Archive for April, 2014
America defeats England for 2nd time in 250yrs
(CTA): It was smiles all round at the end of a fiercely contested Cup of Nations organised by the Cayman Touch Association. The Cayman Islands is a real melting pot of nationalities and teams (unofficially) representing the Cayman Islands. New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Americas, England, and Ireland played in two pools over two nights to determine which nation would have the bragging rights in this inaugural “international” competition. With morecut and thrust than a UN debate on Weapons of Mass Destruction, these warring nations battled long and hard into the Friday Night lights at Camana Bay Sports Field.
Pool A contained Cayman Local'ish, the Americas (kindly sponsored by Atlas Insurance Management), South Africa and Ireland. Team Americas adopted an open immigration policy and were far more welcoming to foreign nationals than any Homeland Security Officer in Miami International Airport ever has been. Their team huddle was like a scene from Ellis Island circa 1905. With Canadians, Quebecois, an American and a herd of Sefrikans representing, the team talks had to be tri-lingual just to get over the salient points of “run forwards, pass backwards”. Not since Joss Ackland claimed “deeplermatik eemunitee” in Lethal Weapon 2 have the Nations of America and South Africa been so closely entwined.
This team looked strong on paper and proved even stronger on grass. They were certainly speaking the same language when it came to easy wins over Ireland and Cayman Local’ish but the highlight of this pool was their game against South Africa. Rivalries were fierce given the nature of the personnel but Team America won out 6-3 and South Africa were consigned to the Plate Tournament.
Cayman Local’ish, boasting a fine crop of outstanding local young men and women rugby players, played a fast and loose form of touch that overpowered both South Africa and Ireland, beating both by the odd try. They came a cropper against the highly experienced Americas team though and had to settle for second place in the Pool which guaranteed a semi-final place against the winners of Pool B.
In Pool B England took on and took over its colonies with vital wins against New Zealand, Australia and Cayman Iguanas. Dressed like a cross between a Banksy graffiti art installation and an ambulance, this team wore the cross of St. George with pride. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II would have been proud of their efforts especially as they had by far and away the oldest squad on show. Epitomized by dogged defence and stiff upper lips, the English found a real Dunkirk spirit to fend off the marauding hordes of New Zealand and Australia defeating both by narrow margins before squashing the hopes of the Cayman Iguanas like roadkill. The Cayman Iguanas, valiantly lead by Captain Guy Major, were largely new to the sport but made great strides over the course of the three games and will be better for the experience.
In the battle for the second place in Pool B Australia beat Australia Brac a.k.a. New Zealand 3-2. With a rivalry that is as old as whenever Captain Cook discovered them both, we were ensured a feisty affair.
In the semi-finals England took on Cayman Local’ish and put on their best performance of the tournament. Showing great organization and discipline mixed with the speed and fitness of MVP Neal Ainscow, they defeated the Locals 7-1 – a real case of “age before beauty” in this game!
The second semi saw Team America wallop Australia 6-1. The score line, if not the result, was a shock as pre-tournament predictions saw both of these teams parading for the Final. Led by Neal Montgomery and Riley Mullen, this “Little and Littler” of touch rugby proved too much for the Aussies who seemed to have gone off quicker than a raw prawn.
In the Plate Final, South Africa took on New Zealand in a re-run of the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final. South Africa narrowly won that one in the last minutes amidst Kiwi whining about the squad be deliberately poisoned by some dodgy food and a mysterious woman called Suzie. Nineteen years on and this match was also extremely tight with history repeated itself as South Africa sealed the win in the dying minutes, breaking New Zealand hearts once more.
Although the braai (barbecue) was fully operational during the course of the tournament there has been no suggestion “Suzie” was serving! And so South Africa, who had such high hopes at the start of the tournament walked away with just the Plate, presumably to be used to hold the huge boerewors sausage shared by the team in celebration.
On to the Grand Final. Team America versus England. Both teams had gone through the competition undefeated and their conflicting styles would make for an excellent final. It was a billed as a rematch of that 1776 classic encounter between the two countries which pitted The Patriots against The Red Coats. America won that day and although revenge was very much on the agenda for England it proved a victory too far as Team America sealed the win by the slenderest of margins.
Any neutral observer would have looked at the two player rosters and assumed an easy victory for America but England showed real backbone and dominated possession for large periods. America had all the speed and showed great covering defence which caused England to run down some blind alleys rather than risk the wide open spaces.
In attack, America used typical surge and purge tactics to try and break the resolute English line even berating the referee at times. In the end it was a length-of-pitch interception try from Chris Brussow that proved the difference and gave his side the 3-2 victory. And so Team America made it two wins out of two in 250 years over the English. No tea was thrown into Boston harbourbut several champagne corks were popped in celebration. Neal Ainscow of England won the tournament MVP award and he was outstanding. No doubt the rest of the English will also get MBEs for their noble efforts in defeat for Queen and Country.
Post tournament quotes from the Captains:
Jyoti Choi (Australia): “Ah look mate, fair dinkum! Stone the crows the comp was as tough as a crocs hide and the defeat to the Poms was a kick in the canastas but we all ended up having a bonza time, especially when we beat the bru’s from NZ.”
Alex Pineau: (Cayman Local’ish): "Next year bobo! Nobody's safe! Cayman is going to take it!"
Justin Colgan (Ireland): “They say if you’re lucky enough to be Irish, you’re lucky enough! However all the luck of the Irish must have been used up in the 6 Nations … to be sure to be sure”!
Dave Acutt (South Africa): We played great rugby and introduced the Irish to some Mzansi boerewors and tjops – it was a lekker jol. Most importantly, we relived the 1995 World Cup by beating New Zealand in the (Plate) Final.”
Adam Huckle (England): “To paraphrase the great Cecil Rhodes, “Despite our narrow loss, remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life.”
Brad Stephenson (New Zealand): “Everyone seemed to think the tourney was pretty choice!”
Riley Mullen (Americas): [quoting General Patton] “Americans love to fight. All Americans love the sting of battle.”
The Canadians just said “Eh!” and then apologized,
Lizzy Ard, spokesperson for the Cayman Iguanas said: “The Cayman Iguanas pulled together a young and pacey team that showed a lot of talent but unfortunately a lack of experience led to a reptile dysfunction on the night. We really enjoyed it and progressed as the games went on so next time we won’t be so green and should blue away the opposition."
Here are the team MVP’s as nominated by their own Captains. Well done one and all!
CAYMAN LOCAL’ISH – Kia McFee
SOUTH AFRICA – Mike Smith
ENGLAND – Neal Ainscow;
AUSTRALIA – Mike McGrath
IRELAND – Dave Brosnan
AMERICAS – Neil Montgomery
NEW ZEALAND – Lewis Chong
CAYMAN IGUANAS – Theo Edman
OVERALL TOURNAMENT MVP – Neal Ainscow (England)
Ritz masseur released from indecent assault charge
(CNS): A Jamaican national who was working at the luxury spa facility at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman walked away from court last Friday a free man with his name finally cleared after a complainant failed to turn up for the trial for the second time. Damian Dwayne Henry pleaded not guilty to charges of indecent assault last August in relation to an alleged incident in February but the chief justice released Henry last Friday when he refused the crown’s application to adjourn the case for a third attempt when his accuser, who was visiting Cayman at the time of the alleged assault, had not shown up. Given Henry’s position, the charges hanging over his head were even more serious and had prevented him from working in his chosen profession.
Chief Justice Anthony Smellie made it clear that having made such serious allegations, the complainant had an obligation to appear in person but she had shown very little interest in attending or giving the court any idea of when she may be able to attend in the future.
The woman, the court heard, is a vet who lives in Missouri and had told the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions that her work commitments prevented her from attending in December ahead of the first trial and the court agreed to an adjournment despite the eleventh hour application.
The public purse had to bear the costs of Henry’s travel bill because the crown had left it so late to check their witness’s availability, even though the trial date was set in August. Justice Charles Quin, however, had warned that the crown would not get another chance when he reset the trialfor March.
When the witness failed to show again, the case was adjourned for one day so the crown could make contact but the complainant again cited work issues as preventing her attendance. The crown applied for another adjournment, even though the complainant had not responded to the court’s requests for a date when she may be able to come, but the judge declined the application.
He said that she had shown a “remarkable lack of interest” in the case when it would have been expected that with such a serious allegation she would have shown a keen interest as he discharged Henry.
Related article on CNS:
Local rider clocks up qualifying scores for CAC
(CNS): Cayman’s elite dressage rider, Jessica McTaggart-Giuzio, was aiming to achieve a score of 62% or more in the Prix St Georges Test when she entered the Cayman Islands Equestrian Federation’s CDN/National Dressage Show. The goal was to take one step closer to qualify for the Central American and Caribbean Games. Riding, Ray of Light she achieved a score of 65.987% exceeding her goal and the qualifying score required. McTaggart-Giuzio now has the two scores needed to apply for a certificate of capability, which is proof to the CAC Games organizers that she is good enough to compete and ride for Cayman at the games.
McTaggart-Giuzio has competed competently at games before and at the even bigger Pan-Am Games, both times on her current horse, Ray of Light. Once this certificate is submitted, she must wait to see if she is in the top six qualifiers in the region. If she is, McTaggart-Giuzio will head for Velacruz, Mexico in November to represent the Cayman Islands in the Dressage Competition.
“I am always incredibly proud to represent the Cayman Islands in competitions overseas,” said McTaggart-Giuzio. “I recognize that this is a great responsibility and a wonderful privilege. Cayman Dressage is really making a mark in the Caribbean and it is a delight to be an ambassador overseas, not only for the sport of dressage, but also for the Cayman Islands generally.”
“I’ve worked really hard to achieve my two qualifying scores but the hard work doesn’t end here. I’ll be working constantly now until the Games arrive so that I can build on what I have achieved so far and aim even higher than the results I achieved in my first CAC Games four years ago.”
At the CAC Games in Puerto Rico in 2010, McTaggart-Giuzio finished a respectable 14th out of 34. This time around, McTaggart-Giuzio’s preparation for the CAC Games has been boosted by her long-time coach, Cindy Thaxton, of High Point Farm, Atlanta, visiting the Cayman Islands numerous times to assist with coaching and training.
Thaxton, a U.S.D.F. Certified Dressage Instructor and L Graduate judge, is owner-operator at High Point Farm, Watkinsville, Georgia. She has been coaching McTaggart-Giuzio for many years and has extended this in the past few years to coaching other members of the Cayman Islands Equestrian Federation.
Local dad promotes fatherhood with new book
(CNS): Once close to falling into the downward spiral of gang related crime, Alton Williams turned his own life around and is now seeking to help other fathers like himself become phenomenal dads with a new book, which links to a local programme designed to help men in their role as parents. Coming from a home like many modern families with no father in the picture, he made some poor decisions, which led to suspension from school and his arrest for gang related activity. Today he is a proud father, university student and now author, who is passionate about helping men be the fathers they should be.
Williams will be selling his book and promoting his 90 day challenge programme which helps fathers get fit and healthy while at the same time building a fit and healthy relationship with their kids, at the Family Life Centre in George town this weekend (5 April).
For more information on the challenge visit the IPC Challenge website.
Educator creates Caymanianized reading scheme
(CNS): As educators struggle to improve the standards of literacy among local students a Caymanian speech and language pathologist has created a localised phonetics based reading programme that she says is achieving significant results. Vinnette Mae Glidden, the creator of 'I Read For Life', said that while her programme is intended for use anywhere in the world to teach reading in English, this is the first of its kind that references things Caymanian. The programme includes Caymanian and Caribbean places, animals and culture interwoven into the material. Alongside its local credentials Glidden said it can improve reading in a matter of weeks.
The programme has its own workbooks and materials, which can be used with students of varying abilities, from those who have a learning disability such as dyslexia to the average student who just needs to read better and faster. It is also designed for all ages, including adults. Phonetics based, the emphasis is on the relationship between the spoken sound and the letter-symbol – a single letter or group of letters.
Glidden explains her approach and why it works. “If young children see a picture of a cat they will readily associate the picture of the cat with the sound meow; they will actually say ‘meow’. If they can do that, then they are capable of seeing a picture of a letter-symbol, learn to associate the corresponding speech sound and say the sound. Once you learn how to decode the symbols into sounds, you can read the most unfamiliar words,” she said.
The programme has five levels, beginning with the pre-reader level, where letters are presented as pictures, and progressing through to level four which teached the speech sound/letter-symbol relationships, reading and writing skills, comprehension, grammar and punctuation.
“'The I Read For Life' approach takes the anxiety and fear out of learning and puts fun into learning to read,” Glidden added. The programme materials include fun exercises in workbooks, flashcards, a storybook with pictures to color and a concentration card game that children play with the enthusiasm of dominoes players.
The programme was conceived in 1995 and has now emerged into a concrete methodology and Glidden says it can be taught to a number of children with various performance levels and ages together at the same time. Glidden said she has used the 'I Read For Life' method to help many children over the years in her tutoring service, which she now offers at the 'I Read For Life' Center inthe Barnett Building in George Town..
Carolyn Bodden who enrolled her nephew in the 'I Read For Life' tutoring service said, “Since attending 'I Read For Life', (he) has come from incorrectly sounding his letters – resulting in very poor reading and spelling skills – to learning the correct sounds for letters. His reading and spelling is a work in progress but I smile every time he writes or texts me messages that are correct sentences,” she said.
Many of Glidden’s former students are now college students and successful young people in the community.
One of those former students is Ted Green. He said of the 'I Read For Life' programme, “As one of the first students, I can attest to its ability to transform lives." He added, “The 'I Read For Life' program took me from a shy six-year-old who could hardly read, to the confident young accountant and entrepreneur I am today. I have a special gratitude to Mrs. Vinnette Glidden for giving me the tools to succeed.”
More information about 'I Read For Life' can be found at www.ireadforlife.ky.
East-West Arterial
We should take it with pride that our beautiful isles continue to attract countless visitors and investors like Arnold Palmer to our shores. However, we find it to be counter-intuitive for any development to occur in which a fortunate few would profit at the expense of our protected lands. Nor does it say much of our commitment to our islands when such proposals are being touted on the heels of the passage of the National Conservation Law (NCL).
The Law was designed to prevent such avoidable and irreversible damage. As highlighted in the recent Tenth Environmental Audit Committee Report from the UK, such poor planning and ecological mismanagement reflects poorly upon our governance and us as a people.
Given that the proposed northern East-West extension will impact upon some of the last surviving primary dry forest in the Caribbean, the burden of loss will weigh unfairly not only upon the National Trust, but on our collective natural heritage.
The ecological integrity of our islands is tantamount to the preservation of our livelihood. As a group, we advocate for the sustainable development of the country. It is our firm belief that our wellbeing as a society relies upon our ability to maintain a balance between our shared social, economic, and ecological needs. Our support for the passage of the decade-old NCL was intended to ensure a national commitment to environmental responsibility.
Global efforts to effect such change continue to demonstrate that development can occur with these principles in mind and we applaud the government in ensuring its passage.
However, a number of questions have yet to be answered. Should we not, for one, prioritise the Shetty route to ensure speedy access to these new health facilities as opposed to a development that is still an uncertainty? Are two additional roads really necessary for the Eastern districts? Further, the current proposed route would cut through wetland; Have we assessed the cost to fill that land?
We understand that the National Trust’s proposed alternate route south of the Mastic would avoid wetlands and thus reduce costs. It is the responsibility of the CIG to mitigate any unnecessary expense.
Before any sudden and significant decisions are taken about major infrastructural projects, we think that it would be wise for us to develop an integrated national infrastructure, transportation, and development plan. This would allow us to prioritise and rationalize our infrastructural investments over the next 10 to 25 years. Rather than continuing on the current impromptu method of development based primarily upon the interests of private investors, we should be investing strategically in projects that will serve our foreseeable needs and desires as a whole.
Greed, desperation, and anxiety cannot be the prime motivators in this matter, or any other that will impact upon our islands. Indeed, such recklessness has contributed to our current economic woes. As such, we urge that we take this opportunity to demonstrate to ourselves, and others, that we are capable of building a Cayman that sustains our wealth, identity and beauty.
For more information on the environmental NGO Sustainable Cayman, visit its Facebook page.
Committee to meet public on disability policy
(CNS): Following the publication of a draft National Disability Policy the committee established to help shape the way forward to a much more inclusive society will be hosting a series of public meetings this month. Starting this evening in Cayman Brac (Thursday 3 April) the Cayman Islands Disability Policy Steering Committee (CIDPSC) will be seeking input and comment on the new document, which officials said aims to raise the standard of key services available to persons with disabilities including healthcare, education, employment and social inclusion. It outlines a need to improve data collection on persons with disabilities to better inform policy and service provision in both the public and private sectors.
The committee is comprised of stakeholders from within the sector and includes those with disabilities. Local businessman, Keith Parker Tibbetts, is the policy’s patron and says their involvement had helped to create a more relevant document.
“It covers all aspects of life for persons with disabilities, and seeks to address the very real challenges that we encounter in our daily lives. With input from the wider Cayman Islands community we believe that we have an opportunity to make the document even stronger,” Tibbetts, who is also disabled, added.
The document’s vision is ensuring that persons with disabilities can live with dignity, are respected, and have the opportunity to participate fully in society. To ensure that members of the public have an opportunity to provide face-to-face feedback and to ask questions, meetings are planned as follows:
Thursday, 3 April, at the Aston Rutty Civic Centre, Cayman Brac
Monday, 7 April, at the Mary Miller Hall, in Red Bay
Wednesday, 9 April, at the Sir John A. Cumber Primary School Hall, in West Bay,
Monday, 14 April, at the James M. Bodden Civic Centre, in Bodden Town
Wednesday, 16 April, at the Clifton Hunter High School Performing Arts Centre
All meetings start at 7pm and refreshments will be available.
For more information or to provide detailed feedback contact:
Robert Lewis of the Cabinet Office on 244-3602 or by email, robert.lewis@gov.ky, or;
Shari Smith, Chair of the Policy Subcommittee of the CIDPSC, on 949-3330 or by, email shari.smith@gov.ky
The document is posted below and to take part in the online survey click here
Jury deliberates Jeffers’ fate
(CNS): The five women and seven men serving on the jury in the trial of Raziel Jeffers for the murder of Damion Ming in a Birch Tree Hill yard in March 2010 will return to their deliberations Thursday morning following their release by the judge at around 4:30pm today, after three hours in the jury room. Justice Malcom Swift sent the jury to deliberate at 1:30pm on Wednesday afternoon following his own four hour summary and direction to them about the two week trial. Summing up the narrative of the evidence presented by the crown against Jeffers and the defence’s response to it, the judge told the jury that they would have to decide onthe truth.
Having directed them on the law, the judge summed up the details of the crown’s evidence against Jeffers, which is based largely on an alleged confession he had made to his girlfriend and the crown’s key witness the weekend after the shooting, corroborated, the prosecution says, by the expert telephone and cell site evidence, as well as the medical, ballistic and other witness evidence.
Jeffers' motive was said to be a combination of gang rivalry and jealousy, fuelled by an affair that he believed his girlfriend was having with Ming, whom he considered an enemy in the West Bay gang world.
However, the judge also noted to the jury that the defence says that the crown’s witness is nothing more than a lying vengeful disgruntled ex-girlfriend profiting from witness protection by making up the allegations, and that the cell and telephone evidence is also perfectly consistent with Jeffers alibi and the alleged corroboration about her details of the killing were all the subject of rumour and conjecture on the street within hours of the murder.
Reminding the jurors that they must be sure the defendant is guilty before convicting, the judge directed the foreman to ensure deliberations were conducted in an orderly fashion and each juror was given a chance to contribute. Justice Swift also said that they must seek to return with a unanimous verdict.
At around 4:15 the jurors sent a note to the court seeking clarification on an element of complex cell phone site evidence and the judge used the opportunity to call the jurors back to the courtroom and dismiss them for the evening, explaining that he would address their issue in the morning when they recommence their deliberations. He gave them strict instructions not to discuss the case with anyone and not to speak to each other until they were all together again on Thursday morning.
Lover killed in ‘blind panic’
CNS): Elsey De Ortega Barralga (29), who has admitted killing Perry McLaughlin at his home in Little Cayman last November, stabbed him out of “fear, desperation and sheer blind panic”, her defence attorney told the court Wednesday. Maura McGowan, QC, said that in a flash of anger McLaughlin had swept everything on a kitchen counter to the floor, including a block of knives, before he dragged Barralga to the same floor by her hair and rained down multiple blows to her head with his fists in an effort to stop her from leaving the house. Barralga grabbed a knife to defend herself, but in the end went beyond self-defence and landed a fatal blow when he was no longer a threat.
Barralga had been charged with murder but on Monday the crown accepted a plea to manslaughter by reason of provocation, averting the need for a trial. During the sentencing submissions before Justice Charles Quin, the court heard that the argument between the couple, which started on their journey home from a night out drinking, had quickly turned physical at McLaughlin’s house, where Barralga had also been living for the two months before the killing.
During the course of the argument Barralga had told McLaughlin that she was going to stay at a friend’s home but McLaughlin became incensed and with a sweep of his arm, scattered all of the items on the counter around the kitchen, including at least seven different knifes from a block that had been sitting there. As he screamed abuse at her, dragged her to the floor and punched her repeatedly in the head she genuinely believed her life was in danger and grabbed a knife. The court heard she began blindly stabbing at McLaughlin landing blows to his arms legs and groin area. However, at some point he let go of her, and as she tried to get out of the house the fight continued.
The couple shouted at each other more and as she ran towards the laundry area he followed. At that point, the attorney told the court, Barralga believed McLaughlin had also picked up a knife – which was believed to be one found by the side of the washing machine by police who came to the scene.
With her exit blocked and McLaughlin telling her she was not leaving otherwise he would kill her, he again grabbed her hair, demonstrated by chunks of matted hair extensions found in his wounds. Barralga stabbed McLaughlin three times in the chest, the last of which was the fatal blow, which the medical examiner said would have killed him within a minute.
McGowan told the court that she had then fled the house running barefoot through broken glass in the kitchen, through the yard, where she dropped the weapon, and then to a neighbour’s house, who gave evidence to the state of shock the woman was in when she arrived.
Unaware of the serious and fatal wounds she had inflicted, she told the neighbours that McLaughlin had tried to kill her, and in what witnesses described as an obvious state of shock and confusion, she had vomited, but had not told them the extent of McLaughlin’s injuries so they had not called the police or medical services.
The next day, when McLaughlin’s body was discovered, Barralga could not believe she had killed him. McGowan said her client had no understanding of what she had done, as she asked the court to show mercy on the woman who had shown remorse, lost her previous good character, her life in Cayman and, above all, the man she loved.
The lawyer told the judge that there was no history of physical abuse between the couple, who had been friends for some time before a romance developed, and she had moved into his house when a former girlfriend of McLaughlin’s moved out. The court heard that McLaughlin was possessive towards her and had become even more so after she moved into his home. And although he was having affairs with other women, which he had told her she must put up with, he was reluctant to allow her to leave the home to go to work.
Many years younger than McLaughlin, who was 54 when he was killed, the court heard that Barralga came to the Cayman Island from Honduras in 2006 with her ex-husband and that she has a 12-year-old daughter, whom she supports. McLaughlin, meanwhile, was well known in Little Cayman and was a very successful businessman.
After listening to submissions from the prosecution and the defence regarding the facts and the circumstances, as well as the level of provocation, it was apparent that there were some discrepancies between the crown and Barralga’s attorney as to the category under which the offence fell.
The crown argued that the circumstances of the fight presented low provocation, while the defence claimed that it was in fact high and up to the very last blow she had acted in self-defence. The final stab wound which killed McLaughlin had taken her beyond self-defence because she had lost control through the provocation.
The possible sentencing ranges presented to the judge by the two sides were widely different, with the crown asking the court to start at 12 years before he considered any mitigation and discount for her plea, while the defence argued his starting point should be much lower at just three years before further reductions for mitigating factors and the guilty plea considered. Both sides agreed that there were no aggravating factors in the case.
Faced with significant detail and evidence in the case, as well as the discrepancies between the sides, Justice Quin said that he would take time to consider the sentence and would deliver his decision on 15 April.
Missing man found safe
(CNS) Update Thursday 2:36pm: Police have said that Chully Chambers, who had been reported as missing, has been located by officers of the RCIPS in the Eastern Avenue area and is in good health. The RCIPS thanked members of the public who assisted in the search for Chambers. Police went public yesterday about a missing persons case they have been working on since Monday, stating they were seeking information on the whereabouts of Chambers from Bodden Town, who had last been seen on Sunday and did not return to his home after being treated at the George Town hospital.
The statement from the police did not express any urgency or concern but officers said they wanted to confirm that he was in good health.