POST OFFICE PARCELS TO BE PROCESSED QUICKER

In a government press release it says the Cayman Islands post office has begun checking packages as they arrive to assess duty levels before customers come to collect their parcels in the presence of postal service staff.

This is an effort to reduce bureaucracy and offer, the release said, would be a more customer-friendly checking procedure for parcels.

The new system started on Monday (2) when parcels arriving through the Post Office was processed and assessed based on the invoice or by examining the item if necessary, without the customer being present. As a result the release said the recipients won’t in most cases, be required to come into the Airport Post Office (APO) and wait in line to have a parcel assessed.

The release also said:

“It is similar to the process Customs uses for assessing packages imported by Courier Services   such as FedEx and DHL. Once the parcel is assessed the duty information will then be entered in the Parcel system, and a notice requesting the customer to come to the APO to collect the item will be generated.  The notice will include the total amount due, including duty and fees.

“Customers will then be able to bring that notice to the post office, pay the stipulated amount and collect the parcel which should significantly reduce the time customers normally have to wait to collect a parcel from the central post office.

“In cases where an invoice has not been included in the package, customers can it ahead of time via email to [email protected] to minimise delays. If a customer wishes to challenge or dispute the amount assessed customs officers will still be available at the APO from 11.00 a.m. to 2.00 pm to discuss the issue.

“The Customs Department is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday-Friday and Saturday 8:30am to 12:30p.m.”

 

CAYMAN DOES DALLAS

From Cayman Rugby

The Cayman Women’s Rugby 7’s squad hosted a tournament at the South Sound Rugby Club on Saturday August 17th for the Dallas Harlequins Women’s rugby team. Dallas brought many experienced players on their first tour to Cayman.

Cayman has been training well over the last few months in preparation for the Dallas visit, the upcoming October domestic rugby 7’s league and the NACRA Championships to be held here in Cayman the weekend of November 9th and 10th.

Cayman fielded two teams with a mix of veteran and new players. Any concerns about preparation were dispensed in the first 2 minutes of the first game, when Cayman successfully secured possession from a kick off to Dallas and spun the ball through all sets of hands for Jodie McTaggart to score the opening try with a 30 metre break down the wing. The tourists were then looking for answers as Jo Ziegler made a break for the line from the next phase of play, to put Cayman 2 tries ahead in the first 4 minutes. Dallas never relented however, and came back at Cayman with a determined rolling maul that marched half way down the pitch to give an opening for their centre to crash over the line. The crowd were then treated to some excellent forward work with smashing runs from Liz Westin (at only 15 years old) and Cherie Langston. Just before the half, the ball was fed to Cayman’s new arrival from Sweden, Becky Sundell, who fended and span her way through the Dallas defence to score a try. With Dallas wilting in the heat, Cayman lent a couple of players to their team for a boost. The second half was a much more balanced affair with Dallas applying more pressure on Cayman’s attack, but with some wayward tackles. Katie Bayles Lucy Kirke showed some brilliant passing and consistent attacking pressure to wear the Dallas team down and Becky Sundell once again found a gap and sprinted through to give Cayman an unassailable lead of 4 tries to 1 at fulltime.

In the game against Cayman’s second squad, Dallas were adjusting to the conditions and tried to bring the game around to their style of play. Cayman were having none of it though, and through some deft work at the rucks Bianca Johnson ducked and darted through for Cayman’s first try. Not to rest on her laurels, Bianca soon found herself again with some space and used her pace to outstrip the Dallas defenders. On the re-start, Lisa Kehoe, at her best around the fringes, managed to wriggle around the Dallas forward pack and dot down behind the line. With a 3 try buffer, Cayman could have taken a break, but instead they lead from the front with Bernie Beckles and Sara Dixon putting in some bone crunching hits. With the crowd chanting, Nicole Montaque carried the ball on a barnstorming run down the side-line and it took 3 defenders to take her down. Dallas were again in need of a boost at halftime, and Becky Sundell swapped jerseys to give them a hand. The new blood seemed to give Dallas some sway in the first moments of the second half, with Sundell and another member of the Dallas team carving through the Cayman defence to put the teams closer at 3 tries to 2. But with the introduction of Annie Rankin, those gaps shut down and through the hard toil in the backs of Lisa Keheo, Stacey Ottenbriet and Jenna Richards, Cayman made their way back into Dallas territory to score a couple of late tries and seal the game 5 tries to 2.

The final game was a combination of the exciting first 2 games. Dallas wanted to finish their tour on a high note and Cayman were hell bent on protecting their line. The teams were again re-balanced with some judicious transfers out of the Cayman squads into the Dallas team to even out the talent. The crowd were treated to some champagne rugby as all the ladies played their hearts out. Try-scorers from the first two games came to the fore with Bianca Johnson, Becky Sundell, Annie Rankin and Jo Ziegler all showing dazzling speed and powering their way over the line. Dallas managed to poach some of Cayman’s ball at the breakdown and scooted through the line to produce two tries of their own. However, the final whistle saw Cayman come out triumphant again with the score at 5 tries to 2.

On behalf of Global Captive Management, the Cayman Women’s rugby team sponsor, the Cayman Women’s coaches Martin Livingston and James Buckley presented the Dallas team with a plaque and t-shirts to remember the occasion. Despite the score-lines, Dallas were thrilled with the opportunity to play in Cayman and have invited Cayman back to play on their home turf.

Cayman now are in full preparation for the October 7’s series and the NACRA Championships in November, when they will host and play the national teams for the US, Canada, Trinidad, Jamaica and other Caribbean nations.  The Cayman Rugby Football Union is hosting an introductory Boot Camp for all residents who may be interested in playing the sport, this Sunday at the Rugby Club at 3 p.m.

PHOTO: Cayman Rugby

 

FINDLAY CONCERNED ABOUT CPL’S CONTRIBUTION

From Zee News India

Kingston: Former West Indies cricket player Michael Findlay is concerned about the contribution of the Caribbean Premier League (LCPL) to the development of the sport in the region.

Findlay, from St. Vincent and the Grenadines and a former West Indies wicketkeeper, said that while the recent tournament offered a lot of entertainment and excitement, he is still in doubt as to whether “this type of cricket will help to move the game forward”, reports CMC.

Findlay, who played in 10 Test matches for the West Indies from 1969 to 1974, admitted that he is not a fan of Twenty20 cricket but was able to watch some of the matches.

“I see the stands are full to overflowing, people are enjoying themselves; but how much is this helping First Class cricket?” he asked in an interview with the VINCENTIAN newspaper.

“Even the players are getting into the entertainment aspect, but I am yet to see how this type of cricket will develop cricket in the region. People are not going to first class matches anymore, and that is also evident with the test matchesand if you can’t get people to come to this type of cricket, then it will be hard to sustain the longer version of the game,” he told the weekly newspaper.

But the former chairman of selectors and team manager noted some positives from the tournament, including the improvement in fielding and proactive captaincy and running between the wickets.

He said the monies being paid to players for just a few weeks are good incentives, “in comparison to what a player on a three-month tour with the West Indies made in my time”.

For more on this story go to:

http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/findlay-concerned-about-cpl-s-contribution_768009.html

Related story:

LIAT performance during CPL disgraceful – Ajmal Khan

From StabroekNews

(Barbados Nation) Next year, beleaguered regional carrier LIAT could find itself on the outside looking in on the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) because of the poor quality of service it delivered during the just-ended Twenty20 tournament.

The man who delivered the bad news to the airline was millionaire businessman Ajmal Khan, the owner and founder of CPL who told the SUNDAY SUN that the airline’s service was a “travesty”.

During an interview on the weekend at his West Coast home in Barbados, Khan said LIAT cost tournament organizers “millions of dollars” in additional expenses because of air travel woes.

“It had a big impact and the travesty of what we had to deal with in the transportation of players and equipment showing up 30 minutes before the game starts. It was disgraceful,” he said.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.stabroeknews.com/2013/sports/09/02/liat-performance-during-cpl-disgraceful-ajmal-khan-2/

See also iNews Cayman story published August 27 2013 “LIAT lands safely in Barbados following main wheel failure” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/2013/08/liat-lands-safely-in-barbados-following-main-wheel-failure/

 

THANKS TO DOUBTS ABOUT VACCINES, TEXAS CHURCH HAS MEASLES OUTBREAK

By Kristina Chew From Care2

More than 25 people have contracted measles in a recent outbreak of the highly contagious disease in Texas. Many of those affected belong to the Eagle Mountain International Church, a megachurch whose pastor, Terri Copeland Pearsons, has previously made public statement skeptical about vaccines while referencing the widely discredited notion that vaccines can be linked to autism.

Thanks to widespread immunization initiatives, the once-common childhood disease of measles that used to kill up to 500 Americans a year was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. Recent years have seen outbreaks throughout the country, though, as 222 people had measles in 2011 and 135 have been affected so far this year, even though overall vaccination rates remain high. The complications of measles include ear infections, pneumonia, encephalitis and death.

At 98 percent, the immunization rate in Texas is high. But Eagle Mountain International Church is one place where there is a “pocket” of unvaccinated people, including children. Church members who homeschool their children do not have to follow state law requiring vaccinations for children to attend public school.

Measles Spreads Quickly

A visitor to the church who had not been vaccinated had traveled to Indonesia where measles is still common. In the Eagle Mountain International Church alone, nine children and six adults, whose ages range from 4 months old to 44 years old — church staff and members and children in its onsite daycare center — have contracted measles; twelve had not been fully immunized and the youngest had yet to receive any measles immunizations.

Texas health officials notified the church about the outbreak on August 14 and Eagle Mountain has since held vaccination clinics on August 18 and August 25.

Megachurch Minister Links Vaccines to Autism

Even after state authorities had informed the church about the outbreak, Pearsons still expressed reservations about vaccines in an August 15 statement on the church website:

“Some people think I am against immunizations, but that is not true. Vaccinations help cut the mortality rate enormously. I believe it is wrong to be against vaccinations. The concerns we have had are primarily with very young children who have family history of autism and with bundling too many immunizations at one time. There is no indication of the autism connection with vaccinations in older children. Furthermore, the new MMR vaccination is without thimerosal (mercury), which has also been a concern to many.”

Pearsons’ father is Kenneth Copeland, a megachurch leader who has promoted faith healing and also linked vaccines to autism.

Scientists and doctors routinely point out that there’s no evidence supporting spacing out vaccines. Doing so could leave a child (like some from the megachurch who have gotten measles) vulnerable to disease.

Pearsons’ and Copeland’s statements cohere closely with those of anti-vaccine campaigners over the decades. Since vaccines were discovered and public health campaigns initiated to ensure that as high a rate as possible of people were vaccinated against infectious diseases (measles, whooping cough) which have historically killed hundreds, some have claimed that these efforts are a sign of government interference into people’s privacy — the very argument often invoked by conservative politicians in reference to public education and Obamacare.

Vaccine-Autism “Link” Has Been Widely Discredited

The two Texas ministers’ views also recall claims which many have expressed over the past decade and a half since British doctor Andrew Wakefield said he had found a link between the MMR and gastrointestinal issues in autistic children and set off a global panic, as fearful parents decided not to vaccinate their children.

Wakefield’s initial 1998 study has been retracted by the medical journal, The Lancet, that published it. He has been accused of “deliberate fraud” and since been stripped of the right to practice medicine in the U.K. Quite a few scientific studies have refuted any link between vaccines and autism.

The prevalence rate of autism has continued to rise (1 in 88 children are now diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder) as the diagnostic criteria for the neurodevelopmental disorder have been greatly broadened and public awareness and understanding have increased dramatically.

When my teenage son Charlie was diagnosed at the age of two in 1999, we were told he displayed all the symptoms of “classic autism” — impairments in communication and social interactions and repetitive behaviors. Now we have to add the phrases “severe” and “has intellectual disabilities” in explaining what he’s like.

With public schools around the United States opening, immunizations are no doubt on people’s minds as school children must have these to attend. Some parents seek exemptions on religious or philosophical grounds but states have made doing do so increasingly difficult and for good reason. In this day and age, those 25 or more children and adults in Texas who now have measles should never have contracted this deadly disease.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.care2.com/causes/thanks-to-doubts-about-vaccines-texas-church-has-measles-outbreak.html

 

VETERAN BROADCASTER DAVID FROST DIES

By Peter Walker From The Hindu

Sir David Frost will be remembered for his revealing interviews with former US President Richard Nixon in 1977, in which the U.S. president conceded some fault over Watergate for the first time.

Sir David Frost, the journalist and broadcaster whose lengthy career covered everything from cutting-edge 60s satire to heavyweight interviews and celebrity gameshows, has died of a heart attack on a cruise ship, his family said.

The 74-year-old, whose programmes included That Was The Week That Was and The Frost Report, was to have given a speech on board the Queen Elizabeth, which had set sail from Southampton on the south coast of England on a cruise to Lisbon.

Frost, who was knighted in 1993, helped to establish London Weekend Television and TV-am. He was famed for his political interviews, most notably with Richard Nixon in 1977, in which the U.S. president conceded some fault over Watergate for the first time.

A family statement said:

“Sir David Frost died of a heart attack last night [on Saturday night] aboard the Queen Elizabeth where he was giving a speech.

“His family are devastated and ask for privacy at this difficult time. A family funeral will be held in the near future and details of a memorial service will be announced in due course.”

Prime Minister David Cameron, who sent a tweet of condolence, released a statement, expressing his sympathies to Frost’s widow, Carina, and his wider family.

He said: “Sir David was an extraordinary man — with charm, wit, talent, intelligence and warmth in equal measure. He made a huge impact on television and politics. The Nixon interviews were among the great broadcast moments, but there were many other brilliant interviews. He could be, and certainly was with me, both a friend and a fearsome interviewer.”

Lloyd Grossman, who worked with Frost on TV-am and then on the long-running ITV gameshow Through the Keyhole, called him irreplaceable. Grossman told Sky News: “He was almost the most variously talented journalist in British broadcasting history. His loss will be immense to all of us. He was also an incredibly generous broadcaster to work with.”

Other instant tributes stressed the same point, that Frost’s sometimes mocked and seemingly cosy interviewing style was in fact one of his strongest attributes.

Tony Blair’s former communications chief, Alastair Campbell, said in a tweet that the former Prime Minister “singled out David Frost as one of best interviewers because his sheer niceness could lull you into saying things you didn’t intend.”

Blair himself echoed the point: “He had an extraordinary ability to draw out the interviewee, knew exactly where the real story lay and how to get at it, and was also a thoroughly kind and good-natured man. Being interviewed by him was always a pleasure, but also you knew that there would be multiple stories the next day arising from it.”

In a Guardian interview in 2008, Frost discussed his style: “I think there’s a danger when you adopt an immediately hostile position without having the goods, without having the smoking gun. I think that’s a real mistake. You shut people up instead of opening them up. You can ask just as tough a question in a softly spoken way.” Blair was among an unbroken line of British Prime Ministers, from Wilson to Cameron, interviewed by Frost. He interviewed every U.S. President, from Nixon to George W Bush.

After going from a grammar school to Cambridge University, Frost was active in student journalism and the Footlights theatrical revue. From there, he became a trainee at independent television before finding fame as the host of That Was The Week That Was, the pioneering TV political satire show. The programme ran on the BBC during 1962 and 1963, before being cancelled over worries that it could unduly influence an upcoming general election. Frost then hosted a U.S. version.

From then on, Frost was a regular TV figure on both sides of the Atlantic, with shows including The Frost Report and Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life. Frost’s distinctive delivery of his catchphrase, “Hello, good evening and welcome,” became instantly recognisable and much mocked.

In later years, Frost hosted the Frost on Sunday talkshow on ITV, before returning to the BBC in 1993 for the first time since the early 1960s for Breakfast with Frost, which ran until 2005.

For many years he also hosted Through the Keyhole, which by coincidence returned to ITV on Saturday night in a revamped format.

After Breakfast with Frost ended, the broadcaster made a surprise move to al—Jazeera, where he interviewed political figures. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2013

PHOTO: AP File photo of Sir David Frost

For more on this story go to:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/veteran-broadcaster-david-frost-dies/article5082497.ece

 

JERRY THE CARRIAGE HORSE’S DEATH REMAINS A MYSTERY AFTER OWNERS TRY TO HIDE IT

By Susan Bird From Care2

Jerry, the carriage horse from Salt Lake City, has died. Exactly when and exactly how are a mystery. Those should be easily determined details, but this story has taken an odd turn.

Care2 readers may remember our recent story about Jerry, a 13-year-old horse, who’d been pulling carriages on August 17th in near-100 degree heat. Some time during the afternoon, he kicked his stomach and then suddenly went down right on the street and wouldn’t get up again.

He reportedly lay there on the hot pavement for hours before he could be forklifted to a trailer and taken back to his owners at Carriage for Hire.

What happened next, however, takes this story from sad to strange.

Pressed by activists and the media to know Jerry’s condition after he was taken away, owner Annette Overton released a photo of a healthy-looking horse standing inside a stall. All was well, Carriage for Hire reported.

However, that photo was not Jerry. A close look at the picture, compared with photos of Jerry taken at the scene on the 17th, shows this fact clearly. Jerry’s coat was a shade of grey known as “flea bitten” – a grey or white shade with mottled brown or black hair. The horse in the photo had a slightly different coat and a white mark on its lip that Jerry didn’t have.

Activists, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), began to ask publicly what was going on. Annette Overton eventually came clean and admitted that she intentionally sent out the wrong photo.

Overton told the Salt Lake Tribune she released a photo of a different horse because she was “sick of seeing my horses laying down and so I sent a picture of a horse standing up.” She admitted it was a “stupid mistake” and added, “I should never have sent that photo.”

Epic fail?  Oh, yes.

Her husband, Blaine Overton, told KSL.com that his wife intentionally released the wrong photo because she was being “terrorized by these animal activists,” some of whom were threatening them with violence. They’d taken Jerry 300 miles away, he said, to distance him from the frenzy and let him recover.  He also said his wife had misunderstood what he’d told her about Jerry’s condition, causing her to report that Jerry was on the mend.

In fact, it appears Jerry may have died the weekend of the incident. Whenever it occurred, it wasn’t revealed publicly until the following week. The news came out when, in response to the outcry about the photo, City Councilman Charlie Luke visited Carriage for Hire to see the horse and was told he had died.

Officials looking into the incident found no violations of the city carriage horse ordinance.

What Really Happened to Jerry?

Seeing a horse go down on a public street is obviously heart wrenching. What is unclear is whether Jerry “collapsed” due to ill-care or heat exhaustion, or whether he lay down on purpose.

Why would he lie down in the street on purpose? Well, Carriage for Hire says Jerry had colic. Colic is a painful condition of the abdomen, causing tightness within the digestive system. The pain is often caused by a twisted intestine or by contractions as the digestive tract tries to force out an obstruction.

Colic is the most common cause of premature death in horses. Symptoms often develop without warning. When the pain hits, horses may kick at their stomach (as Jerry reportedly did). Horses sometimes feel a strong need to lie down to alleviate the discomfort. They do this because, unlike most other animals, horses cannot vomit. It’s therefore possible that Jerry was intentionally lying down to minimize pain. If so, he really didn’t “collapse” as has been reported.

Activist Amy Meyer of the Utah Animal Rights Coalition, who was on scene when Jerry was on the ground, said she didn’t think Jerry appeared to be suffering from colic. Representatives from PETA agree. PETA research project manager Jeremy Beckham, also present, told the Salt Lake Tribune, “After reviewing the video footage of the incident and consulting with equine experts and veterinarians, we question the diagnosis of colic and subsequent reports from Carriage for Hire.”

Unfortunately, without seeing the veterinarian’s report, we will never know for sure. Jerry’s carcass has been destroyed, and Salt Lake City’s Animal Control officers never saw him after he was taken from the scene.

The Overtons say it was colic. Maybe it was. Unfortunately for them, they created a credibility problem when they attempted to placate the public by intentionally releasing a photo of a different horse and failing to promptly reveal Jerry had died. Even the mayor’s office decried the delay in reporting Jerry’s death.

Jerry‘s Legacy: Salt Lake City Re-Evaluates Carriage Horse Ordinance

The bigger issue currently under consideration is whether the carriage horse industry will be allowed to continue operation in Salt Lake City.

Astoundingly, in Salt Lake City, carriage horses are permitted to work unless the heat index reaches 150 degrees. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, that equates to hitting Salt Lake City’s record high of 107 degrees, plus 57 percent humidity. In reality, it just never gets “too hot” for the horses to work, even when it’s sweltering out there.

By way of comparison, in Philadelphia, when the temperature hits 91 degrees, carriage horses can’t work. In Charleston, South Carolina, carriage horses must be off the street at 98 degrees.

Salt Lake City Councilman Charlie Luke has called for an investigation into the incident and the re-evaluation of the city’s carriage horse ordinance. If you want to add your voice to those who oppose carriage horses in Salt Lake City, sign this petition to the Salt Lake City Council.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.care2.com/causes/jerry-the-carriage-horses-death-remains-a-mystery-after-owners-try-to-hide-it.html