SECTION | PAGE ## TITLE FOR THE SPORT/ BUSINESS SKYBOX CAYMAN WEEKENDER Avast, me hearties! EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 PIRATES WEEK: YO HO HO. READY SET GO … High of 88 Low of 77 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 75 CENTS – FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2018 SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA RED BAY FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS ‘Moon on a Rainbow Shawl’ Curtain rises on award-winning play B3 The Red Violinist Violin virtuoso Elizabeth Pitcairn returns to Cayman B6 Gala Events Music ■ FESTIVALS Avast, me hearties! Get ready to channel your inner Jack Sparrow as the Cayman Islands gears up for Pirates Week. B4 Festival of Seas Gala fundraiser makes a splash for CCMI B2 ‘The Grinch’ premieres Screening benefits Cayman Food Bank B2 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2018 • C PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY GOVERNOR MARTYN ROPER: Courts must decide gay marriage question East End chicken farm plan denied First Camana Bay community for home buyers Sales have begun for Camana Bay’s new residential community, called OLEA, which is being developed jointly by the Dart Group and NCB Group. The 124 homes are the first for-sale residential units within Camana Bay and feature a mix of properties from one-bedroom condos to four-bedroom town houses. For more on this story see page 10. - IMAGE: ARCHITECT’S RENDERING JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com New Cayman Islands governor Martyn Roper said he is happy to wait for the terri- tory’s Grand Court to make a ruling on same- sex marriage. Mr. Roper, in his first press conference as governor, said his personal view was that “ev- erybody should have the same rights.” But with the Grand Court on the brink of adjudicating the issue, he said he would wait and see what the courts decide before consid- ering any action. Chantelle Day, a Caymanian lawyer, and her partner Vickie Bodden Bush, a nurse from the U.K., have filed for a judicial review of gov- ernment’s decision to refuse their application to marry. That case is scheduled to be heard in February and the result could set a precedent that fundamentally changes the way Cayman’s marriage laws are interpreted. It is open to the U.K. to mandate the legal- ization of same-sex marriage or civil partner- ships through an Order in Council, as it did to decriminalize homosexuality in the territo- ries in the 1990s. But Mr. Roper did not ap- pear to be contemplating such drastic action at this point. Mr. Roper said, “I do recognize this is a hugely sensitive area and an important prin- ciple of the overseas territories is that there is maximum self-government. That is what the U.K. wants for the territories. “This case is before the court, so we do have to wait until we see how the court han- dles that before we move further forward.” Asked why a couple should have to fight for equal rights, at their own expense, when MLA McLean: applicant works at DoA KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com After approving plans in May to build an $800,000 com- mercial poultry farm in East End, on Wednesday the Cen- tral Planning Authority re- fused similar plans to build the same farm on a different piece of land – despite the new land being farther away from fresh groundwater that was at risk of being contaminated under the original plans. The refusal came after a contentious public planning meeting on Wednesday, where nearby residents objected to the development for the poten- tial noise, smell and pollution they said it may bring. The ob- jections included allegations of conflicting interests and “pos- sibly even corruption” made by East End opposition legislator Arden McLean, who said the applicant to build the chicken farm works at the Department of Agriculture. Mr. McLean did not name the department of- ficer, or elaborate further on his allegations. In its May decision, the Cen- tral Planning Authority ap- proved the original chicken SECOND CHALLENGE FILED IN GOVERNMENT HIRING DISPUTE KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Another judicial review application has been filed in an ongoing dispute between the Ministry of Education and the Civil Service Appeals Com- mission, involving a situation where a non-Cay- manian was hired to be the ministry’s human re- sources director over a Caymanian who says she was similarly qualified. The dispute stems from September 2017, when a non-Caymanian was hired to be the ministry’s HR director. The Caymanian who was passed over took her case to the Civil Service Appeals Com- mission, arguing that the ministry had “acted unfairly or in a biased manner” in making the hiring decision. On Dec. 20, 2017, the appeals commission, chaired by former Deputy Governor Donovan Ebanks, agreed that there was evidence that the ministry “acted unfairly toward the [Caymanian job applicant] during the selection phase of the re- cruitment process.” The commission ordered that the Caymanian applicant be offered the post as of Feb. 15, 2018, and that she receive additional compensation for pay she would have received if she had been hired for the human resources job at the date it was first awarded, in late September. The appeals com- mission also ordered that the non-Caymanian be removed from his position, effective Feb. 14, 2018. However, the Ministry of Education did not comply with the appeals commission’s orders, and filed a legal challenge to the commission’s order in May, seeking to have the Grand Court nullify the orders – a filing in which the ministry called the commission’s orders “outrageous” and “in defiance of logic.” PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 11 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 11 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 11 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Open daily 10am -10pm West Shore Center, SMB Turkey! Turkey! Happy American Thanksgiving! Thursday, 22 November GET YOUR ORDERS IN EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT! Cayman Orthopaedic Group Dr. Krishan Rajaratnam, M.D., F.R.C.S.C. Upper Extremity, Trauma and Joint Arthoplasty will be at #1 Smith Road Plaza Monday, 5th November, 2018 to Friday, 9th November, 2018 Please call 945-8380 for appointments UN votes overwhelmingly to condemn US embargo of Cuba UNITED NATIONS (AP) – The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday to approve a resolution con- demning the American eco- nomic embargo of Cuba after rejecting proposed U.S. amendments strongly crit- icizing the lack of human rights in the country. The vote on the Cuban- sponsored resolution in the 193-member world body was 189-2 with no abstentions. The U.S. and Israel voted “no” and Moldova and Ukraine did not vote. In separate votes on the proposed U.S. amend- ments, Ukraine and Israel were the only countries to join the U.S. in voting “yes” on all eight measures while the Marshall Islands backed one amendment. Some 114 countries voted against the amendments and about 65 abstained. General Assembly resolu- tions are unenforceable but they reflect world opinion and the vote has given Cuba an annual stage for the last 27 years to demonstrate the isolation of the U.S. on the embargo. It was imposed in 1960 following the revolution led by Fidel Castro and the nationalization of properties belonging to U.S. citizens and corporations, and two years later it was strengthened. Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla called the U.S. embargo “a fla- grant, massive and system- atic violation of the human rights of Cuban men and women” and denounced what he called the politicized U.S. amendments. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley called the vote “a waste of time” and said before the votes that “our reason for the embargo is and has al- ways been Cuba’s denial of freedom and the denial of the most basic human rights for the Cuban people.” After the votes, Haley told the assembly: “there are no winners here today, there are only losers.” Shd said the U.N. “lost the opportunity to speak on be- half of human rights” but most of all the Cuban people have “been left, once again, to the brutal winds of the Castro dictatorship.” “They have been aban- doned by the United Nations and most of the world’s gov- ernments, but the Cuban people are not alone today,” Haley said. “The American people will stand with them until they are restored the rights that God has given us all, rights that no govern- ment can legitimately deny its people.” The Trump adminis- tration’s decision to call for individual votes on the amendments represented an escalation of its action last year and reflected worsening U.S.-Cuban relations. In 2017, the U.S. returned to voting against the resolution after the abstention by the Obama administration in 2016 for the first time in 25 years. Diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba were broken in 1961 as re- lations between Washington and Fidel Castro’s govern- ment deteriorated. Cuban President Raul Castro and then President Barack Obama officially restored relations in July 2016. But relations have deteriorated under President Donald Trump, and ambas- sador Haley and others have sharply criticized Cuba’s human rights record. On Wednesday, diplo- mats representing over 135 countries supported the Cuban resolution on the “ne- cessity of ending the eco- nomic, commercial and fi- nancial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.” Egyptian Ambassador Mohamed Edrees, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 which represents 135 devel- oping countries and China, pointed to “the positive steps … focused in the right direc- tion” taken by the Obama ad- ministration and expressed regret at the Trump admin- istration’s new policy “aimed at strengthening the embargo against Cuba.” He said the G77 “believes this is a setback in the pro- cess of achieving normal- ized relations between both countries.” The G77 reiterates its call for the embargo to be lifted and appeals to the interna- tional community “to fur- ther step up efforts” in sup- port of lifting the embargo, Edrees said. Ambassador Sheila Carey of the Bahamas reiterated the Caribbean Community’s “un- equivocal opposition” to the embargo, saying last year’s near unanimous vote in favor of immediately lifting it “is a clear indication of preva- lent disapproval by the U.N. membership.” In 2017, the General As- sembly adopted the Cuban- sponsored resolution by a vote of 191-2, with Israel joining the U.S. in voting “no.” That was the same vote as in 2015. In 2016, the U.S. abstained. Carey noted that Cuba is the most populous country in the Caribbean and “we are a sisterhood and brotherhood of nations that continues to enjoy mutually beneficial relations.” She said CARICOM, which maintains friendly relations with the U.S. and Cuba, is con- cerned at “the proposed roll- back” of progress toward nor- malizing U.S.-Cuban relations. “As an important player in international affairs we hope that the United States will be open to considering the opinions and concerns of its friends and tradi- tional partners on this issue,” Carey said. DoE urges Sister Islands to fight green iguana invasion The Cayman Islands De- partment of Environment is hoping to head off a green iguana population explosion in Cayman Brac and Little Cayman like the one seen on Grand Cayman, where it is es- timated there are more than 1 million of the invasive reptiles. Green iguanas have been found on both of the Sister Islands, but not in numbers large enough to warrant the kind of culling efforts recently initiated on Grand Cayman. Still, officials say they want to act quickly to head off the growth of the populations. Teams of trained vol- unteers, such as Team Go Green in Cayman Brac and Green Iguana B’Gonna on Little Cayman, have been at work reporting on the green iguanas. In some cases, they have been culling the lizards in an effort to prevent them from competing for resources with local rock iguanas. The DoE has periodically dispatched its own iguana cull teams to the Sister Islands over the past two years, but Terrestrial Resources Unit re- search officer Sophie O’Hehir said community help is essen- tial in addressing the problem. “It is not necessary for all Sister Islands residents to catch and cull a green iguana when they see one, but everyone can learn the differences between rock iguanas and green iguanas and pick up a phone to re- port a sighting,” Ms. O’Hehir said in a news release. “It is important to report sightings quickly. Reports more than 30 minutes after a sighting are usually too late to en- able volunteers to catch the green iguana.” The Sister Islands rock iguana is listed as critically endangered by the Interna- tional Union for Conserva- tion of Nature. The DoE has set up two phone lines to report sight- ings. The Cayman Brac wild- life hotline is 917-7744, and the hotline for Little Cayman is 925-7625. Callers are asked to pro- vide as much detail on the iguana location as possible so that cullers can be dispatched swiftly and efficiently. For more information on the Sister Islands green iguana cull effort, including details of how to volunteer for the cull response teams, con- tact DoE public education and outreach officer Brent Fuller at 244-5984 or 922-5514, or by email at brent.fuller@gov.ky or doe@gov.ky. Additional information about differences between rock iguanas and green iguanas can be found at the DoE website: www.doe.ky. The Department of Environment is looking for community assistance in eliminating green iguanas from the Sister Islands. - PHOTO: MARK MUCKENFUSS People on the Sister Islands are being asked to familiarize themselves with the differences between the native rock iguana, above, and the invasive green iguana.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2018 + 1 345 326 1400 fin@fingrandcayman.com FIN is pioneering a long-term coral reef conservation program to ensure that the views below water are just as wondrous as those above. In partnership with the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and Nova Southeastern University, FIN is the first real estate development in the Cayman Islands to undertake the funding of a coral reef monitoring and restoration program. FIN is also the first to create continued long-term funding through the contribution of 1% of its monthly strata fees, setting a new standard for future oceanfront property development. Championing the protection and preservation of their backyard, FIN Residents will become active participants in the conservation of our most valuable ecosystem. Disclaimer : FIN Grand Cayman features and amenities are based on current development plans and concepts and are subject to change without notice. Some services and amenities are subject to service-based fees or homeowner fees. The Nova Southeastern University coral reef assessment team. A NEW STANDARD ABOVE AND BELOW WATER FIN.cayman fingrandcayman Discover more about FIN and its environmental program fingrandcayman.com/environment/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. 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 findtheirownway” Ahoy readers! Steel yourselves for fireworks, food, music and – yar – an invasion of buccaneers and scurvy scallywags from near and abroad. Pirates Week, the national festival of the Cayman Islands, is upon us. It’s time to cut loose (brandishing cutlasses or wearing cutoffs) and celebrate our country’s history, culture and legends. (Make sure to peruse today’s Weekender, which is full of details about the annual festival.) This year’s Pirates Week kicks off today on Cayman Brac with an afternoon happy hour and dance. It con- tinues over the weekend with a Brac Heritage Day cel- ebration, fireworks and bonfire before wrapping up on Monday with the traditional farewell lunch. Meanwhile, on Grand Cayman, the series of Heritage Days returns to the districts after last year’s experiment with hosting a combined event. Today, the traditional food and family fun is in East End. Next is West Bay on Monday, followed by North Side, Bodden Town and George Town. One reason that organizers experimented with last year’s condensed event was low attendance at the previous Heritage Days, so anyone who prefers the multi-day format should show their support by showing up in the various districts. On Wednesday, the Pirates Week schedule heats up and runs apace in Grand Cayman until the Remem- brance Day holiday on Nov. 12. So, when you are out and about town, be prepared to mingle with hosts of residents and tourists attired in traditional pirate garb or Hollywood-inspired corsair costumery. Everyone has their own approach to Pirates Week and their list of “must-do” favorites. This year’s lineup has them all. The array of events includes: the Pirates Week happy hour, Pirates Landing Pageant, several parades, a national song competition, culture jam, beach clean- up, cardboard boat regatta, a 5K and 10K walk/run, a sea swim, street dances for teens and adults, a chil- dren’s fun day at Pedro St. James, an underwater treasure hunt, tons of food, batteries of fireworks and, of course, the traditional “Trial of the Pirates.” On Friday, Nov. 16, the Pirates Week Festival will migrate to Little Cayman for three final days of revelry before the annual celebrations officially come to a close – heralding the unofficial beginning of the busy winter tourist season. Pirates Week was originally envisioned as a way to boost tourism during a historically slow time of year, but over the past decades it has evolved into one of Cayman’s signature events. Like our islands, Pirates Week includes a bit of everything and is welcoming to everyone with good cheer and a sense of adventure. So, whether you are an inveterate landlubber, a wannabe buccaneer or an old salt, Pirates Week is an opportunity to relax, revel and re-live the romanticized version of Cayman’s piratical past. Pirates Week: Yo ho ho. Ready set go … FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Government gambling versus the poor Like any sensible person, I want victimless crimes to be legalized. In part because I believe in freedom, but also for utilitarian reasons. ■■ I do not approve of drugs and I’ve never used drugs, but I think the social harm of pro- hibition is greater than the social harm of legalization. ■■ I do not particularly like alcohol and I am al- most a teetotaler, but I’m glad there’s now a consensus that the so- cial harm of prohibition was greater than the so- cial harm of legalization. ■■ I do not approve of pros- titution and I’ve never consorted with a pros- titute (other than the political ones in DC), but I think the social harm of prohibition is greater than the social harm of legalization. So it will not surprise you to learn that I want gambling to be legal because the so- cial harm of prohibition is greater than the social harm of legalization. But that definitely does not mean I want government to be in charge, which is why I’m not a fan of state-spon- sored lotteries. Joe Setyon, in a column for Reason, points out that politicians are the only group that actually ben- efits from these schemes. He writes, “there are a few things us suckers need to keep in mind about the lotto. First, the majority of lottery revenue goes back to the government …. In Texas, for instance, most forms of gam- bling are illegal. This means the government has a near- monopoly. The double stan- dard for public and private gambling operations is ob- vious. Ultimately, the lot- tery system is a kind of regressive tax on low-in- come earners.” And here’s an article from CNBC that reveals the unpalatable tax con- sequences for the “lucky” people who happen to win a big prize. “… there’s at least one guaranteed recipient of a chunk of the loot – the IRS …. If you happen to beat the as- tronomical odds and hit all winning numbers in either game, be aware that the tax- ation of your prize starts be- fore even reaching you.” In other words, the gov- ernment pillages people when they buy tickets. And then the govern- ment pillages the tiny frac- tion of people who actually win something. As I wrote above, the only real winners are politicians. The biggest losers, by the way, are poor people. Arthur Brooks of the American Enterprise Insti- tute summed up this sad state of affairs in a column for the Wall Street Journal: “Powerball – the lottery shared by 44 states, the Dis- trict of Columbia and two territories – is just one of the sweepstakes run by 47 jurisdictions in the U.S. These games produce nearly $70 billion a year in gov- ernment revenue and enjoy profits of about 33 percent – much higher than margins in the private gambling in- dustry. Who are these lot- teries’ most loyal customers? Poor people. Here’s some additional analysis from the Wall Street Journal, this time from Holman Jenkins: “Gambling is what econo- mists call an “inferior good” – demand is higher among those at the lower end of the income scale. As economist Sam Papenfuss argued in a 1998 paper, state-sponsored gambling became popular as a way for high-income tax- payers to recoup some of the money spent on programs for the poor.” Last but not least, here are excerpts from a column I wrote for the Wash- ington Times more than 20 years ago: “If nothing else, lotteries show how much better con- sumers are treated by the free market system. Private gambling operations pay out about 90 cents for every dollar wagered (even higher for games such as black- jack), a far better deal than the miserly return provided by government-run lotteries …. This analysis applies to illegal gambling as well. Bookies traditionally allow customers to bet against the point spread for sporting events, and they make their money by applying a 10 per- cent charge on the money wagered by those who make losing bets.” Two decades later and I would not change a single thing I wrote. I do not like when politi- cians mistreat rich people, but I get far more upset when they do things that im- pose disproportionate costs on poor people. This is one of the reasons I do not like government flood insur- ance, Social Security, the Ex- port-Import Bank, the mort- gage interest deduction, or the National Endowment for the Arts. And lotteries definitely be- long on that list as well. I’m not a paternalist. I support legal gambling and I do not want to prohibit poor people from making (what I think) are mis- guided decisions. But at least leave the gambling to the pri- vate sector so poor people will get back, on average, 90 cents of every dollar they bet. Daniel J. Mitchell, chairman of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, is on the Editorial Board of the Cayman Financial Review. DANIEL J. MITCHELL I do not like when politicians mistreat rich people, but I get far more upset when they do things that impose disproportionate costs on poor people.The islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2018 Visit camanabay.com to find out more. Developed by Discover +1 345 640 OLEA6 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Man who lost 90 pounds rallies community to get moving JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man who lost more than 90 pounds has inspired many more people to begin their own weight-loss journeys. A decade ago, Winston Sobers was miserable with his life. Tipping the scales at 285 pounds, he decided to get moving to do some- thing about it. Through exer- cise and healthier eating, he brought his weight down to 195 pounds and has kept the weight off ever since. He documented his ef- forts in his book “90 Pounds Lighter,” and is using what he learned to work with others to achieve a similar goal – for free. In March 2016, Mr. So- bers started a nonprofit group, “Movers for Life,” with five people. Today, more than 300 people meet in nine locations around Grand Cayman to connect, network and get fit. “Without your health, you have nothing. There is a breakdown in the family, workplace, relationships and self-esteem,” Mr. Sobers said. He said the Movers for Life group provides moti- vation and support so that those who need encourage- ment can get it when needed and achieve their goals. “Movers for Life is not a boot camp, a gym or even a fitness center, but has been established to act as a con- nector, an organizer and fa- cilitator in supporting the community in delivering its healthy mission,” Mr. Sobers said. The model is very simple. He said the group identi- fies individuals who are pas- sionate and consistent about leading a healthy lifestyle and then connects them with people who want to get fit and healthy. Movers for Life members are involved in a wide va- riety of activities, including walking, running, boot camps, fun sports challenges, educational health seminars, community volunteering and motivational support. “Consistency is the key. From 2016 until now, we have not stopped walking or moving any Saturday,” Mr. Sobers said. He said before he lost weight, he was regularly vis- iting doctors, who would give him medicine for tem- porary solutions. But then, he finally told himself he could no longer live like that and took responsibility to change his life. He said the organization is seeing some good, posi- tive results from the pro- gram. People are coming off blood pressure pills, others are losing weight, and some are seeing their sugar levels drop. “It’s helping a lot of people in the community to freely get that motivation and lose the weight, because that what’s needed,” Mr. Sobers said. The group meets reg- ularly at fixed times for walks, runs or other exercise throughout the week. Visit www.moversforlife.ky for more information. The cover of Winston Sobers book. Movers for Life members take part in a boot camp at Bodden Town.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2018 8 LOCAL&REGIONAL FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS The family of the Late Leonard Hughes regrets to announce his passing on Monday, 22 October, 2018. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A memorial service will be held 1:00 p.m. Saturday, 3 November, 2018 at Bodden Funeral Service Chapel. Cousteau highlights fight to save corals JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com For Alexandra Cousteau there could never have been any other calling. The film- maker, explorer and environ- mental activist has followed in the footsteps of her fa- mous father and grandfather to emerge as an advocate for the world’s oceans. Ms. Cousteau, who will be the guest speaker at the Cen- tral Caribbean Marine In- stitute’s Festival of Seas on Saturday, believes the under- water world has reached the point where it needs advo- cates more than ever. “I think the important thing for us to remember is that we have 20 years to save corals. Obviously, there is no time to waste,” she said. “I think we need to pro- tect what we have and to try to rescue what we have lost.” A combination of fac- tors, including increasing ocean temperatures caused by global warming, have dra- matically changed the under- water landscape since her grandfather, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, first explored and documented life beneath the waves in the 1950s. Now the long-term sur- vival of coral reefs is in doubt. Ms. Cousteau said, “We will never go back to the oceans that my grandfather explored in the ‘50s and ‘60s – those are gone forever, but we don’t need to be resigned to a downward spiral.” She said research groups, like CCMI, which has pub- lished groundbreaking studies on preserving coral reefs and is pioneering new methods in growing coral, were central to the fight for reefs. “It is wonderful for me to support groups like CCMI who are working towards that end. We all benefit from their success,” she said. “The end has not been written. If we continue with business as usual, we will lose our corals, but I always believe that there is room for ingenuity, invention and imagination to figure out how we stop these things from happening.” Ms. Cousteau said she was not aware of the debate currently raging in Cayman over the proposed construc- tion of a cruise port, which will involve the destruction of coral reefs in George Town harbor. But she said she was pleased to hear that advocacy groups, like Save Cayman, were fighting for the oceans. “When young people are disengaged, bad things happen. It is wonderful to hear that they are raising their voices in Cayman for the oceans,” she said. “We need young people to be engaged and to define the future that they want to live in.” Aside from ocean warming, she sees plas- tics as a major concern, warning that there could soon be more plastic in the ocean than fish. She believes governments need to move beyond the “reuse and recycle” mantra and begin holding compa- nies accountable for putting plastic in the market in the first place. “We need to turn off the single-use tap. There are es- sential plastics in our life; there are also a lot of non- essential plastics.” The Festival of Seas Gala, CCMI’s largest annual fundraiser, takes place at Grand Old House, Saturday, from 6 p.m. More information can be found at www.reefresearch. org/get-involved/gala2018. Alexandra Cousteau, pictured at Imperial Valley in Yuma, Arizona, will be the guest speaker at CCMI’s Festival of Seas gala on Saturday night. “The end has not been written. If we continue with business as usual, we will lose our corals, but I always believe that there is room for ingenuity, invention and imagination to figure out how we stop these things from happening.” ALEXANDRA COUSTEAU Two men in police custody after Shedden Road altercation Two men were in po- lice custody Thursday fol- lowing a Tuesday night alter- cation that left a man with a head wound. The men – ages 46 and 39 – are both from George Town and are being held on suspicion of assault causing grievous bodily harm. Emergency services were called to Shedden Road Tuesday at about 9:45 p.m. in response to an alterca- tion involving several men, one of whom reportedly had a machete. One man sustained a head wound during the al- tercation and fled the scene, only to be struck by a car. The car that struck him did not stop following the colli- sion, according to police. The victim of the car crash was listed in critical condition on Wednesday, but police said he was in stable condition on Thursday. The police are still investigating the incident and ask that anyone with information call the George Town Police Station at 949-4222. One man apparently sustained a head wound as part of the altercation and fled the scene only to be struck by a car. ROAD WORK TO BEGIN NEAR GRAND HARBOUR The National Roads Au- thority will be conducting repairs and upgrades along the Grand Harbour Round- about over the next few weekends. That work will begin on Sunday, Nov. 4. Phase one of the road- work will consist of milling out and repaving the roundabout’s inner lane. That work will take place on Sunday between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. The next phase will be the continued milling and repaving of the inner and outer lanes. That will take place on Nov. 11 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The final day of work will be on Sunday, Nov. 18, and will conclude with the milling and repaving of the outer lane, as well as the ap- proaches to the roundabout. Traffic control will be in place during the roadwork and drivers will be diverted to either the inner or outer lane of the roundabout. Drivers are cautioned to watch out for traffic diver- sions and to drive care- fully in order to ensure the safety of work crews and their fellow drivers. People with questions or comments regarding the project can call 325-6004. Traffic control will be in place during the roadwork and drivers will be diverted to either the inner or outer lane of the roundabout. Big risks, polarization arise with Judge Moro becoming Brazil justice minister RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – The Brazilian judge at the center of one of the largest corrup- tion investigations in history said Thursday he would be- come justice minister in the government of President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, a decision that will be hailed by Brazil- ians eager for a crackdown on graft but also add to deep polarization after a bruising presidential campaign. Moro is wildly popular among conservatives and loathed by many on the left, so his decision to join the in- coming administration will feed the suspicion of many Brazilians that the judge was politically biased in jailing ex-President Luiz Inacio da Silva, a conviction that forced the poll-leading leftist out of the presidential race. Moro met with Bolso- naro at the president-elect’s home in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday. Upon emerging, Moro did not speak to re- porters but soon put out a statement confirming he had accepted an offer to lead both the justice and public security ministries, which will be combined in Bolson- aro’s government. Moro said it would be hard to give up being a fed- eral judge after 22 years, but he saw an opportu- nity to “implement a strong agenda of anti-corruption and anti-organized crime” in his new role. “In practice, this will mean consolidating the ad- vancements against crime and corruption the last years and remove any risks of going backward,” he wrote. He added that the sprawling “Car Wash” inves- tigation would continue in the hands of local judges in the southern city of Curi- tiba, where Moro lives and many of the cases have been tried. He also said he would provide more details on his new role next week. Launched in 2014, the “Car Wash” probe uncov- ered elaborate schemes in which construction compa- nies received bloated con- tracts and then kicked back billions of dollars in bribes to politicians and other gov- ernment officials over more than a decade. The level of corruption was breathtaking for Bra- zilians long inured to graft, and the scandal has rever- berated across several Latin American countries where Odebrecht, one of the com- panies at the center of the scandal, did business. The investigation has led to the jailing of many of the country’s big- gest names. That list in- cludes da Silva, convicted by Moro of corruption for trading favors with construc- tion company Grupo OAS. The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2018 Next >