< Previous10 WORLD&REGIONAL TUESDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Pope Francis dives into Rohingya crisis upon arrival in Myanmar YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Pope Francis opened a dip- lomatically fraught trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh on Monday by immediately diving into the crisis over Myanmar’s crackdown on Ro- hingya Muslims: He met with the country’s military chief, even before beginning the of- ficial program of his trip. The Vatican did not pro- vide details of the contents of Francis’ 15-minute “cour- tesy visit” with Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and three offi- cials from the bureau of spe- cial operations. It took place in the residence of the arch- bishop of Yangon, Cardinal Charles Bo, who has re- sisted international condem- nation of the military’s op- erations against Rohingya as “ethnic cleansing.” The general is in charge of security in Rakhine state, where the military’s “clear- ance operations” against the Muslim minority have sent more than 620,000 Rohingya fleeing into neighboring Ban- gladesh. Refugees there have told of entire villages being burned and women and girls being raped. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said only that “They spoke of the great respon- sibility of the authorities of the country in this moment of transition.” Gen. Min Aung Hlaing’s office said in a statement on Facebook that he is willing to have “interfaith peace, unity and justice.” The general added that there was no reli- gious or ethnic persecution or discrimination in Myanmar, and that the government al- lowed different faith groups to have freedom of worship. Rohingya Muslims have faced state-supported dis- crimination in predominantly Buddhist country for de- cades. Though members of the ethnic minority first ar- rived generations ago, Ro- hingya were stripped of their citizenship in 1982, de- nying them almost all rights and rendering them state- less. They cannot travel freely, practice their religion, or work as teachers or doc- tors, and they have little ac- cess to medical care, food or education. Originally, the meeting was planned for Wednesday, after Francis was to have met with the country’s civilian leader, Nobel Peace Prize lau- reate Aung San Suu Kyi, in the capital. The Vatican did not say why it was moved up. Rohingya in recent months have been sub- ject to what the United Na- tions says is a campaign of “textbook ethnic cleansing” by the military in Rakhine. But Myanmar’s Catholic Church has publicly urged Francis to avoid using the term “Rohingya,” which is shunned by many locally because the ethnic group is not a recognized minority in the country. Francis has already prayed for “our Rohingya brothers and sisters,” and much of the debate in the run-up to the trip focused on whether he would do so again in expressing soli- darity with the Rohingya’s plight. Any decision to avoid the term could be viewed as a capitulation to Myanmar’s military and a stain on his legacy of standing up for the most oppressed and margin- alized of society, no matter how impolitic. Burke did not say if Francis used the term in his meeting with the general, which ended with an ex- change of gifts: Francis gave him a medallion of the trip, while the general gave the pope a harp in the shape of a boat, and an ornate rice bowl. The trip was planned be- fore the latest spasm of vi- olence erupted in August, when a group of Rohingya militants attacked secu- rity positions in Rakhine. Myanmar security forces re- sponded with a scorched- earth campaign that resulted in Rohingya fleeing to Ban- gladesh, where they are living in squalid refugee camps. In the Kutupalong ref- ugee camp in southern Ban- gladesh, Senu Ara, 35, wel- comed Francis’ arrival for what he might be able to do for the refugees. “He might help us get the peace that we are desperately searching for,” she said. “Even if we stay here he will make our situation better. If he de- cides to send us back, he will do so in a peaceful way.” But in Myanmar, the sen- timent was different. The government and most of the Buddhist majority con- sider the Rohingya Bengali migrants from Bangladesh living illegally in the country, though Rohingya have been here for generations. “Being a religious leader – Catholic leader – means that he is well-regarded, but of course there is this worry if he says something, people might say, ‘OK, he just came to meddle,’” said Burmese analyst Khin Zaw Win, a former political prisoner. “So, I think a lot of diplomacy is needed, in addition to the public relations.” Seaman Kyaw Thu Maung said the issue is diffi- cult because the term “Ro- hingya” carries so much political weight for all of Myanmar’s people. “But my feeling is that if the pope is going to talk about the Rakhine issue, the people aren’t going to like the pope anymore,” he said. Upon his arrival in Yangon, the pope was greeted by local Catholic officials and his motorcade passed by thousands of Myanmar’s Catholics, who lined the roads, wearing traditional at- tire and playing music. Children greeted him as he drove in a simple blue sedan, chanting “Viva il papa!” (Long live the pope) and waving small plastic Myanmar and Holy See flags. Posters wishing Francis “a heartiest of welcome” lined the route into town. En route from Rome, Francis greeted journal- ists on the plane and apolo- gized for the expected heat, which was 90 degrees Fahr- enheit (32 Celsius) upon his arrival and is expected to rise during his stay. On Tuesday, Francis be- gins the main protocol por- tion of his weeklong trip, meeting with Suu Kyi and other officials. He is to de- liver a speech to her and other Myanmar authorities and diplomats in the capital, Naypyitaw, in what will likely be the most closely watched speech of the trip. Two fight for control of US consumer watchdog WASHINGTON (AP) – With emails, tweets and dough- nuts, dueling acting direc- tors battled for control of the Consumer Financial Protec- tion Bureau on Monday. Leandra English, who was elevated to interim di- rector of the bureau last week by its outgoing director, sent staff an email offering Thanksgiving wishes. Presi- dent Donald Trump’s choice for the role – White House budget director Mick Mul- vaney – then emailed staff to tell them to “disregard” any instructions from English. Laying down markers in what has quickly be- come a war of optics, both signed their missives “Acting Director.” English has asked a judge to issue a temporary restraining order to block Mulvaney from taking over the bureau. She cited the Dodd-Frank Act, which cre- ated the Consumer Finan- cial Protection Bureau. She said that as deputy director, she became the acting di- rector under the law and ar- gued that the federal law the White House contends sup- ports Trump’s appointment of Mulvaney does not apply when another statute desig- nates a successor. English was promoted from chief of staff to deputy director by Richard Cor- dray as he prepared to re- sign last Friday. Cordray was appointed to the position by President Barack Obama and has been long criticized by congressional Republicans as overzealous. He was one of the last Obama-era holdouts. Mulvaney, a former Re- publican congressman from South Carolina, has called the agency a “joke” and an example of bureaucracy run amok. He is expected to be critical of the bureau’s pre- vious work and will likely push to dismantle some of the agency’s previous actions. Cordray said Monday that the issue should be set- tled by a court. “The law says that I shall appoint the deputy director, and I did so,” he said. “My un- derstanding of the law is that the deputy director becomes the acting director upon my departure. If there are dis- agreements about those is- sues, then they should be set- tled in the courts.” Mulvaney arrived Monday morning at the agency with doughnuts, and his staff tweeted out photos of him meeting with agency division heads. Meanwhile, English sent a departmentwide email saying she hoped everyone had a great Thanksgiving and signed it “Acting Director.” English also plans to have meetings on Capitol Hill, in- cluding with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Mulvaney quickly re- sponded to English’s email, saying to “disregard” any di- rections from her. At the center of the con- troversy are two laws: the Dodd-Frank Act, the law passed after the financial crisis that created the bu- reau, and the Federal Vacan- cies Reform Act, which gives the president authority to ap- point temporary department heads while their perma- nent nominees are approved by the Senate. While the Vacancies Act does allow a president to appoint acting directors at agencies like the CFPB, the Dodd-Frank Act has specific language that seems to in- dicate that only a deputy di- rector can step into the acting director position. English was elevated to the deputy director position shortly be- fore Cordray resigned. English’s push to be rec- ognized as the legitimate acting director took a blow Monday after a memo was released from Mary McLeod, the CFPB’s general counsel, saying she agreed with the White House that Mulvaney should be recognized as acting director. The Office of Legal Counsel, which acts as a legal adviser to the president, also argued that Mulvaney, not English, was the legitimate director of the department. One straightforward so- lution to the issue of who is in charge at the CFPB is for Trump to nominate his own permanent director. But it may take several weeks for someone to be nominated and even months until the Senate were to confirm his or her appointment. Until the issue of who is in charge is cleared up, any actions taken by the CFPB are likely to come under legal scrutiny from the banks, credit card and other fi- nancial companies that the agency oversees. No fines are likely to be imposed or new regulations written. Pope Francis is greeted by young children in traditional clothes Monday upon his arrival at Yangon’s airport in Myanmar. The pontiff is in Myanmar for the first stage of a week-long visit that will also take him to neighboring Bangladesh. - PHOTO: AP Mulvaney arrived Monday morning at the agency with doughnuts. Meanwhile, English sent a departmentwide email saying she hoped everyone had a great Thanksgiving and signed it “Acting Director.” 11 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2017 The final three contestants Miss South Africa Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, Miss Colombia Laura Gonzalez, and Miss Jamaica Davina Bennett wait for the winner to be announced at the Miss Universe pageant Sunday. - PHOTOS: AP Contestant from South Africa wins Miss Universe crown LAS VEGAS (AP) – Demi- Leigh Nel-Peters, who repre- sented South Africa, won the Miss Universe crown Sunday. The 22-year-old, who wants to use her reign to champion HIV/AIDS and self-defense causes, was crowned at The AXIS theater at Planet Hollywood casino- resort on the Las Vegas Strip. “HIV/AIDS is a very big problem in my country South Africa, so I hope to stand as an advocate for that” she said before re- porters after the event. Along with the title, Nel- Peters earned a yearlong salary, a luxury apartment in New York City for the du- ration of her reign and more prizes. She is the second woman from her home country to earn the crown. The runner-up was Miss Colombia Laura Gonzalez, while the second runner- up was Miss Jamaica Davina Bennett. Ninety-two women from around the world partici- pated in the decades-old competition. This year’s edi- tion had the most contes- tants ever, including the first representatives in its history of Cambodia, Laos and Nepal. When asked to name the most important issue women face in the work- place, Nel-Peters said the lack of equal pay. “In some places, women get paid 75 percent of what men earn for doing the same job, working the same hours, and I do not believe that is right,” said Nel-Peters, who recently earned a business management degree. “I think we should have equal work for equal pay for women all over the world.” Nel-Peters is from the South African coastal com- munity of Sedgefield in the Western Cape province. She helped develop a program to train women in self-de- fense in various situations after she was robbed at gun- point a month after she was crowned Miss South Africa. The subject of sexual ha- rassment against women, which has dominated head- lines in the U.S. over the past two months, was raised during the pageant. In re- sponse to a question, Jamai- ca’s Bennett said no form of abuse, including sexual ha- rassment, should be toler- ated, and any instances of sexual harassment should be brought to authorities. In the U.S., dozens of pol- iticians, Hollywood execu- tives and actors, and media personalities are facing ac- cusations of sexual miscon- duct, sparked by a wave of allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein. After the show, Nel-Pe- ters said women can em- power each other to standup against any abuse. “You feel so empowered because you are on a stage with 91 other women that are strong, that are indepen- dent, that have worked really hard,” she said. “They are all winners; they are winners of their own countries, and to me, that was so empowering. That just showed me that if women take hands and stand together, we are un- breakable and we can say no to the things that are wrong in the workplace, at home or wherever you might go.” Steve Harvey returned as the show’s host despite botching the 2015 Miss Uni- verse crowning. On Sunday, he poked fun at his mistake throughout the night. Three days after people in the U.S. celebrated Thanksgiving, Harvey told the audience he is “grateful for the Os- cars,” referring to the best- picture flub at this year’s Academy Awards. Grammy-Award winner Fergie performed her new song “A Little Work” while the contestants walked down the stage wearing evening gowns. This year’s judges included YouTube star Lele Pons, former judge of “Amer- ica’s Next Top Model” Jay Manuel and Wendy Fitzwil- liam, the 1998 Miss Uni- verse winner from Trin- idad and Tobago. President Donald Trump offended Hispanics when he made anti-immigrant re- marks in announcing his bid for the White House in 2015. At the time, he co- owned The Miss Universe Organization with NBCU- niversal, but the network and the Spanish-language broadcaster Univision quickly cut ties with him, refusing to air the show. Trump sued both networks, eventually settling and selling off the entire pag- eant to talent management company WME/IMG. Congress can save or destroy voteless Puerto Rico Congress cannot get Puerto Rico off its hands. Last year, lawmakers crafted a bipartisan law that established a fiscal- control board and bank- ruptcy-like process to deal with the U.S. common- wealth’s unpayable $74 bil- lion debt. Then came Hurri- cane Maria, which brought a fresh cascade of dilemmas that will shape the island for generations. Now, lawmakers must de- cide on disaster aid that – if the island had its way – would total $94 billion. Legal opposition from Gov. Ricardo Rossello reined in the over- sight board, and only Con- gress can expand its powers. And, as Republicans re- write tax laws, they must decide how to treat the ju- risdiction and its faltering economy, which occupies a vague space between foreign and domestic. “The long-term issues, the fiscal situation, the deci- sion about taxes, it’s every- thing – it’s all on the same plate that’s in front of Con- gress,” said Jenniffer Gon- zalez, Puerto Rico’s nonvoting representative in the House of Representatives. “Congress has power over everything in Puerto Rico.” The island’s requests and needs arise in one of the most consequential legislative pe- riods in years. Puerto Rico’s leaders will compete for the attention of lawmakers who have been deeply focused on the fast-moving GOP tax pro- posals and on the need to pass a federal spending plan by Dec. 8 to avoid a govern- ment shutdown. Hurricane aid Hurricane Maria, which took scores of lives, lev- eled homes and destroyed the power grid, ground the economy to a halt and so far has sent an estimated 100,000 residents fleeing the island. The amount of aid Congress sends could deter- mine whether the economy remains large enough to generate sufficient cash to pay creditors. “There is no question that there’s need for support, be- cause Puerto Rico has no re- sources at this point,” said Jose Villamil, an economist and chief executive officer at Estudios Tecnicos Inc., an ad- visory firm on the island. Puerto Rico’s $94 bil- lion wish list would allocate $31 billion to rebuild homes and another $18 billion for the electric utility, among other expenses, according to a letter the governor sent to President Donald Trump, which was released Nov. 13. The White House instead proposed $44 billion, with the bulk of that money meant to cover storm damage in Florida and Texas. Extracting the full request from Congress is going to be “difficult” and “as a lump sum, doubtful,” said Rep. Raul Gri- jalva, an Arizona Democrat, who was among a bipartisan group of lawmakers – in- cluding John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican – who excoriated the administra- tion’s proposal. The administration said more aid will depend on a damage assessment. But Grijalva has questioned why it’s taking so long, given the urgency. “We fully expect a follow- on package, which will mean an opportunity for further assistance,” said Rep. Nydia Velazquez, a Democrat from New York, according to a statement from her office. Board’s powers Puerto Rico, treated like U.S. states, did not have ac- cess to bankruptcy courts until Congress last year passed the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act, or PROMESA. One provi- sion was the installation of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico to keep an eye on the books. The board is so new that its powers remain largely untested. Shortly after the storm, the board attempted to install a so-called chief transfor- mation officer for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. The board moved at a time of weakness for the utility known as Prepa, with its credibility battered by disclosures about the lucra- tive contract it handed to Whitefish Energy Holdings, a two-man Montana operation without experience carrying out jobs of that magnitude. At a Nov. 7 hearing be- fore the House Committee on Natural Resources, Chairman Rob Bishop wel- comed the move as a way of increasing account- ability. The Utah Republican said lawmakers should en- sure the oversight board “has the tools they need” to set Prepa and the island on the right path. But the matter landed in court, and a week later, a judge vetoed the transfor- mation officer. She found that the law did not give the board the right to impose a new executive on Rossello’s administration. Rossello installed a new boss with a long history at the agency. Now, Congress must revisit the Promesa law if it wants to give the over- sight board a start fresh. © 2017, Bloomberg Miss South Africa Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters waves after she was announced as the new Miss Universe at the Miss Universe pageant Sunday in Las Vegas.12 WORLD&REGIONAL TUESDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Meredith buying Time Inc. for about $1.8 billion in bid to build readership NEW YORK (AP) – Magazine and broadcasting company Meredith is buying maga- zine publisher Time Inc. for about $1.8 billion to bulk up on readers as the pub- lishing industry navigates the difficult transition to dig- ital from print. Iowa-based Meredith Corp. owns 17 TV stations that reach 12 million U.S. house- holds. Its women- and life- style-focused magazines and websites include Better Homes & Gardens, Family Circle and Allrecipes. Time Inc., based in New York, has publications including Time, Sports Illus- trated, People, Fortune and Entertainment Weekly. To get the deal done, Mer- edith got $650 million in fi- nancial backing from the private equity arm of Koch Industries, the energy con- glomerate of the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, known for their advo- cacy for conservative causes. The Koch investment has raised eyebrows in media cir- cles. The company said that the Koch brothers would not influence editorial op- erations, however. Meredith CEO Steve Lacy said on a call Monday morning that the company had not wanted an investor who would want to help run the business, so it went with Koch for financial aid because of their desire to be “passive” investors and because they didn’t require a board seat. A Koch representative did not answer questions about why the company was in- terested in media but said Monday said that the in- vesting arm, Koch Equity Development, was making a “passive financial investment” that doesn’t include board or management representation. Combined, the media companies posted $4.8 bil- lion in revenue last year. Mer- edith says together they will have 135 million readers and 60 million paid sub- scribers. Meredith says the deal strengthens its appeal to advertisers as the media industry consolidates, and it may buy more properties. But the company will also eval- uate whether to sell any mag- azines after the Time acqui- sition closes. Meredith also expects to cut $400 million to $500 mil- lion in costs in the first two years of operation as a com- bined company. Meredith will pay $18.50 per share in cash for Time’s nearly 100 million out- standing shares. It values the deal at $2.8 billion, including debt. It said it is using $3.55 billion in financing commit- ments from several lenders as well as the $650 million in preferred equity from Koch Equity Development. Time has posted two straight years of annual losses and its revenue has declined since it split off from Time Warner in 2014. It is trying to shift to a digital strategy. Mer- edith has fared better. Meredith shares climbed 11 percent to $67.70 in morning trading, while Time stock added 9 per- cent to $18.45. The Meredith Corp. headquarters building in Des Moines, Iowa. - PHOTO: AP Disney’s parks chief emerges as contender to succeed Iger At the ceremony to break ground last year on a new Toy Story Land in Shanghai, Walt Disney’s Bob Iger was beaming. To his right, and dressed similarly in a black sweater, was the man who could very well take his place as chief executive of- ficer: Bob Chapek. Shanghai Disneyland went on to exceed 11 mil- lion visitors in its first year. That was a big boost for Chapek, who has delivered steady returns as head of the parks and resorts divi- sion. In Disney’s fiscal year- end results announced Nov. 9, Chapek’s business was the only one of four major units to post an increase in sales and profit. Chapek, whose 24-year ca- reer at Disney has included roles in the film studio and consumer products, is now viewed as a likely successor to Iger, according to people familiar with the company. While no formal deci- sion has been made, Disney is under pressure to find a replacement because Iger is scheduled to retire in July 2019, leaving 19 months to complete a transition. If his- tory is any guide, Disney may soon name a chief operating officer or president, currently unoccupied roles that Iger held for five years before be- coming CEO in 2005. Chapek’s well-rounded experience is appealing for a company whose business ranges from selling toys in malls to churning out “Star Wars” films. He stands out at a time when other parts of the business are sputtering. Disney’s once-vaunted TV division, home to ESPN, ABC and other channels, reported its second straight year of declining profit this month, as consumers shift to online viewing. The company’s film studio, while still the envy of the industry, was dealt a blow last week when Pixar’s chief creative officer, John Lasseter, took a six-month sabbatical following allegations of inap- propriate behavior. Since taking over the theme-park division in Feb- ruary 2015, Chapek ensured the Shanghai resort, Dis- ney’s largest foreign invest- ment, turned a profit in its first year of operation. He also guided the openings of an “Avatar”-themed attrac- tion in Orlando, Florida, and a “Guardians of the Galaxy” ride in Anaheim, California, that have led to attendance gains this year at the compa- ny’s domestic theme parks. In July Chapek unveiled a flurry of new projects at the parks, including a “Star Wars”-themed hotel in Or- lando and Marvel superhero rides in Anaheim. Disney told investors on Nov. 9 that its budget for investments in the parks will expand this fiscal year by about $1 billion. Fortunes rise and fall within Disney all the time, and a leading contender can quickly lose favor. Iger, 66, has thrice postponed retire- ment with contract exten- sions, but said last month that “this time I mean it.” While Disney has conducted a multiyear succession pro- cess in the past, a number of senior managers who would have been candidates to re- place Iger have left the com- pany, among them former Chief Financial Officer Jay Rasulo and Thomas Staggs, another former parks chief. Staggs was seen as the likely heir given his promo- tion to COO in February 2015, more than two years in ad- vance of Iger’s then-sched- uled retirement. But last year he stepped down after being told the board had lost con- fidence in him. Chapek joined Disney after working in marketing at H.J. Heinz Co., the food- processing company, and at agency J. Walter Thompson. At Disney, Chapek reorga- nized the consumer-prod- ucts division, cutting jobs and focusing the business on brands rather than lines of merchandise. At the parks division, Chapek has focused on pricing, introducing a tiered system of tickets that cost more during peak times and eliminating some annual passes. He’s searched for ways to get patrons to pay extra for perks such as night- time events and passes to get to the head of the line in the company’s California parks. An Indiana native, Chapek cultivates palm trees at his homes in California and Florida. He said in an in- terview earlier this year that when he was growing up, his family went to Walt Disney World as an annual holiday outing. “I was sort of umbilically tied to it from the time I was really young,” Chapek said. “So, coming to Disney was a dream for me.” Investors are likely to find out in the coming months whether he’s exceeded even his wildest dreams. © 2017, Bloomberg Bob Chapek, chairman Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, may replace Bob Iger as Disney’s chief executive officer. - PHOTO: TONY HARVEY, BLOOMBERG REPUBLICANS SCRAMBLE TO CHANGE TAX PLAN WASHINGTON (AP) – Pres- ident Donald Trump and Senate Republicans scram- bled Monday to make changes to a Republican tax bill in an effort to win over holdout GOP senators and pass a tax package by the end of the year. In a morning tweet, the president said, “With just a few changes, some math- ematical, the middle class and job producers can get even more in actual dollars and savings.” Trump and Senate leaders are trying to bal- ance competing demands, as some senators fear the package would add to the nation’s mounting debt, while others want more generous tax breaks for businesses. In a boost for the legislation, Repub- lican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said he would back the measure. Trump suggested he is open to making unspecified changes to the way millions of “pass-through” busi- nesses are taxed, a sticking point for some lawmakers. These are businesses in which profits are passed onto the owners, who re- port the income on their individual tax returns. The vast majority of U.S. busi- nesses, big and small, are taxed this way. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has already de- clared his opposition to the current bill, saying it does not cut business taxes enough for these types of partnerships and corpora- tions. Johnson gets sub- stantial income from such companies, including a manufacturer he helped found in Wisconsin and a commercial real es- tate company, according to his financial disclo- sure statements. Trump and Republicans have set as a vital polit- ical goal the passage of tax overhaul legislation by the end of the year. The House recently passed a $1.5 trillion bill. Senate GOP leaders hope to muscle their bill through this week. Trump was meeting Monday with five mem- bers of the Senate Fi- nance Committee who are on board with the GOP plan. He will travel to Capitol Hill Tuesday to lobby Republican sena- tors personally. Republicans have only two votes to spare in the Senate, where they hold a 52-48 edge. Their package blends a sharp reduction in top cor- porate and business tax rates with more modest re- lief for individuals. Democrats say the package would mainly help corporations and the rich. Their argument was bol- stered by a new congres- sional analysis that says the Senate bill would leave many low- and middle-in- come families worse off, while the wealthy would get big benefits. The anal- ysis was done by the non- partisan Congressional Budget Office.13 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2017 First lady goes with classic, traditional Christmas decor WASHINGTON (AP) – First lady Melania Trump has opted for a more traditional decor for her family’s first Christmas in the White House, adding a few new touches to the standards. New this year are wreaths hanging from the exterior of every window. Another new touch are glis- tening wintry branches lining an East Wing hallway that leads guests to a tree decorated with the Trump family’s official Christmas ornament, a gold-toned bauble featuring the pres- idential coat of arms sur- rounded by a wreath of holly. The family Christmas card is framed and on dis- play. “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,” says the card signed by Presi- dent Donald Trump, the first lady and Barron, their 11-year-old son. Among the Christmas standards is an 18-foot fir tree in its traditional spot in the Blue Room, decorated with ornaments bearing the seals of every state and U.S. territory. The 350-pound ginger- bread house this year offers a view of the White House from the south. “The decorations are up!” the first lady tweeted Monday morning. “@White- House is ready to cel- ebrate! Wishing you a Merry Christmas & joyous holiday season!” Her theme is “Time-Hon- ored Traditions,” which the White House said pays re- spect to 200 years of hol- iday traditions at the exec- utive mansion. The first lady’s office pre- viewed the decorations for journalists on Monday after more than 150 volunteers from 29 states spent 1,600 hours during the long hol- iday weekend decking the White House halls. Mrs. Trump has also invited chil- dren and students from a nearby military base to come see the decorations and work on holiday arts and crafts. The White House said she personally chose every de- tail of the decor. She did a final check late Sunday after returning from the family’s Thanksgiving at their home in Palm Beach, Florida. The holiday celebrating begins later Monday with a party for the volunteer deco- rators and will continue well into December with recep- tions and parties just about every day – sometimes two a day – for the next several weeks. More than 25,000 vis- itors are expected to tour the White House for the holidays and the kitchen is ready: a total of 31,000 cookies have been baked, including 15,000 sugar cookies. Mrs. Trump’s signa- ture Christmas includes 71 wreaths, 53 Christmas trees, more than 18,000 lights, more than 12,000 or- naments, more than 3,100 yards of ribbon and more than 1,000 feet of garland, the White House said. Copies of NASA’s space record on sale A NASA-created phono- graph album – the “Voyager Golden Record” – is floating in space in search of a listener. It’s a mix tape “intended to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials,” ac- cording to NASA’s website. Of course, the extrater- restrials have to stumble upon it and figure out how to make it play. NASA launched two copies of the album – which contains spoken greetings in 55 lan- guages, music by Bach and Chuck Berry, and even songs by humpback whales – into space in 1977 on the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecrafts. It did not include a record player. Until recently, the album has not been made public ex- cept to donors of a Kickstarter campaign by Ozma Records, which raised nearly $1.4 mil- lion to issue a limited number of copies on vinyl. That campaign was so successful that the company decided to release the album to the general public, Ozma Records co-founder David Pescovitz, who co-produced the record, told The Wash- ington Post. At the end of Jan- uary 2018, the company will begin shipping a box set vinyl edition through the record distributor Light in the Attic. For NASA, compiling a snapshot of the planet’s his- tory on a single record was no easy task – especially given its purpose, which Presi- dent Jimmy Carter outlined in a statement included on the album: a message from planet Earth. “This is a present from a small distant world, a token of our sounds, our sci- ence, our images, our music, our thoughts, and our feel- ings,” Carter’s statement said. “We are attempting to sur- vive our time so we may live into yours. We hope someday, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations.” NASA approved the re- cord about six months before the launch of the two Voyager spacecrafts, according to sci- ence writer Timothy Ferris, who worked with the team, which was led by astrophys- icist Carl Sagan and also in- cluded radio astronomer Frank Drake and author Ann Druyan as the project’s cre- ative director. “The chances of aliens finding the Voyagers in the vast emptiness of space are small – some say infinitesimal – but we took our jobs seri- ously,” Druyan said in a NASA article. “From the moment when [Sagan] first broached the project to Tim Ferris and me, it felt mythic.” Some technical specifics were quickly worked out. They could not use an 8-track tape, a popular format at the time, because space ra- diation would degrade the magnetic tape, according to NASA. Instead, they made a record from copper and coated it with gold, which would protect it from the ex- treme temperatures and radi- ation encountered in space. And they used records that spun at 16 2/3 revolutions per minute rather than the con- ventional 33 1/3 RPMs. That meant lower sound quality, but it allowed them 90 min- utes of music rather than 27, as the Atlantic noted. The real question was what to put on it. “I remember sitting around the kitchen table making these huge decisions about what to put on and what to leave off,” Druyan said. “We couldn’t help but appreciate the enormous responsibility to create a cultural Noah’s Ark with a shelf life of hundreds of millions of years.” They chose each track for a different purpose. Some are obvious. The 12-minute audio essay fit- tingly titled “The Sounds of Earth” filled with sounds of everything from waves, laughter, an earthquake, crickets, chimpanzees, thunder, rain, footsteps, a baby’s cry and the wet smack of a kiss – to name a few – offered a short glimpse into the natural sounds we encounter here on Earth. Others were more prac- tical. The records included three compositions by J.S. Bach and two by Ludwig van Beethoven. The composers were given so much space in case the potential extraterres- trial life-forms were unable to hear the music, but could feel its vibration, Ferris noted in the New Yorker. He wrote: “To understand why we did this, imagine that the re- cords were being studied by extraterrestrials who lacked what we would call hearing, or whose hearing operated in a different frequency range than ours, or who hadn’t any musical tradition at all. Even they could learn from the music by applying math- ematics, which really does seem to be the universal lan- guage that music is some- times said to be. They’d look for symmetries – repetitions, inversions, mirror images, and other self-similarities – within or between compositions.” Others were chosen as metaphors. Take Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” for example. The song, representing rock-and-roll, “was the music of motion, of moving, getting to some- place you’ve never been before and the odds are against you, but you want to go,” Druyan told Anderson Cooper on “60 Minutes.” “That was Voy- ager,” Druyan said. © 2017, The Washington Post ‘The Voyager Golden Record’ and its cover, which was blasted into space in 1977. - PHOTOL NASA-JPL The Grand Foyer and Cross Hall are decorated with ‘The Nutcracker Suite’ theme during a media preview of the 2017 holiday decorations at the White House in Washington, Monday. - PHOTOS: AP First lady Melania Trump and her son Barron Trump, look at the Wisconsin-grown Christmas Tree at the North Portico of the White House in Washington on Monday. The tree will be displayed in the White House Blue Room. The gingerbread White House is seen in the East Dining Room during a media preview of the 2017 holiday decorations at the White House. - PHOTO: APThe islands’ most-trusted news source 14 SportsNEWS TUESDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Primary schools teams advance to semifinals in battle for Champions and Consolation Cups The 2017 CUC Primary Football League playoffs began Saturday at the Annex Field with the quarter finals in the Under 9 and Under 11 Champions and Con- solation Cups. In the CUC Girls’ Primary Football League, the final two regular season games were played to see which schools would compete for the Champions and Con- solation Cups. GPFL Champions Cup In the day’s early games, Cayman Prep defeated Sa- vannah Primary 2-1 and Prospect Primary were awarded a 3-0 victory over Sir John A. Cumber Primary. With that victory, Cayman Prep claimed the top seed and will face Prospect Pri- mary in one of two GPFL Champions Cup semifinals set for this Saturday, Dec. 2. St. Ignatius will play Cayman International School in Saturday’s second semifinal. GPFL Consolation Cup In the Consolation Cup, Sir John A. Cumber will play George Town Primary Sat- urday in the semifinals for the chance to play Savannah Primary in the final. PFL Under 9 Champions Cup In quarterfinal play, de- fending Under 9 champions Cayman Prep ‘A’ defeated Sa- vannah Primary 2-1 while 2016 Under 9 runners-up Cayman International School ‘A’ edged out Red Bay Primary 1-0. In other games, St. Igna- tius defeated South Sound Schools 4-1 and Prospect Pri- mary needed extra time to beat Truth For Youth 3-1. In the semifinals, Cayman Prep ‘A’ will face Cayman In- ternational School ‘A’ in a re- match of last year’s Under 9 Champions Cup final and St. Ignatius will play Prospect Primary. PFL Under 9 Consolation Cup In quarterfinal play, Cayman International School ‘B’ defeated Sir John A. Cumber Primary 2-0 while Bodden Town Primary edged out George Town Primary 1-0. In this week’s semifinals, Cayman International School ‘B’ will play Cayman Prep ‘B’ and Bodden Town Primary face Triple C. PFL Under 11 Champions Cup In quarterfinal play, de- fending Under 11 cham- pions Cayman Prep beat Sa- vannah Primary 7-0, 2016 runners-up Cayman Inter- national School defeated NorthEast Schools 5-0, St. Ignatius got by Prospect Primary 4-0 and Red Bay Primary needed a penalty shootout to beat Sir John A. Cumber Primary 5-4 (2-2 after full time and extra time and 3-2 in penalties). The semifinals will see Cayman International School play Red Bay Primary while Cayman Prep will face St. Ignatius. PFL Under 11 Consolation Cup In the lone quarter- final, Cayman Brac defeated Bodden Town Primary 4-0. Cayman Brac will play George Town Primary and Triple C will face South Sound Schools in the Under 11 Con- solation Cup semifinals. The 2017 CUC PFL and GPFL semifinals take place this Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Annex Field. Cayman International School beat NorthEast Schools (yellow) in the Under 11 Champions Cup quarterfinal, Bale set to return to Madrid’s squad Gareth Bale is expected to make his return to Real Madrid’s lineup in a Copa del Rey match this week after being sidelined for more than two months because of injuries. CIS, Cayman Prep champs in inaugural high school leagues Cayman International School Blue and Cayman Prep and High School won the inaugural Dart Under 14 Girls’ and Under 13 Boys’ high school football leagues. In the girl’s league, CIS Blue defeated Cayman Prep 2-1 on Wednesday, Nov. 22, at the Annex Field to lift the girl’s Dart Cup. Cayman Prep took the lead in the first half through Jenna Edwards, but two CIS second-half goals off the boots of Lexi Bromfield and Kasey Golding sealed the win and the championship for the girls in blue. On their journey to claiming the champion- ship, CIS Blue won all seven games and scored 38 goals throughout the seven-week season. With the loss, the Cayman Prep team finished the season as runners-up in the eight-team league. Dart’s Vice President of Community Development Chris Duggan presented the Dart Cup to the cham- pions and the runners-up trophy to Cayman Prep. In the boy’s league, Cayman Prep beat St. Ig- natius 4-1 on Thursday, Nov. 23, at St. Ignatius to claim the boy’s Dart Cup. Cayman Prep jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with goals from Jack Lomax and a double from Matthew Lloyd-Hickey. Prep’s Lucas Carter added a fourth be- fore Chad Owens scored a consolation goal for St. Ig- natius midway through the second half. Cayman Prep also fin- ished their season unde- feated with six wins and a draw and scored 27 goals in the process. Triple C claimed the runners-up spot in the Dart Under 13 Boys’ league after defeating Clifton Hunter High School 2-1 at the CIFA Centre of Excellence. With the success of this inaugural season, orga- nizers of high school foot- ball are planning to imple- ment Under 15 high school leagues for boys and girls in 2018 or 2019 and aim to eventually start Under 18 leagues in the near future. High schools partic- ipating in the leagues this year included Clifton Hunter High School, John Gray High School, St. Ig- natius Catholic School, Triple C, Cayman Prep and High School, CIS and Cayman Academy. The Cayman International School Blue team won the Under 14 girls Dart Cup championship.The Cayman Prep and High School team won the Under 14 boys trophy. With the success of this inaugural season, organizers of high school football are planning to implement Under 15 high school leagues for boys and girls in 2018 or 2019. Cayman Prep claimed the top seed and will face Prospect Primary in one of two GPFL Champions Cup semifinals set for this Saturday, Dec. 2. St. Ignatius will play Cayman International School in Saturday’s second semifinal.15 SPORTS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2017 Ahead of the game: Bairstow, Bancroft explain odd greeting BRISBANE, Australia (AP) – Jonny Bairstow’s unorthodox method of greeting Cam- eron Bancroft in a pub last month overshadowed ques- tions of cricket at the news conferences following Austra- lia’s win over England in the Ashes series opener. Speculation about a head- butting incident emerged when some Australian fielders made a reference to it – picked up on an on-field microphone – in a bid to unsettle England wicketkeeper Bairstow while he was batting on Sunday. The England Cricket Board confirmed overnight it had asked Bairstow for an explanation. Both sides agreed there was nothing malicious in the incident, and there’s unlikely to be any dis- ciplinary action. Not long after Bancroft scored the winning runs for Australia on Monday, re- maining unbeaten on 82, he and Bairstow fronted sepa- rate news conferences to out- line what happened at the Avenue bar four weeks ago. Bairstow went first, of- fering a statement without taking questions. “It’s been blown com- pletely out of proportion,” he said. “There was no intent, nor malice about anything during the evening. “As you could see out there today there was no ani- mosity between myself, Cam- eron and any other of the Australia players and hope- fully now we can swipe this underneath the table.” England coach Trevor Bayliss said there was no ag- gression in Bairstow’s actions, and said he would not even de- fine it as a head butt. England captain Joe Root described the episode as boyish behavior, and said the timing of the rev- elations may have been a plot to unsettle his team. Bancroft made his debut for Australia in Brisbane, and the first questions he faced post-game were not about cricket. “I got into a very ami- cable conversation with Jonny and he just greeted me with a head butt, kind of thing,” Bancroft explained of the night in question. “I was expecting a handshake. It wasn’t the greeting of choice that I was expecting. “There was certainly no malice in his action and we continued on, having very good conversation for the rest of the evening,” Bancroft added. “Obviously at the time, he said sorry. For me person- ally it was just really weird – it was so random and I cer- tainly didn’t expect it coming.” Bancroft said he’d have preferred a handshake or a hug, but was not knocked over and wasn’t particularly upset by the greeting. “He says hello to people very differently to most others,” he said. “I let it go and moved on from it. It was fine.” The Perth incident hap- pened in the wake of a sep- arate episode in September outside a club in Bristol that has resulted in allrounder Ben Stokes missing the start of the Ashes tour. Stokes has remained in England pending a police investigation. Bayliss said there’d be no disciplinary action against Bairstow, but added that the player group would likely agree to change policies to ensure there’s no risk of off- field behavior that puts ex- ternal pressure on the team. “Well, that’s what I thought after Bristol as well, they would be extra dumb and stupid if it didn’t (change), for sure,” Bayliss said. “Any team at this level will take any opportunity to get stuck into the opposition. “If you put yourself into that situation, you’re fair game. We’ve got to be very careful that we don’t do that in the future.” Off-field incidents have overshadowed Ashes series in the past, including in the buildup to the 2013 series in England when Australian opener David Warner was banned for test matches fol- lowing a confrontation with Root in a bar. Root said there was no comparison between the two episodes. What bothered him most was the opportunity the Bairstow incident gave the media to criticize his England squad, and the advantage that gave the Australians. “It’s come up the first day Australia had a good day on the field four weeks later,” Root said. “If it was a big deal, it would have come out a lot earlier. We have to be careful not to make a big deal of something that’s not there. “I think the most im- portant thing is we stay strong and tight as a group of players and that we con- tinue to keep doing the hard work that we have done throughout the whole trip.” Steelers, Brown hold off Packers 31-28 PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pitts- burgh Steelers had the ball, 17 seconds and about 30 yards to go to avoid over- time against relentlessly re- silient Green Bay. Oh, and the Steelers had Antonio Brown. The Packers did not. And 17 seconds, 30ish yards provided entirely by Pittsburgh’s do-everything wide receiver and one 53- yard field goal from Chris Bo- swell later, the Steelers were dancing on the logo at mid- field following a 31-28 escape on Sunday night. Pittsburgh (9-2) won its sixth straight behind Brown, who finished with 10 recep- tions for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Yet the big- gest grab was a 23-yard toe- tap along the sideline on the first snap of his team’s last-gasp drive that put the Steelers near the fringe of Bo- swell’s range. At first, it looked as if Brown was out of bounds. Two officials conferred for more than 15 seconds before ruling Brown somehow man- aged to get both feet down. The call stood on replay. A more conventional 14- yard reception on the next snap pushed the Steelers closer. Boswell’s career-long blast slipped inside the left upright to keep Pittsburgh tied with New England atop the AFC and keep Brown’s teammates searching for superlatives. “It’s one thing to do it in practice on a Thursday,” guard David Decastro said. “To do it in that situation to get into field goal range? I just, I guess how can you not be surprised?” Brown was not. “I knew right away I had it,” Brown said. “I got my hand on the ball. I knew it was a catch.” One the Steelers needed to avoid perhaps another mys- tifying loss. Even though the Packers were missing quar- terback Aaron Rodgers, run- ning back Ty Montgomery and linebacker Clay Mat- thews, they pushed Pitts- burgh to the limit. Brett Hundley completed 17 of 26 for 245 yards and three touchdowns for the Packers (5-6) in his best start since taking over when Rod- gers went on injured reserve with a broken collarbone last month. Jamaal William ran for 66 yards, including a 4-yard leap into the end zone with 2:02 that tied it at 28. “I just want to give this team an opportunity to win,” Hundley said. “And I feel like we were really close.” Hundley actually had a chance to pull off a Rodgers- like winning drive. But Green Bay went three-and-out after getting the ball with 1:20 to go. The Packers punted it back to Pittsburgh with 17 seconds left. Just enough time, it turns out, for Brown to do his thing and for Bo- swell to do his. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and special teams co- ordinator Danny Smith did not approach Boswell before Boswell headed onto the field to kick into the tricky closed end of Heinz Field. That is not what they do. “I don’t tell them num- bers, they don’t ask me num- bers,” Boswell said. “If we need it, we need it and I kick it. That’s about it.” Ben Roethlisberger threw for 351 yards with four touch- downs and two intercep- tions. Le’Veon Bell ran for 95 yards and added another 88 yards receiving but also had a fumble that stalled a drive early in the fourth quarter. The Steelers outgained Green Bay 462-307 and had the ball for nearly 34 minutes. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Mi- chael Crabtree appar- ently came into the game looking for a fight. Still upset after Denver cornerback Aqib Talib ripped a chain off his neck last season, Crab- tree did not take long to seek revenge in his first game against the Broncos this season, leading to a full-blown brawl and three ejections on Sunday during Oakland’s 21-14 win over the Broncos. “I guess his initiative was to come out there and fight today,” said Denver cornerback Chris Harris Jr., who said Crabtree “sucker punched” him on the previous play. “I guess it wasn’t to play football. He came out there, just punched me in the stomach and I lost my breath.” Crabtree has been angry ever since Talib ripped Crabtree’s chain off his neck during the regular-season finale last season. Crabtree sat out the first meeting this season in Denver with a chest injury, but sought ret- ribution Sunday. “We love Crab around here and we need him, but things happen,” teammate Cordarrelle Patterson said. “We all knew it was going to happen. It was just a matter of time when. Ev- erybody was ready, pre- pared for it.” On the second play of Oakland’s second drive, Crabtree aggressively blocked Talib on a run- ning play and drove him to the ground on the Broncos sideline. Talib ripped Crab- tree’s chain off his neck while they were tangled up, and a brawl ensued. Several Broncos players surrounded Crabtree as he tussled with Talib be- fore his Raiders team- mates could come to his assistance. “If that’s the way he wants to approach it, then I support it 100 percent,” Broncos linebacker Von Miller said. “You want to have him in there. I want to play against Crab. I want to have that type of game, but you can only control what you can control. Those guys are going to do what they’re going to do.” CHAIN MATCH 2: TALIB AND CRABTREE FIGHT AFTER CHAIN SNATCH England’s James Vince plays a shot past Australia’s Cameron Bancroft, left, during the Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Thursday, Nov. 23. - PHOTO: AP Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Hundley (7) throws a touchdown pass to Randall Cobb during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017. - PHOTO: AP16 SPORTS TUESDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Witness: Exec said Qatar had up to $15M available for bribes Top-ranked Duke rallies for 87-84 victory over No. 7 Florida PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Marvin Bagley III had a simple ex- planation for No. 1 Duke’s incredible late rally against No. 7 Florida. “We just have heart,” the 6-foot-11 freshman sen- sation said. “That’s pretty much all it is.” Bagley had 30 points and 15 rebounds, and the Blue Devils came back from a 17- point deficit with 10 minutes left to beat the Gators 87-84 on Sunday night for the Mo- tion Bracket championship at the Phil Knight Invita- tional tournament. Fellow freshman Gary Trent Jr., who had a pair of free throws that pulled the Blue Devils (8-0) in front and a key steal in the final moments, finished with 15 points. Bagley has six double- doubles in eight games this season. He was named the bracket’s Most Valuable Player. Jalen Hudson had 24 points and 10 rebounds for Florida (5-1), while KeVaughn Allen added 17 points. Duke closed within 78-70 on consecutive jumpers from Wendell Carter Jr. and a pair of free throws from Bagley. Grayson Allen’s 3-pointer got Duke to 82-79 with 3:07 left, putting the Blue Devils fans on their feet. Bagley’s layup closed the gap to 84-83 and Trent made free throws to put Duke in front 85-84 with 1:12 left. Hudson missed a free throw to tie it before Trent’s steal with 12 seconds left. Trent made another pair from the line for the final margin. “We started playing hard,” Bagley said about the turn- around. “Now the next step is trying to figure out we can do that in the beginning in- stead of having to fight back the whold-time. That can get stressful sometimes. We just got keep continuing to learn and get better. I think we’ll figure it out.” The teams were among the 16 Nike teams that took part in the three-day tourna- ment, dubbed the PK80, that started on Thanksgiving and took a hiatus Saturday for col- lege football. Fourth-ranked Michigan State beat defending NCAA champion North Caro- lina 63-45 earlier in the eve- ning in the Victory Bracket. The event honored Nike co-founder Phil Knight’s 80th birthday. Both Florida and Duke were coming off hard-fought overtime victories. The Gators defeated No. 7 Gonzaga 111-105 in double overtime on Friday night to advance. Hudson had a ca- reer-high 35 points, 31 of them coming in the second half. Duke forward Marvin Bagley III, left, Duke forward Javin DeLaurier, right, and Florida forward Kevarrius Hayes, center, fight for a rebound during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Phil Knight Invitational tournament in Portland, Oregon, Sunday. - PHOTO: AP NEW YORK (AP) – The former president of Colombia’s soccer federation testified Monday that a sports mar- keting executive told him up to $15 million in bribe money was available for South American officials from Qa- tari interests ahead of the FIFA executive committee vote to decide the site of the 2022 World Cup. Taking the witness stand as the trial of three former soccer officials began its third week, Luis Bedoya said he was introduced to a Qatari television representative by Mariano Jinkis of Full Play Group during a meeting in a Madrid hotel ahead of the 2010 Champions League final. Bedoya said he could not re- call the name of the Qatari. Jinkis said Luis Chiri- boga, then president of Ec- uador’s federation, was with them, and Juan Angel Na- pout, then president of Par- aguay’s soccer federation, was at an adjacent table. Bedoya testified that he, Na- pout and Chiriboga were among six heads of South American governing bodies who earlier had agreed to accept bribes from Full Play for signing a marketing and broadcast rights con- tract in 2010 for future Copa America tournaments. Bedoya said the Qatari spoke in English as Jinkis translated. Bedoya said after the Qatari left, Jinkis stated that Qatar was seeking South American support in the FIFA executive committee and “he could ask for $10 million or $15 million and he could di- vide it up between all of the people in the group of six.” Bedoya said Jinkis added “each of us could make $1 million or $1.5 million.” While none of the six was on the FIFA executive com- mittee for the 2010 vote, Jinkis said Qataris wanted to influence South America’s three voters: Julio Grondona of Argentina, Nicolas Leoz of Paraguay and Ricardo Teix- eira of Brazil. Bedoya said that later that year, he presented Eduardo Deluca of Argentina, the gen- eral secretary of the South American confederation CONMEBOL, with a letter stating that the Colombia Football Federation was sup- porting Spain in the vote for 2018 World Cup host and the United States for 2022. Bedoya said Deluca told him: “You’re always with losers.” In a December 2010 vote, Russia was awarded the 2018 tournament and Qatar 2022. Bedoya said Jinkis later told him jokingly: “We could have made some money there.” Bedoya became the first soccer official to testify at the trial of Napout; Manuel Burga, the former head of Peru’s soccer federation; and Jose Maria Marin, the former president of Brazil’s soccer federation. The three are charged in federal court in Brooklyn with racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud con- spiracy and money laun- dering conspiracy. A former member of FIFA’s executive committee, Bedoya pleaded guilty in 2015 to racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy. Testifying Monday in Spanish through a trans- lator, Bedoya said Fox Sports paid for his and Chiriboga’s trips to the 2010 Champions League final, which the net- work televised in the U.S. Bedoya said the presi- dents of the governing bodies of Bolivia, Colombia, Ec- uador, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela banded together to award commercial rights to the 2015 Copa America to Full Play rather than rival Traffic Group, which held them from 1987-2011. He said a contract with Full Play Group was signed during the 2010 FIFA Con- gress in South Africa, and each of the six federation heads in the group was to receive a $1 million bribe in two equal installments. He said Napout indicated he was concerned that he “not be ex- posed” and Burga said “he didn’t know how to receive money of this type.” Bedoya said he also met with Grondona, who told him that each member of the group of six, referred to as “Los Muchachos (The Boys),” would get a $400,000 bribe annually for supporting Tor- neos y Competencias’ con- tract for rights to the Copa Libertadores tournament. Bedoya said the bribe for himself and Chiriboga later was increased to $600,000. Bedoya said Full Play set up a “paper” company in Uruguay, Flemic, that listed Bedoya as general manager. Bedoya also said on one oc- casion he asked for a pay- ment in cash as a favor and was given about $96,000 in $100 U.S. bills by Jinkis, who said approximately $4,000 was deduced for the cost of a money-changer’s commission. In addition, Bedoya said a representative of Nike, whose name he did not recall, asked for a bribe during negotia- tions for an equipment con- tract with Colombia’s fed- eration. Bedoya said no payment was made and the contract was agreed to with rival Adidas. FORMER CONMEBOL CHIEF FIGHTS U.S. EXTRADITION ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) – The former head of South American soccer is ap- pealing extradition to the United States where he is wanted on charges of receiving millions in bribes in exchange for marketing and TV rights to tournaments. A judge in Nicolas Leoz’s native Paraguay ap- proved the extradition order last week. Leoz’s lawyer, Ricardo Preda, has told the Associ- ated Press he is appealing the judge’s order and says, if it fails, he will appeal to the supreme court. The 89-year-old Leoz headed CONMEBOL from 1986 to 2013. He quit after acknowledging he received $130,000 in payments from a former marketing partner of FIFA. The U.S. Justice De- partment has indicted more than 40 soccer and marketing officials, in- cluding Leoz, on charges of bribery, racketeering, and money laundering.17 COMICS&PUZZLES CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2017 BLONDIE By Y. Marshall PEANUTS By Charles M. Shulz THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN By Stan Lee CURTIS By Ray Billingsley HäGAR THE HORRIBLE By Chris Browne THE LOCKHORNS By Bunny Hoest & John Reiner ACROSS 1 Fabric with raised design (7) 5 Chef’s tall hat (5) 8 Dexterity in conjuring (7,2,4) 9 Meaning (5) 10 Reticence (7) 11 Powerful (6) 12 Texan city (6) 15 Come to grips (7) 17 Furry freshwater mammal (5) 19 Any tactics permitted (2,5,6) 20 Imposing arrangement (5) 21 Constancy (7) DOWN 1 First principle (5) 2 A marine scientist (13) 3 To increase in size (7) 4 Secure by intimidation (6) 5 Small tassels (5) 6 Four-sided figure (13) 7 Infinite (7) 11 Purplish red (7) 13 An irregularity (7) 14 Ship (6) 16 Flourishing (5) 18 Healthily red (5) The Compass CROSSwORD PUZZLE 1234567 8 910 111213 14 15161718 19 2021 1234567 8 910 111213 14 15161718 19 2021 Puzzle 15608 ARIES (MARCH 21 TO APRIL 19) Today the Moon is in your sign, which gives you heightened emo- tions. Your responses to others might be a bit over the top. TAURUS (APRIL 20 TO MAY 20) You will prefer to work alone or behind the scenes today, because the Moon is in a hidden part of your chart. This is an excellent day for any kind of research. GEMINI (MAY 21 TO JUNE 20) It’s a popular day! In particular, you will enjoy talking to a female companion. Partnerships are an important focus for you right now. CANCER (JUNE 21 TO JULY 22) Personal details about your private life may become public today. Yes, people are talking about you. Just be aware of this. LEO (JULY 23 TO AUG. 22) Try to do something different today to satisfy your urge for adventure and a chance to learn something new. If you can, travel somewhere. VIRGO (AUG. 23 TO SEPT. 22) Focus on financial matters related to shared property, inheritances and debt today so that you can start this week with a clean slate. Information is power. LIBRA (SEPT. 23 TO OCT. 22) Because today’s Moon is opposite your sign, you will have to go more than halfway when dealing with others. SCORPIO (OCT. 23 TO NOV. 21) Focus on your productivity and efficiency today. You might want to do something to improve your health. You want to be the best you can be. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 TO DEC. 21) You don’t feel like working today, because you would much rather play! Enjoy sports events, fun activ- ities with children, the arts, movies and socializing with others. CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 TO JAN. 19) Enjoy cocooning at home today, if you can swing this. A conversation with a female relative (perhaps Mom?) will be significant. AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 TO FEB. 18) This is a busy, fast-paced day! When talking to others, you will state the facts and be clear about what you want. You won’t be wishy-washy. PISCES (FEB. 19 TO MARCH 20) Focus on money and cash-flow issues today. You also might want to shop. During financial negotia- tions, you will be forthright and ready to defend your interests. Daily Horoscope BY FRANCES DRAKE TUESDAy, NOvEMBER 28, 2017 YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS Puzzle 15607 ACROSS: 1 Fakir, 8 Farcical, 9 Sloth, 10 Near miss, 11 Steep, 12 Tub, 16 Mexico, 17 Elicit, 18 Odd, 23 Edict, 24 Up in arms, 25 Taboo, 26 Cold feet, 27 Sleek. DOWN: 2 All at sea, 3 In the air, 4 Gateau, 5 Scorn, 6 Acrid, 7 Slush, 12 Too, 13 Bed, 14 Windfall, 15 Disclose, 19 Damper, 20 Hunch, 21 Field, 22 Gaffe. Employment Vacancies Resort Sports Limited Invite applications for the following positions. Caymanian applications and Permanent Residents are invited to apply for the position of:- STOREKEEPER/DRIVER Position requires applicant to be familiar with all aspects of storekeeping, including ordering and maintaining supplies. Have HGV license and be over 25 years of age. Rate of pay CI$7.00 to CI$8.00 depending on experience. CREW MEMBER Rate of pay CI$ 6.00 per hour. To assist Captain with loading and unloading passengers. Clean boat after tours. Must be able to swim and CPR trained BOAT CAPTAIN Rate of pay CI$375 - CI$650 per week, depending on experience. Must have at least 10 years sailing experience. Knowledge of Cayman dive sites and reefs preferred, PUNCTUALITY IS ESSENTIAL All positions require working Public Holidays, and early and late schedules Police clearance certificate required for all positions. Applicants must be willing to undergo random drug testing. Written applications please, with full professional resume, and references from previous employers to:- P.O. Box 903 GT KY1-1103 Grand Cayman NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE Top Job Maintenance is seeking a Painter with 15 yrs experience $12 p/hr + standard benefits Apply in writing to: P.O. Box 11108, KY1-1008 Launa’s Caymanite Stonecutter-polisher / Assistant Jewelry maker 15+ years experience Salary CI$450 per week + statutory benefits caymanites@yahoo.com SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Duties include but not limited to: • Page layout and design for the daily newspaper, assorted magazines, supplements, programs and other products produced by the company • Create and design print advertising from concept to completion for all publications • Create innovative internal and external marketing strategies and campaigns for all publications • Work with project managers and team members to provide professional recommendations for concept, design, art direction, production and monitor quality control • Output files to high-end proofing CTP equipment Qualifications, Skills and Expertise: • Applicant must have a minimum of 10 years’ practical experience in graphic design for print and web products in the publishing/marketing industry • Must have a high level of expertise in Adobe Creative Suite applications, particularly Adobe InDesign CS6, Photoshop CS6, InCopy CS6, Illustrator CS6 and Acrobat Pro • Must be proficient in the Microsoft Office Suite, as well as the ATEX Prestige CMS, Morcor XpanceX, Enfocus Pitstop and Screen True Flow software packages • Proven knowledge and understanding of newspaper and magazine design, pagination and layout principles and application • Multimedia design experience preferred, i.e. newspaper, magazine, web and commercial print; • Applicants must have an advanced understanding of colour-managed RGB work flows, ICC profiles, and the PDF/X specification • A comprehensive knowledge of prepress processes, with the ability to troubleshoot and solve issues in a PDF/ CTP work flow is essential • The successful candidate must be proficient in grammar, syntax, and the professional use of the English language • Willingness and ability to work long hours and to tight deadlines, as is the nature of our industry • Must have a valid driver’s license • Applicants will be asked to provide a portfolio of past examples of work and be required to take tests as appropriate • Higher education diploma in Graphic Design is required Salary: CI$40,000 to CI$50,000 per annum plus benefits dependent on experience. Interested Caymanians and Legal Residents should e-mail their cover letter, CV and two references to hr@pinnaclemedialtd.com by November 30, 2017. Only applications received to this email address will be accepted. Suitably qualified applicants are invited to apply for the position of: SCOTTS INDUSTRIES LTD. Applications are invited from suitably qualified applicants for the position of EXHAUST WELDER I FITTER A minimum of 5 years experience in acetelyne & oxygen welding is required as is; knowledge of exhaust systems & parts for all vehicles (cars, suvs, buses, trucks & heavy equipment) DUTIES INCLUDE: diagnosing exhaust problems and identifying parts to be replaced. Installing and repairing exhaust components. Operating and maintaining pipe bending machine and completing work requisition orders. Driving customer’s vehicle on and off ramps. Applicants must be able to work Monday-Saturday and possess a valid drivers licence and clean police record. SALARY $10-$12 PER HOUR Plus health insurance & pension benefits. Caymanians, Status Holders and Legal Residents may apply in writing with resume and references to: Scott’s Automotive P.O. Box 10688, Grand Cayman KY1-1006 (No Phone Calls Please) JLC HOLDINGS FOOD & BEVERAGE SERVER Minimum 2 years experience working in a fast paced, casual establishment. Must be available to work all shifts including weekends and holidays. Experience serving alcohol is a must. Salary CI$4-$8/hr + plus gratuities. BARTENDER Minimum 2 years experience working in a fast paced, casual establishment. Must be available to work all shifts including weekends and holidays. Experience serving alcohol is a must. Salary CI$4-$6/hr + Benefi ts. RESTAURANT GENERAL MANAGER Minimum 15 years experience. Must have experience working in multi-unit operations involving multiple cuisines. Must have experience with Asian cuisine and culture. Must have experience in P&L analysis, cost cutting, cost controls, menu development, and HR involving work permits. Required to establish annual working budget for operations. Must be experienced with local labour laws. Must be available for long hours and shift work including all holidays and weekends. Salary range CI$750-$1200/week+ Benefi ts. ASSISTANT FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGER Minimum 5 years experience in a similar type of establishment. Must be profi cient with HR, beverage costing, ordering and scheduling, Must be profi cient with POS systems. Must be experienced with local labour laws. Must be available for long hours and shift work including all holidays and weekends. Salary CI$900-$1000/week + Benefi ts. FOOD & BEVERAGE SUPERVISORS Minimum 3 years experience. Must be profi cient with POS systems. Must have proven leadership experience and be able to work well with all members of staff. Must be experienced with labour laws. Must be available for long hours and shift work including all holidays and weekends. Salary CI$750-$900/week + Benefi ts. KITCHEN HELPER/DISHWASHER Minimum 1 year current experience working in a busy, casual kitchen. Must be able to work long hours on feet in a hot environment. Must be available to work all shifts including weekends and holidays. Salary range CI$5-$7/hr + Benefi ts. LINE COOK Minimum 5 years current experience working in a busy, fast paced casual kitchen, Knowledge of various cuisines is a must. Must be available to work all shifts including weekends and holidays. Salary CI$6-$10/hr + Benefi ts. SOUS CHEF Minimum 5 years current experience working in a busy, fast paced casual kitchen. Knowledge of menu costing, food preparation, ordering & monitoring supplies, staff delegation and scheduling. Must be available to work all shifts including weekends and holidays. Salary CI$600-$800/week + Benefi ts. MEETINGS & SPECIAL EVENTS COORDINATOR Minimum 5 years current Hospitality experience working in multi- operations involving multiple cuisines. Must have above average written and verbal communication skills, strong attention to detail, strategic planning knowledge, social media skills, ability to multitask and direct others. Must be available to work all shifts including weekends and holidays. Salary CI$500/week + Benefi ts. Suitably qualifi ed Caymanians, Status Holders & Legal Residents strongly encouraged to apply. Send CV to jobs@marketstreet.ky by 2nd December, 2017 by 12th December, 2017 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwyz~!@#$%^&*()_+-=1234567890;:’”,.<>/?[]{} ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()_+-={}:”<>?[];’,./ C18 TUESDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2017DTT SUBCONSTRUCTION Seeking a Carpenter With 10 yrs exp. Salary $12.00 p/hr + Statutory Benefits. Suitable Caymanian can apply - Tel: 328-4411 DTT Subcontractor Seeking a Painter with 5-10 yrs experience CI$10 - $12 per hour plus standard benefits P.O. Box 1608, KY1-1504 Kitchen Table Grill & Jerk Restaurant Seeking Kitchen Helper with over 5yrs experience, $6.p/hr standard benefit P.O Box 62, KY1-1401 Marksman Electronics & Security Services Co Ltd. Seeking a female Bilingual Central Monitoring Personnel, must have at least 2 year experience in reading alarm report, and communication. Salary $300 per week Must read, write and speak the Queens English clearly. Cellular Phone Technician. Must have 4 - 5 years experience in professional repairs of Cell Phones, Alarm Cellular Dialer. Must be able to work on his/her own, communicate well with clients. Salary $450 p/week Seeking (4) male Security Officers, age 29 to 35 with 4 - 5 years experience. Personnel must be a trained certified officer and with high level of communicative demeanor. Must read, write and speak the Queens English clearly. Salary $6.00 per hour. All Statutory Benefits provided as per law. Send resume to: ATT: Manager c/o Marksman Electronics & Security PO Box 30791, KY1-1204 A1 Cleaning Services Seeking a Supervisor with at least 4 years’ exp., Salary CI$2000 per month plus statutory benefits Caymanians Preferred service@a1cleaningservices.ky PURCHASING REPRESENTATIVE Job Description: • Manage relationship with all vendors, including price negotiations, delivery; terms, sales opportunities, contract development, and performance review • Familiarity and experience working with import duties • Monitoring of the weekly inventory requirements from food service suppliers • Overseeing the purchasing and arrival of goods and ensuring full stock levels • Able to work under pressure, meet deadlines and target sales • Strong work ethic and integrity; and effective time management skills Qualifications: • Training as evidenced by a minimum of an Associates’ Degree from an accredited university or college in a relevant field, such as business, supply chain management or retailing • A minimum of (3) three years of purchasing experience, preferably in the area of Food Service Industry • Must be able to read, write, speak and comprehend fluent in English • Must be computer literate and experienced with regard to general office software packages such as Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook ; Also proficiency with QuickBooks is desired Applicants should forward a detailed resume, reference letter from previous employer, and a current police clearance certificate. Salary range $8 - $10 per hour depending on experience a nd benefits package (including the Pension, Health Insurance and vacation). Work Hours: 45 hour work week. Willingness to work weekends, public holidays and flexible hours if required. Applications should be submitted to: Uncle Clem’s Meat & Grocery #68 Mary Street, P.O Box 30393, KY1-1202 Cayman Islands WEST INDIAN MARINE GROUP Invites applications for the following positions: Certified Commercial Diver Applicant must be a qualifed and internationally fully certified commercial diver, with previous offshore commercial diving experience on offshore support vessels or offshore rigs and served onboard these vessels in this capacity. Experience working weekends and shifts is required. Normal working week 45 hours. Renumeration will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. an expected salary in the range of CI$3,000 - CI$4,000/month with pension, health and vacation as per labour law will be provided. Please submit written applications with cover letter and a detailed resume to: WEST INDIAN MARINE P.O Box 31194, KY1-1205 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands We welcome your interest in a career with Dart. To register and apply, please visit us at dart.ky/careers. Applications for this role will be accepted until • Oversee the care and maintenance of assigned garden areas including care of all plants and trees; water features and the supporting plant material; all outdoor living displays (potted plants, hanging baskets and orchid wall); espalier areas; soils and turf; patio areas and hardscapes • Assist with proper prevention and pest control methods and ensure appropriate scheduling and application of chemicals and nutrients • Ensure soils have the requirements to support good plant health • Coordinate with Horticulture Manager on design/ redesign projects of garden areas • Request, schedule and manage crews needed for projects and obtain/transfer plants for projects and inventory • Instruct staff in the correct safety procedures concerning the use and application of chemicals and fertilizers • An Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture with 7+ years’ hands-on, relevant horticulture experience or a combination of skills, experience and education • A solid knowledge of soil management practices including soil testing and amendments • A strong knowledge of plant materials and landscape maintenance techniques with an emphasis in annuals, perennials, and aquatics • Proficiency in operating various landscaping tools and equipment, including safety operations procedures • Experience Bonsai’s, Arborsculpture, Espaliers and Terrariums and tree pruning • Proven ability to lead and supervise staff and their work • Experience with Integrated Pest Management practices • Effective written and verbal communication skills • A strong knowledge of flower arrangement for containerized planting • The ability to perform heavy lifting up to 30lbs • A valid driver’s license Working for Arboretum Services Limited, the Horticulturist is responsible for the care, maintenance and quality of all plant materials and their components, around the house, garden and at beachside properties and supervising staff working in these areas. WE WANT YOU TO:DO YOU HAVE: HORTICULTURIST ID: HTC1117ASL BENEFITS: Competitive Package Offered SALARY: CI$40,000 – CI$55,000 pa Midnight, Tuesday 12 December 2017. ARBORETUM SERVICES ARBORETUM SERVICES LIMITED IS RECRUITING VALUE DRIVEN EMPLOYEES WHO THRIVE IN AN ATMOSPHERE WHICH ENCOURAGES TEAMWORK, CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND INNOVATION. Window & Door Sales Associate Kirkconnell Enterprises Ltd, T/ A Kirk Home Centre, invites qualified candidates to apply for the position of Window & Door Sales Associate. The successful candidate must have a minimum of 8-10 years experience selling windows and doors and related building materials for large commercial projects and high end residential projects. Duties include: • Building relationships with customers, including general contractors, subcontractors, project managers, real estate developers, architects and designers, • Directly selling to key customers and visiting construction job sites, regularly. • Performing takeoffs from building construction blue prints, and ensuring that shop drawings are provided to the end user. • Managing the sales and deliveries of special orders, including sourcing, estimating and quoting special orders, preparing purchase orders, tracking special orders, scheduling deliveries and liaising with special-order customers, • Building relationships with suppliers and introducing new products to the market, This is not an entry level position. The Window & Doors Sales Associate plays a key role in the development of our commercial window and door sales and sales to high end residential projects. Regular hours are 7:00AM to 5:00PM, five days per week, with on-call availability as required. We are seeking an energetic and motivated self-starter, who enjoys the challenges of continuous improvement and brings meaningful and verifiable expertise to the company’s sales function. Candidates must have 8- 10 years of verifiable experience in a similar position and must demonstrate: • Knowledge of commercial and residential construction and re-modeling, • Knowledge and experience to take and record accurate measurements and use quoting software, • Technical expertise to perform job site inspection to assess conditions for water intrusion, rot and mold, • Knowledge of installation techniques and the ability to advise on installation, • Comprehensive knowledge of building materials, • Success in selling and delivering window and door sales to meet customer project timelines. • Commitment to resolve customer issues that may demand after-hours site visits. • Strong written, verbal and interpersonal skills • Proficiency in Autocad, MS Word, Excel The salary range for this position is CI $ 50,000 - CI$ 66,000 per annum plus commission. Additional benefits include pension and health, 4 weeks of paid vacation and staff discounts in the company’s retail store. A tablet and a cell phone will be supplied for business use. Applications must be received before December 14, 2017. Please apply in writing to: Kirkconnell Enterprises Ltd. Human Resources PO Box 72 Grand Cayman KY1-1102 Applications are invited for the position of: Investor and Corporate Services Associate Harmonic provides services to the alternative investment industry that include technology, fund administration, risk management, financing and capital introduction. The Company specializes in funds that deploy complex investment strategies and trade in the global fixed income, equities, options, futures, foreign exchange and OTC derivatives markets. Applicants will be responsible for the daily monitoring, maintenance, recording and reconciliation of complex securities trading and meeting the very tight reporting deadlines and demanding obligations of our clients. Responsibilities include cash management, forex and hedging processing and review/execution of bank, custody and prime broker operating account documentation. At a minimum the position requires a tertiary level education, in a field related to finance and investments along with at least 8 years’ experience in a similar role or combined role working with complex securities, hedge fund portfolios and derivatives products. A professional designation or certificate would be preferred along with knowledge of Cayman Islands KYC and Anti- money laundering regulations. Applicants should demonstrate sufficient expertise and technical knowledge of investment products and securities types. Experience with portfolio management systems would be an asset. Very strong oral and written communication skills are required, along with a strong desire to meet demanding client requirements. Remuneration will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Salary range is US$70,000 to US$100,000 plus pension, health and vacation benefits. The position requires overtime and working on public holidays. Written applications with resume should be sent in confidence to: Human Resource Manager, HR@Harmonic.ky Harmonic Fund Services, P.O. Box 940 GT, Grand Cayman harmonicfundservices.com ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwyz~!@#$%^&*()_+-=1234567890;:’”,.<>/?[]{} ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()_+-={}:”<>?[];’,./ C19 TUESDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2017Next >