Friday, March 22, 2019
art books theatre film fashion music travel food history puzzles
Weekend
LET’S GET POETIC Page 12
Worth the wait
Buju proves he’s still got it page 8 & 9
02 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, March 22, 2019
theatre
‘for colored girls’ returns
Revival production honours author and former cast member
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his weekend, theatre enthusiasts and poetry lovers will have three chances to see the latest production of “for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf”. The famous choreopoem/play by Ntozake Shange is an experience unlike any other. It combines music, dance, singing and acting to tell the story of seven black women who are themselves stand-ins for many in their audience. Dealing in heartbreak, love, depression and tragedy at the hands of the men in their lives, the
seven women on stage, sometimes alone and sometimes as a chorus, share stories that resonate with the same intensity in 2019 as when it was first performed in 1976. “Interestingly, we as a culture are startlingly only now beginning to grapple with the issues raised by the choreopoem,” said entertainer Leslie “Lezz Boogie” Ellis-Tynes. The show is a revival by Ringplay Productions, directed by Dr Nicolette Bethel. It is being performed at the Dundas’ Philip A Burrows Black Box Theatre, and is dedicated to the memories of the author, the late
Ntozake Shange, and the late Theresa Moxey-Ingraham, who portrayed “lady in yellow” in 2014 during the company’s first run of the production. “It is an intimate affair with men in the audience serving as stand-ins for the men in the lives of the ‘colorful’ ladies; adding a dimension of being so near to the performers, that it allows for a much more conversational tone about the universality of their particular experiences,” said Lezz Boogie. The returning cast members are Arthellia Powell-Isaacs as “lady in brown”; Claudette Allens as “lady in red”; Erin McKinney as “lady in
orange”; Oniké Archer as “lady in purple”, and Michaella Forbes as “lady in green”. The two cast members are Valene Rolle playing “lady in blue”, taking over from Myra McPhee, who now resides in the US, and Yasmin Glinton, who will take on the role of “lady in yellow”, last played by Mrs Moxey-Ingraham. The remaining opportunities to encounter the seven ladies of “for colored girls” are tonight at 8pm, Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 6pm.
The 2019 cast of Ringplay Production’s ‘for colored girls’.
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Friday, March 22, 2019
Inside Weekend
My perfect Bahamian weekend Alexandra Maillis-Lynch Chef, entrepreneur
need quiet and reflective time alone, quality time with the sofa is the best.”
Q: What is the one thing that you can’t live without?
“I’ll do you one, actually two, better, here’s three: God for my soul, family for my spirit, and food for passion and fun. All three are absolutely essential for my happiness.”
Q: Saturday lunch or Sunday brunch?
Interview 4-5 Bodine strives to be a star on the stage and in the classroom Music 7 - 9 Buju celebrates ‘legendary’ comeback, plus Rashad Leamount levels up, and Willis & The Illest let out their inner pirates Environment 10 Reimagining growing food in the Bahamas Books 11 Bahamian writer is nominated for Author Academy Award Poetry 12 The Bahamas Poetry Competition returns for a second round Art 14 - 15 Domonique Jacobs emerges from her chrysalis to celebrate black women Travel 17 Exciting new additions to Orlando’s Disney and Universal Studios theme parks Gardening 19 Jack Hardy on how to propagate new plants Film 20 - 21 Jordan Peele holds up a mirror to society with ‘Us’, plus ‘The Little Mermaid’ turns 30 Literary Lives 20 - 24 A life-changing list of literature Forgotten Facts 25 Paul C Aranha remembers a ‘Bahamian’ Tuskegee Airman Puzzles 26 Animals 27 A disgraceful spectacle, plus Pet of the Week Cover photo | Ahtikal for Big Radio Online
“Hmmm, definitely both. Saturday is for lunch with friends, relaxation and fun. Sunday is traditionally family time for us, and nothing brings us all together like a delicious brunch.”
Q: Weekend away, where would you go?
“I’d be on a plane to Paris in a heartbeat. The romance, the atmosphere, and of course the world famous cuisine is calling me. There are definitely a few Family Islands I’d love to hop over to as well. Exuma, Eleuthera and Abaco are all on my list.”
Q: Wine, rum, cocktail or Kalik? “None. I love a sip of sake on occasion, but honestly, good food is my intoxication.”
Q: Beach or sofa?
“Both! Beach days are perfect for our family time. On the days when I
Things 2 Do this weekend Friday
• Blue Flamingo Literary Festival
Time: 10am (continues Saturday at 10am) Venue: Michael Eldon Complex and Chapter One Bookstore The University of Bahamas is hosting its third annual Blue Flamingo Literary Festival to showcase the uniqueness of Bahamian culture through storytelling that connects us all. • In Conversation with Sonia Farmer and Shivanee Ramlochan
Time: 7pm - 8.30pm Venue: The National Art Gallery
Bahamian artist Sonia Farmer and Trinidadian poet Shivanee Ramlochan will discuss their NE9 project, “The Red Thread Cycle”, a collaborative artist book project that touches on the painful subject of abuse.
Saturday
• Farm to Table: Pop-Up Market
Time: 8am Venue: Chiccharney Farms
Pick up some local fresh produce, seasonal fruits, eggs, baked goods and more. • Meet and Greet for the Alzheimer’s Support Group
Time: 10am - 12noon Venue: The WorkSpace Café at IncuDesk, Chesapeake Road
HK’s ALZ-Shoulders is hosting its first meet and greet to see the faces behind the names/profiles and to better understand the challenges people face. Hostesses are Paulette Davis, Shelagh Pritchard, Dena Feaste, Gina Knowles and Lia Head. The special guest is Nurse Marsha McQueen. • QC’s Comet Fest and Steak-out 2019
Venue: Queen’s College Time: 12noon - 6pm; 7pm for the dance
Join the QC Comets for their annual fair. There will be chicken and steaks dinners, pastries and treats, as well as a water slide, bouncing castle, laser tag, a haunted house and a zip-line. • Nassau Night Market
Time: 6pm - midnight Venue: Market Slope (next to the Straw Market)
A downtown street festival featuring food trucks, artisan crafts, specialty drinks and street performers. • Jacqui Naylor and Art Khu
Time: 6.30pm - 8.30pm Venue: The Current Baha Mar Gallery
Jazz vocalist Jacqui Naylor performs with a quartet including long-time pianist and co-writer Arthur Khu as well as a Bahamian rhythm section. • Songsters and Salvation
Army Citadel Band Live
Time: 7.30pm Venue: The Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts This is a one-night event featuring The USA Southern Territorial Songsters and the Salvation Army Nassau Citadel Band. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. • Puppets of the Caribbean
Time: 8pm - 11pm Venue: Bistro Underground
Nineties’ rock/comedy legends Green Jelly return to Nassau. Join the punk rock puppet army and get ready for one crazy night. Admission it free. The Bahamas very own progressive deathcore metal band Vae Victis is expected tear it up for the mosh pit. Also performing are the local punk rock band We The Few.
Sunday
• Live Confessions of an Economic Hitman: John Perkins Time: 5pm - 6.30pm Venue: New Providence Community Centre Gym Citizens for a Better Bahamas present celebrity guest author and speaker John Perkins, who will appear for one night only to share stories of his past as an ‘economic hitman’ and a vision for a more sustainable global economic future. Admission is free. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis.
04 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, March 22, 2019
interview
Bodine
Victoria Johnson
PHOTO/NAME NAME
(PHOTO/SHERARD CAMPBELL OF IFOCUS VISUALS)
She has established herself as a star on the stage, and now this Bahamian singer tells Cara Hunt how she also strives to be a star in the classroom, teaching her students about empathy and respect.
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s an entertainer, Bodine Victoria has performed on stages all over the world. But to some of her biggest fans she is simply known as ‘Miss Johnson’. That’s because on weekdays, the singer trades her microphone for pens and pencils, and performs not on a concert stage but in the classroom, teaching English Language and Literature to students at L W Young Jr High.
Bodine told Tribune Weekend that she is equally passionate about both aspects of her life. “Teaching itself is an art,” she said. “Being able to entertain students is the key to getting them to learn and being able to get them to communicate with you.” “That’s how entertainment and education go hand-in-hand for me. When I step into my classroom, my classroom for me is a stage. And although I am not in full costume, I still have to gain my students’ attention. I still have to be extremely prepared. I still have to be quick-thinking. I still have to be able to
feel energy from them or give them the entire amount of my energy.” Education is in her blood. Bodine’s mother started the first typing school in the country – Toya’s Typing School – and took her daughter to work with her from the age of six “I got my first Pitman at nine because they wouldn’t let a seven-yearold take a Pitman exam,” Bodine said. “And after I got that I started to help her teach some of the younger students that came in. After that I knew that I wanted to teach, but I knew that I didn’t want to teach adults.
“Teaching kids is what came naturally. I started out as a religious studies teacher and all of my lecturers told me I chose the wrong field, because I was always a little bit off the wall. I was extremely good at language, arts and literature, and they felt that was a better field for me. I could have done computer and business studies as well, but 14 years later I am teaching language and literature.” It’s a decision she has never regretted. “The appeal of teaching is to be able to get to kids and find out what they think, why they think the way they
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Friday, March 22, 2019
do, and then in some cases, to correct some antisocial behaviour that kind of irks us as adults...and being able to teach them how to love and respect. That is the biggest draw in teaching.” Bodine said she tries to get her students to open their eyes to how big the world is and teach them empathy and responsibility. She said her frustrations come not from her students, but from the paperwork associated with being a teacher. “I hate marking and having to deal with some of the bureaucracy that comes with the profession. Kids are not frustrating to me.” And just how do her students and their parents feel about Miss Johnson being the famous Bodine? She admits that initially it was difficult. “My students love me, but at first it was very difficult. I heard rumours of parents that threatened to come into the school because they were so concerned about their child’s teacher on stage at night and then coming to class the next day and teaching, because Bahamians tend not to be able to differentiate, especially as a religious studies teacher they weren’t able to see the difference between the stage persona and the educator. “But what happened was the kids started to see that you can do both.
They started to be able to tell the difference between the woman that is on stage and the woman that is in the classroom,” she said. Bodine said she also has to ensure that her two personas are kept separate. “When I walk into the classroom: ‘Guys, OK, y’all singing Rocka My Cherry; it is not time for Rocka My
“
Bodine admits that her workload can be a bit exhausting at times, but said she is learning to find the right balance. “I don’t know where the energy comes from. I have recently learned how to leave school at school. I have also learned to tell people at school ‘no’. I have learned how not to take on more than I need to, because it is still my job,” she said. “Entertainment is the part of my life
Teaching itself is an art. Being able to entertain students is the key to getting them to learn and being able to get them to communicate with you.
Cherry; it’s not time for the music video right now. We are going to discuss how to be a good person in the community. Let’s do an expository essay on Junkanoo.’” “They love it; they support it and their parents are enthusiastic about it. So it’s really not as difficult as people make it seem. The key is being able to show kids that you are concerned about them and you believe in their abilities and their talents,” she said.
that makes me feel happy and fulfilled; it gives me the opportunity to move and to travel to feel my freedom. It doesn’t come without its stresses. I am able to inspire kids, but at the same time I can do what inspired me as a child, so it’s a sort of trade-off. When you do what makes you happy and you do what makes you fulfilled, it makes doing the things you must do that much easier.” And while Bodine doesn’t think she will stay in education forever, she is
A screenshot from Bodine’s music video for “Juicy Fruit”, shot by Sherard Campbell of IFocus Visuals. The song was inspired by “Don’t Touch Mi Tomato” and is produced by Rik Carey.
enjoying her time in the classroom for now. “I want to be a full-time entertainer and that will soon come.” Already she has made quite the name for herself, opening for international acts such as Sheila Rae Charles, Vaughn Anthony and Jagged Edge, and performing on the same stage as Taurus Riley, Lady Saw, Gyptian, and many more. Some of her hit songs include “Single By Choice”, “Intoxicated”, “One (I Love You)”, “Rocka My Cherry”, and “My Love Won’t Fade”. In the immediate future she will be releasing a video for her popular track “Juicy Fruit”. “It is a Goombay song that I released a long time ago and people love it. I have always wanted to do a video for that and it will be released just in time for my birthday in April,” she said. Additionally, she is working on projects for both Junkanoo Carnival and the international carnival circuit. And she has the fourth instalment of her Party in Paradise coming up in November, as well as seven episodes of her show “Fabulous Living – Bahamian Style”. She has also several trips planned to the family Islands and the United States.
06 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, March 22, 2019
music
Willis & The Illest let out their inner pirates Reggae group teases debut album
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ituated in the heart of downtown Nassau, the Pirate Republic Brewing Company played host to one of the island’s hottest bands, Willis & The Illest. On March 1, the reggae group premiered their upcoming album with a live, acoustic performance in Pirate Republic’s historic alley located on Woodes Rogers Walk. Welcomed by infamous Rum Runners, created for the night by
Republic’s CEO. “As a local Bahamian company we are committed to supporting Bahamian culture and Bahamian artists. We could not be prouder that Willis & The Illest choose our location to launch songs from their first full-length album which is set to be released later this year.” Hitting the stage just after 11pm, the popular reggae band wowed the audience with an artistic performance.
Willis & The Illest tease their first full-length album.
A crowd of over 200 filled the historic alley located on Woodes Rogers Walk. co-sponsor John Watling’s, a crowd of over 200 filled the alley and stage area to listen to opening act, KrazyRingo, who energised the crowd. “It was a great collaboration of music, local beverages, and fun,” said José Portunondo, John Watling’s managing partner. Pirate Republic, which is celebrating its fifth year as the country’s only craft brewery, hosts live music every Friday night, either in their taproom or in historic Woodes Rogers Alley. “We are pleased with the turnout... this band truly showcases Bahamian talent,” said Alan Willner, Pirate
“The new music was very strong,” said Ernie Blues, a fan who attended the performance. “Their lyrics promote harmony and peace in the Bahamas, and the unplugged format was very cool. I am looking forward to getting their album, but it’s great to have a teaser of what they are doing.” Tonight, Pirate Republic will host Foreign Sound, who will open for Judah & The Truth. To get current updates on Bahamian artists playing at the Pirate Republic Brewery, visit their Facebook and Instagram pages, or their website: www.piraterepublicbahamas.com.
Proud sponsors: (l-r) Alan Willner, Pirate Republic Brewing Company’s CEO; Jose Portuondo, John Watling’s general manager; Robert Hughes, Pirate Republic sales manager, and Pepin Argamasilla, John Watling’s brewmaster. Photos/Dante Carrer for Barefoot Marketing
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Friday, March 22, 2019
music
Rashad Leamount takes it to
the next level
By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Reporter | acadet@tribunemedia.net
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ashad Leamount describes the release of his latest single, “Snakes + Ladders”, as a much needed step in the “levelling up” process. The artist says the new song is a very personal one for him. As he was focused on creating the track and improving upon his craft, Rashad said he was able to see more clearly when it came to the people around him. “I started to feel like I was playing snakes and ladders or chess, navigating which relationships were worth it. Which ones are fake yet necessary. Which ones needed to fall away. I realised I wasn’t protecting myself properly and I had to reevaluate myself – ‘snakes in my garden, keep me guarded’ – I needed to level up and ‘Snakes + Ladders’ was the first step,” he told Tribune Weekend. Writing and recording music for some years now, Rashad
said it feels amazing to have come this far. Although he said at one point he questioned whether he was going to give up, he is glad he held on because his breakthrough came soon after. “I used to go by the name Dash, but dropped that a few years ago. Since then I’ve shifted my energy back to songwriting and worked on material for a number of unreleased songs both locally and internationally,” he said. And Rashad has been busy. “I wrote ‘Faded’ for artist KEEYA back in 2016. I was also nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance at the International Writing Competition and the John Lennon Songwriting Contest for ‘Faded’ in 2017 and 2018. Most recently I completed a song called ‘100’ for rapper/singer Chase Fernander which will be debuting very soon. I’ve completed a song called ‘Coffee’ for jazz artist Anya Bowe and I’m in
talks to write for an emerging rapper/singer from New York,” said Rashad,” he said. Rashad said he is especially inspired by the sound and flow of Beyonce, whom he has saw live in concert. He said while his sound is very different from hers, he is motivated by her dedication and resilience when it comes to her craft. “It was like an outer-ofbody experience. I cried like a baby watching her,” he said of his concert experience. “She’s a machine, Bey, and I am looking to be that prolific and influential and powerful. Another person I am influenced by would be Frank Ocean, then Miguel with a close third.” Rashad also believes there is some real growth coming up as it relates to Bahamian musicians. Since releasing “Snakes + Ladders”, Rashad said the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. He is humbled to be able to give something
The cover art for “Sna
kes + Ladders”.
from his heart and have it recognised. When asked if there is a music video in the works for the single, Rashad said there will be a visual, but he does not want to go the traditional music video route. “I want to do something with a social message. This past December I had my debut art exhibition at the NAGB and that’s really inspired me to use my music as another way to affect some real conversations. So I’m looking to push the envelope and do something that stands out. I’m putting the finishing touches
on my EP titled ‘LEAMOUNT’ and I’m excited to share. I’m working on a music film called ‘Black Water’ for the Fall, and on a second EP for the Summer or end of year,” he said. He is also in the planning stages for his second art show, and is hoping to secure some international performances and expand his reach. For all those interested, Rashad Leamount’s music can be found on all major music platforms such as Apple, Tidal, Spotify, Deezer, and streaming services in Africa and Asia.
08 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, March 22, 2019
entertainment
A legendary comeback Bahamians fans promised they are in for
‘a treat’
By JEFFARAH GIBSON | Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net
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HE question of whether or not Buju Banton “still got it” after being gone for almost a decade was finally answered during his performance in Jamaica last weekend. And it looks like any concerns people may have had were in vain, as the Kingston concert is being hailed as “legendary” by both fans and critics alike. The Grammy Award-winning reggae star made what is being described as a “phenomenal” comeback with the first show of his “Long Walk to Freedom” tour at Jamaica’s national stadium. Bahamian fans who were worried whether Buju can still perform with his usual vigour and energy when he takes the stage in Nassau on March 30 can rest easy. Those who witnessed his first concert since being released from a US federal prison said the Bahamas is in “for a treat”. (Buju was serving a 10-year sentence for a cocaine trafficking charge.)
Live footage of the concert shared on social media sites like YouTube showed a liberated Buju clad in an all white suit as he made his grand entrance on the stage. To the sound of thousands cheering, Buju opened the show in his hometown of Kingston with the gospel song “Have Mercy”. “It was just majestic; he was on his bended knee singing. More or less that was his way of paying homage to God and also showing a sense of humility and gratitude to people for forgiving him and accepting him,” said Tina Morley, a Jamaican-born Exuma native who travelled to Kingston to witness Buju’s two-hour comeback performance. “It was an awesome experience. The momentum was high; people were excited, there was a lot of love and unity. Jamaicans showed out in droves. They showed their love, loyalty and support. It was awesome.” The event also featured supporting acts such as Chronixx, Cocoa Tea, Etana, Ghost, Romain Virgo, LUST, Agent Sasco, Delly Ranks, his son Jahazeil, newcomer to the reggae scene Coffee, and many more who joined in celebrating the legend.
“Banton The Buju
that everyone loved and adored is back as if he never left.”
After arriving in Kingston, Tina met up with a few friends, including Stephanie Marley, daughter of the late reggae icon Bob Marley, who was happy to be a part of the show. “All the artists brought their ‘A’ (game). You can feel the love and the passion in every song that they sang,” Stephanie told Tribune Weekend. “Buju’s performance was definitely worth the wait. To me, he never missed a beat.” Theo “Ahtikal” Gayle, an international photographer who flew back home to Jamaica to cover the event, said the energy in the stadium was unmatched by anything he has experienced before. “You could hear outside the stadium people just cheering for persons performing. So I was ready, adrenaline rushing to just get in and start working. When I took a peek from the regular entrance, there were people covering the entire stadium,” said Ahtikal. According to BBC News, the concert was “the biggest music event in the country since Bob Marley’s ‘Smile’ Jamaica concert in 1976.” “This is history, the energy here is crazy. I’ve never seen anything like
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Friday, March 22, 2019
this – this is another level of inspiration. He’s at GOAT status, another level. Legendary,” UK rapper Konan told the BBC. Jamaica’s national stadium has a capacity of about 34,000, but some estimate that 40,000 people showed up on the night. And even though there were some technical difficulties at the start of the concert, fans immediately embraced their returned hero and showed their support for him. “Shortly after (Buju) started the performance there was an issue with his sound, his mic went off, and he was just dancing and singing...then everyone in the crowd just started to sing along and cheer him on,” said Ahtikal. “The Buju Banton that everyone loved and adored is back as if he never left.” About an hour and a half into his performance, Buju started inviting friends to the stage to perform. Beloved reggae crooner Beres Hammond showed some fatherly love towards Buju as he came on stage. Meanwhile, Wayne Wonder, Grams Morgan, Marcia Griffiths and more gave energetic performances of the hits they shared with the headliner. “The highlight for me was definitely seeing Buju and Beres perform together. They have such a connection, and the music was beautiful,” said Bahamian fan Ashli Bethune who travelled to Kingston for the concert. Jamaican native Lebroy James had this piece of advice for Bahamian concert-goers: “Get decent tickets that will get you close up to the stage where you can see it all and soak it in.” “Buju did deliver. He came out swinging and he is doing excellent. It was an epic night to say the least, and if time allows I will be seeing him again, possibly even in Nassau,” he said.
Photos/Ahtikal for Big Radio Online
Two reggae legends: Beres Hammond and Buju Banton.
British rapper Stefflon Don has fun on stage with Buju.
An aerial view of the concert in Jamaica’s national stadium, which holds 34,000. (bUJU OFFICIAL INSTAGRAM )
‘Queen of Reggae’ Marcia Griffiths sings with Buju.
10 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, March 22, 2019
environment
The desert fruits Positively reimagining growing food in the Bahamas By ZAKITA BETHEL
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ost people, without hesitation, know how to describe the desert. The imagery that typically comes to mind is of tumbleweeds rolling across a barren landscape, brown shrubs dotting the vista, and John Wayne’s marked drawl. Also, without hesitation, we speak about the “poor, infertile soil” in the Bahamas and lament that many of our communities are “food deserts”, devoid of fresh food for its inhabitants. It is rare, however, that you envision the desert as a wellspring for lush greenery, succulent fruits and revivifying oases. I know of a place that would turn everything that you think you know about deserts on its head. By combining human imagination, creativity, consistent research and collaboration, these former desert spaces now produce one of the largest amounts of fresh food per square metre in the world. These yields are even known as “the fruits of the desert”. This area I am describing is Almería. For the last five months this province has become my living-lab for everything involving protected greenhouse agriculture. Located along the Mediterranean coast of southern Spain, Almería has the highest concentration of greenhouses in the world. This cluster of approximately 40,000 hectares of greenhouses has created an environment that is one of the most productive agricultural spaces in the world. More than 80 percent of the 3.6 million tonnes (that’s 7,936,641,439 pounds) of food grown in this region is exported throughout Europe, with primary markets in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, among others. This production is based on small-scale, low-cost, low-tech and family-based greenhouse operations.
Zakita Bethel
Spain’s Almería has the highest concentration of greenhouses in the world Based on my experience in Almería for the past few months, there are two areas that are relevant to the positive re-imagination of our own agricultural industry. The first relates to focused collaboration. As the Almería model is founded on and operates primarily on family farms (which means that the labour supplied is mostly from within the family, with temporary reliance on external labour), there is an absolute necessity for produce to be combined and for people to work together. At the second level of cooperation is the cooperative society. Simply put, the cooperative is a means of pooling technical, distribution and market access
resources while producing collective returns for all involved. This example is one that would benefit the agricultural sector greatly, as well as the wider Bahamian economy, as our costs of production can be relatively high. Using the collective approach would focus our efforts on offsetting the costs per unit area while increasing the productivity of the spaces that we produce within. The second area of re-imagination is that of consistency. Our “tingsy-ness” and lack of top-down, bipartisan or long-term efforts have not yielded the type of wide-reaching development expected of a country with a
relatively small population and one of the highest GDPs per capita in the Caribbean region. Every few years, policy directions change, technicians change, and lasting results are few and far between. With the Almería model in mind, the grassroots (bottom-up) and private sector is the focus and means to continuous development, with the government supporting through the maintenance of a conducive environment. These spheres have the opportunity to be both community-focused and consistent in their efforts, particularly in the investment in trained personnel and consistent research, both of which require a minimum level of commitment to the “long-game” to see lasting results. Although not without its challenges, eccentricities and context-specific advantages and disadvantages, the Almería model provides an example for the continuing quest for increased agricultural production (and productivity) in the Bahamas. This model also shows us that agriculture can be a viable industry in areas previously deemed barren, infertile, poor or deserted and strongly advises us to take a second look at the ways that we look at the spaces around us. • Zakita Bethel, a Lyford Cay Foundation Fiona Albek (2019) scholar, is a Master of Science degree candidate in the Mediterranean Greenhouse Horticulture programme at the University of Almería and a founding member of the National Growers Cooperative. She has worked with farmers on the islands of Andros, New Providence, Eleuthera and Exuma for the past five years, in both the public and private sectors.
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Friday, March 22, 2019
books
Bahamian writer nominated for Author Academy Awards By COOPER ELLIS
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n a tweet on Thursday, March 7, Ellison Greenslade, QPM, Bahamas Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, noted: “It is always a pleasure to welcome Mr Eliot Kelly, entrepreneur, best-selling author, lifestyle coach and member of the Bahamian diaspora, to the Bahamas High Commission in London.” High Commissioner Greenslade extended congratulations to the recent Author Academy Award nominee for his contributions to the Bahamian community and international arena. Mr Kelly’s books – “Inside Out: It’s An Inside Job” and “Creating A Platinum Lifestyle: Set Your Mind On Fire” – have been shortlisted for Best Advice Book and Best Self Help Book 2019, respectively. The founder of the Bahamas Mind and Body Project, Mr Kelly and his team have set themselves the goal to positively impact the lives of 50,000 Bahamian students by December 31, 2019, through financial literacy and life skills training.
The top 10 books on Apple’s iBooks
Two of Eliot Kelly’s books have been nominated for the Author Academy Awards 2019. During the courtesy visit with High Commissioner Greenslade, the author expressed his pride in being a Bahamian and in his country. “Our proudest achievements include our long-term peace and stability as a nation; economic growth and development; significant progress in education, social services and other key ministries and the continuous improvement of our brand as a prosperous nation with bountiful natural assets,” he said.
He also presented the High Commissioner with a token of his appreciation for his support by way of signed and framed exclusive copies of his three books, the two nominated works and “The Eye of the Needle: The Cost of Success”. When asked by Mr Kelly about his outlook on upcoming Bahamian entrepreneurs, High Commissioner Greenslade responded that, “The hallmark of our country is our
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens . Wolf Pack by C J Box . The First Lady by Brendan DuBois & James Patterson . Heart of the Devil by Meghan March . Educated by Tara Westover
. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides . Cemetery Road by Greg Iles . Your Love Is Mine (Maine Sullivans 1) by Bella Andre . Toxic Game by Christine Feehan . Girl, Stop Apologising by Rachel Hollis
By The Associated Press
Author Eliot Kelly (left) visits High Commissioner to London Ellison Greenslade. willingness to communicate, collaborate, negotiate and cooperate for unity, equality and peace across the globe. Despite our size, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas continues to attract attention in many areas including sports, education, music and the arts. The accomplishments of our athletes in winning Olympic gold medals, the educational achievements of our Rhode Scholars, our Grammy Award-winning musicians, and the works of worldrenowned visual and creative artists have made the Bahamas a household name.” The High Commissioner concluded the courtesy visit by expressing that he stands in firm support of all Bahamian entrepreneurs and influencers in their effort to help create a future for their fellow Bahamians and visitors which is more secure, sustainable and prosperous. Readers can support author Eliot Kelly by voting for his books at https:// www.authoracademyawards.com. This year’s awards ceremony is set for October 25.
12 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, March 22, 2019
poetry
Let your creativity flow Bahamas Poetry Competition returns for second year By JEFFARAH GIBSON | Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net
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fter a successful inaugural year, the Bahamas Poetry Competition is back to give more aspiring writers a platform for their talents to be shared. During the first year of the competition, nearly 200 entrants from five different islands participated in the event. Now, all aspiring poets and creative writers are invited to submit work by March 31. The theme for this year’s competition is “Nation Building”. The primary division of the competition was given the topic of national pride to focus on the positive aspects of the Bahamas.
Last year’s winners with Jermaine Rolle (centre) The other divisions were given topics of social ills to highlight the problems and suggest possible solutions in the process. They include conflict resolution, gun violence and addiction. Each division is given a topic of national importance to compose a poem. After the top 10 writers are identified in each division, they will be invited to submit video performances of their work. The videos will be uploaded to Bahamas Poetry’s Competition YouTube channel for public viewing and for the judges to make a final determination. Created by Jermaine Rolle, the competition is designed to provide a platform where literary artists can express themselves and be appreciated. “I believe that once persons are engaged in the competition it will only increase their desire to write and sharpen their writing skills in the process. We have an immense amount of talented writers in the country that do not have an avenue to display their talent. It is my hope that a large portion of those writers will be discovered through this competition,” said Mr Rolle, who is also a creative writer himself. The competition attempts to target nearly the entire population, inclusive of the Family Islands, he added.
“Based on the demand from last year’s competition, the decision was made to introduce a new division, the veteran’s division. The veteran’s division is for persons 31 years of age and older. There was an outcry for this division in 2018 and it has proven to be the most active division so far in 2019,” he said. “For most persons, regardless of age or location in the Bahamas, there is a division for them in Bahamas Poetry Competition 2019. I encourage writers to take advantage of the opportunity and allow their talents to open doors to avenues previously unexplored.” There will be a People’s Choice Award for the most popular YouTube video in each division. However, the judges will also select the top three finalists who will be eligible for cash prizes. The top 10 finalists in each division will receive trophies and certificates. However, the grand champion in each division will receive cash, a certificate, a trophy and the prestigious Golden Standard Blazer, which is only awarded to grand champions. Announcements will be made through the Bahamas Poetry Competition’s Facebook page, so competitors are encouraged to like or follow the account for updates. Finalists can look forward to an awards ceremony in July where they will receive their awards.
The Tribune | Weekend | 13
Friday, March 22, 2019
weddings
Chicago couple say
‘ aye,aye ’ in
the
Bahamas
T
he Bahamas continues to be a favourite spot for destination weddings. Last Friday, Matthew and Angeline of Chicago got married on Goodman’s Bay Beach in Nassau in a pirate-themed celebration. The fun-filled event was attended by more than 30 guests from abroad. BIS PHOTOS/KEMUEL STUBBS
14 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, March 22, 2019
The Tribune | Weekend | 15
Friday, March 22, 2019
art
Emerging from the chrysalis
Mixed-media artist pays tribute to the strength of black women By ALESHA CADET
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| Tribune
Features Reporter
utterflies may just be the key to understanding Domonique Jacobs’ journey as an artist. These often colourful and delicate insects have served as an inspiration to her for many years now, not just because of their beauty, but also because of their unique life cycle. “I am particularly known for my affinity for butterflies and in some way it has been my niche in the local art community,” Domonique told Tribune Weekend speaking of her ‘Bfly by Design’ brand. “I am fascinated by their transformation process; the idea that a being can start out as something but be re-born as something else. It has inspired me in the growth of my craft through persistence, consistency and repetition. Every day is a lesson in how I can be better at what I truly love.” Over the years, the young artist has struggled with the decision whether to fully commit herself to arts or focus more on cosmetology, an area in which she is skilled and was ultimately more comfortable in. “I would take on selected art commissions for clients when I could, but I lacked the confidence needed to put myself out there even when I received such positive feedback. My comfort zone was just that, comfortable, but
| acadet@tribunemedia.net
it left no room for growth or opportunities,” she explained. It was not until taking part in an art show that Domonique received a much needed boost of confidence. Asked to highlight of one her favourite artworks created for the ‘Bfly by Design’ brand, she named a piece titled “Woman”, based on the Proverbs 31 about the Virtuous Woman. The piece is a mixed-media portrait of a woman in profile, including her hair which is braided into words of empowerment and affirmation. “Words such as ‘strong’, ‘powerful’, ‘purpose-driven’, ‘phenomenal’ and ‘Godfearing’ fit the woman’s head like a crown. The piece is particularly special to me because it was purchased by a woman who is battling breast cancer, and she said the piece reaffirmed her relationship with Christ,” she said. “Another one of my pieces, entitled ‘Melanin Absorbs Light’, beckons us to appreciate the black human being in all aspects, not just physically, but mentally, culturally and spiritually,” said Domonique. This piece, she said, speaks to the story of the black woman and all of her strength, devotion and intelligence, “encompassed in her physical beauty of melanin.” The
canvas shows a black woman with a kinky afro embellished with butterflies, embracing herself as she bathes in the light of the sun. Domonique said her interest in art was cultivated by her father. She remembers when he showed her a portrait that he had drawn of her mother. The realism and detail of the drawing leapt off the worn-down cardboard which served as the canvas, and from that moment she was hooked. “From there it was crafting straw handbags, then painting my grandmother’s hibiscus tree in our backyard. However, it was during college that my passion was nurtured into something more. I was given the opportunity to work with many great Bahamian artists like John Cox, Dereck Paul, Sue Bennett-Williams and Antonius Roberts. For the next four years I explored all aspects of the art realm, like painting, ceramics, crafts, hair-styling, drawing and calligraphy. I found that the paintbrush became an extension of me. For that reason I would consider myself a mixed-media artist,” she said. Since receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education from the College of the Bahamas in 2011, her work has been exhibited in several art galleries, shows and events. Her work has been showcased at the Doongalik Studios, New Providence Arts and
Antiques, and the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas. “If anyone is moved by my work then I am truly grateful. Whether it is a positive or negative reaction, I always find it gratifying to evoke emotion from people because it tells me that what I am doing matters. I hope to help empower others to be bold and confident; to always be themselves and appreciate their individuality without seeking validation from anyone,” she said. “I want my fellow creative minds to be inspired, and to continue sharing their gifts with the world. When people see my work, I pray that they obtain whatever they need from it, but more importantly I want people to see me. My work is my testimony. I always want the leaving message to be that once you trust in God, He will direct your path and open doors beyond what you can fathom, always.” She believes art is such a powerful form of expression that it can benefit both the artist and those that experience it. For her personally, it has not only given her confidence, it has also provided her with peace of mind and new, unexpected experiences. Art has also her allowed her to express herself when words are insufficient.
“It has been a great tool for me to meet new people and network with the world. I receive so much positive feedback from both men and women. However, the majority are usually women who feel empowered, or find some way to connect a piece to their own personal experiences. I am constantly encouraged to produce more. Constructive criticism is always welcome as it pushes me to fine-tune my craft as much as I can. For this reason, I keep fellow artists I admire in my circle so that I can receive feedback, because ultimately I am an artist and I need encouragement, however it comes,” she said. Domonique is currently developing a solo art show set for this year, and is very excited about the preparation process. She is also hoping to do some collaborative work with local artists for various events, as well as participate in this year’s Art Basel to take place in Miami, Florida. Those interested in her work can follow ‘Bfly by Design’ on social media – Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Currently, her work can be purchased via the website redbubble. com which offers some of her art printed on a variety of accessories. For commission work or other business inquiries, Domonique can be contacted via e-mail at bflybydesign@ gmail.com.
Domonique Jacobs in front of her painting “Woman”, inspired by Proverbs 31. A piece inspired by the women of Wakanda from “Black Panther”.
Domonique’s work is also used for prints on pillows and other accessories.
16 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, March 22, 2019
celebrity
SPLIT
FAIL
SPLIT
FAIL
HIT
Lupita Nyong’o ”Us”
Grace VanderWaal ”Wonder Park”
Lili Reinhart ”Riverdale”
Gemma Arterton ”Vita & Virginia”
Karin says: “Ooh I like this; it’s edgy. She’s actually wearing a clear, studded, short raincoat over a little white dress. The belt perfects the image. And I’m loving her futuristic red metallic makeup.” Cara says: “It’s not my favourite look of hers. The jacket looks a like raincoat that pre-schoolers decorated. I mean, it is super haute couture, I’m sure, but apart from the box braids, I’m not really sure about the look. I am always a bit surprised when I’m not blown away by her choices.”
Karin says: “We’ve seen quite a few of these big, bunched up ball dresses recently. Sometimes they work, and other times – like here with Grace – they just overwhelm the wearer. It doesn’t help that it’s basically just big white ruffles. The little bit hanging down in the back and those ugly tights just complete the sad picture.” Cara says: “OK, so this... something. Actually, the top is only a little bit hideous. I don’t get pairing it with the Mary Janes and those tights though. It looks so off. Anyway, here’s a random thought: her legs are sooo skinny.”
Karin says: “This is very simple; no bling or sparkle whatsoever. It’s looks pretty, but casual. The grey/green colour works for her, and the lacy sleeves look sweet. But just like with her hair, it looks like not too much effort was made.” Cara says: “So this is a slightly mother-of-the-bride look and a little too old for her. But I think that it’s really pretty. I love the details on the fabric and the neck and hemlines. She may not have been the right person to wear it, is all.”
Karin says: “I love a good jumpsuit, and this one has a great cut, but I don’t know if the chocolate brown colour is right for her. It should work, but ends up just looking a bit drab. Her makeup, lack of real hairstyle and any type of accessory also don’t do her any favours.” Cara says: “It can be tricky to wear a lot of brown, because you run the risk of looking like, well...you know. This jumpsuit is in that iffy category. It’s very ‘blah’ to me. She needed some sparkle somewhere.”
Shahadi Wright Joseph ”Us”
Karin says: “This is just darling! I know I wished I’d looked that glam at 13. The pink and gold floral print suits her so well. And the one-shoulder, high-low asymmetrical cut is perfect and age-appropriate. She doesn’t look like she’s playing dress-up like so many teens.” Cara says: “Oh, this is so cute! It’s such a Cara dress. What’s not to like? It’s pink, it’s floral and it’s flouncy. Giving me all the Audrey Hepburn vibes, especially with that super pretty bun.”
AP PHOTOS
The Weekend With Karin Herig Fashion Report Movie premieres and Cara Hunt
The Tribune | Weekend | 17
Friday, March 22, 2019
travel
New Disney 'Star Wars' parks get opening dates ANAHEIM, California (AP) — The Millennium Falcon is blasting off from Disneyland on May 31 with the opening of the California theme park’s massive Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge expansion. Disney Parks announced Thursday that Galaxy’s Edge will open for visitors to Florida’s Disney World Resort on August 29. Galaxy’s Edge is a new 14-acre land at the Disney theme parks, featuring rides and experiences that thrust visitors into the world of the recent “Star Wars” trilogy and the fight between the Resistance and the evil First Order. The marquee attraction is a massive replica of the Millennium Falcon where guests can roam the ship’s halls and engage in a dogfight with TIE Fighters. It will be Disney’s largest single-themed land expansion ever, transporting guests to Black Spire Outpost, a village on the never-before-seen planet of Batuu. battle between the First Order and the Resistance. Guests will also be able to build their own personal droids, light sabers and feast on “Star Wars”-appropriate food and drink .
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will open at both Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and at Disnexyland Park in Anaheim, California. (Disney Parks)
Inside Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Harry Potter at Universal Orlando GETS THRILLING ROLLER COASTER ORLANDO, Florida (AP) — Harry Potter fans should get ready to rev their engines. A new roller coaster modelled after the character Hagrid’s motorcycle will open at Universal Orlando Resort on June 13. The theme park resort said Thursday that Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure will take riders on a trip with encounters from the wizarding world’s “rarest magical creatures.” The new Harry Potter ride will be in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade, which is in the resort’s Islands of Adventure park. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a themed area spanning two theme parks—Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. The area is themed to the Harry Potter media franchise, adapting elements
from the film series and novels by J K Rowling. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter already has four rides: Forbidden Journey, a
dark ride inside the replica of Hogwarts Castle; Flight of the Hippogriff, a steel roller coaster designed for families; Escape from Gringotts, a 3-D motion-based steel roller coaster dark ride based around Gringotts Bank, and a completely functioning fullscale replica of the Hogwarts Express, connecting King’s Cross Station at Universal Studios to the Hogsmeade station at Islands of Adventure. The park is also home to numerous shops and restaurants, including The Three Broomsticks, based on the inn and pub from the Harry Potter series; The Hog’s Head Pub; Ollivanders Wand Shop, where guests can get matched for a wand; Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour; Honeydukes sweet shop, and Dervish and Banges, for all your Quidditch and other magical merchandise needs, among others.
18| The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, March 22, 2019
food
Junior chefs embrace locally grown ingredients to impress judges By Kathryn Campbell Bahamas Information Services
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unior cooks from around the country participating in the 2019 Bahamas Young Chef Culinary Competition wooed the judges with their interesting creations. The five chefs, local and international, who judged the competition gave constructive criticism and agreed the recipes and colourful presentations of the 11 junior high school students really captured this year’s theme, “Creatively Embracing Indigenous Foods Through Innovation for Sustainable Development”. Kicking Beef Rice Kabob (donkey meat), Creamy Papaya Coconut Soup, Mahatma Jasmine Seafood Fried Rice, Crusted Island Grown Vegetable Rice on Watermelon Salsa, Mini Rosemary Trifle, Arawak Cay Pigeon Peas n’ Rice, Honey Conch and Cassava Pie, Mini Tropical Rice Cheesecake with Coco Plum Topping, Onion Thyme Infused Waffles n Fried Grouper, Tamarind Syrup and Pineapple Salsa were just some of the dishes the students prepared for the competition, which is now in its 27th year. “Overall, you achieved the goal of infusion,” said Chef Edwin Johnson, executive chef and general manager of Sapodilla Fine Dining. “The infusion theme – some of you missed the finesse and finishing of product because you focused so much on ‘fusion’,
High school students cook for the 27th Bahamas Young Chef Junior High School Culinary Competition at A F Adderley High School. Deputy Prime Minister K Peter Turnquest made a surprise visit during the contest. (BIS Photos/Raymond A Bethel, Sr) which is good – taking the local indigenous stuff from the various islands and fusing.” Chef Gus Griffith, culinary classroom presenter at Johnson and Wales University, said he was impressed and commended the students on a job well done. He encouraged them to show pride, not just with plating presentations. The students also impressed Chef Jeremy Haughton, department chair and senior chef instructor at Johnson and Wales University, with the flavour profiles they showcased in their recipes.
“People used vinegar, it’s not just sweet. You balanced it on a plate, which is very hard to teach some students…. It’s not just to look pretty,” he noted. And he encouraged tasting before submission for critique, sampling before presenting to the judges. “Did you take your dish and try the rice before you put it on the plate? If you didn’t, then maybe we would have told you a pinch more salt, little more sugar in that whipped cream. Give it a little taste before you put it on a plate, and make sure
everything is the way you want it,” he said. Chef Debbie Wheeler, test kitchen manager at Mahatma Rice/Riviana Foods Inc, was pleased with the variety of rice used this year and the overall flavour infusion. This year’s participants were Ciara Kessaint of Patrick J Bethel High School, Abaco; Lynique Saunders of Mangrove Cay High School, Andros; Kristen Ingraham of Preston H Albury High School, Eleuthera; Johnathan Brown of L N Coakley High School, Exuma; Sarah Braynen of East End Junior
High School, Grand Bahama; Sierra Turnquest of NGM Major High School, Long Island; Romyah Ingraham of Inagua All Age School, Inagua; D’Asia King of San Salvador High School, San Salvador; Gabrielle Ferguson of Old Bight High School, Cat Island; Anyah Coke of A F Adderley High School, and Kendra Estil of D W Davis Jr High School. Emerging as the 2019 winners were: Kristen Ingraham in first place, Kendra Estil in second, Sierra Turnquest in third, and Sarah Braynen in fourth place.
The Tribune | Weekend | 19
Friday, March 22, 2019
gardening
How to propagate new plants When we want new plants we usually sow seeds, but many plants can be propagated by other means, and perhaps the simplest is cuttings, says Jack Hardy
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section of a branch or stem is planted in the soil and after a while roots develop, leaves appear, and the cutting becomes a new individual plant. The process is extremely simple but there are some rules that must be obeyed along the way. The best candidates to be propagated by cuttings are flowering shrubs such as bougainvillea, hibiscus and oleander. The larger the plant the slower its metabolism and cuttings from most trees tend to die before establishing roots. The best time of year to make cuttings is right now while plants are growing vigorously in the warmth of spring. All woody plants have growth nodes, bumps or scars – the points where branches can be produced. The cross section of a branch or stem will show a white woody centre and an outer layer of bark. Between the two is a very fine green layer a mere one cell thick that is called the cambium. Water and nutrients are absorbed by roots and pass up the centre of the stems by the process of capillary action. The water and nutrients then descend through the cambium layer to all parts of the plant and give it nourishment. The cambium layer also produces undifferentiated daughter cells that generally turn into branches at the nodal points. But they can also turn into root cells and this is the reason why cuttings work. If a growth node is
below ground the daughter cells produce roots instead of branches. The best way to obtain cuttings is to remove a whole stem from a shrub making the cut as close to the ground as possible. Trim away all side shoots and any part that is green and does not have bark. The standard length of a cutting is about 10 inches. A shorter length is more likely to die before becoming viable; a longer length will be subject to movement from the wind. From your stem make cuttings by using a pruner with sharp by-pass blades. At the bottom make a steep cut starting about ¼ inch below a growth node. Move up about 10 inches and
make a square cut ½ inch above a growth node. Depending on the type and age of your parent shrub you may get from three to six individual cuttings. A cigar has a rounded end and this shows the part you trim and stick in your mouth. The pointed end of the cuttings clearly tells which end goes into the soil. Some cuttings – bougainvillea comes to mind – look very uniform once cut and the sharp end is handy. But there is another reason for the sharp end. A steep cut increases the cut area below ground and allows for better absorption of moisture. This is important because capillary action is very much reduced in a cutting, rather like a car running on one cylinder. A standard 10 inch cutting is happy planted in a one gallon container. Use a good potting mix and dampen it before bedding the cutting four inches deep. Although the cutting g has a pointed end you should not push it into the soil. Make a four inch hole, bed the cutting, then firm the potting mix around. Watering of cuttings is very important. Do not use a water-retaining saucer underneath your pot as too much water can cause the cutting to rot. Half a cupful of water every day is about what the cutting needs. Do not add any fertilizer to your potting mix. No rooting hormone? When you make cuttings at this time of year there is no need to use rooting hormone powder or any other similar aid. If you need to make a cutting out of season – in September or October, for instance – then rooting hormone powder will be a valuable asset.
Make your cut where the plant has growth nodes, bumps or scars.
Place your pots containing cuttings in an area where they are shaded during the middle of the day but receive morning and evening full sun. If the plants are too shaded they will require a degree of hardening off at a later stage and this can be tricky. Cuttings do not develop at a uniform rate. Bougainvillea cuttings are notoriously slow while crotons are fast rooters. Allow four months before you investigate the roots. This is done by turning the pot upside down on your hand, the cutting between your fingers, and then pulling the pot up. If the roots have reached the bottom of the gallon pot then your cutting is ready to be transplanted to its permanent location. If not, then give the cuttings another month or so. No need to rush. Experienced gardeners often introduce variations in the production of cuttings. Some plant the cuttings in their final resting place right from the beginning. Others like to leave a degree of foliage on their cuttings so photosynthesis still takes occurs. When this is done the cutting should be planted at a 45 degree angle to reduce movement caused by wind. Some soak the bottom of their cuttings in water overnight before planting. Cuttings from plants with milky sap like oleander and frangipani often benefit by being left in the sun for a few days before planting. If you have a hibiscus shrub that bears beautiful flowers, why not have more. Want to make a hedge or windbreak? Cuttings are the answer. • For queries and comments e-mail jacktribune242@gmail. com
20 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, March 22, 2019
film
Now 30, ‘The Little Mermaid’ paved the way for Elsa and Anna NEW YORK (AP) — It’s not uncommon for people to just look at Jodi Benson and burst into tears. Sometimes they hyperventilate or scream. But mostly they break down and start sobbing. Benson will hold them, heaving in her arms, and pat their back gently. Benson isn’t a household name but for many she’s an intimate part of their childhood. She supplied the singing and speaking voice of Ariel, the heroine of the 1989 animated Disney hit “The Little Mermaid,” which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Benson says she will sometimes watch as the stunned movie’s fans virtually go back in time in front of her. “It triggers a memory for them,” she says. “They remember who they were with when they saw the movie the first time. Maybe that sibling is no longer with them, that grandparent is no longer with them. It reminds them of a relationship that had been broken with a parent. So they have all sorts of emotions that go on.” “The Little Mermaid “ has changed a lot of lives, not least of which is Benson’s, who has continued to perform Ariel virtually every weekend in concerts as well as on film in the “Wreck-It Ralph” franchise. “The Little Mermaid” also had a big role in making Disney into an animation juggernaut and reviving the art form. Many believe we’d never have Anna and Elsa from “Frozen” without first having Ariel. “Disney was starting to get into a groove that would continue, but I feel like a lot of that started with ‘A Little Mermaid,’” says Ron Clements, who co-wrote and co-directed the film. Benson was a rising Broadway star when Ariel came into her orbit. She had been in a short-lived musical “Smile” when Howard Ashman, the musical’s lyricist and story writer, invited the out-of-work cast to audition for his next project, an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.” Producers wanted the singing and speaking voice to be supplied by
Thirty years ago, Jodi Benson voiced Ariel in “The Little Mermaid”, changing her life forever and starting the Disney Renaissance. AP PHOTO/MARK HUMPHREY the same actress. So Benson, a lyric soprano, sang the signature “Part of Your World” on a reel-to-reel tape and was handed a few of pages of dialogue. Benson, it turned out, was a master mimic. She had spent countless hours in her room as a child with her guitar, singing along to records by Barbra Streisand, Carole King, James Taylor as well as Marvin Hamlisch’s “A Chorus Line.” “I would start to just sing like them. But it wasn’t like I was trying to be them. It’s just that’s what I heard. And so that’s just what you do. You just sound like what you been listening to,” she says. A year or so after auditioning for Ariel, she got the call that she’d won the role. “I completely forgot that I had auditioned,” she says. Back then, voiceover work wasn’t very glamorous and big celebrities wouldn’t consider it. “It wasn’t a good job. Doing voiceovers was what you would do when your career was on the back half, when it
was tanking,” says Benson. She thought Ariel would be just another notch on her resume. It was not. “Things just changed overnight,” she says. Propelled by such Alan Menken songs as “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl,” the film won two Grammys and earned three Academy Award nominations. It was critically acclaimed, with Roger Ebert calling it a “jolly and inventive animated fantasy,” and would go to earn $211 million worldwide. Parents of children with learning disabilities have told Benson their child’s first words were from the film. A live-action remake is in the works, featuring new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who created “Hamilton.” He loved the 1989 animated film so much its partly the reason he named his first child Sebastian — the mermaid’s crab friend. It was the kind of hit that Clements and his animators at Disney had long been hoping for. He had started at
Disney in 1974 and was part of a new generation of artists trying to change the notion that animation was just for kids. Clements had pitched a two-page treatment of the musical to then-studio head Michael Eisner and was given the green light. For Clements and his partner, John Musker, the stakes were high: It was the first fairy tale Disney had done for some three decades. “There was a feeling — all through ‘Little Mermaid’ — that this film had potential to be the film that could break through and work the way we were all hungry for and hoping for,” recalls Clements, who went on to co-direct “Aladdin” and “Hercules.” “It was really, really gratifying that it did break through. It broke through the stigma that animated films were just for kids. It became a date movie. People started taking Disney animation seriously again.” MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer
The Tribune | Weekend | 21
Friday, March 22, 2019
film
Review: In ‘Us,’ Jordan Peele
holds a dark mirror to America US | RUNNING TIME: 104 MINS |
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ordan Peele has tightened his grip in “Us,” a less satirical and more slaughterhouse horror parable than the writer-director’s astonishing debut, “Get Out,” that despite its deficiencies will leave all who enter its shadowy world convinced of Peele’s growing command as a singular conjurer of American nightmares. It’s a movie moment to savour. When was the last time a filmmaker’s sophomore release was greeted with such anticipation? It’s as if Peele struck such a deep and rich vein in “Get Out” that no one can wait to see what else he’ll uncover. Peele has found a new passageway into American psychology, and we’re all waiting outside the mine for him to call out from the dark with his latest revelation. And in “Us,” Peele has produced a terrifying artefact: a sinister ballet of doppelgangers and inversions that makes flesh the unseen underbelly lurking beneath every sunny American dream and behind every contented nuclear family. It’s a scissor-sharp rebuke to anyone who’s ever held hands and sang “Kumbaya.” “Us” begins on images of one such moment of supposed unity: Hands Across America, that wholesome ‘80s experiment in linking arms across the country. It’s seen on an old TV screen with VHS tapes of “Goonies” and “CHUD.” leaning against it. Later, when the Wilson family takes a vacation near Santa Cruz, California, they look out of their window at night and see the ominous silhouettes of a handholding family just like themselves outside on the driveway. Their appearance is eerie to all: the mother Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o), the father Gabe (Winston Duke) and their two kids, Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex). But it’s Adelaide who most immediately recognises the danger. The Santa Cruz boardwalk is where she, as a young child, wandered into a carnival tent’s
Lupita Nyong’o as Adelaide Wilson (Claudette Barius/Universal Pictures via AP) hall of mirrors to find herself face-toface with her exact double. That’s the film’s opening prologue before shifting to present day, and the scene, classically spooky, is perfectly realised by Peele. From the start, we feel Peele’s increasing confidence as a filmmaker and, as Michael Abel’s rhythmic, chanting score plays over the opening credits, we settle in for what we know, as soon as the Wilsons make their vacation plans, will be Adelaide’s frightful reunion with her childhood mirror-image tormentor. It comes fast, like an assault. Soon after unpacking their bags and after a day at the beach with some friends (Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker), the red-dressed doubles appear. Their arrival is harrowing and violent and “Us” quickly takes the shape, a little disappointingly, of a home invasion movie. The Wilsons’ doppelgangers are a kind of sadistic, scissor-wielding echo of each family member. As “Us” bleeds into one ghastly scrape after another,
we gradually grasp that they’re part of a larger uprising of an underclass who are each horribly tethered to a surfaceworld human. Adelaide’s double explains simply: “We’re Americans.” “Get Out” proved Peele a master of metaphor but “Us” works less on a purely symbolic level than on its own infinite-loop system of horror. Some questions get answered but others don’t. The doubles arrive with only slightly more reasoning than the crows did in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” Nightmares don’t always need clarification. But I do think “Us” would work better if it gathered its suspense more steadily and more closely tethered its ideas to its characters. If the doppelgangers are stand-ins for an otherness that we fear in others but deny in ourselves, I’m not sure zombie-like maniacs were the most interesting way to go, or the most humanising. And Peele’s script, delving so relentlessly into terror, doesn’t leave either side of
the mirror room for much reflection. “It’s all just craziness,” someone says. Yet there’s an undeniable power of “Us” as a deeper, more primal vision of a two-tiered truth in American society that’s as unshakable as one’s shadow. Peele, working with cinematographer Mike Gioulakis (”It Follows,” ‘‘Glass”), creates fever-dream images with passionate precision. And then there’s Lupita. While each member of the family excels, Nyong’o delivers arguably her fiercest, most extraordinary performance as both Adelaide and her monstrous doppelganger. The wild difference between the two will get the most attention, but I was most impressed by the great subtlety of her Adelaide, a quiet, uneasy woman with a dark secret. “Us” doesn’t match “Get Out”, but Peele will surely have more sunken places to investigate. And for that we should be thrilled. JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer
22 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, March 22, 2019
literary lives
A life-changing list of literature Sir Christopher Ondaatje reviews a compulsively readable reference book by James Mustich (with Thomas Meagher and Karen Templer) – a co-founder of the mail-order catalogue A Common Reader who spent 20 years running the venture. James Mustich spent 14 years compiling his ultimate list of must-read books.
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ne of the most unique and best-loved presents I received this last Christmas (2018) was from my grandson Chandler Mahaney. It was the book “1,000 Books to Read Before You Die”. What a treasure! It has scarcely left my side since. It is a bibliophile’s dream come true. One of the first jobs James Mustich had was working at the local bookstore in Briarcliff Manor, New York. He unpacked shipments from publishers, stocked front-of-house store displays with new releases, and found room for backlist titles on the always crammed shelves. He learned to listen to customers and, eventually, to make
useful, interesting, and potentially life-changing recommendations. So he is well qualified to have compiled this lexicon of literary lexicons. In his Introduction Mustich quotes Roger Mifflin, the protagonist of Christopher Morley’s “The Haunted Bookshop” who said that steadfast booksellers are missionaries who seek “to spread good books about, to sow them on fertile minds, to propagate understanding and a carefulness of life and beauty.” With that mission in mind Mustich co-founded the mail-order catalogue A Common Reader in 1986, and spent the next two decades running the venture which consisted of writing about books old and new, of every subject and style. The enterprise grew until they were
mailing rich commentary on scores of titles every three weeks to hundreds of thousands of readers across the United States. “In the early 2000s, Peter Workman – founder of Workman Publishing and to me both mentor and friend – and I began talking about the book. Over the course of many book-soaked conversations, the idea of ‘1,000 Books to Read Before You Die’ took shape ... It turned out to be farther away than either of us thought – the book has been fourteen years in the making.” – James Mustich, 2018. Readers have so many different tastes that it must have been difficult to
determine whether a book like “1,000 Books to Read Before You Die” should be a canon of classics, a history of human thought, or a tour of significant disciplines – or even a record of popular delights or delusions. James Mustich explains that he hoped to make his book expansive in its tastes, encompassing revered classics as well as commercial favourites. He has done this – including flights of escapist entertainment and enlightening works of erudition. Here Mustich hung his hat on the passage written by the critic Edmund Wilson, describing “the miscellaneous learning of the bookstore, unorganised by any larger purpose, the undirected curiosity of the indolent lover of reading”. Thus
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Friday, March 22, 2019
he asked himself the rhetorical question, “What if he had a bookstore that would hold only 1,000 books for all time, but also books for the moment – to be savoured or devoured in a night – books for any reading inclination?” He decided that any such bookstore would be a browser’s version of paradise. Michael Dirda, who is the weekly columnist for The Washington Post as well as a contributor to The New York Review of Books, is quoted several times in “1,000 Books to Read Before You Die”. He says of the book: “Mustich’s ‘1,000 Books’ more than holds its own against former predecessors, largely because of its scope and diversity. Here one finds children’s classics, such as William Steig’s ‘Abel’s Island’ and Ruth Krauss’s ‘A Hole is to Dig’, masterpieces of science fiction (the novels of Philip K Dick, Samuel R Delany’s ‘Nova’), polemics by Jane Jacobs, Betty Friedan and Ta-Nehisi Coates, high spots of modern fantasy/ Mervyn Peake’s ‘Gormenghast Trilogy’, Ursula K Le Guin’s ‘A Wizard of Earthsea’, John Crowley’s ‘Little Big’, science popularisations such as Paul de Kruif’s ‘Microbe Hunters’ and Stephen Jay Gould’s ‘The Panda’s Thumb’, intellectual and military histories (Elaine Pagels’s ‘The Gnostic Gospels’, Shelby Foote’s ‘The Civil War’, John Keegan’s ‘The Face of Battle’) and inimitable humour from James Thurber, S J Perelman and Dawn Powell.” When I read his review I did not feel qualified to write this article. I had only heard of Thurber, S J Perelman and Dawn Powell. Yet when I studied Mustich’s lists and comments I was relieved to find accounts of Plato’s dialogues, Shakespeare’s plays, and Jane Austen’s novels. Interested to find out more about what and why certain books were included, I referred back again to Michael Dirda, also a Fulbright scholar and Pulitzer Prize winner. He
According to Mustich, this book “made available to readers modes of feeling that had never been articulated quite so tellingly before.” Mustich calls “Remains of the Day” a masterpiece of exquisite irony.
“The novel,” says Mustich, “so captured the contemporary mind that the word ‘Kafkaesque’ was coined.”
commented that Mustich did favour Anglo-American literature and included: “... James Lees-Milne’s hilarious autobiography, ‘Another Self’, Cyril Connolly’s reflections on the writing life, ‘Enemies of Promise’, Robert K Merton’s Tristam Shandy ish history of the phrase ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’, that great American novel about literary failure, Frederick Exley’s ‘A Fan’s Notes’, and even the best of all comic mysteries, Edmund Crispin’s ‘The Moving Toyshop’. Most surprisingly of all, there’s an entry on the six volumes of the addictive, deliciously
bookish correspondence between retired Eton school teacher and publisher Rupert Hart-Davis.” I knew the names – but I had never read any of the books mentioned. I was learning a lot. For ease of browsing and to foster serendipity 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die is arranged alphabetically by author, with illustrations of jacket covers and authors. There are at least three or four paragraphs devoted to each of Mustich’s chosen titles. It is well organised and easy to read. There are some curious inclusions, and curious exclusions. H G Wells is included,
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Friday, March 22, 2019
“The English Patient:, despite winning the Man Booker Prize in 1992 and 2018, was not selected to be included in “1,000 Books to Read Before You Die”.
In addition to “The Common Reader”, Virginia Woolf’s “To the Lighthouse” and “Orlando” also made the list. but not his masterpiece “The Time Machine”. There is no mention of Pablo Neruda, W H Auden, Paul Valéry, and Elizabeth Bishop. My brother Michael Ondaatje is also not included despite his wartime story “The English Patient” winning not only the 1992 Booker Prize. but also, in 2018, the Golden Man Booker Prize over 51 previous winners. However, Salman Rushdie’ “Midnight’s Children”, which won the 1981 Booker Prize, is rightfully included. John Kenneth Galbraith’s “The Great Crash” (1929) is a deserving Mustich choice, but I was disappointed that “Seabiscuit” by Laura Hillenbrand (1999) was not as her meticulous research gave readers not only the story of a horse racing legend – but a detailed insight into what some people had to do to survive the 1930s Depression in the United States.
It is difficult not to be awed by Mustich’s gargantuan achievement – 14 years of reading and research. But the reader must realise that it is a highly personal list that invites criticism and argument – which is why it is so engrossing. For example, there are four pages devoted to Virginia Woolf that discuss her feminist, psychoanalytic and modernist creations including “The Common Reader”, “To the Lighthouse” and “Orlando”, but there is no mention of her long-suffering husband Leonard Woolf, whose masterful short novel “A Village in the Jungle” (1913) described a dry zone jungle village of Sri Lanka and released the springs of his creative imagination to produce this single masterpiece. His book holds a central place in the English literature of this former colonial island. Similarly, Evelyn Waugh has earned a rightful inclusion in “1,000 Books to
Read Before You Die” and is credited as being one of the leading British novelists of the 20th century. But not another contemporary, critically acclaimed Anglo-Russian William Gerhardie – author of “The Polyglots” – who wrote an unforgettable tale of an eccentric Belgian family living in the Far East during the turbulent years just after the First World War which displaced them, and the Russian Revolution which impoverished them. This is a book that should be included. Waugh himself said about Gerhardie: “I have talent, but you have genius.” Curiously there is no mention of Joyce Carol Oates or Raymond Carver. Perhaps Mustich did not acknowledge their literary ability. I was also disappointed that he did not include P L Travers, the AustralianEnglish writer who created the magical “Mary Poppins” books, or indeed her compatriot Henry Lawson – the best known Australian short story writer and outback poet. Nor did he include Robert Lowell, the most important American poet of the post-war era who mythologised New England, and won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1947 and 1974; or his witty and talented novelist and high-profile wife Caroline Blackwood who Lowell described as “a mermaid who dines on the bones of her winded lovers”. Mustich does however include Charlotte Brontë’s classic 1847 novel “Jane
According to Mustich, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the late 1970s and the 80s. Eyre”, as well as Jean Rhys’s compact and haunting tale “Wide Sargasso Sea” (1966) which could well be a jazz improvisation and prequel to the beautiful and brooding “Jane Eyre”. One could go on forever. Comments about the disregard for orthodox morality in Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights”; Truman Capote’s chilling true crime classic “In Cold Blood”; Lewis Carroll’s whimsical “Alice in Wonderland”; Anton Chekhov’s enormous influence on Virginia Woolf and Ernest Hemingway; Colette’s scandalous long life of love and letters; Anne Frank’s “The Diary of a Young Girl” – coming of age in an age of horror; Sigmund Freud’s “The Interpretation of Dreams”; Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s “Faust”, and so on. Whether for learning or enlightenment, dispute or discussion, diversion or mere deflection, this is one literary masterpiece that I would add to James Mustich’s list of “1,000 Books to Read Before You Die”. NEXT WEEK: A multi-talented American journalist, writer and filmmaker best known for her rom-com films. • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial
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Friday, March 22, 2019
history
A ‘Bahamian’ Tuskegee Airman Forgotten facts | Paul C Aranha
E
ric Minns is a well-known name in the Bahamian entertainment industry, having written songs like “Fox Hill Gal”, “If You Can’t Find Your Friends in Nassau, They’re in Freeport, or They’re in Jail”, “Island Boy”, and many others. He is also the author of a novel “Who Killed Sir Harry”. Eric, the son of Esther Minns, has many maternal cousins, including me. At least one of his paternal cousins, Alma Rosalie Vargas (1902-2000) emigrated to the United States, where she married Edward William Parker Hardy. Alma and Edward raised seven children, all American-born first-cousins once-removed of Eric’s. Had Alma’s children been born in Nassau, they would have been Bahamians, and her son, George Edward Hardy, would not have become one of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen of
World War II, the first black servicemen to fly combat missions for the US Army Air Forces at a time when the US military was racially segregated and black Americans were not recognised as full citizens at home. Eric introduced me to George’s sister, Alma, on one of her many visits to Nassau, and through her I learned about her brother’s outstanding 28-year career as a pilot. This “could-have-been Bahamian” gentleman’s account of how he became not only a Tuskegee Airman, but the youngest pilot in his squadron, is only the beginning of his story, which started at the age of 17. Fresh out of school George enlisted in the Army Air Force. By the age of 19, George was flying a P-51C Mustang, in training with the 99th Fighter Squadron, in Tuskegee, Alabama. He went on to fly 21 combat missions in World War II and shares in
the well-deserved acclaim that the Tuskegee Airman earned for their success in escorting bombers from Italy to their targets in Germany. George also served in the Korean War, where he flew 45 combat missions in B-29 bombers. As if that were not enough, he flew 70 missions in heavilyarmed AC-47 gunships in the Vietnam War, where he was the oldest pilot in the squadron. George Hardy retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel. When I had the pleasure of meeting him for lunch in Orlando, he kept me spellbound with his war stories and with his new “career” of touring the world telling the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, “lest we forget”. At least two movies have been made about the Tuskegee Airman. The first was “The Tuskegee Airman” (1995) starring Laurence Fishburne and Cuba Gooding, Jr. Then came “Red Tails” (2012), once again starring Cuba
The Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006. Gooding, Jr, but neither movie does justice to the Tuskegee Airmen, who earned the Congressional Gold Medal. Lt Col Hardy was one of 188 Tuskegee veterans who took part in President Barack Obama’s inauguration parade on January 20, 2009. Of the many people most responsible for the creation of a squadron of black pilots, the name Eleanor Roosevelt stands out. The First Lady of the United States was taken for a flight by Charles Alfred “Chief” Anderson, a pioneering black aviator, who, with his friend Dr Roger Albert “Bert” Forsyth, had landed Forsyth’s plane on a road in Westward Villas on November 9, 1934. “Chief” is an intrinsic part of the annals of the Tuskegee Airman. • For questions and comments, e-mail islandairman@gmail.com
Lt Col George Hardy (second from right on the carriage with the grey gloves) during President Barack Obama’s inauguration parade in 2009.
Then and now: Lt Col George Hardy
The P-51D flown by 2nd Lt George E Hardy, 99th Fighter Squadron 332nd Fighter Group, Ramitelli, Italy, 1945.
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Best described as a number crossword, the task in Kakuro is to fill all of the empty squares, using numbers 1 to 9, so the sum of each horizontal block equals the number to its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the number on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Kakuro increases from Monday to Sunday.
Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so the each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday
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CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 One is going to make them (6) 4 Curtails the brigade’s movements (8) 9 They’re purely symbolic (6) 10 Living for a nice beef stew (8) 12 One may call it a breakfast favourite (4) 13 Kind of duty, say, for nails (5) 14 Sort of wolves apparently extinct? (4) 17 A suitable sucker? (7,5) 20 One small crowd actor suggests what we’d all like (1,6,5) 23 Men who fight about Mary (4) 24 Go by car or Thomas will be back first (5) 25 Look for support in return (4) 28 Erudition - obtained by this? (8) 29 Wrongly push in? It’s correct (6) 30 After no peace I head for caution (8) 31 Instructed to get soundly tight (6)
Down 1 Endure - strange to relate (8) 2 A word of praise (8) 3 It’s bent on submission (4) 5 Cheerless prospect of Dickensian house? (5,7) 6 I dry up dessert dishes (4) 7 Within iron bars you’ll find me in need of a wash (6) 8 Skidded when we were in the sleigh (6) 11 Dogs hunted as boss ordered (6,6) 15 Form of penicillin? (5) 16 A doctor required - about to turn yellow (5) 18 Guiding line about two similar points (8) 19 Retort about lumbago? (8) 21 Plant entirely consumed by a greedy creature (6) 22 With a look the little devil may injure one (6) 26 Unidentified girl holding a ring (4) 27 A bygone city with a distinctive air (4)
Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Focus, 4 Fateful, 8 Tot, 9 At a low ebb, 10 Inhuman, 11 Grill, 13 Global, 15 Starve, 18 Catch, 19 Pegasus, 21 Cease-fire, 23 Run, 24 Address, 25 Niece. Down: 1 Fitting, 2 Cutthroat, 3 Spasm, 4 Flaunt, 5 Thought, 6 Fee, 7 Libel, 12 In reserve, 14 Athlete, 16 Essence, 17 Spoils, 18 Cocoa, 20 Green, 22 Aid.
Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Strip, 4 Pronoun, 8 Cob, 9 Testament, 10 Rundown, 11 Ibsen, 13 Shocks, 15 Static, 18 Sedan, 19 Clearly, 21 Prospered, 23 Ida, 24 Andante, 25 Weedy. Down: 1 Secures, 2 Robin Hood, 3 Patio, 4 Posing, 5 On a diet, 6 Ode, 7 Not on, 12 Saturnine, 14 Kingpin, 16 Crybaby, 17 Scarce, 18 Sepia, 20 Endow, 22 Odd.
EASY PUZZLE
Across 1 Systematic plan of action (6) 4 Be persistent (5,3) 9 Japan (6) 10 Work of a clergyman (8) 12 To stop (4) 13 To estimate (5) 14 To win (4) 17 Fall to pieces (12) 20 Mexican volcano (12) 23 Greet (4) 24 Cruel grasping person (5) 25 Unyielding (4) 28 Assertively opinionated (8) 29 Unwell (6) 30 Traveller on foot (8) 31 Compensate for (6)
Down 1 Parasol (8) 2 Desperate (8) 3 Open to question (4) 5 Irresponsibly combative (7-5) 6 Gaming counter (4) 7 Expenditure (6) 8 Severe (6) 11 To trick (4,3,1,4) 15 Pry (5) 16 Different (5) 18 Physical fitness exercises (8) 19 Acceptable (3,5) 21 Follow secretly (6) 22 One at a time (6) 26 Festive celebration (4) 27 Petty quarrel (4)
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0907 181 2560 (Deduct three minutes for each extra clue letter heard)
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The Tribune | Weekend | 27
Friday, March 22, 2019
animals
A disgusting and worrisome spectacle Animal matters | KIM ARANHA
S
o once again we have a very disturbing cruel video circulating on Bahamian social media. It shows a large, magnificent tiger shark beached, with a rope around its tail and a bunch of young men jabbering around the poor creature. The scattered and random comments are not always easy to understand, liberally peppered with as many four-letter words as possible. One young man has a rifle and shoots the shark in the head; the animal appears to be almost dead. There is blood in the sand. One child, clearly enjoying this disgusting spectacle, gets a bit close too the shark and the older individual does have the presence of mind to tell him to be careful not to get bitten. Then they ponder as to whether the shark is dead or not, so they shoot it again in the head and it shudders in pain – huge cause for laughter and delight. A charming spectacle of young Bahamians enjoying a fun day at the beach! What a disgrace. Let’s hope those wonderful eco-tourists we are trying to attract to the Bahamas for a positive experience
PET OF THE WEEK MARVELLOUS MIRANDA By THE Bahamas Humane Society
don’t have this little clip pop up on their feed. So this clip prompted a statement issued by the Bahamas National Trust, immediately followed by a supporting statement by the Bahamas Humane Society. There is more than one ill taking place here. Let’s start with the fact that it is illegal to kill a shark for recreational purposes. In fact, it is illegal to kill a shark anywhere in the Bahamas. This was passed in 2011, as the BNT points out in their well worded release: “The Bahamas is a 243,000 square mile shark sanctuary.” These laws are clearly documented and can easily be verified if any of you doubt the validity of my words. The second fact is that the Bahamas loves to call itself the diving capital of the world, though some destinations, such as Indonesia, might like to challenge that claim. We supposedly bring in some $114 million a year from diving. And what does everybody want to see? A shark, you got it! Day and night shark dives for all level of divers are readily available all over these islands.
A tiger shark in Bahamian waters. (Photo/Scott Aranha) What sharks do people want to dive with and tell the tale? Hammerhead, bull and tiger. Those uneducated young men were happily killing the goose that lays the golden egg. In order to keep those divers coming back we must have a healthy environment for our sharks; they must thrive and multiply. The third point, and perhaps the most concerning, is the question of the mental state of our young people. We see a display of torture, bleeding and pain. The shark shudders in pain as he is shot, and the reaction of the young men? Laughter. How many times in history have we read about armies of young men raping and torturing as they plunder the land they conquer. We are steps away from that. Children are frequently being abducted in the Bahamas; I understand that so far they have been returned unhurt....so far! I have cried this warning out to the people of the Bahamas for years, it falls on deaf ears. At times I become the subject of derision. I will not stop warning. I implore the Royal Bahamas Police Force to apprehend these youths, the evidence is there on tape. They need to be charged; they need to pay the price. The school system needs to educate the young about the environment and cruelty, the laws and why it is wrong.
M
iranda’s very happy that her puppy-bearing days are over. This one-and-a-bit-year-old potcake was brought into the Bahamas Humane Society with her final litter of pups by a concerned staff member who was worried they’d be squished on the road. Fortunately, that did not happen, and with the pups adopted out, Miranda is now keen to have a home of her own. She’s good with other dogs, doesn’t want to know about cats, and is very friendly and sweet to humans of all ages. She’d make a good yard and could possibly be trained as an indoor-outdoor dog. Do you have just the right spot, out of the
PHOTO/PATRICIA VAZQUEZ
The Ministry of Tourism needs to support a school programme. If we lose our marine life, what else do we have to flaunt? We have tried to copy Trinidad with carnival, rather poorly, so let’s preserve what we have. Where is the voice of the Ministry of the Environment and Agriculture and Fisheries? Where are the churches? Why are the men and women in the pulpit so silent? Did God not create all this? Should they not be preaching kindnesses and preservation? It is a disgrace that the only two entities with fortitude and courage to stand up against this disgusting behaviour are NGOs – the Bahamas National Trust and the Bahamas Humane Society. Where does our government stand on this, what is this silence telling us? Yesterday I received an anonymous report that three turtles had been killed in Barretarre, turtles are protected too. They say the police do not take it seriously and will not act, and people are afraid to report these killings. Incidentally, I am still waiting to hear back from the Commissioner of Police about the investigation I requested on February 15 into the incident when the RBPF shot two owned and tethered dogs who posed no threat to them. tempest, for Miranda? If so, come in to the BHS to meet her or call 323-5138 for more information. Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday. Miranda looks forward to meeting you! • BHS Quiz Night at Compass Point will take place on on Tuesday, March 27, at 7pm. There will be tables of two to six players; $10 per player. Please call 357-4318 to book your space. Then on Saturday, March 30, visit the Captain’s Table in Lyford Cay for an art sale. All proceeds go to the BHS.
28 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, March 22, 2019