Columns

My article’s caption are the opening words of Charles Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities which I was obliged to study when I was a student at the Valley Secondary School. I could not understand the book. Consequently I did not like it. But those few words remained with me.

Why does the stingray jump out of the water?

That was the quiz question asked during one of my Friday limes at the Dune Preserve and no one quite believed Bankie’s answer, drawn from the pool of traditional knowledge borne by those whose lives and livelihoods are closely connected to the sea. He wished that a fisherman could come by to verify his explanation and no sooner had he wished that than two fishermen appeared to offer confirmation.

Lung cancer is one of the most dangerous cancers today, but it is also one of the most preventable of cancers.

For the first time that the CRO Summit was being held on a continent, and while the continent of our collective aspirations is our African Motherland, the host country for the 10th Summit was Guyana. Guyana is Africa in several ways.

Hypertension is the most common chronic condition seen in general practice in Anguilla and is a common cause of sickness and death. Many individuals in Anguilla are hypertensive and do not know because this condition seldom has any symptoms until complications develop.

The events of CARNIVAL WEEK have left a large segment of the Anguilla community wondering why we as an island have come to this point in our development, when we can’t even go to a Queen Show without fear of being shot or otherwise put in fear of our life.

Our carnival comes in the middle of the hurricane season. Perhaps that is why carnival has most of the characteristics of a hurricane. This year, it began as a tropical disturbance involving a dispute between the calypso sub-committee and the Musical Brothers musical band. Then, before we realised it, we had a tropical depression on our hands.

As we approach another Emancipation Day, I take this opportunity to give you a sneak preview of some thoughts for my presentation on Reparations at the Emancipation Day celebration in Guyana on Monday August 1st 2005. Increasing demands for reparations disturb our former and present enslaving and colonizing masters who like vampires continue to benefit from the blood of our ancestors and their children.

Hiccups, also referred to as singultus, is a common occurrence that appears to serve no purpose in human beings. Hiccups can be a source of much amusement for observers but for the individual they can be a great nuisance. Brief episodes of hiccups are often self-limiting, but protracted hiccups can be associated with serious illness and, in rare cases, can result in death.

This strong-beginning (week-end in Rastafari language), the birth of Ras Tafari Makonnen will be I-lebrated worldwide as one of the holydays observed by I and I who who bear His name. As part of this observation, Heartically Yours today reviews “Negus - Majestic Tradition of Ethiopia” authored by Dr. Miguel F. Brooks and published by LMH Publishing Ltd. in 2002.

Postnatal depression is the most prevalent mood disorder associated with childbearing and affects 10 - 15% of women having children. This illness can have serious consequences for the affected woman, her husband or consort, the infant and other children in the family.

When the renowned Teacher Gloria Omololu Institute opens its doors come September 2005 it will commence its 11th year of dedicated, professional and caring service to the children of this island.

It must be a very special institution that chooses a name which means, “Children are the Summit of Achievement” and, in its eleven years of existence, the graduates of the Teacher Gloria Omololu Institute have demonstrated just that. The Institute was named after the late Teacher Gloria Banks-Harrigan and according to its founder, Dr. Oluwakemi Linda Banks, ‘the word “Institute” has been used to embrace the total concept of education for life, as the institute plans to provide educational opportunities to people at all stages of development.’

Balding in men is a very common problem, although in the majority of cases it is not associated with any medical condition. We should take the patient’s concerns about balding seriously as it may be associated with long term psychological sequelae.

“Nuttn like dis ever come outta Anguilla yet,” was how one patron put it near the end of the Panache Couture fashion show staged at the Anguilla Great House on Sunday night. I would like to salute Ms. Charla Connor of Old Ta, for a really inspired and inspiring evening of fashion.

The vast majority of babies born in Anguilla are healthy, and only a small number have birth defects. But almost every parent-to-be worry about their baby having a problem. There are about four thousand different known birth defects. The economic, psychological and other costs associated with birth defects can be very significant to parents and the country as a whole.

I was most amused, on Wednesday 15th June, as I listened to Heart Beat Radio extending best wishes to the Governor Alan Huckle on the occasion of his birthday. The playing of the song Have I told you lately that I love you, requested by the Governor’s wife, Helen, was indeed appropriate.

There is an Anguillian family named Gumbs who can trace their roots back to the African continent and who are so proud of their accomplishments that if you ask them, the first man, Adam, was surnamed Gumbs. In fact the way certain members of the family carry on, one is led to think that God is a Gumbs.

Many individuals have or know someone with a goiter. A goitre is often very small but can vary in size and become very large resulting in a variety of clinical symptoms.

This week Anguilla hosted a workshop on the Development of a Statement of Significance for the Fountain Cavern. The workshop was planned as follow-up to the Conference on the development of a Caribbean Action Plan in World Heritage that was held in St. Lucia last year, and was designed to build capacity and co-coordinating mechanisms for enhanced communication and co-operation between agencies responsible for the protection and management of national heritage sites and protected areas.