ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY JULY 26, 2018 HomeOptions Do you think “if” or “when”? BritCay is the only insurance company with a $1 million disaster recovery facility. It means business as usual when power lines and phones are down. Ask for a home insurance quote. Call 949-8699 www.britcay.ky cgigrp 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 COURT GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE CASE JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A same-sex couple contesting Cayman’s marriage laws have passed the first hurdle in their legal challenge. Chantelle Day, a Caymanian lawyer, and her partner Vickie Bodden Bush have been granted leave to apply for a judicial review of the Cayman Islands government’s decision to refuse their application to marry. After a brief hearing Wednesday, Chief Jus- tice Anthony Smellie decided their case was strong enough to proceed to a full judicial review hearing. All such cases must breach that first bar- rier before the court will consider the merits of the respective arguments in detail. After re- viewing preliminary arguments filed by Ben Tonner, QC, on behalf of the couple, Chief Jus- tice Smellie said, “For the purposes of leave to apply for judicial review, your application is well based and I accede to it.” No one from the Office of the Attorney Gen- eral appeared at the hearing. The decision means the Cayman Islands will get a test case trial on the rights of same- sex couples to marry in the territory. GARFIELD WONG VERDICT EXPECTED AUG. 22 CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Senior immigration officer Garfield (Gary) Wong appeared in Summary Court on Wednesday, when Magistrate Grace Don- alds heard closing submissions in his trial for charges arising from a traffic accident on Dec. 27, 2013. The magistrate said she hoped to give her decision in the matter on Wednesday, Aug. 22. Mr. Wong pleaded not guilty to care- less driving, leaving the scene of an accident and driving under the influence of alcohol. A breath test conducted on Mr. Wong pro- duced a reading of .184 after the accident; the legal limit in Cayman is .100. Crown counsel Scott Wainwright sub- mitted that all three charges had been made out and he detailed evidence in support of his position. Defense attorney Dennis Brady re- sponded, referring to what he said were weak- nesses or contradictions in the Crown’s case. One of the issues has been the reliability of the Intoxilyzer device used to measure Mr. Wong’s level of alcohol-in-blood. Another was the procedure used in administering the test and whether legal requirements were met. Minister Rivers meets US senators Grassley, Cornyn Cayman Islands Financial Services Minister Tara Rivers met with ranking Republican Party members of the U.S. Senate, including John Cornyn of Texas and Chuck Grassley of Iowa during a trip to Washington, D.C., last week. According to a Cayman government statement on the visit, Minister Rivers briefed Senator Cornyn on Cayman’s ben- eficial ownership regime for locally regis- tered businesses, comparing those rules to what currently exists in U.S. states such as Delaware. UK uses data protection rules to block Governor Choudhury details BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office has used data protection rules to block access to an open records request seeking information about staff complaints made against Cayman Islands Governor Anwar Choudhury. Following Mr. Choudhury’s temporary removal from office, the Cayman Compass submitted a Freedom of Information re- quest to the U.K. seeking copies or a written summary of staff complaints made against the governor before his withdrawal on or about June 12. The foreign office confirmed it does hold information relevant to the Compass request, but declined to release any details. “The information you have requested is personal data related to third parties, the disclosure of which would contravene one of the data protection principles,” according to a letter received by the U.K. Central FOI Unit Wednesday. The first principle of data protection used by the European Union and the U.K. states that all personal data must be processed “lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner Academy team triumphs at Disney tournament Academy Sports Club’s Under-15 team celebrates winning the Disney International Youth Cup in their division at a soccer tournament in Orlando, Florida. The team, which scored 13 goals in the competition, were joined by the U-11, U-13 and U-17 Cayman teams at the tournament, which ran from July 14 to 22. For more on this story, see page 17. Minister Tara Rivers and U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) last week in Washingon D.C. Minister Rivers with U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » Petition to reinstate Governor Choudhury circulating. See page 3. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL THURSDAY JULY 26, 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) THE EQUALIZER 2 (R) 12:45 VIP I 1:30 I 4:25 I 6:45 VIP I 9:45 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3 (PG) 12:20 3D I 2:40 I 5:00 3D I 7:20 ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (PG13) 3:55 I 9:20 JURASSIC WORLD: THE FALLEN KINGDOM (PG13) 12:50 I 3:40 I 6:50 I 9:40 MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN (PG13) 4:10 I 7:00 I 9:45 INCREDIBLES 2 (PG) 1:00 I 6:35 SKYSCRAPER (PG13) 1:15 3D I 3:40 VIP I 7:20 I 9:40 VIP 10:00 3D Water Authority plants slated for US$138K in repairs Ocean Conversion continuing operations during tendering process KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Ocean Conversion’s con- tract to operate water plants in North Sound and Red Gate expired earlier this month, but the company will con- tinue to run them until at least February while the Water Authority reviews bids for a new operating agree- ment. Ocean Conversion is also undertaking some US$138,000 in plant repairs to membranes that have been deemed a “safety hazard,” ac- cording to Water Authority board meeting minutes. The Water Authority’s board meeting minutes from May explained that Ocean Conversion will continue to operate the seawater conver- sion plants under the same agreement terms to ensure a smooth transition from the current operator to the new plant operator. Bids from eight companies were sched- uled to be reviewed on June 27, and Ocean Conversion planned to be one of those bidders, according to the latest quarterly report from its parent company, Con- solidated Water. Ocean Conversion earned a combined $7.2 million in revenue from these water plants and another in North Side in 2017, states the report from Consolidated Water, which also sells water to res- idents in the West Bay and Seven Mile Beach areas. While Ocean Conver- sion continues to operate the North Sound and Red Gate plants, repairs are also under way to replace some of their high-pressure membrane vessels, the Water Authority’s minutes state. According to the min- utes, the high-pressure mem- branes are at the end of their useful life and are considered a safety hazard. “Some time ago, one of these vessels ruptured sud- denly without prior warning and it is expected that others may follow,” the Water Au- thority minutes state. “The Engineering Services Depart- ment recommends that the high-pressure membrane vessels that are at the end of their useful life be replaced.” The Water Authority also stated that fixing the parts now will eliminate uncer- tainty for the bidders and reduce the amount of work required immediately fol- lowing the transition to the new operator. Ocean Conversion report- edly offered to replace the aging parts for US$138,000, and Water Authority board members had no objection to the authority proceeding with the replacements. Meanwhile, negotiations have dragged on with an- other Consolidated Water subsidiary, Cayman Water, and the Utility Regulation and Competition Office over the company’s license to pro- vide water to the West Bay and Seven Mile Beach areas. The retail license was originally set to expire in July 2010, but has been ex- tended several times over the years so that govern- ment and the company could reach a new deal. Consolidated Water states in its financial reports that government is looking to re- structure its water-supply deal with Cayman Water in a manner that could sig- nificantly reduce the com- pany’s income. OfReg’s 2017 annual re- port states that the regu- lator expects to finalize ne- gotiations by the end of this year. Second Mexican journalist slain in under a month MEXICO CITY (AP) – An online news site based in the beach- side community of Playa del Carmen said its director was shot to death Tuesday, the second journalist for the Mexican news site slain in less than a month. Playa News Aqui y Ahora said Ruben Pat Cahuich was killed on a street in the re- sort town on Mexico’s Ca- ribbean coast that has been hit by violence. “Now it is two from our team, Governor, when will the lack of public safety in our state end?” the site wrote in a statement aimed at Gov. Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez of Quintana Roo state, which is home to the resorts of Cancun, Tulum and Playa del Carmen. The municipal government of Playa del Carmen said Pat Cahuich was killed outside a bar. The city said it respected journalists and freedom of expression and pledged to assist state prosecutors in in- vestigating the killing. In late June, a gunman killed Playa News police re- porter Jose Guadalupe Chan Dzib at a bar. According to a 2017 report by the New York-based Com- mittee to Protect Journalists, Pat Cahuich told the orga- nization that in June of that year he had been beaten, de- tained overnight and threat- ened by police in Playa del Carmen due to his reporting. He told the CPJ at the time that the officers warned him “to stop publishing arti- cles about a local police chief, and that I knew what would be coming to me if I didn’t.” Pat Cahuich said police were angered by an article about purported narco-banners that were hung around the city accusing the chief of being in league with a crim- inal gang, CPJ reported. Jan-Albert Hootson, CPJ’s Mexico representative, said he last spoke to Pat Cahuich in early July, several days after Chan Dzib’s killing. Pat Cahuich did not men- tion any recent direct threats against him but said the sit- uation was very tense there, Hootson said. “Quintana Roo, particu- larly the region of Playa del Carmen and Felipe Carrillo Puerto, has been a very dan- gerous place for journalists in recent years,” Hootson said. He confirmed that Pat Ca- huich was enrolled in a gov- ernment program known as “the mechanism” that gives journalists and activ- ists certain protections such as panic buttons, home se- curity systems and in some cases bodyguards. Jan Jarab, the Mexican representative of the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said: “Today we have spoken with Mr. Pat’s colleagues and they told us about the risks and terror they face in doing their job … many of them have re- ceived threats recently, which is tremendously worrisome.” The European Union and the Inter American Press As- sociation issued statements condemning the killing. Playa del Carmen was once a sleepy beach town next to the island of Cozumel, but it has been hit by explo- sive growth and increasing violence. In January 2017, a shooting at a music festival in Playa del Carmen left three foreigners and two Mexicans dead. The shooting appar- ently involved drug dealing at the festival. In the first six months of 2018, the coastal state of Quintana Roo saw homicides rise 132 percent, to the equiv- alent of about 35 killings per 100,000 inhabitants. More than 30 journal- ists have been killed in Mexico in the past 5½ years, eight of them since the be- ginning of 2018. Researchers use leaf blower to see how Caribbean’s lizards endure storms WASHINGTON (AP) – Trop- ical lizards have an ability to stay put in high wind that puts TV weather reporters to shame. Now we know why, thanks in part to a high-pow- ered leaf blower. Hurricanes Irma and Maria put a group of little tree-hugging lizards to the test, and scientists were per- fectly positioned to see which reptiles survived and why. Then, Harvard researchers cranked up the leaf blower to observe just how 47 of the Caribbean critters held onto a wooden rod. Under tropical storm- force winds, the lizards lounged. As the wind speed cranked up, they still held on, although it got tougher. Even at 102 mph, the lizards grasped the pole with two clingy front feet while their tails and back legs flapped in the wind like a flag. “All the lizard needs is an inside out umbrella and the image would be per- fect,” study lead author Colin Donihue said. But there’s only so much a little lizard can take. At 108 mph, it was flying lizard time. Don’t worry. No lizard was harmed in the lab test. “They do go flying in the air, but it is softly into the net and everybody was returned back home” unharmed, said Donihue, a Harvard evolu- tionary biologist. The lizards’ secret weapon to surviving hurricanes? The survivors had 6 to 9 per- cent bigger toe pads, signif- icantly longer front limbs and smaller back limbs, com- pared with the population be- fore the storm, according to a study in Wednesday’s journal Nature. The study is the first to show natural selection due to hurricane, Donihue said. By coincidence, Donihue and colleagues had been measuring and studying liz- ards just before the storms blew into the Turks and Caicos Islands last Sep- tember. They returned several weeks later to see if there was a difference in the sur- viving population. They found that the survi- vors were a bit lighter overall despite the bulked-up front. Key were those toe pads – they are at most about half the size of a pencil’s eraser – Donihue said. It also ex- plains why island lizards have bigger toe pads than inland Central American liz- ards, a difference that had baffled scientists. An anole lizard hangs onto a pole during a simulated wind experiment in the Turks and Caicos Islands. – PHOTO: COLIN DONIHUE VIA AP3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JULY 26, 2018 Petition to reinstate Gov. Choudhury issued BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com An anonymous petition began circulating around the Cayman Islands Wednesday seeking the immediate re- instatement of Governor Anwar Choudhury. The petition, believed to have been started by some government workers, can be found online at www. bringbackgovernorchoud- hury.weebly.com. It states: “We, the un- dersigned electors of the Cayman Islands request, that if no criminal actions are found to have been com- mitted by Mr. Anwar Choud- hury that would warrant action as serious as his re- moval from office, but only consists of personal com- plaints by disgruntled indi- viduals in whatever capacity, or displeased persons due to change in the order of things, that Mr. Anwar Choudhury be returned and reinstated as Governor of the Cayman Is- lands as soon as possible.” The petition contains a lengthy letter addressed to Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wim- bledon, the current minister for the British Overseas Ter- ritories, which outlines the reasons the petitioners are seeking to have Mr. Choud- hury returned. “There has been an in- creased public trust and be- lief that, finally, there was a governor who would listen and was not afraid to right the many wrongs in gover- nance and administration, of complacency, ignoring com- plaints, lack of following practice and procedure, fa- voritism and overall malprac- tice to name a few,” the letter to Lord Ahmad reads. “The present situation is causing speculation, nu- merous rumors and uncer- tainty in the business com- munity and doubts from investors and population at large; and … the feeling among the general public is that the one public figure who, by his actions, has shown he takes positive in- terest on the public’s behalf for true good governance has suddenly been taken away.” Healthcare conference will encourage taking control The ninth annual Cayman Islands Healthcare Con- ference aims to encourage people to play a greater role in keeping themselves healthy. The free event will run Oct. 18-20 at The Ritz- Carlton, Grand Cayman. With the theme “Man- aging Your Health: The Em- powered Patient,” the confer- ence will cover such things as day-to-day management of non-communicable dis- eases, understanding when symptoms indicate a trip to the emergency room is nec- essary, and new technology and its impact on health- care in Cayman. This year, in order to pre- vent overcrowding, seating will be limited. Though the event is free, tickets are required and will be awarded on a first-come- first-served basis to those who register online. In addition. Continuing Medical Education certifi- cates will be available for each presentation. Minister of Health Dwayne Seymour said there is a greater global push for patients to become more involved in looking after their health. “Whether it is through nutritional apps, video tuto- rials on managing long-term illnesses or more available knowledge on preventative health measures, patients now have many more ways that they can help manage their wellness and, ultimately, reduce the strain on Cayman’s medical resources,” he said. Those interested in attending need to register at www.healthcareconference.ky. The registration page is not yet up on the website. Officials said it would be active “closer to the event.”Dwayne Seymour, minister of health The petition to reinstate Governor Choudhury was circulated in Cayman on Wednesday. Prison inmates’ move to migrant center on hold BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Although it was proposed as a way to relieve stress on Cay- man’s overcrowded prisons system, it appears inmates at Her Majes- ty’s Prison, Northward will not be moving to new housing at the Immi- gration Detention Centre facility for at least a few months. Ministry of Home Affairs offi- cials said Monday that no firm date has been established to move lower- risk prisoners from Northward in Bodden Town to the detention center in Fairbanks, George Town, largely because the detention center is not ready to house them. “The [move] date will be deter- mined once the conversion work is completed,” a statement from In- terim Prisons Director Steven Bar- rett read. “The conversion work being done in regards to the relo- cation of the inmates will allow for the group of Immigration Deten- tion Centre detainees to be housed within the same confined area. “If detainees remain at the fa- cility, then this will not affect the movement of prisoners from North- ward, who will be located into an area being made separate to where the detainees are located.” At the moment, the govern- ment appears ready to move the re- maining Cuban detainees away from the lock-up to private accommoda- tions around Grand Cayman. As of Tuesday, there were eight Cuban mi- grants left in the center while five others had been moved out. The Cuban migrants are typically not considered to be a public safety threat in the same way a remand prisoner at Northward – one that has been charged, but not convicted of a crime – would be considered. There- fore, putting the two groups together is something prisons and immigra- tion officials are seeking to avoid due to human rights and safety concerns. However, the migrant center is also not considered a secure facility for the housing of remand prisoners at the moment. “The facility and converted space will receive security upgrades in order to sufficiently house the in- mates that hold a low-security level status,” Mr. Barrett said. He declined to state how much the renovations or improvements to the detention center would cost. The ministry is also undertaking “remedial works” to clean up the mess at the Immigration Detention Centre, exposed in a Human Rights Commission memo sent to Mr. Bar- rett earlier this month. Rotten food, fly infestations, dirty and stopped-up toilets, moldy or damaged showers and inade- quate fire prevention systems were all found during an inspection of the Immigration Detention Centre on July 10 by members of the Human Rights Commission. Commission Chairman James Austin-Smith urged Her Majesty’s Prisons Service in Cayman to re- spond to concerns raised by the rights group within 48 hours fol- lowing its visit to the center. “Due to the extensive nature of the unsanitary conditions, the government must take steps to rectify this situation before the facility becomes uninhab- itable and a further health risk,” Mr. Austin-Smith wrote in a July 11 letter, noting that the Cuban detainees them- selves have apparently not cleaned their own facilities for some time. Ministry officials said a plan was already in place to eliminate any health concerns at the de- tention center. Overcrowding The number of people held at Cayman’s main adult prisons – Northward for the males and Fair- banks for the females – fluctuates on a daily basis. However, all public safety entities have acknowledged that Cayman Islands public prisons facilities will need more available space, both immediately and in the longer term, to keep up with current and future demands. As of late June, the adult male prison population on Grand Cayman had reached critical mass, with 221 people being housed at Her Majesty’s Prison, Northward – a facility with a stated maximum ca- pacity of 213. Since at least March this year, Northward Prison has been steadily sending remand prisoners to the RCIPS detention center in Fairbanks, George Town. The po- lice detention center is only meant to house criminal suspects RCIPS officers have arrested, not charged individuals being held in prison awaiting trial. The police have found them- selves with up to 11 remand pris- oners from Northward at various times, who must be kept apart from anyone officers arrest in connection with day-to-day operations. Both Northward Prisoners and remand prisoners being held in the police jail have been “doubled up” in cells, which law enforce- ment officials have advised against because of security and human rights concerns. The Immigration Detention Centre in Fairbanks, George Town. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY Though the event is free, tickets are required and will be awarded on a first-come-first-served basis.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. “I was young, immature and stupid.” – Josh Hader “I am very, very different than I was a few years ago.” – James Gunn People may grow and standards may change, but – as we all know by now (primarily because intrepid scandalmongers continually remind us) – the internet is forever. Once an embarrassing photo, unflattering video or offensive tweet is shared online, it can be stubbornly difficult to delete – offering a handy whetstone to any layperson with a few research skills and an ax to grind. In this time of bitter political and social divisive- ness (not to mention, general tetchiness), the cultural landscape has become littered with the corpses of careers and reputations felled in just this way. Hol- lywood director James Gunn, most known for his work directing “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, and professional athlete Josh Hader are the two most recent casualties. Or are they? Despite recent revelations of past public statements that range from the regrettable to the reprehensible, supporters of both public figures have been rallying to their cause. Friends and colleagues have asked Disney to recon- sider its decision to fire Mr. Gunn after the resur- facing of several offensive tweets sent by the director in 2010-11. When Mr. Hader’s years-old homophobic and racist tweets were dredged up recently, the Major League Baseball pitcher’s teammates stood by him; his fans greeted him with a standing ovation once he returned to the field. Both men apologized and denounced their past statements. Still, unsurprisingly, the tweets and the backlash (and the backlash to the backlash) have been politicized, with conservatives railing against what they view as Hollywood’s hypocritical “Me too”-defying support for Mr. Gunn (who has been an outspoken critic of U.S. President Donald Trump), and liberals con- demning those willing to forgive Mr. Hader’s adolescent intolerance (he was 17 years old when he penned the offensive tweets). As recent years’ digital witch hunts have clearly shown, the court of opinion does not punish equally. Some “offenders” (perhaps “targets” is more accurate) have emerged unscathed or rehabilitated by a cursory apology. Others have been all but ruined by the surge of public censure – their careers, reputations, personal lives and relationships shattered. Still others have used brash and divisive sentiments as a catapult to greater fame. One might argue that prominent people bear a responsibility for staying abreast of the zeitgeist – that choosing a life in the public eye demands the careful management not only of present image, but also of past behavior (think Meghan Markle’s pre-wedding social media housecleaning). We would not so argue. Nevertheless, there is nothing new about a capri- cious public that punishes some while rewarding others. And, since it appears we are clearly stuck with this phenomenon, the time is past due to grapple with complex issues that arise: For example, what are the proper sanctions for offensive or problematic written communications? We would argue that “free speech” deserves a wide berth, but, whether online or in print, must not be exempt from traditional legal protections which define offenses such as libel and defamation (be they civil or, in some instances criminal, as is the case in the Cayman Islands). Almost universally, legislatures and judiciaries have been remarkably lax, if not idle, in ensuring that victims of harmful or hateful speech (especially elec- tronic) have redress through an evenhanded, and readily accessible, court system. Internet shaming and our addiction to outrage THURSDAY JULY 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Why some problems seem never to be solved “Public choice theory” in economics, in part, explains the way self-interest of those in government and other in- stitutions motivates them to avoid solving problems in order to keep their jobs and perks. Now, a new series of studies by researchers at Har- vard and other universities shows “that as the prevalence of a problem is reduced, hu- mans are naturally inclined to redefine the problem itself.” Last week in Science Daily, Daniel Gilbert, pro- fessor of psychology at Har- vard University, described a series of studies that he and several other colleagues had conducted which concludes that “as a problem becomes smaller, people’s conceptual- izations of that problem be- come larger, which can lead them to miss the fact that they’ve solved it.” Public choice econo- mists have long under- stood that there is a ten- dency to endlessly move the goal posts in order to avoid “solving” a problem. For instance, according to government statistics, very little progress has been made in the “fight” against poverty in that the number of poor as a percentage of the population has changed little in the last four decades despite the fact that the amount spent on anti- poverty programs has grown far faster than the rate of in- flation or population growth. The lack of “progress” is largely a result of endless re- definitions of what poverty is. The average U.S. “poor” family now has a large flat-screen color TV, air-conditioned living quarters and a dish- washer. Middle-class families did not have such luxuries 50 years ago. There are hundreds of thousands employed in the anti-poverty industry. If the problem of “poverty” were solved, there would be no need for most of these people; hence, the enormous incen- tive to redefine the problem. Public choice economists rec- ognize that most people have some concern for others, but their main motive – whether they are voters, politicians, lobbyists or bureaucrats – is self-interest. The new studies of “prev- alence-induced concept change” go well beyond the conclusions of economic in- centive focused studies by public choice economists. Mr. Gilbert described ex- periments in which partici- pants were asked to look for blue dots. “We had volunteers look at thousands of dots on a computer screen one at a time and decide if each was or was not blue. When we lowered the prevalence of blue dots, and what we found was that our participants began to classify as blue dots they had previ- ously classified as purple.” Mr. Gilbert notes: “When problems become rare, we count more things as prob- lems. Our studies suggest that when the world gets better, we become harsher critics of it, and this can cause us to mistakenly con- clude that it hasn’t actually gotten better at all. Progress, it seems, tends to mask itself.” Racial discrimination is a case in point. By any objec- tive measure, there was far more discrimination a half- century ago, but the amount of media time given to the discussion of racism appears to have grown substantially. Great progress has been made in reducing illiteracy, violence, infant mortality, etc. – yet many believe the world is getting worse, which leads to pessimism. The misinfor- mation spread by the media indirectly causes the people and the political class to mis- allocate taxpayer dollars to “problems” that have been or are being solved when those resources should be more productively spent on real or more pressing problems. Public choice economists should examine the “preva- lence-induced concept change” studies carefully as to how they may affect their conclu- sions. An initial review sug- gests that the public choice arguments pertaining to the misallocation of government spending are strengthened. Increased recognition of the idea of “prevalence-induced concept change” reinforcing the problem of bureaucratic self- interest dealing is the first step in bringing about corrective ac- tion. Increasing the amount of competition between “problem- solving” entities is likely to lead to better outcomes. Es- tablishing more specific stan- dards of what is success before a problem is tackled by govern- ment would be helpful. For instance – how clean should the water be? This is a reasonable question to ask before embarking on a water clean-up program, along with a justification for the defini- tion based on solid cost-ben- efit analysis. The Environ- mental Protection Agency has had roughly the same number of employees for the last several decades. Yet, there has been great progress in cleaning up the air and water, so why do they need the same number of employees as when the problem was far worse? Why does the government spend roughly twice as much money per poor person on anti-poverty programs instead of just granting each poor person the amount of money the government says he or she needs to no longer be poor? How can we use our in- creased understanding of “prevalence-induced concept change” and public choice theory to reduce the prob- lems identified by the studies from these two disciplines? 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. RICHARD W. RAHN Public choice economists recognize that most people have some concern for others, but their main motive – whether they are voters, politicians, lobbyists or bureaucrats – is self-interest. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way”5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JULY 26, 2018 50 YEARS AGO: Truman Bodden prepares for Bar; private contractors to build roads In the July 25, 1968 edi- tion of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, the fol- lowing story, titled “Truman Prepares for English Bar” appeared: “Mr. Truman Bodden, As- sociate of the Institute of Bankers, only son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Bodden, of George Town recently passed the Law of Real Property Contract and Tort. This completed Part 1 of the examinations for call to the English Bar. “Truman Bodden, who is a member of the Honour- able Society of the Inner Temple in England will sit for his final examinations later next year. After that, he will do post-final reading for six months in the Inns of Courts Law School. He will then proceed to Ja- maica where he will spend some time acquainting himself with legal work in Chambers. He will then re- turn to the Cayman Is- lands and enter the govern- ment service.” Mr. Bodden went on to found the Truman Bodden and Company law firm in 1974 before serving in the Cayman Islands Legisla- tive Assembly as a Cab- inet minister and later as Leader of Govern- ment Business. The Truman Bodden Law School, which opened in 1982, is named after him. In the same edition, this story titled “Assembly re- scinds roads decision,” also appeared: “Road building will now be given to private contrac- tors. At the Assembly’s May sitting it favored road ex- tensions by P.W.D. because the tenders submitted by contractors, far exceeded the estimate given to the government by the con- sulting engineers. “However, a road con- tracting firm, Bahama Pavers, has submitted a tender which the govern- ment considers favour- able. The cost quoted is reasonable and in addi- tion the firm has guaran- teed to maintain the roads until three years after construction.” East End’s Survivors Road named as a reminder of Hurricane Ivan JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com The residents of what is now known as Survivors Road, off East End’s John McLean Drive, had reason to be thankful following 2004’s Hurricane Ivan. Homes along the street were not as badly damaged as many on the is- land and so they named their road in honor of coming out of the catastrophic hurricane virtually unscathed. Ivan struck Grand Cayman on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2004, packing winds of 150 mph and gusts of 220 mph, de- stroying homes and causing massive damage islandwide. Several sections of the road to East End were washed away or badly eroded, virtually cutting off the com- munities from George Town. East End Post Mistress Laurie Welcome, 61, was in the process of building a new home just off John McLean Drive when the hurricane hit. To protect her half-finished house, Mrs. Welcome cov- ered her doors and windows with plywood. “The road didn’t have a name at the time,” she said. Recalling her hurri- cane experience, Mrs. Wel- come said she was at home on East End’s “Front Road” (now known as Sea View Road) with her sister’s chil- dren when the storm hit. Not wanting to be stranded if the sea came across the road, Mrs. Welcome and the chil- dren made her way to the East End Civic Centre on the “Back Road,” known now as John McLean Drive, to seek shelter with other residents. “Just like that, we all sur- vived … it was a major hur- ricane … and by the grace of God, we survived,” said Mrs. Welcome with a sigh of relief. Returning to her half-con- structed home next day, she discovered she had lost only a few shingles off the east side of her house and a part of the ceiling in the living and dining room had come down. Overall, the home had fared well, without much damage. Turning to her husband Ralph that day, Mrs. Welcome told him “Survivors” would be a good name for the road. Just as soon as things were back in order, Mrs. Wel- come submitted paperwork to the government’s Lands and Survey Department’s Street Naming office, with the support of other landowners in the area to have the road named Survivors. Another Survivors Road resident, Albert Rankin, said everything on the East End Front Road was prac- tically destroyed, but Survi- vors Road suffered only had minor damage. “At the time, it was just a chip spray marl road called “Boiling Hole.” Where it came from? I haven’t the faintest clue,” he said. Alvin McLaughlin, a se- nior citizen in East End, said he knew the area as “Burning Hole” when he was growing up. “People would go to plant root vegetables such as cas- sava pumpkins, sweet po- tatoes, and other produce there,” he said.When Mrs. Welcome asked him what he thought about naming the road Survivors, he told her “You the boss.” “It sounds good to me,” he recalled. “I know I survived many things and will con- tinue to survive.” Since building his home on Survivors Road, Mr. Rankin started a small goat rearing farm along with a produce farm and works on outboard motors in his spare time. In 2004, he was hurt at work and over the years re- quired three major sur- geries – “I am a survivor too,” he chuckles. The day of the hurricane, he said, he was not worried. He had done his daily shop- ping before the winds had started to kick up and had re- tired early to bed. He didn’t get up until the roof came off. He said it felt like the house was bending in two but man- aged to withstand the strong winds. “It was rough, but we made it through and all sur- vived,” he said. Mr. Rankin and Mrs. Wel- come bought their proper- ties on Survivors Road from East End property developer Trevor Watler. Mr. Watler said the area was known as TD Connolly Estate when he purchased half of it from the late estate developer Selkirk Watler. This article is one in a continuing series that explores the stories behind some of Cayman’s unusual road names. Albert Rankin gives a wave after feeding his goats near his home on Survivors Road. – PHOTOS: JEWEL LEVY A bicycle tire wraps the sign that directs the way to Survivors Road. Truman Bodden, as pictured in the July 25, 1968 Caymanian Weekly.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 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. THURSDAY JULY 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS THURSDAY, JULY 26 BRAC COURT: 10 a.m. Aston Rutty Centre. NORTH SIDE MEETING: The RCIPS, along with the North Side District Council, will hold a District Community Meeting, 8 p.m. at the Craddock Ebanks Civic Centre. The meeting is open to the public and residents are encouraged to attend in order to express concerns and ask questions. Refreshments will be served. SATURDAY, JULY 28 SHOOTING STARS: 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament. 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Camana Bay Arts and Recreation Centre. Ages 7 to 15. All are invited. Register for free at www.star927cayman.ky. Food sales benefit Caring Cousins Lunch Support program. ONE DOG GARAGE SALE: One Dog at a Time holds a garage sale at their new warehouse at JJT Warehouses on Industrial Way, across from Roper’s. 6-9 a.m. Furniture, including sofas, bookcases, carpet, office desk and chairs will be available along with clothes, electrical appliances, kids toys, kitchenware, books and more. Look for the One Dog signs. BRAC COMMUNITY THEATRE: Stage show, starring Quincy & Friends In Concert. Aston Rutty Civic Centre, 7:30 p.m. Fundraiser to bring U.S. motivational speaker Rich Barnes to Cayman Brac in September. For more information, call 924-8446. BRAC FISHING TOURNAMENT: Organized by Spot Bay Committee. Registration fee is $50 per boat, two persons. Tournament time, 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Registration forms to be submitted by Thursday, July 27, 6 p.m. to any committee member or at the Spot Bay Park 5-6:30 p.m. BRAC FISH FRY: Organized by Spot Bay Committee. $10 for fish, fritters and swanky. BOAT SHOW: Harbour House Marina hosts its annual boat show, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All are invited. DEALS ON WHEELS: The Red Cross mobile thrift shop will be in West Bay 6-10 a.m. at the Lord’s Church compound, junction of the West Bay Town Hall. Items available include ladies’ bags and accessories, kitchen items, linens, adult and children’s clothing and shoes. TUESDAY, JULY 31 OLIVE MILLER EXHIBITION: At the Old George Town Library. Olive Miller is one of three Cayman residents who were recognized in the U.K. New Year’s Honors List. Betty Baraud and the late Dr. Bill Hrudey received MBEs, and are also featured in this exhibition, which closes after today. NON-PROFITS: Today is the deadline to register charitable organizations under The Non-Profit Organisations Law. Registry staff will help persons to complete registration documents Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at General Registry’s offices on the ground floor of the Government Administration Building. The sessions are on an appointment basis. They will allow face-to-face assistance with completing and submitting registration applications. To book a day and time for the sessions, email paul.inniss@gov.ky or cigenreg@gov.ky. CONTRACTORS REGISTRATION: The Builders Board has extended until today the deadline for all local contractors to register with the board. For fees and registration forms that are available online, contractors should visit www.planning.ky/ boards-all/builders-board. SUNDAY, AUGUST 5 ADULT OPEN STUDIO: Available to those who want to work independently in an inspiring atmosphere 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Watler House Studio, Pedro St. James. Fee is $5/$15. Ceramics, $15 pp/$25 pp non-members. Includes use of studio, glazes, and ceramic tools. Clay available $30 per bag/ fee for kiln usage. To register, email ceramics@ visualartcayman.com or info@visualartcayman.com or call 546-9422. SATURDAY, AUGUST 11 BACK TO SCHOOL FAIR: Students from George Town South and George Town West constituencies attending government primary schools are invited to the South Sound Community Centre 4-6 p.m. Activities will include marble games, rope skipping, musical chairs and competitions. Refreshments will be provided. SUMMER CAMPS TRADITIONAL CAYMAN COOKING: Wednesdays and Fridays, 2-4 p.m. until Aug. 31. Ages 7-12. $15 per class. Contact the National Trust. 749-1121. BRAC SPORTS: Basketball, July 23-27, 8:30 a.m. to noon, LSHS Court. Junior Lifeguards, July 30-Aug. 3. 8:30 a.m. to noon, Venue TBD. Football, Aug. 5–10, 8:30 a.m. to noon, Cayman Brac Sports Complex. For more information, contact harold.sanford@gov.ky. NATIONAL TRUST: July 30–Aug. 3. 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dart Family Park. Includes field trips. Email education@nationaltrust.org.ky to register. $275 for members, $300 for non-members. KIDSABILITY: A variety of programs for various ages, with activities from school readiness to bike riding. Contact www.kidsability.ky. ACTING CAMPS: Cayman Drama Society offers an acting camp for ages 12-16, July 30 to Aug. 3, $325. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Prospect Playhouse. Register at www.cds.ky. GENERAL INTEREST SCHOOL HEALTH SCREENINGS: The Public Health Department reminds parents that school entry screening continues. All students entering government or private schools for the first time are required to have health screenings before the new school year begins in August. Screenings continue at the John Gray High School Medical Centre until Aug. 17, and at the Public Health Department at the Cayman Islands Hospital Aug. 20-31. Completed forms from private physicians should be submitted to the Public Health Department, Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. For screenings in Cayman Brac, call the Public Health Nurse on 948-2243. Call 326-4890, 326-3882 or 925-5401. PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION: For students 10 to 14. Photos need to creatively demonstrate sun safety (hats, sunglasses, sunscreen) while having fun. It could be at the beach, soccer field, in town, anywhere outside, doing anything fun. Email photo – one per person – to fununderthesun2018@ gmail.com. The best five will win prizes. Competition runs until Aug. 31. Organized by the Cayman Islands Cancer Society. LIQUOR LICENSE HOLDERS: License holders – including those with music and dancing licenses – are reminded of the upcoming Annual Liquor License Meeting to be held Sept. 13. The deadline for applications is Aug. 24. BOOK SALE: Five-dollar bag book sale at the Red Cross Thrift Shop during July. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 5–7 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday. Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Customers can get all the books they can fit in a single bag for only $5. NEW THRIFT SHOP: One Dog At A Time has launched its “New To You” Thrift Shop. The store is open every Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. plus every Wednesday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout the summer. The shop is at Unit 26 at the warehouses on Bodden Road, which run down the side of Kirk Home Store to the old screen print place. SCHOLARSHIP OFFERED: The U.S.-based Collaborate to Educate Our Sons has announced its 2018 essay/poetry contest for scholarships for the 2018/19 academic year. At least four scholarships will be awarded. They are for tuition support to assist young men to achieve their goal of graduation from college/seminary. Essays should be submitted by email by 11:59 p.m. on July 31. Applicants can visit www.collaboratetoeducate.org for details. NEW LICENSE PLATES: The Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing has uploaded its list of new electronic license plates that are ready for collection. An additional 1,200 plates are now ready to be picked up from the DVDL office on Crewe Road. Vehicles owners are reminded that they must bring in the temporary/old plates, the windshield tag, as well as their logbook. The list can be viewed on the department’s website at www.dvdl.gov.ky. EARLY CHILDHOOD FEES: The Ministry of Education provides financial assistance for Caymanian children between 3 and 4 years of age before Sept. 1, 2018, to assist with fees at an early childhood center between September and June 30. Application forms can be downloaded from www.education.gov.ky or collected from the Government Administration Building, the Department of Education Services and all early childhood centers. Contact Renee Barnes at 244-5735, Turnette Stewart at 244-5724 or email ecap@gov.ky. 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. 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. FARMERS ARTISAN MARKET: Noon to 7 p.m. Wednesdays. Visual Arts Society artists sell arts, crafts, paintings, prints, hand-crafted jewelry, ceramics and more at the VAS tents by KARoo Restaurant. For more information or to inquire about table space, email info@visualartcayman.com. ART OPEN CANVAS: At KARoo Restaurant in Camana Bay, Wednesdays 7-11 p.m. Artists of all levels are welcome to come and enjoy painting and socializing with other artists. Includes use of easels, lights, space, beverage ticket. No fee. For more information, contact info@visualartcayman.com or jar.was@gmail.com. CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: Meets daily to help with drinking problems. Call 926-9044 or visit www.caymanaa.org. NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS: Is available for substance abuse help. Call the info line at 929–NANA (6262). AL-ANON GROUP MEETING: Are you troubled by someone’s drinking? Al-Anon Family Groups can help. Call 928-8843 or email caymanalanon@gmail.com for meeting times. OVERCOMERS OUTREACH: A Christ-centered 12-step recovery group addresses addictions and those affected by them. Meetings at Cayman Islands Baptist Church, Pedro Castle Road, Tuesdays, 7:15 p.m. For details, contact Vanessa Gilman at 946-2422, or visit www.overcomersoutreach.org. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. Contractors have until Tuesday, July 31, to register with the Builders Board.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JULY 26, 2018 in relation to individuals.” “It is the fairness as- pect of this principle which, in our view, would be breached by disclosure,” the FOI unit stated. In the six weeks since Governor Choudhury was re- moved to the U.K., the foreign office has released no infor- mation regarding the reasons for its actions. Premier Alden McLaughlin said he was in- formed by Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon on June 12 that the foreign office in- tended to make no public statement regarding the governor’s temporary with- drawal. Mr. McLaughlin’s of- fice then made its own state- ment on the matter, bringing it to the public’s attention. Multiple government sources contacted by the Cayman Compass since Mr. Choudhury’s sudden removal indicated that complaints had been made internally within the Governor’s Office in Cayman and concerned his behavior while in office. Other media reports in the U.K. stated that Mr. Choudhury “abused” staff and had gotten involved in a “drunken row” with his mother-in-law during his brief time in Cayman. The Compass has been unable to independently confirm those reports. It is now expected that the U.K. review of the com- plaints made against Mr. Choudhury will be further delayed because of the death of the governor’s mother ear- lier this month. Both Mr. McLaughlin and Acting Governor Franz Man- derson have declined to com- ment further on the matter since June 13. The Compass initially made its request to the Cayman Islands government, but it was determined that the U.K. held the complaint records rather than Cayman. Using data protection rules to deny an open re- cords request in Cayman could not currently be done because data protection leg- islation will not come into force in the territory until next year. The Cayman Is- lands Freedom of Informa- tion Law currently defines personal information, but allows certain personal re- cords to be released as long as it is determined to be in the public’s interest. Cayman’s Data Protec- tion Law, when it comes into effect, will place much greater restrictions on the use of personal information when it come into force, in- cluding details of people’s names, religions, occupa- tions, sexual orientation and financial records. Mr. Grassley, the chairman of the Senate ju- diciary committee, was also briefed on Cayman’s expe- riences in developing its beneficial ownership regu- latory framework. “For many years, Cayman has worked hand- in-glove with the U.S. Trea- sury and by extension, the Internal Revenue Service, to ensure that Cayman cannot be used to avoid U.S. taxes,” Minister Rivers said. “Sharing information globally allows tax author- ities to better ensure that taxpayers pay their taxes in the countries in which they are due.” Minister Rivers also met with Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Chairman Mike Crapo of Idaho to discuss Cayman’s finan- cial regulatory regime and the impact of “de-risking” on Cayman financial in- stitutions, money transfer services and individuals who use them. Ms. Day and Ms. Bush, who have been in a rela- tionship for six years and have an adopted child to- gether, are seeking a dec- laration that the decision of the deputy registrar to deny their application for a marriage license was unlawful and that they are entitled to be mar- ried in Cayman. In a writ, filed with the Grand Court in June, law- yers for the couple argued that the Cayman Islands Constitution protects them from discrimination. According to the writ, the Constitution has su- premacy over other laws, which are required to be interpreted with “such modifications, adapta- tions, qualifications and exceptions as may be nec- essary” to conform with that document. In effect, the lawyers argue that the deputy registrar could and should have construed the Marriage Law as al- lowing same-sex unions and approved the cou- ple’s application. They also argue that the section of Cayman’s Marriage Law that defines marriage as between “one man and one woman” is incompatible with various rights guaranteed under the islands’ Constitution and should be modified. During Wednesday’s hearing, Chief Justice Smellie indicated that the plaintiffs may be required to file a separate writ with the Grand Court, using the vehicle of a consti- tutional challenge rather than a judicial review, to have that aspect of the case considered. Ultimately, both argu- ments would be combined in one hearing. No indica- tion was given of when a trial may take place. On the question of whether Mr. Wong was driving carelessly, Mr. Wainwright pointed to the defendant’s admis- sion that he had bent down to pick up his phone from the floor of his truck. Mr. Brady coun- tered that his client’s evi- dence was that he checked his rear view mirror and checked the road in front of him before retrieving his phone, so he did take the precautions a prudent driver would take. Mr. Brady described the accident as a side- swipe, not a head-on col- lision, and noted Mr. Wong’s evidence that he believed he had hit a pot- hole or road marker and therefore did not stop. The accident reconstruc- tionist had concluded that the other vehicle had come over the center line into the path of Mr. Wong’s truck. Trial began in Jan- uary 2017 and evidence, including that of expert witnesses, concluded in April this year. Closing submissions were to have been made on May 23, but Mr. Wainwright was obliged on short notice to be in Grand Court, which takes precedence over Summary Court. Court gives green light to same-sex marriage case Garfield Wong verdict expected Aug. 22 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Minister Rivers meets US senators Grassley, Cornyn CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Anwar Choudhury CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 UK uses data protection rules to block Choudhury details Recession looms as Argentine economy shrinks 5.8 percent BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) – Argentina’s economy con- tracted 5.8 percent in May compared to the same pe- riod a year ago, the official INDEC statistics agency said Tuesday, raising concerns the country could fall into re- cession in 2018. Argentina has been hit by a recent currency crisis. That led the government to seek a $50 billion financing deal with the International Mone- tary Fund aimed at strength- ening the sputtering economy as the country fights double- digit inflation. Turning to the IMF has brought back bad mem- ories for Argentines who blame its policies for the country’s worst economic crisis in 2001. President Mauricio Macri has told Argentines that they will not suffer another eco- nomic implosion. But they continue to lose purchasing power to one of the world’s highest inflation rates, and many have staged protests against Macri’s belt-tight- ening policies, which in- clude layoffs of government workers and the slashing of subsidies on transportation and utility rates. The INDEC also said that economic activity shrank 1.4 percent in May versus April. The statistics agency said ag- riculture and livestock were among the most-affected in- dustries contributing to the slowdown. Manufacturing and transportation and com- munications also retrenched. “The decline of activity in May reflects not only the adverse weather shock over agricultural production but also the impact of tighter fi- nancial conditions over the broader economy,” Goldman Sachs economist Alberto Ramos said in a research note. “Overall, we see a very significant risk that the economy will experience a re- cession in 2018.” Protesters hold a sign that reads in Spanish ‘Get out IMF’ during Saturday demonstration against the International Monetary Fund in Buenos Aires, Argentina. – PHOTO: AP Haiti missionary sentenced to 23 years BALTIMORE (AP) – A Menno- nite missionary from Virginia who lived in Haiti for more than a decade has been sen- tenced to 23 years in prison for child sexual abuse in the impoverished Caribbean na- tion, officials said. James Arbaugh, 40, of the small Virginia town of Stu- arts Draft is the latest Amer- ican missionary to receive a hefty sentence for taking ad- vantage of Haiti’s extensive poverty and anemic rule of law to sexually abuse vulner- able youngsters. Earlier this year, he pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of traveling in foreign commerce from the U.S. to Haiti to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a child. He was sentenced Monday. Brian Benczkowski, who leads the Justice Department’s criminal division, described Arbaugh as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” “He posed as a selfless missionary when in reality he was exploiting his position to prey on and sexually abuse vulnerable children in one of the most impoverished areas of the world,” Benczkowski, an assistant attorney general, said in a news release. Arbaugh was arrested last year after telling a Vir- ginia counselor that he had sexual contact with minors in Haiti. A federal affidavit filed by a special agent with Homeland Security Investiga- tions said he told investiga- tors that he groomed or had sexual contact with at least 21 Haitian boys.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 THURSDAY JULY 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS German brewers appeal for bottles, crates Strong summer sales of beer and non-alcoholic beverages in recent weeks have left some German drinks manufacturers high and dry. Amid a bottle shortage, a Brewers Association spokesman said, ‘It would be good if consumers brought their empties back to stores quickly.’ Suicide blast kills 31 in Pakistan as nation holds general elections ISLAMABAD (AP) – A sui- cide bomber on a motorcycle rammed into people waiting outside a busy polling sta- tion in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Wednesday, killing at least 31 and casting a dark shadow on what was to be a historic day for the country as Pakistanis cast ballots to elect their thirds consecutive civilian government. The attack in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, underscored the difficulties this majority Muslim nation faces on its wobbly journey toward sus- tained democracy. The bombing also wounded 35 people, with sev- eral reported to be in critical condition, raising concerns the death toll could rise fur- ther, said hospital official Jaffar Kakar, a doctor. As polls closed, Paki- stan’s Election Commission spokesman Nadeem Qasim told The Associated Press that the commission had is- sued a notice to aspiring prime minister Imran Khan saying his vote could be dis- qualified after he cast his ballot in front of television cameras, violating “the se- crecy of the ballot paper.” Qasim said Khan vio- lated Pakistan’s constitution, which guarantees the secrecy of the ballot. Images showed a smiling Khan with his ballot paper laid out in front of him as he marked the ballot. Wednesday’s voting for a National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, and four provincial assemblies followed a rancorous campaign marked by widespread allegations of manipulation. Analysts and rights groups have warned of post-election instability and predicted losing parties would cry foul. The uncertainty of the out- come of the vote – no single party appeared assured of a simple majority win – could also lead to prolonged post- election jockeying that would hamper the forming of the next government. “Whatever way elections run, I see a lot of instability,” said defense analyst Ayesha Siddiqua, who authored Mil- itary Inc., a look at the ex- tensive financial holdings of Pakistan’s army. A witness to the attack in Quetta, Abdul Haleem, who was waiting to cast his ballot, said he saw a motor- cycle drive into the crowd of voters just seconds before the explosion. Haleem’s uncle was killed in the blast. “There was a deafening bang followed by thick cloud of smoke and dust and so much crying from the wounded people,” he told The Associated Press. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing but local of- ficials were quick to blame the Islamic State group. Baluchistan also saw the worst violence during elec- tion campaigning earlier this month, when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a political rally, killing 149 people, in- cluding the candidate Siraj Raisani. Another 400 were wounded. Voting in that con- stituency has been suspended. ISIS claimed responsi- bility for that attack, though Baluchistan has seen re- lentless attacks, both by the province’s secessionists and Sunni militants who have killed hundreds of Shiites living there. In recent years, the IS affiliate in the region has emerged as a major force behind violence, often using local Sunni radicals from the outlawed Lashkar-e-Jhangvi to carry out its attacks. Citing security concerns, Pakistan’s election commission announced that internet and cellphone services in several Baluchistan districts were sus- pended. Election commission secretary Babar Yaqub told re- porters there were also threats against polling stations, staff and even candidates. Militants on Tuesday lobbed grenades and opened fire at a military convoy es- corting election staffers and voting material in Baluch- istan’s district of Turbat, killing four troops. Paki- stan’s military deployed 350,000 troops countrywide at polling stations. Also Wednesday, shooting between supporters of two op- posing political parties killed one person and wounded two in a village near the north- western city of Swabi. Later, more clashes between rival political parties killed another person and wounded 15 else- where in the country. Early voting was heavy at some polling stations in Is- lamabad, the capital, and also in the Punjab provin- cial capital, with several po- litical party leaders standing in line to cast their ballots. Local television reported scat- tered incidences of police arresting people with pre- marked ballots. Another concern is the un- precedented participation in these elections of radical reli- gious groups, including those banned for terror links but resurrected and renamed, has also raised concerns – es- pecially for minorities and women – ahead of the voting. Jibran Nasir, an indepen- dent candidate from Paki- stan’s financial hub of Ka- rachi, said he received death threats and even had a fatwa, or religious edict, issued against him after he refused to condemn Ahmadis, reviled by mainstream Muslims as heretics because they be- lieve the messiah promised in Islam arrived over a cen- tury ago. Pakistan in 1974 de- clared Ahmadis non-Muslims. The leading contenders in Wednesday’s polling are former cricket star Imran Khan and his right-of-center Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party, and the right-of-center Pakistan Muslim League, the party of disgraced Prime Min- ister Nawaz Sharif, who is in jail serving 10 years on cor- ruption charges. His younger brother Shahbaz Sharif took control of the party. Khan’s supporters show- ered his vehicle with rose petals as he arrived to vote at a polling station near his home suburb in. Islamabad. After voting, he appealed on Pakistanis to come out and vote in huge numbers “to save future generations.” The third-largest party in the running is the left-leaning Pakistan People’s Party, headed by Bilawal Bhutto, the son of late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, assassinated by the Pakistani Taliban, whom she had vowed to eradicate. Election officials say more than 11,000 candidates are vying for 270 seats in Pak- istan’s law-making Lower House of Parliament and 577 seats in four provin- cial assemblies. The 85,307 polling sta- tions opened at 8 a.m. and will continue for 10 hours, an hour longer than in the 2013 polls. Voting for two parlia- mentary seats and six seats in provincial assemblies has been postponed due to at- tacks on candidates or dis- qualifications. First results are expected early Thursday. There are more than 105 million eligible voters in Pak- istan, 59 million men and 46 million women. Pakistan’s election com- mission reminded candidates their elections will be nulli- fied if the female voter turnout did not reach 10 percent. The requirement was imposed after the 2013 elections, when several areas banned voting by women, mostly in Paki- stan’s religiously conservative northwest. Some candidates were elected without a single woman marking a ballot. Veteran rights activist Ta- hira Abdullah warned on Tuesday that local jirgas, or councils of elders, from 60 areas of the country repre- senting 16 different constitu- encies, had signed agreements banning women from voting despite the new ruling. While some areas have refused to re- lent, others allowed women to cast ballots. In Pakistan’s deeply tribal and religiously conservative North Waziristan, where Tal- iban insurgents have found safe havens, women voted for the first time on Wednesday, said Mohamad Ayaz Khan, a government administrator. “We made history today,” said Khan. “It is the first time that women have come out of their homes to cast their vote.” Pakistani volunteers and security officers visit the site of a bombing in Quetta, Pakistan, Wednesday. A suicide bomber struck outside a crowded polling station in Pakistan’s southwestern city of Quetta, killing dozens of people as Pakistanis cast ballots Wednesday. - PHOTO: AP Final US defense spending bill expands China pushback China hit out at a looming U.S defense spending bill that includes a plan to forge closer ties with Taiwan, saying the legislation would damage U.S.-China relations and un- dermine cross-strait ties. Congress is preparing to pass the sweeping 2019 de- fense authorization bill, which includes provisions aimed at curtailing China’s influence in Asia, reflecting a growing con- sensus in Washington to push back against the increasingly assertive nation. Specifically, it calls for the Pentagon to adopt a more proactive role in assessing and strengthening Taiwan’s ability to resist an invasion from China, which sees the democratically run island as a province. China would also be per- manently banned from Rim of the Pacific naval exercises – the world’s largest such drills that are held once every two years – unless it reverses its military activities on reefs and rocks in the disputed South China Sea. China says most of the waters are its sov- ereign territory, despite a 2016 ruling by an international tri- bunal that said the country’s claim had no legal standing. “If these contents are put into law, then serious damage will be done to mutual trust between China and the U.S., to bilateral exchanges and co- operation in many fields, and to stability across the strait,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular briefing Wednesday in Beijing. “We urge the U.S. to give up its Cold War mentality and zero- sum thinking, immediately delete these negative contents, and safeguard instead of dis- rupting the stable develop- ment of bilateral ties.” The bill’s release coincides with the opening shots of a trade war as Trump imposes billions of dollars of tariffs on Chinese goods to retaliate for what he says are unfair practices that have resulted in a huge trade imbalance with the U.S. Trump’s relationship with Taiwan has been a hot issue for China since he accepted a congratulatory phone call from President Tsai Ing-wen after his election and ques- tioned the “one-China” prin- ciple that underpins China- U.S. relations. Since then, the U.S. has approved $1.3 bil- lion in arms sales to Taiwan, and Trump has signed leg- islation to encourage senior U.S. officials to visit the is- land, a move that would raise its diplomatic status. The U.S. has also agreed to provide technology for the island’s submarine-building program. In a March address to Chi- na’s parliament, President Xi Jinping warned that efforts to widen divisions with Taiwan would be “punished by his- tory.” The government has or- dered all airlines to stop refer- ring to Taiwan and the former colonies of Hong Kong and Macau as countries, something the White House described as “Orwellian nonsense.” © 2018, Bloomberg9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JULY 26, 2018 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY IN HEAVEN On Angel’s Wings you were taken away, But in our hearts you will always stay. We will hear your whisper in the tallest trees, Feel your love in the gentle breeze. And when we find we miss you the most, Inside our beautiful memories We will hold you close. You are an Angel watching over us With the comfort and blessings you bring. You embrace our hearts and hold it close, Forever on Angel’s Wings. From your loving Wife, Daughters, Grand & Great-Grand Children Roylin Powell March 4, 1942 - July 26, 2017 Trump accuses China of using ‘vicious’ trade tactics ISIS claims suicide blasts, attacks that kill dozens in Syria DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) – A se- ries of suicide bombings and attacks that sparked fighting between local armed groups in southern Syria killed around 90 people Wednesday, a local health official and activists said, spreading mayhem in a province that has been relatively quiet throughout Syria’s seven-year conflict. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the carnage. The coordinated attacks – the worst in recent months – had all the hallmarks of ISIS even before it claimed re- sponsibility and were remi- niscent of the group’s horrific assaults over the past years in Syria, already ravaged by civil war. The bombings in the city of Sweida, including a mo- torcycle bomber who struck at a busy vegetable market, were apparently timed to co- incide with attacks by a mil- itant group linked to IS on a number of villages in the province, also called Sweida. It triggered deadly clashes between pro-government fighters and residents who picked up weapons to de- fend their hometowns on one side, and ISIS militants on the other. Al-Ikhbariya state-run TV showed images from sev- eral locations in the prov- ince and its capital where the bombers blew themselves up. State-run news agency SANA said 38 people were killed in the suicide bombings and blamed the Islamic State group. The breakdown of the fatalities from the attacks was not immediately known. Sweida health official Hassan Omar told The Asso- ciated Press by phone that 90 people were killed in the sui- cide blasts and subsequent fighting in Sweida, and that 80 people were wounded. The Britain-based Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group put the overall death toll at more than 100. The rare attacks in Sweida, populated mainly by Syria’s minority Druze, came amid a government offensive elsewhere in the country’s south. Government forces are battling the IS-linked group near the frontier with Israeli- occupied Golan Heights and near the border with Jordan. The group also has a small presence on the eastern edge of Sweida province. IS has been largely de- feated in Syria and Iraq, but still has pockets of territory it controls in eastern Syria and in the country’s south. The extremist group claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s deadly attacks, boasting that it’s “soldiers” killed more than 100 people in Sweida. In a statement posted on the group’s social media channels, it said its militants carried out surprise attacks on government and security centers in Sweida, sparking clashes with Syrian troops and allied militias be- fore detonating their explo- sive belts. Since their offen- sive in June, Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces have retaken territories controlled by the rebels along the Golan Heights frontier and are now fighting militants in the country’s southern tip. The death toll, initially re- ported at 27, quickly climbed. The Observatory also re- ported a series of suicide blasts and the clashes in the province’s countryside. It said a total of more than 100 were killed in the blasts and the fighting, including civil- ians, pro-government fighters and ISIS militants. An activist-operated media platform on Facebook, Sweida News Network said a local militia was fighting the advancing ISIS-affili- ated group and that at least 30 militiamen were killed in clashes with the militants. Al-Ikhbariya said one of the attackers hit at a veg- etable market in the city of Sweida just after 5 a.m., a busy time for the merchants at the start of their day. The bomber drove through the market on a mo- torcycle and there detonated his explosives, the TV sta- tion said. A second attacker hit in another busy square in the city. Two other attackers blew themselves up as they were chased by security forces, the TV said. The city of Sweida has largely been spared most of the violence that Syrian cities have witnessed in the years since the conflict started in 2011. For the southern offen- sive, government forces re- deployed troops from Sweida province last month to attack rebels and IS-affiliate mili- tants in the nearby provinces of Daraa and Quneitra. The government is now in control of Daraa but con- tinues to battle the ISIS-affil- iate militants in Quneitra. WASHINGTON (AP) – Pres- ident Donald Trump on Wednesday accused China of “vicious” tactics on trade as he prepared for tough negotiations with Euro- pean leaders in an esca- lating trade battle among world powers. Trump tweeted that China was specifically tar- geting U.S. farmers with re- taliatory tariffs because “they know I love & respect” them. His defense came after his administration an- nounced a plan to provide $12 billion in emergency re- lief for farmers who have been slammed by the presi- dent’s trade disputes with China and other countries. Addressing the China trade relationship, Trump wrote on Twitter, “They are being vicious in what will be their failed attempt. We were being nice – until now!” Chinese President Xi Jin- ping said at an international summit in South Africa that the world faces “a choice be- tween cooperation and con- frontation,” in remarks that criticized escalating U.S. tar- iffs on goods from China and other major trading part- ners. He warned that those who pursue “economic he- gemony” will “only end up hurting themselves.” The president was meeting at the White House later Wednesday with Eu- ropean Commission Presi- dent Jean-Claude Juncker and other European offi- cials as their trade dispute threatens to spread to auto- mobile production. Trump has placed tariffs on imported steel and alu- minum, saying they pose a threat to U.S. national secu- rity, an argument that the European Union and Canada rejects. He has also threat- ened to slap tariffs on im- ported cars, trucks and auto parts, potentially targeting imports that last year totaled $335 billion. The European Union has warned that it will retal- iate with tariffs on products worth $20 billion if Trump puts duties on cars and auto parts from Europe. On Tuesday, Trump sug- gested in a tweet that “both the U.S. and the EU drop all Tariffs, Barriers and Subsi- dies! That would finally be called Free Market and Fair Trade! Hope they do it, we are ready – but they won’t!” The Trump administra- tion has imposed tariffs on $34 billion in Chinese goods in a dispute over Beijing’s high-tech industrial policies. China has struck back with duties on soybeans and pork, affecting Midwest farmers in a region of the country that supported the president in his 2016 campaign. Trump has threatened to place penalty taxes on up to $500 billion in products im- ported from China, a move that would dramatically ratchet up the stakes in the trade dispute involving the globe’s biggest economies. The moves have been unsettling to lawmakers with districts dependent upon manufacturers and farmers affected by the retal- iatory tariffs. The Agriculture Depart- ment said it would tap an ex- isting program to provide $12 billion in direct payments to farmers and ranchers hurt by foreign retaliation to Trump’s tariffs and other assistance, such as the purchase of excess crops. With congressional elec- tions coming soon, the gov- ernment action underscored administration concern about damage to U.S. farmers from Trump’s trade tariffs and the potential for losing House and Senate seats in the Mid- west and elsewhere. The administration said the program was just temporary. “This is a short-term so- lution that will give Presi- dent Trump and his admin- istration the time to work on long-term trade deals,” said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue as administration of- ficials argued that the plan was not a “bailout” of the na- tion’s farmers. But that provided little solace to rank-and-file Re- publicans, who said the tar- iffs are simply taxes and warned the action would open a Pandora’s box for other sectors of the economy. “I want to know what we’re going to say to the au- tomobile manufacturers and the petrochemical manu- facturers and all the other people who are being hurt by tariffs,” said Sen. John Ken- nedy, R-Louisiana. “You’ve got to treat everybody the same.” Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Penn- sylvania, said the Agricul- ture Department was “trying to put a Band-aid on a self- inflicted wound. The admin- istration clobbers farmers with an unnecessary trade war then attempts to assuage them with taxpayer handouts. This bailout compounds bad policy with more bad policy.” Trump pushed back against critics of his plan on Wednesday, telling them to “be cool” because “the end re- sult will be worth it!” On Twitter, Trump said people “snipping at your heels during a negotiation” will only delay the process. He wrote: “Negotiations are going really well, be cool. The end result will be worth it!” Soybeans are likely to be the largest sector affected by the programs. Soybean prices have plunged 18 percent in the past two months. The Agriculture Depart- ment predicted before the trade fights that U.S. farm in- come would drop this year to $60 billion, or half the $120 billion of five years ago. U.S. President Donald Trump In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrians inspect the site of a suicide attack in Sweida on Wednesday. - PHOTO: APNext >