ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 High of 90 Low of 78 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 SEEING THE WORLD WHILE WORKING FOR GOVERNMENT WORLD | PAGE 13 WESTMINSTER ABBEY GETS HOCKNEY-DESIGNED STAINED GLASS WINDOW HomeOptions Pay less for more cover with home insurance Save $250 with your first BritCay buildings insurance policy and a 10% car insurance discount . Many extra benefits, like $1 million liability insurance, are included in your cover. Ask for a quote! BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International Ltd: insurance, health, pensions, life Call 949-8699 www.britcay.ky cgigrp 10% discount applies if you have buildings Insurance Marketing professionals prepare for a screenless future MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com The idea might seem counterintuitive. Eleven years after the first iPhone was re- leased, smartphones have taken over almost every aspect of our lives and disrupted most types of businesses, from media to retail. In the process, the flickering screens of our phones have shaped our actions to such an extent that on average we check our phones 150 times a day. Disengaging in this way from the people around us has become socially acceptable. Yet, and perhaps because of this change in behavior, the future will see fewer screens, says Chris Neff, senior di- rector of innovation at creative agency The Community. The Hollywood depiction of the future, full of holograms and virtual reality-type experiences may not be that far away, he told attendees of the Cayman Islands Mar- keting Professionals Association’s annual conference on Wednesday. This year’s event explored the future of marketing with a line-up of international speakers and panel sessions, after a day of workshops prepared Cayman’s Vegetation fuels fire at Bodden Town quarry JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Large piles of vegetation that went up in flames in Bodden Town could burn for days, fire officials said on Tuesday. The blaze, which started around noon Tuesday, blanketed several homes with plumes of smoke in the neighborhoods around Pease Bay, including gov- ernment affordable homes on Sitwell Road, near Belford Drive. The plumes covered the af- ternoon sun like a blanket of dark clouds and showered the area with black soot, forcing residents to close their win- dows and door. At one point, the heavy plumes of smoke could be seen on the George Town skyline by residents and workers. “It was a lot of smoke around my house. It had me frightened as if my house was on fire,” said Meredith Clarke, a resident of Sitwell Road, who arrived home around 5 p.m. Tuesday to see the smoke. “The black smoke went high CHARITY PROJECT AIMS TO LIFT CHILDREN OUT OF POVERTY JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com An innovative new charity project aims to reverse trends in poverty by enticing some of Cayman’s biggest companies to invest in edu- cation for underprivileged children. Businesses can sponsor a child to fund four days a week of specialist one-on-one teaching as part of new initiatives by charity Acts of Random Kindness. The companies will receive progress updates and report cards and are encouraged to develop a real relationship with the child they support. Tara Nielsen, founder of ARK, said the aim was to provide a “fuel injection” to the educa- tion of children who lag behind in school be- cause of their family circumstances. After a decade of targeting the consequences of pov- erty through its ongoing housing, food and utilities support programs, Ms. Nielsen said ARK was attempting to tackle the root causes of generational poverty with the new “Mentor- Educate-Reinforce” program. She said the program currently had enough sponsorship to start this year with three chil- dren, identified through ARK’s programs and with the assistance of George Town Primary School. It is specifically aimed at children with learning delays or learning difficulties as a re- sult of difficult home life or living conditions. “These are children that started on the back foot but that are totally capable given time and a chance,” she said. In many circumstances, she said, parents in difficult circumstances lacked the resources to help their children. “We see how difficult it is for these single mums,” Ms. Nielsen said. “They may not have power or water, they may not read themselves or be able to help. There are so many hurdles Cayman Fire Chief David Hails and Fire Officer Roy Charlton tour the burning vegetation in the Bodden Town quarry. – PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » Chris Neff, senior director of innovation at creative agency The Community, predicts the rise of mixed reality technology, at the annual marketing conference hosted by the Cayman Islands Marketing Professionals Association at the Marriott Beach Resort Wednesday. – PHOTO: ALVARO SEREY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 »2 REGIONAL NEWS THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 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 PREDATOR (R) 1:00 3D I 2:50 3D I 4:20 VIP 9:00 I 10:00 3D A SIMPLE FAVOR (R) 1:40 I 4:20 I 9:55 CRAZY RICH ASIANS (PG13) 1:30 I 4:15 I 7:00 I 9:45 BLOCKBUSTER RE-RELEASE: BLACK PANTHER (PG13) 3:40 I 6:40 THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS (PG) 1:25 I 4:00 I 6:30 BLOCKBUSTER RE-RELEASE: JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM (PG13) 1:15 VIP I 7:00 THE NUN (R) 12:30 I 5:20 I 7:40 I 9:40 CAYMAN’S HOME EXPO GIFTS | DISCOUNTS | DEMOS | VISITING EXPERTS | PRIZES | FOOD & DRINKS Friday & Saturday, September 28 & 29 STARTS TOMORROW | PRIZES | FOOD & DRINKS Friday & Saturday, September 28 & 29 TOMORROW Study: Post-Maria contracts go to mainland, not Puerto Rico SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – A study published Wednesday found that the bulk of fed- eral funds slated for post- hurricane reconstruction ef- forts in Puerto Rico are going to mainland companies, de- spite a federal provision that states local companies should receive priority. Of the nearly $5 billion allocated by the U.S. govern- ment by late August for work in Puerto Rico, nearly $4.3 billion has been awarded to mainland U.S. firms and less than 10 percent to Puerto Rico companies, according to the study by the Center for a New Economy. The Puerto Rico-based think tank ana- lyzed a federal database of contracts awarded through late August after Hurricane Maria hit the U.S. territory. The study also found that of the 45 federal agen- cies that have awarded con- tracts after the storm, 24 of them did not give any to Puerto Rican firms. The findings have raised concerns that Puerto Rico will not see the expected economic boost a year after the Cat- egory 4 storm hit and as the island is struggling to emerge from a 12-year recession. “This popular notion that hurricanes and federal funds are going to lift the economy is not producing the re- sults we’re waiting for,” said Deepak Lamba-Nieves, co-au- thor of the study and the cen- ter’s investigations director. Most federal funds are going toward construc- tion, followed by services in- cluding engineering, inspec- tion and remediation, which have largely been awarded to U.S.-based firms. Mean- while, local firms have been contracted for jobs including waste collection, security and roofing, he said. The study also found that the federal government spent almost $12 billion in the first 336 days after Hurricane Ka- trina, more than double what has been spent so far in post- Maria contracts in Puerto Rico. Raul Santiago, co-au- thor of the study and the center’s research associate, noted that Katrina caused an estimated $160 billion in damage, compared with the $140 billion that Puerto Rico’s government is re- questing after Maria. He said that current con- tracts could be amended to include more Puerto Rico companies. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Federal Emer- gency Management Agency declined immediate comment, saying officials had not yet obtained a copy of the study. Meanwhile, an analysis that Moody’s Analytics pub- lished on Wednesday es- timates that Puerto Ri- co’s economy will rebound through early 2019 but then “come off its disaster re- lief-induced sugar high in 2020.” The analysis assumes that at least $62 billion in overall disaster relief will be spent in Puerto Rico in the next decade. “Puerto Rico’s economy is in for a rollercoaster ride over the next couple of years,” the report stated. “How steep and dizzying the ride turns out to be will depend on the fiscal boost the island receives.” 80,000 PEOPLE DIED OF FLU LAST WINTER IN U.S. NEW YORK (AP) – The U.S. government esti- mates that 80,000 Amer- icans died of flu and its complications last winter – the disease’s highest death toll in at least four decades. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion, Dr. Robert Red- field, revealed the total in an interview Tuesday night with The As- sociated Press. Flu experts knew it was a very bad season, but at least one found size of the esti- mate surprising. “That’s huge,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt Univer- sity vaccine expert. The tally was nearly twice as much as what health officials previ- ously considered a bad year, he said. In recent years, flu- related deaths have ranged from about 12,000 to – in the worst year – 56,000, ac- cording to the CDC. Incoming Mexican president to accept truth commission MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mex- ican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday his administra- tion will accept a truth com- mission to investigate the case of 43 teachers-college students missing since Sept. 26, 2014, drawing rare praise and expressions of hope from the long-suffering par- ents of the victims. Wednesday marked the fourth anniversary of the students’ abduction by cor- rupt police in the southern city of Iguala. Prosecutors say the police turned the students over to a drug gang, which allegedly killed them and incinerated their bodies. But apart from charred bone fragments matched to one student, their bodies have never been found. Parents of the 43 missing youths met with Lopez Ob- rador, and in a tear-filled news conference afterward said they had hope for the first time in four years. “This is the first day in all these last four years that we parents feel hope that we will get the truth,” said Epifanio Alvarez, his voice shaking. “This is the first day that a government has said to us, ‘We are going to help, we are going to get to the truth.’” “God willing we will get to hug our children, God willing we will arrive at the truth,” Alvarez said. Another parent, Maria Elena Guerrero, said the new investigative commis- sion would be coordinated with a group of experts from the Inter-American Human Rights Commission, the United Nations and Mexico’s own Human Rights Commis- sion. “Without truth there is no justice,” she said. Lopez Obrador said he would issue a decree to create the commission when he takes office Dec. 1. He called the parents of the 43 “an example for everyone fighting for justice in Mexico and the world.” It was a break from years of suspicion, deceit and mistrust during which official investigators were accused of manipulating ev- idence, torturing suspects and trying to channel the entire investigation toward a single, terrible hypoth- esis: That the students were killed and their bodies in- cinerated in a huge fire at a garbage dump outside the southern city of Iguala. But international experts and the victims’ parents cast doubt on that theory, and want a more thorough probe of the possible in- volvement of the army or other authorities. Meanwhile, students and victims’ parents have en- gaged in a series of violent protests outside army bar- racks and on highways, in which gasoline bombs have been thrown and trucks and buses hijacked. In June, a federal court ordered the government to create the truth commission due to doubts about the in- vestigation. But the govern- ment of President Enrique Pena Nieto has appealed that ruling, saying there is no provision for such an in- vestigative body in the Mex- ican legal system. A worker from the Cobra Energy Company, contracted by the Army Corps of Engineers, installs power lines in the Barrio Martorel area of Yabucoa, a town where many residents continue without power in Puerto Rico, May 16, 2018. - PHOTO: AP3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 Make a CLEAN BREAK from Home. *Price includes delivery area from West Bay to Countryside Shopping. Please enquire about delivery outside of those areas. Call 233-4427 or order your tank refills online at cleangas.ky Lower propane prices are a Clean choice. Did you know? You are free to choose your propane supplier. Don’t be misled! Choose Clean Gas and get a 20lb propane tank delivered for only $29*. Woman overstayed, ignored amnesty Magistrate debates cost of custodial sentence CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A woman whose work permit was canceled in March was ordered this week to pay a fine or serve time in custody for the offense of overstaying. Hermie Flores Castro, 36, pleaded guilty to the charge, agreeing that she had re- mained in Cayman without valid permission since March 28, 2018. Immigration officials in court advised that she was charged and not dealt with administratively because she had not taken advantage of the amnesty period offered by the Immigration Department. The chance to leave without penalty ran from 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 1 until 3 p.m. on Aug. 30. Ms. Flores Castro was arrested on Sept. 22. She was first brought be- fore Magistrate Valdis Fol- dats on Monday afternoon, when she was told she would have to remain in custody until the next day when her case could be dealt with. On Tuesday, Crown counsel Kenneth Ferguson told the court that the de- fendant had been employed as a domestic helper, but the employer canceled the permit on March 28. Defense attorney John Furniss questioned if any- thing was said to Ms. Flores Castro or whether she was “made aware” of the situation. The magistrate observed that, even if she was not told, an obvious inference could be made from the fact that she was not going to a workplace. Mr. Furniss explained that Ms. Flores Castro, who is from the Philippines, had been in Cayman for nine years and would have come to the end of her term limit and been rolled over next month. He pointed out that she had not been earning any money, but had been staying with her boyfriend. The magistrate agreed that there was no charge for working illegally, but the court had to send a message to people: “You can’t simply ignore the law and decide to stay without permission.” He pointed out that the court could not say to people that they had broken the law so now, “Just go home.” Then, the question became how much of Cayman’s re- sources should be spent keeping her here. Ms. Flores Castro had nine years to earn money, the magistrate noted, so she must have funds or people to rely on. On that basis, he concluded that a fine wold be appropriate. He asked how much the fine would be if the matter had been dealt with administratively. He was told $200 to $600 for a first offense. The magistrate told Ms. Flores Castro, “If you bury your head in the sand and don’t rectify the situation, you pay a heavier penalty.” He concluded that the appropriate sentence was a fine of $1,000 or 90 days in default of payment. He said he was giving her the option of a fine so that she would not be a burden on this country. “Go into custody until the money is paid,” he told her. As she left the dock, Ms. Flores Castro had a few mo- ments to communicate with a man in the public gal- lery before she continued down the stairs into the courthouse cells. SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com There’s a newly invigo- rated storm on the horizon, but analysts do not expect it to threaten Cayman. After being downgraded to a tropical depression earlier this week, the United States- based National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday that Tropical Storm Kirk had reorganized, with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour as of 2 p.m. AST. It was moving west at approxi- mately 18 miles per hour. Tropical Storm Kirk is ex- pected to move through the Lesser Antilles by Thursday evening, and National Hur- ricane Center analysts ex- pect it to weaken again to a tropical depression by Sat- urday morning. Hazard Management Cayman Islands tweeted about the storm Wednesday morning, saying it was “cur- rently a low threat” to the Cayman Islands. Gilbert Miller, a senior forecaster with the Cayman Islands National Weather Ser- vice, said Wednesday after- noon that the storm is slated to impact Jamaica Monday and pass south of Cayman. “We don’t believe Cayman will be impacted with the winds associated with Trop- ical Storm Kirk, but we do expect moisture,” Mr. Miller said. “Right now, the environ- ment doesn’t seem to be con- ducive to the development of storm systems as they pass to the west.” As of Wednesday after- noon, Tropical Storm Warn- ings due to Kirk were in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, Dom- inica, Martinique and Guade- loupe, while a Tropical Storm Watch was in effect for St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The storm is expected to produce total rainfall of 4 to 6 inches across the northern Windward and southern Lee- ward Islands, with isolated maximum totals up to 10 inches across Martinique and Dominica, according to the National Hurricane Center, which warned that these rains may produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides. TROPICAL STORM KIRK EXPECTED TO WEAKEN BY WEEKEND PHISHING SCAM POSES AS CUC The Caribbean Utili- ties Company advised of an email scam circulating Wednesday that falsely used the company name. “We are aware of an email masquerading as an official CUC communication with the Subject: New Invoice. This email is not from our system. Our email addresses end with ‘@cuc.ky,’” the company said on social media. “If you at any time doubt the validity of an email, be- fore clicking on any links, please contact our Cus- tomer Service team at ser- vice@cuc.ky or via phone at 949-5200.” Hazard Management Cayman Islands tweeted about the storm Wednesday morning, saying it was “currently a low threat” to the Cayman Islands.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. Seeing the world while working for government There’s no place quite like the French Riviera in autumn … Or so we hear. This week, several Cayman Islands public officials are finding out firsthand, as Premier Alden McLaughlin and Minister of Financial Services Tara Rivers lead a delegation to the annual Monaco Yacht Show at pictur- esque Port Hercules. Cayman’s representatives are attending Europe’s largest in-water display of large yachts in order to network with “influential stakeholders” in a key com- ponent of our territory’s financial services offer- ings. While in Monaco – one of the smallest (popu- lation 38,400) and wealthiest (per capita GDP of US$162,000) countries in the world – our delegation will host an event marking the 60th anniversary of Cayman’s Coat of Arms. While we tend to look with skepticism upon such “celebrations,” it is true that, for this particular audience, our Coat of Arms – when it appears on flags flown on mega-yachts – is a veritable “status symbol” and recognizable brand for our country. There’s nothing untoward with Cayman being well represented at important functions that happen to take place in exotic locations. Particularly in the case of the premier, it is highly appropriate that he be the “face” of Cayman on the international stage. We would argue that for a premier or governor to be successful and effective, much of their work is composed of mar- keting and public relations. Our premier is Cayman’s Top Salesman. Also traveling with Premier McLaughlin and Minister Rivers to Monaco are officials from Cayman’s Maritime Authority (which runs Cayman’s yacht registry, and has attended the Yacht Show for more than a decade), as well as political adviser Roy Tatum and Cabinet Secretary Samuel Rose. When it comes to travel for business purposes, it’s both the simplest and most difficult expense to justify. True, all of Cayman’s competitors and clients are going to be in Monaco, making it easy to argue that Cayman needs to be there, too. But how many should be in the entourage? Will the presence of Premier McLaughlin, Minister Rivers, Mr. Tatum and Mr. Rose at the Yacht Show result in one more yacht being registered with Cayman’s Maritime Authority? That is probably an unanswerable question. We do not intend to be overly critical, but perhaps the figure of $387,000 is fresh in our memories. That is how much Cayman’s Utility Regulation and Compe- tition Office (OfReg) spent on travel in 2017 and the first half of this year. We also recall the $27,000 spent by then-Deputy Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly and her execu- tive aide on a two-week trip to Qatar in fall 2012 for the United Postal Congress, including a several-day stopover in New York City. The same audit showed that between 2005 to 2012, former Premier (now House Speaker) McKeeva Bush spent $1 million on travel. And he was far from alone: Over the three years from 2009-2012, central government “travel and hospitality spending” totaled $8.6 million. In May 2014, Cayman’s auditor general’s office concluded that there was a “high likelihood that the government mishandled significant amounts of public resources” under a system that left travel spending virtually unchecked. Since then, the civil service, spearheaded by Deputy Governor Franz Manderson, created new policies intended to clamp down on official travel spending. We are currently investigating the outcomes of that initiative. The bottom line is, government’s travel expenses – like all of government’s expenses – should be reason- able, justifiable and accountable. In budgeting, every dollar is a decision. Are the dollars being spent to send a select few to Monaco worth the dollars that will not be spent on other government functions, such as social services, salaries or roadwork? Additionally, when someone is traveling, even on business, it necessarily means they aren’t at their work desks. When calculating the expenses of travel by public officials, there is the obvious “monetary cost” of the travel itself – but also the hidden cost of the offi- cials’ absence. MONTREAL, CANADA — Good news – the United States is becoming a bit more economically free. The “Economic Freedom of the World 2018 Annual Report,” published by the Fraser Institute of Van- couver, Canada, and coop- erating think tanks around the world, is released today. Last year, the United States and Canada were tied at number 11, but now the United States has moved up to number six. Back in 1990, the United States ranked number three and Canada number six. If the Trump adminis- tration can continue with its tax rate and regulation reduction policies and ac- tually achieve freer trade (despite its risky trade war brinksmanship), the United States should continue to move up on the economic freedom index. Canadians are viewed as nicer people than Amer- icans – and it does ap- pear to be true in that they have a less aggressive cul- ture. The three largest Ca- nadian cities – Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal – all score high in interna- tional “livability” indices. The downside is that Ca- nadians are about 20 per- cent poorer than Amer- icans, on average, and currently their economy is growing more slowly than the American economy. The reason people should care about economic freedom is because there is a strong positive rela- tionship between economic freedom and average real per capita income and lib- erty. “The cornerstones of economic freedom are per- sonal choice, voluntary ex- change, freedom to enter markets and compete, and security of personal and privately owned property.” The Economic Freedom of the World index uses 42 data points to measure the size of government, legal system and property rights, sound money, freedom to trade internationally, and regulation. Perhaps, the most im- portant factors in both eco- nomic freedom and eco- nomic growth are the rule of law and protection of private property. There is a close relationship with a well-functioning legal system, protection of pri- vate property, and eco- nomic prosperity, as can be seen in the enclosed table. Countries with lower tariffs and fewer barriers to trade tend to have higher per capita incomes than more protectionist coun- tries. In recent decades, most countries have re- duced their tariff rates and other protectionist mea- sures, so relatively few products now face signif- icant trade restrictions. Agricultural products are usually the most protected because of the strength of the farmers’ lobby in many countries. It is ironic that, despite President Trump’s protests about Cana- dian dairy product tariffs, on average, Canada has slightly lower tariffs than the United States. Large government sec- tors in relation to GDP are significant drags on economic growth – and freedom. China has en- joyed several decades of rapid growth and now has reached the status of a middle-income country. The empirical evidence from around the world is, as countries get richer, growth stalls out, un- less the country frees up its economy. Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, and Chile are examples of coun- tries that have prospered by having chosen eco- nomic growth over govern- ment control. Which direc- tion will China now choose – state control, or freedom and prosperity? There is perhaps no better example than Vene- zuela as to how the policies countries choose to pursue determine their level of prosperity. Back in 1970, the Fraser Institute ranked Ven- ezuela as having the 10th freest economy in the world, and it was the richest country in Latin America. Despite having the world’s largest oil reserves, Vene- zuela is now the least free of the ranked countries and is becoming poorer and poorer year by year – all because of incompetent and corrupt political leadership. In sum, “nations in the top quartile of economic freedom had an average per-capita GDP of $40,376 in 2016, compared to $5,649 for the bottom quartile of nations.” “Life expectancy is 79.5 years in the top quartile compared to 60.4 years in the bottom quar- tile.” And, “happiness levels are higher in economically free nations.” Despite decades of ev- idence from the Annual Economic Freedom of the World Report, and other re- ports, many still advocate socialism. One cannot help thinking that such people must be either ignorant, mentally impaired, or hate their fellow man. One secret to being healthy, prosperous, and happy is to live in a free- market country. 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. THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Why care about economic freedom RICHARD W. RAHN RICHARD W. RAHN Despite having the world’s largest oil reserves, Venezuela is now the least free of the ranked countries and is becoming poorer and poorer year by year – all because of incompetent and corrupt political leadership. 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 SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 Man made false report of being robbed Magistrate cites waste of police resources CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man who falsely re- ported to police that he had been assaulted and robbed was penalized $500 in Sum- mary Court on Tuesday. Erik Alejandro Rodriquez, 32, pleaded guilty after Mag- istrate Valdis Foldats put the charge to him – that on May 24, 2018, he made a false report of the commission of an offense. Crown counsel Kenneth Ferguson said Mr. Rodriquez attended the George Town Police Station that morning and told officers that he had been held up at knifepoint and robbed of his vehicle. The defendant reported that he had been traveling toward George Town on the Esterley Tibbetts Highway the night before when he saw a vehicle on the side of the road with its hazard warning lights on. He said he stopped to offer assistance and spoke to a female in the car. While doing so, he alleged, he was approached by a male who punched him and then pulled a knife, demanding his car keys. The man then drove away in Mr. Rodriquez’s car and the female followed in the car she had been driving. Mr. Rodriquez said his cellphone was dead, so he walked home. At the police station, he agreed to take an officer to the scene of the alleged in- cident. While they were still at the station, however, word was received that Mr. Ro- driquez’s vehicle had been found parked behind the Grand Pavilion. He and the officer went there and Mr. Rodriquez sub- sequently admitted that he had been in an accident and had panicked. “Sorry for lying,” he told the officer. Interviewed three days later, he submitted a pre- pared statement, admitting that he been involved in a one-car accident, panicked and made the report. The magistrate noted that the false report was made at 9:09 a.m. and Mr. Rodriquez was arrested at 10:52 a.m. after his confession. He said he was sure that the defendant realized how serious the offense was. He had provided detailed de- scriptions of the man and woman allegedly involved in what he said had hap- pened to him. “Think about the conse- quences. Innocent people could have been arrested,” he told Mr. Rodriquez. In addition, police re- sources had been wasted in taking the report and going to the scene. The magistrate questioned whether he could make a compensation order to the police department, but then decided that a fine and costs assessment would go into the country’s general revenue. He said the defendant, in Cayman on work permit since 2014 as a chef, had been a re- sponsible and productive res- ident. He also noted that Mr. Rodriquez had pleaded guilty at his first court appearance. For those reasons, he im- posed a fine of $300 and im- posed costs of $200, for a total of $500. Thirteen students get Greenlight Re scholarship Reinsurance company Greenlight Re has awarded 13 recipients in its 2018 fall se- mester scholarship program. The program assists stu- dents pursuing bachelor’s and associate degrees and certifi- cate programs, ranging from nursing to computer sciences at the University College Cayman Islands, International College of the Cayman Islands and overseas universities. According to Greenlight Re, it receives applications from students of all back- grounds. For over 10 years, the scholarship program has provided monetary as- sistance to many Cayman students who wish to fur- ther their tertiary edu- cation. The company has granted a total of $107,713 on scholarships over the past three years. The philosophy behind the scholarship program is to allow recipients to ob- tain degrees or vocational training in the field of their choice, the company stated. For more information on eligibility and the application process, contact scholarships@ greenlightre.ky. Seniors get use of Chamber Discount Card The Chamber of Com- merce is distributing the Chamber’s discount card to older members of the Cayman Islands community. The card allows access to about 90 Chamber member businesses who participate, offering savings in areas from food, automotive and household goods, to health, entertainment and clothing. Alex Johnson, ambas- sador of Older Persons Month, along with Reba Manderson, Lucil Williams, Betty Ebanks and Alice Jackson received the cards from Wil Pineau, Chamber CEO, at the Chamber offices on Wednesday, Sept. 19. “This corporate citizen- ship initiative is well-suited to this most deserving seg- ment of our population. On behalf of our Chamber mem- bers, I wish the Discount Card recipients an enjoyable and rewarding Older Per- sons Month, and happy shop- ping,” Mr. Pineau said in a press release. There were other special considerations being looked at for older residents, in- cluding legal services, and an expansion of wider dis- counts for those in this age group, he added. “This initiative is in keeping with our national Older Persons Policy, and will help offset their cost-of-living expenses,” said Cassandra Fearon, who represents the new Elderly Services Team within the Department of Children and Family Services. Chamber discount cards are distributed annually. Se- niors get the use of the card in the last quarter of the year. Older Persons Month Older Persons Month be- gins on Sunday, Sept. 30 with a service at Elmslie United Church in George Town. The following day, Oct. 1, is ob- served as International Day of Older Persons. The observance celebrates the contributions and value of residents 60 years and over. The 2018 theme is “Re- specting the Wisdom of Older Persons.” The agenda for the month includes an evening walk, so- cial outings, media appear- ances and a gala dinner. Ac- tivities are planned on all three Cayman Islands. Alex Johnson, Older Persons Month ambassador, and Wil Pineau, Chamber CEO, with, seated from left, seniors Reba Manderson, Lucil Williams, Betty Ebanks and Alice Jackson, at the presentation of the Chamber discount cards last week. Greenlight Re scholarship recipients, front row from left, Yisel Masso Perez, Kimberly Tigley, Staycy Ramos, Lisaida Swaby-Oliva and Annisa Hoyte; back row, Ronald Zuniga, Kenrick McField, Devonnie McEwan, Gabrielle David and Jermy Davis. BAIL GRANTED AFTER ASSAULT CAUGHT ON VIDEO CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com An assault captured on video led to the appear- ance of Adam Joel Bodden in Summary Court on Wednesday afternoon. Mr. Bodden, 33, was charged with assault causing actual bodily harm to a man on Friday, Sept. 21, outside a bar and res- taurant in Caribbean Plaza on West Bay Road. Both Crown counsel Garcia Kelly and defense attorney Prathna Bodden said the defendant had made admissions about the incident. Ms. Bodden asked, however, that the matter be adjourned so that she could take full instruc- tions before Mr. Bodden en- tered his plea. Mr. Kelly told Mag- istrate Philippa McFar- lane that police became aware of the incident late Saturday night after seeing a video posted on social media. He said Mr. Bodden and the complainant knew each other quite well and had a history of “just not getting along. They have a previous history of a vi- olent nature.” He told the court that the complainant at- tended the bar and res- taurant that night and had a few drinks. Mr. Bodden approached him and the complainant told Mr. Bodden to leave him alone and then turned his back. This infuriated Mr. Bodden, who punched, kicked and slapped the complainant. The injured man received a black eye and bruises and his glasses were broken. When Mr. Bodden was questioned, he said the other man had made a rude comment about his (Mr. Bodden’s) mother and that was what infuriated him. The Crown asked for remand in custody on the basis that there was a risk of flight by the de- fendant and there was concern about possible further action against the complainant. Ms. Bodden pointed out that the defendant was a man of good char- acter and this was his first offense. In the circum- stances, a custodial sen- tence was unlikely – there would probably be a pro- bation order with a condi- tion of attending an anger management program, she suggested. She said the com- plainant was not willing to proceed initially and was not interested in compen- sation, either. The magistrate set bail conditions to include sur- render of passport, surety in the sum of $950, resi- dence at the defendant’s West Bay address, and a curfew of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. The magistrate also set a condition that Mr. Bodden not interfere in any way with prosecution wit- nesses: no contact, no WhatsApp or any other communication. The matter was set for mention on Oct. 2. Following Mr. Bod- den’s court appearance, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service issued the following statement: “We understood the communi- ty’s alarm when this clip circulated last weekend and responded quickly to it. An arrest was made Monday afternoon, a case prepared, and charges obtained expeditiously this morning from crown counsel, who reviewed the matter overnight. It is im- portant that such flagrant public violence is firmly and quickly responded to, whenever possible,” said Robert Graham, Su- perintendent of Uni- form Operations.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 SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS THURSDAY, SEPT. 27 BRAC COURT: Summary Court sits in the Aston Rutty Centre from 10 a.m. today and tomorrow. PALLIATIVE CARE: The Caribbean Palliative Care Conference, presented by Cayman HospiceCare, takes place 1:30-8 p.m. at the Westin Resort & Spa. No registration fee, but RSVP is required. Email info@caymanhospicecare.ky. Healthcare professionals can earn a total of 4.5 contact hours. FRIDAY, SEPT. 28 CAL 50 YEARS: Past or present Cayman Airways flight attendants are invited to 50th Anniversary Reunion events. Dinner & Dance “Boogie Night” at the Wharf tonight 6:45 p.m. $60 for a three-course buffet. Lounging and Lunch, Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Meridian, 9 a.m.; Stingray City/Kaibo Boat Cruise Sunday, Sept. 30, 1 p.m. $30. RSVP to Marva Bodden-Reid at marvar313@gmail.com or 925-1181, Shirley Roulston at wingsnfins@hotmail.com, and Edna Ebanks at edna. ebanks@remax.ky. SENIORS ROCK: Dress Down Day to benefit Meals on Wheels. Host the day at your office or organization. Wear orange or purchase a T-shirt $15, ribbon $5, wristband, $3. Register/purchase at info@mealsonwheels.ky or call 769-1974. MUSICAL PRESENTATION: Members of the public are invited to attend a musical presentation by visiting Jamaican rising star, soprano signer Sashekia Brown, at special services at the Kings Adventist Church today and tomorrow. Today’s performance by Ms. Brown and a number of choirs and chorales begins at 7 p.m. Kings Church is located next to Cayman Academy on Walkers Road. For further information, call 938-2209. NAU OFFICE CLOSURES: The Needs Assessment Unit offices on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac will close today for all-day staff training sessions. Normal office hours will resume on Monday, Oct. 1 SATURDAY, SEPT. 29 ST. ALBAN’S GARAGE SALE: At the church, 461 Shedden Road (opposite Bodden Place). From 7 a.m. Children’s, women’s and men’s clothes, household items, books, toys and more. Phone 949-2757. THRIFT SHOP BARGAIN DAY: One Dog At a Time holds a Warehouse Sale 7-10 a.m. at the JJT Warehouses, Industrial Way, near to Car City and opposite Ropers. The warehouse includes furniture, household items, lamps, storage containers, bedding, appliances, toys and the one dollar aisle. Please bring small notes. Currently checks, debit or credit cards cannot be accepted. EQUESTRIAN OPEN HOUSE: The Equestrian Center celebrates its 25th anniversary with an open house. Free for all. 3:30-5:30 p.m. at the stables on the Linford Pierson bypass. Demonstrations of vaulting, quadrille, dressage and jumping. For more information, call 916-9119. MUSICAL PRESENTATION: Soprano singer Sashekia Brown and a number of choirs and chorales will perform at the Kings Adventist Church at two special services today, at 11:30 a.m. and at 4:30 p.m. All are invited. The weekend’s series of free musical attractions are sponsored by the Cayman chapter of the Northern Caribbean University Alumni Association. For further information, call 938-2209. BARGAIN SHOP BAG SALE: The NCVO’s New To You Bargain Shop invites customers to buy a bag for $5 and fill it to the brim with items they find in the store. The sale is 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Lightly used products on sale include Halloween costumes, household items, baby supplies (strollers, cribs, carrier seats), stuffed animals and toys, clothes (including select school uniforms), shoes, books and craft items. MONTHLY BARGAIN STORE: St. George’s Anglican Church holds its monthly Bargain Store sale 7-11 a.m. Located at 64 Courts Road (off Eastern Ave. opposite Kirk Market), George Town. All are invited. CLAY WORKSHOP: Visual Arts Society studio at Pedro St. James. Today and tomorrow, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fee is $150 for members, $175 for non-members. Includes terracotta clay, glazes, firing, use of tools and studio plus light lunch and beverage. Limited space. Register at workshops@ visualartcayman.com. SUNDAY, SEPT. 30 CHURCH SERVICE: Boatswain Bay Presbyterian Church invites all to the Yellow Sunday Service in support of children with cancer. 11 a.m. Everyone is asked to wear gold or yellow. At 7 p.m. there will be a Singspiration/ Concert. Funds raised will benefit coverage of medical expenses. BREAST CANCER MONTH CHURCH SERVICE: Savannah United Church, 10 a.m. All are invited. 5K FOR RECOVERY: Hope Foundation sponsors this 5K walk/run to raise funds for the residential recovery program. Start at Seven Mile Public Beach. Walk, 6 a.m. Run, 6:30 a.m. Tickets $10 from Brent, 928-9099; or Chris, 938-0095. Prizes include staycations. MONDAY, OCT. 1 BREAST CANCER MONTH: Ribbon-cutting launch. Camana Bay. 5:30 p.m. All are invited. TUESDAY, OCT. 2 CRUISE PIER MEETINGS: The Opposition invites the public to islandwide district meetings on the cruise ship pier and strategies for the sector’s continued well-being. Meetings all start at 7:30 p.m. Tonight, North Side Civic Centre; Wednesday, Oct. 3, Bodden Town Civic Centre; and Thursday, Oct. 4, Savannah Primary School Hall. Other districts to be scheduled the following week. BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION FUNDRAISER: Today is the first of a three-day series of events to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Foundation. A portion of proceeds from the sale of items from the Strozzi Italian Women’s Collection sold at the events will be donated to the charity. Today, at the home of Patricia Kohler at 378 Yacht Drive, Caladelnia House, a luncheon will be held from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and later there will be cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, at 5-8 p.m. Anyone interested in attending should RSVP to contact@viastrozzi.com. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3 BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION FUNDRAISER: A portion of proceeds from the sale of items from the Strozzi Italian Women’s Collection will be donated to the charity. Today’s events will be held at LUCA restaurant, West Bay Road, with luncheon at 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at 5-8 p.m. Anyone interested in attending should RSVP to contact@viastrozzi.com. THURSDAY, OCT. 4 BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION FUNDRAISER: A portion of proceeds from the sale of items from the Strozzi Italian Women’s Collection will be donated to the charity. Today’s events will be held at The Residences of Stone Island, Yacht Drive, just past Vista del March Luncheon at 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and cocktails at 5-7;30 p.m. Anyone interested in attending should RSVP to contact@viastrozzi.com. FRIDAY, OCT. 5 NCVO DRESS DOWN DAY: The NCVO appeals to schools, businesses and service clubs to dress in green in a show of solidarity and help raise funds, which can then be presented to the NCVO during the fundraising event at the Prospect Playhouse on Saturday Oct. 20. Participants are encouraged to take photographs and post them on social media outlets; tagging images to www.facebook.com/ NCVOCaymanIslands. To confirm participation or to volunteer for the upcoming Radio/Telethon contact Mona Meade on 949-2124 or ncvocoordinator@ncvo.org.ky. SATURDAY, OCT. 6 BOOK SALE: The Humane Society is having a huge book sale at the A. L. Thompson store front from 8:30 a.m. till 2 p.m. Books are 3 for $1. Please come and support the Humane Society and find a good read at the same time. Children’s books will be available as well as general fiction, romance, suspense and non-fiction of all sorts. BRAC CLEAN-UP: Meet at Eagle Ray, 7 a.m. All are invited. 5K WALK/RUN: The Brenda Tibbetts-Lund Memorial 5K in conjunction with Breast Cancer Month. Starts 6 a.m. at Kaibo Restaurant in North Side. GENERAL INTEREST PRE-SCHOOL OPENINGS: Miss Nadine’s Preschool still has space available in its two- year-old class. To register your child(ren), contact Preschool Director Heather Lopez on 945-1078/324-1498 or email ncvopreschool@ ncvo.org.ky Miss Nadine’s is a program of the NCVO (registered nonprofit) and is located in the Richard Arch Children’s Centre, 90A Anthony Drive, George Town. SPECIAL OLYMPICS: Be a volunteer and join the fun as athlete training begins at Truman Bodden Sports Complex 5:30 p.m. for basketball skills, track, bocce and football. Swimming on Wednesdays at the Lions Pool 10-11 a.m. or on Saturdays at the Cayman International School pool, 9:30 a.m. Email soci@candw.ky or call 916-2600. TOBACCO LICENSES: Tobacco license holders are reminded of the 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1 deadline to apply for their annual license renewals. Annual registration renewal fees are $500 for a retailer, $750 for a cigar bar and $5,000 for a wholesale distributor. Persons in Grand Cayman must submit their applications at the Business Licensing Counter, first floor, Government Administration Building. In the Sister Islands, applications must be submitted to DCI Senior Licensing Officer, Mrs. Lolita Bodden-Arch, in the Bodden and Bodden building on Cayman Brac. CAYMAN ARTISTS INVITED: Artists resident in the Cayman Islands or artists of the Caymanian diaspora are invited to submit photos of work (or work concept drawings/photos), with an accompanying artist’s statement relating the work to the exhibition synopsis for consideration, in electronic format, directed to the attention of the curator at assistantcurator@ nationalgallery.org.ky. Deadline for submission is Monday, Nov. 26, 2018 at 5 p.m. For more information contact public.engagement@ nationalgallery.org.ky. SEAFARERS HALL: The Cayman Islands Seafarers Association wishes to inform the community that the hall is now available for rental every day of the week, including Saturdays, as the church is no longer contracted with us at 11 Victory Ave. Prospect. LOCAL HARVEST MARKET: Wednesdays and Saturdays at Camana Bay. A produce- only market featuring local farmers. Located in Heliconia Court (the new courtyard next to the building containing Scotiabank). 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. U.K. SCHOLARSHIPS: The Chevening Secretariat is accepting applications for U.K. Government scholarships to study in the U.K. in 2019/2020. Applications for Chevening Scholarships are open until Nov. 6, 2018, with applications to be submitted via www.chevening.org/apply. Visit www.chevening.org/ apply/guidance for detailed information on the eligibility criteria and scholarship specifications. Contact Gill Skinner on 244-2431 or gillian.skinner@fco.gov.uk. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. The Equestrian Center will hold an open house on Saturday to celebrate its 25th anniversary.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 community of marketing professionals for the latest innovations that shape multimedia campaigns. Mr. Neff believes the use of phone, computer and TV screens will be 40 per- cent lower 10 years from now and that the screen- less future will be mainly driven by the reduction of smartphone use. He admits the drive away from our fixation with screens is still only a theoretical concept but that there are trends, such as the emergence of alter- nate realities, that point to that direction. Augmented reality, which adds digital elements to the camera of a smartphone, was popularized by the game Pokemon, and virtual reality devices, like Oculus, transport users into real- world and imagined fully immersive environments. But for Mr. Neff, mixed reality is where a screenless future will be. Mixed reality combines elements of aug- mented and virtual realities and merges real and virtual worlds to produce new vi- sualizations and environ- ments, where real world and digital objects interact with each other in real time. “It is this notion of my real life and graphics living together,” he said. As mixed reality devices get smaller, and avoid using screens, they will connect to users more, become less no- ticeable and more socially acceptable, Mr. Neff said. To get to that stage will require further develop- ments in voice command, computer vision, ambient computing and cloud com- puting technologies. Voice command will “condition us for a lack of physicality,” he said, with smart speakers already being present in 19 million homes across America. Computer vision and ambient computing use sensors to grab and pro- cess visual information and other data to support a user’s understanding of the real-life world through seamless connections. Currently, the processing is still lagging and the de- vices are “too clunky” or simply “not cool enough” to be adopted, Mr. Neff noted. And consumers have not even fully bought into aug- mented reality yet. Once these issues are overcome, through smart contact lenses or fashionable devices that are controlled through voice commands and feed information directly to the eye, “early adopters will grab it and bring it into a social setting,” he said. The utility of mixed re- ality in engineering or ed- ucation, and added in- formation to enhance the real-world experience will be key to its adoption. “The more utility you see in that new piece of technology, the more willing you are to go after it,” Mr. Neff said. For the moment, how- ever, this concept is still in the future and marketers should focus on the es- capism offered by virtual reality and the utility as- pects of augmented reality. “It is about taking Seven Mile Beach from the Cayman Islands and bringing that to people in VR. Really put them there,” he said, by enabling users to sense the environment and the elements that make the experience feel real. Augmented reality, meanwhile, does not have the fidelity it needs to focus on anything other than its utility in mar- keting campaigns. “Way-finding is one of the easiest things to do in AR,” Mr. Neff said. “People don’t want to discon- nect with where they are, they just want to find out where to go.” However, by leaning into escapism and the utility of these technologies, he cau- tioned, “you still need have an interesting hook; you cannot just use tech for tech’s sake.” “It is still storytelling, but through a different lens,” he said. “The touch- points are changing but the storytelling still needs to be strong.” for their children.” She said the long-term goal is to help those children get the kind of education that will enable them to live a better life. “We want to start helping these kids at the beginning, rather than help them pay their bills in ten years,” she explained. “We want to give them a real chance. “We encounter the same situations over and over again and we want to get down to the root cause of it.” The charity has teamed up with the Cayman Learning Centre, which will provide the special education teachers for the program. Carrie Patraulea, director of the Cayman Learning Centre, said intensive inter- vention could help children who lagged behind to catch up with their peers. She said the center’s teachers would spend an hour a day working on specific learning difficul- ties with each child and re- inforcing what they were learning in school. She said the aim of the program was to break the cycle of poverty through education. “One-on-one reading in- tervention is costly but some of the children that need it most come from families that can’t afford it,” she added. A mini-version of the pro- gram was hosted over the summer, with several busi- nesses providing funding to ARK’s students to at- tend the Cayman Learning Centre summer camp. Ms. Patraulea said her staff were concerned at the reading level of some of the children and recommended more intensive work. She said, “You can only achieve so much in a month over the summer. It needs to be intensive and consistent to make real gains.” Ms. Nielsen said ARK was committed to the program and hoped spon- sors would come forward to allow it to expand to include dozens more pupils. She said several sponsors had already come on board to support families for the summer camps or provide part sponsorship for the on- going program. The original sponsors in- clude Walkers, Digicel, JTC Group, Baker Tilly, MaplesFS, OneTRADEx, Cayman First and Colette Byrne and family. Keshia Irvine, of JTC Group, said, the initiative stood out as a “special cause.” She said, “We can clearly see the benefit it provides to the children and, in turn, the community and for this reason we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to any other future sponsors as an out- standing cause. I know I speak for my colleagues as well as myself when I say that it has been a pleasure and a privi- lege to have been involved.” Richard Reading, who runs Baker Tilly, said both his family and his company had sponsored children through the ARK summer camp pro- gram. He said, “We thought it was a great initiative to help students who were strug- gling at school and who wouldn’t otherwise have the means to attend the summer camp program. The summer camps provide an opportu- nity for these students to re- ceive specialized support and to address some of the areas they struggle with before the new school year. “As our own daughter had similar struggles after an ill- ness earlier in her life, we were delighted to be able to help these children.” up in the air. All last night and early Wednesday morning, before I left work, the smoke was still there,” she said. The fire is burning in a spot of around 30,000 square feet in the Pease Bay Bodden Town Quarry, which belongs to quarry devel- oper Justin Wood. Touring the burn site Tuesday, Cayman Fire Chief David Hails said it was not apparent if the fire caught accidentally or was lit by someone. “Probably we will never know the answer to that.” Mr. Hails said. Someone saw the smoke and called it in to 911, and the Frank Sound unit re- sponded, said fire officer Roy Charlton, while touring the area along with Mr. Hails. “A lot of the stuff that is piled up there is just or- ganic material, trees, mixed with soil, bush and very little manufactured materials,” Mr. Hails said. “It would be impossible for us to try to put it out [or] pull it all apart, which could take weeks,” he added. “We just don’t know what’s in the burning heaps … it could be cylinders or something like that, which could go bang, in- juring someone or damaging the machinery,” For safety reasons, he said, they would refrain from putting water on it because contaminates could run off into the quarry lakes. “The best option right now is to just let it burn,” Mr. Hails said. “Once it’s not endan- gering anything, it can burn.… Smoke will be the biggest problem for residents but [there’s] really nothing we can do about it,” added Mr. Charlton. Mr. Hails said for now the Fire Service will monitor the situation. He said he would notify the police department and send out advisories to resi- dents to keep their windows and doors shut until the smoke died down. “It is only supposed to be like vegetable trim- mings in the heaps, but you know some people will dis- obey what they are told, and you get this happening, and something could catch it fire,” quarry owner Mr. Wood told the Cayman Compass. He said most of the ma- terials at the site are from cleared properties, and con- tain garden material and tree trimmings. “The idea is to shed it down and make it biodegradable, so it can be mixed with other soil to get the nutrients back,” he said. Mr. Wood said he uses the mulch on his vegetable farm. He added, “It’s water on both sides and the fire is in the middle, so there’s no- where for the fire to spread and puts no persons at risk.” Marketing professionals prepare for a screenless future CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “It is this notion of my real life and graphics living together.” CHRIS NEFF, The Community Vegetation fuels fire at Bodden Town quarry Plumes of smoke cover the afternoon sun at the Bodden Town quarry fire Tuesday. - PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Charity project aims to lift children out of poverty Tara Nielsen, bottom left, of ARK and representatives from some of its sponsors with Kelana Cousins, Liani Heslop and Darianna Frederick, the first students involved in ARK’s education campaign. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Everytime you read to a child, you help make that future a little brighter. The moments you share can make a lifetime of difference. Read to your child today. Our children are the FUTURE It all starts with newspapersThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Russian lawmakers back contentious pension bill The lower house of the Russian parliament has given its preliminary approval for a controversial bill that raises the eligibility ages for pensions. The government’s plan to raise the retirement ages for men and women by five years has irked Russians from all political factions. Trump backs 2-state solution for Mideast, raises peace hopes Syrian official says S-300 defense system will give Israel pause BEIRUT (AP) – Israel should think carefully before at- tacking Syria again once it obtains the sophisti- cated S-300 defense system from Russia, a Damascus official said. The warning followed pledges from Moscow to deliver the missile system after last week’s downing of a Russian plane by Syrian forces responding to an Is- raeli airstrike. Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said late Tuesday that the S-300 should have been given to Syria long ago. Israel, “which is accus- tomed to launching many aggressions under different pretexts, will have to make accurate calculations if it thinks to attack Syria again,” he said. The Russian Il-20 mili- tary reconnaissance aircraft was downed by Syrian air defenses that mistook it for an Israeli aircraft, killing all 15 people on board. Russia laid the blame on Israel, saying Israeli fighter jets were hiding behind the Russian plane, an account denied by the Israeli military. On Monday, Russian De- fense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the S-300s will be delivered to Damascus within two weeks. Earlier in the war, Russia suspended a supply of S-300s, which Israel feared Syria could use against it. U.S. national security ad- viser John Bolton said the delivery would be a “signifi- cant escalation” in already high tensions in the region and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he would raise the matter this week with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov at the U.N. Gen- eral Assembly. Mekdad said the mis- siles are for defensive pur- poses, adding that “Syria will defend itself, as it always did” – a reference to mis- siles Syrian forces fired at Is- raeli warplanes carrying out airstrikes inside Syria over the past months. Meanwhile, in north- western Syria, preparations were under way to set up a demilitarized zone around the rebel-held province of Idlib, the last major area controlled by a mix of Turkey-backed opposition fighters and other insurgent groups, including al-Qaida-linked militants. Two jihadi groups have so far rejected the plan to set up a demilitarized zone by Oct. 15. The al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Arabic for Levant Liberation Committee, the largest militant group in Idlib province, has not said yet whether it approves set- ting up the zone. A Turkish security official said Wednesday that there were “indications” that some insurgents were leaving the demilitarized zone in and around Idlib but that it was unclear whether a “con- crete” withdrawal of radical groups has started. The of- ficial spoke on condition of anonymity in line with gov- ernment rules. Russia and Turkey agreed last week to set up a demil- itarized zone around Idlib to separate government forces from rebels, averting a gov- ernment offensive on the last major opposition strong- hold in Syria. UNITED NATIONS (AP) – Pres- ident Donald Trump waded into thorny Middle East pol- itics while at the United Nations on Wednesday, endorsing the two-state solu- tion to bring an end the de- cades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians while poised to denounce the dangers posed by Iran. Trump, a day after being greeted with laughter by world leaders still uncertain how to manage his “America First” ideology, explicitly backed Israel, leaned in on the importance of moving the U.S. Embassy to Jeru- salem and suggested that he saw progress on the horizon for long-delayed hopes for Middle East peace. “I like two-state solu- tion,” Trump said in his most clear endorsement of the plan. “That’s what I think works best.” Meeting with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netan- yahu, Trump indicated that moving the embassy was “a big chip” the U.S. delivered to the Israelis. “I took probably the big- gest chip off the table. And so obviously they have to start you know we have to make a fair deal. We have to do something. Deals have to be good for both parties.” Trump said he believed that the embassy “was always the primary ingredient as to why deals couldn’t get done.” “Now that’s off the table,” Trump said. “Now that will also mean that Israel will have to do something that is good for the other side.” The two-state “solution” is mostly aspirational. On- going conflict between Israel and Palestinians over the di- vision of territory, borders and governance has spawned violence going back years and long stymied Mideast peace efforts. Moving the embassy from Tel Aviv triggered consider- able protest from the Pales- tinians and expressions of condemnation from many American allies who worried about further violence that could destabilize the fragile region. Trump said that his administration’s peace plan, in part helmed by his son- in-law senior adviser Jared Kushner, would be released in the coming months. Trump’s meeting with Ne- tanyahu came, symbolically, just ahead of his chairing a meeting of the U.N. Security Council about nuclear pro- liferation. The president had suggested, in a recent tweet, that Iran could be his focus, and he unloaded harsh rhet- oric the day before on the nuclear-aspirant nation as a persistent malign influence across the Middle East. “We ask all nations to iso- late Iran’s regime as long as its aggression continues,” said Trump on Tuesday. The president has removed the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, citing the country’s destabilizing ac- tions throughout the re- gion and support for ter- rorist groups like Hezbollah, and he accused its leaders on Tuesday of sowing “chaos, death and destruction.” His national security ad- viser, John Bolton, went even further in a speech Tuesday, issuing a dire warning to Iran: “If you cross us, our al- lies or our partners; if you harm our citizens; if you con- tinue to lie, cheat and de- ceive, yes, there will indeed be hell to pay,” Bolton said. But despite his tough talk, Trump said he could envision relations with Iran moving along a similar “trajectory” as ones with North Korea. A year ago from the U.N., Trump belittled its leader Kim Jong Un as “Rocket Man” and threatened to an- nihilate the country but on Wednesday he touted the “the wonderful relationship” with Kim and teased that de- tails of a second summit be- tween the two men could be released soon. The high-profile Security Council meeting came a day after Trump poured scorn on the “ideology of globalism” and heaped praise on his own administration’s achievements in a speech to the U.N. Gen- eral Assembly that drew head shakes and even mocking laughter from his audience of fellow world leaders. “The U.S. will not tell you how to live and work or wor- ship,” Trump said as he un- apologetically promoted his “America First” agenda. “We only ask that you honor our sovereignty in return.” Speaking in triumphal terms, Trump approached his address to the world body as something of an annual report to the world on his country’s progress since his inauguration. He showcased strong economic numbers, declared that the U.S. mili- tary is “more powerful than it has ever been before” and crowed that in “less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than al- most any administration in the history of our country.” Just sentences into the president’s remarks, the au- dience began to chuckle and some leaders broke into out- right laughter, suggesting the one-time reality television star’s puffery is as familiar abroad as it is at home. Trump appeared briefly flustered, then smiled and said it was not the reaction he expected “but that’s all right.” Trump said that his administration’s peace plan, in part helmed by his son- in-law senior adviser Jared Kushner, would be released in the coming months. Russian S-300 air defense missile systems drive during the Victory Day military parade on May 9, 2016, marking 71 years after the victory in WWII in Red Square in Moscow, Russia. - PHOTO: AP President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday at U.N. Headquarters. - PHOTO: AP9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 Happy First Birthday in Heaven Lessel Carney Ebanks Born on 27th September, 1957 You are missed but never forgotten, On your rst birthday away from us. Sadly missed by your Wife; Delores Ebanks, your Children; Georgette, Sherrie and Tynisha. your Dad; Hallie Ebanks, Grandchildren, your Nephew Johnny and his Wife, Aunts, Nieces, Sisters, Brothers, Family & Friends May your soul rest in peace. Capt. Charles Marvin Ebanks Snr., CMH aka “Capt. Marvin” Sept. 27th 1916 – Dec. 20th 2014 2 Timothy 4:7 “ I have fought a good ght, I have nished my course, I have kept the faith”. Greatly loved and missed. Your Family and friends. Happy Birthday Kavanaugh accuser’s lawyers submit 4 statements backing up assault story Florence flooding slowly envelops South Carolina homes GEORGETOWN, S.C. (AP) – A week ago, firefighters in Conway went to a neigh- borhood and told sur- prised residents their houses would flood from Hurri- cane Florence even though they had never had water in them before. On Monday and Tuesday, those same firefighters checked on those same neigh- borhoods with maps that detailed each of the nearly 1,000 homes that could ex- pect to be inundated. “It’s kind of playing out exactly like we fore- cast,” Conway Fire Chief Le Hendrick said. Twelve days after the once-fierce hurricane arrived on the coast, and more than a week after it blew north and dissipated, rivers swollen by its relentless rains are still flooding homes and busi- nesses in their paths as they make their way to the sea. The slow-moving disaster has allowed forecasters to pinpoint exactly who will flood. There have been few rescues or surprises in South Carolina – just black, reeking water slowly seeping in and even more slowly receding. “You find yourself sitting around a lot and thinking, ‘What if,’ or, ‘I wonder what things are like right now,’” said Vivian Chestnut, who left her home in Conway a week ago and might not get back until well into October. “And wondering what you are going to find when you fi- nally get back.” The Waccamaw River, which flows through the city of 23,000, was expected to crest on Wednesday at 21.7 feet. It surpassed the pre- vious record high of 17.9 feet set in 2016 by Hurricane Matthew on Friday. The waterway was not expected to drop below 18 feet or so until some- time next week. The river floods at 11 feet. All that water is making its way to Georgetown, where five different rivers reach the sea. Officials there said the worst of the flooding would start Wednesday and last until Thursday, likely leaving only one highway into the city. And if that were not bad enough, more weather was forming off the coast in a hurricane season that still has two months to go. Na- tional Hurricane Center forecasters watching a low pressure area about 200 miles south of Cape Hat- teras, North Carolina, said it could become a tropical depression as it approaches the coast before moving quickly to the north. While it will likely dump some additional rain on the Florence-bat- tered city of Wilmington, it was not expected to be sig- nificant enough to worsen the flooding. “It shouldn’t put much of a dent in the rivers,” said Reid Hawkins, a National Weather Service meteorolo- gist in Wilmington. Officials at South Caro- lina’s state-owned utility were still warily monitoring two coal-ash ponds near Conway. Santee Cooper of- ficials said floodwater from the Waccamaw River had already made it into one pond, but most of the ash had already been removed from it during an earlier cleanup project. The river is likely to flood the second pond soon, but the utility promised it has taken steps to lessen the en- vironmental impact, such as installing silt fencing and a floating environmental con- tainment boom. Not far from the ash ponds, engineers are keeping an eye on U.S. Highway 501, the main link to Myrtle Beach. Water is now touching a temporary barrier of sand and plastic that has been erected to keep water off the bridge. Called the Lifeline, the tem- porary wall will remain ef- fective if the water does not rise more than an ad- ditional 5 feet from its cur- rent level, according to the state Department of Transportation. In North Carolina the rivers have stopped rising, but the recovery process is really just beginning. In rural Jones County, between Kinston and New Bern, two of the county’s six schools will have to be demolished after floodwaters left mold and mildew in their wake, School Superintendent Mi- chael Bracy said. WASHINGTON (AP) – Chris- tine Blasey Ford’s lawyers said Wednesday they have given the Senate sworn affi- davits from four people who say she told them well before Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination that she had been sexually assaulted when she was much younger. And according to all four, she either named Ka- vanaugh as the assailant or described the attacker as a “federal judge.” At the U.N., meanwhile, President Donald Trump said on the eve of the Senate Judi- ciary Committee hearing with Kavanaugh and Ford that Re- publicans have been “nice” and “respectful” in their treat- ment of Ford. He described his nominee as “a real gem” and said he probably would have pushed for faster con- firmation rather than waiting for Ford’s testimony. In one of the affidavits, family friend Keith Koegler said he wrote to Ford in a June 29 email, “I remember you telling me about him, but I don’t remember his name,” family friend Keith Koegler wrote to Ford in a June 29 email, according to his state- ment. “Do you mind telling me so I can read about him?” “Brett Kavanaugh,” Ford responded by email, ac- cording to Koegler, her son’s baseball team coach. Trump nominated Ka- vanaugh, 53, to the high court on July 9. Kavanaugh staunchly denies ever sexu- ally assaulting anyone, and his allies have questioned the credibility of Ford and a second accuser based in part on what they say is a lack of corroboration. Trump has dismissed both accusations as a “Democratic con job.” The affidavits signed Monday and Tuesday of this week could give more weight to Ford’s story on the eve of her testimony – and Kavana- ugh’s expected denial – be- fore the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Re- publicans are concerned that, win or lose, the battle over Kavanaugh’s nomination is further animating women al- ready inclined to vote against Trump’s party in November’s elections in which control of the next Congress is at stake. Hanging in the balance is Trump’s chance to swing the high court more firmly to the right for a generation. Despite Majority Leader Mitch McCo- nnell’s forecast that Repub- licans will win, Kavanaugh’s fate remains uncertain in a chamber where Republicans have a scant 51-49 majority. Ford, 51, went public with her story in The Washington Post recently, saying Kava- naugh had pinned her down, tried to remove her clothes and clamped a hand over her mouth at a party when both were in high school. She got away when a second male in the room jumped on the bed and sent all three tum- bling, she says. According to the affidavits, Ford revealed the assault in varying levels of detail between 2002 and Koegler’s email in June. Her husband, Russell Ford, stated that he became aware around the time the couple wed in 2002 that his wife had “any experi- ence with sexual assault,” but she provided no details at the time. In 2012 during a couples therapy session, he says, she revealed that in high school she had been “trapped in a room and phys- ically restrained by one boy who was molesting her while another boy watched.” He says she named the attacker as Kavanaugh. The subject came up again when Trump was considering his first Supreme Court nom- inee, who ended up being Justice Neil Gorsuch. Before the selection, Ford had told her husband that she was afraid the president might nominate Kavanaugh. The matter came up again when Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement and Trump had a second seat to fill. In a third affidavit, Adela Gildo-Mazzon, a friend of more than a decade, said Ford first told her about the assault in June, 2013. The two met at a Mountain View, California, restaurant, where Ford arrived “visibly upset.” “Christine told me she … had been thinking about an assault she experienced when she was much younger,” Gildo-Mazzon’s statement says, adding that she has a receipt from the meal. “She said that she had been al- most raped by someone who was now a federal judge.” Neighbor Rebecca White said she was walking her dog in 2017 when she ran into Ford, who said she had seen White’s social media post de- scribing her own experience with sexual assault. “She then told me that when she was a young teen, she had been sexually as- saulted by an older teen,” White recalled in the docu- ment. “I remember her saying that her assailant was now a federal judge.” The documents are likely to be central in the momen- tous hearing on Thursday in Washington. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said Arizona prosecutor Ra- chel Mitchell will be brought in to handle questioning of Kavanaugh and Ford. Mitchell comes from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Phoenix, where she is the chief of the Special Victims Division, which covers sex crimes and family violence. Hoping the hearing will yield no new surprises, the Judiciary Committee sched- uled its own vote on Kava- naugh for Friday, and Repub- lican leaders laid plans that could keep the full Senate in session over the weekend and produce a final showdown roll call soon after – close to the Oct. 1 start of the high court’s new term. Brett Kavanaugh, with his wife Ashley Kavanaugh, answers questions during a FOX News interview, Monday in Washington, about allegations of sexual misconduct against the Supreme Court nominee. - PHOTO: APNext >