Archive for March 14th, 2009
Campaign moves to next stage
(CNS): Equality Cayman, a nongovernmental organization actively campaigning for a choice to be given to people in the referendum vote concerning the scope of section 16 in theBill of Rights, wrapped up its petition drive today. Members of were out in force Saturday, 14 March, at supermarkets in George Town and West Bay and spoke with members of the public, gave away information sheets about the proposed Cayman Islands Constitution, and collected petition signatures. (Photo: Equality Cayman member Parthna Bhojani with a Saturday shopper stopping to sign the petition)
The grassroots group, which has about 10 active members, says hundreds of new signatures were added to their petition on Saturday, substantially raising the total number of signatures collected since the group was launched just a few weeks ago. Equality Cayman’s petition asks government to give voters the chance to choose between the full right to be free from discrimination by the government or the limited right that is contained in section 16 of the Bill of Rights in the current draft Constitution.
“We were very happy with the enthusiastic response from the public,” said Carlene Alexander, an Equality Cayman member. “We are finding that most people want to be protected from discrimination and they want their children and grandchildren to be protected from discrimination. It was great to see so many more signatures added to the substantial number that we had already gathered in previous weeks. We will present the petition to our elected leaders this week in the hopes that they will recognize the serious concern many people have with current draft constitution. It is important for the public to understand that all we are asking government to do is give people the chance to choose on 20 May when they vote. We feel very strongly that the current draft is far from acceptable because it simply falls short in protecting the people from discrimination. Saying that future governments will fill in the gaps with legislation is just not good enough.”
Alexander added that Equality Cayman will announce to the press and public this week the total number of signatures on its petition as well as plans for the next phase of its efforts toward securing the best possible constitution for the Cayman people.
The work of Equality Cayman was cited by Human Rights Watch in a release which stated that the territory should revise the draft constitution to give full protection to all against unequal treatment, and the British government should ensure that this happens.
Thai monkeys floss with hair
(BBC): Making sure your offspring know how to clean their teeth appears to be as important to monkeys as to humans. Female monkeys in Thailand have been observed showing their young how to floss their teeth – using human hair. Researchers from Japansaid they watched seven long-tailed macaques cleaning the spaces between their teeth in the same manner as humans. They spent double the amount of time flossing when they were being watched by their infants, the team said.
Go to video (Reuters)
Cayman lawyers say toxic asset funds multiplying
(Reuters): Distressed asset funds targeting US toxic bank assets are being set up at a rapid clip using Cayman Islands legal structures, said lawyers from a Cayman law firm on Tuesday. "There are a lot of funds being established now to take on the toxic assets," Charles Jennings, managing partner at the law firm of Maples and Calder, told Reuters. Prominent hedge fund, private equity and other distressed asset investors are involved, said Henry Smith, also a partner at the firm, which specializes in international and offshore law, particularly Cayman Islands financial law.