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Road Carnage on Homestretch Avenue

Now where do Guyanese drivers get off killing others?! It absolutely sickens us here at GuyanaLive.com to see the brash consequences of senseless driving, administrative duties and policing on our small and few roadways.

Let us take this most recent accident (though it should not be called an accident if the driver is consciously reckless), into consideration. The media says that five persons have died so far and about 7 others are injured severely. The details are that a Route 48 (Stabroek to Sophia) minibus was speeding west along Homestretch Avenue, when a tire blew out upon its attempt to overtake another vehicle heading in the same direction. The minibus catapulted, toppled and skidded several times, viciously throwing glass, metal and humans around, before coming to a halt, pinning a few patrons under its mangled shell. Now we see quite a few things completely wrong with this story.

  • It is a fact that Homestretch Avenue makes little provision for overtaking unless the vehicle attempting to do so remains entirely within its lane, since there are double solid lines imprinted throughout the carriageway. Anyone who successfully completed the Driver’s License Theoretical Examination should know and remember this, but it seems we do not care.
  • It is our knowledge that any driver should have at least three years of driving experience before embarking to take control of a public minibus (or taxi) for daily use. If that is so, how are 20 year olds becoming drivers of minibuses when we in Guyana acquire our Driver’s License at 18 years of age? Absurd is the only word we can summon!
  • That previous point makes us think (with disgust) at our Police Force and Administrative bodies. How can one sleep at night with the full knowledge that they have awarded a driver’s license to someone who is incompetent? Does money really outweigh the many lives that have been snuffed from local beings? Additionally, when the Traffic Police stops someone on the roadways who they think has committed an infraction; they should be penalized to the fullest extent of the law every time. Yes, we do agree that the bribes are attractive at times, but know this traffic officers; every time you take a bribe or ask for one you sell a bit of your soul! That may be why some of you are so cold and arrogant.
  • Patrons and commuters, this last point is for you and we at GuyanaLive.com ask that you implement and maintain two very important things. First, if you are traveling in a minibus (or taxi) and you feel uncomfortable because of the loud and offensive music, speeding or daring roadway tricks, please demand that the driver cease with immediate effect. If he or she declines then disembark the vehicle at once. If they refuse to stop, you are being kidnapped and you can file a formal police report (even though the police may do nothing); this is an appeal to everyone, young or old, male or female, affluent or struggling. Then, to those of us who are drivers, we ask that you abide by the traffic laws of this majestic country of ours. We at GuyanaLive.com will be the first to say that we occasionally were caught up and influenced into acting reckless or stupid on the roadways, but that will no longer happen. We urge you to stay in your correct lane, wait for the traffic lights and look out for pedestrians and cyclists. Imagine rushing to a million dollar meeting but never making it because you were arrogant enough to think that speeding will make things better. We were never a naïve and dense nation, please let that remain.

 

By – Patrice Wishart

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Government Technical Institute (GTI) wins Digicel Schools Football Championships!

PM Samuel Hinds(center) with the Victorious GTI team. (Adrian Narine photo)

PM Samuel Hinds(center) with the Victorious GTI team. (Adrian Narine photo)

Decked out in bright red uniforms, Government Technical Institute (GTI) took to the field with an air of confidence in front of a supportive crowd at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground. It is that confidence combined with skilful play throughout the competition that saw GTI defeating Christianburg/Wismar Secondary to become the inaugural Digicel Schools Football Champions.
Top goal scorer of the championships and finals MVP Jermain Junior was the first to strike in the 20th minute after persistently attacking the Lindeners’ defensive line. Less than 2 minutes later Lawrence Higgings however equalized in spectacular fashion sending a message to the city side that they would have to work to life the title. In an apparent answer to the challenge Darren Peters displayed some fancy footwork before drilling GTI’s second goal into the back of the net.

Darrel Fraser continued the scoring in front of the large crowd by adding to the tally of GTI in the 51st. not to be outdone Trenton Lashley reduced the deficit to one goal when he struck in the 57th minute. Keifer Adonis and Darren Peters sealed the deal for GTI with their contributions despite a late goal by Lashley.

Though a 5-3 victory Is to be considered a convincing victory GTI missed several uncontested shots to goal. The team performed exceptionally throughout the championships however and played hard to earn the championship.

In the third place playoff New Amsterdam Technical Institute edged out an impressive Region 7 side in Waramadong Secondary, 3-2, on penalties after both sides scored 4 goals apiece in regulation and extra time. Waramadong, who was also voted as the most disciplined team of the tournament, showed impressive skill and were singled out as a team to watch in next year’s competition by Digicel CEO Gregory Dean in remarks following the finals.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds presented the championship trophy to the victorious GTI team which sparked wild celebrations on the field.

117 school teams participated in the inaugural championships and in the words of Dean next year’s competition “will be bigger and better.”

By – Andrew Ross

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Hikers Hockey Junior Development Program – Travon Younge and Jamarj Assanah for three week Stint in Trinidad & Tobago

From left: Trevon Younge and Jamarj Assanah of Hikers Hockey Club
From left: Trevon Younge and Jamarj Assanah of Hikers Hockey Club

The Hikers Hockey Club, junior development program realized one it’s main goals this week, when it partnered with Queen’s Park Hockey Club of Trinidad & Tobago to enable two of it’s most promising young players to compete in the Trinidad & Tobago outdoor leagues.

Extended overseas stints with foreign clubs was one of the recommendations made by the junior players themselves at a junior development camp held by the club last year. However this particular project was the brainchild of long time Hikers member Jerazeno Bell who now resides in the twin island republic and competes for Queen’s Park. The two players who will benefit form this project are Jamarj Assanah and Travon Younge, both players will be training and competing with Queen’s Park on artificial turf for a three week period. The players arrived in Trinidad on Thursday morning and are scheduled to play their first matches this weekend.

The Hikers Hockey Club intends to make this project an annual event, where promising junior players are given the opportunity to train and compete abroad during the summer school break.

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Digicel Caribbean Junior Squash Championships: Guyana is the best in the Caribbean!

Guyana cemented their dominance of Caribbean squash by winning the team title on July 14 in the Caribbean Areas Squash Association and Digicel sponsored Junior Squash Championships 2011. This is the seventh consecutive year the local side has won the competition. The impressive performance in the singles stage of the championships was carried over into the team segment and the result was Guyana being declared the overall winners in the weeklong competition.

In the male team finals it appeared that a competitive afternoon of squash was expected since heading into the third match of the afternoon the scoreline read 1-1. Alex Arjoon however shifted the balance in favour of the hosts and dispatched his Trinidadian counterpart in a hard fought 5 set match. After that there was no turning back and the remainder of the male team marched on to a convincing 4-1 victory over their island neighbours.

Earlier in the day the female side sealed the team title in similar style suffering only one match loss to Jamaica. The most exciting match in the female team finals was between Guyana’s Akeila Wiltshire and Jamaica’s Mary Jo Mahfood. Wiltshire was tested by a mixture of aggressive strokes and soft touches by the talented Jamaican. After dropping the second and fourth game the tenacious Wiltshire bounced back in impressive fashion to win 11/6 9/11 11/6 6/11 11/9.

The senior squad will be keen on taking some of the confidence drawn from their junior colleagues when they compete in the CASA senior tournament to be hosted by the Cayman Islands in August. Next year looks to be challenging since five players from the victorious side will be elevated to the senior platform. That development will mean that new players without regional exposure will have to take over. The coaching staff is nonetheless confident of going 8-straight in 2012. For now the team is relishing in their hard fought victory.

By – Andrew Ross

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Jamzone 2011 to stream live worldwide!

Over the years, Jamzone Summer Break has established an irrefutable reputation as one the greatest events in Guyana’s history. This diversified festival has offered Guyanese ten strong years of superlative entertainment while simultaneously contributing immensely to the local tourism sector. Now heading into their eleventh year of creating and undertaking countless innovative marketing machinations, the ingenious promoters have tailored their promotional methods to boost Jamzone’s international appeal while reaching a wide cross section of audiences. As, a result, the organizers will broadcast the August activities through Live streaming on the internet via their official website, jamzonesummerbreak.com. The transmission, available to fans both in and out of Guyana was introduced to allure international visitors and strengthen the recruitment of global supporters.

“We are quite excited about Jamzone this year because of all of the various improvements we have made. This is a long awaited project that many supporters within the Diaspora and around the world have been asking us to pursue for quite some time, since they are willing but often unable to make it to Jamzone. We’re confident that this will increase the already overwhelming response from the international tourists”, said Kerwin Bollers, Executive Director of Hits and Jams Entertainment.

This annual festival features ten days of activities this year, inclusive of a 20/20 Cricket tournament, Kids Zone, a Jazz, food and fashion festival, the Miss Jamzone International Pageant and several Super Concerts which will feature some of the greatest artistes including Jamaican Megastars Vybz Kartel and Mavado who will be headlining the Jamzone Regional Night Concert!

Bollers added that this eleventh anniversary will undoubtedly break all previous records set, in terms of attendance and overall customer satisfaction.

By – Hits and Jams Entertainment

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Miss Jamzone International: Meet the dazzling Dominican!

Miss Dominica - Marcia Baptiste
Miss Dominica - Marcia Baptiste

“I am a proud denizen of the island of Dominica also known as the Nature Island of the World, Land of Many Rivers, Home of the World Creole Music Festival and the Most Original Carnival, ‘The Real Mas’. I am confident in my chances of securing the crown!”

26 year old Marcia Baptiste has had quite a prolific run in the pageant industry, winning multiple crowns including Miss Dominica, Miss Caribbean World and Miss Jaycee’s Caribbean Queen 2010. In the academic arena, Marcia is a Natural Science Graduate with three A-levels from the Dominica state College and is also currently employed as an Events and Customer Service Assistant at the Ross University School of Medicine.

This Dominican beauty describes herself as an outspoken and determined person who loves reading, meeting people, travelling, shoe shopping, exploring new places, learning new things and surfing the web. Should Marcia be crowned Miss Jamzone International 2011, she intends to use this as a platform to impact positively on the lives of young people.

By – Hits and Jams Entertainment

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Jamzone Regional Night: Vybz Kartel/Mavado Concert

Vybz Kartel/Mavado Concert not a lyrical battle but a celebration of great Dancehall Music!

Mavado at Jamzone Regional Night 2010
Mavado at Jamzone Regional Night 2010

By now its general news that Vybz Kartel and Mavado will be headlining the Jamzone Summer Break ‘Regional Night’ concert which will be held at the Guyana National Stadium on August 19th; however amidst the excitement, the organizers as well as the artistes are reminding fans that this will not be a musical clash but simply a night of great Dancehall music and entertainment!

Ever since the news of this musical coalition became public, fans have been anxiously anticipating this showdown which is expected to be one of the most attended shows in Guyana’s history. However, in light of the pervading remnants of the lyrical feud in which these two artistes were engaged, the organizers are quite aware of the fact that fans may misconstrue the aim of this event. As mentioned earlier, this will not be a clash or war but both artistes have overcome their differences and merely intend to entertain their Guyanese fans.

The Hits and Jams team is adamant in conveying this message to the public, to maintain our reputation of hosting fun, clean, incident and violence-free events. This show was not created with aims of fueling any animosity between extremist fans and we hope that supporters nationwide are not attending with ulterior intentions.

Vybz Kartel (Picture taken from urbanislandz.com)

This will be the first time both artistes will be performing on the stage together since the West Kingston Jamboree ‘Peace Concert’ in 2009. This show is creating quite a buzz not only locally but all around the Caribbean and has the attention of worldwide dancehall fans, some of whom, are already booking flights to Guyana for this epic event!

Both Vybz Kartel and Mavado each immensely talented in the Dancehall genre, have made amazing strides in the music industry by consistently producing quality music and establishing themselves as two of the most sought after Caribbean acts.

This concert will feature as part of the Jamzone Summer Break Weekend, an annual calendar event in Guyana. This year Jamzone comprises of ten days of fun-packed activities inclusive of jazz and food festivals, kids zone, sports tournaments and several Super Concerts featuring some of the biggest local, Caribbean and International acts.

By – Hits and Jams Entertainment

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Miss Guyana Jamzone 2011: Heading off to represent Guyana at Miss Jaycee’s Pageant in Antigua!

Miss Jaycee's Caribbean Queen Contestants
Miss Jaycee's Caribbean Queen Contestants

Even though she is much occupied with preparations for the Miss Jamzone International pageant, Miss Guyana Jamzone 2011 Jovan Wilson is taking full advantage of every opportunity to successfully represent Guyana on the International scene. On July 26th, Jovan will be soaring off to the nature isle Antigua, accompanied by her chaperone, Simpli Royal franchise owner Pamela Dillon, to represent Guyana at the 50th staging of the Miss Jaycee’s Caribbean Queen show!

This pageant, which features as part of the annual Antiguan Carnival, brings together an array of beauty, talent, intelligence and culture through the participation of the contestants from all around the Caribbean region, who compete in various segments for the crown. Every year, the organizers see applications from territories such as, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, St. Croix, and Trinidad and Tobago all eager to secure a spot in the line-up.

Notwithstanding the fierce competition she may encounter, Jovan is overwhelmed by excitement and pride to be chosen as Guyana’s ambassador. “I am absolutely thrilled to promote my country on an international level and to also have the chance to observe the diverse cultures of our neighboring nations”, said Jovan when questioned on the topic. “I also intend to take all my pageant experience and knowledge to Antigua and work fervently towards becoming the heiress to the throne”.

Jovan is undergoing intense training and prepping with Dillon who is confident in her [Jovan’s] abilities to shine at the upcoming pageant. “Jovan is the ideal candidate for this contest. She’s smart, beautiful, talented and always eager to learn. I’m absolutely certain that she will do well”, said Dillon who has successfully prepared countless delegates for several pageants including Jaycees throughout the years. Wilson will be participating in several segments including: Talent, for which she has prepared a dramatic poem; Evening wear designed by Pat Coates, Swimsuit, Question and Answering which will be based on her submitted biography and National Costume which is being created by local designer Curt Stephenson entitled ‘Empress of Shell Beach’.

According to a featured press release from the Antiguan State owned website ab.gov.ag, the pageant committee is in ‘high gear’ for the event which officially kicks off with a pre-show on Wednesday July 27th at the Sugar Ridge Resort. To date, the committee has confirmed the participation of nine countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Guyana, Montserrat, St Kitts and St Maarten. Acting according to their tagline ‘Integrating the Caribbean through pageantry’, the organizers promise to present an excellent package as a contribution to the 2011 Antigua and Barbuda Carnival and undoubtedly one of the biggest shows of their soon-to-be 50 years of existence.

Jovan would like the general public to support her on this journey as she illustrates the beauty, diversity and splendor of our unique culture. Further, Guyana has secured three of the Miss Jaycees Queens by former queens Alison Alleyne 1969; Peggy Wallalu 1970 and professional model Meleesa Payne, who walked away with the title in 2006.

By – Hits and Jams Entertainment

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Miss Jamzone International 2011: Miss Jamaica

Miss Jamaica - Trishauna Clarke
Miss Jamaica - Trishauna Clarke

“I’m looking forward to visiting the beautiful country of Guyana and I am eager to learn more about the culture. I will be sure to absorb every detail of this unique experience. In that way I can proudly wear the crown and handily represent Miss Jamzone International for 2011!”
The land of reggae is proud to present a stunning bi-racial beauty, an urbane young woman who seamlessly exemplifies the diversity of the Jamaican culture, Miss Trishauna Clarke!

This 23 year old actress, singer and former National athlete, is currently a full time student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Nursing. She also adds professional model to her abounding portfolio, as she is presently one of the most sought after faces on both the regional and international levels. Trishauna’s successful modeling career includes numerous appearances in commercials, magazines and run-way shows including BET’s annual Rip the Runway in spring 2010 and the internationally aired Puma ‘Jam’ commercial along side fellow Jamaican track star Usain Bolt.

Trishauna is honored and excited to be a part of the Miss Jamzone International 2011 pageant, she therefore intends to work unremittingly to represent her homeland and hopefully claim the crown for Jamaica once more!

By – Hits and Jams Entertainment

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Digicel Caribbean Junior Squash Championships: Guyana through to team finals!!!

The finals are set! Guyana’s defending girls team will take on Jamaica and the guys are poised to go up against Trinidad and Tobago on July 14 to decide the team championships.

Guyana have already secured the singles titles during the first leg of the Digicel Caribbean Junior Squash Championships 2011. The hosts are hoping to expand on those victories and secure the overall title thus cementing their place as the best squash team regionally.

In order to make it to the finals the local girls, led by no. 1 seeded Ashley Khalil, dispatched the strongest looking side Trinidad and Tobago in mall order. The Twin Island Republic was defeated 5-0 by the best female players in the Caribbean.

The male team were not to be outdone by their female compatriots and defeated their Jamaican counterparts in similar fashion winning all their games. Jamaica defeated the Cayman Islands females 4-1 to set up the matchup against the Guyanese. Meanwhile Trinidad and Tobago squeezed past Bermuda to advance to the finals against Nyron Joseph and company.

Given the level of play witnessed in the championships thus far an exciting day of squash is expected at the Georgetown club.

By – Andrew Ross