Archive for April, 2010
Women to blame for earthquakes, says Iran cleric
(The Guardian): A senior Iranian cleric says women who wear revealing clothing and behave promiscuously are to blame for earthquakes. Iran is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, and the cleric’s unusual explanation for why the earth shakes follows a prediction by the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that a quake is certain to hit Tehran and that many of its 12 million inhabitants should relocate. "Many women who do not dress modestly … lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes," Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi was quoted as saying by Iranian media.
Debate on Internet’s limits grows in Indonesia
(New York Times): Displeased that a statue of a 10-year-old Barack Obama was installed in a park here, Indonesians took their protest not to this capital’s most famous traffic circle but to Facebook. More than 56,000 online protesters later, city officials gave in to arguments that the park should be reserved to honor an Indonesian. This example of high-tech grass-roots organizing was the direct result of the explosion of social networking in Indonesia. But the boom is prompting a fierce debate over the limits of free expression in a newly democratic Indonesia, with the government trying to regulate content on the Internet and a recently emboldened news media pushing back.
Hospital makes urgent appeal for blood
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Hospital in George Town is calling on donors of O negative, O positive and A positive blood to donate blood today- Tuesday 20 April. The hospital has an urgent need for these blood types and any people who can give are asked to contact the HSA as soon as possible. A health official explained that incidents resulting in hospitalization within the past 24-hours have drained the supplies of blood leaving the hospital in urgent need. Individuals who are willing and able to donate should contact blood the Blood Donor Services Department at 244-2674 or 244-2677.
Weatherman predicts cloud heading to Canada
(BBC): A change in wind direction by the weekend could help blow Iceland’s volcanic ash cloud away from Europe, a BBC meteorologist says. However, the change could see the cloud move to affect Canadian airspace instead. North-westerly winds over the Atlantic have blown ash from the erupting volcano over the UK and Europe this week. But Matt Taylor warned ash blown away from Europe could cause problems for Canada instead.
"Weather conditions should be more favourable by the end of the week," Matt Taylor said. "The wind should change to the opposite direction: it could start to disperse some of the stuff that has been blown over from Iceland."
Cline says EIA will be made public
(CNS): Although the government and the proposed cruise port developer have only just signed the MOU, the environmental impact assessment has already begun, and once it is complete government will release its findings, MLA Cline Glidden says. While there is wide political support for a development of cruise berthing facilities there are still a number of people who have concerns about the impact the project will have on Cayman’s marine environment, Seven Mile Beach and the islands’ capital, George Town. The EIA must now be completed before the MOU 90-day period elapses, which, according to government and the developer, will mitigate any negative impacts caused by the project.
Still no conservation law as minister signs pledge
(CNS): Although Minister for the Environment Mark Scotland signed the Chamber’s Environmental Pledge to commemorate Earth Day, there is still no sign of the National Conservation bill. Since coming to office the minster has said he will address the outstanding law. However, CNS understand that despite being in consultation throughout most of the last administration, Scotland has again circulated the bill in order to make changes. While the environmental pledge is a Chamber of Commerce initiative intended to encourage the commercial and public community to better sustain resources and protect the environment, the conservation bill is the only thing that can legally protect the environment.
CI Sailing Club gets ready for summer
(CNS): Following on from the success of Race Cayman, the Cayman Islands Sailing Club (CISC) is preparing for a busy summer sailing season. The CISC will be restarting its youth and adult learn to sail and windsurf programmes on May 1st 2010. Youth programmes run weekdays and Saturday mornings with adult lesson taking place on weekends. The CISC will also run various youth and adult racing clinics over both long weekends in May and June 2010. The clinics are open to all dinghy sailors looking to learn about racing. There will be a youth social quiz night on Saturday May 15 open to all youth sailors. The CISC especially encourages schools to enter teams.
The popular summer camps are run throughout July and August. Each two-week session is open for children between the ages of 5-16 years. Registration has already started.
Michael Weber, CISC sailing director, noted that the summer season is a great time to learn how to sail and windsurf. “With lighter winds and drier weather, May and June are great months to try the sports.”
Weber also noted that the success of Race Cayman has created momentum in terms of developing its racing team. “One thing that we learned from the regatta was that we have the perfect facility for our young people to become very competitive sailors. We are now focusing on qualifying for the next Youth Olympic Games in 2014, meaning that children ages 11-12 years can begin sailing now with the hope of representing Cayman in four years.”
For more information about learning to sail in the Cayman Islands, please contact Mike Weber at sailing@sailing.ky
Local radio hams face new rules
(CNS): The 25 amateur radio hams in Cayman who enjoy communicating over the global radio-waves are now subject to new regulations, which were formalized last month, the government announced today (Monday 19 April.) According to a GIS release, Cabinet adopted regulations to govern amateur radio in accordance with the Information and Communications Technology Authority Law (2006), which came into effect following their publication in the Cayman Islands Gazette on 29 March. Amateur radio is a service as well as a hobby, with participants communicating with fellow amateurs at home and abroad using a broad range of technologies.
World-wide, an estimated two million people are regularly involved with amateur radio, and as well as the 25 resident hams in Cayman, around 75 other operators visit the islands annually. Radio amateurs have a long history of contributing to developments in radio communication. Despite the growth in mobile telecommunications over the last decade, it is radio amateurs who often provide the first links between stricken communities and the rest of the world following natural or man-made disasters.
Young unemployed start job-prep training
(CNS): The first 25 candidates for the government’s young job seekers initiative Passport2Success have now been selected. On Monday 19 April the young people started the government programme, which is designed to help them become workplace ready by equipping them with the personal and career skills they need to find and retain employment. The first group of candidates were selected from dozens of applicants for the 11-week course, which government says will run four times in the year. Education Minister Rolston Anglin said it was the first of a number of programmes designed to get Caymanians into and back to work.
“Passport2Success provides a bridge from education to the workplace,” said Anglin at the youngster’s orientation session. “This is a part of the ministry’s vision to launch a number of initiatives, which are intended to provide all young Caymanians with the skills they need to succeed in the workplace.”
Clock ticks on budget
(CNS): The Governor’s Office confirmed on Monday that the UK has responded to the three-year plan submitted by the government at the beginning of April and work is currently being done to answer the Foreign and Commonwealth Office queries. A spokesperson for the governor said that a number of questions have been asked by the FCO regarding the proposed three-year plan and that considerable work is now going on behind the scenes. As that work continues, however, the clock is ticking on government as the Public Management Finance Law states that it must table the budget in the Legislative Assembly before 1 May.