Archive for March 2nd, 2011
CNB Relay event this weekend
(CIAA): The Cayman Islands Athletic Association will be hosting the 4th Annual CNB Relays on Saturday 5 March at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex starting at 4:00pm. The event which is sponsored by Cayman National Bank promises to be an exciting one and we are looking forward to a good turn out of teams in the various events. The categories are; Schools, Government Departments, Corporate Sector, National Associations and Churches.
EVENTS AND AGE GROUPS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
4 x 50m SHUTTLE M/F U9
4 x 60m SHUTTLE M/F U11
4 x 100m M/F U9, U11, U13, U15, U17, 17– 25, Over 25
100m x 100m x 200m x 400m MEDLEY M/F U11, U13 (MIXED)
200m X 200m x 400m x 800m MEDLEY M/F U15, U17, 17 -25, Over 25 (MIXED)
4 x 200m M/F U13, U15, U17, 17 -25, Over 25
4 x 300m M/F UNDER 15
4 x 400m M/F UNDER 17, 17 – 25, Over 25
4 x 1 MILE MIXED: OPEN
Teams for the Mixed Medley Relays will be 2 Females and 2 Males.
Medals will be awarded to the first, second and third in each event.
For more details email caymanathletics@gmail.com or contact Elizabeth Ibeh (925-4763), CoachWilliams (925-1943), Coach Yen (925-6917) or Meet Director Harcourt Wason (916-6966).
Iguanas make it 3 in a row
(CRFU): The John Doak Architecture Iguanas made it 3 wins on the trot and became the first team to achieve such a feat in the 2011 AA Cup season with a very hard fought win over the Krys Global Buccaneers on Saturday 19 February. The game was by no means as cool a display as was put on by the Iguanas only the week previous to halter the DHL Storm’s run of wins in the league but the encounter allowed the Iguanas to take revenge from the beating they were subjected to in the opening game of the AA Cup campaign at the hands of the Buccaneers. The Buccs, without Shaun Gerrard and Ben Blair looked a slightly weakened side but by no means any less dangerous that usual. (Photos by Caroline Deegan)
The scoring was opened by Iguana star Etienne Duvenage who slotted an easy penalty but the lead was cancelled out only moments later with a John Murphy penalty kick. A converted Yohann Regnard try for the Iguanas regained the lead for the men in grey but a cool and collected Phil O’Connor try made the score level again. Etienne Duvanage pulled out yet another game winning performance for the Iguanas with 2 more tries and with a hand full of kicks to bring up 22 points for the Iguanas whilst the Buccs could only muster one more score from powerful Fijian lock, Saviriano Tabuaniwera.
In a league where bonus points are becoming ever increasingly important The Iguanas missed out on their second chance to gain an extra point when American Football convert Chris McTaggart Smith, playing his first full 80 minutes of rugby failed to ground the ball in the try area.
Final Score: Krys Global Buccaneers 15-22 John Doak Architecture Iguanas
In the second game of the day the DHL Storm looked to bounce back after their shock loss to the Iguanas with a win over a winless but ever improving Queensgate Pigs Trotters. The Storm, without captain Keswick Wright who has suffered a concussion in the loss to the Iguanas and without speedy newboy Gareth Wilkinson welcomed back Venassio Tokotokovanua in the centres.
The Storm turned back the years in the performance with tries being scored by a host of players on the park including Camilo Ramires, Ross Connerton and Venassio Tokotokovanua to name but a few but as the points mounted against the Pigs a strong performance by the Trotters pack gave the Pigs back line enough breathing room to put points on the board and keep in contention for much of the encounter. Impressive tries from James Waters plus a late solo effort from new boy Leslie Harvey will give the Iguanas much to think about going into the weekend.
Final Score: DHL Storm 35-19 Queensgate Pigs Trotters
With the Buccaneers looking to overturn their heavy defeat at the hands of the Storm early in the season the Buccs now have the extra difficulty of containing Jeffrey Robinson who made a comeback from long term injury for the Storm and with the Storms’ impressive and never empty subs bench the odds are certainly stacking against the 2008 AA Cup and Waterford Trophy winning Buccaneers.
Next games: 5 March at the Cayman Rugby Club
DHL Storm vs. Krys Global Buccaneers @2pm
John Doak Architecture Iguanas vs. Queensgate Pigs Trotters @ 4pm
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All games available to watch free on www.caymanrugbytv.com
Christian couple lose court battle over foster caring
(BBC): Eunice and Owen Johns, 62 and 65, of Derby, said the city council did not want them to look after children because of their traditional views. They claim they were "doomed not to be “approved" due to their opinions. The High Court ruled that laws protecting people from sexual discrimination should take precedence. They withdrew their application after a social worker expressed concerns when they said they could not tell a child a homosexual lifestyle was acceptable. At the High Court, they asked judges to rule that their faith should not be a bar to them becoming carers, and the law should protect their Christian values.
CIMA signs deal with Turks’ regulator to share info
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) has formalized its cooperation regime with fellow dependant territory and neighbour, the Turks and Caicos Islands. The authority signed a memorandum of understanding for the exchange of information and investigative assistance between CIMA and the Turks and Caicos Financial Services Commission (TCI FSC) on 25 February. TCI FSC Managing Director Kevin Higgins, who signed on behalf of the Turks and Caicos Islands, said he welcomed the development. “The FSC looks forward to working more closely with one of the premier regulatory agencies in the Caribbean,” he added. CIMA’s MD Cindy Scotland said the MOU would reinforce Cayman’s international cooperation regime. This is the 19th deal of its kind that CIMA has signed.
"We are pleased to formalise methodologies of cooperation that has existed between CIMA and the Turks and Caicos Islands. We see this MOU as reinforcing our strong international cooperation regime and further demonstrating our commitment in this area," Scotland added as she outlined the types of assistance that can be requested and given by CIMA and the TCI FSC.
The MOU allows the provision, confirmation or verification of information and documents from other parties, discussing issues of mutual interest, arranging and/or conducting inspections of financial services providers, and permitting representatives of the requesting authority to participate in enquiries by or on behalf of the requested authority.
The MOU also outlines the procedure each regulator will use for making requests and how requests will be assessed to determine if the required assistance can be given.
The TCI FSC was established in 2001 as an independent statutory body responsible for the supervision of the islands’ financial services sector and is also responsible for the oversight of company formation and registration. Like CIMA, the commission is a member of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), and Offshore Group of Insurance Supervisors (OGIS).
CIMA has MOUs and other information-exchange agreements with financial regulators in Argentina, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, the Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jersey, Malta, Panama, the UK and several within the US., as well as with the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). There is also a multi-lateral MOU with eight Caribbean regulators.
The agreements can be viewed in the External Cooperation and Assessments / International Co-operation section of CIMA’s website: International Agreements.
Agriculture show to offer taste of farm life
(CNS): Visitors to this year’s agricultural show will be getting a close up of life down on the farm with demonstrations and exhibitions that show what local farmers get up to every day. Already a popular day out, organisers say that Grand Cayman’s 44th show will be bigger and better than ever. Agriculture Society President Errol Watler said traditional art demonstrations, cultural exhibits, tea tasting and a scavenger hunt are just a few of the activities that people can enjoy, alongside the Beautiful Baby Contest, the YMS drill and the equestrian activities. Entertainment includes a gospel concert, the Cayman Islands Marching Band, dance demonstrations, and a number of local bands.
“We will have a cow milking demonstration, chicken hatchling demonstration and discussion on the work of the Caymanian farmer,” he said. ”A returning feature this year is the schools’ interactive tent which gives children the opportunity to showcase their art, crafts, essays and poems focused on agriculture and the environment. We are expecting to have an exciting show with activities for the entire family, and we ask everyone to come and be a part of it,” said Watler.
Director of the Department of Agriculture Adrian Estwick said he was proud of the support that the department continues to give to the show and the farmers of the Cayman Islands. “This collaborative process involving the ministry, the department, the farmers, and the society is what continues to keep the show growing from strength to strength,” Estwick said.
Minister of Agriculture Juliana O’Connor-Connolly said the show has grown in significance as agriculture begins to take a more important role in the Island’s development. “The ministry continues to lend our support to both the Grand Cayman and the Cayman Brac agriculture shows because we believe in our farmers, and we recognise that these shows provide a great forum for them to showcase and market their goods,” she added.
The show takes place at the Grounds in Lower Valley on Ash Wednesday (9 March), which is a public holiday, and cost $10 to enter. The popular $20,000 grand prize raffle is also back. Tickets are $25 and include the $10 entrance fee. People can pre-purchase raffle tickets at Funky Tangs or pay at the gate on the day of the show. Gates open at 7am, with the official opening ceremony at 9am.
LIME stumps up more cash for annual games
(CNS): Regional telecommunications firm LIME has announced a US $400,000 investment in regional athletics with a two year sponsorship of the prestigious CARIFTA Games. During a ceremony held at the Cuddy’z Restaurant in Kingston, Jamaica, on Tuesday Grace Silvera, LIME’s Regional Vice President, Marketing & Corporate Communications said LIME would be continuing its investment with the North America Central America & Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC) by sponsoring the annual sporting event which he added is instrumental in talent discovery and development of young athletes across the Caribbean.
“Sport is dear to the hearts of the Caribbean and our athletic prowess greatly defines who we are as a people. This is more than a sponsorship, it’s an investment. LIME is therefore, very proud be sponsors of the games and to facilitate the regional broadcast of this exciting event to athletic fans and supporters across the region,” Silvera said.
Neville ‘Teddy’ McCook, President of NACAC thanked LIME for their longstanding contribution to sport. “CARIFTA is a breeding ground for the world stage and from these Games many stars are born, and world recognition is given to Caribbean nations, so LIME’s investment will help to develop young athletic talent across the region,” he said.
The 2011 CARIFTA Games is scheduled to be held in Montego Bay, Jamaica from April 22-24 and will attract over 800 athletes, their families, coaches and supporters to the island. During the three-day event more than 150 events will be staged including sprints, distance races, relays and field events.
The Games have produced several athletic World Record Holders and World and Olympic Champions, including star athletes such as Usain Bolt, Darrel Brown, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Kim Collins, Pauline Davis-Thompson, and Obadele Thompson.
NS campaign gathers pace
(CNS): The Save Cayman campaign opposing the development of a channel in the North Soundis growing fast and campaigners hope to have volunteers stationed across Grand Cayman this weekend gathering signatures for a petition. Since the premier announced his intention to dredge the North Sound in order to create a channel that would allow mega yachts to pass through those opposed to the project for both economic and environmental reasons have been growing in numbers. A CNS straw poll posted on Monday already reveals that 84% of voters think the channel is terrible idea. Campaigners are concerned, however, that with the premier’s enthusiasm for the channel there is little time to waste in ensuring the anti-channel message gets out.
The premier has said that he hopes to sign a memorandum of understanding with the proposed developers before the end of March to dredge a channel at the western end of the sound near to Barkers point to connect with the canal at Morgan’s Harbour.
Two islands that are said to be a mile in diameter will be reclaimed and will be used to enhance the project, McKeeva Bush revealed in the Legislative Assembly last week, and added that government would be putting in the necessary infrastructure. He said Cayman had to “use its assets” in order to grow the economy.
The premier has made it clear that he does not believe the channel will cause any serious harm and has dismissed critics of the project, whom he says are opposed to the idea without knowing all the facts. Although Bush has stated on a number of occasions that he would not go ahead with the project if the Sandbar was threatened, a considerable number of people believe that it would be at risk, leading to the loss of Cayman’s primary tourist attraction, Stingray City.
Save Cayman started this weekend in order to focus the opposition to the channel under one umbrella, and campaigners say that not only is Stingray City at risk but the whole of Grand Cayman faces a much greater tsunami threat during a major hurricane as well. The question of who will benefit from the development as opposed to those in danger of losing their livelihood is also an issue which has been raised by a number of bloggers on CNS as well as the campaigners.
Furthermore, the demand from the mega yacht community to come to Grand Cayman is also in question as little research has been done to establish at what level that would be and what sort of numbers the island could expect. Anecdotal evidence suggests that those owners who do choose to come have expressed a preference for being in the Seven Mile Beach area.
The opposition party raised its concerns yesterday when Alden McLaughlin spoke to CNS, stating that the PPM has always had reservations about dredging a channel in the North Sound and that to rush into such a project was foolhardy at best.
Despite the premier’s discussions with the developers and the goal to have an MOU signed shortly, with construction set to start before the year end, the director of the Department of the Environment has said that no one has yet discussed the proposal with the department. Gina Ebanks-Petrie said that she would recommend a full environmental impact assessment which would also examine other means of achieving the government’s objectives without the need for dredging the channel.
In the wake of planning permission given to the Ritz Carlton developer last year to dredge canals as deep as 20 feet, the director recently said that there has been considerable research which finds that even canals dug beyond 9 feet, the limit recommend by the Wickstead Report as far back as 1976, caused serious environmental problems, from negative impacts on water quality to the reduction of biodiversity.
The Save Cayman campaign is being spearheaded by Captain Bryan Ebanks with the assistance of other concerned citizens. The goal, he says, is to get as many hands on deck as possible this weekend to ensure that everyone who is opposed to the development gets a chance to sign the petition and expresstheir concern.
“There is a lot to be done and if we had a few other committed people to work collaboratively with us we believe we could have a greater impact,” said Capt Ebanks as he asked for people to volunteer their time. “We have very little time to work with as Mr Bush is pushing forward with or without the blessing of the people. We need our voices to be loud. We need our message to be heard.”
Anyone who can assist with the campaign is asked to contact either Capt. Banks at savecayman@gmail.com – more details can also be found on the Save Cayman FaceBook page.
Go to the CNS poll:
Are you in favour of dredging a channel in the North Sound to accommodate mega yachts?
Burst water pipe cuts supply to Bodden Town
(CNS): The Water Authority Cayman is dealing with a broken water main in the Pease Bay area of Bodden Town and is asking morning rush hour motorists to take care as they drive through the area and to obey all of the traffic signs as crews attend to the problem. The authority has said that customers are likely to be inconvenienced for sometime as the repairs are expected to take four to five hours and the water supply will be interrupted for customers located between Kipling Street to Midland Acres during that time. “The Water Authority said it appreciated the patience and understanding over the inconvenience caused to customers and drivers as the restoration work gets underway," officials stated.
ESO to survey business community for BOP
(CNS): The country’s statistics officials will begin collecting economic data from local businesses later this month when the Economics and Statistics Office (ESO) starts its research for the Cayman Islands’ latest Balance of Payments (BOP) and System of National Accounts (SNA) surveys. Starting on 14 March, the data collection will last over two months, specifically targeting businesses, non-profit organisations and government entities, with some 5,000 questionnaires. Devised with help from the Caribbean Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC), the surveys are tailor-made to meet the demand for accurate statistics that will reflect the true nature of the local business climate, ESO states.
Participation in the surveys is mandated in the statistics law, which also prohibits communication or publication of information that might identify a business or an individual. “ESO will use the data gathered only as aggregate statistics,” said ESO Director Maria Zingapan. “Over the years, Cayman’s business community has repeatedly sought economic data so that they can plan better.”
Survey Coordinator Yvonne Newland explained that the SNA and BOP are the same used in advanced economies in the world.
The week before the survey starts ESO staff will distribute the questionnaires to organisations that then have until 13 May to return them either by post or by hand to the ESO office on the third floor in Elizabethan Square, or electronically by those who downloaded a questionnaire from www.eso.ky. Completed forms can also be collected by ESO staff.
Meanwhile, officials at the ESO said the latest population statistic, which was compiled using data from the national census conducted in October, should be in the public domain before the end of March. The first piece of information from the nationwide count was expected by the end of 2010 but has been delayed. The report is currently waiting Cabinet notation, the ESO stated.
Prangs and smashes continue
(CNS): Despite the constant warning and urging by police for people to improve their standard of driving, the accident toll on Grand Cayman keeps on rising. While some prangs are considerably less serious than others, the number of more serious smashes is still high for the size of the population. In the last five days drivers have crashed into a George Town store, had a serious collision on the bypass and even, ironically, smashed into the sign at the vehicle and licensing department. According to the latest information available on the 911 call log, in the first 12 days of 2011 there were 43 motor vehicle accidents reported to emergency services and in at least ten of those people were injured. (Photos Dennie Warren Jr)
On Sunday a driver, who witnesses said appeared to be drunk, ran into Arthur Bodden’s wooden print shop, a historic building on North Church Street in downtown George Town, causing extensive damage. On Saturday night two cars were damaged when they narrowly escaped a head on collision, and last Thursday morning one driver crashed into the sign at the new Department of Vehicle Licensing.
The police commissioner has called for legislation to ban cell phone use while driving and increase fines for driving offences. At a recent press briefing David Baines said that appalling driving standards were endemic. According to the latest police statistics, there were 1,374 road accidents in Cayman last year, which included seven deaths. Although accidents increased by 4% in 2010 compared to 2009, the history of road traffic accidents in Cayman is high. In 2008 there were over 1,500 smashes and 1,430 in 2007.
Despite the continued campaigns by the RCIPS and the pleas from senior officers, the accident toll remains disproportionate for the size of the driving population and the miles of road, with many accidents being single vehicle crashes. Baines said that the 300 collisions that took place in the last six-weeks of 2010 illustrated that there was a lot of work to be done to educate drivers.
“Drink driving, the use of cell phones while driving, speed and appalling driving standards are endemic and all of these issues will be addressed in our planned National Road Safety Strategy,” he said. “Too many lives have been lost on our roads – and that’s why two years ago we made some significant recommendations to legislators. These include raising fines, banning cell phones and introducing new road traffic charges.”
However, he said that the police could only enforce the legislation that is in place and the RCIPS needed the backing of legislators to make the roads of the Cayman Islands safe. “We look forward to the days when our recommendations are passed into law,” he added.