Archive for November 15th, 2009
Consultant arrives to shake up social services
(CNS): The Ministry of Community Affairs and Housing has engaged an overseas community development consultant to train staff from the Community Development Unit of the Department of Children and Family Services in community outreach techniques. The ministry said the move is aimed at strengthening community outreach and closer collaboration with government agencies and the people. Minister Mike Adam said that partnership between government and the community is critical and government staff must harness their skills in order to engage citizens in their own development.
The community development consultant, Dr Peta-Anne Baker, is the coordinator of the Social Work Programme in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica, and she will be in Cayman until 22 November to assess training needs and conduct relevant sessions. The ministry said Dr Baker has written articles and conducted extensive training and research in the areas of social policy and planning; gender analysis; and sustainable social development, including community organising and development.
Adam said Dr Baker’s visit waskey as the ministry works to encourage community members to participate in the development of strategies that affect them. “Stable communities are the foundation upon which we build a prosperous economy," Adam said.
At the last government press briefing, Premier McKeeva Bush said preliminary goals for the ministry were to renew and refocus agency staff and to enhance the delivery of services at the community level, in particular the use of participatory techniques for working with communities.
Jamaica’s burden of debt and crime
(Economist): Just over two years ago when Bruce Golding’s Labour Party came to power in Jamaica, ending 18 years in opposition, there were modest hopes that it might make progress in tackling the island’s endemic problems of economic stagnation and gang violence. Quite how hard that is has become clear in the past fortnight with the departure first of the central-bank governor and then the police chief. Golding’s people inherited a huge national debt, much of it borrowed in the markets at interest rates that have sometimes topped 20%. Just servicing this eats up about 60% of government revenues. The world recession has hit tourism, bauxite and remittances from Jamaicans abroad, the island’s three big foreign-exchange earners.
(Economist): Just over two years ago when Bruce Golding’s Labour Party came to power in Jamaica, ending 18 years in opposition, there were modest hopes that it might make progress in tacklingthe island’s endemic problems of economic stagnation and gang violence. Quite how hard that is has become clear in the past fortnight with the departure first of the central-bank governor and then the police chief. Golding’s people inherited a huge national debt, much of it borrowed in the markets at interest rates that have sometimes topped 20%. Just servicing this eats up about 60% of government revenues. The world recession has hit tourism, bauxite and remittances from Jamaicans abroad, the island’s three big foreign-exchange earners.
Auzzie tax office beaten out by complex offshore deals
(news.com.au): The Australian Tax Office has said it has little hope of getting the $452m Myer share sale proceeds sent offshore this week by global private equity company TPG. Despite hitting the Cayman Islands-based TPG parent company with a $226m penalty for being involved in an alleged tax avoidance scheme, the office is unlikely to get that money either without setting off on a worldwide legal chase. A court was told the TPG structure involved the private Myer Holdings being owned by a Netherlands-based company, in turn owned by a Luxembourg company, and ultimately, the Cayman based TPG Newbridge Myer. The tax office believes the scheme was set up so that the Luxembourg and Cayman companies would not pay tax on the profits made in the sale.
Offshore lawyers top of legal super league table
(CNS): Cayman based offshore law firm Appleby has bagged itself an industry award following its merger earlier this year. The legal experts have been named winner of the inaugural Practical Law Company (PLC) Which Lawyer? Offshore Law Firm Super League 2009. The firm said that the award recognises its ability to help global companies solve the complex problems that arise from doing business across borders with different regulatory, legal and commercial frameworks.
The PLC Which Lawyer? Offshore Super League comprises nine elite law firms that qualified for inclusion based on their existing endorsements by PLC Which Lawyer? in two or more offshore jurisdictions, plus extensive research of PLC’s general counsel network, client feedback and lawyer peer reviews.
Huw Moses, Appleby’s Cayman Islands Managing Partner, said the firm was delighted to have achieved the accolade. “Our goal has been to become the leading provider of legal, fiduciary and administration services across the offshore world and it is particularly important that our market leading position has been recognised by practitioners and clients through PLC Which Lawyer’s extensive research,” he said.
Appleby led the field with 42 individual lawyer recommendations and jurisdictional recommendations in Bermuda, BVI, Cayman Islands, Isle of Man and Jersey — more than any other firm in both categories.
Following the Isle of Man merger, Appleby has 74partners globally – the largest number of any offshore firm. In 2009 Appleby also opened offices in the Seychelles and added a representative office in Bahrain to its extensive global network.
“Appleby has transformed itself into one of the largest offshore players through a series of mergers and new office openings over the last few years,” the winning citation said. “Its most recent merger, with leading Manx firm Dickinson Cruickshank, has been a significant factor in it securing first place in the super league.”
Cayman designer eyes Hollywood’s fashionistas
(CNS): Local fashion designer Tamara Tigerlily Hill, based in Los Angeles, and already enjoying popularity in Hollywood will be debuting her spring 2010 collection in a few weeks. Following an injection of funds from the Cayman Angel Investor Network (CAIN), Crown Atelier, the brand name under which Hill’s clothing is marketed she has been able to put together a new collection. Described by Hill as feminine, flirty, sophisticated and affordable the spring collection, Hill says, includes a fresh take on mini dresses, blazers, shorts, rompers and cropped lambskin leather jackets.
CAIN investor, Tom McCallum has nothing but high praise for this young entrepreneur. "Tamara first came to the attention of the Cayman Angel Investor Network through an introduction from the CIIB. Whilst CAIN’s focus is primarily on businesses that a) we as a group have knowledge of and experience in, and b) are based in Cayman, Tamara’s "pitch" was most impressive,” McCallum said. “She is qualified and experienced in fashion design, plus she also has qualifications and experience international finance, so her business plan and presentation to us was first class.”
That subsequent injection of capital allowed Hill to further develop Crown Atelier operations and meet the additional costs imposed from accepting orders as she can now finance the production side of things.
“My business now has prospects of continuity and a dream is now a reality,” Hill said about the investment she received.
Crown Atelier clothing can be found in all the rage Beverly Hills stores like Swirl Boutique, Shop Amelie and Rouge. Select Nordstrom chains will carry the line in February 2010 and she continues to add boutique outlets in other states over time, the most recent being Colorado and Arizona. For more information on product distribution, check for website updates at www.crownatelier.com.
Trainers offer insight into domestic abuse
(CNS): While women in Cayman still await long promised legislation to help protect them from violence and discrimination the Family Resource Centre has been working with officials to improve how they deal those who are suffering violence in the home. The Domestic Violence Intervention Training Programme (DVITP) session for police officers, social workers, and other frontline professionals looked at how local resources could be better used and helped professionals understand the dynamics of domestic abuse.
“It is easy to ask, ‘Why doesn’t she just leave?’” said FRC Programme Officer Miriam Foster. “But this training aims to have frontline professionals understand the pressures that a victim of domestic violence experiences and why the answer to that question is not so simple.”
The three-day programme was aimed at enhancing local professionals’ ability to deal with domestic violence issues. Sixteen persons participated from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS), the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), and the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre. Police Commissioner David Baines was on hand to present course certificates and he also expressed appreciation to both trainers and participants.
“The DVITP is valuable for it aims to enhance understanding of the dynamics of domestic violence, and at increasing sensitivity to the victims,” he said.
The training was an update of the 2000 version that was earlier introduced in 17 Caribbean countries. Coordinated within each country by locally-based professionals, implementation was overseen by the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA).
Between 2000 and 2004 in Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac, some 300 RCIPS and immigration officers, social workers, and health and human services professionals completed the original programme.
For further information about the Domestic Violence Intervention Training Programme, contact Miriam Foster on 949-0006 or at miriam.foster@gov.ky.
Mutant genes ‘key to long life’
(BBC): There is a clear link between living to 100 and inheriting a hyperactive version of an enzyme that prevents cells from ageing, researchers say. Scientists from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the US say centenarian Ashkenazi Jews have this mutant gene. They found that 86 very old people and their children had higher levels of telomerase which protects the DNA. They say it may be possible to produce drugs that stimulate the enzyme. Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team say they studied the Ashkenazi Jewish community because they are closely related so it is easier to identify disease causing genetic differences.
US arsonist may be in Cayman Islands
(CNS): According to the popular US television show, America’s Most Wanted, alleged arsonist James Lyman Hill may be in the Cayman Islands. Hill, who reportedly set his girlfriend’s house ablaze in 1997 when she broke up with him, has apparently faked his own death twice. While police in the US believe he is still alive, his whereabouts are unknown but several sources place Hill in the Cayman Islands, AMW reports. He is described as a white 66-year-old man, 6 feet high and 200 lbs. Police say he is a heavy drinker and abusive to women. Hill is a carpenter by trade and may be working as a handyman.