TIMES
I ndo- Caribb ean
Rita 416-743-1826
Wedding Cards/ Accessories/
Bangles and Jewellery Vol 2. No 7 July 2008
One month after Guyana’s 3rd massacre this year
No certainty who killed
Lindo Creek miners
It’s been almost a month since the June
21 discovery of the biodies of eight men at
the Lindo Creek, Berbice mining camp. But
there is no more certainty about who killed
the men or why than there is about the
Lusignan massacre of January 26 and the
Bartica massacre of February 17.
All the public and the world knows for
sure is that last month mine owner Leonard
Arokium stumbled on the murdered and
burnt bodies of what are believed to be his
son Dax Arokium, 28, Cedric Arokium, 46,
Compton ‘Tona’ Speirs and Horace Drakes
of Meten-Meer-Zorg, Clifton Wong,
Lancelot Lee of Tucville, ‘Bonny’ Harry of
Annandale and Nigel Torres of Kwakwani.
They had been dead for some days and the
camp had been ransacked.
As with the previous two massacres no
group or individual has claimed responsi-
bility for the attack, and no one has been
caught who could give an explanation.
Crime experts from Trinidad, Jamaica and
Document calls for president
Patrick Manning may be last Trinidad prime minister
to lead Trinidad & Tobago
The ruling People's National Movement
has proposed to eliminate the position of
prime minister and replace it with a presi-
dent who will be chairman of the cabinet.
Current Prime Minister Patrick Manning
put forward a working document on con-
stitution reform at the party's annual con-
vention last week, that had come from a
round table discussion group. This docu-
ment is to be put out for debate shortly.
The proposed president will be be an
American style executive president much
feared by opposition groups, but the person
who commands the most support in a gen-
eral election. He would appoint six
miniters from Parliament and others from
outside, and executive power will be exer-
cised by the entire Cabinet accountable to
the Parliament.
Strangely, the president would not remain
in Parliament but would resign his seat once
he is selected.
Ministers who were not chosen from
elected MP's would be able to attend Par-
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Barbados have heen despatched to Guyana
to help with identifying the bodies and
finding out exactly what happened to the
men.
Camp owner Arokium has blamed
Guyana’s security for the murders, but has
offered no reasonable motive or explana-
tion for such a clumsy and futile attempt to
destroy the bodies.
In their turn Guyana’s Joint Services se-
curity authority has blamed wanted fugitive
Rondell “Fineman” Rawlins and his gang,,
who are also blamed for the two earlier
massacres. They also claim to have a wit-
ness, but have not produced a public state-
ment from the witness. Nor is there any
good reason why Rawlins would undertake
hightly dangerous maneouvres in an area
that was being controlled by security forces,
just to dispose of miners in an isolated
camp.
Canada based Guyanese are anxiously
seeking positive information, but as yet,
none is available or likely any time soon.
liament and take part in discussions but
would have no vote.
The members of the round table are:
Manning (chairman), Christine Kangaloo,
Bridgid Annisette-George, Peter Taylor,
Lenny Saith, Karen Nunez-Teshiera, Sir
Ellis Clarke, Tajmool Hosein, Selwyn
Ryan, John La Guerre, Hamid Ghany and
John Spence.
Predictably, Opposition Leader Basdeo
Panday has poured scorn on the proposal
asaying, "The Constitution is not about
Manning. I don't care what he want to be-
come, that is not relevant. "
Commenting on Manning's approach to
Constitutional change, Panday said, "I don't
think constitutional reform ought to be in
this piece meal kind of way. What we need
is an entire constitution which, when put to-
gether, will conduce the advancement of the
people." Government needs to consult with
the people and also the Opposition, as it is
only with the support of the Opposition that
any changes can be made, said Panday.
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Caribbean Hindus start Canada Day Satsangh & Hawan
A group of Caribbean Hindus started a new tradition on July 1 when they put on at Sat-
sangh and Hawan at Bluffer’s Park, Scarborough, to pray for the nation’s health and
prosperity. The function was well received and will continue next year.
More blows to Trinidad and Tobago’s reputation
Judge declares TT a failed state,
UK says it’s a security threat
Trinidad and Tobago’s reputation took
two more body blows this month, adding to
the damage caused by the country’s name
as the southern Caribbean’s kidnapping
and murder capital..
Justice Peter Jamadar came out openly to
declare that TT was a failed state. Speaking
at the introduction of new lawyers last Fri-
day, Justice Jamadar said that peace in the
land would reign only when the law flour-
ishes and blossoms.
The judge said that judges of the High
Court have little control and power. “But
we judges do not have much. If you come
into the profession for money in which your
intention is to defeat the competitor, in a
land which is a failed State, it will promise
you nothing. Power and money will have
no value.”
Britain has declared that citizens of
Trinidad and Tobago are a security risk and
may have to apply for a visa from 2009 if
they want to visit the United Kingdom.
T&T is now on a British short list of 11
countries who are being assessed for threats
from illegal immigration, crime and secu-
rity, and is in danger of joining the 100 odd
countries whose nationals must get visas to
travel to the U.K.
The British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith
has said that unless that the security risk is
significantly reduced within the next six
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months, the visa requirement will go into
effect. Applicants will also have to pay
visa fees to apply. The other countries cur-
rently being assessed are Bolivia,
Botswana, Brazil, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mau-
ritius, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland,
and Venezuela.
Trinidad's Foreign Minister Paula Gopee-
Scoon said that drug mules caught in the
United Kingdom with Trinidad and Tobago
passports are the main cause of the British
government's visa demand. The British
government has said Jamaicans were
among those from "a number of Third
World countries" who were illegally enter-
ing the United Kingdom using Trinidad and
Tobago travel documents.
Gopee-Scoon met with British High
Commissioner Eric Jenkinson last week to
discuss the issue and explained,”What
they, in fact, highlighted was the business
of drug trafficking and also immigration,
the fact that a number of Third World coun-
try nationals are illegally entering the UK
via Trinidad and Tobago," Gopee-Scoon
said.
When contacted, British press officer
Brett Bulling said of Gopee-Scoon's com-
ments regarding drug trafficking, "It is ob-
viously a very bad problem, otherwise
Trinidad and Tobago would not have failed
the Visa Waiver Test. So it is a big concern."
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CANADA & COMMUNITY NEWS Indo-Caribbean Times JULY 2008 Page 3

Ontario honours Adit Kumar Spending more Canadian visa in ex-

change for investment
of our money on Immigration to Canada takes more than

health care
three years. But people desiring to invest
Canadian $400,000 can get a fast track per-
manent residency or even Canadian citi-
zenship in much lesser time under the
Canadians are spending more out of their
investor category.
own pockets on health care than they were
Renaissance Capital Inc. (RCI), a Mon-
two decades ago, increasing the risk for fi-
treal-based investment facilitator has been
nancial ruin among low-income earners, a
helping investors 'jump-the-queue. ' RCI
new report says.
has been approved by the Quebec govern-
According to GPI Atlantic, a Nova Sco-
ment in Canada.
tia think-tank, the average Canadian spent
The investor can deposit $400,000 in gov-
$452 on health care in 2007, compared with
ernment bonds, securities or in some social
$222 in 1981, in constant dollars. Report
programs and businesses. If an investor
co-author Andrew Sharpe said Wednesday
does not have all that money, RCI can
much of the increase was driven by two fac-
arrange a loan provided the immigrant pays
tors: the rising costs of health care not cov-
non-refundable Canadian $120,000.
ered by provincial insurance, and the fact
The agency obtains all clearances from
that fewer costs are being covered.
the federal and provincial governments
"Optometrists in Ontario used to be cov-
concerned on behalf of the investors. An in-
ered by (Ontario health insurance) and
vestor can buy land and do his/her own
that's no longer," Sharpe said.
farming. About 3000 people have already
I n the last decade, the average cost of
Veteran community activist Adit Kumar (right) with Minister Michael Chan taken advantage of the investor category
dental care in Canada went up more than 70
Guyana born Adit Kumar, Chairman of their new homeland. He was also cited for and migrated to Canada.
Toronto is the safest
per cent, while eye care went up nearly 50
the Vedic Cultural Centre South Asian Her- promoting living a healthy lifestyle in his per cent.

big city in Canada

itage Committee and South Asian Yasmin community. "Those were large increases well above
Vali of the Scarborough Hospital were were Yasmin Vali of Scarborough was recog- the inflation rate," Sharpe said.
among a select group of ten who were hon- nized for the work she does in fostering di- In a 2007 survey, six per cent of Canadi-
oured with this year’s Ontario New Comer versity awareness. She delivers workshops ans reported they had spent more than Greater Toronto is the safest large met-
Champion Award. The presentation was to the staff of The Scarborough Hospital on $1,000 in the past year out-of-pocket on ropolitan area in the country, according to a
made at a special awards presentation cer- Cultural sensitivity and is the co-founder of prescription drugs. report released yesterday by Statistics
emony held at the historic St Lawrence the Volunteer Community Health Clinic Only the United States ranked higher, Canada.
Hall, Toronto on National Multiculturalism which provides adjustment services to new- with 13 per cent of Americans reporting the
comers responding to their needs for med- Among urban areas with a population of
Day. same level of spending. 500,000 or more, Toronto residents re-
.This award is a tribute to Ontarians who ical and social care.

Awful US car sales

Others receiving the Newcomer Cham- ported fewer crimes per capita than resi-
have gone the extra mile to help newcomers
dents of Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa.
settle and integrate in Ontario. A new comer pion Award were Dr. Paul Caulford of
to get worse
Winnipeg had the highest crime rate, fol-
champion is an individual who exemplifies Toronto,co-founder of the Volunteer Com-
lowed by Edmonton.
excellence or achievement in establishing munity Health Clinic where he provides
It is the first time that Toronto has scored
welcoming communities in Ontario for medical care and social services to new-
The slump facing auto makers in the United last place when it comes to crime in the
newcomers and/or fostering understanding comers. Dr. Peter Ashward Sealy of
States that is also battering Ontario is ex- country's biggest cities. That spot is usually
and sharing of Ontario’s many cultures. Toronto,a leader in promoting cultural har-
pected to persist well into next year and reserved for Quebec City, which reported
Created in 2007 and given by the Govern- mony among newcomers, who has worked
could deepen, auto forecasting firms say. the lowest crime rate of any large metro-
ment of Ontario through the Ministry of closely with both youth and senior new-
politan area every year from 1991 to 2006.
Citizenship and Immigration, the award comers throughout his 30 year career.
The latest forecasting company to down- In 2007, however, Quebec City reported
recognizes Ontarians whose efforts have Liban A. Abdi of Hamilton, who has estab-
grade its forecast for U.S. vehicle sales - 4,524 crimes per 100,000 people, compared
helped to enrich and strengthen Ontario’s lished a Paedetric Clinic with Mc Master
J.D. Power and Associates - said yesterday to Toronto's figure of 4,461.
cultural diversity and illustrate positive ac- Children’s Hospital and initiated a Chil-
dren’s Mental Health Program and has im- that U.S. vehicle sales will fall to between The annual national crime report is com-
tion that builds strong communities.
14 million and 14.5 million this year and piled by the Canadian Centre for Justice
The honourable Minister of Citizenship plemented programs to help settle and
will be at best only slighter better in 2009. Statistics, based on police-reported crime
and Immigration, Michael Chan who pre- integrate newcomers into Canadian society.
statistics.
sented the awards remarked that “it is espe- Maureen Geddes of Chatham-Kent, who
"The second half of [this] year will continue It contradicts what seems to be a grow-
cially fitting that we are honouring these has founded the Cultural Coalition of
to be awfully tough on this industry," Bob ing public perception that Toronto is rife
champions on National Multiculturalism Chatam-Kent, a non-profit organization that
Schnorbus, J.D. Power's chief economist, with random violence – like the death of
Day when we celebrate the economic, so- welcomes and supports all cultural groups
said during a conference call yesterday. John O'Keefe, killed by a stray bullet on
cial and cultural benefits of diversity. He and newcomers. Jeffrey Byunghun of North
Yonge St. in January; or Hou Chang Mao,
added that “Ontario is a more welcoming York, who has used his business to better
the community through language heritage Mr. Schnorbus is in the midst of cutting his killed in gunfight crossfire a few days later
place because of them.”
forecast for 2009, which has already been in East Chinatown; or Dylan Ellis and
Adit Kumar who is also a columnist for programs, scholarships and participation in
revised downward once to 14.9 million ve- Oliver Martin, shot dead in their SUV in
Indo Caribbean World was recognized for local charities. The New Pioneers Awards
hicles and is likely to come down another front of Trinity Bellwoods Park in June.
his role as principal organizer of the Annual Team of Toronto, which has recognized
500,000.U.S. sales hit 16.1 million units "Unfortunately, people's perceptions are
South Asian Heritage Program hosted by over 100 newcomers over the past 16 years
last year, so a drop of between 1.5 million often created around a single incident or a
the Vedic Cultural Centre. The program for their positive contributions to Ontario
and two million vehicles is the equivalent series of incidents over a short period of
which celebrates the rich cultural heritage communities. For more on the awards go to
of what a mid-sized auto maker sells in the time," Police Chief Bill Blair said yester-
of South Asia assists newcomers to adapt to www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/hon-
ours/nca. United States annually. day.

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COMMENTARY
Indo-Caribbean Times is
published monthly in Toronto
by Indo-Caribbean Times Ltd.
Editor/Publisher: Ram Jagessar
Editorial Committee:
Reynold Ramdial, Gulcharan
Mohabir, Lloyd Harradan, Sandy
Kissoonsingh, Roop Misir, Deoraj
Narine, Krishna Nankissoor,
Rudy Lochan
Offi
ficce: 17 Gaiety Drive,
Toronto ON Canada M1H 1B9
Tel: 416-289-3898
E-Mail: ictimes@rogers.com
Opinions given in this newspaper
are those of the authors and do
not necessarily reflect the views
of the Indo-Caribbean Times.
We welcome letters, e-mails and
comments on matters relevant to
Indo-Caribbeans in Canada and
abroad, and also those at home in
the Caribbean. All content must
comply with the requirements of
Canadian law.
A copy of this newspaper is
posted on the internet in as a pdf
file immediately after publication,
and the entire contents can be
read online by anyone with a
computer and an internet con-
nection.
Past and current issues of the IC-
Times can be found at
http://www.esnips.com/web/Indo
-CaribbeanTimes
Readers are also invited to look at
the website
www.indocaribbeanheritage.com
which contains abundant infor-
mation on Indo-Caribbeans in
Canada and our Caribbean her-
itage and history.
Opinion: Racial polarising destroying TT
University of the West Indies lecturer
Dr Jerome Teelucksingh says racial po-
larisation and marginalisation are de-
stroying T&T.
Speaking during a seminar organised
by the Caribbean Historical Society and
the National Joint Action Cultural
Committee in Marabella, Teelucksingh
said racial harmony and integration
must be a part of T&T’s society.
“ If this country allows some of our
citizens to be neglected and margin-
alised, then we are living in a failed so-
ciety.
“If we ignore caring for the less for-
tunate and fail to protect the less vul-
nerable, then this is a failed society.
“There must be strength in diversity,
and no division must be encouraged,
even by politicians and calypsonians.
Indo-Caribbean Times
Not like when I was a child
Trini youth living in fear today, says Basdeo Panday
Although as a child Opposition Leader
Basdeo Panday had to walk four miles,
barefooted, on a gravel road and through
lonely areas to reach to school, he said: "We
were safe, free and happy children, unlike
the children of today."
The youths of today, he said, "live in crip-
pling fear of being kidnapped on their way
to school, fear of being murdered, as-
saulted, robbed and raped. They are safe
nowhere and at no time. Not even in sanc-
tuary of their own homes."
Appealing to the youths of the United Na-
tional Congress during a Monday-night
youth forum at Carapichaima, to take posi-
tive actions to protect their lives, Panday
said they were experimenting by convert-
ing the party's Monday-night forum into the
youth forum to get the youths to express
themselves.
"Unlike me, you are young and have a
whole life ahead of you. I have already ex-
hausted my biblical allotment of three
scores and ten. The future is therefore
yours, not mine. You deserve a better life to
Strange days in kidnapping
Young woman kidnaps her old school pal
A friend of Avita Bissoondatt has turned
out to be the one who masterminded her
kidnapping and captivity in the mountains
for six days.
But it was the same friend who, in the
end, confessed to the crime, and took the
police to the camp where Bissoondatt was
being kept.
Police rescued Bissoondatt killing one
kidnap suspect while a second fled. War-
rants have been issued for the arrest of three
men.
The investigation has expanded. The
friend in custody confessed to police of
their involvement in a kidnap gang, and of
befriending several other people who were
then made kidnap targets.
Bissoondatt, 22, the niece of attorney
Darin Bissoondatt, went missing two weeks
ago, after leaving the family home at
Soledad Road, Lange Park, to meet her
friend, Shanice Ramcharan, at a restaurant
at the Price Plaza Mall, Chaguanas.
Bissoondatt's car was found burnt in Va-
lencia the following morning. Soon after, a
$300,000 ransom demand came.
Ramcharan, 22, also vanished for several
days, and failed to make contact with her
“It is important to promote a positive
environment at home and school to pro-
mote cordial race relations.
“Teachers and parents must encourage
children to be more tolerant of other
ethnic groups, classes and religions.”
Teelucksingh added that racial har-
mony seemed existent at the ground
level, yet during election time polarisa-
tion was apparent.
“We still have challenges today, but
we must be united—all different eth-
nicities and religions—in a common
goal, even though we appreciate our
uniqueness,”
Teelucksingh added that the East In-
dians’ tassa, dhantal, chowtal and sitar
must blend with the steel pan, drums,
guitars, pianos and violins, to sing and
celebrate.
live."
He said gone are the days when in St
Julien Village, Princes Town, he walked
barefoot on a gravel road to his primary
school.
"I used to walk four miles barefooted on
a gravel road to reach my school. In some
places that road was very lonely with no
houses sometimes for over a mile.
"I was never afraid even though at times
I was alone. I felt safe and secure. I never
had a thought or feared that someone in the
bushes would jump out and attack me. And
indeed in all my years at St Julien nobody
did."
He said when his parents left the house at
St Julien to go somewhere, leaving no one
at home, the only reason they would close
the front door was to prevent the dogs from
entering the house.
"The front door was never locked," he
stressed.
Comparing then and now, Panday asked
the youths: "Do you want to live in a soci-
ety where you exist in perpetual fear, not
family at Caura Royal Road, where her
mother lives, or with the police. She has
since been found.
Avita smiles happily at her rescue
The break in the case came when inves-
tigators found a friend of Bissoondatt at the
home of relatives in Morvant. The home
was searched and the friend taken into cus-
tody. The friend helped police pull off Bis-
soondatt's rescue..
The mastermind is said to have given a de-
tailed five-page statement to police in the
$2.6 billion set
presence of Justice of the Peace Ackbar
aside for early
childhood care
The Trinidad and Tobago Government
is to allocate $2.6 billion to construct
580 early childhood care and education
centres over the next four years, ac-
cording to Education Minister Esther
Le Gendre.
She told yesterday’s post-Cabinet
news briefing at the Office of the Prime
Minister at Whitehall that 150 of these
centres are to be build by next year at a
cost of $690 million. She said this fund-
ing is expected to be provided in the up-
coming 2008/2009 budget.
Le Gendre said 50 additional centres
are to be constructed in “so-called
JULY 2008 Page 4
knowing when your life would be snuffed
out by some drug-crazed addict or by some
vicious criminal not knowing when you
would be scarred for life by some kidnap-
per, robber, rapist or some maniac?
Do you want to live in a society in which
you are constantly being discriminated
against at every turn? Where your hopes of
getting a decent job, owning a home and
bringing up a family and feeding them
properly is but a nebulous dream?"
Urging them against throwing up their
hands in the air in desperation, lying down,
rolling over and dying or even drowning
their sorrows in drinks, drugs and self-de-
struction, Panday urged them to join the
youth forum and make a difference.
"Take example of other youths in the
other parts of the world, look at their deter-
mination to change the status quo which op-
erates against them. What greater joy can
you have when you participate in a strug-
gle that changes the world and your soci-
ety?" he asked.
Khan. She has appeared in the Port of
Spain Magistrates' Court on three charges
-kidnapping, demanding money by men-
ace and robbery. The enquiry will be heard
in the Chaguanas Magistrates' Court,
where the abduction began.
And yesterday, while police were able to
make that written breakthrough, they also
returned to the scene where Bissoondatt
was rescued.
The officers conducted forensic tests
on the blue, green and white shack hidden
three miles deep in the forest off the North
Coast Road where Bissoondatt was found.
They also continued their search for one
of Bissoondatt's captors.
In the midst of the regular calm and
quiet associated with the North Coast
roadway during the week, the officers
conducted investigations into the densely
forested area. The entrance to the track
leading to the shack is metres away from
a wooden Sunshine Snacks sign.
The few passing vehicles were oblivi-
ous to the detailed search. Only the five
unmarked police vehicles, three sport util-
ity vehicle, a van and a car, were a clue to
the activity.
poverty areas” under a proposed Inter-
American Development Bank loan,
which is expected to be signed before
the end of this year.
Tenders are to be invited from local and
international companies, she said.
Le Gendre said the Government has
agreed to revise the strategy for the con-
struction of the centres and has also
agreed to move the deadline for con-
struction from 2010 to 2012.
“We’ve been concerned about the ris-
ing cost of the centres, as a result of the
rising costs of construction material,
labour etc., so that we are hoping that
this strategy will give us what we are
looking for, which is value for money,”
she said.
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO NEWS
Govt. tries to postpone
local elections again
Government had defaulted on its prom-
ise to hold Local Government elections by
October this year, and is now seeking to
postpone these elections for yet another
year.
The Municipal Corporations Amendment
Act has been introduced in Parliament call-
ing for elections to be cancelled to allow for
reform of the local government system. The
Local Government elections are constitu-
tionally due this month, however, there is a
three-month grace period by which they
must be called.
Local Government Minister Hazel Man-
ning has been hosting consultation on the
reform process and informing the public
about statistics in a Government commis-
sioned MORI poll in which the local Gov-
ernment system is revealed to be ineffective
and even corrupt.
Opposition politician Chaguanas mayor
Suruj Rambachan has said he believed the
Government was afraid to call Local Gov-
ernment elections. "They are trying to ma-
nipulate the system for political purposes.
They are setting the stage for the termina-
tion of Local Government" said Ram-
bachan.
Ajay is best of
17,000 in SEA
exam results
Twelve-year- old Ajay Rameshwarsingh,
a student of the Gandhi Memorial Vedic
School, Aranjuez, won the top honors in
this year's Secondary Entrance Assessment
(SEA) exam beating 17,854 students for the
first place. This year's second and third top
places went to Tanuja Maharaj, a student of
El Dorado South Hindu School, and An-
thony Rajkumar of Curepe Presbyterian
School respectively. Maharaj passed for St
Joseph's Covent, St Joseph and Rajkumar
will be heading to Hillview College, Tuna-
puna in Trinidad.
An exuberant Ajay, who passed for Pres-
entation College in Chaguanas, said that he
knew he could have placed among the top
100 students but never expected to be the
top student in the country. "I can't believe
it. I am proud of myself. I knew I was going
to place in the top 100 but not first," said a
beaming Ajay. "I always studied consis-
tently but always took time for relaxation
especially to play cricket." Ajay added that
he was interested in construction and would
like to become a civil aviation engineer.
Ajay's father Devendra Rameshwarsingh,
Indo-Caribbean Times
who resides in Norway but is visiting his
son, said words would not be able to de-
scribe his happiness. "Tears showed every-
thing," said Rameshwarsingh. Jade Pariag
of Brothers Road Presbyterian Primary
School and Jesse Benjamin of Newtown
Boys' RC Primary School also tied for first
place in 2006. In 2004, Rianna Gobin of
Grant Memorial Presbyterian Primary
School placed first while Danielle Stewart
of St Gabriel Girls' RC Primary School did
so in 2005.
Plan to make
cassava flour
falls apart
An ambitious plan to produce cassava
flour by the end of the year has collapsed,
and may not happen for another few
years.The Trinidad and Tobago Agri-Busi-
ness Association (TTABA) blamed agro-
nomic practices in the farming community
and has embarked on a tissue culture pro-
gramme to improve the quality of cassava
grown in Trinidad.
TTABA spokesman Farouk Shah said that
the manufacture of cassava flour was not
competitive. "It costs too much to produce",
he said explaining that four pounds of cas-
sava was needed to produce one pound of
flour.
"TTABA has contracted farmers to pro-
duce cassava at a guaranteed price of $1.50
a pound, "he said adding that the cost of
producing a pound of cassava flour would
be more than $8 and until cassava was
grown at reduced costs, the manufacture of
flour would have to wait.
Earlier this year several government of-
ficials advised people to use cassava flour
as a replacement for wheat flour, which
went up by 24 per cent last week.
Despite the failure of the cassava flour
project, TTABA has continued to give out
contracts to farmers to produce the root
crop and has set its target this year at 1,000
acres to bring in a harvest of up to 40,000
pounds.
Shah said that cassava bought from farm-
ers would be used in the manufacture of
value added products such as biscuits, pan-
cakes, chips, farine and finger foods.
Cassava was praised as a local solution to
the crisis of higher prices for imported
flour, as well as a stimulant to the ailing
local agricultural sector. The crop has been
a staple of the native Amerindians for cen-
turies but has recently fallen from favour
with local farmers.
"King" Bread Forced to study
rules at $10 a loaf theology at USC
A single hops bread now costs $1 and a
white sandwich loaf goes for $10, after the
latest price increases announced by the
Trinidad and Tobago Bakers’ Association.
The latest increase was caused by a 24 per-
cent increase in the price of flour by the Na-
tional Flour Mills. Not surprisingly, food
inflation increased to 21.8 percent in May
from 19.5 percent the previous month,
Only in April this year National Flour
Mills raised flour prices by 40 percent. The
much loved hops bread then went up from
80 cents to 90 cents, and now tops $1. A 20-
ounce white sandwich loaf has increased by
one dollar from $9.75 to $10.75, while a big
roll of bread, weighing between 20 to 22
ounces, would now cost $10.50 up from
$9.50. A 12-ounce butter bread is up to $5
from approximately $4.50. Whole wheat
and specialty breads are expected to cost
even more.
Buyers are complaining bitterly about the
unprecedented increases in flour prices by
64% in six months, and the effect on and
foods made with flour. “All the food in-
creases are madness. Bread is a basic com-
modity, and it is especially difficult when
you have a large family to feed,” said one
customer at At Linda’s Bakery in the capi-
tal city Port of Spain.
Floods destroy
crops in South
Trinidad
It's the rainy season in Trinidad, and as
usual floods are destroying the crops
planted by farmers in south Trinidad. Over
the weekend fields of cabbage and toma-
toes in Barrackpore. were washed away by
raging flood waters following two nights
of torrential rainfall.
Farmers woke up to find acres
of lands covered in water and could do
nothing but count their losses. Some have
lost all their crops and others have also lost
property when floods invaded their homes
damaging furniture and appliances. Areas
of Debe and San Fernando also reported
floods, but no one had to be rescued.
Patients leave - no
beds in south hospital
Several patients left the San Fernando
General Hospital recently, while others re-
mained lying on stretchers for several hours
inside the Accident and Emergency De-
partment.
And nurses complained that they were
unable to admit them to the wards because
there were no beds available.
The shortage of beds has been a recur-
ring problem at public health institutions
throughout the country within recent
months.
Carla Mendez, 25, was among almost two
dozen patients waiting on beds at the hos-
pital. .
"When we came here we waited for a
while and then we saw a doctor. He treated
her and said she needed to be admitted to
the ward for further treatment. We have not
been able to get a bed yet," said her hus-
band, Richard Mendez.
JULY 2008 Page 5
Students of the University of the
Southern Caribbean (USC) are forced to
take mandatory courses in Christian Theol-
ogy as part of their degree programmes, the
Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha has claimed.
This was confirmed by Vania Serrieaux, a
student of USC, who said she had to take a
basic theology course while pursuing her
degree in psychology.
The SDMS joined the furore concerning
alleged discrimination after President of
USC r Trevor Gardner rejected the allega-
tion by Independent Senator Basharat Ali
that the university was practising “blatant
discrimination.”
Ali had said in the Senate that the re-
quirement for a teaching position at the
school was that the applicant had to be
committed to high Christian standards and
ethics.
But in a telephone interview yesterday,
Ali said he would like to see the matter in-
vestigated by the government as the situa-
tion may be a breach of the Equal
Opportunity Act.
Teachers say USC
degree is inferior
Two teachers have filed a constitutional
motion against the Ministry of Education
on the basis that it declared their USC de-
grees inferior to those awarded by the Uni-
versity of the West Indies.
The motion, filed by attorneys Anand
Ramlogan and Cindy Bhagwandeen in the
San Fernando High Court, on behalf of
teachers Vijesh Mahadeo and Vashti Ma-
habir, is set to come up for hearing before
Justice Maureen Ragnauth-Lee on July 30.
Mahadeo and Mahabir are seeking a decla-
ration that the ministry unlawfully discrim-
inated against them and that it had no power
to second-guess the declared ruling by the
Accreditation Council of T&T in favour of
USC as a recognised tertiary education in-
stitution.
The teachers are contending that by way
of letter dated March 22, 2007 they were in-
formed by the Ministry of Education that
their B.Sc in Computer Information Sys-
tems was “deemed to be inadequate for the
purpose of teaching at both the GCE
A’Level and Cape Level.”
Water taxis
delayed again
The start-up of the water taxi service has
been pushed back to a further "two-and- a-
half months ".
Works Minister Colm Imbert in explain-
ing the apparent delay, said "It is not a sim-
ple thing of buying some boats and putting
them in the water."
He said the Government was in the final
stages of selecting a marine operator out of
the United States who has extensive expe-
rience in managing a similar ferry opera-
tion.
The three vessels are in Trinidad, while a
fourth to due to leave Europe within the
next few days. And by the end of 2009/be-
ginning of 2010 four new vessels will be
joining the four used vessels, Imbert said
during a recent press conference. Water
taxis have long been touted as a solution
for the North-South traffic jams.
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO CRIME TRENDS
House invasions, taxi robberies, bank
card kidnapping, crimes against infants
part of recent worrisome crime trends
6,000 Felicity Toddler killed
residents want a
police post
Residents of the Central district of Fe-
licity are weary of the crime upsurge of the
the past few months and tired of having
their MP paying his own money for private
security. Approximately six thousand of
them signed a crime petition that was
handed over the Ministry of National Secu-
rity and the Trinidad and Tobago Police
Service during a community crime meeting.
The angry residents claim they have no
security in their area and are demanding a
permanent police post in Felicity, accord-
ing to Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner. He
claimed that for the past two months he has
been forced to pay for private security in
the area.
“The residents are very fed up with the
increasing crime rate in their area and they
want to feel a sense of security. There has
been a significant crime upsurge within the
past two months and I have been forced to
provide security for them in the interim.
That is my main objective right now, to get
a permanent police post in the area and to
ensure frequent police patrols.” Chaguanas
Mayor Surujrattan Rambachan also
claimed there was a significant increase in
criminal activities in the area.
Enter security
tags for babies
Paediatric security tags have been intro-
duced on the local market following last
year's abduction of Jeremiah Henry from
the Mt Hope Maternity Hospital. Infant se-
curity bands are to be placed on all newborn
babies in hospitals.
USA- based manufacturer Secure Care is
supplying KinderGUARD for infant and
paediatric protection that would ensure no
babies are taken out of hospitals without
permission.
Each of the tags with information on the
infant, is placed around the ankle of a new-
born. It cannot be loosened to be removed,
and will sound the alarm if the baby is
moved from a specified area. Detectors can
trace the movement of tags, and a tag can
lock doors to prevent an abductor from
proceeding further. If a tag is cut or tam-
pered with, and alarm will sound. Each tag
has a nine month life span and can be
cleaned and reused.
Robbed by taxi
driver and
passengers
At 8.30 p.m. on a Thursday night, Rishie
Duman took a "PH" car at Lord Street, San
Fernando, but instead of being taken home,
he was driven to Pleasantville and robbed
by the driver and his three passengers.
Three-year-old toddler Roshini Ramdial
was left by her mother in the care of a
trusted friend in Charlieville as she went to
work. But she was beaten beaten black and
blue by the man and left in her crib to die.
When the mother returned from work
around 7 pm the child appeared to be sleep-
ing, and it was not until the next morning
that she was found to be dead.
It was the latest incident in n upsurge in vi-
olent crimes against children within recent
months. Baby Roshini's murder was simi-
lar to that of four-year-old Amy Anna-
munthodo who was allegedly beaten to
death by her step father, Marlon King, who
is awaiting trial.
Break down door
bandits common
Spiritual Baptist Minister Rosalyn
Lutchman was praying in bed in her Ca-
paro home when seven thieves broke down
the front door, and stole everything of value
in the house. One of the thieves was a
young woman, who spent her time trying
on jewelry, shades and clothing, and mod-
elled for her accomplices, investigators
said.
Moruga taxi driver Joseph Charles was
sound asleep in bed around 2 a.m. on a re-
cent Friday night when three men broke
down his front door, entered his home and
threatened to kill him. He leaped over a 15-
foot high balcony, breaking his right ankle,
and escaped while the attackers stole valu-
ables from his home. They took his wallet
and the keys to his car but failed to drive
out the car because they could not open the
front gates.
The incident occurred metres away from
the St Mary's Police Postand when Charles
called the St Mary's police there was no re-
sponse.
A Gasparillo mother and son woke to find
armed thieves in their home, and were
beaten by the men who then stole the fam-
ily's car.
Bhagwantee Beharry, 54, and her son
Andy, 32, told police that two men with
guns came into the house minutes before
midnight on a Thursday night.
Beharry, a seamstress, was robbed of
$3,000 worth of jewelry and her son his
watch, money, cellphone and a car, worth
$60,000.
Time running
Indo-Caribbean Times JULY 2008 Page 6
More electric
fences going up out for kidnap
victim Ali
Electrified security fences are going up
around housing developments, but there are
no standards in Trinidad and Tobago to reg-
ulate them. Last week residents of Dibe
Road , Long Circular, St James expressed
concern about an electric fence that had
been installed around a project in the area.
The fence was installed by the Electric
Fence Company of St Clair, a subsidiary of
Venezuelan company Energico. The com-
pany's general manager Maxine Cook said
the fence is not lethal, but will cause "a
great deal of pain", and is their fourth in-
stallation in this country. She also said that
the height is "perfectly legal" once casual
contact with the fence was above five feet
and within the boundaries of the property.
She explained how the electric fence
works-there is an energiser that converts
110 voltage into 7,000 to 10,000 volts of
electricity. She stressed that the amperage-
the strength of a current of electricity-is
what is dangerous and in their fences, it is
Time is running out for kidnap victim Naail
very low at 0.006.
Ali, who was snatched outside his family's
But residents outside the fence are not
Gasparillo hardware on June 10. His fam-
convinced. One woman said"I 'fraid that
ily has reportedly paid a ransom for Ali's re-
thing," adding she would not allow her
lease, but the kidnappers failed to release
grandchildren to visit, fearing they would
him and are demanding more money.
be harmed by it.
Bandits use ads
The family's offer of a $50,000 reward for
any information which can help rescue him
has failed to produce results. On June 15
lure victims
police shot and killed Rawle Charles, sus-
pected of being the mastermind of the kid-
napping, in the Tabaquite forest.
The Alis have closed their businesses, a
Ingenious bandits have started using the hardware and furniture store, and sent home
newspaper classified advertisements for dozens of workers indefinitely. Ali, 25,
massages and used cars to lure unsuspect- manages one of the businesses. His mother
ing victims to be robbed. . is said to be suffering from depression, and
his father sedated at the family's home.
Kidnapping for
A man who answered a classified adver-
tisement for a massage and another who re-
sponded to a car for sale advertisement
bank cards!
were both robbed of thousands of dollars.
The man who answered the classified ad-
vertisement for a massage service, visited
the parlour and ended up bound, hands and
feet and relieved of his money, jewelry and
Police have shut down a Balmoral Park ,
lap top computer.
Chaguanas robber's den that was used to
The man's report to Central Division Task
keep people who were snatched off the
Force officers triggered a raid on the house
streets by a gang at gun-point. Among the
at Balmoral Park , Chaguanas. Two men
victims was a police constable, one of
were arrested at the home, which police
dozens over the past year.
said was being used by men seeking "mas-
At the house, the victims were robbed of
sages" given by both male and female
their cash and jewelry, forced to reveal their
masseuses.
bank card's personal identification num-
In the other incident, Brian Haricharan, a
bers, and kept captive while the money was
scrap dealer responded to an advertisement
withdrawn.
for a car. With $60,000 cash, Haricharan
There have been several reports of peo-
visited St Johns Road , Claxton Bay to buy
ple waiting for taxis under the Chaguanas
the car. When he arrived at the site, there
overpass being held up and taken away to
was no car but there was a man with a gun
be robbed and beaten.
St. Augustine
waiting for Haricharan. The bandit de-
manded the money from Haricharan and es-
ATM causes
Youth robs a
caped on foot.
man’s death
whole school
A man was shot and killed by a robber
A 17-year-old secondary school dropout
after he withdrew money from a bank ma-
Jeffrey Burke has been charged with
chine. Phillip Garcia, one of two men shot
storming a Chaguanas private chool and
by a gunman on a bicycle at the St Augus-
robbing the principal, a teacher, and 11 stu-
tine Shopping Plaza last died in hospital. He
dents.
was robbed and killed after ATM at RBTT
It is alleged that on June 17, Burke went
around 11.25 p.m last Saturday.
to Mohammed's Learning Centre, a private
Robberies at ATM’s have become in-
school at Edinburgh, Chaguanas. Burke is
creasingly common, causing many people
alleged to have robbed at knife-point, the
to avoid using the machines outside banks,
principal, his wife who is a teacher at the
especially at night.
school, and 11 teenagers in a classroom of
money totalling more than $5,000.
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO NEWS
Bush says TT too
rich to need duty
free exports to US
US president George W Bush has de-
clared that Trinidad and Tobago has be-
come a "high income" country, and he is
ending the designation of the country as a
beneficiary developing country ...effective
January 1, 2010 .
He told the US congress that Trinidad and
Tobago 's economy has been going so well
that it no longer qualifies for duty-free ac-
cess for exports. Unfortunately for local ex-
porters, however, the new status means the
Bush has cut off the country's preferential
treatment under the Generalised System of
Preferences (GSP) to export a range of
products duty-free into the American mar-
kets, in the next two years.
"Termination is effective on January 1, of
the second year following the year in which
such determination is made. I have deter-
mined that Trinidad and Tobago has be-
come a 'high income' country, and I am
terminating the designation of that country
as a beneficiary developing country for pur-
poses of the GSP, effective January 1, 2010
," Bush wrote.
The GSP is a programme designed to
promote "economic growth" in the devel-
oping world and provides preferential duty-
free access for the entry of more than 4,500
products from 131 designated beneficiary
countries and territories.
Minister in the Ministry of Finance Mar-
iano Browne says the new development
will only affect about "two per cent" of the
country's exports, and was not threatening
to business.
The opposition Congress of the People
claims it will have a tremendous impact on
local exporters and a loss of jobs.
Indo-Caribbean Times
Trinidad has
food security,
says minister
Trinidad and Tobago is very lucky - it has
oil and Patrick Manning. So stated Labour
Minister Rennie Dumas as he sought to
convince the House of Representatives that
Trinidad and Tobago had been spared all
the trauma other countries have been expe-
riencing because of high food prices.
Dumas said, when compared to other
countries across the Caribbean and in the
world, the Government of Trinidad and To-
bago "was doing an excellent job in miti-
gating the impact of rising price levels in
the international market".
He said Trinidad and Tobago had been
spared some of the extreme situations being
experienced elsewhere.
"We hear about food riots, extreme
worker situations, malnutrition and starva-
tion. We have been spared all that, not be-
cause people are mild-mannered but
because the extreme conditions that drive
people to that kind of action have not ex-
isted in Trinidad and Tobago ," Dumas said
to thunderous table-thumping.
On the issue of prices, Dumas said Bar-
badians were leaving their country to come
to shop in Trinidad and Tobago groceries.
On the issue of food security, he said.
Trinidad and Tobago provided about 30
per cent of the food consumed here, which
"compared favourably with most countries
in the world". He claimed that, at this time,
food security was mostly secured through
trade. He said the fact that the percentage
of the population under the poverty line had
moved from 30 per cent to 17 per cent sug-
gested that there was progress being made
in the fight against poverty.
E-mail: kicker4321@msn.com
JULY 2008 Page 7
Tobago Hindus Dial 811 for new
promised land ememergency
for temple medical help
Dial 811...and medical help is on the
Two lots of land have been promised by
way.This was the assurance given by chief
the Division of Labour and Settlements to
executive officer of Global Medical Re-
the Hindu community in Tobago , accord-
sponse of TT (GMRTT) Paul Anderson
ing to president of the Hindu Association
after launching the new emergency number.
Pulwaty Beepath.
This, Anderson said, was in an effort to
"We were promised that we would be
improve the ambulance service in TT,
given land by the Assembly to build our
thereby providing better medical help for
temple and a cultural centre. We are waiting
patients throughout the country. He said TT
to see if this promise would be fulfilled,"
had one of the better ambulance services in
she told the Tobago News on the occasion
the Caribbean , and GMRTT was the first
of this year’s Indian Arrival Day..
accredited Emergency Medical Service sys-
East Indians celebrated the day at the
tem outside of North America .
Milford Road Esplanade with singing and
“We have drastically improved the relia-
a puja.
bility of the Trinidad EMS system to meet
Several persons journeyed from Trinidad
the need for emergency care services.” An-
to share in the festivities. Some groups
derson said the new system must be used
which performed at the celebrations in-
only for emergency medical transportation
cluded the Amina Ramsaran Group, 3 Fri
because to do otherwise would be to de-
Davy Dancers, Dynamic Tasa Group,
prive other citizens who are in crisis for im-
Sangeet Milan and Tobago stars Seta
mediate assistance.
Beepath and Govinda Ramlogan. Pundit
He added that complaints from the pub-
Satyanand Maharaj said, "It is difficult to
lic about the long time they had to wait on
think about Trinidad and Tobago without
ambulance in their time of need was be-
thinking about the East Indians. Being in-
cause, in the past, they would call the health
tegrated in the society is something we need
sector requesting ambulance service instead
to be careful of. We need to learn to live to-
of to GMRTT.
gether as one people, sharing in the various
Health Minister Jerry Narace said there
cultures.
were 31 ambulances, with as many as 25 of
"It is hard to think of Trinidad and To-
them on the road at one time. He said
bago without doubles or dalpaurie roti, in
GMRTT handled nearly 200 calls a day —
the same vain no one culture makes up
over 5,000 calls a month– and 96 percent
Trinidad and Tobago . It's the combination
were responded to within 31 minutes.
of all cultures that makes up Trinidad and
Ambulances operate from 13 bases in
Tobago ," he added.
Port-of- Spain , St James, Arima, Sangre
"Its our maturity as a nation to respect
Grande, Toco, Chaguanas, San Fernando ,
each other and appreciate each other's cul-
Gasparillo, Princes Town , Point Fortin,
ture that makes up our country," he said.
Siparia, Rio Claro and Mayaro.
GUYANA NEWS
Death penalty for pirates
Guyana's parliament has passed a Hi-
jacking and Piracy Bill which lays down
heavy penalties penalties for piracy, includ-
ing the death penalty,stiff fines and life im-
prisonment. The law came in response to
waves of piracy that have beset fishermen
all along the coast for the last year.
The bill seeks to make special provisions
for punishment for offences of armed rob-
bery, hijacking and piracy committed in
rivers, internal waters and territorial sea of
Guyana and the high seas.
Clement Rohee Minister of Home Af-
fairs, Clement Rohee said that it was timely,
necessary, and he believed, is awaited with
great anticipation by the fishing commu-
nity.
Minister Clement Rohee
The bill sets out provisions for the punish-
ment of criminal acts committed in
Guyana’s waters such as the death penalty
to a person who murders another person on
board a vessel under attack while commit-
ting armed robbery, piracy or hijacking. It
deals with the punishment of accessories
and provides for the forfeiture of buildings
owned and used by an accused, any vessel,
machinery and accessories and weapons
used or during a pirate attack.
Accounting
errors have
Georgetown
town clerk and
treasurer on the
hot seat
Georgetown send Town Clerk Beulah
Williams and City Treasurer Roderick Ed-
inboro have been sent on immediate leave
so that investigations could be carried out
in the treasurer’s department. The Mayor
and City Council recently approved a mo-
tion to set up an investigative team that
would if necessary identify replacements
for the two officials.
The moves comes after a scathing report
by the Auditor General, which showed that
ecords are not being properly maintained
for wages and salaries, officers being given
payment in lieu of leave without proper au-
thority or approval; advances , loans to of-
ficers; deduction of officers’ deposits, bank
reconciliation statements and other impor-
tant accounting tasks.
The AG found that during 2007 a number
of officers were promoted or given raises in
salaries without the following proper pro-
tocol being followed.
Mayor Hamilton Green, in a short state-
ment, said officers have openly “flouted the
decisions of the council” and have exer-
cised their “Caesar-like power to do what
they like when they feel like it.”
Indo-Caribbean Times
Magistrate
shoots cop
Mark George, the policeman who was shot
on Woolford Avenue last Thursday was
transferred to the High Dependency Unit
(HDU) and is resting comfortably, a release
from the Georgetown Hospital said.
Reports are that George, a Tactical Serv-
ices Unit (TSU) rank and Festival City res-
ident is fully conscious and is talking.
Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys was ques-
tioned in relation to the shooting and was
placed on station bail. This newspaper was
told yesterday that the file is now in the
hands of the Director of Public Prosecu-
tions (DPP), who will advise on the way
forward.
Following the June 26 shooting which
occurred on Woolford Avenue, Gilhuys pro-
ceeded on voluntary leave and all of his
cases have been adjourned to new dates.
The shooting occurred outside Stella
Maris Nursery around 11 pm and reports
had indicated that ranks of a mobile patrol
unit noticed a heavily tinted vehicle parked
on the roadway and decided to carry out
checks.
It was then that ranks discovered that it
was Gilhuys who was in the vehicle and
after a verbal exchange the magistrate al-
legedly discharged his firearm injuring
George who managed to run a few feet be-
fore collapsing in the drain outside the St
Joseph High School.
Gilhuys has since denied that he fired
first. Following the shooting, the magis-
trate went to the Brickdam Police Station
where he refused to hand over his weapon
but left his bullet-riddled Rav 4 parked in
the compound. He returned the following
day in the company of his lawyer Nigel
Hughes and was later released on station
bail.
George who sustained damage to some of
his vital organs underwent an emergency
operation shortly after arriving at the hos-
pital.
He was admitted a patient of the Inten-
sive Care Unit where he was hooked up to
a life support machine.
Cop escapes
death from
gunmen
A 25-year-old policeman escaped death,
when one of two attackers opened fire on
him seconds after ordering him out of his
car which was parked on the Square of Rev-
olution.
Troy Canterbury, a Timehri resident
based at the Tactical Services Unit (TSU),
Eve Leary sustained a gunshot wound to the
right knee. The bullet which was lodged
was subsequently removed at the George-
town Hospital before the rank was dis-
charged.
Police said that about 11:05 pm Consta-
ble Canterbury was in a parked motor ve-
hicle at Vlissengen Road, George-town,
when he was confronted by two men, one
of whom was armed with a handgun, and
who held him up and demanded his valu-
ables.
Canterbury resisted, the release said, and
was shot in his right knee by the man with
the firearm.
Region 5 students excel in
Grade 6 assessment
The successful students pose with their
teachers (from left to right), Constance Mc-
Calmon, Stacy Williamson and Padmini
Bissoon. The students (seated from left to
right) are Chandanie Panday, Yasmin Shar-
iff, Kennia Maynard and Adrian Budhu.
Those standing from left are Cecelee
Naraine, Debra Tulsi, Sukraj Beephat and
Andrea Persaud.
The student from the Lachmansingh Pri-
mary School in West Berbice who was
among the top performers in the country at
this year’s Grade Six Assessment says her
achievement was due to dedication and
hard work.
Eleven-year-old Chandanie `Pretha’ Pan-
day who gained 537 marks was awarded a
place at Queen’s College and is looking for-
ward to attending her new school in Sep-
tember.
Asked if she was expecting to do so well,
she responded, “Not really because I did not
write the Grades Two and Four assess-
ments. I only came into the country one
year ago and most of my time was taken up
with social studies.”
The child who is also the top student for
her school and for Region Five is grateful to
God for guiding her through her work as
well as her mother and her teachers; espe-
cially Constance McCalmon.
She is also thankful for the encourage-
ment she got from the vendors at the school,
her family and friends. Chandanie aspires
to follow in the footstep of her father, Dr.
Parva Panday and become a medical doc-
tor.
She told Stabroek News, “Now that the
exams are over and I got good marks I feel
very excited and relieved. At least some of
the pressure has been taken off so now I can
have time to relax and be involved in social
activities.”
Bandit killed after brazen Brickdam robbery
Police cornered and shot dead a gunman
on Brickdam, minutes after he had robbed a
city businessman with the aid of an accom-
plice.
It appears that the two had no clear plan
after executing the robbery in John Street.
They were apparently contemplating their
next move when a police mobile patrol got
word of the brazen midday attack and
moved in quickly.
Police place the dead man (left) into the
vehicle while the other suspect is flat in the
grass (centre).
Since they were on a bicycle, the two did
not get far. Police caught up with them at
the corner of Brickdam and Chalmers
Place, Stabroek where one of them was shot
dead.
Up to press tim, the dead gunman was
unidentified. However, a few persons who
saw him at the Georgetown Public Hospital
called him `Black boy’. He was shot twice;
once to the lower back and once in his right
JULY 2008 Page 8
The girl who said she stayed up a few
hours every night to study enjoys reading
fiction and science books or “anything in-
teresting.
Placing second for the school with 522
marks, Yasmin Shariff told SN that she was
disappointed with her marks. She said too
that she “studied very hard and was expect-
ing to do much better but I am still thankful
for what I got.”
She is also “feeling very proud for plac-
ing second in the school and for being
among the top in the region. I am looking
forward to furthering my education at Pres-
ident’s College.”
Yasmin who wants to become a phar-
macy technician, thanks God for her suc-
cess. She is also grateful to her teachers,
mother, older sister and friends who as-
sisted her. During her spare time she relaxes
by reading or watching television.
Petite Kennia Maynard placed third with
517 marks and was followed closely by
Adrian Budhu with 516 marks and Cecelee
Naraine with 515 marks.
The three have been awarded places at
St. Roses High School but have opted to at-
tend President’s College instead as they
have nowhere to stay in Georgetown.
They enjoy reading and watching edu-
cational programmes on television. May-
nard and Naraine, two budding
pediatricians and Budhu who aspires to be-
come an engineer said they studied hard for
the exams and felt they could have done
better.
Along with three other students, Debra
Tulsi and Sukraj Beephat who gained 504
marks and Andrea Persaud who attained
502 marks they thanked God for their suc-
cess. They also expressed gratitude to their
Grade Six teachers – Miss McCalmon, Sir
Rajpaul Singh, Miss Stacy Williamson and
Miss Padmini Bissoon, relatives and
friends.
McCalmon told this newspaper that she
expected the result to be better but she is
still grateful that the children maintained
the standard that the school is accustomed
to.
She said that during the time that the stu-
dents were preparing for the exams she had
been serving as the acting headmistress “so
all my focus was not on the children.”
She nevertheless praised the parents for
contributing to the children’s success and
for the interest shown.
leg, and was pronounced dead on arrival at
the hospital.
Police said the man was shot dead during
an armed confrontation after he opened fire
on the patrol that was in hot pursuit. How-
ever, persons who said they were eyewit-
nesses rejected this version.
In a press release police said an unli-
censed 9 mm Beretta pistol along with three
live rounds and a spent shell were recov-
ered. They said the two men had entered the
Royal Refrigeration building at John Street,
Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, and held the
owner George Ramsarran at gunpoint. The
men tied him up with duct tape and took
away some $95,000, a wristwatch and a
gold band.
The other suspect surrendered after real-
izing there was no way out. Police said he
had been identified by the robbery victim
as one of the two men who had robbed him
of $94,600 along with a wristwatch. The
cash and the watch were recovered.
Guyana records first kidney transplant
GUYANA NEWS
Guyanese can now look forward to hav-
ing kidney transplants at home, after the
first transplant surgery was successfully
completed on Munesh Mangal at the
Georgetown Public Hospital for the next
few days as doctors monitor his condition.
The 18 year old Mangal is reportedly
doing well after the operation inserted a
kidney donated by his mother. Just a few
years ago, Mangal's health had severely de-
teriorated after he was diagnosed with renal
failure.
Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy
called the surgery “new hope for Mangal
and a bright promise for all of Guyana”,
adding that someday in the not-too-distant
future, the country will offer kidney trans-
plant as a routine medical service.
The overseas medical team included the
Indian-born Dr Jindal of Brookdale Uni-
versity Hospital; Dr Edward Falta, Trans-
plant Surgeon of the Walter Reed Army
Medical Centre (WRAMC), Washington;
Dr Melenie Guerero, Pulmonary Care
Physician; Laura Owens Transplant Coor-
dinator, and Dr Arthur L. Womble attached
to the Athens-Limestone Hospital, Athens,
Alabama.
The local team included Dr Ravi Puro-
hit, Surgeon; Dr Ramsundar Doobay, Con-
sultant, Internal Medicine; Dr Anita
Florendo, Registrar, Internal Medicine; Dr
Vivienne Amata, Anaesthesiologist; Dr
Pheona Mohamed-Rambaran, Laboratory
Director; Delon France, Medical Technol-
ogist, and Dr Wilson, Radiologist.
Berbice River
Bridge to be
completed after Lindo Creek
CARIFESTA
President Bharrat Jagdeo has expressed fears for his life
regret that the Berbice River Bridge will not
be completed in time for CARIFIESTA ac-
tivities slated for Region Six (East
Berbice/Corentyne) during the period Au-
gust 22-31. The bridge is now expected to
open in September or October.
The 1.55 kilometre bridge is being con-
structed with financial commitment to-
talling some US$38M from several
investors, including commercial banks,
major insurance companies and several cor-
porate agencies.
When completed, the bridge will be op-
erated by the Berbice Bridge Company Inc.
on a toll basis, using a formula aimed at re-
covering sufficient revenue to cover oper-
ating and maintenance costs, return
investments and repayment of financing.
Meanwhile, construction of access roads
on either sides of the bridge is ongoing to
establish 3.1 kilometres of roadway on the
eastern side of the bridge and 700 metres on
the western bank of the Berbice River.
The bridge which will link Regions Five
and Six is expected to enhance trade, im-
prove transportation access and boost
tourism.
E urgent personal intervention.” Further, it
Indo-Caribbean Times
Critchlow
Labour College
crippled
The withdrawal of the government sub-
vention has left the Critchlow Labour Col-
lege (CLC) without 90% ot is staff, leaving
the organization struggling to remain open.
Administrators are planning protest ac-
tion, which will include picketing in front
of the Office of the President and the Min-
istry of Education, to address the withdrawn
government subvention.
The Trades Union Congress CLC has not
received its budgeted subvention since Au-
gust last year. Though it was approved by
the National Assembly, government did not
release the funding and its initial explana-
tion was that the college has not submitted
its audited accounts. After this was ad-
dressed, government said the subvention
would not be paid as there was a split in the
labour movement.
Vice President of the Guyana Trades
Union Congress (GTUC) Patrick Singh
said the union was demanding the release
of the subvention for this year. He noted
that the CLC had, over the years, provided
a second chance at a formal education for
many young people.
Any reasonable administration would ap-
preciate this and act sensibly to nurture the
nation's youths along those lines, he said.
Instead,institutions such as the Guyana Na-
tional Service have been abandoned, while
the prison system is being extended, he
said.
mine owner
Leonard Arokium the owner of the Lindo
Creek mining camp where eight miners in-
cluding his son and brother were killed
about a month ago, believes that his life is
in imminent danger in the wake of checks
on his movements by a group of men un-
known to him.
A letter was dispatched yesterday to Com-
missioner of Police Henry Greene, signed
by a representative on behalf of Arokium’s
attorney Nigel Hughes who is currently
overseas, advising him of Arokium’s fears.
Hughes said he had been instructed that a
group of six men have been making various
inquiries in his client’s immediate neigh-
bourhood about the location of his home,
his movements and the persons who reside
with him.
The letter further said that Arokium had
been advised to make a report to the police
station “But we fear that this is a real and
present danger which requires your most
said that the Arokium family has already
suffered untold pain at their most recent
loss and to compound their tragedy with the
possibility of the loss of another family
would be heinous.
Export zone
planned for
Berbice Bridge
area
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds says that
government is looking towards the estab-
lishment of an export processing zone close
to the Berbice River Bridge as well as oil
refineries and assembly plants, besides
other major projects.
Twenty-three spans have been success-
fully installed, 17 of which are located at
the western end and six on the eastern bank
of the river. The bridge can support a
weight capacity of 60 tons.
The structure will span some 1.55 kilo-
metres and will rest atop 39 pontoons. Stor-
age and assembly of the bridge is being
done at the BBCI headquarters in the Ma-
haica Mahaicony Abary (MMA) compound
at Rosignol.
According to the Prime Minister, the
bridge which has a longevity of about 50
years will be the stepping stone for greater
commerce between Regions Five and Six
and will significantly reduce the burden-
some Rosignol to New Amsterdam ferry
crossing.
The Berbice Bridge is closer to the At-
lantic Ocean than the Demerara Harbour
Bridge but is narrower in width and makes
no provision for foot crossing. Its initial toll
operation will be controlled by the BBCI
for a period of 21 years before it is handed
over to the government, GINA added.
Repairs to all makes and models
Some conditions apply
Call Dex Mohan today
JULY 2008 Page 9
Paedophiles could
face police supervi-
sion for life
Six bills were tabled in Parliament yester-
day including one which seeks police su-
pervision of paedophiles for the rest of
their lives to prevent repeat crimes.
The Court of Appeal (Amendment) Bill
2008, which will allow the Director of
Public Prosecutions (DPP) to approach the
Court of Appeal and the Caribbean Court
of Justice and a Pre-vention of Crimes
(Amend-ment) Bill to have certain con-
victed persons placed under police super-
vision were among the six read for the
first time.
The bills and an amendment to the regula-
tions made under the Excise Tax Act 2005
are expected to be debated ahead of the
two-month recess, which will run from
August to October.
The Prevention of Crimes (Amendment)
Bill seeks to give police the authority to
supervise any person convicted on indict-
ment of a crime, in addition to the punish-
ment handed down.
Paedophiles would be subjected to police
supervision for life, as well as persons in-
volved in molestation, rape, sexual ex-
ploitation, pornography, prostitution,
incest and kidnapping. In the case of
armed robbery, domestic violence, hijack-
ing, offences involving the use of firearm
or explosives, and piracy, police supervi-
sion would be for three years.
4 cylinder
vehicles
BUSINESS
Caribbean business group award
At the June meeting of the JamoonTree CCBN (Canadian Caribbean Business Network)
keynote speaker the Hon. Roy Cullen, Federa,l MP for Etobicoke North, prestened an
award to the Club fo their role in promoting growth in the Caribbean business community.
In pic Rudy Lochan receives the award on behalf of the club. For more info on Jamoon-
US dollar
Tree call 416 214 0228 or visit www.jamoontree.com.
mighty no
more
The once almighty US dollar is failing
fast, and now stands in danger of being re-
placed by the Euro as the world's reserve
currency.
It has been declining steadily for six years
against other major currencies, undercutting
its role as the leading international banking
currency. Now Europeans and Canadians
are finding bargains in the US while travel-
ling Americans find their dollar buys less
abroad. The dollar has lost roughly a quar-
ter of its purchasing power against the cur-
rencies of major U.S. trading partners from
its peak in 2002.
Since oil is bought and sold in dollars
worldwide, the devalued dollar has made
the recent surge in energy prices even worse
for Americans, leading to $4 gasoline in the
United States (all figures U.S.). Analysts
suggest that of the $140 a barrel that oil
fetches globally, some $25 may be due to
the devalued dollar.
The loss of the dollar's purchasing power
and international respect has some experts
worrying that the euro might one day re-
place the dollar as the so-called primary re-
serve currency. And that could trigger a
dollar rout as foreign governments and in-
ternational investors flee from U.S. Treas-
ury bonds and other dollar-denominated
investments.
America has not bought US dollars on
foreign exchange markets to stop the slide
in dollar value. The Federal Reserve could
prop up the dollar by increasing interest
rates under its control, which would make
dollar investments more attractive to for-
eigners. But that could cause problems in a
weak U.S. economy rocked by soaring fuel
costs, falling home prices and rising unem-
ployment – and the lowest reading of con-
sumer confidence in 16 years. The dollar
has fallen so far, it will be difficult to halt or
reverse its slide.
"There's no magic wand," said White
House press secretary Dana Perino. "It's
not going to be a problem that we solve
overnight."
Indo-Caribbean Times
IMMIGRATION FORUM
House prices will
rise slowly in ‘08
The strong housing market of the last few
years has now cooled down as supply and
demand have come more into balance, but
prices will still rise this year, though not by
double digit figures of the past, says CEO
Phil Soper of Royal LePage Real Estate
Services.
Through the rest of this year and into
next, he said, Royal LePage's second-quar-
ter statistics released Thursday suggest that
average prices will creep up by about 3.5
per cent.
"When you're looking at the real estate
market, it's important to look at not just
house price changes, but also the changes
in activity levels," he said.
"There are significantly fewer homes
trading hands now than there have been in
the boom years of this decade," he said. "It's
a moderate market."
Royal LePage's report followed one from
the Canadian Real Estate Association on
Tuesday indicating that average house
prices in June fell 0.4 per cent compared
with a year ago for the first time since early
1999.
CREA's figures suggested that house
prices were "basically flat" in June, said
Soper, adding they were somewhat skewed
by the fact that the association was unable
to include Montreal in their results due to a
reporting foul up.
While prices are forecast to move higher,
the country's largest real estate company
predicts the number of transactions this
year will fall by 11.5 per cent to 461,000
units.
Along with an easing of pent-up demand,
it also attributed the slowdown to jitters
among prospective buyers because of eco-
nomic uncertainty following layoffs in the
manufacturing and forestry sectors due to
the subprime mortgage fiasco in the United
States and worldwide credit crunch.
Avery Shenfeld, senior economist at
CIBC World Markets, said earlier this week
that there has been a noticeable softening of
the housing market over the past few
months.
"Some of that is coming in cities where
prices had gone through the roof in the pre-
vious one or two years," he said.
Attack on Immigration Consultant
Home Affairs Minister name was men-
By Balwant Persaud
I
n this issue of Indo- Caribbean Times, I
will depart from the usual immigration
discussions and focused on a recent inci-
dent that can affect claimants claiming
refugee status in Canada.
This incident was reported by both the
Stabroek News and The Kaieteur News on
Friday July 4th 2008. Three heavily armed
gunmen invaded the office of Balwant Per-
saud, Immigration Consultant in George-
town, Guyana on Thursday July 3, 2008.
The gunmen gagged and tied up the Con-
sultant and his secretary. Guns were pointed
to their heads demanding where the cash
was and if there was any firearm. The
whole office was ransacked and the follow-
ing was stolen:
A laptop computer with all the consultant
clients files, memory sticks with client files
backed up, paper files, a DVD Player, a cell
phone and a digital camera.
In a brief case there was G$1.3 million
being clients money to be deposited was
also stolen.
Whilst the bandits were ransacking the
office they kept probing the consultant, “
Big man, you know this is a setup? Big man
what problem you have with Rohee and
Prittipaul Singh?” Although gagged, I kept
on answering that I do not know these fel-
lows but they kept probing me for an an-
swer.
They kept talking whilst ransacking say-
ing words such as, “ big man, don’t mess
with Government people”, “ you get setup”,
“ don’t talk , we will not harm you”, “ we
only come to get documents” etc.
Now these three armed gunmen did not
even harm or harass me or my secretary,
they just stole all the files and the laptop
computer and the cash.
When they were leaving I managed to ask
them for my passport and pouch with my
credit cards, they opened my brief case and
placed my passport and credit card pouch
under my head. I was bound, gagged and
was lying on the floor. Although gagged, I
could still speak a bit.
What was strange with this incident was
that a Minister of the Government, the
No housing bubble,
says Flaherty
The Canadian government changed the
rules for government-backed mortgages last
week to avoid a U.S.-style housing market
decline, even though the domestic market
remains solid, Finance Minister Jim Fla-
herty said on Wednesday.
Officials were concerned about a recent
trend towards long mortgage amortization
periods and low down payments, which
prompted the rule changes, Flaherty said in
a Calgary speech.
"They are modest changes but we do
want to encourage Canadians to build up
equity in their homes," he said, adding that
the government wanted to avoid "anything"
like the U.S. housing-sector crisis.
Flaherty stressed that the government
was not worried about excesses building up
in the domestic housing market.
JULY 2008 Page 10
tioned in this robbery and the police, the TV
stations and newspapers never interviewed
the Minister or tried to obtain a comment
from him.
The police did not interrogate the Minis-
ter or the businessman although their names
were called in a robbery.
Why do the bandits want to remove all
my paper files, newspaper clippings etc?.
Since when are bandits interested in news-
paper clippings? Those newspaper clip-
pings were related to an upcoming refugee
case of a fifteen year old girl who was raped
by high society big wigs in Guyana.
So it was clear that the motive of the rob-
bery was to remove all files and documents
from my office so that I cannot proceed
with my work especially the upcoming
refugee case.
Last October, the Minister of Home Af-
fairs , Mr. Clement Rohee and this Immi-
gration Consultant had a few exchanges in
the Guyana press about a Refugee case the
Consultant won.
The Minister was saying that the Cana-
dian Embassy in Guyana should check with
the Guyana Government first before
refugee status are granted to Guyanese be-
cause most of the cases are bogus. Balwant
Persaud, the Consultant, objected to the
Minister, saying that the Immigration and
Refugee Board is independent of all Gov-
ernment interferences.
As usual, the Police came and took state-
ments, finger prints etc and never came
back. I contacted the police, informing
them that someone was using my computer
and accessing the Internet with it and we
can trace where the computer was being
used with the dial up phone number and IP
address. My Internet Service Provider pro-
vided me with the times the bandits access
the Internet. The police just said they will
investigate and get back to me. One week
passed and nothing.
This will remain an unsolved crime, sim-
ilar to the thousands of unsolved crime in
Guyana.
Are you still wondering why people want
to leave Guyana by any means necessary?
Balwant Persaud is a Certified Immigration
Consultant and a Member of The Canadian
Society of Immigration Consultants. For
answers to your immigration problems,
send all enquiries to
balwantpersaud@yahoo.ca or call at
416-431-8845 and in Guyana: 225-1540
www.canadaimmigrationbpa.com
"There is no bubble in the Canadian
housing sector, that has not been our con-
cern," he told reporters after the speech.
"Our concern has been a tendency for
longer amortization period of 40 years and
purchasers putting very little money down."
The changes, due to take effect in Octo-
ber, include ending government-backed
mortgages with 40-year amortization peri-
ods, and a new requirement that buyers
have a minimum down payment of 5 per-
cent.
Various financial institutions have al-
ready said they will comply with the new
thrust, either immediately or in October.
Genworth Financial Canada, a unit of
U.S. life and mortgage insurer Genworth
Financial Inc , and TD Canada Trust, the
domestic banking unit of Toronto-Domin-
ion Bank , both said on Wednesday that
they will change their mortgage products
to match Ottawa's adjustments.
 Indo-Caribbean Times JUNE 2008 Page 11

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India’s $2,500 Nano car set to revolutionise auto industry
Indo-Caribbean Times JULY 2008 Page 12

Rising gas prices in Canada have
caused General Motors to close down or
cut back on vehicle assembly plants,
while Ford and Chrysler are seeing buy-
ers shy away from their expensive gas
guzzlers. Even the Japanese and Koreans
are worried. RV units are lying idle in
yards all over Canada at a time when they
are normally rolling all over North Amer-
ica.
Buyers are moving in droves towards
smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles as
gas prices head for the predicted $1.50
per liter this summer. Drivers can’t afford
to fill up the tanks on their minivans,
SUV’s and CRV’s and are thinking small
and economical. But the cheapest cars in
Canada, the Hyundai Accent and the Kia
Rio, are still costing $9,995 before taxes,
and the average price for a new car is up
around $20,000. A full scale transport
tsunami underway, as some analysts have
predicted $2.00 a liter by next year.
The picture is completely different on
the other side of the world in India, where
Tata Motors is getting ready for the Oc-
tober launch of the world’s cheapest car,
the $2,500 US Nano. The Indians can’t
wait to get their hands on the first batch of
250,000 Nanos, as they already know this
car signals a revolution in cheap, personal
transportation.
It’s not just the 1 lakh of rupees
(100,000) price tag for the Nano that is
causing the excitement, though that is
half the price for Suzuki’s Maruti 800, the
current cheapest in India. The Nano
promises to deliver 54 miles per gallon or
21.9 kilometres per litre, something no
car in India or anywhere else can match.
About 800 million Indians whose annual
income runs from $3,000 to $11,000 US
a year can afford to buy the Nano. So can
a few hundred million others in China,
Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa
and Latin America who are the main tar-
gets picked out by Tata Motors.
We in Canada are not likely to see the
Nano anytime soon, but we will feel its
effect immediately. Anybody who can
snatch away about four billion potential
car users away from the American Big
Three, the Japanese, Koreans and the Eu-
ropeans will change the world automobile
market beyond recognition. The fact that
the Indians have done it points to their
growing influence in world economics.
Although not a single Nano is on the
road in India, it has already delivered a
knockdown to Suzuki, the leading small
car manufacturer. This year sales of
Suzuki’s Maruti have dropped 20% for
new cars, and 30% percent for used cars.
Indians are waiting for the Nano at half
the price. Taxi drivers are all excited too,
as the Nano will make huge changes in
the taxi industry, and probably knock out
the motorized rickshaw for good. Even
upper income Indians are looking on the
Nano as a usable second car to run around
the cities and towns. Motorcycle sales are
likely to slump as tens of millions of
motorcycle owners in India look to trade
up to four wheels and the prestige of
owning a car.
By North American standards the Nano
is hardly attractive. It’s a small, light car
coming in at 1,322 lbs, with a 32 horse-
power two stroke engine that can deliver
a maximum of 65 miles per hour, with
only a manual gearbox, no aircondition-
ing, a tiny trunk and just one windscreen
wiper.
But it’s a real car, with four doors, fab-
ulous gas mileage, and low emissions,
that the average Indian can buy with just
a few months’ salary. It can take a whole
family. And it looks stylish too. It’s not
aimed at North Americans or Europeans
at all. Tata appears to have an iron grip on
the People’s Car for the 21st century, its
version of the Ford Model T or Volkswa-
gen that revolutionized car transport in
their times.
Since the announcement of the Nano in
January, world automakers have been
scrambling to match it, but none of them
have anything in sight that can compete.
In India Hyundai, Honda, Renault, Volk-
swagen and Ford have announced plans
to compete with the world’s cheapest car,
but their models are all priced at 400,000
rupees or more, four times the Nano’s
price. Renault plans to put out a Bajel car
that will match the $2,500 price tag of the
Nano, but they have no prototype in hand.
Meanwhile, the Chinese who terrified
the North American market three years
ago with announcements of 250,000 im-
ports of their Chery vehicle selling under
$10,000 have yet to deliver. European
carmakers like Fiat and Renault with a
reputation for making small cars, are not
jumping in. Nobody seems able to build
a decent motor car for $2,500 to compete
with the Nano for lower entry car sales
in the gigantic market of the developing
world. Nano means high tech and small,
and cheap and for now, India’s Tata Mo-
tors has all the marbles.

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 Indo-Caribbean Times JULY 2008 Page 13
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COMMUNITY NEWS Indo-Caribbean Times JULY 2008 Page 15

Jagdeo visits the Guyana Festival

D’EDWARD VILLAGE DAY IS on Sat-
urday, July 19, 2008 in Glen Forest Sec-
ondary School Park, 3375 Fieldgate Drive,
Mississauga, (between Bloor St and Burn-
hamthorpe Rd). The following activities
are planned for the day
(1) Picnic
(2) Short-four cricket championship
(3) Kite competition
(4) Dominoes in the park
Lots & Lots of trophies & prizes to be
awarded. You are required to PRE-REGIS-
TER FOR THESE FUN EVENTS.
The short-four cricket competition will start
at 1:00 pm and in-between breaks, the kite
competition will be held. You can therefore
register for more than one event.
Contact Fred Lall (Budhoo Lall)
lall4@rogers.com 905-794-5423 or
www.dedwardvillage
THE TARIC ISLAMIC CENTRE in its
continued effort of putting on various
events for the Muslim community, is seek-
ing volunteers who can assist with various
projects and events.
If you are interested in volunteering some
of your time in the path of Islam, please
reply to this email with the following info-
mation:
Name:
City where you live:
Telephone Number:
Cell Number:
and reply to rahamutree@rogers.com.
The general public is invited to celebrate
with us.
Hwy. 404 north to Davis Drive. East (right)
on Davis Drive. Turn (left) onto Hwy. 48
and follow it until you come to Hwy. 12.
Turn north (left) onto Hwy. 12. Continue on
Hwy. 12. After 2km turn east (right) into
Thorah 3rd Line, opposite the Radio Tower.
Follow road for 2 km over the Beaver River
bridge. Immediately after the bridge turn
left into the driveway of Novalis.
Sunday, July 20th at Santan Mandir Tem-
ple, 10.30am-11.30am in Gujrati. 9333
Woodbine Avenue, Gormley L0H 1G0 ap-
prox 30 km north of Scarborough
Sunday, 20th July 5pm - in English/ Hindi
at Vedic Cultural Centre Centre( Arya
Samaj Mandir) 4345 - 14th Avenue,
Markham ON L3R 0J2
Sunday July 20 at 7.30 pm at home of D.D.
Divineah, ont 65 Gordon Road, Toronto
Gordon Road is two blocks north of York
Mills between Yonge and Bayview.
L-R Consul General Danny Doobay, President Bharrat Jagdeo, ACG's Vice-Pres-
For more info contact Ram at 416-289- ident Mani Singh and High Commissioner to Canada Rajnarine Singh - on the
9088 or ram@eol.ca. lawn of Lamoroux Community Centre, Scarborough
ANNUAL BATH SETTLEMENT RE-
UNION AND PICNIC ON JULY 19, AT
ROUND TREE MILLS PARK;
CONTACT A.T. SUBRYAN AT 905 457
6131 OR asubryan@atseng.ca for further
details.

SUNGAZING TEACHER HIRA

RATAN MANEK will be giving four free
lectures in Southern Ontario during this part
of his North American lecture tour.

Saturday, 19th July: 1pm-2pm Lecture at

Vedic Arogya Mandir, Beaverton 705-426-

Kamla’s Fashions Inc.

4530 Directions from Toronto to Vedic
Arogyna Mandir (90 min north of Toronto):

Wholesale Garment Manufacturer

1510 Birchmont Road Units 106 & 107 Scarborough, Ontario M1P 2G6
Phone: (416) 913-2379 Fax: (416) 752-1105 E-mail: KamlasFashion@gmail.com

We accept orders from schools, clubs and organizations

Massive clearance sale continues

in the factory outlet (same location)

Place your orders early for cricket

team uniforms now available
Youth T-Shirts and Tank Tops - $2.00 each
Adult Golf Shirts $5.00
Ladies Leggings and Capri Pants $3.00
Children’s Clothing from $2.00 each
Adult Tee-Shirts in a variety of sizes and colours - $2.00
Wide range of Summer Clothing on Sale
Scrap for cleaning - $5.00 a bag
Wide variety of transfers/screen prints – Babies, Children, Humour, Christmas,
topical, geographical/Souvenir from 50 cents.
ENTERTAINMENT Indo-Caribbean Times JULY 2008 Page 16
Pakaraima writers meet President “Sweet Sweet
Karaila” Carifi-
esta Gala
A grand two-night gala performance of
“Sweet, Sweet Karaila” stage play will
spearhead the first in a series of Carifesta
fundraisers being held in Toronto. The two
shows will be held on Wednesday, July 30
and Thursday, July 31 at 8 p.m. in the Bur-
gundy Room, North York Memorial Com-
munity Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto.

Roots International Arts Theatre Inc.

(www.rootstheatre.com) premiered its Car-
ifesta X presentation “Sweet, Sweet
Karaila” on July 17 and it runs until July 25
at Palmerston Library Theatre, 560 Palmer-
ston Avenue, Toronto. The director is Ryan
Singh.

“Sweet, Sweet Karaila” is a gripping tragic-

comedy two Guyanese families – the
“Herod’s” from Buxton and the “Sama-
roo’s” from Lusignan, as told by village
elder and raconteur “Uncle John John”.
Guyana Festival 2008 celebrated the 42nd Anniversary of Guyana's Independence and Written and produced by Leon Saul, based
the Pakaraima Writers Association was proudly represented by its members, with spe- on the 1958 prize-winning Guyanese radio
cial presence of the President of Guyana His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo at their booth, play – “Sweet Karaila” by Vic Forsythe, the
showcasing their members' locally published books. story reveals how Det. Sergeant Liverpool
Fennimore – a police officer from Buxton,
who has just been married to Rhoda Herod,
is tested before and after his marriage by
the recent massacres in Guyana.

“Sweet, Sweet Karaila” is a bitter-sweet

tale of patriotism and the sacrifice of a
loved one while doing duty to protect the
family, community and nation.

The consulting directors of the full-length

play are Marvin Ishmael and Andre Wilt-
shire. The production features Trevor Mur-
ray, Eli Goree, Ras Leon, Jem Hewitt,
Nikki Green, T.J. McLaughlin, Sandra Ma-
haraj, Mandela Mannings, Samantha Mo-
habir, Sam Khera, Brad Jordan, Wendy
Belcourt, Paul Chanderbhan, Patrick Au-
gustus and Rosina Noel. The live sound-
track is by Ras D’Jango.

Tickets are $40. Call 416-333-2724 or

416275-8993, or email
theatre@qualped.com to book tickets.

It pays to
advertise in the
Indo-Caribbean
Times
Balwant Persaud
Certified Immigration Consultant
Authorized by the Canadian Govt. to Represent
Clients in Accordance with IRPA Rules
Member of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants
Canadian Immigration Services
Skilled Workers Business Class
Work Permits Students Visas
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Appeals US Green Card Lottery
Deportation Humanitarian Cases
Call: 416-431-8845 or 647-284-0375
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Guyana: 225-1540 or 622-8308
RELIGION
Canadian Guyanese help
to build West Berbice’s
Vedanta Academy
By Ramnarine Sahadeo
Members of the Canadian Chapter of
Bush Lot Sanatan Dharma Vishnu Mandir
West Coast Berbice are hoping that all cur-
rent and former residents of West Berbice,
both inside and outside Guyana, will con-
tribute to the building and operation of the
Vedanta Academy now being constructed
on the premises to the Bush Lot Mandir.
Once completed this building will be used
to educate Students from the entire County.
The vision is to have it patterned after the
successful Saraswati Vidya Niketan (SVN)
located at Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demer-
ara and headed by Swami Aksharananda.
Berbice holds a special place in the his-
tory of Guyana. It was in this County, (not
Demerara,) that Indentured Servants from
India first landed on May 5, 1838, 112 days
after the Whitby left Calcutta on January
13, 1838 with 246 Indians, the majority of
whom were Hindu males.
Descendants of these survivors are now
all over the globe, and have enjoyed enough
economic prosperity that if they can per-
ceive the need for a Hindu Secondary
School or even a College they have enough
resources to make it happen very quickly.
Money, materials and even manpower can
be marshaled to ensure that the values
brought to the West can be handed down to
posterity. This is only one way of honoring
those who helped to make the County what
it is today.
While we have cause to celebrate our sur-
vival and our successes annually on May 5
it must be admitted that over the years we
have lost some of the very values that de-
fined us as Indians. We gradually lost the
language of our fore parents and we were
products of an educational process that em-
phasized Western values.
Now that we appreciate the significance
of the culture of our ancestors, it is time that
we establish institutions that can instill in
students pride in their history and culture
while preparing them for the hurdles they
will face them in any society in which they
chose to live. It is not national boundaries
that would unite them but their values
One of the reasons for the establishment
of the Vedanta Academy is to correct this
historical imbalance so that those interested
in learning the tenets of Vedanta can do so
in a classroom setting. Vedanta is Vedic
Philosophy and holds that man is essen-
tially divine in nature, that God exists in
everything and that there are many differ-
ent ways to reach the same goal. It thus
teaches respect for all religions and this
principle cannot be overemphasized in any
multicultural society.
Some of us who grew up in small villages
were exposed to many religions and this
helped us to live harmoniously with our
neighbours What is sad today however, is
that too many, including Hindus, still do not
know anything about Vedic Philosophy and
that is only one reason why more Hindu
Learning Centres are necessary, and why
we have to get a copy of the Bhagavat Gita
and Ramayan in each home.
Whatever the function or level of success
of the numerous temples that dot the land-
scape, there still exists a vacuum of knowl-
edge that must be filled by other means.
One view that has been gaining momentum
is that it is preferable to invest resources in
Indo-Caribbean Times
a building that can be open 7 days a week,
for cultural training in Hindi, Music, danc-
ing, Sanskrit, philosophy along with the re-
quired academic subjects. It can also be
attached to a place of worship.
Several who have recently visited SVN
describes it is a unique environment that
imprints a special feeling, which allows us
to connect with the past, while preparing
the students with a well-rounded develop-
ment that should enable them to survive and
flourish in any society. Religious knowl-
edge is an essential part of the process. The
children must be in the mandir saying
prayers at 8.00 daily before they enter their
respective classrooms. They also leave the
compound after returning to the mandir for
closing prayers at 4.00 pm.
Support for the Bush Lot Vedanta Acad-
emy has to be expanded if the operational
date of September 2008 is to be realized.
Since there is no similar institution in West
Berbice it will serve the needs of students
from other districts in the same way as
Saraswati Vidya Niketan.
There is already some recognition of this
fact. Funds were raised at a Yagna recently
held at the temple; neighboring D’Edward
village contributed the proceeds of a con-
cert; others are donating their labour, and
the project GITA FOR EACH HOME
seemed to have found a solid base as thou-
sands have been funded by Bath Settlement
native, Trevor Subryan The executive is
hoping to use the Academy as a distribution
center for Gitas and are seeking individuals
or groups who can continue to supply them
with copies of the immortal text. The inde-
fatigable Swami Aksharananda travels reg-
ularly to Bush Lot where he conducts gita
classes already producing students who
have excelled and achieved national recog-
nition.
Hopefully Berbicians, no matter in which
continent they reside can be informed of
this project by friends and relatives so that
they can get an opportunity to contribute to
the development of the cultural values that
were once shared by all in the community.
Many are still not aware of the new build-
ing or what they can do to help.. Those who
visit Guyana are encouraged to spend some
time with the children and lend a hand to
the executive members who are doing a
tremendous work under difficult circum-
stances.
The Canadian Chapter has had an initial
fundraising dinner and has sent $ 1 million
(G) as work on the building is ongoing.
A second dinner is planned for the
evening of July 26, 2008 at Nice “N” Easy
Restaurant 115 Oakdale Road. Unit 403,
tel. 416 742 7240
Those unable to attend can always send
cheques payable to:
BUSH LOT SANATAN DHARMA
SABHA VISHNU MANDIR and mail to
6 Marlebon Road, Etobicoke, Ont. M9V
3V9
Call Ram 416 292 5650; Roy 905 487
0940; Dave 416 663 4037; Manoj 416 771
2487
For further details on this and other edu-
cational projects and how to contribute visit
www. bushlotmandir.com
For suggestions or information on how to
get a GITA or RAMAYAN in EACH
HOME email ramjihindu@rogers.com
Ahmadiya open our largest mosque
Prime Minister Stephen Harper attended the
unveiling of Canada’s largest mosque com-
plex in Calgary recently. The spectacular
48,000-square-foot Baitun Nur mosque was
inaugurated by the head of the worldwide
Ahmadiyya Muslim community, His Holi-
ness Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad.
Prime Minister Harper said the mosque
symbolized how the relatively small Cana-
dian Ahmadiyya community, most of whom
are recent immigrants from Central and
South Asia, has prospered and flourished in
Canada’s pluralistic society. “Ahmadis are
renowned for their devotion to peace, uni-
versal brotherhood and submission to the
CIOG joins
Canada NGO to
empower rural
women
The Central Islamic Organ-isation of
Guyana (CIOG) has launched a funding
programme for projects undertaken by
women in rural areas with support from
a Canadian NGO.
In a press release the CIOG said it
launched ˜Livelihood Development for
Rural Women Project on at the Tuschen
Old Road Masjid, East Bank Essequibo.
It said the project is a joint venture with
Human Concern International (HCI)
which has already provided US$11,375
to the mission. The CIOG will contribute
US$19,420 for the project.
CIOG said the objective of the project
is to provide sustainable livelihood op-
portunities and income for rural
Guyanese women. Many of these women
are marginalized so we are pleased to
BHAGVAD GITA FOR EACH HOME
Bulk distribution centres.
The Gita can be available in bulk at the fol-
lowing contacts: Donations are expected to
fund further copies; any individual or or-
ganization wishing to assist in this project
can contact us.
CANADA
Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton
Ramnarine Sahadeo 905 671 9233 e-mail
ramjihindu@rogers.com, Omesh Sharma
Omesh@flexomark.com, Chandan
Persaud at 416-754-2382, Gulcharan at
416 481-5777 gmohabir@hotmail.com,
Ram Jagessar at 416 289 9088 or
ram@eol.ca
JULY 2008 Page 17
will of God – the core principles of true
Islam,” said Prime Minister Harper. “They
are also renowned for working together to
serve the greater good through social,
health and education initiatives, as well as
mosque projects like this one. And wher-
ever they live in the world, Ahmadis are
renowned for participating in the larger
community and peacefully co-existing with
people of all faiths, languages and cul-
tures.”
The Prime Minister said “We especially
applaud the Kalipha for denouncing those
who pervert faith by claiming it as a justifi-
cation for violence.”
partner with HCI in an effort to create
employment, and build the entrepreneur-
ial skills as well as the self confidence of
the women the release said.
CIOG will select 80 women entrepre-
neurs from the West Coast Demerara to
build their capabilities by providing train-
ing and technical assistance in catering
and sewing/knitting.
These courses will be for a six-month
duration. Projects like this onewill cer-
tainly change the lives of all those who
will participate and benefit from the train-
ing, CIOG President Fazeel Ferouz said.
He said too it will assist in the develop-
ment of the person, community and our
country as a whole.
According to the release HCI is a Cana-
dian, federally registered charitable or-
ganisation which aims to help alleviate
human suffering by investing in human-
ity.
Since 1980, HCI has contributed to-
wards facilitating sustainable develop-
ment through long-term development
projects, and maintaining human dignity
by providing immediate relief assistance
to many poor and strife-torn countries
and to local causes in Canada.
RICHMOND HILL
Omo Persaud at omo@globalspectru-
minc.com 905-886-1724
Winnipeg:
Ajodhya Mahadeo 204-661-6643
British Columbia
Chameli Seegobin 604-945-9510, e-mail
address maylee34@hotmail.com, and
Naraine Mohabir at 604-274-8938
GUYANA: Saraswati Vidya Niketan ph.
2760013/14
It’s a recession in USA
WORLD NEWS
Forget the technical definition that says
you have a recession when the economy
shrinks for six consecutive months. The
United States has the look and feel of a
country in recession as job losses, high gas
prices, tumbling home values, tight credit
and a stock market rout bite ordinary Amer-
icans.
Another 62,000 jobs vanished in June –
the sixth consecutive month of job losses,
according to a U.S. Labour Department re-
port. The world's largest economy, which
by some measures is still growing, has now
shed 438,000 jobs since the start of the year.
“If there's no recession, someone forgot to
tell the labour market,” Merrill Lynch econ-
omist David Rosenberg said in research
note.
The unemployment rate held steady at a
four-year high of 5 per cent. And the job
losses cut across just about every sector of
the economy, from banking and retailing to
manufacturing and construction. The only
sectors to escape carnage were government,
health care, education and leisure.
Virtually everything that was once boom-
ing is now stalled.
Americans are driving less and spending
less as they cope with a combination of
higher food and gas prices and diminished
household wealth, brought on by falling
stocks and tumbling home prices.
Wall Street banks and brokers have been
laying off staff by the thousands, victims of
the mortgage meltdown. Hit particularly
hard is the construction industry, which has
shed nearly half a million jobs this year
alone. The housing collapse, combined with
an apparent downturn in commercial con-
struction, has taken a heavy toll on the sec-
tor that powered the job market during the
post-2001 expansion.
“This is affecting every nook and cranny
of American life,” agreed Mark Morial,
president of the National Urban League, a
New York-based organization devoted to
encouraging African Americans to become
more involved in the economy and society.
The U.S. National Bureau of Economic
Research – the official arbiter of recessions
– looks for sustained declines in employ-
ment, personal income and business activ-
ity, lasting several months.And based on
those measures, a U.S. recession may al-
ready be under way.
“You only see job losses of this length
and size when the economy is in recession,”
remarked Gus Faucher, director of macro-
economics at Moody's Economy.com.
Toxic electronic
“From a labour market perspective, it looks
like a recession.”
No bids for TTC junk pouring
streetcars
into Third World
The TTC has failed to attract a single qual-
ified bidder for a historic $1.25-billion con-
tract to replace its aging streetcar fleet.
In a surprise development, Bombardier, the
company widely believed to have the con-
tract in the bag, failed to comply with the
technical standards set out in precise detail
in a request for proposals (RFP) issued in
January, the TTC announced yesterday.
Bombardier was one of only two compa-
nies that bid on the order for 204 cars. The
other, TRAM Power, of Merseyside, Eng-
land, was considered commercially non-
compliant.
Get connected or
get out, says
Russian leader
Russia's new 42-year-old president warned
yesterday that government officials who do
not know how to use a computer could soon
be out of a job.
"They either should learn or, as they say,
goodbye," President Dmitry Medvedev
said. "We don't hire people who can't read
and write. Computer literacy today is the
same."
Since taking office in May, Medvedev has
made it his mission to modernize Russia
and fight pervasive corruption.
If the government carried out more of its
work online, he says, it would increase
transparency and make corruption more dif-
ficult to hide.
But Medvedev sees no real progress toward
putting documents, government purchase
orders or the results of Moscow-funded re-
search online, despite years of talk about es-
tablishing an "electronic government." He
blames the foot-dragging on poor computer
skills.
"Civil servants who don't have elementary
computer skills cannot work effectively," he
said during a televised meeting with federal
and regional officials in the northwestern
city of Petrozavodsk.
For the government's part, he said, it should
help increase Internet access and possibly
compensate students for their Internet use.
Medvedev makes a point of noting his use
of the Internet. Before his election in
March, he told Itogi magazine he even
watches TV news online.
Internet use in Russia is among the lowest
in Europe, with only 12 per cent of people
age 15 or older online, according to a 2007
study by research company comScore.
But Russia also has the fastest growing In-
ternet population in Europe, the study
showed.
By Craig Kielburger & Marc Kielburger
Have you ever wondered what became of
your VHS player? How about that old com-
puter with the black and green monitor, or
your first cellphone that was the size of a
loaf of bread?
With people constantly upgrading their
computers, TVs and cellphones, electronic
waste, or e-waste, has quickly become the
fastest growing component of solid waste.
Compounding the problem, e-waste is often
extremely toxic.
Indo-Caribbean Times
Despite international agreements that pro-
hibit the import and export of hazardous
waste, shipments of broken electronic de-
vices continue to pour into the harbours of
Kenya, India and China.
The reason is strictly financial. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency estimates
it's up to 10 times cheaper to export e-waste
than to dispose of it domestically.
Mercury, barium, lead and cadmium are
just a few of the dangerous elements that
can be found in discarded devices. Many
more toxic materials are used in the sal-
vaging process that recovers the gold, sil-
ver, copper and other valuable metals found
in computers, cellphones and TVs.
Acid baths and open fires are typical of the
inefficient and dangerous methods used in
the recovery of these precious metals. Toxic
fumes and acid spillage contribute to an un-
safe working environment. The hazardous
elements accumulate in landfills and can
leech into the groundwater, leaving it un-
drinkable.
The Basel Convention, which the United
States has yet to sign, is an international
treaty that addresses e-waste. While it has
helped to slow the transfer of toxic waste
between nations, it lacks accountability.
The individual parties of the convention are
left to police themselves. So while China,
for example, has signed and ratified the
convention, there is no international en-
forcement – and so the practice of import-
ing e-waste continues unabated.
Solving the E-Waste Problem (StEP) in
Bonn, Germany, is an initiative of several
United Nations organizations. Despite their
efforts to stop the flow of e-waste into de-
veloping nations, executive director Ruedi-
ger Kuehr can understand why China
continues to accept shipments.
"China, like India and many other coun-
tries, is really hungry for resources, so they
let e-waste into their country to support
their production chain," he says. "They
have many people making their living off
of e-waste, so they cannot easily say, 'Let's
stop all of these imports.' "
About 150,000 people are employed by the
e-waste industry in Guiyu, China, and
25,000 more work in the scrapyards of New
Delhi, India. The gold, silver, copper, alu-
minum and other metals salvaged become a
vital resource for the manufacturing of new
items. A typical wage for the arduous, dan-
gerous work is $2 to $4 a day.
Consumer awareness on the issue of e-
waste is still low, but on the rise. People
have begun to demand "greener" technol-
ogy, and companies are starting to listen.
In March 2008, Greenpeace released the
seventh edition of its Guide to Greener
Electronics, providing environmental im-
pact rankings for the industry. Toshiba and
Samsung were at the head of the class, im-
proving their recycling programs and using
alternative, non-toxic materials. According
to the report, Microsoft, Phillips and Nin-
tendo were at the bottom of the group.
Craig and Marc Kielburger are children's
rights activists and co-founded Free The
Children, which is active in the developing
world.
JULY 2008 Page 18
Motorhomes
are dying fast
Halfway through summer, Milton Heights
Campground looks as pristine as Augusta
National Golf Club on opening day.
The grass is an untrampled jade.
The spruce limbs are teeming with com-
plaining birds.
The camp store shelves are well stocked
with barbeque briquettes and junk food.
Ross Binnie and his partner Juanita Peter-
son sit in front of their parked Winnebago
RV at Milton Heights Campground in On-
tario. Mr. Binnie, a retired flight engineer,
has been RVing for nearly half his life.
Simon Hayter for The Globe and Mail
Enlarge Image
Ross Binnie and his partner Juanita Pe-
terson sit in front of their parked Win-
nebago RV at Milton Heights Campground
in Ontario. Mr. Binnie, a retired flight en-
gineer, has been RVing for nearly half his
life.
About the only thing missing from this
RV park is the RVs.
“Usually we'd be full up this time of
year,” says manager Jean Casarin, looking
none too hurried as she smoked at a picnic
table.
“You wouldn't be able to see the grass for
all the RVs.”
Instead, she estimates that three-quarters
of the spots sit vacant, waiting for rigs and
lawn chairs.
Ms. Casarin sits and waits too, for paying
customers, many of them RV-piloting
friends who make an annual habit of visit-
ing her and her campground.
“You can't really blame them,” she says.
“When a $600 gas tank last year takes
$1,200 to fill this year, it makes it tough.”
For hundreds of thousands of Canadians,
rumbling across the continent by mo-
torhome is not just a vacation, but a
lifestyle. They are children of a continent-
wide cruising culture that germinated dur-
ing the highway-building frenzy of the
fifties and sixties. Many use their mobile
palaces as a primary residence, intent on
embracing the freedom of the open road.
But freedom isn't so free any more. Soar-
ing gas and diesel prices haven't just
scrubbed travel plans and left campgrounds
empty, they've also threatened the quintes-
sentially North American way of life on the
road.
“Fewer people will be living the dream,”
says Ross Binnie, a grey-bearded full-timer
who joins Ms. Casarin at the picnic table.
“Especially those on the margins.”
At 73, Mr. Binnie, a retired flight engi-
neer, has been RVing for nearly half his life.
After starting with a converted Sears deliv-
ery van, he's now on RV No. 8, a spiffy
Winnebago Adventurer purchased two
weeks ago.
Mr. Binnie and his partner had intended to
drive it to Duluth, Minn., this summer, but
fuel prices stranded them at Milton Heights
near Milton, Ont.
“We worked it out,” he says, “and a return
trip was going to cost $3,000. It just wasn't
worth it. For two people on a fixed income,
it really limits what you can do.”
The story is the same across the country.
At Blue Spruce RV Park & Campground in
Prince George, the number of motorhomes
pulling in is down by one-third from last
year, according to manager Ted McAfee.
“These guys who have to spend $800 or
$900 to fill a tank, it's just killing them.
They're staying at home.”
Ontario sets up conservation
CANADA AND US NEWS
area as large as Guyana & TT
Ontario has made the largest conservation
commitment in Canadian history, setting
aside 225,000 square kilometres (or half) of
the Northern Boreal region for permanent
protection from development. It's an area
the the size of Guyana and Trinidad com-
bined, or the whole of the United Kingdom.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said
in making the announcement, "It is, in a
word, immense. It's also unique and pre-
cious. It's home to the largest untouched
forest in Canada and the third largest wet-
land in the world," McGuinty said.
The commitment is a major step in the
fight against climate change, advocates say.
Most of the land is now untouched by de-
velopment, but in future resource industries
like mining and logging will be barred from
the quarter million square kilometres.
They will have to work with the govern-
ment and local First Nations communities
to create sustainable development plans for
the remainder of the Boreal forests.
Over the next 10 to 15 years, the province
will work with scientists and communities
to map out the specific lands that are the
most valuable as carbon storehouses and for
species protection and which lands have the
greatest resources and should be developed.
"We're going to strike the right balance
between conservation and development,"
McGuinty said. In the interim, the govern-
ment is relying on prospective developers'
respect for the laws governing Crown and
First Nations lands to protect the region's
forests and wetlands.
The government will introduce legisla-
tion in the fall to reform the outdated min-
ing act so all future mine developments will
need approval of local First Nations, which
will get a share of the revenues.
The Northern Boreal region covers 43 per
cent of Ontario but few people call it home.
About 24,000 people, mostly in native com-
munities accessible only by air, live there.
It is home to approximately 200 sensitive
species of animals, including woodland
caribou, wolverine and lake sturgeon,
which have been driven from large parts of
the more southern forest by logging and
other development.
The massive intact wilderness, one of few
remaining on Earth, plays a vital role in
helping species adapt to climate change.
The forests also serve a vital role in cre-
ating oxygen for the world, and taking car-
bon dioxide out of the atmosphere. The
largest forested area in the world, the Ama-
zon basin, has often been compared to the
lungs of the planet.
IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE
IN THE
INDO-
CARIBBEAN
TIMES
416-289-3898
Canada crack-
ing down on
visa marriages
More than 45,000 new immigrants enter
the country each year as spouses of Cana-
dian citizens.
But an increased focus on marriages of
convenience has sparked a government
crackdown on bogus nuptials.
In May, it was reported the Conservative
government was deploying five-person
teams abroad - nicknamed the "fraud
squad" - to investigate how fake couples
were scamming the immigration system.
Most recently, the immigration depart-
ment circulated a letter to the Canadian Bar
Association asking for input on changes to
rules on overseas marriages.
The association will issue its response
this week, but sources say it's not expected
to be favourable.
The changes are "basic," according to the
government, but immigration lawyers
worry they will exclude even more genuine
couples like the Hamons.
"As a lawyer I see lots of refusals that are
ill-founded," says the couple's former coun-
sel, immigration lawyer David Matas.
"The problem isn't acceptances of invalid
marriages, it's the refusals of valid ones."
The Immigration and Refugee Protection
Act currently states that a spouse can be de-
nied entry to Canada if the union "is not
genuine and was entered into primarily for
the purpose of acquiring any status or priv-
ilege under the act."
"The policy change that's under consid-
eration is to change the 'and' to an 'or', so
that either of those criteria would be the
basis for consideration as opposed to both
of them," said Karen Shadd, a spokesper-
son for Citizenship and Immigration
Canada.
So what's the big deal?
Matas says this simple word change is
more significant than it appears.
Immigration officials would be able to
subjectively determine a marriage was not
genuine, without having to also make a case
on the motives for the union. For instance,
a marriage based on dowry - not permanent
residency - could be rejected.
"The intent is to tighten things up . . . .
The message is that it's going to be easier
to refuse," said Matas.
"The problem, as I see it, is when you
make refusals easier you also make it easier
to refuse the people that should get in."
Discussion groups, blogs and websites
on the issue show many immigration
lawyers share Matas' fears that too many
genuine couples will be turned down by
visa officials if the change goes through.
Immigration lawyer David Cohen says
the criteria was problematic before the pro-
posed changes, but this could open a "can
of worms."
"We are putting a lot of power in the
hands of the first line immigration officer .
. . subject to the biases that all humans
have," he says.
"You think in more evolved democracies
you move away from things that can be
abused and this has the potential to be
Indo-Caribbean Times
abused."
Some suggest adopting a more American
approach would be the way to toughen the
regulations without increasing the amount
of refusals.
In the U.S., newly arrived spouses are
given "conditional resident" status for two
years before they can apply for permanent
residency.
Canada grants the person permanent sta-
tus upon arrival.
Canadians grab
cheaper US cars
Canadians are rushing down to the
United States in increasing numbers to buy
cars which are noticeably cheaper than the
same models at home. Sales of US cars to
Canadians soared in the first six months of
the year and is on pace to smash the record
set in 2007, despite some moves by auto
makers last year to adjust their prices to re-
flect the rise in the value of the Canadian
dollar.
Canadians imported 151,169 vehicles as
of June 30, compared with 189,738 in all of
2007, according to data compiled by the
North American Automobile Trade Associ-
ation.Vehicle imports set a record in May at
31,458 – a 56-per-cent surge from year-ear-
lier levels – and more than doubled in each
of the first six months of the year from the
same months in 2007.
“Consumers in Canada have become
acutely aware of the savings associated
with U.S. imports and are now actively
shopping for American vehicles,” the or-
ganization said in a statement.
There are still differences in manufactur-
ers' suggested retail prices. The DX version
of the Honda Civic compact has an Manu-
facturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)
of $18,190 in this country, but the US ver-
sion carries an MSRP of $15,810 ( U.S. ).
I mporting U.S. vehicles became easier
last week when Transport Canada an-
nounced new bumper standards that are the
same as those for vehicles sold in the
United States and Europe .
Sales of vehicles in the United States
have plunged this year and auto makers
have not yet adjusted production to com-
pensate, which means there is a larger-than-
usual pool of vehicles for Canadian buyers
to compete for.
Hindus in US
are affluent,
educated,
socially stable
New York: Hindus, who comprise only
0.4 percent of the US population, are a
highly educated and prosperous commu-
nity, according to a new religion-wise sur-
vey in the country.
Nearly 43 percent of Hindus earned more
than $100,000 a year, second only to the
Jews who boast 46 percent in this income
bracket, while the national average is 18
JULY 2008 Page 19
percent.
Another 22 percent Hindus had annual
incomes between $75,000 and $100,000,
and only 9 percent made less than $30,000,
according to the survey the Washington-
based Pew Forum on Religion and Public
Life reported on Monday.
The high income levels of Hindus corre-
late well with their high educational levels.
About half of them hold postgraduate de-
grees and a quarter have some college de-
gree. In this respect, they score better than
even Jews, who have only 35 percent with
postgraduate degrees and 24 percent with
college degrees.
Hindus in the US also show high social
stability, with 79 percent being married, and
only 5 percent reporting divorced or sepa-
rated, and none saying they are living with
partner out of marriage.
Sixty one percent of the Hindu popula-
tion in the country is male, in keeping with
the universal trend of men migrating first to
another country.
Fifty seven percent of the 220 Hindus in
the Pew survey sample believed in god or
universal spirit, and only 5 percent said they
were atheists. Almost 90 percent said many
religions can lead to eternal life, showing
high levels of tolerance, in fact the highest
among all faith communities. The national
average for religious tolerance is not bad ei-
ther at 70 percent on this count.
As in India, Hindus constitute a majority
among Indian Americans.
According to the 2000 census figures, In-
dian Americans number 2.7 million. Over a
million of them are Hindus.
Gas prices will
take time to fall
If you're waiting for gasoline prices to be
pulled down by the global price of crude
oil, don't hold your breath.
An upward swing in crude oil – the raw
product from which gasoline in made – nor-
mally translates into higher pump prices
within a day or two, said Dustin Coupal, co-
founder of GasBuddy.com, a website that
tracks gas prices throughout North Amer-
ica.
But frustratingly, it could take five to seven
days for a downward move in crude to reg-
ister, he said.
“When the crude oil price drops, stations
typically have remaining fuel on hand that
they've already paid a higher price for and
they're not willing to sell it essentially at a
loss,” Mr. Coupal said.
Stations wait until their tanks are empty
until they can buy the wholesale product at
a lower cost, at which point they are able to
pass the savings along to customers.
When crude oil prices go up, on the other
hand, retailers are willing to charge more
right away because they know their over-
head costs are about to increase.
“Everyone's been put in a tough place with
the high crude oil prices,” Mr. Coupal said.
That includes refiners, which buy crude oil
and process into products like gasoline,
diesel and jet fuel. Their profit margins
have been squeezed by rising costs on one
side and on the other by competitive pres-
sures.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Skin cancer
soars among
young women
Cases of the deadliest form of skin can-
cer are soaring among young women in the
United States, and probably in Canada as
well, a trend that some experts say parallels
the surge in the multi-million-dollar tanning
industry.
A study released by the U.S. National
Cancer Institute found the annual incidence
of melanoma among young women has
risen by 50 per cent since 1980. No such
rise, however, was seen in young men.
Canadian experts say a similar rise in
melanoma rates among young women is
likely happening here too, and are calling
for restrictions on the tanning industry that
would include an all-out ban for customers
younger than 18.
"I predict we'll see a worsening of the sit-
uation," said Dr. David Hogg, a cancer
physician at Princess Margaret Hospital.
"We'll see a spike in melanoma-related
deaths due to the increase in the tanning in-
dustry."
Results from a national survey released
yesterday by the Canadian CancerSociety
found young people are the ones spending
the most time in the sun, but are the least
likely to use screening lotions against
ultraviolet radiation.
Health authorities say skin cancer comes
from a lifetime cumulativeeffect of harm-
ful exposure to ultraviolet rays, and young
people who patronize tanning salons make
themselves especially vulnerable.
Overexposure to ultraviolet light, either
from the sun or a tanning bed,is the major
cause of skin cancer, the most common can-
cer in Canada.
Hogg at Princess Margaret said there are
two ways to reduce the incidence of
melanoma: encourage people to cover up in
the direct sun and ban indoor tanning equip-
ment.
In Ontario, melanoma is the second most
common cancer among young adults be-
tween the ages of 15 and 34, according to
the Canadian Cancer Society.
(Toronto Star)
Brain pace-
Indo-Caribbean Times
makers halt
depression
It's a new frontier for psychiatric ill-
ness: brain pacemakers that promise to
act as antidepressants by changing how
patients' nerve circuitry fires.
Scientists already know the power of
these devices to block the tremors of
Parkinson's disease and related illnesses;
more than 40,000 such patients world-
wide have the implants.
But psychiatric illnesses are much
more complex and the new experiments
with deep brain stimulation, or DBS, are
in their infancy. Only a few dozen pa-
tients with severe depression or obses-
sive-compulsive disorder have been
treated in closely monitored studies.
Still, the early results are promising.
Dramatic video shows one patient visi-
bly brightening as doctors turn on her
brain pacemaker and she says in sur-
prise: "I'm starting to smile."
And new reports this month show that
some worst-case patients, whose depres-
sion wasn't relieved by medication, psy-
chotherapy, or even controversial shock
treatment, are finding lasting relief.
Six of 17 severely depressed patients
were in remission a year after undergo-
ing DBS and four more markedly im-
proved, and more than half of 26
obsessive-compulsive patients showed
substantial improvement over three
years, say studies from a team at the
Cleveland Clinic, Brown University in
Rhode Island and Belgium's University
of Leuven.
" Not all patients get better, but when
patients respond, it's significant," says
Dr. Helen Mayberg of Atlanta's Emory
University, who has implanted the de-
vice in about 50 depression patients. Her
first remains in remission after five
years; she estimates that four of every six
show enough improvement to be classi-
fied as "responders."
"We're rewiring the brain in many
ways," says Dr. Ali Rezai, chief of the
Cleveland Clinic's Center for Neurologic
Restoration.
Ginger is good for.....
almost everything
What is Ginger
Ginger is a strengthening food that has
long been used to maintain health. Ginger
has a long history of both culinary and me-
dicinal use in Chinese, Japanese and Indian
medicines. In ancient China, ginger was re-
garded as a healing gift from God and was
commonly used to cleanse and warm the
body.
Qualities of Ginger
The major active ingredients in ginger are
terpenes and oleoresin called ginger oil.
These two, and other active ingredients in
ginger, provide antiseptic, lymph-cleansing,
circulation, and constipation relief qualities.
* Ginger is good for the respiratory system
* It is good to fight against colds and flu
* Ginger offers substantial protection from
stroke and heart attack because of its ability
to prevent blood clotting
* Ginger, a multifaceted herb, is crucial in
the battle against cardiovascular disease
* Relieves headaches and pains
* Helps to clear sore throats
* Good for upset stomach and indigestion.
* It is very effective as a cleansing agent
through the bowels and kidneys and also
through the skin
Some of the problems cured by Ginger
Colds/Flu
Kills influenza virus by improving im-
mune system's ability to fight infections.
Ginger also relieves headaches.
Increases Circulation
Increases the muscular contractions of the
heart atria, there by increase in overall cir-
culation. Ginger has been proven to prevent
internal blood clots and lowers blood pres-
sure. Ginger Root stimulates the central
nervous system controlling the heart and
respiratory centers. Ginger helps reduce
serum cholesterol, which can slow down
circulation.
Ginger Relieves Motion/Morning Sick-
ness
Ginger is one of the most effective herbal
remedies to get rid of Motion/ Morning
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JULY 2008 Page 20
Sickness.
Digestive Aid - Indigestion, Stomach Ache
Ginger Root increases production of saliva
in the mouth and dramatically increases di-
gestive enzyme amylase in the saliva to ad-
ditionally aid digestion. Ginger Root also
contains a very effective digestive enzyme
zingibain.
Women's Health
Ginger Root is good for the uterus as well
as the intestinal tract and may ease men-
strual cramps
Skin
Very cleansing - reduces pus in infected
wounds as well as boils. Clears spots
caused by chicken pox and shingles. Use-
ful for burns, sores, sunburn, ringworm,
warts, herpes, athletes foot and even for
dandruff.
Stress Protection
Ginger Root appears to limit the effects of
adrenergic stimulation and there by relieves
the stress
Arthritis
As Ginger root is a proven anti-inflam-
matory agent, some arthritic victims may
find it helpful.
Ginger is sometimes recommended as an
alternative to aspirin for people who can not
take aspirin because of its irritating effect
on the gastrointestinal tract.
Ginger cures following ailments
Asthma - Adults, Athlete's Foot, Acne
Boils/ Blisters Cold Sores Cuts Cold Flu
Gingivitis Glandular Fever Gum Infec-
tions Head Lice Infections Insect Bites
Stings Mosquito Bites Mouth Ulcers
Mumps Ringworm (tinea) Skin Condi-
tions - Antiseptic Sore Throat Warts
With all the benefits to the average per-
son, ginger should be included in the diet
every day. Especially for a person who are
suffering from heart problems, cold/flu,
stress problem, motion sickness a daily
dose of ginger combined with other herbs
to enhance their effectiveness is part of a
sensible, healthy diet.
Hindu priest shortage
INDIAN DIASPORA
spurs women in USA
to become pundits
It was a traditional Hindu wedding in
Chicago last Sunday, complete with the
groom Nitin Malhotra on a white horse,
drums, and a decorated mandap. But the
priest was Shashi Tandon, a respected fe-
male elder in the Hindu community and the
groom's grandmother.
Since emigrating from New Delhi in
1982, Tandon has presided over countless
religious ceremonies for Hindu families in
Chicago, Michigan, Wisconsin and else-
where, filling a void that has emerged be-
cause of a shortage of Hindu priests.
As more Hindu men enter more lucrative,
secular professions, Tandon and a handful
of Hindu women in America have begun
performing priestly duties as a way of pass-
ing their faith to the next generation.There
is nothing in Hindu scripture that bars
women from becoming priests, also known
as pandits.But in some parts of India and
the U.S., women priests face resistance
from conservative Hindus clinging to tradi-
tion.
Tandon, 68, a retired teacher with a feisty
attitude, recalled a group of men mocking
her at one wedding she performed. They
asked, How can a woman be a priest?"I said
to them, 'I have a question for you. Can you
tell me who gave birth to you?' " she said.
"The mother is the true priest. She is the
true teacher, the first teacher of the child."
Neelima Shukla-Bhatt, a South Asian
studies professor at Wellesley College in
Massachusetts, said more Hindu women are
learning priestly functions not necessarily
because they feel drawn to religious life.
Rather, women—including Shukla-Bhatt—
are stepping forward to meet the growing
Hindu community's needs.
Today there are more than 1 million Hin-
dus in the U.S. and more than 700 Hindu
mandirs, or temples. The Chicago area is
home to some 80,000 Hindus, according to
a Chicago-based interfaith research
group.Although no firm numbers exist,
Shukla-Bhatt said fewer Hindu-American
men are becoming priests.
Shukla- Bhatt said many of the earliest
Hindu texts speak of women priests. In
Hinduism's most ancient book, the Vedas,
there are multiple references to women
making sacrifices and participating in
philosophical debates.
But, at some point, things changed."It' s
not that women weren't allowed to do this.
It's that somewhere along the line, it got
lost, and it became mainly a male profes-
sion," she said. "But in the most ancient
scriptures, there were women priests. So,
we should reclaim that."
Tandon was born in Multan, which was
then in India, and raised in New Delhi. Her
mother taught her how to do daily fire ritu-
als. She concedes that she didn't like it very
much at first.
However, once she learned the meaning,
she felt a desire to be a priest. She studied
in an ashram, learned the scriptures and re-
ceived training to perform all 16 samskaras,
the sacraments or rites of passage for every
Hindu.
In India, the concept of women priests is
not new. In fact, in the progressive western
city of Pune, there are two schools that train
women. However, those in other regions
say female priests are a violation of Vedic
law. Some Hindu immigrants from those re-
gions who have come to the U.S. have been
shocked to find women performing reli-
gious rituals.
So for many Hindus, this is a new thing,"
she said. "People don't see it as much. It's
not the norm."As more women come for-
ward, they have begun to gain appreciation
and respect, especially among second-gen-
eration Hindu-Americans.
Tandon believes many women are losing
touch with their religion and are not passing
traditions to their children.
"Mothers came to America because they
didn't have enough freedom. Then, after
getting freedom, they forgot their culture,"
she said. "They are not doing prayers be-
cause they don't know why they need to do
them."
British Govt.
scraps bonds for
Indian family
visitors
The British government had a contro-
versial proposal to introduce financial
bonds for people visiting their relatives in
Britain. The South Asian community led by
the Indian community campaigned strongly
against the proposal forcing the Govern-
ment to withdraw the proposal. British cit-
izens or permanent residents in Britain will
have to become 'licensed sponsors' before
their relatives can be allowed to visit
. Sponsors will be obligated to ensure that
their visitors leave before the expiration of
the visa. A sponsor, who fails in his duties,
can face a ban on bringing anyone else into
the UK. The British government has now
scrapped a controversial proposal to intro-
duce financial bonds for people visiting
their relatives.
The widespread criticism led British Im-
migration Minister Liam Byrne to take the
unprecedented step of broadening the three-
month process of consultation on the pro-
posal to include ordinary people in India.
The government said visitors will now be
allowed to stay for a maximum of six
months.
While there will be no financial bonds
for family visitors, those who broke the
rules will face civil penalties. Under a new
system, British citizens or those who are
permanent residents in Britain will have to
become licensed sponsors before their rela-
tives can be allowed to visit.
"Sponsors will have a duty to ensure that
their visitors comply with the terms of their
visa and that they leave before the visa
ends... If sponsors fail in their duties, they
face a ban on bringing anyone else into the
UK, or in more extreme cases, fines of up to
5,000 pounds or imprisonment, " the gov-
ernment said. The government has also in-
troduced a new low-cost three-month group
visa for tourists that is likely to be tested in
India before worldwide implementation.
Indo-Caribbean Times
Indian students Nominations
the best in the invited for
world diaspora awards
Indian students are considered among the
best in the world, according to the leg-
endary Oxford University's Chancellor,
Chris Patten. Hence, Chancellor Patten is
calling for more of them to join the campus.
The London University has produced some
the best students who went on to play piv-
otal roles on the world stage. Such person-
alities include Indian Prime Minister
Manhoman Singh and Planning Commis-
sion Deputy Chairman Montek Singh
Ahluwalia. Currently, there are Indian 257
students on the institution registrar roll.
"We want more Indian students because
we want the best in the world to come to
Oxford," Chancellor Patten told Press Trust
of India news agency. Most of the Indian
students have enrolled in the Business
School. Patten continued, "About a quarter
of the students are doing MBAs". He con-
tinued, "But I would like to see more in so-
cial sciences and humanities, doing both
undergraduate and post-graduate
work."
Though Indian students are lesser in num-
ber, they have won more scholarships than
their Chinese counterparts. In 2007, they
won 54 different scholarships, including the
Prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, according
to an Oxford journal. A one-year MBA pro-
gram could cost around Rs 4 million, in-
cluding the cost of tuition fee, boarding and
lodging and the out-of-pocket expenses.
Rushdie gets
knighthood and
Booker Award
Indian-origin author Salman Rushdie, has
won the 'Best of the Booker' award for Mid-
night Children. The announcement was
made at the London Literature Festival in
London on Thursday. The winner of the
title has been decided by public global vot-
ing. Millions of people, including from
India, voted for the one-off award on the In-
ternet, through online partnerships, with na-
tional and international media, with
libraries, reading groups and book retailers.
Besides Rushdie's Midnight Children, the
other five contenders were: Pat Parker's
'The Ghost Road', Peter Carey's 'Oscar and
Lucinda', J M Coetzee's 'Disgrace', J G Far-
rell's 'The Siege of Krishnapur' and Nadine
Gordimer's 'The Conservationist' .
The award celebrates the 40th anniver-
sary of the prestigious Man Booker Prize
for Fiction. The only time that a celebratory
award has previously been created was in
1993, its 25th anniversary, when Rushdie
won the 'Booker of Bookers' award for
Midnight's Children.
Rushdie was also knighted early this
month by Queen Elizabeth II for his serv-
ices to literature.
It pays to
advertise in the
Indo-Caribbean
Times
JULY 2008 Page 21
Nominations are invited for the Bharat-
vanshi Gaurav Samman - 2009 from emi-
nent personalities of Indian Diaspora by
Antar-Rashtriya Sahayog Nyas (Trust for
international co-operation) . The Award car-
ries Rs. one lakh in cash, a citation, a plaque
and a shawl. The nominations along with
detailed bio-data are to reach the Nyas Of-
fice at 6-M, Bhagat Singh Market, New
Delhi-110001 by 30th September 2008.
The Antar-Rashtriya Sahayog Nyas was
created with the objective of maintaining
close contacts with the Indian Diaspora and
to acknowledge and appreciate their
achievements by publicly honoring at least
one person every year to be selected for ex-
cellence for working for the Indian Dias-
pora. The Nyas honored Ranjith Ramnarain
of South Africa in 2005, Satnarayan Ma-
haraj of Trinidad & Tobago in the year 2006
and Dr. Thomas Abraham of United States
in January 2008 at New Delhi for their con-
tributions to the Diaspora.
The Selection Committee includes
prominent members of the Indian Diaspora
such as Sir Aneroodh Jagnauth, President
of the Mauritius Republic; Mahendra
Choudhry, Finance Minister of Fiji; Basdeo
Pandey, former Prime Minister of Trinidad
& Tobago; Dr. Ved P. Nanda, Pro-Vice
Chancellor, Denver University, USA; Sub-
hash Chandra, Chairman & Managing Di-
rector Zee Telefilms Ltd.; and R. P. N.
Singh, Chairman S. S. R. Medical College,
Mauritius. J. C. Sharma, former Secretary
in the Ministry of External Affairs, is the
President of the Nyas.
Indian woman is
Britain’s youngest
doctor at 22 years
At the age of 22, Indian-origin Heenal
Raichura has qualified to become Britain's
youngest doctor and is all set to practice
medicine. Daughter of Nalin and Shobhna
Raichura, Heenal was accepted into uni-
versity to study medicine in 2002 when she
was 16. Six years later she has passed her
degree and is all set to start work at Uni-
versity College London Hospital where she
hopes to become a surgeon.
Heenal said that, "It's quite a surreal feel-
ing to actually, finally, become a doctor
after six years of a degree. To finally come
out at the end and say, 'I'm a doctor', my
childhood dream, is an indescribable feel-
ing. "My parents tell stories about how I
would come over and put my head against
their chest because I didn't have a stetho-
scope to play with. I was always interested
in trying to figure out what was going
wrong with the body." Her proud father
Nalin, 65, said: "She encountered immense
difficulty in finding universities that would
accept her at the age of 16 because the min-
imum age at entry is 17 years 6 months."
She was offered a place to study medicine
at St George's University in London where
six years later she has graduated with a
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Sur-
gery degree. She received her degree at a
presentation ceremony in June and is be-
lieved to be Britain's youngest doctor. On
top of the normal five years of medical
study Heenal also spent an extra year to get
a degree in Anatomy and Developmental
Biology from the University College of
London.

A sporting time at ACG picnic
These fabulous looking ladies are enjoying the lime and spoon race for women.
Some of the cricketers pose with ACG's Mani Singh and David Ramsami (right)
There was a lot of familiar sporting activ-
ities when the Association of Concerned
Guyanese (ACG) held its 30th Annual
Family Picnic last Sunday, July 13, 2008 at
Milliken Park in Scarborough.
Cricket, dominoes, soccer, bag races, and
even the good old lime and spoon race were
part of the fun enjoyed by all.
The event was once again a grand success
with approximately 600 people coming out
for a day of fun, sun, music, children’s
games, and cricket and the new dominoes
competition, according to Mr. Mani Singh,
Vice-President of the ACG.
The music was supplied by the one and
only, Suresh Hanoman and the Melody
Masters Orchestra who did a fantastic job
with his array of singers.
The intense Cricket Competition kept the
spectators on their toes, screaming their ad-
vice and clapping their hands in approval.
The first prize trophies were won by
Toscanna Sports and Malvern All Stars and
the runner-ups were Young CEO’s and
King Sports Club.
Trophies were sponsored by the follow-
ing Businesses; SR Mortgages Services
Ltd., MRS Realty, J&K West Indian Cui-
sine and Victor’s Collection Agency. The
cricket matches were co-ordinated by ACG
member David Ramsami.
This year the ACG introduced and hosted
CHESS, DRAUGHT AND
DOMINO TOURNAMENTS
Players of all skill levels (beginners to advanced) are
invited to participate. Tournaments held every month
during the winter.
See schedule at www.horizoncricketclub.com or phone
905-794-5423. Also, adult and kids CHESS LESSONS
(beginners to advance). Learn to play the world’s best
board game.
Registration information at
www.horizoncricketclub.com
Indo-Caribbean Times JULY 2008 Page 22
Canada’s Canadian NBA
Beijing basketball
dreams are dead
star with TT
roots fights vio-
lence in Toronto
.
The Canadian men's basketball team's bid
to qualify for just its second Olympic tour-
nament in 20 years and first since 2000 fell
short as they were out-classed 83-62 by
Croatia in the quarter-finals in Greece this
morning.
It was a must-win game but the best Canada
could do was work a 20-20 tie at the mid-
way point of the second quarter against the
favoured European team in the FIBA
Olympic qualifier. From that point on Croa-
tia steadily extended the lead and Canada
was never within 10 points after the open-
ing minute of the second half.
NBA star Jamaal Magloire is using his
Canada only made it to the quarter-finals fame and popularity to address the uncon-
thanks to an unlikely comeback against trollable upsurge in criminal activity among
Korea on Wednesday morning, as they used young people, particularly Caribbean
a 14-0 run to climb out of a 12-point hole in youth.
the final three minutes of the opening-round Magloire, the son of Trinidadians Marion
game. and Garth Magloire, originally of Diego
Martin, started the Queen of the Islands
Jermaine Anderson of Canada, left, passes Canada Pageant in Toronto last year.
the ball as Stanko Barac of Croatia defends The show was a resounding success and
during a quarter-final basketball game for funds raised were donated to United Moth-
FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament at the ers Opposing Violence Everywhere
a “King Domino” competition where 18 (UMOVE) www.umoveonline.com. Ma-
indoor Olympic arena in Athens on Friday.
participants from the Guyanese Community gloire has been quietly committed to the
took part. Trophies were awarded to Kr- fight against violence since his younger
There was no drama this time. Croatia sim-
ishna, Randy Muneshwar, Winston Vincent brother Justin was murdered in Toronto al-
ply suffocated the Canadians defensively
and Suraj Singh for their excellent per- most a decade ago. No one has ever been
and made enough of the open three-point
formances. The Domino competition was arrested for the tragic gun-slaying.
looks Canada gave them that the game was
co-ordinated by ACG member Andrew Per- At present, the basketball player lines up
never truly in doubt as they found them-
saud. as a centre with the New Jersey Jets team
selves down by 20 points heading into the
Raffle prizes were donated by community in the NBA.
fourth quarter and finished the tournament
spirited business people like; Jay Jairam - This year’s Queen of the Islands Canada
with a 1-2 mark.
Jay’s Auto Repairs; Karran Singh – Pri- pageant is scheduled to take place at the
america Financial Advisor; Rudy Lochan – Rembrandt Banquet Hall, 930 Progress Av-
The loss ends an Olympic qualifying effort
Anava Mortgage Brokers; Ben Parsram – enue, Scarborough, with 17 delegates vying
that started with some promise given Leo
Forest Hill Homes; Artie Ricknauth – Mort- for the title. They are expected to be adju-
Rautins's team started the journey by fin-
gage Central; Brancier Jewellery of Milton dicated in categories of Intelligence, Talent
ishing a dismal 10th at the tournament of
and ACG members Sumintra Sarjoo, Janet and Evening Wear. Barbados, Guyana, An-
the Americas in 2005, his first taste of head
Naidu and Mani Singh. tigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, Montserrat, St
coaching at any level after taking over from
Everyone feasted on platefuls of ‘just off Lucia, Grenada, St Vincent and The
Jay Triano.
the grill’ BBQ Chicken, Fried Rice, Grenadines, Guadeloupe, Dominica and
Chowmein, Macaroni, Channa and Salad. Trinidad and Tobago are all represented in
Two years later Canada finished fifth in the
Fresh water coconuts and the staple the 2008 line-up of contestants.
same tournament, failing to qualify for the
Guyanese snacks like plantain chips, fried The objective of Magloire and the team
Olympics but snagging a spot in the 12-
channa, pholourie were provided by of committee executives, including
team last-chance qualifier in Athens where
Jhonny’s International Supermarket, which PR/Marketing executive Judy Austin, is to
there were three spots available.
rounded off the eating bonanza. empower and elevate the contestants in dif-
The event was graced by the presence of ferent aspects of life including education
Rautins had high hopes for his team head-
no other than Guyana’s current Minister of and exposure. The pageant also provides a
ing into the summer but it wasn't a smooth
Human Service and Social Security, Ms. platform for the young participants, who are
one. On the first day of training camp
Priya Manikchand, who went around the second generation Caribbean people, to
Rautins was left to explain why national
park meeting and greeting fellow learn about their heritage and culture.
team veteran Denham Brown wasn't in
Guyanese.
camp -- he couldn't, Rautins said, because
Brown never bothered to call, prefering to
simply never show up.
IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE
After three weeks of training Rautins cut
Juan Mendez of Montreal the day before
they left for Europe. Another big man, Jesse IN THE
Young, was kept on the roster but ended up
INDO-
being unavailable due to an injury suffered
in training camp. Most controversially
Rautins had a confrontation with Philadel-
CARIBBEAN
phia 76ers centre Samuel Dalembert in the
hours before a do-or-die match against
TIMES
Korea that they won in a stunning second-
half comeback that made up for brutal first
half and a flat showing against Slovenia in
the opener.
Dalembert was released from the squad, 416-289-3898
shrouding the team in controversy.
 Indo-Caribbean Times JULY 2008 Page 23

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