Archive for March 21st, 2013
Minister supports optimist oratorical contest
(CNS): For the fifth consecutive year, deputy premier and education minister, Rolston Anglin, has thrown his support behind the efforts of the Optimist Club of George Town Grand Cayman to help young people develop and practice public speaking skills. On Friday February 22nd, club president, Mark Ray, presented the deputy premier with a plaque of appreciation on behalf of the Optimist Club. Mr. Ray commented after the presentation, “The work of the Optimist Club complements the work of the Ministry of Education and other Ministries, organisations and groups that work with young people. Minister Anglin has been in attendance at all of the previous Oratorical Contests, and his on-going support therefore serves as a reminder that we all have a part to play in providing the best possible opportunities for the youth in the Cayman Islands. ”
Mr. Anglin thanked the Optimist Club for their “unexpected, but very much appreciated gesture” and commended the Club for the consistent quality of the Oratorical Contest. He said, “This contest is one that we should encourage our young people at secondary school to be a part of. Speech is an integral part of our English curriculum and activities such as these that supplement the good work being done by our teachers should be encouraged to grow and blossom.”
Mr. Ray said that the contest will have the same level of high quality speeches as seen in previous years. He further explained that participants will speak for 4 to 5 minutes on the topic “Why My Voice Is Important.” The contest will be held this Saturday, March 23rd at 10 am in the Harquail Theatre.
Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place of $500 USD, $350 USD and $150 USD respectively. In addition, the winner goes on to represent the Cayman Islands at the District Oratorical Contest in Jamaica later in March.
Further information on the club and the contest can be found at www.optimistcayman.com or by calling 927-9070 or 916-2844.
CNCF invites submissions for photo competition
(CNS): The Cayman National Cultural Foundation (CNCF) is organizing its next online photo competition, in which the public will vote for the best photographs in 12 categories. CNCF's says its goal is to, “foster a growing, community of photographers creating images that stand apart through their creativity, their ability to move people and their capacity for communication.” Kaitlyn Elphinstone, CNCF Programmes Officer, said, "We believe in the power of the image to tell stories that can't be told any other way. The CNCF Online Photo Competition is a celebration of that belief and an invitation to you to share your story. We would be honored to have you take part in this year's re-organized, re-energised competition."
The event is sponsored by Cayman Islands Yellow Pages, Butterfield Bank and Cathy Church's Photo Centre.
Submissions will be accepted online from 18th until the 31st March, and public voting will run from 8th until the 22nd of April. Winners will be announced on Thursday 2nd May at the CNCF’s 'Photo Talks' event at the Harquail Studio Theatre.
Photographers are permitted to enter one photo per category in up to three of the 2013 categories, as well as one ‘bonus’ photo in the “Colour Me Yellow” category sponsored by the Cayman Islands Yellow Pages. All photographs submitted must be taken in the Cayman Islands and photographers must be residents of the Cayman Islands.
This year CNCF has opened the competition to youth – 17 and under – and have invited expert photographers selected for their diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to judge the competition. The 2013 categories are arts and culture, commercial or campaign (including fashion), conceptual (including photo illustration), landscapes, lifestyles, macro (close-ups), nature & wildlife, photojournalism (contemporary issues & current affairs), portraiture, sports and underwater. The bonus category is called "Colour Me Yellow,” and is sponsored by the Cayman Islands Yellow Pages.
The 2013 rules and regulations can be obtained by emailing projcncf@candw.ky or calling (345) 949-5477.
Touch rugby championships gain momentum
(CRFU): On Match Day 2 of the KRyS Global National Mixed Touch Championships 2013 teams had a chance to either build on the successes of Match Day 1 or try to put right some wrongs and get their first points on the board. Two teams who suffered defeats last week met head-to-head as Walkers took on KPMG. Walkers have an experienced touch team whilst KPMG have an enthusiastic but inexperienced bunch of rookies this year. However, there was only one star of this particular show, Vikki Piaso, who left the KPMG defenders reeling in her wake as she scored two solo tries in the first half. Her combination play with Brad Stephenson tore KPMG apart and had the crowd on its feet.
Walkers had control of the game and never looked like losing, eventually running out 7-3 winners. Interviewed after the game Piaso played down her own role in the team.
In response, Paul Smith scored a hat-trick, Nick Dunne added an extra one and finally Stephenson put the icing on the cake with a breakaway try.
The closest game of the day saw Side Bar NWNT take on Genesis Trust. It was a mouth-watering clash with some of the most elusive and slippery characters to play touch rugby in Cayman on display. Genesis as a team is filled with talent and they ran the title favourites very close. The eventual score of 9-7 to Side Bar NWNT showed that Side Bar could never relax and they relied on Jyoti Choi and Riley Mullen with three tries a-piece to do the damage. Chris Palmer again was highly influential, but any plan to stifle his ball-in-hand skills left the door open for others to exploit.
DART faced their second tough game in as many weeks as they took on the 2012 Champions Heineken Brew Crew. Depleted in numbers the Brew Crew were possibly as vulnerable as they have ever been. However, whilst they may have been short on players they were not short of talent as Venasio Toketokevanua and Keswick Wright scored almost at will through a combination of sheer pace and fiendish trickery. It all started so well for DART with a try inside 20 seconds as Andy Childe took an early pass from Mat Bishop to sprint to the line. Heineken Brew Crew only had three girls in their match day squad and with no female subs it required them to play for the entire game. In the afternoon heat and with the searing pace of touch rugby that is a tall order for anyone and Jayme Farrell, Jodie McTaggart and Caroline Deegan gave a great performance. They jointly take the MVP award. DART had their moments playing good structured rugby but they couldn’t exploit thegaps and overlaps that presented themselves. Liz Austin had a fine game, particularly in defense.
Both Side Bar NWNT and Heineken Brew Crew remain undefeated in this year’s KRyS Global National Mixed Touch Championships but the Brew Crew sit on top of the table on points difference.
See attachment for current league standings.
Lions to help children with vision disorders
(LCGC): The Lions Club of Grand Cayman is organizing a fundraising bike-a-thon to buy hand held vision screening devices for children with vision disorders. The event, “Lions Cycling for Sight” will take place on Sunday 28th April. President of the Lions Club of Grand Cayman, Ian Callow, said “These devices cost CI$8,855 each. SPOT is modern eye screening equipment which is designed for children and specifically screens for several common vision issues.” He continued, “We are appealing to everyone in the community to come out and support us, whether you participate as a rider or come out and to cheer the riders’ home. “ adding, “Please remember no donation is too small.”
The event starts from Lovers Rock in East End and finishes at the Lions Community Centre. The entry fee is $50 per cyclist and Lions will be provide water stops along the way. Participants will have an opportunity to win prizes like smartphones and gift vouchers.
Lions have are recognised globally for their work to improve sight and prevent blindness, and sight programmes remain one of the Lions’ defining causes.
The Lions Club of Grand Cayman has a history of providing sight screening within schools across the Cayman Islands. The screening is designed to detect early vision disorders in children between the ages of five and thirteen. If a young child’s eyes cannot send clear images to the brain, his or her vision may become limited in ways that cannot be corrected later in life.
According to the Lions Club, 85% of a child’s learning is related to sight yet many vision issues go undetected, which can have an adverse effect on a child’s educational development. Issues with sight should be identified asearly as possible to ensure successful treatment. For example, Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, can lead to permanent vision loss if left untreated.
Funds can be donated by cheque made payable to The Lions Club of Grand Cayman and mailed to PO Box 1400, Grand Cayman KY1 1110.
More information about the Lions can be found at www.lionsclub.ky/cycling-for-sight-2 or on the club’s Facebook page.
Deputy premier recognises World Down Syndrome Day
(CNS): Deputy premier and education Minister, Rolston Anglin, recognised World Down Syndrome Day this week in a statement issued by government information services. March 21st was the eighth anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day, which was formally established by Down Syndrome International. The United Nations has officially observed World Down Syndrome Day since 2012. Anglin said, “People with Down syndrome, just like all persons with disabilities, deserve the same respect, rights and opportunities as everyone else. They are people that we can learn from and be inspired by."
The deputy premier added, "For example people with Down syndrome have some amazing talents as we have seen with stars such as Kanza Bodden who is a Special Olympian and has represented our country proudly on the world stage of sports, in particular swimming.“
The goal of World Down Syndrome Day is to increase awareness of the condition as well as the achievements and challenges of its sufferers, also focussing on how others can help.
In his statement the deputy premier applauded Miss Annie Marie Gray, artist, support aid at the Lighthouse School and sister of a brother with Down syndrome. He said, “I am delighted to see that one of our own has taken it upon herself to organize the first ever Cayman Islands Down Syndrome Day fundraiser and celebrations.”
Down syndrome is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21 and is the most common chromosome abnormality in humans. According to the United Nations, “Down syndrome is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that has always been a part of the human condition, exists in all regions across the globe and commonly results in variable effects on learning styles, physical characteristics or health.”
Anglin said that this was “also true for us here in Cayman”, adding “this condition exists here and we have several individuals with Down Syndrome that live in our community.”
The Ministry of Education, Financial Services and Employment provides services through the Sunrise Adult Training Centre for adults with disabilities including those with Down syndrome. The Lighthouse School provides educational services for children with Down syndrome.
Aquatic club swim series reaches finale
(CBAC): Swimmers and water walkers are now gearing up for the final event in the Camana Bay Aquatic Club (CBAC) beginner-friendly Open Water Swim Series. On Saturday 23rd March, the concluding event will start with a 200m Lollipop Dash, followed by a rewarding 800m Sea Swim and 800m Water Walk. The second event in the series took place on Saturday 16th March and was a success with more than 80 participants turning out on the day. “The series has been great for everyone,” says CBAC Assistant Coach Jessica Siegele. “It’s been nice to see returning faces in open water swimming – but it’s fantastic to see a lot of new faces, too,” she added.
Novice open water swimmers Emma Thomas and Nicola Williams took part in the Water Walk for the first time. “Both Emma and Nicola felt comfortable swimming in the pool but uncomfortable in the ocean, so they decided to try the Water Walk to build confidence for the Flowers One Mile Sea Swim in June,” explains CBAC Assistant Coach, Dave Bott, who paddled in a kayak next to the swimmers. He continued, “The 600m distance was further than they had expected, however, the ladies had a great time and enjoyed chatting about other swimming opportunities on-island, like our new adult swim programme and the Camana Bay Aquatic Club Swim School. This is what the Open Water Series is all about – encouraging less confident swimmers to come out and have fun, try a new sport and gain experience in the water.”
The CBAC team was joined by Special Olympics Cayman Islands athlete. Kanza Bodden, 15, who took part in the 600m Sea Swim. Despite being a confident swimmer herself, CBAC member Lois Moody, 16, swam side by side with Bodden throughout the course. “Lois is one of our Age Group Development swimmers – one the Club’s top swim groups – and could have easily completed the distance in a much faster time” explains Siegele. “However, the Open Water Series is a non-competitive event. Lois volunteers at the Special Olympics Cayman Islands swim sessions, held every Saturday at the Camana Bay Pool, so instead opted to swim with Kanza to encourage and help her through the long-distance course,” she said.
The series has allowed many swimmers – like Kanza, Emma and Nicola – to build open water confidence in a friendly environment, while giving others in the community an opportunity to test the waters of competitive swimming. “All our events are open to all swimmers of all ages and abilities,” says Siegele. “They’re a great way for the community to come together and enjoy one of our most beautiful resources here in Cayman. We are looking forward to Saturday’s event – and hope to see even more swimmers and walkers take to the water.”
The Club is also looking forward to hosting a very special guest at the Camana Bay Pool this week; 21-year old Great Britain Paralympic swimmer Emma Hollis. Hollis made her Paralympic debut at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, where she competed in three events despite an ankle injury. Both Hollis and her younger brother, James, have osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic condition more commonly known as ‘brittle bone disease’. Both swimmers represented Great Britain in the Paralympics – Emmacompeted in the S8 class and James in S9. Hollis is also the current World Record Holder for S8 800m Freestyle and S8 400m Individual Medley.
“We are honoured to host such an inspiring, top athlete at the Camana Bay Pool,” says CBAC President, Jeffrey Wight. “Emma’s pure passion and drive has enabled her to succeed in both her swimming and her studies at Loughborough University in the UK and she is a role model to all young athletes in the Cayman Islands. Her visit will be a great final morale boost for the seven CBAC swimmers attending this month’s CARIFTA Swimming Championships as part of the Cayman Islands CARIFTA Swim Team – and CBAC member Danielle Boothe, who will compete for Jamaica.” Hollis will also join the Club for the Open Water 800m Sea Swim on Saturday at Governor’s Beach.
As the excitement builds ahead of the upcoming CARIFTA Swimming Championships, Wight is confident the Cayman Islands swimmers will do well. “I’m sure they will do brilliantly. They have worked so hard and I wish them all the best of luck,” he says. “I’d also like to thank CBAC’s platinum sponsor, MaplesFS. Without their continued support our swimmers would not have been able to attend this exciting international meet.”
Registration for the Open Water Swim Series is CI$15 per individual race and all swimmers will receive a CBAC Swim Cap. Registration can be made at the event from 2pm or online at caymanactive.com.
More information on the Open Water Series and upcoming CBAC events, can be found by visiting camanabayaquaticclub.com, emailing cbac@camanabay.com or calling 345.640.2878.
Caymanian cop promoted to high rank
(CNS): Kurt Walton has been confirmed as a chief superintendent in the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. The 44 year old from Cayman Brac has been in the RCIPS since 1986. He has been acting as chief superintendent for the last 10 months since the post was vacated with the departure of former top cop, John Jones. But from 1 April he will no longer be acting in the fourth highest position in the entire service. Since he began acting as chief superintendent, Walton viewed and coordinated a robust command and control process to deal with critical incidents. His performance in the role and in the interview process was enough to convince the commissioners that he was the right man for the job.
“Kurt is a career RCIPS officer. He was the ideal candidate to lead and further develop our command team to ensure that we continue to provide the policing service the people of the Cayman Islands deserve with the resources and finance available,” said David Baines. “He has done a great job … over the past 26 years and has been outstanding while … acting chief superintendent. I am sure that he will continue to do extremely well … and will be a role model for other young Caymanians who aspire to be future leaders in the RCIPS.”
Walton said he was delighted with his promotion and thanked the police commissioner and his deputies for giving him the opportunity and confidence in him.
“I took the role on knowing the immense responsibility that came with it and the economic challenges the RCIPS is facing while ensuring that our responsibility to keep the Cayman Islands a safe place to stay and visit remains paramount. I will continue to do my endeavour best to lead the good men and women of the RCIPS in delivering a professional service to the people of the Cayman Islands and to proactively and decisively bring those persons to justice who wish to cause our community the most fear,” he added.
Born and educated in Cayman Brac, Walton joined the police in 1986 and worked his way up through the ranks, working in all of the different police departments, from uniform to the drug task force. He has won awards and commendations for his work and is responsible for putting some of Cayman’s most serious criminals behind bars.
Election officials will challenge nomination eligibility
(CNS): Returning officers will be checking that all candidates nominated next Wednesday are qualified to run for office as the election supervisors are keen to ensure that there will be no question marks over any of the candidates that make it to the ballot paper for the 22 May poll. With questions about two and possibly several more candidates’ eligibility relating to both nationality and residency periods, officials will be checking any candidate that appears not to qualify and will either verify their qualification or prevent their nomination. Meanwhile, the elections supervisor has stated he has no objections to observers coming to watch democracy at work in Cayman.
Orrett Connor, the deputy supervisor of elections, said that candidates were talking a lot about transparency and integrity in politics, but that included Nomination Day, and he urged them to be honest about their eligibility.
“We are hearing an awful lot of candidates talking about honest, integrity, openness and transparency in government and the place to start is on Nomination Day,” Connor stated. “Candidates and their nominators need to make sure they are properly qualified well before the elections.”
He pointed to the disruption, expense and upheaval that challenges have caused in several countries in the region as a result of candidates who were unqualified running for office. In some cases, even when they have not been returned, as was the case in Turks and Caicos, a by-election was called when the unqualified candidate’s votes were found by the courts to have impacted the result because of the small margin by which a candidate had won.
Connor said Cayman election officials were very keen to avoid the need for any candidates to be challenged after the fact by making sure every name on every ballot sheet was a qualified candidate. With plans for the office and the governor to sign off on the ballot papers on the evening of Nomination Day, the returning officers would be raising issues of eligibility with any candidate where there were questions.
The election deputy admitted that in some cases it would not necessarily be possible for the officials to prove that a person held a second passport, so he was hoping that any would-be MLA or even incumbents who may have a second passport will be honest and not put themselves forward. He pointed out that the onus is on the candidates and nominators to be open and any group endorsing candidates should be making sure that they check the eligibility of those they are supporting.
Sharon Roulstone and Kent McTaggart, who are both running on the C4C ticket, have had questions raised about their eligibility. However, Roulstone, who is running for a seat in George Town, has fully renounced her American citizenship and given up the passport, settling any questions there were about her qualification.
Residency questions surrounding McTaggart, who is contesting the Bodden Town election, have not been answered, according to the elections office. Officials say his nomination remains in question. The C4C candidate, however, has said that, although he falls short of the period of residency requirement before someone can run for office, he is still qualified by way of one of the exemptions.
There are also as yet unnamed candidates and incumbents who are believed to hold dual nationality but who have never acknowledged the fact and as it is not always easy to investigate because of privacy laws. However, Nomination Day is a public affair and candidates will be filling in their nominations in specific locations (as posted below) in each constituency, allowing anyone who believes a candidate is unqualified to voice their objections to officials.
The elections supervisor also said that if election observers are coming to Cayman, they need to come sooner rather than later, as Nomination Day is all part of the process.
Contrary to comments made by the premier, Kearney Gomez said it was not up to the elections office to decide whether they came or not as the invitation had to be extended by the political arm of government. Gomez said that the elections office would be the agency that actually appoints the official observers as they would need all points’ access to the stations and the count.
Nominations Day takes place on Wednesday 27 March between 8am and 3pm at the following locations:
George Town: The Smith Road Centre, 150 Smith Road
Bodden Town: The James M. Bodden Civic Centre, 445C Bodden Town Road
West Bay: The John Gray United Church Hall, 26 West Church Street
Cayman Brac and Little Cayman: The District Administration Building Conference Room, 19 Kirkconnell Street
East End: The William Allen McLaughlin Civic Centre, 80 John McLean Drive
North Side: The Craddock Ebanks Civic Centre, 923 North Side Road
Would-be MLAs dodge thorny question of tax or cuts
(CNS): The panellists at the UCCI forum on Wednesday were confronted with the question of whether they would cut spending or raise taxes if they were elected to government in May and most of them managed to dodge answering the question directly. The most fundamental issue when it comes to politics is a politician's view the 'tax or cut' debate but the six panellists evaded the essence of the question by talking about growing and diversifying the economy, outside investments, privatization of public services and future projects. With the exception of Winston Connolly, who said he wold cut social services, there was little indication of how any of them would address the sticky issue of public finances.
The former UDP George Town party chairman, Stefan Baraud, who is running for office in the capital as an independent, pointed to his former leader’s mantra of diversifying the economy and inward investment. He also talked about privatization of government companies, such as the turtle farm. But he did not point to any new taxes or cuts that he would support if he was involved in the next budget process.
Meanwhile, Tara Rivers, who is campaigning on the C4C platform in West Bay, repeated the latest political sound bite that “Cayman doesn’t have a revenue problem but a spending one”. She pointed to the half-billion dollars government collects in taxes and fees annually. Rivers said expenditure had to be cut and pointed to improving procurement as a way of doing that, but she did not say what services had to be cut to balance the books as she did not want to see civil servant jobs cut.
Winston Connolly, her C4C colleague in George Town, echoed Rivers' comments and said it was the system that needed to be fixed. However, as well as removing corruption, he said social services and benefits for indigents was an area he would cut when he was elected.
Running in the capital for the second time on the UDP ticket, Jonathan Piercy said politicians had to look at both sides and couldn’t just talk about cuts, especially cutting civil service jobs. He said the tax base needed to expand but he did not say how and instead pointed to economic diversification and public-private sector projects.
Mark Scotland, who was part of the UDP administration and one of the five former members that brought the government down in December but remains in the minority interim Cabinet, said he heard all the time how government must cut spending but he said that was not going to happen without a massive reduction of the civil service. Scotland said that even cutting benefits or social services was nowhere near enough since the transfer payments represented not much more than around 5% of the government’s operational budget.
He said government spending was high because of the world class services the community demands, from roads and education to healthcare. He acknowledged that Cayman collects a good amount of revenue but it spends it on civil servants, and to cut spending meant bodies had to be cut. “And that is very difficult,” he said, evading the question of whether he would make those massive cuts or seek to raise fees and taxes instead.
The PPM hopeful for George Town, Kenny Bryan, said the PPM was fully committed to the redevelopment of both the airport and the long awaited cruise berthing to generate jobs and bring in more revenue. But he, too, evaded any direct reference to new taxes and said his party would focus on the expenditure side of government’s budget when it is returned to office.
He also spoke about diversification of the economy and said government needed to exploit medical and sports tourism, which he acknowledged had already started. He admitted deep cuts would need to be made in public sector spending but pointed to the sale or closure of the Turtle Farm, questioning whether Cayman could afford to promote the farming of the species any longer rather than job cuts. He also pointed to a need to deal with Cayman Airways and take the politics out of that and other government companies.
Mount Trashmore – a mountain of resource?
In the many years that islanders have sought to resolve the environmental debacle that looms over the capital, various schemes have been proposed for dealing with Mount Trashmore; from shipping scrap metal to China, constructing a dry ski slope and setting up a new waste site at Bodden Town. The WISE website outlines a plethora of sustainable alternatives, which, if applied, amount to a comprehensive and sustainable waste management solution for the future whilst also proposing options for returning the George Town site to its natural, pre-rubbish dump state through landfill mining.
During the time that this debate has been raging there has been a complete revolution in conventional wisdom about waste management. Waste is becoming increasingly viewed as a revenue-generating resource rather than as something to be thrown away. New technologies are driving the change in perception as they have created the means to transform waste into a resource thereby creating the means for sustainable waste management and safe, clean landfill removal.
Landfill sites can now be mined for their valuable recyclates because rubbish dumps and historic waste streams contain concentrations of valuable materials such as metals that will be processed and recycled. That which cannot be recycled can be converted into renewable power and heat using advanced conversion technologies. These new technologies ensure that the maximum value is extracted from this residual material enabling the return of landfill sites to their natural state for development of community use. Indeed, Advanced Plasma Power (APP) is pioneering such a landfill mining project in Belgium and such an approach could be applied to Trashmore.
Taking this view of waste is a complete paradigm shift. Rather than treating waste as a problem to be disposed of, and relying on rapidly-depleting sources of fossil fuels to meet our mounting energy needs, advanced conversion technologies can convert municipal, commercial and industrial waste into clean, sustainable energy. Advanced gasification plants are very compact and are designed to sit unobtrusively on the edge of towns taking the waste that the town generates and providing vital, proximate and cost effective resources in return. Visual and environmental impact are kept to a minimum.
APP’s Gasplasma process is a game changer for managing waste in the built environment as it produces no waste outputs and has low emissions. APP’s plasma conversion delivers such a clean, high quality syngas that it can be used directly in efficient gas engines and gas turbines to generate power. The process generates no waste outputs as any ash is vitrified into an environmentallystable and saleable construction product – Plasmarok®.
Furthermore, the output from the plants need not be limited to power; APP is also pioneering the way in developing next generation waste to fuel plants. The clean gas produced by the process can also be used to substitute natural gas or other fuel gas.
Aligning waste policy with renewable energy policy will allow a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to current practices. In the case of the Cayman Islands the benefits are even more profound. The ever-growing toxic mound leeches into the water and the surrounding environs, threatening the environment, tourism and possibly even human health. The solution really needn’t be that complicated.
Rolf Stein is Chief Executive of Advanced Plasma Power