Bharat's Missing Wheels: Nothing in the news for months on the status of auction.
Big Money Wasted: What a waste of money while schools need repairing.
Buy My Wheels: Delay in auction.
Buddy Man Wheels: If the Government decide to cancel the bidding process and just outright sell the BMWs to Buddy to use as taxi's for his Hotel & Casino.
Big Mouth Wife: remembering the Presidential moment in the stadium Presidential suite when Bharat had to put the brakes on his wife.
Broke My Wallet: Guyana can't afford these cars.
Big Money Works: Considering all the hoopla in trying to get these cars sold.
Break My Window: Better put a 24 hour security guard on this vehicle, especially on Regent St.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Guyana - Buy My Wheels (BMWs not sold as yet)
Government to re-tender for BMWs …difficulties in accepting previous bids - Luncheon
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, yesterday confirmed that the government will re-tender for the 20 BMWs that were purchased for Cricket World Cup.
He stated that there were difficulties in accepting the bids previously tendered given that they were below practical.
“I believe that indeed not wanting a giveaway…there is a notional reserve price,” said Luncheon.
The Guyana Government imported the BMW luxury vehicles to provide transportation for officials in Guyana during the hosting of the Rio Summit and Cricket World Cup this year.
President Bharrat Jagdeo had said that given that Government was mandated to provide transportation for the officials as stipulated by the International Cricket Council (ICC) the vehicles were purchased on the premise that they would be resold locally.
The government's agreement to purchase the cars was not readily accepted by local car dealers, who said that they were being left out of the deal.
Some dealers had complained bitterly that only Central Garage, the lone importer of BMW, stood to benefit had Government gone to a dealership
President Jagdeo however defended his decision, saying that Government would go it alone since the dealers wanted the government to waive 75 percent of the taxes which would have seen the Government losing $400 million in taxes.
The cars cost the Guyana Government some $168M, and post-CWC, have been left in the compound of the Tactical Services Unit of the Guyana Police Force, Eve Leary.
BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) is a German manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and was one of the official sponsors for CWC.
The company had laid down in its agreement, that ICC officials would use the luxury cars and that the government hosting the matches must import them duty-free.
Bloggers Note: This is the way these inept clowns are wasting time and money in running the country, here is just a small example. It is either that or they could not find a transparent way of covering up the "give away" of these cars to their friends and family, since this issue is a very much in the spot light. The individuals who eventually buy these cars should be investigated to see where the finances came from.
Link
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, yesterday confirmed that the government will re-tender for the 20 BMWs that were purchased for Cricket World Cup.
He stated that there were difficulties in accepting the bids previously tendered given that they were below practical.
“I believe that indeed not wanting a giveaway…there is a notional reserve price,” said Luncheon.
The Guyana Government imported the BMW luxury vehicles to provide transportation for officials in Guyana during the hosting of the Rio Summit and Cricket World Cup this year.
President Bharrat Jagdeo had said that given that Government was mandated to provide transportation for the officials as stipulated by the International Cricket Council (ICC) the vehicles were purchased on the premise that they would be resold locally.
The government's agreement to purchase the cars was not readily accepted by local car dealers, who said that they were being left out of the deal.
Some dealers had complained bitterly that only Central Garage, the lone importer of BMW, stood to benefit had Government gone to a dealership
President Jagdeo however defended his decision, saying that Government would go it alone since the dealers wanted the government to waive 75 percent of the taxes which would have seen the Government losing $400 million in taxes.
The cars cost the Guyana Government some $168M, and post-CWC, have been left in the compound of the Tactical Services Unit of the Guyana Police Force, Eve Leary.
BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) is a German manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and was one of the official sponsors for CWC.
The company had laid down in its agreement, that ICC officials would use the luxury cars and that the government hosting the matches must import them duty-free.
Bloggers Note: This is the way these inept clowns are wasting time and money in running the country, here is just a small example. It is either that or they could not find a transparent way of covering up the "give away" of these cars to their friends and family, since this issue is a very much in the spot light. The individuals who eventually buy these cars should be investigated to see where the finances came from.
Link
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Guyana - Stabroek award winning Ramblings
Wednesday Ramblings
The Case of the Diesel Conundrum -The Despotic Duo Part Two
Wednesday, July 25th 2007
read more
The Case of the Diesel Conundrum -The Despotic Duo Part Two
Wednesday, July 25th 2007
read more
Guyana - Is diesel a petroleum product?
According to Magistrate Sullivan the GEA had failed to prove that diesel was a petroleum product and that Shivraj had knowledge of the fuel and actually owned it. It was pointed out that Shivraj did say in the witness box that he owned the property and he mixed new fuel with old fuel.....Buddys fuel charges dismissed
Guyana - Has a sleaze ball for a President
The investment generated from 1985 to 1992 has not continued
Thursday, July 26th 2007
Dear Editor,
It is interesting to note your recent editorial highlighting the bureaucratic nightmares that now characterise the investment climate or lack thereof prevailing in Guyana at present. In fact, when the late President Hugh Desmond Hoyte inherited the Guyanese presidency in August, 1985 following the death of the dictator Forbes Burnham, we all know only too well that he had to perform a tightrope act. This act of stealth, statesmanship and above all a clear and most committed willingness to embrace both democratic and economic reforms were executed within the confines of a highly hostile party setting. There were many and probably are still many that rejected his reforms and meaningful changes that in essence were Guyana's own 'glasnost, perestroika and demokratzatsiya'.
Those reforms resulted in the lifting of restrictions on the press and thereof the birth of the illustrious Stabroek News. Sadly and ironically the very party that benefitted from so great a platform afforded it by the very Stabroek News has today gone sour on Messrs. De Caires and team by choosing to withhold advertising revenue under the guise of so called market realities. The Treaty of Chapultepec to which Guyana is signatory has been ignored and despite global public condemnation for such vicious action against SN by the state - the Jagdeo regime continues to run amok like the proverbial 'bull in a china shop'.
Let's not forget the removal of restrictions on basic food imports such as wheaten flour coupled with embarking on an open, free-market system which also resulted in the complete abolition of foreign currency controls and the once cumbersome import licensing regime, all compliments of the Hoyte era. All of the above, plus the granting of generous tax concessions and other fiscal incentives designed to spur both overseas and domestic private investments led to the 'period of economic renaissance', where one and all, irrespective of race, colour, creed or class benefitted immensely from Hoyte's far reaching economic reforms. In fact, the period 1985-1992, can be duly characterized as the only period in living memory that the long suffering people of Guyana saw a chance for a bright and stable future. The period 1990-1992, alone witnessed the inflow of more than US$ 500 million. We all know about the once active Omai, Barama and the now extinct Aroaima investments and despite that only one of these entities is still around - their prior existence in the now barren legitimate Guyanese economic landscape were owed in great measure to the sterling vision, dedication, deep rooted commitment and unparalleled leadership provided by the late President Hoyte.
The privatisation of the former state owned telecoms utility GTC, now GT&T could have been surely accomplished in a better and much more structured manner as opposed to the current situation prevailing therein. Nevertheless, the complete privatisation of the once decrepit telecoms utility has certainly aided in the immense improvement of basic telephony across the entire country compared to the period of state ownership.
I grew up in a home without a phone so I was part and parcel of the 'analog divide'. Many people across Guyana are today victims of the 'digital divide' but this can be fixed in short measure because the fundamental network infrastructure developed by GT&T and compliments of the Hoyte reforms are there in place.
The country has failed to garner any significant major foreign investment beyond that of the recent Digicel/U-Mobile presence therein. It is interesting to note that Shock International wants to invest in a US$ 26 million sawmilling venture and have been in discussions with the powers that be since 2004 and now almost 3 years on, investor confidence and patience from their financial backers are starting to wear thin.
The economy of Guyana has been purposely managed on the premise of 'debt reduction' and time and again it has been proven that this is not the way forward in terms of jobs creation and wealth creation for this is and will prove to be only a 'band aid solution'.
There are a few important points that must be considered as to the current state and the future of the country's economy:
(a) Guyana's economy is not multi-tiered or diversified for it is still primarily a resource based one with little or no value added products being generated. Its continued successful exploitation and production of gold, bauxite etc., are all still subjected to global commodity supply and demand cycles. Given the ongoing rise in demand and hence favourable prices for same as a result of demands from China and India then the country should be cashing in. However, there do not exist either infrastructural or production capabilities to take advantage of same so instead neighbouring Suriname stands to gain massively from both Indian and Chinese investments in its oil, gas, bauxite and iron ore sectors as do the rest of Latin America. Besides, there is no demonstrable political will to make the country investor friendly despite casual rhetoric from Messrs Jagdeo and cohorts.
(b) Guyana continues to produce both rice and sugar way above the average costs of production elsewhere. On account of this, it is unable to effectively compete for global markets against the likes of Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. In addition, the European Union is already producing adequate amounts of beet sugar to meet domestic demand with the pressure growing under the WTO demanding the ending of preferential treatment for Guyana's exports currently enjoyed under the Lome and Cotonou Agreements. This is no longer an afterthought. There is no real future in the sugar cane sector unless of course Guyana moves aggressively and rapidly towards the production of organic sugar, high end spirits and liquors and that of ethanol manufacturing, none of which seem to be the case.
(c) Guyana's underdeveloped social infrastructure and the lack of adequate domestic investment capital to fuel the local business sector has led to the absence of a viable value added manufacturing sector that could improve foreign exchange earnings through viable exports and outsourcing arrangements in the garment manufacturing or ICT driven sector.
(d) Given the global trend towards information technology, knowledge transfer and the era of the intellect worker , all of which seem to be alien concepts locally, Guyana's chances for greater capital inflows and technology transfer are severely restricted. Besides we are experiencing a brain drain versus a brain gain as in the case of India.
The recent World Bank report highlighted the threats posed by transnational criminal operators and drug lords to the Caribbean's future. The region and moreso Guyana continue to lose its brightest and best minds as brain drain becomes the order of the day and without the remittances from abroad this country like most of the Caribbean will become very depressed if not the perfect incubators for failed states.
However, instead of doing the proper thing by admitting to failures and acknowledging the gaping shortcomings - the President of Guyana, Bharat Jagdeo, chooses to lash out at Transparency International and other perceived critics. When asked or quizzed about the various loans to certain hotel operators - all that one gets is a huge load of malarkey.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Singh
Link
Thursday, July 26th 2007
Dear Editor,
It is interesting to note your recent editorial highlighting the bureaucratic nightmares that now characterise the investment climate or lack thereof prevailing in Guyana at present. In fact, when the late President Hugh Desmond Hoyte inherited the Guyanese presidency in August, 1985 following the death of the dictator Forbes Burnham, we all know only too well that he had to perform a tightrope act. This act of stealth, statesmanship and above all a clear and most committed willingness to embrace both democratic and economic reforms were executed within the confines of a highly hostile party setting. There were many and probably are still many that rejected his reforms and meaningful changes that in essence were Guyana's own 'glasnost, perestroika and demokratzatsiya'.
Those reforms resulted in the lifting of restrictions on the press and thereof the birth of the illustrious Stabroek News. Sadly and ironically the very party that benefitted from so great a platform afforded it by the very Stabroek News has today gone sour on Messrs. De Caires and team by choosing to withhold advertising revenue under the guise of so called market realities. The Treaty of Chapultepec to which Guyana is signatory has been ignored and despite global public condemnation for such vicious action against SN by the state - the Jagdeo regime continues to run amok like the proverbial 'bull in a china shop'.
Let's not forget the removal of restrictions on basic food imports such as wheaten flour coupled with embarking on an open, free-market system which also resulted in the complete abolition of foreign currency controls and the once cumbersome import licensing regime, all compliments of the Hoyte era. All of the above, plus the granting of generous tax concessions and other fiscal incentives designed to spur both overseas and domestic private investments led to the 'period of economic renaissance', where one and all, irrespective of race, colour, creed or class benefitted immensely from Hoyte's far reaching economic reforms. In fact, the period 1985-1992, can be duly characterized as the only period in living memory that the long suffering people of Guyana saw a chance for a bright and stable future. The period 1990-1992, alone witnessed the inflow of more than US$ 500 million. We all know about the once active Omai, Barama and the now extinct Aroaima investments and despite that only one of these entities is still around - their prior existence in the now barren legitimate Guyanese economic landscape were owed in great measure to the sterling vision, dedication, deep rooted commitment and unparalleled leadership provided by the late President Hoyte.
The privatisation of the former state owned telecoms utility GTC, now GT&T could have been surely accomplished in a better and much more structured manner as opposed to the current situation prevailing therein. Nevertheless, the complete privatisation of the once decrepit telecoms utility has certainly aided in the immense improvement of basic telephony across the entire country compared to the period of state ownership.
I grew up in a home without a phone so I was part and parcel of the 'analog divide'. Many people across Guyana are today victims of the 'digital divide' but this can be fixed in short measure because the fundamental network infrastructure developed by GT&T and compliments of the Hoyte reforms are there in place.
The country has failed to garner any significant major foreign investment beyond that of the recent Digicel/U-Mobile presence therein. It is interesting to note that Shock International wants to invest in a US$ 26 million sawmilling venture and have been in discussions with the powers that be since 2004 and now almost 3 years on, investor confidence and patience from their financial backers are starting to wear thin.
The economy of Guyana has been purposely managed on the premise of 'debt reduction' and time and again it has been proven that this is not the way forward in terms of jobs creation and wealth creation for this is and will prove to be only a 'band aid solution'.
There are a few important points that must be considered as to the current state and the future of the country's economy:
(a) Guyana's economy is not multi-tiered or diversified for it is still primarily a resource based one with little or no value added products being generated. Its continued successful exploitation and production of gold, bauxite etc., are all still subjected to global commodity supply and demand cycles. Given the ongoing rise in demand and hence favourable prices for same as a result of demands from China and India then the country should be cashing in. However, there do not exist either infrastructural or production capabilities to take advantage of same so instead neighbouring Suriname stands to gain massively from both Indian and Chinese investments in its oil, gas, bauxite and iron ore sectors as do the rest of Latin America. Besides, there is no demonstrable political will to make the country investor friendly despite casual rhetoric from Messrs Jagdeo and cohorts.
(b) Guyana continues to produce both rice and sugar way above the average costs of production elsewhere. On account of this, it is unable to effectively compete for global markets against the likes of Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. In addition, the European Union is already producing adequate amounts of beet sugar to meet domestic demand with the pressure growing under the WTO demanding the ending of preferential treatment for Guyana's exports currently enjoyed under the Lome and Cotonou Agreements. This is no longer an afterthought. There is no real future in the sugar cane sector unless of course Guyana moves aggressively and rapidly towards the production of organic sugar, high end spirits and liquors and that of ethanol manufacturing, none of which seem to be the case.
(c) Guyana's underdeveloped social infrastructure and the lack of adequate domestic investment capital to fuel the local business sector has led to the absence of a viable value added manufacturing sector that could improve foreign exchange earnings through viable exports and outsourcing arrangements in the garment manufacturing or ICT driven sector.
(d) Given the global trend towards information technology, knowledge transfer and the era of the intellect worker , all of which seem to be alien concepts locally, Guyana's chances for greater capital inflows and technology transfer are severely restricted. Besides we are experiencing a brain drain versus a brain gain as in the case of India.
The recent World Bank report highlighted the threats posed by transnational criminal operators and drug lords to the Caribbean's future. The region and moreso Guyana continue to lose its brightest and best minds as brain drain becomes the order of the day and without the remittances from abroad this country like most of the Caribbean will become very depressed if not the perfect incubators for failed states.
However, instead of doing the proper thing by admitting to failures and acknowledging the gaping shortcomings - the President of Guyana, Bharat Jagdeo, chooses to lash out at Transparency International and other perceived critics. When asked or quizzed about the various loans to certain hotel operators - all that one gets is a huge load of malarkey.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Singh
Link
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Guyana - New Bank at Robb street
The new $1.3B Republic Bank complex currently under construction at the corners of Camp and Robb streets is on course for completion by February next year according to a bank official....read more about Bank and Robb in the same sentence
Friday, July 20, 2007
New York - Construction Progress of the new Yankee Stadium
Here is the official site for the construction of the New Yanke Stadium in New york. The Guyana Government did not have the foresight to create such a site to keep people informed and updated on the status of the Providence Stadium construction.
We took it upon ourselves to provide such a website located here. Wouldn't it be great if the parties involved with the construction of the Providence Stadium could send us some drawings, photos, cost and other information for historical purposes, similar to what is seen on the Yankees official construction site. We still do not know the status of the Providence Stadium parking and landscaping.
We took it upon ourselves to provide such a website located here. Wouldn't it be great if the parties involved with the construction of the Providence Stadium could send us some drawings, photos, cost and other information for historical purposes, similar to what is seen on the Yankees official construction site. We still do not know the status of the Providence Stadium parking and landscaping.
New York - New Yankee Stadium stats
Tenant: New York Yankees (AL)
Groundbreaking: August 16, 2006
Construction began: August 17, 2006
Opening: April 2009
Capacity: 51,800
Style: Open air
Surface: Grass
Architect: HOK Sport (Kansas City)
Developer: Tishman Speyer (New York)
Construction: Turner Corp. (Dallas); Skanska USA Civil (Queens) will build structural steel frame and pilings
Owner: New York Yankees
Cost: $1.02 billion
Public financing: $220 million from New York City for parking facilities ($75 million), parkland along the waterfront ($135 million) and other work related to the stadium
Private financing: $800 million from the Yankees
Link
Groundbreaking: August 16, 2006
Construction began: August 17, 2006
Opening: April 2009
Capacity: 51,800
Style: Open air
Surface: Grass
Architect: HOK Sport (Kansas City)
Developer: Tishman Speyer (New York)
Construction: Turner Corp. (Dallas); Skanska USA Civil (Queens) will build structural steel frame and pilings
Owner: New York Yankees
Cost: $1.02 billion
Public financing: $220 million from New York City for parking facilities ($75 million), parkland along the waterfront ($135 million) and other work related to the stadium
Private financing: $800 million from the Yankees
Link
New York - New Yankee Stadium
BACKGROUND
New Yankee Stadium is the working title for a new stadium for the New York Yankees, currently under construction. It will retain the Yankee Stadium moniker held by the current stadium, although Yankee President Randy Levine has stated that the naming rights may be sold and the park named "Yankee Stadium at (company name) Plaza".[1] This stadium is informally called Yankee Stadium III (The renovated stadium is considered Yankee Stadium II).
It is planned to be built on the current site of Macombs Dam Park in the New York City borough of the Bronx, across the street from the current Yankee Stadium, which it will replace. The existing stadium opened in 1923, making it the third oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use behind Fenway Park and Wrigley Field respectively.
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the stadium took place on August 16, 2006, the 58th anniversary of Babe Ruth's death, with team owner George Steinbrenner, Governor of New York George Pataki, Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg among the notables donning Yankees hard hats and digging up some dirt to mark the occasion.[2][3] The new facility has a planned 2009 opening (the same year as Citi Field, future home of the New York Mets).
DESIGN
The new stadium's design, by HOK Sport, consists of two separate structures. The exterior will be a wall circling the perimeter of the Yankees' new property, and will resemble the pre-renovation exterior of the original Yankee Stadium. The interior will be a modern ballpark, with increased modern amenities that have become a staple of every new ballpark since Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in 1992. It will feature a replica of the copper frieze (facade), that lined the inner wall of Yankee Stadium's upper deck until 1973. This lining was torn down during the 1974–75 renovations.
A replica of this frieze lines the portion of the original structure that was removed during those renovations, beyond the outfield wall. It is above the bleachers and faces River Avenue. The Yankees use this frieze as a marketing tool on television and in print, and have allowed the sporting-goods chain Modell's to use it, too.
Between the perimeter wall and the stadium will be an area that those in the Yankee organization are calling a "great hall," which would feature more than one million square feet of retail space, a significant increase from Yankee Stadium.
The field's dimensions will be identical to those at Yankee Stadium and at the Legends Field spring training / minor league baseball facility in Tampa, Florida. The new stadium will seat 51,000 fans, compared with 57,545 in Yankee Stadium (although that number does not include seating in luxury boxes). The new stadium's seating will be spaced outward in a bowl, rather than upward in stacked tiers, placing most fans further away from the field. Field-level seats will be near 30,000, compared with 20,000 in Yankee Stadium, and about 20,000 seats in the upper deck. Although nothing has been officially announced, the design of the new upper deck appears to have two distinct (and likely differently priced) sections, similar to the current Tier Box closer to the field and the Tier Reserve. There will be half as many bleacher seats as Yankee Stadium's 7,500, but 1,000 standing room spots will be added. In addition, there will be 60 luxury boxes between the two decks, replacing the loge section of the current stadium. Yankee Stadium has 16 luxury boxes, around both sides of the press box, which is directly behind home plate. It has also been proposed to construct a retractable roof for the new stadium which will allow for games to be played under inclement weather conditions.
Monument Park, which features the Yankees' retired numbers, five freestanding monuments, and a few dozen plaques dedicated to some of the Yankees' great players and managers (and Yankee Stadium visitors) beyond the left-center field wall, would be relocated to the new stadium. Based on designs revealed in 2005, the new Monument Park will be in center field, situated under a restaurant covered in black tinted glass, which would serve as the batter's eye.
FINANCING
Rather than the $800 million value affixed to the stadium (which is for only the stadium and not for the parking garages, highway improvements and other items associated with the construction), independent analysts have set the tab for the complete project closer to $1.3 billion. The city's share includes allowing the Yankees to occupy 22 acres of Macombs Dam Park and John Mullaly Park (which is already used for stadium parking on game days), and to build parking garages on those parks.
City-funded artificial surface will be placed on top of those parking garages to make up for the lost parkland. The city would retain ownership of the land, but would not charge the Yankees rent or property taxes. The city currently charges rent at Yankee Stadium; no sports teams pay property taxes in New York. In addition, the city would foot the bill for acquiring scattered parcels of land near the waterfront, about a half-mile away, and building smaller parks there, even though the project was precipitated by the Yankees' desire to acquire the current parkland. The cost of renovating the existing parkland would be about $25 million; building new parkland will cost $150 million. That cost includes demolition costs for the historic Yankee Stadium, which would be completely torn down. The building's destruction would be paid for entirely by the city and replaced with parkland. The city will also issue tax-exempt bonds for the Yankees' new stadium. The Yankees would repay those bonds with payments in lieu of taxes; the Yankees have not paid taxes.
New York state taxpayers will pay $70 million to help the Yankees build parking garages (as authorized by the State Legislature). The parking-garage project would cost $320 million. No one has specified who will be responsible for the remaining $250 million and where the parking proceeds will go. State taxpayers, through money that has accumulated from the MTA's budget since the 1980s, will also pay all of the costs of a train station on the Metro-North commuter railroad.
In addition to the public subsidies and billions of dollars of increased revenue, the Yankees will benefit from a change to Major League Baseball's 2002 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which allows teams to deduct new-stadium building costs from the revenue-sharing payments they make. For the Yankees, whose $200 million player payroll makes them the largest contributor to the revenue-sharing pool, this means 40 percent of their share of the price tag may be borne by the remaining 29 baseball teams. All told, the Yankees and the taxpayers can each expect to pay about $450 million, with the remaining costs to be shared among the other baseball teams.
Still, the cost of the stadium resulted in the Yankees opting against a design with a retractable-roof, even though New York's climate might make one appropriate.
While the stadium will have Yankee Stadium in its name, the team is considering the sale of partial naming rights. Possibilities include Yankee Stadium at (sponsor) Plaza, as well as naming gates similar to the practice at Cleveland Browns Stadium.[8]
read more
New Yankee Stadium is the working title for a new stadium for the New York Yankees, currently under construction. It will retain the Yankee Stadium moniker held by the current stadium, although Yankee President Randy Levine has stated that the naming rights may be sold and the park named "Yankee Stadium at (company name) Plaza".[1] This stadium is informally called Yankee Stadium III (The renovated stadium is considered Yankee Stadium II).
It is planned to be built on the current site of Macombs Dam Park in the New York City borough of the Bronx, across the street from the current Yankee Stadium, which it will replace. The existing stadium opened in 1923, making it the third oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use behind Fenway Park and Wrigley Field respectively.
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the stadium took place on August 16, 2006, the 58th anniversary of Babe Ruth's death, with team owner George Steinbrenner, Governor of New York George Pataki, Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg among the notables donning Yankees hard hats and digging up some dirt to mark the occasion.[2][3] The new facility has a planned 2009 opening (the same year as Citi Field, future home of the New York Mets).
DESIGN
The new stadium's design, by HOK Sport, consists of two separate structures. The exterior will be a wall circling the perimeter of the Yankees' new property, and will resemble the pre-renovation exterior of the original Yankee Stadium. The interior will be a modern ballpark, with increased modern amenities that have become a staple of every new ballpark since Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in 1992. It will feature a replica of the copper frieze (facade), that lined the inner wall of Yankee Stadium's upper deck until 1973. This lining was torn down during the 1974–75 renovations.
A replica of this frieze lines the portion of the original structure that was removed during those renovations, beyond the outfield wall. It is above the bleachers and faces River Avenue. The Yankees use this frieze as a marketing tool on television and in print, and have allowed the sporting-goods chain Modell's to use it, too.
Between the perimeter wall and the stadium will be an area that those in the Yankee organization are calling a "great hall," which would feature more than one million square feet of retail space, a significant increase from Yankee Stadium.
The field's dimensions will be identical to those at Yankee Stadium and at the Legends Field spring training / minor league baseball facility in Tampa, Florida. The new stadium will seat 51,000 fans, compared with 57,545 in Yankee Stadium (although that number does not include seating in luxury boxes). The new stadium's seating will be spaced outward in a bowl, rather than upward in stacked tiers, placing most fans further away from the field. Field-level seats will be near 30,000, compared with 20,000 in Yankee Stadium, and about 20,000 seats in the upper deck. Although nothing has been officially announced, the design of the new upper deck appears to have two distinct (and likely differently priced) sections, similar to the current Tier Box closer to the field and the Tier Reserve. There will be half as many bleacher seats as Yankee Stadium's 7,500, but 1,000 standing room spots will be added. In addition, there will be 60 luxury boxes between the two decks, replacing the loge section of the current stadium. Yankee Stadium has 16 luxury boxes, around both sides of the press box, which is directly behind home plate. It has also been proposed to construct a retractable roof for the new stadium which will allow for games to be played under inclement weather conditions.
Monument Park, which features the Yankees' retired numbers, five freestanding monuments, and a few dozen plaques dedicated to some of the Yankees' great players and managers (and Yankee Stadium visitors) beyond the left-center field wall, would be relocated to the new stadium. Based on designs revealed in 2005, the new Monument Park will be in center field, situated under a restaurant covered in black tinted glass, which would serve as the batter's eye.
FINANCING
Rather than the $800 million value affixed to the stadium (which is for only the stadium and not for the parking garages, highway improvements and other items associated with the construction), independent analysts have set the tab for the complete project closer to $1.3 billion. The city's share includes allowing the Yankees to occupy 22 acres of Macombs Dam Park and John Mullaly Park (which is already used for stadium parking on game days), and to build parking garages on those parks.
City-funded artificial surface will be placed on top of those parking garages to make up for the lost parkland. The city would retain ownership of the land, but would not charge the Yankees rent or property taxes. The city currently charges rent at Yankee Stadium; no sports teams pay property taxes in New York. In addition, the city would foot the bill for acquiring scattered parcels of land near the waterfront, about a half-mile away, and building smaller parks there, even though the project was precipitated by the Yankees' desire to acquire the current parkland. The cost of renovating the existing parkland would be about $25 million; building new parkland will cost $150 million. That cost includes demolition costs for the historic Yankee Stadium, which would be completely torn down. The building's destruction would be paid for entirely by the city and replaced with parkland. The city will also issue tax-exempt bonds for the Yankees' new stadium. The Yankees would repay those bonds with payments in lieu of taxes; the Yankees have not paid taxes.
New York state taxpayers will pay $70 million to help the Yankees build parking garages (as authorized by the State Legislature). The parking-garage project would cost $320 million. No one has specified who will be responsible for the remaining $250 million and where the parking proceeds will go. State taxpayers, through money that has accumulated from the MTA's budget since the 1980s, will also pay all of the costs of a train station on the Metro-North commuter railroad.
In addition to the public subsidies and billions of dollars of increased revenue, the Yankees will benefit from a change to Major League Baseball's 2002 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which allows teams to deduct new-stadium building costs from the revenue-sharing payments they make. For the Yankees, whose $200 million player payroll makes them the largest contributor to the revenue-sharing pool, this means 40 percent of their share of the price tag may be borne by the remaining 29 baseball teams. All told, the Yankees and the taxpayers can each expect to pay about $450 million, with the remaining costs to be shared among the other baseball teams.
Still, the cost of the stadium resulted in the Yankees opting against a design with a retractable-roof, even though New York's climate might make one appropriate.
While the stadium will have Yankee Stadium in its name, the team is considering the sale of partial naming rights. Possibilities include Yankee Stadium at (sponsor) Plaza, as well as naming gates similar to the practice at Cleveland Browns Stadium.[8]
read more
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Guyana - Gossip
Reported by Robin Banks:
Nothing on the BMWs as yet also nothing is being done at the stadium right now. They might soon have to send in some sheep to eat the grass because I don't know where they are going to get the money to maintain the grounds.
Buddy's hotel seem to be doing well. CN Sharma's son is getting married and they are using the hall at Buddy's Hotel for part of the reception, how ironic is this? Also the Government seems to be sponsoring other events there to help Buddyman build up his revenue base.
Nothing on the BMWs as yet also nothing is being done at the stadium right now. They might soon have to send in some sheep to eat the grass because I don't know where they are going to get the money to maintain the grounds.
Buddy's hotel seem to be doing well. CN Sharma's son is getting married and they are using the hall at Buddy's Hotel for part of the reception, how ironic is this? Also the Government seems to be sponsoring other events there to help Buddyman build up his revenue base.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Brazil - Landing at Congonhas, Sau Paulo
Landing at Congonhas, Sau Paulo Brazil where TAM Airbus crashed into building and gas station at end of runway today during landing.
Guyana - Filthy old habits never left
The filthy old habits are back
Wednesday, July 18th 2007
Stabroek News
Dear Editor,
The ICC/CWC has come and gone, and the Georgetownians are once more face to face with reality.
The old inhabitants and habits are back with a bang. Bottles and paper bags are thrown from vehicles, the people of unsound mind have shed their clothing, and the garbage bins are once more under attack.
Refuse of all description and filth line those areas that were once pristine, during that brief illusionary period.
The alleyways and streets abound with the sound of music, as they gleefully accept our discarded food containers, carcasses, old furniture and other items.
THAG, the Ministry of Tourism and the M&CC must not let this golden opportunity to do something unusual go a begging. A jingle/song competition, especially for persons who are hard of hearing must be launched forthwith. The participant whose entry extols the virtues of living in such a city must be rewarded with a JF container of refuse collected from our streets and alleyways, and an all expense paid three nights and two days holiday at the Mandela Dump Site. Meals must be supplied by a rejected food vendor.
The runner-up must be given an extended tour of Le Repentir and Bourda cemeteries, culminating with a visit to Old 'Smoky'.
Yours faithfully,
C S Vaughn MSM
Major (rtd)
Link
Note: Stadium landscaping and parking lot yet to be finished, BMWs yet to be sold.
Wednesday, July 18th 2007
Stabroek News
Dear Editor,
The ICC/CWC has come and gone, and the Georgetownians are once more face to face with reality.
The old inhabitants and habits are back with a bang. Bottles and paper bags are thrown from vehicles, the people of unsound mind have shed their clothing, and the garbage bins are once more under attack.
Refuse of all description and filth line those areas that were once pristine, during that brief illusionary period.
The alleyways and streets abound with the sound of music, as they gleefully accept our discarded food containers, carcasses, old furniture and other items.
THAG, the Ministry of Tourism and the M&CC must not let this golden opportunity to do something unusual go a begging. A jingle/song competition, especially for persons who are hard of hearing must be launched forthwith. The participant whose entry extols the virtues of living in such a city must be rewarded with a JF container of refuse collected from our streets and alleyways, and an all expense paid three nights and two days holiday at the Mandela Dump Site. Meals must be supplied by a rejected food vendor.
The runner-up must be given an extended tour of Le Repentir and Bourda cemeteries, culminating with a visit to Old 'Smoky'.
Yours faithfully,
C S Vaughn MSM
Major (rtd)
Link
Note: Stadium landscaping and parking lot yet to be finished, BMWs yet to be sold.
Guyana - Bharat's Missing Wheels
Bharat's Missing Wheels - BMWs where are they, who got them? Enquiring minds want to know the shady details of this so called auction.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Bollywood to Hollywood
Monday, July 16, 2007
Guyana - Jacka$$ braying again
Sugar workers for IT training
Monday, July 16th 2007
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud said government is aiming to ensure that more than 80% of the population is information technology (IT) literate by 2010 and sugar workers will also be trained in this area......read more
These donkeys in Government can't even provide water and electricity much less IT Technology. The only way sugar workers will become (IT) literate is when they migrate or backtrack to the US and have to fill out a computerized job application on the internet to work at Home Depot.
Monday, July 16th 2007
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud said government is aiming to ensure that more than 80% of the population is information technology (IT) literate by 2010 and sugar workers will also be trained in this area......read more
These donkeys in Government can't even provide water and electricity much less IT Technology. The only way sugar workers will become (IT) literate is when they migrate or backtrack to the US and have to fill out a computerized job application on the internet to work at Home Depot.
Guyana - Studies of Guyana's Eco-No-Money
What do recent studies of the Guyana economy reveal?
Extracted from Stabroek News
Dr. Clive Thomas
Sunday, June 24th 2007
Five major studies
We are at a stage of the discussion of recent economic growth and the role that policy plays where a brief review of recent research findings would be useful to readers. There have been published in recent years, as far as I have been able to establish, at least five substantial studies on growth accounting for the Guyanese economy. I have not included studies which have been presented at conferences and seminars, and are not formally published and made widely available.
The five studies are the product of research done by staffers and/or consultants working for the International Financial Institutions (IFIs). They are rich in detail and varied in their coverage over a long span of years from 1950-2004. The longest period covered in the five studies is from 1953-2000 and the shortest from 1991-2004. Several of the studies consider sub-periods, usually about a decade long. Thus one study from the IMF considers four sub-periods namely, the pre-independence period 1953-1965; the period of early independence 1966-1975; the period of planned economy 1976-1988 and the reform period 1989-2000. Additionally, in this study the results are computed for the overall period 1953-2000.
This sub-periodisation, as that listed above indicates, facilitates meaningful comparisons over time and produces results which provide insights into the operation of the Guyanese economy at various stages. The IMF study is entitled, Guyana Experience with Macroeconomic Stabilization, Structural Adjustment, and Poverty Reduction (Egoume-Bossogo et al 2003). This study shows that for the entire period (1953-2000) the contribution of total factor productivity to growth was negative. This was also true for all the sub-periods of the study, except the period of early independence (1966-1975).
Such results indicate that productivity declines were consistently hampering the growth of GDP. Thus for the period as a whole, GDP grew at 2.9% per annum, while investment grew at 7.9% per annum, and labour grew at 1.4% per annum. If the decline in total factor productivity had not occurred, GDP would have grown at the handsome annual rate of 4.9% instead. There are varying results among these five studies. Further, some of the studies also provide useful comparative data for other economies in similar periods. For example, one World Bank Study provides comparative data for Caricom economies and in another for the Caribbean and Latin America......read more
Extracted from Stabroek News
Dr. Clive Thomas
Sunday, June 24th 2007
Five major studies
We are at a stage of the discussion of recent economic growth and the role that policy plays where a brief review of recent research findings would be useful to readers. There have been published in recent years, as far as I have been able to establish, at least five substantial studies on growth accounting for the Guyanese economy. I have not included studies which have been presented at conferences and seminars, and are not formally published and made widely available.
The five studies are the product of research done by staffers and/or consultants working for the International Financial Institutions (IFIs). They are rich in detail and varied in their coverage over a long span of years from 1950-2004. The longest period covered in the five studies is from 1953-2000 and the shortest from 1991-2004. Several of the studies consider sub-periods, usually about a decade long. Thus one study from the IMF considers four sub-periods namely, the pre-independence period 1953-1965; the period of early independence 1966-1975; the period of planned economy 1976-1988 and the reform period 1989-2000. Additionally, in this study the results are computed for the overall period 1953-2000.
This sub-periodisation, as that listed above indicates, facilitates meaningful comparisons over time and produces results which provide insights into the operation of the Guyanese economy at various stages. The IMF study is entitled, Guyana Experience with Macroeconomic Stabilization, Structural Adjustment, and Poverty Reduction (Egoume-Bossogo et al 2003). This study shows that for the entire period (1953-2000) the contribution of total factor productivity to growth was negative. This was also true for all the sub-periods of the study, except the period of early independence (1966-1975).
Such results indicate that productivity declines were consistently hampering the growth of GDP. Thus for the period as a whole, GDP grew at 2.9% per annum, while investment grew at 7.9% per annum, and labour grew at 1.4% per annum. If the decline in total factor productivity had not occurred, GDP would have grown at the handsome annual rate of 4.9% instead. There are varying results among these five studies. Further, some of the studies also provide useful comparative data for other economies in similar periods. For example, one World Bank Study provides comparative data for Caricom economies and in another for the Caribbean and Latin America......read more
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Guyana - Lacklustre economic performance
Stabroek News, July 15,2007
What precisely was responsible for Guyana 's lacklustre economic performance in recent years?
Dear Editor,
On the Guyana Gazette website, an interesting interchange got started on what actually triggered the economic decline experienced after the solid economic growth years made possible by the Economic Recovery Programme policies of the Hoyte administration.
One school of thought says that it was the failure of the PPP regime (under Presidents Cheddi and Janet Jagan, and Bharrat Jagdeo) to come up with visionary economic policies to attract private investments.
Another school of thought has it that the PNC's street demonstrations and protests that often turned violently ugly contributed in no small measure to keeping investors, especially foreign ones, away.
But can it be possible that both schools of thought have some merit in this discussion?
In one graph posted on the website by a forum member, and sourced to the IMF and Bank of Guyana, the Real GDP growth rates for the years 1985 through 1992, the years Desmond Hoyte was President, showed four years of negative and four years of positive growth.
However, it appears as though the Hoyte ERP policies that began before he lost power in 1992, seemed to have been working, with1991 showing a remarkable economic turn around that literally became the beginning of a stretch of positive growth that peaked in 1994, and then precipitously declined under the new PPP regime until 1997, the year Dr. Cheddi Jagan passed.
Ironically, in 1998, one year after Mrs. Jagan took over as President, the GDP went south, and started a short stretch of fluctuations (none of which ever came near the record growths that started in 1991) with 2005, the last year for which figures were available at the time, showing negative growth.
Again, the question is: What precisely was responsible for Guyana 's lacklustre economic performance in recent years? Was it the PPP's socialist-oriented economic policies or lack of business-oriented approach to economic recovery and development? Was it the PNC's ill-advised street shenanigans that turned ugly fast? Or was it a combination of both?
I have also been of the opinion that major investments are crucial to Guyana's recovery and development, with the private sector playing the role of the engine the drives the recovery and growth.
According to a second graph posted on the Guyana Gazette website's discussion forum, and sourced to Bank of Guyana, our country's Private Investment Rate for a 20-year period starting in 1985 (the year Hoyte became President) showed a dramatic increase, peaking in 1992 (the year Hoyte lost to Jagan), and then precipitously declining until 2005, the last year for which figures were available at the time.
As before, what precisely was responsible for the decline in private investments? Was it the PPP's socialist-oriented economic policies or lack of business-oriented approach to economic recovery and development? Was it the PNC's ill-advised street shenanigans that turned ugly fast? Or was it a combination of both?
Mr. Editor, we are all aware that major investors always prefer a stable political and social climate before investing, and the PNC-inspired protests and demonstrations arguably did not inspire foreign investors' confidence in this regard. But it has been a long time since the PNC called off those activities, so what happened to the economy afterwards?
This brings us to the PPP which, after gaining power in 1992, made it known that it remains irrevocably committed to the socialist ideology, an ideology that obviously cost it political power in the sixties and an ideology that has failed disastrously.
But even though this ideology nobly emphasises the equitable distribution of wealth, it's not an ideology that emphasises the generation of wealth. At least not from what I've seen so far in Guyana .
But then again, the PPP regime probably has its own concept of what constitutes wealth generation, because the regime seems to favour debt reliefs and write-offs in exchange for fresh loans that it dispenses on various projects and programmes for which it takes political credit.
Then there is the troubling report by one international lending institution that the informal economy is responsible for 60 percent of the overall economy.
Here, it's either the PPP is oblivious to the role of non-traditional economic performing factors or it has given tacit approval to their roles in keeping the economy ‘buoyant' in its eyes.
If the PPP is interested, then it should be advised that true wealth generation comes through the tried and proven encouragement of increased private investments to create jobs and increase gross domestic production; not what now passes for non-traditional factors like remittances, barrels, and drug-related money launderings investments.
Someone has to also advise the PPP regime that it cannot gain traction in areas of serious concern to national life by spending quality time focusing on petty and non productive issues, which it seems to champion with ease and glee.
Emile Mervin
What precisely was responsible for Guyana 's lacklustre economic performance in recent years?
Dear Editor,
On the Guyana Gazette website, an interesting interchange got started on what actually triggered the economic decline experienced after the solid economic growth years made possible by the Economic Recovery Programme policies of the Hoyte administration.
One school of thought says that it was the failure of the PPP regime (under Presidents Cheddi and Janet Jagan, and Bharrat Jagdeo) to come up with visionary economic policies to attract private investments.
Another school of thought has it that the PNC's street demonstrations and protests that often turned violently ugly contributed in no small measure to keeping investors, especially foreign ones, away.
But can it be possible that both schools of thought have some merit in this discussion?
In one graph posted on the website by a forum member, and sourced to the IMF and Bank of Guyana, the Real GDP growth rates for the years 1985 through 1992, the years Desmond Hoyte was President, showed four years of negative and four years of positive growth.
However, it appears as though the Hoyte ERP policies that began before he lost power in 1992, seemed to have been working, with1991 showing a remarkable economic turn around that literally became the beginning of a stretch of positive growth that peaked in 1994, and then precipitously declined under the new PPP regime until 1997, the year Dr. Cheddi Jagan passed.
Ironically, in 1998, one year after Mrs. Jagan took over as President, the GDP went south, and started a short stretch of fluctuations (none of which ever came near the record growths that started in 1991) with 2005, the last year for which figures were available at the time, showing negative growth.
Again, the question is: What precisely was responsible for Guyana 's lacklustre economic performance in recent years? Was it the PPP's socialist-oriented economic policies or lack of business-oriented approach to economic recovery and development? Was it the PNC's ill-advised street shenanigans that turned ugly fast? Or was it a combination of both?
I have also been of the opinion that major investments are crucial to Guyana's recovery and development, with the private sector playing the role of the engine the drives the recovery and growth.
According to a second graph posted on the Guyana Gazette website's discussion forum, and sourced to Bank of Guyana, our country's Private Investment Rate for a 20-year period starting in 1985 (the year Hoyte became President) showed a dramatic increase, peaking in 1992 (the year Hoyte lost to Jagan), and then precipitously declining until 2005, the last year for which figures were available at the time.
As before, what precisely was responsible for the decline in private investments? Was it the PPP's socialist-oriented economic policies or lack of business-oriented approach to economic recovery and development? Was it the PNC's ill-advised street shenanigans that turned ugly fast? Or was it a combination of both?
Mr. Editor, we are all aware that major investors always prefer a stable political and social climate before investing, and the PNC-inspired protests and demonstrations arguably did not inspire foreign investors' confidence in this regard. But it has been a long time since the PNC called off those activities, so what happened to the economy afterwards?
This brings us to the PPP which, after gaining power in 1992, made it known that it remains irrevocably committed to the socialist ideology, an ideology that obviously cost it political power in the sixties and an ideology that has failed disastrously.
But even though this ideology nobly emphasises the equitable distribution of wealth, it's not an ideology that emphasises the generation of wealth. At least not from what I've seen so far in Guyana .
But then again, the PPP regime probably has its own concept of what constitutes wealth generation, because the regime seems to favour debt reliefs and write-offs in exchange for fresh loans that it dispenses on various projects and programmes for which it takes political credit.
Then there is the troubling report by one international lending institution that the informal economy is responsible for 60 percent of the overall economy.
Here, it's either the PPP is oblivious to the role of non-traditional economic performing factors or it has given tacit approval to their roles in keeping the economy ‘buoyant' in its eyes.
If the PPP is interested, then it should be advised that true wealth generation comes through the tried and proven encouragement of increased private investments to create jobs and increase gross domestic production; not what now passes for non-traditional factors like remittances, barrels, and drug-related money launderings investments.
Someone has to also advise the PPP regime that it cannot gain traction in areas of serious concern to national life by spending quality time focusing on petty and non productive issues, which it seems to champion with ease and glee.
Emile Mervin
Guyana - This is how the Berbicians are running away from the PPP
Backtracking thrives: Guyanese pay as much as $3.6M to leave
By Nigel Williams
Stabroek News
Sunday, July 15th 2007
Backtracking to the United States and other countries continues to thrive with Guyanese paying operators as much as $3.6M (US$18,000) to secure false US, British or Canadian travel documents and one former operator admitted that he had paid bribes to immigration staff and other officials to facilitate his illegal trade.
Vulnerable Berbicians
The operator said that Berbicians, especially those residing in the far-flung communities, were the ones most vulnerable to the illegal business and conmen usually capitalized on this. He gave an example where persons were making false DPL number plates, putting them on a shiny looking car, dressing in suits and going into communities in the Corentyne selling fake visas while pretending to be diplomats working at the US embassy. He said that scores of persons had been tricked by this ploy since most of the time the conmen would use a Caucasian to play the US diplomat.
Economic hardship
Asked why so many persons were so keen to leave the country, the former operator said that the people he had spoken to complained about economic hardship and their inability to live comfortably with their earnings. He said many saw the US and other developed countries as the only way they could survive and have a decent standard of living. Thousands of Guyanese have left these shores every year for different destinations. Hundreds migrated to some of the Caribbean islands such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua where they found employment and would eventually settle........read more
By Nigel Williams
Stabroek News
Sunday, July 15th 2007
Backtracking to the United States and other countries continues to thrive with Guyanese paying operators as much as $3.6M (US$18,000) to secure false US, British or Canadian travel documents and one former operator admitted that he had paid bribes to immigration staff and other officials to facilitate his illegal trade.
Vulnerable Berbicians
The operator said that Berbicians, especially those residing in the far-flung communities, were the ones most vulnerable to the illegal business and conmen usually capitalized on this. He gave an example where persons were making false DPL number plates, putting them on a shiny looking car, dressing in suits and going into communities in the Corentyne selling fake visas while pretending to be diplomats working at the US embassy. He said that scores of persons had been tricked by this ploy since most of the time the conmen would use a Caucasian to play the US diplomat.
Economic hardship
Asked why so many persons were so keen to leave the country, the former operator said that the people he had spoken to complained about economic hardship and their inability to live comfortably with their earnings. He said many saw the US and other developed countries as the only way they could survive and have a decent standard of living. Thousands of Guyanese have left these shores every year for different destinations. Hundreds migrated to some of the Caribbean islands such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua where they found employment and would eventually settle........read more
Friday, July 13, 2007
Guyana - Musings
By Owen Banks:
On BMWs:
I saw BMWs used when the Chinese visitors were here, don't know what happened, they should have been sold by now.
On Freddie Kissoon:
Freddie is like a CN Sharma, they have their merits but a lot of what they talk is fluff if you know what I mean, they use a lot of words to say little, just like I did in this sentence. I think Freddie has an inferiority complex, it appears he feels as if people are looking at him and are talking about him. So he probably takes everything personally. I don't think the President should have wasted any energies responding to him but it shows how petty people can be. If he the President wanted to know Freddie's academic papers or whatever else qualifications, all he has to do is get his records from UG and not make a big deal about it. But Freddie has really caused a lot of people to respond negatively to the President after these recent letter writings.
On weather:
Hey did you read about the storm that hit us on Saturday - the Perfect Storm? It was terrible according to Guyana's standards and we are expecting another Perfect one this weekend.
On BMWs:
I saw BMWs used when the Chinese visitors were here, don't know what happened, they should have been sold by now.
On Freddie Kissoon:
Freddie is like a CN Sharma, they have their merits but a lot of what they talk is fluff if you know what I mean, they use a lot of words to say little, just like I did in this sentence. I think Freddie has an inferiority complex, it appears he feels as if people are looking at him and are talking about him. So he probably takes everything personally. I don't think the President should have wasted any energies responding to him but it shows how petty people can be. If he the President wanted to know Freddie's academic papers or whatever else qualifications, all he has to do is get his records from UG and not make a big deal about it. But Freddie has really caused a lot of people to respond negatively to the President after these recent letter writings.
On weather:
Hey did you read about the storm that hit us on Saturday - the Perfect Storm? It was terrible according to Guyana's standards and we are expecting another Perfect one this weekend.
US - $30 Alternative to overpriced iPod
TrekStor i.Beat cebrax [FM] mp3 player
Playback functions
-Playable file formats: MP3, WMA, WAV
-Integrated stereo FM radio²
-Folder navigation
Hardware
-Brilliant graphic LC display with backlighting
-Maximum 2 GB - space for approx. 40 albums
-Maximum operating period of approx. 10 hours (1 x AAA battery)
-Integrated voice recorder to record notes
-Easy to hold soft-touch housing
Recording
-Directly record from radio² (as WAV)
-Record voice from integrated voice recorder (as WAV)
Additional functions
-30 radio station presets² with automatic station search
-6 predefined equalizer
-Shuffle function
-Intro function
-Resume function (continue where you stopped when the device was turned off)
-Files can be deleted directly on the player
-Automatic shut-off with sleep timer function
Connections
-Earphone jack
-USB connection for fast data transfer
Link
Playback functions
-Playable file formats: MP3, WMA, WAV
-Integrated stereo FM radio²
-Folder navigation
Hardware
-Brilliant graphic LC display with backlighting
-Maximum 2 GB - space for approx. 40 albums
-Maximum operating period of approx. 10 hours (1 x AAA battery)
-Integrated voice recorder to record notes
-Easy to hold soft-touch housing
Recording
-Directly record from radio² (as WAV)
-Record voice from integrated voice recorder (as WAV)
Additional functions
-30 radio station presets² with automatic station search
-6 predefined equalizer
-Shuffle function
-Intro function
-Resume function (continue where you stopped when the device was turned off)
-Files can be deleted directly on the player
-Automatic shut-off with sleep timer function
Connections
-Earphone jack
-USB connection for fast data transfer
Link
president bush + president jagdeo
Hmmm who is President Jagdeo...is one of the comments on this video on youtube.
Well he is our Goady President from Guyana who don't like sleaze balls.
England - Tintin comic books create controversy
By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press Writer Thu Jul 12, 9:16 PM ET
LONDON - Borders is removing "Tintin in the Congo" from the children's section of its British stores, after a customer complained the comic work was racist, the company said Thursday.
David Enright, a London-based human-rights lawyer, was shopping at Borders with his family when he came upon the book, first published in 1931, and opened it to find what he characterized as racist abuse.
"The material suggests to (children) that Africans are subhuman, that they are imbeciles, that they're half savage," Enright said in a telephone interview.
"My black wife, who actually comes from Africa originally, is sitting there with my boys and I'm about to hand this book to them.... What message am I sending to them? That my wife is a monkey, that they are monkeys?"
The book is the second in a series of 23 tracing the adventures of Tintin, an intrepid reporter, and his dog, Snowy. The series has sold 220 million copies worldwide and been translated in 77 languages.
But "Tintin in the Congo" has been widely criticized as racist by fans and critics alike.
In it, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi depicts the white hero's adventures in the Congo against the backdrop of an idiotic, chimpanzee-like native population that eventually comes to worship Tintin — and his dog — as gods.
Remi later said he was embarrassed by the book, and some editions have had the more objectionable content removed. When an unexpurgated edition was brought out in Britain in 2005, it came wrapped with a warning and was written with a forward explaining the work's colonial context.
Enright, who said he first complained to Borders and Britain's Commission for Racial Equality about a month ago, argued such a warning was not enough.
"Whether it's got a piece of flimsy paper around it or not, it's irrelevant, it's in the children's section," he said, adding that he felt the book should be treated like pornography or anti-Semitic literature and not displayed in mainstream bookstores at all.
Borders agreed to move the book to its adult graphic novels section, but said in a statement it would continue to sell it.
The Commission for Racial Equality backed Enright, saying in a statement Thursday that the book was full of "hideous racial prejudice."
"The only place that it might be acceptable for this to be displayed would be in a museum, with a big sign saying `old fashioned, racist claptrap.'"
Link
Blogger's note:
I grew up on my fair share of Tintin comics back in the days when these were sold at GNTC (Guyana National Trading Company) or you could have borrowed them from the Main Street Public library along with the Asterix & Commando comics. Of course most of us borrowed since we could not afford to buy the new ones, only the wealthy folks could do that. These books were like gold back in the days so you either borrowed from the library or traded with others or in the Kitty Market.
LONDON - Borders is removing "Tintin in the Congo" from the children's section of its British stores, after a customer complained the comic work was racist, the company said Thursday.
David Enright, a London-based human-rights lawyer, was shopping at Borders with his family when he came upon the book, first published in 1931, and opened it to find what he characterized as racist abuse.
"The material suggests to (children) that Africans are subhuman, that they are imbeciles, that they're half savage," Enright said in a telephone interview.
"My black wife, who actually comes from Africa originally, is sitting there with my boys and I'm about to hand this book to them.... What message am I sending to them? That my wife is a monkey, that they are monkeys?"
The book is the second in a series of 23 tracing the adventures of Tintin, an intrepid reporter, and his dog, Snowy. The series has sold 220 million copies worldwide and been translated in 77 languages.
But "Tintin in the Congo" has been widely criticized as racist by fans and critics alike.
In it, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi depicts the white hero's adventures in the Congo against the backdrop of an idiotic, chimpanzee-like native population that eventually comes to worship Tintin — and his dog — as gods.
Remi later said he was embarrassed by the book, and some editions have had the more objectionable content removed. When an unexpurgated edition was brought out in Britain in 2005, it came wrapped with a warning and was written with a forward explaining the work's colonial context.
Enright, who said he first complained to Borders and Britain's Commission for Racial Equality about a month ago, argued such a warning was not enough.
"Whether it's got a piece of flimsy paper around it or not, it's irrelevant, it's in the children's section," he said, adding that he felt the book should be treated like pornography or anti-Semitic literature and not displayed in mainstream bookstores at all.
Borders agreed to move the book to its adult graphic novels section, but said in a statement it would continue to sell it.
The Commission for Racial Equality backed Enright, saying in a statement Thursday that the book was full of "hideous racial prejudice."
"The only place that it might be acceptable for this to be displayed would be in a museum, with a big sign saying `old fashioned, racist claptrap.'"
Link
Blogger's note:
I grew up on my fair share of Tintin comics back in the days when these were sold at GNTC (Guyana National Trading Company) or you could have borrowed them from the Main Street Public library along with the Asterix & Commando comics. Of course most of us borrowed since we could not afford to buy the new ones, only the wealthy folks could do that. These books were like gold back in the days so you either borrowed from the library or traded with others or in the Kitty Market.
Guyana - No report on these outstanding issues?
Issues:
-Sale of BMWs
-Paving and landscaping stadium parking lot and surroundings.
Solution:
Send the BMWs back to where they came from for a refund and whatever penalities and use the remaining money to pave and lanscape the stadium parking lot and surroundings.
-Sale of BMWs
-Paving and landscaping stadium parking lot and surroundings.
Solution:
Send the BMWs back to where they came from for a refund and whatever penalities and use the remaining money to pave and lanscape the stadium parking lot and surroundings.
Guyana - Traditional headWHERE debate or debacle?
Traditional British headwear
Dear Editor,
Here is photographic evidence that after all it was the British who invented the kerchief as headwear. This photograph (see below) was taken in 1895. Such traditional headwear was popular up to the 1970s at seaside resorts and at racing events - whenever the sun chose to briefly shine.
However its roots run much deeper: It was exported to India by the Marquess of Hastings, Viceroy to India 1813 to 1823 and proved a huge fashion hit among the Indian upper classes. The Marquess is also credited with introducing curry to the country. By the time of indentureship it had lost a lot of its cachet having been overtaken by the indigenous Indian headwear, the bowler hat.
The traditional kerchief was brought to Africa by Scottish explorer David Livingstone who looked so ridiculous in it that he was described by the natives as The Kubwa Mjinga, Swahili for a complete buffoon.
I hope this now stops all the claims for this headwear's provenance.
Editor's note: The correspondence on this topic is hereby closed.
link
Dear Editor,
Here is photographic evidence that after all it was the British who invented the kerchief as headwear. This photograph (see below) was taken in 1895. Such traditional headwear was popular up to the 1970s at seaside resorts and at racing events - whenever the sun chose to briefly shine.
However its roots run much deeper: It was exported to India by the Marquess of Hastings, Viceroy to India 1813 to 1823 and proved a huge fashion hit among the Indian upper classes. The Marquess is also credited with introducing curry to the country. By the time of indentureship it had lost a lot of its cachet having been overtaken by the indigenous Indian headwear, the bowler hat.
The traditional kerchief was brought to Africa by Scottish explorer David Livingstone who looked so ridiculous in it that he was described by the natives as The Kubwa Mjinga, Swahili for a complete buffoon.
I hope this now stops all the claims for this headwear's provenance.
Editor's note: The correspondence on this topic is hereby closed.
link
Guyana - One week of news headlines
One week of headlines July 1 to 8
"Pouderoyen restaurant raided"
"GDF private shot, after failed robbery"
"Bandits assault Berbice housewife"
"Armed bandits rob Chinese restauranteur"
"Bandits rob, attempt to kidnap two at Corentyne"
"Chef, miner robbed at gunpoint"
"Bandits tie up and rob Rose Hall couple"
"Armed men rob Corentyne liquor restaurant"
"Bandits rob City Mall"
While Minister "Rohee ups the ante against noise nuisance"
"Pouderoyen restaurant raided"
"GDF private shot, after failed robbery"
"Bandits assault Berbice housewife"
"Armed bandits rob Chinese restauranteur"
"Bandits rob, attempt to kidnap two at Corentyne"
"Chef, miner robbed at gunpoint"
"Bandits tie up and rob Rose Hall couple"
"Armed men rob Corentyne liquor restaurant"
"Bandits rob City Mall"
While Minister "Rohee ups the ante against noise nuisance"
Guyana - Guyanese Middle Class Survival Kit
The Survival Kit for the Guyanese Middle Class
-Private health
-Private education
-Private security
-Water tanks
-Generators
-Private transportation
-Sanity restoring vacations
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Guyana - President BJ has some big sleaze balls to deal with
Freddie Kissoon Column
07/11/07
Cussing out sleaze balls in the media
I wasn't surprised when I heard President Jagdeo used the term sleaze balls to describe some of us in the media. He never said that Frederick Kissoon is a sleaze ball but anyone with a primary school education would know that in the context in which the word was used, he referred to me.
So many people have met me since Friday, including many media colleagues, to tell me if I heard the President called me a sleaze ball. Of course NCN showed the press conference twice. The President did not particularly name me again when he exclaimed that he should cuss out the sleaze ball more often.
Again the context used could easily be interpreted that he should cuss out media functionaries like Freddie Kissoon more often.
As I wrote above, I was not in the least surprised at the President losing his cool. I saw it with Burnham and Hoyte. As the achievements they wished for as president kept eluding them, they became easily agitated by media reporting. What really pierced me was the President's choice of words.
Before last Friday, I would never have imagined that Mr. Jagdeo would resort to such unpresidential semantics. Secondly, given the rumours that have surrounded him since he became president and the words his detractors have used in connection with those rumours, you would expect that President Jagdeo would have been the last person to mouth off such socially unacceptable words.
One wonders if the President hasn't given CN Sharma license to descend to unsavoury criticism of the President himself after the choice of language. Look at the type of personal criticisms that come from that media house
Before moving off this topic, I should say that I doubt very much that Mr. Jagdeo's counterparts in CARICOM would have embraced that preference of nouns. I really can't see Owen Arthur or Patrick Manning speaking in those terms to describe media critics of their governments. President's Jagdeo's easy reach for scatological descriptions has certainly done nothing to enhance the image of Guyana in the US Embassy where Guyanese of all classes have to go through an enduring grilling; at the Barbados airport where Guyanese are willingly mistreated and among his Caribbean colleagues.
My humble advice to President Jagdeo is not to cuss his critics but to reply with analysis. Analysis at the end of the day will win hearts and minds. Cussing out is for people like Tony Vieira, CN Sharma, Eric Phillips and others.
Not finished with me, the Office of the President issued a press release yesterday in which it was stated that the Guyanese people are eagerly awaiting the list of academic papers I have done during my years at UG. I would gladly offer the President the document. But my submission has to be within a holistic framework.
The President has to ask those that he has installed at UG to show their scholarly balance-sheet alongside mine.
Important to note in this juxtaposition is that the President is under more moral obligation to ask his people to produce their productivity. After all, he went out of his way to put them there. Then he put them in a position where they controlled the purse string so they could have financed their research which today remains non-existent despite the University's finance that they have access to.
Before we move off of this topic, the President should extend a hand of recognition and respect to me. While he was working under the Hoyte Government at the State Planning Secretariat, I too had a public job under Mr. Hoyte's administration at UG. However, while at the State Planning Secretariat, I never heard about any strike Mr. Jagdeo called.
I never heard about any protest march he led. I never heard about his rebellion inside the State Planning Commission.
While Mr. Jagdeo was at the State Planning Secretariat in a quiet and unassuming mode, I was part of turbulent processions in the streets and strikes against the Hoyte Government instead of quietly doing my teaching and research at UG.
It was the State Planning Secretariat along with the Ministry of Finance of Mr. Hoyte's Government that gave us the 1989 budget. While as a university lecturer, I was arrested along with Mr. Jagdeo's Cabinet colleague, Clement Rohee, for protesting Hoyte's 1989 national budget and hauled off to Brickdam jail.
I should let Mr. Jagdeo know that at the same time I am tendering the list of my academic papers, I will also produce an evaluation of my political activities that finally led to the PPP (wrongly, of course) coming to power in 1992.
Finally, I suppose within this holistic debate, Mr. Jagdeo will offer some explanations of his own to the country that has been wondering about them for so long. What happened from 1999 onwards, when Mr. Jagdeo became President when Guyana failed to achieve economic growth?
Mr. Jagdeo became President at a time when Argentina was in the throes of economic disaster and violent conflagrations. Argentina had no money to pay back its interest on the national debt. The banks couldn't give out money to their customers that the customers had in their deposits. People were looking for food in the streets.
Today Argentina has left Guyana millions of miles behind. In 2005, growth rate was nine percent. Does this not remind you of the comparison between Malaysia and Guyana in 1966 when Guyana became independent? Guyana was ahead of Malaysia . Now Malaysia is on par with any of the rich countries in the world while Guyana is listed in the category of the eleven poorest on the globe.
So can the President tell us why no growth rate in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 and the years to follow?
Of course the whole country knows the answer. Since 1999, when Mr. Jagdeo became president, and onwards, Guyana has remained a stagnant economy. The reason is because the PNC has disrupted the social peace. And sleaze balls in the media keep giving Guyana a bad name. These sleaze balls have done more than that. They have been in charge of Guyana Airways Corporation. That is why it has collapsed.
They were in charge of the Berbice Bridge that is why it wasn't built in 2001 when the issue was made into an election campaign. More importantly, these sleaze balls have bankrupted GPL so we will have blackouts again.
This explains why these sleaze balls have to be cussed out often. Of course, there are other sleaze balls that sign bogus duty free letters; that illegally export wildlife; that steal public money. Those sleaze balls we call the Untouchables.
Link
Blogger's note:
President Bharat Jagdeo is sounding more and more like a Goady as the years go by. As no substantial progress is being made, the man is getting more and more crotchity especially since that Presidential moment in the Stadium Presidential suite where his Goady Excellency told some one to go down stairs in a fit of rage. Check out his other Goady partner begging the press to be fair and balanced.
07/11/07
Cussing out sleaze balls in the media
I wasn't surprised when I heard President Jagdeo used the term sleaze balls to describe some of us in the media. He never said that Frederick Kissoon is a sleaze ball but anyone with a primary school education would know that in the context in which the word was used, he referred to me.
So many people have met me since Friday, including many media colleagues, to tell me if I heard the President called me a sleaze ball. Of course NCN showed the press conference twice. The President did not particularly name me again when he exclaimed that he should cuss out the sleaze ball more often.
Again the context used could easily be interpreted that he should cuss out media functionaries like Freddie Kissoon more often.
As I wrote above, I was not in the least surprised at the President losing his cool. I saw it with Burnham and Hoyte. As the achievements they wished for as president kept eluding them, they became easily agitated by media reporting. What really pierced me was the President's choice of words.
Before last Friday, I would never have imagined that Mr. Jagdeo would resort to such unpresidential semantics. Secondly, given the rumours that have surrounded him since he became president and the words his detractors have used in connection with those rumours, you would expect that President Jagdeo would have been the last person to mouth off such socially unacceptable words.
One wonders if the President hasn't given CN Sharma license to descend to unsavoury criticism of the President himself after the choice of language. Look at the type of personal criticisms that come from that media house
Before moving off this topic, I should say that I doubt very much that Mr. Jagdeo's counterparts in CARICOM would have embraced that preference of nouns. I really can't see Owen Arthur or Patrick Manning speaking in those terms to describe media critics of their governments. President's Jagdeo's easy reach for scatological descriptions has certainly done nothing to enhance the image of Guyana in the US Embassy where Guyanese of all classes have to go through an enduring grilling; at the Barbados airport where Guyanese are willingly mistreated and among his Caribbean colleagues.
My humble advice to President Jagdeo is not to cuss his critics but to reply with analysis. Analysis at the end of the day will win hearts and minds. Cussing out is for people like Tony Vieira, CN Sharma, Eric Phillips and others.
Not finished with me, the Office of the President issued a press release yesterday in which it was stated that the Guyanese people are eagerly awaiting the list of academic papers I have done during my years at UG. I would gladly offer the President the document. But my submission has to be within a holistic framework.
The President has to ask those that he has installed at UG to show their scholarly balance-sheet alongside mine.
Important to note in this juxtaposition is that the President is under more moral obligation to ask his people to produce their productivity. After all, he went out of his way to put them there. Then he put them in a position where they controlled the purse string so they could have financed their research which today remains non-existent despite the University's finance that they have access to.
Before we move off of this topic, the President should extend a hand of recognition and respect to me. While he was working under the Hoyte Government at the State Planning Secretariat, I too had a public job under Mr. Hoyte's administration at UG. However, while at the State Planning Secretariat, I never heard about any strike Mr. Jagdeo called.
I never heard about any protest march he led. I never heard about his rebellion inside the State Planning Commission.
While Mr. Jagdeo was at the State Planning Secretariat in a quiet and unassuming mode, I was part of turbulent processions in the streets and strikes against the Hoyte Government instead of quietly doing my teaching and research at UG.
It was the State Planning Secretariat along with the Ministry of Finance of Mr. Hoyte's Government that gave us the 1989 budget. While as a university lecturer, I was arrested along with Mr. Jagdeo's Cabinet colleague, Clement Rohee, for protesting Hoyte's 1989 national budget and hauled off to Brickdam jail.
I should let Mr. Jagdeo know that at the same time I am tendering the list of my academic papers, I will also produce an evaluation of my political activities that finally led to the PPP (wrongly, of course) coming to power in 1992.
Finally, I suppose within this holistic debate, Mr. Jagdeo will offer some explanations of his own to the country that has been wondering about them for so long. What happened from 1999 onwards, when Mr. Jagdeo became President when Guyana failed to achieve economic growth?
Mr. Jagdeo became President at a time when Argentina was in the throes of economic disaster and violent conflagrations. Argentina had no money to pay back its interest on the national debt. The banks couldn't give out money to their customers that the customers had in their deposits. People were looking for food in the streets.
Today Argentina has left Guyana millions of miles behind. In 2005, growth rate was nine percent. Does this not remind you of the comparison between Malaysia and Guyana in 1966 when Guyana became independent? Guyana was ahead of Malaysia . Now Malaysia is on par with any of the rich countries in the world while Guyana is listed in the category of the eleven poorest on the globe.
So can the President tell us why no growth rate in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 and the years to follow?
Of course the whole country knows the answer. Since 1999, when Mr. Jagdeo became president, and onwards, Guyana has remained a stagnant economy. The reason is because the PNC has disrupted the social peace. And sleaze balls in the media keep giving Guyana a bad name. These sleaze balls have done more than that. They have been in charge of Guyana Airways Corporation. That is why it has collapsed.
They were in charge of the Berbice Bridge that is why it wasn't built in 2001 when the issue was made into an election campaign. More importantly, these sleaze balls have bankrupted GPL so we will have blackouts again.
This explains why these sleaze balls have to be cussed out often. Of course, there are other sleaze balls that sign bogus duty free letters; that illegally export wildlife; that steal public money. Those sleaze balls we call the Untouchables.
Link
Blogger's note:
President Bharat Jagdeo is sounding more and more like a Goady as the years go by. As no substantial progress is being made, the man is getting more and more crotchity especially since that Presidential moment in the Stadium Presidential suite where his Goady Excellency told some one to go down stairs in a fit of rage. Check out his other Goady partner begging the press to be fair and balanced.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
USA - Askville.com by Amazon
Askville is a friendly gathering place where you can ask questions on any topic and 'get real answers from real people'. It's a fun place to meet others with similar interests, share your knowledge, or just enjoy reading questions and answers submitted by others. It's new, it's fun, and it's free!
http://askville.amazon.com/askville/CIndex.do?id=3#answers
I asked this questions on Askville - Why is Guyana so screwed up?
Answer from Askville - Because it is run by a bunch of braying donkeys!!
http://askville.amazon.com/askville/CIndex.do?id=3#answers
I asked this questions on Askville - Why is Guyana so screwed up?
Answer from Askville - Because it is run by a bunch of braying donkeys!!
Guyana - Water woes - Severn Trent
GUYANA WATER MANAGEMENT CONTRACT
Severn Trent Water International (STWI) rejects the reasons given by the Board of Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) for the closure of the Management Contract. In our view, the decision is misconceived.
Much progress has been made towards meeting a number of demanding targets set for GWI performance in 2002. These include:
· significant improvements in water quality;
· reductions in non-billed water from 61% to 44%;
· hours of water supplied and system pressures provided to GWI customers increased by over 80%
· revenues increased from G$900m (UK£3m) in 2002 to record levels of G$1.7bn (UK£5.5m) in 2006;
· the successful introduction of a customer information and billing system (value UK£1.4m) which offers the prospect of further improved financial stability of GWI; and
· provision of a key part of the Government of Guyana’s emergency response to the 2005 floods and the highly effective delivery of emergency potable water for a 3 month period leading to fewer public health issues from the flooding than feared.
The achievement of many of the targets has been frustrated for a multitude of reasons:
· energy costs increasing by over 40% which, as nearly 70% of GWI’s costs are for power, severely limits the amount of water that GWI can afford to pump to customers;
· the effects of the disastrous flooding in 2005 and re-allocation of funds to meet these demands, delaying planned improvements with a direct impact on GWI’s ability to meet targets;
· the difficulty of recruiting and retaining suitably-qualified Guyanese staff and senior management, and
· the lack of timely local decision-making on STWI proposals, including approving investment and appointing key Guyanese management and technical staff.
As part of the transfer to an entirely local management team, STWI proposed a transition plan to facilitate an orderly handover and ensure the successes realised are secured for the future in a sustainable manner. This proposal was rejected by the Board of GWI.
STWI has provided water management services for nearly 20 years across the Caribbean and Americas, working with utilities in Mexico, Trinidad, Argentina, Peru and elsewhere. We are proud of the solid achievements and improvements that have been realised through our work with GWI during the past four years. GWI is now in a position to continue the drive to improve water services for the benefit of the people of Guyana, and STWI wish GWI and its management team well in that endeavour.
Note: for further details see:
http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56513948 http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56514091 http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56514219 http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56514455 http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56514734
Link
Severn Trent Water International (STWI) rejects the reasons given by the Board of Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) for the closure of the Management Contract. In our view, the decision is misconceived.
Much progress has been made towards meeting a number of demanding targets set for GWI performance in 2002. These include:
· significant improvements in water quality;
· reductions in non-billed water from 61% to 44%;
· hours of water supplied and system pressures provided to GWI customers increased by over 80%
· revenues increased from G$900m (UK£3m) in 2002 to record levels of G$1.7bn (UK£5.5m) in 2006;
· the successful introduction of a customer information and billing system (value UK£1.4m) which offers the prospect of further improved financial stability of GWI; and
· provision of a key part of the Government of Guyana’s emergency response to the 2005 floods and the highly effective delivery of emergency potable water for a 3 month period leading to fewer public health issues from the flooding than feared.
The achievement of many of the targets has been frustrated for a multitude of reasons:
· energy costs increasing by over 40% which, as nearly 70% of GWI’s costs are for power, severely limits the amount of water that GWI can afford to pump to customers;
· the effects of the disastrous flooding in 2005 and re-allocation of funds to meet these demands, delaying planned improvements with a direct impact on GWI’s ability to meet targets;
· the difficulty of recruiting and retaining suitably-qualified Guyanese staff and senior management, and
· the lack of timely local decision-making on STWI proposals, including approving investment and appointing key Guyanese management and technical staff.
As part of the transfer to an entirely local management team, STWI proposed a transition plan to facilitate an orderly handover and ensure the successes realised are secured for the future in a sustainable manner. This proposal was rejected by the Board of GWI.
STWI has provided water management services for nearly 20 years across the Caribbean and Americas, working with utilities in Mexico, Trinidad, Argentina, Peru and elsewhere. We are proud of the solid achievements and improvements that have been realised through our work with GWI during the past four years. GWI is now in a position to continue the drive to improve water services for the benefit of the people of Guyana, and STWI wish GWI and its management team well in that endeavour.
Note: for further details see:
http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56513948 http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56514091 http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56514219 http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56514455 http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56514734
Link
Third World - Water
......Whether simple or sophisticated, most water treatment systems mimic the natural purification processes of rivers and wetlands.
In the United States and Europe, water treatment is administered by municipal agencies with state and federal support and oversight, a system that works “exceedingly well,” said Haddad.
But the export of that model to the Third World 30 years ago--with the addition of a layer of supervision by multilateral agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)--has failed, said Haddad.
Among the reasons WHO and UNEP cite when explaining their lack of progress on Third World water delivery are:
• Developing countries lack the expertise and funds to run the systems;
• Countries have no way to make people pay their water bills;
• Foreign aid is often inadequate and frequently dissipates before it reaches its intended destination;
• Cities refuse to expand services outside their borders, where populations are booming;
• Insufficient political commitment at all levels;
• Rampant corruption.
“This is the same litany we’ve been hearing, and it hasn’t changed for 30 years. We need to admit that the model isn’t working--technically, financially, politically, or institutionally,” said Haddad.
Suggesting that multilateral agencies might have a conflict of interest on water issues, Haddad called for a paradigm shift in the way the problem is addressed.
“Maybe governments aren’t the right entity,” he said. “Maybe the United States and Europe are the anomaly. Maybe we’re the weird ones because our systems actually work.”
Pipelines are problematic because users tap them illegally, and truck deliveries are rejected as unsanitary and dependent on unreliable sources of water, said Haddad, who then challenged himself to think “outside the box.” Looking at other models for the continuous distribution of goods and services to large numbers of people, Haddad is considering everything from the delivery of rural health care to street markets for illegal drugs. In the process, he is becaming convinced that smaller-scale systems focused on the end user would be more successful than a top-down approach administered by governments. Haddad noted that other UCSC professors, including sociologist Ben Crow, are developing this concept of small-scale end-user water treatment.
Inexpensive water purification systems that let users pour rainwater through a filter--“like you use when you go camping”--would be cheap, manageable, and low-tech, said Haddad. In addition, it would minimize the risk of contamination because water would be purified immediately prior to use.
“It’s a solution that can scale up and help millions of people,” said Haddad, adding that a coalition of environmentalists in the United States, nongovernmental organizations in developing countries, and private-sector developers of innovative pump and filter technologies could work together to “address this problem in novel ways.” .............read more
In the United States and Europe, water treatment is administered by municipal agencies with state and federal support and oversight, a system that works “exceedingly well,” said Haddad.
But the export of that model to the Third World 30 years ago--with the addition of a layer of supervision by multilateral agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)--has failed, said Haddad.
Among the reasons WHO and UNEP cite when explaining their lack of progress on Third World water delivery are:
• Developing countries lack the expertise and funds to run the systems;
• Countries have no way to make people pay their water bills;
• Foreign aid is often inadequate and frequently dissipates before it reaches its intended destination;
• Cities refuse to expand services outside their borders, where populations are booming;
• Insufficient political commitment at all levels;
• Rampant corruption.
“This is the same litany we’ve been hearing, and it hasn’t changed for 30 years. We need to admit that the model isn’t working--technically, financially, politically, or institutionally,” said Haddad.
Suggesting that multilateral agencies might have a conflict of interest on water issues, Haddad called for a paradigm shift in the way the problem is addressed.
“Maybe governments aren’t the right entity,” he said. “Maybe the United States and Europe are the anomaly. Maybe we’re the weird ones because our systems actually work.”
Pipelines are problematic because users tap them illegally, and truck deliveries are rejected as unsanitary and dependent on unreliable sources of water, said Haddad, who then challenged himself to think “outside the box.” Looking at other models for the continuous distribution of goods and services to large numbers of people, Haddad is considering everything from the delivery of rural health care to street markets for illegal drugs. In the process, he is becaming convinced that smaller-scale systems focused on the end user would be more successful than a top-down approach administered by governments. Haddad noted that other UCSC professors, including sociologist Ben Crow, are developing this concept of small-scale end-user water treatment.
Inexpensive water purification systems that let users pour rainwater through a filter--“like you use when you go camping”--would be cheap, manageable, and low-tech, said Haddad. In addition, it would minimize the risk of contamination because water would be purified immediately prior to use.
“It’s a solution that can scale up and help millions of people,” said Haddad, adding that a coalition of environmentalists in the United States, nongovernmental organizations in developing countries, and private-sector developers of innovative pump and filter technologies could work together to “address this problem in novel ways.” .............read more
Guyana - This is PPP Progress
WATER supply to the city was back to normal yesterday afternoon following a rectification of the electrical problem which all but crippled regular flow since Saturday, the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) reported.
It said normal water supply was restored around 17:00h yesterday, following the replenishing of the GWI Shelter-Belt reservoir.
GWI, in a statement, extended its appreciation to the Guyana Power & Light Incorporated (GPL), its technical teams and Public Relations Department, for their continued co-operation and tireless efforts in ensuring that the electrical problem was rectified.
The water company also extended its appreciation to all its customers hit by the water woes over the weekend, for their co-operation and understanding.
Following a storm Saturday afternoon, GWI said a transformer supplying its Shelter-Belt Water Treatment Plant experienced a malfunction.
GWI, during a news briefing yesterday morning, said further investigation revealed that internal electrical components of the treatment plant were also damaged due to the storm.
The company, however, lauded GPL for its prompt response Sunday morning to rectify the damaged transformer, which is now fully functional.
GWI noted that a specialist team was required to repair the internal electrical component yesterday.
Public Relations Officer of GWI, Mr. Timothy Austin told reporters the company has mobilised stand-by generators and is assisting key institutions such as the Woodlands Hospital and the Amerindian Hostel with water supply.
He said the company has received a 5,000 gallon water tanker from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), and will be delivering water to affected areas such as Albouystown and D' Urban Street.
Stand-by generators were also providing water at 5 PSI (pounds per square inch) to some parts of the city, while customers near the Shelter-Belt were receiving water at stand-pipe level during the early part of yesterday, he reported.
In addition, Austin said GWI is procuring generators to further alleviate the situation and has deployed teams to assess the level of service in the distribution network.
Contrary to reports in some media, GWI said it had informed customers of Georgetown of the water supply disruption on National Communications Network (NCN) and NCN radio.
It appealed to customers to desist from breaking mains or tampering with service connections as this would further prolong a return to normal distribution levels.
Stink
If this sort of thing happened once in a while then it could be forgiven, but having it occur week after week, month after month, year after year and of all places in the city, then it becomes extremely annoying not to mention hampering the development of the country. Could you imagine what the far flung areas in Guyana have to deal with?
It said normal water supply was restored around 17:00h yesterday, following the replenishing of the GWI Shelter-Belt reservoir.
GWI, in a statement, extended its appreciation to the Guyana Power & Light Incorporated (GPL), its technical teams and Public Relations Department, for their continued co-operation and tireless efforts in ensuring that the electrical problem was rectified.
The water company also extended its appreciation to all its customers hit by the water woes over the weekend, for their co-operation and understanding.
Following a storm Saturday afternoon, GWI said a transformer supplying its Shelter-Belt Water Treatment Plant experienced a malfunction.
GWI, during a news briefing yesterday morning, said further investigation revealed that internal electrical components of the treatment plant were also damaged due to the storm.
The company, however, lauded GPL for its prompt response Sunday morning to rectify the damaged transformer, which is now fully functional.
GWI noted that a specialist team was required to repair the internal electrical component yesterday.
Public Relations Officer of GWI, Mr. Timothy Austin told reporters the company has mobilised stand-by generators and is assisting key institutions such as the Woodlands Hospital and the Amerindian Hostel with water supply.
He said the company has received a 5,000 gallon water tanker from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), and will be delivering water to affected areas such as Albouystown and D' Urban Street.
Stand-by generators were also providing water at 5 PSI (pounds per square inch) to some parts of the city, while customers near the Shelter-Belt were receiving water at stand-pipe level during the early part of yesterday, he reported.
In addition, Austin said GWI is procuring generators to further alleviate the situation and has deployed teams to assess the level of service in the distribution network.
Contrary to reports in some media, GWI said it had informed customers of Georgetown of the water supply disruption on National Communications Network (NCN) and NCN radio.
It appealed to customers to desist from breaking mains or tampering with service connections as this would further prolong a return to normal distribution levels.
Stink
If this sort of thing happened once in a while then it could be forgiven, but having it occur week after week, month after month, year after year and of all places in the city, then it becomes extremely annoying not to mention hampering the development of the country. Could you imagine what the far flung areas in Guyana have to deal with?
Monday, July 09, 2007
Guyana - This is what you get when you put a village idiot in charge of the country
Freddie Kissoon column
07/09/07
President Jagdeo is not going to stop me from talking to my country
It is less than a year but President Jagdeo has lashed out twice at me. His latest outburst occurred on Friday. People's psychology is a complex thing to understand. I suspect that when President Jagdeo is at his press conferences, he gets a false sense of security. His audience consists of young journalists, many of whom are employed by the state so they are Mr. Jagdeo's employees and would not take him on.
Also many are untrained journalists not ready to force the issue with the President out of fear that they will be embarrassed.
So Mr. Jagdeo is on safe ground. He can attack whoever he wants to but the person is not there to counter Mr. Jagdeo's fictional account of his government's achievements. The mounting faults of his seven-year rule of Guyana are not even whispered about at his press conferences. So Mr. Jagdeo is on top and he feels and talks as a confident president presiding over a success story.
His audience cannot and will not tell him that it is a mirage. But the commentator, the analyst and the economist can. So Mr. Jagdeo avoids them. He is happy to operate on the turf of his press conference.
In none of the elections in which Mr. Jagdeo was a presidential candidate did he accept a debating invitation. Every single presidential candidate turned up at UG, then at the Hotel Tower in 2001 to debate each other. The missing figure was Mr. Jagdeo. He issued a challenge to Mr. Corbin in the 2006 elections but didn't consider the other presidential candidates.
He asked Mr. Corbin to confine the exchange to the realm of economics. When Mr. Corbin insisted that other topics be thrown, Mr. Jagdeo did not respond.
At his press conference last Friday, I came in for some more vexed comments from the President. I wasn't there to defend myself. But I don't to want to defend myself. That is not my role as a Guyanese nationalist. My task in life in this country is to seek to open the eyes of the people of Guyana that I hope to spend the rest of my life in.
It was Mr. Jagdeo that made the suggestion to me that I go on television to have a frank dialogue with him. I agreed. My format was live television. I am ready when Mr. Jagdeo finds the time.
When the event occurs then I will counter each criticism of Mr. Jagdeo of me with accusations of my own. When that day arrives, Mr. Jagdeo will not be on his turf but on neutral ground where facts will be revealed and answers must be given. Maybe we can do a sneak preview of what is to come.
Mr. Jagdeo told his press conference that in all my twenty years at UG, I did not do a single academic paper and that because of that in most countries I would be looking for a job. That is not true that I have not done even one academic paper. My purpose here is not defend myself, but to offer criticism of my own.
I know who told Mr. Jagdeo that; the very people that Mr. Jagdeo put at UG, that in all other countries, they would not find a job.
I have some opinions of my own. In all other countries some of the people that are part of the administration of the affairs of Guyana would not only have lost their employment but perhaps would have faced serious enquiries into their hopeless incompetence. Only in Guyana they can keep their jobs.
If Guyana was not racially divided some people that have not performed and whose balance sheet is one of economic failure would have been thrown out by the electorate.
It wasn't Freddie Kissoon who wrote that Guyana has not had economic growth since 1997. It was the IMF in a study done by researchers who have no interest in Guyanese politics.
So, does Mr. Jagdeo feel in anyway hurt that he has presided over Guyana for seven years now and in those seven years all the studies done by the World Bank and the IMF have revealed that Guyana has not been successful in achieving growth rate as a modern country?
When Mr. Jagdeo is at his press conferences, suddenly all the faults of his government disappear and the press is to be blamed for the jaundice that is contained in the perception the outside world have of Guyanese people. Gone from Mr. Jagdeo's mind is the reality of what Guyana is; a reality that every other Guyanese is aware of.
Last Friday marks the third time in less than a year in which the President did not hint at, did not allude to, did not insinuate but openly argued that the media's portrayal of negative things contributes to the bad publicity Guyana gets from the outside world.
What is bad publicity? The President did not define it. I will. Bad publicity is the reporting that Guyana is returning to constant blackouts. Here is where President Jagdeo's press conference became a fascinating scene. He told the media that the telecommunication industry is of crucial value for Guyana and that is where his immediate interest lies.
He told the journalists that he expects investments in this area and that it will bring in a massive number of jobs. He then changed his mood and exclaimed that these are the positive things commentators should write about.
When good things happen, we should write about it. When bad things happen, it should not be reported. When it is reported it becomes negative reporting. But what good is the telecommunication industry to Guyana when power outages have returned. I am typing this article on Saturday evening and for that night I saw four parts of Georgetown beginning from Turkeyen that had scheduled blackouts. How can the communication age come to Guyana when every computer and every telephone work with electricity?
A land-based line does not need electricity in your home, but for the telephone to operate in your home, GT&T must have power. A laptop can only work without electricity temporarily then it has to be charged. So does a mobile phone.
I have a source high up in the GPL administration who told me that GPL is having financial trouble and power shortages in a scheduled format will return. I have seen that for myself. Why is the publication of this fact deemed negative reporting?
President Jagdeo is not the only leader that keeps lambasting the press; the press is the excuse that is used to obfuscate consistent governmental failure. I close by asking President Jagdeo if it is bad reporting that has caused 80 percent of university trained Guyanese, as reported by the World Bank, to leave Guyana?
After seven years of his rule, they are still leaving; even the uneducated ones. Wake up and smell the coffee, Mr. President.
link
07/09/07
President Jagdeo is not going to stop me from talking to my country
It is less than a year but President Jagdeo has lashed out twice at me. His latest outburst occurred on Friday. People's psychology is a complex thing to understand. I suspect that when President Jagdeo is at his press conferences, he gets a false sense of security. His audience consists of young journalists, many of whom are employed by the state so they are Mr. Jagdeo's employees and would not take him on.
Also many are untrained journalists not ready to force the issue with the President out of fear that they will be embarrassed.
So Mr. Jagdeo is on safe ground. He can attack whoever he wants to but the person is not there to counter Mr. Jagdeo's fictional account of his government's achievements. The mounting faults of his seven-year rule of Guyana are not even whispered about at his press conferences. So Mr. Jagdeo is on top and he feels and talks as a confident president presiding over a success story.
His audience cannot and will not tell him that it is a mirage. But the commentator, the analyst and the economist can. So Mr. Jagdeo avoids them. He is happy to operate on the turf of his press conference.
In none of the elections in which Mr. Jagdeo was a presidential candidate did he accept a debating invitation. Every single presidential candidate turned up at UG, then at the Hotel Tower in 2001 to debate each other. The missing figure was Mr. Jagdeo. He issued a challenge to Mr. Corbin in the 2006 elections but didn't consider the other presidential candidates.
He asked Mr. Corbin to confine the exchange to the realm of economics. When Mr. Corbin insisted that other topics be thrown, Mr. Jagdeo did not respond.
At his press conference last Friday, I came in for some more vexed comments from the President. I wasn't there to defend myself. But I don't to want to defend myself. That is not my role as a Guyanese nationalist. My task in life in this country is to seek to open the eyes of the people of Guyana that I hope to spend the rest of my life in.
It was Mr. Jagdeo that made the suggestion to me that I go on television to have a frank dialogue with him. I agreed. My format was live television. I am ready when Mr. Jagdeo finds the time.
When the event occurs then I will counter each criticism of Mr. Jagdeo of me with accusations of my own. When that day arrives, Mr. Jagdeo will not be on his turf but on neutral ground where facts will be revealed and answers must be given. Maybe we can do a sneak preview of what is to come.
Mr. Jagdeo told his press conference that in all my twenty years at UG, I did not do a single academic paper and that because of that in most countries I would be looking for a job. That is not true that I have not done even one academic paper. My purpose here is not defend myself, but to offer criticism of my own.
I know who told Mr. Jagdeo that; the very people that Mr. Jagdeo put at UG, that in all other countries, they would not find a job.
I have some opinions of my own. In all other countries some of the people that are part of the administration of the affairs of Guyana would not only have lost their employment but perhaps would have faced serious enquiries into their hopeless incompetence. Only in Guyana they can keep their jobs.
If Guyana was not racially divided some people that have not performed and whose balance sheet is one of economic failure would have been thrown out by the electorate.
It wasn't Freddie Kissoon who wrote that Guyana has not had economic growth since 1997. It was the IMF in a study done by researchers who have no interest in Guyanese politics.
So, does Mr. Jagdeo feel in anyway hurt that he has presided over Guyana for seven years now and in those seven years all the studies done by the World Bank and the IMF have revealed that Guyana has not been successful in achieving growth rate as a modern country?
When Mr. Jagdeo is at his press conferences, suddenly all the faults of his government disappear and the press is to be blamed for the jaundice that is contained in the perception the outside world have of Guyanese people. Gone from Mr. Jagdeo's mind is the reality of what Guyana is; a reality that every other Guyanese is aware of.
Last Friday marks the third time in less than a year in which the President did not hint at, did not allude to, did not insinuate but openly argued that the media's portrayal of negative things contributes to the bad publicity Guyana gets from the outside world.
What is bad publicity? The President did not define it. I will. Bad publicity is the reporting that Guyana is returning to constant blackouts. Here is where President Jagdeo's press conference became a fascinating scene. He told the media that the telecommunication industry is of crucial value for Guyana and that is where his immediate interest lies.
He told the journalists that he expects investments in this area and that it will bring in a massive number of jobs. He then changed his mood and exclaimed that these are the positive things commentators should write about.
When good things happen, we should write about it. When bad things happen, it should not be reported. When it is reported it becomes negative reporting. But what good is the telecommunication industry to Guyana when power outages have returned. I am typing this article on Saturday evening and for that night I saw four parts of Georgetown beginning from Turkeyen that had scheduled blackouts. How can the communication age come to Guyana when every computer and every telephone work with electricity?
A land-based line does not need electricity in your home, but for the telephone to operate in your home, GT&T must have power. A laptop can only work without electricity temporarily then it has to be charged. So does a mobile phone.
I have a source high up in the GPL administration who told me that GPL is having financial trouble and power shortages in a scheduled format will return. I have seen that for myself. Why is the publication of this fact deemed negative reporting?
President Jagdeo is not the only leader that keeps lambasting the press; the press is the excuse that is used to obfuscate consistent governmental failure. I close by asking President Jagdeo if it is bad reporting that has caused 80 percent of university trained Guyanese, as reported by the World Bank, to leave Guyana?
After seven years of his rule, they are still leaving; even the uneducated ones. Wake up and smell the coffee, Mr. President.
link
Guyana - Doppler SNAFU
More trouble ahead for Civil Association Authority
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) may be in for more troubling times as several employees within the organisation are questioning the move to send a director on leave, as investigations continue into the relocation of Doppler Radar System at Timehri.
Kaieteur News understands that all is not well within the management of the CAA and employees are threatening to resign.
According to one employee, the decision to send the director on leave was inconsiderate since the person has a ‘wealth' of knowledge from which the organisation has benefited and will have need for in the future.
Further, one employee said, it was the same director who discovered the mistake with the location of the proposed radar tower.
The official was sent on leave late June as Office of the President continues its investigations into the spending of some $40M of Government money on the Doppler radar.
It was discovered that the radar was being built a short distance from the Very High Frequency Omni Range (VOR) at the airport and would have caused disruption to signals being sent to aircrafts.
The VOR is an electronic navigation system that provides signals to aircrafts.
If a wrong reading is transmitted to an aircraft it could throw its pilot off course.
The employee stated that the Director has in fact saved Government millions since no one else in his capacity might have been able to pick up the mistake.
He added that this is as a result of lack of communication between the decision makers.
The director, the source said, was not the one that gave the ‘go ahead' but instead he is being made the ‘scapegoat.'
Kaieteur News understands that the official was sent on 36 and one-half days leave.
Another employee stated that the Works Minister should set up a committee to examine the works of the CAA since decisions are apparently being made within the organisation without proper consultations.
The employee stated that those decisions would not only affect the Air Navigation Services but other closely related organisations.
Kaieteur News understands that the CAA held a staff meeting last week where some of the issues were raised.
One issue that was raised at the meeting was the fact that qualified persons within the organisation were not given a managerial post that was vacant.
When Kaieteur News contacted the CAA, an official said that persons within the organisation are not qualified for the vacant position.
“Certainly if persons within were qualified we would have given them the position,” the official said.
Commenting on the issue of the investigation into the Doppler Radar System, the official said that the Board is scheduled to meet to continue discussions on the matter.
President Bharrat Jagdeo had announced that the incident was not going to “slide under the carpet just like that.”
The Head of State said that if the advice to build the tower came from CAA, then they will have to be held responsible.
After it was determined that the tower had to be shifted to another location, the CAA began working in collaboration with officials from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission to select a possible new location for the project.
The project is funded by the European Union to the tune of $596M, and implemented by Caribbean Meteorological Organisation.
The Government of Guyana has allocated $50 million ??for electricity, water and road works to the radar tower.
Office of the President has since launched its own investigation into the matter.
The Doppler radar upon completion will be used to provide continuous real-time radar surveillance out to 400 kilometres and will allow weather forecasters to increase effectiveness in the prediction of the weather.
This system will assist forecasters to more accurately define the areas where severe weather is likely to form, identify the characteristic patterns indicating a high probability of severe thunderstorms, and improve forecasting time, intensity and location of heavy precipitation.
Link
Nothing could be worse than having Roberto Persaud as the donkey in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture, we just don't think he is qualified for the position, he is just a pompous mouthar. So how come it is so difficult to find qualified persons in the CAA, there are many.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) may be in for more troubling times as several employees within the organisation are questioning the move to send a director on leave, as investigations continue into the relocation of Doppler Radar System at Timehri.
Kaieteur News understands that all is not well within the management of the CAA and employees are threatening to resign.
According to one employee, the decision to send the director on leave was inconsiderate since the person has a ‘wealth' of knowledge from which the organisation has benefited and will have need for in the future.
Further, one employee said, it was the same director who discovered the mistake with the location of the proposed radar tower.
The official was sent on leave late June as Office of the President continues its investigations into the spending of some $40M of Government money on the Doppler radar.
It was discovered that the radar was being built a short distance from the Very High Frequency Omni Range (VOR) at the airport and would have caused disruption to signals being sent to aircrafts.
The VOR is an electronic navigation system that provides signals to aircrafts.
If a wrong reading is transmitted to an aircraft it could throw its pilot off course.
The employee stated that the Director has in fact saved Government millions since no one else in his capacity might have been able to pick up the mistake.
He added that this is as a result of lack of communication between the decision makers.
The director, the source said, was not the one that gave the ‘go ahead' but instead he is being made the ‘scapegoat.'
Kaieteur News understands that the official was sent on 36 and one-half days leave.
Another employee stated that the Works Minister should set up a committee to examine the works of the CAA since decisions are apparently being made within the organisation without proper consultations.
The employee stated that those decisions would not only affect the Air Navigation Services but other closely related organisations.
Kaieteur News understands that the CAA held a staff meeting last week where some of the issues were raised.
One issue that was raised at the meeting was the fact that qualified persons within the organisation were not given a managerial post that was vacant.
When Kaieteur News contacted the CAA, an official said that persons within the organisation are not qualified for the vacant position.
“Certainly if persons within were qualified we would have given them the position,” the official said.
Commenting on the issue of the investigation into the Doppler Radar System, the official said that the Board is scheduled to meet to continue discussions on the matter.
President Bharrat Jagdeo had announced that the incident was not going to “slide under the carpet just like that.”
The Head of State said that if the advice to build the tower came from CAA, then they will have to be held responsible.
After it was determined that the tower had to be shifted to another location, the CAA began working in collaboration with officials from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission to select a possible new location for the project.
The project is funded by the European Union to the tune of $596M, and implemented by Caribbean Meteorological Organisation.
The Government of Guyana has allocated $50 million ??for electricity, water and road works to the radar tower.
Office of the President has since launched its own investigation into the matter.
The Doppler radar upon completion will be used to provide continuous real-time radar surveillance out to 400 kilometres and will allow weather forecasters to increase effectiveness in the prediction of the weather.
This system will assist forecasters to more accurately define the areas where severe weather is likely to form, identify the characteristic patterns indicating a high probability of severe thunderstorms, and improve forecasting time, intensity and location of heavy precipitation.
Link
Nothing could be worse than having Roberto Persaud as the donkey in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture, we just don't think he is qualified for the position, he is just a pompous mouthar. So how come it is so difficult to find qualified persons in the CAA, there are many.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Guyana - This is what ayuh splish splash skonts voted for
The IDB has agreed to write off debts owed by Guyana to the tune of US$365.5m. That's brilliant innit? But what is the catch? Well it is not so brilliant when you consider that Guyana now has to cancel amounts owed to it by the IDB through various loans to the tune of US$35m.....read more over at living guyana blog spot
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Guyana - Presidents BJ's report card (Cocaine Republic)
Saturday, July 7th 2007
Dear Editor,
GHK Lall in his letter captioned "The President has shown no vision for the nation" (07.07.03) in a scholarly way captured President Jagdeo's performance. President Jagdeo's Report Card is dismal, below are a few of his visionless performances:
Media: Withdrawal of government advertisement from Stabroek News. Refusal to grant VCT 28 a radio licence and television expansion. Refusal to grant CNS 6 expansion. Refusal to share the taxpayers' advertising dollars equitably among the various media houses. Refusal to let independent television thrive in areas not supported by the PPP. Refusal to break the radio monopoly.
Land: Continuous unprecedented flooding with no proper drainage and irrigation plan. Destruction of property, produce, livestock and cattle from the inability to manage the floods.
Corruption: From the Milk Scam, to the Vehicle Scam, Pension Book Scam, misuse and abuse of the Consolidated Fund, drugs, death squad, circumventing and manipulating the Constitution, corrupt government officials allowed to keep their jobs.
Labour Relations: Disregarding the collective bargaining process, taking away the TUC subvention.
VAT and increased prices the highest in the region. Wages are relatively stagnant. Prices have gone through the roof.
Crime unprecedented in the history of Guyana. No one is safe. You are either robbed of your hard-earned dollars on the streets, homes or business places.
There is no economic development and little to be proud of.
Yours faithfully,
Dindial Naipaul
Extra grade question from TK:
Economy: stagnation since 1998 because there is no strategy, except begging, for sustaining economic growth. GRADE: C-
Why C-? Answer: Using an IMF model (and IMF technical advise) of monetary management they have been able to stabilize the exchange rate.
But stabilization is short term in nature and has nothing to do with long term growth and development.
NO GROWTH STRATEGY = NO VISION = NO DEVELOPMENT = BANANA REPUBLIC FOREVER? or COCAINE REPUBLIC take your pick?
Link
Dear Editor,
GHK Lall in his letter captioned "The President has shown no vision for the nation" (07.07.03) in a scholarly way captured President Jagdeo's performance. President Jagdeo's Report Card is dismal, below are a few of his visionless performances:
Media: Withdrawal of government advertisement from Stabroek News. Refusal to grant VCT 28 a radio licence and television expansion. Refusal to grant CNS 6 expansion. Refusal to share the taxpayers' advertising dollars equitably among the various media houses. Refusal to let independent television thrive in areas not supported by the PPP. Refusal to break the radio monopoly.
Land: Continuous unprecedented flooding with no proper drainage and irrigation plan. Destruction of property, produce, livestock and cattle from the inability to manage the floods.
Corruption: From the Milk Scam, to the Vehicle Scam, Pension Book Scam, misuse and abuse of the Consolidated Fund, drugs, death squad, circumventing and manipulating the Constitution, corrupt government officials allowed to keep their jobs.
Labour Relations: Disregarding the collective bargaining process, taking away the TUC subvention.
VAT and increased prices the highest in the region. Wages are relatively stagnant. Prices have gone through the roof.
Crime unprecedented in the history of Guyana. No one is safe. You are either robbed of your hard-earned dollars on the streets, homes or business places.
There is no economic development and little to be proud of.
Yours faithfully,
Dindial Naipaul
Extra grade question from TK:
Economy: stagnation since 1998 because there is no strategy, except begging, for sustaining economic growth. GRADE: C-
Why C-? Answer: Using an IMF model (and IMF technical advise) of monetary management they have been able to stabilize the exchange rate.
But stabilization is short term in nature and has nothing to do with long term growth and development.
NO GROWTH STRATEGY = NO VISION = NO DEVELOPMENT = BANANA REPUBLIC FOREVER? or COCAINE REPUBLIC take your pick?
Link
Bloggers note:
If we grade head donkey BJ and the rest of the eBray group on a curve, they would still fail to make a passing grade .....let them continue braying to the masses who voted for them while standing knee deep in water. This is what a typical PPP supporter sounds like - splish, splash.
Guyana - Free movement of Caricom nationals
Guyana opens up free movement - Caricom nationals to get six months' stay from next week
Saturday, July 7th 2007
Come next week, Caricom nationals travelling to Guyana will be allowed to stay for as long as six months at a time, in keeping with an agreement made by the just concluded Caricom Heads of Government summit held in Barbados.......read more
Bloggers note:
What about attracting more airlines, I still don't understand why American, Delta or Continental airlines can't be attracted to fly into Guyana.
Saturday, July 7th 2007
Come next week, Caricom nationals travelling to Guyana will be allowed to stay for as long as six months at a time, in keeping with an agreement made by the just concluded Caricom Heads of Government summit held in Barbados.......read more
Bloggers note:
What about attracting more airlines, I still don't understand why American, Delta or Continental airlines can't be attracted to fly into Guyana.
Guyana - Flooding continues
Misery and water rising again in Mahaicony CreekBy Shabna Ullah
Saturday, July 7th 2007
Misery and water are rising again in the Mahaicony Creek and some residents are now asking to be relocated as they can no longer endure the constant flooding.
The Mahaicony Creek has been inundated for over six weeks and just when the water had started to recede and residents thought their problems were over, they were hit again by flooding at an even higher level.......read more
Bloggers note:
This is like a broken record which keeps going in circles. The same thing keeps happening year after year since I started taking notice of these floods from back in 1994. As a matter of fact these were the floods that propelled C.N Sharma to notoriety back in the 90s. It is more than ten years now and all we hear is talk. Listen to this donkey bray about what they are supposedly doing. No wonder all these Mahaica people running away from the country by hook or by crook, look at them wine down here in New York, and you know what they will still vote PPP, go figure.
Friday, July 06, 2007
US - Recycling cell phones to the Third World
ReCellular, The Leader in the Used Cellular Phones Industry
Company overview
In 1991, my brother Allan and I recognized a trend - an increasing number of Americans were using cell phones, discarding them frequently, and creating tons of solid waste even though most of the used cellular phones were still functional. We saw the opportunity to start a new industry and help protect the environment. We founded ReCellular, Inc. to refurbish, reuse and responsibly recycle discarded cell phones......read more
Company overview
In 1991, my brother Allan and I recognized a trend - an increasing number of Americans were using cell phones, discarding them frequently, and creating tons of solid waste even though most of the used cellular phones were still functional. We saw the opportunity to start a new industry and help protect the environment. We founded ReCellular, Inc. to refurbish, reuse and responsibly recycle discarded cell phones......read more
US - Kodak dual lens compact digital camera
As soon as you see the Kodak EasyShare V570 ($399) with its lens cover opened you know that this is not just another compact camera. Yes, this camera has two lenses! There's a fixed focal length 23 mm lens on the top, and a more traditional 39 - 117 mm zoom lens on the bottom. In addition to having two lenses, the V570 has two 5 Megapixel CCD sensors, as well -- one for each lens. Thus, the V570 gives you both super wide-angle and telephoto power, all in an ultra compact body (reminiscent of the V530/V550).
So why would you want a super wide-angle lens? Here's what the local train station looks like on your typical ultra compact camera: ...........read more
7 6 2007 Guyana Jacka$$ Minister Robert Persaud
Just listen to this pompous, arrogant fellow. How did this jacka$$ ever become Minister of Agriculture? Is it because he is part of the eBray group of donkeys running the country into the ground?
Why is this type of discussion even being televised, is it because it is being used for pure propaganda? Discussions like this should be held behind closed doors, the results should be televised. As you can see the place still floods despite all the money which was given to the Government to prevent that from happening again. It is as if they are using these televised epsiodes to try and cover their a$$es.
According to the video clip they got $35 million US and took a loan from the Italian Government since 2005. All they have accomplished so far is to buy two pumps for $53M Guyana dollars which is equal to $265,000 US. The net result is - flooding still occurs.
Trinidad - Airlines which currently fly there
American Airlines 767 and 757
North American 757 (also goes to Guyana)
Delta 737
Continental 737
TravelSpan 737 (also goes to Guyana)
Air Canada A319
Zoom 767
Skyservice 757 and A330
Constellation Primaris 757 (also goes to Guyana)
British Airways 777 (POS and TAB)
Virgin Atlantic 747
Excel Airways 767
Condor 767
Caribbean Airlines 737 (also goes to Guyana)
North American 757 (also goes to Guyana)
Delta 737
Continental 737
TravelSpan 737 (also goes to Guyana)
Air Canada A319
Zoom 767
Skyservice 757 and A330
Constellation Primaris 757 (also goes to Guyana)
British Airways 777 (POS and TAB)
Virgin Atlantic 747
Excel Airways 767
Condor 767
Caribbean Airlines 737 (also goes to Guyana)
Guyana - Good cop bad cop.
By Mara:
I would not comment on the guilt or innocence of Steve Merai because I know nothing of this individual other than what has been reported in the media. However from my personal experience, I would say that the Guyana Police Force is a sea of corruption that has drenched from the Commish right down to the beat duty cop. An unblemished cop is indeed a rarity.
However let us not forget that it was Winston Felix who as Commish disbanded the SSU ( Black Clothes ) which was headed by Steve Merai & the late Leon Fraser. The curb / disbanding of the SSU & Merai gave birth to the Phantom as a countermeasure to the Buxton based Freedom Fighters. Further, it is interesting to note that Felix and Roger Khan, a founding member of the Phantom Death Squad were close buddies (the mother & daughter sex liaison ) until the bomb shell Tape Gate #1 between Felix & Basil Williams surface.
Was it competing interest between Felix and Merai that prompted the Commish to disband the SSU and relegate Merai to desk duty or was it a case of a good cop being denuded by a corrupt Admin.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Winston Felix was a rouge cop in the pockets of Roger Khan and other drug lords. Further he was a conspirator with PNC mischief makers in planning murder and mayhem in society. However, I believe the jury is still out on Steve Merai.
Link
I would not comment on the guilt or innocence of Steve Merai because I know nothing of this individual other than what has been reported in the media. However from my personal experience, I would say that the Guyana Police Force is a sea of corruption that has drenched from the Commish right down to the beat duty cop. An unblemished cop is indeed a rarity.
However let us not forget that it was Winston Felix who as Commish disbanded the SSU ( Black Clothes ) which was headed by Steve Merai & the late Leon Fraser. The curb / disbanding of the SSU & Merai gave birth to the Phantom as a countermeasure to the Buxton based Freedom Fighters. Further, it is interesting to note that Felix and Roger Khan, a founding member of the Phantom Death Squad were close buddies (the mother & daughter sex liaison ) until the bomb shell Tape Gate #1 between Felix & Basil Williams surface.
Was it competing interest between Felix and Merai that prompted the Commish to disband the SSU and relegate Merai to desk duty or was it a case of a good cop being denuded by a corrupt Admin.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Winston Felix was a rouge cop in the pockets of Roger Khan and other drug lords. Further he was a conspirator with PNC mischief makers in planning murder and mayhem in society. However, I believe the jury is still out on Steve Merai.
Link
Guyana - How to waste time at the Guyana Revenue Authority
Reported by Robin Banks:
Ok, firstly even if you get there at exactly 8:00am you will not get served. Employees stroll in from 8:00am to 8:15am. Then they take time to clean their desks and spray air fresheners.
Eventually you submit your documents at one section, they are checked and you are given a number. This process is pretty quick so any unsuspecting person would believe that it is smooth sailing. Then you enter this large room with several 'Clerks' sitting in cubicles. And amazingly there is already about 20 persons sitting waiting before you.
So you submit your 'Checked' documents again and you wait. Now there is one computer in this entire room. You have no idea who has your documents so you see people moving around, some going to the canteen, some walking around - who knows what they are doing. You wait and wait until about 11:30am and then you are called. Sometimes this is just to tell you that you need to get additional documents. (as was my case). So the morning is done.
If there is a blackout, it is worse because they cannot go into the dusty file room to get your file with tax returns. You might spend the entire day just waiting for them to get your file.
You return two days later with your additional information. Again you wait until 11:30 and then are told that (as in my case again) that you have to get a contractor to verify your claims.
Now this is about Thursday assuming you started the process on Monday. So you spend the weekend getting a contractor to sign your claims and you take it again. This time I said that I was not going to wait, I wanted them to call me when they were ready. The next afternoon I got a call saying that the Supervisor wanted to see me the next morning (another day wasted).
I arrived promptly at 8:00am the next morning, saw the supervisor at 8:30am and then went to the bench again to wait. Only this time I was assured by the Supervisor that it will not be long now. So I waited until 10:30 and I enquired only to be told that my documents were not yet given to the clerk. Once the clerk collected and checked them, she came to me and said I have to pay $353,000.00 in taxes.
Now I know that capital gains taxes are calculated on the profit you make and your 20% of this in taxes. I bought my property of $2.5M, spent $1.8M on repairs and improvements and I am now selling for $3.0M. They are telling me that I am making a $1.7M profit apparently.
So when I confronted the clerk, she was surprised that I knew about this 20% business. I told her it is the law so I know it. So she went again and brought her handwritten steno sheet with her calculations (no computers or fixed formulae involved here) and started to show me her calculations. And in the first line there was a mistake. So I finally got my compliance after ten days.
There were no problems with my taxes - it is just that GRA (Guyana Revenue Authority) seems to feel that they should collect money from everyone. Now, if I was not familiar with the law or if I didn't have the time to spend, I may have ended up paying far more than was necessary and I have to wonder whose pockets this would have gone into.
I believe that the entire system needs to be computerised and they need technical people to handle cases when persons are selling properties and vehicles.
Blogger's note:
What a kuntry eh?
Ok, firstly even if you get there at exactly 8:00am you will not get served. Employees stroll in from 8:00am to 8:15am. Then they take time to clean their desks and spray air fresheners.
Eventually you submit your documents at one section, they are checked and you are given a number. This process is pretty quick so any unsuspecting person would believe that it is smooth sailing. Then you enter this large room with several 'Clerks' sitting in cubicles. And amazingly there is already about 20 persons sitting waiting before you.
So you submit your 'Checked' documents again and you wait. Now there is one computer in this entire room. You have no idea who has your documents so you see people moving around, some going to the canteen, some walking around - who knows what they are doing. You wait and wait until about 11:30am and then you are called. Sometimes this is just to tell you that you need to get additional documents. (as was my case). So the morning is done.
If there is a blackout, it is worse because they cannot go into the dusty file room to get your file with tax returns. You might spend the entire day just waiting for them to get your file.
You return two days later with your additional information. Again you wait until 11:30 and then are told that (as in my case again) that you have to get a contractor to verify your claims.
Now this is about Thursday assuming you started the process on Monday. So you spend the weekend getting a contractor to sign your claims and you take it again. This time I said that I was not going to wait, I wanted them to call me when they were ready. The next afternoon I got a call saying that the Supervisor wanted to see me the next morning (another day wasted).
I arrived promptly at 8:00am the next morning, saw the supervisor at 8:30am and then went to the bench again to wait. Only this time I was assured by the Supervisor that it will not be long now. So I waited until 10:30 and I enquired only to be told that my documents were not yet given to the clerk. Once the clerk collected and checked them, she came to me and said I have to pay $353,000.00 in taxes.
Now I know that capital gains taxes are calculated on the profit you make and your 20% of this in taxes. I bought my property of $2.5M, spent $1.8M on repairs and improvements and I am now selling for $3.0M. They are telling me that I am making a $1.7M profit apparently.
So when I confronted the clerk, she was surprised that I knew about this 20% business. I told her it is the law so I know it. So she went again and brought her handwritten steno sheet with her calculations (no computers or fixed formulae involved here) and started to show me her calculations. And in the first line there was a mistake. So I finally got my compliance after ten days.
There were no problems with my taxes - it is just that GRA (Guyana Revenue Authority) seems to feel that they should collect money from everyone. Now, if I was not familiar with the law or if I didn't have the time to spend, I may have ended up paying far more than was necessary and I have to wonder whose pockets this would have gone into.
I believe that the entire system needs to be computerised and they need technical people to handle cases when persons are selling properties and vehicles.
Blogger's note:
What a kuntry eh?
Guyana - Natural & healthy living
Reading this book has made me think about my own food down here in Guyana. In some strange ways, the food I eat and the ingredients I use are “better” than what is offered in America. I know, for instance, that my vegetables are coming from local producers. Hell, I’m usually buying straight from them. Or I’m getting them from my neighbor’s backyard garden. And I know that they are not using crazy synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Or at least not to the level of the agribusiness in America. I’ve seen the chickens in their chicken coops – it may not be perfect, but it’s a long way from the tiny cages that make the Frankenstein chickens used by Tyson Foods, McDonalds, and KFC. And the beef… well it may not be the best, but the cows are free range and grass feed. I know because I see them wandering the roadside, eating grass (among other things) and getting in the way of cars. What I mean to say is that almost all of my fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat are produced locally and mostly naturally. It’s a true luxury.....read more
Guyana - Redemption and Retribution
By Disillusioned
I believe in redemption, I would like to see Hammie take personal responsibility for policies of his party that has contributed to us being where we are at today. But the weight does not fall solely on his shoulders. There are villians on all sides of the political spectrum, including the Jagans et al, who, for partisan and selfish reasons, took and support positions that were detrimental to the nation and helpful only to them and the coteri with whom they associate.
The Government has been starving the City as a strategy of their perceived "self defence", but also to bring the majority population that do not vote for them to heel. It is a dastardly piece of business. Greene has been silent on this for years, leary about taking a position nexussed to the PNC, and convinvced that his strategy would win reflexive empathy from the PPP. He has learned that he is dealing with people who will push you over if they perceive that you are weak.
I do not support mass protest without those in opposition leadership in the City emerging from the time warp they still operate in. Non Violent protest is an art. It requires intense schooling of cadres to, among other things, detect and avert incidents that would turn such gatherings into unruly mobs. There is no way they would be able to avoid mindless physical violence and burnings without first imprinting the imperative goal of peace and non-violence in the minds of the residents of the city.
The problem with the opposition is that they are lazy and impatient for power. They do not wish to do the kind of "social lifting" required to produce a population able to clearly distinguish between protesting against the policies of state, and attacking individuals and structures they associate with support of the state. When you start a movement you have to ensure that both you and the foot soldiers who will make up that movement will be bringing the same values to the venue of activism.
The ends for me will never justify the means, if the means trample on rights, freedoms, security, and everything each and every citizen of the land is entitled to. If Hammie had an epiphany that has re-charged his batteries for social activism, my advise to him would be to immediately begin holding meetings in every ward in the city, and dilligently indoctrinating people into behaviours consistent nwith challenging political authority without beating up on supporters of that authority. That does not require expirtise in quantum physics. When everyone is on the same page so to speak, he can then subject this regime to the kind of scrutiny only concentrated citizen protest have the capability of eliciting.
As an addenda, in the early sixties while the PPP was in Government there was trial before the Court involving charged political circumstances. At the time Burnham was the Mayor of Georgetown. The Government ordered the gates of the court to be locked so as to prevent supporters of the PNC from flocking into the Court. Burnham exploded, ordering that the gates had to be opened and announcing that as Mayor of the City, the authority to close the gates of the Courts rested with him and not the Government. The affair is somewhat foggy in my memory, since most of the explanations came from overhearing adults discussing the issue. Still, I believe that there are powers of the Mayoralty that can used to pressure the state.
Link
I believe in redemption, I would like to see Hammie take personal responsibility for policies of his party that has contributed to us being where we are at today. But the weight does not fall solely on his shoulders. There are villians on all sides of the political spectrum, including the Jagans et al, who, for partisan and selfish reasons, took and support positions that were detrimental to the nation and helpful only to them and the coteri with whom they associate.
The Government has been starving the City as a strategy of their perceived "self defence", but also to bring the majority population that do not vote for them to heel. It is a dastardly piece of business. Greene has been silent on this for years, leary about taking a position nexussed to the PNC, and convinvced that his strategy would win reflexive empathy from the PPP. He has learned that he is dealing with people who will push you over if they perceive that you are weak.
I do not support mass protest without those in opposition leadership in the City emerging from the time warp they still operate in. Non Violent protest is an art. It requires intense schooling of cadres to, among other things, detect and avert incidents that would turn such gatherings into unruly mobs. There is no way they would be able to avoid mindless physical violence and burnings without first imprinting the imperative goal of peace and non-violence in the minds of the residents of the city.
The problem with the opposition is that they are lazy and impatient for power. They do not wish to do the kind of "social lifting" required to produce a population able to clearly distinguish between protesting against the policies of state, and attacking individuals and structures they associate with support of the state. When you start a movement you have to ensure that both you and the foot soldiers who will make up that movement will be bringing the same values to the venue of activism.
The ends for me will never justify the means, if the means trample on rights, freedoms, security, and everything each and every citizen of the land is entitled to. If Hammie had an epiphany that has re-charged his batteries for social activism, my advise to him would be to immediately begin holding meetings in every ward in the city, and dilligently indoctrinating people into behaviours consistent nwith challenging political authority without beating up on supporters of that authority. That does not require expirtise in quantum physics. When everyone is on the same page so to speak, he can then subject this regime to the kind of scrutiny only concentrated citizen protest have the capability of eliciting.
As an addenda, in the early sixties while the PPP was in Government there was trial before the Court involving charged political circumstances. At the time Burnham was the Mayor of Georgetown. The Government ordered the gates of the court to be locked so as to prevent supporters of the PNC from flocking into the Court. Burnham exploded, ordering that the gates had to be opened and announcing that as Mayor of the City, the authority to close the gates of the Courts rested with him and not the Government. The affair is somewhat foggy in my memory, since most of the explanations came from overhearing adults discussing the issue. Still, I believe that there are powers of the Mayoralty that can used to pressure the state.
Link
Georgetown to Lethem
It some how appears the director of this video crossed the Essequibo river by bus to get to Lethem from Georgetown....hmmm, cool video though.
Guyana - Progressing at snail's pace
Getting a tax compliance certificate can waste a lot of time
Friday, July 6th 2007
Dear Editor,
I would like to highlight a serious inefficiency that occurs at Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). If a person wants a tax compliance certificate to sell a property or vehicle it is a long, time-wasting exercise. You have to spend at least one to two hours waiting in a line while the GRA employees serve persons at a snail's pace.
I would like to know why the system cannot be efficient. Sometimes these people cannot even find your tax returns. What is happening here?
It is not feasible for Guyana to have hundreds of people sitting idly in a line to wait for the inefficient GRA. Mr Sattaur of all people should know this. At least use some of the taxpayers' money to make an efficient system. Why do we have to waste so much time?
A real effort must be made to develop a better system.
Yours faithfully,
N. Williams
Link
These are all opportunities for corruption, similar scenario happens at the Customs & Excise and Motor Vehicle Licensing offices. Unless you have contacts (your lines) or are willing to pay fat bribes then you just have to stand in line (them lines) and wait and hope your paper work is not missing.
Friday, July 6th 2007
Dear Editor,
I would like to highlight a serious inefficiency that occurs at Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). If a person wants a tax compliance certificate to sell a property or vehicle it is a long, time-wasting exercise. You have to spend at least one to two hours waiting in a line while the GRA employees serve persons at a snail's pace.
I would like to know why the system cannot be efficient. Sometimes these people cannot even find your tax returns. What is happening here?
It is not feasible for Guyana to have hundreds of people sitting idly in a line to wait for the inefficient GRA. Mr Sattaur of all people should know this. At least use some of the taxpayers' money to make an efficient system. Why do we have to waste so much time?
A real effort must be made to develop a better system.
Yours faithfully,
N. Williams
Link
These are all opportunities for corruption, similar scenario happens at the Customs & Excise and Motor Vehicle Licensing offices. Unless you have contacts (your lines) or are willing to pay fat bribes then you just have to stand in line (them lines) and wait and hope your paper work is not missing.
Guyana - Georgetown the Garbage City
By Bryan:
It is sad that the citizens of Georgetown are the ones to pay the price simply becuase the PPP is afraid that the PNC will beat them if they hold municipal elections. That is the single reason why we have not had municipal elections since 1994 when Hammilton Green's party, GGG won.
What I cannot understand with the PPP is that they strangle the City Council financially, added to the fact that the City Council is totally incompetent and corrupt, as such the city is kept in a filty state.
All right so you do not want a PNC controlled City Council becuase you want all of the political power for yourself, then at least you should find another way to keep the city clean, revamp the Ministry of Works and give them the billions to do the work around the city.
But you don't give the City Council any kind of money and you don't clean the city through the Works Ministry either. So the citizens get pissed off and you the PPP end in the pressure cooker.
Guyana makes you want to find a concrete wall and run repeatedly into it until you knock yourself silly like the rest of the people.
Link
It is sad that the citizens of Georgetown are the ones to pay the price simply becuase the PPP is afraid that the PNC will beat them if they hold municipal elections. That is the single reason why we have not had municipal elections since 1994 when Hammilton Green's party, GGG won.
What I cannot understand with the PPP is that they strangle the City Council financially, added to the fact that the City Council is totally incompetent and corrupt, as such the city is kept in a filty state.
All right so you do not want a PNC controlled City Council becuase you want all of the political power for yourself, then at least you should find another way to keep the city clean, revamp the Ministry of Works and give them the billions to do the work around the city.
But you don't give the City Council any kind of money and you don't clean the city through the Works Ministry either. So the citizens get pissed off and you the PPP end in the pressure cooker.
Guyana makes you want to find a concrete wall and run repeatedly into it until you knock yourself silly like the rest of the people.
Link
Guyana - Hamilton Green, Mayor of Georgetown
By Emile Mervin:
If you ask me, I think Hammie is about to make a come back with backing from both PNC faithfuls and Blacks disenchanted with the current PNC leadership and the backward PPP.
I never really liked Hammie, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and it is time for the PPP to get the message that its days are over. 15 years are enough time to do better than it has failed to do.
I want to see mass protests on the streets, absent phsyical violence and burnings, so that this freakin jackass PPP that drinking from the same ole enamel cup it pissing in would get the hell out of the way and stop blocking Guyana from progressing.
And revoke Janet Jagan's Guyanese citizenship and send her ass packin back to Chicago.
Look, I am getting really freaking mad every freaking day that I wake up and read about this little boy named Jagdeo and his !@#$%^!!! idiots in OP and Freedom House.
THE PPP IS NO BETTER THAN THE PNC, SO IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER SHOT AT CHANGE!
The PPP got to go! Guyana cannot afford to wait until 2011.
Link
If you ask me, I think Hammie is about to make a come back with backing from both PNC faithfuls and Blacks disenchanted with the current PNC leadership and the backward PPP.
I never really liked Hammie, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and it is time for the PPP to get the message that its days are over. 15 years are enough time to do better than it has failed to do.
I want to see mass protests on the streets, absent phsyical violence and burnings, so that this freakin jackass PPP that drinking from the same ole enamel cup it pissing in would get the hell out of the way and stop blocking Guyana from progressing.
And revoke Janet Jagan's Guyanese citizenship and send her ass packin back to Chicago.
Look, I am getting really freaking mad every freaking day that I wake up and read about this little boy named Jagdeo and his !@#$%^!!! idiots in OP and Freedom House.
THE PPP IS NO BETTER THAN THE PNC, SO IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER SHOT AT CHANGE!
The PPP got to go! Guyana cannot afford to wait until 2011.
Link
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Coolies - How Britain re-invented Slavery
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwZNJbTs7BQ
Click link to see video on indentured laborers - very interesting.
Once more removed (A Indo-Caribbean experience)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_MMQtanzyA
Click to see short video promo of a dislocated Guyanese Indian searching for her roots in India.
Guyana Vs Surinam - Digicel Caribbean Cup - 2006
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XYwqUTmoX8
Click to see video - Guyana looking good in this soccer game against Suriname.
Guyana President Bharat Jagdeo
Revisiting an interview with BJ - a Government that brays together stays together.
Microsoft surface computer
The future, here is what the iPhone technology is based on. We in Guyana are still waiting for iElectricity.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Guyana - Who will investigate the investigators?
By Emile Mervin:
This investigation into Supt. Merai will yield nothing, because the investigators are themselves candidates for investigation.
The Guyana Government is corrupt. The Guyana Police Force is corrupt.
What is the point of what Freddie is doing, except confirming in detailed format what the public in Guyana already knows?
If Merai gets indicted, he is better off dead, because he is going to squeal...most likely from a safe haven like America, Britain or Canada.
Has his visa ever been revoked by the ABC countries? If not, he is a candidate for the 'witness protection program' if the probe is genuine.
The mere fact Rohee and Green had their visas revoked meant they were into some serious stuff that is a no-no by standards for foreign government officials.
I said it before and I will say it again: Guyana done! Only a massive coastal flooding could save this country by wiping out the material gains of all and sundry so that there is final equality under the communist PPP regime.
Link
This investigation into Supt. Merai will yield nothing, because the investigators are themselves candidates for investigation.
The Guyana Government is corrupt. The Guyana Police Force is corrupt.
What is the point of what Freddie is doing, except confirming in detailed format what the public in Guyana already knows?
If Merai gets indicted, he is better off dead, because he is going to squeal...most likely from a safe haven like America, Britain or Canada.
Has his visa ever been revoked by the ABC countries? If not, he is a candidate for the 'witness protection program' if the probe is genuine.
The mere fact Rohee and Green had their visas revoked meant they were into some serious stuff that is a no-no by standards for foreign government officials.
I said it before and I will say it again: Guyana done! Only a massive coastal flooding could save this country by wiping out the material gains of all and sundry so that there is final equality under the communist PPP regime.
Link
Guyana - Tapegate #2
The businessman: "Wah you want?"
Merai: "You tell me. You tell me."
The businessman: "Wah you want, Wah you want?"
Merai: "You tell me. You tell me."
Link
There should be a new reality show in Guyana called "Name that Drug Dealer" this would be a call in show and players will remain anonymous. Players will win the satisfaction of knowing they are cleaning a scourge from society, but then again most of the Judges, Politicians and Police are all corrupt, oh well it was just a thought.
Merai: "You tell me. You tell me."
The businessman: "Wah you want, Wah you want?"
Merai: "You tell me. You tell me."
Link
There should be a new reality show in Guyana called "Name that Drug Dealer" this would be a call in show and players will remain anonymous. Players will win the satisfaction of knowing they are cleaning a scourge from society, but then again most of the Judges, Politicians and Police are all corrupt, oh well it was just a thought.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Eddy Grant - Electric Avenue
Lots of work to be done in Guyana - We gonna rock down to Blackout Avenue
Guyana - Last surviving indentured laborer from India
At age 104, Kowsilla Ghutri holds the distinction of being the second oldest Guyanese (the oldest being 111 years old) and possibly the last surviving indentured laborer in Guyana . She lives with her youngest daughter, Sukhia, and her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren at Good Hope Housing Scheme on the East Coast of Demerara in Guyana.
Ma, as she is known to everyone, was born on April 20, 1903 somewhere in Uttar Pradesh and landed in British Guiana on October 10, 1912 with her father named Dhonra, her mother and her brother on board the SS Matla Jahaj.
She remembers nothing of India, but does remember her voyage to British Guiana particularly the sound of the ocean and the rocking of the steam ship "Matla Jahaj". She remembers her father telling them that a better life was in store for them in the land where "sugar ah chale".
Upon arrival in British Guiana, the family was "bounded" to Cove & John Sugar plantation and soon the dream turned to a nightmare of exploitation and deprivation. "Ma" has a good appetite, loves dhal and rice, and feeds herself without assistance. She still sings those songs they used to sing in the sugar and rice fields of Cove & John a long time ago, and proudly displays her wedding tattoo.
She was married at the fairly early age of nine. Ma has lost her vision and much of her hearing, but has retained her sense of humor. She wanted to know if the interviewer was married !! Ma's life speaks of a resilience, will and fortitude to adapt, survive and succeed against all odds which she did.
Interview by Rishi Singh, President of CHS--JCCSS Association
Monday, July 02, 2007
A Closer Look At The iPhone
See what all the hype is about. Don't worry folks, there will be cheaper and better products soon.
Guyana - Water & Electricity shortage
By Robin Banks:
We presently have six tanks for storing water, we collect all of the rain water. But we have to be careful when collecting this water after long dry seasons, because you never know what is on the roof. The other day there was a five day water shortage but thankfully it did not affect us because of our additional storage.
As for electricity, it is getting bad again. Lots of the infrastructure (poles and transformers) are old and they seem to be going down one after the other.
I saw in New York you guys are getting some blackouts every now and then, it could be because of the influx of Guyanese running away from the PPP and going to live in New York and taxing their electricity system.
We presently have six tanks for storing water, we collect all of the rain water. But we have to be careful when collecting this water after long dry seasons, because you never know what is on the roof. The other day there was a five day water shortage but thankfully it did not affect us because of our additional storage.
As for electricity, it is getting bad again. Lots of the infrastructure (poles and transformers) are old and they seem to be going down one after the other.
I saw in New York you guys are getting some blackouts every now and then, it could be because of the influx of Guyanese running away from the PPP and going to live in New York and taxing their electricity system.
Guyana Biometrics
Backtrackers will have an increasingly difficult time to Backtrack out of Guyana, even if they have a cut on their finger. I belive the interviewer wanted to cut his finger to bypass the biometrics, it looks like he wants to migrate....amm backtrack.
Guyana IPED
We will continue to take pot shots at IPED because they are such obvious haughty hypocrites.
There they are, every Sunday on television urging Guyanese small industry on their Grow With IPED television show on NCN Channel 11 but during their music break, instead of some First Born or even Slingshot they prefer Mariah Carey.
And someone needs to tell Carlotta that her annoying "ahmm, ahmm" while her guests are speaking is extremely infuriating and disastrously unprofessional.
http://livinguyana.blogspot.com/2006/01/foreign-minded-iped.html
Trinidad - Invasion & Insurgents
By Queen Macoomeh
It was reported today, the United States has captured four Caribbean people suspected of plotting terrorist acts against the US. Four old men were arrested and charged with the heinous crimes. The men hail from Guyana and Trinidad but since no one knew which island was
Guyana, the FBI concluded it must be part of Trinidad.
After careful investigation, the US authorities revealed that Trinidad was the new Axis of Bacchanal. US President Dasheen Bush authorized fifty thousand troops to begin a load of Strategic Halt In Terrorism campaign against Trinidad but on discovery of the actual size
of the twin island country, forty-nine thousand troops were forced to wait in Barbados, Grenada, Martinique, St. Kitts, St, Vincent, Antigua, St. Lucia, Dominica and Jamaica while the first thousand landed in Trinidad.
It became apparent to the US troops immediately upon arrival that Trinidad and Tobago was indeed expecting an invasion. The troops arrived on what is called "J'ouvert Morning" - a fundamentalist movement on the island. Streets were empty and all focus was on the two
areas of worship - Port of Spain and San Fernando. At Piarco - the island's only airport, there was a lengthy delay due to the fact that the entire personnel was in the staffroom viewing something called 'Parade of Bands". Later, the troops were asked to wait on the tarmac
while a rather disgruntled customs officer spoke at length to another customs officer about a covert plot called "mehwifehorningmewidamannamesooklal".
On the local television channel a group calling themselves "Tribe" waved vicious and obviously religiously motivated banners in plain view of foreign television cameras. Several women were seen to remove their masks and other clothing. Only the faces were carefully photographed by our imbedded See Nen Nen reporters, to be matched against known dissident profiles.
Top CIA officials have confirmed these banners are part of the terrorist underground language in Trinidad. In fact, most of the natives of this South American island speak a version of Arabic predicated on the word "eh". When asked to comment on the grievous situation facing
the country, most interviewed replied "eh".
Steeped resistance was met in various parts of the capital of Port of Spain. Once troops were able to navigate a treacherous land pass called Lady Young Road, they were met by a riotous band of rebels calling themselves "Island People" - a known group of dissidents. US troops were unable to subdue this elite group of highly trained militia. The troops were sprayed with a toxic liquid locally made called "babash". It caused disorientation and almost an entire regiment was
infected. Another unfamiliar weapon was called "wine" but not the alcohol kind. This was a particularly devious weapon favoured by the female militia and was wrought on each of the US troops by two females at once while the male militia shouted - and I quote - "YOU GO KILL DE
MAN WID DAT WINE!" - obviously more death code.
Other of the US troops stumbled upon what seems to be the noocoola region behind the unrest in this previously unknown island. It has come to this reporter's attention that troops arrived in an area called La Vanty. Several troops were lost in La Vanty. Troops would head into the alleys and hilly streets and not return. It is assumed they have been captured by the La Vantians. Frightening shouts of "PLATOW! AH KETCH ONE!" could be heard intermittently throughout the blood thirsty area. More troops were lost in a maze known as Diamond Vale. No bodies
have yet been recovered. Other troops were captured. A group calling themselves 'Borokeets" have taken responsibility.
The insurgents there are a force to be reckoned with. One such trained sniper was overheard reporting to his superiors on the Digicell military based cellphone that he had "Flimmed de whole ting!" Our expert sources at the CIA revealed that 'flimming' is a highly developed form
of warfare taught at terrorist training camps all over Trinidad. It was deduced 'ting' is similar to 'ent' and are both noun and verb and possibly diphthong.
Other Weapons of Mas Destruction were found scattered around the island after two days of intense fighting ended on Ash Wednesday.
President Dasheen Bush has issued a stern warning to the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago that further resistance will not be tolerated. The Prime Minister was unavailable for comment. Sources say he was last seen shopping in Flatbush, New York.
The US also revealed that an undercover agent named Akon had been planted in Trinidad several weeks prior and infiltrated a hideout called Zen. There, Agent Akon was able to thoroughly examine the youth movement of terrorism closely. His findings are documented in the SorryMyArse Report. This hideout was also the scene at which fundamentalist leader LookAbu Bu Dey Montano was caught on tape training other youths in the art of "Jumbie". One such training session ended in serious injury to a cadet. Montano has taken his training techniques to Toronto and New York where terrorist cells are said to exist. It is reported a large meeting will be held in Toronto under the code name Caribanana.
It is not known at present how long it will take the US to get to the bottom of this serious upheaval. The four men arrested are awaiting sentencing after their Milo and nap. Investigators had been following these men for several months. Informants were planted at many of their meetings, cleverly disguised as "All Fours Night", apparently another code developed by these masterminds.
On the night of their arrest they were found with all the supplies for a terrorist attack - english potato, corn, ground provisions, saltmeat and coconut milk. They defiantly claimed this to be
a fatal concoction known as 'pelau'.
We will keep you posted as things develop in Trinidad. The entire Caribbean region is at risk of being invaded if things are not settled there. US Secretary of State Peas N Rice has agreed to meet with a contingent of ambassadors from the island led by Trinidad's Protocol Minister Destra Garcia and Minister of Titular Affairs, Denise Belfon.
We will have that outcome for you as soon as the meetings are concluded.
This is Queen Macoomeh for See Nen Nen News
It was reported today, the United States has captured four Caribbean people suspected of plotting terrorist acts against the US. Four old men were arrested and charged with the heinous crimes. The men hail from Guyana and Trinidad but since no one knew which island was
Guyana, the FBI concluded it must be part of Trinidad.
After careful investigation, the US authorities revealed that Trinidad was the new Axis of Bacchanal. US President Dasheen Bush authorized fifty thousand troops to begin a load of Strategic Halt In Terrorism campaign against Trinidad but on discovery of the actual size
of the twin island country, forty-nine thousand troops were forced to wait in Barbados, Grenada, Martinique, St. Kitts, St, Vincent, Antigua, St. Lucia, Dominica and Jamaica while the first thousand landed in Trinidad.
It became apparent to the US troops immediately upon arrival that Trinidad and Tobago was indeed expecting an invasion. The troops arrived on what is called "J'ouvert Morning" - a fundamentalist movement on the island. Streets were empty and all focus was on the two
areas of worship - Port of Spain and San Fernando. At Piarco - the island's only airport, there was a lengthy delay due to the fact that the entire personnel was in the staffroom viewing something called 'Parade of Bands". Later, the troops were asked to wait on the tarmac
while a rather disgruntled customs officer spoke at length to another customs officer about a covert plot called "mehwifehorningmewidamannamesooklal".
On the local television channel a group calling themselves "Tribe" waved vicious and obviously religiously motivated banners in plain view of foreign television cameras. Several women were seen to remove their masks and other clothing. Only the faces were carefully photographed by our imbedded See Nen Nen reporters, to be matched against known dissident profiles.
Top CIA officials have confirmed these banners are part of the terrorist underground language in Trinidad. In fact, most of the natives of this South American island speak a version of Arabic predicated on the word "eh". When asked to comment on the grievous situation facing
the country, most interviewed replied "eh".
Steeped resistance was met in various parts of the capital of Port of Spain. Once troops were able to navigate a treacherous land pass called Lady Young Road, they were met by a riotous band of rebels calling themselves "Island People" - a known group of dissidents. US troops were unable to subdue this elite group of highly trained militia. The troops were sprayed with a toxic liquid locally made called "babash". It caused disorientation and almost an entire regiment was
infected. Another unfamiliar weapon was called "wine" but not the alcohol kind. This was a particularly devious weapon favoured by the female militia and was wrought on each of the US troops by two females at once while the male militia shouted - and I quote - "YOU GO KILL DE
MAN WID DAT WINE!" - obviously more death code.
Other of the US troops stumbled upon what seems to be the noocoola region behind the unrest in this previously unknown island. It has come to this reporter's attention that troops arrived in an area called La Vanty. Several troops were lost in La Vanty. Troops would head into the alleys and hilly streets and not return. It is assumed they have been captured by the La Vantians. Frightening shouts of "PLATOW! AH KETCH ONE!" could be heard intermittently throughout the blood thirsty area. More troops were lost in a maze known as Diamond Vale. No bodies
have yet been recovered. Other troops were captured. A group calling themselves 'Borokeets" have taken responsibility.
The insurgents there are a force to be reckoned with. One such trained sniper was overheard reporting to his superiors on the Digicell military based cellphone that he had "Flimmed de whole ting!" Our expert sources at the CIA revealed that 'flimming' is a highly developed form
of warfare taught at terrorist training camps all over Trinidad. It was deduced 'ting' is similar to 'ent' and are both noun and verb and possibly diphthong.
Other Weapons of Mas Destruction were found scattered around the island after two days of intense fighting ended on Ash Wednesday.
President Dasheen Bush has issued a stern warning to the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago that further resistance will not be tolerated. The Prime Minister was unavailable for comment. Sources say he was last seen shopping in Flatbush, New York.
The US also revealed that an undercover agent named Akon had been planted in Trinidad several weeks prior and infiltrated a hideout called Zen. There, Agent Akon was able to thoroughly examine the youth movement of terrorism closely. His findings are documented in the SorryMyArse Report. This hideout was also the scene at which fundamentalist leader LookAbu Bu Dey Montano was caught on tape training other youths in the art of "Jumbie". One such training session ended in serious injury to a cadet. Montano has taken his training techniques to Toronto and New York where terrorist cells are said to exist. It is reported a large meeting will be held in Toronto under the code name Caribanana.
It is not known at present how long it will take the US to get to the bottom of this serious upheaval. The four men arrested are awaiting sentencing after their Milo and nap. Investigators had been following these men for several months. Informants were planted at many of their meetings, cleverly disguised as "All Fours Night", apparently another code developed by these masterminds.
On the night of their arrest they were found with all the supplies for a terrorist attack - english potato, corn, ground provisions, saltmeat and coconut milk. They defiantly claimed this to be
a fatal concoction known as 'pelau'.
We will keep you posted as things develop in Trinidad. The entire Caribbean region is at risk of being invaded if things are not settled there. US Secretary of State Peas N Rice has agreed to meet with a contingent of ambassadors from the island led by Trinidad's Protocol Minister Destra Garcia and Minister of Titular Affairs, Denise Belfon.
We will have that outcome for you as soon as the meetings are concluded.
This is Queen Macoomeh for See Nen Nen News
New York - Abe bring moh of abe favarite past time to New Yark
Hopes For Quiet In Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park
by Joseph Wendelken, Assistant Editor
06/28/2007
Noise from souped up hot rods, motorcycles, car alarms, tractor-trailers and bars and restaurants echo down almost every street in the borough. But in Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park, where weekend-long parties and music from bass-pounding stereo systems rattle eardrums all summer long, hopes are especially high that changes in the city’s noise code will finally bring some relief.
Those in the two South Queens communities say that noise has actually resulted in many of their neighbors selling their homes and moving.
“In the beginning, we didn’t think it was going to be ongoing. It hasn’t stopped,” said Margaret Finnerty, the president of the Richmond Hill South Civic Association. One of Finnerty’s neighbors, a 106th Street resident, said that two weekends ago her neighbors started partying with blaring music at 9 a.m. They didn’t stop playing music until 1:40 a.m., despite the four calls she made to the Police Department. Because her house has been vandalized after she called the police in the past, she asked that her name not be published.
With parties around her just as raucous as the one that stopped at 1:40 a.m., the 106th Street resident’s doctor wrote her a sleeping pill prescription. "Most days you just sit and cry,” she said of the weekends when noise becomes unbearable. When asked whether she thinks that the noise law will help the situation in her neighborhood, she said: “We hope and pray it does.”
The law includes a ban on sustained noise of seven decibels over a neighborhood’s typical noise level between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., as measured from another piece of property or public right of way. Between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., noise louder than 10 decibels will be prohibited. By comparison, noise in a quiet library measures 30 decibels, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Philip Geraldi, a 117th Street resident, said that such stringent limits are in order. He regularly confronts a group of young men in cars in front of and near his house who play intolerably loud music. “The boom-boom speakers, they don’t even let you think,” he said.
Although both Geraldi and the 106th Street resident are senior citizens, Councilman Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) said that noise complaints into his office come from people of all ages. He listed population density as one contributing factor. “We’re not blessed with rolling pastures of empty land between our homes. We live inches away from each other,” Addabbo said. But he added that often problems arise because some people lack courtesy and respect.
Arline Bronzaft, an environmental psychologist who has written extensively on the effects of noise on mental and physical well-being, said that those who rarely experience quiet suffer from learned helplessness. Individuals believe that they have no control over their lives and that attempts to change the problems around them are worthless.
“It (noise) can have enormously adverse psychological effects,” Bronzaft said. She added that in addition to the depression and hypertension that it can cause, levels of stress can damage an individual’s cardiovascular system.
Because of the pressing concern noise presents in South Queens, the 106th Precinct’s new commanding officer, Capt. Joseph Courtesis, developed a precinctwide database of chronic noise locations after coming to Ozone Park in April. The precinct sent written warnings to locations cited last summer for excessive noise. Courtesis has also urged community members to contact the police when they see parties in their staging phases.
According to Betty Braton, the chairwoman of Community Board 10, the precinct’s new anti-noise plan has resulted in the issuance of more excessive-noise summonses. Complaints have not decreased, however. She said that she remains hopeful that the new law will bring changes, but added that its success will “hinge on how it’s enforced and how its provisions are put into effect.”
Link
Some people with low standards will say progress has happened in Richmond Hill / Ozone Park while others with higher standards will say the area has declined along with the quality of life. This area has been transformed from the mellow environs of the 70s to the pulsating Corentyness in the year 2007.
by Joseph Wendelken, Assistant Editor
06/28/2007
Noise from souped up hot rods, motorcycles, car alarms, tractor-trailers and bars and restaurants echo down almost every street in the borough. But in Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park, where weekend-long parties and music from bass-pounding stereo systems rattle eardrums all summer long, hopes are especially high that changes in the city’s noise code will finally bring some relief.
Those in the two South Queens communities say that noise has actually resulted in many of their neighbors selling their homes and moving.
“In the beginning, we didn’t think it was going to be ongoing. It hasn’t stopped,” said Margaret Finnerty, the president of the Richmond Hill South Civic Association. One of Finnerty’s neighbors, a 106th Street resident, said that two weekends ago her neighbors started partying with blaring music at 9 a.m. They didn’t stop playing music until 1:40 a.m., despite the four calls she made to the Police Department. Because her house has been vandalized after she called the police in the past, she asked that her name not be published.
With parties around her just as raucous as the one that stopped at 1:40 a.m., the 106th Street resident’s doctor wrote her a sleeping pill prescription. "Most days you just sit and cry,” she said of the weekends when noise becomes unbearable. When asked whether she thinks that the noise law will help the situation in her neighborhood, she said: “We hope and pray it does.”
The law includes a ban on sustained noise of seven decibels over a neighborhood’s typical noise level between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., as measured from another piece of property or public right of way. Between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., noise louder than 10 decibels will be prohibited. By comparison, noise in a quiet library measures 30 decibels, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Philip Geraldi, a 117th Street resident, said that such stringent limits are in order. He regularly confronts a group of young men in cars in front of and near his house who play intolerably loud music. “The boom-boom speakers, they don’t even let you think,” he said.
Although both Geraldi and the 106th Street resident are senior citizens, Councilman Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) said that noise complaints into his office come from people of all ages. He listed population density as one contributing factor. “We’re not blessed with rolling pastures of empty land between our homes. We live inches away from each other,” Addabbo said. But he added that often problems arise because some people lack courtesy and respect.
Arline Bronzaft, an environmental psychologist who has written extensively on the effects of noise on mental and physical well-being, said that those who rarely experience quiet suffer from learned helplessness. Individuals believe that they have no control over their lives and that attempts to change the problems around them are worthless.
“It (noise) can have enormously adverse psychological effects,” Bronzaft said. She added that in addition to the depression and hypertension that it can cause, levels of stress can damage an individual’s cardiovascular system.
Because of the pressing concern noise presents in South Queens, the 106th Precinct’s new commanding officer, Capt. Joseph Courtesis, developed a precinctwide database of chronic noise locations after coming to Ozone Park in April. The precinct sent written warnings to locations cited last summer for excessive noise. Courtesis has also urged community members to contact the police when they see parties in their staging phases.
According to Betty Braton, the chairwoman of Community Board 10, the precinct’s new anti-noise plan has resulted in the issuance of more excessive-noise summonses. Complaints have not decreased, however. She said that she remains hopeful that the new law will bring changes, but added that its success will “hinge on how it’s enforced and how its provisions are put into effect.”
Link
Some people with low standards will say progress has happened in Richmond Hill / Ozone Park while others with higher standards will say the area has declined along with the quality of life. This area has been transformed from the mellow environs of the 70s to the pulsating Corentyness in the year 2007.
Guyana - Monopoly double standards
Monopoly - Double Standards
By Peter R.Ramsaroop
Stabroek News
Friday, June 29th 2007
This column explores initiatives to improve the business climate of our nation and make Guyana Open for Business a reality. Peter R Ramsaroop, MBA Chairman, RoopGroup
The dictionary describes the word monopoly as 'exclusive control of a commodity or service in a particular market'. In Guyana, the word seems to have dual meanings - one for the private sector and one for the Government. The two primary monopolies to garner public attention over the past few years are the Government accusation that GT&T is a monopoly on the telecommunication sector while adamantly denying they are guilty of a radio monopoly and disapproving the expansion of local television stations' broadcasting capabilities. The significant barriers in expanding Guyana's broadcasting industry have had a broader impact than merely being a topic for letter writers and columnists. The reality is that this issue has also had a profound impact on the economy as it affects our country's profile as an open society where people are free to exercise their rights, which in turn is a deterrent to Foreign Direct Investment.
GT&T was the first telecommunications company in Guyana to move us beyond having to book an overseas call to instantly being able to make these calls. GT&T introduced cell phones into the country and upgraded the telecommunications infrastructure significantly. The introduction of Digicel was a political move by the government to break up what they see as a GT&T monopoly. Strong words by the head of state were a major slam on this private sector business that has done a lot for our country.
The Government monopoly on radio has been widely discussed and criticised by almost every sector of local and international opponents. They have restricted television stations, such as those owned by Vieira and Sharma, from expanding their coverage while at the same time expanding their own reach through the National Communications Network with funding by the Government of China. We also see the decision by the government to shut down cable companies. The Government has even attempted to stifle the Stabroek News by their decision to withdraw advertising from this paper.
A monopoly also exists in the agricultural sector where the ministry has done all it can to ensure that a private sector processing plant (RoopGroup) cannot compete with their substandard export facility.
Our next door neighbour, Venezuela and its government led by Hugo Chavez are now to monopolise all major industries including the oil and telecommunication sector with the closure of private television stations and the taking over of ownership in the oil industry.
Maybe it is time to create a monopoly game board specific to Guyana.
Until next week, "Roop"
Link
By Peter R.Ramsaroop
Stabroek News
Friday, June 29th 2007
This column explores initiatives to improve the business climate of our nation and make Guyana Open for Business a reality. Peter R Ramsaroop, MBA Chairman, RoopGroup
The dictionary describes the word monopoly as 'exclusive control of a commodity or service in a particular market'. In Guyana, the word seems to have dual meanings - one for the private sector and one for the Government. The two primary monopolies to garner public attention over the past few years are the Government accusation that GT&T is a monopoly on the telecommunication sector while adamantly denying they are guilty of a radio monopoly and disapproving the expansion of local television stations' broadcasting capabilities. The significant barriers in expanding Guyana's broadcasting industry have had a broader impact than merely being a topic for letter writers and columnists. The reality is that this issue has also had a profound impact on the economy as it affects our country's profile as an open society where people are free to exercise their rights, which in turn is a deterrent to Foreign Direct Investment.
GT&T was the first telecommunications company in Guyana to move us beyond having to book an overseas call to instantly being able to make these calls. GT&T introduced cell phones into the country and upgraded the telecommunications infrastructure significantly. The introduction of Digicel was a political move by the government to break up what they see as a GT&T monopoly. Strong words by the head of state were a major slam on this private sector business that has done a lot for our country.
The Government monopoly on radio has been widely discussed and criticised by almost every sector of local and international opponents. They have restricted television stations, such as those owned by Vieira and Sharma, from expanding their coverage while at the same time expanding their own reach through the National Communications Network with funding by the Government of China. We also see the decision by the government to shut down cable companies. The Government has even attempted to stifle the Stabroek News by their decision to withdraw advertising from this paper.
A monopoly also exists in the agricultural sector where the ministry has done all it can to ensure that a private sector processing plant (RoopGroup) cannot compete with their substandard export facility.
Our next door neighbour, Venezuela and its government led by Hugo Chavez are now to monopolise all major industries including the oil and telecommunication sector with the closure of private television stations and the taking over of ownership in the oil industry.
Maybe it is time to create a monopoly game board specific to Guyana.
Until next week, "Roop"
Link
Guyanese playing softball cricket in New York
Abee bring abeedese favorite pastimes to New Yark - safball and rum drinkin.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Guyana - Since when Donkeys have the ability to evaluate tenders
Frequent delays of tenders are expensive and the cost of materials can change
Sunday, July 1st 2007
Stabroek News
Dear Editor,
Various Governmental Ministries and Agencies have advertised quite a bit of tenders in recent months for security, construction and supply.
Why do they not award the tender for security in particular? After a lengthy period they would re-tender, as if the entire exercise for security was a big joke. These people have to understand that when businesses have to submit tenders, which is now complicated, it costs a lot of time, energy and finance to complete the process. They have to procure and collate the data, fulfil the rules of tendering, pay their accountant to get the compliances, and then bind the documents. In many cases they have to take debt for the 2% tender security, sometimes for hundreds of thousands and even millions........Link
You need highly technical and qualified people to evaluate tenders, these donkeys can't even evaluate and award the BMW tenders yet. In lieu of evaluating they just award the contract to their friends and family for a cut back, that is how these donkeys operate.
Sunday, July 1st 2007
Stabroek News
Dear Editor,
Various Governmental Ministries and Agencies have advertised quite a bit of tenders in recent months for security, construction and supply.
Why do they not award the tender for security in particular? After a lengthy period they would re-tender, as if the entire exercise for security was a big joke. These people have to understand that when businesses have to submit tenders, which is now complicated, it costs a lot of time, energy and finance to complete the process. They have to procure and collate the data, fulfil the rules of tendering, pay their accountant to get the compliances, and then bind the documents. In many cases they have to take debt for the 2% tender security, sometimes for hundreds of thousands and even millions........Link
You need highly technical and qualified people to evaluate tenders, these donkeys can't even evaluate and award the BMW tenders yet. In lieu of evaluating they just award the contract to their friends and family for a cut back, that is how these donkeys operate.
Guyana - This is what happens when donkeys are running things
Doppler fiasco
Whistleblower sent on leave -source
Stabroek News
Sunday, July 1st 2007
The senior Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) official who has been sent on leave because of the Doppler radar fiasco was actually the whistleblower on the project, a source close to the authority said.
Work began on the site for a tower to mount the Doppler radar in April this year, but it was subsequently discovered that the location selected was too close to the control tower and the radar could interfere with the electronic navigation signals to aircraft....Link
What happened to the feasibility studies, evironmental studies, planning studies - if these were done properly then this SNAFU would not have happened.
Whistleblower sent on leave -source
Stabroek News
Sunday, July 1st 2007
The senior Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) official who has been sent on leave because of the Doppler radar fiasco was actually the whistleblower on the project, a source close to the authority said.
Work began on the site for a tower to mount the Doppler radar in April this year, but it was subsequently discovered that the location selected was too close to the control tower and the radar could interfere with the electronic navigation signals to aircraft....Link
What happened to the feasibility studies, evironmental studies, planning studies - if these were done properly then this SNAFU would not have happened.
Guyana - Where is Gail the Donkey CCTV cameras?
Bandits rob City Mall
Sunday, July 1st 2007
Armed bandits invaded the City Mall at the corner of Camp and Regent Streets early yesterday morning slashing the hand of a security guard and tying up the rest before robbing a store of a quantity of cellular phones and accessories.......Link
It was only a matter of time, I can't wait for these bandits to rob and pillage Pradoville, that is where all the wealth is.
Sunday, July 1st 2007
Armed bandits invaded the City Mall at the corner of Camp and Regent Streets early yesterday morning slashing the hand of a security guard and tying up the rest before robbing a store of a quantity of cellular phones and accessories.......Link
It was only a matter of time, I can't wait for these bandits to rob and pillage Pradoville, that is where all the wealth is.
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