iNews Briefs, More & Community Events
Community Events
Meeting Requests with Family Support Unit at RCIPS
The Family Support Unit (FSU) at the RCIPS has temporarily relocated to Elizabethan Square due to damage to the Smith Road office where it was situated. The FSU would like to inform the public that they are available to meet individuals with inquiries or reports regarding domestic violence, child abuse, or other sensitive family-related issues at Police Headquarters. Individuals wishing to meet with the FSU should inform reception at Headquarters, and a representative from the FSU will be called and meet with them in a separate office.
The address for Police Headquarters is:
Amerigo House, Fourth Floor
Elizabethan Square
69A Elgin Avenue
George Town
FSU can be reached at 946-9185, but any emergencies should be reported to 911.
SAT JUL 18
Soup Day
The Community of Christ, The Peace Chapel, on Elgin Ave. is having a Soup Day for the needy on Saturday (18 Jul) from 4pm to 7pm. ALL are welcome.”
National Pensions Bill Cayman Brac
The next public consultation meeting for the National Pensions Bill is Saturday (18 Jul) at the Layman E. Scott Senior High School Hall at 230pm.
Labor Relations Bill Cayman Brac
The next public consultation meeting for the Labor Relations Bill is Saturday (18 Jul) at the Layman E. Scott Senior High School.
National Gallery Family Fun Day
The National Gallery will also be throwing a Family Fun Day on Saturday (18 Jul). This free, fun-filled day will include scavenger hunt-like activities in both the upper and lower exhibition halls as well as outdoors in the Deutsche Bank Sculpture Garden for the whole family to take part in and enjoy. There will also be food and beverages made available for guests.
Labor Relations Bill Savannah
The next public consultation meeting for the Labor Relations Bill is Monday (20 Jul) at the Savannah Primary School Hall.
MON JUL 20
Calvary Baptist Church VBS
Calvary Baptist Church on Walkers Road is hosting a free Vacation Bible School Monday — Friday (20 — 24 Jul) from 830am and noon for ages 4 — 17.
National Workforce Development Agency in West Bay
The National Workforce Development Agency will be at the West Bay Library on Monday (20 Jul) from 10am until 1pm.
Kids Art and Crafts Summer Camp
The Visual Arts Society is hosting a Kids Art and Crafts Summer Camp July 20th — August 12th Monday — Wednesday from 8am until noon at Pedro St. James for ages 6 — 12. For more information email [email protected].
Cayman Drama Society Presents:
JULY 18TH, 2015 ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Join us for an entertaining evening From Script to Stage.
THE ACTORS SHOWCASE
The actors showcase includes two-hander scenes and monologues from a variety of plays performed by our adult acting workshop participants.
AND
TWELVE ANGRY JURORS
The play by Reginald Rose, set on a hot summer’s day in a jury room. Performed by our 13 talented teens who have worked incredibly hard during their two week intensive acting school. Be prepared to be wowed!
Come support our thespians!
The Prospect Playhouse
Happy Hour starts at 6:00PM
Showtime 7:00PM sharp
Tickets $10 at the door
Tel: 916-2722
email: [email protected]
No bookings required.
World Bank promotes entrepreneurship in the Caribbean
From St Kitts & Nevis Observer
The World Bank Group supported by the Government of Canada will today (July 15) host a Stakeholder Engagement Day in St. Kitts to promote entrepreneurship as a driver of economic growth in the Caribbean.
The objective of the engagement is to promote high growth sustainable enterprises in vital sectors across the Caribbean through infoDev’s Entrepreneurship Program in the Caribbean (EPIC). infoDev’s EPIC initiative is a seven-year $20- million program sponsored by the Government of Canada that seeks to build an enabling ecosystem to foster high-growth and sustainable enterprises throughout the Caribbean.
Over the course of the event several experts in various related fields will hold panel discussions with participants on the essential role of entrepreneurship in reviving the Caribbean economy.
According to the organizers, the first panel discussion will focus on “The Entrepreneurial Experience in the Caribbean”, and the second will examine the status of the entrepreneurial eco-system in the region and EPIC’s role in building a sustainable eco-system.
“The second panel discussion will focus on “Strengthening Entrepreneurship in the Caribbean” and will explore ways in which EPIC can further promote competition, sustainable growth and job creation within key growth areas,” a press release informed.
For more: http://www.thestkittsnevisobserver.com/2015/07/10/world-bank.html
FIFA official extradited to U.S. to face corruption inquiry [thought to be Jeff Webb]
By John Revill From Wall Street Journal
Swiss Federal Office of Justice refuses to name official who was among those arrested in dawn raids in May
ZURICH—Swiss authorities on Thursday said they had extradited one of the high-ranking FIFA officials accused of corruption to the U.S.
The Swiss Federal Office of Justice declined to name the official, who was one of seven men arrested in dawn raids in Zurich at the end of May by Swiss police acting for U.S. investigators.
One of the officials, Jeffrey Webb, had agreed to be extradited to the U.S., a person familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal last week.
Mr. Webb, a former vice president of FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, has been expected to become the first of the seven men to travel back across the Atlantic, where he will face federal corruption charges related to the sale of media rights to soccer tournaments.
“The first of the seven FIFA officials being held in custody in Switzerland was extradited to the U.S.A. on 15 July,” the Swiss Office of Justice said in a statement. “He was handed over to a three-man U.S. police escort in Zurich, who accompanied him on the flight to New York.”
Mr. Webb, a former banker from the Cayman Islands, began his ascent through the global soccer ranks at the Caribbean Football Union, where he worked closely with Jack Warner, a shadowy figure of soccer’s upper echelons for more than 20 years and a former FIFA vice president.
Webb’s lawyer declined to comment when contacted by The Wall Street Journal.
For more: http://www.wsj.com/articles/fifa-official-extradited-to-u-s-to-face-corruption-inquiry-1437042953
Central American Caribbean Bodybuilding Championships back in the Bahamas
By Kendea Smith, MOT
CAC-Announced.jpg Left to right Kendal Green VP Bahamas Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation, Tommy Thompson DDG, Jeff Rodgers Sports Tourism MOT, Giovanni Arendsz President Central American & Caribbean Fitness & Bodybuilding Federation, Nardo Dean Project Manager Central American & Caribbean Fitness & Bodybuilding Championships
The Ministry of Tourism has thrown its full support behind the 43rd Central American Caribbean (CAC) Bodybuilding Fitness Championships, which will once again be held in The Bahamas.
Officials have announced that the event, which showcases categories in bodybuilding, figure, bikini, fitness and physique will be held at the Melia Nassau Beach Resort on October 4th, 2015.
“The Ministry of Tourism is pleased to support this event. It achieves our strategic objective of year around business by hosting special events and enhances our sports tourism leadership credentials,” said Deputy Director General Ellison ‘Tommy’ Thompson.
President of the Bahamas Bodybuilding Fitness Federation (BBFF) Joel Stubbs said The Bahamas’ team has brought its ‘A’ game and this year is no different.
“This year, we have a very strong team with several of our athletes who have the potential to turn pro. We are looking to bringing the overall team gold right back here at home where it belongs and it would be wonderful and a sincere privilege to have you celebrate with us, and support our Bahamian athletes in this highly charged nice family atmosphere,” he said.
“This being the 43rd CAC championships and The Bahamas hosting it for the sixth time speaks volumes. It is very clear that the IFBB has confidence in us being able to host and execute this prestigious event of this magnitude. With hard work, good work ethics and perseverance we will produce a show that will make its mark in Bahamian sporting history and provide and experience that is second to none.
“We wish to make a special appeal to the general public to please come out and support this event. It will be a well-organized, exciting and very classy show that you and your entire family can enjoy.”
Over 400 athletes from 41 countries are expected to participate in the CAC championships.
Officials say the teams are expected to bring with them 1,500 to 2,000 persons.
The Bahamas has won the overall title eight times and this is the sixth time the event is being hosted in the country.
The last championships were held in 2008 when The Bahamas won the overall title.
Statistics Netherlands: Inflation Caribbean Netherlands declines further
From SABA-NEWS
According to figures released today by Statistics Netherlands, inflation according to the consumer price index (CPI) on all three islands of Caribbean Netherlands was down further in the second quarter of 2015. On Bonaire and St Eustatius inflation was actually negative for the second quarter in a row.
On Bonaire inflation fell for the third consecutive quarter, to -0.9 percent in the second quarter of 2015. In the first quarter, consumer prices were still 0.6 percent lower than in the same period last year. Price developments of food in particular lowered Bonaire’s inflation level. Although food prices were 0.4 percent higher than one year previously, the year-on-year price increase in the first quarter was still 2.9 percent. Clothing became more expensive on Bonaire which had an upward effect on inflation.
On St Eustatius inflation also fell for three consecutive quarters and came out at -1.7 percent in the second quarter of 2015. That is down 0.6 percentage points on the first quarter. Here as well, food prices accounted for the lower inflation rate.
On Saba inflation dropped to 0.4 percent. Consumer rates in the first quarter were still 1 percent up on the same quarter of 2014. The decrease was mainly due to the price developments in restaurants and cafes, where prices rose in the second quarter of 2014, pushing inflation up. This effect has now come to an end. Price developments of cosmetics and air tickets also had a downward effect on inflation.
Provisional figures
Figures over the second quarter of 2015 are provisional and will become definite when the figures for the third quarter of 2015 are published.
Source: StatLine: Caribbean Netherlands
http://statline.cbs.nl/Statweb/selection/?DM=SLEN&PA=81122ENG&LA=EN&VW=T
For more: http://www.saba-news.com/statistics-netherlands-inflation-caribbean-netherlands-declines/
CACCI to pay special tribute on 30th anniversary
By Nelson A. King From Caribbean Life
The Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (CACCI) continues its celebration of 30 years of service to the small business community with a special tribute to its founding members and corporate partners.
This tribute and gala dinner will be held on Thursday, July 30, at Tropical Paradise Ballroom and Banquet Hall, 1367 Utica Ave., Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn-based CACCI has grown from a virtual fledging micro-organism into a multi-dimensional institution, according Grenadian-born founder and president Dr. Roy A. Hastick, Sr.
“It is hard to believe that 30 years have past since CACCI was launched in New York State, and we are continuing to grow and expand,” he said.
Over the years, Hastick said CACCI has amassed a record of accomplishments, which includes over 800 seminars, workshops and small business clinics, trade missions to Caribbean region, monthly power breakfast meetings, and business networking meetings.
CACCI has also partnered with numerous U.S. private sector agencies and city, state and federal institutions, as well as hosting heads of state and trade delegations from Africa and the Caribbean, Hastick said.
“We say thanks to our board of directors, our network of supporters and contributors who have helped to sustain CACCI over the past 30 years, so that, today, we able to celebrate this milestone, and continue our advocacy, training and outreach services on behalf of small businesses,” he said.
“It has been well documented that CACCI has evolved into an entity, which continues to advocate on behalf of the small business community in New York, and is poised to serve as a vital link between the Caribbean region and the U.S.A.,” he added.
For more: http://www.caribbeanlifenews.com/stories/2015/7/2015-07-13-nk-cacci-cl.html
Dominican Republic demands Haiti apology for deportations slam
From Caribbean Digital Network
The OAS mission looking into the migration situation between Haiti and the Dominican Republic will deliver a report before year-end.
The Dominican Republic is demanding that Haiti apologize for hurling strong comments at the Dominican government over its controversial immigration immigration policy, refusing to resume dialogue with Haiti until a formal apology is received, Prensa Latina reported Tuesday.
Dominican authorities have taken offense to comments made by Haitian President Michel Martelly and Foreign Minister Lener Renauld before the Organization of American States last week, when they condemned the Dominican Republic for treating Haitians inhumanely and urged the country to “come to its senses.”
“Under no circumstances can we accept that the image of the Dominican Republic is affected, because we are a country that has morals, respect, and at the same time has exchanges with the international community, so we can not allow unfounded accusations devoid of legal basis against us,” said Dominican Vice-Minister of the Presidency Luis Henry Molina, according to Prensa Latina.
Dominican immigration policy, hostile toward Haitians and Haitian-descendents in recent years, has flared historical tensions between the two Caribbean nations, which share the island of Hispaniola.
In 2013, about half a million Haitian-Dominicans instantly became stateless when a Dominican court decision retroactively stripped Haitian-descendents of citizenship. Last month, a government-imposed deadline for hundreds of thousands to register with immigration authorities, despite limited spaces, put an expiry date on Haitian-descendents’ welcome in the Dominican Republic.
Molina attributed the current chill in relations between the two neighboring to Haiti’s internal problems.
The Dominican Republic’s request for a formal apology comes as an OAS delegation wraps up a mission in the two countries to assess the migration situation. OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro ordered the delegation after the OAS meeting where Haitian officials made the comments that have prompted calls for apology.
Molina claimed that the OAS delegation found that Dominican immigration policy has been responsible, but the OAS mission has not yet delivered a report on its findings, which is expected “before the end of the year,” EFE reported.
Dominican President Danilo Medina expressed his hope that the OAS report will “tell the truth,” saying the Dominican has “absolutely nothing to hide” and that is why the country welcomed the international delegation in the first place.
“Danilo Medina: ‘I hope that the OAS tells the truth; here there is nothing to hide.’”
Meanwhile, Medina’s Haitian counterpart, President Michel Martelly, reiterated his call for the Dominican government to find a “peaceful solution” to the migration crisis and for the international community to join in urging the Dominican Republic to respond, Diario Libre reported.
While Dominican authorities insist all those who have left since the regulation plan came into effect have done so voluntarily, the International Organization for Migration says over 30 percent of those who have recently left the Dominican Republic were deported by various state entities, including the military, police, and immigration officials.
Since the impending registration deadline was announced last year, more than 40,000 Haitian-Dominicans have left the Dominican Republic allegedly voluntarily. Tens of thousands more have been deported.
Human rights activists say the regularization plan, which has essentially been a mass deportation order for Haitian-descendants, just shows the Dominican Republic’s long history of discrimination against Haitians.
U.S. pushing clean energy in fuel-starved Caribbean
By Tim Padgett From WLRN
Now that Venezuela can no longer afford to subsidize cheap oil for Caribbean countries, the U.S. wants to step into the region’s fuel future, and the State Department’s point man was in Coral Gables Wednesday to promote that effort.
The poor and indebted island nations of the Caribbean rely heavily – too heavily – on expensive fossil fuel imports. Over the past decade, oil-rich Venezuela has helped them out with its Petrocaribe program. But with Venezuela’s economy now in ruins, the Caribbean desperately needs alternatives.
The Obama administration believes developing cleaner energy sources there – like wind, solar and geothermal – is the way the region should go.
“That’s especially true given the drop in the cost of the technologies,” says Robert Ichord, deputy assistant secretary of state for energy transformation. Those savings will “help [Caribbean economies] grow and develop domestic industries and businesses.”
At a forum on transitioning to clean energy in the Caribbean and Central America, hosted by the Americas Society/Council of the Americas at the Biltmore Hotel, Ichord laid out that administration’s new Caribbean Energy Security Initiative. CESI is spearheading both U.S. and private sector investment in clean-energy tech for the region.
Ichord also told WLRN it’s too early to tell if Cuba will become a part of that effort when Washington and Havana re-establish diplomatic relations next week.
“We just learned that the Cubans are sending an energy delegation to the Caribbean energy conference in early October,” Ichord said. “I’m interested to hear their interest in regional cooperation.”
It could be strong: Cuba also depends greatly on fossil fuel and especially Venezuelan oil.
For more: http://wlrn.org/post/us-pushing-clean-energy-fuel-starved-caribbean
Invest Caribbean Now 2015 for Saint-Martin
By Kathy Bronson from The Dominican
NY, New York (TDN) The exotic French Caribbean island of Saint-Martin will this year put the spotlight on its global investment opportunities through an exclusive collaboration with Invest Caribbean Now, the global private sector Caribbean investment agency.
The Office of Tourism of Saint-Martin, in conjunction with executives at ICN, will present the 2015 conference this September 28-30, 2015 in the capital of Marigot to spotlight on the Collectivité of French Saint-Martin.
This elite invitation only event will feature several officials from China along with key harbor developers and top regional and local stake holders from the north-eastern Caribbean.
“We are happy to host the 2015 Invest Caribbean Now conference this year in Saint Martin and to lead the way with this exciting partnership in the north-eastern Caribbean,” said Hon. Jeanne Rogers-Vanterpool, Présidente, Office de Tourisme de Saint-Martin. “We look forward to welcoming the Chinese and other delegates to this year’s event and to presenting the many facets of French Saint-Martin.”
“Invest Caribbean Now is excited to take ICN 2015 to the Caribbean this year through an exclusive collaboration with the Collectivité of French Saint-Martin, an island with tremendous growth potential in the north-eastern Caribbean,” commented ICN founder, Felicia J. Persaud.
Partners for the 2015 event include Hard Beat Communications, the Chinese-American Business Development Center, the Sino-American Friendship Association, One Caribbean Television, CaribPR Wire and News Americas Now.
The Collectivité of French Saint Martin is located in the northeast Caribbean, approximately 300 km (190 mi) east of Puerto Rico. French Saint-Martin shares the 37 square mile island with Sint Maarten, a country within the Dutch Kingdom. Marigot is the capital of the territory which is home to 108 different nationalities.
The population of the Collectivité of Saint-Martin is estimated at 36,824. Much more than a beach-lover’s paradise, the island of Saint Martin is teeming with natural and cultural treasures. Thanks to its climate and untouched natural heritage, the territory offers unparalleled year-round water sports and outdoor activities. Saint-Martin is also known for its duty-free shopping and luxury boutiques.
Invest Caribbean Now is the definitive private sector investment agency of the Caribbean. It is based in America’s financial capital of the world, New York City, and has as its main focus: wealth creation for the Caribbean region and its Diaspora by capitalizing on global trends and indigenous creativity while creating key partnerships.
Invest Caribbean Now, now in its fifth year, is the brainchild of Caribbean-born media entrepreneur, Felicia J. Persaud and is owned by Hard Beat Communications, Inc.
For more: http://www.thedominican.net/2015/07/invest-caribbean-2015-st-marteen.html
$350 smart camera alerts you when someone carries a gun into your home
By Zach Epstein From BGR
What if there existed a smart camera that could constantly analyze the scene in your home or office and alert you when someone enters carrying a gun? That dream may or may not become a reality, and it all depends on whether or not nanoWatt Design can manage to raise the $200,000 it needs to jump-start production in the next 34 days.
GunDetect is being billed as a smart camera and accompanying cloud-based image analysis service that will alert owners by text message anytime someone enters the device’s field of view carrying a gun. Conventional gun detector systems are a bit more reliable — GunDetect’s creators claim 90% accuracy — but starting at $350, GunDetect is a fraction of the price. More complex systems can cost between $15,000 and $60,000.
“GunDetect uses computer-vision processing to automatically detect a firearm and alert you via a text message,” nanoWatt’s Kickstarter page says. “It may be used to protect your own gun from unauthorized use or to alert you to the presence of a gun during an invasion of your home or business. GunDetect is designed to compliment [sic] gun security. It doesn’t require any changes to the gun itself. And GunDetect is completely controlled by you, the consumer. Your information goes to you alone, and you decide how to respond.”
The $350 model uses cloud-based image analysis to detect guns, and it carries a monthly subscription fee to support that service. A more expensive $550 model analyzes images locally and doesn’t require a monthly subscription.
NanoWatt’s crowdfunding campaign just launched on Thursday, and it’s looking to raise $200,000. A video below explains GunDetect in greater detail.
For more and video: http://bgr.com/2015/07/16/iot-devices-gundetect-smart-camera/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheBoyGeniusReport+%28BGR+%7C+Boy+Genius+Report%29
Judge orders Time Warner Cable to pay for ‘robocalls’
By Mark Hamblett, From New York Law Journal
The fact that a phone number is reassigned does not shield a company from liability under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act for “robocalling” consumers without their consent, a federal judge has ruled.
As a result, Southern District Judge Alvin Hellerstein awarded Aracelli King of Texas more than $200,000 for receiving 153 unwanted calls from Time Warner Cable starting in 2013.
Hellerstein said it didn’t matter that the company was auto-dialing the intended recipient. He cited a recent series of declaratory rulings adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that state, “reassigned numbers aren’t loopholes—if a phone number has been reassigned, companies must stop calling the number after one call.”
The decision came in the case of King v. Time Warner Cable, 14 Civ. 2018, where King was assigned by Sprint the phone number that once belonged to Time Warner customer Luiz Perez.
Time Warner’s “interactive voice response” calling system, used in part to let customers know their accounts are past due, sought out Perez. But in the process, it dialed King’s cellphone number 163 times between July 2013 and August 2014.
King sued under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, 47 U.S.C. §227, which bars use of an “automatic telephone dialing system” for making calls without the “prior express consent of the called party.” The statute allows for statutory damages of $500 per call, with the total to be trebled where the violation is willful or knowing.
King claimed that 153 of the calls were willful or knowing violations of the law because they came after an Oct. 3, 2013 conversation in which she assured a company representative that she was not Luiz Perez and wanted the calls to stop.
A trial was set to begin on July 27 before Hellerstein. Time Warner moved for a stay until after the FCC issued guidance on the term “called party” under the law and make a submission to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on a similar case: Sterling v. Mercantile Adjustment Bureau, 11-cv-639, where Western District Magistrate Judge Jeremiah McCarthy and Judge Richard Arcara also found that a “called party” refers to the actual person called.
The circuit delayed decision pending guidance from the FCC, but Hellerstein, with a trial approaching and interpretation of the statute a relatively straightforward matter, denied the stay and made the ruling himself.
“The text is clear and unambiguous on its face: called party means the party that was called,” he said. “If Congress intended to refer to the party that the caller wanted to reach when it dialed the number, it would have used different language.”
Hellerstein rejected Time Warner’s argument that its interactive voice response system was not an automatic telephone dialing system because it does not dial numbers at random or in sequence, but merely assembles a list of customers who owe money and calls them.
This, he said, “ignores the fact that the lists were not created by a human” and there was no “human involvement at all in any stage of the customer selection list compilation, or dialing process. The method is fully automated from start to finish.”
The company also said it was being held liable under an unpredictable statute, but the judge said businesses “are on clear notice that auto-dialing phones is prohibited by default.”
The judge granted summary judgment for the company on the calls before Oct. 3, 2013 and summary judgment for King for the calls placed after that date, awarding her $229,500 in damages.
Charles Cole of Newman Myers Kreines Gross Harris represents Time Warner.
Time Warner spokeswoman Susan Leepson said the company was reviewing the ruling and its options to determine how it will proceed.
Sergei Lemberg of Lemberg Law in Stamford, Connecticut represents King.
“We’re happy the judge sought to send a message to the industry to respect the privacy of consumers,” Lemberg said.
For more on this story go to: http://www.newyorklawjournal.com/id=1202731887596/Judge-Orders-Time-Warner-Cable-to-Pay-for-Robocalls#ixzz3fs717tJL
