Guyana is about to go one step further to protect one of its most cherished GeographicalMr. Bernard O’Connor at the podium delivering his address as Assistant Secretary-General Joseph Cox, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge and representative of the EU Delegation, Adam Wisniewski (seated from left to right).Indicators (GI), the “Demerara” brand. A conference commenced yesterday at the Guyana Marriott Hotel which is geared towards helping Guyana recapture ownership of the Demerara name.Lead Expert and lawyer of the Guyana Quality Project, Bernard O’ Connor, said during his address that over the last week, three applications have been submitted to the Commercial Registry to have the registration of geographic indications in Guyana.According to O’Connor,Cheap NFL Jerseys, Guyana has the fortune to have a culture and a history which is tied into the name Demerara. He recognised that the name is used with products such as rum, molasses and sugar.However, he said that over the years, the fame of the name has spread out and has become well-known in Guyana and abroad. He said that the biggest challenge, however, has been exercising control over the name to the extent that the country’s claim to the name has since slipped away.He said that the applications which were made mark the end of the first phase of the long term project for the protection of “Demerara” for the benefit of Guyana.“We have just reached the end of the first phase, and the end of the first phase is the registration. An application takes time and it is a detailed administrative procedure and we can expect that as the applications go forward there will be ups and downs.”O’Connor said that while the applications are being processed, there are negotiations beingSome of the locally made products on display yesterday as the name “Demerara” takes centre stage.conducted between the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) and the European Union on the mutual recognition of a series of geographic indicators.He said that this is so since Guyana has a very special geographic indications law. “What Guyana has in its law is the fact that a geographic indication can be protected without registration. Registration is something in addition; a GI is still a GI even if it is not registered but if it is registered then it benefits from a whole series of other advantages.”According to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge,Cheap Jerseys, delivering his address, under Article 145 of the Economic Partnership Agreement protection is provided for geographical indications.However,Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys, he said, “That protection is not automatically given to products. They have to first of all enjoy protection in the countries in question.”He said that of all the GIs in the Caribbean, only one tenth is registered in the European Union. Greenidge said that the price of a genuine GI product can be double the price for a comparable product which does not enjoy that sort of recognition.There have been two instances whereby the name Demerara became the centre of international controversy. The first was in the 1913 case of Anderson v. Britcher. In that case,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, sugar from Mauritius was sold as Demerara sugar originating from Demerara,Jerseys NFL Cheap, Guyana.However, it was argued by the purchaser that the product was not the genuine sugar from Demerara. The court, in its ruling said that the term ‘Demerara’ is a generic one used to describe brown, crystallised sugar produced from sugar cane grown in the country of Demerara, Guyana.The second case was in 2010 between Bedessee Imports Limited of Canada and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). Similarly,Cheap Jerseys Authentic, Mauritian sugar was packaged and sold as “Demerara Gold” which was a registered trademark by Bedessee since 1984. At that time another sugar was packaged with the map of Guyana on it.GuySuCo sought to register the “Demerara Gold” trademark in Canada. Bedessee filed an opposition and tried to register the same name. This was opposed by the government of Guyana.The case was soon transformed into one questioning statements made by then Minister of Agriculture which Bedessee believed were defamatory. Ultimately, the name “Demerara” has never been dealt with, thereby providing Guyana with the opportunity to have the name registered as a geographic indicator for the country’s benefit.

Some lawyers and other persons renting Lot 9 Croal Street are counting their losses following an early morning fire which destroyed the upper storey of the property.The fire allegedly started shortly after 02:00 hours yesterday,Cheap NFL Jerseys, at the back of the building where a visually impaired elderly woman resided.? She was subsequently taken to the Brickdam Police Station.One lawyer, Sandra Kurtzious, said that for years this woman had been living in an apartment at the back of the building with her husband who has since died.She said that as the woman progressed in age she became more dangerous to the property because some days the people in the building would smell kerosene from the woman’s stove. The building was owned by the late Pearlene Roach. When Ms Roach died her daughter assumed proprietorship and when the daughter died her husband, Fred Chase,China Jerseys Free Shipping, continued to monitor the building.Another lawyer said that with the building being old and wooden there was always the fear.Ms Kurtzious said that according to a neighbour who lives next door, he heard the old woman crying to be let out of the building, suggesting that whatever she had started could not be contained. The building housed a number of law offices on the upper storey and Atlantic Shipping Company on the lower flat.Speaking with this newspaper, attorney-at-law Ronald Burch-Smith said that his chambers lost a quantity of legal documents and office furniture,Wholesale NFL China Jerseys, among other things.? His colleagues, Ms Kurtzious,Cheap Jerseys, Mark Waldron and Godfrey Statia,China Jerseys Authentic, all members of a partnership, said that they have been provided with temporary accommodation with some colleagues. Most of them were able to recover files for clients. They were unable to attend court and had to send apologies to the courts and to seek postponements.Amanda Trehane, proprietrix of Atlantic Shipping Company,China Jerseys Cheap, said that she was informed about the fire through a telephone call from a friend.Trehane estimated her losses at over $2.5M including four desktop computers, a plasma television, a brand new refrigerator and other electrical items that were in the building at the time the fire broke out. Also damaged were a quantity of shoes and clothing.She added that the majority of the items that were in the building at the time were damaged by water.The Guyana Fire Service said that investigations were ongoing.

… voter education outreach begins in earnestBy Suraj NarineAs the ball leading up to Local Government Elections (LGE) continues to roll and gather momentum,Dr. Dawn Stewart, candidate for Constituency Number 8 – Newburg/ Stabroek/ Werk-en-Rust/ Wortmanvilleseveral persons attached to various political and non-political parties have raised their hands signalling their intention to represent their respective constituencies, and by all means, do right by their fellow citizens.LGE in Guyana has been absent for more than two decades, and with its return on March 18 this year,wholesale jerseys, it has been hailed as a momentous occasion – “the return of democracy”.As the day draws near, Campaign Managers, Public Relations Officers and supporters are currently in work overload mode as strategies are being planned; outreaches being arranged, along with rallies and the distribution of brochures etc.Over the last few weeks we have seen campaigns being intensified,China Jerseys Cheap, even some pound for pound on various forms of media. While some parties and groups have begun to unleash, some have decided to stand back and watch, waiting for the appropriate time to unload their arsenals – strategy is key.EDUCATING THE VOTERSFor one contestant, Dr. Dawn Stewart, it is all about educating the residents but more specifically, the youths about LGE.Dr. Stewart is of the opinion that with the long absence of LGE in Guyana, the youths are the ones that require eye-opening,Cheap Jerseys Outlet, so that they can be better informed about the LGE and the impact it plays on the development of their constituency and ultimately their country.She will be contesting for Councillor in Constituency Number 8 – Newburg/ Stabroek/Werk-en-Rust/Wortmanville. Her group, “A Nation Building Corps” (ANBC), falls under the Guyana National Civil Society Council Inc. (GNCSC).Dr. Stewart stated that many persons in that constituency asked her to contest, and she thought it best to contest under civil society, since her allegiance is always to the people first.“ I felt that if I was under a (political) party, then my allegiance will have to be first to my party leader, and that to me, would compromise what I am capable of doing and how much I can do and how much I can advocate independently”.She continued that local governance has to do directly with the “governance closest to the citizens” and therefore, no issue should be compromised.“It should be that I would have to answer to the citizens and the citizens should be able to meet me, where we will collaborate to find solutions to problems plaguing them”.Feubia Jarvis-Monfort, Candidate for Constituency Number 13 – East and West Ruimveldt/Laing Avenue.Dr. Stewart holds a doctorate in Environmental Science and teaches at the University of Guyana (UG). She served as an Air Force Nurse in the United States Air Force, was employed as an Occupational and Safety Director, an Environmentalist, and has been a member of various Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) both locally and abroad. She currently runs an NGO, Monique’s Helping Hands and is also a member of the Guyana Women Roundtable (GWR).Through the GWR, Dr. Stewart empowers women to become more involved in the political arena, and the LGEs she pointed out, present the perfect stepping stone for young women to familiarise themselves with the policies, legislation etc. so that they can gain promotion.In preparation for the elections, she stated that they have begun door-to-door canvassing; educating and informing the public about local governance and at the same time, rapping with residents and obtaining feedback on the issues and problems that need to be addressed.Indeed, Dr. Stewart noted that the majority of persons do not realise the importance of local governance, and primarily, a significant portion of their work involves voter education on the systems,Cheap NFL Jerseys, policies and impact of local governance. The majority of the problems, she revealed,Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys, related to safety, education and health concerns within the constituency.She continued that her team has also embarked on a project to sensitize the public about better health practices which are instrumental in maintaining at the familial level to ensuring healthy persons. This then translates to a healthy and productive environment and constituency.It is her opinion that measures should also be implemented to ensure that the sick, differently-able, the old and the needy,China NFL Jerseys, have access to get modern conveniences.Dr. Stewart also emphasised the importance of having facilities to deal with issues affecting youths including, suicide a

ALBANY — A teenager who once claimed Jermayne Timmons fired a gunshot the night of 10-year-old Kathina Thomas’ death recanted his story Wednesday, telling jurors, “My father told me to say that.”The about-face from the 15-year-old marked the second time in as many days a key prosecution witness admitted fabricating facts in the second-degree murder case against the 16-year-old Timmons.And it comes nearly seven months after the teenage witness, whose name is being withheld, gave statements to police and testified before a grand jury that Timmons “shot up First Street” last May 29.That night, the Guyana-born Kathina Thomas was fatally struck by a stray .45-caliber bullet outside her home on First Street near North Lake Avenue in West Hill.The teenage witness testified Wednesday that he, Timmons and 21-year-old Elijah Coleman were riding bikes around First and Judson streets that night. He now contends that while he heard a gunshot and ran down First Street, he is not sure who fired the gun. He also was hazy about his past words.“I really don’t remember. It was a really long time ago,” he testified. “I don’t even remember saying all of those things. I remember going down there.”Assistant District Attorney David Rossi showed the witness a typed statement, asking,NFL Jerseys Outlet, “Does it refresh your memory as to who fired the shot?”“I don’t see that,Cheap NFL Jerseys,” the witness responded.Rossi asked him to read the statement again, asking, “Does that refresh your memory?”“My father told me to say that,Cheap Jerseys China,” the witness said,Nike NFL Jerseys China, “everything in that paper.”As he testified,Wholesale NFL Jerseys China, at times fidgeting, the teen witness also did not acknowledge an earlier statement he allegedly made that he, Coleman and Timmons, known as “Mayne,” met up that night after the shooting. Prosecutors have said the three went to West Hill that night to avenge the shooting of the future teen witness by rivals. It was later revealed that he apparently shot himself in the foot.When Timmons’ lawyer broached the subject during cross-examination, the witness initially denied shooting himself and then admitted he had done it. Deputy Public Defender Peter Lynch asked, “Do you know what caused that scar? You got shot by your own hand, didn’t you?”“Yeah,” said the witness, fidgeting on the stand.“That wasn’t hard,Cheap China Jerseys, was it?” Lynch mused.The witness’s admitted contradictions prompted Lynch to ask about his mental state.He asked the teen, “Have you consumed any drugs or medication today?”“No. Why are you asking me that?” the witness replied.“Do you smoke a lot of pot?” Lynch asked. “No, I don’t do drugs,” he answered back.The trial began Monday. Coleman, while testifying Tuesday, said Timmons fired a shot on May 29, but also admitted he lied twice on the witness stand.Timmons faces up to 15 years to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder.Veteran Albany Police Detective Thomas Kubisch testified Wednesday that Timmons confessed to firing a gun and wrote an apology note to Kathina Thomas’ mother.The defense does not deny Timmons fired a weapon, but contends it was a .32-caliber. The bullet that killed the girl was from a .45-caliber gun.Lynch questioned Kubisch about his techniques while interviewing Timmons. He noted the detective can characterize the June 10 interview, conducted in a special area for juveniles, any way he chooses because it was not videotaped. He asked about use of the term “magazine,” a reference to the .45. Kubisch said that he believed that Timmons understood it was a gun with a magazine and not a “cowboy gun” revolver.The trial, held before Judge Stephen Herrick, is set to begin again on Monday.