“At a very early age, I had to forage for myself. The challenges were many, and there was nobody to spoon-feed me, so I went out and learned very quickly. I always believe that a child who struggles to get what he or she wants in life is a better child in the long run.”By Leon SuseranLike many other persons we have featured in this column, Levi Lawrence Nedd had it rough growing up. He lived with foster parents and had little or no knowledge of his biological mother or father, Levi Nedd and Vilma Andrews. As a result,Nike Air Max 97 Silver Bullet, he had to fend for himself and learn a lot of tasks that children should not really have to learn. He cooked, washed and sold on the streets, just to get by.At the tender age of nine, Nedd planted rice and fetched firewood for baking in the home. He also walked the streets selling bread, cakes and provisions as well as planting cassava, plantains, bananas and legumes on the familyLevi Neddfarm.Young Levi was also very active in the Lutheran Church at D’Edward Village and also became a Sunday School teacher. It was in church where he sang his first song at age nine—‘Our Father’ and since then he developed a passion for singing. He received requests for three encore performances.Not surprisingly, Nedd came from a family that sang. He recalled his uncle John Braithwaite more popularly known as ‘Johnny Braff’ and one of his brothers in the United States, as part of a large band. As he looks back at those days, he saw the purpose of it all. He now sees the bigger picture and appreciates the lessons life has taught him. Those struggles have shaped him into who he is today.This week’s ‘Special Person’ can be described as one-of-a-kind. Levi Nedd has a wealth of talent and has been sharing it all over for many years. He has nurtured his love for sports—volleyball to be precise—over the years and has won dozens—yes—dozens of trophies performing at various athletic events, nationally and internationally.He is the national volleyball head coach and is one of the few-afro-Guyanese whose love and passion for chutney music is as great as it comes. Yes, he writes and sings his own chutney songs!And Levi Nedd has spent the past ten years nurturing and training the future of the sugar industry. He is the person in charge at the hostel of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Training Centre at Port Mourant (GTC/PM) on the Corentyne, where he is the ‘Sir’ and ‘Father figure’ to over 115 young apprentices.Young Levi moved with his foster parents from Stanleytown in New Amsterdam to D’ Edward on the West Bank of Berbice where he attended the Rosignol Primary School and due to poverty, could not have attended the school at which he gained a place, the New Amsterdam Multilateral School – so he attended one much closer to home,Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping, Rosignol Secondary.After high school and the exams, Nedd, being sponsored by Blairmont Estate, entered for training at the GuySuCo Training School as a Fitter Machinist in 1979 and graduated in 1983, after which he worked at theGoalkeeper Nedd (2nd from right, back row) with the GuySuCo Berbice football team in 1980Estate. He also talked briefly about his “return” to Islam in 1981,NFL Jerseys China, a religion he has become fascinated with over the years, since he stated it was the religion of his ancestry (his father practiced it at a young age and converted to Christianity).In 1990, he moved completely from working at the factory to being assigned as Industrial Welfare Officer, and dealt with workers’ issues and problems.During this time and also way before, Nedd was quite a sportsman. He won several titles, including Champion Athlete for the GuySuCo sports countrywide. He was also a national athlete. He threw the javelin and mastered high jumps at the Schools’ Nationals Championships in Georgetown. However, due to poverty, Nedd could not pursue his dream of becoming a “real sportsman”.Sports suddenly became something he played only for pleasure. He played First Division Cricket while in school.Nedd, who speaks fluent French, spent a long time in the French island of Martinique playing professional football and made the national volleyball team in July 1984 – playing against countries such as Barbados, Russia, St. Lucia and Suriname – and was adjudged Best Player several times in a row. His excellent sports skills earned him world travels to over 28 countries, playing volleyball especially. He captained the National Volleyball Team on several occasions, too.In 1990, he attended Coaching Sessions and this eventually resulted in him becoming the National Coach of the Guyana Volleyball Association (GVA). He also has Coaching Certificates in Football and Table Tennis. Nedd did not neglect his academic studies. He was the Best Graduating Social Work student

President of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU), Komal Chand, has charged union members to help rebuild the ailing sugar industry so that they can resist any acts to privatize it.Komal Chand, GAWU’s PresidentChand delivered the charge at last Tuesday’s conclusion of GAWU’s 20th Delegates’ Congress,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, which was held over three days at the Bath Primary School, West Coast Berbice, under the theme “Promoting Workers Interests to Advance Economic and Social Development”.Almost 500 delegates and observers of the Union’s membership from its 14 bargaining units attended the congress which was deemed extremely successful.Chand, in his charge to the delegates, took cognizance of the massive resistance and fight back taking place in many countries against the capitalist system.He spoke to the need for support and co-operation to rebuild the important sugar industry and in so doing it would be possible to resist strongly any act to privatize it.He called for workers to continue to defend their gains and stressed the importance of their unity in these times.He also stressed the need for union members to make full use of the union’s educational programme and for them to be more committed to the union as it pursues and grapples with the various challenges.The Congress was officially opened last Saturday at the Guyana International Conference Centre while the Business Session was convened at the Bath Primary School.President Donald Ramotar, who delivered the feature address,Cheap Jerseys From China, spoke to the tangible support his Government has been providing to the sugar industry at this critical period.He reminded the union members of the importance of the industry and its huge contribution to the economy. He spoke to the efforts of the Government to retain the industry as state-owned. He also referred to those sugar industries in the Caribbean which chose the path of closure less than five years ago when the European Union (EU) reduced the price it was paying ACP sugar-producing countries for sugar.Chand in his address at the opening ceremony, noted that in the last three years leading up to the Union’s 20th Congress,Cheap Jerseys From China Outlet, GAWU was confronted with a fair share of challenges but was able to adequately and appropriately defend its membership and was able to score many victories and achievements.He advised union members to remain united behind the Union noting that there are elements seeking to undermine their unity.On the sugar industry, the union official,Cheap Jerseys Wholesale, also reminded delegates, observers and special invitees of the industry’s importance to the nation.A section of the large gathering of delegates at the recently held GAWU conference.He lamented the industry’s poor sugar production performance over the last few years and the financial predicament which GuySuCo now finds itself in.The cooperative effort of all, he insisted, could contribute to the industry’s return to sustainability in light of the favourable world sugar price.The Union’s President reiterated the view that with sugar production reaching a level of 300,000 tonnes and then continuing to climb, the industry can once again become sustainable.Congress also unanimously approved nine resolutions on Tax Reform, Local Government Elections, EU Accompanying Measures, Annual Production Incentive (API) and Weekly Production Incentive (WPI), the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), Education and Training, the Sugar Industry,Authentic Jerseys Cheap, Ex-Gratia Pension and Unity of the Working Class. The resolutions will now be sent to different agencies and bodies for their attention.Delegates also elected a 53-member General Council, which is charged with managing the affairs of the Union until its next Congress.Members of the General Council at their first meeting of the Council will elect the officials of the Union in keeping with the Union’s Constitution.

Police resorted to the use of force,Authentic Jerseys From China, yesterday, to clear a trail leading to the Marudi mining district in Region Nine as local miners continued to defy orders to vacate a mining area.Using whips and sticks,Wholesale NFL Jerseys China, police ranks inflicted blows on a woman and her sons who lay in the middle of the trail in protest, blocking a team of armed police ranks and officials from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission from accessing the main mining area.The woman is part of a group of miners who are protesting what they are calling their unlawful removal from a mining claim that is registered to a Canadian mining concern, Romanex Guyana Explorations Limited.About 300 local miners have been operating about 22 dredges in the area for the past 10 years when the Canadian firm appeared to have neglected it.Reports out of the area stated that a police unit arrived at Lethem from the city last Thursday to accompany a local representative of the Canadian company along with GGMC officials to enforce the removal of the local miners.Word of their arrival reached the ears of the miners at Marudi and they braced themselves to resist any attempt to remove them.Yesterday when the police along with the officials were traveling to the main mining district, they were met by protestors who stood their ground preventing them from proceeding.Verona Prince, whose husband is one of the miners, then sat in the trail along with her 11-year old son in protest to the intended actions of the police and other mining officials.A police rank who appeared to be the team leader then proceeded to beat them with a piece of wood to get them to remove,Wholesale China Jerseys, although the woman explained that she was being a peaceful protestor.When the policeman continued his beating, the woman’s 22-year old son jumped in to protect his mother and he too was greeted with some blows that included several cuffs and kicks.The beating was so severe that the woman and her two sons had to be treated at the Aishalton Hospital for injuries.The police eventually escorted the team to the mining district where they warned miners to pack up and leave.However, the miners remain adamant that they are awaiting word from President Donald Ramotar who had met with them on February 9 last and had promised to look into the matter with a view to settling it amicably.Miners of that Region Nine area have been locked in a battle with Romanex for a number of years now,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, with the matter even engaging the attention of the court.However, most of the miners have admitted that they have been operating illegally on some of the lands under the Romanex licence.According to one spokesman for operators in the area, Sugreem Singh, of the Rupununi Miners’ Association, President Donald Ramotar met with miners about two weeks ago to discuss the Marudi Mountain issue.“Yes,Cheap Jerseys Supply, the persons are raiding. Some of them have been living in Marudi for 20 to 30 years. We have been asking for land. Romanex has lands and since the ‘90s has been doing nothing with them. We are asking for lands and help. There were supposed to, under the exploration licence, give up sections of the land back to the state regularly. This has not been done.”Already, a petition with more than 200 names affixed has been sent to the government over the Romanex situation.Both the local representative of Romanex and the senior GGMC official who were in the area yesterday declined to speak to a correspondent from this newspaper who had traveled to the contentious district to observe what was taking place.Only last week the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment issued a statement indicating that it was reviewing the licence of Romanex Guyana Explorations Limited, after investigations revealed that the company failed to carry out exploratory works in keeping with its requirements.According to a release from the Ministry, Romanex was granted a licence to mine at Marudi Mountains, Region Nine, since April 17, 2009.A site visit by officials of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), an arm of the Ministry, found no activity.“A site visit revealed no mining or exploration on behalf of the company was ongoing, while the company had earlier committed to carrying out exploration activities within the early part of 2013. However, it is evident that no work is expected to commence on the property in the near future as no mining plan has been submitted.”GGMC said that an investigation of illegal mining in the Marudi area was as a result of the recent Operation El Dorado.The Marudi Mountain Mining Licence was granted to Romanex Guyana Exploration Ltd. on April 17, 2

Unknown persons, sometime over the weekend,Wholesale China Jerseys, broke into the Digicel’s America Street Branch and made off with a quantity of high end cellular phones and computers.The discovery was made early yesterday morning at around 7:30 hours when workers turned up at the location for work.The Manger of the store,NFL Jerseys Outlet, Michael Haywood,Wholesale Jerseys, said the persons unknown entered the store from a side entrance after breaking an outer door. Once in the building the burglars used a door separating the lunch room from the office to get the valuables which included several high end cellular phones and computers.According to Haywood, all of the cellular phones which they had in stock were stolen,Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic, including the main body of the component of the company’s security cameras.“This looks like somebody who knows about our operations only the phones in stock were removed,Wholesale Jerseys, all the phones in the showcases were left because they are dummies,” Haywood pointed out.He added that security cameras were in place but the component that stores all the recorded information was completely removed. The Store Manager further related that there was no security guard on duty because the company was convinced that the property was properly secured.This publication was told that the store was intact up to late Saturday evening when personnel visited the location.Up to press time yesterday there was no arrest as the matter was reported to the police. Investigations are ongoing.

A former police constable was yesterday jailed for six months after he assaulted and damaged the property of another officer.The accused,Cheap Jerseys China, Kurt Anton, 38 of 238 One Mile, Wismar, Linden was also ordered to pay a $50,Wholesale NFL Jerseys,000 compensation to Police Sergeant Cheryl Layne.On July 23, 2009 the defendant went to the Brickdam Police Station to inquire about a minibus pass. There he was told of the procedure to acquire the document. He became enraged.According to the Prosecutor,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, Inspector Neville Jeffers,Cheap NFL Jerseys, the man who was indicted prior to the assault on a charge of manslaughter began to behave rowdy and was asked by the victim to conduct himself in an orderly manner.The accused in his rage attacked Police Sergeant Layne dragging her down the stairway of the Brickdam Police Station causing Layne to facture her arm and damage her spectacles.The wounded officer was picked up by her colleagues and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she was given a medical examination.Anton was subsequently charged and taken to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on July 27,Cheap Jerseys From China Online, 2009. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. Several witnesses later testified.Yesterday the accused, Anton was jailed and ordered to pay the compensation. Failing to do so would extend the man’s sentence by one more month.