Christopher Taylor delights with record run on Champs day one
Calabar High School’s Christopher Taylor delighted with a record run on the opening day of the 106th staging of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletic Championships inside the National Stadium.With six finals on the card, Jamaica College (JC), though, are expected to lead at the end of today, with yesterday’s curtain-raiser giving little indication of the fierce race to the titles that await.Still, yesterday was not without its fair share of ‘oohs’ and aahs’, and the main reason: Taylor.It says something that his run surprised nobody inside the National Stadium because of course, when your name is Christopher Taylor, you break records.The wiry Calabar standout missed the record mark at last year’s Champs, but wasted little time in erasing Devaughn Baker’s (JC) time of 46.64 set in 2013 with a smooth 46.33 in yesterday’s boys’ Class Two 400m heats.”Yes, I wanted to break the record today,” he confirmed afterwards. “That was my intention, and I am happy I was able to get it done.”Kingston College’s Akeem Bloomfield was also impressive, frighteningly, as he jogged the final 100m or so and stopped the clock at 48.36 to win his Class One boys’ 400m heat. Let’s not forget that he is responsible for that 44.93-run last year, and despite his injuries over the past 12 months, it is hard to see another winner in this event.St Elizabeth Technical High School’s (STETHS) Junelle Bromfield has certainly been a class act this season, and she was comfortable in qualifying from her Class One girls, 400m heat in 53.63 seconds.She is expected to do battle with Holmwood’s Ashley Williams, who clocked a solid 55.07 in winning her heat, with another medal favourite, Edwin Allen’s Shannon Kalawan, the fastest qualifier with a time of 54.37 ahead of Hydel High’s Taqece Duggan, 54.85.Jamaica College’s high-flyer, O’Brien Wasome, is comfortably through to today’s boys’ Class One final (5:50 p.m.), where he is expected to dominate and pick up some valuable points for the 2011 champions.Wasome produced his best jump this year, disturbing the sand at 7.74 metres, a clear demonstration that he not only intends to defend the title he won last year as part of a JC horizontal jumps sweep, but also to break Leon Gordon’s 28-year-old record of 7.87m.He is followed into the final by Calabar’s Leroy Paige, 7.17m; Tasrico Bell (Vere Technical) 7.14m; KC’s Dameon Creary, 7.11m; Campion College’s Lorne Barrett, 7.10m and Paketo Dudley (JC), 7.10m, among the top qualifiers.Earlier, Vere Technical’s Avery Pryce a bronze medal winner at Central Champs was most impressive in qualifying to today’s Class Two girls shot put final (5:30 p.m.), after registering a 13.90m mark in yesterday’s preliminary round.Next best was Buff Bay High’s Ashtina Dobson, 13.08m, with St Jago’s Shania Scott also booking her spot with a 12.13m effort.Delarno Beckford (Happy Grove) was the best qualifier to the boys’ javelin Open event with a mark of 56.94m, with Petersfield High’s Kevin Nedrick, 53.68 and Morant Bay’s Tyrik Sewell, 53.09m, showing themselves to be a cut above the rest of the field in yesterday’s qualifying.Gold medal favourite Brittany Anderson (Vere) is the fastest qualifier to the next round in the girls Class Three 80m hurdles, winning her heat in 11.43. Winsome Harris (STETHS), 11.48, Codesha Lewis (Vere), 11.51, Ackera Nugent (Excelsior), 11.61 and Kimeone McLeod (St Jago), 11.69, are the top qualifiersLast year’s Class Three champion, Shanette Allison (Holmwood), looks ready to take her shot after graduating to Class Two, after topping all qualifiers in the 100m hurdles in 13.59. The Manchester High pair of Sidney Marshall (13.86) and Daszay Freeman (13.92) are also through to the next round, as are Casheena Chen (Wolmer’s), 13.94 and Edwin Allen’s Khamoy Farquharson, 13.97.After dominating Class Three for the last two seasons, Edwin Allen’s Annia Ashley, 5.68m, was impressive in booking her spot in the Class Two girls long jump, with Monief Heslop (Camperdown), 5.54m, Shiann Salmon (Hydel), 5.50m and Rhian Chong (Alpha), 5.44m, also showing good form.In the Class I girl’s high jump preliminaries, Hydel’s Britny Kerr (1.60m) is safely through to the final where she will face St Jago’s Athaliah Boyd and Tissanna Hickling; as well as Hydel’s Samara Spencer, Alpha’s Gabriel Foster and Petersfield’s Colistia Baker, who also cleared 1.60m in qualifying.Competition is set to start at 8:30 a.m. today with the preliminary round of the Class Four girls long jump.
– as part of RDC’s 2018 infrastructural projectsThe Regional Democratic Council of Region One (Barima-Waini) has budgeted for several infrastructural projects that will get underway this year. Among them is the construction of a new nursery school to be built at a cost of $10.3 million at Kamwatta, Moruca.Vice Chairperson of Region One RDC, Sarah Brown, has said the new school will cater for 42 nursery students. According to her, extensions will also be done to the Santa Rosa Nursery School at a cost of $13.3million. The school has an enrollment of 142 pupils, but was built with the capacity to accommodate 100Region One Vice Chairperson, Sarah Brownestudents.Additionally, the Sacred Heart Primary School in the Aruka River will also be extended in 2018. The school was built to accommodate 60 pupils but is currently accommodating 118 pupils.Brown has said these extensions are necessary, as the RDC recognised that the school population has been increasing gradually.Brown, who as chair of the RDC Public Infrastructure Standing Committee also holds oversight for new infrastructural projects and upgrades, told Guyana Times that a decision was taken to ensure that audit queries are reduced, especially when it comes to the execution of the capital projects.She said that as the person responsible for signing off the final payments and for verification, she has made it her duty to work with the RDC team to push for the completion of most capital projects in 2017, which was a success.Shifting her attention back to the infrastructural projects, the RDC Vice- Chair noted that $18 million have also been set aside for extension to be undertaken to the Warapuka Primary School. While the school was built to accommodate 90 pupils, it now has 149 students. Asakasa and Port Kaituma Primary schools will also be extended.While a large sum has been allocated for the RDC’s projects for 2018 in the education sector, Brown noted that the largest capital programmes are in the health sector. As such, an X-ray room and laboratory is set to be constructed at the Pakaira District Hospital at Matthew’s Ridge.This will cater for medical services, especially in cases of trauma. It will facilitate patients in nearby villages also, such as Baramita and other areas. “That would reduce the patient transfer for simple X-ray and lab services, and that project would cater for over 1,500 residents in the Matarkai sub-region,” she said.Upgrade to the staff quarters at Mabaruma Hospital is also part of the RDC’s plan for 2018, while a doctor’s quarters is expected to be constructed at Waramuri, Moruca. “That is housing a resident doctor, and the hospital caters for additional satellite villages,” the RDC Vice-Chair added.Meanwhile, the RDC official told this newspaper that incinerators to the tune of $6M each will be built at Arakaka and Waramuri. “We will be installing an oxygen distribution network for Picari District Hospital. That would cater for asthmatic crisis, infant and maternal emergencies, etcetera.”At present, there is a 100 pound oxygen cylinder at the Hospital, and that has to be moved several times to different beds. Brown said, “When that (oxygen distribution network) is installed, that (moving of the cylinder) will be reduced.”A morgue will, in 2018, be constructed in Baramita to cater for the high murder and suicide rates.
US$15M line of credit… Minister says evaluators not required to probe consultants’ financialsA curious case has arisen on a public works contract which has the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) as the executing agency: the consultant who is expected to verify the quality of work done by the contractor has received a multi-million-dollar line of credit from that very contractor.According to documents seen by this publication, C.B and Associates Incorporated has shared a US$15 million line of credit with construction company Samaroo Investments as of January 25, 2017. This line of credit was purportedly “for the purpose of any project undertaking or business venture that the (consultant) company wishes to undertake.”Samaroo Investments would subsequently be awarded a $103 million contract for the procurement and installation of a drainage pump, and for work to be done on the Three Friends Pump Station located along the Essequibo Coast in Region Two.Contacted with the details, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder noted that there is no requirement for the evaluators to have a look at the financials of a contractor’s consultant. He likened the situation to someone seeking a loan, but then having their relative’s bank account probed.“For consulting purposes, there’s no reason why an evaluator should look into a consultant’s bank account situation,” the minister related to this publication.According to NDIA Chief Executive Officer Frederick Flatts in a statement, the contractor issued a line of credit to the consultant on January 25, 2017. He admitted that the evaluators who were supposed to oversee the award of the contract overlooked the financial link between the two companies.“Please note that our advertisement for both the consultancy service and the construction works was made on May 21, 2017, about four months later. The source of the line of credit issued to CB and Associates Inc. was completely missed by the evaluators,” he said.According to Flatts, however, “No financial information was requested or required of the consultants, and therefore was not a part of the evaluation criteria. The evaluators therefore did not evaluate the line of credit, or its source.”InvestigationIn a statement to the media, Opposition Member of Parliament Juan Edghill has called for the Public Procurement Commission and the Audit Office of Guyana to launch an investigation into the contract.Citing several individuals who made contact with him concerning alleged wrongdoings at the NDIA, Edghill has charged that all is not well at that entity. He also pointed out that senior NDIA officials were involved.“One such revelation has to do with the consultant and the contractor, allegedly for works being done at the rehabilitation of the Three Friends Pump Station in Essequibo. It has been brought to our attention that the consultancy firm C.B & Associates Inc., which shares a close relationship with the Deputy Director of NDIA, received a letter of credit of $15 million from Samaroo Investments, the contractor on this project, to secure his bid, and was subsequently awarded the consultancy services for this project,” Edghill related.“Therefore, a consultant is supervising a contractor on a project the financial security of which is dependent upon that contractor. All of this is known at NDIA, yet nothing has been done to bring an end to this incestuous relationship that exposes the state and taxpayers. This is real Misconduct in Public Office,” Edghill, a former Minister within the Finance Ministry, has declared.
UPDATE #3 – As of 11 p.m., there are now 300 customers in the Charlie Lake area that are without power. Power to those customers should be back on by 2 a.m. Saturday.- Advertisement -UPDATE #2 – As of 10:20 p.m., the power has been restored north of Fort St. John.UPDATE – B.C. Hydro now says the power won’t be back on until 12:00 am Saturday. For more updates, visit www.bchydro.com/outages Another power outage has just over 1400 customers left in the dark this evening.This time effecting customers north of Fort St John. The outage stretches north along the Alaska Highway as well as west on Highway 29.BC Hydro is reporting the power has been out since 7:56pm and is estimating it be restored by 10:00pmAdvertisement 
– Advertisement –
160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! EACH year during the month of February, Americans gather together to celebrate the significant contributions black people have made to this nation. We call it “Black History Month” or the now more politically correct: “National African-American History Month.” The idea is a noble one. For far too long, black contributions to our national culture were marginalized. The black presence in the American narrative was all but absent. As the great Flip Wilson observed: “Why should they invite us to the party when we’re doin’ all the cooking?” But if pushing black folk to the margins by ignoring our contributions made us second-class citizens in the past, keeping us on the margins as a way to celebrate our contributions is to continue to see black Americans as being “American” with an asterisk. One of the rationales for the creation of Black History Month was the correct observation that the continued presence of that asterisk separated black people from an American history and American cultural values that we had earned through sweat equity. Alas, that asterisk also opens the door to the influence of ideas and philosophies that are counterproductive to continued American success and black success in America. The civil-rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s was victorious because the demands of the movement were based on the theory of natural rights and the duty of government to defend those rights regardless of race. Following those victories, though, the movement was infected by Marxist thought, which moved from demanding the protection of equal rights for individuals to the extension of community rights; away from the celebration of individual initiative and character to the politics of group identity and the deconstruction of American institutions, which were to be replaced by the administrative state. Many of these theories were embraced because, well, simply put, there was no need to bleed for the preservation of those better ideals that were only ours as an afterthought. Black History Month continues to perpetuate the idea that somehow we (American blacks) weRe: “in it but not of it.” The opposite is actually true. One cannot discuss American liberty, equality and the natural rights of all men without discussing the history of black people in this country. It was the presence of Africans in America that forced America’s founding principles to become more than just lofty rhetoric. The concept of an inalienable right to life, liberty and private property was made tangible in the dark faces of 4 million African slaves. The ideal of one nation under God, as opposed to a loosely knit union of autonomous states, and the completion of the Constitution through the civil-rights amendments were realized following a war for liberation and equality. The laws that put teeth into constitutional guarantees followed images of black men and women whose struggle to make real the principles of the founding was greeted with attack dogs and fire hoses. The journey of this American republic cannot be separated from the journey of African peoples. The values of black America are akin to the values of this great land, and just as importantly, black success in America is inextricably tied to those same values – and not the snake oil sold by hucksters who sneak in through the open door of history-as-a-footnote. The spirit of Black History Month is spot-on in its insistence that the contributions of black Americans be recognized and celebrated, as indeed the contributions of all the disparate peoples who compose America should be. However, rather than adding black history as a postscript, the saga of America should be rewritten to include that history. Teaching black history as an addendum, as we do each February, is to distort our nation’s history, rob it of much of its richness and perpetuate the notion that being black in America is to be a hybrid American – present but not woven into the fabric. Joseph C. Phillips is the author of “He Talk Like a White Boy.” 
Here, AFP Sports looks at five things to watch for this weekend in La Liga:Barca’s big pre-Clasico chanceIf they dispose of Deportivo la Coruna at the Camp Nou on Sunday, Barca will take a commanding 11-point lead over Real.Next weekend, Barca travel to the Santiago Bernabeu as the Catalans and Real Madrid end their year with El Clasico.Even with a game in hand to come, Madrid have never overcome such a deficit to win the league and to remain in the title race would realistically need to inflict Barca’s first defeat since they last visited the Bernabeu back in August to win the Spanish Super Cup.Suarez back in businessFurther aiding Barca’s bid to regain the title is Luis Suarez’s return to form after a poor start to the season.Suarez struggled for both form and fitness after rushing back from a knee injury suffered as Barca fell to Madrid in the Super Cup.However, the Uruguayan has scored in his last two outings against Celta Vigo and Villarreal with the latter strike in particular displaying the touch and speed of movement of Suarez at his best.Deportivo also tend to bring the best out of the former Liverpool striker as he has netted six times in his last three meetings against the Galicians.Bleak times in the Basque countryAthletic and Sociedad are both in need of some festive cheer in the midst of hugely disappointing campaigns so far only propped up by progress to the last 32 of the Europa League.Both sides have just two league wins each since mid-September and were dumped out of the Copa del Rey by third tier opposition in Formentera and Lleida Esportiu.However, with just six points separating sixth from 17th in the table, European ambitions for next season are still a realistic goal for the Basque teams if squads boasting the talents of Spanish internationals Kepa Arrizabalaga, Inaki Williams, Aritz Aduriz, Asier Illarramendi and Alvaro Odriozola start playing to their potential.From second tier to top sixWith Girona hosting Getafe before Villarreal’s trip to Celta Vigo on Sunday, a win for either side will take them into the top six for a few hours at least despite having two of the five smallest budgets in the division.“Money isn’t everything, with humility Girona are competing very well,” said Girona boss Pablo Machin after Monday’s 1-0 win at Espanyol.In their first ever season in the top flight, Girona’s tiny budget on paper is aided by Manchester City’s part ownership of the Catalans with five players on loan from the Premier League leaders.After bouncing straight back after relegation, Getafe have learned from mistakes made during their 12-year stay in La Liga between 2004 and 2016 with crowds up at the Alfonso Perez Coliseum and Jose Bordalas building a side that caused even Barca and Madrid problems and inflicted Valencia’s only defeat of the season.Alaves threaten Atletico chargeEnd 2017 strongly and Atletico could be very much in the title race come the new year with nearly 100 million euros of talent in Diego Costa and Vitolo finally freed up to play from January.Victory over Alaves in their final home game of the year on Saturday will see Diego Simeone’s men sleep just three points off the top and open up a five-point lead over city rivals Real.However, despite still languishing in the relegation zone, Alaves pose a more potent threat with Abelardo Fernandez in charge, who has masterminded two wins from two since being named the Basques’ third coach of the season.Fixtures Friday (11pm)Sevilla v LevanteSaturdayAthletic Bilbao v Real Sociedad (8:15pm), Eibar v Valencia (8:30pm), Atletico Madrid v Alaves (10:45pm)SundayGirona v Getafe (2pm), Celta Vigo v Villarreal (6:15pm), Las Palmas v Espanyol (8:30pm), Barcelona v Deportivo la Coruna (10:45pm)MondayMalaga v Real Betis (11pm)0Shares0000(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today) 0Shares0000Barcelona’s Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring during their Spanish La Liga match against Villarreal, at La Ceramica stadium in Vila-real, on December 10, 2017 © AFP/File / JOSE JORDANMADRID, Spain, Dec 15 – Real Madrid’s Club World Cup commitments mean Barcelona, Valencia and Atletico Madrid have a huge chance to put even more distance between themselves and the European champions this weekend.Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad face off at San Mames, while newly promoted Girona and Getafe have the chance to move into the top six.
BURBANK – During the months that Robert Iger and Steve Jobs spent negotiating The Walt Disney Co.’s purchase of Pixar Animation Studios, the dollars and cents of the deal were just a part of it. Of utmost importance to Pixar founder Jobs was that the well-known creative culture of the Emeryville-based animation company – one of the most unique within the entertainment industry – be fiercely protected. “Most of the talks have been about preserving the Pixar culture,” Jobs said Tuesday during a conference call with analysts. “We all know that (the culture) is the thing that is going to determine the success in the long run. Time will tell.” Jobs said that during the talks, he came to like and trust Disney CEO Iger in contrast to the strained relationship he had with Iger’s predecessor, Michael D. Eisner, who had been blamed for a talent exodus from the Disney ranks during the second decade of his 20-year tenure. Among the high-profile departures under Eisner was that of Jeffrey Katzenberg, now head of DreamWorks Animation, which has become a force with such films as “Shrek,” “Shrek 2” and “Madagascar.” Iger said retaining Pixar’s culture and talent is “an incredibly important ingredient in making these movies. It’s a magnet to attracting talent.” “I’m very sensitive to what can happen when a company is bought,” Iger added. “I am deeply committed that Pixar is allowed to exist in the form that it has existed.” Mergers and acquisitions expert Fred Lipman, a partner in the law firm Blank Rome, said Tuesday that the merging of the two diverse business cultures is essential if Pixar, with fewer than 800 employees, is to continue to thrive under the massive Disney umbrella. “It sort of reminds me of AOL and Time Warner,” Lipman said. “The real problem in these kinds of situations where you have a traditional culture and a very open culture, it presents all sorts of serious problems. How long before Disney imposes its culture on them or changes the compensation system? The future of Pixar depends on keeping the top-notch employees so Disney doesn’t end up overpaying for Pixar.” Media analyst Dennis McAlpine of McAlpine and Associates agreed. “It can be a win-win if everything works the way it’s supposed to, but there are potential problems and land mines that can blow up if they do the wrong things relating to people,” he said. “How will Iger relate to Jobs and vice versa? How is John Lasseter reacting to being back at Disney? You have a lot of people at Pixar who have been at Disney. Do they want to go back and do the Disney animation people want to be back at Pixar?” Lasseter, who will be the division’s chief creative officer, released a statement Tuesday indicating that he is pleased to be back under the Disney fold. “For many of us at Pixar, it was the magic of Disney that influenced us to pursue our dreams of becoming animators, artists, storytellers and filmmakers,” Lasseter said. “For 20 years we have created our films in the manner inspired by Walt Disney and the great Disney animators – great stories and characters in an environment made richer by technical advances. It is exciting to continue in this tradition with Disney, the studio that started it all.” Greg Hernandez, (818) 713-3758 greg.hernandez@dailynews.com AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MORESanta Anita opens winter meet Saturday with loaded card160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MORESanta Anita opens winter meet Saturday with loaded card In the painting, Ginoux fixes a penetrating gaze on the viewer while resting her elbow on a table. Before her are two books, French translations of Charles Dickens’ Christmas stories and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” “It is a truly majestic portrait,” Bennett said. The painting will be exhibited at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries from April 28 to May 2. – Associated Press A major portrait by Vincent van Gogh that has been owned by the same family since 1929 will be sold in May, Christie’s auction house announced Wednesday. Although the pre-sale estimate for “L’Arlesienne, Madame Ginoux” is $40 million, Guy Bennett, head of impressionist and modern art for Christie’s New York, said the work is “very similar in composition and application” to van Gogh’s “Portrait of Dr. Gachet,” which Christie’s sold in 1990 for $82.5 million. Van Gogh executed the portrait of Marie Ginoux, a cafe owner in Arles, the city in the south of France where van Gogh set up a studio, in February 1890. It was one of five portraits he painted of the same subject. One was destroyed and three are in museums. The portrait that will be auctioned May 2 as part of Christie’s sale of impressionist and modern art was bought in 1929 by Harry Bakwin, a wealthy American pediatrician, and is being sold by his family. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
Mohamed Salah is adored by Liverpool supporters far and wide and is somewhat immortal in Egypt.But you could forgive the forward for thinking he is not so adored by some in his homeland judging by a new statue of him that has been unveiled. Oxlade-Chamberlain suffers another setback as Klopp confirms serious injury REVEALED no dice gameday cracker Green reveals how he confronted Sarri after Chelsea’s 6-0 defeat at Man City Latest Premier League News Which teams do the best on Boxing Day in the Premier League era? Where Ancelotti ranks with every Premier League boss for trophies won 2 Boxing Day fixtures: All nine Premier League games live on talkSPORT REVEALED huge blow Describe this new @MoSalah statue unveiled today in ONE word 😂 pic.twitter.com/MTBs65rLAD— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) November 4, 2018This Salah statue definitely needs some work too… 2 Premier League Team of the Season so far, including Liverpool and Leicester stars deals tense shining Ronaldo reacted pretty well to the original design Below you can see the Salah statue in all its ‘glory’. Salah is idolised by Liverpool and Egypt fans A bizarre bronze sculpture shows Salah in suspected celebration and is available to view across the weekend in Sharm el-Sheikh, a resort town between the desert of the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea.It was created by Egyptian sculptor Mai Abdel Allah – unveiled during the World Youth Forum (WYF), which runs from 3-6 November.However, it’s fair to say the statue’s resemblance to Salah needs work and is arguably as bad as THAT bust of Cristiano Ronaldo at Madeira’s airport, which was improved at a later date. Son ban confirmed as Tottenham fail with appeal to overturn red card Man United transfer news live: Haaland ‘wants a change’, two players off in January