ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – Tuesday May 26, 2015 SportS | page 16 Mcdonald wins firsT novice TiTle Rookie bodybuilder surprised herself High of 91 Low of 80 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. editorial | page 4 a snapshoT of unaccepTable behavior on The house floor 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! Manderson: Health co-pays will take time brenT fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman’s chief civil servant told law- makers Monday that it would take some time to implement a system of co-payment for gov- ernment workers’ healthcare plans, an idea that has been floated by the Progressive-led government administration since last year. Deputy Governor Franz Manderson told the Legislative Assembly that while he understood the need to reduce the territory’s looming $1.18 billion future healthcare liability over the next 20 years, significant changes to the system could not be rushed. “Proper planning and preparation pre- vent poor performance,” Mr. Manderson said. “You cannot change something like healthcare [policy] provisions overnight. We have to un- derstand what the implications are for civil servants and the [Health Services Authority].” Mr. Manderson also clarified that while the elected government had the right to raise the issue of healthcare co-pays, it is the Cayman Islands governor who has authority for the terms and conditions of the civil service em- ployment contracts. In practice, the governor delegates her authority to the deputy governor [formerly the chief secretary] as head of the civil service. “[It’s] grossly unfair [to] accuse the govern- ment of pushing this issue down the road,” Mr. Manderson said. “This is something that will take time.” According to details provided to the Cayman Compass as part of a 2014 Freedom of Information request, retired pensioner rates under the Cayman Islands National Insurance Company plans are $870 per month for non-married individuals, $1,306 per month for non-married people with chil- dren, $1,741 per month for married couples, and $2,176 per month for the CINICO family plan. Similar rates for working civil servants are $416 per month for single adults, $832 per month for married couples and the same for single adults with children, and $1,242 per month for families. Neither retired civil servants nor active government workers are required to make co- payments; their monthly premiums are funded Minister: CustoMs Made errors on iMport tariffs brenT fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A number of incorrectly entered customs import tariff codes may have resulted in people being overcharged for goods brought to the Cayman Islands, Finance Minister Marco Archer said Friday. According to Mr. Archer, who spoke about the issue in a statement to the Legislative Assembly, the extended tariff code list – which took effect in March 2014 – resulted in nearly 200 pages of dutiable items being added to the Customs Law. The harmonized tariff code system now used by government lists 5,000 items which are charged various rates for importation. “The customs department and the Ministry of Finance ... have found a number of in- stances where, during the exercise of inserting the 5,000 tariff codes into the law, some of the duty rates were incorrectly transcribed or ex- cluded from the law,” Mr. Archer said. Mr. Archer said the law is being “peri- odically reviewed” by Cabinet, which has been amending the law to correct “errors and anomalies.” The finance minister gave several examples where the law was amended to reflect the ac- tual duty rates: ■■ Netting and fencing: The duty rate should have been listed as 17 percent, not the 22 percent standard duty as was listed ■■ Mowers for lawns, parks or sports grounds: These were charged the standard 29.5 per- cent duty rate for vehicles, but should have been charged 22 percent standard rate Godfrey Nixon work nears completion charles duncan cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com If everything goes according to plan, the National Roads Authority will reopen Godfrey Nixon Way Tuesday morning. The road will close at 7 p.m. Monday, and NRA crews plan to complete the paving work over- night and reopen both lanes by Tuesday morning. Work on the major George Town connector street began in early April, but frequent rains and a collapsed manhole have delayed the project by weeks and caused traffic backups. NRA senior engineer Edison Jackson said Monday morning, “We hope to get all the paving done tonight, barring any un- foreseen circumstances.” Mr. Jackson said once the paving is complete, both lanes will reopen permanently, con- necting Eastern Avenue to the Butterfield roundabout on North Sound Road. Crews will still have to paint the striping for the road and finish the sidewalks. Mr. Jackson expects that will take another week, but it will not have a major impact on traffic. Heavy rains earlier this golf cart race on track for fundraising A new fundraising/sporting event kicked off on Sunday with a race of golf carts around the Kirk Market car park. The ‘Great Race for Grace’ raised more than US$60,000 for the Frances Bodden Girls Home and Feed Our Future. Above, Tom Sperandeo celebrates his victory in the traditional way of race car drivers – by pouring a bottle of champagne over his head. For more, see page 8. - pHoto: MaGGie JaCKson PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL Tuesday May 26, 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. y x *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. - TUESDAY - $8.00 TOMORROWLAND (PG) 1:00 I 4:00 I 7:00 I 9:55 PITCH PERFECT 2 (PG13) 1:10 I 4:10 I 7:15 I 9:50 AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON 3D (PG13) 12:30 I 3:35 2D I 6:40 I 9:45 2D GOOD KILL (R) 1:30 I 4:30 I 7:20 I 10:10 MAD MAX: FURY ROAD 3D (R) 1:20 I 4:20 2D I 7:10 I 10:00 2D HOT PURSUIT (PG13) 12:40 I 2:50 I 5:00 I 7:30 I 10:05 Twister kills 13 in Mexico border city MEXICO CITY (AP) — A tor- nado raged through a city on the U.S.-Mexico border Monday, destroying homes, flinging cars like matchsticks and ripping an infant from its mother’s arms. At least 13 people were killed, au- thorities said. In Texas, 12 people were reported missing in flash flooding from a line of storms that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The baby was also missing after the twister that hit Ciudad Acuna, a city of 125,000 across from Del Rio, Texas, sent its infant carrier flying. Rescue workers began digging through the rubble of damaged homes in a race to find victims. The twister hit a seven- block area, which Victor Zamora, interior secretary of the northern state of Coahuila, described as “devastated.” Three hundred people were being treated for inju- ries at local hospitals, and 400 houses were fully or par- tially destroyed, said Edgar Gonzalez, spokesman for the city government. CORRECTION In a story on the front page of Monday’s Compass about the Cayman Islands Marketing Professionals Association marketing awards, the name of Grand Cayman Marriott Resort’s Laura Skec was misspelled in the second paragraph. We apologize for the error. Damaged homes stand next to others that were razed when a powerful tornado touched down Monday in northern Mexico. - Photo: AP Bodden calls for national plan on elder care Charles DunCan cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com Minister of Community Affairs Osbourne Bodden is calling for a national plan to outline care for elderly Caymanians. Speaking in the Legislative Assembly on Friday, Mr. Bodden said a review of Cayman’s services for the el- derly needs to be undertaken, best practices put in place, and minimum standards for housing and care set. “These are our parents,” Mr. Bodden said. “We don’t realize the asset we have in our elderly,” he said, calling older Caymanians “some of the most dedicated, hard- working, industrious people. They are now a dying breed.” Cayman’s elderly, he said, “are the people who built this country.” The objective of the policy, the ministry stated in its an- nual plan for the upcoming fiscal year, will be “to ensure the rights of the elderly are protected and their needs are addressed in our community.” Mr. Bodden called for a “comprehensive review of homes operated by govern- ment.” In addition to set- ting standards, he said gov- ernment needs to grow its services for the elderly to serve more people as the population ages. According to government population data, the number of people over age 65 has grown in both number and percentage share of the pop- ulation as the baby boomer generation hits retirement age and beyond. The 65 and up age group has increased from 5.6 percent in 2010 to 6.5 percent last year. This year, government ex- pects to spend about $3.9 million to care for indigent elderly and adults with dis- abilities across its four resi- dential and day-care facili- ties, and for clients in their own homes on Cayman Brac. The proposal for the next fiscal year, beginning in July, increases that budget to a little more than $4.1 million. Government spent $1.4 million over the past year for the nonprofit Pines Retirement Home, according to government budget doc- uments. Mr. Bodden’s min- istry is requesting the same amount this year for the nonprofit. Both the government- owned residential facilities and the Pines Retirement Home provide elderly and disabled people around-the- clock care, activities and physical therapy, along with treatment by doctors from the Health Services Authority. Leak caused water shutdowns in George Town Many residences and businesses in George Town lost water service Sunday after a water works facility shut down while crews were repairing a leak. Water Authority spokes- woman Hannah Reid said the authority went to fix a leak around 8 a.m. Sunday. The pumping station at the Red Gate Road Water Works shut down during the repair, she said. The authority restored service but then discov- ered another leak nearby, prompting another safety shutdown at the pumping station. Ms. Reid said service was restored to all customers by 3 p.m. Sunday. She couldn’t say how many customers lost water pressure, but she said the authority had received 284 complaints at its service center Sunday. “The authority regrets any inconvenience caused by these water service inter- ruptions to its valuable cus- tomers, and thanks them for their patience and under- standing as its staff worked to repair the leaks and re- store water service,” she said in an email. She said the authority will conduct an internal review of what happened during the repair to figure out why the pump had to shut down during the repair. Attorney in court for causing grievous harm CarOl WInKer cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Attorney Simon Christopher Courtney ap- peared in Summary Court on Monday, charged with causing grievous bodily harm to two tourists along West Bay Road on Sunday, Jan. 25. He is also charged with dangerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident in re- lation to the same incident. Details of the dangerous driving charge are that he drove along West Bay Road in the vicinity of Villas of the Galleon in a manner that was dangerous to the public, having regard to all the cir- cumstances of the case, in- cluding the nature, condition and use of the road and the amount of traffic on the road at the time or which might reasonably be expected to be on that road. Leaving the scene of an ac- cident includes the ingredient of not having reasonable cause for leaving. Defense attorney Laurence Aiolfi told Magistrate Valdis Foldats he had received the papers in the case just that morning. He said he had not yet received a copy of the CCTV footage from the area, but expected it later in the day. If received as expected, he said the defense would be ready for the next court date. The mag- istrate set Tuesday, June 9, for mention of the matter. Cayman Compass reports of the incident indicate that the two tourists were walking along the sidewalk when the incident occurred. Police said the male victim received se- rious facial injuries and was airlifted to the U.S.; his wife received a head injury and was admitted to the Cayman Islands Hospital. Man sentenced to 2 months for taking conch CarOl WInKer cwinkert@pinnaclemedialtd.com A magistrate sentenced a man who pleaded guilty to taking 95 conch during closed season to two months imprisonment. Antascio Rankine, 21, who was sentenced Monday, entered his plea via video link from Northward Prison, where he is serving two years for assault. Magistrate Valdis Foldats said Rankine’s guilty plea meant the three-month sentence he ordinarily would have im- posed could be reduced by a third. The judge noted that this offense occurred while the defendant was on bail. Crown counsel Neil Kumar said Rankine and two other men were ar- rested on July 7, 2014 in East End after police offi- cers saw them swimming and diving around 200 feet from shore. The men ap- peared to be removing ma- rine life. When the men re- turned to shore, the offi- cers stopped them. They found 95 conch out of their shells in a sack car- ried by Rankine. Another man was seen carrying diving gear and a hammer. In a search of the nearby area, police found the men’s clothing and posses- sions, including a plastic bag containing 2.16 grams of ganja. Rankine ini- tially denied knowledge or ownership of the bag, but later pleaded guilty to this charge as well, plus a Feb. 2013 offense of re- fusing to submit to means of identification. The conch offense was the most serious, the mag- istrate noted, because if people kept taking ma- rine life in such quanti- ties, there was not going to be much left. “If you want conch to eat legally, it’s not going to be there,” he said. For the other offenses, the magistrate imposed terms of one month each, to run concurrently. The two men arrested with Rankine have not yet been sentenced.3 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Tuesday May 26, 2015 The Camelot Auction Sponsored by: Friday 29th May 2015 @ The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman Cocktail hour from 6:30pm – 7:30pm Dress code Black Tie or Theme Oriented RSVP: krissieford@gmail.com With an array of international entertainers, from all over the globe, you don’t want to miss this. Be there to experience an amazing and incredible fun event. For more information call 928-9723. The Rotary Club Of Grand Cayman Presents Grand Cayman’s number one premier charity auction and dinner Premier says he will back ‘one man, one vote’ Responds to allegations of political deception Brent Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Lambasting Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush and his “allies in the press” who he said were engaging in “myth-making,” Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin on Friday reiter- ated his support for a voting system change ahead of the 2017 general elections. The Cayman Islands is seeking to redraw its six multimember voting dis- tricts, changing them to 18 single-member constituen- cies, meaning voters will get to choose only one candidate at election time. Now, voters in George Town can vote up to six times for various candidates, while voters in Bodden Town and West Bay can select four apiece, and residents of the Sister Islands can choose two. Only the smaller districts of East End and North Side re- turn one candidate each to the Legislative Assembly. The new proposal will split Grand Cayman into 16 single-member dis- tricts and Cayman Brac and Little Cayman into two voting districts. Mr. McLaughlin said his Progressives-led administra- tion fully intends to imple- ment one man, one vote in the form of single-member voting districts before the May 2017 elections. “Apparently, the leader of the opposition is now gravely concerned at the prospect of facing an election based on single-member districts,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “I feel sorry for him, but that is a reality to which he must reconcile himself.” The opposition Cayman Islands Democratic Party has started a petition drive urging local voters to tell the Progressives-led govern- ment they don’t support a change in the territory’s elec- tion system. Mr. Bush said Wednesday during his budget debate in the Legislative Assembly that he would con- tinue to fight against a plan he believes is “not good for these islands.” During Legislative Assembly statements, Mr. Bush said he believed Mr. McLaughlin has never truly wished to change Cayman’s voting system. “You know that you really don’t support this change,” Mr. Bush said, speaking di- rectly to Mr. McLaughlin. “We seldom see eye to eye on much, but you know in the deepest chambers of your conscience that we are both right in our opposition to one man, one vote.” Mr. McLaughlin said these kinds of statements were be- lied by the Progressives’ long support of voting equality in Cayman. “I helped to draft the one man, one vote/single- member constituencies refer- endum petition [in 2012] and was amongst the very first to sign it,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “I, together with the Progressives, worked to as- sist the one man, one vote movement and indeed hosted a strategy weekend ... on how to move this for- ward and organize at the grassroots level.” Promises Mr. McLaughlin said that after the 2012 referendum failed, his government was elected in May 2013 and pledged to implement the voting change as one of its campaign promises. He said the proposal was not without concern, even among mem- bers of his own party. “I and others did hear from some individuals in the public their concerns around having constituencies that are deemed too small and that could lead to individuals getting elected on a few hun- dred votes,” the premier said. “That concern is a real one.” However, proposals to mitigate that by reducing the number of single-member districts and adding sev- eral “at large” voting con- stituencies – meaning the entire Cayman Islands cit- izenry would vote for cer- tain representatives who run in those positions – did not take hold with the voters, Mr. McLaughlin said. “So, the idea of at-large candidates was dropped,” he said. The alternate proposal, made by Mr. McLaughlin early last year, was seen by some as government backing away from a campaign promise, but the premier said that wasn’t the case and that an attempt to seek po- litical compromise had been misinterpreted. “We are delivering on our plan for electoral reform,” the premier said. “No amount of myth-making by the leader of the opposition or his al- lies in the press will change that fact.” Small districts Concerns regarding the size of single-member dis- tricts were raised again last week in a statement made to the Cayman Compass by George Town MLA Winston Connolly. Mr. Connolly said he was seeking the Progressives-led govern- ment’s support in intro- ducing term limits for elected politicians, along with some way of stopping the po- litical handouts currently being given to local voters on a perennial basis during election season. “If the system that we currently have is perpetu- ated, we could see the control of certain boundaries [similar to] the garrison politics situ- ation we see in Jamaica,” Mr. Connolly said. “It would be prudent to put in checks and balances now. “If someone is very mo- tivated to win at all costs, a smaller boundary will give them a great opportunity to ‘buy’ their seat. I would hope that it would not get to the stage where people take it upon themselves, out of pa- tronage, to intimidate other voters to vote for a specific candidate or other candi- dates not to run in an elec- tion through force or threat. “Term limits and illegal handout [laws] may curb or lessen the brunt of those who may be so inclined.” “Apparently, the leader of the opposition is now gravely concerned at the prospect of facing an election based on single- member districts.” Premier Alden mclAughlin Premier McLaughlin ‘100 Men Who Give a Damn’ to hold first meeting next month Jewel levy jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com A group of men in Cayman who “give a damn” is raising money for local charities. The interest in the group has already surpassed its name – “100 Men Who Give a Damn” – with more than 200 members signing up locally. James Stephen, who is among those bringing the concept to Cayman, said, “It is so great to see the support we have re- ceived. With 200 members so far, that means $20,000 will go to the successful charity the night of the first meeting.” Each member donates $100 each quarter at a meeting of the group. The idea originated in Canada in February 2014. Cayman is the first chapter outside of North America. There are 15 branches in Canada and another 10 in the United States. “We are not a charity but a means to generate cash for a charity,” Mr. Stephen said. All funds go to charity All of the money col- lected goes to a charity every quarter. He said the group has no board members, bank accounts, treasurers or ad- ministration fees, so all the money goes directly to the se- lected charity. “Basically, it’s the same concept, the same structure and same goal as the one in North America,” said Michael Joseph, spokesman for the group. “You get as many men in a short period of time to give $100 and make a differ- ence. The only difference is, we are ‘Caymanianizing’ it.” 100 Men Who Give a Damn started through a group of women telling a group of men they “didn’t give a damn.” The men took the challenge to get 100 men to give a damn and it spi- raled from there. The Cayman branch of 100 Men will host their first meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 8, at the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort where three selected charities will be given five minutes to present to the group. After a majority rules vote, the funds raised will go directly to the chosen charity that night. “It was not hard to pick a charity. We started with 25 now, we have 35 charities on the list,” said Mr. Joseph. Members can nominate a charity when they join and then have a second opportu- nity in the weeks prior to a quarterly meeting to nomi- nate another. Women’s group Mr. Joseph said some women had expressed in- terest in getting involved so the men’s group plan to help to set up a similar initia- tive, called “100 Women Who Care.” There are more than 20 “100 Women Who Care” groups already established in Canada. “When we get past our meeting on June 8, we will help create ‘100 Women Who Care,’” Mr. Joseph said. Registration and networking will begin at 6 p.m. on June 8. New members can register at www.100men.ky or contact Info@100Men.ky for more information. $20,000 will go to the successful charity the night of the first meeting. New men’s group raising funds for charityThe 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. Tuesday May 26, 2015 • Cayman COmpass 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” If it had happened in a classroom, it likely would have been treated as bullying – in fact, cyber bullying. It had all the ingredients: It was meant to be hurtful, it was done anonymously, and it was distributed and ulti- mately posted on social media. We refer to the photo which was taken on the floor of the Legislative Assembly last week. It showed Leader of the Opposition McKeeva Bush purportedly asleep at his post in a most unflattering pose. The photograph then appeared on the Facebook page of Chris Wight, a highly visible and highly vocal PPM supporter. It was subsequently sent to the Cayman Compass by Premier Alden McLaughlin’s press secretary, Tammie Chisholm. The image drew the ire of House Speaker Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, who said the taking of such pho- tographs is in contravention of Legislative Assembly rules. (The Cayman Compass published a short article, but not the photo, on the incident because Ms. O’Connor-Connolly addressed the issue publicly on the House floor.) The angle of the photograph taken of Mr. Bush clearly indicates it was taken from the floor of the Legislative Assembly and, more specifically, from the area of the government bench. We do not know who took the photo, but we have submitted the digital file to two independent experts for analysis in the United States. They have already extracted meaningful information from deeply embedded metadata in the image that may link the photo to the device – and ultimately to the individual who took it. On Friday, we queried Premier McLaughlin twice, asking directly if he himself had taken the picture or, if not, whether he could enlighten us as to who did. He chose not to address those questions. Whoever took the photograph then passed it on per- sonally (or through an intermediary) to Mr. Wight, who, in turn, made it available globally via his Facebook account. The intent of all this, we believe, was clear, incon- trovertible – and ultimately successful. It was to embarrass Mr. Bush, to expose him to ridicule and disparagement both in Cayman and beyond. It was amateur, gutter politics, not reflective of the kind of behavior we should expect from the “hallowed halls of our honorable house.” Which brings us to the following observation. Compass reporters spend so much time in the Legisla- tive Assembly that government legitimately could be charging us rent. The behavior we observe – but too often in the past have not reported – is often appalling. We have witnessed a number of the lawmakers sleeping in the Legislative Assembly chamber during proceedings. (For the record, Mr. Bush denies he was asleep in the photograph now on Facebook. He is opening his own probe into the origin of the photo- graph and whether it was digitally altered.) Members often occupy their time reading newspapers, texting on their smartphones or chatting amicably among themselves, paying scant attention to the floor debate. More importantly, even though their attendance in the Legislative Assembly during meetings is one of their primary functions as elected representatives, all too often the members are either not in the chamber during debates or absent all together. For those lawmakers who engage in such behavior, shame on them. For those of us at the Compass who have not reported this behavior more vigilantly, shame on us. A snapshot of unacceptable behavior on the House floor No more ‘quick and dirty’ fixes for Greece By MohaMed el-eriaN International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde correctly said last week that the pro- tracted negotiations between Greece and its official credi- tors required “a comprehen- sive approach, not a quick and dirty job.” She was re- sponding to the leak of a fund document that high- lighted the pressure to craft yet another stopgap that only temporarily averts a melt- down, and she was also em- phasizing the need to finding a lasting solution to the crisis that continues to elude the parties. There are several rea- sons the “quick and dirty” ap- proach has been the norm for Greece’s interactions with its European partner govern- ments, European institutions and the IMF. And the results haven’t been all bad. This piecemeal muddle- through approach had the po- tential to buy time for Greece and the eurozone to pivot from the urgency of crisis management to thoughtful crisis resolution and effec- tive crisis prevention. It al- lowed both sides to pursue the type of (internal and re- gional) political consensus and compromises needed for a comprehensive solution. It also bought time for all sides to erect the internal defenses that would be required if the hopes for a positive outcome gave way to the pressing re- ality of a more disorderly resolution, such as a forced Greek exit from the euro. But too little was achieved during this transition period, and it has proved a costly bridge to nowhere. Five years of quick and dirty responses haven’t eliminated the signifi- cant gulf that remains be- tween Greece and its credi- tors, both when it comes to interpreting the past and agreeing on the future. And the muddling through has had mounting costs: ■■ A significant amount of potentially unpay- able Greek debt has been transferred from private creditors to public bal- ance sheets underpinned by European taxpayers. Many of these private en- tities had been paid hand- somely for their will- ingness to take on the sovereign credit risk of Greece and, thanks to generous bailout funding from the official sector, quite a few have been able to exit without much cost ■■ Failing to see much sus- tainable improvement, Greek citizens have been pulling their cash out of banks. This has con- tributed to wider cap- ital flight that sucks op- erating oxygen out of the country’s economy and puts a growing number of institutions at risk of bankruptcy ■■ Greece’s deep and per- sistent economic prob- lems have caused sig- nificant human distress and worsened the struc- tural impairments to future economic re- covery and prosperity ■■ Negotiating tensions be- tween Greece and its creditors have been com- pounded by coordina- tion difficulties among the creditor group itself (what used to be called the Troika: the European Central Bank, European Union and IMF). As a re- sult, Europe has devoted too much time to end- less arguments that di- verted attention from the important task of completing the founda- tions of the region’s his- toric integration project. The cost-benefit cal- culation of the “quick and dirty” approach has become less favorable and now ap- proaches acute levels. Yes, official creditors such as the ECB and IMF are under even greater pressure to make new loans to Greece if they hope to be repaid their prior loans. But such finan- cial engineering no longer fools anyone. Specifically, this stratagem will do little to un- leash new incremental cap- ital, reverse the deposit with- drawals from Greek banks or improve the daily reality of a growing number of Greek citizens deeply affected by the crisis. Meanwhile, faith in the ability of the creditors to solve problems will erode further, adding to compli- cated internal and regional political dynamics. Lagarde’s plea for a com- prehensive approach re- flects a growing urgency as the inefficiency and cost of the successive Band- Aids have become clear. Yet with the odds favoring an- other muddle-through or – as is increasingly likely – a messy Graccident, she faces a considerable chal- lenge. Meeting it will require much greater cooperation, re- alism and vision from Greece and its European partners – and quickly. Mohamed El-Erian is the chief economic adviser at Allianz SE and chairman of President Barack Obama’s Global Development Council. © 2015, Bloomberg News. FrOM CAyMANCOMPASS.COM “Cayman’s public health system in critical condition,” May 25 You got it wrong. What really needs to happen is the establishment of a single-payer, not-for-profit health insurance program that covers all public and private sector employees. There should also be a fee for tourists to ensure that they are covered. This is the only way to 1) lower costs; 2) ensure that all are insured, so no “bad debt”; 3) ensure that employers don’t cancel in- surance plans as soon as they get a work permit approved; and 4) prevent tourists from cancelling their credit card debt as soon as they have received treatment, etc. Co-pay is just a regres- sive tax that affects the poor disproportionately. Curtis Kraijceck The only way to ap- proach this is with a bi- partisan agreement. If both major parties agree to tackle this together it will not give a voting ad- vantage to either party. norman Linton What I do know is that something has to be done as it relates to the pro- vision of healthcare and health insurance in the Cayman Islands. Also, the truth of the matter is that the group that forces civil servants to pay for healthcare will not get elected or re- elected in the Cayman Islands. mack Boland “‘Pay as you vote’: Begging Cayman’s leaders for change,” May 22 Kudos to Winston Connolly for 1) con- firming publicly that politicians give hand- outs to their constitu- ents; 2) having the guts to speak out against the practice (prob- ably to the detriment of his own political ca- reer; and 3) attempting to do something to halt such practices. I agree with some commenters here that there is true need. No question, without a shadow of a doubt, there are Caymanians that desperately need help. But I don’t agree that giving them handouts is the best, long-term so- lution to address their needs. Give a man a fish, he eats for today. Teach him to fish, and he will eat for the rest of his life. The “leaders” of this nation have for- gotten that. They perpetuate the “lazy Caymanian” myth. Politicians: Stop giving people handouts and start doing what you were hired to do; develop new opportunities for your fellow Caymanians and give them the tools they need to take ad- vantage of them (i.e. a better education). Robert Douglas5 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Tuesday May 26, 2015 Youth depression a concern for counselors Report reveals anxiety, depression and suicide attempts James Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Substantial levels of “lone- liness, anxiety and depres- sion” among Cayman’s youth, identified in a series of health surveys came as no surprise to counselors in the territory. Dr. Marc Lockhart, chair of Cayman’s Mental Health Commission, said youth mental health, including at- tempted suicides, had been troubling issues for some time but were not being ad- equately addressed. “The results are startling but not necessarily shocking, I think the shocking aspect of it is, what are our plans to deal with it? How are we handling it? I think the honest answer to both of those questions is we are not doing enough,” he said. Terry Delaney, of Cayman Counselling Services, said depression and anxiety were widespread issues in the community that mental health professionals were dealing with every day. The Pan American Health Organization’s series of sur- veys with 955 teenagers made headlines because of the high levels of physical and sexual abuse reported by the young people surveyed. But the study also looked at depression among young people and found signifi- cant issues, particularly among girls. Of the 848 teenagers who answered the ques- tion, around a quarter said they had experienced sui- cidal thoughts over the past year. A total of 51 said they had actually attempted to kill themselves. More than half of those surveyed were classified as depressed, meaning they said, in response to a survey question, that they had felt so sad and hopeless that nothing seemed worthwhile for more than a day or two over the past year. The report notes greater issues with girls, noting, “Females indicated signifi- cantly poorer mental health than males. Far more of the young women reported lone- liness, anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.” The authors of the study point to links between sexual and physical abuse and sui- cide attempts. “Those who had been sex- ually abused were 7.5 times more likely than others to have attempted suicide. Those who had a high level of exposure to violence were 4 times more likely than others to have attempted sui- cide,” the report notes. Dr. Lockhart said, “While a long-term facility is what is needed for adults, that is not the answer for young people. For the youth, more intensive outpatient opportu- nities and interventions are what is needed. “There should be more follow-up, particularly with those identified as victims of sexual abuse. That is where we need more counselors at schools and better training for our counselors and youth workers to be able to recog- nize these issues.” Though reports of ac- tual suicides among young people are very rare in the Cayman Islands, Dr. Lockhart cautions that more action is needed to deal with the un- derlying issues. “I don’t see that hap- pening as yet. There is a lot of interest and a lot of concern. We have that at all levels, but I’m not sure where we are in terms of moving forward with a clear plan to address these issues.” He believes there are simply not enough coun- selors on the islands to deal with the problem. Mr. Delaney said the re- sults of the survey were not news to him. “It does not in any way, shape or form surprise me. I have seen this kind of thing in private practice for the last 35 years. “I hope more time is spent looking at what we can do to reduce this. There is almost an avoidance factor in over- doing the analysis. There is a need for research, but there should be more emphasis on treating and preventing this kind of thing,” he said. He agrees more coun- selors are needed, as well as greater collaboration and coordination among coun- selors. He also recommends more proactive program- ming to support families in raising children. While he believes Cayman is still under-resourced in terms of mental healthcare, he says things have improved significantly over the year. He said people are be- ginning to realize that coun- seling is not for “crazy people” and that depres- sion and anxiety are med- ical issues that need treat- ment, just like any other health problem. “It does not in any way, shape or form surprise me. I have seen this kind of thing in private practice for the last 35 years.” Terry Delaney, Cayman Counselling Services Government releases audits, will continue to seek delays Brent Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com When it comes to the re- lease of Cayman Islands gov- ernment internal audit reports, a recent decision by senior civil servants seems to have said both “yes” and “no.” The Cayman Compass has re- ceived all but one of the Internal Audit Unit reports it requested via an open records query in January. The documents were re- ceived on May 19. The final out- standing report is expected to be released toward the end of June. However, the government Portfolio of the Civil Service an- nounced in releasing the records that it will continue to seek de- lays in making these reports public for up to a year after their completion, based on the circum- stances of each report. The government had ear- lier said it would withhold all Internal Audit Unit reports for one year after they were finished. The Compass appealed that deci- sion to the information commis- sioner’s office, which resulted in the portfolio’s new position on the records’ release. Portfolio Chief Officer Gloria McField-Nixon said the govern- ment wished to “advance the spirit as well as the strict legal requirements of the Freedom of Information Law” without com- promising the ability of the Internal Audit Unit to do its job. “To that end, we have ad- opted a phased publication timeline making certain an- nual audit reports available al- most immediately while en- couraging self-reporting by granting those agencies which initiate audits reasonable time to act upon the recommenda- tions they have solicited,” Ms. McField-Nixon wrote. The phased publication schedule indicates that annual follow-up audits of government departments will be released within one month of completion, regularly scheduled internal au- dits will be released within six months, and audits requested by government agencies will be re- leased “not later than” 12 months after completion. The reports’ release would be “subject to any applicable ex- emptions” already existing in the Freedom of Information Law. The Compass is appealing the portfolio’s latest decision to the information commission- er’s office, arguing that the de- lays proposed by the portfolio do not seem to comply with re- quirements of the Cayman Islands FOI Law. The government’s responses to the Compass’s open records request were made following at least four separate Freedom of Information requests by the Compass to the Internal Audit Unit over the past several years, all of which have been granted except for one report that was withheld due to national security concerns. The government has never raised any issues with previous open records requests for in- ternal audit reports, but it has re- dacted certain passages in some of those reports prior to release. All of the previous internal audit reports obtained by the Compass were received through legal Freedom of Information requests; none was received prior to com- pletion and issuance of a man- agement response, which was at- tached to the report. “The prior practice of the re- lease of internal audit informa- tion in an ad hoc manner and only upon request is flawed,” Ms. McField-Nixon said in her initial response to the Compass request. “The nature of this work relies heavily on maintaining a positive rapport with management who are encouraged not only to be frank and candid during an audit but to self-report management issues, preferably before the mat- ters escalate to one of serious or systemic failure. “The premature release of in- formation before an audit is com- pleted could have an inhibiting effect on the internal audit pro- cess,” Ms. McField-Nixon said. “However, the passage of time will have an impact on the likely level of prejudice caused in favor of the public interest disclosure.” Successive auditors general in the Cayman Islands have empha- sized the importance of the timely release of their own reports, which are separate from the work of the Internal Audit Unit. A number of Internal Audit Unit reports revealed by the Compass over the past few years have disclosed various instances of mismanagement or malad- ministration in the government service. Prior to the release of the now-infamous Gasboy audit in 2010, which revealed that a number of civil service depart- ments could not account for hundreds of thousands of dol- lars worth of fuel charges at the government petroleum depot, in- ternal audit reports were never made public. Garden Club helps National Gallery grow The Garden Club of Grand Cayman has teamed with the National Gallery and Growing Beauty Nursery to main- tain the community gardens surrounding the National Gallery’s 3-acre site. Garden Club members last month assisted National Gallery staff and volunteers to replant, water seed- lings, preserve nursery stock and help with the general upkeep of the gardens, which feature native and indigenous flora. The club also do- nated plant material to the project. The gardens, designed by local landscape architects Sandy Urquhart and Margaret Barwick in 2012, have flourished in the past three years. “The gardens are an integral com- munity space at [the National Gallery] and they are enjoyed daily by students, families and visitors,” said Natalie Urquhart, the gallery’s director. Given the size of the area, she said, it has been a blessing to have support from the Garden Club. “We look forward to building a strong relationship with the club and to working with them to maintain the gardens, themselves a work of ‘art,’ in the long-term,” Ms. Urquhart said. The individual gardens are named after donors to the National Gallery Capital Project and include Deutsche Bank, John and Carol Owen, Tim Ridley, Henry and Eliza Harford, Desmond and Cathy Kinch, Linton and Polly Tibbetts, Barbara Palmer, Stewart and Dianne Siebens, Atlantic Star Ltd., and Butterfield, with ini- tial plant donations from Arboretum Services Ltd [Dart], Growing Beauty and several private donors. Members of the Garden Club at work at the National Gallery garden.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 May 26, 2015 • Cayman Compass University of Portsmouth Master’s in Human Resource Management Coming to the Cayman Islands in October 2015 The University of Portsmouth is delighted to be offering a 5th Masters in HRM to be delivered by University of Portsmouth Faculty on island at UCCI. The first two academic years of classes are fully taught on island plus a research based project This programme is perfect for HR professionals and senior managers who wish to enhance their people management knowledge and skills and acquire a Master’s degree in HRM Marjorie Corbridge, Principal Lecturer in HRM, is in Cayman until 5th June. Please contact Marjorie to find out more. Email: marjorie.corbridge@port.ac.uk More information on: www.port.ac.uk/cayman/hrm Enhance your career prospects, gain CIPD membership and gain a Master’s! University of Portsmouth Master’s in Human Resource Management Coming to the Cayman Islands in October 2015 The University of Portsmouth is delighted to be offering a 5th Masters in HRM to be delivered by University of Portsmouth Faculty on island at UCCI. The first two academic years of classes are fully taught on island plus a research based project This programme is perfect for HR professionals and senior managers who wish to enhance their people management knowledge and skills and acquire a Master’s degree in HRM Marjorie Corbridge, Principal Lecturer in HRM, is in Cayman until 5th June. Please contact Marjorie to find out more. Email: marjorie.corbridge@port.ac.uk More information on: www.port.ac.uk/cayman/hrm Enhance your career prospects, gain CIPD membership and gain a Master’s! University of Portsmouth Master’s in Human Resource Management Coming to the Cayman Islands in October 2015 The University of Portsmouth is delighted to be offering a 5th Masters in HRM to be delivered by University of Portsmouth Faculty on island at UCCI. The first two academic years of classes are fully taught on island plus a research based project This programme is perfect for HR professionals and senior managers who wish to enhance their people management knowledge and skills and acquire a Master’s degree in HRM Marjorie Corbridge, Principal Lecturer in HRM, is in Cayman until 5th June. Please contact Marjorie to find out more. Email: marjorie.corbridge@port.ac.uk More information on: www.port.ac.uk/cayman/hrm Enhance your career prospects, gain CIPD membership and gain a Master’s! TUESDAY, MAY 26 NatioNal CoNservatioN CouNCil: General meeting from 2-5 p.m. in the ground floor meeting room of the Government Administration Building, Elgin Avenue. This meeting is open to observers from the public. The agenda is available on the Department of Environment’s website at www.doe.ky/conservation- council-meeting-2/. WEDNESDAY, MAY 27 Nosotros: Spanish- speaking poets and performers – and those who simply enjoy la lengua de Cervantes – are invited to join this group, whose mission is to build bridges and create connections through culture. Monthly open mic night, 7-8:30 p.m. at Books & Books. For more information, contact Michel Powery at 917-0335. FooD HaNDlers: Certification courses in basic food hygiene are offered by the Department of Environmental Health today, 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. Call 949-6696. THURSDAY, MAY 28 GraND Court Jurors: The Grand Court jurors’ report date has been changed. Jurors in the April-June session are now to report today at 9:45 a.m. Call Jury Information at 945-5072 for the most up-to-date information. DistriCt CouNCil MeetiNG: The North Side District Council meets at 8 p.m. in the Civic Centre. All are invited. Agenda includes update on the budget for the district, fundraising, the Jerry Whittaker Classic Fishing Tournament, back to work initiatives and updates from MLA Ezzard Miller. PHotoGraPHY PaNel DisCussioN: Photography subject vs. content, plus composition. National Gallery Education Centre. 6-7:30 p.m. Panel chaired by Jaime Hahn, with guest photographers. Admission $5 for non-members; free for members. Refreshments will be served. FRIDAY, MAY 29 Quit sMoKiNG: The Public Health Department urges smokers who wish to quit the habit to sign up for smoking cessation classes. Today is the deadline to register. Classes, which start June 3, are from 5:15-6:45 p.m. every Wednesday for seven weeks. Public Health Waiting Room. For more info or to sign up, contact 244-2889, 244-2648 or sarah.hetley@hsa.ky. ProPosals For estaBlisHiNG Coral Nurseries: The Department of Environment invites proposals from those interested in establishing coral nurseries. Following Cabinet’s approval of a policy for managing coral nurseries, the department is accepting proposals through May 29, with projects to commence in October 2015 or later. Proposals should be for establishing nurseries for Acropora corals and eventual outplanting on Cayman’s reefs. Proposals or requests for information may be submitted to DoE@gov.ky. SATURDAY, MAY 30 tHriFt sHoP sale: St. George’s Anglican Church holds a bargain sale 7-11 a.m. in the church hall. Off Eastern Avenue, behind Cox Lumber. MotHers uNioN tea PartY: The St. George’s Anglican Church Mothers’ Union invites everyone to the annual Tea Party Delight from 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. Venue is St. George’s Church Hall, 64 Courts Road, off Eastern Avenue. FuNDraiser FaMilY eveNt: Youth and young adults of Cayman Islands Baptist Church are holding a Fundraiser Family Event to support summer missions. Activities include garage sale, dinner sale, car-wash- a-thon, prayer station, silent auction. From 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Pedro Castle Road, Savannah. For more information, contact Pastor Mike at 946-2422. WorsHiP GatHeriNG: Marriott resort, 6 p.m. Worship, dance and arts from ministries throughout the island and abroad. Tickets available from Funky Tang’s, Christian Enlightenment Centre, Corner restaurant or 926-4228. Cost is $10 adults, children under 12, free. Contact info@ HarvestFellowshipCayman. com. selliNG art: Visual arts Society offers a half-day workshop on how to sell artwork. $25 members, $35 non-members. Contact 546- 9422 or visualartcayman@ yahoo.com. HurriCaNe PrePareDNess: Representatives of Hazard Management Cayman Islands will be on hand at A.L. Thompson’s this morning and Progressive Distributors this afternoon to meet with residents, answer questions and hand out disaster awareness information. Residents are encouraged to visit the stores and enter a drawing to win preparedness kits. CaYWriters: Anyone interested in writing is invited to join other local writers who share their journeys, stories and writing resources, ask advice and discuss challenges. Group meets last Saturday of the month. New members welcome. From 5:30-6:30 p.m. Books & Books. SUNDAY, MAY 31 NatioNal GallerY iNterNs: The National Gallery is accepting applications for the 2015/16 yearlong NGCI Deutsche Bank Internship. Today is the deadline to apply. For application forms, visit www. nationalgallery.org.ky and for additional information call 945-8111 or email education@ nationalgallery.org.ky. SATURDAY, JUNE 6 little leaGue: Little League annual fundraiser, 6 p.m. $10,000 grand prize. $10 tickets available from players, parents, outside supermarkets, and at the Field of Dreams. Phone 916- 5643 for further details. GENERAL INTEREST MosQuito sPraYiNG: Mosquito Research & Control Unit is conducting aerial operations over mosquito-breeding swamp areas on Grand Cayman and the Sister Islands. These operations involve low-level flights during the mornings and late afternoons. More information and schedules can be found on the MRCU Facebook page. For any inquiries, call 949-2557. YouNG iMaGe MaKers: The Short Film Competition is in its final stages. Films of 15 finalists have been uploaded to www.youtube. com/caymanculture for the public to pick a favorite. The deadline to vote is June 5 at 4 p.m. PresCHool FuNDiNG: The Ministry of Education offers funding to assist eligible young Caymanian children to attend an early childhood center (preschool). Application forms are available at the Government Administration Building on Elgin Avenue, at the Department of Education Services on Thomas Russell Way, and from early childhood center directors/operators. For further information, call 244-5735 or contact turnette.stewart@gov.ky or renee.barnes@gov.ky 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. 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. MuseuM tours: The National Museum provides guided tours for students and school groups free of cost. Students will gain an understanding of Cayman’s geological formation, flora and fauna, seafaring and rope-making heritage, political history and more. Contact the museum to book a tour in advance at 949-8368 or email info@museum.ky. 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. Free GallerY tours: Free guided tours of the temporary exhibition “Plastic In paradise: Scenes of Real Life Fictions” by Heidi Bassett Blair are available for students of all ages at the National Gallery. Students will discuss the exhibition and get hands-on art activities that incorporate literacy and numeracy. Tours run until July 3. For information or to book a tour, contact 945-8111 or education@ nationalgallery.org.ky. sCHool reGistratioN: Registration of students enrolling in or transferring to government schools for the 2015/2016 school year is open through June 26 at the Department of Education Services and the Cayman Brac Teachers Centre. Registration forms available at government schools, the Department of Education Services at 130 Thomas Russell Way, George Town, or the Brac Teachers Centre. Registration for reception classes is open for qualifying children who are age 4 before Sept. 1. GraNts For tHe arts: Registration is 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. 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. 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. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.compasscayman. com/caycompass/portal/ community-calendar.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 Cayman Compass • Tuesday May 26, 2015 IN CASH AND RANDOM PRIZES! $100,000 2015 REGISTER ONLINE: flowersseaswim.com Entry Fee CI$30 or US$37.50 ALL REGISTRATION PROCEEDS TO SPECIAL OLYMPICS CAYMAN ISLANDS Swim and win! June 13, 2015 23rd Annual Flowers One Mile Sea Swim June 15, 2015 Flowers International 5k & 10k Swims • Over 40 airline tickets to 23 destinations including Europe, North America and The Caribbean • Weekend stays at The Reef resort, Hemingways Vouchers and weekend rentals by National Car Rentals • Gift certificates from Red Sail Sports, Dolphin Discovery and Anytime Fitness • Blackberries, Smart Phones and Digicel Tablets • Special prizes from Flowers Group and more... entirely by government. In addition, both civil service plans under CINICO have a $5 million maximum “lifetime limit” for health- care coverage. There are no limits on prescription drug purchases, or inpatient or outpatient care. Overseas ac- commodations and airfare, if the covered government worker or retiree must fly off island to obtain treatment, are covered 100 percent. In introducing the up- coming government budget, Finance Minister Marco Archer last week said Mr. Manderson would begin re- viewing whether government workers should fund a por- tion of their own healthcare costs through a co-payment system. Mr. Archer said gov- ernment hopes a “modern- ized” healthcare payment system for civil servants can be put in place by 2018. Mr. Archer said late last year that keeping current benefits for civil service workers, retirees, seamen and veterans will result in healthcare costs that even- tually will overwhelm the Cayman Islands govern- ment’s annual budget. “[The current system] is simply unaffordable and something must be done in the long- term interests of the Cayman Islands,” Mr. Archer said. Co-payment for civil ser- vants’ healthcare is just one option being explored by the government. Among the changes proposed are increasing the govern- ment’s mandatory retire- ment age from 60 to 65; re- ducing the current “lifetime” healthcare benefits cap for civil servants from the cur- rent $5 million; and consid- ering a “graduated scale” of health benefits for retirees based on their years of ser- vice in government. The retirement age in- crease is expected to be ap- proved later this year, Mr. Archer said. Reducing the “lifetime” cap could also be done simply through a legis- lative change. Creating a graduated system of healthcare ben- efits based on time spent working in the civil service is likely to be more compli- cated, but Mr. Archer said he believes such a scheme could be developed without im- pacting current retirees. Manderson: Health co-pays will take time Golf cart race drags in funds for charities Jewel levy jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com The “Great Race for Grace” raised more than US$63,000 to support Feed Our Future and the Frances Bodden Girls Home on Sunday. “The event was very suc- cessful,” said Tom Sperandeo, the event coordinator. “Close to 300 people attended the golf cart race and everyone had a really good time.” Mr. Sperandeo said the organizers plan to hold the race again since several local businesses have expressed interest for next year. At Kirk supermarket’s parking lot on Sunday, eight participants raced their carts around a circuit after the starting gun was fired. Mr. Sperandeo and his son Tommy won first place; Andreas Greve-Isdahl was second, and Minister for Sports Osbourne Bodden was third. The best golf cart in show went to Mark VanDevelde. The other cart racers were James Bergstrom, Tabitha Crowley, Erik Henriksen and John-Kaare Aune. Minister Bodden said it was a great racing event and as minister he plans to con- tinue to support the race. He congratulated the students, sponsors and all those in- volved with the project. Two golf carts, designed and built by students from the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre, were auc- tioned on Friday for $15,000 and $16,000, respectively. Mr. Henriksen of the Aqua Nirvana Foundation agreed to match the money raised. The project is a joint ef- fort of The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, Five Mile Capital, Aqua Nirvana and the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Competitors line up with their golf carts before the ‘Great Race for Grace’ on Sunday at the Kirk Market car park. - PHOTOS: MAGGIE JACKSON Racers hit the ‘track.’The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 Tuesday May 26, 2015 • Cayman Compass month wreaked havoc on the road and caused numerous delays. Rains and traffic left the unfinished dirt side of the road pockmarked with pot- holes and mud puddles. The weather and heavy use caused so much damage to the temporary dirt road that a manhole collapsed, leading to emergency re- pairs and even further de- lays. The rains, Mr. Jackson said earlier this month, “absolutely destroyed” the unfinished road. NRA crews began working two shifts, in the mornings and overnight, to make up for lost time. “When we get a break in the weather, we get as much work done as we can,” he said at the time. The Godfrey Nixon Way widening project is part of a bigger effort to im- prove traffic in George Town. The $27 million overall plan, in addition to the Godfrey Nixon work, includes widening Smith Road between the Cayman Islands Hospital and Bobby Thompson Way, and im- provements to Edward and Fort streets. Government also plans an expansion of the Linford Pierson Highway. NRA senior planner Marion Pandohie said the Smith Road widening, which will add a turning lane be- tween the two travel lanes, will be the next big road project on Grand Cayman. She said the NRA does not yet have a start date for that work. ■■ Fork-lift trucks and other trucks fitted with lifting or handling equipment: Import duty was 29.5 percent, not the correct rate of 22 percent. In other cases, the law is being changed to as- sign specific tariff codes to imported goods, Mr. Archer said. For instance, tequila does not have a specific tariff but is listed as “un- denatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength by volume of less than 50 percent.” Mr. Archer said the changes to the customs tariff code are not being made as an opaque attempt to raise taxes. “The amendments ... are solely being made to regu- larize and correct the er- rors and anomalies that have been identified in the law,” he said. Financial Secretary Kenneth Jefferson was contacted Monday about the potential to re- fund any potential over- charges from the earlier duty rates. “It is a legal requirement to have the duty collected at the rate specified in the Customs Tariff Law,” he said. “There shouldn’t be a pre- sumption that refunds are automatically due.” When it was initially introduced, the much more lengthy harmonized tariffs list led to some criticism among members of the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce who feared more paper- work and hassle in order to pick up imported items. However, more than a year later, local mer- chants said they have either mastered the system or have farmed out the handling of im- ports to third-party ser- vice providers such as the Cayman Islands Customs Agency. “We’ve been preparing for it for quite some time,” Foster’s Food Fair IGA Managing Director Woody Foster said Monday. “As long as ev- erything [Foster’s has or- dered] is in the computer, it should be fine. I haven’t heard any complaints.” Other importers, such as CEL distributors and Naughty Distributors, use private customs im- porters to deal with their orders. “This stuff is just too complicated,” said Prentice Panton of Naughty Distributors, who added that time taken going through the paper- work required to comply with the harmonized code system is substantial. Minister: Customs made errors on import tariffs Work on the major George Town connector street began in early April, but frequent rains and a collapsed manhole have delayed the project by weeks and caused traffic backups. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Godfrey Nixon work nears completion Roadworks at Godfrey Nixon Way have caused traffic disruption in George Town. Paving work is scheduled to be completed by Tuesday morning. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY “During the exercise of inserting the 5,000 tariff codes into the law, some of the duty rates were incorrectly transcribed or excluded from the law.” Marco archer, finance minister CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Obama pays tribute to fallen service members ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — President Barack Obama on Monday saluted Americans who died in battle, saying the country must “never stop trying to fully repay them” for their sacrifices. He noted it was the first Memorial Day in 14 years without U.S. forces en- gaged in a major ground war. Speaking under sunny skies to some 5,000 people in an am- phitheater on the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery, Obama said the graveyard is “more than a final resting place of heroes.” “It is a reflection of America itself,” he said, citing racial and religious diversity in the backgrounds of the men and woman who paid the ultimate sacrifice to pre- serve “the ideals that bind us as one nation.” His appearance is an an- nual rite for presidents at the cemetery nestled among verdant hills over- looking the Potomac River. It came months after the end of the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan, where the number of stationed troops has been reduced to about 10,000 from a peak of more than 100,000. His tribute also took place against a backdrop of the in- creasingly complex U.S.-led effort to help Iraq defeat the Islamic State extremist group, which has been gaining momentum in recent weeks by capturing Ramadi there and taking Palmyra in neighboring Syria. Obama made no mention of America’s participation with other nations in the ef- fort to stop the Islamic State. His effort there has come under intensifying criti- cism since the fall of Ramadi with lawmakers calling for a bigger show of American force there, including ground troops. Vice President Joe Biden spoke Monday with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al- Abadi and pledged full U.S. support for Iraqi efforts to reclaim territory from the Islamic State, including by speeding up the provision of U.S. training and equipment, the White House said. Defense Secretary Ash Carter had said in a nation- ally broadcast interview aired Sunday that Iraqi forces “showed no will to fight” and fled as the Islamic State ad- vanced on Ramadi. The White House said in a state- ment that Biden’s call “recog- nized the enormous sacrifice and bravery of Iraqi forces over the past 18 months in Ramadi and elsewhere.” In his remarks at Arlington National Cemetery, Obama said most of the re- maining troops should be re- moved from Afghanistan by the end of 2016. He recognized the more than 2,200 “patriots” who sacrificed themselves in Afghanistan, including the final two to be killed be- fore the U.S. combat mission ended late last year. He also recognized the first American killed during the “new mission” to train Afghan forces, an Army medic who died in April. President Obama greets former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, 91, left, at the Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday. - PHOTO: AP BuSiNESSES quiETlY SwiTcH TO dOllAR iN SOciAliST VENEzuElA CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — It’s still possible to buy a gleaming Ford truck in Venezuela, rent a chic apart- ment in Caracas, and snag an American Airlines flight to Miami. Just not in the country’s official currency. As the South American nation spirals into eco- nomic chaos, an increasing number of products are not only figuratively out of the reach of average consumers, but literally cannot be pur- chased in Venezuelan boli- vars, which fell into a tail- spin on the black market last week. Businesses and individ- uals are turning to dollars even as the anti-American rhetoric of the socialist ad- ministration grows more strident. It’s a shift that’s allowing parts of the economy to limp along de- spite a cash crunch and the world’s highest in- flation. But it could put some goods further out of reach of the working class, whose well-being has been the focal point of the country’s 16-year-old socialist revolution. The latest sign of an emerging dual-currency system came earlier this month when Ford Motor Co. union officials an- nounced the company had reached a deal with of- ficials to sell trucks and sports utility vehicles in dollars only. A few weeks earlier, American Airlines said it had stopped accepting boli- vars for any of its 19 weekly flights out of Venezuela. Customers must now use a foreign credit card to buy the tickets online. The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 Cayman Compass • Tuesday May 26, 2015 Russia to use prison labor for World Cup Russian authorities want to use prison labor to drive down the costs of holding the 2018 World Cup. The prison service is backing a bid by a lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party to allow prisoners to work at factories. UK airport expansion threatens to take out entire villages LONDON (AP) — With its classic red phone booth, pub, and medieval church, Harmondsworth’s center looks quintessentially British. But the search for a typical English village isn’t what brings millions of people within a stone’s throw of its boundaries. The attraction is neigh- boring Heathrow Airport, which served 73 million trav- elers last year. Now Europe’s busiest airport is proposing to build a runway roughly through the center of town, leveling the ivy-covered brick walls of the Harmondsworth Hall guest house and two- thirds of its homes. A vil- lage that traces its history to the 6th century would be forever altered, and some argue even what’s left would be uninhabitable. “There’s no compensation package that would interest me,” said Neil Keveren, who chairs a local community group opposed to the expan- sion. “We have a historic vil- lage with buildings that go back 600 years. You cannot replace that. You cannot buy memories.” Harmondsworth is under threat because London and southeastern England need more airport capacity to meet the growing demands of business travelers and tourists. Heathrow and rival Gatwick, 30 miles south of central London, have offered competing projects that will cost as much as 18.6 bil- lion pounds (US$29.1 bil- lion). Whichever proposal is selected, homes will be de- stroyed and surviving neigh- borhoods will have to cope with increased noise, pollu- tion and traffic. The issue is so toxic that politicians created an inde- pendent commission to weigh the options. Government offi- cials then postponed a de- cision until after the May 7 election, effectively taking the matter off the political agenda, if but briefly. Commission recommendations due next month The commission is set to make its recommenda- tion as soon as next month. It will then be up to polit- ical leaders to make the final decision. A furious public relations battle has raged in advance, with placards all over London’s subway system, for example, extol- ling the virtues of Heathrow or Gatwick. The commis- sion has already rejected other options, including Mayor Boris Johnson’s pro- posal for a new airport in the Thames Estuary. According to the com- mission, all three remaining proposals, including two different plans to expand Heathrow, would meet the re- gion’s needs, though the costs and potential benefits would vary. Gatwick, for instance, would cost an estimated 9.3 billion pounds and boost Britain’s gross domestic product by as much as 127 billion pounds. The most ex- pensive Heathrow project would cost twice as much and boost GDP by up to 211 billion pounds, the commis- sion estimates. Competitive edge for London Making the right decision is crucial as London seeks to retain a competitive edge. In a globalized world, air- ports offer the opportunity for investment bankers, law- yers, consultants and engi- neers to make face-to-face connections in major markets where deals are made, said John Kasarda, director of the center for air commerce at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. “This is con- tact sport, particularly at the global level,” Kasarda said. “This isn’t done over the net.” And the ability to move – and connect – faster makes a country and its economy more competitive. Opting not to ex- pand is a tacit acknowledge- ment that the government is willing to have some of those jobs go to a competitor, such as Paris, Amsterdam or Dubai. “It’s the survival of the fastest,” Kasarda said. “It’s no longer the big eating the small. It is the fast eating the slow.” Human cost But there is a human cost, as communities like Harmondsworth and others that might be affected know all too well. Heathrow external rela- tions director Nigel Milton said he understands that some people are very upset, though he claims there are residents in Harmondsworth who support the project but might not want to come for- ward to support the idea. He acknowledges the local impact, but said the com- pany would offer compensa- tion packages – even to those whose homes would not need to be leveled but who would find themselves living next to a runway. “We believe we are being fair,” he said. Countries like Britain have struggled with the notion of balancing national gain with local pain. Harmondsworth and the nearby village of Sipson are “stylized examples of the challenge all big soci- eties face: progress meets ob- stacles,” said Tony Travers, a professor of government at the London School of Economics. A village that traces its history to the 6th century would be forever altered, and some argue even what’s left would be uninhabitable. The post office and village store in Harmondsworth in London may well be in jeopardy if expansion of Heathrow Airport moves forward. Residents of the village claim the proposed expansion will decimate their community. - Photo: AP Deadly storms force Texans from homes, swamp Plains, Midwest SAN MARCOS, Texas (AP) — A line of storms stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes dumped re- cord rainfall on parts of the Plains and Midwest, spawning tornadoes and causing major flooding that forced at least 2,000 Texans from their homes. Three deaths were blamed on the storms Saturday and Sunday, including two in Oklahoma and one in Texas, where a man’s body was recovered from a flooded area along the Blanco River, which rose 26 feet in an hour and created huge piles of debris. The line of storms prompted tornado warnings and watches as far north as Illinois Sunday night, and the weather system was expected to linger over a large swath of the region Monday, putting a damper on some Memorial Day plans. Among the worst-af- fected communities were Wimberley and San Marcos, which are in Central Texas along the Blanco River in the increasingly popular cor- ridor between Austin and San Antonio. “It looks pretty bad out there,” Hays County emer- gency management coordi- nator Kharley Smith said of Wimberley, where an esti- mated 350 to 400 homes were destroyed and where three people remained missing late Sunday. “We do have whole streets with maybe one or two houses left on them and the rest are just slabs.” Kristi Wyatt, a spokes- woman for San Marcos, said about 1,000 homes were damaged throughout Hays County, which in- cludes Wimberley and which will be toured Monday by Gov. Greg Abbott. Five San Marcos police cars were washed away and the fire house was flooded. The city imposed a 9 p.m. Sunday curfew that would remain in place overnight. Rivers swelled so quickly that whole communities awoke Sunday surrounded by water. The Blanco crested above 40 feet – more than triple its flood stage of 13 feet – swamping Interstate 35 and forcing parts of the busy north-south highway to close. Rescuers used pontoon boats and a helicopter to pull people out. After a surge of mud and water flooded their cottage in Wimberley, John and Valerie Nelson fled through waist- deep waters in darkness early Sunday with transformers sparking and trees crashing around them. The single- story house, which had been Valerie Nelson’s grandmoth- er’s, had been carefully re- built on stilts so that it would be able to withstand even the worst flooding. “I’m absolutely dumb- founded,” said Valerie Nelson, who has owned the property for about 50 years. “I didn’t think the water would ever get that high.” Hundreds of trees along the Blanco were uprooted or snapped, and they collected in piles of debris that soared 20 feet high. “We’ve got trees in the raf- ters,” said Cherri Maley, the property manager of a house whose entire rear portion had collapsed with the flooding, carrying away furniture. “We had the refrigerator in a tree,” she said. “I think it’s a total loss.” Leaves and branches are scattered throughout a flooded yard after a roof collapsed during a morning storm Sunday in Houston. - Photo: APNext >