ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER 2019 High of 90 Low of 78 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. LOCAL | PAGE 2 LIFE SENTENCES UPHELD IN RAPE AND MURDER CASES WORLD | PAGE 9 UK’S JOHNSON TO CALL GENERAL ELECTION Masses of seaweed invade Cayman shores Cayman’s oldest person passes away at age 105 RELIEF EFFORT BEGINS IN EARNEST FOR BAHAMAS Caribbean sargassum arrivals forecast to diminish in coming months KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@compassmedia.ky Weeks after government workers cleared 200 tons of sargassum from Grand Cayman’s coastlines, the invasive seaweed has returned to the island. Fresh masses of the plant began ac- cumulating this week in West Bay, with thick mats gathering around the West Bay Dock and Cemetery Beach. Lesser quanti- ties were observed in Prospect. The impact was also felt in Cayman Brac, where large masses began to build up around the southwest side of the island. Back in Grand Cayman, Divetech’s Courtney Criswell said the accumulation around West Bay Dock had caused some difficulty for boats using the dock, but that overall, dive opera- tions had not been negatively impacted. “The thickness of it has caused a little bit of issues for some of the boat handling coming in and out, just because it’s so deep. It hasn’t pre- vented anybody [from diving], but it has caused people to need to be a little more careful coming in and out of there,” Criswell said. “But once you get away from shore, the patches of it and everything haven’t been any issue for the diving. It hasn’t affected the visibility.” She said diving under the mats can be a bit eerie, but that up close, they give a snapshot of a living ecosystem, full of juvenile fish and other marine life. “We’ve kind of theorised that it might be one of the reasons we’ve seen an in- crease in the sighting of seahorses over the past months,” she said. KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@compassmedia.ky Cayman’s oldest resident, Eliz- abeth Hurlston, died Sunday, just hours after celebrating her 105th birthday. Her son-in-law Michael Bow- erman confirmed her passing, de- scribing Hurlston as “a truly unique lady, caring, generous and warm”. Hurlston was born on 31 Aug. 1914 in Grand Turk, just as World War I was getting under way. She witnessed a century of transformation across the Caribbean, where she spent much of her younger years travelling and teaching. She lived in at least 10 coun- tries, according to her family. In 1919, circumstances would bring her to the Cayman Islands, where her father Hugh Hutchings was named commissioner. The youngest of eight children, she spent much of her childhood in Grand Cayman. Before permanently settling in South Sound, however, Hurlston ventured off island, studying in Ja- maica and Antigua and then training as a Montessori teacher in the United Kingdom. Later, she returned to Jamaica to care for her sick mother. “The Second World War was about to break out and Elizabeth decided to SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@compassmedia.ky The Caribbean community is beginning to marshal support for the Bahamas. Hurricane Dorian left the Bahamas Tuesday after lingering in the area since Sunday night, and several of the country’s regional neighbours have begun putting to- gether donations to support its recovery. The Cayman Islands government has al- ready offered air support from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service Air Opera- tions Unit and will offer medical support similar to the aid provided to Anguilla in 2017. Government also said it will consider sending a Cayman Airways relief flight to de- liver support. “It is vital that relief efforts are coordinated effectively by the international community and major humanitarian NGOs,” said Premier Alden McLaughlin in an official statement. “Providing financial support and ensuring re- gional partners have access to our equipment and other physical assets, should they require them, is the best way that we can support the people of the Bahamas at this time.” Earlier in the day, MLA Alva Suckoo sent a message on behalf of the Opposition in which he pledged to assist in the relief ef- fort and to coordinate with government to do it efficiently. The Cayman Islands Red Cross has launched an appeal to aid the people of the Bahamas, and it is encouraging people to donate money as opposed to items like clothes, shoes or toys. Unsolicited items sent to the disaster areas can create havoc on the ground, said the Red Cross appeal, because organisations do not know they are coming or how to distribute Fresh arrivals of sargassum have begun to build up in Grand Cayman, with the West Bay Dock area hardest hit. - PHOTO: STEPHEN CLARKE PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Elizabeth Hurlston, 1914-20192 LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS BREAKTHROUGH (PG) 1:25 I 4:10 I 7:15 I 10:00 SUN: 4:10 I 7:15 I 10:00 KALANK (PG) 3:10 I 9:00 (SAT ONLY) I 9:30 (NO SAT) SUN: 3:10 I 9:20 LITTLE (PG13) 12:30 I 3:25 (SAT ONLY) I 3:50 (NO SAT) 6:50 I 9:45 SUN: 3:50 I 6:50 I 9:35 DUMBO (PG) 10:30 (SAT ONLY) I 4:35 I 7:15 (NO SAT) SUN: 4:35 I 7:15 CAPTAIN MARVEL 1:40 I 10:00 (NO SAT) SUN: 6:30 I 10:00 THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA (R) 1:10 VIP I 4:35 I 7:00 VIP I 10:15 HELLBOY (R) 12:35 (SAT ONLY) I 1:00 I 6:10 (SAT ONLY) I 6:45 SHAZAM! (PG13) 1:30 I 3:40 VIP I 7:15 I 9:30 VIP SUN: 3:40 VIP I 4:40 I 6:40 VIP 8:00 I 9:40 VIP KIDS CLUB: OVER THE HEDGE (PG) 10:00 (SAT ONLY) CULTURE AT THE CINEMA: THE TRAGEDY OF KIND RICHARD THE SECOND SAT ONLY: 8:00 • 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. - WEDNESDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) ONCE UPON A TIME (R) IN HOLLYWOOD 12:15 VIP | 3:50 | 6:65 VIP | 9:10 THE ANGRY BIRDS (PG) MOVIE 2 1:30 | 4:00 | 6:45 47 METERS DOWN: (PG13) UNCAGED 4:15 | 7:25 | 10:15 BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (PG13) 1:05 | 4:15 | 7:20 | 10:00 ANGEL HAS FALLEN (R) 1:00 | 3:45 VIP | 7:00 | 9:50 | 10:05 VIP F&F HOBBS & SHAW (PG13) 1:15 | 4:20 | 9:45 SAAHO (PG) 12:30 | 6:35 T: 949-7400 E: drschambers@caymanclinic.ky E: administration@caymanclinic.ky Dr. Sharon Chambers Rheumatologist AGM Notice Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of Rotary Central Junior Achievement of the Cayman Islands will be held at the Chamber of Commerce, Governor’s Square, West Bay Road Wednesday, September 18th, 2019 at 6:30pm Life sentences upheld in rape and murder cases ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky Court of Appeal judges this week denied appeals for reductions in sentences by four murderers and a rapist, who are all serving life behind bars. The four men convicted of murder – Larry Ricketts, Brian Borden, Raziel Jeffers and Leonard Ebanks – were sentenced to life in prison without the chance of pa‑ role, under Section 182 of the Cayman Islands Penal Code, which “requires that anyone convicted of murder must be imprisoned for life”. Jeffrey Barnes was also sentenced to life in prison, after having being con‑ victed of rape. Before 2014, a life sen‑ tence meant spending the rest of one’s natural life be‑ hind bars. However, the in‑ troduction of the Condi‑ tional Release Law made it mandatory that tariffs (or a defined term of im‑ prisonment) be set for pris‑ oners’ regardless of when they were convicted or sen‑ tenced. For murder, the pre‑ scribed starting point is a minimum of 30 years, but as with all sentences, a judge has the power to increase or decrease the sentence, based on the circumstances surrounding the crime. Sec‑ tion 14 of the Conditional Release Law also makes it mandatory for prisoners serving life sentences for murder to become eligible for parole after serving a minimum 30‑year period. Following the introduc‑ tion of the Conditional Re‑ lease Law, all five men in these appeal cases were re‑ sentenced in accordance with the new guidelines. In Au‑ gust, they looked to the Court of Appeal to have the sen‑ tences reduced. First up was Larry Rick‑ etts, 36, who is serving a 40‑year sentence for the 2008 murder of Estella Scott‑ Roberts. Ricketts, along with his co‑defendant Kirkland Henry, who is also serving a life sentence, kidnapped, raped and murdered Scott‑ Roberts on the night of her 33rd birthday. Ricketts’ at‑ torney Amelia Fosuhene ap‑ pealed his sentence on the grounds that the murder was opportunistic, Rick‑ etts was not convicted of a second indictment relating to the crime, and at the time of the murder he had no pre‑ vious convictions. The judges rejected the application stating that Scott‑Robert’s death “was a truly horrific murder” and “… a minimum term of 40 years’ imprisonment was appro‑ priate having regard to the retribution, deterrence and rehabilitation”. Next before the judges was 34‑year‑old Brian Em‑ manuel Borden, who is serving a 34‑year prison sentence for the 2011 murder of Robert Bush. Sexual jealousy was said to have played a role in the gang‑related shooting. Borden’s defence counsel Guy Dilliway‑Parry, argued that in other local cases of murder, such as R v Trevino Bodden (a double murder with a firearm), a minimum term of 28 years was im‑ posed. Dilliway‑Parry ar‑ gued that when compared to those cases, Borden’s sen‑ tence “was out of order”. The appeal judges rejected the application and said, “the judge was entitled to con‑ clude that the appropriate minimum term of 34 years was appropriate.” Raziel Jeffers, 36, is serving a 38‑year sentence for the murders of Marcus Ebanks and Damion Ming in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Jeffers was the third appli‑ cant before the Court of Ap‑ peal judges. He is also rep‑ resented by Fosuhene, who argued that Jeffers’ sen‑ tence breached Section 8(1) of the Cayman Islands Con‑ stitutional Order 2009, re‑ sulting in a heavier penalty than was applicable at the time the offences were com‑ mitted, and is therefore un‑ lawful. She also argued that Jeffers had a legitimate ex‑ pectation that he would re‑ ceive a shorter sentence than the one imposed. How‑ ever, the judges dismissed the application saying, “It cannot be arguably said that the minimum term set by the judge was manifestly excessive.” Leonard Antonio Ebanks was the last of the four men convicted of murder to ap‑ peal his sentence. Ebanks, 48, is serving 34 years in jail for the 2010 murder of Ty‑ rone Burrell. Ebanks was also represented by Fos‑ uhene, who argued that, sim‑ ilar to Borden, the tariff was out of line when compared to other local cases. The appeals court judges also rejected the argument and declined the application. The final person seeking a reduction in his prison sentence was 39‑year‑old Jeffrey Barnes. Between 1999 and 2013, Barnes was convicted of raping three women, as well as a sepa‑ rate case of abduction and indecent assault, including two victims who were teenage girls. In 2018, Jus ‑ tice Charles Quin imposed a determinate sentence of 35 years on Barnes, but then reduced it by 40% to arrive at a 21‑year sentence. Nicholas Dixey, who rep‑ resented Barnes, argued that when compared to the standard English and Wales guidelines, the 35‑year sen‑ tence was too long, and therefore the 21‑year sen‑ tence now required a reduc‑ tion. The judges rejected the arguments on the grounds that it was not manifestly excessive. Once the five men serve their prescribed periods of imprisonment, they will be‑ come eligible for parole. Once they become eligible, they will have the chance to go before the parole board, who will decide whether they should be released. Following the introduction of the Conditional Release Law, all five men in these appeal cases were re-sentenced in accordance with the new guidelines. US fraudster who used Cayman company sentenced to 262 months MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@compassmedia.ky A US fraudster, who used a Cayman Islands bank ac‑ count and employed nom‑ inee directors for his off‑ shore entities in Cayman, the British Virgin Islands and Nevis to conceal his income, has been sen‑ tenced to 262 months in prison for wire fraud and 60 months’ imprisonment for tax evasion. The sentences will run concurrently. Treyton Thomas, 62, a resident of Naples, Florida, was charged in November 2016 in a 21‑count indict‑ ment with wire fraud, bank fraud and tax evasion. In Oc‑ tober 2018, he pled guilty to wire fraud, affecting a finan‑ cial institution and income tax evasion. Thomas purported to be a successful Harvard‑ed‑ ucated investment adviser for Cayman‑incorporated Marbury Advisors. He was charged with defrauding his father’s used car warranty company, several of its cus‑ tomers, his wife, and his father‑in‑law. Thomas claimed he was conservatively investing their money in US Treasury Bills, when instead he lost about US$4.5 million in risky trades in the commod‑ ities and futures market. To cover up the losses, Thomas provided the victims and various financial institu‑ tions with false information and fabricated bank and brokerage statements. He used the same falsified re‑ cords to defraud US finan‑ cial institutions out of ap‑ proximately US$1.9 million in loans. In addition to losing the victims’ money in risky trades, Thomas was charged with spending more than US$1.6 million of their funds for personal expenses. Thomas hid his income from the Internal Revenue Service by concealing his in‑ terest in foreign corporations and using offshore bank ac‑ counts to pay for personal expenses, the Department of Justice said. The Eastern District Court of North Carolina or‑ dered Thomas to pay ap‑ proximately US$7.3 million in restitution to the victims of the investment and bank fraud schemes, the Internal Revenue Service and the United States Attorney’s Of‑ fice and to forfeit an addi‑ tional US$7.3 million to the United States. Thomas who was charged with tax evasion in a second indictment in 2018, failed to file income tax returns or pay taxes for two decades, ac‑ cording to court records. Nominee directors opened and managed bank accounts, which Thomas used to move client funds in and out of the US. In ad‑ dition, he created fake or ‘ghost’ employees to make it appear that he operated a large, successful invest‑ ment fund. To conceal his own identity, Thomas used aliases or variations of his given name. He was charged with defrauding his father’s used car warranty company, several of its customers, his wife, and his father-in-law. MAN BAILED AFTER ACCIDENT CLAIMS PASSENGER’S LIFE The 25‑year‑old man ar‑ rested on suspicion of causing death by dan‑ gerous driving in relation to a weekend crash in Bodden Town has been bailed and is no longer in police custody. The man was arrested after his passenger, a 27‑year‑ old man, died Monday morning from injuries sus‑ tained in a collision with a wall of a residence in the vi‑ cinity of Doubloon Drive. The Royal Cayman Is‑ lands Police Service sent out a police statement Monday that indicated that the same car had been involved in an accident on Anton Bodden Drive before striking the wall on Doubloon Drive. The inci‑ dents occurred shortly after midnight on Sunday morning.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS WEDNESDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER 2019 4 LOCAL NEWS Both schools improved under the criteria of five or more Level 2 passes in any subject. Clifton Hunter stu‑ dents scored 57.7%, while John Gray was at 57.6%. Last year’s scores were 42.5% and 46.8%, respectively. Layman Scott scores were up sharply in both categories – 72.2% and 94.4%, respec‑ tively – but the school’s small population often results in large swings in the numbers. Peter Carpenter, director of the Office of Education Standards, said meeting in‑ ternational standards re‑ mains a challenge. The report faults teachers for setting low expectations. “They don’t know the chil‑ dren as well as they need to,” Carpenter said. “Across all stages of edu‑ cation in Cayman,” the report says, “teachers’ low expecta‑ tions of students remain a fundamental barrier and too often restrict the pace of stu‑ dents’ progress”. Carpenter said many times students come into a recep‑ tion year programme already knowing the letters of the al‑ phabet and their sounds. Nev‑ ertheless, he said, they often have to sit through lessons teaching them these things. Student assessments are often not shared as students progress, he said. And, when they are, teachers are not al‑ ways evaluating the assess‑ ments accurately. Figures in the study show 66% of teachers in govern‑ ment schools were rated as satisfactory or weak. Con‑ versely, 53% of teachers in private schools were assessed as either good or excellent. “We’re trying to look at the things that keep teaching from being consistently good,” Carpenter said. “There is good practice, but it’s dis‑ parate and it’s not consistent at all schools.” In government schools, in‑ struction during Key Stage 3, Years 7‑9, was found to be particularly lacking. “The quality of teaching and the curriculum offered at Key Stage 3 are not yet at the required standard to guar‑ antee ongoing improvements to students’ attainment in core subjects,” the report said. There was one exception. “Only one school in‑ spected this year, Cayman Prep and High, provided high quality secondary pro‑ vision,” the report said, “and, in this school, academic out‑ comes were often excellent as a result of consistently ef‑ fective teaching throughout the school.” Carpenter said this year’s annual report is more com‑ prehensive than last year’s, since it contains data on pri‑ vate schools. The 2018 re‑ port only covered inspec‑ tions of government primary schools. But, Carpenter said, he was somewhat surprised by what he saw. “I have been disappointed with some of the outcomes of some of the private school in‑ spections,” he said. Two private high schools, Triple C and Wesleyan Chris‑ tian Academy, received weak ratings. “Some of the early years centres, we’re seeing more [weak assessments] than I would like,” he said. The report’s analysis pro‑ vides some positive ele‑ ments. It praised the govern‑ ment schools for efforts to reach out. In the public schools, there was significant scope to further develop the contribu‑ tion of parents and the wider community within the gov‑ ernance arrangements of the schools. It also found student behaviour, long a chronic problem, was a weak point in only 10% of schools. The report offers recom‑ mendations on how educa‑ tion can be improved in all Cayman schools. It encour‑ ages a cooperative effort among schools, where those with weaker teaching would send staff to visit stronger schools and observe good and excellent classroom practices. There was no response to a request sent to the Depart‑ ment of Education Services for comment. The full report is available at http://bit.ly/2019_AR. MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@compassmedia.ky A new report from the Of‑ fice of Education Standards says Cayman Islands educa‑ tion has improved overall in the last five years, but that students are still under‑per‑ forming when compared to international standards. The annual report is an analysis of all of the school inspections conducted during the 2018‑2019 school year. The 25 schools inspected included nine govern‑ ment schools, eight private schools and eight early child‑ hood centres. Private schools gener‑ ally outperformed govern‑ ment schools in most areas, although two private schools were rated ‘weak’ in their overall assessment. Weak is the lowest of four possible grades, the others being sat‑ isfactory, good and excellent. The standards office empha‑ sises that schools should be operating at either good or excellent to be considered successful. Only one school, Little Trotters Farm and Nursery School, received an excellent rating. Four private schools were assessed as good. Just one government school, the Lighthouse School, was given a good rating. On the whole, the report said, Cayman schools showed “some improvement from the last round of inspections conducted in 2014‑15 during which the overall perfor‑ mance of most public schools was evaluated as ‘unsatis‑ factory’. Nevertheless, there is currently no mainstream public school which meets the expected level in terms of overall performance quality”. Student achievement, teaching quality and curric‑ ulum improvements are some of the key areas the report focusses on. The report contains a breakdown of GCSE test scores for Year 11 students, including those from this year. The levels remain well below the international standard set by UK students. Scores for five or more Level 2 passes, including maths and English, hit their lowest level in four years at Clifton Hunter High School, dropping from 38.9% of students in 2018 to 37.4% this year. At John Gray, scores rose from 33.5% last year to 36.6%, still below the 38.3% from 2017. WEDNESDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS Standards report: Challenges remain for Cayman schools The 25 schools inspected included nine government schools, eight private schools and eight early childhood centres. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Cayman Compass Ltd. Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town, Cayman Islands SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman, KY1-1108 Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@compassmedia.ky ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@compassmedia.ky Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHER KATHLEEN CAPETTA EDITOR CATHERINE MACGILLIVRAY A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” SCHOOL PERFORMANCE Private Schools Overall PerformanceNumber of InstitutionsPercentage Excellent0/80 Good4/850 Satisfactory2/825 Weak2/825 Government Schools Overall PerformanceNumber of InstitutionsPercentage Excellent0/90 Good1/911 Satisfactory6/967 Weak2/922 Early Years Centres Overall PerformanceNumber of InstitutionsPercentage Excellent1/812.5 Good0/80 Satisfactory4/850 Weak3/837.5 DoE rescue turtle from ghost net KEVIN MORALES kmorales@compassmedia.ky Department of Environ‑ ment officers, en route by boat to Cayman Brac last week, freed a turtle they came across that was trapped in a floating ‘ghost net’. DoE Conservation Officer Joe Kellog and Cayman Brac Field Officer Martin van der Touw rescued the tangled turtle as they travelled to Grand Cayman from Cayman Brac. The 26 Aug. rescue was captured on video and posted online. The video, posted on the DoE’s Facebook page, appears to show the turtle swimming freely in the water moments after the net was removed. Ghost nets are fishing nets left or lost in the ocean by fishermen. The nets can be dangerous for marine life as they can trap animals or get hung up on reefs. In April 2018, a ghost net with dead sharks and hun‑ dreds of other fish trapped inside was discovered on a reef north of Grand Cayman. It was towed to shore by local fishermen and removed from the water. Another was found in May with a dead reef shark en‑ tangled in it. The incident prompted the DoE to appeal to the public to notify them of any ghosts nets they see while on the water. A pile of fishing net lies at the bottom of a Department of Environment boat after DoE staffers rescued a trapped turtle and removed the floating net from the water. - PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM DOE VIDEO5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS WEDNESDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER 2019 The past is paper. The future is paperless. By using our online member portal, employers and members can manage account information anytime, anywhere. Visit www.silverthatch.org.ky for more information or email support@silverthatch.org.ky The future is secure with us. Change of address Reduce submission errors Salary change Automate processes Beneficiary change Increase efficiency Updating marital status Stay organized Coast Guard head expects boating laws soon MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@compassmedia.ky Cayman’s largely unregulated boating community may be getting some new rules. Robert Scotland, commandant of the Cayman Islands Coast Guard, said work is under way to draft new laws that would apply to com- mercial operators on the islands. He said he expects regulations for pri- vate boaters will follow. In an email, Scotland said a working group was formed in May “as part of an initiative to achieve compliance with the International Maritime Organisation’s III Code … The working group is in the process of finalising proposed amendments to the Merchant Shipping Law, which will be presented in a final report in the coming weeks.” He said a Coast Guard Law is also being drafted. He expects the resulting legislation “will address maritime safety standards relative to the use and operations of pri- vate vessels”. Commercial boat operators in Cayman say it would be a good thing to have more regulation of boats and boating traffic. Such changes, they say, might help pre- vent accidents such as the recent two-vessel collision in North Sound that killed two men and badly in- jured a woman. Ronnie Anglin, director and pres- ident of Captain Marvin’s, a tour and charter company, said greater regulation should have been imple- mented long ago. “It’s been talked about for some time,” Anglin said, “and it’s overdue. If we don’t do something soon, we’re going to regret it.” What he and many other profes- sional operations would like to see are laws requiring the registration of boats and licensing for those who operate them. Some also said rules relating to drunk driving need to be imposed. Currently, there are no laws regarding these issues. Scotland said the law being written will “most certainly” deal with driving boats while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He said some of the proposed regula- tions will deal with: ■■ Use/operation of a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, narcotic or other sensory impeding substance; ■■ Use/operation of a vessel over a certain speed within certain zones; ■■ Use/operation of a vessel which is involved in a collision causing damage or injury to another vessel/structure/person while under the influence. Anglin said boating in Cayman has become more dangerous in the past decade as more and more boats are plying its waters. “Every week you turn around, there’s another boat on North Sound,” he said. “There’s not an in- finite amount of space. The popula- tion has gotten to the point where something has to be done. “The will hasn’t been there,” he added, “but I think it might be now.” There is a long list of maritime boating regulations already on the books. Those regulations, which can be found on the Port Author- ity’s website, deal with such safety issues as life vest requirements and right-of-way issues when it comes to other boats, divers and swimmers. Deputy Director of Operations Will Jacobs said the boating com- munity operates largely on its honour. Apart from annual inspec- tions of tour boats, he said, the Port Authority has no enforcement capabilities. “I’m not sure who would enforce it,” Jacobs said of the regulations. “I would see this [falling] more under the Coast Guard. In the US, it’s the Coast Guard that enforces [ma- rine laws].” At Harbour House Marina, near the site of the recent double-fatal accident, general manager Jonathan Cuff said additional regulations “would be a good thing for Cayman”. At the same time, he said, he does not think such regulations would make a significant difference for the majority of those out on the water. He thinks people want to be safe when sailing or driving a boat. In fact, he’s seen greater concern in recent years. “We have seen an improvement in the attitudes of boaters over the last few years,” Cuff said. “I have noticed, particularly since the boat was lost on the west side of the is- land and that family was lost, [refer- ring to an incident in 2016 when a fishing boat carrying three men and two boys capsized and the bodies were never found], most boaters are taking safety more seriously. “Most boaters are conscientious,” he added. “What the government would have to decide is how to en- able the police to deal with people who [are not].” Any new laws would have to go through the Legislative Assembly for approval. Last week, Legislative Assembly Member Ezzard Miller called for legislators to revisit the issue. Premier Alden McLaughlin did not respond to requests for comment. Mark Button ran Moby-Dick Tours until recently. He said the lack of boating regulations is a glaring hole that needs to be filled. “It’s like you leave your common sense at the airport,” he said. “It’s amazing that anyone can grab a powerful speedboat and just take off. It’s just waiting for the next dis- aster to happen.” At Red Sail Sports, Opera- tions Manager Rod McDowall said common sense laws would help. He’d like to see boat operators have something similar to a driv- er’s licence. “I don’t think it needs to be very stringent,” he said. “It shouldn’t be a whole lot different than motor ve- hicle [laws].” He hopes such regulations would encourage a certain element of boaters to clean up their acts. “The thing most people are con- cerned about is there’s a small mi- nority of people who are a little bit reckless,” he said. “You’ve got the idiot element that ruins it for everyone.” The newly formed Coast Guard will ultimately take over the responsibilities of the Joint Marine Unit.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 WEDNESDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS Relief effort begins in earnest for Bahamas them. Items like bottled water, it said, are bulky and costly to send, and only address the crisis for a short period of time. The Red Cross underlined the fact that the needs of the affected population can change drasti- cally as the response shifts out of the emergency stage. When people send money, it allows disaster re- lief organisations and affected in- dividuals to spend the money in the most appropriate venue. The appeal also stated that the Red Cross does not take any fees from moneys donated to disaster relief. The Red Cross believes that monetary donations are a more appropriate way to contribute to the cause, because sending vol- unteers to a disaster area would be problematic and potentially dangerous. People who want to contribute to the Red Cross appeal can con- tact www.redcross.org.ky, or do- nate directly to the campaign at Butterfield Bank Account #1360350540060. Governor Martyn Roper issued a statement advising citizens how they can help the Bahamas. “I know that Caymanians feel a strong sense of empathy with the people who have been affected by Hurricane Dorian,” said Gov- ernor Roper. “As the Red Cross has pointed out, the collection of unso- licited goods by the public and or- ganisations can harm relief efforts following disasters such as this. “I would urge the public to provide assistance by providing funding to relief organisations like the Red Cross to enable ap- propriate and targeted assistance to be effective.” The University of the West In- dies has pledged to work with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Area to advise and support the needs of the people of the Bahamas. The school – which has multiple campuses spread out among Carib- bean locales – operates its Centre for Hotel and Tourism Management in Nassau in the Bahamas. Hillary Beckles, the vice chancellor of the University of the West Indies, said it’s important for the Caribbean nations to band together. “The extreme vulnerability of our region is now finally globally recognized as an existential threat caused by climate change and global warming,” he said. “Once again, we have witnessed this truth in the extensive destruction and tragic deaths caused by the growing intensity of hurricanes. As we mourn the human loss in our Bahamas family and lament their massive property destruc- tion, the University urges policy framers to fast track the applica- tion of science in building out the region’s future resilience.” John Wight, chairman and chief executive officer of Island Her- itage’s parent company, said the company had made a “substantial” donation to the Bahamas. “Our thoughts are with all those affected by Hurricane Do- rian in the Bahamas,” said Wight, the chairman and CEO of BF&M Limited. “This hurricane is un- precedented in its strength and the length of time over which it is wielding devastation. At Is- land Heritage, we are standing ready to do our part in begin- ning the process of rebuilding, not just through our donation in support of the work of the Red Cross, but by promptly as- sessing and processing claims once these start to come in.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 KAABOO: EXPECT TICKET REFUNDS IN TWO WEEKS MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@compassmedia.ky KAABOO Cayman organisers say ticket holders for the cancelled 2020 festival should expect to see their money refunded in the next two weeks. Officials announced Sunday that the two-day festival that de- buted in February, featuring more than two dozen music and comedy performers, will not be returning to Cayman. An email sent to ticket holders said KAABOO “will refund the full amount charged to your credit or debit card. The amount refunded will include service fees, as well as the cost of the pass(es)”. The process will begin this week, the email said, and may take up to 14 days for the money to appear in credit or debit card accounts. “You will receive an email from the payment processor when your refund has been initiated,” the email said. If the money does not show up within that time frame, ticket holders are asked to contact their bank. If the refund received is incor- rect, contact KAABOO at info@ka- aboocayman.com or call 233-0700 or (855) 798-5995. Sea Shepherd boat crew gets ready to help in Bahamas KEVIN MORALES kmorales@compassmedia.ky The M/V John Paul De- Joria is in George Town har- bour aiming to soon begin assisting those in the Ba- hamas in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. “We’re running from Do- rian at the moment,” said ship manager Tawd Bell, a crewmember on the former US Coast Guard Cutter now part of the marine conserva- tion organisation Sea Shep- herd. “But we’re also in the Caribbean on standby for Op- eration Good Pirate, which is our humanitarian aid cam- paign we do here during hur- ricane season, if there’s ever any hurricanes.” Dorian, a Category 5 storm when it hit the Bahamas, has devastated the northern part of the country. “Dorian just went through,” Bell said. “So I think the plan is we’re gonna be heading back north and helping the Caribbean. Right now, once the storm is cleared out, go back and help them out with supplies, medical, and, I’m as- suming, clothing, food, that kind of thing. “These are all donations that people are organising and then getting on the boat and then we’re just trans- porting and delivering them.” That is where Cayman and its residents come in. “We’re getting some here, I just found out,” Bell said of the donations. “The plan is brand-new so I don’t have a lot of answers. So we’re kind of flying by the seat of our pants a little bit, which you kind of have to when you’re responding to hurricanes.” It’s not the first time those in Cayman nor those with Sea Shepherd have assisted following a major storm. Cayman Islands law enforce- ment and other emergency response officers assisted on the ground in 2017 following Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which devastated several countries in the eastern Car- ibbean. Sea Shepherd crews were there as well, Bell said. “Obviously, it feels good,” he said of helping those in need after a storm. “It’s ob- viously hectic but it’s re- warding. Especially after Irma and Maria, Puerto Rico and places like that were not get- ting any help at all. So I think that was the original impetus for us doing that, is we were able to come in where there was a big void from govern- ment assistance, so we just decided to keep doing it.” Bell says the 111-foot, 174-tonne ship will remain in Cayman for only a few days. He’s unsure whether the crew will make another stop en route to aiding recovery ef- forts in the Bahamas. “ We’re also in the Caribbean on standby for Operation Good Pirate, which is our humanitarian aid campaign we do here during hurricane season if there’s ever any hurricanes.” TAWD BELL, ship manager, M/V John Paul DeJoria The Sea Shepherd’s M/V John Paul DeJoria in dock in George Town on Tuesday. - PHOTO: KEVIN MORALES Boats litter the area around a marina in the Bahamas after being tossed about by Hurricane Dorian. - PHOTO: US COAST GUARD STATION CLEARWATER VIA AP7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER 2019 Amazing career storiesbegin withus Join a team where people make the difference Chief Accountant & Comptroller Position Summary: Leads and oversees the Finance Departmentin the Cayman Islands ensuring business strategies, plans and initiatives are executed / delivered in compliance with governing regulations, internal policies and procedures. Required skills and qualifications for this role include: The Chief Accountant contributes to the efficient and profitable operation of the Cayman business and is responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the financial accounting and reporting for the country. The incumbent is responsible for the efficient day-to-day operation of the Finance function and provides leadership and direction as it relates to the preparation of financial statements for internal and external purposes, accounting policies and control, and regulatory reporting. Responsibilities include: Maintenance of Management Information Systems and preparation of associated head office and in-country reporting including managing forecast and annual profit planningprocesses. Monitorsinternal and external financial reporting for reasonability / accuracy including reviewing the monthly trial balance and ensuringadequate internal controls over financial reporting. Monitorsand analyzesfinancial results to identify significant variances or identify and resolve financial risk and profitability issues andrecommending actions to country/business line management to manage/optimize. Presentsquarterly financial results and analysis to the country/business line heads and the board, as required, including metricsand key performance indicators. Prepare the Annual Financial Statement and Notes in compliance with IFRS and prepare, review and oversee ofspecialized and ad hoc reporting as required by Scotiabank Head Office. Skills/qualifications: Aformal accounting designation and 10+ years’ experience in banking / financial services. Very strong knowledge and understanding of accounting, with an excellent working knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), particularly as applicable to Financial Institutions. Computer literacy with very good proficiency in Microsoft Office (in particular, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint applications).Oracle experience would be an advantage. An excellent understanding of financial markets and the local economic, political, social, investment and business environment of the regions CaymanIslands/British Virgin Islands. Strong organizational skills to prioritize tasks to meet objectives which often include tight timeframes. Strong analytical skills as well as strong interpersonal skills, professional judgment and tact in dealing with contacts inside and outside the financial areas of the Bank. A competitive salary along with a comprehensive range of benefits is offered. Salary range CI$94,700 -CI$159,650. Qualified candidates should submit applications, by 27 August 2019, to: CaymanHR@scotiabank.com Note: Only persons short-listed for an interview will be contacted. Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence (where applicable). Client Relationship Manager, Corporate & Commercial Banking Required skills and qualificationsfor this role include Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in finance or related field 5-7years of commercial banking experience Proven track record ofmanaging a diverse international commercial/corporate business products and market opportunities. Thorough knowledge of the commercial banking marketplace and a general knowledge of the assigned market areas’key industries Strong communication, negotiation, and sales skills Thorough knowledge of Bank’s commercial lending and deposit products and services, and customer profitability model to provide integrated financial solutions A competitive salary along with a comprehensive range of benefits is offered. Salary range is CI$90,000-CI$105,000 Qualified candidates should submit CV, by 10 September 2019,to: CaymanHR@scotiabank.com Note: Only persons short-listed for an interview will be contacted. Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence (where applicable). Client Relationship Manager, Corporate & Commercial Banking Position Summary Required skills and qualificationsfor this role include Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in finance or related field 5-7years of commercial banking experience Proven track record ofmanaging a diverse international commercial/corporate business products and market opportunities. Thorough knowledge of the commercial banking marketplace and a general knowledge of the assigned market areas’key industries Strong communication, negotiation, and sales skills Thorough knowledge of Bank’s commercial lending and deposit products and services, and customer profitability model to provide integrated financial solutions A competitive salary along with a comprehensive range of benefits is offered. Salary range is CI$90,000-CI$105,000 Qualified candidates should submit CV, by 10 September 2019,to: CaymanHR@scotiabank.com Note: Only persons short-listed for an interview will be contacted. Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence (where applicable). Client Relationship Manager, Corporate & Commercial Banking The Client Relationship Manager is responsible for contributing to the overall success of the Corporate and Commercial Banking Centre in the Cayman Islands by ensuring specific individual goals, plans, and initiatives are executed / delivered in support of the team’s business strategies and objectives. Additionally, the Client Relationship Manager ensures all activities conducted are in compliance with governing regulations, internal policies and procedures. Required skills and qualificationsfor this role include Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in finance or related field 5-7years of commercial banking experience Proven track record ofmanaging a diverse international commercial/corporate business products and market opportunities. Thorough knowledge of the commercial banking marketplace and a general knowledge of the assigned market areas’key industries Strong communication, negotiation, and sales skills Thorough knowledge of Bank’s commercial lending and deposit products and services, and customer profitability model to provide integrated financial solutions A competitive salary along with a comprehensive range of benefits is offered. Salary rang Qualified candidates should submit CV, by 10 September 2019,to: CaymanHR@scotiabank.com Note: Only persons short-listed for an interview will be contacted. Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence (where applicable). Client Relationship Manager, Corporate & Commercial Banking The successful candidate will be expected to: Required skills and qualificationsfor this role include Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in finance or related field 5-7years of commercial banking experience Proven track record ofmanaging a diverse international commercial/corporate business products and market opportunities. Thorough knowledge of the commercial banking marketplace and a general knowledge of the assigned market areas’key industries Strong communication, negotiation, and sales skills Thorough knowledge of Bank’s commercial lending and deposit products and services, and customer profitability model to provide integrated financial solutions A competitive salary along with a comprehensive range of benefits is offered. Salary rang Qualified candidates should submit CV, by 10 September 2019,to: CaymanHR@scotiabank.com Note: Only persons short-listed for an interview will be contacted. Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence (where applicable). Client Relationship Manager, Corporate & Commercial Banking Ensure all aspects of the assigned relationships receive ongoing attention as required, to maintain, improve, grow and retain the relationship Promote the development and profitable growth of the commercial banking portfolio in accordance with established growth objectives Ensure the accurate communication of the terms and conditions of an authorization and supervise the effective and timely implementation Maintain the quality of the assigned credit portfolio through control and administration of the specific conditions and reporting requirements Leadthe direct selling of credit and non-credit commercial products to prospects and customers Qualified candidates should submit CV, by 10 September 2019,to: CaymanHR@scotiabank.com Note: Only persons short-listed for an interview will be contacted. Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence (where applicable). Client Relationship Manager, Corporate & Commercial Banking Position Summary The Client Relationship Manager is responsible for contributing to the overall success of the Corporate and Commercial Banking Centre in the Cayman Islands by ensuring specific individual goals, plans, and initiatives are executed / delivered in support of the team’s business strategies and objectives. Additionally, the Client Relationship Manager ensures all activities conducted are in compliance with governing regulations, internal policies and procedures. The successful candidate will be expected to: Ensure all aspects of the assigned relationships receive ongoing attention as required, to maintain, improve, grow and retain the relationship Promote the development and profitable growth of the commercial banking portfolio in accordance with established growth objectives Ensure the accurate communication of the terms and conditions of an authorization and supervise the effective and timely implementation Maintain the quality of the assigned credit portfolio through control and administration of the specific conditions and reporting requirements Leadthe direct selling of credit and non-credit commercial products to prospects and customers Required skills and qualificationsfor this role include Qualified candidates should submit CV, by 10 September 2019,to: CaymanHR@scotiabank.com Note: Only persons short-listed for an interview will be contacted. Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence (where applicable). Client Relationship Manager, Corporate & Commercial Banking Position Summary The Client Relationship Manager is responsible for contributing to the overall success of the Corporate and Commercial Banking Centre in the Cayman Islands by ensuring specific individual goals, plans, and initiatives are executed / delivered in support of the team’s business strategies and objectives. Additionally, the Client Relationship Manager ensures all activities conducted are in compliance with governing regulations, internal policies and procedures. The successful candidate will be expected to: Ensure all aspects of the assigned relationships receive ongoing attention as required, to maintain, improve, grow and retain the relationship Promote the development and profitable growth of the commercial banking portfolio in accordance with established growth objectives Ensure the accurate communication of the terms and conditions of an authorization and supervise the effective and timely implementation Maintain the quality of the assigned credit portfolio through control and administration of the specific conditions and reporting requirements Leadthe direct selling of credit and non-credit commercial products to prospects and customers Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in finance or related field 5-7years of commercial banking experience Proven track record ofmanaging a diverse international commercial/corporate business products and market opportunities. Thorough knowledge of the commercial banking marketplace and a general knowledge of the assigned market areas’key industries Strong communication, negotiation, and sales skills Thorough knowledge of Bank’s commercial lending and deposit products and services, and customer profitability model to provide integrated financial solutions Qualified candidates should submit CV, by 10 September 2019,to: CaymanHR@scotiabank.com Note: Only persons short-listed for an interview will be contacted. Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence (where applicable). Client Relationship Manager, Corporate & Commercial Banking Position Summary The Client Relationship Manager is responsible for contributing to the overall success of the Corporate and Commercial Banking Centre in the Cayman Islands by ensuring specific individual goals, plans, and initiatives are executed / delivered in support of the team’s business strategies and objectives. Additionally, the Client Relationship Manager ensures all activities conducted are in compliance with governing regulations, internal policies and procedures. The successful candidate will be expected to: Ensure all aspects of the assigned relationships receive ongoing attention as required, to maintain, improve, grow and retain the relationship Promote the development and profitable growth of the commercial banking portfolio in accordance with established growth objectives Ensure the accurate communication of the terms and conditions of an authorization and supervise the effective and timely implementation Maintain the quality of the assigned credit portfolio through control and administration of the specific conditions and reporting requirements Leadthe direct selling of credit and non-credit commercial products to prospects and customers A competitive salary along with a comprehensive range of benefits is offered. Salary range is CI$90,000-CI$105,000 Qualified candidates should submit CV, by 10 September 2019,to: CaymanHR@scotiabank.com Note: Only persons short-listed for an interview will be contacted. Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence (where applicable). Client Relationship Manager, Corporate & Commercial Banking Position Summary The Client Relationship Manager is responsible for contributing to the overall success of the Corporate and Commercial Banking Centre in the Cayman Islands by ensuring specific individual goals, plans, and initiatives are executed / delivered in support of the team’s business strategies and objectives. Additionally, the Client Relationship Manager ensures all activities conducted are in compliance with governing regulations, internal policies and procedures. The successful candidate will be expected to: Ensure all aspects of the assigned relationships receive ongoing attention as required, to maintain, improve, grow and retain the relationship Promote the development and profitable growth of the commercial banking portfolio in accordance with established growth objectives Ensure the accurate communication of the terms and conditions of an authorization and supervise the effective and timely implementation Maintain the quality of the assigned credit portfolio through control and administration of the specific conditions and reporting requirements Leadthe direct selling of credit and non-credit commercial products to prospects and customers Qualified candidates should submit CV, by 10 September 2019,to: CaymanHR@scotiabank.com Note: Only persons short-listed for an interview will be contacted. Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence (where applicable). Upper atmosphere gridlock stalled Dorian (AP) – Hurricane Dorian just sat and pounded Grand Bahama Island for a day- and-a-half because nothing high up in the atmosphere was making it budge. That meteorological grid- lock, which slows or stalls storms, is happening more often in a warming world, studies show. Before Dorian picked up speed Tuesday morning, the upper atmosphere had been too calm. While this had been horrible for the Bahamas, where the storm’s onslaught had been relentless, mete- orologists said it may have helped spare Florida a bit. Usually the upper atmos- phere’s winds push and pull Atlantic hurricanes north or west or at least somewhere. They are so powerful that they dictate where these big storms go. But the steering currents at an altitude of 18,000 feet had just ground to a halt. They were not moving, so neither was Dorian. After reaching record- tying wind speeds on land- fall in the Bahamas, the storm stalled. Its eyewall first hit Grand Bahama Is- land Sunday night, and into Tuesday morning part of the eye still lingered there, mete- orologists said. For 28 hours on Monday and Tuesday, the hurricane centre said the storm was either stationary or crawling at 1 mph. “This is unprecedented,” said Jeff Masters, meteor- ology director at Weather Un- derground who used to fly into hurricanes. “We’ve never had a Category 5 stall for so long in the Atlantic hurri- cane record.” For all storms, regard- less of size, “it’s very odd” but not quite unprecedented, said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion climate scientist Jim Kossin, who has studied the forward movement of hur- ricanes. Tropical cyclones around the world are slowing down, he said. In Dorian’s case, there is an ongoing battle between high pressure systems that push storms and low pres- sure systems that pull them. A high pressure system in Bermuda has been acting like a wall, keeping Dorian from heading north. But a low pressure trough moving east from the Midwest has eroded that high and is trying to pull Dorian north. Those two weather systems “are fighting it out and neither is win- ning”, Masters said Monday. There’s just no flow pushing it anywhere. Think of it like a tiny paper boat or a pebble in a stagnant pond, which just does not move, said Colorado State Univer- sity hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. Finally, Tuesday morning the low pressure trough eroded enough of the high pressure system to allow Dorian to start moving northwest. It was forecast to move more north- ward after that and eventually pick up speed. What happened to Dorian “is consistent with the kind of changes that we might ex- pect with global warming”, NOAA’s Kossin said Tuesday. He said this storm has not been studied in the precise ways that climate scientists need to say global warming was a factor. But Kossin’s 2018 study in the journal Nature found trop- ical cyclones around the globe had slowed down 10% from 1949 to 2016. And he was able to examine US storms back to 1900 and found a 17% slow- down since then. “I find it very compel- ling that we’re observing that much of a slowdown over a long period of time,” Kossin said. It all starts in the Arctic, which is warming faster than the rest of the globe because of emissions of heat-trap- ping gases from the burning of coal, oil and gas. The jet stream, which moves global weather along, slows down when there’s less of a temper- ature and air pressure differ- ence between the Arctic and lower latitudes, Kossin said. This theory linking Arctic changes to the slowing jet stream is not completely em- braced by mainstream cli- mate scientists, but there has been a growing acceptance of it in scientific literature. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey got stuck when the upper at- mosphere’s steering currents collapsed, drenching and flooding Houston, but that was not as powerful a storm as Dorian, Klotzbach said. Usually hurricanes that do not move eventually kill themselves because they churn up colder water from deep below the ocean’s sur- face and are deprived of the warm water that fuels storms, Masters said. “It’s got to keep moving,” he said. By Tuesday morning, Do- rian was down to 110 mph, still potent and dangerous Category 2, but no longer a major hurricane. While this had been horrible for the Bahamas, where the storm’s onslaught had been relentless, meteorologists said it may have helped spare Florida a bit. Volunteers rescue a family from the rising waters of Hurricane Dorian, near the Casuarina Bridge in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Tuesday. – PHOTO: APThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS 18 September 2019 Registration 5:30pm - 6:30pm AGM 6:30pm - 7:15pm George Town Yacht Club 606 North Sound Road Visit nationaltrust.org.ky for more information, a list of nominees and proxy forms for members who are unable to attend. For general inquiries or to RSVP, contact info@nationaltrust.ky or 749-1121 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Vote for the new 2019/20 Trust Council Masses of seaweed invade Cayman shores Cayman’s oldest person passes away at age 105 become a nurse. She trained in Bermuda and then Canada, returning to Bermuda to live and work before accepting a post in an Adventist Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica. Many of her family were at that time living in Jamaica,” a statement from her family read. “While there, she was per- suaded by the headmaster of Knox College, situated in the hills of Manchester, to join the school as a nurse and teacher. This was one of the happiest periods of her life, she said.” Fate, however, eventu- ally brought her back to Cayman. Upon the invita- tion of Frances Bodden, she spent her Christmas holiday in Cayman in 1949. On the plane ride from Jamaica, she sat next to a Caymanian widower, Otto Hurlston, whom she had known during her childhood. He was on his way home for Christmas from his job as su- perintendent of the Standard Fruit Company Estate in the Artibonite Valley, Haiti. Within two weeks, they were engaged. The couple wed in June 1950. After a period spent in Haiti and then a year in Hon- duras where Otto continued to run a banana estate, they decided in 1954 it was time to return to Grand Cayman. Otto, Elizabeth and Otto’s daughter Mary moved back into the old family house on South Church Street where Ugland House is now lo- cated, and opened a business known as Caymandicraft in the building which sub- sequently became the Eden Rock Diving Center. Otto, a skilled craftsman, specialised in designing and carving turtle shell jewellery while Elizabeth ran the shop, selling a range of products including Agfa cameras, 4711 cologne, Seagull outboard en- gines and Scottish cashmere sweaters. “Many have said that they would come to the shop not just to buy but to visit with Elizabeth, and she built up a wide circle of friends from overseas as well as locally. She kept the shop open for nearly 40 years, although Otto passed away in 1986,” the family statement read. In the mid-90s, she sold the property in town and moved, along with Mary and her son-in-law Michael Bow- erman, to their new house in South Sound. She had two grandchil- dren, Deborah and David who, with their spouses, Will Ryan and Susana, and her four great-grandchil- dren, Gabriela, Adriana, Abigail and one-year-old David Alexander, all live in South Sound. Over the years, she taught Sunday school at Elmslie Memorial, served the Girls’ Brigade for 27 years, even- tually becoming Captain in George Town and Com- mandant of the island. She served on the church mis- sion committee and was a member of the ‘In His Steps’ visiting team. According to her family, she is the only member of the church to have gone on every church mission trip to Haiti and the Domin- ican Republic from their in- ception in 1988 – about 15 trips in all. While visiting the Dominican Republic on her final trip, shortly be- fore she reached 94, she cracked several ribs – an effect of the rough roads on her osteoporosis. “Right until the end of her life – yes, past the age of 104 – she still insisted she was returning to Haiti, and we needed to help her get things ready to take,” Bow- erman said. Into her mid-90s, she was still helping out a couple of afternoons a week in the church office, visiting shut-ins and serving with the Pink Ladies. In her ear- lier years, she had been the chair of the Public Library Committee, and founder member of the Red Cross, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and the Garden Club. When the National Council of Social Service (now the National Council of Voluntary Organisations) was formed in 1980, she be- came a Pink Lady, visiting and serving hot drinks in the hospital, and into her late 90s, she could be seen doing her rounds there. An animal lover who kept dogs and cats throughout her life, including her latest, a cat called Spice, she helped at the Hu- mane Society. For many years, she kept a list of sick people and shut-ins to whom she made weekly visits. She was a vol- unteer at The Pines Retire- ment Home and a volunteer teacher’s aide at the Cayman Prep and High School. In 1976, she received the Queens’ Badge and Certifi- cate of Honour for her con- tribution to the youth of the Cayman Islands, and in 2001 was awarded an MBE by the Queen for community service. She was also one of the four Quincentennial Ambassadors for George Town in 2003 at the time the Cayman Islands celebrated its 500th year since discovery. A service of celebration of Elizabeth Hurlston’s life will be held at 2pm, on Saturday, 7 Sept., at Elmslie Church. Bright colours are requested, and in lieu of flowers, any donations received will be shared with Jasmine (formerly Cayman HospiceCare) and various Christian ministries in Haiti. “At our store location at Lighthouse Point, we’ve had a couple of sightings of sea- horses out in that area. They tended to be few and far be- tween before. But we’ve seen them more, recently, than in the past.” Workers from Vivo restau- rant at North West Point said they had not yet experienced a negative impact from the sargassum. With the seaweed only having washed ashore in re- cent days, most of it had not yet decomposed, so the foul smell associated with the plant had not fully set in. Environmental concerns The Department of Envi- ronment advised that heavy equipment for sargassum clean-up can be detrimental to turtle nesting. “Vehicles and heavy equipment on beaches can crush turtle nests or destroy nesting habitat through sand compaction or excavation. We have not had any reports of this happening yet, but it is still just at the mid-point of the nesting season,” a DoE statement read. A draft plan on turtle con- servation, currently in the public consultation phase, would establish best prac- tices for seaweed clean-up to minimise the environ- mental impact. The plan proposes making it unlawful to operate motor vehicles and equipment on turtle nesting beaches from 1 May to 30 Nov. Exceptions would include permitted beach-cleaning vehicles, am- bulances and law enforce- ment vehicles, and construc- tion vehicles with planning permission. While sargassum mats at sea provide a habitat for sea life, once they arrive on coastlines, the environmental impact can be far reaching, according to researcher Bri- gitta van Tussenbroek with the Caribbean Seagrass Lab of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Van Tussenbroek is working to advise officials in Mexico on best prac- tices to avoid issues such as beach erosion and damage to coral reefs. “The huge masses cause what we started to call ‘sar- gassum brown tide’ and they cause anoxia [lack of oxygen], lower pH and light inhibi- tion. They kill basically all the benthos [marine organ- isms] which are there, and the benthos also fix the sand, so [that causes] more beach erosion,” she said. “Also, all those nutrients, they’re being flooded into the reef system and even if you don’t see that actual brown tide … its effects are [seen] even further than the barrier reef, which for us, is about 2 kilometres from shore.” She has observed an ex- pansion of the ‘sargassum season’ since 2015 and said it can now be expected to impact the Caribbean from March until November. Sargassum forecast The overall amounts of sargassum in the Carib- bean Sea diminished from July to August, according to a 31 Aug. forecast from the University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Lab. Across the central-west Atlantic and Caribbean Sea, USF observed around 7 mil- lion metric tons of sargassum in August, down from 11 mil- lion in August 2018. “Looking ahead, although reduction in Sargassum amount in the [Caribbean Sea] is expected to continue, the amount is projected to be rel- atively higher than most pre- vious years (except 2018 and 2015),” the USF forecast read. “This is because 1) there is still a large amount in the [Caribbean Sea], and 2) the large amount in the [central- west Atlantic] is going to be transported to the [Carib- bean Sea].” This means sargassum beach arrivals can be ex- pected to continue across the region, but in lower quantities through the coming months. “The exact Sargassum amount, timing, and loca- tion of the beaching events are hard to predict as they will depend on local ocean circulations and winds,” the forecast said. The Cayman Islands De- partment of Commerce and Investment did not confirm if clean-up crews would be redeployed to tackle the latest influx. Six workers with the National Commu- nity Enhancement Project, known as NiCE, were tasked with sargassum collection in August. At that time, the eastern reaches of Grand Cayman felt the greatest impact from sargassum. Workers cleared 200 tons of the seaweed from Frank Sound boat ramp, Coe Wood Beach in Bodden Town, Cayman Kai Public Beach in North Side and Colliers Beach in East End. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Elizabeth Hurlston, centre, celebrating her 104th birthday last year with friends. She passed away on Sunday, the day after her 105th birthday. Sargassum floats ashore at Cayman Brac. - PHOTO: SISTER ISLANDS NEWS AGENCY In 1976, she received the Queens’ Badge and Certificate of Honour for her contribution to the youth of the Cayman Islands, and in 2001 was awarded an MBE by the Queen for community service.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER 2019 American Airlines delays Boeing Max return American Airlines said Sunday it is delaying the expected return date for its Boeing 737 Max jets, extending cancellations for Max flights through Dec. 3. United Airlines has also delayed the Max return date through 19 Dec. 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EMAIL: INFO_IMPT@CANDW.KY SEMINAR & WORKSHOP TITLES COST (CI$) TIMEDATE DAYTIME SESSIONS Introduction to EXCEL$225 9am –4pm Sept. 4 The Customer Service Excellence Workshop$225 9 am –4 pm Sept. 11 QuickBooks: Essential Skills$225 9 am –4 pm Sept. 12 Intermediate EXCEL Workshop$225 9 am –4 pm Oct. 2 Managing Time & Stress in the Workplace$225 9 am –4 pm Oct. 3 Minute Taking: Essential Skills$250 9 am –4 pmOct. 9 The Professional Receptionist$225 9 am –4 pm Oct. 16 Intermediate WORD Workshop$225 9 am –4 pmOct. 30 INVEST IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CALL US TODAY @ 943-4678 OFFICE TEL FAX E-MAIL WEBSITE ʹͲͳ ͻͶ͵Ǧ ȋͶͺȌ ͻͶ͵ǦͶͻ ̴̷ Ǥ ǤǤ Innovative Management & Professional Training Business & Computer Skills Training Seminars & Workshops Contact us for a full listing of available titles or to discuss private training sessions. EMAIL: INFO_IMPT@CANDW.KY Churchill’s Funeral Home We have been asked to announce the passing of Mrs. Linda R. Barlow, who died peacefully in her sleep at home on Thursday, August 29, 2019. Details of a Thanksgiving Service will be announced at a later date. Condolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.com UK’s Johnson to call general election LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered a major de- feat in Parliament on Tuesday night as rebellious law- makers voted to seize con- trol of the Brexit agenda. The prime minister immediately said he would call for a new general election. The 328 to 301 vote cleared the way for John- son’s opponents to introduce a bill Wednesday that would prevent Britain from leaving the European Union without a deal on 31 Oct. The cross-party rebels are determined to prevent a ‘no- deal’ Brexit because of fears it would gravely damage the economy, and the vote came hours after Johnson suffered key defections from his party, losing a working majority in Parliament. On a day of high drama and acerbic debate in the House of Commons, law- makers returned from their summer recess to con- front Johnson over his in- sistence that the UK leave the European Union on 31 Oct., even without a with- drawal agreement to cushion the economic blow. Many shouted, “Resign!” A new general election would take Britain’s future directly to the people for a third general election in four years. Earlier Tuesday, two other prominent Conserva- tives signalled their inten- tion not to seek re-election rather than bend to John- son’s will. Former Cabinet minister Justine Greening and former Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt also signalled their intention to stand down. Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, lambasted the weak- ened Johnson and accused him of “riding roughshod” over the constitution in order to crash Britain out of the EU without a deal. “He isn’t winning friends in Europe. He’s losing friends at home. His is a government with no mandate, no morals and, as of today, no majority,” Corbyn said. Speaker of the House John Bercow had ruled that law- makers opposed to John- son’s Brexit plan could try to seize control of Parlia- ment’s agenda from the gov- ernment, clearing the way for a vote Tuesday night that gave the rebels the power to set the agenda. When chal- lenged by the government on the validity of his ruling, Bercow said he had gotten professional legal advice and was confident his path was correct. “I have sought to exercise my judgment in discharging my responsibility to facili- tate the House of Commons, to facilitate the legislature,” he said defiantly. “I have done it, I am doing it, and I will do it to the best of my ability without fear or favor – to coin a phrase, come what may, do or die.” Johnson’s tenuous posi- tion became clear even as he spoke in Parliament for the first time since it recon- vened. Lawmaker Phillip Lee rose from his chair on the Conservative benches and sat down with the Liberal Democrats, a defection that meant Johnson lost his slim working majority. Johnson, who became prime minister in July, has tried to crack down on mem- bers of his Conservative Party who oppose his Brexit plans, warning they would be expelled from the party if they supported parliamen- tary efforts to block or delay the withdrawal. Dominic Grieve, who was attorney general in David Cameron’s government, says the expulsion threats dem- onstrate Johnson’s “ruth- lessness”. Greening said she feared her beloved party was “morphing into Nigel Far- age’s Brexit Party”. Former Treasury chief Philip Ham- mond warned of the “fight of a lifetime” if officials tried to prevent him from running in the next election. As Brexit faces crucial days, international inves- tors are showing concern. The pound sterling fell as low as $1.1960 on Tuesday, down about a cent on the day before, stabilising around $1.1990. That was its lowest level since a “flash crash” in Oc- tober 2016, when uncer- tainty ran high after the Brexit referendum. Not counting that brief plunge – in which the currency fell to $1.1789 for about two min- utes before recovering – the pound is at its lowest level in 34 years. A no-deal Brexit will sever decades of seamless trade with Europe’s single market of 500 million people. Economists warn of disrup- tions in commerce, and the UN trade agency UNCTAD estimated Tuesday a no- deal Brexit will result in UK export losses of at least $16 billion. Leaked govern- ment documents predicted disruptions to the supply of medicine, decreased availa- bility of fresh food and even potential fresh water short- ages because of disruption to supplies of water treat- ment chemicals. Johnson has insisted that the potential for leaving without a deal must remain as a bargaining chip in nego- tiations with the EU. Though the EU is Brit- ain’s biggest trading partner, a no-deal Brexit would also hurt Europe – a fact not lost on Brussels. Johnson’s sup- porters said lawmakers were weakening the government’s negotiating position with the EU. “The one thing that has helped focus minds in the EU is that we’re leaving come what may and we’ve got a very focused task of what a good deal would look like,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told ITV. “But the lingering doubt they’ve got is: Will the shenan- igans in Parliament somehow lead to the cancellation or the delay of Brexit? “That’s encouraging them, and weakening our position to actually get the deal we all want.” The bloc insists it will not renegotiate the agree- ment struck with former Prime Minister Theresa May, which Johnson considers unacceptable. Johnson has told French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor An- gela Merkel he could come up with a better alternative to the main sticking point in the stalled negotiations – the deadlock on the Irish border question. Only 58 days from exit, the EU said it had received no proposals from the British government aimed at over- coming the impasse. European Commission spokeswoman Mina An- dreeva said the EU’s execu- tive body, which supervises talks on behalf of Britain’s 27 European partners, is op- erating on the “working as- sumption” that Britain will leave the bloc Oct. 31. The 328 to 301 vote cleared the way for Johnson’s opponents to introduce a bill Wednesday that would prevent Britain from leaving the European Union without a deal on 31 Oct. Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks in the House of Commons, London, on Tuesday. - PHOTO: APNext >