ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – Monday March 30, 2015 High of 83 Low of 72 Rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet. Small craft should exercise caution over open water. ABCDE NATIONAL WEEKLY Worst Week Tucker and Buckley Carlson 3 Politics Ted Cruz: Pain and principles 4 Trends Diet soda loses its pop 16 5 Myths About Google 23 Page 12 THE WEEK OF SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015 . IN COLLABORATION WITH THE wASHIngTon poST Great Barrier grief Editorial | pagE 4 cayMan copyrights: plank-walking tiMe for intellectual privacy FOUR LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU BETTER: SEVEN MILE BEACH, WATERFRONT, WALKERS ROAD, TOWN CENTRE PLAZA Community supports Cayman’s finest A sold-out crowd of 450 filled the Royal Ballroom at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, on Friday night in support of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, its officers and its Police Welfare Fund. In the photo above by Maggie Jackson, Police Commissioner David Baines joins the audience in enjoying the gala’s auction and entertainment. In the photo at right by Stephen Clarke, Commissioner Baines and Governor Helen Kilpatrick present the Police Officer of the Year award to Police Constable Dulcy Pennicooke. Full story and more photos on pages 12 and 13. Air traffic controllers address landing incident tad stoner tstoner@pinnaclemedialtd.com In a 400-word statement on Saturday, Cayman’s air traffic controllers addressed an incident last week at Owen Roberts International Airport in which two aircraft came within a minute of colliding. The controllers’ associa- tion acknowledged that ap- proaching Cayman Airways flight 505 from Chicago had turned into its final ap- proach to the airport “sooner than expected.” PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » Another emergency lAnding At owen roberts JaMes whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A Twin Otter plane from Little Cayman was forced to land on one en- gine on Saturday, prompting a full emergency alert at Owen Roberts International Airport. No one was injured. The Cayman Airways Express, flight 4722, reported losing one of its two engines en route to Grand Cayman, according to a statement from the Cayman Islands Air Traffic Controllers Association. Roads were closed around the airport PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » A Cayman Airways Twin Otter plane, like this one, made an emergency landing Saturday at Owen Roberts International Airport. No one was injured.2 LOCAL&REGIONAL Monday March 30, 2015 • Cayman Compass www. REGmovies.com SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any lm starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. © Warner Bros. Pictures © 21st Century Fox THE GUNMAN (R) 12:40 I 3:25 I 6:45 I 9:30 RUN ALL NIGHT (R) 1:15 | 3:50 | 7:10 | 10:00 INSURGENT 3D (PG13) 1:00 | 4:20 2D | 7:00 | 9:55 2D HOME 3D (PG) 12:30 I 3:00 2D I 9:45 CINDERELLA (PG) 12:45 | 3:30 | 6:50 | 9:40 BLACK OR WHITE (PG13) 1:10 | 4:00 *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. MONDAY Woman seriously injured in triple shooting James Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Three women were in- jured, one of them seriously, after a shooting in central George Town in the early hours of Saturday morning. Initial police investiga- tions suggest the women were not specifically targeted and the gunman fired indis- criminately into a crowd of people. The scene of the triple shooting, McField Square, is known for early hours gatherings, often referred to as “sessions”. A 29-year-old woman, the most seriously injured of the three victims, was still in hospital on Sunday after- noon, where her condition was described as critical but stable. She appeared to have been shot at least three times and had suffered injuries to her chest and abdomen, au- thorities said. A 30-year-old woman was treated for a gunshot wound to her upper arm. A third woman, age 31, suffered superficial injuries to her hand, Cayman Islands Hospital staff confirmed. Detective Chief Inspector Malcolm Kay said police were informed by staff at the hos- pital that the three women had been admitted with gun- shot wounds just after 4 a.m. Police inquiries estab- lished the triple shooting took place in McField Square. Police had taped off a car park and courtyard in the area on Saturday morning. Blood stains could be seen in the car park in front of Jah’ T’s Jerk stand. Mr. Kay said there was no immediate evidence that the women were the targets of the shooting. He said a number of people were understood to have been gathered at the spot at the time. No arrests had been made as of press time Sunday. Mr. Kay appealed for anyone who may have witnessed the inci- dent or been in the vicinity of McField Square at the time to contact the police “This was an indiscrim- inate attack on a crowd of people that has caused inju- ries to three people who were standing around in the area,” he added. Anyone with information can call 949 7777 or 800 TIPS (8477) to remain anonymous. Three injured in collision Three people were in- jured early Saturday when a passenger bus over- turned after colliding with a car outside the Mango Tree bar in George Town, police reported. The crash occurred shortly before 6 a.m. Superintendent Angelique Howell said three people had been treated for minor inju- ries at the Cayman Islands Hospital. All were discharged later on Saturday. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service is appealing for any witnesses to call the George Town Police Station at 949-4222. Trial seT for alleged false documenTs Sandra Catron pleads not guilty to nine counts Carol Winker cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A five-day trial starting Nov. 16 has been set for a woman accused of uttering false documents at the Government Administration Building. Sandra Catron, the owner of a business and professional training center, pleaded not guilty in Grand Court on Friday to nine counts. The counts are simi- larly worded: that between June 1 and August 31, 2012, at the Cayman Islands gov- ernment headquarters, she knowingly and fraudulently uttered false documents, those documents pur- porting to be validly issued Certificates of Completion for named individuals. No other details were given. Justice Charles Quin asked about mode of trial (whether jury or judge-alone) and defense attorney Nick Hoffman indicated that had not yet been determined. Sentencing set for two employers Offenses are against Pension and Labor Laws Carol Winker cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two employers who pre- viously pleaded guilty to of- fenses involving employees will be sentenced on June 25. Crown counsel Kenneth Ferguson asked for the sen- tencing date after citing a lack of progress in the defen- dants paying what they were legally required to pay. The case of Michael Witter, trading as M & R con- struction, involved charges of refusing to comply with an order of the Labour Tribunal Board. Mr. Ferguson said four employees were owed a total of $15,120. Guilty pleas were entered in 2011, but the money has not been paid. The defendant’s attorney was thought to be off island. The case of Champion House concerns failure to contribute to a pension plan for employees and failure to pay arrears within the time given by the superintendent of pensions. Guilty pleas were entered in February 2010. The matter has been before the courts since 2008 and the charges cover a pe- riod from January 1999 to August 2008. Business owners Uriel and Dorothy Scott stood in the dock, and Mrs. Scott spoke to the matter after Mr. Ferguson told Magistrate Grace Donalds that their at- torney had been granted per- mission to come off record. He said the business was previously making payments as agreed, but the pension plan administrator indicated that no payments have been received since May 2014. “I indicated on the last oc- casion that if we did not get any positive feedback from the company, we would move to sentencing,” Mr. Ferguson advised the court. Ms. Scott detailed prob- lems the business had been having, which had resulted in a low cash flow. With restruc- turing and up-to-date mar- keting, she hoped to have her proper cash flow in place by the end of April so the busi- ness could keep up payments. In her opinion, what was owed was down to $60,000 and she needed go to the pension administrator and “sort that out with them” be- cause the authority’s figure was higher. The magistrate agreed that both matters be ad- journed for three months. In the case of Hurlstone Ltd., Mr. Ferguson said he had received a letter from the company’s attorneys making a proposal. He explained that he would need to discuss it with the pensions inspector and the director of public prosecutions. This matter was set for mention again on April 23. K Coast Development Ltd. is up to date with payments, he advised, so these pen- sion charges were adjourned until Nov. 26. Halcy Lofters, repre- senting a now defunct se- curity company, was given until Oct. 1 to pay a balance of pension contributions to- talling $7,300. Mr. Ferguson called this amount miniscule compared to sums owed by other defendants. Barrington Oliver, representing BJ’s elec- tronics and D & B Building on pension charges, is to re- turn to court for continued monitoring on May 28. The owner of W5 Security Services Ltd. did not attend court as required and the magistrate issued a warrant for his arrest. JuRy duTy ConCludeS Grand Court jurors who are in the Jan. 14 to March 31 session are advised that their service has come to an end. Jurors submitting a claim form are advised to provide a photo ID, either a driver’s license or passport. Please call the Jury Information line at 945-5072 for the most up-to-date information. Police investigate near the site of a triple shooting early Saturday. - PhoTo: james WhiTTaker more resTricTive sPring break Pondered afTer ParTy shooTing PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A house party that dis- solved into a hail of gunfire and left seven young people hurt has officials on the Florida Panhandle pondering what to do with a spring break season they say has gotten out of control. The raucous parties in the spring break capital of Panama City Beach have, for years, had politicians, police and businesses tussling over how much to crack down on a key economic force. That debate was re- vived again when a packed gathering of dancing 20-somethings turned into a sprawling crime scene early Saturday. “This is what we’ve been trying to warn people about,” said Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen. “It was only a matter of time and it’s only a matter of time until it happens again if we don’t ad- dress it.” The city council held an emergency meeting Saturday to address spring break, al- locating up to $200,000 in additional spending for in- creased police patrols. 3 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Monday March 30, 2015 174039_3-Avis-FleetSale-CompJRPgPage 1 3/26/15 11:34:17 AM RE/MAX Cayman sued over alleged $5 million fraud Firm says claim completely “without merit” JAMEs WhittAkER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands real es- tate firm RE/MAX is ac- cused in a US lawsuit of par- ticipating in a “fraudulent scheme” to scam more than 30 people out of several mil- lion dollars by selling them luxury condominiums in an East End resort project that was never built. The firm is accused of misleading investors in an “aggressive campaign of de- ception” to convince them to buy property in the failed development known as the Island Resort Project. The court filing alleges that RE/MAX agents told buyers that financing was in place and that construction was under way, knowing that this was not the case. Even in the weeks be- fore the developer, Caribbean Island Developments, went “belly up,” agents are alleged to have continued to dis- suade purchasers from with- drawing their cash, “lulling them into thinking the project was on track, on time and problem free.” In a statement to the Cayman Compass through its attorneys on Friday, the firm said the complaint was completely “without merit” and would be vigorously de- fended. In the complaint doc- ument – an outline of the allegations – it is claimed that RE/MAX took commis- sions and broker fees of up to 50 percent on the sales – a state of affairs which partly prevented the investors from being repaid when the project collapsed. In total, purchasers handed over $5.6 mil- lion to Caribbean Island Developments in deposits and pre-payments on condos in the development, of which $1.83 million was passed on to RE/MAX Cayman in com- missions and sales bonuses, the document states. The lawsuit is being brought by the official liqui- dators of Caribbean Island Developments, which the court filing says went bust in 2011 after the bank fore- closed on a loan and sold the land intended for the devel- opment at auction. Simba Ltd., which trades as RE/MAX in the Cayman Islands, and its principals Kim Lund and James Bovell, are named as defendants in the suit along with devel- oper Michael Beggs, one of the principals of CID, and Oliver De Hart, who was both a RE/MAX agent and presi- dent and director of CID, ac- cording to the court filing. Other defendants in the complaint, filed at a federal court in Chicago, are RE/MAX Holdings, Inc., RE/MAX, LLC, and RMCO, LLC, described as the American franchisors of the Cayman company. In a statement issued to the Compass on Friday, the real estate firm said Chicago at- torney Robert J. Palmersheim of law firm Schopf & Weiss had been retained to defend them in the U.S. courts and “vindicate their good names and reputation.” “Mr. Kim Lund, Mr. James Bovell, and RE/ MAX Cayman Islands are aware of the lawsuit filed against them in the United States by the Joint Official Liquidators of Caribbean Island Developments Limited. Neither Mr. Lund, Mr. Bovell, nor RE/MAX Cayman Islands have been served with a law- suit and thus reserve com- ment on any allegations brought against them. “Notwithstanding, the claims have no merit what- soever and Messrs. Lund and Bovell intend to vigorously defend any such claims at the appropriate time.” A summary of the com- plaint, filed with the dis- trict court in Illinois, states: “The defendants bilked more than 30 people out of nearly $5.6 million by selling them luxury condo- miniums in CID’s “Island Resort Project,” a proposed development on the island of Grand Cayman that was never built.” Initially RE/MAX Cayman agreed not to receive com- missions on condo sales on the project until construc- tion was under way. This ar- rangement was unsuccessful and no units were sold, pre- venting the developer from obtaining financing to begin construction, it states. The realtor used its posi- tion as the “dominant resort condo seller” in the Cayman Islands to re-negotiate its deal so it would be paid com- missions and bonuses as it made sales, it adds. “Following this change, the Cayman defendants engaged in an aggressive campaign of deception to get people to buy and hold condos in the Island Resort Project.” It says the “campaign” in- volved a number of false rep- resentations to prospective purchasers including: ■■ That the Island Resort Project had obtained fi- nancing when in fact it had not and never did ■■ That construction has begun, though it never did ■■ That some of the agents had bought condos themselves, though they were given them for free by the developers ■■ That condo sales ex- ceeded 40 percent of avail- able units, though sales never topped 33 percent. The “fraudulent scheme” ran from 2007 to 2011, the lawsuit says. “By July 2011, CID still had not obtained financing, and without ever starting construction, it went belly up. “Because the Cayman de- fendants had already taken their victims’ money, in- cluding sending a portion up to RE/MAX, no money was returned to the victims of the fraud.” Lawyers for the official liquidator suggest the RE/ MAX branding was essential to giving the buyers the con- fidence to invest. They say the purchasers were completely “in the dark” about the developer’s difficul- ties and the project’s collapse came as a surprise. “It was not until the liq- uidators were appointed and began interviewing pur- chasers regarding their deal- ings with the defendants that the individuals first realized they were victims of a mas- sive fraud and would not be receiving either the condo units they paid for or any of the money they paid relating to the project.”The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. Printed and Published by: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town send us yOur VieWs Or neWs: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com adVertise With us: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS daVid r. legge and Vicki l. legge EdITOR-In-CHIEf daVid r. legge A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will findtheirownway” WASHINGTON – Every day the Chinese go to work, Americans get a raise: Chinese workers, many earning each day about what Americans spend on a Starbucks latte, produce ap- parel, appliances and other stuff cheaply, thereby en- larging Americans’ dispos- able income. Americans sim- ilarly get a raise when they shop at the stores that made Sam Walton a billionaire. The ranks of billionaires are constantly churned. Most of the persons on the original Forbes 400 list of richest Americans in 1982 were off the list in 2013. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, was not born until 1984. America needs more billionaires like him, Michael Dell, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs. With the iPod, iPhone and iPad, unique prod- ucts when introduced, Jobs’ Apple created monopolies. But instead of raising their prices, Apple has cut them because “profits attract im- itators and innovators.” Which is one reason why monopolies come and go. When John D. Rockefeller began selling kerosene in 1870, he had approximately 4 percent of the market. By 1890, he had 85 percent. Did he use this market domi- nance to gouge consumers? Kerosene prices fell from 30 cents a gallon in 1869 to 6 cents in 1897. And in the process of being branded a menacing monopoly, Rockefeller’s Standard Oil made gasoline so cheap that Ford found a mass market for Model T’s. Monopoly profits are so- cial blessings when they “signal to the ambitious the wealth they can earn by entering previously un- known markets.” So “when the wealth gap widens, the lifestyle gap shrinks.” Hence, “income inequality in a cap- italist system is truly beau- tiful” because “it provides the incentive for creative people to gamble on new ideas, and it turns luxuries into common goods.” Since 2000, the price of a 50-inch plasma TV has fallen from US$20,000 to US$550. Henry Ford doubled his employees’ basic wage in 1914, supposedly to en- able them to buy Fords. Actually, he did it because in 1913 annual worker turnover was 370 percent. He lowered labor costs by reducing turnover and the expense of constantly training new hires. All these thoughts are from John Tamny, a one- man antidote to economic obfuscation and mystifica- tion. Thomas Carlyle (1795- 1881), who called economics “the dismal science,” never read Tamny, a Forbes editor, editor of RealClearMarkets, and now author of the cheerful, mind-opening book, Popular Economics: What the Rolling Stones, Downton Abbey, and LeBron James Can Teach You About Economics. In the early 1970s, when the Rolling Stones were coining money and Britain’s top tax rate was 83 per- cent, Keith Richards, lead guitarist and social phi- losopher, said: “That’s the same as being told to leave the country.” The Stones de- camped to France, leaving Britain, Tamny notes, to col- lect 83 percent of nothing. Americans execrate “out- sourcing,” which supposedly involves sending “American jobs” overseas. Well. Nike employs 40 times more manufacturing workers in Vietnam than in America, but could not afford as many American workers as it has without the efficiencies of outsourcing. Tamny cites Enrico Moretti, a Berkeley economist, who says that when Americans buy an iPhone online, it is shipped from China and the only American who touches it is the UPS delivery person. Is it regrettable that Americans are not doing the assembly jobs for which Chinese are paid the “latte wage?” Actually, Americans in- cessantly “outsource” here at home by, for example, having Iowans grow their corn and dentists take care of their teeth, jobs at which Iowans and dentists excel and the rest of us do not. LeBron James could be an adequate NFL tight end, but why subtract time from being a superb bas- ketball player? The lesson, says Tamny, is that individ- uals – and nations – should do what they do better than others, and let others do other things. Millions of jobs, he says, would be created if we banned computers, ATMs and tractors. The mechanization of agricul- ture destroyed millions of jobs performed with hoes and scythes. Was Cyrus McCormick a curse? The best way to (in Barack Obama’s 2008 words to Joe the Plumber) “spread the wealth around,” is, Tamny argues, “to leave it in the hands of the wealthy.” Personal con- sumption absorbs a small portion of their money and the remainder is not idle. It is invested by them, using the skill that earned it. Will it be more benefi- cially employed by the po- litical class of a confisca- tory government? “Nothing,” Tamny demon- strates, “is easier to under- stand than economics. It is ev- erywhere you look.” Readers of his book will subsequently look at things differently. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2015, Washington Post Writers Group Cayman copyrights: Plank-walking time for intellectual privacy Bootleg DVDs. Knock-off merchandise. Pirated content, broadcast and online. While many people may consider having access to such things as being a quirky perk of living in the Cayman Islands, many other people – who have international law on their side – consider it as outright theft. Our country’s laissez-faire attitude toward copyright infringement is a third-world anachronism to which we cannot afford to cling, that is if we want Cayman to have a first-world economy. Accordingly, the government is pursuing a long- overdue update to Cayman’s relevant legislation, which is based on U.K. law that is nearly 50 years old, dating from before the advent of the Internet, personal computer software or even international TV broadcasting. The first step is for Cayman to adopt the copyright-related provisions from current U.K. law, followed by the enactment of Cayman’s own Copy- rights Law and the updating of Cayman’s Patent and Trademarks Law. The vast majority of Cayman residents and visitors probably won’t notice the immediate effects of such laws, apart from changes to the way their favorite video store may operate. But such “inconveniences” to local businesses and consumers are merely byprod- ucts of bringing our copyright regime up to standard, not the primary focus of the new laws. “[Anyone] who’s selling [pirated] DVDs, they may find themselves in difficulty very quickly,” attorney Huw Moses said. “But this is about being internation- ally compliant ... not just to attract business, but to do business internationally out of the Cayman Islands.” And overseas, as we are well aware, is where the real money is. In recent years, various Fortune 500 compa- nies have asked Mr. Moses and his law firm if he can assure them that their intellectual property (i.e., “crea- tions of the mind,” as opposed to physical property, such as the contents of one’s wallet) will be secure in Cayman. “That question is becoming more difficult to answer,” he said. Elaborating on that point, Commerce Minister Wayne Panton (himself a prominent attorney before pursuing public office) said Cayman needs more robust protections for intellectual property if our country is to attract technology companies to our shores. “Intellectual property rights are featuring very significantly now as assets of businesses,” Minister Panton said. “New tech-based [company] registra- tions will boost Cayman’s economy. This type of modernization was envisioned as part of [Cayman Enterprise City].” Just as Cayman’s foundational framework of financial services laws enabled the creation of our banking, accounting and legal sectors, the enactment of modern copyright, patents and trademark legisla- tion should give Cayman a competitive advantage (or erase an existing disadvantage) over other interna- tional jurisdictions that our client companies may be considering. (Note that inadequate protection of intel- lectual property is often cited as the greatest impedi- ment to companies looking at doing business in China, the largest country in the world.) Ultimately, the updating of Cayman’s intellec- tual property laws appears to be a necessary step in our country’s maturation process. While many of our readers may miss being able to obtain brand- new DVDs for less than $5, and some companies may be forced to alter their business practices (or risk going out of business), on balance it seems that the new legislation is squarely on the side of the overall public good. Monday MarCh 30, 2015 • Cayman COmpass Who says economics is hard to understand? GEORGE F. WILL Nike employs 40 times more manufacturing workers in Vietnam than in America, but could not afford as many American workers as it has without the efficiencies of outsourcing.5 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Monday March 30, 2015 PremierHealth BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE AGENCIES LTD. BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, Grand Cayman KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 12 Kirkconnell Street, Stake Bay, P.O. Box 254, Cayman Brac KY2-2101 Tel. 948-1760 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International: insurance, health, pensions, life British Caymanian Insurance Agencies Ltd. acts solely as an agent on behalf of various insurers; it does not act as an insurance broker on behalf of its customers. It didn’t take a crystal ball to create the number one health plan. It took one word. Vision. First for fresh ideas! Premier Health was created as a high utilisation health plan, delivering service and benefits efficiently and at low cost. 50,000 members now trust Premier Health for the best health insurance at the best possible price. CALL 949-8699 or visit www.britcay.ky Notable firsts by BritCay introduced network care pharmacy direct billing and overseas RX coordinated air ambulance/concierge services disease management electronic claims submissions web portals to aid HR and Accounts review client claims access free local provider access to online services Junior Achievement impresses governor with unique products Jewel levy jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Junior Achievers had ev- erything from beautiful or- naments made with sea shells, to handbags fash- ioned from soda can tops and “dreamcatchers” to catch and impress Governor Helen Kilpatrick on Saturday. The Junior Achievement Trade Fair, hosted by Governor Kilpatrick at Government House, has the aim of showcasing Junior Achievement companies and the types of products they come up with each year, and letting the participants speak with the governor to explain how their products are made, where they get their ideas and how well their compa- nies are doing. “The products were ab- solutely fantastic, and the students did so well,” said Mrs. Kilpatrick. “They all made a profit and contrib- uted to the Feed our Future Foundation. There were some really new and im- pressive products this year, and it’s nice the way they can come up with new ideas every year,” she said. Mrs. Kilpatrick, along with invited guests, went booth by booth, looking at the prod- ucts the students made. She was presented with a number of items by students from the various companies. “I love your product idea. You should really continue with this after JA … as it’s a good hobby, and the feed- back from the public was excellent,” Mrs. Kilpatrick commented to the Junior Achievement team Kman Delight, after viewing coasters decorated with Cayman flora, fauna and local people. Mitch Bush, team leader for the company Just for You, said the governor was very impressed with their prod- ucts of greetings cards for various seasons. Delighted with Turtle Toss, a game product by Dart-sponsored JA company Sokatra, Mrs. Kilpatrick said she was looking forward to playing Turtle Toss on the beach. She threw the ball into the turtle’s mouth on the first throw. DMS Company achievers also impressed her with “dreamcatchers” (hand- made objects woven into a loose net or web and deco- rated with sacred items such as feathers and beads). “It was a fabulous and a great opportunity having the students all come together in one place to showcase their products,” said Teresa Owen- Foster, Junior Achievement programs director. “The governor is very re- ceptive to the program … she hosted the event. “It is a wonderful finish to the Junior Achievement this year and was a crowning point in the program [in ad- dition to] the awards cere- mony, which takes place in May this Year,” she said. Board member Dominique Chenier said the program al- lows students from different schools to form teams and sell shares to raise money to start a business. Then they come up with an idea for a product. The product must then be completely produced, marketed and sold by the Junior Achievers. She said the teams have leaders, and when a team is formed, the students elect of- ficers to represent each area of the company. “The students not only have an opportunity to be a part of a team, but to also take on the role of an officer, which gives them excellent leadership experience,” said Ms. Chenier. The program runs from September to April, at which time, the company is closed. Any profits are turned over to Junior Achievement. At the end of the program, achievers are given awards and the grand prize winners get an all-expenses-paid trip to Canada, where they work with other junior achievers to acquire leadership skills. As a teacher, Ms. Chenier said Junior Achievement has allowed students who may not shine academically to shine in other ways. “I have students very excitedly come up to me and say they had a great sales event, or are taking part in producing a fantastic product. “It is, in my opinion, one of the best foundations for youth on the island...,” Ms. Chenier said. “I can’t praise the program enough. Governor Kilpatrick admires a holder for earrings created by company Chells Ltd., sponsored by CITCO. - Photos: Jewel levy Melissa Bridgemohan, Chombria Dalhouse, Natalia Coe-Moore and Aimee Egglishaw.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 Monday March 30, 2015 • Cayman Compass and fire service crews, po- lice and hospital staff were on standby. The plane, which had 18 people on board, landed safely at 12:19 p.m. Fire service crews en- tered the runway and visu- ally inspected the aircraft before the airport was re- opened to commercial and private traffic. In its statement, the Air Traffic Controllers Association commended the “outstanding piloting” by the crew. The Cayman Islands Airports Authority con- firmed there had been an emergency alert at the air- port involving the CAL Express, and that the plane had landed safely. The incident was the fourth emergency landing at Owen Roberts International Airport this year. Despite attempts by the Cayman Compass to reach Cayman Airways for com- ment on Sunday, no re- sponse had been received by press time. Another emergency landing at Owen Roberts “The resulting action was a go-around being issued to Cayman Airways, as the de- parting aircraft was still oc- cupying the runway and the departing aircraft was told to abort their take-off ...” the unsigned statement said. The remarks were posted on the controllers’ association Facebook page. The incident occurred at 4:45 p.m. March 22, when Houston-bound United Airlines flight 1495 waited for take-off clearance at the top of the Owen Roberts runway. KX505, arriving ahead of schedule, was on its final glide path to the runway, passing over the Cayman Islands Hospital. It was forced to pull up at the last minute as it crossed the Huldah Avenue cricket pitch, avoiding collision, and circled over Bodden Town to make a second landing attempt. “Aircraft are separated within the Cayman Islands airspace using procedural con- trol techniques, as opposed to radar,” the air traffic control- lers’ statement said. “This form of separation is heavily depen- dent upon accurate position reports from pilots. “The report received by the inbound-flight crew in- dicated that the spacing was considerably more than ade- quate for an aircraft to enter the runway and depart safely without imposing a delay upon the arriving aircraft, and the controller granted permission for the departing aircraft to enter the runway for departure. “The controller provided both flight crews with traffic information, instructing the arriving aircraft to reduce [its] speed to accommodate a departure, and the departing aircraft to expedite [its] back taxi to ensure no delays for the arriving traffic. “Despite positive con- trol by the controller, con- flicting position reports re- sulted in the arriving aircraft turning [into its] final ap- proach sooner than expected. The resulting action was a go-around being issued to Cayman Airways as the de- parting aircraft was still oc- cupying the runway and the departing aircraft was told to abort their take-off to en- sure no loss of separation be- tween both aircraft.” As KX505 passed over- head, the UA plane moved back down the runway to the parking apron, turning to wait on the taxiway. At 4:53 p.m., the CAL aircraft landed without incident, followed by a routine UA departure at 4:55 p.m. “Both flight crews re- sponded promptly and pro- fessionally, carrying out in- structions issued by ATC,” the controllers said. In the wake of the inci- dent, the Cayman Islands Airports Authority – respon- sible for operations at the ter- ritory’s three airfields – issued a brief statement, calling the event “an occurrence.” “[The] CIAA has completed its investigation into an oc- currence at Owen Roberts International Airport (ORIA) on Sunday, 22 March, in- volving two airlines,” the statement said. “One of the airlines’ flight departure was briefly de- layed and the other had to go around before being cleared for landing. As part of the formal investigation, a report was submitted by CIAA to the Civil Aviation Authority as is the norm for any such occur- rence. This is not a frequent occurrence and at no time was safety compromised.” The Civil Aviation Authority later confirmed receipt of the report: “The CAA did review the occur- rence and is satisfied that the CIAA statement ade- quately addresses the issue,” said Nicoela McCoy, Civil Aviation Authority deputy director-general. “[T]he CAA endorses the statement that was issued.” Neither organization explained the cause of the incident. The ATC, which had ear- lier refused comment, said the investigation was on- going, and that public safety had never been compromised. “The Chicago flight landed without further incident, and the United aircraft departed safely,” the controllers said. “It is our understanding that an investigation is under way, one that will more than likely involve analysis of air traffic control audio record- ings in addition to flight deck recordings from the aircraft involved. “The purpose of these in- vestigations is not to issue blame, but rather to deter- mine whether incidents such as this can be avoided in the future and to improve safety within the aviation industry. “Once the investigation is complete,” the statement fin- ished, “hopefully we will un- derstand the cause of the incident. [U]ntil then it is im- portant to note that all indi- viduals concerned are pro- fessionals, all actions are to be held accountable for, and safety is of the utmost impor- tance to all parties concerned.” Air traffic controllers address landing incident CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “The purpose of these investigations is not to issue blame, but rather to determine whether incidents such as this can be avoided in the future and to improve safety within the aviation industry.” Air trAffic controllers’ stAtement CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Soccer events boost Cayman’s economy, report says JameS Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Regional football gov- erning body CONCACAF has generated more than US$30 million of economic activity in the Cayman Islands since Jeff Webb took over the presidency, according to a report pro- duced by MaplesFS for the organization. CONCACAF tourna- ments and events, as well as the presence of the presi- dent’s office in the Cayman Islands, helped pump mil- lions of dollars into the local economy from 2012 to 2014, the report suggests. Events like the 2013 CONCACAF Summit, which brought soccer officials in- cluding FIFA president Sepp Blatter to Cayman, and two regional under-15 tour- naments featuring teams from more than 20 coun- tries were highlighted as money-spinning events held in the territory over the past three years. The report lists 14 courses, meetings and events diverted to Cayman since Webb took office in 2012. An introduction to the document indicates that it was produced to determine the dual economic impact of CONCACAF events and competitions in the Cayman Islands (2012-2014) and the location of the CONCACAF president’s office in the Cayman Islands (2012-2014). The report also high- lights coaching courses, the expenses of the president’s office and the Women’s Under-20 Championships held here last year, as con- tributing to some $19 mil- lion in direct spending in the country. It estimates that a fur- ther $11 million of economic activity has been generated through increased busi- ness activity as a result of these events. The biggest beneficiary is the tourism industry, with air travel, accommo- dation and meals and en- tertainment boosted by the various events. According to the report, based on data provided to Maples by CONCACAF, the presence of the president’s office in Cayman alone has generated nearly $8 mil- lion in economic impact, in- cluding administrative and travel expenses. Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell wel- comed the report, saying CONCACAF events helped bring in hundreds of extra visitors to Cayman during the off-season. “Funds from CONCACAF stimulate the economy and trickle down to a full spec- trum of businesses, ranging from large hotels and ac- commodations providers to small local restaurants and transportation service pro- viders,” he said. The MaplesFS report was commissioned by local television station Cayman 27 and CONCACAF, which is the governing body for 41 football associations in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The report highlights the under-15 boys and under-15 girls football tournaments as having the biggest im- pact on the economy. The boys tournament will be staged in Cayman again in August and will feature 32 teams and bring an estimated 1,000 people to the island. Mr. Kirkconnell said gov- ernment had invested sev- eral million dollars in up- grading sports facilities and insisted the tourna- ments showed the terri- tory was a viable “sports tourism” destination. “At a national level, the Cayman Islands govern- ment is supportive of diver- sifying our tourism sector and has significantly in- vested in our sporting facil- ities to enhance our islands’ ability to attract sports tourism opportunities. Hosting these acclaimed championships in Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac is in line with this objec- tive and will help to build awareness of the Cayman Islands as a viable sports tourism destination in in- ternational circles,” said Mr. Kirkconnell. Hoteliers and transport companies also hailed the impact of sports events, like the under-15 tournaments. Jeffrey Webb is set to be re-elected unopposed as president of CONCACAF when it meets next month. Jeff Webb Christians mark Palm Sunday (AP) — Christians around the world are marking Palm Sunday by waving fronds, attending church services and vis- iting sites in the Holy Land at the start of the Holy Week that ends with Easter. Crowds of faithful gath- ered in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resur- rection. Many waved the fronds to symbolize how worshippers greeted Jesus over 2,000 years ago as he triumphantly returned to Jerusalem. Later in the day, hun- dreds of Christian pilgrims were expected to march behind a white donkey from the Mount of Olives to the holy city, retracing Jesus’ traditional route into Jerusalem. Worshippers also gath- ered in the Nativity Church in Bethlehem, the tradi- tional site of Jesus’ birth, clutching olive branches and bouquets as they sung in praise.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 Cayman Compass • Monday March 30, 2015 Uzbekistan poll claims high turnout Uzbekistan’s election commission said 91 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in Sunday’s presidential election, where victory by longtime authoritarian leader Islam Karimov, 77, is a foregone conclusion. With rates so low they’ll put a smile on your face... There’s nothing like the home you own... with Scotiabank. • Payment options that match your budget • Access to funds from the equity in your home • Switch to a Scotiabank Home Loan and we will pay your associated Fees Another reason to switch to Scotiabank! †Customer must comply with the Terms and Conditions of the “Mortgage Promotional Rate” promotion and all other Scotiabank products. 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After the leak and the col- lective surprise around the world, NSA leaders strongly defended the phone records program to Congress and the public, but without dis- closing the internal debate. The proposal to kill the program was circulating among top managers but had not yet reached the desk of Gen. Keith Alexander, then the NSA director, according to current and former intelli- gence officials who would not be quoted because the details are sensitive. Two former se- nior NSA officials say they doubt Alexander would have approved it. Still, the behind-the-scenes NSA concerns, which have not been reported previously, could be relevant as Congress decides whether to renew or modify the phone records col- lection when the law autho- rizing it expires in June. The internal critics pointed out that the already high costs of vacuuming up and storing the “to and from” information from nearly every domestic landline call were rising, the system was not capturing most cellphone calls, and was not central to unraveling ter- rorist plots, the officials said. They worried about public outrage if the program ever was revealed. After the program was disclosed, civil liberties advo- cates attacked it, saying the records could give a secret in- telligence agency a road map to Americans’ private activi- ties. NSA officials presented a forceful rebuttal that helped shape public opinion. Responding to widespread criticism, President Barack Obama in January 2014 pro- posed that the NSA stop col- lecting the records, but in- stead request them when needed in terrorism investi- gations from telephone com- panies, which tend to keep them for 18 months. Yet the president has in- sisted that legislation is re- quired to adopt his proposal, and Congress has not acted. So the NSA continues to col- lect and store records of pri- vate U.S. phone calls for use in terrorism investigations under Section 215 of the Patriot Act. Many lawmakers want the program to con- tinue as is. Alexander argued that the program was an essen- tial tool because it allows the FBI and the NSA to hunt for domestic plots by searching American calling records against phone numbers as- sociated with international terrorists. He and other NSA officials support Obama’s plan to let the phone compa- nies keep the data, as long as the government quickly can search it. Civil liberties activists say it was never a good idea to allow a secret intelligence agency to store records of Americans’ private phone calls, and some are not sure the government should search them in bulk. They say gov- ernment can point to only a single domestic terrorism de- fendant who was implicated by a phone records search under the program, a San Diego taxi driver who was convicted of raising $15,000 for a Somali terrorist group. Some fault NSA for failing to disclose the internal de- bate about the program. “This is consistent with our experience with the intel- ligence community,” said Rep. Justin Amash, R-Michigan. “Even when we have clas- sified briefings, it’s like a game of 20 questions and we can’t get to the bottom of anything.” The proposal to halt phone records collection that was circulating in 2013 was separate from a 2009 exami- nation of the program by the NSA, sparked by objections from a senior NSA official, re- ported in November by The Associated Press. In that case, a senior NSA code breaker learned about the program and concluded it was wrong for the agency to collect and store American records. The NSA enlisted the Justice Department in an examina- tion of whether the search function could be preserved with the records stored by the phone companies. That would not work without a change in the law, the review concluded. Alexander, who retired in March 2014, opted to con- tinue the program as is. But the internal de- bate continued, current and former officials say, and critics within the NSA pressed their case against the program. To them, the pro- gram had become an expen- sive insurance policy with an increasing number of loop- holes, given the lack of mo- bile data. They also knew it would be deeply controver- sial if made public. The behind-the-scenes NSA concerns, which have not been reported previously, could be relevant as Congress decides whether to renew or modify the phone records collection when the law authorizing it expires in June.8 WORLD&REGIONAL Monday March 30, 2015 • Cayman Compass Yemen air strikes to go on until rebels withdraw SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen will continue until Shiite rebels there “with- draw and surrender their weapons,” a summit of Arab leaders decided Sunday, as they also agreed in prin- ciple to forming a joint military force. The decision by the Arab League puts it on a path to more aggressively challenge Shiite power Iran, which is backing the Yemeni rebels, known as Houthis. A Saudi-led coalition began bombing Yemen on Thursday, saying it was tar- geting the Houthis and their allies, which include forces loyal to Yemen’s former leader, Ali Abdullah Saleh. Current and former Yemeni military officials have said the cam- paign could pave the way for a possible ground invasion. At the summit, held in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby read a final communique outlining the leaders’ views. “Yemen was on the brink of the abyss, requiring ef- fective Arab and interna- tional moves after all means of reaching a peaceful reso- lution have been exhausted to end the Houthi coup and restore legitimacy,” Elaraby said. The Houthis swept down from their northern strong- holds last year and cap- tured the capital Sanaa in September. Embattled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, a close U.S. ally against a powerful local al-Qaida affiliate, fled first to the southern city of Aden and left the country last week. Speaking at the summit Saturday, Hadi directly ac- cused Iran of being be- hind the Houthi offensive, raising the specter of a re- gional conflict. Iran and the Houthis deny that Tehran arms the rebel movement, though the Islamic Republic has provided humanitarian and other aid. Asked at a news confer- ence to explain vague ref- erences to “foreign powers” being behind conflicts in dif- ferent Arab nations, Elaraby said: “I will answer this ques- tion indirectly. There is med- dling by some neighbors, Israel on one side, Turkey and Iranian interference in several countries.” Speaking after Elaraby, Egyptian President Abdel- Fattah el-Sissi said leaders also agreed in principle to creating a joint Arab mili- tary force. He said a high- level panel will work under the supervision of Arab chiefs of staff to work out the structure and mechanism of the force. Elaraby said the chiefs of staff would meet within a month and have three more months to decide on the structure, budget and mecha- nism of the force before they present their proposals to a meeting of the Arab League’s Joint Defense Council. “It is an important reso- lution given all the unprec- edented unrest and threats endured by the Arab world,” Elaraby said. A summit resolution said the force would be deployed at the request of any Arab nation facing a national secu- rity threat and that it would also be used to combat ter- rorist groups. “There is a political will to create this force and not to leave its cre- ation without a firm time frame,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri told a news conference. Egyptian military and se- curity officials have said the proposed force would con- sist of up to 40,000 elite troops and be headquar- tered in either Cairo or Riyadh, the Saudi capital. The force would be backed by jet fighters, warships and light armor. However, it is unlikely that all 22 member nations of the often-fractious Arab League will join the proposed force. Creation of such a force has been a longtime goal that has eluded Arab nations in the 65 years since they signed a rarely used joint defense agreement. Iraq, whose Shiite govern- ment is closely allied with non-Arab and Shiite Iran, has said more time is needed to discuss the proposed force. Now in its fourth day, the Saudi-led air cam- paign has pushed Houthi rebels out of contested air bases and destroyed any jet fighter remaining in Yemen, Saudi Brig. Gen. Ahmed bin Hasan Asiri said. The strikes also continued to target Scud missiles in Yemen, leaving most of their launching pads “devastated,” according to remarks carried Saturday by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. However, he warned that the rebels could have more missiles. His account could not be imme- diately corroborated. Yemen’s Foreign Minister Riad Yassin said the air cam- paign, codenamed Operation Decisive Storm, had pre- vented the rebels from using planes they seized to attack Yemeni cities or to using mis- siles to attack neighboring Saudi Arabia. It also stopped Iran’s supply line to the rebels, he said. Yassin said military ex- perts will decide when and if a ground operation is needed. “This is a comprehen- sive, a package operation and (ground operations) will depend on the calculations of the military,” he told re- porters. Yassin said political dialogue will only happen after the Houthis surrender the weapons they seized from the state. Meanwhile Sunday, Pakistan dispatched a plane to the Yemeni city of Hodeida, hoping to evacuate some 500 citizens gathered there, said Shujaat Azim, an ad- viser to Pakistan’s prime minister. Azim told state- run Pakistan Television more flights would follow as those controlling Yemen’s airports allowed them. UN warns emergency fund for Palestinians in Syria near empty DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Just four percent of emergency work in Syria for Palestinians has been funded so far this year, threatening the viability of a cash assis- tance program that UNRWA spokesman Christopher Gunness described on Sunday as a “lifeline” for refugees. He said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees needs around $415 million, of which $250 mil- lion would fund its cash pro- gram – which provides cash distributions for roughly half a million Palestinian refugees affected by the war in Syria. Gunness spoke to The Associated Press from Kuwait, where an inter- national conference will take place Tuesday to raise funds for humanitarian op- erations in Syria. “We’re not crying wolf here. If we don’t receive the funds for this program at this conference in Kuwait we are going to have to cease in a matter of days our vital cash assistance program,” he said. “It will be devastating,” he added. “This is literally a lifeline. It is quite literally a matter of life and death.” More than 95 percent of Palestinian refugees from Syria rely on UNRWA assis- tance, particularly the cash distributions due to high un- employment caused by the Syrian civil war, now in its fifth year. The agency’s re- lief reaches some 475,000 Palestinian refugees still re- siding in Syria, with an- other 45,000 in Lebanon and 15,000 in Jordan where many have fled. Guness said that last year, its emergency budget of $417 million was only 52 percent funded. As a result, the agency had to slash its rounds of cash distribution in half and beneficiaries re- ceived just $16 per month, or around 60 cents a day. At last year’s donors’ con- ference in Kuwait, nearly 40 nations and key organiza- tions pledged $2.4 billion for overall needs in Syria. But $585 million had not been paid, according to informa- tion released in November by the U.N. humanitarian office’s Financial Tracking Service. In December, the World Food Program was forced to launch a social media cam- paign to raise money from people online after an elec- tronic food voucher pro- gram for Syrian refugees was suspended because many donors failed to meet their commitments. Residents of the besieged Palestinian camp of Yarmouk queue to receive food supplies in Damascus, Syria. - Photo: AP The Omani delegation, foreground, attends an Arab foreign ministers meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt, on Sunda. During the summit, Arab League member states agreed to form a joint inter-Arab military peacekeeping force. - Photo: AP9 WORLD&REGIONAL Cayman Compass • Monday March 30, 2015 Islamic State group beheads eight Shiites in Hama, Syria BEIRUT (AP) — A new video released by the Islamic State group on Sunday shows its fighters cutting off the heads of eight men said to be Shiite Muslims. The video posted on social media said the men were beheaded in the central Syrian province of Hama. The video could not be immediately independently verified, but it appeared gen- uine and corresponded to other AP reporting of the events. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that the video was authentic. IS has beheaded scores of people since capturing large parts of Iraq and Syria last year in a self- declared caliphate. In the video, the men, wearing orange uniforms with their hands tied be- hind their backs, were led forward in a field by teenage boys. They were then handed over to a group of IS fighters. A boy wearing a black uniform hands out knives to the fighters, who then behead the hostages. An Islamic State fighter speaks in the video, using a derogatory term for Shiites and calling them “impure infidels.” The IS fighter said in the video that the current military campaign against IS will only make the mili- tant group stronger. “Our swords will soon, God willing, reach the Nuseiries and their allies like Bashar and his party,” the man said referring to Syrian President Bashar Assad and Lebanon’s mili- tant Hezbollah group that is fighting on his side. The word Nuseiry is a deroga- tory term to refer to Assad’s Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. In Lebanon, the state- run National News Agency quoted the family of Younes Hujairi, who was kidnapped from his hometown of Arsal near the Syrian border in January, as saying he had been beheaded. NNA quoted members of Hujairi’s family as saying they have seen pictures of an IS fighter carrying his severed head on social media. It was not clear if Hujairi was one of one of the men beheaded in the video. Hujairi is a Sunni, while the video states that all the be- headed men were Shiites. The border town of Arsal, where Hujairi was kidnapped, was also the site of a bold joint raid by the Islamic State group and Syria’s al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front last August that captured two dozen Lebanese soldiers and po- licemen. Four of those hos- tages have been killed so far, two of them beheaded by IS. The remaining 20 soldiers and policemen remain hostages. In the video, the men, wearing orange uniforms with their hands tied behind their backs, were led forward in a field by teenage boys. Lee Kuan Yew eulogized as architect of Singapore SINGAPORE (AP) — Singaporeans bid farewell to longtime leader Lee Kuan Yew on Sunday with an elaborate procession and a three-hour state funeral at which his son, the current prime min- ister, eulogized the statesman and declared that the wealthy city-state he helped build is his monument. Undeterred by heavy rain, about 100,000 people lined a 9-mile route through the city to catch a glimpse of the funeral cortege. Lee’s coffin, draped in Singapore’s red and white flag and pro- tected from the downpour by a glass casing, lay atop a ceremonial gun carriage that was solemnly led past city landmarks from Parliament to a cultural center where the state funeral was held. Along the way, crowds of people chanted “Lee Kuan Yew,” snapped photos with smartphones and waved Singapore’s flag. Four how- itzers were fired in a nearby field, air force fighter jets streaked over the island, with one peeling off in a “missing man” formation, and navy pa- trol ships blasted horns. “To those who seek Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s monument, Singaporeans can reply proudly: Look around you,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in the first of 10 eulogies at the funeral, which was attended by more than 2,000 people, including schoolchildren, Singapore’s elite, world leaders and royalty. Occasionally drawing tears and laughter, Lee said an important part of his father’s legacy is that “Singapore’s voice is heard and we enjoy far more in- fluence on the international stage than we have any reason to expect.” As the service neared its conclusion, civil defense si- rens blared across the island to signal a minute’s silence. The government had asked trains and buses to stand still. People flocked to a cre- matorium where a private cremation will be held for a final glimpse of the cortege. During a week of national mourning that began last Monday after Lee’s death at age 91, some 450,000 people lined up for hours to briefly view the statesman’s coffin at Parliament House. A million people visited tribute sites at community centers around the city. The expansive show of emotion is a rare event for Singapore and its 5.5 mil- lion people. The island na- tion, about four times the size of Washington, D.C., is known around the world as a wealthy trade and finance center with a strict social order that includes a ban on chewing gum and caning for some crimes. Lee was Singapore’s prime minister for more than three decades, ruling with an iron grip until 1990. He is re- garded by Singaporeans as the architect of their na- tion’s prosperity and harmo- nious relations among ethnic Chinese, Malay and Indian populations. But his author- itarian rule and crushing of dissent has also left a legacy of restrictions on free speech, a tame media and a stunted democracy. “He did everything for us Singaporeans regard- less of race, language or re- ligion,” said Jennie Yeo, a teacher who arrived at 7 a.m. to stake out front row positions with two friends. “Education, housing, every- thing you can think of, he’s taken care of for us.” Earlier this week, law- makers paid a teary tribute to Lee in a special sitting of Parliament. Low Thia Khiang, the leader of Singapore’s tiny political opposition, acknowl- edged Lee’s role in nation- building in a brief speech, but said he did not believe one-party rule was the key to the country’s economic development. “Many Singaporeans were sacrificed during the process of nation-building and pol- icymaking, and our society has paid a price for it,” he said. “This is why Mr. Lee is also a controversial figure in some people’s eyes.” Leaders and dignitaries from more than two dozen countries attended the fu- neral. The U.S. delegation was led by former President Bill Clinton. Others included the prime ministers of India, Japan and Australia. Abroad, India declared a national day of mourning and New Zealand government flags were at half-staff. Lee’s achievements and legacy are likely to be argued for years. Though his widely read memoirs are titled “From Third World to First,” Singapore never knew grim poverty. Before independence in the first half of the 20th century, it was by the stan- dards of the region a pros- perous commercial hub of the British Empire. But after its split in 1965 from a short-lived and ac- rimonious federation with Malaysia, Singapore’s fu- ture was highly uncertain. It lacked natural resources, having to import even water, and was surrounded by hos- tile neighbors. In control of all policy le- vers, Lee and his govern- ment obliterated independent trade unions, imprisoned po- litical opponents, reconfig- ured the education system to produce workers who met the needs of foreign inves- tors and pushed through other changes to make the island competitive. Today, Singapore’s GDP is among the highest in the world at $54,000 per head, according to the World Bank, and it consistently ranks at the top of surveys of com- petiveness, while other Southeast Asian nations lag far behind. Lee gained “dispropor- tionate influence” in interna- tional politics because of his record in shaping Singapore into the kind of nation that would be useful to the in- ternational political and eco- nomic order, said London- based author Salil Tripathi, who was a foreign cor- respondent in Singapore in the 1990s. Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivers his eulogy during a state funeral for Lee Kuan Yew. - Photo: AP Three W. African countries increase fight to end Ebola CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — The West African countries hit hardest by Ebola are ramping up efforts to eradi- cate the deadly disease using lockdowns, restrictions on burials and a warning to sur- vivors about the potential dangers of unprotected sex. The region’s Ebola out- break has killed more than 10,000 people since cases were first recorded more than a year ago, with most of the dead coming from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Sierra Leone, which has seen the most cases, imposed a three-day lockdown that officials hoped would help the country get “total con- trol” over Ebola. The lock- down was expected to con- clude on Sunday. Neighboring Guinea could soon be holding its own lock- downs after President Alpha Conde announced that emer- gency steps would be “rein- forced” for a 45-day period in five districts in the west of the country. All burials in the affected areas will need to be secured by Red Cross or security forces, and all dead bodies will be systematically tested, Conde said in an address on state television Saturday night. Mourning ceremonies will be restricted to close family. Conde also said lock- down measures could be im- plemented as needed. In Liberia, the government issued a statement Sunday warning survivors of Ebola to abstain from unprotected sex even beyond the 90-day period earlier recommended. The statement was prompted by continued confusion over how the country’s latest Ebola patient – its first in weeks — came down with the disease. The woman’s boyfriend is an Ebola survivor, raising the possibility of sexual trans- mission. However, he was re- leased from treatment about six months ago, and Ebola has not been detected in the semen of a survivor for longer than about three months. It is unclear when the woman, who died on Friday, first be- came symptomatic. The incu- bation period for Ebola can last up to 21 days. Sunday’s statement, signed by assistant health minister Tolbert Nyenswah, said survivors “should con- sider correct and consis- tent use of condoms for all sexual acts beyond three months until more informa- tion is available.”Next >