Giller-winning author Austin Clarke dead at 81; won ’02 prize for ‘Polished Hoe’

Giller-winning author Austin Clarke dead at 81; won ’02 prize for ‘Polished Hoe’

Austin Clarke, the Toronto-based writer who won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Commonwealth Writers Prize for his 2002 novel “The Polished Hoe.”

By  Andrea Baillie, The Canadian Press – June 26, 2016

TORONTO – Austin Clarke, the Toronto-based writer who won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Commonwealth Writers Prize for his 2002 novel “The Polished Hoe,” has died.  He was 81.

Over the course of his long career Clarke frequently wrote about the immigrant experience and being black in Canada.

“Certainly, there is no other black Canadian author who has been so heartily embraced as Austin Clarke,” wrote literary critic Donna Bailey Nurse in a 2003 profile published by the trade magazine Quill & Quire. 

Reflections: The Pyramid – By Rosaliene Bacchus

Three Worlds One Vision

The Pyramid of Capitalist System
Photo Credit: Evolutionary Economics

The pyramid
primordial mound
rising from the depths
ancient tomb of pharaohs
reflective sides mirroring the sun
gateway to the heavens beyond the earth
transforming the soul for its union with the gods.

The pyramid
tomb of the masses
forever trapped in its base
herded, cajoled & discarded
struggle, fight & kill each other
to sustain the few at the top of the pyre
bloated with their contempt, gorging on human flesh.

The pyramid
legacy of an ancient civilization
points to the heavens, the expanding universe
beyond the limits of our small finite world
to the full realization of our true being
a limitless spirit, capable of the impossible
together as one, sharing the gifts of the earth.

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First voyage through expanded Panama canal + video of new canal

First voyage through expanded Panama canal  –  BBC News

A giant Chinese container ship has become the first vessel to move from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean via the newly-enlarged Panama Canal.

The ship was greeted with fireworks and cheers from a crowd that had gathered at the Cocoli locks to celebrate.

The Panamanian President, Juan Carlos Varela, described the waterway as a route that would unite the world.   

BREXIT – The influence of Boris Johnson and Michael Gove – By Nick Cohen – The Guardian UK

BREXIT – There are liars and then there’s Boris Johnson and Michael Gove 

Nick Cohen – The Guardian UK

The Brexit figureheads had no plan besides exploiting populist fears and dismissing experts who rubbished their thinking

Where was the champagne at the Vote Leave headquarters? The happy tears and whoops of joy? If you believed Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, the Brexit vote was a moment of national liberation, a day that Nigel Farage said our grateful children would celebrate with an annual bank holiday.

Johnson and Gove had every reason to celebrate. The referendum campaign showed the only arguments that matter now in England are on the right. With the Labour leadership absent without leave and the Liberal Democrats and Greens struggling to be heard, the debate was between David Cameron and George Osborne, defending the status quo, and the radical right, demanding its destruction. Johnson and Gove won a dizzying victory with the potential to change every aspect of national life, from workers’ rights to environmental protection. 

Guyana 411 – June 25, 2016 – Focus on Hinterland Agriculture – Region 9 – GINA video

 Guyana 411 – June 25, 2016 – Focus on Hinterland Agriculture – Region 9 – Rupununi

Guyana – EDUCATION SYSTEM NEEDS OVERHAULING – video

 EDUCATION SYSTEM NEEDS OVERHAULING – video

Published on Jun 25, 2016 – Education Minister, Dr. Rupert Roopnarine questions ‘What was the previous administration doing to improve the country’s education system?’ ….He wants profound changes. More in this report from Handel Duncan.

Guyana– Latest News from various sources – June 26, 2016

Guyana: LATEST NEWS – 26 June 2016 – Kaieteur News

       (see other News sources at the end of this entry)

• Brexit – the chaos that will be felt around the world
• Addressing the global financial systems
• Businessman highlights fuel smuggling activity in court matter
• Shocking GRA report finds: Customs officers received bribe money to release cargo
• Authorities probe missing aircraft from Ogle Airport
• Those Ambassadorial appointments…David Dabydeen was not retained because he was a political appointee
• Transparency fundamental to good governance
• Second Exxon/Mobil well confirms Guyana’s massive oil reserve
• More than 1700 re-migrant applications approved over last five years
• Durban Park stands to remain intact – Pres. Granger
• Daughter of US-based Guyanese, 9, launches 2nd chapter book
•  … See more article links below ……   

Guyana: This week with the President – June 25, 2016

Guyana: This week with the President – June 25, 2016

Chris Gayle: ‘You’re with men. You’re good-looking. What do you expect?’

Chris Gayle: ‘You’re with men. You’re good-looking. What do you expect?’

The West Indies star is used to defending himself but insists the sexism row over his interview with an Australian TV reporter was blown out of proportion

Chris Gayle

Donald McRae  –  @donaldgmcrae – Tuesday 14 June 2016 – The Guardian

‘I’m disappointed people don’t recognise what I did in Test cricket’ says Chris Gayle, one of only four batsmen to score two Test triple-centuries. Photograph: Linda Nylind/for the Guardian

Chris Gayle doesn’t trust me but blunt honesty is preferable when, in exchange, he is fiercely concentrated during our hour together. The West Indies batsman is calm yet defiant, combative but wounded. Before we offer our contrasting opinions, when it feels right to tell Gayle his attitude towards women is wrong and for him to voice suspicion of “you people”, he warrants serious attention.

Earlier this year, before the World T20, the English cricket pundit Mark Nicholas dismissed Gayle and his team-mates. In a breathtakingly arrogant and nonsensical phrase, Nicholas wrote: “The West Indies are short of brains.”  

Esteemed Scientist, Dr. Ulric Trotz, is a ‘Special Person’ – By Sharmain Grainger

Esteemed Scientist, Dr. Ulric Trotz, is a ‘Special Person’

Jun 26, 2016 Kaieteur News – By Sharmain Grainger

“I hope before I leave this earth, we in Guyana will be able to reach across the political and ethnic divide that separates us, so that together as Guyanese we can build a country that is prosperous, a country that is at peace, a country that is pragmatic; a country that all of us as Guyanese can be proud of.”

Dr. Ulric Trotz

Guyana has everything it requires to become a kind of pearl in the Caribbean.  At least this is the conviction of one of our esteemed Scientists, Dr. Ulric Trotz.

Although Dr. Trotz currently resides in Belize, he had long set the pace for the evolution of science here and, according to him, he is still willing to continue to lend his support if asked.

During a recent interview, Dr. Trotz shared his belief that Guyana not only has the natural resources, but also has access to the necessary qualified people to significantly advance science.