iNews Briefs
Cayman Islands Youth Parliament opens Monday (9) all invited to attend
Members of the public are invited to attend Youth Parliament at the Legislative Assembly on Monday, 9 March 2015. It is being held to commemorate Commonwealth Day, which has its theme this year as “A Young Commonwealth”.
While the event is scheduled to start at 10 am, all attendees are requested to be seated by 9.45 am. The event is expected to run until 2 pm. Dress code is business attire.
The proceedings will be broadcast live on CIG TV at Weststar Cable channel 20 and Logic channel 23. Additionally, the proceedings will be broadcast the same evening on Radio Cayman 89.9 FM on Grand Cayman and 93.9 FM on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman from 7 pm.
Twenty five students from private and government high schools will debate two motions about amending the Sunday Trading Law and the need for a mentoring programme in government high schools.
Holland America’s new Koningsdam ship heading to Port Everglades next year
By Arlene Satchell From Sun Sentinel
Port Everglades will welcome another new cruise ship in late 2016 — Holland America Line’s 2,650-passenger ms Koningsdam.
The ship, under construction at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy, marked a milestone this week when it floated out from dry dock and was transferred to an outfitting dock.
The outfitting dock is where final construction and interior furnishing of the new ship will take place.
Holland America — a cruise brand of Miami-based Carnival Corp. & PLC — is slated to take delivery of Koningsdam on March 31, 2016.
“A ship’s construction has many key milestones, and floating it out and moving it to the outfitting dock is especially symbolic,” Holland America President Orlando Ashford said Friday in a news release. “The float-out represents that we are getting closer to welcoming Koningsdam to our fleet, and seeing the ship in the water adds to the excitement.”
Onboard dining options on Koningsdam will include Sel de Mer, a new French seafood brasserie; a new farm-to-table dinner experience in the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine; and a re-designed casual Lido Market with themed serving stations.
The Koningsdam also will offer the line’s first cabins designed for specifically for singles among its 1,331 rooms.
The ship — the first of a new Pinnacle class of vessel — will sail its first voyage April 8 in Europe and, after a series of sailings there, will move to Fort Lauderdale in the fall for Caribbean cruises from Port Everglades, a spokesman for the Seattle-based cruise line confirmed Friday.
On Thursday, rival Royal Caribbean International announced it would base its new 5,479-passenger Harmony of the Seas ship at Port Everglades in late 2016 after move sister ship Oasis of the Seas to Port Canaveral.
For more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/tourism/fl-holland-america-new-ship-20150306-story.html
7 Cayman Islands school choirs to compete to help Big Bros/Big Sis
Choirs from Cayman Islands schools, St. Ignatius Catholic School, Cayman Prep and High School, Savannah Primary School, John Gray and Clifton Hunter high schools, Montessori by the Sea, and Triple C School will take part in a competition to find the Youth Choir Competition Champion.
The competition is being organised to raise money for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization by the Lions Club of Grand Cayman.
Judges Nicole Bodden and Georgi-Ann Jackman from Cayman together with overseas judge Priscilla Blanco will choose the finalists by listening to pre-recordings of the choirs. The winners will then be judged live when they perform at the Lions Community Centre on March 21st.
Schools will compete for first place in their category from junior to senior, and from these finalists the Youth Choir Competition Champion will be chosen. The winning choir will receive $500 toward their school’s music department.
The competition starts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. There will be a raffle draw as well. General admission is $10; or $5 for children under 12.
Mother and lover jailed for 200 years over murder of teenager
From Caribbean360
IMAGE: NEESA LALITA GOPAUL (CREDIT: KAIETEUR NEWS)
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Friday March 6, 2015, CMC – A High Court judge has sentenced the 42-year-old mother of a secondary school student and her lover to more than 200 years in jail after they were found guilty of killing the child in 2010.
The court heard that the body of Neesa Lalita Gopaul a former student of Queens College was placed in a suitcase and dumped in a creek at the Emerald Tower Resort, Madewini Soesdyle-Linden Highway.
Her mother, Bibi Sharima Gopaul and her lover 37-year-old Jarvis Small had denied the charges, pleading not guilty to the offence.
The trial, which began on February 2 and ended here on Thursday, had gripped this Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country with the 12-member mixed jury returning a guilty verdict against the two.
Small, a father of three, who was sentenced to 96 years in prison, told the court that he had not received a fair trial.
“I think I got a media trial,” he said, adding that “prejudicial evidence” was let into the trial.
He also claimed that Justice Navindra Singh “unfair and political in nature.
“No evidence has been presented in this case against me to find me or anybody else guilty of murder,” he said.
In sentencing the woman to 106 years in jail, Justice Singh said he could imagine what moved her to commit such an act.
“You lied about everything… this is your daughter… I can’t imagine what monster of a mother would kill their own child,” he said , telling the convicted woman that while she may not live to serve her entire sentence, he hopes she serves it wherever she goes.
The prosecution had argued that the teenager was killed September 23 and October 4, 2010, at the Emerald Tower Resort, in Madewini, Linden/Soesdyke Highway.
The prosecution said she had been strangled by Small who also bashed her head with a piece of wood.
The court heard that the body was later wrapped in a sheet before placed in a suitcase where Small took it to the creek and used a pair of dumbbells and a piece of red rope to anchor the suitcase under water.
The prosecution called 27 witnesses to support its case, and Small and Gopaul were both called upon to lead their defences after the trial judge had over ruled no-case submission applications from their respective attorneys on Monday.
The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa
From leo A Daly
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
The new design offers guests the opportunity to bask in the ambiance of the island immediately upon their arrival. Evoking a Caribbean bungalow feel, the lobby is designed to create a relaxed feel and to bring the outside in with ocean views. Architectural details including wood wainscot, columns and ceilings were painted to open up the space and brighten the lobby. The use of clean lines and ocean blues creates a tranquil backdrop for guests to sit back and unwind. Images of local flora and fauna are featured along with large mother of pearl framed mirrors. Our designers created this art collection to elicit the heritage of Grand Cayman combined with modern interpretations.
Natural elements are incorporated throughout the property including shellstone, abaca rope, rattan and sea glass. This relaxed atmosphere extends to each guestroom at the hotel. Polished marble flooring and freshly painted walls make the perfect backdrop for striking local island photography used in each room. Each guestroom also received updated casegoods with an eclectic mix of stained and painted woods in soft blues and whites. With a soft color scheme in the background, new drapery and upholstered furniture in island colors brighten the room.
For more: http://www.leoadaly.com/portfolio/the-westin-grand-cayman-seven-mile-beach-resort-spa/
T&T Teacher suspended following Facebook post
From Jamaica Observer
T&T gov’t concerned over child beating on Facebook
KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) — A secondary school teacher, who is facing two “obscene writing” charges arising from statements she made on Facebook, has been suspended from classes.
Jozette Bibby-Bowens, who appeared in court earlier this week, was told Wednesday that the Public Service Commission had instructed that she be suspended “in view of the criminal proceedings which have been instituted against you”.
In a “confidential” letter sent to her by Chief Personnel Officer Corinne Gonsalves, the teacher was told she had been suspended on half pay “with immediate effect”.
“Further, pursuant to Section 45(5) of the Public Service Commission Regulations, you are restricted from leaving the country without the permission of the Public Service Commission,” the letter indicated.
Bibby-Bowens, who teaches information technology, electronic document preparation and management and accounting, pleaded not guilty to two charges of obscene publication when she appeared before a magistrate in Kingstown on Tuesday.
The prosecution suggested that station bail, which was granted on Monday, be continued, and she will re-appear in court on March 17.
Cayman Islands AIDS Foundation goes to Cayman Brac
The Cayman Islands AIDS Foundation (CAF) were in Cayman Brac and Little Cayman to speak to residents about safe sex and sexually transmitted diseases.
Officers of the fire service attended information sessions last Wednesday (4) and Thursday (5).
CAF education sessions continued on Friday and Saturday.
PGA welcomes the abolition of the death penalty in Suriname
The Hague/New York/Paramaribo, 5 March, 2015: Parliamentarians for Global Action welcomes the abolition of the death penalty by the Parliament of Suriname on 3 March, 2015, in the framework of the discussions regarding the adoption of the new Criminal Code.
Although executions had not been carried out in Suriname since 1927, Suriname was still a retentionist country. PGA has been working for a few years to generate political will for the abolition, leading to the creation of a bi-partisan group in the Parliament, which made the abolition possible. Thus, PGA congratulates its National Group in Suriname led by Ms. Ruth Wijdenbosch, Deputy Speaker and Member of the Executive of PGA and Mr. Hugo Jabini, Chair of the PGA Suriname Group for its relentless efforts which led to the historic decision to abolish the death penalty from the Criminal Code of Suriname. Indeed, significant progress has been made in Suriname thanks to the commitment and leadership of Dr. Ruth Wijdenbosch, who had already announced the swift abolition of the death penalty in June 2014 during the Annual Assembly of the World Coalition in Puerto Rico. Already in December 2014, her decisive mobilisation and the one of the National Group, had led Suriname to change its position at the United Nations General Assembly to vote in favour of Resolution on the Moratorium on the use of the death penalty. By leading the commission who prepared this work, PGA Member Mr. Hugo Jabini played a key role in this achievement.
This important development for Suriname is therefore the culmination of the work of Surinamese parliamentarians who had also benefitted from the visits of peers, such as Mr. Greg Mulholland, MP, member of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Abolition of the Death Penalty, chaired by PGA Member Baronness Vivien Stern, during a visit organized by the International Commission against the Death penalty.
This is the first abolition which PGA contributed to, since the launch of the Global Parliamentary Platform for the Abolition of the death penalty in 2013, which aims to support, enhance and maximise the impact of the individual initiatives of parliamentarians worldwide on the abolition of the death penalty, as well as to launch and coordinate targeted campaigns in selected countries to ensure concrete advancement of the abolition processes.
PGA receives core support from the Governments of Sweden and Denmark.
SOURCE: Parliamentarians for Global Action
Cayman Islands Caydance Festival comes to a close
Cayman’s first annual International Dance Festival, CayDance, presented by KRI Performing Arts came to a close Sunday (1) with performance from KRI Peforming Arts, Victor & Burju, and FuturPointe Dance.
The Harquail Theatre was the venue and the festival ran from 24th February to 1st March, 2015. The festival showcased Cayman’s local talent alongside professional dancers from the United States.
See related iNews Cayman story: “CayDance 2015 Cayman International Dance Festival” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/caydance-2015-cayman-international-dance-festival/
Police: woman swilled other customers’ drinks, hit TGI Fridays manager in head with a glass
By Mary Beth Quirk From Consumerist
It’s bad enough to purloin drinks from your fellow restaurant patrons, but police in upstate New York say one TGI Fridays customer added insult to injury by not only walking around sipping from other customers’ beverages, but she then allegedly smashed a drinking glass against the manager’s head after being told she’d have to leave.
The accused drink-stealer was cruising the restaurant around 9:30 on Monday night, reports Syracuse.com, tasting other people’s drinks. That didn’t go over well with anyone, so a manager asked her to leave, the police said.
But that didn’t go over too well with the suspect, who allegedly took a glass and hit the manager on the head. She suffered several cuts to one side of her head but declined medical treatment, a police rep said.
The suspect was then detained by mall security, with cops saying she spit on a mall security guard in the process. She’s been charged second-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree harassment. Apparently there are no charges for (allegedly) getting your cooties all over innocent strangers’ drinks.
Cayman Islands Immigration extends hours for its customers
GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands – In response to customer feedback, the Department of Immigration will extend its hours of operation until 7 p.m. on Wednesdays beginning 11 March, 2015, to accommodate its customers.
If the extended service proves to be popular to the public, it is possible that another day will be added.
“We realise that sometimes it’s just too much of a rush for people to take care of Immigration matters on their lunch hours,” said Samantha Bennett, Deputy Chief Officer of Immigration. “By extending the opening hours we are catering to our customers and giving them an option.”
Staff will be reshuffled to offer the enhanced customer service, just one of many changes that are in the works to make Immigration more customer-friendly.
Normal business hours at Immigration are Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Beginning next week business hours for Wednesday’s will be 8:30 a.m. until 7 p.m.
The change in hours applies only to the Immigration Office on Elgin Avenue.
Delaware 13year old called “Cayman” missing since Wednesday (4) – SEE UPDATE “Body found”
From FOX 29
NEWTOWN SQUARE – The search for a missing eighth grader from Delaware County continues.
Anguished parents of 13-year old Newtown Square Teen Cayman Naib are reaching out for help to find their missing son. Police and Naib’s parents held a news conference Friday night hoping for the teen’s safe return.
“The fact that no one has seen him in a couple days is extremely worrisome,” Farid Naib, Cayman’s father told FOX 29’s Sabina Kariakouse.”He’s a great kid. He was upset over a homework assignment and went out into the storm Wednesday night.”
“There was no planning he left glasses so he’s wearing contacts doesn’t have any additional clothes as far as we can tell didn’t take a backpack. The fact that he left his wallet with money in it is pretty disturbing,” Naib said.
Volunteer k9 search and rescue teams fanned out around the picturesque land around the family’s Harrison Drive home hoping for a clue beneath the fresh snow.
The Shipley School student was last seen at home Wednesday night. His phone and laptop left behind. Police are investigating as a runaway case.
His family’s fears are raising as bad weather hits the region.
“It was raining and it was foggy and it was cold and he was walking in a dark road in a dark jacket with no streetlights. Our main concern was that he was hit by a car,” Naib sad.
But as a second day draws to a close, no sign of Cayman, Darkness brought more volunteers.
Cayman’s parents say he’s a straight a student with no medical issues and he’s never left home like this before. They don’t suspect foul play but the FBI is involved at their request.
“Cayman if you’re out there please come home. You’re not in trouble we just want you back,” Naib said.
Anybody has any information on his whereabouts, please contact Newtown Police at 610-356-0602 or email Investigator William Moor at [email protected].
UPDATE: Sunday Mar 8 2015 – Police sources: Body of Cayman Naib, 13, found in creek bed near family home
By Mari Schaefer, Inquirer Staff Writer From Philly.Com
The body of 13-year-old Cayman Naib, who disappeared from his Newtown Square home Wednesday night, hours before a snowstorm, was found Sunday by searchers, his family said in a Facebook posting.
A police source told The Inquirer that the youth was discovered about 1:30 p.m. by a search team with K-9 dogs in the bed of Darby Creek, a few hundred yards from his family’s home on a 13-acre property on Harrison Drive. The source said the location of the discovery was off St. Davids Road and Paper Mill Road.
The cause of death was undetermined. It was not clear if the youth’s body was in water. The body was turned over to the Delaware County Medical Examiner’s office.
Cayman Islands World Birth Defects Day
The Cayman Islands took part in its first ever World Birth Defects Day last Tuesday (3) with organisers reassuring people not to be alarmed at the rate of children being born with birth defects in the country, They warned, however, the bigger issue is the cost to correct and receive continuous therapy.
The Cayman Islands has recorded 334 children born with major birth defects since 1975.
UK: Woman, 18, raped waiting for bus in Beeston, West Yorkshire
From BBC
Police said the woman was attacked while waiting at a bus stop in Beeston, Leeds
A teenager waiting at a bus stop in Leeds was attacked and raped, suffering serious hip and head injuries.
West Yorkshire Police said the 18-year-old woman was attacked at about 22:50 GMT on Friday and was found on Beeston Road.
The woman was taken to hospital where she was found to have “serious hip injuries”.
Police said they were looking for an Asian man in his early 20s in connection with the attack.
Det Ch Insp Elizabeth Belton of West Yorkshire Police said: “We believe this woman was standing at the bus stop close to Malvern Road, when she was attacked by the suspect.
“He is described as an Asian man, in his early twenties, of slim build with receding dark hair.
“Anyone who saw a man of similar description in this area at around the time stated is asked to contact police.”
For more: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-31778850
Cayman Islands Meals on Wheels holds fundraising dinner at Luca restaurant
Last Saturday (7) the Cayman Islands Meals on Wheels held a fundraising dinner/gala called “Orange You Glad” at Luca restaurant.
Diners ate a sumptuous three course meal and MC Vicki Wheaton entertained as she conducted a live auction that included tickets to a Taylor Swift concert; a weekend staycation at the Caribbean Club; one-week stay at a two-bedroom apartment in central Paris; and a five-night stay for two adults at Rickety Bridge Country House in South Africa, including breakfast, one lunch at the winery with tutored wine tasting and two gourmet dinners.
In keeping with its theme diners were treated to an orange-colored dessert and signature drink, and those attending were also encouraged to wear orange. The name was chosen because orange is the official color of hunger, said Meals on Wheels executive director Beulah McField.
Here’s how the top ten tech billionaires compare to Bill Gates
By Harrison Jacobs From Business Insider
Forbes just released its annual ranking of the top billionaires in the world. Once again, Bill Gates, beating out Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim, tops out the list.
Unsurprisingly, a lot of tech billionaires made the list. Despite the vast quantities of cash flying around the tech industry, however, no one came particularly close to Gates.
See attached to see how the top ten tech billionaires match up to Gates, via a visualization from Dadaviz:
Cayman Island students need help to travel to USA for art programme
It will cost CI$16,000 to get 8 John Gray High School Year 11 art students to travel to the USA to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) for a week long summer arts programme in July.
The SCAD programme shows new forms of artistic expression that are not found in the Cayman Islands and will give the students a better chance to obtain employment where they can use their new found skills for the Islands benefit.
Teachers and students are asking for the public’s help and they will need the money by the end of June.
If you can donate please go to: http://www.gofundme.com/caymanscad
Supreme Court will release same-day audio of marriage cases
By Tony Mauro, Legal Times
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday said it will release audio of the same-sex marriage oral arguments after the cases are heard on April 28.
The audio and transcript of the landmark arguments will be made public no later than 2 p.m., about 90 minutes after the arguments end, according to the announcement posted on the court’s web site.
The announcement came shortly after the court released its April oral-argument calendar, which showed that the four consolidated cases testing the constitutionality of state bans on same-sex marriage will be held on April 28.
The court’s action can be read as a nod toward the increasing clamor for greater transparency at the nation’s highest court. Fix the Court and media organizations have petitioned the court for video and audio access in recent months, to no avail. The justices earlier this week turned down a specific request seeking same-day audio of the March 4 argument in King v. Burwell, a case crucial to the future of the Affordable Care Act.
Fix the Court issued this statement in response to the court’s announcement:
“Today’s same-day audio announcement makes it seem as if the justices are picking and choosing which case is the most important one of the term. Instead, Chief Justice [John[ Roberts should establish a standard, more open media policy at the Supreme Court, one that includes live video and audio coverage of its hearings and decision announcements. Congressional debates are televised. White House briefings are televised. There is no reason the Supreme Court shouldn’t be televised, too.”
For several years beginning with the 2000 case Bush v. Gore, the court released same-day audio for arguments in a handful of high-profile cases each term. But that practice tapered off and finally ended in 2010. There was no explanation.
But it appeared the court was uncomfortable with the task of deciding which cases should get the added attention of speedy audio release. The court has never allowed for live online streaming of arguments, unlike several lower federal and state courts.
The high court in 2010 instead said it would release the audio of all arguments on the Friday after they occurred. Since arguments only take place Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the change meant that the audio would be of little value for news organizations that cover the court.
Cuban migrants in Cayman Island waters have left
All of the 47 Cuban migrants who arrived in Cayman Brac last Tuesday (3) night have left Cayman Islands Immigration officials have confirmed.
The 39 men and 8 women left on Thursday after working to repair damages to the boat they were travelling in.
They are said to be journeying to central America.
Man can’t sue Applebee’s for burns he got while praying over sizzling fajitas
From Mashable
(AP) TRENTON, N.J. — A New Jersey appellate court says a man cannot seek damages for burns he suffered while bowing his head in prayer over a sizzling steak fajita skillet at an Applebee’s restaurant.
The ruling made public Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that dismissed his lawsuit. The man claimed a waitress didn’t warn him the dish was hot, but the lower court found the food posed an “open and obvious” danger.
It happened in 2010 at an Applebee’s in Burlington County.
The man said he bowed his head, then heard a loud sizzle followed by a grease pop. He then felt a burning sensation in his left eye and on his face.
The man said he panicked and knocked the food on his lap, causing more burns. The burns didn’t cause scarring.
Windies cricket problems mirror crisis in Caribbean
From IANS
Port of Spain, March 6: The problems hampering West Indies cricket mirror a crisis plaguing the Caribbean community, St. Lucia Prime Minister Kenny Anthony said.
Anthony is calling for an overhaul of the structure of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). However, while insisting that change is needed, the St. Lucian does not believe politicians should interfere with the administration of the sport, reports CMC.
“The WICB are not answerable to the people of the region,” Anthony said, adding that once the board’s structure was changed the politicians should leave it alone.
The WICB has come under intense public scrutiny after the controversy surrounding the West Indies’ aborted tour of India late last year.
“For my part, I would have started with a new fresh team,” the prime minister said in reference to the players.
The pull out, as a result of a pay dispute between the players and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), left the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with a $41 million claim against WICB.
The conduct of incumbent WICB president Dave Cameron has also been the subject of a raging debate, particularly after he retweeted a fan criticising West Indies opener Chris Gayle recently.
“It is important that we remember that the crisis of Caribbean community and of integration, even in cricket, is not isolated. It is a crisis of our institutions, societies, economic models and system of governance. If truth be told, we have a huge task to restore hope and confidence in our people,” Anthony said.
See also today’s iNews story “Dhoni, bowlers shine as India book quarter-final place [by beating West Indies]”
Belize to take on Cayman Islands for FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
From San Pedro Sun
The Belize National Football Selection is scheduled to play its first match in the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup Qualifiers on March 25th. The Jaguars will take on the national football selection from the Cayman Islands in hopes of advancing in their quest to earn a spot at the World Cup Russia 2018. The match will take place at the newly renovated Football Federation of Belize (FFB) Project Stadium in Belmopan City at 8PM.Belize Jaguars-1
In order to ensure that the field was up to par with international standards, FIFA officials have been carrying out several inspections of the fields before the announcement of the match. On Monday, January 26th, the stadium lights were inspected and approved for use in night matches. The following day, inspections of the field, VIP lounge, changing rooms and media booth took place. The FFB Project Stadium received full approval by FIFA to be used for the World Cup Qualifiers on Thursday, February 26th.
The Belize Selection is made up of Rai West, Woodrow West, Jerome James, Jarrett Davis, Ian Gaynair, Denmark Casey, Norman Anderson, Randy Padilla, Trevor Lennen, Marlon Meza, Jemaine Jones, Najib Guerra, David Trapp, Andres Makin, Amin August, Daniel Jimenez, Khalil Velasquez, Byron Chavez, Elroy Kuylen, Tyrone Pandy, Harrision Roches, Highking Roberts, Tevin Gamboa, Dalton Eiley, Marvin Centeno, Jordi Polanco, Delone Torres, Kyle Flowers, Elroy Smith and Shane Orio. The team has been practicing over the past months. The winner of this match will advance and face off the national football selection of the Dominican Republic in June 2015.
Harrison Ford used experience to land unpowered plane
By Ben Brumfield and Kyung Lah, CNN
Venice, California (CNN) It was not Harrison Ford, the veteran actor, who made news Thursday; it was Harrison Ford, the experienced pilot, who managed to coax his single-engine plane to a forced landing on a Southern California golf course after the plane’s engine failed.
The 72-year-old remained hospitalized Friday, “Battered but OK,” according to a tweet by his son.
Jens Lucking lives near the Santa Monica crash site and heard Ford’s distressed engine.
“When he was right by the house, the engine cut out and then he turned around,” he said.
Ford called in an emergency to Santa Monica Municipal Airport and steered the sinking craft toward the runway. Air traffic control gave Ford permission to land but the plane, struggling to stay airborne, didn’t make it.
It brushed a treetop, then dropped and raked the Penmar Golf Course right across from the airport, National Transportation and Safety Board spokesman Patrick Jones said. It came to a halt yards away from a street. Ford was the only person on board.
The bright yellow and silver 1942 Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR with the number 50 on the side has become one of Ford’s trademarks, with paparazzi snapping him taking off in its open-air dual cockpit. It lay sprawled flat after Thursday’s accident, with its red nose bent down into the ground.
Jones said that it will be moved Friday into a local airplane hangar, where the investigation will continue.
Tom Haines, also a pilot, has flown with Ford before and praised his skill. “He’s a very skilled pilot. He’s very safety-conscious and goes to training routinely for all of his aircraft,” Haines said.
An emergency team arrived, cared for the pilot and took him off on a stretcher in an ambulance to a hospital. He was alert and conscious at the crash site, a fire official said.
Authorities would not identify Ford as the pilot and crash victim, but his publicist and son did.
“The injuries sustained are not life threatening, and he is expected to make a full recovery,” Ford’s publicist Ina Treciokas said.
With Ford at the controls, it’s hard not to juxtapose upon him the characters he has embodied, such as Han Solo, who regularly edged past mortal danger in a barely airworthy “vintage” Millennium Falcon in the futuristic distan past setting of “Star Wars.”
The actor’s son, Ben Ford, alluded to it in a tweet to reassure fans:
“Dad is ok. Battered, but ok! He is every bit the man you would think he is. He is an incredibly strong man “
For more: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/06/entertainment/harrison-ford-plane-crash/
Cayman Football: Islands ready to host CONMEBOL, CONCACAF
From Digicel Sportsmax
Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) First Vice-President Bruce Blake says the infrastructure is in place for the country to host arbitration hearings for the two football confederations in the Americas, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF.
“The good thing about it is that it would provide Cayman with another pillar of our financial services industry,” Blake said.
“Considering what is entailed with arbitration, you may have translators, you may have lawyers, you may have accountants, you may have actuaries, of course you may have players, clubs, confederations. So we expect that there’ll be an increase in the number of persons coming to Cayman to deal with those things.”
Recently, CONCACAF along with South America’s CONMEBOL leaders selected the Cayman Islands as a place to hold proceedings going forth.
Speaking at the 2014 Cayman Economic Outlook Conference, FIFA Vice-President and President of CONCACAF and CIFA President Jeffrey Webb, called for Cayman to develop a sports law industry.
McDonald’s sued for $10m after man dies of heart attack in locked bathroom
By Ashlee Kieler From Consumerist
The family of a New York man who died of a heart attack in a McDonald’s bathroom locked from the inside filed a lawsuit against the fast food company claiming workers failed to get the man help that might have saved his life.
The New York Post reports that the man’s family filed the $10 million lawsuit in Brooklyn Supreme Court Wednesday claiming the man didn’t receive CPR in time because workers were unable to figure out how to open the restroom door.
According to the lawsuit, the 67-year-old man was visiting the restaurant in June 2013 when he went to the restroom.
When he didn’t return after several minutes, his friends went to check on him, but got no response.
“[He] became ill and was caused to become trapped in the restroom not allowing help to get to him inside the restroom since the door was deadbolted from the inside,” the lawsuit states. “Because of the above mentioned condition on the premises, [the man] suffered fatal injuries.”
A lawyer for the family tells the Post that there was no way to unlock the door from the outside when the deadbolt lock was engaged and that employees of the restaurant were inept in helping during the emergency.
“They were saying, ‘There’s nothing we can do. What do you want us to do? We can’t get in,’” the man’s son tells the Post. “They were definitely no help, either the workers or the managers,”
Eventually, a bystander ran to a nearby fire station for help. Firefighters then arrived at the restaurant with equipment to force the door open, the Post reports.
However, by then a significant amount of time had passed and the man had already passed away.
The franchise for this McDonald’s location tells the Post that they are “deeply saddened by the loss of our guest, who visited our restaurant regularly.”
For more: http://consumerist.com/2015/03/05/mcdonalds-sued-for-10m-after-man-dies-of-heart-in-locked-bathroom/
Doane’s Wolken earns second straight NAIA heptathlon title
From The Lincoln Journal Star
Doane’s Kale Wolken won his second straight national championship in the heptathlon Friday at the NAIA Indoor Track Championships in Geneva, Ohio.
The Johnson-Brock graduate finished with 5,330 points. He also earned All-America honors in the long jump with a fifth-place finish, jumping 23 feet, 3½ inches.
Wolken helped Doane to third place in the team standings with 24 points after two days. The Tiger women are second with 21 points.
Doane’s Jake Krueger was fifth in the heptathlon (4,894). The Tigers had another All-American in the long jump — Kevin Murphy was fifth (23-1¾). In the throws, Levi Hillman, a graduate of Palmyra, was sixth (57-1), and John Clouse of Friend was eighth (55-11).
In the women’s meet, Doane’s 4×800-meter relay team was fourth with a season-best 9:12.54. A collision after the first handoff caused Marissa DeWispelare to fall. But she was able to regain her footing and the Tigers finished the race.
Doane’s Erin DeVries got her second All-America honor of the meet with a seventh-place finish in the long jump (18-1). Carly Henry was sixth in the weight throw (58-1).
NASA wants you to vote for the most stunning image by Hubble
By Mariella Moon From engadget
NASA wants to know which among the most popular Hubble photos the internet likes the most, so it’s pitting them against each other. To celebrate the telescope’s 25th birthday in April, the agency has launched Hubble Mania, which is a space image smackdown of sorts, where the winner’s determined by your votes. The space telescope’s known for capturing some mighty stunning photos of our universe, so it won’t be easy choosing: the 32 contenders include long-time favorites, such as the Pillars of Creation, the sombrero galaxy, crab and apple nebulae, as well as the Rose of Galaxies. Voting for the first round has already begun, with two more rounds to follow, until the grand winner is announced on April 6th. NASA promises new downloadable products featuring the last photo standing, which could include HD wallpapers, among other things.
For more: http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/05/nasa-hubble-mania/?ncid=rss_truncated
Mobay United beat Cayman National senior football team 3-1 in International friendly
Posted: March 7, 2015 From irieFM
Red Stripe Premier League champion Mobay United turned back the Cayman island national senior team 3-1 in a friendly international played last evening at Wespow Park .
Allan Ottey and Jerome Haughton scored for the Mobay unit to make it 2-nil at half time, before Kahshif Brown made 3 nil in the second half.
Cayman then pulled back the consolation goal when Andres Ruiz netted 15 minutes from time.
The Cayman Senior football team will next be in action tomorrow, when they face off with the national senior under 23 football team in their second friendly game at Jarret Park.
The Caymanians are using these games as vital preparation for their 2018 Fifa world Cup qualification starting March 25.
That March 25 game will be played against Belize in Belize with a return game on March 29 at home.
Fourteen teams will play in the first round of the Concacaf world cup qualifiers on a home and away basis.
Raiders of the Lost Walmart uncover 11-year-old external hard drive
By Laura Northrup From Consumerist
The Raiders of the Lost Walmart are a bold group of retail archaeologists who comb the big-box stores of the world for whatever the exact opposite of treasure is. They find obsolete technology available at prices so high that it deeply confuses savvy shoppers. While knocking $20 off the price of a 4-year-old blender and putting it in the “clearance” section is a decent strategy to move some housewares, it works less well for external hard drives.
Actually, the products that Raider Doug found on a recent trip to Walmart are even older than that. The Seagate hard drive in the middle, for example, hit the market in 2004. Does it work fine to store data? Sure, probably. Can you buy a lot more storage for significantly less money in places other than the clearance shelf of Walmart’s electronics department? Definitely.
Photoshop Elements 6 isn’t as old, having been released only in 2007, but Adobe is now on version 13. Sure, it could be useful for people with older computers, but that’s a limited market.
The VHS to DVD converter kit is a little more complex. That kit may have been on the Walmart shelves for a while, but the product is a current one. “You can buy a cheap usb capture device for roughly $10, install the included drivers, scrap the packaged software(usually Ulead), and use Windows Movie Maker,” notes Doug. The additional $55 is apparently a tax on people who don’t know that, or who want to make the process more complex.
Caribbean health officials begin regional Chikungunya conference
From Fox News Latino
The Caribbean Public Health Agency’s regional conference on the Chikungunya virus got under way on Tuesday in Port-of-Spain, capital of Trinidad and Tobago.
The agency, known as CARPHA, said via Twitter account that health officials from St. Martin, Mexico, Canada, the Cayman Islands and Martinique, among other countries, made presentations on Chikungunya cases in their countries and offered recommendations for the region.
“Our messages have not reached people as they should. We need to rethink our communications approach,” CARPHA executive director James Hospedales said.
The meeting, funded by the European Union, will seek to examine possible public-private partnerships to address the epidemic.
The Chikungunya virus was first detected in the Western Hemisphere in 2013. Since then, authorities have logged more than 800,000 suspected cases in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Chikungunya is transmitted through the bite of the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which also carry viruses such as dengue, yellow fever and Zika.
The most common symptoms include fever, severe joint pain, headache and rash, which may be aggravated with vomiting and diarrhea.
CARPHA is comprised of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bermuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Curaçao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos and the British Virgin Islands. EFE
