Archive for May, 2012
NOAA confirms average hurricane season ahead
(CNS): Just one week ahead of the official start of the hurricane season experts from the US are calling for nine to 15 tropical storms four to eight of which will become hurricanes in its 2012 long term Atlantic forecast. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is expecting what it described as a "near normal" season with one to three major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher intensity on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Hurricane season for the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico officially runs from June 1 to November 30, but tropical Storm Alberto came well ahead of time and on Friday morning the NHC was giving a broad area of low pressure near the north-western Bahamas a 70 percent chance of becoming a tropical storm this weekend.
Pre-season storms are not uncommon and experts say there is not necessarily a connection between an early start and a busy season. For the entire six-month season, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said there was a 70 percent chance of nine to 15 named storms. Forecasters said that a near normal or average season brings 12 tropical storms with six hurricanes. Experts say the region is still in the midst of a multi-decade active period for hurricanes that began in 1995 but temperatures in the eastern Atlantic are cooler this year and the strong wind shear will combine to keep limit storm numbers. El Nino, which is warming the tropical Pacific could also "kill off" Atlantic hurricanes, forecasters said.
“NOAA’s outlook predicts a less active season compared to recent years,” said NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D. “But regardless of the outlook, it’s vital for anyone living or vacationing in hurricane-prone locations to be prepared.”
Although Improvements in monitoring and predicting hurricanes have been remarkable over the last two decades Lubchenco said more work remains to be done to unlock the secrets of hurricanes, especially in the area of rapid intensification and weakening of storms.
“We're stepping up to meet this challenge through our Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project, which has already demonstrated exciting early progress toward improving storm intensity forecasts," she said.
This season NOAA is introducing enhancements to two of the computer models available to hurricane forecasters – the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) and the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) models. The HWRF model has been upgraded with a higher resolution and improved atmospheric physics. This latest version has demonstrated a 20 to 25 percent improvement in track forecasts and a 15 percent improvement in intensity forecasts relative to the previous version while also showing improvement in the representation of storm structure and size. Improvements to the GFDL model for 2012 include physics upgrades that are expected to reduce or eliminate a high bias in the model's intensity forecasts.
The seasonal outlook does not predict how many storms will hit land. Forecasts for individual storms and their impacts are provided by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center, which continuously monitors the tropics for storm development and tracking throughout the season using an array of tools including satellites, advance computer modeling, hurricane hunter aircraft, and land- and ocean-based observations sources such as radars and buoys.
Chinese not port problem
(CNS): The nationality of the Beijing based developer that is currently in negotiations with the UDP government to develop the George Town cruise berthing facilities is not the problem, the Cayman Islands governor has said. Governor Duncan Taylor told CNS that the UK cannot offer its support to the project as it stands because of the failure of government to follow the correct process and establish a proper business plan with parameters for the development. The governor told CNS that the UK understands the need for cruise facilities and does not object to China Harbour Engineering Company itself but it will not sanction the project under the current circumstances.
Following up on comments made by the UK’s overseas territories minister, Henry Bellingham, during his recent visit to the Cayman Islands about the need for the project to follow international procurement practices, the governor said that the project could not be shaped, designed, financed and built by the developer without a proper tendering process. The Cayman government had to set out a clear case for what was needed and then find a developer to fulfil the government’s requirements.
The premier has repeatedly stated, however, that he wishes to go ahead with the CHEC proposal as he says the firm is offering the best deal Cayman could hope to get. The premier picked CHEC after the company allegedly approached the government, since the firm did not respond to the original expressions of interest assessed by the Port Authority in the early days of the UDP administration.
McKeeva Bush has favoured CHEC, he says, because the deal includes a pier for West Bay, an upgrade of the jetty at Spotts and possibly a pier in Cayman Brac, all of which will be financed by the Chinese firm.
However, the governor has pointed to the fact that the firm would be recouping its investment from port passenger tax, which is still public revenue. Taylor said that without a clear plan or justified business case for the cruise berthing project and allowing the developer to specify what it would do, costs were in danger of spiralling out of control.
In the face of comments made by the premier and others that it was the involvement of a Chinese company which was behind the UK’s objections to the George Town port project, the governor told CNS that this was simply not true.
“Neither the FCO nor I have said anything about dealing with the Chinese," he said. “It’s about process and procurement.”
The governor made it clear that the UK would not sanction the port project until a proper business case is put together that sets limits on the development and prevents add-ons, especially as public money is at stake. He said that if the project was tendered in accordance with international procurement procedures, it would be perfectly possible for the Chinese to win or even be defined as the preferred bidder but he pointed out that it must be government and not the developer that sets out the plan for the project. Taylor noted that already during the negotiating process the plans had changed and it was not usual for the supplier to decide what would be built.
“It has already escalated to a $300 million project from a starting point of around $175 million, which is what happens when there is no business plan in place,” he added.
The governor said that the UK minister has already set out what he means by international procurement standards to the premier and how to get the project back on track. Taylor added that there were still several hurdles to overcome before the project would get UK backing.
Despite the challenges he now faced with the deterioration in the relationship between the premier and himself, Taylor said that such tensions were not unusual between the office of the governor and the elected officials. The governor said that his focus over the next two years would be on improving the public sector and helping to develop a better civil service for the Cayman Islands and ensuring good governance.
Referendum voters urged to apply for postal ballot
(CNS): Campaigners for oneman, one vote and single member constituencies are urging all voters to apply for a postal vote if they won’t be able to go to the polls on referendum day. With the bar set by government to an almost impossible height, the campaigners are encouraging everyone to voteeven those that will be away on 18 July when the critical vote takes place. The supervisor of elections confirmed Thursday that application forms for voting by post are now available and that they must be submitted by 6 July with a copy of a travel ticket. Returning Officers in the electoral districts will issue postal ballots once they have the requisite lists of approved applicants.
“Postal ballots will be mailed by registered post to approved applicants and may be returned either by post, courier or by hand up until the close of the polls on 18 July, Kearney Gomez, the elections supervisor said.
He said all registered electors who are planning to be off island on Referendum Day can collect forms from the Elections Office, 150 Smith Road, 2nd Floor or download them online from www.electionsoffice.ky
“Once completed, forms must be submitted to the Elections Office along with evidence showing that the applicants will be off islands on that date. This evidence could be in the form of a copy of an e-ticket, travel itinerary or a regular airline ticket,” Gomez added.
Thundery showers still linger as system moves away
(CNS): Cayman’s weather forecasters said that the area of disturbed weather that has been affecting the Islands over the last few days was deteriorating but Satellite pictures continue to show lingering showers over the northwest Caribbean. More heavy, thundery showers dumped further rain on the Cayman Islands Thursday and experts predicted more of the same for Friday before a decrease in cloudiness and shower activity with the winds shifting to the east to southeast by Friday evening.
Thursday evening’s forecast called for cloudy skies with a 40% chance of showers andsome thunder. Temperatures will fall to the upper 70’s. Winds will be south to south-easterly 10 to 15 knots with higher gusts. Seas will be moderate to rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet especially along the south coasts. Small crafts should continue to exercise caution over open waters.
The outlook for Friday was for more cloudy skies with a 40% chance of showers andpossible thunder. Temperatures will rise to the mid 80’s. Winds will be south-easterly 10 to 15 knots. Seas will be moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet.
2nd gun earns man 12 years
(CNS): A 23-year-old man who hid a loaded semi-automatic handgun in his girlfriend’s freezer has been sentenced to 12 years in jail. Joshua Brown, who was found guilty of possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition following a trial in March, was handed the sentence by Justice Panton on Thursday morning after the court heard that this was Brown’s second firearms offence. The George Town man had previously received a seven year sentence in 2007 for the illegal possessionof a gun and had only been free for a few months before the police found a Colt 45 hidden in a freezer. The judge told Brown, who wept quietly in the dock, that his crime was extremely serious.
Pointing to the mandatory minimum sentence imposed by the legislators, the judge said it was a reflection of how extremely serious they considered possession of an unlicensed firearm to be. “In a case such as yours the court must — not may but must — impose a minimum of ten years,” Justice Panton stated. With no exceptional circumstances in the case to allow him to waive the mandatory minimum, the judge handed down the 12 year sentence.
Although there was no evidence in the case that Brown had used the weapon or had any intention of using it in a crime, his previous conviction added to the already lengthy sentence. Police also found a mask and gloves in the apartment where he was staying in Marina Drive at the time of the search.
The court heard that Brown had first been incarcerated on a firearms possession case when he was only 17-years-old and had essentially spent his adult life in custody, having only been released shortly before the raid on his girlfriend’s apartment by officers acting on intelligence.
On 8 September last year officers from the RCIPS’ armed response unit, the Uniform Support Group, had searched the apartment and found the loaded semi-automatic Colt 45 weapon wrapped in a white t-shirt in the freezer draw of the refrigerator in the kitchen. The gun was later linked to Brown as a result of DNA evidence.
Brown denied possession of the firearm and six rounds of ammunition and as a result automatically faced the statutory minimum ten years jail time mandated in law for the offence.
Armed men rob TV station
(CNS): The Weststar customer service department at the local television centre in George Town has been held up by armed robbers in another daylight heist. The police confirmed Thursday afternoon that early reports indicated that three masked men entered the premises armed with guns, threatened staff and made off with a sum of cash at around 3pm. A spokesperson for the RCIPS said that officers are currently at the scene of the crime, which is off Eastern Avenue,and an investigation is now underway. No shots were fired and no one was injured. (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)
The TV station said the police are reviewing CCTV footage of the robbery at the payment office where officials from the company said staff had been trained to deal with such situations. “The most important thing is that everyone is safe. The staff are understandably shaken up, so we have brought in a counselor from the EAP to talk to them.,”Customer Care Manager Shayne Whittaker said in the wake of the robbery.
Sports minister applauds Webb’s historic achievement
(CNS): Following local football boss Jeff Webb’s election as president of CONCACAF in Budapest Wednesday, the sports minister, who was also at the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) congress, said he would become one of the most important men in the world of football. Given the size of the Cayman Islands, Mark Scotland said, it was an historic achievement by Webb as well as a proud moment for the Cayman Islands. Pointing to the importance of administrators to the game, he said Webb was arguably the best football administrator in the Caribbean region.
“Behind football’s famous clubs and players stand the administrators, such as Mr Webb, who quietly ensure the smooth running of the sport,” Scotland said. “With his can-do attitude combined with his leadership skills and signature diplomatic style, Mr Webb’s contributions to the growth of the sport of football in the Cayman Islands are unsurpassed.”
Webb became president of the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) in 1991. A year later CIFA became a member of CONCACAF and in July of that same year the association became a member of FIFA.
Scotland said Webb had both passion and vision, not just for Cayman Islands football, but the development of football locally, regionally and internationally.
“It is safe to say that under Mr Webb’s leadership, football has become an every man’s – and woman’s – sport in our Islands. The Association currently presides over sixteen domestic league and cup competitions, ranging from under 13 boys, under 15 boys, under 17 boys, under 17 girls to the senior men and women's level,” the minister added.
During his tenure as CIFA president Webb has also served as a member and deputy chairman of the FIFA internal audit committee, the FIFA transparency and compliance committee, the Caribbean observer on the FIFA executive committee and a member of the CONCACAF youth committee. Most recently he led the CFU normalization committee.
MLAs cite Bush probes at regional conference
(CNS): The police investigations surrounding the Cayman Islands premier were used by opposition MLAs attending a regional conference in Jamaica to question whether the rules and sanctions for parliamentary democracies and their members in the Caribbean are adequate to maintain integrity among politicians. Arden McLean, the PPM member for East End, and Ezzard Miller, the independent member for North Side, questioned what happens when politicians ignore the rules and when, as is the case in Cayman, refuse to step aside in the face of serious allegations.
Speaking at the 37th Conference of the Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic Region in Kingston, Jamaica, last week, McLean, who presented the paper written by both men, asked if it was time for special rules to apply to sitting politicians accused of crimes or corruption.
McLean said that the announcement that McKeeva Bush was the subject of the police probes came as “no surprise to many” but the long wait for the determination of whether charges are to be brought and “excuses about the inadequacies of the Anti-Corruption Law by the police” were now a source of contention. He also pointed to civil society’s lack of participation in the political process between elections, which he said emboldens would-be corrupt politicians.
He spoke about the use of external investigators because of the reluctance of local enforcement authorities to arrest or successfully prosecute people in leadership positions.
“This deficiency runs the risk of reinforcing the belief that some are above the law, thereby undermining a fundamental principle of the rule of law as well as of the legitimacy of the criminal system,” he said. “Secondment of senior police officers from other CARICOM countries seems to work quite effectively because they have no axe to grind and can investigate without any bias.”
He pointed to the Cayman Islands' case, where he said a combination of an apparent lack of intervention by the governor and the UK government and the reluctance of the premier’s party members to ask him to step down had left the premier still in office, despite being accused of corruption and facing three different police investigations. McLean said it was clear nothing had been learned from the TCI experience, where systemic corruption led to the UK imposing direct rule.
“While the majority of countries have legislated to ensure that would-be corrupt politicians toe the line while in office, unfortunately, as we all know, there is no single prescription for success, and regardless of the institutions in place, there will be those who find loopholes to justify their ends,” McLean said, adding that there was a need to regularly review and update laws and rules.
“In many countries there are some who perceive there is nothing wrong with selling their votes and seeking favours from political leaders in return for political support to office," he said. “This political culture requires a paradigm shift through programmes that communicate that behaviour as corruption.”
The PPM member said that selling one’s vote is “deleterious to democracy” but it was difficult to prove and few effective sanctions against it.
“Ultimately it is committed politicians and citizens who must assert the principles that govern politicians by, firstly, reporting these breaches of rule-respect, and secondly, legislating to ensurethat all donations and other sources of party revenue are made public; that donors and the amounts of their donations are identified in the public record; and that candidates disclose links to lobbyists, as well as sources, types, and amounts of support, both before and after elections,” he added.
See the full presentation below.
Jubilee celebrations start with torch relay
(CNS): The launch of Cayman’s part in the royal jubilee celebrations starts this weekend with the Diamond Jubilee Torch Run. Simultaneously, Premier McKeeva Bush will start from the West Bay library while MLA Ezzard Miller, will journey from the civic centre passing to the runners who will carry the torches along the Queen’s Highway, East End and Bodden Town. The entire race will include MLAs, government dignitaries, local athletes and others across the Cayman Islands. The final leg will be run by the acting governor Franz Manderson, who will light the Jubilee Beacon at Pedro St. James around 6:00p.m.
Celebrations will include the presentation of The Order of the Cayman Islands Awards, where a number of persons will receive Medals of Honour, Medals of Merit and Long Service Awards.
“Everyone is invited to join in celebrating the past six decades of Her Majesty’s reign,” said Diamond Jubilee Committee Chairperson Mary J. Lawrence, MBE, JP.
The Saturday evening celebrations at the historic site will continue with local foods and an evening packed with cultural expressions – including music from Swanky Kitchen Band, Cayman Folk Singers and others culminating in a display of fireworks.
Events the following weekend will include, on Saturday, 2 June, a Camana Bay fund-raising lunch for the Cayman Islands Olympic Team, a flotilla of decorated boats at 5:00p.m and end with a display of fireworks in George Town Harbour. On Saturday and Sunday (2 & 3 June) church services will be held island-wide, with a special Thanksgiving Service at Elmslie Memorial Church at 4:00p.m. Sunday afternoon.
Then, on the holiday Monday, 4 June, there will be a parade and international celebration downtown. The next day (5 June) will see the beginning of the effort to plant 6,000 trees by year-end. After the summer break there will also be a student essay competition.
Similar activities will take place on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.
Connecting Cultures is the theme for the Jubilee festivities locally, and throughout the Commonwealth. At Her Majesty’s request, the celebratory activities will also focus on young people.
For more information on Cayman’s Diamond Jubilee festivities, as well as events in the UK, visit: www.Facebook.com/CaymanIslandsProtocol; Twitter.com/CaymanProtocol; call 949-9809 or email CINA@gov.ky. Also, visit the UK’s official website: www.TheDiamondJubilee.org.
Fathers encouraged to bond with daughters
(CNS): AS part of the Child Month celebrations the department of children and family services (DCFS) organized a father-daughter evening last Wednesday to encourage those relationships. The community affairs minister joined the George Town evening with his own daughters and granddaughter at Corita’s Cooper Kettle where he spoke the importance of a healthy father/daughter relationship. Mike Adam encouraged fathers to secure a loving relationship with their daughters by spending quality time and expressing ever-lasting love. He reminded families to cherish their relationships as is it is one of the foundations to a happy home as well as a strong community.
For a full list of the remaining Child Month events, contact DCFS at 946-0024, or email Cassandra Parchment, Child Month programme coordinator at cassandra.parchment@gov.ky.