Issue No. 464 Tuesday, 12 August 2003

The Ministry of Planning, Communications, Works and Information Technology (PCW&IT) signed a contract last week to have the Quincentennial Roundabout landscaped and curbed in a project to be financed by the Bank of Butterfield.

Mrs. Angela Martins

Mr. Erwin Dikau

This was the second major public-private project to improve the look of a roundabout. Similar arrangements were also made for the Linford Pierson Highway Roundabout between government and two companies, the Tortuga Rum Company and Flowers Bottled Water.

The Quincentennial Roundabout links the Esterley Tibbetts Highway with the North Sound, Crewe Road and Eastern Avenue roadways. Work to the centre-island will include planting grass, some palms, and low scrubs. This will surround a pedestal in the centre, commemorating the significance of this historic year.

The smaller, adjacent traffic islands at the intersection will also be improved with grass and curbs, and similar beautification is slated for the surrounding area, which is the main route of air visitors.
PCW&IT Permanent Secretary Kearney Gomez said that this work will be done, and the project maintained, by a private landscaping company, working in conjunction with the Public Works Department.

The Quincentennial Office Executive Director Angela Martins attended the signing, as did the Bank of Butterfield's Senior Manager Erwin Dikau, and Manager Turney Rankine of the bank's Finance and Planning division. "The Bank of Butterfield is pleased to be in partnership with the Public Works Department and the Quincentennial Office in the beautification of this roundabout," said Mr. Dikau. "This is an intimation of our commitment to the Cayman Islands, and of being good corporate citizens. We're returning some of the benefits of doing business in this unique jurisdiction."

Expressing her appreciation, Mrs. Martins commented, "I wish to express the appreciation of the Quincentennial Celebrations Committee of the private-public partnership which has made possible the naming of this heavily trafficked roundabout the 'Quincentennial Roundabout'. This action will ensure that memories of this year of celebrations in our islands will be around for a very long time."

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Sailing Campers Breeze Through Summer

The Cayman Islands Sailing Club has held its fifth annual sailing camps all summer long. Pictured are sail campers (l-r) Autumn Davies, Amy Whicker, Gina Giglioli and Storm Davies enjoying a sail. See fullstory in Sports Section

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World Breastfeeding Week "For Peace and Justice"

Nurse Annie Mae Roffey

The idea of "peace and justice" isn't often linked with the promotion of breastfeeding but that is exactly the connection being made this year, during World Breastfeeding Week.

Celebrated in the Cayman Islands and worldwide from 1 7 August, the theme for this year's commemoration is Breastfeeding in a Globalised World for Peace and Justice. The theme, organisers say, is intended to highlight common areas between these two topics, to demonstrate that they are not as far apart as they may seem.

According to the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), the group behind the annual observance, globalisation brings several advantages, and sometimes challenges, to the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding. WABA notes that globalisation has been defined as "an intensification of worldwide social relations, which links distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events many miles away, and vice versa."

With this in mind, one of the advantages of globalisation is the potential of global communications to educate people on the benefits of breastfeeding. In Cayman, the Cayman Breastfeeders Support Group have their own website, www.caymoms.org, with links to international breastfeeding sites. Also, notes the Public Health Department's Breastfeeding Co-ordinator Annie Mae Roffey, mothers communicate by e-mail with other breastfeeding mothers for support, and can contact breastfeeding advocates for advice and education.

Globalisation also helps to promote and act on the worldwide strategy for the feeding of infants and young children. The Cayman Islands Health Services Authority, through the efforts of its nutritionist, is presently working on a draft of a young-child feeding policy to complement its already-established breastfeeding policy. The Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI) is providing assistance
for this project, Nurse Roffey says.

WABA also encourages people to "to think globally and act locally with all sectors of the community to protect, promote and support breastfeeding." The Breastfeeding Working Group, led by Nurse Roffey, meets regularly to plan educational and promotional activities on breastfeeding. "We draw on resources from international organisations such as the World Health Organisation and UNICEF, and locally, from the Women's Resource Centre and other groups," she says.

However, Nurse Roffey acknowledges that some globalization practices challenge breastfeeding advocates in spreading the message. Worldwide advertising that promotes baby formulas as being "just as good as breast milk," for example, can influence mothers locally in their decision whether or not to breastfeed.

"That's why it is important for health-care providers to work with breastfeeding supporters, breastfeeding mothers, nutritionists, grandmothers, employers and others to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in the Cayman Islands," Nurse Roffey explains.

For more information about Breastfeeding in a Globalised World for Peace and Justice, visit WABA's website at www.waba.org.br. The Cayman Breastfeeders Support Group's website is www.caymoms.org.

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World report

Condoleezza Rice

Rice optimistic on North Korea talks

DALLAS (UPI) National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice says she is optimistic talks will help convince North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program.

The Voice of America reported Rice, speaking during a gathering of journalists in Dallas, said if North Korea wishes to be more involved in the economic benefits of the international community, it must first halt its nuclear weapons program.

Rice said the six-way talks that are expected to be held in China will give the United States the opportunity to make that case to North Korea with the backing of diplomats from South Korea, Japan, Russia, and China.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi fight India ban

NEW DELHI (UPI) Coke and Pepsi are challenging a ban in India against their colas after a watchdog group's allegation the drinks contain toxic chemicals, BBC reports.

India's defense ministry has ordered all its defense clubs to stop selling the drinks. Both companies have vigorously denied their products contain any harmful chemicals.

The companies' challenge came after the health ministry ordered independent tests on the alleged pesticide content.

The controversy arose after an allegation by an Indian environmental group that some Coca-Cola and Pepsi drinks sold in the country contained more than the prescribed limit of toxic pesticides and insecticides.

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News

St. Ignatius High School's Turtle Trackers launch ambitious hi-tech project

St. Ignatius High School students Alison Leesinsky (left) and Claire O'Dea tend to Shelby the Turtle right before her release into the ocean with a device attached to her back that will allow satellite tracking. Photo copyright 2003 by Courtney Platt

Students at St. Ignatius High School made scientific history in the Cayman Islands when, working along with the Department of Environment's (DoE) Turtle Research and Monitoring team, they became the first to successfully tag and release a nesting green sea turtle using the latest state-of-the-art telemetry on 28 July.

Named 'Shelby' by the students, the over-250-pound nesting Green Sea turtle was fitted with her new satellite transmitter by the experts at DoE before being assisted on her way back down the Boggy Sand Road beach in West Bay by the proud students.

Having embarked on this exciting end-of-year project back in May, Lower School students returning to their classes at St. Ignatius in September will be able to track and monitor their adopted turtle's progress by downloading valuable data from the internet site in the comfort of their school science laboratories.

At an estimated total cost of approximately $2,500 for each transmitter and satellite monitoring time, this was an ambitious project that the students embraced with enthusiasm.

Following a dynamic audio-visual presentation from Ms. Joni Solomon, Research Officer with the DoE, the 50 students organised a bake sale and sponsored 'Beach Clean-Up at Barkers National Park' to raise money for the groundbreaking endangered species' conservation project.

The students also discovered all about Cayman's marine heritage, enjoying a visit from former turtler, Mr. Vernal Ebanks and Mr. Kem Jackson.

The integrated project, incorporating lessons in Art, English, Geography, History, Lifeskills and Science, also had the students practising their skills of persuasive writing and speaking by approaching local businesses for corporate sponsorship to supplement their own individual fundraising efforts. "We were overwhelmed with the generous support of local businesses and service clubs," stated Ms. Juliet Austin, Year 7 English teacher. "For our students to be part of such cutting-edge research has been the opportunity of a lifetime."

The project has been sponsored by the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman, Tortuga Rum Company, The Final Touch, the Bank of Butterfield and St. Ignatius High School.

Remarkably turtles migrate thousands of miles between nesting beaches and foraging grounds, however, until now the exact journeys of Cayman's turtles have remained a mystery.

By attaching satellite transmitters to nesting turtles, it is possible, for the first time, to monitor the movements of the "adopted" turtles from our shores, and by doing so, to help put in place measures to protect and conserve native populations. "The Department of Environment would like to thank the students of St. Ignatius High School for their pioneering sponsorship of Shelby," said Ms. Janice Blumenthal, spokesperson for the DoE's Turtle Research and Monitoring team, "Their achievement and commitment to continued sponsorship represents an exciting contribution to our scientific knowledge and ability to protect sea turtles in the Cayman Islands. We hope that the students' success will encourage them in their continuing efforts, and inspire other schools and organisations to take on this important challenge."

Those interested in finding out more about this venture, should call the DoE's Turtle Research and Monitoring section at 949-8469, or log on to the special website at http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?project_id=3 to check out Shelby's
whereabouts.

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Local costume designer assists aspiring models

Reba Dilbert

Born in Cayman and raised in West Bay, Reba Dilbert, or Miss Reba as she is known, is the first Caymanian professional costume designer. She has been making costumes for the last twenty years.
In July 2002, she started her own modeling and beauty pageant, which prompted her to travel abroad to gain recognition as an international costume designer, and to provide her with insight for starting her own modeling agency.

At a recent trip to Turkey for the Miss Tourism World and Model of the Universe Pageant, Reba met the Director of the Podium Expo from Russia, Mr. Revaz Uturgauri, who invited her to Russia to compete in the event.

Due to technical difficulties with her aircraft, Reba was late for the competition, having only one day to compete. Nevertheless, she came within the top nine competitors and won the golden Apple Award for "The World's Best International Artist in Fashion Design Costumes and Creativity."

Also the Director of Miss Cayman Islands Modeling Competition, Reba is looking forward to the organisation's second pageant to be held in the last week of November 2003.

"I want this pageant to be a success," says Reba, "so I won't be traveling for the rest of the year. It takes time and effort to raise the necessary funds to help the young ladies, and to make sure things get done the way I want them to be."

Stressing the importance of professional training for her models, Reba refuses to take shortcuts. "The young ladies have to be professionally trained, she says, "to compete for model companies and agents such as Ford, Whilhelmina Model Management, Karin Models, and New York Models, among others."

"People need to know the difference between a beauty queen and a model," says Reba. "Beauty queens are stripped of their titles whereas models are fired."

This year's pageant, which will involve the raffle of a car with the purchase of gate tickets, is intended especially for young ladies who are interested in pursuing a career in professional modeling. "They will have the opportunity to travel abroad to other international competitions where they might land modeling contracts," says Reba.

Reba is hopeful that local companies and businesses will support the young ladies in their pursuits, with the end goal of bringing home a title for Cayman. Applications are now available for both petite and supermodel contestants by contacting Reba Dilbert at 946-5662. Contestants must be between the ages of 13 to 25.

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Public holidays for 2004 announced

Public holidays for 2004 have been announced by the Chief Secretary's Office. The list is as follows.

Thursday, 1 January New Year's Day

Monday, 26 January National Heroes Day
(Fourth Monday in January)

Wednesday, 25 February Ash Wednesday

Friday, 9 April Good Friday

Monday, 12 April Easter Monday

Monday, 17 May

Discovery Day
(Third Monday in May)

Monday, 14 June
Queen's Birthday
(Celebrated locally on Monday following the Saturday appointed in the United Kingdom as the official birthday of the reigning Sovereign)

Monday, 5 July
Constitution Day
(First Monday in July)

Monday, 15 November
Remembrance Day
(The Monday after Remembrance Sunday).

November 2004
(date to be announced)
Elections Day
(Every four years)

Saturday, 25 December
and Monday, 27 December
Christmas Day (actual date and official Monday observance)
Tuesday, 28 December
Boxing Day observance

Please note that Christmas Day, 25 December, is a public holiday despite the fact that it falls on a Saturday. This is in accordance with the Public Holidays Law, which states that Christmas Day, regardless of which day of the week it falls upon, is a public holiday.

The official Christmas Day observance on Monday, 27 December, is also considered a public holiday.
However, the actual Boxing Day date (Sunday, 26 December) IS NOT a public holiday. Instead, this holiday will be officially observed on Tuesday, 28 December.

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Young artist chosen for International Festival

National Gallery's Assistant Director Nancy Barnard and Brandon Beckett.

Brandon Beckett displays his painting entitled "Me in the New Millennium".

The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands recently announced that ten year-old Brandon Beckett and his artwork entitled "Me in the New Millennium" were chosen to represent Cayman at the 2003 Children's Art Festival in Washington D.C.

The festival is an initiative of the International Children's Arts Foundation (ICAF), which was developed to celebrate and promote children's art, imagination and creativity. National Gallery's Assistant Director Nancy Barnard remarked, "Being a part of the festival will be something Brandon will remember for a long time and no doubt become a base upon which his artistic talent will thrive."

Brandon is a Year Five student at Truth For Youth School, who aspires to become a lawyer. He decided to enter the competition earlier on in the year, after being encouraged by his uncle Kevin Goring, who also helped with the concept for his artwork. His inspiration for his painting came from his love of martial arts, the colour blue and island living. Commenting on being selected, he stated, "I am really excited to have been chosen and I look forward to going to Washington in September."

Artistic talents seem to run in his family, his mother Sarah Goring's work is currently on display at the National Gallery's Stories We Tell exhibit and his uncle is also an artist. Brandon's family is proud of his accomplishments as his father Brian Beckett stated, "We are all overjoyed."

"I have always loved art and I encouraged my son to have an appreciation for artwork." Ms. Goring added.

The festival will take place from 6-13 September and funding is needed to support the trip. Accommodations are being offered, but, Brandon needs assistance for his airfare as well as for the parent who will accompany him. To make a donation contact Nancy at 945-8111.

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Cayman Brac Parrot Survey gives encouraging results

Parrot surveyors examine a nest using the "virtual reality" Parrot-Cam.

The National Trust 2003 Brac Parrot Survey was a fly-away success this year, thanks to generous local and international contributions and support.

The survey centered on the area around the Brac Parrot Reserve, which is situated on top of the Brac's famous Bluff. National Trust surveyors were bolstered by a crack team of birders from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources lead by Ms. EJ Williams. Cayman shares a variety of migratory bird species with the United States, forming an important international ecological link.

The survey was supported by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Partners in Flight Program and funded by a private individual interested in bird conservation. Ms. Williams brought four additional team members with her, including Dr. Jim Wiley, a world authority on parrots.

Making its debut this year was a see-in-the-dark "Parrot-Cam" a modified field camera, specially designed for viewing into the parrot's nesting cavities. Raised atop an extensible 10m long fiberglass pole, the camera body was lowered into the nest cavity, like a giant fishing lure, to reveal the contents of the hollow trees.

A pair of "virtual reality" goggles, enabled the operator to gain a "parrots eye" view of the decent down the tree trunk, to the nest below. The hi-tech equipment was designed and loaned to the survey team by Mr. Emmett Blankenship and Mark Bailey of Conservation Southeast, US technical experts specializing in the development of cameras for wildlife work [www.conservationsoutheast.com].

Despite the hi-tech set-up, the survey ran into problems at one point, when the camera wedged deep inside one of the tree cavities. The only answer was a low-tech approach, man-handling some heavy equipment into the bush, to free the valuable piece of gear. A big thank you to Chris and Alexander Randall, who turned out at short-notice and lent a hand to ensure the safe recovery of the camera, (to the sound of loud sighs of relief).

Labouring from sun-up till sun-down, the hard working team was able to monitor parrot nests in some of the toughest terrain the Brac has to offer. By the end of the week, many pairs of boots had given up the ghost, courtesy of the merciless attention of the razor-sharp cliff rock.

The parrot survey is carried out every year, to assess the breeding status of the Brac parrot. The Brac parrot has the distinction of occupying the smallest range of any Amazon parrot in the world, which makes it especially vulnerable to habitat loss. Results from this years survey were hopeful, with 10 occupied nests located, as opposed to 8 the previous year. Several new territories were also identified. However, large numbers of stray cats and the rapid rate of development along the Bluff, may prove major factors in the future well-being of the parrots.

"Recently there have been some great improvements to access and interpretation at the Brac Parrot reserve and at other heritage sites around the island, as part of the Nature Tourism Initiative" said Dr. Mat Cottam, Environmental Programmes Manager for the National Trust. "This initiative has included the construction of a 600ft long boardwalk along a section of the Bight Road allowing visitors and residents, not previously able to cope with the tough terrain, to get a glimpse of some of the spectacular plants, trees and wildlife that the Bluff has to offer."

Such initiatives will doubtless encourage an increase in Nature Tourism on the Brac, enabling Brackers to profit from the unique natural heritage and historical legacy of the island, over which they are custodian."

"The Brac is a unique place" added Dr. Cottam "The landforms and ecosystems are very different from those of Grand Cayman. I would encourage visitors and residents of Grand Cayman, to set aside time for trips to the Brac and Little Cayman, if they really want to experience the full diversity of natural and historic sites that Cayman has to offer."

The National Trust would like to extend its thanks to the Partners in Flight teams and their sponsors, and would additionally like to thank Island Air for concessionary tickets and Brac-Rent-a-Car and Mango Manor for arranging concessionary lodging and travel for the parrot team during their stay on Cayman Brac.

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'Eggstremely' big iguana breakthrough

"Mom's the word!" Colourful Carley features on one of the new mouse mats, recently issued to raise funds for the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme.

If you are struggling to cope with a couple of youngsters running round your ankles, spare a thought for Fred Burton, Director of the National Trust Blue Iguana Recovery Programme. Fred is currently tending to no less than 82 iguana eggs, or "bundles of blue", thanks to an eggstraordinarily successful breeding season this year.

Last year Maples Finance in Cayman, and the International Iguana Foundation (IIF) in Texas, shelled out to finance the hiring of a Blue Iguana Warden. This year's success is due in part, to the hard work and dedication of Warden Ebanks, who is based at the Trust's Captive Breeding Facility in the QEII Botanic Park.

The Warden's main roles have included the raising and maintenance of a vegetable garden specially designed to meet the needs of the Blues, and the regular diet of freshly chopped greenery and supplements has proved eggstremely fruitful.

"Iguana salad" is the order of the day a munchable mixture of shredded wild leaves and flowers, served on a bed of seasonal fruits, sprinkled with a liberal topping of ZooMed juvenile iguana pellets. Eggsquisite fare indeed!

All the eggs laid in the grounds of the Park are carefully eggshumed and placed in an incubator until they hatch. This ensures a high hatching rate, and allows the Breeding Facility to care for the young Blues through the vulnerable early years of their life.

"The due date for the first batch of nine baby Blues is this week" said an eggspectant Mr Burton, "with the captive breeding programme expanding, we now need to go about securing a safe place for these newly arrived youngsters to grow up in the wild".

"If you are interested in the Blue Iguanas, you should check out the Blue Dragon project and the websites below" added Dr Mat Cottam, Environmental Programmes Manager for the Trust. "Find out how you can be a part of the Blue Dragon project, and lend a hand in turning these tails into a story of success."

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New Chevening Scholars announced

Casandra Hibbert

Paul William Parchment

Yolanda Banks McCoy

Three young Caymanian postgraduate students, Paul William Parchment, Yolanda Banks-McCoy and Casandra Hibbert have recently been selected as the 2003 Chevening Scholars. They will respectively be undertaking studies in the fields of engineering, finance and tourism.

The scholarship scheme is funded by the United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and administered locally by the Governor's Office and the Education Council. Over the past nine years, 16 Caymanian students have received the prestigious scholarship to pursue postgraduate studies in the United Kingdom.

Paul Parchment has been an employee of the Public Works Department (PWD) since 1988, following receipt of his bachelor's degree in drafting and surveying from Florida's A & M University. Currently working as a design engineer for PWD's roads division, he decided to apply for the scholarship after being encouraged by Deputy Chief Engineer Mark Scotland.

Mr. Parchment will attend the University of Birmingham in September to pursue a master's degree in road management and engineering. Although he hasn't studied in several years, he stated, " I look forward to the challenge of furthering my education and I feel honored to have been given this opportunity." After completing his degree he plans on returning to PWD.

A senior investment analyst with the Monetary Authority's Investment and Securities Division for the past six years, Yolanda Banks-McCoy will be attending the University of Wales to obtain a master's degree in banking and finance. Her husband of ten years Croy and children Arren and Arianna will also be accompanying her during her studies.

Mrs. McCoy received her bachelor's in international business from the University of Tampa in 1994, but decided to apply for the Chevening scholarship to enhance her knowledge and skills in the financial field. Commenting on her selection she stated, "I am very thrilled and excited to have been chosen as one of the scholars. I look forward to making a positive contribution to the authority and the community as a whole upon my return."

Cassandra Hibbert graduated magna cum laude from Johnson and Wales College, Rhode Island in 2002, with a bachelor's degree in international hotel and tourism management. Since then she has been employed at the Department of Tourism (DOT) as a tourism customer service officer. She will be studying marketing with a focus on commerce at the University of Portsmouth.

Ms. Hibbert's deep sense of patriotism for her country led her into the field of tourism. She explained, "I love my country and I am grateful to have been given this opportunity to serve as an ambassador for Cayman. I encourage all young Caymanians to take pride in their culture." She added, "I hope the skills that I acquire will help with the successful enhancement of tourism in Cayman."

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UWI student gains work experience at Library

Enid Hines working at the George Town Public Library.

University of the West Indies (UWI) student Enid Hines recently completed three weeks of work experience at the George Town Public Library as part of UWI's Department of Library and Information Studies placement programme.

Librarian Benedicta Conolly explained, "We agreed to have Ms. Hines work at our library to gain practical experience after receiving a request from the university regarding their programme. Supervised field-work in recognised libraries in countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, is a requirement for all students enrolled in the undergraduate and post graduate library information studies. It is good to know that the university considers our library to be in the same category as the other approved libraries."

Ms. Hines is the first foreign student to gain work experience at the library and Ms. Connolly hopes to accommodate more students in the future. She added, "The library staff also benefits from the programme because they are given the opportunity to share their ideas and learn from someone from a different culture"

During her time at the library she received training in cataloguing and classifying materials, reference work and circulation. Commenting on her performance, Ms. Conolly stated, "Ms. Hines was a good worker, she also showed a lot of effort in practicing the theory she has learnt in school, especially in cataloging and classification which can be very time-consuming."

A native of Manchester, Jamaica, Ms. Hines is a second-year undergraduate student who has always had an interest in library work. She stated, "I love reading and I especially enjoy working with children." This was her first trip to Cayman and she remarked, "Cayman is very quiet and peaceful. I enjoyed the time that I spent here and have learned a lot from this experience. I am grateful to the library staff for their assistance."

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Editorial

Gagged and Bound to Loyalty

Recently, we received a letter to the editor from a Caymanian concerning an issue the writer felt very strongly about. The topic dealt with something that affects the lives of every Caymanian, and indeed every person, resident on these islands.

While we knew the identity of the author, we found it curious that an alias was used to sign the letter, especially since the writer was in no way ashamed of what was written.
When we queried this person as to the reason for the alias, we were told than since their employer was the Government, they were not allowed to make any public statements that might be construed as controversial.

Indeed, Chapter 9, Section (3) General Orders guiding Government employees states "No officer, whether he is on duty or leave of absence shall allow himself to be interviewed on questions of public policy or on any matter of a political or administrative nature or on any matters affecting the administration or the security of any state or territory; or (4) speak in public or broadcast in any way on matters which may reasonably be regarded as of a political or administrative nature."
At stake should a government employee contravene a General Order is nothing less than their job, or their careers for life-long civil servants.

With some 3,000 or so of our population now working for the Government, and a large majority of them Caymanians, a major portion of our citizens have been silenced, primarily, it would seem, to give the appearance of bliss inside our government.

On any issue that that deals with something political, and nearly all matters in the Cayman Islands can be deemed political these days with the way opposing members of our two political parties get along, all civil servants must remain mute or face possible employment dismissal.

No matter how strongly a civil servant feels about an issue, even if it is one that could negatively affect their children's lives, or their grandchildren's lives, or a subject that brings bile to their throats, mum is the word, or else

As the Cayman Islands continues to evolve as a society, and tries to establish its place in the business world, it must be recognised that these types of rules do not indicate an open society, one that fits in with the other leading financial centres around the world.

Our Government General Orders of silence are just one of the human rights issues that make others sceptical about the Cayman Islands, that make people wonder if we are just another third-world dictatorship dressed up with fancy banks and law firms.

It is reasonable for a country to ask its civil servants to keep matters of the internal Government workings confidential. There is no valid reason, however, why a Caymanian of the opinion that too many cruise ships are coming here, for example, should not be allowed to say so, even publicly.
Of course, one recourse for people who want to speak out publicly about matter that may be deemed political is to find another way of earning a living. This, unfortunately, is one reason Government loses some of its most talented, and intelligent, employees to the private sector.

The people who study issues, who see the big picture, who think a subject through to its logical end, are the kinds of people Government needs to help it through the challenging times ahead. They are also the most likely to speak out in opposition to something they feel is wrong. By gagging these people and binding them to loyalty, we are only taking away their rights as human beings.

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Local Commentary

Appreciating what we have

By Stephanie Bush

Grand Cayman is one of the most prosperous islands in the Caribbean, and the sad part is, many of us don't even realise what we have.

On 6-10 of February, I went on a mission trip with 11 other students and two teachers from Wesleyan Christian Academy to Leogane, Haiti, and it was an experience I will never forget.

It was exciting to go, but at the same time, it was a little nerve-wracking. We were told a little bit about the country and the people before we left, but nothing could have prepared us for what we were about to see.

We flew from Cayman to Miami, and from Miami to Port-au-Prince Haiti. When we stepped into the airport in Haiti, I was ready to turn around and come back home.

There was a very large crowd of people in the airport and we had to push our way through to get our luggage. Since there were so many of us, we had to wait for quite some time to get our bags, and by that time the airport had settled, and I thought the worst was over, but I was wrong.

Once we claimed our luggage and went through customs, we went outside to the vehicles waiting for us. Mr. Joslin, one of the teachers with us, had already made arrangements with Pastor Judd Pierre, with whom we were going to stay, to meet us at the airport.

The crowd inside the airport was nothing compared to the mob outside, and the smell was almost unbearable. We had been told to hang onto our luggage to prevent theft. There were people all around, and quite a few of them hovered around us begging for money. The teachers had also told us not to give them any money, because if we gave to one person, 10 more would converge on us in seconds, so we didn't.

There were so many of us, and the vehicles were so small, that we had to take three separate cars to the compound where we were staying.

We had to drive through Port-au-Prince to get to Leogane and the trip took about three-and-a-half to four hours. There were vehicles everywhere, but the drivers were clearly not interested in the laws of driving. There were no stoplights, or stop signs, and no one used their indicators, they just yelled out of the windows of the car. The scariest thing of all about driving in Haiti was that every now and then, our driver would take a detour onto the sidewalk, almost knocking down people and signs that got in his way.

The scenery that we witnessed going through Port-au-Prince was nothing short of a tragedy. There were literally mountains or garbage everywhere, and in between them was a little creek of dirty water flowing through. You could see pigs and dogs drinking from the water, and people taking baths and washing clothes in it. It was the most awful sight I've ever seen. I was heart-broken. All of a sudden I felt so guilty for having all that I had, when these people had literally nothing.

I felt a lot better once we got to the compound. The church was right beside the pastor's house. As security, a big cement wall with protruding bits of broken glass bottles cemented into the top surrounded the whole compound. There were also metal gates that had to be opened before anyone could come or go.

Pastor Judd was the youngest pastor I'd ever met. He was only 26, and he lived with his mother and four sisters. The house was very nice, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The family provided us with three meals a day, and the food wasn't what we expected at all. In fact, the teachers had told us to take our own food because we were not supposed to eat the food in Haiti for fear of sickness. Though the food was definitely different, it was very good, and when we were ready to come home, we left the food we brought for the children at the school.

There was no air-conditioning where we stayed, and there was no hot water either, so the cold showers helped keep us cool.

During our days there, we either went to church or we visited the school that was right across the street from the church. The children there were very sweet and we loved spending time with them. They must have liked us, too, because every morning when we got up and went outside, there would be five or six kids waiting for us to open the gates so they could come in and play with us. That was the part of the trip that meant the most to me.

We also went to an orphanage for girls whose parents could not afford to take care of them, and it was nice to see that there were actually things like that on the island.

All of the people we met on the island were very friendly and kind, and there was something that really surprised me about them. Even though they had so little, they were still very thankful for what they did have. In fact, they seemed happier with the little that they had than we are in Cayman with all our abundance.

Grand Cayman is so blessed, and we have so much to be thankful for, and yet all we want to know is how to get more. I think I'd rather come from and island of poverty and be able to thank God for what I have, than to come from an island that has everything, and be so ungrateful. Things as simple as having hot water we take for granted. We don't think anything of it, we just use as much as we want, giving no thought to how lucky we are to have the luxury of hot water.

We need to be more conscious of what we do have, and realize that blessings don't have to be gift-wrapped and fall from the sky. The real blessings are in the little things.

Our values and morals are in the wrong place, and until we fix that, we will never be truly happy.

Stephanie Bush is a 17-year-old Caymanian High School Student

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News Analysis

Cuba's economy is in disastrous shape: bankers, economists

MIAMI (AFP) Cuba's economy is in disastrous shape and relies almost entirely on cash transactions, raising the risk the country could become a humanitarian emergency, bankers and economists said Thursday.

"It's pretty much a cash economy," said Dennis Flannery, vice-president of the Inter-American Development Bank.

Asked whether communist Cuba risked running out of cash, he told journalists "it could, and then it would become a humanitarian case like African countries."

Flannery made the comments on the sidelines of a conference on the Cuban economy that opened in Miami last week.

He told participants that Cuba's foreign debt has reached a record high and that rating agencies classified the Caribbean island's economy as one of the riskiest in the world, on a par with those of Iraq and Angola.

Citing US State Department figures, Flannery said Cuba's foreign debt amounted to 12.2 billion dollars in addition to about 20 billion dollars owed Russia and 6.3 billion dollars in expropriation claims from US citizens.

This translates into per capita debt of 3,000 dollars, as compared with 1,500 for Brazil Latin America's largest economy and 150 for Haiti, whose economy is comparable in size with that of Cuba, said Flannery.

"Cuba is experiencing its worst crisis in decades," said Beatriz Casals, president of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy, which organized the conference.

She cited serious housing shortages, high unemployment, falling wages and reports that almost 20 percent of Cubans are undernourished.

Adolfo Franco, assistant administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), pointed out that the Cuban economy was further weakened by its worst sugar cane harvest in seven decades.
The speakers concurred that significant economic change was only possible if Cuba adopted wide-ranging democratic reforms something unlikely to happen while Castro still rules the island.
They also said development credits would only be forthcoming once Cuba settles its foreign debt, but Flannery said creditors would likely be willing to deeply discount Cuba's debt.

"There is no doubt that once Cuba gets around to addressing its debt there would be a lot of forgiveness," he said.

Economists participating in the meeting raised questions about the debt owed Russia, saying the former Soviet Union at the time effectively gave the money to Cuba in payment for sending troops to Ethiopia and Angola.

"It is entirely possible that part of the debt could be deemed illegitimate," Flannery said.

Once the debt issue is solved Cuba would need to negotiate a program with the IMF which would be "the cornerstone of their restoration of international credit-worthiness," he said.

Franco, meanwhile, said that USAID was devising, at the request of US President George W. Bush, a plan to help ensure "a rapid, smooth transition in Cuba."

In order to do this, the agency is compiling data both from inside and outside the country in a bid to get reliable data on Cuba's most immediate needs, he said.

"The directive is that we have a humanitarian response team ready to go to Cuba on day one," the US official said.

Casals believes that day could come soon, amid reports that Castro who turns 77 on Wednesday suffers from deteriorating health.

"Almost everyone on and off the island says change is near," she said, adding: "It's just a question of time."

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Islamist terror in Indonesia

By Shaun Waterman,
UPI Homeland and National Security Editor

Even before the dust from Tuesday's suicide bombing of a Marriott hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, had settled, the finger of suspicion was being pointed at Jemaah Islamiyah, a radical Muslim group thought behind a long series of deadly bomb blasts in the country, including last October's attack on the tourist island of Bali.

But despite its track record, and its status on the U.S. government's list of foreign terrorist organizations, JI has not been banned by the authorities in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country.

Indeed, the annual congress of another radical Muslim group with which it is intertwined is due to be opened by the country's vice president, Hamza Haz, later this month.

The Mujahedin Council of Indonesia, known by its Indonesian initials MMI, was founded by JI's spiritual leader, Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Baasir. It shares JI's goal of an Islamic state in Indonesia and, according to Zachary Abuza, much of its membership as well.

Abuza, a professor at Simmons College in Boston and author of "Crucible of Terror," a forthcoming study of militant Islam in Southeast Asia, describes the MMI as "the Sinn Fein of Southeast Asia," a reference to the political wing of the Irish Republican Army.

Rohan Gunaratna, a Singapore-based researcher and author says that JI is currently the group "closest to al-Qaida both operationally and in ideology." Terrorism analyst and author Peter Bergen goes further, describing it as al-Qaida's "franchise holder" in Southeast Asia.

Since the Bali explosions, which killed more than 200 people, Indonesian authorities have arrested dozens of JI members -- including more than 30 thought involved in that attack -- and have put Baasir, the group's spiritual leader, on trial for treason.

Abuza says that many of the JI militants arrested were also leaders in the MMI.

But despite the arrests, experts say the group is still fully functioning -- its top operational leadership at large and determined to strike Western, especially U.S., targets -- and some question whether the Indonesian government has the political will to crack down on JI.

Legal Islamic groups like MMI wield considerable political clout in the country and radical Muslims hold about 15 percent of the seats in the country's Parliament.

"No one is willing to expend the political capital to stand up against (JI)," says Abuza, who points out that there will be parliamentary elections next April and presidential elections will follow within three months. "She's going to have a very tough time getting re-elected," he says of Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri. "It really hampers what she can do."

Not everyone agrees. One State Department official said that attitudes in Indonesia had changed after the Bali bombing, as they had in the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "Unfortunately, the threat was brought home in a very clear and ugly way by that terrible attack," he said, which helped galvanize the government and the population.

Sidney Jones, an analyst for the International Crisis Group who has lived in and studied Indonesia for more than a decade, concurs.

"There have not been any large protests against the trial (of Baasir)," she says. "I don't think there's widespread support for him, whereas there would have been before Bali."

Of Vice President Haz she says, "No one takes him seriously." And she suggested that not only might he cancel his role in the MMI's annual congress, but that the whole congress might be called off. "It'll be interesting to see if that goes ahead," she said.

One Indonesian official, who declined to be named or quoted directly, said that the government has been pursuing the perpetrators of both the Bali bombing and earlier attacks, and hope to disrupt any planned terrorist activities in this way. But he added that their investigations of JI as an organization are at an early stage. If Baasir -- who, along with Haz, denies that JI exists -- is convicted, that would open up new avenues of inquiry.

The degree of support for militant Islamist organizations maybe debatable, but a growing tide of anti-Americanism -- fuelled in part by the war in Iraq -- appears incontrovertible. A survey by the Pew Center released in June found that over the previous year, the number of Indonesians with a favorable view of the United States fell from 61 percent of respondents to 15 percent.

When asked which of eight world figures they would trust to "do the right thing" more of the Indonesians questioned -- 58 percent to be exact -- named Osama bin Laden than chose George W. Bush.
But Jones says there may be a rationale other than pandering to public opinion for the government's hands off approach to MMI, "Some have suggested that they allow MMI to operate because that way they can monitor its activities," she says.

"If they shut it down, everyone would just go underground."

The State Department official added that the geography of the country itself was part of the problem in an archipelago of thousands of islands, scattered over an area as wide as the continental United States. "It's something we've been working with them on," he said. "It's a real challenge in a place like that to control your borders, to keep people you don't want out."

In the meantime, Gunaratna says we should expect more bombings, "These kinds of attacks will continue, because JI retains significant capability in the region, especially in Indonesia ... JI as an organization is fully functional, and the masterminds behind these operations are still at large and capable of staging other attacks."

Abuza says that there are "a few dozen people in the organization that could put together a bomb like (the one at the Marriott)."

About 40 of its key militants trained in Afghanistan, but many more -- "hundreds," he says -- were trained by al-Qaida in camps run by two Islamic guerilla groups in the Southern Philippines -- Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

"Starting in the mid '90s, it was just too expensive to get JI militants to Afghanistan," he says.
JI also had what he calls "its own Afghanistan," in the Moluccas and Sulawesi, where religious and ethnic conflict provided both a cause for its recruits and a battleground for its militants.
The group has no more than 500 members, he says. There are probably another 500 members of two Islamic militia groups JI set up in the Moluccas and Sulawesi -- Laskar Mujahedin and Laskar Jundullah.

The close links with al-Qaida are demonstrated, says Bergen, by the way JI has taken up the strategy al-Qaida outlined in October 2002, when an audiotape of bin Laden called for attacks on Western economic targets. The Bali bombing -- aimed at Australian tourists -- followed later that month.
Bergen says the target of Tuesday's bombing is also significant in this context. "Clearly an American-owned hotel was a Western target, a U.S. target. It was also a soft target, which is increasingly attractive now that U.S. embassies have been so effectively hardened. But it was an economic target, too -- the stock market and the currency took a hit."

He adds that the tourist trade -- already devastated by the Bali bombing last year -- is likely to suffer as well. "If you're looking to overthrow the government and set up an Islamic state, smashing the economy and destabilizing the country is a pretty good way to start."

It is this threat, say experts that is likely to galvanize the government more than anything.

If the political will is there, Abuza says, the Indonesian police "have shown that they have the capacity to do these investigations," despite being hampered by "intense factionalism" between different law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

But Jones says its not just infighting that might hamper the investigation. She believes there may be links between some people on the fringes of JI and certain sections of the Indonesian military.

She has written a detailed study of the network of JI militants who carried out a massive, coordinated bombing attack against Christian churches -- more than 30 of them -- on Christmas Eve 2000.

"It's hard to avoid the suspicion," she says, "that someone in the military knew that at least (one part of the operation) was in the works."

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Walker's World: French being helpful

By Martin Walker, UPI Chief International Correspondent

PARIS (UPI) Intense consultations are under way between Britain and France about the best ways to reform the United Nations when the General Assembly meets in New York next month. The French are developing three fundamental reform proposals, any one of which would involve the United Nations in more fundamental changes than at any time since its founding in 1945.

President Jacques Chirac, who likes to think he has a unique appreciation of the thinking of the developing world, wants to establish in parallel to the current U.N. Security Council a new council on economic and social security. It would look rather like this year's Group of Eight summit in Evian, an event that Chirac hosted, bringing together the main industrial powers of the G8 -- the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia -- with new members such as China, India and Brazil.

The idea would be, according to French officials involved in the discussions, to take the heat out of the globalization debate by hammering out agreed rules for "an international trade system that would be fair as well as free." It would also commit its members to some basic goals of universal primary education, access to clean water and basic health care and so on.

The Bush administration is likely to see this as a French ploy to bring new internationalist pressure on the United States, locking it into a new global regulation system that could encroach on American sovereignty or freedom of action. Realizing this, the French Foreign Ministry under Chirac's old aide Dominique de Villepin have suggested to the British two other ideas that might get over the hurdle of American suspicion of any proposal coming from Paris.

The first is for a special new U.N. body that would be dedicated to the problem of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, building on the expertise already accumulated by the U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq. The British, who have been working on their own similar scheme -- and have discussed it in some depth with the Americans -- are prepared to support this proposal. Villepin's working title for the scheme is "a U.N. disarmament corps."

The current rumbling crises over the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran make it timely, but this plan will work only if the Americans can reach some confidence that a U.N. structure would not limit their options.

As Tony Blair put it in his speech to the U.S. Congress in June: "The U.N. must become what it always should have been -- an instrument for action rather than for debate."

The hard fact about controlling nuclear proliferation is that an international control system is only going to work if a rogue regime fears that some powerful country is going to enforce non-proliferation, as the Israelis did by destroying Iraq's nuclear reactor at Osirak in 1981. The strongest incentive pushing Iran and North Korea to accept international inspections and controls is the prospect of sudden U.S. pre-emptive and preventive strike. Fitting that kind of threat into a U.N. structure will not be easy.
The second proposal from the French Foreign Ministry is for a U.N. "human rights corps," a new U.N. agency that would monitor human rights abuses in troubled countries and devise procedures to tackle them. This is a response to the wretched failure of the United Nations to resolve human rights crises in Rwanda and Kosovo, given new force by the current crises in Liberia and elsewhere in West Africa.
The French have already intervened in the Ivory Coast and the British in Sierra Leone and the European Union is now getting involved in the Congo, but these have been ad hoc operations and the French think it is time to establish an agreed-on international system. They envisage a kind of escalating checklist of international measures, starting with U.N. human rights monitoring and inspection missions, the dispatch of advisers and medical or judicial teams, rising eventually to full-scale military intervention.

The devil will be in the details. Many U.N. member states, and veto-wielding powers like Russia and China, are wary of granting the United Nations much authority to intervene in the internal affairs of member states.

But on the principle of establishing some clear rules for U.N. involvement and intervention, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is all in favor. Only last week, he stressed, "We are living through a crisis of the international system. ... The war in Iraq and crises like those in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo force us to ask ourselves if our existing methods and our institutions allow us to meet these challenges."

There are two bits of good news here. The first is that the issue of U.N. reform is being tackled sensibly. The second is that the French are playing a positive and even thoughtful role that could lead somewhere useful -- unless the Bush administration's suspicions of any ideas coming from Paris doom the plan from the start.

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Overseas Feature

Three protesters arrested at Myanmar's Washington embassy during demonstration

Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. AFP PHOTO/Stephen SHAVER

WASHINGTON (AFP) The US Secret Service arrested three protesters on Thursday who attempted to scale a balcony at Myanmar's embassy in Washington to unfurl a banner critical of the military regime
in Yangon.

The three women, bearing a banner reading "Expel the Ambassador Now" were restrained by embassy staff and handed over to Secret Service officers, said Dan Beeton, of the Free Burma Coalition.

John Gill, spokesman for the uniformed branch of the Secret Service, which is tasked with
protecting 170 foreign missions in the US capital, confirmed the arrests and said the three women were charged with unlawful entry.

Around 70 activists and exiles had gathered outside the embassy in an upscale Washington neighborhood to mark the 15th anniversary on Friday of a pro-democracy uprising which ended in a massacre by government troops in Myanmar, the former Burma.

Activists complained that embassy staff used unnecessary force to restrain the women, two of whom scaled a ladder to an embassy balcony from which they hoped to hang their banner.

"They roughly grabbed them - there was no reason for it, they treated these women like criminals, yet it is the regime who are the criminals," says the Free Burma Coalition's Min Zaw Oo.

The protest came amid an escalating campaign in Washington against the Myanmar regime, in
support of detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi who was arrested in May.

Mass demonstrations in Myanmar, on August 8, 1988, or 8-8-88, as they have become known, were brutally suppressed by the military, and hundreds or thousands of protestors are thought to have been killed.

Subsequent elections in 1990, which were won by the Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy in a landslide, were never recognised by the military, and the country has been mired in political deadlock ever since.

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US announcement on resumption of Colombian anti-drug flights delayed

WASHINGTON (AFP) A US announcement on the resumption of suspended Colombian anti-drug flights expected on Thursday will likely be delayed until next week for bureaucratic reasons, officials said.

"It looks like it will slip until early next week," one official said, adding quickly that there was no change in Secretary of State Colin Powell's decision to recommend restarting the so-called "Air Bridge Denial" program.

The White House had hoped to announce the resumption of the flights on Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe taking office.

The official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the delay was the result of the fact that paperwork needed to resume the flights required intense legal consultations by various government agencies.

Powell himself said on Thursday that he expected the program suspended two years ago after the accidental shoot-down of a civilian plane over Peru would be back in operation "in the very near future."

"We are hard at work and hopefully in the very near future we will have the air interdiction program back up and running," he told reporters at the State Department's Foreign Press Center.

On Monday, Powell forwarded his recommendation to resume the program to President George W. Bush for approval after a lengthy review that instituted enhanced safety and security measures aimed at preventing another accident.

The flights in Peru and Colombia were suspended after a Peruvian fighter jet downed a civilian plane killing US missionary Veronica Bowers and her infant daughter, Charity, in April 2001.

The Peruvian fighter had been alerted to the flight by contract employees of the Central Intelligence Agency flying in a US-owned surveillance aircraft.

And, although the CIA crew expressed doubts about whether the Cessna 185 they were tracking was smuggling drugs, the Peruvian pilot strafed the small plane killing Bowers, 36, and her seven-month-old daughter.

In October 2001, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence concluded the shootdown was a result of inadequate planning and bad judgment, and recommended that the program remain shut down, pending modifications.

SThe program in Peru remains suspended.

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Zimbabwe introduces travellers cheques to beat cash shortages

HARARE (AFP) The government of Zimbabwe will from Thursday introduce local currency travellers' cheques in an effort to ease a cash crisis that has gripped the southern African country for four months, the central bank announced Wednesday.

"The introduction of the Zimbabwe dollar travellers' cheques is one measure among a number of strategies being implemented by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe for the convenience of the transacting public," the central bank said in a statement.

Zimbabwe is in its fourth month of an unprecedented local cash shortage attributed to a sharp rise in inflation, a growing parallel market for foreign exchange and a lack of confidence in the system.
Annual inflation stood at 365 percent last month, resulting in spiralling demand for cash, with the climate of uncertainty leading people to hold on to whatever currency they have rather than deposit it in a bank.

The shortage of foreign exchange on the official market has also hampered the purchase of the special paper and ink used to print bank notes.

Zimbabweans face daily queues at bank counters and cash machines to obtain cash as banks have limited the amount each client can obtain in any single day.

Sometimes the daily maximum is just sufficient to buy five loaves of bread.

Late last month the government announced a series of measures aimed at easing the cash shortage, among them the withdrawal of the current highest denomination note of 500 dollars (0.63 US dollars, 0.54 euros), which was replaced with a new note of similar value.

The government said it had been forced to take that move by 'hoarders' who were keeping their money at home rather than in the bank.

Zimbabweans must now cash in any 500 dollar notes by the end of September, when they will cease to be legal tender and a higher 1,000 dollar (1.26 US dollars) note will be introduced.

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US Immigration Korner

US Immigration Korner

Felicia Persaud

This is a column created especially for immigrants concerned or unsure of issues pertaining to the US Immigration Law. The column will answer some of our readers frequently asked questions and provide answers from qualified immigration attorneys and advocates lobbying for the US immigration cause.

Q: As an employer, how do I apply for certification for a health care professional from overseas?
A: First, you must ensure that the foreign health care worker has met minimum requirements for training regarding licensure and English proficiency, say officials at the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS). A health care worker is considered either a licensed practical nurse, a licensed vocational nurse, or registered nurse, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, a speech language pathologist and audiologist, a medical technologist (clinical laboratory scientist), a physician assistant or a medical technician (clinical laboratory technician).

You must have him/her submit a certificate from either the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools or a certificate of equal standing from an organization with equivalent credentials. These requirements apply to both immigrant and nonimmigrant applicants, says the BCIS. Non-immigrant health care workers will most likely be in H-1C, H-1B, J, O, or TN non-immigrant categories. Any non-immigrants coming to receive training in a health care occupation will not be required to obtain certification. Such health care workers will most likely be in F-1, J-1 (aliens coming to undertake a training program in a medical field) and H-3 nonimmigrant classifications.
Since you are seeking authorization to employ a health care worker you should file Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, or Form I-140, Petition for Immigrant Worker, with the BCIS service center that serves the area where they are located.

You can then contact the BCIS Service Center that received your Form I-129 or Form I-140 to follow up. You should be prepared to provide the BCIS staff with specific information about the petition.
Form I-905, Application for Authorization to Issue Health Care Worker Certificates list the standards that an organization must meet in order to receive authorization to issue health care worker certificates. On or after 23rd September this year, any credentialing organization seeking authorization to issue certificates must submit a completed Form I-905 with evidence that the organization meets the required standards.

The form must be submitted, with a fee, to the Nebraska Service Center. The Department of Homeland Security will review the completed application and determine whether or not an organization meets the eligibility requirements necessary for authorization to issue certificates.

For more information, contact the BCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

About the writer: Felicia Persaud is a New York-based journalist and head of Hard Beat Communications. If you or someone you know has an immigration question, then email Felicia directly at hardbeatinc@aol.com. Individuals can keep their anonymity if preferred, since questions will not be answered personally!

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Health Today

Hormone therapies increase breast cancer risk

PARIS (AFP) Hormone replacement therapies place women at increased risk of developing breast cancer, according to a study involving more than a million women and published in the British weekly medical journal The Lancet.

The comprehensive study bears out previous suspicions of a link between combination (progestagen-oestrogen) hormone replacement therapies (HRTs) and the development of breast cancer.

The use of HRT by British women aged between 50 and 64 has caused an estimated 20,000 extra breast cancers over the past decade, 15,000 of which are likely to be associated with combination HRT therapies, the study found.

The study is also the first to report that HRT increases the risk of dying from breast cancer.
The 'Million Women Study' led by Valerie Beral from Cancer Research UK's Epidemiology Unit in Oxford, southern England, focused on the effects of specific types of HRT on breast cancer.
Beral monitored 1,084,110 British women aged between 50 to 64, from 1996 to 2001, half of whom had followed HRT at some point in their lives.

Of the women surveyed, 9,364 developed breast cancer after an average 2.6 years, with 637 women dying of the disease after an average of 4.1 years.

Current users of all types of HRT were at an increased risk of developing breast cancer, and faced a 22 percent increased risk of dying from the disease.

Use of combination HRT caused a four-fold increase in the risk of developing the disease compared to oestrogen-only HRT, the study shows.

The study found that the risk of breast cancer rose in proportion to the length of the HRT use, but that the increased risk appeared to wear off a few years after discontinuing the therapy.

Commenting in The Lancet, Beral said: "Combined HRT is usually prescribed for women who still have a uterus, to avoid the increased risk of cancer of the uterus caused by oestrogen-only therapy."
"Since our results show a substantially greater increase in breast cancer with combined HRT, women need to weigh the increased risk of breast cancer caused by progestogen against the lower risk of uterine cancer."

"Comparing the risks is by no means simple," Beral added, "and women may well want to discuss their options with their doctor."

The implications for medical practitioners are discussed in a commentary by a Dutch scientist published alongside Beral's article.

To Chris van Wheel from the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands, the problem lies with women who are already taking HRT - an estimated 20 to 50 percent of all Western women aged between 45 and 70.

Van Wheel recommended that this group discontinue HRT use as soon as possible, although practitioners should introduce the issue in a positive, supportive way in order to avoid panic reactions.

The Dutch scientist also sees "a great need for a public information campaign," with the medical profession in the lead, with current evidence of increased risks stated "in clear but unsensational wording."

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Overseas People

Reggae veteran Jimmy Cliff honoured

Jamaican singer Jimmy Cliff performs 23 July 2003 in Nice during the 'Nice jazz festival'.
AFP PHOTO/Pascal GUYOT

KINGSTON, Jamaica The Jamaican government has announced that it will award reggae singer Jimmy Cliff with Jamaica's third-highest civic award later this year.

Cliff, perhaps best known for his role in the low-budget 1972 movie "The Harder They Come," will be the only recipient of the Order of Merit this year, though others will receive lesser honors during the Oct. 20 National Honors and Awards ceremony, a government spokesman said last week.

Born James Chambers in the rural parish of St. James in 1948, Cliff began his career in the early 1960s as a Ska singer with Chinese-Jamaican producer Leslie Kong.

He signed with Chris Blackwell's Island Records in the late 1960s and had a minor hit in Europe with "Wonderful World."

It wasn't until writer-director Perry Henzell selected him to play an aspiring singer-turned-gunslinger in "The Harder They Come" that Cliff's career soared.

Singers Ken Boothe and Freddie McGregor, who both also started their careers in the 1960s, will also be recognized during the awards ceremony for their contribution to Jamaican music, according to the government's National Honors Awards committee.

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Shriver takes time off during Arnie's campaign

Arnold Schwarzenegger's wife Maria Shriver.
AFP PHOTO/Nicolas ASFOURIv

NEW YORK (AFP) Arnold Schwarzenegger's wife, Maria Shriver, has taken leave of absence from her job as an NBC television journalist while her husband campaigns to become governor of California, the network said Friday.

"It is to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest," said NBC News spokeswoman Caryn Mautner, confirming that the channel had agreed to Shriver's request.

Shriver is an NBC News correspondent and sometimes an anchor presenter for the "Dateline NBC" programme. She is also a member of the Kennedy family, a pillar of the Democratic Party, while Schwarzenegger is a Republican.

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UNICEF ambassador Jessica Lange visits DR Congo

US actress Jessica Lange.
AFP PHOTO / Timothy A. CLARY

KINSHASA (AFP) Actress Jessica Lange flew into the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Wednesday for a four-day tour of the troubled region as the UNICEF ambassador, a UN Children's Fund official said.

Lange will visit Goma, Bunia and Bukavu to focus on the plight of children, meet with displaced families and talk to officials of a vaccination programme, the head of the UNICEF office in the DRC said.

The actress will also tour hospitals, rehabilitation centers for demobilised child soldiers and AIDS-prevention facilities.

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Granada to remember Clash singer Strummer

Picture dated 24 February 1984 of Clash member Joe Strummer during a TV interview in Paris. AFP PHOTO

GRANADA, Spain (AFP) The southern Spanish city of Granada is to remember Joe Strummer, the late lead singer and guitarist of the British rock band The Clash, in an August 20 concert, media reports said Wednesday.

Among those set to attend is former Clash guitarist Mick Jones, who will join several Spanish musicians on stage.

One Spanish group invited is 091, a band Strummer took under his wing on several visits to the city.
The politically trenchant lyrics of Strummer, who died of heart failure last December aged 50, propelled The Clash to the forefront of the punk movement in the 1970s along with the Sex Pistols.

Their hugely popular London Calling album, released in 1979 (1980 in the United States), won Rolling Stone magazine's vote as best album of the decade.

Strummer's relationship with Granada came out of his interest in the works of poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca, killed by nationalist soldiers in 1936 in the early days of the Spanish Civil War.
The Franco government banned his works and some were publicly burned in Granada, the city of Lorca's birth.

Strummer paid Lorca tribute in Spanish Bombs, a track on London Calling, lamenting that by the time the civil war had ended "Federico Lorca is dead and gone."

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Overseas News

Communist succeeds Saddam's son Uday as head of Iraqi journalists' union

BAGHDAD, (AFP) Veteran communist journalist Shihab al-Tamimi has been elected to
succeed Saddam Hussein's elder son Uday, killed by US troops last month, as head of the Iraqi journalists' union.

Tamimi, 70 and now retired, belonged to Iraq's first journalists' union formed in 1959 when he worked for Ittihad Al-Shaab (Union of the People), the communist party's paper.

He won elections held on July 25 but some members have charged the vote, boycotted by almost half of Iraq's journalists, was not valid, a charge disputed by Tamimi.

"Although only 650 of Iraq's 1,200 journalists took part, the vote was valid," he told AFP on Tuesday. "The ballot was held with a judge present ... and all the journalists were invited."

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Bali bomber smiles at death sentence

JAKARTA (UPI) One of the chief suspects in last year's Bali bombing smiled as he was found guilty and sentenced to die by an Indonesian court.

Amrozi bin Nurhasyim was accused of conspiring, planning and carrying out an act of terrorism, which killed more than 200 people, the BBC reported from the Indonesia trial.

He smiled when the guilty verdict was read out and turned around to the crowd and gave the thumbs-up sign when the judge pronounced the death sentence.

Chief Judge I Made Karna said: "I am normally against capital punishment, but for this case, nothing less is deserved."

Amrozi faces death by firing squad, but it could be some time before the sentence is carried out.
Amrozi's lawyer, Wirawan Adnan, said Amrozi was sorry for the deaths of those people who were not targets.

"He doesn't have anything personal against the Australians, for instance. The targets were the Americans and the Jews."

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Mixed reaction to Iran's nuclear policy

TEHRAN (UPI) The International Atomic Energy Agency is holding talks in Tehran this week, aimed at gaining greater access to Iran's nuclear facilities.

The issue has taken on greater urgency with a new report by the Los Angeles Times that Iran is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons. Most governments in the region do not want Iran to have nuclear weapons, but the idea is more popular among some of the region's people.

The Times published a front-page story saying Iran appears to be close to developing the ability to construct a nuclear bomb.

An expert on Iran, Pakinam al-Shakawry, who teaches political science at Cairo University, told Voice of America it is likely Iran is attempting to develop nuclear weapons because, she says, any government in the region would do so if it had the capability.

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Swiss graft charges against Bhutto draw ire at home

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) supporters shout slogans as they display posters of their self-exiled leader and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto during a demonstration staged to protest against the Swiss authorities' corruption charges against their leader in Lahore, 07 August 2003. Pakistan recently said a Swiss court's finding that ex-premier Benazir Bhutto and her spouse were guilty of graft was a vindication of the government's charges of corruption against the pair. AFP PHOTO/Arif ALI

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Terrorists use Internet to communicate

WASHINGTON (UPI) The world's terrorists are turning to low-tech, Internet message boards to find out where to fight next.

Wirenews.com said with the Taliban out of Afghanistan and governments around the world restricting access to al Qaeda-linked websites, message boards are proving free, unrestricted and largely difficult-to-track forums for would-be fighters to contact each other and coordinate operations.

The SITE Institute, a private, Washington, D.C.-based, group that tracks Arabic-language terror groups' use of the Web, told wirenews.com it has noticed a proliferation of message boards used by Islamic extremists. The acronym SITE stands for the Search for International Terrorist Entities.

The institute's director, Rita Katz, said: "It's not only the message boards, but it's the number of message boards, that's alarming. If there was one a year ago on two or three websites, today there are literally hundreds of them. And they are very dangerous. They are very important for delivering al Qaeda's communications. And there are more and more of them every day."

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Rumsfeld: Alternatives to larger military

WASHINGTON (UPI) Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is not yet convinced of the need to increase the size of the armed forces, the Washington Post reported.

However, he acknowledged the strain on U.S. troops from the rise in overseas operations, and said he remained "open-minded" about the option of enlarging the military.

Faced with a growing discussion in military ranks and on Capitol Hill about staffing levels, Rumsfeld offered an explanation of his thinking during a Pentagon news conference.

While noting that additional analysis is underway, Rumsfeld warned against any rapid move to increase troop size because it takes a long lag time.

As an alternative to enlarging the force, Rumsfeld cited a number of organizational measures being considered.

These include reducing or eliminating some peacekeeping missions, using private contract personnel to protect military installations, putting civilians in more than 300,000 non-combat jobs and rebalancing assignments between active duty and reserve units.

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Prescription drug prices are escalating

BOSTON (UPI) A new study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality shows the cost of prescription drugs increased from $72.3 billion in 1997 to $103 billion in 2000.

Average out-of-pocket expenses for people age 65 and older were more than three times higher than for people under age 65 every year from 1997 through 2000.

During the years between 1997 and 2000, the average expense for people age 65 and older for all prescription medicines increased about 35 percent, from $819 to $1,102. For people under 65, the increase was 40 percent, from $347 to $485.

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Software engineer guilty of aiding Taliban

PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) An ex-Intel employee has pleaded guilty to aiding the Taliban, Voice of America said Thursday.

The Justice Department says software engineer Maher Hawash, a naturalized U.S. citizen of Palestinian descent, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring to supply services to the Taliban following the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

In a plea agreement filed with a federal judge in Portland, Ore., Hawash admitted he and five others agreed to go to Afghanistan in October 2001, prepared to take up arms for the Taliban and die as martyrs, if necessary.

After numerous failed attempts, they returned to the United States in November 2001.

Five of the six others charged in the conspiracy have pleaded not guilty, and the sixth suspect remains at large.

Hawash has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors under the plea agreement. Prosecutors expect he will be sentenced to jail for a period of 7 to 10 years.

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Brazilian luminary's death mourned by Lula

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva waves to the press while leaving Roberto Marinho's wake 07 August 2003 in Rio de Janeiro. Marinho, journalist, businessman and owner of Globo Organizations, died late Wednesday at the age of 98 due to a pulmonary edema while undergoing an operation. He befriended all of Brazil's presidents of the past 70 years. AFP PHOTO/Vanderlei ALMEIDA

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Study: Teens view first sex as romantic

NEW YORK (UPI) A new survey indicates teens view their first sexual encounter as romantic rather than a casual fling as often depicted.

That was the feeling of 85 percent of sexually active teens questioned in a new study from Child Trends, a group that researches children and families, USA Today reported.

The project is intended to help parents and educators understand the dynamics of teen relationships and not just focus on statistics. Findings will be of interest both to those who promote abstinence and those who hope teens will delay first intercourse. Government statistics show nearly half of teens have had intercourse before 18.

The study hopes to put adults "in a better position to help teenagers make more responsible decisions about sex," says the report titled "The First Time: Characteristics of Teens' First Sexual Relationships."
Tamara Kreinin of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States calls the research "hugely helpful" to those planning programs for teens.

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News From Our Region

Liberian President's wife 'hiding' in Trinidad

Liberian President Charles Taylor's wife is reportedly taking cover in Trinidad.

Liberian President Charles Taylor may be planning to step down from power soon and take asylum in Nigeria, but he has reportedly sent his wife and son to Trinidad.

The Trinidad Express on Friday, 8th August reported that Ms. Bernice Yolanda Emmanuel, wife of the Liberian President, and her teenage son, have been staying at the Trinidad Hilton since a week ago.
Express journalist Andy Johnson apparently found out about Mrs. Emmanuel-Taylor's presence at the hotel and spoke to her via phone. But though she promised to talk to the reporter later on Thursday, 7th August, she skipped out on the appointment, switching rooms and asking front desk and security to forbid all media contact.

Still, earlier that day, Mrs. Emmanuel-Taylor, in brief comments, said her husband whom she confirmed is Trinidadian by birth is being wrongly portrayed by the media.

Mrs. Emmanuel-Taylor also confirmed that she is Trinidadian by birth as well and that she travels to Trinidad to vacation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was reportedly unaware of her presence in the island.

Mr. Taylor has reportedly been married thrice and has several children. He has been accused by human rights groups of serious rights violation and has been indicted by a UN-backed war crimes court in neighbouring Sierra Leone on charges he armed and trained rebels in exchange for diamonds.

An estimated 50,000 people died the ten-year civil war.

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Bermuda is new 'port' for immigrants looking for entry to the United States

Immigrants looking to enter the United States illegally are using Bermuda as their new port of entry.
The Royal Gazette quoted government sources as making the allegation following the arrest recently of two Chinese nationals.

The two were caught trying to board a flight for the U.S. at the Bermuda International Airport with fake Japanese passports.

Mr. Chen Fe Ming and Ms. Qin Hua Zheng were denied entry to the United States and remanded into custody on 29th, July.

The two will make another court appearance on 13th, August.

Mr. Ming reportedly revealed that the island is considered a 'soft target' to enter North America. The two recent arrests bring to five the number of Chinese using Bermuda as an entry way to the United States.

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St. Kitts/Nevis PM vows to continue serving

Prime Minister Denzil Douglas is greeted by Jamaica's PM P.J. Patterson at the recent Caricom Summit.

Recuperating in New York following major surgery to his spinal column on 29th, July, St. Kitts/Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Denzil L. Douglas says he is unwavering in his commitment to serving the people of St. Kitts and Nevis. Still he stressed he will have to pay attention to his health if he is to keep this mandate.

"It is clear that I probably have not been paying attention to my own physician skills that I had acquired, mainly because sometimes you become so involved in serving others that you ignore the signs that you are seeing in your own health status," Prime Minister Douglas told nationals in a telephone interview.

"I have been having intense pains for many, many weeks. It became extremely excruciating. I was not able to sleep sometimes at nights, but I kept saying it was the way I was sleeping, the way I positioned
my body."

He added, "I rationalised as much as possible, not knowing that something serious was taking place in my body and I think that though I am as committed as before, if not even more committed to carry on the service of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis, I really will have to begin to pay more attention to my own health."

The PM also revealed that although he was feeling some pain as of Wednesday, 6th August, he was able to walk to the bookstore around the corner where he is staying "just to make sure that I can exercise myself and they thought I was doing very, very well."

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Community Calendar

Community Calendar

Through 5 September

The International College of Cayman Islands is now enrolling new and continuing students for fall quarter on weekdays at 1 to 5 pm. Registration continues until 5 Sept. Classes begin on 8 September and end on 13 November. For information telephone 947-1100.

Through 29 August

Summer lap swimming is now being offered at he Lions Aquatic Centre. This service is available each weekday from 12 am to 2 pm, and will continue until 29 August.

Through 15 August

The F.C. International Annual Football Camp runs from 11 August to 15 August at the Annex football field in George Town and again on Monday 18 August to 22 August 2003 at the North Side football field. The camp will commence at 9 am and conclude at 1 pm. Lunch will be provided for ages 6-16. These camps are totally free. No registration is needed, just show up. For further information please contact Ray Ebanks, telephone 917-1049.

Saturday, 30 August

Future Sports Club players, members and supporters are selling tickets for their Annual Fair which will take place on Saturday, 30 August 2003 at the West Bay Town Hall Field. Proceeds will be used to purchase property and build an Educational and Training Facility.

SOS Confidential Youth Help line

Telephone 2-800-100-1000. The help line is open from Monday to Friday, 6-9 pm, and is organised by the NCVO.

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Sports

South Africa's aviation authority denies Cronje murder claims

File photo of South Africa's former cricket captain Hansie Cronje, who was killed in a plane crash last year.

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) South Africa's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Monday denied claims that former cricket captain Hansie Cronje, who died in a plane accident last year, had in fact been murdered.

The London-based Observer Sports Monthly reported at the weekend that foul play could have been involved when the plane crashed near George in the Western Cape on May 30 last year.

The newspaper, quoting an unnamed CAA investigator close to the case, said Cronje could have been killed to prevent him from divulging more details on a match-fixing scandal that ended his career as South Africa's most successful ever captain.

The CAA investigator reportedly said: "A lot of people wanted Cronje dead. They feared he would one day tell the full truth, and many more would be implicated.

"I know people who have looked closely into what happened but who were warned off by threatening phone calls. They're scared of getting a bullet in the head.

"I understand that police have found evidence of sabotage, but they're reluctant to go public on this."
However, CAA commissioner Trevor Abrahams told SABC radio news Monday morning the claims were fictitious.

"We are not aware of any such report. I don't know where it comes from and certainly the indication that someone involved in the actual investigation from the CAA made any such statements are not true," Abrahams said.

Cronje died along with the two pilots when the cargo plane he was travelling in crashed shortly before landing at George airport.

He was known to have an arrangement where he travelled for free on AirQuarius, rather than take up an offer from his employers to take a commercial flight back to his wife in George, some 430 kilometres (260 miles) east of Cape Town.

According to the Observer, the CAA report may take longer to be published than normal especially if it is found that there are grounds to support rumours that George airport's ground landing system - which failed - had been sabotaged.

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David Beckham not the Real attraction for Japanese women according to Tokyo poll

England soccer star and new Real Madrid player David Beckham.
AFP PHOTO/Toshifumi KITAMURA

TOKYO (AFP) David Beckham may have proven his multi-million dollar worth by scoring his first goal for Real Madrid in an exhibition match here, but there is still room for improvement in his superstar ranking among Japanese women.

The 28-year-old England captain was ranked only fourth among the all-star lineup of the Spanish champions in a popularity poll ahead of their easy 3-0 win over J-League club FC Tokyo in a pre-season exhbition match last week.

Of 100 single Japanese women interviewed at the venue, Tokyo's National Stadium, just 15 named Beckham as the player they had come to cheer for, according to the Sankei Sports daily. The women were aged between 17 and 34.

Real captain and striker Raul got the nod from 31, Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos 23 while 16 named French playmaker Zinedine Zidane their favourite.

Portuguese genius Luis Figo placed behind Beckham with nine votes. Beckham's England colleague Steve McManaman got three votes, and Fernando Morientes one.

"I hate Beckham. He is becoming part of show business. He has been spoiled by people around him," one of the women was quoted by the daily as saying.

The result is surprising as Beckham is widely known here affectionately as "Bekkamu-sama" (The Honourable Mr. Beckham) through his endorsements - mainly aimed at young women - of Japanese chocolate, mobile phones and a beauty clinic company in television commercials.

Sales of replica Real Madrid shirts are projected to reach some 14 million dollars.

One of the loudest boos for Beckham and Real came from Senichi Hoshino, manager of the Hanshin Tigers baseball club on the verge of winning their first season's title in 18 years.
"What on earth makes Beckham worth so much?" he said.

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Flood of complaints and sponsors' backlash over Glenn McGrath tirade, says cricket chief

SYDNEY (AFP) Cricket Australia were deluged with 15 days of complaints from the cricket public and there was a backlash from sponsors over fast bowler Glenn McGrath's verbal tirade in the West Indies, the sport's leading administrator said on last week.

CA chief executive James Sutherland told a business lunch here that Cricket Australia was inundated with phone calls and emails following McGrath's vein-popping rant at Windies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan on the Caribbean tour in May.

"I can assure you it created a stir in our office," Sutherland told the luncheon.

A contrite McGrath later apologised to Sarwan and publicly expressed regret at his behaviour but there are still significant ramifications for the sport in Australia.

"The damage that that caused Australian cricket and arguably our brand could never be measured but judging by the reaction we got from the media and the public there was no doubt there was a diminution as a result of that unfortunate incident," said Sutherland.

"People were saying that the Australian team were poor role models and don't want (their) kids playing cricket and the captain needs to take control of the team."

Sutherland, who at the time demanded skipper Steve Waugh rein in his team's on-field behaviour, said sponsors had contacted him to say their brands were suffering because of the backlash.

Sutherland said Cricket Australia learned much from the incident.

While not condoning McGrath's actions, he also believed that the Australian team had in some ways been "a victim of its own success".

"When you are successful in this day and age people do like to pick out the bad things and look for things that aren't