By Joseph G SinghMajor General (retd)On Sunday, March 24, 2013 an event will be held on the Lawns of Castellani Pool to celebrate 100 years of Aviation in Guyana. As a frequent flyer in the hinterland for 47 years, I wish to offer this message of appreciation to the men and women who served in the local aviation sector over the past 100 years. They demonstrated? true pioneering spirit, aJoe Singhcommendable sense of professionalism, patriotism and humanity, in ensuring that the aviation services, facilities and standards evolved, as far as was humanly possible, in consonance with the development and security imperatives of Guyana and the expectations of our people. While acknowledging the establishment and role and functions of the international aviation services offered during periods of our history, I shall confine my contribution to the domestic aviation arena.My own familiarity with the aviation sector commenced during the days of Lieutenant Colonel (USA Reservist) Art Williams and Harry Wendt, who operated out of then Bookers’ Ogle Airstrip. I was then a youngster of 7 or 8 years in the early 1950s and lived in an estate Range near to the pasture on the eastern perimeter of the small Ogle aerodrome. My friends and I would sit by the pasture and watch in amazement as the fragile looking aircraft landed and took off.Later, in the late 1950s, while travelling from the West Bank Demerara to College on weekdays on the steamer the SS Queriman, then plying the Demerara River between the ferry stellings at Vreed-en-Hoop and Stabroek,Cheap China Jerseys, Georgetown, I became familiar with the flights of the British Guiana Airways ‘Grumman Goose’ amphibious aircraft, operating out of the ramp at Ruimveldt, East Bank Demerara.The Grumman Goose would move off from the Ruimveldt Hangar down the wooden ramp into the Demerara River, taxi out to midstream, turn into the wind, the twin engines would be revved up to full power, and the ‘Goose’ would then surge forwards with the bow waves spreading outwards in its wake, on the port and starboard sides, as it gained speed and took to the air.In those days there were very few landing strips in the hinterland, and stretches of the rivers, which were free from obstructions, would be marked as Landing Pools such as at Garraway Stream and Kaieteur Top in the Potaro River. The Grumman aircraft provided the link for mail, medical supplies, fuel and rations for government administrative offices and trade stores in the hinterland, and delivered equipment and supplies in the mining districts.It was during my military service from 1966 that the importance of the air links to and from the coast really struck home. Where national defence and security imperatives in the hinterland would have entailed use of tortuous logistic supply lines by river and trail, the aircraft became an indispensable asset. Troop deployments depended on the Grumman aircraft in areas where there were no landing strips and, where these were available, the DC3, the Twin Otter, the Caribou and the military’s six-seater Helio -Courier (nicknamed Rudolph because of the red painted propeller cone), were the lifeline of military operations. It was during such deployments and operations that the professional and personal relationships among operational troop commanders and command pilots and co-pilots, were cemented and evolved into friendships for life.Whether you nodded off on a long flight or remained anxiously peering through the aircraft windows at the terrain below, forward and aft, looking for familiar features in the landscape, would have been a rule of thumb reflection of the degree of confidence you vested in the aptitude of the command pilot and co-pilot. Those pilots, who bravely flew through adverse weather, with darkness closing-in, in challenging terrain and without use of modern navigational aids, to make that one final resupply trip or to do a casualty evacuation from a remote airstrip at night in poor conditions, became legends in their time.More so, the bravery of pilots, aircrews and ground staff,China NBA Jerseys, during actual operations in defence of Guyana’s territory, has been deservedly acknowledged and exemplified by the award of the Cacique Crown of Valour to Captain Roland DaSilva, the Golden Arrow of Courage to Lieutenant Colonel Michael (Taffy) Chan A Sue (deceased) and Captain Philip Jardim, and the President’s Commendation for Brave Conduct to Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Anthony (Tony) Mekdeci.? These men and their colleagues, such as Malcolm Chan A Sue, Guy Spence and Derek Murphy, were cast in the mould of the legendary Art Williams,Jerseys NFL China, whose pioneering flights in support of the Boundary Survey team in the south east of British Guiana during the period 1936 to 1938 and his daring exploits in ‘

Single mothers who depend on every dime to provide their children with fulfilling Christmases say that this year will be more difficult,Cheap Jerseys From China Online, since collecting child support payments from the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court has become an unbearable hassle.They describe the process of collecting their children’s entitlement and an additional source of income for making their holidays great, as an intolerable two, sometimes three-day worry.A small group of the women during their wait in the compound of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court Thursday.One woman said that “single mothers got to take one whole day off from work just so that we can stand in the line at the court to sign for we cheques. Then after waiting there for hours, we does have to go back the next day to collect the cheques.“Most of the time, by the time we get it, the bank does be closed and we does have to take time off? from work again, to go to the Bank of Guyana and cash the cheques”.Several of the women who came from various parts of the country to collect the monies from the Magistrates’ Court at Middle Street on Tuesday, last, complained about the inconvenience.Kaieteur News understands that the “two days of running” started after another fraud pertaining to the child support funds was unearthed last September.The women are pleading with those in authority to change the uncomfortable procedure, since only hardworking single mothers are suffering.“We are poor women struggling to do everything we can to make our children happy, and if doing what we doing now ain’t hard enough, we getting more and more worries,” one mother said.She noted that she was already warned last month about taking two consecutive days off from work every month. “If I get fired what will happen then? Will them extremely slow workers here at the court be blamed for that?” the woman queried.The women argued that the situation is such because the staffers who are handling the child support monies are “incapable, and slow”.“Is not like is anything hard. All we does got to get is signatures. And that does take them a whole day. This thing could be made easy on we if only these people had feelings and if they de doing what the people money paying them to do. We does be so stressed out worrying about we two days pay that we losing out and these people in here don’t care. Anybody could even go in and see when the girl signing the cheque how long she does take. Like is a masterpiece work of art,Cheap NFL Jerseys,” one of the women said.Another lamented that she was not even aware of the new two-day procedure and had gone to the court with just a one- way transportation fare. She explained that she was then forced to beg the other women there for the return fare.“Them other women didn’t have much, but them pool li’l bit, li’l bit and I got to go home. I drink water to sleep that night. I had to buy textbooks for my child the day before, and I didn’t get paid yet,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, so I didn’t have any money. I was waiting for my child’s father to send money. I had to send my daughter for dinner at my mother’s house,” the woman complained.“This is Christmas time. We got children looking to us for something nice. My daughter almost finish High School and she never went to a school party before. I was hoping to make everything perfect for she last one,China Jerseys NFL, but if this continues I gon can’t do that.“Imagine if I tek another day off to come here and then I get send home from work,Cheap NFL Jerseys 2017, what gon happen then?” another woman asked.Another woman claimed that she had been waiting at the court for many hours with her less-than-a-month-old baby. She noted that she was still experiencing post partum pains, but since she had no money at home and other children to take care of, she had to “struggle” and take the baby with her.The woman told this newspaper that she had been waiting for many hours just to give her signature so that she can go back the following day (yesterday) to uplift her cheque.“They told me that I got to come back tomorrow. Now if I don’t come back my children will have to starve, and if I do, they gon got to stay home from school. And now is test time. The least that these people could’ve done was inform people of this ridiculous new process,” the lady said.Single mothers who depend on their ‘child support’, are now calling on the relevant authorities to look into the situation.“If this continues our children won’t have the Christmas that we want them to have. So all of we here begging those on the throne to help us. We fighting every day to provide food for our children,Jers

Three students from the Waramadong Secondary School perished in a fire which engulfed their dormitory on Sunday evening, leaving the entire community in shock and grief.Those dead are Seleza Sam, 11, Stephanie David, 13, and Shandeleza George, 14.According to reports, the fire started at about 22:40 hrs in the female dormitory of the institution at Waramadong, Upper Mazaruni River.Reports stated that the students had reportedly lit a candle and had apparently fallen asleep, leaving it unattended.The three dead girls are all from Quebanang Village, Upper Mazaruni, which is some five hours away from their school. The girls had travelled with their fathers to the school last Sunday.Kaieteur News was told that Sam’s older sister jumped from the upper floor of the building, breaking her foot in the process.Sam, on the other hand, returned for her book bag, and perished.As news of the incident spread, Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh, and Minister of Local Government, Kellawan Lall,Wholesale Jerseys China, immediately flew into the community.Speaking to the media late yesterday afternoon at the Ogle Airport, Minister Baksh said that the school accommodates over 450 students, with about 300 living in the dormitories.“Luckily, the dorm that was burnt only had 15 students at the time, because many of the children had not returned as yet for classes.”Twelve of the 15 students who were in the dormitory at the time managed to escape with the help of villagers,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, the minister said. One of the area’s residents, Leyland William, in particular, was said to have played a major role in saving the lives of those who escaped the inferno.?The aircraft which brought the children’s remains to Georgetown“There was a church meeting not too far away, and the people ran over to help the students…they managed to save the adjacent building also…one of the survivors jumped from the top floor and broke her leg…she tried to save her sister, but she ran back for her bag and was burnt…the other students were still asleep,” the Education Minister added.Baksh indicated that a meeting was held in the community and the teachers were asked to console and counsel the students.“It is a really sad day,Cheap NFL Jerseys,” the minister said, shaking his head in dismay.Meanwhile, Minister Kellawan Lall told the media that the police will assist in identifying the students with the help of DNA testing.“We are trying to get the police to expedite that matter…so that the parents can go back with the remains. We have made arrangements for the students that are still there to be housed in a new dormitory,Wholesale NFL Jerseys,” the minister said.He pointed out that the dormitory in which the incident occurred was recently renovated.By Monday,China Jerseys For Sale, he said, arrangements will be put in place to accommodate the full complement of students at the school.In the meantime, classes have been suspended for the rest of the week in the area.The bodies of the students were flown to the city yesterday.Crying as he spoke with the media, Albert Sam said that it was his 11-year-old daughter’s first day at secondary school.“I carry my two children dem for school and register the small one because this is the first time she going to secondary school. I can’t believe this happen to her,” the grieving father said.The fathers of the two other victims, Willis Charles and Chrispin David, were too grief stricken to speak.Minister within the Ministry of Education, Dr. Desrey Fox, who was also at the Ogle Airport to receive the parents, said that the incident has dampened the spirit of celebration for Amerindian Heritage Month.The three dead students are all of Amerindian descent.Dr. Fox will be accommodating the parents in the city until they can return to their homes.A team of investigators have since been dispatched to the area. (Tusika Martin)

In a few weeks the Allied Health Professional Bills would come into force and over the next few months the issue of the Food and Drug Act of Guyana would be made more explicit and will be made more easily enforceable,NFL Jerseys Wholesale, according to the Minister of Health,NFL Jerseys Cheap, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy.Food and other products intended for used by people must meet all of the minimum standards and through partnership with organisations and Ministry of Health maximum standards would be pursued in addition persons and organisations would be held accountable for minimum standards.The Minister stated that herbal medicines,Wholesale NFL Jerseys Online, and products must be subjected to the safety measures and standards. Anything sold commercially as medication is subjected to the Food and Drug Agency,CHeap NFL Jerseys China, while anything bottled or packaged for sale comes under the purview of the FDA and conditions must be taken.“Anything that makes a claim that it is beneficial to the health of the people must meet some requirements,Cheap MLB Jerseys China,” the Health Minister said.

During the presentation of this year’s $230B Budget two weeks ago, Government announced plans to ban the importation of used tyres. It also announced a tax reduction on new ones.Ron PersaudThis revelation has seemly brought dismay amongst importers of used tyres, vulcanizing establishments and some vehicle owners.The parliamentary opposition has also aired concerns on the issue,China Soccer Jerseys, contending that the move by the newly elected government will put pressure on the low and middle income earners since new tyres are more expensive than used tyres.Several environmentalists and businessmen, however,Cheap Jerseys Supply, have given thumbs up to the government’s initiative which is to create a green economy.While agreeing that the new tyres will cost more, those in support of the ban are calling on consumers to take a step back and look at the bigger picture, that is,Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic, the safety and the environmental threats that used tyres are contributing.According to one tyre importer, Ron Persaud, owner of one of the leading tyre services in Guyana – Action Tyre, new tyres will not put a dent on the consumers’ pockets as being peddled in various sections of media..Persaud has dedicated almost 40 years to his business and is considered one of the leading tyre specialists in Guyana.During an interview on Monday,Cheap Jerseys China, Persaud explained that the reduction of the duty on new tyres will pave the way for importers to increase the number of tyres being imported. It will make importers eligible for “quantity discount” meaning,Authentic Jerseys Cheap, the more you buy the less you pay.Persaud continued that this will allow importers to sell at a “lower” price and with the competition expected to take place in the local market, the prices of new tyres will to go lower.Currently, the price the most sought after tyre – that makes up 40 percent of the market – is $17,500 per unit. With the duty reduction and taking the quantity purchase into consideration, the price is expected to plummet to between $12,000 and $15,000 per tyre,NFL Jerseys Cheap, Persaud said.Disadvantages of used tyresThe major issue with used tyres being imported into Guyana, Persaud pointed out, is the lack of quality control.He stated that given that the shelf life of a “properly stored” tyre is five years, the used tyres being imported are sometimes over five years old; some are 10, 15 and even 20 years old.While admitting that used tyres “will always be around”, Persaud said that with only new tyres coming to Guyana – which will be required to be changed every five to seven years – Guyanese who cannot afford to buy a new tyre, can buy a used one from the local market because they will be know the life of the tyre as opposed to the unknown life of the imported used ones.“Overseas, after these tyres are punctured, the steel inside (the tyre) becomes exposed (to moisture) and begins to rust; compromising the tyre itself.Now after or before it is imported, it is repaired but the steel inside has already begun to rust…It is like steel (rod) in a post, after it is compromised, the post cracks. It is the same with the used tyre,” Persaud stated.“When you have proper tyres, it also saves on the wear and tear of the car’s suspension, steering and bearings…New tyres have less rolling resistance; it improves on gas mileage.“Why would you buy used tyres two, three (and) four times a year when you can buy brand new tyres and at the same time eliminate the health and safety concerns?”As a provider of various services, Persaud related that the operatives of public transportation usually go after the used tyres. These operators, he stated, are not conscious of the tyres their buying.He made reference to some minibuses that have four different types of tyres; which have different traction effect, weight and size.This, he said, is very dangerous to the lives of people who rely on these services as a mode of transportation.“Used tyres are a time bomb; an accident waiting to happen”Persaud also aired his concern about the potential threats posed by the used tyres.“(Used tyres) increase our solid waste and health concerns. A new tyre importer brings in one container of assorted tyres a month while a used tyre importer brings in two to four a month.“Old tyres that are discarded are brought here for us to use.”