Archive for May, 2010
Cayman faces busy season
(CNS): Forecasters are agreed on one thing this hurricane season: this could be one of the most turbulent seasons ever. From the famous duo at Colorado State University to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) experts, forecasters warn there could be up to 23 named storms in the Atlantic in the 2010 season. Cayman marks the start of hurricane season tomorrow, 1 June with a special event on the lawn of the Glass House. Everyone is invited to the National Weather Service Day with the official launch of the National Weather Service taking place at 12:00 noon.
High time
This is an open letter to the government, the Human Rights Commission, the legal fraternity and the general public, written in the interest of promoting better governance, greater transparency and justice. A former Member of Parliament called the local radio talk show recently and recounted a situation they considered to have been unfair and declared that true justice would only come on Judgment Day.
I was struck by the obvious concern in his voice and it reminded me again that we all have a duty to do what we can to improve our systems.
We need look no further than the Levers tribunal transcripts to see that even our judges are subject to the same frailties of the human condition that we all are. Everyone at times is subject to emotion, bias and subjectivity, but there can be no doubt the judiciary should expect to be held to higher standards.
Important words were stated by Justice Henderson after his wrongful arrest when he suggested that it should be a requirement for all judges. This statement no doubt sought to emphasize the importance of a key foundation principle of justice, that being the “presumption of innocence”.
A recent court ruling has led to a historic prosecutory appeal which will deal with the other fundamental principle of justice, the standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt” to determine someone’s guilt.
One thing is for sure, neither of these judges or their defense teams would have tolerated a situation where their tribunal or case did not have trusted official verbatim transcripts of the proceedings. Ironically, a key issue in the tribunal was the dispute of what had actually transpired in the courtroom which would not have arisen in the first place had there been proper records. Public announcements were also recently made of the move to have more judge only trials as opposed to the more expensive and time consuming jury trials.
As pressure mounts on our justice system to put criminals away, it also becomes correspondingly important to improve the systems that ensure a fair trial for all. One way to help is by implementing an audio-visual record of the proceedings and the production of professionally produced transcripts in a timely manner. This standard should be for both the Summary Court as well as the Grand Court. Cases where the galleries are not filled with members of the public as witnesses should also have the same expectation of fairness.
When the lights of transparency are burning brightly, we can expect improved governance and justice and it’s high time we turned up the dimmer switch.
Officials say Coke is still in Jamaica
(CNS): Jamaican police say they have intelligence that Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke is still in the country despite rumours the alleged drug lord had fled. Police Commissioner Owen Ellington said yesterday that he was confident Coke who is wanted by the US to face arms- and drug-trafficking charges, was in Jamaica and he would be apprehended. The security forces now plan a renewed a push on Monday to arrest him the country’s police commissioner added at a press briefing on Friday. The death toll has risen to 76 as a result of violence triggered by attempts of Jamaican authorities in the last week including 73 civilians, two police officers and one soldier.
Dudus is not the enemy of Jamaica
On the face of it, the (recent deaths in Kingston) are due to defiant citizens rising up against initiatives by the security forces, on orders of the government, to detain Christopher "Dudus" Coke to answer US extradition charges. The spread of the killings and mayhem has been blamed on various factors, including payments to opposing gangsters and opportunism by local criminals. At the time of writing, Coke had not been captured. ….For the sake of whatever future Jamaicans must face when this crisis passes, continued analysis of these sad, tragic developments is vital. And the most obvious truth emanating from the Dudus saga….is that Dudus in not the real enemy of which Jamaicans should be wary.
Swiss naked hiker’s appeal upheld
(BBC): A court in Switzerland has upheld the appeal of a man who was fined for rambling naked. The court in Trogen ruled that the naked hiking did not amount to "indecent behaviour". A prosecutor was quoted as saying the ruling should not be seen as giving blanket permission for people to walk naked in the area. The case was the first since the eastern Swiss canton of Appenzell allowed naked hikers to be fined. Appenzell has become a popular destination for those who like to hike without clothes, but many locals are unhappy about the trend.
Cook-off winner turns marine pest into spicy tacos
(CNS): Winning first place in the Local (non professional) Cooks category in the Little Cayman Sister Islands Cook-Off, Mike Vallee sliced and diced a growing pest to Cayman Islands’ reefs and served it up as an entrée, “Spicy Lionfish Tacos”. Though their spines are venomous, the Red Lionfish flesh is good eating and, like many organisation around the Caribbean trying to keep the numbers if these fish down, the Department of Environment (DoE) is promoting the fact that they can be eaten. For anyone wondering how to best to serve them, CNS has included a section in our Classifieds for Lionfish Recipes, and invites everyone to share recipes or tips.
To upload recipes, go to www.CNSclassifieds.com and click on “Post your Free Ad Here”. To start the ball rolling, head chef at the Little Cayman Beach Resort, Chef Anthony Pizzarello, has contributed three recipes: Ginger-tempura lionfish with wasabi-chili tartar sauce and sweet soy, ‘Corn-dusted lionfish BLT wrap with chipotle mayonnaise’, ‘Petite spinach salad and sherry-honey lime vinaigrette’, and ‘Caribbean tamarind glazed lionfish with tropical fruit chutney and smoked paprika basmati rice’, which can all be found in Lionfish Recipes.
The Department of Environment has been taking steps to control the rapid growth of the Red Lionfish since the first one was spotted in February 2008 in Little Cayman. Native to Pacific waters, Red Lionfish are beautiful but they are ravenous eating machines that reproduce very quickly and present a real threat to the Atlantic eco-systems, where they are increasingly prevalent.
They have no known predators in local waters – except humans, so efforts to control this invasive and destructive species include educating the public, with a series of awareness seminars (the next one is this Saturday, 29 May, at the Elmslie Memorial Church Hall, George Town) and training divers how to catch them. Because they have venomous spines which can cause painful wounds in humans, untrained divers are encouraged not to catch them themselves but to report sightings to the DoE at 949-8469, or Grand Cayman – Mark (916-4271), Little Cayman – Keith (916-7021), Cayman Brac – Robert (926-2342).
At this point, there are over 400 residents licensed to catch lionfish, and from January 2009 through April of this year these trained divers have caught over 1,500 fish around Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, DoE Research Officer Bradley Johnson told CNS. “We’re seeing an increase in the size and amount of lionfish in the water, as we expected, which is why we’re still trying to get people aware and interested in culling them.”
Because following Hurricane Paloma there were few divers in the waters of Cayman Brac, that island is the most infested, Johnson said. A small groupof residents and all the dive staff from Reef Divers are licensed to catch the lionfish but the DoE needs more help and Johnson said they would be doing more to promote the problem on the island this summer.
Because the lionfish found their way to Little Cayman and the Brac before they were seen around Grand Cayman the Sister Islands are slightly ahead in terms of size and abundance of fish, Johnson noted. “Grand Cayman has the most cullers by far and we’re always having training courses and generating interest in it." He said the Brac and Little Cayman have about 30 cullers each.
For more information about the invasive Red Lionfish, go to the DoE website.
Dates of the Lionfish Awareness meetings
The DOE Lionfish Culling Group Facebook page
Security forces take control of Coke’s stronghold
(CNS): Jamaican security officials continued to clear blockades with bulldozers set up by the followers of suspected drug lord Christopher "Dudus" Coke to block his stronghold of Tivoli Gardens, on Friday. At least 73 people have now been killed in the battle between security forces and the armed supporters of Coke — and allegations continue that the death toll is far higher. On the fifth day of urban violence, sections of the capital remained under a state of emergency and the search continued for the man who is wanted by the US authorities on drug-trafficking and gun-running charges.Former Prime Minister Edward Seaga has criticized the current government for not protecting residents of Tivoli Coke’s stronghold, arguing that the fighting had caused widespread suffering.
Seaga has called on government officials to lift the lockdown so trapped residents have access to food and medication.
Deficit close to $50 million
(CNS): Government has said it now plans to bring its 2010-2011 budget to the Legislative Assembly on 15 June, two weeks later than the premier had announced at the last press briefing. The expected earnings and proposed spending plans of the UDP government have been submitted to the UK, and the new overseas territories minister is said to be making a decision regarding the Cayman government’s borrowing requirement. Although government has not revealed the figure, estimates are that government will need to borrow over $200 million in order to complete existing projects, commence a number of new capital works and plug the deficit of around $50million from the 2009/10 budget.
Jeffers revealed as alleged West Bay killer
(CNS): Twenty-six year old Raziel Omar Jeffers, who has already been charged with one count of murder for the killing of Damian Ming in West Bay in March, is the man police have now charged with the murder of Marcus Ebanks (20) (left) and the attempted murder of Adryan Powell also in West Bay. Jeffers appeared in court yesterday to face his second murder and attempted murder charges. Authorities say Jeffers and another masked gunman jumped from the bushes on Bonaventure Lane and began firing at seven young men. Ebanks was killed and two others were wounded, including Powell, who was only 14 at the time and who is now paralysed as a result of the incident, along with Roy Ebanks who was 18 on the night of the shooting.
Caribbean business falls 10% for Cable & Wireless
(CNS): Cable & Wireless Communications (formerly Cable and Wireless International) revealed its first financial results since its demerger from the telecoms group in London yesterday. Seeking to reassure investors Tony Rice, Chief Executive said the company had delivered a good result in what has been a difficult period for all telecommunications companies around the world. He said the planned dividend of 8 cents for 2010-11 was a "base" from which it should rise. The reported revenue of $2.4bn for the year to March 31 was down 4 per cent from last year but revenue fell 10 per cent in the Caribbean region.