First Person Singular

The Long Count

The Mesoamerican Long Count is an ancient, non-repeating calendar used by some pre-Columbian peoples, including the Mayans.

Rings of roses

We played endless outdoor games as lithe children in South Georgetown, running around in the setting sunshine with our bare hands blackened from hours of slicing worn bicycle tyres into jagged joined lengths for Chinese jump rope and skipping.

The purple pens

Former American Ambassador-at-large, Professor Stephen Sestanovich can never forget his experiences at the Ukraine presidential elections in 2004.

Seeing the light

The energetic co-founder of the Reliance Healthcare Group, Jermaine Ifill described himself in his LinkedIn profile as “ambitious and open-minded, honest and kind,” someone who loved travelling and working.

The long run

On an usually quiet street in downtown Kingston, scores of ordinary Guyanese from all backgrounds, take turns each hot day and long night to closely watch over more than a dozen dingy shipping containers stacked high.

The eleventh hour

Days ago, the Berbice reggae artiste, “Mystic” released an online video of a Bartica pastor re-singing his 2019 hit single, “Live Like We At De Cricket.” 

Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day is a critically acclaimed comedy film about a weary American weatherman caught in a time loop, repeatedly reliving mistakes and events.

The only life we have

The great Portuguese poet, Fernando Pessoa, wrote, “We, all who live, have/A life that is lived/And another life that is thought/And the only life we have/It’s the one that is divided/In right or wrong.”

The end times

A week ago, the National Geographic (Nat Geo) website ran an alarming report about a record plague of locusts descending on East Africa, threatening the food supply of tens of millions. 

Men in tithes

In 2015, the stand-up comedian John Oliver founded “Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption,” to show how easy it is to qualify as an American church and not pay taxes.

A tree for Christmas

Many full moons ago, traditional classics like “Jingle Bells” dominated the radio and school Christmas parties, and we rocked around the trees and danced in the halls, dreaming of joy to the world.

Sweet oil and bitter truths

On Tuesday, a New York (NY) judge cleared energy giant ExxonMobil of alleged securities fraud involving climate change regulations risk in a closely watched case that fatally weakened over the years.

An incredible journey

A Caribbean cargo boat set out for Port Georgetown (PG) in October 2018, with over 200 excited Trinidadian passengers, who were released, early one morning, just off the rich Guyanese coastline.

The coming tides

Along Guyana’s beleaguered coastline, the high tides rush in from the rippling grayish-brown expanse of Atlantic Ocean, where the latest lucrative oil wells are being drilled deep below the seabed.

A snack for all seasons

I admire the trio of tiny squirrels scampering up the Julie mango trees, in the early morning sunshine, with the distant curtains of metallic mist looming above the lush Northern Range.

Days of the lost

The modern hero of the popular British crime drama, “Sherlock” ponders in one memorable episode, “When does the path we walk on lock around our feet?”

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