FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS CMA Music Festival Local reporter tracks connection between Cayman and Nashville B8 Island Living Show Annual event at the ARC offers booths and bargains B10 Events Lifestyle Music ‘Xposition of the Arts’ B2 ■ EVENTS Royal Beauty Cayman prepares to welcome Miss Universe this weekend. B3 Lip sync for laughs Competition promises a great night of entertainment B5 STOLI FLAVOURS2 for $ 56 Until 31 July STOLI FLAVOURS 2 for $56 Until 31 July STOLI FLAVOURS 2 for $56 Until 31 July STOLI FLAVOURS 2 for $ 56 Until 31 July Registered Merchant of CaymanGiftCertificates.c om EVAN WILLIAMS BLACK 1L WENTE VINYARDS Wine from California 20% OFF 750ml Bottle Offer valid until 30 June Local performers are joined by the Stella Maris Dance Ensemble CAYMAN WEEKENDER Royal Beauty Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. High of 90 Low of 77 EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 THE NECESSARY WALL BETWEEN MLAS AND CIVIL SERVANTS ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 75 CENTS – FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016 GOLF COURSE APPROVED DESPITE CALLS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A multimillion-dollar project to build a 27-hole golf course in the eastern districts was granted planning approval this week, despite calls for an environmental impact assessment to be carried out before work begins. Ironwood confirmed Thursday that it has been granted permission by the Central Planning Au- thority for the Arnold Palmer-designed PGA Cham- pionship golf course, the first phase of a planned $350 million leisure and tourism venture. The Central Planning Authority imposed some conditions but did not request an impact assess- ment on the project, which will involve reshaping more than 500 acres of brush, mangrove and woodland and the creation of a network of man- made lakes for the golf course. James McVey, the project director, said, “This is great news. It is a major hurdle cleared and we can get on with building a golf course that the Cayman Islands can be proud of.” He said the developer is environmentally con- scious and would delay construction to account for the blue iguana nesting season. But he said the potential costs and time involved in carrying BURGLAR CAUGHT RED-HANDED ON SKYPE Resident sets trap for burglar CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com After money was stolen from her bedroom closet on at least two occasions, a woman used Skype to set a trap that led to the arrest of the in- truder and his eventual sentencing. Neville Agustus Marston, 23, pleaded guilty to this series of burglaries as well as a separate of- fense in another district. Magistrate Valdis Foldats sentenced Marston to two years and eight months in prison on Monday. Crown counsel Scott Wainwright explained that police were called to a West Bay residence on Oct. 31, 2014, where a woman reported that money had been stolen from a cash tin hidden in her bedroom closet. The first time, between Oct. 10 and 15, $300 had been taken. The second time, be- tween Oct. 21 and 26, $200 was taken. In an effort to try to catch the thief, the woman put her phone on Skype and placed it in PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » Government, combined with Cayman’s statutory authorities and public companies, expects to bring in more than $1.23 bil- lion over the coming 18 months. The revenue for core govern- ment is $908 million for the next year and a half. Members of the Legislative Assembly are wrapping up their debate on the budget this week and expect to approve an $862.4 million budget to cover core expenses. For more, see story on page 14. 18-MONTH BUDGET Gov’t revenue tops $1.2B Other $64M Cayman Islands Government revenue Where does government get its money? Most public sector revenue comes from “coercive revenue,” such as work permit fees and import duties. Government collects a number of fees, for example, to take a driving test or register a pension plan. Government also sells goods like stamps and makes some money renting post boxes and public facilities. Data: Ministry of Financial Services Fees $158 million Sales $153 million Rentals $5 million Property fees, stamp duty $86M Companies $335 million Coercive revenue What is coercive revenue? “Coercive revenue” is defi ned in Cayman law as revenue collected by government under its coercive powers, and for which there is no direct exchange of any goods or services. The biggest moneymakers for government are import duties ($223 million), fees to register exempt companies in Cayman ($110 million) and work permit fees ($99 million). Data: Ministry of Financial Services Customs $223 million Immigration $131 million Other $28M Tourism $46M $158 million Sales $153 million Coercive $851 million2 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Open daily 10am-10pm • West Shore Center, SMB Whole Jerk Chicken Feast $29.99 CELEBRATE JAMAICAN INDEPENDENCE WITH CHICKEN! CHICKEN! $29.99 RICE & BEAN STEAMED VEGE TABLES JAMAIC AN STYLE COLE SLAW FESTIV ALS HOME BREAD PUDDING JAMAIC AN STYLE COLE SLAW FESTIV ALS HOME BREAD PUDDING $29.99 AUGUST 5TH, 6TH & 7T H “BOOGIE NIGHTS” Music By DJ FLEX Starting at 9:30pm Old School Dance Party 70’s disco & 80’s classics TONIGHT Friday, June 24th “BOOGIE NIGHTS”“BOOGIE NIGHTS” Old School Dance Party 70’s disco & 80’s classics TONIGHT FINALLY, THE LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH HAS ARRIVED! TOMORROW Saturday, June 25th Barefoot Man and Sea N’B Starting live at 8:00pm Come for dinner Stay for Dancing Or come to our beautiful Oceanside Bar and listen to the Sweet Sounds of Barefoot Man Call 949-2231 or email: thewharf@candw.ky PARADISE TRIATHLON & DUATHLON EVENT Notice to Residents/Motorists in the Walkers Road - South Sound area PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that on Sunday July 10th during the hours of 7:00am – 10:30am there will be duathlon/triathlon event in that area. Please drive with caution and be on the lookout for the cycling event participants in these areas, to ensure a safe and enjoyable event for all. Injured army veterans find freedom beneath the waves JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com When John Kennedy re- turned from serving in the Gulf War, he was a different man than the ultra-fit soldier who had left Las Vegas to fight for his country. It started with numb- ness in his limbs that spread through his body over the years, leaving him in a wheelchair. “It was a 180-degree turn- around, the whole world just dropped out from under- neath me,” he recalls. Medics initially diag- nosed Gulf War Syndrome, a chronic unexplained ill- ness that affected thousands of veterans of the war in Iraq and Kuwait. In 2004 he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It was hard to accept for someone who, up to that point, had lived a fast-paced, energetic life. Now, more than 20 years later, sitting on a dive boat in Cayman Brac, he feels his life has turned around again. “I’ve got to tell you, buddy, it has given me a reason to live,” he says of learning to scuba dive with the Dive Pi- rates, a U.S. voluntary orga- nization that introduces the sport to disabled divers, par- ticularly military veterans. “It was incredible, I felt like I had left this world,” Mr. Kennedy said. “It was like a complete weight off my shoulders. There was no pain, I could breathe better off the tank. I felt weightless, with all the pressure off my spine. “I think the veterans as- sociation ought to prescribe this to injured vets. This is 100 percent better than any drugs, better than pain med- ication, better than any kind of therapy.” Mr. Kennedy, 60, is now on his second trip to the Brac with the Dive Pirates and plans to keep coming and diving as long as he can. Each year the organization funds new divers to go through training, culminating in a trip to the Brac’s Reef Resort to dive in the Caribbean Sea. Charles Davis was among a group of 12 divers experi- encing the sport for the first time over the past two weeks. A quadriplegic since breaking his neck in three places in a motorcycle ac- cident at the age of 21, Mr. Davis, from Houston, Texas, recalls, “I went out one night and woke up several days later in the hospital and my whole life had changed.” Now 47, he says discov- ering scuba diving has given him a new perspective on living with his injuries. “I have a good friend who also broke his neck [in] 1994 and he has been trying to get me to do this for a couple of years,” he said. “To be honest, I was scared. I didn’t think it was possible for me. “Now there are all these other things that I have al- ways wanted to do and never thought I could that are sud- denly possible for me. It has changed my outlook.” Like many first-time divers, Mr. Davis was amazed by the beauty of the marine life on Cayman’s reefs. “We were down there for 35 minutes but it felt like two minutes,” he says of his first dive. It also freed him, for a short while, from the con- straints of his injuries. “It was total liberation,” he said. “It was a little scary at first, but once I went in the water, it is so therapeutic. It is hard to explain, you go from a life of pain and chronic fa- tigue and then in the water you are almost weightless. It was a life-changing event.” Theresa Cortez, director of communications for the Dive Pirates Foundation, has heard similar stories many times over the past 12 yeas. The Dive Pirates have brought 60 new divers and many returning divers to the Brac in that time. “So many say it has changed their lives. If they come back and dive with us again, that’s when you know they are really hooked,” said Ms. Cortez. Charles Davis, who has been in a wheelchair since being involved in a motorcycle accident at the age of 21, describes diving for the first time in Cayman Brac as a ‘life-changing event.’ John Kennedy prepares to dive with wife and adaptive dive buddy Brigette.The Dive Pirates Foundation, which trains people with disabilities to scuba dive, is on its 12th trip to Cayman Brac.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016 You can’t rewind time But you can rewind TV discoverfl ow.ky/tv Conditions apply. ©2016 HBO Ole Partners. All rights reserved. With Flow TV you can go right back to the start of a show, even if you haven’t been watching it or recording it. 50% o Flow TV with HBO/Max Right now get for 3 months. With Flow TV you can go right back to the start of a show, even if you haven’t been watching it or recording it. 50% o Flow TV with HBO/Max Right now get for 3 months.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will findtheirownway” Facing fire from certain elected members of the Legislative Assembly, Deputy Governor Franz Man- derson etched a definitive and necessary line in the floor of the House, demarcating where the remit of lawmakers ends — and where the apolitical civil service begins. Far from cowering under the verbal fusillade, the deputy governor not only defended himself, but right- fully reiterated that specific questions about human resources — individual hirings, firings, promotions and suspensions — fall squarely on the “civil service” side of the equation. “I am not going to manage the civil service down here. There is a clear separation of powers,” he said. The deputy governor is absolutely correct. Running Cayman’s civil service is a Herculean task. Running Cayman’s civil service — with serious intrusion and interference by politicians — is an impossible job. (The recent episode involving lawmakers and the deputy governor is, for us, all-too-reminiscent of legisla- tors’ attempts to meddle in the functions of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, which resulted in the early departure of Police Commissioner David Baines.) While the deputy governor’s parliamentary inter- rogators Wednesday happened to be independent MLA Arden McLean and Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush, it is a common complaint from lawmakers that they can’t see their policies through without exerting control over (or getting buy-in from) civil servants. Indeed, while independent and opposition law- makers are usually the ones who air grievances against civil service managers in the Legislative Assembly, we can only speculate how much “behind- closed-doors” pressure is exerted by members of sitting governments, who have recourse to other, less- public venues besides the House floor. Mr. Bush justified his inquiries into the civil service under the rubric of “constituent services,” since some of his constituents happen to be civil servants who ask him to explore those issues on their behalf. That’s a slippery, and potentially perilous, slope. “We do not want a political civil service which is tied to particular politicians, and that’s the danger of taking this too far,” the deputy governor said. Here’s the rub — Cayman’s lawmakers are depen- dent upon civil servants in two fundamental ways: 1) to get elected, because the civil service is the single- largest voting bloc in the country; and 2) to project their power. And although we have devoted the bulk of today’s editorial to opposing politicians’ trespassing into the realm of the civil service, it is equally inappropriate, yet prevalent, for civil servants to cross over into political territory. For example, too often if a large enough (or influen- tial enough) number of civil servants decide they don’t like a particular policy, or politician, or project, they will slow down, stymie or bureaucratically bury the matter. (See: The EY Report and “Project Future.”) It is not the role of the civil service to prevent law- makers from accomplishing what they have been elected to do. But that represents one challenge for Deputy Governor Manderson (and ultimately Governor Helen Kilpatrick) to overcome. It doesn’t give law- makers license to go beyond the bounds of Cayman’s system of government. The necessary wall between MLAs and civil servants FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS A decade well-saved GARRISON KEILLOR Special To The Washington Post I saw one of my novels at a yard sale last week and it appeared to have been used as a coaster. The interior was quite pristine but there were rings of rust on the cover where wet glasses had been set. It was on sale for 35 cents. Had I known I was only writing a coaster, maybe I wouldn’t have worked so hard on the themes and mo- tifs, the connotations and so forth, but that’s just the way life is. There’s a lot of wastage. No way around it. You take your kids to the ballpark to experi- ence the great pastime and to your dismay, they in- sist on ketchup rather than mustard on the bratwurst and they decline the kraut. Ketchup on a brat is like cream cheese in your coffee, but they insist. And then, in the bottom of the sixth, the thrilling double play – a sizzler to short, the underhand toss to second, the sharp throw to first, the runner caught by half a stride – and you look over at your kids and they are texting. Hey. Hey. Wear R U? Twins game. OMG. Kewl. K. They missed the OMG play of the game. Two hours, wasted. With the time I’ve wasted over the past 40 years looking for my reading glasses, I could have written Moby-Dick and written it better. Not all that yik-yak about melan- choly and breakfast and the nature of evil, but cut to the chase and harpoon the dang whale and bring a couple dames aboard the Pequod for the general interest. “Why not get yourself a chain to hang around your neck and attach your reading glasses to?” says Madame, trying to be helpful. Be- cause I am not an elderly reference librarian, that’s why not. Because I am not Angela Lansbury. Life is short enough without wasting big swatches of it on self-pity and despair and that is why I skipped my 30s and tacked that decade onto my 60s when I had a better handle on things. It was like day- light saving time except in decades. Back in the day, before America took up child wor- ship and children were cos- seted and counseled and therapized and bestowed with every known comfort, it was the keen desire of every young person to become older. When I was 9, I longed to be 15. At 15, I wanted to be 21. So I skipped my 30s. I grew a beard, moved to the country, wore old farmer clothes, got a job in radio, took up bluegrass with its maudlin ballads about shed- ding tears on the flowers of the grave of the one whom you betrayed, and ad- opted the identity of an el- derly sharecropper. Now that I truly am old, I have that decade saved up, to spend wisely. I don’t write novels anymore – other people do it so much better – and I don’t play golf: Two hours of self-loathing is not fun. I am thinking of giving up baseball. I realize it is iconic, but I’m Episcopalian and we have all the icons we can handle. Self-pity? Gone. Ditto, de- spair. I do not stew about You Know Who and the fate of the Republican Party and that saves me about 45 min- utes a day. Efficiency is my focus now, moving swiftly through necessary tasks – shower, breakfast, morning paper, and glide out the door in one uninterrupted mo- tion while picking up bill- fold, cellphone, both pairs of glasses, laptop in briefcase, car keys, and kiss Madame as I take the cup of coffee from her hand, no bumbling, no doddering. My desk is orderly, the meetings I chair are models of succinctness. My prose – can you tell? – is what Strunk & White had in mind. And I now have three hours of free time in the afternoon that I didn’t used to have. I honestly feel that Moby- Dick would be a better novel without the whale. Old Cranky Pants with peg leg obsessing over an al- bino fish? Give me a break. In my version, Captain Ahab is harvesting squid, which is high in omega-3 and low in saturated fats. The crew puts in at least an hour of vigorous capstan-winding every day. Queequeg and Ishmael are gay and nobody is perturbed by that. They collect their share of the squid profits and buy a house on Nantucket and never go to sea again. It is a huge waste of time to be a tragic hero on a big quest. I have avoided that and you should too. Keillor hosts ‘A Prairie Home Companion.’ © 2016, Garrison Keillor. Distributed by The Washington Post Writers Group. So I skipped my 30s. I grew a beard, moved to the country, wore old farmer clothes, got a job in radio, took up bluegrass [...] and adopted the identity of an elderly sharecropper. Garrison KeillorThe islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016 We, being the local group, take this opportunity to respond to MRCU and Oxitec. 1. MRCU & Oxitec say that the Oxitec technology is supported by the World Health Organisation. They said: “Furthermore it is consistent with the World Health Organization’s recent recommendation for operational use of Oxitec’s mosquitoes in response to the international emergency related to Zika virus.” Is this fact or is it misleading? Below, is what was actually said by the World Health Organisation. Do not take our word for it, you can check it yourself on the WHO website: http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/news/ mosquito_vector_control_response/en/ It says: On 14-15 March 2016, the World Health Organisation’s Vector Control Advisory Group (VCAG) reviewed five potential vector control tools and existing tools for use in the context of the response to the Zika virus outbreak, including: ….mosquito control through genetic manipulation (OX513A)…. The main conclusions and recommendations of the meeting are as follows: • Full-scale programmatic deployment is not currently recommended for any of the five new potential tools reviewed by VCAG. However, the VCAG recommended the carefully planned pilot deployment under operational conditions of two tools (Wolbachia-based biocontrol and OX513A transgenic mosquitoes) accompanied by rigorous independent monitoring and evaluation. and: • The technology has demonstrated the ability to reduce the Ae. aegypti populations in small- scale field trials in several countries, but there is an absence of data on epidemiological impact. Additionally, sustained release of transgenic male mosquitoes is needed to maintain suppression of wild Ae. aegypti populations. The recommendation of the VCAG was as follows: This committee recommends carefully planned pilot deployment under operational conditions accompanied by rigorous independent monitoring and evaluation that builds entomological capacity to support operational use. RCTs with epidemiological outcomes should be carried out to build evidence for routine programmatic use of OX513A Aedes against Aedes-borne diseases. Comment: Our reading of the World Health Organisation’s statement is that they recommend pilot deployment accompanied by rigorous monitoring and evaluation. To us, that appears to be very different from the Oxtitec/MRCU statement in the Compass on Friday. They said, “it is consistent with the World Health Organization’s recent recommendation for operational use of Oxitec’s mosquitoes”. Is the Oxitec/MRCU statement Fact or Misleading? That is for you, the reader, to decide, but we ask you to think about the following: (a) Presumably, Oxitec provided all their data, research, assessments and results to the World Health Organisation. It would be in their own commercial interest to put forward their best case to obtain a full operational endorsement from the WHO. So, if that information was so compelling, backed by independent and expert assessment, why didn’t the World Health Organisation immediately recommend full-scale programmatic deployment? (b) The imminent release of 22m GM Mosquitoes in Grand Cayman is not a carefully planned pilot programme; MRCU/Oxitec announced in the Compass that: in the interests of public health, the Mosquito Research and Control Unit is launching new controls to combat the dangerous Aedes Aegypti. (c) In 2009/2010, Oxitec/MRCU released 3.3m GM Mosquitoes in Grand Cayman - that was 6 years ago! There have been other releases of GM Mosquitoes in Brazil, Panama and Malaysia. And yet, after all these years, the World Health Organisation is calling for independent monitoring and evaluation. Why? The answer has to be that there are no independent assessments other than those conducted by the company itself and their collaborators, such as MRCU. Dr. Guy Reeves, a molecular geneticist at Germany’s Max Planck Institute, said of the Oxitec programme: “To build trust in any cutting-edge science, a range of independent experts – not just the company that stands to gain or the regulatory agency involved – should have enough access to data published in peer-reviewed journals to be able to explain the specific benefits and risks”. 2. But, the National Conservation Council concluded there would be no impact on the environment or the population. So what was that conclusion based on? Was it purely based on evidence presented by Oxitec and MRCU? It appears that the World Health Organisation didn’t come to that conclusion, otherwise as stated previously, they would have recommended full scale operational use of OX513A. We challenge Oxitec to publish, in peer viewed journals, sufficient data for independent evaluation and assessment by a range of independent and worldwide respected experts. 3. Would the following be considered to be False or Misleading assertions? 1. Oxitec originally stated that no female GM Mosquitoes would be released as part of their suppression program. As it is only females that “bite”, it would be natural to assume there were no risks of being bitten and therefore no prospect of any transference to human beings of derivatives of the herpes virus and/or E.coli bacteria which are inserted into the GM Mosquitoes. What they told an audience, as part of a public consultation process, can be viewed on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdLT9Bpzshs. When pressed by a member of the audience, there was there an admission by Oxitec that some females would be released inadvertently. Comment: Oxitec now admit that 1 in 1,500 released GM Mosquitoes will be female. Whilst we are not eminent scientists or mathematicians, we can use a calculator! 22,000,000 / 1500 = 14,666. So, in West Bay, we about to have nearly 15,000 biting genetically modified mosquitoes released, all of which, contain derivatives of the E.coli bacteria and herpes virus. We wonder whether our Government has picked up on this astonishing figure: Our own esteemed Dr. Petrie said in 2012 after the GM Mosquito release in 2009/10: “They don’t care what lies they tell. Only male mosquitoes were released and they cannot bite and do not live long.” 2. Having now admitted that female mosquitoes would be released, albeit not intentionally, Oxitec now report that even if humans were somehow bitten, no genetically modified DNA would enter their bloodstream. Fact or Misleading? Comment: Phil Lounibos, (Ph.D Harvard, Distinguished Professor Ecology and Behaviour), who studies mosquito control at the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, said in response: “to say that there’s no genetically modified DNA that might get into a human, that’s kind of a grey area.” 3. On their own website, Oxitec state that “in the laboratory, under optimum conditions for the mosquitos, a small number of Oxitec larvae (up to 5%) have been observed to survive until adulthood”. Fact or Misleading? Comment: In their own confidential internal document titled “Eliminating tetracycline contamination”, Oxitec reported a survival rate of 15% in a laboratory operated by one of their collaborating parties. Surely, to state to the public that only 5% of Oxitec larvae have been observed to survive to adulthood when, in one of their own collaborating laboratories results showed 15% survival, is misleading. Of course, what Oxitec will say is that this result was a ‘one-off’; that there were abnormal levels of tetracycline on that occasion, etc. For whatever reason, a 15% survival rate was a laboratory result which Oxitec chose not to include in their statement to the public. It therefore raises two issues: (i) the question of credibility – is there anything else that Oxitec has chosen not to tell us or the Government? (ii) how confident can we really be about the methods employed and experience of the so- called “collaborating parties”? 4. Why is the project being done [in the Cayman Islands] and what is the need/ benefit? A good question. So what was the answer provided by Oxitec/MRCU? They stated: “The aim of the project is to better control Aedes aegypti with initial roll-out in an area of West Bay in Grand Cayman. This mosquito is able to transmit Zika, chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever and potentially additional viral diseases, so an improved method of control is in the public health interest as existing methods are not effective enough? It’s not a great answer, is it? Let’s examine the facts. (a) We do not have Zika on island; (b) In 2015, there were 40 reported cases of dengue (out of a population of almost 60,000, this represents 0.07%); (c) By October 2014, there were 18 reported cases of chikungunya for that year, 14 of which were contracted overseas; (d) Yellow Fever 2016: “There are no suspected cases of yellow fever in the Cayman Islands,” said Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Samuel Williams Rodriguez. (e) Other additional viral diseases: Tell us what additional viral diseases you are referring to, and we’ll try to comment! The cynic might say, that the real answer to ‘why Cayman?’, is that being one of only 21 countries worldwide without protective bio- safety legislation, the Cayman Islands is being used by a foreign company, as an experimental source for the release of GM Mosquitoes. Further, from the figures above, one might also conclude that the Cayman Islands’ Government is using a ‘sledgehammer to crack a nut’. So why is our Government taking any risks at all (even minimum risks) by introducing an unnatural and scientific species to Grand Cayman to solve a problem that simply does not exist here? We do not need to be the guinea pigs for a foreign company which exists purely to make profit; our country is not Brazil which has a significant problem with Zika, for which we extend our support. If Brazil has decided to use the Oxitec programme and, ultimately, if that provides a non- harmful solution, no-one would be more pleased than us. However, it does not make any rational sense to import the Oxitec project here and there is certainly no such urgency which otherwise applies in Brazil. Why can’t our Government simply suspend the release of GM Mosquitoes in West Bay and say to Oxitec: “good luck in Brazil”; “experiment on their people and environment first”; and, “come back to us in the future when you have independent verified results of success and can prove that your suppression solution is safe”. Then, (and when the rest of the World has hailed Oxitec as the eradicator of a terrible disease) and only then, should we even think to consider its GM Mosquito project in our beautiful country. We implore our Honourable Premier Alden McLaughlin to revisit his Government’s decision. Opposition Leader, the Honourable McKeeva Bush, together with two other MLAs, supports the suspension of the release of the GM mosquitoes. Recently, he wrote to the Premier: “There seems to be need for more scientific answers to scientific questions and we must ask for the above position to be adhered to, and that is, a hold put on the project.” He further stated, that while the MLAs gave “preliminary support” for the project after an initial meeting with MRCU officials, the go-ahead was given “in the absence of any concerns at that time because constituents would not have known the intentions of the project then.” “New questions have now arisen and more public discontent has come to bear.” STOP THE RELEASE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED MOSQUITOES On 17th June 2016, the Mosquito Research and Control Unit (“MRCU”) in conjunction with UK company, OXITEC, ran an advertisement in the Cayman Compass headed “Friendly Aedes aegypti Project”. On the Cayman Islands Government website, a press release stated that: “A local group opposed to the Friendly Aedes aegypti Project have made a series of public statements. Many of these assertions are false or misleading. This briefing is designed to facilitate accurate information.” Sponsored by Caymanians United To Suspend Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Project For those of you who also wish to express your concern about this matter, go to www.change.org (search “Cayman” and “Mosquito”) and sign the online petition. Or email us at: SuspendGMmosquitoesProject@yahoo.com. 6 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Plans to build ‘boardwalk’ on South Sound Road submitted BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Architectural drawings for a proposed “boardwalk” and what is anticipated to be a public park area in South Sound have been submitted to the Cayman Islands Cen- tral Planning Authority for approval, government offi- cials confirmed Tuesday. The submission is part of the government’s overall beautification and improve- ment scheme for the area that involves shifting a sec- tion of the two-lane road be- tween the Cayman Crossing subdivision and the South Sound dock. Planning Minister Kurt Tibbetts also said there are plans to use privately held land, with the agree- ment of the owners, for a public park. Public Works Director Max Jones said the planning application for the project has received some objections which the department is “working through.” Mr. Tibbetts said those who drive along South Sound Road will have noticed that some of the roadwork has already begun. The minister said the identified section of the road will be shifted slightly toward the land side to provide more room along the coast. “It will give us more space to construct the boardwalk and a cycle path,” Mr. Tib- betts said. Just past Cayman Crossing, the minister said, a park, which has been dis- cussed with the local land- owners, will be created to include bathroom facilities near the boat launch ramp. The parking area for the dock will also be extended, he said. “We’re trying to create a nice ambience there,” Mr. Tibbetts said, “another area where [residents] can go and spend their leisure time.” Mr. Tibbetts said most of the proposed park land is held privately, but it is too close to the coast for develop- ment purposes. The project, if approved by planning, will add to a number of developments along South Sound Road al- ready under way or planned to start this year, including the construction of a new home for Cayman En- terprise City. National Roads Authority officials noted that traffic on the road has increased about 66 percent since 2009, al- though that is mostly due to drivers coming from the eastern districts seeking an alternate route to the already heavily used Linford Pierson Highway and Crewe Road into George Town. Mr. Tibbetts noted ear- lier in the assembly’s Finance Committee proceedings that government intends to ex- pand the Linford Pierson Highway to four lanes into town, a project he described as “absolutely necessary.” “The traffic in the eastern districts is now at the point where they’re experiencing the difficulty that they used to experience … before the East-West Arterial was built,” Mr. Tibbetts said. The government has bud- geted about $3.4 million for islandwide road construc- tion in the upcoming 2016/17 budget proposal. “We’re tr ying to create a nice ambience there, another area where [residents] can go and spend their leisure time.” KURT TIBBETTS, planning minister Work is under way on South Sound Road to prepare for the installation of a boardwalk. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016 The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 her living room. The phone was then monitored by a computer elsewhere and on Oct. 30 Marston was ob- served entering the house. The video obtained was emailed to police. Marston was an ex-boy- friend of one of the wom- an’s daughters and he had done yard work at the premises, the court heard. When interviewed by po- lice, he said he had not been to the house in months. When confronted with the video, he admitted entering and going to the complain- ant’s closet. Marston previously pleaded guilty to a day- time burglary in Red Bay in which he stole jewelry and electronic goods valued at $3,800. Mr. Wainwright said the complainant in that case had returned home around 2:30 p.m. and saw some of her belongings on her bed, which was not where she had left them. She then saw three men coming out of her daughter’s room car- rying a sack. They left the premises, but a member of the public saw them get into a red car; that person got the license number and called 911. Police found the red car and began pursuing it with emergency lights flashing. Another member of the public saw someone in the car throw a white sack to- ward an area of bush. The police pursuit continued, the red car crashed, and all three men were arrested. Mr. Furniss said he did not know what had hap- pened with the other two men. He pointed to Mar- ston’s guilty pleas and ef- forts in the Drug Rehabil- itation Court. He said the defendant wanted to apol- ogize to his victims, espe- cially the family he knew. Marston told the court he felt bad about what he had done and wanted to make up for it by doing community service. The magistrate pointed out that residential bur- glaries are so serious that the new starting point for sentences is five years. He reviewed Marston’s history – becoming involved with drugs at age 13; drugs a serious problem by age 18; a father who died of al- cohol abuse; a mother who spent time in prison. The magistrate said Marston had spent 20 weeks at Caribbean Haven, a residential treatment pro- gram, but had “seemed to begin to sabotage the pro- cess” and was discharged. He remained in drug court until July 2015, but then did not return and a warrant for his arrest was ordered. “You were a fugitive until you were arrested in May this year,” the magis- trate reminded him. For the Red Bay bur- glary, Marston was sen- tenced to two years in prison. For the burglaries solved by Skype, he re- ceived six months for each of the three burglaries, to run concurrently with each other but consecutive to the Red Bay burglary, giving a total of 32 months. FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS We have been asked to announce the passing of Pastor Clement Ransford Reid who passed away on Thursday, June 16, 2016. A Service of Thanksgiving will be held on Sunday, June 26, 2016 at the Church of God Universal, Walker’s Road at 3:00p.m. Interment to follow at Garden of Re ections Cemetery. Condolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Pastor Clement Ransford Reid who passed away on Thursday, June 16, 2016. A Service of Thanksgiving will be held on Sunday, June 26, 2016 at the Church of God Universal, Walker’s Road at 3:00p.m. Interment to follow at Garden of Re ections Cemetery. Condolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.comCondolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.comCondolences can be registered at We have been asked to announce the passing of Interment to follow at Garden of Re ections Cemetery. We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Roosevelt Wilson McField, affectionately known as “Cocky”, who passed away on Thursday, June 16, 2016. A Service of Thanksgiving will be held on Saturday, June 25, 2016 at Elmslie Memorial United Church, Harbour Drive, George Town at 2:00p.m. Viewing will be from 1:00-1:45p.m. Interment to follow at Dixie Cemetery, North Church Street. Condolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.com Saturday, June 25, 2016 at Elmslie Memorial United Church, Harbour Drive, George Town at 2:00p.m. Maria Elena Connolly Died 18 May 2016 in Honduras Memorial Service will be held Sunday 26 June 2016 at 5.00 pm Filadelfi a Seventh Day Adventist Church, Marina Drive, Rose Mary Street, Grand Cayman We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Allan Franklin Kerr, Sr., who passed away on Monday, June 20, 2016. Details for a Service of Thanksgiving will be announced at a later date. Condolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Allan Franklin Kerr, Sr., who passed away on Monday, June 20, 2016. Details for a Service of Thanksgiving will be announced at a later date. Condolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.com churchillsfuneralhome.com The family of the late Peter and Tony Moore would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to all those who have offered love and kindness by way of visits, phone calls, prayers, gifts, flowers, food, and messages of sympathy; all of which have greatly helped to support us. Special thanks to Churchill’s Funeral Home for all their help; Adrien Briggs; Wayne Panton and family; Bishop Sykes and the St Alban’s congregation; Exie and Jenna-Dell for their great help and support in organizing the special celebration for Tony. There was such an overwhelming outpouring of sympathy and support that we are unable to list everyone, but please know that you are in our thoughts and we want to say a huge THANK YOU! CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Burglar caught red-handed on Skype Zika suspected in three Cayman residents, one visitor At least three had recently traveled to areas with Zika CHARLES DUNCAN cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Public Health Depart- ment is awaiting test results for three Cayman residents and one visitor after they presented symptoms consis- tent with the Zika virus. A press release from the Public Health Department on Thursday said three of the four people had traveled to areas with known Zika outbreaks. The department sent blood samples from the four people to the Caribbean Public Health Agency, known as CARPHA, in Trinidad on Wednesday to test for Zika. The results are expected to be known in about a week, officials said. Dr. Samuel Williams-Ro- driguez, acting medical officer of health for the Health Ser- vices Authority, said the de- partment has been in touch with the regional agency and that the CARPHA laboratory will prioritize testing the samples from Cayman. “These patients have signs and symptoms sug- gestive of Zika virus infec- tion,” Dr. Williams-Rodriguez said by email. He said he released the in- formation before getting the final test results because “Our intention is to provide reg- ular updates to the Ministry of Health and the public.” The four are also being tested for chikungunya and dengue, which have similar symptoms and are carried by the same mosquito. The mosquito-borne Zika virus has swept across the Americas over the past year, with local transmis- sions of the virus con- firmed in dozens of countries across South and Central America and the Caribbean. The World Health Orga- nization declared a global health emergency as scien- tists linked Zika to birth de- fects and neurological disor- ders. Public health officials found that Zika caused a spike in cases of microcephaly, a se- vere birth defect, in babies born to infected mothers. Most people never show symptoms when infected with the virus, but about 20 percent of those infected could have a fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. Zika is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, a black mosquito with white bands that breeds in standing fresh water around homes and urban areas. Dr. Williams-Rodriguez said the Mosquito Research and Control Unit knows the possible places where mos- quitoes could have come in contact with the sus- pected Zika patients and are spraying in those areas. “Regardless of the out- come, the public is being re- minded to employ protective measures against mosquito bites locally or during their travels. Use mosquito repel- lents containing DEET on skin and clothing, and when outdoors during times that mosquitoes are biting, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into socks,” Dr. Williams-Rodriguez said. In a statement, Premier and Health Minister Alden McLaughlin said, “The Gov- ernment has been closely monitoring this situation as its incidence has continued to increase across the region.” He noted, “I assure all res- idents that the Department of Public Health and the Mos- quito Research and Control Unit are working together, keeping a close watch, and have increased their vigilance and mosquito control efforts to minimize the population of the vector mosquito.” The Aedes aegypti mos- quitoes prefer to live around homes and urban areas, using anything that can hold standing fresh water to breed. Common breeding sites for the mosquitoes in- clude old tires, clogged gut- ters, plant dishes and any- thing that can hold rainwater. “People can greatly as- sist in reducing the local Aedes aegypti population by clearing their yards of containers that can hold water, as these are favorite breeding sites for this mos- quito,” MRCU Director Bill Petrie said. The magistrate pointed out that residential burglaries are so serious that the new starting point for sentences is five years. A medical researcher prepares tests for various diseases including Zika. Samples from Cayman have been sent to a laboratory in Trinidad for testing. – PHOTO: APThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016 out an environmental im- pact assessment would have impacted the viability of the development. “I suspect it would have de- layed things to the point where the money might not have waited for us. It could possibly have killed the whole project,” he said. The Central Planning Authority heard representa- tion Wednesday from the de- veloper, as well as from the National Conservation Council and other objectors. In its appraisal of the ap- plication, the Department of Environment wrote that the 534-acre site, next to the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, the hub of the blue iguana recovery program, is largely made up of “pris- tine undisturbed habitat,” in- cluding mangroves and wood- land supporting a diverse range of different species. Ironwood ultimately plans a hotel, retirement homes and a town center in the area and is in discussions with govern- ment about an extension to the East-West Arterial Highway to provide speedy access from George Town. Given the likely breadth of the project, the De- partment of Environment sug- gested in its analysis that a Planned Area Development application be submitted along with an environmental impact assessment. It said such an assess- ment would help “ensure that the development pro- posals are appropriate, neces- sary, economically viable, sus- tainable and based on sound planning principles.” The department also highlighted concerns that ex- cavation work could take place without any guarantee that the project would come to fruition. It suggested that if the plan were approved, the developer should be required to put up a performance bond, saying government had no other mechanism to seek compensation if the develop- ment was “rendered unviable during the lifetime of the con- struction of the golf course.” Mr. McVey said construc- tion would begin in October, with the aim of completion within two years. He said the developer would work with the Depart- ment of Environment and the National Trust and had en- gaged its own environmental engineering consultant to minimize the impact. He acknowledged there would be significant re- shaping of the land, in- cluding blasting new lakes. “We are going to remove some trees and reshape the land,” he said. “Obviously, in two years it won’t look like it does now. To my mind, it is an improvement, but other people look at it differently and that’s fine.” He said the course would be designed around the nat- ural attributes of the site. Mr. McVey said the en- vironmental impact assess- ment process, as currently designed, is not clear enough for developers. “People use the word EIA and wave it round like a big stick, but they don’t know how much it is going to cost, how long it is going to take. It is problematic. If it was better designed as to the pro- cess, it might not be such an issue,” he said. Ironwood developer David Moffitt said in a press state- ment Thursday that he was pleased to get planning ap- proval. “We have been working diligently with the commu- nity, the National Trust, gov- ernment, and first-rate local and international companies over the last several years to get this project off the ground and are delighted that the real work is about to begin. We are on the road to making the Ironwood dream a reality.” He said Ironwood has al- ready shown its desire to work with its neighbors and con- sider environmental concerns by creating a buffer between the site and the Botanic Park and agreeing to change the route of a proposed road ex- tension after learning of con- cerns from the National Trust. Government and Iron- wood have still not agreed a deal for the long-discussed plan to extend the East-West Arterial Highway by 10 miles to create easier access to the development. If an agreement cannot be reached, Ironwood still plans to go ahead with the golf course but will get a package of duty concessions from government. If an agree- ment is reached for the road, then Ironwood will forgo those concessions. Bullets found in baggage no joke for ‘Cowboy Comedian’ No conviction recorded; $1,000 costs imposed CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A cruise ship comedian who planned to meet his ship in Cayman last Thursday spent the weekend on is- land instead after security guards found eight bullets in his baggage. James Alan Gleason, 47, known as the “Cowboy Co- median,” appeared in Sum- mary Court on Monday, when he pleaded guilty to importing eight rounds of .40 ammunition. Crown counsel Scott Wainwright said secu- rity officers from the Car- nival Breeze were at the George Town port terminal when Gleason attempted to board the vessel on June 16 around 2:35 p.m. When one of his bags passed through security, a guard immediately spotted the bullets. Gleason was ar- rested and interviewed at the new police detention facility. He explained that he was employed as a comedian by Carnival Cruise Lines and had flown into Cayman in- tending to join the Carnival Breeze here. After Cayman, the ship was to continue to Cozumel and Texas. Gleason accepted that he had the ammunition inadver- tently. The holder of a firearm license in his home state of Georgia, he had visited a fire- arms range some days be- fore and he had used the same bag. Defense attorney Prathna Bodden said Gleason was a comedian who had been in and out of the Cayman Is- lands on several occasions. After his arrest, he spent the day in custody and his wife flew in to give him sup- port. He had missed out on work aboard the cruise ship this trip and would pos- sibly miss the next trip, so he was suffering a huge financial loss. Ms. Bodden noted that apparently no checks were made of his luggage in the U.S. Gleason apologized for the inconvenience he had caused, Ms. Bodden said. She asked that no conviction be re- corded because he traveled all over the world performing for large crowds. Thanking Gleason for his guilty plea, Magistrate Valdis Foldats said, “We get these cases with some fre- quency and almost all are from America.” In almost all cases, the de- fendant had a firearm license in his or her home state and had brought the bullets into Cayman inadvertently. The solution could be as simple as, “Just use lug- gage that has never seen a firearm,” he said. He hoped the mes- sage would get out to other travelers. The magistrate agreed that no conviction need be recorded, but there were costs involved in the pros- ecution of the offense. He ordered Gleason to pay costs of $1,000. Ms. Bodden said he had already paid $1,500 as surety for his bail, so the costs could be taken from that amount. James Gleason, the ‘Cowboy Comedian,’ was fined $1,000 for bringing bullets into Cayman. “We get these cases with some frequency and almost all are from America.” VALDIS FOLDATS, magistrate Golf course approved despite calls for environmental study A computer-generated image of the planned Ironwood golf course. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Jerry Frazier of the National Trust’s Historic Programme surveys a ‘slave wall’ on the proposed golf course site, which the developer says will be retained.Next >