KLEPTOMANIA


Kleptomania is compulsive stealing. Where a person steals persistently over a period of time when there is no apparent reason to do so, then the person can be deemed a kleptomaniac. Where, for example, an article can be lawfully rented, hired or borrowed but a person chooses instead to steal the article, even though the person has no permanent use for it, then that can be a sign of kleptomania. It is a mental disorder. Where the stealing starts from a young age and persists into adulthood, particularly in relation to a specific type of article, and then the person justifies it, one can be certain that one is dealing with a confirmed, determined and unrepentant kleptomaniac. Whenever that person is around, then steps should be taken to protect goods with which the kleptomaniac has an affinity.

Such a person is in need of professional help because even if exposed, the person will not stop. In fact, the person cannot stop. When the opportunity presents itself and the person is in the presence of the object of his/her fantasy or fetish, whatever the case, and the person thinks that no one is looking, he/she will swipe the article, especially if it is small enough to be secreted on the person’s body.

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THIS MUST BE CONDEMNED


I had cause to write recently in an article entitled “Questions Must Be Asked” on problems within the security forces. It gave me great pain to do so. I am now forced to return to the subject. Once again, it pains me.

There has been a recent proliferation of allegations against the security forces of torture against persons in their custody. Despite credible reports and even photographs of the alleged victims published in the daily newspapers, there have been no published reports of investigations into these allegations. The result is that there is widespread suspicion that the security forces are engaged in the abuse of citizens, and now children. This is not good for Guyana because it discredits our country and people, painting all Guyanese as barbarians.

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RICE REVISITED – CREATING A ‘PUBLIC OPTION’


‘The Public Option’ has become a popular phrase in the United States. It relates to the ongoing efforts of the Obama Administration and the Congress to reform health insurance. One of the proposals to keep the cost of health insurance competitive and prevent its escalation, estimated to double in eight years, is a “public option.” It involves the government offering health insurance to those who are interested in purchasing it. Because this would be a non-profit scheme which would require less overheads it would offer health insurance at cheaper rates and would prevent the insurance companies from unduly increasing prices.

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TRANSFORMING GUYANA’S POLITICS


Political alignments all over the world evolve over time. Guyanese of my generation and the preceding one believe that the period 1947 – 1953 marked the beginning of modern politics in Guyana. That period is nostalgic for those who were interested in or influenced by political events of that time and even in the 1960s when I became an adult. 

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