Archive for September, 2010

The Mighty Arrow, Soca King of the World, dies at 60

Guest Writer | 23/09/2010 | 0 Comments

(The Montserrat Reporter): The Government and People of Montserrat join in mourning the loss of The Soca King of the World, Alphonsus “The Mighty Arrow” Cassell MBE. He died at his residence on Montserrat today Wednesday 15 September 2010 at the age of 60. The island’s national Radio Station ZJB was today overwhelmed with calls of grief and offers of condolences to Arrow’s family in an atmosphere of deep mourning across the island. Montserrat’s Chief Minister, The Honourable Reuben T. Meade said; “Arrows passing is a national loss of a Cultural Institution and a National Icon who was generous, kind and the embodiment of an enduring and unmoving love for humanity.

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Five go to battle for beauty pageant crown

Cayman News | 23/09/2010 | 34 Comments

(CNS): On Saturday five young Caymanians will battle it out for the coveted title of Miss Cayman Islands and the chance to be an ambassador for their country. Aside from attending the Miss World and Miss Universe pageants the winner of the crown will spend the next twelve months promoting the islands on behalf of the department of tourism. The five finalists have spent the last few weeks at photo shoots, public appearances and specialist events drumming up support for themselves their sponsors and their chosen charities but it all boils down to the judges’ decision on the night.

The Pageant will take place at the Lions Centre starting at 7:00pm but organisers said the gates will open at 6:00pm.

“This year’s theme is ‘Earth, Wind and Fire’ and will convey a mystical, elegant tone for the Pageant,” organisers stated.

The five contestants – Venessa Ebanks, Mysti Bush, Trudy Ann Duncan, Shari Walton and Cristin Alexander have been training for weeks with Ford Fitness, former Miss Cayman Stacey Ann Kelly, Trainer Dwight Rivers and the Toastmasters Club, and are ready to hit the stage.

General Admission is $25.00 for adults and $15 for children but those under 12 are free. VIP tickets cost $100 which includes wine, hors d’oeuvres and first-class seating.

Tickets are available from Le Classique, Reflections, Eclipze, Funky Tang’s, Government Administration Building, Ministry of Tourism – Dawn McLean-Sawney 926-2577 or Shena Ebanks 917-9897, the Miss Cayman Committee members – Lovenia Ebanks 916-0264 – and contestants.

Second youth employment course gets underway

Cayman News | 23/09/2010 | 4 Comments

(CNS): Another twenty-four young people have joined the government’s youth employment scheme Passport2Success in the hope of improving their chances in the most difficult job market Cayman has ever experienced. With over a 1,000 Caymanians out of work, youngsters with no higher education qualifications and no work experience are hit the hardest by the recession. Following the positive response to the Passport2Successpilot earlier this year, the second free 12-week skills preparation programme began this month. Over half of the students from the last course are now either in college or working, organisers said, giving hope for this next group of young people.

Programme Coordinator Shannon Seymour said she was hoping for a repeat of the last group’s achievements with the second class. “Of the 22 students who signed up during the pilot, 14 have transitioned from unemployment to having some clear goals,” she said. “Six are now attending the University College of the Cayman Islands and eight are fully employed. Most young people not only need a chance, but they also need to be prepared to take advantage of that chance when it comes. This program equips them to do that.”

The programme tackles specific skill gaps, such as literacy and IT, but its main focus is to teach school leavers how to go through the process of securing a job and keeping it once they have done that and preparing them for the realities of the work place.

Education and Training Minister Rolston Anglin said the programme would help the students to get a firm grasp of employers’ expectations. “It’s designed to ensure that your transition to the world-of-work is as smooth as possible, as wellas to equip you with the softer skills that employers desire,” he told the young people enrolled on the orientation day.

After only one course the Passport2success programme appears to be gaining a positive reputation as a number of the latest group of students said they were there as a result of hearing about it from the pilot-group. “I heard about the programme from my cousin Michelle Johnson," Angelica McField explained. “And I’ve seen the difference it’s made in her life.”

The programme is full-time, runs five days weekly from 8:30am – 4:00pm and is based at the International College of the Cayman Islands (ICCI).

Passport2Success is joint project between government and the private sector. It is free and no qualifications or work experience are required to participate. The minister has said he hopes to run at least two programmes a year to give young unemployed Caymanians a better chance of helping themselves into a job. Visit www.passport2success.ky, email info@wellnesscentre.ky or call 949-9355 for details. Programme sponsors are the Ministry of Education, Training and Employment; LIME, Butterfield Group and CML Offshore Recruitment.

Cop faces trial for assault

Cayman News | 23/09/2010 | 2 Comments

(CNS): RCIPS officer Rabe Welcome will face a Grand Court trial on charges of common assault and wounding in connection with an incident at the Red Bay Esso gas station last year, following a Summary Court enquiry. However, charges against his fellow officer Adrian Clark have been dismissed following a successful ‘no case’ submission by his attorney, John Meghoo. Both officers were suspended from duty following a police investigation into allegations of brutality by three off-duty officers after a man received a broken arm during an incident at the gas station in June 2009. Welcome is accused of using excessive force during the incident which caused the man’s injuries.

During a long form preliminary enquiry, which ended on Tuesday, Magistrate Grace Donalds dismissed charges against Clarke, but Welcome, who is represented by Waide DaCosta, has now been committed to Grand Court.

According to a police report from the time, an internal enquiry had been initiated by the Professional Standards Unit of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service to assess the level of force used during the incident.

The man, who had been reportedly armed with a machete, sustained various injuries during the arrest by three off-duty police officers. The complainant, who was reportedly arrested by the off-duty officers on suspicion of threatening violence and possession of an offensive weapon, suffered a laceration to his face and a broken arm.

In the wake of the incident a spokesperson for the police said, “When officers find themselves in situations where the use of force is necessary they are required to justify that use of force, showing that it was proportionate and legal, and that there was, at the time, an absolute necessity.”

Welcome, the only officer of the three who will now face trial, had his bail extended and is expected to appear in Grand Court next month for a date to be set. It is unclear whether Clark will return to duty immediately or if internal enquiries will continue.

Clifford: Miller taking lead

Cayman News | 23/09/2010 | 54 Comments

(CNS): Former tourism minister CharlesClifford has said he believes the independent member for North Side is emerging as a more effective opposition spokesperson than the official leader of the opposition. Clifford, who recently resigned from the People’s Progressive Movement, the party in which he served as a Cabinet minister, told CNS that Ezzard Miller was increasingly taking the role that people would expect to be filled by the PPM party leader Kurt Tibbetts. He pointed out that on all the major issues, at present, the North Side MLA was the first on his feet in the Legislative Assembly to point out the problems that government’s policies may cause and to speak on behalf of the people. (Photo Dennie Warren Jr)

Speaking to CNS about the current problems with Cayman’s political system and the desperate need for local politics to be about policies and not personalities or party colours, Clifford said Miller was demonstrating how much more effective an MLA could be when focused purely on the policies he believed would benefit or harm his constituents.

He said that at the last election there was a lot of talk about how independent candidates would not be able to function if they got elected to the Legislative Assembly as they would be up against the established power of the party system.

“There is an interesting dynamic going on here because Ezzard Miller is the sole independent member in the Legislative Assembly, and while this might not be the real position, it is the perceived position – Ezzard has emerged as the informal leader of the opposition. He is the person that is out there opposing the government more aggressively than anyone else on some of the policies that he does not think are in best interests of the country,” Clifford told CNS in a recent interview.

Clifford said it had been telling recently that rather than the leader of the opposition standing up first to respond to the premier stating the opposition position, Miller has been the one getting to his feet first and stating his position on a government bill or debate. It was interesting, the former minster said, that even as the single independent member, whether you support his policies or position or not he has made his mark.

“That says quite a bit, not just about Ezzard but independent candidates,” Clifford observed.

Although he said he was not advocating for the concept of independent candidates, he said Miller demonstrated how effective and powerful policy positions are in political representatives.

Clifford admitted playing a part in the style of party politics that had emerged, which he has previously criticised, and said is not about policies and ideologies as it should be but about personalities. He said that not only did this not suit the Cayman Islands but it was also stifling the best ideas. While he acknowledged that, as a UK overseas territory, we are obligated to practise the Westminster system of parliamentary politics, which was inherently adversarial, the country could find a new way that rejected the current ideology of "us and them” or attitudes of “you are for us or against us”, which has discounted positive ideas that were not from within the parties. Clifford said no one party had a monopoly on good ideas.

Avoiding the specifics about his own future plans, he did admit to talking with a number of people and working towards the formation of solid policy ideas about how Cayman could adopt a political system that could embrace creativity rather than stifle it. He said he was not against political parties and perceived a future for them, but ones shaped on political positions and ideology and not personalities. He said good people were being put off from entering the political arena because of the way the system worked. But Clifford said the country needed people to step up to the plate and offer policies that can move the country forward and he was in the process of recruiting people to his potential alliance or coalition to find a way to do that.

“What is more important than a name is what are the policies that this group will represent and present to the people as solutions … The name will naturally emerge from the ideologies but it’s less important that the ideologies.”

He said he understood the value of having structure and discipline in an organisation and said he was not opposed to politically parties at all, but to the way they had emerged and the negative issues associated with them. Clifford said using colours to identify parties may seem a minor point but it was divisive. “Even very young people who have no understanding of the key political issues yet are rallying around the colours, he added.

“Until we reach a level of political maturity where we can have an honest discussion about this party issue and what needs to be done, we are going to continue doing what we have always been doing and expecting different results,” he said, adding that voters needed to ask themselves questions before they cast their votes. “The electorate needs to begin looking at who it is that is being elected to the Legislative Assembly. Are they proposing the right policies? Do they have the wherewithal? Are they competent enough? Those are the real questions that the population needs to ask,” Clifford said.

The former cabinet minster, who lost his seat in the last election, says that he is not done with politics yet and has not ruled out running for election again. However, he said that regardless of whether he is directly or indirectly involved, he wants to pull together a political group of some kind that will be focused on ideology and policy positions that will lead Cayman in a specific direction and ensure the country changes course before its too late.

Drivers warned over harbour front road works

Cayman News | 22/09/2010 | 4 Comments

(CNS): The Cayman Water Authority said that Phase 2 of the South Church Street upgrade project on the George Town harbour front is scheduled to continue on Thursday, 23 September 23 from 9:00AM until 4:00PM. The WA said warned the motoring public of the works which will take place between Ugland House and Melmac Avenue. Access from Ugland House to Melmac Ave will be reduced to one lane. All motorists travelling in the South Church Street area are urged to take note of the road works and use caution while motoring there. (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)

If possible, motorists are asked to use an alternate route. The Water Authority said it apologizes in advance for any inconvenience caused and wishes to thank the public for its understanding as they continue to make service improvements.

CAL resumes Washington & Chicago direct flights

Cayman News | 22/09/2010 | 4 Comments

(CNS): Cayman Airways Limited (CAL) has announced that it will be resuming nonstop flights to Washington, DC and Chicago this winter. Chicago flights start again on 21 November while flights to the US capital start on 18 December until April 2011. The National flag carrier said the seasonal gateways are operating alongside the airline’s year-round non-stop service between Grand Cayman and New York (JFK International Airport).Senior Vice President of Commercial Affairs and CFO for Cayman Airways, Paul Tibbetts said not only were these gateways lucrative for Cayman tourism they also offer excellent vacation experiences for Cayman residents.

“Both Chicago and DC offer a plethora of activities for the whole family, including museums, planetariums, zoo’s, art galleries, and festivals just to name a few. We hope everyone takes advantage of this great travel opportunity available through the national flag carrier,” he said.

Shomari Scott, Acting Director of the Department of Tourism (DoT), said the department welcomed the return of the flights for the coming winter tourist season and was expecting that they will help boost visitor numbers.

“In the past, this route has proven to be an important gateway for many vacation and business travellers from the USA’s north-east region to the Cayman Islands, and the re-launch at this time will be an added convenience for travellers to and from our Islands, along with the regular flights out of New York City. DoT is also delighted to see the continuation of the Chicago flight as that area continues to be a strong tourism market for the Cayman Islands,” Scott added.

Economy roundtrip airfares start at CI$200 for Washington and CI$264 for Chicago with taxes and fees on top. The DC service will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays with the Chicago flight on Wednesdays and Sundays the airline said.

Libraries push membership and encourage reading

Cayman News | 22/09/2010 | 0 Comments

(CNS): The Cayman Islands public library services are promote reading to mark International Literacy Month this September. As well as offering tips to parents on how to get kids reading the local libraries are running a membership with sign up campaign. In tough economic times, parents find it hard to make sure their children have everything they need for school but library cards are free. Libraries support literacy education by providing teaching resources, space for tutoring, information and referral services, as well as free access to music, DVDs, the Internet, books and much more. Library cards aren’t just for kids a recent report found the importance of libraries has grown in 2010 in face of the global economic crisis as people looked for sources of cost-effective help.

Education Minister said the community should make the most of the range of information resources that are available and waiting at public libraries around the islands. He also noted how important a skill reading was for young people. “There are so many ways in which reading continues to be both a vital skill for children to master, and an important source of knowledge and pleasure that can last a lifetime. Nurture it in your children,” Rolston Anglin said.

Studies have shown that the more children read the better readers and writers they will become. However with so many electronic resources competing for kids attention today parents struggle to get children to read. According to the Reading is Fundamental Organization (RIF) if families have books and other reading materials at home then they have a better chance of getting kids to read.

A library card is free and members can borrow up to ten books at a time. Looking in the linrary with children can help parents understand what their kids are most interested so they can borrow books and magazines in that field.

The best way to motivate reading is for parents to display good reading habits and let kids see them reading as often as possible, whether it’s the newspaper, magazines or books. Discussing books that parents have read with their kids will reinforce the concept that reading is an important part of life.

RIF also says that Children at any age will appreciate being read to. Experts recommend that parents do this for at least 10-15 minutes each day at a convenient time as the more children are read to the greater their interest in mastering reading.

OFCs fan to host seminar at UCCI

Cayman News | 22/09/2010 | 3 Comments

(CNS): Professor Walid Hejazi, from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, will be conducting an advanced level financial seminar at the UCCI next month. The seminar, designed for professionals in all sectors of the financial services industry, including those serving in related government agencies, will be offered over a four-day period, beginning 4 October. Professor Hejazi who is an international expert in the areas of macroeconomics and the global economy will explore the role of international financial centres such as the Cayman Islands in a global community.

Hejazi has been a vocal supporter of international banking and low-tax jurisdictions. “I have argued in front of Canadian parliamentary committees on three occasions that if the OECD were to shut these international jurisdictions down, it would hurt the global economy and, in particular, the specific economies that are home to the investments,” he said, adding that from a global economic perspective, international financial centres “play a very important role that is very much not understood by many policymakers.”

On the other hand, he noted that the use of these jurisdictions to hide money that "should" be taxed in a home jurisdiction is “out of the scope” of the above comment. He anticipated that the “should” would serve for interesting discussion during the seminar.

The scope of this advanced-level workshop which costs $1800 covers the relationships and impacts of macroeconomics, international financial centres and the global economy. Also explored will be current shifts in the global economy, including emerging economies, and the increasing importance of international financial centres in a changing global financial environment.

The agenda will include the role of monetary and fiscal policy and links to financial markets, theories of exchange rate, international trade, and foreign investment. The underlying causes of the global financial crisis and implications for international financial centres will also be addressed.

Popes bankers under investigation

Cayman News | 22/09/2010 | 0 Comments

(FT.Com): Italy’s finance police have seized €23m held by the Vatican in an Italian bank while the pope’s top two bankers have been placed under investigation for suspected money laundering. Police confirmed reports that they had confiscated the funds held by the Institute for Religious Works (IOR) – the Vatican’s bank – in an account at Credito Artigiano, an Italian bank, following suspicions raised by the Bank of Italy over two attempted transfers. Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, formerly Bank Santander’s head of operations in Italy and a professor of ethical finance, was appointed head of IOR a year ago.

According to sources close to the Vatican, one of his main mandates was to bring the bank in line with international norms and regulations on tax havens and money laundering.

The second official being investigated is Paolo Cipriani, the bank’s director-general. The Vatican expressed its full confidence in Mr Gotti Tedeschi. In a statement it expressed surprise at the investigation and said it remained committed to financial transparency.

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Archive for September, 2010

The Mighty Arrow, Soca King of the World, dies at 60

Five go to battle for beauty pageant crown

Second youth employment course gets underway

Cop faces trial for assault

Clifford: Miller taking lead

Drivers warned over harbour front road works

CAL resumes Washington & Chicago direct flights

Libraries push membership and encourage reading

OFCs fan to host seminar at UCCI

Popes bankers under investigation

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