ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31, 2016 High of 90 Low of 80 Moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 CAYMAN’S GREAT IGUANA GLUT BUSINESS | PAGE 12 LACK OF CORRESPONDENT BANKING SEEN AS THREAT TO CARIBBEAN REGION Cayman Turtle Farm: Island Wildlife Encounter Discover the adventure at the Join us with our resident rates CI $10 Adults CI $ 4 Children 786 Northwest Point Road, West Bay, Grand Cayman info@turtle.ky | www.turtle.ky | +1 345 949 2894 +1 345 949 2894 / Cayman Turtle SECOND BATEMAN FIRM FACES LIQUIDATION, MILLIONS SOUGHT BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Court-appointed liquidators said Tuesday they are seeking to locate millions of dollars invested with a Cayman Islands-registered brokerage once run by a man who was de- clared a fugitive from the local justice system. The Cayman Islands Grand Court on Tuesday appointed Chris Johnson and Graham Robinson as joint provisional liquida- tors for Bateman & Company Ltd., the second firm formerly run under the group of compa- nies controlled by Canadian national Ryan Bateman to be wound up by court order. Another company operated within that group, B&C Capital Ltd., was also placed under Messrs. Johnson and Robinson’s direc- tion by the court earlier this year. Mr. Johnson said he was unaware at this stage how much money was held by the two firms, one of which was an investment brokerage and the other, which acted as a custodian for the brokerage, according to court records. “We just cannot gauge the amount we are TWO MORE ZIKA CASES CONFIRMED IN GEORGE TOWN Brings Cayman’s total cases to five CHARLES DUNCAN cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two more people, both of George Town, have tested positive for the Zika virus, ac- cording to the Public Health Department. There are now five confirmed cases of Zika in the Cayman Islands, all of which have been in George Town. Dr. Samuel Williams-Rodriguez, Cayman’s leading public health official, announced the two new cases Tuesday. He said the cases in- volve a man and a woman who live in dif- ferent parts of George Town; neither had trav- eled to other countries with Zika outbreaks. Of the five cases so far, three were from the central part of the capital and two were from George Town North. Dr. Williams-Rodri- guez has not given any more specifics about the locations. “There are no specific cluster(s) Officials: ‘No school paper shortage’ JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Government insists there is no shortage of basic resources like paper, printer toner and pencils in public schools. Christen Suckoo, chief officer in the Ministry of Education, said there are sufficient supplies for all schools and he was not sure why teachers and parents were reporting a shortage. “That is something that we are looking into, but there is no reason for that to be the case. We have the resources to fund paper and toner and those kind of things.” Minutes from a national parent forum held earlier this year indicate the “recurring issue” of a lack of paper was highlighted as cause for con- cern by some PTA represen- tatives. Several public school teachers have also reported is- sues with lack of paper and printer toner, saying they fre- quently provide their own. Education officials have pre- viously suggested schools have not followed the proper pro- cedures for requesting paper ahead of time, resulting in tem- porary shortages. Mr. Suckoo said he was looking into the issue, but in- sisted there was enough paper to go round. Meanwhile, students re- turning to school this week were asked to bring an extensive list of school supplies on their first day. Year 4 students at Bodden Town Primary School, for ex- ample, were issued a 22-point list of supplies, including 96 pencils, eight glue sticks, six whiteboard markers, six note- books, three Post-it pads and four hand sanitizers. Mr. Suckoo acknowledged the list seems extensive, but denied that parents were being asked to stock school cupboards. He said, “I can’t speak for that school, but we will have to ask and see if that is actually necessary.” A rare sight Lucy Collyer, an intern in the Department of Environment, displays green turtle hatchlings in Little Cayman. She came across a rare sight last week when all three species of sea turtles found in the Cayman Islands hatched on the same beach on the same night. For more, see Page 5. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 2 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »The islands’ most-trusted news source 2 WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31, 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. Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. - WEDNESDAY - MECHANIC RESURRECTION (R) 1:00 I 3:30 I 7:00 I 9:45 PETE’S DRAGON 3D (PG) 12:30 I 3:15 2D I 6:45 I 9:30 2D SUICIDE SQUAD 3D (PG13) 12:45 I 3:50 2D I 6:55 I 9:50 2D BEN-HUR (PG13) 12:20 I 6:30 HELL OR HIGH WATER (R) 1:30 I 4:15 I 7:30 I 10:05 JASON BOURNE (PG13) 12:50 I 3:40 I 6:50 I 9:40 SAUSAGE PARTY (R) 4:00 I 10:00 640-FILM (640-3456) #1 Alexander Place • Dorcy Drive, GT caymankarateacademy@gmail.com www.caymankarateacademy.com Telephone: 926-5425 Back to School SPECIAL 2 Week Trial Program Including Uniform $49 for He said parents are ex- pected to provide some basic items, but the min- istry has the resources to keep schools well stocked with supplies. He said many parents and local businesses want to help, and sometimes additional resources are pooled to provide for chil- dren who could not afford everything on the lists. “Some parents want to make their contribu- tion, so we develop a part- nership where some of the resources are provided by parents.” Mark Scotland, president of the Savannah Primary School PTA, said paper and other supply shortages had been raised as a concern during national PTA fo- rums by other schools. But he said it was not the key issue for his school, which raised a petition to high- light a lack of resources in the summer. He said additional teaching staff and text- books were key concerns for parents at the growing school. “I think the bigger issues [are] the higher level re- sources, the teaching staff and support staff.” He said the 50 new posts announced last week for the public school system are a step in the right direction. “I think that is a good start. I don’t think it is enough, but it is a step in the right direction. It is going to take a while for the posts to be filled and to see how they are distributed across the schools, but it is a good start.” Mr. Scotland said Sa- vannah Primary School has gone from being one of the smallest in the country to among the largest as the population of the district has grown. With that has come increasing demands on the school, and he is keen to see more resources go into the area. “I think, longer term, those are the bigger issues we have to deal with,” he said. Al Suckoo, an indepen- dent MLA for Bodden Town, said he had been inundated with calls from parents in the area over the summer for help with purchasing school supplies. He said, “There [have] always been requirements for children to provide cer- tain things, but it seems like that is growing and the amount the school is pro- viding is getting less.” He echoed Mr. Scotland’s concerns that the issues for primary schools in the Bodden Town area go be- yond basic resources like paper and pens. He said he was happy to see a commit- ment to fund 50 new posts across the school system. But he suggested this was a “knee jerk” response to pressure applied by him- self and other legislators in Finance Committee meet- ings, and he said he wanted to see a greater long-term commitment to filling re- source gaps highlighted in a series of school in- spection reports. MLA Mr. Suckoo has filed a private members’ motion for the next Legis- lative Assembly meeting, calling for a new primary school in Bodden Town as well as additional resources for the existing schools in the area. He said he is pressing ahead with the motion de- spite last week’s announce- ment that funding for new posts has been approved. “I’m happy to see that has been done, but I am not willing to just with- draw the motion. I still haven’t accomplished what I set out to accom- plish, which is to make it a number one priority. We may have addressed some immediate needs, but it is a knee-jerk reaction to the pressure applied. What I want to see is a strategy going forward to address the resource issues.” Chief Officer Christen Suckoo, who is the MLA’s brother, said the pair did not let their personal rela- tionship influence politics. “He’s his own man,” he said. The chief officer said he was very happy to get the additional resources and confident that the new positions would go a long way toward addressing the shortcomings highlighted in inspection reports. Officials: ‘No school paper shortage’ Large amount of ganja found on BT beach BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service recov- ered an unspecified amount of ganja from a Bodden Town beach Monday afternoon. The large, plastic-wrapped package located in the Beach Bay area following a report made to police was found to contain 10 smaller packages of what police said appeared to be compressed ganja. Later on Monday after- noon, the Joint Marine Unit searched the coasts along Spotts and South Sound, but nothing else was found, po- lice said. The weight of the ganja recovered was not specified. No arrests were made in con- nection with the find. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Ten smaller packages of ganja were found encased in a larger package in Bodden Town Monday afternoon. EX-GUANTANAMO DETAINEE RETURNS TO URUGUAY FROM VENEZUELA MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) – A resettled Guantanamo prisoner who went missing for weeks and later resur- faced in Venezuela has now been deported back to Uru- guay, authorities in the South American country said Tuesday. Syrian native Abu Wa’el Dhiab “has arrived and is well,” said Christian Mirza, the Uruguayan government- appointed liaison with the former Guantanamo pris- oners. Mirza said authorities planned to talk with him in the coming hours. Dhiab was among six former Guantanamo pris- oners who were resettled in Uruguay after being released by U.S. authorities in 2014. When Dhiab went missing in July, it alarmed neighboring countries and brought recriminations from U.S. lawmakers. Dhiab later popped up in the Venezuelan capital. The disappearance raised questions about how closely countries that resettle former Guantanamo inmates should watch them, and for how long, as the United States prepares to release more prisoners. Dhiab was deported back to Uruguay early Tuesday, Mirza said. Foreign Minister Ro- dolfo Nin Novoa told local radio Universal that Dhiab is not suffering from any clinical condition, but was being checked at a hospital in Montevideo as a precau- tionary measure. After being seen along the border with Brazil, Dhiab left Uruguay at the begin- ning of July without passing through immigration con- trol points. He showed up on July 27 at the Uruguayan consulate in Caracas, where he expressed his intention to travel to Turkey or another third country in hopes of re- uniting with his family. “He clearly expressed that in no case was it his interest to return to Uruguay, but he required the help of our country” to reach his aim, a statement from the Uru- guayan foreign ministry said. In an earlier interview with the weekly newsmaga- zine Busqueda, Dhiab said he was never a terrorist but that he later came to sym- pathize with al-Qaida be- cause of the harsh treatment he received at Guantanamo. He also accused Uruguay of breaking its commitment to bring his family. The six former Guanta- namo prisoners – four Syr- ians, a Tunisian and a Pales- tinian – arrived in Uruguay in December 2014 as a hu- manitarian gesture by then- President Jose Mujica. Dhiab was among six former Guantanamo prisoners who were resettled in Uruguay after being released by U.S. authorities in 2014. Christen Suckoo, chief officer in the Ministry of Education, said there are sufficient supplies for all schools and he was not sure why teachers and parents were reporting a shortage.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31, 2016 At Honda We Care About YOUR SAFETY ATTENTION HONDA DRIVERS: Please be aware that we have a recall under way to repair airbag inflators, at no cost to you, in certain Honda vehicles. If you have a Honda vehicle that is within the year range listed below, please contact us to see if your vehicle needs immediate attention. Thank you from the Honda Family. HOURS OF OPERATION CONTACT INFORMATION CALL (345) 949-5525 DISTRIBUTOR’S NAME Car City MONDAY - FRIDAY 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM VISIT www.carcity.ky EMAIL service@carcity.ky CERTAIN AFFECTED MODELS 2001–2015 AIRBAG INFLATOR RECALL SAFETY *Metal fragments could pass through the airbag cushion material, possibly causing injury or fatality to vehicle occupants. Airbag deployment with inflator rupture* SATURDAY 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM At Honda We Care About YOUR SAFETY ATTENTION HONDA DRIVERS: Please be aware that we have a recall under way to repair airbag inflators, at no cost to you, in certain Honda vehicles. If you have a Honda vehicle that is within the year range listed below, please contact us to see if your vehicle needs immediate attention. Thank you from the Honda Family. HOURS OF OPERATION CONTACT INFORMATION CALL (345) 949-5525 DISTRIBUTOR’S NAME Car City MONDAY - FRIDAY 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM VISIT www.carcity.ky EMAIL service@carcity.ky CERTAIN AFFECTED MODELS 2001–2015 AIRBAG INFLATOR RECALL SAFETY *Metal fragments could pass through the airbag cushion material, possibly causing injury or fatality to vehicle occupants. Airbag deployment with inflator rupture* SATURDAY 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM At Honda We Care About YOUR SAFETY ATTENTION HONDA DRIVERS: Please be aware that we have a recall under way to repair airbag inflators, at no cost to you, in certain Honda vehicles. If you have a Honda vehicle that is within the year range listed below, please contact us to see if your vehicle needs immediate attention. Thank you from the Honda Family. HOURS OF OPERATION CONTACT INFORMATION CALL (345) 949-5525 DISTRIBUTOR’S NAME Car City MONDAY - FRIDAY 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM VISIT www.carcity.ky EMAIL service@carcity.ky CERTAIN AFFECTED MODELS 2001–2015 AIRBAG INFLATOR RECALL SAFETY *Metal fragments could pass through the airbag cushion material, possibly causing injury or fatality to vehicle occupants. Airbag deployment with inflator rupture* SATURDAY 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM At Honda We Care About YOUR SAFETY ATTENTION HONDA DRIVERS: Please be aware that we have a recall under way to repair airbag inflators, at no cost to you, in certain Honda vehicles. If you have a Honda vehicle that is within the year range listed below, please contact us to see if your vehicle needs immediate attention. Thank you from the Honda Family. HOURS OF OPERATION CONTACT INFORMATION CALL (345) 949-5525 DISTRIBUTOR’S NAME Car City MONDAY - FRIDAY 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM VISIT www.carcity.ky EMAIL service@carcity.ky CERTAIN AFFECTED MODELS 2001–2015 AIRBAG INFLATOR RECALL SAFETY *Metal fragments could pass through the airbag cushion material, possibly causing injury or fatality to vehicle occupants. Airbag deployment with inflator rupture* SATURDAY 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM At Honda We Care About YOUR SAFETY ATTENTION HONDA DRIVERS: Please be aware that we have a recall under way to repair airbag inflators, at no cost to you, in certain Honda vehicles. If you have a Honda vehicle that is within the year range listed below, please contact us to see if your vehicle needs immediate attention. Thank you from the Honda Family. HOURS OF OPERATION CONTACT INFORMATION CALL (345) 949-5525 DISTRIBUTOR’S NAME Car City MONDAY - FRIDAY 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM VISIT www.carcity.ky EMAIL service@carcity.ky CERTAIN AFFECTED MODELS 2001–2015 AIRBAG INFLATOR RECALL SAFETY *Metal fragments could pass through the airbag cushion material, possibly causing injury or fatality to vehicle occupants. Airbag deployment with inflator rupture* SATURDAY 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM At Honda We Care About YOUR SAFETY ATTENTION HONDA DRIVERS: Please be aware that we have a recall under way to repair airbag inflators, at no cost to you, in certain Honda vehicles. If you have a Honda vehicle that is within the year range listed below, please contact us to see if your vehicle needs immediate attention. Thank you from the Honda Family. HOURS OF OPERATION CONTACT INFORMATION CALL (345) 949-5525 DISTRIBUTOR’S NAME Car City MONDAY - FRIDAY 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM VISIT www.carcity.ky EMAIL service@carcity.ky CERTAIN AFFECTED MODELS 2001–2015 AIRBAG INFLATOR RECALL SAFETY *Metal fragments could pass through the airbag cushion material, possibly causing injury or fatality to vehicle occupants. Airbag deployment with inflator rupture* SATURDAY 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM At Honda We Care About YOUR SAFETY ATTENTION HONDA DRIVERS: Please be aware that we have a recall under way to repair airbag inflators, at no cost to you, in certain Honda vehicles. If you have a Honda vehicle that is within the year range listed below, please contact us to see if your vehicle needs immediate attention. Thank you from the Honda Family. HOURS OF OPERATION CONTACT INFORMATION CALL (345) 949-5525 DISTRIBUTOR’S NAME Car City MONDAY - FRIDAY 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM VISIT www.carcity.ky EMAIL service@carcity.ky CERTAIN AFFECTED MODELS 2001–2015 AIRBAG INFLATOR RECALL SAFETY *Metal fragments could pass through the airbag cushion material, possibly causing injury or fatality to vehicle occupants. Airbag deployment with inflator rupture* SATURDAY 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM Man pleads guilty to West Bay rape Court wants defendant to see a psychiatrist before sentencing CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Andre Antonio Chase, 22, pleaded guilty in Grand Court on Monday to charges of rape and ag- gravated burglary. Justice Michael Mettyear set sen- tencing for Sept. 28. Chase originally pleaded not guilty to the offenses, which occurred in West Bay in July 2015. He elected trial by judge alone and the trial was to begin on Monday morning. The victim had flown to Cayman from the U.S. to give evidence. When court began, de- fense attorney Crister Brady advised that Chase was seeking a Goodyear direction – an indica- tion of what the maximum sentence would be if he pleaded guilty. Mr. Brady asked for a discount of 25 percent to 33 percent for a guilty plea. Justice Mettyear agreed with Crown counsel Scott Wainwright that 10 per- cent is the normal discount when a plea comes on the day the trial is to start. However, he added, “One has to be realistic and con- sider the circumstances of the individual case. Here is a man with real mental problems, I’m satisfied. It would be unrealistic to put those entirely to one side.” He determined that the maximum sentence he would impose would be 15 years minus a 20 percent discount for the guilty pleas, for a total of 12 years. Factors he con- sidered included the use of a knife, the use of a cord around the woman’s neck, a threat to kill her if she told anyone. But, the judge added, he still had to hear mitigation – that is, background infor- mation that might be favor- able to the defendant. Mr. Brady noted that a psychiatric evaluation had been ordered, but had not materialized. On at least one occasion, Chase had declined to meet with the psychiatrist who went to Northward Prison to see him. The defendant also had had some difficulty commu- nicating with counsel, Mr. Brady advised. Justice Mettyear said he wanted Chase to have a further opportunity to see a psychiatrist. After the judge’s an- nouncement of the max- imum sentence, there was an adjournment for the defendant to consider whether to accept it or pro- ceed to trial. Chase subsequently pleaded guilty to rape and to aggravated burglary. De- tails of the second charge were that this offense took place on the same date and at the same location as the rape, that Chase entered the woman’s residence and stole a wallet, its contents and keys, and at the time had with him an offensive weapon – namely a knife. Before adjourning court, Justice Mettyear said he had great sympathy for the victim, who had to go through this terrible ordeal. He asked Mr. Wainwright to let the woman know that her account of what had taken place would be in the forefront of his mind when he passed sentence. Defendant remanded in custody until Sept. 5 CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A Savannah resident ap- peared in Summary Court on Monday afternoon charged with possession of a revolver and ammunition without a firearms license. Jay Calvert Ebanks, 22, is accused of having the items at his residence on Aug. 25. Specified in the charges are a .38 Smith & Wesson revolver, 10 rounds of .40-caliber ammuni- tion and two rounds of .38 ammunition. Ebanks said he would be applying for legal aid and would wait until he had an attorney before making an application for bail. Magistrate Valdis Foldats set the matter for mention again on Sept. 5. Ebanks is also charged with possession of ganja with intent to supply, but no quantity was specified in the charge. Savannah man charged with firearm offense The Law Courts Building in downtown George Town. - PHOTO: FILEThe 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” WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Don’t blame Fred Burton. He’s a good guy bearing really bad news. Formerly of the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme and now with the Department of Environment, Mr. Burton no doubt knows more about the procreation of iguanas than anybody in the Cayman Islands, probably in the Caribbean, and possibly anywhere. So when Mr. Burton reports that “the scale of the green iguana control challenge exceeds DoE’s current capacity, and requires government to consider options to resource this major undertaking,” we believe him. We think Mr. Burton and environmental officials have a pretty good reckoning of the magnitude of Grand Cayman’s invasive green iguana problem … and it’s enormous. By the numbers, back in June, Grand Cayman was home to some 500,000 tree-loving green iguanas (not to be confused with our native, ground-bound blue iguanas, of which there are about 1,000). The green iguana population is expected to double every 1.5 years, meaning that by the end of the year 2017, there will be 1 million of the foliage-munching, roadkill-ready, porch- and pool-befouling reptiles on our island. Armed with that arithmetic — not to mention air rifles, nooses and traps — various groups of hunters participated in the department’s iguana culling pilot projects in June. Over a period of two weeks, nearly 19,000 iguanas were, ahem, “removed” from the herd. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the effects of the culling efforts appeared to be just about as Mr. Burton and the department had anticipated: tempo- rary and marginal. As the Compass reported last week, officials noted that the iguana population at target sites “had rebounded to 80 percent of its original level within two weeks.” In other words, while hunters were busy making war against the iguanas, the iguanas were busy making … even more iguanas. After the “disappointing” test results, Mr. Burton reported, “DoE estimates a cull of 177,500 adult and sub-adult iguanas per year will be necessary to initiate a decline in the green iguana population if we begin the operational cull in 2017. This implies an operation almost 10 times larger than the recent experimental culls.” Extrapolating the costs of June’s pilot project, at a bit more than $5 per iguana hide, a full-scale culling effort should cost in the ballpark of $1 million per year. That doesn’t take into account additional government resources required for monitoring, processing, book- keeping, taking care of “accounts payable” and other supporting administrative functions, or, importantly, disposing of the roughly 200 tons of iguana carcasses that would be generated annually. That being said, the issue to us isn’t whether our government has the money — cutting the check is the easy part — but whether our government has the requisite ability and will for such a sustained and arduous task. Not only that, but remember that green iguanas aren’t the only out-of-control animal population in Cayman, and aren’t even the most potentially destruc- tive. We’re also dealing with legions of lionfish, roving packs of “free-living” dogs, flocks of wild chickens, cacophonous conglomerations of cats, nests of scor- pions, swarms of disease-harboring mosquitoes, etc. We’re not admitting defeat, but in this particular battle of Man vs. Nature … Nature may have Man on the ropes — or up a tree. Cayman’s great iguana glut A real loser of a tax Would you be in favor of a tax that loses money for the government, and penalizes entrepreneur- ship, job creation and eco- nomic growth? Only muddy- brained or mean-spirited people would favor such a tax – yet many such people are found in the Internal Revenue Service and Con- gress. The tax that I am referring to is the capital gains tax, and even more specifically, the capital gains tax as it is applied to the sale of commodities. A capital gains tax lia- bility occurs when you sell an asset for more than you paid for it. The asset could be stocks, bonds, real es- tate, art or gold and other commodities. There are many problems with the capital gains tax, and one of them is that it taxes in- flation (which is a change in the price level caused by government monetary au- thorities) rather than in- come. Assume that in 1989 you bought a small Florida orange grove for $120,000, and this year you sold it for $180,000 (after main- taining it and replacing old or damaged trees). The IRS would say you have a $60,000 capital gain, and demand that you pay tax on it. The price level has dou- bled since 1989, so now you would need $240,000 to have the same purchasing power as $120,000 had in 1989. In real inflation-adjusted dol- lars, you suffered a $60,000 loss, not a gain – but many folks at the IRS, having little in the way of an ethical com- pass, will insist on taxing you on the imaginary gain – which is really a loss. (Note: There is no law requiring the IRS to tax imaginary capital gains; it was an ad- ministrative decision.) It gets worse. Most com- modities decline in real price over time, as the technology for producing them improves. The real price (inflation-adjusted) of wheat and corn is roughly one-sixth, and cotton one- tenth, of what it was a hun- dred years ago. The same is true with most metals, de- spite endless doomsayers claiming we are going to run out of this or that. The real price of aluminum is roughly one-fifth of what it was a hundred years ago. Even the price of oil has not increased – the current real price is close to what it was in 1920, despite the world having consumed hundreds of billions of barrels of the stuff. In 1920, many thought the world would run out of oil by 1930; instead, oil re- serves have been growing much faster than consump- tion and no one alive today, or even their grandchildren, will see a world without oil at a reasonable price. Given that the real price of most commodities tends to fall over long periods of time (with many ups and downs), the only way gov- ernment can obtain tax revenue is by taxing the non-real gain due to infla- tion and restricting the de- ductibility of losses (which they do), since there are more real losses than gains. Most commodity prices have fallen, after reaching a cyclical high at the be- ginning of the Great Reces- sion, which means, even in nominal terms (not-infla- tion-adjusted), the capital gains tax on commodities is a net revenue loser for the government. The issue is of renewed importance because of the rise of new, private digital- like monies (e.g., bitcoin). In theory, all of those who use bitcoin and its competitors for purchases of real goods and services have to keep records of their acquisition price for each bitcoin they buy and the dollar equiva- lent price of each item they purchase with a bitcoin. They then have to calcu- late their capital gain or loss on each transaction, no matter how small. This task is so complex, costly and time-consuming, and virtually no one is likely to do it. As the use of private digital currencies expands, more and more people will be in violation. Back in 1981, I wrote an article for The Wall Street Journal arguing that the capital gains tax on com- modities trading was de- structive, and a long-term money loser. At the time, Congress had established a “Gold Commission” to recommend whether gold ought to have a greater role in the U.S. monetary system because of the double-digit inflation the United States was experiencing at the time. Since 1977, it has been possible to make legally en- forceable contracts for pay- ment in gold. A major reason why private gold contracts have not become common is the capital gains tax on such transactions. The IRS does have many tools that make avoiding the capital gains taxes on physical commodity trades very risky. However, it is very hard – almost impos- sible – for the IRS to mon- itor all of the bitcoin trans- actions because of the use of blockchain and other largely anonymous sys- tems. The smart people are in the private sector – not at the IRS – developing alter- natives to government mo- nopoly money. The solution is obvious – stop losing tax revenue, squashing economic growth and liberty, by trying to apply the capital gains tax to commodity and foreign currency transactions, in- cluding intangible com- modities like bitcoin. Many countries do not apply cap- ital gains taxes to com- modity transactions, and a number of very economi- cally successful and sen- sible countries, such as the Netherlands, South Korea, Luxembourg and Switzer- land, do not even have a capital gains tax. Richard W. Rahn, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and chairman of the Institute for Global Economic Growth, is on the Editorial Board of Cayman Financial Review. © 2016, The Washington Times The issue is of renewed importance because of the rise of new, private digital-like monies (e.g., bitcoin). RICHARD W. RAHN RICHARD W. RAHN5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31, 2016 Something special starts with a Plan. With discounted rates, now’s the time to get a Scotia Plan Loan. Use it for anything you need like a new car, university tuition, or a family vacation. » Unsecured loans with terms up to 5 years† » Auto loans with up to 100% financing and terms up to 84 months† » Customised amounts to suit your needs† APPLY TODAY! RATES AVAILABLE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 15, 2016.† Call 345-949-7666 or visit your nearest branch. Find out more at: cayman.scotiabank.com/yourplan #YourPlan †Conditions apply. Subject to credit approval. ®Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence. /ScotiabankKY SB_Cayman_2016_SPL 2016_Compass_HP-V_5.0667x15.8975.indd 18/6/16 8:15 PM All three species of Cayman sea turtle hatchlings found on one night JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Researchers in Little Cayman witnessed a rare sight last week as all three species of sea turtles found in the Cayman Islands hatched on the same beach on the same night. Department of Environ- ment intern Lucy Collyer, who is monitoring turtle nesting in Little Cayman, found log- gerhead, green and hawksbill turtle hatchlings. To the untrained eye, the tiny loggerhead and hawks- bill hatchlings are barely dis- tinguishable from each other. But the subtly different pat- tern of hexagonal plates, known as scutes, marks them as distinct species. The green turtle hatchlings are easier to distinguish be- cause of the color and size. “This is only the second time I have ever had the op- portunity to have all three species hatching on one day so I was very excited,” said Ms. Collyer. Of particular interest to researchers is the dis- covery of a hawksbill nest on Little Cayman – the first of the season. Nesting hawksbill tur- tles, distinctive as adults with their hooked bills, are the least common of the three species found on Cayman’s beaches between March and October. In 2015, for the three is- lands combined, DoE docu- mented 224 loggerhead nests, 203 green turtle nests and 10 hawksbill nests. Nesting tur- tles make between three and six nests in a season. “With the exception of only a couple of nests found on Grand Cayman back in 2013, Little Cayman is to date the only island that has had a consistent nesting population of hawksbills over the last three years, so I am delighted to see that 2016 will continue the trend for nesting hawks- bills,” she said. Historically, four sea turtle species have nested in the Cayman Islands: green, loggerhead, leatherback and hawksbill. Since 1998, the Depart- ment of Environment has been conducting a system- atic survey of the beaches of the Cayman Islands to iden- tify signs of turtle nesting. The first years of monitoring showed that leatherback nesting was extinct, but ex- tremely small numbers of green, loggerhead and hawks- bill turtles persisted. Since that time, the pop- ulations of the those three species have experienced a resurgence. Hatch of the day Loggerhead, hawksbill and green turtle hatchlings with their adult counterparts. - PHOTO MONATGE BY LUCY COLLYER TAD STONER tstoner@pinnaclemedialtd.com A new anti-addiction program is available in Cayman. According to orga- nizer Marney Motsinger, the Cayman representative for the Canadian-founded SMART Recovery program, the local chapter is just starting and has drawn only about four people so far. She wants to expand the group’s reach, minimize the pressure of constant meetings and encourage self-reliance. “I’ve never been someone for AA and the Bible, never able see things through that Christian lens,” she says, although encouraging ev- eryone to find the best path to self-help. “I just knew a lot of people who were struggling and shutting the door, who were staying home and, frankly dying,” she says. Having battled alcohol abuse for many years, Ms. Motsinger, who has resided locally for three years and is a nurse by profession, says the four-point SMART plan offers lessons and tech- niques to “build and main- tain motivation, cope with urges, manage thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and live a balanced life.” “What I like about the SMART program is that it is scientifically evidence- based. The techniques are powerful and very effective.” She says some of the terms, such as “rational emo- tive behavior therapy,” have immediate and practical relevance to SMART par- ticipants, teaching man- agement of thoughts and looming urges toward pre- vious behaviors. SMART, she says, “han- dles relapses, and are not punitive, but see them as an opportunity for growth.” “This is almost like life coaching. It’s very dynamic,” Ms. Motsinger says. Meetings are on Sunday mornings at the Melody Lane home of longtime counselor Terry Delaney. Ms. Motsinger cites the support of leading mental health advocate Dr. Marc Lockhart and counselor Taylor Burrowes. Ms. Motsinger, who gained recognition as a fa- cilitator after 30 hours of SMART training, can be reached on 916-5408. SMART Recovery charts new addiction treatmentDISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days Sister Islands WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Tradition lives on at Brac historic home Cayman Brac boasts a number of interesting his- toric buildings, among them the Spellman McLaughlin home, a traditional house lo- cated at the Creek that has been lovingly maintained and restored. Providing an example of traditional architecture, the home is a popular stop for tourists and one of the des- tinations on the Brac YMCA culture camp’s itinerary this summer. “Last year was the first time we did the tour of the home with the Cayman Tra- ditional Arts heritage arts program, but [the owners] are very accommodating when their schedule allows them to be,” said Simone Scott, who coordinates the program on the Brac. According to the National Trust for the Cayman Is- lands, the home was built by Capt. Spellman McLaughlin between 1926 and 1930. Spellman McLaughlin ar- rived in Cayman Brac from East End in Grand Cayman with his family when he was 16 years old. He grew up and married there and began building this house to his own design. The house has three gable ends, and each gable sec- tion is pitched individually, rising above the verandah that surrounds the house, giving the illusion that the house has two stories. The house is constructed of timber, mostly pine, im- ported from Mobile, Al- abama, and Pensacola, Florida. While pre-cut lengths of imported lumber would normally be sup- plied, Mr. McLaughlin had his planks cut to size on site. Although he had help with the construction, he oversaw every detail himself. “This meant that the building work would have been interrupted whenever he went off to sea, which he had to do to earn his living,” notes the Trust. Standing on log posts sunk into the ground, the wood house is still in excel- lent condition in spite of the exposure to sun, wind and salt. Very few nails (which would rust) were used and the roof was covered with cedar shingles, which re- main today in good condi- tion underneath the more durable zinc roofing. The house has eight ex- terior rooms built around a central dining room. Each of these rooms has windows and a door to the verandah, which means that the house is light and airy, a great benefit in the days before air conditioning. The rooms facing northwest and the central dining room were designed to be the formal rooms and have elaborate ceilings, but the rooms on the south- eastern facade, which were likely to be the hottest, did not have ceilings so that the hot air could rise into the roof space, keeping the rooms as cool as possible. When the house was built, the kitchen would have been in a separate building to keep the heat of cooking away from the house and to restrict the danger of fire. In the great hurricane of 1932, also known as the “Cuba Hurricane,” 130 local people found shelter in- side the house. According to a 2012 National Hurricane Centre analysis, the hurri- cane that hit the Brac with full force on Nov. 8 and 9 is believed to have been a Cat- egory 5 storm. The Trust notes that all but nine of the houses on the Brac were destroyed or severely damaged in the hurricane. Many people were swept away with their homes. One survivor, Phyllis Jackson, recalled: “We packed in to this house. I was in one room, the west room, that time the water was flooding in to the house. We were bailing it, you un- derstand, trying to bail it out; it came up to knee deep in the apartment we was in, so … a friend was along with me … so I said to him, ‘What a big cloud.’ He said ‘No, that’s no cloud, that’s a tear of sea, [a tidal wave]’ … and all I know was, when the door burst open and [the water] took everything to the back of the house.” Amazingly, the house sur- vived and even the windows held fast. A boulder crashed through the front door, let- ting the water in, but did no further damage. “In the days that followed, the house became a centre for aid in the community. Food was scarce and emer- gency supplies such as corn- meal, flour and sugar, had to be shipped in from Jamaica. This had to be rationed and it was to this house that folk came for their share,” the Trust notes. In more recent times, the Compass reported that once again proving its resilience, the house withstood Cat- egory 4 Hurricane Paloma on Nov. 5, 2008, but suffered extensive damage, especially to its roof. The house was inhabited by the McLaughlin family until it was sold in 2011. The owners continue to add to and beautify the property. Since this photo of the Spellman McLaughlin house was taken in 2015, the cement walkway has been removed, a new cement wall has been constructed and a detached storage space and garage have been added in the style and colors of the original home. - PHOTO: SIMONE SCOTT In the Aug. 31, 1966 edi- tion of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, news from the Brac included: “Captain N.G. Kirkconnell of Stake Bay passed peacefully away on Monday evening the 22nd at his residence. He had been for over three years in failing health. He was the last survivor of the seven brothers who laid the foundation for the Kirkconnell Shipping Com- panies whose name today in the Caribbean Home Trade has become synonymous with the Cayman Islands. “The expressions of ap- preciation, floral tributes and attendance at the fu- neral services were eloquent of the respect of the island. The Rev. Lee King conducted the service, assisted by Elder Carl Scott, Mr. W. Taylor Foster and Rev. Ran- dall Douglas … Their two sons Captain Willie K. and Colvert attended. “Nathaniel Glover Kirkcon- nell, Master Mariner, son of Walter and Judith Kirkcon- nell was born at Cayman Brac on July 8, 1888. He was united in marriage to Louisa Adell Foster on Dec. 25, 1911. To this union was born six children. “Nattie started his life ca- reer at sea as a very young man. He joined his brothers in the construction and op- eration of ships in the old schooner days, days better known as the days of wooden ships and iron men. The word ‘iron’ is applicable to Captain Nattie because of the strong character he manifested in his life as well as his phys- ical endurance to the hard- ships of seafaring. At this time we would pay tribute to Capt. Nattie and his brothers in the formation of R.B. Kirk- connell and Bros. in the year 1896. From the efforts of these brothers many other compa- nies have their origin. “He is survived by two sons, William and Colvert of Tampa, three daughters, Mrs. Charles Foster of St. Peters- burg, Mrs. Kelvin Tibbetts (Louise) of Cocoa Beach and Mrs. Erben Scott (Margaret) of Jacksonville, all in Florida, daughters-in-law, sons-in- law, nine grandchildren, two sisters, Mrs. Eva Bodden of Little Cayman and Mrs. Ken- nether Ritch of Stake Bay, many nephews and nieces and other relatives and friends. His eldest child, Mrs. Adell Virginia Tibbetts pre- ceded him in death. “Bearers of the casket were Messrs. Charlie Foster, Burke Ryan, Dickie Hurl- stone, Anton Foster, Denis Foster, and Capt. Mabry Kirkconnell. Nine other honorary pallbearers lined the route to the graveside namely Messrs. Eston Scott, Edward Howell, Edison Tib- betts, Eli Scott, Edlin Hurl- stone, Algie Ryan, Guy Banks and Capts. McNeil Foster and Burke Ritch. He was buried at the Garden of Love Cemetery, Stake Bay.” In the same issue, Cayman Brac correspondent Lilian Ritch wrote: “We welcome back home Temple Tatum who re- sumed duties as wireless operator on Friday, July 29. Temp completed a five-unit code course with Cable & Wireless (W.I.) Ltd. at the training school on East Pa- rade, Kingston, Jamaica. “We also welcome home Mrs. Carlotha Smith who has returned to reside after an ab- sence of 17 years in Jamaica. Mrs. Lothie, a daughter of the late Captain Wade and Mrs. Maggie Foster of the Bight, is the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Percy Green of the Bight. “Visiting with Mr. and Mrs. Jack Scott and family of the West End recently were the Kenyon Knoureks of Weed, Cal- ifornia. Mrs. Knourek, Naomi, is a daughter of the Scotts. 50 YEARS AGO: Captain Nathaniel Glover Kirkconnell passesDISTRICT DAYS 7 District Days Sister Islands CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31, 2016 Sister Islands MLA and Deputy Governor Moses Kirk- connell recently paid a visit to a very special art project created by the Brac’s Year 6 primary school children at Walton’s Mango Manor in Stake Bay. Mr. Kirkconnell was on site on Saturday, Aug. 20, to view the joint project between Year 6 students taking part in the Cayman Traditional Arts’ Her- itage Arts Program and Wal- ton’s Mango Manor Bed & Breakfast owners George and Lynne Walton. Artwork on the Trans- formation Wall reflects the cycle of life, depicting sub- jects like animals, plants and humans changing from in- fancy to adulthood. The art piece was inspired by the potential offered up by a blank ‘canvas’ at Walton’s Mango Manor, where the hosts, a retired registered nurse and retired Air Force Major, have welcomed guests from around the world for the past 20 years. “A 100’ wide by 6’ tall con- crete wall behind Mango Manor was built to create and protect a special space: a cultural garden, designed and constructed as a tribute to my parents and to the people of Cayman Brac, those who are present and those who have gone before me,” said Mr. Walton. “The garden is dedicated to protect and preserve a few re- maining authentic and unique artifacts that speak to our tra- ditions, customs and way of life, that are rapidly slipping away. It’s a reminder to us Brackers of who we are, where we came from and hopefully where we would like to go as a unique people.” Mr. Walton said within the garden, a covered area shel- ters a traditional Cayman Brac caboose featuring iron- wood, candlewood and pom- para, which were used in the past for kindling and cooking. “There are also swings and hammocks in which to relax, and a portion of the old rail- road tracks that were used to transport manure from the in- terior of the island to the sea- shore for sale in Jamaica,” added Mr. Walton. “Also located in this part of our property is a brick bread oven and the original light- house, first erected on Cayman Brac in 1937 on the top of the Bluff at the East End. The light- house now stands tall as a sen- tinel to our historic past.” Mr. Walton said that the couple have hosted a number of events at the garden for the community including a day of remembrance for the elderly, with a traditional rundown dinner cooked on the caboose, and visits from schoolchildren for cultural education. “Familiarizing [the chil- dren] with the profusion of plants, flowers and fruit trees in the gardens is a part of this visit, as well as learning how to cook a lunch of fried fish and fritters on the caboose,” said Mr. Walton. “It is incumbent upon us as elders to remind them of their past and give them hope for their future. If they do not know where they came from, they will never know or understand where they are going or how to get there,” he continued. Using the wall for an art project dovetailed with his philosophy about the im- portance of forging connec- tions between generations. “I firmly believe that our children are our future. It seemed fitting that some- thing creative should be done with this massive blank wall,” said Mr. Walton. The Waltons approached Simone Scott, an art in- structor for the Heritage Arts Program, about the possibility of schoolchildren painting a mural. “On my frequent visits to the garden, I reflect on my days growing up in Booby Point, the east most end of Cayman Brac, and having to do all of my artistic creations on a 12” x 12” slateboard with a piece of chalk, and real- izing how things have ‘trans- formed,’” said Mr. Walton. “The changes that I saw in our community brought to mind the idea of transforma- tion,” he said, explaining that during one of the school visits some students were asked to share what they knew about transformation, and the theme was subsequently deemed an appropriate one for the mural. “The Year 6 students gladly accepted our invitation to participate in its creation,” said Mr. Walton. Paints and brushes were provided, and under Ms. Scott’s supervision and guidance the ‘Trans- formation Wall” was created. “Expanding on an image of a pond drawn on each side of the wall, children drew inspi- ration from butterflies, frogs and birds. Some drew people, others trees developing from seed to full grown,” explained Ms. Scott, who noted partici- pating students were from West End Primary School and the Creek and Spot Bay Pri- mary junior school. West End Primary com- pleted their section in Feb- ruary 2016, while Spot Bay Primary took from March to May 2016, continued Ms. Scott. “There were almost twice as many students at the Creek and Spot Bay Primary Junior school than the West End Primary, so they got a larger space. Both areas turned out well and the children are ex- tremely proud of their collec- tive effort – so much so, that some children took their par- ents there during the summer holidays to see their creation.” Mr. Walton said since the mural’s completion, they have enjoyed much positive feed- back from many local and foreign guests. “It now stands as sym- bolic evidence to our chil- dren’s creativity, diligence and their capacity to cooperate in bringing a complex project to completion,” he said. Year 6 children from Spot Bay Primary School working on their section of the wall. Catrise Connor adds some touches.Sheila Bonilla Watler works on her section. Naomi Carter and Eugenio Myles had lots of fun taking part in the project. Art project shines in a unique setting Work by West End Primary students on one part of the wallSpot Bay Primary’s contribution to the Transformation Wall. - PHOTOS: SIMONE SCOTTThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Jane Christaline McLaughlin M Memories Linger in our hearts forever O Others Always felt that you were a special person T Tender loving care you gave to us all H Heart of pure gold that always shone brightly E Every day we think of you and something always reminds us of you R Remembering your beautiful smile whenever you saw your children Put them all together, they spell MOTHER, a word that means the world to all of us. From: Your daughter Marlene Samuels/Family, Alvin Mclaughlin/Family, George Mclaughlin/Family, Rose Hurlston/Family, and the rest of your children. Jane Christaline McLaughlinJane Christaline McLaughlinJane Christaline McLaughlinJane Christaline McLaughlinJane Christaline McLaughlinJane Christaline McLaughlinJane Christaline McLaughlin Indecency charges to go to Grand Court Defense attorney notes extent of publicity CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Errington Albert Webster appeared in Summary Court on Tuesday, when he elected Grand Court as the venue for charges of gross indecency against him to be heard. Webster, 54, is accused of four counts of gross inde- cency based on incidents al- leged to have occurred ear- lier this year. Defense attorney Steve McField agreed to Sept. 13, as the date for the pre- liminary inquiry, which is a required step before the charges can be sent to the higher court. Mr. McField commented on “the wide reporting of this matter in the media.” He told Magistrate Valdis Foldats that there are people in the school system who are charged with offenses involving young persons, but their names have not appeared in the media. He pointed out that the idea was to protect com- plainants in each case. Referring to his client, Mr. McField stated, “I don’t think it’s quite fair that his picture is all over the media.” If potential jurors see the picture and read the stories, there is no doubt they will be influenced, he pointed out. The magistrate sug- gested that Mr. McField make an application to the court, with notice to the Crown, regarding prejudi- cial publication of informa- tion about the case. looking for as we did not have access to all the records of [Bateman & Company Ltd.],” Mr. Johnson said Tuesday. “However, we have already frozen several million dollars of securities held by certain brokers and will be investi- gating as to the whereabouts of the assets of both compa- nies [referring to Bateman & Company and B & C Capital].” Bateman was not repre- sented in Grand Court on Tuesday morning during a closed-door hearing on the winding up application, nor was Bateman & Company Ltd. represented in court, Mr. Johnson said. Attempts to reach Bateman for comment nu- merous times over the past month regarding the on- going liquidation process have been unsuccessful. Mr. Johnson filed a pe- tition earlier this month seeking the winding up of Bateman & Company Ltd. on behalf of B&C Capital Ltd. after attempts to re- cover at least $4.8 million in assets failed. The Grand Court peti- tion alleges that Bateman & Company failed to deliver any cash or securities held following demands from the liquidators. Bateman & Com- pany has “no directors and no management” at present, ac- cording to the petition. “Both [B&C Capital] and [Bateman & Company] are members of a group of com- panies known as the ‘Bateman Financial Group’ controlled by Mr. Ryan Bateman,” the Aug. 10 winding up petition states. “The joint official liqui- dators of the petitioner have been unable to determine ex- actly what cash, securities or other assets were transferred to [Bateman & Company], but have established that … the company was holding cash amounting to at least $2,381,029.63 and secu- rities to the value of at least $2,456,753.22 on be- half of customers of [B&C Capital Ltd.].” Securities are usually liquid assets such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds, but the term is sometimes used as a catch-all for numerous types of investments. The winding up petition sought a declaration that Bateman & Company is liable for “any shortfall in such cash and securities,” and must pay – via B&C Capital – restitu- tion to investors in the firm. According to a Grand Court order issued on July 22 by Justice Ingrid Mangatal, B&C Capital Ltd. was ordered to be wound up following a petition filed in June by a British Virgin Islands-based creditor of the company. BVI- registered Lampten Corp. pe- titioned the Grand Court on June 2, stating it had estab- lished an investment account with B&C Capital in Feb- ruary 2015. The petition fur- ther stated that the market value of the account was re- ported as US$1,689,764.18 as of Aug. 31, 2015. Winding up is the legal, court-supervised process by which assets of a business are sold to pay off creditors. The business is typically dissolved following that process. Bateman left the Cayman Islands in late 2014, missing a court appearance on a criminal charge of grievous bodily harm in connection with a domestic dispute. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service has said Bateman will be arrested if he comes back to the islands. of cases as they are well dis- persed,” he said in an email. He acknowledged that there are probably more cases. “Remember that 4 out of 5 infected persons (80 per- cent) show no symptoms; the number of infected persons may be larger,” he said. Symptoms tend to be mild, including a fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis, also known as pinkeye, or red eyes. The Zika virus, spread pri- marily by mosquitoes, has swept through most of South and Central America and the Caribbean, and there are dozens of cases in Florida. The biggest concern with Zika is for pregnant women since the virus can cause se- vere, often deadly birth de- fects in babies born to in- fected mothers. New research shows that the virus can af- fect babies’ brains without causing microcephaly, the much-publicized defect in which babies are born with small heads and underdevel- oped brains. Zika is transmitted mainly by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which breeds in small amounts of standing water around homes and urban areas. The Aedes mos- quitoes, characterized by white stripes on their legs, feed primarily during the day. They are particularly stubborn to get rid of be- cause they like to breed in clogged gutters, old tires and anything else around homes that collects rainwater. “Reducing the risk of people being bitten by Zika infected mosquitoes is the most effective way to pre- vent persons from getting the virus, and continued ef- forts by both departments [Public Health and Mosquito Research and Control] have sought to do just that” Dr. Williams-Rodriguez said in a press statement. Mosquito Research and Control Unit Director Bill Petrie said his staff is working to treat the island and kill Aedes aegypti with pesticides from the MRCU airplane, fogger trucks, and treating by hand specific areas with known cases or with at-risk pregnant women. The research project with Ox- itec to test genetically modi- fied mosquitoes in West Bay is also under way, but the MRCU is doing its normal spraying operations in those areas too. “Vector control measures are scaled up in the areas identified with local trans- mission, and efforts continue to ensure the public is aware of how to protect themselves from bites and how to elim- inate mosquito breeding sites,” he said. Researchers learning more In February the World Health Organization declared Zika a public health emer- gency of international con- cern, calling on researchers and funders to dedicate time and money to figuring out more about the virus that causes severe birth defects and can also cause Guil- lain-Barre syndrome. Guil- lain-Barre is a rare condition that can cause paralysis and possibly death. In recent weeks, new re- search has come out in a number of medical and public health journals. A study published in the journal Radiology looked at brain scans of Zika-infected babies and fetuses in Brazil. The researchers found that even babies born without microcephaly can have brain damage. In a press statement about the research, co-au- thor Dr. Deborah Levine, professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said, “The first tri- mester is the time where in- fection seems to be riskiest for the pregnancy.” Researchers have also linked Zika to eye defects and impaired hearing in babies, as well as stunted growth. Other research, published in the journal Nature Medi- cine, may have some good news. Researchers looked at existing drugs and found that a medicine already ap- proved to treat worm infec- tions may help treat Zika. Researchers write that they screened more than 6,000 drugs for possible effects on Zika, or ZIKV as medical re- searchers refer to the virus, identifying several that could be helpful. The researchers said, “Our findings and the tools provided here should sig- nificantly advance current ZIKV research and have an immediate effect on the de- velopment of anti-ZIKV therapeutics. “Furthermore, our find- ings could have implications for combating infections by other arboviruses, such as dengue viruses, chikungunya virus and West Nile virus, many of which can cause devastating illness.” In another study out this week in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, researchers found that unlike chikun- gunya, dengue and other mosquito-borne viruses, Zika can be transmitted from an adult Aedes aegypti to her offspring. Scientists in a lab- oratory found that Aedes ae- gypti can pass the virus onto offspring in a least one case out of 290. The paper states that researchers do not know if mosquitoes can pass the virus to offspring outside the lab, but if they do, Zika could be much more difficult to get rid of than initially thought. Second Bateman firm faces liquidation, millions sought Two more Zika cases confirmed in George Town CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 An Oxitec employee releases GM mosquitoes in West Bay in late July. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 Crashed fighter jet located in Swiss Alps Swiss authorities say they have located the wreckage of an air force fighter jet that went missing over the Alps, but still have no news on the fate of the pilot. The jet that went missing Monday was found crashed on Tuesday near the Susten Pass. CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31, 2016 Kerry in India for strategic, commercial talks SUICIDE BOMBER HITS SOMALIA PRESIDENTIAL COMPOUND NEW DELHI (AP) – U.S. Sec- retary of State John Kerry is in India for strategic and commercial talks being held against the backdrop of rising tensions in the dis- puted region of Kashmir, long a flash point between India and rival Pakistan. Kerry, along with U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, is leading the Amer- ican delegation to the second meeting of the U.S.-India strategic dialogue, which seeks to improve security and economic development ties between the nations. Tuesday’s talks come amid some of the largest protests in Kashmir against Indian rule in recent years. At least 68 ci- vilians have been killed and thousands injured in the Hi- malayan region, mostly by government forces firing bul- lets and shotguns at rock- throwing protesters since early July. Two policemen have been killed and hundreds of government forces have been injured in the clashes. On Monday, Indian au- thorities lifted a curfew im- posed in most parts of India-controlled Kashmir as part of a 52-day security lock- down. But they re-imposed the curfew in the region’s main city after anti-India protests and clashes erupted in several neighborhoods. More than 68,000 people have been killed since rebel groups began fighting In- dian forces in 1989 and in the subsequent Indian military crackdown. The U.S. has consistently urged dialogue between India and Pakistan on the dispute and, in a meeting with Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval, Kerry reiterated that position, according to U.S. officials, who noted that on Monday India’s defense min- ister met with Pentagon chief Ash Carter in Washington. Other issues on the agenda include cooperation in Afghanistan, efforts to combat terrorism, cyberse- curity as well as India’s de- sire to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and pursue a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. Climate change and clean en- ergy are also to be discussed. MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) – A suicide bomber has det- onated an explosives-laden truck near the gate of So- malia’s presidential palace in the capital on Tuesday, killing at least 12 people, police say. The bomb exploded during a morning traffic jam, said Capt. Mohamed Hus- sein, a senior police officer. Some Cabinet minis- ters at the SYL hotel were among the 31 injured, said Hussein. The blast dam- aged nearby hotels often frequented by government officials and business exec- utives, he said. The explosion was heard across Mogadishu, and smoke was seen bil- lowing over the area of the presidential compound. Somalia’s Islamic ex- tremist group al-Shabab has claimed the respon- sibility for the blast, ac- cording to the rebels’ An- dalus radio station. The injured were taken to Mogadishu’s Madina Hospital, said Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, the hospital’s director. The massive blast left a trail of destruction across the hilltop presidential complex and to nearby ho- tels. The bombing tore into blast walls protecting ho- tels and blew off the roofs of nearby houses. “Security forces tried to stop the bomber who used back roads before he sped through checkpoints near the presidential palace and det- onated the bomb,” said Col. Ali Nur, a police officer. “He reached near the gate of the state house with flat tires.” While al-Shabab has been ousted from most of Somalia’s cities, it con- tinues to carry out bomb- ings and suicide attacks, notably in the capital. In late July, two al- Shabab suicide bombers det- onated explosives-laden cars outside the office of the U.N.’s mine-clearing agency and an army checkpoint near the Af- rican Union’s main base in Mogadishu, killing 13. The U.S.-India strategic dialogue seeks to improve security and economic development ties between the nations. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj greets U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in New Delhi, Tuesday. – PHOTO: APNext >