Guyana Diaspora

'89 percent of Guyana 's graduate population live and work in the 30 relatively rich countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) -"Fruit that falls far from the tree",
The Economist, 03 November 2005'

It is estimated that there are as many Guyanese living overseas as they are in Guyana
They are spread out far and wide to almost every country on the planet
This blog was created to chronicle the news and and stories of the Diaspora

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Crime Fiction Writer

Born in Georgetown, Guyana, writer Mike Phillips moved to Britain as a child and grew up in London. He was educated at the University of London and the University of Essex, and gained a Postgraduate Certificate of Education at Goldsmiths College, London.

Writer Mike Phillips was born in Georgetown, Guyana. He moved to Britain as a child and grew up in London. He was educated at the University of London and the University of Essex, and gained a Postgraduate Certificate of Education at Goldsmiths College, London.

He worked for the BBC as a journalist and broadcaster between 1972 and 1983 on television programmes including The Late Show and Omnibus, before becoming a lecturer in media studies at the University of Westminster. He has written full-time since 1992.

He is best known for his crime fiction, including four novels featuring black journalist Sam Dean: Blood Rights (1989), which was adapted for BBC television, The Late Candidate (1990), winner of the Crime Writers' Association Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction, Point of Darkness (1994) and An Image to Die For (1995). The Dancing Face (1997) is a thriller centred on a priceless Benin mask.

His last novel, A Shadow of Myself (2000), is a thriller about a black documentary filmmaker working in Prague and a man who claims to be his brother. He is currently working on a sequel.

Mike Phillips co-wrote Windrush: The Irresistible Rise of Multi-Racial Britain (1998) to accompany a BBC television series telling the story of the Caribbean migrant workers who settled in post-war Britain.

His next book, London Crossings: A Biography of Black Britain (2001), is a series of interlinked essays and stories, a portrait of the city seen from locations as diverse as New York and Nairobi, London and Lodz, Washington and Warsaw.

Critical Perspective
Dr James Procter
Mike Phillips is a gifted, entertaining storyteller who has performed his work with equal success in front of academics and prison inmates. His critically acclaimed novels have attracted a cult following and Phillips's reputation is spreading rapidly, not just within the UK, but across the US and Europe where he is a regular speaker.

Phillips has said that very early on in his career he made the conscious decision to work within the specific literary genre of crime, or detective fiction. As a Black British writer, Phillips's choice is an interesting and unusual one. In the United States the crime novel is closely associated with Black literature through the work of celebrated African American authors such as Chester Himes and Walter Mosley.

However in Britain, with the notable exception, perhaps, of Victor Headley's best selling Yardie trilogy, or more recently, Diran Adebayo's My Once Upon a Time, Black writers have not appropriated the tropes of the thriller. This, despite and, arguably, because of the centrality of criminality to constructions of the post-war Black presence in Britain.In a recent essay on Black British writing, Phillips provides some clues as to the significance of the detective genre for his writing.

Exploring how Black writers have tended to become imprisoned 'within the idea of race and blackness', he argues that the crime novel allows him to disrupt the canonical literary tradition, to write in his own 'voice rather than the voice of a white Englishman or a foreign "postcolonial"'. The crime novel allows Phillips both to self-consciously confront his own relationship to a white English cultural heritage and to challenge essentialist, universal notions of Black subjectivity.

Phillips does not simply reproduce the dominant structures of crime fiction, or reverse them in order to replace the white urban investigator with a Black protagonist. Rather, he seeks to disrupt the oppositions installed within the crime novel, with its divided moral universe, neatly compartmentalised into good and evil, black and white. In his first novel, Blood Rights (1989), Black journalist Samson Dean is paid to investigate the disappearance of Virginia Baker. The investigation unravels in a way that, as Phillips points out, not only challenges English 'moral certainties', but also sees Sam Dean 'continually obliged to reconstitute his own moral code within a culture where he is a moral outlaw'.

In common with crime fiction more generally, Blood Rights seduces its reader through the agility of its plot and its ability to generate mystery, intrigue and suspense. Sam Dean's mission takes him from London to Manchester and into an investigation of the mysterious, Roy Akimole, the unacknowledged brother of missing Virginia. Roy is the 'illegitimate' son of respectable MP Grenville Baker, the product of a (concealed) relationship with a Black woman. Roy's oedipal revenge on his father stands at the heart of this mystery, which is also an investigation into repressed relations between black and white Britain.

In his later novels such as The Late Candidate (1990), Point of Darkness (1994), The Dancing Face (1997) and A Shadow of Myself (2000) Phillips continues to innovate, taking the thriller form in different directions.

At the same time he develops many of the issues and themes already raised within his debut fiction, Blood Rights to create a recognisable and distinctive body of writing (Sam Dean, for example, is the hero in several of the novels).

Revolving around the detection of murders, missing people and mysterious disappearances, each novel is also an investigation into the limits of 'Blackness' and Britishness. Collectively they might be read as attempts to expose that which are concealed behind terms like 'race', nationality and belonging.

Phillips's most recent novel, A Shadow of Myself is arguably his most ambitious and successful thriller to date. Moving beyond Britain, the novel occupies a larger landscape than many of the earlier works, taking in the likes of Hamburg, Prague, Moscow and Berlin, not to mention London. A Shadow of Myself (as the title itself suggests) playfully evokes one of the key figures of the crime novel the doppelganger.

The text pivots around George and Joseph Coker and the consequences of their 'chance' encounter at a film festival in Prague. Kofi, the father of these recently re-united brothers constitutes the central enigma of the narrative, opening up a sinister world of intrigue and murder in which Joseph is another potential victim.

A sophisticated, superbly crafted novel, A Shadow of Myself extends the concerns with citizenship and racial coding evident in the earlier novels to a wider, European context.

Phillips is not just a novelist of considerable talent. He has also produced several important works of non-fiction. He wrote and co-edited Windrush: the Irresistible Rise of Multi-Racial Britain with his brother Trevor to coincide with the Windrush anniversary and the major BBC TV series, Windrush. The anniversary celebrations were designed to commemorate the beginnings of large scale West Indian migration to Britain, marked by the arrival of the SS Empire Windrush in Tilbury in 1948.

The book is, among other things, an invaluable compilation of passages and quotations from the pioneering settlers and their children offering a vivid, intimate history of Black Britain since the war. His most recent book, London Crossings (2001) is a fascinating collection of essays.

The opening sections recollect Phillips's childhood, from the early years in Guyana to the formative years growing up in London between 1956 and 1980. The pieces chart Phillips's growth alongside an increasing familiarity with the metropolitan landscape as the 'I' narrator criss-crosses London, piecing together the city section by section without ever comprehending it whole.

In later sections Phillips intersperses creative writing with personal accounts of journeying in Europe and North America. Subtitled A Biography of Black Britain, the volume is also a poignant autobiographical account of the author's life.

From contemporarywriters

Novels
Community Work and Racism
Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1982
Smell of the Coast Akira, 1987
Blood Rights Michael Joseph, 1989
The Late Candidate Michael Joseph, 1990
Boyz 'n' the 'Hood Pan, 1991
Notting Hill in the Sixties (photographs by Charlie Phillips) Lawrence & Wishart, 1991
Point of Darkness Michael Joseph, 1994
An Image to Die For HarperCollins, 1995
The Dancing Face HarperCollins, 1997
Windrush: The Irresistible Rise of Multi-Racial Britain (with Trevor Phillips) HarperCollins, 1998
A Shadow of Myself HarperCollins, 2000
London Crossings: A Biography of Black Britain Continuum, 2001

Prizes and awards
1991 Crime Writers' Association Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction The Late Candidate

Buy books by Mike Phillips at Amazon.co.uk

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Ellie is my name

Born in Guyana, South America, and educated in various countries of Africa, the Middle East, and the UK, C.M Rubin began her career in London at ACC (ITC Film Distributors) and EMI Films. From there she moved to Columbia Tri-star, where she managed several entertainment projects and rose to senior marketing and publicity positions.

C. M. Rubin has developed numerous entertainment and book projects in New York and London over the past 20 years. Born in Guyana, South America, and educated in various countries of Africa, the Middle East, and the UK, she began her career in London at ACC (ITC Film Distributors) and EMI Films. From there she moved to Columbia Tri-star, where she managed several entertainment projects and rose to senior marketing and publicity positions. After relocating to New York in 1988, she developed a number of properties for a major independent entertainment distributor and book publisher.

Ms. Rubin’s first children's picture book,
Eleanor, Ellatony, Ellencake, and Me, introduced the spunky character Eleanor, who ultimately decides that Ellie is the name that suits her best. The book received widespread critical acclaim, having won the iParenting Media Award, Children's Choices Award 2004, Teacher's Choices Award 2004, and Bronze Gold Ink Award 2004. Its delightful sequel, Ellie: The Perfect Dress for Me, was released in September 2005.

"Helping kids build great self-esteem, teaching them good values and encouraging them to make the right choices is crucial in the early years," says Ms. Rubin. "The child that has the inner strength to be a caring, creative, resourceful and independent thinker is the emotionally healthy child. I hope parents see Ellie as the best kind of role model for their child".

C.M. Rubin lives with her husband, two children and their dog in New York City.

From ellieismyname

Friday, February 24, 2006

Motivational Speaker

Born in Guyana, South America of East Indian heritage, John Harricharan is truly a multi-cultural, global personality. Yet, with his professional background, he also exhibits a rare sensitivity and charismatic delivery which have earned him well deserved respect and acclaim.

Outstanding businessman, lecturer and award-winning author, John Harricharan, is a unique blend of East and West. A naturalized U.S. citizen born in Guyana, South America of East Indian heritage, he is truly a multi-cultural, global personality. Yet, with his professional background, he also exhibits a rare sensitivity and charismatic delivery which have earned him well deserved respect and acclaim.

However, he was to know failure as well as success. The events that led to both are incorporated in his lectures and are chronicled in his books, which, rather than being stories of loss and sadness are, instead, inspiring tales of courage, strength and the dignity of the human spirit. He has shared the lecture platform with such well-known speakers as Deepak Chopra, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Og Mandino, Gerald Jampolsky, Foster Hibbard, Eric Butterworth, C. Everett Koop and others.

His transformational message stems from his challenging personal growth experiences. As Harricharan says, "I know what it feels like to have my car repossessed, to watch my wife die of cancer, to lose all earthly possessions and start again from ground zero. I also know what it feels like to write an award-winning book, to be written about in others' books and to be featured in the same book with His Royal Highness, Prince Philip of Great Britain, the Dalai Lama and Paul and Linda McCartney. The contrasts bring compassion and sensitivity to one's life."

Lecturer

Bright, well-educated and professional in demeanor, John brings a welcome, pragmatic approach to his lectures, as an outstanding example where the message and the messenger are one. Not only does John share his personal tragedies; he shares the extraordinary tools he uses to overcome his challenges. He meets his audience filled with energy and enthusiasm. His approach is inspirational and motivational, contagiously so and always, always memorable.

Dr. Deepak Chopra, best-selling author and speaker, refers to Harricharan as, "A skilled and eloquent guide" Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, renowned psychiatrist and bestselling author says, "John Harricharan brilliantly inspires you, motivates you and teaches you. He's fantastic ... absolutely fantastic."

Author

Not only is Harricharan a dynamic speaker, but he also reveals himself to be an extraordinary, compelling author. His award-winning book, When You Can Walk on Water, Take the Boat was named 'Best Book of the Year' by the American Bookdealers Exchange. Its sequel, Morning Has Been All Night Coming has been drawing rave reviews. Both books are published in the U.S. and Canada by Berkley Books. In the U.K., Australia and New Zealand they are published by HarperCollins and are also availabIe in Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese editions.

Businessman

Harricharan graduated summa cum laude, with degrees in chemistry and an MBA from Rutgers University. He started his career with Fortune 500 corporations and worked his way into upper level executive positions. His corporate expertise encompasses areas as varied as Production Management, Research and Development and Marketing. He then proceeded, by blending his knowledge of the corporate world with his entrepreneurial talents, to build an extremely successful business with offices in the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and India. He finally switched from managing his company into what he really loves to do. So now he travels extensively, speaking at seminars and consulting for corporations, organizations and a private clientele worldwide. His extensive experience coupled with his knowledge of multi-cultural inter-relationships afford him the ability to relate to diverse cultures with respect and integrity.

From getmotivation

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Thursday, February 23, 2006

Making a Difference

Making a difference doing what she loves Lawyer sees promise in community, U.S
The daughter of a London-educated barrister and Guyana native, and a Dutch mother, Patrica Cummings came to the United States as a 17-year-old on a visit to see her sister in Kansas City, Mo., with her father, who was an official with British Guyana's Olympic Committee. What she didn't know was that her parents had tricked her,they knew that as soon as she visited America, she'd want to stay .

Binghamton, NY, lawyer Patricia Cummings chose to live in Broome County. But not before she and her husband-to-be, Hugh Leonard, also a lawyer, listed the pros and cons of settling in Binghamton on a legal pad.

The pros, she said, won out. Cummings, 54, left the Manhattan law firm where she practiced and has spent the past 13 years as a partner with her husband at O'Connor, Gacioch, Leonard & Cummings, a Binghamton, NY law firm. Cummings and Leonard met at an alumni weekend football game at Syracuse University, where both attended law school.

Cummings, a native of Guyana in South America, didn't find the transition from Manhattan to Binghamton all that difficult.

"Binghamton is sophisticated in its own way. People's minds are open and their hearts are big," she said.

But Broome County is also the place where Cummings came face to face with her first and only experience where she felt she was judged on the basis of her skin color.

A now-retired judge expressed concern that a jury would identify her with African Americans, Asians and Middle Easterners in the community and the influx of illegal drugs. She still has difficulty talking about the experience, and won't name the judge.

"I think for the first time in my life I was speechless," she said. "And then I think I told him I would put my trust in juries because my experience has been very good with juries."

It was a comment she'll never forget. But she's moved on.

"That has been my only experience where someone made a negative comment directly to me because of the color of my skin, and I found it horribly unfair," she said. "But you know that life isn't fair."

The daughter of a London-educated barrister, and British Guyana native and a Dutch mother, Cummings came to the United States as a 17-year-old on a visit to see her sister in Kansas City, Mo., with her father, who was an official with British Guyana's Olympic Committee.

What she didn't know was that her parents had tricked her. They didn't like her teenage friends. But they knew that as soon as she visited America, she'd want to stay, she said.

"They knew that once I had a taste of this," she said, "that I would never go back home."

They were right. Cummings trained as an X-ray technician, then got her undergraduate degree in health care management. Then it was on to law school in Syracuse and ultimately to Binghamton, where much of her legal practice involves medical malpractice cases.

Interview

Q: How have you put your experience with the judge in perspective?

A: I do think some good will come of it. I'm now a delegate to the New York State Bar Association. I have spoken with them about it. Maybe we'll take some steps — maybe a questionnaire for jurors to fill out and answer questions about their perceptions.

If they feel that way about a lawyer, what do they feel about a defendant of color? How does that defendant get a fair trial? How does a plaintiff get a fair trial? But I don't believe for a second that that is what people think.

Q: Have people changed in their attitudes toward race?

A: I'm speaking as someone who personally until a few years ago hadn't experienced anything like that. I can see it (racism) in stores and things like that. I've read about it. I haven't really lived it.

You know what I'll never forget? When I first came to this country. Remember, I didn't grow up with television. A big event for us was going to the public library and getting Time magazine and all these things about what was going on in the world. When I was living in Kansas City, after a number of years, I finally bought a television. There was a show on TV called the Autobiography of Miss Jane Pitman. I cried for days. I could not believe the horrors that were inflicted on those people.

Remember, my father was a judge, my mother grew up in Europe. The horrors. I remember that. Then of course Roots took over television. That was a real eye opener, too.

Q: Has America had a hard time facing its past?

A: We may have a hard time facing up to our past. But we ought to stop and pat ourselves on the back for what a terrific job we have done and are doing — although there's a long way to go.

The rest of the world is now experiencing what Americans have dealt with for centuries. Take New York City. Think of all the different cultures that live side by side in relative peace. Where else in the world have people welcomed volumes of immigrants?

We're just now starting to see it in Europe. We're just now starting to see that influx and how it changes the culture and the effects that it has. And look what's happening in Denmark. My oldest sister has lived in Denmark since 1969. She's more Danish than she is anything else. She has three boys. They have grandkids. She's always been accepted. Every time I've visited there, people speak in Danish first, and then when they realize I don't speak Danish, then they speak English to me. They just accept you. Now all of a sudden they are having all these problems. I think it's because of the huge number of people coming into the different countries.

We're always down on ourselves, and perhaps that's what makes us so wonderful. Because we are always looking to see how we can be better.

Q: What are your hopes for the future?

A: Where would I like to see the world go? If we could all just recognize that we all want basically the same things. Every mother and father wants a safe environment for their children, a good education for their children. It doesn't matter whether you're Muslim. It doesn't matter if you're Hindu, Jewish, Catholic, Presbyterian, black or white. We all want the same things.

So why don't we just start to recognize what we have in common and work toward everyone being able to have what they need? Maybe that's too simplistic. If you just look at the person next to you — instead of being afraid of them, or instead of being threatened by them — and just think to yourself: What is it that they want? Is it that much different than what I want? Why can't we both have it? There's enough to go around.
So why do we always feel so threatened when someone else wants what we have?

Q: What would your advice be to a young person thinking about a law career?

A: Do it only if you really love the profession. I believe it was Warren Buffett who said, "Pick a career you love and you will become wealthy." I think kids today are just looking at being wealthy. If they follow their hearts and go where their heart tells them to go, they'll find not just financial wealth, but emotional wealth, too.

Q: What is your biggest legal accomplishment?

A: You know, great moments come from small opportunities. The highlight of my career is a case I probably wouldn't even have taken initially. It's a case where I got the Court of Appeals (New York's highest court) to reverse itself after 22 years of saying to women who lose a fetus as a result of malpractice that they've had no emotional injury. After 22 years.

All I did was I argued it logically. I would tell young people going to law school to look for an opportunity to make a difference. That was my opportunity. And you know, I almost ignored it.

When those people came to my office, they were good people. The law didn't give them a right to recover. I said: "I'll try, and just see what happens." Then I just kept getting angrier about it. At some point, it got to the appellate division. I got one judge to rule in my favor. Then I asked for permission from the Court of Appeals, and they accepted it. They hardly accept any case. It was a small victory for those who have lost fetuses as a result of malpractice.

It was the only time where I could think of where clearly there was a negligent act and yet there was no recourse. There's been significant writing and developments in the law as a result of it. But it's my client's victory, really. She had to be incredibly brave to let me take it that far, to make her life on such a personal level so public.

You know, that's one of the things I thought about when the judge made that rather rude comment to me. I thought: "I'm just going to quit. Why do I need this?" And I thought: "Wait a minute. There may be a small opportunity." I'm still here. I'll continue to be here.

From Press & Sun-Bulletin

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Sculptor and Painter

Born in Guyana in 1930 and educated in England, Donald Locke now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Although he makes sculptures and paintings, there is not much difference between the two given that his paintings are sculptural, and his sculptures are, well, painterly. Since leaving Guyana in 1971, his work has been preoccupied with the experiences of African peoples in the New World -- their lives, myths, folklore and their social and political aspirations.

Atlanta resident Donald Locke is an artist with exceptional talent as a sculptor and painter. He has been a part of the “international scene” for over 30 years. Originally from Stewartville, Guyana, South America, Locke began studying art in Guyana in the 1940’s and continued his training at the Bath Academy of Art in England and Edinburgh University in Scotland in the 1950’s and 60’s.

Mr. Locke’s work brings together cross-cultural experiences influenced by his homeland and his journeys as an intellectual living abroad in Europe. His mixed-media sculptures, figural constructions of wax, roots and other organic materials in his creations are considered to have magical, fetishistic overtones. Other sculptures contain bush rope from Guyana’s forests along with exotic woods and ceramic.

Locke’s drawings start at US$1,800 and his paintings range from US$7,000-$15,000. His sculptures are priced between US$1,200 and $8,000.

Some of the public and private collectors of Donald Locke’s work around the world include the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Guyana National Collection, Guyana, South America; and The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York. Exhibitions of his work have also been featured at Skoto Gallery in New York, Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art in Newark, New Jersey, Solomon Project in Atlanta, and City Gallery East, located in Atlanta City Hall East.

From PBSAtlanta

Picasso, Guyanese Jungles And a Robust Hybrid Art

ART history is a story of big names and bold ideas. But it is not the whole story, not by half. For every Pollock or Picasso, there are tens of thousands of artists who work a lifetime with scant recognition or reward. What sustains them is a love of their craft and the hope that someone, someday, will find merit in what they have been doing.

This kind of thinking led the staff at Aljira: A Center for Contemporary Art in Newark to instigate ''Bending the Grid,'' a continuing series of exhibitions that examine the work of outstanding yet under-recognized artists who are more than 60 years old. Aljira also commissions new scholarship on the artists, and prints substantial catalogs.

Donald Locke is the third artist to be featured in the series. Born in Guyana in 1930 and educated in England, Mr. Locke now lives in Atlanta. Although he makes sculptures and paintings, there is not much difference between the two given that his paintings are sculptural, and his sculptures are, well, painterly.

Mr. Locke has spent the past two decades living, working and exhibiting in the Southwest and occasionally contributing to international biennials. Rarely has his work been shown in the New York City area, with the main exception of a smaller exhibition at Aljira in 2000. Now, at last, there is a chance to see almost 50 of his works in one hit.

''The Caribbean is a location of conflicting traditions, where the past and present still collide in an unstable accommodation,'' writes Carl E. Hazlewood in the show's catalog. Pretty much the same goes for Mr. Locke's artworks, which blend Guyana's native cultural traditions, African vernacular myths and folk art, and European influences. This artist is broadcasting on a distinctive aesthetic wavelength.

The show spans roughly the mid-1960's to the present, beginning with a pair of early timehri paintings. Dark, murky figure studies, they apparently refer to the ancient rock engravings found in the jungles of Guyana, known as timehri. But they also play off the work of famous modern artists, notably Picasso in his Cubist period.

Picasso is one of Mr. Locke's heroes and a constant source of inspiration. Hints of Picasso's late self-portraits waft through a grid of recent acrylic sketches of craggy heads on rectangular panels included in the exhibition, while imagery of bulls (one of Picasso's favorite subjects) litters Mr. Locke's sculpture and ceramics.

Although Picasso might provide the formal inspiration for much of Mr. Locke's artwork, the content derives from another, more personal source. Since leaving Guyana in 1971, his work has been preoccupied with the experiences of African peoples in the New World -- their lives, myths, folklore and their social and political aspirations.

This preoccupation is most visible in the paintings, which juggle fragments of personal, cultural and historical information. For instance, a typical painting blends imagery of black political leaders, notices from Guyana's newspapers, photographs of the artist's sculptures and icons of the American South. These are radically hybrid, pan-African images.

Of course, some works have more specific meanings. ''Landscape with Kwame Nkrumah'' (1992) is about the struggles of black colonial peoples for self-determination. How do we know this? The title gives us a hint, for Kwame Nkrumah was the first president of Ghana, the first British colony in Africa to gain its independence. This event, in 1957, galvanized subjugated peoples throughout the African diaspora.

Alongside the paintings here are two kinds of sculpture. The first group, dazzling and delicate, is made up of small wax animals and figurines lightly decorated with twigs, wire, hair and other materials. The others are bold, precarious arrangements of thrusting, painted sticks into which the artist has lobbed wax masks, plastic flowers and slivers of fake fur.

The large sculptures are the most dramatic. Partly it is their size, with some soaring nine feet, and partly because there is a daredevil quality to them. Many pieces look as if they are about to collapse. They also possess a spellbinding spiritualism, reminiscent of votive sculptures used in hybrid Afro-Caribbean religions like voodoo.

From Art Review :NYTimes

Phaedrus Bull (Bronze) by Donald Locke


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Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Medical Director

A native of Guyana, L. Abigail Pennington, M.D. is co-founder of the Pennington Institute for Health and Wellness. She began her career in patient care as a nurse in London , England . Dr. Pennington worked as an Internist in private practice for 25 years.

Dr. Abigail Pennington, (Dr. P, as she is fondly called) is a wise physician, acupuncturist and counselor. From early on, Dr. Pennington has taught her patients how certain behavioral choices offer freedom from disease and mental anguish, leading to the enrichment of their lives. She has worked for more than 25 years with all sorts of people, in every season of life and has uncovered and personally demonstrated hidden tactics for personal achievement.

A native of Guyana, Dr. Pennington began her career in patient care as a nurse in London, England. She later moved to the U.S. and her thirst for knowledge motivated her to enter medical school at the University of Nevada, Reno. She completed her training at The University of Colorado, Denver where she practiced for 11 years.

Dr. Pennington has worked as an Internist in private practice for 25 years. Besides primary care, she has also offered specialty services for elderly patients. In addition, she served as acting clinical director for the Alcohol and Drug Unit at the Georgia Mental Health Institute and treated those battling substance abuse and mental illness. When addressing addictions, Dr. P and her Treatment Team look into all aspects of the client's lifestyle and history to discover the root issues causing dis-ease or destructive behaviors. Dr. P's approach to addiction treatment is 'wholistic' - treating mind, body and spirit.

She received acupuncture training through the Lincoln Hospital in 1996 and for the last seven years she has coupled acupuncture with a counseling program that offers great success in relationship management, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, stress management, weight control and more.

Most recently she worked as a treatment provider for the Multiple Offenders DUI Risk Reduction Program for the State of Georgia. In addition, for the last ten years she has offered her medical expertise as a consultant for the Social Security Administration Disability Services.

From penningtoninstitute

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Professor of Religion

Dr. Khaleel Mohammed was born in Guyana, South America, and his academic pursuits have taken him to such places as Mexico, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Syria and Yemen. He has studied at both traditional Islamic institutions and Western universities.

Dr. Khaleel Mohammed is a professor of Religion at San Diego State University, and a core faculty member of the university's Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies.

Dr. Mohammed was born in Guyana, South America, and is now a citizen of Canada. He has studied in Mexico, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Syria and Yemen, at both traditional Islamic institutions and Western universities.

After a bachelor's degree in Religion and Psychology (Mexico), and a brief stint in the Canadian Army, he received a Saudi government scholarship and studied at the Kulliyat al-Shariah, Muhammad bin Saud University, in Riyadh.

Upon his return to Canada, he received numerous fellowships and awards, completing an M.A. in religion (majoring in Judaism and Islam, Concordia University), and then his Ph.D. (Islamic law) at McGill, with an FCAR (Fonds pour les chercheurs et aide a la recherché) fellowship from the Government of Quebec.

He was the first Kraft-Hiatt postdoctoral fellow in Islamic Studies at Brandeis University and during his two-year fellowship there, researched the image of the Jew in the Hadith Literature.

Dr. Mohammed is an imam and one of the few Islamic scholars who is accepted by both the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam. Dr. Mohammed has published a book (The World of Our Youth), numerous journal articles, and has presented at several conferences and public forums. He has also served as consultant to the Department of Justice, Government of Quebec, Canada, and as an expert witness in San Diego.

He is a speaker with the United Jewish Communities (UJC) and the Brandeis University National Women's Committee (BUNWC).

Dr. Mohammed also led the Daniel Pearl Memorial in 2003 in Cambridge Square, Boston. Before his departure from Brandeis, he delivered the Chaplaincy sponsored graduation commencement address for the class of 2003. In addition to having lectured at several synagogues, churches and mosques, he has delivered speeches at many universities, including: McGill, Dartmouth College, Concordia (Montreal), University of Damascus, Muhammad b. Saud University (Saudi Arabia), Clark, Hebrew College, University of Judaism, Brandeis, Rollins College and Harvard.

He is Islamic law specialist, and his responsa material can be found at http://www.forpeoplewhothink.org/ .

From: cal.sdsu.edu

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Saturday, February 18, 2006

One-Man Show

Guyana proved to be too small to keep a hold on Nhojj, and he moved to the United States to pursue his education at NYU—with a B.A. in economics. "I'd really always wanted to just be a musician," admits Nhojj. "I was always singing around the house, and I was always daydreaming about performing."

The first thing you need to know about Nhojj is that everything and everybody on his recent release, "Someday Peace Love & Freedom," is him. It's just Nhojj, down to the digital mastering and production work. Now, that might not seem so amazing in this age of living room recording studios and solo artists who have mastered multi-vocal loops and instrument samples, but if you just sit and listen to this album, you'll realize what am amazing feat this is.

Not only can the Guyana native comfortably create electronic arrangements that sound as wholesome and organic as an ensemble cast of musicians playing natural instruments, he also has an amazing vocal range that covers four octaves comfortably. He sings lead on "Someday....", as well as a whole backup choir of wonderful voices.

"I started singing when I was really young," says Nhojj, a native of the South American country of Guyana. "My parents heard me singing around the house when I was young, and they took me up to the church one weekend, basically, and I’ve been performing ever since." Nhojj’s vocal talents quickly received attention outside of his church group, and he soon found himself performing for the Presidents of Guyana and Trinidad.

Not surprisingly, Guyana proved to be too small to keep a hold on Nhojj, and he moved to the United States to pursue his education at NYU—with a B.A. in economics. "I'd really always wanted to just be a musician," admits Nhojj. "I was always singing around the house, and I was always daydreaming about performing."

Now he’s fulfilling that dream, performing pretty much full time, doing live sets on college campuses, churches, and clubs. Since graduating Nhojj has performed at Pride festivals in New York, Washington DC, Maryland, New Jersey, and Connecticut, at colleges across the country and at THAW (Theaters Against War) concerts. He co-produced the "Underground to Peace and Unity" festivals in New York, which brought local underground talent together in the summer of 2003.

"My first album took nearly four years to put together," he admits, laughing. "But by the time I'd finished it, I had figured out all the little studio tricks with recording and engineering and the basic technology that I needed to release a second album.

"But it's weird," he adds excitedly. "I hadn't even begun work on a second album when I found myself just kind of listening to the samples, and the words just sort of flowed out. It was around the same time that 9/11 happened, that summer, and so I wrote "Peace," and a few of the other songs after that. It all just kind of flowed out."

It's almost hard to believe that an album as complex and beautiful as "Someday Peace Love & Freedom" could have been anything less than a Herculean effort. As mentioned before, this is all Nhojj on the CD. What sounds like six or seven backup personnel singing harmony behind Nhojj's warm, sincere voice is actually just Nhojj on different tracks. The Caribbean, blues, and calypso musical ensembles are also just Nhojj on different tracks. And the wonderful, crystal-clear recording quality that just tops off these songs and makes them perfect? That's Nhojj's work, too.

But these are just the trappings of technical expertise, and really don't mean anything except that one can find one's way around a recording studio. What really makes this CD "good music" is that Nhojj is a wonderful singer with a beautiful, gifted voice, and his arrangements compliment his sublime voice perfectly. Lyrically, these songs are incredibly positive and uplifting, without being corny or naive.

In "Free," Nhojj sings, "Cut the strings untie the things/That keep you down bound facing ground," and goes on to end, "One step at a time is how I'll climb/Won't stop until I reach the top." In "The Beggar's Cup," Nhojj pleads, "Please put a little bit of love in my cup now... Tonight my cup is empty/It hasn't been filled for years." There's an overall longing for peace that run through the album—peace within the author, peace outside the author, and a belief in the importance of love.

"If this album, my music in general, is about anything, it's that I'm trying to show the world not only as it is, but as it could be," finishes Nhojj. If that's the case, and this record is any glimpse of the world that Nhojj sees in his dreams, then the world he sees must be a wonderful one indeed.

*Nhojj * Genre: Urban R&B * Hometown: New York *
From Musicdish

Friday, February 17, 2006

Technology Attorney

Ian Rambarran was born in Guyana, South America, and educated in both England and United States. He received his undergraduate degree in International Relations from Florida International University, after which he worked as an intern for Florida State Senator Walter "Skip" Campbell.

Ian Rambarran is no stranger to the technology industry. He has worked with several Fortune 500 technology firms, especially in the context of contract bid disputes at the state and federal level. He has also worked on complex matters involving appeals, writs of mandamus, and whistle-blower (qui tam) lawsuits.

In addition, Ian has experience in copyright, trademark and domain name issues/disputes, internet defamation, and electronic contracts, and in matters relating to corporate business planning. Ian has also assisted in counseling clients in the commercial and residential construction industry.

Ian was born in Guyana, South America, and educated in both England and United States. He received his undergraduate degree in International Relations from Florida International University, after which he worked as an intern for Florida State Senator Walter "Skip" Campbell.

Ian earned his J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where the faculty awarded him the Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Award for his division.


Klinedinst Welcomes Ian A. Rambarran to Sacramento Law Office
Sacramento, CA (PRWEB) -- Ian A. Rambarran has officially joined the growing Sacramento office of Klinedinst PC."

Ian Rambarran is an incredibly talented, personable and energetic litigator," said John D. Klinedinst, CEO of Klinedinst PC. "His experience working with corporate clients, on business and intellectual property issues, will be a welcome addition to our growing Sacramento office.

Much of Mr. Rambarran's legal background has been focused in the technology arena. He has handled contract bid disputes for Fortune 500 technology firms. He has advised clients on copyright, trademark and domain name disputes. In addition, Mr. Rambarran has litigated complex matters involving whistle-blower statutes, appeals, and writs of mandamus.

Ian provides business planning guidance to clients. He also is not limited to the technology arena, having done extensive work with clients in the commercial and residential construction industry.

"Ian's addition to our Sacramento office marks a turning point for our Northern California location," added Mr. Klinedinst. "Our Sacramento office continues to grow, while still being able to efficiently and effectively handle our clients' most challenging legal needs. We welcome Ian to the Klinedinst family.

"A native of Guyana, South America, Mr. Rambarran earned his J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. While attending law school, he was honored by the faculty who awarded him the Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Award. He received his undergraduate degree in International Relations from Florida International University, and then interned for Florida State Senator Walter "Skip" Campbell.

Publications and Interviews

"
Confidentiality in the Wireless Office," California Lawyer, Co-Author (August, 2004)

"Web Site Operators Must Prepare to Follow Privacy Act,"
Daily Journal - Los Angeles and San Francisco (June 25, 2004)

"I Accept, But Do They? The Need for Electronic Signature Legislation on Mainland China," 15 Transnational Law. 405 (2002)


From klinedinstlaw

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Chief Psychologist

After leaving his native Guyana in 1974, O'Neal Walker studied theology at Jamaica Theological Seminary before moving to the United States to study psychology and eventually earning his doctorate from the California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles, in 1993.

Psychologist O'Neal Walker, PhD, stepped up in June 2005 to oversee the United States only federal program devoted specifically to psychology education and training--the Graduate Psychology and Geropsychology Education (GPE) grant programs, administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Walker's goal, and GPE's goal generally, is to grow the number of psychologists trained to work with underserved populations.

As chief of the Dentistry, Psychology and Special Projects Branch--an office that a year ago didn't include psychology in the name--Walker collaborates with other Department of Health and Human Services officials to expand primary-care training for psychologists, physicians and dentists and--in addition to GPE--offer grants for medical, dental and podiatric training.

The distribution of GPE grants supports students at graduate psychology and geropsychology training programs that emphasize integrated training with other health professions and collaborative work with underserved and underrepresented populations.

"The ultimate goal of the Graduate Psychology and Geropsychology Education Training Grant Programs is to give psychologists the experience and knowledge they need to practice in areas where there's additional need," Walker says.

Walker says HRSA officials intentionally moved psychology into the Division of Medicine and Dentistry to foster its integration with primary care, and then looked for a psychologist to head the branch. It was an ideal opportunity for him, he says, because of his previous experience in primary-care settings and his belief that people receive better care when treated by a team of interdisciplinary health professionals.

"It's a vision I share that basically says if we can get psychologists to work as part of a team with primary-care physicians, specialists, nurses and other professionals, and if we can bring that model into the community, it's going to be a better, more functional model, and we're going to have better outcomes," Walker explains. "We'll have providers working together, not competing with each other. It's an associational model."

First-hand collaborative experience

Practicing in a collaborative model is old hat to Walker, who spent eight years in the U.S. Army, first as a medic and later as a psychologist. While serving as the chief psychologist at the Fort McClellan Army base in Alabama, Walker worked with other health-care providers to care for soldiers and their families.

"It was appealing to me to have a specific group of people to work with, an ability to be very involved in a specific community," he says.

In collaboration with physicians and researchers at McClellan, Walker also investigated neuropsychological problems that occurred in soldiers returning from the Gulf War, an experience he found to be an "interesting opportunity to work with other professionals to solve a serious problem."

And more recently, as a member of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, which assigns uniformed health professionals to public sector posts, Walker has worked in both administrative and clinical positions at the Office of the Surgeon General's Division of Commissioned Personnel and the Federal Bureau of Prisons at the Department of Justice.

Always a counselor

Among the bevy of talents Walker brings to HRSA are his abilities to mentor and lead, says Tanya Pagàn Raggio, MD, director of the Division of Medicine and Dentistry.

"His counseling skills are first-rate and have also benefited the administration of the division," Raggio says. "And as a behavioral health official, he helps us address mental health issues in relationship to one of our agency's major goals: the delivery of primary-care health care to America's underserved populations."

Those counseling skills developed early in Walker's education. After leaving his native Guyana in 1974, Walker studied theology at Jamaica Theological Seminary before moving to the United States to study psychology and eventually earning his doctorate from the California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles, in 1993.

"I started out looking curiously at philosophical problems I came across in theology," Walker says. "I found that psychology was imbedded in philosophy, and I wanted to study that connection--and how understanding it can lead to ways to help people overcome mental health problems."

His dedication to helping the underserved shined through last August, says Raggio, when, as a member of the U.S. Public Health Service's Commissioned Corps, Walker spent two weeks in Florida delivering mental health care in the wake of four serious hurricanes.

From APA.org

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Father Grace

Born in Guyana, the fifth of six children, Father Floyd A. Grace was 3 when his father died. His mother left him and his sister in the care of their grandmother, immigrated to the United States and settled with a relative in New Jersey. Later she became a registered nurse and moved to the Bronx, where her two youngest children joined her in 1981.

Father Floyd A. Grace put himself through Fordham University working in a bank.

By the time he received his degree in computer management information systems, he was a rising star in the accounting department there. Personable, popular and a natty dresser, he dated and fell in love.

Still, he said, "I knew all along, deep inside, that I wanted to become a priest." He couldn't decide--until a conversation between his nephew and a Bronx pastor moved him to act.

Father Grace, 34, is the son of Millicent J. and the late Eric E. Grace. Born in Guyana, the fifth of six children, he was 3 when his father died. His mother left him and his sister in the care of their grandmother, immigrated to the United States and settled with a relative in New Jersey. Later she became a registered nurse and moved to the Bronx, where her two youngest children joined her in 1981. Their parish is Holy Rosary.

As a boy, Father Grace was impressed with a priest who had been a friend of his father's, and with the Jesuits who served his parish.

"To me, the priest was always a person who stood out, who made a difference in the community," he said. In Guyana, he went to Mass often on weekdays and belonged to a prayer group.

In the Bronx he attended Cardinal Spellman High School and joined a prayer group in Queens. After graduation he worked for Manufacturers Hanover Trust, then for the Bank of New York, where he remained following his graduation from Fordham. His Manhattan office was near St. Patrick's Cathedral, and he went to Mass on his lunch hour.

He knew it was time to make a permanent commitment, to follow his heart--but which way? To the priesthood, or into marriage?

"I loved her very much," he said. "At the same time, I wanted to become a priest. I couldn't make up my mind."

Some family members knew he was wrestling with the question of vocation. One day his nephew Vernon Grace, then about 9, went to Mass at Holy Rosary. Msgr. Francis X. Toner, who was then the pastor, asked the boy, "Why doesn't your uncle become a priest?" Vernon replied, "That's what he wants!" and reported the conversation to his uncle. The young banker went to see Msgr. Toner, who told him, "Give it a try." He called St. John Neumann Seminary Residence and broke off his relationship with the young woman.

"It was one of the most painful decisions I've had to make," he said. But he knew it was right because he could not give his heart unreservedly. Still, it was not easy to take the final step and enter Neumann.

"I was so scared, I didn't want to make preparations immediately," he said. He told himself he was going to the seminary only "to give it a try." But even then, he knew he wouldn't give up.

As a seminarian he visited patients at Providence Rest nursing home in the Bronx, the Convent of Mary the Queen in Yonkers and Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center, and taught religion at Holy Spirit parish in the Bronx and St. Peter's in Yonkers. He served summers at Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in Highland Falls.

He noted that a secular career brings challenges, and he encourages young men to put aside their fears and accept the challenge of priesthood.

His goal as a priest is simple: "To bring others to Jesus Christ."

From CNY.org

Monday, February 13, 2006

Radio Personality

Kojo Nnamdi is a native of Guyana who immigrated to North America in 1967 to attend college and explore the civil rights movement. Since 1985 he has hosted Evening Exchange, a public affairs television program broadcast by WHUT-TV at Howard University.

Kojo Nnamdi is host of The Kojo Nnamdi Show, a live public radio program produced by WAMU 88.5 FM, American University Radio.

"Maybe the best radio interviewer in town" according to The Washington Post. Each day, he welcomes a lineup of interesting and provocative guests who bring new perspectives on local, national, and international current events, political issues, social trends, science, art, and other topics. Guided by the concept that 'what's global is local, and what's local is global,' Nnamdi encourages listener calls, creating a dynamic dialogue about issues important and interesting to those in the Washington region and beyond. Regular features include Tech Tuesday, The DC Politics Hour with Kojo and Jonetta, and Sporting Views among others.

Nnamdi is a native of Guyana who immigrated to North America in 1967 to attend college and explore the civil rights movement. Since 1985 he has hosted Evening Exchange, a public affairs television program broadcast by WHUT-TV at Howard University. From 1973 to 1985, Nnamdi worked at WHUR-FM, where he served as news editor and then news director, producing the award-winning local news program The Daily Drum. His affiliation with WAMU 88.5 FM and National Public Radio began in 1998 as host of Public Interest with Kojo Nnamdi.

Nnamdi has won numerous awards in both television and radio for his work including a Gracie Award from the American Women in Radio & Television, several New York Festival awards, and a local television Emmy. In 2001 he was honored as a civil rights hero by the National Council for Community Justice.

In addition to his hosting duties, Nnamdi has chaired the board of the Public Access Corporation of Washington, D.C. since 1997. He is active in Guyaid, an organization devoted to the welfare of children in Guyana. Kojo has served on the Board of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center since 2003.

A proud nationalized American citizen for more than 20 years, Kojo's passions include cricket, Caribbean Carnival, poetry, jazz, and jogging.

From WAMU.org

Related links:
Kojo Nnamdi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Public Works Director

Yugal Lall was born in Guyana, South America. He attended the University of Guyana, where he earned his bachelor’s in civil engineering and worked on various capital projects for the government of Guyana. Lall came to the United States in 1983 for advanced study and obtained a master’s in public administration at Cal State Northridge.

Yugal Lall, an 18-year resident of Moorpark, CA. was recently hired to serve as the city’s new city engineer and public works director.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to serve the community I have lived in for so long,” said Lall, who considers Moorpark a hidden jewel.

Lall was born in Guyana, South America. He attended the University of Guyana, where he earned his bachelor’s in civil engineering and worked on various capital projects for the government of Guyana.

Lall has excellent experience in municipal engineering and public works matters, said Steven Kueny, Moorpark city manager.

“He is a good fit for Moorpark because he understands the challenges of working with a small city staff,” he said. Since Lall worked with Caltrans in Malibu, he knows how to deal with the state agency and the knowledge will be useful in Moorpark, which has several state routes, Kueny said.

Lall came to the United States in 1983 for advanced study and obtained a master’s in public administration at Cal State Northridge.

Before he began working for Moorpark, the state-registered civil engineer was public works director and city engineer for Malibu.

He also served as senior civil engineer for Simi Valley for 13 years, working on the 118/Madera interchange, the north Simi regional detention basin and the Simi Mall project, among many other projects.

Lall was employed by the Ventura County Flood Control District as a project engineer from 1986 to 1989.

He has been married to his wife, Indra, for 21 years. The Lall’s two daughters, Nalini and Kamini, were educated at Moorpark public schools. Kamini now attends Moorpark College and Nalin attends UCLA. Lall and his wife coached girls soccer for eight years when their daughters were young.

At a recent city council meeting, Lall thanked officials for bringing him home. “To live and work in the same city is a dream come true,” he said.

From Moorpark Acorn

Moorpark Facts: City of Moorpark
Moorpark , CA. is conveniently located in the southeastern part of Ventura County just 50 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Moorpark is a natural choice for home and family. Moorpark is recognized for having the lowest number of serious crimes committed in Ventura County and is one of the safest cities of its size in the United States!

Friday, February 10, 2006

Guided Meditations

The daughter of Leela Mata and Yogi Hari, Chitra Sukhu was born in Guyana and raised in a Florida Ashram in the tradition of yoga and ayurveda. She has published several books and inspiring CDs with guided meditations.

Chitra Sukhu is introducing a new type of bedtime story for kids.

Born in Guyana to a family of Indian ancestry and raised in the United States, Chitra Sukhu has practiced yoga and meditation daily since the tender age of three.

With the release of her debut CD, Guided Meditations for Children, Sukhu now continues the distinguished legacy of her parents' life's work in the field she grew up with.

Sukhu's mother travels the world teaching ayurveda, yoga, Vedanta philosophy and meditation. Her father, Yogi Hari, a Master of Hatha, Raja, and Nada Yoga who is well known and respected around the world as a competent and inspiring teacher, has an ashram in Florida and has published over 20 CDs.

Guided Meditations for Children allows children to focus and still the mind, relax the body, achieve a sense of wholeness, and establish an interconnectedness with the universe. It also encourages creativity, helps cut down on nightmares, and reduces hyperactivity in some children.

Designed for children ages 4-12, the CD takes young listeners on an inward journey into the earth's five elements--earth, water, fire, ether and air.

Each meditation takes you on a journey to a place of innocence and wonder. Meet the king of the Gnomes in the enchanted forest, and let him show you the wisdom of every drop of life. Let the Mermaids take you on an adventure to the depths of the ocean floor, a magical kingdom awaits, and see the secrets of the mermaid kingdom. Take a ride on the suns ray and enter the sun, "Surya" the magnificent king is waiting to show you his golden kingdom. Meet your Guardian Angel, and take a ride on a cloud to her home, many wonders await you. Then relax the body as silence is found.

Each meditation is accompanied with enchanting music and followed by a life enhancing message. The CD consists of five meditations, music, and special times set aside for kids to perform their own visualizations.

If started at a young age, says Sukhu, meditation can become inherent to the way children approach life. Children can learn to look inward for strength.

Sukhu is currently working on a yoga video for children.

Sukhu is an accomplished Indian classical dancer in the ancient style of Bharata Natyam.

"This is a beautiful meditation CD which will help children experience restful alertness and enhance their energy and creativity."--Deepak Chopra

From NewAgeKids

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Wrinkled or Wonderful?

96 year old Irene Sinclair (known to her friends as Renee) is an animated, cheerful and vivacious woman who looks at least twenty years younger than her age, born in Guyana in 1908, she taught history in her native country before arriving in Hornsey, England in 1957 to help look after her daughter’s young children.

Irene Sinclair’s serene, smiling image gazes from billboards, advertising hoardings, magazines, buses and tube walls across the USA and Europe. She has also been the subject of magazine and newspaper articles throughout the world, and recently she has been featured on 30-metre-high adverts in Times Square, Wall Street and on an external wall of Milan Cathedral

However, this particular model is not your average, spoilt-brat catwalk queen and could not be more different from the likes of Jodie Kidd or Kate Moss. She is, in fact, a great-grandmother and a 96-year-old woman, who remains both astonished and delighted by her sudden, unexpected global celebrity.

Irene (known to her friends as Renee) is an animated, cheerful and vivacious woman who looks at least twenty years younger than her age. She sits, straight-backed, in her chair and tells about her experiences. She was born in Guyana in 1908, taught history (‘the Elizabethan period was my speciality’) in her native country and arrived in Hornsey, England in 1957 to help look after her daughter’s young children. She moved to Stoke Newington on her retirement in 1971 and settled in Filey Road and then Yorkshire Close. ‘Stoke Newington was so dull and uninteresting then. I didn’t like it at all.’ How do you feel about it now? ‘Oh, it’s a different place. I’m very happy here. Church Street is like a little Paris.’

Renee’s big adventure

Dove soap – part of Unilever – had dreamt up an advertising campaign designed to challenge stereotyped versions of female beauty. A casting director arrived at Renee’s sheltered accommodation in Yoakley Road looking for a suitable woman, between 70 and 80 years old, to illustrate old age.

When informed by the block’s manager Andy about Renee, she knocked at her door and, confused by Renee’s apparent youth, asked her if Renee’s mother was in the flat. One thing led to another and she was soon in the studio of top photographer Rankin – cofounder of Dazed and Confused and snapper of the Queen – who spent four hours and took six hundred pictures to find the perfect image for the ad.

The ad launch was held in September last year in New York, and Renee was selected as the only British model out of the seven in the campaign to attend. Naturally, she was flown over first class by American Airlines, accompanied by a Dove representative, and booked into a suite at the $500 per night Lee Parker Meridien Hotel in Manhattan. She spent four days enjoying photo shoots, television and radio interviews and champagne dinners, and revelling in her sudden change of circumstance. ‘It was marvellous. I never felt beautiful in my life but I feel I am now".

The London launch was held in January this year at the Dorchester, and Renee was again guest of honour. Since then, she has flown (again, first class) to other launches in Madrid, Milan and Paris, and she has nothing but praise for the people from Dove for their friendship and support. On her return to Stoke Newington she was contacted by an aide to Oprah Winfrey and asked to appear on the top-rated, coast-to-coast TV show. A tired Renee declined. The flabbergasted aide told her that no-one turns down Oprah. ‘Tell her I’m indisposed at the moment’, said Renee.

Life has quietened down a bit now, and Renee has had time to reflect on her brush with fame. When asked if this is the start of a modelling career she said ‘Well, it’s been a good laugh’ she replied, ‘but my feet are firmly on the ground. I wouldn’t do it again but I’m glad I did it’.

Obviously, she was paid by Dove but she has already given some of the money away to charity and intends to do the same with the rest of it, having collected only expenses for her efforts – ‘I had to pay for my own clothes and make-up’. She is now back in her old routine – attending St Mary’s Church, collecting her pension at the Post Office, shopping at the supermarket and doing the Daily Mirror crossword, a prosaic but probably welcome change from what must now seem a crazy dream.

In the Dove ad featuring Renee, the reader has to tick one of two boxes – ‘Wrinkled’ or ‘Wonderful’. The latter has to date vastly exceeded the former, which will come as no surprise to anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting with and talking to someone as charming and remarkable as this Stoke Newington supermodel.

From n16mag online

Related stories:

At 96, grandma becomes a beauty model NZ Herald

Wrinkles of 96-year-old are new line in beauty Times online

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Novelist - Sharon Maas

Sharon Maas was born in Guyana in 1951. Educated in England, she has lived in India and Germany and now resides back in England. Married with two children, she is the author of three novels published by HarperCollins, with a fourth in the pipeline.

Sharon Maas was born in Georgetown, Guyana, in 1951; her mixed ancestry - African, Amerindian, Dutch and British – contributes in no small measure to the complexity of themes in her work. She came from a prominently political family.

Her mother was one of Guyana's earliest feminists, human rights activists and consumer advocates; her father was Press Secretary to the Marxist opposition leader Dr Cheddi Jagan who was Prime Minister twice over. Both parents received the country's highest honours for public service, the Golden Arrow.

She lived in Guyana until she was 10, when she was sent to Harrogate College in Yorkshire, England. She returned to Guyana after her 'A' Level examinations and got a job with the Guyana Graphic as a trainee reporter, quickly progressing to writing feature articles for the Sunday Chronicle.

Sharon spent 1971 and 1972 travelling around South America: Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. In 1973 she travelled overland to India – via England, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. This, her first visit to India, was to last for two years, living in an Ashram in Tamil Nadu. It was there that she met her first husband, a cellist in a German orchestra.

In 1975 she travelled to Germany, married, got divorced, lived in Paris for a year then returned to Germany where she studied Social Work in Freiburg. It was while working as a Probation Officer in Mosbach, South Germany, that she met her second husband, another Probation Officer.

Sharon now divides her time between England and Germany with her husband and two children. She has written three novels - Of Marriageable Age, Peacocks Dancing and The Speech of Angels, with a fourth well under way.

You can learn more about Sharon from her interviews.

Her latest novel, The Speech of Angels, is published by HarperCollins and is available from all good bookshops or online from Amazon

From sharonmaas.com

Monday, February 06, 2006

LAPD Police Captain

A native of Guyana, South America, Captain Horace Frank spent 8 1/2 years in the United States Air Force. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from Chapman University and later continued his educational endeavors at Golden Gate University, earning a Master's Degree in Public Administration.

Captain Horace Frank of the Los Angeles Police Department began his career as a police officer in 1988. He promoted to Sergeant in March 1993 and to the rank of Lieutenant in February 1999. After completing a 13-month tour of duty as a Lieutenant Watch Commander at Wilshire Community Police Station, he was selected as the Officer-in-Charge of the Department's Media Relations Section. Captain Frank has enjoyed a variety of assignments thus far in his LAPD career.

These assignments include patrol duties in three geographic Bureaus and several different administrative assignments. Among his many assignments, Captain Frank was an academic instructor at the Los Angeles Police Department's Academy, a staff writer at Human Resources Bureau, an Associate Advocate at Internal Affairs Group and an Employee Relations Investigation Advocate at Employee Relations Section. Just prior to his promotion to Captain, he served as the Adjutant to the Counter Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau Chief.

A native of Guyana, South America, Captain Frank spent 8 1/2 years in the United States Air Force. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from Chapman University and later continued his educational endeavors at Golden Gate University, earning a Master's Degree in Public Administration.

Captain Frank is married, with three children. He is an avid runner who enjoys reading and listening to jazz and traveling.

From LAPD

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Voice of the Vedas

Born in Guyana, Dr. Doobay was educated in the West Indies, England and Canada. He holds fellowships at both, the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Scotland and the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at McMaster University and was the former head of the Vascular Surgery Department at Hamilton Civic Hospital.

Dr. Doobay was elected the President of the Toronto based Voice of the Vedas Cultural Sabha Inc. in 1980. He is also the Religious Advisor since the organization was founded in 1977.

He comes from a deeply religious family. As a devout Hindu, Dr. Doobay became determined at an early age to spread the word of Hinduism. In addition, he felt a compelling duty to provide medical and other assistance to the underprivileged. To achieve these goals he brought together a group of dedicated volunteers and under the umbrella of The "Voice of the Vedas", he has been able to bring the name of Hinduism to the forefront. He is a dynamic leader, and is able to motivate people to offer their best.

Born in Guyana, Dr. Doobay was educated in the West Indies, England and Canada. He holds fellowships at both, the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Scotland and the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at McMaster University and was the former head of the Vascular Surgery Department at Hamilton Civic Hospital.

A pioneer in the treatment of immigrants who have experienced cultural dislocation and depression, Dr. Doobay has arranged culturally appropriate counseling services and often provides counseling himself.

Currently, Dr. Doobay hosts "Voice of Hinduism" a Hindu religious program, which is aired on Crossroad Television Services. This program is used to teach and promote Hinduism and is the only one of their kind in North America. Despite the mainstream audience, Dr Doobay's approach has always been to provide an unbiased commentary on religious and cultural matters. He also conducts the Annual Outdoor Bhagvat Yagna, a seven-day commentary on the Bhagvat Purana, held on the Mandir grounds.

Among the several charitable projects that he has initiated both locally and overseas, the notable ones are:


  • Medical clinic in Guyana for the needy;
  • Establishment of the Kanya Ashram (orphanage for girls) in Orissa;
  • Raising funds for artificial limbs for amputees in India.
  • Providing funds for scholarships for students who are at University or College.
  • Fund raised for the Gujarat earthquake victims for homes, supply of water and food.

In addition to these accomplishments, Dr. Doobay's vision is to build a Long Term Care Facility for South Asians. As a medical professional, he feels that a facility that caters to the needs of South Asians would facilitate an atmosphere that would assist recovery. Another project, which he chairs, is the extension of the Vishnu Mandir to house a Museum of Hinduism.

Because of his dynamic leadership, accomplishments and contributions to Canadian Society and the well being of Canadians, Dr. Doobay is the first South Asian recipient of the "Order of Ontario", one of the highest civilian awards that can be bestowed by the Province of Ontario, Canada. He has also been honored by several organizations locally and abroad.

Even though he has an extremely busy lifestyle, Dr. Doobay enjoys reading and never leaves home before solving the daily crossword. He keeps fit by playing golf regularly.

From VishnuMandir

Friday, February 03, 2006

From Food to Cars

Meet Teek and Vee
Their parents started and built a successful business in Guyana before they decided to move their 4 children to the United States. They felt that with the political unrest in Guyana, their family would be safer and have a better chance for a successful future in the U.S.

Both Teek and Vee Persaud were born in Guyana, South America. They emigrated to America with their parents when they were 16 and 14, respectively. They come from a family of business people. Their parents started and built a successful business in Guyana before they decided to move their 4 children to the United States. They felt that with the political unrest in Guyana, their family would be safer and have a better chance for a successful future in the U.S. How right they were!

In 1982, at age 20, Teek purchased a small candy store in Manhattan, NY. Just about this time, Vee moved to Canada to help their older sister, Hetri and her husband Ray, with their business - a deli in downtown Toronto. They went on to build a successful fast food business consisting of pizza, hamburgers, chicken, etc.

While running the candy store in the early 1980's, Teek noticed the booming real estate market in NY. He ventured into this arena, purchasing houses, fixing them up and reselling them for a profit. As this business grew, Vee returned to The Empire State and the two became partners. Teek primarily ran the candy store that included a grill for breakfast and lunch specials while Vee took care of their growing real estate holdings.

How did they go from NYC to Bloomingburg? Blooming Where?

It turns out that their other sister, Gita, who lived in the Bronx, NY, was married to George, a Montgomery, NY native. His family resided (and still does) in the Village of Montgomery in Orange County. His father, Dan Bosch, (some of you may be familiar with his creative handiwork in birdhouses found for sale at the Quickway Diner) was a real estate salesperson. One fine day, in 1986, as Gita and George were visiting their family, the listing for the diner was mentioned. George saw an opportunity that he knew was right up Teek and Vee's alley.

Although a bit hesitant about the move from The Big Apple to this small town, Teek and Vee saw an opportunity that they could not pass up. With a bit of research, intuition, and foresight, they realized Orange County would continue to be one of the fastest growing areas in the country. At that time, it was considered to be "a great place to live" by the national magazines and polls. Today, Route 17 (a.k.a. The Quickway) will soon be Interstate 86, Stewart International Airport continues to expand, and tourism in this Hudson Valley region continues to grow. In other words, their intuition was right on the money.

Teek sold his candy store in Manhattan and moved to Bloomingburg. The deal was closed and the Persaud brothers became the new owners of the Quickway Diner & Restaurant and the Twin Cone Ice Cream Shop. Gita decided to quit her job in the city to help reopen the business. After being non-operational for over 6 months, it took a lot of hard work, determination and planning to reopen but the family was fortunate enough to re-hire most of the previously displaced employees. On May 4, 1987, at 4:30 a.m., Teek and Gita literally opened the doors of the renovated Quickway Diner to a handful of people already waiting outside for the famous Quickway coffee they've come to love.

And now, a Quick history of the Quickway Diner - the Diner first opened in 1955 as the construction of Route 17 was being completed (coincidentally, the same year that George was born. Yes, the very same one who encouraged them to explore the possibility of purchasing the Diner in 1986!) Route 17 was nicknamed the Quickway because it was the quickest route from NYC to the Catskills region. Since the Diner, which consisted only of the front section of the current structure, was right off Exit 116 of the Quickway, it became a very popular stop for the local residents, commuters, and tourists.Now, back to 1986.

As Teek and Gita ran the Diner, Vee remained in NYC to run their real estate business. Both he and George traveled the hour-an-half trip from NYC to Bloomingburg every weekend to help with the Diner. In July 1987, Gita and George became pregnant (rumor has it that the baby was conceived at the Quickway!). After Varian, referred to by many as the Quickway Baby, was born, Gita decided to resume her career back in the city. As the Diner continued to prosper and the catering increased, Vee was needed much more than weekends and eventually moved upstate. With their consistent hard work, honesty, and of course that catchy advertising jingle that you cannot get it out of your head after you hear it (. . . the Quickway Diner & Restaurant in Bloomingburg) Teek and Vee became local celebrities.

How did they go from Food to Cars?

Teek and Vee have a hobby that is quite removed from their businesses - they love cars. Some think that they may have had a taste of car oil as babies and hence this obsession with cars. As their businesses prospered, they could now afford to indulge in their hobby. They began purchasing and restoring vintage cars that lead them to the area car auctions where they got new ideas and visions. Being the true entrepreneurs, they became Certified Car Dealers and opened Quickway Exotic Auto based on their vast knowledge and passion for cars. Now a booming car dealership is included in their portfolio of businesses. To ensure the integrity of the vehicles they sell, they have a crew of mechanics and body shop technicians on the pay-roll to keep up with their demand.

What's next?

Being the quintessential entrepreneurs that they are, Teek and Vee continue to venture into new enterprises. But, they do not do so blindly. They have chosen to make a commitment to the community they work and reside in, with Vee now raising a family with his wife Nadira. After much thought, research, and planning, they have decided to construct the Quickway Travel Center, a landmark that will serve all the needs of the traveler under one roof while providing jobs and services for the area residents and community. A community that Teek and Vee are proud to be a part of!

From Quickway

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Music Icon

Born in Plaisance, Guyana, on March 5, 1948, the young Edmond Grant grew up on the sounds of his homeland, which included calypso and tan singing, an Indo-Caribbean vocal style whose roots lay in south Asia and are the backbone of modern chutney.

Eddy Grant stands amongst an elite group of artists as one who has not just merely moved successfully across the musical spectrum, but has actually been at the forefront of genres and even created one of his own. From pop star to reggae radical, musical entrepreneur to the inventor of Ringbang, the artist has cut a swathe through the world of music and made it his own.

Born in Plaisance, Guyana, on March 5, 1948, the young Edmond Grant grew up on the sound[s] of his homeland, [which included calypso and] tan singing, an Indo-Caribbean vocal style whose roots lay in south Asia and are the backbone of modern chutney. Then in 1960, the Grant family emigrated to England, taking up residence in the working class Stoke Newington area of London. The young teen's musical horizons swiftly expanded, embracing R&B, blues, and rock that percolated across his new island home.

In 1965, Grant formed his first band, the Equals, and long before the days of Two Tone, the group was unique in being the first of Britain's multiracial bands to receive any recognition. The West Indian contingent comprised Jamaican-born singer Lincoln Gordon, with his twin brother Derv and Grant both on guitar, while the rhythm section of bassist Patrick Lloyd and drummer John Hall were native-born white Englishmen. Like most of the teenaged bands roaming the capital at the time, the Equals cut their teeth on the club and pub circuit and finally inked a label deal with President Records in early 1967. Their debut single, "I Won't Be There," didn't crack the charts but did receive major radio support. This, alongside an expanding fan base wowed by their live shows, pushed their first album, “Unequaled Equals”, into the U.K. Top Ten.

At the request of his label, Grant had also been working with the Pyramids, the British group who had backed Prince Buster on his recent U.K. tour. Besides composing songs for the band (and one for Buster himself, the rude classic "Rough Rider"), Grant also produced several tracks, including the band's debut single and sole hit, "Train to Rainbow City." In 1968, the Equals scored their own hit with "I Get So Excited," the group's debut into the Top 50.

Although their follow-up album, “Equals Explosion”, proved less successful than its predecessor, as did the next single, the quintet's career was indeed about to explode. "Hold Me Closer" may have disappointed in the U.K., where it stalled at a lowly number 50, but in Germany, the single was flipped over and "Baby Come Back" released as the A-side. It swiftly soared to the top of the German charts, a feat repeated across Europe. Later that spring, a reissued British single finally received its just due and reached number one. Even the U.S. took notice, sending the single into the lower reaches of the Top 40. Sadly, this turned out to be a flash in the pan.
The Equals' follow-up single, "Laurel and Hardy" died at number 35, its successor did even worse, while their new album, Sensational Equals, didn't even make the charts. New hope arrived when "Viva Bobby Joe" shot into the Top Ten in the summer of 1969, but its follow-up, "Rub a Dub Dub," just scraped into the Top 35. Understandable, considering the Equals roller coaster of ups and downs, Grant now turned his attention elsewhere.

In 1970, he started up his own specialty record label, Torpedo, concentrating on British reggae artists. He also utilized the label as a home for a brief solo career under the alias Little Grant, releasing the single "Let's Do It Together." But the artist hadn't given up on the Equals yet, and good thing too. Later that year, their new 45, "Black Skinned Blue Eyed Boys," slammed the group back into the Top Ten.

And then, the unimaginable happened. On New Year's day in 1971, Grant, all of 23 years old, suffered a heart attack and a collapsed lung. If lifestyle played a part, it wasn't because he drank, took drugs, smoked, or ate meat; it was due to Grant's only vice - a hectic schedule. He quit the group at this point and the Equals soldiered on into the shadows without him. He sold Torpedo as well and with the proceeds opened up his own recording studio, The Coach House, in 1972.

Grant continued to produce other artists and release their records through his newly launched Ice label, but his own musical talents were seemingly left behind. It wasn't until 1977 when Grant finally released a record of his own, the “Message Man” album. It was three years in the making and a stunning about face from his previous pop persona, even if "Black Skinned Blue Eyed Boys" had suggested a change was imminent. Tracks like "Cockney Black," "Race Hate," and "Curfew" were politicized dark masterpieces laced with aggression and anger.

But the album also included some lighter moments, including "Hello Africa," which featured a sound that the media hadn't even invented a word for yet. Grant dubbed it "kaisoul," an amalgamation of kaiso (the traditional word for calypso) and soul. Caribbean legend Lord Shorty, the acknowledged inventor of this new crossover hybrid, labeled it solka. Neither term stuck, however, once the Trinidad and Tobago press came up with their own label - soca. But regardless of what it was called, the style was just one of many hybrids that Grant was entertaining. “Message Man’ may have proved a commercial failure, but that didn't dim the artist's vision for one second.

Two more years passed while Grant wrestled with its follow-up in the studio, composing, producing, and performing virtually the entire album himself. The end result was 1979's “Walking on Sunshine”, one of the greatest albums of the decade. While the B-side featured a clutch of seminal musical hybrids, the centerpiece of the album's A-side was "Living on the Frontline," a dance floor classic that blended tough lyrics with an electro-sheen, a sense of optimism and a funk-fired sound. Released as a single, the song roared up the British chart, while becoming a cult hit in U.K. clubs. Inexplicably, the album itself didn't chart at all, nor did its follow-up, 1980's “Love in Exile”. However, in the next year, Grant finally cracked the market wide open with “Can't Get Enough”, which finally breached the Top 40. His singles' success had continued uninterrupted across "Do You Feel My Love," "Can't Get Enough of You," and "I Love You, Yes I Love You." A phenomenal live album, “Live at Notting Hill”, was recorded in August 1981 during London's Notting Hill Carnival. The following year's “Killer on the Rampage” slew its way into both the British chart and the American, where it landed at number ten. The album spun off "I Don't Wanna Dance," which topped the chart in the U.K., while the exhilarating "Electric Avenue," from his next album “Going for Broke”, landed at number two on both sides of the Atlantic.

Nothing else would equal these dizzying heights. Three more singles followed by the end of 1984, but none managed to break into the Top 40. In the U.S., only one, "Romancing the Stone," actually made the chart, charming its way into a respectable berth just outside the Top 25. That was his final showing in the U.S. On both sides of the Atlantic, 1987's ‘Born Tuff” and the following year's “File Under Rock” were passed over by the record buying public. However, the British gave the artist one last Top Ten hit in 1988 with "Gimme Hope Jo'anna," a highlight of his 1990 “Barefoot Soldier” album. Unfortunately, its 1992 follow-up, “Painting of the Soul”, went the way of its last few predecessors.

By then, the artist had long ago left the U.K., having emigrated to Barbados a decade earlier. Even as his own career had taken off back in England, Grant was spending much of his time mentoring a new generation of soca talent. He opened a new studio, Blue Wave, and lavished most of his attention on it, which explains the gap in his output between 1984 and 1987. By the time "Jo'anna" had fallen off the chart, Grant was well on the way to creating his own mini-empire. Besides giving new stars-to-be a helping hand, Grant also moved into music publishing, specializing in calypso's legends.

Over the years, Ice has thrilled the world by making the back catalog of multitudes of stars available, Lord Kitchener, Roaring Lion, and Mighty Sparrow, to name a few. And almost uniquely amongst Caribbean artists, Grant has maintained control over his own music, and Ice, of course, has kept it available. Across Grant's solo career, the artist has continued to experiment with different styles in ever-changing combinations. Pop, funk, new wave, reggae, Caribbean, African, and even country have all been melded into his sound. 1992's “Painting of the Soul” was heavy with island influences, while the next year's “Soca Baptism” is a collection of covers, from hits to obscurities, all dosed with a modern sound.

By this time, Grant was hard at work in the evolution of yet another hybrid style -Ringbang. Many of the genre's elements are easily found in the artist's earlier recordings, from African rhythms to military tattoos, alongside soca itself and dancehall rhythms, many of the latter influenced by Grant's own previous work. The new style debuted in 1994 at the Barbados Crop Over festival. Since then, the style has continued to intrigue, but has yet to create the international success that it's always threatened. Much of this can be laid at Grant's own door, through a simmering dispute with other artists and the legal ramifications of the genre's trademark.

A vociferous supporter of artists' rights, Grant first ran into trouble in 1996 when he demanded his label's artists receive adequate copyright fees from Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival. A heroic stance that infuriated the festival's organizers, this was quickly overshadowed by the public outcry over soca itself. As far as T&T was concerned, the inventor of soca was island native Lord Shorty, who announced its birth in 1978 with the “Soca Explosion” album. However, Grant insists otherwise, crediting his own "Black Skinned Blue Eyed Boys" as the first-ever soca record.

Needless to say, his public proclamations of this fact continue to infuriate T&T and other Shorty supporters. But politics aside, the greater factor may be in Ringbang's trademark. Once Grant filed it, the word could no longer be used by other artists without express permission. A perusal of any soca, calypso, or chutney hits collections shows the importance of the use of the genre term to the actual song, and just how many titles feature the term. By preventing artists from using the word Ringbang, few outside the Ice stable were willing to explore the genre. Even so, Grant managed to organize the Ringbang Celebration 2000 as part of T&T's millennium festivities. The event, which went off without a hitch, created further ill-will due to its price tag, a whopping 41 million [TT$] (U.S. $6.5 million). The artist himself performed two songs at the event.
In the new year, he recorded a new version of one of them, "East Dry River" while in Jamaica, appropriately enough in a ska style. The previous year, the artist released the “Hearts & Diamonds” album. Grant continues to make an impact on both sides of the studio, with his music always an intriguing concoction of sound and his studio work [is] equally innovative. Ice itself is equally instrumental in the music world, both in its preservation of past legacies and its attention to new artists.

From eCaroh