ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY JULY 11, 2016 High of 91 Low of 78 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. ABCDE NATIONAL WEEKLY Politics Clinton, Trump woo workers 4 Nation Schools are failing lead tests 8 Technology This robot is chilling — literally 17 MEET THE NEW CHIEF OF STAFF As start-ups mature, a quintessential Washington institution is taking hold in Silicon Valley PAGE 12 Finance Learn how the rich invest 23 THE WEEK OF SUNDAY, JULY 10, 2016 . IN COLLABORA TION WITH THE WASHINGTON POST Meet the new Chief of Staff EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 GOVERNMENT’S GROWTH EXPLOSION SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA COMPROMISE SEEKS TO MOVE VENDORS OFF BEACHFRONT BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Some vendors will be allowed to continue operating in the Seven Mile Beach area, but only in designated spaces that are kept back from the waterfront, under a compromise being worked out with Cayman Islands gov- ernment officials. Last week, the dozens of beach chair, Jet Ski and flotation-device renters, along with those selling snacks and trinkets, were given a month’s reprieve from being fined by the government Department of Commerce and Investment. The vendors were warned twice between May and June about their unli- censed activity along Grand Cayman’s most famous stretch of beach and told they would face fines and court action this month if they did not move. The vendors remained in spite of the warn- ings and the Ministry of Tourism indicated in June that it would seek to work out a compro- mise with the sellers, all of whom were oper- ating without trade and business licenses or permission from Cabinet to conduct business on public land. Tourism Ministry Councilor, George Town MLA Joey Hew said Friday that government was working out plans to allow the vendors to become licensed to operate in “craft market” or “vendor areas” that would be defined at a later date. “We’re hoping to create a vendor area, not on the beach, but on the property so the beach cabanas can be used by the public, and vis- itors and residents won’t feel harassed,” Mr. Hew said. “The idea is not to crowd the beach.” Numerous complaints have been received Invasive green iguanas could be targeted for food New recipe for success in iguana control efforts? JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Putting green iguanas on res- taurant menus could be part of the long-term strategy for controlling the exploding population of the in- vasive species, according to chefs and environment officials. More than 14,000 green iguanas were culled by hunters during a week-long trial last month. Depart- ment of Environment officers are analyzing the findings from that study in an effort to formulate a long-term strategy for radically re- ducing numbers. Fred Burton, the head of the Na- tional Conservation Council’s inva- sive species committee, said there is potential for iguanas to be targeted as a food source in the long term, assuming the processes meet food inspection standards. He said culling for food has helped make an impact on efforts to control lionfish populations, another invasive species that threatens the ecosystem of the Cayman Islands, and the same approach could work with iguanas. “I think it will catch on because the meat is quite varied. I can see a green iguana cookbook like we have the lionfish cookbook,” he said. If local diners do not have the stomach for iguanas, there is always the export market. They are widely hunted for food in Central America, to the extent where they are endan- gered in some countries. “There is definitely potential to ship it out to other countries where it is already a marketable food source,” said Mr. Burton. At Tukka restaurant in East End, owner Ron Hargrave serves kan- garoo and ostrich steaks to diners, as well as lionfish tacos. He believes green iguanas could be a harder sell, though he is inter- ested in giving it a try. “We have done well with the li- onfish,” he said. “Everyone likes to eat them. Eating a lizard could be a little more difficult. KELSEY JUKAM kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com Ahead of the release of genetically modified mosquitoes in West Bay, sched- uled to begin Thursday, the Mosquito Re- search and Control Unit and U.K. bio- tech firm Oxitec invited members of the media for an inside look of the new lab, where half a million male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are being bred. The tour was an opportunity to learn about the science behind the GM mosquitoes and discuss what MRCU director Bill Petrie described as “dan- gerous” misinformation about the project. The project aims to release sterile, non-biting male Aedes aegypti mosqui- toes to help fight the species that trans- mits diseases such as dengue, chikun- gunya and Zika. Public reaction MRCU and Oxitec officials said the public response to the project has been mostly positive, although there are many individuals in the Cayman Islands who have met the project with skepti- cism and have been lobbying against the planned release. Mr. Petrie said he has witnessed a lot of false information about the project being shared and discussed online. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Oxitec Project Manager Renaud Lacroix exhibits one of the pots that will be used to release genetically modified mosquitoes in West Bay beginning Thursday. Approximately 1,000 male mosquitoes will be released from each container. – PHOTO: MATT LAMERS PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » Inside the mosquito ‘factory’ PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY JULY 11, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. y x *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. - MONDAY - THE BFG 3D (PG) 1:00 I 4:00 2D I 7:00 I 9:50 2D THE SHALLOWS (PG13) 12:40 I 2:50 I 5:00 I 7:15 I 9:30 THE LEGEND OF TARZAN 3D (PG13) 1:10 I 3:45 2D I 7:10 I 9:45 2D CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE (PG13) 1:30 I 7:20 MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES (R) 12:45 I 3:20 I 7:30 I 10:00 THE CONJURING 2 (R) 4:00 I 9:50 FINDING DORY 3D (PG) 12:30 2D I 3:00 I 6:45 2D I 9:15 Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 640-FILM (640-3456) SATURDAY, JULY 16th,8PM Sponsored by: Sponsored by: SATURDAY, JUNE 18th 8PM Dr. Wayne R. Porter MD F.A.A.D. Dermatologist call : 946-9020 between 9am to 5pm Dees Plaza #282 on Crewe Road, GT He will be in office from July 11th - 15th, 2016 Direct vehicle fueling from tankers is occurring, unreg- ulated, at Cayman Islands homes, parking lots and along the side of the road, putting people obtaining the fuel and the general public in danger, the Petroleum Inspec- torate warned last week. “Fueling in unapproved locations is an inherently dangerous practice that puts lives, property and the envi- ronment at risk,” Chief Petro- leum Inspector Duke Munroe said, adding that the vehicles used in the roadside fueling – called road tank-wagons – are not fitted to handle fuel spills or fires. The trucks are typically licensed to provide gasoline and diesel only to indus- trial and retail petrol sta- tions which have storage tanks and protective mea- sures in place. Mobile fueling is allowed in designated lo- cations with proper warning signs, fire extinguishers and other safety devices and pro- cedures in place. “Gasoline is extremely hazardous,” Mr. Munroe said. “If not handled prop- erly in a controlled and regu- lated area, the consequences can be dire.” Fueling vehicles from road tank-wagons is allowed at commercial, industrial sites or government-approved lo- cations, and usually only in relation to the business being carried on there, Mr. Munroe said. It is not done as a “public service.” Opera- tors performing on-site fu- eling must comply with local fire codes and other safety re- quirements regulated by the Petroleum Inspectorate. Illegal trailers Meanwhile, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Ser- vice is warning drivers about unlicensed trailers at- tached to the backs of trucks, which have caused several recent accidents. RCIPS Inspector Adrian Barnett said Friday that while all Cayman residents might not be aware of it, the Traffic Law requires all trailers to be registered, in- spected and licensed in the same way as cars and trucks. This licensing require- ment “has not been enforced consistently in the past,” Mr. Barnett said. “We have had a number of traffic operations in the last couple of weeks during which we have not issued tickets, but have been just talking to motorists instead, and informing them about the law. Very few, if any, of those we have stopped have registered or licensed their trailers.” Mr. Barnett said RCIPS would begin ticketing those unlicensed trailers in the coming weeks. Illegal refueling, dangerous trailers trouble Cayman roads Rate improves despite more crime reports BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service has “cleared up” an average of 45 percent of the criminal cases reported between 2011 and last year, figures revealed in the government’s 2015 statis- tical compendium show. The 45 percent case clear- ance rate is significantly lower than the rates local po- lice reported between 2006- 2009 – which averaged about 60 percent – but it is an im- provement on the year 2010, when just 30 percent cases reported were cleared. Clearance, in policing terms, means a criminal case was either brought to court with charges filed or that police found insufficient evidence that a crime was committed following an in- vestigation. The rates do not indicate the conviction rate for any crime. In 2015, 3,685 crimes were reported and 1,775 were cleared “by year end,” ac- cording to the statistics, re- sulting in a 48 percent case clearance rate for the year. The statistics only show the cases that were cleared up by the end of the same year. It is possible that other cases may be cleared in sub- sequent years, so the number of investigations the RCIPS completed may be substan- tially higher than what is ini- tially stated in the report. In 2014, with nearly 4,000 crimes reported, a total of 1,781 cases were cleared up by year’s end, a 45 percent clearance rate. Clearance rates also vary drastically for different types of crime. For instance, burglary has a typ- ically low rate – averaging about 25 percent between 2013 and 2015, according to the figures. Other crimes, like common assault or drugs offenses recorded a much higher clearance rate, year- to-year. For instance, police reported clearing 81 percent of the drugs-related offenses reported during 2015, and 54 percent of those reported during 2014. The records also show that the number of crimes being recorded and investi- gated by the police has sub- stantially increased over the past five years. In 2011, statistics show 3,000 crimes were reported to the RCIPS. That number, by 2014 had increased to 3,948 – about 31 percent. In 2015, the reports tapered off slightly to 3,685 crimes re- ported for the year. Court cases Criminal cases before the Summary Court also in- creased substantially during the same five year period. Government statistics showed 1,641 criminal cases before the lower court during 2015, compared to 1,290 in 2011, a 27 percent increase. The Summary Court saw more criminal cases last year than it has seen at any time in the past decade, the records show. The number of juvenile court cases, involving those between the ages of 11-17, saw a sharp spike during 2015. There were 63 cases before the court involving juveniles last year, compared to just 33 in 2014 and 23 in 2013. Despite concerns about prison over- crowding in recent months, statistics showed the average daily prison population in the Cayman Islands had de- creased from five years ago. In 2011, Northward and Fairbanks prisons together averaged 215 inmates. Last year, the average population was 190 inmates. Police ‘clear’ 45% of criminal cases on average The 45 percent clearance rate between 2011-2015 is down from the 60 percent rate recorded between 2006-2009. Car goes over wall into sea BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A Nissan sedan ended up in the sea along the George Town waterfront early Saturday after its driver lost control and went over the seawall just north of the Royal Watler port terminal. The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service re- ported that a 41-year- old male driver and his 43-year-old passenger went into the water just after 6:30 a.m. Saturday along North Church Street, clipping a palm tree before driving over the wall. Nei- ther person was hurt. The vehicle had to be pulled from water with a crane later in the morning. Local resident David Cooke, who was out riding his racing bicycle Saturday morning, arrived shortly after the incident occurred. “The car definitely went over the wall,” Mr. Cooke said. “[The road] was a bit wet there. I guess he just lost control going around the bend.” The RCIPS was still investigating the accident as of press time Sunday. A Nissan sedan had to be pulled from the sea along the George Town waterfront Saturday morning. – PHOTO: DAVID COOKE In 2015, 3,685 crimes were reported and 1,775 were cleared “by year end,” according to the statistics.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 11, 2016 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. MONDAY JULY 11, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Our country faces a number of problems with “out- of-control populations”: in the sea – lionfish; in the trees – green iguanas; on the streets – roaming dogs; and within the halls of the Cayman Islands government – public servants. As we reported in Friday’s Cayman Compass, from 2014 to 2015, the number of full-time public sector employees grew from 5,910 to 6,342 (an increase of about 7 percent). Nearly all of that expansion, however, was not in “central government” – the various ministries, portfolios and departments under the direct control of Cabinet – but in statutory authorities or government-owned compa- nies, which operate according to their own sets of rules. From 2014 to 2015, there was practically no growth in central government. Meanwhile, in the statutory authorities and companies, employment grew from 2,331 workers to 2,751 (a mind-boggling increase of 18 percent). When queried about the figures, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson said his responsibility is limited to central government. In brief, it’s not a problem he can solve. That, at root, is what’s fundamentally wrong with Cayman’s statutory authorities and “government compa- nies.” These entities blur the line between the public and private sectors, combining the worst of both. The product is entities that have access to the bot- tomless public purse, but no accountability to either the electorate or market forces. Politically, elected lawmakers have every reason to allow the authorities and companies to increase their payrolls (employed voters are happy voters; the more people dependent on the government, the better) and no reason not to – after all, they can always reference the “independent” nature of the entities. But our eyes are too quick for that sleight of hand. Be it ministries, portfolios, departments, units, authorities or companies – the public sector is the public sector. The source of funding is the same: taxpayers. (You can take a dog, and call it a cat. But don’t be shocked or surprised when it barks and wags its tail.) The basic paradigm of public sector employment – with authorities and companies growing far faster than central government – has been in place since 2001, when central government spun off its first quasi-public-private entity, the Health Services Authority. Over the past 15 years, central government employment has grown by 16 percent, while employment in the various authorities and companies has grown by 194 percent. Overall public sector employment has increased by 57 percent. For purposes of establishing a benchmark, Cayman’s population from 2001 to 2015 has increased by 44 percent – meaning, growth in the public sector has outpaced growth in the population it’s supposed to serve. Far more so than the number of individual public sector employees, our concern is what those employees represent – costs. It’s elementary arithmetic: Additional personnel equals additional costs. As a party, the Progressives have a history of increasing both sides of that equation. During the first PPM administration from 2005 to 2009, central govern- ment employment increased by 16 percent, in addition to the exploding size of the authorities and companies. At the same time, the PPM maxed out the government credit cards on monuments such as Clifton Hunter High School and the Government Administration Building, as well as the IOUs they left on road projects. And now, as the numbers show, for all their talk of budget restraint and good governance, the Progressives are at it again. A characteristic of public sector employment is that, once you hire the number of civil servants needed to deliver the necessary services, then each extra hire con- stitutes a net negative to the country’s bottom line. With 6,342 employees now running the public sector for an island of 60,000 people, Cayman doesn’t need one single additional public servant. Quite the opposite. Cayman needs to dissolve the public sector blockages holding back business, economic growth and private sector employment in this country. The clogged arteries of our overpopulated gov- ernment sector would benefit enormously from the bureaucratic equivalent of Liquid-Plumr. Preferably Industrial Strength. Government’s growth explosion Comey: A theory WASHINGTON – Why did he do it? FBI director James Comey spent 14 minutes laying out an unassailable case for pros- ecuting Hillary Clinton for the mishandling of classified material. Then at literally the last minute, he recommended against prosecution. This is baffling. Under the statute (18 U.S.C. section 793(f)), it’s a felony to mis- handle classified informa- tion either intentionally or “through gross negligence.” The evidence, as outlined by Comey, is overwhelming. Clinton either sent or received 110 emails in 52 chains containing material that was classified at the time. Eight of these chains contained information that was top secret. A few of the classified emails were so marked, contrary to Clin- ton’s assertion that there were none. These were stored on a home server that was even less secure than a normal Gmail account. Her commu- nications were quite pos- sibly compromised by hos- tile powers, thus jeopardizing American national security. “An unclassified system was no place for that con- versation,” said Comey of the classified emails. A rather kind euphemism, using the passive voice. In plainer, more direct language: It is imprudent, improper and in- deed illegal to be conducting such business on an unse- cured private server. Comey summed up Clin- ton’s behavior as “extremely careless.” How is that not gross negligence? Yet Comey let her off the hook, citing lack of intent. But negligence doesn’t re- quire intent. Compromising national secrets is such a grave offense that it requires either intent or negligence. Lack of intent is, there- fore, no defense. But one can question that claim as well. Yes, it is safe to assume that there was no malicious in- tent to injure the nation. But Clinton clearly intended to set up an unsecured private server. She clearly intended to send those classified emails. She clearly received warnings from her own department about the dangers of using a private email account. She meant to do what she did. And she did it. Intentionally. That’s two grounds for prosecution, one requiring no intent whatsoever. Yet Comey claims that no reason- able prosecutor would bring such a case. Nor has one ever been brought. Not so. Just last year, the Justice Department success- fully prosecuted naval re- servist Bryan Nishimura, who improperly down- loaded classified material to his personal, unclassified electronic devices. The government admitted that there was no evidence that Nishimura intended to distribute the material to others. Nonetheless, he was sentenced to two years of probation, fined and forever prohibited from seeking a se- curity clearance, which ef- fectively kills any chance of working in national security. So why not Hillary Clinton? The usual answer is that the Clintons are treated by a different standard. Only little people pay. They are too well connected, too well pro- tected to be treated like ev- erybody else. Alternatively, the expla- nation lies with Comey: He gave in to implicit political pressure, the desire to please those in power. Certainly plausible, but given Comey’s reputation for probity and given that he holds a 10-year appoint- ment, I’d suggest a third line of reasoning. When Chief Justice John Roberts used a tortured, logic-defying argument to uphold Obamacare, he was subjected to similar accusa- tions of bad faith. My view was that, as guardian of the Supreme Court’s public standing, he thought the issue too momentous – and the im- plications for the country too large – to hinge on a decision of the court. Especially after Bush v. Gore, Roberts wanted to keep the court from over- turning the political branches on so monumental a piece of social legislation. I would suggest that Com- ey’s thinking, whether con- scious or not, was similar: He did not want the FBI di- rector to end up as the ar- biter of the 2016 presidential election. If Clinton were not a presumptive presidential nominee but simply a retired secretary of state, he might well have made a different recommendation. Prosecuting under current circumstances would have upended and redirected an al- ready year-long presidential selection process. In my view, Comey didn’t want to be re- membered as the man who ir- reversibly altered the course of American political history. And with no guarantee that the prosecution would succeed, moreover. Imagine that scenario: You knock out of the race the most likely next president – and she ul- timately gets acquitted! Imagine how Comey goes down in history under those circumstances. I admit I’m giving Comey the benefit of the doubt. But the best way I can reconcile his reputation for integrity with the grating illogic of his Clinton decision is by pre- suming that he didn’t want to make history. I don’t endorse his deci- sion. (Nor did I Roberts’.) But I think I understand it. Charles Krauthammer’s email address is letters@charleskrauthammer.com. © 2016, The Washington Post Writers Group Charles KrauthammerKrauthammer FBI Director James Comey. – PHOTO: ANDREW HARRAR/BLOOMBERG 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”5 LOCAL NEWS Housing & utilities $9,359 Clothing & footwear $957 Health $602 Communication $1,125 Miscellaneous goods & services $2,786 Transport $4,657 Education $1,098 Restaurants & hotels $2,400 Recreation & culture $1,694 Food & non-alcoholic beverages $1,900 Alcohol & tobacco $642 Household furnishings, maintenance $1,190 DATA: ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS OFFICE’S ANNUAL ECONOMIC REPORT Average spending for a person living in Cayman in 2015 Total: $28,411 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 11, 2016 Please join us for the Campaign Offi ce GRAND OPENING 71 Crown Plaza (Formerly Trinity Square ) Unit #6 - Ground Floor Food, drinks, & music will be provided Entertainment: MC Host for the night, Quincy Brown Speech from Mr. Bryan You’re invited. Starts at 7:00pm THURSDAY JULY 14, 2016 Speech from Mr. Bryan Mixed results in new economic reports show slowing growth CHARLES DUNCAN cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com Gross domestic product grew 2 percent last year, slower than 2014’s 2.4 per- cent growth, according to the Economics and Statistics Of- fice’s annual economic report. Growth in construction, real estate, financial services and government continued to be Cayman’s economic drivers. A separate report on Cay- man’s household spending, released Wednesday, esti- mates overall spending for 2015 to be almost $1.7 bil- lion, up from close to $1.25 billion in 2007, when the last Household Budget Survey was conducted. Average spending for people living in Cayman, ac- cording to the survey, was $28,411 per person for the year. The survey shows wide disparities in spending, with the lowest 20 percent spending about $9,500 for the year, and the highest 20 percent spending more than $73,500. Finance and Economic De- velopment Minister Marco Archer, in a statement, attrib- uted the more than 36 per- cent growth in spending to increases in population and in spending per person. “The variation in consump- tion expenditures growth re- sulted to significant changes in the spending pattern of the average resident in the Cayman Islands between 2007 and 2015,” he said. Economic measures The annual ESO report on Cayman’s economic activity notes that Cayman’s GDP growth, a core measurement of an economy’s health, slowed in line with global trends. In a separate statement, Minister Archer said, “Despite challenges from the global economy, I am pleased that the combined performance of all our productive sectors achieved a growth rate that is higher than expected.” The report gives a hopeful note for 2016. “GDP is projected to grow in 2016 by 2.1 percent, given an expected recovery in tourism-related services, stable growth in financing and insurance and growth in construction associated with private and public sector projects,” the ESO states. Cayman’s core industries, tourism and financial ser- vices, showed mixed results over the year. “The financial services in- dustry continued to exhibit mixed performance,” the re- port notes. Registrations of new companies and partner- ships grew, but the sector de- clined in mutual fund regis- trations, insurance licenses, stock exchange listings, and banks and trusts. In tourism, total visitors to Cayman grew 5.5 per- cent last year to 2.1 million for both cruise visitors and stay-over tourists. According to the report and Depart- ment of Tourism data, the number of tourists coming off cruise ships increased by more than 6 percent, but growth in air arrivals slowed to less than 1 percent. Be- tween 2010 and 2014, air ar- rivals grew at an average of more than 7 percent. The construction and real estate sectors showed posi- tive movement last year. The value of planning approvals went up by more than 11 per- cent to almost $460 million. Property transfers grew al- most 9 percent to more than $610 million, many of which were along Seven Mile Beach. The value of building per- mits issued in 2015 declined sharply from the previous year, but the ESO notes that 2014 was an unusually high year for building permit value because of the permit for Kimpton hotel construction. How Cayman spends money The Household Budget Survey, released this week with the annual economic report, details the ESO es- timates on how people in Cayman spend their money. According to the ESO, housing and utilities account for the biggest expense for households, averaging about a third of people’s spending last year. The last similar survey found that people spent almost 40 percent of their expenses on housing. People spent more on al- cohol and tobacco in 2015 than they did in 2007, an average of $642 per person. That’s an almost 300-percent jump. Spending on transpor- tation grew by more than 125 percent between 2007 and 2015. Restaurant and hotel spending by people in Cayman also grew signifi- cantly, by almost 140 percent. Households spent $1.7 billion in 2015 The annual ESO report on Cayman’s economic activity notes that Cayman’s GDP growth … slowed in line with global trends.MONDAY JULY 11, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS 6 DISTRICT DAYS District Days George Town 50 YEARS AGO: Shoppers head to Miami for wedding supplies In the July 13, 1966 edition of the Caymanian Weekly, a pre- cursor of the Cayman Compass, George Town correspondent Frances Bodden wrote: “Welcome to Lavonida Marri- etta Conolly, second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walsham Conolly, who was born at the George Town Hospital on June 29, weight 7 and a half pounds. “Arrivals from Jamaica on the 7th were Mrs. Bernard St. Aubyn, Mr. Carl Rattray, Mr. Stack, Mr. John Elliott and Mr. Denley Stewart. “Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Wight of Guyana arrived on the 7th from England for a two week visit with their son Mr. Derek Wight and family. “This visit has been long an- ticipated and it is hoped that it will be most happy. “Mr. and Mrs. Val Anderson are happy to have their two little girls, Annie Mae and Sharon, back home from school for their summer holidays. Also Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Thompson of South Sound, whose only son Alfred has arrived home for his summer holidays. “We are happy to have Mrs. Carolyn Thompson of Crewe Road back home again and looking so well. “Mr. and Mrs. Minard Foster returned from Jamaica after a restful holiday with relatives. “Mr. Neville Ebanks spent a few days home with his wife and returned to his job on the 9th. “Mr. Attlee Bodden and his sister Maxine returned on the 7th from their exciting holiday trip to the United States. “Mr. Robert DaCosta of Sa- vannah arrived on the 9th. “Messrs. Bill McTaggart, Rex Crighton and Lindberg Eden have all gone to Jamaica on business. “Misses Iva Johnson and Effie Panton had a three day visit to Miami to buy the necessary ac- cessories for Effie’s forthcoming wedding in August. They had a busy but profitable time. “Mrs. Teppo Turen and her daughter Rita are on a week’s visit to Miami to buy Rita’s wedding things for her big day in August. We look forward to these August weddings. “Mr. Gifford Anderson of Phil- adelphia who has been away in the U.S. for some 47 years ar- rived home, unexpectedly, on the 7th. He is certain to see many changes since that time. Mr. Anderson is a brother of Mrs. Louise Llewellyn and Mr. Harry Anderson.” Local artists featured in new exhibition The temporary exhibition, “A Legacy of Light” opened to members June 30, and runs through Sept. 16 The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) welcomed members and guests to a cocktail recep- tion of the latest exhibition, “A Legacy Of Light – Early Watercolours From The Na- tional Collection.” The exhibition boasts rarely seen watercolors from the collections of the Cayman Islands Na- tional Museum and the National Gallery. Artists including Debbie Chase van der Bol and Janet Walker were in at- tendance, as well as family members of the late Ray McLaughlin. “Watercolor is a me- dium that has become synonymous with the early development of the visual arts in the Cayman Islands,” NGCI Director and Curator Natalie Urquhart explained. “As an art form capable of producing an astonishing variety of effects, from subtle atmospheric washes to brilliant tropical hues, it is perfectly suited to cap- turing the light and pal- ette of the Caymanian land- scape. The exhibition not only celebrates our unique natural environment but also pays homage to our vi- brant cultural heritage.” Guests enjoyed cock- tails, live classical music and great conversations with members and gallery curators. The temporary exhibi- tion, “A Legacy of Light” opened to members June 30. The show is open to the public until Sept. 16. Admission is free. Featured artists include: Moira Abbott, Maureen An- dersen, Earl Barlow, Lois Brezinski, Debbie Chase van der Bol, Shirley Garvin, A. George, Lorna Griggs, Ray McLaughlin, Joanne Sibley, Jeremy Sibley and Janet Walker. For more information on the National Gallery, email info@nationalgallery. org.ky or call the Gallery on (345) 945-8111. “Watercolor is a medium that has become synonymous with the early development of the visual arts in the Cayman Islands.” NATALIE URQUHART, NGCI director and Curator Friends and family gath- ered at Cayman Prep and High School to recognize the 56 members of the gradu- ating class of 2016. At the event, Emilie Edg- ington, Eden Bowyer and Gweneth Stabler, who all won prizes for their significant contribution to the cultural life of the school, sang “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars at the ceremony held on June 29. Numerous awards were presented at the ceremony to the top students in indi- vidual subjects, as well as for achievement and excel- lence in other areas including sports and school spirit. The top student was Anja Van Genderen who came away with eight sub- ject awards, the Dart Award for Excellence in STEM as well as the Ernst & Young Achievement Award. The event was also a goodbye to principal Sheila Purdom, who is retiring. Prep principal says goodbye at graduation From left, National Gallery director and exhibition curator Natalie Urquhart, exhibiting artist Janet Walker, Pete van der Bol, and exhibiting artist Debbie Chase van der Bol. From left, Gallery director Natalie Urquhart with Michael McLaughlin, Nathan McLaughlin, and Heather McLaughlin, wife of the late Ray McLaughlin, whose work is on show in the exhibition. Emilie Edgington, Eden Bowyer and Gweneth Stabler sing ‘Count on Me’ at the Cayman Prep and High School graduation on June 29. – PHOTO: ELPHINA JONESCAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 11, 2016 7 DISTRICT DAYS District Days George Town Baking up summer delights JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Aspiring young pastry chefs re- cently had the chance to gain some hands-on experience in the kitchen at a specialty camp. Organized by the Youth Services Unit, the Baking 202 culinary camp was de- signed to make baking fun and creative, and ran from July 5-8 at the John Gray High School food and nutrition room. To start things off, Antoinette Parris- Hoyte, a food and nutrition teacher at Clifton Hunter High School and the culinary camp coordinator, gave a brief introduction to the 15 boys and girls aged 13-16 attending the class on baking practices. She noted the camp’s aim was to get kids involved in the culinary arts, and to help them establish a foundation in not only baking, but also marketing, in the event they one day wanted to start their own pastry businesses. But mostly it was about having fun in the kitchen. Using a fully equipped kitchen, Kimpton Seafire Resort pastry intern Leslie Anderson taught the children how to keep a clean workspace, and bake some delicious cakes, following recipes and carefully measuring ingredients. On the first day of baking camp, the children learned how to make vanilla cakes with a filling made with fresh blueberries, sugar and cornstarch. The teens also learned kitchen secrets, like how to use cornstarch to thicken the fruit spread for layering the cakes. Working in pairs, the teens pre- pared the cake mixture and took turns scooping it into baking pans before placing them in the pre-heated ovens. Then it was time for Ms. Anderson to instruct the students on how to cut the top from the cake, spread the fruit filling and create layers. Kids were also taught how to keep their workplaces and utensils clean. Jhanae Stewart, who has been enrolled in the culinary camp since its inception, said she found the baking camp educational. “I got to learn different methods of cooking, it is also essential for youths like me to learn the kitchen because in the long run it can actually ben- efit us,” she said. Rotary Sunrise again sponsored the summer camp, which is open to teens across Grand Cayman. Using a fully equipped kitchen, Kimpton Seafire Resort pastry intern Leslie Anderson taught the children how to keep a clean work space, and bake some delicious cakes, following recipes and carefully measuring ingredients. Kayshena Powell cleans her work space. Leslie Anderson puts blended strawberries into a pot. Campers watch Leslie Anderson, Kimpton Seafire Resort pastry intern, spread strawberry filling on a cake. Former student offers inspiration Former George Town Pri- mary School student Ruth Harris paid an inspiring visit to the Year 6 class at her former school on Thursday, June 30. Ruth offered the class some well-received and practical tips on how to nav- igate their way through the complexities of high school, covering topics such as bul- lying, and leaving the stu- dents feeling inspired. At age 14, Ruth just grad- uated with a record cumula- tive GPA of 4.26 from St. Ig- natius Catholic High School, and plans to continue at St. Ignatius to pursue A Levels in physics, chemistry, mathematics and music. The only Honour student in the 2016 class to graduate with distinction, she received 11 awards. Miss Harris was also recognized by the Chamber of Commerce as Student of the Year, received The Ernst & Young Achieve- ment Award for Academic Excellence, the Dart Award for Excellence in STEM and the Lloyd Barker Pursuit of Excellence Award. In addition, she has been a member of many bands as well as the choir, and took joint second place in the 2016 Young Musician of the Year competition. Ruth Harris speaks to Year 6 students. It’s summer camp time at the Equestrian Center. For young horse lovers, it’s hard to beat a summer spent hanging out with horses. Campers take horse rides on the property or at the beach, and feed and care for other Equestrian Center residents, such as ponies, rabbits and goats. In between, there is time for games and crafts, like making ‘coconut-fish’ out of coconut and thatch, a bit of paint and a lot of fun. - PHOTO: GEORGE NOWAK Horsin’ aroundThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 MONDAY JULY 11, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS “Some of it is conspiracy theories, which are by and large quite ludicrous and ri- diculous – but some of them are quite dangerous, because this is a public health issue,” Mr. Petrie said. One such theory that has been making the rounds online, Mr. Petrie said, is that Zika is not a cause of birth defects. “That’s reprehensible,” Mr. Petrie said. “The [World Health Organization] have now confirmed – basically the scientific consensus is – that Zika is a cause of microcephaly and other birth defects.” Mr. Petrie said “some people seem to be insisting” that Zika is not a serious condition, and that the project to release GM mos- quitoes is an overreaction. However, Mr. Petrie said that Cayman’s acting med- ical officer of health, Dr. Samuel Williams-Rodriguez, has “stressed” that while Zika may not be as serious for most individuals as dis- eases like dengue and chi- kungunya, “the effects on the unborn child seem to have been forgotten.” Mr. Petrie said that an- other misconception about the project is that it “didn’t receive proper approval” and that there is “no legislation is governing this.” “That’s incorrect,” he said. “The National Conservation law here does cover geneti- cally modified organisms and in order to get our permits to do this project … we had to satisfy the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Environment and the Na- tional Conservation Council, as to all the details of the project, and then it was granted approval.” Inside the lab The GM mosquitoes are bred in a converted ship- ping container on the MRCU grounds. A containment area outside the door to the lab ensures that no mosquitoes accidently come in or out. Inside the lab, 15 racks – resembling sheet-pan racks one might see in a commer- cial kitchen – contain 20 trays each, with 10,000 mos- quito larvae swimming in each tray. The larvae, fed with fish food, are reared in the water-filled trays for eight days as they grow into pupae. At the pupal stage, the female Aedes aegypti mos- quitoes – which are larger than males – are sepa- rated from the males via a metal sieve. The females are frozen overnight to ensure that they are dead before they are discarded. Oxitec Project Man- ager Renaud Lacroix said “one female in every 3,000 males might get through” the sieve, and that scientists are constantly improving the separation method and that such numbers were marginal compared with the number of female Aedes aegypti in the wild. During a release in Panama in 2014, only one in 10,000 females managed to sneak in with the males. He added that Oxitec’s GM female mosquitoes do not live as long as their wild counterparts – dying after two to four days, as op- posed to one to two weeks – making it less likely that a rogue GM mosquito could bite someone with Zika and transmit it to another person, given the incuba- tion time for the disease in a mosquito is eight to 10 days. The male mosquitoes are reared in the lab for an ad- ditional few days until they reach adulthood, at which point they can be released into the environment. Mr. Lacroix also said the release “comprises 20 times more male [Aedes ae- gypti] mosquitoes than there are in the wild.” These male GM mos- quitoes contain a “self-lim- iting gene” that produces a protein that prevents the mosquito from reaching adulthood. When the males are released, they mate with wild female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are the carriers of disease. Their offspring inherit the “self- limiting gene” and die before reaching adulthood, thereby reducing the wild Aedes ae- gypti population. The GM mosquitoes also contain a marker gene that produces a protein that pro- duces a fluorescent light that can viewed under a micro- scope. Scientists can check how effective their male mosquitoes are at breeding with wild females by taking samples of mosquito eggs, collected from ovitraps, and looking for this fluorescence. The MRCU plans to re- lease the male mosquitoes later this week somewhere in the project’s 300-acre op- erational rollout area in West Bay between Water- course Road, Powell Smith Lane, Rev. Blackman Road and Hell Road. One hun- dred to 200 “pots,” each con- taining approximately 1,000 male mosquitoes, will be re- leased three times a week. The “pots,” which are small plastic canisters about six- inches in diameter are re- leased from a truck, through a fan, and disperse rapidly into the environment to seek out their female mates. The team Among those helping to breed and release the GM mosquitoes are a team of young Caymanians who have been hired to assist with the project. Giselle Johnson, a 23-year- old who is studying for a de- gree in nursing, and Hedia Groves, a 19-year-old who graduated from Cayman Prep and High School last year, are two of the young Cay- manians hired as project as- sistants to help with the breeding and release of the GM mosquitoes. During the tour, Mr. La- croix deferred to the young women as they explained as- pects of their jobs in the lab, where they help to breed and monitor the breeding rates of the GM mosquitoes. Ms. Groves said working on the project “has been a great opportunity” that has gotten her interested in pursuing a future career in science. Ms. Johnson and Ms. Groves also both happen to be residents of West Bay, where the nine-month project will take place. “Most of the responses we get are positive,” Ms. Johnson said, when asked how their neighbors respond when she describes her new job. “We just have a few that maybe don’t understand it … What I say to people, be- cause I live in West Bay, I have kids – I would never put my kids in danger just for a project or for money.” Inside the mosquito ‘factory’ Giselle Johnson works inside the lab. She and her colleagues have learned about hatching and calculating the hatch rate of the mosquitoes. - PHOTOS: MATT LAMERS Mosquito larvae swim in a tray at a lab in the Mosquito Research and Control Unit. The GM mosquitoes are bred in a converted shipping container on the MRCU grounds. A containment area outside the door to the lab ensures that no mosquitoes accidently come in or out. Hedia Groves, a 19-year-old who graduated from Cayman Prep and High School last year, is among the young Caymanians hired to assist in the project. by successive Cayman Is- lands government adminis- trations, dating back to 2011, regarding unlicensed vendors using the Public Beach area as well as, more recently, the West Bay Public Beach to sell things like coconuts or lo- cally made trinkets. Mr. Hew said, with the closure of West Bay Road through Public Beach, a significant area of land has opened up behind the main beachfront where the ven- dors might operate. The area to be used by West Bay Public Beach vendors was not certain, he said, because there is less space there. Any vendors who want to remain in the Seven Mile Beach or West Bay Public Beach area would have to apply for, and abide by, trade and business licenses. In addi- tion, any businesses carrying significant liability risk – such as Jet Ski operators, would need to be properly insured. All vendors who con- tinue to operate would have to comply with pension and healthcare requirements under the local law as well, he said. Some of the problems arising from the situation with the Seven Mile Beach vendors have highlighted a need to change local law re- garding vendors who operate on the streets and public parks, Mr. Hew said. The Progressives-led gov- ernment is expected to bring a Public Lands Law to the Legislative Assembly for ap- proval that will repeal and re- place the current Towns and Communities Law of 1995, and hopefully set clearer guidelines on how street vending is to be managed. “We want to try and avoid these things in the future,” Mr. Hew said. The Towns and Commu- nities Law, which sets out what ought not to be done along the public roadways, does address street vending to a certain extent, along with prohibiting issues such as “negligence or ill-usage in driving cattle,” “singing any profane, indecent or obscene song or ballad” and “wan- tonly disturbing any inhab- itant by pulling or ringing any doorbell,” among others. The legislation does pro- hibit selling anything in a “private piazza or public place” without the consent of the Crown or the private land owner. Compromise seeks to move vendors off beachfront CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 11, 2016 NOTICE OF SALE OF PRIVATE SECURITIES Notice is hereby given that the private company securities herein described will be offered for sale to the highest bidder at public sale to be conducted by Queensgate Bank and Trust Company Ltd. (“Queensgate”). Bids may be submitted during the period commencing at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the 13th day of July, 2016, and ending at 5 pm EST on the 27th day of July 2016, at the Queensgate offices, at Harbour Place, 103 S Church St, George Town KY1-1202, Cayman Islands by person, mail or email (asmith@queensgate.com.ky). The potential buyer must complete the transaction within five (5) days following the closing of the bid period. Securities sold will constitute the full ownership interest of Alien Holdings, Ltd., an Exempted Company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with Limited Liability with effect from the 2nd day of April 2014, filed as No. 00286669, with registered office at Maples Corporate Services Limited, PO Box 309, Ugland House, George Town KY1-1104, Cayman Islands. All persons interested are invited to attend said sale and bid for the securities intended to be sold. Additional information about the securities to be sold may be reviewed and inspected in advance at the Queensgate offices, subject to the inspecting party signing Seller’s non-disclosure agreement. Seller will make no representations or warranties regarding the securities sold, and it is the bidder’s responsibility to ensure compliance with any applicable securities laws. Any and all bids may be rejected or the securities withdrawn from sale by the Seller, or said sale may be postponed or continued until such time as the sale is confirmed by the Seller. The successful bidder shall pay for all recording fees, transfer fees and taxes connected with the transaction, if any. If you have further questions on the above, please contact Arin Smith, Legal Counsel, Queensgate Bank and Trust Company Ltd. (asmith@queensgate.com.ky; phone: 345-945-2187). ADVERTISEMENT Invasive green iguanas could be targeted for food Hunters, like Herman Myrie, culled more than 14,000 iguanas in a recent week-long trial. “I don’t know how it would be received. You can definitely eat them, that is not the issue. It is more the perception of how people would respond to it.” Mr. Hargrave said he tried iguana in Honduras and it tasted like a cross between crab and chicken. He said he would be interested in testing some iguana recipes to see the response. “If they are going to keep up the culling, it makes sense to do something with the iguanas. It could be some- thing that helps everyone. I’d be interested in seeing what the reaction is.” He said processing the meat for export to Central America, where iguanas are a common food source, is an- other viable option. Iguana hides are used in other parts of the world. At Justin Boots in Texas, a pair of iguana-skin boots retails for $389.95. U.S.-based Roje Ex- otics American Leathers processes hides of every- thing from lizards to eels and sharks, to provide skins for manufacturers of boots and handbags. A spokeswoman for the company told the Cayman Compass that the main dif- ficulty in producing good quality leather on island would be tanning. “Skins are easily ruined if they are not processed fast locally,” she said. The iguanas from last month’s cull went to the George Town landfill. Mr. Burton says the im- mediate priority must be to reduce the number of green iguanas. An estimated 500,000 green iguanas are in Grand Cayman, and at the current rate of growth, they are likely to cause massive ecosystem changes over the next few years. “Eating iguanas and mar- keting them as a food source is not going to work in terms of controlling the population at current levels,” Mr. Burton said, “but there is potential for hunting for food to help control numbers in future. “Right now, the priority has to be to bring the num- bers down radically. If we reduce the population sig- nificantly, and hunting for meat production does be- come more popular, then that could help prevent it from rebounding.” Thomas Tennant, a chef at the Brasserie, said iguanas are staple ingredients in peo- ple’s diet in many countries. He said it could be cooked in many ways but the best was to coat it in corn- meal, deep fry and toss in buffalo sauce. “It tastes like frog legs, except cleaner,” he said. Mr. Tennant, who helped put lionfish on menus in the Cayman Islands, said the same strategy could work for iguanas. “What made lionfish suc- cessful as an ingredient was that we heavily marketed it and we were dedicated to putting out this message that it was good for the environ- ment and delicious. Using Taste of Cayman as a plat- form, we were able to give samples, answer questions and push boundaries… “Green iguanas are de- structive to our Islands in many regards and the one formidable way I can make a difference is to inform guests and present a de- licious alternative. “The strategy can work, but it would be a bit more difficult than lionfish.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 A green iguana climbs down a tree in South Sound.- PHOTOS: MATT LAMERS Raul Castro says Venezuela’s crisis hurting island economy HAVANA (AP) – President Raul Castro acknowledged on Friday that the crisis in Vene- zuela, Cuba’s key ally and main trade partner, is having a neg- ative spillover effect on the is- land’s economy, days after officials began ordering en- ergy-saving measures for the coming months. According to a transcript of Castro’s speech to members of parliament posted by the of- ficial website Cubadebate, the Cuban leader said the economy grew just 1 percent in the first part of the year, half of what the government had planned for. The economic performance was “conditioned by the in- tensification of external finan- cial restrictions caused by the failure to meet (targets for) ex- port earnings, together with the limitations faced by some of our principal commercial partners due to the fall in oil prices,” Castro said. “To that you add a certain contraction in the fuel supplies agreed upon with Venezuela, despite the firm will of [Venezu- elan] President Nicolas Maduro and his government to fulfill them,” Castro added. “Logically that has caused additional tensions in the functioning of the Cuban economy.” Venezuela, which relies heavily on oil-export income, has been rocked by a deep- ening political and economic crisis with shortages of basic goods and rampant inflation. Although Castro mentioned the crisis in general terms in De- cember, it was the first time he referred to it specifically or said that Cuba is getting less fuel from the South American nation under preferential terms hammered out over a decade ago by then-presidents Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez.Next >