Month: June 2012

Journalism as a career

TIMES INT'L

  “Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.” – Joseph Pulitzer Ever since I started this column in the Guyana Times/ International, friends and acquaintances ever so often ask me about writing and journalism. I feel like a bit of an imposter, since I have been trained in neither field. What I do tell them is that my efforts are the result of…

Read More

New backra

TIMES INT'L

Satiricus didn’t like how this holiday business was going: Arrival Day and Independence Day both fell on Saturdays. What the heck was the point of a holiday if Satiricus didn’t get any free time to hang out with the “fellas”? The Americans had the right idea – schedule holidays on Mondays or Fridays! Satiricus envied his pals in New York who’d be having a blast on their Memorial Day weekend. Three days of sporting! So Satiricus and the gang solved the problem the Guyanese way – they all called in…

Read More

Some should get ban like Shah Rukh!

TIMES INT'L

Shah Rukh Khan get ban fuh five years from entering a cricket stadium in he homeland. Officials seh de “star” behave in a “unaccepted manner”. That apparently led to a scuffle and to de ban. Some seh Shah Rukh think he was rehearsing a “action scene” fuh a movie! Others seh de security shoulda let he in since dem know who he is. Apparently de security thought it was a “body double!” posing as de ” Star”! Dem didn’t tek chances given past terrorists attacks in India and thought that…

Read More

Strikes, low turnout crippling sugar production – GuySuCo

TIMES INT'L

With some 146 strikes resulting in 18,130 man-days lost for the first crop, the Guyana Sugar Corporation on Monday said it is experiencing serious cash flow problems, which will affect its ability to pay workers the Holiday With Pay Incentive. In a release, the sugar company said that of the 18,130 lost man-days, 11,700 were lost at Blairmont estate. GuySuCo said if the man-days had not been lost an additional 7500 tonnes sugar could have been produced, which is equivalent to Gy$ 1200 million in revenue. In addition to the…

Read More

Nation destroyers

TIMES INT'L

Spurning peace   We return to the offer of the government for the tripartite talks with the president to resume. A few days ago, we railed against the opposition for not even having the courtesy to respond to the government’s invitation. But today we got a clue of what’s going on behind the scene – from the Muckraker-in-Chief who sits in the councils of both AFC and APNU. Calling Gail Teixeira, who issued the invitation on behalf of the government, a “Stalinist”, Kissoon dubbed his opposition colleagues ‘stupid’ if they…

Read More

Government seeking to revive ‘village economies’

TIMES INT'L

President Donald Ramotar said he wants to see every village and “every nook and cranny having a vibrant economy”. He made the comment during his Independence Day address. Pledging that his minority government will work towards achieving this, Ramotar said:” We will work towards breathing new life into our village economies, so as to increase economic activities, provide jobs within villages for residents, promote inter-village economic exchanges and encourage the growth of businesses, large and small, including cottage industries.” He said it is his administration’s hope that in so doing…

Read More

Damian Marley rocks National Stadium

TIMES INT'L

  By Bhisham mohamed Jamaican reggae superstar Damian “Junior Gong” Marley lived up to all the pre-show hype to deliver a stirring performance at Saturday night’s Food, Arts and Musical Festival held at the Guyana National Stadium. His performance was the highlight of the first day of the inaugural festivities, hosted by the Tourism Ministry. The evening saw the energetic Jamaican creating heat waves with his phenomenal vocals, while showing off his body-length dreadlocks in a blue denim outfit. After one of Marley’s band members introduced him, upon hearing his…

Read More

Guyanese lobbying for representation on N.Y. Council

TIMES INT'L

  By North American Correspondent  With the electoral maps (constituency boundaries) for State and Congressional districts already drawn up and the Guyanese political activists failing to get a seat for their community to the U.S. Congress or state legislature of New York, an effort is now underway to get a seat on the City Council. The Guyanese community leaders say they are doubling up their efforts to get a City Council seat that will be inclusive of all of the greater Richmond Hill areas. Guyanese predominate in the greater Richmond…

Read More

N.Y. State Legislature debates proposal to raise minimum wage

TIMES INT'L

  By North American Correspondent   The New York State Legislature is debating a proposal to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50. The Democrats are strongly in favour of the bill but the Republicans are opposed to raising the minimum wage which has not gone up for some time now. Advocates say raising the minimum wage will have a tremendous positive impact on the lives of working families throughout New York. They believe that during these difficult times, with the economy still recovering from the excesses of…

Read More

Phillip Moore’s status – not dependent upon a state funeral

TIMES INT'L

  Dear Editor, I have the highest regard for the late Phillip Moore. I also wish that the government had been more caring in terms of assisting this icon, during his days of declining health. Now that he is no more, my personal desire is that something substantial be done – wake, funeral, celebration of his works etc. However, I have a word of caution. First, there should be no politicising of Phillip Moore, in any form or fashion. When his health was fading, and maybe his resources falling short,…

Read More