Highlights from the Print Newspaper edition - Issue No. 266
Updated as of |
Wednesday, 23 October
2002 | 9:35 AM
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Up Front
Editorial
Letters to the Editor
News
Cayman Net News Daily Comics
Current Affairs
News Analysis
People in the News
Ask Dr. Brothers
Breast Cancer Awareness Month Feature
News From Our Region
Sports
With the expectation that they will make a significant contribution to the growth and development of Cayman's financial industry, Government has appointed ...
New CIMA Directors
Government has appointed Mr. Timothy Ridley, Mr. Linburgh Martin and Dr. Richard Rahn as the three new directors to the board of the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA).
Hon. George McCarthy
They replaced Mr. Peter Tomkins, Mr. Arthur Hunter and Mrs. Jennifer Dilbert who the government thanked for their valuable efforts and contribution to the development of the CIMA.
Mr. Ridley, O.B.E., a former senior partner of one of the major law firms in the Cayman Islands, brings his speciality in global Cayman Islands legal practice with particular emphasis on institutional banking, capital markets, corporate/commercial finance, insurance, mutual funds and corporate and high net worth pri- vate client trust matters.
A graduate of Cambridge University (B.A.) and Harvard Law School (LL.M.), Mr. Tim Ridley qualified as a solicitor in England, and later practised as an attorney-at-law and notary public in Cayman for the last 30 years.
He was also recently appointed as a member of the Board of the Health Services Authority. He was awarded the OBE in 1996 for services to the financial industry and the local community.
As a qualified Chartered Accountant, Mr. Martin is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.
His several years of audit experience with the Ernst & Young offices in London and Cayman, have been noted as being invaluable exposure to insurance companies, international banking, and mutual funds. As a member of the National Advisory Council, the appointment of Mr. Martin affords the Authority his expertise in policy advice to the Governor in Council on fiscal, economic, socio-cultural and legal matters. Mr. Martin is also a member of the Public Service Pensions Board.
Dr. Rahn, a previous Executive Director of the American Council for Capital Formation, is an economist and syndicated columnist with numerous noted publications such as articles for newspapers and magazines such as the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Times.
Dr. Rahn brings his expertise and experience as a past advisor to senior government officials on tax and monetary issues in a number of countries. He has also served as the U.S. co-chairman of the Bulgarian Economic Growth and Transition Project in 1990.
Other directors on the Board of the Authority are the Honourable George McCarthy ex-officio Chairman, Mrs. Cindy Scotland Managing Director, Mr. Richard Chalmers and Mr. Michael Austin.
In an interview with Cayman Net News, Mr. Marthy, the Cayman Islands' Financial Secretary, welcomed the new appointments.
He said the knowledge base which Mr. Ridley has developed of the country's financial industry should put him in a very good position to make a significant contribution to the ongoing growth and development of the financial industry.
He added: "In relation to Mr. Martin, his knowledge base also puts him in a very good position to have an intimate understanding of our financial industry. He has a very alert mind like all of the other board members."
Mr. McCarthy said that Dr. Khan brought an international perspective to the board.
"He is very knowledgeable of the international initiatives and how they are likely to impact upon jurisdictions such as the Cayman Islands. It is very useful to have someone of that calibre who would be able to link the demands made against these initiatives in regards to measures we are being invited to implement flowing form those initiatives."
The Financial Secretary said more board members will be added as soon as new legislation is approved during the upcoming meeting of the Legislative Assembly.
He noted that of the additional directors to be appointed it is likely that one will be sought from a country in Europe.
"I would be good to have someone with a European perspective and this will fully complement the construct of the new board," he said.
"We are executing a very careful search. Names are coming to our attention but we have to make sure that the person to be appointed will be able to make a significant contribution to our regulatory regime and financial industry."
The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority was established as a body corporate under The Monetary Authority Law which was brought into force on 1st January, 1997.
The former responsibilities, duties and activities of the Financial Services Supervision Department and the Cayman Islands Currency Board now fall to the Authority which was created from the merger of these two bodies.
According to the CIMA website, the overall benefit resulting from the establishment of the Authority will be the ability to ensure the continuing strength and stability of the domestic currency, and the development and implementation of a regulatory regime which both complies with international expectations, and recognises the specific features of the Cayman financial services industry.
There are more than 580 banks and trust companies with assets of approximately US$747.6 billion, 517 captive insurance companies with assets of US$14.3 billion, and 3,041 mutual funds with estimated assets of US$215 billion registered in the Cayman Islands. Some 40,000 offshore companies are also registered.
In addition, Cayman offers the services of lawyers, chartered accountants and professional corporate managers and other highly skilled professional service providers.
The regulatory environment in which the Islands' financial services industry operates encompasses several elements.
These include modern and evolving legislation, rigorous law enforcement, and international cooperation involving bi- and multi-lateral agreements allowing for the provision of international legal assistance.
Chamber of Commerce and Education Ministry Launch 'Mentoring Cayman'
The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce in a public-private sector partnership benefiting students, businesses, employees and the community launched the "Mentoring Cayman" Programme at a reception held at the Westin Casuarina Resort and Spa on Saturday, October 19th. Several hundred current and future leaders of the Cayman Islands gathered in the Galleon Ballroom in a celebration of a Programme that in the words of Chamber President, Conor O'Dea "could potentially change your lives forever."
Mentor Darrel Rankine meets his student Mark Soto from Triple C
Patron for "Mentoring Cayman", the Governor, His Excellency, Mr. Bruce Dinwiddy, along with the Honourable Minister for Education, Human Resources and Culture, Mr. Roy Bodden, Chamber President, Mr. Conor O'Dea and Chamber CEO, Mr. Wil Pineau gave opening remarks about the mentoring programme to a packed Ballroom of students and their parents, together with the mentors and numerous other supporters including the Leader of Government Business, Mr. McKeeva Bush, and MLA Mr. Cline Glidden.
Task Force Chairman, Ray Farrington assists students in finding their mentors
Fifty students from John Gray High School, Triple C School, Cayman Prep High School, Wesleyan Christian and St. Ignatius High School, all of whom are academic honour students, were accepted into the inaugural year of the Programme and were matched with business and community leaders who have volunteered to serve as the students' mentor for this school year.
Proud parents of Monica Tonisso pose with her mentor, Lovinia Ebanks and her husband Mario
With the goal of providing excellent rewards for all of the parties involved, this joint initiative has all of the components for success.
Dr. Elaine Campbell getting together with her student LilEulen Aquiar and her mom
For the students, Mentoring Cayman will motivate them to achieve even higher results in school, while introducing them to potential career paths. The Programme aims to improve students self confidence, self esteem and commitment, while broadening their perspectives and creating new experiences and professional exposure in the workplace.
Wesleyan Christian Academy student Patrice Frederick's introduction to her mentor, Dr. Desiree Charles
Mentoring Cayman is an opportunity for the mentors to develop new abilities and understanding, while bridging the generation divide and gaining satisfaction and value for their contribution to their community.
Getting off to a great start student Dwayne Lee together with his mom, share a laugh with mentor, Peter Young
Businesses benefit from the Programme through forging stronger links and involvement with the youth of Cayman and the community as a whole, while their staff are able to increase their range of interpersonal skills.
Mentor Angelyn Hernandez and JGHS student Joanna Morrison
Congratulating the students on their academic achievements which enabled them to qualify for the Programme, Minister Bodden encouraged them to continue to excel and embrace the opportunities afforded through their one on one relationship with their mentors.
JGHS student Keyreaye Bodden is pleased to meet her mentor, Emily Tibbetts
The social portion of the Reception commenced after Mentoring Task Force Chairman, Mr. Ray Farrington, read the list of students and their mentors. With the formalities concluded, the youth with their characteristic excitement and enthusiasm, engaged their newly introduced mentors in an evening of discussion of the great possibilities for the future.
Lisa Cummins is happy to mentor JGHS student Rochelle Pryce
Mentors and students alike reported on the positive encounter they had with their "match" for the Programme at the conclusion of the Inaugural Reception.
The Chamber Council would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our Chamber member partners for their time and generosity in making the launch of "Mentoring Cayman" such a fruitful and positive exercise for all parties. Special mention must be made of the students and their schools, as well as the mentors and their employers who are supporting the Programme this year.
| School Student Name
Organisation/Member Company Mentor St. Ignatius Shamar Ennis Health Services Authority Eloise Reid St. Ignatius Chantelle Day Walkers Attorneys-At-Law Vicky Hew St. Ignatius Erica Jackman CITN/Cayman 27 Anita Smith St. Ignatius Sheree Ebanks First Caribbean Bank Carol Braggs St. Ignatius Ashely Frazier Royal Bank of Canada Denise Ebanks St. Ignatius Lauren Langlois Water Authority-Cayman Gloria Glidden St. Ignatius Monica Tonissoo Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. Lovinia Ebanks Cayman Prep Natalie Ross Cayman Distributors Gailya Hall Cayman Prep William McTaggart Jefferson Financial Corporation Richard Parchment Cayman Prep Shawn Gutierrez A.L. Thompson's Home Depot A.L. Thompson Cayman Prep John Godfrey First Caribbean Bank Richard Lewis Cayman Prep Martin Nixon Phoenix Construction Dan Morisseau Triple C Brandon Bernard Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman Mark Bastis Triple C Tracy Hylton CI Monetary Authority Deborah Musson Triple C Jessica Ebanks Maples and Calder Teresa Lewis-Pitcairn Triple C Rochell Cooper Health Services Authority Abigail Parchment Triple C Mark Soto Cable and Wireless Darrel Rankine Wesleyan Patrice Frederick Education Department Desiree Charles Wesleyan Shiona Stewartson National Drug Council Cathy Chesnut JGHS Richard Hessing GM International Sales Lewis Harris JGHS Jhaneille Ennis Hunter and Hunter Brianna Ebanks JGHS Tonicia Williams Caribbean Utilities Company Caren Thompson JGHS Lori-Ann Speirs Caribbean Utilities Company Debbie Bergstrom JGHS Demiko Dracket Cable and Wireless Tim Adam JGHS Dwayne Lee Rothstein, Kass & Co. Cayman Peter Young JGHS Sean Douglas OBM Limited William Bissell JGHS Priscilla Pouchie Phoenix Construction Dawn Nakes JGHS Janine Mitchell CI Monetary Authority Cindy Scotland JGHS Stephanie Rattan Water Authority-Cayman Gelia Frederick JGHS Boris Brady Julius Baer Bank & Trust Charles Farrington JGHS Wade Mitchell Public Works Department Mark Scotland JGHS Kimberly Wilken Reliable Industries Sharon Smith JGHS Joanna Morrison Quin & Hampson Angelyn Hernandez JGHS Joshua Ebanks Caribbean Utilities Company Richard Hew JGHS Marc Chin CI Chamber of Commerce Wil Pineau JGHS Irka Lashary Ebanks First Caribbean Bank Lynne Whittaker JGHS Leah Grant Department of Environment Gina Ebanks Petrie JGHS Joshephine Shibli CI National Gallery Leslie Bigelman JGHS Kidan Brooks Pure Art Gallery & Gifts Ltd. Debbie van der Bol JGHS Brittany Webster Bank of Butterfield Sheree Ebanks JGHS Joanna Jackson A.L. Thompson's Home Depot Melissa Thompson JGHS Aurora Yates Maples and Calder Carol Baker-White JGHS Jhanelle Ennis Derek Bogle & Associates Kathy-ann Broome JGHS Cristin Alexander Casa Caribe Condominiums Effie Mitchell JGHS Noemy Powell RVC Rehab Services Dr. Jennifer Royer JGHS Stephanie Powery Health Services Authority Hazel Brown JGHS Rochelle Pryce RVC Rehab Services Lisa Cummins JGHS LilEulen Moxam Aquiar Shedden Rd. Vision Clinic Dr. Elaine Campbell JGHS Keyreaye Bodden Cayman National Trust Emily Tibbetts |
A special mention of gratitude is expressed to Ms. Jennifer West of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Programme for facilitating the Mentor workshops held in early October. The organisational efforts of the "Mentoring Cayman" Task Force have brought the Programme to this point. Chamber President, Conor O'Dea expressed appreciation to Task Force Chairman, Ray Farrington, as well as the members: Richard Parchment, Maggie Jackson, Sue Tressider, Richard Coles, Mark Scotland, Chief Inspector Dennis Brady, Beverly Chin Sinn, and Colleen Williams for their great effort in making this public service initiative a reality in the Cayman Islands.
To find out more about "Mentoring Cayman" or any other Chamber of Commerce benefit programmes, please call the Chamber at 949-8090, fax 949-0220 or e-mail colleen.williams@cay manchamber.ky
Chinese President Jiang Zemin
HAMBURG, Germany: The first suspect to stand trial for the September 11 attacks that killed more than 3,000 people told a German court that he had had no advance knowledge of any terrorist plot against the United States.
UNITED NATIONS: France and Russia criticised the latest United States draft resolution on Iraq as the United Nations Security Council resumed talks on ensuring Baghdad does not develop weapons of mass destruction.
CHICAGO: Chinese President Jiang Zemin arrived in Chicago at the start of a tour of the United States which could be dominated by the sensitive issues of North Korea and Iraq.
JAKARTA: Indonesia's national police chief said the deadly Bali bombing is similar to previous operations by a regional terror network as the United States warned new attacks may be imminent.
ROCKVILLE, Maryland: Police said that the sniper who has killed at least nine people has sent a message threatening children in the Washington region.
BAKU: Forty-two people were feared to have drowned in the Caspian Sea after their ship, which was also carrying a cargo of oil, sank in a storm off the coast of Azerbaijan.
Negotiating The Constitution
It will no doubt be with a great sense of history, expectation and pride that the Cayman Islands' delegation will head to London in early December to discuss the proposed Constitutional Review with Her Majesty's representatives at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
When the history of the Cayman Islands is written decades from now, their names will be indelibly etched as seminal figures in the process of modernising the Constitution of this country.
Of particular note to this exercise is that fact that the Opposition has been invited to form part of the dialogue.
This certainly illustrates that this country is small enough to see both sides of the argument and big enough to find viable compromises. So from the very start, one of the most difficult tasks of the constitutional reform process may already be tackled.
When completed, the Constitution may not be the perfect model, but it will surely be modernised and designed to take the Cayman Islands where it needs to go.
For as we have indicated previously, it is pointless having a luxury jet of an economy running with turbo prop or DC3 engines.
To this end, amendment of the Constitution will demonstrate to the world that this country, like other British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, is serious about redefining the supreme law of the land to conform with the ever-changing demands of globalisation.
We are not saying that, like those territories, there should be a rush by the Cayman Islands to embrace the type of governance that will remove the protective arms of Mother England and some of the covenants that we need for good order.
Nevertheless, many of the issues to be settled in the new Constitution will undoubtedly move this country closer to "adulthood".
The point here is that if previous governments first assumed the role of omnipotent architects of the present Constitution which served its time and ran its course, then it stands to reason that a modern government, enlightened by its own experience and inspired by the future, must act as an agent and a vehicle of change and take responsibility for determining the circumstances of this country's development.
Having said that, it is therefore important as the delegation sits down with Her Majesty's representatives at the FCO, that they emerge with a document that is in the best interest of the Cayman Islands and will have the features of a true democracy.
In our view, constitutional changes should be negotiated in an environment which requires leverage and compromise, and these are best invoked from a position of strength.
Many people are afraid of the very term constitution reform. They are afraid largely because in many cases the objectives of such reform are not clearly defined or understood.
Moreover, people typically tend to oppose the process when they cannot meaningfully participate in it. Despite the best efforts they often do not believe in its advertised benefits, paranoia understandably sets in and the whole process becomes suspect, leaving cracks of doubts and indifference.
This then leads some people to believe as was the recent case with the OECD, that when it comes to international negotiations, some small countries go to the table and with a trembling hand and a faint heart, sign away their souls.
This can manifest itself in public pressure which can lead to repudiation and leave the architects of reform weakened and isolated.
Experience is the best teacher and it has shown that in the pragmatic world of politics, to find oneself in such a situation is suicidal.
Drivers are causing serious problems at roundabouts
Dear Sir,
Apologies if this letter is not in my usual calm tone, but my car was rammed on the Grand Harbour roundabout as I attempted to leave Grand Harbour to get across to South Sound road through rush hour traffic.
What has happened to the famed courtesy of Cayman drivers in letting vehicles out from junctions? From my experience, it still exists when making right turns, but, to be brutally honest, the vast majority of drivers here have absolutely no clue how they are supposed to act when on a roundabout.
In particular, when traffic is stationary in rush hour, Cayman drivers simply don't understand the give way sign as they arrive at the roundabout and that the roundabout is not just a continuation of the same choked up traffic artery they have just temporarily exited. So let's spell it out:
On roundabouts, the rules are different.
First of all, you should not enter a roundabout unless you can see that your way is clear to exit the roundabout on the other side, yet nobody here understands that.
Secondly, once on the roundabout in stationary traffic, exercise some courtesy and let traffic trying to get around the roundabout do so, thus letting traffic flow.
Simple really, isn't it? Then why does nobody follow these simple rules, and why do they get mad when traffic tries to navigate their way around? Just leave a gap for people to get through, guys. How tough could that be?
When I got home I phoned to discuss this education issue with the police traffic department, their sympathetic response was, "You are not the first person who has mentioned this problem. We shall try to get on TV to educate the public. We don't understand either why drivers don't know how to act on roundabouts".
Even the police are shaking their heads in exasperation !
Oh, and the RCIP were also a little upset at me for not stopping to get the details of the accident, not just because I should have but also, as they put it, "At least then we would have had the chance to tell that one driver how to drive on roundabouts".
I guess I should have stopped and taken down details, but, judging by the angry yelling from the driver of the red "ram-mobile", he was clearly feeling righteous, and the last thing I needed at the end of a long day was for that ignorant indignation to turn into a road rage incident.
As Pink Floyd would say, "We don't need no education!" (sigh).
Ok, end of rant, thanks for your time.
Tom McCallum
Defeat Iraq's Saddam Hussein now
By John R. Thomson, Special to UPI
Memo to: President George W. Bush
Subject: The time to clean up Iraq is now.
Mr. President, the time to act against Iraqi President Saddam
Hussein is now.
Your advisers and countless commentators have made powerful arguments for taking action. There is no justifiable political, social or cultural reason to delay further.
Even if the United Nations should demand and Iraq accept the most draconian arms inspection procedures, that process would take at least a year to fulfill. Who can seriously doubt Saddam would do everything to obfuscate, delay and in the end prevent the inspectors doing their work, as he has since 1991? As you have repeatedly pointed out, we cannot afford the luxury of time: Any further delay puts millions of Arab, Israeli, American -- indeed, the entire world's -- lives at risk.
The time to act is therefore now.
Amidst all the noise and confusion, advocates of action have covered most of the reasons, save one: the positive impact on our relations with the Arab and Muslim communities, in the Middle East and worldwide. By moving fast, effectively and with as little peripheral damage as possible we can begin rebuilding our long-declining relationships with Arabs and other Muslims.
Arabs and Muslims respect and are accustomed to force. The cultural norm is one of authoritarian control: Might makes right. He who wields power receives allegiance so long as some degree of accountability is shown. Unlike the United States or Britain, there is virtually no underdog tradition in these thoroughly hierarchical societies. Quite the contrary: Regimes in Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt, have remained in corrupted power for decades, by trickling down just enough to keep the natives from getting uncontrollably restless. Put simply, ending Saddam's reign of terror will demonstrate that terrorism is not a winning way, to a society that sides with those perceive as powerful and winners.
Force used to remove the terrorist Iraqi regime will also weaken terrorism throughout the region, and worldwide. You have said from the outset that we are in a war against terrorism, not just Osama bin Laden and al Qaida. The issue is not solely to focus on the perpetrators of the tragic Sept. 11 events or the most recent terrorist attacks in Bali and elsewhere. Although they have differing agendas, Saddam and Osama are united in detesting the United States and virtually all Arab regimes, and are supporting each other in countless ways.
Whichever falls first, the other will be significantly weakened. Those who would destroy our civilization would think us stupid were we to insist on first eliminating the elusive bin Laden before turning to Saddam.
Many Muslims see the West, especially America, as weak, morally corrupt infidel societies. Beginning with the terrorist attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut almost 20 years ago, there has been no sustained, decisive American response. Our characteristically inconclusive reaction to murderous provocation has convinced millions that we lack the will or the energy to defend our own. Regimes and citizens alike view the United States as hopelessly adrift and indecisive. Imagine the reaction, if we stood by and permitted any prolonged U.N. charade about further weapons inspections in Iraq.
There is little we can do about what the devout consider our sinful social activities. Indeed, much of our residual appeal to many conflicted Muslims is the social, political and economic freedom their rulers and mullahs decry. Putting down the foul gang running Iraq demonstrates we are neither fools nor to be fooled with, thereby regaining some degree of respect if not affection.
Every Arab regime is deeply disgusted by, indeed fearful of, Saddam's Iraq. The reticence of several to go public in support of regime change in Iraq is based, first, on their fear of setting a precedent that their own citizens might pursue at home, and secondly, an accurate sense that "the Arab street", true to the tradition of backing the (evident) winner, supports Saddam.
But all that will change, in the halls of power and on the street, when we act. Foot-dragging leaders will join Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman and support decisive military action, breathing sighs of relief that the Butcher of Baghdad no longer has his hand on the cleavers of power.
Benign peace keeping and nation building by respected national forces will decimate popular suspicion of our motives. Americans and the West are viewed as exemplars of the "here today, gone tomorrow" way of life. The fellah in the street is convinced: once Saddam is gone and Iraqi oil reserves secured, the conquering powers will leave Iraq and its fractious citizenry to fend for themselves. Staying the course while Iraqis find their way and assist in the reconstruction of their beleaguered institutions, will go far to prove we are interested in more than the usually short-lived goals of U.S. geopolitics.
Subsequent changes in the most despotic regional regimes will solidify respect for the United States, from leaders and citizens alike. Once Saddam is gone, self-anointed dictators in Iran, Syria and Palestine will have a geometrically more difficult time clinging to power.
Several times in the past year, more than a million Iranians have demonstrated their disdain for their government and their affection for the United States.
In Syria, the ineffectual President Bashir Assad has no substantial support from any sector of society, save the minuscule Alawite religious sect of his long-reigning father.
Palestinians universally despair of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat's feckless leadership.
Our openly admitted task must be to aid and abet the teeming, restless popular forces in these nations. Properly executed, they will remove thoroughly discredited regimes with minimal outside manpower in support. Moreover, friendly despots in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Morocco will at last be moved to make substantive changes in their economies and cultures.
Improved governance at home and greater respect for the United States will sharply curtail support for Muslim fundamentalism. From Kuwait to Cairo, this highly radicalized, isolationist corner of the faith has been winning converts who see no other way to change their life condition.
Fundamentalist mosques, whose members are by definition deeply disaffected from society, are the best recruiting centers for al Qaeda and other terrorist movements. As they weaken, so will popular support for bin Laden and their terrorist allies.
The waning terrorist grip on the popular imagination will be welcomed by most Arab regimes because, after all, Saddam, bin Laden and the rest are an even greater threat to their peace and longevity than to ours.
By ending Saddam's reign of terror, Mr. President, you will markedly improve America's respect and influence throughout the Arab and Muslim worlds. Our image and impact in the region, steadily deteriorating for two decades, will reverse direction, and continue to improve as we facilitate the passing of other despots from the scene. Far from having a negative effect on our relations, every level of Middle Eastern society will view the United States with increasing, albeit grudging, approval.
The terrorist enemy remains the enemy and assuredly will strike, again and again. Like a cancer, the committed terrorist fights indefatigably until he kills or is killed. Terrorism will become stronger and stronger day by day, increasingly difficult to eradicate unless totally eliminated, just like the dread disease. Much of the rest of the world may be in denial, but that cannot diminish the need to take early, radical action.
Removal from power of the Butcher of Baghdad, Osama the Odious and the similarly poisonous ruling cadres in Syria, Iran and Palestine is essential for the well-being of those they rule, for our fellow Americans, for Israelis, Arabs and Muslims, indeed for every freedom-loving person on the planet.
Mr. President, the Congress has given you the mandate you have requested. Under your leadership, our nation is clearly re-dedicated to the need to eliminate those who would see our society ruined. And eliminated they will be: The nation calls for action.
The time to act is now.
By Ira Straus
WASHINGTON, (UPI) -- Recently, a young Italian woman was grabbed in a Washington-area parking lot. A knife was put to her throat. She gave up her purse but was dragged anyway to a dark street. Only by luck did she escape just before she would have been thrown into a car.
In her years of education in Italy, she had been taught what everyone is taught: that there is a lot of racism in America, meaning oppression of blacks by whites. She was taught that all good people condemn America for its racism. Then she came here and learned from another teacher -- experience.
She learned that racism goes both ways. That it is not America that is racist but groups of individuals, including some anti-Americans, both white and black, who are too quick to blame white Americans and to exonerate crimes against them.
She learned social reality is more complicated than the black-and-white morality tale she had been taught. And on the other hand, that some elementary realities of social coping, which she had been taught to scorn, remain absolutely necessary and proper. You see a person approaching. Whatever his color, he seems potentially threatening. You get out of the way, cross the street, look for a group of passers-by to join.
How do you make the decision? By profiling. That is, by looking for characteristics that have tended to correlate with dangerous or threatening behavior.
Profiling is universal. Every person relies on it for a preliminary rating of their risks with each person they run into.
If people do not profile explicitly, they do it implicitly. If they do not do it consciously, they do it unconsciously. If they do not do it intelligently, on a basis of correlations relevant to their safety, then they do it unintelligently, with little gain to their safety. If they suppress the thought of it, they sublimate it or translate it into another, more "correct" jargon in their minds. But they go on doing it. They could not live without it.
Do police do it too? Of course they do. All police and investigative efforts involve working from two ends, direct and indirect. The direct end means following the trail of specific leads and informants. The indirect end means profiling; that is, finding a social milieu or pool to look in and ask around in -- a milieu where there are more likely to be informants, leads, and criminals answering to that crime.
In the absence of conclusive specific leads, profiling is the only way to narrow the milieu of where to look. One cannot question everyone. One has to define a much smaller milieu where the likelihood of involvement is greater. One starts with the physical neighborhood of the crime, then with the probable social neighborhood of the probable criminals, taking into account a number of factors including class, race, clique, clan, religion, and occupation.
In preventive investigations, such as are necessary when dealing with the threat of mass terrorism, profiling is still more important. No visible crime has yet been committed to generate leads; the only option is skillful snooping in a plausible milieu.
This is the way it has been done for thousands of years. Recently people have learned that they can complain about profiling and get sympathy by opposing it, but they have not figured out how to do without it.
If profiling were to be fully suppressed, police work would become hopeless; it would end up depending completely on witnesses stepping forth and volunteering evidence. And usually there are simply not enough voluntary witnesses with enough relevant information.
To profile is morally risky; to fail to profile is suicidal. One can suppress the instinct of suspicion of suspicious-looking persons, but not the consequences.
The dangers of unfair and unreasonable profiling -- that is, profiling based on unfounded prejudices such as racism -- are well known. They are widely discussed, guarded against, and proscribed. In the present period it is suppression of reasonable and justified profiling that is the greater danger. And it is inadequately discussed.
Profiling is one of those things that remain necessary and proper. It is a normal instinct for safety and survival.
It can be abused, as can all sound instincts and practices, but a healthy society will try to restrain the abuse, not suppress the instinct itself.
Profiling sometimes includes controversial components, such as race and religion, along with less controversial ones such as age and sex, but it is the unfair abuse of these components that needs restraint, not the reasoned handling of them. Open discussion of sound and unsound profiling would do far more to refine it and restrain its abuses than blanket condemnation, which only drives it underground.
In the case of the terrorism that presently threatens America, profiling inevitably includes an ethnic dimension -- Arab -- and a religious dimension -- Islam. Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, these are understandably important factors: as predictors. Indeed so far it may be said that they are more important than all other factors combined, although that could change in the future as terrorism can come from many grievances and many quarters.
But only by using what indicators are indeed available to us and most probable under current circumstances can a milieu be defined within which to seek leads. With their help, the range of the relevant milieu is narrowed from the original 100 percent of the population to a much smaller proportion -- probably less than 3 percent in the United States. Only such an a priori narrowing of probabilities for initial investigation can provide a manageable basis for effective security work. No other relevant factors can bring us anywhere near to this degree of narrowing. Collectively as well as individually, profiling is still one of the foundations for survival.
The young Italian lady's experience did not incline her toward any kind of racism, but it did teach her to instinctively "profile" people in public places according to their possibly suspicious behavior and demeanor.
She learned the hard way that alertness and a presumption of malicious intent are essential components for survival on the streets in modern American society. And she was lucky the lesson did not come at a far more fearful price.
I have especial reason to be relieved that she escaped as she did. For she is my wife.
Bush tough talk backfired on North Korea
By Martin Sieff, UPI Senior News Analyst
WASHINGTON, (UPI) -- The North Koreans have taken a page out of Israel's deterrence playbook. And like Israel, they did so because they were scared.
North Korean officials have made the bombshell admission to U.S. diplomats that their country for years has continued a nuclear development program in secret, even though this was in clear contravention of its 1994 commitments to the United States, U.S. and South Korean officials told UPI early recently.
Why did they make such an admission at all? And above all, why did they make it now?
The North Korean capital, Pyongyang, is probably the most inaccessible capital city on earth. But certain things are known for a certainty, and very clear inferences can indeed be drawn from them.
First, senior South Korean intelligence officials and close advisers to President Kim Dae-jung have repeatedly told UPI Analysis that North Korean leader Kim Il-sung and his innermost circle are truly ignorant of the nature of democratic societies in the wider world. Even worse, these top South Korean officials say, the North's Kim and his advisers are also still in a very much of a state of paranoid fear about everyone outside their own tightly policed borders.
That is why the South's President Kim made his "Sunshine" policy of very cautious détente with the North the center-piece of his nation's national security policies. And it is also why the South's Kim and his own top officials were so appalled at what they considered the reckless actions and rhetoric of President George W. Bush when he visited the Demilitarized Zone border between South and North. They feared Bush's tough talk could wreck the fragile foundations of their own détente.
The North's leaders, however, do watch the outside world. And it was certainly not lost upon them when Bush, in his State of the Union Address at the beginning of this year, included their country along with Iraq and Iran in an "axis of evil." Now they see Bush is on the brink of going to war with Iraq to topple its longtime leader, President Saddam Hussein.
Mighty Iran has a population of 80 million, four times that of either Iraq or North Korea. But North Korea has the same population, a smaller area and a far, far smaller resource base than Iraq. Also, where Iraq can at least hope for uprisings of popular support among the Middle East's remaining 260 million Arabs outside its borders, or in the wider Muslim world, which numbers around one billion, the North Koreans are out on their own.
Their only supporter is neighboring China. It is determined to keep the North intact as a protective buffer against the contagion of the free speech, democratic societies of South Korea and Japan.
But while China has been making long-term, serious and massive military investment to prepare for a possible air-sea war against the United States in the Taiwan Straits, it is no position to actively militarily intervene, on the North's side against the far superior U.S. high-tech military forces.
Besides the North's revered, although catastrophic, founding ideology of chu-chi, or independent self-reliance, teaches that national security and even survival can be entrusted to no other nation's hands.
The clear strategic inference to be drawn from such premises is that a nuclear deterrent would be necessary to maintain the cherished independence of the North against an outside world presumed to be entirely hostile against it.
Similar motivations based on all too real recent history motivated democratic Israel's founding father David Ben-Gurion to launch an ambitious nuclear development program in the 1950s.
Ever since then, Israel has been coy about its nuclear weapons capability, generally believed to amount to no less than 200 to 300 nuclear weapons and the delivery systems to carry them. Up to now, the North Koreans have been even more coy, denying they even had any nuclear program beyond what they had admitted to for civilian power-generating purposes.
Going public now is clearly a risk. There is a danger that the South may break off its "Sunshine" relationship with the North and that Japan may beak off its own budding dialogue with Pyongyang.
However, both these developments appear unlikely. President Kim in Seoul and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Tokyo both have far too much political capital invested in dialogue and détente with the North to break it off now.
Besides, these policies have proven very popular with their electorates.
The main risk of the North Korean admission lies, as Pyongyang leaders well know, in what Bush's reaction in Washington will be. They may be giving him a justification to turn the heat up on them after he has finished with Saddam.
However, it appears that North Korean leaders
have, rather, made the calculation that only the fear that they
already possess nuclear weapons will deter Bush from taking major
military action against them at some point soon.
Indeed, they may well already be convinced that Bush has already
made up his mind to launch U.S. armed forces against them after
Iraq is conquered. If that is the case, it would follow that only
indicating obliquely but still clearly that they may already possess
a nuclear deterrent will be sufficient to keep Bush off their
backs.
For more than a decade Pentagon nuclear strategists have had a name for this kind of calculation. They call it "nuclear bee-sting" theory. It means that Third World or "rogue state" leaders believe the threat of having a single nuclear weapon that could destroy an American city or of kill tens or hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops in the field would be sufficient to deter any major U.S. military action against them.
Right after the 1991 Gulf War, when India's then-chief of staff was asked privately by some American interlocutors what strategic lessons should be drawn from the rapid and overwhelming U.S. victory, he replied, "Make sure you have your own atomic bomb before you challenge the United States."
And one of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's top national security advisers said, "This is not fantasy.
Nuclear bee-sting theory is very real. The Americans are treating it this way. And so are we."
With their announcement Wednesday, the North Koreans appear to be adopting "nuclear bee-sting" theory as their deterrent strategy as well. In poker-playing terms, it is unlikely to be a bluff.
News
Cayman Islands' children get acquainted with aviation
Director of Civil Aviation, Richard Smith talks to students at John Gray High School about aviation and its history in one of the 25 talks that took place in island schools last week.
As part of the 50th Anniversary of Aviation celebrations local pilots, air traffic controllers and others in the aviation industry have spent time in the schools talking to students about this fascinating subject.
The anniversary being celebrated is the first airstrip landing in the Cayman Islands, which happened on November 28th 1952. There are many activities planned and local schools are playing a major part. "Cayman has such a rich aviation history that we felt it was vital to involve the youth of our islands in the plans," explained Director of Civil Aviation Richard Smith.
25 talks in a total of 20 schools took place during the week of October 14th 18th in both Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac. Javier Thompson, a First Officer with Cayman Airways assisted with organising some of the members of the Cayman Airlines Pilots Association (CAPA) to take part and did many of the talks himself. "It was great to see how interested the young people in Cayman are in aviation. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of this and am sure many of our young people are more aware of how important aviation is to Cayman because of these talks," Javier stated.
The students in Cayman are also involved in contests that give them the opportunity to win trips for them and their family to Florida and visits to attractions courtesy of Disney and Flight of Fantasy. The contests are aviation themed and include an art contest for younger children and essay and short story contests for older students.
The First Class sponsors of the 50th Anniversary of Aviation events are Cayman Airways, Aviation Communications, Flowers Air Dispatch Services and Texaco Caribbean. Business Class sponsors include Cable & Wireless, Tortuga Rum Company and Fosters Food Fair.
Student's Piano Competition Launched
British piano duo, Jennifer Micallef and Glen Inanga
Cayman's piano-playing students are being invited to compete in a Piano Competition, which is being staged by Cayman Classical Performances (CCP), a not-for-profit company formed last year to promote classical music and the performing arts in the Cayman Islands.
CCP was responsible for bringing the British piano duo, Jennifer Micallef and Glen Inanga to Grand Cayman last December to play at a series of concerts held at the First Baptist Church. The duo also conducted a children's piano workshop with over 500 students at the church, a highpoint of their first visit.
The Cayman Islands Piano Competition will be held on Monday, 4th November, and Tuesday 5th November at 7:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church. Jennifer Micallef and Glen Inanga will be the competition's adjudicators. The duo returns to Grand Cayman this year for three concerts at the Harquail Theatre on 8th, 9th, and 10th November.
This pioneering piano competition among students is structured in three categories nine years and under; 10-14 years and 15 18 years.
Students competing in the nine years and under category are required to play one piece of their choice within a limit of three minutes. Competitors in this category should have attained a minimum level of a Pass in Grade 2 or equivalent of the standards set by the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music or equivalent.
Ten to 14-year-olds are required to perform any two contrasting pieces of their choice within a limit of five minutes, and should have attained a minimum standard of a Pass at Grade 3 or equivalent.
Competitors in the 15-18 years category are required to perform any two contrasting pieces of their choice within a limit of seven minutes and should have the minimum standard of a Pass at Grade 5 or equivalent.
Students will compete for a chance to perform in the weekend piano concert series at the Harquail, as well as trophies or medals, to be awarded on the day of competition to winners in each category. Certificates will be given for: Honours 90% and above; Distinction 85-89%; Merit 75-84% and Pass 65-74%.
Entry deadline for the Cayman Islands Piano Competition is Friday, 1st November, by 5:00 p.m. Competitors should indicate their choice of pieces at the time of entry, and this then cannot be changed.
Entry forms are available at Barnett's Music Store, 24 Huldah Avenue (near to the Red Cross, in George Town) or by contacting Neil Rooney at 943-8000/916-6192. Entry fee is $2.00
North Side Quincentennial District Committee Paver Sale
Erena Ebanks recently became the fist person to purchase a paver for the North Side Quincentennial District Monument. From Left to Right: Erena Ebanks, North Side District Committee Chair, Captain Ned Miller and Pat Ebanks. Pavers for the North Side Monument will be available for purchase during the districts' Heritage Day on October 29, 2002.
Accident victim dies in Jamaican hospital
Fitzroy Haughton, 33, the Jamaican pedestrian involved in the accident on North Church Street on Friday evening at 9.40 p.m, has died as a result of his injuries.
The accident happened when a Ford Explorer, driven by an 18-year-old George Town man, was travelling along North Church Street towards West Bay and allegedly ran off the road onto the sidewalk, colliding with Mr. Haughton who was walking in the same direction.
Mr. Haughton was admitted to hospital and listed in critical condition with serious head injuries.
At midday on Saturday, he was airlifted to hospital in Kinston, Jamaica where he was still in critical condition. Around 12:55 p.m. Tuesday at the Kingston Public Hospital he was pronounced dead.
Police have spoken to some witnesses but are making a further appeals for any persons who may seen this accident to contact PC Frank Owens at the RCIP Traffic Office on 9466254.
Some of the greatest women in sports were in attendance at the Women's Sports Foundation's Annual Gala on 21 October at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York
From left,
Billy Jean King, Ally Sheedy, Geena Davis, Sue Bird, Sarah Hughes,
Peggy Fleming and Holly Hunter
(Left to right): Jayne Torville, Valerie Brisco and Nikki Franke
(Left to right): Dominique Dawes, Bart Connor and Nadia Comaneci
US millionaire whoops as British tabloid issues "unprecedented" apology
Elizabeth Hurley
LOS ANGELES, (AFP) - US millionaire Steve Bing, who fathered actress Elizabeth Hurley's baby, declared victory Tuesday over a British tabloid's extraordinary front-page apology for dubbing him "Bing Laden."
The grovelling apology, which ran under a banner headline in Tuesday's "Daily Mirror," came as Bing dropped a 40 million dollar libel suit against the paper, which also printed his phone number and urged readers to be rude to him.
"I am delighted that the Mirror has set the record straight," film producer and property fortune heir Bing said from his base in Los Angeles.
"Other publications should follow the Mirror's example of acting responsibly after realizing that it had crossed the line by publishing highly inappropriate material."
Bing's lawyer, Marty Singer, said the paper's decision to publish the retraction and apology marked "an unprecedented resolution to a lawsuit against a tabloid."
"We consider this an enormous victory for Mr. Bing," he said as the latest chapter in the tumultuous story of Bing's relationship with Hurley, the birth of her son in April and the acrimonious battle over paternity that followed.
The Mirror attacked the American as a "love rat" for questioning Hurley's motives after she revealed that he was the father of her child and for demanding a paternity test, which eventually proved he was the dad.
In a series of articles, the paper referred to him as "Bing Laden" and gave out his phone number, telling readers to ring him up and "tell him exactly what you think of him."
Bing alleged that he received death threats after the paper reported that he had denied impregnating Hurley, screen heartthrob Hugh Grant's stunning ex-lover.
The paper's retraction and apology came under the saccharin headline: "A humble and sincere apology to Mr. Steve Bing, philanthropist and humanitarian." "We would like to take the opportunity to offer our sincere apologies to Mr. Bing for publishing disparaging untrue statements about him, and for inappropriately urging our readers to telephone Mr. Bing, and to disturb him with derogatory remarks based on our inaccurate reports," read the apology.
"Our readers should know that Mr. Bing is not the ignominious character that has been depicted by some in the media," it added.
Another of Bing's attorneys, Lynda Goldman, said the "remarkable" apology signalled public acknowledgment from the Mirror "what it had done to him was wrong."
"The prominent publication of the exceptional retraction and apology fulfilled that goal in an extraordinary fashion," she said.
Bing had warned the Mirror in December that he was suing for 40 million dollars damages in the United States for "emotional distress" libel and invasion of privacy cause by the paper's articles.
The British tabloids see glamorous "Austin Powers" actress and model Hurley, 37, as an icon of glamour, while ex-lover Bing was pilloried as alleged details of their relationship emerged.
Bing at first publicly doubting her fidelity during their 18-month relationship after she fell pregnant and then by launching legal proceedings two weeks after baby Damian was born to establish paternity.
Questioning Progressive School; About Children And Risk-Taking
Joyce Brothers
Dear Dr. Brothers:
I'm a single father of a great 13-year-old girl. Because of my
job, she has recently started a new, progressive school. It's
expensive, but I'm paying willingly, because it's got an excellent
reputation. Now my daughter tells me that at this school, girls
and boys are separated in math and science classes. I'm troubled,
since these are two of the most important subjects, and I'm wondering
if that means she's somehow not getting the same quality education
she would if she were a boy. I don't have a great amount of time
at the moment to check this out, because of an increase of work
and pressure in my new job. How does dividing the sexes in these
classes strike you? --
F.T.
Dear F.T.:
This idea is being used in a number of schools as a means of boosting
performance, especially of gifted young women, whose grades and
self-esteem often drop when they reach puberty. This approach
has been very successful, so from what I hear, you've no reason
to lose faith in the school you've selected for your daughter.
Studies have revealed that one of the
reasons girls' grades tumble when they reach your daughter's age
is that teachers tend to call on boys more frequently and push
them harder. They pay more attention to them and question them
more -- which, of course, is good for any student. Also, girls
often feel that boys tend to like girls who don't appear to be
as smart as the boys are. In short, boys enjoy feeling superior,
and this can leave girls having to play dumb -- or thinking they
need to -- in order to attract boys.
Dear Dr. Brothers:
We have a son and a daughter, born a year apart. Our son is 10,
and our daughter is 9. We're surprised and delighted that in many
ways, they're totally different. Our daughter is the adventurous
risk-taker, and our son is the quiet, shy one. I'm a nervous Nellie
and always have been, so I'm both frightened and amazed that our
daughter is constantly getting into trouble because she takes
on physical challenges that are both unnecessary and dangerous.
Any clues about why a child would do this, and is there anything
we can do about it? -- G.N.
Dear G.N.:
There's some evidence that
the desire for sensation and high-risk activity might be genetic,
but often when girls who have brothers engage in this kind of
behavior, it's related to a desire to get more attention and praise
from parents. Or, if they feel there's any preference for the
male child, they might be trying to prove they can compete physically,
as well as in other ways, and win.
If you're overly anxious, your daughter might be rebelling against you by trying to prove that nothing frightens her. Excessive risk-taking could also come from an underlying feeling that no one really cares about what happens to her, so she doesn't care, either.
Sit down with your husband and talk with your daughter. Let her know you're worried because you love her so much. Use this conversation to try to find out if she knows why she takes such dangerous risks. You might end up by making some kind of contract with her, some negotiation where you and she both get what you want.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month feature
Teenage Girls with Breast Cancer
Question: I've read about girls as young as 14 being diagnosed with breast cancer, and I find that frightening. I know young women can get breast cancer, but adolescent girls?
Answer: By Dr. Susan Love
While in rare instances a teenage girl may have to have surgery to remove a lump from her breast, it is virtually unheard of for that lump to be breast cancer. The lumps that these girls have are not the type of tumor that becomes breast cancer but are either juvenile fibroadenoma or cystosarcoma phyllodes.
Fibroadenoma is the second most common form of benign breast disease; it is most common in women under 30. Juvenile fibroadenoma is a benign growth that occurs when normal breast development goes slightly awry. Fibroadenomas are hard, round, and easy to feel. And although they can be very large--as big as 8-9 cm-- they are unlikely to cause any pain.
Fibroadenomas are removed because of
their size, not because they are cancerous or because they will
become cancerous. And while it is certainly scary for a teenage
girl to have to think about having surgery on her breast, it is
important that she and those who support her understand that she
has a lump, not cancer.
Cystosarcoma phyllodes is a tumor that occurs only in the breast,
and what causes it remains unknown. It is very rare--less than
1% of all beast tumors are classified as cystosarcoma phyllodes.
Even though cystosarcoma phyllodes contains the word "sarcoma" (which would make you think of cancer) the majority of these tumors are benign. This is why doctors have begun to refer to them as phyllodes tumors.
Phyllodes tumors tend to be large--the average size is about 5 cm--and to grow very quickly. Like a fibroadenoma, these tumors do not typically cause any pain and are hard, round, and easy to feel.
Phyllodes tumors are typically removed with an excision. If the tumor recurs, which happens about 20-35% of the time, a second excision or possibly a mastectomy may be needed.
About 10% of phyllodes tumors metastasize, and when they do they typically spread to the lung, bones, heart, and liver. Unlike with a typical breast tumor, there is no systemic treatment (chemotherapy or hormonal therapy, like tamoxifen) that phyllodes tumors have been found to respond to. They do not respond to radiation either. It is important to keep in mind, though, that these tumors are rare to begin with, and even rarer in teenage girls.
Does the fact that a teenage girl could possibly develop a juvenile fibroadenoma or phyllodes tumor mean we should start educating them about these diseases?
It's never too early to begin educating teenage girls about their breasts, or helping them to feel comfortable with their breast as they develop. It is also important to let girls know that if they ever feel something odd in one of their breasts they should tell a parent or guardian or their doctor right away.
I don't believe, though, that teenage
girls should be told about these diseases in a way that makes
them worry that they might develop a juvenile fibroadenoma or
a phyllodes tumor. It's too rare. And they certainly shouldn't
be worried that they will develop breast cancer at 15.
____________________
Susan M. Love is an author, teacher, surgeon, researcher, and activist. Having dedicated her life to eradicating breast cancer and educating patients on women's health issues, Dr. Love is one of the founders and a board member of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, and was appointed by President Clinton to the National Cancer Advisory Board. She is an Adjunct Professor of Surgery at UCLA and the Medical Director of the Santa Barbara Breast Cancer Institute, a nonprofit organization. She is the author of Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book and Dr. Susan Love's Hormone Book.
Contact Dr. Susan Love
as follows: http://www.susanlovemd.org
Trinidad's PM delivers record high $20billion budget
Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Patrick Manning presented a record high $20 billion national budget Monday, boasting that it was a fulfillment of the PNM's promises in the October 7 general election, according to the Express newspaper.
The two-hour and 25-minute presentation in the House of Representatives was Manning's first as Finance Minister.
He kept good on the promise of a $600 million backpay to public servants to settle a 15-year-old debt, which will be paid in November.
Other major election promises honoured by
Manning included:
· Income and Corporation Tax reduction.
· Reinstatement of a credit union tax deduction of $10,000
per year.
· Removal of duty and VAT on medication.
· Provision of free medication for the elderly and poor.
· Provision of $500 million to fight AIDS.
· Provision of a tax deduction of $10,000 per year for
five years for first-time homeowners.
"We even promised that the PNM would win the elections delivered," Manning declared, causing laughter and lusty applause in the public gallery.
The Express said the budget is expected to realise a deficit of $623 million because of the payment to public servants.
He noted that if the Government did not have to pay out the salary arrears, the deficit would only be $23 million.
Expenditure in education has been increased by more than 12 per cent and in health by ten per cent.
During Manning's presentation which had as its theme"Vision 2020: People ... Our Priority" Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday and the other UNC MPs remained silent and almost motionless, with Panday and former finance minister Gerald Yetming making a hasty departure at the end of the presentation.
Opposition Chief Whip Ganga Singh described Manning's package as "a wish-list and a bag of contradictions" on which he would elaborate during the budget debate which begins on Thursday morning.
Manning said the budget was based on an oil price of US$22 a barrel and was confident that the many projects contained in the new fiscal package would be implemented because the PNM has cut out "corruption from the conduct of the people's business".
At the start of Monday's sitting at the Red House, UNC MP for Siparia, Kamla Persad-Bissessar sought to block the budget presentation when she rose on a Point of Order claiming that before the new measures could be brought to the House, it must first deal with the Variation of Appropriation Bill for the 2001/2002 budget.
Her objection was quickly overruled by House Speaker Barry Sinanan.
JLP takes another seat after recount
The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) on Monday picked up another parliamentary seat -- its 26th -- from the October 16th general elections when the official recount showed that its candidate, Verna Parchment, had won in the North-West St Ann constituency over Local Government Minister Arnold Bertram.
In the initial count Wednesday night, Bertram was given a razorthin majority of 26 over Parchment.
According to the Jamaica Observer, in the recount that started on Saturday the electoral officials held that Parchment had in fact won by a margin of 169, with 7,507 votes to Bertram's 7,338. Michael Asher of the National Democratic Movement/New Jamaica Alliance received 75 votes; and Toussaint Lewin, an independent candidate, 45. There were 65 rejected ballots.
The reversal of Bertram's victory means, unless the decision is challenged and Bertram ultimately prevails, that the PNP's immediate seat count in the new Parliament will be 34 -- a nine-seat majority over the JLP.
Bertram himself was unavailable for comment but PNP general-secretary Maxine Henry-Wilson said the party was yet to make a decision on its next move.
"No decision has been made yet on whether we will ask for a magisterial recount of the votes," Henry-Wilson said. "The lawyers are meeting."
Other PNP sources had suggested that a request for a magisterial recount was on the cards and that the PNP might even make a claim of voting irregularities to the Constituted Authority -- the body that has the power to void an election in the event of fraud, certain procedural breaches and natural disasters.
In a case where the Constituted Authority -- comprised of the three independent members of the Electoral Advisory Committee, Professor Errol Miller, Dr Herbert Thompson and Dorothy Pine-McLarty, Privy Councillor Dennis Lalor and Justice Rance Langrin -- has already endorsed the conduct of the election, it could possibly put the issue to the specially constituted Election Court of three judges. The PNP itself could take a case to the Election Court or file an election petition in the regular court system.
JLP officials have themselves hinted at further action in other close races that went in favour of the PNP, and the same was likely to be the case with PNP candidates who came out on the losing end of tight finishes.
Bertram went into this election defending a majority of 1,600 from the 1997 general elections, when he gained 8,232 votes to beat the JLP's Ernie Smith (6,632) and the National Democratic Movement's Geoff Waugh, who gained 245 votes.
Parchment, a 39-year-old nurse who studied at PACE University in New York, claimed that Bertram's downfall was a failure at representation.
"He neglected the people, not only the JLP but in strong PNP areas," she told the Observer. "I went to Buxton Town and the people told me that from Mr. Bertram won his seat they have not seen him... He took the people for granted."
"You have to be there before, during and after the event," she added.
Parchment, who, if she survives, will be among seven women in the House, said that she had worked the constituency for four-and-a-half years.
"I tell the people in the area all the time that I don't represent the party, I represent the constituency," she said. "I went house to house from eight in the mornings to sell myself to the people, everyday."
Rest of the World beats Barbados
Barbados faltered on a difficult pitch as the Rest of the World opened the 2002 Cricket Nations Cup with a five wicket win in a low scoring contest on Sunday.
The toss at the Smith Road Oval was a good one to win and Rest of the World captain Saheed Mohamed had no hesitation in asking the Barbadians to bat first.
It didn't take long for the pitch to show evidence of the late preparation as several balls bounced awkwardly, making survival close to impossible for the Bajan batsmen.
Barbados captain Alistair Carter was the first to suffer from the unpredictable bounce when he was well caught by Daniel Morris at mid-on as he tried to drive a delivery from medium pacer Wayne Cato, in the second over with the score on four.
Shortly after, Sylvester Suberan struck a double blow when he removed key batsmen Charlie Greaves and Alvin Babb in consecutive deliveries to reduce Barbados to 12 for three.
The procession continued and were it not for a lower order rally led by Wayne Taylor Barbados would have been in an even more embarrassing position. When he was last out for a topscore of 17, Barbados had crawled to 60 all out having used up only 24 of the 38 overs available.
When the Rest of the World replied, Babb made two crucial strikes to account for Tony Higgins and Mohamed but by then most of the terror had gone from the pitch and Rest of the World eased home in the 16th over.
The Nations Cup is an annual tournament in which local residents from Barbados, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands represent their respective countries. The Rest of the World is a combined team of players not representing their country.
Jamaica won the 2001 tournament with a victory over Barbados in last year's final.
Rest of the World captain Saheed Mohamed, while pleased with the win and the performance of his players, felt the pitch played a big role in the success of his team.
"The toss was the key thing. The guys pulled their weight today and we did well. We must give lots of credit to the opening bowlers," Mohamed said after the match.
Alistair Carter, the Barbados captain, highlighted the difficult nature of the pitch in analysing his team's effort.
"The state of the pitch was not conducive to the type of players we had," Carter said.
"The loss of the toss was significant. We loss some early wickets which put us under pressure. We stabilised a bit towards the end but the runs were just not enough."
Carter was still optimistic his side could rebound to win the tournament as has happened on two previous occasions.
"We still have a very good chance of winning. We won it twice already so when we our key players return our chances should be as good as any."
European Championships League Football kicks off with keen competition
Lyon's Jérémie Brechet (rear) battles for the ball with Milan's Sergio Conceiçao, 22 October 2002 in Lyon, during their European Champions League match.
Dortmund's Tomas Rosicky (front) duels for a header with PSV Eindhoven's Johann Vogel during their Champions League match in Dortmund, 22 October 2002.
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