ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – Tuesday March 31, 2015 SportS | page 16 cayMan TeaM goes down fighTing Knocked out by Belize in World Cup qualifier High of 83 Low of 73 Seas: Rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet. Small craft should exercise caution over the open seas. editorial | page 4 on The ‘occurrence’ aT owen roberTs: JusT roll The Tape back to back wins www.butterfieldgroup.com Proud winner of The Banker’s prestigious Cayman Islands Bank of the Year award for 2013 and 2014. Bank of the year... Again! hsa chief: healthcare not free brenT fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Although the Cayman Islands public hos- pital system has made some improvements recently in collecting patient payments, it is likely to be saddled with a significant amount of additional unpaid debt at the end of the government’s budget year in June. Health Services Authority chief executive officer Lizzette Yearwood told the government Public Accounts Committee last week that the public hospital system was being “more con- sistent in enforcing our payment policy,” par- ticularly with elective surgeries. However, she noted that public hospitals still have a mandate to deliver care to those who can’t, or won’t, pay for it. “There’s still a culture in the public that a number of persons feel that healthcare is free,” Ms. Yearwood said. The HSA expected to have nearly $70 mil- lion in unpaid bills from services to patients by the end of the government’s current budget year in June 2015, according to government fi- nancial records. The amount is referred to in the govern- ment’s 2014/15 budget ownership agreements as a “provision for doubtful debt,” meaning debts that have been owed for more than a year. If the projection of the additional unpaid bills occurs as finance managers expect, the HSA’s unpaid receivables will increase from an estimated $45.8 million to $69.9 million in just two years. The total allowance for unpaid receivables has been compiled over a period of more than 10 years, and some of the bills owed are more than a decade old. Looking at bad debts accumulated over the past three-and-a-half years, former Health Minister Osbourne Bodden noted last year that some $10 million owed consisted of indi- vidual bills of less than $1,000 each. “If these patients would even pay these small bills, it would make a substantial con- tribution [toward resolving the debt],” he said. “It is not good enough to think government will take care of this.” In addition, Ms. Yearwood said Wednesday that the HSA is seeking ven- dors to computerize hospital records, which Bill revives rollover respite for caregivers Non-Caymanian nurses or domestics who help local families care for elderly, infirm or disabled relatives will again get a break on the Cayman Islands Immigration Law’s “roll- over” provisions. Legislation made public last week seeks to re-establish the “Certificate for Specialist Caregivers” under the law, allowing those workers to stay up to 10 years beyond the end of their normal term limit on residence in the islands, as long as they are still caring for the same individual. Unlike the previous version of the law, ap- proved in 2010 under the United Democratic Party government, applicants who success- fully obtain such a certificate would be able to apply for permanent residence once they have reached at least eight years of continuous res- idence on the islands. Currently, all non-Caymanian workers must leave the islands for at least one year after nine years of continuous residence, un- less they are married to a Caymanian, have obtained a government contract or obtain permanent residence. The Certificate for Specialist Caregivers adds a fourth option that allows someone in that particular occupation to apply for a five-year extension to continue working for the same family. The five-year extension on residence takes effect at the end of the caregiver’s ordinary term limit on residence and can be renewed for another five years. In the case of a spe- cialist caregiver who has been “rolled over” for less than a year, they would be allowed to apply for a five-year certificate in the same Dozens of affordable homes sit empty brenT fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman’s National Housing Development Trust is facing a two-fold problem with newer affordable homes that have remained unoccupied for years and older, dilapidated homes that remain occu- pied despite being condemned. Trust General Manager Julio Ramos ap- peared before the Legislative Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee last week to up- date lawmakers on both issues. “Why have some of the [newer] afford- able homes not been inhabited to date?” George Town MLA Winston Connolly asked during the hearing. Mr. Ramos said there were unoccu- pied houses among those most recently constructed by the trust under the former United Democratic Party government in 2012, in three of the four Grand Cayman districts in which they were built. By far, the largest number of unoccu- pied homes was in Bodden Town, where 16 of the 20 affordable homes stood empty as of last week. However, in West Bay, Mr. Ramos said, eight of the 36 newer afford- able homes were unoccupied; in East End, three of the 12 were unoccupied. All 26 affordable homes in the George Town area were still occupied, Mr. Ramos Government’s newer affordable homes in George Town are all occupied, the only district on Grand Cayman where that has occurred. - photo: taneos ramsay PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL Tuesday March 31, 2015 • Cayman Compass www.tonymosleylifeinsurance.com 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. TUESDAY MOORE HAVEN, Fla. (AP) — An overloaded church van ran through a stop sign, crossed all four lanes of a dark rural highway and nosedived into a canal, killing eight people and injuring 10 early Monday in southwest Florida, author- ities said. “They didn’t see that stop sign. They shot right through it,” Glades County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Duane Pottorff said. “It was a sad evening.” The van was heading back to a church in Fort Pierce, north of West Palm Beach on the Atlantic coast, after a weekend convention in Fort Myers, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Eighteen people were in the 15-seat-capacity van when it crashed about 12:30 a.m. Monday, according to the Highway Patrol. A 911 call came in at 12:31 a.m., and deputies arrived four minutes later, officials said. The van had gone down an 8-to-10 foot embankment and landed in shallow water of the canal, which is lined with tall grass and weeds. “That’s a very steep em- bankment, and they kind of did a nosedive,” said Lt. Gregory S. Bueno of the Highway Patrol. The crash killed the male driver and seven passengers, four male and three female, troopers said. Their names were not released pending notification of their families. The Florida Highway Patrol identified 10 other pas- sengers taken to four hos- pitals. Among them was a 4-year-old child – who was not in a car seat, Bueno said – in serious condition. Four other adults were in critical condition. All the people in the van were from Fort Pierce. Outside the Independent Haitian Assembly of God church, about three dozen friends and family members milled around the parking lot waiting for information. Phillipe Dorce, 34, said his father-in-law and cousin were on the van. Dorce re- ceived a call about 1:15 a.m. and drove to the crash site. He said he helped authori- ties identify bodies. “I was there trying to be a man. But at the same time, I’m crying too,” he said. Church pastor Esperant Lexine, 57, was injured in the crash, said his daughter, Dina Lexine Sarver, 23. In a phone interview with The Associated Press from Tampa General Hospital, Sarver said that he had suffered internal bleeding and that she had been able to speak with him briefly. Nozaire Nore, 48, suffered a broken leg in the crash. With his niece translating from Haitian Creole, Nore told Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers that the driver didn’t notice a curve in the road and couldn’t stop in time. Nore said he is a migrant farm laborer who travels to New Jersey and New York to pick apples, watermelons and other crops. Bueno said that at the time of the crash, it wasn’t foggy at the crash scene in Glades County, west of Lake Okeechobee. There is no lighting on the stretch of road, and the T-intersection is surrounded by farmland. The Highway Patrol spoke briefly spoke to some survi- vors and will conduct more in-depth interviews, Bueno said. A full investigation will assess any mechanical issues with the van, he added. On Monday morning, the van had been loaded onto the back of a flatbed truck. The front of the van was smashed in, and the door had been removed. Under Florida law, a Class C commercial driv- er’s license is required to drive any vehicle designed to transport 16 or more people, including the driver. The driv- er’s name in the crash had not been released. Church van crashes into canal, killing 8 and injuring 10 A tow truck moves a van that crashed into a canal Monday at the intersection of US 27 and State Road 78 West, near Moore Haven, Florida. - Photo: AP MIAMI (AP) — An elderly Florida man who was on the lam for 37 years until being captured in Mexico is scheduled to plead guilty in Miami federal court. U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke scheduled an April 8 plea change hearing for 81-year-old Robert Anton Woodring, who previously pleaded not guilty to jumping bail. Prosecutors say Woodring failed to surrender in 1977 to begin serving prison sentences for fraud and for a related conviction in- volving an attempt to flee in his 60-foot yacht so offi- cials couldn’t seize it. Woodring never re- ported to prison and was charged with bail-jumping in 1984. U.S. Marshals caught Woodring in Guadalajara, Mexico, in December after getting a tip while searching for another fugi- tive. Mexican officials sent him back to the U.S. Guilty PleA set for floridA mAn in 37-yeAr-old cAse two cubAn nurses AttAcked in coAstAl JAmAicA town KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Jamaica’s health min- istry says two nurses from Cuba have been “brutally attacked and injured” by a gunman who invaded their residence in the small Jamaican town where they were providing free medical care. Health Minister Fenton Ferguson says Monday’s at- tack on the women in the town of Buff Bay was “un- forgivable, especially since they have committed them- selves to service to the people of that community.” CORRECTION An editing error re- sulted in an incorrect head- line for the page 4 edito- rial in Monday’s Compass. The correct headline is, “Cayman copyrights: Plank- walking time for intellec- tual piracy.” The Cayman Compass strives for accuracy and is committed to correcting errors that appear in the newspaper. Those interested in contacting the paper for that purpose can email the editor at newsdesk@ pinnaclemedialtd.com. Twin fools NASA at brother’s launch on 1-year flight CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronaut Scott Kelly’s iden- tical twin pulled a fast one on NASA right before his brother blasted off on a one- year space station mission. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told Kelly on Monday that he almost had a heart attack when his brother showed up launch morning without his usual mustache late last week. “He fooled all of us,” Bolden said. Mark Kelly’s mustache was “the only way I can tell you two apart.” Mark, a former space shuttle commander, was still clean shaven as of Monday afternoon, as he chatted with Bolden about the unprece- dented medical experiments planned on the twins over the coming year. Doctors want to see how the space twin’s body compares with his ge- netic double on the ground. Scott Kelly arrived at the International Space Station on Friday night fol- lowing a launch from Kazakhstan. He will remain on board until next March, as will Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. It will be NASA’s longest spaceflight ever. “It’s like coming to my old home,” said Kelly, who spent five months at the space sta- tion in 2010-2011. The White House, mean- while, sent congratulations Monday. President Barack Obama’s science adviser, John Holdren, wished Kelly, Kornienko and the rest of the crew the best of luck and noted that the yearlong mission is an im- portant milestone on the path to sending humans to Mars in the mid-2030s. “You guys are all he- roes up there, and we’re de- pending on you,” Holdren said in a phone hookup. Mark Kelly, meanwhile, paid tribute to the brothers’ father, who stayed behind in Houston for last week’s launch. Richard Kelly, a re- tired and widowed police of- ficer, is the only parent to en- dure a child’s rocket launch so many times – eight be- tween the two. Doctors want to see how the space twin’s body compares with his genetic double on the ground.3 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Tuesday March 31, 2015 Three arrested over triple shooting James WhiTTaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Three men have been ar- rested on suspicion of at- tempted murder in con- nection with a triple shooting in George Town on Saturday morning. Three women were in- jured, one of them seriously, in what police have described as an “alarming” and “indis- criminate” attack on a group of people hanging out at McField Square. Two masked individuals approached on foot and fired multiple shots into the crowd of people just after 4 a.m., according to early accounts of the incident. The three fe- male victims, all Caymanian, had recovered sufficiently to be interviewed by police by Monday. The most seriously injured of the three, a 29-year-old woman, suffered injuries to her chest and abdomen. Her condition was described as critical but stable on Monday. A 30-year-old woman was still in hospital with arm in- juries, while the third victim was discharged on Saturday. Police confirmed on Monday afternoon that three men were being questioned in connection with the incident. They are still appealing for anyone who was in the area at the time to come forward. Detective Chief Inspector Malcolm Kay said, “It is very unusual for three people to be hit in any one inci- dent. It is particularly un- usual for three females to be injured by gunshots. “This was an alarming and apparently indiscrimi- nate attack with no regard for the life of anybody that was there.” The scene of the incident, close to Jah’T’s Jerk Stand is a popular spot for after-hours gatherings, often referred to as “sessions.” At 4 a.m. on Saturday, the party was believed to be winding down, with around 10 to 15 people present at the time of the shooting. Mr. Kay said, “We have no reason to believe that any of these women were targeted specifically and we want to find out who was with them that could have been the target.” Police were alerted to the shooting by medics at George Town Hospital. Preliminary investigations revealed the incident took place in McField Square. The crowd quickly dispersed following the shooting and police are now trying to trace anyone who was there. Ballistics experts will, this week, examine shell cas- ings found at the scene to de- termine how many weapons were used in the shooting. Police are asking anyone with information to call George Town CID on 949-4222, the major incident room on 926-3975, or Crime Stoppers on 1-800-TIPS (8477). Three women were injured, one of them seriously, in what police have described as an alarming and indiscriminate attack on a group of people hanging out in McField Square. The scene of Saturday morning’s shooting at McField Square, at the junction of School Road and McField Lane. - PHOTO: JAMES WHITTAKER Financial reports in Cabinet ‘bottleneck’ BrenT Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The release of government financial statements and an- nual reports that provide valuable information about the operation of public agen- cies is being delayed, in some cases for a year or more, by the Cayman Islands Cabinet, according to Auditor General Alastair Swarbrick. Mr. Swarbrick was asked during a Public Accounts Committee hearing last week whether the finan- cial statements were going through some sort of “bottle- neck” prior to their being ta- bled – made public – in the Legislative Assembly. The auditor replied that once his office signs off on the final reports, they are then presented to Cabinet for review prior to presen- tation in the Legislative Assembly. “That is where the bottleneck occurs,” he said. “The question is whether that is all necessary,” Mr. Swarbrick said. “There must be a quicker way to do it.” The auditor general’s of- fice reported last October that while government agen- cies were starting to do a better job of turning in an- nual reports with finan- cial statements attached on time, timely public reporting of those matters was still eluding the government. According to Mr. Swarbrick, for the govern- ment budget year ending June 30, 2012 – and as of October 2014 – reports for only 15 of the 24 statutory authorities and government companies evaluated by the auditor general’s office had been tabled, or made public, in the Legislative Assembly. For fiscal year 2010/11, eight reports from the public authorities are still outstanding, he said. Government ministries fared better, with just six finan- cial statements/annual re- ports outstanding from the 2010/11 and 2011/12 govern- ment budget years. “Without annual reports, it is almost impossible for stakeholders, legislators and citizens to understand how public resources have been used and to hold government and public bodies account- able,” Mr. Swarbrick said. Finance Ministry Chief Officer Ken Jefferson told the Public Accounts Committee that there is a legal requirement under the Public Management and Finance Law to submit fi- nancial statements and an- nual reports to Cabinet within a four-month period following their completion and a further requirement to submit those reports to the Legislative Assembly in a timely manner. In practice, the statu- torily mandated time lines stated in the public finance law are frequently not met. “And if you miss them? What is the penalty?” George Town MLA Winston Connolly asked Mr. Jefferson during the committee meeting. Mr. Jefferson said section 76 of the Public Management and Finance Law sets out general penalties, including fines and prison sentences, for knowingly or willfully disregarding the law. “But I don’t believe the law speaks [directly] to whether there are penalties ... for not complying with the [reporting] deadline,” he said. “No penalties, so no real stick to get the reports before the LA,” Mr. Connolly said. Mr. Swarbrick suggested that some public authori- ties might wish to make their own financial reports and year-end statements available on government websites, but they are cur- rently prevented from doing that until the documents are formally tabled in the Legislative Assembly. When the Legislative Assembly has not met for several months, the public reporting process can be slowed as well, he said. “It puts in extra steps that slow the process,” he said. Mr. Swarbrick More Cuban migrants arrive in Cayman Cubans anchor offshore to await better weather BrenT Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Sixty Cuban migrants have arrived in Cayman Islands territorial waters over the past few days and have been given permission to dock or anchor offshore while they await improved weather conditions. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the largest group was at Colliers Beach on Monday. Some 38 Cuban migrants, 31 men and seven women, were awaiting a sea change while the 39th person aboard, a male, chose to disembark and be taken into custody. Another group of 13 Cubans, nine men and four women, were docked near the old Divi Tiara re- sort on the south side of Cayman Brac. A third group of eight Cuban migrants floated into George Town harbor on Sunday and an- chored off the harbor. According to min- istry officials, acting Chief Immigration Officer Bruce Smith had given the Cuban boaters permission to stay and await calmer weather. However, local rules require the migrants to stay on their watercraft. If they come ashore, they face arrest and repatriation to Cuba. In addition to the 60 migrants floating offshore as of Monday, another 44 were being housed in the Immigration Detention Centre awaiting their return home. The latest influx brings to more than 160 the number of Cuban migrants who have shown up in local waters since the start of this year. The latest influx brings to more than 160 the number of Cuban migrants who have shown up in local waters since the start of this year. This boat with eight Cuban migrants aboard arrived in George Town harbor on Sunday. - PHOTO: GERARdO OcHOA-VARGASThe 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. BloomBerg View In building Singapore into a modern economic power, the late Lee Kuan Yew displayed admirable flexibility – scrap- ping policies that didn’t work, expanding those that did. His political heirs should be simi- larly pragmatic about revising the illiberal social and po- litical policies for which Lee was equally famous. One might ask, not un- reasonably, why. Singapore’s economy remains strong, and it continues to attract for- eign investment. There is no groundswell of popular opinion calling for an end to caning, for example, or for the establishment of a truly free media. And where loud con- stituencies are demanding change – to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code, for in- stance, which criminalizes sex between men – officials can point to equally strident calls to maintain the status quo. Doing nothing, however, has costs. Some laws simply tarnish Singapore’s reputa- tion; its chewing-gum regula- tions are probably Singapore’s single most famous public policy (even if its most mis- understood – there are limits only on buying or selling gum, not chewing it). The damage other laws do is more se- rious. Limiting free expression will in the long term make Singapore’s economy and cul- ture less creative and vibrant. The most egregious laws belong to another era. Section 377A falls under this cat- egory, as does the Internal Security Act, which dates to when Singapore was still part of Malaysia, then bat- tling Communist insurgents. Some of the latter’s provisions might be useful for combating terrorism, as proponents argue. But the sweeping law, which allows for preventative detention for as long as two years, remains open to abuse. A more narrow statute would better serve both Singapore’s government and its citizens. Singapore could also stand to reconsider how it punishes people who break its laws. This is not just about caning, which dates to British colonial times and is unfitting for a 21st century economic power. Singapore has recently shown flexibility in easing harsh sentencing laws that call for a manda- tory death penalty in drug cases. There have been no discernible ill effects – and there’s no reason the gov- ernment couldn’t go further and alter sentencing rules for other crimes as well. Unfortunately, the govern- ment’s creativity has more often gone into developing subtler ways to control dis- sent – tying up opponents in court rather than arresting them. Libel suits have rou- tinely been used as a polit- ical tool, and “scandalizing the court” – a catchall charge that chills virtually any open debate about the working of the judiciary – remains an of- fense in Singapore. A freer media needs to be encouraged, not just tolerated. Singaporeans can already ac- cess news from virtually any source they want, including a few outspoken local blogs and news sites. Trying to circum- scribe those online outlets – forcing the most popular ones to register with and pay fees to the government – is short- sighted. Better to compete by encouraging state media to be more daring – and credible. Lee liked to argue that Singapore’s economic suc- cess was inseparable from its nanny-state rules – that the city would have been a “ruder, cruder,” more chaotic place without them. That’s debat- able, and almost certainly no longer true. Singaporeans can afford to abandon this bit of Lee’s legacy, and they should. © 2015, Bloomberg News Tuesday MarCh 31, 2015 • Cayman COmpass On Sunday, March 22, an inbound Cayman Airways aircraft abruptly aborted its landing approach in order to avoid an outbound United Airlines aircraft that was still on the runway. Did the “occurrence” amount to a serious but unexceptional situation, unworthy of second-day scrutiny? Maybe — but maybe not. The Compass has heard from multiple sources who are telling remarkably similar stories of what actually took place as the CAL flight approached the occupied runway. We are dealing with, we believe, a “tale of the tape” — that is, the truth is contained on the record- ings of communications between Owen Roberts air traffic controllers and the pilots. Here’s what we know about what occurred that Sunday afternoon: • United Airlines flight 1495 (from Grand Cayman to Houston) has a regularly scheduled departure time of 4:38 p.m. • Cayman Airways flight 505 (from Chicago to Grand Cayman) has a regularly scheduled arrival time of 5:25 p.m. • At 4:45 p.m., UA1495 was occupying the Owen Roberts runway, in preparation to take off. • At the same time, KX505 (coming in more than a half hour ahead of schedule) was passing over the Cayman Islands Hospital on its final glide path to the runway. • As KX505 crossed the Huldah Avenue cricket pitch, the pilot pulled the aircraft up to avoid collision with UA1495 on the runway, and circled around over Bodden Town to make a second landing approach. • In the meantime, UA1495 cleared off the runway to allow KX505 to land safely. Afterward, UA1495 took off without further incident. There is little dispute (none actually to our knowl- edge) about “what” happened at the airport on the afternoon of March 22. However, the key question is not “what” but “why,” and to get at that truth we need to know what went on inside the control tower and the cockpits. While a United Airways spokeswoman, located in Chicago, readily shared with a Compass reporter what information she had on the “occurrence” (unfortu- nately, not much at all), our own Cayman Airways has thus far refused to comment publicly on the incident. The statement issued by the Cayman Islands Airports Authority (and quickly “endorsed” by the Civil Aviation Authority) contained almost no information — apart from the admission that this was “not a frequent occurrence.” It didn’t even mention which airlines were involved or how many passengers were on the planes. The account from the Cayman Islands Air Traffic Controllers Association, however, is of far greater interest. Rather than using radar data to ensure safe separation between aircraft, Cayman’s air traffic controllers rely on pilots to report accurately their positions. According to the association, “conflicting position reports resulted in the arriving aircraft turning final approach sooner than expected.” In other words, according to the association, the Cayman Airways flight was considerably closer to Owen Roberts than had been reported to the con- troller. (The position of the United aircraft — on the runway — was obvious.) Again, we are back to the “why” question: Why did the Cayman Airways aircraft get so near to landing on an already-occupied runway? The controllers have volunteered their version of events, and presumably by now everyone has shared with authorities the relevant audio recordings from the tower and flight decks. Now it’s time for the authorities to share those recordings with the public — as is “routine” procedure in countries under such circumstances. The release of the unedited recordings and the results of the formal investigation should dispel any doubts about this “occurrence” once and for all. Just roll the tape. On the ‘occurrence’ at Owen Roberts: Just roll the tape In US, dimming job prospects This Friday, the United States Labor Department is expected to report the U.S. economy added 247,000 jobs in March down from 295,000 in February and 324,000 during the fourth quarter Wages, for all but the most skilled professionals, continue to advance only slowly, and going for- ward good paying jobs and pay raises will likely be even scarcer for struggling middle- and working- class people in America. The headline unemploy- ment rate is down to 5.5 per- cent, from the recession high of 10, largely because fewer adults are participating in the labor force – for example, the 7 million men ages 25 to 55 that neither have a job nor want one. Were the same per- centage of adults working or seeking work today as when President Barack Obama took office, the un- employment rate would be 9.7 percent. Here are five reasons jobs and wage growth are likely to be disappointing for the bal- ance of 2015 and in 2016. Stronger dollar and tepid consumers The dollar is up against the euro and yen, making U.S. goods and services more expensive than competing products from Germany and Japan. Along with the impact of falling oil prices on U.S. drilling activity that discour- ages business investment. So far consumers have been hesitant to spend the windfall from lower gaso- line prices – retail sales have plunged in recent months – and business activity simply will not support adding a lot of new workers. Weak productivity growth In 2014, non-farm private sector output grew 2.9 per- cent but hours worked in- creased 3.0 percent – indi- cating labor productivity growth was near zero. Advances in robotics, lo- gistics and production de- sign should permit produc- tivity to advance at about 2 percent annually. If U.S. com- panies don’t find ways to use workers more efficiently, they will lose more ground to for- eign competitors who do. Consequently, fore- casters such as at Wells Fargo, expect monthly em- ployment gains to trend down to about 215,000 this summer and below 200,000 in 2016, leaving workers with less bargaining power in salary negotiations. Myth of college graduate underemployment Hundreds of thousands of college graduates continue to work in jobs that historically did not require a degree, but many BAs may be well placed as Starbucks baristas. Tests administered by the Council for Aid to Education indicate 40 percent of recent graduates are not proficient in the basic problem-solving skills normally associated with a college education. Hence they may not be worth much more than the US$10 or US$15 per hour paid to many high school graduates. The skills gap Many businesses com- plain about difficulties finding workers with the skills they need. Although the United States has a world leading network of science and en- gineering colleges, too few Americans are enrolled. Two- year community colleges are not training enough young people for technical jobs in high demand, and too many community college students instead are preparing to transfer into four-year college liberal arts programs. Too many Americans in the wrong places Urban areas have recov- ered all the jobs lost during the financial crisis and added another 3 percent, whereas employment in rural areas is still down by an equal amount. Rural workers often lack the skills demanded in better paying service in- dustries centered in cities, like finance, technology and media, and simply can’t af- ford to relocate to high-cost urban centers for US$10 to US$15 an hour jobs in res- taurants, dry cleaners and health clubs catering to elite service workers. The balance of this year and next, the U.S. GDP growth will continue to inch along at a 2.5 to 3 percent pace. The economy will reward the top 10 percent of workers in en- gineering, finance and other elite services, but too many other Americans lack the skills to earn the US$25 or US$30 an hour needed to sus- tain a middle class life-style, and live in places where jobs of any kind remain scarce. Peter Morici is a professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. He served as chief economist of the U.S. International Trade Commission from 1993-1995. He tweets @pmorici1. Peter Morici Time for Singapore to rethink policies 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”5 WORLD&REGIONAL Cayman Compass • Tuesday March 31, 2015 Financial Services Industry that the Cayman Islands Financial Services Industry is the single BIGGEST CONTRIBUTOR to government revenue? 345-623-6725 | www.caymanfinance.ky DID YOU KNOW... Financial Services. Moving Cayman Forward. ALL other industries, including Tourism, Development, Construction, Real Estate, Retail, Utilities, etc. 55% 45% IN O U T $349m $286m Roads Health Housing Education Social Services *Estimated based on the 2013 Compendium of Statistics, published by the Economics and Statistics Office and an Oxford Economics study. * of government revenue of government revenue * Dress for Culture Day winners announced The Cayman National Cultural Foundation has an- nounced the winners of its an- nual Dress for Culture Day. Funds raised during the event go to support youth arts programming in the Cayman Islands, such as Summer Arts Camp, Young At Arts and Young Image Makers. People were encouraged to dress up on Friday, Feb. 27 and email photos to the cul- tural foundation. The photos were then posted on Facebook from March 4-18, and the “Most Liked” photograph in each category won a prize, or- ganizers said. Participants could also take part in a live “Parade of Nations” competition at the Red Sky at Night Festival on the grounds of the Harquail Cultural Centre on Feb. 28, with the winners chosen by a panel of judges. Tiny Tots School was chosen as the Best School in the online vote and won a Logic Apple TV. Other win- ners of the online votes went to Shilpa Tagalpallewar for most original costume in the individual category and and Gianna McLaughlin for the most photogenic in the indi- vidual category. The winner of the Spirit of Dress For Culture went to Patricia Plummer. The online vote for the best dressed corporate team went to the Philippines Tennis Club. In the Parade of Nations, the winner of the large group cat- egory went to the Philippines, Children at Tiny Tots receive their award for winning the Best School in the Dress for Culture Day competition.The Philippines entry won the Parade of Nations award. Online voters chose Gianna McLaughlin as the winner of the most photogenic entry in the individual category. Patricia Plummer won the Spirit of Dress for Culture award in the online voting.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 Community Calendar ■ Community Calendar is published Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. Tuesday March 31, 2015 • Cayman Compass EASTER SERVICES WESLEYAN HOLINESS CHURCH: West Bay. Easter Convention, Wednesday, April 1, to Sunday, April 5. Services begin 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. ST. IGNATIUS CATHOLIC CHURCH: George Town. Holy Thursday, April 2, Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7 p.m. Good Friday, April 3, Stations of the Cross at noon and Passion Service at 1 p.m. Holy Saturday, April 4, Easter Vigil Mass 7:30 p.m. Easter Sunday, April 5, Mass at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., noon and 6 p.m. CHRIST THE REDEEMER CATHOLIC CHURCH: West Bay. Good Friday, April 3, Stations of the Cross at noon and Passion Service at 1 p.m. Easter Sunday, April 5, Mass at 9:45 a.m., 11:30 a.m. STELLA MARIS CATHOLIC CHURCH: Cayman Brac. Holy Thursday, April 2, Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7 p.m. Good Friday, April 3, Stations of the Cross at noon and Passion Service at 1 p.m. Easter Sunday, April 5, Mass at 11 a.m. TUESDAY, MARCH 31 BRAC SWIM MEET: All Group Swim Meet starts at 9 a.m., government pool at the high school. NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER: National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving, noon to 12:50 p.m. on the grounds of the Glass House, George Town. Sponsored by the Cayman Ministers Association. LITTLE MISS: Cayman’s Our Little Miss Scholarship Pageant organizing committee is accepting applications for the pageant on April 25. Entry deadline is today. Six age divisions, from Baby Petite (0-2 years) to Miss (18-26). Talent required for ages seven and up. 327-9890 or caymanolm@gmail.com. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1 CANCER SCREENING: Free oral cancer screening. Call the Cayman Islands Cancer Society on 949-7618. THURSDAY, APRIL 2 AUTISM AWARENESS DAY: The Special Needs Foundation of Cayman will be at Camana Bay from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. to raise awareness for Autism Awareness Day. Come and get information on supporting autistic children in the Cayman Islands. Wear blue to school or work and donate $5 to the charitable foundation. Donations can be sent to PO Box 12141, Grand Cayman, KY1-1010. Make out checks to Special Needs Foundation of Cayman Ltd. Contact 321-2957 or susie@ specialneedsfoundation.ky for details. At 2 p.m. there will be a member family picnic on The Crescent at Camana Bay. See www. specialneedsfoundation.ky. FRIDAY, APRIL 3 CAYMAN MALE VOICE CHOIR: All are invited to an Easter cantata, “Amazing Grace,” at Elmslie Memorial Church, 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY, APRIL 4 ROTARY SUNRISE FUNDRAISER: Raffle for a 2015 Audi Q5, home security system or $1,000 in gas. Tickets on sale at A.L. Thompson’s from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. for $25 each or 5 tickets for $100. Alternatively, email info@rotarysunrise.ky to request tickets. Visit www. RotarySunrise.ky for more information. All proceeds fund programs and events in the community including literacy and youth programs. LITTLE CAYMAN AUCTION: The Little Cayman District of the National Trust holds its annual Easter auction, 4 p.m. at the National Trust House. Contact Betty Bua-Smith 948-1077 or bettyboo@candw.ky LITTLE MISS: Cayman’s Our Little Miss Official Pageant hosts the official orientation, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Town Hall in George Town. Anyone interested in competing should attend this orientation. For more information, email caymanolm@gmail.com. SUNDAY, APRIL 5 EASTER BALL: Goan Heritage Club India invites everyone to a traditional Easter Ball, 7:30 p.m. at St. Ignatius School Hall. Entry $10 includes dinner, DJ music and lots of entertainment. THURSDAY, APRIL 16 COMEDY PLAY: “Duets” comedy opens tonight at Prospect Playhouse, presented by Cayman Drama Society. Show time 7:30 p.m. $25 per person, $15 for students. Show continues April 17-18, 23-25, 30; May 1-2. For tickets, contact www. cds.ky; boxoffice@cds.ky or 938-1998. GENERAL INTEREST VEHICLE LICENSING: The Department of Vehicle & Driver’s Licensing offices in George Town and West Bay will remain closed throughout the long Easter weekend from April 3 to April 6, including Saturday, April 4. In West Bay, to accommodate the limited hours during the Easter holidays, the office will open on April 13 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., a day on which it is usually closed. Both offices will resume regular office hours on April 7. GRANTS FOR THE ARTS: Registration is now open for grants from the Cayman National Cultural Foundation for art-related projects that need some financial help. CNCF hands out grants twice a year. Visit www. artscayman.org/grants-for- the-arts for guidelines and a registration form. Deadline is July 15. CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES CLOSES WEST BAY OFFICE: The West Bay office of the Department of Children and Family Services is closed until further notice. Staff have been relocated to Commerce House on Dr. Roy’s Drive. People in need of assistance should call 949-0290. HIV TESTING: Free HIV testing is available every Tuesday year-round at the Cayman Islands Red Cross on Thomas Russell Way. Anyone wishing to get tested should arrive by 9 a.m. Testing will be available every Tuesday, 9-10 a.m. Contact HIV/AIDS Coordinator Laura Whitfield at 244-2631. THRIFT SHOP SEEKS CLOTHING: The Humane Society Thrift Shop is desperately low on stock. Clothing, accessories, toys, small appliances, shoes, bric-a-brac and pictures are needed. Please bring donations to the Humane Society building on North Sound Road. TENT MEETING: The New Testament Church of God, George Town, hosts a two- week tent meeting through April 3, 7:30 p.m. Tent behind the church on North Sound Road. Speakers are the Rev. Dennis Walton and evangelist Arthur Grant from Jamaica. All are invited. BETHESDA COUNSELING CENTRE: At 68 Mary St., caters to all who seek help. Call 946-6575. Open Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Appointments available Saturdays and late evenings. Center is owned and operated by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. REEF RESTORATION: Certified divers are invited to work on the Cayman Magic Reef restoration in George Town. A schedule of work dates and times is posted on Facebook under Cayman Magic Reef Recovery. Dates, times and places are listed under Events for volunteers to check and sign up. FOOD HANDLERS: Certification courses in basic food hygiene are offered by the Department of Environmental Health. April 15 and 29; May 13 and 27; and June 10 and 24. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the DEH conference room in the Environmental Centre, 580 North Sound Road. $15 per person covers all materials and fees; pay at DEH headquarters, 580 North Sound Road, between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. For more information, call 949-6696. OPEN CANVAS: Visual Arts Society supports this initiative at KARoo restaurant in Camana Bay. Wednesdays in March, 7 p.m. to close. No fee. Easels are provided for artists of all levels to enjoy painting and socializing with other artists. Participating artists receive two tickets for house wine or beer compliments of KARoo. For more information, contact info@visualartcayman. com or jr@cib.ky, or call 546-9422. VISUAL ARTS SOCIETY: Painting open studio available Mondays 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Watler House, Pedro Castle. This is an opportunity for adult intermediate artists to work at their own pace on their own projects. To register, contact openstudio@ visualartcayman.com or 546-9422. $10 per day or $15 non-members. ART FOR STUDENTS: The National Gallery hosts free Active Learning Sessions for students of all ages. Part tour, part art activity, the tour takes students up-close with the National Collection – more than 50 years of Caymanian art history – providing links to literacy, mathematics, social studies and science. For information or to book a session, contact 945-8111 or education@ nationalgallery.org.ky. PINK LADIES: Coffee Shop at Cayman Islands Hospital is open Monday- Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for breakfast, lunch, drinks, snacks. Takeout orders welcome, call 244- 2661. Funds are donated back to the community. Contact pinkladiescayman@ gmail.com. ARTISANS MARKET: Camana Bay Artisans Market every Wednesday. Visual Arts Society has artists displaying arts, crafts, paintings, prints, hand-crafted jewelry and ceramics for sale between noon and 8 p.m. near KARoo. For more information about being a displaying artist, contact info@visualartcayman.com or 546-9422. MIND’S EYE: Free guided tours for up to eight people are offered at Mind’s Eye – The Visionary World of Miss Lassie, Cayman’s intuitive artist. Tours by appointment, 10-11 a.m., second and fourth Saturdays. Contact the Cayman National Cultural Foundation by email at admincncf@candw.ky or 949-5477. HUMANE SOCIETY BOOK LOFT: North Sound Road. Open Monday 12:30-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also, Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Volunteers needed for front desk a few hours per week. Contact humanesocietybookloft@ candw.ky or 946-8053. Donations of books, games, CDs, stationery, DVDs, cards etc. in good condition always needed. SPECIAL OLYMPICS: Volunteers are needed on Tuesdays from 5:30-6:45 p.m. to assist with training athletes in track and field, bocce and football. Truman Bodden Sports Complex. Contact Penny McDowall, 516-2578, soci@candw.ky or pjmcdowall@gmail.com. LOST DOGS: The Department of Agriculture and veterinary students of St. Matthew’s University provide an online list of dogs housed at the Department of Agriculture Animal Rescue Shelter in Lower Valley. Anyone missing a dog can check www.smustudents.webs.com. RED CROSS THRIFT SHOP: Open Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at RC headquarters on Thomas Russell Way. Book bargain every Thursday and Friday, a bagful for $5. ART TALK FOR SENIORS: This National Gallery program engages people age 60 and over in conversation about art by focusing on a particular piece from the gallery or special exhibition every other Thursday. Admission is free, refreshments provided. 2-2:45 p.m. For more information, contact education@nationalgallery. org.ky. ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP: For anyone who is a caregiver, spouse, child or friend of someone suffering from this debilitating disease. Group meets the last Wednesday of every month at the Hibiscus Conference Room at the Cayman Islands Hospital. Contact Dorothy at 924-4170 or email alzheimersgroup. caymanislands@gmail.com. C.A.S.K. KARATE: Free public Tai Chi at Camana Bay on Sundays (ongoing). 8:30- 9:30 a.m. Contact Greg Reid on 925-3367 or email caskkarate@gmail.com. WAITING FOR JOSEPHINE: This is an ongoing appeal for second-hand magazines for the waiting rooms at the Cayman Islands Hospital. Please take magazine donations to Books & Books at Camana Bay or deposit them in the big bin outside the Cancer Society on Maple Road (opposite the hospital). For more information, contact Carol Hay at 526-6932. SPECIAL NEEDS FOUNDATION OF CAYMAN: For anyone who is a parent, relative, friend or carer of a special needs child. Also for professionals interested in special needs. SNFC is a nonprofit organization providing information, resources, education and support with meetings, social events and newsletters. Contact www. specialneedsfoundation.ky. For more Community Calendar events, visit www. compasscayman.com/caycompass/ portal/community-calendar.7 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Tuesday March 31, 2015 First prize: Trip to the New York Film Academy Summer Film Camp in NY! Many more prizes and special awards. Three categories: Ages 11-13; 14-16 and 17-19. To be eligible, you MUST register online by March 31st 2015. Theme: kon? katn' SH(e)n/ noun interconn ected things or events. synonyms: series, sequen ce, succession , chain, the action of linking things together in a series. a CAYMAN For more information & registration visit: www.caymanislands.ky/film Through My Eyes Short Film Competition CONCAT E N AT ION All Cayman Islands students are invited to submit a short film based on the theme: Concatenation. con·cat·e·na·t ion Free oral cancer screenings offered Early detection key to survival Laura Durston ldurston@pinnaclemedialtd.com Free oral cancer screen- ings will be offered by den- tists on April 1 as part of the Cayman Islands Cancer Society’s education outreach efforts. Seven dental clinics are taking part: Cayman Dental Services at the Mirco Centre, The Dental Centre at Fidelity Financial Centre, My Island Dentist in Governors Square, Smiles Dental Clinic in Alexander Place, The Strand Dental Clinic, Merren Dental Clinic on Hospital Road, and Pasadora Family Dental Centre in Pasadora Place. Free throat cancer screen- ings will also be available at 7 Mile Clinic in Queens Court on West Bay Road and Cayman E.N.T. Associates in Alexander Place in Dorcy Drive. Interested partici- pants should call their chosen dental or ear, nose and throat clinic for screening times, which will be during office hours, with walk-ins welcome. “Oral cancer is a new topic for us in Cayman, and fortu- nately our dentists answered our calls for help in raising awareness of this rarely dis- cussed, but fairly common, cancer,” said Jennifer Weber, operations manager at the Cancer Society. “Members of the public are encouraged to visit one of the partici- pating dental clinics to re- ceive their quick and pain- less screening exam.” Sixth most common cancer Oral cancer can develop in any part of the lips, oral cavity or the oropharynx, the part of the throat at the back of the mouth. Falling under the head and neck cancer group, oral cancers make up 85 percent of this group, with approximately 43,250 people diagnosed with oral cancer in the U.S. last year. The number of oral cancer cases detected in the Cayman Islands is not known. “Oral cancer may not be as well known as other cancers, and yet this type of cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide,” said Dr. Keelin Fox, dentist at The Dental Centre. “It has in- creased by 42 percent in the U.K. in the last 10 years. The majority of oral cancer cases occur in people aged over 50 years, but recent trends in- dicate a rising incidence in younger age groups.” Risk factors Studies suggest that risk factors for this type of cancer include tobacco and heavy alcohol use, sun expo- sure, previous history of oral cancer and diet. Exposure to the HPV-16 virus, which is also respon- sible for the majority of cer- vical cancers in women, is also a distinct risk factor for oral cancer. Symptoms vary but can include sores or le- sions in the mouth; lumps or thickening of the cheek; dif- ficulty chewing, swallowing, or moving the jaw or tongue; white or red patches within the oral cavity; numbness of the tongue or face; a persistent sore throat and hoarseness; or unexplained loose teeth. Doctors advise that if any of these symptoms per- sist for three weeks or more, people should see their doctor or dentist. Early diagnosis is impor- tant, physicians say, with an 80 percent to 90 percent survival rate if discovered at an early stage. However, Dr. Fox said that fewer than half of cases are being diagnosed during this critical time period. “Late diagnosis results in a more complex treat- ment with a greater impact on quality of life and overall survival,” she said. “Early de- tection of mouth cancer is key and greatly improves the chances of survival.” Dr. Fox, who spearheaded the Cayman screening initia- tive, was involved in the in- augural Irish Oral Cancer screening day in 2011, and screened a man who was later diagnosed with both oral and lung cancer. He made a full recovery, due in part to early detection. “This had a profound ef- fect on me,” said Dr. Fox, “and highlighted to me that dentists have an impor- tant role to play in the early detection and prevention of this disease.” “We encourage patients to come forward on April 1 and be proactive with their health,” she added. “A five- minute pain-free exam could save your life.” Physicians and dentists advise that people should check their mouth regu- larly and when brushing teeth, watch for any unusual changes; avoid the risk fac- tors for mouth cancer, es- pecially the combination of smoking and heavy alcohol consumption; maintain a healthy diet, high in fruit and vegetables; use a lip balm with sun block if spending a lot of time outdoors, in order to prevent lip cancer. People who wear den- tures are also advised to visit a dentist regularly to un- dergo a mouth examination. “A five-minute pain-free exam could save your life.” DR. Keelin Fox ‘Beyond the Red Carpet’ comes to local TV Jenny PaLmer jpalmer@pinnaclemedialtd.com A new television show that focuses on local fashion and women’s issues is set to launch April 25 on Cayman 27. The half-hour program, “Beyond the Red Carpet,” was initiated by local business consultant Pearlina McGaw- Lumsden. She is the executive producer and will also host the program, which she said aims to empower women in terms of discovering them- selves and their passion, and encourage discussion on major issues that affect them. The show will kick off with Ms. McGaw-Lumsden’s coverage of Cayman Islands Fashion Week, but will “go deeper than that,” said Lorraine Bobb-Stuart, co-ex- ecutive producer. The first program will cover the “Fashion Rocks” runway show at the Lions Community Centre at 8 p.m. on April 25, which is to be co-hosted by Cayman’s own Grace Gealy, star of “Empire”. Ms. McGaw-Lumsden will in- terview celebrities on the red carpet and also talk to people from the general public about fashion and what in- spires them. “Through ‘Beyond the Red Carpet,’ we want to introduce the world to Cayman fashion. We too dress well, and at the same time we are contrib- uting towards society,” said Ms. McGaw-Lumsden. She will address topics related to the Breast Cancer Gala in October, such as the preventive measures women can take. Ms. McGaw- Lumsden will also cover other events on island, such as the Young Caymanian Leadership Awards. “We want to use so- cial media to promote the Cayman Islands and mirror the program after ‘E!,’” said Ms. McGaw-Lumsden. “We don’t want it just to be about fashion, but whatever issues concern the gala or event that we are at. We want to truly understand the cause, as well as talk about what are you wearing, who did your nails and who did your makeup.” The organizer of Cayman Islands Fashion Week, Cindy Rosan-Jones, said, “The fashion industry in the Cayman Islands has evolved a great deal over the past five years, and this is an ideal time to add ‘Beyond the Red Carpet’ to the market. It will add value to events and the fashion industry here in the islands.” Pearlina McGaw-Lumsden will host the new show, ‘Beyond the Red Carpet.’ Dentists are joining the fight against cancer.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 Tuesday March 31, 2015 • Cayman Compass should help ensure bill col- lections were better tracked and kept up to date. According to a govern- ment audit released ear- lier this year, daily reports to reconcile the Cayman Islands public hospital sys- tem’s cash collections cost too much and wasted of- fice space in the hospital as the data was printed out and piled up in ad- ministrative offices. The audit of the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority revealed that three reams of 8x11 paper were used each day to print cash reconciliation re- ports that quickly clogged up storage space and made it painstakingly difficult to find any information via a manual search. “The retrieval of docu- ments was … noted to be tedious,” an Internal Audit Unit review of the health au- thority’s operations stated. “The same information could be readily accessed [from the HSA computer filing system] when required.” Auditors also noted that a number of HSA staff spent hours printing out billing statements and stuffing them into envelopes to be mailed. “We were informed that staff tasked with col- lection and credit control spent a significant portion of their time placing state- ments into envelopes … time that could have been better spent on credit con- trol and collection,” the re- port stated. “We are concerned that the current operations of the HSA, which require a high consumption of paper, limit the HSA’s efforts to reduce costs.” In response to a number of other concerns identi- fied in the June 2014 re- view, health authority offi- cials reported low staffing levels as being at least partly responsible for dif- ficulty in collecting past- due accounts from health- care clients who were not 100 percent covered by the Cayman Islands National Insurance Company. HSA chief: Healthcare not free said, although he noted that in East End and George Town, some of the affordable homes were still “transitioning” from a rental arrangement to own- ership. The housing trust ear- lier ruled that no more afford- able homes would be rented out by the government. A separate dilapidated housing development in West Bay, consisting of 30 homes built prior to 2004’s Hurricane Ivan, had 23 homes occupied as of last week. Meanwhile, more than 200 applications have been received by the housing trust for the now empty affordable homes in Bodden Town. Mr. Ramos told law- makers that it was not as simple a matter as moving the residents in the West Bay homes to available housing in the newer 2012 homes or even a matter of picking random people to live in the empty Bodden Town homes. “They are subject to the credit criteria set up by the banks. There is difficulty with these individuals coming up with the down payment,” Mr. Ramos said. ”If you’re an em- ployee of the government, you can’t use your pensions … for the down payment.” Government does not guarantee loans for the newer affordable housing structures, which consist of one-, two- and three-bedroom structures. It will exempt the purchasers from stamp duty and has already subsidized the cost of constructing the residences, Mr. Ramos said. First-time home owners who earn $30,000 or less, or a couple earning $45,000 or less per year, can apply to the housing trust for an afford- able home. If approved by the trust’s board, applicants then must apply to a bank for a traditional mortgage. With regard to the older, dilapidated homes in West Bay, Mr. Ramos said financial considerations are not the only difficulty. Some families have “social issues” that were preventing them from moving over to the newer homes. In the meantime, basic maintenance issues in the West Bay pre-Ivan develop- ment are left unaddressed. Mr. Ramos said in December that the occupants who remained there continue to complain about the di- lapidation of the houses, in- cluding water seepage due to rain, and other issues. However, the housing trust is limited to dealing with septic services and other “common area” maintenance. “We’re basically telling them it is not safe,” Mr. Ramos said. “Apart from that, unfortunately, there’s not much we can do.” Dozens of affordable homes sit empty manner. Anyone who left Cayman for more than a year could simply apply for a new work permit. The extension lasts only as long as the care- giver works for the same person or family, it cannot be transferred to another individual. Also, if the el- derly, sick or disabled person dies, or if the con- dition of an ill or dis- abled individual improves, the caregiver permit would end. The initial caregiv- er’s certificate in the Immigration Law in 2010 was repealed in amend- ments to the law that took effect in October 2013. About a year later, under the prompting of Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush, who filed a private members motion on the subject, Premier Alden McLaughlin noted that the repeal of the caregiver’s certificate was being reconsidered by government. While the current Immigration Law allows those in specialist care occupations to stay in Cayman long enough to apply for permanent resi- dence, Premier McLaughlin acknowledged that it is generally difficult for lower-paid workers to qualify for that status. “The great struggle is to reconcile the desire to have this person long term, with the concerns about how those people will fit into the immigration re- gime that we have,” Mr. McLaughlin said during a Legislative Assembly de- bate on the subject. “These caregivers are generally some of the lower paid persons in employment in the Cayman Islands, and the chances of them being able to meet their perma- nent residence require- ments … are quite slim in most instances.” Mr. Bush said changing the law was a simple matter of compassion. “It’s the right thing to do,” he said. “The provision was put in the law to help our se- nior citizens who are in need of those caregivers,” Mr. Bush said. “They don’t adjust well to new faces or a new routine. They are very difficult to handle and it’s best when they are sat- isfied with someone to leave that person in place.” North Side MLA Ezzard Miller noted that the cer- tificate under the 2010 ver- sion of the law would have allowed those caregivers to remain in Cayman up to 17 years – potentially without obtaining any citizenship rights. The new changes, if approved, would change that to 19 years, if the caregiver did not receive permanent residence. “I believe it may be dif- ficult for immigration and the government to deny someone who has been able to work here for 17 years any rights,” Mr. Miller said during his por- tion of the debate on the original specialist care- givers bill in 2010. Bill revives rollover respite for caregivers “They are subject to the credit criteria set up by the banks. There is difficulty with these individuals coming up with the down payment.” Julio Ramos, general manager, National Housing Development Trust CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “There’s still a culture in the public that a number of persons feel that healthcare is free.” lizzette YeaRwood, CEO, Health Services Authority CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Prosecution rests case against Boston Marathon bomber BOSTON (AP) — Prosecutors rested their case against Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on Monday after jurors in his federal death penalty trial saw gruesome autopsy photos and heard a medical examiner describe the devas- tating injuries suffered by an 8-year-old boy killed in the 2013 terror attack. At least three jurors cried and wiped their eyes with tis- sues as they looked at photos of Martin Richard, who went to watch the marathon with his parents and siblings April 15, 2013, and was killed when the second of two pres- sure-cooker bombs exploded near the finish line. The boy’s parents watched somberly from the second row of the court- room. Bill Richard kept his arm around the shoulder of his wife, Denise, throughout the testimony. Dr. Henry Nields, chief medical examiner for Massachusetts, said Martin re- ceived injuries to virtually every part of his body, including lac- erations of his liver, left kidney and spleen, broken bones and third-degree burns. His stomach was also ruptured. Nields said he removed small nails, metal pellets, fragments of wood and black plastic from the boy’s wounds. He also displayed the blood- stained, shredded clothing that Martin was wearing when the bomb exploded. Tsarnaev’s lawyer told the jury during opening state- ments that he participated in the bombings but that his older brother, Tamerlan, was the driving force behind the attack. Prosecutors believe the brothers were seeking re- taliation against the U.S. for wars in Muslim countries. Three people were killed and more than 260 were in- jured in the bombings. After the prosecution rested its case, Tsarnaev’s lawyers began theirs. They have made it clear since tes- timony began March 4 that their strategy during the two-phase trial is not to win an acquittal for Tsarnaev but to save him from the death penalty. The first defense witness was Michelle Gamble, an FBI field photographer who testi- fied earlier Monday for pros- ecutors, describing various photos and a video showing the scene of the second blast both before and shortly after the explosions. In one of the photos, Martin Richard, his sister and several other children stand on a metal barricade. Tsarnaev appears to be just a few feet behind Martin and his sister. While cross-ex- amining Gamble, Tsarnaev’s lawyers showed other pho- tographs with several people in between Tsarnaev and the children, an apparent at- tempt to show that Tsarnaev didn’t purposefully target them with the bomb. When the defense called Gamble as its first witness, Tsarnaev’s lawyer, Miriam Conrad, asked her about a book titled “Wiring” that was found during a search of the Tsarnaev family’s apartment in Cambridge. Gamble said the book was found under the living room couch. Tsarnaev’s lawyers have tried to show that he was not living in the apartment when the bombings occurred be- cause he was attending the University of Massachusetts- Dartmouth. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was living in the apartment with his wife and their young daughter. During their case, pros- ecutors presented heart- wrenching testimony from survivors who lost legs in the bombings. A string of first re- sponders described a cha- otic mix of smoke, blood and screams just after the bombs went off. The defense will try to show that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was more culpable in the at- tack and in the killing three days later of Massachusetts Institute of Technology police Officer Sean Collier. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister David Cameron paid a courtesy call on Queen Elizabeth II, then launched a most uncourteous attack on his main political rival, as campaigning for- mally began Monday in the most unpredictable U.K. elec- tion in decades. The royal audience – pos- sibly Cameron’s last as prime minister – came as Britain’s Parliament was officially dis- solved ahead of the May 7 vote. Polls, bookmakers and politics-watchers say the election is too close to call, and no party is expected to win a majority of seats in the House of Commons. Some form of coalition government is likely, and smaller parties – such as the Scottish and Welsh national- ists, the Greens and the anti- Europeans – could hold the balance of power. While issues such as the European Union and im- migration will play a big role in the campaign, both Cameron’s Conservatives and their main opposition, the Labour Party, are focusing their pitches on the economy. Cameron said a Labour victory would bring “eco- nomic chaos” and threaten Britain’s recovery from the Great Recession. “Debt will rise and jobs will be lost as a result,” he said. Speaking outside 10 Downing St. after meeting the queen at Buckingham Palace, Cameron said when he took office in 2010, “Britain was on the brink.” Now, he said, “Britain is back on her feet again,” and growing faster than other G-7 economies. But Labour leader Ed Miliband argued that for many voters, that recovery “feels like it’s happening to someone else, somewhere else.” He kicked off cam- paigning with a speech aimed at reassuring business that Labour won’t increase tax and red tape. And he called the Conservatives’ vow to hold a referendum on whether Britain should leave the 28-na- tion EU a “clear and present danger” to British businesses. Cameron’s visit to the palace was a courtesy, since this election ends the historic practice of prime ministers asking the monarch to dis- solve Parliament. That is now done automatically. The same law fixes election dates to the first Thursday in May every five years unless the govern- ment loses a confidence vote in Parliament. Cayman Compass • Tuesday March 31, 2015 Knox’s ex-beau needs time to ‘heal’ Amanda Knox’s former Italian boyfriend said Monday he needs to heal wounds inside his heart and soul, now that the couple have been acquitted of her British roommate’s 2007 murder. Our lives go on without you But nothing is the same We have to hide our heartache When someone speaks your name Sad are the hearts that love you Silent are the tears that fall Living without you is the hardest part of all You did so many things for us Your heart was so kind and true And when we needed someone We could always count on you The special years will not return When we are all together But with the love in our hearts To My Beloved Son Happy 9th Birthday in Heaven Mike Ebanks March 23, 1973 - March 31, 2006 Forever in our hearts From: Mum Annie, Dad Errol, Sisters, Brothers, Nieces, Nephews, Aunts, Uncles & Cousins. One dead at Fort Meade gate crashing, reports say Site houses NSA and large military installation One person was killed and at least one other person was injured after shots were fired Monday morning when two people in a vehicle tried to ram a gate at Fort Meade, a military installation and home to the NSA, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation. Few other details were immediately available about the incident which occurred around 9 a.m. Anne Arundel County, Maryland, fire officials con- firmed that they had sent units to NSA’s facility but said they could not release any information because the incident is on the NSA prop- erty. Just before 11 a.m., NSA officials said they had no fur- ther information. The military installa- tion of Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County has about 11,000 military personnel on site and another 29,000 civilian employees, ac- cording to its website. The facility sits near the areas of Odenton and Laurel and is the third largest employer in Maryland. It houses the NSA and other federal agencies. At the Fort Meade po- lice headquarters, a spokes- woman said “preliminary information” was that two people showed up injured at the gate of the facility.” But she gave no other informa- tion and referred calls to po- lice at Fort Meade. Two U.S. officials said later that the two men in the ve- hicle were dressed as women, but they cautioned that the information is preliminary. Local television cameras showed two vehicles that were damaged near a gate at the military base. One emer- gency personnel worker ap- peared to be loaded into an ambulance. Marci Miller, a spokes- person with the NSA public affairs office, said there was an incident near the campus but could not release further details at this time. “It is an ongoing investigation and the FBI has the lead,” Miller said. But officials at the FBI’s Baltimore office said they are on the scene but are not the lead agency and referred in- quiries to the NSA. Earlier this month, a Beltsville, Maryland, man was arrested in a string of shooting incidents at public buildings around suburban Maryland, including one shooting at an NSA building. The building is along a stretch of road just east of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, separate from the agency’s Fort Meade headquarters. Hong Young, 35, who was a former prison guard was a suspect in shootings at nine locations. No one was seri- ously injured in any of the in- cidents, which also occurred outside stores and along an interstate in Maryland. DecorateD Boston cop improving after Being shot in face Officer was one of first responders following the 2013 gun battle with the Boston Marathon bombers BOSTON (AP) — A deco- rated Boston police officer shot point-blank in the face by a suspect was in stable condition at a hos- pital Sunday and improving after surgery to remove a bullet lodged below his ear, police said. Officer John Moynihan, 34, underwent several hours of surgery at Boston Medical Center, where he was upgraded from crit- ical condition after he was shot Friday night. After the shooting, doctors put him in a medically induced coma so they could mon- itor him for bleeding in his brain. Police Commissioner William Evans said Moynihan is expected to be moved from intensive care within days and make a full recovery. “I was happy to hear that he made it through surgery without any com- plications. It shows you what a strong kid he is and what a great medical team they have here at Boston Medical Center,” Evans said. Moynihan and five other gang unit officers in two cars had stopped a car driven by Angelo West, 41, as they investigated a re- port of shots fired. Evans said West shot Moynihan as he approached the car, and the other offi- cers fatally shot West when he continued firing at them as he tried to run away. Prosecutors said West had several gun convic- tions, including one that involved firing at police in 2001. Two people with West have not been charged in the shooting, but are being held on unrelated out- standing charges. District Attorney Daniel Conley said his office will investi- gate West’s death as state law requires and the inves- tigation will be “completely transparent.” Moynihan is a former Army Ranger and Iraq veteran who was hon- ored at the White House last year for being one of the first responders in Watertown following the April 2013 gun battle with the Boston Marathon bombers. He helped save wounded transit police Officer Richard Donohue. Donohue was shot in the leg and nearly bled to death when police tried to apprehend Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Campaign begins for unpredictable UK election Labour party leader Ed MilibandPrime Minister David Cameron In this image made from video and released by WJLA-TV, authorities on Monday investigate the scene near a gate to Fort Meade, Maryland. - photo: apNext >