SECTION | PAGE ## TITLE FOR THE SPORT/ BUSINESS SKYBOX ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY OCTOBER 10, 2016 High of 90 Low of 81 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. ABCDE NATIONAL WEEKLY Politics Before his ‘Aleppo’ moment 4 Nation A Marine’s long road back 8 Movies Time for important film 16 5 Myths Nuclear weapons 23 THE COBALT PIPELINE A key ingredient in laptops and cellphones may have come from deadly, hand- dug mines in Congo. PAGE 10 THE WEEK OF SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2016 . IN COLLABORATION WITH THE WASHINGTON POST The cobalt pipeline EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 PREMIER MCLAUGHLIN MUDDIES THE WATERS OF ‘ALDEN POND’ Seven mile beach WaTeRFROnT WalKeRS ROaD TOWn cenTRe PlaZa Residency appeal dormant for 7 years Former governor’s house manager wins case BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com An appeal of permanent resident status that lay dormant for more than seven years after it was initially rejected has finally been awarded to the applicant in the case, a former staffer of the Cayman Islands governor’s office. According to Randall Martin, partner of the Dinner Martin Attorneys law firm on Grand Cayman, his client Rhonda Wolfe’s application for permanent residence – the right to remain in Cayman for the rest of her life – was denied in January 2009. Ms. Wolfe worked at the Hyatt until after Hurricane Ivan hit and then worked for six years, between 2005 and 2011, as the governor’s house manager on Seven Mile Beach. She later started her own concierge services company. The specific reason the application was first denied was never given, Mr. Martin said. Ms. Wolfe’s initial application earned 98 points under the previous permanent resi- dence system, two points shy of what was required at the time. However, Mr. Martin pointed out that the relevant immigration board did not award Ms. Wolfe any points for her nationality – she is Irish – when she was due to earn 20 points for that nationality under the prior system. “The only rationale the board gave was that they exercised their discretion to give zero points in that category,” Mr. Martin said. “The lack of transparency as to how they exercised that discretion is, in itself, unreasonable.” PREMIER: ‘AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE’ TO PURCHASE SMITH COVE BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands government has agreed “in principle” to purchase a property on the northern end of Smith Cove, to prevent part of the beach from being developed. Premier Alden McLaughlin announced Friday in Legislative Assembly that the agree- ment had been made with Bronte Develop- ment Ltd. to buy the land, but a price had not been agreed. “[The] price … will not exceed the cost that the developer has incurred in the purchase of the property and the costs incurred in the planned development,” Mr. McLaughlin said, adding that the government Lands and Survey Department would vet whatever the proposed cost for the land is to ensure “accuracy and value for money.” Publicly available property transfer records show that a company named TFG Cayman Ltd., which was behind a planning applica- tion to build condominiums at the north end of Smith Cove, bought the property from a firm controlled by the Dart group of compa- nies last year for US$4.25 million. Mr. McLaughlin said the government would seek to fund the purchase out of its En- vironmental Protection Fund. That fund is ef- fectively “ring-fenced” from day-to-day use by lawmakers and requires an affirmative vote of the Legislative Assembly members before it can be spent. “I hope we will be able to rely on the votes of all members of the House so that the country will see us all joining together in a unanimous ‘yes’ vote to secure this property for public use in perpetuity,” the premier said. The Cayman Islands National Trust said Grand Old House owners take over The Wharf JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com After serving “many millions” of dinners and making “many millions” of dollars, the owner of The Wharf restaurant is selling his iconic waterfront venue. Clemens Guettler, who opened The Wharf in 1988, has sold the popular restau- rant to the owners of Grand Old House. At the age of 70, Mr. Guettler, who won a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to Cayman’s tourism industry in 2014, said it was time to move on. He said he was happy to have found a buyer who had the “magic formula” to continue the success of the restaurant. “I wanted it to stay as a Cayma- nian entity and not go to some devel- oper who would knock it down and build condos,” he said. “This way, The Wharf stays as a restau- rant. It has the best location in the Carib- bean, if not in the world. “I have lost count of the many dinners we served. It is in the millions, I definitely made millions and I wish the same luck to my successors.” Mr. Guettler, who coincidentally worked as maître d’ at Grand Old House in the 1970s, said the new owners were a good fit for The Wharf. “I have been looking for a few years for someone to take it on and this was the per- fect match because they decided to take PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 10 » Clemens Guettler, right, shakes hands with Naul Bodden, one of the new owners of The Wharf. - PHOTO: JAMES WHITTAKER PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 10 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 10 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL MONDAY OCTOBER 10, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 640-FILM (640-3456) *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. 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. MASTERMINDS (PG13) 1:10 | 3:30 | 7:10 | 9:30 THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (R) 12:50 | 4:10 | 7:20 | 10:00 THE BIRTH OF A NATION (R) 12:40 | 3:40 | 6:50 | 9:45 STORKS (PG) 12:30 | 3:30 THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (PG13) 6:45 | 9:40 MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME (PG13) FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN 3D 1:00 | 4:00 2D | 7:00 | 9:50 2D DEEPWATER HORIZON (PG13) 1:15 | 4:10 | 7:15 | 10:05 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15th, 8PM BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH - MONDAY - Rating: Miami most unequal city in US Miami is the most un- equal big city in the America, according to a Bloomberg ranking, after moving six spots in only one year. Bloomberg ordered large cities – those with popu- lations of at least 250,000 – based on the Gini coeffi- cient. The index measures the distribution of house- hold income using 2015 data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Com- munity Survey. The ratio ranges from zero, which re- flects absolute equality, to one, complete inequality. Miami took the top spot in 2016 with a coefficient of .58, followed by Atlanta and New Orleans. Middle-income jobs have all but disappeared over the years in the South Florida city, sending residents to ei- ther the low end or the high end of the spectrum. “Miami-Dade now has more jobs than it had in 2007,” said Kevin Greiner, se- nior fellow at the Florida In- ternational University Metro- politan Center. “The problem is that the quality, and the wages, and the income of those jobs created have been significantly lower than they were in the past.” Real estate also contributes to the growing income disparity in the South Florida city, a highly sought destination for second and third homes among the jet set. Number breakdown From 2014 to 2015, in- come disparity in Miami grew 16.8 percent, looking at the difference between the top 5 percent and the lowest 20 percent of wages. That was a huge jump for a single year, taken in context: over a seven-year span, from 2007 to 2014, the same divide grew 17.6 percent. Incomes from the lowest two quintiles of Miami residents actually fell be- tween 2014 and 2015, while high-earners saw gains. Miami’s top group held 60.6 percent of aggre- gate household income in 2015, up from 58.4 percent the prior year. Miami, like most other major cities, wants to nur- ture higher-skill technology jobs. But what would actually help narrow the inequality gap is a solid recovery in retail, lodging and recre- ation, according to Nathaniel Karp, chief U.S. economist at BBVA Compass. © 2016, Bloomberg Schools to receive arts and culture journal JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com The latest volume of the Cayman National Cultural Foundation’s arts and culture publication is being distrib- uted to all Cayman schools. The latest volume of “Foundation, the Arts & Cul- ture Journal of the Cayman Islands,” the fourth to be published, features the Sister Islands, covering the years from early settlement to modern-day. It includes an article by Burnard Tib- betts called “The Way People Lived on Cayman Brac,” with photographs of items no longer common nowa- days, like gigs, wompers, and even cans of Flit insect repellent, which was often used to spray bedrooms before bedtime. As part of Literacy Month festivities last month, CNCF Managing Director Marcia Muttoo, with Bryan Hunter, managing partner at Ap- pleby and sponsor of the publication, presented Edu- cation Minister Tara Rivers and Councilor Roy McTag- gart from the Ministry of Health and Culture with copies of the journal. Mr. Hunter, in a press re- lease issued last week, said, the journal was an “essen- tial reference tool available for use in social studies and history classes in all local primary, secondary and ter- tiary schools.” Minister Rivers said, “The production and distri- bution of the CNCF journal is a timely one as the Edu- cation Bill, 2016, proposes to make the study of the history and culture of the Cayman Islands a required subject in all schools. This journal will help to provide content from which teachers can draw from to deliver les- sons on our Caymanian cul- tural heritage.” The Cayman National Cul- tural Foundation publishes the Foundation journal pe- riodically. Articles center around arts and culture in the Cayman Islands and cover a variety of topics and events. The journal is also available for purchase for $15 at the Foundation’s office behind the Harquail Theatre. Previous volumes are also on sale, dating from 2001, 2002 and 2006. CONCACAF TO OVERHAUL ‘ARCHAIC’ WORLD CUP QUALIFYING FORMAT Rebranding of name considered LONDON (AP) – World Cup qualifying is set to be over- hauled to avoid shutting out the majority of coun- tries in the CONCACAF region of the Caribbean and North and Central America so early. CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani has insti- gated a review of an “archaic” format that leaves only six out of the region’s 35 teams still in with a shot at quali- fying for Russia in 2018. Alongside a potential new name to replace the corruption-tainted CON- CACAF brand, revamping qualifying to be more inclu- sive has emerged as a key objective for Montagliani after five months in charge of the confederation cov- ering the region. “Something needs to change because you can’t have 85 percent of your members who are on the outside looking in two years before the World Cup,” Montagliani told The Associated Press. “It doesn’t make sense.” Since qualifying for the 1998 World Cup, CON- CACAF has used a system where teams play home and away in early rounds. Once 12 nations are remaining there are three groups of four, which produces six teams for a final round. The United States, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago are the last teams standing, chasing three of CONCA- CAF’s automatic qualifica- tion places. Starting next month, they play each other twice in a league. “It’s great for those six teams over the next year and a bit but how about the other ones?” Monta- gliani said. “It’s hard.” Hard for players to raise their standard and hard for teams to generate revenue to fund soccer development. “Caribbean countries have problems climbing the FIFA rankings, just because we are not able to play as many international games as you want to,” John Krishnadath, president of the Suriname soccer fed- eration, told the AP earlier this year, while also high- lighting the high cost of traveling to matches. Suriname’s World Cup journey ended in June 2015 immediately after entering in the second round of CONCACAF qualifying. Cayman National Cultural Foundation’s Marcia Muttoo, second from right, and Bryan Hunter, right, managing partner at Appleby and sponsor of the publication, present Education Minister Tara Rivers and Councilor Roy McTaggart from the Ministry of Health and Culture with copies of the fourth volume of the Foundation Arts and Culture Journal. Miami has been ranked by Bloomberg as the most unequal city in the United States, followed by Atlanta and New Orleans. - PHOTO: CHRISTINA MENDENHALL, BLOOMBERG CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani - PHOTO: APThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 10, 2016 The Legal Practitioners Bill is due in front of the LA in a matter of days. Top 10 Reasons Why The Passing Of The Legal Practitioners Bill Is Important: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. Twenty Cayman Islands law firms, representing over 86% of the members of the Cayman Islands Law Society (CILS), have declared their support of the long-awaited LPB, due to the urgent need to modernise the current regulatory regime for the legal profession, as well as to promote and protect Caymanian lawyers now and in the future. The Legal Practitioners Bill is a modernisation of the current Law, replacing the outdated provisions of the 1969 LPB. The LPB is reflective of international standards, keeping Cayman on par with the globalisation of the law industry. The 1969 LPB was passed when there were less than 30 practising lawyers in the Cayman Islands. Now there are over 600. The Cayman Islands Law Society (CILS) and the Cayman Bar Association (CBA) are both supportive of the LBP. The LPB contains a remit to recruit, promote and advance Caymanians and will open up more opportunities for Caymanian lawyers to work overseas. The LPB has been 15 years in the making and is a large improvement of the status quo. The LPB will result in the formation of CILPA, its eight member governing body being controlled by a minimum of five Caymanians and overall with a minimum of two representatives from small firms and a maximum of two from any one firm. The LPB will include disciplinary provisions which do not exist in the current LPB. The LPB will enable Caymanian lawyers to be eligible to be admitted in England and so expand the scope of their opportunities. The LPB is Cayman-centric, supporting Caymanian lawyers both here and around the world. To find out more about the LPB, please visit www.caymanlawsociety.org The Cayman Islands Law Society (“Law Society”) is the professional association that represents the entire private sector legal profession of the Cayman Islands. Membership is open to persons who are admitted as Cayman Islands attorneys-at-law. The Law Society currently has over 400 members.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. On Thursday, Premier Alden McLaughlin purported to “correct” a Cayman Compass editorial that stated his Progressives government had squandered an opportunity to obtain land adjoining Smith Cove from the Dart Group. Premier McLaughlin then proceeded to lay out, in detail, how accurate the Compass’s observations were. The next day, the premier again stood in the Leg- islative Assembly (where “parliamentary privilege” grants him legal immunity for defamatory utterances) and announced that his government had just reached a tentative agreement to buy the land — demonstrating not simply how “accurate” the Compass was, but indeed how “right” we were. Let’s compare passages from the Compass editorial to the premier’s floor speech. Compass: “[T]he government not too long ago had the opportunity to acquire the privately held portion of land adjoining Smith Cove[.]” McLaughlin: “[W]hat was proposed was a linked arrangement where the public would lose future access rights to the Seven Mile Beach through land owned by Dart along the West Bay Road. In exchange the public future access rights would be replaced by other property owned by Dart – including at one point the land adjoining Smith Barcadere.” Compass: “Instead of making a deal, Premier McLaughlin and his government picked up their chips and said, in effect, no thanks.” McLaughlin: “[C]ertain items were considered as absolute non-starters by this government […] The non- starters agreed by this government included trading away any public access rights to our beaches – even though this may have provided a dedicated public beach elsewhere.” Compass: “We certainly understand if the govern- ment didn’t want to acquire the Smith Cove land amid all the moving parts of the complex NRA Agreement and its amendments.” McLaughlin: [R]emoving the consolidation of future public access rights of way from the third amendment was the right thing to do. And with that decision, the swap for land such as that adjoining Smith Barcadere was automatically taken off the table.” The premier then adduced a woefully facile excuse for his government’s inaction on acquiring the Smith Cove land, consisting of two parts: (1) Dart never pro- actively offered the land to government in a stand- alone transaction; and (2) Even if Dart had, the gov- ernment’s finances were extremely tight at the time. Those arguments are easily belied: First, Dart has a phone number. (For government’s future reference, it’s 640-3500.) Premier McLaugh- lin’s government knew Dart was willing to part with the land because it had been included in the NRA Agree- ment proposal. Nothing was stopping the government from reaching out to Dart and offering to acquire the property. That’s what private developer TFG Cayman Ltd. did, successfully. Moreover, that’s what the Pro- gressives did, too, eventually, when Minister Kurt Tibbetts talked TFG into a potential deal last week. Second, this government did have the money to buy the Smith Cove land. The property will be purchased using roughly US$4.25 million from the Environmental Protection Fund. As of May 2013, when the Progressives took office, the fund contained more than $43 million. Of course, the reason why Premier McLaughlin seemed so upset with us over the Smith Cove affair isn’t because our editorial was incorrect — it’s because it was correct. The development of the Smith Cove property represented a major political liability for the elected members from George Town, including the premier, in the upcoming election. Hence the swiftness, hence the spin. Amid all of Premier McLaughlin’s recent speechifying, we admit there’s still one thing we don’t understand. Quoting from Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden; or, Life in the Woods,” the Premier said, “One piece of good sense would be more memorable than a monument as high as the moon.” Now, was Premier McLaughlin referring to Clifton Hunter High School (certainly a monument), or the George Town Landfill (certainly edging ever closer to the height of the moon)? Premier McLaughlin muddies the waters of ‘Alden Pond’ MONDAY OCTOBER 10, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Mr. Market doesn’t care about your politics BARRY RITHOLTZ It’s election season, and that means it’s time for par- tisans to pose as economists and strategists in order to ex- plain how much the markets support their favorite candi- date. It is an exercise fraught with a fundamental misunder- standing of what drives mar- kets at best – or intellectual dishonesty at worst. So let’s get this out of the way: Mr. Market doesn’t care who you are voting for, doesn’t care very much who wins, isn’t choosing one candidate over another and isn’t especially concerned with politics. That isn’t to say there is no information contained in market prices and price movement. Properly inter- preting what the message of the market is requires a level of objectively that seems to be beyond the capacity of many pundits during the silly season. When it comes to any pres- idential election, there are a few things that readers, inves- tors and pundits should take into account. First, is the confusion be- tween causation (significant) and correlation (not signif- icant). Perhaps the easiest way to understand this is the rising tide metaphor. Incum- bents win and markets go higher not because they re- flect each other, or because investors have an affinity for one candidate over another, but because the same un- derlying factors affect both, more or less at the same time. That synchronicity is why the correlation appears to be so strong. Let’s break this down: What factors make a market go higher? There are many, but we should start with cor- porate profits. That is one of the primary drivers of stock prices. When the economy is doing well (or improving from not doing well), that tends to lead to bigger increases in cor- porate profits. The virtuous cycle typically leads to in- creased hiring, declining un- employment and rising wages. This is what we have seen so far this cycle. One consequence of this is that consumer confidence tends to rise, as it has during the past few years. The net re- sult is that retail spending rises, driving corporate rev- enue higher. This is why I de- scribe this as virtuous cycle – it will continue until some- thing comes along to stop it. Occasionally it is a war, but most of the time it is inflation and a hawkish Federal Re- serve that raises interest rates high enough to arrest the eco- nomic expansion. But we are not there at this point. Infla- tion is negligible and rates are still low with only modest in- creases anticipated. So the sequence runs like this. An economic expansion increases corporate profits; stocks are driven higher and wages rise; consumers feel more economically secure and raise their spending. As one would imagine, this works to the advantage of the incumbent party, especially in the case of a sitting president. (I’ve written before about why presidents get too much credit for good economies and too much blame for the bad ones). The opposite happens as well: Markets don’t do poorly because the challenger is polling well; rather, the in- verse of the good conditions above will help a presiden- tial challenger – declining corporate profits, rising un- employment, stagnant wages, falling consumer sentiment, lower retail spending. All these negatives for earnings and the markets are also neg- atives for incumbents. And all of it points to a natural desire for change. Let’s take this a step fur- ther: When you look at this error of confusing correlation with causation, then add a partisan narrative and the ir- rational lizard-brain thinking that goes with it, what you get is a story line that is all but guaranteed to be wrong. That is a good recipe for in- vesting disaster. Don’t expect to hear this kind of reasoning from the pundit class, maybe because it doesn’t quite sell as well. Inevitably, you will come across some expert who cites the movements during any single day as proof that the market likes their preferred candidate. It goes without saying that these same sages will ignore the next day’s market reversal. This kind of cherry-picking simply re- veals their bias. I don’t want to suggest that presidents are irrelevant to markets and the economy; their actions can and do af- fect interest rates, and com- modity and equity prices. But during the ordinary course of business, a president isn’t usu- ally an especially important market-moving agent. As we have said before, you will do best by keeping politics out of your invest- ment portfolio; save it for the voting booth! Ritholtz, a Bloomberg View columnist, is the founder of Ritholtz Wealth Management. He is a consultant at and former chief executive officer for FusionIQ, a quantitative research firm. © 2016, Bloomberg View Inevitably, you will come across some expert who cites the movements during any single day as proof that the market likes their preferred candidate. 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 find their own way”5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 10, 2016 Personal Insurance BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE CO. LTD. BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, Grand Cayman KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 12 Kirkconnell Street, Stake Bay, P.O. Box 254, Cayman Brac KY2-2101 Tel. 948-1760 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International insurance, health, pensions, life Thinking about best value insurance? BritCay offers more value, more cover and more security. Home owners have enjoyed the security of home insurance with BritCay since 1984. 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Interest-free monthly payment plan Save 10% on car insurance with home insurance Lowest deductibles for comprehensive insurance Low cost life insurance from $6 per week cgigrp $10 Million ASSET PROTECTION! at no extra cost with motor cover coverwithoutaddedcosts! $6 per week applies to male aged up to 35 yrs. $100,000 for a 25 year term, no medical exam required. $250* CERTIFICATE WITH BUILDINGS INSURANCE *$250 BritCay gift certificate applies to new buildings insurance policies only Bill to legalize cannabis oil introduced Lawmakers to debate proposed legislation Monday BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Legislation that would le- galize cannabis oil for me- dicinal purposes in the Cayman Islands was intro- duced Friday afternoon, but Legislative Assembly debate on the measure was held until Monday. Premier Alden McLaughlin, who is also the minister of health, said he agreed to bring forward pro- posed changes to the Misuse of Drugs Law allowing for the legalization after local resident Dennie Warren Jr. made a presentation to the Progressives govern- ment caucus about the uses of cannabis oil in treating cancer patients. Mr. Warren’s wife has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, the premier said. “[Mr. Warren] felt this op- tion would give his wife some hope,” Mr. McLaughlin said. The premier said only li- censed pharmacies would be able to import cannabis oil and only physicians could prescribe it. Changes to reg- ulations governing customs and pharmaceutics have been made in preparation for the bill, but will only take ef- fect if lawmakers agree to pass the bill. “There were and remain some reservations about the use of this oil and its purpose, because there are still questions about its ef- ficacy,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “Nowhere in the world have they yet been able to determine definitively that it has the curative ef- fects that many of its advo- cates believe. “However, it is very useful in dealing with a range of symptoms that arise from se- rious illness.” The premier also noted there could be questions about from where cannabis oil might be sourced, given that many of Cayman’s Ca- ribbean neighbors had not legalized the oil or the mar- ijuana plant from which it is derived. “But we do not want people to continue to suffer,” he said. “We believe we must do what we can.” Debate on the bill is ex- pected to begin Monday. Premier Alden McLaughlin Legislators reject motion on gay marriage referendum Eden’s motion sought public vote BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands Leg- islative Assembly voted along party lines Thursday night to oppose a motion that sought a referendum on whether the territory should accept same- sex marriages. All nine government mem- bers opposed the motion, while all opposition party and independent members supported it. The final vote was 9-8 against. The vote was taken on a private members’ motion filed by Bodden Town MLA Anthony Eden who sought a public vote on the issue fol- lowing a controversial deci- sion by the Immigration Ap- peals Tribunal earlier this year. The decision allowed the same-sex partner of a work permit holder to remain in Cayman as a dependent on his partner’s permit. An earlier decision by the Work Permit Board had re- jected the dependent applica- tion, but was overturned by the appeals body. Mr. Eden and a number of other lawmakers came out vehemently against the Immigration Appeals Tri- bunal ruling, claiming it was not in keeping with the ter- ritory’s laws. Several government min- isters said Thursday it is the government’s view that leg- islators would not approve changes to the local Marriage Law, which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. On Tuesday, Cayman was given assur- ances by Overseas Territories Minister Baroness Joyce An- elay, who spoke in the Legis- lative Assembly, that Britain would not force the over- seas territory to change its law or constitution regarding same-sex marriages. During her address to the assembly Tuesday, Baroness Anelay said, “The British gov- ernment has no plans to im- pose same-sex marriage in the Cayman Islands. How- ever, I want to be clear that continued discrimination puts the Cayman Islands in breach of its legal obliga- tions, so there is a legal im- perative to change.” ‘Expensive and time consuming’ Premier McLaughlin and Finance Minister Marco Ar- cher both noted that holding a separate referendum on the subject before the May 2017 general election would be ex- pensive and time consuming. Mr. Archer noted any result in such a public vote would not prevent the U.K. from di- rectly implementing the right to same-sex marriages or civil unions in any case. The cost of holding such a referendum was estimated at $2 million. Independent East End dis- trict MLA Arden McLean ar- gued that government should seek to legally challenge the decision of the Immigration Appeals Tribunal in Grand Court via judicial review. Mr. McLean said the tribunal had acted against the cur- rent laws of the Cayman Is- lands in making its deci- sion on the work permit dependent application for the same-sex couple. All nine government members opposed the motion, while all opposition party and independent members supported it. The final vote was 9-8 against. Anthony EdenDISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days George Town MONDAY OCTOBER 10, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS 50 years ago: Emergency landing at airport In the Oct. 12, 1966 edi- tion of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, George Town news included: “A twin-engine C-46 cargo plane operated by TAN airlines of North America with a crew of 2 made a perfect emergency landing on one engine at Owen Roberts Airport on Thursday evening. “According to the pilot, who is 30 years of age, his port motor failed about 150 miles west of Grand Cayman in the vicinity of Cuba as he was travelling empty from Honduras to Miami. Having shut the en- gine off he turned back and travelled at an altitude of 9,000 feet for 1½ hours be- fore reaching here. “Having one engine out of action, once she had landed, she was unable to taxi to the apron so Had- sphaltic, with their heavy equipment, succeeded, with a good deal of effort, to pull her off the runway on to the apron to allow the regular services to come in. “Perhaps it is not re- alised what a tremen- dous loss such unauthor- ized flights are to us at the present time. Mr. Chad- wick, the Director of Civil Aviation, [said] that he had warned all relevant bodies that the airport was closed and had even sent out re- minders … but still aircraft try to land and often have to be turned back. “His Honour the Ad- ministrator and Mrs. J.A. Cumber arrived back in the island on Sunday looking extremely fresh after their leave in Britain. “On the apron to meet them were His Honour the Acting Administrator and Mrs. D.V. Watler, all the Heads of Depart- ments in the Civil Service, most of the MLAs and a large number of friends. Officers of the Girls’ Bri- gade gave a special wel- come to Mrs. Cumber, their island president. “In the island for the day on Sunday were Mr. P.R. Short, Senior Commu- nications Officer Telegraph, and Mr. T. Ivatts, Commu- nications Officer, Caribbean and South America, both of B.O.A.C. The purpose of their visit was to inaugurate the first teleprinter service in the Cayman Islands. “Cable & Wireless have provided the equipment for BWIA, which will at first be used for training per- sonnel for ultimate connec- tion with the Cable & Wire- less Tropospheric Scatter System, due to be imple- mented in December. They will then be directly con- nected to IACC at Palisadoes Airport in Kingston. IACC is at present connected to the New York electronic switching which relays mes- sages worldwide to other electronic computers. “Rudi Selzer and Joanne Groves became husband and wife at a marriage cer- emony performed at the Church of God Chapel, George Town, on Oct. 5 by Rev. Carl Holm. The ushers were Lawrence Thompson and Buddy Bush. “To the strains of the ‘Wedding March,’ the bride entered the Church on the arm of her brother-in-law, Mr. Brent Bush …. The wedding attendants were: Paul Dyson, Bill Maycock, Dave Foster (best man), Lowell Panton, Peter Mil- burn, Hebe Massias, Isabel Warren, Lyda Bush, Claudia Ebanks, Belva Lou Rivers, Arden Parsons, Sheryl Rivers, Anthony Panton (ring-bearer), and Jewel Ebanks and Miriam Bush (flower girls). “We were interested to hear from Mr. Arnold Shore that 250 turtles were re- cently brought from the Keys to Cayman Lobster Ltd. This means that a good supply is now available for local consumption and for sending abroad.” In the same issue, George Town correspondent Frances Bodden wrote: “I am informed by Mrs. Ethel Cook-Bodden, Chairman of the Hospital Fund, that a 116 pound cheque was paid from the fund on the Oct. 5 for the purchase of electric fans for the hospital. “Mr. and Mrs. Rudolph Selzer have gone to Jamaica on their honeymoon. They expect to stay at the Silver Seas Hotel in Oracabessa. “Mr. Roy Nugent arrived from Caracas on the 9th from National Bulk Car- riers’ Ore Saturn after being away for almost a year. “Mr. John Franklin Bodden left on the 9th for training in Jamaica with Cable & Wireless on a six to eight week course. He was accompanied by his mother, Mrs. Willie Bodden, who is on a visit to Jamaica.” Windsor Park gains Wi-Fi hot spot JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A community park in the Windsor Park area of George Town gained a public Wi-Fi hot spot this month, thanks to an initiative from former legislator Ellio Solomon. Residents in the commu- nity, one of the least privi- leged areas in the capital, will be able to get free In- ternet access in the park. Mr. Solomon launched the new service at an event on Oct. 1. He said Wi-Fi was increas- ingly important at a time when everything from job ap- plications to school home- work required Internet access. “We may not all have the same capacities in life but we should all have the same opportunities,” said Mr. Sol- omon, CEO of Vision 3E media company, who, along with his wife Betsy, is funding the cost of the service. Appearing alongside his family, including two of his daughters Sydney and Shawn, at the launch event, Mr. Solomon said he hoped Windsor Park would be the first of many community Wi-Fi hot spots. Food, drinks and enter- tainment were provided and volunteers were on hand at the event to sign residents up for access to the password-pro- tected service. Valda Myers was among those who signed up. She said she had Wi-Fi at home but would make use of it whenever she came to the park. “I think it is good for the community because not ev- eryone can afford Wi-Fi at home and sometimes people can’t afford credit. Also, if they have some friends or family in Jamaica, they can come to the park and be in contact with them. “I am very proud of Ellio for doing this for the com- munity and we appre- ciate it a lot.” Mr. Solomon said he had some support from Flow to get the service up and run- ning and would fund the costs for at least a year. He hopes to get private sector support to bring similar ser- vices to other communities. Ellio Solomon, with his daughters Sydney, left, and Shawn, second from right, and wife Betsy, far right, at the launch of the free Wi-Fi service at Windsor Park on Oct. 1. – PHOTO: JAMES WHITTAKERDistrict Days George Town DISTRICT DAYS 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 10, 2016 College grants for 10 local students Ten young people studying toward postsecondary de- grees overseas have received financial support from the National Council for Volun- tary Organisations. According to a press re- lease, the grants totaling US$60,000 were made pos- sible thanks to funds pro- vided by a local corporate donation to the NCVO. The charity group is dedicated to the care, education and well– being of children and fami- lies in need of support in the Cayman Islands. The John Gray Memorial Fund Committee awarded the grants to students studying for their first degrees in col- leges and universities over- seas. Seven of the students are current recipients of the grant; the other three applicants are first-time recipients whom the NCVO hopes to continue to sup- port throughout their degree course providing that they maintain high GPA scores. The release states the grant is named in honor of the late Rev. John Rae Gray, a former NCVO Council and Ex- ecutive Committee member, United Church minister, and high school principal. The grant assists young Cayma- nian students who wish to attend college or university but have insufficient funds to cover their living expenses. “This is a ‘top up’ fund and assistance is intended for expenses associated with pursuing a degree, such as for books, accommodation or transportation, and helps those who may have funding for tuition through govern- ment grants or other means but not for additional ex- penses,” the release states. The release noted this year’s recipients are studying a wide range of courses, in- cluding biology, music, en- gineering, special educa- tion, architecture, chemistry, psychology and Eng- lish literature. Grant recipients are en- couraged to become involved in their community through volunteer work. The applications were re- viewed by John Gray Memo- rial Fund committee mem- bers Charles Farrington and Elizabeth Schofield, and the NCVO’s Janice Wilson, Alta Solomon and Olive Miller. For more information on NCVO programs, contact Janice Wilson at ncvo@ncvo.org.ky or visit www.ncvo.org.ky. Exhibition changeover events prove a hit Recent events at the Na- tional Gallery celebrated the closing of the Legacy of Light watercolors exhibition and the opening of the new exhibition, Speak to Me. At an event held on Sept. 16 organized by committee members from the Butter- field Young Patrons’ Circle, two well-known watercolor painters, Joanne Sibley and Debbie van der Bol, were on hand for a special live-paint and mini auction. Participants had the op- portunity to meet with the artists, watch them paint and bid on the artwork cre- ated at the event. “A little wine, networking and art is proving to be a popular way for people to kick off their Friday night,” said committee member Rich Dyer. “We were honored to have two extremely talented art- ists donate their time and tal- ents to help raise funds to- wards free admission and free public programming at the National Gallery.” It was a packed house at the gallery a few days later, on Friday, Sept. 23, at the Members’ Preview evening for the Speak to Me exhibi- tion. Many of the featured artists were in attendance and happy to discuss their work with guests. The new exhibition examines art as a language and the visual di- alects we encounter, from paintings of the past to avant- garde artificial intelligence. The artworks used diverse media including video pieces, paintings and even an inter- active floor puzzle. Students shine in regional essay, poster contests A number of students from George Town district schools recently earned ac- colades in two competitions held by the Florida and Ca- ribbean Cruise Association. According to a press re- lease, schools in the Cayman Islands competed against 21 countries from within the Ca- ribbean and Latin America in the 2016 FCCA Children’s Essay Competition, writing on the essay topic: “If you were a cruise passenger, what would you like to see and do in your destination?” Danny Kish of Cayman Prep School placed second regionally in the junior division, earning US$1,500. Fellow Prep student Edward Webber earned US$200 as a finalist in the senior division. Local students also com- peted in the FCCA Envi- ronmental Poster Competi- tion, which attracted entries from 12 countries. The theme was protecting and raising awareness of the environ- ment. Tyra Abell of Cayman International School earned US$1,500 for her 2nd place finish; Samruddhi Tagal- pallewar of St. Ignatius Cath- olic School received US$200 as a finalist. From left, Cayman Prep English teacher Natasha Chopra; Education Minister Tara Rivers; Danny Kish and his mother Christina Kish; Shilpa and Sandip Tagalpallewar and their daughter Samruddhi Tagalpallewar; and Deputy Premier and Minister of Tourism Moses Kirkconnell. Not pictured: students Tyra Abell and Edward Webber. John Gray committee members, from left, Elizabeth Schofield, Janice Wilson, Olive Miller and Charles Farrington. Not pictured: Alta Solomon. Tyra Abell’s poster earned her second prize in the region. Speak to Me exhibition curator Eme Paschalides, left, Governor Helen Kilpatrick, center, and Gallery director Natalie Urquhart at the preview event. Katherine Bovre, winner of the auction.8 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY OCTOBER 10, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Bank employee stole cash and put it back Suspended sentence restricts liberty with curfew and electronic monitor CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A bank teller who stole from his till and put the money back received a sus- pended sentence, but with strict conditions, Friday after pleading guilty to a charge of false accounting. Magistrate Valdis Fol- dats told defendant Rashad Hill that his offense was a breach of trust that would al- most always be punished by a sentence of immediate im- prisonment. Instead, he im- posed a sentence meant to restrict Hill’s liberty as if he were in prison. Hill admitted taking cash seven times, falsifying bank records to cover his tracks, and then replacing the amounts when he re- ceived his salary. When the offenses were discovered, he still owed $421.74, which was later repaid. The magistrate concluded that his offending stopped only because he was caught. The amounts he took totaled $1,741. The magistrate first de- termined that the appro- priate sentence was six months, but reduced to four months for Hill’s guilty plea. He then suspended that sen- tence for two years. Mean- while, during the next four months, Hill is to abide by a curfew from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. weekdays while in employ- ment, and a 24-hour curfew on weekends and holidays, subject to medical emer- gencies. He is to wear an electronic monitor during those four months and reside at a specified address. Further, Hill is to pay his employer $5,000 to reimburse for half the cost of the inves- tigation that was required after discovery of his wrong- doing. The magistrate said a stern sentence was neces- sary to denounce this type of crime and to deter like- minded individuals. The magistrate indicated that one reason for his ap- proach to sentence was the fact that although the of- fending took place between January and March, 2014, it was never reported to police until June of 2015; further, charges were not registered with the court until No- vember of 2015. Hill was 21 at the time of his offending and was now nearly 24, a delay of two and a half years which was not Hill’s fault, the magistrate noted. “This is a significant mitigating factor,” he said. Defense attorney Prathna Bodden emphasized Hill’s immediate admissions to bank officials and, later, to police. A social inquiry report indicated that he was helping a relative with overseas medical expenses and was getting into financial difficul- ties as a result. The magistrate pointed out that many people have to deal with financial pres- sures and trying to help family members. “Turning to crime to lessen one’s burdens cannot be condoned,” the magistrate said. He pointed to Hill’s own comment that he could have tried other options, such as seeking assistance from the bank. Among the factors consid- ered in breach of trust cases is the effect on the victim, the magistrate noted. In this case, bank management and staff spent numerous hours investigating and analyzing records, then meeting with legal counsel. The total time spent doing so easily equated to a loss of $10,000. The bank’s statement added: “Until this incident, we believed [the defendant] was a bright and honest young man. His actions and lack of integrity damaged the collective spirit of the bank employees, trust in the hon- esty of co-workers, and the collegial atmosphere.” The effect of such of- fending on the public was also considered. The mag- istrate said tellers are the frontline of a bank’s opera- tions and the point of contact with the public. “They are faced with the opportunity and temptation to dip into the till every day. The banking industry and the public trust and expect these employees to resist tempta- tion, and rely on the courts to deal firmly with those that cross the line,” he said. The magistrate pointed out that Hill had lost his job and his reputation, but these were the normal con- sequences of this type of crime. He accepted the defen- dant’s remorse and willing- ness to pay a portion of the bank’s costs. The compensation is to be paid within one year. If it is not paid, the defendant is to serve 90 days in default. Hill admitted taking cash seven times, falsifying bank records to cover his tracks, and then replacing the amounts when he received his salary …. The amounts he took totaled $1,741. Guilty plea in firearms charge Defendant convicted of earlier firearms charge; sentencing for both due on Oct. 21 CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Jose Guadalupe San- chez, 29, pleaded guilty on Friday afternoon to possession of an unli- censed firearm in Cruz Lane, George Town, on June 8, 2015. Sentencing was ad- journed until Oct. 21, when he was scheduled to re- turn to Grand Court for sentencing on a similar of- fense – possession of an un- licensed firearm at the Ev- erglo Bar in Bodden Town on the night of July 4, 2015. He had pleaded not guilty to the Bodden Town charge and elected trial by judge alone. Justice Charles Quin found him guilty in August this year, saying the Crown wit- nesses were truthful and reliable, and the evidence was overwhelming. In that case, San- chez was charged with possessing a semiauto- matic 9 mm pistol. In the George Town charge, no description of the firearm was given. Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Patrick Moran did not give any background to the charge on Friday. It is expected that a summary will be provided at the sentencing hearing, along with mitigation by defense attorney Guy Dilliway-Parry. The Firearms Law sets 20 years as the maximum sentence on conviction for a firearm offense. The min- imum is 10 years when a person is found guilty and seven years when a person pleads guilty. Both of these minimums, however, are not absolute; the judge may impose a lesser sentence if he finds there are excep- tional circumstances. The law does not ap- pear to provide a set sen- tence for a second or sub- sequent offense. In connection with the Bodden Town incident, Ashley Terry, 26, and Sean Luke Dunbar, 22, are also scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 21. Justice Quin continued their bail until then. Sanchez has been in custody since his arrest. The Firearms Law sets 20 years as the maximum sentence on conviction for a firearm offense.9 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 10, 2016 Thousands donate to fill cargo plane for Haiti relief CHARLES DUNCAN cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com In 72 hours, more than 3,000 people in Cayman do- nated enough baby supplies, food, clothes, medicines and other necessities to fill the warehouse at Cayman Is- lands Brewery. On Tuesday, those sup- plies will be loaded on a Cayman Airways plane and flown to Haiti to help the country where at least 500 died in Hurricane Matthew. Some of the supplies will be sent to eastern Cuba, which also saw significant damage from the storm. The donation center at the Saxon Insurance building on Eastern Avenue was bustling Saturday with dozens of vol- unteers sorting and boxing donations. People lined up to drop off donations. Jo Dunne, coordinating the volunteer efforts at the office, said, “This place has been filled and emptied and filled and emptied a couple times today.” Volunteers packed up the donations in the office suite and loaded them on to a Cayman Islands Brewery truck. As of late Saturday after- noon, she said, they had filled the truck six times to take goods to the warehouse. “We have filled an entire warehouse to the brim,” Mr. Leslie announced late Sat- urday night over social media. Shortly after the storm struck Haiti, Mr. Leslie said he began organizing the relief effort, with help from gov- ernment, Saxon and a small army of volunteers. Kenroy Henderson, a brewery employee who was helping load the truck with donations Saturday, said, “We might need an- other warehouse.” Police had to help direct traffic around the donation site at times Saturday, when traffic became backed up as people dropped off supplies. “Cayman showed some major love these past couple of days,” Mr. Leslie said Sunday. Mr. Leslie said the dona- tions will be distributed by U.S. Marines in the country, some of whom passed through Cayman on their way to Haiti last week, and the non-governmental orga- nization Operation Blessing. After Hurricane Ivan in 2004, Operation Blessing came to Cayman to help with the re- covery effort. Haiti is still reeling from the 2010 earthquake and a cholera epidemic that has struck the country in the years since. The Associ- ated Press reported over the weekend that in the Grand Anse Department, hit di- rectly by the storm, 66,000 houses were destroyed and another 20,000 had heavy damage. Haitian government of- ficials estimated that more than 350,000 people need as- sistance, according to the AP. Hurricane Matthew also caused severe damage and deaths from St. Vincent to North Carolina, doing major damage in Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas and up the coast of the United States. At least 10 people died in the U.S. from the storm in recent days be- fore Matthew was down- graded to a post-tropical cy- clone Sunday morning. The Cayman Islands Red Cross launched an emergency fundraising appeal over the weekend to help with the in- ternational organization’s ef- forts to help storm victims. In the appeal, the local Red Cross chapter states, “The Hurricane Matthew Appeal will cover assistance for the most vulnerable in coun- tries currently affected and those potentially affected in the future.” Several local businesses are making donations to help with the relief efforts. Fos- ter’s Food Fair announced the store will donate $10,000 and take donations from cus- tomers. Foster’s said it would split the cash donations between the efforts from Cayman Islands Brewery and the Red Cross. CHARLES DUNCAN cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com Police descended on the Nectar nightclub in the early hours of Saturday morning, exactly a week since Justin Manderson was gunned down near the club on West Bay Road. More than a dozen po- lice officers spent about two hours after midnight can- vassing the area around Seven Mile Shops, talking to people who may have witnessed the shooting a week before. They also set up a road- block on West Bay Road in hopes of talking to people who may have been driving through the area around the time Mr. Manderson, 24, was shot. A gunman killed Mr. Man- derson a little before 2 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1. Police made two arrests in connec- tion with the case last week, but Chief Detective Inspector Malcolm Kay said Saturday morning that he expects to make more arrests in the murder investigation. Mr. Kay acknowledged the killing, the first in 2016, was “possibly gang related.” Mr. Manderson had previously faced charges related to gang and gun activity, but was never convicted. Officers arrested four people during the investi- gation last week, including two men on suspicion of murder in connection with the Manderson case. Offi- cers also arrested a man and a woman in connec- tion with drugs and am- munition found during po- lice searches related to the murder inquiry. The investigation is con- tinuing, DCI Kay said. He added that he hoped the heavy police presence at the crime scene Saturday morning would help officers talk to witnesses who have not yet come forward. Later on Saturday, po- lice spokeswoman Jaque- line Carpenter said, “The exercise was a success and we did receive a good re- sponse from the public and also received some new in- formation which we are fol- lowing up on.” Mr. Manderson was found gravely wounded on the sidewalk along West Bay Road at Seven Mile Shops shortly before 2 a.m. on Oct. 1. He died at the hospital less than an hour later. Officers on West Bay Road stopped cars driving by Seven Mile Shops be- tween about 12:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m., asking drivers if they passed by a week earlier at about the same time. Po- lice did not say if they found any new witnesses from the canvass and roadblock. This is not the first time the area has been the scene of violent crime. Police are also investigating shots being fired in the parking lot in the early hours of Sept. 17. An arrest has been made in connection with that case. Almost a year ago, a man was stabbed in the parking lot outside of the nightclub, and in De- cember of last year, there was a brawl that police called “multiple fights,” out- side of the club, sending one woman to the hospital. Ms. Carpenter said po- lice had increased their presence around Nectar and other nightclubs. She said police and other agencies were scrutinizing night- clubs and other nighttime hot spots more, making sure security guards were prop- erly licensed and buildings complied with fire codes. Police expect more arrests in Manderson killing Kenroy Henderson, with the Cayman Islands Brewery, loads a truck with donated relief supplies. - PHOTO: CHARLES DUNCANNext >