and other support for farm- ing communities along the fertile East Bank Berbice River region to help develop large-scale agriculture culti- vations. Agriculture Min- ister Robert Persaud said this is part of his ministrys comprehensive plan to fur- ther develop agriculture and bring new areas under culti- vation. He recently met farmers at Mara, 26 miles from New Amsterdam, and announced that more than G$12M will be spent on crit- ical works to boost drainage capacity and encourage agri- cultural activities. The equipment promised has already been deployed to the area to do work to increase the drain- age capacity of new areas that were brought into cul- tivation as a result of the ministrys Grow More Food Campaign. Persaud urged farm- ers and residents in Mara and neighbouring farming com- munities to help take care of the structures and assist in maintaining critical canals as they are the ultimate ben- efciaries. He also assured farmers that the ministry will continue to engage the communities to provide technical and other support as a means of supplement- ing the investment made to boost agriculture. Additionally, it was announced that the govern- ment has approved G$16M to fx the all-weather access road to complement expand- ing areas under cultivation and to ensure farmers access to local and export markets. Farmers are also getting seeds, planting ma- terials, chemicals, farming implements and other sup- plies. Also at the Mara meeting were Mr. Zulfkar Mustapha, Regional Chair- man, Region Six, Mr. Lionel Wordsworth, Chief Execu- tive Offcer, National Drain- age and Irrigation Authority, and other technical offcers of the Ministry of Agricul- ture. The ministry said farmers committed to do large-scale agriculture re- sulting from the ongoing and planned support and works for the East Berbice areas. Large-scale agriculture for East Bank Berbice Minister Persaud (centre) fanked by Regional Chairman, Zulfkar Mustapha and the Nation- al Drainage and Irrigation Authoritys Chief Executive Offcer, Lionel Wordsworth, during the commissioning of the sluice at Moleson Creek. The newly commissioned sluice at Moleson Creek. Initiatives such as these are geared towards further boosting the ag- ricultural industry and also resuscitating agricultural schemes, such as Mara, so that farmers could experience greater productivity and enjoy better livelihoods. Polls, Pollsters, Publishers and the PPP -- Page 13 Good industrial relations not... -- Page 14 Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 2 World News T he Libyan government has ordered the United Na- tions refugee agency to leave the country, without explaining why, according to the UN. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has worked in Libya since 1991, but last week it was ordered to close, Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the UNHCR, said on Tuesday. Fleming said the agency was still negotiating with the government to try to stay in Libya. Libyan offcials declined to comment on the expul- sion. The UNHCR has registered more than 9,000 refu- gees in the country, mostly would-be migrants who tried to enter Italy from the Middle East and North Africa. The Italian government expels them to Libya. Libya expels UN refugee agency T he US president has said his nation will provide a $400m aid package for the Palestinians, as he called the situation in the Gaza Strip unsustain- able. Barack Obama made his pledge on Wednesday after meeting Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, at the White House. He said the money would go to both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Abbas visit to Washing- ton comes amid an interna- tional backlash against Is- rael after its forces boarded a Turkish aid ship bound for the Gaza Strip on May 31, killing nine activists. Obama said the incident was a tragedy, but repeat- ed the line of his administra- tion that it was too early to rush to judgement, saying its important that we get all the facts. Obama also said he be- lieved signifcant progress was possible in the Middle East peace process this year, and vowed the full weight of US involvement. Now is the time to move forward from the current dead end, he said. Not only is the status quo with respect to Gaza unsustainable, but the status quo with the respect to the Middle East is unsustain- able, it is time for us to go ahead, move forward on a two-state solution. Abbas repeated his calls for Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza in the meeting, and described Obamas promise of aid as a positive sign. Michael Oren, Israels ambassador to the US, re- sponded that his coun- try was open to suggestions that would address the needs of the Palestinian people along with Israels security requirements. However, Oren defended the blockade as essential for not only Israels security, Egypts security, but its es- sential for the peace pro- cess. Israel put the Gaza Strip under siege in 2007, after Hamas seized power of the territory, saying the blockade is needed to pre- vent weapons smuggling. The siege allows Israel to control the fow of goods and people going into the Strip. Obama pledges aid to Palestinians On his frst offcial visit to Afghanistan, David Cam- eron, the British prime minister, has announced in- creased aid for the country but ruled out sending extra troops. The Conservative leader, who held talks with Hamid Karzai, the Afghan presi- dent, in Kabul on Thursday, declared Afghanistan the most important foreign pol- icy issue for Britain. He said Britain would spend an additional $98 mil- lion on countering the threat of roadside bombs and pro- vide additional aid funding for Afghanistan to build up its army, police and civil ser- vice capacity. Ive described this year - and the president, I know, agrees - in terms of the Nato mission in Afghanistan as the vital year, Cameron said. What we want, and is our national security inter- est, is to hand over to an Af- ghanistan that is able to take control of its own security. Britain currently has 9,500 troops in Afghanistan as part of a 46-nation force led by the US. But Cameron, addressing a joint news conference with Karzai, said that the issue of more troops is not remote- ly on the UK agenda. Cameron reaffrms Afghan support Cameron said sending extra troops to Afghanistan was not remotely on the UK agenda. Corned beef products prohibited in St Kitts-Nevis BASSETERRE, St Kitts (SKNIS) -- The Ministry of Indus- try, Commerce and Consumer Affairs has advised the public in St Kitts and Nevis not to consume corned-beef products from the Brazilian frm SIF 337. Following initial investigations, the Department of Con- sumer Affairs and the Bureau of Standards found that the 7oz tin of Grace Corned Beef imported by O D Brisbane & Sons (Trading) Ltd and the 12oz tin of Libbys Corned Beef imported by Rams (Trading) Ltd originated from the Brazil- ian frm SIF 337 and may be contaminated with Ivermectin, which is a de-worming agent in live animals. Consumers and shopkeepers are advised to check their purchases. The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Con- sumer Affairs has advised that with immediate effect all beef products from Brazilian frm SIF 337 are prohibited from entry into St. Kitts and Nevis, pursuant to Part VI, Section 28 of the National Bureau of Standards Act No.7 of 1999. Page 3 Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 (AFP) -- The FBI on Wednes- day rejected reports it had paid murder suspect Joran Van der Sloot 25,000 dollars in sting money and insisted its probe of the Dutchman did not prompt his fight to Peru, where he is under ar- rest for a new murder. Van der Sloot, 22, is the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway, who was visiting the Carib- bean tourist island of Aruba when she went missing. In that case, Van der Sloot was twice arrested and spent three months in jail but was never charged. Hol- loways body has never been found. The FBI and the US At- torneys offce in Alabama, Holloways home state, said they launched an investiga- tion in April into allegations of criminal conduct by Van der Sloot after he offered to provide information on Holloways remains and the circumstances of her death in exchange for 250,000 dol- lars. But the Federal Bureau of Investigation is coming under fre for not arresting Van der Sloot last month when they had the chance, after reportedly taping a meeting in which the suspect accepted sting money, com- mitted wire fraud and made incriminating statements about Holloways death. US news reports said the FBI had transferred 15,000 dollars to a Van der Sloot bank account and pro- vided 10,000 in cash to the Dutchman during a meeting in Aruba on May 10. Van der Sloot was not arrested, and he reportedly slipped out of Aruba three days later, ar- riving in Peru on May 14. According to the FBI statement, the US Attorney fled a criminal complaint charging Van der Sloot with extortion and wire fraud on June 3, 2010, the very day he was arrested to face murder charges of Peruvian Stephany Flores Ramirez. He has since confessed to killing the Peruvian busi- ness student in a ft of rage after she used his laptop without permission, accord- ing to police offcials. Some news accounts have suggested that the FBI provided 25,000 dollars in funds that were transmitted to Van der Sloot. This is in- correct. The funds involved were private funds, the FBI said in its statement. Private investigator Bo Dietl, who reportedly helped set up the meeting between Van der Sloot and a civil- ian go-between for the Hol- loway family that was ap- proved and taped by the FBI, told the Fox network that the money was provided by the Holloways. He also said there was absolutely suffcient evi- dence after the meeting to arrest the Dutchman on the spot, but that Van der Sloot was allowed to freely leave the meeting. We dont know who let him go, but we all know (that) he was let go, and then he ended up killing some- body else, Dietl told the network on Tuesday. The FBI appeared to seek to defect mounting questions about why Van der Sloot was not apprehended in Aruba. We offer our heartfelt sympathy to the Flores fami- ly, the FBI said, but stressed that the Birmingham inves- tigation was not related in any way to the murder in Peru. The agency said that de- spite the investigation being in motion for several weeks at the time of Miss Floress death, it was not suffciently developed to bring charges prior to the time Van der Sloot left Aruba. FBI denies probe led to Holloway suspects Peru murder PARIS, France (AFP) -- Cuba called on the European Union on Thursday to drop its obsolete stance toward the island-nation, saying it amounted to meddling in its internal affairs. The (EU) com- mon position must change because it amounts to in- terference and is obsolete, said Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez following talks in Paris with his Span- ish counterpart Miguel An- gel Moratinos. The Paris talks were held ahead of a meeting Mon- day in Luxembourg of EU foreign ministers who are to decide whether they want to change their so-called com- mon position toward Cuba. Havana has long objected to the European Unions insistence that the regime must show progress on human rights and democ- racy before it can hope to improve relations with the 27-nation bloc. Spain has argued that the EU position has yielded few results since it was ad- opted in 1996 and should be abandoned altogether, but it faces opposition from Swe- den, the Czech Republic and other EU nations. France responded to Rodriguezs call by saying it could not step up relations since Cuba had not improved human rights. Cuban authorities have not made the gestures we were waiting for, notably in terms of human rights and fundamental freedoms, said the French foreign min- istrys deputy spokeswoman Christine Fages. In these conditions it is not possible to take a new step forward. Moratinos, whose coun- try holds the EUs rotating presidency, described the meeting with the Cuban for- eign minister as construc- tive, positive even though there continue to be some differences. The meeting was origi- nally scheduled for Madrid in early April but was post- poned after the death of lead- ing Cuban political prisoner Orlando Zapata who died af- ter a long hunger strike. Madrid wants to ne- gotiate a EU-Cuba coopera- tion agreement, but opposi- tion stiffened within the EU following Zapatas death in February and a wave of pris- on sentences for dissidents. Cuba urges Europe to change obsolete policy Israel condemned at Turkey summit N early two dozen nations have condemned Israels deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid fotilla at the con- clusion of a regional summit in Istanbul. Abdullah Gul, the Turkish president, released a statement agreed to by 21 of the 22 participants in the conference. Israel was the 22nd participant, and it refused to sign the document. The summit was a meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confdence Building Measures in Asia, a bloc of 22 Eurasian states founded in the early 1990s. Del- egates mostly discussed security issues, particularly Israel and Afghanistan. All member states, except one, expressed their grave concern and condemnation for the actions under- taken by the Israeli Defence Forces, the statement said. Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 4 Regional Round-Up: RDCs, NDCS, NGOs ERC set to conclude Regional Consultations The periodic but regular consultations of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) with numerous stakeholders, including community oriented, grass root organisations; religious and spiritual bodies and non-government associations reached its penultimate stage last week. The ERC commenced meetings with spokespersons and representatives of Africanist, Christian, Hindu and other so- cial strata drawn from civil society on Monday, May 17 2010. These feed-back type meetings continued up until the end of last month and were hosted by the ERC at its Georgetown offces. The other stage or phase of the exercise described as the Annual Regional Meeting and Strategic Assessment Process (ARM/SAP) commenced earlier this month. According to a release from the ERC reproduced as a GINA bulletin, the Commission is supported by the United Nations Develop- ment Programme (UNDP) and its Enhanced Public Trust, Security and Inclusion (EPTSI) initiative to implement the strategy.
ERC constituencies are immediately representative of the Neighbourhood structure devised by the Local Authorities. Over the years the Commission has associated itself with these traditional locations or Districts that are popularly recognised by the broad public. Meetings were held in Regions Four (Demerara/Soes- dyke), Five (Mahaica/Mahaicony/Rosignol), Six (Albion- Springlands/Corentyne) and Seven (Mazaruni/Potaro) starting from June 1. On June 4 meetings were held with representatives of concerned social partners in Linden and elsewhere adjacent to the historical mining community. Validation Workshop: Objective Engagements were held in the West Demerara areas (Region Three) on June 8, 2010. At the Regional meetings, accord- ing to the Commission, stakeholders proffered recommenda- tions, voiced concerns and threw out suggestions as to how, and in what way the ERC could upgrade and improve its ca- pacity and social impact in the execution of its Constitutional mandate. Structurally, the institutional strengthening process is refected in the crafting of a strategic review of ERC docu- mentation. This process in practical terms would involve the regional stake holders and representatives in a national re- treat that is scheduled as a validation workshop planned for June 17 2010 at the Guyana International Convention Centre, Liliendaal, ECD. The accumulated data and recommendations of the combined consultations (i.e. both phases), the ERC has disclosed, will be considered during the Strategic Planning Meeting of the Commission, which will be held with ERC Commissioners, Senior Staff and personnel supported by the technical input from parties including that of Mr. Lawrence Latchmansingh, UNDP Consultant. These (in-house) deliberations it is proposed will cover the period 2010-2015, and will see the ERC reinforcing its capacity as well as addressing priority issues and challenges facing communities across Guyana as these concerns pertain to ethnic relations. Elections and ERC Confict Resolution According to the above-mentioned source of informa- tion, the ERC has engaged approximately 340 persons from over 225 communities countrywide. Included in this unilin- ear social networking are representations from three Par- liamentary Political Parties. Meetings are also arranged to take place with the Governing Party (PPP/C) and the United Force. It has also been confrmed that Bishop Juan Edgehill has stated as follows: * Elections including regional elections are due in 2011. * There is the potential for Local Government Elections later this year. * Against this backdrop the ERC is seeking to assess its performance and connect with the strategic objective of de- veloping new plans. Encouraging NTPYE Training Results Based on the numbers provided by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) there has been a signifcant increase in trained young people who have completed the various skill courses sponsored under the National Training Programme for Youth Empowerment (NTPYE). This projection was launched as an initiative by President Bharrat Jagdeo in September 2005. For this year (starting from last year) 509 youths were pro- vided with employable skills under the NTPYE. Based on the release issued as a GINA bulletin, the training repro- duced several young apprentices and potential semi-skilled youngsters, as well as some adults. The pattern remains consistent with the sub-regional input in terms of size with West Berbice scoring the largest con- tingent. The regions that gained from the NTPYE were as follows: * Region Five - 102 * Regions One & Two - 185 * Region Three (Essequibo Islands) - 137 * Region Four - 90 A total of 509 trainees. The whole idea behind the NTPYE was to provide anadded opportunity for those who may have left school early, dropped out or forced to become family providers of income before completing their education ... To date (see Weekend Mirror 5-6 June 2010) the courses pro- vided range to eight with the possibility of additional skills provision. Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 5 by Ralph Ramkarran T he electoral victory of the Peoples Part- nership in Trinidad and Tobago, the subject of much recent comment in our press, has highlighted the issue of alliance politics which was pioneered by the PPP in Guyana. The success of the Peoples Partnership was based on this creative al- liance, decisive leadership and hard work. The fail- ures of governance during the PNMs terms of offce, allegations of corruption, squandermania and arro- gant behavior played an im- portant role in diminishing support of the PNM. These factors facilitated a land- slide victory for the Peoples Partnership. A different situ- ation emerged in Surinam where post electoral alliance building is part of the politi- cal process because no polit- ical party can secure a ma- jority of seats. Apart from the necessity of the govern- ing coalition needing control of 51 percent of the seats to pass legislation, it needs the support of two-thirds of the National Assembly to elect a President. The Mega Com- bination, which gained the largest number of seats, is now engaged, at the time of writing, to secure the support of a majority of members to form the Government and two-thirds of the members to obtain the Presidency. These develop- ments have given urgency to the efforts of opposition forces in Guyana to create the big tent with a consen- sus presidential candidate. But the situation is completely different here. The objectives of the PPP, when formed in 1950, dic- tated an alliance between races and classes in order to achieve maximum mo- bilization and support. The ethnic part of that alliance was shattered in 1955 when the Burnham faction broke away from the PPP and eventually established the PNC. These objectives, to- gether with an ideological commitment, have dictated an historical reliance by the PPP on alliance politics. The PPP continued to champion alliance politics after 1955. It sought a modus vivendi with the PNC 1963, 1977 and 1985 in order to repair the political and eth- nic division but without suc- cess. From the time the PPP went into opposition in 1964 it was seeking to win additional support across the ethnic divide, establish alliances among the then opposition and civil society forces. It started out with the Amerindian people. Af- ter years of harrowing ef- fort, it obtained their politi- cal support. It worked with GADM (Guyana Anti Dis- crimination Movement) and established the broad based World Peace Council and other organizations. Dur- ing the campaign against the referendum to change the constitution in 1977 the PPP played a key role in establishing the Citizens Committee comprising civil society groups and the CDD (Committee in Defence of Democracy) comprising po- litical parties. These allianc- es were crucial in mobilizing support against the PNC, in weakening its appeal from 1980 and in delivering free and fair elections in 1992. The establishment of the PCD (Patriotic Coali- tion for Democracy) in 1985, in which the PPP played a leading role, provided the forum for the opposition the PPP, the WPA (Work- ing Peoples Alliance) and the DLM (Democratic La- bour Movement) and two smaller parties to carry out a united campaign for free and fair elections. It agreed to a programme and worked on post electoral unity. The great demo- cratic victory in 1992 was built on a foundation of al- liance politics. When an al- liance could not be created for the 1992 elections with its PCD partners, the PPP joined with GUARD and the PPP/CIVIC alliance was born. The success of the PPPs alliance politics in- spired the PNC after the dis- mal failure of its confronta- tional policies between 1992 and 2001. The Peoples Na- tional Congress became the Peoples National Congress Reform when it embraced a group of non-members who were prominent in business. Shortly after the PNCR ad- opted a policy of shared gov- ernance, based on a political rather than a programmatic alliance. The PPPs policy of creating alliances has been vindicated and now accept- ed as the preferred method of political organization and activity. While its current Civic alliance has endured, it has sought to establish less formal alliances for specifc programmes by consultation with NGOs, the Amerin- dian community, the reli- gious community and other groups. This aspect of the alliance policy of the PPP, although not structured, to- gether with the development policies which have deliv- ered social services to the people of Guyana on a scale larger than at any time in the history of Guyana, has been largely responsible for the great successes of the PPP and its Government. There is no doubt that the events in Trini- dad and Tobago, Surinam and even as far away as the United Kingdom, where the Conservatives and the Lib- erals have formed a coali- tion government, will give additional impetus to oppo- sition parties here to make another attempt to establish a big tent alliance.
This would be a welcome development. The PPP led the way and Guyana, like all other countries, need competitive politics so that the people will get an oppor- tunity to have a real choice between parties or allianc- es putting forward the best policies from which the electorate can choose. The people of Guyana are en- titled to have before them, and the contesting political groups are obliged to ad- vance, alternative policies which can be tested by dis- cussion and debate so that the electorate can make, and be encouraged to make, a judgment at the elections based on policies rather than on other extraneous circumstances. (www.con- versationtree.gy) ALLIANCE POLITICS The great democratic victory in 1992 was built on a founda- tion of alliance politics. When an alliance could not be cre- ated for the 1992 elections with its PCD partners, the PPP joined with GUARD and the PPP/CIVIC alliance was born. The success of the PPPs alliance politics inspired the PNC after the dismal failure of its confrontational policies between 1992 and 2001. The Peoples National Congress be- came the Peoples National Congress Reform when it em- braced a group of non-members who were prominent in business. Shortly after the PNCR adopted a policy of shared governance, based on a political rather than a programmatic alliance. The sun is about to get a lot more active, which could have ill effects on Earth. So to prepare, top sun sci- entists met Tuesday to dis- cuss the best ways to pro- tect Earths satellites and other vital systems from the coming solar storms. Solar storms occur when sunspots on our star erupt and spew out fumes of charged particles that can damage power systems. The suns activity typically follows an 11-year cycle, and it looks to be coming out of a slump and gearing up for an active period. The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and in the next few years we expect to see much higher levels of solar activity, said Richard Fisher, head of NASAs Heliophys- ics Division. At the same time, our technological so- ciety has developed an un- precedented sensitivity to solar storms. The intersec- tion of these two issues is what were getting together to discuss. Fisher and other experts met at the Space Weather Enterprise Fo- rum, which took place in Washington, D.C., at the National Press Club. People of the 21st century rely on high-tech systems for the basics of daily life. But smart power grids, GPS navigation, air travel, fnancial services and emergency radio com- munications can all be knocked out by intense so- lar activity. A major solar storm could cause twenty times more economic damage than Hurricane Katrina, warned the National Acad- emy of Sciences in a 2008 report, Severe Space Weather EventsSocietal and Economic Impacts. Luckily, much of the damage can be mitigated if managers know a storm is coming. Thats why bet- ter understanding of solar weather, and the ability to give advance warning, is especially important. Putting satellites in safe mode and discon- necting transformers can protect electronics from damaging electrical surg- es. Space weather fore- casting is still in its infan- cy, but were making rapid progress, said Thomas Bogdan, director of the National Oceanic and At- mospheric Administration (NOAA)s Space Weather Prediction Center in Boul- der, Colo. NASA and NOAA work together to manage a feet of satellites that moni- tor the sun and help to pre- dict its changes. A pair of spacecraft called STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Ob- servatory) is stationed on opposite sides of the sun, offering a combined view of 90 percent of the so- lar surface. In addition, SDO (the Solar Dynamics Observatory), which just launched in February 2010, is able to photograph solar active regions with unprec- edented spectral, tempo- ral and spatial resolution. Also, an old satellite called the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), which launched in 1997, is still chugging along monitoring winds coming off the sun. And there are dozens more dedicated to solar science. I believe were on the threshold of a new era in which space weather can be as infuential in our daily lives as ordinary ter- restrial weather. Fisher said. We take this very seriously indeed. (space. com Wed Jun 9, 2010) More Active Sun Means Nasty Solar Storms Ahead Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 6 by Bissasar Chintamanie M angroves form a unique and dominant ecosys- tem comprised of intertidal marine plants, mostly trees, predominantly bordering margins of tropical coast- lines around the world. These halophytic (salt tol- erant) plants thrive in sa- line conditions and daily inundation between mean sea level and highest as- tronomical tides, and they provide vital structure as habitat and food for simi- larly adapted resident and transient fauna. Mangrove plants exchange gases from exposed roots using spe- cial lenticels, while food- ing tides allow uptake of river-borne nutrients and frequent dispersal by their buoyant propagules. The ecological limits defned by the diurnal tidal range ex- plain the setting and why just 70 species around the world are considered to be mangroves, compared with adjacent rainforests that may have hundreds of tree species per hectare. Spe- cialized morphological and physiological characteris- tics largely defne and char- acterize mangrove plants, such as buttress trunks and roots providing support in soft sediments, aboveg- round roots allowing vital gas exchange in anaerobic sediments, and physiologi- cal adaptations for exclud- ing or expelling salt. Fewer than 22 plant families have developed such essential attributes, representing in- dependent instances of co- evolution over millions of years to form todays man- grove habitats. Atlantic man- groves, like other mangrove species, are affected by cli- mate change. The unique physiological characteristics of each species defne its capacity for survival in the face of change. Mangroves are ex- pected to respond rapidly and decisively to shifts in key factors, like tempera- ture, rainfall, and sea level, as each species has defned ranges of tolerance for each factor. For instance, because mangroves are characteristi- cally restricted to elevations between mean sea level and highest tides, as sea level raises their communities must move upland to sur- vive. Since mangroves have narrow optimal temperature ranges, rising temperatures will cause their distribu- tions to shift north or south to areas where temperature conditions are most suitable, and they will die off in areas where they are not suited. Of course, their success in making these shifts depends on their successful dispersal and re-establishment, and the availability of suitable new space. Clearly, such changes have occurred throughout history, so the distribution of mangroves today repre- sents the survivors of all past changes. Key indicators of change can be identifed and mapped as incremental shifts and responses of mangrove communities. These might be observed as shifts in veg- etation, for example: 1) in the total tidal wetland habi- tat zone, as expected with changes in sea level; and 2) in the salt marshmangrove ecozone, as expected with changes in longer-term rain- fall patterns as this affects moisture stress in saline environments. In both cas- es, the response zones will follow elevation contours. Changes along contours can be quantifed from long term spatial assessments over de- cade- and century long time periods, depending on the rates of change. Knowledge of these changes and their causes allows better predic- tion of future change. Guyana is a highly forested country with sub- stantial mangrove belts along the coastal region and river estuaries. Mangroves contribute substantially to sea defence by damping wave action and protect- ing coastal banks, but have degradated by natural and artifcial means over the past decades. Mangrove conservation and rehabilita- tion is therefore a priority of the Government of Guyana, thus the introduction and implementation of the Man- grove Restoration Project. The overall objective of the project is to abate climate change (carbon sequestra- tion through reforestation and forest preservation) and to mitigate its effects (sea defence, biodiversity). The project is managed by the Mangrove Action Com- mittee (MAC) within the Climate Change and Agri- cultural Adaptation Unit of the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) of the Ministry of Agricul- ture (MoA), Government of Guyana (GoG). Several activities have been completed by the project; Regional Stake- holders Workshops, Acqui- sition of Propagules/Plant- ing Materials, Preparation of Initial Planting Sites among other project activi- ties. Climate Change and Mangroves Mangroves are expected to respond rapidly and decisively to shifts in key factors, like temperature, rainfall, and sea level, as each species has defned ranges of tolerance for each fac- tor. For instance, because mangroves are characteristically restricted to elevations between mean sea level and highest tides, as sea level raises their communities must move upland to survive. Since mangroves have narrow optimal tempera- ture ranges, rising temperatures will cause their distribu- tions to shift north or south to areas where temperature con- ditions are most suitable, and they will die off in areas where they are not suited. ScienceDaily Astrono- mers have theorized that the planet Earth and the Moon were created as the result of a giant collision between two planets the size of Mars and Venus. Until now, the collision was thought to have hap- pened when the solar sys- tem was 30 million years old, or approximately 4,537 million years ago. But new research shows that Earth and the Moon must have formed much later -- perhaps up to 150 million years after the formation of the solar sys- tem. The research results have been published in the scientifc journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters. We have determined the ages of the Earth and the Moon using tungsten isotopes, which can reveal whether the iron cores and their stone surfaces have been mixed together dur- ing the collision, explains Tais W. Dahl, who did the research as his thesis proj- ect in geophysics at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenha- gen in collaboration with professor David J. Steven- son from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The planets in the solar system are thought to have been created by collisions between small dwarf planets orbiting the newborn Sun. In the collisions, the small plan- ets melted together and formed larger and larger planets. Earth and the Moon are believed to be the result of a gigantic col- lision between two planets the size of Mars and Ve- nus. The two planets col- lided at a time when both had a core of metal (iron) and a surrounding mantle of silicates (rock). But when did it happen and how did it happen? The collision took place in less than 24 hours and the temperature of the Earth was so high (7000 degrees C) that both rock and metal must have melt- ed in the turbulent colli- sion. But were the stone mass and iron mass also mixed together? Until recently it was believed that the rock and iron mixed completely during the planet forma- tion and so the conclu- sion was that the Moon was formed when the so- lar system was 30 million years old or approximate- ly 4,537 million years ago. But new research shows something completely dif- ferent. The age of Earth and the Moon can be dated by examining the pres- ence of certain elements in Earths mantle. Hafni- um-182 is a radioactive substance, which decays and is converted into the isotope tungsten-182. The two elements have mark- edly different chemical properties and while the tungsten isotopes prefer to bond with metal, hafnium prefers to bond to silicates, i.e. rock. It takes 50-60 million years for all hafnium to decay and be converted into tungsten, and during the Moon forming colli- sion nearly all the metal sank into Earths core. But did all the tungsten go into the core? We have studied to what degree metal and rock mix together during the planet forming col- lisions. Using dynamic model calculations of the turbulent mixing of the liquid rock and iron masses we have found that tungsten isotopes from the Earths early formation re- main in the rocky mantle, explains Dahl. The new studies imply that the moon forming col- lision occurred after all of the hafnium had decayed completely into tungsten. Our results show that metal core and rock are unable to emulsify in these collisions between planets that are greater than 10 kilometres in di- ameter and therefore that most of the Earths iron core (80-99 %) did not remove tungsten from the rocky material in the mantle during formation, explains Dahl.
The result of the research means that Earth and the Moon must have been formed much later than previously thought -- that is to say not 30 million years after the formation of the solar system 4,567 million years ago but per- haps up to 150 million years after the formation of the solar system. Earth and moon formed later than previously thought, new research suggests Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 7 ScienceDaily Vegetation around the world is on the move, and climate change is the culprit, according to a new analysis of global vege- tation shifts led by a Univer- sity of California, Berkeley, ecologist in collaboration with researchers from the U.S. Department of Agricul- ture Forest Service. In a paper published June 7 in the journal Glob- al Ecology and Biogeog- raphy, researchers present evidence that over the past century, vegetation has been gradually moving toward the poles and up mountain slopes, where temperatures are cooler, as well as toward the equator, where rainfall is greater. Moreover, an estimated one-tenth to one-half of the land mass on Earth will be highly vulnerable to climate- related vegetation shifts by the end of this century, de- pending upon how effective- ly humans are able to curb greenhouse gas emissions, according to the study. The results came from a meta-analysis of hundreds of feld studies and a spatial analysis of observed 20th century climate and project- ed 21st century vegetation. The meta-analysis iden- tifed feld studies that ex- amined long-term vegeta- tion shifts in which climate, rather than impacts from local human activity such as deforestation, was the dominant infuence. The re- searchers found 15 cases of biome shifts since the 18th century that are attributable to changes in temperature and precipitation. This is the frst glob- al view of observed biome shifts due to climate change, said the studys lead author Patrick Gonzalez, a visiting scholar at the Center for For- estry at UC Berkeleys Col- lege of Natural Resources. Its not just a case of one or two plant species moving to another area. To change the biome of an ecosystem, a whole suite of plants must change.
The researchers calculated that from 1901 to 2002, mean temperatures signifcantly increased on 76 percent of global land, with the great- est warming in boreal, or subarctic, regions. The most substantial biome shifts oc- curred where temperature or precipitation changed by one-half to two standard de- viations from 20th century mean values. Some examples of biome shifts that occurred include woodlands giving way to grasslands in the African Sahel, and shrublands en- croaching onto tundra in the Arctic. The dieback of trees and shrubs in the Sahel leaves less wood for houses and cooking, while the con- traction of Arctic tundra reduces habitat for caribou and other wildlife, said Gonzalez, who has served as a lead author on reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Globally, vegetation shifts are disrupting ecosystems, reducing habitat for endan- gered species, and altering the forests that supply water and other services to many people. To identify the areas most vulnerable to future vegeta- tion shifts, the researchers combined statistical analy- ses of observed climate data from the 20th century with models of vegetation change in the 21st century. Based upon nine differ- ent combinations of IPCC greenhouse gas emissions scenarios and climate mod- els, the researchers divided the worlds land into fve classes -- from very high to very low -- of vulnerability to biome shifts.
Scientists had not quanti- fed this risk before, said Gonzalez. We developed a simple classifcation system that natural resource man- agement agencies can use to identify regions in greatest need of attention and plan- ning. We have worked with the U.S.D.A. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service to explore the application of our results to adaptation of natural re- source management. Gonzalez said that be- cause of limited resources, it may be prudent to fo- cus on protecting areas of greater resilience to ecologi- cal changes so that they can serve as refuges for plants and animals. It is also use- ful to identify places of high- er vulnerability, because agencies will need to con- sider adaptation measures for vulnerable ecosystems, he said. Some shifts in veg- etation could increase fuel for wildfres, for example, so prescribed burning may be necessary to reduce the risk of catastrophic fres. Approximately one bil- lion people now live in areas that are highly to very highly vulnerable to future vegeta- tion shifts, said Gonzalez. Ecosystems provide impor- tant services to people, so we must reduce the emissions that cause climate change, then adapt to major changes that might occur. Climate change linked to major vegetation shifts worldwide ScienceDaily While an out-of-control gusher deep in the Gulf of Mexico fouls beaches and chokes marsh- land habitat, another threat could be growing below the oil-slicked surface. The nations worst oil spill could worsen and expand the oxygen-starved region of the Gulf labeled the dead zone for its inhospitability to ma- rine life, suggests Michigan State University professor Nathaniel Ostrom. It could already be feeding microbes that thrive around natural undersea oil seeps, he says, tiny critters that break down the oil but also consume pre- cious oxygen. At the moment, we are seeing some indication that the oil spill is enhancing hy- poxia, or oxygen depletion, Ostrom said. Its a good hint that were on the right track, and its just another insult to the ecosystem -- people have been worried about the size of the hypoxic zone for many years. The dead zone is believed to stem from urban runoff and nitrogen-based fertiliz- ers from farmland swept into the Gulf by the Mississippi River. Higher springtime fows carry a heavier surge each year, nourishing algae blooms that soon die and sink. Those decay and are eaten by bacteria that con- sume more oxygen, driving out marine life and killing that which cant move, such as coral. The dead zone can grow to the size of a small state. With the spill overlapping a section of the dead zone, the impact on that region is unknown. As it happened, Ostrom earlier had tapped zoology major Ben Kamphu- is to be on the Gulf in late May for a research cruise focused on nitrogen cycling. When the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon off- shore drilling rig blew out and sank April 20, Ostrom and collaborator Zhanfei Liu from the University of Texas at Austin quickly landed fed- eral support to expand their inquiry. Kamphuis, a junior from Holland, Michigan, learned far more than water sam- pling techniques during his week aboard the research vessel Pelican. Down there, (the oil spill) really affects a ton of people. I really didnt realize it before going, but after go- ing on the trip I realized how much we can help the people in that area. With dozens of water samples now returned to the lab, Ostrom, Kamphuis and food science sophomore Sam DeCamp, another under- graduate research associate, are setting up equipment to analyze them in the coming months. They want to know whether the oil in the water will promote oxygen starva- tion, and if so, how. Oil-hungry microbes can be expected to consume more oxygen from the water as they feast on hydrocar- bons, Ostrom says. But the oil slick and chemical dis- persants also could reduce the fow of oxygen from the atmosphere to the ocean, and possibly reduce the sunlight available to nourish oxygen- producing marine plant life. Michigan State research- ers were in the right place at the right time to contribute to our understanding of the effects of such a massive oil spill, he says, pointing to the oil-eating microbes as likely the biggest, if unrecognized, players in the drama. Were fortunate to have them, he said. Theyre do- ing the cleanup -- not BP. Gulf oil spill could widen, worsen Dead Zone ScienceDaily Geo- logical investigations in the Himalayas have revealed evidence that when India and Asia collided some 90 mil- lion years ago, the con- tinental crust of the In- dian tectonic plate was forced down under the Asian plate, sinking down into the Earths mantle to a depth of at least 200 km kilome- tres. The subduction of continental crust to this depth has never been reported in the Hima- layas and is also ex- tremely rare in the rest of world, said Dr Anju Pandey of the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, who led the research. Pandey and her col- Deep subduction of the Indian continental crust beneath Asia leagues used sophisti- cated analytical tech- niques to demonstrate the occurrence of rel- ict majorite, a variety of mineral garnet, in rocks collected from the Himalayas. Majorite is stable only under ultra-high pres- sure conditions, mean- ing that they must have been formed very deep down in the Earths crust, before the sub- ducted material was exhumed millions of years later. Our fndings are signifcant because researchers have dis- agreed about the depth of subduction of the Indian plate beneath Asia, said Pandey. In fact, the previous depth estimates con- ficted with estimates based on computer models. The new re- sults suggest that the leading edge of the Indian plate sank to a depth around double that of previous esti- mates. Our results are backed up by comput- er modelling and will radically improve our understanding of the subduction of the In- dian continental crust beneath the Himala- yas, said Pandey. The new discovery is also set to modify several fundamental parameters of Himala- yan tectonics, such as the rate of Himalayan uplift, angle, and sub- duction of the Indian plate. Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 8 EDITORIAL Letters to the Editor, Letters to the Editor Q uotes: ** Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the dough- nut; the pessimist the hole! -- Oscar Wilde. ** Everything is material for the seed of happiness, if you look into it with inquisitiveness and curiosity. The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment. There always is the potential to create an environment of blame -- or one that is conducive to loving-kindness. -- Pema Chodron. ** No road is too long for him who advances slowly and does not hurry, and no attainment is beyond his reach who equips himself with patience to achieve it. -- Jean de La Bruyere. ** Its only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth -- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up -- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had. -- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. ** We all have a social mask, right? We put it on, we go out, put our best foot forward, our best image. But behind that social mask is a personal truth, what we really, really believe about who we are and what were capable of. -- Phil McGraw. ** Every human has four endowments- self awareness, con- science, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom... The power to choose, to respond, to change. -- Stephen Covey. ** You cant let praise or criticism get to you. Its a weakness to get caught up in either one. -- John Wooden. Month of Martyrs T HE month of June can very well be described as the Month of Martyrs. It was during the month of June in 1948 and 1980 that some of our pa- triots were martyred by the colonial forces and by the PNC dictatorship in Guyana. The June 1948 killing of fve sugar workers was indeed a turning point in the history of Guyana. That struggle took place at a time when the peoples of the then colonies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America were on the move. The martyrdom of the workers at Enmore put Guyana frmly among those in the national libera- tion movement which was taking place in the world. At home, the strike began as an economic struggle defending workers living conditions. However, it rap- idly developed into a struggle for industrial democracy (workers to have the right to be represented by a union of their choice); and for independence, there was even more emphasis after the killings. June 16, 1948 is rightly regarded as the time when the fght for independence began in earnest. The 1948 strike accelerated the founding of the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP), which set as its frst goal the gaining of independence for our country. Guyanas independence came in 1966. Immediately after, we were forced to struggle against neo-colonialism. The British and U.S. inter- vened to ensure that our country had a government that they wished and not what our people wanted. That intervention logically led to the develop- ment of a dictatorship in Guyana. It did not happen im- mediately, but was gradual. By 1973, it was clear that that process was completed. The massive rigging of the elections of that year was not enough to ensure the victory of the PNC; it had to resort to brute force and murder (Jagan Ramessar and Bhola Nauth Parmanand were killed defending the ballot boxes at No. 64 Village, Corentyne). The dictatorship was exposed. It was in this atmosphere that Walter Rodney re- turned home from Tanzania where he was teaching. This young and brilliant Guyanese professor and revolutionary was welcomed home by the masses, but he was persona non grata to the PNC dictatorship. Indeed, just before he returned, a joint meeting was held at the corner of Middle and Cummings streets to demand that he be given the job at the University of Guyana, which he had applied for and which the aca- demic board approved, but that decision was reversed by the Board of Governors, which was dominated by PNC leaders and supporters. Rodney, on his return, immediately threw him- self into the struggle. He spoke at numerous meetings throughout the country. Not long after, he, along with others, founded the Working Peoples Alliance (WPA). He had hoped that that party would play a major role in defeating the dictatorship. Together with the PPP, many joint activities were organized. Indeed, the day before he was arrested, he had addressed a large crowd at the Bourda Mall orga- nized by the PPP to observe another anniversary of the massively rigged elections of 1973. Rodney mercilessly exposed the dictatorship and even ridiculed the dictator. He played a prominent role in all the struggles that took place in Guyana after his return. The PNC dictatorship could not play the racial card with him. Being an African-Guyanese who had creden- tials in the international liberation movement made it impossible for the PNC to brand him racist, ect, as they were continuing the practice of their colonial sponsors. On June 13, 1980, Walter Rodney was assassinated in Guyana. However, it marked the beginning of the end of the PNC dictatorship. It took 12 years of intense struggles to fnally re- move the PNC from government. Rodney played a major role in this. The thread that links the Enmore Martyrs and Walter Rodney is a common one in different circum- stances. Today, our society has advanced greatly since those periods. There is a clear indication that we are succeed- ing in breaking down the artifcial barriers of race. The PPP/Civic Government has radically changed our society. Our economy is one of the soundest in the region; our social policies have resulted in improving the lives of the vast majority of our peoples. True, we face a lot of challenges, but we are in- spired by the work of our freedom fghters, among them the Enmore Martyrs and Walter Rodney. We will con- tinue to advance our country so that the dreams of our predecessors, the Enmore Martyrs and Walter Rodney among them, would be fully realized. In this month, we salute these martyrs! It appears that Christopher Ram, a man who considers himself to be a critic of the Government, NBS, other business entities in Guyana and whoever else catches his fancy, cannot tolerate any criticism of his own activi- ties. In other words he can- not take as good as he gives. Christopher Ram has now sued the Guyana Chronicle and the Guyana Times and their editors for allegations that he claims are untrue and libelous. He is claiming dam- ages in excess of 100 million Guyana Dollars. Using the libel laws to retaliate against journalists is very disturbing and totally inappropriate. Such actions can be seen as a conscious ef- fort to muzzle the press and should be condemned by the Guyana Press Association as well as all self respect- ing media workers including Christopher Ram himself who hosts the Plain talk tele- vision show and writes for the business Page a Stabroek news column critical of most businesses. The lawsuit is clear evi- dence of Rams growing dis- comfort with the amount of questions and scrutiny he is undergoing about to his in- volvement in the liquidation of the Tower Hotel. It is pub- lic knowledge that the own- ers of another hotel chain is suing Ram for a substantial amount of money and maybe he hopes to be able to offset his losses against his gains if he wins his libel suite. If this is so it is simple extor- tion and should be doubly condemned. In the fnal analysis the way to solve problems in our media community can- not be by prosecuting the journalists who work hard to report stories as this will only backfre and do more damage to the profession, the nation and the country. Christopher Ram thinks that he is showcasing his leader- ship qualities but he is only following a long list of oth- ers who have tried and failed to suppress the freedom of the press worldwide. Muneer Baksh. Freedom of expression - Double Standards Road fatalities and licenses The uncanny spate of fatalities due to ever speeding by ma- terials must be cause for the authorities to be alarmed and thus, it is expected that offcial review of the situation is be- ing pursued. There are several reasons that could be advanced, not least of which is the mentality of the erring drivers, the total lack of responsibility and maturity, which is evident in the reports concerning the accidents and invariably result in fa- talities. In this regard, the time is long past considering the need to be more restrictive in issuing licenses for holders to oper- ate taxes and/or vehicles for public transportation. The desired maturity and experience to qualify to be en- trusted with the responsibility may be achieved, if the holder has been driving for a minimum of ffteen years. Offcial statistics should disclose the age group of the drivers most i9nvolved in these accidents. I believe the youthfulness will be revealed. David DeGroot. Japans new PM names cabinet Japans new prime minister has named his cabinet, keeping 11 of 17 previous ministers from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). Naoto Kan also appointed Yoshihiko Noda as the new fnance minister on Tuesday. Noda, Kans former deputy, takes over the fnance min- istry as pressure mounts to revive the worlds second-largest economy and to slash Japans public debt, which is nearly twice the countrys gross domestic product. Prime Minister Kan has appointed the ministers mind- ful of the need to form a government with professionalism, very clean politics and ability to govern, said Yoshito Sen- goku, the newly appointed chief cabinet secretary. I regard this cabinet as young, fresh and enthusiastic about their jobs. The cabinet will be formally inaugurated at a palace cer- emony with Emperor Akihito on Tuesday evening. Several key fgures from the previous administration of Yukio Hatoyama stayed in their posts, including foreign minister Katsuya Okada, defence minister Toshimi Kitaza- wa and transport minister Seiji Maehara. But Kan added several new faces as he seeks to distance his government from the previous one, which was bogged down by broken campaign promises and fnancial scandals. Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 9 Readers wishing to ask ques- tions, which will be kept in full confdence, can write to: Mirror Doctor, PO Box 101088, Geor- getown or 8 Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown. Doctors Note: The advice given by the Mirror Doctor is issued free of charge to all readers and contributors to the column. All letters are answered with the exception of those with illegible handwriting. Mirror Health Watch Breast nipples irritation Question: A few weeks now, I noticed redness or crusting of my breast nipples skin; symptoms of tingling, itching, increased sensitivity, burning, or pain in the nipple when my child fnished nurs- ing. There is also a watery discharge from the nipple and sometimes the nipples appear fattened against the breast. Can you explain if these are symptoms or signs of some sort of breast can- cer? Im 25 years old. Answer: The symptoms you mentioned above are frequently experienced by mother who breast feed us- ing the wrong technique. If your baby is not correctly positioned and comfortable while breast fed, the baby will not be able to suckle properly and, in an attempt to obtain adequate milk, the baby will clamp the nip- ples and they will become sore and painful. Also, the baby should not be allowed to suckle too long on one breast. You should alternate the breast when feeding the baby. Your condition does not seem to be caused by cancer of the breast. Wa- tery discharge after breast feeding your baby might be a sign of inadequate milk. And, inadequate milk pro- duction will cause the baby to suckle harder and clamp the breast that will lead to cracking and soreness of the nipples. To learn correct techniques of breast feeding, you can go to the nearest health centre where materni- ty care is offered. Also, if you are not producing enough milk, you will be advised on measures to be taken to improve milk production. With the adoption of cor- rect feeding techniques, the occasional inverted nipples might be resolved. Chronic diseases Question: Ive been in an unhealthy state for four months, suffering from chronic bronchitis, muscle spasms, back pain in the morning (normally), acid refux, teeth grinding and congestion of the stomach. Ive seen numerous doctors, all say the same thing. Doc- tor, could it be something far worse? Please help, Im sixty years old. Answer: Your problems are: chronic bronchitis, muscu- loskeletal pains and a bad stomach with refux. If all the doctors are telling you the same thing, then most likely the diagnoses are cor- rect. The problem, however, is whether you have made the lifestyle changes and adhered to the treatment. These diseases are chronic diseases which means that there is no quick fx or cure. You need to make lifestyle changes for example. Avoid spicy and oily foods, eating on time, avoid flling the stomach, sleep on high pillows to avoid refux , do not lie down soon after meals, avoid alcohol and tobacco and you also need to adhere strictly to medica- tions. Smoking and drinking alcohol will also cause your bronchitis to get worse. My advice to you is that you should take the doctors advice seriously and make the necessary life style changes now. For your muscle aches and pains use paracetamol. Other painkill- ers such as ibuprofen, aspi- rin and others can worsen your stomach problem. N atural bad breath remedies mostly de- pend on identifying and treating the cause of the bad breath. Of course you can simply spray your mouth with peppermint at regular intervals through the day, but this does not get rid of the problem, it only covers it up. Bad breath or halitosis has two main causes: a prob- lem in the mouth, or a prob- lem in the digestive system. Gum infections, trapped stale food, abscesses and problems with the teeth can all cause bad breath. Do not be ashamed to dis- cuss this with your dentist, who may be able to help you identify the cause and treat the issue. Brush your teeth and gums frequently and thor- oughly. Brush your tongue at the same time. Some tooth- brushes have a rough surface for brushing the tongue or you can buy a special imple- ment for this purpose. Be sure to foss your teeth too. Increasing the propor- tion of fruit and vegetables in your diet and reducing con- sumption of meat and dairy products will help to make your mouth an alkaline envi- ronment where canker sores and gum infections are less likely to fourish. Parsley can help to Bad breath: causes and treatment neutralize the mouth and get rid of bad breath. You can either chew parsley leaves or make tea from fresh parsley, allow it to cool and then use it as a mouthwash every few hours. Bad breath is often caused by problems in the digestive system, especially the stomach. If you have a recognized digestive con- dition such as acid refux, stomach ulcer or other stom- ach disease or disorder you should discuss this with your doctor. Your condition (or the treatment for it) may be contributing to your halito- sis. If you are not sick then consider making a few chang- es to your diet to help your digestion improve. Again it will be helpful to eat more fruit and vegetables. Avoid- ing certain combinations of foods is also important. Fruit is very fast di- gesting and should be eaten alone or at the start of a meal so that it can pass through the system quick- ly. Do not mix it with fatty foods such as cream or pas- try. If fruit is eaten with or after proteins and fats its process through the stomach will be delayed. It may begin to ferment or rot in the stomach, causing a bad smell. So eat plenty of fruit as a frst course or a snack but never at the end of a meal. Meat is diffcult to digest and can provoke problems if your digestive system is weak or slow. It takes a long time to pass through the sys- tem and may begin to pu- trefy. Reduce the quantities of meat that you eat and wait at least 4 hours after eating a meat based meal before you eat anything else. Avocado is believed to have amazing properties for the digestion and is one of the best bad breath remedies, cleaning out and neutralizing any poorly digested food. (solveyourproblem.com) Residents of Silver City, es- pecially those who demon- strated zeal and concern to come together and carry out long overdue drainage desilt- ing in the Upper Demerara Riverain community recent- ly, must be congratulated. This initiative may well not have been taken were it not for the freak type foods that resulted in the intervention of Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud last month. As most residents of the mining community or township/s realise, small hills (otherwise known as hummocks) comprise of gradients that vary (e.g 1: 3 or 1:3.5). But these slopes are rarely regular dependent on the environment. It is quite normal to travel to McKen- Sir, The move to possibly trans- form the management and accountability of Water Us- ers Associations (WUA) by establishing an investigative board is a positive step. Because not only have several of these WUAs become affected by a form of complacency, but also there have been instances where the advice and valuable ex- perience of knowledgeable members of areas directly connected to kokers/sluices, or the smaller sluice boxes as well as reservoirs, have been overlooked, often with highly negative consequenc- es. In farming areas (inclusive of residential dis- tricts) within the East Ma- haicony River and second depth lands located south of the EDWC, the WUAs must be brought more into the scheme of things. At this level the practice of push- ing small farmers around must cease. I recall a con- versation with the MMA/ MARDS General Manager Mr Rudolph Gajraj some years ago when he system- atically described the kinds of regulations and rules that are involved in water access management for irrigation and drainage purposes. He also spoke of the abuses and violations of governments by-laws. Amongst these was the practice of employ- ing heavy tractors and other equipment that ruin access and protective dams that he personally had to deal with. The point that I am making is that even with the best of intentions the NDIA will always require some on the ground support or col- laboration; indeed that is one of the factors that infu- enced the formation of the WUA interest groups here in Guyana. The fact that there is now established a GAPA function is cause for opti- mism. The investigations board will have its terms of reference and I am certain that the chairman with his background will not under- estimate the need for WUA awareness as well s bal- anced media coverage per- taining to what WUA expec- tations refect in real terms. Ensuring the proper control factors such as peri- odically testing of equip- ment; drawing up an inven- tory for sub regions as well an evaluation of the under- utilisation in some cases, of allocated cash resources, I am certain would be a prior- ity on the IBs agenda. Costas. Letters to the Editor WUA monitoring mechanism should prove positive Wismar Community Drainage Works zie in bright sunshine and warm weather, and visit Sil- ver City, Wismar only to ex- perience sharp rain showers lasting less than 7 minutes; often in or during the mid afternoon. The regular com- munity know of this weather pattern, so too for that mat- ter does the Government Hy- drometeorology authorities. The proposal to construct a road with drains as part of the effort to prevent the erosion that is typical from continuously cascading into the concrete drains at Silver City, must be considered realistically and taking all the environmental and ground as well as below surface factors on board. More than 40 tons of sand fowing down when it rains through the desilted drains in the area is almost equivalent to what would be the quantity of sand placed as part of rehabilitated road. Community leader Mr. Phillip Bynoe has had a long experience with the Sil- ver City landscape, and his views should be respected. At the same time would it not be more feasible to have the area designated or defned as New Silver City and or- ganise around that concept. As an on-going process and once the rains have abated a long term solution should be worked out even involving persuading some residents with shacks on the slope to erect alternative and more safe dwellings
Jack. Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 10 Guyana History Notebook CONFIDENTIAL INWARD TELEGRAM TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES FROM BRITISH GUI- ANA (Sir. A. Savage) Code D. 10th November, 1953. R. 10th ,, ,, 23.00 hrs. PRIORITY PERSONAL AND CON- FIDENTIAL PERSONAL No. 196 My personal and confden- tial telegram No.193. Situation Report. Position on sugar estates still more or less un- changed, though there has been some improvement at Enmore. Trespass notices have been issued by man- agement against six men at Port Mourant. Fifteen acres of cane were destroyed on night of 9th November at an estate on East Coast Dem- Compiled by Odeen Ishmael This week we publish two short Guyana History Notebook to continue our series of documentation surrounding the suspen- sion and the ousting of the democratically elected PPP government by the British colonial rulers. Mr. Turner Samuels M.P. -- 5/11 (oral reply for 11 Nov:) See minute on main fle. J.W.V. 5/11 The Governor in his tele- gram Personal and Conf- dential No. 194 of 8th No- vember has recommended the following reply: That some wit- nesses gave evidence in writing of illegal meet- ings held by one ex Minis- ter and four other persons detained, on the under- NOTE BY JAMES VERNON OF THE COLONIAL OFFICE ON PROPOSED REPLY TO QUESTION ASKED IN PARLIAMENT (9 November 1953) standing that their identity would not be revealed and that S. of S. is therefore not at liberty to say who they are: that holding of these meetings was however not sole or primary ground for detention or these fve persons but, as stated by S. of S. in the House of Commons on 28th Octo- ber, they were detained because Governor was sat- isfed their activities con- stituted a threat to public safety and order and that their detention was neces- sary to prevent their acting in a manner prejudicial to public safety and order. He agreed to the latter part of the reply be- ing as proposed in Mr. Rogers telegram. The Secretary of State in his announcement on the 28th October linked the diffculty of getting witnesses to make state- ments in the Courts with the fve Detention Orders made. The Secretary of State might now be ac- cused of trying to wriggle out of a diffcult situation if he now argues, as pro- posed by the Governor, that the main reason for the Detention Orders was not the diffculty of getting witnesses to make public statements, but the fact that the general activities of the persons concerned constituted a threat to pub- lic safety and order. The Secretary of State made it clear in his original State- ment that it was their past activities which was one of the reasons for the De- tention Orders. I suggest therefore that the answer to the Question must accept that one of the reasons for issuing the Detention Or- ders was the diffculty of obtaining statements from witnesses. I submit draft ac- cordingly. (Signed) James W. Ver- non 9th November, 1953 TELEGRAM (No. 196) FROM GOVERNOR SAVAGE TO COLONIAL SECRETARY (10 November 1953) erara. 2. I held an Execu- tive Council meeting on 6th November to dispose of essential business. Chase, Jainaraine Singh and Lach- hmansingh attended. Chase adopted a sulky attitude but they were not obstructive. Singh was ingratiating. 3. One of the detainees, Balli Latchmansingh, was permitted to attend funeral of his infant daughter on 7th November under escort.
4. P.P.P. is continuing its attempt to organise a resis- tance campaign and a num- ber of anti-British and anti- Government leafets have been printed and distrib- uted. Every effort in being made to combat this. 5. An interesting document apparently writ- ten by Sydney King as a part of communist manifes- to for British Guiana soon after he became a Minister, has been seized by police from a printer and is now being examined. King had ordered 2,000 copies, but the printer states that he had not executed the order as he considered the draft too hot. Copies sent to: Commonweal t h Relations Offce Mr. R.C. Omerod. Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 11 by LI LI A series of heavy storms since early May led to severe fooding and landslides in south and southwest China, causing heavy casualties and economic losses. Severe convective weather such as downpours, gusts, hail and thunderstorms attacked these areas over a week from May 5. The rainstorms left 86 people dead and 16 missing by May 12. About 7.9 million people have been affected by the rainstorms and direct economic losses totaled close to 5.9 billion yuan ($868 mil- lion), the Ministry of Civil Affairs said. The rainstorms also damaged 399,000 hect- ares of crops, in addition to 137,000 houses. More than 275,000 people in Anhui, Fu- jian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chongqing Municipality have been relocated. Two months ago, many of the affected areas were gripped by once-in-a-centu- ry drought, which was alle- viated by rainfall toward the end of March. The Offce of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said on May 10 that since the be- On Flood Alert China braces for a particularly dangerous food season in the wake of disastrous rainstorms ginning of this year, foods caused by rainstorms, melt- ing ice and snow had affect- ed 10.39 million people in 13 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions and 673,600 hectares of farm- land, killed 94 people and caused direct economic loss- es of 7.36 billion yuan ($1.08 billion), Xinhua News Agency reported. The head- quarters also said the main causes of casualties during the foods were mudslides, landslides and collapsed buildings. As a result of seri- ous urban water inunda- tion in Guangzhou, capital city of Guangdong, more than 13,000 vehicles in the province were submerged by water, which caused 170 million yuan ($25 million) in insurance losses, estimated the China Insurance Regu- latory Commission Guang- dong Bureau. Wang Shifu, a professor of city planning at the South China University of Technol- ogy in Guangzhou, defended the city government against public criticism of ineffec- tive drainage in the Global Times. The government should improve the drainage system, for sure. But I cannot put all the blame on authori- ties. I have never seen such a big rainstorm in at least 20 years. So it takes time to drain all the water, even with a great drainage system, he said. In Jiangxi, one of the worst-ravaged provinces, 273,800 people were af- fected by long-lasting down- pours starting from May 5, which caused direct eco- nomic losses of 485 million yuan ($71.3 million), the lo- cal government said on May 9. During 41 hours between 3 p.m. May 5 and 8 a.m. May 7, more than 200 mm of rainfall was recorded in four counties in Jiangxi. The National Disaster Reduction Commission and Ministry of Civil Affairs ac- tivated emergency response plans to cope with foods in various provinces from May 5. In accordance with the plan, the committee and the ministry sent disaster relief working teams to differ- ent fooded areas in Hunan, Chongqing and Guangdong to guide relief work. Sun Jun, a chief fore- caster with the National Meteorological Center of the China Meteorological Administration, told Xinhua that south China hasnt of- fcially entered its food sea- son, which is between June and August, with stronger rainfall yet to come. Xinhua quoted a fore- cast report on Chinas food season this year from the China Meteorological Ad- ministration, saying weather conditions in the country, such as temperature and pre- cipitation, have been visibly abnormal this year, and it is possible that China will ex- perience meteorological di- sasters, secondary disasters and extreme weather condi- tions. The same forecast re- port predicted the Yangtze River Basin, Huaihe River Basin and Yellow River Ba- sin would have greater-than- normal precipitation and some areas could be struck by torrential rains and foods this year. At a national confer- ence on May 6, Chen Lei, Minister of Water Resources and Deputy Director of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, said above-average rainfall pre- dicted for the food season this year could severely threaten Chinas 85,000 res- ervoirs, particularly the di- lapidated ones. This year greater rain- fall than normal is expected in a greater number of places such as the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze Riv- er, Huaihe River Basin and the southern parts of North China, Chen said. More tropical cyclones were likely to hit China this year and bring more rainfall to regions north of the Yang- tze River. Governments at various levels must consolidate res- ervoirs before the food sea- son and formulate practical emergency response plans for rundown reservoirs, Chen said. (Beijing Review, May 20, 2010 edition) SATURATED CITY: Nanchang, capital city of Jiangxi Province, becomes waterlogged on May 8 after continuous rain for days (ZHOU KE) Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 12 by Eddi Rodney I n most instances popu- lation estimates would consider three decades as long term 30-35 years. Walter Rodneys percep- tion of the long term how- ever, would have been a fexible one given the fact that his materialist con- sciousness1) always medi- ated upon his own life style and identifcation with the working class.2) On the 30th An- niversary of his murder by agents of the Burnham state, House of Israel neo- fascists and the core of ul- tra-reactionaries who were part of the Peoples National Congress dictatorship3) on June 13, 1980, it is perhaps more than an obligation to make specifc observations. But there must be serious efforts, genuine attempts to dismantle some of the myths and falsifcations that were created as part of what was at a number of levels, an in- ternational conspiracy led by the Kabaka Burnham to silence Walter Rodney and eventually orchestrate his murder.4) First of all let us look at aspects of Walter Rodneys Marxist convic- tions and grasp of political processes. These evolved much as CLR James5) and others have noted (Waller- stein, Immanuel, Rodney as the Spokesperson for His- torical Forces, 1981?). However it is also highly likely that his visits to revolutionary Cuba whilst still a student of History at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, instilled in the young Guyanese a Walter Rodney the Visionary Marxist vs. Messianism profound understanding of that historical process char- acterised by an armed insur- gency and guerrilla war of liberation in close collabora- tion with support/solidarity actions sponsored by a mass Communist Party. The role of the Communist Party of Blas Roca in the revolutionary process in Cuba is a com- plicated one. Harry Magdoff and Paul Sweezy have analy- sed the pivotal role that the CPC played when it was nec- essary to mobilise its work- ing class support base as a strategic solidarity with the Granmaists. But there were other features that Rodney was impressed by. These were the structural reforms in education, in literacy campaigns launched to teach masses of people to read; in housing the construction of several thousands of apart- ments and blocks of fats for ordinary families, and last by no means least, in the eradication of institutiona- lised racial and even gender discrimination as a primary task of the Revolution. Walter Rodney would have also at least gained a deeper insight or perception into the revolu- tionary Cuban attitude to- wards tercercism, or the practice of petit bourgeois vacillation, opportunism and the so-called middle way. A trend that has historically linked to many Third World leaders.6) Leftist Adventurism a reaction to powerless-ness Upon his return to Jamaica after his frst sojourn in Cuba Walter Rodney be- came a prime target of the United States controlled Ja- maican Intelligence Service (as described by Agee, Phil- lip, 1981 and 1983 in a series of articles). Secondly, I can safely assert that there was from this early student stage of Rodneys activism, an overt pattern of petit bour- geois harassment aimed at undermining and discredit- ing the brilliant Guyanese academic. Dr. Cheddi Jagan for his part was also targeted by the anticommunist anti Castrist witch-hunting - harassment, searches and denial of entry or transit fa- cilities in Caribbean coun- tries controlled by Anglo- United States imperialism.7) Dr. Jagan as it is well known was also detained and im- prisoned. In his book Guyana: A Nation in Transit: Burn- hams Role, Ashton Chase, a founder member of the Political Affairs Committee as well as the Peoples Pro- gressive Party, narrates how the American and the British governments acted in cohe- sion to brand Cheddi Jagan frst as a Communist infu- enced extremist, and there- after as a protg of Mos- cow, as the plot to overthrow the 1952 PPP administration thickened. Chase however is careful to mention one con- tributant factor that may have gave an additional pre- text for the Imperialist inter- vention. He cites the leftist adventurism in the PPP that played into the hands of the colonial authorities and Governor Alfred Savage as Cheddi Jagan often said.). Chase states that these con- sequences of the extreme left posture often demonstrated by infantile acts were there for all to see (p11. This particular action was the marching through the streets of Georgetown holding aloft the poster image of Josef Stalin.8) Rodney would have been a keen and ambitious political lightweight at that point in time and like many of the school aged popula- tion of the 1950s would have been impressed both by Dr. Jagan and LFS Burnham. It would be interesting for re- search to be done as to what were his thoughts of this in- cident when he became more involved in the political pro- cess. The Legendary Hero and the Cuban Revolution Even at the height of revolu- tionary fervour and the con- verging of several hundreds of thousands at Jose Marti Square of the Revolution in Havana, Rodney recognised that the principal, decisive factor was the (as he was to state on several occasions) seriousness of the revolu- tionary leadership, those who had chosen to make the sacrifce in actually launch- ing the guerrilla War of Lib- eration against the pro-impe- rialist Batista dictatorship. But what must have been of cardinal importance for Rodney was the fact that small Cuba would dare to challenge powerful America, would defeat an invasionary force to remain independent. As a historian however, Rod- ney quickly made a compre- hensive analysis. And that (See page 15) Secondly, I can safely assert that there was from this early student stage of Rodneys activism, an overt pattern of petit bourgeois harassment aimed at undermining and discredit- ing the brilliant Guyanese academic. Dr. Cheddi Jagan for his part was also targeted by the anticommunist anti Castrist witch-hunting - harassment, searches and denial of entry or transit facilities in Carib- bean countries controlled by Anglo-United States imperial- ism.7) Dr. Jagan as it is well known was also detained and imprisoned. Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 13 by Mohamed Sattaur O N JUNE 4, 2010, the Stabroek News (SN) published a March 2010 poll conducted by Barbados-based Carib- bean Development Research Services Inc (CADRES) which placed the governing PPP/C as the party com- manding the largest single bloc of voters in Guyana. The SN article went on to quote a CADRES press release which stated, In the fnal analysis, however, the PPP/Civic is still leading, the PNCR is still the second most popular party; however the AFC would have been in a position to hold the balance of power if an election were called in March this year. According to CAD- RES, approximately 1,000 Guyanese voters were ran- domly selected and inter- viewed. In each instance the sample was proportionate to the percentage of the popula- tion that actually lives in the respective administrative re- gion. The margin of error as- sociated with such a survey is +/- 5% and as a result the results could be said to be a reasonable indicator of public opinion in Guyana at the time it was conducted. In defning their methodology for conducting polls else- where CADRES state that they try to obtain samples of at least 1000 participants and interviews are done face to face. It is strange that the 1000 participants, the team of interviewers, the Univer- sity and/or other NGOs, that must have assisted, carried out this mammoth exercise in Guyana without even them boys noticing and/or saying anything about it. Guyana is not a country where opinion polls are conducted and published with any degree of regular- ity. Guyanese are apt to de- clare support for political leaders who present them- selves in their domain as in the case of CN Sharma who was more than once polled as the most popular political leader in Guyana. Any poll that says otherwise must be discredited as the Guyanese population gets its regular dose of Sharmanese on CNS Channel 6 thus ensur- ing sustained popularity. Such declarations of popu- larity, however, have never translated into votes on elec- tions day. It is not usual for a po- litical poll to be made public so far outside of the `politi- cal season and it is glaringly obvious that the results of this poll were not published by any other media house in Guyana despite the claim that the information was ob- tained via a CADRES press release. What is remarkable is that no other media house in Guyana appears to have received the press release. This led to the obvious con- clusion that there was some kind of collusion going on with the persons who com- missioned the poll and the Stabroek News. Dr. Randy Persaud, in a series of letters to the SN, sought to query the cir- cumstances surrounding the publication of this poll but was met with a series of eva- sive answers by the newspa- per until June 08, 2010 when the SN published an article claiming that Floyd Haynes of the Washington-based Newton Group had com- missioned the recent CAD- RES poll and that Haynes is married to former AFC MP Chantelle Smith who, incidentally, was also a for- mer employee of the Sta- broek News. This new rev- elation brings into question the CADRES Director of Research Peter Wickhams claim that none of the po- litical parties or the political party leaders had anything to do with the poll CADRES, under the direction of political scientist Peter Wickham, conduct so- cial and political surveys and related research in the Carib- bean. It also offers Political Campaign Management Ser- vices. Among its major proj- ects/consultancies are public opinion polls in Antigua, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands (Tortola), St. Kitts, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands and Guy- ana, since 1993. Its polls have been commissioned by newspapers, political parties and governments. No mention is made of Grenada where CAD- RES got its poll wrong. It predicted a victory for Dr. Mitchells party which was defeated 11-4 by the main opposition, National Demo- cratic Congress (NDC) in general elections. In Dominica the DLP is- sued a Press Release in De- cember 2009 about a recent CADRES poll which states: We are of the view that this is not scientifc and is an out- rageous attempt to infuence the thinking and choice of Dominica voters and should be rejected out of hand. This constitutes another blatant effort to manipulate the elec- torate and to tarnish our de- mocracy and the process of free and fair elections. We wish to advise our people to exercise extreme vigilance and not fall for another de- vise that is now added unto the multiple corruptions, chartering of fights and the Prime Ministers thinking that he is above the law and beyond any semblance of de- cency. In Barbados, Wick- hams articles were banned by the Barbados Nation. For- mer Barbados Prime Minis- ter, Owen Arthur, describes Peter Wickams poll in Bar- bados as part of a deliberate attempt to manipulate public opinion. According to bajan. wordpress.com, CADRES polls in Barbados were bi- ased as Peter Wickham was/ is a member of the DLP is on very friendly terms with the PM and is known to be a strong supporter of the gov- ernment. So please could we not put aside the bogus out- comes of any CADRES poll right now. Peter Wickham is just what he is, part of the Hartley Henry gang, talking up the DLP in the face of a mountain of domestic prob- lems. Finally, although CADRES usually make claims about the accuracy of their polls, polls in Antigua, Grenada and St Lucia pre- dicted victories for the ruling parties. In these elections the ruling party lost at the polls contrary to the predictions of victory made by CADRES. Now, the signif- cance of these alliances be- comes apparent and Dr. Ran- dy Persauds point of bias and unprofessional conduct becomes an issue. Examples such as these prompted me- dia monitors to establish a new category of concern called Media Effects. Media Effects is a special category used for those occasions which are not possible to monitor nei- ther quantitatively or quali- tatively, as they simply do not fall into any of the es- tablished categories. In other words, these are all stories or items presented with a spe- cifc intent to manipulate or affect the public. The reason for creating this category was the obvious absence of basic journalistic principles and standards. Each story which does not meet the basic re- quirements for a non-biased story falls into the category of Media Effects. The main criteria for such an evaluation are set as those stories missing: relevance, exactness, trans- parency, matter-of-fact, bal- ance, variety, timeliness and clarity. No one can doubt that scientifc polls provide the best source of informa- tion about public opinion. They are valuable tools for journalists and can serve as the basis for accurate, infor- mative news stories. How- ever, the journalist looking at a set of poll numbers is obligated to ask some ques- tions of the pollster before reporting any results. One of the most important things to know is who paid for the survey be- cause that tells you and your readers who thought these topics are important enough to spend money fnding out what people think. In the case of CADRES the fees released for a previous poll was more than USD 20,000 and USD 8,000 was paid in advance. The important is- sue for a journalist is whether the motive for doing the poll creates such serious doubts about the validity of the re- sults that the numbers should not be publicized. Private polls conducted for a politi- cal campaign are often un- suited for publication. These polls are conducted solely to help the candidate win and for no other reason. In a press statement, the PPP said that it wished to draw attention to the resem- blance between this poll, and what it called the fraudu- lent one made public by the AFC in 2006 which was con- ducted by Dick Morris. The statement went on to say that at a press conference Morris had claimed that the AFC had overtaken the PNCR-1G in terms of voter support, al- though he and the AFC were `dead wrong since the PPP won 54.5% of the votes. The PPP said that the Morris poll had also predicted that the AFC would hold the balance of power in Parliament, a pre- diction which was wrong. A check of its web- site reveals that CADRES provides Political Manage- ment services and that Polit- ical campaign management services were conducted in Guyana in 2006 and includ- ed such services as strategy formulation; constituency reports; political advertise- ments and materials. It is known in the industry that some political campaigns and special-inter- est groups have used a tech- Polls, Pollsters, Publishers and the PPP A huge crowd of Guyanese converge during one of the PPPs many rallies in the run up to the 2006 elections Dr. Randy Persaud, in a series of letters to the SN, sought to query the circumstances surrounding the publication of this poll but was met with a series of evasive answers by the newspaper until June 08, 2010 when the SN published an article claiming that Floyd Haynes of the Washington-based Newton Group had commissioned the recent CADRES poll and that Haynes is married to former AFC MP Chantelle Smith who, incidentally, was also a former employee of the Stabroek News. This new revelation brings into question the CADRES Director of Research Peter Wickhams claim that none of the political parties or the political party leaders had anything to do with the poll (See page 16) Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 14 nique called push polls to spread rumors and even outright lies about oppo- nents. These efforts are not polls, but political manipu- lation trying to hide behind the smokescreen of a public opinion survey. Push polls are unethical with the only objective of disseminating false or misleading informa- tion. Such polls have been condemned by professional polling organizations. In the face of all the evidence at our disposal, it is natural to conclude that there was some amount of bias in the conduct of this poll, es- pecially since CADRES was involved in Guyana as a Campaign Manager in 2006. From the results of the polls we can draw our own conclu- sions as to the party which benefted from the political Campaign Management ser- vices offered by CADRES and wonder whether they are still on retainer. We must commend those responsible publishers who received this informa- tion and refused to publish same and by the same token condemn those irresponsible publishers who choose not to make the elementary checks required of their position in service to the nation. In other countries pri- vately owned National newspapers endorse political parties before a general elec- tion. If the Stabroek News wishes to endorse a politi- cal party it should follow the Mirror and have the cour- age to come out and say so in no uncertain terms rather than rely on subterfuge and collusion in the publication of push polls. Any newspa- per which wishes to endorse a political party should do so as soon as possible so that readers are provided with a context with which to ana- lyze what is being published. In the fnal analysis, true objectivity is only possible when bias is declared. The experienced and more level headed staffers at Stabroek News must understand that it is not ethical to manipulate and deceive under the cloak of declared objectivity. (Sources: bajan.wordpress. com, cdsonline, globeinter. org and Wikipedia) Polls, Pollsters, Publishers... (From page 13) by Norman Whittaker, M.P.
S OME labour union leaders and mem- bers of the opposi- tion PNCR and AFC want Guyanese to believe that the performance of the results- oriented Minister of Labour, Manzoor Nadir, should be appraised on the basis of their assessment of the man- ner in which he has been han- dling the industrial dispute between the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union and the RUSAL subsidiary, the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. In fact, the PNCRs no confdence motion tabled and debated in the National Assembly during its 124th sitting on June 3, 2010, sug- gests not only that the min- ister has not been delivering, but premises this misguided distortion on their fawed deductions based on a single issue -- the trade dispute be- tween the Guyana Bauxite & General Workers Union (GBGWU) and the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI). How can one draw a logi- cal conclusion or determina- tion based on partial assess- ment of one event with such a narrow spread? The minister must be congratulated on taking a ra- tional approach and position on the issue as opposed to a mere vocal one. For in fact, while the union and its po- litical supporters have been involved in verbal bashing and confrontation aimed no doubt at fuelling any fame of industrial dissension they surmised may yet be in the air, the minister has been doing what is expected of responsible, experienced leaders - encouraging dia- logue and collaboration at the bilateral level between the two parties to the dispute and to the Collective Labour Agreement with the ultimate objective, the expectation and the confdence that this approach would bring clo- sure to the issues that gave rise to the dispute in the frst place. Consensus often can- not be reached in one effort and ought to include efforts at rationalization. Further- more, intervention must not be premature but must be seen as necessary, timely, discretionary and used only as a last resort. Section 4 of Chapter 98:07 of the Trade Union Recognition Act per- mits the ministers interven- tion if he thinks ft. We too of the PPP/C Gov- ernment want an early reso- lution of this matter and the Minister of Labour has been ventilating this position. In pursuing his respon- sibilities in the dispute and the dispute resolution pro- cess, the minister has been mindful of the rights of the workers and has been up- holding these rights, and fur- thermore, has made it clear that the way forward rests in resolving the contradic- tory issues - one of which is the matter of the more than 120 workers in the bargain- ing unit who have written to the Trade Union Recogni- tion and Certifcation Board on the derecognition of the GB&GWU.This matter is outside of the purview of the minister and the government. Perhaps, this is the no conf- dence motion that the oppo- sition should be debating for it is obvious that many of the workers have lost confdence in the GB&GWU and its un- inspired leadership. It cannot be overempha- sized that the right to asso- ciate with the union of the workers choice necessar- ily implies a corresponding right to disassociate from that union when it is no lon- ger the one of frst choice. Workers have a constitution- al right of association and disassociation. The union has not even written or ap- proached the Ministry of La- bour on the issue. This cer- tainly is not representation. But the union created this situation - agreeing to a pro- posal that it determined too late did not serve its inter- est and thereafter seeking to shift the blame, so to speak. But we of the PPP and the PPP/C are proud of our longstanding support of the working class people and our continuous and intensi- fed efforts to pass legisla- tion to, inter alia, recognise workers rights, including the right to be represented by the union of their choice. We are not about to change that po- sition. The Minister of Labours portfolio and his perfor- mance in that portfolio must not be viewed and assessed on the basis of the Opposi- tions determination of the ministers handling of an industrial dispute only. In- deed, the minister has, under his watch and in recognition of the fact that the labour portfolio must expand to ad- dress workers interests and respond to the global chal- lenges of today, broadened and redefned the labour portfolio so that labour is no longer concerned solely with salary and wage increases which are really short term benefts in nominal terms. Neither is it focused only on industrial disputes but also on matters that extend to the totality of the workers live- lihood and that of their fami- lies and other Guyanese. And so, the performance of the Ministry of Labour and the Minister of Labour must be measured also, on the basis of a) the occupational health and safety awareness pro- grammes and seminars targeting workers, and the work place inspections to ensure that legally required safety measures in the factories are in place, and equipment and machinery are timely and properly ser- viced in order to reduce the probability of accidents and possible injuries and fatali- ties.
These site visits/inspections have increased signifcantly from 1,031 or an average of 515 per annum from 2005 to 2006 to 9,336 or an average of 3,112 per an- num for the years 2007 to 2009. These inspections have also included several com- munities that Industrial Inspectors had never visited before.
b) from 2000 to 2009 3,704 persons have graduated from the Board of Indus- trial Training. From 2007 to 2009, 2,531 or 68% of the 3,704 persons were trained during Minister Nadirs watch. It must be noted also that the Board of Industrial Training has moved from being an $11M subvention agency in 2006 to a $140M agency providing training for youths and women in particular. c) The placement of per- sons registered for employ- ment has also seen a record setting im- provement in performance. Av. registration per annum Av. Placement per annum 2000-6 1,600 1,131 2007-9 2,469 1,709
c) The Ministry of Labour has also been able, under Minister Nadirs watch, to attract over $1MUS for its HIV/AIDS Workplace Programmes that targeted workplaces and workers all over Guyana. In fact, the min- ister, in whom the Opposi- tion expresses a lack of con- fdence, has been the lead player in the formulation and adoption of a National HIV and AIDS workplace policy. The minister and his min- istrys efforts to deal with HIV/AIDS education and awareness in the workplace and the successes in reaching out to thousands of Guya- nese, including marginalized groups across Guyana, have resulted in Guyana being se- lected by the ILO as one of the outstanding countries to be in Austria (ILO pays all expenses) for an HIV /AIDS International Conference to be held from July 18-23 in Vienna. Minister Nadirs contri- butions at the OAS (Organi- sation of American States) Ministers of Labour confer- ences from 2007 to 2009 have also been recognized by his Caribbean peers and the OAS. The minister was elected Vice Chairman of one of the working groups along with Mexico in 2007 Good industrial relations not sole responsibility of minister The Minister of Labours portfolio and his performance in that portfolio must not be viewed and assessed on the basis of the Oppositions determination of the ministers handling of an industrial dispute only. Indeed, the minister has, under his watch and in recognition of the fact that the labour port- folio must expand to address workers interests and respond to the global challenges of today, broadened and redefned the labour portfolio so that labour is no longer concerned solely with salary and wage increases which are really short term benefts in nominal terms. Neither is it focused only on industrial disputes but also on matters that extend to the totality of the workers livelihood and that of their families and other Guyanese. (Turn to page 16) Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 15 by Hydar Ally
C OALITION politics is now something of a buzz word among opposition politicians, espe- cially in light of the recent developments in elections in Britain and more recently in Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname where opposition parties managed to unseat governing parties. In the case of Britain, the Labour Party headed by Gordon Brown suffered a defeat at the hands of the Conservative Party which won the plurality but had to enter into a coalition deal with the Liberal Party in or- der to form the government. In Trinidad and Toba- go, the Kamla Persad-Bis- sessar-led alliance won an overwhelming majority of the parliamentary seats in a pre-alliance coalition which saw two former factions of the United National Con- gress (UNC) joining forces along with some smaller political/trade union group- ings to unseat the Peoples National Movement (PNM) led by former Prime Minis- ter Patrick Manning. As to exactly why Manning took the unexpected step to, as it were, gamble his govern- ment some two years ahead of the constitutionally due election date is anybodys guess. What is now clear is that his `game plan did not work and he was left with the rather embarrassing position of not only losing his job as Prime Minister prematurely, but suffering the indignity of being unceremoniously kicked out of the leadership of his party, the PNM. One suspects that he misread the mood of the electorate into believing that the perceived opposi- tion fragmentation between the Panday-led UNC and the Deokarran-led Congress of the Party (COP) would have provided his party with an advantage at the polls. What he did not bargain for was the mercurial bonding of the two opposition factions led by Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the rapid political de- mise of the founder member and leader of the erstwhile UNC whose political de- cline, though not unpredict- able, was much faster than anticipated. Suriname was not with- out its own political drama as the Bouterse-led coalition, Mega Combination, man- aged to poll the largest bloc of votes winning 23 of the 51 seats in the National Assem- bly. What made the victory all the more interesting was the fact that Bouterse was al- legedly linked to a number of criminal offences including murder and drug traffcking and is in fact wanted in Hol- land for drug-related crimes he allegedly committed. As to whether he would succeed in getting the presidency in which he seems quite inter- ested remains to be seen. In our case, the oppo- sition PNCR led by Robert Corbin has repeatedly said that it favoured a politics of shared governance, espe- cially following successive electoral defeats at the hands of the PPP/C since the return of democracy to the country on October 5, 1992. The PPP, Guyanas largest and oldest political party, has not been opposed to alliance politics and in fact opened up the party to a Civic component in the elections of 1992. The alliance with civic elements continued in all subsequent elections and has in fact grown in stature and size over the years. Such is the fascination with the alliance/coalition concept that a Barbados- based polling grouping, CADRES, found in a recent survey conducted in Guyana that were elections to be held in Guyana, the PPP/C would win the plurality but with a reduced number of votes, some 20 percent below what the party obtained in the last elections when it won rough- ly 54% of the votes cast. By some convoluted logic, the PPP was `relegated in terms of popular support to that of the recently-formed Alliance for Change, (AFC) which is projected to have even over- taken the PNCR in terms of popular and electoral strength. As to who com- missioned the poll and paid for the survey is still to be determined. One thing, however, that is very clear is that the poll has a close resemblance to the famed Dick Morris poll which predicted that the AFC would have given both the PPP and the PNC, as it were, a run for their money. The actual seats obtained by the AFC, as it turned out to be, were a far cry from that anticipated by the poll and came mainly from disen- chanted voters belonging to the PNC. The PPP/C, by con- trast, not only maintained its traditional support base but was able to win over a size- able crossover vote, mainly from among the hinterland/ Amerindian communities. If the intention of the poll is to galvanize the opposi- tion parties into some kind of coalition politics prior to the holding of elections con- stitutionally due in less than two years time, it may fnd much to its disappointment that the political preferences of the Guyanese electorate may not exactly match those of the political authors who commissioned the poll. To begin with, many Guyanese still have bitter memories of the experiences of the frst attempt at coalition politics which saw two politically and ideologically diverse parties coming together to unseat the PPP government, that of the PNC and the Unit- ed Force (UF) in 1964. Not only was the United Force, the junior partner in the co- alition, unceremoniously kicked out of the coalition a full year ahead of its ten- ure in offce, but it left in its trail a path of destruction unmatched in the Common- wealth Caribbean. By the time democracy was fnally returned to the country some two and a half decades later, the country was reduced to that of the poorest in the hemisphere, rivaling Haiti in terms of per capita income. Another impor- tant factor that cannot be ignored is that the current PPP/C alliance has over the years scored for the Guya- nese people signifcant eco- nomic, social and constitu- tional gains which would certainly put the political opposition under tremen- dous pressure to match. COALITION POLITICS If the intention of the poll is to galvanize the opposition par- ties into some kind of coalition politics prior to the holding of elections constitutionally due in less than two years time, it may fnd much to its disappointment that the political pref- erences of the Guyanese electorate may not exactly match those of the political authors who commissioned the poll. To begin with, many Guyanese still have bitter memories of the experiences of the frst attempt at coalition politics which saw two politically and ideologically diverse parties coming together to unseat the PPP government, that of the PNC and the United Force (UF) in 1964. convinced him that what was of tremendous impor- tance for the success of the state power was the broadest Solidarity with the Revolu- tion. The fantastic adulation for Fidel Castro, Che Gue- vara and other revolutionary leaders 9) was another im- portant factor that made an impact on Rodneys socialist development. The third aspect of Rodneys struggle relates to his connection with the intel- lectuals. On previous occa- sions when outlining crucial aspects of Rodneys work I have made references to the contribution he made whilst teaching at the Dar-es-sa- laam University, in Tanza- nia. And I shall probably do so in future. But one of the signifcant episodes involv- ing Walter Rodney and the Black community was the occasion of the 1968 Black Writers Congress in Canada. 10) There has never been any similar lecture before or sub- sequently. Indeed it may well have been in Canada that Rodney attacked institu- tional racism in its unique form. Unique in the sense that Canada has historically developed as a colony of United States imperialism. Canada has been regarded as a junior imperialist partner of the United States. It was here rather than in Jamaica that Walter Rodney interact- ed with scores of West Indi- an, Afro-American and Af- rican as well as other Third World intellectual fgures. Revolution Afric- aine, the Paris based politi- cal journal ran a feature on Walter Rodney as a revolu- tionary Pan Africanist. The journals Editor in Chief, Paul Verges was tremendous- ly and favourably impressed by Rodneys profound grasp of Marxist dialectics. The Post Jamesian trend and Revolutionary Nation- al Liberation A number of Guyanese and others in the Diaspora have had to refect on the manner in which Rodney was killed. There is almost unanimity in terms of him commit- ting an error by present- ing himself as a target for the assassin Gregory Smith. Some other person should have interacted with the GDF sergeant, who had been specially trained to perform that kind of covert operation. Any real and proper answers can only emanate from the Working Peoples Alliance itself. 11) However, there is another view that supports what Rodney set out to do in the face of an imminent and concentrated attempt to dis- rupt WPA communications, to isolate the leadership from the mounting mass move- ment and, ultimately execute the leaders individually or otherwise. The fact of the mat- ter is that Amilcar Cabral, possibly the most advanced of West African liberation fghters was murdered by a bomb device planted by the Portuguese secret po- lice agents(s) in September 1973. During the early 1960s Gama Pinto, a remarkable fgure in the Kenyan Inde- pendence movement was assassinated. So too was Dr. Eduardo Mondlane by a letter bomb in his Dar-es- salaam offce during Febru- ary of 1969. Mondlane was the leader of Mozambiques FRELIMO whist Cabral was Secretary General of Guinea Bissaus PAIGC liberation movement. Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador, a radical Jesuit was brutally gunned down as he read Mass in the San Salvador cathedral on March 24 1980, less than three months be- fore Walter Rodney was as- sassinated. Walter Rodney it could be surmised through his asso- ciations with Alliance unity politics had in fact gravitated beyond the Jamesian para- digm. (to be continued). References 1) As defned in Walter Rodney Revolutionary and Scholar: A tribute, sev- eral contributors, CAAS. Calif. Uni. 1982. 2) Ibid; particularly the contribution by his friend Prof Ewart Thomas. 3) Mirror newspaper, June/ July editions 1980. 4) See account as published Walter Rodney the Visionary... (From page 12) by the Latin American Bu- reau, 1984. Guyana Fraud- ulent Revolution, London, LAB with assistance of the World Council of Church- es. 5) Walter Rodney and the Question of Power, Lon- don, 1980. 6) Studies in a Dying Co- lonialism, Frantz Fanon, 1962? Maspero, Paris/New York. 7) See for an insight recent Weekend Mirror article by Ralph Ramkarran (30-31 January, 2010), Walter Rodney, the WPA and the PPP (p 12). 8) Walter Rodney, Rupert Lewis, 1998, pp. 107. 9) Ralph Ramkarran op cit. 10) Walter Rodney the in- tellectual, Rupert Lewis, London. 11) Ralph Ramkarran, op cit. Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 16 and re-elected in 2009 His ongoing efforts to revitalize Cooperatives and Friendly Societies to improve their management and be ac- countable to the membership have also been noted I mention these additional portfolios to give recognition to the fact that the record of the performance of all the depart- ments under the Minister of Labour, the Honourable Manzoor Nadir, including the Labour Department, the Board of Indus- trial Training and the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency has been exemplary. I mention these also since the motion questions the competence of the Hon. Minister and by extension the PPP/C Government and seeks to assess that competence based on an examination of only one of the sev- eral portfolios held by the minister. In conclusion, let me remind all that the theme of this years Labour Day was responding to global challenges through Trade Union initiatives and solidarity. Not by bul- lyism and mouthing and certainly not by raising false hopes and creating industrial dissension; and certainly not by seek- ing to shift blame; but by recognizing and accepting that each industrial dispute must be treated on its own merit. No amount of fllbustering or sanctioning of illegal strikes or blame game by the union would resolve the impasse. Ne- gotiation, compromise and industrial diplomacy are better options in the present national and global economic climate. Unions need to fnd better ways to negotiate. The union needs to put its house in order for it too is subject to the law. Good industrial relations... (From page 14) Following the launch of World Day Against Child Labour 2010 on June 7, the TACKLE project (Tackling Child Labour Through Education) in collaboration with the Ministries of Labour, Hu- man Services and Social Security and Education on Wednesday staged a child labour awareness pro- gramme for schools at the Theatre Guild Playhouse. This event was part of the activities planned by the Ministries and the European Union (EU) in observance of World Day against Child Labour 2010. To highlight aware- ness of the programme there was a dramatic pre- sentation under the theme Go for the Goal End Child Labour. Songs and poetry highlighted the ills of child labour and the benefts of attending school. The dramatic pre- sentation would be taken around the country and the students were encouraged to disseminate the mes- sage to end child labour in their schools, communi- ties and homes. Additionally as part of the observances, primary and secondary school children were en- gaged in an art and jingle competition, where the pieces refected the ills of child labour and the urgent need for it to be stopped. The winners of the various categories of the competition were present- ed with their awards dur- ing the programme. The participat- ing schools included Ket- ley, Watooka Day, Win- fer Gardens, and Thomas Moore primary schools. Other participants includ- ed the New Amsterdam, Freeburg, L Venture and Vreed-en-Hoop second- ary schools. These and other planned activities are in commemoration of World Child labour awareness programme held for schools Day against child labour which would be observed on June 12. Over the years the administration has been staging interventions that address the improper treatment of children and initiatives have been taken to protect them from soci- etal ills. Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 17 Bollywood Glitz Nollywood News Hollywood highlights Discuss your Problem This feature explores personal problems. We invite you to write to Portia, c/o Mirror, P.O. Box 101088, Georgetown,Guyana with PORTIA Dear Portia, After a year of togetherness, my boyfriend has broken up with me. Hes going through a divorce and says that at present, it is not a good time for us to continue a relation- ship. Im baffed because he has told me Im the best thing that ever happened to him. He wants to keep in touch and says that maybe, down the road when things are diverse, we can get back together. My friends and family think hes using me as a standby so he can live the single life but still have someone waiting on the side. Im left wondering, does he want to get past his issues or is he just playing games? Not a game-player. Dear Not a game-player, Neither one. You have been dumped. The technique your boyfriend used is called the easy letdown. Dont count on getting back to- gether down the road or youll squander more time on a losing proposition. In the future, hook up with a man whos available and you may have better luck. Portia. Im baffled Dear Portia, I am in my 40s and have nev- er lost anyone close to me. Unfortunately, my darling mother-in-law has terminal cancer. I am now preoccu- pied that peoples spirits are near us after they die. Please dont laugh, but it gives me the creeps. I dont want to think my moth- er-in-law will watch me mak- ing love with my husband, that my father will watch me in the bathroom, or that my mother will be critical of my spending more time with my kids than cleaning the house as she did. Am I crazy to think I might not have any privacy after my loved ones die? Troubled. Dear Troubled, Calm down. The departed sometimes visit those with whom their souls were intertwined, but usually its to offer strength, solace and reassurance during diffcult times. If your mother-in- laws spirit visits you while youre intimate with her son, it will be only to wish you and her son many more years of closeness and happiness in your marriage. As to your parents, when they travel to the here- after, I am sure theyll have more pleasant things with which to occupy their time than spying on you. So hold a good thought and quit wor- rying. Portia. It gives me the creeps Sanjay Dutt to be father again H e has seen many ups and down in his life of ffty years. Now as the tough times are over, actor San- jay Dutt is a happy man; he is going to be father again. Yes, Sanjay and his wife Manyata are reportedly on their way to be parents. The buzz is that Manyata Dutt is three months preg- nant and is staying mostly at home taking extra care of her health. And Sanjay recently visited several holy places including Ajmer Sharif to seek bless- ings. As per sources, for almost one year the couple was waiting for the good news and as its reportedly confrmed, Sanjays happiness knows no bounds now that Manyata is expecting. He already has a daughter Trishala - who is studying criminal law in the US - from his frst marriage. Sanjay is also starting work on his frst home production. He will be leaving for Oman, Mozambique and other places for a recce of locations for the flm which will be di- rected by David Dhawan. Munnbhai now has new roles to play! (apunkachoice.com) Sunday show by Amitabh Bach- chan and Shahrukh Khan M ay be it happened by coincidence that the two superstars wanted to tell Tweeple what hap- pens at their respective houses on Sundays. Well, they do think alike. On June 6, Amitabh Bachchan posted on Twitter the pictures of fans that had gathered around his home entrance. A few hours later, Shahrukh Khan did the same. Sr Bachchan tweeted, T20 -Someone wanted to see what happens on Sundays at Jalsa.. here is a previous sunday .. While SRK scribbled, Ppl come to share love on sundays and take my pics...this time i thought i will take theirs. thanx all Jalsa (Big Bs residence) and Mannat (Shahrukhs abode) are among major tourist at- tractions for cine fans in Mumbai. Their crazy fans can wait for long just to have a glimpse of them. Big B takes out time and greets them with Namaskar and sometimes even goes out and shakes hands with them. This is like a tradition followed by Amitabh for almost two decades. Shahrukh, too, chooses to meet the public, wave hands, say Aadab and sign autographs, and doesnt mind if people ask for photographs. Show of fan power! (apunkachoice.com) Steven Spielberg eyes Australia for new dinosaur movie (ANI) -- American flmmaker Steven Spielberg has chosen Australia as the lo- cation for his 150 million-dollar-dinosaur movie Terra Nova. Spielberg was so impressed with the movie The Pacifc; he co-created with Tom Hanks that he has decided to shoot for the dinosaur epic in Australia. Terra Nova, a 13-part science-fction television series is about the Shannon family, which travels 150 million years back in time to prehistoric Earth to escape the apocalypse, reports The Sydney Morning Herald. According to Entertainment Weekly magazine, the drama, which is also executive produced by agent-turned-producer Aaron Kaplan, Craig Silverstein and Kelly Marcel, among others, takes place in 2149 A.D. when a large group of settlers are preparing to leave the apocalyptic world in which they live to time travel back millions of years. It could be a week, it could be three months, it could be literally weeks before flming starts, its hard to know, Ausflms head of policy, Alastair McKinnon said. Australia is probably one of six or seven potential locations. I think Queen- sland is the appealing venue at this stage because it has got studio and the tropical location they need. They are looking at Queensland, he added. Madonnas daughter turns cover girl P op queen Madonna daughter Lourdes Ciccone seems to be following in the foot- steps of her mum. The 13-year-old has be- come a cover girl. Ciccone has been signed up by Europes Quality magazine for her frst cover page shoot, reports the Sun. The daughter of pop diva is the spitting image of her famous mother in the pic- ture on the front of the magazine. Stella Damasus happy with HSM experience V eteran Nollywood actress, Stella Damasus-Nzeribe, has said that being one of the instructors of the recently con- cluded Disneys High School Musical [HSM] show held in Nigeria is a dream come true. The sultry actress was the voice instructor of the show, which was held last week in Lagos and Abuja, while other professionals tutored the participants on acting, dancing and other cre- ative tasks. Stella, who just returned from Abuja where the second edition of the show was held, Kelani cries piracy as Arugba goes on general release T unde Kelanis flm, Arugba is to go on general release later this month. The flmmaker made the announcement at a press conference held at his Mainframe production company offces in Oshodi, Lagos on Tuesday. It has been far from plain sail- ing, however. The good news quickly dovetailed into the bad, as Kelani revealed that the release of Arugba had to be postponed three times because of the heavy piracy of his flms by a gang operating from the notorious Alaba Market in Lagos. Recalling Moses Olaiyas claim that his career was ruined by the piracy of just one flm, Kelani revealed the extent of his own ordeal: What we have suffered within the last nine months is that all our works were pirated at the same time and distributed extensively. The described her involvement in the show as one of the challenges she had been looking forward to as it impacts positively on the young generation. When I was contracted as the voice trainer of the show, I felt elated because I have always been looking forward to a platform where I can effectively reach out to the younger generation and inspire them positively. Now that Stella is through with the HSM, she noted that next on her plans is to face her Stella Damasus TV Show, which will hit the airwaves very soon. (nigeriaflms.com) director, who has taken to buying pirated copies of his flm as evidence, displayed an array of the exhibits, to gasps of astonishment from those present. Exclusively Mainframe packages contain up to 16 pirated Kelani flms on a single disc, including Agogo Eewo, Saworo Ide, Abeni and O Le Ku. Kelani said, Benefactors had to come to our rescue because the business was destroyed. My career was threatened. There was no place to turn. We couldnt do any flm. We couldnt even pay our rent. I couldnt pay taxes because they just hijacked all of the Main- frame flms at the same time. We have no income of any sort. Piracy, he stressed, is the main challenge facing the Nigerian flm industry. How can we continue? How can we get funding for the industry? With all this (piracy) in a country like Nigeria, believe me, there is no hope for the industry, he declared. We are going to be pirated, he said of the imminent release of Arugba, but he is going ahead. Its a risk because we are already boxed in. We dont have an income. We have a project we invested 15, 20 million naira in; everybodys been waiting. He also needs money to continue his next project, Maami. The director said, We have no choice but to comply with what the law says as to releasing flms, because weve worked with all the agencies to make sure. But the point is: who is going to protect us? Arugba will be launched on Sunday, June 13 (2pm) at Etal Hall, Simbiat Abiola Road, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos. It goes on general release on January 14. (nigeriaflms.com) Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 18 Childrens Corner Name: ............................................................................................... Address: ........................................................................................... ............................................................................................................ Tel. No: ............................................................................................ The winner of the colouring contest: Cookie Monster Cooks is: Camanie Ram- charran of Hague, WCD. The picture to colour this week is entitled: Zak & Wheezie and was submit- ted by Abiola McCoy of Wisroc Housing Scheme, Wismar. Colour and send it to Weekend Mirror; PO Box 101088, Georgetown. Well children, I do hope you had a good week. School must be keeping you busy and end of term tests will start next week, so you need to start getting ready for the big days ahead. World Day against Child Labour will be observed this Saturday (June 12) and the government has launched a series of activities to pro- mote the need of a good edu- cation and also to discourage people from using children as cheap means of labour. Sometimes home situations can contribute to children leaving school at a young age to seek employment to help out at home. This robs that child of an education and a secure future, so the government will be work- ing with the schools to help such children. Mind, doing every day chores at home is not child labour. That is part of your daily activities. Read up more on this issue in the coming days, there is sure to be a lot about it in the news- papers and television. Enjoy the rest of the week and remember: Road safety is everybodys business. Aunt Shirley. Dear Children, (a Chinese folktale) A young land owner in China once found a very special bird in his garden. Every time the bird would snap its beak, pieces of gold would fall out of it. When the man ob- served this, he set a trap and caught it and put it into a spe- cial cage inside his house. He used the gold to buy more and more land and to hire servants to work for him. He became very wealthy. It happens that some wealthy men learn to live wisely and use their money for good. It also happens that wealth makes some men greedy and makes them want more. Such was the case with this man. The more he had, the more he wanted. He even looked for ways to cheat his servants out of their hard earned wages. When their wages were due he told them to go to the market and bring him back some ow and ouch! If you come back without them, I will give you 100 strokes of my cane instead of your wages. No one knew what ow and ouch were, so they stayed home and did not go to the market. Because they did not follow orders, the rich man did not pay them. They grew poorer while he grew richer. Finally a very clever boy Ow and Ouch came to work for the rich mi- ser. When the wages were due the master told him Go to the market before I pay you, and and bring me back some ow and ouch! If you come back without them, I will give you 100 strokes of my cane instead of your wages. If I bring you back what you ask, the boy questioned, Will you pay me my wages and give me your magic bird? I will be glad to, the rich man said. For he knew the boy could not bring him back something that was not for sale in any market. When the boy came back, he would punish the boy and make all his servants to ever again ask for their wages! The boy ran all the way to town. There he bought two gourds. He hollowed them both out and put a bee into one and a wasp into the other. Then he hurried back to his master. Master, I have brought you Ow and Ouch, said the boy as he held out the two gourds. All the ser- vants stood watching. All I see are two com- mon garden gourds, said the rish man. Are you ready to receive your punishment for failing to give me what I asked you to bring me? Put your fnger inside and see if you still ques- tion what I brought you, said the boy. The rich man frowned and stuck a fat fnger inside one of the gourds. He was just about ready to pull it out and grab his cane when, OW, he shouted, and pulled his fnger out and looked at it. See? the boy said. That gourd had Ow in it. Put your fnger into the other one and you will fnd Ouch. All the servants smiled. They knew the boy had giv- en the master what he had asked for. The master did not put his fnger into the other gourd, but he did give the boy and all the servants their wages. He also gave the boy the magic bird. The rich man had learned his lesson. He had enough money to live well for the rest of his life, and he learned to use his money wisely to do good for himself and for oth- ers. What happened to the boy and the special bird? No one thought to ask where they went to, and now no one can tell. Amazing facts * Rabbits and parrots can see behind themselves without even moving their heads! * Butterfies taste food by standing on top of it! Their taste receptors are in their feet unlike humans who have most on their tongue. * Most of the dust in your home is actually dead skin! Yuck! * Although the Stegosaurus dinosaur was over 9 metres long, its brain was only the size of a walnut. * Humans get a little taller in space because there is no gravity pulling down on them. * Because of the unusual shape of their legs, kanga- roos and emus struggle to walk backwards. * A hippopotamus may seem huge but it can still run faster than a man. * Sneezing with your eyes open is impossible. Have a Laugh A California Highway Patrolman pulled a car over and told the Guyanese driver that, because he was wearing his seat belt, he had just won US$5,000 in the State safety competition.So, what are you going to do with the money? asked the police- man. Well, I gwan get a driver licence, he answered with pride and jubilation. Oh, dont listen to he, na. yelled the Trinidadian wom- an in the passengers seat. He always a smart ass when he drunk. This commotion woke up the Barbadian guy in the back seat. He took one look at the cop and moaned, Oh shit-rass, I knew we ain gon get farin no teifn car. At that moment, there was a knock from the trunk and a Jamaican voice yelled out, Hey! I man mek it krass de barda yet?! Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 19 by Donald Ramotar
J UNE 16 will mark the 62nd anniversary since fve workers at Enmore were martyred. They were shot in the back by the colonial police as they protested to defend their rights. The strike by the sugar workers was started in pro- test at the Sugar Production Associations (SPA) decision to change the working pro- cedure from cut and drop to cut and load. That, of course, would have resulted in work- ers losing income. The strike developed from this specifc issue to one of industrial democracy in which workers were de- manding the right to be rep- resented by a union of their choice. As positions became entrenched and the role of the colonial state began to be seen more and more op- pressive, the demand for independence began to be heard. This was more pro- nounced after the shooting at Enmore. The workers struggle at the time encompassed the specifc workers problems and national interest. Over the years, even though sugars contribution The Enmore Martyrs and the sugar industry today to the GDP has decreased from what it was in 1948, it still remains the most impor- tant industry in Guyana. It employs the most people and contributes signifcantly to the nation in many respects. It, therefore, remains very important to the workers and the nation as a whole. Things have changed in other ways as well. Very important is the ownership of the industry. In 1948, it was in the hands of two companies, the leading one was Bookers Brothers. The profts from the industry were mostly exported to the shareholders in the United Kingdom. Today, of course, the industry belongs to the peo- ple of Guyana. The present government has shown that it has great interest in the workers. It has done quite a lot to help the industry. It worked hard to get the funding to modernize the industry, the process that has started with the new fac- tory at Skeldon and the new packaging plant being con- structed at Enmore. However, the challenge that the industry is facing to- day is much greater than in 1948. This year, we will feel the full impact of the 36% cut in the price of sugar that is ex- ported to Europe. Added to this is the fact that the Euro, the currency used in Europe, is weakening against the US dollar. This will have a nega- tive impact on our industry. The massive foods of 2005 and the unpredict- able weather conditions since then have resulted in the industry not meeting its targets. This means that very careful management has to be done to turn the industry around. This will call for sac- rifces and understanding from all sides. Clearly, the interests of the working peo- ple are much more than just wages. The workers, through their unions, should work for greater effciency of the industry as a whole. In the process, they should be pre- pared to put representatives on the Board of Directors. They must have all the infor- mation about the industry. Having the information and analyzing it carefully will no doubt give the work- ers the whole picture of the industry and can help them to understand the need to act responsibly in relation to an industry that is strategic to them as well as to the nation as a whole.
A modern sugar industry producing more sugar and more added value products will greatly enhance the workers conditions and it will continue to make a big contribution to the countrys social and economic devel- opment. This photo, taken sometime in the early 1970s, shows workers protesting for better conditions. Today, of course, the industry belongs to the people of Guyana. The present govern- ment has shown that it has great interest in the workers. It has done quite a lot to help the industry. It worked hard to get the funding to modernize the industry, the process that has started with the new factory at Skel- don and the new packaging plant being constructed at Enmore. However, the challenge that the indus- try is facing today is much greater than in 1948. As we observe another anniversary of the Enmore Martyrs, let us be ready to champion the cause of the working people and our na- tions interests. Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 20 Recipes Mirror for Women Baked Eggplant Ingredients: 1 lb eggplant, 1 oz butter, salt and pepper to taste, 1 small chopped onion, bread crumbs, 1 tbsp tomato ketchup Preparation: Boil eggplant in skin until tender. Skin, then crush to a pulp with butter, salt, pepper, onions, and ketchup. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake in a moderate oven until brown. Banana Honey Pie Ingredients: 4 oz short crust pastry, 3 tbsp cornstarch, pt water, 2/3 cups evaporated milk, 2 eggs, separated, cup honey, 4 bananas, small, 2 oz sugar, tsp salt Preparation: Blend the cornstarch with water. Add milk and cook over boiling water until thickened - about 15 to 20 minutes. Blend the egg yolks with honey and add to frst mixture, stirring constantly. Continue cooking over boiling water until thickened (about 5 minutes longer). Chill thoroughly. Slice bananas into a baked pie shell, pour in the cream flling, and top with meringue made of beaten egg whites, salt and sugar. Brown in a hot oven. by Andrea Engber A long with letting your child seek his own heroes and role mod- els, there are things you can do to allow him to be male. Whether or not you have a man around to show him the ropes, your son can grow up to be an emotionally healthy male just as many boys of single moms have already done. Did you know that Tom Cruise, Ed Bradley, Al- exander Haig, Bill Clinton, Alan Greenspan, Bill Cosby, Dr. Benjamin Carson and Les Brown were raised by single moms? The following tips have been compiled from my own experience, the expertise of current or retired single mothers and single parent advisors: 1. Accept your sons differ- ences. 2. Never make him the man around the house. True, you want to teach him to grow to be man, but there is a distinc- tion between being the little man and being responsible for things that adults are sup- posed to do. Your child is not your confdant, your knight in shining armor or your res- cuer. Especially important for the newly widowed or divorced, correct people if they suggest that now your son is the man around the house, or that he should take care of Mommy. 3. When you look at your child and see his fathers face, its okay to get a little emotional. After all, if your ex gave you anything of val- ue, youre looking at it. Let your son know how impor- tant he is to you. 4. Point out the positive qual- ities in men you see on a day to day basis. This means that even if youre buying your son shoes, and the salesman is especially attentive or friendly, point this trait out by mentioning what a help- ful person he is, or Isnt this man very nice? 5. Be a little creative in help- ing your child learn guy stuff. For instance, many single mothers report con- cern over their sons using the potty while sitting, or playing with their makeup. Chances are, your child wont spend the rest of his life pee- ing sitting down while wear- ing mascara. Homosexuality doesnt exist because you didnt monitor the morning makeup sessions! But if you want to get a head start on defning the differ- ences between second- ary sex characteristics between males and fe- males, try this: Set out a little basket just for him. Fill it with a mock razor, gentle shaving cream, watered-down cologne, his tooth- brush, toothpaste and a comb. Let him know this is what most guys do every morning to their faces. 6. As your child ma- tures, investigate local boys groups or clubs that he could join such as Cub Scouts. Dont be intimidated by such sponsored events that should be experienced by all boys is that initiation ritual that welcomes them into the pack. This is an es- sential boost to the self es- teem of little boys, that feel- ing of belonging to a group with whom they can closely identify. 7. Teach him your values, but let him express them uniquely. Hes a male and will respond to emotional situations somewhat differ- ently than you might. 8. If your boy is really active, get a chinning bar for his room for rainy days. Exercise is critical for all children, but in cases where boys cant seem to center themselves as comfortably as girls, they might need other means of releasing excessive energy. 9. Role models are impor- tant and will be found in every aspect of your sons life. Boys need men, but not necessarily fathers. Just be- cause a father lives at home does not mean a boy is being fathered. 10. Enjoy your time with your baby or toddler by not worrying about whether they are missing out on anything by not having dad around. At the same time, try not to avoid daddy stuff totally. Even though many childrens books feature animal fami- lies raised only by mom, its okay to read stories about all kinds of families to your child. Place a high value on male and female relation- ships in order to give your child a realistic perspective. And remember, try not to have negative attitudes to- ward men, even if you be- came a single mother out of the most excruciating cir- cumstances. Raising Boys: 10 Tips for Single Moms as Father/son boat races or picnics. Let the troop leader know that with the number of single parent families, you would be comfortable if the den would acknowledge parent-child events. But the biggest beneft of scouting Giving in to teenage peer pressure R emember what your teenager usually says when he reaches a certain point in his life? Mom, I want a Nintendo. Everyone in school has one! Dad, please let me go to the party or Ill be the laughingstock of the whole school! Everyone will think Im so uncool! Mom, I need to have my hair cut this way because its the hot new look! Harmless? Yes, but in some ways, it is also distressing given the pattern his requests and desires are following. Your teenager is going through a certain phase in life, and with it comes trying to ft in, doing what everyone else is doing, or wanting to buy something or look a certain way just to be considered cool. Peer pressure is a vicious beast and can truly transform the way your teenager is behaving. Peer pressure is one of the nightmares many parents have to go through especially because they will need to do everything they can to make sure their children are immune to it. More often than not, peer pressure tends to be negative, and therefore greatly affects your child and the way you two relate to each other. If you notice your teenager undergoing some changes completely alien to you, or you have more diffculty reaching out to him, its time to get some answers to the hard questions. For instance, why does your child appear to be receptive to peer pressure? In this case, its entirely possible that hes seeing something he likes in his friends, and wishes to be like them as much as possible. Self-esteem is also an issue, and perhaps your child hasnt been able to build up a very strong sense of self yet to know what is or isnt right for him. Children give in to peer pressure because of the need to belong. We usually conform to what our friends want and what they expect us to be, and this tendency is even stronger in young people. They spend more time outside the house and in the presence of different infuences, and all of them will be able to change the way your child thinks and behaves. You should therefore try to spend as much time as possible with your child. For starters, try to fnd out what his interests are and what he likes to do. Another reason could be your teenagers desire to experiment and develop a sense of freedom. As he grows up, he encounters many dif- ferent things in life, prompting him to welcome new things more openly. With the changes in his life, he may feel the need to discover his iden- tity, and trying things brought about by peer pressure is a way for him to explore himself further. Giving in to peer pressure is like a way for a teenager to be- come accepted by his friends, and experimenting with what he learns enables him to learn more about himself. As a parent, you should stand by your childs side and make sure that he isnt going astray, and make sure to communicate with him so you always know whats going on in his life. (by Jeff Cohen) by Dawn Papandrea (ivillage.com) D oes your cup runneth over? Youre not alone. Accord- ing to experts, a shocking 85 percent of women are wearing the wrong bra size! That means theres a good chance you may need to brush up on your under- garment understanding. iVillage checked in with bra experts to get their top tips for fnding a bra that fts comfortably, doesnt create spillage, and of course, makes your bust look its best. Just because youre a 36C doesnt mean all 36C bras will ft you perfectly. Let me let you in on a secret: All brands use actual people, not mannequins, as their ft models when sizing their bras, says Jene Luciani, fashion jour- nalist and author of The Bra Book. Since, no person is an exact size, bra sizes are anything but stan- dard, she says. Translation? Spend the time trying on bras in the store just as you would when shopping for jeans. By that we mean that you should not let a perceived size stigma infuence the bra you choose. If you are busty, dont be afraid to go beyond a DD cup. Many women think that DD is a huge bra size -- well, its really not. Find a bra that fts you com- fortably, and dont worry about what it says on the tag. You may have preferred front-close or racer-back bras all your life, but they may not fatter your particular shape. There are four basic body types -- hour- glass, apple, pear, and rectangle. Pear-shaped women are bottom- heavy, so they need bras to bal- ance them out on top, so general- ly they should look for a push-up style to create the illusion of an hourglass shape. Other tips: Women with muscular or athletic builds will want to try cleavage-enhancing bras with wide-set straps as in the balconette style to narrow the shoulders and feminize the fgure -- save the racerbacks for the gym! Those who are heavier on top (apple-shaped) or with a thicker mid-section should ex- periment with minimizing bras, says Luciani. Also, keep in mind, body types arent set in stone, and certain bras can add some unex- pected fgure fattery. For exam- ple, a front-close bra by its very nature pushes breast together. This is great when you are small- er busted and looking to create cleavage. When choosing a bra, fabric matters, too. It needs to be rigid like lace or powernet, as opposed to stretchy like cotton, to offer support. With stretchy fabrics, the breast tissue bounces all over the place. As for underwires, the big- ger the breast, the more impera- tive an underwire is. In fact, un- derwire does a fantastic job in all sizes, she adds. Shelf bras and soft cups are better worn when lounging around the house. Heres something that most women may not realize: Cup size is determined in relation to band size. Here, once and for all, is how you determine your bra size: First, measure the area directly under your breasts. Take that number and round it up to the nearest even number. So if its 31 inches around, you are a 32-inch band. Then, measure around the fullest part of your bust. Subtract that measurement from the band measurement -- so if the bust measurement is a 36, you have a four-inch difference. Each cup size is one inch, so you are a 32D. If you are petite or small- busted, buying a bra that will fll you out can improve your overall appearance. But proceed with caution: You dont want to go overboard with excessive pad- ding to look svelte and shapely. The key is to look natural and feel comfortable. If youre an already larger busted woman and youre going for a push-up with massive padding, then you might be going overboard. Have an honest friend come with you and be your objec- tive set of eyes. Most women wear the same size bra for years -- sometimes all their lives, but it is recommended that women check their bra mea- surements every six months to a year. Our bodies change so much with hormonal shifts, weight loss and gain, and aging, and our breasts are one of the frst parts of the body to change! Regardless of whether or not your size changes, bras simply wear out. They lose their shape and elasticity. Rule of thumb: Plan to buy new bras yearly. Experts to the Rescue! How to Avoid the Top Bra Mistakes Keep the girls looking perky -- and feeling supported -- with these tips for finding the right bra Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 21 Presidents College Silver Jubilee Labour intensive as well as other vol- untary efforts are underway in prepara- tion to celebrate 25 years of the Presi- dents College, a leading secondary/ boarding school constructed to honour and represent the memory of former Prime Minister and President of the Co-operative Republic, Forbes Odo Burnham, aka the Kabaka. The President College Alumni (PC Alumni) will observe and host a Reunion weekend scheduled for Au- gust 6-9 2010. The programme will include what has been termed a mas- sive give-back exercise at the Golden Grove educational facility, located on the East Coast Demerara, Region Four. The reunion is being organised by the New York based alumni body Presi- dents College Incorporated (PCAI) in conjunction with President College Old Students Association (PCOSA) (http:// www.pcosa-ny.org). Old students will participate in repainting the premises, class-room restoration, tree planting exercises and the installation of a volley ball court among other activities. Additionally, computer donations will be made to- gether with electrical equipment and school supplies. The Science, Electri- cal and Woodworking laboratories and sections will be reftted. A previous effort by the PCO- SA some months ago to raise funds and capital for rehabilitating PC, featured and included a musical evening, domi- noes and lime and other engagements including a barbeque and fun day. This previous PC Support activity was also spread over two days. Broad Community and Interest Group Involvement According to a statement issued by the organisers twenty-fve years have past since the School of excellence opened its portals with the intention of providing a sound education to those who were suffciently qualifed to be- come PC/SE entrants. PC Alumni will proceed with making other, miscel- laneous donations to the school, and some corporate sponsors and students have committed themselves to make appropriate contributions. Reunion Weekend 2010 aspires to be a catalyst for the revival of Presi- dents College as the School of Excel- lence. After 25 years since its inaugu- ration, many of the schools graduates are already accomplished professionals in their respective felds. 100s of the school Alumni including those from the frst batch in 1985 to the more recent 2009) gradu- ates will participate in the jubilee cel- ebration which will kick off with a formal ceremony on the PC campus. According to PCUSA there is an urgent need to preserve the cul- ture and value system of sharing, of competitive learning, discipline, ex- cellence, tolerance of race and class, that has defned their unique experi- ence at Presidents College. Former students will also participate in a reunion impromptu cultural show and lime the same Friday and enjoy the pleasures of a Dance with Guitars on Saturday evening at the formal Ball planned to be held in Georgetown. PC Alumni has already met the Ministry of Education, the Chair- man of the school board, the principal and other offcials to consult, discuss and decide on issues pertaining to the Reunion and plans to assist PC. Meanwhile applications to fll vacancies existing at the school have been invited. These openings and jobs are for electrician (1), librarian III (1), handyman (1), and farm attendant (1). Job specifcation and description can be accessed from the Personnel Of- fcer 1, Presidents College, Golden Grove, ECD. Signifcant Old Student Participa- tion Weekend Mirror also understands that for the Reunion participants are advised to re-register (e-mail: pc2010reunion@gmail.com) as a large number Old Students have con- frmed their attendance, and space, especially for the grand Ball is lim- ited. The hosts and organisers (PCA) also hopes to launch a volun- teering and mentoring programme at the college, create a future endowment fund as well as to concentrate on spe- cifc projects including the funding of various bursaries to students. The reunion will also include specifcally for the student body a Sports Day on Sunday, August 8 to be staged at the PC sports ground. This aspect of the programme will be co- ordinated to enable students to show- case their athletic prowess. Diamond, Agate, Jasper, and Gold Houses will compete for the coveted sports cham- pion trophy. Past and present teachers, as well as senior students are all in- vited to attend the Sports Day. In addition to the above stated website and e-mail address, interested PCAI as well as PCOSA members can telephone Renetta Persaud 220-4943 or 616-8194 or Sharon Dillon at 219- 2972 with regard to fees of registra- tion, other payments such as tickets for events and any other information. News from the Regions Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 22 Grade Six Assessment Mathematics 1. The whole number that is divisible by both 7 and 5 is (a) 35 (b) 25 (c) 15 (d) 8 2. In the mathematical statement, 35 x 3, the 35 is called the (a) Multiplier (b) subtrahend (c) multiplicand (d) dividend 3. When 6500 is rounded to the nearest thousand, it becomes.. (a) 6000 (b) 6600 (c) 7000 (d) 7500 Study the fgure at side carefully, then answer question 4 4. The fgure shown has edges. (a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 4 5. In a swimming class, there are 12 boys and 8 girls. What is the ratio of boys to girls? (a) 3:5 (b) 5:3 (c) 3:2 (d) 2:3 6. The Roman Numeral that represents 1000 is .. (a) L (b) C (c) D (d) M 7. The cost of one dozen mangoes is $288. What will 5 such mangoes cost? (a) $24 (b) $48 (c) $100 (d) $120 8. Reduce $600 by 12%. (a) $672 (b) $528 (c) $478 (d) $72 9. By how much is 0.75 of $600 greater than 75% of $400? (a) $750 (b) $600 (c) $450 (d) $150 10. When we multiply an odd number by 1, then add 2, we get a/annumber. (a) Even (b) prime (c) odd (d) composite 11. The clock at side is 7 minutes slow. What is the correct time? (a) 3:07 h (b) 2:53 h (c) 3:00 h (d) 12:00 h 12. Sue obtained 12 INCORRECT answers out of 80 in a spelling test. What percent of the test was correct? (a) 25% (b) 35% (c) 65% (d) 85% 13. An aircraft took 55 minutes to travel from Piarco to Grantley Adams International Airport. If it arrived at Grantley Adams at 15:10 hrs, at what time did it leave Piarco? (a) 16:05h (b) 15:150h (c) 14:15h (d) 14:05h 14. In a class of 40 pupils, there are 5 boys to every 3 girls. How many girls are in the class? (a) Doodnauth has $1086 and Shaquane has $214 more than he. What sum of money do the two boys have altogether? (a) $1300 (b) $1786 (c) $2386 (d) $2514 15. Sean wants to know how much ice cream is in the tub. He may have to calculate the ..of the tub? (a) Perimeter (b) area (c) volume (d) density 16. 105% expressed as a decimal is.. (a) 0.105 (b) 1.05 (c) 0.150 (d) 0.0015 17. How many kilograms are there in 750 grams? (a) 0.5 (b) 0.25 (c) 0.75 (d) 1.25 18. 5030 3879 = (a) 1351 (b) 1251 (c) 1151 (d) 1051 19. 19.345 x 45 = (a) 15 525 (b) 16 525 (c) 17 525 (d) 18 525 20. Shelley spent 70% of her money. She had $600 left. How much money had she at frst? (a) $2000 (b) $3000 (c) $4000 (d) $5000 Answers to last weeks questions 1. D 2. B 3. C 4. C 5. A 6. C 7. D 8. C 9. C 10. D 11. D 12. D 13. A 14. A 15. D 16. C 17. A 18. D 19. B 20. B Weekend Mirror, 12-13June, 2010 Page 23 The Other View by YAN WEI R ussias high-profle celebrations of the 65th anniversary of its victory over Nazi Ger- many in World War II earli- er this month, said analysts, offered strong messages of peace, unity and confdence. The celebrations culmi- nated in a military parade in Moscows Red Square on May 9. More than 11,000 service personnel took part in the parade, which fea- tured 161 tanks and missiles as well as 127 aircraft. Leaders and dignitaries from more than 20 foreign countriesincluding Chi- a badly needed boost to the Russian peoples morale. The proceedings high- lighted Russias recent mili- tary modernization efforts through the displays of so- phisticated weaponry. But they would also likely help bolster the Russian publics confdence in the govern- ment, Zhao said. From an internation- al perspective, the parade sought to show Western leaders with a Cold War mentality that Moscows priority concerns national defense rather than aggres- sion. This message struck a particularly important tone against the backdrop of the ter their initial drives to take Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Soviets helped the Chinese, too. At a crucial stage of Chinas War of Re- sistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-45), the Soviet Red Army marched into the battleground in northeast China to help fght Japanese invaders. During the eight-year war, China re- sisted 70 percent of Japanese fascist forces at a cost of more than 35 million lives. Views of history President Hu refected upon the alliance in Moscow. It is an iron-clad fact that China and the Soviet Union have made exceptional contribu- them, to avoid the repetition of such a tragedy. The celebrations were also a tribute to the veter- ans, of course. For instance, Russia has announced plans to establish a database for World War II veterans con- sisting of 30 million entries by the end of 2012. On May 9, the Russian Ministry of Defense began the endeavor by posting the frst 600,000 entries on its website. Russia is also in the pro- cess of tracking soldiers who went missing during World War II. For this undertaking, Russian military offcials recently opened an offce at the Russian Embassy in Beijing to search for missing soldiers in China. It has thus far identifed the remains of some 600 missing Russian soldiers in China, Tomikhin said. The victory of the Great Patriotic War must con- tinue to be a consolidating factor between Russia and many other countries in the world communityone that should also serve to erase any efforts at distorting the history of fascist aggression in Europe and Asia, he said. There remains a heated debate in Eastern Europe about the Soviet Unions role in World War II, said Zhao. But there can be no doubt it was the Soviet Union that defeated Nazi Germany and played a pivotal role in help- ing secure a victory over fascism in World War II. China also supported for the worlds anti-fascist efforts by fghting Japanese aggression.
President Hus presence in the Red Square parade was deemed as a sign showing Chinas backing for Russia from a diplomatic point of view. As strategic partners, the two countries always support each other on ma- jor issues, Zhao said. At this point, China- Russia relations are the closest, most dynamic and most promising relations between major world pow- ers, said Chinas Assistant Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping. Last year, for example, China and Russia not only celebrated the 60th anni- versary of their bilateral diplomatic ties, but also held the Year of the Rus- sian Language in China, during which the two coun- tries staged more than 260 cultural events. The two neighboring countries also approved a plan for cooperation between Chinas northeast region and Russian Far East and Eastern Siberia last year. Moreover, the two sides signed a treaty on informing each other of ballistic missile launches. This year, China-Russia relations are expected to maintain this sound momen- tum. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, for one, visited Russia in March. He and Putin jointly inaugurated the Year of the Chinese Lan- guage in Russia. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, meanwhile, is sched- uled to visit Russia later this year for the 15th regular Homage to Victory China congratulates Russia as it celebrates the 65th anniversary of triumph in World War II A COMRADES GRIP: On May 8, Chinese President Hu Jintao met in Moscow Russian veterans who helped China during Chinas War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (RAO AIMIN) nese President Hu Jintao joined Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at the ceremony. Be- yond Red Square, 19 other cities in Russia and in parts of the former Soviet Union staged similar military pa- rades that day. A show of confdence These celebrations had pow- erful implications both do- mestically and around the world, said Zhao Mingwen, an expert on Russian studies at the China Institute of In- ternational Studies. At a time when the dev- astating effects of the global fnancial crisis have yet to be fully resolved, the mili- tary parade in Moscow gave United States planned de- ployments of anti-missile systems and interceptors in Eastern Europe, Zhao said. In addition, by inviting veterans from former Soviet republics to partake in the Red Square parade, Russia, said Zhao, also enhanced its solidarity within the Com- monwealth of Independent States. The Great Patriotic War the Soviet Union fought against Nazi Germany and its allies from June 1941 to May 1945 is regarded as one of the most important parts of World War IIand one of its deadliest. In all, it is believed that 27 million Russians died before the Red Army beat back Adolf Hitlers forces to Berlin af- tions to the victory of the worlds anti-fascist war, he said, while meeting Russian war veterans who fought in the battles for the liberation of Chinas northeast. The Chinese people, he said, continue to value highly the Soviet Unions role in World War IIand will by no means forget the Soviet Red Armys help. World War II inficted immeasurable losses on the Soviet Union, and almost every Russian family lost a loved one in the war, said Evgeny Tomikhin, Minister Counselor at the Russian Embassy in Beijing. Nations around the world should neither forget these wars, he said, nor the cir- cumstances surrounding tons of crude oil annually from Russia to China. At a meeting with Med- vedev in Moscow on May 9, Hu called on both countries to redouble their efforts to deepen cooperation in trade and energy between Chinas northeast and Russias Far East. The two countries should also strengthen people- to-people and cultural ex- changes by promoting the teaching of Chinese and Russian languages in each others countries and hold- ing regular exchange pro- grams for the two countries young people, such as sum- mer camps, he said. Hus Proposal Chinese President Hu Jintao put forward a four-point pro- posal for boosting China- Russia strategic cooperation while meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on May 9: Strengthen coordination in the institutionalization of the Group of 20, seek a greater say for China and Russia in international affairs, and uphold their own legitimate rights and interests as well as other developing countries; Keep in close touch with each other to help safe- guard regional peace and stability; Work closely in the fght against the three evil forc- es of terrorism, separat- ism and extremism; and Strengthen coordina- tion on major internation- al issues, such as climate change and energy secu- rity. (Beijing Review, May 20, 2010 edition) There remains a heated debate in Eastern Eu- rope about the Soviet Unions role in World War II, said Zhao. But there can be no doubt it was the Soviet Union that defeated Nazi Germany and played a pivotal role in helping secure a victory over fascism in World War II. meeting with Putin, Cheng said. Bilateral trade volume in the frst quarter of this year reached $12 billion, up 64 percent over the same period in the previous year. This is evidence that bilateral trade cooperation has moved out of the shadow of the global fnancial crisis. In addition, the China- Russia crude oil pipeline project will be completed in the second half of this year. The pipeline, whose con- struction started last year, runs from Skovorodino, Russia, to Daqing, northeast Chinas Heilongjiang Prov- ince. The 1,030-km pipeline will transport 15 million Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 24 South Africans have marked the 50th anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre, a turning point in the nations liberation struggle. Sixty-nine people died on 21 March 1960 when po- lice gunned down unarmed people protesting against apartheid laws. The dead were honoured as part of Human Rights Day, with church services, the laying of wreaths, and a speech by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe. Critics say people in the township still face poor liv- ing conditions. People gathered at the Roman Catholic church in Sharpeville, and laid wreaths at the cemetery on the graves of those killed in the massa- cre. Mr Motlanthe spoke to survivors and relatives of the victims at the Garden of Re- membrance. Later addressing a crowd of about 5,000, he said: We say never, never and never again will a government ar- rogate itself powers of tor- ture, arbitrary imprisonment of opponents and the killing of demonstrators. In the same breath, we state that our democratic government undertakes to never ignore the plight of the poor, those without shelter, those without means to an education and those suffer- ing from abuse and neglect, he was quoted by the Associ- ated Press as saying. The Sharpeville Mas- sacre is remembered as one of the bloodiest moments of the liberation struggle, the BBCs Karen Allen reports from Johannesburg. Fifty years ago, South African police opened fre on demonstrators in Sharpeville township, 50km (30 miles) south of Johan- nesburg. Sixty-nine people died and at least 180 were injured - many shot in the back as they were trying to fee the scene. They had gathered out- side the police station to pro- test against pass laws, which required all blacks to carry identity documents - known as pass books - at all times. No police were ever convict- ed over the killings. The Sharpeville massa- cre led to the banning of the African National Congress (ANC) and its rival libera- tion movement, the Pan Af- ricanist Congress (PAC), and signalled the start of the un- derground armed resistance in South Africa. Today, many in the town- ship are disappointed that the ANC has failed to improve their lives since it came to power, our correspondent says. Many of the shops in Sharpeville have closed down, unemployment per- sists and there is a sense among some residents that basic public services are in- adequate. Our lives started chang- ing with Nelson Mandelas release, but people are still fnancially struggling and fnance is still in white peo- ples hands, Abram Mofo- keng told Associated Press news agency. He was 21 when the mas- South Africa commemorates Sharpeville Massacre of 1960 sacre took place.
In recent weeks the ANC has faced protests from other communities in South Africa, who fear that cro- nyism and corruption have overshadowed the partys agenda. Victims at the scene of the massacre. Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 25 Monthly Mirror Contest Win this Lay-Z-Man Bed by completing the entry cou- pon and mailing it to the Weekend Mirror, Lot 8 Indus- trial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown or Freedom House, 48 Robb Street, Lacytown, Georgetown. Drawing will take place at the end of May, 2010 and the winners name will be published in the Weekend Mirror. Only original clippings of the coupon will be ac- cepted. Employees and/or their relatives of the Weekend Mirror and Freedom House are not eligible to enter the competition. This months prize is with the compliments of Kissoons Furniture Store, Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, G/ Town. Name:............................... Address:.......................... ......................... Tel No.:............................ ID or Passport No.:........................ A South Korean attempt to launch a weather monitor- ing satellite into orbit has failed after the rocket car- rying it appeared to have exploded, striking a blow to the countrys aspirations of joining Asias space race. The Naro rocket, de- signed by Russian and South Korean experts, seemed to have exploded 137 seconds after blast-off on Thursday, Ahn Byong-man, South Koreas minister of educa- tion, science and technol- ogy said. Looking from the bright fash seen on the camera mounted on the tip of the rocket, it appears the Naro exploded in fight dur- ing the frst-stage ignition, Ahn said. Engineers from South Korea and Russia are trying to determine the cause of the incident. The satellite, de- signed to monitor climate change, had been due to separate from the rocket at an altitude of 302km and to deploy its solar panels about nine minutes after blast-off. The rocket had only reached an altitude of 70km when the apparent explo- sion occurred. I cannot defnitely say now, but there appears to have been a problem with the frst stage of the rocket, Lee Jae-Woo, a space ex- pert at Konkuk University in Seoul, the South Korean capital, said. The frst stage of the liquid- fuelled rocket was made in Russia, while the second stage of the rocket and the satellite were built domes- tically. The remnants of the rocket might have crashed into the ocean about 465km from Seoul, offcials said. This is the second time a South Korean built rocket has failed in the past year. A previous launch attempt failed in August when the nose cone of the satellite did not open prop- erly. South Korea has in- vested more than $400m in the 140 tonne Naro-1 rocket, with space technology seen as a matter of national pride for many Koreans. About 100 people cheered as they watched the rockets launch on tele- vision screens in the main railway station in the capi- tal. The mood at the sta- tion turned anxious when news of problems with the launch became apparent. We are sorry for failing to live up to peoples expectations, Ahn said. The country has previously sent 10 satellites into space, but has relied on launch vehicles and tech- nology from other coun- tries. South Korea is aim- ing to catch up with Japan, China and India who are Asias current space pow- ers. Japan has launched numerous satellites, while China sent its frst astronaut into space in 2003 and car- ried out its frst spacewalk in 2008. India launched a satellite into moon orbit in 2008 but had to abandon it nearly a year later after communi- cation links snapped. The frst South Ko- rean astronaut was sent into space aboard a Rus- sian Soyuz rocket in April 2008. Lee Myung-bak, South Koreas president, has urged the countrys space engineers and experts to avoid feeling frustrated S Korea rocket explodes on launch over the failure and to aim for success in the future. Though it is re- grettable, much more can be learned though fail- ure, Lee said in a state- ment posted on the presi- dential website.
Ahn has said plans are un- derway for a third attempt to send a satellite into orbit, although he did not specify a date. The second rocket failure in the past year is seen as a blow to South Koreas space ambitions Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 26 Weekend Sport Sports View by Neil Kumar S hondell Mystery Lady Alfred knocked out Corinne Sexy Panther De Groot to take the undefeated Womens In- ternational Boxing Associa- tion (WIBA) Bantamweight Title. The sharp and fully ft Alfred clinical put on a clini- cal performance. Alfred was quick and smart in the frst three rounds. She was looking dangerous every time she went forward. The World Bantamweight Champion took one minute, 23 seconds of the fourth of their 10 round encounters, to deliver a vicious knock-out fnal that sent De Groot reel- ing with Canvas. The dev- astating punches confrmed Alfred as the un-disputed Guyana/WIBA Bantam- weight Champion. Gwendolyn The Stealth Bomber ONeil defeated Veronica Blackman to take the WIBA Heavyweight Ti- tle. ONeil boxed her way to a unanimous decision. This win is her third world title. Hector Machito Co- macho Jr., the son of the leg- endary Hector Macho Co- macho Snr. whipped Denny Dalton seriously in front of his hometown supporters. Dalton seemed to have left his deadly right hand home as using it seemed to have been a problem. Comacho used that to his advantage and destroyed Dalton with solid left hands especially to his body and was bestowed with the WBF Intercontinen- tal Middleweight Title. Orlon Pocket Rocket Rogers was unable to launch his rockets as predicted in his pre-fght promises, as he was indeed no match for Elton The Real Coolie Bully Dharry boxing out of the USA. Dharry used his height, reach and superior strength to soften the Pocket Rocket and gained a unani- mous decision victory. In the amateur section of the well put together card, Junior Commonwealth Sil- ver Medalist, Clevon Rock defeated Nandkumar Singh of Republican Gym. Rock displayed tactical and skillful boxing. How- ever, Singh showed off a well trimmed body. He was hungry and went after Rock menacingly, but because of Singhs lack of experience, Rock prevailed. Singh, with his will and determination can go a far way. Those who are in charge of his training must quickly, but with caution, cooperate and give him the necessary encouragement and exposure which will be Guyanese boxers excel at Friday Night Card necessary for future suc- cesses. The well organised card by Bris O Promotions, headed by Seon Bristol, saw a capacity crowd at the Prin- cess Hotel Poolside. Attendees included Presi- dent Bharrat Jagdeo, Minis- ters of the Government and other dignitaries, who were treated to an evening of high entertainment and top class boxing. It cannot be denied that the nights card was well or- ganized and fully supported internationally and locally. The tremendous turn out is a manifestation of Guya- neses appreciation for sport. Further, the crowd was dis- ciplined and they rallied be- hind our local boxers. Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) must be complimented for a well- executed vent. Lets us rally behind our boxers. West Indies and South Af- rica are presently playing in the frst test match at the Queens Park Oval. Due to injuries, the West Indies is without top batsman Ram- naresh Sarwan and fast bowlers Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor. So far the South Africans have already whitewashed the West Indies in the two shorter versions of the game. The three test match series may be more competitive if the solid rock of West Indies batting, Shivnarine Chand- erpaul continues to bat con- sistently. Chanderpauls clone Narsingh Deonarine is also a solid test batsman and he along with Brendon Nash can occupy the crease and play very long innings. Skipper Chris Gayle has failed miserably with the bat so far in the Limited Over series. Gayles batting at the top of the order failed to give the team a good start. He will have to bat sensibly if the West Indies are to score runs adequately and give their bowlers an opportunity to bowl at the South Afri- cans. All-rounder, Dwayne Bravo and Denish Ramdin along with Travis Dowlin must also score runs for their team. Test cricket is all about batting and scoring runs and bowling out the opposition twice under your total. West Indies will have to improve in their felding from their last Limited overs match against South Africa. The Bravo brothers put down two catches that certainly cost the West Indies team the match. Our felding will have to be superb and clini- cal. South Africas batting on paper looks very strong. Their bowling also seems threatening and in their felding, they are far sharper than the West Indies. The Caribbean people will rally behind the home team and our players must be motivated to stop South Africa from winning. Stiff competition for W/I and upcoming tournament South Africa is preparing for the start of the biggest football tour- nament on earth, the World Cup, which gets under way on Friday in Johannesburg. It is the 19th staging of the showpiece event and will be the frst time it has taken place in the continent of Africa. Johannesburgs 94,000- capacity Soccer City hosts the opening ceremony, with the frst game getting under way at 1500 BST when South Africa face Mexico. Former president Nelson Mandela, 91, is set to attend part of the festivities. He will be present on Friday, but will not attend the entire open- ing game as his family are worried about the state of his health. T he World Cup kicks off with a 40-minute opening cer- emony at Soccer City starting at 1300 BST. American RnB star R Kelly is one of 1,581 performers ahead of the game between the hosts and Mexico at 1500 BST. The global TV audience for the tournament will be made up of viewers in more than 215 coun- tries and will run into hundreds of millions. South Africa president Jacob Zuma and Archbishop Desmond Tutu are also expected to be at Soccer City, the newly refurbished stadium designed to look like a calabash, an African cooking pot. Since it was chosen as the frst African host of the World Cup in 2004, South Africa has spent about 40bn rand (3.55bn) on stadiums, transport infrastructure and upgrading airports. The tournament, which is made up of 32 nations, could add as much as 0.5% to the countrys GDP in 2010 and will bring in an estimated 370,000 foreign visi- tors. As well as the iconic Soc- cer City - the biggest stadium in Africa - nine other venues will stage World Cup matches across the country, including Ellis Park, which is also in Johannesburg. Cape Town, Pretoria, Polokwane, Rustenburg, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Nelspruit will host matches, too. There are 64 games in total, with the fnal taking place at Soc- cer City on Sunday, 11 July. There have been concerns about ticketing policy and security in the run-up to the tournament. Fifa has come under fre for the way tickets have been distributed, with critics claiming its preferred method of making tickets avail- able online excluded many locals who did not have an internet con- nection. However, footballs world gov- erning body has made a number of tickets exclusively available to South Africans and announced on Wednesday that 97% of the 3.1m tickets had been sold, allay- ing fears of empty stadiums. As for security, there have been concerns about the safety of fans, media and players travel- ling to South Africa. England are among the fa- vourites in South Africa and Fabio Capellos men get their Group C campaign under way against the United States in Rustenburg on Saturday. Defending champions Italy start on Monday with a match against Paraguay, Brazil face North Ko- rea in their frst game on Tuesday and Euro 2008 winners Spain start their bid for a frst World Cup win by taking on Switzerland on Wednesday. South Africa have never progressed beyond the group stage at the World Cup, though they have only taken part in two previous tournaments, in 1998 and 2002. They are managed by Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira, who led his home nation to vic- tory at the 1994 World Cup in the United States and will be coach- ing at a record sixth tournament.
Some of the worlds best players will be on display in South Africa, among them Lionel Messi, Cristia- no Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. But some big names will be miss- ing because of injury, such as England duo Rio Ferdinand and David Beckham, Germany skip- per Michael Ballack and Ghana midfelder Michael Essien. Di- dier Drogba - an icon in African sport - fractured his elbow in a recent friendly against Japan, but is hopeful of playing a part in the Ivory Coasts campaign. World Cup 2010: South Africa set for historic event Weekend Mirror, 12-13 June, 2010 Page 27 Greatness of former cricketers Wes Hall W esley Winfeld Hall (born Sep- tember 12, 1937, Holders Hill, Barbados) is a former West Indian cricketer who played in 48 Tests from 1958 to 1969. Hall was one of the frst in the line of highly suc- cessful West Indian fast bowlers. Known for his speed, he approached the wicket with a 35-40 yard run-up and his partnership with Charlie Griffth was highly successful in Test cricket. Six feet two inches tall, Hall had a graceful action and could bowl fast for long spells. He bowled the famous last over in the Tied Test of Brisbane in 1960. Garry Sobers ranked Hall ahead of Michael Holding. Hall attended Comb- ermere School on a free scholarshp and played for the school cricket team, initially as a batsman. [1] After completing his schooling, Hall was em- ployed by the cable offce in Bridgetown and it was playing for the offce crick- et team where Hall took up bowling.[2] Halls talent was soon recognised and in 1956 he was included in the Barbados team to play EW Swantons XI.[3] In addition to being a successful fast bowler, Hall has also been an selector, manager, administrator, politician and clergyman. After retiring from cricket, he was later elected a sena- tor in Barbados. Hall began his career as a wicket-keeper but soon switched to fast bowling, a role he could handle much more easily. He quickly emerged as the West In- dies frst great post-war fast bowler. With one of the longest run-ups in Test cricket, he bowled genu- inely fast - and for very long spells throughout a day. During the Lords Test of 1963 he bowled unchanged for over three hours on the fnal day. He took 192 wickets in 48 Tests (exactly four a match), with best return of 7 for 69 against England at 1960, when he was at his quickest. In all frst-class cricket, he took 546 wick- ets in 170 matches. Following retirement, he was a selector and manag- er of the West Indies team and president of the West Indies Cricket Board from 2001 to 2003. During that period he sat on the board of directors of the International Cricket Council, where he pushed for better conditions for players in particular and West Indies cricket in general. He was the Minister of Tourism in Barba- dos in the 1980s and implemented many sports- related initiatives which have now been adopted globally.
Today he continues to serve as an evangelical church leader. He was on the board of direc- tors for the Stanford 20/20 Cricket Project. (Wikipedia.com) R e v .
W e s
H a l l PUBLISHED BY NEW GUYANA Co. Ltd., 8 Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana. Tel: 226-2471/73 Fax: 226-2472 WEEKEND MIRROR, 12-13 June, 2010 Road Safety is everybodys business by Mirrors International Correspondent
ON JUNE 9, the UN Se- curity Council voted to put additional sanctions on Iran, continuing to claim that Iran is making a nucle- ar bomb even though that has been denied time and again by the Iranians. It is clear that the U.S. has applied a lot of pres- sure on other countries to comply. Brazil and Turkey seem to be the only states that felt strong enough to resist the might of the U.S. It is very obvious that the great powers seem to be taking a terribly biased position against Iran. This country has never invaded any other country. It is not a threat to anyone, yet it has been subjected to serious and damaging sanctions. At the same time, Israel, which has nuclear arms, which is threaten- ing Iran and other weaker states, and which has a re- cord of invasion and sei- zure of lands from many Arab countries, faces no sanctions. The terrorist state of Israel has been blockading Gaza and starving more than one- and-a-half mil- lion people of basic neces- sities, yet it is allowed by the big powers of this world to go with small comments and half-hearted condem- nations, but no sanctions. Israel has even gone The UN sanctions on Iran Obama hails toughest sanctions but Ahmadinejad dismisses them as pesky fies. so far as to steal passports from U.S. and U.K. citizens to send agents to assassi- nate people in other coun- tries, as recently occurred in Dubai. No sanctions were placed on Israel. No wonder that Iran has responded in the way it has because it sees that it is under attack and may very well have to face the mili- tary might of some of the powers-that-be. If the U.S. feels so strongly that it wants the support of the world, it should begin to act even- handedly. If it disarms Israel of nu- clear weapons, it would no doubt gain the moral au- thority to call for sanctions against Iran. The Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) has noted with deep regret the shooting of Kelvin Fraser, a 16-year-old student, by the police at Pat- entia, West Bank Demerara. This unfortunate incident must be of concern to all Guyanese people. We urge that an inves- tigation into this tragedy be mounted. It should be done swiftly and not prolonged. The result of such an inves- tigation must also be made public. The Peoples Progressive Party extends deepest sym- pathy to the parents, family and friends of Kelvin Fra- zier. PPP condemns Frazer shooting Government continues to in- sist on quality and value for money, while emphasising the need for international certifcation to reduce tech- nical barriers to trade for lo- cal businesses, companies, services and laboratories. In order to achieve this, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has launched the National Accreditation Focal Point highlighting the importance of local bodies securing in- ternational accreditation. The Wednesday ses- sion, which saw participants from various private and public sector organisations, was held at the Pegasus Ho- tel under the theme, Global Acceptance and coincided with the observance of World Accreditation Day. The GNBS said the main aim of accreditation is to boost competitiveness of the local economy and fa- cilitate acceptance of goods and services on the global market. Accreditation is seen as crucial not only to competition and global mar- ket access but also to ensure the health and satisfaction of consumers are guaranteed. It involves satisfying consumers trust for quality services as well as ensuring value for their money. Guyana has made im- portant advances but needs to accelerate actions to cre- ate its own standards and become an equal participant in the making of the safety standard process. Around the world, international certifcation is being used as a viable mar- keting tool and Represen- tative of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Rabin- dra Rambaran said standards go far beyond labels, weight and measurements. Rambaran mentioned that some businesses seek to expand through export but are turned down due to non-compliance with inter- national standards resulting in loss of investment and ex- pansion. He added that al- though some are in compli- ance, they are not certifed and accredited and are there- fore excluded from lucrative global markets. The businessman sug- gested more research, in- creased transparency, good corporate governance and visible corporate social re- sponsibility as keys to com- petitiveness. Head of the Conformity Assessment Department, Candelle Walcott-Bostwick said the CARICOM Region- al Organisation for Stan- dards and Quality (CROSQ), in June 2008, implemented the Caribbean Laboratories Service Project to improve lab service and tests results. It was later decided to develop focal points in those countries without accredita- tion bodies to ensure stan- dards are equated with those in the United States. Guyana to pursue accreditation for local companies Participants at the launch of the GNBSNational Accreditation Focal Point project at the Pegasus Hotel. The Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) has announced that the Ad- venture Stelling is back in operation after its closure to aid the safe retrieval of a lorry and its driver from the Essequibo River. It was noted that the rescue operation was expedited by a fellow lorry driver and an employee of T&HD. The mishap occurred at approximately 07:55 hours and the service from Adventure resumed at 16:30 hours. On June 8 while the vessel, M.V. Torani was being off loaded at the Ad- venture Stelling, lorry # GEE 7332 rode over the chock that was placed behind the rear wheel, pushed its way through the securing chain and ran overboard, on the seaward side of the vessel. At the time of the incident the lorry was being driven by one Christo- pher Browne and it was conveying 15 tons of fertilizer. The gross weight of the lorry was 22 tons, which is the present acceptable weight on the Essequibo Ferries, the T&HD said in a release. The Management of the T&HD has expressed regrets for any inconve- nience caused by the unfortunate incident. Adventure Stelling back in operation - following lorry episode