ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2018 Personal Insurance Pay less for more cover with home and car insurance Your first BritCay 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 *private car insurance cgigrp FREE $10 Million ASSET PROTECTION! with motor cover* PWC REPORT: Staffing issues plague fire service $2 million in overtime paid in 2017 BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands Chief Fire Officer David Hails is under contract for just one more year, and five of the six senior officers directly re- porting to him are currently “acting” – not per- manently appointed – in those jobs. The sit- uation has led to significant uncertainty in the Cayman Islands Fire Service, according to a report released Wednesday. An organizational review done by ac- counting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers also notes continued job vacancies among lower ranks of the fire service as younger officers are promoted. There is a measure of discon- tent among those employees over uncompeti- tive pay and lack of advancement opportuni- ties, the study found. The reviewers at PwC received comment from about 60 percent of the fire service staff before producing their report. “The purpose [of the acting roles] currently seems to enable the avoidance of filling vacant roles on a permanent basis and has resulted in uncertainty in the department,” the PwC re- port states. “The vacancies caused at the lower levels due to staff being hired into higher po- sitions should be filled by recruiting staff at firefighter and new recruit levels.” Chief Hails said Wednesday during a press conference that the fire service paid about $2 million last year to bring staff in on overtime to cover work shifts, despite re- cently recruiting a cadet class of 17 Cayma- nian officers. The PwC report states there are now 31 va- cancies in the fire service. “A number of these vacancies are key positions, imperative to the smooth operation of the service,” according to the review. Mr. Hails also confirmed that the service still has some significant operational chal- lenges, including a need to “repair and up- grade” fire stations and to address difficulty with fire crews being able to communicate with the 911 Emergency Centre. Ministry of Home Affairs Deputy Chief Of- ficer Kathryn Dinspell-Powell said Wednesday that five fire officers have been trained at the 911 call center and that within the next few months, the service should have the ability to dispatch emergency calls directly from 911. Right now, calls from 911 are routed to the Owen Roberts International Airport fire station, which then sends fire crews to the scene – leading to potential difficulties in CAYMAN CLOSES IN ON 26,000 WORK PERMITS BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com There were 25,870 work permits and government contracts for non-Caymanian workers active in the Cayman Islands as of Tuesday, according to records from the Immi- gration Department. Those figures represent the highest num- bers reported by the department since fall 2008, when there were nearly 26,700 permits for foreign workers held here, just before the world financial markets’ collapse hit Cay- man’s economy. “With gross domestic product growth in 2017 at a respectable 2.4 percent … and an economy that has seen falling rates of Caymanian unemployment, 6.2 percent at the last survey, and low inflation, this is NEW BT AFFORDABLE HOUSING BREAKS GROUND Government officials broke ground in the second phase of an afford- able housing scheme in Bodden Town Wednesday. Sixteen new houses on Lake Destiny Drive will be built over the next three months, paid for by proceeds of the sale of homes from the first phase of the project. For more on this story, see page 3. Volunteers piecing together Cayman’s past MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com The journeys collide on a table littered with shards of plates and pottery in a room at the Cayman Islands National Museum. There are so many stories, it’s hard to keep track. There’s the museum director whose background as an underwater archaeologist brought her to the Cayman Islands nearly four decades ago and who jumped at the chance to excavate material from an old step well uncovered during the construc- tion of Bayshore Mall. A museum volunteer whose own dream of underwater archaeology fizzled, but who feels she has been given a new opportunity to pursue her passion for history. A high school student anxious to uncover some of the remnants of her own culture. And the mysteries held in the bits and pieces of crockery – some dating back to the 1700s – once packed into a well that pro- vided water for some of George Town’s resi- dents, but which had fallen out of use. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » Volunteers Michelle Coles, left, and Amy Peccarino Palmer spend Mondays piecing together material gathered in 2003 from the step well below Bayshore Mall. – PHOTO: MARK MUCKENFUSS PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » CAYMAN COMPASS THURSDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2018 SPECIAL FEATURE 1 SPECIAL FEATURE Happy Valentine’s Day High of 86 Low of 75 Seas: Moderate to rough with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. Small craft should exercise caution over open water. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 THE FIGHT FOR ‘EVERYDAY RIGHTS’2 LOCAL NEWS THURSDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS • Matinees Daily (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00, Mon-Fri Before 6pm • Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 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 - 640-FILM (640-3456) MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE (PG13) 12:30 VIP I 1:20 I 3:50 I 6:40 VIP 7:00 I 10:05 12 STRONG (R) 12:30 I 3:45 I 6:55 I 9:55 THE COMMUTER (PG13) 12:50 I 3:50 I 9:50 THE POST (PG13) 1:00 I 7:05 I 9:45 DEN OF THIEVES (R) 12:45 I 3:35 VIP I 9:45 VIP JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (PG13) 4:05 I 6:40 Alex Panton Foundation formed to fight youth mental illness JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com When Alex Panton took his own life at age 16, the impact rippled through the community. Seven years later, his par- ents Wayne and Jane Panton are still struggling to pro- cess what happened to their “vivacious” son. Out of their grief, a new support organization has emerged to help give parents and peers a better under- standing of the impact anx- iety and depression has on young people. “The whole community was devastated with the loss of Alex in such a shocking way,” said Mrs. Panton, who set up the foundation in memory of her son. “I knew he was suf- fering from depression but I didn’t know the extent or the depth of it.” She hopes the Alex Panton Foundation, which launches Thursday night with a screening of the movie “Hidden,” will help raise awareness of youth mental health issues and provide re- sources for other families. “After Alex died, I came to the realization that I re- ally didn’t understand what was going on with my son,” she said. “I feel like if we had be- come aware of the severity of Alex’s anxiety earlier …” she tails off, reluctant to specu- late on what might have been. “I could have helped ear- lier if I’d known more.” The foundation seeks to be a central hub where par- ents can go for information and support, or find links to seek professional help. “We want to find some way of educating parents and peers about looking out for the signs, about what to say, what not to say,” Mrs. Panton said. “I know I didn’t know where to turn and other par- ents come to me and tell me they don’t know where to turn. “That is the whole reason for the foundation – to pro- vide the resources for other parents.” The first of two launch events takes place Thursday night at Camana Bay with a free screening of “Hidden,” which was produced by some of Alex’s closest friends and directed by local filmmaker Pascal Pernix. Kaylyn Bodden, who wrote the movie, said it aimed to highlight the many faces of mental illness. “Mental illness is here, it’s real, and it needs to be dis- cussed. I think it’s so impor- tant to listen to our youth, allow them to be heard and to take their symptoms seri- ously,” she said. Following the film’s pre- miere, a youth mental health symposium will take place on Alex’s birthday, Feb. 10, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort. Mrs. Panton said the event would feature several speakers from various per- spectives on mental illness in Cayman’s youth and young adults, including people living with mental illness, parents, counselors and mental health service providers. She said the long-term in- tent of the foundation was to offer support, provide ad- vocacy and raise awareness of mental health issues af- fecting young people. “What we hope is to over- come the stigma surrounding this illness so people are free to talk about their internal struggles. I think it becomes easier if you talk about it,” she said. Setting up the founda- tion has been an emotional but cathartic experience for Mrs. Panton. “This has been a long time in the making. It was conceived right after Alex died,” she said. “It is actually helping me that I know we are going to be helping others. Even if it is just one or two that we can save.” More information is available at www.alexpantonfoundation.ky or at the Alex Panton Foundation Facebook page. Jane Panton, pictured here with her son Alex, set up the foundation in his memory to raise awareness of youth mental health issues. CORRECTION A story titled “Asses- sors: Progress at two schools deemed ‘satis- factory’” which ran on Tuesday, Feb. 6, mistak- enly transposed survey numbers regarding teacher satisfaction with the leadership at Sa- vannah Primary School. The story should have re- ported that 66 percent of teachers agreed that the school was well led, while one-third said it was not. 34 years for woman’s murder in East End CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Randy Lebert Martin was sentenced Wednesday to serve 34 years in prison before he can apply for release, fol- lowing his 2010 conviction for the murder of Sabrina Schirn. Ms. Schirn’s body was found on March 17, 2009, six days after she had driven to an East End location then being used as a farm where Northward Prison inmates worked. Ms. Schirn was 21. Mr. Martin was charged with her murder, but pleaded not guilty and chose to be tried by judge alone. Justice Charles Quin conducted the trial and found the defendant guilty on Jan. 26, 2010. The only penalty for murder in Cayman at the time was life imprisonment. Since the Conditional Release Law came into force on Feb. 15, 2016, anyone given a life sen- tence must have a hearing and be given a specific sentence. The law states that for murder, the sentence shall be 30 years unless there are aggravating or extenuating circumstances to raise or lower that term. Justice Quin found several aggravating circumstances and none that could be con- sidered extenuating. In his summary of facts, he said that Ms. Schirn had been lured to the prison farm on March 11, 2009, while Mr. Martin, then 35, was a prisoner working there. He had access to a machete. She suffered chop and in- cise wounds to her head, face and back. There were at least four defensive wounds to her hands and arms. She died from loss of blood, but the pathologist said the wounds to her head would have caused uncon- sciousness. She may have died within minutes, but cer- tainly in less than an hour. Justice Quin said Ms. Schirn was brutally mur- dered; the mental ordeal and physical suffering were clearly terrifying, he said. This was an aggravating feature, as was the fact that Mr. Martin had concealed her body. The judge said this crime involved planning and pre- meditation. Committing the murder, concealing Ms. Schirn’s body, hiding her car, and then getting back to the farm undetected all took time, the judge indicated. The final consideration was Mr. Martin’s previous convictions, which included wounding, robbery and ag- gravated burglary. All these factors led Jus- tice Quin to raise the sentence from 30 years to 34 years, starting Jan. 26, 2010, the date Mr. Martin was found guilty. There was no credit for any time in custody because he had been serving a sentence when the murder occurred. He must serve the 34 years before he can apply for release on license. Release is not automatic. Metal baseball bat used as assault weapon CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com One blow with a base- ball bat left a man in need of a titanium plate in his head and, six months later, a cane for stability to assist him in walking. The victim gave evidence in the trial of William Cardenas Powery, 24, who had pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The victim, 34, was the brother of Mr. Powery’s girlfriend. They lived in the same yard. Asked about how he was recuperating, the man replied, “Well, at first the doctor told me I wasn’t going to be able to walk again. I proved that wrong. I can move around, but not as fast as I used to.” He said sometimes he could not think straight and could barely move his right hand. He described the ef- fect on his whole right side, from his shoulder to his ankle. He said he was still going to therapy, including speech therapy. On the afternoon he was injured, he said, he had been doing mechanic work on a ve- hicle in his yard. He became aware of a chore he thought Mr. Powery should be doing. He went to the window of the room where Mr. Powery was sleeping and woke him up. Mr. Powery came to the window and words were exchanged. Questioned by defense at- torney Crister Brady, the man told the court that Mr. Powery said something to him that he could not remember, but it “triggered” a reaction. He ad- mitted hitting Mr. Powery in the face with his hand. Mr. Brady asked what he thought would happen. “I thought he would come out and fight me like a man, with two fists,” the victim re- plied. He said he regretted punching Mr. Powery: “If I had a different approach, this wouldn’t have happened.” What did happen was narrated by a witness, who said Mr. Powery came out of the window with a metal baseball bat and hit the other man in the head. Mr. Brady pointed out that there was no premeditation on the part of Mr. Powery and he had no previous convictions. The victim’s mother had written a letter seeking leni- ency for Mr. Powery, who, Mr. Brady said, was remorseful and wanted to do what he could do help the injured man. There was no indication that the complainant held a grudge against the defendant, Mr. Brady added, suggesting that this case fell outside the sentencing guidelines. Justice Charles Quin agreed. He accepted the harm was caused by a single blow in a spontaneous response to insults. Justice Quin took the sentence out of the normal nine-to-16 year range by imposing three years’ imprisonment.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2018 Need a Skype Room Think outside the Box 345-946-5046 Info@workplace.ky New BT affordable housing breaks ground Haines to raise funds in support of local food bank MAN CHARGED IN CHILD INDECENT ASSAULT CASE Cayman athlete and mar- athon runner Derek Haines, 69, will once again climb the Acatenango volcano in Gua- temala to raise funds in sup- port of the Good Samaritan Food Bank in Grand Cayman. Alongside Lynn Roffey, Mr. Haines will attempt a one-day ascent of the 13,045-foot-tall volcano in Guatemala’s highland region on Sunday to raise aware- ness and funds for the core hunger relief organization operating on island. The two climbers orig- inally had planned on climbing neighboring Volcan de Fuego but it recently began to erupt, making the trek impossible and po- tentially fatal. Mr. Haines witnessed Fuego’s volatile nature when it erupted in July during an- other charity climbing trip. From atop Acatenango, he described seeing “intermit- tent plumes of grey smoke belching from Volcano Fuego, close across the valley and some 700 feet below.” Mr. Haines and Ms. Roffey, who will be joined by a few Guatemalan Rotary friends, will traverse steep and diffi- cult terrain throughout their climb, which is expected to take more than 10 hours, if conditions remain favorable. This is the second time Mr. Haines has tackled Acat- enango. He climbed the vol- cano in July last year, as he was taking part in the “Vol- canoes and Marathons Chal- lenge” to raise funds for the Central Caribbean Marine In- stitute education initiative, Reefs-Go-Live. As part of that challenge, he also climbed the Pacaya volcano. Rotary Past President Alan Roffey, Chris Johnson and Trevor Neckles will also make the journey with Mr. Haines in support of the Rotary Literacy Project in Guatemala. “I’m happy to support the Food Bank as it central- izes and coordinates food for charities that I have previ- ously run for and supported,” Mr. Haines said in a press release. “I think it is great that efforts are being coor- dinated as it helps to focus effort and donations. By do- nating to the Food Bank, you are essentially helping all the existing food support pro- grams, including Meals on Wheels and Feed Our Future, to name a few.” Mr. Haines also noted, “As always, all expenses are paid for by myself and there are no management fees. Every donation goes entirely to the charity.” Through this climb, cou- pled with two marathons to be run later this year, Mr. Haines hopes to raise $35,000 for the necessary equip- ment that the food bank needs to operate. According to the press release, the Good Samar- itan Food Bank supports the community through a three- tiered approach: Emergency food relief to those who do not have access to food pan- tries or food counters; meal programs for youth; and empowerment programs and education for families and individuals. An account will be set up by Rotary to collect donations. To find out more about donating to the Good Samaritan Food Bank, contact naomi@caymanfoodbank.com. CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man appeared in court Wednesday charged with two counts of indecent assault on girls at Smith Cove on Sunday. The defendant will have a bail application made on his behalf on Thursday. The 51-year-old man, a resident of George Town, ap- peared in Summary Court where defense attorney Amelia Fosuhene said she needed overnight to make in- quiries and then apply for bail the next day. Crown counsel Darlene Oko agreed to an adjourn- ment, noting that investiga- tions were ongoing. She did not advise the court of any details at this stage. Both alleged victims were juveniles, but their ages were not stated in the charges. The defendant was re- manded in custody until Thursday. SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com The fastest growing dis- trict in Cayman is about to get a housing boost from government. Premier Alden McLaughlin presided over a ground- breaking ceremony in Bodden Town on Wednesday for Phase Two of the National Housing Development Trust’s Afford- able Housing Initiative. The government will build 16 new houses on Lake Des- tiny Drive over the next three months, and all of them will be paid for from proceeds of the sale of 20 homes from Phase One of the project. Nine of the new homes will have three bedrooms and seven will have two bed- rooms. The larger homes will cost $125,000 each, and the two-bedroom homes will be priced at $110,000 each. “We are here on Lake Des- tiny Drive, which I think is most appropriate,” Pre- mier McLaughlin said. “By building these homes, we are indeed improving the destinies of many here in these islands.” Prospective buyers for the new homes must be Cayma- nian and first-time home- owners, and they cannot earn more than $36,000 per year for a single occupant and $50,400 for joint applicants. Buyers who meet those criteria will be financially assessed by the National Housing Development Trust and referred to local banks for financing. Dwayne Seymour, minister of housing and the elected representative from Bodden Town East, was thrilled to bring housing to his district. “I can tell you that when I joined the government, I asked the premier to let me have housing,” he said. “I understand the impor- tance of owning a piece of the Cayman rock. Bodden Town is a part of the island where there’s currently a high demand for affordable housing, so it’s extremely pleasing that we have been chosen as the first site for Phase Two of the Affordable Housing Initiative.” The new homes, built close to the first phase of the project, will form a new neighborhood, and Mr. Seymour said they will be greeted warmly by the Bodden Town community. “A home is something you feel proud of. It’s a fulfill- ment,” he said. “It’s a dream come true for many. It’s a true investment. You gain equity and you get peace of mind for your family.” “A home is something you feel proud of. It’s a fulfillment. It’s a dream come true for many.” DWAYNE SEYMOUR From left, Vincent Frederick and Christine Burke-Richardson of the National Housing Development Trust, Premier Alden McLaughlin, George Anthony Powell of the NHDT, Housing Minister Dwayne Seymour and Councilor for Housing Capt. Eugene Ebanks prepare for the ceremonial groundbreaking. - PHOTO: SPENCER FORDIN Derek Haines, daughter Lizzy Haines and friend Gaby Amado stop for a photograph in a lava field in Guatemala during a fundraising climb in Guatemala last year. Mr. Haines will attempt to climb another volcano on Sunday. – PHOTO: COURTESY OF DEREK HAINESThe 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. THURSDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS When thinking of the rights and freedoms guaran- teed under our Constitution, the mind naturally gravi- tates to the existential – the right to life, personal liberty, religion, property, and the like. These rights form an immutable foundation of our society; well established and highly regarded, they rarely are blatantly violated in a lawful jurisdiction such as Cayman. But the full expression and free enjoyment of those “big” rights often hinge on less lofty matters. There- fore, we are pleased to hear the Human Rights Com- mission intends to focus its efforts on the issue of lawful administrative action. Too often, Cayman’s public boards, officials and government bodies fail to make fair and equitable decisions in a timely manner. In an interview, recently reappointed Chairman James Austin-Smith told the Compass he intends his commission to focus on how these “everyday rights” are upheld – or curtailed – in the regular workings of government. Examples abound of government’s failure to ensure the public’s “right to swift and fair decision making from public officials” – too many to list in a single editorial. Sometimes, this failure impacts hundreds, if not thousands, of people – as in the case of the Cayma- nian Status and Permanent Residency Board’s years- long delays in processing permanent residency appli- cations. But the failure is no less serious if suffered by one or only a few individuals, as was the case when the Liquor Licensing Board altered official meeting minutes in an attempt to “undo” a decision to allow Peanuts gas station to sell liquor on Sundays. The Peanuts renewal application has been dragging on for months and, in fact, is not yet resolved. To this, add the law-enforcement practice of releasing “persons of interest” on police bail for months – if not years – without charge or adjudica- tion. In the U.K., such long-term use of police bail has been curtailed because of its negative impact on the person’s civil rights. The complexity of our laws requires legal counsel for what should be routine administrative issues. From immigration to labor to the environment, laws are intertwined, convoluted and written in such arcane phraseology they might as well be a foreign language. But the Compass editorial board is particularly concerned by systemwide delays in the workings of our court system, where it is not at all unusual for cases to drag on for years – sometimes as long as a decade. Take, for example, the case of Champion House – whose owners first appeared in court in 2008 on a charge of failing to contribute to a pensions plan for employees. They pleaded guilty in 2010 but still have not been sentenced for the violation. As the Compass reported this week, sentencing in that case has again been postponed – this time until March 5. Or the case of Shawn Abshire Bodden, a sergeant with the Marine Unit of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service whose charges on a driving offense were dismissed last November – after 22 court appearances over three years. Not only do these interminable delays clog up court dockets, they cost a fortune. Few private individ- uals have the means to litigate a case for a decade – leaving many on our islands “priced out” of access to justice. That is inherently unfair. Then there are the costs to government associated with drawn-out cases and chronic rescheduling of even perfunctory court matters. Someone – preferably Chief Justice Anthony Smellie – must take responsibility for streamlining court processes to ensure the swift execu- tion of justice and safeguarding our “everyday rights.” The fight for ‘everyday rights’ 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” This past week, the “dean of the Venezuelan resis- tance,” Enrique Aristeguieta Gramcko, was arrested for publishing a video accusing the Maduro government of leading a “narco-tyranny.” There is a normal human tendency to try to shut down opposition when the facts are not on your side. The commu- nists, fascists, and other as- sorted statists invariably go after those who do not sup- port the party line. The Washington Post and The New York Times have historically argued for gov- ernment disclosure and have over the years printed clas- sified material; yet, hypocrit- ically this week they were arguing against the release of the Nunes memo, which upended the Democratic party line of Trump-Rus- sian collusion. In reference to the memo, The Post falsely said “Trump has handed the Russians classified material.” Universities, such as Cal Berkeley and Columbia that used to be great defenders of free speech, now do every- thing they can to shut down the voices of liberty (if only they had the police powers of the Venezuelan government). Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves (even more than Saudi Arabia), yet it has been getting rel- atively poorer for decades. Norway also has large oil reserves but much smaller than Venezuela, even on a per-capita basis. In 1950, Venezuelans had a higher per capita income than the Norwegians, and it was not until the 1960s that Norwe- gians finally caught up with the Venezuelans. Today, the average Nor- wegian has approximately seven times the per capital income of the average Vene- zuelan. Both countries have swings in per capita income as a result of changes in the global price of oil. At the moment, per capita income in Norway is increasing again but falling in Vene- zuela because of misman- agement, despite the recent higher oil prices. The average Venezuelan should be as rich as the av- erage Norwegian. What went wrong? The Venezue- lans became corrupt social- ists, while the Norwegians maintained free markets and the institutions of a civil society, such as indepen- dent and honest courts. The fact that socialists cannot point to long-term successes is why they need to shut down the voices of the op- position, whether they are found in Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela or American col- lege campuses. The Norwegians in- creased economic freedom while the Venezuelans de- stroyed theirs. In the Eco- nomic Freedom of the World Index, Norway ranked 33 in 1975, but had climbed to 25 in 2015. Venezuela ranked 15 back in 1975, but had fallen to the bottom at 159 in 2015. While Norway has inflation in the 2 percent range, Ven- ezuela has printed money, leading to hyperinflation and a currency with almost no purchasing power. Norway is ranked as one of the least corrupt countries in the world, with a system that upholds the rule of law and protects private property. Venezuela has some of the most corrupt public institu- tions in the world which have destroyed many civil and po- litical rights – and driven much economic activity into the black economy. Norway has tax and spending levels well above the growth-maximizing rates. However, the Norwegians have been prudent enough to create an enormous sover- eign wealth fund (from some of their oil revenue) to protect themselves from the day that the oil revenues fade. Venezuelan economist, Hugo Faria, has written a number of papers where he describes the reasons behind the rise and fall of Venezuela. Mr. Faria argues that Ven- ezuela had a high degree of economic freedom between 1920 and 1957 that enabled a high rate of growth. This eco- nomic freedom also encour- aged increasing democratiza- tion of Venezuela, leading to more political freedoms and civil society. But, as Mr. Faria explains, “The inception of democracy brought more redistribu- tionist policies and greater influence by rent-seeking pressure groups (special in- terests), whose actions under- mined economic freedom so much that economic growth was on average negative from 1960 to 2006.” Mr. Faria goes on to argue that Venezuela “suffers from a patrimonial government that bribes people, lack of entre- preneurial and political lead- ership, and the inertial forces of socialism and mercan- tilism – all of which mutually reinforce each other as they develop.” Mr. Faria paints a bleak future for Venezuela, which seems to be playing out under the Maduro gov- ernment that may only be corrected by revolution or outside intervention. The tragedy is that the people of Venezuela should be enjoying a very high per capita income, as are the Norwegians, if they had made better political choices. Sixty years ago, the rise of democ- racy in Venezuela was seen as only a good, but as the last 3,000 years has shown, un- restrained and uneducated democracy leads to disaster as too many voters view de- mocracy as a means to vote themselves benefits on the backs of others. The American Founding Fathers were well aware of the problem, which is why they established the U.S. as a federal republic rather than an unbridled democracy. As Venezuela has shown, wealth in natural resources cannot make a society with flawed institutions and systems prosperous and free. Richard W. Rahn is chairman of Improbable Success Productions and on the board of the American Council for Capital Formation © 2018 The Washington Times, LLC. A tale of two countries and their economic freedom RICHARD W. RAHN RICHARD W. RAHN5 HEALTH NEWS 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2018 High demand for vaccines in busy flu season New doctor joins Cayman Clinic There is a new face at Cayman Clinic, with Dr. Heidi Fahy from the U.K. joining the busy practice on Crewe Road. Cayman Clinic’s medical director, Dr. Virginia Hobday, said Dr. Fahy is the “fifth lady doctor to join the practice.” Dr. Fahy moved to Cayman last month, when she began working at the clinic. As well as Dr. Fahy, the practice’s staff include Dr. Hobday, Dr. Denise Osterloh, Dr. Fiona Robertson, visiting sports medicine specialist Dr. Melissa Mascaro, and ultra- sonographer Nina Baxa. “Heidi will allow us to expand our hours of avail- ability and enhance our ser- vice,” Dr. Hobday said. “She is an exceptionally well-quali- fied GP and we feel very for- tunate that our clinic and patients will benefit from her wide clinical and aca- demic experience.” Dr. Fahy qualified in med- icine at Middlesex Hos- pital/UCL Medical School in London in 1986, and moved into family medicine in 1987. Her career spans 28 years as a family practitioner with experience in all aspects of community-based medicine. She describes herself as an “advocate of holistic prac- tice, offering continuing, and comprehensive whole-person centered healthcare to indi- viduals and their families.” She completed her di- ploma in family planning, obstetrics and gynaecology in 1988 and completed her general practitioner training in 1990. She acquired mem- bership of the Royal College of General Practice with dis- tinction in 1992. She completed her teacher training in 2001, and ob- tained a post-graduate cer- tificate in education and leadership from Kent Uni- versity in 2015. She said her areas of par- ticular interest are wom- en’s health, family planning and minor surgery. She is also experienced in fitting IUD and sub-dermal contra- ceptive devices. Dr. Fahy, a mother of three grown sons, had been working in Surrey, U.K., until relocating to Cayman, joining her husband who has been working here since mid 2014. She said that for the latter half of her career, she has been heavily involved in teaching and training new GPs and medical students in the south of England, in collaboration with the Uni- versity of Brighton and St. George’s Hospital Medical School. She has also held the posts of GP tutor and GP spe- cialty training supervisor at Kent, Surrey and Sussex Deanery since 2006. As part of her educa- tional role, Dr. Fahy has been a medical appraiser for re- certification and revalidation of GPs in the Surrey area of the U.K. since 2006. She has set up educational websites and runs training sessions for doctors, endeavoring to encourage learning from each other through sharing their experiences, as well as case-based discussions. In recent years, her par- ticular interest in acute medicine has taken her to working in emergency rooms and offering her services for walk-in patients. She said medicine and helping people has been a passion since childhood, with both her parents working in the profession. Her father headed the establishment of primary healthcare cen- ters in rural Iran, and her mother was chief nurse in the local hospital. “My spare time and hol- iday periods during my childhood was spent shad- owing my parents, observing and learning,” she said, “so choosing a career in the healthcare system was a seamless journey. “During senior school, hol- iday periods were spent back in the local hospital, initially as a domestic cleaner, then nursing assistant, followed by intern jobs once qualified, in the same hospital working alongside my mother.” She said that having left the world of hospital medi- cine once she qualified as a GP, working in the commu- nity and looking after gen- erations of families through the years, watching the chil- dren grow up and have their own children has been very satisfying. She has also worked with charities outside of work, raising money for the local hospice through organizing fundraising events, as well as running in half-marathons. “Moving to Cayman has been a big step but is a very exciting challenge,” she said. “Medicine and health have no borders, and I hope to be able to continue my work here and get to know people and offer my services.” TAD STONER tstoner@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman’s flu longer-than- usual season rages on, but a larger-than-usual stock of vaccines and medication or- dered by public health offi- cials last year means doses are still available. Chief source of inocula- tions, the Health Services Au- thority, said it has ordered nearly 17 percent more doses this year than previously, an- ticipating a more aggressive season, but that supplies re- mained secure for now. “Demand has been higher this year than in previous ones,” said Director of Primary Health Care Dr. Samuel Wil- liams-Rodriguez. “This year is a busier flu season than pre- vious years and we are still seeing considerable cases of flu-like illnesses.” In normal years, he said, Health Services Authority clinics administer between 2,500 doses and 2,800 doses, but already this year, staff have dispensed between 2,800 doses and 2,900 doses. “We usually order 3,000 vaccines,” Dr. Williams-Rodri- guez said, but “this year we or- dered 3,500 vaccines.” The HSA orders both the flu vaccine and the antiviral Tamiflu treatment from Wash- ington, D.C.’s Pan American Health Organization, part of the U.N.’s World Health Orga- nization, “to improve health and living standards of the people of the Americas.” PAHO defines flu as “an acute respiratory infection caused by … viruses which cir- culate in all parts of the world,” and which “spreads easily from person to person,” according to the organization’s website. The virus has four types; the first two, A and B, cause seasonal epidemics, while C causes only “mild infections and does not present public health importance,” and D is limited to cattle. Illnesses can range from mild to severe, while hospital- ization and death occur mainly among high-risk groups, which include pregnant women, chil- dren under 5, the elderly and individuals with chronic med- ical conditions. PAHO estimates that an- nual epidemics cause be- “This year is a busier flu season than previous years and we are still seeing considerable cases of flu-like illnesses.” DR. SAMUEL WILLIAMS-RODRIGUEZ, director of primary healthcare, Health Services Authority tween 3 million and 5 mil- lion cases of severe illness, and between 290,000 and 650,000 deaths. The organization recom- mends annual vaccinations as the best way to prevent the disease, and while Dr. Williams-Rodriguez calls this season “more active,” he said, “We have the flu vac- cine and antiviral [Tamiflu] treatment available. “The initial supply of the flu vaccine came in Oc- tober 2017,” he said, and “we currently have sufficient supplies and the vaccine is available at the district health centers, including the General Practice clinic at [Cayman Islands] Hospital, Faith Hospital and Little Cayman clinic.” Delivery of the medicine for PAHO, he said, had ini- tially been “slightly delayed,” so “we ordered 500 doses from a different provider in order to have the vaccines available to the public at the beginning of the flu season.” Among alternative vac- cine suppliers to PAHO is the privately owned, Pittsburgh- based Mylan pharmaceutical company, where Cayman’s CTMH Doctors Hospital buys its flu medicines. The hospital’s Concierge Officer and Registered Nurse Jennifer Williams said the longer season and greater demand for vacci- nations meant the hospital had “ordered more vaccines than we have in the past,” saying it was “an important component of protection not only for the individual, but for the community as well.” “The vaccines are pre- ordered in June/July each year. During this time, there are only so many made globally and they are deliv- ered in September/October.” The hospital, she said, “still has vaccines avail- able,” but declined to say how many inoculations had been administered or how many remained. Health City PR and Com- munication Specialist for Marketing Christina Trum- bach said Health City “is not a part of the flu-shot program that is run through the HSA Public Health De- partment, so this would not affect us. “Nor are we aware of a flu-shot shortage,” she said. “The only flu shots we ad- minister are for Health City staff and for any pa- tients who come in to spe- cifically request a flu shot or who are considered to be at high risk.” She did not indicate how many inoculations Health City had provided or the ex- tent of any vaccine inventory. Flu season, said Dr. Wil- liams-Rodriguez, tradition- ally runs from October to March, peaking between Dec. 15 and Jan. 15. He said the longer-than-normal season this year, meant “we are still at the peak of the flu season.” More medicine would be ordered if needed, but for now “vaccines are still available and vaccina- tion is ongoing.” Ms. Williams echoed Dr. Williams-Rodriguez, saying Doctors Hospital would carefully track “when there is an increase in the de- mand,” although she was unsure whether a second batch of Mylan vaccine would be available. In the meantime, how- ever, she said, “we do still have some vaccines left. Please encourage colleagues, friends and community to get vaccinated.” Dr. Heidi FahyThe islands’ most-trusted news source 6 THURSDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS interagency communications during emergency responses. The report recommended that the fire service transition to U.K. National Operating Standard for its “domestic” [non-airport related] fire op- erations. The U.K. standard, which sets guidelines for of- ficer training, is already in use at Cayman’s airports. Ministry Chief Officer Dax Basdeo said the PwC report provides a blueprint for the way forward in the fire ser- vice, stressing the need for better focus on human re- sources and training. “The lack of a [succession planning] strategy is one of the factors inhibiting the current vacancies from being filled,” the PwC report states. “This will clearly be compounded as the aging workforce issue also comes to fruition.” Mr. Basdeo said the gov- ernment’s 2018-2019 budget plan should provide the fire service the resources it needs to improve fire stations and equipment, although it does not envision the construction of any new fire stations. The PwC report sug- gests that some more minor maintenance at the sta- tions might assist with both operations and firefighter working conditions. “At the main fire sta- tion in George Town, fixes such as fresh paint, provi- sion of better facilities in the kitchen, new furniture in the lunch room … would impact the morale of the fire service employees and start restoring faith in management engage- ment,” the report states. Internally, firefighters listed pay scales, favoritism in promotion and a large number of “acting” roles in the depart- ment as their most prominent concerns going forward. Outside the department, concerns were more focused on aging or substandard fire- fighting equipment and a lack of “soft skills” training “including grammar and communications at manage- rial level.” The well was discovered in 2003, when bulldozers were clearing the land for what is now the Bayshore Mall. A dark patch of ground provided some tell-tale signs. “We found bits of blown- glass bottles,” said museum director Peggy Leshikar- Denton, who was on site at the time. “That’s when we got their ear to get them to stop.” Ms. Leshikar-Denton was the museum archaeologist at the time. She had come to the Cayman Islands in 1980 to help survey the shipwrecks dotting the coastal reefs. In 1986, she moved here per- manently. One of her contri- butions was to identify the Norwegian ship, the August, as the likely ship known as the Red Tile Wreck that lies off East End. At the Bayshore Mall site, she and other mu- seum workers and volun- teers were given time by de- velopers to excavate the site. Workers found broken plates, cups, whole bottles and other material. They identi- fied three levels of artifacts which were put into boxes for later sorting. There was more stuff than the museum could handle. “We were overwhelmed,” Ms. Leshikar-Denton said, so the boxes, along with photo- graphs and documents were placed, for time being, in the museum basement. “And then we had Hurricane Ivan.” The basement flooded. Records were damaged. The project was put on hold. Other than a couple of days when volunteer school children were invited to come and help wash the flood de- bris from the ceramic and glass bits, not much hap- pened with cataloging the material from the well until last fall. That is when volun- teers Michelle Coles and Amy Peccarino Palmer opened the long-dormant collec- tion and dove in. For weeks, they painstak- ingly labeled every shard as a Level 1, 2 or 3 piece. After that they set out to see how many of the pieces they could put together. Each Monday, they sit at tables scattered with chips of blue-edged plates, handles missing their cups and floral-stamped ce- ramic fragments of indeter- minate origin. It’s like a giant jigsaw puzzle with a lot of missing pieces and no picture on the box for reference, said Ms. Coles, 41, who studied ar- chaeology at Trent University in Ontario, Canada, before coming to Cayman in 2005. She had visions of doing un- derwater work, just as Ms. Leshikar-Denton had done. And while she did “lots and lots of diving,” it did not in- volve uncovering artifacts. A little over a year ago, she said, “I got the nerve to contact Dr. Peggy.” She was hoping for a job at the museum, but no posi- tions were open. They talked about the collection from the step well, however, and while it took until October to get a schedule lined up, Ms. Coles said she is glad to once again be doing work in her chosen field. “I feel I’m finally back on the road I should be on,” she said. About the same time, she started sifting through the material, Ms. Pecca- rino Palmer, 17, a student at Cayman Prep, showed up as a volunteer. “I want to study history,” she said. “I thought [museum work] would help me learn more about Cayman history.” Together, they have uncov- ered some stories of the past, most of which are only hinted at. Ms. Peccarino Palmer is focused on reconstructing as much of a tea set as she can, convinced that the remnants she has so far been able to match up once belonged to a single family. Ms. Coles is fascinated by personal mark- ings on two plates for which she has found parts of the center portions. “These two pieces,” she said, showing their reversed sides, “someone carved their initials on the bottom. These might be the person- ally carved initials of some- one’s great, great, grandfather or grandmother. It would be great for me to figure out who it was. Maybe [the descen- dents] know the story of why they carved their initials.” It’s these kinds of con- nections that fascinate her, she said. She picked up a plate that is about one-quarter recon- structed. It is decorated with the white and blue Asian-in- spired motif known as Willow pattern. She recounted the legend connected with the plate, a story of star-crossed, ill-fated Chinese lovers that was created and promoted by one of the English man- ufacturers that began pro- ducing the line in the late 18th century. She and Ms. Leshikar-Denton believe the plate probably dates from the mid- to late 1800s and typi- fies much of what they have. “A lot of this is prob- ably English,” Ms. Leshikar- Denton said, picking through some pieces from the lower level of the well. “But a lot of it is not. This blue-green basin, it’s Spanish and dates to the 1780s.” She shows off a more rustic piece of pottery with some colorful glazing around the edge. This and other pieces, she said, show the variety of util- itarian items that came to the island as people from var- ious regions of the Old World stayed or settled in Cayman. Ms. Peccarino Palmer said it has broadened her per- spective on Cayman history, adding that what she learned in school was limited. “We learned how it was founded,” she said of the Cayman Islands, “but we didn’t learn much after that. I kind of didn’t realize so many different people were living here [over time].” Ms. Coles said she thinks that kind of perspective should be shared by more people. It is one of the things that motivates her to sort, separate and, hopefully, con- nect the disparate pieces of a sliver of Cayman’s past. “I have an affection for the country and the Cayman people,” Ms. Coles said, “and a professional respect for the present culture and all the culture in the past. I just re- ally wanted to do my part to give them a bigger pic- ture of where they came from, something they might be able to connect with on a personal level. “We all deserve a sense of identity to connect with,” she added. “It’s important for the people of Cayman to know who they are.” indeed an economy worth celebrating,” Premier Alden McLaughlin told a packed hall at the Cayman Eco- nomic Outlook event last week. It’s a long way from 2010-2011, when Cayma- nian unemployment stood near 10.5 percent and work permit numbers had fallen to around 19,000. Still, Premier McLaughlin believes the overall unem- ployment rate of 4.2 per- cent at last check – in- cluding Caymanians and non-Caymanians – can be improved upon. “There are Caymanians who feel left behind,” the premier said. “We must not ignore them. Indeed, neither government nor business can afford to ignore them.” In its most recent labor force report, the govern- ment identified just more than 1,400 Caymanian job- less as of fall 2017. Chief Executive Officer of CML Offshore Recruitment Steve McIntosh believes the pre- mier’s push for full Cay- manian unemployment is achievable in the current business climate. “He wants every Cayma- nian who is willing and able to work to find a job,” Mr. McIntosh said during a re- cent interview. “That’s legiti- mate and it’s achievable, but I’m not sure the government always approaches it from the right direction.” Mr. McIntosh said the task of placing 1,400 or so unemployed Caymanians using 8-10 staff members at the National Workforce Development Agency is a daunting one for govern- ment. By comparison, re- cruitment firms such as CML have more staff trying to place fewer workers in specific industries. “They have a way tougher job,” he said of gov- ernment’s task. “The NWDA has to find a job for all can- didates in order to succeed in its mission. Think about the amount of time you’d have to spend with one un- employed person to get them into full-time work. That’s many, many hours. They are just overwhelmed. In my view, they should probably have at least four or five times as many staff.” “But there’s no reason why [full Caymanian em- ployment] can’t happen as long as their salary expec- tation is in line with their skills and qualifications,” Mr. McIntosh said. Record numbers The work permit sta- tistics produced following a Cayman Compass open records request show a number of interesting trends. Aside from growth in the private sector, the number of workers on con- tract with government has increased since 2017. Re- cords show more than 1,100 people now hold fixed-term contracts with government. They are either non-Cayma- nians or Caymanians who are over the retirement age. Overall, Cayman is now home to at least 1,000 work permit holders belonging to each of seven different na- tionalities: Jamaican, Fil- ipino, British, Canadian, American, Indian and Hon- duran. Based on immi- gration records released since 2007, it is the first time that has ever been re- ported by the Immigra- tion Department. Jamaicans still make up the largest group of work permit holders at nearly 42 percent. They are fol- lowed by Filipinos at nearly 14 percent, British [from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland] at 7.6 percent and Canadians at 4.8 percent. Canadians just edged out Americans as the fourth most popu- lous nationality here on work permits in the most recent tally by the Immigra- tion Department. The 25,870 permit holders include individuals working with permission of the chief immigration of- ficer as they await determi- nation on permanent resi- dence applications or work permit appeals. They also include temporary work permit holders [those here on three- or six-month per- mits] and employees per- mitted to work within the special economic zone. Volunteers piecing together Cayman’s past CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 PwC report: Staffing issues plague fire service CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Firefighters extinguish a blaze at the old Hyatt property on West Bay Road in July 2017. The fire service is in need of both organizational and equipment upgrades, according to a consultant’s report released this week. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY Cayman closes in on 26,000 work permits CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “The purpose [of the acting roles] currently seems to enable the avoidance of filling vacant roles on a permanent basis and has resulted in uncertainty in the department.” PWC REPORT ON FIRE SERVICEThe 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 FEBRUARY 8, 2018 MONDAY, FEB. 12 CROSS COUNTRY RACE: Cayman Academy hosts a cross-country race from 7 a.m. to approximately 8 a.m. Students will travel from the school, off Walkers Road, onto Memorial Avenue and then turn left onto South Church Street. They will turn left at the junction of South Church Street and Denham Thompson Way, continue back onto Walkers Road and then to the Truman Bodden Sports Complex. Motorists are advised to exercise caution in these areas. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14 ASH WEDNESDAY: Mass and Distribution of Ashes at St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Walkers Road, 8 a.m., Noon and 6 p.m. Christ the Redeemer, West Bay, 10 a.m. Stella Maris, Cayman Brac, Communion Service and Ashes, 11 a.m. ASH WEDNESDAY: St. Alban’s Church of England will hold the service of Imposition of Ashes and Holy Communion at 9:30 a.m. following MATTINS at 9 a.m. in the church at 461 Shedden Road, George Town (opposite Bodden Place). All are invited. THURSDAY, FEB. 15 QUIZ NIGHT: 7 p.m. at Fidel’s. $10 per person, maximum six persons per team. Benefits Humane Society. To reserve a table contact sarah.dyer.81@gmail.com or 949-5189. FRIDAY, FEB. 16 FISH FRY: Friday evenings in Lent at St. Ignatius School Canteen. Serving from 5-8 p.m. Dine in or carry out. Menu includes fried or baked cod or snapper with all the trimmings. SATURDAY, FEB. 17 COCO FEST: Noon till 4 p.m. at Pedro Castle. All things coconut including traditional Caymanian dishes, desserts and candy made with the nut, its milk or oil; crafts made from the tree, shell and husk; games; coconut- based health and beauty products. Local music. Admission $5 for adults, free for kids under 12. For every $5 entry, the NCVO receives $1 for the Nadine Andreas Foster Home. FREE HEALTH CHECK: The Lions Club of Tropical Gardens presents free health checks with Dr. Mani for vision screening; Dr. Taylor of CTMH Doctors Hospital for general health talks; HbA1c check for known diabetics, provided by the Diabetes Association. Nutritional talk, blood pressure and weight checks will also be offered. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. George’s Anglican Church Hall, upstairs. SUNDAY, FEB. 18 KIWANIBIKE: Annual fundraiser. On Sunday, drop off your bike at Smith Cove between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. and Kiwanis will transport it to the Blow Holes. You may then take our bus up to the Blow Holes in East End where the ride back to Smith Cove begins at 7 a.m. $25 registration includes T-shirt, refreshments and raffle entry. Pre-registration is Saturday, Feb. 17 at The Strand, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. See www.kiwanis.ky for registration forms and more information. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 21 QUIT SMOKING: Smoking Cessation Classes, ‘I Can Quit.’ The Public Health Department reminds smokers who wish to quit the habit that there are still some spaces left for smoking cessation classes that start today. 5:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. every Wednesday for seven weeks in the Public Health waiting room. For more information or to sign up, contact the Public Health Department on 244-2889/244-2621, or email sarah.hetley@hsa.ky or nola.sanderson@hsa.ky. FRIDAY, FEB. 23 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Cayman HospiceCare’s annual two-day Flag Day event. Volunteers are needed for shifts today and tomorrow, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Contact fundraising@ caymanhospicecare.ky for information about volunteering or call 945-7447. SATURDAY, FEB. 24 BRAC SPRING FLING: The Brac District of the National Trust’s annual fundraiser Spring Fling is 6 to 10 p.m., Brac Trust House, White Bay Road. Good food, good music, and a live auction. Tickets are $20 each, Split the Pot tickets are $5 or 3 for $10. Everyone welcome. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28 SCHOLARSHIPS: The Ministry of Education has extended the deadline for Overseas Scholarship applications to Feb. 28. The extension is offered in order to ensure that every interested student has the opportunity to apply for funding. To obtain the link for online applications, visit www.education.gov. ky. For more information, call 244-2482 or email scholarships@gov.ky. GENERAL INTEREST FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Persons receiving permanent financial assistance benefit must be re-assessed if they have not been assessed since July 1, 2015. Get a form from the Needs Assessment Unit via email nauinfo@gov.ky, on the www.nau.gov.ky website or from the district Community Development Officer. The completed form/ supporting documentation must be returned to the NAU by Friday, March 30. Failure to comply will result in payments being placed on hold. For more information, contact the NAU immediately on 946-0024 or 948-8748. EAST END ROADWORK: National Roads Authority advises that road upgrade works are being carried out along Seaview Road in East End, from near the west end of Lovers Wall to near the Blow Holes. NRA crews and Island Paving crews will work from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For further information contact the NRA at 623-7780. SOLAR IMAGING: An exhibition of digital solar imaging in Cayman by Dr. Bill Hrudey. National Gallery, Esterley Tibbetts Highway. SKATE PARK FUNDRAISER: Hope Academy and Black Pearl Skate Park are raising funds for a new school playground, scholarship fund and other school improvements. First Friday of each month. $15 for park entrance, a helmet and choice of skateboard or scooter. $7 for those with own equipment. LOBSTER SEASON: The open season for lobster runs until Feb. 28. Bag limit is three per person per day or six per boat per day, whichever is less. Minimum size is a 6-inch tail length. No taking lobsters from Marine Protected Areas. Only spiny lobster may be taken. No wearing gloves while snorkeling. No taking of lobster (or any marine life other than lionfish) while scuba diving. CONCH AND WHELK SEASON: The open season for conch and whelk runs until April 30. The legal limit for conch is five per person per day or 10 per boat, whichever is less. The limit for whelk catches is two-and-a-half gallons in the shell, or two-and-a-half pounds of processed whelks, per person, per day. BETHESDA COUNSELLING CENTRE: Caters to all who seek help. Open Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 68 Mary St. Appointments available Saturdays and late evenings. Owned and operated by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Call 946-6575. HUMANE SOCIETY BOOK LOFT: North Sound Road. Open Monday 12:30-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 5:30-7:30 p.m. Volunteers needed for front desk a few hours per week. Email humanesocietybookloft@ candw.ky or call 946-8053. Donations of books, games, CDs, stationery, DVDs, cards etc., in good condition always needed. RED CROSS THRIFT SHOP: The Thrift Shop opening hours are Tuesday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Friday hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed evenings. Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. COMMUNITY CHESS: Tuesdays 5-8 p.m., West Indies Wine Company. Join the Cayman Chess Club for a complimentary chess class and open challenges weekly. Anyone can learn to play and enjoy chess, even beginners. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. Coco Fest returns to Pedro St. James on Feb. 17 to celebrate all things coconut. AML Compliance Made Easy Easy to Install - Easy to Use Responsive to Industry Needs Visit our website to learn more and register for a free online demo. info@silocompliance.com www.silocompliance.comThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 THURSDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Brazil confirms 98 yellow fever deaths Brazil’s Health Ministry has confirmed 353 cases of yellow fever, of which 98 have died, as infections pick up steam in the state at the center of the last outbreak. Large swaths of Brazil have long been at risk for yellow fever, but it saw an unusually large outbreak last year. 6 dead, 76 missing after strong earthquake hits Taiwan HUALIEN, Taiwan (AP) – Res- cuers worked Wednesday to free people trapped after a strong earthquake near Tai- wan’s east coast caused sev- eral buildings to cave in and tilt dangerously. At least six people were killed and 76 could not be contacted fol- lowing the quake. Videos and photos showed several midsized buildings in worst-hit Hualien county leaning at sharp angles, their lowest floors crushed into mangled heaps of con- crete, glass, iron and other debris. Firefighters climbed ladders hoisted against win- dows to reach residents in- side apartments. The shallow, magnitude 6.4 quake late Tuesday night caused at least four build- ings to cave in and shift on their foundations. That was likely caused by soil lique- faction, when the ground beneath a building loses its solidity under stress such as that caused by an earthquake. A maintenance worker who was rescued after being trapped in the basement of the Marshal Hotel said the force of the earthquake was unusual even for a region used to temblors. “At first it wasn’t that big … we get this sort of thing all the time and it’s really nothing. But then it got re- ally terrifying,” the worker, Chen Ming-hui, told Taiwan’s official Central News Agency after he was reunited with his son and grandson fol- lowing the quake. “It was really scary.” Two employees of the hotel were killed in the di- saster, CNA said. Taiwan’s National Fire Agency said rescuers freed another em- ployee from the rubble. Other buildings slanted at alarming degrees and res- cuers used ladders, ropes and cranes to move resi- dents to safety. Six people were killed in the quake, while 256 others were injured and 76 unac- counted for, according to the fire agency. CNA reported that seven had been killed. The force of the tremor buckled roads and disrupted electricity and water supplies to thousands of households, the fire agency said. Japan’s Foreign Min- istry said nine Japanese were among the injured. Six mainland Chinese were also injured, the Chinese Com- munist Party-run People’s Daily reported. Rescuers focused on the Yunmen Tsuiti residen- tial building that was tilted at a nearly 45-degree angle, erecting long steel beams to prevent it from collapsing. Concrete blocks were laid on the steel rods to an- chor them. Half a dozen ex- cavator trucks surrounded the site, where rescue efforts were temporarily suspended because the building was “sliding,” according to Tai- wan’s Central Emergency Op- eration Center. More than a hundred rescue workers were around the building, including mil- itary personnel and volun- teers who were distributing food and hot drinks. Away from the disaster area, the atmosphere in the city was calm as rain beat down on largely deserted streets. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen moved to reassure the Taiwanese public that every effort would be made to rescue survivors. In a post on her official Facebook page, Tsai said she arrived in Hualien on Wednesday to re- view rescue efforts. Tsai said she “ordered search and rescue workers not to give up on any opportunity to save people, while keeping their own safety in mind.” “This is when the Tai- wanese people show their calm, resilience and love,” she wrote. “The government will work with everyone to guard their homeland.” Bridges and some high- ways along Taiwan’s east coast were closed pending inspections. Rescuers are seen entering a building that collapsed onto its side from an early morning 6.4 magnitude earthquake in eastern Taiwan, Wednesday. – PHOTO: AP WASHINGTON (AP) – Pres- ident Donald Trump has asked the Pentagon to plan a grand parade of the U.S. armed forces in Wash- ington this year to celebrate military strength, officials said Tuesday. The Washington Post, which was first to report the plan, said Trump wants an elaborate parade this year with soldiers marching and tanks rolling, but no date has been selected. White House Press Secre- tary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed the request Tuesday evening. She said Trump wants the Pentagon to “explore a celebration” that will allow Americans to show appreciation for the military. A Pentagon spokesman, Charlie Summers, said Pen- tagon officials are aware of the request and are “looking at options.” Muscular military pa- rades of the kind that are common in authoritarian countries like China and North Korea are not quint- essentially American. The U.S. traditionally has not em- braced showy displays of raw military power, such as North Korea’s parading of ballistic missiles as a claim of international prestige and influence. U.S. military members commonly participate in pa- rades on the Fourth of July and other holidays to mark appreciation and remem- brance of military veterans, but these typically do not in- clude gaudy displays of mili- tary hardware. In her brief comment on Trump’s order to the Pen- tagon, Sanders did not elab- orate on what sort of event he envisions. Although Defense Secre- tary Jim Mattis has not com- mented publicly on the idea of a Washington military pa- rade, the idea is not an ob- vious fit with his emphasis on focusing strictly, if not ex- clusively, on military activi- ties that either improve the lethality of the armed forces or enhance their preparation for combat, or both. The Post report said a Jan. 18 meeting between Trump, Mattis and top generals at the Pentagon marked a tip- ping point in Trump’s push for a parade. It quoted an unidentified military official as saying, “The marching or- ders were: I want a parade like the one in France.” It was thus interpreted as a presi- dential order, the Post said, adding that the cost of ship- ping tanks and other mil- itary hardware to Wash- ington could run in the millions of dollars. The Post also reported that the Pentagon would prefer to hold such a parade on Vet- eran’s Day in November, in part because it would coin- cide with the 100th anniver- sary of the victorious end of World War I. It would thus be less di- rectly associated with the president and politics, The Post said. Pentagon says Trump ordered Washington military parade9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2018 The family of the Late June Marie Borden Scott regrets to announce her passing on Thursday, 1 February , 2018. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A memorial service will be held 7:00 p.m. Thursday, 8 February 2018 at the original Borden’s Pizza in Morgan’s Harbor, funeral services will be held privately. In lieu of flowers please make donations to Cayman HospiceCare. German parties reach coalition government deal after long talks BERLIN (AP) – Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conserva- tives and Germany’s main center-left party reached a deal Wednesday to form a new coalition government after a final session of talks that dragged on for 24 hours. The two sides still face a major hurdle – getting ap- proval from the center-left Social Democrats’ members – before the new administra- tion can take office. “We have a coalition agreement that means posi- tive things for many, many citizens,” Merkel’s chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, said as he left the talks. “And now we all want a shower, because we have negotiated long and hard over the last few hours.” The deal between Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, its Bavaria-only sister party, the Christian Social Union, and the Social Democrats will not bring an immediate end to the political limbo fol- lowing Germany’s Sept. 24 election. The country has al- ready broken its post-World War II record for the lon- gest time from an elec- tion to the swearing-in of a new government. The accord will be put to a ballot of the Social Dem- ocrats’ more than 460,000 members, a process that will take a few weeks. Many members are skeptical after the party’s disastrous elec- tion result, which followed four years of being a “grand coalition” as a junior partner to Merkel’s conservatives. On the conservative side, Merkel needs only the ap- proval of a party congress of her CDU, a far lower hurdle. The Social Democrats were set to get the foreign, labor and finance ministries – the latter a major prize, held by Merkel’s CDU for the past eight years and an influ- ential position given Germa- ny’s status as the eurozone’s biggest economy. The inte- rior ministry, also previously held by the CDU, would go to the CSU, which has pushed to curb the number of migrants entering Germany. Merkel’s party would keep the defense ministry and get the economy and en- ergy ministry, held by the So- cial Democrats in the out- going government. “I think this is an excel- lent result, in terms of con- tent as well as with regards to the ministries, senior So- cial Democrat lawmaker Hubertus Heil said. “We can be very satisfied.” Alexander Dobrindt, the CSU’s top federal law- maker, said it had been time for negotiators to come out of their “trenches” and “we succeeded.” “It was time to have the prospect of a govern- ment in Germany,” Dobrindt told reporters. “So it’s a good morning.” Merkel has been running a caretaker government since late October. While that poses no prob- lems for day-to-day business, it means that Germany – the European Union’s most pop- ulous member with its big- gest economy – has not been in a position to launch major initiatives or play any sig- nificant role in the debate on the EU’s future, led so far by French President Em- manuel Macron. A rejection of the deal by Social Democrat members would leave a minority gov- ernment under Merkel or a new election as the only vi- able political options. Merkel’s attempt to put together a government with two smaller parties collapsed in November. Social Demo- crat leader Martin Schulz, who had previously ruled out renewing the coalition of Germany’s biggest parties, then reversed course. If the coalition comes to- gether, the biggest opposi- tion party will be the nation- alist Alternative for Germany, which entered parliament in September after a campaign that centered on opposition to Merkel and her 2015 de- cision to allow in large num- bers of migrants. Its co-leader, Alexander Gauland, said the conser- vatives had “emptied them- selves ideologically” for the sake of reaching a coalition deal. German Chancellor Angela Merkel leaves in a car after coalition talks in the headquarters of the Christian Democratic Union in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday. – PHOTO: AP Casino mogul Steve Wynn resigns amid sex misconduct claims LAS VEGAS (AP) – Ca- sino mogul Steve Wynn re- signed Tuesday as chairman and CEO of Wynn Re- sorts amid sexual miscon- duct allegations. The Las Vegas-based com- pany in a statement said Wynn’s resignation was ef- fective immediately. It came less than two weeks after the Wall Street Journal reported that a number of women said Wynn harassed or assaulted them and that one case led to a $7.5 million settlement. “In the last couple of weeks, I have found myself the focus of an avalanche of negative publicity,” Wynn said in a written statement. “As I have reflected upon the environment this has created – one in which a rush to judg- ment takes precedence over everything else, including the facts – I have reached the conclusion I cannot con- tinue to be effective in my current roles.” The billionaire has vehe- mently denied the report’s al- legations, which he attributes to a campaign led by his ex- wife. An attorney for Elaine Wynn has denied that she in- stigated the news report. Wynn now faces investi- gations by gambling regula- tors in Nevada and Massa- chusetts, where the company is building a roughly $2.4 billion casino just outside Boston. The company earlier said a committee of indepen- dent directors would investi- gate the allegations that sur- faced Jan. 26. Shares of Wynn Resorts’ China arm, Wynn Macau Ltd., were suspended from trading on the Hong Kong stock ex- change on Wednesday in Asia. Gambling regulators in Macau, the world’s big- gest casino market, said they were officially notified about the resignation. Macau’s Gaming Inspec- tion and Coordination Bu- reau also said in a statement that its director, Paulo Mar- tins Chan, and the city’s fi- nancial and economic secre- tary, Lionel Leong, met last week with Wynn Macau Ex- ecutive Director Linda Chen to request a detailed expla- nation of the allegations and demand Wynn notify it of any “result, progress or im- portant information” from the investigation within an un- specified time frame. The company, which said previously it would cooperate with the regulator’s requests, operates two casino-resorts in the Chinese enclave that generate about two-thirds of its total revenues. A wave of sexual miscon- duct claims against promi- nent figures in entertainment, media and politics gained momentum last fall in the af- termath of articles detailing movie producer Harvey Wein- stein’s decades of alleged rape and harassment. But Wynn is the first CEO and founder of a major publicly held company to come under scrutiny since the Weinstein allegations surfaced. Wynn is a titan in Sin City and played a major role in the revitalization of the Las Vegas Strip in the 1990s. He built the Bellagio, Treasure Island and Mirage before he sold his Mirage Resorts company in 2000. Two years later, he founded Wynn Resorts, which now operates two luxurious casino-resorts in the city and is in the process of building a lake and hotel development called Paradise Park on the site of a former golf course. Wynn’s two Macau ca- sinos include the older Wynn Macau near the former Por- tuguese colony’s historic old town, and the Wynn Palace, which in 2016 became the latest opulent resort to open in the new district of Cotai, joining lavish devel- opments by rivals including Las Vegas Sands. In announcing Wynn’s resignation, the company’s board of directors made clear it had done so “reluctantly.” “It is with a collective heavy heart, that the board of directors of Wynn Re- sorts today accepted the resignation of our founder, CEO and friend Steve Wynn,” said Boone Wayson, who was named non-executive chairman of the board. Matt Maddox, the company’s pres- ident since 2013, was named CEO effective immediately. Details of Wynn’s separa- tion agreement were not im- mediately disclosed. Wynn resigned as fi- nance chairman of the Re- publican National Committee a day after the allegations were published. Since 2013, Wynn has contributed nearly $2.4 mil- lion to GOP candidates and party organizations around the country, including Ne- vada Gov. Brian Sandoval and 2017 special election win- ners. Some Republicans in Congress, including Nevada’s Dean Heller, have already an- nounced they are donating contributions they received from Wynn to charity. 21 ARRESTED AS UK POLICE RAID PEOPLE SMUGGLING GANG LONDON (AP) – British police made 21 arrests Tuesday during a series of raids against a suspected people smuggling network that is accused of bringing hundreds of migrants across the English Channel. Officials say some 350 officers took part in raids in several parts of England including the northeast, the south coast and London. They targeted roughly 20 addresses after a yearlong investigation supported by authorities in France, Bel- gium and the Netherlands. The National Crime Agency said the people smug- gled into the country were mainly Iraqi Kurds. Offi- cials say the suspects in- clude Kurdish organized crime members. Deputy director Tom Dowdall said the agency believes it has “disrupted a significant network” of human traffickers. “The number of officers deployed today by the Na- tional Crime Agency, the po- lice and partner agencies re- flects the scale and severity of the suspected crimi- nality,” he said. Authorities say the suspects brought migrants into Britain in trucks and charged up to 10,000 pounds (US$14,000) for transport across the Channel. Some 60 officers in- cluding tax inspectors made spot checks of nu- merous hand car washes that were also targeted as possible money laundering sites. They were checked for health and safety viola- tions, immigration offenses, and financial matters. Senior Investigating Of- ficer Mark Spoors said they were arrested on suspicion of immigration offenses and money laundering. Casino mogul Steve Wynn The billionaire has vehemently denied the report’s allegations, which he attributes to a campaign led by his ex-wife.Next >