https://www.facebook.com/perma...p;id=948066538677555

Long long time ago…. Sounds like I should now say, in a land far far away😃

Anyway, in the old days when lots of folks were here there was a thread about names and how the names came to be.

Some names were ok and some really bad

E.g.

Man pan goat!

Hello. Hope everyone is good. Just passing through.  What's the status on you guys with your vaccines.  I am waiting for my 2nd shot now. Only Pfizer for me though.

Can’t seem to get my video posting to work🧐

Hope you are doing OK

test

“Because We Care” cash grant: “This is a start for parents who face difficulties” – Manickchand at launching in Reg 2

…“We will serve you and we will serve you equitably”

July 15, 2021, Source - https://www.inewsguyana.com/be...-launching-in-reg-2/

The Government on Wednesday rolled out the “Because We Care” cash grant initiative in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), where Education Minister Priya Manickchand said that the $19,000 in cash which will be provided per child will be helpful to parents who have been facing difficulties in providing for their children owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking with parents during the launch at the Cotton Field Secondary School, Essequibo Coast, Minister Manickchand explained that in addition to the $15,000 cash grant, each child in the public education system would receive a $4000 School Uniform and Supplies grant, which was formerly done as a voucher, thus, the total of $19,000.

The education minister went on to say that they would not specify how parents should spend the monies. She emphasised that the grants belonged to the students and it was the decision of parents as to how they should spend to provide for their children’s needs.

“It is the Ministry’s promise to ensure that students are taken care of during the pandemic and for us to ensure that students received quality education at this point of time… It is understood that some parents do not afford to get their children to attend extra classes… So, this is a start for parents who face difficulties in providing essential materials for their children’s schooling,” said Manickchand.

Parents collecting their cash grant

Meanwhile, over at the Anna Regina Secondary School, the Minister stated that this past year has been difficult for Guyana and its education sector. She spoke of the various interventions the Ministry has had to undertake to deliver education to children in ways that were never done before.

However, Manickchand posited that while these initiatives were helpful, they were not as effective as having children in the classroom in front of a teacher. She said that this has been proven by the worrying results recorded in the two recent National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) mock examinations.

She noted that the Ministry also learnt that there were weaknesses in some homes that contributed to the results of the mock examinations. It was explained by the Minister that the best performing children in the education sector were those who have the necessary support at home.

To this end, the Education Minister outlined that children needed to get back into schools, but this could only be done if it was safe. As such, she encouraged parents and teachers to take the COVID-19 vaccines that are available for adults. Further, she said that the Government was looking to procure the Pfizer vaccine that has been approved in the United States of America to be used by students from ages 12 to 17.

Moreover, Manickchand told parents that with Wednesday’s launch, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government was delivering on another manifesto promise of reintroducing the cash grant initiative that was made to students and parents by the PPP/C. She also reassured that this initiative would be equitably rolled out.

“I will never serve you in a partisan way. Your children will get the same type of service that the next child will get. You must remember that about us. We will serve you and we will serve you equitably,” she stated.

The Education Ministry also reminded parents that the “Because We Care” cash grant will increase from $15,000 incrementally each year until it reaches $50,000 by the end of Government’s five-year term in office.

Over $224 million is scheduled to be distributed in Region Two this week to over 11,000 students. The launch commenced at the Cotton Field Secondary School, where 492 students are registered.

Other schools served on Wednesday included the Fisher Primary School, where grants were distributed to parents of children attending that school, along with those from the Fisher Nursery, Abram Zuil Nursery and Abram Zuil Secondary Schools, representing 814 grants with a collective value of over $15 million.

Students from Taymouth Manor Primary, Suddie Primary, Riverstown Primary, Aurora Primary, Lima Sands Primary, Mainstay Lake Primary, Tapakuma Lake Primary, Onderneeming Nursery, and St Monica Primary School also received their grants

"Shola Jo Bhadke"

Full Song | Vidya Balan, Mangesh Desai | Ekk Albela

May 30, 2016, Source - https://www.youtube.com/watch?...st=RDMM&index=14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...st=RDMM&index=14

Just caught the Guyana delegation.

Will try to upload

Arguments begin in case to reinstate the elections petition which was dismissed

By Editor On Jul 29, 2021 Last updated Jul 29, 2021, Source - https://newsroom.gy/2021/07/29...which-was-dismissed/

As petitioners, backed by the APNU+AFC Coalition, continue their bid to have a dismissed election petition reinstated, new arguments on the Court’s jurisdiction and processes have arisen.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, SC, maintains that the Appellate Court has no jurisdiction to entertain the petition. He is supported in his contention by Trinidadian Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes who is representing Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo in the case.

But with that argument on the table, a new question has arisen.

Did the appeal ought to have gone to the Full Court of the High Court, instead of the Court of Appeal, given the peculiar tier system of Guyana’s court structure?

But Nandlall and Mendes believe the question, although of interest, is not one that is necessary at this stage.

According to Mendes, the petition (#99) was dismissed on procedural grounds and as such it cannot be appealed.

Mendes’ point was further elucidated by Nandlall who said that there can only be an appeal after a determination of a matter and there was none in this case.

“We never got there, they did not manage to cross the procedural hurdle which is required by the law as a fundamental prerequisite.

“The jurisdiction of the [High] Court was not even invoked to determine the question,” Nandlall said.

It is for this reason that the lawyers have argued that the question on whether the matter should have been appealed to the Full Court is of no consequence because no appeal, whether to the Full Court or the Court of Appeal, should be entertained because of the reason for which the petition was dismissed.

Petition #99 was dismissed because former President, David Granger, was not served within the required five-day timeline to do so.

The question of an appeal to the Full Court was egged on by Justice Dawn Gregory and Justice Rishi Persaud with the Chancellor indicating that it was necessary to “dive into the issue.”

Mendes has asked the Court to submit in writing “a more confident and well thought out answer”. He along with all other Counsels who wish to further argue the point in writing has 21 days to make those submissions after which the attorneys representing the petitioners will respond within 21 days.

The case will continue on October 26, 2021 where according to Chancellor Yonnette Cummings Edwards, arguments in the petition should wrap up.

But ahead of those written submissions, Attorney Kashir Khan and Timothy Jonas have both added their voice to the argument, agreeing with Mendes and Nandlall that the question of an appeal to the Full Court, while important, was irrelevant.

Khan said as he understands it from his reading of the case law, failure to serve within the required time frame is not a mere irregularity but a fatality to the case.

He further explained that the question of an appeal to the Full Court would mean that the case was still alive.

“But that is not so… failure to serve is not a mere irregularity. That is the end of the matter and it closes the door to the matter even going to the Full Court.

“The matter cannot engage the attention of the full court,” Khan said.

Pakistan defeats Windies by seven runs

Nicholas Pooran

(Cricket West Indies) West Indies vice captain Nicholas Pooran played a sizzling career-best knock while fast bowler Jason Holder took career-best bowling figures, but Pakistan’s bowling attack did just enough to take them to victory in the second match today.

Pooran’s explosive unbeaten 62 off 33 balls with six sixes and four fours kept the West Indies in with a chance of overcoming the target, even to the final over when 20 runs were required to overhaul Pakistan’s total of 157-8.

However, Shaheen Shah Afridi claimed the wicket of captain Kieron Pollard (13) and then denied the rampant Pooran the opportunity to swing freely and lustily at the next three deliveries to ensure the visitors came away with the win with the hosts kept to 150-4 off 20 overs. West Indies suffered a setback when opening batsman Evin Lewis retired hurt on 35 off 33 balls with two fours and two sixes mid-way through the innings.

Earlier in the match, it was Holder and Dwayne Bravo who combined to put the brakes on the Pakistan scoring rate. Holder returned the excellent figures of 4-26 while Bravo, the leading wicket-taker in all T20 cricket, claimed 2-24 as the tourists squandered a solid platform provided by Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.

Babar’s polished 51 off 58 balls with two sixes and four fours was the topscore of the innings. He put on 67 runs for the third wicket with Rizwan (46) after Sharjeel Khan and Rizwan had set the stage for a challenging target in putting on 56.

Pollard, who played the supporting role in a 70-run fourth-wicket partnership with Pooran to revive the West Indies chances, gave credit to the West Indies bowlers for limiting the visitors after he chose to put them in to bat.

The two teams will return to the same venue on Sunday for the third and penultimate match of the Osaka Batteries Presents PSO Carient T20 Cup. First ball is 11am.

Source:

July 28 ,2021

Source

Over the past five years, I have never seen so much fear. People are afraid to criticize the government; they are afraid to correct situations within their control. An example of the latter involves poorly constructed roads.The government issues a tender and some contractor wins the contract. These days, just about everybody would swear that the person who wins the contract is handpicked by the government. So this person undertakes the job. Within weeks the road deteriorates—even before the period of liability kicks in.

But no one would say anything because as far as they are concerned the government is vindictive. People have been known to write letters complaining about a situation and not even signing a name or putting an address on the letter.
The local newspapers would tell anyone that most if not all of those letters end up in the wastebasket. When I was an active reporter, people would call to say that they had sent in a letter and that it wasn’t published. On enquiring, I would learn that the letter had neither name nor address.The caller would then admit to writing the letter but would still decline to give a name or an address.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo recently visited Leguan Stelling where some works are being conducted. Among his first words when he confronted the contractor was, “I hear you are APNU.”What has a man’s political affiliation got to do with anything? That is a rhetorical question. Everyone knows. If you belong to the political opposition you will eat the bread that the devil needs. But that is only a small reason for the fear.There are people who believe that they could be killed for being too critical of the government.

Grey Boy, who was recently freed of the murder of Courtney Crum-Ewing, actually said in open court that someone sought to recruit him to kill Mark Benschop.Why? Because Benschop was a staunch critic of the government. He spent five years of his life in jail on a treason charge that couldn’t hold water. The preliminary inquiry was stacked against him. The state hired Anil Nandlall and Sanjeev Datadin as special prosecutors. They were highly paid and as a measure of protection, they lived at Pegasus.At the trial in the High Court, one juror, despite the arguments of the other jurors, refused to vote ‘not guilty’, It was back to jail for Benschop. Attempts to get the requisite retrial was like pulling teeth. Priya Manickchand and Anil Nandlall challenged the decision on the ground that cases should be heard in chronological order—that is—heard in the order they are disposed of in the magistrates’ court.The Court of Appeal struck that argument down.

In the end, it took a discussion between Robert Corbin and Bharrat Jagdeo to allow Benschop his freedom. This is one of the reasons that people are afraid. They fear that they could end up in jail at the behest of the government, and remain there until the government decides that the detention is enough.The other day Glenn Lall, Publisher of Kaieteur News, did a programme entitled a 27-year journey to fearlessness. He claimed that since his advocacy against the oil contract Guyana signed with Exxon Mobil people have been reaching him and urging him to be careful and to watch his back. The threat was not veiled.He spoke of the bombing of his printer in Eccles, the killing of his workers, and the visit by gunmen to his office, all during the tenure of the PPP administration. He spoke of his fear and the financial attacks.

He said that many people fear for his safety. Why should that be? It is not nice for any society to see its government as an instrument of death against its critics. And the government is not doing anything to quell the people’s apprehension.
But then again it may be in the interest of the government to have that aura. But why was this not the case during the tenure of the coalition?For the first time, I have seen criminal charges against such a large number of public officials. It seems as though they are being charged for just about anything. For the first time, I have seen a confrontation between the government and a service commission.

Some members of the commission have also been charged, criminally.
And so we come to the case of the public official who shot a woman in her abdomen. He has not been charged although there is evidence of abuse. The man and the woman were said to have shared a relationship. It would seem that this public official has a political cover.The woman remains in critical condition in hospital but the shooter has not been placed before the court. Wonder what would have been the case if the shoe was on the other foot.

July 31,2021

Source

The A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) has refuted claims that while in Government it denied the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) some $400M intended for mechanisation, contending that the Corporation and the Union were concerned about the displacement of workers, and opted not to utilise the funds.

Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan

The matter was presented, during Monday’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting, and on Tuesday, the Coalition Members of Parliament – in particular Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan; Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Jermaine Figueira; and PAC Member, Ganesh Mahipaul – sought to set the record straight during a virtual press conference.
Ramjattan explained that prior to the APNU+AFC taking office in 2015, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government had agreed to a loan for the agricultural sector; however, the loan was intended to finance the trial of mechanisation of harvesting in the sugar sector. In the preparation of the 2016 budget, GuySuCo had requested that a $400M capital allocation be made available for the mechanisation of the Uitvlugt and Enmore estates. The money was obtained by the government from the IDB for allocation towards this capital purpose.

“Consequent upon discussions and a revisitation by GuySuCo’s officials on the issue, this sum was never requested by GuySuCo from the Government although the allocation was there. Firstly, the argument was that since these are the wettest estates in the country, mechanisation must be put on hold until further data is accumulated on the wetness of land and on the specifications of the machinery that are to be acquired. And, secondly, GAWU wanted to know how many workers will be displaced by mechanisation,” Ramjattan explained.

He said at the end of 2017, GuySuCo had failed to provide the required response, and in fact, had not requested the money. As such, the sum was reverted to the IDB as unspent.

“It is outrageous that the PPP through Bishop Juan Edghill now comes up with the cock and bull propaganda that the Coalition was not supportive of the mechanisation of the sector. That is what we had wanted and had been calling for, rather than the perpetuation of the kind of slave labour in hand cutting,” Ramjattan said.He stated contrary to reports, APNU+AFC pumped billions of dollars into GuySuCo. In the latter half of 2015, the coalition injected over $16B into the sugar corporation, and then in 2016, an additional $11B was given in current expenditure.

In other sections of the media, the coalition was accused of inappropriately spending $173.7M in 2016 from its special-projects bank account.But MP Mahipaul said Government’s Chief Whip and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, was dishonest, in her response on the issue.
The monies in the Special Projects Bank Account were revenues garnered from different sources, such as the National Cultural Centre, Digicel, and the Guyana Lotteries Commission among other agencies, and according to MP Mahipaul, the system dates back to 2010 when the PPP/C was in office.“I would like the media and the wider population to know that the APNU+AFC inherited a system where the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports had an account where they were storing revenues that they received from other areas such the National Cultural Centre, the Guyana Lotteries Commission, Digicel and a number of other organisations,” he said.

He said the Special Projects Bank Account dates back to 2010, and was mentioned in the Auditor General’s Reports of 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016. He said that it was the coalition that upon realising there was an issue, changed the system to have all funds directed to the Consolidated Fund.“But we do not have it in the Auditor General’s Reports of 2017, 2018, 2019 and we will not have it in the Auditor General Report of 2020, and that is because the APNU+AFC Coalition in Government recognised the problem, fixed the problem, and monies from this Special Purpose Account were no longer stored by the ministry, and is no longer spent by the ministry, it is sent to the Consolidated Fund,” he explained. He said requested funds are budgeted for in accordance with the law.

The PAC Chair warned MPs against using information coming out of the PAC to score cheap political points, noting that the PAC is no battleground for political parties. He said it is expected that all members of the PAC act professionally.
“It has legislative functions of varying factors and degrees, and it is expected by all members for us to be professional, for us to be objective, and peruse the audited accounts presented by the Auditor General with respect to the allocations made to various ministries and agencies from the budgetary allocations, and that is why we are here primarily, to give efficacy to the roles and functions that are supposed to be executed by all members of either side of the committee when it comes to matters of the public purse,” the PAC Chair said.

He said it is the duty of the PAC Members to ensure transparency and accountability and that the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act (FMAA) be followed.

Imposed Town Clerk from fraud Local Government Minister and his Commission hosted a tender opening in Kitty Market boardroom.

However the proceedings was halted by the City Mayor because he says he does not trust the process.

Source

July 30 (Reuters) -

Temperatures dropped across Brazil on Thursday - with rare snowfall overnight in some places - as a polar air mass advanced toward the center-south of the global agricultural powerhouse, threatening coffee, sugarcane and orange crops with frost.

Cars, streets and highways were blanketed in ice while people took the opportunity to take pictures and play in the snow, building snowmen.

"I am 62 years old and had never seen the snow, you know? To see nature's beauty is something indescribable," said truck driver Iodor Goncalves Marques in Cambara do Sul, a municipality of Rio Grande do Sul state, speaking to TV Globo network.

More than 40 cities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul had icy conditions and at least 33 municipalities had snow, reported the meteorology company Somar Meteorologia.

Unusually cold weather in Brazil has already sent international prices for coffee and sugar higher and Friday was forecast to be the coldest day of the year, according to Marco Antonio dos Santos, a partner at weather consultancy firm Rural Clima.

In a report on Thursday, dos Santos said the south of Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul, states where farmers grow crops like corn, would face low temperatures on Friday as the wave of cold air marched northward.

The polar air mass should move over Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais, major producers of sugar, citrus and coffee, on Friday, bringing freezing temperatures.

According to meteorology company MetSul, winds in the city of Sao Francisco de Paula reached a maximum of 80 kilometres per hour (49 mph), a rare occurrence in Brazil.

"It was worth it. Actually, you almost do not feel the cold because of how exciting the snow is. It is marvellous, it is marvellous!" Brazilian Joselaine da Silva Marques told TV Globo while enjoying the snow in Cambara do Sul.

Guyanese singing icon, Mark Holder, dies

Posted by: Denis Chabrol in Culture, News Thursday, 29 July 2021, 22:28 0 Comments, Last Updated on Thursday, 29 July 2021, 22:28 by Denis Chabrol, Source - https://demerarawaves.com/2021...on-mark-holder-dies/

Mark Holder

Guyanese singer of international acclaim, Mark Holder, died Thursday morning in Canada after a period of illness, relatives confirmed.

He was 74 years old.

Holder was recognised as a pioneer of Caribbean music and was well-known for songs such as “Something of Value” and “Hold On To Your First Love”.

He had over the decades toured several countries and performed alongside Eddy Grant, Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, Mighty Sparrow and The Jackson Five.

Holder was based in Canada.

IIn widely circulated video of a conversation with his wife, Jennifer, Mark while he had been hospitalised, he had thanked his fans and others for “being very supportive of me all my life.” In that video, he had also referred to another of his popular songs, “Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way” and he added that “I’m fine in the Lord.”

1st set of draft Electoral Reforms completed – AG

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government is moving apace with the much-anticipated electoral reforms and the first instalment of the draft reforms has already been drawn up.

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC

This was revealed by Legal Affairs Minister and Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, during the latest edition of his weekly programme – Issues In The News.

According to Nandlall, the draft document is currently with the party’s leaders for review.

“We have the electoral reforms. I’ve churned out one set of drafts already and that is with our political leaders. They are consulting on that and soon that will be made public,” the Legal Affairs Minister said during his programme.

Guyana Times understands that once all the draft documents are in place, it will be sent to stakeholders for review.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had previously explained that once completed, the draft amendments would be sent to the various political parties including the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Opposition, civil society bodies, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the international community for review. They will also be available for the public to give their input before being finalised and presented in the National Assembly, where again they will be debated by both the Government and parliamentary Oppositions.

The need for both electoral and constitutional reforms was underscored following last year’s March 2 General and Regional Elections, which led to a five-month tumultuous impasse before the Irfaan Ali-led PPP/C Government finally took office on August 2, 2020.

There were concerted efforts by the former governing APNU/AFC and some GECOM officials to undermine democracy after elections were held.

It was previously reported that the Representation of the People Act (RoPA), which contains laws specific to the conduct of elections and election-related issues in Guyana, is being ironed out to remove ambiguous provisions and include penalties for persons attempting to carry out electoral fraud.

In fact, during a previous programme last month, Nandlall had said that the ongoing reform of the electoral laws in Guyana is intended to tighten the legal process and rectify the deficiencies that led to the post-election events in 2020. He had pointed out that these reforms were not intended to create any electoral advantage in favour of any political party.

Instead, the Legal Affairs Minister said: “They are all intended to tighten our legal process, to tighten the laws as well as to rectify all the deficiencies we have seen exploited by the likes of [embattled Returning Officer Clairmont] Mingo and [Chief Elections Officer Keith] Lowenfield at the last elections. So that in future elections, we ought not to have such reoccurrence. So, all the lacunas, all the gaps, all the ambiguities, all the areas that were cause for concerns and cast doubts in people’s minds, we are going to clarify all of that in the law. So, the law should be very clear.”

Another important component of the reforms would be the hiring process at the Elections Commission, Nandlall had said.

CEO Lowenfield, his deputy Roxanne Myers and RO Mingo, along with other GECOM staff, are currently before the courts facing electoral fraud charges over last year’s polls.

Mingo had heavily inflated the figures from Region Four – Guyana’s largest voting district – to give the APNU/AFC coalition a lead over the PPP/C. Meanwhile, Lowenfield, with the support of Myers, presented false figures to the GECOM Commission for declaration as official results of the elections.

However, a 33-day recount showed that the PPP/C won the elections, but it took the firmness of local and regional courts, the resilience of GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh and threats of sanctions from the international community led by the United States before former President David Granger finally stepped aside and allowed President Ali to be sworn in.

While the cases against the trio are pending in the court, the three Government-nominated Commissioners have filed two motions at the level of the seven-member Commission to have Lowenfield and Myers removed from the Elections Secretariat in light of their actions following the March 2020 polls.

Minister Nandlall contended last month these senior GECOM officials should have already been removed.

“In any other society, in any normal society, a motion or motions ought not to have been required for the dismissal of these three miscreants. The world saw what they did, we saw what they did, courts ruled, condemning what they did and declaring what they did as illegal and unlawful. In those circumstances, they ought to have been dismissed without cause instantaneously upon the declaration of the [elections] results. But Guyana is not a normal place and GECOM is not a normal institution,” he had asserted.

At a GECOM meeting last month that was scheduled to debate the motions against the CEO and DCEO, who were both sent on administrative leave, the three Opposition-nominated Commissioners had walked out of the meeting causing it to lose quorum. A subsequent meeting was deferred.

Since then, however, Lowenfield has approached the High Court to block Government Commissioners Sase