30-03-2012

Yesterday’s break-in at Seagull condominiums marked another in a series of at least a dozen home invasions this year.

Yesterday, two crime scene detectives wearing protective suits and latex gloves declined to comment on the 4am Thursday break-in.

Seagull managers also declined to comment, directing all enquiries to police.

The incident occurred at 3:50am in apartment No. 33, at the back of the complex’s roadside building, when three masked men broke into the unsecured room at the rear of the building, tying up two of the three male occupants.

The assailants bound the two with duct tape, police said, while the third “slept undisturbed through the incident”.

“One of the offenders was in possession of a hand gun which was discharged in the kitchen area,

although no one was injured,” the statement said, describing the suspects as “black males, slim build and tall, one being about 6’ 3”.”

All were wearing hoodies and denim jeans, police said, “with their faces covered.”

The trio stole an Apple Mac laptop, an IPod and cell phones.

The episode marks at least the 12th home invasion this year, sparking police concerns.

OUR EYE, YOUR NEWS

CAYMAN

Issue 228

TODAY’S WEATHERCHANCE OF SHOWERS

HIGH LOW83°F 74°F

www.ieyenews.com FRI-MON | 30 MAR - 2 APR 201250¢

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT FOR

iNEWS CAYMAN

0

iLocalEveryone can be a backyard farmer

Page 6

iLocalIt is time to

help clean up!Page 7

iLocalSingers get ready

for seaside concert Page 3

Jamaica protesters call for end to police killings

Page 4

Cayman’s top employees awarded

Page 4

Appleby launches new team

Page 8

Pope meets Castro brothers in Cuba

Page 12

Britain goes gas crazy

Page 14

Sir Alex says decisions even outPage 19

Tad [email protected]

Continued on page 5

TIE-UP TERROR

We are sailing!

Full story on page 20

Florence Allan is riding on the crest of a wave after a great day in the sea for Cayman sailors.

She finished second overall in the 2012 Race Cayman Optimist Open and Western Caribbean Optimist

Championship and was first female.The three day event in the North

Sound saw Caymanian sailors finish second, third, fourth and eighth in the competition.

30 MAR - 2 APRIL | www.ieyenews.com

2 to blog visit www.ieyenews.com

Invite applications for the following vacant positionPAINT MIXER/ FLOOR SALES CLERK

This position requires a responsible and dependable team player.

Duties, Responsibilities and Requirements:

• Must be knowledgeable and experienced in household paint mixing and all aspects of interior and exterior paints and application of the same and be able to mix by eye (catching the colour).• To communicate with overseas technician concerning computer updating.• Must be willing to work as a Floor Sales Clerk when not engaged in Paint Mixing.• Should possess good customer/interpersonal relation skills, an outgoing personality, as well as good written and verbal communication skills.• Must attend overseas training seminars as required.• Required to work Monday to Saturday as schedule demands, including evenings and holidays.• Possess a clean Police Record.

Quali�cations and Experience:

• Have a minimum of 3 years experience as a Paint Mixer but will also receive on the job training.• Should have knowledge in Auto Accessories, Hardware or Marine Supplies, Hydraulic Hoses and Automotive Paint.• Be proficient in Computerized Inventory Control/Point of Sale Systems, Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and e-mail programs.

Salary Range:

Salary Range is CI$ 1,850.00 to CI$ 2,400.00 per month depending on qualifications and experience.

Applications from Caymanians, persons with Caymanian Status or connection or Legal Residents should be sent in by April 6th, 2012 to:

Human Resources ManagerASSOCIATED INDUSTRIES, LTD.

P.O. Box 10747, Grand Cayman [email protected] / Phone: 949-2946

AIL20120303

Invite applications for the following vacant position

INVENTORY/STOCK CLERKThis position requires a responsible and dependable team player.


• To receive, check, reconcile, scan and post incoming shipments to Inventory• To process import/entry forms and vendor claims• To verify quantities of stocks and reconcile in computer• To edit and confirm pro-forma invoices• To do daily inter-store stock transfers• To handle communications with suppliers • Requires a high level of accuracy, productivity and ability to work on own initiative as a team member, with minimal supervision• Required to work 5 days per week as scheduled and additional time if required.• Must possess good communication skills• Must possess a clean Police Record


• Have 2-3 years experience as an Inventory/Stock Clerk or similar position preferably but will also offer on-the-job training.• Experience in Computerized Inventory Control Systems preferred• Must be computer literate and proficient in the use of Microsoft Office programs• Possess a pass in High School Mathematics

Salary Range:

Salary Range is CI$7.50 – CI$11.00 per hour depending on qualifications and experience.




AIL20120304


FENCE INSTALLER / DRIVER

This position requires a responsible and dependable team player.


• To install and repair chain link fences• Driving and deliveries;• Manual labour-related duties;• Required to work Monday to Saturday as schedule demands including evenings and holidays.• Clean Group 4 Driver’s License & must be over 25 years of age.


• Previous experience in chain link fence installation and repairs• Must be experienced in driving a range of heavy equipment including aerial lifts

Salary Range:

Salary Range is CI$18,000.00 – CI$21,000.00 per annum depending on qualifications and experience.




AIL20120305


AUTO ELECTRICIANThis position requires a responsible and dependable team player.


• To repair and rebuild alternators and starters• To repair and maintain all electrical components and related electrical areas of company’s on-road and off-road vehicles and equipment• Possess a clean Police Record• Required to work Monday to Saturday as schedule demands including evenings and holidays.


• A minimum of 4-5 years experience in rebuilding automotive starters, alternators, and repairs and maintenance of automotive and equipment electrical systems• Possess good customer/interpersonal relation skills, an outgoing personality, as well as good verbal communication skills

Salary Range:

Salary Range is CI$18,000.00 – CI$21,000.00 per annum depending on qualifications and experience.




AIL20120306

to blog visit www.ieyenews.com

30 MAR - 2 APRIL 2012 | www.ieyenews.com

3

A group of singers, guitarists and drummers who love singing Cayman’s favourite songs have been busy practicing for Cayfest’s Seaside with the CI Folk Singers.

The CI Folk Singers were started in 2009 by the Cayman National Cultural Foundation (CNCF), with the aim of keeping traditional music alive.

The group sings some of Cayman’s favourite songs, some handed down by Cayman’s most famous musical icon, “Aunt” Julia Hydes, as well as other songs from the wider Caribbean region.

This year, they will be teaming up with another great Cayman tradition – Easter Camping. The CI Folk Singers will be touring several different campsites on the island on 7 April so that everyone can join in the fun.

The CNCF’s Programmes & Marketing Officer, Kaitlyn Elphinstone, added: “It’s a way for us to bring the folk singers to the people instead of having to have a concert when the people come to us.”

CNCF’s Lorna Bush said: “The group currently consists of 15 members, however, we have had up to 40 persons in the group and the numbers will vary depending on the availability of

our volunteers. The group meets each Saturday for two hours in the Harquail Studio Theatre.

Anyone interested in singing or playing Cayman music and the region’s traditional songs is welcome to attend,” according to Ms Bush.

“Persons who do not wish to sing or play an instrument may also volunteer to assist behind the scenes. We also seek to grow our repertoire of folk songs and welcome Caymanian songwriters to share any music they have inherited,” she added.

iLocal

Christopher [email protected]

Singers get ready for seaside concert

The Cayman Islands Folk Singers rehearse for their campsite tour.

The Cayman Islands Folk Singers rehearse for their campsite tour.

iCommunity NEWS

Photos by Christopher Tobutt



The third annual Top Employer Awards black-tie gala was held at the Marriott Beach Resort on Saturday night, in which KPMG and BDO earned top honours in their size classification.

A total of 12 organisations met the standards to be recognised as a “Top Employer” achieving a minimum of at least 70 points out of a possible 100. Recipients in the Large Employer category were KPMG, Scotiabank & Trust, DMS, Aon, CUC, Marriott Beach Resort, HSBC, and RBC Wealth Management.

In the small to medium sized employer category, a classification for companies with fewer than 50 employees BDO took top honours while CML Offshore recruitment;

Steppingstones recruitment, and Caribbean Publishing were all recognised as Top Employers.

Thirty per cent of the overall score for employers came from the employer-submitted application and the other 70 per cent came from surveys given to all company employees. The criteria for being recognised as a Top Employer includes: physical environment, work atmosphere and camaraderie, community involvement, satisfaction level of pay and benefits, management practice, employee communications, learning and development, and diversity. To remain independent and unbiased the applications are reviewed and scored by judges in the US and Canada.

KPMG Managing Partner Roy McTaggart notes, “The award serves to validate our approach to our people agenda and our high performance culture, helping to ensure they

are motivated and happy in their professional careers and workplace environment. We are delighted to be recognised as the best place to work in the Cayman Islands and we congratulate all our fellow recipients of the award.

Human Resources Society Immediate Past President Phil Jackson, who initiated the Top Employer Award during his presidency, commented “This award is really about recognising and celebrating some of the things which make these organisations some of the most admired and Best Places to Work in the Cayman Islands. The Top Employers truly demonstrate a commitment not only to their staff, but have a positive impact in the community”.

The gala also featured an address by Judge Dan Ondrack, who spoke about the many positive effects of having a diverse workforce.

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Elaine Wilson’s voice rose in anger Tuesday as she described a police shooting in her impoverished community that she claims killed her 45-year-old sister almost two weeks ago.

Wilson was among roughly 60 protesters who gathered outside Jamaica’s security ministry in a rare street demonstration to demand an end to police shootings.

She said officers shot wildly during a March 16 raid in her poor Cassava Piece neighbourhood. Her sister Diane Gordon, a mother of two, was fatally shot in the head on the street as she returned from a child’s wake.

Police say Gordon was killed during a shootout between officers and gunmen, but residents deny there were gunmen in the area.

“I just want justice and for the killing to stop,” Wilson said at the protest, clutching a sign reading: “Peace cannot be built on impunity.”

The demonstration was organised by Jamaicans for Justice, a human rights group on the Caribbean island.

Protesters carried photographs of shooting victims and held placards denouncing police violence. “No state killings, stop legalised murders,” one sign proclaimed.

Gordon’s death is among roughly 50 police killings in Jamaica so far this year, nearly 30 of them in March. The killings, mostly in densely packed ghettos, have alarmed politicians on both sides of the politically divided island.

“The firing of high-powered weapons at close range in these communities is absolute madness. It seems, unfortunately, that this is a pattern of behaviour that has emerged,” opposition lawmaker Karl Samuda said after Gordon’s death.

After the demonstration, National Security Minister Peter Bunting met with a delegation of protesters and said the government is committed to reducing the level of violence and crime.

“I think the outrage and anger over the recent loss of a number of innocent lives is an appropriate

response and an encouraging signal that the society is growing intolerant of the subculture of violence that has developed over a number of decades,” Bunting said.

Police leaders say the department is striving to battle heavily armed criminals and tries to cooperate with communities in the fight against crime.

Police Commissioner Owen Ellington acknowledged in a statement to officers Friday that there has been “an abnormal increase in civilian fatalities arising from armed confrontation with criminal suspects in a very short period of time.”

Ellington said the police force has moved away from routinely using M-16 assault rifles and carbines in street level policing, replacing them with MP-5 submachine guns and Glock pistols. Pepper spray will also be reintroduced to some 6,000 officers.

There were 211 reported police killings last year on the island of 2.8 million people.

iLocal NEWS

iJamaica NEWS

Top employees awarded

Jamaica protesters call for end to police killings



5

On 6 January, assailants robbed a pizza delivery man outside a home in Patrick’s Island.

On 15 January, a masked man broke into the Capt Curry home of a West Bay man about 7pm, brandishing a firearm and stealing a wallet and two cell phones. No shots were fired and the assailant escaped on foot.

Police later described the suspect as of slim build and between 5’10” and 6ft tall. He was wearing a black mask and a long-sleeved black shirt and long black trousers.

The same day, only hours later, two masked men with a knife and a gun approached a man outside his Palm Dale, George Town home, stealing a bag with an undisclosed sum of cash.

Other January incidents occurred on 9 January, 18 January, 19 January, 24 January and 31January.

On 2 February, three men broke into a home on Magellan Quay in Governor’s Harbour, holding an elderly American couple at gunpoint while they took a range of electronic items.

The robbery was the third at the home in two years. Only one man has been apprehended and convicted in the home invasion.

On 7 Feb, in George Town’s Palm Dale area, three masked, armed men broke into the home of a 35-year-old male and his 32-year-old female companion, robbing them of the receipts

from a round-robin tournament at a local bar.

On 13 February, just before midnight, two masked men, one wielding a handgun, confronted three men playing dominoes in the front yard of a Greenwood Drive home in George Town. Fleeing on foot with cash taken from the dominoes players, they fired one

shot into the air.On March 6, victims reported a

burglary at Lakeside Villas on the Esterley Tibbetts Highway, in which, they told police, four masked men with machetes entered an apartment and tied up the three occupants, stealing cash and jewellery

Also in January, the courts

Steve Moore, head of the governor’s office in the Cayman Islands has announced Cayman Islands Governor H.E. Duncan Taylor will get to spend an extra year here following the extension of his contract by the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

“The Governor will therefore be here until January 2014,” said

Steve Moore.Although Governor Taylor has

no special reasons for the extra year, he did request it.

Normally, Cayman governors, who are appointed by Her Majesty, the Queen of England, serve for three years. Mr. Taylor, who arrived in mid-January 2010, would normally have completed his contract by next January.

iLocal NEWS

iLocal NEWS

Couple robbed by gun-gang

Governor Duncan Taylor gets extension to contract

Continued from front page

Tad [email protected]

addressed a number of home invasions from 2011,

On 3 January, Gregory Myles was remanded in custody for a Christmas morning George Town home burglary of a wallet containing credit/debit cards, US$200, CI$100 and other items.

On 4 January, Charlton Ebanks appeared in court, charged with a 15 November West Bay Road burglary of $9,500 worth of electronics and jewellery, and two 16 November Snug Harbour break-ins, in which he and an accomplice stole more electronics and jewellery.

On 8 February, Al Pearson, 37, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to a 13 October residential burglary he said he committed to feed his cocaine habit.

A police officer at the scene of the robbery



With some 19,000 plants and seedlings sold at the three islands’ Agriculture Shows held recently, it is easy to see that backyard farming has again found its place with residents on all three islands.

Growing up in the Cayman Islands in 1960s and 1970s, no one ever thought they would have to pay for mangoes and breadfruit, which abounded back then. Everyone either had these trees, or had a neighbour, friend or relative that did.

But as the population grew and fewer people planted these trees, and with hurricanes Ivan and Paloma destroying a lot of our fruit trees, buying mangoes and breadfruit became the norm. Today, with the assistance of Department of Agriculture and local nurseries, more and more people are buying and planting mango and breadfruit trees – in fact, mango trees are probably one of the most in-demand trees at the Department of Agriculture.

Additionally, in the earlier days, most people grew cassava, pumpkins, yams, and sweet potatoes and they shared with neighbours. But as many of the older farming generation died out and importation of goods became more reliable, this tradition ebbed away.

Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Agriculture Hon. Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, who has a passion for backyard farming, is encouraging residents to get back to basics and grow something in their backyards to put on their respective dinner tables.

“People would be surprised by the amount of food that can be harvested from a relatively small space. Since we live in the tropics, we can grow most all year long. As food prices rise, these types of mini-farms take on new economic meaning,” she stated.

For example, 100 square feet of space (or a 10’x10’ bed or plot) will greatly supplement at least a family of 2 throughout the growing seasons. Multiply the number of people you’d like to feed in your family by that 10 X 10 figure, and that’s roughly the amount of growing space you will need to supply your family with fresh

vegetables and herbs.Ms. O’Connor-Connolly also noted

there is generally much unused garden space in people’s backyard. Many of these plots would make suitable spaces for a food garden.

“Using grow-boxes and allowing children to see where food comes from is also very important,” the Minister advised. “Plus, what’s better than going out in your yard and picking fruits, vegetables and herbs from your own garden? They are fresh, and are organic, for the most part. Obviously, locally grown food is fresher, and there is satisfaction in seeing how it’s grown,” she added.

Hon. O’Connor-Connolly said, “Backyard farming is one step in building a local food economy, food security and a more sustainable way of living - a win-win for everyone including the planet.”

iLocal NEWS

Everyone can be a backyard farmer

Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Agriculture Hon. Juliana O’Connor-Connolly inspects a banana patch during a recent farm visit.

Cabbage that is being grown in a grow box.

Grow box requirements Select an open, sunny area to locate your grow box. Prepare the area by removing all weeds, large rocks, etc.

Grow box constructionMaterials: 1. Lumber 2. Nails 3. Ground cover. Recommended Size of Box (LxWxD): 12’ x 5’x 6” for shallow rooted crops OR 12’ x 5’ x 12” for deep-rooted crops

Grow box - growing medium (soil)The following materials are

recommended in the ratio given: 1 part Promix, 1 part Peatmoss and 1 part top-soil: Mix ingredients together thoroughly before filling your grow box.

Fertiliser requirement:One (1) tablespoon Triple Super Phosphate per hole, at planting, plus weekly applications of a soluble fertiliser e.g. Miracle-Gro or Phostrogen, at the recommended rate.

Pest control:The best approach is “nature’s alternative”. Often the best - and cheapest - way to control garden pests is not with chemical

pesticides. Nature provides many pest repellents such as shallot, mint, marigold and onion which when mixed in with crop plants can give effective pest control without harming beneficial insects or polluting the environment.

Other useful ways of getting rid of pests include: • sprays of non-detergent

insecticide soap; • regular scouting for pests and

hand picking them; and • if pesticide is needed, protect

the beneficial insects by using bio-pesticides (e.g. Dipel) and horticultural oils.

• If pest presence is high, natural method is not very effective. In this case call the Department of Agriculture

Crop:cabbage (different varieties), pak

choy, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato (different varieties), cucumber, shallots, beets, and peppers (different varieties).

For more information contact Department of Agriculture 947-3090 or

Email: [email protected]



7

Earth Day is approaching and the Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for its 15th annual Earth Day Roadside Clean-Up happening Saturday, April 14th from 7 am – 10 am along Cayman’s roadsides and beaches. Last year, this popular event had over 1500 participants sign-up and this year we hope to have even more! We are inviting anyone who would like to come out either as an individual or as a team to contact [email protected] or call 949-8090 ext. 121. It is a great activity for children too – so why not bring them along! Everybody’s welcome.

There is no charge to participate and the first 1000 people who sign-up receive a free event T-shirt, a water bottle, and a tote bag! All clean-up crews are also invited to a FREE brunch at 10 a.m. as a ‘thank

you’ for all your hard work thanks to our Brunch Sponsor LIME.

T-shirts, waterbottles, totebags, garbage bags, and latex gloves will be distributed to the clean-up crews the week of April 9th at the Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Centre in Governors Square. When you sign-up you can choose or be given a clean-up area for you as an individual or your team and this is where you will meet. The 7 a.m. –10 a.m. is just a guide as some people like to start earlier or a bit later. Drivers are asked to be extra vigilant on the day of the event as clean-up crews will be on the roads from as early as 6 a.m. The Department of Environmental Health has asked that ALL full bags are left on the side of a main road for collection (especially those collected from the beach).

The Chamber would like to acknowledge our T-shirt Sponsor for the event Deutsche Bank whose sponsorship allows for FREE event shirts to be given out to the first 1000 sign-ups. This year we are very pleased to say that we also have BritCay Insurance as our very first Water Bottle Sponsor and also Walkers, Island Heritage Insurance, and Royal Bank (Cayman) Ltd. as our very first tote bag sponsors! Featured on these items is specially designed event logo from the Department of Tourism.

Special thanks also to the Department of Environment Health for providing garbage bags and latex gloves and the Recreation, Parks, and Cemeteries Unit who with a team of 20 staff and 7 pickup trucks will collect

all the trash bags on Monday April 16th placed on the roadside between the hours of 5am to 1pm.

“The Earth Day Roadside Clean-Up has always been a successful event for the Chamber but this year we were pleased to see even more local businesses coming on board as sponsors of the event. This is a great outcome for our Islands and we just hope that our message of keeping Cayman clean and green is getting through to the community as a whole. We are a tourism destination blessed with a unique natural beauty that we should both respect and cherish. Let’s not limit ourselves to the month of April for these types of activities, let us keep our environment at the forefront of our minds all year round,” Wil Pineau, CCE, Chamber of Commerce CEO.

iLocal NEWS

It’s time to enter your team for the Earth Day Roadside Clean-Up



iWorld NEWS

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine court on Thursday ordered a Catholic girls’ school to allow five students to attend graduation ceremonies after they were barred over photos on Facebook that showed them wearing bikinis.

Judge Wilfredo Navarro of central Cebu City issued a restraining order against St. Theresa’s College High School, calling its decision to ban the students from Friday afternoon’s ceremonies un-Christian and unlawful.

School officials took action

against the girls for what they called “engaging in immoral, indecent, obscene or lewd acts,” according to court records. They allowed the students to graduate but not participate in activities or ceremonies.

The judge ordered the school to allow the girls to join the graduates’ procession. The school declined to comment, but asked the court to reconsider on Friday morning.

The girls’ lawyer, Cornelio Mercado, said a photo showed one girl holding a cigarette and a liquor bottle, while others showed

all five girls wearing bikinis at a beach party early this year.

Earlier this month, the five girls were summoned by the principal and other school officials, “dressed down” and called “sluts” for their Facebook pictures, Mercado said.

Mercado alleged that the school officials had illegally obtained the pictures since they were not Facebook “friends” of the girls and were not allowed access.

The mother of one girl petitioned the court on behalf of her daughter. Mercado said the ruling applied to all five.

Judge Navarro castigated the school officials for calling the girls “inappropriate names,” including “disgusting,” ‘’cheap” and “drunkards,” and said the students had gone through “a psychologically and emotionally devastating experience.” He said not allowing them to participate in graduation activities “would indeed be most un-Christian if not entirely inhuman.”

Mercado, the lawyer, said the families will file charges of child abuse and “grave oral defamation” against the school and school officials.

Appleby (Cayman) Ltd. has announced the formation of a dedicated Regulatory and Financial Services Team to provide advice to local and international clients on regulatory matters in the Cayman Islands.

The Regulatory and Financial Services Team will build on the wealth of the firm’s current expertise in this growing field. The focus of the team will include licensing and regulatory approvals, regulatory reporting, compliance, corporate governance, and risk management.

The team is led by corporate partner, Sherice Arman, and comprises leading practitioners from across various Appleby practice groups and teams, including banking and finance, insurance, local business, litigation, and private client and trusts. It includes partners Bryan Hunter, Nicholas Joseph and Sabrina Foster, counsel Robin McMillan, and associates Anna-Lise Bailey, Helen Spiegel and Samuel Banks. The team also draws on the experience of Mark Drummond, Compliance

Manager, and Richard McMillan, Managing Director of Appleby Trust (Cayman) Ltd.

Sherice commented on this strategic development saying,

“Appleby has been involved in complex regulatory work for a very long time, as such, the firm has tremendous expertise in this area. I am pleased that we have

now brought our service offering and depth of resources in this sector into focus by way of the cross-practice Regulatory and Financial Services Team”.

Appleby launches new Regulatory and Financial Services Team

Philippine court halts grad ban over bikini photos

Partner Sherice Arman, Appleby Regulatory and Financial Services Team Leader

iBusiness NEWS



9

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — It may be impossible to overstate the importance of bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs to American music. A pioneering banjo player who helped create modern country music, his sound is instantly recognisable and as intrinsically wrapped in the tapestry of the genre as Johnny Cash’s baritone or Hank Williams’ heartbreak.

Scruggs died Wednesday morning at age 88 of natural causes. The legacy he helped build with bandleader Bill Monroe, guitarist Lester Flatt and the rest of the Blue Grass Boys was evident

all around Nashville, where he died in an area hospital. His string-bending, mind-blowing way of picking helped transform a regional sound into a national passion.

“It’s not just bluegrass, it’s American music,” bluegrass fan turned country star Dierks Bentley said. “There’s 17 or 18-year-old kids turning on today’s country music and hearing that banjo and they have no idea where that came from. That sound has probably always been there for them and they don’t realise someone invented that three-finger roll

style of playing. You hear it everywhere.”

Country music has transcended its regional roots, become a billion-dollar music and tourist enterprise, and evolved far beyond the classic sound Monroe and The Blue Grass Boys blasted out over the radio on The Grand Ole Opry on Dec. 8, 1945. Though he would eventually influence American culture in wide-ranging ways, Scruggs had no way of knowing this as he nervously prepared for his first show with Monroe. The 21-year-old wasn’t sure how his new picking style would go over.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aerosmith has reunited with Jack Douglas, who produced the band’s key 1970s albums, and quietly recorded a new studio album even as its lead singer traded jokes with Jennifer Lopez on “American Idol.”

Steven Tyler said Aerosmith was finishing two final songs for the as-yet-untitled album, its first since 2004’s “Honkin’ on Bobo,” and that he expected it to be released in about three months.

Joined Wednesday by Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer at a Los Angeles mall, Tyler revealed

three track titles: “Legendary Child,” ‘’Beautiful” and “Out Go the Lights.” Earlier in the week, the band announced that its 18-stop US “Global Warming Tour” begins June 16 in Minneapolis.

“We will not let you down,” Tyler told reporters and cheering fans.

The “Idol” judge is engaged to model Erin Brady. Asked in an interview about what will be his third marriage, Tyler joked: “I cannot stop falling off stage and falling in love.”

Tyler said he reached out to Douglas — who produced 1974’s “Get Your Wings,” 1975’s “Toys

in the Attic” and other seminal albums from the multiplatinum Boston band — and the other group members joined him in Los Angeles. The group’s 15th studio album will feature tunes built around guitar riffs from tour jam sessions and

some previously shelved songs.“We have a lot of songs that are very

dear to us that we’ve written over the years,” Tom Hamilton said. “And we can feel it when it’s the perfect time to whip them out. And we’re having that kind of experience now.”

iWorld NEWS

Aerosmith promises new album in three months

Bluegrass pioneer Earl Scruggs dies at age 88

St. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP) — A snowplow driver and his wife went to great lengths to dispose of the body of a popular teacher they had just beaten and strangled, putting her nude body on a tarp, pouring bleach on it, weighing the corpse down with concrete blocks and tossing it into the Connecticut River, court documents allege.

Allen Prue, 30, and his wife, 33-year-old Patricia Prue, were riding around when he got the idea “to get a girl,” a police affidavit said. They are accused of luring single mother Melissa Jenkins from her home by pretending their vehicle

had broken down. Her vehicle was found idling Sunday with her unharmed 2-year-old son inside.

The couple pleaded not guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder in the death of Jenkins, a 33-year-old science teacher at the prestigious St. Johnsbury Academy, and unauthorised burial or removal of a dead body. More charges are possible, police said.

People in the close-knit communities of northeastern Vermont had been speculating about the crime and who was responsible.

“But they didn’t expect the

gruesome” details, said a tearful Marion Beattie Cairns, the owner of The Creamery Restaurant, where Jenkins had worked part-time as a waitress and people had gathered since her disappearance to console each other.

Vermont State Police Maj. Ed Ledo said he hoped the arrests would bring closure for Jenkins’ family and friends.

“We can now turn our full attention to healing from this tragic loss, celebrating Melissa’s life and mourning her death,” said Joe Healy, a spokesman for St. Johnsbury Academy.

Details of teacher’s death stun communities



We received a letter from the Cayman Contractors Association (CCA) concerning issues they have with the government’s deal with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to build the cruise berthing facility. It is an excellent letter and it was addressed to Ellio Solomon, the George Town MLA entrusted by Premier Hon McKeeva Bush to spearhead the negotiations.

I have to pray this letter does not go unheeded by government. A number of their concerns I have, along with others, mentioned in a number of my editorials, none of which have been answered adequately. Yes, Mr Solomon has given many assurances concerning local labour being used but I am concerned he is more than a little naïve if he thinks CHEC will keep their word concerning this.

In any negotiations to a contract, at the beginning, everything is all smiles and handshakes. Even written ‘agreements in principle’ and memorandums saying what the client wants to hear are only

just that. I am sorry to say all the government members are amateurs and small fry when it comes to dealing with giant whales and sharks. And make no mistake CHEC are BIG predators.

“Entering into an agreement with a company who are providing the funding and managing the spending of those funds is also concerning,” the CCA letter warns. “This leaves virtually no control to the Cayman Islands Government on how much is actually spent. It also will affect the terms in the agreement, making them ambiguous as to the true cost to our Islands. This will possibly place the Cayman Islands Government in a position where we cannot afford to terminate the contract.”

How true. The letter cites documented independent government reports and media accounts and names Jamaica, “where, unlike Cayman, there is a large skilled and inexpensive labour force available. There is a repeating pattern with the CHEC group in their business dealings with regional governments. CHEC uses its vast resources to offer attractive financing (well below ordinary commercial rates) to

regional governments with no liability. CHEC then promises to hire local labour and companies to perform parts of the works.”

Are you reading this Ellio?“Once an agreement is signed,

CHEC will later state that all the local bids are too high, local labour is too expensive, local materials are too costly. CHEC is owned and financed by the People’s Republic of China, with access to preferred lending arrangements than are available to us. Invariably, workers from China are brought in and are housed and fed in owner supplied housing and cafeteria facilities (work camps). Materials are imported from China directly, thereby reducing further any economic advantages to local businesses. If this same practice is allowed to occur,” CCA warns, “this will cause irreparable damage to the local work force and suppliers and will cause project cost escalation.”

The CCA has asked the government to include seven recommendations before signing any deal with CHEC, including a commitment that they will demobilise and leave after the facility is completed, and it will

bring only managerial, supervisory and specialist personnel to Cayman. CHEC will hire all other workers locally and not set up its own work camps, and will rent from available local housing. The CCA also ask government to ensure CHEC adopts the rates supplied by the CCA and exclusively subcontract all MEP and non-marine works to local contractors, as well as using up all local equipment, trucks and materials before importing from abroad.

Ellio said in an interview he gave iNews Cayman he has already addressed most of the seven points the CCA has raised but it would be nice if a copy of the Articles of Agreement with the CHEC could be made public before signing. When he met with the CCA he stated, “this project must put our locals to work and utilise the services of our local contractors and subcontractors wherever possible.”

It is “the wherever possible” terminology that worries me. It worries me not only as a citizen of this country and editor-in-chief of a newspaper here, but as a Chartered Builder and Quantity Surveyor. It most certainly worries the CCA.

Colin [email protected]

iEditorial OPINION

CCA warning letterThe Editor speaks

iThought... You should not glory in clothing at any time, and you should not let yourself be extolled in the day of your honor. For the works of the Most High alone are wondrous; and glorious and hidden and unseen are his works. Ecclesiasticus 11:4

Lamar Smith, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, is currently presiding over a hearing on new guidelines for immigration detention in the USA that were issued last month and are now beginning to go into effect.

If you think the way the immigration department treat detainees here is bad, in the USA, it would appear to be atrocious.

In an article that appeared in The New York Times last Tuesday (27) under the title “Detention Is No Holiday” you will find everything that goes against basic

human rights the USA trumps out it stands for.

Mr. Smith thinks nothing is wrong and he and his six other members (Smith is a republican from Texas) even says the USA “is too nice to the immigrants it detains. We are being too generous in deciding to give them safe water, an hour a day of recreation, and off-site medical care if they are in danger of dying.”

The truth belies that statement. The writer of the article, Edwidge Danticat, cites the case of his uncle who arrived in Miami after fleeing Haiti, was 81 years old and a throat

cancer survivor using an artificial voice box. Although he had a valid passport when he requested political asylum, he was arrested and taken to the Krome detention centre in Miami. His medications for high blood pressure and an inflamed prostate were taken away, and when he fell ill during a hearing, a Krome nurse accused him of faking his illness. When he was finally transported, in leg chains, to the prison ward of a nearby hospital, it was already too late. He died the next day.

There are other cases mentioned: Rosa Isela Contreras-Dominguez, who was 35 years old and pregnant when she died in immigration custody in Texas in 2007. She

had a history of blood clots, and said her complaints regarding leg pains were ignored. Mayra Soto, a California woman who was raped by an immigration officer. Hiu Lui Ng, a 34-year-old Chinese immigrant with a fractured spine was dragged on the floor and refused the use of a wheelchair in a detention centre in Rhode Island.

The article states there are “30,000 vulnerable people in USA jails and detention centres” and Smith and his panel say they deserve little right to proper medical care, that their very lives are luxuries, and that it is not the USA’s responsibility to protect them.

I have had to rethink my feelings towards immigration here.

Immigration Georgina [email protected]



11

Florida shooter’s race a complicated matterWASHINGTON (AP) — At first, the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager at the hands of a white neighbourhood watch volunteer was playing out like many previous tragedies that cut short the lives of young black men.

Soon however, it became obvious that sorting out racial dynamics in the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin would not be simple. Police described the shooter, George Zimmerman, as white. His father called him a “Spanish speaking minority” with many black relatives and friends.

While public outrage simmered over perceptions that local police didn’t do enough to investigate Martin’s death, possible racial motives on Zimmerman’s part became tough to pin down. His background and associations cut across racial lines, and his racial identity didn’t fit neatly into a box.

“It’s easy to label this as an act of white racism, but it’s really an act of stereotyping, which many groups are capable of and it is occurring in the context of extraordinarily permissive laws,” said Manuel Pastor, a professor of American studies and ethnicity at the University of Southern California.

On Twitter, there was genuine confusion about Zimmerman’s race. Is he Latino or white? Is Hispanic a race, or not? Shouldn’t he, a Latino, have known better than to engage in racial profiling? Might he be Jewish, based on his last name? Many said his Hispanic lineage had nothing to do with the fact that the justice system had failed Martin, while some said Zimmerman’s identity was very important.

“I’m actually happy that George Zimmerman is Hispanic so the usual white people are all guilty by virtue of their skin colour stuff won’t work,” said a March 22 tweet by John Hawkins, who described himself as a professional blogger at Right Wing News.

Hispanic people can be black, white, Asian or mixed. Some

18 million Latinos checked the “some other race” category on their 2010 Census forms — which admonished in bold letters that Hispanic is not a race. So many Hispanics identified themselves as white, the overall number of white people in the United States increased.

“We sit in this in between place in the United States. In the U.S., when we think about race, it’s usually black and white. ... Latinos complicate that dichotomy,” said Cynthia Duarte, associate director of research for the Institute of Latino Studies at Notre Dame.

On voter registration forms, George Zimmerman identified himself as Hispanic, as did his mother. His father, Robert, listed himself as white on voter registration forms. Zimmerman’s mother, Gladys, is originally from Peru.

Ethnicities in Peru run the gamut. Descendants of the original people or Amerindians of Peru, those who were under rule of the Incan empire, are the largest ethnic group, followed by those who are a mix of Spanish and Amerindian ancestry, also known as mestizos. Whites are about 15 percent of the population, followed by blacks, Asians and other groups. Class distinctions based on race and language persist in Peru, with whites at the top of the societal hierarchy and indigenous people often at the bottom, a vestige of Spanish colonialism.

Kay Hall, a former neighbour of the Zimmermans when they lived in Manassas, Va., said Zimmerman’s mother spoke fluent English and Spanish but she’s not certain if George Zimmerman or his brother spoke Spanish. She didn’t remember Gladys sharing any stories about her life in Peru or seeing the family carrying out any traditional Peruvian cultural activities.

“I saw Hispanics, blacks, all kinds of people visiting over there,” Hall said. “I don’t think they had any kind of racial problems.”

Neither Zimmerman nor his

family members were available to comment about their family history. Beyond what’s in the police report, Zimmerman has yet to give his side of what happened the night of Feb. 26, when he called police to say he was following a “suspicious” person he believed was on drugs, while Martin, wearing a hooded sweat shirt, walked through the gated Sanford, Fla., townhome community where Zimmerman lives. Police have not charged Zimmerman, who told them he shot Martin in self-defense, something considered justified homicide under Florida’s “stand your ground law.”

What Martin’s case represents most profoundly is how hazardous it is to judge people simply on the basis of the way they look, said Janet Murguia, president of the National Council of La Raza. The cautionary tale applies both to Martin and to Zimmerman, she said.

“The bottom line is you can’t tell if someone is Latino simply by looking at them,” Murguia said.

Where Zimmerman may fit within the range of Hispanic identity is another matter. Although Robert Zimmerman described his son as “Spanish speaking,” it’s clear from the 911 call made that night that George Zimmerman is comfortable speaking English. Some Latinos may not consider Zimmerman to be truly Latino, since only one of his parents is Hispanic.

Some Hispanics, mostly in the Southwest, will say they are Spanish to make clear they identify with Spanish explorers who came to the Americas in the 1500s. In Texas, Latino has only recently become an identifying term; Tejano, Chicano or Mexican American have been more common. Cubans, who make up a large share of Hispanics in Florida, are more likely to identify as white than Puerto Ricans, whose presence is growing in Florida.

Beyond that, there is the question of tensions between Hispanics and blacks. Florida also has had its

share of this, namely last year’s shootings of black men by Cuban-American officers in Miami.

As anti-Hispanic and anti-immigrant rhetoric has intensified in recent years, many Latinos have come to hold their collective breath when a crime occurs, many thinking: Please don’t let the perpetrator be Latino. Please don’t let the perpetrator be an immigrant. Please don’t let the perpetrator be in the country illegally.

“It pains me to see that someone who identifies himself as Latino was involved in this,” Murguia said. “But I want to make very clear that being Hispanic does not excuse or absolve George Zimmerman of his actions.”

George Zimmerman, a neighbourhood watch volunteer who shot and killed black Florida teenager Trayvon Martin

iWorld NEWS



iWorld NEWS

HAVANA (AP) — The spiritual leader of the world’s Roman Catholics and the brothers who have carried Cuba along an increasingly solitary Communist path mixed warm smiles with the hard language of their respective camps during Pope Benedict XVI’s three-day tour of Cuba.

Often, the polite octogenarians at the heart of this religio-political drama appeared to be talking past each other, the pontiff using biblical parables about cruel, long-dead kings, the Castros their customary language of revolution and defiance to American dominance.

In his respectful send-off, President Raul Castro acknowledged in the visit’s greatest understatement: “We do not think alike on all matters.”

The first indication of whether the sides heard each other could come as early as next week, when Castro must decide whether to grant the pope’s unusual request to declare Good Friday a holiday, despite the fact it does not have that status in the United States or much of Europe or even Mexico, the most Catholic of the world’s Spanish-speaking countries.

Progress on larger issues, such as the church’s desire for greater access to state-run airwaves, permission to run schools and hospitals, and license to build new churches, will take longer to assess. Certainly, no concessions were announced. And privately, insiders here doubt the government will ever yield ground on education and health care, which it considers the pillars of the revolution and core responsibilities of the government.

Benedict pointedly criticised Cuba’s Marxist system even before he arrived, then followed up in homilies and speeches with repeated calls for freedom, renewal and reconciliation, as well as references to prisoners and those “deprived of freedom.” One of Raul Castro’s top aides, economic czar Marino Murillo, wasted little time in responding: “In Cuba, there will not be political reform.”

While the president has begun an

overhaul of Cuba’s economy, he has been much slower to make political changes and remains surrounded by a coterie of confidantes who have been with him and his brother since their rebel days. As recently as January, he took to the airwaves to firmly defend the island’s one-party Communist system, saying it is necessary given U.S. hostility.

“We should not expect popes to be miracle workers,” said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior fellow at Georgetown University and longtime Vatican observer. “But Benedict’s visit should keep Cuba on track moving gradually toward greater freedom for both the church and society at large.”

As with most sequels, the trip did not live up to the original: the historic 1998 tour by Benedict’s predecessor, John Paul II.

The crowds were smaller, the quotes somewhat derivative. The agenda was also less ambitious, with large chunks of it behind closed doors. Even the personalities paled in comparison: John Paul was one of the towering figures of the 20th century, Fidel is among its most famous revolutionaries and best-known atheists.

If they share anything in common, Raul and Benedict are both caretakers of other men’s legacies.

To longtime observers, the reactions seemed predictable as well.

In South Florida, local media focused on the harassment of the island’s small dissident community and the brusque removal of a protester shouting anti-government slogans at the Mass in Santiago. While some members of a troupe of mostly Cuban-American pilgrims said their experience made them question long-held preconceptions, hard-liners said the pontiff’s visit only demonstrated how little on the island has changed.

“The pope’s visit helped show that there is no political space and no political liberty in Cuba,” U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, a staunchly pro-embargo Florida Republican, told The Associated Press.

Indeed, while the government repeatedly said it would listen to the pope respectfully, it also used his visit to hammer home oft-repeated talking points.

Castro used his welcoming speech for Benedict at the airport in the eastern city of Santiago to rail against the 50-year-old U.S. economic embargo, criticise capitalist decadence and warn of a nuclear holocaust presumably wrought at American hands, while talking up Cuban achievements in health care and education.

The next evening, Fidel Castro recalled the Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961, warned of a global scarcity of resources and took a shot at U.S. President Barack Obama in an opinion piece in which he announced that his much-anticipated meeting with Benedict was on for Wednesday.

When they did meet, Fidel and Benedict joked about their

advanced years, and the retired Cuban leader quizzed the pontiff on the ins and outs of his job. Benedict, in his final comments, sprinkled references to the Vatican’s long-standing opposition of the U.S. embargo in with calls for more freedom.

Ordinary Cubans had heard these lines before, and many said they were taking a wait-and-see approach.

Many remembered John Paul’s visit, which cemented warmer state ties with the church and resulted in headlines like Christmas being declared a holiday.

“John Paul II was a pope who undid the latch,” said Jose Luis Lavin, a 35-year-old government food worker who witnessed Benedict’s Wednesday morning Mass in Revolution Plaza. “Now, we’ll see with this one what agreement there was, whether there will be more freedom.”

Analysis: Pope, Castros talked past each other

In this picture made available by the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano Pope Benedict XVI meets with Fidel Castro in Havana

Pope Benedict XVI and Cuban President Raul Castro



13

With prize money totaling USD $4,500 to be won, and after more than six months of intense competition, 50 keen students, teachers, parents and VIPs attended the Saxon Investment Competition awards held at George Town Library on March 23rd as Saxon announced the 2012 prize winners. The $2500 first place and $1500 second place prize went to Twenehminets, PWG2 of Cayman Prep & High School, and the $500 third place prize went to International College of the Cayman Islands (ICCI).

On hand to celebrate in the successes of the students, as well as recognise the hard work and determination demonstrated over the course of the competition by all students, were the Honourable Rolston Anglin, the Minister of Education, Training and Employment, as well as guest speaker Don Seymour, Founder of DMS.

As originally slated last year the award prize money totaled USD $3,000, however in learning about the Saxon Investment Club in 2011, the Honourable Rolston Anglin demonstrated the ministry’s support for the successes of the students - and upped the prize money offerings by pledging the additional USD $1,000 and $500 to the second and third place teams respectively.

The Saxon Investment Competition provided the opportunity for 14 to 19-year-old

students from John Gray High School, Cayman Prep & High School, St. Ignatius Catholic School, ICCI and Cayman Brac High School to gain hands-on experience in the world of investing by maintaining a virtual portfolio with stocks traded in the US markets.

This in turn required them to research the companies that they had chosen for their group’s portfolio.

The awards event included a short strategy presentation by the winning team, and special guest speaker, Don Seymour, shared some inspiring words about his own life experiences, as well as the Honourable Rolston Anglin who encouraged the teens to continue on the journey of educating themselves to facilitate a more sound understanding of their financial future. Don Seymour, founder of DMS, Saxon’s parent company, also assisted CEO of Saxon, Brian Williams, in the presentation of the prizes

Commented Mr. Williams, “It is incredibly rewarding to see how far our students have come and know that they have gained invaluable insight to the world of investing at a young age, paving the way to financial success. Saxon is committed to investing in our youth for we recognise that there is no better investment in Cayman’s future than instilling young minds with knowledge and wisdom.”

Shining light on the

accomplishments of Cayman Prep & High School - Twenehminets; at the close of the competition had a gain of 64% and PWG2 had a gain of 59% followed by the International College Cayman Islands team with 46% . Each team began the competition with $100,000 in their hypothetical portfolio and chose stocks based collectively on their interests or research.

Brian Williams, CEO of Saxon, commented, “The students really found their footing in the investment world, learning just how unpredictable and volatile the markets can be – but gaining an understanding of strategies used to ensure the best performance. I am very proud of all of our students – it is a learning curve and they are enthusiastically taking each day at a time, gaining a sound understanding of the investment world.”

Mr. Williams made an astute observation regarding the groups that made profits, pointing out that the more diversified portfolios had more stability and performed better. He commented that the groups that had negative returns tended to only invest in two or three stocks. The groups discussed performance gaining invaluable insight on strategies for investing. Mr. Williams commented, “One of the lessons that the students are learning is that having a wider range of stocks can typically have an overall stabilising effect as

it can counterbalance the poor performance of a single stock.”

He added, “The whole point of this club is to provide students exposure to the realities and fast pace of the investment world. Learning from experience is a crucial part of this process.”

Mr. Williams added, “We want to thank everyone who came out and joined us for this celebration. And to the Honourable Rolston Anglin – we cannot express how appreciative we are for his ministry’s support. On behalf of Saxon, we want to once again thank the students and teachers alike for sharing this experience with us. We look forward to the fourth installment of the Saxon Investment Club, and to continue doing our part to educate and prepare Cayman’s youth.”

Saxon Pension Services, a client services agent for Silver Thatch Pensions, is a pension services provider in the Cayman Islands powered by dynamic people using superior technology. Delivering client and administrative services to more than 14,800 individual account holders with assets in excess of $300 million, Saxon has gained an enviable reputation and is recognised as a leader in its market. Facilitated by investments in technology, Saxon is capable of providing flexible solutions in both the onshore and offshore pension environment while maintaining a personal approach to client relationships.

Saxon Investment Club announces the 2012 Grand Prize winners

iJokesiBusiness NEWS

( l to r) Don Seymour, Founder and Managing Director of DMS; Brian Williams, CEO of Saxon; Cayman Prep and High School – Tewenehminutes, grand prize winners for the USD $2500 Iain Currie, Jordan McLaughlin, Paul Foster, Alex Leonard



LONDON (AP) — Government warnings that motorists should stock up at the pump ahead of a threatened strike by British fuel tanker drivers prompted scattered outbreaks of panic buying Thursday.

Gasoline sales have surged more than 80 percent, jerry cans are flying off the shelves, and — in at least some places in southwest England — lines have become so long that police ordered stations to close to ease congestion.

“I’m very, very busy,” said Balaji Adusuballi, who helps run the White Mare Pool Shell station in the northern England city of Gateshead, where the line of cars stretched out into the road. “There’s a queue since this morning. It’s very unusual.”

A drivers’ association laid the blame for the sudden surge in demand on the government’s reaction to a threatened strike by the Unite union, which could close thousands of gas stations. Although a strike date hasn’t been set — and there has to be a weeklong warning period — ministers have been advising Britons that it would be sensible to make sure they had extra gasoline just in case.

Opposition politicians have accused the ruling Conservative Party of inflaming the situation after days of negative headlines over party donors and controversy over the government’s deficit-reduction plans.

“They made a crude decision to play politics with petrol without regard for the consequence,” Labour Party leader Ed Miliband said.

The government has said they’re taking the appropriate precautions.

“If they go on strike the country will have a problem,” Transport Minister Mike Penning told BBC television late Tuesday. “Let’s be prepared for that in case it happens.”

Britain’s Automobile Association said that the official advice was to blame for the run on the pumps.

“If drivers followed normal fuel

buying patterns there would be no fuel shortage whatsoever,” AA president Edmund King said. “We now have self-inflicted shortages due to poor advice about topping up the tank and hoarding in jerry cans. This in turn has led to localised shortages, queues and some profiteering at the pumps.”

Britain’s Petrol Retailers Association said Thursday that gasoline sales were up 81 percent, with diesel sales up 43 percent. British retailer Halfords reported that sales of fuel cans had tripled.

“It is clear that there is an element of panic buying,” Halfords commercial director Paul McClenaghan said. “Sales started rising dramatically after the government issued their warning.”

Police in Dorset, in southwest England, have asked that gas stations close, at least temporarily, because the oversize lines were “causing danger to other road users.”

Fuel strikes have the potential to cause serious political damage in Britain, where gasoline prices are already among the highest in Europe. A damaging series of fuel blockages caused a headache for Tony Blair’s government back in 2000.

Some UK gas stations shut after fuel panic-buyingiWorld NEWS

Drivers queue for petrol and diesel at a fuel station in Gateshead, England

A driver is seen filling a plastic jerry can at a fuel station



15

By Matt Fitzgerald, Experience Life

Matt Fitzgerald is a running and triathlon expert and the author of several books.

Shortly after Jon Boyle, 23, competed in his first triathlon in 2005, he developed pain in his lower back and right shoulder. It bothered him most when he ran, but also while riding his bike and sitting at his desk, where he worked 10 to 12 hours a day as an Internet consultant. Guessing that postural imbalances were to blame, Boyle, who now lives in Boca Raton, Fla., sought help from Eric Cressey, CSCS, owner of Cressey Performance Training Center in Hudson, Mass.

“Right away I saw that Jon lacked mobility in his thoracic [middle] spine and stability in his lumbar [lower] spine,” says Cressey, who specialises in balancing athletes’ bodies. He designed a strength-training programme to correct these problems. “The pain went away completely within two months, and I’ve been pain-free for two and a half years now,” says Boyle.

While most people will seldom feel pain directly along their thoracic spine, Cressey and other experts understand that its relative immobility can cause pain both above and below it in the back’s kinetic chain.

Reclaiming Flexibility

Considering how dramatically an inflexible thoracic spine can affect your body, it’s surprising how few people even know where it is. Located in the mid-back, the thoracic spine consists of the 12 vertebrae sandwiched between the five vertebrae of the lumbar spine and the seven vertebrae of the cervical (upper) spine. “The curvature of the spine naturally forms three main segments,” explains Cressey.

These segments each have a

primary function. “The lumbar spine and cervical spine are designed to provide stability, while the thoracic spine is designed to provide mobility,” says Michael Boyle, CSCS (no relation to Jon), a Massachusetts-based strength-and-conditioning coach and editor of www.strengthcoach.com. Specifically, the thoracic spine allows you to bend your trunk forward and backward (flexion and extension) and side to side, and to twist your trunk each way (rotation).

For many of us, the thoracic spine does not extend and rotate as well as it should. “Sitting is the main culprit,” says coach Boyle. “When you’re seated, your thoracic spine is locked in a flexed position. Over time, people who spend most of the day sitting lose some of their range of motion.”

While an immobile thoracic spine doesn’t necessarily cause pain directly in the mid-back, it may lead to pain in the shoulders, neck and lower back. “It’s common for people who are knotted up at the thoracic spine to make up for the lack of mobility there with excessive movement in the lumbar spine,” says Cressey. The result is lower-back pain, which affects 80 percent of Americans at one time or another.

The shoulders and neck also compensate for poor thoracic spine mobility, he adds. The shoulder blades gradually move away from the spine, making it more difficult to raise the arms overhead. This increases the likelihood of shoulder injuries and other problems.

“You may get neck pain and tension headaches due to compensations that take place in the cervical spine and the neck,” says Cressey.

To improve your thoracic flexibility, simply add a few extension and rotation exercises to your preworkout warm-up routine. (You’ll also benefit by adding lumbar stability exercises to your strength workouts.) Devote just a little time to mobilizing your mid-

back, and you’ll feel the difference everywhere else.

Improve Your Mid-Back MobilityYour thoracic spine moves in four ways: It flexes both forward and side to side, extends (bends backward), and rotates (twists left and right). Virtually everyone has plenty of thoracic spine flexion. It’s the capacity to extend and rotate that is restricted in most of us.

To improve your thoracic spine mobility, regularly perform exercises involving extension and rotation of the thoracic spine. Eric Cressey, CSCS, owner of Cressey Performance Training Center in Hudson, Mass., recommends you include these exercises in your warm-up routine.

Supine Thoracic Spine Mobilisation With Tennis BallsDuct tape two tennis balls together and place them on the floor. Lie face-up on the floor so the balls are underneath your mid-back, with one ball on either side of your spine. Your knees should be sharply bent, feet flat on the floor. Bend your elbows 90 degrees and press your forearms together in front of your face in a “prayer” position to spread your shoulder blades away from your spine and give the tennis balls better access to the muscles on either side of your thoracic spine.

Allow the weight of your torso to sink into the tennis balls so that your mid-back arches around them. Keeping your lower back in contact with the floor, contract your abs and curl your torso upward slightly in a crunch. Scoot your butt forward on the floor and lie back again so that your spine extends over the tennis balls at a point just above where it did so previously. Continue to curl up, scoot forward and lie back until the ball has traveled from the point of your spine that’s about even

with your belly button all the way up to just above the level of your shoulder blades.

Quadruped Extension RotationKneel on all fours. Lift and bend your left arm and place your left hand on the back of your head. Now twist your torso to the right so that your left elbow swivels toward your right arm, which should be kept straight. Now rotate back toward the starting position, but go a bit farther, so that your eyes are directed toward the wall to your left. Be careful not to rotate from the hips — all of the movement should come from your mid-back. Complete 12 rotations and then reverse your arm positions and rotate the opposite way.

Stabilize Your Lumbar Spine

An immobile thoracic spine does not occur in isolation. It’s almost always coupled with inadequate stability in the lumbar spine. Michael Boyle, CSCS, a Massachusetts-based strength-and-conditioning coach, recommends this exercise to increase lumbar stability.

Side Bridge

Lie on your right side with your legs fully extended and stacked, and your right arm bent 90 degrees with your forearm on the floor. Lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from your neck to your ankles, with your weight on your forearm. You may do this exercise in front of a mirror to make sure your hips don’t sag toward the floor. Hold the bridge position for two or three 10-second increments and then switch sides. Do this exercise two or three times per week, and try to work up to 40 seconds total in 10-second bouts per side.

Read more: http://www.care2.

com/greenliving/3-exercises-to-treat-

back-pain.html#ixzz1qKexZsMv

Exercises to Treat Back PainiHealth LIFESTYLE



My friends at Care2 sent me this disturbing article by Katie Waldeck

It’s not just polar bears and tigers that are threatened by endangerment. Indeed, there are a number of fascinating, beautiful, and odd plants that are on the brink of extinction. Click through for some of the planet’s most unique and gorgeous plants. What are we doing to our planet?

1. Mother-in-Law’s CushionThese cacti are more scientifically known as echinocactus grusonii. A popular houseplant, Mother-In-Law’s Cushion is critically endangered in its native Mexico.

2. Ko’oloa’ulaFewer than 500 ko’oloa’ula plants remain in the dry forests of Hawaii, making it one of the state’s most endangered plants. Once used to make leis, the beautiful flowers are often hidden by the plant’s much larger leaves, so it’s often hard to notice the plant from a distance.

3. Giant Quiver TreeThese critically endangered trees are native to Namibia and South Africa, where many unusual succulent species call home. They can grow up to 32 feet tall. They’re considered the most prized aloe tree by American gardeners, and, on the rare occasion seeds or plants are for sale, have a hefty price tag.

4. Orbea ParadoxaThese unusual flowers were nearly extinct after the construction of a dam in their native South Africa. Luckily, however, the National Botanical Institute of South Africa was able to rescue a number of specimens.

5. Corpse FlowerOne of two plants that earn the nickname “corpse flower,” for emitting an odour akin to the smell of rotting flesh, the Rafflesia arnoldii is native to Sumatra,

Indonesia. It holds the distinction as being the largest flower on earth; it grows to about 3 feet in diameter and weighs as much as 24 pounds! The number still surviving in the wild is unknown, but its rainforest habitat is suffering from deforestation.

6. WelwitschiaThese odd plants are native to the Namib desert in Africa, and appear on Namibia’s national coat of arms. Some welwitschia are thought to be up to 2,000 years old!

7. Capa RoseThey used grow all over the island of Puerto Rico; today, however, its habitat is considerably smaller. Like many endangered species, deforestation, agriculture and forest service management are all contributing to its decline. Hurricanes are also a threat to the capa rose.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-beautiful-endangered-plants-slideshow.html#ixzz1qS8UVJQy

Georgina [email protected]

Beautiful endangered plants

1: Mother-in-Law’s Cushion

2: Ko’oloa’ula

3: Giant Quiver Tree 7: Capa Rose

6: Welwitschia

4: Orbea Paradoxa

5: Corpse Flower

iEnvironment NEWS



17

iSports WORLD

MONTREAL (AP) — The Canadiens fired general manager Pierre Gauthier after a dismal season and

split with Montreal great Bob Gainey on Thursday, insisting such play will not be tolerated by a franchise long part of hockey history.

“We need to remember that our fans want us to win, period,” owner Geoff Molson said. “Our organisational culture is to support and adopt this passion for victory. Nothing else matters.”

A string of moves by Gauthier failed to revive Montreal, which has been hit by injuries and is 29-34-14, last in the Eastern Conference.

“Everyone in this organisation, including our players, expected better,” said Molson, stressing the

Canadiens’ standard is to reach the top, not just make the playoffs.

Gainey, whom Gauthier succeeded as GM, is leaving his role as team adviser, Molson said at news conference. Gainey and Gauthier are longtime friends. Serge Sarvard, another Canadiens star, will advise Molson in the search for a new GM.

Molson praised his team’s fans and spoke of a restoration to the day when the Canadiens ruled the NHL, pointing to a stockpile of draft picks and promises of acquiring new talent.

Gauthier fired assistant Perry Pearn and then coach Jacques Martin in mid-December, only to

find himself in even more trouble for appointing unilingual Randy Cunneyworth as interim coach.

With protests from some Quebec nationalist groups and an ongoing controversy in the media, Gauthier apologised and promised that a French-speaking coach would be behind the bench next season.

In February, Molson resorted to Twitter to deny that Gauthier had been dismissed. Gauthier was hired as GM and executive vice president in February 2010, taking over from Gainey. He joined the organisation in 2003 when he was appointed director of professional scouting.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Magic Johnson is about to learn $2 billion only buys you so much. Now he’ll need to bring the Los Angeles Dodgers the same success he brought the Lakers.

News that Johnson and his partners agreed to purchase the team

sparked a groundswell of excited chatter and optimism Wednesday that the man who ran “Showtime” could restore luster to the once-proud franchise.

The amount Johnson and his partners are paying would be mind-

blowing if it was just for the team itself. But it also gives Johnson’s group the right to reel in future riches from TV and real estate associated with the Dodgers.

“A big part of the purchase price is all those other things,” said David

Carter, executive director of USC Sports Business Institute. “You’ve got a great piece of property you can develop and make a game-day experience around Chavez Ravine. A likely billion-dollar cable (television) rights deal that will come out of it makes it a very unique sale.”

Current owner Frank McCourt handpicked Johnson’s group to buy the Dodgers on Tuesday, just five hours after Major League Baseball approved three finalists in a bankruptcy auction. The deal is one of several steps toward a sale of the team by the end of April. It is subject to approval by a federal bankruptcy judge.

“The interest in this franchise and its historic sale price are profound illustrations of the great overall health of our industry,” baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said. “This has been a long, difficult process, and I once again want to thank the great Dodger fans for their loyalty and patience.”

Johnson’s group would gain the ability to sell the Dodgers’ local broadcasting rights starting with games in 2014. It likely would use money gained from the rights sale — or from the team’s own network with outside investment — and use those funds to pay down the acquisition debt. The team’s debt stood at $579 million as of January, according to a court filing.

Johnson is seemingly a perfect fit. He lives locally, he already knows what it takes to win championships, and he’s proven he can succeed in real estate, retail and entertainment .

Canadiens fire general manager Pierre Gauthier

Johnson signs on to lend his magic to Dodgers

Pierre Gauthier



iSports LOCAL

Race Cayman 2012 – Optimist Championship Results

some very talented youth sailors in the Cayman Islands”.The regatta took place about 150 metres off the sailing club dock in Red Bay – which meant that parents, family and well-wishers could all eye ball the intense action. The regatta was over three days (Friday – Sunday) with winds speeds of up to 19 knots in the gust at times. This did not make racing any easier for our light and relatively inexperienced local

racers. Head coach Raph Harvey said, “At times I wished the wind would just drop off (if only just for the upwind legs) a few knots, to make it a bit easier on their tiny frames, but they dug deeper and got on with the task-at-hand, and for efforts like that you can ask for no more. I am very proud”.

The regatta was a major success and the CISC is already looking forward to Race Cayman 2013. All the competitors were raving about what a good time they had (both on

and off the water) and can’t wait to return next year. “This is a world class venue you have got here – we will be spreading the word back home” said Bill Wiggins (Jordan’s dad and avid sail boat racer).

The Sailing Club and National Sailing Centre would like to thank the Ministry of Health, Environment, Youth, Sport & Culture, and HSBC for being major sponsors. Flowers bottled water continue to support the racing team in their development.

Continued from page 20

Pablo Bertran - Cayman sailor finished 3rd overall.

Race Cayman 2012 - Optimist Winners L-R Jordan Wiggins, Florence Allen, Pablo Bertran



19

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson insists contentious refereeing decisions even themselves out over the course of a season.

Fulham were denied a late penalty in the 1-0 loss at Old Trafford as United moved three points clear of Manchester City at the Premier League summit.

“It evens itself out over a season and that will never change,” said Ferguson, whose club have won 19 league titles.

“You get breaks here and there. Every club gets good breaks, bad breaks.”

Fulham wanted a spot-kick in the 87th minute on Monday when Michael Carrick appeared to trip Danny Murphy in the box.

But referee Michael Oliver rejected their appeals, as he did when United felt Stephen Kelly handled Patrice Evra’s cross before half-time.

City executive Patrick Vieira said on Wednesday that he believed United and other big clubs “get some advantage” from

officials at home, though his club later released a statement to say his views had been taken out of context.

“From the referee’s position, I can see why he didn’t give a penalty kick when Danny Murphy was brought down because the ball has moved to the angle as Michael Carrick has challenged him,” Ferguson argued.

“From that position it wasn’t clear. It was a good claim.

“We could have had a penalty but you don’t often get these ones when a wide player’s crossing the ball.

“He almost caught the ball between his arm and his body. We could have got a penalty but I wouldn’t have expected one for that, to be honest.”

Ferguson suggested Manchester City were fortunate not to concede a penalty when Gareth Barry challenged Stoke’s Glenn Whelan in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at the Britannia Stadium

He also mentioned the controversial penalty Newcastle were awarded in their 1-1 draw at

Old Trafford in November and an apparent stamp on Scott Parker by Mario Balotelli - who went on to score the winning goal - in Manchester City’s 3-2 victory over Tottenham in January.

“City could have had a penalty kick against them at Stoke as everyone saw,” Ferguson commented.

“We had a terrible decision this season at Old Trafford when Newcastle got a penalty kick. Tottenham could claim the same when Balotelli wasn’t sent off and then ended up scoring the winning goal.

“You could go through millions of things like that but I think maybe we’ve a point that the smaller clubs feel that way.

“Someone said some years ago United always get penalty kicks at Old Trafford but when you go back through the 25 years I’ve been here it’s only averaged about three a year, or something like that.

“It has some mileage in terms of press and things like that but most managers believe that the breaks even themselves out.”

iSports WORLD

Lucky breaks even themselves out - Sir Alex Ferguson

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson

Cayman’s youth sailors have done the Cayman Islands proud with a fabulous overall result at the inaugural 2012 Race Cayman Optimist Open & Western Caribbean Optimist Championship hosted by the Cayman Islands Sailing Club (CISC). The youth competitors representing the Cayman Islands finished 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 8th overall and 1st female after the three day championship held over 15th - 18th March 2012 in the North Sound in the Cayman Islands.

USA sailor Jordan Wiggins - who just a few weeks earlier narrowly missed out on a place on the American Optimist team – was the overall winner with a dominant performance, winning 11 of 15 races. It was not as easy as the score line might suggest. There were some very close finishes in every race with Florence Allan (Cayman), Evan Langford (Jamaica), Tyler Cartwright (Bahamas) and Allena Rankine (Cayman) all pushing Jordan but his experience paid dividends in the end.

Cayman sailors Florence Allan (first female), Pablo Bertran, Allena Rankine and Finley McDougall came in second, third, fourth and eight respectively - results which the Sailing Centre coaches are extremely proud of considering it’s only their second regatta against international completion. Andrew Moon, the Commodore of the Sailing Club said, “All the hard training paid off. The kids showed huge dedication in the pre-championship training programmes and the results speak for themselves. We really have


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iSports LOCAL

Race Cayman 2012 – Optimist Championship Results

Close racing in the HSBC sponsored Western Caribbean Optimist Championship

Western Caribbean Optimist Championship competitor race upwind to the first mark

30-03-2012

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Transcript of 30-03-2012