Archive for May, 2014
‘Ice on Ice’ cocktail gala to benefit Cancer Society
(CNS): Cayman's party crowd are getting ready for the coolest event of the summer. This year's 'Ice on Ice' Cocktail Party will be at held at the National Gallery in aid of the Cayman Islands Cancer Society on Thursday 29 May. The organisers, Z99, promise an evening with some great music from DJ Jonesian, incredible prizes -including diamonds for four lucky winners – as well as some exciting fundraising incentives for the community to help support the Cancer Society's Chemotherapy Unit. Tickets cost just $39 at the door and each includes a complimentary signature 'Iceburg Cocktail', adorned with a cubic zirconia jewel, but the twist is that four will actually be prizes of half carat diamonds from Kirk Freeport.
Anyone that raises $500 by 29 May to donate to the Cancer Society will get two complimentary tickets to 'Ice on Ice' and the person or company that raises the most money for the charity will be honoured at the gala event and will also win one of a huge range of prizes, like a trip to Strawberry Hills in Jamaica, a Red Sail sunset cruise for ten, or a day of pampering at your office courtesy of Posh Spa.
"This is our eighth annual 'Ice on Ice' Cocktail Party to benefit the Cayman Islands Cancer Society and we wanted to make it fun forthe whole community to get involved," said Jennifer Steele from Hurley's Entertainment. "The event is extremely important to us and I'm sure everyone in Cayman knows somebody that has been affected to some extent. Of course, none of this would be possible without our sponsors: Butterfield, Britcay, Iceberg Vodka, Kirk Freeport, Holy Cross Hospital, The Security Centre, Personnel 2000 and Greenlight Re, so I'd like to thank them all very much."
All the money collected will go towards the Cayman Islands Cancer Society's New Chemotherapy Unit at the George Town Hospital, which will more than double the current capacity for healing treatment in Cayman, allowing more people in need to be closer to their family and friends.
Jennifer Weber, Operations Director at the Cayman Islands Cancer Society said: “We are so excited to have Ice and Ice… with a twist! It’s going to be a great event where guests can win diamonds and who doesn’t like diamonds?! More importantly the funds raised at this event are going to help us help others in our community. The money raised in Cayman stays in Cayman so I hope corporations and groups of friends will take on the challenge and support Ice on Ice in some way.”
The fun starts at 6pm on Thursday 29 May until 9pm and as well as being available at the National Gallery on the night, tickets can also be purchased in advance from the Cancer Society or online at http://www.active.com/donate/iceonicecayman .
Ozzie tells Chamber to back him on dump process
(CNS Business): The minister in charge of Cayman’s future garbage plans has told the Chamber of Commerce to give him its support and backing instead of engaging in adversarial correspondence and demanding instant fixes, given the restraints that government is operating under. In a letter to Chamber president Johann Moxam in response to letters sent to him in February and April seeking a more speedy resolution to the situation at the George Town landfill, Osbourne Bodden said he intended to deal with it in an open and transparent manner and told the Chamber boss to change his “attitude” and get behind government’s plans for the dump. Read more and comment on CNSBusiness
Lion fish contest helps in goal to clear reefs
(CNS): The #11 Rackam and Stack’em tournament the second lionfish hunt organized this year by CULL (Cayman United Lionfish League) saw 594 lionfish removed from the reefs which combined to a total weight of over 230lbs. Encouraging spearing enthusiasts to compete is one of a number of ways people are helping rid Cayman’s fragile reefs of the invasive pests and protect the underwater ecosystem. Rackams provided the headquarters for this tournament in which 40 people competed in 12 teams on Saturday and Sunday 10 and 11 May. The chefs at Rackams cooked up some 75lbs of the fish, showing off its versatility, to encourage more consumption.
The winners of the contest were:
Scuba Divers:
Most Lionfish: 1st Place – Ambassador Divers – 128 – 2nd Place – Hungry Snapper – 90
Biggest Lionfish: 1st Place – Angry Salmon – 304mm – 2nd Place – Troublemaker – 295mm
Overall Weight : 1st Place – Ambassador Divers – 29.9kg – 2nd Place –Troublemaker – 18.5kg
Smallest Lionfish: 1st Place – Ambassador Divers – 49mm – 2nd Place – Whole New World – 55mm
Free Divers:
Most Lionfish: 1st Place – Green Water – 114 – 2nd Place – Las Tortugas – 52
Biggest Lionfish: 1st Place –Las Tortugas – 290mm – 2nd Place –Las Tortugas – 265mm
Overall Weight: 1st Place –Las Tortugas – 12.1kg – 2nd Place – Green Water – 8.1kg
Smallest Lionfish: 1st Place – Green Water – 41mm – 2nd Place – Green Water – 28mm
Las Tortugas also won a free cell phone for clearing the most line off the reef – an amazing 2.1kg worth.
Sponsors for the tournament include Foster’s Food Fair, Rackams, Ambassador Divers, Digicel, Tansy Maki, Vibe 98.9, Spin 94.9, DoE and Cayman Islands Tourism Association
World Athletics Day qualifier for CUT
(CNS): Alongside 122 other IAAF members the Cayman Islands Athletic Association will be taking part in the 2014 edition of the IAAF World Athletics Day on Saturday. Now in its 19th year, the IAAF World Athletics Day is the sport’s annual worldwide festival of youth and one of the busiest programmes of competitions in the athletics calendar. The Meet will take place at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex at 4:00pm and CIAA has confirmed that it will be used as a qualifier for the CUT Age Group Championships which will take place in Trinidad and Tobago on July 25 & 26.
The World Athletics Day offers the opportunity to promote the sport through youth participation in clubs and schools.
The festival has always been held on a designated weekend each year and whilst Saturday, May 10 & Sunday, May 11, 2014 is the preferred weekend for the IAAF’s Member Federations to celebrate the IAAF World Athletics Day, the option of holding their celebration at any time during the month of May has been allowed in an effort to aid the greatest possible number of participating Federations.
Caymanian students selected for UWC
(CNS): Having been selected by the local national committee as its 2014 scholars, Sean Whewell and Giovanna Stafford are the latest Caymanians to join the United World Colleges (UWC) movement and will receive academic scholarships for the two-year pre-university programme. Beginning in August, Sean will attend UWC-USA in Montezuma, New Mexico and Giovanna will head to UWC Adriatic in Duino, Italy. After completing their ‘O’ Level qualifications this summer, they will study for the highly respected International Baccalaureate Diploma at UWC alongside students from around the world.
In addition to their exceptional scholastic records, this year’s scholars are actively involved in various community service and co-curricular activities.
Among their accomplishments, Giovanna has volunteered at the Humane Society and National Gallery and is a talented musician, while Sean has participated in Junior Achievement and Key Club and is an avid footballer.
Commenting on this year’s selection process, UWC Cayman Islands Chairperson Aubrey Bodden (UWC-USA ’04) stated: “As with most years, we had a very strong set of applicants and the selection committee was very impressed with all of the shortlisted candidates. Sean and Giovanna will do an excellent job representing the Cayman Islands at UWC and I wish them all the best as they embark on this new, challenging and life-changing experience!”
Looking beyond 2014, Bodden also noted, “As awareness of the UWC movement continues to grow locally and additional colleges open in Germany, Armenia and China over the next two years, a larger number of places will be available globally and we expect that there will also be additional qualified Caymanian students to fill them. We therefore look forward to selecting more candidates for this unique educational opportunity in the years to come.
“However, it is only through the continued support and commitment of our volunteers and sponsors that we are able to continue the completely need-blind, merit-based selection process that is at the core of our values. Inability to pay should never deprive a deserving candidate of the opportunity to attend UWC.”
This year UWC Cayman Islands proudly celebrates 30 years as part of the unique globaleducational movement that was founded in 1962 in the pursuit of peace and justice. UWC seeks to bring together young people from different races, religions and cultures to learn from one another. At each college academic achievements are put into perspective with a demanding mix of community engagement, international affairs, physical activities, service commitments and creative pursuits.
Over the past three decades, approximately 70 Caymanians have attended UWC, spending two years living and learning with students from all over the world at colleges in Canada, India, Swaziland, Hong Kong, Wales, the USA, Italy and Costa Rica. UWC colleges are also currently located in Singapore, the Netherlands, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Norway.
Thanks to a large and dedicated network of volunteers, generous corporate and individual donors, and community support for fundraising activities, most Caymanians have also received scholarships to cover tuition and accommodation expenses and travel as necessary.
In recognising those who make the charitable organisation’s work possible, Bodden added, "I would like to, in particular, thank this year’s major donors for their support – Maples and Calder, Deutsche Bank, the Aall Foundation, alumnus Linburgh Martin (Atlantic College ’86), Greenlight Re, the Cayman Islands Compliance Association and Cayman National – and our volunteer-run Board of Directors and selection committee for their dedication.
“I also invite other companies and individuals to contact us at uwccaymanislands@gmail.com if you are interested in learning more about UWC and how to become a part of this exciting and life-changing movement by applying, donating or volunteering your time and skills. Every contribution – no matter how small you may think it is – helps further the UWC mission to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.”
Turtle Farm says old age behind animal deaths
(CNS): Concerns raised by a UK-based charity regarding the fate of animals other than turtles housed at the Cayman Turtle Farm had been dismissed by the management, which claims that a hybrid blue iguana died of old age and the deaths of five sandbar sharks were uncertain but may also have been due to age. The Farm said a remaining shark has been removed from the exhibit as the conditions do not suit sandbar sharks. Because it is not native to Cayman it cannot be released and may have to be put down. The CTF denied any problems at all with "Smiley", the crocodile, which was captured in the wild in 2006 by members of the public and given to the farm to recover from injuries it sustained when it was caught.
In its latest report about the CTF and its aim to persuade Cayman to transition the facility from a turtle meat supplier to a fully-fledged conservation centre, the World Society for the Protection of Animals raised a number of questions about various other creatures the Farm houses as its wildlife exhibits.
The blue iguana hybrid, which the WSPA said had not been seen for several years, is dead, the Farm confirmed.
The management explained that the iguana was part of a hybrid pair with Sister Islands iguana ancestry. The male died in the wake of Hurricane Michelle, while the female lived on until 2011, when she was around 27 years old.
“Their normal lifespan is about 30 years,” the Farm said in response to questions from CNS about the WSPA concerns. “A necropsy was conducted by an exotic animal specialist veterinarian who had been overseeing her care for years. The necropsy revealed that the Blue died of natural causes – complications of old age. The BIRP (Blue Iguana Recovery Programme) and DoE (Department of Environemnt) were both notified of this.”
The CTF management noted that the Farm is currently caring for a Sister Islands iguana at the request of the Department of the Environment. That iguana was brought to the farm for rehabilitation and safe keeping, and it is now thriving in the iguana habitat.
Explaining that Smiley is not a caiman, as suggested by the WSPA, but a hybrid American crocodile that was injured when it was captured by members of the public, the CTF said the DoE asked them to care for Smiley during her recuperation. As she could not be returned to the wild, the Farm agreed to keep her permanently. She is kept in partial shade and partial full sun, fresh water and salt water sections, and is free to move between the sections as she pleases. The management said the crocodile jumps for her food as “part of the enrichment exercise”, which gives “her some mental and physical exercise simulating the species natural activity of leaping and pouncing to catch its prey.”
The situation with the sharks, however, remains in question and the Farm confirmed that five sandbar sharks have died. Vets were unable to determine the cause of death and had suggested it may be age-related. The remaining sandbar shark is in the Farm’s quarantine facility because this species of shark runs the risk of injury in the exhibit, which is an artificial reef and not a sandbar.
As these sharks are not native to the Cayman Islands, the last shark cannot be released into the wild so it may have to be “euthanized for humane reasons rather than risk repeated injury by being returned to the exhibit,” the Farm added.
The nurse shark that had an injury to its pectoral fin was also removed to CTF’s on-site quarantine facility, where it has been treated and has recovered.
“It is a type of injury thatoccasionally occurs in nature, especially during breeding season,” the Farm said, adding it was awaiting a decision by the vet about whether the shark should be returned to the exhibit.
See full answers from the Turtle Farm posted below regarding CNS questions based on the WSPA concerns, along with the charity’s report.
Violence continues with double stabbing in GT
(CNS): Hot on the heels of two violent incidents at the weekend, in which three victims were assaulted with weapons, two men involved in a fight on Monday night in Windsor Park, George Town, were also stabbed. Police said that one of the men is in stable condition in the Critical Care Unit after receiving a number of very serious injuries. The second man, who was also stabbed and released after treatment, has been arrested on suspicion of wounding and is currently in police custody. An RCIPS spokesperson said the two men involved in the double stabbing were related and had stabbed each other during an argument.
The 911 call centre received the report at 9:28pm saying two people had been stabbed in Oak Mill Street, off Walkers Road, and one of the men had collapsed in a driveway. Police and ambulance personnel found that a 33-year-old man had sustained stab wounds to his left upper back and the right side of his neck, multiple lacerations to the left and right cheek and superficial cuts to his hands. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance and admitted to the Critical Care Unit but is now in a stable condition.
Meanwhile, his 30-year-old relative also had stab wounds to his right thigh and various lacerations about his body. A second ambulance arrived to take him to the hospital, where he was treated and discharged. He was then arrested on suspicion of wounding. Police said they had recovered and seized both of the weapons used in the stabbing.
Brides catch tax break on wedding dresses
(CNS Business): The government has been quick to move on the question of duty and deposits on bridal gowns and other clothes for visiting destination wedding parties. The Customs Tariff Law has already been amended to eliminate a duty charge and the policy of requiring a deposit. Recognizing the importance of the destination wedding market, the Tourism Ministry and Department of Tourism worked to address the issue, which caused huge controversy when the little known policy was revealed following an incident over an undeclared wedding dress. The tourism minister said government wanted to provide a "stress free environment" for people coming to get married, as he announced the change in a press release Tuesday. Read more on CNS Business
Crown faces compensation claim for jail time
(CNS): A man who served seven and a half months in jail on a drug conviction which was overturned on appeal is making a compensation claim against the government for his time in jail. In October 2011 Eduardo Swaby was convicted in Summary Court of possession and intent to supply cocaine by Chief Magistrate Ramsey-Hale and sentenced to 12 years in prison. The conviction, however, depended on alleged exhibits which were never placed into evidence by the prosecutor on the case. Swaby was granted bail after serving more than seven months when local attorney Peter Polack picked up the case and filed an appeal. Shortly afterwards, Swaby’s appeal was successful and his conviction quashed.
The Grand Court heard the appeal, in which it was revealed that the alleged portion of cocaine on which Swaby was convicted of possessing was never proven to be an illicit drug. The substance was neither analyzed by the RCIPS nor submitted to the court by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). On 29 June 2012 the conviction was quashed on the basis that the chief magistrate relied on non-existent evidence. Cash seized by the RCIPS Financial Crimes Unit as part of the proceeds of his alleged crime was returned to Swaby in August.
Now his lawyer is arguing that under the constitution Swaby is entitled to compensation for his wrongful conviction and time spent in jail and has approach the Attorney General’s Chambers about that claim.
Polack is understood to be the first attorney to make such a claim on behalf of his client but he believes there are other people out there with a legitimate claim and said he was certain of at least one that could also be brought.
Section 7(8) of the Cayman Islands Constitution states that when a person has faced a miscarriage of justice or a conviction has been quashed, the victim can be compensated out of public funds for any punishment that they suffered as a result of that conviction.
Budget process leads to parliamentary bust-up
(CNS): The premier and opposition leader were in a legislative stand-off Monday over the process of how the budget will be debated on Thursday. The state opening of parliament for the budget meeting began with an exceptionally short Throne Speech from the governor, but the Policy Statement behind the PPM government’s 2014/15 spending plan was delivered by the premier ahead of the finance minister's Budget Address. Although Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush began the practice of delivering a policy statement with the budget when he was premier, he objected strongly to the plan to merge the debate with the budget address, saying government would get to “talk twice” when once was “enough for most people".
When Bush was premier he was also minister of finance, and so he delivered a merged address and was then the only minister to respond to the debate on the Throne Speech, the policy document and the Budget Address. However, in the PPM government Premier Alden McLaughlin is not finance minister and, as a result, after the conclusion of the debate on government’s policy and budget, which starts Thursday, both Finance Minister Marco Archer and the premier will deliver responses to the LA.
When McLaughlin proposed the motion Monday after the budget that members would be given several days to digest government’s spending plans and then return to the LA Thursday to debate it, the opposition leader objected.
In a lengthy speech Bush said he had researched the Commonwealth and could find no parliament where a government was allowed to speak twice and accused the administration of undermining democracy. He said that two ministers could not both respond to one debate, and with no precedent and no justification for his actions, the premier could not manoeuvre himself into position to close for the finance minister on the debate when it wasn’t the premier’s job to do so.
Bush said that when he had introduced the idea of a policy statement, there was still no minister of finance, and with the Throne Speech delivered by the governor and the budget by the financial secretary, the premier began delivery a policy statement on behalf of the elected arm of government. But what McLaughlin was now doing, he claimed, was abusing the parliamentary process. The opposition leader said if the government wanted to review how the budget was delivered that was one thing, but he accused the premier of changing things ad hoc and disregarding democratic principles.
“We shouldn’t change rules on the fly to suit the government or the premier’s personal whims,” he said, adding that parliamentary procedure simply does not allow government to speak twice. He said one minister alone should reply at end of the debate, speaking for all of government. He said government did not need “to speak twice as once was enough for most people".
McLaughlin then accused Bush of ignoring the facts, since he had set the precedent. The premier also pointed out that the speaker ruled on the issue last October when the decision to merge the debates was agreed as a result of time and practicality.
The premier said that parliament should not allow “the opposition leader’sparanoia to go against good sense and reason”, as he urged the deputy speaker, Anthony Eden, not to overturn the ruling made by House Speaker Juliana O’Connor Connolly, who was absent Monday.
McLaughlin explained the thinking behind the move as he pointed out that the Throne Speech was exceptionally short, providing just a review of government’s position while his speech provided the policy behind the budget. Then Archer’s speech addressed the practical application of the policies in the financial plan – essentially three elements of the same thing, making it sensible to debate the issues together.
However, the opposition leader objected further to McLaughlin’s justifications and the two men engaged in a heated argument across the chamber, with both refusing to give way to the other as they yelled incoherently.
Interrupting the shouting match, Eden stepped in and said he was upholding the previous ruling that the budget debates would be merged but acknowledged this was another area where the parliament’s Standing Orders needed to change to represent the constitutional position.
Eden said that at the risk of “being crass”, he urged both leaders to get to the point where they stopped “playing last lick”.
See Throne Speech below.