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Local football champions compete in New Zealand
(CIFA): Reigning Champions of Cayman Club football, Bodden Town FC departed Grand Cayman, Tuesday, bound for New Zealand to participate in the inaugural Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) President’s Cup.The team began a grueling two day journey from Grand Cayman to Auckland, New Zealand upbeat about their chances against two clubs from Oceania, two from Asia and Fiji’s National U-20 team, tuning up for the FIFA U-201 World Cup. “Just being invited to this tournament is a huge achievement for Cayman football,” said Bodden Town FC President Mark Scotland.
“Bodden Town has been trying its best to put our forward its best for Cayman football in the past few years. We have measured our success not so much on the local scene but how we can compete internationally.”
Bodden Town was one of a handful of English Speaking Caribbean clubs to compete in the CFU Club Championships this year, but missed a spot in the prestigious CONCACAF Champions League, the premier club competition in the region.
However, Scotland believes the international exposure will assist the team lift their standard of play and achieve personal milestones.
“Many of our players aspire to play professionally. When we played in Puerto Rico back in March, we had a couple of calls for players there as teams expressed interest in our players. That again incentivizes them, to look at this and say if we get looked at by a couple of teams over there and get a couple calls the players would look at this as a successful trip in addition to playing well on the field.”
Bodden Town will face strong opposition in Group A, against reigning Oceania Champions League winners Auckland City FC (New Zealand) and the Singapore U-23 team. In Group B are Amicale FC (Vanuatu) Fiji U-20 and Busaiteen FC (Bahrain).
With Cayman’s leading goal scorer Theron Wood and emerging striker Ricoh Brown in attack, Bodden Town opens the tournament against Singapore U-23 on Wednesday, 19 November.
Scotland added, “We have prepared for this since August and looking forward to making Cayman proud, Bodden Town and in this instance CONCACAF as well.”
Bodden Town FC is the current Premier League winner and holder of the Charity Shield and will represent the Cayman Islands, the Caribbean Football Union and CONCACAF in the six team OFC President’s Cup tournament which runs from November 17-23 at the Trusts Arena in Auckland.
The Oceania Football Confederation governs the sport played in the national federations of American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tahiti and Tonga.
Tournament and Live Streaming Website: -http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/
Waterfront cop still on beat claims police boss
(CNS): Although the RCIPS has issued a statement claiming that Senior Police Constable Miguel McFarlane has not been demoted or transferred from the Harbour Front, the wider public appears not to be convinced. Social media, the radio talk shows’ phone lines and the independent MLAs have all been questioning what has happened to the popular, award winning Caymanian police officer who is well-known face in George Town. Ag. Superintendent of the RCIPS Uniform Branch Angelique Howell said McFarlane has not been demoted and has been given additional supervisory responsibilities in coordinating the patrols of other beat officers in the capital.
However, it appears that he is not on the beat as stated and calls by the general public to the George Town cop boss are going unanswered and some members of the public are demanding action.
Despite the public disquiet over McFarlane, who it has to be noted has the uncommon accolade of being widely supported by the local population for the work he does, the police say he has not been demoted, movedor side-lined in anyway.
In the RCIPS statement Howell commended McFarlane for his commitment and dedication to duty.
“He still covers the water front and like his colleagues, can be seen between the hours of 8:00am and 10:00pm. These hours are shift based commencing as mentioned from 8:00am to 4:00pm & 1:00pm to 10:00pm. The area of coverage includes parts of the Seven Mile Beach area or Southern West Bay Road,” the police boss stated.
Florida lizards evolve before eyes of scientists
(CNS): The process of evolution, in the lizard world at least, appears to be far quicker than biologists have previously assumed after scientists have documented the evolution of a native Florida lizard in as little as 15 years as a result of pressure from an invading species. Researchers found that after contact with the invader, Carolina anoles or green anoles, began perching higher in trees. Then, generation after generation, their feet evolved to become better at gripping the thinner, smoother branches found higher up. Scientists have always believed it takes generations and generations to adapt a favoured trait but they have now discovered that change can occur at an astonishing pace.
Since Darwin’s time, biologists assumed that evolution takes centuries, or longer, but these findings are changing that view according to the research published in scientific journals.
Evolution is down to ecological conditions that favour certain traits over others among any species. When those with the favoured traits survive in changing conditions and reproduce the population over generations can change dramatically, or branch off into multiple new species.
However the Florida lizards changed much more quickly after moving to higher perches and over 15 years and just 20 lizard generations, their toe pads had become larger, with stickier scales on the feet.
“We did predict that we’d see a change, but the degree and quickness with which they evolved was surprising,” said Yodel Stuart, a postdoctoral researcher at The University of Texas in Austin and lead author of the study said.
“To put this shift in perspective, if human height were evolving as fast as these lizards’ toes, the height of an average American man would increase from about 5 foot 9 inches today to about 6 foot 4 inches within 20 generations—an increase that would make the average U.S. male the height of an NBA shooting guard,” said Stuart. “Although humans live longer than lizards, this rate of change would still be rapid in evolutionary terms.”
The native anoles, are common in the south-eastern US but the invasive species, Cuban anoles or brown anoles, are native to Cuba and the Bahamas. Brown anoles first appeared in South Florida in the 1950s, possibly as stowaways in agricultural shipments, and have since spread across the south-eastern US and have even jumped to Hawaii.
This latest study is one of only a few well-documented examples of what evolutionary biologists call “character displacement,” in which similar species competing with each other evolve differences to take advantage of different ecological niches. A classic example comes from the finches studied by Charles Darwin. Two species of finch in the Galapagos Islands diverged in beak shape as they adapted to different food sources.
Home affairs bags another DG gong
(CNS): A prison officer is the latest civil servant to acquire the accolade of the civil service employee of the month. Karen Dixon, is another member of staff from the home affairs ministry which has already bagged several of the government monthly awards. Dixon was said to have “enthusiastically embraced additional duties at the Prison Service as Acting Custodial Manager for Residential Services. But it was for her attributes as an exceptional officer and a “great leader” that she was named best employee for September. Officials said that Dixon isteadfastly respects the law but has been a strong advocate for prisoners, going above the call of duty to help them.
Dixon recently introduced a new service improvement programme titled Officer Advisor Scheme. It includes building awareness, engaging officers and prisoners, implementing procedures, providing support as well as evaluating and reporting on the progress. She is also implementing the new Self Harm Prison Service Instruction, which aims to protect inmates by preventing self-harm and suicide through early detection of warning signs and fast action by officers.
Officials said Dixon goes out of her way to encourage prisoners and staff to put in their best effort and raise their performance to the highest level. In turn, she is quick to support improvements, welcome ideas and suggestions and recognise model behaviour, good work and consistent efforts.
Handing over the award, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson, hailed her ability to give everyone an opportunity to be heard and be willing to listen, calm situations and demonstrate genuine compassion. “Also highly resourceful, I am told you help the prison service stretch the proverbial dollar and I commend you for your dedicated service,” he said.
Dixon attributed her accomplishments to the team spirit within the prison.
“This was a very pleasant surprise and I thank all who thought me deserving of this prestigious award,” she said.
Women are spies, says Ebanks
(CNS): Two women who claim Leonard Antonio Ebanks confessed to them that he was involved in the murder of Frédéric Bise are police spies, Ebanks told police when he was interviewed by officers after his arrest. The West Bay man, who is the second person to be tried in the murder of the Swiss Banker in February 2008, has denied confessing to the women and told police he believed the women were police spies who were being paid to say things about him. The crown’s lead counsel in the case said that during police interviews Ebanks said the information the women had about the murder had not come from him but from “corrupt police” who had told the women what to say.
As Simon Russell Flint QC continued his opening address in Grand Court this week setting out the prosecution’s case against Ebanks for what was described as a savage and brutal killing, he said that the defendant had made confessions to two different women two years apart. The details those women said he gave them, when they reported the confessions to the police, were things that only the killers could have known.
Despite this when confronted with the evidence of a former girlfriend and that of a helper at a house frequented by Ebanks in Birch Tree Hill, he said the women were lying and it was the “corrupt police” who had told them about the details of the murder.
Ebanks claimed that the first woman who alleged he had confessed, shortly after the crime, was “a woman scorned” because he had ended their relationship. He also said she was working as a spy as she was a secret special constable which is why she knew what she did. He said that the second witness was also a spy and was being paid by police to lie and say that he had confessed.
Russell Flint said that Ebanks’ former girlfriend was not working for the police and had told the police not only the details of the murder which he is alleged to have committed, with his cousin Chad Anglin, but that she had also seen property in Ebanks’ possession shortly after the crime that the crown says belonged to Bise.
She also said that on the morning of the murder he had come home to where the couple lived at the time, early in the morning before she left for work, drunk and smelling of smoke. The crown claim that Ebanks had taken the bloody clothes that he and Anglin were wearing, when they allegedly beat Bise to death by dropping a cinder block repeatedly on his head, and burned them in Anglin’s grandmother’s yard.
Ebank’s ex-girlfriend is unrelated to and does not know the second witness who was at this time in Jamaica.
However, two years later, when Ebanks had become friendly with the helper he had also allegedly confessed to her about the killing. Her evidence was uncovered by police during a completely separate investigation and it was as a result of her help in that investigation that she was under witness protection and as such was receiving some money from the police.
As he presented the crown’s case against the defendant, Russel Flynn said both women had asked Ebanks after his confessions why he had committed the murder and both stated to police that he had described Bise who was gay was a “faggot” and said that he owed Ebanks and Anglin $1000. He had also said that Anglin was also gay and that before the killing Anglin and Bise had been at the banker’s home together. They then went to the dykes at Barkers which, Ebanks told the women, was when he met Anglin and Bise and that was where they had killed “the white man”. After committing the savage murder the two man had placed him in the boot of his own car which they then drove around West Bay. Eventually they returned to Bise’s house and parked the car and set it on fire. Shortly after the fire service were called and the body was discovered.
Although police had arrested both Chad Anglin and Leonard Ebanks in the immediate wake of the crime the case eventually stalled when the director of public prosecutions told the police they did not have enough evidence to prosecute.
However, following the creation of the cold case unit in the RCIPS in 2012 detectives reviewed the case and re interviewed witnesses. As a result a new file was passed to the DPP last year and both Anglin and Ebanks were charged. Anglin was tried and convicted of the murder in April this year.
Ebanks’ trial, which is presided over by Justice Charles Quin, continues next week with the first of the crown’s witnesses in Grand Court One.
Public interest to guide cuts
(CNS):The premier has reassured civil servants that government won’t be implementing the EY report on the rationalisation of the civil service wholesale. Speaking during the professional development conference for public sector workers organised by the Cayman Islands Society of Professional Accountants, Alden McLaughlin said public expenditure couldn’t continue to grow as it has done in the past decade which was why it had commissioned the report. But he said the final decisions on the report will be made by Cabinet and Caucus and none will be made unless the PPM administration believes it is in the public interest and not just to advance private sector interests.
“Beforewe take any decisions about privatisation, amalgamation or restructuring, this administration will have to be convinced that any action Cabinet takes will be in the best interest of all the Caymanian people,” McLaughlin told an audience of civil servants at the internal government seminar. “Unfortunately there are some interests that believe the objective of Government should be to improve their position in the private sector. That isn’t the case at all,” the premier added.
He said there were several recommendations in the report that will require additional research or information before decisions can be made. McLaughlin stated that while the government agreed with some of the recommendations in the report there were others that will be modified, some which are already under way and some which they will not implement. However, the premier did not go into any details about what Cabinet or Caucus has agreed is in the wider public interest.
Although government has not yet revealed very many details of what it will be taking from the EY report the premier pointed out that the ProjectFuture Steering Committee, chaired by the Deputy Governor was in place and it would ensure that Cabinet’s recommendations, would be “swiftly implemented.”
McLaughlin said that Franz Manderson would ensure the committee’s approach will be consistent and in-line with the highest standards in governance and project management. “This includes development of a proper business case for all projects undertaken in carrying out the recommendations,” he reassured the audience.
Regardless of what cuts or sell offs there will eventually be in government McLaughlin said government had to provide services more efficiently and effectively. The premier also noted that he was well aware civil servants were increasingly expected to deliver more and more services with less and less resources.
The premier spoke about the need to “find ways to work harder and smarter with less,” as he said this would drive down the cost of doing business and that in turn would free revenue to reward the men and women in the public sector who step up to the plate as top performers.
Mangrove project needs cash to carry on critical work
(CNS): A mangrove learning programme which began in the Cayman Islands, which is now being taught in schools all over the world is in need of funding to help keep it going. Given the increasing importance of these incredible trees in the face of environmental threats across the tropics the programme’s value cannot be underestimated. It is used in 11 countries world-wide with plans for three more for next year — Kenya, Suriname and India. Marvellous Mangroves gives students from tropical lands a basic understanding of scientific methodology and ecology, as well as methods as a precursor to a science-based university education.
“Every $100 will enable one teacher to attend the Marvellous Mangroves three-day teachers’ workshop and provide them with a copy ofthe 300-page Marvellous Mangroves – adapted and translated for their own country,” said Cayman’s Martin Keeley the man behind the creation of the incredible programme.
The project began back in 2000 and the original video made by and featuring Keeley. It provides a dynamic reference resource for teachers and students to learn about how mangroves function and explore mangrove forests. The 300-page “Marvellous Mangroves in the Cayman islands” was developed for the Caribbean region starting in 1998 and linked to the Cayman curriculum.
It has since been adapted for the English-speaking Colombian Caribbean islands of San Andres and Providence; translated into Spanish and adapted for use in Colombia, Honduras and Guatemala; translated and adapted for use into Sinhala and integrated into the Sri Lanka national science curriculum. It has also been translated and adapted for schools in Brazil, China and Bangladesh, as well as English versions for Australia and Belize where it is part of the schools’ national curriculum.
Back in 2002, Tanny Onsalo was just nine years old when she first learned about mangroves and how important they really are to the world’s shoreline ecosystems. "It changed the way I think about mangroves as an incredibly important ecosystem. It's a fabulous program and I'm so happy to still be a part of the world of Marvellous Mangroves, and I tell people about them all the time," she said.
Onsalo’s full story is told on the website along with video footage and other information about the programme here http://mangroveactionproject.org/mangrove_curriculum/
Anyone wishing to help can make a donation here:
Tourists arrested by customs for drugs and bullets
(CNS): The Customs Department made two arrests earlier this month of visitors to the islands and have warned of more as officers urge people to be honest about their disclosures and not to bring illegal goods when travelling to Cayman. Last Thursday officers arrested a visitor for possession of drugs and he remains on bail while a woman who was arrested on 3 November has been charged and fined $1000 after a single bullet was found in her luggage. Collector of Customs, Samantha Bennett, said: “Despite the evolving range of challenges at our borders and other Customs controlled areas, partnerships are consistently proving essential in addressing the challenges of today and tomorrow.”
She said that customs was and would continue working with the Department of Tourism on an education campaign outlining details of the restricted and prohibited items in Cayman for tourists.
“Over the past couple of months we have seen a constant increase in the detection of such items being brought in by casual visitors,” she added.
Deputy Collector (Enforcement), Marlon Bodden, explained that the clamp down was as a result of the hard work of officers and more was coming. “Effective enforcement cannot be achieved without motivated officers. Our officers are already doing a great job and stronger enforcement is looming,” he said, adding that with the festive season approaching Customs would like to support legitimate trade and travel.
“We are therefore pleading with the public to make the necessary disclosures to authorities and not to take illegal items or substances on travel to the Cayman Islands”.
Anyone with information relating to the transport of restricted and prohibited items across the Cayman Islands borders is asked to contact HM Customs’ confidential tip-line on 1-800-534-8477, to email tell.us@customs.gov.ky, or to telephone Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS).
Armed robbers appeal verdict
(CNS): Two men from a gang of convicted robbers described by law enforcement authorities as some of Cayman’s most dangerous criminals have begun an appeal against their convictions for the 2012 West Star heist in George Town. David Tamasa and Andre Burton began arguing this week that their convictions and 11 year prison terms are unsafe as they were found guilty on completely flawed evidence supplied by the crown’s now infamous supergrass, Marlon Dillon. The men were convicted of stealing over $8000 from the television centre’s offices at gun point. They deny any involvement however and claim Dillon lied to save his own skin naming them, they claim, because as former friends of Dillon’s they were a safer bet than naming the real culprits.
This appeal against the WestStar convictions, handed down by visiting judge Justice Alastair Malcolm in October last year, will be followed next week by appeals against the jury verdict in the Cayman National robbery in May last year. The crown believes this robbery was committed by the same gang involved in the West Star which included Dillon, who was also the main witness.
James Curtis QC, who is representing Tamasa in his appeal against conviction in both daylight armed heists is arguing that Dillon’s evidence is at odds with other evidence, is inconsistent and highly contradictory. He argued that even the crown was forced to admit that during his police interview Dillon was threatened, coerced and cajoled by the police to confess and give up the details of his co-conspirators in the robberies. The female officer who conducted the hours of interviews with Dillon was described as using methods not used since the 1970s and of breaking the rules when it comes to interviewing suspects.
Accusing Dillon of randomly naming his client, Tamasa, among many others, rather than risk the wrath of the real robbers, the lawyer said this was supported by allegations Dillon made about other people. He pointed to names given to the police by Dillon as being involved but who had cast iron alibis and couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the heist. He said his client wasn’t involved either and the conviction was not sound.
The arguments are expected to continue this week ahead of the CNB appeal when the jury verdicts and sentences against Tamasa and Burton along with Rennie Cole, George Mignott, and Ryan Edwards will also be challenged.
Ryan Edwards was also convicted of aiding and abetting in the WestStar robbery but his appeal was rejected before it got off the ground this week as a result of being filed out of time. However, the appeal court panel pointed out that should his con-conspirators Tomasa and Burton be successful in their appeals, Edwards would have new ground =s on which to file giving him another shot.
CIG brags of clean audits
(CNS): Government bean counters in one ministry and in the portfolio of the civil service have been given a clean bill of health for their 2013/14 accounts. All government accounts were submitted within their legal time frame and for the first time in a decade the tourism ministry also managed to get a qualified opinion rather than a disclaimer or an adverse opinion. Although this is exactly what government should be doing across all 41 reporting entities, every year, the fact that the public accounts had reached such a dire situation the premier said it was important to tell the country, Wednesday, that this government meant business when it came to straightening out the problem.
Although the auditor general’s office has only been able to complete just over half of the government’s accounts that came in from over 40 different entities for this financial year, government bragged that they were all in before the statutory deadline and the quality of all of them was vastly improved.
This led the deputy governor, Franz Manderson to optimistically boast that he believed all of the accounts, once audited by Alastair Swarbrick’s team, would, this year finally, receive at least a qualified if not unqualified opinion. The finance minister however was more realistic and told CNS that it would probably not be until the 2014/15 financial year that government could get a complete clean bill of accounting health.
Admitting there was still a lot of work to do Premier Alden McLaughlin, explained why he had called a press briefing to announce the improvement in the accounts situation. "A lack of proper accounts has haunted three administrations and we are starting to get it right."
He said an email sent to the civil service management from the auditor general commended the various entities for the results so far. the premier stated that it was the first time since the introduction of the public finance management law in 2004 the ministry of community affairs got an unqualified opinion and the ministry of tourism a qualified one and this alone was a significant step forward. This means that in both cases when the public finally get to see the reports, when they are tabled later this month, they can trust the information in them as an accurate report of what those ministries did with public cash last year.
“Over the course of the past seven or so years there has been much justified criticism about the failure of the Cayman Islands Government to comply with the Public Management and Finance Law with respect to its accounts,” McLaughlin said as he opened the televised conference to boast of the forward step.
“Finally there is some good news from the Auditor General about the progress that this Administration is making on getting our accounting system up to scratch,” the premeir added.
Only weeks after Swarbrick and his team published a damning review of where government is on its accounts backlog McLaughlin said the government had now received “favourable and complimentary words” from the auditor.
Although government has gone effectively from a complete failing grade when it comes to reporting its public finances and accounting for how it spends tax payer’s money to a D+, the premier stated that the previous appalling situation made this progress all the more significant.
“We still have a ways to go, but in the words of the Auditor General, this is the best result that has been achieved since the introduction of the PMFL,” the premier said. “While we appreciate that government still has a lot to do when it comes to submitting financials in a timely manner and getting them right the first time, I honestly believe this Administration is setting the right tone,” he added.
Thanking civil servants and commending them for their work the government leader said they had “spent many hours striving to get our financial statements and reporting up to par,” as he described a new attitude of cooperation and responsiveness across government as it works with the auditor general’s team.
“This is not by chance, but by design. This government has worked tirelessly since being returned to office to restore stability to the country and the economy,” the premier stated. “A large part of that work has been overseen and ushered through by Finance Minister Hon. Marco Archer. I again commend him and his very capable team for the infectious zeal they bring to their government duties.”
Despite the minor move forward and the remaining massiveproblems surrounding accountability to the public for billions of dollars past spent and unaccounted for, the premier said his administration would “continue to move forward and strive for improvement.”
McLaughlin believed it was worth celebrating what he saw as significant improvements that have been made in the accountability for the use of public resources.
CNS contacts the auditor general’s office about the claimed improvements and the current situation with the accounts for 2013/14 and we are awaiting a response.