ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 Personal Insurance Save up to $400 with home and car insurance Your first BritCay’s buildings insurance policy comes with a $250 gift certificate and a 10% discount on car insurance. With the lowest standard deductible at $200, you also save when you claim. Ask for a quote! BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International Ltd. : insurance, health, pensions, life Call 949-8699 www.britcay.ky FREE $10 Million ASSET PROTECTION! with motor cover* *private car insurance cgigrp ROAD ‘MENACE’ JAILED FOR 18 MONTHS Dangerous driver swam canal in attempt to elude police CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Twenty-four days after receiving a sus- pended sentence for traffic offenses, a man got into a car and broke seven more laws before being caught. The sequence of events led to 18 months’ imprisonment for 25-year-old Javon Eric Burke of Bodden Town. “It’s a miracle no one was killed,” Magis- trate Adam Roberts told Burke on Tuesday. “You are a menace. You need to be off the road and away from society.” He imposed a total of nine months’ im- prisonment for offenses on Oct. 23, 2015. That was 24 days after he had imposed sentences totaling nine months for previous traffic of- fenses. The magistrate said he had initially given Burke a chance by imposing a sus- pended sentence supervision order because Burke was then 23 and had a young child. He said he told Burke at the time that he had reached a point where prison was the correct sentence and if Burke breached it, he should have no doubt he would be sent to prison. The breach was detailed this week by Crown counsel Gavin Dixon. Mr. Dixon said police officers were con- ducting a traffic check at the East-West Arte- rial when the vehicle driven by Burke slowed down as it approached around 9:14 a.m. An officer gave a hand signal for the car to stop. Instead, it turned counter-clockwise on the roundabout, against the traffic. Other officers were alerted and pursued him in their cars, using flashing lights and sirens. The vehicle exceeded 80 mph in the lane of oncoming traffic, causing five vehicles to take evasive action to avoid a collision. The vehicle then went onto Poindexter Road, almost colliding with another car. It con- tinued through various streets, going 60 mph in 25-mph zones, before stopping at a resi- dence. Burke ran from the car, went through BVI looks like ‘a large bomb’ went off Governor’s aide gives first-hand account of hurricane damage BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A continued foreign police and military presence will be maintained in the British Virgin Islands, including a contingent of Cayman Islands police offi- cers, as U.K. and local officials try to get the storm-ravaged ter- ritory back on its feet, Cayman Islands Governor’s Office Chief of Staff Matthew Forbes told the Cayman Compass on his return from a two-week foreign office mission in the BVI. During this mission, Mr. Forbes was stationed in the main government building in Road Town, the BVI capital, with dozens of other British govern- ment officials, U.K. police officers and military personnel. “I slept on the floor of the government house for two weeks … we had power for some of it,” he said. The 16 visiting Royal Cayman Islands Police Service officers stayed in what would normally have been enticing accommoda- tions in a waterfront hotel. In this case, however, the lights did not work and the roof was leaky. Lightning strikes prison storage building BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Supplies were destroyed and computer and telephone services were knocked out to Northward Prison early Wednesday after a lightning strike that sparked a fire. No one was hurt in the blaze. Prison officials said the fire that resulted from the 1:30 a.m. lightning strike “con- sumed” the stores building at the Bodden Town facility, which is the Cayman Islands’ main prison for adult males. Chief Fire Officer David Hails said the building, which houses food, bathroom sup- plies, uniforms and equipment, was fully en- gulfed in flames and sustained major damage from the lightning strike that hit the roof. The fire was not completely extinguished until 4 a.m., Mr. Hails said. “Additionally, all computer cables were located inside the burned building, so as a result all computer and phone services are currently down at Her Majesty’s Prison Northward,” a government statement on the fire noted. A sailboat now sits at the front of this restaurant in the British Virgin Islands. The territory is still struggling to recover from the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Lightning struck the roof of Northward Prison’s storage building early Wednesday, sparking a major fire. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS I Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. 640-FILM (640-3456) 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. - THURSDAY - VICTORIA & ABDUL (PG13) 1:00 I 3:55 I 7:25 I 9:50 KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE (R) 12:20 VIP I 12:45 I 3:35 I 6:30 6:40 VIP I 9:35 IT (R) 12:55 I 3:30 VIP I 6:50 I 9:50 VIP THE NUT JOB 2 3D (PG) 12:30 2D I 5:05 2D I 9:55 GUN SHY (R) 2:50 I 4:10 I 7:30 I 10:00 AMERICAN ASSASSIN (R) 1:35 I 4:35 I 6:55 I 10:00 Permit fees reduced for storm evacuees Hurricane season’s action moves to western Caribbean Harvey, Irma and Maria have written new chapters into Atlantic hurricane his- tory this past month, but the story is not over. Storms cer- tainly will keep coming as the action now shifts to the western Caribbean Sea – San- dy’s birthplace. Storms Lee and Maria soon will spin themselves down in the central Atlantic, then there will be a pause as there’s no prediction new storms will develop in the next few days to replace them. After that, the forecast models show there could be trouble, said Dan Kottlowski, a hurricane forecaster at Ac- cuWeather in State College, Pennsylvania. “People ask me: ‘Once we get past September, we’re over the hump?’ Not true,” Kottlowski said. “Don’t let your guard down.” At least 100 people have died in the U.S. and Carib- bean this year since Harvey came ashore in Texas on Aug. 25 flooding portions of the state. It started a month of mayhem that included Irma striking Florida and Cuba, and Maria hitting Dominica, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Economic losses in the U.S. could reach $170 billion, according to Enki Re- search in Savannah, Georgia. Across the entire basin, damage could total $300 billion, said Joel Myers, the founder, president and chairman of AccuWeather. The storms had deep im- pacts on markets as well. Harvey temporarily shut down about 25 percent of oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico and as much as 20 percent of U.S. refining capacity. Hurricane Irma subjected Florida’s citrus groves to fruit losses that have wiped out some farmers. Maria knocked out Puerto Ri- co’s entire power grid. “In past years, we would say, ‘Wow, imagine if that storm went here and there, imagine the damage it would cause,’ “ Kottlowski said. “That happened this year.” So far 13 storms have formed across the Atlantic, one more than an average year. However, 2017 has al- ready met the definition of “extremely active,” and the amount of energy the storms produced in September set a new record for the month, according to Phil Klotzbach, lead author of the closely watched Colorado State University seasonal-hurri- cane forecast. This also was the first time the U.S. was hit by three Category 4 storms in one season, said Jeff Masters, co- founder of Weather Under- ground in Ann Arbor, Mich- igan, and the first time since 2005 that a major hurricane struck the U.S. As autumn gets under way in the Northern Hemi- sphere, the Atlantic be- tween the Caribbean and Cabo Verde cools, wind shear picks up there and tropical waves rolling off Africa, the buds of storms, start to wind down, said Dennis Feltgen, spokesman for the National Hurricane Center in Miami. “The activity shifts west- ward,” Feltgen said. “The western Caribbean is still quite warm in October and can easily generate some memorable hurricanes. Both Wilma in 2005 and Sandy in 2012 began there.” Storms that form south of Cuba are most likely to drift northeast, according to the hurricane center. This was Sandy’s path, crossing Cuba and heading up the U.S. East Coast. Wilma also developed in the western Caribbean. After tracing a boomerang- shaped path, it headed north into Florida, causing about $20 billion in damage and killing more than 20 people across the basin. This year, conditions are particularly ripe for a burst of late season Carib- bean storms, Klotzbach said. In October and November, a broad area of low pressure develops across the western Caribbean, and this atmo- spheric gyre can help get storms started, he said. This year there are also border- line La Nina conditions in the Pacific. While this cool water and atmospheric turmoil is an ocean away, it still can give conditions across the Caribbean a boost. Another ingredient in the storm recipe book is warm water, and the Caribbean is bathwater hot right now. “I cannot say for sure that we are going to see any- thing nasty come out of the Caribbean, but I would say the odds of something in the western Caribbean are fairly high this year,” Klotzbach said. That would shift the “threat region” to Florida, he noted. AccuWeather predicts at least four more named storms, with three becoming hurricanes, Kottlowski said. One probably will be major: Category 3 or stronger on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. A storm gets a name when its winds reach 39 mph, or trop- ical-storm strength. The odds are high one of these four will hit the mainland. “There is a pretty good chance for a landfall in the U.S. sometime between now and the end of the season,” Kottlowski said. “If I lived along the coast, I would keep my hurricane plan right next to the door.” © 2017, Bloomberg Hurricane evacuees who have come to Cayman from the British Virgin Islands and other eastern Caribbean fi- nancial services centers can receive reduced-price or even free temporary work permits, after their initial permission to stay on island has expired. About 170 evacuees were known to be in Cayman last week as a result of their com- panies in the eastern Carib- bean and Miami, Florida re- locating them while offices in their home countries or terri- tories are repaired. They were initially given 60-day visitors permits, and can apply for temporary work permits after that per- mission expires. The Immigration Depart- ment confirmed that appli- cation fees for attorneys and accountants from those com- panies would be reduced by 75 percent for a three-month temporary permit and by 50 percent for a six-month temporary permit. Other categories of workers will be capped at $615 for a three-month permit and $1,230 for a six- month permit. Anyone relocated to Cayman Brac or Little Cayman will pay no fees during the storm recovery period. Immigration officials said the temporary permits granted under the “humani- tarian response measure” are restricted to offshore work performed for clients in the hurricane-impacted jurisdic- tions, so for example, BVI at- torneys would service BVI clients. The influx of new workers would not affect local staff, Acting Chief Immigra- tion Officer Bruce Smith said. “If a work permit or an extension is needed past the maximum allotment of six months, the normal Immigra- tion Law requirements will be followed, such as adver- tising for the position to help ensure Caymanian workers are given the opportunity to fill long term positions,” Mr. Smith said. Application fees for attorneys and accountants from companies in hurricane-affected areas would be reduced by 75 percent for a three-month temporary permit and by 50 percent for a six-month temporary permit. “I cannot say for sure that we are going to see anything nasty come out of the Caribbean, but I would say the odds of something in the western Caribbean are fairly high this year.” PHIL KLOTZBACH, lead author, Colorado State University seasonal hurricane forecast People wade through a flooded street on Sept. 10 after the passage of Hurricane Irma in Havana, Cuba. The powerful storm ripped roofs off houses, collapsed buildings and flooded hundreds of miles of coastline. - PHOTO: AP3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 OCTOBER , The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman www.breastcancerfoundation.ky info@breastcancerfoundation.ky Featuring Special Guest Speakers PRINT MEDIA SPONSOR Featuring Special Guest Speakers Rancic Bll & Giulianna THANK YOU TO OUR PLATINUM SPONSOR 277 residency applications decided over last two months BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Within the last two months, Cayman Islands government officials have made decisions on 277 ap- plications for perma- nent residence. According to records re- viewed by the Cayman Compass, a total of 154 ap- plications were heard and decided during August, and 123 were decided through Sept. 22. Of those, 166 were approved, 95 were de- clined, 10 applications were withdrawn and six were thrown out because they were filed late. Hearings before the Cay- manian Status and Perma- nent Residency Board and immigration staff mem- bers are still proceeding this week, but it is likely that more than 150 applications will have received a decision during September. Before August, a total of 63 residency applica- tions were heard during the months of June and July. If the Immigration De- partment continues hear- ings at a rate of more than 150 residency applications per month, the remaining backlog of 800 cases should be decided by March 2018. Approval rates have varied from month to month. During August, about 64 per- cent of the residency appli- cations were approved while only 55 percent have been ap- proved so far this month. Permanent residence is the right to remain in Cayman for the rest of one’s life. It can be obtained in a number of ways, but the backlogged applications now being heard by immigration officials only concern non- Caymanians who have asked to remain in the territory after at least eight years of continuous residence. More than 1,100 such ap- plications had piled up be- tween January 2015 and June 2017, when the govern- ment stopped hearing those cases due to a number of legal difficulties associated with how officials were han- dling, or should be handling, the applications. Those problems were not resolved until March 2017, when government amended the system used to award permanent residence to non- Caymanian applicants. Premier Alden McLaughlin has pledged further immi- gration reform, both to per- manent residence grants as well as the work permit system used to bring in guest workers. However, no specific plans have been made public. LABOUR FORCE SURVEY BEGINS SUNDAY 1,500 households will be surveyed The Economics and Sta- tistics Office will begin its fall Labour Force Survey on Sunday, Oct. 1. The survey seeks to col- lect data on the employed and unemployed individ- uals in the Cayman Is- lands, as well as those who are not in the labor force, a press release states. Trained interviewers from the Economics and Statistics Office will visit 1,500 randomly selected sample households on Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman over a four-week period. During the survey, in- terviewers will administer electronic questionnaires using tablets. “Once again, the ESO ap- peals to the public to give its full cooperation to the interviewers and to pro- vide the necessary infor- mation, which will be col- lected under the Statistics Law (2016 Revision). The interviews are confiden- tial, and no individual data will be used for publication or disclosed to parties out- side of the ESO. ESO survey data from individuals are exempt from Freedom of Information requests,” the release states. For more information, call the Economics and Statistics Office at 516-3329 or 949-0940, or visit www.eso.ky. Two men charged in dog-burning case SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two men have been charged in connection with an alleged dog-burning in- cident in May. The two men are sched- uled to appear in court on Tuesday, Oct. 3. An 18-year-old man from North Side was charged with cruelty to animals, causing unnecessary suffering and failing to exercise proper care and supervision. A 63-year- old man, will face charges for causing unnecessary suf- fering and failing to exercise proper care and supervision. The charges arise from an incident on May 13 when a dog named Dora was alleg- edly set aflame. The dog, which suffered second- and third-degree burns to its flank and ab- domen, has fully recovered and may be adopted soon. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service made an arrest on May 22. An 18-year-old was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty at that point but subsequently released on police bail. The RCIPS con- cluded their investigation in July and forwarded the file on to the Office of the Di- rector of Public Prosecutions in July. The file was returned to the police on Sept. 17. Charges were also laid last week in another animal cruelty case involving a dog named Rufus. The dog was brought to the Humane So- ciety with apparent chem- ical burns that ranged from his head to the middle of his back. An individual was charged with animal cruelty after an investigation by the Department of Agriculture and a subsequent review of the file by the Office of the Di- rector of Public Prosecutions. Dora suffered burns to her body, but has now fully recovered. The dog, which suffered second- and third-degree burns to its flank and abdomen, has fully recovered and may be adopted soon.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. The United States is embroiled in a passionate debate over National Football League players who “took a knee” during the playing of the national anthem last weekend. In a show of solidarity and to protest racial injus- tice, teams across the U.S. silently knelt, locked arms or chose to be absent from the field until the conclu- sion of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Some players stood with a clenched fist in the air, reminiscent of the 1968 Olympics “Black Power Salute” by U.S. athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos. Make no mistake, the players, team staff and owners knew their actions would be controversial. They knew their symbolic actions during the playing of the anthem and the display of the U.S. flag would throw fuel on an already blazing discussion about due reverence for these national symbols. What is it about a rectangular cloth, or a few bars of a song that can fuel such patriotism, or outrage? Why is it that “taking a knee” is such a powerful statement of commitment or, as many Americans see it, betrayal? The simple answer is a flag is not just a cloth, and an anthem is not just a song. They are symbols that have been imbued with ideals, values and traditions that comprise the abstract “cultural identity” binding together the individuals that make up a nation – “feder- ated along one keel,” to employ the words of Herman Melville in his great American novel Moby-Dick. For many military veterans who fought for those symbols and all they represent, risking their lives, perhaps suffering injury or knowing comrades who died performing their duties, any perceived disre- spect of the flag or anthem can be interpreted as an intensely personal affront to them, their brothers-in- arms or the country they served, no matter what ideo- logical explanation is given. Generally speaking, societies share the following problem: There is not much they can bestow upon war veterans and “great people who have done great things” except for shows of respect (for example, standing during the national anthem) and honors such as ribbons and medals. It is, of course, far too little payment for their sacrifice, but there are scant other ways for countries to demonstrate their gratitude and appreciation for heroic deeds. Again, symbols. Which is why the recent theft of medals and other valuables belonging to 98-year-old Athelstan Charles Ethelwulf Long (the last Administrator and first Governor of the Cayman Islands) has inspired disgust and anger throughout our community. We and many others are calling not only for the immediate return of Mr. Long’s treasures, but also for the swift arrest, effi- cient prosecution and strong sentencing of the crimi- nals responsible for this repulsive and deliberate deed. Mr. Long is one of those “great men” we mentioned earlier. He fought for Great Britain in World War II, endured the horrors of imprisonment by the Japanese in the Pacific theater and, after the war, devoted the remainder of his professional life to service of Queen and country. When he chose to settle in Cayman after his retirement, he honored our community. That honor was trampled upon by the thieves who broke into an office in the dead of night and spent two hours prying open a concrete-lined safe in order to steal medals, commemorative coins and jewelry. To them, the medals represented “metal” to be exchanged for a baser form of metal: money. To the decent members of our community, Mr. Long’s medals represent his courage, commitment and dedication – characteristics and values that are impervious to thievery and immortal in the memory of our society, which has the highest respect for Mr. Long and the others who built Cayman, and the world, into what it is today. Due respect for anthems, flags and medals THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Economic engine is being slowed by complacency WASHINGTON – It was an epoch-defining decision to place in Westminster Abbey, among statues of monarchs, priests and poets, a large one of James Watt, inventor of the separate-condenser steam engine. The statue’s inscription says Watt ranks among the world’s benefac- tors because he “increased the power of man.” The econ- omist and historian Deirdre McCloskey believes this honor, conferred in 1834, sig- nified society’s endorsement of the dignity of practical people who apply science for human betterment. The Great Enrichment is McCloskey’s term for what, in a sense, started with steam and has been, she be- lieves, the most important human development since the invention of agriculture 10,000 years ago. The devel- opment is the explosion of economic growth that began around 1800 and has, espe- cially since reaching China and India, lifted billions of people from poverty. Today, however, the Great Enrich- ment might be running out of steam in the United States, which for two cen- turies has given propulsive energy to it. In 1800, McCloskey says, the world’s economy was where Bangladesh’s economy now is, with no expectation of change. Today, most of the jobs that existed just a cen- tury ago are gone. And we are delighted that this pro- tracted disruption occurred. Now, however, the Great En- richment is being super- seded by the Great Flinch, a recoil against the frictions and uncertainties – the per- manent revolution – of eco- nomic dynamism. If this continues, the consequences, from increased distribu- tional conflicts to decreased social mobility, are going to be unpleasant. Although America is said to be – and many Ameri- cans are – seething about economic grievances, Tyler Cowen thinks a bigger problem is complacency. In his latest book, “The Compla- cent Class: The Self-Defeating Quest for the American Dream,” Cowen, professor of almost everything (eco- nomics, law, literature) at George Mason University and co-author of the Mar- ginal Revolution blog, argues that the complacent class, al- though a minority, is skillful at entrenching itself in ways detrimental to the majority. For 40 years, Cowen be- lieves, “we have been building toward stasis,” with a dimin- ishing “sense of urgency.” Americans and American businesses are, on average, older than ever. Interstate mi- gration – a risk-taking invest- ment in a hoped-for future – has been declining since the mid-1980s. Although there is much talk about job churning, the percentage of workers with five or more years on the job has increased in 20 years from 44 to more than 50. Declining labor mobility is partly the result of the do- mestic protectionism of oc- cupational licensing. “In the 1950s,” Cowen writes, “only about 5 percent of workers required a government-is- sued license to do their jobs, but by 2008, that figure had risen to about 29 percent.” There is “more pairing of like with like” (assortative mating, economically homog- enous neighborhoods, segre- gation by educational status) and the nation is losing the capacity and will “to regen- erate itself.” In the 19th cen- tury and much of the 20th century, travel speeds in- creased dramatically; since the 1970s, ground and air congestion has slowed travel. Fifty-two years ago, children’s most common leisure activity was outdoor play; today, the average 9-year-old spends 50 hours a week staring at elec- tronic screens. Today, Cowen notes, campuses are one of society’s segments “where the complacent class exercises its strongest influences,” doing so to preserve, like flies in amber, its status and consensus, thereby slowing what the economist Vilfredo Pareto called the “circula- tion of elites.” Most alarming is Amer- ican democracy becoming a gerontocracy. The Steuerle- Roeper Fiscal Democracy Index measures how much of the allocation of gov- ernment revenues is deter- mined by current demo- cratic processes and how much by prior decisions es- tablishing permanent pro- grams running on autopilot. The portion of the federal budget automatically spent by choices made years ago is approaching 90 percent. An aging population is de- vouring an increasing por- tion of national resources – federal revenues dis- persed by the entitlement state to provide Social Secu- rity and Medicare to the el- derly, the nation’s past. This will worsen. Because govern- ment is more important to its elderly beneficiaries than to any other age cohort, a higher percentage of the el- derly vote compared to any younger cohort. For complacent Amer- icans, a less dynamic, growth-oriented nation seems less like an alarming prospect than a soothing promise of restfulness. In a great testimonial to capital- ism’s power, “The Commu- nist Manifesto,” Karl Marx wrote: “All fixed, fast-frozen relations, with their train of ancient and venerable prej- udices and opinions, are swept away, all new-formed ones become antiquated be- fore they can ossify. All that is solid melts into air.” Com- placent, because comfort- able, Americans have had enough of that. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2017, Washington Post Writers Group GEORGE F. WILL GEORGE 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” For complacent Americans, a less dynamic, growth-oriented nation seems less like an alarming prospect than a soothing promise of restfulness. 5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 Cayman Investment Forum to focus on bitcoin and gold Topics at Oct. 11 forum include decline of U.S. dollar KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com With events such as Brexit and the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, many see a reversal in the trend of globalization that has taken place over the last several decades. Such eras of de-globaliza- tion are often accompanied by changes in international currency regimes, according to Chartered Financial An- alyst Society member Emil Kalinowski. That is why this year’s Cayman Investment Forum is focusing on bitcoin, precious metals and the pos- sible decline of the U.S. dollar as the world reserve cur- rency, said Mr. Kalinowski. Speakers at the event in- clude bitcoin investor Tuur Demeester, and Indiana Uni- versity history professor Re- becca Spang, both of whom participated in interviews on Tuesday with Mr. Kalinowski and his fellow CFA members, Simon Cawdery and Nev- ille Hicks, about what they will be talking about at the Oct. 11 investment forum. According to Ms. Spang, the primary determinant – especially in times of polit- ical turmoil – of whether a given currency will be used as money is people’s expec- tations that it will have value in the future. Factors such as fears of inflation and rising ten- sions between the U.S. and China – a major holder of the U.S. dollar – have led to a movement of people who think that the dollar could be replaced by an alterna- tive currency. But within that move- ment are dissenting views of whether a precious metal like gold or a cryptocurrency like bitcoin would be better suited to serve as money, said Mr. Kalinowski. While ad- vocates of precious metals point to the thousands of years of history that they have been used as curren- cies, fans of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are looking to how they could potentially be used in the future. “Bitcoin comes out and proclaims itself as the modern-day gold, and of course the gold community bristles at the idea that some- thing that’s seven years old can compare with something that’s thousands of years old,” said Mr. Kalinowski. Right now, many people think of bitcoin as an invest- ment opportunity rather than a currency, said Ms. Spang. But the currency is still in its infancy stages, noted Mr. Demeester, who said that de- velopments such as the de- velopment of regulations, insurance for bitcoin ex- changes, and financial in- struments to hedge against volatility will make bitcoin a sounder currency. These and other currency- related issues will lead to spirited discussions at the Cayman Investment Forum, said Mr. Kalinowski. Other speakers include economic researcher Luke Gromen, who will provide his thesis that the global monetary order is on the verge of revolution; analyst Jeff Snider, who will discuss “shadow money;” and Simon Mikhailovich, who will dis- cuss why gold could return as a reserve currency. For more information or to register, visit caymaninvestmentforum.com or email register@caymaninvestmentforum.com. Tuur DemeesterRebecca Spang Rainy weekend expected for Cayman SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Grab your ponchos and galoshes. Cayman is expected to be inundated with rain over the next few days, with storms anticipated through Friday and on-and- off showers possible for Sat- urday and Sunday. Kerry Powery, chief me- teorologist for the Cayman Islands National Weather Service, said that Grand Cayman received one inch of rain from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning. “It looks like it will con- tinue for the next couple of days,” said Mr. Powery of the extended rain storm. “There’s a trough just across Florida to the Yucatan channel that is putting some favorable dy- namics to support rain and showers. The extended out- look says it will still be on and off until Monday.” Cayman has been fortu- nate thus far through hur- ricane season, dodging the worst effects of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. Another storm, Hurricane Lee, bounced around the At- lantic Ocean and appears as if it will avoid all major pop- ulation centers before dissi- pating at sea. Cayman’s National Weather Service fore- casts moderate southeast- erly winds and seas for Wednesday and Thursday morning. Radar images show scattered showers over Cayman moving northwest. “We’ve needed some rain for a little while,” said Mr. Powery. “Last year, we tech- nically ended up in a deficit for rainfall when compared to the long-term average. Per- haps this is good.” Mr. Powery said that Cayman experienced just 27.98 inches of rain in 2016, which is roughly half of the 30-year average (56.22 inches) taken between 1981 and 2010. Only four Caribbean locali- ties – Dominica (101.4 inches), Martinique (79.9 inches), Guadeloupe (70 inches) and Tobago (59.2 inches) – have a higher annual average. This year, said Mr. Powery, Grand Cayman is on pace to receive about 45 inches of rainfall. MAGISTRATE NOTES ‘DISPLEASURE’ WITH CROWN IN DRUG CASE CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Three men in custody on charges of importing ganja were brought to court on Tuesday, when Magistrate Valdis Foldats expressed frustration that no progress could be made with the case. “The court notes its dis- pleasure,” he said, because he had directed on Sept. 18 that papers in the case be served on the defen- dants’ attorneys by Sept. 22. The purpose was for the attorneys to meet with their clients so that the case could be advanced at the next court appear- ance on Sept. 26. Instead, Sept. 26 was the day Crown counsel Kenneth Ferguson gave the papers to the attorneys in court when the matter was called. “Unfortunately, it’s hap- pening too often,” the mag- istrate declared. He pointed out that when the court’s directions are not followed, legal aid is affected. Three men being unnec- essarily transported from prison to court and back place a strain on the whole system, he added. Mr. Ferguson advised that there had been no note in the Crown’s file about serving the papers by a cer- tain date. The magistrate suggested that was an- other problem. Attorney Jonathon Hughes appeared for Leroy Morgan. Attorney Margeta Facey-Clarke appeared for Demarco Cunningham. These defendants, along with Derrick Adlam, are charged with importing ganja into the Cayman Is- lands on the night of Sept. 14. They were intercepted by the Joint Marine Unit. Adlam has previous con- victions for importing ganja into Cayman. His attorney was in another court when the men were produced. Mr. Ferguson said he should have the certificates of analysis for the ganja by Monday, Oct. 2. He was able to supply a total weight, however, of 465 pounds. The defendants are also charged with possession of ganja with intent to supply and illegal landing. The magistrate told them that their attorneys had now received the papers for their case and would dis- cuss that information with them. The next mention date was set for Tuesday, Oct. 10, via video link. No bail applications were made. No conviction for student with bullet Visitor must pay costs of $800 CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A visiting student ap- peared in Summary Court on Tuesday, when she pleaded guilty to pos- session of an unlicensed firearm, a single round of ammunition. The defendant, a res- ident of Honduras, had been scheduled to return home on Thursday, Sept. 22, Crown counsel Kenneth Fer- guson explained. At the air- port, she put her handbag through the X-ray equipment and an officer observed the bullet, a .32 round. She was cautioned and arrested. She told officials she had come into pos- session of the bullet on a beach in Honduras about two years ago. It was never her intention to bring it to Cayman, she said. Attorney John Furniss ex- plained further that the de- fendant had been with her boyfriend when she found the bullet and she had de- cided to keep the item as a memento. Magistrate Valdis Foldats thanked her for doing the right thing by pleading guilty. “We get these cases quite fre- quently,” he told her. The magistrate said he would treat her as he did most offenders in sim- ilar circumstances – by or- dering costs. In this case, customs officers were holding $800 cash as her bail bond. He therefore ordered costs of $800. An inch of rainfall was recorded in Grand Cayman during Tuesday’s downpour. More rainy weather is expected over the next few days. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY Three men being unnecessarily transported from prison to court and back place a strain on the whole system, the magistrate said.DISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days Bodden Town THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Hebe McKenzie celebrates 100th birthday Friends, family and neighbors gather for party JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Hebe McKenzie was not short of kisses, hugs and good wishes as family, friends and visitors joined her to cele- brate her 100th birthday in Breakers on Tuesday evening. Ms. McKenzie, who was born in Breakers on Sept. 26, 1917, to Anisette Web- ster, credited her long life to hard work, praising God and not worrying. Guests marked the occa- sion with a birthday party and cake at her home. Emer- gency medical technicians were on hand to assist family members to help Ms. McK- enzie from her house to a tent where the 50 or so well- wishers, including Bodden Town MLAs Anthony Eden and Alva Suckoo gathered to sing her happy birthday. “Baba” Hebe spent most of her life helping others. “It was never about her,” said adopted daughter Meredith Rankine. “She was still going to church until she was no longer phys- ical … even after that she would say she had to get up to get ready for church … she loved the Lord and praised him every chance she got.” At 92, Ms. McKenzie began declining with Alzheimer’s. At 94, she could still move around but then she slowly became bed-ridden, Ms. Rankine said. Guests sang her favorite hymn, “What a Day That Will Be When My Jesus I Shall See,” and read her fa- vorite scripture verses before sharing anecdotes they held dear about Ms. McKenzie’s time serving the community. “She was a well-dressed woman who made her way along the Breakers Road to attend the little Breakers church every Sunday,” said her friend Mary Lawrence. Ms. Lawrence recalled Ms. McKenzie’s strong will during Hurricane Ivan when she told her she would be fine in her home. Eventually, Ms. Law- rence convinced her to leave her house, but not before Ms. McKenzie cooked a meal, ate, ironed her dress and packed her favorite things. “You never came to Ms. McKenzie’s home and she did not quote you a scrip- ture verse, prayed and had something good to say about everyone she knew,” Ms. Lawrence said. Mr. Eden said she had a great effect on his two boys, she was always positive and politically aware of what was going on. As a little girl growing up, Ms. McKenzie attended a little schoolhouse in Bodden Town. Later on, she twisted rope for a living, a skill she learned from her mother. She did not have children of her own, but that did not stop her from raising others in the community. Family and friends at- tributed Ms. McKenzie’s long life to her commitment to God, saying she gave her heart to the Lord, and lived as close to Him as she knew how and served him the best way she could. More policing for eastern districts JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Police told residents at a district meeting in Breakers Tuesday night that traffic control and greater police visibility would get under way in Bodden Town and the eastern districts. A number of commu- nity members attended the neighborhood watch meeting in the yard of Karen Smith in Frenchmans Drive in Breakers, organized by Neigh- borhood Watch Chairman Derrie Richardson. The new head of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Ser- vice’s Neighborhood Policing division, Inspector Courtney Myles, told residents they could expect to see a lot more police activity in the eastern districts. “Where crime is con- cerned and all aspects of traffic control, there will be a lot of checks being carried out full force.… Before the end of the week, residents should see a difference in the community,” Inspector Myles told residents. Inspector Myles said that with the help of Inspector Winsome Prendergast and other officers, the RCIPS is using all the human re- sources available to ensure all communities are safe. “Any issues you all have, contact the police and they will find solutions. Our main objective is to form a part- nership with you and the po- lice,” Inspector Myles said. “We know that in the past that partnership has not been that great and, going forward from tonight, our main objective is to form a cohesive partnership with the public and the police. We want to regain the confidence of the public.” Ms. Richardson and com- mittee members Arnold Se- nior, Denver Barnes and Mi- chael Kelly raised concerns about the number of break- ins in the neighborhood. They said they also needed assis- tance with cleaning up the area and called for speed bumps to be installed on the road. Residents were told the National Roads Authority is aware of the request to in- stall speed bumps. Some residents also wanted more police patrols in the area, as well as a solution for people dumping garbage. Residents were told there was a fine for littering and any illegal activity should be reported to the police. Inspector Prendergast told residents police were aware that there are some areas in the districts experiencing an- tisocial behavior and crimi- nality, and officers intend to target these hot spots. She said residents could call her anytime. “In the coming weeks, there would be a lot of roadblocks in the eastern districts and resi- dents should bear with us,” Inspector Prendergast said. Alva Suckoo, MLA for Newlands, said some of the issues in Newlands are very similar to the issues resi- dents were dealing with on Frenchmans Drive. He saw no reason why the groups could not work together in terms of support. Minster for Health, En- vironment, Culture and Housing and MLA for Bodden Town East Dwayne Seymour met the new head of the Neighborhood Policing Divi- sion and gave his support to officers and residents. Also attending the meeting from the Bodden Town Sta- tion were PC Clifford Garcia and PC Lazarus Moraes. Friends and family sing for Hebe McKenzie on her 100th birthday. - PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY Police officers and Bodden Town MLAs Alva Suckoo and Dwayne Seymour gather with residents Tuesday night at Frenchmans Drive for a neighborhood watch meeting. - PHOTO: JEWEL LEVYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 7 Community CALENDAR ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR is published TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 Chef Wade Fortin Photo, Wes Aldridge THURSDAY, SEPT. 28 CHILDREN, ALCOHOL AND DRUGS: Parents and teenagers are invited to a free workshop on how to prevent alcohol and drug misuse in children. The National Drug Council and Department of Counselling Services is hosting an interactive family skill session called “Talk Early, Talk Often” at the Counselling Centre, 3rd Floor, Royal Plaza on Cardinall Avenue from 6-7:30 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. To register, call the Family Resource Centre on 949-0006 or email frc@gov.ky. NS DISTRICT COUNCIL: All residents of North Side district are invited to a district council meeting 8 p.m. in the Clifton Hunter High School auditorium. BRAC NWDA: Representatives from the National Workforce Development Agency will meet with job-seekers and employers. Officials will assist with online registration for their Job Link Programme from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and until 2 p.m. on Friday at the DLP Office, 256 Creek Road. Workshop on how to start job search, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday. Call 945-3114 for appointment to. Walk-ins are welcomed. BRAC COURT: Summary Court is held at the Aston Rutty Civic Centre today and tomorrow. FRIDAY, SEPT. 29 FAMILY CONFERENCE: The Church of God Chapels host an All Family Conference – Building Lasting Relationships, from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 at the Family Life Centre, Academy Way, Walkers Road. Guest speakers will be Dr. Clarence and Brenda Schuler. Cost, $25 for couples; $15 for singles. Free baby-sitting will be provided. For more information, visit www. ChurchofGodEvents.com or call 922-0002 or 949-9393. WALK FOR THE CURE: Today is the deadline to register for Sunday’s CIBC 5K walk/run. $15 adults 12 and up, $10 for ages 3–11. Contact Shadden at 815-2405 or shadden. mclaughlin@cibcfcib.com or Joy at 815-2407 or joy.anglin@cibcfcib.com. SATURDAY, SEPT. 30 HERO NOMINATIONS: Today is the deadline for nominations for 2018 National Heroes Day. Submit nominations of deserving individuals who have made or continue to make significant contributions in the area of sports. Visit www.ministryofhealth.gov. ky for all information, or check www.facebook.com/ CaymanIslandsProtocol. DEALS ON WHEELS: The Red Cross mobile thrift shop will be in North Side from 6-10 a.m., at the junction of Hutland and North Side roads. OUTDOOR MOVIE: Family Empowerment Cayman presents the movie “Flywheel” at the park at Seven Mile Beach, next to the Kimpton resort. Free. Doors open 7:30 p.m. Visit www.facebook.com/ fecayman or call 916-6182. MENTORING CAYMAN: The Chamber of Commerce is calling for business and community leaders to volunteer as a mentor for the 2017/18 program. Today is the deadline. Call 743-9123 for further information or visit www.caymanchamber.ky/ mentoringcayman. HIGH SCHOOL REUNION: The Cayman Islands High School Class of 1987 celebrates its 30-year reunion, 7 p.m. at the George Town Yacht Club, North Sound Road. Tickets are on sale for $75 at Funky Tang’s or by calling Cassandra Ebanks Powery on 925-1930. SUNDAY, OCT. 1 OLDER PERSONS MONTH: Church Service, Agape Family Worship Centre, 10 a.m. WALK FOR THE CURE: CIBC 5K walk/run from Public Beach. Grouping starts 6 a.m., start time 6:30 a.m. See Friday Sept. 29 for registration. CUT-A-THON: Eclipze hair and beauty salon offers services at huge savings in this fundraiser for breast cancer awareness. Staff from Eclipze Hair Design and Spa, Focus Hair and Beauty, Artista Salon, Spa Esprit and Privé Beauty Studio are participating. Event will be held at Eclipze. Wet cuts for men, women and children, mini manicures and eyebrow threading, $1 a minute massages, reflexology at $2 a minute. These last two services can be scheduled in advance. MONDAY, OCT. 2 PROSPECT COMMUNITY PUBLIC MEETING: Seafarers Hall, 7 p.m. For residents of Red Bay to Spotts Newlands (from Seafarers Hall to the Flow exchange on Spotts straight.) All residents invited to come and discuss issues of concern and hear about new improvements within the community. Light refreshments provided. TUESDAY, OCT. 3 OLDER PERSONS MONTH: Launch, Family Life Centre, 10 a.m. CISBA OPENING: Cayman Islands Small Business Association opens its office at 151 Mary Street, George Town. All are invited to join members for the official opening with food, wine and live music 5:30–7:30 p.m. RSVP 946-3147 or email cisbacayman@gmail.com. THURSDAY, OCT. 5 INTERIOR DESIGN WORKSHOP: Today is the deadline to register for the Visual Arts Society’s “Personalize Your Home” four-week Interior Design workshop: Oct. 5-26, from 7-8:30 p.m. (one make-up class if needed). At Watler House Studio, Pedro St. James. Redesign a room or plan a new home. Four-week workshop fee is $175 for members. Non-members, $200. Fee includes vision boards, use of studio, qualified interior designer. Contact info@visualartcayman.com or 546-9422. FRIDAY, OCT. 6 LITTLE CAYMAN OLDER PERSONS: Social, National Trust Building, 11 a.m. SATURDAY, OCT. 7 ROADSIDE CLEANUP: West Bay Community Emergency Response Team will do a roadside cleanup at 6 a.m. in the vicinity of the West Bay Cemetery and Fire Station. Members of the community are invited to assist with this beautification project. For information, call 929-9932. MONDAY, OCT. 9 BRAC OLDER PERSONS: Island Tour, 9 a.m. TUESDAY, OCT. 10 STEM CONFERENCE: Opening session. 7 p.m. 6-7 p.m. registration and reception. Keynote speaker is Francis French, Director, San Diego Air and Space Museum, former Director of Events, Sally Ride Science. Free admission. UCCI. THURSDAY, OCT. 12 OLDER PERSONS MONTH: A Night with the Stars Powered by CUC, Cayman Islands National Museum, 4 p.m. FRIDAY, OCT. 13 VOICES FOR HOSPICE: An evening of song and dance with the theme of “Nostalgia.” Harquail Theatre (venue change.) Champagne gala tonight. Tickets are $75. Doors open 6:30 p.m. Show 7:30 p.m. Contact 945-7447 or fundraising@ caymanhospicecare.ky. BRAC OLDER PERSONS: Bingo Nite. Free. Aston Rutty Civic Centre, 6-9 p.m. SATURDAY, OCT. 14 VOICES FOR HOSPICE: An evening of song and dance with the theme of “Nostalgia.” Harquail Theatre. Tickets are $50 for reserved seating. General seating at sides and balconies, $25. Doors open 6 p.m. Show 7 p.m. Contact 945-7447 or fundraising@ caymanhospicecare.ky. SATURDAY, OCT. 21 SMALL BUSINESS EXPO: The Cayman Islands Small Business Association invites the public to the annual Small Business Expo at UCCI Fellowship Hall. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission. Contact 946-3147 or email cisbacayman@gmail.com. GENERAL INTEREST GARBAGE COLLECTION: The Department of Environmental Health urges residents and business operators to ensure that garbage containers are accessible to sanitation crews at all times. Place garbage containers either at the front of the property or at a side that is accessible to the roadway. Receptacles must be stored in properly constructed enclosures and should not impede the flow of traffic. HURRICANE RELIEF: The Adventist Church has started a fund in aid of Hurricane Irma victims in the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas. Financial contributions may be made at the local office, 209 Walkers Road, during business hours, or at the nearest Adventist Church. Donations may also be deposited at the Royal Bank of Canada, to ADRA account number 500-6234. SPECIAL OLYMPICS: Volunteers needed for weekly sports training. Tuesdays – Track, bocce, football. Wednesdays – Lighthouse School swimming at Lions pool. Thursdays – Basketball. Saturdays – Adult swim. Golf is starting soon if interested. Contact Darrel Rankine, national director at soci@candw.ky or 916-2600. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS some bush and then jumped into a canal, swimming across to Patrick’s Island, where he was apprehended. Defense attorney John Furniss agreed that Burke did fall afoul of the sus- pended sentence. “He was driving when he should not have been. He had gone out to collect money owed to him,” the attorney explained. When Burke came to the roadblock, he “unfor- tunately” sped off and the chase took place, Mr. Furniss said. He reminded the court of Burke’s immediate guilty pleas and references from people who spoke of him as a good and caring father. In view of these factors and Burke’s “improved lifestyle,” Mr. Furniss suggested that the magistrate could hand down a partially or fully suspended sentence. The suggestion was not accepted. For dangerous driving, the magistrate handed down a sentence of nine months. Other sentences were made to run concur- rently: driving while dis- qualified, nine months; dan- gerous driving (speed), six months; driving without in- surance, six months; taking and driving a conveyance without the consent of the owner, three months; failing to comply with a signal from an officer in uni- form, three months; using a vehicle required to be li- censed, three months. The magistrate imposed various concurrent terms of disqualification from driving, the longest being five years for driving while disqualified. He said Burke would have to retake the driving test before he can hold a license again. It did not slow down the RCIPS officers, who, along with British police and mil- itary personnel, conducted a raid to “take back” the main prison facility. The same group of RCIPS offi- cers arrested seven suspected looters at an electronics store in the hours after Hurricane Maria hit the islands – the second major storm to affect the BVI in September. Efforts to maintain se- curity and rebuild will be a months-long endeavour, Mr. Forbes said. “It looked like a very large bomb had gone off,” he said of the eastern Caribbean territory. “The BVI used to be very green and now it’s all very brown.” At least half of all build- ings in the British Virgin Is- lands were seriously dam- aged by Hurricane Irma, and in some neighborhoods as many as 95 percent. Between 100 and 120 prisoners who were tempo- rarily free from the islands’ main prison have been re- captured and re-incarcerated, thanks in part to the vis- iting RCIPS team. Hurricane-force winds picked up sailboats and tossed them into buildings, cars were crushed under metal containers, power and water supplies were initially scarce, even nonexistent in some areas. The prisoners got out after Hurricane Irma’s winds damaged the perimeter fence. At present, the prison has electricity and is housing them again, Mr. Forbes said. On the streets, the U.K. po- lice and military presence, assisted by officers from Cayman and Bermuda, have temporarily made up the gap in local police officers, not all of whom repored for duty immediately after Irma. Mr. Forbes said the local officers were not deserting the force, and that many of them came back after making sure their families were safe. “If you’ve got a wife and kids at home, you’re probably going to look after them first,” Mr. Forbes said. “Anybody is going to try and secure their family. It’s just human nature.” There was an orderly tran- sition under way in local law enforcement by the time he left on Saturday, he said. How- ever, it’s expected that another team of RCIPS officers will be sent to the territory later this week to replace the one that, by then, will have been in the storm-stricken BVI for three weeks. Six police officers from Bermuda are also on the ground, along with dozens of British officers and additional military personnel. Mr. Forbes said he is not sure what the BVI would have done if not for the ini- tial military and police assis- tance from the U.K. and the surrounding region. “What I found impres- sive about the whole thing was the amount of military services the U.K. threw at the islands,” he said, which included the RFA Mounts Bay and the HMS Ocean helicopter transport car- rier, the largest British ship in the Caribbean. “There were helicopters flying all over the place.” The troops and officers seemed to get quite a warm reception as well. “Everybody was coming up and waving to them and saying thank you. When the military of- ficers or police were out on the streets, people would all come around and honk their horns. To see that level of policing … I think it reas- sured people.” Despite all the assistance, Mr. Forbes admits there were some nervous moments in the days before Hurricane Maria struck the BVI. For- tunately, it was a glancing blow, with some hurricane- force winds but mostly just heavy rain. He doubts the islands would have safely withstood another direct hit from another major hurri- cane after the destruction caused by Irma. Now, power is being re- stored and the water os- mosis plant is back in opera- tion, Mr. Forbes said. Though many places are still without power and running water, he said some of the gro- cery stores have reopened and there are long lines at the shops. Some of the in- frastructure problems will persist for months or even years, but Mr. Forbes expects a rebuilding effort will take place – perhaps recalling the Cayman Islands in the wake of 2004’s Hurricane Ivan. “I think it’ll bounce back. It’ll take a while,” he said, “but the people there are resilient.” “Fortunately, the lightning strike took place outside the main prison walls, so I am extremely relieved that no staff members or prisoners were injured during the inci- dent,” Prisons Director Neil Lavis said. “The quick re- sponse of the fire service pre- vented what could have been a much bigger disaster.” The storage building is outside the main secu- rity fence of the prison com- pound and no prisoners would have been in the area at the time the lightning bolt struck, officials said. As of late Wednesday, in- ternet and phone connec- tions to Northward were still being repaired. “Her Majesty’s Cayman Is- lands Prison Service apolo- gises for any inconvenience this may cause the public, and asks to please be patient as they restore access to the facility,” according to the gov- ernment statement. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 BVI looks like ‘a large bomb’ went off CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Road ‘menace’ jailed for 18 months Lightning strikes prison storage building Tillerson meets top Cuba envoy amid probe into ‘attacks’ WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. Sec- retary of State Rex Tillerson met Tuesday with Cuba’s top diplomat, as the United States is seeking answers about mysterious “attacks” on its diplomats in Havana. Tillerson’s meeting with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez marks the highest-level diplomatic contact between the two countries since the start of President Donald Trump’s administration in Jan- uary. It comes as the deli- cate rapprochement between the longtime foes, started under President Barack Obama, is being jeopardized by mounting alarm over the unexplained incidents that have harmed at least 21 Americans. Neither Tillerson nor Ro- driguez made any com- ments immediately after the meeting ended. In the most striking ex- ample of how the incidents are weighing on the U.S.- Cuba relationship, the State Department is considering closing the newly reopened U.S. Embassy in Havana, Til- lerson has said. The Trump administration has also con- sidered smaller-scale steps such as withdrawing all non- essential personnel from Ha- vana, leaving the embassy technically open but unable to perform its full range of functions unless and until the health concerns are re- solved, U.S. officials have said. It was unclear whether Tillerson would disclose new details to the Cuban envoy about U.S. deliberations or the investigation. But the meeting at the State Depart- ment, arranged at Cuba’s re- quest, follows a speech Rodri- guez delivered at the United Nations last week in which he harshly criticized Trump and his administration’s policy toward the communist island. In a bid to show it’s a good neighbor, Cuba has also offered to send doctors and humanitarian aid to Puerto Rico to help the U.S. respond to Hurricane Maria. For months after U.S. dip- lomats started falling ill in Havana, the U.S. and Cuba sought to prevent the issue from becoming an overriding irritant in the relationship. Neither country disclosed publicly that the incidents were occurring, even after Washington in May expelled two Cuban diplomats to pro- test Havana’s failure to pro- tect Americans on its soil. RCIPS constables Stephen Shaw and Bin Malcolm, left, in Road Town, BVI, assisted other officers with security efforts over the past three weeks. Fire crews head in to the gutted storage building at Northward Prison early Wednesday. A lightning strike caused serious damage and sparked a fire that took two-and-a-half hours to extinguish.9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 CAYMAN ISLANDS GOVERNMENT PUBLIC VEHICLE AUCTION Department of Vehicle and Equipment Services 386 North Sound Road, George Town September29, 2017 at 8:30am #YearMakeModelStarting Bid $ 1 2005 Hyundai HD651,500 2 2006 DodgeRam1,500 3 2008 KiaSportage1,000 4 2005 FordE-3502,500 5 2005 HyundaiTrajet800 6 2006 ChevyEpica800 7 1997 Ford F-250500 8 1997 FordE-150500 9 2004 AircraftTug1,000 10 2003 AircraftLoader1,000 11 1998 International4900DT3,500 12 1999 FordF-4503,000 13 1998 FordF-8035 In Brac2,500 14 2005 FordFocus1,000 15 2000 ToyotaYaris1000 16 2005 FordEscape1,500 17 1997 InternationalNavisar4,000 18 2006 FordE-3502,500 19 2008 ToyotaYaris1,500 20 2006 FordFocus1,500 21 2009 ToyotaYaris1,500 22 2007 Toyota Hilux1,500 23 2007 ToyotaHilux1,500 24 2007 HyundaiMatrix 1,000 25 2006 Thomas builtFreightliner5,500 26 1991 OshkoshT-25003,000 27 2005 FordRanger1,000 28 2000 DaihatsuSirion1,000 29 2005 FordRanger1,000 30 2005 FordRanger 1,000 31 2006 MitsubishiOutlander1,500 32 2001 ChevroletSilverado In Brac1,000 33 2007 JeepPatriot 4X41,500 34 2007 FordF-4504,000 ALL VEHICLES WILL BE SOLD “AS IS” Scientists aim to create food from landfill methane gas waste Imagine a world where gas emitted from landfills can be turned into edible protein that ends up on your plate as a burger or a steak. That’s what scientists are hoping for. Calysta Inc. in Cal- ifornia and String Bio in the Indian city of Bengaluru are among biotechnology firms that have separately discov- ered ways to turn methane into protein. Bacteria found in soil are fed a liquid con- taining the gas, sparking a fermentation process sim- ilar to making beer. Instead of alcohol, protein is released into the water, which is then dried into a brown powder. The product is already being used in animal feed, the first step toward readying it for human consumption. The companies are betting their products will help alle- viate the strain of a growing global population on agricul- tural land and oceans while natural gas prices trade near the lowest level in almost two decades. String Bio, a startup which won $200,000 in In- dian government grants, and Calysta, backed by investors including Japan’s Mitsui & Co. and Cargill Inc., hope methane-made protein will become a sustainable food of the future. “It’s way better to turn methane into food than burn it,” said Calysta’s chief ex- ecutive officer, Alan Shaw, a Menlo Park-based chemist who led efforts to turn crop waste into fuels at his pre- vious firm. “What better use for it than to turn it into protein and put it into the human food system, and take a lot of the pressure off?” Landfills, sewage plants and farms all naturally pro- duce methane when organic matter decomposes, which can be captured and trans- ported to a facility, said Ezhil Subbian, the co-founder of String Bio in Bengaluru. Shaw says the amount of methane from such sources is too small to feed a large plant economically at the mo- ment but Calysta is working on “scaling down” its tech- nology. Subbian is opti- mistic that String Bio will be able to build plants using biogas methane in the next five years. “We’re working on a way to essentially be economic, but at a smaller scale,” said Shaw. “That’s not easy, but we do have some ideas and are working on it.” For now, Calysta will use natural gas from a pipeline at its $500 million Memphis, Tennessee facility instead of biogas. In May, the com- pany received $40 million in funding from investors and expects to start operating in 2019, with the aim of having an annual capacity of 200,000 tons of protein. Global feed production broke above 1 bil- lion tons, according to 2017 Alltech estimates. Mitsui & Co., one of the investors, saw a business opportunity given the growing demand for protein that cannot be met through fishmeal, said Yuhei Saito, who oversees the nutri- science business at the Japa- nese trading house. String Bio is still seeking funding from investors to commercialize its tech- nology, and is producing a few kilograms a month at its pilot plant in Bengaluru. Local suppliers deliver can- isters of methane that was fed to bacteria, which fer- ments to produce wet pro- tein clumps that are dried and sent to poultry and fish farmers for testing. “You just mix the protein with regular feed and feed it to animals,” said Subbian, a synthetic biologist who worked on developing fuels and chemicals from plants. “I envision us purifying it fur- ther where it could be ready for human consumption.” By creating food from waste gas, the companies say they’ll be able to feed emerging economies in Af- rica, South America and Asia, where arable land and ocean resources are declining. By 2050, the world population is expected to surge to 9.6 bil- lion, leading to a 61 percent increase in food production, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The market for gas and fishmeal has also turned in favor of the scientists. U.S. natural gas prices plum- meted to $1.639 per mil- lion British thermal units in March last year, the lowest level since 1999. It’s now trading at $2.923 as of 4 p.m. Singapore time, still about 80 percent below the De- cember 2005 peak. Meanwhile Peruvian fish- meal, a common source of protein for livestock and shrimps, has almost tripled from a record low $373.16 a ton in June 1993 to $1,092.07 a ton in June this year, ac- cording to data from the In- ternational Monetary Fund. “Natural gas is trans- forming the world economy at the moment because of its relative cheapness to oil and other forms of carbon,” said Shaw. “You’re not going to stop people from using fish- meal, but you will be able to provide a sustainable replacement.” Subbian shares Shaw’s vision for the future, and is trying to think of ways it can be shared at the dining table. The taste, she says, can be best described as sim- ilar to whey – a protein de- rived from milk favored by body builders. “We’d sell it to someone else who makes it into a steak-like product, or a fish- like product, or something like a tofu perhaps, that we could grill and eat,” she said. Laughing, she adds: “When it gets there, we’ll need to bring a good chef on board.” © 2017, Bloomberg TRUMP TAX PLAN WOULD CUT RATES FOR MANY AMERICANS WASHINGTON (AP) – Presi- dent Donald Trump and con- gressional Republicans are proposing a far-reaching, $5 trillion plan Wednesday that would cut taxes for corpora- tions and potentially for in- dividuals, simplify the tax system and nearly double the standard deduction used by most Americans. The plan is sweeping in scope but omits critical, con- troversial details that are likely to take months to work out in a bitterly divided, GOP-led Congress. There are no details on how much it would cost, though back-of-the-envelope estimates by outside experts put the tax cuts in the range of $5 trillion over the next 10 years. The net cost to the fed- eral debt would be far less – probably in the range of $1.5 trillion under deal put to- gether by Senate The plan would collapse the number of personal tax brackets from seven to three. The individual tax rates would be 12 percent, 25 per- cent and 35 percent – and the plan recommends a sur- charge for the very wealthy. But it does not set the in- come levels at which the rates would apply, so it’s un- clear just how much of a tax change there might be for a typical family, and whether its taxes would be reduced. The plan would nearly double the standard deduc- tion to $12,000 for individ- uals and $24,000 for families. This basically would increase the amount of personal in- come that is tax-free. Companies would find themselves paying sub- stantially lower tax rates, part of an effort to make U.S. businesses more com- petitive globally. The plan would impose a new, lower tax on corporate profits stashed overseas, and create a new tax structure for over- seas business operations of U.S. companies.Next >