High of 90 Low of 78 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 OFFICIALS SHOULD ‘PLAY BALL’ WITH NORTH SIDE PARENTS LOCAL | PAGE 5 44 RESPOND TO CALL FOR NATIONWIDE IGUANA CULL ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – TUESDAY AUGUST 14, 2018 Health City to add cancer center SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Health City Cayman Islands is adding a multimillion-dollar, comprehensive cancer treatment center at its existing facility in East End. Narayana Health, which set up the hos- pital, expects the new facility will be com- pleted by December 2019. Dr. Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, the vice chairman, managing director and group chief executive of- ficer of Narayana Health, announced that the cancer treatment center will be housed in a new purpose-built building. Groundbreaking is ex- pected to take place in September. The facility will include accommodations for overseas patients and all-inclusive cancer care. It is billed as the first comprehensive cancer-care center in the Caribbean. It will be capable of providing medical and surgical oncology and radiation, and it will also offer bone marrow transplant services. “Once again,” Dr. Raghuvanshi said, “Na- rayana Health and Health City Cayman Is- lands will bring medical advancement to the region, while fulfilling a vital need in the Ca- ribbean’s healthcare landscape.” Health City presently has a medical on- cology facility with a five-bed chemotherapy unit for day care. Health City Clinical Director Dr. Binoy Chattuparambil said in a press release that the new cancer treatment facility will work in concert with the Cayman Island Health Ser- vices Authority and with private physicians. “Health City Cayman Islands continues to follow our mission to transform the delivery of healthcare in the Caribbean and beyond,” Dr. Chattuparambil said. “As we expand our oncology services, we are committed to remaining on the forefront of medical innovation, while maintaining our patient- centric focus on providing high quality, compassionate and affordable care.” Victoria Gray, the education officer and volun- teer coordinator at the Cayman Islands Cancer Society, said that the new facility should make a big difference in the lives of Cayman patients. “That is awesome news. It will ben- efit the country,” she said about the new treatment center. “It will reduce the amount of money pa- tients have to pay for treatment overseas. Funds we would channel into buying patients tickets and paying for hotels will be reduced.” PTA CHARGES AHEAD WITH NORTH SIDE SCHOOL PLAYFIELD CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Parents of students at the Edna M. Moyle Pri- mary School met with members of the PTA execu- tive committee on Thursday night to hear about plans for developing the school playing field after MLA Ezzard Miller complained government had not earmarked any funds for the project. Mr. Miller, PTA immediate past president, de- scribed progress in what he called “the ongoing battle to get the playfield sorted out.” He referred to the press conference he had called on the subject last month and government’s response. He said there was no specific funding in the budget this year and government wanted to put the project off until 2019. There had been a further meeting since then: “We buried the hatchet,” Mr. Miller explained. “We [North Siders] came up with a proposal to do it ourselves.” The “it” is the installation of artificial turf im- mediately west of the school on land that is rocky and flood-prone. Concerns expressed by the Min- istry of Education included proper drainage in the area, and site preparation. Ministry spokeswoman Miriam Foster said Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Con- nolly was in caucus Monday and was not avail- able for comment. Mr. Miller said he had taken advice from Don- ovan Ebanks, former deputy governor, who earlier Hundreds enroll in NiCE work JAMES WHITTAKER AND JEWEL LEVY jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com, jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Hundreds of jobless Caymanians packed into the Lions Centre Monday to sign up for government’s summer work program. From next week, they will be paid $10 an hour to clean beaches and roadsides as part of the National Community Enhance- ment program. It is the first time the pro- gram, designed to give unemployed people a week’s work and some cash in their pocket, has been held in the summer. Almost 500 people, spanning a broad section of the community, signed up. While some were grateful for the opportunity to earn some money, others said the pro- gram was not a long-term fix and called for more to be done about Cayman’s un- employment issues. For 57-year-old Lennie Earl Jackson, waiting in line Monday, whenever the com- munity clean up program comes around it is a welcome boost. “It’s hard for me to get a job because of the insurance costs at my age,” said Mr. Jackson, a veteran of previous community work programs. “They don’t want someone my age. Sometimes I get a little side thing but it is not enough to get by.” He said he was a hard worker and hoped he could get a full-time job through this program. Single mother Christina Lynch waited in line along with her eldest children, age 3 and 5. She said she has registered with the PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 5 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » People gather at the Lions Centre to enroll in government’s National Community Enhancement program, known as NiCE, on Monday morning. - PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY Health City may push US system to innovate See Harvard Business Review story on page 7.2 LOCAL&REGIONAL TUESDAY AUGUST 14, 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. - TUESDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME (R) 1:35 I 4:20 I 7:10 I 9:50 BLACKKKLANSMAN (R) 12:35 I 3:35 I 6:35 I 9:35 MISSION : IMPOSSIBLE FALLOUT (PG13) 12:35 3D I 3:35 VIP I 6:35 THE EQUALIZER 2 (R) 1:00 I 3:50 I 6:45 I 9:40 THE MEG (PG13) 1:00 VIP I 3:45 3D I 7:00 I 9:45 TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES (PG) 2:30 I 4:45 MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN (PG13) 9:40 CLASSICS @ THE CINEMA: THE GODFATHER (R) 7:00 VIP LOCAL LECTURER PRESENTS AT INTERNATIONAL EVENT A lecturer at Cayman Is- lands Law School has taken her research on the road. Laura Panades, LLM Course Leader at Cayman Is- lands Law School, was in- vited to present her research at an international confer- ence in Florence, Italy, ear- lier this summer. Ms. Panades participated in the 7th Conference on the Regulation of Infrastruc- tures, which was presented by the European University Institute, one of Europe’s leading postgraduate re- search centers. Ms. Panades researched how the European Union re- shapes public-private part- nerships in European coun- tries via funding. “The conclusions of my study seek to improve and inform future EU public funding programs via public-private partner- ships,” Ms. Panades said. “My research was received warmly and spurred inter- esting feedback from pro- fessionals working in a va- riety of policy areas.” Laura Panades Cut-A-Thon date set Eclipze Hair Design & Day Spa has announced that it will host the 18th annual Cut-A-Thon for Breast Cancer Awareness on Sunday, Sept. 30. The annual Cut-A-Thon aims to raise awareness of breast cancer in the Cayman Islands. Sisters Darla and Darna Dilbert set up the fund- raiser 18 years ago after losing an aunt to breast cancer. They decided to use their cosmetology skills to create a fun and rewarding event that the community could benefit from, and in- vited other salon and spa professionals to participate. The funds generated an- nually from the event are given to The Lions Club of Tropical Gardens, which uses the money to help in- dividuals who are unable to help themselves financially. Organizers are inviting volunteers who would be willing to be sponsored to cut at least 10 to 12 inches off their hair or shave their head to help them raise funds, with an aim to raise a minimum of $1,000 to- ward their cuts. Their hair can then be donated to Locks of Love, which makes wigs for children who have lost their hair. Anyone interested in taking part can contact eclipze@eclipze.ky or 945-1188. FEMA says it did not treat Puerto Ricans differently from Texans and Floridians ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – The Fed- eral Emergency Manage- ment Agency says it did not handle housing vouchers for displaced residents of Puerto Rico any differently from those of displaced Texas and Florida residents after last year’s hurricanes. FEMA said in court papers filed Friday that it’s unfair to compare the three responses to the hurricanes because the governors of the two states and the island made different requests for fed- eral assistance. The agency is fighting a lawsuit brought by Puerto Rican evacuees who are asking a judge to extend vouchers allowing them to live in hotels until they find more permanent housing. The vouchers expire at the end of the month. “It is common sense that the impact of each di- saster is unique, causing dif- ferent types and amounts of damage, and affecting dif- ferent numbers of people,” government attorneys wrote. Moreover, FEMA said in the filing that it had ap- proved $3.9 billion in as- sistance for Puerto Rico for Hurricane Maria, $2.4 bil- lion for Texas for Hurricane Harvey and $1.1 billion for Florida for Hurricane Irma. The evacuees said in a court filing Friday that FEMA is not doing enough for the Puerto Ricans left homeless by Hurricane Maria, in con- trast to how it treated Texas residents after Hurricane Harvey last year. Attorneys for the evacuees said FEMA had provided housing assistance in a “discriminatory manner.” “FEMA is barred from ei- ther providing or terminating disaster assistance … in an unequal manner on account of race, color, nationality, type of citizenship, English pro- ficiency or economic status,” said the attorneys for the evacuees. “Plaintiffs … are mostly Spanish-speaking per- sons of color with a unique national identity and type of citizenship … They were hit the hardest, needed the most but have received the least.” Before ending the vouchers, the agency should make sure the evacuees find long-term housing, either through rental assistance or home-repair help, attor- neys for the Puerto Rican evacuees said. Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans are estimated to have moved to the mainland United States after last Sep- tember’s devastating storm. Hundreds of families are still using the vouchers. In many cases, FEMA workers have called evacuees and told them to go back to Puerto Rico, said the evacuees’ attorneys, who called it harassment. In cases where FEMA has helped with rental assistance, the amount is based on Puerto Rican market rates and do not cover the more expensive rent in the mainland United States, the evacuees said. “This means that poorer Puerto Rican … evacuees must remain in transitional housing for a longer period of time in order to amass the amount of money needed to move out,” they said. Ex-Gitmo detainee now selling sweets in Uruguay FEMA said in the filing that it had approved $3.9 billion in assistance for Puerto Rico for Hurricane Maria, $2.4 billion for Texas for Hurricane Harvey and $1.1 billion for Florida for Hurricane Irma. MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) – A bit of sweetness has entered the life of at least one of the men formerly held at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay prison camp. Ahmed Ahjam opened a small stall selling Arabic pastries Monday at a public market in the Uruguayan capital, passing out free sam- ples of cellophane-wrapped ma’amul to supporters, local officials and poten- tial customers. Ahjam is one of six former detainees accepted by Uru- guay in 2014 after U.S. au- thorities decided they posed no threat but could not be sent to their homelands. Ahjam spent a dozen years imprisoned at Guantanamo, and like the other five de- tainees here, he has struggled to adapt to the South Amer- ican country. But the former jeweler from Syria learned to make sweets such as baklava with recipes from his sisters and has been earning money selling them at fairs and private events. A city development agency helped him open the stall at the Mercado Agricola, a his- toric covered market with nearly 100 shops. “Many thanks to all the Uruguayans who are helping me. I’m going to work hard to fulfill this dream,” he said as he cut the ribbon on the stand. Montevideo’s Mayor Daniel Martinez and officials who have aided the former detainees attended. Ahjam is the only one of the six – four Syrians, a Pal- estinian and a Tunisian – who has managed to find a regular job in the country of 3.2 million people. The government has been giving the men a stipend of about $420 a month and cov- ering their rent, as well as offering job and language training. But the aid is due to run out at the end of this year. The most discontented of the group, Abu Wa’el Dhiab, left Uruguay in late June and went to Turkey, according to government. Syrian Ahmed Ahjam, left, hands out samples at the opening of his Middle Eastern pastry shop at the Mercado Agricola in Montevideo, Uruguay, Monday. - PHOTO: AP The Cut-A-Thon aims to raise breast cancer awareness.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY AUGUST 14, 2018 OCTOBER , The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman www.breastcancerfoundation.ky info@breastcancerfoundation.ky PRINT MEDIA SPONSOR Featuring Special Guest Speaker Shannen D hert THANK YOU TO OUR PLATINUM SPONSOR UK committee opens inquiry into relationship with OTs KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com The United Kingdom’s Commons Select Committee is conducting an inquiry into the relationship between the U.K. Foreign and Common- wealth Office and the British Overseas Territories. According to an announce- ment by the committee, the inquiry will look into the re- silience of the overseas ter- ritories, how effectively the FCO manages its responsibil- ities toward them, and how it envisages their future. The committee is looking to collect information about the governance and financing of the overseas territories, in- cluding the Cayman islands, their adherence to human rights frameworks, and what benefits the U.K. and its terri- tories get from each other. “The Overseas Territories have a special place in our constitution. They are self- governing but part of the United Kingdom. As our place in the world changes, we need to think about the ef- fect on them and whether the structure of our relationships still works,” said Commons Select Committee Chairman Tom Tugendhat. “The Com- mittee will look at these dis- tant parts of our community and look at how we work to support all our communities.” The committee stated that this inquiry has been spurred by recent events that have strained the rela- tionship between the U.K. and its overseas territories, including hurricanes, data leaks and Brexit. “This led some OTs to question the Government’s willingness to support them. Relations have been put under further strain due to high-pro- file instances of divergence be- tween the UK and some of the OTs on issues such as civil rights and financial transpar- ency,” the committee stated. “In the light of these concerns, this inquiry will consider the resilience of the OTs, how ef- fectively the FCO manages its responsibilities towards them, and how it envisages their future. The inquiry is likely to be structured around overarching themes but may look at individual OTs, as and when appropriate.” Written submissions about these issues can be made through Sept. 3 online at www.parliament.uk. The inquiry will look into the resilience of the overseas territories, how effectively the FCO manages its responsibilities toward them, and how it envisages their future. Tom Tugendhat, Commons Select Committee chairman Cayman hosts regional pharmacy conference Free consultations available The public will have a chance to ask pharmacists directly about medications they are currently taking or those they may be curious about at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Victory Tabernacle Church on Eastern Avenue. The event is part of the 38th annual Caribbean Asso- ciation of Pharmacists Con- ference, being held this week at the Grand Cayman Mar- riott Beach Resort. The con- ference, which runs through Sunday, is expected to at- tract 120 pharmacists from the Caribbean, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Tuesday’s public event will feature a panel discus- sion addressing health-re- lated concerns attendees may have. Free wellness checks are being offered. And those who wish can bring their medica- tions for free consultation. During the conference this week, along with issues of global concern – such as the nature of migraines and fighting microbes in hos- pital settings – there will be seminars related directly to Cayman, dealing with med- ical marijuana and pre- venting an opioid crisis. Attendees will also be given a taste of Cayman culture. In a news release, Ketesha Salmon, president of the Cayman Pharmacists’ Associ- ation, said it is a chance for local businesses to shine. The conference, she said, “is a great opportu- nity for the Cayman phar- macists to showcase the pro- fession of pharmacy in the Cayman Islands.” It’s also a chance for the islands’ pharmacists to learn about the latest pharmaco- logical research. “Such updates will have a profound impact on the quality of healthcare that our pharmacists provide,” Ms. Salmon said. DUI SUSPECT CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING POLICE STUDENT SNACK DRIVE UNDER WAY A 32-year-old man ar- rested on suspicion of DUI following a single vehicle collision in West Bay early Saturday was charged with assaulting police after he allegedly kicked an officer. Police responded to a re- port of the collision shortly before 2:30 a.m. in the vi- cinity of Boatswain Bay Road, where a Toyota 4Runner had run off the roadway. At the scene, officers found a man who identi- fied himself as the driver of the vehicle. “He appeared unsteady on his feet and showed other signs of intoxication. When asked to provide his driver’s license, he stated that he did not have one,” police said in a press release. The man was arrested on suspicion of DUI and while being placed in the police vehicle, he began to act in “an aggressive manner, kicking one of the officers,” police said. He was taken into cus- tody and breath tested, with a reading of 0.195 per- cent. The legal maximum level in the Cayman Islands is 0.1 percent. It was later determined that he had been driving the vehicle without permis- sion, police said. Police charged the man, from Bodden Town, with assaulting a police of- ficer, taking a conveyance without consent, driving without being licensed or authorized, driving while over the prescribed limit and careless driving. He was due to appear in court Monday. It’s hard for a hungry kid to learn. Numerous studies have shown that pro- viding food for potentially hungry students improves school performance. Rotoract and Feed our Future are in the midst of their annual “Ready, Set, Snack!” drive to collect snacks and money from the community in an ef- fort to ensure that children aren’t hungry in school. The groups will be collecting donations at Hurley’s su- permarket on Aug. 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feed Our Future will use 100 percent of the funds raised to purchase more snacks or hot lunch meals. Recipients of the snacks are determined on a needs basis. Approved snacks in- clude Bumblebee Quick Snack Packs, Essential, Quaker and Nature Valley granola bars, Mott’s and Essential applesauce, Del Monte Fruit Cups, Annie’s Fruit Snacks, Kind bars and Bobo’s Oat Bars. For more information, email communityservice.rotaractky@ gmail.com.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. Never has there been so much grassroots support for Astroturf, as North Side neighbors rally to push forward long-awaited playing field improvements for the students of Edna M. Moyle Primary School. We support the community’s spirit and empa- thize with their impatience. There is no question that the students and community will benefit from the new football field and track, yet – thanks to govern- ment inaction – this relatively simple project has lain dormant for years. Generally, we strongly favor private initiatives and, more broadly, “initiative.” File it under the general heading of “self-reliance.” That said, it is not ideal for private parties (the PTA, interested parents and other well-meaning volunteers) to construct the much-needed field all on their own. After all, it is a public facility; therefore, it deserves public support. The fault lies not with the ambitious and civic- minded North Siders, but with the Ministry of Education, which has been, at best, a non-participant in the project. Let’s review: A generous North Sider bought and donated a swath of artificial turf for the field. North Side MLA Ezzard Miller called a press conference last month to discuss what he terms “the ongoing battle” with government to construct the field. In the meantime, all sorts of people have stepped forward to help. We’re not sure if “it takes a village” to improve a playing field. But this project has a village behind it. Mr. Miller said he received advice about how to prepare the rocky, flood-prone ground from Donovan Ebanks, who grew up in North Side and later served as the Public Works Department’s chief engineer. Mr. Ebanks said he is happy to assist and hopes to see the project completed soon, adding, “I think it will be a definite enhancement to the school.” PTA president Carol Saunds said she hopes truck owners, heavy equipment operators and even parents with rakes and shovels will step up to transport and spread the fill. Mr. Miller said he has been talking with Island Paving and Paramount Carpet about laying the hot-mix asphalt and artificial turf – which was pur- chased by a donor earlier this year (for $17,000) and shipped from Miami by the PTA (for about $5,000). The PTA plans to raise funds for any costs over and above the donations they are able to secure. We suggest shaking their tin directly in front of Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, acting Chief Officer Cetonya Cacho and others who have failed to recognize adequately the community’s efforts. We, and we are sure Mr. Miller, are pleased to report that the government, at least, agreed to waive import duty and port storage fees on the artificial turf. The last public word heard from the Ministry of Education was last month’s demurral that the field has not been budgeted for in the current funding cycle, along with bureaucratic statements of concern about the artificial turf, potentially causing “aesthetic” issues as the material fades in the sun. (Compared with “no turf,” faded turf is a fashion faux pas we are confident young footballers would be content to overlook.) With volunteers already stepping forward to do most of the heavy lifting, both literally and financially, we are confident education officials – or failing that, Cabinet – could readily find enough spare change in the budget, approaching $800 million for central gov- ernment alone, for the relatively modest project. The truth is, public purse holders are able to find funds to cover unanticipated expenses all the time. That is part and parcel of the budgeting process. If bureaucrats can locate the cash to fund OfReg’s international travel and consultant overruns, to hold a summer version of the island-wide “Christmas cleanup” project, and to purchase pieces of beachfront property in George Town, they (meaning “we”) can surely spare a few dollars for youngsters in North Side. We are concerned that the resistance may not be primarily practical in nature, but political. Officials should ‘play ball’ with North Side parents TUESDAY AUGUST 14, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Why are bison no longer endangered? There are an estimated 5,000 bison in Yellowstone National Park owned by the government. An estimated almost 100 times as many, from 300,000 to 500,000, are in herds that are privately owned. A century ago, the bison was almost extinct in the United States, and only a few hundred were alive. Bison, like chickens and cattle, are now abundant be- cause private owners are al- lowed to own them and sell the meat for food, as well as other parts of the animals. That is, the owners have a strong economic incentive to raise many healthy animals. The Trump administra- tion has proposed reforms to the Endangered Spe- cies Act (ESA), which pre- dictably has caused outrage among some self-identified environmentalists. Winding its way through the courts is the case of the invisible frog – aka, the “dusky gopher frog.” The government wants to lock up privately owned land as potential habitat in areas where the frog is not known to exist, plus thou- sands of acres of habitat for an estimated 100 frogs. The lock-up of these lands would cause severe economic loss for the landowners. As former senior Justice Department and EPA offi- cial and lawyer, Gary Baise, has written: “The ESA de- fines a threatened species as one ‘that is likely to be- come an endangered species within the foreseeable fu- ture throughout all or a sig- nificant portion of its range.’ Neither the 1973 law nor cur- rent regulations, however, define ‘foreseeable future.’” There have been, and are, endless battles between government bureaucrats and private landowners over which species are or will be endangered and who will endure the cost of pro- tecting them. There are so- lutions that would reduce conflict and save the an- imals without requiring some individuals to suffer a disproportionate cost in preservation. As with most things, there is a market solution which works better than government theft of pri- vate property and coercion. Under the current system, a landowner finding an en- dangered species on his or her property has a strong in- centive to kill it before the government becomes aware that it is on the landowner’s property, which they then might lock up. Instead, imagine a system when the govern- ment identifies an endan- gered or potentially endan- gered species, it auctions off entitlements to pro- tect and increase the pop- ulation of the species. Zoos and wildlife parks already do this to some extent. As- sume that the government determines that a desert gopher rat might become endangered. Rather than prohibiting landowners from using their land to its highest and best potential because some rats happen to live there, private par- ties (both nonprofit environ- mental organizations and profit-making companies) could be licensed to acquire or lease suitable habitat and start raising the endan- gered rat on the land. The government would determine the level of de- sired population and then the licensee would be paid for hitting specified popula- tion targets within a speci- fied period of time. The cost burden would be shared among all taxpayers and not disproportionally borne by a property owner un- lucky enough to have an en- dangered species on his or her property. In some cases, land- owners might find it more profitable to “farm” the en- dangered species, as a way of obtaining the government payments, rather than raise other animals or timber, or whatever, on their land. This system would be far fairer and reduce conflict. The concept is not new. More than a half century ago, Sir Antony Fisher, a suc- cessful British chicken pro- ducer and policy entrepre- neur, developed an idea for replenishing the oceans of sea turtles which had be- come endangered. Mature female sea turtles often lay more than 100 eggs at a time in batches in holes they dig on beaches, yet few (less than 1 percent) of the hatch- lings ever reach maturity be- cause of animal and human predators. Sir Antony real- ized that if sea turtle eggs were incubated like chicken eggs and if the turtles were protected until they were big enough (about age 5) to avoid predators and then released into the wild, stocks could be replenished. To pay for the opera- tion, Sir Antony estab- lished a turtle farm in the Cayman Islands, whereby sea turtles were raised for their meat (which is very tasty and healthy) and their shells, etc., and where 20 percent of the turtles – at age 5 – were set free. Unfor- tunately, unknowing or un- caring environmentalists in the United States managed to get legislation passed which prohibited trade in sea turtle products. The Cayman farm, being unable to sell to the United States and other coun- tries, and being located in a very small population ju- risdiction was unable to reach the necessary size for viability. Eventually, the Cayman government took over the turtle farm where it is a tourist attrac- tion and sells turtle prod- ucts for local consumption while replenishing wild stocks. The sea turtle is still unnecessarily endan- gered because too few gov- ernments will permit it to be farmed and its products sold – all because of the en- vironmental lobby. If you care about pre- serving endangered species – eat them – wherever they are farmed. An increased de- mand for endangered spe- cies products will increase the supply of them, provided they are privately owned and protected from poachers and other miscreants. 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 RICHARD W. RAHN 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” Eat endangered species A century ago, the bison was nearly extinct. Now, hundreds of thousands of the animals roam the United States, the vast majority on private land.The islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY AUGUST 14, 2018 in his career was chief engi- neer with the Public Works Department. Mr. Ebanks grew up in North Side, at- tended the district primary school, and has maintained his interest in the district. Mr. Miller said Mr. Ebanks advised that one of the first things needed was a level survey to establish how much the area needed to be filled and where. Mr. Miller reported that the survey had already begun, and he ex- pected that phase of the project to have been com- pleted by Friday, Aug. 10. Mr. Ebanks subsequently told the Cayman Compass that he would be keeping in touch with Mr. Miller on the project and hoped to see it completed soon. “If there are other areas that I can assist, or get others to do so, I will. I think it will be a definite enhancement to the school,” he said. Mr. Miller and current PTA president Carol Saunds expressed their belief that this attitude was strong among other people who had attended the school or who retained ties with the district. They hope truck owners and heavy equipment opera- tors will want to get involved. A couple of 15- or 20-yard dump trucks will be needed to transport fill from the quarry in East End. Then, “a couple of men with backhoes can do the rough spread of the fill.” Ms. Saunds encouraged parents to come out with rakes and shovels to help spread the fill and show their support for the project. A communications channel has been opened with all par- ents by the school, she noted, so parents will be updated on the project. Hauling and spreading the fill could take five to 10 days, Mr. Miller suggested. The next steps will be the laying of hot-mix asphalt and the laying out of the artifi- cial turf. Mr. Miller said he has been speaking with Is- land Paving and Paramount Carpet for these stages. He also hoped the National Roads Authority could help. Funds will have to be raised to cover what the PTA executive cannot get donated. Earlier this year, a donor purchased the turf for $17,000 and then paid to have it shipped to Miami, Mr. Miller said. The school PTA paid $5,248.24 to have it shipped to Cayman. Gov- ernment agreed to waive duty and the Port Authority agreed to donate storage fees, he reported. Government has agreed to the proposed plan for the site, Mr. Miller said. It will include a football playing area 75 by 150 feet, with a four-lane track around it. A man in the audience asked about the potential consequences of the Astro- turf being the indoor va- riety. Mr. Miller said he had checked with the supplier and was told that, because it was not treated for protec- tion from ultra-violet rays, it might fade. If the turf lasts three years, he suggested, the gov- ernment would have time to budget for something more permanent. That goal will be easier to reach because the basic foundation will al- ready be in place. Once the playfield is completed, a hard court on the east side of the school could be opened for public use, he said. “I believe you can get something done if you just do it,” Mr. Miller concluded. People with dump trucks or heavy equipment who are willing to help can call PTA president Carol Saunds at 925-3616 or email emps.pta@ gmail.com or nsmla@candw.ky. Carol Saunds PTA charges ahead with North Side school playfield CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Concerns expressed by the Ministry of Education included proper drainage in the area, and site preparation. 44 respond to call for nationwide iguana cull JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A call for iguana hunters and culling businesses to put themselves forward for a nationwide eradication effort at- tracted 44 responses. Timothy Austin, deputy director of the Department of Environment, said the level of response to the request for infor- mation was extremely encouraging. He said the DoE was still analyzing the responses and would likely put out a full request for proposals shortly be- fore beginning to issue culling con- tracts next month. The DoE hopes new and existing iguana culling businesses will ramp up their operations to deal with the growing invasive species problem. At a press conference last month, officials warned that they would need to start culling in excess of a million iguanas each year to get to grips with the problem. The initial request for information was designed to gauge the level of in- terest and capability within Cayman to meet that task. Questions have been raised about whether the $1.1 million an- nual funding currently budgeted will be enough to finance a cull on the scale required. Mr. Austin said Monday that the focus of the DoE right now was to get the program started and to cull as many iguanas as possible with the fi- nances available. He said the response to the request for information was very good. “We had 44 people fill out the form and a lot more come into the office,” he said. “There is generally a large amount of interest out there and we are pleas- antly surprised with it. “The next step is to get an RFP [re- quest for proposals] together. We are pushing hard to start in September,” He said the landfill site was being prepared in readiness for an inun- dation of iguanas. He believes many of the businesses that responded to the request for information, including some who already work culling iguanas in the private sector, would be ready to start immediately. “There is lead time for some of them, but most indicated they would be good to go for September,” he said. Timothy Austin, deputy director of the Department of Environment, said the level of response to the request for information was extremely encouraging. The Department of Environment is looking for cullers to help cut down on the invasive green iguana population. Weather Service schools Cayman interns The Cayman Islands National Weather Service is taking knowledge and paying it forward. Madison Szeryk, Ben- jamin Harding and Kieran Williams interned with the Weather Service this year, and a number of public and private schools across the island have made class visits to learn about the field of meteorology. The Weather Service in- terns serve for a period of up to two months. “Our intern placements are a great way for older stu- dents to gain hands-on work experience and valuable in- sights into the things we do in the world of weather fore- casting,” said John Tibbetts, the director general of the Cayman Islands National Weather Service. Interns have a widely varying scope of responsi- bility at the weather ser- vice, but students gener- ally have an opportunity to learn how weather observa- tions are taken. Interns are also taught basic analysis techniques to help them understand how weather forecasts are done on a daily basis. “After spending a little time with us, our in- terns are amazed at how much they have learned, especially since fore- casting weather is a mix of science, technology and charts,” Mr. Tibbetts said. “We hope that their ex- perience with the team at the National Weather Ser- vice will inspire some of our students to consider meteorology as a future career path.” “Our intern placements are a great way for older students to gain hands-on work experience and valuable insights into the things we do in the world of weather forecasting.” JOHN TIBBETTS, Cayman Islands National Weather Service Benjamin Harding collects his certificate of attendance from John Tibbetts for working as an intern with the Cayman Islands National Weather Service.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. TUESDAY AUGUST 14, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS WEDNESDAY, AUG. 15 SELF-HARM PREVENTION: The Ministry of Community Affairs invites the public to a presentation on identifying self-harm and suicidal thoughts. The free presentation, being hosted with the support of the Alex Panton Foundation, will educate parents, residents and the community on how to identify self-harm and suicidal thoughts/behaviors. Attendees will also be advised about how to respond and who to reach out to for help, guidance and support. 6:30–8 p.m. John Gray Memorial Church, West Bay. THURSDAY, AUG. 16 PUB QUIZ: Fidel Murphy’s, West Bay Road. 7 p.m. $10 per person, teams maximum of six members. Humane Society fundraiser. To reserve a table, contact 949-5189 or sarah.dyer81@gmail.com. FRIDAY, AUG. 17 SCHOOL HEALTH SCREENINGS: All students entering government or private schools for the first time are required to have health screenings before the new school year. Today is the last day for screenings at the John Gray High School Medical Centre. Screenings continue at the Public Health Department, Cayman Islands Hospital, Aug. 20-31. Completed forms from private physicians should be submitted to the Public Health Department, Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For screenings in Cayman Brac, call the Public Health Nurse on 948-2243. SATURDAY, AUG. 18 CIIPA CHARITY RUN: The Cayman Islands Institute of Professional Accountants invites the community to walk or run for Special Olympics Cayman Islands. Walkers and runners of all levels are invited to participate in a 5K or 10K distance, both starting at 6:30 a.m. This is chip- timed event and two water stations will be available on the course. The $25 race fee includes breakfast, and entry into the post-race prize draw. To register, visit www.ciipa.ky/Events-Calendar. STUFF THE BUS: School supply drive to benefit students assisted by Department of Children and Family Services, Needs Assessment Unit, Crisis Centre and Boys and Girls Homes. Supplies can be dropped off at donation boxes located at Caribbean Alliance Office at 203 Alissta Towers, Cost-U-Less or Hurley’s Media in Camana Bay or can be handed directly to event organizers and charity group representatives that will be hosting live drive events at various locations today. For more information or to organize a mini- collection, visit Facebook @StuffTheBusCayman or call Caribbean Alliance on 949-9744. TUESDAY, AUG. 21 SEAFARERS: The Seafarers Association advises all members that there will be a General Meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Seafarers Hall, 11 Victory Ave. Prospect. Buses will be provided from West Bay Town Hall at 6 p.m. A bus route in George Town leaves the public library parking area at 7 p.m., stopping at Cayman Compass building and the Airport Foster’s. The bus is marked Bobo $1 Public transport and is blue in color; there is no charge. FRIDAY, AUG. 24 LIQUOR LICENSE HOLDERS: License holders, including those with music and dancing licenses, are reminded that today is the deadline for applications. The Annual Liquor License Meeting is Sept. 13. SATURDAY, AUG. 25 BRAC CONCERT: The Brac Community Theatre Company presents a variety concert and fashion show at the Aston Rutty Civic Centre. Doors open 7 p.m. Show time 7:30 p.m. Contact 924-8446 for more information. WEDNESDAY, AUG. 29 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: The Family Resource Centre hosts a Domestic Violence Intervention Training workshop for frontline professionals and interested members of the community Wednesday through Friday, Aug. 29-31. The free three-day workshop will be held in George Town Library, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. As well as taking part in interactive presentations from external facilitators, participants will learn about ways to support individuals and families dealing with domestic violence. For further information and to register for the workshop, contact the FRC at 949-0006 or email frc@gov.ky. The program for Cayman Brac this month has been canceled. SELF-HARM PREVENTION: The Ministry of Community Affairs invites the public to a presentation on identifying self-harm and suicidal thoughts. The free presentation, being hosted with the support of the Alex Panton Foundation, will educate parents, residents and the community on how to identify self-harm and suicidal thoughts/behaviors. Attendees will also be advised about how to respond and who to reach out to for help, guidance and support. 7–8:30 p.m. Bodden Town Civic Centre. THURSDAY, AUG. 30 LITTLE CAYMAN VEHICLES: Vehicle licensing. 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Little Cayman District Office. BRAC COURT: Summary court today and tomorrow. Aston Rutty Civic Centre. 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 on 749-1121. BRAC YMCA: Summer Camp. $90 per camper, per week. Aug. 13-17, 20-24. Contact ysummercamp@ ymcacayman.ky for more information. KIDSABILITY: A variety of programs for various ages, with activities from school readiness to bike riding. Contact www.kidsability.ky. GENERAL INTEREST NCVO BARGAIN SHOP: The NCVO New To You Bargain Shop extends opening hours for the rest of August. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, except Sundays. Customers can find lightly used products on sale, including household items, baby supplies, toys, shoes, books, clothes (including select school uniforms) and craft items. The shop is located at 90A Anthony Drive, off Smith Road, (beside the rear entrance of The Pines Retirement Home). Sales benefit the NCVO’s children’s programs. For more information on the shop, its donation policy or volunteering, contact Mona at ncvocoordinator@ncvo.org.ky or 949-2124/526-1078. COMMERCIAL GARBAGE FEES: The Department of Environmental Health reminds all business operators/owners/strata in Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, who pay their fees by biannual installments, that garbage fees are due for the period ending June 30. In Grand Cayman, payments can be made at any post office or at the DEH main office, 580 North Sound Road from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. In the Sister Islands, payments can be made at District Administration. For additional information, contact the DEH at 949-6696 or dehcustomerservice@gov.ky. 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. 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. 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. The Cayman Islands Institute of Professional Accountants will hold a 5K/10K walk run at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 18, to raise funds for Special Olympics Cayman Islands.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY AUGUST 14, 2018 REPRINTED FROM THE HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW Health City may push US system to innovate VIJAY GOVINDARAJAN AND RAVI RAMAMURTI There was a time when the American steel industry seemed invincible. The Amer- ican automotive industry looked rock-solid. The Amer- ican consumer electronics in- dustry seemed untouchable. In every one of these cases, global competition changed the game forever. Will the same happen to healthcare in the United States? By almost any measure, American healthcare costs are out of control but the system refuses to change. What if you could provide excellent care at ultra-low prices at a loca- tion close to the U.S.? That is what Narayana Health (NH) did in 2014 by opening a hos- pital in the Cayman Islands – Health City Cayman Islands (HCCI) – which was close to America but outside its reg- ulatory ambit. Narayana Health’s founder, Dr. Devi Shetty, wanted to dis- rupt U.S. healthcare with this venture, set up in partner- ship with America’s largest not-for-profit hospital net- work, Ascension. “For the world to change, America has to change,” Shetty told us. “So it’s important that Amer- ican policymakers and Amer- ican think-tanks can look at a model that costs a fraction of what they pay and see that it has similarly good outcomes.” Narayana Health brought innovative practices honed in India to HCCI to offer first- rate care for 25-40 percent of U.S. prices. To be sure, this was not as cheap as NH’s services in India, where prices were 2-5 percent of U.S. prices, but HCCI’s prices are still a whop- ping 60-75 percent cheaper than U.S. prices, and even at those prices it could be ex- tremely profitable as patient volume picked up. Three years after its launch, HCCI had seen about 30,000 outpatients and over 3,500 inpatients. It had performed almost 2,000 procedures, including 759 cath-lab procedures. Despite low prices, HCCI’s outcomes were excellent with a mortality rate of zero – true value-based care. HCCI is ac- credited by Joint Commission International, another en- dorsement for quality. Patient testimonials were equally glowing. A vascular surgeon from Massachusetts, on vaca- tion at Cayman Islands, un- derwent open-heart surgery at HCCI following a heart at- tack. He had this to say: “I see plenty of patients post- cardiac surgery. My care and recovery [at HCCI] is as good or better than what I have seen. The model here is what the U.S. healthcare system is striving to get to.” The Cayman facility achieved ultra-low prices by adopting many of the frugal practices transferred from India, a case of re- verse innovation: The hospital was built at a cost of $700,000 per bed, versus $2 million per bed in the U.S. Its buildings had large windows to take advantage of natural light and ventila- tion, saving on air-conditioning costs. It had open-bay intensive care units, which optimized physical space and required fewer nurses to be on duty. Narayana Health lever- aged relations with its sup- pliers in India, where it en- joyed lower prices because of volume discounts, to get sim- ilar advantages at HCCI. For instance, all FDA-approved medicines were purchased at one-10th the cost for the same medicines in the U.S. HCCI could buy equipment for one-third or half as much it would cost in the U.S. HCCI outsourced back-of- fice operations – human re- sources, accounting, finance, medical transcription, radi- ology – to low-cost but high- skilled employees in India. High-performing doc- tors from India were trans- ferred to HCCI. Doctors were full-time employees on fixed salary with no perverse incen- tives to perform unnecessary tests or procedures. Doctors at HCCI received about 70 percent of U.S. salary levels. HCCI saved on costs through intelligent make- versus-buy decisions, for ex- ample, by making its own medical oxygen rather than importing it from the U.S. at high cost. Similarly, HCCI saved 40 percent on energy by building its own 1.2-mega- watt solar farm. The HCCI model is po- tentially very disruptive to U.S. healthcare. Even with zero co-pays and deductibles and free travel for the pa- tient and a chaperone for 1-2 weeks, insurers would save a lot of money. U.S. insurers and em- ployers have watched HCCI with interest but so far HCCI is not one of the options avail- able to their patients. But this is bound to change, especially as HCCI builds a track record and healthcare costs continue to soar in the U.S. A team of American doc- tors that visited HCCI came away with this warning: “The Cayman Health City might be one of the disruptors that fi- nally pushes the overly expen- sive U.S. system to innovate.” We contend that U.S. healthcare providers should pay attention to HCCI for two reasons. First, they can learn from HCCI how to pro- vide high-quality care while dramatically lowering costs. Second, they should con- sider opening similar near- shore facilities to treat some of their own patients and to serve as a lab for pro- cess innovations. Bottom line: U.S. health- care providers can afford to ignore experiments like HCCI at their own peril. Robert Pearl, CEO of Permanente Medical Group and a clinical professor of surgery at Stan- ford University put it well: “Ask most Americans about obtaining their healthcare outside of the United States, and they respond with dis- dain and negativity. In their mind, the quality and med- ical expertise available else- where is second-rate. Of course, that’s exactly what Yellow Cab thought about Uber, Kodak thought about digital photography, Gen- eral Motors thought about Toyota, and Borders thought about Amazon.” Hopefully U.S. health- care will not underestimate the disruptive threat from new entrants. Vijay Govindarajan is the Coxe Distinguished Professor of Management at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. He is a coauthor, with Ravi Ramamurti, of Reverse Innovation in Health Care: How to Make Value-Based Delivery Work (Harvard Business Review Press, 2018). Ravi Ramamurti is the University Distinguished Professor of International Business and Strategy and the director of the Center for Emerging Markets at Northeastern’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business. © 2018 Harvard Business Review. Distributed by The New York Times Syndicate. National Workforce Devel- opment Agency and recently worked as an intern with the Passport2Success program, but has been unable to find long-term employment. “It would be very good to get something full time,” she said. “I have three kids to look after, so it is hard to do certain shifts, but I will take anything that is going.” According to Minister Joey Hew, the program aims to help people who have been unemployed for a long time acclimatize to the world of work. He said the best workers could put themselves in the frame for full-time jobs with the government departments involved – the National Roads Authority, the Department of Environ- mental Health and the Public Works Department. Mr. Hew acknowledged the program did not provide a long-term solution for un- employment in Cayman but said it would help make a difference for some people. For Brian Rankine, the program is an opportunity to take another step on his road to recovery from drug addiction. Mr. Rankine has been three months sober and is in a rehabilitation pro- gram in West Bay. He wants to get some work experi- ence, and to raise funds for medical tests and to take a safety management course that he hopes will lead to steady employment. “I think it is a great pro- gram and a benefit to the community,” he said. Audrey Bodden said she still needed to work, despite entering her later years, and wants to see government do more to help Caymanians get full employment. “I came out of high school with seven O Levels and I still know everything I knew then,” Ms. Bodden said. “I am 64 but I am still fit and ready to work. I don’t have a pen- sion or retirement savings so I need to work.” She said she was con- cerned to see so many people out looking for work. “It is a sin. When you look at the ages of the people here, people with kids. Government really needs to do whatever they can to change the law. People can’t survive on two weeks work,” she said. Others expressed dis- appointment that the pro- gram was no substitute for a full-time job. “I need a good job, not just for two weeks but 365 days a year,” said Clay- burn Ebanks, 44. “I need money to buy toilet paper, food, water, things to live. I can’t do any lifting after getting injured on the job, but I can answer tele- phones and do other jobs. I feel really left out in my own country … prison, graveyard, starvation, that’s what’s left for Caymanians.” Former seafarer Rayburn Ebanks, 78, added, “I’m sup- posed to license and insure my car and I can’t do it, things not too hot.” Mr. Ebanks makes a living by selling local produce on the roadside. “I receive a little seaman’s pension but that goes directly to the bank to pay the mort- gage, food and other living expense I have to find,” he said, adding that he signed up for the work program to make ends meet. “Things are really bad.” Mr. Ebanks shook his finger at the government. “When they want your vote, they know to give you their phone number, after they get in, they don’t answer the phone and tell you it’s gov- ernment budget that’s at fault,” he said. Kadesha McFarlane, 24, from East End, said she re- cently had a child and needed money. “There needs to be more schools for young Cayma- nians that have kids to go and learn skills or trades to help them get on.” Arlene Parker, from West Bay, said she had been out of work for a year. She said she had previously worked in the tourism industry but was made redundant by the tour company she worked for. “I like working with people,” she said. “I like working in tourism but I will take anything I can get right now.” Minister Hew said he be- lieved the numbers were lower than when the same program was held at Christmas. “We want to see low num- bers,” he said. “We hope all those who are unemployed and want to work do come out, but we want to see those numbers dwindling.” “A lot of people criticize the program saying it is not what we should be doing, but there are some people who for one reason or another just can’t keep full-time em- ployment, and this is also an opportunity for them to as- sist their kids, grandkids, get- ting back to school. It is also a great opportunity for us to prepare some of our areas ahead of hurricane season and for a little bit of a face- lift ahead of what should be an amazing tourism season,” the minister said. George Town Central leg- islator Kenneth Bryan at- tended the event along with several of his constituents. He said it was a “bitter- sweet situation.” “It is good to see a lot of Caymanians have come out to take advantage of the op- portunity but sadly this is twice a year now and it gives me an indication that we are going in the wrong di- rection in respect of helping these individuals,” he said. “The way the economy is going right now, we would expect to have to do this less rather than more.” He said he would like to see more pressure placed on businesses to give opportu- nities to Caymanians, par- ticularly amid a construc- tion boom. He also wants to see more money diverted to short-term training pro- grams to provide unemployed people with skills to get full-time work. Applicants line up outside the Lions Centre on Monday to sign up for this summer’s National Community Enhancement program. - PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY Health City Cayman Islands opened its doors in 2014. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Hundreds enroll in NiCE workThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 Death toll from Pakistan coal mine blast climbs to 8 A Pakistani official says rescuers have recovered four more bodies from a coal mine that caved in after a methane gas explosion, bringing the total death toll to eight. Iftikhar Ahmed, a mine inspector, said Monday that five other workers are still missing inside the mine in the village of Sanjdi, some 30 miles east of Quetta. TUESDAY AUGUST 14, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Rival Korea leaders to meet in Pyongyang in September SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – The rival Koreas announced Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet in Pyongyang sometime in September, while their envoys also discussed Pyongyang’s nuclear disarmament efforts and in- ternational sanctions. The push for what would be the leaders’ third summit since April comes amid renewed worries sur- rounding a nuclear standoff be- tween Washington and Pyongyang. The announcement released after nearly two hours of talks led by the rivals’ chiefs for inter-Korean affairs was remarkably thin on details. In a three-sentence joint statement, the two sides did not mention an exact date for the summit and provided no details on how to implement past agreements. Ri Son Gwon, the head of the North Korean delegation, told pool reporters at the end of the talks that officials agreed on a specific date for the summit in Pyong- yang sometime within September, but he refused to share the date, saying he wanted to “keep re- porters wondering.” The South Korean unification minister, Cho Myoung-gyon, told reporters after the meeting that of- ficials still had some work to do before agreeing on when exactly the summit would happen. He said the two sides will again discuss when the leaders would meet but did not say when. It was not clear why Ri and Cho differed on the issue of the date, and Cho would not answer a spe- cific question about the discrepancy. The meeting at a North Korea- controlled building in the border village of Panmunjom comes as the international community waits to see if North Korea will begin aban- doning its nuclear weapons pro- gram, something officials suggested would happen after Kim’s summit with President Donald Trump in June in Singapore. North Korea is thought to have a growing arsenal of nuclear bombs and long-range missiles and to be closing in on the ability to reli- ably target anywhere on the U.S. mainland. A string of North Ko- rean weapons tests last year, during which Pyongyang claimed to have completed its nuclear arsenal, had many in Asia worried that Wash- ington and Pyongyang were on the brink of war. Cho, the chief of the South Ko- rean delegation, said the two sides also “talked a lot” about interna- tional sanctions meant to punish the North for its development of nuclear weapons, but he didn’t elaborate. Seoul has been preparing for possible economic collaboration with Pyongyang that could go ahead when sanctions are lifted. Pyong- yang has urged Washington to ease the economic punishments, but the United States says that cannot happen until the North completely denuclearizes. The South Korean envoy said he urged Pyongyang to accelerate its current nuclear negotiations with the United States. The North said it was making efforts to disarm, but Cho said there were no new details on those efforts. Experts say there has been slow progress on those efforts since the Singapore summit. Pyongyang has urged Wash- ington to reciprocate its good- will gestures, which include sus- pending missile and nuclear tests and returning the remains of Americans who fought in the Ko- rean War. Washington, which can- celed an annual joint military ex- ercise with South Korea that had taken place in August in previous years, has refused to ease sanctions until North Korea finally and fully denuclearizes. In a three-sentence joint statement, the two sides did not mention an exact date for the summit and provided no details on how to implement past agreements. 120 Afghan forces, civilians killed in battle with Taliban KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Four days of ferocious fighting be- tween Afghan forces and the Taliban over a key provin- cial capital has claimed the lives of about 100 Afghan po- licemen and soldiers and at least 20 civilians, the defense minister said Monday. The staggering numbers provided by Gen. Tareq Shah Bahrami were the first offi- cial casualty toll since the Tal- iban launched a massive as- sault on Ghazni, the capital of Ghazni province, last Friday. The multi-pronged as- sault overwhelmed the city’s defenses and allowed insur- gents to capture several parts of it. It was a major show of force by the Taliban, who in- filtrated deep into this stra- tegic city barely 75 miles from the capital, Kabul. The United States has sent military advisers to aid Afghan forces. The fall of Ghazni, a city of 270,000 people, would mark an important victory for the Taliban. It would also cut off a key highway linking Kabul to the southern prov- inces, the Taliban’s tradi- tional heartland. Bahrami, the defense min- ister, spoke to reporters at a press conference in Kabul on Monday. He said the casualty figures are not yet definite and that the numbers might change. He did not offer a breakdown of the casualties but Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak said nearly 70 policemen were among those killed. Bahrami said about 1,000 additional troops have been sent to Ghazni and helped prevent the city from falling into Taliban hands. He also said 194 insur- gents, including 12 leaders, were killed – with Pakistani, Chechen and Arabs foreign fighters among the dead. The Taliban have in- flicted huge damages on the city, especially Ghazni’s his- toric parts and cultural her- itage, Bahrami said, adding that he believes the next 24 hours would turn the tide in the battle. Barmak, the interior min- ister, said top security and government officials, as well as the military chief of staff were now in Ghazni, leading the “clearing up operations” in different parts of the city.” The attack began on Friday, with insurgents in- filtrating people’s homes and slipping out into the night to attack Afghan forces in Ghazni. The Taliban also de- stroyed a telecommunica- tions tower on Ghazni’s outskirts, cutting off all landline and cellphone links to the city and making it dif- ficult to confirm details of the fighting. Afghan authorities have insisted that the city would not fall to the Taliban and that Afghan forces remained in control of key government positions and other insti- tutions there. Col. Fared Mashal, the province’s police chief, said the majority of the insurgents fighting in Ghazni are for- eigners, including Pakistanis and Chechens. “The Taliban have failed in reaching their goal,” Mashal added. Meanwhile, hun- dreds of civilians have fled from the city. One of them, 60-year-old Ghulam Mustafa, made it to neighboring Maidan Wardak province with 14 of his family members. “The city became so dan- gerous,” he told The Associ- ated Press. “Ghazni has be- come a ghost city.” Mustafa’s wife Razia said they had no food, water or and electricity for the past four days. “There were so many dead bodies under the bridges, at the side of roads and under the destroyed houses,” she said. A 14-year-old girl, Fe- reshta, who only goes by one name, said when the Taliban entered Ghazni, it was the first time in her life that she saw the insurgents. Over the past months, the Taliban have seized several districts across Afghanistan, staging near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces, but have been unable to capture and hold urban areas. The United States and NATO formally concluded their combat mission in Af- ghanistan at the end of 2014, but have since then repeatedly come to the aid of Afghan forces as they struggle to combat the re- surgent Taliban. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is said to be consid- ering a cease-fire offer to the Taliban for the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al- Adha, which starts Aug. 21. A three-day holiday cease-fire in June brought rare quiet to much of the country, but the insurgents rejected a govern- ment request to extend it. Gen. Tareq Shah Bahrami said 194 insurgents, including 12 leaders, were killed – with Pakistani, Chechen and Arabs foreign fighters among the dead. South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, right, and his North Korean counterpart Ri Son Gwon arrive to hold their meeting at the northern side of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, North Korea, Monday. - PHOTO: AP Injured men receive treatment Sunday at a hospital in Ghazni province west of Kabul, Afghanistan, where security forces are battling the Taliban for the third straight day. - PHOTO: AP9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY AUGUST 14, 2018 Turkey tries to contain crisis but currency keeps falling Iran’s top leader says no war or talks with US GLOBAL TRADE WOES WEIGH DOWN EURO-AREA ECONOMIC CONFIDENCE TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Iran’s supreme leader said Monday that his country will neither go to war nor enter into ne- gotiations with the United States as the Trump ad- ministration restores sanc- tions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal. In remarks carried by state television, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said “along with sanctions, Americans have recently raised two more op- tions, war and talks … War will not happen and we will not enter talks.” President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in May and last week the U.S. began restoring sanctions, exacer- bating a financial crisis in Iran that has sent its cur- rency tumbling. Trump has suggested he would be willing to hold talks with Iranian leaders, but that would be impossible without permission from Khamenei, who has the final say on all major policies. “Negotiations with the U.S. would definitely harm us and they are forbidden,” Khamenei said, adding that the Americans had proven they could not be trusted. “Negotiation with the bul- lying and very eager gov- ernment of the U.S. means giving it an instrument through which it can add to its hostility,” he said. Khamenei meanwhile blamed the monetary crisis on President Hassan Rou- hani’s administration, saying it resulted from “manage- ment problems unrelated to the sanctions.” Also on Monday, Iran said it launched a produc- tion line for a radar-evading, short-range missile. Defense Minister Gen. Amir Hatami told state TV the surface- to-surface missile, dubbed Fathe-e Mobin, or Bright Conqueror, was effective in all weather conditions. He did not discuss the range of the missile, but older versions like the Fathe- 313 have a range of some 300 miles. Iran is believed to have long-range mis- siles with a range of 1,250 miles, which are capable of reaching U.S. bases in the re- gion and Israel. Iran often announces military achievements that cannot be indepen- dently verified. Confidence in the euro- area economy dropped to its lowest level in a year, sug- gesting that the global trade conflict can weigh down growth momentum. The European Commis- sion’s measure of corporate and household sentiment index fell for a seventh straight month in July. Among executives, their view of the business climate dropped to an 11-month low. The report adds to signs that global uncertainty may be gaining the upper hand over strong domestic funda- mentals in the 19-nation bloc. While declining unemploy- ment is bolstering consumer spending and investment, companies with a strong ex- port focus are growing in- creasingly concerned. A gauge of export orders declined to the lowest since August last year and a mea- sure of production expecta- tions slipped. Daimler AG warned last week that lower earnings at Mercedes-Benz passenger cars will extend into the third quarter because of higher trade barriers. Automakers around the world have been detailing the injury they face under the tariff battle between U.S. President Donald Trump and his counterparts abroad – even as Trump and European Commission President Jean- Claude Juncker agreed to sus- pend new import tariffs while negotiating lower barriers to transatlantic commerce. European Central Bank Mario Draghi has singled out the threat of protectionism as a prominent risk to an other- wise encouraging economic outlook, adding that it’s too early to assess the deal struck in Washington last week. Fol- lowing the Governing Coun- cil’s policy meeting on July 26, he expressed confidence in “ongoing solid and broad- based” growth that should help bolster inflation. © 2018, Bloomberg ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Tur- key’s central bank took action Monday to free up cash for banks as the country grap- ples with a currency crisis sparked by concerns over President Recep Tayyip Erdo- gan’s economic policies and a trade and diplomatic dispute with the United States. The Turkish lira has nose- dived over the past week and tumbled another 7 percent on Monday as the central bank’s measures failed to restore in- vestor confidence. The uncertainty pushed down world stock markets and briefly caused a sharp drop in the currencies of other emerging economies, like South Africa and India, amid concerns that the finan- cial trouble could spread. The lira hit a record low of 7.23 per dollar late Sunday after Erdogan remained de- fiant in his economic policies and the standoff against the United States, a NATO ally. “Turkey is faced with an economic siege,” Erdogan said Monday, in the latest of a series of speeches. “We are taking the necessary steps against these attacks and will continue to do so.” He has threatened to seek new alliances – a veiled hint at closer ties with Russia – and warned of drastic mea- sures if businesses withdraw foreign currency from banks. Erdogan also ruled out the possibility of higher in- terest rates, as they can slow economic growth. But inde- pendent analysts say higher rates are needed urgently to stabilize the currency and Erdogan’s hard line is one of the reasons investors are worrying. Erdogan won a second term in office in June under a new system of government that gives him sweeping powers. He has used his new power to put pres- sure on the central bank to not raise rates. On Monday, the central bank announced a series of measures to “provide all the liquidity the banks need” – but offered no hint of a rate increase. The moves are meant to grease the financial system, ease worries about trouble at banks and keep them providing loans to people and businesses. In times of high uncer- tainty, banks tend to shy away from lending to each other. A so-called credit crunch, a lack of daily liquidity, can cause a bank to collapse. Simon Derrick, chief cur- rency strategist at BNY Mellon, said the central bank’s measures are unlikely to be enough. In the absence of a decisive rate increase, he said, “it is … hard to look at these announcements as being anything more than temporary calming measures, rather than solutions to the problems at hand.” The lira has now dropped some 45 percent this year. Part of the concerns about Turkey are the same as other emerging markets. As interest rates rise in the U.S., investors pull their money out of coun- tries that had enjoyed strong economic growth but are per- ceived as somewhat riskier. Turkey’s situation is among the most precarious among emerging markets be- cause so much of its growth was fueled with debt in for- eign currencies. That makes the currency drop so much more painful as it will in- crease the cost of servicing debt for Turkish companies and banks and could lead to bankruptcies. So far, the impact on de- veloped economies has been relatively contained. Stocks have fallen modestly in the U.S. and Europe since last week, but analysts do not see a big risk of financial turmoil. A few European banks have business there that could lead to losses, but that is not expected to pose a systemic danger to the region. Among the most impor- tant things investors are watching out for is whether Turkey, in an effort to stymie the outflow of capital from the country, puts limits on money flows. Berat Albayrak, Turkey’s finance chief – and Erdogan’s son-in-law – said Sunday that the government had no plans to seize foreign currency de- posits or convert deposits to the Turkish lira. He said it had readied an “action plan,” without elaborating. The country’s economic trouble has been height- ened by a dispute with the U.S. that has centered on the continued detention of an American pastor who is on trial for espionage and terror-related charges. The U.S. has responded by slap- ping financial sanctions on two ministers and later dou- bled steel and aluminum tar- iffs on Turkey. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday that the United States would not achieve aims by exerting pressure and imposing sanc- tions on Turkey. Addressing a conference in Ankara gathering Turkish ambassadors, he called on Washington to “remain loyal to ties based on traditional friendship and NATO alli- ance” with Turkey. Meanwhile, Turkey moved to take legal action against hundreds of social media accounts it accused of pro- voking the lira’s plunge. Turkey’s situation is among the most precarious among emerging markets because so much of its growth was fueled with debt in foreign currencies. “Negotiations with the U.S. would definitely harm us and they are forbidden.” AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI An oversized copy of a 200 Turkish lira banknote, featuring a photo of modern turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, decorates a currency exchange shop in Istanbul, Monday. Turkey’s central bank announced a series of measures on Monday to free up cash for banks as the country grapples with a currency crisis. - PHOTO: AP Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting in Tehran, Iran, Monday. - PHOTO: APNext >