ages, but it is more commonly found in children.

A Lung Function Test is used to diagnose asthma. It involves an instrument called a spirometer that is used to measure how much air you can breathe in and out and how fast you can blow air

aired Monday, August 5th, 2013.

Antigua and Barbuda was featured on two episodes of ‘The Bachelorette’, on the show that aired July 29th, 2013. ‘The Bachelorette’ was the highest rated show on American television for this date, with over eight million viewers.

On Monday August 5th, ‘The Bachelorette’ was again the highest rated show of the night, doubling all rivals in the 8—10pm time slot. The show was top ranking among adults 18 - 49 years old, and attracted more than 8.672 million viewers.

“The Bachelorette’, with its appeal to millions of viewers in North America, provides an excellent opportunity to showcase our breathtaking islands which are world renowned for love and romance. The four hours of prime time television exposure that Antigua and Barbuda received is an unparalleled PR opportunity for our destination. This opportunity will yield significant brand awareness for Antigua and Barbuda which will translate into a significant spike in our visitor arrivals for the upcoming winter season," said Colin C. James, CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority.

This season on ‘The Bachelorette’, Desiree, 27, an operations manager and stylist at a bridal salon, who previously charmed America’s favourite bachelor, Sean Lowe, had another chance of finding true love with 25 potential soul mates and she got another shot at love as the Bachelorette.

Millions watched, stunned, as Sean sent Desiree home following the hometown dates, even after she pleaded he was making a big mistake. (Antigua and Barbuda gov’t)

ways carrying air to the lungs. During the attack, the airways become swollen and begin to shrink. As a result, less air is able to move in and out of the lungs, and the mucous that the body generates begin to clog up the airways even more. Asthma can therefore be defined as

out. However, diagnosing children with asthma is very difficult, especially for those under five years. Children already have very small airways and they may wheeze because their small airways become even narrower when faced with a simple cold. This does not mean

When Usain Bolt lunged towards the line comfortably ahead of a strong field in the 100-metre final at the IAAF World Championships at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow Sunday, wild cheers erupted across Sherwood Content, Jamaica.

The small farming community in Trelawny, roughly 12 miles from the parish's chief town, Falmouth, is proud of its most famous son and is keen to impress on reporters that there was never any doubt of Bolt's victory.

"I am happy for the race. I know that Bolt could never lose," cried Joel Ried who watched the race at Kurgan Shop and Bar, where a group of men playing dominoes paused their game to witness Bolt's demolition of the field.

"Bolt really did a wonderful job. He showed Sherwood Content people, Jamaica and indeed the world that he is the best," Reid told Jamaican media.

And the celebrations were not confined to Kurgan Shop and Bar. Cheering could be heard from rum bars and shops as well as homes around the usually quiet community.

Sherwood Content resident and businesswoman Sharon Lawrence, who said she has known Bolt for more than 25 years, was "elated and filled with joy", but insisted she was "not surprised".

however, that they will go on to have asthma because as the child grows, the airways grow as well and thus, the wheezing may no longer occur. The symptoms of asthma are very similar to symptoms of other conditions so it is best for one to be examined by a physician.

Unfortunately, a cure for asthma has yet to be discovered; there is only ongoing treatment available to control it. One of the most common and effective treatments used by asthmatic individuals is the inhaler. An asthma inhaler is a handheld device that delivers asthma medication, in recommended doses, directly into the airways leading to the lungs.

The exact cause of asthma also remains unknown, but research has shown that some genetic and environmental factors do play a role in developing asthma. People whose parents have asthma and people who have an inherited tendency to develop

allergies (atopy) are more likely to have asthma. In addition, people with certain respiratory problems and who have had contact with some airborne allergens or have had exposure to some viral infection during infancy when their immune system was still developing, also have a higher risk of getting asthma. Some common asthma triggers include: smoke such as tobacco smoke or smoke from burning wood or grass, outdoor air pollution, dust mites, pets, cockroach allergen, mold, high humidity, intense physical exercise, fragrances, acid reflux, infections linked to influenza (flu), colds, and strong emotions that can lead to hyperventilation. Some of these factors might be more likely to trigger asthma attacks in certain people than in others therefore it is important to understand which is unique to you, the affected, and learn to adapt ways of avoiding them.

"It (the win) was expected. I know Bolt was not going to lose. I know him from he was a baby, so I know what he is capable of doing," she explained.

In Sunday’s race, Bolt made a hesitant start but left the field for dead after about 60 metres to win in 9.77 seconds.

"Bolt is definitely a cut above the rest, I know he would win and we all appreciate the victory. The 200-metres race is for him just the same," said Wayne Francis, another Sherwood Content resident.

Celebrations, on Sunday, spread from Sherwood Content to other sections of Trelawny, as cheering residents hailed Bolt as

"one of the best athlete to grace the world".

Bolt was not the only Jamaican in the race. His compatriots Nesta Carter placed third (9.95); Kemar Bailey Cole, fourth (9.98); while Nickel Ashmeade was fifth, also in a time of 9.98 seconds.

American Justin Gatlin copped the silver medal in 9.85 seconds. At the Championships two years ago in Daegu, South Korea, Bolt was eleiminated from the race by a false start. Fellow Jamaican and training partner Yohan Blake went on to win the title. Blake, however, was unable to defend his title this year, due to injury. (Jamaica Observer)

34 Caribbean news

US$65 million for LIAT’s fleet modernisation

By the end of January 2014, regional airline LIAT should have seven of its twelve new planes.

This disclosure came last Friday during a ceremony at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) headquarters for the signing of LIAT loan agreements totalling US$65 million to four shareholder governments–Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica-for LIAT’s fleet modernisation project. Prime Ministers Freundel Stuart, Dr Ralph Gonsalves and Dr Baldwin Spencer signed the agreements.

The agreements provide for the funds to be lent to and repaid by LIAT over a 13-year period, following a twoyear grace period. Cofinancing for the project is being provided by shareholder equity contributions and from the sale of LIAT’s existing

aircraft. The project involves the replacement of the aging fleet through a combination of lease and purchase of aircraft, financing the transition costs associated with the changeover, the upgrade of maintenance facilities and other institutional strengthening activities.

Stuart told the gathering that the government and people of Barbados had a special interest in the survival and efficient operations of LIAT.

“Barbados has a vested interest in the easy movement of people in this region… because caricom is our third largest source market for tourism. So, we cannot contemplate a region without the services of an airline like LIAT… I don’t know of any other airlines prepared to do in this region, what LIAT has done since 1956, in one form or another. Therefore, the government of Barbados, over which I preside, had no

the caribbean development Bank (cdB) has inked liat loan agreements totalling us$65 million to the airline’s four shareholder governments

difficulty in lending its consent to the securing of this loan,” he stated.

He stressed that regional transport was an indispensable prerequisite to the development of the Caribbean.

“So, Barbados remains committed to LIAT’s cause. That does not mean that from time to time we too may not have to comment in ways that might make LIAT uncomfortable. But, that

PM Kamla fears TT’s youths face a

wipe out

enVironment youtHs: From

Prime Minister

Kamla Persad-

Bissessar Monday warned that Trinidad and Tobago’s youths were being wiped out and were at risk of being lost through crime and emigration.

In an official message on the occasion of International Youth Day, which was celebrated Monday, PersadBissessar said, “We have to protect our youths before it is too late. We appeal to parents, teachers and the churches to assist. We must watch our young men grow. We must be proud of them when they graduate to be doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers etc. We must not be lining up at mortuaries, funeral homes, or cemeteries.”

She set a target for improvement, stating by 2014, there must be change.

“We must ensure that our youths are not in-

volved in criminal activity. We must ensure that our young men are not killed by rival gangs, or by the police. We must uplift them, and ensure that our youths are moving forward in the right direction,” she said.

The prime minister said gang culture and migration posed threats.

“In Trinidad and Tobago, we must be careful that we do not lose our young people. Young people are attracted by what is out there in the world today. They are attracted by the bright lights abroad,” she said. “In 2010, there were an estimated 27 million international young migrants. While migration can often offer valuable opportunities and contribute to the development of communities and society at large, it can also pose risks and lead to unacceptable situations, including discrimination

samantha raman,

and exploitation. Young people make up a significant share of the global number of international migrants.”

Persad-Bissessar said while a large number of our young people are encouraged by the global demands, TT has another problem at its door steps. “A section of our young population is attracted by gang activity. According to data from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, there are close to 100 gangs operating in the country,” she said. “Most of the members are young men, aged between 14 and 25. These young men look up to the gang leaders. They love the culture. They feel they are not wanted by either their parents or teachers. They feel no one cares too much for them. But what is the spin-off effect? They are being wiped out.” (Excerpt from TT Newsday)

is not to be interpreted as any reneging from our commitment to ensuring that this regional airline maximises its opportunities and provides the kind of service to this region which they so richly deserve,” he added.

President of the CDB, Dr Warren Smith, said the airline’s aged fleet poses a significant risk to its commercial viability as well as to the socio-economic bene-

fits accruing to regional economies.

LIAT services 22 destinations, with nearly 1,000 flights weekly.

Crucial to regional integration

Meanwhile, prime minister Spencer, also spoke of his country’s commitment to LIAT, noting that it is a major symbol of regional integration and is indispensable to the economic and social development of the

region.

“…[LIAT] is absolutely vital if our experiment in regional integration, bringing our people together, they being able to move up and down the region, to transact business, to do whatever–it is so critical and crucial to our development,” he said.

Noting that there are challenges in terms of the aviation industry and the airline’s structure and operations that need to be addressed, Prime minister Spencer said that he is confident that as time goes by and they seek to move into the new phase of LIAT’s development, the challenges can be met and overcome.

“It is going require the support of all of us, not only the shareholder governments, but the people of the region… and the press; the media has a very critical role to play in this exercise,” he added. (Excerpt from BGIS)

Ground broken for Ja$40million Claremont centre of excellence in Jamaica

Work to upgrade the Claremont Health Centre in St Ann, into one of four centres of excellence in Jamaica, earmarked for development by the health ministry, is scheduled to get underway shortly.

Ground for the Ja$40.6-million project, being funded by the National Health Fund (NHF), was broken last Friday by Health Minister Dr Fenton Ferguson.

The scope of works will include: expansion and modification of sections of the existing building; construction of a new waiting area; upgrading of the sanitary facilities and elec-

trical fixtures; paving of the driveway and parking area; and erection of a new perimeter fence.

The other facilities earmarked to be developed into centres of excellence are the Isaac Barrant Health Centre, St Thomas; Santa Cruz Health Centre, St Elizabeth; and Darliston Health Centre, Westmoreland. The upgrading forms part of the ministry's efforts to enhance the provision of primary health care islandwide.

Speaking at last Friday's ceremony, Dr Ferguson cited the current high incidence of non-communicable diseases among the reasons for the ministry's heightened focus

on advancing primary health care. Access to the centres will reduce the number of persons seeking health care at secondary institutions, primarily hospitals.

"Non-communicable diseases have been the bane of our health system in recent times, costing us in excess of US$179 million annually. More and more Jamaicans suffer due to these illnesses, which are largely lifestyle-related. Cancers, heart disease, respiratory illnesses, diabetes, and hypertension are ravaging our people at an alarming rate. These are among the top 10 killers," Dr Ferguson said. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

An open letter to Christopher Ram, Ramon Gaskin, Anand Goolsaran and Dr Clive Thomas

By Captain Gerry Gouveia

So it seems that the construction of Amaila Falls Hydro will not start in January 2014 as planned, and it will not be generating electricity for the people of Guyana in 2017. I hope I am wrong, and that media reports that President Ramotar is fighting to save the project are accurate. If so, I hope that the President is successful in his fight. However, it seems that APNU have made their final position clear, and that this will sound the death knell for this project, since Blackstone needed total political consensus.

Supporters and detractors of the project have all identified four people as the driving force behind the collapse of the Amaila Falls project Christopher Ram, Ramon Gaskin, Anand Goolsarran and Clive Thomas. Some see them as bitter and uninformed opponents of progress; others see them as courageous champions of the truth. But all see them as the ones who provided the analysis that killed the project.

Given that generations of Guyanese will either suffer from their destruction, or benefit from their analysis, I respectfully request them to answer 4 clear questions

for me:

1. Under their analysis, what is the total public debt that would have been incurred by Guyana for Amaila Falls?

2. Under their analysis, what would Amaila, once operational, have saved the taxpayer every year through the removal of the annual subsidy to GPL?

3. Under their analysis, what is their projection for the consumer tariff that would have been paid after Amaila became operational?

4. What would have been the annual national savings as a result of the reduced dependency on fossil fuel to operate GPL generators?

In providing me with the answers, could they please reference the following statements, all of which have been used to justify the collapse of the Amaila Falls project?

Public debt

1. Mr Ram said: “We are not sure who the borrower is”; then, “Guyana will have to pay back US$2.2 billion.”

2. Mr Gaskin said: “Guyana will have to pay back US$2.4 billion,” and “The Government of Guyana is guaranteeing 82% of US$840 million.”

3. Mr Goolsarran said: “The government will be responsible for financing US$688 million.”

4. Dr Thomas said: “[Amaila Falls] instantly raises Guyana’s contingent external liability by US$750 million, or about 30% of GDP.”

5. The Government of Guyana said: “It is very important to emphasise that no more money will be paid by the taxpayer for Amaila Falls, and that no government borrowing is taking place… To emphasise and repeat: approximately

US$100 million is the total bill to the taxpayer, not… US$2.3 billion, or any of the other figures that have recently been quoted. The exact figure will be finalised at financial close, but it will not change significantly.”

Only one of these five statements can be true. Which one?

Taxpayer subsidy for GPL

In my research, I did not find any reference where any of the aforementioned gentlemen ever referred to the issue of how Amaila Falls

would save the nation hundreds of millions of dollars because of the removal of the need for a subsidy from the taxpayer to GPL or any reference to the saving which would have resulted from the reduced dependency on fossil fuel.

However, the government said: “The total savings to the taxpayer because of the removal of GPL’s subsidy will be at least US$30 million per year, or US$600 million over twenty years – far in excess of the US$100 million provided by the taxpayer in equity.”

Why did the four gentlemen never acknowledge these savings? Is the government’s statement wrong?

Consumer tariff

1. Mr Ram said: “Based on my calculations, the tariff will be

increased by 23.6%.”

2. Mr Gaskin said: “This project will not lead to a reduction in tariffs, and in all probability rates will have to go up.”

3. Dr Thomas said: “Independent analysts predict a higher price than presently prevails.”

4. The government said: “Amaila will address the biggest input cost [to the consumer tariff] by far GPL’s cost of electricity generation. With Amaila, GPL’s cost of electricity generation

will come down in stages – by 40% in the first twelve years; by 71% for the eight years after that, and by 90% for the eighty years after that, based on current fuel price projections… [Therefore], the total consumer tariff will decrease significantly because of Amaila Falls…

“The reduction in consumer tariffs will be at least 20% in 2017, and considerably more in years ahead.”

Only one of these four statements can be true. Which one?

Focusing on Amaila, and Amaila alone I hope that in providing me with answers, the four gentlemen will focus on the Amaila Falls project, and not on the separate project to modernise GPL, which was due to advance in 2014. Both

projects are needed, but Amaila Falls would have the biggest impact by far – which I assume is the reason it was prioritised.

The government said that even if GPL was not modernised, Amaila would see a reduction in consumer tariffs of 20% by 2017 (as well as the removal of subsidy); this would be even more with the modernisation of GPL.

The price tag for Amaila Falls

The government has clearly stated that its

statements are based on a US$858 million price tag for the Amaila project (including plant, transmission line and access road), while recognising that currency fluctuations might make that price go up or down slightly before financial close – which was to have been in October/ November 2013.

The government states that approximately US$100 million of that US$858 million is being invested by Guyana – with the rest being sourced in the global capital markets. Of Guyana’s investment, they say that US$15 million is already spent, and that the bulk of US$80 million is sitting in the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) waiting to be transferred.

‘Jambana 2013’ rocks with added features at new location

Asea of green, yellow and black took over Markham Fairgrounds for ‘Jambana’ last Monday, August 5.

Thousands came out to the event wearing the Caribbean country’s colours and waving the flag. In previous years, the event has been held at Downsview Park, but organisers moved its location to provide more space for the celebrations. Despite the new venue, the festival continued the same great vibes.

A huge line-up of performers helped keep the crowd entertained. Many came out to see ‘Yellowman’. The reggae and dancehall deejay became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s and is known for his song

Therefore, by simple maths, my analysis is that the outstanding Amaila bill to Guyana is US$5 million, whereas savings from the removal of subsidy alone will be six times that in the first year of operation. If the four gentlemen still do not accept this price tag and its constitution – ie an overall price of US$858 million, with US$100 million from Guyana and US$758 million from global capital markets could they please explain clearly

why this is so? This is particularly important – because all parties to the transaction publicly stated that the price has settled, apart from minor positive or negative currency fluctuations in the next couple of months. I do not doubt that the four gentlemen are all of strong intellect, so I hope that if they conclude that they may have been mistaken in some of their comments, they will also acknowledge this.

Given that history will rightly record these gentlemen as the ones who killed Guyana’s best chance of hydro-electric power in fifty years, I also respectfully request that they will be clear and concise in their communications with me and the Guyanese public when they provide their answers.

in Canada

es’ encompassed the many aspects of Jambana, which had something for everyone. The food village had dishes such as curried goat, ackee and saltfish and vegetarian patties. Children were engaged in their own area with face painting, rides and interactive games. Meanwhile, in the Domino Village, the winning team of the ‘Lick A Six’ tournament won a trip to Jamaica. There was also a Travel & Trade Village and a Health Village providing plenty of information on a variety of topics such as financial planning and diabetes.

In its 8th year, Jambana continued to display the vibrancy of Canada’s cultural mosaic in its finest form. Attendees had the chance to celebrate Jamaican culture for 9 and a half hours as the day started at 12 and ended at 9:30 p.m.

This week's Crossword

This week's Puzzle

J kes

True copy

A young devout Christian named David joined a monastery, worked hard, and eventually was allowed to take his vows. He promised to be free of the desire for possessions, to be obedient, and most importantly, celibate. He was initiated into the holy order and became one of the brother monks.

He was put to work copying ancient holy manuscripts which he did for a number of years. After some time, having been religiously obedient and celibate, he was elevated to the post of fact checker. He was entrusted with reading the original manuscripts and making sure they had always been copied letter for letter, word for word.

One day the rest of the monks were having lunch, and they noticed David was missing. The head abbot went down to the archives to find Brother David, and discovered him bent over an original ancient text, sobbing and weeping.

Alarmed, the abbot asked, “Brother David, what is the matter?”

“All this time....all this time....” was all David could choke out.

“David, all this time...what?” the abbot insisted.

“All this time...we’ve been copying it wrong. The word is ‘celebrate.’”

Birth certificate

A young grandson asked his grandfather how old he was, and the grandpa teasingly replied, "Well, I'm not exactly sure how old I am."

The little boy advised, "You have to look in your underwear, Grandpa. Mine says I'm 4 to 6."

Holding the bag

Two rednecks are waiting for the bus, and one is holding a large bag.

“What’s in the bag?” asks the other redneck.

The redneck with the bag replies, “Porcupines.”

“How many porcupines you got in that bag, then?”

“I’m not telling you,” says the redneck with the bag.

“If I guess how many porcupines you got in that bag will you give me one?” asks the other redneck.

“Tell you what; if you guess how many porcupines I got in this bag I’ll give you both of ‘em.”

Riddles for kids

Q: What type of music do mummies listen to?

A: Wrap music

Q: Why did the skeleton go to the party alone?

A: He had no body to go with him!

Q: Who does a pharaoh talk to when he's sad?

A: His mummy

Q: How did Darth Vader know what Luke got him for Christmas?

A: He felt his presents!

The ultimate VIP

The Pope has just finished a tour of the Napa Valley and is taking a limousine to San Francisco. Having never driven a limo, he asks the chauffeur if he can drive for a while. Since the chauffeur really doesn't have much of a choice, he climbs in the back of the limo and the Pope takes the wheel.

The Pope proceeds down Silverado, and starts accelerating to see what the limo can do. He gets to about 90 MPH, and suddenly he sees the red and blue lights of the highway patrol in his mirror. He pulls over and the trooper comes to his window.

The trooper, seeing who it is, says, “Just a moment please, I need to call in.”

The trooper calls in and asks for the chief. He tells the chief that he's got a REALLY important person pulled over, and asks how he should handle it.

“It's not Ted Kennedy again is it?” asks the chief.

“No Sir!” replies the trooper, “This guy's more important.”

“Is it the Governor?” asks the chief.

“No! Even more important!” replies the trooper.

“Is it the PRESIDENT?” asks the chief.

“No! Even more important!” replies the trooper.

“Well WHO THE HECK is it?” screams the chief.

“I don’t know Sir.” replies the trooper, “but he's got the Pope as his chauffeur.”

The Humour of Rodney Dangerfield

- My wife and I were happy for 20 years. Then we met.

- When I was a kid my parents moved a lot, but I always found them.

- I haven't spoken to my wife in years. I don't want to interrupt her.

- My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying.

- I looked up my family tree and found out I was the sap.

- Some dog I got too. We call him Egypt; because in every room he leaves a pyramid.

- We sleep in separate rooms, we have dinner apart, we take separate vacations - we're doing everything we can to keep our marriage together.

38 Travel & Tourism

At Land’s End

Moleson Creek is one of the last communities you’ll meet on the Corentyne River in the East Berbice-Corentyne region before arriving at Guyana’s ‘land’s end’. This small, usually quiet farming community, which takes its name from the small creek or stream between Guyana and Suriname, is more known for its Guyana-Suriname Ferry crossing route but has the potential to become a major hub in Guyana’s travel tours.

Local designer Nelsion

Nurse’s recent collection

‘Metamorphosis’ is a story of his personal growth and transformation in the fashion world.

The designer believes “growth not only relates to age but one’s open-mindedness to face challenges with optimism.” His usage of the colours pink and blue is incorporated harmoniously in ‘Metamorphosis’ as they both represent peace, stability and tranquillity.

“Pink is the colour of happiness and sometimes makes people feel light-hearted, especially those who are over-worked and burdened. Blue is the colour of the sky and symbolizes ‘the sky is the limit’. It is also associated with depth

and stability which is considered beneficial to one's mind and produces a calming, peaceful effect,” Nelsion explains in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine.

Working diligently to etch his name on the local fashion scene, the young fashion connoisseur did not sit on his laurels since his debut winning collection ‘Patches’ in 2010 at the Guyana Fashion Weekend 4 (GFW4). Nelsion has been consistently active, working in various facets of the creative industry since that hallmark introduction. He has been doing costume art for children and adult bands and set designs for public and private sector entities. The designer works with different schooling

The Metamorphosis

groups to teach movement and craft. Additionally, Nelsion has worked closely as the production assistant for Caribbean fashion guru and expert, Richard Young, for the Guyana Fashion Weekend and Guyana Model Search and Designers Portfolio. He has also won numerous awards at various pageants, including Miss Guyana Talented Teen and Miss Amerindian Heritage, for gowns he designed.

Nelsion crafts designs which speak volumes about his own metamorphosis. He credits his mother, Joan Woolford, for being his greatest influence and inspiration. She has been instrumental in Nelsion’s designing ideas and plans.

The fashion extraordinaire has also inspired and paved the way for young creative individuals, mentoring fashion and set designers, and always sourcing an avenue for them to exercise their passion.

Designer Sonia Noel disclosed to Guyana Times Sunday Magazine that Nelsion, since becoming the most promising designer in GFW 2010, is now ranked among the top names in the local fashion industry. She added that his collection will be one of 40 presented at the upcoming Guyana Fashion Weekend 2013.

For more information on Nelsion Nurse and his recent collection, call 226-3099.

The Benab Foundation is a non-profit, politically unaffiliated, independent think-tank and association of sociallyminded individuals dedicated to improving the health, the standard of living and education

levels of Guyanese. The foundation first came together in December 2012 and was founded by Robo Matheson and Elson Browne-Low.

Speaking with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine , Browne-Low

said they felt a duty as socially-minded, talented young people to work towards ensuring that the lives of every Guyanese are greatly improved. They also found that they had excellent ideas that could do this in numer -

ous ways and, in light of this feeling of duty, wanted a way to both develop and carry out those ideas.

“Our foundation is a youth think-tank and non-profit which means that we look to research and generate new ideas that can help Guyanese in any field which our

Why a group of Guyanese aim to lift standards

Initiative, where it is currently testing if such a programme can improve Mathematics and English pass rates at the Caribbean Secondary Examination’s Council Examinations in Guyana.

“Though we are only a recently formed foundation, we have complet -

dents can, if they engage their minds and work hard, reach opportunities they would otherwise not have been able to. Mathematics and English are important for getting jobs in Guyana and so our success story is that we’ve helped students come that much closer to a

members think especially important or relevant. We then work to bring those ideas which are currently relevant to life. Our emphasis, in doing this, is a positive one, focusing not on blame but the great potential Guyana bears,” Browne-Low mentioned.

Apart from meetings, where members carry out critical analysis in an effort to build critical thinking skills, the foundation is involved in a volunteer tutoring project, The Cognitive

ed our programme, The Cognitive Initiative. What we would therefore say we have accomplished is helping third form students from poorly performing schools to improve their Mathematics and English skills. We have also worked extensively to improve group members’ leadership abilities and critical thinking skills,” disclosed Browne-Low.

Passionate about helping the children of Guyana develop academically, Browne-Low said it is the foundation’s sincerest hope (and expectation) to expand The Cognitive Initiative next year with the goal of eventually implementing (provided it proves successful) a country-wide programme. He and his colleagues would also like to build a robust organisation with a large membership all working together to improve Guyana in many areas.

“Working with the students involved in The Cognitive Initiative has been phenomenal, and we really feel that it has allowed us to appreciate young people who we may not have otherwise come into contact with, and who have great aspirations. Seeing students correct grammatical or mathematical misunderstandings they may have had makes us feel like we’re setting a foundation from which stu -

world of great earning opportunities,” he revealed.

Welcoming others to join in this initiative, the foundation looks forward to form linkages with other non-profits to develop projects. Browne-Low pointed out that they are willing to accept private donations (whether in cash or kind) in order to carry out those projects provided donors meet with them to discuss seriously and clearly the terms of their support.

“We also appreciate greatly word of mouth, so the more people you tell about us the better. If you would like to volunteer on any of our projects feel free to contact us. Anyone who is interested can email us at thebenabfoundation@gmail.com or call 609-6909 or 642-7198. They can also feel free to contact any of our members or leave a message on our Facebook page, The Benab Foundation.

Membership is open to everyone between the ages of 16 and 30, but because our work can be demanding and we only grow the organisation by a few members at any one time we require a face to face interview where we will discuss not only your interest in our organisation and in helping Guyanese, but your relevant skills and talents,” Browne-Low explained. (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

42 Art & Culture

A local art company transforms garbage into functional art

Doing their part in the crusade against the garbage epidemic in Guyana, local art company Bravo Arts have introduced their fun initiative for teaching youths how to get creative in transforming recyclable garbage into wonderful art.

In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, Bravo Arts’ Steve Douglas revealed that he is peeved with the littering situation in the country and has conceptualized a ‘Get Creative Funshop’ painting and recycling art class, to get youths involved. He believes if the younger generation is taught how to treat garbage correctly then this would definitely start a revolution against the littering plague.

“This fun and creative programme is suited for students during the August holidays. It is eyesore seeing garbage around Georgetown but I believe we can all play a part in ending this situation. If we all can come

up with creative ways in recycling garbage then that would make a great impact on our littering habits. Bravo Arts realized we have to teach our younger generations in order to change this dirty habit because the adults are not really setting an

Steve was astonished to see how plastic bottles were used in the U.S. to build a house and this motivated him to come up with inventive ways in dealing with garbage locally. He noted that making a difference calls for ingenious thinking

work because they still do the same thing. But coming up with creative ways in recycling gar bage items has so far been effective. These young minds are still fresh and perfect for shaping artistically. They are open to ideas

example. So we started this programme to impact the youths in a creative way,” stated Steve. Through his research,

and seeing beyond these items being just garbage.

“I found that preaching on people to desist from littering does not

bottles, hats out of bottle labels, and art frames from CDs- just a few ways the garbage was artistically used.

He disclosed after completing the programme the children were still collecting garbage and creating artistic items. Their parents, Steve pointed out, were equally amazed, and were posting pictures on Facebook. The response Steve received was tremendous. Persons were astounded as to how garbage can be transformed into art.

and even gave us suggestions. It was truly a learning experience for us professional artists to learn from these children. We were pleasantly impressed with their brainstorming and imaginative work,” Steve expressed.

‘Get Creative Funshop’ is Bravo Arts’ inaugural art programme on recycling garbage. The first class was held in July and Steve expressed his amazement on how creative the children were with plastic bottles, cardboard rolls, newspapers, paper

“The children said their parents told them they are not allowed to bring the garbage into the house. However, when they saw how beautiful the items looked after their kids were done with them the parents were adamant in placing the once ‘garbage’ into a focal point in their homes. This has really inspired us at Bravo Arts to take this initiative to another level in the near future. Adults have called and expressed their interest in being involved so we’re planning on expanding our efforts. I hope we can also work with groups and schools to make this a bigger project,” Steve declared.

Outlining his plans for this project,

cused on getting schools involved by encouraging the collection of certain garbage items and teaching them artistic ways of using these. In addition, he is urging companies and groups to team up with Bravo Arts to make this a countrywide initiative. He disclosed that Bravo Arts plans to set up a booth at the upcoming GuyExpo and exhibit all the artwork made by the children.

A final ‘Get Creative Funshop’ class will commence on August 12 to 23 where children ages 7 to 11 and 12 to 15 can register. There is a fee of $12,000 and Bravo Arts provides all materials for the children. Steve indicated that they can only facilitate 10 children for each age group and so spaces are limited.

“This is a great opportunity for the kids to find themselves, to see how artistic they can get and explore the possibility of becoming future artists. This is not a strict classroom setting, so prepare to have fun and get creative. Certificates are given to the kids upon completion of the classes,” Steve explained.

For more information on the ‘Get Creative Funshop’ call 223-0677. (Guyaan Times Sunday Magazine)

Toucan II MulTIpurpose club

The Toucan II Multipurpose Club was established Aug 3, 1996 by Yvette Herod, a teacher and prominent community activist, who has continued to work tirelessly for the restoration of cultural, social, educational and economic progress in the village. It was also an offshoot of the annual Emancipation celebrations held in Buxton.

on the top floor of the reconstructed BuxtonFriendship Primary School for use by Toucan II.

adult.

Helping to build wellrounded individuals, the club activities include: fundamental literacy skills; information technology; academic studies; music lessons; fine arts study; communication/public speaking/ debating; self-empowerment/career development; planning of activities for Emancipation programme in collaboration with the First of August Movement

Over the years, Toucan II has expanded its contribution to make a meaningful impact on the Guyanese society through its hard work and dedication to fostering a strong and positive environment for children and young adults. It is a designated community-based organisation for the execution of special programmes and projects, often collaborating with government agencies and community organisations, such as the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sports;

Neighbourhood Democratic Council (N.D.C.); and many more.

The club has executed significant projects. One project of note is the club collaborating with ACDA and the community’s NDC in implementing a chicken rearing project, underwritten by the United Nations Development Programme. Each of 40 farmers in the community benefited from the distribution of 100 chicks, a 7-week supply of feed and a coop.

A non-profit organisation, it strives to guide youths of the greater Buxton-Friendship, East Coast Demerara, into developing exemplary lives for themselves, their families and their community.

Toucan II had very humble beginnings, starting off at the home of Kwame Apata, who willingly offered a small cottage at the front of his yard, in Friendship, for the organisation to conduct meetings with the following admonition: “You have your work cut out for you.”

Membership grew rapidly, and members were forced to move to the bottom of a bigger house, also owned by Apata and in the same yard.

About six months later, the club was offered another meeting place at the Seaforth’s residence, at 51 Buxton Middle Walk, from where it operated for approximately 2 years, after which it was forced to relocate due to needed repairs to the building. Timely approval was granted by the chairman and councillors of Buxton-Foulis NDC for the use of the Village Hall in 2002. The club operated from there until 2003 when the Ministry of Education allocated two classrooms

among many other activities.

The club’s uniform consists of gold shirt and navy blue skirt/trousers with its motto: “Together We Build, Together We Share, We Are One.”

In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, founder Yvette Herod said that Toucan II has grown tremendously over the years and continues to give back to the BuxtonFriendship. She added that youths are offered a secure place where they can take advantage of all the services offered.

“The club is a sanctuary for young people. We are training youths not only to be gainfully occupied but also to become future leaders and examples to their peers and others. If I can help in some small way to have a positive impact on a child’s life, to make them ‘somebody’ then that is enough reward for any hard work I might have put in,” noted Herod.

Toucan II has hundreds of members on roll, and enjoys strong participation by more than 150 active members, whose ages range from 6 to

Ministry of Labour and Human Services; Ministry of Education; The National School of Dance; First of August Movement; African Cultural Development Association (ACDA); Buxton-Foulis

During the early years of the criminal siege, the club collaborated with the Guyana Defence Force in hosting a 2-week recreational camp for 100 youths residing in areas most affected by the crisis.

Toucan II continues to work with groups and exemplary individuals, based at home or overseas, to deliver lectures on topics of interest and benefit to the community. Some of those covered recently were: youth responsibility, gender and equality, HIV/AIDS, leadership and other life skills.

The slate of educational activities includes classes in computer literacy. Through the generous donations of several computers by various charitable organisations and government agencies, the Club offers free classes to residents. The programme caters to students, teachers and parents. By appealing to single-parents, Toucan seeks to equip these

the club’s youths are encouraged to learn about their

household heads with increased skills to better provide for their families. Other activities on the agenda include sewing, craft and a reading club.

Toucan II Club has a unique organisational structure when compared to typical youth clubs. It has an executive body as well as a ‘Board of Elders’, which is tasked with the overall management of the organisation. The body of elders, in collaboration with the Executive Committee, oversees the club’s day-to-day operations and offers policy advisory when needed. Many are of the opinion that this may be the reason for its many years of existence.

The club’s most recent undertaking is the erection of a club house to accommodate its growing list of members and essential programme of activities. Construction of the Youth & Community Centre, which was start-

ed in 2007, has been on hold due to the lack of available resources.

“We’re currently trying to raise funds for the completion of the centre. Many of our youths have moved on to further their education at the University of Guyana and so we keep enlisting and need a bigger space to welcome even more. Toucan II executes its mandate by way of donations from public/community-spirited individuals and donor agencies, as well as proceeds earned from fundraising events. The club takes this opportunity to express its sincere gratitude to all who have contributed to, and supported, its efforts to establish a model youth organisation for community development and character building,” Herod declared.

For more information on the Toucan II Multipurpose Club, call Yvette Herod on 6104339. (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

Never forgotten

Despite challenges, caring for Guyanese senior citizens is the foundation of an organisation

For two decades, the Upper Corentyne Senior Citizens Organisation has been offering love and affection, and providing hot meals for the seniors of its community; but these are just a few ways the group ensures our senior

of the senior citizens’ group. It was the first activity at the Corriverton Civic Centre- a project of Futures Fund. About 50 seniors were present.

The objectives of this programme are to provide an appropriate environment for the el-

guest speaker. Her encouragement, after she witnessed several activities of Roadside Baptist, led to the formation

citizens are never forgotten. The organisation was formed in late 1993 by Pastor Almond and Yetrawatee Katryan, as an outreach activity of Roadside Baptist Church. The launching ceremony took place at Corriverton Civic Centre where Beverly Braithwaite Chan, then manager of Futures Fund/CIDA, was the

ly meetings and one hot meal prepared and served weekly by the seniors themselves with supervision by the president and secretary.

derly to socialise, enjoy recreational activities, and showcase their skills and talents. This programme includes month-

Dry food items are provided by Roadside Baptist Church Skills Training Centre through the World Food Program and Food for the Poor. The meals are prepared in the kitchen of the Corriverton Town Council next to the Corriverton Civic Centre. Stoves, pots and pans were donated to the group by kind-hearted community residents. Monthly packages are also given to the seniors.

“The executives and helpers from the beginning: Ms Victorine

Stuart, Ms Joyce and Ms Flatts who were always assisted by the vibrant and youthful Mr. Flash – a young man from the community. Over a period of time the group was so big that it had to be divided into Groups A and B according to location. Group B started to meet at Roadside Baptist Church where Mr Narsingh, Mr Stokes; Aunty Leena and Aunty Tara –all seniors, undertook to do the cooking for the monthly meals and meetings. Pastor Katryan was always their willing helper and technical advisor,” Yetrawatee Katryan said in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine

Over the years, Yetrawatee pointed out, because of the difficulty in accessing the Corriverton Civic Centre, although statutory meetings were fixed, Group A became disenchanted as they had to meet several times outside of the building while the building remained locked and unused.

Coordinator of the group, Nalin Katryan, had several discussions with the leadership of the Council and even sought the assistance of the Regional Chairman, Mr Bacchus, who himself came once and saw the group locked out of the building. Unfortunately, the seniors had to contin-

The Guiana Shield, within which most of Guyana falls, is a 1.7 billion-year-old geological formation located in the northern part of South America, covering an area of one million square kilometres. It hosts one of the world’s most biologically

book “Tropical Forests of the Guiana Shield: Ancient Forests in a Modern World”, edited by David S. Hammond, the Guiana Shield gets its name from a combination of old world and new world terms, where Guiana, Guayana and Guyana are variants of

ing “water” or “much water”. (Though others suggest the name derives either from a small tributary of the Orinoco; the name of an Amerindian tribe called Guaynos; or from uayana, the term for “pale” or “white”, used to describe the Europeans the tribe first

diverse and lush forested regions, and remains one of the least (human) populated areas on the planet.

The Guiana Shield is described as a “vast expanse of lowland forest, mountains, wetlands and savannah in northern South America wedged between the llanos of northern Venezuela and eastern Columbia and the Amazon River in northern Brazil.” (Hammond, 2005)

According to the

used in a modern scientific context to describe a large region of very old, exposed rock that is generally not affected by modern volcanic or earthquake activity, which geologists call Precambrian basement rock.

what is generally believed to be a traditional Amerindian word mean-

Preserving

encountered.)

The word “shield”, on the other hand, is

The Guiana Shield covers 13 percent of the South American con-

tinent and almost all or most of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, while Brazilian territories make up about half the region. Hammond writes that the area falls within four northern Brazil states and “accounts for virtually the entire area of the shield draining into the greater Amazon Basin.”

Some suggest the “Amazon” is part of the Guiana Shield. However, while the term “Amazonian rainforest” has routinely been used to describe the region, strictly speaking, “Amazonia” refers to what Charles C Mann describes in his book “1491” as being defined by geologists as “the bigger region bounded by the Andes to the west, the Guiana Shield to the north and the Brazilian Shield to the south...” In addition, not all areas of Amazonia are rainforest. In fact, only half of Amazonia harbours an ecosystem most persons understand as the “Amazon”. Likewise, the “Amazon Basin” refers only to “the drainage of the Amazon and its tributaries.”

As Hammond also notes, the Guiana Shield was first associated not as a “geographical prov-

ince” but as a “geopolitical entity”, following the arrival of Europeans to the region in search of gold; their subsequent conquering of its original peoples and, following that, distribution of and settlement in the region; a historical occurrence that has forged a distinctly new and different society in modern times.

Today, Guyana is making efforts to preserve vast areas of the Guiana Shield, one of the few remaining pristine habitats in the world, and a significant part of the country’s natural heritage. (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

The Shaping of guyaneSe LiTeraTure

History of Plaisance Village

‘From Emancipation to Independence and Beyond’ by Beryl Adams-Haynes

By PetamBer Persaud

(Extract of an interview with Ms Beryl Adams-Haynes, author of “Plaisance: From Emancipation to Independence and Beyond” in Georgetown, Guyana, July 2010. Adams-Haynes was born in Plaisance and was an educator for many decades. She was honoured with a National Award – Medal of Service – for her outstanding contribution to society. Plaisance has also produced internationally recognised musician Eddy Grant, and a former world boxing champion, Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite.)

PP Our history was first recorded by the Europeans colonisers who did take a certain amount of licence with the facts, and that history was so written to show the Europeans in a good light. But it is a matter of pride that more and more scholarship on our history, written by our own people, is turning up; rewriting that initial and sometimes flawed history. One such scholarship is “Plaisance: From Emancipation to Independence and Beyond” written by Beryl Adams-Haynes… Our history is important. Recording and righting that flawed history is imperative. What were the factors leading up to the research, writing and distribution of this book?

AH The idea came to me some years after I re-migrated and discovered by chance that Plaisance was bought by freed slaves; this dis-

Never

ue their meetings on the pavilion in the compound of the Town Council while the Corriverton Civic Centre next door remained locked up, although one of the objectives of the centre was for purposes of this nature.

“Many seniors dropped out because it was difficult for them to climb the steps of the pavilion, and during rainy season it was not safe for them as they not only got wet but the steps became very slippery. Also, the council had to repair the kitchen so the group was left with nowhere to prepare meals. That contributed to the fall of Group

covery came late in my life. I started talking to older folks in the village and found out that no one has ever approached them for such information. Then again not many of them – the older folks – knew much about our ancestral history. The inspiration came from the situation of them not knowing, me not knowing and the question of how will the younger ones know; and that’s what set me on the path of research, documenting, and finally the book.

PP Research material on Guyana in Guyana is not easy to obtain; I am a researcher on Guyanese Literature and a sort of quasi-historian, so I know the difficulties in getting information, cross-referencing etc. Tell us about your research stages.

AH The research stages, as you said before, were not easy; it was an uphill task. I started here at the archives and the library, finding very little information on Plaisance. You may come across an article running into many pages with just a mere reference – one line – a few words on Plaisance. Thanks to my children, who are still in London, and who were feeding me with some amount of information as to websites that would be useful. The bulk of the material for happenings in the village from the 1920s onward came from the older folks. I contacted many villagers who provided information up to recent times. Some prominent “Plaisancians” were listed in the earlier manu-

A. Many of the members there started to come to meetings at Roadside,” Yetrawatee recalled.

With accommodation at Roadside, the group flourished. The present membership at Roadside is about 60. On a monthly basis about 30 to 40 seniors attend meetings. They continually benefit from monthly hot meals and a package with basic hygiene items such as bath soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, and much more. Meals are prepared by Joycelyn Shepherd and Ms Joyce (both septuagenarians), Pastors Motielall Harlall of Livingstone Baptist and Pastor Terry Rohit

script. The idea of the annexes came from my editor Dr Laurence Clarke, a prominent “Plaisancian”. To get information as to what some of our villagers (as you must be aware most of our people are residing outside of Guyana) were doing, assistance was sought from villagers abroad who were en-

ry of Plaisance, I didn’t set out to do this [showing the book], I set out to write a few pages, a twenty-five-page document perhaps for my own satisfaction, but it took on new dimensions and has taken off in way beyond my expectations. Let me explain: when I came back home, Plaisance never cele-

thusiastic and excited about this long awaited publication.

PP Much of our history, in various forms, is stored in foreign archives…

AH Yes, I know that now: researching, cross referencing, documenting and finally the end product took some six years, not continuously, before it finally came to fruition. When I set out to write the histo-

of Roadside Baptist. Previous cooks Aunty Leena and Aunty Tara have retired from cooking owing to poor health but still attend monthly meetings. Uncle Narsingh, another cook, sadly passed away a few years ago. The cooking is done over huge firesides with firewood– quite a messy job to clean up afterwards, but these seniors continually cooked and cleaned.

Food items and packages are provided by the Roadside Baptist Church Skills Training Centre. Shaminee Rohit coordinates this aspect of the programme with support from Yetrawatee.

AH In the beginning it was not easy. There was friction as persons jockeyed for the better plots to build. Remember, some 65 persons bought the plantation and all of them couldn’t live or build in the same area. Assistance was sought from the government –plantocracy – to help put their affairs in order. There were also problems of flooding, sanitation, drainage, difficulties collecting rates and taxes and other woes… but those problems were overcome to an extent, leading to better life style.

PP That’s the past, let’s look at the present Plaisance, to those who have endured and have made and are making significant contribution.

Braithwaite, former world boxing champion; Nizam Ali, chartered accountant, and many others.

PP Many of these achievements came about because of three main factors mentioned in your book: deep roots in the church, education, and political and cultural awareness.

Now we have a book in which you have put a lot of hard work to bring the history of Plaisance to the fore; very commendable. But here’s my pet peeve: are our young people reading?

brated Emancipation at village level. I got together with other villagers, and one thing led to another, and the birth of our Emancipation celebrations began twelve years ago. This led to an awakening of our villagers and their quest for knowledge of our history.

PP It would be a good time to talk about the history of Plaisance and the village system.

Besides monthly meetings, another activity of the group is the annual December Treat where about 80 to 100 seniors are hosted. For this event, assistance to prepare meals comes from members of Livingstone and Roadside Baptist Churches. As is customary, the seniors also help with the preparation. Gifts are presented to all. The entire staff of Roadside is involved in this activity – sorting, wrapping and distributing gifts, serving meals to the seniors as well as eating with them. Some young volunteers of Roadside also help at this time.

Additionally, other activities include medical outreach by medical staff

AH The Plaisance of today is different from the Plaisance I grew up in, and even more different from the Plaisance of our ancestors who worked so hard to develop it and call it their home. Plaisance has produced and will continue to produce many outstanding citizens both local and of international stature – right on our doorstep is the first female judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice, a trailblazer: Madam Justice Desiree Bernard; Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos; Director of World Bank (Sudan, Africa) Dr Laurence Clarke; Prof Denis Benn who heads the Michael Manley Institute, Mona Campus; Dr Imran Ali; Eddy Grant, international recording songwriter and artiste; Wayne ‘Big Truck’

to test blood pressure and have relevant discussions; indoor games; sharing of experiences and skills among themselves and with youths; mixing with youths at Roadside; educational discussions by resource personnel; and giving assistance to needy seniors.

The senior group benefitted from one educational tour, sponsored by Dr Pasram Thakur, to University of Guyana Berbice Campus a few years ago. That was really a treat for them.

“Heartfelt gratitude is extended to all who support the monthly programme by way of cash or in kind donation and their valuable time. Special thanks are extended to the busi-

AH That is one of our problems – reading. Lack of reading could defeat the purpose of the book. We – various committees – have planned to go into the schools, to read extracts and do other related activities

PP Making that connection with the youths is crucial and I hope you succeed, for it would benefit your community of Plaisance and eventually the country. Congratulations again on gifting us this important scholarship, which is already going into a first reprint.

Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo. com

What’s happening:

• The Guyana Annual 2012-2013 magazine is now available at Guyenterprise Ltd and at city bookstores.

• Coming soon: “An Introduction to Guyanese Literature” by Petamber Persaud.

ness community for their tangible support of the grand annual Christmas treat for the seniors, to Roadside Baptist Church for facilitating it and providing all the necessary facilities and to Roadside Baptist Church Skills Training Centre for their all round support to ensure that those who have paved the way for the younger generation, are shown some sort of basic appreciation for their services,” Yetrawatee and the Upper Corentyne Senior Citizens Organisation’s committee thanked. For more information on this organisation call the Roadside Baptist Church on 338-4215. (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

Katrina plans sister’s wedding in London

Post her holiday in Spain with alleged boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor (which drew up quite a storm),

Katrina Kaif has put all that behind her and is currently in London.

Sources have said that Katrina is there to plan the wedding of her sibling, Natacha, as the nuptials are next month and Katrina has taken it upon herself to be in charge of the trousseau.

Natacha is one of the many sisters that Katrina has and sources have said that the actress has ensured that the wedding is a success. This is also one of the reasons why Katrina has not been seen at a lot of Eid parties that were held by her friends in the city.

Furthermore, she has also invited her family to Mumbai and is busy with the trousseau and clothes’ coordination with Indian designers.

Katrina is also personally supervising the menu and post the wedding, she will resume her work commitments.

(TOI)

‘I was a geek in school’ - Huma Qureshi

Actress Huma Qureshi has revealed that she may have turned fashionable nowadays, but she used to be a book lover during her school and college days and never worried about following trends.

"I love books. In fact, I was a geek in college and school. I became an actress by mistake," the 27-year-old told reporters at the launch of debutante author, Vibhor Tikiya's book, ‘Dada’.

"Now I have become fashionable, but initially I used to wear my dad's shirts. In Delhi, I still have more books than clothes," added the ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ actress.

Huma has a special fascination for biographies and seeks inspiration from them.

"Lots of books inspire me, especially autobiographies and biographies... whether it's an athlete's or an actor's or an industrialist's. If you read an autobiography you will find somewhere all stories are the same," Huma said.

"They are all human beings no matter which background or ethnicity they belong to. They somehow seem to have

the same problems and demons they have to fight with," she added.

Huma is currently shooting for Vishal Bhardwaj's production venture ‘Dedh Ishqiya’. (TOI)

‘I’ve got more than what I had ever dreamt of’ - Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar, 45, is easily one of India's most good-looking men. He considers the month of September both lucky and expensive for him as his birthday as well as the birthday of both of his children, his niece and his parents' anniversary are in it. Ahead of his up-

coming release ‘Once upon a time in Mumbai Dobaara’, he spoke to Indian media about how much he misses his father, why martial arts needs to be made compulsory for girls and how he can beat Tina (Twinkle) hands down at cooking. The following is an excerpt of that interview:

‘Divorce is not the worst thing’ - Karisma Kapoor

One of India's most stylish celeb moms, Karisma Kapoor pours out her heart in her mother-

hood book.

She says the journey from being a pregnant woman—heavier by 24 kilos—to the svelte mother of two she now is, was more challenging than the role she played in ‘Zubeidaa’, referring to her critically acclaimed performance in the 2001 Shyam Benegal film.

On the issue of being a single mom, the actress wrote, “I would firmly advise you not to think of a separation/ divorce as the worst thing that could have happened to you and your family.”

She continued, “India has progressed to a stage where a divorcee status hardly matters. What matters is that you raise a positive, independent, well-behaved and intelligent child.” (TOI)

Won’t do anything to offend my family’ - Sonakshi

Actress Sonakshi Sinha says her family has given her freedom to choose her kind of films but at the same time she would not do anything to offend them.

"My parents have given me enough freedom to choose and do the kind of roles and films I want to do. They know how professional I am...they trust me. They know I will not do anything that will offend them," Sonakshi said.

Her comment comes

in wake of reports that her mother Poonam Sinha used to come on the sets and was skeptical of the intimate scenes with her co-star Ranveer Singh in ‘Lootera’.

"My mom never came on set for that particular scene. You can say what you want to by using my name but there is no need to drag my family. If it happens I will take a stand...I will stand up against it," she said. She feels all this was done for publicity to grab eyeballs for that particular scene or film.

The actress reveals that her mother used to come on the sets to give food to her, co-stars and director, and that they all loved her. (TOI)

SRK doesn’t keep a track of other actors at box office!

A lot in your life is connected to your martial arts training. What do you like the most about it?

Apart from the fact that it teaches you to defend yourself, it teaches you how to respect others. It teaches you to be humble.

Let's talk about your father?

If I have got a jolt in my life, it is when he died of cancer in 2000… I was most attached to him. He gave me company in everything I did. When I would represent volleyball in school, he would be the only father who would be there. You are self-made. You must be a proud man?

I have got more than what I had ever dreamt of.

(TOI)

Shahrukh Khan's ‘Chennai Express’ has made a new record at the box office, but the actor claims that when he makes a film, he only thinks about his movie and doesn't

think about the box office.

While talking about trade analysts, who are busy comparing SRK's Eid release to Salman Khan's movies like ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ and ‘Dabangg’, which released on the festival of Eid in the past, the actor believes that there is no competition here. "If I start thinking on everything what people say that I will not be able to work. I don't think there is competition. It's a good time to release any film," said SRK.

"I don't have any calculations at the box office. Also, to be honest I don't know how much other actor's films make money on Friday as I don't remember how much money my last film did on Friday," concluded Shahrukh.

(TOI)

Nagma to make a comeback

Actress Nagma, who cut down her acting assignments due to her political career, says she will make a comeback soon.

Nagma, who is an All India Congress Committee (AICC) member, has been busy campaigning for the Congress Party.

"I had never left acting. An actor can never stop acting. For few years, I was busy concentrating on politics and I had left (acting) for some time. Now, I will start again," Nagma told reporters at a photoshoot organised by fashion designer Amy Billimoria.

The ‘Baaghi’ actress, who has been a part of multi-lingual films, is getting good offers.

"There are few offers coming my

way. Filmmaking is

and I want to choose the

I will reveal the names of my films when the right time comes," said the 38-year-old. (TOI)

Pamela Anderson becomes racing car team’s boss!

Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson has become part owner of a sports car racing team, bringing a little Hollywood glamour to motor sport.

According to CNN, Anderson has linked up with the Race Alliance team, which is competing in the inaugural FIA GT Series, after venturing into motor sport in March 2012 when her and occasional racing driver Markus Fux

fronted the Downforce1 European Le Mans teams.

Following the failure of that venture,

Fux and Anderson have teamed up with the Race Alliance team for the final three races of the GT Series' 2013 season, the report said.

Competing against Anderson's team will be one led by rally driving legend Sebastian Loeb, who won a record nine World Rally Championships in a row between 2004 and 2012 and now heads the Sebastian Loeb Racing team, the report added. (TOI)

Banning porn not a solution, says Amanda Seyfried

Amanda Seyfried has said that banning porn would not be a solution, as people should be "free to watch what they want."

The 27-year-old ac-

tress told Day and Night at the UK premiere of her upcoming biopic ‘Lovelace’ that banning porn would not work, the Daily Express reported.

The actress stated

that you can't put a ban on it, as underage kids were still drinking.

She said that porn will always exist, and people should be free to watch whatever they want. Seyfried also said that there are issues how porn films are made and produced, as some are safe and positive, whereas there is trouble elsewhere.

Seyfried is playing the role of ‘Deep Throat’ pornstar Linda Lovelace in her upcoming flick. (TOI)

Sharon Stone enjoying ageing

Actress-producer Sharon Stone is 55 and she is a happy person as she is enjoying the process of ageing.

"I think I am ageing, but I'm enjoying the process. I think that's really it. I'm enjoying my years, I'm enjoying my life, and I'm enjoying my family. I'm just happy...a happy person," femalefirst. co.uk quoted Stone as saying.

The actress previously said that she has never gone under the knife and rather prefers a healthy lifestyle.

"My secret is no se-

cret. I just do all the things you're supposed to do. I eat right, I sleep, I work out, I'm happy. I have a beautiful family,

Kim, Kanye won’t sell daughter’s photos

Rapper Kanye West and his girlfriend Kim Kardashian have got several offers to sell their daughter North West's exclusive pictures, but they not tempted at all.

Kim, 32, gave birth to North July 15 and has ever since maintained a low profile. There has been a lot of hoopla around the child, who has not yet made a public appearance.

Initially, the couple thought of selling the pictures and donating the money to a charity, but dropped the idea, reports tmz.com.

The pictures could fetch a $3 million, but Kim and Kanye have already rejected such an offer.

They are juggling through two ideas, either release the pictures to a fancy magazine or release it on social media. (TOI)

Kelly Osbourne wishes she had brother’s illness

Actress Kelly Osbourne says she sometimes wishes she suffered from multiple sclerosis (MS) instead of her brother, Jack Osbourne. Jack was diagnosed with the disease last year but tries to lead a normal life. He is married to Lisa Stelly

and nice friends. I choose the good things. I choose the happy, and healthy things. I don't choose the bad, unhealthy, and unhappy things," said Stone.

She also admits that she has resisted a facelift, despite constant offers from plastic surgeons.

"I can't tell you how many doctors try to sell me a facelift. I've even gone as far as having someone talk me into it, but when I went over and looked at pictures of myself, I thought, what are they going to lift," said Stone. (TOI)

Bruce Willis bored of acting in action movies

tion movies but takes them up to make lots of money.

The 58-year old actor has earned a lot of flak for virtually refusing to speak in some UK interviews and not appearing to properly promote his own films, the Mirror reported.

The ‘Die Hard’ star said that he finds explosions and fireballs the most boring part of action movies.

He added that he takes up all sorts of movies but as he likes to earn lots of money, he acts in action movies that generate the most revenue.

and has a year-old daughter Pearl. The couple are now expecting their second child.

"When you get told that your little brother has a disease that most people don't even understand, you're like, 'So my mum had cancer, my dad almost died and now my brother has MS," Cosmopolitan magazine quoted Kelly as saying.

The actress calls Jack a hero for leading a normal life.

"He's such a hero. He walks around like he doesn't have it -you'd never even know. He's so brave and strong and willing to do anything he can to find a cure," Kelly said.

"And you know what? I wish I had it instead of him. I think all about the… things I've done, yet my life is perfect. I wish I could take it away from him," she added. (TOI) H

Willis was reportedly recently kicked off ‘Expendables 3’ because of his 'greedy' pay demands. (TOI)

T&T players shining in ITF

By ShaMMi KowleSSaR

FOUR Trinidad and Tobago players advanced to the “round of 16” in the Under-18 division when the Coca-Cola ITF (International Tennis Federation) Junior Tournament served off Tuesday in St Lucia.

Tobagonians Shania Millington and Kezia Koroma, the runner-up in the National Championships just over a week ago, made the perfect start as they did not allow St Lucians Jayda Hunte and Surabhi Gupta, respectively, a single game.

Dominique Coutain also advanced by beating Antiguan Noah Peters 6-4, 6-3, but Makalah Goodridge and Danielle Devenish were only able to win one game each from Antiguan D’Jeri Raymond and Dominique Maria Ong of the Philippines, respectively. And Juliet Campbell failed to trouble the scorer against Cristina Rovira of the United States.

Breana Stampfli, who won her first ITF title three weeks ago in Jamaica and just failed to secure another doubles crown when she lost in the final the following weekend in Dominican Republic, is seeded second and got a bye into yesterday’s “round of 16”.

Tobagonian Joshua Abraham, runner-up in the recent National Championships, was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Brazilian Cavalante Platzeck, but his twin brother Ty, a quarter-finalist in “Nationals”, defeated Tjimon Louisy 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.

Kryel Trim, the other T&T player in the main draw, was only able to win one game against Franz Luna of Guatemala.

Along with Anthony twins, Kristen and Kriston, Nabeel Mohammed,

who reached the Under-16 quarter-finals of JITIC last week in Dominican Republic, was eliminated in the first round of qualifying.

But the national Under-16 and 18 champ was narrowly beaten 7-5 in the third set by Sam Burnette and the American not only went on to qualify, but also sent the No. 6 seed packing in straight sets on Tuesday.

In Under-14 first-round action, Anya King cruised past Vincentian Anastasia White 6-0, 6-2 and Candace Cook halted Amarlia Benn, also of St Vincent, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals.

Kobe James and Danyel Angus cruised past Antiguan Chad Joseph (60, 6-2) and Ethan Doctrove (6-3, 6-1) of Dominica, respectively, to reach the boys’ quarters, but Joshua Arnold was beaten 6-4, 6-3 by Mickel Alexander of Grenada 6-4, 6-3.

Anthony declares Digicel Caribbean Squash Championships open

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport

Dr Frank Anthony on Wednesday afternoon declared the Digicel Senior Caribbean Squash Championships open at the Georgetown Club while welcoming the foreign teams to Guyana.

Anthony congratulated the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) for hosting the championships. He ex-

pressed that squash is relatively an expensive sport but the ministry is working with the GSA to extend the game to other parts to Guyana.

“Squash is relatively an expensive sport but the Ministry is working with the GSA to extend the game to other parts in Guyana,” Anthony said.

Meanwhile, the minister urged the foreign teams to visit places in Guyana during their

stay, since according to him, Guyana has a lot to offer by way of the vastness of its natural beauty, its rich history dating back to the slave rebellion, the diversity of its culture and the hospitability of its people.

President of the GSA, David Fernandes in his remarks welcomed the visiting teams and added that the GSA is eagerly looking forward to a great tournament.

Semple backing Amazon Warriors in Limacol CPL

By RavendRa Madholall in ToRonTo

Former Guyana and West Indies player Keith Semple has thrown full support behind the Guyana Amazon Warriors, declaring that he is very optimistic the South America-based franchise can go the distance and win the inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premier League.

The Amazon Warriors have had a mixed bag so far in the tournament, winning three matches and losing two in their five outings so far.

The Ramnaresh Sarwan-led franchise defeated the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel by 19 runs and the Jamaica Tallawahs by eight wickets in their first two games, before suffering consecutive losses to the St Lucia Zouks by 26 runs and the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel by three runs. They then won game five against Barbados Tridents by 27 runs.

Semple, who now plies his trade in the Premier League Division in Canada, recently spoke to Guyana Times International Sport at the King City ground, Toronto, where he was representing Civics Cricket Club in the Ontario Cricket Association competition.

“I think Guyana have

a good team to make a big impression in this tournament; they have some real great talents and with the presence of some international representatives, I think they are capable of winning the tournament.

However, at the moment it’s really hard to say who will really dominate; I haven’t seen much of the games but I am confident they can come out on top,” the righthander, who will celebrate his 43rd birthday on August 21, related.

Semple scored 2311 runs in 56 First-Class matches for Guyana, during which time he also played in England. He also lived in the British Virgin Islands for five years before settling down in Canada.

The middle-order bbatsman also featured in seven one-day internationals for West Indies against hosts South

Africa in 1999, but with limited success.

Notwithstanding that, he still cherishes wearing the prestigious maroon attire.

“It was a great privilege to play at the highest level for West Indies; I was disappointed though not to make a big name but I enjoyed playing for Guyana also and being among some great cricketers,” Semple mentioned.

He was also willing to share his involvement in the game in North America, having now found himself playing again professionally. He acknowledged the support of his fellow Guyanese players and was delighted to be in the same club with some former Guyana teammates.

“I am enjoying my game in Canada; I came up here recently and I’m looking forward to be part of the action up here since a number of my fellow countrymen are playing competitively on an annual basis. I just want to make a contribution in any way possible,” Semple, who lives in Whitby City, Toronto, stated.

Semple is also the holder of a Level Two Coaching certificate by the England and Wales Cricket Board, and that is an area the Guyanese would like to explore while in Canada.

Chanderpaul back to number two in Test rankings

shivnarine chanderpaul

Dubai, UAE - West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul regained the number two position in the latest ICC Test batting rankings after Australian captain Michael Clarke’s sub-par showing in the fourth Test against England at Chester-le-Street.

Clarke posted scores of six and 21 to fall three spots to fifth. England’s Ian Bell (6 & 113) continued to make gains, hopping three places to seventh while Aussie Chris Rogers (110 & 49) climbed 41 places to 42nd.

South African Hashim Amla con-

tinued to lead the rankings while his teammate AB de Villiers and Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara are third and fourth respectively.

Among the bowlers, Aussie Ryan Harris (2/ 70 & 7/ 117) skipped four places to seventh while Man-of-theMatch Stuart Broad jumped from 14th to ninth. There were no changes in the top six with Dale Steyn, Vernon Philandeer, Rangana Herath, Saeed Ajmal, Peter Siddle (1/ 41 & 0 / 59) and Grame Swann (2/ 48 & 2/ 53) each maintaining their places. (First published in the Trinidad Guardian)

Guyana walked away with the gold medal in the Girls Under-11 category when the group stages of the Caribbean Pre-Cadet Championships concluded on Sunday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

The Guyanese girls were matched against Trinidad and Tobago and a mixed team containing players from the Dominican Republic, Barbados and Aruba.

While the Guyanese girls lost to the mixed team 1-3, it was their match against Trinidad and Tobago that decided the winner as they won 3-1 to claim the gold medal.

Fraser-Pryce wins 100m gold at World Championships

Jamaica’s ShellyAnn Fraser-Pryce dominated the rest of the field as she surged to the world 100m title in 10.71s in Moscow on Monday. The 26-yearold, who won the same title in Berlin in 2009 as well as at London 2012, was more than two-tenths quicker than second-placed Murielle Ahoure.

Defending champion Carmelita Jeter of the United States had to settle for third after an injury-hit build-up.

Her compatriot David Oliver won 110m hurdles gold - his first world crown.

Ryan Wilson, the American national champion, was closest to Oliver but a superb run from Russian Sergey Shubenkov beat Jason Richardson and denied the United States a clean sweep of the podium, to the delight of most of the Luzhniki Stadium.

After team-mate Usain Bolt’s 100m victory in the previous evening’s rain, FraserPryce extended a run of success that is almost as remarkable in the women’s equivalent.

She finished out of the medals in the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, shortly after returning from a sixmonth ban for a positive drugs test she claims was caused by medication she took for toothache.

But since then she has been back to her best and once she got clear around halfway, the diminutive FraserPryce stretched away from her taller rivals.

In the pole vault, Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie could not convert his fantastic season’s form into the one gold to have eluded him so far in his career.

The Olympic and European champion failed with his opening attempt at 5.65m and 5.82m and took three attempts to clear 5.89m.

By contrast, German Raphael Holzdeppe was faultless at all three heights and took gold on countback when both he

and Lavillenie failed at 5.96m.

New Zealand’s Valerie Adams became the first woman to win four straight individual world titles as she triumphed in the shot put. Only one of the 28-year-old’s five legal throws was bettered by Germany’s Christina Schwanitz who took silver.

In the hammer, Poland’s Pawel Fajdek’s opening effort of 81.97m proved decisive with Olympic champion Krisztian Pars’s run of 23 consecutive victories in the event, which began in early June 2012, coming to an end. (BBC Sport)

save a point during

Selinas Jackman and Neveah Clarkston gave Guyana an early twogame advantage to put Trinidad on the back foot winning their games 3-1 and 3-2 against Ackayla Lucas and Shurjah Welch respectively.

Boys Under-11 category, as well as the Boys and Girls Under-13 categories.

Abigail Martin then fell to Trinidad’s Shreya Maharaj 2-3 in a thrilling game to pull the Trinidadians within in one game of tying the match at 2-1 in favour of the Guyanese. However, Jackman return to close off the victory for Guyana with an emphatic 3-1 win against Welch to pick up the gold medal for the Land of Many Waters. Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago won the

Guyana (Team Two) took silver in the Boys Under-11 category, while Guyana (Team One) took silver in the Boys Under-13. Guyana (Team One) took bronze in both the Girls Under-13 and Boys Under-11 categories.

The Barbados players also added to their medal count, picking up silver in the Girls Under-13 category, while taking bronze in the Boys Under-13. Aruba was the only team to be left out of the medal count at the end of the day’s proceedings.

52 Sport

Hawksbills stun Tridents in low-scoring thriller

Antigua Hawksbills

stunned Barbados Tridents on Tuesday night by five wickets, handing them their second straight defeat of the Limacol Premier League at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua.

After starting the tournament with a flourish and doing everything right initially, the Trident churned out a sub-par performance after they won the toss and chose to bat, recording a mere 97-9 from their 20 overs. The second win for the Hawksbills therefore means that the tournament is now on a more even keel as teams begin to find their rhythm.

Playing in front of the large home crowd, Hawksbills eased to 98-5 in 19 overs. Marlon Samuels and Devon Thomas were left unbeaten on 18 and six respectively.

The Antigua Hawksbills had a frenetic start with Johnson Charles striking the ball sweetly in the first over but in his team’s quest for quick runs he was run out for 12 in the same over.

Subsequently, the scoring rate fluctuated with Shoaib Malik

bowling two maidens and picking up the wicket of Kieran Powell, lbw for nine, and Ashley

Nurse having Rakheem Cornwall, stumped for four, while there was the odd boundary.

As the Hawksbills steadily moved to their target, the aggressor in the innings Orlando

Peters lost his wicket for 31 from 22 balls, of which two went for four and three for six.

Eventually, a patient Samuels Thomas carried the host franchise to their second victory.

Meanwhile, tournament leaders batted they never found the momentum to post a challenging score, a far cry from their initial blitz in the tour nament when they scored four straight games. At one point they were tottering on 39- 5 before Umar Akmal ( 15) and Raymon Reifer ( 30) put on 38 for the sixth wick et, the most resistance in

the innings. Akmal was the first to go, bowled by Kemar Roach, who had 2- 17 from his four overs. Prior to that, Sheldon Cotterrell started the downward spiral of the Tridents when he removed Dwayne Smith (13) and Jonathan Carter ( 3); he would go on to be the principal wicket taker for the Hawksbills, claiming 4- 20 from his four overs. His captain and offspin ner Marlon Samuels also chipped in with 212 ( 4) while the plump Cornwall had 1- 18 from three overs.

International athletes expected to lift standard of Boyce and Jefford Classic

With the Boyce and Jefford Track and Field Classic set for this weekend, the inclusion of international athletes will make the meet of higher class, according to organisers. The meets gets going from Saturday at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary, and then moves to Mackenzie

Sports Club ground, Linden, the following day.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Mark London and Tonya Nero are expected to make an appearance in the middle distance events at the meet.

London, a three-time Carifta gold medalist in the 800m, has a person-

al best time of 1: 50.54s and is expected to give the Guyanese athletes a stiff run in the event.

Matching up with the talented T& T athlete, who ran a season best of 1:50.98s, from Guyana will be ALBA silver medalist Wayne Harlequin, who has a personal best of 1: 50s and a season best of 1: 54.78s.

Cleveland Thomas who has a season best of 1: 55.66s is also expected to compete in the event along with Police’s Dennis Horatio and Guyana’s distance king Cleveland Forde.

The 800m is billed to be one of the marquee events of the meet especially since Forde is seen as unbeatable in Guyana, while Harlequin has always been touted as one of the best talents in the event.

Thomas’ hard work and Horatio’s gift of performing when it matters most make this race the one to watch come Sunday.

the vent.

However, the unknown is definitely the Trinidadian but based on his times, it certainly seems as though the three-time Carifta gold medalist will not play around especially on foreign soil.

Meanwhile, T& T’s Tonya Nero will look to hit the ground running in the women’s 1500m that will feature Guyana’s three-time Carifta 1500m gold medalist Jevina Straker and Linden’s own Cassey George as a guest athlete; she is also the Carifta 1500m gold medalist.

from behind to finish second.

However, with George’s form at the moment, having run 4:36.37s earlier this year at Carifta, one wonders how Straker’s strategy will work against the Lindener, who has run the faster times for the year.

Factoring Trinidad’s Nero into the mix and you have a show-stealing event because of her personal best time of 4:22.74s. Grenada’s Kenisha Pascal is also expected to compete in the same race.

With the sprint events already expected to be highly competitive, especially over 400m. The winners of the international events will receive $ 50,000 (US $ 250). week ending august 18, 2013

Harlequin and Thomas will look to attack the race from the start while Forde and Horatio, who are more strategic, will look to evaluate the race during

Straker, known for running from behind, almost dampened the return of Linden’s own Marian Burnett at last year’s edition of the event when she came

Ontario Softball Cricket League celebrates 17th anniversary

By RavendRa Madholall

The Ontario Softball Cricket League (OSCL) celebrated its 17th anniversary on Sunday with a twenty/20 cricket match and family picnic at the Ellesmere Cricket Club ground in Scarborough.

During the day, East End All-Stars defeated West End All-stars by six wickets. West End batted first and scored 115 all out while the hosts, in reply, safely reached 117-4 in the 17th over.

Abinash-Singh Ramnarayan top-scored for the losers with 39 while contributions came from Ryan Bhup and former Guyana under-19 batsman Ejaz Mohamed with 16 and 14 respectively.

Ompal Singh was the chief wicket-taker with four victims conceding 23 runs from his allotted four overs while he received admirable support from Anand Balwant, who finished with 3-27 off four overs.

Former Guyana firstclass fast bowler, Trevon Garraway, led the way for the winners, scoring a rapid 26 while Balwant returned with the bat to make 25 and 14 from skipper Gavin Singh.

Kumar Doodnauth grabbed two wickets for 21 runs from his fourover spell but in a losing cause. Ompal Singh was adjudged man-of-thematch and he collected a trophy, compliments of the OSCL.

Meanwhile, at the presentation ceremony, president of the league, Albert Ramcharran congratulated both teams for their participation while he thanked the players and their families who came out and

graced the occasion.

“I just want to extend congratulations to both the winning team and the runners-up team for their participation today. We at the association will continue to work hard because I know we have a committed team to make softball a success in Canada. Seventeen years and we [are] going strong; that shows we believe that the sport is bringing people together,” the Guyanese Ramcharran declared.

Treasurer of the league, Kim Sue, was also on hand and congratulated both teams and stated that they will ensure softball cricket remains very popular in Canada.

Dominant Jamaica crowned WICB Women’s Super 50 champions

St George’s, GRENADA –Jamaica have been crowned West Indies Cricket Board Women’s Regional Super50 2013 champions after a dominant performance over Trinidad and Tobago in the final played at the Tanteen Ground in Grenada on Wednesday.

Jamaica blasted

Trinidad and Tobago out for a paltry 83 in 38 overs then romped to 86 for 3 in 21.1 overs to gallop to a seven wicket victory.

Jamaica captain Stafanie Taylor snapped up 3 for 13 from seven overs while Shanel Daley supported with 2 for 9, also from seven overs, to leave the Trinidadians

stuttering.

Only captain Merissa Aguilleira (17) and Stacy Ann King (15) reached double figures as the Trinis limped to their modest total.

The Trinidadians never recovered after being reduced to 3 for 27 in the 12th over. Aguilleira and King then briefly stemmed the slide before

they lost three wickets with the score on 61 to leave them tottering at 6 for 61 which later became 8 for 70.

Chinelle Henry led the Jamaican run chase with a run-a-ball 31 with six boundaries while Natasha McLean made a resolute unbeaten 22 from 63 deliveries which contained three fours.

The confident Jamaicans retained their title which they also won in 2012 by marching to 86 for the loss of only Jodi-Ann Morgan (13), Taylor (10) and Henry.

McLean and Chedean Nation (0*) formalized the victory for the Reggae Girls.

The teams will now take a short break be-

fore commencing the Twenty20 Tournament which gets on the way on Friday and concludes with the final on August 22 at the Grenada National Stadium.

The other six teams in the tournament are Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines. (WICB)

Wahlberg’s master stroke

Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg is adding some star power to the game of cricket. According to barbadosadvocate.com, the American actor is owner of the Barbados Tridents — one of six teams created for the inaugural season of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League.

The story did not state how much Wahlberg invested or when the acquisition

Ttook place.

Wahlberg, however, describes himself as “a huge cricket fan”. “I’m excited to be a part of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League (LCPL) because I know cricket is huge in the Caribbean and a rich part of the region’s heritage,” Wahlberg was quoted saying.

“Sports and entertainment are a powerful combination, and the Limacol Caribbean

Premier League (LCPL) will appeal to a huge audience worldwide,” he con tinued.

The Barbados Tridents are currently in the semi-finals despite losing 27 runs to Guyana Amazon Warriors at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad on Sunday. Prior to the loss, the team had an unbeaten run.

Wahlberg thanked Canadian entrepreneur Ajmal Khan for introduc-

ing him to Barbados and the LCPL. Khan, founder of Verus Capital in 1985, and later the merchant banking company Verus International Corporation in 1999, has made millions of dollars turning companies into successes around the world.

From 1985 to 1993, Verus Capital acquired and resold over US$ 2 billion in real estate properties, becoming the largest syndicator of

TT humble Brazil 5-2

rinidad and Tobago humbled bit-

ter rivals Brazil 5-2 in their opening encounter on Sunday when the 2013 Men’s Pan American Cup got underway at the Cassie Campbell Community Centre, Brampton, Toronto.

Inspirational skipper Dwain Quan Chan started off things magnificently for the Trinidadians when he opened the scoring in the third minute with a consummate hit while the Brazilians equalised 26 minutes later.

The experienced Hubertus Reinbach was the man that targeted the goal effectively beating the defence of goalie Andrey Rocke, but since then they failed to maintain the momentum as TT sent three more goals to seal the deal in front of a small but vocal crowd.

At half time, both teams enjoyed a

lead each but upon resumption, Kwan Browne exhibited great skills and lashed in the second goal in the 45th minute while soon after the burly and energetic Wayne Legerton added the other goal.

Brazil produced some real challenging passes but found it difficult to beat Rocke. The South Americans were playing a dynamic style of attacking hockey, but TT were defending cleverly to cut the options for passes.

Veteran Kwan Browne (288 Caps) showed that he still had plenty of speed, running away from the Brazilian defense only to see his shot deflected by the keeper. He was on target a few minutes later on a penalty-corner, slotting a powerful ball perfectly in the corner of the goal, completely out of reach of the keeper.

They had two penalty-corners early in the period but, with Kwan Browne

on the bench for both, the team could not do much. Brazil was more efficient at the other end and Bruno Paes scored a one-handed goal after collecting a long ball behind the defense, closing the gap to one goal with plenty of time in the period. Kiel Murray added a timely goal for boys from the Caribbean country after an outstanding solitary run through the Brazilian central defense and a little chip over the sliding keeper.

TT controlled the end of match to post a solid victory and showed that they will be serious contenders for a semi-final berth in Pool B.

Meanwhile, coach of the TT team, Glen Francis expressed delight with the result but still cautioned his players not to be too complacent.

properties in Canada. He said the sport would benefit from Wahlberg’s involvement.

Wahlberg has a list of films to his credit including 2 Guns, Four Brothers, Pain & Gain, The Departed, and The Other Guys. Before an acting career, Wahlberg scored a smash hit as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch with Good Vibrations in 1991. (Jamaica Observer)

tt player going through the pace against Brazil

He further related that the boys showed great character against Brazil but the teams in their Group are competitive. TT is set to face Chile and host Canada in the other preliminary rounds with championship game billed for Sunday at the same venue.

Philander confident in Tallawahs’ chances in Limacol CPL

Kingston, JAMAICA –

World class fast bowler Vernon Philander is thrilled about the mood in the Jamaica Tallawahs camp, and believes the Kingston-based franchise has what it takes to win the inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premier League.

The 28-year-old South African, one of three overseas players in the Tallawahs line-up for the glitzy showpiece that has taken the region by storm, says the unity in the squad is excellent and this augurs well for their success.

“The Jamaica camp has been great. We’ve got a great team and we’ve got a great bonding taking place. We’re playing as a team, enjoying each other’s success and that’s obviously key in such a short tournament. The boys are gelling well and having fun,” said Philander, who is playing alongside fellow foreign pros Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan and Pakistan batsman Ahmad Shahzad.

“We play the game to win and obviously we’re going to give it our best shot and hope-

fully it comes off.”

Tallawahs opened the tournament with a loss to Guyana Amazon Warriors in Georgetown, but have rebounded in style to win their three matches since.

Their impressive run has left them third in the stand-

eo performances ever since to make his presence felt.

He said the Caribbean campaign has been a top notch one so far.

“I think it is a great initiative. It is always great to be playing Twenty20 cricket in the Caribbean. It’s obviously

ings on six points, and with a great chance of booking their spot in the final four.

The Tallawahs play Guyana again today (Thursday) at Sabina Park from 14: 00h Jamaica time (15: 00h Guyana time).

Philander has been key to the Tallawahs’ success, producing a top spell in the second game against Antigua to help set up that victory, and has chipped in with little cam-

good for young lads to showcase their talents on the world stage,” he pointed out.

“The quality of the tournament is good, with the West Indies international players being spread over the teams that are here. It’s good that the younger blokes can get some exposure and to mix with some of the international players and to get that experience in order to perform on the world stage. All in all,

it’s a good initiative,” he added.

Philander, one of the spearheads of South Africa’s attack, is also using Limacol as prepara upcoming national assignments. The Proteas take on Pakistan starting in October and face India at the end of the year.

“That’s why I came out here – to get the experience with the white ball and ob viously to be playing. It’s obviously prep for me mov ing forward with the white ball at the international level. I’ll take it as good preparation for that,” Philander said.

The second fastest bowler to 50 wickets in Test cricket –he achieved the mark in just seven matches – Philander said he was taking his success in stride and pacing his career.

So far, he has taken 89 wickets from 16 matches, proving himself to be one of the most difficult seamers to handle on the international scene. (CPL)