Issue No. 502 Friday, 3 October 2003

The Minister for Planning, Communication, Works and Information Technology, the Hon. Linford Pierson instructed the Information and Communications Technology Authority (ICTA) not to restrict the number of telecom licences issued
during 2003, except for specific reasons.

Robert (Bobby) Bodden of CaymanTel Lisa Lewis of Digicel

The directive was signed 26 August, halfway into the ICTA's 30-day deliberation on the merit of the 18 licence applications they considered, and was reprinted in the 22 September issue of the Cayman Islands Gazette, the Government's official publication.
The directive indicated only two reasons that telecom licences were to be restricted in 2003: the failure of the applicant to satisfy the ICTA's application standards; or if the granting hindered the Authority's responsibility to properly manage and maintain telecommunications.
On 10 September, the ICTA stated they would enter into further negotiations with the aim to approve nine of the 18 licences, that they had deferred six applications and denied four.
The Authority has since been meeting with the individual telecom companies to which they intend to grant licences. Among the items now being requested of the potential licencees is a detailed timetable for service rollout.
The number of potential licences that will be issued, particularly for companies which will provide telephone service is troubling for many of the possible new entrants, including CaymanTel, the company with major ownership by Ten Ten Cayman, a company consisting initially of ten prominent Caymanian businessmen.
The companies still in the running for licences are not keen to compete against so many others, and informed sources believe that not all of them will, opting out of the crowded competition. With great potential earnings however, potential licencees are all hoping it's the other companies that bow out.
Speculation circulating that CaymanTel's other partner, Trans-World Telecom Caribbean (TWTC) wants to pull out of the deal were denied by Mr. Robert C. (Bobby) Bodden of CaymanTel.
"Like many of the other applicants, we are very concerned with the number of licences that will be granted. We've had to make an adjustment in our business plan to account for the additional competition," he said, "but we are planning to go ahead,"
Digicel also has no intention of backing out. "Our business plan didn't account for that many licencees," said Ms. Lisa Lewis, project director for the company in Cayman. "But we are not going to change our plan just yet. We want to wait for the situation to play out. This in not to say we won't rollout it's full steam ahead for us. We won't be giving up so easily."
While the who's in and who's out scenario will undoubtedly continue to take twists and turns in the coming weeks, a Bill to amend the ICTA Law has been introduced in the Legislative Assembly, which, among other things, seeks to increase the Authority's Board of Directors from five to nine persons, and also proposes a number of strict laws to prevent anti-competitive practices in the industry dealing with ICT networks and services.

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KPMG Appoints Four New Partners Following Growth

Proud new partners at KPMG: Sheenah DaCosta, John Ferrari, Doug Harrell and Andy Stepaniuk.

A small group of local consultants and human resource practitioners recently attended an Assessment Centre day where they were assessed by a team of consultants from the UK with a view to preparing them for their roles as advisors to the organisations which have signed on to the Investors In People pilot programme. The UK consultants were supported by a team of local assessors who had previously undergone a two-day assessor training course as part of a local capacity-building exercise.

"In order that services are delivered to a consistently high standard we have to ensure that selected advisors for the Investors In People programme have the full range of internationally recognised core competencies to support the knowledge and skills they have to employ in their role," explained Philip Scott, IIP Cayman Islands Project Manager. "This is achieved through attending an Assessment Centre and undergoing rigorous examination resulting in oral and written feedback in the form of personal developmental recommendations to each advisor."

He went on to add, "Once advisors have been through this process, they will be better placed to go into the pilot organisations to carry out a diagnosis, analyse and make recommendations based on the Investors In People principles, prepare action plans, and assist in the implementation of those action plans."

The Investors In People Standard was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1991 as the benchmark for good practice in human resource development, and is based on the four principles of commitment, planning, action and evaluation. It has since seen tremendous growth and success, prompting the Ministry of Human Resources to introduce the programme in Cayman through the Employment Services Centre. The programme was launched on 30 April, 2003 and targets both private sector companies and public sector organisations.

During the one-day assessment, the potential advisors underwent a number of exercises including an interview simulation, making report presentations, writing action plans and completing a personal review form. The assessors measured their performance in these situations against seven criteria: ability to focus on the client, influencing and credibility, communication, planning, critical reasoning, managing relationships and drive.

"I found the assessment process to be very challenging and a great learning experience," said Juliet Du Feu, Managing Director of As I See It Solutions Ltd., a local Human Resources consulting company. "It was helpful in not only identifying learning opportunities for me but it also gave me a better understanding of my strengths, which is not only positive but beneficial feedback. In addition, I found it to be very relevant to my current role as a Consultant."

For more information about the Investors In People standard, contact Philip Scott at the Employment Services Centre on 945-3114 or by email (Philip.scott@gov.ky).

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Brac IT Company Teams Up With Leading Technology Firm

Moses Kirkconnell, founder of Brac Informatics

Brac Informatics Centre Ltd. of Stake Bay, Cayman Brac has teamed up with CorrectNet, the leading provider of web reporting solutions to asset managers, to establish a new Cayman data center.

"Brac Informatics was the only company with a facility that met our rigorous hosting standards," said Bob Miller, boss of CorrectNet. "The sensitive nature of financial data and superior application performance requires robust infrastructures."

Mr. Miller said the Cayman Islands housed roughly 51 percent of the world's hedge funds and providing a service which adhered to jurisdictional requirements of half of CorrectNet's market was clearly not in any way negotiable.

Brac Informatics is a full service Data and Disaster Recovery Centre licensed and regulated by the Cayman Islands ICTA. From its world-class, hardened facility in Cayman Brac it services clients throughout the Caribbean, North and South America. As the only full service IT provider based in the Cayman Islands, Brac Informatics' services range from commercial grade web hosting to 24x7 fully managed solutions for the financial services, insurance and utilities industries.

"The growing funds market in the Cayman Islands adds to the breadth of services we provide as an International Financial Centre. Cayman's competitive advantage is in large part due to our world-class professional services infrastructure. The Cayman Islands have become renowned for having first tier banks, accounting firms, law firms, insurance managers and now fund administrators," said Nancy Ewing, President of Brac Informatics. She added: "Sophisticated, reliable information technology services have become a fundamental component of this professional services infrastructure. We expect the availability of the CorrectNet services, the leading data consolidation tool for asset managers, within the Cayman legal jurisdiction will accelerate the success of our funds industry."

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Grandparents and Special Friends Honoured at Triple C School

(A very special Grandma with a Triple C student

Elementary Principal, Eric Edwards and teachers hosted the "First Annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day" on Friday, 26 September at Triple C School.
The event included a pizza lunch followed by a programme of music and skits, along with a display of art projects in each student's classroom.

The goal was to recognize the importance of a grandparent or special friends' influence by directly calling attention to the students' heritage, community, and relationships across generations.

The event was well-attended, with Mr. Edwards noting, "With the success of this year's event, a larger-scale programme will be planned next year.

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News

National Gallery launches programme to aid needy and at-risk kids

The National Gallery has launched a new arts initiative targeting both underprivileged and at-risk young people in the community.

Art Zone is one of several projects the gallery and local law firm Walkers have partnered on as part of the Walkers Children & The Arts Programme over the past six months.

Walkers partner, Wayne Panton, said the firm was very pleased to be able to give the gallery the financial support it needed to do Art Zone.

"The teens this programme caters for are the children who need this type of outlet the most," said Mr. Panton.

"Children who are underprivileged and lack resources, or who are at-risk because of behavioral issues are the types of children who, research has proven, experience the most dramatic benefits from being actively involved in arts programmes."

Mr. Panton explained that the benefits most often experienced by at-risk children who became active arts participants were; reduced truancy, improved academic performance and improved attitudes about themselves and their futures.

Throughout the year a variety of artists will be invited to do workshops with the children in the programme. The artists will conduct classes and show the students various styles and techniques of creating art. Projects will include painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics and theatre set design.

Although art will be taught in the programme, the programme was not created just to provide teens with a fun pastime. The essence of the programme is to help the children get in touch with themselves.

The programme will show the children how to focus and calm their minds, and once they are able to do that, they will be better able to resolve any anger and frustration they may be experiencing.

International studies have shown that through these techniques people are able to change their behaviour. They become less aggressive, less confrontational and more co-operative.

"Teens are in a difficult position, they are old enough to know what they want, but too young to be out from under parental control," said Art Zone project director, April Bending. "That in itself can cause tremendous frustration and anger."

Ms. Bending said instead of taking the attitude that we did not need to worry because teenagers would get through it eventually, we could instead help them to be better, happier, more constructive people.

"Our community is famous for its safe and welcoming atmosphere," said Ms. Bending. "We can keep that reputation by working with our teens to help them grow into contented members of our society who are beneficial to the community through their productivity and co-operative spirit."

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International coastal clean-up attracts record numbers

What a load of rubbish: The Clean-up crew at Divi Tiara in Cayman Brac with their huge collection

About 230 volunteers joined in a beach clean-up recently and collected 4,350lbs of debris over ten miles.

The effort was organized by The Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA) Watersports Operators with assistance from other local organizations participated as part of the 2003 International Coastal Clean-up.

The CITA has received reports from a number of the cleanup sites in Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac. Staff from UBS (Cayman Islands) Ltd., volunteered to participate in the clean-up and combed West Bay Public Beach collecting 129 pounds of trash.

Z99/Rooster, Royal Cayman Islands Police and the Department of Environment joined forces to cleanup the Barker's Beach area. Starting at Villas Pappagallo, the group collected over 112 bags of trash, which is estimated at 1,926 lbs of rubbish
In the George Town area, the Hyatt team and other members of the community collected nearly 400 lbs of garbage from the South Sound Cemetery Beach area. A team led by Caribbean Utilities Company collected trash at the North Sound Barcadere, where 31 volunteers found 16 bed heads, black oil in oil containers and other debris. On Cayman Brac, volunteers met at Divi Tiara for a walking beach clean-up.

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NCVO charity Christmas cards

Colourful: Moonlit Parrot

Festive: Sea Sand Greetings

Charity Christmas cards are now on sale to raise funds for the NCVO Children's Services, The Pines Retirement Home, Girls' Brigade, Boy Scout Association, and The Pink Ladies Volunteer Corps.

Two designs are available; Sea Sand Greetings, courtesy of Villence Buchanan and Moonlit Parrot, courtesy of April Bending. Cards will be sold in packs of ten for CI$8 and can be customised for orders in excess of 100 cards.

Orders may be placed with any of the participating organisations or by telephoning Ora Hollebon at the NCVO on 949 2124.

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Opportunity for the beauties who grace the islands

Melissa Ebanks
petite model entrant Nadine Holness
super model entrant Tenisha Wilson
super model entrant

The Miss Cayman Islands Modelling and Beauty Pageant will be holding its second competition on Saturday, 29 November at the Lions' Centre at 7.30 pm.

The pageant is intended especially for young women who are interested in pursuing a career in professional modelling. The entrants have the opportunity to travel abroad to other international competitions and possibly receive a modelling contract.

A pageant spokesperson said: "We would like this pageant to be the biggest ever on the island and a big success. Miss Pan-America International has confirmed that she will be attending."

Contestants will have the opportunity to travel to Asia, Europe, USA and the Caribbean for the international competition in early 2004 and it is hoped that each of them will be able to have some professional training before leaving.

The organisers of the competition have the task of raising money to ensure that each competitor can receive the best training in areas such as etiquette, cosmetology and public speaking.

The competition will be divided into three main categories, Miss Petite Model, Miss Super Model and Miss Beauty Model each with different classes such as Best Smile, Best Swimsuit and Miss Fashion Model.

If you are interested in supporting the pageant through sponsorship or you wish to purchase a ticket for the event please contact Reba Dilbert, Pageant Director on 946 5662. There is the opportunity to win many great prizes, including a car, with every ticket purchased.

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Boogie Fever takes Treasure Island by storm

Playing it cool: Boogie Fever in action at the Treasure Island Resort.

Dancing the night away. Boogie Fever keep the dancers on their toes.
Club Oasis at the Treasure Island Resort was host last week to Los Angeles' very own 70s tribute band Boogie Fever.

The band captured and transported the audience back in time to the disco dance era with hits such as Disco Inferno, Boogie Nights and The Hustle.

Boogie Fever's band members wore afros wigs, flares and medallions and each had a 70s-style stage name which added to the authenticity of this band.

Jeff Stone, aka Duke Hanson, who founded the band five years ago and plays keyboards raves that "the band is fast becoming known as the best 70s era disco band in Southern California. Many, if not all of the 70s era tribute bands around Southern California use mini-discs/CDs with prerecorded instruments and vocals and often lip-synch.

"Boogie Fever, unlike these karaoke tribute bands, uses no backing tracks or pre-recorded music and does no lip-synching, we perform 100 per cent live."

The other four members of the band include Woody "Woodman" Smith on bass guitar, Steve "Too Hip" Giba on drums and Todd "The Professor" McDearman on guitar. Robert "Bobbie G" Galbreath joined the band three years ago and sings lead vocals. He said: "Jeff Stone insists that all the songs are played in their original key so I have had to train my voice to reach those high notes."

Robert Galbreath added: "The benefit of a totally live band is that there are no restrictions to audience interaction. Every show is different and songs can be played as long or as short as needed and altered to fit with the mood of the crowd. Sometimes we play more instruments, sometimes more vocal. The crowd here tonight were great and really enjoyed themselves. We have had a fantastic time here at Treasure Island."

Boogie Fever was brought to the island by local company Millennium Talent Management (MTM).

Club Oasis opened just over a month ago and is already proving very popular. It will soon open six nights a week where resident DJs will entertain. Future events will include theme nights, party nights and live bands.

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Island date for world's greatest jazz violinist to raise cash for Miss Cayman title hopes

Cayman concert date: Regina Carter, jazz violinist extraordinaire
She has been voted the world's greatest jazz violinist four years in a row by Downbeat magazine. She's been awarded an honour not granted to any jazz musician to play the 250-year-old Guarneri violin once owned by composer Nicola Paganini.

It is heavily guarded in its house of splendour in Genoa, Italy, and is played only once a year, usually by a chosen classical virtuoso.

In so doing, Regina Carter became the first non-classical musician to be so recognized. And this rarest, most accomplished of jazz musicians, will be in the Cayman Islands on Saturday, 18 October to play at Jazz at Pedro Castle.

Under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and the Miss Cayman Islands Committee, Jazz at the Castle will also feature the renowned jazz organist Kingsley Ettiene and his quartet: James Heinaman on saxophone, Lester Boyke on bass guitar and Walter Mclean on drums.

The evening offers an all-inclusive package of a champagne reception at 6.30pm, followed by three-course gourmet dinner prepared by Cayman Culinary Team, and the show at 7.30pm. Cost of a ticket is $100 and proceeds will go towards funding Miss Cayman's participation in the Miss World Pageant, to be held in the People's Republic of China on 6 December.

"We're quite excited to have booked the extraordinary Ms. Carter for this special concert," said Ms. Lynne Whittaker, concert organizer and Chairperson of the Miss Cayman Islands Committee.

"Music lovers, and jazz aficionados in particular will find this a stellar event not to be missed. I encourage everyone in the community to support this concert."

Regina Carter's career has been a crescendo of success which shows no sign of letting up. She is on a mission to make a meaningful musical contribution and do it on her own terms.

She tours with relentless purpose and a seemingly endless supply of energy. Over the past four years, Ms. Carter and her quintet have brought audiences to their feet with exhilarating performances worldwide.

In addition to her ongoing concert touring, she performs a programme of music for jazz quintet and orchestra. She has appeared with the Minnesota Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony and the Milwaukee Symphony, among others.

In May 2002, she appeared in a special Boston Pops program, which featured her quintet as well as the world premiere performance of Chris Brubeck's "Interplay" for three violinists. She played this piece with two other world-renowned violinists; Nadja Salerno-Sonenberg and Eileen Ivers. This performance was taped for public television and was aired nationally in the United States.

Grenadian-born Kingsley Ettienne's repertoire encompasses many musical genres and traditions and has been lauded for his vocal style, showmanship and magnificent technique, which keeps the organ flame alive in the tradition of the greats like Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff and the late Charles Earland.

Tickets for the evening's concert are available from the Ministry of Tourism, the Department of Tourism, Arabus Fort Street, Le Classique Elizabethan Square and from members of the Miss Cayman Islands Committee. For further information, contact Patricia Ulett at 244-2420.

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Text away the drugs is the message for teenagers

Drug-free you can build a better body: This is what renowned motivational speaker Ray Lozano, seems to be saying to children at Cayman International School as he held their attention during the National Drug Council's Drug Awareness Programme for schools.

Renowned motivational speaker, Ray Lozano, serves up his inimitable brand of humour while interacting with children from Grace Christian Academy at the start of the National Drug Council's Drug Awareness Month drug-free school programme in October

The National Drug Council (NDC), Cayman's flag bearer in the march against drug abuse, has listed a series of activities for October, the Council's Drug Awareness Month for this year.

Headlining the NDC's activities is the visit of world-renowned motivational speakers Ray Lozano and Jevon Thompson.

The theme for the month, developed by teenagers, is Text Away The Drugs: Do You Get The Message?

Carrying the message that abstinence from drugs is the clear and reasonable alternative for every child or adult in the entire world, the speakers will address students throughout all primary, middle and high schools, as well as the Lighthouse School. It started on 29 September and will finish on 10 October.

Known for their inimitable, energetic styles and wit, the speakers are sure to captivate their young audiences on the awesome possibilities for a life lived without drugs.
Through different organizations over 13 years, the Cayman Islands has specially dedicated one month to a comprehensive and drug awareness campaign, which is carried out in different formats in every school.

In keeping with this objective the NDC has planned a variety of activities to include children, families and adults. Children will get more special attention with the NDC's distribution of educational booklets to children in kindergarten through to grade 12.

Other events for the month include a Beach Bash at the Public Beach, a Movie Night at the Aston Rutty Centre, Cayman Brac, T-Shirt day, a No-Booze Cruise for teens, and the NDC's Ecumenical Church Service at Red Bay Church of God of Holiness, on October 4, 10, 17, 18 and 19, respectively.

The NDC's interactive I Guana B A Millionaire game will provide fun and prizes for visitors to its booth at the Savannah Heritage Day on 30 October .

NDC's Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Catherine Chesnut, says the NDC approaches the month with the excitement that the promise of success brings and with hope that their Council's goal, One Nation, One Voice, One Choice, Drug Free, will be carried further.

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Editorial

A Lesson Not Learned?

In the recent debate in the Legislative assembly on the creation of the new Financial Reporting Authority, MLA Mr. Alden McLaughlin raised some very valid points.

In particular, Mr. McLaughlin pointed out that the Authority will be made up of several ex officio appointments, all of whom owe their appointments and the continued enjoyment of their offices to the Governor, who is, after all, merely an extension of the United Kingdom Government.

Furthermore, the amended law gives the Governor power to give policy direction to the new Financial Reporting Authority.

Have we so quickly forgotten the lessons we ought to have learned from the Euro Bank trial fiasco? In the event that anyone needs reminding, in that case, Mr. Brian Gibbs, the former head of the old Financial Reporting Unit was not only employed by the Cayman Islands Government, but was also surreptitiously paid by a United Kingdom security agency.

Acting on instructions from London, Mr. Gibbs not only tampered with and/or withheld evidence from the court in an attempt to pervert the course of justice but it would seem he was also engaged in wiretapping telephones, including the Chief Justice's of the Cayman Islands.

Clearly, those responsible in London came to the conclusion that the interests of the United Kingdom far outweighed the proper administration of justice and the rights of individuals in the Cayman Islands.

The UK absolved both Mr. Gibbs and the former Attorney General Mr. David Ballantyne, who "resigned" from office with a golden handshake of near $300,000 of any wrong doing, in both tacit and explicit ways. They did exactly as they were told the only regrettable aspect from the UK's perspective was that they got caught.
So what makes us think this is going to change any time soon? And, instead of making sure this can never happen again, we are apparently being intimidated to allow the representative of the United Kingdom government in the Cayman Islands to have even more power and control to dictate events here either openly or covertly.

The people of the Cayman Islands must come to the realisation sooner or later that their interests do not always coincide with those of the United Kingdom and, on occasion, are possibly diametrically opposed.

This was demonstrated with some force just the other day when Mr. Gordon Brown, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, threatened to impose legislation on the Cayman Islands in order to force us to comply with European Union tax rules.

In this instance, the British government made it quite clear that its interests will prevail no matter what the economic damage to the Cayman Islands.

This should therefore be the general rule of thumb in all aspects of our colonial relationship with the United Kingdom: that the British Government will always seek to impose its best interests on us.

There are those among us who believe that the reason the Cayman Islands acquiesces to the manipulations of the UK, and indeed even its dependent status with that country, is that we are secretly afraid of giving more authority to one or more of our own people for fear that the power would be abused.

Though our relationship with Britain has been mostly a good one, the writing is on the wall that the UK intends to increase its control over the Cayman Islands, for reasons of which we can only speculate.

Whatever motives the UK Government has, the Cayman Islands must resist ceding any more power to them at whatever the ultimate cost. At stake is our economic livelihood, our political evolution, and our very way of life.

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Letters to the Editor

Comment on the "special dispensation" of Caymanian Status

Dear Sir,

As a 14-year breast cancer survivor, let me congratulate you there at Cayman Net News for featuring Miss Cleo as a dignified, classy and informed breast cancer survivor.

The article was informative and the awareness to the Caymanian public was tremendous.

October is National Breast Cancer awareness month and at our Reach For Recovery branch of The American Cancer Society, we continue to reach out to women and men and tell them the following:

All women are at risk for breast cancer. The biggest risk factors are being a woman and aging men can get breast cancer, but it is very rare. For every 100 women diagnosed, there will be one man.

More than 75 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer are over the age of 50. Most women, about eight percent, who get breast cancer do not have a sister or mother who has had breast cancer.

Excluding skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women.
Breast Cancer cannot be prevented, but studies have shown that physical activity, good nutrition and certain drugs may lower a woman's risk of getting the disease. Recently, there has been evidence that taking calcium lowers the risk of breast cancer.

If you love your mother, sister, aunt and other women in your life, please remind them to diary their calendars for mammograms. I feel that a mammogram saved my life. Regular screening is still the best way to detect breast cancer.

More than 95 percent of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer at an early stage, survive into their 90s. There are solid statistics to prove this. This is tremendous hope for women who stay tough and take an active role in their personal medical management.

Your doctor will teach you at your next visit how you can check your own body for lumps and for additional information check out these websites: www.cancer.org, www.cancer.gov.

Sincerely,
Helen Mae Lazzari-Lerner

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The Last Word

The parlous state of Health Insurance in Cayman Islands Where to from here?

Barrie Quappe

Date rape and acquaintance rape are forms of sexual assault involving coercive sexual activities perpetrated by an acquaintance of the rape survivor. The perpetrator is almost always a man, and though both men and women can be raped, women are most often the targets of this violence.

It is difficult, because of a lack of research on the subject and the tendency for rape survivors not to report attacks, to come up with precise statistics on male survivors. However, men are raped by other men and are also victims of sexual violence.

Date and acquaintance rape can happen to or be perpetrated by anyone. Incidences are very high: they comprise from 50 to 75 percent of all reported rapes. However, even these figures are not reliable. According to conservative FBI statistics, "only three and a half to ten percent of all forms of rape are even reported." (excerpt from the State University of New York)

Incidence of acquaintance or "date" rape is more common than we realize and especially here in a small community, they are possibly more likely to be under reported. Individuals learning how to reduce their risks can feel empowered to stop the madness of acquaintance rape.

Here are some excellent tips I located in research:

Decide how far you're prepared to go and communicate your limits. Don't expect your partner to guess.

Be assertive. If you don't want sex, say, "No."

If you feel uncomfortable in a situation, trust your gut feelings and leave.

If you go out, keep an eye out for friends and go home with them rather than with someone you just met.

Remember that "No" means "No", no matter what a person's tone of voice or body language says.

Be aware that having sex with someone who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or who is passed out, or who is incapable of saying "No" could lead to rape charges being filed.

Be alert! Be aware of your surroundings know who's there and what is going on.
Don't let alcohol or other drugs cloud your judgment.

Hopefully, with public awareness being raised on this issue both men and women will be able to avoid situations that place them at risk.

Contact: Barrie Quappe, "News-talk" radio show Rooster 101.9FM at barriequappe@hurleysgroup.com

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News about Cayman in the Foreign Press

News about Cayman in the Foreign Press

Turtles tracked from Cayman beaches
EXETER, England According to DeHavilland Information Services, scientists from the University of Exeter have attached satellite transmitters to turtles' shells that enable tracking from space as they leave their nesting beaches in the Cayman Islands.

Chevron asked to explain Cayman sale
DHAKA, Bangladesh According to the Daily Star, the Bangladesh state oil company Petrobangla has requested US oil giant Chevron to explain the circumstances of a sale of its interest in a production sharing contract to Niko Resources (Cayman) Ltd.

Louisiana Purchase commemorative cruise to Cayman
MIAMI, USA PR Newswire reports that Royal Caribbean is offering a special cruise, including a stop in Grand Cayman, departing from New Orleans on Dec 13 timed to correspond
with the state's official
re-enactment of the Louisiana Purchase signing.

Well known Cayman noodle maker
TAIPEI, Taiwan The Taipei Times reports that instant-noodle maker Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp came third in a list of 2003 Taiwan Top 10 Global Brands.

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Poderings

The way it was X

One is now approaching rather too near living memory, so the Pageant closes with a skit on modern life in Cayman treasure hunting, when the treasure buried in the first scene is re-discovered in appropriate fashion by mechanical dowsing, and the whole ends in a general melee for the ducats.

Treasure hunting is great fun and one of the best of recent efforts resulted, in obedience to the mechanical dowser, in the digging up of the main road and the discovery of metal as indicated, not gold, but an old iron anchor!

Apart from the forts and the scores of cannon lying along the beaches there is little which is old on the Island, but we like to show visitors the remains of a building locally called Pedro Castle. It dates probably from the end of the eighteenth century or early nineteenth and was destroyed some years ago by fire. It was built by slave labour of coral rock, but its true history is no longer remembered. Nearby is another excellent bathing beach, thus providing an excuse for further picnics.

You must not think however that Cayman does nothing else but picnic. I have told of the life of the sea, the shipbuilding, and so on, and I mentioned rope-making. This last is entirely done by hand and the rope possesses qualities which make it a successful rival to manila or hemp.

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Community Calendar

Saturday, 4 October
National Drug Council Drug Awareness Month Beach Bash for all ages at the Public Beach 10 am to 3 pm.

Monday, 6 October
Grand Court jurors schedule for jury duty on Monday, 29 September are now required to appear for jury duty on Monday, 6 October, at 9.45 am at the courthouse in George Town.

Friday, 10 October
National Drug Council Drug Awareness Month 'Movie Nite' for youth and young adults at the Aston Rutty Centre from 6 to 10 pm.

24 and 25 October
A seminar for 'The Seven Laws of the Learner' will be held Friday, 24 October at John A. Cumber School Hall, from 7 to 9.30 pm and Saturday 25 October from 9 am to 3.30 pm.

September through October
Updated Events Calendar Available from Government Information Services (GIS). Calendar may be downloaded from the 'Local Issues' section of government website: www.gov.ky, or contact GIS by telephone, 949-8092, or email, gis@gov.ky to obtain a copy.

Every Thursday
The Women's Health Centre is holding a breastfeeding clinic every Thursday from 12.30 to 2 pm. The first Clinic will be held on 2 October at the Women's Health Centre, in the Cayman Islands Hospital. The service is free and no appointments necessary.

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Sports

Jason Smith off to the World jet-skiing Finals

Jason Smith (fourth from left), pictured here along with his family and Barely Legal Racing teammates will compete in the jet skiing World Finals at Lake Havasu, Arizona this weekend.

A Caribbean country will be represented for first time at the International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) World Finals when 17-year-old Jason Smith participates in the competition this weekend in Lake Havasu, Arizona.

Racers come from all over to vie for world title, with competitors coming from as far as Japan, Australia and all over Europe.

Over the past six months, Jason competed in nine rounds of racing in the IJSBA sanctioned Farthing Racing Hot Water Tour, running in the Novice Runabout 1200 Limited Class and the Novice Runabout 1200 Super Stock Class, He came out victorious with first place finishes in both of the classes.

To prepare for his competitions, Jason trains constantly both in and out the water, working out in the gym and at home as well.

Jason is part of the Barely Legal Racing Team, of which 10 members left last Wednesday morning in order to get to Lake Havasu early for training purposes.
The IJSBA World Finals is a weeklong series of jet ski races consisting of many different heats and varying divisions and classes of riders. Jason will be competing for two Novice World Champion titles.

To raise funds for the trip, Barely Legal Racing sold over 300 T-Shirts, and some are still available at Reliable Industries office located in Alissta Towers.

On Lake Havasu, Jason will control his own destiny in the competition, but he realizes the efforts of other to get him there. "Without the support of my sponsors, Cayman Airways, Quik Cash, Associated Industries Group, Ace Paint, Champion and Anco, I wouldn't be in a position to do this," he said, "I'd also like to give special thanks to the Tortuga Rum Company for the donation of rum cakes to take along as give aways," he said.

Jason also acknowledged the moral support of his parents, and their financial backing through their companies Reliable Industries & Truly Nolen International.

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On the Cricket Pitch

Embarrassment of riches brings leadership controversy

Philip Hackett

The decision of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) to appoint Shivnarine Chanderpaul captain of the national team, ahead of the West Indies vice captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, has raised another controversial issue in West Indies cricket.

On the surface, the appointment of Chanderpaul appears to be a slap in the face to Sarwan. The blame for the current fiasco has apparently been laid at the foot of Guyana Cricket Board President Chetnam Singh, who in turn blamed the media for getting the facts wrong.

Until two years ago, Singh was also President of the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) and the appointment of Chanderpaul over Sarwan, particularly after the DCB's appointment of Sarwan over Chanderpaul as their county captain recently, is seen as being 'politically' motivated.

In explaining the decision, Singh described the move as a natural progression since Chanderpaul was Carl Hooper's deputy. He suggested that the West Indies vice-captaincy has been a fluid position.

Singh's defence was described by leading Caribbean journalist Tony Cozier as "baloney." If it is, then the GCB is only serving from the same menu used by the WICB so often in the past.

While the sincerity of the GCB's motives may be questioned, the West Indies Board has left the door open for such manoeuvres by their loose policies and inconsistent actions. It is quite clear that successive regimes of the WICB have not seen the vice captain as a natural successor to the captain, whatever the 'long talk' given in the public forum.

It was not that long ago when Desmond Haynes, who had been vice captain under Viv Richards, was ignored and Richie Richardson appointed captain after the retirement of Richards.

The late Conrad Hunte was among those who suffered a similar fate. More recently when Wavell Hinds was given the vice-captaincy, the media acclaimed him as the West Indies captain in waiting. That proved to be short-lived. How then can we assume Sarwan is destined for the top job?

At this time, I have no reason to be fearful of Sarwan's elevation to the captaincy sometime in the future, but it may be a blessing in disguise that, for whatever reason, he has been overlooked this time. He has little experience as captain and the hectic pace of one day competition is not an ideal training ground. Sarwan's leadership skills could more easily be honed in the four day competition.

At the same time, spare a thought for Chanderpaul. He has served West Indies cricket well. No batsman, apart from Brian Lara, has been as consistent in the last eight years. He has always conducted himself with dignity on the field and has been an excellent ambassador for West Indies cricket.

If Chanderpaul is not blessed with the communication skills and ability to deal with the press as well as some of his peers, this may well be his only weakness. His cricketing knowledge and ability to read a game can hardly be questioned. He is a versatile batsman who has been able to adjust his batting style to satisfy the needs of his team.

In an effort to rebuild after the glory days of the eighties and early nineties, West Indies selectors have played musical chairs with players in virtually every department of the game. On some occasions this has put pressure on national selectors (individual countries), as was the case when the West Indies seem undecided between Barbadian wicket keepers Ricky Hoyte and Courtney Browne.

Only time will tell how much longer the position of vice captain will continue to be similarly abused.

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Forth Annual Turtle Crawl provides plenty of fun and drama

The recent fourth annual Turtle Crawl two-mile walk/three-mile run provided the occasion for high-spirited family fun.
Many of the participants, who were of all ages and abilities, enjoyed a free tour of the Cayman Turtle Farm the main sponsor of event beforehand, and then joined the jaunt around the Northwest Point area.
The Crawl started in front of the Turtle Farm, and the "crawlers" took off at various speeds to circumnavigate the course, which included an additional tangential loop of the Coral Gables residential district.
Steve Jacoby and Glen Holding were cruising along comfortably as frontrunners when they made the turn into Coral Gables. After exiting that section and heading back on to Northwest Point Road and the stretch run, they were surprised and bemused to note that, not only were they no longer the leaders, but that they trailed a handful of competitors apparently determined to reach the refreshments at the Cracked Conch Restaurant by the shortest possible route.
Jacoby and Holding continued on to complete the entire run course and finished in a comradely dead heat, clocking 15:45, while Anne Scaife was the first lady to make it around the full three miles in a time of 20:50.
Rather than dampen the enthusiasm that existed, a decision was made not to disqualify the misfits who had taken the "shorter" course.
Instead, the number of age group awards were increased to include other finishers. This was met with approval by all finishing residents, as well as visitors from Canada, Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
Several fortunate individuals were also pleased to gain random awards from Dive Tech and Cayman Airways.
Performance prizes were allocated to Ashleigh Nalty, Oliver Fogerty, Marlon Crowe, Emily Davies, Maria Bond, Joe Michulski, Christian Monsen, Martin Davies, Steve Jacoby, Anne Scaife, Glen Holding, Boo McConnell, Nick Baker, Coletta Lupinski, John Cummings, and Roger MacMillan.

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Fidelity Fun Run Series 2003 winds up this Saturday

Nayon Aglin Jr. (left) and Christian Monsen cheer on "prammer" Eleanor Messer and her child during the Fidelity Fun Run Series race on 27 September.

The Fidelity Fun Run Series 2003 winds up this Saturday morning, with many of the top awards in the three-event series still up for grabs after many of the leaders after the first race did not compete in the second segment.

The second event of the Series took place under threatening skies last Saturday morning, which apparently prompted some of the previous week's participants to crawl back under the bedcovers and stay home.

Nevertheless, nearly 20 new faces were added to the mix of those hardy souls who also participated in the initial outing.

With week one's pacesetter Glen Holding away for Florida triathlon competition, Dave Walker took over the task of leading all entrants around the loop in a time of 10:50. Mark Hydes, at 11:25, and Andrew Ibeh, who checked in at 11:55, were next home. All three were making their first appearance in this year's series.

For the ladies, the first thee finishers repeated last week's sequence were Emily Davies (12:50.9), Anne Scaife (13:30), and Monique Melis (14:22).

Series awards will be presented to top male and female overall and division performers, and several final standings will definitely be in doubt until the runners cross the line at this week's event.

The advantage for overall awards naturally favours those participating all three weeks in terms of aggregate scores, but a number of awards are up for grabs dependent on the final week's performances. Overall award winners will not be eligible for division prizes.

Ladies overall competition has produced the same result both weeks so far. At the top of the list are Emily Davies, Anne Scaife, and Monique Melis. A non-appearance or a slip in performance by any of this trio could allow Gillian Roffey or Renate Dowell to end up on the podium.

Among the men, it's down to the wire with Martin Davies and Dwight McLean tied for the lead, while weekly overall first-placers Glen Holding and Dave Walker are deadlocked in third.

Those who make this next event their first entry into the series may provide an additional shakeup in final positioning, and division-wise, a real scramble could be on in several categories.

Friendship could undergo a strain in the 20-29 ladies group as Lizzie Calder and Louisa Gray are in the mix. Anything can happen in the men's 20-29 division, with McLean, Davies, and Walker hotfooting along the pavement, and Dave Torrie could vault right to the top in this group.

Michele Connell, Tomeaka McTaggart, or some as yet unknown opponent could slide into the ladies 30-39 award scheme when the overall standings are sorted out. The morning's face-off between Jay Welcome, Tom Gammage, and Carl Grifffin could result in a shift in the men's 30-39 standings.

Corinne Glasgow and Susan Kerr will determine who goes home with what hardware for the 40-49 ladies category, as they must resolve the equal ranking which they now enjoy, and on the men's side of the ledger, Randy Christian and Andrew Tweedie face the same dilemma.

The final event is open to anyone who wishes to participate, including recreational runners, joggers, walkers and pram pushers. Refreshments and a commemorative shirt are included for the $5.00 fee.

Race day registration begins at 7 am, with the starting gun at 8 am. Persons registered previously for the complete series are requested to check with the organizers for administrative purposes. Award presentations are scheduled to commence at 8:45 am.

For further details, call 945-3970.

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Junior rugby is back and raring to go

Fitness and fun for all ages: Junior rugby begins this weekend

Boy and girls who want to start playing rugby will get their big break this weekend.
Junior rugby begins on Saturday and programmes run every Saturday except 25 October. Complete beginners will be welcomed and there's expert coaching on hand at the rugby club in South Sound.
Registration on Saturday for girls and boys Under-6, U8 and U10 is at 8 am and for the U12 and U14 players at 9am.
The weekly sessions are 8.30-9.30 am and 9.30-10.30 pm.

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Help wanted for special athletes

Volunteers are needed to help people with special needs prepare for their own Special Olympics.

The organisers have appealed for helpers to use their skills, experience, energy and enthusiasm for coaching, fundraising, media work and event planning.

Students, athletes, business people and those from just about every walk of life
are needed to join the Coaching Special Olympics Athletes (CSOA)/Principles
of Coaching (POC) Training Workshop on Saturday from 8.30am to 5pm at the Lighthouse School Hall.

The Sport training season begins 6 October.

The final deadline for volunteering is Thursday, 2 October. Contact Ms. Shari Bovell on 947-6464, 949-6292 or email soci@candw.ky.

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Politicians could learn from this détente

Avid fans of rival teams, Mr. Peter Wight (left), a Miami Dolphins backer, and Mr. Billy King, a supporter of the Buffalo Bills, ease tensions by sharing a cordial conversation at Durty Reid's during the recent Sunday night game between their respective teams, The Dolphins eventually won the game 17-7.

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Cayman Airways opens new gateways for Cayman swimming sprint meet

Many of the Stingray Swim Club participants of the 2002 Cayman Airways Sprint Meet will be in the Lions' pool again for this year's event on Saturday.
This Saturday morning, young local swimmers will take off in the fun and competitive Cayman Airways Sprint Meet at the Lions Aquatic Centre.

This meet marks the beginning of the Stingray Swim Club (SSC) 2003-2004 swim year that will culminate in one or more of Saturday's participants traveling to Athens for the 2004 Olympic Games next summer.

Although not every participant will qualify to be Athens-bound, but one lucky swimmer will end up Florida-bound during the event, compliments of Cayman Airways. Every swimmer that provided their entry form on time will be eligible for the drawing of the free ticket.

This Sprint Meet offers swimmers as young as four years old the opportunity to develop a sense of personal satisfaction in completing a simple, single length of the 25-meter pool using various strokes in a friendly and spirited competition.
Combined with other swim lessons and training, sprint meets allow the swimmers to build confidence and the opportunity to move up to more challenging meets and sea swims.

The Cayman Islands Sprint Meet offers fun competition to children of all ages.

Cayman Airways is a major sponsor of both the SSC and the Cayman Islands Amateur Swimming Association (CIASA). Many of the overseas trips these past years, and those to be made in this coming year, are possible by the kind support of Cayman Airways. In fact, Cayman Airways was the air carrier that took CIASA's Junior Team and supporters to Jamaica for the 2003 CARIFTA Championships.

At CARIFTA 2003, Andrew Mackay became the first Cayman swimmer to ever qualify for the Olympic Games, while Shaune Fraser won gold in each of the 10 events he swam. Cayman's total of 26 gold medals topped all nations from the Caribbean region.

Swimmers and meet volunteers should arrive at the pool at 8 am for warm-ups and pre-meet briefings, and the meet will begin at 9 am sharp.

SSC swimmers should wear their club suits, caps and T-shirts while meet volunteers should wear their whites. Swim meet concessions will feature healthy and tasty snacks by Quaker and Kellogg's, bottled water, Gatorade and V8 Splash juices, all provided by Progressive Distributors.

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Chance to join elite competitors in the 24th Annual Beacon Realty International 5K sea swim

The organizers of the Beacon Realty International 5K Sea Swim have arranged a qualifying trial to enable residents to have a chance at qualifying to compete in the elite race of this year's event.

The event, held each year during Pirates Week and now in its 24th year, will consist of three levels of competition this year... age group, elite and team. As has been tradition from the start in 1980, all-comers are welcome to compete in the age group division.
To register for the elite race, swimmers must submit a verifiable qualifying time of 19:00 minutes for Men and 20:00 for Women in a 1500m pool distance. Local residents who have not already met this qualifying time will have the chance to do so at a special pool trial arranged for this purpose.

The pool trial will be held on Tuesday, 14 October, at 6:45 pm at the Lions Club Pool. Simply show up at the pool and give your best effort in a timed 1500m swim. Anyone meeting the 19:00/20:00 standard will be eligible to swim in the elite division.

Local residents who finished in the top 10 (Women's and Men's races) in either the 2002 Beacon Realty International 5K Sea Swim or the 2003 Neutrogena two-mile sea swim automatically qualify for the elite division.

For the first time organizers have added a third level of competition... team competition among FINA federation teams. The Cayman National Open Water Swim (OWS) Team will be selected from the four fastest qualifying times in a 1500m event. The OWS Team will be composed of four women, four men and one alternate in each group.

Qualifying times for both the OWS Team and elite race must have been completed in the past 12 calendar months and must be verifiable by website results or confirmation from the athlete's coach.

Swimmers who do not live in Cayman who wish to submit a qualifying time for consideration for the team, must submit their times by midnight the night that pool trials are held in Cayman. Only those athletes who qualify in all other regards to represent the Cayman Islands as a National Team member are eligible for consideration for the OWS Team.

The 2003 Beacon Realty International 5K Sea Swim will be held on Saturday, 25 October, with an 8 am start time. Registration will be held on Monday, October 20, 7-8.30 pm at the Lions Club Pool and Friday, 24 October, 7-8.30 pm at the Holiday Inn Beach Bar.

Contact Kate Alexander at relaxo@candw.ky for further information.

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Local Bridge Results

The duo of Robert Pfeffer and John McErlean won the regular Monday night bridge match on 29 September.
Tied for second place were the pairs composed of Roger and Betty Hendrickson and of Lurline Bodden and Linda Palmer.
The Cayman Islands Duplicate Bridge Club meets every Monday night at 7:15 pm. Visitors are always welcome. For more detailed information, call Audrey at 949-2371.

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Sports Event Calendar

Sports Calendar

Saturday, 4 October
The final race of the Fidelity Group of Companies three-event series of road races. The races will begin at 8 am and will take place on Walker's Road across from John Gray High School. The entry fee for the series is $5. For more information call 945-3970.

Saturday, 4 October
Stingray Swim Club's Cayman Airways Sprint Meet at the Lions Pool starting at 9 am. Registration and payment is due by Saturday, 27 September, but late entries will be accepted until Tuesday, 30 September at an extra charge of $10 per swimmer. Swimmers may enter a maximum of five events. The registration fee is $5 for Stingray Swim Club members, and $10 for non-members.

Sunday, 5 October
The Lions Club of Grand Cayman Tour de George Town 2003 Bike-a-Thon starting from the Lions Centre at 6:30 am. For further information, please contact Lion John Ebanks at 914-4830.

Monday, 6 October
Hash House Harriers run, at Windermere St, off Walkers Road, 5:30 pm.

Monday, 6 October
The Cayman Islands Master's Cricket Club will be having its AGM at VIP lounge of Truman Bodden Sports Complex 6 pm. Plans for the upcoming Miami trip will be discussed.

Monday, 13 October
Hash House Harriers run/social. 393C Prospect Drive, Prospect.

Saturday, 18 October
Cayman Islands Athletic Association will be holding the Flowers Cooperate Relay at JGHS, Walkers Road.

Saturday, 18 October
Kiwanis Club 23rd Annual 'Bike-a-Thon', 20-mile bicycle ride from the East End Blow Holes to Smith Cove. Bicycles to be dropped off at the trailer situated
at the downtown driver's licensing building on Friday, 17 October, 4-6 pm, prior to being transported to Blow Holes at 6 am on Saturday. For further information, telephone Roger, 949-7666 or Arie, 946 5656.

Saturday, 25 October
Beacon Realty International 5K Sea Swim. Race starts at Holiday Inn at 8:00 am. Participants must pre-register on Monday, 20 October at Lion Pool or Holiday Inn on the 24 October, between 7:00 pm and 8:30 pm. For more information, email relaxo@candw.ky or mcfark@candw.ky.

Every Monday
The Cayman Islands duplicate Bridge Club meets every Monday night at 7:15 pm. Visitors are welcome. For more information, call Audrey at 949-2371.

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Sports Person of the Week

Marcus Alexander

Who would had ever thought starting out boxing at Bobo's Lounge in a tournament a few years ago would lead to winning three medals including a gold in Barcelona this past summer? Well Marcus Alexander is the living proof of it.

Marcus fights in the light-heavyweight division and trains three days a week and almost everyday when it's coming up to competition time with Coach Anglin. Marcus has a daughter called Jaida and works in the Immigration Department in the Line Enforcement Division. Marcus said " With the type of job I have it creates a lot of stress, and what I do is take it and channel it into my fights."

Marcus and fellow boxer Troy O'Neil are currently trying to get in as many Amateur International Boxing Association fights in order to be able to enter the Olympics.

Marcus's role model is Roy Jones Jr. whom he looks up to very much. The reason why he has continued with boxing is, "I want to dedicate time to get the youth into the sport and I like the intensity and competitiveness."

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*Robert (Bobby) Bodden of CaymanTel*	*Lisa Lewis of Digicel*


Melissa Ebanks petite model entrant	Nadine Holness super model entrant	Tenisha Wilson super model entrant