Article published by Glenn Scherer Popular in the CommunitySponsoredSponsoredOrangutan found tortured and decapitated prompts Indonesia probeEMGIES17 Jan, 2018We will never know the full extent of what this poor Orangutan went through before he died, the same must be done to this evil perpetrator(s) they don’t deserve the air that they breathe this has truly upset me and I wonder for the future for these wonderful creatures. So called ‘Mankind’ has a lot to answer for we are the only ones ruining this world I prefer animals to humans any day of the week.What makes community ecotourism succeed? In Madagascar, location, location, locationScissors1dOther countries should also learn and try to incorporateWhy you should care about the current wave of mass extinctions (commentary)Processor1 DecAfter all, there is no infinite anything in the whole galaxy!Infinite stupidity, right here on earth.The wildlife trade threatens people and animals alike (commentary)Anchor3dUnfortunately I feel The Chinese have no compassion for any living animal. They are a cruel country that as we knowneatbeverything that moves and do not humanily kill these poor animals and insects. They have no health and safety on their markets and they then contract these diseases. Maybe its karma maybe they should look at the way they live and stop using animals for all there so called remedies. DisgustingConservationists welcome China’s wildlife trade banThobolo27 JanChina has consistently been the worlds worst, “ Face of Evil “ in regards our planets flora and fauna survival. In some ways, this is nature trying to fight back. This ban is great, but the rest of the world just cannot allow it to be temporary, because history has demonstrated that once this coronavirus passes, they will in all likelihood, simply revert to been the planets worst Ecco Terrorists. Let’s simply not allow this to happen! How and why they have been able to degrade this planets iconic species, rape the planets rivers, oceans and forests, with apparent impunity, is just mind boggling! Please no more.Probing rural poachers in Africa: Why do they poach?Carrot3dOne day I feel like animals will be more scarce, and I agree with one of my friends, they said that poaching will take over the world, but I also hope notUpset about Amazon fires last year? Focus on deforestation this year (commentary)Bullhorn4dLies and more leisSponsoredSponsoredCoke is again the biggest culprit behind plastic waste in the PhilippinesGrapes7 NovOnce again the article blames companies for the actions of individuals. It is individuals that buy these products, it is individuals that dispose of them improperly. If we want to change it, we have to change, not just create bad guys to blame.Brazilian response to Bolsonaro policies and Amazon fires growsCar4 SepThank you for this excellent report. I feel overwhelmed by the ecocidal intent of the Bolsonaro government in the name of ‘developing’ their ‘God-given’ resources.U.S. allocates first of $30M in grants for forest conservation in SumatraPlanet4dcarrot hella thick ;)Melting Arctic sea ice may be altering winds, weather at equator: studyleftylarry30 JanThe Arctic sea ice seems to be recovering this winter as per the last 10-12 years, good news.Malaysia has the world’s highest deforestation rate, reveals Google forest mapBone27 Sep, 2018Who you’re trying to fool with selective data revelation?You can’t hide the truth if you show historical deforestation for all countries, especially in Europe from 1800s to this day. WorldBank has a good wholesome data on this.Mass tree planting along India’s Cauvery River has scientists worriedSurendra Nekkanti23 JanHi Mongabay. Good effort trying to be objective in this article. I would like to give a constructive feedback which could help in clearing things up.1. It is mentioned that planting trees in village common lands will have negative affects socially and ecologically. There is no need to even have to agree or disagree with it, because, you also mentioned the fact that Cauvery Calling aims to plant trees only in the private lands of the farmers. So, plantation in the common lands doesn’t come into the picture.2.I don’t see that the ecologists are totally against this project, but just they they have some concerns, mainly in terms of what species of trees will be planted. And because there was no direct communication between the ecologists and Isha Foundation, it was not possible for them to address the concerns. As you seem to have spoken with an Isha spokesperson, if you could connect the concerned parties, it would be great, because I see that the ecologists are genuinely interested in making sure things are done the right way.May we all come together and make things happen.Rare Amazon bush dogs caught on camera in BoliviaCarrot1 Feba very good iniciative to be fallowed by the ranchers all overSponsored Emissions accounting helps determine whether or not nations are on target to achieve their voluntary Paris Agreement reduction goals. Ideally, the global community’s CO2 pledges, adjusted downward over time, would, taken together, help keep the world from heating up by 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100 from a 1900 baseline.But scientists are raising the alarm that this goal may already be beyond reach. One reason: a carbon accounting loophole within UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines accepting the burning of wood pellets (biomass) as a carbon neutral replacement for coal — with wood now used in many European Union and United Kingdom power plants.Scientists warn, however, that their research shows that replacing coal with wood pellets in power plants is not carbon neutral. That’s partly because burning wood, which is celebrated by governments as a renewable and sustainable energy resource, is less efficient than coal burning, so it actually produces more CO2 emissions than coal.Also, while wood burning and tree replanting over hundreds of years will end up carbon neutral, that doesn’t help right now. Over a short timeframe, at a historical moment when we require aggressive greenhouse gas reductions, wood burning is adding to global emissions. Analysts say that this loophole needs to be closed, and soon, to avoid further climate chaos. Pine forests throughout the southeastern US, especially in North Carolina, are farmed, pulped and turned into wood pellets that are shipped overseas. Photo on Visualhunt.comFor the past ten years, Mary Booth, an ecologist with the Partnership for Policy Integrity in Pelham, Massachusetts, has immersed herself in the complex, nuanced, politically charged world of international carbon emissions accounting models as if the planet’s fate depends on it.In many ways, it does.Booth studies how countries count and report their emissions. In particular, she evaluates whether generating energy via the burning of wood pellets, or biomass, puts less carbon into the atmosphere than burning coal. In a rising trend, countries, especially in the European Union and United Kingdom, are converting existing coal-fired power plants to burn wood — a renewable, albeit controversial, fuel source.Emissions accounting helps determine whether or not nations are on target to achieve their voluntary Paris Agreement reduction goals. That agreement also represents the global community’s pledge to keep the world from heating up by just 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100 from a 1900 baseline (we’ve already warmed 1 degree Celsius).Emissions tallies are reported regularly to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC. But those figures aren’t just numbers on paper or political aspirations. The data, if accurately calculated, tell us how much greenhouse gas nations are actually putting into the air, and those combined totals help us know whether we are on target to avert climate change catastrophe.Booth is darkly pessimistic — a price she pays for knowing too much, she told me.“This is a message that no one has said yet. It’s what I believe to be true: there may not be a pathway to 1.5 [degrees] anymore — at all. Carbon capture and storage is a fantasy,” Booth told me in a series of interviews for Mongabay. “Growing forests may not work fast enough. We’re not reducing emissions fast enough. The sooner that story gets told, the sooner people understand what’s really required to keep the earth from burning up.”Is this the hyperbole of a passionate but potentially cynical climate researcher? Perhaps. But as the saying goes, nature is indifferent to our opinions; it only responds to our actions.Some of those actions to curb climate change have been positive: wind and solar continue to grow, and those technologies have never been cheaper per kilowatt hour. Coal use continues to fall. Electric cars are growing in popularity, especially in China.But tellingly, global temperatures continue rising year after year. And in 2017, planetary carbon emissions hit a record high, even as major industrialized nations, like the United States, reported reduced carbon emissions, according to IPCC statistics.Nature’s response? More extreme weather. More frequent and ferocious storms. More drought. More wildfires. More Arctic ice melting, along with Antarctic ice melt, too. More sea level rise. More coral reefs dying. More ecosystems imperiled.One of the largest users of woody biomass for energy production are the Drax power stations in the United Kingdom. Shown here is the so-called Drax biomass dome, which once burned coal. The UK has nearly eliminated burning coal for energy, cutting its official United Nations IPCC emissions, but is ramping up its burning of woody biomass. Photo credit: DECCgovuk on VisualHunt / CC BY-NDA blind eye to carbon cheating?Booth’s research — Not carbon neutral: Assessing the net emissions impact of residues burned for bioenergy, published this February in the journal Environmental Research Letters — helps answer some thorny questions critical to our energy and carbon future.Her study examines the net CO2 emissions of biomass burned to replace coal at the UK’s massive Drax power stations and other EU power plants. Combined, those energy facilities consume tons of wood each year.One major finding, right out of the gate: Booth reports that — contrary to a largely accepted view — wood pellets aren’t sourced mainly from fallen limbs and lumber waste called residue, but rather from whole trees. However, she based her study on residue-derived wood pellets anyway because the biomass industry “so often claims residues are a main pellet source.”Even based on the false assumption that only wood waste, not whole trees, are being burnt, Booth found that “up to 95 percent of cumulative CO2 emitted [by the biomass burning power plants] represent a net addition to the atmosphere over decades.” In other words, biomass is not carbon neutral.More disturbing: Booth’s research opens up the IPCC to charges that its policymaking decisions regarding emissions accounting have been politicized — crafted by negotiators to include built-in loopholes that allow nations to underreport certain emissions while appearing to achieve their carbon-reduction targets.The optimism following the signing in December 2015 of the landmark Paris Agreement has waned as the world’s largest carbon emitters have moved slowly to meet their Paris carbon reduction pledges. But even if those pledges were met, IPCC carbon counting loopholes could prevent the Paris Agreement from effectively curbing emissions and the worst impact of climate chaos. Image by Justin CatanosoIn particular, both the UK and EU appear to have slipped through a large loophole in order to “disappear” real emissions from their carbon accounting, as one source told me, thus undermining the Paris Agreement’s critically important carbon-mitigation strategies.“Why does the IPCC appear to accept inaccurate emissions accounting?” Professor Doreen Stabinsky asked me, then answered: Because “IPCC scientists are technocrats. It is not a neutral body. There is a lot of politics behind the positions of individuals on the IPCC. Their meetings are often loudly political.” Stabinsky speaks from firsthand knowledge: she studies the nexus between environmental policy and politics at College of the Atlantic, Maine.Bioenergy representatives, Stabinsky points out, are IPCC members and help write UN emissions guidelines. Likewise, countries with large areas of forest, such as the United States and Brazil, lobby to avoid counting or undercounting forest-related carbon emissions, including that from biomass burning.Doreen Stabinsky is a professor of global environmental politics at the College of the Atlantic in Maine. She has closely observed the IPCC and its members responsible for approving international carbon-accounting models. “The IPCC isn’t a neutral body… Their meetings are loudly political,” she told Mongabay. Image courtesy of Niclas HallströmRepeated calls and emails seeking comment from US-based wood pellet-producing companies such as Maryland-based Enviva and its trade group, the American Forest and Paper Association, went unreturned.As for the IPCC, its reports have tens if not hundreds of authors, thus an official spokesperson for the panel does not exist. But contributing IPCC panelists have spoken out on this issue. William Moomaw, a Tufts University professor of international environmental policy and a former lead IPCC author, wrote a scathing report to the panel in 2011 called “The Myth of Carbon Neutrality of Biomass.” He also spoke forcefully on the topic directly to the European Union Parliament in 2015.“The EU, including the UK, counts biomass used for electric power as carbon neutral by definition,” Moomaw wrote in 2011. “This means that biomass is counted on the same basis as solar or wind, which clearly are low-carbon sources of energy. This is not only incorrect, but ironic, given that developing countries that use wood for fuel that leads to deforestation is counted as contributing to climate change, while Europe and most states in the US count emissions from ‘modern biofuels’ as carbon neutral.”Pine forests cut to provide wood pellets for power plants are replanted, so this energy resource could technically be called carbon neutral, but only over the long term. It might take hundreds of years for those new trees to become mature and for the carbon equation to balance out. Photo credit: ChattOconeeNF on Visualhunt.com / CC BYWoody biomass: a carbon-neutral energy source?Another irony: The IPCC states on its website that its “guidelines do not automatically consider biomass used for energy as ‘carbon neutral,’ even if the biomass is thought to be produced sustainably.” Yet, IPCC carbon accounting models appear to ignore the panel’s own guidelines, a contradiction which brings us to the essence of Booth’s research, and to a better understanding of what she calls “the controversy in climate modeling.”North Carolina, where I live, is nicknamed the Tar Heel State because of its abundance of longleaf, white and loblolly pine. It is a leading US producer of wood pellets from fallen limbs, tree tops, lumber mill waste, but mostly, farmed pine trees. Cargo vessels filled with 45,000 metric tons of wood pellets per shipment are sent to the UK and EU regularly and burned for energy.All those trees and residue in North Carolina are counted as carbon emissions produced by the United States, with the assumption — built into IPCC accounting models — that the organic matter would eventually die, rot and decompose there anyway, thus releasing its stored carbon.To avoid so-called “double counting,” when those wood pellets are burned overseas, the CO2 sent into the atmosphere over Europe is not counted because of another assumption: new trees are quickly replanted in North Carolina, thus theoretically and immediately soaking up the CO2 emitted across the Atlantic.And there you have it — carbon neutrality. Except, as Booth fairly screams: “That’s a lie!”“If in year one, you burn 10 tons of wood pellets, you put 10 tons of carbon into the atmosphere,” Booth explained. “If it were rotting, only a fraction would decompose [over that same period]. You are comparing two pots of carbon” without taking the timeline into consideration.Put bluntly, the IPCC is allowing some creative accounting around biomass burning. This potentially makes us all victims of magical thinking, as we collectively agree that the CO2 from all those North Carolina trees is not flooding into the atmosphere over a short timeframe, thus contributing to climate change right now — at the moment when we most need to reduce carbon emissions.Clouds of water vapor rising from the cooling towers of the Drax power station in the United Kingdom. Wood burned there in large amounts is considered carbon neutral for the country’s purposes of carbon emissions accounting, and reporting to the United Nations IPCC. Photo credit: DECCgovuk on VisualHunt / CC BY-NDBurn now, achieve carbon neutrality laterRich Birdsey retired from the US Forest Service after 40 years in 2016. Today, he is a senior scientist at Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts, where he studies biomass-for-energy. He explained the problem with the IPCC’s biomass creative accounting method further: newly planted trees take decades to absorb the emissions from the atmosphere created by just a few days of burning woody biomass.“The carbon neutrality assumption at some point will be correct,” Birdsey said. “But it might be hundreds of years in the future when acres full of new trees mature. Yet, that idea of neutrality became fairly well ingrained, before people realized that emissions accounting was more complicated than that. The idea took hold 20 years ago, and countries and industries don’t want to give it up — especially those with a vested interest in wood and energy production.”The news gets worse: both Booth and Birdsey explained that wood burning is not nearly as efficient in generating energy as coal burning. As a result, more wood is burned to produce the same amount of kilowatt hours. Burning wood, which is celebrated by governments as a sustainable energy resource, actually produces more CO2 emissions than coal.“It’s true that the UK and EU are decreasing their emissions of fossil fuels in shifting to wood,” Birdsey said. “But they are not decreasing their greenhouse gas emissions. Yet with a claim of carbon neutrality, they are counting their emissions as if they are.”The real danger, Booth warned: while wood burning now represents a small part of the UK, EU and US energy mix, “bioenergy is projected to increase 1,000 percent in the coming years. We’re talking about a massive upscaling of wood burning, as much as 9 gigatons a year. And IPCC models allow bioenergy as having the same emissions as wind and solar — zero. And that’s not true.”To reemphasize the key point: nature is not being fooled.Burning biomass for energy is a small part of the US energy production mix. But EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has reminded state governors that President Trump signed an executive order in April 2017 declaring the burning of biomass “carbon neutral.” That’s a policy originally crafted by the Obama administration. Photo credit: Gage Skidmore on Visual hunt / CC BY-SAEPA conundrum and dodgeInterviews with former US Environmental Protection Agency officials revealed that the issue of biomass and carbon neutrality was a conundrum for the Obama Administration. The science was clear; the politics was murky.Obama’s EPA in creating the now stalled Clean Power Plan, bowed to political pressure from biomass industry lobbyists and members of Congress. In a dubious compromise, the administration called for a five-year study of biomass and its supposed carbon neutrality, and in the meantime allowed continued biomass burning, with all emissions counted as zero.“Sen. Angus King of Maine [a major timber-producing state] threatened to withdraw his support of the Clean Power Plan if biomass wasn’t deemed carbon neutral,” Booth told me. “And he claims to be a climate champion.”In February, President Trump’s EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, wrote a two-page letter to Republican Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire hailing the state’s burning of biomass for energy. He reminded Sununu that Trump’s executive order 13777 makes clear that, for emission-accounting purposes, burning biomass should be considered carbon neutral.“As you and I both recognize,” Pruitt wrote, “continuing to be responsible stewards of our nation’s forests and lands while utilizing all domestic forms of biomass to meet our energy needs are mutually compatible goals.”On April 23, 2018, Pruitt’s EPA went a step further, issuing “a statement of policy making it clear that future regulatory actions on biomass from managed forests will be treated as carbon neutral when used for energy production.”Mary Booth is director of the Partnership for Policy Integrity in Pelham, Massachusetts. She has studied IPCC carbon-emissions accounting models related to burning woody biomass for a decade. Her recent study found that, far from being carbon neutral, burning woody biomass emits more CO2 per kilowatt generated than burning coal. Image courtesy of Eleanor BirdIs there hope?Here’s where Mary Booth’s pessimism concerning the fate of the planet hits home: if the world’s largest carbon emitters — the US, UK, EU, and quite possibly China and India — “disappear emissions” through creative accounting loopholes tolerated by the IPCC, what hope is there for the Paris Agreement of slowing climate change with all its horrific consequences?“It is depressing. But it’s reality,” said Stabinsky. “Life is political. The IPCC space is highly political. Climate change is a really difficult challenge we’re facing. It takes a long time to fix things. And governments don’t want to fix things they don’t think are broken. There is a reason to try to hide biomass emissions.”Echoing Booth, I asked: Is the Paris pathway to 1.5 degrees Celsius hopeless?“Actually, I still think we have a good chance,” Stabinksy responded. “I am a pessimist of the intellect and an optimist of the will. If we just look at the numbers, I think, ‘Wow, the human race is doomed.’ But as an optimist of the will, I think, ‘We can do it.’ We’ve ended slavery. We’ve ended apartheid in South Africa. We have made massive systems changes that have had huge economic impacts.“Climate change at its essence is a political challenge. We have to completely retool our energy system, which will be massively disruptive. But we know what to do. The technology in wind and solar is available and dropping in price. We can do it. But no one is leading. It’s too easy to hide your head in the sand. Which is what’s happening with biomass accounting.”Ok, I agreed. Optimism is critical in the face of such a monumental global challenge, and there is historical precedent for a sea change in political will — with the Paris Agreement itself as evidence of that kind of shift. Also, developed nations have said they will strive to make major policy decisions at COP 24, the next UN climate summit, in Katowice, Poland, this December.But, one last question: do we have enough time?“I don’t know,” Stabinsky told me.I don’t either, I responded.“Right, nobody does,” she said.Citation:Booth, M.S. Not carbon neutral: Assessing the net emissions impact of residues burned for bioenergy. (2018). Environ. Res. Lett. 13 035001 (Vol. 13, Number 3), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aaac88Justin Catanoso, a regular Mongabay contributor, is a professor of journalism at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, USA. Follow him on Twitter @jcatanosoFEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page.The handfuls of wood pellets and the green sleeves seen here illustrate the widespread, industry supported, belief that burning wood is a carbon neutral bioenergy source. But studies over the last decade found that wood pellets produce more CO2 per kilowatt hour than coal. However, because of United Nations IPCC emission counting loopholes, these wood pellets will be counted as carbon neutral when burned. Photo credit: #ODF on Visual hunt / CC BY Adaptation To Climate Change, Alternative Energy, carbon, Carbon Conservation, Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Emissions, Carbon Negative Bioenergy, Carbon Sequestration, Clean Energy, Climate, Climate Change, Climate Change Politics, climate policy, Climate Politics, Climate Science, Controversial, Emission Reduction, Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Politics, Environment, Environmental Ethics, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Environmental Politics, Featured, Forest Carbon, Forests, Global Environmental Crisis, Global Warming, Global Warming Mitigation, Globalization, Green, Green Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Impact Of Climate Change, International Trade, Law, Monitoring, Pollution, Remote Sensing, Renewable Energy, Research, satellite data, Solar Power, Sustainability, Sustainable Development, Trade read more

Twenty-year-old Arian Dahlia Richmond will represent Guyana at the Miss Caribbean Cultural Queen Pageant 2019 in St Kitts and Nevis on August 7.The Guyanese beauty will compete against 12 other contestants when the pageant is hosted at the Nevis Cultural Complex. The pageant is one of the main attractions during the Island’s Culturama Celebration.The colourful, vibrant Arian brings beauty to the environment. She stands five feet, eight inches tall.Born as a “cook-up” of cultures to Guyanese parents, Arian represents the beauty of a true Guyanese woman blessed with silky ebony African skin, rich East Indian heritage and a refined Portuguese twang styled with trendy natural charcoal hair.Her personality is super positive, vibrant, stubborn and welcoming, and can brighten up your day no matter how damp it may feel.Arian is an artist passionate about expression through modelling, writing and make-up artistry. She is the founder of Dahlia L’artista, a social enterprise that provides professional make-up artistry, skin care and cruelty-free products.Her work reflects the peace she finds in nature, that serene authentic vibe and beauty in varied forms. She recently modelled in the Guyana Fashion Showcase for international designers such as Yumi Katsura, Randy Madray and Michelle Cole. Her style is fierce with an effortless essence, which allowed her modelling career to flourish.She enjoys walks through forested tracks and at the river with friends in the calm hinterland in the afternoons.At age 19, this Guyanese beauty decided to compete in her first pageant, Miss Bartica 2018, a pageant held as part of the celebratory festival and tourism magnet – Bartica Regatta in her home town. With much enthusiasm, open-mindedness, a will to learn and anxiety, Arian competed fiercely and emerged as Miss Bartica Regatta 2018.During her reign as Miss Bartica, she launched The Bartica’s Youth Development Camp, which was aimed at teaching students Spanish; skills in art, craft and design; self-care and hygiene; and other skills.The camp accommodated 62 students from the Bartica community, Venezuelan migrants and refugees along with volunteers to make the project effective. The main aim of the camp was to build self-esteem, good sportsmanship, confidence, and love for self.The project drew so much love and support that Arian, through the project, was featured by several media outlets.Guyanese Girls Glow is a sexual health awareness initiative that was curated by Arian at age 18 for young women in at-risk communities. The workshops lasted for a month and featured doctors and female leaders in the community who were vital to the youths that needed positive influence. Sixty youths were certified, fed and transported from the profits of Dahlia L’artista, Arian’s social enterprise. The projects were done in Linden and Albouystown.She believes that youth will thrive in an environment when they are able to make informed choices and it is her life’s mission to aid that process.Pageantry offers Arian a platform that she has used as a service-centred leader and change-maker. She will continue to use this platform to represent the interests of those who may never be able to represent themselves.Arian is elated to have been chosen to represent Guyana at The Flow Miss Caribbean Culture Queen Pageant 2019.She believes this is a great opportunity that comes with heavy responsibility to stand firm as a beauty ambassador of the world’s number one eco-destination and currently the world’s fastest growing economy. She plans to use this opportunity to continue her message and to fulfil the true purpose of pageantry on a more regional platform. read more

Dear Editor,As former students, Bishops’ High holds a special place in our hearts. Many of us can look back at our high school journey fondly, with perhaps a dose of embarrassment, but, nevertheless, good memories of classes, school parties, trips, friends, and memorable teachers that all made a lasting positive impact. Unfortunately, for others, those positive memories are marred when persons in authority misuse their position of trust to abuse, harass and shame students.The recent disclosures of grooming, harassment, and sexual abuse made in various media outlets were met with shock and massive disappointment in the actions taken (and not taken) by the administration of our former school. It is for this reason, we, the undersigned, have joined together to demand an immediate end to the culture of abuse; and to further demonstrate our unwavering support for those who have bravely stepped forward to tell their stories.To any survivor reading this letter, please know that you have our support. We recognise that this cannot be easy and we applaud your bravery in stepping forward when many may try to hold you back. We commit to doing our part in not letting this slip into the shadows of silence, which the abuse has hidden in and fed on for so many years. We are sorry that BHS did not do enough to protect you. We are sorry that the reputation of an (alleged) abuser was given priority over your safety and welfare. We are sorry that it took so long for someone to really listen to what you were saying. Please know that we are listening now and we are cheering you on as you heal and regain your power.We are calling for the immediate dismissal of the main perpetrator of these crimes. Mr Coen Jackson has been accused of engaging, in his 10 years at BHS, in a patterned and systematic cycle whereby he preyed on vulnerable young girls. He used his position as a teacher with a measure of control in the academic fates of his students, in order to coerce students into sexual activity. Even more reprehensible is the fact that the abuse was allowed to continue thanks to the silence, deafness and blind eyes of the school’s leadership.With this in mind, we call for the immediate resignation of the headteacher, Ms Ellis, whose recent public tirade against the girls under her care, was not only unprofessional and inappropriate, but re-victimised every woman and girl affected by abuse. Ms Ellis, there are no words to describe how saddened and dismayed many of us felt to hear you blame children for the actions of an adult predator. You have repeatedly failed in your duty to create a safe learning environment for the students under your care.We support a complete and thorough investigation by the Ministry of Education, the Guyana Police Force, and the Child Care and Protection Agency. According to the Sexual Offences Act (2010), Section 20 (i): In proceedings relating to an offence under this Act, a person commits the offence of obstructing the prosecution if that person prevents a child from (a) ‘giving a statement to the police; giving evidence in any other way which would be admissible for the paper committal; or (b) (i) (ii) Obstructing prosecution. (2) A person who commits an offence under subsection (1) is liable on summary conviction to a fine of one million dollars and to imprisonment for five years. Any school administrator and teacher who may be found to be complicit by not taking action against the abuse and further victimising of students, must be removed and held accountable.To the Board and administration of BHS, we can no longer say “Bishops’” with the pride we once did until measures are put in place to foster healing of survivors, and to ensure that all forms of abuse and harassment of students never happen again. Step up and do what’s right! Schools are meant to be safe spaces, to groom boys and girls for success, NOT for exploitation!Finally, we call on the wider Guyanese society to thoroughly examine the cultural norms that allow abuse of women and children to remain a pervasive and silent crime. We encourage everyone to support survivors of gender-based violence, and to hold perpetrators of violence accountable for their crimes.Yours in support,Tamara Whalen, Class of 1997; Carlton Allen, Class of 1999; Salima Hinds, Class of 2003; Oswald Alleyne, Class of 1997; Kemol King, Class of 2013; Magna Griffith-Wills, Class of 1990; Avinash Budhram, Class of 1997; Melissa Allen, Class of 2008; Clarence Garraway, Class of 1992; Indira Dyal-Garib, Class of 1986; Renee Charles, Class of 1982; Amanda Lalita Rameshwar, Class of 1995; Joanne Ford-Brumell, Class of 2002; Danielle Fleming, Class of 1997; Joseph Brian Singh, Class of 1991; Rebecca Ganesh-Ally, Class of 1999; Donnella Collison, Class of 2003; Christene Delph, Class of 2003; Caroline Daniels, Class of 2000; Jonelle Clement, Class of 2001; Christopher Singh, Class of 2004; Geeta Prashad, Class of 1975; Marissa Massiah, Class of 1997; Pratima Narine, Class of 1995; Malyka Rahaman, Class of 2004; Annabelle Carter, Class of 1993; Pauline Gardner, Class of 1976; Deborah Rosanwo, Class of 1983; Eve Drayton Hill, Class of 1971; Lyn Morris, Class of 1964; Zahid Hack, Class of 2011; Deandra Walker, Class of 2011; Jason Porte, Class of 1999; Tianna Mohamed, Class of 2015; Allison Boucher, Class of 2005; Marissa Fox, Class of 2000; Penelope Yearwood, Class of 1977; Kevin Sadhu, Class of 1987; Patricia Robinson, Class of 1958; Rizwan Saffie, Class of 2008; Tiya Peterkin, Class of 2003; Jennifer Fredricks Singh; Tracy Gibson, Class of 1990; Ryan Dos Santos, Class of 1992; Kojo McPherson, Class of 2002; Addevi Persaud, Class of 2005; Jai Narine Singh, Class of 1981; Lauren Selman, Class of 1992; Melanie Yearwood, Class of 1989; Maria van Beek, Class of 1991. read more

Dear Editor,Is the Georgetown City Council beyond redemption? How much longer must the citizens of our capital city be subjected to the daily vicissitudes of City Hall? There is hardly a day that passes by without one learning of some outrageous, egregious and extremely corrupt activity being exposed. One can only imagine how much else goes on there without detection.We have just learnt that the Town Clerk of Georgetown has granted permission for a vendor to construct a two-storey building in the Stabroek Market Bazaar, without the knowledge or consent of the markets and Public Health Committee of the Council, without the knowledge and consent of the full Council, and without the permission and consent of the National Trust. This building and its environs is a heritage site. This is just another bizarre episode in a string of uncanny occurrences ongoing at City Hall for the last two and a half years.The Town Clerk of Georgetown, is above the laws of the land, in fact he would seem to be the law, as none of his predecessors were able to get away with a fraction of what he has.He has stumbled from one fiasco to the next, to the next in an unending series of debacles, whether it was the unlawful parking meter initiative, or the Bel Air Park, Lamaha Gardens and Subryanville playgrounds, to the garbage contractors crises, to the Abattoir hydraulic pump and stun gun predicaments, to a juvenile rape, to the unsavory treatment of vendors, to the Kitty Market and Stabroek Market Wharf calamities, to the Merriman’s Mall scandal and the list goes on and on.Why is it that dozens of Commissions of Inquiries are being held at various entities in the country and not at the Georgetown City Council which is fraught with corruption, scandals, exploitation, venality, and vice.Sincerely,Nadine Jerrick read more

As a brand champion, Oliech will continue supporting Betway in its initiatives around sports development in Kenya as well as help to foster strong and loyal relationships between the brand and its customers.“It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to work with a leading provider of first-class entertainment across sports betting. This deal allows me the opportunity to pass on my knowledge, as well as skills in football, to new talent across the country,” Oliech said.Last year, Betway sponsored Oliech to attend a professional coaching workshop in South Africa.While announcing that the training opportunity was the first among many that it has lined up for him, Betway Kenya Country Manager Wanja Gikonyo added that the company was looking to give its brand ambassador the groundwork for future in coaching, social development, technical skills, age training and the organisational skills necessary to run football tournaments.Soon after the workshop, Oliech was involved in the development and roll-out of one of the biggest football talent search initiatives in the country that culminated in two upcoming footballers winning a trip to West Ham United in the United Kingdom a ‘West Ham United Experience’. The two head to the UK on March 3.Dubbed ‘Betway Talent Search’, the initiate saw over 1,000 aspiring footballers from across the country showcase their skills under the watchful eyes of local and international scouts. It was organised by Betway in collaboration with Mathare United Football Club and West Ham United.0Shares0000(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today) 0Shares0000Former Harambee Stars captain Dennis Oliech (left) with Mathare United coach Francis Kimanzi (right). PHOTO/courtesyNAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 28 – Online and mobile sports betting operator, Betway Kenya has renewed its partnership with former Harambee Stars ace and captain Dennis Oliech.After signing his first brand ambassador contract last year, Oliech has renewed his commitment to Betway for a period of one year, ending in February 2018. read more

Rummage sale, 8a.m.-2p.m. today, Tujunga United Methodist Church, 9901 Tujunga Canyon Blvd. Call (818) 352-1481 or (818) 353-3669. “Unity in the Lord’s Church,” a study of Ephesians 4:3-6, will be discussed by eight speakers, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. today, Van Nuys Church of Christ, 14655 Sherman Way, Van Nuys. Free; lunch provided. Call (818) 785-2623. Carwash fundraiser for various charities, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. today in the parking lot at First Christian Church of North Hollywood, 4390 Colfax Ave., Studio City. Call (818) 763-8218. “Peace and Reconciliation Through Prayer,” a lecture sponsored by the Thirty-Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist of Studio City, presented by guest speaker Ryder Stevens, 11a.m. today, Sportsmen’s Lodge, 12825 Ventura Blvd., Vista Rooms, Studio City. Call (818) 761-4322. Catholic Singles Dance, 7:30 p.m.-midnight Friday, Burbank Holiday Inn, 150 E. Angeleno Ave. Tickets: $17. Call (818) 759-1545 or see www.caci.org. Vacation Bible school, for children in kindergarten to fifth grade, 9a.m.-noon June 25-29, Prince of Peace Episcopal Church, 5700 Rudnick Ave., Woodland Hills. Registration: $25. Call (818) 346-6968 or see www.popwh.org. “Magic of Summer” luncheon, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. June 30, Northridge United Methodist Church, 9650 Reseda Blvd., Reseda. Tickets: $15. Reservations required. Call (818) 365-4231. World Healing Ceremony, presented by the Spiritual Unity Movement, 7-8:45 p.m. June 30, meeting at Sepulveda Unitarian Universalist Society, 9550 Haskell Ave., North Hills. Guest speaker, Sri Rani Ji; musical guest, Raymond Powers. Call (866) 204-2261 or see www.spiritualitymovement.org. “How Do I Want to Show Up For the Rest of My Life?” will be the message delivered by the Rev. Maureen Hoyt, 10 a.m. Sunday, Granada Hills Church of Religious Science, 17622 Chatsworth St., Granada Hills. Young adults service, 6 p.m. Call (818) 363-8136. “Mirror of Your Mind” will be the message delivered by the Rev. Beverly Craig, 10 a.m. Sunday, La Crescenta Church of Religious Science, 4845 Dunsmore Ave. Call (818) 249-1045. “Father’s Day” will be the message delivered by the Rev. Bob McDill, 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Sepulveda Unitarian Universalist Society, 9550 Haskell Ave., North Hills. Call (818) 894-9251 or see www.valleyonion.org. “Soulful Sunday” service, presented by members of Sepulveda Unitarian Universalist Society in North Hills, 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church, 7304 Jordan Ave., Canoga Park. Call (818) 887-6101 or see www.emersonuuc.org. “The Father’s Good Pleasure” will be the message delivered by the Rev. Marilyn Jensen-Johnson, 10a.m. Sunday, Religious Science Church of Glendale, meeting at the Glendale Masonic Lodge, 244 N. Maryland Ave. Call (818) 244-1404. “Council of Jerusalem” will be the message delivered the Rev. Dave Wilkinson, 8:30 and 10 a.m. Sunday, Moorpark Presbyterian Church, 13950 Peach Hill Road, Moorpark. Call (805) 529-8422. “Tasks Bigger Than We Are” will be the message delivered by guest speaker the Rev. Mike Gaston, 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Heart of the Valley Community Church, 18644 Sherman Way, Reseda. Call (818) 881-3651 or see www.heartchurch.com. “Unbounded Success” will be the message delivered by the Rev. Carrie Lauer, 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Center of Spiritual Awakening, meeting at the Radisson Hotel, 9777 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Chatsworth. Call (818) 709-145. “Our Fortifying, Frail Faith” will be the message delivered by the Rev. Joey K. McDonald, 8:15 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday, First United Methodist Church of North Hollywood, 4832 Tujunga Ave. Call (818) 763-8231. Religion events are compiled by Staff Writer Holly Andres. Notices must reach the Daily News two weeks before the Saturday they are to run. Mail entries, with time, date, location and contact number, to Daily News Religion Calendar, P.O. Box 4200, Woodland Hills, CA 91365; fax (818) 713-0058; e-mail holly.andres@dailynews.com.160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! Health practices and the Bible will be the topic of guest speaker Alan Sherman after the 9:30a.m. Sunday service, Canoga Park Presbyterian Church, 22103 Vanowen St. Call (818) 883-3510. “Obsession,” a screening presented by the Center for Accuracy in Mid-East Reporting in America, 7p.m. Tuesday, Congregation Beth Meier, 11725 Moorpark Ave., Studio City. Reservations required. Call (818) 762-4473. “Living with Integrity” will be the topic discussed by the Rev. Jim Lockard at the “Wednesday Night Alive” service, 7-8p.m. Wednesday, Westlake Church of Religious Science, 880 W. Hampshire Road, Westlake Village. Call (805) 495-0105. “Be Still and Know,” a prayer, meditation and healing service led by the Rev. Jefferson Beeker, 7 p.m. Wednesday, First Christian Church of North Hollywood, 4390 Colfax Ave. Call (818) 763-8218. Summer Solstice Labyrinth Walk, 7 p.m. Thursday, Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino. Call (818) 784-4515 or see www.hsrcenter.com. read more

1 Aitor Karanka is looking for FA Cup success Aitor Karanka has vowed not to let history repeat itself as he attempts to steer Middlesbrough to cup glory and Premier League survival.Twenty years ago, Boro reached both the League and FA Cup finals with a star-studded side built around Juninho, Fabrizio Ravanelli and Emerson.However, a replay defeat by Leicester after a 1-1 draw at Wembley and a 2-0 reverse at the hands of Chelsea saw them twice fall at the final hurdle, and worse was to follow when the club surrendered its top-flight status at the end of an eventful 1996-97 campaign.On Saturday, Boro entertain League One Oxford with a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals at stake, but sitting just two points clear of the drop zone and, while head coach Karanka will allow both his players and the fans to dream, he will not take his eye off the ball and risk a similar mistake.He said: “I like – and I think I have done it since I have been here – to change those type of things. It’s impossible to win two titles, but why can’t we win the title (FA Cup) and stay in the Premier League?“We just have to be positive, to dream if we can dream, especially about a title knowing that the first aim is to survive and to stay in the Premier League.“If someone had asked us if we would have signed up to be in this position in pre-season, I think everybody would have signed.“To be outside the relegation positions, in this round of the cup and especially showing the performances that we are showing every single game, you have to be positive.”Boro have eased their way towards the business end of the competition with home victories over Championship opponents Sheffield Wednesday and League Two side Accrington.Although both were hard-fought wins, Karanka is taking nothing for granted this time around against a side which thumped derby rivals Newcastle 3-0 in the last round.He said: “In my second season here, it was Manchester City and Arsenal and this season, it has been Accrington and Sheffield Wednesday and now Oxford.“But we have to be really, really careful because it’s going to be a tough, tough game, especially if we don’t go on to the pitch with the right attitude.“We have the experience in the last round when we went on to the pitch thinking that it was going to be an easy game an we had problems against Accrington, and our opponent beat Newcastle 3-0, so it’s going to be a tough game.” read more

The Tynecastle head coach said: “We’ve got a strong squad here and we’re hopeful of having Perry Kitchen back for the first game, if possible.“He would be ready, 100%. He’s been training right through.“He had a good break over the Christmas period before he came to us and he’s trained right through the summer in the American camp.“I don’t see any issues with him coming back and being ready to go.” Hearts have set up pre-season camp in St Andrews in an effort to get themselves match ready for the Europa League first qualifying round and Neilson admits the focus of their training will be on achieving intensity in their play, so early in the summer.He said: “These games are always difficult when you play against European teams who are in the middle of their season.“Infonet are prepared and ready whereas we are coming off the back of pre-season.“But we believe the players will be ready and giving 100% to win the game.” Hearts boss Robbie Neilson hopes to have USA international Perry Kitchen available for their first Europa League match next week.The United States were knocked out of the Copa America on Wednesday as Argentina defeated Jurgen Klinsmann’s side 4-0 in the semi-final in Houston.But Kitchen will not be released from international duty until Sunday, as USA play the loser of the Colombia v Chile match in the third place play-off.While that would leave the midfielder with just three days to prepare for the match against Estonians FC Infonet, Neilson believes the 24-year-old would be ready to play his part. read more

To celebrate our continued success as well as the arrival of our new sister site,www.donegalwoman.ie, we’re bringing you an amazing giveaway.As an early Christmas present to our readers, we are hosting the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!Every second day from now until December 24th, we will be offering an unbelievably good prize. The eighth prize was a €200 voucher to spend with Watson’s HireCongratulations to our Facebook follower Lesley Ann Mckee-Dougherty! You’re the winner! It’s time to bring you DAY NINE’s brilliant prizeThis next prize is just what you need before Christmas – a 49 inch Sony Smart TV from TDA Repairs!You’ll be able to watch all the best festive films on this top-quality TV, and get all the brilliant online perks that Smart TVs have.This prize is brought to you from TDA Repairs – the leading Domestic Appliance Repairs service.They offer a fast and friendly service across all of Donegal at excellent prices. Cathal Temple and his team will ensure your broken appliance is up and running in no time and they come right to your home to do it. There’s no need to panic when your fridge, freezer, washing machine, hoover or any other appliance breaks down, just give TDA a call!For further details and great offers, check out their Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/tda.ieHere’s how you can enter to winThis competition is open to all our readers, and there are multiple ways to enter. Each entry on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Email counts as one, so the more you do the more chances you have of being the lucky winner.This competition is open from 5pm today (Saturday, 17th December) to 12noon Monday (19th December). Here’s how you can enter on all Donegal Daily and Donegal Woman platforms:Facebook:Find the competition post pinned to the top of the Donegal Daily or the Donegal Woman Facebook page.LIKE the postLIKE the Donegal Daily and the Donegal Woman Facebook pageSHARE the postTAG a friendTwitter:Visit @donegaldaily and @dglwomanRETWEET the competition tweet pinned at the top of the pageFOLLOW @donegaldaily and @dglwomanInstagram: Visit @donegaldaily or @donegalwomanLIKE ♥ the competition image for TDA RepairsFOLLOW @donegaldaily and @donegalwomanEmail:Simply send a mail to donegalcompetitions@gmail.comPut TDA REPAIRS GIVEAWAY in the subject titleTerms & conditions apply. Good luck!WIN a 49″ Sony Smart TV from TDA Repairs on DAY NINE of our 12 Days of Giveaways! was last modified: December 17th, 2016 by Rachel McLaughlinShare this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) read more

28 March 2003Bastion executive chef Kenny Ngubane is determined to prove that local is lekker. For many years, he says, local restaurants have been subject to kitchen colonialism, where foreign cooks ran kitchens and their own native food dominated menus.The result? Eighty percent of the food that restaurants offered was foreign, while just 20 percent was South African.“Local cooking is very important, but we are so into international cooking”, says Ngubane. “When people come to South Africa, they want South African food, but yet we don’t give to them – we give them a dish like crab thermidor that they can have in their own countries.“When we go China we want to eat noodles. When we go to India we want to eat rice. When visitors come to South Africa, they want South African food.”Bastion fans need not fear: their crab thermidor won’t be replaced with chakalaka, pap or morogo. But more local foods are being featured on the restaurant’s menu. “A lot of South African chefs are starting to cook more local foods. I think that people are realising that we are losing our culture”, says Ngubane.Head there now and you can dig into Ulundi Ndlovu’s Chicken, made with popular chakalaka, a meal Ngubane named after one of his 22 sous-chefs who excelled in the kitchen. Or bite into a Vrystaat fillet served with mielies on the cob, done true Boere style. Or there is Simonsberg sirloin marinated in a blend of Cape wines, served with Simonsberg brie cheese or a slice of Mpumalanga venison.But Ngubane is firm about one much-loved indigenous dish that won’t appear on the Bastion’s menu anytime soon – tripe. “We don’t do tripe. That will chase people away!” laughs Ngubane.“I think that it’s important when introducing more local foods that you also have to look at the type of establishment and the standard it has. I think it must be phased in slowly, not just with a boom! If I’m doing an African menu, I will introduce it slowly – kind of like the way our democracy came into being.” read more