St. Rose’s Alumni Association USA – Brunch Honoring Males – Brooklyn NY – June 25. 2022

GUYANA: Government: Auditing of the public accounts: – By Anand Goolsarran

 — What about non-Central Government activities?

By Anand Goolsarran – April 11, 2022  – Mr. Goolsarran was a former Guyana Auditor General. He has a weekly column in Stabroek News.

In last week’s article, we discussed four of the seven infrastructure development projects financed by the Exim Bank of China that ran into serious difficulties during their execution stages – the Skeldon Sugar Modernisation Project; the One Laptop Per Family Project; the Fibre Optic Cable Project; and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Project. The first three have failed completely to deliver in terms of their objectives, outputs, outcomes and impacts, thereby encumbering the Guyana’s public debt in the tune of US$115.4 million, with little or nothing to show for the expenditure incurred.

This is in addition to the significant amounts expended as counterpart funding on these projects. In the case of the airport project, the works are still on-going after ten years, with a revised completion date of 20 June 2022. The original construction cost was estimated at US$150 million. This has now been revised to around US$200 million.           

USA: Why Teenagers Are Experiencing A Severe Mental-Health Crisis – Opinion

— Four forces are propelling the rising rates of depression among young people.

By Derek Thompson – April 11, 2022 – The Atlantic

The United States is experiencing an extreme teenage mental-health crisis. From 2009 to 2021, the share of American high-school students who say they feel “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” rose from 26 percent to 44 percent, according to a new CDC study. This is the highest level of teenage sadness ever recorded.

The government survey of almost 8,000 high-school students, which was conducted in the first six months of 2021, found a great deal of variation in mental health among different groups. More than one in four girls reported that they had seriously contemplated attempting suicide during the pandemic, which was twice the rate of boys. Nearly half of LGBTQ teens said they had contemplated suicide during the pandemic, compared with 14 percent of their heterosexual peers. Sadness among white teens seems to be rising faster than among other groups.       

GUYANA: POLL: Funded by the US government’s National Endowment for Democracy – three articles

US poll finds political representation on major problems generally poor; youths don’t see a future in Guyana

By: Denis Chabrol in Demerara Waves –Friday, 15 April 2022.

A United States (US)-funded opinion poll conducted earlier this year shows that cost of living, unemployment and the coronavirus are the biggest problems among Guyanese but elected representatives are not doing sufficient to address them.

The poll, which was conducted for the International Republican Institute (IRI) between January 4 and 24 through face-to-face interviews in the homes of 1,500 Guyanese adults 18 years and older across based on the 2012 census, shows that a mere 2 percent of Guyanese were concerned about the oil sector and 4 percent about crime and security.       

TRAVEL: Electric Vehicles Transition – The declining future of gas stations

Alternative Energy

— As EVs hit the road, gas stations will have to adapt or risk going out of business.

By Rebecca Heilweil Apr 13, 2022, RECODE Newsletter

Slowly but surely, electric cars and trucks are taking over American highways. The White House aims for half of new vehicles sold in the US to be EVs by 2030, and auto giants like GM and Volvo want to go all-electric in a similar time frame. As utility companies hurry to expand the number of charging stations — a critical step for the EV transition — the future of the gas station is in doubt.

Right now, gas stations are a regular part of American life, a place drivers go on a daily or weekly basis to fill up and sometimes grab a snack. But the fuel pump plus convenience store concept has much less to offer the country’s small but growing number of EV owners.

GUYANA: Parliament: Norton finally elected leader of opposition

…Volda Lawrence replaces Nicolette Henry as coalition fills vacant seats

Aubrey Norton Takes Oath

Apr 14, 2022  – Kaieteur News – People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) stalwart, Aubrey Compton Norton was on Wednesday elected Leader of the Opposition (LOO) several months after he won the headship of his party, which gave him a mandate to take up the post previously held by Joseph Harmon.

He was sworn in as a Member of Parliament first, before being elected the LOO during a meeting of the members of the opposition. Norton’s election has come 77 days after Harmon, tendered his resignation with immediate effect, late January.

After being appointed, Norton was also unopposed for the post of Opposition Leader and was bestowed with the position.

Also appointed to the National Assembly yesterday was People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) member, Ms. Volda Lawrence, who is replacing former Education Minister, Dr. Nicolette Henry.         

GUYANA: Failed Infrastructure development projects financed by Exim Bank of China – By Anand Goolsarran

– says little to nothing achieved but country saddled with debt

By Anand Goolsarran –April 4, 2022

Mr. Goolsarran was a former Guyana Auditor General. He has a weekly column in the Stabroek News.

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In today’s article, we discuss some of the above projects that also ran into serious difficulties during their execution. We refer to the Skeldon Sugar Modernisation Project, the One Laptop Per Family and the Fibre Optic Cable Project.

In last week’s article, we discussed the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Expansion Project which, after ten years since the design and construction contract was signed, is yet to be completed. The main reason for this state of affairs is the absence of feasibility studies prior to the contract award, to determine the precise nature and scope of the works to be undertaken, coupled with a lack of effective supervision as the works progressed. The Project is financed by a loan from the Exim Bank of China, with counterpart funding from the Government of Guyana. Table I shows the list of projects in Guyana that are financed by loans from the Exim Bank of China since 2005:     

GUYANA: Pres. Ali warns reckless drivers as Eccles to Mandela road link opens

By Isanella Patoir – Isanella@newsroom.gy  -April 14. 2022

The Mandela to Eccles four-lane highway was officially declared open to the public by President Dr Irfaan Ali on Thursday night and he promised that a new traffic system will ensure errant drivers are dealt with condignly.

In delivering the feature address at the commissioning ceremony of the road, the Head of State revealed that the new electronic monitoring speed system will be implemented within three weeks, targeting delinquent road users and ensuring compliance with the law.

“Those who continuously abuse the road will lose their license,” the President said to loud applause from those in attendance.

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GUYANA: Economist flags ‘reckless spending’ on infrastructural projects – opinion

Elson Low

– urges stepped-up scrutiny of Amaila Falls

Apr 13, 2022 –Kaieteur News – The current public investment climate in Guyana is worrying to Economist, Elson Low, who believes that the reckless spending of the administration must not be allowed to easily slip by.

In fact, Low believes that one does not need a microscope to see the wrong decisions the government has been making when it comes to spending from the public purse, as several decisions to invest in various infrastructural projects remain controversial. One such example, according to the Economist, is the Amaila Falls Hydropower project. Although the government will not be investing into the project with upfront costs, Guyanese will have to carry the burden of that project, and after 20 years, the ownership would be transferred to Guyana from the Chinese contractor, China Railway First Group.     

UKRAINE: Zelensky’s Prayer On the meaning of “We are still here.” – By Franklin Foer | The Atlantic

Zelensky’s Prayer — On the meaning of “We are still here.”

By Franklin Foer | The Atlantic

This Friday, as Passover begins, my thoughts will turn to my late grandmother. Born in Ukraine, she survived the Nazis, the only one in her immediate family to escape the guns of the génocidaires. Each year, at the beginning of the seder, she would stand from her chair, if she could, and recount the story of her flight, never explicitly drawing comparisons to the exodus from Egypt. As she finished her testimony — which, like the seder itself, entailed the ritualistic repetition of details and phrases — she would stare across the table and tell us, “You are my revenge against Hitler.” 

This year, I began to think about those words long before the holiday season. They returned to me on the night of February 25, the second day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.