Guyana: A disheartened Nation
August 31, 2008
Every county has problems but many people in Guyana assert that all is in good health in Guyana and that the country is getting better day-by-day. Please do not believe all that you hear, come and experience it for yourself. I am twenty seven years old and I live in Upper Berbice and this is what we face everyday.
•Corrupt Government.
•Poverty.
•Increased crime rate.
•Inflation. However, there has been no increase in wages and salaries. (Remained 6 USD a day)
•Few or no employment opportunities.
•Parents cannot afford to send their children to school.
•Import/ Export – tax and duties are too high.
•Money donated to Guyana by other countries is unaccounted for- government officials steal a part of it for their personal gains.
•Deplorable infrastructures.
•Drugs, alcohol and illegal activities.
•The worst health care system ever; I should probably say NO Health Care especially for the poor.
•Increase in HIV/ Aids, prostitution, rape, teenage pregnancy, incest, suicide, domestic violence and road accidents.
•Too much beggars in the streets.
•Bribery- With money and power, one can commit any crime and they know that they will walk free. Policemen, lawyers, judges, Managers, government employees are all taking bribes. Its all about knowing someone who knows somebody that can help you- as long as you have money to pay the cost.
•Brain Drain- Everyone trying to escape the struggles and poverty in Guyana even if it meant illegal entry into another country.
•Wildlife decreasing.
•Stray animals on the road.
•Nothing has been done to improve tourism.
•Pollution. Garbage dumped everywhere.
•No ambulance and Incubators at Public Hospitals. Most people cannot afford Private Hospitals and their fees. Shortage of qualified doctors/ nurses. And also there are doctors/ nurses who steal medications and sell at their own Private Clinics.
•Education level is low and no longer recognized.
•Employees being laid off often.
•No drainage and irrigation. Farmers have to suffer the consequences with their crops.
•Poor living conditions.
Sara Romoutar
Hurricane Gustav: Update from the Cayman Islands
August 29, 2008
My name is John Cormack; currently based in the Grand Cayman and reporting for the Baiganchoka.com with updates on Tropical Storm Gustav in the Cayman Islands.
Across the Cayman Islands, employees were sent home on Thursday afternoon ahead of the storm’s expected arrival. The island is very gloomy, windy and has been experiencing torrential rainfall for the past few days.
The people are not going out right now. Workers are removing signs, bins, banners, outdoor furnitures, putting on shutters on their windows and securing enough water and food items. All stores are closed and will reopen until Tuesday. There are no tourists on the island, no cruise ships coming in, no one at the beach, evacuation at some hotels and no public transportation on the road. However, few residents are in chaos, trying to find a grocery store that is opened to do their last minute shopping. Most shelves at major grocery stores empty for the past week because everyone bought food items by the bulk while others complained about the increased prices.
The Owen Roberts International Airport [GCM] is now in full emergency mode, streamlining the departure check in process in tent facilities outside the terminal building. Cayman Airways added 25 extra flights to their schedules in an effort to evacuate tourists and residents wanting to get off the islands.
Tropical Storm Gustav is moving away from Jamaica and headed towards the Cayman Islands where it is expected to hit later this afternoon. Currently, maximum sustained winds are near 65 miles per hour, but strengthening is likely and forecasters predict Gustav could become a hurricane as early as today. A hurricane warning is in effect for the Cayman Islands. An island wide curfew could be issued if weather conditions start deteriorating.
The National Hurricane Center said Gustav had winds of 100 kilometers an hour. The center said the storm could produce more than half-a-meter of rain in some parts of Grand Caymans. If Gustav becomes a hurricane, it would happen three years after Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the city of New Orleans, killing hundreds and causing more than $100 billion in damage.
John
51 Died, Emergency declared on Tropical Storm Gustav and Tropical Storm Hanna.
August 29, 2008
Gustav had moved over Jamaica’s eastern tip by 5 p.m. ET. Six hours later, Gustav’s center was moving west along Jamaica’s south coast with top sustained winds near 70 mph (112 kph), just below the 74-mph (119 kph) threshold of a minimal hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.
The death toll from Tropical Storm Gustav climbed to 51 in Haiti, officials here said Thursday, two days after it slammed into the impoverished Caribbean nation at hurricane strength. In the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti said that the mudslide triggered by heavy rain and killed eight people early Wednesday. Many of the dead and injured were victims of falling trees or simply were unable to escape the rising floodwaters. Gustav also destroyed untold numbers of homes, bridges and other structures that were submerged after flooding swamped villages in Haiti.
Forecasters said they expect the storm to churn over western Jamaica, regain hurricane strength and move near the Cayman Islands on Friday and approach western Cuba on Saturday. Gustav is expected to reach the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 3 hurricane Sunday or Monday, triggering alerts across the U.S. Southeast.
The storm is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches over southern Cuba and 6 to 12 inches over Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, with isolated maximum amounts of 25 inches possible, forecasters said. The heavy rain could trigger flash floods and additional mudslides.
As Gustav crawled across the Caribbean, Tropical Storm Hanna formed out of a tropical depression northeast of Puerto Rico on Thursday, the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and has the potential to become yet another devastating storm. Hanna could produce rainfall of 1 to 4 inches across parts of the Leeward Islands. It’s too soon to say if Hanna will affect the United States.
Gustav is projected to hit the Gulf Coast at the end of Labor Day weekend, and it could be a Category 3 storm by then. Forecasters caution it’s difficult to predict the storm’s path this early. Along the U.S. Gulf Coast, preparations are under way. Louisiana and Texas have put their national guards on standby.
Adam Bakker
Breaking News: Guyana Fine Man Dead
August 28, 2008
GEORGETOWN, Guyana: The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has reportedly shot and killed Guyana’s most wanted fugitive Rondell Fineman Rawlins during a shootout on Thursday.
According to unconfirmed reports, Rawlins, along with a gang of men attempted to rob the GDF base at Camp Stephenson on the Linden Soesdyke highway on Thursday morning and was killed during the resulting shooting.
Reportedly killed along with Rawlins was multi-murder accused “Skinny”.
We all know the story of Fine man and his gang when the two massacres occurred in Bartica and Lusignan. I bet Fineman tried to get his hands on some weapons to use at one of the Carifesta venues. Well I am happy he is out for good and Guyanese can feel a bit safer. Who knows what he was planning to do with those weapons. In the end, Guyana Defense Force and the Police Force could not get Fine Man; He had to come to them.
http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/breaknews-10168–13-13—breaknews.html
Andrew
aristo’s rant - Democratic National Convention
August 28, 2008
We have come to a close in the 3rd night of the Democratic Convention. Viewers were dazzled with star politicians such as Bill and Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Ted Kennedy, who is making a comeback from brain cancer. Read more
A One Million Dollar Suit! What Nonsense.
August 28, 2008
After reading in www.guyanatimesgy.com that WRHM filed against NCN for airing some of the Olympic Games, I started to laugh and laugh and laugh. It was just the Olympic Games and this is Guyana. This is not the US where any and everyone sue for anything. As many stations that could have carried the game the better it would have been for the people. So who care if NCN did not buy into the contractual agreement? I am sure a lot of kids got to see the games through NCN and were inspired to do bigger and better things. So it is all about money not the people. Well this is one of the reasons why Guyana continues to suffer. The same way some upper Berbicians get television from Suriname, the Surinamese station should sue for that but it would be just silly. In the end does it matter, Carifesta came and is now going and Guyanese all around Guyana turned off their television sets because they were disappointed with the opening ceremony but they tuned in to watch the games so who should pay for that?
Read full article here.
Lara
Kids First Fund: Moments in Time
August 27, 2008
Who are we? Kids First’s objective is to provide funding for poor children who require emergency medical treatment, regardless of race, religion and political affiliation. Why? There is a backlog of approximately 1700 children on the Ministry of Health waiting lists, some of which have been there for years, because of very limited funding in this sector, lack of specialists, equipment and facilities. Read more
Kids First Fund: The Future of Guyana is in the Hands of its’ Children
August 27, 2008
The Kids First Fund is a not for profit, non-governmental organisation, registered as a friendly society (no.801) since 11 February 2000. Kids First’s objective is to provide funding for poor children who require emergency medical treatment, regardless of race, religion and political affiliation.
Emergency, is an umbrella term and covers things like air fares, surgery costs, medicines, consultation fees, diagnostics: CT/MRI scans, blood tests, ultrasounds, X-rays, eye tests, dispensing eye glasses, hearing tests/aids, walking aids, wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs and in cases of malnutrition, food and milk.
Why? There is a backlog of approximately 2000 children on the Ministry of Health waiting lists, some of which have been there for years, because of very limited funding in this sector, lack of specialists, equipment and facilities.
Since 2000, the government has injected in excess of GY$4billion dollars a year into the health sector, but when in order to access surgery, children and an accompanying adult have to be sent outside Guyana and the cost is thousands of sterling, Trinidadian or American dollars, it is not nearly enough.
What else does Kids First do? Co-ordinate teams of doctors to come to Guyana, hold clinics for children and adults, perform surgery at no cost, train local doctors, lecture to medical practitioners, advise on community awareness/educational programmes. Run an eye care programme for children who can’t afford eye examination, glasses, medicines and surgery.
KidsFirst has organised clinics in the fields of neuro-surgery, plastic surgery, neurology, general and cardiology. Over the past 2 years approximately 300 children have been evaluated by visiting cardiologists and had echocardiograms done.
We now know exactly what kind of heart problems the children have, ranging from simple PDA, (open chest surgery, 10 cases were done successfully in Guyana in 2002) to serious VSD’s & ASD’s (hole in the heart) to the most complex Tetrallogy of Fallot.
Heart surgery costs approximately $20,000 - $25,000 USD in Trinidad. ($4M-5M GYD). The average family would be unable to afford such huge sums in their lifetime much less at short notice.
In September 2005 the Kids First Heart 2 Heart Save A life Appeal was launched, with 4 children having open heart surgery. So far 46 children and 14 adults have benefited from this program. All the surgeries were successful, except for one and done by Dr KM Cherian and his team at the Frontier Lifeline Hospital, in Chennai, India.
Kids First is trying to establish similar linkages in the UK, India and Brazil with hospitals and medical schools specialising in oncology, haematology, cardiology, cancer, orthopaedic, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, burns, HIV/Aids care and emergency medicine.
Kids First has established working partnerships with the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, the International Hospital for Children, in Richmond, Virginia and the Frontier Lifeline Hospital, Chennai.
Kids First is self-financing and has to do constant fundraising to pay hefty hospital bills and other related costs. In November’03 Kids First raised approximately $44,200USD in 2 weeks to help 3 children who urgently needed neurosurgery to remove tumours by hosting nationwide telethons on NTN, holding auctions and sending letters of appeal.
Most recently $21,000 USD was raised in 48 hours by charity minded citizens of Guyana, America, Canada and the UK to pay for the airfares of 10 patients who needed heart surgery.
Kids First tries to do unusual kinds of fundraising from plays and dance theatre at the Cultural Centre, to Grass track races, basket ball tournaments and is always trying to find new ways in which to entertain supporters and raise much needed cash.
The bills for leukaemia and brain tumour patients sent to Trinidad run to millions of Guyana dollars. If leukaemia and other drugs could be sourced free and the expertise brought to Guyana, this would reduce costs significantly.
Free shipping contacts have been made Mike Harrison Shipping in the
UK and Global Shipping in New York. This means anyone who wishes to support us by donating clothes, books, toys, medicines etc can do so at no cost to them.
Contact with major manufacturers of pharmaceuticals is being made with the view to obtaining either free medicines or buying at a discounted rate.
The UK and Canadian arm of Kids First has been launched, with supporting groups in the USA and the Caribbean to follow.
Kids First Fund is unique in that we have no overheads or administration costs. Therefore the Fund guarantees that every dollar raised goes totally towards helping the children.
How Can You Help? We need access to items on our wish list, both medical and non-medical resources like over the counter medicines for children and adults, clothing etc With emphasis on specialised medication for leukaemia, epilepsy, eye and ear infections, finance to fund our programmes and pay hospital bills and finally access to medical expertise, like surgeons, doctors and nurses.
Kids First Fund Head Office is located at:
5 Hadfield Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, Guyana, South America
Tel: (592) 226 6231 or 226 5926 Fax: (592) 226 6214
Email: kidsfirstfund@hotmail.com
Donations are payable into our Guyana bank accounts:
Please make all cheques or drafts payable to kids first fund.
Scotia Account number 39415 or The New Building Society Account Number 7332
Kids First Fund Wish List 2008
Specialised Medication:
Leukaemia: Mercaptopurine, Methotrexate, Vincristine (When needed)
Epilepsy: Phenobarbatone, Dilantin, Tegritol, Epilim, Topomax 100mg & 75mg
L-Carnitine 250 mg or 500 mg, Caltrate (pure) 600mg
Over the counter medication: Aspirin and Paracetamol & Pain relief ointments, sprays
Building up tonics and powders
Cold and flu remedies & Cough linctus (adults and children)
Antifungal & Antibiotic ointments
Skin ointments, E45 cream, Hydrocortisone
Eye / ear drops/wash, antibiotic/ anti-inflammatory drops
Multi-Vitamins tablets / chewable
General: Powdered Soya/cowsmilk
Children’s eye glasses, frames and lenses, various strengths
Contact lenses, prosthetic eyes and tools
Walking aids, prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs, crutches, walking sticks
Books, school and leisure, story books, comics, school supplies, Toys
Clothes, summer clothes for children from ages 0-21 years old
Medical supplies: plasters, bandages, cotton wool, colostomy bags (adults &
children), nappies (children & adults) etc
Baby products: feeding bottles, powder, vaseline, cream, nappies, dummies, teats,
teething jelly/powder, push chairs
Shunts for craniotomy for children with hydrocephalus
Kids First Fund: making a difference in the lives of sick children Reg No. 801
♥KIDS FIRST FUND HEART 2 HEART – SAVE A LIFE PROGRAMME ♥
The Kids First Fund’s Heart 2 Heart Save a life programme, is in partnership with Dr KM Cherian and the Frontier Lifeline Hospital, Chennai, India.
The programme started September 2005 when 4 children, Anjani Pritipaul, Casey Clifton, Romel Hassan and Premdai Harrichand were the first beneficiaries of the Heart 2 Heart programme.
Dr Cherian followed up by holding a free evaluation clinic in Guyana during November ’05 with his colleague Dr Prem Sekar, where approximately 300 adults and children were diagnosed as having cardiac complaints.
In March ‘06 the 2nd batch of patients went; 9 children and 6 adults (adults were paid for by the Ministry of Health, NIS and some themselves) and in May ’06 the 3rd batch of 13 children and 4 adults, this trip was financed by a generous sponsor from the USA.
In March ’07 9 children and 4 adults benefited (adults were paid for by the Ministry of Health). The hospital bill came to $55,000 USD Kids First had part paid $29,000 USD and were given time to raise the $26,000 USD balance. So far 46 children and 14 adults have been helped by this program.
All the surgeries were successful, except for one and done by Dr KM Cherian and his team at the Frontier Lifeline Hospital, in Chennai, India.
Just to give you a little background on the situation in Guyana:
There is a shortage of a number of medical specialists in Guyana, in particular we have no cardiologists or cardiac surgeons. There are approximately 269 children in need of heart surgery, and time is against us.
The average cost of cardiac surgery in Trinidad (which is the nearest place doing such surgery) is $20,000 - $25,000 USD, ($4-5 million GYD) in Canada it is $60,000 CAN, in the USA its $100,000 USD and in the UK £100,000. The exchange rate of the Guyana dollar to the USD is approximately $200 GYD - $1USD.
When the average wage of the families that come to us for help is often $10,000 GYD ($50 USD) or less, per week; to run households, send children to school, pay for transportation/rent/ and put food on the table, you can understand the difficulties facing parents with sick children.
Kids First only deals with financially challenged families and without the help of the Ministry of Health, the Fund, the Private Sector and the general public, they would have no way of affording this life saving surgery by themselves.
Once the type of cardiac defect is diagnosed, the only beneficial way forward is surgical correction, which can only happen if you can pay for it before hypertension sets in.
Once a patient gets hypertension, it matters not if you have a billion USD’s at your disposal. The small window of opportunity to do anything meaningful surgery wise, would have been lost and the child will eventually die from heart failure.
The Heart 2 Heart programme offers sick children the chance to access a new lease of life free and at the fraction of the cost elsewhere to us, who have to pay for it. In India we get world class health care, at a very attractive price and no visa restrictions to access it.
We are doing constant fundraising in order to help as many children as possible before it is too late. It is expected that after timely surgery, the children can be as vivacious as their peers and lead normal lives.
Caribbean Airlines and Air India are long standing humanitarian partners renewed their commitment to the cause and the programme and granted us special rates for the air fares ,from Guyana to the UK and then to India, which are very expensive. Money saved in fares can be used to help even more children.
For $6,000 USD ( $1.2 million GYD) we can transform the lives of our children from one of ill health, pain, fear and inactivity to a normal pain-free, fearless, energetic, educated and adventurous life, just how children are supposed to be !
We need to act now and act fast so that children can access this life saving surgery and lead normal productive lives like their peers. We can not do this alone and humbly request your help.
Anyone wishing to donate to the kids first heart 2 heart appeal can do so by:
Please make all cheques or drafts payable to Kids First Fund and send them to either,
Kids First Fund Head Office:
5 Hadfield Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, Guyana, South America
Tel: (592) 226 6231 or 226 5926 Fax: (592) 226 6214 Email: kidsfirstfund@hotmail.com
Or in the UK :
Ms Kieran Singh
c/o Guyana High Commission, 3 Palace Court,
Bayswater Road, London W2 4LP, UK
Tel: 0207 229 7684 Fax: 0207 727 9809 Email: Kieran_74_1@hotmail.com
or Kieran Singh 07956 530 474
Or in the USA:
Mr Ishamel Gurmohamed
1751 Bussing Ave, New York 10466
Tel: 718-515-5795 or 718-325-5407
Donations are payable into our Guyana and UK bank accounts:
Guyana: Scotia Account number 39415
or The New Building Society Account Number 7332
UK: Abbey
Sort Code: 090000
Account #: 00050005
Role No./Ref No.: K7105123KID
Kris Gounden: The Vandalism is starting Again
August 26, 2008
I would like to thank the people at baiganchoka for the opportunity to allow our story (nightmare) to be told as it unfolds. NYPD 106 pct was called on saturday Aug 23 at approx 3pm. Someone had vandalized our property. The police said they were ‘familiar’ with our case. The howard beach police (106 pct) stated ‘you’re pissing off a lot of people with your fence!’. I explained to the officer, this is private property, my neighbors have an illegal driveway- as confirmed by the legal dept of the Queens borough president! Read more
Tropical Storm Gustav headed for Jamaica, Cuba and the Cayman Islands.
August 25, 2008
Active Tropical Systems: Tropical Depression Fay, Tropical Storm Gustav
Atlantic Hurricane Season is from June 1 - November 30
GOES-12 Satellite - Zoomed in on the Caribbean (20:45 UTC, 37 minutes ago)
Vertical gridlines 10° or about 650 miles (~1050 km) apart.
Fay tools: distance | closest point | advisories | storm centered image and loop
Gustav tools: distance | closest point | advisories | storm centered image and loop
95L Invest: satellite images (Navy/NRL) | model track: sfwmd.gov -or- wunderground.com
Monday, August 25, 2008 08:44AM PDT - Number Seven.
Finally 94L was upgraded to Tropical Depression Seven. Looking at the satellite pictures it will probably be Tropical Storm Gustav soon. The computer models don’t agree at all on where it will go (see spaghetti plot) but the offical NHC forecast takes it over Haiti and then Cuba, so to the north of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
Some clouds and a few showers are on tap from 94L but most of the convection is far south with the 1008 mb low at 12.1N 64.6W. Top winds estimated at 25 mph moving WNW. This will probably be a depression by tomorrow morning and Jamaica, Cuba, The Caymans, and even points farther west should keep an active eye on this system. The computer models are all over the place as they usually are with a weak system so don’t put too much reliance on them just yet. Moisture ahead of it has replaced, for the most part, dry air and there is no Saharan Dust to speak of. There is a another vigorous wave just in front of it plowing the way, so to speak so rapid development isn’t expected. The SHIPS intensity model does bring it to Cat 1 status in 72 hours though.
95L could become a hurricane in the next 3-4 days but at this point, I expect Bermuds to have a better chance of getting in it’s way than the eastern US coast. We’ll have to check the steering currents down the road but it should not have any effect on the Caribbean.
Current Tropical Weather Outlook (NHC/TPC):
Accompanying satellite image
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
200 PM EDT MON AUG 25 2008
FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC…CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO…
THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER HAS INITIATED ADVISORIES ON TROPICAL
STORM GUSTAV LOCATED ABOUT 225 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF PORT-AU-
PRINCE HAITI…AND THE HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER IS
ISSUING PUBLIC ADVISORIES ON TROPICAL DEPRESSION FAY LOCATED OVER
EAST-CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI.
DISORGANIZED CLOUDINESS AND SHOWERS LOCATED SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES
EAST-NORTHEAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A
TROPICAL WAVE. UPPER-LEVEL WINDS ARE NOT FAVORABLE FOR TROPICAL
CYCLONE FORMATION AT THIS TIME AND DEVELOPMENT…IF ANY…IS
EXPECTED TO BE SLOW TO OCCUR.
ELSEWHERE…TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS.
PUBLIC ADVISORIES ON GUSTAV ARE ISSUED UNDER WMO HEADER WTNT32 AND
UNDER AWIPS HEADER MIATCPAT2. FORECAST/ADVISORIES ON GUSTAV ARE
ISSUED UNDER WMO HEADER WTNT22 AND UNDER AWIPS HEADER MIATCMAT2.
-Jim
Albert Baldeo Drops out of Senate Race
August 25, 2008
By JONATHAN P. HICKS
Published: August 22, 2008
Queens Democrats took a step on Friday toward unifying their party in an effort to unseat State Senator Serphin R. Maltese, a Republican, when a candidate withdrew from the Democratic primary, leaving one challenger to the longtime incumbent.
Albert J. Baldeo, a lawyer who ran against Mr. Maltese two years ago, announced at a news conference that he was taking himself out of the race and endorsing the remaining Democratic candidate, City Councilman Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.
Mr. Maltese, who has represented the 15th District since 1988, has been deemed vulnerable by Senate Democratic leaders in their quest to regain control of the Senate, which the Republicans hold by a one-seat majority.
Two years ago, Mr. Baldeo was a little-known lawyer in Queens who came within 2 percentage points, about 900 votes, of defeating Mr. Maltese. And he achieved that with no support from the party organization in Queens and largely with his own money.
This year, too, Mr. Baldeo’s desire for a rematch never acquired much support from Queens Democratic officials. They preferred Mr. Addabbo, the son of a well-known congressman.
In an interview on Friday, Mr. Baldeo said he had become increasingly aware that the party would have a better chance to topple Mr. Maltese if a divisive Democratic primary could be avoided.
“It was a gut-wrenching, difficult decision,” Mr. Baldeo said. “But I decided to endorse him for the greater goal of Democratic Party unity. We want to put all of our resources behind one candidate, and that’s Councilman Addabbo. I’ll be actively campaigning for him.”
The two men appeared together at the news conference, at Mr. Baldeo’s office in Richmond Hill, Queens. The event even attracted a few of Mr. Maltese’s aides, who attended with video cameras.
Mr. Baldeo has had an arms-length relationship with Queens Democrats for some time. And he has been described by party leaders as something of an unpredictable candidate. Despite Mr. Baldeo’s strong showing in his previous contest with Senator Maltese, party leaders made their preference for Mr. Addabbo clear long before the councilman entered the race officially.
When asked whether he had been pressured to leave the race, either by Representative Joseph Crowley, the Queens Democratic leader, or Michael H. Reich, the organization’s executive secretary, Mr. Baldeo said only that he had been “in consultations with various party leaders,” and declined to be more specific.
“The important thing is that we are now united behind a candidate in the Democratic primary,” he said.
Despite the withdrawal, Mr. Baldeo’s name will remain on the ballot for the Sept. 9 primary. On Friday, Mr. Addabbo called Mr. Baldeo “a worthy opponent.”
He added: “I applaud his wholehearted embrace of the democratic process. The Democratic Party is the party of inclusion; it’s a big tent with room for everyone, and we are stronger for his efforts.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/23/nyregion/23maltese.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
Wow! What took them so long?
August 25, 2008
All CARIFESTA X venues except the National Stadium now Ticket Free
THE CARIFESTA Secretariat yesterday announced that all CARIFESTA X performance venues except for the National Stadium will not require a ticket.
Persons are, however, advised that entry to events will be on a first come, first served basis.
This decision took effect from yesterday. - Guyana Chronicle
It seems like Guyanese living in Guyana can actually get to see and partake in some of the Carifesta festivities. But the question is how many will? According to our sources living in Guyana, Carifesta flames went up in smoke on Friday night where many across the nation and other parts of the Caribbean switched off their television sets in the midst of the proceedings. Moreover, it seems like the Guyana Chronicle and Stabroek News are at odds with each other. Both prints are running opposite stories. Guyana Chronicle staying on the positive side and Stabroek News on the negative side. What’s going on? That’s the question. I’ve watch a few of the videos on YouTube and Stabroek news, and the scenes were as ghetto as ever. If what I saw was not a display of disorganization then, I don’t know what is. But Guyana again is not ready to host any type of regional event at all and I hope other Caribbean nations have noticed the same too. What was Frank Anthony thinking when he thought he support an event of such magnitude? I do hope for the remainder of Carifesta, working Guyanese actually get to attend some of these events because is a time for all Guyanese to enjoy, not the privileged few.
Andrew
What you may not know about the Caribbean
August 24, 2008
Bahamas
-Approximately five percent of the World’s Coral Reefs can be found in the Bahamas.
Suriname
In 1667 The Netherlands accepted Suriname in exchange for Nieuv Amsterdam, now known as New York City, in an agreement with Britain.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago has more species of birds than any other Caribbean island.
Bermuda
The majority of Bermuda’s slaves were imported from Slave markets in the West Indies.
British Virgin Islands
More than 50 per cent of the population are immigrants. And more than 55 percent of government’s direct revenue comes from financial services.
Guyana
St. Georges Cathedral is one of the tallest, free standing wooden buildings in the world. Its spire is over 40 meters high.
Haiti
Haiti is the world’s first Republic founded by Blacks [January 1st, 1804] and also the second oldest Republic in the Western Hemisphere.
Haitian volunteers fought in the American War of Independence on the side of the colonies.
Jamaica
Jamaica has more churches per square mile than any other country in the world.
Dominica
Dominica was the only British Caribbean colony to have a black controlled legislature in the 19th century. [1838].
St. Lucia
The giant Samaan tree located in Derek Walcott Square, Castries is more than 400 years old.
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands are the world’s leading registry for large luxury yachts, having some 20 per cent of the world’s market for yachts over 120 ft in length.
Turks and Caicos Islands
John Glenn landed down just off Grand Turk in 1962 after his first space flight.
The world’s only Conch Farm was establishes on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Island in 1894.
Antigua
-Long before the arrival of Columbus, the Siboney or “stone people” inhabited Antigua. It is believed that the Siboney were the first inhabitants of Antigua and their settlements date as far back as 2400 BC. Traces of the Siboney are found at jolly Beach, Deep Bay and the North Sound.
Montserrat
The national bird of Montserrat , “the oriole’ also known as the ‘Tannia Bird’, is found nowhere else in the entire world except Montserrat.
The Langs Soufriere Volcano located in the Soufriere Hills, St. Anthonys, Monsterrat erupted in July 1995 after having been dormant for 400 years. The volcano continues to be active and has resulted in more than half the population leaving the island.
Belize
The 180.2 miles barrier reef is the longest in the western hemisphere and the second longest in the world.
Belize was the center of the Maya Empire, which flourished AD 300-600.
Grenada
Grenada produces one third of the world’s output of spices, and is the world’s second largest producer of nutmeg.
The cliffs of La Mourne des Sauteurs or “leapers hill” are the site of mass suicide of Carib Indians in 1651, when about 40 men, women and children leapt to their deaths rather than submit to the French domination!
St. Kitts and Nevis
The Cottle church, formally known as St. Mark’s Chapel of Ease, located in Nevis and opened in 1825, was the first Anglican Church in the Caribbean where both blacks and whites worshipped together.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
St. Vincent is the world’s largest producer of arrowroot. It was first used by the Caribs for arrow wounds.
Apsana
Ah! Straight from the Horse’s Mouth
August 23, 2008
The CARIFESTA Channel
Rain on my parade
-Notes from on the ground
The world was watching, and we had to be nothing less than fabulous. What we witnessed was a fine display of disorganization and mismanagement.
The day began ominously with overcast conditions, but even after the heavy downpour had abated Guyana’s CARIFESTA dreams were awakened to a nightmare reality. It could not be the start that the organizers had in mind during the past year of planning.
After several weeks of frenzied final preparations, the debacle that was last night’s opening ceremony at the Guyana National Stadium will no doubt rekindle concern over the country’s state of readiness to host the regional festival. The packed programme was not the dazzling extravaganza that was supposed to be a celebration of our legacy, the “Celegacy” as it was dubbed.
Few things went smoothly after the rain delayed the start by a full hour. The thousands on hand saw delegations that did not want for spirit, though many of them wanted for numbers as they queued into the stadium. The planned parachute jump was dumped from the programme without explanation. The parade of nations was badly coordinated, to say the least, while many of the presentations that followed did not make their desired impact. There can be no other explanation than the poor sound design that made a muddle of most of the presentations, which were met with very cool receptions. It also did not help that one of the intended highlights of the night, the thousand-children segment, was poorly choreographed, while a number of the performers did not receive their costumes. It all combined to make the showcase of the diverse origins of the region’s people lost in translation.
Of course, there were exceptions, including the National Steel Orchestra, the local reggae quintet First Born and the Guyana and Trinidad masquerade troupes, all of them rousing the restless crowd into cheers. (All throughout people had continuously filed out, their seats quickly filled by those unawares filing in.)
In the end, all the performers could do was put on their bravest faces and press on, which was perhaps exactly what was needed to save the night from becoming a complete failure. The most vivid sight of the evening was the sea of people who converged on the ground as the ceremony came to a close with a massive fireworks barrage. It was their moment of triumph and a poignant reminder: ultimately, CARIFESTA is not about pageantry; it is about celebrating our people and their creativity. After such an inauspicious start, we should not let them down.
Source: www.stabroeknews.com
Chilli-Orange Glazed Country-Style Ribs.
August 22, 2008
Barbecued pork ribs are a favourite for the summer, but you might want pass on baby back ribs this year. There is a tasty alternative that can cost a lot less. Flavourful country-style pork ribs, which are loin chops that have been cut into two pieces, have enough fat in them to make the suitable for slow cooking, yet are tender enough to cook relatively quickly on the grill. They are a great value because compared to baby backs and spare ribs, they offer far more meat than bone.
Chilli-orange glazed country-style ribs.
Start to Finish: 1 hour 30 minutes [30 minutes active]
servings: 8
Ingredients:
4 lbs country-style pork ribs, bone-in
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup chilli sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1 tablespoon canola oil
Directions:
-Place the ribs and salt in a large pot with a cover or in a Dutch oven.
-Add enough water to just cover the ribs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45minutes.
-Meanwhile, to make the glaze, in a medium bowl whisk together the marmalade, chilli sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and oil. Set aside.
-Preheat a gas grill to medium or prepare a charcoal fire. Oil the grill grates.
-Transfer the ribs to the gril and cook, turning and basting with the glaze often, until the ribs are well-browned and glossy, 20-30 minutes. transfer and serve.