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Delta will serve Georgetown, Guyana, nonstop from New York-JFK

ATLANTA, Feb. 19, 2008 – Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) announced it has received U.S. government approval to serve Georgetown, Guyana, nonstop from New York-JFK beginning July 2, 2008†. “Delta continues to be the fastest growing airline to the Caribbean and Latin America, having added more than 25 new destinations in the last two years,” said Christophe Didier, Delta’s vice president of Sales and Government Affairs for Latin America and the Caribbean. Bordering Brazil, Venezuela and Suriname, Guyana is located where the Caribbean meets South America on its North Atlantic seaboard. More than 130,000 people of Guyanese descent live in the New York metropolitan region. This new service provides a convenient direct link between New York City and Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, enabling friends and family to visit each other. To celebrate this latest addition to its list of international destinations, Delta is offering a one-way special fare of $279* from New York-JFK to Georgetown (based on a round-trip purchase), for purchase by March 14, 2008, for travel completed by Dec. 12, 2008. Additional taxes/fees/restrictions apply.

Details are below. Delta’s new non-stop service between New York-JFK and Georgetown, Guyana, effective July 2, 2008:

Russians eying oil interests in Guyana

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (GINA): Guyana is being eyed by Russian entrepreneurs for oil exploration and, with a favourable conclusion to the arbitration process between Guyana and Suriname over the delineation of the maritime boundary, President Bharrat Jagdeo is expecting the onset of seismic activities.

At a recent press conference, the Head of State divulged that several Russian businessmen are interested in investing in oil exploration in Guyana.

"Our economy is open for investment in every area," Jagdeo told them, but highlighted that consideration has to be given to the licences already issued.

Discussions on investment potential in Guyana were facilitated during the Head of State"s visit to the Russian Federation last month.

"I have promised that when the various groups come into Guyana they will have a meeting with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to see what blocks are available," the President added.

The age-old maritime dispute between Guyana and neighbour Suriname will be settled this year when the Hamburg-based United Nations International Arbitral Tribunal on the Law of the Sea makes its ruling.

"We are hoping that as soon as we have a ruling on the arbitration, we may see exploratory activities in the particular block bordering Suriname. We do not want to pre-judge the decision of the tribunal, and at this point, we have to be very respectful, but we feel that as soon as that matter is settled, which should be shortly, there should be a boom in the interest for oil."

President Jagdeo said there are a few blocks available, both on and offshore, but a significant part of the maritime area has already been issued.

According to GGMC, four companies are licensed to undertake exploratory work in Guyana: Exxon-Mobil, Repsol, Century Guyana Limited and CGX Energy Incorporated. There are still large areas in the offshore and the Takutu Basins available for investment.

"Our expectations are that some of those companies would move to do seismic activities and some to actually drill exploratory wells," the President said.

CGX Energy Inc. had commenced offshore exploration in 2001 in the Corentyne River, but operations were halted when Surinamese gun-boats disrupted the operations.

Providence Stadium

The Providence Stadium is a sports stadium in Guyana, replacing Bourda as the national stadium. Completed in March of 2007, it is by far the largest stadium in Guyana. It was built specifically to host Super Eight matches in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, held in March / April 2007. The stadium hosted six World Cup matches between 28 March 2007 and 9 April 2007, most notably the match between Sri Lanka and South Africa in which Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga became the first bowler in international cricket history to take four wickets in four consecutive balls. Built primarily for cricket matches, the stadium can be converted into a multi-use facility.

The stadium was built by the Government of Guyana with substantial financial assistance from the Government of India. It was designed by C.R. Narayana Rao (CRN Architects & Engineers), supervised by Walter Willis (famous Guyanese civil engineer) and constructed by Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Limited. Flooding in 2005 slowed site preparation, and delayed the start of construction, which began in May 2005. Construction costs are estimated at $25,000,000 US.

Seating 15,000 people, Providence Stadium dwarfs other sports complexes in Guyana, and now hosts test cricket instead of Bourda. The complex includes a shopping mall and luxury apartments. Buddy's Hotel is located next to the stadium, and has numerous luxury guest rooms.

Providence Stadium is located on the east bank of the Demerara River a few kilometres south of the capital, Georgetown. Located along the East Bank Highway the stadium is a ten minute drive from Georgetown's city centre and a 30 minute drive from Cheddi Jagan International Airport

Dr. Cheddi Jagan

Cheddi Jagan, also known as Cheddi Berret Jagan (March 22, 1918 – March 6, 1997), was the chief minister (1957-1964) and president (1992-1997) of Guyana. The son of ethnic Indian sugar plantation workers, Jagan managed to attend Queen's College in Georgetown. He later studied at the Howard University Dental School in Washington, D.C., and Northwestern University in Chicago before returning home in the early 1940s.

Disgusted by conditions in British Guiana, he founded the People's Progressive Party with Forbes Burnham in 1950. He was elected to the colonial legislative body in 1947 and was the controversial leader of the Guyanese government in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Jagan won in a colonially administered election in 1953, but was removed from power militarily by Britain which, under strong behind-the-scenes pressure from the United States and the CIA, asserted that he had ties to the Soviet Union. Jagan resigned as British Guiana prime minister after 133 days. Britain suspended the constitution and chose an interim government. Jagan's movements were restricted to Georgetown from 1954 to 1957.

Having broken off links with the increasingly authoritarian Burnham, who divided the country among racial barriers, Jagan was active in the government as a labor activist and leader of the opposition. In 1992, after 28 years in opposition, he was elected president in the first free elections since independence. He died in office less than 5 years later.

His presidential tenure was characterized by the revival of the union movement and a re-commitment to education and infrastructure improvement. Towards the end of his life, he abandoned Marxism-Leninism and began to move his country to a free-market capitalist system.

He married Janet (née Rosenberg), a former member of a communist youth organization, in 1943, and the couple had two children, Nadira and Cheddi Jr. (who in turn produced five grandchildren, Cheddi B. Jagan II, Vrinda Jagan, Avasa Jagan, Alex Brancier, Natasha Brancier). Mrs. Jagan followed her husband's footsteps and held the positions of prime minister and president in 1997 (succeeded as president by Bharrat Jagdeo in 1999). A museum in the capital, Georgetown, celebrates Cheddi Jagan's life and work, complete with a replication of his office.

Jagan was also an important political author and speechwriter, and his publications include Forbidden Freedom: The Story of British Guiana, The West On Trial: My Fight for Guyana's Freedom, The Caribbean Revolution, and The USA in South America, among others.

Everybody wants a piece of Guyana

Venezuela claims almost two-thirds of Guyana, an English-speaking enclave on the northeastern shoulder of South America. The dispute revolves around the Essequibo region, a 61,000-square mile (158,000-square km) unpopulated area thought to be rich in minerals, including gold and diamonds.

Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courentyne; The long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters has been resolved by UNCLOS with Guyana awarded 93% of the disputed territory.

Any Car in the House?

Guyana's former first lady on Nov. 28, 2007 appealed to her fellow citizens to lend her a car to carry out charitable work, complaining she has currently has to walk or take a bus. In a bizarre news conference, Varshnie Jagdeo said state cars are no longer available to take her to her job at a children's charity. Her nearly nine-year marriage to President Bharrat Jagdeo ended with their separation in April. "If there is anyone with a spare vehicle who can lend it to me for a while, I will be very grateful," the British-trained economist said in the capital, Georgetown. "I'm amazed that I needed to be married for the nation's children to get assistance."

The former first lady, who runs a Guyana charity that helps sick children travel overseas for medical care, appeared with two of 10 youngsters she recently accompanied to India for surgeries.

ABC 7 News myTAKE - What's Your Opinion? She said she has been forced to walk a mile to her office from the presidential house, where she has lived in separate quarters from Jagdeo since their marriage turned sour.

In mid-April, Guyana's first family announced they were splitting due to "amicable" differences. The couple wed in 1998, a year before Jagdeo became president of the small, English-speaking South American nation. They do not have any children.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Shivnarine 'Shiv' Chanderpaul (born 16 August 1974 in Unity Village, Demerara-Mahaica, Guyana) is a cricketer, and former captain of the West Indies cricket team. He is the first East Indian to play 100 Tests for the West Indies and has captained them in 14 Tests and 16 One Day Internationals.

A West Indian cricketer of Indo-Guyanese ethnicity, the left-handed Chanderpaul is known for his doggedness and ability to stick on the wicket for long hours. He is infamous in the cricketing world for his very unorthodox front-on batting stance, although he shifts his body into a more conventional position when he plays the ball, thus making him a prolific scorer on both sides of the wicket. His stance allows him to get most of his runs behind the wicket.

Chanderpaul's first notable impact on Test cricket was as being the last batting partner of Brian Lara when Lara broke Gary Sobers' record of 365 not out in the fifth and final Test against England in 1993-94. Lara went on to make 375 before he was caught off Andrew Caddick's bowling, sharing a 219-run stand with Chanderpaul, who was left not out on 75.

Chanderpaul made his first Test century in his 19th Test match - after having scored 15 half-centuries in the preceding 18 matches. In the third of a five-Test series against India in 1996-97, he made 137* at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. He also featured with his Guyanese counterpart, and current West Indian captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, making 104 in chasing a world record 418 to win in the fourth innings of the final Test match versus Australia in 2002-03.

Chanderpaul's best first class score is 303* versus Jamaica for Guyana, and, despite his reputation as a dogged batsman, he has also made the fourth fastest century in Test cricket, scoring three figures in just 67 balls at the GCC Ground Bourda, Guyana, also in the 2002-03 series against Australia.

He was named captain of the West Indies in the first Test versus South Africa in March 2005 in Guyana, after seven senior players including captain Brian Lara were dropped in a sponsorship row. He emulated Graham Dowling to become only the second player to make a double century on debut as a Test captain, scoring an unbeaten 200 and making a sporting declaration in the first Test. It was announced that Lara would return to the team for the second Test, but Chanderpaul would retain the captaincy for the rest of the series. He was named to the squad of 20 for the World XI to face Australia in the Super Test in October 2005, but when the squad was cut to 14 names in August his name was not mentioned.

Chanderpaul remains one of the most recognisable faces in all of the West Indies, particularly his native Guyana, and he has come a long way from his first 50 in his first Test versus England in 1993-94 at Bourda to his current status as a former captain.

In April 2006, Chanderpaul resigned as West Indies captain in order to concentrate on his batting. He captained a weak West Indies team, and his record was not a successful one. In fourteen Tests he won one and lost ten with three draws. In sixteen One-Day Internationals, he won two and lost fourteen. Later in the month the captaincy was restored to veteran batman Brian Lara.

Chanderpaul has recently reached the milestone of 100 Test caps, the 8th West Indian to do so and the first of east Indian descent.

Kaieteur Falls

Kaieteur Falls is a waterfall on the Potaro River in central Guyana. It is located in the Kaieteur National Park. It is 226 meters (741 feet) when measured from its plunge over a sandstone cliff to the first break. It then flows over a series of steep cascades that, when included in the measurements, bring the total height to 251 meters (822 feet).

Kaieteur Falls is about five times higher than the more well known Niagara Falls, located on the border between Canada and the United States and about two times the height of the Victoria Falls located on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa. It is a single drop waterfall which is the 122nd tallest (single and multi-drop waterfall) in the world according to the World Waterfalls Database. The same web site lists it as 19th largest waterfall in terms of volume, and in their estimation, Kaieteur is the 26th most scenic waterfall in the world.

The Guyanese Community Blog

So what is a blog?

Blogs are usually (but not always) written by one person and are updated pretty regularly. Blogs are often (but not always) written on a particular topic - there are blogs on virtually any topic you can think of. From photography, to spirituality, to recipes, to personal diaries to hobbies - blogging has as many applications and varieties as you can imagine. Whole blog communities have sprung up around some of these topics putting people into contact with each other in relationships where they can learn, share ideas, make friends with and even do business with people with similar interests from around the world.