Weekly News Volume 28 | No. 40 | October 4 - 10, 2014
Price $1.00
Turks and Caicos
FOR ADVERTISING CONTACT:
tcnews@tciway.tc
the national newspaper of the turks and caicos islands
ON THE WEB tcweeklynews.com
Officer charged
with arson Twenty-four-year-old Mikhail Hinson has been slapped with five charges related to the fires at the Chalk Sound Police Station in the wee hours of Friday morning (September 26). PAGE 5 PAGE
12
Grand Turk woman dies following dengue fever diagnosis PAGE 4
Government advisor blamed for state of public schools Malique Ferrette crowned Miss Teen Turks and Caicos From left: Second runner up Liéacha Smith, Miss Teen TCI Malique Ferrette and first runner up Mary Fulford
PAGE 4
National awards for local heroes and honoured citizens 7 PAGE
2
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
3
4
NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014
Grand Turk woman dies following dengue fever diagnosis By Rebecca Bird THE PUBLIC is once again being urged to protect themselves from mosquito bites after a woman from Grand Turk died after testing positive for dengue fever this week. Anna Mae Williams, 53, was treated for the debilitating illness along with other medical issues at Cockburn Town Medical Centre. She sadly passed away on Monday morning (September 29) - the cause of death is yet to be confirmed. InterHealth Canada offered their sympathies to Williams’ family in a press release on Thursday (October 2). Takara Bain, public relations officer at TCI hospitals, said: “We are very saddened by the passing of Mrs Anna Mae Williams and extend our sincerest sympathies to her loved ones. “Mrs Williams was well-known to many of our Grand Turk hospital staff, who are also feeling her loss.” She stressed that given a commitment to patient confidentiality specific information about her care or her medical condition cannot be provided. “As family members already disclosed to the media that she tested positive for dengue fever, we can confirm this to be true,” Bain continued. According to the Pan American Health Organisation 48 cases of dengue have been confirmed in the TCI so far this year – with many more suspected cases. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles.
In a small proportion of cases the disease develops into the lifethreatening dengue haemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and blood plasma leakage, or into dengue shock syndrome, where dangerously low blood pressure occurs. Treatment of acute dengue is supportive, using either oral or intravenous rehydration for mild or moderate disease, and intravenous fluids and blood transfusion for more severe cases. “We want to share with the community, however, that dengue fever rarely leads to death,” Bain stressed. “In the presence of other longstanding conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and/or obesity, recovery from dengue fever may be more difficult and a greater susceptibility to other medical problems may develop. “Mrs Williams received the appropriate and necessary medical care to properly diagnose and effectively manage her condition and this care has been discussed in its entirety with several of her family members.” Swarms of mosquitos have caused havoc across the country this past month after constant rainfall and flood waters provided them with the perfect breeding habitat. The tiny biting insects are a huge concern for public health as many carry the debilitating diseases of dengue and chikungunya. In early September after the passing of tropical storm Cristobal the Government attempted to fight back, fogging the most highly affected areas with $45,000 of anti-
mosquito chemicals. Director of Environmental Health Kenrick Neely told the Weekly News that the programme has made a marked difference to the number of mosquitos in the TCI, and that fogging will continue as needed. However bugs will continue to plague the Islands wettest areas unless the public plays their part, he said. There are several ways to prevent mosquito bites and the spread of dengue and chikungunya. “We would like to also take this time to encourage all residents to eliminate any standing water or add insecticides or biological control agents to these areas and wear insect repellent and long sleeve/ long leg clothing when possible,” Bain said. Other advice includes shutting windows and use air conditioning or window and door screens, and using mosquito repellents on exposed skin. People should also properly dispose
of any old tires, clear roof gutters of debris, clean pet water and food dishes regularly, monitor and empty children’s toys left out in the yard and repair leaky outdoor faucets. Canoes and boats should be turned over or covered, people should avoid water collecting on their pool covers, empty water collected in tarps around the yard or on piles of wood and plug tree holes. Flower pots, vases, bottles, barrels, buckets, open cesspits, tanks, overturned garbage can lids can all collect water and breed mosquitoes. Where there are large bodies of standing water, residents can notify the Environmental Health Department so that they can treat them on 338-5062 in Providenciales or 338-2143 in Grand Turk. Mosquito-borne virus chikungunya arrived in the Caribbean when it was identified in Saint Martin in December 2013. It has since spread to 24 other countries and territories in the region
including the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and arrived in the TCI in June. According to the Pan American Health Organisation close to 580,000 cases are suspected while more than 5,600 have been confirmed across Caribbean islands – including 10 from the TCI. However scores of suspected cases have been treated in the country’s hospitals since the outbreak. Symptoms of chikungunya appear between four and seven days after someone has been bitten by an infected mosquito and include fever, joint pain, rashes, headache, nausea and fatigue. They can last for a few days however joint pain may persist for much longer. Severe cases of chikungunya requiring hospitalisation are rare. Residents who suspect they may be suffering from either disease should visit their health practitioner immediately.
The Clement Howell High School is in need of urgent repairs
Published by Turks & Caicos News Company Ltd. Cheshire House, Leeward Highway, Providenciales P.O. Box 52, Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI W. Blythe Duncanson - Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Bird - News Editor Delana Isles - Senior Reporter Daisy Handfield - Staff Reporter Faizool Deo - Sports Editor (At Large) Cord Garrido-Lowe - Graphics Consultant (At Large) Dilletha Lightbourne-Williams - Office Manager Email: (Advertising) tcnews@tciway.tc, (News) tcweeklynews@gmail.com Tel. 649-946-4664 (office), 649-232-3508 (after hours) Website address: www.tcweeklynews.com Follow us on: Facebook: facebook.com/tcweeklynews Twitter: twitter.com/tcweeklynews1
Government advisor blamed for state of public schools BY DELANA ISLES GOVERNMENT Support Services Minister, George Lightbourne is not taking any criticisms lightly regarding the long bemoaned deplorable condition of the Clement Howell High School. He is also calling out, by name, the person responsible for the lack of movement on projects towards which the Premier recently voiced his displeasure. This past week, the minister pointedly stated that rather than being disappointed with the ministry, Premier Rufus Ewing’s disappointment should have been
directed at and laid at the feet of the Advisor/Supervisor to Public Works, Norman Watts. “By the Governor’s admission, [Watts] was employed since 2010 and charged with the oversight and responsibilities for the maintenance of Government schools and infrastructure, including the Education Department and also charged with the responsibility of overseeing projects to completion on a timely basis,” Lightbourne shot back at the Premier. The minister’s comments came after Ewing stated his disappointment with the ministry for not getting much done.
Ewing was at the time speaking to the media at a clean-up and beautification campaign initiated by private individuals at the Providenciales high school last week. In a statement on Monday (September 29), Lightbourne said that many projects are not delivered and as a result allocated funds go to the Sinking Fund because of Watts’ inability or willingness to deliver in a timely manner. But the Premier, who minutes later dispatched his own statement, restated his disappointment in the ministry for the deplorable condition continued
5
October 4 - 10, 2014
NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
A police SUV was destroyed in a blaze at Chalk Sound Police Station
Police Constable charged with arson
TWENTY-FOUR-year-old Mikhail Hinson has been slapped with five charges related to the fire at the Chalk Sound Police Station in the wee hours of Friday morning (September 26). The Police Constable appeared before Chief Magistrate Clifton Warner in a Providenciales courtroom on Tuesday (September 30) to have the charges read to him. The Kew Town resident is accused of setting fire to one of the new police SUV cruisers, two police officer’s private vehicles, another vehicle and the rear door of the police station at about 1.30am on Friday. Three of the vehicles (inclusive of the cruiser) were destroyed, while the other and the door sustained minor damages. Hinson has to answer to the charges of malicious damage to property when he appears before a judge in the Supreme Court on November 7. His application for bail was refused by the Chief Magistrate. Police press officer, Audley Astwood said that on Friday morning officers on duty at the station at the time smelled smoke and went to investigate. They subsequently discovered that fire was coming from underneath a rear door of the station, which they
A private vehicle was also damaged beyond repair
Government advisor blamed ... continued from
Mikhail Hinson did not shy from cameras as he left Providenciales Magistrates Court on Wednesday
quickly extinguished. He added that on checking the compound of the station, they discovered smoke and flames coming from several vehicles outside of the building. Firefighters were called and promptly extinguished the fires before more damage could be caused. No one was injured.
Following prompt investigations, on Saturday, Hinson emerged as a person of interest and was subsequently arrested. He was later placed on administrative leave pending the continuation of the investigation. He appeared before Warner on Monday initially when DNA evidence was requested and given.
4
of the school and other official Government buildings. “Let it be clear, that this is not the criticism of a Minister, but rather the unacceptability of any excuses from those responsible for the technical management of the ministry and the wider civil service.” He added: “Whether that person is the Director of Public Works or the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, it is unacceptable, and if it is that the responsibility lies at the feet of Mr Watts, then he truly brings no value for the tax payers’ money and he should be excused.” Ewing stated that whoever is at fault, it falls into the remit of the head of the public service.
That person is the Deputy Governor, Anya Williams. “I am calling for persons to be made answerable and accountable for this, and I will continue to speak out against any systemic inefficiencies that impact on the people of these Islands, and especially those that negatively impact the advancement of our youth.” He further stated that the buildings of institutional learning and development, and those intended to support and house officers of the public, cannot inspire or foster any positive outcomes when the occupants are met with mould, rust, broken desks, windows and chairs day after day.
5
6
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014
A Weekly News column that puts you on the spot for your opinions on the issues of the day
Missing millions IN SEPTEMBER last year Minister of Finance Washington Misick took a motion to parliament for $5 million in missing public funds to be written off. He pulled it after receiving intense opposition and demands for more information. Last week he revealed to the House of Assembly that a large portion of the debt - $2.5 million in impaired bank balances at British Caribbean Bank (BCB) – has been reconciled and no longer exists. What do you think of this revelation? Do you think further questions should be asked?
A right to know
The obvious further questions are: Who received the money out of the account? And for what? Putting a journal entry through the books so the account can be “reconciled” does not answer the questions. The money was in the bank, and then it wasn’t – so what was it spent on? The public has an absolute right to know, it was their money.
Held accountable
Absolutely, more questions should be asked! This is really embarrassing. How can we as tax payers trust whatever numbers are presented to us in the future from the Ministry of Finance? Heads should be rolling for this kind of foul up. Couldn’t happen in the private sector
without someone being fired. When will we begin to hold public officials accountable?
Sailed by crew
When the ship is being sailed by the crew, all sorts of hurt happens to the people’s money. This is nothing new.
Voodoo economics
This new announcement by Washy is confusing. First he wanted to write off millions of dollars his brother’s government had advanced to members of its Government and they did not know who they advanced the money to and they did not know why they advanced the money. Shameful - this is the people’s money! Now $2 million came from the BCB and they don’t need it back! Voodoo economics.
Pastors take note
$5 million has gone missing and our Minister of Finance is asking parliament to write this off - madness of the highest order. Our Minister of Finance needs to be investigating where the public’s money has gone, who has taken it or stolen it, whose pocket is it in. The persons who made the money go missing must be apprehended and the missing money returned. The pastors of this nation should be in an uproar and demand honest answers. Imagine if God tarries for a few hundred years, so when some of the Saints in those days reach up to heaven and they ask about their tithe and the reward, the answer is: “Sorry, as Washington Misick was let into heaven a while back and he was put in charge of the tithe accounts from the TCI, and all yours gone missing. “Washy made a motion in the Throne Room to have it written off and His Majesty and the 24 elders okayed it!” Would this be okay pastors of the TCI? Or does the prayer not go: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
Looking foolish
I think that premature announcements come back to bite you. If the work had been done ie. reconciling accounts, perhaps the Government would not now look so foolish. Also does anybody know what makes up the other $2.5 million that is deemed uncollectible? And I do wonder what the definition of “impaired bank accounts” is? Never heard that phrase before. Bet I could collect a chunk of that $$$, if it’s really owed. However, since I am not a Turks and Caicos Islander it is unlikely I’d be hired in this political atmosphere.
‘This is a time of nation building’ - Premier WEDNESDAY (October 1) marked the beginning of the first National Heritage Month in the Turks and Caicos Islands. To begin the celebrations Premier Rufus Ewing raised the national flag outside his Providenciales office and gave a speech on the meaning of the month. He said: “This month is National Heritage Month and for me, I want this month to be a time of great reflection for all Turks and Caicos Islanders, on our rich history and our cultural roots. “We, as a people, must rekindle and foster a patriotic spirit. “This is a time of nation building and as we set our course in a new direction in tourism which is our main industry, we must recognise that our cultural heritage is what our guests travel from near and far, and pay
premium prices, to experience. “Our culture and our heritage are what makes us unique, and what sets us apart from other destinations. “Therefore we must embrace who we are as a people, re-engage with our cultural heritage, and develop and refine what we have to offer.” The Premier went on to reminisce on years past and the national pride that citizens’ grandparents and great-grandparents had. “In embracing our heritage we need to remember that back in the day, we as a people took great pride in our surroundings and particularly in its cleanliness. “We took care to keep our yards and our communities clean and that is a major reason we were seen as beautiful by nature. “But through the years we have lost that and
we are no longer taking care of, and pride in, this beautiful gem that God has given us. “So this month, and beyond, I especially want us to focus on getting our communities back to that prideful state.” Several activities are taking place across the country this October to make the occasion including a salt festival, seafood festival and maritime festival. “I am calling on everyone, young and old, to join in the celebrations and I am inviting all persons who have decided to make the Turks and Caicos Islands their home, to join us at the different events, as we raise our flags and celebrate us,” Ewing said. “This is our time and I am looking forward to seeing everyone out with our patriotic symbol, our national flag, flying high and with pride.”
So I just wish the Government good luck because they really need it.
Not much?
In similar words uttered during the Commission of Inquiry - what’s a few million dollars between friends?
What a mess
Yet another financial mess from the worst financial minister in our history. How did he get elected with his record of financial disasters? This adds to the poor reputation of Minister Floyd Hall and Permanent Secretary of Finance Delton Jones. Consistently months late with budgets they never follow
Too damn greedy
My, my, my, $2.5 million gone down the black hole again this soon? Can he say where the money went missing and who was in charge of the ‘cookie jar’ at the time? Mr Misick owes the people of the TCI an explanation to account for their missing monies. The more we ask for total independence from mother Britain the more our actions show that too many of us are still too damn greedy to be honest towards our people.
Question everything
As understood - Ministry of Finance - we pay very good dollars to recruit the top and the best to prepare our accounts. And in the past we have promoted persons to higher offices and paid top dollars to manage our accounts. We also pay very good and many thousands to have our accounts audited. When we audit and certify our accounts, not only do we verify the amounts we owe others and the amounts others owe us, we prepare schedules with confirming amounts. Then again, were these amounts to be received not also reviewed by the Public Accounts group? So what do we now have, a set of bogus accounts, that should not be trusted or relied upon; and a name to be laughed at throughout the region? This is a situation where we must now question everything.
What a mess
Yes. They are still lying and stealing from the country. What’s up with this mess? Definitely needs more investigation. They should account for the $5 million dollars
Become a contributor Want to become a contributor or have a suggestion for a Talk Back topic for us? What questions do you think we should be putting to the public? And what are your thoughts on it? Call our news team on 946 4664 or email tcweeklynews@gmail.com
October 4 - 10, 2014
NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
7
National awards for local heroes and honoured citizens By DELANA ISLES THE BESTOWING of national honours and awards will be for Turks and Caicos Islanders who have provided selfless service to the TCI and whose contributions have thus far been ignored by the Her Majesty’s Government. This is according to the Premier, Rufus Ewing during the debate on the National Honours and Awards (Amendment) Bill last week Monday (September 22). “It is to be the highest level of national honour to be bestowed upon our citizens and leaders of the world from Turks and Caicos. “These exceptional and selfless nation builders would be recognised by the various provisions in this bill with their names and their contributions etched in the annals of history of these islands,” Ewing said before presenting the bill for debate. He believes that this will enforce in young Islanders, a sense of encouragement, patriotism and pride that their forebears have been and are being appreciated for their
commitment to country and man. He stated: “No longer will our own be overlooked and feel unappreciated for the hard work, the selfless service that they provided to this nation.” The bill makes an amendment to the law that was passed in 2004, making way for two new sets of awards to be given – the Patriot Award and the Young Achievers Medal. Ewing said that these additions strengthen the law, and that the regulations make provisions to ensure that there is integrity in the nomination, selection, recommendation and bestowing of these awards on individuals, so that they cannot fall into question. He noted that is it is time the TCI joined the rest of the Caribbean, and the world in appreciating its heroes and honoured citizens. “Every nation that thrives for nationhood has as part of its agenda a system of recognising their nation builders and Turks and Caicos should be no different. “When I lived in countries like Barbados, in Jamaica which is very
Open plan terminal will feature rain shutters to prevent flooding PLANS are in place to prevent driving rain from flooding Providenciales International Airport’s new open plan terminal, according to Premier Rufus Ewing. And the protective shutters will also prevent criminal activity, he told the House of Assembly in Grand Turk last week. The Premier was responding to a question from the Opposition Appointed Member Clarence Selver asking if the airport is weatherproof and built well. Ewing said that he had spoken to members of the TCI Airports Authority who are satisfied with the workmanship of the terminal. “I myself question certain elements of it but I was given answers to my satisfaction and also from them that they’re satisfied with. “Furthermore the contract actually has in it clauses that deal with quality and calibre of work in terms of repairs now and later in the future.” He said with regard to driving rain, the only shortcoming that he saw was that the canopy does not extend far enough over the drive up point. This he brought to the attention of the CEO of the Airports Authority and asked if it could be brought closer. “But I was told that some regulations that govern airports prohibited the vehicles from coming that close to passenger waiting area or check in area and so that was not provided for.” However there will be shutters at the second set of columns that can
result in the “lock down or close down” of the check in area. That has not been put in place yet but that is the final part of the actual construction development, he explained. In August following the passage of tropical storm Cristobal a photograph of a flooded check in area at Providenciales International Airport made the rounds on social media. The picture showed workers cleaning up water which poured through the roof of the multimillion dollar terminal during the stormy weather. “I also take that this question has been prompted because of the concerns of the rain or recent floods that occurred at the airport around the time of the storm,” Ewing said. “But I would say that I was actually at the airport during the rain and I can vouch that most of the water that settled in the area was water that came from leakage where the two buildings are under construction to be joined. “It’s a forward construction of the existing terminal and so that was incomplete work and the building has not been fully joined yet.” He said most of the water that flooded the airport during tropical storm Cristobal was not because of the design of the open concept terminal. The construction of the airport terminal is part of a $70 million expansion and renovation project and is on schedule to be completed this winter.
deeply patriotic and which is known for recognising the works and efforts of their citizens and their nation builders, and in countries like the Bahamas - it brings home to me a deep sense of pride and patriotism and I was just wishing it could be us.” He noted that while there are honours and awards in the Turks and Caicos Islands, which are bestowed by the Queen upon TC Islanders who have rendered services to her Royal Majesty in her interest, there is no system of honouring locals for service to the TCI. The Premier added that although many have been appreciated in this, many others have not. “I know of many who are well deserving of those honours that were being bestowed by the Governor on behalf of her majesty, but up to this day they are yet to be the recipients. “I am talking about hardworking Turks and Caicos Islanders who have given much – their blood, sweat and tears – to this country. “But those individuals were rendering services in the interest of the Queen, and some of them for Turks and Caicos, but not all of them because they have their own criteria as to how someone gets these OBEs and MBEs,” Ewing said. He said that what is needed, and will be provided with the changes to the bill, is a system that recognises and appreciates Islanders for rendering services to Turks and Caicos and for being patriots and nation builders of the country.
He added that it is crucial that these persons be appreciated and recognised for the work they do and the service provided in the interest of the TCI. “So this ill lays a foundation for defining us as a people, defining us as a nation with a rich heritage, with a rich history and a rich culture.” CONCERNS OVER BILL Leader of the Opposition, Sharlene Cartwright Robinson joined with the other members in throwing her support behind the amendments to the law. However, there were many concerns raised with the bill. She was deeply concerned that neither the Opposition nor the public were consulted on the bill before it was taken to the assembly, and promised many changes and tweaks to the document when it gets to the committee of the whole for possible amendments. “I felt that it would have been useful if the Premier [had] allowed the committee to meet with the Opposition or the public on this bill. “National Honours and Awards is a national issue and we ought not to be back and forth in public on a critical bill.” She said her party still has many concerns with the document. “The insert of Premier in the Ordinance is an unnecessary amendment. Legislation is also meant to be futuristic and not just for the time we are in. “The imposition of Premier then
Under the tree
opens the door for the need to change legislation if the next Premier does not wish to include this in his or her portfolio and neither should any future Premier be told what should be in his or her portfolio.” She said that many countries use a non-political head so as to assist in maintaining the integrity of the award such as the Governor General. She added the bill is also riddled with words that allow for too much subjectivity and uncertainty, which can bring awards and honours under suspect. The party leader also has concerns with the highest awards not having a maximum number of years served while lower awards are capped. She said that she is even more concerned about the Meritorious Award which has the words “sacrificial service, brave and humane act”. “This in my mind includes life threatening, but this is not an award that can be given posthumously, which means if someone dies in this act.” She added that while she welcomes the new awards, honouring the people is never a political matter and should never be politicised. “We must give what is due and I trust that there will be a new attitude displayed by this Government. “One unlike the one that was displayed in our attempt to give the first Chief Minister his day back or at the very mention of his birthday on the national calendar,” the party leader added.
By Benneth Williams
8
NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014
Premier accuses Opposition of trying to upstage the Gov’t By DELANA ISLES IN AN intense debate in the House of Assembly last week, Government ministers’ feathers were ruffled when an Opposition-led motion on immigration was heard before the Government got a chance to debate its Immigration Bill 2014. The motion addressed issues faced by children born to residents of foreign descent and who have lived and been schooled in the Turks and Caicos Islands, yet have been experiencing difficulty with gaining legal status in the Islands. It also asked for a special category and special conditions to be established in a policy and in law to address the issues raised as a matter of urgency. However, the Premier, Rufus Ewing in his contributions to the
debate said the motion is nothing but an opportunity to grandstand on the part of the Opposition. Like the Minister of Border Control who asked that the document be pulled from consideration, Ewing alluded to the provisions in the soon to be debated Immigration Bill and its regulations. He said the bill speaks to the issues raised in the motion, which was presented by Deputy Leader of the PDM, Sean Astwood. “The Opposition - since we have started - have been bringing to this House motions in anticipation of a bill the Government is going to bring or intends to, to pre-empt Government’s actions. “And they try to deceive and influence the public that they are setting out to do something when it is our intention to do it,” the Premier
anything the Government brings or intends to, as they cannot pre-empt something that is not brought or is not coming.
Premier Rufus Ewing
accused. But the PDM leader, Sharlene Cartwright Robinson chimed in that the Premier’s comments are very misleading and impute improper motives on the PDM. She said they are not pre-empting
Cristobal slowly passed northwest over the Turks and Caicos Islands from Saturday, August 23, to Monday, August 25, dropping 12 inches of rain on the low lying country
Cristobal costs Government more than $110,000 THOUSANDS of dollars of Government cash was spent on a recovery programme in North Caicos following the onslaught of tropical storm Cristobal this summer. A total of $113,000 went towards a new road, water pumping, boat transport and drain repairs – while another $45,000 was spent on fogging chemicals to rid the country of swarms of mosquitos. Cristobal slowly passed northwest over the Turks and Caicos Islands from Saturday, August 23, to Monday, August 25, dropping 12 inches of rain on the low lying country. Residents and tourists took cover as heavy rainfall and strong
gusts of wind obliterated all outdoor plans. Providenciales suffered from some extensive flooding but North Caicos was the worst hit with water reaching several feet in places, cutting off road access. During House of Assembly in Grand Turk last week Minister for Government Support Services George Lightbourne explained how the cash was spent. “In the aftermath of tropical storm Cristobal the Government responded to address flood waters on the roads of North Caicos and all works that was carried out was done by contractors and Government employees.” Unlimited Contracting was
responsible for excavation of a water relief trench in Kew at a cost of $13,000. Excavation of a water relief trench in Bottle Creek was carried out by CBMS for a price of $3,000. Charlton Gardiner provided an on island boat service with man power in Bottle Creek for $3,380 and pumping of water in land locked areas in Kew for $6,400. Courtney Missick was contracted to open an old drain for $720 and Emmanuel Williams took charge of pumping water off main entry roads into Kew for $1,500. A massive $85,000 went to CBMS for creating a bypass road into Kew.
NEW LEGISLATION DonHue Gardiner, minister with responsibility for immigration, begged to differ, however. “The Government is and has been aware of the number of people living in this country for many years who have found themselves – very many of them, through every fault of their own – illegally. “Quite many of them are here because they were brought here by their parents, really bearing no culpability for their being here. “Be that as it may, when we set to draw up an Immigration Bill some time ago, one of the very first things we had to grapple with was how we should approach the matter of dealing with our immigration problems.” He stated that there was talks of doing it in a piecemeal fashion, which, while swift, would have a created too many ideas that may not have necessarily been in the best interest of the Turks and Caicos Islands. He added that as a result, Government decided to address those issues with new legislation, which, along with the regulations have been presented to the assembly, and have gone through its first reading. “I think that in many ways, what the motion recommends is superfluous, knowing quite well that many of these things appeared in the bill,” Gardiner stated. “It can be argued that maybe we disagree on how we should deal with the matter, but to suggest that we in this bill are not attempting to deal with the matter is something that puts everyone at a disadvantage. “The Government does not require any prompting from the Opposition…” the minister stated. As such, he requested that the member withdraw the motion from the House as it brought nothing new to the table. However, in her contributions the Opposition Leader said that the motion does not in any way hinder the bill and that it would bring certain issues to the forefront. “The Minister of Border Control is a very lucky Turks and Caicos Islander; he is in an historic position to effect change in this area.” She added that ten years ago he was the chairman of the blue ribbon immigration commission, the second time he was the change manager to give effect to recommendations put
forward in the Commission’s report and now he is the Minister of Border Control. She said that after listening to the minister set out the Government’s policy on immigration, she is even more concerned. “When this motion was in fact submitted we had no sight of the Immigration Bill, we had been promised a bill for a long time. Even when it was placed on the agenda we did not get the Immigration Bill.” She added that the policy statement of the Government does not address the issues raised in the motion. But Gardiner pointed out that the very issued that the motion dealt with are there in the bill. “The very point that my esteemed and erstwhile teacher, present colleague referred to and I really wonder whether persons have actually read the stuff [bill] because it says very early on in the bill that if you are born in the Islands and your parents are legal residents in TCI and you have acquired British Overseas Territories citizenship by registration, automatically you are a Belonger. “It’s there,” he insisted. Meanwhile, in spite of the contrary views, the motion was carried. When he presented the recommendations for debate, Astwood also presented a few examples of what he hoped to be dealt by the Government. “There is a lady of Haitian descent that I attended primary school and high school with, she has a child with a Turks and Caicos Islander, lived here for all of her life and some 30 plus years later she still does not have proper documentation to show any kind of legal status in this country.” He stated that for all intents and purposes the woman is considered an Islander, yet legally she is not. Another example, Astwood stated, is a case of a 13-year-old girl who is unable to register for high school due to lack of documents. “She was born in Haiti but raised in Turks and Caicos Islands; she has been very active in our community, and even recently competed in the Little Miss Enid Capron School Pageant. “However, she, like so many others, is not sure if she will be allowed to stay here or if she will even be able to attend high school,” he noted. He said that the Immigration Bill does not address these kinds of issues facing long-time residents, neither does it address all of the scenarios that many children and young adults have found themselves in.
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
NEWS
9
Defence witnesses ‘Piper’ appeals former Chief Justice’s judgement face the stand in in land flipping case murder trial
FOUR defence witnesses are set to take the stand as the trial continues into the murder of Damaris Martinez. Prosecution witnesses have all been called including Inspector Hilton Duncan and forensic DNA analyst Tiffany Roy who both faced questioning this week. Romano ‘Justice’ Howell sat before judge Joan Joyner and an 11 member jury at Providenciales Supreme Court on Leeward Highway for the third week. The trial began on Monday, September 15, and will continue until next week when the prosecution and defence are expected to sum up the evidence and the jury will make their decision. Howell is alleged to have killed Dominican resident Martinez last year, leaving her remains in a wooden box on the side of the road in Blue Hills. She went missing on the
evening of June 10, 2013, and was last seen at Jimmy’s Dive Bar in Grace Bay at about 10pm that night. A friend spoke to her on the phone early the next morning but that was the last contact she had. A week later on June 16, a jogger stumbled upon her remains, concealed in a box, after investigating a foul odour emanating from bushes along the highway. Howell was arrested a week later and charged with Martinez’ murder. Ashwood Forbes of Forbes Co is defending Howell in the case and Angela Brooks, deputy director of the Public Prosecution Service, is working for the Crown. Justice is a well-known local musician who was widely recognised for his long dreadlocks, which he shaved off before the start of the trial.
Teen arrested for assaulting a police officer in Blue Hills
A SEVENTEEN-year-old boy was arrested after allegedly assaulting a police officer at Clement Howell High School on Tuesday afternoon (September 30). The teen, who is not a student at the Blue Hills school, was trespassing on the property when officers were called. They received notice of the illegal activity at about 2.40pm and arrived at the school to remove him from the grounds. Both police and security officers approached the trespasser but he tried to flee from the scene. A police sergeant gave chase and when he caught up with the teen, he detained him and arrested him on suspicion of trespass. A press release from police on Wednesday (October 1) said: “While taking the said male back to the school, it is alleged that the sergeant was punched several times to his head, which resulted in a wound above his left eye.” Officers nearby on patrol assisted the officer and subdued the young man who was arrested for wounding, malicious damage to property, trespass and resisting
arrest. He was taken to Chalk Sound Police Station and remains in police custody pending further investigations. At time of press no charges had been laid. The injured police officer was taken to Cheshire Hall Medical Centre for treatment of a head injury and later released. About 3.05pm, while officers were still on scene, a 15-year-old student of the school in Blue Hills was spotted throwing stones at a marked police vehicle causing a dent on the door frame. The pupil was arrested on suspicion of malicious damage to property and throwing missiles. He was also taken to Chalk Sound Police Station and later given police bail to return on a later date while investigations continue. He was not charged at press time. Anyone with information about either of these incidents can call Crimestoppers on 1-800-8477 or visit www.crimestoppers.tc. The call will be answered in Miami, Florida, and only the information provided will be passed on to TCI police.
OWNERS of Akita Holdings have applied for leave to appeal a decision handed down by former Chief Justice, Edwin Goldsbrough shortly before he departed the Turks and Caicos Islands to take up a post in the Solomon Islands. Former Minister for Natural Resources McAllister ‘Piper’ Hanchell, one of the owners, confirmed to the Weekly News on Thursday (October 2), that his lawyers have applied for leave to appeal the decision. Akita Holdings had previously won the case, brought against them by the Attorney General Chambers for the recovery of arrears for rent, interest and a judgement that Hanchell breached his duties of good faith to the Government. The case relates to land in South Dock, Providenciales, obtained by the former Government minister and later sold to his company at an undervalue. The decision was appealed by the Crown; the first judgement was thrown out and sent back for trial, which was heard before Goldsbrough. On Monday (September 29) a press release from the Government press office announced that the Crown had won the new trial against the company. Akita has been ordered to pay outstanding interest on unpaid rent of $2,449.68, and also ordered to pay the Government’s legal costs of the trial. In a separate order, the former Chief Justice also ordered Akita to
Former Minister for Natural Resources McAllister ‘Piper’ Hanchell
pay the Government’s legal costs of the whole case, and gave directions for the process to calculate the damages due to the Government, which is expected to take place during the autumn. Commenting on the judgment in the statement, Attorney General Rhondalee BraithwaiteKnowles said: “We are pleased to have received judgment in the Government’s favour in this important claim. “This is one of the remaining civil recovery claims and represents a substantial recovery for the Government and the civil recovery team.” The Crown’s case was that
Hanchell knew of the discrepancy in the value for the land and that he did not disclose this to the Government. “The former Chief Justice found that Mr Hanchell knew that the land was worth significantly more than he was paying for it, even taking into account a Belonger discount, because he had commissioned private third party valuations to value the land,” the press release read. It continued: “Having found that Mr Hanchell knew of the undervalue, the former Chief Justice went on to find that, as a Minister, Mr Hanchell owed the Government a duty of good faith and could not profit from his position. “Mr Hanchell should therefore have disclosed the undervalue of the land to the Government and that that duty to disclose was a continuing one.” Goldsbrough has also allowed, according to the statement, the Government to trace the benefit obtained by Akita by reason of the undervalue. He found that 69.92 percent of the land acquired represented the undervalue at the time of acquisition and that the Government is consequently entitled to recover 69.92 percent of the current value of the unimproved land and the same percentage of the current value of the improved land insofar as the improvements are attributable to Akita’s use of the land, the Government release stated. (Delana Isles)
Legal aid in SIPT cases costs Government big bucks HALF a million dollars has been paid out for the current financial year for the defendants charged with corruption by the Special Investigations and Prosecution Team (SIPT). Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles made this disclosure during the recent sitting of the House of Assembly in Grand Turk. She was at the time responding to a question about the legal aid fees paid out by the Government for last year and the types of cases for which the money was awarded. However, Braithwaite-Knowles said she has only been provided with the amount of money paid out for the SIPT cases for the current financial year.
The exact figure for this year is $535,225. She also noted that money is placed in two separate accounts for legal aid. The aforementioned amount is placed in a separate account for cases resulting from the Auld Inquiry and which are being prosecuted by the SIPT. The other account is for other cases in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. Last year, $501,145.21 was paid from the second account, and in current financial year a total of $212,171 has been paid out to date. “Legal aid is only available for criminal cases in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. “I am informed that no separate
record is kept of the types of criminal cases where a legal aid certificate is issued,” the Attorney General said in response to a question about the type of cases. “I am informed that no record is kept of ethnicity of the recipients of legal aid. “The register of legal aid certificates records only the name of the defendant, the case number and the attorney acting for the defendant.” She added that legal aid is only paid to firms of attorneys and individual lawyers based in the Turks and Caicos Islands and having the right practise in the jurisdiction. She noted that no enquires are made as to whether the lawyers are Belongers. (Delana Isles)
10 NEWS
Police force review delayed until appointment of new Commissioner By Rebecca Bird “IT IS the Governor’s expectation that any review of the operations of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force will be taken forward by the new Commissioner.” That’s according to Patrick Boyle of the Governor’s Office who responded to a request for an update on the status of a police force review on Wednesday (October 1). His recent statement came despite earlier indications that terms of reference for the review would be completed at the end of this September. He also previously stated that the Governor would be making a formal announcement on the probe – which has yet to happen. “The Governor is currently focused on the recruitment of a new Commissioner to replace Colin Farquhar when his term ends at the end of March 2015,” Boyle said. In August Premier Rufus Ewing revealed that the “successes and failure” of the outgoing Commissioner of Police would be objectively assessed during a review of the police force, which he asked Governor Peter Beckingham to conduct. In House of Assembly in Grand Turk last week the Leader of the Opposition Sharlene Cartwright Robinson demanded more answers. The Premier explained that he meets with Governor Peter Beckingham every Monday to discuss issues of national concern and stated that the topic of police force is constantly on the agenda. He confirmed that he made a
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
request to the Governor for an investigation but “to this date I have been unable to ascertain exactly when this review will take place.” Ewing went on to explain that his reasons for the review are several fold. “As the Leader of the Opposition knows we all had several concerns about the operations and functions of the police force. “Not only the leadership role or the management role but other interpersonal issues as well as staffing issues, salary issues - lots of issues.” But he stressed that the role of the Commissioner of Police would definitely be looked into. “If you’re doing a review of the police force you have to interview and review anyone who holds a significant role within the police force. “Being it senior manager, being it constable, sergeants, across the board, everyone should be equal to that,” he said. As he completes his fourth year in office the Commissioner and the Government have made what appears to be a mutual decision to not renew his contract. Throughout his two term stint, fingers have been pointed at the head of the force as crime rates hit new highs and arrests fail to be made following several high profile incidents. Huge departmental investments, an increased police presence and more active community involvement have done little to curb a torrent of criticism.
The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Officer (FCO) is currently advertising internationally for a “highly motivated and experienced” senior officer to fill the role. “The successful candidate will lead delivery of the RTCIPF vision to make the Turks and Caicos Islands a safe and secure country in which to visit, invest, work and live,” the advert reads. Applicants must have a significant track record of leadership and strategic management including at least 25 years policing experience with at least 10 years at senior management level. The successful candidate can expect to be raking in $125,000 a year plus allowances and will begin on March 1, 2015. According to the ad the appointee will be responsible for serving all of the inhabited islands in the TCI. The new Commissioner will head a force of more than 260 police officers, special constables, district constables and civilian support staff and handle an annual budget of $20 million. Colin Farquhar was appointed as the Commissioner of Police of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police on March 11, 2011. He has over 31 years of policing and leadership experience in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the United Nations, focusing on the development and implementation of comprehensive strategies associated to community safety, international peace and security.
continued
Scholarship woes Dear Editor, There have been expressions of disappointment in the recent handling of the scholarship awards recently allocated by the Ministry of Education. I too applied unsuccessfully for funding in my bid for higher learning and can say that the feeling was also mutual for me. However, I decided that I couldn’t let the disappointment consume me and decided instead to use it as a catalyst to be more determined than ever to obtain my goal. Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are (Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha). Who are we? We are young and we are determined. We want a better quality of life and we see gaining an education as the correct pathway for us. We have come into some adversity in looking for a financial contribution that we did not get. So what’s our next move? Do we simply throw our dreams away and label them as unattainable? Or do we aggressively seek to be bold and go it alone? One may try to run small business or obtain additional employment, seek loans through lending agencies or writing to corporate bodies for donations. Some sell whatever assets they can dispose of to obtain the necessary
funds to s t u d y . I have personally tried all of the above and still continue to push myself towards my goal. T h e point I am making to other scholarship applicants is to not give up. Keep on keeping on. Be encouraged. Allow this disappointment to fuel your determination. Some of our greatest role models came up through the great adversity. No one said the world was going to be fair or easy, but I believe that hard work pays off and builds great character. Being a spiritual person and a child of God, I have found myself leaning on him for strength, guidance and support. I know this may sound cliché, but the truth is, God NEVER FAILS! I have proven it time and time again. Sometimes you have to step out on faith. I challenge you to join me and you to will be able to confirm your successes. This is not the end of the road for me or you. This is a mountain that we can move! Euwonka Selver Long Bay, Providenciales
COMMENTARY
Causeways, cause and effect
WONDERFUL! We will soon have causeways joining all the Caicos Islands. The effect will be economic growth yet to be anticipated. Earlier in September we were told there would soon be a cruise port on deserted East Caicos. The question arose - what will the passengers visit on this long deserted island? The next week we were told causeways to join all the islands are in the offing. The first one joining Providenciales to North Caicos. Now the question arises how will a causeway bridge be provided over the Leeward Going-Through channel already deepened by dredging? A huge multi-million dollar high rise
bridge? A causeway linking East and Middle Caicos would be good for big Middle (Grand) Caicos which now has a population smaller than Salt Cay. Would cruise passengers drive over this causeway to view Haulover Plantation ruins or commensurate with Lorimers guru Alton Higgs? Will passengers be able to return before the ship sails? The immediate question is how will the port and causeways be paid for? We’ve been told Miami investors. Will these causeways be built high with dirt and steel or concrete retaining walls? If one or more investors puts up hundreds of millions of dollars to build the causeways how will they recover their investment and be paid
royalties? What will the investors be given maybe East Caicos and Water Cay? The people’s birth rights. Currently we have $7 million plus invested in the shallow MiddleNorth Causeway. It was originally financed by a grant from the European Union. Over $10 million granted but only $5 million spent. No retaining walls! Engineer Norman Watts insisted on a cloth bag for the dirt and retaining walls of mangroves. We are still waiting for the mangroves. A culvert and grading costing $2 million added in 2013 were needed repairs and needed modifications. The next culvert was promised for summer 2014 which now slips into history. At the start of school this year
By David Tapfer
David is a retired mobile hydraulic engineer and business executive. He has been married to Middle Caicos native Yvette Robinson Tapfer for 25 years and has lived in Conch Bar, Middle Caicos, since 2002. David formerly served as branch chairman of the PDM from 2008 to 2011
students and parents were waiting for inexpensive simple repairs to the school buildings. They wait also for promised and necessary new school buildings and scholarships for top achiever students. We are waiting to learn how we will pay $1 billion dollars over the next 20 years for the hospital
buildings and the InterHealth Canada contract. How also can we afford the cost of the 2006 PNP approved Fortis buyout? This is costing each household an average of $1,000 per year each. All this and much more are the effects caused by the last three manipulated elections.
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
NEWS 11
Lightbourne refutes Governor’s claims of ongoing major capital projects By DELANA ISLES AS THE debacle surrounding Norman Watts’ appointment rages on, Minister of Government Support Services has outright refuted the Governor’s claims that there are major capital projects that require Watt’s services. “There are no major ongoing projects and the capital budget was cut; and so therefore there is no justifiable explanation for paying anyone $110,000 plus allowances, simply to facilitate a handing-over process,” the minister said in a statement to the press on Monday (September 29). Lightbourne was responding to Governor Peter Beckingham’s statements last week in defence of Watt’s re-appointment to the Public Works Department. The Governor claimed that the engineer was reappointed before the matter was debated and strongly opposed in the House of Assembly (HOA) by the minister in July this year. It was later revealed by Lightbourne that the Permanent Secretary, Ian Astwood, went above his head and contrary to explicit directions that Watts’ services were no longer required as no major projects were ongoing that required his expertise. The British-born engineer was however still placed on a one year month to month contract to, according to the Beckingham; facilitate a handing over process between Watts and the Director of Public Works. The Governor further stated that no member of the assembly, minister or Premier shall direct the appointment of any civil servant. In his statement this week, Lightbourne said: “In my capacity as a minister and a Member of House of Assembly, my primary responsibility is to protect the interests of the Turks and Caicos citizens and residents alike. “And during a budget debate or session I have to defend, in accordance with my conscience, the taxpayers’ monies. “And where there are discrepancies that I feel are contrary to what is in their best interest, I must highlight them and make amendments where necessary.” He added that it is his responsibility too, to ensure that the TCI receives value for its dollar. He also advised that he never gave any instructions, or made any request, for anyone to be appointed to the public service. “However, where there is lack of integrity and where there is partiality, and where there is an outcry from the general public in relation to appointments being made
without being advertised, it would be wrong for a minister to remain silent; particularly at a time when there are so many qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders seeking employment,” Lightbourne stated. He further stated that when untruthful advice is given to secure an allocation and then to have these actions justified is simply appalling. Lightbourne maintains his position that the $110,000 Watts is being paid could be put to a much better use to help the people of the TCI. In a qualified show of support, Premier Rufus Ewing sympathised with the frustrations expressed by Lightbourne. According to a press statement from his secretariat, he too was disappointed with the extension of the advisory contract between Watts and the TCIG. “Especially since it was done at the request of the Permanent Secretary of Government Support Services, after having been told repeatedly by the minister that there was no obvious need for the extension of this role to Mr Watts,” the statement read. Ewing stated that while the Public Service Ordinance governs ministerial involvement in appointments to the public service, prudence dictates that in matters of significant financial implications such as this, that there is collaboration at the ministry level with input from the minister. He added that this would allow for agreement on the way forward, as the minister is the one who is elected by the people and accountable to the people for every dollar spent. “Whilst such decision is technical it is also a matter of policy and the views of the minister should have been taken into consideration instead of being simply ignored,” Ewing stated. However, he goes on to state that he is concerned at the lack of movement on capital projects that have been provided for and the numerous maintenance jobs that remain outstanding. “While the matter of the advisor indeed remains important, and should be addressed, I am also deeply concerned by the lack of jobs that could be, and should be, created through the many projects and minor maintenance works that remain to be completed in this country,” he said. According to Ewing, there is enough work to employ persons in every island throughout the country. As such, he said he will be seeking a comprehensive plan from the Ministry of Government Support Services for the completion of these works. According to information provided to the assembly by the
Minister of Government Support Services George Lightbourne
Finance Minister during the budget debate last July, $18.7 million has been put towards capital projects for this financial year.
PROJECTS In Grand Turk - resurfacing of the Light House Road, refurbishment and outfitting of the Wellness Centre, and continued construction of the Fish Market on West Road. In Salt Cay approximately $250,000 has been allocated for the installation of a water plant, new construction of a building to house the new Reverse Osmosis plant, and upgrade of the Salt Cay Clinic. Approximately $750,000 has been allocated for projects in Middle and North Caicos of which $15,000 will be used for the Middle Caicos bathroom projects and $50,000 for furniture and equipment for the Middle Caicos Clinic. Money has been set aside towards
Call 946-4894 or stop by our Leeward Highway store today
Clothes now Available
NO HIGHER THAN
$50
BIG AND SMALL
continuing work on the North/ Middle Caicos Causeway. Projects budgeted for in South Caicos include the replacement of the dock; recommencement of the South Caicos Airport development, which includes the construction of the control tower and fire station. In Providenciales there is to be the construction of a remand centre, upgrading of the port at South Dock; and the refurbishment of and outfitting of the public health lab. New projects set for Providenciales include phase two of the Border Management Information System, construction of a canteen at Clement Howell High School, and the provision of laboratory and other equipment for all schools.
12 NEWS
Malique Ferrette wins the first Miss Teen Turks and Caicos pageant
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
Malique also wins Best in Swimsuit and Miss Intellect
Liéacha Smith and Malique Ferrette tie for second best in the costume competition
Just crowned Miss Teen TCI and Miss TCI Universe Shanice Williams share a moment
Malique Ferrette crowned Miss Teen Turks and Caicos
ELATED 18-year-old Malique Ferrette captured the crown in the first ever Miss Teen Turks and Caicos pageant held last Saturday (September 27) at the Williams Auditorium in Providenciales. Although the competition “did not go as planned” and she started having doubts about herself, the bubbly beauty took the winning title, Miss Intellect, Best in Swimsuit and tied for Best in Evening Gown. She also walked off with the second place award for the National Costume competition. Ferrette, whose platform is combatting teen depression and verbal abuse, presented a dramatic self-written poem and song combination about the issue. Though she faltered in the end,
attendees agreed that her talent piece was one of the most original. Throughout her reign she plans to focus on the issue and go into all of the high schools in Providenciales. Her aim is to “spread awareness of how verbal abuse can take a toll on not just young children but adolescents in general and how it can lead to depression and symptoms in adolescence years.” Also she would like to liaise with staff at the Edward Gartland Youth Centre to see if they can find a programme that “focuses on verbal abuse and how teenagers can cope with experiencing things like that and how to get over it and move on with life.” Ferrette said that winning was “such an invigorating experience”
and that she was especially proud that as a queen she will not only be able to shine on stage but also use her intellect and interview skills to proudly represent the TCI. Nine young ladies competed in the Costume, Talent, Swimsuit, and Evening Gown competitions before the judges elimination took it down to a selected five who moved on to the final question. The top five who scored the most were, in random order: Liéacha Smith, Miss Teen North Caicos; Joanna Previl, Miss Teen Parrot Cay; Shanaz Gardiner, Miss Teen Salt Cay; Mary Fulford, Miss Teen Grand Turk; and Malique Ferrette, Miss Teen West Caicos. Mary Fulford, Miss Teen Grand Turk snagged the first runner
The nine Miss Teen TCI contestants display their elegant evening gowns
up position and also won Miss Popularity through social media voting on Facebook and Instagram. She also tied with Ferrette for Best in Evening Gown. Liéacha Smith, Miss Teen North Caicos was sashed second runner up and took the titles of Miss Congeniality, Miss Lifestyle and Fitness and Miss Photogenic. She also took home the award for Best in Talent and tied as first runner up in the National Costume competition. Joanna Previl, Miss Teen Parrot Cay claimed the third runner up spot and won Best National Costume. Fourth runner up Shanaz Gardiner was awarded the second runner up award in the Costume competition. Although the event was
perforated with technical problems and the queen was not crowned until minutes to 2am on Sunday, attendees complimented president and creative director of the Miss Teen Turks and Caicos Organisation, Oehleo Higgs and his team on the execution of the pageant. There were also several positive public comments on the impressive quality of young ladies who took part. The event was hosted by the dynamic Ange Toussaint and David Ellis and saw performances from some of Beaches entertainment team, and Carl Lewis and Mike Dizzo. Malique Ferrette, the first Miss Teen Turks and Caicos will compete at the Miss Teen Universe pageant scheduled for February, 2015, in Guatemala. (KH)
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
13
14 NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014
Gov’t attends renewable energy forum in BVI
The new facility is based off Chalk Sound Road opposite the public terminal
New $16m terminal and hanger to open next month BUILDING work on a brand new 6,800 square foot private terminal and aircraft hangar in Providenciales is close to completion with a launch date set for next month. The new fixed based operator (FBO) is based off Chalk Sound Road opposite the public terminal at Providenciales International Airport and cost a total of $16 million to construct. It will provide customers with a modern and contemporary style facility including a world class terminal, with lounges and office space, 11 acres of aircraft parking and a hangar. In March this year Signature Flight Support, a BBA Aviation company, signed an agreement with Blue Heron Aviation Ltd of the Turks and Caicos Islands to licence the FBO. Blue Heron Aviation Ltd is a Turks and Caicos Company owned by investors and residents who have significant investments in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Michel Neutelings of Blue Heron told the Weekly News on
Wednesday (October 1) that the FBO is “scheduled to open mid to end of November, construction is in its final phase, recruitment and training of all the staff is ongoing.” He explained that numerous TCI companies were involved in the project such as construction companies, heavy machine contractors and operators, electric companies, security companies and more. When opened the facility will employ 15 to 20 staff members, mostly made up of Turks and Caicos Islanders. He previously said: “Our new FBO will offer outstanding quality of customer service and facilities which are essential to service this expanding market. “The design of the FBO boasts modern technology and energy efficient features such as solar power. “We are excited to be working with Signature Flight Support who will bring their expertise and knowledge of the global market, enabling us to deliver the service expected of a world-class FBO.”
The facility will offer full ground handling, fuelling and the full portfolio of Signature’s services such as its loyalty programme Signature TailWins. Earlier this year Maria Sastre, president and chief operating officer for Signature Flight Support, said: “This new Signature Flight Support location in the Turks and Caicos is a continuation of our strategic expansion in the Caribbean. “Signature Turks and Caicos is currently under construction designed to the highest standards of a world-class FBO. “Our focus on delivering exceptional service and safety combined with the finest facilities makes the Signature value proposition a differentiator at Providenciales International Airport.” Signature also acquired FBOs in Antigua, St Kitts and Nevis. A fixed-base operator is a commercial business granted the right by an airport to operate on the airport and provide aeronautical services.
Digicel officially launches business solutions arm DIGICEL TCI unveiled its business solutions arm, Digicel Business, during a business symposium at the Regent Palms hotel on Friday (September 25) in Providenciales. The event which focused on cloud solutions under the theme ‘How cloud computing can help you grow your bottom line’ was attended by Government and private sector representatives. Led by Digicel TCI CEO, E Jay Saunders, the meeting highlighted the very latest in cloud technology. Members of key Digicel business partners CISCO, HP and
Broadsoft, assisted in showcasing the capabilities their cloud products have in driving efficiencies and cutting costs for businesses across all industries in the TCI. Saunders, said that cloud computing is a concept that is driving down the cost of doing business and driving up productivity; it is changing the way many persons do business. “Through the significant investment Digicel has made in the TCI, we are delivering a world class infrastructure with layer upon layer of redundancy, making
businesses more secure than ever before,” he said. Digicel Business is the region’s leading full service business solutions partner that delivers value and innovation while enabling people to work better together and to connect with their customers, supplier and communities. Digicel Business partners with world-renowned leaders in their fields to enable business growth through leading technologies and has 250 highly trained specialists across the region serving the business community.
INCREASING the use of renewable energy sources was a hot topic of discussion during a recent energy forum in the British Virgin Islands. And how energy is produced in the TCI was analysed and debated at the regional event. Russell Cox, Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Government Support Services, and Energy and Utilities Commissioner, Malike Cummings, attended the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC) forums in Tortola on September 22 and 23. Both also attended the Regulatory Forum, cosponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the World Bank on September 24. In a press release on Wednesday (October 1) Cox said: “I was very impressed with the content of these strategic talks. “It was very helpful to have taken part and to share the latest thinking on how to improve the energy sector, especially
renewable energy integration and energy efficiency implementation. “Clearly, we need concerted, collaborative efforts and greater commitment by everyone to ensure sustained success and accomplishment of our objectives.” During the visit Cummings, presented a paper titled ‘Energy Policy and Strategy Solution The Case of the Turks and Caicos Islands’. This outlined the core policy principles and actions to address the barriers to sustainable energy in the TCI. The Regulatory Forum session was presented to an audience comprising, ministers, regulators, government representatives and management from several electric utilities across the region. The various stakeholder perspectives were brought to the fore, culminating in the documenting of regulatory solutions for further evaluation and implementation.
French Cay iguanas are not a threat to birdlife – Deputy Premier CONCERNS about the ferocity of Turks and Caicos rock iguanas were put to rest in the House of Assembly last week. The herbivorous lizards are not a threat to birdlife and have no interest in fledglings, Deputy Premier Akierra Missick said. The Education Minister spoke on behalf of Amanda Misick, Minister for Environment and Home Affairs, during the parliamentary question session. She explained that less than five percent of iguanas’ diet consists of animal matter and that is usually slow moving insects found on plants or rotting flesh. Missick was responding to a question from Opposition Appointed Member Clarence Selver who asked if the migrant bird population on French Cay was at threat from the reptiles. She said that the iguanas on the unpopulated island of French Cay were introduced by Dr Glenn Gerber in 2002. Dr Gerber is the Caribbean programme head of the San Diago Zoo Institute for Conservation Research in the USA, and current steering member of the RUCN/SSS iguana specialist group. A total of 84 adult iguanas were trans-located to the island from Big Ambergris Cay in 2002 - 42 males and 42 females. Dr Gruber worked closely with the then DECR Director Mark Day and the TCI National Trust executive director Ethlyn Gibbs.
“The reasons for the translocation was primarily to establish the species on an island where it had been expatriated from in the past,” Missick explained. To date all trans-located iguanas have come from large populations in Little Water Cay, threatened by feral cats, and Big Ambergris Cay, threatened by development. “In terms of the bird population on French Cay, Dr Gerber and DEMA officers do not believe that iguanas represent a threat to them,” she said. “Iguanas occur naturally on many islands with nesting seabirds in the TCI and elsewhere in the Caribbean. “Iguanas will sometimes scavenge on carcasses of fledglings or adults that have died but they have not observed an iguana raiding a nest for eggs or young or attacking a fledgling or adult. “The terns or other seabirds are all very aggressive towards any iguana approaching their nest and from the standpoint of an iguana specialist, Dr Gerber, the iguanas avoid these confrontations.” TCI rock iguanas are listed as critically endangered by the RUCN red list of threatened species. The reason for this is that their current range is less than five percent of their historical distribution and at least 15 island populations are known to have gone extinct in the past 35 years. French Cay is found in the Caicos Bank, straight south from Providenciales and southeast of West Caicos.
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
NEWS 15
Repaired storm damaged home handed back to owner THE FIRST home to be substantially repaired after the devastation of hurricanes Hanna and Ike was handed back to its owner on Monday (September 29). Grand Turk’s Anthea Beatrice Gardiner was delighted to be given the keys to her revamped property after it was demolished by the storms in 2008. A total of 24 homes will be completely rebuilt and a further 34 repaired thanks to a $6.25 million grant from the European Union (EU) recovery fund. Deputy Governor Anya Williams said: “It is a truly happy day and to see Beatrice Gardiner finally move back into her home. “I am looking forward to handing over the keys to the other owners on Grand Turk over the next few weeks and then moving on to the other affected islands.” In 2010 the 10th European Development Fund granted €5 million (about US$6.5 million) to the Turks and Caicos Islands to rebuild homes that remained in a poor or derelict state. The project aimed to reduce
poverty existing as a result of the hurricanes and was overseen by the Disaster Recovery Board (DRB), chaired by Governor, Peter Beckingham. Other members of the board are Deputy Governor Anya Williams, Chief Financial Officer Stephen Turnbull, Permanent Secretary Wesley Clerveaux, Pastor Vernon Malcolm and independent member Kingsley Been. The terms of the contract stated that the fund must spend the money by October 31, 2014, and aid is limited to South Caicos, Grand Turk and Salt Cay - the islands identified by a 2009 UNESCO survey to be most severely damaged. However despite being granted the aid, the cash was frozen until the country could prove it was fiscally responsible. In April 2012 the TCI received its first release of the funding which kick started the project - followed by the appointment of project manager Sue Breetzke that October. Applications for assistance were called for in December 2012. Alongside this, a contract was
Lester Williams, Anthea Beatrice Gardiner, Deputy Governor Anya Williams and surveyor Paul Matthews
led by the project to update the TCI Building Code to incorporate more stringent requirements in design and construction to protect against future hurricane damage and to bring the code in line with the latest advances in international building codes. This was approved by Cabinet in January this year. In total 235 applications were received from the three islands. All of these were captured, processed and those which met the general criteria audited. All application data was made
anonymous, with names, island and block and parcel numbers removed, before it was submitted to the Recovery Task Force (as project steering board) and Disaster Recovery Board, for consideration and approval or decline. Final lists of approved and declined applications have now been produced. Originally 124 homeowners were informed that they were eligible for assistance from the $6.25 million fund, and prioritised according to need by the DRB. Those on the lowest income and
living in a damaged property with elderly, infirm or disabled people took precedence. However several applicants subsequently withdrew their applications or were found to be ineligible. The current total is seven minor works, 12 repairs and 19 rebuilds in Grand Turk, seven repairs and five rebuilds in South Caicos, while in Salt Cay there will be five minor works and two repairs. Works on South Caicos are well advanced and further construction will begin shortly on Salt Cay.
Dangerous potholes in Kew Town still not mended By Daisy Handfield RESIDENTS of Kew Town are still complaining about the large and plentiful potholes in the constituency which have still not been addressed. When the Weekly News spoke to George Lightbourne, Minister of Government Support Services (GSS), just a little over two weeks ago, he promised that work would be done soon. He explained that the potholes in The Bight and in Kew Town, which were the two areas that stood out the most, would be patched the following weekend. “I have been informed by my staff that works on the potholes will commence by this weekend,” he wrote in an email to the newspaper. There was noted work done to
The Bight potholes, but the potholes in the area of Kew Town remain the same and have widened a bit more after another recent heavy downfall. In a second attempt to contact Lightbourne to inquire on why the potholes in Kew Town have not been addressed as yet, there was no response up to press time. Potholes pose a big hazard to vehicles that drive along these roads on a regular basis. Among issues that are caused to vehicles include steering system misalignment, engine damage, and premature wear on shocks, wheel rim damage and exhaust system damage. According to potholes.co.uk the holes cause as many as 1 in 10 mechanical failures on UK roads and cost motorists an estimated £730 million every year.
Potholes in Kew Town remain the same, posing potential harm to vehicles that drive in that area
16 NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014
TCI join forces with US Department of Agriculture to conduct studies BY DAISY HANDFIELD
A TEAM from the US Department of Agriculture is in the TCI conducting a series of field surveys to assess the presence of certain pests which cause serious damages to plants. This initiative is in conjunction with the TCI Department of Agriculture. A press conference was held at the Sunshine Nursery in Providenciales on Thursday (October 2) to discuss the collaboration between these entities and to share their findings so far. Chief plant protection officer Dexter Gordon said that a part of every plant health programme is pest and disease surveillance. “This is a very crucial component of the programme because it advises the technical rep on how to put together policies to control pest and diseases, and it also helps us to determine what we have on island and what measures we have to put in place to keep what we do not have out or to control what is already here,” he said. He explained that this part of the programme would advise plans for future developments, and added that information obtained from the survey will help to create a TCI national pest list. “It is very important because some of these pests are dilatory pest; what we call pest of economic importance simply because if they ever invade the country they would cause devastation.” Gordon explained that a solid relationship between the TCI and the US Department of Agriculture formed after several invitations to a Plant Director Caribbean Forum. During the event the Directors of Departments of Agriculture of a number of countries would meet and discuss how to curtail pests and disease spread in the region. The protection officer said that they heard about the presence of two pests here in the TCI that are affecting the plants, but have not seen any evidence as yet. “We surveyed the entire island. We visited most of the nurseries on Provo and North Caicos. “The plants in the nursery are properly taken care of, but when went out on the outside, we saw real picture.” His encouragement to plant owners was that if they were giving
optimum water and nutrients to their plants and they were still not growing, they should contact the Department of Agriculture for further assistance. “It leaves a yellowing and stuff like that, or you may see that the leaves are being eaten, you don’t know by what pest, but eaten, you know that there is a pest in infestation. “You can contact the Department of Agriculture and we can come out to investigate and see what the situation is and how best we can treat it.” He said that if gardeners notice any case of lethal yellowing, the recommendation is to cut and burn, because there was no treatment. “People shouldn’t be doing this on their own, they should contact the department,” he said. Lionel Wayne De Chi, agricultural scientist at the US Department of Agriculture, said in Providenciales and North Caicos they spotted a number of different types of insects. “They don’t seem to be very prevalent, but we are concerned about some of the disease symptoms we are presently seeing on the island.” “What we have recognised is that the Caribbean is one space and as long as pests and disease enter one particular Caribbean island it eventually affects all.” After the brief conference, officials and the media toured Sunshine Nursery and the plant experts demonstrated how they applied chemicals to the plants to test for diseases and pests.
Plant health expert Anthony St Hill, entomologist Juliet Goldsmith and chief plant protection officer Dexter Gordon
Anthony St Hill inspects a palm for weevils
Luxury resort wins travel industry award SEVEN Stars was named one of the top luxury resorts worldwide recently in a prestigious annual travel industry competition. It was selected as a 2014 Silver Travel Weekly Magellan award winner in the Luxury/Hotel Resort category and was the only one selected in the Turks and Caicos Islands. From design to marketing to services, the Travel Weekly
Magellan Awards honours the best in travel and salutes the outstanding travel professionals behind it all. Bryant Guillot of the Thomas Lee Group, which leads the resort’s sales and marketing team, said: “The 2014 Magellan Awards receive thousands of entries from top hotels and resorts worldwide. “This award continues to serve as a firm validation that we are achieving our goals to become one
of the most sought-after destination resorts in the Caribbean.” Travel Weekly is recognised as one of the most important and influential sources of news, data and commentary for the travel industry. The publication’s Magellan Awards is its premier awards programme recognising excellence in a broad range of industry segments including hotels and resorts, travel destinations, cruise
lines and travel agents and agencies. The recent recognition comes hot on the heels of numerous notable accolades from renowned industry outlets in 2014. Other awards given to Seven Stars include Travel and Leisure’s Top 500 Hotels, Best Resort in the Caribbean, Bermuda and Bahamas by Global Traveller and Conde Nast Traveller’s Top 25 Spas in the World.
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
LIME gets an edge on the competition with flat call across rate ON TUESDAY (September 30) LIME Turks and Caicos made life much simpler for its customers with a flat 30 cents per minute call rate across all three of the local networks, any time of the day. The new rates kicked in on Wednesday, October 1. Speaking with the Weekly News on Tuesday, James Pitt, general manager with the local arm of the Caribbean provider, was excited to share his company’s newest attempt to add value to its customers. The aim of the new rates is to ensure that pre-paid customers no longer have to schedule their calls for specific off peak times as there is now no difference in the rates for weekend, week day, and peak and off hours. The plan, according the general manager, has no hidden fees. “You don’t need to carry multiple phones anymore; a Digi phone to call Digicel or an Islandcom phone to call Islandcom. This is one rate across the all networks in the TCI,” Pitt said. Asked if the company is looking to add even more value to its customers by extending the perks to international calling, Pitt would only say that the company is working on something else for Lime users. Although he was a bit tightlipped on what the public can expect, he said they will be unveiling this soon, with some
LIME General Manager James Pitt
more goodies for the upcoming Christmas season. In July this year, a Cabinet decision was announced that a reduction in the call termination rates that mobile companies charge each other will be effected by the end of September. Pitt said that the Cabinet decision was more or less a catalyst for the company to offer some benefit to their customers, but it did not inform the decision. “That Cabinet decision has been implemented, and what that simply means is that the mandated fee that we charge each other has been reduced. “But it has not been a trigger really. Does it allow lower rates, yes, and which is passed on immediately to the customers. “But this recent decision just further validates and adds emphasis to our intention to bring more value. But was it a driver in the decision, no,” Pitt said. The general manager also promised many other significant changes as the year comes to an end. (Delana Isles)
Head teachers awarded for completion of management training A TOTAL of 21 school heads from across the TCI have completed a training course aimed at boosting their management and leadership skills. The principals from public and private educational facilities were awarded certificates for their participation in ‘The 21st Century Principal’ course on Thursday (September 25). The four-day learning experience was a spin-off of TCIG’s management development programme entitled ‘The 21st Century Manager.’ Deputy Governor Anya Williams and Cheryl-Ann Jones, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, both attended the graduation ceremony in Providenciales. Williams said: “This course is at the heart of our effort to develop and transform the public service. “We have reached a key stage of the implementation of the 21st Century Manager programme in that
we are now training the trainers to go out and continue to cascade the good work into every aspect of public life. “Particular thanks should go to our training manager Christine Ramoutar, who created and facilitated this course for school leaders to ensure that management standards are the same across every educational establishment in the Turks and Caicos.” The officials distributed certificates and copies of ‘The Principal’s Companion,’ the primary text resource used for course design and development. The book covers topics such as the art of human relations, building emotional and social intelligence competencies, enhancing teacher growth through supervision, working effectively with parents and the community and reducing school and cyber bullying. Five head teachers in Grand Turk graduated the course on Friday, September 12.
NEWS 17
Citizens urged to sign up to new voters’ register TURKS and Caicos Islanders who are not registered to vote need to sign up before November 30, it was announced this week. Meanwhile registered voters are being asked to carry out their annual check on the Register of Electors and update their records if necessary. Supervisor of Elections Dudley Lewis revealed on Tuesday (September 30) that the register is being updated and the new one will be published on March 31, next year. Lewis said: “Eligible voters on the present Register of Electors do not need to re-apply to be included in the new one. “They will be automatically included unless they notify the Elections Office that they have changed their name or place of residence, or no longer meet the eligibility criteria. “This includes being resident in the TCI for at least 12 out of 24 months.” Registration for the election’s register is an ongoing process, however, under the Elections Ordinance; an updated register is due on March 31 each year. Lewis urges everyone to be included on the register especially those who have turned 18 since March 1, and those who are over 18 and did not apply to join the register earlier in 2014. Those who turn 18 after November 30 and anyone who has been granted status as a Turks and Caicos Islander after November, should also contact the Elections Office with the relevant
documentation. An elector’s status as a Turks and Caicos Islander must be verified first by the Ministry of Border Control through the process to obtain TC Islander Status card. Therefore, those without status cards should apply for one prior to registration. The Elections Supervisor advises that his office will await the completion of the TC Islander status verification process before it will consider a person’s application to be added to the preliminary list and Register of Electors. Potential new electors should complete a voter registration application form. Those who have already obtained the Status Card, but did not submit an application form should prepare and submit it during this process. If people do not register their names they cannot be added to the preliminary list or register and they will not be able to exercise their democratic right to vote whenever general elections is called. Application forms for inclusion on the TCI Register of Voters may be collected from the Elections Office in Grand Turk (Waterloo Plaza, above Scotia Bank) or Providenciales Butterfield Square or the District Commissioner’s Officers in Salt Cay, South Caicos, Middle Caicos (Conch Bar) and North Caicos (Bottle Creek). Further information on the electoral registration process can be obtained from the Elections Office, Grand Turk, or by calling 946-258 or 338-2302, or email dllewis@gov.tc.
Refunds available for overpaid business licence fees BUSINESSES that have overpaid for their licences since the increase in fees came into effect in July have until the end of October to claim any refunds. This was announced by Minister of Finance, Washington Misick, who was responding to a question in the House of Assembly last week. The reimbursement is for persons whose licence fees were reduced but had already paid the previous higher rate. However, persons who have underpaid as a result of the changes are expected to make arrangements to repay the revenue department. “The reclassification of the categories of contractors as recommended by the Public Works Department has resulted in persons underpaying their licences as some fees – for example in the construction category was revised upwards,” Misick advised.
He said that for contractors who paid $540 after April 2014 will now have to pay $4,000 based on the amendments to the fees. He added that the revenue department has undertaken an exercise to identify people who are due for refunds and will be processing these refunds at the end of the renewal period. For those with outstanding balances, the department has identified these people and will be contacting them to make the necessary arrangements to cover the difference. The revenue department intends to commence processing of refunds at the end of the renewal cycle which was extended to September 30, particularly to those affected by flooding in the aftermath of Cristobal, the minister stated. The refund process should be completed by the end of October. (Delana Isles)
More information on the verification of TC Islander status and the issuing of TC Islander Status Cards can be obtained from the Ministry of Border Control and Labour.
Talented youths encourage each other through poetry group A GROUP of young people in the Turks and Caicos Islands have formed a video expression group called ‘Open Thought’ as an avenue to present themselves to the world. Nolan Smith one of the cofounders of the group said that their aim was displaying the talents and views of youngsters who are not afraid of their inner light. “Open Thought aims to target young people who are not afraid to put their talents out there in the public. “Our goal is to simply help develop young talent, explore their thoughts and change their perspective.” He said that it was a movement to fully express ideas to the world so that the youth of today would not be trapped in the box that the generation before them closed them in. Open Thought accepts poetry, drama and music pieces from anyone who is interested in showcasing their talents to the world. “We want to change the way society judges and criticises people who are unique. “It is time that we start embracing change, the problem is we want to move forward, but we don’t want to change our mind and the only way we can move forward as a society is if we change our mind.” He emphasised that although many youths may not have the money to follow through with their goals, they still had their minds which was a very powerful tool. To be a part of their movement you can subscribe to their YouTube channel, Open Thought, or follow them on Facebook under the same name. (Daisy Handfield)
18 NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014
Young artists invited to enter migratory bird comp
An osprey sits in a tree in Grand Turk (photo by Dominique Rolle)**
CREATIVE youngsters will be given the chance to showcase their talents during a nationwide competition this month. The Turks and Caicos National Trust is hosting an art contest to recognise International Migratory Bird Day under the theme ‘Why birds matter’. According to a press release from the trust: “The International Migratory Bird Day recognises the incredible migrations some take, the diversity of the birds on planet earth, and the extraordinary plumages, songs, and behaviours they exhibit. “We celebrate this day to remember why birds matter to the ecosystem, the earth and us!” The art contest is designed to showcase how the TCI’s rich ecosystem attracts hundreds of species of dazzling birds, some of which migrate from as far away as Canada and the Central American tropics. The contest is open to both primary and secondary school students, there can be only one entry per student and three entries per school.
By Nicole Cox, a mother living with autism
The educational renaissance SO, LET'S take a peek at the new guard in education, shall we? The irony is that they really are not new, they are just doing new things. Last week I hope I made it clear that I believe that the first spark of this renaissance started not with the educators, but with the parents. I am going to emphasise that point one more time. It is my firm belief that parents can only demand of the system what they themselves would put into the system. I know this sounds rather harsh, but understand that when I say this, I don’t necessarily mean money. Money is a scarce commodity. Not just in the TCI but all over. But, somehow when we get on the topic of educational reforms, we get stuck on the money issue. It has become an ‘out’ for many systems to opt for status quo rather than reform. Parents must think differently. What we lack in money can be compensated for with time, education and effort. I am not certain if I know of an educator or school administrator who would look in the eye of a parent and declare that they could not accommodate their child if
the parent is bringing them all the information necessary to do so, as well as presenting means or options by which the information could be put into practice. You may say: “That’s not the parent’s job!” I say, if we have children, then it is. At least to the fullest degree of our capabilities. The truth is, that upon seeing progress as well as the sacrifice on the part of parents to bring something new to the classroom that benefits all the children involved, ethical, progressive educators will pick up on it and move forward with it. Waiting on them to disassemble all that they knew to be true of education and to assemble a new system based on just a parent’s desire is futile. Action is all that matters. Once we have demonstrated that we have desire plus know how PLUS the work ethic to see it through ourselves, we have changed the face of what education used to look like. There is something very powerful about someone who so badly wants to see improvement in a system that they take the time to learn a system that is not theirs, master the necessary tools for it and then offer it back.
award all prizes. Judges’ decisions will be final. All first prize winners will receive a trophy, gift bag from the Turks and Caicos National Trust and a digital gadget such as a camera or tablet. Second and third prize winners will receive certificate, gift bag from the Turks and Caicos National Trust and art supplies. In addition, selected art work will be featured in a local newspaper or magazine. All submissions will be showcased in a community art exhibit at the Conch Bar Community Centre in Middle Caicos from Wednesday, November 12, to Wednesday, November 19. The art pieces will be available for viewing after the competition at the National Trust Headquarters in Town Centre Mall. For more information, contact the Turks & Caicos National Trust on 941-5710 or by email at tc.nattrust_ pr@yahoo.com.
Festival fun for Heritage Month
Spectrum Life – PART THREE
Group submissions are not eligible for the contest and all entries must include a completed entry form on the back for each poster. Materials and media that may be used in the submission include fabric, papers, glitter, marker, watercolour, crayons, coloured pencils, acrylic paints and tissue paper, and the work cannot exceed 22 by 28ins. The deadline for the competition is Friday, October 31, and work should be submitted to PO Box 540, Town Centre Mall, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands. Art teachers should contact the Turks and Caicos National Trust prior to submitting students work by email at tc.nattrust_pr@yahoo.com or by phone at 941-5710. Entries will be judged on adherence to the theme, creativity, and originality by a panel of judges. The judges will determine a first, second, and third prize in each grade category and reserve the right not to
Perhaps you are thinking: “Who in the world has that kind of time?” Well, the truth is that time can be found for anything that we consider critical. It is a matter of will. It is a matter of values. It is recognising the global relevance of our children and carving a path where that relevance can be groomed. Last week I questioned who would be the pioneers who would be looked back upon as the ‘Da Vinci’s’ of this renaissance. The Parents. That’s who. It is the parents who are now turning the pages. The parents who are looking around the world at what is happening and slowly demanding that it happen here as well. I applaud the response of progressive educators to this movement. But do not be mistaken, parents. It is up to us to ensure that enlightenment reigns in our children’s educations. Not the Government, not the schools, not the educators....us. The burden is great...but the blessing is greater. Our legacy is immortalised by the progress of our children. That, to me, is a greater masterpiece than the Sistine Chapel! Next week we take apart what makes a masterpiece.
NUMEROUS fun events that celebrate the colourful heritage of the Turks and Caicos Islands are taking place this October in recognition of National Heritage Month. A salt festival, seafood festival and maritime festival are just some of the family friendly gatherings that the public is invited to attend. The celebrations kick off this weekend with the Salt Festival in Grand Turk and Salt Cay. On Saturday (October 4) Salt Cay will host a cultural day at the Salt Shed that will feature a beach picnic, cultural games, performances and ripsaw music. Meanwhile Grand Turk will be hosting a traditional fair starting at 2pm with Salt Festival performances of song, skits and poems by students along with music from DJ Shakes cumulating with a Band Boys V6 concert. This event is free to the public and will take place at the Library Tennis Court. Vendors will be on site to provide food and drinks. On Sunday (October 5) all churches in Grand Turk and Salt Cay are invited to observe and dedicate some aspects of their service to the topic of culture and heritage and its role in religion. At Noon the longest performing gospel group in the Turks and Caicos Islands, The Gospel Pioneers, will put on a matinee concert in Salt Cay at the Salt Shed. That evening will see a gospel concert by the Gospel Pioneers at the library stage along with and a number of Grand Turk praise and
worship groups. This event is free to the public. Vendors will be on site to provide food and drinks. Two special scheduled boats will ferry people between Grand Turk and Salt Cay throughout the weekend to allow easy access. Then next weekend the Seafood Fest is being held in South Caicos. On Saturday (October 11) the festival will begin in Regatta Village with a focus on traditional Turks and Caicos cuisine. The highlight of the weekend will be a cook out best dish competition with five categories including best boil fish, best lobster dish, fry fish, stew conch and conch fritters. Other activities will include a culture and heritage quiz, maypole dance performances and ripsaw music by Full Force. On the Sunday (October 12) all churches in South Caicos are invited to observe and dedicate some aspects of their service to the topic of culture and heritage and its role in religion. The evening will also see a gospel concert by The Gospel Pioneers alongside South Caicos’ best praise and worship teams. The event will be held once again at the Regatta Village and is free to the public. Vendors will be on site to provide food and drinks. Events set to take place later in the month include National Heritage Day flag and float parades, the Spongue, Cotton and Sisal Fest, a heritage walk and a maritime festival. More details will come in next week’s newspaper.
October 4 - 10, 2014
Malique Ferrette, winner of this year’s Miss Teen Turks and Caicos pageant, waves to fans
Nine beautiful ladies vying for the Miss Teen TCI 2014 crown motorcade the streets of Providenciales
Youth Day 2014 kicks off with a beauty parade BY DAISY HANDFIELD AS PART of Youth Week 2014, the nine beautiful ladies participating in the first ever Miss Teen TCI 2014 pageant motorcaded the streets of Providenciales on Friday (September 26). The starting point was at the Miss Moonies restaurant heading down Long Bay straight to the Kids Park in The Bight. Although the turnout was poor and the initiative suffered from a late start, this did not stop the ladies from showing off their beautiful smiles as they posed in the back of wrangler jeeps. After the motorcade, the girls and residents enjoyed the public holiday at the Kids Park, where organisers of Youth Day 2014 put together a fun day with lots of food and drinks on sale for everyone to enjoy. The family friendly event looking
NEWS 19
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
over Grace Bay beach started at 10am and finished shortly after 5pm. Akierra Missick Minister of Education said that it was her pleasure to bring greetings on the celebration of National Youth Week 2014. “What is also important to note is that young people are not only on the receiving end of influence. “Young people - Yes, you my young people, you are also influencing society as well. “The theme calls for all young people to recognise that they can change and make a difference.” She said that their thoughts, ideas and actions could impact and change the world. “Young people, you are not passive receptors, you are agents of change. “The theme encourages you to be bold, be inspired and be brave and go out and be that change.”
Missick said that the Government is committed to strengthening avenues for young people to succeed. “The current work we are engaged in with expanding certification in technical and vocational subjects at high school and college levels will ensure that more young people have the tools to serve at any level and not just via academics.” The minister said that additional funding will target the introduction of the Cadet Programme and support programmes such as Junior Achievement. These are steps that will again strengthen the potential for the TCI youth to really “be the change our country needs” and to give them the confidence to be bold and to inspire others, she added. “These programmes help to develop leadership qualities and a passion for community involvement.”
Contestants in Miss Teen Turks and Caicos enjoy their moment in the sun
The Towers of Babel Art is our language
For more information email towersofbabel101@gmail.com or visit www.towersofbabel.weebly.com
Bound By Rebecca M Shackled by an unworthy love keeps me bound to the borders of my home. Screaming, “If you love it let it go!” for somehow that message seemed to have gotten lost in the mail. Wanting a skilled labourer for his vineyard founded in the land of dry dirt. But this labourer seeks to travel to the land of moist soil to bring back the finest grapes to his master. If you love it let it go and only then you shall reap the juicy fruits in which you’ve claimed to sow. “Love yourself!” They iterate. Take caution with the words of thy lips for one’s love might run deeper than the lowest valley. Striving for the best rejecting offers that causes settling for less yet you see it as a crime. Sacrificing and taking leaps of faith yet you see a fool who is wasting life. Or better yet, time. For the goal is achievable; but it’s the dismaying of the possible that makes it all a waste. A black diamond glowing in the mine of white diamonds. Rare, so the ‘value is dropped’ due to ignorance of its versatility and unmatched moulding. Let it go to where it needs to be, for its unique structure makes it hard to cut through, yet its masters force shaped it as a refusal to let it go believing that it won’t be returned saying what is this risk worth? Life is a gamble in itself… Destroyed! Going on a life strike. There’s no way the gift should die inside knowing its necessities. But a blind eye could never see such amazing things...needs. Blinded by cheapness and greed
causing the future to suffer and bleed for in the world there is no other place, no acceptable space to settle besides where the soul knows it ought to be. Disregard me from the future breed despite my values and intelligence, go ahead and label me as unworthy. This is the life strike for denial of freedom to achieve is what sucked the vision out of me. You killed me because you refused to set me free. No gift to offer leaves a useless being. Shackled by an unworthy love keeps me bound to the borders of my home. Screaming, “If you love it let it go!” BECAUSE somehow that message seemed to have gotten lost in the mail. Wanting a skilled labourer for his vineyard founded in the land of dry dirt. But this labourer seeks to travel to the land of moist soil to bring back the finest grapes to his master. If you love it let it go and only then you shall reap the juicy fruits in which you've claimed to sow.
Lifestyle... 20
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014
GARDENING
How to grow herbs ACCORDING to www. gardenguides.com, growing herbs, whether indoors or outdoors, can be rewarding on several levels. Herbs provide you with aromatic scents, exotic flavours and even medicinal capabilities. Growing herbs in the Caribbean can be easy thanks to the climate of the tropical region. From delicate flavours and bold flowers to modest but flavourful grasses, herbs in the Caribbean thrive. Step 1. Select a spot for gardening your herbs. For an impressive herb garden, outline a spot in your yard
that has areas that both get drenched in sunlight and are concealed by cool shade. Step 2. Break apart the ground in which you will be planting the herb seeds, using your shovel or hoe. This is called turning the earth or tilling. Use a mechanic tiller if you have one; otherwise, a shovel or hoe is more than adequate. Step 3. Pour all of the compost, sand and potting soil in a pile in the center of the plot of gardening land. Make sure the compost is at the bottom of the pile of soil and sand. Allow the compost to remain undisturbed (as well as the soil and
sand) for approximately three days, to allow the compost to decompose further. Step 4. Mix the compost, sand and soil mixture with the shovel, hoe or trowel, making sure to mix thoroughly and chop up any large clumps of compost throughout the soil mixture.
Step 5. Spread the soil mixture evenly over the garden area. Step 6. Introduce the worm castings to the top layer of the spreadout soil. This will act as a boost in fertilizing the already enriched soil. Step 7. Plant your herb seeds according to where the plants will thrive the most. For example, herbs
like saffron can be planted along the most shaded parts of the garden, and coriander, cilantro, parsley and peppermint can thrive in partial to full sun. The desirable and lengthy growing seasons in the Caribbean allow for a wide and eclectic variety of herbs.
Pack it light, wear it right YOUR BODY Dr Craig Zavitz is a Canadian chiropractor registered in the Turks and Caicos Islands. He specialises in gentle manual therapies, activator, therapeutic laser, and smoking cessation. To make appointments call 941-5252 or email craig@gracebaychiro.com. For more information visit www.gracebaychiro.com.
KIDS and backpacks just seem to go together. Whether you are heading out on holiday with the kids or sending them off to school, chances are they’ll be packing a backpack. You have your own load too, whether it’s a fashionable new purse or a suitcase packed to bursting. Knowing how to choose, pack and lift backpacks, shoulder bags and luggage can prevent them from becoming a pain in the back. Our common-sense guide will spare your back. BACKPACKS Choose carefully. Go for lightweight vinyl or canvas. Pick a pack that has two wide, adjustable and padded shoulder straps, along with a hip or waist strap, a padded back and plenty
of pockets. Pack it properly. Make sure the backpack contains only what is needed for the day or the activity. Distribute the weight of the contents evenly. The total weight of the filled pack should be no more than 10 to 15 percent of the wearer’s body weight. Wear it right. Both shoulder straps should always be used, and adjusted so that the pack fits snugly to the body without dangling to the side. Never sling a backpack over one shoulder. You should be able to slide a hand between the backpack and the carrier’s back. It’s a fact! More than 50 percent of young people experience at least one episode of low back pain by their teenage years.
BY Dr Craig Zavitz
Research indicates one cause is improper use of backpacks. So pack it light and wear it right! SHOULDER BAGS Choosing a shoulder bag. Whether your bag is a purse or home to your laptop, choose one with a wide, padded adjustable shoulder strap. Packing a shoulder bag. Divide the contents among multiple pockets to help distribute the weight and keep items from shifting. Your bag should not weigh more than 10 to 15 percent of your body weight. Carrying a shoulder bag. Don’t always carry your bag on the same shoulder, switch sides often so that each shoulder gets a rest.
Try not to lift the shoulder on which the purse is carried, ideally wear the strap across your chest. The last word. Carrying a heavy load that is poorly distributed can cause a number of problems including muscle strain, headaches, neck, back and arm pain, and even
nerve damage. It pays to pack it light and wear it right! Dr Zavitz will be in Grand Turk on Sunday, October 5, and Providenciales from October 6 to 11.
October 4 - 10, 2014
Lifestyle...
21
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
Teeth whitening The Dentist and you Mark Osmond BDS (Lond) LDS RCS (Eng). Mark Osmond Dental Clinic - (649) 432 3777, drmosmond@gmail.com or Find us on Facebook
IT IS no surprise that we all find bright, white teeth more attractive than dull, brown or grey teeth; white teeth are associated with youth, as well as cleanliness and health. Dental whitening (or bleaching) is a cosmetic procedure which uses hydrogen peroxide to change the colour of teeth and help return you to a whiter smile. Tooth discoloration There are many reasons why teeth change colour - aging, diet, (eg drinking black coffee, red wine), smoking habits, and even teeth grinding. Whilst many superficial extrinsic stains (stains on the outside) can be removed by regular brushing at home and professional cleaning at
your dentist, more stubborn extrinsic stains and intrinsic staining (staining on the inside of the teeth) will remain. This is where dental whitening can really make a difference. There are three main options when considering dental whitening:
- In-office. The procedure takes about an hour, and because it uses a relatively high concentration of bleaching gel requires a dentist to administer it. The lips and gums are protected and the bleaching gel is painted into the teeth. A laser light can then be used to help activate the gel. This accelerates the bleaching effects of the gel and
By Dr Mark Osmond generally improves whitening results. The gel is removed after approximately 15mins and the procedure is repeated another one or two times. This method produces the most rapid results; you will see an immediate, significant colour change at that first appointment. For three days after this procedure it is recommended that you do not eat or drink anything highly coloured. - Professionally dispensed whitening kits for use at home. This method is still effective but uses a lower concentration of hydrogen peroxide so results are achieved more gradually over a period of days. The kit contains pre-loaded trays which are applied onto the teeth for a
period of an hour. I recommend repeating this for four or five days although the kits I stock contain enough for a 10 day course. - Over-the-counter. These contain the lowest concentration of active ingredient which is applied to the teeth by strips, paint-on applicators and universal-sized trays. Depending on what degree of a colour change you are seeking these can be satisfactory and convenient solution although will generally require longer to gets visible results. It is important to stress that dental whitening does not cause any damage to teeth. However, I would add some watch outs.
I do not recommend any method using the higher concentrations if you have sensitive teeth or for anyone under the age of 20 years. If you have crowns or veneers you need to be aware that these will not change colour during the whitening procedure. The whitening method you select is purely down to personal choice, based on how quickly you want to achieve results, how significant a colour change you want to achieve, your budget and whether you are comfortable self-administering. However, whichever method you choose you will be able to smile with more confidence knowing you have that clean, white, bright smile.
Weekly Recipe
POLICE SAFETY TIPS
Preventing theft of laptops and personal electronics
Potato paella INGREDIENTS • 4 medium smooth potatoes, cut into small 1-2cm strips/pieces • 1 onion, chopped • 1 clove garlic, crushed • 75g chorizo sausage, roughly cubed • ½ red pepper, deseeded and cut into strips • 50g green beans, cut in half • 300ml chicken stock • 1tsp smoked paprika • Seasoning • 200g frozen mixed cooked seafood eg. prawns, mussels and squid, defrosted • Fresh parsley, chopped METHOD • Add onion, garlic and chorizo to a large non-stick frying pan or saucepan. Cook for two to three minutes.
• Add the potatoes, pepper, beans, stock, paprika and seasoning, bring to the boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. • Cook for about eight minutes with lid on until the potatoes are just tender. • Add the seafood, stir through and allow to warm for two to three minutes. • Scatter with parsley and serve. • Don’t forget you can make a veggie version of this by replacing the chorizo with vegetarian sausages and adding more paprika as chorizo is naturally very spicy. • And exchange the chicken stock for vegetable stock too. • This recipe came courtesy of www.lovepotatoes.co.uk.
LAPTOP computers, tablets, cellular phones and other personal electronics have become a target of choice for thieves. Why? Because they are small, valuable, can be removed quickly, are easily hidden and there is a market for them. A thief can sell a stolen laptop, MP3 player or other device to an unsuspecting person or a pawn shop and easily receive up to half its value in cash. The cost of a stolen tablet, laptop, or other small electronic device is not just its replacement cost but also the cost of peripherals and accessories, the installed software, the cost of configuring and loading replacement software and the cost of lost time for the owner while the device is being replaced. An even greater cost (especially if your employer issued your device) is the potential exposure and liability that results from lost confidential corporate and client information. Many times, often after the fact, we think about what we could have done to prevent valuables from being stolen. Here are a few tips to help you protect your personal electronics
By Audley Astwood Audley, a former police detective and broadcaster, is currently the press officer for the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. His main focus is on crime prevention and community policing. For more information call 941-4448 or visit www.tcipolice.tc.
and laptop computer, whether you’re at home, school or on the road. Don’t leave your devices in an unlocked vehicle, even if the vehicle is in your driveway or garage, and NEVER leave it in plain sight, even if the vehicle is locked - that’s just inviting trouble. If you must leave your devices in a vehicle, the best place is in the trunk. If you don’t have a trunk, try to conceal them or fit them under a seat and lock the doors. Carry your devices in a nondescript carrying case or bag when moving about. Placing these items in a case designed for computers is an immediate alert to thieves that you have these valuable devices. Don’t leave a meeting or conference room without your laptop or personal electronics. Take them with you. Lock your device in a safe place when not in use or use a cable lock that wraps around a desk or chair leg.
You can also apply distinctive paint markings (such as indelible markers) to make your laptop unique and easily identifiable. Consider purchasing a theft alarm system specially made for laptops and other electronics. Be aware that if your computer is stolen, automatic log-ins can make it easy for a thief to send inappropriate messages with your account. Use password protection and require a person to log in every time the computer goes to sleep or powers down. It is also wise to back up your information using cloud-based storage or on portable media such as a flash drive, or other backup media. Store the discs someplace safe. For more crime prevention tips please visit www.tcipolice.tc or www.facebook.com/RTCIPF.
22 NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
Models display the Fantasy Collection by SGFH
Designer showcases Fantasy Collection SASSY designs from Saint George Fashion House’s (SGFH) Fantasy Collection debuted last Friday (September 26) at a swanky show and exclusive after party at Zanzi Bar and Lounge in Providenciales.
The show, by local fashion designer and stylist Kazz Forbes, combined fashion and music in a chic atmosphere; with attractive male and female models strutting along a catwalk which hovered over a glistening 50ft pool of water.
Featured in a two-segment show were daring designs displayed by some of TCI’s top models, including Miss Universe Turks and Caicos Shanice Williams. Designs from the fun and flirty collection featured
pieces embellished with feathers and Forbes’ signature hand-beading. Masks, wings, capes and even tails accompanied the playful tops and bottoms of the sizzling bunch. Forbes said he focused on a fun, funky, party type collection to keep it entertaining for attendees. There were musical performances by the dynamic Crystal Charles and a handsome crowd of supporters. The event, which was held under the patronage of former Premier Michael Misick, was a fundraiser for the fashion label to appear in the Islands of the World Fashion Week to be held this November in Nassau, Bahamas. Forbes is thrilled and looking forward to being in one of the biggest fashion shows in the Bahamas which will feature designers from islands around the world; giving them business development opportunities
Miss Universe Shanice Williams struts down the catwalk
Performer Crystal Charles and former Premier Michael Misick enjoy the show
and a chance to boost their international exposure. The upcoming show will be a first for him and he’ll be showcasing his customised gown collection.
Forbes thanked everyone for their support and said he is working towards further developing his brand, hinting that a surprise from SGFH is in store. (KH)
Dr. Craig Zavitz Chiropractor Dr. Craig Zavitz is a Canadian Chiropractor associated with Dr. Slattery of Grace Bay Medical Services for past 5 years. Specializing in gentle manual therapies, activator, therapeutic laser, and smoking cessation. New patients welcome. No pressure, no contracts, no long expensive treatment plans. Just the fast, safe, effective care you deserve. Dr. Zavitz is on island October 6-11th.
To make appointments call 941-5252 or email craig@gracebaychiro.com. or www.gracebaychiro.com
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
23
24
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
25
26
Entertainment
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
Anthony Horowitz to write new James Bond novel ANTHONY Horowitz, author of the Alex Rider teenage spy novels, has been invited to write a new James Bond adventure by the Ian Fleming estate. Currently dubbed Project One, the book will be set in the 1950s and contain previously unseen Fleming material. Horowitz said Fleming’s hero had had “a profound influence” on his life adding: “This is a book I had to write.” The material, an episode treatment for an unmade James Bond TV series, takes 007 into the world of motor racing. Entitled Murder on Wheels, the treatment will serve as a starting point for Horowitz’s novel, to be published on 8 September 2015. “When the estate approached me to write a new James Bond novel how could I possibly refuse?” said
Horowitz has written 10 novels featuring teenage spy Alex Rider.
the 59-year-old, who was made an OBE in the New Year Honours. “It’s a huge challenge... but having original, unpublished material by Fleming has been an inspiration.” “In the 1950s, Ian Fleming wrote several episode treatments for a
Call 946-4894 or stop by our Leeward Highway store today
Clothes now Available
NO HIGHER THAN
$50
BIG AND SMALL
James Bond television series,” said Jessie Grimond, the author’s greatniece. “But it never came to be made and he ended up turning most of the plots into the short stories that are now in the collections For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy and The Living Daylights. “However, there are a few plot outlines which he never used and which, till now, have never been published, or aired. “Given that Anthony is as brilliant a screenwriter as he is a novelist, we thought it would be exciting to see what he would do with one of them.” Set at the Nurburgring in Germany, Murder on Wheels would have seen 007 thwart a Russian plot to cause racing legend Stirling Moss to crash. The treatment saw Moss appear as a character, with Bond’s superior M and M’s secretary Miss Moneypenny also featuring.
The publication is an exact replica of the handwritten story created by Conan Doyle in 1922.
Mini Sherlock Holmes dolls’ house book published A MINIATURE book handwritten by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for a royal dolls’ house has been published in its original size. The Sherlock Holmes author wrote How Watson Learned The Trick for Queen Mary’s dolls’ house at Windsor Castle. The 24-page book measures 38.5mm (1.52 inches) by 30mm (1.18 inches). Holmes expert Roger Johnson said the publication of the little-known story was “genuinely exciting”.
The book is among over 200 tiny books produced for the dolls’ house library by some of the most famous authors of the early 20th century, including Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling and Sir James Barrie. The story, which would only make one-and-a-half pages in a normalsized book, has been published in the past as part of a collection of works but this is the first time it has been released in its original miniature version.
wishes
Happy birthday Edric! Happy birthday to one of the most special person in our lives! Edric, as you celebrate today may the presence of the Lord be with you in greater measure than it ever has before. Know that we appreciate all the little things you do and know that God is well pleased and is smiling down on you. We love you unconditionally and will continue to be your support system. We wish you the best birthday ever! May the good Lord continue to guide your path and cover you with his grace and love. Have a fantastic day baby! Birthday greetings coming from your wonderful parents, grandparents, siblings and the rest of the family circle who thinks the world of you. God bless you Edric Jr! Send your special occasion to: Weekly News, Cheshire House, Leeward Highway, PO Box 52, Providenciales or email to tcweeklynews@gmail.com. Free of Charge!
Please limit your messages to 150 words.
October 4 - 10, 2014
Entertainment
27
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
‘Big Brother’ star reveals he is HIV positive
Huang Tiange says music is his language.
Talented pre-teen piano prodigy set for Flushing Town Hall debut HE’S a miniature Mozart. When other 5-year-olds were tickling their Elmo dolls, Huang Tiange was tickling the ivories for several hours a day. The 10-year-old piano prodigy from China is making his New York City debut at Flushing Town Hall on Sunday, where he will dazzle audiences by playing Mozart’s music and one of his own compositions. “Flushing Town Hall prides itself on presenting global arts for a global community,” said Ellen Kodadek,
executive and artistic director of the historic venue on Northern Blvd. “Huang Tiange is incredibly talented and poised, and we are proud to present him on our stage,” she said. During a rehearsal, the talented grade schooler performed the first movement of Mozart’s Sonata No. 10 K. 330 flawlessly. He also played a movement from his own Xinjiang Suite, which he wrote at the age of 6 to honour the Golden Season, or fall
WHEN “Evel Dick” Donato left “Big Brother 13” during filming, he cited only “personal reasons” for his decision. He’s now revealing the reason for his exit: He is HIV positive. The winner of “Big Brother 8” shared his revelation on an episode of the VH1 reality series “Couples Therapy” set to air Wednesday. Donato and his girlfriend, Stephanie Rogness-Fischer, are cast members on the show, and in a clip he is seen discussing wanting to come clean about his diagnosis -- which she is adamantly against doing. “Stephanie does not want to talk about it, and if it’s brought up with her she will probably leave,” he tells the show’s therapist, Jenn Berman. “There (were) a million rumors of why I left ... but nobody ever knew and nobody ever found out.” CNN first became aware of Donato’s status via Twitter. Donato exited “Big Brother 13” after six days. He told People magazine that the show’s producers first alerted him to his diagnosis.
Dick Donato, here in 2007, reveals he left “Big Brother 13” after finding out he was HIV positive.
“They told me that something was wrong with my blood test,” he said. “They had done two HIV tests. One had come back positive and the other had come back negative.” He said he immediately left the show and went to the house of his mother, the first person he told. Donato said he is not gay or an intravenous drug user, “but at this point, it doesn’t
matter. We create a stigma around the disease that makes it hard for people to publicly say they have it.” Donato is on medication that he will have to take for the rest of his life and said he is coming forward to help others come out of the shadows. He says he’s fully aware of his reputation as a reality-show villain but grateful for the platform.
28
Regional News
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
Nigerian students ‘quarantined’ in St Vincent for failing to prove Ebola status AT LEAST two Nigerian students, who arrived this week in St. Vincent without medical certificates to prove that they are not infected with the deadly Ebola virus, have been quarantined and will be repatriated. “… because the students are from Nigeria, there are certain provisions that are put in place for entry, because there has not been an outright restriction,” Chief Immigration Officer Stanford Hamilton told the media earlier this week. The Ministry of Health announced on September 1 that in order to prevent the entry of Ebola the country, persons travelling from Guinea, Sierra Leone or Liberia or those who have visited any of the aforementioned countries during a 28-day period will not be allowed entry. Persons travelling from Nigeria or any other West African country or those who visited any of the aforementioned countries during a 28-day period must present upon entry at any port of entry a negative blood test result for Ebola – done not more than seven days prior to leaving their home country, in order to be allowed entry, the ministry said.
There are several Nigerian students enrolled at medical school here. Hamilton said that two of the Nigerian students who arrived in the country had medical certificates but the others did not. He said the students without the medical certificate were “quarantined in care of the school and have been visited by the Ministry of Health”. The students were enrolled at All Saints University, “along with other universities,” he said. The students were quarantined at an isolated apartment at the school and were visited by officials from the Ministry of Health, and will remain there until a flight is available for them to be repatriated, or until they are tested for the virus. “Based on the decisions, there have been discussions with the Ministry of Health in terms of a monitoring system. So, that monitoring system is in place, and there is, of course, 18 to 21 days in which they will make the observation. If by that time the all-clear is given to the Ministry of Health, if no flight is given by that time, they may be granted to stay,” Hamilton said. He said officials will be working
with the airline to see how soon the students can be repatriated. Asked if international protocols allow for the students to be “put back into the system” even as their Ebola status is unknown, Hamilton said: “We all have concerns. Once you understand how the migration process work, you can’t just pick up a person and say go back on this plane, because there are some procedures that you have to go through.” He said he was aware that a captain of an aircraft can deny boarding to such students. “I am aware of that and that is why all of the institutions that are part of looking into this issue are doing what we can do to ensure that the persons are isolated sufficiently and they are being examined,” he said. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there have been eight Ebola deaths in Nigeria since the latest outbreak began six months ago. Ebola only spreads when people are sick. A patient must have symptoms to spread the disease to others. After 21 days, if an exposed person does not develop symptoms, they will not become sick with Ebola. (CMC)
Supporters Aristide rally at his home to prevent arrest APPROXIMATELY 200 supporters of former Haitian President JeanBertrand Aristide protested outside his home as police officers stood guard on the outskirts of the compound on Saturday. The new unit of police officers was posted amid fears that the former president faces arrest for failing to heed a court summons. Police spokesman Frantz Lerebours said the officers are members of a special unit assigned to monitor Aristide, although there are no immediate plans to carry out an arrest warrant issued by a judge investigating a corruption case. Last month a judge issued a warrant when Aristide failed to show up in court to testify in an investigation into money laundering and corruption during his presidency. The former president’s lawyer said the summons was not properly issued and asked the judge to reconsider the arrest warrant. Lerebours said the judge asked police to place Aristide under house arrest but there is no provision for house arrest under Haitian law. He said officers would instead monitor Aristide, who has rarely left
October 4 - 10, 2014
50 Trinidadians fighting with ISIS in Syria – intelligence sources AT LEAST 50 Trinidadians have flown to Syria to join the terrorist organisation Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) within the last several months. Intelligence sources as well as those in a certain religious sect have confirmed the local fighters have been leaving the country to head to Syria over the last few months. Minister of National Security Gary Griffith when contacted about this several weeks ago stated: “I will neither confirm or deny this.” On TV6’s Morning Edition last weekend, Griffith, however, said, “Trinidad and Tobago must never be seen or believe we are isolated in any way from global terrorism.” Griffith said this was the reason the Government has been trying to introduce electronic fingerprint technology for those entering the country. “If you put fingerprints there we are following the trail of individuals based on a watch list worldwide,” he said. Director of National Security Operations Centre (NOC), Garvin Heerah, who spoke to the Express said: “That situation has engaged the attention of the intelligence agencies of Trinidad and Tobago. And at this point we are unable to give a figure as such, but it is something being worked on fervently.” Heerah said because of the recent resolution that Trinidad and Tobago agreed to cosponsor the UN Security Council resolution on foreign terrorist fighters, he had to be very limited in the information he revealed. “We are working hand in hand
with our international partners. Intelligence, airport security sources and sources within a religious sect confirmed that many of the men and in some cases women and children have left using the route through Tobago, onward to England and then arriving in Turkey where the men cross the border, while women and children stay in Turkey. The pattern of travel is a bit tricky, according to Heerah who said: “We are waiting further information. The reason for that is the disguised method of departure in that the departure out of Trinidad is not say through Piarco and then straight to a destination, it is staggered.” Heerah explained that the Trinidadians were also using South American destinations and other Caribbean islands to depart from as they attempted to conceal their footprints and their final destination. One woman who was recently part of the delegation held in Venezuela and sent back home left through Tobago for England then onward to Turkey, sources said. “She also travelled with her four children ages three, four, five and nine and is now near the border of Syria, while her husband, also a Trinidadian, had been questioned as one of the men in the plot to assassinate the Prime Minister during the state of emergency and also had other pending charges is in Syria fighting for ISIS. In fact information we received is that he could be the Trinidadian voice behind a recent video in which a Syrian citizen was beheaded,” a well-placed source said.
Racist slurs and arson threats as billionaires battle for Bahamas beachfront property
Aristide, a former Roman Catholic priest who championed the poor and led the opposition to a brutal dictatorship, was Haiti’s first democratically elected president in 1990.
his home since returning from exile in 2011. Aristide, a former Roman Catholic priest who championed the poor and led the opposition to a brutal dictatorship, was Haiti’s first democratically elected
president in 1990. He was toppled in a coup, then returned to power with U.S. assistance, but he was ousted again in 2004 during a violent rebellion. (CMC)
A LONGSTANDING verbal brawl between two billionaires over beachfront property in the Bahamas is picking up steam in the United States after its heated debut in a Bahamian court. American billionaire hedge fund magnate Louis Bacon is embroiled in a blazing row with Canadian clothing mogul Peter Nygard, his neighbour in the Bahamas. So much so that he instructed an employee to burn down Nygard’s house, according to court papers filed in Los Angeles. Bacon, the founder of New York hedge fund Moore Capital Management, was moved to torch Nygard’s estate five years ago after the clothing tycoon refused to sell
him the prized parcel, court papers allege. According to the lawsuit, which cites a conversation between employees of the two battling billionaires, Bacon ordered an employee to “find a way to burn Mr Nygard’s ‘****ing house down.” Although Nygard admits in court papers that “the cause of the fire is unknown,” two weeks after the conflagration, a Bacon representative said to a Nygard employee: “See what I told you,” court papers allege. Nygard’s allegations are his first major legal thrusts in the US as the smouldering feud reignites on the mainland after burning through the Bahamian courts.
October 4 - 10, 2014
Regional News
29
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
Bahamas: Man gets seven years for pre-teen rape
Baroness Patricia Scotland, 59, is the youngest and first Black woman to be appointed Queen Counsel in the United Kingdom.
Baroness Scotland gets Dominica’s support for top Commonwealth post THE Dominica government is supporting the nomination of Baroness Patricia Scotland for the post of Commonwealth secretary general and has dismissed a regional media report that said she had been asked to leave a meeting in the United States last week because of an embarrassment to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Dominica’s ambassador to the United Nations Dr. Vince Henderson said a report by the online publication, Caribbean News Now, headlined “Dominica embarrasses and confuses CARICOM” regarding the nomination of Baroness Scotland was “totally erroneous”. The publication had also alleged that Baroness Scotland, 59, the youngest and first Black woman to be appointed Queen Counsel in the United Kingdom, was asked to leave a meeting after CARICOM representatives had objected to her presence while several sensitive international matters were being discussed. But Henderson, speaking on the state-owned DBS radio Monday said this “is far from the truth. “At no time Baroness Scotland or anybody of the Dominica delegation asked to leave any meeting at the margins of the 69th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session,” he said, adding that the story “is the furthest thing from the truth”. He said Baroness Scotland is a Dominican national who has distinguished herself as a lawyer by profession and had been called to the Dominica Bar in 1978. Henderson said that Baroness Scotland served with the British government in various capacities including the position of Attorney General. “Baroness Scotland has put herself forward as the candidate for office of secretary general to the Commonwealth Secretariat. As a
Dominican national the government feels obliged to provide her with our support and to a platform for her to present herself not only to CARICOM but also the other members of the Commonwealth and the 69th session of the UNGA…presented an excellent opportunity even if she is one of three CARICOM candidates for that position,” Henderson said. He said the other two candidates are from Antigua and Barbuda and Trinidad and Tobago. Media reports in Port of Spain have indicated that the Kamla Persad Bissessar administration has nominated Planning and Development Minister Dr. Bhoe Tewarie for the post, but the government has not officially made any public statement. “We saw an opportunity to present out candidate throughout the Commonwealth because all the member states were present in New York,” Henderson said, insisting that Baroness Scotland was part of the Dominica delegation. “We were happy to accommodate her and she joined us in several meetings including the CARICOM foreign ministers meeting, the Commonwealth foreign ministers…as well as other meetings that took place on the margins of the UN general debate,” Henderson said. “To say she was asked to leave any meeting is the furthest thing from the truth,” the Dominican diplomat said, noting that when the opportunity came for discussion on candidature he asked her “politely to excuse herself because the matter was coming up for discussion”. “She stepped out…we discussed the matter with the CARICOM ministers and when that discussion was over, I…informed her she could return. She came and we sat there throughout the meeting,” he added. (CMC)
A MAN facing life imprisonment for inappropriate contact and the rape of a 12-year-old girl walked away from the Supreme Court with a seven-year sentence on Tuesday. Senior Justice Jon Isaacs told 23-year-old Ovando Knowles he did not think the case warranted the maximum penalty for the actions that took place from 2009 to 2013. After receiving the sentence that was reduced to five years and nine months due to his time on remand, Knowles asked the court if he could be held in the medium security section of Her Majesty’s Prison. “Where you are placed is a matter for the prison,” the judge replied. Knowles was convicted of indecent assault and unlawful sexual intercourse, which he denied from the day of his formal arraignment in the Supreme Court. The girl claimed the molestation began when she was seven and ended when she was 10. The incidents happened in New Providence and on a Family Island, she said. The girl claimed she kept silent about the alleged abuse because Knowles threatened to kill a relative of hers. A formal complaint was made to the police after Knowles allegedly molested her for the last time in June
2013, when she told a family friend that he had forcibly kissed her and squeezed her bottom. The girl, when cross-examined, denied that her mother coached her to make up the sexual assault claims. Knowles, in his defence, admitted that he was known to the family and saw the girl on the day when she alleged he groped and kissed her. He strongly denied having contact with her. Knowles also denied making the admissions to the police. The jury took less than two hours to arrive at their unanimous guilty verdicts. Knowles’ lawyer, Keith Seymour, requested a probation report be submitted on his client before the court deals with sentencing. The judge ordered this be done, but noted that such reports took at least six weeks to be completed. In Tuesday’s proceedings, Janice McKenzie, a senior probation officer at the Department of Rehabilitative Welfare Services, informed the court that persons interviewed with respect to Knowles had spoken of his drug use. However, they expressed disbelief that he committed a sexual assault against a child because it was out of character for him, she said. She
also noted that he had not broken any rules at the prison since his incarceration. The probation officer told the judge that the victim was coping, but was still haunted by the incidents. Ms McKenzie said Knowles maintained his innocence and showed no true remorse for his actions. In a plea of mitigation on behalf of his client, Mr Seymour said that Knowles, as shown by the probation report, had a good relationship with his mother and other relatives. He added that Knowles also attended church prior to his incarceration. “Though my client maintains his innocence, we do accept the guilty verdict of the jury,” the lawyer said, adding that his client had co-operated with police from day one. “We are humbly asking and begging the court to impose a reasonable sentence,” the lawyer concluded. “The jury,” Senior Justice Isaacs said to Knowles, “had been satisfied that you had sexually abused her. While I have heard what your counsel has said regarding leniency, there’s nothing to indicate that you expressed any sort of sorrow as to the experience the victim went through, if not at your hands, someone else.”
Jamaican mangoes get nod for US$500M American market JAMAICA will be able to export mangoes to the US come January. The conditional approval, which was granted by the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, opens up a US$500 million market to local farmers. But the country has just been able to export US$1.2 million to US$1.6 million worth of mangoes annually over the past decade, even though global demand (around US$1.9 billion last year) has more than tripled since 2003. What’s more, ministry officials figure that Jamaica has the capacity to export just about 261,000 kilogrammes of mangoes to the US each year, or less than 0.1 per cent of total demand in the North American country. And while US imports of mangoes have more than doubled from US$180 million in 2003, growth in demand for the fruit has been faster elsewhere. The US market’s share of global mango demand fell from 30 per cent a decade ago to 26 per cent last year. All of Jamaica’s mangoes
All of Jamaica’s mangoes currently are shipped to Canada and the UK. Last year, local farmers exported 670,000 kg of the fruit, valued at just over US$1.5 million.
currently are shipped to Canada and the UK. Last year, local farmers exported 670,000 kg of the fruit, valued at just over US$1.5 million. There has been a comparative increase in the volume of exports so far this year, with figures up to June showing that just over 500,000 kg of mangoes have been exported. Those fruits came from the 14
mango orchards in Jamaica, ranging from two to 150 acres in size, which predominantly grow Julie and East Indian mangoes and which are largely located in St Thomas, with two of them being in St James. But more orchards would have to be established for Jamaica to take a meaningful share of the global market.
30
World News
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014
Ebola outbreak: ‘Five infected every hour’ in Sierra Leone A LEADING charity has warned that a rate of five new Ebola cases an hour in Sierra Leone means healthcare demands are far outstripping supply. Save the Children said there were 765 new cases of Ebola reported in the West African state last week, while there are only 327 beds in the country. Experts and politicians are set to meet in London to debate a global response to the crisis. It is the world’s worst outbreak of the virus, killing 3,338 people so far. There have been 7,178 confirmed cases, with Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea suffering the most. ‘Massively unreported’ Save the Children says Ebola is spreading across Sierra Leone at a “terrifying rate”, with the number of new cases being recorded doubling every few weeks. It said that even as health authorities got on top of the outbreak in one area, it spread to another. The scale of the disease is also “massively unreported” according to the charity, because “untold numbers of children are dying anonymously at home or in the streets”. Earlier this month, Britain said it would build facilities for 700 new beds in Sierra Leone but the first of these will not be ready for weeks,
Dunn, 47, was charged with murder after shooting into an SUV full of teenagers at a Jacksonville, Florida, gas station following a squabble over the music emanating from the teens’ vehicle.
Dunn found guilty of 1st-degree murder in loud-music trial Save the Children says that as soon as authorities get on top of the virus in one area, it emerges in another.
and the rest may take months. But Save the Children said that unless the international community radically stepped up its response, people would continue to die at home and risk infecting their family and the local community. “We are facing the frightening prospect of an epidemic which is spreading like wildfire across Sierra Leone, with the number of new cases doubling every three weeks,” said Rob MacGillivray, the charity’s country director in Sierra Leone. Safety trials for two experimental vaccines are under way in the UK and
US, the WHO said on Wednesday, and will be expanded to 10 sites in Africa, Europe and North America in the coming weeks. It said it expected to begin small-scale use of the experimental vaccines in West Africa early next year. The Ebola Donors Conference in London on Thursday is being hosted by the UK and Sierra Leone governments. Its main agenda is to discuss what the global community can do to provide an effective international response to the epidemic.
White lesbian couple given black man’s sperm by mistake: lawsuit A WHITE Ohio woman is suing a sperm bank for allegedly inseminating her with sperm from a black donor by mistake. Jennifer Cramblett, 36, was only four months into her pregnancy when she learned the Midwest Sperm Bank in Chicago wrote down the wrong donor chosen by her and her partner. The lesbian couple, who live in rural, conservative Uniontown, Ohio, are now coming to grips with what it’s like to raise a biracial child in a primarily white community. They say they’re worried about how 2-year-old Payton will grow up in an “all-white environment” where even her own family is cautious of her parents’ same-sex relationship. Their child is also driven to a “black neighborhood” just to get a haircut. The lawsuit claims Cramblett is not welcome in those neighborhoods because “she is obviously different in appearance.” “We would have to bring a male into our lives and when you think of sperm, you think of sexual encounters and neither of us wanted
An Ohio lesbian couple is suing a Chicago sperm bank for allegedly inseminating her with sperm from the wrong donor — of the wrong colour.
to think of males in our lives that way again,” Cramblett stated in court documents obtained by the Chicago Tribune. The lawsuit, filed Monday, details what Cramblett’s attorney describes as a wrongful birth and breach of warranty in seeking to obtain $50,000 in damages from the allegedly botched procedure. Cramblett’s successful pregnancy eventually led to the birth of a girl
of mixed race who would grow up in her parents “racially intolerant” community, the lawsuit describes. The mistake reportedly stemmed from an error on paperwork that only came to Cramblett’s attention when she called the sperm bank to order additional vials of sperm for her partner. She spiraled into a panic attack when she realized a clerical error led to her being impregnated by Donor No. 330 instead of Donor No. 380. The sperm bank refused to discuss the error over the phone with Cramblett, but a month later, the couple received a letter of apology and a refund for only half the sperm. Despite the grievance, Payton was delivered Aug. 21 2012 to Cramblett and her partner, Amanda Zinkon. Cramblett admitted she didn’t know any black people until she attended college at the University of Akron. To accommodate Payton’s appearance, she’ll need to move to a diverse area to take care of Payton’s psychological well-being, the suit claims. (NYdailynews)
JURORS found Michael Dunn guilty of first-degree murder Wednesday in the 2012 shooting death of 17-yearold Jordan Davis. Dunn’s parents were in the courtroom for the verdict. Davis’ parents, Ron Davis and Lucia MacBath, both let out a quiet gasp upon hearing the jury forewoman’s words and then hung their heads and cried. Dunn did not appear to have an immediate reaction, but later, he turned around and somberly shook his head toward his father. Dunn, 47, was charged with murder after shooting into an SUV full of teenagers at a Jacksonville, Florida, gas station following a squabble over the music emanating from the teens’ vehicle. Outside the courtroom, Davis’ mother expressed her gratitude for a verdict she said represented justice not only for her son but for “Trayvon and for all the nameless faces and children and people that will never have a voice.” She was referring to Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teenager killed earlier the same year by a neighborhood watch captain who was acquitted in the death. “Words cannot express our joy but also our great sorrow because ... we know that Jordan has received his justice,” she said. “We know that Jordan’s life and legacy will live on for others, but at the same time, we’re very saddened by the life that Michael Dunn will continue to live. We are saddened for his family, for his friends and the community that will continue to suffer by his actions.” The victim’s father said the verdict made Jacksonville “a shining example that you could have a jury made of mostly white people, white men,” that delivers justice in a racially charged case. “Hopefully,” Davis said, “this is a start where we don’t have to look at the makeup of a jury anymore.” Prosecutor Angela Corey said Dunn faces a life term along with a minimum of 25 to life for using a firearm. “It’s a vindication for justice,” she said of the verdict. “We believe that we have to have as much justice as we can to assure
that Michael Dunn will never ever walk out of a prison.” Duval County Judge Russell Healey set a tentative sentencing hearing for October 17 but said he would wait until Tuesday to ensure the date worked for Dunn’s defense attorneys. “This has been going on for two years, and everyone has acted graciously. I ask that you continue to do that,” Healey said before the verdict was read. “Remember, we must respect the verdict of the jury. They did not volunteer to do this.” Dunn has said he shot at the vehicle because he thought Davis had a weapon and feared for his life, but the prosecution has alleged Dunn was the aggressor and pointed out he kept firing even after the teens fled. Three of the 10 shots that Dunn fired struck Davis, one of them cutting through his liver, a lung and his aorta. Investigators say Davis never had a weapon, nor was one found in the teens’ SUV or the surrounding area. A jury found Dunn guilty of four charges in February, commanding at least 60 years in prison, but the jury was hung on the murder charge related to Davis’ November 2012 death. Jurors began deliberating on the new charges just before 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, after Healey dismissed two of the three alternates and provided instructions for the charges jurors were to consider. The first charge to consider, Healey said, was first-degree murder, which would require that Dunn premeditated killing Davis. If the jury didn’t feel the state proved first-degree murder, it was instructed to move on to seconddegree, which would mean Dunn killed Davis via a criminal or depraved act. The third charge was manslaughter, which would require a finding that Dunn unlawfully caused Davis’ death. Killing Davis was lawful, Healey told the jury, if Dunn acted in the heat of passion or if he unintentionally caused Davis’ death. The jury could also find Dunn not guilty if he was in danger, acted in self-defense and exacted a justifiable use of force, the judge instructed.
October 4 - 10, 2014
World News
31
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
UK universities slip down Report: 40,000 migrant international rankings deaths worldwide since 2000 THREE UK universities have lost their place in the top 200 of a global higher education league table. The universities of Reading, Dundee and Newcastle slipped out of the top 200 of the Times Higher Education (THE) World Rankings for 2014-15. Five others - Heriot-Watt, Keele, Liverpool John Moores University, Loughborough and the University of Surrey - are no longer in the top 400. However, Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London remain in the top 10. Holding on to the top spot for the fourth consecutive year is the California Institute of Technology in the United States. Harvard University is in second place and the University of Oxford is in third. London has the greatest concentration of first-class universities with four in the top 40 more than any other city in the world - and seven in the top 200. Leading Asian institutions are continuing to rise up the rankings. Asia now has 24 universities in the world top 200, up from 20 last year. Two Asian universities Tokyo University and the National University of Singapore - now make the world top 25 and six others make the top 50. The rankings rate universities worldwide on 13 measures including
Husband uses wedding photos to help newlywed wife remember after brain hemorrhage
EVERY day, refugees and migrants risk their lives as they seek a new life. Now, a new report from the International Organization for Migration has put a figure to the number of victims: at least 40,000 deaths since 2000. More than half of those who died -- some 22,000 -- were trying to get to Europe, the IOM said. Nearly 6,000 more migrant deaths occurred along the U.S.-Mexico border and another 3,000 deaths from migration routes including Africa’s Sahara Desert and the waters of the Indian Ocean, according to the group’s research. “Our message is blunt: migrants are dying who need not,” said IOM Director General William Lacy Swing. “It is time to do more than count the number of victims. It is time to engage the world to stop this violence against desperate migrants.” The IOM report, published Monday and titled “Fatal Journeys -- Tracking Lives Lost during Migration,” puts the number of those killed trying to reach Europe at nearly 4,000 since the start of 2013. More than three-quarters of those victims died in the first nine months of this year, many of them drowning after being trafficked in unseaworthy vessels from the shores of the Middle East and North Africa across the Mediterranean. Two shipwrecks off the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa last October, in which more than 400 migrants died, made headlines around the world and prompted calls for action. Italy’s navy launched Operation Mare Nostrum to try to find and rescue stranded migrants. Nonetheless, there have been many more shipwrecks and many more deaths in the year since. Just this month, witnesses told the IOM that as many as 500 people had died, including women and children, when human traffickers intentionally sunk their boat in the Mediterranean off Malta. Only 11 survivors have been found. Some of those on board were fleeing conflict in Syria or Gaza; others were looking for the chance to escape persecution or poverty and build a better life. Eritreans and Syrians made up the largest number of those arriving in Italy so far this year, the IOM said.
WEDDING photos plastered around a hospital room are being credited with bringing a newlywed bride’s memory back after it was almost washed clean following a near fatal brain hemorrhage in July. It was only one month after Tunicia Hall, 43, exchanged vows with Raleigh Hall, 50, that the Queens, N.Y. woman suffered what she’d describe as the worst headache of her life.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: ‘SURVIVAL TEST’ Rights group Amnesty International released a new report Tuesday, accusing the European Union and its member states of “imposing a survival test on refugees and migrants.” Its research puts the number of those killed in the Mediterranean so far this year at least 2,500 people. “In the absence of safe and
The rankings rate universities worldwide on 13 measures, including teaching.
teaching, research and international outlook - such as numbers of overseas students and staff. Phil Baty, the editor of THE World University Rankings, said that, while the UK had more top-200 universities than any other nation except the US, the new data raised a number of key concerns. “Overall, the UK’s representation among the world’s leading universities is declining - three leading names fell out of the top 200 this year, and two others occupy 198th and 199th place. “Five UK universities lost their top 400 places. This loss of power and influence is not good for the UK’s overall competitiveness in the global knowledge economy.”
One month after this photo was taken, New York newlywed Tunica Hall, seen here with her husband Raleigh Hall, suffered a massive brain hemorrhage which wiped her memory clean of the big day.
When she finally came to at Long Island’s North Shore hospital she didn’t know what year it was or how old she was. When she turned to her husband she startlingly asked, “Are we married?” NBC New York reported. The blow proved near crushing to her husband’s ears. “I felt like I lost her,” he admitted in an emotional press conference Tuesday.
More than half of those who died -- some 22,000 -- were trying to get to Europe, the IOM said.
regular routes into Europe, accepting the risk of drowning in the central Mediterranean is the price many refugees and migrants must pay to access asylum or job opportunities,” it said. The group calls for Europe to do more, pointing out that while Italy has shouldered the burden of migrant rescues in the Mediterranean over the past yea, it is unwilling to do so indefinitely. This is partly because it then takes responsibility for those rescued, who often want to reach other European nations. If Italy does scale down its operation without a new system in place or a better response by the European Union border agency, Frontex, many more lives will be lost at sea, the human rights group cautions. Amnesty International also warns that with the current unrest in the Middle East and long-running conflicts elsewhere, the number of people trying to reach Europe is unlikely to fall. Tens of thousands of people are trapped in increasingly lawless Libya, a major transit nation, and are seeking a way out, the report said. With the sealing off of land routes via Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria, many see no option but to embark on the dangerous journey by sea. “In 2013, 48% of all irregular entrants and 63% of all those arriving irregularly by sea to the EU came from Syria, Eritrea, Afghanistan and Somalia, countries torn by conflict and widespread human rights abuses,” the report said. ‘HARSH RESPONSE’ TO MIGRANTS The IOM warns that the true number of migrants killed is likely to be “considerably higher” than the number documented for its report. “Although vast sums of money are spent collecting migration and border control data, very few agencies collect and publish data on migrant deaths,” said IOM research chief Frank Laczko. Many migrants disappear and die
without a trace as they make perilous journeys across deserts or seas. “The paradox is that at a time when one in seven people around the world are migrants in one form or another, we are seeing an extraordinarily harsh response to migration in the developed world,” said Swing. “Limited opportunities for safe and regular migration drive wouldbe migrants into the hands of smugglers, feeding an unscrupulous trade that threatens the lives of desperate people. We need to put an end to this cycle. “Undocumented migrants are not criminals. They are human beings in need of protection and assistance, and deserving respect.” By highlighting the awful toll of migration, the IOM hopes to discourage would-be migrants from falling into the hands of unscrupulous criminal gangs and traffickers, as well as pressuring developed nations to change their policies to create more safe avenues of legal migration. U.S.-MEXICO BORDER An estimated 230 migrants died between January and September of this year trying to cross the U.S.Mexico border, the report said. Because information from the region is so patchy, the figures don’t include the likely several hundred people who die in Central America each year as they make their way north to the border. Between fiscal year 1998 and fiscal year 2013, a total of 6,029 migrants were found dead on the U.S. side of the border, the report said. About 100 lives a year have been lost on average in the seas bordering Australia, although the number has dropped off significantly this year, the IOM said. Most of those who travel by boat depart from Indonesia, with the vast majority in recent years coming from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Sri Lanka. (CNN)
32
Job Listings Services Auto sales real estate
Brama Kumaris
Raja Yoga
Classifieds
Meditation Centre Turks and Caicos Islands
Telephone 946-4760 & 332-4101
www.bkwsu.com Email: bkpadma@bkwsutci.com
FOR SALE
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014
946-4664 Fax: 946-4661
Email: tcnews@tciway.tc
Website: tcweeklynews.com
FLOWER GIRL
Is looking for a Part-time
delivery driver With own transportation who is interested in making extra cash.
Contact: 231-3788
Construction scaffold and roof tiles for sale CONTACT: 431-1591 OR 231-3788
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
CLASSIFIEDS 33
PRICED FOR Amazing Value! QUICK SALE Lot for Sale
Beautiful hillside, water front lot in Paw Paw Joe, North Caicos South
$50,000
(or nearest offer) Also additional seven acres plus in Kerr Mount (inland) contact Veronica at 1-242-327-8011 or 1-649-232-3508, (242) 676-3592
In Gated/Planned Community in Long Bay. Flamingo Crossing lot comes with full set of House Plans, all underground utilities, etc.
$49,999 o.b.o. Call 231-3788
VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY!! The largest readership in the Turks & Caicos
PRICE SLASHED
PRICE SLASHED $175,000 FOR QUICK SALE
$180,000 CASH! House and ½ Acre land Richmond Hill 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath Fully furnished
Call: 231-3788
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
MAC MOTORS LTD. Is seeking one
PUBLIC NOTICE Regulation 7 of the Physical Planning (Development Permission) Regulations, 1990
SPOTLESS CLEANING SERVICE Is looking for a
domestic
Domestic
To work 6 days per week salary $6.75 per hour.
To work 6 days per week nights and holidays all resumes, letters of reference along with a clean police record must be delivered to Carolina Medical Clinic 10439
Is seeking a
LABOURER
worker Worker
contact us on 339-3841
to: 941-5049
To work 5 days a week interested persons please
10426
An Application, REGISTRATION # GT 4562, by DIGICEL (TCI) LIMITED for the development of a TELECOMMUNICATIONS TOWER on Grand Turk to ensure continuity of cellphone communication following the demolition of the existing base has been submitted to the Department of Planning for consideration of Development and Planning Permission on:
Medinco Ltd.
Fax applications
10425
ACCU DIAGNOSTICS
BLOCK: 10506 PARCEL: 74 LOCATION: South Base ISLAND: Grand Turk
We are seeking suitable applicant to fill the following openings:
ESTEL PLUMBING Is looking for a
REGISTERED NURSE Suitable applicant must have expertise in phlebotomy, chemotherapy and ability to perform all nursing duties and willing to work emergencies after hours and travel locally ad internationally at short notice Salary is $24,000.00 per annum
Anyone wishing to make representation(s) may do so in writing to the Director of Planning, South Base, Grand Turk or through the Department of Planning, Downtown, Town Center Mall, Providenciales, within twenty eight(28) days of publication of this Notice. Notice Dated: 29nd September, 2014 10424
Tel: 649-946-8303 Application deadline November 3rd,2014
10444
labourer To work 5 days per week salary $6.00 per hour.
contact: 241-0397
10448
34 CLASSIFIEDS
A dynamic mobile provider seeks to recruit for the following post
FINANCE MANAGER – Permanent
Deli Bakery Manager
Reporting to the Chief Financial Controller, you will manage the Finance team ensuring all work is performed in line with Digicel policies and procedures.
Job Requirements & Responsibilities
Main Duties and Responsibilities: • Management of Finance team including accounts payable and accounts receivable • Preparation and presentation of detailed financial analysis supporting commercial strategy • Ensure all balance sheet reconciliations are performed on a timely basis • Active control of month end process • Application of IFRS and review of Financial Statements • Analysis of monthly management accounts versus budget • Planning and support of quarterly reviews and quarterly audit requirements • Identifying, designing and implementing process improvements • Liase with Auditors, Bankers, Statutory Authorities, Dealers and Site lessors. • Budgeting, Financial planning and Financial Analysis
• Responsible for the overall sales and profitability of the department along with ensuring the Department has the highest quality of product available for customers • Ensure company standards of safety, proper food handling practices, sanitation and productivity are maintained • Monitor food preparation methods, portion sizes, and garnishing presentation of food to ensure that food is prepared and presented in an acceptable manner • Ensure standards of department presentation and operations are met; including cleanliness, sanitation, inventory control, rotation, quality, ordering, variety standards, signing and seasonal schematic • Must have at least ten (10) years experience in operating a Deli / Bakery department of a large retail / wholesale supermarket • Experience in Food, Nutrition and Menu Planning. Inventory management and spoilage reduction techniques are essential • Proven experience in a leadership role for at least (3yrs) in a supermarket. Must be proficient with computer applications used in effectively operating the departments • Must have the ability to meet department’s financial goals/budgets • Must have excellent communication, organizational, people management / training skills and be extremely customer service oriented • Proven experiences in rotating, handling, stocking, and merchandising • Will be required to work nights, long hours, weekends, and holidays and must have previous experience in Droste Systems
Academic Qualifications & Functional Skills • ACA/ACCA/CPA qualification with IFRS experience • At least 6 years accounting experience with at least 3 years PQE • Telecommunications experience a distinct advantage • Experience in dealing with auditors, both internal and external • Experience in reporting, balance sheet analysis and budgeting/financial planning • Experience in a dynamic fast-paced multinational environment desirable • Excellent communication skills • Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, experience in Microsoft Dynamics GP, and Business Objects essential • Flexible and adaptable to an ever changing set of responsibilities, constrained by tight deadlines
Deadline for submission of applicants is October 13th 2014
Interested applicants should forward their resume to hrtci@digicelgroup.com
10432
Only Belongers need apply – Salary Based on Experience
Submit to: Graceway IGA Supermarket main office complex or email: hr@gracewayiga.com Please Note: Only short-listed applicants will be contacted to attend interviews.
10437
CLASSIFIEDS 35
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
AGNES SWANN Is looking for a
Is looking for a
Domestic
Steward labourer
contact: 241-7834
contact: 332-0771
To work 6 days per week salary $5.00 per hour.
FLOWER GIRL
Wanted urgently
ESTEL PLUMBING
Is looking for a
plumber To work 5 days per week salary $8.00 per hour.
contact: 241-0397
10449
Call: 231-3788
Is looking for a
nanny To work 5 days per week salary $5.50 per hour.
contact: 333-0694
PROVO UPHOLSTERY
1 Cosmetology 1 Labour (Handyman) 1 Fine Carpenter 1 Wood Carver 1 Labour Belonger only may apply by sending a resume to, hernandezemploymentservices.8@ gmail.com
VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY!!
the largest readership in the turks & caicos
WORKERS
Floral Designer
Must have thorough knowledge in the floral business with 3-5 years experience.
contact: 246-4769
10407
10442
10404
per week salary $5.50 per hour.
Hernandez Human Resource Employment Agency Is looking of behalf of our clients. CC'S Beauty Salon, H & VG Construction, Charles Rigby the following positions,
Worker To work 5 days
To work 6 days per week salary $5.50 per hour.
ALEXANDRA MISSICK
10419
Is looking for a
D&Y RESTAURANT
NEEDED
DANIEL FORTUNE Is looking for a
G & J CONSTRUCTION Is looking for a
For the following positions:
Labourer Security Officer Painters Mason Baker Maintenance Driver Carpenter
Must be willing to work 6 days per week. Must have qualifications for the position you are applying for. Send resume to P.O. Box 954
domestic
worker To work 5 days per week salary $5.00 per hour.
10405
CHARITE ALCY
contact: 241-8529
10413
October 4 - 10, 2014
plumber
To work 7 days per week salary $7.00 per hour. contact: 244-9287 10430
Is looking for a
Contact:242-3910
10440
Duties related to farming etc. Salary $7.00 per hour Contact: Jonathan Gardiner c/o Caicos Farmers North Caicos
Salary $6.00 per hour. contact: 941-5010
PROVO AUTO SUPPLY LTD. Is currently looking to employ a laborer who will be responsible for the daily maintenance of the building, stocking of shelves and any other duty that may be assigned to you This individual must possess the following: • Adequate tools to perform his duties • Must be able to work with little or no supervision • Must be computer literate • Must be able to work weekends • Must possess a valid driver’s license
Education Required: Academic Degree. Industry-specific qualification or Technical level in computer, business or quantitative field such as: Computer Science, Business, Operations, Mathematics or Education Experience: A minimum of 2 years experience within an IT related role
Job Summary:
• Operates and maintains in-house applications; assists in planning and conducting migrations and upgrades; assists in database-specific technical assignments. Project assists in the area of documentation management. • Assists in network evaluation, analysis, conceptualisation and implementation of inhouse network infrastructure. Monitors network and ensures its proper operation • Train and provide training materials on IM&T systems including HIS and Telehealth. • To investigate and resolve general, often complex, issues and queries from users of InterHealth Canada IT systems, and to manage and maintain InterHealth Canada IT infrastructure. Remuneration packages will be based on qualification and experience.
Preference will be given to qualified B.O.T.C -Turks and Caicos Islands and persons with Belonger Status. Please address your resume showing qualifications and experiences to: Recruitment@interhealthcanada.tc
Please submit all application between 9am-5pm Monday – Friday
Bayview Motors Ltd. P.O. Box 619, Leeward Highway, Providenciales
Associate Engineer (IM&T Department)
10435
WANTED FARMER
Labourer
Cheshire Hall Medical Centre - Providenciales TCI
10445
Deadline: 3rd October 2014
10406
Is seeking suitable candidates for the following position:
Acting on behalf of our clients is looking to fill the following positions:
• Domestic Worker $5.50 per hour
per week salary $13.00 per hour.
Martin Gray
• Laborer $6.00 per hour
Contact: 1-649-347-6642
contact: 231-4519
Application can be dropped off at B.E.S.T. Institute Office, 250 Bay Road, Blue Hills, Providenciales or email: bestinstitute@tciway.tc or telephone: 649-941-4802
LEONARD FORBES
Blue Heron Aviation
Is looking for a
Front Desk Concierge
Security Personnel Positions (expected salary range $10.50 - $14.00 depending on experience) - Minimum Age requirement 21 years of age - High School Diploma or equivalent - Be physically capable of working 12 hours shifts - Capable of lifting up to 50lbs without undue stress - Hold a full TCI Driving License - Be capable of successfully passing a medical examination - Produce a valid Police Certificate - At least 3 years of Law Enforcement, Security Service and/or Immigration experience - Computer literate - Knowledgeable of Microsoft Office products - Ability to speak English fluently (other languages will be a benefit)
Field Service Technicians
labourer 10402
To work 5 days per week salary $5.50 per hour.
contact: 243-8071
Acting on behalf of our clients is looking to fill the following positions:
2 Domestic Workers $6.00 per hour 3 laborers $6.50 per hour
Maintenance Man $7.00 per hour
Painter $7.00 per hour
Mason Contact: 245-6962
MOZIE MOTORS Is looking for a
Is seeking suitably qualified applicants to fulfill a limited number of positions, for its Fixed Base Operation Facility:
Positions (expected salary range $10.50 - $14.00 depending on experience) - Minimum Age requirement 21 years of age - High School Diploma or equivalent - Be physically capable of working 12 hours shifts - Capable of lifting up to 50lbs without undue stress - Hold a full TCI Driving License - Be capable of successfully passing a medical examination - Produce a valid Police Certificate - At least 3 years of Front Line Customer service experience - Computer literate - Knowledgeable of Microsoft Office products - Ability to speak English fluently (other languages will be a benefit) - Need to be able to reconcile sales reports on daily basis - Handle all paperwork as it relates to the processing of international inbound and outbound clients
B & B SERVICES
$7.00 per hour
10427
carpenter To work 5 days
Jean Daiella
• Applicant should possess a trained teacher’s diploma or certificate with 5 or more years experience in the classroom • Applicants with first degree beside their teacher’s diploma/ certificate will have an advantage • Applicant must be energetic and creative and a good team player • All applicants should be born again Christian preferably of the Baptist faith
Rental Agent To work 6 days per week salary $6.00 per hour.
contact: 941-5344
ISLAND VILLA MANAGEMENT is seeking qualified applicants to fill the following opening for our clients:-
HOUSEKEEPER Duties include: • Laundry, making beds, cleaning of all rooms etc. • Must have at least 3 years experience in this area • Person apply must be able to read and write English • Must be willing to work weekends and public holidays Salary $5.50 per hour Submit application with details to: Rhondda Collymore-Wilson P.O. BOX 683, Caribbean Place, Providenciales or Email: omega@tciway.tc No later than October 8th, 2014
10403
• Domestic Worker • Caretaker Salary $5.50 per hour
Is looking for a
• Laborer $5.50 per hour
10414
Luc Saint Jean Shop
PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS
Preston Churchill Harris
10421
• Nail Technician $6.50 per hour
BETHANY’S EDUCATIONAL & SOCIAL TRAINGING (B.E.S.T.) INSTITUTE
10443
J & W CONSTRUCTION
C & J CONSULTANCY SERVICES LTD. Gold Star Nail Center
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
10412
36 CLASSIFIEDS
KEVIN & SON Is looking for
Plumber to work 5 days per week • Must be able to read blueprints • Must have experience dealing with fire protection, gas system, fuel systems • Must have experience in plumbing Salary $8.50 per hour
Contact: 247-4068 10420
(expected salary range $10.50 - $14.00 depending on experience) - Minimum Age requirement 21 years of age - High School Diploma or equivalent - Be physically capable of working 12 hours shifts - Capable of lifting up to 70lbs without undue stress - Hold a full TCI Driving License - Be capable of successfully passing a medical examination - Produce a valid Police Certificate - At least 3 years of aircraft ramp operations experience ( to include potable water/ lav service, operation of GPU/ACU and aircraft pushback) - At least 3 years of aircraft fueling procedures (capability to produce the daily / weekly checks on the equipment) - Computer literate - Knowledgeable of Microsoft Office products - Ability to speak English fluently (other languages will be a benefit) - Be capable of working in an outdoor environment for much of the shift.
Strong sales person required
All applicants need to submit their resume via email to roger@blueheronfbo.com. You will be contacted for an interview if required. Deadline for applications 10th October 2014
Email: info@karammissick.com. Only Belongers Need Apply. Serious Inquiries Only
10408
10422
The successful candidate must be possess a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing with training and a minimum of five years experience in Sales and Marketing. This individual will be actively involved with soliciting sales from local and foreign businesses, including meeting with clients, making the sales pitch (including with Powerpoint presentations) and closing deals. Duties will also include liaising with various media houses, assisting to maintain customer satisfaction, assisting with on-site customer promotions and development of client promotional campaigns along with designing graphics of promotional materials and social media updates. Candidate must be pleasant, mature, trustworthy and professional. Must also hold a valid driver's license and be in good health. Must be prepared to travel if required travel from time to time on short notice. Salary and commissions will commensurate with experience. We will accept emails only of resumes with proof of certification. Must be submitted by October 3, 2014.
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
Ricardo Fulford Consultant Services
Interested candidate must contact the number advertise for further details regarding employment.
Ricardo Fulford Immigration and Labour Consultant President of Ricardo Fulford Consultant Services ricardofulford@gmail.com (649) 346-1125
labourer To work 6 days
The applicant must have a minimum of 10 years of experience in the water-sports & tourism industry and a minimum of 3 years as operations manager. Experience must include people management, sales, reservations, PR and display a high degree of computer, communication & organizational skills. Applicant must also hold a professional scuba diving qualification and valid driving license and those with mechanical skills and who are able to speak a second language will be considered first. All applicants must be presentable, articulate, and be able to work long and flexible hours under pressure. Weekends and public holidays mandatory. Starting salary of $3500 per month.
contact: 341-4502
Please e-mail resume and cover letter to info@bigblueunlimited.com You will be contacted for an interview if required and the deadline for applications is 15th October 2014. Position starts in late 2014
per week salary $7.00 per hour.
C & J EMPLOYMENT CONSULTANCY
THE TUSCANY RESORT Is looking for a
Mechanic To work 6 days per week salary $6.00 per hour
contact: 941-4667 10410
Acting on behalf of our clients: Van’s Rims, Tire Shop & Auto Services, Tropical Bar, G & J Construction, Roadside Quality and Discount Auto Parts is looking to fill the following positions:
LaboUrers Tire Man Waitress Domestic Worker Sales Clerk Kitchen Helper Salary $5.00 per hour Contact: 649-347-2093
Is looking for
Barmaids To work 6 days
per week salary $5.00 per hour. contact: 345-8450 10423
MUSIC TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS: • Certified in Alfred Piano Library Levels Prep to Adult • Equivalent to Royal Conservatory of Music – Grade 8 • Ability to keep performance records of students • Prepare for piano recitals twice a year • Ability to work in a classroom setting and one-on-one • Minimum 12 years teaching experience • Must be available during the day/ evenings and weekends • Must speak and write fluent English • Must own a piano and provide own transportation Salary $15 per hour
Submit applications to Celestial Music Studio Ltd., P.O. Box 1137, Providenciales, TCI
VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY!!
PROVO SEAFOOD Is looking for a
BOAT CAPTAIN Labourer Salary $8.00 $5.00 per hour. Must have driver’s license.
10434
per hour.
contact: 946-4727
G-SPOT BAR & GRILL
Fax 941-8850
10436
LABOURERs - General Labour - Able to work with little or no supervision, be physically fit, dependable and hard working. - Must be self motivated and able to understand, read, write and speak English fluently. Send inquiries to:
Norstar Group Ltd., Courtyard Plaza Unit 2C Leeward Highway, Providenciales Turks & Caicos Islands. Tel: 649-3500/3600
10429
10396
the largest readership in the turks & caicos
SALES!!!
Due to change of season we are selling lots of items at discount prices. Towels, curtains, bathroom sets, bathroom coordinates, napkins, cups and glasses, canisters, mixing bowls, serving trays and much more for your house.
10428
J.B.S Salon is seeking employment for the following:
Looking for operations manager To work in a thriving tourism adventure company
10415
Interested candidate may contact 241-1242 for further details regarding employment.
Interested candidate may apply through ricardofulford@gmail. com for further details regarding employment.
10441
1) Graphic Designer
1) Cosmetologist
10416
D.O.M. Design is seeking employment for the following:
STEEL UNLIMITED Is looking for a
On behalf of his clients:
CLASSIFIEDS 37
38
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
MARKET CEO After 12 years of operation, Digicel Group Limited has over 13 million customers across its 31 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and Asia-Pacific. The company is renowned for delivering best value, best service and best network. Digicel is the lead sponsor of Caribbean, Central American and Pacific sports teams, including the Special Olympics teams throughout these regions. Digicel sponsors the West Indies cricket team and is also the title sponsor of the Digicel Caribbean Cup. In the Pacific, Digicel is the proud sponsor of several national rugby teams and also sponsors the Vanuatu cricket team. Digicel also runs a host of community-based initiatives across its markets and has set up Digicel Foundations in Jamaica, Haiti and Papua New Guinea which focus on educational, cultural and social development programmes. Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and its markets comprise: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Nauru, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and Vanuatu. Digicel also has coverage in St. Martin and St. Barts in the Caribbean. Visit www.digicelgroup.com for more information. Description: Reporting to the Regional CEO and responsible for leadership and general management of Digicel Turks and Caicos Islands business to ensure that the revenue and EBITDA targets are achieved. You will have a first class record of achievement, which includes leading a start-up company within a competitive market. Staff development will form an integral part of your role. This opportunity requires a proactive and innovative, hands-on Chief Executive with a proven ability to build relationships and initiate change. A key element of the role will be building external relationships and representing Digicel at Corporate events and also in the community. Main Duties and Responsibilities: • Full P+L responsibility, ensuring all customer numbers, revenues and EBITDA targets are achieved • Creation, leadership and management of a team that drives and supports revenue generation, customer loyalty and to include the development of staff potential • Be the guardian of the company’s brand equity and public image to consumers, government and other stakeholders and the wider business community • Influencing and managing the level of demand for Digicel’s products and services • Rollout of new Digicel products and services • Share with CEO and other members of the management team the total company revenue targets, leadership and vision challenges of the organization. • Engage senior level contacts and business partners in government, corporate entities and the media Academic Qualifications: • Business Degree or equivalent with 5-10 years requisite Commercial experience • A minimum of 3 years General Management experience in a Telecoms environment • Record of success in meeting aggressive targets • Proven and demonstrated experience and expertise in Sales or Business Development. • Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills, influencing, forceful and convincing Skills: • Strong leadership qualities with the ability to build high performance teams. • Commitment to excellence and high standards • Ability to work in deadline-driven, fast paced environment • Versatility, flexibility and a willingness to work within constantly changing priorities • PC Business suite of products • Excellent interpersonal skills • Effective negotiator • Bold decision making and strong customer focus
Interested applicants should forward their resume to hrtci@digicelgroup.com
VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY!!
the largest readership in the turks & caicos
Seven Stars Resort is seeking suitably qualified persons to fill the positions outlined below. Ideal candidates should possess luxury resort experience, be out-going and friendly, with a professional demeanor and must be fluent in English, be a team player with a strong work ethic, available for work on public holidays, weekends and evenings. Salaries are based on experience and qualifications. Suitable candidates must have a minimum of 2 years’ experience working at a 5 Star Resort in a similar role. Must have a strong attention to detail and exceptional ability to maintain the highest standards of quality required.
• Chef De Partie • Mixologist • Executive Sous Chef • Spa Therapist
• Cook • Security • Carpenter
Closing Date October 3, 2014 Suitably qualified candidates should apply via email to Seven Stars at: hr@sevenstarsgracebay.com for consideration Candidates must possess relevant skills, experience, and a clean police record. ONLY CANDIDATES MEETING MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS WILL BE CONTACTED.
VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY!! the largest readership in the turks & caicos
NOTICE OF SALE BY PUBLIC AUCTION Pete and Cindy Young of 167 Sir Adam Beck Road, Stratford, Ontario, Canada, hereby give notice of their intention to sell by Public Auction the following land pursuant to their power of sale as registered Chargees under the Registered Land Ordinance of the Turks and Caicos Islands CAP 9.01:
Parcel 50500/237
Whitby, North Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands is approximately a 0.46 acre piece of undeveloped land
Parcel 50500/238
Whitby, North Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands is approximately a 0.5 acre piece of undeveloped land. Registered Proprietor: Pelican Beach Villas Ltd The auction will be held at the offices of Karam & Missick attorneys, P.O. Box 926, A 201 & A 202 Regent Village, Grace Bay, Providenciales, at 10 o’clock in the morning on Friday the 17th day of October, 2014 A reserve price will be fixed on the Property. A deposit of 10% is due immediately upon all accepted bids. Terms and Conditions of Sale by Auction are available by request from Karam & Missick (649) 941-5082.
October 4 - 10, 2014
39
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
Science & Technology
Sense of smell ‘may predict lifespan’ Exactly how smell loss contributes to lifespan remains unclear, but the researchers put forward a number of possible reasons behind the link. They say a reduced ability to sniff out odours could signal less regeneration or repair of cells in the body overall, as a healthy sense of smell depends partly on a continual turnover of cells that line the nose.
And a worsening sense of smell may serve as a mirror for a lifetime’s exposure to pollution and bugs, they say. They are now doing more research to understand the reasons behind the link. ‘Underappreciated sense’ Prof Pinto added: “The sense of smell is a little underappreciated - it plays a very important part in
everyday life. “But we don’t want people to panic. A bad cold, allergies, and sinus problems, can all affect your sense of smell.
Dishwasher
DIGICEL CABLE Turks and Caicos Islands Jointly reporting to the Group CEO of Digicel Cable and in market country CEO, you will be responsible for leadership and General Management of a Digicel Cable business within a specified market.
Apply in Person At: Somewhere Cafe and Lounge Coral Gardens Resort Belongers Only
You will have a first class record of achievement in the Cable industry driving operational growth and excellence. This opportunity requires a proactive and innovative, hands-on GM with a proven ability to deliver excellence across all aspects of cable operations to include content and programming management, billing, customer care, new product/service definition & introduction, advertising operations and more.
10433
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
• Plan, direct and co-ordinate all operating activities for newly established Cable TV Division • Full P+L responsibility, ensuring all customer numbers, revenues and targets are achieved • Establish, negotiate and maintain contracts with local and regional broadcast networks where appropriate • Develop innovative pricing, bundling and go to market strategies that will accelerate revenue growth and adoption rates • Creation, leadership and management of a team that drives and supports revenue generation, customer loyalty and to include the development of staff potential • Influencing and managing the level of demand for Digicel’s products and services • Managing rollout and driving uptake of new Digicel Cable products and services • Work collaboratively with members of Digicel Group regional management team to harness synergies and efficiencies. • Engage senior level contacts and business partners in government, corporate entities and the media in the market
Palm Grove Variety looking for
store clerk
Salary $5 per hour. Hours vary.
Contact: 242-3005
People who did well on smell tests were most likely to be alive five years later.
CEO
Looking for a
10431
MEASURING people’s sense of smell in later life could help doctors predict how likely they are to be alive in five years’ time, a PLOS One study suggests. A survey of 3,000 adults found 39% with the poorest sense of smell were dead within five years - compared to just 10% who identified odours correctly. Scientists say the loss of smell sense does not cause death directly, but may be an early warning sign. They say anyone with longlasting changes should seek medical advice. Researchers from the University of Chicago asked a representative sample of adults between the ages of 57-85 to take part in a quick smell test. The assessment involved identifying distinct odours encased on the tips of felt-tip pens. The smells included peppermint, fish, orange, rose and leather. Five years later some 39% of adults who had the lowest scores (4-5 errors) had passed away, compared with 19% with moderate smell loss and just 10% with a healthy sense of smell (0-1 errors). And despite taking issues such as age, nutrition, smoking habits, poverty and overall health into account, researchers found those with the poorest sense of smell were still at greatest risk. Lead scientist, Prof Jayant Pinto, said: “We think loss of the sense of smell is like the canary in the coal mine. “It doesn’t directly cause death, but it is a harbinger, an early warning system that shows damage may have been done. “Our findings could provide a useful clinical test, a quick inexpensive way to identify patients most at risk.”
Experience Restaurant Industry. Ability to read, speak and write English must be able to remember & recite. Promote a Pleasant personality, ability to communicate with others. Must be a team player
Waiter/ Busser-: 3-5 years’ experience Cook/ Pastry chef: 5-7 years. Must be a good team player, work at fast pace. Must know how to prepare French & Indonesian Cuisine. Deadline October 11th, 2014
Send resumes to P.O. BOX 811, Providenciales 10390
Qualifications & Experience:
• 10+ years of commercial experience in the Cable/Broadcast industry with a demonstrated ability to manage all facets of the business • A minimum of 3 years General Management experience in a Cable operations environment • Record of success in meeting aggressive targets • Proven and demonstrated experience and expertise in Sales or Business Development. • Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills, influencing, forceful and convincing
Skills: • • • • • • •
Strong leadership qualities with the ability to build high performance teams. Commitment to excellence and high standards Ability to work in deadline-driven, fast paced environment Versatility, flexibility and a willingness to work within constantly changing priorities Excellent interpersonal skills Effective negotiator Bold decision making and strong customer focus
Interested applicants should forward their resume to hrtci@digicelgroup.com 10446
40
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
Science & Technology
October 4 - 10, 2014
WWF: World has lost more than half its wildlife in 40 years THE world’s animal population has halved in 40 years as humans put unsustainable demands on Earth, a new report warns. The World Wide Fund for Nature’s Living Planet Index, released Tuesday, revealed the dramatic decline in animal species, and said the trend could cost the world billions in economic losses. Humans need one and a half Earths to sustain their current demands, it said. The index, which draws on research around WWF’s database of 3,000 animal species, is released every two years. This year’s has the starkest warning yet of the risks associated with the decline of wildlife. The fund notes that it’s relying on a never-before-used methodology in this year’s report, “which aims to be more representative of global biodiversity.” The index showed shows a 52% decline in wildlife between 1970 and 2010, far more than earlier estimates of 30%. It is due to people killing too many animals for food and destroying their habitats. “We are eating into our natural capital, making it more difficult to sustain the needs of future generations,” the report said.
Norway is the best country for older people, followed by neighbouring Sweden.
Global Age Watch Index: Norway best for older people The existence of Hawksbill sea turtles have been traced back 100 million years. Now they are critically endangered, the WWF says.
Researchers from the Zoological Society of London looked at changes in populations of more than 3,000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, tracking over 10,000 different populations. The decline in animals living in rivers, lakes and wetlands is the worst -- 76% of freshwater wildlife disappeared in just 40 years. Marine species and animals living on land suffered 39% decline in their populations. Animals living in tropics are the worst hit by what WWF calls
“the biggest recorded threats to our planet’s wildlife” as 63% of wildlife living in tropics has vanished. Central and South America shows the most dramatic regional decline, with a fall of 83%. And while the animals are suffering now, the long-term impact will be on people, the report said. Marco Lambertini, director general of WWF International, said “protecting nature is not a luxury.... it is quite the opposite. For many of the world’s poorest people, it is a lifeline.”
NORWAY is the best place to grow old, according to an index of the quality of later life in 96 countries. HelpAge International’s Global AgeWatch Index measures the social and economic welfare of those over 60. Published on the UN International Day of Older Persons, it ranks Australia, Western Europe and North America highly, and Afghanistan last. The report predicts that by 2050, 21% of the global population will be over 60. The index measures four areas - income security, health, personal capability and whether
the person lives in an “enabling environment”. Hot on the heels of Norway comes Sweden, closely followed by Switzerland, Canada and Germany. The report says that by 2050, some 40 countries in the index will have populations where 30% are aged 60 or over. The UN has said that the number of those aged 60 or over is expected to reach 1.4 billion by 2030. Several Latin American countries - particularly Mexico and Peru - have leapt up the index for their commitment in ensuring “social pensions” for the poorest older people.
Brain repair ‘may be boosted by curry spice’ A SPICE commonly found in curries may boost the brain’s ability to heal itself, according to a report in the journal Stem Cell Research and Therapy. The German study suggests a compound found in turmeric could encourage the growth of nerve cells thought to be part of the brain’s repair kit. Scientists say this work, based in rats, may pave the way for future drugs for strokes and Alzheimer’s disease. But they say more trials are needed to see whether this applies to humans. Researchers from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in Julich, Germany, studied the effects of aromatic-turmerone - a compound found naturally in turmeric. Rats were injected with the compound and their brains were then scanned. Particular parts of the brain, known to be involved in nerve cell growth, were seen to be more active after the aromatic-turmerone infusion.
Previous studies have suggested turmeric may have cancer-fighting properties.
Scientists say the compound may encourage a proliferation of brain cells. In a separate part of the trial, researchers bathed rodent neural stem cells (NSCs) in different concentrations of aromatic-tumerone extract. NSCs have the ability to transform into any type of brain cell and scientists suggest they could have a role in repair after damage or disease.
Dr Maria Adele Rueger, who was part of the research team, said: “In humans and higher developed animals their abilities do not seem to be sufficient to repair the brain but in fish and smaller animals they seem to work well.” The research found the higher the concentration of aromaticturmerone, the greater the growth of the NSCs. And the cells bathed in the turmeric compound seemed to specialise into certain types of brain cells more rapidly too. Dr Rueger added: “It is interesting that it might be possible to boost the effectiveness of the stem cells with aromatic-turmerone. “And it is possible this in turn can help boost repair in the brain.” She is now considering whether human trials may be feasible. Dr Laura Phipps at the charity, Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “It is not clear whether the results of this research would translate to people, or whether the ability to generate new brain cells in this way would benefit people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Even after adjusting for other factors, researchers found that having a larger and more fat-laden tongue is strongly linked to suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, commonly known as snoring. (Getty Creative Images)
Snoring linked to having a fat tongue, researchers say OBESE adults with a larger tongue may have a higher risk of sleep apnea, according to a new study from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine released Wednesday. The study, involving 90 obese participants with sleep apnea and 31 without, indicated that participants suffering from sleep apnea also had significantly larger tongues, greater tongue fat and a higher percentage of tongue fat than participants without the sleep disorder, once results were adjusted for certain biases such as age, body mass index, gender and race. “This is the first study to show
that fat deposits are increased in the tongue of obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea,” said principal investigator and senior author Dr. Richard J. Schwab. “This work provides evidence of a novel pathogenic mechanism explaining the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and obesity.” The study’s authors indicated that as well as having an enlarged tongue, a higher amount of tongue fat can impact the muscle that attaches the tongue to the bone, keeping the muscles from positioning the tongue away from blocking the airway.
October 4 - 10, 2014
41
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
Sports Interational
FIFA own-goal? Why women weren’t good enough for World Cup report
If Jeff Mayweather is correct his nephew (left) would fight both Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao (right) before he retires.
Jeff Mayweather: Khan and Pacquiao are next for Floyd Mayweather THESE past few days, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, two best fighters of their generation, became the subject of conversation on Twitter because of their unexpected clash. Some observers say Floyd has just responded to Manny Pacquiao’s tweet while others believe that it was Mayweather who initiated the clash. But before you guys continue, a report from ABS-CBN News this morning, Sept. 30, 2014 almost confirms that a mega fight between the current pound for pound king and the Filipino ring icon could possibly happen next year. Allegedly, Jeff Mayweather, uncle of the unbeaten American boxer who decided to give a rematch with Marcos Rene “El Chino” Maidana instead of fighting the PacMan, revealed that if a possible negotiation with Amir Khan has failed, Floyd will definitely fight
Manny Pacquiao. Jeff insisted that he is not one hundred percent sure if his nephew will choose the PacMan or not, but based on his revelation that a fight must help the pay-perview revenue, some observers are now saying that a mega fight will really happen in 2015. Unfortunately, you guys have to wait for the result of a Manny Pacquiao-Chris Algieri showdown to be held at The Cotai Arena in Macau this coming Nov. 22 because the mega fight will only happen if Manny won. And speaking of Amir Khan, Paulie Malinaggi is on his side. The former two division world champion believes that Amir is one of the toughest fighters that can beat Floyd Mayweather Jr., according to Malinaggi, Khan aside from Keith Turman is really a threat to the Money Man’s unblemished record. (examiner.com)
Kimetto receives hero’s welcome on return to Kenya DENNIS Kimetto received a hero’s welcome on his return to Kenya, following his world record-breaking performance at the Berlin Marathon. The former farmer became the first man to break the two hours three minutes mark for a marathon on Sunday. He was given a red carpet reception on his return to Nairobi airport. The 30-year-old, who only started professional running five years ago, said he “didn’t expect to break the world record”. He shook off fellow Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai with just under three miles remaining to run 2:02:57. Kimetto was adorned with flowers and garlands as he was taken on a victory tour of Kenya’s capital. He said: “I went to Berlin to just compete but I thank God that I have come back as a world record holder. It was a surprise.” The previous world record had been set on the same course 12
Dennis Kimetto breaks marathon world record in Berlin.
months ago by Kimetto’s compatriot Wilson Kipsang, who ran 2:03:23.
SEPP Blatter once suggested women footballers should wear tighter shorts -- now his organisation, FIFA, has been accused of blatant sexism in its selection of the person to lead an investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The investigation and subsequent report by American lawyer Michael Garcia, head of FIFA’s investigative chamber of the ethics committee, has become emblematic of the world governing body’s reluctance to embrace a greater degree of transparency following criticism of the way FIFA is run. FIFA president Blatter doesn’t want the report published because he fears it will contravene FIFA’s privacy laws, though Garcia and others such as the head of European soccer UEFA president Michel Platini have indicated they’d like it to be made public. Now three former members of the Independent Governance Committee (IGC), the body tasked with working on reform proposals and drawing up a shortlist of candidates to lead the investigation into the bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, which were awarded to Russia and Qatar, have told CNN that FIFA officials insisted that a woman should not
Sepp Blatter
be nominated for the role Garcia eventually assumed. According to two of those former IGC members, Garcia, who recently delivered his long-awaited report, was not even on the original shortlist of candidates to lead the investigation. Alexandra Wrage, who left the IGC in April last year after becoming frustrated with the lack of progress being made, recalls the occasion in 2012 where she was left stunned by suggestions that the committee should not consider any female candidates for the lead investigator role. Sitting in the dining hall with two IGC colleagues during FIFA’s Congress in Budapest that year, she
claims she was approached by two senior FIFA employees. “I turned from the group to face them and one of the men told me, ‘Stop putting women forward for these positions.’ He told me they would not be acceptable and that I was fighting the wrong battle,” Wrage said. “I didn’t really take in what he was saying and then it hit me. “I said, ‘Did you really just say that?’ I was startled. They started to elaborate on their views and gave me more and more details. “I was the only woman at the table and they were directing their views just at me.” Guillermo Jorge, a fellow member of the IGC was also present alongside Wrage when a discussion was had over the possibility of female nominations. He said the FIFA officials did not approach her and tell her to stop putting forth women, but confirmed to CNN that the two men said that it would be very unlikely that Exco would appoint a woman because FIFA is still very unbalanced in gender terms. When CNN then approached Mark Pieth -- who chaired the IGC until its final report in April 2014 to discuss the allegation -- he said: “It is true that FIFA was not keen to elect women into these positions.”
Europe withstands U.S. fightback to win Ryder Cup TRY as they might, Team USA couldn’t pull off their own miracle, having suffered the ultimate Ryder Cup indignity two years ago at Medinah in Chicago when leading 10-6 going into Sunday. Led by its talisman Rory McIlroy -- the world number one -- Europe saw off a brave challenge from those in red to retain the trophy by a ultimately comfortable margin of 16½-11½. It was the continent’s third straight victory, their sixth in the last seven and one that provoked searching questions for United States captain Tom Watson, not least from his star player Phil Mickelson. But “Lefty” is also facing some questions after he was accused of throwing his “captain right under the bus,” by former European skipper Nick Faldo. That’s what I call a team effort! Everyone played their part this week, so proud to be a part of #TeamEurope. Captain McGinley = phenomenal Watson’s European counterpart Paul McGinley will be subject to no such inquisition, universally lauded by his players and serenaded by a vibrant Scottish crowd once his triumph was rubber-stamped. Rookie Jamie Donaldson secured the clinching point by beating Keegan Bradley, and was promptly enveloped on the 15th green by
The victorious European team and captain Paul McGinley after retaining the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.
cameramen, photographers and his wife, not to mention a jubilant European team. “I can’t really put it into words,” Donaldson, from Wales, said. “It’s unbelievable. There is nothing like it in golf. The Ryder Cup is just a total one off and it’s amazing to be a part of it.” Before him Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell had overturned a three-hole deficit to topple rookie Jordan Spieth 2&1 while McIlroy’s 5&4 takedown of Rickie Fowler had a brutal edge to it. “Early in the match, the trending was exactly where we wanted it to go,” Watson told reporters. “We had a lot of red scored up there. The
players responded early, we just couldn’t keep it going. “The bottom line is they kicked our butts. They were better players this week.” Watson was then forced to defend his own methods during a tense press conference after thinly veiled criticism from Mickelson, the fivetime major champion, who has won on just two of his ten Ryder Cup appearances. The last of those came in 2008 and ‘Lefty’ praised the approach of then captain Paul Azinger, who he said had involved the players in his decision making process and formulated a “real game plan.”
42
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014
Sports Interational
Rio Ferdinand: Alex Ferguson not to blame for Manchester United failures RIO Ferdinand was one of the world’s top defenders -- now he’s turned his hand to defending the reputation of his former manager Alex Ferguson. The Scot, one of British football’s most successful leaders, has been criticized in recent months following Manchester United’s dramatic downturn in form since his departure. Over two decades, Ferguson won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups. But after leading United to league glory in 2013, a title won by 11 points, Ferguson retired and appeared to take his magic touch with him. Under David Moyes, United capitulated in alarming fashion, finishing seventh and failing to qualify for European competition. However, some argued Ferguson had left his successor an aging squad, with the likes of Ferdinand, now 35, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra -- two defenders who left Old Trafford in the summer transfer window -- Robin van Persie and Michael Carrick all in their fourth decade. “I don’t understand how people can say that,” Ferdinand, who left Old Trafford at the end of last season, told CNN when asked whether Ferguson was responsible for United’s failings. “You’ve got some great players
Rio Ferdinand joined Manchester United in 2002 for a fee of £30 million ($48.5 million) which made him the world’s most expensive defender at the time.
throughout the squad. You win the league by 11 points. You’ve got to be a top team to do that. “So he goes and then it all falls apart. So that’s his fault? How can people say that?” Ferdinand, who won 81 caps for England, arrived from Leeds United in July 2002 for £30m, a world record for a defender at that time, went on to win six Premier League titles, the Champions League and two League Cups. Now at Queens Park Rangers, Ferdinand was part of the United
team which struggled badly last season under Moyes, the man who was handpicked by Ferguson to succeed him. Moyes was relieved of his duties after just 10 months in charge and was replaced at the start of the 2014 season by Dutch coach Louis van Gaal. Van Gaal has already made his mark by bringing in a number of high-profile players including Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid for a British transfer record fee of $98.7 million, Colombia striker Radamel Falcao on loan from Monaco and Dutch star Daley Blind. Results have been mixed so far with United losing to the likes of Swansea and Leicester City, as well as being humiliated by third-tier side Milton Keynes Dons in the League Cup. Two consecutive home wins over Queens Park Rangers and West Ham have lifted United to seventh in the Premier League table ahead of Sunday’s clash with Everton at Old Trafford. With Van Gaal struggling for defensive options and Ander Herrera, the midfielder, absent with a rib injury, United will once again by forced to field a changed line-up. Ferdinand, who won six league titles with United, says the new manager needs time to ensure his new signings gel and come together.
Li Na bid long goodbye to a great IT WAS a long goodbye as China bid farewell to its sporting heroine in a tearful ceremony. Li Na had announced last month at the age of 32 her career was over, that her recurring knee problems would keep her off the court once and for all. And at the start of the China Open at Beijing’s National Tennis Center Asia’s first grand slam singles champion was lauded by peers, Chinese celebrities and the wider public in a special ceremony. In all, 40 WTA players were on court for the ceremony, which reached its climax as world No.2 Rafa Nadal, moments after winning on his own return from injury, presented the player with flowers alongside her husband Jiang Shan. The 14-time Grand Slam champion had previously tweeted: “Congratulations for your career and I wish you all the best in your new life #LoveLi.” Li reached a career-best ranking of second earlier this year shortly after her victory at the Australian Open. She had previously become her continent’s first grand slam winner at the 2011 French Open, one
Michael Phelps, the most decorated swimmer in Olympic history, charged with driving under the influence, excessive speed and crossing double lane lines within the Fort McHenry Tunnel on I-95 in Baltimore.
Phelps arrested for DUI LEGENDARY Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, was arrested early Tuesday in Maryland on a DUI charge, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority. Phelps, known as the “Baltimore Bullet” and winner of 18 Olympic gold medals, was arrested at about 1:40 a.m. and charged with driving under the influence, excessive speed and crossing double lane lines within the Fort McHenry Tunnel on I-95 in Baltimore, the authority said in a statement. He was later released. Phelps, who returned to competitive swimming in April, said on his official Twitter account that he understands the severity of his actions. “I know these words may not mean much right now but I am deeply sorry to everyone I have let down,” Phelps, 29, said in a series of three tweets.
USA Swimming issued a written statement Tuesday afternoon. “The news regarding Michael Phelps and his actions are disappointing and unquestionably serious. We expect our athletes to conduct themselves responsibly in and out of the pool,” the statement said. A Maryland Transportation Authority police officer was operating a stationary radar on southbound I-395 leaving Baltimore when a white 2014 Land Rover passed traveling at 84 mph in a 45mph zone. The officer followed the vehicle onto northbound I-95, through the tunnel and stopped the Land Rover just beyond the tunnel’s toll plaza. The 22-time Olympic medalist was identified as the driver by his driver’s license and appeared to be under the influence, the statement said. (CNN)
Anthony: ‘I think I’m the most underrated superstar that’s out there’
Li Na was treated to an emotional farewell in front of her fellow countrymen and women at the National Tennis Center in Beijing during the China Open.
of nine WTA career singles titles. But having not played since Wimbledon, she decided to retire. Now, she plans to start a family and also set up her own tennis academy but admitted: “I was sad because tennis was with me for 24 years”. Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Jankovic and Petra Kvitova were among the players on court to wipe away the tears, Wimbledon champion Kvitova leading the tributes. “The most important thing I
want to say is thank you for being our opponent, thank you for being our inspiration and thank you for being our friend. We will miss you, champion,” said Kvitova. WTA chairman Stacey Allaster also paid tribute adding: “You’re a true champion and pioneer, who has made such a difference in so many people’s lives. You are the player of this decade, who has made the most impact and growth on women’s tennis.” (CNN)
KNICKS forward Carmelo Anthony finished second to the Thunder’s Kevin Durant in the scoring race last season and has led teams to the postseason nearly every year he’s been in the league. But is he a superstar? And on top of that, is he underrated? That’s what he thinks: He told ESPN’s Chris Broussard, “I think I’m the most underrated superstar that’s out there (laughs) but that doesn’t matter to me.” Here’s more of what he said: “I know what I’m capable of doing. I know the grind and the hard work I put in to this. I know how consistent I’ve been over my career. To do it day in and day out and night in and night out on a very consistent basis year in year out, I know what I can do and I know the work I’ve put in. So as far as caring about if I’m underrated as a superstar, and getting the respect I deserve, I don’t worry about that. In due time if everything goes well, I will get it.”
Carmelo Anthony is one of the best scorers in the league.
Yes, Anthony is consistent, though we’ll see if he can adjust his game to fit into the triangle offense and be more of a facilitator. But some might say he’s in a level just below the superstars of the NBA, Cavaliers forward LeBron James and Durant. In fact, Anthony was asked that very question by Broussard -- does it bother him that he’s not in that pair’s class?
October 4 - 10, 2014
43
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
Sports Interational
Hamilton hails this season as his best yet
CJ Spillman is the latest NFL player to be involved in an assault investigation.
Dallas Cowboys: CJ Spillman investigated over sexual assault AMERICAN football player CJ Spillman is being investigated over an alleged sexual assault, police say. The 28-year-old, who plays for NFL side Dallas Cowboys, has not been arrested or charged. The attack allegedly took place at a Texas hotel in the early hours of 20 September, according to Grapevine police spokesman, Sgt Robert Eberling. The case adds to a recent spate of high-profile incidents involving American football players. Earlier this month Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was suspended indefinitely after a video emerged of him punching his thenfiancee. After Rice was suspended, Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson was indicted on child-abuse charges. And Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer has been charged over accusations he broke
his wife’s nose during a domestic dispute in July. The latest incident allegedly took place at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, where the Dallas Cowboys stay. Spillman, a defensive back, played against the St Louis Rams the next day. Sgt Eberling said no other details were being released because the investigation was ongoing. There has been no immediate response from the Cowboys. Spillman’s agent and lawyer declined to comment, the Associated Press said. On Tuesday, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett told staff that the club would not allow players accused of domestic violence to play. Critics have been calling on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to step down after Ray Rice initially received just a two-game ban for his assault.
LEWIS Hamilton believes he has put together the best season of his Formula 1 career as he chases the drivers’ title with Mercedes in 2014. Hamilton leads team-mate Nico Rosberg by three points heading into Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, the latest round of a tense intra-team fight. “This has been the most consistent, best performing season I remember having,” said Hamilton. “I want to continue that for many years. It’s like building work.” Hamilton has won the last two races in Italy and Singapore to overturn a 29-point deficit to Rosberg. That gap had widened after Hamilton failed to finish the Belgian Grand Prix as a result of damage sustained in the controversial collision between the two Mercedes men. Hamilton beat Rosberg into second place in Monza, fighting back after a bad start and pressuring the German into two mistakes. Rosberg then suffered a retirement in Singapore to hand Hamilton the championship lead for the first time since May. But Hamilton said he did not think Rosberg would be struggling to overcome the psychological effect of losing so many points in such a short space of time. “Nico is such a strong competitor,” Hamilton said. “Since we have been kids he has always been so strong mentally, confident and sure of his abilities. “He has shown time and time again his pace and speed and how he overcomes things quickly.
Lewis Hamilton won the Singapore Grand Prix last time out, his seventh win of the season.
“He handled the last race with dignity and it felt from what I could see he has moved on very quickly and I anticipate he will be stronger than ever here and I need to be ready for that.” Rosberg said: “It was a tough moment but time is the best healer for such things. “It has been two weeks, which is plenty of time in the racing world, and it is completely forgotten. “I have come here just as excited and optimistic as I was before Singapore. I have never come to Suzuka, which is one of the best tracks, with a dominant car and I know I have a chance for pole and a chance to win the race. It is a great feeling.” Hamilton said he was aware of the importance of the final five races of the season, which ends in Abu Dhabi on 23 November. “I know this weekend could be tough, the next five could be tough, there is all the possibilities in the
world I could be facing the toughest time of my life,” he said. “But also there is the possibility it could be the greatest time of my life. “I feel as well prepared as I could be to deal with whatever comes. We are working very hard to stop reliability issues and hopefully that won’t be something we have to worry about.” Hamilton’s target is to win at Suzuka this weekend, on the track many regard as the greatest challenge for a racing driver. And he admitted the pressure of the title fight was always on his mind. “Pressure comes in different forms,” he said. “It’s different feelings every time. “I find it very strange as a sportsman. Sometimes you wake up and feel great and the day doesn’t go so well. And sometimes you don’t feel great and the race goes amazing. I don’t understand. Every race feels different.
Nadal makes winning return after three-month injury absence Sean O’Brien shoulder became infected after a surgery last season.
O’Brien out for ‘five or six months’ after shoulder setback IRELAND flanker Sean O’Brien has been ruled out for “five or six months” after the shoulder he had surgery on last season became infected. Leinster coach Matt O’Connor confirmed the news on Thursday which he described as a “nightmare” for the Lions flanker. O’Brien, 27, will miss the pool stages of the European Champions Cup and Ireland’s autumn games and could be ruled out of the entire Six Nations. He suffered his dislocated
shoulder in a game against Ulster last December. That injury caused him to miss nearly all the remainder of last season, including Ireland’s Six Nations triumph. O’Brien did start in Leinster’s opening Pro12 game against Glasgow last month but is now facing another long spell on the sidelines. “If all things go to plan he’ll probably have shoulder reconstruction surgery tomorrow,” added O’Connor on Thursday.
THE last time Rafael Nadal came back from a long-term layoff, he enjoyed one of the finest seasons of an outstanding career -- reaching nine consecutive finals on his return from a knee injury, and winning both the French and U.S. Open grand slams in 2013. On Tuesday, the Spaniard took to the court for the first time in three months and looked as though he had never been away as he blitzed past Frenchman Richard Gasquet at the China Open. Needing just 78 minutes to win 6-4 6-0 in the opening round, the world No. 2 appeared to feel no effects of the right wrist injury he suffered while practicing at home in Mallorca in late July. “In general, I have to be happy the way that I played,” Nadal, a 14-time grand slam winner, told the official ATP Tour website. “After three months without a match, winning against a good
Rafael Nadal celebrates winning his match against Richard Gasquet after three months out with injury.
player like Richard is a very positive comeback for me. I think I played solid, no mistakes.” Nadal, who presented Li Na with a bouquet of flowers as China said
goodbye to its biggest tennis star on Tuesday, had not played since his surprise fourth round defeat by Australian Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon on July 1. His problematic wrist meant he was unable to defend his title at this month’s U.S. Open, where Croatia’s Marin Cilic emerged as a surprise winner. “More important than winning or losing is spending time on court. That’s the key for me at the moment: spending time on court, playing matches,” said Nadal. “At least I am going to play two matches minimum here. That’s a positive thing. I’m going to try my best to play three.” The 28-year-old has returned to action even though he says his wrist is not quite 100% healed. Nadal has a decent record in Beijing -- having won the China Open in 2005 and Olympic gold in 2008.
44
Sports National
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014
Josh for Sports
A prelude to a massive lawsuit
FROM this day forth, your grandfather will never take all indigenous TCI natives as unaccomplished, pacifist and backwards. I have basically been acquainted with Mr. H. Boyce for about eight years; yes, but that does not give him the right to print, libelous, slanderous material about me. The problem arises as a result of the scientific, analytical sports columns that I’ve been writing for the Weekly News for the past eight years. It appears to me that he has a burning hatred/indisposition towards Mr. Blythe Duncanson, his competitor. Thanks for the past favours, but put your foot in your mouth when you descend to unethical,
By Joshua Gardiner
unprofessional blunders to the point where you print unsubstantiated allegations about my past mistakes (legally) at least 1 ½ generations ago. In your desperation, you entered into a multi-million lawsuit against your paper.
LETTER FROM RICHARD WILLIAMS In your publication at the end of August you fool-hardily printed some unsubstantiated allegations about my past sins for which I’ve paid my debts to society—the false gospel according to Richard Williams. I shall not go into details, but suffice it to say that you sir will be taken before the Supreme Court by this non-perfect human being, who has been trouble free for a very long time. Yet you printed skeletons of the past because you are frustrated that you and your detractors cannot mount a factual credible answer to the substance of my columns.
YOU CANNOT UNDO HISTORY Outside of my errors, for which I’ve paid my debt in full, you all seem to have problems with my glorious legendary past: as an unofficial world record breaker (age 16); the only TC Islander to have won numerous accolades as a freshman in the USA—being rated #2 among all universities (2000) at age 18; Jamaica national high school champion and the Bahamas champion. Some people seem to have a problem with historical facts. Perhaps you did not forgive me for writing and exposing the unethical, or those with only self-interest. It does not matter to me sir, I possess a large amount of professional certificates and I am a true TC Islander. I shall make an example of you for your unprofessional journalism
and for attacking a native legend— see you in court. ON THE BRIGHT SIDE Has anybody seen the lightning bolt? I was looking for him but he was very scarce this year. This dude is so fast that he can almost snatch the flash out of lightening and roar out of thunder. REMEMBER MY PREDICTION A few years ago in this column I predicted that Sir Bolt would become the first sub 19 second 200M human in history. Now, I understand that he is shooting for the stars; when this happen he deserves to be knighted. God Speed Bolt. Love Josh
We’re not paying farewell to Kobe Bryant yet. (USATSI).
Bryant will retire on his terms, may play beyond current contract The successful participants now have an additional knowledge in beach soccer.
TCIFA hosts successful beach soccer course Thirty-five football officials now have more knowledge in beach soccer thanks to a three-day course held by the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association (TCIFA) over the weekend. In the course 28 coaches and seven referees received an education in the tactical and technical aspect of beach soccer from FIFA instructor Eduard Loewen with additional presentations by CONCACAF Beach Soccer Manager Betto Lima. A release from the association stated that: “The coaching programme is an important part of the TCIFA’s efforts to promote beach soccer. By placing
an emphasis on coaching, player and referee education the objective of the course was to educate the participants on Beach Soccer at a grassroots level all the way to international competition.” “The TCIFA believes that the sport of beach soccer gives our country the opportunity to compete at the highest level and reach a FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup as we feel we have the talent to compete internationally in the form of the game that has been dominated by Brazil. The coaches and referees from the course will now focus on promoting beach soccer in the Turks
and Caicos Islands. FIRST OF MANY “This course was the first of many planned for 2014-2015, not only as an educational tool for coaches and referees, but it will also be used as an integral part of preparing players for the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Qualifiers in 2015,” said TCIFA President, Sonia Bien-Aime. For more information on the TCIFA or the beach soccer coaching course, kindly contact Candia Ewing, Acting Secretary General on 941-5532 or email cewingtcifa@ gmail.com.
When Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to the current two-year contract extension that will pay him $48.5 million through the 2015-16 season, many people wondered if Bryant would play beyond those two years. The 36-year old future Hall of Famer has suffered two big injuries the last two seasons and it’s hard for players with Bryant’s responsibilities to keep up a star quality of play in their late 30’s. However, Kobe is a different type of guy that most athletes we’ve seen and he’s possibly looking at playing beyond this contract if he still feels he can contribute. He’s not going the Derek Jeter route of a farewell tour just quite yet. He’s going to
retire on his own terms and says he doesn’t an end to the tunnel of his career physically. From Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports: Kobe Bryant watched on television as Derek Jeter walked off the field at Yankee Stadium for the last time last week. The Los Angeles Lakers guard hopes to eventually walk away just like Jeter did. But he also hopes to delay that day by a couple years. “The biggest key for anybody in retirement is you always want to retire by choice,” Bryant told Yahoo Sports. “Hopefully, I will be fortunate enough to have that option. You don’t want to see another catastrophic injury or something like that. When you walk away, you want to feel like you walked away on your terms.”
October 4 - 10, 2014
Sports National
45
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
Soccerex Americas:
Bien-Aime to speak about women’s football development
PRESIDENT of the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association Sonia Bien-Aime will look to promote female football in the region at the upcoming Soccerex Americas Forum in Barbados. Bien-Aime, who is one of three women on the FIFA executive
committee, was invited along with Costa Rica FA President Eduardo Li to give the lowdown on the boom in women’s football in the region as it prepares to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada in 2015 with the nation having hosted the U-20 tournament and the U-17 tournament
PHL bullies off on November 1 Another action pack season of the Provo Hockey League (PHL) will bully off on November 1st. According to news from the organising committee all of last season’s sponsors have returned while Big Blue is a new inclusion. Registration is October 4th followed by a few weeks of practice games.
12 teams, in four divisions are expected to compete this season. Along with the regular league, the PHL is also focused on the 2014 Fall Hockey Camp (jointly hosted by Scotiabank and Gansevoort) which will once again include NHL alumni Matt Bradley, Dan McGillis and Fred Brathwaite.
earlier this year. The Soccerex Global Convention is the World’s largest football business event. It brings global leaders in the business of football together to debate, network and do business. The event is attended by the game’s leading administrators, football legends and business leaders from around the globe. It is also used as the platform to update the global football industry on the latest developments within the game. Bien-Aime opined that she was excited about the opportunity and will look to use her opportunity to the max. “Whilst I will share information on the topic presented, I will emphasise on the development of women’s football in our region and all that CONCACAF has done and is doing in such a short time frame to develop the women’s game. The TCIFA has also been a partner in pushing some of the projects, by hosting CONCACAF’s inaugural Girls Grassroots Course and Festival here in the Turks & Caicos Islands.”
Sonia Bien-Aime will speak on the boom in women’s football in the region.
All-Star Church League battle set for Saturday
Jericho Baptist Church will collect the top prize at the award ceremony.
THE completion of the Provo Church Co-ed Slow Pitch Softball league did not end the battle of the churches; in fact this Saturday the best-of-the-best will battle when the league holds three all-star games at the National Stadium. There will be an all-female clash, and all-male battle and the much touted All-Star Co-Ed league battle which will include players from all teams. The fun day will also see outstanding league performers
receiving their spoils. Jericho Baptist Church won the league while the Roman Catholic Church finished second while the Bethany Baptist Church placed third ahead of last season’s champion, St. Monica’s Anglican Church. Prior to the game there will be a softball camp for children five and up. Participants will then take part in a scrimmage clash. Entrance to the venue is free and snacks and drinks will be on sale.
46
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014
LAND FOR SALE In beautiful Bottle Creek, North Caicos
.46 acres overlooking the creek, spanning King Road and Windsor Road
QUICK SALE
CALL 232-3508 or 946-4664
October 4 - 10, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
47
48
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
October 4 - 10, 2014