iNews Briefs
DART unveils a 10 year plan for development in Cayman Islands
Dart Realty has unveiled a ten year plan to develop Camana Bay and Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman.
The plans call for Camana Bay to be linked to the Seven Mile Beach through overhead buildings across the Esterley Tibbetts Highway and the West Bay Road.
Just recently DART announced they will be constructing another hotel near The Royal Palms and there are also plans to construct additional space to accommodate another 600 students at the Cayman International School adjoining Camana Bay.
SOURCE CNS – see https://caymannewsservice.com/dart-plans-over-road-development-to-7mb/
“Cayman Kickoff Classic” International Scout Bowl
The Cayman Islands Ministry and Department of Tourism (CIDOT) is proud to announce that the first annual “Cayman Kickoff Classic” International Scout Bowl will be held at 7 p.m. on January 10, 2015 at Grand Cayman’s Truman Bodden Sports Complex. Contact the Department of Tourism for more information.
The game is being organised by the Collegiate Developmental Football League (CDFL) and mainly will serve as a scouting tool for players to try and find spots on professional or semi-pro teams.
The CDFL will arrive in Cayman Team America, a team consisting mostly of former collegiate players in the US. That team will be split into two teams for the game and any local that impresses can be invited to play on one of those two teams.
The CDFL holds these types of exhibitions around the world.
There also will be a camp for younger players to learn more about the game and hone their skills.
Another Caribbean traveler brings chikungunya virus home to Dallas County
By Sherry Jacobson from the Dallas Morning News
Dallas County Health and Human Services has confirmed the seventh case of imported chikungunya virus in Dallas County. The patient was infected with the mosquito-borne virus during recent travel to Honduras.
For medical confidentiality and personal privacy reasons, the county does not provide additional identifying information. The infected person, however, will stay home until symptoms of the infection have receded. If the person was bitten by a mosquito during that period, the virus could be spread to others.
Chikungunya causes high fever and severe joint pain in about 80 percent of the people who become infected. It can also cause headache, muscle pain and rash.
According to the CDC, the following countries and territories in the Caribbean have reported chikungunya cases:
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands, and Venezuela.
Cayman Islands Humane Society Walk and Wag 5K Charity Fun Run
The Cayman Islands Humane Society Walk and Wag 5K Charity Fun Run is scheduled for Sunday 11th January at 7:30 am at Camana Bay, Grand Cayman.
The Walk & Wag is family friendly, leisurely or competitive (depending on your speed and style) and welcomes all your four legged family members. But what if you don’t have a canine companion at home? You can still take part even if you are a visitor to the island and your 4 legged companion is overseas.
Visit the Humane shelter on North Sound Road, George Town, before the event and collect a shelter dog or pup. They will be only too happy to accompany you.
Entry fees for individual participants are $25 per person.
This year the society hopes to build on the enthusiasm and support it has had for Walk & Wag in the past, and to smash its fundraising efforts from previous years. This is an important fundraiser for the Humane Society and thanks to major sponsor Island Veterinary Services, all of the proceeds will be going directly towards providing care and shelter for over 100 homeless animals in Cayman.
To find out more about the event you can visit www.caymanislandshumanesociety.com.
Pre-register at the Humane Society shelter at 153 North Sound Road, Tel: 949-1461 or at the event, on the day, from 6:30 a.m.
Volunteers will be at the shelter from 6:15 a.m. to help those wishing to collect a dog to walk with them.
This Caribbean island is growing new coral reefs. Here’s how.
From Caribbean Journal
The threats facing coral reefs in the Caribbean are not new — neither is the reality of their dwindling numbers.
But one island is doing something to save them: by growing new coral.
Through its Coral Restoration Foundation, Bonaire has been growing new reefs by planting more than 3,000 corals in five different restoration sites across the island.
And last month, the foundation installed a fifth coral nursery, with five new coral
The new nursery has the capacity of producing approximately 500 Staghorn and Elkhorn corals on a yearly basis.
Newly harvest corals from the nursery will then be transplanted to the degraded parts of the reefs on Bonaire.
It’s a small but strong step toward what could become a far larger movement in the Caribbean.
IMAGE: the newest coral nursery in Bonaire
For more: http://www.caribjournal.com/2015/01/05/this-caribbean-island-is-growing-new-coral-reefs-heres-how/
Cayman Islands Church of God at West Bay Revival Services
The Church of God at West Bay is hosting revival services with Pastor Roger Decker Monday — Saturday (12 — 17 Jan) at 7:30pm nightly.
An all day meeting on Sunday 18th January starting at 11am will follow this.
Abandoned groom seeks companion for honeymoon, auctions off Caribbean vacation on eBay
From Syracuse.com
A jilted man is looking for a woman to accompany him on a two-week Caribbean vacation, and is auctioning off the once-honeymoon on eBay.
John Whitbread, 32, was dumped over the holidays and was left with a non-refundable, prepaid trip to a four star, all-inclusive resort. So, the Donisthorpe, Leicestershire, man is taking to the auction website to seek out a female traveler.
The Telegraph reports that Whitbread is searching for a woman of any age and a good sense of humor to join him on the $3,000 trip to the Dominican Republic.
Whitbread tells The Telegraph that he was “gutted” when his ex-fiancee dropped the news that she didn’t want to get married. However, he refused to dwell on the incident and couldn’t see the trip going to waste.
“Besides, I think it will be good for me to get away,” Whitbread says. “I’m just looking for a new friend who fancies a holiday with someone fun.”
His ex, Amy, tells The Daily Mail that while she “didn’t feel ready to get married” she is happy to hear Whitbread is “doing something positive.”
Amid the eBay bidding, the offer hit £1,020 and the auction had to be restarted for “technical reasons,” Jezebel reports.
With the relaunch, Whitbread promised that all funds above £1,050 will be donated to charity. Additionally, Whitbread plans to donate to a testicular cancer charity because, “Everyone’s saying I’ve got balls to do this.”
Cayman Islands National workforce agency goes to East End
NWDA In East End
The National Workforce Development Agency is giving Caymanians an opportunity to register online with the NWDA, search the online job portal, get help with preparing resume and preparing for an interview. The next meeting is at the East End Library on Monday 12th January from 10am — 1pm.
Seventy-two-year-old guilty of beheading tenant in Dominica
From Caribbean360
ROSEAU, DominicaA High Court judge last October sentenced a 72-year-old man to 25 years in prison after he was found guilty of killing and decapitating a 32-year-old man.
Justice Birnie Stephenson described the murder of Damian Dorival as senseless, cold blooded and brutal before imposing the jail term on Edward “Al Capone” Green, who was found guilty by a nine-member jury.
The court was told that Dorival was shot and killed by Green in June 2008 and his body transported to another place where he was beheaded. The headless corpse was found by schoolchildren on June 11, 2008. The head was found at another location a few days later. Dorival was Green’s tenant at the time of the incident
Justice Stephenson said having considered the age, health and the length of time the accused had been in custody, a 25-year jail term would be a “fitting sentence”.
“There is no doubt the murder was premeditated and acted out by the defendant,” she added.
Defence attorney Peter Alleyne said the 25 year sentence was equivalent to a life sentence.
“I was disappointed, I thought he would get a lesser term…I don’t think he is a threat to society,” he told reporters.
“I think the court looked at sending a message to persons in society and that’s why the sentence was that high. I don’t think that such a harsh sentence was needed to convey the message that we would not tolerate violence here.”
Trinidad-based attorney Keith Scotland, who prosecuted the case, said that the killing was unprovoked and senseless.
Jamaican hotel chain takes over two Barbados resorts
From caribbean360
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The Barbados government has signed an agreement with Sandals Resorts International (SRI) paving the way for the Jamaica-based hotel chain to take control of the Almond Beach Village.
The Freundel Stuart administration also announced that SRI has already purchased the Casuarina Hotel in the south of the island for its “Couples” resort.
“We are quite excited to have both of these properties coming to Barbados at this time. It is a tremendous boost for our tourism industry at this time. It sends the right signal as far as confidence is concerned. It is going to be an investment north of BDS$500 million (one Barbados dollar = US$0.50 cents) over the next several years and it will see 1, 500 people eventually employed over both hotels,” Tourism Minister Richard Sealy said.
The two resorts would bring an additional 800 rooms to the island’s hotel stock and, according to Sealy, could result in 130, 000 more visitors coming to the island.
He said an additional benefit for Barbados as a result of the agreements would be the amount of income generated on the local market.
“In terms of the spend, these are high quality resorts and apart from the employment that I spoke of… the estimate is that BDS$22 million would be sourced in terms of local goods from Barbadian businesses,” he added.
SRI founder, Gordon “Butch” Stewart, said he was pleased with the acquisition, noting “being in the Caribbean and not being prominent in Barbados is not good for my organisation”.
For more:
Scholars to analyse literature and culture in the Caribbean
From Bahama islandsinfo
NASSAU, Bahamas — The West Indian Literature Conference (WILC) being held this week at The College of The Bahamas explored the literature and culture of The Caribbean, from Thursday, October 10th to Saturday October 12th, 2013 at the Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre.
For the second time in its 32-year history, the conference was being hosted by The College of The Bahamas and its School of English Studies. The theme is “Multiple Textualities: Imagining the Caribbean Nation”.
The conference attracts scholars to explore the literatures, arts and cultures of the Caribbean region. This year’s conference welcomed critical practice and critical reflection on new, interpretive models for West Indian literature, art, and critical discourse that stretch the boundaries of nationalist discourse.
“The idea of multiple textualities is to think about text, and text isn’t just books anymore. Film, can be text, music, can be text, a painting can be text,” said Dr. Craig Smith, conference co-chair and Assistant Professor, School of English Studies at The College of The Bahamas.
Novelist, Robert Antoni, who has a family history in Trinidad and Tobago and roots in The Bahamas, was the conference’s keynote speaker and presented the topic, “Claiming a Hybrid Language, Seeking a Hybrid Form: The New West Indian Literature.” Later he conducted a workshop on novel writing.
Academics from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands and North America also participated. A variety of workshops were held, such as writing for film conducted by Kareem Mortimer, an acclaimed Bahamian film maker who has won over 25 awards for his film projects. Cathie Brettschneider, who has had a career in scholarly publishing for more than thirty years, was another workshop facilitator.
There was also a screenings of Mr. Mortimer’s film “Passages” and Marion Bethel’s film, Womanish Ways: Freedom, Human Rights & Democracy, The Women’s Suffrage Movement in The Bahamas – 1948-1962.
“I hope that, especially for the local college community, persons will be inspired and encouraged in the work that we do [and] to see the importance of the work that we do as [people] who study Caribbean literature and culture,” said Dr. Smith.
For more:
High cost of electricity undermining Caribbean’s economic growth
By R. Wilson From St Kitts & Nevis Observer
The high cost of electricity is undermining economic growth in the Caribbean region says OAS Assistant Secretary General, Albert Ramdin.
Ramdin spoke at the opening ceremony for the 2013 Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF) held in Aruba October 9-11th. Over 425 delegates- Energy Ministers and Utility officials- from 42 countries were in attendance, including representatives from 20 Caribbean territories.
Ramdin advised the Caribbean officials to explore renewable energy sources in order to address high energy costs. He said the effect on the cost of almost all goods and services is high, ultimately undermining economic growth and investments; however decision makers seemed to not be embracing the idea of going green for their energy needs.
“The Caribbean is capable of solving some of its own problems in this sector. Sun, heat, water and wind, all offer opportunities. In spite of this, renewable energy does not appear to feature prominently on the priority list of many of our policy makers,” he said.
The OAS Executive called for regional collaboration to promote greater use of renewable technology in the Caribbean. He said there appears to be a “disconnect between understanding that renewable energy technology will facilitate less dependence on traditional sources of energy and fossil fuels…and the ability to implement and pursue a renewable energy agenda”.
Ramdin encouraged policymakers to utilize the expertise and financial assistance available in order to establish renewable energy projects.
Other presenters at the event included Energy experts from the US and other countries along with financiers and renewable energy equipment providers. The esteemed list included Lynn Tabernacki, Managing Director- Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development, OPIC- USA; Miguel Toledo, Principal Investment Officer, International Finance Corporation (IFC); Dr. Carl Kukkonen, CEO & Co-Founder, Viaspace- USA; Adam Warren, Group Manager, Project Development & Finance, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)- USA; Migara Jayawardena, Senior Energy Specialist, World Bank; and Ernie Stapleton, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Utilities and Renewable Energy in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA).
For more:
http://www.thestkittsnevisobserver.com/2013/10/18/cost-of-electricity.html
Six Caribbean nationals arrested following deadly smuggling trip
From Caribbean360
The arrest comes as authorities investigated the boat accident involving Haitian, Jamaican and Bahamian migrants.
MIAMI, United States, CMC – United States law enforcement authorities confirmed Friday that six of the 11 Caribbean migrants, who survived a deadly smuggling trip that ended when a motorboat capsized seven miles off Miami Beach, have been arrested.
Law enforcement and immigration authorities said those arrested include the Bahamian-born captain of the 25 feet boat, Naaman Davis and Jamaican-born crewman George Lewis.
The arrest comes as authorities investigated the boat accident involving Haitian, Jamaican and Bahamian migrants.
The US Coast Guard said four people were killed and 11 rescued after the boat carrying the Caribbean migrants capsized.
Officials said the six people arrested were previously deported from the US, and that most of them had been convicted of serious crimes.
Lewis faces a charge of attempted smuggling of the migrants, officials said.
The fatal voyage reportedly began in the Bahamas, and ended when US Coast Guard crews rescued the survivors.
The criminal complaint said six of the Caribbean migrants interviewed by the US Department of Homeland Security identified Davis and Lewis as the alleged smugglers.
“Another one of the migrants interviewed stated that prior to their being brought ashore, Lewis had directed them all to tell the Coast Guard that the vessel captain swam away and never came back,” according to the complaint.
The other four men arrested have been identified as Sean Gaynor, Kenard Hagigal, Matthew Williams and Everton Jones, who is also known as Everton Bryce. All six face charges of entering the US illegally after being deported.
For more:
Google’s Kurzweil details his intricate plan for cheating death
By Brad Reed From BGR
As we’ve noted before, Google engineering director Ray Kurzweil devotes a lot of his life to postponing death. Kurzweil, the brilliant 65-year-old inventor and futurist, is dead-set on living long enough to be immortal, although getting himself to that point has proven to be a lot of work in and of itself. In an interview with Maclean’s, Kurzweil reveals how he’s built himself a “bridge” to immortality by making sure his body holds together long enough for life-lengthening technology to really mature.
“In the last two health books I co-wrote, we talk about a bridge to a bridge to a bridge,” he explains “I can never say, ‘I’ve done it, I’ve lived forever,’ because it’s never forever. We’re really talking about being on a path that will get us to the next point. People sometimes ask me, ‘You take a lot of supplements. Do you really think it will make you live hundreds of years?’”
At this point, the Maclean’s interviewer asked Kurzweil how many supplements he takes a day and he replied “about 150.” Kurzweil says that all these supplements are keeping his body healthy enough for him to reach his ultimate goal of living long enough to reach the “nanotech revolution.” At this point Kurzweil says “we can have little robots, sometimes called nanobots, that augment your immune system” and can “be reprogrammed to deal with new pathogens.”
It should be noted that Kurzweil has also predicted in the past that by the late 2020s, we’ll be able to eat as much junk food as we want because we’ll all have nanobots injected into our bodies that will provide us with all the proper nutrients we need while also eliminating all the excess fat we’ll gain.
For more:
If a picture paints 1,000 words, what is the most important message those words can convey?
From Dr James Dobson’s Family Talk
That’s the question artist Ron DiCianni asks every time he sits in front of a canvas. The answer? The Message of Jesus Christ.
Going from a career as one of the most successful commercial illustrators in the world to “The Preacher on Canvas,” as some of his fans have dubbed him, Ron’s ministry is to take Scriptural truth and present it in a powerful way through paintings.
Rather than merely creating art to adorn museums or galleries, Ron’s art has a very specific target — your home.
“It’s my goal to take this powerful communication medium — art — and use it to encourage families to see Jesus. To remember that He’s our Savior, our Healer, our Soon Coming King. To remind dads to pray for their kids, to remind moms of the incredible responsibility to point their little ones to Him. To encourage Christians to serve Christ and to point a dying world to the only cure possible. That’s my part, then we look and say ‘Will you bring this message into your home?’, that’s your part in the mission.” — Ron DiCianni
To that end, Ron has partnered with his son to launch Tapestry Productions, the nation’s only dedicated Christian fine art publisher. From canvas and paper prints, to books, to greeting cards and bookmarks, Tapestry’s mission is to Go into all the World … through Art! They achieve this mission by taking this powerful message of Christ as Savior in visual form to every wall in America.
Tapestry productions are at: http://www.tapestryproductions.com/products/
China and The Bahamas sign technical agreement
From Bahama islandsinfo
NASSAU, The Bahamas – An Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement was signed between the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) during a special ceremony, Oct. 16, in the Committee Room of the House of Assembly. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell signed the agreement on behalf of The Bahamas and Hu Shan, Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas signed for the PRC.
Minister Mitchell said the signing ceremony represents the culmination of work that has been put in but most of all a symbol of the friendship between the two countries. “We are deeply appreciative of the grant, which amounts now to a total of $13 million. I know the Prime Minister has a list of projects which he has allocated to this. So it is a special pleasure to be able to accept the gift and to assure you that it will be used for the betterment and development of our country,” he said.
Philip Miller, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the signing is the culmination of the work done of several Bahamian government agencies and the embassy of the PRC since June of this year when President Xi Jingping of (PRC) extended the offer of technical assistance to The Bahamas Government in Trinidad and Tobago.
“It is a sterling example of the type of cooperation that existed between our two countries since the establishment of diplomat relations in May 1997,” noted Mr. Miller.
The Chinese government fully supports Prime Minister Christie’s “concrete” ideas on the usage of the agreement said Ambassador Hu. The result of the agreement is more good deeds and concrete things for The Bahamas with friendly cooperation between the two nations being foremost, added the ambassador.
Among the projects included in the agreement are an agricultural school to be constructed in Andros, the establishment of sporting facilities in the Family Islands and a school for children with special needs.
The signing is the second of two agreements. Mr. Miller explained that a technical agreement was signed in 2011 with the PRC for $5 million “We never drew down on it and in June when President Xi Jingping met with all of the Caribbean heads in Trinidad, he extended another $8 million. Now all together we have $13 million for any projects that we will identify,” said Mr. Miller.
Mr. Mitchell indicated that he hopes to visit China in two weeks and at that time directly express appreciation to the Chinese government for its commitment to the relationship between the two nations since its inception in 1997.
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