April 18 - 24, 2015

Weekly News Volume 29 | No. 16 | April 18 - 24, 2015

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Turks and Caicos

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Gov’t aware

of lawsuit

The Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands on Thursday (April 16) admitted that they are aware of the civil suit against the members of the Desarrolloss Hotel group, which intends to build a $224 million Ritz Carlton hotel in the Islands.

PAGE  5 Premier Rufus Ewing cuts the ribbon on the newly renovated facility

Healthcare clinic opens in Middle Caicos PAGE

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PAGE Invest TCI 4 appointment angers Opposition

Outgoing hospital CEO wants capitation agreement in place for facility PAGE  4

Body found in Grand Turk bushes suspected to be missing man PAGE  7

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

April 18 - 24, 2015

April 18 - 24, 2015

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April 18 - 24, 2015

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Invest TCI appointment angers Opposition – Gov’t defends selection

BY DELANA ISLES THE OPPOSITION has accused the Government of bypassing qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders in the new investment promotion agency, but the Government has hit right back, claiming that no Turks and Caicos Islander bid for the positions when they was tendered.

Two bids were recently sent out by the Government for a programme director for a TCI Government transformation strategy, and an investment promotion expert (IPE), both of whom would guide the new statutory body, Invest TCI. In a strongly worded statement to the press on Wednesday (April 15), the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) stated that the Rufus Ewing led PNP administration is once again by passing its people and blatantly committing some of the same acts that were frowned upon in the private sector.

“This latest assault on its people, more directly under the Hon Washington Misick, will see a senior contract officer in one of the statutory bodies under Misick’s portfolio who has been met with personal challenges under that contract, favoured and positioned to head up the new statutory body recently supported by the PDM - the new Invest TC which is also under Misick’s portfolio.”

The party said that the contract officer had tendered his resignation a few months ahead of the end of his current contract and may still enjoy full gratuity privileges while moving to the new post.

“Persons we have spoken to have

Colin Heartwell

Leader of the Opposition, Sharlene Cartwright Robinson

Minister of Finance, Washington Misick

not seen nor did we see the position advertised. This says to us that there were no real attempts to make this a bonafide Turks and Caicos empowering experience,” the release read.

The party said that by virtue of bypassing islanders for the position, the Government loses the moral authority to champion issues for its people in the public and private sectors.

“We are calling on the Government to explain this move to the people of this country. We need to understand the procedure followed in this matter – its advertising and recruitment process.

“The Government needs to tell its people why it feels that it should bypass qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders who have experience and who can be empowered so as to make the return of Invest TC to a true bonafide Turks and Caicos experience,” the party urged.

However, Minister Misick told the Weekly News on Thursday that in an effort to maximise the benefit from the agency a programme consisting of two projects were tendered for collective or individual bidding.

And that a total of two bids were received, both local but no Turks and

Caicos Islander bids were tendered, despite direct requests.

As such, following the strict procedures of the Public Procurement Ordinance, a locally registered consultancy firm owned

by Colin Heartwell, former CEO of TCInvest, CEO of the National Insurance Board (NIB) and a PRC holder with the right to work, was awarded the contract for the services as an investment promotion expert.

He said the tender for programme director has not been awarded yet.

The scope of services of the IPE as described in the tender document is to provide advice, and assistance and guidance to the Government on the creation and operation of the new agency and monitor or support the staff hired to undertake the work.

He added that the IPE will be tasked with collaborating with the

programme director for the business transformation strategy to support the successful implementation of the strategy.

The minister noted that in the public interest, the NIB, itself an autonomous statutory body, agreed to the early release on notice of Heartwell from his contract to expedite the delivery of the services set out in his contract with Government.

“TCIG categorically deny the appointment of Colin Heartwell, or anyone else for that matter as CEO of Invest TCI. “As a matter of fact before a CEO can be appointed a board of directors must as a practical matter be appointed. In that regard such a board was appointed in a Cabinet meeting on April 16, 2016.”

The minister added that the ordinance allows for two

Published by Turks & Caicos News Company Ltd. Cheshire House, Leeward Highway, Providenciales P.O. Box 52, Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI W. Blythe Duncanson - Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Bird - News Editor Delana Isles - Senior Reporter Daisy Handfield - Staff Reporter Faizool Deo - Sports Editor (At Large) Cord Garrido-Lowe - Graphics Consultant (At Large) Dilletha Lightbourne-Williams - Office Manager Email: (Advertising) tcnews@tciway.tc, (News) tcweeklynews@gmail.com Tel. 649-946-4664 (office), 649-232-3508 (after hours) Website address: www.tcweeklynews.com Follow us on: Facebook: facebook.com/tcweeklynews Twitter: twitter.com/tcweeklynews1

appointments from the private sector, and it clearly sets out the qualifications of those appointments given the functions of the body.

“The appointments are two outstanding Turks and Caicos Islanders Anton Faesler as chair, and Tremaine Swann-Harvey as deputy chair.

“The CEO and other senior management appointments would be made in accordance with the law, and will be transparent.

“Qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders will be invited to apply for those jobs at the appropriate time.”

The establishment of the agency replaces the now defunct Turks and Caicos Islands Investment Agency (TCInvest).

Invest TCI is a critical element in the strategic plan to transform how business is done with the public, the Government has repeatedly said.

Misick said that arrangements are underway to transition from the investment unit, which served as a Government department within the Ministry of Finance Trade and Investment, to a fully functioning statutory body autonomously operated by a Board of Directors, CEO and other key functionaries.

Among its purposes, the agency will seek to enhance competitiveness, act as a catalyst for change by providing advice to Government on ways to improve the trade and investment environment in all sectors, and streamline processes.

Outgoing hospital CEO wants capitation agreement in place for facility

BY DELANA ISLES JILL Magri, the outgoing Chief Executive Officer of the Interhealth Canada’s hospital in the Turks and Caicos Islands, would like to see the hospital contract changed over to the capitation method it should have in its second year of operation.

Magri was at the time speaking with the media during the five year anniversary celebration of the hospital on Friday (April 10) about the improvements she would like to see put in place.

Capitation is a pre-determined amount for what the healthcare of the country would cost.

Cheshire Hall Medical Centre

Soon to be former CEO of Interhealth Canada, Jill Magri being presented with a plaque for her service to the institution

by Dr Denise BraithwaiteTennant

The current agreement with Interhealth Canada is one of cost plus, which is also termed a cost reimbursement contract, and is a contract where a contractor is paid for all of its allowed expenses to a set limit, plus additional payment to allow for a profit.

“We were supposed to have been under a method called capitation by the second year of the contract and that is something that gives us more control over our destiny and provides for more efficient financial management of the organisation,” Magri said.

She added: “It allows us the continued 

April 18 - 24, 2015

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

NEWS

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Gov’t admits knowledge of Desarrollos lawsuit

THE GOVERNMENT of the Turks and Caicos Islands on Thursday (April 16) admitted that they are aware of the civil suit against the members of the Desarrolloss Hotel group, which intends to build a $224 million Ritz Carlton hotel in the Islands.

A Government release read: “We are aware of the civil lawsuit against members of the Desarrollos Hotelco group.

“We are in receipt of representations from their attorneys, and note that those involved have filed defences in the US courts.”

The Government also addressed concerns of Crown land being transferred to the group.

“Despite local speculation to the contrary, the development land

for the five star Desarrollos Ritz Carlton development was purchased privately.

“No Crown land has been transferred or leased to the Desarrollos Hotelco group.

“However, an application has been made for the leasing of a parcel of land of 0.46 acres in size.

“The land was publicly tendered and the tender having now closed, is being processed in accordance with the requirements of our Crown Land Ordinance.”

The Government further stated that it takes its governance and anti-corruption responsibilities very serious; as such they have carried out the appropriate due diligence works with regards to Walter Stipa's Desarrollos Hotelco group and their

Outgoing hospital ... continued 

ability to react quickly to different situations within the community where we may need to add services, modify services, change services in a way that we can do more quickly and more agile within our work environment.”

She said she hopes this happens soon, as the hospital still needs to continue looking at any additional services that can be brought on island and how it can develop more of a strategic mind-set around medical tourism.

“We all know that healthcare is expensive, period, whether it had to do with construction or not we need to bring more revenue into the country from other places and we can do that through medical tourism.”

She added that this will help to build the use of the hospital in Grand Turk as well as Cheshire Hall.

Magri’s call for the implementation of the capitation method is not alone, as the Opposition has consistently raised the issue of change over in the contract as well as the hospital costs with the Government.

In January this year, a private member’s motion by the Leader of the Opposition, Sharlene Cartwright Robinson for an investigation into the cost of operations of the two hospitals was carried in the House of Assembly.

That resolution calling for the investigation has still not reached the Governor’s Office this publication learned on Thursday.

In early March, the PDM had raised concerns with the resolution being sent to the Ministry of Health, rather than the Governor’s office where it should have been.

The party leader had pointed out that the wording of the healthcare investigation motion does not give the Speaker or the Government any discretion, as the motion called for the House of Assembly to make recommendations to the Governor and not the Government.

The resolution seeks a full scrutiny into the arrangements governing the pre and post operation costs which continues to take a chunk out of Government’s finances.

proposals in the TCI. “As due diligence is an on-going process, we continue to request information from Desarrollos and other sources.

“Since 2012, this work has been led by the Government’s Investment Unit using several internationally recognised systems for corroborating and checking investor information, including Thomson Reuters’ WorldCheck, a leading global ‘know your customer’ software system; Lexis Nexis’ World Compliance, another leading anti-money laundering, and risk and compliance screening tool.”

As part of the Government’s due diligence requirements the Desarrollos Hotelco group has also provided corporate documentation to substantiate shareholders and directors, the Government release read.

“In addition, the Desarrollos Ritz Carlton development in the TCI is being substantially financed

by Marriott, a world leading luxury hotel chain.

“Marriott too met with the TCI Government to demonstrate their commitment to the success of this five star development.

“Desarrollos and Marriott have a proven track record of having already developed four successful resorts together in the Caribbean region.”

The Desarrollos Hotel Group plans to build a $224 million hotel, resort, casino and spa project in the Turks and Caicos Islands with works beginning in November this year.

The project is located in the Grace Bay area of Providenciales.

It includes 124 hotel rooms, penthouses, resort residences and associated facilities.

Late last week, information of the lawsuit hit the local airwaves with speculation rife that the project may be in jeopardy.

Reports are that Stipa is being sued in the US federal court to recover the proceeds of a criminal enterprise, his company Desarrollos is also being sued to recover part of the proceeds of a $300 million fraud.

The lawsuit alleges that defendants received or benefitted from at least $15 million transferred from receivership entities while failing to provide any reasonably equivalent value.

The receivers appointed by the US Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission, who were tasked with identifying and collecting the proceeds of the crime, discovered the stolen money.

Franscisco Illarramendi, the mastermind behind the crime, pleaded guilty in 2011 to the massive fraud and is still awaiting sentencing.

Leader of the Opposition, Sharlene Cartwright Robinson also commented on the issue, via statement to the press this week.

The party leader called on the Government to address the concerns of the country, which it only did on Thursday, after the news of the lawsuit had been discovered several days before.

“The signing of this deal and this Government’s multiple announcements over the past years gave comfort and legitimately so to the residents of this country that due diligence was done and that the Rufus Ewing led PNP administration was satisfied with the report.

“We believe that there is sufficient cause for the Government to address the fears and confusion that rests with the people of these Islands.

“We are therefore calling on the Government to address its people on this important issue.”

The PDM and the people of these Islands wish to be assured that the project is a viable one especially following the revelations that this Rufus Ewing led PNP Government has committed substantial investment concessions, the release read.

This project has given the country great pause to expect the anticipation of much needed investment into the country and the country needs to be assured that it is the type of investment that we welcome in this new chapter of our country’s existence, the party leader added.

She said: “On behalf of the people I will publicly ask in the House of Assembly several questions that are pertinent and relevant.

“But we must ask publicly now, why are these issues being ignored by the Government and why is it that the Rufus Ewing led PNP Government is not willing to address the TCI people about it? We welcome an urgent closure to this matter.”

No more road cutting - GSS PEOPLE found cutting into the TCI’s roads could face criminal charges, according to the Ministry of Government Support Services (GSS).

It is an illegal act and only certain bodies are authorised to carry out that action, within strict guidelines.

A Government press release on Tuesday (April 14) explained: “According to Schedule 1, paragraph 3 of the Electricity Ordinance, only public suppliers (utility companies) such as Fortis, PTV, Provo Water, LIME, Digicel and DigiPlay are allowed to carry out such road cuts, with the approval of the Public

Works Department (PWD).”

These companies are required to fill out a road cutting and reinstatement application form, which outlines the requirements which must be met before permission is given to proceed with the road cut.

Reinstatement of the road must be carried out by a Public Works approved road paving contractor.

“The Public Works Department, is making every effort to ensure that the road network remains in good condition by reconstructing and upgrading as many roads in the Turks and Caicos Islands as the budget allows,” the release read.

In addition the Crown Land Ordinance states: “A person who, without lawful authority-constructs any building or structure on Crown land, clears any Crown land, or undertakes any other work on Crown land commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $10,000 or imprisonment for six months and on conviction on indictment to a fine of $50,000 or imprisonment for five years, or both.”

The department requested that the public report anyone seen doing road cuts or any other damage to the Government road system to the PWD or to the police.

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Dozens of TCI bound Haitians perish at sea (Reuters) - AS MANY as 40 Haitian migrants are feared dead after their ship bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands capsized in the Caribbean off Haiti’s north coast, the US Coast Guard said on Friday (April 10).

At least 21 dead bodies have been recovered since the ship went down early on Thursday morning, according to the Haitian government.

“The Haitian Coast Guard rescued 12 survivors but advised that 19 were still missing,” the US Coast Guard said in a statement.

A US Coast Guard rescue

helicopter crew joined the search on Friday morning, scouring Haiti’s north coast between the cities of Cap Haitien and Port de Paix, Haiti, but did not find any signs of life, the Coast Guard added.

The Haitian government said the ship, a sailboat freighter carrying about 50 passengers headed for the Turks and Caicos Islands, sank near the coastal town of Le Borgne on the north coast.

The boat apparently tried to turn back due to high seas and ran aground on a reef, the Haitian government

said in a statement.

Migrants from Haiti, Cuba and other Caribbean countries frequently sail through the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas in an attempt to reach the United States, often in overloaded and unseaworthy vessels.

“So far we have not found a trace of the ship,” said Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss of the US Coast Guard’s Miami district station.

“Based on the reports from the migrants, it appears the death toll may go up,” he added.

“Our crews are searching with every intention to find these missing people and bring them back to their loved ones,” said Captain Mark Fedor, the Coast Guard’s district head of search and rescue.

“The sad truth remains that many have already perished and the Coast Guard urges all to reconsider taking the dangerous and illegal voyage at sea,” he added.

In the past six months, the US Coast Guard said it has intercepted 309 Haitians at sea. That is a much lower rate than the previous

12-month period, when 1,103 Haitians were rescued, according to the Coast Guard.

Miami is located more than 600 miles (965 km) from Haiti’s northern coast.

The Haitian government urged Haitians to cease risking their lives on clandestine migrant smuggling boats, and condemned those who organise the illegal voyages.

Prime Minister Evans Paul offered his “profound sympathy and solidarity to the families of the shipwreck victims.”

Let's clean the Islands Financial audit needed Dear Editor, Littering continues to be a big problem in our Islands. It is time we do something definitive and permanent to resolve this major problem.

As a child, whenever we were expecting visitors or company, our first duty was to clean up and tidy our small home.

Today, this simple and basic pride is somehow lost on us as a country.

Today, we are spending more and inviting even more people to our island home and selling ourselves as a high end destination.

Our visitors are returning home to blog and tell the whole world about how dirty our little islands are.

Forget about ‘beautiful by nature’.

It means nothing if we are sitting on top of filth and garbage.

Do we not all see it? Take a walk along our prided Grace Bay Shopping Village and you will see for yourself.

Walk or drive from any direction to the beautiful Grace Bay Gourmet and you will see it even at the quickest glance. Do the businesses not see it?

We should ask all people who live and work here and call these Islands home to do their part to properly dispose of garbage and take responsibility for the garbage that gathers on our personal property and finally for government to enforce the law.

The solution to this problem is both easy and difficult.

The easy solution: Put recycling bins and garbage cans everywhere, clearly marked and constantly emptied.

This involves private citizens (you), private investors and businesses and of course the Government working hand and hand.

The difficult and the larger solution is one of education and parental responsibility.

So often I see children in schools

unwrap their candy or juice bottle and just toss the trash on the ground.

This is sad.

I have asked kids on numerous occasions why is this their normal choice of action and the most common response is: “I didn’t know” or “I don’t care,” or “There is no trash can”.

Why are the majority of our children not being taught to respect the environment?

What are they being taught in school and why is it not being effective? Why are parents setting such bad examples for their children?

Children regularly see their parents or other adults toss trash out the windows of their cars onto the road and around their property with no consequences.

These children will grow up to be the next citizens, leaders and workers, so I am asking parents and adults, please don’t litter in front of your children!

Teach your children that littering is a no-no and you will raise a nonlittering adult.

Take a small garbage bag with you wherever you go and collect and hold your trash until you find a proper receptacle. Help our children to know that they have other choices.

One Saturday morning after football, while having coffee at IGA Corner Café, I overheard the people at the next table complaining about how much litter there is in these Islands.

They then proceeded to criticise the Government and the ministry responsible for collection for not doing enough to clean up the litter that is turning our streets, beaches, parks and communities into visual eyesores.

I agree with them…partially. I do think the Government and people who live and work here could do more in regard to picking up garbage in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The main problem however, is not that the Government doesn’t

do enough to pick up litter. It is the people who litter!

We should be not littering in the first place. How much effort does it take to carry a Styrofoam box (which I think should be banned from these Islands), a newspaper or an empty take-out bag to the nearest trash can or even home?

There are trash cans in some areas of our Islands, yet people don’t seem to be capable of carrying their litter with them and throwing it in a proper waste receptacle.

I think it is unfair to ask the Government to spend more money to pick up litter and not ask the people of this country to stop littering.

It takes next to no effort not to litter. However, it requires a great deal of our financial resources to clean up the mess.

I urge everyone in the country to make a personal vow not to litter.

Adopt a one mile radius of wherever you live and work and make it your own. Call it the one mile radius project.

I also urge the Government to organise some sort of a campaign to get people to clean up this country.

The media should get involved.

Remind us weekly (lest we not see) of how much garbage surrounds us.

Further, there should be continuous efforts through education and consistent collection of garbage.

Is it too much to ask that people pick up litter in front of their houses or apartment buildings if they see it there on the ground?

If everyone spent a couple of minutes a week picking up garbage around their yard, it would make a huge difference in reducing the amount of garbage in our communities.

It is simply about our personal and national pride.

Benneth Williams, Leeward, Providenciales

LEADER of the Opposition Sharlene Cartwright Robinson has called for a comprehensive audit of all money owed to and by the Turks and Caicos Islands Government.

She said: “In this complete financial statement, it would be useful to hear of the amount of monies owed outside of structured debt, but also in reimbursements or monies held in trust and also a statement of arrears.”

What are your thoughts?

Clear picture

That is the correct way to go. It’s no use bragging about surplus and putting monies into the sinking fund and TCIG is owing large sums of money to ‘vendors’ or is being owed large sums by ‘vendors’.

Let us have a clear picture of the nation’s monies.

Since it is our money we have a right to know and John Public wants to know.

Brilliant!

In addition to provision for contingent liabilities for law suits pending, such as the conch farm saga.

We need to know

I agree with madam Opposition Leader. The people need to/should know if we are financially stable, our creditors are paid or if we are in arrears.

It should be detailed and outlined in a manner that all will be able to

understand.

Expose them

We all know that some people are untouchable, but this will expose all.

About time too.

List the monies owed

The list needs to include the thousands owed to the National Insurance Board (NIB).

The $23.5 million promised to payback to NIB by the TCI Bank which had its record shipped off to the Bahamas by the PNP.

 Become a contributor Want to become a contributor or have a suggestion for a Talk Back topic for us? What questions do you think we should be putting to the public? And what are your thoughts on it?

Call our news team on 946 4664 or email tcweeklynews@gmail.com

April 18 - 24, 2015

Police officials about to transport what appears to be body bags in the back of a police vehicle

THE REMAINS of a body were found in the bushes of Breezy Brae in Grand Turk on Thursday (April 16).

Up to press time police press officer, Audley Astwood would neither confirm nor deny whether the police recovery was that of missing man 25-year-old Kevino Smith.

However, he did inform the media of a press conference slated for 3pm at the police headquarters in Grand Turk on Friday (April 17).

According to Edwin Astwood, Grand Turk south representative for the PDM, who spoke with the media on Thursday, while there has still not been any confirmation from police, there is no other missing person on the island.

“They haven’t confirmed, they just said that they have a body, that they have remains, they just have human remains.

“All morning the forensic team was there; we could see them.

“What we saw at the end was them coming out with bags, a number of small bags, two body bags, brown heavy bags with a bunch of individual plastic bags inside of it.

“It looks like the worse, like they found pieces of a body or remains of a body in pieces, it wasn’t just one body bag.”

Astwood said that he found it unusual that police officials were searching in that area because it was an area that he along with a number of Grand Turk residents had searched a week after the disappearance.

He said that he believes that the body was recently placed there because it was only a few metres down from a lot of homes so he was sure that the smell would have

gotten the attention of somebody, if the body was initially there.

Astwood said: “We want them [police] to give a press conference.

We are hoping that by this afternoon that the police would come forward with a press conference because residents are frustrated that a young man who has never been in trouble just appear to be put in the back of a police vehicle.

“It is very heart-breaking especially for the Smith family.”

Smith who was a person of interest in connection with a crime was last seen on March 4, the same day as the reported incident.

Deputy Commissioner for the Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force (RTCIPF) Rodney Adams has been in Grand Turk from April 9 overseeing the case.

Since the disappearance police have been offering a cash reward to anyone who had any information leading to the man.

On April 2, Assistant Police Commissioner Wayne Jones revealed that the police were still looking for the missing Grand Turk man.

He said that all leads received by the police were checked and none had yielded any positive results.

At about 11.45pm on March 4 a report was made to the Grand Turk police station requesting police assistance at the residence of the Ashton family in Breezy Bay in Grand Turk.

Two officers were dispatched to the scene where an occupant of the residence reported to them an alleged serious incident involving the use of a firearm.

That same night the officers conducted a search around the surrounding areas for the suspect who was reported to be Kevino

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The location where the recovery was made by police on Thursday

Body found in Grand Turk bushes suspected to be missing man

BY DAISY HANDFIELD

NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Smith, but he was not located.

At 1.11am the next day, officers were called to Smith’s residence on Osbourne Road where an old unused pick-up truck was on fire.

The fire was extinguished with the help of persons from within the community but Smith was not at home.

Investigations were then launched

Edwin Astwood, Grand Turk south representative for the PDM

into the incidences as Smith became a person of interest to the police.

Another pick-up truck, which is also owned by Smith, was found in Breezy Bay area that same Thursday.

It was taken to Grand Turk Police station for investigation purposes.

The following day, at about

Under the tree

Kevino Smith

11.30am Patti Smith reported to the police station that she had not seen her son Kevino Smith since the Wednesday that week and that he was missing.

A search was carried out through the island and the surrounding cays but Smith was not located.

By Benneth Williams

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April 18 - 24, 2015

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

The Premier and Minister of Health, Rufus Ewing and other guests at the hospital’s five year anniversary

Hospital staff take time out of their busy schedules to take part in the five year anniversary observances

InterHealth Canada celebrates five years in TCI

BY DELANA ISLES

ON APRIL 10, the five year anniversary of Interhealth Canada operated facilities in the Turks and Caicos Islands was marked by a small ceremony in the lobby of the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre in Providenciales.

Recounting the five years of service to the TCI community was the departing Chief Executive Officer, Jill Magri, whose contract comes to an end on April 30, after two and a half years.

She noted that in the first five years the two hospitals have seen more than 144,000 visits to the emergency department, 145,000 at outpatient clinic, with nearly 10,000 patients admitted to the hospital either at the Cockburn Town Medical Centre or Cheshire Hall.

“We have performed over 6,000 surgeries; critically ill infants have spent over 2,000 days in our neonatal intensive care unit with superb care given to several babies weighing barely two pounds at birth.

“We are now providing haemodialysis care to 65 percent more patients since the day we opened in 2010, we have brought several new services on island reducing by several million dollars a year the national cost of treatment and travel abroad.

“Among these services are medical oncology, hip and knee joint replacement surgery, specialty urology care, necrology, ENT, ophthalmology, and plastic and cosmetic surgery.”

She added that in addition to the hospital’s strong visiting consult pool, there are 33 excellent hospital physicians, providers in specialties such as obstetrics, gynaecology, orthopaedics, internal medicine, anaesthesia, general surgery, family and emergency medicine, radiology and pathology.

The hospital is also a significant national employer with 294 staff employed across both campuses, 38 percent of staff has either Belonger or PRC status, a percentage that

compares very favourably to the Belonger rate within the local community, Magri stated.

She said that they will continue to work with TCI schools to provide information about the broad range of careers in healthcare and have recently signed an important affiliation agreement with the TCI Community College to further train and build local career capacity.

“We look forward to Honourable (Akierra) Missick who will continue to build scholarships to help support further career building within the healthcare industry within the TCI.” The CEO noted that through its affiliation with InterHealth Canada, the hospital has been able to access training opportunities within the nationally acclaimed Yale New Haven University in the US and also Nova Scotia Community College in Canada allowing them to continually build and enhance the skills of staff.

In 2012 the hospital received international accreditation at the highest level possible, a recognition that demonstrates that it is meeting very high standards for the quality of care delivered, the CEO added.

“We are equally proud that the recent clinical audit commissioned by the TCI Government and the Ministry of Health has further validated that the hospital is demonstrating excellent clinical performance against those measures audited.

“We embrace the culture of continuous improvements and though we may be doing very well we are always set our sights on doing even better.”

Premier and Minister of Health, Dr Rufus Ewing congratulated the executive team of the hospital for getting to five years.

“I would also like to congratulate the staff of this hospital both the clinical staff and non-clinical staff for making the establishment what it is today and what it will continue to be in the future.

“The conceptualisation of this facility was birthed in the halls of the Grand Turk hospital and the

Youths from the Edward C Gartland Youth Centre performing a dance at the hospital

Myrtle Rigby Health Complex and the Ministry of Health because it required those individuals who were at that time part of the healthcare delivery care system and who understood the challenges at that time and gave input into what it should be.”

He further encouraged the hospital to promote partnerships with the community and other relevant bodies as well as with the Government.

“In the Ministry of Health we are partners with you, the ones who were contracted to deliver service on behalf of the Government.

“Sometimes it may get rough, sometimes it may get rocky, and sometimes we may agree to disagree , but that’s how it goes in partnerships… good times and bad times but at all times we must keep our eyes on the goal and on the prize as to why we are here.”

He said as the country moves towards the development of the secondary healthcare facilities, the Government is committed to trying to reduce the demands on the Cheshire Hall facility.

“We need to continue doing our best to ensure that where illnesses can be prevented, we need to prevent it – prevention is better than cure.

“As our commitment as a Government, we now move to extending primary care services to throughout the islands - that was part of the five pillars that we put forward doing the stage of developing the hospital.”

This past week, the Premier opened a clinical facility to serve the Middle Caicos community, and next year, he said that the Government is planning the same for North Caicos.

“We are planning for North Caicos next year where we could offer even extended services so that no longer individuals will have to come to Provo for physiotherapy or go from South to Grand Turk for it, it will be available in their own communities.

“No more they will have to come for basic blood test because the blood test could be collected and transferred to this hospital in an efficient manner.

“Primary healthcare will be

extended, and it requires greater partnership with the hospital and its staff.”

He said he hopes that individuals at the hospital can give a helping hand to the communities.

“We need to see more of physicians and their staff being able to go into those communities and doing pap smears, doing screening, exercises in those communities which are isolated so people don’t have to come all the way to Provo just to get them done,” the Premier stated.

Meanwhile, a statement by George Commander, chairman of Interhealth Canada board of directors, to commemorate the five year anniversary of the facility was read by Magri as he was unable to attend.

“The journey of the hospital actually started 10 years ago and the vision of the Government of these Islands and their determination to provide the best possible healthcare facilities services to all its population, continued 

12

April 18 - 24, 2015

NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

9

Invest in people, eliminate corruption to spur investment - President Obama RESPONDING to a question from Katrina King Smith of the Turks and Caicos Islands, US President Barack Obama on April 9 stated that a skilled labour force and eliminating corruption are key elements to encouraging inward investment.

The president was at the time responding to questions from students of the University of the West Indies at a town hall meeting during a brief visit to Kingston, Jamaica last week.

King Smith, a student at the Mona campus, asked Obama for suggestions that the Government of the TCI could use to better generate and regulate sustainable revenue especially with regulations being put in place to close offshore financial centres.

She prefaced her question with the fact that the TCI is a small population whose main sources of revenue are tourism and foreign direct investment.

On the issue of offshore financial centres, Obama responded that the US respects each country to set up its financial regulations and that it recognises that for small countries providing services, including financial services, this may be an important source of revenue.

However, he added: “The one thing that we have to do and make sure of is that these financial centres are not used for illicit money laundering or tax avoidance by large US corporations that set up cut outs or front organisations but as a practical matter are operating in the United States, employing folks in the United States, essentially headquartered in the United States and yet somehow their mailing address is such and such island where they have to pay no taxes.”

He said these are the kinds of egregious concerns that they are trying to deal with.

“I think we try to take it on a case by case basis and in my CARICOM meeting that I just had this issue was brought up, there were a number of leaders who expressed concerns that maybe they were being unfairly labelled as areas of high financial

risks, and what I committed to them is that we would examine their complaints and go through in very concrete ways where our concerns are and how our Governments can work together.”

More broadly, Obama said, some of the most successful countries in the world are small countries, naming Singapore as a perfect example, which on paper appears as if it has no assets, yet the country has one of the highest standards of living in the world.

He said one of the more important things that Singapore did was that they made a massive investment in their people.

“If you’ve got a highly skilled, highly educated work force, if you set up rules of law and governance that are transparent and non-corrupt then you can attract a lot of service industries to supplement the tourists industry because people will want to locate in your country.”

He noted that with such systems in place, people would want to operate offices under such conditions.

“These days so many businesses are operating over the internet that if you’ve got a really skilled work force that provides value added you will attract companies and you will attract businesses.

“What deters people from investing in most countries is conflict, corruption, and lack of skills or infrastructure.

“And those countries that are able to address those problems have rule of law and eliminate corruption, so make sure that you are investing in the education of your people and it’s a continuous education, it doesn’t just stop at the lower grades, but you have to be constantly upgrading their skills, and you have a decent infrastructure, you’re going to be able to succeed.”

The president said that is the recipe for a 21st century economy.

Meanwhile, when asked by the TCI student if he would consider visiting the Turks and Caicos Islands after his tenure comes to an end next year, President Obama said “absolutely”. (DELANA ISLES)

Katrina King Smith, is currently a student at University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica

US President Barack Obama speaking with students during his recent visit to Jamaica

MILLS MUSES

Education for personal transformation EDUCATION has always brought contentiousness to the arena of public opinion, because it decides what people’s future will be, and their place in society.

It judges competencies, and expected behaviours that reflect the values society prefers.

An article was recently published in a popular education journal dealing with developing the ‘self’.

It speaks of the existing idea of education as the mechanical and superficial transfer of useful knowledge and skills, which are specified in advance, transmitted, and certified.

For the writer, this makes a distinction between education which equips individuals with knowledge and skills, but without a change in outlook or behaviour, and education as a transformation of who we are.

This idea of practical skills versus the development of the personality has long been an issue.

Those with a practical orientation think that it is important to equip learners with useful skills to find a job.

But the idea of individuals who think, and transform their world, is omitted.

This is why we have people who have received an education, but because their personality has not also been developed, are difficult to get along with.

BY Oliver Mills

Oliver Mills was born in South Caicos, acquired a diploma in article writing from the Writer’s Digest School in the United States, and worked as training manager for the Turks and Caicos public service. He is currently an adjunct lecturer in the Business and Hospitality Departments at the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College.

Their useful knowledge, which is practical, neglects the training of their emotions, so that when faced with challenges they lack the emotional intelligence to manage them.

Such persons are dictatorial, lack respect for others, and do not involve them in decisions, because they want to keep a power distance.

Practical or useful skills do not expose students to reasoning and coming up with new approaches to the same issue.

They develop people who learn by trial and error, and not through critical thinking.

Education for personal transformation means exposing students to the best that has been thought and taught.

It develops the sensitivities of learners to respect differences, creates a consciousness of others as being important, and facilitates helpfulness, caring and compassion, and the desire to contribute to the public good.

Some educators argue that the teaching of skills and some forms of knowledge in a mechanical and superficial way is designed to manipulate people into serving others, and not recognising their own worth.

This also has the intention of making followers out of people, and getting them to conform to the bidding of others.

With an education aimed at transforming the personality, individuals begin to think for themselves, become their own master, value their own worth, and become creators of knowledge, rather than merely receiving what is given to them.

In my view, education for personal transformation further entails not simply the acquiring of useful skills and knowledge but combining it with logical thinking, understanding consequences, experimentation, and the fostering of innovative and creative minds.

10 NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

April 18 - 24, 2015

Allegation of unconstitutional meddling by Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the Cayman Islands (The following article is reproduced from the Cayman Reporter an online news agency and a weekly publication)

(CAYMAN ISLANDS) ONE of the largest offshore financial centres in the world heard allegations of unconstitutional interference sponsored by the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office to topple a democratically elected Premier.

Cayman Islands politician and current Leader of the Opposition, Hon McKeeva Bush has accused the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of meddling in the country’s affairs by conspiring to topple a constitutionally elected government.

At a press conference on Tuesday (April 14) morning, Mr Bush announced that he filed a Private Member’s Motion in the Cayman Islands parliament to expose and debate the matter.

“Any good democrat and any person who values democracy or propriety in government, adding up to the utmost good governance, will understand that the motion has to be brought, and has to be debated with urgency,” Mr Bush stated.

The filed motion related to unconstitutional interference, conspiracy to topple an elected government and violation of the indigenous population’s rights under the United Nations (UN) charter of human rights and the European Union (EU) charter of human rights.

The motion mentioned that “irrefutable documentary evidence of the interference by the Office of the Governor of the Cayman Islands in planning and conspiring with the help of civil servants and elected representatives of the Legislative Assembly to topple a democratically elected government while misusing the power of the state and its judicial and law enforcement arms” have emerged.

The motion went on to state that the Cayman Islands jurisdiction was used as an “instrument to further economic designs” which were, “contrary to the interest of the indigenous people and through, systemic policies of discrimination that constitutes a gross violation of their fundamental human rights protected under the UN Charter and the EU regulations”.

Mr Bush has also alleged that the current Cayman Islands Premier Hon Alden McLaughlin, when he was Leader of the Opposition, was involved with others in an undemocratic plan to remove the constitutionally elected Premier at the time.

The former premier has called for an independent review of all involved including the FCO, the former Governor, the Commissioner of Police and the then Leader of the Opposition as it has been alleged they all plotted to remove the then constitutionally elected Premier.

Mr Bush also wants for the inquiry to be made public and for any necessary legal actions to be

Cayman Islands Leader of the Opposition, McKeeva Bush

taken in an “appropriate international legal forum”.

The final matter that the motion calls for is an “independent historical review of legislations and legal measures taken by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Office of the Governor with the connivance of law enforcement that has led to the marginalisation of the indigenous Caymanian population and disrepute of its financial industry.”

Premier Alden McLaughlin in response to the conspiracy allegations has stated, “I think the leader of the Opposition has finally taken leave of his senses.”

Mr Bush on the other hand, had this to say, “Democracy has been trampled on by the actions of those involved” and “remedy must take place.”

McKeeva Bush trial and exoneration

The press conference and Private Members Motion came off the heels of McKeeva Bush being exonerated of all charges against him in October 2014.

Mr Bush was on trial for misuse of his government credit card while in office whereby he was charged with 11 counts of fraud and theftrelated offences.

Mr Bush was acquitted of all charges that were brought against him.

Mr Bush’s defence lawyer Geoffrey Cox in his closing speech last year stated that Mr Bush had been the victim of a plot to have him removed from office, orchestrated by former governor Duncan Taylor. Mr Cox, who is also a British Member of Parliament outlined that in terms of misconduct in office, those involved in the plot hatched against the former premier, “planned the subversion of

Resort employee obtains certificate in revenue management AN EMPLOYEE at the Windsong Resort in Providenciales has recently earned a Master Certificate in Revenue Management from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.

Anette Mullings successfully completed the training which was split into 18 courses, receiving 108 hours of advanced instruction in revenue management techniques used by top performers all over the world.

The coursework provided a strategic approach to pricing, reservations, inventory control, non-traditional revenue management applications, revenue analysis, and marketing strategy implementation built around rigorous control systems.

“As a general manager, I feel it is my responsibility to expand

Anette Mullings

my knowledge base in order to recognise new opportunities, and apply a holistic, integrated approach to achieve highly efficient inventory management and maximum revenue generation,” Mullings said.

She added: “Additionally, this series of courses has enabled me to provide even better guidance to our revenue team and to improve our resort’s ‘marketing to revenue’ connection.”

The certificate is designed for experienced hospitality professionals including general managers and revenue managers to assist them in maximising the financial performance of their respective organisations.

Born and raised in Jamaica, Mullings began her hospitality career at age 18, working in every department of her family’s boutique resort in Negril; from housekeeping to front desk, to reservations and customer service.

While employed, she also attended and graduated from the University of Technology School of Hospitality and Tourism Management in Kingston, Jamaica.

Upon graduation she spent four years in the hospitality field at Hilton Hotels in the United States and a private resort in the Caribbean.

Subsequently, she earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Hotel Management School Maastricht in Maastricht, Holland, and took her advanced skills to the acquisition and development team of Parisbased, Dolce Hotels.

The Caribbean islands beckoned her, so Mullings moved to Providenciales, where she has managed hotel properties since 2007, with the last two years as general manager of the Windsong Resort.

She has assisted the management team at Windsong to enjoy unprecedented occupancy and success.

a democratically elected premier in this territory” and were guilty of such an offence.

Mr Cox stated that given the circumstances there had been no need for Mr Bush to take the stand as there was literally no case against him.

He further stated that Mr Bush was innocent and that while his actions may have been justifiably deemed unwise, his behaviour was, “within the rules at the time, and he was doing nothing more or less, in principle, than anybody else had done. He knew nobody had been censured; nobody had even had a slap on the wrist.”

Instead Mr Cox pointed out that Mr Bush was right in his declarations of there being a “politically motivated witch hunt” against him.

He said for more than two years prior to the investigations, Mr Bush’s cash withdrawals and the ways in which he used his government issued credit card were known to civil servants.

He pointed out that the timing of the investigations, just prior to elections, was a sign that the then governor was plotting the removal of Mr Bush from office.

He re-read emails stating that Mr Taylor had considered how the ramifications of the premier’s arrest would play out in the public arena and that he had even tipped off journalists to ensure that the media would make more of a spectacle of the event.

Mr Cox further pointed out that Mr Bush discontinued using his card for personal expenses once the policy banning use of government credit cards for personal use was issued.

“The last time the premier used his card in this way was in April of 2010, and the first time it is brought up against him is in 2012, more than two and a half years later, and just five months before a general election.”

Marginalisation and disrepute of Cayman and its financial industry Unknown by many, the Cayman Islands is a major source of cash for the UK. In a Bloomberg article by Sean O'Grady titled ‘Investors Pull $1 Trillion from London’, the Bank of England said that there had been a large fall in deposits from the United States, Switzerland, offshore centres such as Jersey and the Cayman Islands, and from Russia.

The sheer fact that the Bank of England mentioned the Cayman Islands as a contributor to the large fall in deposits highlights its significance to the UK economy.

When asked why it was necessary to conduct a historical review of legislation and legal measures taken by the FCO and Governors Office, Mr continued 

April 18 - 24, 2015 Bush responded: “The press has never picked up on the fact that when he was Premier that the Auditor General and then Governor, Duncan Taylor, pressured us [Government] to take a loan out that is now costing the country $50 million dollars more.”

Mr Bush was referring to a loan his government signed with a New York finance company Cohen and Company to secure a loan financing agreement, which was later retracted.

While Mr Bush did not specifically give further examples of how Caymanians and the jurisdictions financial industry was being marginalised, the Operation Tempura fiasco is one such example that is still ongoing.

What began as an investigation into suspected corruption between a police officer and a local newspaper quickly spiralled out of control as the Commissioner of Police was suspended and subsequently fired, a judge arrested and then awarded substantial damages for wrongful arrest, an attorney disbarred and later reinstated, and many millions of dollars of public funds continue to be squandered.

To date the general public including members of parliament do not fully understand what Operation Tempura entailed although it continues to cost the country money.

Another recent instance was witnessed when a local criminal defence attorney, Peter Polack, brought into question the FCO’s overseas territories security advisor running his own consultancy business out of Florida, presenting a potential conflict of interest.

Cayman News Service reported that “the FCO refused to comment on whether or not Larry Covington has permission to carry on his private business while acting as the territories’ security boss for the UK’s Caribbean jurisdictions, including Cayman, or why his consultancy business, Covington Advisory Services LLC, appears not to have been registered in accordance with the USA’s Foreign Agents Registration Act.” CNS has, however, recently learned that, despite being a UK Diplomat, Covington has gained US citizenship.

In July 2014 the Cayman Islands was bizarrely placed on the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) list of countries that the organisation considers high risk for money laundering and financial crime.

The Cayman Islands was the only overseas territory and offshore financial centre found on the high risk list.

The Cayman Islands was removed from the list shortly after the Cayman government wrote the FCA questioning its methodology that deemed the Cayman Islands as a high risk jurisdiction.

While it is still not known exactly what evidence McKeeva Bush will bring before the parliament there is still a high likelihood that the Private Members Motion may not even make it to the floor of the house to be debated.

The decision to accept the motion rests with the Speaker of the House, Julianna O’Connor-Connolly.

NEWS 11

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

REAL TALK

Action: Not a bag ah mouth DURING my teenage years I recall a popular reggae song ‘Action’ and although I was fascinated with the beat, I never really understood the lyrics until I became an adult.

I am always interested in the views express by my TCI residents because they are often filled with colour, theatrics and emotions.

They can get a person riled up and ready to fight. However, when the bell rings for the fight to start, the majority of us head for the exit.

When an issue irritates us, we talk about it over and over unwilling to take the next step to address it because it may require some action.

What then is ‘action’? Simply

By Jas Walkin

BIOGRAPHY: Jas was born with a physical disability and diagnosed with a mild form of muscular dystrophy. His early childhood was characterised with trying to fit in in a regular school environment unequipped to cater to special needs students. With support from family, teachers and the community he graduated as valedictorian of Raymond Gardiner High School and has been a graduate teacher for the past last nine years.

put, action is that step many of us are afraid to take in order to bring about change to our situation.

Action is that decision we keep running away from because it will hurt or offend somebody. It is that moment that will either make or break us.

It is that moment when you ask yourself: Is what I am about to

do really worth the sacrifice I am making? I am no longer satisfied with our ability to just express how we feel and kick up a bunch of smoke with no intentions of doing anything about our situation.

We need to learn how to fight for what we believe in. We need to develop the attitude of a warrior determined to defend his life until he

last breath.

Could it be that the reason so many people are frustrated in this country is because we just have a ‘bag ah mouth’?

Maybe the hero we keep waiting for to address our situation was staring us in the mirror for some time now.

I am not asking people to operate outside their comfort zone, but I think we should realise that if you can’t represent yourself; you have a slim chance of a hero coming to your rescue.

For too long issues that have been frustrating us as a people have loomed unresolved.

We say we are ready to take action but we keep running from the fight.

COMMENTARY

Crazy Friday!

CRAZY Friday started last Thursday when we were alerted that the remodelled and expanded Conch Bar Medical Clinic was having its grand opening at 10am on Friday.

Asked to rehearse our island’s music students, it was the beginning of crazy Friday!

Our group showed up on Friday at 9.45am and 45 minutes later were told that the programme clearly indicated an 11am start.

We first saw the printed programme after we arrived, it was never posted and the opening was not announced in church the normal way.

The Premier, his Cabinet, the Deputy Governor and a flock of civil servants arrived just before 12noon.

Were they also not advised of the starting time?

Despite the long wait the young people of Middle Caicos showed their stuff and in the opinion of many, their musical performance overshadowed all except the clinic itself.

Six weeks ago the medical police were here insisting that folks without a health card paid $200 to see the nurse.

Therefore our interest came from the communities’ needs.

We indicated this to the Premier who informed us that we only had to pay $1. A new rule installed only days before!

We will now return to use of the clinic as we did long years ago. We still wonder how to get

a health card since everyone’s taxes pay for 4/5 of the National Health Insurance Plan.

Interesting was the credit taken by this Government for the new clinic which began and was 85 percent complete under the interim administration.

Completion was stalled under this Government. Every tax dollar goes to pay the PNP’s huge excess spending bills.

Credit was given correctly to EMS chief Roger Harvey who by sheer willpower got the job done.

Why then do patients in the clinic waiting room have to look at pictures of this Cabinet? Maybe I'll save my dollar!

The Government had issued a notice on Tuesday of a causeway meeting on Thursday.

That never came off but the grapevine had the meeting rescheduled to Friday afternoon.

Change NOT announced at the morning clinic affair!

Is this a non-transparent or embarrassed administration? It is certainly not coordinated.

Last week took numerous ladies to the Baptist Woman’s conference day and night in North Caicos.

It has leaked out the Premier knew this but insisted that they have these two meetings when the gals were busy!

The causeway meeting had the Premier, Don-Hue and George Lightbourne joined by contractor Musgrove of Provo expecting to talk causeway and leave.

There was little learned about this third set of causeway repairs.

By David Tapfer

David is a retired mobile hydraulic engineer and business executive. He has been married to Middle Caicos native Yvette Robinson Tapfer for 25 years and has lived in Conch Bar, Middle Caicos, since 2002. David formerly served as branch chairman of the PDM from 2008 to 2011

Another similar and narrow culvert, pavement missing for seven years replaced and mangroves due to be planted three years ago might get transplanted this time. No new bridges!

The meeting quickly turned into a town hall shouting match.

“Where is development and jobs?

When will broken Royal Reef, St Charles Place and 2,600 acres of Middle Caicos be taken back and given to someone to finish?” were the questions.

They have long given up on old Prospect-Whitby Hotel.

The Premier chewed on this one for a while then finally said development will not happen in the big islands of North and Middle until we have access from Provo in the form of a Provo-North Causeway!

“The ferry can’t handle the numbers,” he said.

Has he asked the ferry operators?

The North Caicos Airport is a designated International Port of Entry, but why?

Minister Gardiner seemed to take issue with Ewing’s big hotel and Provo causeway tilt saying Middle needs to stay low density and a

residential haven.

The Premier advised that Middle and North are scheduled to someday each have their own District Commissioner and expats can someday import their building materials for homes duty free.

However buildings over $250,000 must partner a Belonger. He did not indicate why.

When advised that currently expats are being refused licence renewals on their vehicles because they have no ‘official’ status the Premier himself posed a question: “I don’t know, is this the law?”

Dougie Misick, resident contractor on North Caicos, said: “We don’t have 30 or 40 years to wait for another causeway.”

Until reassured of adequate healthcare Yvette and I will continue to get checked out in the USA and obtain large supplies of medication nearly free.

Many natives of Middle and North Caicos are now doing the same.

No more crazy Fridays please!

12 NEWS

April 18 - 24, 2015

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

US pledges $70m to help Central More control for family islands American and Caribbean youth UNITED States President Barack Obama has pledged his country’s assistance in helping Caribbean youths expand their social and commercial ventures with a $70 million dollar investment.

The pledge was made during a town meeting with young leaders of the Latin America and the Caribbean at the University of the West Indies campus in Kingston, Jamaica.

The investment will come in the form of education, training and employment.

He said that this year they will be taking two dozen entrepreneurs and civil society leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean, including young Cuban leaders, to the United States.

“Then next year we will increase this fellowship to 250 young leaders and we will help you expand your social and commercial ventures, we will embed you in an American business and incubators, we will give US participants the chance to continue their collaboration with you in your home countries.”

The fellowships will take place at universities, incubators and non-governmental organisations across the US, while follow-on exchanges will send Americans to Latin America and the Caribbean to continue the collaboration.

President Obama stated that the idea is to give the young leaders the chance to not only implement their ideas, but to now have linkages that give them access to capital and research and all things needed to mobilise and implement the kinds of things that they are doing.

“This isn’t charity for us; this is an investment in your future because that means it is an investment in our future.

“A future where climate change researchers in the Amazon can collaborate with scientists in Alaska; an idea in Barbados, suddenly can be developed in an incubator in Boston; anti-gang activities in Honduras can be connected to similar activities in Houston, Texas.”

The president added that it is a future where any kid from Kingston can choose a path which opens his or her horizons beyond their neighbourhood to the wider world and that impulse to make the world better, and to push back on those who try to make it worse.

He advised that: “That’s something that your generation has to hold on to and you have to remember it’s never easy, there are no days off, but if there’s one thing that I know from my own life, it’s that with hard work and with hope change is always within our reach.”

A release from the White House on April 9 noted that the president’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) was to expand opportunities for emerging entrepreneurs and civil society activists.

The programme builds on the

President Barack Obama

success of the president’s young leader initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, and will incubate and accelerate the work of young business and civil society leaders from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States.

YLAI fellows will receive ongoing support through a continuum of networking, mentorship, and investment opportunities.

The release further noted that 58 percent of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean is under 35.

And despite important economic gains over the last decade, significant challenges – including limited access to jobs, capital, and advanced educational opportunities, and the availability of illicit employment opportunities – hold many youths back from reaching their full potential.

As such, YLAI will help address the opportunity gap for youth, especially women, by empowering entrepreneurs and civil society leaders with the training, tools, networks, and resources they need to transform their societies and contribute more fully to economic development and prosperity, security, human rights, and good governance in the hemisphere.

YLAI goals: Connections, co-creation, and contributing to growth Building linkages between young leaders across the hemisphere is a central objective of the initiative.

Through its fellowships, YLAI aims to foster over 50 formal business and civil society partnerships each year between emerging entrepreneurial and civil society entities in Latin America and the Caribbean with their counterparts in the United States.

As part of the president’s Spark Global Entrepreneurship initiative, YLAI will contribute to the United States’ global goal of generating $1 billion dollars for emerging business and social entrepreneurs by the end

of 2017, by helping fellows attract new support, investments, and inkind resources for their business or organisation each year.

For start-up businesses, social enterprises, and civil society organisations, this infusion of funding, resources, and support will play a critical role in enabling their development, expansion, and sustainability.

The fellowship will include six weeks of training, immersion at an incubator, accelerator, or civil society organisation, and a summit in Washington, DC to facilitate mentoring, networking, and investment opportunities.

The summit will provide participants with the opportunity to showcase their initiatives and attract new investments, learn from others, network with leading figures in their field, as well as hear from top business, government, and civil society leaders.

YLAI will provide participants returning to their countries and communities with access to virtual resources, training, mentoring, and, most importantly, platforms to continue their collaboration.

The first class of 250 fellows will begin in 2016.

YLAI will commence in 2015 with a pilot programme involving 24 participants from Latin America and the Caribbean, including Cuba.

The pilot programme will focus on the creation and expansion of business and civil society initiatives that use technology by embedding participants in incubators and accelerators across the United States.

Participants will work on new technological applications that their host company or organisation uses or seeks to develop.

American participants will also have the opportunity to travel to their counterparts’ countries as part of the pilot programme.

Interested applicants can sign up for updates on the fellowship on the YLAI ShareAmerica page: http:// share.america.gov/ylai.

THE FAMILY islands will soon have better control over Government services and activities thanks to the introduction of district boards.

North Caicos, Middle Caicos, South Caicos and Salt Cay are now a step closer to local empowerment.

This initiative will also see three new District Commissioners being hired, for which the Government is currently in the recruitment process.

The new boards, consisting mostly of Turks and Caicos Islanders who ordinarily live in or are descendants of the island to which they are assigned, will have the responsibility of assisting the District Commissioners, who themselves will now have enhanced roles, in the management and development of the island communities.

The boards will consist of a chairperson and six island representatives, along with the District Commissioner, Supervisor of Public Works, a senior police officer and Senior Environmental Health Officer of that island who will serve as ex-officio members.

Donhue Gardiner, Minister for Border Control and Development and also representative for North and Middle Caicos Honourable, said: “This strategic management of the island communities demonstrates my Government’s commitment to ensuring that the needs of the people are met in these islands.

“The new district boards will play a vital role in having their input included in the developments of these islands going forward and we

as a Government look forward to working with them.”

The recent passage of the Government budget for fiscal year 2015/2016 appropriated $500,000 for the maintenance works in these islands as a separate vote.

According to a Government press release, this will ensure that these necessary activities are not overlooked, as was previously the case, when lumped together with the maintenance needs of the larger islands.

The votes will now be managed by the District Commissioners as a part of their expanded portfolios and will be designated for the regular upkeep of schools and other buildings, roads, drains and street cleaning, along with other maintenance services.

On April 1, during the second phase of a Cabinet portfolio shift which began in January, responsibility for the District Administration fell to the Office of the Premier.

Rufus Ewing said: “The reestablishment of the district boards and the reinforcement of the portfolios of District Commissioner in each of these islands will ensure a robust mechanism for the management and prioritisation of the affairs of these communities and will fulfil the Government’s mandate to restore power to the people.

“This new approach will also bring much needed work and small contracts to the skilled workers in the islands through the guarantee of available funds for the regular maintenance and upkeep of Government interests in the islands.”

InterHealth Canada celebrates five years in TCI continued FROM 

8

that vision was more than five years in the making.

“Many difficulties were faced and obstacles were overcome, some of them seemingly insurmountable, nevertheless determination of your Government never wavered for an instant and it is that vision and determination we should also celebrate for their leading role in the founding of the facility.

“Recent peer review of the hospital has confirmed that the facility is indeed world class and the services being delivered are at high standards.

“Despite the difficulties we all continue to face, this tribute to your Government’s determination and the quality of Interhealth Canada’s management and staff is a source of pride and celebration today and should remain so for generations to come.

“The TCI hospital puts patients first and over the five years that it has operated, the hospital has worked to a statement of mission,

vision and values.

“Our mission is to provide the community and its visitors with high quality healthcare.

“Our vision is to improve the nation’s health through the development of a sustainable and accessible healthcare system and our values are ethical and respectful behaviour, honesty, accountability and excellence in all we do.

“So on the fifth anniversary of the opening, we at InterHealth Canada commit to remaining faithful to our mission, true to our vision, and constant in our values and to ensure that we continue to deliver the best possible healthcare to all of the people of these Islands that we have come to love.

“Please accept our heartfelt thanks to all of the support that we have received from the community and our heartfelt thanks to all of our dedicated and untiring management and staff for their hard work and happy anniversary to you all.”

April 18 - 24, 2015

NEWS 13

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Passport printing in UK from June TCI passports will be printed in the United Kingdom from June, according to a post Cabinet statement.

The Minister of Border Control and Labour will issue a press release to inform the general public about the new arrangements in due course.

Acting Governor Anya Williams, chaired the 11th meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday (April 15) at the Hilly Ewing Building in Providenciales. All ministers were present.

The statement, released on Thursday (April 16), stated that members received a presentation from the Ministry of Tourism, Environment, Culture and Heritage setting out proposed revisions to the National Parks Ordinance.

The revisions follow a review of the protected areas undertaken by the National Parks Committee.

Cabinet reviewed the revisions and made recommendations for inclusion in a National Parks Order.

The matter will return to

Cabinet in due course for further consideration at which point it will be released for public consultation; Cabinet advised Acting Governor Williams to approve the following appointments to the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College (TCICC) board of governors in accordance with Section 4 of the Community College Ordinance 2009: Deveraux Malcolm (chairman), Keno Forbes (deputy chairman), Rendono Williams (member), Elwood Harvey (member), Sharon Simons (member), Principal (member), Mary Lightbourne (secretary), Permanent Secretary Education (ex-officio) and Permanent Secretary of Finance (exofficio).

Members also advised Williams to approve the following appointments to the Education Advisory Committee in accordance with Section 8 of the Education Ordinance 1998: Thashena Adderley (chairman), Renanldo Forbes (deputy chairman), Daphny Williams (member), Cereocia Pratt (member), Tamera

TC Islanders to be awarded for contributions

BY DAISY HANDFIELD

THE NATIONAL Honours and Awards will give Turks and Caicos Islanders the opportunity to be nominated and awarded for their contributions to the country.

The general public will make nominations or recommendations as to who should be awarded for each category.

Conrad Howell, member of the National Honours and Awards Committee, on Thursday (April 16) said that the awards given under this programme are different from what were obtained in the past, which was done through the Governor’s Office for and on behalf of Her Majesty.

“This programme affords Turks and Caicos Islanders recognition within the TCI population,” he said.

In the National Medals and Awards booklet there are seven awards for which Turks and Caicos Islanders can be nominated.

These include the Order of National Hero, the Order of Turks and Caicos Islands, the Patriotic Award [Silver and Gold], the Long Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal and the National Young Achiever’s

Medal.

The Patriotic Award and the National Young Achievers Award have no limitation as to how many may be granted per year.

This is the first year that the booklet has been issued to set out medals, criteria and presents information sheets for both the person making a nomination and the nominee.

Howell said that he was glad that this is happening because there are people who may have not gotten awards for things that they have done in the TCI because they have not been recommended to the Governor’s Office.

“This provides an opportunity for the average Turks and Caicos Islander to recommend persons who he or she believes have given outstanding service to and for the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“Those may be persons that the rest of us may not have known made such contributions,” Howell said.

The television host said that the award ceremony will be held in October which is also acknowledged as National Heritage month.

The committee is scheduled to receive applications by June 30.

The awardees will be announced

by August.

Robinson (member), Georgina Been (member), Garde Alleyne (secretary), Permanent Secretary of Education (ex-officio), and chairman of the TCICC Board of Governors (ex-officio).

Williams was advised to approve the following appointments to the Higher Education Advisory Board in accordance with Section 14 of the Universities, Colleges, and Training Institutes Ordinance: Elry Lightbourne (chairman), Sonia Williams (deputy chairman), Jerry Clerveaux (member), Nadene Harvey (member), Jennifer Glinton (member), Mary Lightbourne (secretary), Permanent Secretary Education (ex-officio), and President of the TCICC (ex-officio).

Cabinet advised the Acting Governor to approve the appointment of the following members to the Fisheries Advisory Committee in accordance with Part V of the Fisheries Protection Ordinance: Director of DEMA (chairman), Franklyn Lockhart (member), Kingsley Been (member), Doreen Cox (member), Philip Robinson (member), and Samuel Been

(member).

Members advised Williams to approve the following appointments to the respective Caicos District Boards: Middle Caicos District District Commissioner (ex-officio), Ernest Forbes (chairman), Ilona Smith (member), Garnett Outten (member), Evan Williams (member), Brenda Harvey (member), Cabrine Harvey (member), Veldon Robinson (member), Supervisor Public Works (ox-Officio), police officer (oxofficio), Environmental Health Officer (ex-officio), clerical officer to DC Middle Caicos (secretary).

North Caicos District - District Commissioner (ex-officio), Celab Taylor (chairman), Tueton Williams (member), Lawrence (Mack) Campbell (member), Melva Williams (member), Norma Taylor (member), Dorothy Gardiner (member), Stephen Walkin (member), Supervisor of Public Works (ex-officio), police officer (ex-officio), environmental health officer (ex-officio), clerical officer for DC North Caicos (secretary).

South Caicos District - District Commissioner (ex-officio), Kathleen

Durham (chairperson), Alvin Parker (member), Norman Cox (member), Kenrick Hall (member), Raquel Basden (member), Patrice Thomas (member), Wally Lewis (member), Supervisor Public Works (ex-officio), police officer (ex-officio), environmental health officer (ex-officio), clerical officer DC South Caicos (secretary).

Salt Cay District - District Commissioner (ex-officio), Allan Dickenson (member), Gladys Kennedy (member), Holton Dickenson (member), Maurice Simmons (member), Patricia Simmons (member), Candida Herwin (member), Gary Lightbourne (member), Supervisor Public Works (ex-officio), Police Officer (exofficio), environmental health officer (ex-officio), clerical officer DC Salt Cay (secretary).

Finally Cabinet advised the Acting Governor to approve the appointment of the following private sector members to the board of Invest Turks and Caicos Islands: Anton Faesler (chairman) and Tremmaine Swann-Harvey (deputy chairman).

The appointments commence on April 1 for a three year period.

Hope Foundation partners with school for autism classroom

THE HOPE Foundation will be partnering with the Mills Institute in Providenciales for the establishment of a classroom for autistic children.

Maxcia Rigby, director and chairman of the Hope Foundation, an organisation aimed at spreading awareness and raising funds for autistic children, told the Weekly News on Thursday (April 16) that they were looking to open the classroom this autumn.

“We are very excited that this classroom will be started September 2015,” Rigby said.

“It will definitely bridge the gap in education and development for children with autism.

“We hope that this will be the beginning of more classrooms in the TCI to support children with autism.”

The director said that students who attend the classes at the autism classroom will wear the same uniform as the other students from the Mills Institute, and will have similar school hours.

The classroom is going to be specifically designed for children with autism so that means all the furniture and the curriculum will be designed in a way to accommodate these students.

There will be individual education plans, a social skills programme and teachers will also be using centre based learning.

The classroom will hold a maximum of 10 children and those children will be able to learn in an

Maxcia Rigby, director and chairman of the TCI Hope Foundation

environment that is suitable for their developmental needs.

The teachers for the classrooms will be professionals with experience in teaching children with autism.

Rigby said that the classroom will be opened all year round except on

public holidays, with two teachers assigned to the classroom.

“With the classroom we will be able to provide additional training and consultation for parents and teachers outside of the classroom.”

(DAISY HANDFIELD)

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

April 18 - 24, 2015

Long Bay – A safe haven for all AS THE popularity of Providenciales’ beautiful Long Bay beach continues to increase measures have been put in place to ensure that it remains a location that everyone can enjoy.

Families with young children can often be seen taking a dip in the calm sea, while the stunning beach is also a popular spot for horse riders and jet skiers.

But it is the large numbers of kiteboarders drawn by the sunshine, steady breeze and shallow water that really make this beach unique.

Over the past few years several developments have sprung up along the 2.5 mile stretch, with the 38 suite Shore Club being one of the most notable.

These developments are set to bring with them many more tourists looking to spend time enjoying the pristine bay.

Earlier this year Stan Hartling, CEO of Shore Club developers the Hartling Group, expressed concerns about the safety of these holidaymakers.

Hartling told the Weekly News on Wednesday (April 15): “As the Shore Club nears completion, the stretch of beach in front of the resort will also be used by resort owners and guests.

“While we expect many of our guests will want to participate in wind sports, others may choose to relax on beach loungers.

“We want to promote the

enjoyment and safety of resort owners and guests, while at the same time help ensure kiteboarding and windsurfing enthusiasts will continue to participate in their sports at the beach.”

To address the issue he got together with members of the Kiteboarding Association of the Turks and Caicos Islands (KBATCI).

They spoke about measures that could be put in place to allow kiteboarders to enjoy the sport while maintaining the safety of others.

“The Shore Club and the Turks and Caicos Kiteboarding Association both recognise how fortunate we are to enjoy access to beautiful Long Bay for various recreational pursuits,” Hartling said.

“Both parties easily and mutually agreed on a ‘zoned’ approach that respects the interests of all beach goers.”

Hope LeVin, professional kiteboarder and spokesperson for KBATCI, explained that the recommendations, which have been posted up at three access points on Long Bay, educate all beach users on kiteboarding activity.

“As kiteboarding grows we want to ensure that the general public can enjoy Long Bay beach and not be intimidated by kiteboarding equipment on the beach and in the water,” she said.

“We’ve put up etiquette signs at

Government representatives and clinic staff stand proudly in front of the newly refurbished clinic

Etiquette signs go up with recommendations for kiteboarders

Long Bay public accesses to ensure there is mutual respect among all uses the beach.

“What this has done is create a swim area in the water and an area

on the beach for umbrellas and sunbathers where non-kiteboarders can relax.”

She explained that the signs have been up for several weeks and it has

been a very easy transition with beach goers and kiteboarders naturally gravitating to their respective areas.

Hartling said: “It’s no wonder that Long Bay recently earned a spot on a Conde Nast Traveller list as one of the ‘10 best island beaches around the world’.

“The beach - and the community that uses it - are indeed special.

“We look forward to being one of the stewards of wonderful Long Bay, and to be a continued and positive supporter of the Turks and Caicos Kiteboarding Association.”

He added that former proposals regarding new beach zoning legislation have been “put aside” following the agreement.

The Kiteboarding Association of the Turks and Caicos Islands was formed earlier this year by a group of veteran kiteboarders.

The increased popularity of the sport led them to want to create a unified voice to lead the sport into the future.

The aim of the KBATCI is to safeguard the future of the sport throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands by advocating safe and responsible riding through proper kiteboarding etiquette.

The group is committed to preserving free and open access to the nation’s beaches while respecting the use of those very same accesses by other members of the public.

Porsha Stubbs-Smith demonstrates how staff will dispense medication

Healthcare clinic opens in Middle Caicos A STATE-of-the-art healthcare clinic opened in Middle Caicos on Friday (April 10) to the delight of local residents.

The newly named Alsada HallMalcom Primary Health Care Clinic has been refurbished and expanded at a cost of $375,980.

The project was jointly funded

by the Caribbean Development Bank, Basic Needs Trust Fund Programme Sixth Programme and the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Members of the Government joined residents at the clinic for the opening ceremony.

Premier Rufus Ewing, who is

also Minister of Health, Agriculture, Human Services and District Administration, said: “Access to high quality primary healthcare services throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands, remains a top priority of this Government.

“The Middle Caicos clinic is one of five Government primary

healthcare clinics earmarked for renovation and expansion.

“The objective of the Ministry of Health is to ensure that primary healthcare services remain readily available, easily accessible and affordable to the Turks and Caicos Islands population and Middle Caicos is no exception.”

The newly renovated facility includes a spacious waiting room, reception area, dispensary, observation room, treatment room and patient bathrooms accessible for people with disabilities.

The clinic also houses space for dental services and day rest for visiting physicians and nurses.

April 18 - 24, 2015

NEWS 15

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Beaches employees graduate from Sandals Corporate University MORE than 250 team members at Beaches recently graduated from the Sandals Corporate University (SCU) with certifications in four core training courses.

These included leadership development, customer service, professional communication and the art of selling.

Hosted by Beaches’ entertainment director David Ellis, the midafternoon event on March 25 saw a large crowd which included officials from the Government and private sector as well as a representative from the Department of Human Services.

Managing director Donald Dagenais said: “This is our second SCU graduation and we are very proud of the team members who continue to use this avenue for their personal and professional growth.

“As this university continues to grow, Beaches Resort will remain committed to presenting opportunities for our employee to develop themselves professionally and academically.”

The SCU gives employees a chance to advance their education and hospitality skill level while in a practical environment.

Workers are allowed to take classes, study and take exams, all at the company’s expense and while at work.

Valedictorian and scholarship recipient William Fulford who delivered the speech on behalf of the graduating class commented on his achievement.

He said: “Sandals Corporate University opens doors for us to explore knowledge at a higher level and it gives lessons that can be carried outside of Beaches.

“These courses that are offered through the university will not only strengthen our resume but they give us many transferable skills that can be applied to any future positions.”

Acting training manager PetaGaye Tain said that SCU strengthens the capability of team members and pushes them to reach their maximum potential.

“This university is designed to grow and develop our team members by enabling them to step out of their comfort zone while improving their human existence.

“We are grateful to our chairman Gordon Butch Stewart for investing in developing the staff providing the training they need to excel at their jobs and also achieve their overall goals.”

The university boasts a variety of programmes that are intended to enhance a team member’s general knowledge, leadership ability, customer service, sales and communication skills.

This experience allows them to apply the theoretical skills to practical situations which enhances their work ethic.

SCU has been in the works for three years at Beaches Turks and Caicos.

Each of the students accepted awards and certificates for their completion of the various SCU courses.

Housekeeping team from Beaches Resort hold up graduation certificates

The Towers of Babel Art is our language For more information email towersofbabel101@gmail.com or visit www.towersofbabel.weebly.com

Death and Resurrection

By Twis Flo

Your past mistakes are your ashes, rise again like the phoenix

Angena Moncher with Michelle Fulford Gardiner

Valedictorian William Fulford

Hallelujah, my name is Twis I’m the reason shooting stars exist My mind is a weapon My thoughts are clips I reminisce and let ‘em slip I regurgitate when my stomach sick To feed these bird brains is the why I exist After this, they gone blast for me I’m aiming at your favourite idol you can call it blasphemy When actually it wouldn’t be These drop out wanna bees could never be God to me Don’t care if you give no applause to me All these words gonna live on immortally All these hurdles gonna crumble remorsefully You would think their autumn leaves the way they fall for me As the sun of a phoenix rise, each ray is equivalent to a blade in the hand of a samurai Screaming ooh-rah witness the birth of the sun god, ain’t no fighting this enlightenment No more taking shade in the lies, be baptised in the truth and be born again Return again to your innocence Though in a sense we was never innocent We were born in sin but let's not pretend we got no choice but to descend “For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son” Be thankful for his mercy, don’t allow him to be the forgotten son.

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

April 18 - 24, 2015

The Turks and Caicos Islands Diabetic Association participate in a health fair

Members from the TCI Haitian community attend the fair

A group of Haitians attentively listen during the workshop

Some of the organisations and businesses involved in making the health fair a reality

More than 500 Haitians attend health fair

BY DAISY HANDFIELD THE HAITIAN Consul in the Turks and Caicos Islands hosted a health fair on Saturday (April 11) in Providenciales to bring awareness to several health issues affecting the local Haitian community.

The initiative, which was held under the theme ‘Hand in hand for health,’ was a joint effort between several health groups in the TCI, InterCaribbean Airways, Lime and the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO).

The two-day fair was held at the Church of God Abundant Life Ministry International in Kew Town on Saturday and Sunday.

Margarette Lemaire, the second Consul for Haiti in TCI, said that the initiative saw more than 500 Haitian people attending.

“I was a consul in the Bahamas and I came up with the idea four years ago for the community there.

“It was a huge success in Nassau and I had a second edition in Freeport.”

Lemaire said she figured the success in the Bahamas would serve likewise for the Haitian community in the TCI. “I think the time was right because it was an activity that I put together on the occasion of World Health Day. “When I came up with the idea, the consul in charge agreed with the project, he welcomed the project so I was able to work on it.”

Three doctors and three nurses from Haiti and the Bahamas were present in the TCI for the event.

During the two days there were workshops on personal hygiene, sexually transmitted diseases, contraceptives and doctors also spoke on healthy eating.

Lemaire said that she was looking forward to hosting another one in the near future.

“We hope to be able to do it again because it is never too much to bring awareness about difficulties; anything that can help the Haitian community to have a better quality of life.”

Head of the delegation Dr Gianni C Decastro talks to one of the attendees

Some of the organisations involved were the Ministry of Health, National AIDS Programme, TCI Red Cross, Nutrition in Demand, National Diabetic Association and

PAHO. Head of the delegation Dr Gianni C Decastro explained that during the event they were not specifically having medical consultations.

“It’s more of sensitisation and health education. For the people that have been seen we have a high potential of high blood pressure.

“We are focusing our intervention, on the way that they eat, the type of food that they eat and how to get around that type of disease.”

CEO for InterCaribbean Trevor Sadler said that on a very personal basis, he cared very much about the health of everybody, so the company was honoured to be a part of the event.

“We as a company had the opportunity to support the Haitian Consul in the mission to bring the doctors to the Turks and Caicos and provide community health fair outreach and for me it is a very important way for showing our support for the community.”

Doctors that visited the TCI for the event were Dr Gianni Decastro, Dr Tamara Georges Decastro, Dr Jean Lenic Joseph, Emmanuella Charles Joseph, Belynda Ambroise.

The Ministry of Health allowed the event to be held.

April 18 - 24, 2015

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

NEWS 17

TCI Summajam expected to be bigger than ever THE ORGANISERS of the TCI Summajam are finalising plans for this year’s three-day cultural celebration in Grand Turk.

The theme for the celebration is ‘Holding up our very own’.

Co-founder of the event Rita Gardiner spoke with the Weekly News on Monday (April 13) and said that this year would mark its 20th anniversary, despite the hiatus from 2008 to 2012.

“Summajam is the soul festival of Grand Turk, it is a family event and a community event. We try to get as much persons involved as possible,” she said.

“Me being a woman I like to promote women in all areas and at all levels; women and beauty.

“I think that we should celebrate women’s beauty.”

She said that organisers are giving women a platform to get out there and just to be the best that they could be.

Gardiner said that aside from giving residents of Grand Turk something to indulge in, this will

also give people the opportunity to rent out booths and sell their food and drinks.

The event will start on Thursday, June 25, with the Miss Teen Grand Turk beauty pageant at the Victoria Public Library courtyard, then on Friday, June 26, with the Miss Grand Turk pageant at the same courtyard and climaxing on Saturday, June 27, at Summajam Village and the Parade Grounds with a list of other activities.

Other happenings include the greasy pig competition, softball and volleyball tournament, cultural games, open karaoke, and live band performances by all Grand Turk bands.

Young ladies interested in entering the Miss Teen Grand Turk and Miss Grand Turk pageants, those interested in participating in any of the events or operating food or vendor booths, and people or companies interested in sponsoring or supporting any of the events can contact committee members Brenda Lightbourne, Thelma Van Alstine or Rita Gardiner before May 31.

(DAISY HANDFIELD)

Side view of the Turks and Caicos Aggressor II

Land Registry launches help desk service EXPERIENCED and knowledgeable team members at the Land Registry are now on hand to provide help to clients during the working week.

On Monday, March 2, the Government department implemented its new ‘Help Desk’ service - a customer service initiative using a dedicated telephone number and email address.

Clients can now call or send emails in order to receive information and documentation related to the Land Registry’s services and procedures.

They will also be able to obtain information on the status of their application or other matters that they may have with the Land Registry.

According to a press release on Sunday (April 13), the move is in line with the Land Registry’s mission to strive for continuous improvement in quality, efficiency and meeting customer needs.

Registrar of Lands Brandie Anderson said: “The implementation of the Help Desk will increase efficiency,

improve customer satisfaction as well as communications with our customers and provide faster responses to people who need assistance and updates on their matters.”

Staff on the Help Desk can be contacted directly on 338-2359 or via email at tcilandregistry@gov. tc.

The Land Registry is located in Grand Turk and provides a legal land transfer process and a central system where details of ownership, title, mortgages and other interests in property are recorded in a public register.

The main services provided by the Land Registry are the registration of land transactions, the arbitration of land and boundary disputes, the collection of stamp duty, processing registration and other land transaction fees/charges and the custody, maintenance and the updating of the register.

The Land Registry was established in 1968, it forms part of the Lands Division and is under the auspices of the Attorney General’s Chambers.

The Aggressor Fleet has generously donated a trip for two on the Turks and Caicos Aggressor II

Aggressor Fleet supports Turks and Caicos Reef Fund THE AGGRESSOR Fleet is joining forces with the Turks and Caicos Reef Fund (TCRF) to raise money to support a boat mooring project.

The TCRF has been designated by the Government’s Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) as the lead nongovernmental organisation for the installation and maintenance of boat

moorings in and around the Marine National Parks of the TCI. The Aggressor Fleet has generously donated a trip for two worth $5,790 on the Turks and Caicos Aggressor II as a raffle prize to support the efforts of the Reef Fund.

Tickets for this seven night cruise are $25 each and only 500 will be sold.

Winners will enjoy a week of wall diving along the coast of Providenciales, West Caicos and French Cay. Raffle ticket sales have started and will conclude on August 27, 2015.

The drawing will be held on August 28 onboard the Aggressor II. Tickets can be purchased online at http://tcreef.org/aggressorraffle.html.

Lifestyle...

18

April 18 - 24, 2015

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

How does your garden grow 

BY DENIS Belanger - NATURE SPLENDOR

Denis is a passionate landscape architect who enjoys the creative process and his clients’ joy when projects come to life. Contact Denis at Nature Splendor for your landscaping, installation or garden maintenance needs.

For more information call 332-3381 or email denis@naturesplendor.net.

Leafminers CITRUS and tomato are commonly affected with leafminers, a very small, light-coloured moth, less than quarter of an inch long.

It has silvery and white iridescent forewings with brown and white markings and a distinct black spot on each wing tip.

The hind wings and body are white, with long fringe scales extending from the hindwing margins.

The larval stage is found only inside mines of citrus leaves and other closely related plants.

As it feeds and develops, the larva leaves a trail observed as a thin dark line inside the meandering serpentine mine just under the surface of the leaf.

This visual characteristic is used to help identify the pest.

Citrus leafminer can survive as a larva only in the tender, young, shiny leaf flush of the citrus and closely related species.

Older leaves that have hardened off are not susceptible unless extremely high populations are present.

The larvae mine inside the lower or upper surface of newly emerging leaves, causing them to curl and look distorted.

Mature trees that have a dense canopy of older foliage to sustain them can tolerate damage on new leaves during part of the growing season with negligible effect on tree growth and fruit yield.

Very young trees do not have much mature foliage and they produce more flush year-round, thereby supporting larger citrus leafminer populations.

Young trees may experience a reduction in growth. However, even young trees with heavy leafminer populations are unlikely to die.

Using traps baited with a pheromone (insect sex attractant) is a useful tool for detecting leafminers,

determining when moths are flying and depositing eggs, and timing insecticide applications.

However, they do not catch enough of the population to be used for control. Only male moths are drawn to the pheromone and become caught in the trap’s sticky coating.

Avoid pruning live branches more than once a year, so that the cycles of flushing are uniform and short.

Once the leaves harden, the pest will not be able to mine the leaves.

Do not prune off leaves damaged by citrus leafminer since undamaged areas of leaves continue to produce food for the tree.

Do not apply nitrogen fertiliser at times of the year when leafminer populations are high and flush growth will be severely damaged, such as in the summer and fall.

Many insecticides registered for residential use do not effectively control citrus leafminer, because they have difficulty reaching the larvae inside the mines.

Insecticide products that contain the natural insecticides azadirachtin or spinosad show some efficacy against larvae and are safe for natural enemies.

However, the residues do not last very long, and these insecticides might need to be reapplied every

week.

Imidacloprid (Bayer Advanced Fruit, Citrus, and Vegetable Insect Control) applied to the ground at the base of citrus trees provides the longest period of control, one to two months.

Imidacloprid should only be applied once a year. Imidacloprid applications should be timed to protect periods of leaf flushing.

Frequent use of broad-spectrum insecticides such as malathion, carbaryl, and pyrethroids are not recommended as they will kill beneficial insects and can result in a build-up of whiteflies, scale insects, and other citrus pests.

POLICE SAFETY TIPS

Bulk up your home security against break-ins ALTHOUGH we all lead busy lives, there are easy things you can do today to make your home less vulnerable to a burglary.

Invest in basic hardware that will protect your home.

There are low-cost devices that will do a lot to make your home more secure.

All exterior doors should be solid rather than hollow-core doors. A hollow-core door can be kicked in, whereas a solid door will keep would-be intruders out.

Your exterior doors should have peepholes.

Peepholes allow you to see who is outside your door before you open it. Just the presence of a peephole can deter intruders who want to maintain the element of

surprise.

If you have a sliding door then you need to have a sliding door bar. This prevents someone from opening the door even if the lock is successfully forced.

It is also a good idea to purchase window opening latches that will prevent the window from opening wider than a certain amount.

You can install the latches high enough to allow fresh air to enter the home, but low enough to prevent someone from getting in.

Always make use of exterior lights once night falls. These lights will make potential intruders feel exposed and keep them away from the entrances to your home.

Intruders have only two options for entering the home: doors or windows.

If you secure all points of entry, the perpetrator will have nowhere to go.

It’s always important to cultivate safe practices.

Unfortunately, homeowners are sometimes their own worst enemies.

If the doorbell rings, we open the door automatically, without using the peephole we have installed.

We enter the house with a bag of groceries and forget to lock the door behind us.

The systems you have put in place to secure your home are only effective if you use them.

As you go about your daily life, start to change careless behaviour.

Make locking doors and windows, and looking before opening the door, automatic behaviours.

Do not advertise what you own.

By Audley Astwood Audley, a former police detective and broadcaster, is currently the press officer for the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. His main focus is on crime prevention and community policing. For more information call 941-4448 or visit www.tcipolice.tc.

Securing your home is one half of the equation in home security; the other half is not providing incentives for a burglary.

Show your valued possessions only to trusted friends and relatives. Keep desirable items discreetly tucked away while you are entertaining, or have workmen on your property.

In many cases, the simplest step you can take to give your home maximum

security is to call in an expert who will do the job for you.

This weekly column is written as part of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force’s crime prevention initiative.

For more crime prevention tips, security awareness tips and home safety reminders, please log on to www.tcipolice.tc or www. facebook.com/RTCIPF.

April 18 - 24, 2015

Lifestyle...

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

ECO Tip  Lynn Robinson has lived in the Turks and Caicos Islands for 12 years and works at Big Blue Unlimited as a diving instructor, eco guide and boat captain. She is passionate about the environment and does regular beach clean ups while walking her three potcakes. Her other passion is running and can often be seen training for marathons and ultra-marathons.

By Lynn Robinson

The Dentist and you  Mark Osmond BDS (Lond) LDS RCS (Eng). Mark Osmond Dental Clinic - (649) 432 3777, drmosmond@gmail.com or Find us on Facebook

19

By Dr Mark Osmond

Baby your back Tourists or trash?

CONSIDERING the beauty of the Turks and Caicos Islands, if you look around you will find discarded trash somewhere nearby.

It’s on the beaches, along the roadside, in the vegetation and in the ocean.

Why do people carelessly discard trash? Do they really not care or are they just too lazy to dispose of it correctly?

Even tourists are not without blame especially when it comes down to cigarette butts as the majority of smokers still seem to think it’s okay to casually drop the butt anywhere they please, even on the beaches and most disturbingly in the water.

Even the more remote areas of the Islands do not escape the growing problem of discarded litter.

Heading down to South West Bluff on my early morning run the other day I was frustrated but not surprised to see bottles and other items that had been thrown from vehicles including a full trash bag.

It also seems that some people go to great effort to discard trash in inappropriate places.

For example, wouldn’t it be much easier to dispose of trash in the receptacles at the entrance to the landfill site rather than drive a couple of hundred metres up the road, turn down a bumpy trail, drive through the bush for another couple of hundred metres to then dump the trash?

This of course is not unique to

the Turks and Caicos Islands but a mounting problem across the whole globe and when it comes down to vacation destinations tourists are starting to choose wisely about the cleanliness of a place.

People’s actions are a reflection of themselves and if a place is dirty and uncared for visitors will eventually stop coming and the knock on effect will hit everyone whether they work in the tourist industry or not.

Recent images on the internet show divers swimming with manta rays in Bali.

Sadly these beautiful creatures are shown alongside plastic pollution floating in the water column.

How long will it take for us to start seeing the same thing happening here?

How long before a dolphin, whale or turtle is found washed up dead on Grace Bay beach after suffocating from ingested plastic?

If it can happen elsewhere it certainly can happen here.

We can clean the beaches and roadsides until the cows come home but nothing will improve until people take responsibility for their actions and stop littering unnecessarily in the first place.

This is an amazing planet and we live in a beautiful part of it.

Earth Day is just around the corner on April 22 and people across the planet will be out in force doing their part to make a difference, but shouldn’t everyday be Earth Day?

STATISTICS show that over 80 percent of people will experience back pain at some time in their lives.

Back pain hurts, of course, but it can also curtail routine activities, such as picking up a child or getting in and out of your car.

The good news is that while some causes of back pain such as medical factors and pregnancy are unavoidable, in most cases you can prevent problems by taking care of your back with simple lifestyle habits.

Here are five tips that will help.

Perfect your posture It’s important to keep your spine properly aligned, whether you are walking or sitting. One way to improve your posture is to imagine that a string is attached to the top of your head, pulling you gently upwards towards the ceiling.

Just thinking about it will help you lengthen your spine.

When sitting, especially in front of a computer, be sure the chair supports your lower back – in a slightly arched position – and that both feet are flat on the floor.

Don’t slump, and use an armrest to help reduce stress in the upper body.

For good sleeping posture, use a supportive pillow and mattress, and sleep on your back or side.

Be more active - every day Poor fitness is associated with back pain. All types of activity contribute to back health, especially strength

Lift with care Avoid lifting heavy objects that may place too much strain on your back.

When you do lift, bend your knees and use your arm and leg muscles, not your back, to do the work.

Hold the object close to your body and distribute the weight evenly.

Weekly Recipe Helen Barkworth-Knight is a teacher and qualified baker with a lifelong love for cooking for friends and family.

She is a mother to Owen, almost two, who has very particular tastes in all things, especially food.

Hence she has become an expert in hiding vegetables in all sorts of dishes!

Cashew and vegetable burgers Makes eight burgers INGREDIENTS • 2oz roasted, unsalted cashew nuts • 2oz fresh white breadcrumbs • 2 tsp dried thyme • 2oz Cheddar cheese, grated • 6oz sweet potato, peeled and cubed • 1 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil • 5 green onions, chopped • 1 carrot, grated

• 4oz brown mushrooms, finely chopped • 1 clove garlic, crushed • Coconut or vegetable oil for frying METHOD • Measure the cashew nuts into a blender or food processor.

• Whiz until finely chopped.

• Add to a bowl with the breadcrumbs, thyme and grated cheese.

• Boil the sweet potato in boiling water

exercises for the back and abdominal muscles, and flexibility stretching for the entire body.

Always warm up before physical activity, and stretch-out when you’re finished. Try to make physical activity a habit.

until soft. Drain.

• Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the green onions, carrot and mushrooms.

• Fry for 10 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and fry for one minute.

• Tip into the breadcrumb mixture with the sweet potato. Mash everything together.

• Shape into eight burgers. Fry in a

frying pan in a little oil over a medium heat for two to three minutes on each side until golden. Be careful to watch the burgers as they can burn very quickly.

• The burgers can be frozen, separated with baking parchment before cooking. Thaw out in the fridge before cooking.

Other lifestyle habits make a difference too!

Maintaining a healthy weight reduces strain on your back.

Drinking several glasses of water every day helps to keep your entire body hydrated, including the disks of your spine. Your spinal disks need water to keep them cushiony, which is good for back health.

Mind/body activities including restorative yoga and regular massage can help you avoid stress-related back problems.

See a health professional, such as a chiropractor, if you have back pain that persists. It may go away on its own, but there’s also a chance that back pain will recur if left untreated.

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Regional News Cayman Islands: Bush motion alleges conspiracy ‘toppled’ UDP government

CAYMAN Islands Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush has alleged “unconstitutional interference” and “violation of the indigenous population’s rights” involving the territory’s former governor Duncan Taylor, Premier Alden McLaughlin, Police Commissioner David Baines, and other unnamed local politicians and civil servants in connection with the 2013 general election.

Mr. Bush’s allegations were made Tuesday in a private members’ motion filed with the Legislative Assembly in which he asked for an independent review of “the involvement of the [U.K.] Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Office of the Governor, Commissioner of Police and the then-Leader of the Opposition [referring to Mr. McLaughlin] in the conspiracy to remove the then-constitutionally elected premier [referring to Mr. Bush].”

The motion stated that Mr. Bush had in his possession “irrefutable documentary evidence” of interference by the governor’s office in conspiring, along with local elected representatives and civil servants, “to topple a democratically elected government while misusing the power of the state and its judicial and law enforcement arms.”

Mr. Bush did not make any of this “irrefutable evidence” public on Tuesday when he held a press conference to discuss details of his private members’ motion, but promised to do so if the motion was heard by the Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Bush, while under a criminal investigation, was removed from the premier’s office in December 2012

Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush filed a Legislative Assembly motion Tuesday alleging a major conspiracy to remove him from office. (Photo: Cayman Compass/Brent Fuller)

following a no-confidence vote of the Legislative Assembly against his government. An interim government, made up of five members of Mr. Bush’s former United Democratic Party, led the Cayman Islands between late December 2012 and May 2013, when the current Progressives-led coalition was voted into office.

“The indigenous people of these islands have had their rights infringed by using the jurisdiction as a[n] instrument to further the economic designs that were contrary to the interest of the indigenous people and, through systemic policies of discrimination, that constitutes a gross violation of their fundamental human rights protected under the United Nations Charter and the European Union regulations,” the motion read.

In addition to calling for an independent commission of inquiry, Mr. Bush’s motion also sought to mete out “appropriate responsibility”

by making the inquiry public and allowing it to initiate legal action, if required, “at the appropriate international legal forum.” Mr. Bush also asked for what he called an “independent historical review” of legal measures taken by U.K. authorities “that has led to the marginalization of the indigenous Caymanian population and disrepute of its financial industry.”

Asked Tuesday for a response to Mr. Bush’s motion, Premier McLaughlin said, “I think the Leader of the Opposition has finally taken leave of his senses.”

The governor’s office noted it was aware of the private members’ motion, but said the decision whether to debate the motion was left with the Speaker of the House.

Police Commissioner Baines had not commented on the motion as of press time.

Premier McLaughlin said his government could consider, in due course, whether to accept the

opposition leader’s motion. It is not legally required to accept it, but Mr. McLaughlin indicated his administration might do so. “[Mr. Bush] best be careful what he wishes for, he just might get it,” Mr. McLaughlin said.

Mr. Bush alleged that during 2011-2012, while he was under investigation in various criminal probes, certain meetings were held that discussed removing him as the then-premier from office and who might form the “interim government” if he were replaced.

Asked to clarify what “irrefutable evidence” he possessed, Mr. Bush said he had written correspondence between the various parties – including former Governor Taylor, then-Opposition Leader McLaughlin, Commissioner Baines and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Some of the correspondence may be considered legally privileged, Mr. Bush said, but he noted that would not prevent him from discussing it within the Legislative Assembly’s confines.

Some of Mr. Bush’s allegations are based on evidence that came out during his criminal trial on corruption allegations last year.

Mr. Bush was acquitted of charges relating to allegations that he used his government-issued credit card to withdraw nearly US$50,000 in casinos in the U.S. and the Bahamas, using at least some of the cash withdrawn to gamble at slot machines.

During the trial, a series of emails were read out by Mr. Bush’s defense team which lawyers suggested showed a conspiracy to “bring

down” the former premier.

Former Governor Taylor suggested in one email that a “quiet bottle of bubbly” would be in order if Mr. Bush was charged with criminal offenses. In one email, dated March 20, 2013, Mr. Taylor intimates to an official, named only as Tony, that Mr. Bush is about to be charged that afternoon.

“I’m not opening any quiet bubbly until it is confirmed,” he wrote. “When it is, there will be a huge sigh of relief across the Cayman Islands, including a loud one from this office.” He followed up with confirmation that the charges have been brought, writing “Good day for Cayman.”

Visiting Judge Michael Mettyear, in summing up the trial evidence, said that it was possible the former governor’s comments could be taken in a less negative way.

“If you think the former governor believed, rightly or wrongly, that [Mr. Bush] was corrupt and his actions were to the detriment of the Cayman Islands, you may view his apparent enthusiasm to have Mr. Bush charged and his celebratory attitude ... in a different light,” Justice Mettyear said.

Mr. Bush was asked during Tuesday’s press conference whether he thought the “violations” described in the private members’ motion were serious enough for the territory to consider voiding the results of the 2013 vote and holding new elections.

He responded that he did “not necessarily” want fresh elections, but indicated that he did have concerns – in light of the correspondence he had received – as to the fairness of the vote.

Flight from Britain forced to land in Bermuda after crew members threatened

TWO British men were left scrambling for cash to avoid going to jail after each was fined US$3,000 in a Magistrates’ Court on Monday for using threatening behaviour towards crew members on a Mexico-bound flight from Britain that the captain was forced to divert to Bermuda.

Jamie Richardson, 38, from Lancing, West Sussex, pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour on Thomson Airways Flight 022 by throwing peanuts and a pound coin at a flight attendant.

Daniel Taylor, 37, from Worthing, West Sussex, pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour by hitting himself on the head with clenched fists and taking an aggressive stance

towards cabin staff.

Richardson said he regretted the incident and that he had mixed sleeping pills, which he took because he had a fear of flying, and vodka, which led to his behaviour.

Taylor, who said he also took sleeping pills, said ‘it was the most embarrassing day of my life.”

Prosecutor Larissa Burgess told the court that the men appeared intoxicated when they boarded Sunday’s flight bound for Cancun, Mexico, at Gatwick Airport.

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo ordered both men to pay fines of US$3,000 or face four months in prison in default of payment.

But their attorney Alexandra

Wheatley asked the magistrate to reconsider the amount because the defendants instructed her that they had only about $700 in cash between them.

But the magistrate refused the request, saying: “This kind of behaviour is not acceptable.”

He added that taking sleeping pills was not an excuse and that the fine was lenient enough.

“In these times it could be a lot harsher — you can’t mess around in the air these days,” he said.

Burgess said the defendants were seated apart, but kept moving around asking for drinks and, at one point, Taylor stepped on a flight attendant’s foot.

The court heard that the men then

The Thomson Airways flight was originally set to land in Mexico.

began shouting and swearing, and on being told to stop doing so, they exclaimed “we are drug dealers”.

Burgess added that Richardson then wanted to buy peanuts from a flight attendant and Taylor threw his wallet across the cabin to Richardson.

When Richardson threw it back it hit a passenger on the head.

Burgess said they were told that

this was unacceptable and Taylor proceeded to throw the peanuts and pound coins at the flight attendant, saying he did not want either.

Taylor refused a final written warning from the flight attendant, who notified the pilot of the incident.

The pilot then diverted the flight to Bermuda, where the defendants were arrested. (CMC)

April 18 - 24, 2015

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Regional News Caribbean Airlines enforces new baggage rule As of this week, all passengers traveling on Caribbean Airlines will only be allowed one free carry-on and one free checked bag.

The carrier has warned that it will be enforcing its hand baggage policy and passengers not in compliance will be subjected to additional fees.

The new rules will affect passengers traveling between North America and the Caribbean and regionally.

According to the carrier, passengers will now be able to pay for up to three additional bags. Business Class, passengers, whose baggage weight have been increased, Premium Economy, Silver, Gold and Executive Gold members, are not affected by the

change.

Customers who purchased their tickets before January 31st, passengers traveling to/ from London in economy, are still allowed two pieces and business class UK passengers three pieces, said the airline in a media release.

“Customers will enjoy the convenience of paying for their extra bags ahead of their travel date via our ticket offices and reservations call centres, or at their departure airport where our agents are equipped with smart hand held computers to ensure a quick seamless experience for credit card paying customers.

Cash will also be accepted at the check-in counters,” said the airline. (Jamaica Gleaner)

Cuban President Raúl Castro introduces himself to his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, in South Africa in December, 2013 at the funeral of Nelson Mandela.

Cuba welcomes removal from US terrorism sponsor list

CUBA is praising President Barack Obama’s decision to remove the Caribbean island nation from Washington’s list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Josefina Vidal, Havana’s chief diplomat for U.S. affairs, issued a statement Tuesday welcoming Obama’s “fair decision to take Cuba off a list that it never should have been included on.”

Obama informed Congress of his decision earlier in the day, after a State Department review concluded that Cuba “has not provided any support for international terrorism” in the last six months and given the U.S. assurances that it does not intend to in the future.

Congress has 45 days to overrule the president’s decision through a joint resolution, but lawmakers cannot stop it unless both chambers approve a joint resolution, a move that is highly unlikely.

Many of Obama’s fellow Democrats hailed his decision and some experts said it was long

overdue.

But U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American lawmaker from south Florida and newly announced Republican presidential candidate, denounced it as a “terrible’’ decision, saying Cuba was helping North Korea evade sanctions and harboring fugitives from American justice.

The fugitives include Joanne Chesimard, wanted in the slaying of a New Jersey state trooper in the early 1970s.

Republican U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, another CubanAmerican lawmaker from Florida, accused Obama of “capitulating to dictators.’’

The United States first placed Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism in 1982, due to communist island’s support for leftist separatist groups such as FARC in Colombia and the Basque armed group ETA in Spain. But Havana is now sponsoring peace talks between FARC and the Columbian government, and has distanced itself from ETA.

Cable Bahamas breaks b$ record despite being $7m short DESPITE missing its combined target by $7 million, Cable Bahamas’ preference share issue was on Tuesday described as the “largest amount” of new Bahamian dollars ever raised from this nation’s capital markets by a private sector entity.

Michael Anderson, RoyalFidelity Merchant Bank & Trust’s president, confirmed to Tribune Business that the BISX-listed communications provider had raised $73 million of its $80 million target due to falling short on the US dollar side.

While the Bahamian dollar component had been oversubscribed by $5 million to come in at $65 million, Mr Anderson disclosed that just $8 million in US dollars was received from institutional and high net worth investors.

Cable Bahamas and RoyalFidelity, as its financial adviser, had targeted $20 million in US dollars, but an upbeat Mr Anderson still described the preference share issue as a success.

He told Tribune Business that, based on previous efforts to raise US dollars in the Bahamian market, he had expected Cable Bahamas to receive between $5-$10 million exactly where it came in at.

“We went out to market for $60 million on the Series 9 [preference shares] in Bahamian dollars, and $20

million on the Series 10, which was US,” Mr Anderson said.

“I think we ended up with $65 million in the Bahamian dollar offering, which was oversubscribed by $5 million, and we ended up with about $8 million on the US dollar side. That was short of what the target was by $12 million.”

The RoyalFidelity chief emphasised that raising US dollars in the Bahamian capital markets was “a difficult ask”, given that investors possessing this currency were typically looking for returns outside this nation.

“We kind of never really expected, based on what happened in the past, to get more than $10 million,” Mr Anderson conceded to Tribune Business.

“We expected to get between $5-$10 million, and got that same amount. Institutional investors are looking for rated securities, which Cable is not yet, and there are not enough individual investors locally to get the numbers up.”

Cable Bahamas sought to raise the same $20 million sum in US dollars when it came to market with last year’s preference share issue, yet secured just $11 million, thus giving the company and its advisers a good indication of what to expect this year.

“I think everybody is happy with the result. It’s good to be

successful,” Mr Anderson said of the latest outcome. “Taking into account the money already out there with the Government, and the amount of liquidity in the market, we were pleasantly surprised we were oversubscribed.

“This largest amount we ever raised before in the market was $65 million. This round, with $65 million, was the largest ever raised on the Bahamian dollar side.”

While Cable Bahamas last year raised $114.5 million from the private placement of preference shares, close to $60 million of this sum involved the ‘rollover’ of investor capital tied up in the company’s existing debt instruments, which were about to mature.

And with $11 million of that figure US dollars, around $43.5 million in ‘new’ Bahamian dollars was raised in 2014.

“Cable is obviously in a growth mode both here and overseas,” Mr Anderson told Tribune Business, “and is capital hungry.

“It’s hopefully a precursor of other companies coming to market, but Cable is a growth company and there are not a lot of growth companies in this market. For good credits, the low interest rate environment out there is still driving people to look for good returns.”

Calls for “peace” following spate of St Lucia murders The St. Lucia government has called for an end to what it described as the “senseless” killings that have erupted in a certain section of the capital earlier this month.

“What sense does it make to shoot and kill people who you grew up with, went to school with, and played games with?” said Acting Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre.

Earlier this week, government announced changes to the operations at the Castries Health Centre following the upsurge in murders near the facility in the past few days.

The Ministry of Health, Wellness, Human Services and Gender Relations said the changes are “to facilitate the revision of security arrangements to ensure the safety of clients and staff of the Castries Health Center”.

The latest killing occurred on Sunday when 31-year-old Micah Joseph was gunned down near the main market in the capital. His murder was the fifth in eight days.

Pierre said it was important for those using the guns against their neighbours to stop the killing and

Acting Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre is puzzled with the senseless killing.

allow the country to return to the state of peace enjoyed during the first three months of 2015.

Health Minister Alvina Reynolds issued a similar statement after doctors, nurses and other health workers at the Castries Health Centre were traumatized by the three fatal shootings in close proximity to their workplace.

Reynolds said those involved in the killings “do not understand the implications of their actions on health workers, who are repeatedly forced to face such trauma.”

No one has been arrested for the latest killing but police said they have so far detained four people in connection with the other murders committed last week.

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April 18 - 24, 2015

Digital music matches physical sales for the first time DIGITAL music revenues matched physical sales for the first time in 2014, thanks to strong growth in the streaming market.

The digital market rose 6.9% to $6.9 billion (£4.6 billion), representing 46% of all global music sales, reported the music industry body IFPI. CDs, vinyl and other physical formats also accounted for 46% of the market, with rights for performances, films and advertisements making up the rest.

But overall revenue slipped by 0.4%.

Pharrell Williams’s Happy was the most-downloaded single globally in 2014, with Taylor Swift the most popular artist, the IFPI said.

The London-based body also noted that vinyl sales had increased by 54.7%, and now account for 2% of global revenues.

The global recorded music industry was worth $14.97 billion (£10.1 billion) last year, down from $15 billion (£10 billion) in 2013.

Although the rate of decline has slowed since the mid-2000s, it is the second consecutive year of falling music sales.

A brief upturn in 2012, when global revenues rose 0.3%, now appears to be an aberration.

But the picture varies from

In a career that started in the 1960s, Percy Sledge had a number of hits, including “Take Time to Know Her,” “Warm and Tender Love” and “It Tears Me Up” among them. But his first and biggest hit, “When a Man Loves a Woman,” towered over them all.

Taylor Swift was the most popular artist in the world last year, said the IFPI.

country to country. The US, the world’s largest music market, saw an overall increase of 2.1%.

Japan, where falling CD sales have dragged down the global industry in recent years, saw an increase in digital revenue for the first time in five years, as streaming services gained a firmer foothold.

Other large markets saw declining sales - including France (down 3.4%) and the UK (down 2.8%).

And 37 countries - including Sweden, Mexico, Spain and South Korea - saw streaming revenue overtake download income.

Overall, last year saw a steep increase in subscriptions to streaming sites such as Deezer and Spotify, with revenues increasing by 39% to $1.57 billion (£1.06 billion).

That offset a decline in download sales, mostly derived from Apple’s iTunes store, which fell by 8%.

Legend launches campaign to end mass incarceration

JOHN Legend has launched a campaign to end mass incarceration.

The Grammy-winning singer announced the multiyear initiative, FREE AMERICA, on Monday.

He will visit and perform at a correctional facility on Thursday in Austin, Texas, where he also will be part of a press conference with state legislators to discuss Texas’ criminal justice system.

“We have a serious problem with incarceration in this country,” Legend said in an interview.

“It’s destroying families, it’s destroying communities and we’re the most incarcerated country in the world, and when you look deeper and look at the reasons we got to this place, we as a society made some choices politically and legislatively, culturally to deal with poverty, deal with mental illness in a certain way and that way usually involves using incarceration.”

Legend, 36, will also visit a California state prison and co-host

John Legend is hoping to end mass incarceration in the USA.

a criminal justice event with Politico in Washington, D.C., later this month.

The campaign will include help from other artists — to be announced — and organizations committed to ending mass incarceration.

“I’m just trying to create some more awareness to this issue and trying to make some real change legislatively,’’ he said. “And we’re not the only ones.

There are senators that are looking

at this, like Rand Paul and Cory Booker, there are other nonprofits that are looking at this, and I just wanted to add my voice to that.’’

Legend’s speech at the Academy Awards this year struck a chord when he spoke about mass incarceration. He won the Oscar for best original song with rapper Common for “Glory’’ from the film “Selma.’’

R&B singer Percy Sledge dies PERCY Sledge, the R&B belter whose biggest hit, “When a Man Loves a Woman,” became a cornerstone of soul music, died Tuesday. He was 74.

Sledge died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said Stephanie Price of the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office. Sledge died of natural causes, said East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner Dr. William Clark. He had been in hospice care for cancer, Clark added.

In a career that started in the 1960s, Sledge had a number of hits, including “Take Time to Know Her,” “Warm and Tender Love” and “It Tears Me Up” among them.

But his first and biggest hit, “When a Man Loves a Woman,” towered over them all.

Over a mournful, slowly rising instrumental track provided by organist Spooner Oldham, drummer Roger Hawkins and guitarist Marlin Greene -- key musicians of what became the Muscle Shoals sound, heard on countless soul records -- Sledge crooned, pleaded and roared his way through the tune.

It came directly from the heart: Originally called “Why Did You Leave Me Baby,” he’d written it about a former girlfriend, drawing from a tune that he used to sing to himself as a child.

“I hummed it all my life, even when I was picking and chopping cotton in the fields,” the Alabamaborn singer told the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

At the time, Sledge was working as a hospital orderly, picking up gigs at night with a group called the Esquires Combo. In a fit of generosity, he gave the songwriting credit for “Woman” to two of the

Esquires, Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright, who had helped him with a few chords.

The song was recorded on February 17, 1966, in Sheffield, Alabama. Atlantic Records picked it up and wanted to redo the slightly out-of-tune horns, but the original version ended up being released.

It hit No. 1 on May 28, 1966.

“Southern soul had at last entered the mainstream of pop in the unlikely guise of the ultimate make-out song,” music historian Peter Guralnick wrote. Producer Jerry Wexler called it “a holy love hymn.”

Sledge never saw a dime of songwriting royalties. He had some regrets about that, he told Blues and Soul magazine -- the song would have helped provide for his children -- but he accepted it.

“Worst decision I ever made. But I am not at all bitter. I figure if God wanted me to do what I did, and say what I did to tell those guys they could have the song, then I’ll leave it that away,” he told the magazine.

“When a Man Loves a Woman” became a standard, covered many times -- Michael Bolton took it to No. 1 in 1991 -- and featured on several movie soundtracks. It was even the title of a 1994 film starring Andy Garcia and Meg Ryan.

Sledge’s version also returned to the charts, hitting the UK top 10 in 1987.

Even with his other hits, he said, it all came back to “When a Man Loves a Woman.”

“The granddaddy to all of my songs. The boss of all of my songs. I have great respect for that song,” he told Blues and Soul. “Always will.”

Sledge was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2005. (CNN)

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Entertainment

Kelly Rutherford and her daughter Helena (l.) and son Hermes create designs in the design studio at Barbie: The Dream Closet Fashion Week event on Feb. 11, 2012, in New York.

Rutherford speaks out after court denies her right to bring her children back to U.S. KELLY Rutherford was denied the right to bring her children back to the U.S. after a six-year legal battle with exhusband Daniel Giersch, who the kids currently live with in France.

“I know it’s not right.

Parents know it,” she told ABC News Tuesday about the court’s unprecedented decision to order her American-born children to live in another country when they have an able parent in the states. “Everyone knows it’s not right.”

The 46-year-old actress’ children, 8-year-old son Hermés and 5-year-old

daughter Helena, were ordered by a California judge in 2012 to live with their German father in France. While the exes were supposed to share custody, Giersch has been unable to reenter the United States after traveling abroad.

“What makes this case so crazy is there was no allegation that Kelly Rutherford was a bad parent,” ABC News’ legal analyst, Dan Abrams, said. “The heart of the ruling was basically saying we don’t want to force these kids to fly around to visit their father who can’t come into the United States so we’re just going to move them to France.”

“I can sit here and tell you how often I cry,” Rutherford, 46, said tearfully. “I can tell you how it feels to leave my kids in a foreign country, to go see them after not seeing them for weeks on end, not being able to take them to school, pick them up from school, dress them, smell them, hug them.”

Aside from being emotionally taxing, Rutherford’s legal battles and all of her international travel to see her children caused her to file for bankruptcy in 2013.

Still, she continues to fight and recently argued for her children’s constitutional rights as U.S. citizens.

Rapper Nelly arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs GRAMMY Award-winning rapper Nelly has been arrested on drugs charges after police stopped the bus in which he was travelling in Tennessee.

Nelly, real name Cornell Haynes, was pulled over on Saturday morning because the bus was allegedly not displaying legally-required stickers.

The bus was then searched after a state trooper smelled marijuana, authorities in Tennessee said.

Officers are alleged to have found drugs and handguns on board.

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security said Nelly was taken to Putnam County Jail after the bus, which had six people on board, was stopped on Interstate 40.

The 40-year-old rapper was charged with felony possession of drugs, simple possession of marijuana and possession of

Nelly’s hits include Hot in Herre and Country Grammar .

drug paraphernalia and was later released on bail.

One other man travelling on the coach was arrested and charged, authorities said.

A statement said two state troopers searched the bus and found “five coloured crystaltype rocks that tested positive for methamphetamine, as well as a small amount of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia”

as well as the guns.

According to CNN, Nelly’s lawyer Scott Rosenblum said “there had been 15-20 people that had access to the bus prior to the stop”.

He said he was “extremely confident that when the facts come out, Nelly will not be associated with the contraband that was allegedly discovered.”

April 18 - 24, 2015

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

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April 18 - 24, 2015

April 18 - 24, 2015

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Woodley, ‘Fault in our Stars,’ win big at MTV Movie Awards

Billy Joel’s daughter Alexa Ray Joel (29), Billy Joel and girlfriend Alexis Roderick (33).

Billy Joel, 65, and 33-yearold girlfriend expecting first child together BILLY Joel is in a newborn state of mind.

The 65-year-old “Piano Man” singer’s girlfriend Alexis Roderick, 33, is pregnant.

“Billy Joel and his girlfriend, Alexis Roderick, are expecting their first child this summer,” Joel’s rep confirmed in a statement to the Daily News Tuesday. “The couple, together since 2009, opted to keep any further details of her pregnancy under wraps until their new addition makes an official debut.”

This will be the second child for Joel, who shares 29-year-old daughter Alexa Ray Joel with exwife Christie Brinkley.

Joel and Roderick are allegedly expecting a baby girl, Radar Online reported.

“There are lots of family photos with Alexis and her growing belly,” a second source said of the mom-to-be, noting she has been “keeping a low profile” throughout her pregnancy.

(NYdailynews)

VIN Diesel sang, Channing Tatum danced and Zac Efron showed off his toned abs yet again as the best shirtless winner for the second year in a row at Sunday’s MTV Movie Awards.

“This is definitely not the Oscars,’’ said “22 Jump Street’’ star Jillian Bell as she arrived for MTV’s 24th annual irreverent treatment on Hollywood award shows.

In addition to such cheeky, fan-voted honors as best kiss and best shirtless performance, the awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles also served as an unofficial promotional platform for the upcoming blockbuster season.

Almost at odds with the raunchy spirit of the show, the big winner of the evening was the teen tearjerker “The Fault in Our Stars,’’ which got the Golden Popcorn statuette for best movie of the year as well as multiple wins for star Shailene Woodley.

Other winners included Bradley Cooper, Channing Tatum and Jennifer Lopez, as well as Jennifer Lawrence and Meryl Streep, who were not in attendance.

Woodley, who picked up the award for best female performance in “The Fault in Our Stars’’ in addition to the Trailblazer Award and best kiss honor (with Ansel Elgort), gave an emotional speech dedicated to the book’s author, John Green.

“He gave this world a beautiful

Shailene Woodley accepts the trailblazer award at the MTV Movie Awards at the Nokia Theatre on April 12, 2015, in Los Angeles.

masterpiece,’’ she said directly to Green, who was seated in the audience. Woodley said that the book changed her life when she read it and that his words will transcend the test of time.

In another poignant moment, Cooper, who won best male performance for portraying the late Chris Kyle in “American Sniper,’’ thanked the audience for making the film such a big success and bringing attention to the plight of the soldiers.

“Chris Kyle would have turned 41 four days ago. Chris, this is for you,’’ said Cooper.

But it was hard to be uniformly gracious when categories include other wacky awards like best villain (Streep for “Into the Woods’’), and best WTF moment (Rose Byrne and

Seth Rogen for “Neighbors’’).

Kevin Hart, who was the target of many size-related jokes throughout the night, brought his kids on stage to accept the comedic genius award.

“I do it all for them,’’ he said. “I’m trying to leave a legacy behind.’’

Host Amy Schumer set the tone at the outset, poking fun at MTV, Hillary Clinton and even Harrison Ford.

“This is going to be the party of the year. I just hope Harrison Ford doesn’t crash it,’’ Schumer said, referring to the actor’s recent plane mishap.

In one of the most energetic moments of the show, Robert Downey Jr. brought his fellow Avengers to their knees while accepting the Generation Award.

Hudson’s ‘true love’ opens up on secret three-year relationship

Responding in the comments section of the video Rihanna explaining that she did not snorting anything—but was smoking a joint.

Rihanna denies accusations she snorted cocaine in Vine video RIHANNA is about Four Five Seconds from wildin’.

Some of have suggested the Barbadian star was doing cocaine in a Vine video that made rounds on the Internet Tuesday but the 27-year-old “Umbrella” singer is having none of it.

She responded in the comments section of the video explaining that she’s not snorting anything—it’s just a joint.

“N---a your lame ass got some f--

-ing nerve!!!” the singer wrote. “Any fool could see that’s a joint that I’m basing with cigarette! Who snorts tobacco??!! FOH witcho ‘never been to a rodeo so someone squeezing their nose means they’re doing coke’ lookin ass!!”

The video does make it unclear what exactly the singer is doing in the background although it does appear that she does have a cigarette in her hand. (NYdailynews)

DURING the height of his Hollywood stardom, Rock Hudson’s biggest feat of acting was hiding the love of his life from his adoring public.

The late actor, who died of AIDS-related complications in Oct. 1985, even hid the depths of his feelings from then-secret-paramour Lee Garlington, the now 77-yearold retired stockbroker revealed to People Magazine in the new issue.

The pair of star-crossed lovers met when Hudson was one of the most popular movie stars in the business -- and Garlington was a lowly extra.

“He was the biggest movie star in the world, and the rumors were that he was gay,” Garlington told the gossip glossy. “So I thought, ‘Let me get an eye on him.’ I stood outside his cottage on the Universal lot, pretending to read Variety, which was probably upside down at the time. He walked out and down the street. He looked back once.

That was it.”

Rock Hudson’s former lover broke his silence about the pair’s three year secret relationship.

Garlington and a host of Hudson’s contemporaries -- including “Pillow Talk” costar Doris Day and manager Wallace Sheft -- delivered tributes to People in honor of the actor who died nearly thirty years ago.

A year after their first encounter,

Hudson and Garlington got together -- and they continued their relationship in secret to avoid a potential scandal. The ‘60s, after all, were a time in which American movie audiences weren’t ready for the idea of a gay leading man.

28

World News

April 18 - 24, 2015

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Clegg: The choice is me, Salmond or Farage NICK Clegg has said no party will win an outright election victory and warned voters they face a choice between the Lib Dems, the SNP and UKIP over who holds the balance of power.

Launching his manifesto, the Lib Dem leader said he would seek to form a “coalition with conscience” that would not “lurch off to the extremes”.

He pledged £2.5bn more for education after 2017 to boost opportunity.

The Conservatives and Labour have both insisted they can win on their own.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who published his party’s own manifesto on Wednesday, has rejected suggestions he has made approaches to the Conservatives about a postelection deal, saying he would “only be speaking to the British people” between now and 7 May. Mr Farage suggested a referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU would be the main “red line” in any negotiations with another party, saying it would have to be a “full, free and fair” vote rather than a “stitch-up”.

Speaking in south London, Mr Clegg declined to specify any red lines but said he would “die in the trenches” to defend the party’s five key priorities on education, health, tax, the deficit and the environment if it stayed in government.

Launching his manifesto, the Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said he would seek to form a “coalition with conscience” that would not “lurch off to the extremes”.

Mr Clegg, whose presentation was interrupted by technical glitches, said no party would win enough seats to gain victory and either the Conservatives or Labour would have to work with others if they wanted to take power.

He said the Lib Dems’ “gutsy” decision to join the Conservatives in coalition in 2010 had been vindicated, saying they had turned round the economy and governed with “compassion and a sense of

fairness”.

Making the case for another coalition, Mr Clegg said a vote for his party would stop the Tories or Labour governing on their own, arguing the Lib Dems would “add a heart to a Conservative government and add a brain to a Labour one”.

A “few hundred votes”, he claimed, could make the difference between a “decent, tolerant and generous” government in the centreground and a “coalition of grievance” involving either the UKIP or SNP. Opinion polls suggest the SNP, whose former leader Alex Salmond is standing for Parliament, could make huge gains in next month’s poll and Mr Clegg suggested it would be Mr Salmond, rather than his successor as SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, who could end up “calling the shots”.

“Somebody is going to hold the balance of power on 8 May,” he said.

“It is not going to be David Cameron or Ed Miliband. It could be Alex Salmond, it could be Nigel Farage or it could be me and the Liberal Democrats.

“Only the Lib Dems can make sure the next government keeps Britain on track. Every Lib Dem you elect makes Labour’s reckless borrowing less likely, makes George Osborne’s ideological cuts less likely and every Lib Dem you elect is a barrier between Nigel Farage and Alex Salmond and the door to 10 Downing Street.”

Lottery employee rigged $14.3 million win for himself on Iowa ticket: officials IOWA lottery officials are really hoping for a change of luck.

As a former information security director prepares to stand trial for allegedly rigging a $14.3 million win for himself, officials announced Monday they’re revamping the system’s security to make sure no one else ever rigs the game.

“I have confidence that the games we offer today are fair,” Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich said in a statement.

“Our lottery has strong layers of security in place to protect lottery players, lottery games and lottery prizes.”

That apparently was not the case in December 2010, when Eddie Raymond Tipton, who was information security director of the Multi-State Lottery Association, allegedly got way too lucky with a winning Hot Lotto ticket. Authorities believe Tiptop used a USB flash drive to install a self-deleting computer program to give him the numbers he needed to win big. Tipton was

Eddie Tipton allegedly used his position as a lotter security director to hatch an elaborate plot resulting in a $14.3 winning ticket for himself.

“obsessed” with these kinds of programs, known as root kits, coworkers told prosecutors.

Tipton, now 51, waited more

than a year before attempting to anonymously claim the ticket through a Bedford, N.Y. attorney named Crawford Shaw, the Lottery Post reported. The ticket ultimately expired, and Tipton’s lame luck ran out when another lottery employee recognized him making his prohibited purchase in security footage from a QuikTrip gas station in Des Moines.

Tipton was not allowed to claim a winning ticket or even play the game because of his job at the time, the Des Moines Register reported.

Tipton’s trial for two counts of fraud was supposed to begin Monday, but got pushed off until July when his defense asked for more time.

In the wake of Tipton’s wrongful win, Iowa’s lottery officials now say they’ve spaced out security responsibilities among more employees and replaced internal cameras, which Tipton allegedly tampered with while staging his big win. (NYDailynews)

More than 8,000 migrants have been rescued from the Mediterranean since Friday.

Libya migrants: Sight of rescuers ‘led to capsize’ A SHIPWRECK in which about 400 migrants are feared to have died off Libya this week was caused by excitement at the sight of rescuers, survivors say.

They told officials that the boat capsized when many migrants moved to one side as a rescue ship approached.

Monday’s sinking is among the worst migrant tragedies in the Mediterranean.

Aid agencies say not enough is being done to save the lives of the rising number of people trying to cross the sea to Europe.

Up to 20,000 people fleeing poverty and conflict have made the perilous crossing to Italy since the start of the year, similar to the same period in 2014, a year when a record 170,000 reached the country’s shores.

Almost 10,000 people have been picked up in recent days, and more boats are heading for the Italian coast.

The Italian coast guard rescued about 140 people from the boat that capsized on Monday. Survivors say more than 500 people were on board when it sank.

Joel Millman, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) quoted by Reuters news agency, says that at least a third were women and children.

“When the men on the deck became restless and started moving about because a rescue boat was beginning to approach them, the boat capsized and water flooded the hull,” he said. “Women and children died immediately.”

More than 500 people have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean since the start of the year, 30 times more than in the same

period last year.

If the toll from latest tragedy is confirmed, the number of deaths for the year would rise to 900.

Meanwhile the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said unprecedented numbers of refugees were arriving in Greece’s Dodecanese islands - off Turkey’s south-western coast.

MSF said about 100 new migrants were landing on the islands every day. It urged Greek and EU officials to do more to receive them.

UNHCR spokesman Federico Fossi told the BBC there was no indication that the numbers risking their lives to come to Europe would drop soon.

“There are still people fleeing from wars and persecution in countries such as Syria, dictatorships in countries such as Eritrea,” he said.

He called on the European Union “to step up a strong search and rescue mechanism” to save people’s lives.

As many as 3,500 migrants died while trying to cross the Mediterranean last year, officials say, as record numbers tried to reach Europe.

Late last year the Italian government scaled back a maritime rescue operation launched in response to another tragedy, in which 366 migrants died off the island of Lampedusa.

There were concerns that the Mare Nostrum mission was encouraging migrant crossings, and a more limited EU border security operation took over.

Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been without a stable government allowing trafficking networks to thrive. (BBC)

April 18 - 24, 2015

World News

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Madoff trustee seeks to release $1.2 billion to victims A TRUSTEE recovering money for thousands of victims of Bernard Madoff’s epic Ponzi scheme has asked a New York court to let him distribute another $1.2 billion.

Irving Picard asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan on Wednesday to approve the allocation. A hearing is scheduled for May. The distribution would raise the amount recovered and returned to investors to nearly $8.2 billion and leave more than 55 percent of allowable claims fully satisfied. The payouts to individual investors would range from $1,082 to $168 million, with an average payout of $855,000.

Picard has recovered or reached agreements to recover about $10.5 billion. He was appointed as trustee days after Madoff was arrested in December 2008.

A trustee in charge of distributing money back to Bernard Madoff’s epic ponzi scheme victims has asked a court if he can allocate another $1.2 billion.

Baby rape plot was ‘pie in the sky’, Bristol court hears A PAEDOPHILE accused of conspiring to rape a baby has told a court in Bristol the alleged plan was “pie in the sky”.

Former actor John Denham, 49, said conversations he had had about it were “fantasy” and he did not think “any of that stuff” would happen.

Mr Denham, from Wiltshire, has pleaded guilty to child pornography offences and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

He and co-accused Matthew Stansfield, 34, deny conspiracy to rape a child.

They also deny conspiracy to sexually assault a child under the age of 13.

Mr Stansfield, from Hampshire, has pleaded guilty to child pornography offences.

The court heard that the alleged plan to rape a baby was to have taken place on 17 January last year in Bedfordshire.

However, it did not happen because another man, Robin Hollyson, who had access to the intended victim, had been detained in hospital.

Hollyson, 30, has already pleaded guilty to the rape of a child and conspiracy to rape a child during 2013 and 2014.

Mr Denham, who has two children and was previously known as Benjamin Harrop, said in court he did

Madoff is an ex-Nasdaq chairman. He pleaded guilty and is serving a 150-year prison sentence. (NYDailynews)

The first-ever set of all female quintuplets born in the United States were delivered in Houston last week, according to the Women’s Hospital of Texas. It was the first set of all female quintuplets since 1969 in the world.

A report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) said that in-flight internet hacking it is one of several emerging security threats not being dealt with properly.

US in-flight internet could be hacked, watchdog warns WIRELESS systems used by passengers on planes in the US could be hacked to access flight controls, a federal watchdog agency has warned.

A report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) said it is one of several emerging security threats not being dealt with properly.

It comes as air traffic control is modernised to use satellite technology.

The US Department of Transportation said it was “committed to strengthening capabilities against evolving threats”.

GAO investigators spoke to cyber security experts who said onboard firewalls intended to protect avionics from hackers could be breached if flight control and entertainment systems use the same wiring and routers.

One expert told investigators “a virus or malware” planted on websites visited by passengers

could provide an opportunity for a malicious attack.

Michael Huerta from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which oversees airspace, agreed with the GAO’s findings and said it had begun working with government security experts to make the changes needed.

“This threat will continue to evolve and it is something that needs to be at the forefront of our thinking,” he told a Senate oversight panel.

Congressman Peter DeFazio said: “FAA must focus on aircraft certification standards that would prevent a terrorist with a laptop in the cabin or on the ground from taking control of an airplane through the passenger wi-fi system.”

The Department of Transportation said the FAA was “committed to strengthening our capabilities to defend against new and evolving threats with a high degree of urgency”. (BBC)

29

Rare set of all-girl quintuplets born in U.S. It’s been a busy few weeks for multiples.

The first set of female quintuplets in the world since 1969 was born in Houston on April 8, and the parents are blogging about their unique experience.

Danielle Busby delivered all five girls at the Woman’s Hospital of Texas via C-section at 28 weeks and two days, according to CNN affiliate KPRC. Parents Danielle and Adam and big sister Blayke are now a family of eight. The babies are named Ava Lane, Hazel Grace, Olivia Marie, Parker Kate and Riley Paige.

“We are so thankful and blessed,” said Danielle Busby, who had intrauterine insemination to get pregnant. “I honestly give all the credit to my God. I am so thankful for this wonderful hospital and team of people here.

They truly all are amazing.”

You can learn all about their journey at their blog, “It’s a Buzz World.”

Early news reports said the

Busby girls were the first allfemale quintuplets born in the U.S. But a user alerted CNN to news clippings that show quintuplet girls were born in 1959 to Charles and Cecilia Hannan in San Antonio. All of the girls died within 24 hours.

Like the Busby family, Sharon and Korey Rademacher were hoping for a second child. When they found out what they were having, they decided to keep it a secret from family and friends.

That’s why they didn’t tell their family the gender of baby No. 2 -- or that Sharon was actually expecting not one but two girls, according to CNN affiliate WEAR. And when everyone arrived at West Florida Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, after Sharon gave birth March 11, they recorded everyone’s reactions to meeting twins Mary Ann Grace and Brianna Faith. The video was uploaded to YouTube on Saturday and has been viewed more than 700,000 times. (CNN)

not believe the intended victim existed.

But he admitted that months afterwards he had watched a video showing Hollyson raping the child.

The court has heard how members of a gang raped and abused young children, live streaming the attacks over the internet.

The men contacted each other using Skype, video conferencing software and online chatrooms.

Nicaragua quarantines US embassy man over Ebola and requests removal THE health ministry in Nicaragua says it has quarantined a member of staff at the US embassy in Managua amid concerns over contact with Ebola.

Nicaragua has asked the US to send a plane to remove him.

The embassy acknowledged the man had travelled to Liberia but he had not come into contact with Ebola patients.

It said he had no sign of haemorrhagic fever and that both the US and Nicaragua’s health ministry had cleared him to return.

The embassy said the 51-year-old man had been examined at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the US before returning to Nicaragua.

However, the Nicaraguan government has asked the US state department to send a plane “with all the equipment necessary” to take him back to the US. The health ministry has isolated him at his home, setting up a security corridor around it.

“The man confirmed that he had spent time in health facilities where Ebola patients are being treated,” said the head of epidemiology at the health ministry, Carlos Saenz.

“The man does not show any symptoms of the disease and the measures are strictly preventive,” he said.

A number of Latin American countries have banned travellers from Ebola-stricken countries in West Africa.

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa that erupted last year has killed more than 10,000 people, almost all of them in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

But the World Health Organisation says the number of new cases has fallen and the risk of the disease spreading appears to be receding.

(BBC)

30

Job Listings Services Auto sales real estate

Classifieds TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Brama Kumaris

Raja Yoga Meditation Centre Turks and Caicos Islands

Telephone 946-4760 & 332-4101

www.bkwsu.com Email: bkpadma@bkwsutci.com

FOR SALE

April 18 - 24, 2015

946-4664 Fax: 946-4661

Email: tcnews@tciway.tc

Website: tcweeklynews.com

FLOWER GIRL

Wanted urgently

Floral Designer

Must have thorough knowledge in the floral business with 3-5 years experience.

Call: 231-3788

Construction scaffold and roof tiles for sale CONTACT: 431-1591 OR 231-3788

April 18 - 24, 2015

CLASSIFIEDS 31

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

SKY PILOT PARASAIL Is looking for a

Green Keeper To work 6 days per week salary $6.00 per hour.

11371

contact: 232-3337

Top o’ the Cove

Is currently looking to employ a

LIVE-IN BUTLER WANTED

• must be bi-lingual • Must be able to drive • Must be able to work weekends • Must be able to care for family house Salary $800.00 monthly

Contact: 241-6748 11372

Cashier/ Waitress/ Frontend

;; Position available Must have previous restaurant experience, must be familiar with POS system. ;; Must be able to answer phones, take orders, be computer literate, work weekends and holidays. ;; Verifiable references/CV/Resume required Please submit all application between 8:00 am and 5:00am Monday to Friday at Top o’ the Cove or email to syrmondg@bayviewmotors.com

Seeks to Employ:

External Systems Manager • Position is to be based on site managing External Render Projects as well as being able to carry out the Application of the render systems.

• Have the ability to order materials, price and deal with variations, deal with necessary paperwork and liaise with the Client / Main Contractor.

• Ability to use Microsoft and Outlook would be advantageous.

• Have knowledge, understanding and experience with Sto Render Systems.

• Be fluent in both English and Spanish • Work six days a week; including holidays and weekends.

• Clean Police Record and Driving License.

Email resume to: ewatkin19@gmail.com or Contact Us: 649.946.5414. Apply before: 24th April 2015 11378

SKYLINE DISTRIBUTORS LTD. /SKY HOLDINGS LTD.

IS LOOKING FOR A QUALIFIED, EXPERIENCED APPLICANTS FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS All interested applicants, please send resumes to PO Box 762. Preference will be given to experienced and qualified Belongers. Only those receiving an interview will be contacted.

ASSISTANT CONTROLLER

Reporting to the Managing Director, for Process Improvement & Internal Controller will be charged with assessing procedures and controls of various units throughout the Company and making recommendations for improvement. The successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to work with individuals with diverse experience and backgrounds. The individual will be responsible for developing test plans for promoting business activities, issuing a written report documenting current procedures and detailing recommendations for improvement and following to assess progress achieved. He/she must be a nimble thinker who can quickly assess the larger risks before making recommendations for improvement related to detail procedures and duties. Bachelor & Post Graduate Degree in a related field, 5+ years’ experience in a business of this nature, ability to work independently, strong analytic ability, strong written and oral communication skills, Detail orientated. Salary: $30,000 + per annum.

ASSITANT MANAGER

Reporting to the Managing Director, assumes responsibility for all aspects of purchasing and import documentation on international purchases for the Operations, including: costs of goods analysis to comply with budgets, maximizing revenues through price negotiations, maintain inventory and stock control, communicate between management and suppliers on shortages and order fulfillment, coordinate deliveries, shipments, responsible for team members, ability to multi task and work under pressure within a fast-paced work environment. Strong negotiation, analytical and communication skills. Must have a vehicle, valid drivers’ license and be willing to work holidays and weekends. 5+ year’s experience in procurement. Strong computer/POS organizational and analytical skills. Salary: $24,000 + per annum.

WINE STEWARD

This highly skilled professional helps promote the business activities, should have exceptional taste, extensive knowledge of wines, their composition, how they’re made and how they affect food on your menu. He/she is in charge of purchasing the wines, creating the wine list for clients and providing wine tutorials and forums. The wine steward handles all wine inventory and management, customer interaction, vendor relationships and improves the company’s profits. Must have a vehicle, valid drivers’ license and be willing to work holidays and weekends. WSET – Advanced wine & spirits certification required, 3+ years’ experience in the business of wine professional proving his/her expertise, hands on work ethic. Salary: $18,000 + per annum plus commissions.

T.C. INDUSTRIAL is looking for the following persons:

Electrician Welder

Must be willing to work 5 days per week salary $10.00 per hour.

Contact: 231-1205 11414

JOY OCCIUS Is looking for a

labourer To work 5

days per week salary $6.25. contact: 342-4337 11388

NOTICE OF SALE BY PUBLIC AUCTION Scotiabank (Turks & Caicos) Ltd. of Cherokee Road, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands hereby gives notice of its intention to sell by Public Auction the following properties pursuant to its power of sale as registered Chargee under the Registered Land Ordinance of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

1. Parcel 60505/90 Blue Hills and Stamers Run, Providenciales.

Single storey with a kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom attached to a two storey block comprising two one bedroom apartments, each with a kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom on 0.20 acre.

Registered Proprietor: Daudane Ivis Taylor

2. Parcel 50201/66 Whitby, North Caicos.

Undeveloped land located north of King’s Highway near Whitby settlement, approx. 0.5 acre. Registered Proprietor: Frankie Narine Soman

3. Parcel 61108/84 Long Bay Hills, Providenciales.

Single storey main house with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, dining/living room, formal living room, powder room, laundry room. Duplex on site consisting of a one bedroom, one bathroom, living room, kitchen with laundry room unit and a two bedroom, one bathroom, living room, kitchen with laundry room unit on approx. 0.99 acre.

Registered Proprietor: Paulamae Dianne Williams

4. Parcel 20304/42, Cockburn Harbour, South Caicos.

Two storey with two bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen, dining room and laundry room on main level. Second level consists of five bedrooms, two bathrooms, living/dining room, kitchen, family room and laundry room on second level on 0.45 acre.

Registered Proprietors: Henry Cornelius Handfield and Joanne Cynclair Handfield

5. Parcel 10409/152 East Suburbs, Grand Turk.

Single storey with five bedrooms, three bathrooms, kitchen, living/dining room, family room and laundry room on 1 acre.

Registered Proprietor: Alexa Lawanda Cooper

6. Parcel 61113/88 Long Bay, Providenciales.

Single storey with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, living/dining room, family room and laundry room on 0.49 acre.

Registered Proprietors: Terrence McLean Robinson and Loretta Rocal Robinson The auction will be held at the office of Scotiabank (Turks and Caicos) Limited, Grace Bay Branch, Providenciales at 10 o’clock in the morning on Friday the 24th day of April 2015.

A reserved price will be fixed on all parcels and a deposit of 10% is due immediately upon all accepted bids.

VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY!!

the largest readership in the turks & caicos

DOCK DIRECT

J & S FLORIST

is looking for a

To work 6 days per week 7am-5pm salary $7.00 per hour.

contact: 441-6667

11397

11393

contact: 332-0771

JOHN LIGHTBOURNE North Caicos

Is looking for a

kitchen Repairman helper To work 6 days per week salary $6.25.

JOHN EWING

Is looking for a

Florist domestic Assistant Toworker work 6 days Is looking for a

To work 6 days per week salary $7.00 per hour. contact: 241-8366 11398

VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY!!

the largest readership in the turks & caicos CABANA BAR AT OCEAN CLUB Is looking for a qualified, experienced applicants for the position of:

Please contact: 441-3466 for an appointment or interview Wage commensurate with experience 11403

COWDREY LIGHTBOURNE is looking for a

ROADSIDE QUALITY DISCOUNT AUTO PARTS CHICKEN SHACK SPOTLESS CAR WASH PAT CONSTRUCTION

C & J EMPLOYMENT

SKY PILOT PARASAIL

11391

– $5.00 per hour

Kitchen Helper

Painter

laboUrer To work 5 days per week salary $5.00 per hour

contact: 649-347-2093

Interested persons are asked to visit www.gov.tc for job details and the application procedure.

Barbers Labourers – $5-$7 per hour – $5-$6 per hour

– $6.00 per hour Contact: PhiloJemployment@ 11404 hotmail.com

KST WATER SPORTS Is looking for a

11405

VACANCIES Administrative Officer

Is looking for a

– $5.00 per hour

Waitress

– Grand Turk (Deadline: April 24, 2015) Salary: $26,000 – 30,200 per annum The incumbent in this post will be responsible for preparing appropriate documentation for approval, ensures all transactions are properly recorded. The incumbent will also manage databases, systems for filing and secure all documents.

Acting on behalf of Charles Barber Shop, IBO Beauty Salon (Claire R. Clare) is looking to fill the following positions:

Labourers

– $5.00 per hour

Finance Officer

per week salary $10.00 per hour.

contact: 331-9854

– $5.00 per hour

– Grand Turk (Deadline: April 24, 2015) Salary: $32,600 – 36,700 per annum The job holder is required to assist in the performance and service delivery standards of the Financial Accounting Unit which include the key functions of financial reporting, ledger maintenance, maintenance of TCIG Manuals and providing advice and support to ensure Ministries comply with the financial ordinances, regulations, directives or instructions.

per week salary $5.00 per hour.

contact: 649-246-4747

– $5.00 per hour

The following vacancies currently exist within the Turks and Caicos Islands Public Service:

Tile Layer Farmer To work 6 days To work 5 days

contact: 332-4420

Domestic Worker

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS GOVERNMENT

Is looking for a

Sales Clerk

KITCHEN HELPER The successful applicant must possess the following skills and experience: • Must have experience in your respective field • Food safety certificate or equivalent • Must be willing to work holidays and weekends on a flexible schedule • Ability to speak English is essential • Must have a clean police record • Preference will be given to experienced and qualified Belongers

per week salary $6.25 per hour.

JOSE OVANDO CONSTRUCTION

11389

Is looking for a

First Mate

To work 6 days per week salary $500.00 per week.

contact: 331-9801

11390

Contact: 649-347-2093

11409

labourer to work 6 days per week salary $6.25 per hour.

contact: 232-3337

11390

D & Y RESTAURANT

April 18 - 24, 2015

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

ALL AROUND LABOURER

• Must be able to do maintenance around the home • Must be able to do heavy lifting • Must be willing to work weekends and holidays • Must have computer skills • Must be able to speak and write English Salary $6.25 per hour

Send resumes to: tjmw2007@gmail.com Bayview Motors

Is currently looking to employ a

Vice President of Automotive Sales & Service Division Who will be responsible for the sales & marketing efforts by managing staff and maintaining corporate sales goals and projections.

Must have at least 10 years’ previous experience in the automotive industry in a management capacity.

CV/Certifications and References sent to Bayview Motors.

Please email all application to syrmondg@bayviewmotors.com Only qualified applicants will be contacted for an interview.

11396

32 CLASSIFIEDS

April 18 - 24, 2015

CLASSIFIEDS 33

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Acting on behalf of our clients: Hillview Boutique, Ripples Ltd., Coyaba Restaurant Ltd., Villa Del Mar, E.Y. Contractors, Fresh Catch

Mechanic Gardener Supervisor Sales Clerk Kitchen Helper Labourers Waitress Salary $5.50 -$8.80

The Law Firm of STANFIELD GREENE

WEST BAY CLUB RESORT Is looking for a

Kitchen Helper To work 6 days per week salary $8.00 per hour.

Contact: 345-7212 11412

contact: 946-8550

11402

WARD’S CONSULTANCY

TURKS AND CAICOS AGGRESSOR II 1 Open Water Scuba Diving Instructor / 2ND CAPTAIN

REQUIREMENTS AS FOLLOW: • Valid PADI/SSI/TDI membership and liability insurance • PADI/SSI Enriched Air Instructor • Minimum of 5 Specialty Ratings • Working Knowledge of Under Water Camera/ Videos and Edition • Computer Literate

• STCW95 Complaint • Be prepared to live onboard & work long hours including weekends & holidays • Experienced in the Hospitality industry • Captain’s License (min 200t) Belongers need only apply Starting salary $400.00 a week

Is seeking one (1) suitably qualified

Attorney The successful candidate will be responsible for the firm’s civil and criminal litigation. Applicants should have at least 10 years experience with emphasis in the field of litigation, should possess good writing skills and have an eye for details. Salary is negotiable and based on experience.

Applicants should apply by sending their resume or CV to: STANFIELD GREENE PO Box 481 Graceway House Building A, Suite 201 Leeward Highway Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands

ATTENTION: Clayton S. Greene Email: csg@stanfieldgreene.com Belongers only need apply.

Only those Applicants that will be interviewed will be contacted.

11401

VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY!!

the largest readership in the turks & caicos

The Somerset Management Co. Ltd is seeking a suitable qualified Individual. Ideal candidates should possess luxury resort experience, be professional in attitude and demeanor and must read and speak English fluently.

Please send emails to tcaggressor@ express.tc or call 941-7825 11394

ROOMS TECHNICIAN Responsibilities:

• Perform Pre- Arrival maintenance check in rooms • Conduct maintenance check for air-condition in rooms • Replace washers, faucets and seals on malfunctioning plumbing equipment in rooms • Repair leaky faucets and clean clogged drains • Perform electrical duties as needed in rooms • Perform a wide variety of general building maintenance repairs and services including painting • Conduct periodic inspections of laundry; repairs and performs preventive maintenance on all laundry equipment including electrical, mechanical, gas, • Perform preventive maintenance procedures in a manner responsive to guest satisfaction • Perform light repair and up keep on resort bikes

Requirements:

MASSAGE THERAPIST • Applicant must have a minimum of 3 years hands-on experience in 5-star resort and at least 3 years working as a therapist.

• Must be trained and CERTIFIED by an accredited school in all of the following: Swedish, Deep Tissue, Hot Stone, Pre-Natal, Lymphatic Drainage, Myofascial Reflexology, Facials, and Manicures and Pedicures.

• Applicant must be certified in all the previous areas • In addition, applicant must be able to work ALL weekends and public holidays if needed and be available from 8am-8pm.

• Must have own vehicle and current, clean driver’s license.

• Commission based • Must have GREAT Customer Service Skills and be upbeat and positive.

• Applicant needs to be fluent in English and pass an English written test.

Please send resume to: relax@spatropique.com Please do not apply to this ad unless you can meet all of the above requirements.

• Must be trained and certified by an accredited school in the following areas: Plumbing/Electrical/Mechanical and A/C related trades • Have basic knowledge of project management • Must be a team player with a desire to deliver excellent customer service to our guest • Computer literate; Word, Excel, Visual One • Must have clear English communications skills (written / oral) • Ability to handle multiple tasks and projects simultaneously • Must have at least 5 years in plumbing, wood finishing, painting, A.C repairs, and carpentry • Must in procession of Valid Turks and Caicos Drivers License

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able lift 100 lbs. with frequency and carry up to 50lbs.

• Must be able to work on his feet for 7-8 hours per day, occasional overtime required and flexibility with hours • Must be able to move furniture as needed must be able to use cleaning and painting products and electric hand tools.

Salary for this position will commensurate with qualifications and experience

Deadline for application is May 2nd, 2015 11413

Qualified Belonger candidates can complete an application form in person at The Somerset on Grace Bay or submit a resume by e-mail at somerset@thesomerset.com. Tel: 339-5900. Fax: 9465839. The closing date for applications is May 1st, 2015.

Is looking for a

CASABLANCA CASINO

Interior Design Position Available Immediately

is looking for the following position:

SURVEILLANCE MANAGER

Salary $14.00 per hour • All candidates should have at least 3-5 years experience • Must be willing to work on weekends and holidays

Requirements - Applicant must have a degree in Architecture/Interior Design - Applicant must have a minimum of 5 years experience in the Interior Design field - Ability to manage multiple projects on a deadline schedule - Must possess strong leadership, organizational and communication skills.

- Be proficient with Auto Cad, Excel, Word, Quick Books and Photoshop - Have experience and knowledge in the

Please send CV’s to: Casablancadaily@hotmail.com or drop off at the Casablanca Casino 11347

Faye Ellingson of Design Studio E-mail address: faye@designstudio.tc

Salary $18.5 per hour

Caretaker To work in the school’s nursery.

Interested persons can email

resumes to aca2006@live.com

11380

ERB CONSTRUCTION (BARESTRE ETIENE)

Labourers

DICE DEALER

G & G CONSTRUCTION

NERISSA FORTUNE

Is looking for

Is looking for a

Carpenter Labourer

domestic

– $5.00 per hour

Domestic Workers – $8-$10 per hour

Mason

– $8-$10 per hour

Carpenter – $8-$10 per hour

Painters $7-$9 per hour

Contact: philojemployment @hotmail.com

Must be willing to work 5 days per week. Salary $7.00 per hour.

contact: 241-2962

worker To work 6 days per week salary $6.25 per hour.

contact: 243-2700

11382

Mechanic

11365

– $5.00 per hour

Professional Services Agency

Resumes and Photo’s of Applicants work and three references can be sent to:

QUALITY FOOD CENTER

Live in Housekeeper needed domestic is looking for a

Salary $1000.00 per month. Contact 232-7827 or email kaystubbspsa@ yahoo.com

11376

Duties and Qualifications: • 4 or more years of experience with Wiring and Electrical Troubleshooting • Degree or certification in Electronic Engineering or equivalent experience • Mechanical aptitude a must • Install electrical and electronic parts and hardware in housings or assemblies, using soldering equipment and hand tools • Assembly and test of industrial electronic components, PC boards, cables and electrical panel assemblies • Ability to read and understand electrical schematics and wiring diagrams • Ability to use multi-meters and other electrical test equipment • Excellent soldering, wiring and assembly skills • Excellent written and oral communication skills, a steady hand and good eyesight a must.

• Must be able to lift 50 pound objects Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Please send resumes to kaystubbspsa@yahoo.com

worker To work 6 days

per week salary $6.25 per hour.

contact: 946-5715

Professional Services Agency

On behalf of its client is looking for an

Industrial Electro Mechanical Technician

recruitment of prospective clients and projects - Must be prepared to supervise the container offload and install of client furnishings - Must be prepared to work some holidays, weekends and nights as required - Applicant must own a vehicle and carry a valid Turks and Caicos Drivers License.

- Salary (U.S.$2,500 per month plus commission).

11379

ALPHA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

April 18 - 24, 2015

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

11373

34 CLASSIFIEDS

Professional Services Agency on behalf of its client is looking for an

IT Technician To provide support analysis and management and assist in the planning, development, installation, configuration and maintenance of hardware, software and communication systems.

Duties:

• Assist in analyzing the IT needs of the Group and in determining the immediate and long range software and hardware needs • Maintain, secure, troubleshoot and administer Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Internet (Cable/ DSL/WIFI connection) and IPTV • Maintain and evaluate computer hardware, communication equipment, networking software, Operating system and application software • Network administration and management • Maintain control records, implement and secure network traffic and optimize server performance • Perform and ensure system/data backups and its recovery operations • Provide problem solving services and assist network users on systems and software such as PMS, POS Software and Telephone Billing System • Interact and negotiate with vendors, outsourcers and contractors to seek products and services • Provide on call technical support Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Please send resumes to kaystubbspsa@yahoo.com 11377

11377

CLASSIFIEDS 35

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Is looking to fill the following positions:

Labourers Gardeners

To work 5 days per week salary $5.00 per hour. Experience required.

Contact: 941-7366 11395

Wanted Domestic worker

SOMMELIER FOR PRIVATE VILLA Since the successful candidate will work closely with the private villa chef he/she is expected to assist the chef with other duties and possess the following experience, qualities and qualifications: • Experience in Five Star F&B is essential.

• Expansive wine knowledge in order to assist private chef with wine parings for dining.

• Serving and bar tending experience is also essential since the sommelier will be expected to serve dinner and drinks.

• Butler experience and or training would be an advantage • Assist private chef in maintaining the cleanliness and proper sanitation of the kitchen • He/she must be willing to work flexible and long hours (week-ends, & especially holidays) when the family and friends are in residence.

• He/she must be able to work within a team and be willing to perform other duties to assist other staff as required.

• He/she must be extremely well presented and have a good command of English. Since the family are native Spanish speakers knowledge of Spanish would be an advantage but not essential.

• A clean driver’s license is also required as the Sommelier would be expected to assist the private chef with shopping.

• Salary is dependent on experience.

Suitably qualified candidates should apply in writing to Villa Manager at P.O. Box 143 or email tcieliete@gmail.com

Momentous Ltd. Is seeking qualified individuals for the following opening. Only candidates who meet the minimum qualifications and requirements will be considered.

All candidates must be willing to work unusual hours including weekends and public holidays. All candidates must be non-smokers. Applicants will be required to pass a written skills test. Only suitably qualified Islanders may apply.

Registrar Relations Coordinator You will be responsible for developing long-term relationships with our registrar partners, connecting with key business executives and stakeholders. You will liaise between partners and cross-functional internal teams to ensure the timely access and accurate information required to our benefit from our services.

Suggested compensation: $45,000 - $55,000 (commensurate with experience) Experience & Qualifications: • BA/BS degree or equivalent (Business Administration or Commerce preferred but not required) • 2+ years project or account management experience • Ability to communicate, liaise, and negotiate internally and externally using appropriate methods to facilitate the development of profitable business and sustainable relationships • Proven ability to manage multiple projects at a time while paying strict attention to detail • Strong computer skills including Microsoft Office capabilities • Working knowledge of the domain name industry and/or ecommerce an asset • Must be able and willing to travel internationally

All applications accepted at www.momentous.tc.

IN THIS SPACE!

$33

Applicant must be hardworking, honest and reliable.

Experience preferable.

Please send applications to Savory & Co., F205 Regent Village West, Providenciales, 946-4602

ADVERTISE

GLOBAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Acting on behalf of our client Money Transfer is looking to fill the following position:

ONLY

PER WEEK

11399

THE PINNACLE

CALL 946-4664

Compliance Training Officer Must be able to speak and write French, Creole, English and Spanish Salary negotiable.

Contact: 649-946-4069 11386

JOY OCCIUS Is looking for a

labourer to work 5 days per week salary $6.25.

contact: 342-4337

11388

April 18 - 24, 2015

VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY!! the largest readership in the turks & caicos

The Help Desk is acting on behalf of our clients Quick Step Shoe Repair/Oral Selver

WANTED One (1) Domestic Worker

To work 5 days per week 9am to 5:30pm and one evening. Full supervision of one child and general housekeeping and cleaning.

Contact Dee at 441-3534

Domestic Worker, Labourer

– $5.00 per hour. Call 941-4800

ANDRE GIBSON

Labourer $5 per hour.

SANCTUARY LTD

Maintenance Manager

(bunderwood@tciway.tc) • Salary based upon experience.

• Train staff as needed.

• Upkeep of building/property.

• Service all HVAC and refrigeration equipments.

• Maintain and repair solar and gas buggies, water sports equipments, Kleigester system.

• Repair all cabinetry, doors and windows etc.

• Must be able to live on Parrot Cay as needed

Contact: 241-7734

11408

REGISTERED LAND ORDINANCE, CAP 9.05

NOTICE LOST LAND CERTIFICATE TITLE NUMBER SECTION ISLAND 61112/26 LONG BAY HILLS PROVIDENCIALES Whereas, CRAIG EBENEZER FORBES of Providenciales granted Power of Attorney to act for and on behalf of FULLER EBENEZER FORBES, has declared that the Land Certificate for the above mentioned title number(s) registered in his/her/their name was inadvertently mislaid and cannot be found.

Take notice that I, Brandie Anderson, Registrar of Lands, shall issue a new land certificate for the said title six weeks of the first publication of this Notice in a local newspaper and the Gazette.

Dated this 13th day of March 2015 Signed .......................................................................

Registrar of Lands Witnessed.................................................................

11399

36

April 18 - 24, 2015

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Science & Technology

Divorcees ‘have more heart attacks’ DIVORCEES are more likely to have a heart attack than their peers who stay married, US research suggests.

An analysis of 15,827 people showed women were worst affected, and barely reduced the risk if they remarried.

The study, published in the journal Circulation, argued that chronic stress, linked to divorce, had a longterm impact on the body.

The British Heart Foundation called for more research before divorce is classed as a major heart risk.

We already know that the death of a close loved one can greatly increase the risk of a heart attack.

Now a team at Duke University has shown a similar effect after divorce.

During the course of the study, between 1992 and 2010, roughly one in three people divorced at least once.

Women who divorced once were 24% more likely to have had a heart attack in the study than women who were continuously married. The figure was 77% for those having multiple divorces.

In men, there was a modest 10% extra risk for one divorce and 30% increase after multiple divorces.

One of the researchers Prof Linda George said: “This risk is comparable to that of high blood pressure or if you have diabetes, so it’s right up there, it is pretty big.”

When it came to remarriage, the risk was only marginally reduced for women while men bounced back.

“I think this is the most interesting bit in the paper,” Prof George added.

The tools were found near Lake Turkana in northern Kenya. (Photo by AdamPG/CC)

World’s oldest tools found near Africa’s Lake Turkana

An analysis of 15,827 people showed women were worst affected, and barely reduced the risk if they remarried.

She told the BBC News website: “We joke around here and call it the ‘any-women-will-do orientation’ for men.

“They’re more comfortable being married than not married and cope with different women being their spouses.

“First marriages are protective for women and it’s a little dicey after that.”

The researchers found that changes in lifestyle, such as loss of income, could not explain the heightened risk.

Prof George told the BBC News website: “My educated speculation is that we know that psychological distress is a constant stress on the immune system, higher levels of inflammation and stress hormones increase.

“Immune function is altered for the worse and if that continues for many years it does take a physiological

toll.”

She argues the sex-difference is also found in depression and that divorce is a greater “psychological burden” for women although “we don’t know exactly what’s going on”.

While tablets can reduce the risks caused by high blood pressure, there is no easy solution for the pain of divorce.

The researchers recommend close, supportive friends.

Prof Jeremy Pearson, from the British Heart Foundation, commented: “We have known for some time that our mental health can affect our heart health.

“This study suggests that divorce might increase a person’s risk of a heart attack.

“But the results are not definitive so further evidence would be needed before divorce could be considered a significant risk factor for causing a heart attack.” (BBC)

A GROUP of archaeologists say they’ve uncovered the world’s oldest tools. At 3.3 million years old, the newly unearthed tools predate the evolution of modern humans.

Researchers, who presented their findings Tuesday at the annual meeting of the Paleoanthropology Society in San Francisco, said the primitive stone tools were likely made by one of modern man’s ancestors, a hominid from the genus Australopithecus.

“The artifacts were clearly knapped [created by intentional flaking] and not the result of accidental fracture of rocks,” lead researcher Sonia Harmand, an archaeologist at Stony Brook University in New York, told the meeting, according to Science Magazine.

Until now, the record was held by a set of stone tools dated at 2.6 million years old, around the time the first evidence of Homo lineages appear. But the new set of tools -20 well-preserved flakes, cores and anvils found just three miles west of Kenya’s Lake Turkana -- suggest stone tool-making wasn’t exclusive to the first fully fledged humans.

“The obvious implication is that stone tools were invented and used by multiple lineages of early

hominins,” John Hawks, a University of Wisconsin anthropologist who wasn’t involved in the discovery, explained on his blog. “Just as there were different styles of body shape and bipedal mechanics among early hominins, there were likely different styles of technical traditions.”

Hawks says the discovery isn’t all that surprising, given the fact chimpanzee populations have been shown to use rather complex tool sets, and to occasionally incorporate objects made from stone.

“All hominins added initially was the deliberate flaking of stone to make objects recognizable in the archaeological record,” Hawks added. “That is to say, humans have elaborated upon a technical ability that is latent among all the apes.”

In 2010, archaeologists reported finding animal bone incisions made by stone blades in Dikika region of Ethiopia. The bones and incisions were found to be more than 3 million years old, and were uncovered near the remains of an Australopithecus child. That discovery was treated with much skepticism, but the latest findings seem to corroborate the fact that stone tool-making isn’t the domain of modern man alone.

Being overweight ‘reduces dementia risk’ BEING overweight cuts the risk of dementia, according to the largest and most precise investigation into the relationship.

The researchers admit they were surprised by the findings, which run contrary to current health advice.

The analysis of nearly two million British people, in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, showed underweight people had the highest risk.

Dementia charities still advised not smoking, exercise and a balanced diet.

Dementia is one of the most pressing modern health issues.

The number of patients globally is expected to treble to 135 million by 2050.

There is no cure or treatment, and the mainstay of advice has been to reduce risk by maintaining a healthy

lifestyle. Yet it might be misguided.

The team at Oxon Epidemiology and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine analysed medical records from 1,958,191 people aged 55, on average, for up to two decades.

Their most conservative analysis showed underweight people had a 39% greater risk of dementia compared with being a healthy weight.

But those who were overweight had an 18% reduction in dementia and the figure was 24% for the obese.

“Yes, it is a surprise,” said lead researcher Dr Nawab Qizilbash.

He told the BBC News website: “The controversial side is the observation that overweight and obese people have a lower risk of dementia than people with a normal, healthy body mass index.

“That’s contrary to most if not

all studies that have been done, but if you collect them all together our study overwhelms them in terms of size and precision.”

Any explanation for the protective effect is distinctly lacking. There are some ideas that vitamin D and E deficiencies contribute to dementia and they may be less common in those eating more.

But Dr Qizilbash said the findings were not an excuse to pile on the pounds or binge on Easter eggs.

“You can’t walk away and think it’s OK to be overweight or obese.

Even if there is a protective effect, you may not live long enough to get the benefits,” he added.

Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some cancers and other diseases are all linked to a bigger waistline.

Dr Simon Ridley, of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “These new

Those who were overweight had an 18% reduction in dementia, researchers found.

findings are interesting as they appear to contradict previous studies linking obesity to dementia risk.

“The results raise questions about the links between weight and dementia risk. Clearly, further research is needed to understand this fully.”

The Alzheimer’s Society said the “mixed picture highlights the difficulty of conducting studies into the complex lifestyle risk factors for

dementia”.

Prof Deborah Gustafson, of SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York, argued: “To understand the association between body mass index and late-onset dementia should sober us as to the complexity of identifying risk and protective factors for dementia.

“The report by Qizilbash and colleagues is not the final word on this controversial topic.”

April 18 - 24, 2015

37

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Science & Technology

Tylenol might dull emotional pain, too A COMMON pain medication might make you go from “so cute!” to “so what?” when you look at a photo of a kitten. And it might make you less sensitive to horrifying things, too. It’s acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. Researchers say the drug might be taking the edge off emotions — not just pain.

“It seems to take the highs off your daily highs and the lows off your daily lows,” says Baldwin Way, a psychologist at Ohio State University and the principal investigator on the study. “It kind of flattens out the vicissitudes of your life.”

The idea that over-the-counter pain pills might affect emotions has been circulating since 2010, when two psychologists, Naomi Eisenberger and Nathan DeWall, led a study showing that acetaminophen seemed to be having both a psychological and a neurological effect on people. They asked volunteers to play a rigged game that simulated social rejection. Not only did the acetaminophen appear to be deflecting social anxieties, but it also seemed to be dimming activity in the insula, a region of the brain involved

in processing emotional pain.

“But [the insula] is a portion of the brain that seems to be involved in a lot of things,” Way says. In older studies, scientists saw that people with damage in their insula didn’t react as strongly to either negative or positive images. So Way and one of his students, Geoffrey Durso, figured that if acetaminophen is doing something to the insula, then it might be having a wider effect, too.

The researchers gave about 40 people the equivalent of two extrastrength Tylenols and gave another 40 people a placebo. Then they asked the volunteers to rate pictures ranging from weeping, starving children to kids playing with kitties on how pleasant or depressing each photo was and how powerful they found the image.

On average, the people who’d taken the acetaminophen said they felt nearly 20 percent less happy when they saw the delightful photos and nearly 10 percent less sad when they saw the dreadful photos compared to those who’d taken the placebo. The same was true for their ratings for the power of each image.

The results were reported this month in Psychological Science, “It’s a surprising finding,” says Nathan DeWall, a professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky who was not involved in the study. Typically, he says, we think of acetaminophen as numbing painful experiences. Instead, DeWall says this study suggests that the drug may have a broader impact by muffling all emotions.

That’s intriguing, for sure, but this is a small preliminary study, and Durso and Way admit the effects they measured were small, too.

For one thing, it’s unclear how acetaminophen might be manipulating our minds. “I’d say there’s a common mechanism — a common lever, if you will, where one can affect both positive and negative systems in the brain,” Way speculates. Or maybe there are two levers to dampen each system, and the pain medication just seizes them both at the same time, numbing our entire emotional connection to the world. “The bottom line is we don’t know,” Ways says.

It’s also a puzzle to Dr. Lewis

Researchers say the drug might be taking the edge off emotions — not just pain.

Nelson, a medical toxicologist at NYU Langone Medical Center who says though this new study is well done, he’s not entirely convinced that acetaminophen is having a measurable effect on people’s emotions.

“I’d like to know more about how it might happen,” he says. “One way to think about things in medicine is to understand the biological plausibility.”

And while science works to figure that out, popping a Tylenol when your nerves get a little jangly isn’t a good idea, says Nelson, who’s also an emergency room doctor. “This is not the kind of drug we want people to use to any sort of excess.”

The greatest value from the study might be in what acetaminophen

could lend toward future research.

“The door here has been propped open in ways we haven’t recognized,” says social psychologist Steve Heine, whose lab at the University of British Columbia has also been studying acetaminophen. “Both as a tool for helping us identify how the brain works, but also for practical purposes. There might be some real consequences to having acetaminophen work in your system.”

If what Way and Durso are saying is true, he ventures, there could be other effects that acetaminophen has on our minds that we have yet to uncover. But for now, what the drug is doing and how deeply it might influence emotion is a matter of speculation. (NPR)

The moon was formed in a smash-up between earth and a near twin THE moon was born in the collision of a Mars-sized body and the early Earth, but beyond that, much about the world we see in our skies every night is still a mystery. After 61 missions, including six astronaut visits that collected samples of moon rocks, many questions remain, including how much of the moon is made from that lost planet’s leftovers, and how much was stolen from Earth? Answering these questions could offer fresh insights into the evolution of both celestial bodies.

Now, scientists in France and Israel have found evidence that the smaller body that smashed into the proto-Earth was likely made of similar stuff to our home world.

Also, according to their computer models, the current composition of lunar material is best explained if whatever hit early Earth formed nearby. Two additional studies suggest that both bodies then built up a veneer of extra material as smaller protoplanets continued to bombard the young system, but Earth picked up much more of this later coating.

According to the “giant impact hypothesis,” the moon formed about 4.5 billion years ago, when a planet-like object about a tenth of Earth’s current mass slammed into our planet. Simulations and recent

studies of moon rocks suggest that the moon should be mostly made from the remains of the impactor, nicknamed Theia. This would explain why the moon seems to be made of material that looks a lot like Earth’s mantle, as seen in rock samples and mineral maps.

The problem is that planets tend to have distinct compositions. Mars, Mercury and big asteroids such as Vesta all have somewhat different ratios of various elements. If Theia was formed someplace else in the solar system, its makeup should have been rather different from Earth’s, and the bulk composition of the moon shouldn’t look so similar to Earth’s mantle.

To try and solve the conundrum, Alessandra Mastrobuono-Battisti and Hagai Perets at the Israel Institute of Technology analyzed data from simulations of 40 artificial solar systems, applying more computer power than has been used in previous work. The model grew the known planets and a hypothetical number of planetesimals and then let them loose in a game of cosmic billiards.

The simulations assume that planets born farther from the sun tend to have higher relative abundances of oxygen isotopes, based on the observed chemical mix in Earth, the moon and Mars. That means any planetesimals

The difference between Earth and the moon is relatively small: two studies found it at the level of 20 to 27 parts per million.

that spawned close to Earth should have similar chemical traces. “If they are living in the same neighborhood, they will be made of roughly the same material,” says Perets.

The team found that a lot of the time—20 to 40 percent—big impacts involved collisions between bodies that formed at similar distances from the sun and so had similar makeup.

Described this week in Nature, the work backs up the intuitive idea that

it’s less likely something will sail in and hit you from afar, and it goes a long way toward explaining the moon’s bulk composition.

So far so good, but that doesn’t explain everything.

There’s still a lingering puzzle linked to abundances of the element tungsten.

This siderophile, or iron-loving, element should sink towards the cores of planets over time, making its abundance much more variable in

different bodies even if they formed close together. That’s because bodies of different sizes will form cores at different rates. While there would be a little mixing from the impact, most of Theia’s tungsten-rich mantle material would have been flung into orbit and incorporated into the moon, so the amount of tungsten in Earth and the moon should be very different.

In two independent studies also appearing in Nature, Thomas Kruijer at the University of Münster in Germany and Mathieu Touboul at the University of Lyon in France examined the ratio of two tungsten isotopes—tungsten-184 and tungsten-182—in moon rocks and in Earth as a whole. The moon rocks have slightly more tungsten-182 than Earth, the teams report.

This is intriguing, because that particular isotope of tungsten comes from the radioactive decay of an isotope of the element hafnium. Its half-life is short, only about 9 million years. So while iron-loving tungsten tends to sink towards the core, the hafnium isotope stays closer to the surface and, over time, turns into tungsten-182. That leaves an excess of tungsten-182 in a planet’s mantle versus the amount of tungsten-184 and other natural isotopes.

38

April 18 - 24, 2015

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Science & Technology

Warning over aerosol climate fix ANY attempts to engineer the climate are likely to result in “different” climate change, rather than its elimination, new results suggest.

Prof Ken Caldeira, of Stanford University, presented research at a major conference on the climate risks and impacts of geoengineering.

These techniques have been hailed by some as a quick fix for climate change.

But the impacts of geoengineering on oceans, the water cycle and land environments are hotly debated.

They have been discussed at a meeting this week of 12,000 scientists in Vienna.

Researchers are familiar with the global cooling effects of volcanic

eruptions, seen both historically and even back into the deep past of the rock record.

With this in mind, some here at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly have been discussing the possible worldwide consequences of pumping sulphate aerosols into the stratosphere to attempt to reflect sunlight back into space and cool the planet.

Two hundred years ago this month, the huge volcano Mount Tambora erupted in Indonesia, throwing tonnes of gas and ash into the stratosphere.

Maybe as much as 100 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide aerosols spread as a blanket around the globe,

acting like a planetary sunshade.

Global temperatures plummeted, and across America and Europe 1816 became known as the year without a summer.

Such global cooling processes, but managed in a geoengineering solution, have been touted by some as a possible mechanism to extricate the planet from its path towards a warmer future.

Solar radiation management would use stratospheric sulphate aerosols to dim the Sun. Using a variety of climate models, Ken Caldeira, from the Carnegie Institution for Science in Stanford, California, has investigated the likely consequences of such geoengineering on agriculture across the globe.

Mount Pinatubo pumped 20 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide high into the sky above the Philippines.

Plucking hairs ‘can make more grow’ PLUCKING hairs in a precise pattern can make even more pop up in their place, a US study suggests.

Playing with the density of hair removed altered how serious an injury the body recognised and in turn how much hair regrew.

The team managed to regenerate 1,300 hairs by plucking 200, in the study using mice reported in Cell journal.

Experts said it was “really nice science” but were uncertain if it could lead to a cure for human baldness.

Half of men have male-pattern baldness by the age of 50.

The team at the University of Southern California were investigating how hair follicles communicate with each other to decide on the scale of repair job needed.

In a series of experiments they removed 200 hair follicles from a circular patch of skin in mice.

A low-density pluck - removing follicles from a patch 6mm in diameter - led to no regeneration at all.

A medium-density pluck, with 200 removed from a 5mm circle, led to 1,300 new hairs.

A higher-density effort, with the same number of hairs but from a 4mm diameters circle, led to 780 new hairs.

Pulling every hair out led to every hair coming back, but no extra regeneration.

Hair comes back thicker after thorough plucking The researchers showed that the level of inflammation under the skin was finely tuned to the scale of the damage.

Pacific winds appear to be the cause of a temporary slowdown in global warming.

Pacific Ocean can slow down global warming process

Hair comes back thicker after thorough plucking.

And through a cascade of chemical signalling and immune responses, this controlled the amount of regeneration.

The team say it is like each hair gets a vote about what happens next and when it reaches a critical threshold it can trigger regeneration. They call the concept “quorum sensing”.

Lead researcher Dr Cheng-Ming Chuong said: “It is a good example of how basic research can lead to work with potential translational value.

“The work leads to potential new targets for treating alopecia, a form

of hair loss.”

What the findings means for people plucking their eyebrows is uncertain.

Chris Mason, professor of regenerative medicine at University College London, told the BBC: “It’s a really nice piece of science. The idea of quorum sensing is smart.”

But it is not known whether it will cure human baldness.

Prof Mason added: “That’s the million-dollar question. I’m not sure.

As it stands here, you’ve got to have some hair to pluck.

THERE has been a temporary slowdown in the rise of Earth’s surface temperatures, and scientists think the Pacific Ocean might be the cause.

The study, published in the Journal of Climate, finds that powerful trade winds force heat down into the ocean, causing land masses to accumulate slightly less heat over a period of time. At the same time that heat is being pushed beneath the ocean surface, unusually cool water has been rising to replace warmer waters in the eastern Pacific. The wind and heat movement patterns may also be contributing to ongoing droughts.

“We know there’s a lot of natural variability in the (climate) system,” Thomas Delworth of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory said. “It’s not surprising, but it’s important to understand mechanisms for this hiatus.”

According to Discovery News, the research team believes that the temperature changes in the Pacific region are also accountable for the reduction of precipitation in

the western United States. Many rain-producing storms are being deflected north into Canada, and the study indicates that a full 92 percent of the western U.S.’s dry weather conditions can be linked to the shift in Pacific trade winds.

“This new work, along with earlier studies, shows the importance of tropical Pacific conditions for U.S. droughts.

It also illustrates the need for accurate and long-range prediction of tropical Pacific climate anomalies,” Shang-Ping Xie of the Scripps Institute for Oceanography said.

Worldwide, global warming continues to occur despite the brief respite afforded by the Pacific winds. As of now, scientists can only predict changes in Pacificarea weather changes a few months in advance. Further study may allow for more timely and accurate predictions of how the American west may be affected by shifting ocean currents and winds, as well as allow for a more complete view of the ocean’s effect on global warming. (The space reporter)

April 18 - 24, 2015

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Science & Technology

Spieth smashes records to win first major title at Augusta

Floyd Mayweather Jr. had referred to Pacquiao’s style as reckless.

Pacquiao embraces Mayweather’s ‘reckless’ insult, fires back MANNY Pacquiao doesn’t deny being a reckless fighter. Instead, he disputes its negative connotation.

At his media workout in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Pacquiao was asked about the comments Floyd Mayweather Jr. had made regarding Pacquiao’s fighting style.

Mayweather Jr. had previously called Pacquiao a “reckless” fighter.

Pacquiao responded to Mayweather Jr.’s words. But to Pacquiao, “reckless” isn’t exactly a diss.

“Reckless fighter?” Pacquiao said. “That’s how people like me and love me, because they like an exciting fight. We call this boxing.”

Pacquiao continued along those

same lines, saying that he hopes Mayweather Jr. comes after him inside the ring, and that the fans also share his desire for a fight full of flurries.

“If he (does) that, that’s good for me,” Pacquiao said. “I like that.

We’ll see. That’s what I want, and that’s definitely what the fans want -- action.”

Of course, Pacquiao’s desire for a fight filled with punches isn’t exactly a well-kept secret. And neither is Mayweather Jr.’s tendency to use stellar defense on his way to wins.

On May 2, something will have to give -- either Pacquiao’s recklessness or Mayweather Jr.’s defense. (CBS)

HE might not yet be the next Tiger Woods, but Jordan Spieth served notice to the golfing world with a record-breaking first major victory at the Masters on Sunday.

The 21-year-old became the second-youngest player to win at Augusta, behind only Woods’ 1997 effort, and just the fifth man to lead the prestigious tournament from start to finish.

The American went into Sunday’s final round with a four-shot lead, extended that by one after his opening nine holes, and at the next beat Phil Mickelson’s Masters record of 26 birdies for the week.

Unlike last year, where he squandered the lead just before the nine-hole turn on the last day, this time he was unstoppable.

Spieth’s 28th birdie, at the 15th hole, made him the first player to reach 19 under par at the Masters -- eclipsing Woods’ 1997 winning total. A bogey at the last meant he ended tied with the 14-time major champion’s mark.

The Texan couldn’t match Woods’ 12-shot winning margin of 18 years ago, but finished four ahead of second-placed Justin Rose and Mickelson -- both of whom are already major winners.

Spieth’s halfway total of 14 under par on Friday broke the 39-year-old

Jordan Spieth, 21, became the second-youngest player to win at Augusta, behind only Woods’ 1997 effort, and just the fifth man to lead the prestigious tournament from start to finish.

record set by Ray Floyd in 1976, and his 54-hole effort of 16 under was also a new Augusta best.

Woods, whose last of four green jackets at Augusta was won a decade ago, tied for 17th on six under after closing with 73.

Still rusty on his return to action after two months out trying to revive his ailing game, Woods was again wayward from the tee -- and indeed hurt his wrist playing out of the pine

trees -- but still managed an eagle at the par-five 13th hole.

The 39-year-old, who has dropped out of the top 100 in the world rankings for the first time since the late ‘90s, ended his week with a bogey.

His playing partner Rory McIlroy closed with a birdie to shoot a flawless 66 to finish fourth on 12 under -- his best Masters finish.

The world No. 1, who blew a four-shot lead on the final day in 2011, is still seeking the one major title to elude him.

Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion, could not get closer than within three of Spieth on Sunday and ended up signing for the same closing score of 70.

Mickelson, whose third Augusta success was back in 2010, raised his hopes when he eagled the 15th but could only manage pars at his last three holes and carded 69.

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama matched McIlroy’s day’s best round of 66 to be fifth on 11 under, one ahead of Englishmen Paul Casey (68) and Ian Poulter (67) and American Dustin Johnson (69).

Defending champion Bubba Watson tied for 38th after a closing 74, a score matched by 2013 green jacket winner Adam Scott of Australia. (CNN)

Barcelona striker Suarez ‘had to nutmeg David Luiz’ Just over a year is left before Rio de Janeiro hosts the rowing and canoeing competitions at the 2016 Olympics.

Rio 2016: Dead fish wash up in Olympic lagoon THE bad news for Rio de Janeiro ahead of the 2016 Olympics keeps coming after scores of dead fish appeared in the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon.

With just over a year to go before the city hosts the Games’ rowing and canoe competitions, officials with the legislative assembly of Rio de Janeiro Monday launched an investigation into the causes of death both in the lagoon and in other lakes and bays in the state in which this phenomenon has occurred.

The group will work in partnership with the State Environmental Institute (INEA) and the Secretariat

of State for the Environment.

Officials defended the belief that the latest rains caused a temperature change of the water and the excess of decaying organic matter, which would have led to a black of oxygen, killing the fish.

The note released by officials highlighted that the amount of dead fish has generated a bad smell and inconvenience to those who live near the lagoon and all the tourists who flock to the area.

Last week, newly obtained video from newspaper O Globo showed a sailor crashing into trash floating on Guanabara Bay.

BARCELONA forward Luis Suarez says he had no option but to nutmeg Paris St-Germain defender David Luiz twice as he scored two brilliant goals in Paris.

Suarez easily cut inside exChelsea player Luiz on his way to putting Barca 2-0 up before repeating the trick as he scored a stunning third goal.

The former Liverpool striker said: “A striker is always looking for goals and the two moves came off for me.

“I had to nutmeg Luiz twice because there was nothing else I could do.”

Suarez scored 31 goals in 33 Premier League appearances for Liverpool last season before completing his £75m move to Spain.

And he took his tally to 17 goals for Barca this season - including 11 in his last 11 - with his double in Paris to put Barca on the brink of the semi-finals of the Champions League.

After Neymar had put the Spanish side ahead Suarez struck his first goal of the night, threading the ball between Luiz’s legs at pace, holding

Luis Suarez twice got the better of David Luiz with two nutmegs (placing the place through his legs).

off a challenge from Maxwell and firing home.

His second of the night was even better, again nutmegging Luiz before striding on and planting a shot into the top corner.

A cautious Suarez said: “In football you never know what’s going to happen.

“They have so much quality and

we need to be aware that this isn’t over. It’ll be a good game.”

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said: “We were superior in midfield, were dangerous going forward and defended well as a team. It was a complete performance from us.

“But we are not going to make the mistake of thinking the tie is finished.” (BBC)

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April 18 - 24, 2015

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

IAAF ‘unfair’ in denying Gothenburg bid for 2021 Worlds

THE decision to hand US city Eugene the 2021 World Athletics Championships was “unfair”, according to the Swedish Athletic Association.

It claims the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) was aware of its desire to host the championships in Gothenburg.

The IAAF bypassed the usual bidding procedure to name Eugene as hosts.

“This is not fair play - we were taken by surprise,” said Swedish athletics’ general secretary Anders Albertsson.

The IAAF has been contacted for a response to the claims.

When asked whether Swedish Athletics was aware of a change to

the bidding procedures, Albertsson added: “We’ve stated the question on numerous occasions and been told the normal procedure would be applied in 2021.”

According to Albertsson, the deadline to show official interest was April 2016, followed by a bid submitted in August before an announcement of the host in November.

The IAAF website has a section on the process for bidding for a World Athletics Championships, stating that a potential candidate should submit interest five years before the event.

“We told the IAAF of our intentions back in 2012 and then had a meeting with them when

we hosted the Indoor Worlds in 2013. We wanted to host the 2021 championships so it would coincide with the the city’s 400th anniversary,” said Albertsson.

“We were preparing the documents for the political decisions that had to be made in Gothenburg.

The federation and city put a lot of effort into the dream of hosting the championships.

“We congratulate Eugene - they will make an excellent hosts and there are no hard feelings. But we would have been happy to get to the starting line.”

The 2007 World Championships, held in Osaka, Japan, were also awarded without a bidding process.

(BBC)

Second seed Roger Federer was beaten 6-4 7-6 (7-5) by Frenchman Gael Monfils.

Federer & Wawrinka bow out of Monte Carlo Masters WORLD number two Roger Federer and defending champion Stan Wawrinka both suffered third-round defeats at the Monte Carlo Masters.

World number nine Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open champion, beat fellow Swiss Federer last year to win his first and only Masters 1000 title.

But he lost 6-1 6-2 to Bulgaria’s world number 11 Dimitrov in 54 minutes.

Second seed Federer was beaten 6-4 7-6 (7-5) by Frenchman Gael Monfils, the world number 18 and 14th seed.

It was a second consecutive win on clay for Monfils over the 17time Grand Slam champion after his straight sets victory during last year’s Davis Cup final.

Federer, 33, four times a beaten

finalist in this event, was competing for the first time since losing to Novak Djokovic in the Indian Wells final nearly four weeks ago.

He was broken in the ninth game of the first set and then squandered a 5-3 lead in the second set tie-break, losing four successive points.

Wawrinka had won two of the previous three meetings with Dimitrov, including a clay court encounter at the 2013 World Tour Masters in Madrid.

But the 30-year-old Swiss made 41 unforced errors and had just four winners against the ninth seed.

He was guilty of 13 of those unforced errors as Dimitrov raced 4-0 ahead, and failed to convert four break points in the sixth game of the second set. (BBC)

Richie Benaud was a pioneering leg-spin bowler.

Private funeral for cricket Benaud legend

A PRIVATE funeral and commemoration service attended by family members and former players has been held for former Australian captain and legendary cricket commentator Richie Benaud.

Former players Shane Warne and Ian Chappell attended, as did former team-mate and Anglican laypreacher Brian Booth, who led the service.

Benaud died on Friday, aged 84, after complications from skin cancer.

He was remembered in a private funeral attended only by his

immediate family.

But later at the commemoration service, Warne and Chappell were joined by former Australia captain Mark Taylor and current test skipper Michael Clarke.

In the memorial booklet, Benaud’s family described him as “a special person who means so much to each of us in many different ways”.

On Sunday his family “kindly declined” an offer by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s to have a state funeral in favour of something “very quiet and very

private”, Mr Abbott said.

A pioneering leg-spin bowler, Benaud played in 63 Tests - 28 as captain - before retiring in 1964 to pursue a career in journalism and broadcasting, including a long association with the BBC. His final commentary in England came during the 2005 Ashes series, but he continued to work for Channel Nine in Australia until 2013.

Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards described Benaud as “the iconic voice of our summer”. (BBC)

NBA’s best three point shooter proves that he is ready for the post season with 94 of 100 shots from beyond the arc.

Curry hits 77 threes in a row at practice

THE Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry reportedly made 77 consecutive three-pointers at practice on Tuesday. You read that right: 77 three-pointers. And out of the one hundred threes that he shot, he made 94.

Curry, who is hands-down the best three-point shooter in the world right now, said that’s the

most consecutive threes he’s ever made.

Curry already broke the record for total three-pointers in a season earlier this year, a record he himself previously set. He’s shooting 44 percent from three on more than eight attempts per game for the season. (Huffington Post)

April 18 - 24, 2015

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Ex-NFL player Aaron Hernandez guilty of murder Prior to the scare Kevin Pietersen showed form, he made 170 in Surrey’s first innings on Sunday, hitting 24 fours and two sixes in 149 balls.

Pietersen plays down injury fears after awkward fall KEVIN Pietersen has insisted he did not injure himself when he landed awkwardly missing a catch during his return to domestic cricket.

The 34-year-old was playing for Surrey in their match with MCC Universities Oxford.

England’s record run-scorer was substituted and did not return for the final session.

He later tweeted: “I DO NOT have an injury! It’s not news! Thank you Oxford for a great couple days...

“Lovely people & even nicer lunches & teas! X” Steve Leach, the students’ lefthanded opening batsman, edged a Gareth Batty off break delivery

towards Pietersen at short fine leg.

Pietersen tumbled as he attempted to take the catch, but the ball evaded him.

He shook his hand gingerly and laughed as he left the field.

Pietersen made 170 in Surrey’s first innings on Sunday, hitting 24 fours and two sixes in 149 balls.

It was his first hundred in any form of cricket since the Old Trafford Ashes Test in August 2013, as he aims to regain his England place in time for the Ashes.

Pietersen is expected to play in Surrey’s County Championship match at Glamorgan, which begins on Sunday. (BBC)

Champions League: Real frustrated

by Atletico in Madrid derby TITLE holder Real Madrid fought to a goalless draw at city neighbor Atletico to leave the Champions League quarterfinal tie in the balance after the first leg Tuesday.

Real dominated the first half, but Atletico finished the stronger in its Vicente Calderon Stadium and is seven games unbeaten in matches between the sides.

Tuesday’s other quarterfinal saw Juventus edge Monaco 1-0 thanks to a second half penalty from Arturo Vidal in Turin.

Real, who beat Atletico in last year’s final, took early command in the rematch and the fact it was scoreless at the break owed much to home goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

He thrust out an arm to deny the onrushing Gareth Bale as early as the fourth minute and was also alert to stop another testing effort from the Welshman.

Before the half was out he had made two further fine saves from Colombian James Rodriguez.

Atletico improved after the break without ever seriously threatening Iker Casillas in the visiting goal, a header from Arda Turan and later tries from Diego Godin and Mario Suarez its

closest to scoring.

The commitment in the derby could not be questioned by either side and home striker Mario Mandzukic was left with blood streaming from his face after a clash with Sergio Ramos, the Croatian later booked then substituted.

He also appeared to be punched in the stomach in the penalty area by Dani Carvajal, but the Real player escaped unpunished.

At the other end, Karim Benzema hesitated when he should have shot and Cristiano Ronaldo saw a follow up effort blocked, one of his few glimpses of goal in a generally quiet evening for the prolific World Player of the Year.

Real coach Carlo Ancelotti was generally pleased with his side’s performance despite the inability to break the deadlock.

“I am satisfied, we worked hard all the game, in the first half we had better quality, the second half was more difficult,” he told ITV Sport.

Juventus, hoping to complete a triple trophy triumph this season, started favorite in its first leg tussle with Monaco, but wasted several chances in the opening half.

FORMER New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez has been found guilty of the first-degree murder of his friend, another American footballer.

Relatives of the victim wept in the Massachusetts courthouse as the verdict was announced on live television.

Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

He was arrested in 2013 and charged with killing Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro player who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee.

Lloyd’s body was found with six bullet wounds less than a mile from Hernandez’s home.

At the time, Hernandez had a contract worth $40m (£27m).

But within hours of his arrest, the Patriots sacked Hernandez, considered one of the top tight ends playing the game.

Hernandez is not an isolated case.

NFL players have been charged with any number of crimes over the years, from rape to dog-fighting.

Active NFL players are aged, in the main, between 21 and 34 and the arrest rate for that demographic is

Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison.

one in eight.

The arrest rate for people of Hernandez’s age - he was 23 - is a startling one in six.

During closing arguments, his defence team acknowledged that he was present during the murder but said others committed the crime.

Prosecutors say Hernandez planned the “orchestrated execution”

because of an incident in a night club, and then helped to cover it up.

The 25-year-old was found guilty of murder and other weapons charges on the seventh day of jury deliberations.

In a tearful statement to the court, Lloyd’s mother Ursula Ward called him the “backbone of the family”.

(BBC)

Hamilton denies ‘backing up’ Rosberg at Chinese GP LEWIS Hamilton has rejected claims from Nico Rosberg that he tried to compromise his Mercedes teammate during the Chinese Grand Prix.

The German felt race winner Hamilton was driving unnecessarily slowly, backing him up into the chasing Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel.

Rosberg said it was “frustrating” and put them under “unnecessary pressure”.

Hamilton responded to the accusation he had done it on purpose by saying: “That’s absolutely not the case.”

He added: “I wasn’t trying to back him up into Sebastian because ultimately we do need a one-two and that is a priority to the team. If he wanted to get close to overtake he could have done. I’m not really quite sure what his problem is.

“We came here to get one-two and we did. There shouldn’t be too much aggro really.”

But Rosberg, who finished second ahead of Vettel, said the two would discuss it with the team after the race.

“Of course we will have a discussion and we will see how it goes,” Rosberg added.

It is the latest in a series of flash points that have tested the relationship between the two drivers,

Hamilton was never threatened during the race and kept a steady gap between himself and Rosberg.

especially since the team became the sport’s pace-setters at the start of last year, including a crash at last August’s Belgian Grand Prix.

Rosberg’s concern in Shanghai was that by bringing Vettel closer than he needed to be, it made Mercedes vulnerable to an attempt

by Ferrari to either pass Rosberg by stopping first and benefitting from fresh tyres - called undercutting - or by forcing Rosberg to do a longer final stint than his tyres could cope with.

Vettel did make an earlier than scheduled final stop, but Mercedes

were able to handle it.

Rosberg said: “It compromised my race massively at the time because the best possible race for Lewis was to back me off into Vettel so Vettel would try to undercut me and I would have to respond.

“It was very frustrating Lewis was taking it as easy on his tyres.

Interestingly, he said he was just thinking about himself and that says it all.

“What upset me is we went through exactly that before the race.”

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff claimed the drivers had cleared the air in their post-race debrief.

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April 18 - 24, 2015

Sir Hoy: Wiggins has ‘99% chance’ of breaking hour record SIX-TIME Olympic gold medal winner Sir Chris Hoy says Sir Bradley Wiggins has “a 99% chance” of breaking the world hour record on June 7.

Tour de France winner and fourtime Olympic champion Wiggins, 34, will try to beat Rohan Dennis’ mark of 52.4km (32.5m) at London’s Olympic velodrome.

“If Bradley really sets his mind to it you would not bet against him breaking the world record,” said Hoy. “Everything he has set out to achieve he has.”

Wiggins took part in his last road race for Team Sky at the ParisRoubaix spring classic on Sunday and will now return to the track to race the team pursuit for Great Britain at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Hoy, who has taken up motor racing since retiring from cycling, added: “Bradley’s now focusing on the track and [the hour record] is the perfect transition from the road back on to the track.

“It’s a big challenge, a big test, but I think Bradley is definitely capable of breaking the record.”

Fellow British riders Graeme Obree and Chris Boardman both

Phelps made his Olympic intentions plain the day before his return to competition after a six-month suspension for drunk driving.

Tour de France winner and four-time Olympic champion Wiggins, 34, will try to beat Rohan Dennis’ mark of 52.4km (32.5m) at London’s Olympic velodrome.

held the record in the 1990s.

Another of Wiggins’ compatriots, Alex Dowsett, will make an attempt on the mark on 2 May in Manchester.

Hoy believes Wiggins can boost Great Britain’s team pursuit squad in Rio after the disappointment of finishing second to Australia at February’s World Championships.

“Bradley will be the iconic figure and in many ways that’s what the team needs,” Hoy said. “It will take a lot of pressure and the focus away from everybody else.

“They can focus on their job of winning medals and Bradley can take the pressure on his shoulders.”

(BBC)

Novak Djokovic: Fatherhood spurring on world No. 1 FOR some becoming a father is a tale of sleepless nights and juggling the demands of family life with a professional career.

Not so Novak Djokovic, for whom fatherhood has proved the springboard for even greater success on the tennis court and the motivation for more triumphs to come.

Djokovic married his long-time girlfriend Jelena just after winning his second Wimbledon title last July and in October the pair welcomed their son Stefan into the world.

“It was the best day of my life,” Djokovic told CNN after he was named Laureus Sportsman of the Year.

Following his son’s birth, Djokovic returned to action almost immediately to sweep to success in the Paris Masters before ending the year on a high with victory in the ATP World Tour Finals in London, the fourth time he had lifted the trophy at the prestigious end of season tournament.

The winning run sealed his top spot in the world rankings, having come under pressure from a resurgent Roger Federer.

“The best six months privately and also professionally,” was

Novak Djokovic married his long-time girlfriend Jelena just after winning his second Wimbledon title last July and in October the pair welcomed their son Stefan into the world.

Djokovic’s verdict on a momentous period of his life.

“To win Wimbledon and end the year as number one, gave me a great

sense of serenity and piece.

“It’s also a great motivation, not playing just for myself but for my family,” added the Serbian.

Phelps confirms he’s aiming to swim at 2016 Olympics AN emotional and rejuvenated Michael Phelps confirmed Wednesday what the swimming world had long assumed — he’ll try to add to his record total of 22 Olympic medals at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Phelps made his Olympic intentions plain the day before his return to competition after a six-month suspension for drunk driving. He was scheduled to swim the 100-metre butterfly at the Mesa Arena Pro Swim Series meet on Thursday.

“I’m really excited,” fellow Olympic gold medalist Breeja Larson said of Phelps’ Rio announcement. “I think he brings a lot of excitement to the sport and a lot of spectators. The more spectators there are, the more fun it is for us. And it’s really cool to be part of a team with veterans who’ve gone through a lot and to see his example of how he handles different situations with media and crowds.”

Phelps, who grew up in Rodgers Forge and lives and trains in Baltimore, described a period of “brutal” self-examination in the wake of his arrest last September but said he’s emerged as a happier person and a more dedicated swimmer.

“In workouts, I feel like a kid again, I really do,” Phelps, 29, said in his most extensive public remarks since the arrest.

“The difference in your training is you’re engaged in it,” his longtime coach, Bob Bowman, interjected.

“Like when you show up, things happen.”

“I think that’s how I am with everything now,” Phelps said. “I’m just in tune. I’m aware of everything

that’s going on, and I’m excited about the things I’m doing. … These are the things I want to be doing.”

At his trial in December and again Wednesday, Phelps said he’s learned a lot about himself. Asked what he discovered, he replied: “I am who I am. I’ve said this a lot over the last few months: I’m perfectly imperfect.

I’m a human being. It’s like, if I have all this energy and I’m annoying and you don’t like that, well too bad.

That’s who I am. And I’m OK with that. I like myself for who I am.”

Phelps also put to rest speculation that he’ll rejoin the U.S. team for the FINA World Championships in August. USA Swimming removed him from the team as part of his punishment for the drunk driving arrest, but executive director Chuck Wielgus had said there was room for that to change. Phelps, however, said he’ll swim at the Phillips 66 Nationals in San Antonio rather than in Russia.

“I do accept the decision that USA Swimming made back early in the fall,” he said. “By no means do I want this to be a distraction from the team. I know how hard it is to qualify for the team, and I know how much hard work goes into the team. And for me, no way would I ever want to displace a member of the team.”

Bowman said Phelps’ absence from the biggest meet of 2015 will be “disappointing,” but added “we’re anxious to move on.”

Phelps then segued to saying he looked forward to rejoining the national team for the Olympics.

“Like it’s a big surprise,” he said, laughing. “I don’t think it’s too hard to realize why I actually came back.”

(Baltimore Sun)

April 18 - 24, 2015

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NBA Playoffs tip off this weekend GB will now face the Netherlands on Saturday before they play Lithuania on Sunday.

Ice Hockey World Championship:

GB fight back to beat South Korea

Great Britain came from two goals down to beat top seeds South Korea 3-2 and remain on course for gold in the third-tier Ice Hockey World Championships.

Goals from Nottingham Panthers forward Robert Farmer reduced the deficit in the second period, before Ben O’Connor equalised on the power play.

O’Connor won the game with a penalty shot to leave GB top of

Division 1B, knowing two wins will guarantee gold.

They face the Netherlands on Saturday before they play Lithuania on Sunday.

Only the group winners will be promoted to Division 1 Group A. The two top teams from that group will be promoted to the championship division, which features the best 16 teams in the world, split into two groups. (BBC)

AFTER six months and 82 games each for 30 teams, the field and seeds of the 2015 NBA Playoffs are in place. Wednesday night decide a number of post season clashes in the Western Conference. One such was the number one seeded Golden State Warriors against the number 8 New Orleans Pelicans.

Their post season opener will tip off on Saturday afternoon (15:30h on ABC) in the best of seven series.

The West is full of big match-ups and the James Harden led Rockets (number 2 seed) will look to continue their fine showing against the Dallas Mavericks (number seven), but with a number of experienced players and a title under their belt the Mavericks will be no easy walkover.

Game one will be played on Saturday night (21:30h on ESPN).

What is touted as one of the best first round matchups will be between defending champions the San Antonio Spurs and the La Clippers.

Matchups will be crucial in this series. Action tips off on Sunday night from 10:30h on TNT. Rounding out the Western Conference will be the Portland Trail Blazers against the Memphis Grizzlies. The former has injuries to two key players in Wesley Matthews and Arron Afflalo (although he might play part of the series).

Game one is set for Sunday night

The battle of the point guards will take centre stage when defending champions the San Antonio Spurs go up against number three seed the LA Clippers from Sunday night.

from 20:00h on TNT. The Atlanta Hawks the best team in the West will meet the number seeded team the Brooklyn Nets who made a late push to get past the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heats for that spot.

The Hawks will open their post season on Sunday afternoon from 17:30h (Game on TNT).

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will open against the Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon (15:00h on ABC). The Cavaliers will start as favourites, but Celtics have shown a lot of heart of recent, which makes for an

interesting series.

The number three Chicago Bulls will meet the number six Milwaukee Bucks from Saturday night (19:00h ESPN). Bulls, a strong team on paper, will play a surprising Bucks.

The Bucks lost number two overall pick Jabari Parker to an ACL tear, but some improvement from budding star Giannis Antetokounmpo kept them alive.

The Toronto Raptors, who had a healthy start, finished with the fourth best record in the East. Their series with the Washington Wizards can go either way. Tip-off is on Saturday from 12:30h on ESPN.

Tomkins: Wigan Warriors re-sign NZ Warriors full-back

The Spaniard set a time of 4.42 seconds over a distance of 40 metres.

Bellerin is faster than sprint king Usain Bolt over 40M HECTOR Bellerin’s season got even better when an internet meme started doing the rounds that suggests the Arsenal right-back is faster than Usain Bolt.

The Spaniard set a time of 4.42 seconds over a distance of 40 metres, which is quicker than the Jamaican sprinter who when setting the current 100m world record, took 4.64 seconds to cover the first four/tenths of the track.

Apparently, Bellerin would have been a full two metres ahead of Bolt at the 40 metre mark had they lined up together when the record of 9.58 seconds was set in 2009.

It emerged last year that Bellerin, who signed from Barcelona in 2011 and has impressed in the 21 games he has played for Arsenal this season, is something of a speed demon.

(Independent.co.uk)

ENGLAND full-back Sam Tomkins will rejoin Wigan on a four-year deal after he agreed to leave National Rugby League side New Zealand Warriors.

Wigan have paid “in excess of £200,000” for Tomkins, who they sold to New Zealand Warriors for a reported world record fee of about £700,000 in 2013.

Tomkins, 26, will return for the 2016 Super League season.

“I am really happy to have this sorted and to be returning home to Wigan,” he told the club’s website.

“All of my friends and family live in Wigan, a lot of them play for Wigan. It really was a no-brainer for me.

“It’s been a fantastic experience to test myself in the NRL but the reality is I am 13,000 miles away from my friends and family.”

Wigan chairman Ian Lenagan added on BBC Radio Manchester: “He’s back at Wigan which is where he is meant to be.”

The Super League club had first refusal on Tomkins, who leaves New Zealand with a year remaining on the three-year deal he initially signed.

Tomkins, 26, will return for the 2016 Super League season.

The move reunites Tomkins with his two brothers - forward Joel, 28, and hooker Logan, 22 - who have both been regulars in the Wigan team this season.

Tomkins links up again with head coach Shaun Wane whom he is very close to - the 50-year-old coached him during in the youth age groups at the Warriors and they kept in regular contact when he moved to Auckland.

As well as being linked with a move to rugby union, after he played

a one-off match in the 15-man code for the Barbarians against Australia in 2013, Salford owner Marwan Koukash said they would consider an offer for him.

After scoring five tries on his firstteam debut as a 19-year-old in 2008, Tomkins was a prolific scorer for the Warriors, scoring 144 tries in 151 appearances.

He won a domestic double of the Challenge Cup and Grand Final in 2013.

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The Five Cay Knights won their opener against the Classics by 21 points.

PABA Night League Playoffs:

Ifeanyi Otuonye ran a personal best in the 200M.

Otuonye runs PB in 200M – Jumps wind-aided 7.59M IFEANYI Otuonye has started his outdoor season steaming.

Last weekend at the Arizona State University meet he ran 21.42s—a personal best in the 200M. The Kansas State University student, who broke the national indoor 200M record earlier this year, also showed his form in his top event: the long jump.

Recently he jumped 7.59M, which would have eclipsed his national record, (7.47M at the Commonwealth Games last year), but it was aided by a strong wind.

The multiple record holder, (relays, outdoor long jump, indoor 300M, indoor long jump and indoor triple jump) fouled in a number of big attempts.

“My coach said that the 7.59M wasn’t close to being as good as the others I fouled. He said in due time it will come because if I didn’t foul, those jumps would have been huge.”

The talented Turks Islander said it was hard being consistent in his run-ups: “because the wind was really heavy and was switching directions blowing behind and in front of me”.

Gardiner on fire as Knights win opener – Missick explodes for the Steelers SHOOTING guard Andujar Gardiner exploded from the threepoint line as the Five Cays Knights whipped the Coca Cola Classics by 21 points when action in the Provo Amateur Basketball Association (PABA) Night League bullied off last weekend at the Gus Lightbourne Sports Complex court.

Gardiner scored a season-high 38 points, including seven from downtown, in the 75-54 points win on Friday night. The hothanded shooter also grabbed five boards and made eight steals. He was supported by Mark Handfield who scored 13 points, to go with five steals, five rebounds and two assists.

Alvin Parker was dominant on the boards with 15 rebounds for the Classics. The power player also scored four points to go with four assists and two steals. Derek Hanna led the team in scoring with 14 points, seven boards, three assists and two steals, while Ezra Taylor

had 10 points, six rebounds and two assists.

The playoffs had started earlier that night with the defending champions and number one seeded team the Stallions galloping over the Hustlerz 77-58. Small forward Enrico Smith led the attack for the winners with 20 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals. Kino Williams finished with 13 points and four assists while power player Tamaurri Lightbourne added nine points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals for the winners.

The Hustlerz were led by Kirk Adams who made a valiant effort with 22 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. Devanio Quant added 15 points, six rebounds and three steals, while L. Cox finished with 13 points and three assists.

The biggest upset of the weekend took place on Saturday night in the opener when the third seeded Police team lost to the sixth seeded Steelers.

The game was sealed with 0.4s left after shooting guard Taven Missick made a clutch basket. The point guard scored 30 points, made eight rebounds and two assists.

Wesley Cherry supported him with a double-double (11 points and 10 rebounds).

Melvin Elsie led the Lawmen with 26 points, four rebounds, four steals and two assists while Saundro Germain scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

In the other clash the number five seeded team, the Five Cays Flyers defeated the number four seeded Predators by one bucket 59-57.

Anthony Cash led the winners with 14 points and three assists while Throy Forbes added 10 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Cameron Henry led the Predators with 12 points, while Troy Saunders added 11 and three rebounds.

The first round (best-in-three series) continues this weekend at the same venue.

April 18 - 24, 2015

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Flamingos optimistic about playing Bahamas at home TCI’s national senior male rugby team, the Flamingos, are optimistic about hosting the Bahamas in

their second clash of the Heineken NACRA Men’s 2015 Championship this Saturday at the Meridian Field in

Grace Bay. Bahamas’ victory over Bermuda has opened up the division.

TCI is hoping to get past the Bahamas this Saturday. Our Flamingos lost by a mere two points when the teams met last year. (Photo: Charlton Studios)

“Having suffered defeat in Bermuda and with the Bahamas beating Bermuda, it is all to play for in the round robin competition,” Public Relations Officer Paul Collis pointed out.

TCI lost to Bermuda 55-3 in early March, but Bermuda were defeated 21-15 when they faced the Bahamas later that month. This gives the TCI, at least on paper, a slim chance of advancing to the North Caribbean Division One if they were to beat the Bahamas by a large total.

CHASING FIRST INTERNATIONAL WIN Although the thought of an overall competition victory will be on the minds of our ruggers, what is more realistic will be to win our first international game.

TCI’s rugby has developed tremendously over the last few years and in our third year of international rugby the TCIRFU is optimistic.

Adding to this the Bahamas only defeated us by two points (13-11) last year when the teams met in the same competition.

“Preparation has gone well and the management team of coach Blair Mason, manager Keith Burant and captain Joe Ryan are confident going

Bien-Aime becomes first woman on CONCACAF Executive Committee

THE Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association president Sonia Bien-Aime made history on Wednesday in the Bahamas at the XXX CONCACAF Ordinary Congress when she was voted in as the first woman to sit as a full member on the regional executive committee.

Prior to the elections BienAime had served as a co-opted executive member which saw her with limited power. Now the poster girl of football has voting rights.

Bien-Aime, who has been pushing female development in the region, knew about the position since March, given that she ran unopposed.

The decorated football administrator will sit in her seat for the next four years.

TCI’s Sonia Bien-Aime making her inaugural speech in the Bahamas on Wednesday after being elected as the first female CONCACAF Executive Committee member.

into the game,” Collis said.

The PRO added that many young players have shown signs of maturity in the team. “It is a youthful squad made up of U19 graduates such as Lincoln Outten, Franco Mompremier, Miguel Malcolm and Terrico Misick who have become main stays of the team.”

HOME ADVANTAGE “We obviously have home advantage and with a large crowd expected at the Meridian Field, we are hoping for a good result. No international game is easy and the Bahamas are a strong outfit, but the players have trained hard over the past three months.”

The game will kick off at 16:00h after an exhibition female clash from 15:00h. A youth game will be played at half time. Entrance is free and Collis is calling for all sports fans to show support.

The team reads: Joe Ryan (captain), Dean Griffith (vice-captain), Sean O’Neill, Tom Fielding, Callis Jones, Blair Mason, Neil French, Lincoln Outten, Alyx Williams, Mark Defraine, Gareth Butler, Shalone Robinson, Miguel Malcolm, Franco Mompremier, Terrico Misick, Nik Hight, Simon Taylor, Mark Francis and Calem Pratt.

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