Online Forum - Website postings from caymannetnews.com

Wednesday,  November 17, 2004

• Being from North Carolina, we have weathered many storms. We have visited many islands in the Caribbean, but found Cayman to be the most beautiful of them all. We are looking forward to a return trip... and our thoughts and prayers are with all of the Caymanians, as we met so many people who have made their life there, and who made our visit wonderful. May God bless - Cathy
  
   
• Bravo Desmond; you have once again provided Cayman with real service; you should have everyone’s support and thanks - Joel Dean 
  
   
• I find it amazing that the charting of Hurricane Ivan by the Cayman Islands National Hurricane Committee was so remarkably different from the charts we saw in the States, and believe me, the news media had been making a sensation of Ivan from the get-go! Fire those guys - people die from bad information all the time! Of course you have no rights so... gum it up I guess.
  On a different note, with all the money made from being a tax haven, and Cayman being such a small island, why isn’t there an evacuation plan in effect? Though there may be a large rift between the have and have nots, Cayman is a rich island and I am sure officials in Government know that, so wake up!
  Brings to mind the song “Where oh where, has all the money gone?” - Rosy
  
   
• My sincere thanks for your information on the Internet. My daughter and her family are resident on Grand Cayman and your notices have helped us appreciate in UK what has been happening. Thanks again - Chris McDonnell
  
   
• Thank you for the updates. We have been praying and are very concerned for everyone on the islands. The lack of coverage from major networks has been very disappointing. Thank you again for this connection to the islands - Rachel Blevins
  
   
• Thank you so much for being our eyes out there. It is so hard not to hear from family members, but at least we were getting some information from your site. Thank you - Jeanne Farrington Schrader
  
   
• Thank you for providing this service and keeping those away from family and friends informed. God bless you - Tiffany A. Rankine
  
   
• My wife and I are regular visitors to Grand Cayman and consider it our ‘home away from home’. We have both been praying every night for everyone on the islands since we found out the islands were on Ivan’s path. May God bless you all. Keep safe and know that you are not alone! - Mike and Ellon Darr
  
   
• Thank you for the updates. Here in the US we are not being informed on the extensive damage that the Islands have suffered. Our prayers and thoughts are with the many people we met during our long holiday to the sister islands - Deborah Ott
  
   
• There are so many people in Cayman that are close to my heart; please know that I am thinking of you all and wish you well - Mandy Wallace
  
   
• To our dear friends on Cayman and all who endured this storm, our thoughts are with you - Gary and Christine Gibbs
  
   
• Karl and I are just tourists who have fond memories of Grand Cayman from more than 30 years ago, and are planning to celebrate our 40th Anniversary there.  I just wanted you to know that we have been watching events in the Caymans, and are praying for you.  We will be there in November whether or not everything is repaired. God bless you all - Carolyn Spence
  
   
• Thank you Cayman Net News for being there for us. I’m praying for my family and friends - Eileen Ebanks
  
   
• We are grateful that you are the only news organization providing us with information at this critical time. Thank you for helping us - Don Bryce
  
   
• I must commend the team at Cayman Net News for the superb job of keeping us concerned relatives friends informed. Thanks to those who are offering relief efforts, it is a great comfort for someone like me who might not be able to make it home from Boston. God bless you all and God bless our beloved isles - Teresa
  
   
• We have family on Grand Cayman and it was very difficult to get in touch with them. We are so sorry about what happened. It must be a disaster. In mind we are with you and please keep us updated since the networks in Europe are very low profile in information supply! - Erica & Wouter van Genderen
  
   
• US Owners of Local Company Get Debris Removal Contract
  This sure sounds bogus. It is rather strange, that MC Restoration can’t be located in any of the directories, and since it has been quickly registered in the Cayman Islands, while claiming to be out of Tampa, Florida... sure sounds suspicious. 
  MC is the abbreviation for MAC, and we all know that McKeeva’s name begins with MC, so I would have to say like the song “Mack the Knife”... “Can it be that our boy’s done something rash?”
  Ten million dollars is a whole lot of moola, and something is starting to stink here. The contractors in Cayman have a right to demand explanations, and they need to do their own investigating too. “Lord, when will all this corruption come to an end?” - Eyes Wide Open Caymanian
  
   
• Ivan T-shirts make $15,000
  Are these T-shirts still for sale? I am in Canada but I would love to get one for my brother who was on the Island during Ivan - Rosie Simonetta
  
   
• Is the UDP taking Cayman too close to Cuba?
  The Wight brother is at it again. How ill-conceived are the thoughts of the ill-informed. Why not be the politician you want to be C. Wight and go and ask/request a meeting with the Leader of Government business and the Minister you are referring to and ask them directly what they are up to and/or are doing?. Is that too much for the warmonger who seeks to create disdain but is not aware of how his infantile meanderings and words show his loathing for anyone or anything that does not fit into his origins. Perhaps a job that uses the brain and not the mouth or pen would assist in the writer’s quest for maturity - Jahrute
  
   
• The Necessity of Transparency
  MC Restoration - Who is the beneficial owner of this company? Who have government contracted with? In the absence of such information, we can only speculated that this is another sweetheart deal for a person in a position of influence - Neil Maynard
  
   
• Cruise ship plan for accommodation awaiting go-ahead
  A brief history of Cunard Countess now known as Ocean Countess:
  Inexpensively built by Burmeister & Wain in Copenhagen in 1974, Cunard Countess was moved to La Spezia, Italy, for fitting out, entering service in August 1976.
  Cunard Countess was 17,593 tons. 536.6 feet long. 74.5 feet wide with a 22.2 foot draft.
  She was I believe one of the last, if not the last liners, built for Cunard line and intended for 3 star Caribbean cruising.
  The cabins are on the small side and the original soundproofing was not so good.
  At sometime between 1976 and 1982 her Master was the QM2 Captain (now Commodore) Ronald Warwick.
  In 1982/83 she was used as a troop ship during the Falklands conflict, together with her sister ship Ocean Princess, and was welcomed back into the UK by the Queen Mother.
  In 1996, she was sold to Far East line, Awani Cruises of Indonesia, for 18 million pounds becoming Awani Dream II. Awani Cruises ceased operations.
  She was then bought by Royal Olympic Cruises in the autumn of 2001 who renamed her “Olympic Countess”.
  In early 2004 Royal Olympia’s ships were seized and auctioned off. She was purchased by Greek-based Majestic Cruises and renamed Ocean Countess. 
  Her first role was to replace Majestic Cruises Ocean Explorer I at the 2004 Olympics as an accommodation ship.
  She was then scheduled to cruise the Agean - Captain Pugwash
  
   
• Curfew to end?
  I would have never thought that things like police state curfews and constitutional reform would happen in Cayman. I understand what’s happening; too bad most Caymanians have no clue what is going on. Visit Prisonplanet.com if you are allowed - Herry Ackermon’s Grandson
  
   
• Cayman Islands suffer ‘catastrophic damage’
  My wife and I are annual visitors to the Brac. Thank you for efforts to provide information concerning our beloved vacation home! - Ted and Susi
   
• My husband and I vacation on your Island, at Morritts every year. We want you to know, although it isn’t much, our thoughts and prayers are with you. The Island and its people are never far from our thoughts - Scott and Jenelle Boers
   
• I am glad I found your site. I have family living there and was very worried about each of them. Your site has helped keep me informed - Erin Saunders, Sault Ste Marie, Canada
   
• Having been in Cayman on business a couple of years ago I have followed your coverage as the sole source of information available.  You have done a terrific job and I am most grateful. Well done Cayman and Cayman Net News! - Bruce Willing
   
• I have a daughter and 3 grandchildren living in Cayman. Your reports have been the most detailed and accurate that I’ve seen.  The US news and the National [US] Hurricane Center could provide no details other than that the storm had ‘devastated” the Caymans.  Thank you for your dedication and perseverance in reporting what has happened to the “outside” world - Sharon Uribe
   
• After 8 wonderful years we left the Cayman Islands in June this year and have many friends there. My thoughts and love are with you all at this time  - Gillian Chon Ping
   
• Thank you for your coverage. The international news media seem to treat the islands as a blip on the radar screen so no pictures are coming out from them. Once again thank you for the coverage and we’ll watch for more on how we can help as the weeks progress  - Gary Kohlsmith
   
• Hang in there guys! Thanks for keeping the reports coming while in a fury! True reporting! - Darren Scully
   
• Our hearts go out to all of the wonderful people of the Cayman Islands, our favorite Caribbean vacation spot. Please let us know if there is an organization taking donations to assist your terrible plight, and we will make a contribution. Thank you  - we’ll be back! - Gary and Becky Fessenden, South Bend, IN, USA
   
• Your coverage is the best and the most personal. I was sitting high and dry in Dublin, Ireland but my sister and husband were in the Cable and Wireless shelter in Grand Cayman. Keep up the good work - Jeanne Mahony
   
• My prayers and thoughts, along with the many people of the Virgin Islands, are with the people of the Cayman Islands - Dean Bryan
   
• Desmond, you were our only source of information about this disaster. Thank you so much - please let us know if we can do anything to help here in Miami. God bless  - Nick Duggan
   
• I want to thank you for your consistent news updates regarding the Caymans. I have a lot of family there and was anxious to hear about the well being of all the residents too.  I too own property there but was more concerned with their safety. The TV news stations up here, Canadian or American news, had virtually nothing as to how the Caymans fared. Thanks - Gary and Debbie Smith

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