SNAKES FILM ON LOCAL SCREENS SOON
(Guyana Chronicle January 19, 1979)
The half hour documentary film on poisonous snakes “Crystal Venom” which was shot on location in Guyana is to be shown around Guyana soon.The film had its premiere here in October last year and it will be shown at the Starlite Drive In cinema on Sunday.
After that it will be screened throughout the country.
“Crystal Venom” highlights the world’s most poisonous snakes and paints a different picture from the age old characterisation of snakes as one of man’s most dangerous enemies.
The documentary attempts to illustrate the contribution the reptiles through their venom, make to medical science and other fields.
“Crystal Venom” features Lawrence Van Sertima perhaps Guyana’s foremost expert on snakes and American snake expert Jack Kilmon.
It has also been sent to a current film festival in India as Guyana’s contribution to the show.

COUNTRY WIDE WAR ON RATS TO BE LAUNCHED
(Guyana Chronicle February 10, 1979)
Plans are now being made by the City Public Health Department to launch a countrywide rat extermination campaign later this year.
The Lacytown area has been tentatively identified for a survey aimed at determining what quantities would be necessary for the campaign.
This is so because it has a large number of business places and eating houses as well as dwelling houses.
Rats are prolific breeders and it is claimed that one pair of them can produce over 10,000 young ones each year.
In addition, they contaminate more food than they consume and cause considerable damage.
They also carry and spread several harmful diseases through their faeces, their urine, the bite, their fleas and their dirty bodies.

PROTEST AGAINST OPENING OF RUMSHOP NEAR SCHOOL
(Guyana Chronicle January 19, 1979)
Hundreds of persons, including students, teachers and parents demonstrated yesterday to protest against the proposed opening of a rum shop near to a secondary school on the Courentyne.
Reports from the area say a liquor restaurant is being built just 40 feet from the Tagore Memorial Secondary School at No 63 Village and parents teachers and students fear the opening of such a business would affect the smooth functioning of the school.
School Principal S.S. Chandra said his 1,300 students along with parents and teachers mounted picket lines and demonstrated to back their cause.
He said the parents and teachers were also calling on the Customs and Excise Department, the Education Ministry and the Government to intervene to block the proposed opening of the rum-shop there.

TRUMPETER COLLAPSES ON STAGE AND DIES
(Guyana Chronicle January 23, 1979)
“Something is wrong with me” was the song lead trumpeter Hubert “Iron” McLeod was blowing when he collapsed in a Wismar night spot early Sunday morning.
The packed Dawn Palace crowd continued dancing to the music of a stereo set while McLeod was conveyed to the Mackenzie Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
What was wrong with McLeod will be known when a post mortem examination is performed on his body.
Meanwhile leader of the band in which McLeod played “Sid and the Slickers,” said that the lead trumpeter was in exuberant spirits and was jigging through his ab lib solo when he fell.’
McLeod was a founder member of the band which started eleven years ago as a four-piece combo.
He lived at Lancaster East Demerara.

“EARTH STATION “ STAMPS FOR RELEASE NEXT WEEK
(Guyana Chronicle February 3, 1979)
The Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) will release a special issue of stamps on Wednesday February 7th to commemorate the installation of the recently completed earth station.
The special issue of stamps will be available in denominations of 10 cents, 30 cents, 50 cents and $3.00. A set of the stamps will be available for $3.90 and first day covers will be available at the GPO in Georgetown at $4.30 from the date of release.
As is customary a first-day-of-issue service will be provided at the Philatelic Bureau at GPO as well as at post offices and postal agencies in New Amsterdam, Kitty, Linden,Suddie, Bourda and Bartica on February 7th.
Stamp bulletins will also be sold for the benefit of collectors or those wishing to mail to collectors overseas.
These will be available at 15 cents each.
The multi coloured stamps were printed in lithography by Questa Colour Security Printers and measure 30.56 millimetres by 38 millimetres.
The stamps should have been released earlier in the year but the date of the release was delayed due to unavoidable circumstances..

PILOT CRASH LANDS IN THE MAHAICA RIVER BUT ESCAPES INJURY
(Guyana Chronicle February 15, 1979)
A young Trinidad air pilot was rescued in the marshy back-lands of the upper Mahaica River early yesterday afternoon less than 24 hours after he crash landed his light aircraft during a flight from Piarco to Suriname Tuesday last.
George Pantin who left Trinidad on Tuesday destined for Suriname radioed the Air Traffic Control Tower at Timehri for directions to land after his plane had developed engine troubles.
According to a report the pilot said that he could not reach Trinidad and was diverting to Guyana.
Communication between himself and the Control Tower at Timehri broke when he was within the 40 mile radius.
Since then Director of Civil Aviation Robert Roberts led an intensive air search in a 40 -mile radius from Timehri for the aircraft and its pilot.
Pantin who suffered slight injuries in the crash landing was rescued during a joint air search by the Civil Aviation Department, Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and private aircrafts which started minutes after the badly damaged single-engine Piper Aircraft was spotted in the marshy land by a private pilot in a light aircraft Wednesday.
Reports said that the slightly injured airman was limping away from his crashed aircraft in search of residents in the area when a helicopter joining in the search picked him up and air dashed him to the City where he was given medical treatment.
Roberts is expected to make an inspection of the aircraft today with a view of removing or salvaging it.

(Clifford Stanley can be reached to discuss any of the foregoing articles at cliffantony@gmail.com or cell phone # 694 0913)