Daily Archive: Friday, December 7, 2007

TOLEDO, SPAIN – With President George W. Bush’s grand strategy for the Middle East in ruins, his administration has, however hesitantly, begun to put greater emphasis on resolving conflicts by peaceful means.

I’ll really try to be more “festive” from next week. Meanwhile bear with me these random thoughts in what should be one of the briefest offerings of the year.

A centuries-old Italian proverb says that “When a fish rots, it starts from its head.”

One week after the belated November 29th announcement of government’s legislatively mandated review of the budget for the first half of 2007, the response of the private sector has been one of mostly studied reluctance to comment on the pronouncements made by the Minister.

The Roraima Group of Companies is to establish a new boutique hotel at Timehri as part of what the Company’s Managing Director Captain Gerry Gouveia says is a move “to further commit Roraima to Guyana’s travel and tourism industry.”

Towards the end of 2006 as public debate raged over the imminent implementation of the Value Added Tax President Jagdeo declared that government would be seeking toke measures to cushion any ensuing rise in the cost if living particularly in terms of its impact on the economically disadvantaged section of the population.

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Howard University Professor Dr John Trimble said Guyana needs to invest in appropriate technology as poor nations can benefit by using alternative home technologies.

Whenever I attend a Guyana event in the United States, I’m always struck by the sameness of my experience.

Guyanese consumers are being offered an additional electronic shopping option with the recent introduction of a new e-shopping service – the Trinidad and Tobago-owned e-zone shopping facility here.

A senior government official has said that Guyana will be seeking to have the local craft industry play a major role in the 2008 Caribbean Festival of Arts (Carifesta) which will be held here in August but a local craft producer who has participated in two previous CARIFESTA events in Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname has told Stabroek Business that this goal cannot be realized unless both the government and private sector lending institutions contribute meaningfully to the craft sector’s preparations for Carifesta.

Roraima Airways is awaiting final official approval before taking delivery of a new twin-engine passenger and cargo aircraft which Managing Director Captain Gerry Gouveia told Stabroek Business will significantly enhance the company’s local and regional air transport capabilities.

Notes 1 – Interim results 2 – Prospective EPS: earnings per share for 12 months period to the date the latest financials have been prepared.

The Disciples Basketball Club disposed of Eagles in a 68-28 blow-out Wednesday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall to secure the final Division-Three semi-final spot of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Associa-tion/Next Level Entertain-ment Super Eight Knockout tournament.

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and Pouderoyen Football Club have advanced to this evening’s semi-finals following tough quarter-final assignments in the NAMILCO knockout football Festival Wednesday evening at the Tucville ground.

The Georgetown zone of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Carib Beer/Pepsi Twenty20 first division competition will continue today and tomorrow with eight matches over the two days.

Alonzo Greaves and the other top finishers will finally get the opportunity to lay their hands on their coveted prizes won in the recently-concluded ‘Tour de Guyana’ five-stage cycle road race.

Dear Editor, This letter is an appeal for the relevant authorities to investigate the conditions under which juvenile suspects and defendants are detained in police detention facilities in this country.

Dear Editor, The Land Court at New Amsterdam Supreme Court was moved to a building at Strand, New Amsterdam.

Dear Editor, I would like to respond to a letter written by A Persaud captioned “The army’s continuing inefficiency is most disconcerting” (07.12.8).

Dear Editor, Worldwide there is deep concern over rising food prices.

Dear Editor, I have faith that the vulgarity attending the unjust withdrawal of governmental advertisements from your worthy newspaper must and will soon end.

Dear Editor, I have seen your editorial captioned “Common enemies of all mankind” (07.11.28) dealing with torture in its general scope and in relation to the specific cases of two young men of Buxton, whose cases SN, if no other paper, reported in clear detail.

Dear Editor, I read of Commodore Best’s reaction to the loss of a single rifle from the GDF HQ in early December of 2007.

Dear Editor, It is refreshing to read in the newspapers (dated December 5, 2007) that Education Minister Shaik Baksh stated that government plans to increase the amount of teachers being trained currently by three fold over the next five years.

Dear Editor, Commendations to Minister Manickchand for taking the initiative to address abuse in Guyana.

Dear Editor, I refer to Mr Vishnu Bisram’s letter captioned “The punishment of this teacher is a travesty of Islamic law” (07.12.05) and share his anger on the issue of the teacher Mrs Gibbon who was imprisoned in Sudan.

Dear Editor, Not so long ago, a female colleague asked me whether I had any idea about why there is an upsurge in spousal abuse and crime against women.

Dear Editor, In the upper Cuyuni river area there was a Venezuelan army incursion to destroy dredges working in the river, though it was evident that the dredges were in Guyanese territory.

The contentious Health Facilities Licensing Bill was passed last night in Parliament amid concerns by the opposition that it still gives too much power to the Minister of Health.

Berbicians who were recently plagued by constant blackouts can likely look forward to a bright Christmas as an additional seven megawatts of electricity will be added to the Berbice grid through the Skeldon Modernization Project.

Caricom Heads of Government will today deliberate on rising food prices as well as the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) being negotiated with the European Union.

In a bid to avert a power crisis during the Christmas season, government has secured an additional 10 megawatts of power from Miami to boost supply at the Demerara grid, Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon announced yesterday.

Two men are in a critical condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital following two separate accidents last evening.

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) announced that the use of the Simplified Customs Declaration (SCD) or C73 has been revised to a limit of US$500, effective from December 10.

Four armed bandits on Wednesday night swooped down on a Nismes, West Bank Demerara service station robbing employees of cash and jewellery before escaping.

The main purpose of the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) is to provide taxpayers with more efficient services, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has said, urging employers to submit their employees’ applications to avoid mix-ups.

Come tomorrow afternoon persons with disabilities will entertain members of the public with their artistic talents at the St Stanislaus College during a concert titled ‘Don’t Diss Our Ability.’

Cabinet has approved over $49M for the works and security sector, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon announced yesterday.

Ingrid Peters considers the fact that she is unable to see, a hurdle that she has long overcome.

As the global price for fuel skyrockets, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) appealed to consumers to conserve electricity even as it contemplates introducing a system in which customers will pay in advance for their power consumption.

A Dutch national, who allegedly had close contacts with several Guyanese, was arrested last week Thursday in Suriname with eight high-powered M-16 military assault weapons, a Caribbean Net News report said yesterday.

A man has been arrested after police uncovered a number of illicit items during a search operation in Kitty.

The 118-year-old Georgetown Chamber Commerce and Industry (GCCI) held its Annual Awards Dinner on Wednesday night and its president called for some form of national service to tackle crime.

olice have launched an investigation into yet another armed attack on an overseas-based Guyanese in the Campbellville area.

Announcer/producer Andrea Bryan was fired from her job at the state-owned National Commu-nications Network (NCN) on Wednesday after she returned from attending a two-day seminar for reporting on children rights for regional journalists in Trinidad and Tobago.