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Water Authority extending pipeline on Cayman Brac
(CNS): The Water Authority (WA) has begun laying new pipeline in the West End of Cayman Brac, which will be followed by an upgrade to the water pipes servicing the island's main tourism area, including the Alexander Hotel, the Brac Reef Beach Resort and the Brac Caribbean and Carib Sands condominiums. Currently this area receives water piped under airport property, which the WA has said must be removed to comply with revised international safety standards. New pipes now being laid along Gerrard Smith Avenue, from the Cross Road to Bert Marson Drive on the South Side, will connect to the water piped along the southwest down to the Brac Reef. The WA says the project is part of its 10-year capital plan to expand its water infrastructure on the island.
“The existing water distribution system was installedin 1991, and has not been extended significantly over the last 20+ years," said WA Deputy Director Tom van Zanten. "Since then several homes have been constructed on the side roads off Gerrard Smith Avenue which do not have access to piped water. Also some land owners in this area have indicated that they would build homes if piped water was available.
“Additionally part of the existing main pipeline is within the airport property, and as a result of revised international safety and security requirements must be removed. The new pipeline will ensure that the Water Authority can deliver piped water efficiently and reliably to more customers," van Zanten said.
“As minister for Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, I am very pleased to have the Water Authority start the piped water project on Cayman Brac,” said Deputy Premier Moses Kirkconnell. “This will encourage sustainable development and improve the quality of life for Cayman Brac residents.”
Initially pipes will be installed along Gerrard Smith Avenue and its side roads (Bertrand Avenue, Bluff Boulevard, Marie Avenue, and Warbler Road). Afterwards, the existing pipeline along the south coast (Bert Marson Drive, Channel Road) will be upgraded to 6-inch diameter to increase the capacity of the system and improve reliability, the WA said in a release.
This project, which started this week, comprises the installation of approximately three miles of pipework and is expected to continue for a period of approximately eight months. Work started at the intersection with Cross Road, continuing east along Gerrard Smith Avenue.
An experienced four-man pipelaying crew has been relocated from Grand Cayman to Cayman Brac, and they will work with two labourers hired locally. Equipment and materials arrived by barge last week (see photo above).
The Water Authority does not anticipate any road closures during the pipelaying work but motorists traveling in the area affected are urged to proceed with caution and obey all road signs. Traffic flow will be facilitated at either end using flag men.
“I am very excited to see the Water Authority return to Cayman Brac to carry out major work on the piped water infrastructure and I look forward to the start of this important project,” said Kurt Tibbetts, Minister of Planning, Lands, Agriculture, Housing & Infrastructure.
Lemuel Hurlston, Chairman of the Water Authority Board stated, "The board of directors is delighted to direct the considerable investments in the proposed major infrastructure development works in Cayman Brac. We are confident that these will offer employment opportunities while expanding the services to residents and businesses there and ultimately to Little Cayman."
R&B singer Estelle to perform in AIDS fundraiser
(CNS): A week of fundraising for the Cayman AIDS Foundation kicks off with the “Scarlet Sky Gala” on 23 November, featuring Grammy-winning R&B singer, Estelle. Tickets are CI$250 per person and CI$2,500 per table at the ARC at Camana Bay, which organisers say will provide “an intimate lounge feel”, and the night’s events will include a live auction for such items as World Cup tickets and an all expenses paid trip to see the Miami Heat play. The week of activities, called “Think Red Cayman”, includes fundraising dress down days, free HIV testing, a candlight vigil and a church service, leading up to World AIDS Day, a release from the Foundation states.
The Foundation has declined to reveal how much Estelle is being paid to come to the Cayman Islands to sing, though it is said to be a “considerably lower fee than is market value for her performance”. However, a spokesperson for Nathan Square Communications, which is promoting the event, said they were hoping to raise CI$25,000 through ticket sales for the Cayman AIDS Foundation outreach and operations costs for 2014, and promised full disclosure after the event.
“Thanks to our generous sponsors, including the Ministry of Health and DART Cayman Islands, the Cayman AIDS Foundation now has a permanent annual fundraiser, which can contribute on a large scale to its annual operating budget, creating additional opportunities for patient support, free HIV/AIDS testing and education programming,” the spokesperson said.
“We felt our kick-off to Think Red Cayman week 2013 should make an impact and we look forward to presenting an elegant and modern evening with neo-soul and jazz, courtesy of Estelle, along with a live auction element and an intimate lounge feel,” said Cherine Usherwood, President of the Cayman AIDS Foundation. “This event will be one of a kind.”
Estelle’s career as an English R&B singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer is extensive. Her voice has been compared to everyone, from Billy Holiday to Anita Baker. Her many collaborations with Kanye West, The Roots and John Legend (who discovered her) have sealed her place in the neo-soul and hip hop industries. She is best known for her collaboration with Kanye West on the Billboard-topping track ‘American Boy’, which yielded a Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Grammy for her and West.
Tickets for the Gala are available by contacting 925-6151 or by emailing info@caf.ky.
The theme for this World AIDS Day is "Getting to Zero: Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths". World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day and has continued to be marked since 1988. It is an opportunity to join people worldwide in the fight against HIV, showing support for people living with HIV and AIDS and commemorating people who have died.
“The mantra for the campaign captures the spirit of this new Caymanian annual movement of activism,” organisers said. “When you ‘Think Red’ you take notice of an epidemic that is changing the shape of our world. Open your heart. Open your mind. Think Red.”
Usherwood and her team and committee members are appealing to the community to become involved in this year’s activities, which includes fundraising dress down days, free HIV testing, a candlight vigil and a church service. For more information on activities, visit Think Red Cayman on Facebook or the Cayman AIDS Foundation.
Think Red Cayman 2013 is sponsored by Dart Realty and the Ministry of Health along with partners Cayman Islands Water Authority, Greenlight Re, PWC and KPMG.
2013 Christmas stamps feature heritage buildings
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Postal Service will be releasing the Christmas 2013 stamp issue tomorrow, 5 November, and will feature four buildings of local historical significance — the old Government House in George Town, the Old Homestead in West Bay, the Bodden Town Mission House and the old District Administration Building in Cayman Brac — all decorated with Christmas lights and being visited by Santa Claus. The four denominations for the stamps will be 25₵, 75₵, 80₵ and $1.
“This is meant to be a fun and entertaining issue, blending the old structures with modern holiday decorations,” said Postmaster General Sheena Glasgow. "Christmas is a fun time of the year and Stamp Advisory Committee members decided to highlight our architectural heritage, while embracing the decorative spirit of the season,” she added.
The 25₵ stamp is of the Old Government Building, which was constructed in 1908 while Dr George Hirst was Commissioner of the Cayman Islands. Not only was the building home toGovernment offices, but it was also the house for the Administrators/Commissioners and their families. Unfortunately on Sunday, 23 July 1972, the building and most of the records were destroyed by a fire.
The image on the 75₵ stamp is of the Old Homestead (also known as the Pink House). This house was built in 1909 by Sam Ebanks for Calvin and Ida Ebanks. The house was constructed of wattle and daub in the old Caymanian style, which is typical of that era. The house has a cook room out back, a wide porch trimmed with "gingerbread" in front, a sand yard all around, and a tin roof surrounded by gutters piped into a cistern to supply water to the house.
The 80₵ stamp shows the Mission House, which is estimated to be over 150 years old and is referred to by Bodden Towners as the district's oldest building. It is a two-storied structure that was last owned by the Late Emile Watler, but has become an historic site run by the National Trust. This site rose to prominence in the 1800s and became known as the “Mission House” to early missionaries, teachers and families who lived in the district and contributed to establishing the Presbyterian ministry and school in Bodden Town.
The $1 stamp depicts the Old Government Administration Building on Cayman Brac. This building was constructed in 1933 and housed various government agencies including the Post Office, Customs, Immigration and the Court House. Some 50 years later on 3 December 1983 it took up a new role — housing the island's oldest and most precious artifacts and thus becoming the Cayman Brac Museum.
Minister of Planning, Lands, Agriculture, Housing and Infrastructure Kurt Tibbetts praised CIPS for being innovative with the new stamp issue.
“This issue should have a broad appeal. It is in keeping with the Christmas spirit and at the same time illustrates the Islands’ past. No doubt kids will look at these stamps and see how much we have grown in terms of architecture and the leaflet provides a bit of history and purpose of the buildings, making this issue educational, functional and aesthetically appealing.”
The 2013 Christmas stamps go on sale on 5 November at all post offices. For more information, please contact Philatelic Manager Karen McField 946-4757 or stop by the Philatelic Bureau at the Seven Mile Post Office.
R&B stars heading to Grand Cayman for music fest
(CNS): Music legend Percy Sledge will head the list of musicians at the upcoming Cayman Islands International Music Fest, a musical extravaganza by Mogul Entertainment/DSS Production, which will be held on Friday, 6 December, in Grand Harbour. Organisers say the festival will fuse legendary artists and today’s hit-makers to create a one-night spectacular comparable to the highly revered Cayman Islands Jazz Fest. The event will also feature Ginuwine (left), R&B newcomers Verse Simmonds and Omi at what is slated to be an annual event, which will incorporate local flavor with international panache, both in terms of its level of musical excellence, acoustics and haute style.
The first Cayman Islands International Music Fest will also include special features, described as “a luxurious out-of-this-world VIP lounge, fabulous giveaways and a plethora of surprises”.
An inaugural “Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award” honoree in 1989, Percy Sledge was one of the key figures of deep Southern soul during the late 1960s and is most famous for with his massive hit “When a Man Loves a Woman", which reached #1 in the US and #6 in the UK when it was first released in 1966, and went to #2 in the UK when it was re-released in 1987. In 1996 Sledge was the recipient of the Blues Music Award for best Soul/Blues album of the year with his record Blue Night and in 2005 he was inducted into the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
With striking good looks and a voice as smooth as silk, Ginuwine, was one of R&B's preeminent “love men” during the '90s zenith of hip-hop soul. Genuwine first emerged on the music scene in 1996 with the album “Ginuwine…the Bachelor”. The album peaked at twenty-six on the US Billboard 200 and reached the fourteenth spot on the R&B Albums chart. The album was certified gold in January 1997 and double platinum by March 1999. “Pony,” the daring first single, peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks for two weeks in late 1996 and reached #6 on Billboard's Hot 100.
He won Best R&B/Soul Male Album for “100% Ginuwine” in 2000 in the Soul Train Music Awards, while his hit “So Anxious” was nominated the same year in the singles award.
Ginuwine is a founding member of TGT, a supergroup formed in 2007 comprising Tyrese, Ginuwine and Tank. The group’s first song was a remix of Tank's song, “Please Don't Go.” The trio also appears on Slim Thug's single “Let Me Grind”.
Titians in the business, such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, Rihanna and Akon, all agree on one thing: Verse Simmonds is the future of music in the 21st century.
A musical prodigy from the the Virgin Islands, Verse Simmonds (31) is a renaissance man in R&B, possessing an innate ability for rapping, singing, songwriting and producing. Over the last 18 months, Verse Simmonds (short for Versatile), has been lava hot on the US music scene, where he has created hits like the super hot and sexy beat “Boo Thang”, featuring Kelly Rowland, which is a track off of his mix-tape “The Sextape Chronicles 2”. Simmonds is also in demand by a wide array of megastars for his songwriting skills.
Omi (Omar Samuel Pasley) is the newest music sensation to hit the R&B music arena. Omi is a prolific singer and songwriter inspired by stars such as Nat King Cole, John Legend and Tanya Stephens. Omi’s fluid vocal delivery and his contemporary songwriting skills will no doubt secure successive hits on the international music charts.
“With such a star-studded line-up, the festival is one not-to-be-missed and promises to be an evening filled with riveting performances and elements of glamour. Attendees will be captivated and impressed by the event’s impeccable attention to detail, sophisticated décor and amazing ambience,” organisers say.
And there’s more: “As the icing on the cake, there will also be a surprise superstar performer that will make the ladies shiver in their heels and the guys envision the ultimate earthly haven.”
Check for more details on the early bird specials via the Cayman Islands International Music Fest’s website: www.ciimf.ky.
Law firm provides university interview training
(CNS): Five local high school students were provided with training for scholarship interviews by the Human Resources department of law firm Maples and Calder last April. The mock interviews, which lasted 30 minutes each, were an opportunity for the students to gain realistic experience of a typical scholarship interview in preparation for their approaching time at university, the firm said in a release. Students were also advised on interview etiquette, which covered lessons on appropriate dress; when to arrive; what to bring; howto greet the interviewer; how to respond to interview questions; how to close the interview; and sending a follow-up thank you note.
"We are pleased we can offer this level of training to our local students," said Morven Bodden, Head of Human Resources in Maples and Calder's Cayman Islands office. "We hope they were able to take away some new knowledge and skills that will assist them down the road when they are preparing for their real scholarship and job interviews, wherever they may be."
The interviewed students represented St. Ignatius High School and have been accepted to several overseas universities, including Newcastle University and Keele University in the UK, St Leo University in Florida and University of the West Indies.
As a leading international law firm, Maples and Calder continues to seek the next generation of leaders by providing opportunities to Caymanians who exhibit initiative and a team-oriented attitude, Maples said.
Each year, the firm invites applications from young adults who are in the last years of their secondary education, or beginning their tertiary education, to work through the summer months within various teams. This year the firm afforded summer internship and work experience opportunities to almost 40 young Caymanians.
Each young person who steps through Maples and Calder's doors is given the opportunity to gain valuable experience, which allows them to sharpen their skills and cement their interest in any number of the fields the firm supports, including law, accounting, marketing, compliance, information technology, office administration, human resources and information services, to name a few.
Students who are interested in learning more about Maples and Calder's mock interview process should contact Morven Bodden at morven.bodden@maplesandcalder.com or +1 345 949 8066.
One day fair to explain how stats affects everyday life
(CNS): Did you know that hypertension is the most prevalent chronic disease in the Cayman Islands? Yet even if you knew, how can statistics help you? According to Shanna Saunders-Best, the coordinator of the Cayman Islands’ first-ever statistics fair, they provide tools for the spectrum of health care decision makers – the government, hospitals, doctors, as well as you and your family — to work towards the improvement of well-being in this country. This is just one way that statistics affects everyday life that will be highlighted at the fair, which will be held at the University College of the Cayman Islands auditorium on Thursday this week, 9am to 6pm. Finance Minister Marco Archer will officially open the fair at 9:30am.
The event, which has the theme “KyStats 4 Everyday Life: Let us Educate and Appreciate”, is hosted by the Economics and Statistics Office (ESO) and the recently formed NationalStatistical Coordination Committee (NSCC). Ten government entities have planned information displays that will include interactive activities and games to highlight the importance of statistics. Among these is the Health Services Authority (HSA).
Saunders-Best noted that results from the Health Risk Factor Survey 2012 indicated that 15.8% of the population aged 25-64 years had raised blood pressure (hypertension) but were not currently on medication. This rate is even higher among males at 18.8% compared to females at 12.7%. “If persons with elevated blood pressure are not on medication or being monitored, this could impact the health system severely when complications arise,” she said. To learn more information about this disease she urges the public to visit the fair.
HSA Director of Corporate Services Andria Dilbert added,“Visitors to the booth will learn more about their individual health. Moreover, they will also have the opportunity to understand how health impacts people's lives and what the country can do to work for their betterment. Each participant will also have the opportunity to learn about different methods of intervention that aim to encourage us to lead a healthier and more wholesome lifestyle.”
Equally stimulating booths are promised by other participants, including the ESO, the Departments of Children and Family Services, Education, Environment, Environmental Health, Immigration, Planning, and Lands and Survey, as well as the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service.
The public can expect to see presented in a number of interesting ways a comprehensive set of statistics that relate to all aspects of life in the Cayman Islands, including food, housing, education, disease risks, healthcare, natural resources, environmental health, foreign trade, property development, immigration, peace and order. There will also be special prizes, random drawings, sports statistics demonstrations and television interviews, Saunders-Best says.
Inviting the public to attend, Minister Archer said, “As part of the Cayman Islands’ celebrations of International Year of Statistics 2013, this unique event will seek to reach persons of all ages, especially students. As a former career statistician, with a life-long interest in statistics, I recognise the impact which data that is scientifically gathered can have on our everyday lives.” A means through which this impact is achieved is when governments use statistics to tailor policies, programmes and services, the minister explained.
“I am especially delighted that 11 government entities, led by the Economics and Statistics Office (ESO), are participating in the fair. I believe this will impart a better understanding about how statistics shape the everyday provision of service to our people,” Archer added.
UCCI President Roy Bodden and Director Maria Zingapan will also speak at the opening ceremony.
Air traffic controllers celebrated on their day
(CNS): In recognition of International Air Traffic Controllers Day, which will be celebrated worldwide this Sunday, 20 October, the Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA) is acknowledging its team of 15 Air Traffic Controllers, three Trainee Air Traffic Controllers and three Air Traffic Control Assistants, at Owen Roberts International Airport (ORIA) and Charles Kirkconnell International (CKIA), who are charged with the responsibility of keeping the skies of the Cayman Islands safe for the travelling public. It is on this day that Air Traffic Controllers all over the world celebrate the responsible and challenging profession they are in. (Left: Joshua Burke, Rodney Dixon and Hendric Myrie, part of the team at the Brac airport)
Every day thousands of flights are guided safely through the skies, the CIAA said in a release. Whether they are carrying passengers or cargo, flight crews rely on the professionalism of air traffic controllers, other support personnel behind the scenes and the systems they utilise to ensure a safe journey.
While most air traffic control environments utilize radar systems to assist controllers in providing required separation criteria between aircraft established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Cayman Islands’ airspace utilizes non-radar or “procedural” control. This method of air traffic control provides horizontal and vertical separation of aircraft based on time, distance, height and geographical locations of aircraft positions based upon ground-based navigational aids.
Procedural control requires the air traffic controller to mentally visualise the location of aircraft based on each aircraft's flight progress strip, which records its route, speed, altitude, and estimated times as they fly over predetermined points. The controller then makes the determinations in applying the required separation from this process. In other words, from all the information collated, a procedural controller’s “radar screen” is the flight progress board as well as the mental picture that is maintained in his/her head. In the world of air traffic control, procedural control is recognized as the most challenging and is highly respected. (Above: Clem Scott and Colin Solly)
Air traffic controllers in the Cayman Islands often progress from the role of Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) officer, which introduces an individual to the air traffic control environment. This function provides assistance to air traffic controllers and pilots by processing flight plans, disseminating critical airport operational information and collating the air traffic statistics for our airports. Depending on an individual’s desired career development and after meeting selection criteria, an AIS Officer could be selected as an Air Traffic Control Assistant (ATCA). This is seen as preliminary training for air traffic
control functions, as the Assistant is directly exposed to the control environment and assists in preparing information which the Controller requires. However, while an ATCA does not control air traffic, upon completion of a required period and undertaking a written and practical assessment program, an ATCA could be selected for formal air traffic control training.
The Cayman Islands utilizes the College of Air Traffic Control in Trinidad & Tobago, which is ICAOcertified. A Trainee Air Traffic Controller will undergo a ten-month program of academic and practical training at the College and if successful, will be required to undergo a minimum of three months of on the job training before being certified. Air Traffic Controllers are required to undergo full refresher training every 13 months in order to maintain their certification. Their entire training and certification process is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands (CAACI).
Acknowledging the valuable contributions of the Air Traffic Controllers and Aeronautical Information Service Officers at the islands’ two international airports, Walter Ebanks, Senior Manager Air Navigation Services for the CIAA, commented, “On behalf of the Airports Authority, I commend our Cayman Islands team for their professionalism, track record and dedication to maintaining aviation safety in the Cayman Islands. Their combined efforts contribute to the overall safety of travellers throughout the world and
we recognise them on this special day.”
Hendric Myrie, who has been with the CIAA for the past 24 years, 21 of which has been as an Air Traffic Controller at CKIA, remarked, “I thoroughly enjoy being a part of the Air Traffic Control team and each day is a learning experience in this position. My career with the CIAA has been very rewarding and I go to work every day with a sense of appreciation for the responsibility entrusted in us to maintain safety in the skies.”
Commenting on her role as an Air Traffic Controller for the past 10 years at ORIA, Nicola O’Connor, who has been with the Authority for 17 years remarked, “I feel that the role I perform at the CIAA is an extremely responsible one and I am privileged to be a member of the Air Traffic Services unit which possesses a great track record for aviation safety. I am also proud to be the lone female Controller and encourage other aspiring females to pursue a career in this field as it is very rewarding. At present I provide guidance toa female Air Traffic Control Assistant as she undergoes training to move up the ranks.”
Air Traffic Controller at ORIA, Jeremy Miller, who has been with the CIAA nine years, also expressed his sentiments regarding the role his team plays, “I am proud to be a member of the CIAA’s Air Traffic Controllers and I appreciate having the opportunity to make a marked contribution to aviation safety in the Cayman Islands.”
Below: The Air Traffic Control team at ORIA: From L-R, back row: Robert Boggess, Jay Evans, Craig Smith, Supervisor, Erick Bodden, Supervisor, Jonathan Schutte, Robert Harris (currently Acting Chief Operations Officer), Theodore Kelly, Jeremy Miller, Alastair Bird, Jason Giddings, Michael Woods. Seated, from left: Derrin Brandon, Nicola O’Connor, Davina Jackson and Simon Rivers. Missing from photo: Meshak Conolly.
Cayman’s Red Cross deputy shortlisted for award
(CNS): An outspoken activist who has been the force behind the local campaign to raise AIDS awareness has been shortlisted for a Commonwealth award. Carolina Ferreira, the Cayman Islands Red Cross’ Deputy Director and HIV & AIDS Programme Manager, has been announced as one of the five regional finalists for the Commonwealth Youth Worker Award. The Youth Worker Awards are part of Youth Work Week 2013, which will run from 4 to 10 November. Youth Work Week raises awareness of the valuable role youth work plays in empowering and supporting young people. This is the first year that this award is being offered outside of the United Kingdom.
“We are incredibly proud of the work which we do as an organization and of the caliber of the service and programmes that we deliver to our community,” said Branch Director, Jondo Obi. “There are seven members of staff, who manage nearly 200 volunteers, five programmes, countless projects, and are on call to respond to any disaster. Carolina has been with the organization for ten years, and to have her work recognized is tremendous,” she added in a release from the Red Cross.
Ferreira began volunteering with the Cayman Islands Red Cross in 1997, and would assist the organisation whenever she was home on school breaks. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from Haverford College in 2000 and went on to join the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s (MSPCC) foster and adoptive parent programme “Kid’s Net”.
Immediately upon returning home to Grand Cayman in 2002 she began working with the then CIRC Programme Coordinator to implement an HIV and AIDS Peer Education programme at the high school. By 2003, Ferreira was hired by the organization as the HIV and AIDS Programme Manager, tasked with ongoing development and expansion of the “Together We Can” (TWC) Peer Education Programme.
“The brilliant thing about Peer Education is the fact that it is not contained to a specific moment, or class, or semester,” Ferreira explained. “In training Peer Educators you train infiltrators who can take knowledge, facts and the truth to their peers and beyond. There is no way to measure the impact of one well trained peer educator because the knowledge they gain is with them for life and for them to share it with others- friends, family, partners, children- at any time. TWC aims at empowering youth with knowledge, getting them to think about their options, values and their choices, and helping to make informed decisions even before they are put in those hard situations,” she added.
During the summer of 2006, Ferreira successfully completed a month long workshop at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland in “Leadership in Strategic Health Communication”. The knowledge and confidence she gained from that workshop played a key role in the expansion of the HIV and AIDS Department to include social marketing campaigns, such as the “HIV+…until proven negative” campaign, which featured Peer Educators from the TWC programme and highlighted a broad range of HIV related issues, from testing to discrimination. This campaign was hailed as an example of a “best practice” within the Caribbean region at the Red Cross Youth Network meeting in Guyana in 2008.
Over the course of the past decade Ferreira has become a known advocate for youth and youth related issues. Eloquent and unafraid of tackling taboo subjects, she continues to challenge norms and push boundaries that perpetuate the individual’s and community’s vulnerabilities.
Ferreira is competing against finalists from Jamaica, Guyana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean winner will be chosen to represent the region at the awards ceremony in London on October 30th, where s/he will compete for the Youth Worker Award against regional winners from Asia, Africa and the Pacific.
Fidelity adds enhanced security for online customers
(CNS Business): Online customers of Fidelity Bank (Cayman) will now have to plug in a special code for every online transaction they initiate. Fidelity said that the introduction of these more robust online security features, which are effective immediately, are to militate against the increasing incidence of bank fraud that is prevalent in the Cayman Islands. This code will be texted by Fidelity to the customer’s private cell phone on file each time an online transaction is initiated. This way, every transaction will have a unique, randomly generated transaction code that must be entered before Fidelity will process the transaction and this code will only be available on the customer’s cell phone. Read more on CNS Business
Little Cayman corals bounce back after El Nino
(CNS): A 14 year study of the coral reefs off Little Cayman, which were devastated by the global 1998 El Nino event, found that they have made a complete recovery, despite dire predictions of the complete mortality of corals by 2050, giving hope for coral reef ecosystems everywhere. A paper published this week by the researchers suggests that the island’s isolated setting, stringent protection of a significant portion of the reefs and minimal stress from local human activities were key factors in the reefs’ recovery. Dr Carrie Manfrino, President of the Central Caribbean Marine Institute and one of the authors of the paper, said the researchers involved have speculated that the corals that have rebounded may provide a new, more resilient stock of corals. (Left: Acropora palmata branching coral grows on top of previously dead coral skeleton)
However, while it brings good news, the paper, “A Positive Trajectory for Corals at Little Cayman Island”, published in ‘PLOS One’, also warns that protection of the reefs is critical: “Although any documented recovery of coral is encouraging, it is unlikely that such positive effects will spread throughout the Caribbean unless protection from local stresses is improved. Without such improvements, recovery from natural cataclysms, including those exacerbated by global change, remains unlikely. Ultimately, management of local and global stresses will be required to sustain coral reefs and ensure their capacity to recover from disturbance.”
“The 1998 El Nino event wreaked havoc on reefs in every ocean on earth,” Manfrino explained in a release. “It elevated seawater temperatures and stressed the coral animals to such an extent that they expelled their symbiotic algae and turned bright white (tiny algae live in the coral polyp tissue and provide the color and metabolic resources for corals). This response is called coral bleaching and though corals can recover, many corals died after the 1998 event. The relatively healthy reefs of Little Cayman lost 40% of their corals.” (Right: this sick coral was typical of the reefs in the Caribbean after the 1998 event)
She said this single disturbance was the most extensive and but also the best recorded global mortality on coral reefs in human history. Subsequent debates in the scientific community predicted that the coral would continue to die as a result of global warming and more frequent thermal stress events.
“The complete recovery of the corals at Little Cayman has important similarities with the recovery reported earlier this year for Scott’s Reef in north Western Australia,” Manfrino noted. “The reefs, though thousands of miles apart, are in remote locations with little human impact, a commonality that may help resolve at least one of the debates about the capacity for corals to regenerate and survive.
“Coral recruitment requires a synchronous dispersal of coral gametes that eventually settle to the sea floor, where they plant themselves and begin to grow calcium carbonate skeletons. Successful coral regeneration requires the arrival of coral larvae from nearby undisturbed corals,” Manfrino explained. “It has been previously thought that remoteness make reefs more vulnerable to global disturbances because they are isolated from sources of coral larvae and lack the connectivity required for regeneration. However, at these two distant coral reefs, being remote also means being isolated from local anthropogenic stress. The isolation from humans appears more important than the lack of connectivity.”
Nevertheless, she said that whether reefs could continue to rebound from local and global warming events was unknown. “The work of researchers at Little Cayman will now focus on understanding what factors were most important to this recovery.”
Dr Manfrino, who is also Associate Professor at Kean University, said there have been three additional coral bleaching events since 1998 with no mortality and over the past four years the reefs have been bouncing back.
“Beginning in 2009, we’ve seen a remarkable recovery of all species on just about all reefs surrounding Little Cayman. We speculate that the corals that have rebounded may provide a new, more resilient stock of corals.”
Read more about the Central Caribbean Marine Institute.