Volume 7 Issue 02

e-mail: sun@suntci.com

tel: (649) 946-8542 fax: (649) 941-3281

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Volume 7 no. 02

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

by Hayden boyce sun Publisher & editor-in-Chief

SPECIAL PROSECUTOR HELEN GARLICK’S investigations have uncovered millions of dollars in suspected money laundering involving persons from the Turks and Caicos Islands in many countries around the world.

Garlick, who returned to the Turks and Caicos Islands a few days ago, made the shocking revelation in an exclusive interview with the SUN. “Money laundering investigation is a central part of the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) work and involves very considerable amounts of money, running into several millions of dollars,” Garlick said.

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InsIde thIs Issue

CoCaine bust in Grand turk

...PG5

family aGainst Parole for killer ...PG8 QC Carlos simons wants tCi returned to self-rule ...PG9

anGuilla wants break from uk ...PG32

Special Prosecutor Helen Garlick leaving her Providenciales office

$1.00

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Helen Garlick probing millions in money laundering

LOCAL NEWS

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“We are investigating several cases of exceptionally serious corruption and misconduct allegations and we are also investigating complex money laundering allegations that includes investigations in many jurisdictions around the world.”

Garlick, a highly-respected corruption prosecutor, did not quantity the amount of money that has been laundered, neither did she name the individuals involved, but she stated that she has been receiving cooperation from other countries around the world in her investigations.

“The cooperation has exceed my expectations,” she said, adding that there is a huge international movement among countries to assist each other with public corruption cases, because of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) anti-bribery convention.

Garlick, who was appointed Special Prosecutor in August 2009, said she is investigating “about a dozen serious allegations”.

She dismissed reports that there will be about 50

trials.

“There may be several trials, each of which includes several people and many different allegations within a single indictment, but most certainly not 50 trials because that would be absurd,” Garlick added.

When Garlick arrived in the Turks and Caicos Islands a few days, there was widespread speculation country-wide that indictments would be imminent.

However, she told SUN that completion of the investigation is still months away.

“It is true to say that we have now moved to a stage of the investigation which is very more centered on taking certain steps in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The first stage of the investigation was more centered on reviewing documents that were available in London. The initial estimate of 18 months that I gave in my last press conference still holds, and will take us up to the end of 2011 to complete major parts of the investigation,” she added.

“However, I have always been conscious of the exceptional circumstances that call for a speedy resolution. I have always tried to respect and meet the public concern to know as much as possible about our work, but no prosecutor can speak about details of our

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

current investigations and it would be completely improper of me to talk about an investigation in a way that smacks of conducting a trial by media.”

The veteran prosecutor said there are many other countries in the world where corruption is endemic but as far as she was concerned, TCI is unique in the sense that it has decided to have a thorough investigation into a large number of serious cases.

Garlick was an assistant director of the UK Serious Fraud Office, where she was the first head of its Overseas Corruption Unit.

Garlick is responsible for the 30-plus member SIPT that is charged with the responsibility of undertaking an independent criminal investigation here.

Sir Robin Auld, as the sole appointed Commissioner for the Turks and Caicos Islands Commission of Inquiry 2008-2009 concluded in his report that there was a high probability of systemic corruption in government and the legislature and among public officers in the TCI Government in recent years.

One of the sixty-five recommendations advanced by SirAuld was for the appointment of a Special Prosecutor for the criminal investigation and prosecution of matters that may arise out of the report.

Scotia Private Client Group sponsors World Gourmet Affair in Turks and Caicos

SCOTIA PRIVATE CLIENT Group is proud to be an associate sponsor of the first annual World Gourmet Affair Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) being held January 17-22, 2011. World Gourmet Affair TCI is bringing five world-renowned chefs to prepare delectable five-course meals and drink pairings at some of the premiere resorts in Turks and Caicos.

As part of the event, and through Scotiabank’s Bright Future program, Scotia Private Client Group in conjunction with World Gourmet Affair will be sponsoring workshops for 65 students from six schools. The students will participate in a cooking class hosted by one of the featured resorts and one of the international guest chefs. Selected by the Department of Youth Affairs, students from Clement Howell High School; Wesley Methodist School; New Age Academy and Language Centre; Maranatha High School; Whole Gospel Academy and the Community College will participate in the workshops.

“Scotiabank has always had a strong commitment to education and to youth, and we are proud to support young people in pursuing their goals and obtaining hands-on experience,” says Pat Brown, Turks and Caicos Centre Director, Scotia Private Client Group. “Challenging students with a unique education outlet such as cooking classes has the potential to

unleash interests and skills.”

At the World Gourmet Affair Gala event on Saturday, January 22, a silent auction featuring attractive prizes donated by the participating luxury resorts, the title sponsor Digicel and others will be held with proceeds going to the schools. A portion of the ticket sales for the Gala Event will add to this total and Scotia Private Client group has donated $2,000 to jump start the fund.

Scotia Private Client Group is committed to helping high net-worth individuals, entrepreneurs, and investors with investments, business holdings, and property around the world, achieve greater levels of financial comfort and develop new sources of wealth for future generations. Scotiabank rated “Bank of the Year” in the Turks and Caicos Islands (2010) by The Banker, a leading international financial and investment magazine, has Scotia Private Client Group centres in Turks and Caicos, The Bahamas, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, El Salvador, Panama, Puerto Rico and Peru. The Bank also has plans to introduce Scotia Private Client Group centres in Chile and Mexico.

Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, both in Canada and abroad. Recognized as a leader

internationally and among Canadian corporations for its charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2010 the Bank provided about $50 million in sponsorships

and donations to a variety of projects and initiatives, primarily in the areas of healthcare, education, social services and arts and culture. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

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NOVEMBER 26TH - DECEMBER 3RD, 2010 JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

TURKS CAICOS SUN NOVEMBER 26TH & - DECEMBER 3RD, 2010

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$100,000 drug bust in Grand Turk; two arrested

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

THE POLICE IN Grant Turk made a $100,000 cocaine bust and have charged two men identified as being Turks and Caicos Islanders, who have able to secure bond, in connection to the seizure.

The names of the two have been given by the police as Joseph Missick, 40, also know as "Ranking Joe" and Kenneth Malcolm, 45. Both men have been charged with unlawful possession of cocaine with intent to supply.

According to press officer for the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, Sergeant Calvin Chase, the is in

TURKS AND CAICOS BANKING COMPANY MOVING

THE TURKS AND Caicos Banking Company, the country's oldest independent private bank, has announced plans to restructure it's operations by consolidating it's activities into it's new headquarters in Regent Village on Grace Bay Road in Providenciales, where it will continue to serve its Grand Turk clients. This will formally take effect upon final approval of the Financial Services Commission.

“We are very proud of our history in Turks and Caicos and see a bright future for the bank and it's clients throughout the Islands," said Anton Faessler, TCBC President. "Our new office provides us with an opportunity to expand and enhance our products for all of our clients.”

As a private bank TCBC has been a leader in providing offshore banking services to its clients for over 30 years, and has been consistently profitable throughout it's existence. The company established its head office at Caribbean Place in Provo in 2002 and moved to its new location earlier this month. With assets approaching $100,000,000, assets under management of $45,000,000 and a strong balance sheet, TCBC works closely with it's clients in areas including wealth management, lending, and currency management.

In addition it has correspondent banking and brokerage relationships with leading financial institutions throughout the world.

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

connection with the seizure of four kilos of the drug on that island on January 7.

The two were taken to Providenciales where they appeared in the Number Two Magistrate's Court, and were granted bail in the sum of $60,000.00 with two sureties and conditions. They are scheduled to appear in Grand Turk Magistrate's Court on Monday 7th February, when the case is set for mention.

In recent months, the police have been reaping success in their drive to rid the streets dangerous drugs mainly cocaine, thanks to the ultra-

successful Alpha Two police operation which was originally mounted to stem the tide of crime especially on Providenciales.

However, during their operation, the lawmen have netted sizable quantities of drugs, including marijuana nursery in the Bight, Providenciales.

They have also confiscated a number of illegal firearms and slapped charges on the alleged perpetrators, some of whom have either been sentenced, on trial or awaiting trials.

In the meantime, the police in Grand Turk have arrested a man who

they described as a Turk Islander in connection with a report of aggravated burglary, Sergeant Chase said occurred at about 9.30pm on Sunday night January 9, at Osprey Hotel on that island.

It was reported that on that date, the man, whose identity the police have not released, pounced upon a visiting couple to that island that he proceeded to rob. The matter was reported to the Grand Turk Police, who later apprehended the suspect. At press time, there was no report of him being charged.

TURKS & CAICOS SWIM RACE HONORED

By Ben Stubenberg

THE TURKS & CAICOS “Race for the Conch” 1 Mile Eco-SeaSwim that took place last July in Grace Bay has been honored by inclusion in the World Open Water Swimming Record List. The announcement on November 22, 2010

by Steven Munatones, producer of the Open Water Swim Source, places the “Race for the Conch” makes race winners Marcos Diaz of the Dominican Republic and Isla McLeod of Scotland official World Champions for this event. CoOrganizer of the race Chloe Zimmermann said, “We’re thrilled to have been recognized as a World Champion race with our first world record holders. These two very talented swimmers have also set the benchmark for future “Race for the Conch” world championships. This definitely puts the Turks & Caicos on the global open water swimming map.”

“Race for the Conch” Eco-SeaSwim organizers are busy planning for the 2011 event, which will take place on July 9 at the same location, next to Club Med in front of the Flamingo Café. In addition to the 1 mile race, there will be a 2.4 mile race to attract more long distance racers. 2.4 miles is the standard Ironman triathlon swim course length and a popular open water swim distance. “We fully expect we will more than double our participation to more than 200 swimmers and bring in many more visitors,” Ms Zimmermann said. “Provo is really poised to become a world class swim racing and training venue.”

The “Race for the Conch” Eco-SeaSwim is also a founding member of the “West Indies Bluewater Swim Series” that will promote the Caribbean region as a major open water swim racing destination throughout the year. In addition to the Turks & Caicos, charter members include the Cayman Islands, Nevis, and Trinidad. The swim series will also promote the sport among West Indians and identify and nurture local talent for international competition.

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LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

CARICOM OR CARI-GONE?

By Sir Ronald Sanders

The New Year started with a great deal of frustration being publicly expressed over the Caribbean regional integration project which, this year, will have been in construction for forty-three years. Other integration efforts, such as the European Union (EU), which began after the Caribbean Community and Common market (CARICOM), have moved ahead much faster and much more effectively for the benefit of the people of their member countries.

It is understandable, therefore, that, in an editorial, one of the Caribbean oldest newspapers observed that a majority of people believe that “any official attempt to unite the region as envisaged in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) is nothing but reverie and doomed to failure”. To be fair the editorial did not trumpet this observation with glee or satisfaction. It said that “as we enter the second decade of this century, we hold fast, nevertheless, to the idea of one region”.

So, on the one hand, this editorial, reflecting the views of many, still believes in the notion of a deeply integrated Caribbean – “one region”, but it expresses no faith that, after forty-three years, we will see a CSME anytime soon. The editorial identified four contemporary reasons for its lack of faith in any “official” attempt to unite the region.

These reasons were: an unfortunate statement last year by the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister that her government would no longer be “an ATM” machine for other countries of CARICOM; an injudicious remark by the same Prime Minister that, in the provision by her government of assistance to the islands of St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines she would expect some benefit for the construction industry of Trinidad and Tobago; the more recent suggestion by Prime Minister Bruce Golding of Jamaica that his government favoured setting up its own national final Court of Appeal rather than acceding to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ); and that CARICOM heads of government are yet to establish “any executive machinery to enforce” their own policy decisions.

All of these points are valid. There are many more besides. Among them are that instead of getting on with fashioning CARICOM into an effective vehicle to help with the improvement of their people’s lives and progressing development in their countries, some governments are busily trying to cultivate relations with other larger countries far beyond the region to try to get what they can while they can. The latter strategy is, of course, unsustainable. And, as has happened in the past, the

governments now flirting, on their own, with bigger countries not on their doorstep will return to the regional fold which is not only their natural home, but also their best hope.

Fortunately, the statements by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, while indicative of an attitude to CARICOM held by many in that country, were made in the early flush of government.

In the past, other heads of government have made equally hurtful (and not fully informed) comments in other contexts. The truth is that Trinidad and Tobago is the principal beneficiary of trade in goods and services to CARICOM – benefits are not a oneway street. This is the message that the government in Port-of-Spain should be delivering to its people.

Also, to those who say that Trinidad and Tobago does not need the CARICOM market, they should be challenged to identify the alternative markets, how quickly could they be developed if they could be developed at all, and at what cost.

With regard to the statement that Mr Golding has made about establishing Jamaica’s own national, final court of appeal instead of joining the CCJ for this purpose, it really is time that someone bells the cat on this as well. As I pointed out in my last commentary (“Time to make up your mind”), by April this year Jamaicans will head five extremely important CARICOM-wide institutions. These are positions for which the Jamaica government fought and other CARICOM countries agreed. What is the message that is being sent to the people of CARICOM by Jamaica? Is it that all is well when Jamaica holds the reins, but it isn’t well when other CARICOM nationals are involved? This cannot be so, and Mr Golding is far too intelligent a man and too well informed to hold such a position. The time has come for Jamaica’s leadership to cease pandering to the false notion of some special Jamaican capacity, and, instead, spread the true message that this region is one – and one to which Jamaica’s contribution has been highly regarded by its Caribbean brothers and sisters.

The quicker that the CARICOM Secretariat, as part of an overall reform of all its activities, is given the resources and empowered to mount a sustained, multimedia campaign throughout the region on how membership of the Caribbean Community has benefitted, and can continue to benefit, the people of each CARICOM country the better. And, every government should regard it as its responsibility and obligation to carry out its own domestic programme of education and information.

Of the four points made in the Editorial to which this commentary refers, the most crucial is its observation that “the decade closed without the

Editorial Cartoon

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The Turks and Caicos SUN is a subsidiary of The SUN Media Group Ltd. We are committed to excellence in journalism, educating and informing our readers, serving and satisfying our advertisers and assisting in the overall development of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

establishment of any executive machinery to enforce the implementation of policy decisions by heads of government”. This is – and has been for decades – the fundamental problem with the lack of progress of CARICOM in establishing the CSME and even in carrying out a range of activities that are routine in organisations similar to CARICOM. In his New Year’s address as Chairman of CARICOM until July 2011, the Prime Minister of Grenada, Tillman Thomas, said that “the cry for the ‘quickening of the pace’ was heard” and “active consideration of new governance structures” was given

by CARICOM leaders. He offered that “one of the main ideas in taking the necessary steps will be tested in this coming year with the establishment of the Permanent Committee of CARICOM Ambassadors” which, he said, “heralds a new dawn for our Community”.

Mr Thomas is right to hold out hope, but it is difficult to see how another layer of national representatives will implement policy decisions of Heads, when ministers and the Secretariat were not able to do so.

The CARICOM vehicle needs an urgent overhaul, or it really will be a case of ‘CARICOM and gone’.

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN’S LETTERS POLICY

The Turks and Caicos SUN welcomes Letters to the Editor.

Letters containing libelous or defamatory charges, personal attacks or abusive language will not be considered for publication.

We would prefer letters of 500 words or less, and we will not print anonymous letters or letters tagged with initials.

All letters are subject to the final approval of the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, who reserves the right to accept or reject submissions and to edit letters and headlines to meet our established standards for grammar, clarity and length.

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Constitutional reform deadline gets extension

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

CONSULTANT KATE SULLIVAN has extended the new proposed TCI Constitutionals reform deadline to January 31, so as to accommodate further submissions from the local populace before presenting it to the UK Parliament for ratification.

The latest decision has come as good news to members of the local community, including People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) Leader Douglas ‘Doug’ Parnell, who, during his presentation before the Consultative Forum on Tuesday, January 11, recommended that the date be further pushed back from January 14, so as to lobby for the alteration of a number of recommendations in the document that his party was not in agreement with.

Sullivan, who was appointed TCI Constitutional and Electoral Reform Adviser in 2010, made the statement through the Governor’s Office on Wednesday, January 12. At the time of her recruitment, Sullivan was requested by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to give specific consideration but not limited to: • qualification for belongership and residence and the process by which this was required; • rights and duties of Belongers and Residence; • the electoral system which meets the representational requirements of a small population and to produce a

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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

Consultant Kate Sullivan

viable legislature capable of fulfilling its oversight and scrutiny responsibilities, also minimizing the risk of patronage of electoral abuse; qualification for political office; and • provide for ensuring transparency, accountability and integrity in public life.

• any provision, including ones relating to financial management, which should be anchored in the Constitution to return to financial stability and sustainable good

governance Sullivan, before embarking on a series of interactive public meetings, drafted a proposed document with the aim of making alterations from ideas garnered from those rendezvous. Some of the public recommendations were reflected in her second draft which was released late 2010.

However, members of the public believed that some of the recommendations were not geared towards the interest of the Turks and Caicos Islands people, and requested that the process be lengthened to accommodate additional local inputs.

Acceding to such request, Sullivan gave January 14, as the new deadline, but some local politicians and

members of the public believed that the period was too short, and asked for a further extension.

“I welcome the responses I have already received to my revised recommendations from individuals and groups in the Turks and Caicos Islands. I am also grateful to the Consultative Forum for convening yesterday’s (Tuesday January 11) meeting. I would like to give some more time for reflection on the discussion in the Forum, and to provide the opportunity for further comments on my revised recommendations,” she said.

She noted that once British ministers have considered the recommendations for possible constitutional change, a draft constitutional Order in Council will be prepared to incorporate those changes.

She expressed the hope that the draft Order will be ready for publication in the Turks and Caicos Islands in February, saying that this will be followed by a further period of consultation.

According to her, in order to not hurdle the next stage of the process, interested parties are encouraged to submit views on her revised recommendations as soon as possible through tciconstitution@hotmail.com or PO Box 68 Grand Turk.

The Governor’s Office noted that Sullivan’s report is also available on its website and copies can be picked up at that office in Grand Turk at Waterloo and at the Hilly Ewing Building in Providenciales.

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Victims’ relatives against parole for convicted murderer LOCAL NEWS

FAMILY MEMBERS OF DESERIE WILLIAMS, the woman who was shot dead while in the company of her boyfriend Alex Higgs, some 13 years ago, is calling on the Parole Board not to grant clemency to Darren Lewis, the man convicted of the act.

Lewis, who was sentenced to double life imprisonment, has been seeking parole from government, but the family members are against the granting of such clemency, arguing that the act was premeditated, and the nature of the crime and the after-the-fact action by the convicted gunman should be weighed in when the Board sits to consider its decision.

Everette Greene, uncle to the murdered woman, and speaking on behalf of the family, said the emotional wound that the incident created had not been healed. He said they were still hurting from the attack which also left Higgs nursing a gunshot wound to the head.

“Remember (that) Mr. Lewis had shot two human beings that same night, my niece and her boyfriend, Alex Higgs of Five Cays, thank God, Alex is still alive today. I see no time for forgiveness to Mr. Lewis or for the release of his sentence for Parole. In my eyesight, I see Mr. Lewis as nothing more than a serial Killer. Please, we the family members and close relatives say no to Mr. Lewis’ application seeking for an early parole. The chief justice saw it fit for double life sentence, and it was applied to Mr. Lewis,” Greene said in a statement address to The SUN. Investigations revealed that Lewis was travelling in a car with the two when he opened fire on the couple. Higgs, after receiving the bullet wound to the head, played dead until he reached the hospital. He later revealed that Lewis was the trigger man. His revelation put the Turks and Caicos Islands in general and Providenciales in particular in a tailspin, as a number of persons declared then that they had not heard in their lifetime of such an acts taking place in

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

the TCI. “The night Darren shot Alex and my niece, he had the audacity to visit the hospital and stand in the crowd amongst all of us, and pretended as if he did nothing, but thank God, Alex had played dead and was able to tell what was done to him and my niece.

I say to the Parole Board and Your Excellency the Governor, look into this matter with both eyes wide

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

open, Greene, a construction consultant declared” Greene added: “The good book said that thou shall not kill. In society, justice has to prevail. When you want freedom you have to do what is right; when you want forgiveness you have to ask God. I cannot forgive you for the brutal act you did to my niece, Darren, just remember what you did was premeditated.

Return to local rule now – Carlos Simons

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE Consultative Forum, Queen’s Counsel Carlos Simons is urging Britain to speed up the process of returning the Turks and Caicos Islands to local rule since it is critical to the further growth and development of the country and would also ease the ambivalence now being exhibited by prospective investors.

Making his contribution to the Consultative Forum on Tuesday, January 11, Simons said the protracted period with which the new proposed Constitution takes to be finalized and ratified by the UK Parliament was making life uncertain for international investors and locals alike.

He however, cautioned that while the process of the final document needs to be speeded up, in the final analysis it should be geared towards advancement of the country and not taking it backwards.

Simons asserted that the new Constitution should be an improvement on the 2006 constitutional order; otherwise local leaders would be failing in their own judgment to go forward while Her Majesty’s Government would be reneging on its international obligation to move a dependent TCI towards eventual self determination.

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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

Former Chairman of the Consultative Forum, Queen’s Counsel Carlos Simons

“So, we don’t want to take that risk, we want to move forward. In that regard, I believe that a settlement of this Constitution - however it is going to look at the end of the day - must be resolved as quickly as possible,” Simons said, saying that the country could not afford to linger in what he described as the no man’s land of direct rule and prolonged uncertainty.

Simons also noted that there was

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urgent need to revitalize the economy so that the private sector could provide the jobs needed to get the country up and running again, and also that Government could collect the required funds to make the public service more efficient and end the overhanging cloud of mass layoffs within that sector.

The attorney-at-law pointed out that it was in the best interest of the TCI that the issue of the Constitution be settled as quickly as possible so that the voting populace could elect parliamentarians to form a local government to carry out the role of the legitimate will of the people.

Simons lamented the fact that even before the January 14 deadline for further submissions to the Constitution, a large portion of it had already been decided, pointing to the recommendation of trial without jury.

He noted that trial by jury has long been a constitutional right for the people of the TCI, which he said was suddenly swept away with the suspension of the 2006, Constitution and the proposed replacement of a new order. He argued that a change in the Constitution was not a question of was it the right thing to do, but rather was it the right way to get it done.

He noted that even though there

SMITHCO GAS STATION PROMOTIONAL RAFFLE:

Deputy Director for Education, Edgar Howell, stretches deep into box to pick the Smithco Gas Station raffle winner on January 1, at the petrol outlet, located along the Five Cays access road beside the new quality supermarket. Prizes ranged from flat screen TV, a George Foreman Grill to free gasoline. During the month of December, the gas station conducted a promotion where customers purchasing a minimum of $20 automatically qualified for a chance to win the prizes courtesy of a raffle. Also percentage of the gas sold during the month of December went towards the reconstruction of the Ona Glinton Primary School in Grand Turk. The donation was presented to the Deputy Director of Education during the occasion, which also included live music from entertainment duo Keno and Kazz, and free food and refreshment. The operators of the station also said a dime from ever litre of gas sold will go towards charity. Observing the ticket selection process at second left is the gas station’s proprietor Chester Smith, while other staff members look on.

were portions of the revised recommendations with which he had issues, it closer mirrors the views expressed by locals during the course of the town hall meetings hosted by constitutional consultant Kate Sullivan.

“I must say that the revised recommendations reflect much more closely the views that I have heard expressed at the public meetings, television and on the radio,” he said.

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Immigration Appeal Tribunal up and running

LOCAL NEWS

Individuals who believe that their Labour Clearance and Work Permit applications have been turned down unjustifiably now has a second avenue with which to pursue, as the Immigration Appeal Tribunal, which was recently proposed by Government is now up and running.

The body, which is regarded as an independent entity, was commissioned by

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

the Ministry of Border Control and Labour. Its first meeting was held on Monday, December 6, last year, according to the Ministry of Border Control and Labour, is slated to meet on a monthly basis though-out this year.

The Immigration Appeal Tribunal, which is chaired by Alice Been, will consider appeals against refusals of work permit applications by the Immigration

Board and refusals of Labour Clearance by the Labour Commissioner.

The Ministry of Border Control and Labour is instructing members of the public to address all appeal applications to the Chairman of the Immigration Appeal Tribunal, care of the Secretary.

Appeals are to be delivered to the Ministry of Border Control and Labour, at Sam’s Building in Providenciales; the

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

Ministry of Border Control and Labour in Grand Turk; or at the Immigration Department on the islands of North Caicos, Middle Caicos and South Caicos. The District Commissioner’s Office will be the collection point on Salt Cay. The public is asked to provide a telephone contact and or email address in all correspondence.

Turks and Caicos Islands Human Rights Commission holds workshop

As part of its on-going commitment to the advancement of human rights in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the TCI Human Rights Commission will continue its participation in the project Building Human Rights Capacity in the UK Overseas Territories.

A workshop, originally scheduled for November last year but postponed due to the passage of hurricane Tomas, has now been rescheduled for January 17th through 21st with the UK trainers holding sessions in Grand Turk and Providenciales.

The project is being sponsored by DFID in partnership with the Commonwealth Foundation, the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The goals of the workshop are to:

• Increase the commitment by Overseas Territories Governments and partners to an improved human rights agenda • Increase the awareness and capacity of governments and civil society to address human rights issues in the long term • Strengthen human rights reporting and monitoring arrangements in accordance with relevant international treaties This is the second in a series of proposed workshops to be held. The aim is to provide all participants in the training sessions with the foundation/building blocks about human rights and to address the needs of particular government departments and civil society in order to enable them to apply rights in practice/in their work. The training

will seek to address matters that arise in the various Government Departments and other institutions and agencies such as Immigration, Labour, SPICE, the Police, Education, Health, Social Services, Gender Affairs, NGOs, Media, Business/Corporate Community, Statutory Bodies, Youth Affairs, Courts and Civil Society Groups.

Participants will, among other things examine; • the role of civil society in promoting and protecting human rights • rights as regards to gender equality, access to justice, immigration and labour rights, and • how best to encourage civil society to monitor human rights, advocate for greater human rights protection, lobby authorities and use the international machinery for human rights protection.

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Tucson shooting disrupts grandparents’ TCI vacation

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

The vacation of Dallas Green, who managed the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series victory in 1980, was cut short in the Turks and Caicos when learn that one of the victims in the Tucson, Arizona shooting was his 9 year-old granddaughter ChristinaTaylor Green.

Christina is the youngest victim of the shooting in which Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was wounded and a federal judge killed on Saturday, January 8.

Dallas Green, vacationing at his winter home in Turtle Cove, Providenciales told the New York Daily News that the shooting left him reeling, since he had no reason to initially connect his granddaughter to the shooting.

"It's pretty hard," he told Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News.

"We're all hurting pretty bad. I can't believe this could happen to any 9year old child; the worst thing to ever

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

Christina-Taylor Green.

happen to us."

Dallas Green has been coming to the Turks and Caicos Islands for many years and he has several friends here.

Born on September 11, 2001,

Shooter Jared Lee Loughner

Christina had been elected to the student council at her elementary school and went to the Safeway to meet Giffords.

According to the New York Daily News, his wife Sylvia called their son to inquire about the shooting and learned that their grandchild was dead.

"This beautiful little girl," Dallas Green said. "Gone like this..."

A Little League second baseman, the 9-year-old was just becoming interested in politics.

"She was a good speaker. I could have easily seen her as a politician," her father, John Green, told the Arizona Star-News. He is East Coast supervisor of amateur scouts for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"She was all about helping people, and being involved," her mother, Roxanna, said. "It's so tragic. She went to learn today and then someone with so much hatred in their heart took the lives of innocent people."

Dallas Green, 76, is now an advisor to the Phillies and lives in Newark, Del. A former major-league pitcher, he managed the Phillies for parts of three seasons, including the 1980 season in which the team beat the Kansas City Royals for its first championship. He also managed the New York Yankees and Mets and was general manager of the Chicago Cubs.

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LOCAL NEWS

COME AND JOIN OUR WINNING TEAM!!!

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

BEACHES TURKS & CAICOS RESORT VILLAGES AND SPA, THE ONLY 6 DIAMOND ALL INCLUSIVE PROPERTY IN THE CARIBBEAN AND ITS AUTHORIZED RECRUITMENT AGENCIES ARE INVITING APPLICATIONS FROM SUITABLY QUALIFIED TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDERS FOR THE FOLLOWING VACANT POSITIONS. APPLICANTS MUST HAVE A CLEAN POLICE RECORD AND A GOOD COMMAND OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE BOTH WRITTEN AND SPOKEN. IN ADDITION CANDIDATES MUST BE ABLE TO WORK NIGHTS, PUBLIC HOLIDAYS AND WEEK-ENDS.

THE RESORT THANKS EVERYONE FOR THEIR INTEREST IN ADVANCE AND ADVISES THAT ONLY SHORT LISTED APPLICANTS WILL BE CONTACTED FOR AN INTERVIEW. Dining Room Department requires:

Restaurant Manager Supervisor Requirements include: o Three years supervising a restaurant with seating over 100 persons an asset. o Excellent customer service skills o Knowledge of wines

The rate for the position listed above is $7.00 to $15.00 an hour.

Servers Requirements include: o One years experience in a restaurant with seating for over 100 persons an asset. o No food allergies o Physically fit

The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $6.00 an hour.

Bar Department requires:

Bartenders Requirements include: o Ability to mix a variety of drinks alcoholic and non-alcoholic. o Outgoing personality o Physically fit Pool Servers Beach Server Bar Porters Requirements include: o Outgoing personality o Physically fit

The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $7.00 an hour.

Housekeeping Department requires:

Room Attendants Housemen Public Area Attendants Requirements include: o One years experience in a hotel environment an asset. o Physically fit

The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $6.00 an hour.

Housekeeping Supervisor Requirements include: o Supervises and may participate in housekeeping services including cleaning, mopping, scrubbing, sanitizing the floors and other surfaces as well as the refinishing, waxing and polishing of floors, tile work and other various floor and wall surfaces in stairways, hallways, restrooms, offices, laboratories, recreation and locker rooms.

The rate for the position listed above is $6.00 to $10.00 an hour.

Kitchen Department requires:

Kitchen Helper o Must have worked in a Resort kitchen or medium to large sized restaurant Cooks (Grade 1,2 and 3) Head Baker Requirements include: o Must have worked in a Resort kitchen or medium to large sized restaurant o Must have over three years experience o Professional qualification an asset The range in the rates for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $12.00 an hour.

Laundry Department requires:

Laundry Manager Requirements include: o Five (5) years experience in managing a Laundry

The salary for the position listed above is $20,000.00 to $30,000.00 per annum.

Sales & Weddings Department requires: Guest Agent Wedding Coordinator Requirements include: o Three (3) years experience in wedding coordination o Attention to detail

The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $8.50 an hour.

Spa Department requires: Hair Braider Requirements include: o Ability to Braid hair o Ability to sell service

The rate for the positions listed above is Commission Based.

Spa Attendant Requirements include: o Maintain the cleanliness of the Spa and environs Tennis Pro. Requirements include: Profession Tennis designation Ability to sell service to guest

Receptionist Requirements include: o Ability to work a switch board

o o

Ability to coordinate appointments Ability to sell products after service

The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $7.00 an hour.

Watersports Department requires: Beach and Pool Attendants Requirements include: o Sweep, mop, and assist with the maintenance of the pool. o Keep the pool area tidy and well stocked Dive Instructor Dive Master Requirements include: o International Dive certification required o An outgoing personality required o Strict adherence to safety procedures

The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $8.00 an hour.

Rooms Division Department Requires: Rooms Division Manager Requirements include: o Experience in Managing the following Departments, Housekeeping, Laundry, Front Office and Concierge o Ten (10) years management experience in a property over 300 rooms.

Translator Ambassador Requirements include: o Multi-Lingual o Experience at Management level Concierge Manager Requirements include: o Five (5) years experience in managing a Front Office or Concierge desks. o Five (5) years management experience in a property over 300 rooms.

The salary for the position listed above is $25,000.00 to $65,000.00 per annum.

Security Department Requires:

Supervisor Requirements include: o Experience in supervising a team of over 20 persons o Physically Fit o Ability to write reports o Attention to detail and ability to enforce procedures

The rate for the position listed above is $6.00 to $10.00 an hour.

Applications giving full details of qualifications and experience should be sent to: mmvaughn@grp.sandals.com or Fax to: 941-4870 Attn: M McClean-Vaughn and copied to the addresses below

The Human Resources Department Beaches Turks and Caicos P.O. Box 186 Lower Bight Road

The Labour Commissioner Labour Department Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands

and should reach not later than January 8th 2011. Otherwise, please call anytime for an appointment tel # 649-946-8000 ext 4138

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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

LOCALNEWS NEWS LOCAL

TCI represented at USC Student Political Assembly

Vasu (second left) proudly parades the TCI Flag

The Turks and Caicos Islands was well represented at the University of South California Political Student Assembly on October 22, 2010, when that institution hosted US President Barack Obama by way of a political rally.

Vasudeva Gazula, past student of Richmond Hill Preparatory and British West Indies Collegiate (BWIC) was the standard-bearer for these islands during the event. Prior to Obama’s speech, students from the 120 countries that attended that university were asked to parade their flags in a demonstration of national pride, and Vasudeva, affectionately called ‘Vasu’, took up the challenge.

Vasu was born in Grand Turk on October 27,

1991, to Dr. Rao Gazula, retired Head of Social Welfare in Providenciales and Latha Gazula, the late Head of the Mathematics Department of H.J. Robinson High School, both of who migrated to the TCI from India some 30 years ago.

Vasu attended Richmond Hill Preparatory School, and at the age of 8 years old sat the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) and placed 5th nationally. According to his father, the Education Department gave special permission for him to sit the exams due to his academic exploits.

After completing his primary education at Richmond Hill Preparatory, Vasu attended the BWIC. At age 14 in 2006, he graduated from that

Vasu is all delighted as he show-off the TCI Flag

institution, snaring 10 passes in the Cambridge exams – eight of which were ‘As” and two ‘Bs’.

That year he was the second highest achiever at that institution.

Vasu is the youngest graduate at primary level as well as secondary level. He was awarded Government scholarship to study computer sciences at the University of Southern California. He is now in his third year and will be graduating in 2012.

Vasu is on USC Dean's list for the past 5 semesters with 3.61 Grade Point Average (GPA).

His dad believes that Vasu is a role model for all the young students in TCI, based on his academic achievement.

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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011 JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

The British Parliament made a mistake in approving the indefinite suspension of the TCI Constitution.

By E. Jay Saunders

Most residents of the TCI are not happy with the way the country is being governed.

The nonchalant manner in how the present administration engages the public has caused them to lose any goodwill that the public had for them.

Their practice of preaching one thing and doing another must stop - transparency is also expected from them! However, like Captain Ramsey in the movie Crimson Tide, they appear to feel as if they are only “… here to preserve democracy, not practice it.”

And this sentiment appears to be shared by others in the British Government.

For example, instead of presenting an action plan to the British Parliament with measurable objectives/milestones tied to target dates for returning the TCI to democratic rule, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Henry Bellingham MP, on the 10th December 2010, gave 8 vaguely defined “milestones” – with only one having a defined target date – that he stated are “…the minimum preconditions before the Turks and Caicos Islands can return to elected government”.

Instead of requesting that he report back to Parliament with a clearly defined target date for his team to achieve the milestones, his colleagues in Parliament ignored the plight of the people of the TCI and approved his request to suspend the TCI Constitution indefinitely. (Note: The Turks and Caicos

Islands Constitution (Interim Amendment) (Amendment) Order 2010 suspending the TCI Constitution indefinitely was approved on the 15th December 2010 and is currently waiting for the Governor to bring it into force).

Rather than treating Turks and Caicos Islanders as partners in the rebuilding of the country, the British Government has taken the position that the only way to fix the problems is to take away privileges, create more rules, and implement detailed procedures to ensure that going forward persons will have no choice but to do the “right thing.”

However, as I stated in a previous article titled “The case against suspension of the TCI Constitution” published in the Free Press April 3rd, 2009 edition, “…rules and regulations, no matter how stringent they are, will never fully stop someone who is intent on breaking them.

What this country requires is a new set of ideals.”

Barry Schwartz and Kenneth Sharpe also makes this case in their new book “Practical Wisdom: The Right Way to Do the Right Thing”, Riverhead 30th December 2010, stating that “…

What we desperately need, beyond, or along with, better rules…is we need virtue, we need character, we need people who want to do the right thing. And in particular, the virtue that we need most of all is the virtue that Aristotle called practical wisdom.

Practical wisdom is the moral will to do the right thing and the moral skill to figure out what the right thing is.”

Although they were referring to problems

in the United States, those words are equally applicable to the Turks & Caicos Islands.

In crafting the rules and regulations for the new TCI, we must keep in mind that governing a country requires a flexibility that no set of rules can encompass. This is not to say that there should be no rules, but “rules and incentives are no substitutes for wisdom.”

And wisdom tells us that great leaders do not only possess the intellectual ability to do the right thing, but also the will and desire to do so.

Like Barry Schwartz further stated in one of his speeches, “… there is no set of rules, no matter how detailed, no matter how specific, no matter how carefully monitored and enforced, there is no set of rules that will get us what we need.”

What we need along with the right set of rules are leaders who are prepared to lead for others and not themselves. And we have that!

However, the one way this country will not get back on track is through the indefinite suspension of its constitution.

As such, I am publicly calling on the Prime Minister of Britain and Leader of its Conservative Party, Rt Hon David Cameron MP; the Prime Minister of Canada and Leader of its Conservative Party, Rt Hon Stephen Harper MP; and all the world leaders who believe in democracy to look into this distributing issue and help the people of the TCI stop this open-ended Order from going into force.

Thank you.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

Disaster Management staff to enhance language capabilities

The Turks and Caicos Islands Government officers at the forefront of managing natural disasters and emergencies in the TCI are preparing themselves to be able to communicate more effectively with wider sections of the diverse TCI community.

Five officials of the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) and the Ministry of Home Affairs will undertake computer based language training programmes designed to help them communicate more effectively with local Spanish and French speaking communities.

Director of Disaster Management Jamell Robinson said “The training will improve the ability of the DDME and the Ministry of Home Affairs to deliver on their core overall objectives to all communities of the TCI. It also provides the opportunity for personal development of

the participants in the programme.”

The Rosetta Stone TOTAL e Language programme was purchased for the TCI by the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency Coordinating Unit (CDEMA CU) through the support of the Institutional Support and Capacity Building for Disaster Management in the Caribbean.

“The training uses the Rosetta Stone TOTAL Language Programme which involves all modes of language learning: speaking, listening, reading and writing,” he said.

TOTALe is an internet based model that allows the freedom and flexibility for anytime/ anywhere access to language learning products.

The foundation of TOTALe is the Rosetta Stone Courseware. Which is an interactive self paced learning environment that includes three (3) to five (5) levels of learning activities

(depending on the language to be studied) that build listening comprehension, reading, writing and speech capabilities. Rosetta Stone is a complete immersion into the language with no memorization or translation. Each step along the learning path builds on what has been covered previously and reinforces the new vocabulary and grammar in a natural learning method.

Persons nominated for the language training program are: Jamell Robinson Director, DDME Language: French Ygerne Wilson Administrative Officer, DDME Language: French Andrea Been PRO, DDME Language: Spanish Desmond Lightbourne Community Preparedness Officer, DDME Language: Spanish Barbara Higgs U/S, Min of HAPS Language: Spanish.

HAB MANAGEMENT LTD. Applications are invited from suitably qualified individuals to fill the following position:

BAKER

Main Duties • Check Production schedule to determine variety and quantity of goods bake.

• Measure and mix ingredients to form dough or batter following recipes.

• Roll, cut and shape dough to form rolls, pie crusts, tarts, cookies and related products.

• Cut, peel and prepare fruits for pie fillings.

• Place dough in pans, molds or on sheets and bake in oven.

Observe products while cooking and adjust controls.

• Mix icings and other toppings and decorate cakes, pastries and other baked goods.

• Use a variety of kitchen tools, including electric mixers, pans, rolling pins and cutting tools.

• May develop new recipes.

General Activities • Monitor baking process to identify needed adjustments.

• Get information from products schedules and recipes.

• Handle and move ingredients, tools and cooking pans.

• Control mixing processes and oven controls.

• Implement products by following recipes or creating new ones.

Requirements Applicants must have at least 2 years working in a high class bakery or restaurant making a variety of bread and pastries to a high standard. Applicants will be required to work early morning hours so having personal transportation is a necessity for this position. Perform other duties as assigned, requested or deemed necessary by management. Applicants will be required to work on a full time basis. Must be able to walk, stand or stoop for the duration of shift (at least 8 hours). Applicants must be able to understand/speak/read/write English proficiently. Applicants must be detail oriented, must be hardworking and a team player. Work with minimal supervision. Wages for this position is $7.00 hourly commensurate experience and training.

Interested applicants should contact Veronica Rigby via email by January 31, 2011 at ronnie@habgroup.com or by fax 649-9465191. Only persons selected for an interview will be contacted by email or telephone to schedule an interview. Belongers preferred.

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LOCAL LOCAL NEWS

TURKS & CAICOS TURKS SUN AND CAICOS SUN

JANUARY 14TH14TH - JANUARY 21ST,21ST, 20112011 JANUARY - JANUARY

Bicycle Police get well-needed gear Members of the Crime-fighting in Providenciales received a well-needed boost recently when registered charity organization Crimestoppers outfitted members of the Inspector Hilton Duncan-led pedal cycle patrol unit with high visibility reflective jackets, head lamps and sirens for their bikes.

The donation exercise, which was made by Ian McLeod, President for the Turks and Caicos Islands branch of Crimestoppers took place at the police station in Grace Bay, Providenciales.

According to McLeod, the government financial situation has been affecting the police’s ability to effectively carry out their work, as the police were made to dip into their own pockets to purchase their worn working gear, such as their uniforms. Against that backdrop, he said Crimestoppers saw it fit to assist in anyway possible hence the donation of the gear.

“What we thought was absolutely vital, specifically, the Bike Police Patrol of the Community Police needed to look the part. You may not be aware, but because of the financial situation of the government, they are buying their own uniforms – their own shorts their own shirts.

PPC LIMITED STAFF VACANCY

SECURITY GUARD

Applications are invited from interested and suitably qualified persons to fill the position of Security Guard in the Business Systems & Information Technology Department.

Description In accordance with proven Security industry standards: Provide a professional safe and secure environment at any of PPC’s facilities located throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Main Duties • Oversee and protect PPC’s employees, customers and visitors from physical harm while on the company’s premises.

• Act as a deterrent in crime and the theft of company property from wither internal or external sources.

• Provide guidance and general information, in a helpful and courteous manner, to customers and visitors while on the company’s premises.

• Monitor CCTV cameras, fire and burglar alarms, or any other monitoring devices installed by the company to protect its facilities and assets.

• Maintain accurate logs of those that enter or exit secure areas of the company’s facilities.

• Conduct physical patrols and inspections of the Company’s facilities.

• Document and report any security breaches, irregularities and safety related concerns that may arise while

“They had bicycles generously donated (to them) by British Caribbean Bank, but they needed to have the lights, as you can see they needed to have the sirens so they can do their job properly,” McLeod said.

He noted that a bicycle rack used to hold the bikes in place during transportation into communities for the purposes of patrols, was also donated by Crimestoppers.

Chairman of the Tourism Safety Committee, Mark Durliat, noted that his organization along with other civic committees were happy to be working the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, not only for making tourists feeling safe when they are here but protecting the community as a whole.

“We have done a number of initiatives in the past five, six months. Right now, we are fixing the lights (street lamps along the hotel strip), we are installing close-circuit televisions in Grace Bay, and basically, our goal here is to make sure that our tourists are always safe, and we are looking out for them every single day of the week,” Durliat said.

Responding to the donation, Deputy

conducting patrols.

• Actively participate in any criminal or safety investigation.

• Inspect and report unsafe delivery or contractor vehicles entering PPC’s facilities.

• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements • High School diploma.

Previous security or law enforcement education or experience would be considered an asset.

• Knowledge and exposure to the operation of Security Alarm equipment, Access Control, Fire Alarm and Protection Equipment, CCTV Cameras would be considered an asset.

• Acceptable knowledge and skills relating to Microsoft Family of software products (Word, Excel, Outlook).

• Possess a valid driver’s license.

• Must be bondable.

• Excellent Team Player and Team building skills.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

• Must be able to make quick and logical decisions based on visual observations and facts.

• Must have excellent customer relation skills.

Compensation • Salary Grade 7: $28,100.00 $35,130.00 based on qualifications and ability.

PPC offers a competitive compensation package for more information contact Director, Human Resources Deadline for submission of application is January 21st, 2011. Please submit to:Director, Human Resources PPC Limited P. O. Box 132, Providenciales Email address: jmissick@ppcltd.tc Turks & Caicos Islands Fax: 649-946-4532

Commissioner of Police Hubert Hughes said the gear would enhance the police work with the community and go a long way in their crimefighting efforts.

“We have enjoyed an extremely good working relationship with Crimestoppers over the years, and we look forward to continue this working relationship and support that we have received from Crimestoppers. I think Ian and his team is doing a tremendous job, and I want to thank them for that,” DCP Hughes said.

For his part, Assistant Commissioner of Police, David Ryder, Crimestoppers continue to be a solid partner in their fight against crime in the Turks and Caicos Islands. He said the Bicycle Patrol was an augmentation of the community policing arm of the force, which comprised an inspector, two sergeants and three constables.

The mandate of Crimestoppers is to provide information through its various channels, including tip number – 1800-tips, its website and social network site – facebook.

Persons who offer information through Crimestoppers which lead to an arrest and charge are rewarded in secret.

PPC LIMITED STAFF VACANCY Applications are invited from interested and suitably qualified persons to fill the position of

SECURITY SERVICES SUPERVISOR IN THE BUSINESS SYSTEMS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT. Description Design, implement, integrate and manage a comprehensive modern internal mechanical and electronic security, CCTV, and fire protection infrastructure throughout all PPC’s facilities in accordance with latest industrial standards and regulations.

Main Duties • Conduct Risk Assessments of all Company Business Functions, provide sound and reliable solutions, keeping in pace with the changing market and economic conditions of the PPC’s strategic business environments.

• Provide new and innovated techniques in the areas of facility security, monitoring and control.

• Provide new and innovated techniques in investigation procedures and protocol.

• Provide leadership and training to security and technical staff.

• Conduct and document intensive and factual investigations.

• Design, troubleshoot and maintain all aspects of PPC’s mechanical and electronic security, CCTV and Fire Protection systems throughout all PPC’s facilities.

• Plan and oversee all Capital and Maintenance Security, CCTV and Fire Protection Projects.

• Ensure that all projects come within budget.

• Conduct Risk Assessments and make recommendations to Senior Management.

• Provide training to internal security enforcement staff using proven industrial security training methods and standards.

• Provide training to technical staff on security and fire protection systems.

• Ensure that all employees and contractors perform their work in a safe manner

according to the Company policies and procedures.

• Provide input into the creation and implementation of Company Security Policies and Procedures.

• Assist in the preparation of the Security Department Annual Budget.

• Provide recommendations on future recruitment and terminations as required.

• Provide supervision and monitoring of external security employees.

• Provide periodical departmental reports.

• Conduct periodic Health, Safety, Environment and Departmental meetings with employees.

• Maintain all necessary departmental records for review and scrutiny.

• Liaison between local Turks and Caicos and International law enforcement agencies.

• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements • Post high school diploma in related technical trade or law enforcement.

• 15 years’ experience in law enforcement or private security industry.

• Extensive knowledge of all mechanical and electronic infrastructures associated with Security Alarm equipment, Access Control, Fire Alarm and protection Equipment, CCTV Locking Devices and Vaults.

• Extensive knowledge and skills relating to Microsoft Family of software products (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook).

• Possess a valid driver’s license.

• Must be bondable.

• Excellent team player and team building skills.

• Excellent written andoral communication skills.

• Ability to deliver to strict deadlines and to work under pressure • Goal-oriented • Self-motivated Compensation • Salary Grade 12: $51,420.00 $64,270.00 based on qualifications and ability.

PPC offers a competitive compensation package for more information contact Director, Human Resources Deadline for submission of application is January 21st , 2011. Please submit to:Director, Human Resources PPC Limited P. O. Box 132, Providenciales Email address: jmissick@ppcltd.tc Turks & Caicos Islands Fax: 649-946-4532

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

The Turks and Caicos Islands National Insurance Board wishes to invite suitably qualified individuals for consideration for appointment to the post of Director CEO at its Grand Turk Head Office.

DIRECTOR – TCINIB

Duties and Responsibilities The Director of the Turks and Caicos Islands National Insurance Board has primary responsibility for the achievement of the strategic goals and objectives of the Turks and Caicos Islands National Insurance Board. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the successful candidate will lead a team of senior managers in executing pre-determined strategies designed to consolidate and grow the assets of the TCINIB. The incumbent will be specifically accountable for, among other things, the effective execution of investment decisions, the efficient overseeing of the core national insurance sub-functions, the marketing and branding of the TCINIB, the broad human resource management challenges and the financial management and financial reporting requirements of the TCINIB. Requirements The successful candidate must be a strategic thinker capable of leading a multidisciplinary team of dedicated senior managers operating in the disciplines of insurance operations, finance, investment, marketing, finance and accounting and human resources management. He/She must have a sound knowledge of national insurance and social security operations and must be capable of combining this with an excellent understanding of financial management and investment management principles, practices and challenges. The Turks and Caicos Islands National Insurance Board will consider applicants who possess no less than a Master’s Degree preferably in Business and at least ten (10) years related experience at a senior management level.

The successful candidate will be appointed on a contractual basis for an initial period of two (2) years, the renewal of which will be subject to demonstrable performance during the initial contract period. The compensation and benefits which attend this position will be commensurate with the qualifications, experience and potential of the successful applicant. Salary will be in the Salary Range of Executive VIII $95,551 to $110,000.00 per annum.

Your application along with detailed curriculum vitae must be addressed in a sealed envelope to reach no later than February 15, 2011 to: The Secretary Turks and Caicos Islands National Insurance Board Misick Building, Church Folly, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos, BWI.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Don’t Sing It – Bring It!

By Devon Williams

I would like to wish everyone living in the Turks and Caicos Islands a blessed and prosperous New Year, may God Almighty continue to sustain us all and help us through another year. It is not normal that I lift my head out of the whirlwind of work and personal endeavors to pen a public statement but there are four gentlemen whom I wish to address and I feel that I can only address them appropriately in a forum such as this.

Governor Gordon Wetherell, Mark “The Enforcer” Capes, Doug Parnell and Clayton Green, these men were all appointed and entrusted with the betterment of their country’s position by citizens of their own country. In short the British put up two men and we the Turks and Caicos Islanders put up our two men. Though total agreement between the Interim Administration and our Political Leaders is impossible, total respect is important. I am proud to be one of the thousands of Turks and Caicos whose legacy to their trust is their loyalty to their Nation. I am not unaware of the inner emotions of my fellow citizens and residents and the hardships we are all facing.

In this infant stage of 2011 before the usual baseless rants and raves commence, before the Governor stutters through another series of “arm arm arm” and cunningly avoid every question, even before Mark Capes reinvents the ultra hardnosed approach to government, I admonish all four of the men named earlier to start bringing and stop

singing.

By all accounts 2010 was a wait and see year and in the end the only thing that happened was that Turks and Caicos Islanders life style continue to diminish. Governor Gordon Wetherell and his Chief Mark Capes were sent to the TCI to with a clear objective and that is to set this little country straight in the eyes of the UK and make examples out of everyone that was deemed to have strayed off course in the process.

To date with tens of millions of dollars spent, nothing more than a few pieces of paper have emerged from the Special Investigation and Civil Recovery teams. Tens of millions of dollars spent, and less than a hundred pages of work for public perusal. Media men and media women question repeatedly, but the answer is forever the same, “Its coming.

There is a wealth of information. The work is taking place in many countries. We are almost ready.

We just need a few millions more.” Gentleman I beseech you both to STOP SINGING AND START BRINGING. The time is now for everything to come forward, let us face our problems as a nation now so we can build our bridge and get over it.

Why suffer us through another year of waiting and wanting? We need to get it on.

In 2010 after a small protest at the airport the Governor acting on the advice of his bosses promised elections in 2012. This same governor had previously promised the elections in 2011. The same governor had promised that it could even be earlier then 2011. The governor must think

Scotia Centre provides baby products

The neediest mothers among us were given a brighter than normal Christmas after the management and staff at Scotia Centre (the Cherokee Road/Leeward Highway Scotiabank branch) pooled their resources together to source a variety of baby-oriented items which were donated to the Social Welfare Department for distribution.

The bank’s management noted that the venture was ignited during a casual conversation between a member of the management team and Secretary for the Department of Social Development, Shantell Harris, who is also one of the institution’s customers, and had gone there to do business.

During the conversation, Harris pointed out the needs of the department, and Scotiabank did not hesitate to lend assistance. The items included different brands of formula, diapers and powder.

Kenneth Barnes, Senior Social Development Officer at the department said the items would go a far way in addressing some of the needs of the unemployed and pregnant teen mothers who visit his office on a daily basis.

In photo, Barnes (with microphones) responds to the gesture, while secretary for the department, Shantell Harris (second right) along with members of the Scotia Centre management and staff look on.

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

the people of this country are still drunk from Christmas rum. How could this administration be serious about elections next year and there has been no efforts to update a general voters register?”

The one-woman-no-man constitutional committee is peddling through the country and airwaves with a document that reeks of preconceived notions. While this document presents major changes to the layout of elections boundaries, it appears that there will be little changes to the voter qualification policy in the TCI. Furthermore the new constitution is still just a possibility as there is a fair chance that I will not come into place and by that fact the elections ordinance, its guidelines and principals are still intact.

Why is the British installed Government neglecting to conduct regular updates to the list?

Could it be that they know that this would make it more feasible to hold an elections once the register is up to date?

Or do they simply think we are drunk? My message to the Governor is STOP SINGING AND START BRINGING! Since the last public grassroots appearances by both party leaders have been on a joint stage in the name of unity, I will address them collectively. In my honest opinion these men need to wake up and find political pride. Gentleman I admonish you to man up and path company, nobody really believe you are friends anyway so just shelf the unity idea as it is a complete waste of time. I further admonish you both to look within yourselves for the answers to help grow your political base. PDM and PNP together for 10 months has gotten us no further out of this mess then Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn so let’s just drop it all here.

Democracy thrives on difference of opinions.

I challenge anybody in the TCI to show me what unity has done for us so far. It seems that the only thing that unity has done is dull the sense of political identity in our community and decrease interest in a democratic political system. I am almost minded to believe that the unity idea is a sinister plot by the Interim Administration to weaken the political fabric of the TCI and plunge the two party system into a state of dysfunctionality. No effective way had been reached of making political unity function.

Everything is so thoroughly disorganized.

Politicians are only turning to make the decision at the eleventh hour, and then only when they’re forced to, when there’s minutes to go.

Educated response to the proposed constitution is one example.

Gentleman I implore you to STOP SINGING AND START BRINGING! My distinguished friends Clayton and Doug, remember that a Leader does not shape a new and personal vision of his party, he collects it from the scattered hopes of the one he serves.

In closing I must say that I have intentionally neglected to address the members of the advisory council and consultative forum. This is because I see them merely as an extension of the Governor and his wishes, at the end of the day Mark Capes is still the man in charge.

The guiding principles of faith, hope and love still controls our destiny under God Almighty, throughout 2010, 2011 and beyond. These principles sustain every leader, but belongs equally to every citizen of this country through our Godgiven inheritance. May these principles lead us as we enter this year in search for a better Turks and Caicos. These principals are the foundation of the TCI, free and restless, growing and full of hope. So it was in the beginning. So it shall always be, while God is willing, and we are strong enough to keep the faith.

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

PROVO WATER COMPANY LTD.

Provo Water Company Ltd is seeking suitable applicants to fill the following positions: POSITION: SYSTEM DESIGN ENGINEER

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION:

• Registered Civil Engineer • 5 to 10 years experience in the general construction and design works particularly on waterworks buildings and piping networks.

• Have a strong knowledge of hydraulics and piping design calculations.

• Effective organization skills and ability to work effectively both in a team setting and independently • Computer proficient with exposure in Microsoft Word and Excel.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The System Design Engineer works under the direction of the head of the Engineering Department. This individual provides technical direction and management for the design compliance and construction works leading to the maintenance of the islands waterworks system.

This position can be adapted to either primary or construction or facility maintenance functions.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ARE TO:

• Provide Surveys, Designs and detailed engineering for proposed waterworks, civil works, engineering projects, modifications and maintenance.

• Monitor and Record hydraulics input - output data such as system’s pressures, velocities and flows including pumping stations and water storage facilities for engineering design task.

• Carry out continuous engineering studies, investigations and design calculations for the maintenance of water supply system in the island.

• Provide cost-effective solutions to waterworks requirements/situations and establish review procedures to minimize cost growth.

• Perform Engineering field surveys for establishing boundaries and limits , developing contours and profiles, piping routes and levels.

• Develop company standards for all construction and or facility maintenance works.

• Apply standard practices and techniques in specific engineering assignments, including proficiency in use of engineering/project scheduling tools.

• Provide technical assistance to the Operations and Maintenance Department • Ensure that the integrity of master plans is maintained and maintain and update the general site plans for all waterworks facilities including new connections and facilities.

• Ensure all subcontractors employed to execute engineeringconstruction tasks conform to applicable company standards for security, safety, environmental controls, hazardous materials and underground utilities.

Salary Range: US$ 36, 000 – 48, 000 per annum

POSITION: CONTRACT AND DOCUMENT CONTROLLER

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION: • Graduate of bachelors degree in business or office administration.

• At least 5 years experience in contracts and documents preparation, dissemination and monitoring including the safekeeping thereof particularly acquired from a construction or utility industry.

• At least 2 years experience in storekeeping and stock control system.

• Good communications and organization skills • Computer proficient.

JOB DESCRIPTION: A Contract and Document Controller is required to maintain a master contract and document register of all the latest transactions and drawings on every project and purchasing activities of the company and ensure that all recipients are transmitted the documents they require as soon as new revisions are received. This individual reviews contracts; formulate, revise and finalize documents according to what was required and has been agreed upon by the company and parties concerned such as contractors, sub-contractors, suppliers and the likes. This individual is in charge with all the liaison works including the submission and transmittal of contracts/documents to all concerned government and private agencies relative to the on going

projects or purchasing activities.

The duties of a Contract and Document Controller are: • Reviews and registers internal and external contracts and documents.

• Maintenance of controlled and uncontrolled documents registers.

• Sending of document transmittals and submittals to all parties concerned.

• Log, reference, distribute, and file all related correspondence, drawings, and documents.

• Ensuring that contracts and document transmittals are acknowledged in case there is a dispute on whether the said papers were transmitted.

• Manage the contracts & document/drawing review process, Internal and External.

• Designs and formulate office forms and control system whenever necessary.

• Inspect, accept, and store delivered materials and equipment including documentation and control thereof.

• Archiving data for historical purposes.

• Performs other task as may be assigned from time to time relative to the day to day operation of the engineering and administrative department such as detailed engineering and inventory management task.

Salary Range: US$ 32, 400 – 42, 000 per annum

POSITION: AUTOCAD OPERATOR

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION

• Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering or equivalent experience • 3 to 5 years AutoCAD experience a must.

• Must have at least 1 year of exposure to waterworks environment • Knowledge of AutoCAD Civil or equivalent software for piping network design is an advantage.

• Strong knowledge of Primavera (P3) planning software and Microsoft applications.

• Must have previous experience in mechanical, electrical and civil drafting, blue print reading and 2 or 3 dimensional work JOB DESCRIPTION: The AutoCAD Operator must be able to generate engineering flow diagrams from engineer’s examples, update and modify building and piping layouts, update and modify piping networks and details.

The duties of an AutoCAD Operator include: • Ability to draft bend charts for pipes and tubes and read hose charts.

• Able to prepare plans and exhibits which entail making accurate computer drawings from design sketches, conceptual drawings, field compiled survey data, and verbal instructions.

• Updates mechanical, electrical and civil plans and drawings according to amendments and revisions.

• Produce and compile standard facility and utility drawings.

• Make all required revisions to approved designs and maintains complete and accurate drawings.

• Perform 3D view layout, layer and dimensioning techniques.

• Create new drawings out of survey data and verbal instructions.

• Follow through with all projects to ensure successful fabrication and installation.

Salary Range: US$ 32, 400 – 42, 000 per annum All applications must be submitted by January 10th, 2011.

Office Manager PROVO WATER COMPANY LTD. P.O. Box 39, Grace Bay Road Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Fax: (649) 946-5204 Email: K.Clarke@provowater.tc

Page 20

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

We need a leader who will stand up LOCAL NEWS for TCI and its people

Page 20

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

By Phillip Robinson

We need a leader who will stand up for Turks and Caicos and its people. We need a leader with the capacity to unify this nation.

It is time for unity. So l call loyal members of PNP & PDM for once to be loyal to their own cause. It is time for us to become unified and act before it is too late.

We need leadership with the capacity to lead this nation into being a unified nation, one who can die to self and stand for our cause.

Here we are a people with no leadership. I see 6 six living past leaders of our country Norman Saunders sr., Oswald Skippings, Washington Misick, Derek Taylor, Michael Misick and Galmo Williams. Out of this six did we ever had a leader?

And then there is Floyd Seymour leader of the last official opposition leader (you said you had a plan as

to how and were this nation should be lead). Then you have Douglas Parnell, Calyton Green, Carlos Simons, Jay Saunders.

All of these persons at one time were asking to lead this nation. Wwe are a people in need of leadership now. It will never be a better time than now to stand up when there is no glory just the pain of your people.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

I ask were do you stand former leaders and those of you who are seeking to be leaders.

Our human Rights has been taken away. We no longer have a democratic system of Government.

We are a country with an interim administration, yet still Mr. Henry

Bellingham has set out milestones that our Government will have to put in place and achieve. Before The FCO and DFID can jointly assess the achievement made on milestones set out I am asking the Advisory Council and members of the Consultative Forum and all my people to look at this good and see the truth. Is there any future for Turks and Caicos Islands having a democratic system of Government?

The FCO and DFID made up the milestones and they are the ones will regulate how, when and if it should our should not progress.

Tthen they the FCO and DFID will have to assess them selves to see if they achieve the milestones that they set. “Where is Turks and Caicos in all of this? We are being slaved by the British Empire” as Bellingham seeks to repeat history.

King George Orders That Slavery NOT be Abolished in the Colonies.

The King in council, on Dec. 10, 1770, issued an instruction, under his own hand, That Slavery not be Abolished in the Colonies.

Minister for the Overseas

Territories Henry Bellingham and Minister of State for International Development Alan Duncan on Dec. 09, 2010, in Parliament ordered that the Turks and Caicos Islands not to be freed.

Turks and Caicos Islanders wake up. After (240) two hundred forty years THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT is still seeking to in one way or the other enslave people that they took from Africa.

People, we can find strength and courage.

This the British Parliament’s fear; the end of the British Empire. From 1997, when the British withdrew from their last significant colony Hong Kong, this left the empire with thirteen colony / territories and so the fear is if are able to keep our 2006 constitution we would be too close to independence and able to weaken the British Empire.

If this happens Britain's Prince Charles / Prince William will be king without and empire with this in mind, let us not fear to negotiate.

Let us not fear too unified this nation and move.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 21

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011 TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

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LIFESTYLE

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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

The Carambola Restaurant was the host of the Annual Abundant Life Ministries International Annual Senior Citizens’ Christmas Banquet, held on Monday, December 20. The seniors who hailed from across the country were served sumptuous meals, entertained and were congratulated by pastor for the Abundant Life Ministries International Church, Bishop C. Alexander Williams III. 2

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1. The seniors were delighted for the gesture by Bishop Williams 2. Abundant Life Ministries International’s First Lady, Elder Chiquita Williams, presents gifts to seniors 3. Marjorie Cox was among those celebrated by Abundant Life Ministries 4. Nell Gardiner was also in attendance 5. McLean Robinson (left), and Bishop Williams’ sister and mother Dottie and Lois

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respectively, could not hide their delight after being entertained by centenarian Clementina Walkin 6. Bishop Williams meeting the seniors 7. Iris Capron was among the seniors overjoyed to be in attendance 8. The appreciation was shown on the faces of the seniors 9. Centenarian Clementina Walkin was the life of the party. She could not contain

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herself hearing the entertaining music and so, with the assistance of her granddaughter, entertained the audience with a dance 10. A section of the Carambola restaurant which hosted the event 11. Jemima Stubbs seen in a relaxing mood 12. It was a day when our seniors were made to relax and enjoy the ambience 13. Ella Misick was one of those honoured

14. The seniors were extremely happy to have been part of the celebration 15. Beatrel Parker could not hide his delight being at the 16. Minister Karen Higgs setting the tone for the day’s proceedings 17. Bishop Williams express words of gratitude to the seniors at the 18. Leon Williams serenades the seniors with a Christmas Carol

Page 26

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

TURKS & CAICOS SUN TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

r a The top New Year resolutions e y y r e v e eople make p

What does New Years mean to you? For most of the world it means a fresh new start and celebration. For marketers it means busting your butt and cashing in on New Years resolutions. Nearly everyone jumps into the new year with some crazy resolution which usually lasts a few days to a few weeks.

How long these resolutions last isn’t what matters, but instead how excited everyone is to make a change and start fresh, which simply means opening their wallets and buying everything in sight to help them get started.

Here are the top three New Years Resolutions that people make every year.

1.) LOSE WEIGHT Every year it’s number one, and it’s probably the most repeated resolution as well. Everything from weight loss plans, exercise equipment and diet pills… nearly all products and services in the weight loss niche will see a huge jump in sales during Dec/Jan. The rebill market is still thriving with weight loss offers, and there will always be a buying market for weight loss products, it’s up to you to find the best ways to hit your audience and relate to them personally with your ad copy.

2.) MAKE MORE MONEY / GET BETTER JOB 2011 has been a horrible year for many individuals and losing their jobs, losing money in their retirements or even getting taken off unemployment.

No matter the situation, rich or poor… every wants to make more money, and the majority of people hate their jobs. “Make Money Online” and “Education” offers are a great way to tap into this resolution. The majority of the make money rebill offers are low end trash, but they are still big business. If pushing rebill type of offers aren’t for you, you can always take the education route, which can still earn you a $10-$30 payout per lead.

3.) QUIT SMOKING Who ever would have thought that you could legally sell a product that says “THIS PRODUCT IS HARMFUL AND WILL KILL YOU“, and billions of people would use it daily… and pay a ton for it as well! As addicting as smoking is, the annual resolution to “quit smoking” always comes into play.

The most obvious way to push a product to this audience, is with the e cigarette type offers. You also have the option to promote ebooks and other consulting type services to help others from their addiction of smoking.

Other resolutions to make the Top 10 list include: 4.) SPENDING MORE TIME WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS More than 50% vow to appreciate loved ones and spend

more time with family and friends this year. Make plans to meet up with friends for an evening of comaraderie.

5.) Giving back to others 6.) Getting in better shape 7.) Working on spirituality and faith 8.) QUIT DRINKING While many people use the New Year as an incentive to finally stop drinking, most are not equipped to make such a drastic lifestyle change all at once. Many heavy drinkers fail to quit cold turkey but do much better when they taper gradually, or even learn to moderate their drinking. If you have decided that you want to stop drinking, there is a world of help and support available.

9.) Getting out of debt 10.) Making a clear path and solid outlook plan for the coming year.

Page 27

r Move your body, out on the floo de Put your troubles asi And start living Anybody can let go Throw away all your problems Cuz right now it's party time

Girl don't feel outta place now Cuz I, I'm in love with this feeling ile wh a t las will this t tha And I, I, hope ile wh a t las it ke ma uld We sho

You like to drink, so do we me Get more bottles, bring 'em to e her ryw eve ple peo up, Hold your glasses say air the in ds han r Now everybody put you Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Girl I wanna Yeah, yeah, yeah I wanna see you tonight Yeah, yeah, yeah ta, I gotta, I gotta got I Girl see you tonight ta got I Oh oh, oh woh oh oh Oh oh, let me see your hands Oh oh, oh woh oh oh Oh oh, tonight is the night

Lost in the moment e Can't believ you're so beautiful Feels like I'm in a dream Baby we're going er been before nev Somewhere you've come with me and d So take my han Girl don't feel outta place now Coz I, I'm in love with this feeling

And I, I, hope that this will last a whi le We should make it last a while

You like to drink, so do we Get more bottles, bring 'em to me Hold your glasses up, people everyw here Now everybody put your hands in the air say Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Girl I wanna Yeah, yeah, yeah I wanna see you tonight Yeah, yeah, yeah Girl I gotta, I gotta, I gotta I gotta see you tonight

Oh oh, oh woh oh oh Oh oh, let me see your hands Oh oh, oh woh oh oh Oh oh, tonight is the night

All the pretty young things in the par ty Let me see your hands up And if they mad and they don't wan na party Tell 'em So DJ turn it loud And watch me turn it up Don't worry bout it we here to party So jump, jump, jump, jump

Girl I wanna I wanna see you tonight Yeah, Yeah Girl I gotta, I gotta, I gotta I gotta see you tonight Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Tonight is the night

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

Page 28

Steven Tyler: Aerosmith not dead, plans new album

ENTERTAINMENT

LOS ANGELES — Veteran rocker Steven Tyler on Tuesday denied that his new role as a judge on 'American Idol" meant the death of his band Aerosmith, and said he wanted to start work on a much-delayed new album later this month.

"We are just on a break. We are still rocking big time," Tyler, 62, told television journalists, while promoting the new season of "American Idol".

Aerosmith has not recorded a studio album since 2001 and a 2009 feud between Tyler and his bandmates threatened to break up the group known as the "bad boys

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

of Boston".

But Tyler said Aerosmith would start working on a new album at the end of January, and had a tour of Japan and South America lined up starting in November 2011.

"It's not dead. It couldn't be dead," he said of the 40 year-old rock band that has sold more than 150 million albums since forming in 1970.

It was not clear how Tyler will find time to get back into the recording studio given his commitment to some four months of twice-weekly live TV episodes of "American Idol", which starts a

10th season on Jan. 19 and runs into May. In a separate interview with Rolling Stone last week, Tyler said he was trying to rally the band together but "we're having trouble getting Joe (Perry). I don't know where he is."

Guitarist Perry has had harsh words for Tyler's participation in top-rated TV singing contest. In a September interview with Canadian newspaper Calgary Herald, he described "Idol" as "one step above Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...It's his business, but I don't want Aerosmith's name involved with it."

Actor Peter Fonda finds dead body in car Man was slumped over in front seat in vehicle parked on Sunset Boulevard Actor Peter Fonda was part of a real-life mystery on Hollywood's famed Sunset Boulevard on Wednesday.

The Oscar-nominated actor (brother to Jane and son of the late Henry Fonda), 70, discovered a dead body inside a car parked on the famed street. As first reported at TMZ, Fonda found the deceased driver slumped over in the front seat and called 911.

The website also reports that the unidentified man may have taken his own life; the body had been there for about 3 days.

Cops told the Associated Press that the "Easy Rider" star is absolutely not a suspect in the death, but no further details were available.

O'Brien: I'm over the whole Leno mess

Former 'Tonight Show' host says he's "There’s a whole part of my life moving on. How things change in a and body of work that I had there, 17 year. years’ worth, that I’m very proud of," Last year at this time, Conan O'Brien said. "I was with that O'Brien and Jay Leno were lobbing company for a long time, had a lot of shots at NBC, and each other, as the amazing experiences with them, and I network mulled how to shake up its felt like I was a part of that family." low-rated schedule and keep the two That doesn't mean he and Jay comedians happy.

Leno will become BFFs. Asked if he'd It never figured that out, of ever speak again to Leno, who course. Leno stayed at NBC and preceded and succeeded him at "The O'Brien went, landing at TBS and Tonight Show" and was widely ultimately getting the last laugh, so portrayed as the bully to O'Brien's to speak, when his late-night show victim in last year's mess, O'Brien said rose to No. 1 among adults 18-49. no.

Conan O'Brien O'Brien's bitterness toward NBC "There’s nothing to be figured and Leno have been well documented, both in joke out," he said. "We all know the story and we all and interview form, but at Turner Television Critics know what happened. Life is short. I’ve got kids and Association panel, O'Brien finally seemed ready to a family and a life to live and I’m really happy here, move on. so I don’t think about it too much. And I’m sure he’s He actually had some good things to say about NBC. busy."

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

After the tragedy of losing their son Jett, John

John Travolta and Kelly Preston open up about new baby Benjamin

John Travolta and Kelly Preston on the cover of Britain's HELLO! magazine with son Benjamin on January 12, 2011Hello! Britain

Travolta and Kelly Preston are thrilled to be opening up about the newest addition to their family, son Benjamin, who was born Nov. 23.

"Johnny laid Benjamin on my chest for me," Preston told People about the first moments with her son. "Holding him for the first time was magical."

Preston, who opted for a silent birth, the method preferred by the church of Scientology, told People that she had been trying to get pregnant for three years. "Because of our age, we thought maybe it wasn't possible for us," she said. Obviously it was, and Preston had no morning sickness or other complications, and she and Travolta traveled extensively during the pregnancy. Preston, who turned 48 while she was pregnant, had Travolta's help all along the way. "We protected her environment so it was calm and peaceful. I also pampered her during pregnancy, as every woman should be," Travolta said.

Travolta and Preston have a daughter, Ella, and she's taken to her new baby brother. "She can't stop kissing him and frankly can't get over that she's got a new baby brother. She keeps saying, 'Oh, he's so cute," Preston said.

Hugh Hefner engaged to playmate Crystal Harris

Hugh Hefner rang in the holidays with an engagement ring.

The Playboy founder is engaged to girlfriend Crystal Harris, 24, he announced on Twitter.

"After the movie tonight, Crystal & I exchanged gifts. I gave Crystal a ring. A truly memorable Christmas Eve," Hefner, 84, wrote.

"When I gave Crystal the ring, she burst into tears.

This is the happiest Christmas weekend in memory."

Later, he clarified, "Yes, the ring I gave

Crystal is an engagement ring. I didn't mean to make a mystery out of it. A very merry Christmas to all."

This will be the third marriage for Hefner. In 2009 he filed for divorce from his second wife, former Playmate Kimberly Conrad, after the two separated in 1998. He was previously married to Mildred Williams; their marriage ended in divorced in 1959.

Harris was December 2009's Playboy Playmate.

Hugh Hefner- 84, and Crystal Harris, 24

KFWS • MindGym Page 29

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

January 10, 2011 FUN & GAMES

—2—

Page 30

FUN & GAMES

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

January 10, 2011

King Features Weekly Service

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Single Lambs looking for romance could find Cupid especially accommodating this week. Paired partners also find their relationships benefiting from the chubby cherub’s attention.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Keep your keen Bull’s eye focused on your target, and shake off any attempt to turn your attention elsewhere. You should get some news later in the week that might answer some questions.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Your early enthusiasm for a project might have been somewhat premature.

Although you feel positive about it, you might need more information in order to make an informed decision.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Taking on a new responsibility might seem like the politically correct thing to do. But even with the promise of support, was it the wisest? Consider reassessing your upcoming decision.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Apply yourself to completing your task despite all the distractions that might be interfering with your work.

Then reward yourself with a weekend of fun shared with people who are close to you.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A business agreement from the past might need to be looked at again. Use this unexpected development to check out other matters related to it. A weekend venture proves to be rewarding.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Don’t ignore that uneasy feeling about mak-

King Features WeeklyService Service King Features Weekly

January 10,January 2011 10, 2011

A MATTER OF COUNTING LOSERS

—13—

Just when should declarer draw trumps? Since the great majority of contracts are played with a trump suit, this question is a continually recurring one.

Unfortunately, there is no all-encompassing rule that applies to the myriad of situations a declarer may encounter in a suit contract.

Each hand must be dealt with according —17—to its own special set of circumstances.

Consider this deal where West, with no attractive lead against four hearts, selected a trump. Declarer won with dummy’s nine and promptly returned a trump, expecting

ing a commitment. It could be a case of understandably cold feet, or a warning that something isn’t as right as it should be.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A colleague could be more supporting of one of your efforts. But it’s up to you to make the case for it, and that could mean opening up a secret or two, which might be a problem for you.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Expect some good news about a relative you’ve been worried about. But don’t expect the full story to be told — at least not yet. A workplace matter might face shifting priorities.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Despite some anxious moments, you could have good reason to be pleased with how things are turning out. An end-of-theweek call might hold some interesting information.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A long-overdue expression of appreciation could be offered soon.

But admit it: You never really expected it would happen, right? Meanwhile, keep your weekend options open.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) It’s a good time to dive right into a new challenge, whether it’s learning a computer program or how to drive a stick shift, or making a new friend. Whatever it is, good luck.

BORN THIS WEEK: You see the wisdom in honesty, and you help others appreciate your vision.

• It can co ducer who ing ad “Alwa your so tha name w • Th things second foot of • Y realize tainly expert tic Oc 1 cent year, a is shr amoun nental • If y to cen pay a v est peo Pygmy the ta known • If y you he nifican United percen donate

© 2011 King Features Synd., Inc.

to trap East’s king. But when East showed out, South had to abandon his intention to finesse.

Instead, he won with the ace and played the ace and another spade, losing the nine to West’s ten. West then cashed the king of hearts and returned the king of spades, forcing dummy’s last trump.

Declarer still had to lose a club and his remaining spade, so he finished down one.

The contract failed because South played trumps prematurely. At the outset, his potential losers consisted of a heart, a club and a spade.

However, this presupposes that two spades will be ruffed in dummy. It is therefore incumbent upon declarer not to denude dummy of the trumps necessary to ruff his spade losers.

After winning the nine of hearts at trick one, South should play the ace and another spade. No lie of the cards can then prevent him from ruffing two spades with dummy’s 8-7 of hearts.

If East is able to overruff dummy at any point, South’s trump loser and a spade loser are telescoped into one trick, so no more than three tricks can be lost. © 2011 King Features Synd., Inc.

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King Features Weekly Service

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

January 10, 2011

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

—2— —2—

—23—

FUN & GAMES

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Anguilla’s Chief Minister wants independence from Britain

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

The Valley, Anguilla – Chief Minister Hubert Hughes has called on citizens to seriously consider seeking political independence from Britain after the Governor of this 35 square mile island Alistair Harrison refused to sign off on the 2011 budget.

"We have come far enough and fought hard enough to have an Anguillian Governor or Governor General, an Anguillian flag and being identified to the world as 'Anguillians and not "Belongers"," Hughes said in a national radio broadcast here.

Hughes and Harrison have been at loggerheads over what the Chief Minister says is an attempt to undermine his 11-month old government.

But Harrison, under instructions from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London, has declined to give his assent or approval to the 2011 budget passed in the Legislative Council just before Christmas 2010.

Britain wants the Hughes administration to reduce the public service by 30 per cent, cut public servants salaries and wages and implement new tax measures.

Last December, the Office of the Chief Minister issued a statement indicating that “the Minister for the Overseas Territories, Henry Bellingham has been insisting that the Anguilla Government commit to further taxation and a cut the size of the civil service workforce by at least 30 per cent and also make further cuts

to the civil service salaries. “ “Chief Minister Hubert Hughes and his Government have taken the position that to comply with those directives at this time will have the adverse effect of plunging Anguilla into further financial difficulties and create previously unimaginable social hardships.

“In addition, the Chief Minister has also maintained that the portfolio for the Civil Service constitutionally resides in the Governor and that as such it is the Governor and not the Political Directorate who is responsible for any action pertaining to the Civil service and any decision to do what is being demanded must take the human element into consideration,” the statement said.

In his radio broadcast on Thursday, Hughes said that when his administration came to office last February, it met a deficit of almost EC$90 million (US$33.3 million). He said the deficit has since been reduced to EC$70 million (US$25.9 million).

“Independence and this lingering issue of the budget are not issues that we ought to consider lightly nor are they the only considerations this government has for 2011," Hughes said, adding that he had already drawn up a list containing the names of persons who would serve on a constitutional committee with a view to construct a document within a short period " on which we can seek a referendum."

Dominican Government says expulsions of Haitians is necessary

Santo Domingo - The Dominican Government on Monday justified the expulsion of as many as 1,000 Haitians in the last few days, a measure it said aims to halt the spread of cholera, calling the demands by international humanitarian groups which seek to stop the deportations, unjust.

Immigration Agency director Sigfrido Pared said the Haitians who were returned to their country in the first week this year didn’t reside in Dominican Republic, but were stopped when they tried to cross the border illegally. "We’re looking for people who come from west (Haiti) to east in vehicles illegal because a massive entry Haitians always occurs in January, not those who go on vacation to Haiti and return, but the illegals."

The immigrants were detained at the border, at military posts on the highways near the border line and, for the first time, in checkpoints on the highways into Santo Domingo, the official said.

Amnesty International (AI) on Friday asked a halt to the repatriations, noting that "Haiti is still recovering from natural disasters," including last year’s January 12 quake He said AI’s report is "somewhat unfair” regarding the measure. If there has been a country in the world which has shown solidarity with Haiti since January 12, it’s been Dominican Republic."

Hughes also indicated that he has sought technical expertise from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping to assist the constitutional committee once it has been formalised.

The Chief Minister said that London is refusing to allow his government to borrow any money unless "unless we do what they dictate”.

He also said there were rumours of elections soon and accused one of his own ministers of perpetuating such statements and working against his duly elected government and by extension the people.

"All the signs over the past 11 months indicate that the British is setting up a situation to justify them suspending our constitution and imposing direct rule through the Governor, like they have done in the Turks and Caicos Islands. This cannot happen. The people of Anguilla will not accept the imposition of dictatorship," Hughes said.

He said that the government will hold a rally on Saturday for"all people of Anguilla who are prepared to stand up for his country and defend the interest of us as a people against the current practices of the United Kingdom government."

Meanwhile, Civil Service Association (CSA) president Gerard Gumbs in a New Year message said that his organization is fully supportive of the government and

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

Anguilla’s Chief Minister Hubert Hughes

called on the United Kingdom government to work its differences with the Hughes administration.

In his address, Hughes acknowledged that mistakes had been made by both sides but he questioned the motives of the Foreign Commonwealth Office for sticking to its policy of cutting the local public service, and reducing salaries.

Following Hughes address, Governor Harrison issued a statement reiterating that he would not be able to sign off on the 2011 budget in keeping with instructions from London.

He also indicated that the Chief Minister would be written to shortly to explain London’s decision,, adding “the British government has not indicated that it seeks to impose a particular budget settlement, or a particular level of reduction in expenditure or in the numbers of the public service; but it will expect the cooperation of the Government of Anguilla in moving forward”.

Rent prices tumble in Cayman Islands JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

The contraction of Cayman’s population has led to a glut of apartments and a reduction of longterm rental prices of 20 per cent or more.

Director of Sales at Century 21, Howard McLaughlin was quoted in the Caymanian Compass newspaper as saying that that though the rental rate decrease was mainly a result of supply and demand, there were other factors at play.

“There is a vast over supply of rental properties on Island, with over 2,000 available at any given time,” he said. “With a considerable number of the people on work permit returning to their countries of origin, this has saturated the market. Additionally though, what you also have happening is that people who may be building another home and might have sold one house to build the other, aren’t doing so because of the depreciation of property values and are instead opting to rent in order to mitigate any possible loss and choosing to sell later instead when the market comes around in a year or two.” False comfort In addition, Mr. McLaughlin said the previous high demand in the rental market gave many landlords a false sense of comfort. As a result, some properties were not taken care of and in a market where the expectations for value are high, that was another factor making filling vacancies difficult.

“Having said that, it is a good time for renters,” he said. “Instead of renegotiating rent for a property, we are also seeing people just move on.

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

We are also seeing virtually no escalation clauses in contracts, which usually make provisions for rent to increase at the landlord’s discretion.”

Despite these realities, Mr. McLaughlin said December was the busiest month of last year, something he attributed to companies hiring people for the New Year who had come to scout property in December.

“It’s a good sign and indicates that a turnaround is in sight. But we will end up filling properties and diminishing supply before prices begin to come back to where they were,” he said.

Monica Hydes, the retail manager at Tessa Hydes Property Management, said owners of properties are getting creative about how they market vacancies and that incentives such as half of the first month’s rent are not an unusual occurrence.

“People are also asking for fixed agreements at these prices now and with work permit holders down by about 5,000 individuals, owners are often left with no choice,” she said.

“We are still seeing a high enough volume of business but in terms of revenue, we are easily down 20 per cent as a consequence.”

She added that the lower prices were also creating new dynamics for some neighbourhoods, as many people could now afford to move closer into the capital of George Town or, in some cases, on to the beach.

Owning a rental property to provide accommodations to expatriate workers has traditionally been a source

82 officers dismissed from Jamaica Police Force

Five sergeants and 17 corporals were among the 82 police officers dismissed from the Jamaica Constabulary Force last year with 15 other cases still pending, as the organisation seeks to reduce corruption and unprofessional behaviour among its members.

Additionally, some 14 sergeants and corporals were demoted, while 141 members, who included three inspectors with disciplinary cases, were re-enlisted for abbreviated periods.

"The standard re-enlistment period is five years, however, during disciplinary cases, the Commissioner of Police can reduce the period of enlistment," the Police High Command said in a statement yesterday.

According to the Police, some 31 members were fined pay days and 38 were reprimanded. It said the number of members refused re-enlistment as a result of court of enquiry convictions stood at 19, while 14 were demoted as a result.

One police sergeant was dismissed based on a judicial conviction. In the meantime, the case involving 13 officers who are to be retired in the public's interest is still pending. The overall number of disciplinary actions by the JCF in 2010 amounts to 397.

Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington in a follow-up statement, said the number of disciplinary cases actioned and the results of these cases is a clear indication that the police are robustly seeking to improve its professionalism, discipline and not letting up on ridding the force of corrupt members.

"The process of dealing with disciplinary matters is a long and tedious one, yet during 2010 we were able to deal with a significant number of cases. This will continue throughout 2011, as we move in the direction of enhancing our professionalism, delivery of service to citizens and weeding out those among us who are corrupt," the commissioner said.

Commenting further on the results of disciplinary actions during 2010, Ellington said good and professional policemen and women have nothing to fear.

"Those members who perform their duties in a professional and disciplined manner and who stay away from the temptations of corruption will be rewarded and not targeted for disciplinary action. But, those who continue to sully the name of the organisation by their unprofessional and corrupt behaviour will be targeted and removed from the police force. I will not tolerate acts of unprofessionalism or any corrupt policeman or woman, whatever their rank in the police force," Ellington stated.

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CARIBBEAN NEWS

of investment and income for Caymanians.

Charmaine Lee, an owner of properties for rent in the Savannah area (on the outskirts of the capital), said she has been running the same ad for a vacancy in the paper for months now.

“Usually as someone leaves, there are others ready to fill the vacancy, but things really began to change after 2008,” she said.

“I could rent a two bedroom for $1,600 back then, but now I have come down to $1,000 and still can’t rent it; and this is a two bedroom in an affluent enough area.”

Ms Lee said she remained hopeful things would improve and shared what she thought was the general consensus of the rental market.

“The bottom line is that luxury rental accommodations are doing OK because there are a limited amount of them,” she said.

“Two and three bedroom apartments are down about 30 per cent in rent fees and one bedrooms tend to

be just holding.”

Ms Lee added that she thought it might be a good idea to take a look at instituting a moratorium on the development of apartments in order to regulate the industry and protect those who had already made investments.

“If this keeps up I don’t know what I will do,” she said.

“Cayman was one of the few places where rent could have covered the mortgage on the property and maintenance, as well as provide discretionary income, but what we are charging for rent now can barely pay the mortgage and to be honest, to go any lower than where things are at now would be a real liability,” In Ms Lee’s opinion, another contributing factor to too many apartments remaining vacant is low wages, causing some people to cohabitate in large numbers and fewer places being rented as a result.

“I had a two bedroom apartment for rent and was approached by eight individuals who wanted to live there,” she said.

“I had to say no, as I don’t believe that is what anyone wants for their place or their country.”

Former Chief Minister of Montserrat John Osborne is dead

As Chief Minister of the tiny British colony of Montserrat, John Osborne had regarded his island as being just as important as any of the 15 member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping.

In fact at one point, he walked out of a CARICOM meeting after the name plate for his island was incorrectly spelt.

Osborne, who died in the United States on Sunday after a prolonged illness, had sought desperately in the 1980’s to push for political independence from Britain.

Osborne's proposal was rooted in his anger over the British veto of Montserrat's participation in the Caribbean Peace Force dispatched to Grenada where earlier, United Former Chief Minister John Alfred Osborne States forces had intervened to end that country’s brief flirtation with a government that came to power by the bullet rather than the ballot.

But Montserratians never really supported the idea of breaking ties with London and “John Bassie”, as Osborne was popularly known as, promised that no decision on independence would be made until a referendum was held.

In a statement announcing his death, family members said that they had suffered an “irreplaceable” loss as a result of his passing.

“John A. Osborne, the father with whom we have shared the most intense love and affection, has died. We have lost the irreplaceable centre of our family and an incomparable presence in all our lives, but his wisdom, courage, and irrepressible spirit will live with us forever,” the statement added.

Osborne, who was 74, first became the head of the island’s government in 1978 when he led the People’s Liberation Movement (PLM) to victory at the polls. He served for 13 years in Montserrat’s highest political office until his party’s electoral defeat at the hand of the National Progressive Party (NPP) in 1991. It was a sobering defeat for Osborne, who also lost his legislative seat.

Osborne reclaimed his seat at the 1996 election and sat as an opposition member as the leader of the short-lived Progressive People’s Alliance.

In 2001, he made a triumphant return as Chief Minister after leading the revamped New People’s Liberation Movement (NPLM) to a resounding victory over the NPP. Despite suffering a number of defections from his government, Osborne held on to power until the 2006 polls.

He then served as a government minister in a coalition government headed by his former NPLM deputy Dr Lowell Lewis after no party won an outright majority.

Osborne retired from active politics ahead of the last general election in 2009, but his legacy lives on in the form of his son, David, who is a parliamentary secretary in the present government.

The Gerald’s Airport was renamed the John A. Osborne Airport in 2008.

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Haitians grieve on quake anniversary

CARIBBEAN NEWS PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The air was choked with memory Wednesday in this city where everyone lost a brother, a child, a cousin or a friend.

One year after the earthquake, Haitians marched down empty, rubble-lined streets singing hymns and climbed broken buildings to hang wreaths of flowers.

The landscape is much as the quake left it, thanks to a reconstruction effort that has yet to begin addressing the intense need. But the voices were filled with hope for having survived a year that seemed to get worse at every turn.

"We've had an earthquake, hurricane, cholera, but we are still here, and we are still together," said Charlemagne Sintia, 19, who joined other mourners at a soccer stadium that served as an open-air morgue after the quake and later housed a tent camp.

Thousands gathered around the city to be with loved ones and pray.

They flocked to the ruins of the oncetowering national cathedral, to the soccer stadium, to parks, hillsides and the neighborhood centers.

Businesses were closed. Instead of traffic, streets were filled with people dressed in white, the color of prayer and mourning. They waved their hands, cheered and called out to God as they wound down roads beset by ruins.

Astride the unrepaired buildings are camps where an estimated 1 million people still live, unable to afford new homes.

"God blessed me by taking only one of my cousins that day. Our house collapsed but we have health and life," said Terez Benitot, a 56-year-old woman whose husband, a mason, can not find work amid a reconstruction all are waiting to begin.

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake ripped the ground open at 4:53 p.m.

Jan. 12, 2010. The government raised its death toll estimate Wednesday to more than 316,000, but it did not explain how it arrived at that number.

The earthquake exploded in a previously undiscovered fault, just 8.1

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

Haitians walks through the remains of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Port-au-Prince. With sorrow in their hearts and fearful of an uncertain future, Haitians Wednesday held ceremonies and services to mark the moment a year ago when the earth convulsed and shattered their nation.

miles below the surface and 15 miles west of Port-au-Prince, the capital and home to a third of the country's population.

Residents first heard a distant rumbling that reminded many of a passing truck. Then it blasted through everything like an atomic detonation, shattering walls, leveling hillside after hillside of fragile concrete homes and bringing many of Haiti's largest and most important buildings to the ground.

When it was over, a cloud of dust hung over the city, making it impossible to breathe. Those inside the destroyed cities and the even harder-hit towns to the west were trapped — if not literally under the rubble then in a bleeding, screaming island region cut off from the world as the sun quickly dipped below the horizon.

The United Nations lost 102 staffers in the disaster — the largest single loss of life in its history. At U.N. headquarters in New York on Wednesday, U.N. staff observed solemn silence for 47 seconds — the duration of the quake. "Every day I see the faces of our fallen colleagues. I hear

their voices," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

At the same time, the Haitian government had scheduled a nationwide minute of silence, but with few people to organize it went ignored in many areas.

A year after the quake, workers are still finding bodies in the rubble. About a million people remain homeless.

Neighborhood-sized camps look like permanent shantytowns on the fields and plazas of the capital. A cholera epidemic that erupted outside the quake zone has killed more than 3,600 people, and an electoral crisis between President Rene Preval's ruling party and its rivals threatens to break an increasingly fragile political stability.

Less than 5 percent of the debris has been cleared. What's left would be enough to fill dump trucks parked bumper to bumper halfway around the world.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton attended the cornerstone-laying ceremony with Preval. Later Clinton joined Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive to update reporters on a reconstruction process they jointly

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

oversee through the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission — a process many Haitians and observers think has failed.

More than $5.6 billion was pledged at a March 31 donors conference for a period of 18 months, but some $3.2 billion in public funding is still owed, according to Clinton's U.N. Office of the Special Envoy to Haiti.

The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday called for the "swift disbursement of remaining pledges in support of Haiti's recovery."

Clinton and Bellerive said progress has been made — that half a million people have moved out of the camps that remain home to about 1 million.

The aid group Oxfam disputes that figure, saying it's based on imprecise headcounts.

The former president said that the conditions for investment were improving and that the pace of reconstruction would soon accelerate.

"I don't blame people for being mad and frustrated. If I were still living in a camp like that after a year I would go crazy, I think," Clinton said. "We are making progress and I understand why people don't feel it."

Bellerive added, "We know that it is difficult for the population, but they understand that there has to be a coherent solution for their situation to improve."

Among the key questions surrounding the commission is how long Bellerive will remain prime minister.

The constitution says Preval should leave office Feb. 7, though he will not have formally completed his full fiveyear term until May and he argues that he can remain in office until then.

An ongoing electoral crisis in which three candidates believe they should be in a runoff has delayed the second round. Bellerive admitted he does not know when he will leave office.

"Everything I do with my life, I do it with the respect of the law and the respect of the constitution. My plans are to give my resignation to the next elected president — if possible," he said.

US slams port security in Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo.- The United States has placed conditions on the entry of ships from Dominican ports, noting that they apply few controls and deficient safety measures, new source eldia.com.do reports.

The American authorities waive only the ports Multinodal Caucedo, La Romana and Cabo Rojo from the restriction.

A United States Coast Guard report approved by the U.S. Congress says Dominican ports don’t meet the requirements of the International Code for the Protection of Ships and Port Facilities, a document quoted by eldia.com.do.

Washington affirms it has determined that the measures “to fight against terrorism aren’t in place in the Dominican ports,” except Caucedo, La Romana and Cabo Rojo, and warns that conditions on the entry of ships coming from Dominican Republic will be applied until the deficiencies have been corrected.

“Given the number of ships at issue, the imposition of the new conditions of entrance will decelerate maritime trade between our countries and increase the port costs for the exporter,” the

Coast Guard document says.

It adds that to revert that problem in Dominican ports, as part of the war on terror, the Dominican Government “must present a report” on how the deficiencies found in the terminals have been corrected, including the erection of perimeter fences, procedures for the verification people, vehicles, freight and provisions, task that must be carried out in a consistent manner, among others, since it continues being “the most benefited with the aid for the correct application (of the PBIP) than any other country of the region,” The U.S. Government has also revealed that the authority responsible for those terminals “don’t seem to have precisely identified all public and private agents of the harbor facilities that are required to fulfill the PBIP, adding that the information found in the Web sites are inexact or incomplete.”

It says the Dominican ports which fail to meet the international safety norms appear in the Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) website, where they report that they have approved and applied the PBIP, “when in fact they don’t do

so.”

Among the terminals cited are Barahona (Consorcio Azucarero Central), Boca Chica, Ferquido, Haina (Aluminio Co.), Haina (EGE), Haina (Combustible Depot Quimica), Haina Occidental, Puerto Plata, San Pedro and Santo Domingo.

The U.S. “disappointed” Although the report notes the Dominican Government’s willingness to receive the commissions that inspected the ports, it says there’s deception from the lack of advances in the matter of security in the fight against terrorism.

The inspection began in November, 2004, and continued in 2006, 2008 and 2009, in each opportunity finding that the PBIP hadn’t been met during six years.

The Coast Guard report says it’s willing “to help in the correction of the deficiencies.”

The report doesn’t mention drug trafficking, despite that it’s one of the main problems Dominican antinarcotics authorities face, from the constant threats of the South American cartels.

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Doctors call Giffords’s progress remarkable

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

TUCSON — Five days after she was shot in the head at close range, Representative Gabrielle Giffords is able to keep her eyes open for as long as 15 minutes and can move her legs and hands, although her right hand has only slight movement, doctors at University Medical Center here said on Thursday.

Doctors called her progress “a major leap forward” but expressed caution, saying that for now, they would not upgrade Ms. Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, from critical condition. Dr. Peter Rhee, head of trauma at the hospital, said in an interview that the team planned to bring an expert neuroophthalmologist and oculoplastic surgeon to help assess the injuries to the bones around Ms. Giffords’s eyes. The damage to the area could have damaged her vision, Dr. Rhee said.

“I believe one day she will be able to think,” Dr. Rhee said. “What she will be able to do physically, it is too early to say.”

On Friday, CNN reported that doctors might remove her breathing tube as early as today. Doctors have said the breathing tube has been left in place as a precautionary measure and that Ms. Giffords is breathing on her own.In response to a reporter’s question about whether Ms. Giffords’s recovery might be considered miraculous, Dr. G. Michael Lemole Jr., the hospital’s chief of neurosurgery said, “Miracles happen every day, and in medicine, we like to attribute them to what we do or what others do around us. A lot of medicine is outside our control. We are wise to acknowledge miracles.”

On Saturday, Ms. Giffords was meeting with constituents in a Tucson parking lot when a gunman opened fire, killing 6 people and wounding 14, including Ms. Giffords. Among the dead were John M. Roll, the chief federal judge in Arizona, and 9-year-old Christina Green.

Four others injured in the shooting remained at University Medical Center on Thursday and were listed in fair condition. Authorities believe Ms. Giffords was the target of the attack.

Jared L. Loughner, 22, has been charged in federal court with shooting

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Representative Gabrielle Giffords and astronaut Mark Kelly

Ms. Giffords and four others who were federal employees. He is expected to face state prosecution for the rest of the victims.

On Thursday, Barbara LaWall, the Pima County attorney, said the state would have the authority to prosecute Mr. Loughner on its own, including murder charges for the killing of Judge Roll and for the attempted murder of Ms. Giffords.

“We have jurisdiction over every case,” Ms. LaWall said.

Because Mr. Loughner is in federal custody, the ordinary deadline required under state law — 10 days from arrest to filing or dropping of charges — does not apply, so county prosecutors have ample time to draft a case, Ms. LaWall said.

She said a main concern at this point was logistics: whether it would be possible for the state and federal cases to proceed simultaneously, and how witnesses and the defendant would be transported for appearances.

Ms. LaWall said because of the deep trauma caused by the mass shooting, she wanted the process to be as smooth as possible for the victims and the families who would be called to testify.

The county sheriff’s office said on Thursday that it had recovered a black bag containing 9-millimeter ammunition that it thought might belong to the suspect. Mr. Loughner, according to the police, grabbed a similar bag out of one of his family’s vehicles on Saturday, hours before the shooting. The police said they were told by Randy

Photo shows Kelly sitting by his wife's bedside, holding her hand.

Loughner, Mr. Loughner’s father, that when he confronted his son about what was inside, the younger Mr. Loughner ran into the desert carrying the bag.

A hiker found the bag while walking his dog on Thursday in a wash in the desert near the Loughner home, the police said.

As authorities continued to investigate, Dr. Rhee said on Thursday that Ms. Giffords was now capable of a range of activities she had previously been unable to perform. “She is doing fairly specific things with her left hand,” he said. “In the morning, she is yawning.

She is starting to rub her eyes, and she’ll spontaneously wake up.”

Dr. Lemole said Ms. Giffords could also “move both of her legs to command” and had communicated with family members by raising her left hand.

Dr. Lemole also said Ms. Giffords could sit up and that if someone told her, “Lift your legs up,” she would.

The new report of Ms. Giffords’s progress comes less than 24 hours after she opened her eyes for the first time.

That occurred shortly after a visit from President Obama and while several of her Congressional colleagues were in the hospital room. Mr. Obama relayed the news to the nation during his speech Wednesday evening.

Dr. Rhee said on Thursday that the right half of Ms. Giffords’s body had not

John Paul II closer to sainthood

ROME -- John Paul II moved closer to sainthood Friday as the Vatican announced he will be beatified later this year.

The beatification ceremony, led by Pope Benedict XVI, will take place on May 1, the first Sunday after Easter, and is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of the faithful to St. Peter's Square, the Vatican said.

After that, the late pope will be known as "the Blessed John Paul II." In order for a candidate to be beatified, one miracle after death must be proven through the scrutiny of medical and theological experts.

John Paul was credited with the healing of Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre, a nun whose order prayed to

the pope after he died. She says she was cured of Parkinson's disease, an ailment that also afflicted the pope. The experts looking into her recovery concluded that it was a miracle.

A second miracle would have to be confirmed for him to be officially canonized, or elevated as a saint of the Catholic Church.

The beatification of John Paul is coming very fast in Vatican terms, just under six years after his death.

He was born Karol Wojtyla in Poland in 1920 and as a child, dreamed of being a playwright and actor. By the time he died in 2005, he had spent more than a quarter century in the spotlight of a global stage, guiding millions with his religious teachings

recovered as quickly as the left, but that the right side was also “starting to make some very forward progress that we are happy about.”

Doctors described a regimen “of very aggressive physical therapy” undergone by Ms. Giffords on Thursday morning, which included dangling her legs over the side of the hospital bed, exercising her muscles and working on her balance.

“She is still holding her own. She is still following simple commands, and for me, that tells me that her higher brain center is working,” said Dr. Lemole.

Also on Thursday, NASA announced that it was appointing a backup leader for the space shuttle mission to be headed by Ms. Giffords’s husband, Mark E. Kelly. “Mark is still the commander” of the mission, scheduled for April, said Peggy Whitson, chief astronaut.

Naming Frederick W. Sturckow to the mission, she said, would allow the crew to continue training and Commander Kelly to “focus on his wife’s care.”

Marc Lacey reported from Tucson, and Timothy Williams from New York.

Jo Becker, Kirk Johnson, Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Jennifer Medina contributed reporting from Tucson, and John Schwartz from New York.

and vision.

From his earliest days as the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, John Paul established himself as a superstar. He spoke more than a dozen languages and traveled to more than 100 countries - setting an unheard-of pattern of pastoral travel.

He was charismatic and was always met by huge crowds. Many would kiss the ground in his presence.

Shortly after his death in April 2005, his successor Benedict announced that the normal fiveyear waiting period for beatification and canonization would be waived for the late pope.

The rule is intended to allow time for evidence and witnesses supporting the sainthood cause to be prepared, as well as to wait for emotions to dissipate after death. But John Paul himself set a precedent in 1999 when he granted a dispensation and let Mother Teresa's sainthood process begin two years after her death.

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British Government warns aviation industry of threat WORLD NEWS

LONDONBritish transport authorities have warned aviation officials that al-Qaida is considering an attack against a U.K. airport or other airline industry target in a threat described as credible, the BBC reported Friday.

The warning, delivered in a letter, went on to say that no changes to security will be made and the planned method of attack is unclear.

Transport officials declined to comment or say when the letter was sent, though they issued a statement saying transport security "is kept under constant review."

The BBC report comes amid heightened concerns at airports and railway stations. British Transport Police declined to comment on the deployment of officers and said the public would not notice significant changes. However, the police denied a Sky News report that officers had been ordered to cancel days off.

A government security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the heightened awareness came from increased "chatter" among suspects under surveillance by the authorities, but that no threat was imminent.

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An armed police officer waits to cross the road opposite Downing Street as a tour bus passes behind him, in Westminster, Central London.

Britain's government said the overall threat level from international terrorism remains at "severe" — the second-highest level, meaning an attack is highly likely.

The level has not changed since January 2010.

Britain's Home Office said that any imminent, serious threat to public safety would prompt a change

in the overall threat level — and would see it raised to "critical," the highest point on the system's five point scale.

Minor day-to-day revisions of policing are standard practice to handle a threat from terrorism that Prime Minister David Cameron said in December "is as serious today as it ever has been."

Britain's move comes after France and Germany increased security after warning of a heightened threat of terrorist attack.

In October, the U.S. State Department advised American citizens living or traveling in Europe to be wary amid reports that terrorists were planning a "Mumbaistyle" attack on a European city.

The next month, German authorities ordered increased security measures, including a beefed-up police presence in railway stations, airports and other public places. France is also especially vigilant on terrorism-linked matters following warnings in the last few

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months that French citizens were targets for al-Qaida. France's terror alert status is at its second-highest level.

More than 170 people were killed in a 2008 gun attack on multiple targets in the Indian city of Mumbai.

European officials have been jittery in recent weeks, especially after Iraqi officials claimed last month that captured insurgents believed militants planned a series of Christmas season attacks against European targets, of which a botched Dec. 11 suicide bombing in Stockholm was one.

But European officials said they knew of no specific terror plots against Europe over the holiday season.

Last year, a Nigerian man with explosives taped to his underwear tried to blow up a plane on Christmas Day as it approached Detroit.

"There is a continuing need for everyone to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the police," the Home Office said in a statement.

BAA, which runs Heathrow and five other terminals, said security at its airports remained at a high level and that the company is vigilant at all times.

Last month, nine men suspected of plotting attacks on the U.S. Embassy London and the London Stock Exchange were charged with terrorism offenses, following the largest antiterror raid in two years.

In July 2005, four British suicide bombers killed 52 commuters on London's transit system, and numerous other terrorist plots have been linked to Britain.

Taimour Abdulwahab, who blew himself up on a busy street in Stockholm, last month injuring two people, had lived and studied in Luton, about 34 miles (54 kilometers) northwest of London, for years before killed himself in the attack.

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Gabrielle Giffords story: A lesson in media houses leaping to conclusions

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

WORLD NEWS

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PASADENA, Calif. – The rapidly replicated false report that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords had died after being shot in the head provided media outlets another lesson this weekend in the danger of leaping to conclusions.

NPR News' executive editor apologized Sunday to Giffords' family for the false report. That story came only an hour after NPR scored a significant scoop in reporting on Saturday's shooting in Tucson, Ariz., itself.

Media organizations also faced scrutiny for how they speculated on potential causes of a gunman's rampage in a shopping center where Giffords was meeting with constituents.

National Public Radio had reported on its 2 p.m. EST newscast — and in subsequent e-mail alerts to subscribers — that Giffords had died from her U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords remains hospitalised injury when, in fact, she was still in surgery. Dick Meyer, executive editor headline of Giffords' supposed death. of NPR News, said the information Reuters cited NPR in a story that came from two different government appeared on the front of the Yahoo! sources, including one in the Pima News site. CBS broke into the coverage of a women's college County Sheriff's Department.

"This was a serious and grave basketball game to report that Giffords error," Meyers said in a note posted on had died. NBC had a similar special NPR's website Sunday. He said that on report.

ABC was more cautious about 15 behalf of NPR News, "I apologize for minutes after the others, noting reports this mistake to the family of Rep. that she had died yet quoting her Giffords, to the families of everyone communications director that she was affected by the shootings, to our still alive.

The Associated Press, listeners and to our readers." unsatisfied that the reports of Giffords' Mistakes in the rush to gather facts death were accurate, did not make a in a fast-breaking story aren't new. Yet mistaken report. in today's media environment, Ironically, NPR's own work earlier amplified by the speed and viral nature in the day may have given its report of social media, they're likely to spread more weight than it deserved. NPR farther and faster than ever before. appeared to be the first national news Within a half hour, all three cable outlet to report on the shooting after the news networks had bannered the

wife of Arizona Public Media News Director Pete Michaels witnessed the scene and called her husband.

Fox News Channel's Bret Baier said on the air at 2:18 p.m. that NPR and one of his own sources reported that Giffords was dead. Fox's screen carried the headline: "AZ Rep. Giffords Has Died After Being Shot in the Head." Another Fox reporter said that the shooting suspect had himself been shot before being taken into custody, and there's been no evidence of that happening.

CNN went with NPR's report, and Martin Savidge quickly added that CNN had confirmed the "death" as well.

Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather said that if he were covering the story in the 1970s and 1980s, he would not likely have gone with the NPR report. But if he were in the anchor chair in 2011, he probably would have.

"The pressure is immediate and almost crushing on you and your news organization to match that," he said.

"Mostly what you hear are sets all over the world going to your competition and computers, handheld or otherwise, going to a different site."

NPR's reputation as a news organization would carry weight, particularly since television news organization knew NPR was more likely to have people close to the scene.

He recalled that following the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981, there were reports — even from the White House — that press secretary James Brady had died after being shot in the head.

Yet CBS reporter Phil Jones urged

restraint, saying he had other sources that didn't trust that report, and CBS held back, he said.

Now the reporting ranks have been thinned to the point that many news organizations are, in effect, relying on each other.

"Most news sites, whether they be on the Internet, television, radio or print, have been hollowed out to the point where they are news packagers and not news gatherers," Rather said.

Paul Levinson, chairman of the communications and media studies department at Fordham University, was more forgiving and noted that the erroneous reports on Giffords' death were quickly updated.

"We can't get away from the fact that reporters are human beings," Levinson said. "They do their best.

There will be errors at institutions like this."

Commentators were quick to weigh in. MSNBC's Keith Olbermann said in an editorial late Saturday that politicians and talk show personalities — himself included — needed to swear off any kind of violent imagery so as not to incite anybody into acts like the Giffords shooting. Those who don't, he said, should be judged silently complicit of the act.

News organizations were closely watched in how they offered context to the events. The conservative watchdog publication Newsbusters, for example, faulted the AP for noting that Giffords' district was targeted by supporters of Sarah Palin while not discussing leftwing commentators' criticism of Democrats who did not support Nancy Pelosi for minority leader.

Australians clean up muddy sludge after floods

Brisbane, Australia -- As the water continued to recede in parts of flood-battered Brisbane on Friday, wary Australians were hit with a new task: a massive clean-up.

Neighborhoods are coated in the muddy sludge the floodwaters left behind. And for some, the sludge has invaded their homes, destroying much of their belongings.

Sally Lynch was evacuated from her Brisbane home when the floods started, and returned to find it destroyed.

"The water came up to our rooftops so obviously our furniture and all our possessions are floating around like a washing machine around our house," Lynch said. 'It is total devastation. To be honest with you, I sat there and howled. But you can only howl for so long. I will be fine. I will keep on going."

The discovery of a woman's body in Grantham in the Lockyer Valley brought the death toll to 16, said Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. Fifty-three people are missing, Bligh said.

Emergency services and Australian military personnel stepped up the search for the missing in Queensland as authorities and residents tried to assess the damage caused by the state's worst flooding in decades.

Officials warned the cleanup will take months.

More than 20,000 homes were inundated after the normally subdued Brisbane River turned into a raging torrent as weeks of rain pushed it to more than 4 meters at high tide last week.

Residents in Brisbane were being urged not to enter floodwater because of the risk of illness after

Volunteers and residents cleared mud as they returned home after the floods

sewage plants along the river were inundated.

Sightseers were warned to stay clear of the Brisbane River or risk hampering emergency service operations.

The Brisbane River, which slices through the city, peaked Thursday at 4.6 meters (more than 15 feet), about a meter below predictions and below the level set by the last major flood in 1974.

Queensland police have arrested 10 people on 18 charges of looting. Nine of the incidents were in Brisbane and one in Ipswich. If convicted, offenders

could face up to 10 years in prison.

The flooding in Brisbane follows flooding elsewhere in the state. Soon after Christmas, water from torrential rains swamped the northern city of Rockhampton, 600 kilometers (370 miles) north of Brisbane, triggering a massive recovery operation to rebuild the town.

Those floodwaters have been sweeping toward the coasts since then. So far, 70 towns and cities in Queensland have been affected by the flood, Bligh said.

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Page 41

Banks repossess 1 million homes in 2010

JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY 21ST, 2011

NEW YORK – The bleakest year in the foreclosure crisis has only just begun.

Lenders are poised to take back more homes this year than any other since the U.S. housing meltdown began in 2006. About 5 million borrowers are at least two months behind on their mortgages and more will miss payments as they struggle with job losses and loans worth more than their home's value, industry analysts forecast.

"2011 is going to be the peak," said Rick Sharga, a senior vice president at foreclosure tracker RealtyTrac Inc. The firm predicts 1.2 million homes will be repossessed this year by lenders.

The outlook comes after banks repossessed more than 1 million homes in 2010, RealtyTrac said Thursday. That marked the highest annual tally of properties lost to foreclosure on records dating back to 2005.

One in 45 U.S. households received a foreclosure filing last year, or a record high of 2.9 million homes.

That's up 1.67 percent from 2009.

For December, 257,747 U.S. homes received at least one foreclosure-related notice. That was the lowest monthly total in 30 months.

The number of notices fell 1.8 percent from November and 26.3 percent from December 2009, RealtyTrac said.

The pace slowed in the final two months of 2010 as banks reviewed

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A realtor and bank-owned sign is displayed near a house for sale in Phoenix, Arizona, January 4, 2011. One million nhomes were repossed last year and about 5 million borrowers are at least two months behind on their mortgages and more will miss payments

their foreclosure processes after allegations surfaced in September that evictions were handled improperly.

Under increased scrutiny by the government, lenders temporarily halted taking actions against borrowers severely behind on their payments.

However, most banks have since resumed their eviction processes, and the first quarter will likely show a rebound in foreclosure activity, Sharga said.

Foreclosures are expected to remain elevated through the year as homeowners contend with stubbornly high unemployment, tougher credit

standards for refinancing and falling home values. Sharga said he expects prices to dip another 5 percent nationally before finally bottoming out. The decline will push more borrowers underwater on their mortgages. Already, about one in five homeowners with a mortgage owe more than their home is worth.

The pain likely will be the most acute in states that have already been hit hard. That includes former housing boom states Nevada, Arizona, Florida and California, along with states that are suffering most from the economic downturn, including Michigan and

Illinois.

Nevada posted the highest foreclosure rate in 2010 for the fourth straight year, despite a 5 percent decline in activity from the year before. One in every 11 households received a foreclosure filing last year in the state. In December, foreclosure activity increased 18 percent from November with a 71 percent spike in bank repossessions.

Arizona and California also showed sharp December increases in the number of homes banks took back, at 52 percent and 47 percent, respectively. Arizona, along with Florida, finished the year at No. 2 and No. 3 for the highest foreclosure rates.

One in every 17 Arizona households got a foreclosure filing last year, while one in 18 received a notice in Florida.

California, Utah, Georgia, Michigan, Idaho, Illinois and Colorado rounded out the top ten states with the highest foreclosure rates.

More than half of the country's foreclosure activity came out of five states in 2010: California, Florida, Arizona, Illinois and Michigan.

Together, these states recorded almost 1.5 million households receiving a filing, despite year-over-year decreases in California, Florida and Arizona.

RealtyTrac tracks notices for defaults, scheduled home auctions and home repossessions — warnings that can lead up to a home eventually being lost to foreclosure.

Lehman says needs more time for bankruptcy plan

(Reuters) - Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc said it will take longer than expected to win approval of its bankruptcy reorganization plan as it tries to settle differences with creditors, who are owed well over $300 billion.

Harvey Miller, a lawyer for the company, told a U.S. bankruptcy judge in Manhattan that Lehman hopes to file a revised Chapter 11 plan within seven to 10 days, and win court approval of the plan "well before the end of the year."

Lehman earlier hoped to have a plan approved by the end of March. Miller, a partner at Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, said at Thursday's hearing before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge James Peck that this timeline is no longer feasible.

In a regulatory filing, Lehman said it expects to have about $60.1 billion of assets, up from the $57.5 billion it estimated six months earlier, to distribute to creditors who claim to be owed $369 billion.

It said the bankruptcy court will likely allow creditors to pursue $322 billion of these claims. It said a "significant" amount remains unresolved,

including $40.3 billion related to derivatives.

The company also needs to reach an accord with a group of creditors, including billionaire investor John Paulson, that submitted a competing Chapter 11 plan in December.

This group believes Lehman's plan treats big bank creditors better than other creditors.

Once the fourth-largest U.S. investment bank, Lehman filed for court protection on September 15, 2008, in by far the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history, after growing overexposed to real estate, mortgages and complex debt that plunged in value.

The bankruptcy filing is considered one of the main triggers of the global financial crisis.

"GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY" TO SELL ASSETS Lehman can begin repaying creditors once it emerges from bankruptcy. Companies typically emerge shortly after they win approval of a reorganization plan, but it is unclear how fast Lehman might emerge.

Bryan Marsal, a restructuring expert who is

Lehman's chief executive, told Peck that improved market conditions for merger and acquisition activity give Lehman a "golden opportunity" to sell assets over the next six to 12 months.

Under Lehman's plan, unsecured creditors could recover 10.4 cents to 44.2 cents on the dollar, general unsecured creditors of the holding company could recover 14.7 cents on the dollar, and creditors of derivatives and commercial paper units could recover 21.9 cents to 44.2 cents on the dollar.

The company is separately suing Barclays Plc, JPMorgan Chase & Co and others to recover tens of billions of dollars of assets for distribution to creditors.

Barclays bought Lehman's main U.S. brokerage business shortly after the bankruptcy.

Peck is expected to rule early this year on Lehman's claim that Barclays extracted an $11 billion "windfall" from this transaction.

The case is in Re: Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York, No. 08-13555.

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Target to open stores in Canada in 2013

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY U.S. retailer buying leases of Canada’s Zellers in $1.85 billion deal NEW YORK — Target is expanding north, agreeing to acquire most leases of Canadian retailer Zellers and planning to open its first Canadian stores in 2013.

Target Corp. said Tuesday it will pay $1.83 billion Canadian ($1.85 billion U.S.) for the 220 Zellers leases from Hudson's Bay Co. Target aims to convert 100 to 150 of those into Target stores throughout Canada in 2013 and 2014.

The remaining stores will go to other as-yetundetermined retailers or landlords, Target spokeswoman Lena Michaud said.

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Until the new stores begin to open, Hudson's Bay will sublease the stores back from Target and keep operating them as Zellers.

Target also says it will try to sell its $6.7 billion credit card receivables portfolio, a move some activist investors have pushed for a long time, to help finance the deal.

Target is one of the few retailers to retain its own credit card business, which can be profitable for merchants but also increases their risk of being liable for customers' bad debt.

Target took significant write-downs on credit cards in the fourth quarter of 2008, and sold 47 percent of the unit to JPMorgan Chase that year.

The business has since improved. During the

Judge approves $7.2 billion Madoff settlement

A U.S. judge approved a $7.2 billion settlement on Thursday to pay former customers of the Madoff firm, the largest yet in the worldwide search for money lost in Bernard Madoff's multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Burton Lifland in New York made the ruling over the objections of some investors, who contested the deal between the estate of Jeffry Picower, a Madoff friend and investor, and a trustee liquidating the Madoff firm.

The trustee and the U.S. Department of Justice announced the settlement on December 17 with Picower's wife, Barbara. Picower died of a heart attack in Florida at the age of 67 in October 2009.

The objection to the settlement, the biggest since the December 2008 revelation of Madoff's decades-long fraud, was made on behalf of a putative class of investors whose claims are not recognized by the trustee, lawyer Irving Picard.

Picard has put the amount of principal that investors lost at about $20 billion. So far, Picard and his team of lawyers have won settlements of about $10 billion.

Madoff, 72, is serving a 150-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in March 2009 to orchestrating a Ponzi scheme. A Ponzi scheme is one in which no actual trades in securities take place and early investors are paid with the money of new clients.

The cases are Securities Investor Protection Corp v. Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York No. 08-1789 and Picard v. Jeffry M. Picower No. 09-01197.

quarter ended Oct. 30, its profit increased to $130 million from $60 million a year ago because of less bad debt.

Target also launched a reward program in the fall that gives Target debit and credit card holders a 5 percent discount on purchases.

Target will pay the fee in two parts of $912.5 million Canadian ($923.5 million U.S.) in May and September.

Target's Chief Marketing Officer Michael Francis will oversee the expansion.

The discount chain has been opening new stores, remodeling others and expanding food offerings at its stores as it competes against rivals like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and dollar stores.

Injured turtle now has wheels

A veterinarian places Tzvika, an injured female turtle, on a carpet at the Wildlife Hospital in the Ramat Gan Safari near Tel Aviv January 5, 2011. About two months ago Tzvika was run over by a lawn mower, suffering severe damage to her shell and a spinal injury that affected her ability to use her rear limbs. The wheels, attached by veterinarians at the Safari, elevate the turtle to keep the shell from being worn down and enable her to walk.

BRITISH WARSHIPS GET RADAR UPGRADE

CAMBRIDGE, England- Britain's Cambridge Pixel has supplied its SPx radar scan conversion system to BAE for use on British navy ships.

The order for the system, which will be used for Type 45 destroyers and Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, is worth $721.3 million.

"We are pleased to be bringing advanced

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software capabilities to BAE Systems for this application. Our SPx software provides a flexible and expandable solution that can meet the complex requirements of the new generation naval platforms," said David Johnson, managing director of Cambridge Pixel.

Cambridge Pixel said BAE Systems has

integrated the software-based radar scan converter into its command and control client software, enabling radar video to be received from multiple radars on-board the ships into a server application and then distributed over Ethernet networks to command-and-control displays across the ship.

The server application is built from Cambridge Pixel's HPx-100 radar acquisition cards and SPx software modules for compression and network interfacing.

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Gayle and Lara snubbed by Indian Premier League

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Recovering West Indies fast bowler, Jerome Taylor, has quite remarkably been able to snag an Indian Premier League deal.

But his fully fit and destructive batting compatriot, Chris Gayle, as well as batting legend Brian Lara, and several other notable West Indians failed to attract interest on the second and final day of the IPL players' auction yesterday.

"I'm sure all those IPL franchises, everyone will know what I'm capable of," said Gayle.

"I didn't have anything to prove.

It's unfortunate things didn't come off in the IPL, disappointed, but at the same time you've got to live life and still got to move on."

The 26-year-old Taylor was sidelined with hip and back injuries for most of last year and only recently resumed competitive cricket in Jamaica.

He is part of Jamaica's squad for the Caribbean Twenty20 Championship, which opens today in Antigua, but this failed to deter the Pune franchise and he was bought for the base price of US $100,000.

This means only three players from the West Indies are likely to feature in this year's fourth edition of the IPL. The others are Kieron Pollard, one of the four 'protected players' retained by the Mumbai Indians franchise for

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Chris Gayle

US$900,000, and fellow all-rounder and compatriot, Dwayne Bravo, whose contract was picked up by reigning champions, the Chennai Super Kings, for US$200,000, on the first day of the auction on Saturday.

All other West Indians, including Gayle and Lara remained unsold and their prospects for this year look very dim.

For Gayle, it's a major financial setback. He stood to earn a minimum of US$120,000, plus match fees and bonus payments under the terms of a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) retainer contract.

But he, along with Bravo and Pollard, chose to snub the retainers hoping to shop their skills around the

Edwards works out briefly in trial match Fidel Edwards continued his comeback from injury, when he bowled in a Barbados national trial on Tuesday January 11. .

The 28-year-old West Indies fast bowler delivered 10 overs and conceded just 17 runs, as Jason Holder's XI reached 152 for three in their second innings when the four-day match at the rural St Catherine Club on the island's south-east coast came to a climax.

Edwards has maintained his slingy side-on action and managed to get a few deliveries to whiz past the batsmen, although he generally bowled well within himself on the docile pitch.

Edwards, a veteran of 43 Tests, 50 one-day internationals and 12 Twenty20 internationals, was sidelined with a worrying back injury on October 14, 2009, after he played for the Deccan Chargers against Trinidad & Tobago in a Champions League T20 match at Hyderabad in India.

This appearance for the Chargers came during a remedial programme, after he was afflicted by the back ailment during the West Indies tour of England at the World T20 Championship in June 2009 in England.

The Barbados trial match is in preparation for the regional first-class championship, which opens on February 1. No player distinguished themselves on the final day of the match.

Brian Lara

world, including the IPL. Lowered interest Gayle had entered the auction with a reserve price of US$400,000, but observers indicated that his likely unavailability for the full duration of the IPL considerably lowered interest in him.

The left-handed opener and parttime off-spinner is likely to be part of West Indies' plan for their home series against Pakistan, which will be contested around the same time as the IPL between April 15 and May 24.

Gayle however, had indicated in a Twitter message late last year that he was looking to take a break from the international game, probably hoping to increase his attractiveness to IPL

bidders - but it did not work.

He shrugged off the disappointment and gave the IPL bidders a jolt, when he blasted 61 off 31 balls in an Australian T20 Big Bash match for Western Australia against New South Wales yesterday in Sydney.

Overlooked It was hardly surprising that Lara, at the age of 41, the oldest player in the auction, was overlooked. He has been retired for the last three years.

The left-handed batsman made a return to the competitive game last October, when he played in Zimbabwe's national Twenty20 league, announcing his intention to play in the IPL this year.

But he also entered the auction at a base price of US$400,000 and it would appear that the franchises felt this was too princely a sum to pay for him.

Apart from Taylor, two dozen other West Indians, including Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Fidel Edwards and Kemar Roach, were under consideration, but none bagged a deal.

No player topped the US$1 million mark on the second day, with Australian Daniel Christian fetching the highest price of US$900,000.

Several other high-profile players missed out on IPL cash. They include England's Ashes-winning trio of batsmen Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell, along with fast bowler Chris Tremlett.

Former West Indies selector Joey Carew passes away

Former Trinidad & Tobago captain and West Indies batsman, Michael 'Joey' Carew, is dead. He was 73.

Carew, a former chairman of the West Indies selection panel, died at his home in Woodbrook in the twin-island republic's capital late on Saturday.

Family members are awaiting an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

"We are not too sure of the cause of death, but I think it had something to do with a blocked artery," said his eldest son, Michael Jr, who also played for T&T. "We are awaiting the report from the autopsy to get the official cause of death."

Michael Jr added that the country knew his father as a leader and he chose to leave as a leader.

"He was a leader, the head of our household and he would be sadly missed," said Michael Jr. "He was the kind of man who would have wanted us to carry on and not sulk over his passing."

Carew's involvement in the game continued following his retirement from playing, and he was a long-term manager of the Queen's Park Cricket Club.

He was also the longest-serving West Indies selector, enjoying three stints starting in the 1970s and his greatest legacy to the game in the two-island republic and the Caribbean will be his mentoring of batting legend Brian Lara.

Carew played 19 Tests for the West Indies, scoring 1,127 runs at an average of 34.15. He also

took eight Test wickets with his uncomplicated legspin.

He came to prominence when he scored 100 against Jamaica in 1959, but it was not until the 1968-69 tour of Australia and New Zealand that he established himself at the highest level.

Carew was the surprise choice for the trip and was a success, scoring 643 runs at an average of 49.94 in the six Tests; and 1,222 runs at 45.25 in all first-class matches.

Only Test hundred He scored his only Test hundred of 109 in the first Test against the New Zealanders at Auckland, adding 172 with Seymour Nurse.

Stephen Camacho, the secretary of the West Indies Cricket Board, was a close friend of Carew.

They opened the batting for West Indies and most notably put on 119 against England at Queen's Park Oval in 1968. Camacho was deeply saddened by the loss.

"Joey was a great friend of mine and his passing is an immense loss to West Indies cricket," he said. "(Joey) made such a significant contribution not only as a player and captain, but most notably as a selector. He was a particularly fine captain and an astute tactician."

He also led T&T with much distinction, becoming the first captain to win back-to-back regional first-class titles in the 1971 and 1972 seasons.

Page 44

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Production Manager

WIV Cable TV is seeking a qualified Production Manager for the production of news, pre-recorded television shows, live broadcast and productions.

Job Responsibilities • Keep talent and production organized and on schedule • Participate in shows’ planning process • Responsible for finalization of show prep sheet • Maintain a weekly calendar • Maintains a computer “bit” file; librarian for bits, production etc • Keeps updated lists of regular callers, guests and experts • Lines up guests for various shows • Serves as liaison with all other department, including legal and risk management • Responsible for turning ideas into reality, by taking ideas from the talent or management and “produce” results • Make talent and guest look good • Direct participants of the show • Be able to edit tape, phone conversations and bits • Be able to pull audio for show, sound bits etc • Produce drop-ins, beds, “best of shows” lift comedy service materials etc • Set up remote broadcasts • Supervising the placement and setup of cameras, lighting elements, microphone and props • Produce promos • Assist with writing to enhance scripts, skits, bits and promos • Contributes ideas and content for shows • Shows attention to details • Find inventive ways to do routine things • Possess grace under pressure/able to meet tight deadlines, change and numerous other tasks • Set line up and take to air the network’s program. This includes crafting a rundown and flow of all segments.

• The show integrates hard and soft news segments. Must be able

SENIOR TRUST & ESTATE ATTORNEY/COMPLIANCE OFFICER

to create transitions in your rundown that incorporate all aspects of pre-planned segments as well as new news material that21ST, must2011 TURKS AND CAICOS SUN JANUARY 14TH - JANUARY be integrated from the overnight.

• Work with the news cast to coordinate stories. Provide assignments and feedback to the anchors and writers of the show.

• Must be able to interact in the booth coordinating the show and anchor talent in multiple locations.

• Coordinate show information with the Station Manager.

• Produce fully formed in-studio segments, live remotes, and multiple packages from location shoots as needed for the show.

Possesses rolodex (list of guests/personalities) and has a wide range of contacts on a variety of topics.

• Position must be comfortable with, and capable of, producing both serious and feature material.

• Develop contingency plans for breaking stories.

• Ability to operate in a fast paced television control room environment.

• Maintaining accuracy and details are critical to broadcast • Excellent knowledge of current events, regionally and nationally • Must prepare hosts for assigned segments • Other duties as assigned Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication or a related field or the recognized equivalent in work study or self study Minimum 7-12 years experience in broadcast/cable morning news/feature format experience Previous experience at Management level in news/show production Must be proficient in Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid and Final Cut Pro Excellent command of written and spoken English Proficiency with a PC, strong writing skills Must be able accommodate an irregular schedule including early mornings, some weekends and occasional travel Regular, consistent and punctual attendance Kindly forward your resume, police and three recent references to: Station Manager WIV Cable TV P. O. Box 679 Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Email: administrator@wiv.tc Or fax us at: 946-4790 No phone calls please Only qualified candidates will be contacted for interview

CONTINENTAL TRUST CORPORATION (TCI) LTD. is seeking to employ a qualified senior Trust & Estate Lawyer to serve as Managing Director of the Company as well as Group Compliance Officer of the MORRIS, COTTINGHAM Group of Financial Services Companies. The successful applicant must have a Bachelor of Laws Degree, a minimum of ten (10) years professional experience in and fully versant in all relevant aspects of international Trust Law and practice. The candidate must also be a self-motivated achiever with good leadership skills and the ability to supervise and communicate effectively.

Exposure to and extensive experience in Anti-Money Laundering compliance and reporting issues is essential.

The successful candidate will report directly to the Directors of the Company and the Managing Director of the MORRIS, COTTINGHAM Group and will be expected to undertake such duties and responsibilities, including advising clients on domestic and international Trust and Estate Planning matters, assisting in the marketing and promotion of the Group’s professional services generally and development of the Group’s Professional Trustee business. A considerable amount of client contact and exposure to a wide variety of offshore financial services, as well as challenging ad hoc project and business consultancy work would be encountered. Overseas, as well as some domestic, travel will from time to time be required.

A three year contract will initially be offered with an imminent to immediate starting date that may be extended in satisfactory circumstances. The salary level on commencement will be negotiable CONTINENTAL TRUST CORPORATION (TCI) LTD. BRIEF PROFILE CONTINENTAL TRUST CORPORATION (TCI) LTD. is a Licenced Professional Trustee, based on the Capital Island of Grand Turk, in the Turks and Caicos Islands, that specializes in the provision of professional trustee services to a wide range of private international clients. It is also part of the MORRIS, COTTINGHAM Group of financial services companies, in affiliation with a network of associate firms worldwide in all aspects of international financial services.

Interested persons must address their application in writing to the following: The Managing Director Morris, Cottingham Wilma House Hibiscus Square, Pond Street P.O. Box 156 Grand Turk Turks and Caicos Islands E-mail: mcal-gdt@tciway.tc or Fax: 649-946-2503 SUITABLY QUALIFIED BELONGERS NEED ONLY APPLY

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Pat Shurmur takes over Cleveland Browns TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

BEREA, Ohio- Pat Shurmur, most recently offensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams, was introduced Thursday as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Shurmur is the 13th head coach in Browns franchise history, replacing Eric Mangini, whose twoseason tenure in Cleveland ended Jan. 3 after the Browns finished with their second consecutive 5-11

LeBron James should follow in Ron Artest's Tweet-steps

OAKLAND, Calif. -- When it comes to the public relations game, LeBron James' losing streak is reaching historic levels.

No gaffe was greater than "The Decision," the one-hour ESPN special on which he announced he was leaving Cleveland to join Miami as a free agent. He was instantly villainized after the program, not only for the egocentric nature of the event but because of his decision not to inform the Cavs or their fans of his intentions in advance.

There have been a number of James airballs on the PR front since then, the latest coming late Tuesday night when he seemed to suckerTweet his old teammates in Cleveland during the final minutes of their 11257 loss to the Lakers by writing "Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. It’s not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!"

Yet in a sign of how bad James' PR approach has become that he would be well-advised to pay attention to, even Ron Artest -- Lakers small forward and resident expert on NBA villainy -- can't seem to understand what the self-proclaimed King is thinking.

"Yeah, I saw that (tweet)," Artest said when asked about it Wednesday night before facing Golden State.

"Unfortunately I saw that."

And your thoughts?

"No thoughts; no thoughts," he continued reluctantly. "I'd rather not see that tweet. I ain't got no comment on it (laughs). That situation is between the parties that's involved."

Perhaps Artest was reluctant to be the pot calling the kettle black, as his road to being deemed the King of Twitter in the hoops world has certainly come with a few social media transgressions along the way.

None were more high-profile than the one in early May, when he complained about Lakers coach Phil

Jackson during the Western Conference semifinals against Utah because of the way he often criticizes his players through the media rather than speaking to them privately.

Yet while Artest was once known as the bad boy of the NBA, he is now the resident expert on public image makeovers.

The combination of his good behavior, open nature, success with the Lakers and his admirable push for mental health awareness has led to an image transformation the likes of which the league has rarely, if ever, seen. And toning it down on Twitter, Artest said, has played a part in that process.

"Now I'll be a little more cautious (on Twitter), but before, when I first got here to L.A., I was just doing some things that I wish I never did," he said.

"I probably typed and tweeted some stuff that it was like, 'Why did you tweet that?' It was fun. It was cool. But some stuff I wish I would not have tweeted.

"I'll be having to watch what I say, because it's like you're doing an interview on Twitter. ... They're (the media) going to ask you about it the next day, so you've got to watch what you say."

As for James, he backtracked on Wednesday, saying the sentiment wasn't aimed at "that team." In all likelihood, it was aimed at Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who eviscerated James with a scathing letter of disapproval shortly after his exit.

But the damage had already been done on the perception front, with James -- who landed a more legitimate punch to the Cavs' gut on Dec. 2 when the Heat destroyed his old team 11890 in his return to Cleveland -- being deemed a cheap-shot artist yet again.

The Cavs might be the ones who have lost 11 consecutive games, but it's James whose PR losing streak continues.

record.

Shurmur was the Rams' offensive coordinator the last two seasons and is credited with helping turn the team from a 1-15 record in 2009 to 7-9 in 2010 as quarterback Sam Bradford set several NFL rookie passing records.

Shurmur was with the Philadelphia Eagles for 10 seasons, including seven as quarterbacks

coach, prior to joining St. Louis.

"I want to thank the St. Louis Rams and (Coach) Steve Spagnulo for two terrific seasons and for giving me a chance to be a coordinator at this level," Shurmur said. "I am looking forward to this challenge and can't wait to get started in helping to build the Browns back to one of the elite teams in the NFL."

Study: Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong TV ads were Worst Celebrity Ads of 2010

Tiger Woods

Lance Armstrong

NEW YORK - A new study on celebrity endorsements shows that big names often don’t pay big dividends in advertising.

It ranked a Tiger Woods commercial for Nike, followed by a Lance Armstrong Radio Shack ad as the worst celebrity spots of 2010 based on effectiveness. A Macy’s commercial featuring Donald Trump came in at number five of the least effective celebrity endorsements.

In an analysis of nationally televised ads over the first 11 months of 2010, the study by Ace Metrix found that commercials with celebrities performed at or below average in key metrics, Ad Age reported.

The five worst celebrity ads all had a negative "lift," a metric that measures how much better or worse an ad did compared with its industry competition, of 24 percent to 30 percent.

Overall, the study found that one-fifth of celebrity spots had a negative impact on ad effectiveness. And fewer than 12 percent of celebrity ads exceeded a 10 percent lift.

"From Tiger Woods to Donald Trump, we found that with rare exception, celebrity endorsements were largely ineffective and failed to yield the benefits popular wisdom promises," Ace Metrix CEO Peter Daboll wrote.

In the digital age, consumers are simply too pressed for time, not easily vowed and as likely to be influenced by their social networks as by celebrities or more so, he explained said.

Confusion about what product a celebrity was promoting and dislike of a celebrity were key drivers cited by consumers that also seem to have played a key role in the Woods commercials. "Mired in controversy, Tiger's sponsors chose to address his "mistakes" in their ads rather than the products that he was supposed to be hawking," Daboll said.

Woods has lost a slew of key sponsors since news of extramarital affairs first emerged.

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