ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – Monday noveMber 2, 2015 High of 89 Low of 80 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. ABCDE NATIONAL WEEKLY Worst Week Jeb Bush 3 Politics Railroads derail their deadline 4 19952005 2014 2010 NV MT WY ID UTCO WA OR CA AK AZNM MI IN FL GAAL TNKY WI IL MO AR MS LA MN IA ND SD NE KS TX OK ME NY PAOH VA NC SC WV MARI CTNJ MDDC DE NH VT 27.7% 26.4% 29.5% 28.9% 25.7%21.3% 27.3% 27.9% 24.7% 29.7% 28.9% 28.4% 30.7% 32.7% 26.2% 30.5%33.5% 31.2% 31.6% 31.2% 29.3%30.2% 35.9% 35.5% 34.9% 27.6% 30.9% 32.2% 29.8% 30.2% 31.3% 31.9% 33% 28.2% 27% 30.2%32.6% 28.5% 29.7% 32.1% 35.7% 23.3%27% 26.3%26.9% 29.6%21.7% 30.7% 27.4% 24.8% HI 22.1% 10–14.9%15–19.9%20–24.9%25–29.9% 30–34.9%35%+ Adult obesity rate: UNDER FIRE A Wisconsin trooper is oneof many officers who havedied facing down a gunman. PAGE 12 5 Myths About candy23 Health The obese states of America 16 THE WEEK OF SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2015 . IN COLLABORATION WITH THE WASHINGTON POST Under fire Editorial | pagE 4 red ink, wastepaper: Clifton Hunter’s book value Add an order to your meal for only: From the PubliSherS Compass launches daily ‘District Days’ pages We are pleased to announce that beginning today – and every day of the weeks going forward – the Cayman Compass will be pub- lishing a new feature called “District Days,” which will focus on the unique diversity, history and culture of all our districts. On Pages 6 and 7 of today’s Compass, we present our premiere of- fering – “George Town” – with a fasci- nating story about a fascinating man, Clifton Bodden, who at age 92 recalls his participating in the Cayman “Home Guard,” which protected our shores during World War II. Each day, the Compass will high- light a different district: George Town on Mondays, West Bay on Tuesdays, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman on Wednesdays, Bodden Town on Thursdays, and East End and North Side on Fridays. District Days is intended to be interactive, giving people from all of our districts an opportu- nity to submit news or happen- ings in their district, to share old or recent photos, or to offer tid- bits of information pertaining to a particular district. Think of District Days as a “mini- newspaper”: It will put our commu- nities in the spotlight and offer resi- dents the opportunity to be an even greater part of our pages. David R. Legge, co-publisher of the Compass, said, “I’ve found that often the most interesting articles we publish are not the ‘most im- portant’ (such as the inner work- ings of the Legislative Assembly) but the less-institutional, more-personal stories about people, their pasts and the fascinating lives they live. “To a good writer, everybody is in- teresting – and virtually everybody has an interesting tale to tell. District Days will provide a platform for many of these people, and their stories.” if you would like to contribute an item or an idea for District Days, we invite you to contact basia mcGuire at districtdays@pinnaclemedialtd.com or 815-0072. solar-energy project approved tad stoner tstoner@pinnaclemedialtd.com Authorities in Cayman on Friday gave the nod for the first time to an overseas company for the generation of electricity and creation of a solar-energy installation. The new company, Entropy Cayman Solar Limited, will build a 20-acre, $1.4 million “util- ity-scale” solar farm in eastern Bodden Town, completing it by October 2016. The installation is expected to generate 5 megawatts of elec- tricity, initially costing 14.28 cents per kilo- watt hour, averaging 16 cents per kWh during the 25-year life of the project. new sentencing guidelines issued tad stoner tstoner@pinnaclemedialtd.com New criminal-sentencing guidelines – the first in a promised series – published Monday by Chief Justice Anthony Smellie detail a sliding scale of penalties for burglary and rob- bery, allowing judges to reduce custody in cer- tain circumstances. The new guidelines come after a summer- time study of – and recommendations to up- date – judicial procedures by visiting U.K. Cayman’s healthcare workers look to the future CHarles dunCan cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com More than 800 people attended the sixth annual Cayman Islands Healthcare Conference last week, titled “Embracing Emerging Trends.” Conference organizers gave particular attention to palliative care, mental health and new technologies. Deputy Governor Franz Manderson told conference goers at the kickoff on the first night of the three-day event, “We wonder sometimes if these conferences make a dif- ference.” He said they did, and following the 2013 conference on healthy workplaces, the civil service started its run-walk club and the Deputy Governor’s 5K road race, along with a number of other health initiatives for government workers. Premier Alden McLaughlin told the crowd assembled at The Ritz-Carlton con- ference center that the workshops and ses- sions from the conference directly result in recommendations for the Health Services Authority and government. Mr. McLaughlin, an avid cyclist with a weekly workout routine, followed up on the deputy governor’s comments about a healthy civil service with a joke on some in his own government: “My great challenge now is to get a couple of my ministers to learn.” PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 12 » Deputy Governor Franz manderson addresses the audience at thursday night’s opening of the 2015 Cayman islands healthcare Conference at the ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. – pHoto: Maggie jacKson PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL Monday noveMber 2, 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. *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. - MONDAY - $8.00 BURNT (R) 1:10 I 4:20 I 7:30 I 10:05 GOOSEBUMPS 3D (PG) 1:30 I 4:00 2D I 7:15 I 9:40 LAST WITCH HUNTER (PG13) 1:40 I 4:30 I 10:00 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 3D (PG) 12:45 2D I 4:10 I 7:10 2D I 9:25 STEVE JOBS (R) 1:00 I 3:45 I 7:00 I 9:50 THE MARTIAN 3D (PG13) 12:30 I 3:35 2D I 6:40 I 9:45 2D BOND MARATHON CASINO ROYALE (PG13) MONDAY: 7:00 TO ALL MEMBERS AND PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS (NCVO) Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the NCVO will be held at the Nadine Andreas Residential Foster Home, 90b Anthony Drive, George Town on Tuesday 24th November 2015 at 1:30 p.m. If you are planning to attend or want to vote by proxy, please contact Janice Wilson on 949 2124 or at ncvo@ncvo.org.ky Civil service ‘pink Day’ raises $1,000 Civil servants joined Acting Deputy Governor Eric Bush, front row, in blue checked shirt, and Lions Club of Tropical Gardens representative Judith Witter, in yellow Lions vest, on the steps of the Government Administration Building for a Dress Pink Day. The “Pink Day” raised $1,000 for the Lions of Tropical Gardens free mammogram program, which provides free breast cancer testing. The money was raised on Friday, Oct. 30 as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month drew to a close. Pannist Earl la PiErrE rEcEivEs award in trinidad Prolific pannist Earl La Pierre has been honored in Trinidad for his contribution to the development and pro- motion of the steel pan. Ground-breaking Trinidadian steel pan band, Invaders, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, honored the Cayman mu- sician and four other steel pan music arrangers at an awards dinner in Trinidad. The band said Mr. La Pierre was being honored for his “long-standing contribu- tion to the band, as well as for [his] accomplishments and successes” in Trinidad and internationally. His involvement with the band dates to when, as a teenager, he became one of the youngest arrangers to work with Invaders. “I will cherish this award for the rest of my life,” Mr. La Pierre said. “This is the band I grew up with, that gave me my first chance to be an ar- ranger. I really do appreciate this award.” Guests at the September awards event included Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley, the country’s minister of com- munity development and the arts Nyan Gadsby Dolly and the chairman of the Invaders Steel Orchestra Ulric McNichol. A long-time resident of Toronto, Mr. La Pierre founded the Afropan steel band in 1973. Since then, the group has gone on to win the Pan Alive competition, part of the annual Caribana festival, 30 times. In 2014, the mayor of Barrie, outside Toronto, pre- sented Mr. La Pierre with an award for his decades- long contributions to pro- moting the instrument. In 2010, he received the Gold Caribana Tribute award and the Cayman Islands Gold Cross Award. He now turns his at- tention to this month’s Pirates Week “Pan in de City” competition in Cayman; the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival in February 2016, the National Children’s Festival of the Arts Amin Mohammed Steel Pan Competition next spring, and Caribana in Toronto in August. Dillen Douglas serves up ice-cool fresh coconut water to Joanna and Aiden Whorms at the Bodden Town Cultural Committee Coconut festival on Saturday. The festival offered insight into the myriad uses of coconut and included demonstrations and sales of coconut products. Clients from the Bridge Foundation in West Bay grated coconuts and made oil, carved coconut shells and made ornaments while explaining the many uses of the coconut. The day also provided tasty treats cooked in coconut milk and fried in coconut oil. Betty Wood, the committee’s deputy chair said the event drew a steady crowd throughout the day.- PHOtO: JEwEl lEvY Visitors learn about coconuts at festival Haiti: nEw allEgatiOns lEvElEd against Us man PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – Haitian investigators are looking into new allegations of child sex abuse against a U.S. man who founded an or- phanage for boys in Haiti’s capital decades ago. Police with an arrest war- rant searched unsuccessfully Friday for Michael Geilenfeld at a modest private residence in a mountainside commu- nity above Port-au-Prince and the nearby Wings of Hope home for about 30 physically and mentally disabled chil- dren and young adults. The American is al- ready the subject of an- other criminal case in Haiti that accused him of sexually abusing boys in his care. He spent 237 days in detention before being released in April by a Haitian judge who dis- missed the charges in a brief trial that was not attended by the accusers, now adults. But the justice minister granted a re-examination of the case and it is now in court again on appeal. During the Friday search at the Wings of Hope facility in Fermathe, a government official who accompanied po- lice showed reporters an ar- rest warrant for Geilenfeld signed Thursday by General Prosecutor Jean Abner Emile. Geilenfeld returned to Haiti after the U.S. jury in the civil case returned its verdict in late July. Earl La Pierre with his Arrangers Awards.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 Cayman Compass • Monday noveMber 2, 2015 175719_PRINT-Ad-CC-FpPg-CISPA-GaPage 1 10/29/15 4:40:24 PMThe 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. Monday noveMber 2, 2015 • Cayman COmpass Red ink, wastepaper: Clifton Hunter’s book value Clifton Hunter High School was intended to be a monument to Cayman Islands education. Instead, through mismanagement, poor planning and an absence of accounting, the sprawling campus in Frank Sound has become a memorial to governmental waste. As if the government high schools project — which, lest we forget, resulted in only one school out of three originally promised — needed another black mark on its permanent record, the auditor general’s office offered up two more last week. First, Acting Auditor General Garnet Harrison con- firmed that Clifton Hunter — built at a cost of $110.1 million — has an estimated book value of $90 million … or maybe less. Yes, our officials spent $110 million on an asset that’s only worth $90 million. When we speak of the concept of achieving “value for money,” Clifton Hunter is a choice counter-example. Past reports, legislative hearings and news stories have examined who may bear responsibility for the expensive and expansive debacle, and why. (The short answer: Almost everybody involved in the project, starting from the top, for various reasons that still haven’t been entirely clarified.) An article that appeared on the front page of Friday’s Compass newspaper delved, rather, into the “whats” of the waste … as in, “What did officials spend all those tens of millions of dollars on?” and “What did taxpayers get in return for our money?” First, the construction of Clifton Hunter soared some $41.4 million higher than what government had planned to spend on the school. That is not a mis- placed decimal point. The government intended to spend less than $69 million on the high school, and instead ended up spending more than $110 million. That equates to cost overruns of greater than 60 percent. That’s quite an “oops!” factor. Of that $41.4 million in extraordinary spending, auditors were able to break down $30.3 million in expenditures, including: • $3.7 million extra for architectural design • $1.7 million more for ministry-ordered changes to that design • $3.1 million for a new project manager contract • $5.1 million for a new construction manager contract • $4 million in legal and arbitration costs to settle “numerous” contractor disputes • $4.5 million for another settlement with the project’s primary mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractor • $6 million to remediate faulty construction work • $2.2 million to pay two contractors for time exten- sions needed to complete their work, So that’s what we paid for. What did we get in return? According to our news story, “Mr. Harrison said none of these expenses would have added significant value to the schools project.” What’s even worse than Clifton Hunter’s detri- mental impact to the public treasury is Clifton Hunter’s apparent adverse impact on students’ learning. A team of inspectors concluded that the school’s open-plan classroom layout posed an “urgent problem” and “adversely affects students’ concentration.” In response, the consultants behind the original layout of the school — which they, for the record, describe as “agile multifaceted spaces” instead of “open plan” — defended their design, blaming the school’s failures on political changes and saying Clifton Hunter could still succeed “within the context of a comprehensive transformation of the entire educa- tional system in the Cayman Islands.” That, we believe, is the most important point. Ulti- mately, education is about people — primarily teachers and students — not structures. That is where invest- ments should be concentrated, on nurturing the active pedagogical process that takes place every day, not on the trappings that surround it. On learning, not “learning spaces.” After all, education and knowledge are for the benefit of the living — pyramids and other monuments are built for the dead. Save turtles, close Turtle Farm After a two-year wait, the initial results of the turtle meat study are now public. World Animal Protection is unsurprised to see that only around 1 percent of Caymanian residents eat turtle on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, we are also not surprised to see that in response to these results, the Farm has once again tried to duck behind what we (and other sea turtle protec- tion groups in the Caribbean) commonly call their “conser- vation curtain.” Their tired old, and frankly false, conservation claim is that the Farm is the only way to protect and prevent the extinction of Cayman’s turtles. A clever bit of propaganda used to justify the cruelty, public health and financial costs of the Farm. However, in reality, there are many other approaches that could be used to protect Cayman’s turtles. These al- ternative ways do not place the welfare of its turtles, the health of its residents, and the stability of its economy at unnecessary risk. For example, we are all aware of the huge sums of Caymanian dollars that are poured into the Farm each and every year just to prop it up. But what if these millions were redirected to the Department of Environment instead? Surely even a fraction of the Farm’s massive subsi- dies could cover the equip- ment and salaries needed to tackle poaching and protect Cayman’s remaining nesting sea turtles. To reiterate, the Farm’s claims that it is the only way to conserve Cayman’s turtles are simply not true. The turtle meat study is not complete. But, Caymanian residents have new vital in- formation to inform much- needed discussion about the future of the Farm. Ultimately it is they that will decide whether and how to protect their turtles. But this decision should be made with a clear under- standing that there are other ways to conserve sea tur- tles. Ways that address the root causes of their declines rather than simply treating the symptoms of the problem. While these discussions take place, for now, the Farm is peeping out from behind the same old tired conserva- tion curtain. It’s a shame how it does not seem to have no- ticed that its recent behavior and the turtle meat study has left it in tatters. Dr. neil D’Cruze, Head of Wildlife Research & policy, World animal protection 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 find their own way” Surely even a fraction of the Farm’s massive subsidies could cover the equipment and salaries needed to tackle poaching and protect Cayman’s remaining nesting sea turtles? Poland, the EU and Britain The Telegraph (london) Poland deserves more at- tention in Britain – and not just because so many Polish people live and work in the UK. Since David Cameron is seeking to change Britain’s EU membership, the bal- ance of power and opinion in a significant member like Poland matters. The victory of Poland’s Law and Justice Party is not an unqualified positive for Mr. Cameron, since the party is strongly committed to EU rules that allow some of our Polish visitors to claim British benefits for children who have never set foot in this country, an unacceptable situation Mr. Cameron has rightly promised to end. But the wider message of the election is welcome, be- cause of what it reveals about Poland’s attitude to the cen- tralizing European Franco- German “project.” The EU re- cently forced Poland to accept a quota of Syrian refugees, something firmly against the wishes of the Polish people, who have now dismissed the government which accepted that quota. Poles want a gov- ernment driven by Poland’s national interest, not a su- pranational project designed in Paris, Berlin and Brussels. Law and Justice is also un- derstandably cool on joining the euro and rightly con- cerned that eurozone nations should not dictate to those with the good sense to retain their own currencies. Poland’s election has put another nail in the coffin of the misguided notion of an “ever-closer union” for all the EU’s members. It signals a growing appetite for a multi- speed Europe where members can participate in – or abstain from – the programs and pol- icies that suit them, without pressure to integrate. Such flexibility is surely required if Britain is to remain a member. The EU establishment should listen to the Poles. © 2015, Telegraph Media Group Poland’s election has put another nail in the coffin of the misguided notion of an “ever- closer union” for all the EU’s members.The islands’ most-trusted news source 5 Cayman Compass • Monday noveMber 2, 2015 6 LOCAL NEWS Monday noveMber 2, 2015 • Cayman Compass Jewel levy jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com While far away from the intense fighting of World War II taking place in Europe and the Pacific, the war’s long reach touched the Cayman Islands. Overseas and on home soil, Caymanians played an active role in Allied wartime efforts. Clifton Bodden, now 92 and en- joying retirement in George Town, played his part in protecting Britain’s far-flung Caribbean out- post as a member of Cayman’s Home Guard. He recently shared some of his wartime memories with the Cayman Compass. Mr. Bodden was raised by his Caymanian parents on the Isle of Pines, Cuba. At the outbreak of war, his life suddenly changed. Shortly after Sept. 1, 1939, the day Germany invaded Poland, he and dozens of fellow Caymanians living in Cuba fled to Cayman. Eighty people made the trip on the Rambro, a sailing boat belonging to Cayman’s Dr. Roy McTaggart. “Everyone was trying to get out of Cuba because things were so bad,” recalled Mr. Bodden. “We felt the Germans were going to invade Cuba because Americans and other nationalities were working there supplying products to America. The Cuban government had already put a number of Japanese farm workers under arrest because Japan was associated with the Germans,” he continued. “All the farms were closing down and at a standstill be- cause German submarines had al- ready sunk seven merchant ships taking goods to America, and we were scared they would attack the is- land, so we ran.” The Rambro anchored off George Town harbor and Mr. Bodden, then 19, took a small boat to shore with the other passengers, and walked to his parents’ home to start what would be a new and eventful life in Grand Cayman. Home Guard defense The Home Guard, a defense orga- nization of the British Army for the island, was calling for recruits, and Mr. Bodden joined up. “I chose to join the army be- cause there was nothing else to do and I had to help defend our country,” he said. Ninety-six Caymanians were trained at the U.S. Navy base in George Town, according to Mr. Bodden, where, among other things, they learned how to use a three-inch naval landing gun. Mr. Bodden said he was skilled in gun practice and was chosen by Lieutenant Colonel Clark, who was in charge of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Jamaica, Cayman and Belize, to join the Jamaica auxiliary force. Mr. Bodden’s duty was to keep watch over the Cayman coastline for German submarines. “Submarines were plentiful around the Caribbean and the Cayman Islands was right in the path of merchant ships traveling to and from America and Panama, and South America, so we had to put up a defense. Residents didn’t know when they would have attacked the island.” In 1942, the Comayagua, a merchant ship carrying fruit, was sunk by submarines off George Town harbor. Mr. Bodden recalled how the third marine engineer and others went down with the ship. After the at- tack, Cayman’s Commissioner John Jones ordered the local ship Cimboco to pick up the survivors. They were brought to shore and later trans- ported to the U.S. by seaplane. There were submarine lookout points in each district; the lookout in George Town was up a cotton tree in Fort George on Fort Street. “When I climbed the cotton tree I could see everything, from Spotts to George Town and all the way into Northwest Point [in West Bay],” said Mr. Bodden. “It also gave a clear view of any submarines surfacing in the waters.” Contact with other guards was made by battery-operated telephones, and each post was identified by a specific number of rings. At a time, automobiles were few and far between so the trek from each station was made on foot. German spy Mr. Bodden recounted how Cayman even had its own German spy. The man posed as a mouth organ and accordion salesman, and lived in a house in downtown George Town. “Commissioner Allen Cardinall, who spoke German, got the butler to confiscate [the man’s] letters and found out he was indeed a spy,” said Mr. Bodden. The man was subse- quently arrested and taken to an in- ternment camp in Jamaica. Moving on after the war After the war, Mr. Bodden rec- ollected staples like rice and sugar were being rationed, and meat was scarce. Locals did their best to make do with what was available. Every Saturday morning, a cow was butch- ered at the George Town market on Cardinall Avenue, and the meat was strung on thatch strings for people to take home. When the catboats came in, tur- tles were butchered on the harbor rocks. Beef sold for a shilling a pound, while turtle meat was six- pence a pound. Fish and other seafood, on the other hand, were in abundance. Produce like bottlers, breadfruit, cas- sava, pumpkins and other farm prod- ucts were cooked with the meats and seafood. The majority of the cows on island were used only for milk, which sold for sixpence a bottle. Life also went on in other ways. Mr. Bodden recalled noticing an at- tractive lady named Gladys who was staying with her grandmother in Bodden Town. “When I passed her way, I would always see her on the road and called out to her. We got to talking and then married in 1947.” The couple had four children: Lois, Jewel, Marie and Floyd. In need of work, like many local men Mr. Bodden soon went to sea, joining a SAMCon oil ship which took goods around the world. He went to school on the ship and became a chief engineer at age 33, eventually spending 16 years at sea. On his return to Grand Cayman in 1968, Mr. Bodden joined the Public Works Department, a job he held until he retired. On a recent morning, he proudly held up a plaque depicting a stamp of himself and Sir Vassel Johnson as young members of the Home Guard, issued to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. “I have no regrets about joining the Home Guard,” he said. “If I had the choice to do it again, I would.” The war aT home Clifton Bodden, now 92, was raised by his Caymanian parents on the Isle of Pines, Cuba. At the outbreak of war, his life suddenly changed. Mr. Bodden helped protect Britain’s far-flung Caribbean outpost as a member of Cayman’s Home Guard. - Photo: Jewel levy A Cayman Islands stamp issued in 1995 commemorated the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. Mr. Bodden is the young Home Guard soldier on the right, standing with Sir Vassel Johnson in front of the Home Guard recruitment office in George Town. Clifton Bodden, now 92 and enjoying retirement in George Town, played his part in protecting Britain’s far-flung Caribbean outpost during WWII as a member of Cayman’s Home Guard. This is his story. District Days George Town7 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Monday noveMber 2, 2015 rising track and field star davonté Howell is tops Nine-year-old rising track and field star Davonté Howell of Prospect Primary says it “feels great” to be this year’s winner of the Rubis Top Student Grand Prize. With proud parents Kimberley and Dave at his side, Davonté, an aspiring Olympian, col- lected his trophy, gift bag and $5,000 prize at a ceremony at the George Town Yacht Club on Sept. 8. “We made sure that we focused this cam- paign on the right age group as we saw a real need to help motivate and inspire kids between 8-12 years old,” said Rubis country representative and CFO of Rubis Cayman Islands Henrico DuPlessis. The contest’s aim was to support youngsters showing aptitude in an area of study, interest or activity. “We all know that the dreams of our youth begin to take shape at this pivotal age and that is exactly why Rubis wanted to get involved in this type of campaign,” Mr. DuPlessis said. Fellow co-finalists Demae Lee, Kiran Connolly Basdeo, Hannah Foster, Jaden Francis, Felicity Hughes, Sabine Ellison, Gabrielle Ebanks, Aidan Hew, Emmi Daykin and Allison Flores earned $1,000 prizes, which will be put toward studies or training in their chosen disciplines. Finalists were selected based on a per- sonal video, their creativity and innova- tion, and references. The grand prize winner was determined by online voting. At the cer- emony, the audience viewed the winning video entries. The prize winners were also treated to congratulatory video messages from a trio of successful young Caymanians: Film director Frank E. Flowers, model Treveen Stewart and actress Grace Geeley. The after-school Positive Intervention Now program, known as PIN, which caters to George Town Primary Year 6 students, re- sumed last month. It provides activities to help students im- prove academic performance, improve social, emotional and physical wellbeing, establish healthy behaviors and reduce potential for risk- taking behaviors. PIN runs Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons at St. George’s Anglican Church Hall. Corporate, community and church groups work with students in academics, the arts, etiquette and character/spiritual development. For more information, call 925-9120/926-2141/916-8522 or email pin@candw.ky. after-scHool intervention program resumes The National Museum recently re- ceived a new addition to its collection of more than 300 artworks thanks to a donation by artist Kerwin G. Ebanks of one of his own pieces, titled “I am Caymanian PERIOD!” “I’m happy I could contribute to the re- cord of our culture,” said Mr. Ebanks. The artwork, created in 2015, is an acrylic of canvas with applied printed paper. It is multidimensional geometrical piece with some texture, which the gallery calls “dra- matic, bold, brave and provocative.” “Kerwin’s choice of subject matter is stimulating, powerful, relevant, and time- less. It is a statement of social conscious- ness,” said Debra Barnes-Tábora, cu- ration and collections manager for the National Museum. “As a mixed media piece, the work is equally important for its departure from traditional works by Caymanian artists. We are grateful to be the recipient of such a creative art piece.” Volunteers of all ages came out to support the Cayman Animal Rescue Enthusiasts “Shampooch” community dog wash hosted by George Town Primary on Sunday, Oct. 25. “It was a great morning and a great way to get into the community and offer advice, education and assistance to the owners of the many dogs that we bathed,” said CARE’s Lesley Agostinelli. She praised the hard work and commit- ment of all involved in the backbreaking work of washing a “whopping” 34 dogs, and was pleased to report that eight have al- ready been signed up for spay and neuter, one of the objectives of CARE’s community outreach efforts. “We have also made contact with an owner of a very heavily pregnant female so we do anticipate puppies again in the fu- ture and we will continue to stay in touch so that we can also fix Mum when she is ready,” added Ms. Agostinelli, noting that another positive of the day was a lot of dogs in attendance had already been fixed. “This is fantastic and makes everything we do so worthwhile, and a big thank you to Principal Marie Martin for allowing us to host the wash at George Town Primary school and for being so very active in the neighborhood and bringing in so many dogs for bathing.” Ms. Martin was only too pleased to help out with CARE’s efforts to control Cayman’s unwanted pet population. “We say we are a real community school and events like this prove it,” she said. Doctor Brenda Bush and Nurse Jo Laws from Island Vet provided professional ex- pertise, deworming and nail trimming, and the volunteers were treated to pizza thanks to Domino’s Pizza. ‘Shampooch’ a neighborhood affair New art for National Museum Davonté Howell, with Henrico DuPlessis of Rubis, is this year’s Rubis Top Student. Kerwin Ebanks recently donated his artwork ‘I am Caymanian PERIOD!’ to the National Museum. - pHoto: Jewel levy Volunteers, from left, Jevaughno Zelaya, Carol MacDonald, Jahmoll Watson and Jemma Watson had lots of fun at the Cayman Animal Rescue Enthusiasts community dog wash on Oct. 25.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 Monday noveMber 2, 2015 • Cayman Compass ANNA KOURNIKOVA JIM COURIER ANDY RODDICK MANSOUR BAHRAMI MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS ASHLEY HARKLEROAD For sponsorship opportunities and corporate packages please contact us at: info@legendscayman.com • www.legendscayman.com 5-6 FEBRUARY 2016 AT DISCOVERY CENTRE, CAMANA BAY Legends Tennis is back for two nights of exhibition tennis. This event, hosted on the Courts at Camana Bay, presents a star-studded lineup of international tennis players and provides VIP corporate entertainment to suit any organisation’s budget and needs. GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS: CI$75 FOR 1 NIGHT, CI$125 FOR BOTH NIGHTS ANNA KOURNIKOVA JIM COURIER ANDY RODDICK MANSOUR BAHRAMI MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS ASHLEY HARKLEROAD For sponsorship opportunities and corporate packages please contact us at: info@legendscayman.com • www.legendscayman.com 5-6 FEBRUARY 2016 AT DISCOVERY CENTRE, CAMANA BAY Legends Tennis is back for two nights of exhibition tennis. This event, hosted on the Courts at Camana Bay, presents a star-studded lineup of international tennis players and provides VIP corporate entertainment to suit any organisation’s budget and needs. GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS: CI$75 FOR 1 NIGHT, CI$125 FOR BOTH NIGHTS The Caribbean Utilities Company charges between 26 cents and 32 cents per kWh for diesel-generated product. The approval comes nearly 11 months after CUC and Pittsburgh-based International Electric Power signed a “power purchase agreement” for the project, subsequently submitted for review to the industry overseer, the Electricity Regulatory Authority just after Christmas 2014. The review took until last week to approve because of the time that had elapsed since CUC’s 2011 call for bids in solar generation, and the ERA’s 2013 selection of IEP. In the two years since IEP approval, better technology and, chiefly, widespread adoption of solar energy has significantly lowered costs, which IEP had originally pegged somewhere near 20 cents per kWh. After Christmas, the Pittsburgh company devolved responsibility for the Cayman project onto its Entropy Cayman Solar affiliate. “The 5MW solar project will provide energy to power approximately 800 homes with clean renewable solar energy and will significantly reduce emissions into the at- mosphere through the avoid- ance of diesel-fuel consump- tion,” according to a joint ERA-CUC statement late Friday, calling the 14.28 cents a “competitive initial price.” Charles Farrington, ERA managing director, said “the price keeps coming down because the depend- ability is going up. We are now at the ‘tipping point,’” where costs begin to move against the traditional diesel- driven models in favor of alternative energies. Efficiency had improved, he said, reducing the need for subsidies to the industry, “we are fitting more [solar] cells onto panels and there is more demand, driving econo- mies of scale.” CUC President and CEO Richard Hew welcomed the development, but stopped short of a full embrace: “We are very pleased that we have reached this stage of the project” which, he said, had been “a prolonged, but nec- essary process to ensure that we secured the right partner who could meet our goal to bring large-scale renewable energy to Grand Cayman’s electricity consumers. “Clean energy at a com- petitive and stable price,” he said, “represents a large step in the ongoing devel- opment of a diversified and environmentally sustain- able energy sector.” He cau- tioned, however, that “firm” sources, such as diesel fuel, are required to provide stable power to the grid. James Whittaker, founder and chairman of the Cayman Renewable Energy Association, also welcomed Friday’s approval, but dis- puted Mr. Hew’s claim that diesel fuel remained crucial. “CREA welcomes the news that the 5MW solar project has finally been approved. We believe it to be an im- portant first step to ensuring renewable energy provides a sustainable future and vital energy security for the Cayman Islands.” He warned, however, that Cayman “desperately needs to … show more progress than its current status of 1 percent energy coming from renewable sources.” CUC supplies 100MW of electricity to its 28,000 Grand Cayman customers. “Given the low adop- tion levels of solar energy in Cayman … it is false to claim that renewable en- ergy cannot provide stable power to the grid,” he said. Available technology enabled a much greater renewable- energy contribution. Even with Friday’s ap- proval, he said, “Cayman still has many years and a long way to go before we need to be concerned about [the] po- tential for power instability from renewables.” Pointing to broad-based solar use in a dozen coun- tries, Mr. Whittaker said, “the rapid pace of battery and storage technologies today are clearly going to make those issues irrelevant even at 100 percent renewable en- ergy penetration.” Mr. Farrington said CUC was “re-evaluating” a June statement by Manager of Engineering Services Sacha Tibbetts that the grid was unable to handle more than 5MW of renewable energy. “That was just a guess and now we are really looking to see what we can do,” he said. David March, managing partner of financier Entropy Investment Management, said the company was “ex- cited to be a contributing partner in the country’s quest for sustainable and renew- able energy independence.” “Strong foundations make enduring partnerships and Entropy looks forward to working with the ERA and CUC to develop additional energy cost-saving projects,” he said. Mr. Farrington echoed Mr. March, and said the ERA would seek more renewable projects for Cayman. “The ERA is also pleased to welcome Entropy Cayman Solar as a new generation licensee and we look for- ward to a long and mutu- ally beneficial relationship on behalf of Grand Cayman electricity consumers. “The ERA is now turning its attention to developing a new [request for proposals] for additional utility-scale solar resources for Grand Cayman’s electricity grid.” SearcherS may have located miSSing cargo Ship WASHINGTON (AP) – Investigators will use a deep ocean vehicle to help con- firm whether wreckage that searchers found in 15,000 feet of water east of the Bahamas is the cargo ship El Faro that vanished during Hurricane Joaquin. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement from Washington that a remotely operated vehicle will be sent deep below the ocean surface in an operation that could begin as early as Sunday. The El Faro went missing Oct. 1 with 33 crew members on heaving seas. Authorities also said late Saturday that they want to survey the wreckage and lo- cate a voyage data recorder – or the ship’s “black box” – that could yield clues as to what happened. An NTSB statement said a specially equipped Navy vessel located wreckage Saturday afternoon in the area of the ship’s last known position. It said the wreckage is “consistent with a 790-foot cargo ship, which from sonar images appears to be in an upright position and in one piece.” The 790-foot El Faro was reported missing east of the Bahamas, according to the Coast Guard. The El Faro cargo ship went missing on Oct. 1 during Hurricane Joaquin, with 33 crew members on board. – photo: tote maritime via ap CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Solar-energy project approvedThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 Cayman Compass • Monday noveMber 2, 2015 Criminal Justice Adviser Claire Wetton. They follow analogous recommenda- tions in England and Wales and elaborate on local 2002 recommendations. “They provide a frame- work for the proper exercise of judicial discretion pro- moting consistency of ap- proach and enabling attor- neys to know more clearly those issues which a court will consider important while assessing the serious- ness of an offence,” Chief Justice Smellie said in a Friday statement. More guidelines, he said, will be forthcoming “in due course” for all common of- fenses, whether in Summary Court or Grand Court. A two-page index of “sen- tencing guidelines” lists nine kinds of crime that will ul- timately be addressed, in- cluding “offenses relating to children,” comprising cruelty and pornography; “Offenses injurious to the public in gen- eral,” touching on sexual of- fenses and bigamy; and “anti- gang provisions.” The index also refers to a 37-point list of “aggra- vating factors” in a crime, and a seven-point list of “mitigating factors.” Elsewhere, a 25-page sum- mary of the initiatives details “general principles,” including adjudicating the seriousness of an offense based on a sliding scale of “proportionality,” ac- counting for an offender’s in- tentions and the actual harm caused to both individuals and the community. The guidelines counsel caution before imprisoning an offender, recommending a “threshold test,” making custody “a punishment for the most serious” offenses, levied only when a crime “was so serious that no other sentence can be justified for the offence.” Nonetheless, the recom- mendations admit that clear answers may prove elusive, subject to judgments re- garding degrees of culpa- bility and harm, while bal- ancing both mitigating and aggravating factors. “There is a thin dividing line between a case which passes the custody threshold and one which does not,” the guidelines say, allowing that “individual cases vary enor- mously” while denying any “set formula for deciding.” Under “robbery,” a series of colorful graphics distin- guishes, first, among street, commercial and home rob- beries. The 17-page guid- ance notes propose a variety of penalties – ranging from imprisonment between 12 years and 20 years for a vi- olent commercial robbery employing a “bladed article” or firearm that causes se- rious harm, to a “commu- nity-based sentence” and/ or two years’ custody for an unplanned street crime in which the offender played only a small role, used no vi- olence, did little harm and profited minimally. The graphics detail 27 conditions under which a robbery might occur, each yielding a separate penalty. An 11-point list of “factors increasing seriousness” – in- cluding “high value of goods,” “involvement of others” and the timing and location of the offense – is intended to aid assessment of the crime. A similar treatment is given to burglary, separated into “aggravated,” defined by employment of a weapon – largely outside any miti- gating circumstances and subject to life imprisonment – and lesser crimes of “bur- glary in a dwelling” and “bur- glary in a building other than a dwelling.” Penalties for 18 possible conditions pertaining to the latter offenses range from imprisonment between five years and 14 years for bur- glary in a dwelling using a “bladed weapon” or firearm to inflict violence and a “very significant” use of force, to a “community-based sentence” and/or one-year custody for a burglary in a building other than a dwelling where – like an unplanned street crime – the offender played only a small role, used no vio- lence, did little harm and profited minimally. A 12-point list warning of “factors increasing serious- ness” reproduces the “rob- bery” roster, adding “abuse of a position of trust.” The guidelines for the first time allow a judge to reduce penalties for an offender who confesses to prior, similar and less-serious offences that remain unsolved. They also enable an offender to gain credit for “a show of contri- tion … and a willingness to compensate” and for a guilty plea, thereby reducing efforts otherwise required by police, prosecutors and the court to dispose of a crime. Finally, they will pro- vide credit for time served if an offender has been in re- mand while on bail or sub- ject to “significant restric- tions on liberty.” “It has often been said that sentencing is an art, not a science. Certainly it is often the point in a case where a wide range of factors come together and where there are competing priorities in- cluding the need to punish, to deter and to rehabilitate the offender,” Chief Justice Smellie said. “I am delighted that we have been able to develop and will be developing more comprehensive guidelines.” Justice Charles Quin, who helped develop the new guide- lines, said they remained “suggestions,” and did not in- trude on judicial discretion. “They are guidelines and not tramlines,” he told the Cayman Compass. “[They] are merely to assist the judges in deciding the appropriate sentence … The facts of spe- cific cases are never ex- actly the same, so the guide- lines provide assistance in looking at culpability, pro- portionality, aggravating fac- tors, mitigating factors, reduc- tions for guilty pleas and the totality principle.” “The guidelines do not have the force of law and judges are not legally bound by them,” he added, pointing out they are obliged only by legislatively imposed maximum sentences. “The guidelines help … judges to administer justice in a manner which will be protective of society whilst being restorative – not only to the offender, but also of the victim,” he said, and while he did not think they would affect courtroom strategies of prosecutors or defense attorneys, he did in- dicate they “will affect the way a defense attorney ad- vises his or her client as to what likely sentence [or pen- alty] he is likely to receive should he be found guilty after his trial or should he plead guilty.” New assistant director at landfill The Department of Environmental Health has hired engineer Mark Rowlands as its new assis- tant director, in charge of solid waste. Mr. Rowlands, from British Columbia, Canada, is an environmental engineer/ planner with more than 25 years of experience in the field of waste management, ac- cording to a statement issued by the Ministry of Health on Friday. Mr. Rowlands has also been the vice president for the Pacific Chapter and interna- tional board director for the Solid Waste Association of North America. “Working with multi- cultural/disciplinary client teams and stakeholders on behalf of government, engi- neering consulting firms, in- dustry product stewards, First Nations communi- ties, and private businesses is a particular strength of Mr. Rowlands,” the statement noted. The Ministry said Mr. Rowlands would focusing primarily on solid waste management operations while assisting on broader strategic initiatives. The statement quoted Mr. Rowlands as saying: “The world is changing to face the challenges of global warming, pollution and the over-con- sumption of our planet’s lim- ited resources. The Cayman Islands are poised and deter- mined to join other nations on this global challenge with a major advancement in their own solid waste systems, but also to preserve the beauty of these magnificent islands. “Additionally, by viewing waste materials as a resource and creating a local economy, local citizens will benefit with new employment in innova- tive new industries while at- tracting new tourism as trav- elers choose to visit countries striving for this excellence.” Director of the Department of Environmental Health Roydell Carter noted, “With Mr. Rowlands added to the team, the DEH is now well complemented with its two Assistant Directors. We look forward to moving forward with innovations in waste management.” The other assistant di- rector is Paulino Rodriguez, who heads up environmental health at the department. “It has often been said that sentencing is an art, not a science.” Anthony Smellie, chief justice CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Chief Justice Anthony Smellie New sentencing guidelines issued Mr. RowlandsNext >