Archive for August 31st, 2013
Touch is for L.I.F.E.
(CRFU): Playing a sport you love and raising money for charity is a powerful combination and on Saturday September 7th,all those that love the sport of Touch will have the opportunity to do both in the Genesis Trust Touch Festival. One of the main beneficiaries of the proceeds will be L.I.F.E. (Literacy Is For Everyone) – a Cayman organisation aimed to improve literacy in the Cayman Islands. Their objective is to improve literacy through empowering parents to help their children read, develop paired-reading programs to assist students. It also recognizes the need to help adults with literacy problems.
Organised in conjunction with Genesis Trust, the Cayman Pirates Touch team are hosting this great event as they want to raise money for this great cause and also promote the sport they love, as they look to go to the US National Championships in October.
Touch has a number of differences from the more traditional forms of rugby and is loved for its simplicity. Very little equipment is needed, the rules are easy-to-learn and with no tackling the risk of injury is much less. Teams are mixed with three guys and three girls on the pitch at any one time. The basic principles are simple – run forwards, pass backwards and each team attempts to advance the ball up the field to score a try. When an opponent touches you (on any part of the body, clothing or ball) you have to stop and start the next phase, you get six touches and if a try isn’t scored then the ball gets turned over and the opposition have a go.
The emphasis of this tournament is fun with teams getting prizes for the best dressed line-up. There is even a separate competition for family teams with children under 14 to participate with their parents. Everyone is welcome to play whether you are a seasoned Touch player or completely new to the game.
Played at the Camana Bay Sports Complex, games will be held all day from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 pm and each team is guaranteed at least three games. Refreshments will be heavily subsidised to quench the thirst of those running around or even if you are just watching from the sidelines.
So whether you’re a team of individuals or a corporate group looking to help the community contact www.caymantouch.com for further details or to submit your entry form. But don’t delay as this promises to be a very popular festival of Touch indeed as, for one day only, Touch is for L.I.F.E.
OT minister’s job under threat
(CNS):The Cayman Islands may be dealing with a new man in London very soon as a result of the political fallout in the UK over a government defeat in the House of Commons last week. Mark Simmonds, the junior Foreign and Commonwealth Office minister who has responsibility for the UK’s overseas territories, may be moved out of the post when the British prime minister reshuffles his Cabinet. Simmonds was one of at least five members of the government front bench that missed the vote on military action in Syria this week who may find that failure will cost him his job. The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday that David Cameron could announce a series of changes to the Cabinet as soon as next week.
Simmonds, who has not yet visited Cayman and has held the FCO job for less than one year, was said to be in a meeting with Justine Greening, the International Development Secretary, when thetwo claimed not to have heard the division bell.The two ministers, who offered public apologies, were among a handful of senior conservative members of government who missed the vote on a potential war with Syria which the coalition government lost, all of whom now face the political firing line.
Greening and Simmonds said they did not realise that voting had begun. Commons officials said the explanation was baffling as it would have been clear that a vote was happening.
Thursday night’s vote, which has undermined the credibility of Cameron’s leadership, was described by some Conservative members as a “total shambles”.
Cameron was seeking the backing of MPs for the principle of military action against the Syrian regime, which has been blamed for a chemical weapons attack in Damascus last week. He said he had sought to make the argument in a “strong and principled way”. But he lost the parliamentary vote by 13 after 30 Tory rebels voted with Labour and 31 Conservatives simply failed to vote.
According to the Telegraph’s Downing Street sources, the positions of ministers that didn’t vote were in jeopardy. “The Prime Minister is pretty angry,” said a senior Tory source. “This vote had a three-line whip and no, they didn’t all have permission to miss the vote.”
David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, said Cameron had used a “shaky argument” when he had asked Parliament to “kill people”.
Driver critical after single car smash
(CNS): A 22-year-old man is in a critical condition in the Cayman Islands Hospital with serious face injuries following a single vehicle smash on the Esterly Tibbetts Highway Friday night. Police said the emergency services were called to the scene of the crash near to the Strand shopping plaza at around 10:15pm on Friday 30 August. The collision occurred when the Honda CRV vehicle hit a concrete block. The driver was found unconscious at the crash site but breathing. Anyone with information is asked to please call any of the police stations or 949-7777.
Police chopper brings in injured crewman
(CNS): A man Injured on a ship out at sea was airlifted to Grand Cayman Friday by the RCIPS helicopter in its medevac. The 38 year old man sustained a serious back injury while working on the crane ship out at sea. Shortly before noon yesterday (30 August) the RCIPS was contacted by the master of the crane ship – McDermott Derrick Crane Barge 50 – which was 145 nautical miles northwest of Grand Cayman. The master reported that a member of his crew had fallen on a structure and had sustained suspected spinal injuries.
The injured man had been immobilised and was being treated by the ship’s paramedic but he was in increasing pain and it was clear that he required urgent hospital assessment but the vessel was more than 20 hours away from Cayman.
Following an assessment of the situation the RCIPS Air Operations Unit was launched at around 3pm Friday afternoon and it rendezvoused with the ship approximately 110 miles north west of Grand Cayman just an hour later 4.00pm.
It landed on the ship’s helideck and then airlifted the injured crewman back to Owen Roberts International Airport. On arrival, at about 5.15pm, they were met by an ambulance crew who transported the injured man to the Cayman Islands Hospital where he is currently being treated.
IT administrator wins CS Employee of Year
(CNS) Updated with remarks and official release: Nicholas McLean, a system’s administrator in the Ministry of Education, Employment and Gender Affairs, is government's Employee of the Year, it was announced last night at the inaugural annual awards event for civil servants. Created by Deputy Governor Franz Manderson, the awards are designed to acknowledge public sector workers who go above and beyond the call of duty and encourage others in the service to do the same. McLean was selected from the monthly winners of the award over the last year in recognition of his outstanding contribution and dedication to his job.
McLean was Employee of the Month in December, and Manderson said at the time that his innovative approach to his work was commendable and the young Caymanian had a very bright future in the civil service.
On receiving the award McLean said he was humbled and caught by surprise.
"As a fairly new civil servant I have now been able to get an inside perspective of what goes on and have noticed that there are many civil servants who work hard, putting in long hours, that are also deserving of recognition, " he said. "This award is a collective win for the entire Ministry of Education’s ICT Team, as without their help, along with that of John Gray High School’s Principal, who is also here tonight as a fellow Employee of the Month Awardee, it would be much more difficult to do my job."
He said ICT is now far more heavily integrated in the curriculum than it was in the past.
"I found out I really had my work cut out for me. It is rewarding working at the John Gray High School being able to provide staff and students with necessary ICT equipment and services. I encourage each and every one of the students to make full use of all resources, ICT and otherwise," Mclean added.
Founded last summer, Manderson has described the awards as a way of building a new sense of morale throughout the public service.
“The Deputy Governor’s Awards are designed to recognize the excellent work performed by civil servants in the area of customer service, and towards reaching the goals of their respective departments,” said Manderson, who is currently Acting Governor. “Every day civil servants go about exceeding the expectations of their customers, and it is important that such excellence is recognized.”