The Turks and Caicos Weekly News

Weekly News Volume 26 | No. 41 | October 13 - 19, 2012

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the national newspaper of the turks and caicos islands

Governor signs the Equality Bill over the weekend GOVERNOR Ric Todd, over the weekend, signed off on the controversial Equality Bill before leaving for a weeklong business trip to the United Kingdom.

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ON THE WEB tcweeklynews.com

Leeward dredging proposal up for consideration

THE Leeward dredging debacle continues with strong opposition from local stakeholders, who insist that Blue Haven Marina and Resort should not dredge the Leeward channel...

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Stanbrook hits back with the “true reason” for VAT

STAKEHOLDERS continue to clash over the new Value Added Tax (VAT), with the most recent blow coming from Chair of the Turks and Caicos Independent Business Council TCIBC...

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AG has final say

on candidates Director of Strategy, Mr. Phillip Rushbrook, has said that the final say on whether or not candidates will be allowed to run for office will be left up to the Attorney General (AG).

Hundreds walk for cancer awareness

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Some of the individuals who participated in the walkathon in support of cancer awareness

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

October 13 - 19, 2012

October 13 - 19, 2012

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

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NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

October 13 - 19, 2012

Governor signs the Equality Bill over the weekend

– Stakeholders outraged at disregard for their views

BY VANESSA NARINE GOVERNOR Ric Todd, over the weekend, signed off on the controversial Equality Bill before leaving for a weeklong business trip to the United Kingdom.

There has been strong protests over the bill in its current form, in particular the sections pertaining to gay rights.

The Governor’s passage of the bill has sparked outrage from a cross section of community, who contend that their views have been disregarded.

In addition to protecting against discrimination based on sexual orientation, the bill proposes to lower the age of consent to engaging in homosexual activity from 18-yearsold to 16-years-old.

Community leaders are calling for the Equality Bill to be restructured and not passed under an interim administration, but after debate by an elected House of Assembly that is truly representative of the people.

The Consultative Forum met on Friday and, the Weekly News understands, could have made recommendations for changes to the bill, but they did not.

Chair of the forum, Mrs. Lillian Missick, in an invited comment, said the forum made recommendations in the past several weeks, leading up to the bill’s passage.

She told the Weekly News that at Friday’s sessions no other recommendation had to be made.

HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA President of the Providenciales

Ministerial Fellowship and Pastor of Sure Foundation Ministries, Reverend Conrad Howell told the Weekly News the rush to sign off the bill, despite the opposition, shows clearly that there is a “homosexual agenda” present.

He added that the actions of the Consultative Forum prove further that it has not and does not represent the interests of Turks and Caicos Islanders.

Howell said, “If the forum represented the people of the TCI then what they said would have mattered.

“The Governor is minister unto himself…the laws that the interim administration put in place show the level of hypocrisy, when the mother of democracy promoted autocracy.

“If the rights of the people had mattered there would have been an elected body to represent the people; rather than the Governor being empowered to do what the UK wants and not what the people want.

“There is no regard for the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands.”

Howell added that there was no rush to get the Equality Bill passed, reiterating that Todd’s signing of the bill reflects a homosexual agenda.

He pointed out that not all sections of the bill will come into effect once it is signed – another reason why there was no rush to have the bill passed.

When the bill was made public, the interim administration acknowledged that a period of adjustment and preparation will be necessary in some areas, and proposed to allow generous lead-in

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 Faizool Deo – Sports Samantha Dash-Rigby – Court Cord Garrido-Lowe – Graphics/Production Editor Dilletha Lightbourne-Williams – Office Manager Email: (Advertising) tcnews@tciway.tc, (News) tcweeklynews@yahoo.com, tcweeklynews@gmail.com (Talk Back) tcweeklynews@gmail.com Tel. 649-946-4664 (office), 649-232-3508 (after hours) Website address: www.tcweeklynews.com

Caicos Islands is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.

“The European Court of Human Rights has already ruled against discrimination on this matter in other cases it has heard.

“As a responsible government, we must act accordingly and ensure the TCI is compliant.”

Governor Ric Todd

times, where appropriate.

For example, those provisions that may require changes in service delivery or improved access to public spaces for the disabled will be delayed until supporting explanatory regulations have been prepared and agreed subject to further consultation.

Howell said, “To say that this not a moral issue when it is, is wrong.

“The United Kingdom went against the wishes of the TCI people in 2001 when they removed the law that made buggery illegal. It was not voted on.

“When we talk about these things being illegal we have to take it in context. The interim administration imposed European culture on the TCI. “This is why when you see the rush to sign off the Equality Bill then it clearly says that there is an agenda.

“This is a moral issue not a question of rights.”

According to him, the preamble in the new constitution makes it clear that TCI is a Christian nation.

However, he contends that the preamble was written and accepted to appease the people of the TCI, when all along homosexuality was being pushed as a human right in other parts of the constitution.

Sexual orientation was included in the 2006 Constitution by virtue of reference to ‘other status’ in Section 15 (3), and is included in the 2011 Constitution by actual reference to ‘sexual orientation’ in Section 16 (3).

Howell said, “The fact that preamble was written, does not move me because it was done with hypocritical intentions.”

Governor Ric Todd in a letter last week to the Christian community addressed the opposition to the bill by pointing out that gay rights were provided for in the 2006 Constitution and are also provided for in the 2011 Constitution – hence making the issue of gay rights not a new initiative.

Todd in his letter said, “There is provision in the bill to equalise the age of consent: to make the age of consent for homosexuals the same as the age of consent for heterosexuals.

“This is because the Turks and

MORAL ISSUE Pastor of Jericho Baptist church, Mr. Pedro Williams, reiterated similar sentiments as Howell, maintaining that the issue is a moral one.

Williams said, “To pass an element into law that contradicts what the people of the nation holds as their belief is wrong.

“We stood up against unsavoury elements in the Equality Bill based on moral grounds.

“We are disappointed that the forum did not see the wisdom in putting the bill off for an elected House of Assembly to debate.

“It is unwise to impose a law on people that the people openly reject.”

The Pastor acknowledged that it is easier to write laws than to have them repealed.

However, he said, “We will continue to make representation to an elected government based on our convictions, which the bill undermines.”

MORAL DECLINE Deputy leader of the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), Mrs.Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson made it clear that the Equality Bill is an “excellent piece of legislation,” with the exception of two parts that support a decline in the morals of TCI society.

According to her, lowering the age of consent to engaging in homosexual activity from 18-years-

old to 16-years-old compounds other social ills that plague TCI society.

She said, “This is a Christian nation and our laws are based on Christian principles.

“In the past we knew of persons who are gay and there was always a level of tolerance.

“We have the right to decide what laws we want for our country and how we want our culture to evolve, we the people, not the British.”

Deputy leader of the People Progressive Party (PPP), Mr.Zhavago Jolly, acknowledged the “depth” of the Equality Bill.

According to him, the problem for the people is the party relating to persons in same sex relationships.

Jolly said, “If you are going to pass a bill that has such a huge impact on the local culture you have to take in consideration the views of the people.

“The interim administration did not do a good job of consultation, because if they did they would have avoided this backlash.”

Adding his bit, deputy leader of the Progressive National Party (PNP), Mr. Carlos Simons, reiterated earlier comments he made on the issue, noting that his party believes in giving the people what they want He said, “They do not want this bill….the extent to which the interim administration has taken to enact laws that the people do not want is the limit.

“We (a PNP administration) will strike through those provisions that offend our way of life and enact those that are consistent with our morals and values.”

Other bills signed by Todd before his departure to the UK included the House of Assembly Bill, the Proceeds of Crime Bill, the Public Services Bill, the Public Procurement Bill and the TCI Fiscal Framework.

Elections Supervisor assures that security for ballot boxes sufficient THE November 9 elections are critical in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) and coming closer to Election Day, a major concern is security for the ballot boxes.

Elections Supervisor, Mr. Dudley Lewis, told the Weekly News that sufficient security arrangements are in place to ensure that the election process is free, fair and transparent.

He said, “I understand that people, even the political parties are worried about security, but we have to have some trust in our

police. There should be that trust.

“Also, once the seals are placed on the boxes, there should be no problem. The elections office will have one seal and each political party will have their individual seal. All of these are there to ensure that the ballot boxes are not tampered with.”

Once the ballots are counted in the different districts, the ballot boxes will be held at the police station overnight, before being transported to Grand Turk.

(VANESSA NARINE)

October 13 - 19, 2012

NEWS

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AG has final say on candidates’ qualification to run for office

BY VANESSA NARINE

DIRECTOR of Strategy, Mr. Phillip Rushbrook, has said that the final say on whether or not candidates will be allowed to run for office will be left up to the Attorney General (AG).

At a press conference on Wednesday, he said, “If someone has a concern that they might have a problem with disqualification, then they should refer to Dudley Lewis in writing about their personal circumstance and Dudley will discuss it with the Attorney General to see if their circumstance is one where disqualification applies.”

Rushbrook maintains that the constitution is quite clear in outlining who is qualified to hold public office.

Section 49 of the new constitution says, “No person shall be qualified to be an elected member of the House of Assembly who, on the date of his or her nomination for election— “(a) is, by virtue of his or her own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to any foreign power or state; “(b) holds or is acting in any public office or in the office of judge of the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeal or magistrate;

“(c) has been adjudged or otherwise declared bankrupt under any law in force in any country and has not been discharged; “(d) is a person certified to be insane or otherwise adjudged to be of unsound mind under any law in force in the Islands; “(e) is serving or has at any time within the period of 15 years immediately preceding thatdate been serving any part of a sentence of imprisonment (by whatever name called) of at least 12 months imposed on him or her by a court in any country or substituted by competent authority for some other sentence imposed on him or her by such a court; or is under such a sentence of imprisonment the execution of which has been suspended; “(f) is a party to, or a partner in a firm or a director or manager of a company which is a partyto, any contract with the government and has not, by that date, disclosed in a notice to the Integrity Commission the nature of such contract and his or her interest, or the interest of such firm or company, in it; “(g) has been convicted of an offence of corruption or an offence relating to political party regulation

or the misuse of public money under any law in force in the Islands…”

DUAL CITIZENSHIPS Of these criteria, the most controversial is the issue of dual citizenship, particularly since at least five of the candidates who have expressed intentions of running for office were born outside of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Clearing the air on the matter, Rushbrookstated that the constitution states clearly that allegiance to a foreign power is grounds for disqualification.

However, he acknowledged that the pressing question for candidates is ‘what is allegiance to a foreign power’.

The Director of Strategy said, “Holding of a foreign passport that you obtained after the age of 18 COULD be construed as allegiance to a foreign power.”

He added that if a person has a United Kingdom passport, as well as a TCI passport, there is no problem as TCI is an British Overseas Territory.

According to him, other possible indications of foreign allegiance can include a person who has worked or is working part-time with a foreign

public service where you had to swear an oath of allegiance; or if a person is a serving member of a reservist of a foreign military force.

The possibility of renouncing allegiances to foreign powers, Rushbrook said, would have to be a “demonstrable act” by the candidate who wishes to pursue life in public office.

He said, “I spoke to the Attorney General and the information the Attorney General’s office gave me was that everybody’s circumstances are different.”

Rushbrook stressed that going forward the “sensible” thing to do is treat the matters on a case-by-case basis.

Once a candidate has met all the requirements for nomination, he or she will be cleared by the Elections Office to run for public office.

NOMINATION Also on Wednesday, Elections Supervisor, Mr. Dudley Lewis, made public the nomination pack.

Lewis said, “Although many people have come forward and said that it is their intention to stand for election, they cannot do so unless they have met all of the requirements stated in the nominations pack and

they submit the correctly completed application by the deadline.”

The pack contains all the various items that a every candidate or political party will need to complete to ensure that they are correctly nominated and that they have met all of the necessary legal requirements to allow them to stand for election.

It includes detailed guidance notes about these requirements and a helpful checklist so that candidates can ensure that their nomination paper has been properly completed, including all of the other required forms that must be submitted to either the Returning Officer or the Supervisor of Elections.

The Elections Supervisor maintained that the onus is on the candidate to ensure that he or she meets all the criteria for qualification.

Lewis stressed that the elections office is committed to integrity of the elections process, by ensuring transparency and accountability.

Candidates are expected to officially be nominated to contest office on October 25 and the list of candidates for each electoral district and for the All Islands district is expected to be published by no later than the following day.

Leeward dredging proposal up for consideration

BY VANESSA NARINE THE Leeward dredging debacle continues with strong opposition from local stakeholders, who insist that Blue Haven Marina and Resort should not dredge the Leeward channel, lest it affect marine life in the area.

The Weekly News understands that an application has been made to the Planning Department to allow the dredging, but the department’s board has not yet met to consider it.

A source inside the Turks and Caicos Islands Government (TCIG) indicates that a few board members are not in favour of the dredging.

However, whether this is the position of the entire board is left to be seen.

CONFIDENT Blue Haven Marina and Resort appears confident that its application will be approved, in light of the fact that it recently announced that by summer 2013 it will be able to cater to yachts up to 180 feet.

According to a report by Sarah

Bensimon for ‘All at Sea Caribbean’ Blue Haven Marina and Resort intends to make its summer 2013 idea a possibility through “plans for maintenance dredging”.

This plan which is projected to be completed by winter 2013 will bring its capacity to 12 feet.

Once completed, Blue Haven Marina and Resort is expected to offer: • Hassle-free berthing in the Turks and Caicos Islands; • 51 berths for yachts up to 180 feet, initially with a max draft of 5.5 feet; • Marina concierge which will cater to crews and guests with exclusive itineraries and planned activities; and • Highly secured marina docks to ensure privacy.

Bensimon’s report said, “The marina, an integral part of the Blue Haven Marina and Resort, is surrounded by nearly 20 acres of waterfront land on the exquisite northeast coast of the island.

“Marina guests will have full access to the resort, including a hotel boasting a gym, private beach and an infinity-edge swimming pool with

An impression of Blue Haven Marina and Resort’s facility come summer 2013

lounge decks for entertainment.

“Also on property will be several restaurants, bars as well as an array of watersport activities and day charters – both sail and sport fishing.

“Nearly complete, the marina has nearly 6,000 linear feet of dockage and is constructed of 15-foot-wide concrete floating docks.

“Conveniences such as on-site customs and immigration services and a marina operations centre will feature a lounge for captains and crews, as well as showers, a chart room and a crew work room.

“The offerings will be topped off by an exclusive concierge for marina customers ready to organise activities, excursions, rental vehicles,

restaurant reservations and more.

“Top-notch provisioning with the capability to bring almost anything to the island will be readily available to mega-yacht crews and their guests.

“Boasting the third-largest coral barrier reef system in the world, the islands are renowned for the finest of tropical beaches….”

WHO IS BLUE HAVEN On the question of who owns or manages Blue Haven Marina and Resort there is much speculation.

Sarah Bensimon’s report listed the company’s local contact number as 232-3609, their contact address as contact@bluehaventci.comand their website as www.bluehaventci.com

The website appears to be under construction since following the site turns up the message ‘Welcome to the future home of Blue Haven Turks and Caicos Islands’.

Attempts made by the Weekly News to contact a person in authority at Blue Haven proved futile.

The person who answered the phone questioned how the Weekly News obtained its contact information and why we needed to speak to a manger and abruptly ended the conversation.

According to widespread speculation, Blue Haven Marina and Resort was initially the Leeward Marina, which was once owned by Lord Michael Ashcroft.

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October 13 - 19, 2012

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

A Weekly News column that puts you on the spot for your opinions on the issues of the day

Possible forfeit?

INTERHEALTH Canada could forfeit its controversial hospital deal with the Turks and Caicos Islands if it is found that they have breached performance clauses.

This is according to leader of Progressive National Party (PNP) and former Medical Services Director, Dr. Rufus Ewing, in an interview with the Weekly News.

What are your thoughts?

Ewing drafted it!

Dr. Ewing drafted the contract, he ought to know.

Up to his neck

Ewing should know.

Despite his denials, he was in the deal up to his neck!

Excellent solution

It would be a blessing if we only had the Provo hospital to pay for instead of two millstones.

This way, with proper planning and resourcing the Provo hospital could start paying for itself, especially if they included a high-end cosmetic surgery section.

This would also mean an uplift in highend rentals for those patients recuperating and wanting to keep away from the foreign press.

We are very fortunate to have such a great facility for the country and by making it pay for itself we could widen the scope for local cancer patients undergoing treatment, including radiation, which currently takes six weeks in the Bahamas.

The hospital could purchase equipment not available currently that is imperative for cancer screening as well as for other diseases seen frequently in TCI. This would make it more affordable and ease the stress to the patient allowing them to remain in TCI rather than having to go overseas with all the expense and stress that entails.

This would definitely be an excellent solution and should be sought after aggressively, especially as it is common knowledge that the hospital deal was not viable in the first place but was forced through.

Does this situation and the word VAT strike

a chord?

A lot of pandering

Mr. Ewing does not read the calendar correctly.

InterHealth began its operation in April 2010 and the two years date ran out in April this year seven long months ago.

The next government can cancel the contract but it will cost $125 million according to the 7,000-page contract.

Dr. Ewing was there when this terrible deal was made starting in early 2004 and he was there through the entire PNP administration, more than five years later.

He also remained until elections were called then he quit to try to distance himself from the deal.

The NHIP is costing the country $60m to $80m per year and is delivering substandard care to only those working or paying $250 per month.

Ewing had the 7,000-page contract in his briefcase and it took someone outside of the PNP to release it to the public.

Time for checking long past

The time to check into the contract has run out. Remember we began to pay in November 2009.

Someone will have to come up with the $125m to cancel the contract or we will have to eat it.

We need to cancel this contract based on outright poor performance. InterHealth Canada only operates in one other country, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Only the oil rich Middle East can afford this plan.

Who in the world is paying $4m per bed and 12 per cent interest rate? Only the TCI!

If Ewing loses the election he will simply go back to work with his Guyanese wife at their private clinic.

If he wins, he will be unable to do anything with the monster he alone created which single handedly is wrecking the economy of the TCI. Without InterHealth, we would be able to build schools and send people out for secondary care.

We will now be committed to pay almost half a billion dollars for the hospitals alone.

Prudent, but…

It would be prudent to terminate the agreement, provided no penalties and/or demobilisation costs exist, with the intention of placing out to tender the staffing and management of healthcare for the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Under the new Request for Proposal (RfP) requirements, any entity awarded the healthcare management contract must be limited to a term of five to seven years and it will be formulated on a clear cost plus foundation.

We must agree that the TCIG lacks the resources and the human resources to manage large-scale healthcare.

It is even worthwhile to consider either (1) engaging teaching universities based in the American southeast or (2) contract a private hospital group to provide clinical and trauma services.

In either scenario, the facilities will then have access to a wealth of physicians and diagnostic resources.

A variation would be to engage Doctor’s Hospital in the Bahamas, as we currently refer patients there at this time for advanced treatment and emergencies.

Still work to do

I do not know all the details however; I think medically we were in a better position when it was Myrtle Rigby, but there is still work to do.

The only thing was that the bills for overseas treatments should have been paid accordingly.

Yes there was a need for expansion and more physicians in highly skilled areas to reduce the cost of overseas expenditures.

InterHealth has a lot of equipment and wasted space yet still the service is not up to where it should be.

If two pregnant women were in labour at the same time you would have to figure out who can get in the bed first, it so ridiculous.

However, I will say it is kept exceptionally clean and most staff are courteous.

Role too shadowy

It is safely understood that Rufus Ewing played a critical role in negotiating and formulating the healthcare policy and deal for the TCI. The issue is not whether InterHealth Canada may forfeit the deal but whether the monies paid so far by the public and those monies already committed can be recovered by the people of the TCI. Ewing’s role is too shadowy and explanations at this 11th hour cannot be accepted.

One cannot fathom whether they are coming clean.

There are however, too many players on the PNP’s ticket who were instrumental in putting the deal together and have a lot to gain by keeping the real details of the hospital deal secret.

Why did the contract have to be leaked from a PDM source?

Why couldn’t Rufus Ewing or the other negotiators release this deadly agreement to the public?

These are serious and probing questions which will take a long time to answer but will keep our minds focused until we get to the bottom of the deal.

I am afraid also that a locally elected government will find it hard to undo this scam because it is protected by the British government and the PNP sources who put this deal together.

They have no use, no inclination and or desire to undo this deal.

 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

Another billboard vandalised

Another PPP billboard defaced last week

LEADER of the People Progressive Party (PPP), Mr. Harold Charles, has condemned the most recent campaign billboard vandalism.

The billboard depicted PPP candidate, Mrs. Dorell Delancy, who running in the Bight district.

The top half of the billboard was stripped and the words ‘No voodoo, no voodoo’ inscribed.

Charles stressed that the TCI needs to have cleaner campaigns run.

The party leader said, “Unfortunately we have this happening in such a small country, but we hope that this will change.”

In the last three weeks, all two of the three political parties have had billboards vandalised, an act that has drawn significant criticism from all the political parties According to the law, persons found guilty of stealing can face up to 10 years imprisonment or a fine or both.

October 13 - 19, 2012

NEWS

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Age limits consultation to improve coherency across legal framework IN an effort to increase coherency and consistency across the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) age limits, the TCI Government, on Wednesday, launched a consultation on the age limits.

The four week long consultation seeks the views of the public on reviewing the existing, but inconsistent, age limits that apply to getting married without parental consent, access to birth control, adoption, consumption of alcohol, owning a gun, gambling, driving a vehicle, employment, and the age of criminal responsibility.

Acting Governor Patrick Boyle, said, “Do the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, especially the teenagers and young adults, think that is right that a boy and a girl can have sex at 16, but cannot get birth control without parental consent until 18, or marry without parental consent until 21?

“Do people think it is sensible that a young adult cannot legally consume alcohol until he or she is 21, but is allowed to own a gun at 18?

“There is clearly a lack of consistency and a real incoherence

It is the Governor’s call to make Election Day a holiday, Lewis ELECTIONS Supervisor, Mr. Dudley Lewis, told the Weekly News that he understands the public expectation for the day to be a national holiday, given that this was the case during the last round of elections.

However, he made it clear that it is Governor Ric Todd’s call to make the day a public holiday.

“It is left to the Governor to make this decision. I do not think he is inclined to make this decision. We have to work with that,” Lewis said.

Some members of the electorate have argued that holidays were declared in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) for everything from the Queen’s birthday to the royal wedding, and Elections Day should be given the same importance.

When asked, Lewis said there would be no early voting to cater for civil servants, in particular the police force, which will be charged with maintaining order on November 9.

However, the Elections Supervisor noted employers are legally bound to allow their staff “sufficient time” to get to the polls.

Elections Supervisor Mr. Dudley Lewis

He said, “We have never had early voting in the TCI…people like nurses and persons with disabilities will be given priority come Election Day.” Director of Strategy in Governor’s Office, Mr. Philip Rushbrook, in an invited comment, had no other comment to make expect to say definitively that Elections Day will not be a holiday. (VANESSA NARINE)

Governor Todd discussed TCI with Queen Elizabeth

GOVERNOR Ric Todd had an audience with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, on Wednesday at the Windsor Castle, to discuss the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Todd left the TCI on Sunday and is expected back on October 14.

His audience with the Queen was the focal point of his weeklong trip to the United Kingdom.

According to a statement from the Governor’s office, the meeting with the Queen is “an honour and privilege” extended to all Governors of UK Overseas Territories just before they take up or during their postings.

During the week, Todd worked from the Foreign and Commonwealth

Office (FCO) in Whitehall, where he updated Ministers and officials in the FCO and DFID about the continuing progress being made against the milestones, report on the election preparations and the progress and positive developments in building a more sustainable economy in the TCI. He also provided an update as the legal reform work of the Interim Administration ends, ahead of the coming into force of the new Constitution on 15 October and the elections on November 9.

During Todd’s absence, the Turks and Caicos Island Government’s Chief Executive, Mr. Patrick Boyle, acted as Governor.

in some of the age limits that are applied in the TCI. These can cause confusion amongst people as to how the law applies to them.

“We are aiming to help resolve this matter by asking the people of this country what they think. It will be for the newly elected Government and Governor in Cabinet to consider the responses and what changes should be made.”

The consultation takes the form of a questionnaire published today on the TCIG website www.gov.tc Respondent are asked to complete and return the questionnaire to either the Chief Executive’s Office, or to the Human Rights Commission.

The consultation will be held open until Friday 2 November 2012, after which the results will be reviewed by a Team comprising of persons from the Ministry of the Environment and Home Affairs, Youth Department and the Human Rights Commission before it is presented to Cabinet.

This Team is also expected to hold workshops for young adults to aid in the collection of opinions.

The following is the list of the nine age limits to be reviewed: • Marriage Ordinance – Twenty-one (21) to marry without permission of a parent/guardian; • Offences Against the Person Ordinance – Sixteen (16) for boys and girls to have sex together; • Medical Ordinance – Policy stemming from the Medical Ordinance requires that those under eighteen (18) seeking medical treatment must have the permission of a parent/guardian - this means that girls under eighteen (18) must have parental consent before they can receive birth control medication; • Adoption Ordinance – Twenty-one (21) to adopt a child; • Liquor Licensing – Ordinance Twenty-one (21) to consume alcohol; • Firearms Ordinance – Eighteen (18) to own a gun; • Casino Ordinance – Twenty-one (21) to gamble; • Motor Vehicle Ordinance – Seventeen (17) to drive a vehicle; • Employment Ordinance – Sixteen (16) to begin employment with permission of a parent/guardian; and, • Juvenile Ordinance – Eight (8) to be considered fully responsible for a crime.

Stanbrook hits back with the “true reason” for VAT

BY VANESSA NARINE STAKEHOLDERS continue to clash over the new Value Added Tax (VAT), with the most recent blow coming from Chair of the Turks and Caicos Independent Business Council (TCIBC), Mr. Clive Stanbrook, who addressed what he called the “true reason” for VAT this week.

Stanbrook said, “Two important events took place last week affecting both the economy and the issue of VAT. “The first was the implementation of the VAT Regulations. Within a few days, the second event took place.

The Sun published what appears to have been a leaked internal TCIG document revealing that the TCIG will need substantial additional tax revenue if they are to achieve their self-set deadlines for the country’s loan repayment.

“How unfortunate for Mr. McGarel-Groves our FCO, who claimed on one day that with the introduction of VAT “most prices would remain the same or even fall”, and then a few days later was faced by a leaked TCIG document that revealed a truth, of which he must have been aware; that the TCIG’s self set but unrealistic loan repayment schedule would almost certainly necessitate a hike in tax/ VAT in order to cover on going costs including those of the lamentable hospital contracts.

“This ends a litany of misleading

Chair of the TCIBC Mr. Clive Stanbrook

and inaccurate statements made by Mr. McGarel-Groves to the effect that prices would not go up and even suggesting that if they did, it would only be because of sharp practice by the business community; this was an accusation that following a proper analysis by the TCIBC eventually had to be retracted.”

PRICES WILL GO UP The TCIBC Chair maintains that to suggest that VAT will result in lower prices is absurd.

He said, “With the benefit of the leaked document it is clear that the Government knew very well it would have to raise more by way of tax revenue.

“McGarel-Groves’ protestation that it had gone to great lengths to "make sure that the man in the street is not adversely affected by VAT" can be seen to be meaningless.

“When a government needs more revenue the tax goes up and the man in the street will be affected.

“In any event, it is not the level of taxation that determines whether a tax is good or bad.

The level of taxation is determined by the tax revenue that is needed to run the country.

“A tax is good if it is fair in its application and raises money efficiently in other words the collection costs are low. VAT does neither.

“VAT is a complex tax and one that is expensive to collect. At present, the TCI collects its taxes effectively and very efficiently.

“Why should the Turks and Caicos citizens pay what may be as high as 15 million additional dollars in the first year just to implement and collect VAT.” He added that the TCIBC is not engaging is scaremongering, but rather represents a community searching for the truth.

Stanbrook said, “For the Governor to suggest that the arguments of the TCIBC were mere scaremongering highlights the unwillingness of the TCIG to engage on the substance of the debate…the Governor is asked to either withdraw this allegation or substantiate it and explain what the TCIBC have said that constitutes scaremongering.”

The TCIBC Chair maintains that new taxes are the responsibility of an elected Government.

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October 13 - 19, 2012

Preparations on track for elections

BY VANESSA NARINE ELECTIONS supervisor, Mr. Dudley Lewis, has confirmed that preparations for the elections are on track.

Lewis told the Weekly News that the final list of electors has already been made public, with the

supplementary list to follow soon.

The main objective of the preparation of the list of electors is to produce an acceptable list that contains the names of all eligible persons (i.e., persons who would attain the age of 18 by a stipulated date) who can vote in an election.

An elector's name must appear on

the official list in order for him/her to vote.

According to the elections supervisor, the necessary materials for the elections have already been procured.

He said, “The ballot books are here.

The new plastic ballot boxes should be here this week…we were thinking

Mike Misick campaigns for the PNP from hiding

BY VANESSA NARINE

INTERPOL, in March, issued an arrest warrant for the former Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), Mr. Michael Misick, who has since sought political asylum in an unmanned country.

However, the embattled former Premier continues to air his views and, on Monday, he made public a lengthy statement in a bid to secure support for the Progressive National Party (PNP) to win re-election.

In his statement, Misick said the tenure and record of the previous PNP administration need to be looked at “in its full and proper perspective.”

“I ask you to support the Progressive National Party (PNP) team as they go full throttle ahead to win the November 9 general elections,” Misick urged.

According to him, the former administration’s accomplishments were made “in spite of the usual obstruction by the British” and were reflective of “the most significant economic and social gains” ever in the history of the TCI. He said, “You must surely remember that when we in the PNP won office in 2003, unemployment was high, tourism was struggling, there were very few foreign investments, virtually no money was being spent on public infrastructure and only the privileged few were getting free medical care, scholarships and land grants GDP was then $150m, tourism arrivals were less than 200,000 and there were hardly and public parks and

recreational facilities for young people to enjoy.”

Misick stressed that the British have torn down institutions built by the PNP, institutions he said are “essential to any developing country.”

In his statement, the former Premier lashed out at the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) for conspiring with the British.

“A vote for the PDM and Oswald Skippings is a vote for the British and Slick Rick,” he said.

Misick also dubbed the People Progressive Party (PPP) as “agents of the SIPT (Special Investigation and Prosecution Team).”

He said, “My Haitian brothers and sisters I love you.

“Remember who was there for you when Oswald Skippings and the PDM put your kids out of school. It was me and the PNP. Remember we made sure that your kids that grew up in Turks and Caicos Islands, although they were born in Haiti, were able to get Belonger status because we felt that it was the right and Christian thing to do. Remember who was always there to fight for your rights.

“Therefore, my advice to you is, don't waste your vote on the third party PPP. Vote for your party PNP ALL THE WAY!” The former Premier appealed to Islanders in his statement to vote PNP. “Do not share your vote. We want all six votes. Touch Down,” he said.

According to him, support for party leader, Dr. Rufus Ewing,

Armed robbers target JC Walkin Restaurant

TWO masked men, last Thursday, entered JC Walkin Restaurant and Bar located on the Airport Road around 10:00pm where they struck customers and workers with a handgun and demanded cash.

Frightened customers and workers were forced to hand over a small sum of cash in cash and a cell phone before the robbers escaped in a

southerly direction.

Both robbers are described to be slim built, (5ft 4inches and 5ft 8inches) and of dark complexion.

No shots were fired during this incident, however minor injuries were sustained.

Anyone who may have heard or seen anything is asked to call the police at 911 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-8477.

and his team will ensure that they “continue the good work that my team and I started.”

Misick’s statements saw him towing the party line, using slogans that have been introduced under the party’s ‘Dawn of a new day’ campaign and used in recent public meetings and rallies – the newest slogan being ‘touchdown’.

Up to press time, Dr. Ewing was unavailable for comment on the impact of the former Premier comments on his campaign.

about the indelible ink to stain the voters’ fingers, but we decided to use an indelible ink marker.”

Lewis added that the voter education programme is proceeding well, with an initial 3,000 voter education pamphlets available across the country at post offices, libraries, District Commissioners offices, the Elections Office, shops, banks and the Governor’s office in Grand Turk.

The Supervisor of Elections confirmed that voter education sessions across the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) will commence on Monday, with the first meeting scheduled for Salt Cay. According to him, these are designed to allow voter to come along and to meet with Elections Office staff and have all of their questions answered about how the revised voting system will work on election day, in the 10 District and five All Island electoral constituencies.

He said, “Our key task next week is to give the information necessary for them to make their vote count on 9 November.

“People should mark a single cross against their preferred candidate on the white district ballot, and up to and no more than five crosses against their preferred candidates on the

green all islands ballot paper. These should then be placed in the correct ballot box.”

Additionally, the new constitution is expected to come into effect on Monday, October 15, and the following day Governor Ric Todd is expected to issue the writ for the hosting of the general elections.

The timeline for other major activities leading up to Election Day is as follows: • October 17: Notice of nomination published • October 25: Nomination day • November 4: Notice of agents to be given • November 9: Election day Three political parties are expected to contest this year’s elections, the major players being the Progressive National Party (PNP) and the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM).

The ten electoral districts will be using a white ballot paper and for the five At-Large positions, voters may vote for up to five people on a green ballot paper.

The National Assembly has 19 members and the seats will be awarded based on the results using the first past the post electoral system.

Parcel of land being tendered

TCIG opens bids for 94 acres of crown land in Blue Hills THE Turks and Caicos Islands Government (TCIG) received a proposal to acquire a leasehold title over a portion of Parcels 60514/8, Blue Hills and Stamers Run, Providenciales, comprising of approximately 94 acres, for a commercial development.

And in accordance with Section

34 of Crown Land Ordinance TCIG, on Thursday, opened the tender process for competing tenders to this parcel.

The parcels are located in an area zoned for tourism development and all bids should guide the Project Proposal Guidelines, found on TCIG website, www.gov.tc

According to the Government press office, this process promotes transparency and helps mitigate favouritism and corruption; as well as affords the Government the opportunity to get the best value for the land.

Bids close at 21:00hours on November 2.

October 13 - 19, 2012

FacetoFace

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Invoking a pause OVER the last four weeks, Face to Face featured the positions of candidates on various important issues that affect people living together in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) society.

The political party leaders and deputies running for office were able to articulate positions that sound very good on paper.

But here is where we need to invoke a pause.

Given the history of the TCI, the people deserve more than just talk, they need to know how those plans will play out.

Leader of the PDM, Mr. Oswald Skippings has said that his party will diversify the economy, in particular tourism. He has said that self-determination is a right of our people and the PDM will pursue this. He has also said that the Interim Administration has failed.

What he has not said, however, is how his party will affect the change

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

he speaks of.

The Progressive National Party (PNP) leader, Dr. Rufus Ewing, towed a similar line, stressing that jobs and the economy are the first things on the PNP’s agenda. He said diversification is an utmost priority and admitted that the economic plans of the past are out of touch. He has also said that if need be and a stand has to be taken tomorrow for selfdetermination, the PNP is ready.

Dr. Ewing has not said how these plans will be accomplished.

Mr. Harold Charles, the leader of TCI’s new third party, the People Progressive Party (PPP), has also pegged job creating and improving the economy as priorities. Another important point he made was that integration is essential to the survival of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

While he stated his full support for it, there is still no plan outlined.

The PDM and PNP deputies, both lawyers, articulated very effectively

what they support With less than a month to one of the most critical elections in TCI’s history, no political party has yet put forward a manifesto.

In normal situation, when an election writ is issued, contesting parties have 30 days to decide on candidates, campaign in the different constituencies and put forward a manifesto before Election Day. Local politicians have known since mid-June the date of this year’s elections and, by the first week of September, the major parties had already finalised their slate of candidates – leaving them with more than 30 days to campaign on substantive platforms.

The basis of representative democracy is politicians answering the questions people need answered.

PARADIGM SHIFT Here is where the Turks and Caicos Islands is seeing a shift, with one of

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with VANESSA NARINE

A series that seeks to act as a medium for the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands to engage prominent personalities on current issues, including politics, development and the environment, among others affecting the nation.

the most important groups of voters, the youth.

The Youth Round Table, on October 2 at the Felix Morely Centre, involved several schools from across the Islands and saw TCI youth taking their leaders to task on issues that affect them and the country they will inherit.

The many young people who stood up to question their politicians brought across one clear point – they are not willing to accept political pandering, rather they want real answers to real issues.

The TCI Government Population and Housing Census put the total population of the Islands at 31,458, with the number of persons aged 18 and over accounting for 73.7 per cent of the population.

At the beginning of the school year, Director of Education, Mr. Edgar Howell, told the Weekly News that TCI’s four high schools enrolled over 1,700 young people.

The Weekly News interviewed a cross section of youths over 16-yearsold and the consensus was that they will not vote in the traditional manner, which is the way their parent did, but will vote based on issues.

One of the students from Raymond Gardiner said the youth will have to

take the country forward and “voting blind” is not in the interest of the next generation of leaders.

Another student from Wesley Methodist said gone are the days when the energy from rallies was enough to secure support.

She said, “I am listening to issues and assessing all of the parties. We do not want empty promises. We want real action, because we are the ones who have lived through the rough times and have seen our parents struggle.”

A member of the Youth Parliament repeated the cliché, ‘our actions today will determine the quality of our tomorrow’, and categorically stated that the youth want and deserve a bright future and a prosperous country to inherit.

“It is the young people who will take over. The role of the youth is vital and we know we want change,” she said.

This time around, a combination of policy positions, action and engagement seem to be the formula that will influence which way voters swing.

Send your comments to vanessanarine@gmail.com

Boyle thanks Forum for playing ‘crucial and very visible role’

BY VANESSA NARINE THE Consultative Forum met on Thursday for the last time and Acting Governor, Mr. Patrick Boyle, expressed his appreciation to the group for playing a “crucial and visible role” in the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Boyle said, “Constant throughout has been the desire to do what is best for this country; to ensure thorough and rigorous examination of each piece of legislation put before the forum for debate; to make considered recommendations for amendments to the legislation to the Governor; and above all, to provide the necessary oversight required of any administration that professes to be open and transparent.

“The sheer amount of necessary legislation that has been debated, and the number of recommendations that have been made and adopted in the final versions of the new laws is a testament to the dedication of the Consultative Forum.

“Your efforts and input into such vital legislation as the new constitution last year; the updated Crown Land Policy and Ordinance during 2011 and early 2012; and the Public Financial Management Ordinance will all help in making the governance of the TCI a more transparent process…the key message is that the Consultative Forum has worked over the period it has been in existence

to provide a better future for the citizens of these islands, who rightly have high expectations of their government.”

He added that the Consultative Forum has been instrumental in achieving the necessary reforms that satisfied ministers in London of sufficient progress in the milestones required to make the return to elected government a reality Boyle opined that the supervisory bodies and legislation that were established are “robust and fit” for their purpose.

On that note, he called the forum members “joint architects of the new systems” and urged them to set the example in ensuring they provide the desired oversight of the next government.

“We cannot afford for this country to make the same mistakes again,” the Acting Governor stressed.

CRITICISM Even while Boyle was all praises for the work of the forum, the body has been publicly criticised for being a rubber stamp for interim administration’s work in the TCI. Up to last week, the forum came under fire for approving the Equality Bill, which was signed by the Governor over the weekend, despite public outcry over the provisions related to sexual orientation, including lowering the age of consent for homosexual activity from 18 to 16-years-old.

In the latter part of July, three members of the forum resigned over the still controversial tax regime, Value Added Tax (VAT), which was signed and is expected to come into force on April 1, 2013.

Edith Cox, a certified public accountant; Mr. Joe Connolly, an accountant; and civil engineer, Mr. Theo Durham; contended that they could not support the VAT bill in its current form and, more importantly, felt like their contributions were not being given any value.

Another controversythis year for the forum was the debacle over the dismissal of current deputy leader of

the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), Mrs.Sharlene CartwrightRobinson in the latter part of May. An active member in the political arena, Cartwright-Robison was fired after Governor Ric Todd issued a statement saying that members of the Advisory Council (AC) and forum who are planning to stand for elected office cannot remain members of those bodies.

Cartwright-Robison noted that the Governor’s reasoning seemed flawed since she was National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) Party when she joined the forum.

Although the United Kingdom ministers have not yet decided whether elections will or will not take place in 2012, Todd in defending his decision to fire Cartwright-Robison said the interim administration is taking all possible measures to ensure that the country is ready should they be called.

Attempts to contact chair of forum, Mrs. Lillian Misick, for a comment on the work of the body proved futile.

The Consultative Forum was established under the provisions of the Constitution (Interim Amendment) Order in August 2009.

Campaigns continue to gain momentum WITH less than a month to go to the November 9 elections, the campaigns of the three political parties continue to gain momentum.

Last Thursday, the Progressive National Party (PNP), took to Middle Caicos for a several meetings where candidate DonHue Gardiner advanced his developmental platform for the area.

The weekend continued in Grand Turk, last Friday, in the newly created Grand Turk North constituency, where candidate Rex Swann delivered his inaugural speech as an aspiring politician.

Last Saturday saw the PNP begin by hosting a mass rally in South Caicos last and ending with a fundraiser at the Regent Palms.

On Monday, PNP candidate Thomas Clay Ewing was in Five Cays when he delivered his platform.

In the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) camp, Cheshire Hall District candidate, Mr. Isaac Oral Selver, advanced his plans at a rally in Kew Town, last Saturday.

The party also opened its campaign office for the district six candidate, Mr. Sonny Forbes, on Tuesday.

On Thursday night, Forbes held a rally at the Williams Plaza.

The PDM’s candidates maintain that their party is the one to take the country in the right direction.

Working as hard, People Progressive Party’s camp, deputy leader, Mr. Zhavago Jolly, told the Weekly News that party’s campaigning is progressing well with a lot of door-to-door visits being made.

The party also added a new member this week, Mr. Wendell Wilson, brining their number of candidates in the run to five.

(VANESSA NARINE)

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October 13 - 19, 2012

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

We welcome letters from all members of the public on a variety of topics Please note that all submissions are subject to editing in keeping with defamation laws and newspaper style. Letters should be accompanied by the author’s full name, location and phone number. Names will be withheld if requested.

Government responsible for new taxes

Dear Editor, As we commence the run down to Election Day and a new and elected government, the state of the economy and the extent of the next government's power to influence it are becoming critical.

The introduction of VAT with all its expense should be deferred and

reconsidered when the country has a more settled economic outlook.

The TCIBChaa said over and over again that this should be a decision for the newly elected government and we continue to hope it will be.

Two important events took place last week affecting both the economy and the issue of VAT.

The first was the implementation of the VAT Regulations.

Within a few days the second event took place. The Sun published what appears to have been a leaked internal TCIG document revealing that the TCIG will need substantial additional tax revenue if they are to achieve their self-set deadlines for the country’s loan

Open letter to Frank Morgan Dear Sir, I think there are a few things people like you need to realise when you live in a system where the British Government has handed the country over to their largest political donor.

Questions like who owns the Blue Haven Marina are redundant. Because in politics, whether there are campaign finance laws or not, the person who contributes most to an election campaign will get control of whatever domain he desires.

The same is true for the TCI where all responsible persons in the TCI must either play dead, pretend what’s happening is not happening so that the spoils of victory can go to the highest bidder.

It is irresponsible of you to ask about Blue Haven Marina or in the other extreme case, the hospitals.

Some people get offended when it is said that certain British Lord exerts extreme political control over our political system to the point where he actually “owns one of the political parties”.

Because of this, the rest of us must sit idly by and allow the TCI to be sold off to the highest bidder.

It is also a game where the Attorney General, must perform extreme acts of slumber on the job while the evidence is all around him but he really cannot do anything because this is the order.

In the Kurt Defreitas days, the former AG was totally narcoleptic.This current AG has been put into a deeper state of narcolepsy.

As in the days of Governor Tauwhare, the peak of the slumber party, when he said he complained to the FCO about the workings of the MikeMisick’s PNP regime, the FCO told him to “back off”.

Ironically, this was when the equal opportunity bribing of government’s Lord’s Party was in opposition and the Labour government was pretending to hold the reins of government in the UK. Really and truly Frank Morgan you are asking what borders on the “ridiculous” when you ask questions like “who is Blue Haven Marina”.

The fact of the matter is that we are

not supposed to know and should not be asking these kinds of questions.

In a colonial, imperial and political situation like this, our most seasoned and well-worked minds are not really interested in who owns that marina, Leeward Channel, Star Island or anything that would destroy our environment.

Imagine Star Island that threatened to drain all of the sand off Grace Bay and our mangrove system in the family islands, went ahead without any protest.

It took PRIDE, a private environmental group, the rumblings of the World Wildlife Fund, to apply to the Supreme Court to stop this destruction of the TCI environment.

Yet the Attorney General’s Chambers at that time, pre interim government, sat by allowed the National Parks Ordinance to be breached and resolved that it should not be doing anything.

Yours, Samsune Taylor, Providenciales

It is time to set the record straight Dear Editor, The terrorist has arisen out of his worm hole/cave where he has been hiding for the past four years while we were left to suffer because of the mess he created.

Does this devil have any shame at all?

Firstly, Mr.Misick, we are not your brothers and sisters.

We were dear people who voted for you and trusted you, only in the end to have you use us for your own personal gain.

Family does not use family in the way you used the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

And the only record you have to place at our door step is how you wasted the people’s money like it was your own personal bank account.

I know you think we were all born crazy, but fortunately we woke up and discovered that this was not so, and things are still not bigger and better.

Now you want us to support your group of misfits who are unable to lead

their own lives, much less out of the gates of hell where you took us just a few short years ago.

I would strongly suggest that you seek mental evaluation.

Mr.Misick, do you have any shame at all?

The only accomplishment you made during your six years in office was to rape the public treasury.

Not even Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein did to their people what you did to the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Fact Check: when the PNP came into office in 2003, unemployment was NOT high and tourism was NOT struggling.

As a matter of fact, many Belongers were holding two jobs.

The country’s tourism industry was growing at a sustainable rate, not outgrowing its population, which now have Belongers out-numbered in our own country.

What is so disgraceful is that you

SPACE IS LIMITED!

still have not asked us the people for our forgiveness, but rather request that we support your party.

A vote for the PNP is a vote for Michael Missick.

The trouble we face today is a direct result of your government policy.

We have qualified Belongers not working because your government was in the job of selling PRCs and not putting Belongers first.

You can call Oswald Skipping this, and you can call him that, but after 30 years no one can call him a thief!

So, Michael Misick, on November 9, 2012, the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands will vote for Oswald Skippings and the PDM, rejecting both you and your party’s dream of destroying this country.

God knows, I pray for you. I pray that you seek help before it is too late.

Yours truly, Jamy Williams, Providenciales

repayment.

How unfortunate for Mr McGarelGroves our FCO who claimed on one day that with the introduction of VAT “most prices would remain the same or even fall” and then a few days later was faced by a leaked TCIG document that revealed a truth, of which he must have been aware, that the TCIG’s selfset but unrealistic loan repayment schedule would almost certainly necessitate a hike in tax/VAT in order to cover on-going costs including those of the lamentable hospital contracts.

This ends a litany of misleading and inaccurate statements made by Mr McGarel-Groves to the effect that prices would not go up and even suggesting that if they did, it would only be because of sharp practice by the business community.

An accusation that following a proper analysis by the TCIBC eventually had to be retracted.

So much for the argument that prices will fall. To suggest that VAT will result in lower prices was always absurd.

With the benefit of the leaked document it is clear that the government knew very well it would have to raise

more by way of tax revenue.

McGarel-Groves protestation that it had gone to great lengths to "make sure that the man in the street is not adversely affected by VAT" can be seen to be meaningless.

When a government needs more revenue the tax goes up and the man in the street will be affected.

In any event, it is not the level of taxation that determines whether a tax is good or bad.

The level of taxation is determined by the tax revenue that is needed to run the country.

A tax is good if it is fair in its application and raises money efficiently in other words the collection costs are low.

VAT does neither. VAT is a complex tax and one that is expensive to collect.

At present the TCI collects its taxes effectively and very efficiently.

Why should the Turks and Caicos citizens pay what may be as high as 15 million additional dollars in the first year just to implement and collect VAT? Clive Stanbrook, Chairman, TCIBC

Character matters Dear Editor, The Oxford Dictionary defines character as “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual”.

When listening to the plans, ideas and issues over the next 30 or so days of campaigning before the November 9 election, remember that character matters.

While most will say we have to listen to the issues and not get involved in so called ‘character assassination’, think about this, is it really ‘character assassination’ if what you speak about a person’s character is actually true?

Character is just as important as ideas and plans if not more so!

One’s character, as manifested over time, indicates whether someone is just all talk and no action or suffers from EBS (Empty Barrel Syndrome).

The fact is that a great idea or plan without implementation or follow through is just a pipe dream!

We must judge our prospective representatives by not only what they say but also what they have done or demonstrated in their past because results matter.

The soon to be defunct Expression Radio Show promo features Robert Hall saying, “Your past is inextricably linked to your present and future.”

This is not to say that people cannot change and improve their character traits but at the end of the day it takes time for memories to fade and trust to be built.

For example, if someone was a notorious sinner for the majority

of their life, be it a liar, a thief, or a cheat, you can fill in whichever sin you prefer, and then gave their life to the Lord and have been a Christian for the last 12 months, there is no way those 12 months will wipe out a lifetime of sin in the eyes of onlookers.

Persons will still be sceptical until this repentant character proves otherwise through his deeds and not just words.

Now fast forward 10-15 years down the road and that same person has been living a good Christian life for all those years.

The chances are you would have become accustomed to their new improved character and would be more likely to trust them.

Other ways to look at a person’s character when deciding if you will cast a vote for the individual in the upcoming elections is to consider how they treat their family, friends and those closest to them.

If they can’t or haven’t been able to take care of their family, how can they take care of the affairs of the country?

If they haven’t been able to hold down a steady job, how can they help you gain employment?

We must require more of our representatives now, much more so than at any other period in our history once we return to elected government, which is why character matters.

Yours, Ryan A. Garland, Providenciales

Please keep your letters to a maximum of 450 words or we may not be able publish it.

October 13 - 19, 2012

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

NEWS 11

Cartwright-Robinson debunks Mike Misick’s conspiracy allegations

BY VANESSA NARINE FORMER Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Mr. Michael Misick, on Monday, alleged in a statement that the British conspired with the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) to thwart the nation’s success in becoming independent.

He said, “We all know what happened. We know that because we were being successful and because we were moving our country towards self-determination, the British fabricated and used the PDM and others to fabricate corruption allegations and the ongoing investigation for their political purpose, simply to derail our progress and our plans.

“The ongoing SIPT (Special Investigation and Prosecution Team) investigation and court case is nothing but a sham and a Ponzi scheme.

“No defendant can ever get a fair trial when the British Governor and the British government have changed the constitution and so many laws, such as a hearsay law, to ensure convictions.

“They have also handpicked judges who will do their bidding, and in spite of the law and facts they have consistently ruled in the favour of the prosecution team.”

The “handpicked judge”, as Misick alleges, is Justice Paul Harrison, who on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission, was appointed to TCI Supreme Court to deal with the SIPT trials.

The 75-year-old judicial firebrand recently retired as President of the Jamaica Court of Appeal and is listed as a member of the Privy Council of

Jamaica.

Prior to his appointment to the Turks and Caicos Islands High Court, Harrison served as chair of Jamaica’s Parliament Integrity Commission, which examines the annual statutory declarations of politicians to ensure that they adhere to the Corruption Prevention Act. Harrison also recently sat as a Commissioner of the inquiry into a deadly fire at the Armadale Juvenile Correctional Centre in Jamaica, where seven girls were killed.

He found that a police officer had lied about the incident and had acted "unlawfully" by throwing a tear gas canister into a dormitory, which started the fire.

UNFOUNDED Deputy leader of the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), Mrs.Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson, debunked Misick’s claims and described them as unfounded.

She stressed that as the opposition the PDM performed its function, which was to maintain accountability and transparency, in particular to the function of the Public Accounts Committee.

“We have to commend the threeman team we had, which was a strong opposition; our leader then, Mr. Floyd Seymour, Mr. Doug Parnell and Mr. Arthur Robinson served well,” she said.

Cartwright-Robinson called attention to the state of affairs in the TCI, prior to the British’s arrival here; late government salaries and the fact that after hurricane Ike, TCI found that the country was broke.

The PDM deputy leader added

that at one point there were at least two versions of the national budget in one financial year.

“The books were cooked.

“You have to remember what it was like before the British. The people knew that the spending the PNP was doing was unsustainable.”

Cartwright-Robinson made it clear that she has been one of the biggest critics of the interim administration.

“There was no conspiracy,” she stressed, “Sir Robin Auld’s report

Deputy leader of the PDM Mrs. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson

FORMER Premier of the TCI Michael Misick

surprised even us, when we saw the scale of corruption that had taken place.”

The deputy leader reiterated

that as an opposition, the PDM performed its function in the interests of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The vehicle being pulled out of the canal

Stolen car found in canal

A STOLEN black Chrysler 300 car was discovered in a canal in the area of Discovery Bay with extensive damages to the front bumper on Monday.

The vehicle was last seen on Friday October 5, in the Discovery Bay area where it was parked by its owner, who discovered it missing on Sunday.

St. Vitus Day Dance COMMENTARY

WHILE it started out as something else in the year 300, the sometimes inane actions of actors and comedians is often called a St. Vitus Day Dance.

Doing the dance was also rumored to protect one against lighting strikes!

I am reminded of this when I see our politicians and their supporters don their traditional colors and frolic, dance and make claims which to many minds border on comedy.

The choice of colors I find interesting. Perhaps yellow was supposed to indicate gold. Yellow has been the traditional color of cowards Did their leader running and hiding like a rabbit prove that point?

Blue is also an interesting choice and indeed those

By David Tapfer associated with this group have sure danced less and had the blues since Mr. Taylor rolled over to the then golden leader.

Red is the new choice for party number three. Red designates fire.

Will they burn the other parties’ votes or just burn out?

It is a lot of fun to poke fun at politicians but voters must analyze issues and candidates.

Our vote is our most powerful tool to choose the direction the country is heading.

The economy is the number one issue and it has been since the yellows partied and danced giving up balancing our accounts and choosing the “pay you later” system.

Taxes and problems we are now facing are the results of this recklessness.

Direct Rule was brought in to stop it.

Education is finally being addressed. Many years have passed since we built, enlarged or modernized a school. One wonders how a foreign teacher can teach the history of the TCI, a history they did not experience. Why did we fail to promote teaching scholarships for our youth?

Health is next on our list of

concerns. The cost of health care has tripled and is behind the massive tax increases. Ask yourself if our primary and secondary health care has really improved? Obviously the PNP leader believes the health system he created is broken because he has danced away from his responsibility whenever this comes up. First class physicians and primary care nurses are more important than hospital buildings so why has he chosen politics? Why are folks using the DR and the USA and local private physicians?

The guidance question looms big again. Why did he and we fail to guide children to careers in medicine?

Next is development. Proper development expands the economy and reduces tax burdens on residents.

The underfinanced developers danced along then quit as their

money ran out. We often ask how can a foreign resort worker answer a tourist's questions about the TCI. Incoming tourists believe they have mistakenly landed at Port Au Prince when they hear the lingo of airport workers.

How many millions of dollars have danced out of TCI sent by numerous foreign workers since 2004? The Labour Department should be issuing work permits and Immigration needs to bring people in to spend their lives in the TCI. This accomplished the new citizens will spend their earnings right here and build our economy.

Mike Misick wore the yellow cap and tee shirts at his parties St Vitus day dances. One thing I always admired about Mike Misick was those beautiful tailored suits. That man knew how to dress! I would have loved to have his yearly clothing budget as my income. Had he bought his suits off the rack we could have built a couple of schools!

12 NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

October 13 - 19, 2012

Social Welfare conducts training of a UNICEF programme THE Department of Social Services conducted a two-day psychosocial recovery workshop designed to provide guidance on helping children who have experienced the trauma of natural disasters, conflicts or violence.

Organiser and social worker with the Department of Social Development, Tanza Bain indicated that the workshop stemmed from a disaster preparation plan - the ‘Return to Happiness’ (RTH) Programme, implemented by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

As part of UNICEF’s initiative, representatives from various Caribbean nations were invited to Grenada for training in March in preparation of the 2012 hurricane season, providing them with knowledge to be shared and implemented should the need arise.

Tiffany Thomas, senior social worker with the Grand Turk department and Bain, from the department in Providenciales completed the exercise and upon returning, projected to plan and conduct training of people locally.

Bain said, “The participants invited were all local because we want to make sure they stay here to help children.

“They also have to have a passion for what they do, they have to love what they do, love children and be patient with them.”

Held at the Felix Morley Community Centre on Friday, October 5 and 6, teachers representing various schools, social workers, guidance counsellors and community members who work with children were provided with the information necessary to effectively implement the programme.

A section of the group in a stimulating discussion and presentation. Standing is facilitator and social worker with the Department of Social Development, Tanza Bain

Organiser and social worker with the Department of Social Development, Tanza Bain

Individuals from North and Middle Caicos were also part of the Providenciales workshop.

UNICEF’s programme goal is to train adults on creating opportunities for children, aged five to 12, who have experienced a natural or manmade disaster to tell their stories, express their fears, concerns and hopes through a wide range of activities in an effort to restore their sense of happiness and security.

Since the programme places emphasis on participation through activities such as drawing, storytelling, painting, cultural activities, puppetry and theatre, the seminar included stimulating contributions from various experienced professionals in the TCI. On day one David Bowen undertook the topic of engaging children in creative arts; Yolanda Robinson tackled communicating with children; Claudell Seymore

discussed basic helping skills, Cora Malcolm imparted knowledge on story development and Aprit Thomas focused on expressing distress and trauma recovery.

The Rights of a Child was addressed by Porcha Clark while Nicole Cox undertook the dialogue on children with disabilities on the second day.

Discussions and exercises included practical group activities and boosting understanding of ways

to deliver effective approaches.

Participants left the workshop equipped with in-depth knowledge to share among peers and a RTH training manual provided by UNICEF to assist in the comprehension of activities to stimulate children to communicate effectively and improve their confidence.

A similar training workshop was also held in Grand Turk in September with residents from Salt Cay in presence. (KH)

Two political debates scheduled in next two weeks

BY VANESSA NARINE COMING closer to Election Day, the momentum is expected to increase with two political debates scheduled for Thursday, October 18, and Monday, October 22.

The first debate has been organised by local television station WIV Channel 4 and the leaders and deputy leaders of the three political parties are expected to go ‘head-to-head’.

WIV Channel 4 has invited the public to send their questions to Debate2012@WIV.TC The channel’s news editor, Ms.Joddy Harvey, said, “This is chance for the public to bring to the candidates issues they feel are important.

“It is also a chance to help undecided voters to assess the candidates and make an informed choice on the best candidates to take the TCI forward.”

She made it clear that the in hosting the debate WIV will endeavour to be transparent and fair, adding that the candidates will not have the questions before hand.

The other debate is a two-day session for the leaders and deputies, as well as the other At-Large candidates and independents, and has been organised by a grassroots group called ‘Country at Heart’.

Father Bernard Been told the

Weekly News that all three political parties and a few independent candidates have accepted the request to participate.

He said this debate will take a different form, in that it will involve the candidates being questioned by members of the media.

However, he stated that members of the public can send their questions to countryathearttci@gmail.com.

Been said, “We believed that we ought to do things differently in the TCI, more importantly the way we elect our officials. It must be based on issues.

“The debate will be that forum to address issues. It will shift the way we do politics in this country and force our people and candidates to focus on the issues.”

According to him, Country at Heart was established for the sole purpose of facilitating a forum for debating issues that affect the TCI. He said the group is made up of a cross section of members of the clergy and community.

The Weekly News spoke to the deputy leaders of the three political parties, all of whom contended that their parties are ready for the debates.

In September, when pressed by the Weekly News the three parties agreed to participate in a debate in the run up to the November 9 elections.

October 13 - 19, 2012

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Executive Director of the National Trust Ethlyn Gibbs-Williams

NEWS 13

Construction of visitor's facility on Little Water Cay (Iguana Island) is expected to be completed in about three months but will not hinder visitors from seeing the endangered Rock Iguanas and other wildlife.

National Trust makes strides in preservation projects KEEPING their promise to safeguard and preserve the natural, historic and cultural heritage of the TCI, the National Trust revealed recent accomplishments and ongoing plans in a press conference on Thursday, October 4.

Executive director of the National Trust Ethlyn Gibbs-Williams said that although the trust is very active on Providenciales, projects are scheduled for other islands in the archipelago.

The major project in process is the “management of protected areas to support economics project”- a development agreement between the National Trust and European Union (EU) delegation in January 2010.

This venture is a cross-territory development scheme that includes three UK territories - the Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands, GibbsWilliams said.

Collaborating in expertise and experiences, each island has different activities within the protected management project that aims to conserve globally threatened biodiversity and enable maintenance of communities and qualities of life.

The contract agreement with the National Trust specifies that the EU will fund 57.56 per cent of the overall $1.26 million while the remaining 42.44 per cent is required to be accumulated by the National Trust by December 2014.

PROJECTS Activities approved for the project include construction of visitors’ facilities at heritage sites, enhancement and maintenance of heritage site, development of management plans for areas, research and improved environmental

awareness through design and publication of promotional material, and school curriculum material and strengthening of institutional capacity through training and workshops.

The director said, “Thus far implementing the management of protected areas to support sustainable economics has been a learning process for the National Trust, being the first time ever we are dealing with the European delegation.

“Never the less we have progressed to this point.”

ACHIEVEMENTS The director said that the government house is Salt Cay is presently getting a facelift.

Another accomplishment she said is that a local advisory committee comprising of representatives from the tourist board, physical planning department, public works department, a department of environment and maritime affairs and a private sector water sports company along with three representatives from the National Trust was established to undertake the responsibility of guiding the management project.

The trust launched a conceptual drawing competition for Cheshire Hall and Bird Rock Point visitor facilities and the architectural drawings for the Cheshire Hall visitors’ facility, which will also serve as the headquarters for National Trust was already approved.

Also recent was the successful conduct of the tender process and evaluation exercise for the Little Water Cay visitor facility construction bid and the completion of the environmental statement for

sustainable development on Little Water Cay. She said that construction has already begun and is expected to finish in about three months.

Even though construction is ongoing the Cay which is also known as Iguana Island will not closed to the public since it is a main source of income for the trust.

They have managed to divert the trail, allowing visitors to see the endangered rock iguanas and other wildlife that inhabit there.

Gibbs-Williams is looking forward to this venture, stating, “We were not able to implement any improvement on the island since 2008 after it suffered from damages from the hurricane and it is a welcome project.”

With construction of the visitors’ facility “it would improve the conditions for the wardens who work there on a daily basis and will give the National Trust the opportunity to diversify the tours offered on Little Water Cay”.

Other activities slated for after the completion of Little Water Cay include the enhancement of the boardwalk and as well as enhancement to other sites.

Three of those will be Cheshire Hall in Providenciales; Wade’s Green Plantation on North Caicos and eventually the 11 acres nature trail at Bird Rock Point that will once again be reopened.

She said that even though Bird Pock Point has a lot of potential, they will be very careful with its development and enhancement since “that is cherished natural vegetation”.

Another site getting the attention of the Trust is Heavin’ Down Rock, which is very important because of

its cultural significance.

Gibbs- Williams conveyed how thankful she was to the Sherlock Walkin for bequeathing the property to the Trust and the contribution of the Tourist Board which enabled the completion of phase one of the project.

While the first phase saw the area graded and paved, phase two will see to the enhancement with kiosks and public facilities, and opportunity for small businesses.

PLANS FOR THE QUARTER National Trust’s schools liaison officer, Lavenia Hamilton announced exciting fundraising events for the quarter which are expected to assist with the completion of ongoing projects.

The Migratory Bird Festival is planned for October 26 with the first parade from the Gustarvus Lightbourne Sports Complex to the Cheshire Hall Plantation; a banner competition for schools to enter and a best bird costume competition.

Scheduled for Heritage Week at the end of November is a series of events to celebrate the culture and heritage in the TCI. Events include a night of cultural elegance, a poetry night to highlight local poets and a domino tournament.

Ending the year’s activities in December will be an old fashion door to door caroling.

Hamilton and Gibbs-Williams encouraged the public to support the activities, join or donate to the trust so it can continue its mission. (KH)

Man jailed for raping 71-year-old woman A35-year-old man plead guilty in the the Supreme Court in Grand Turk, last Thursday, and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment with a recommendation for deportation, after serving time for raping a 71-year-old woman.

Olonieu Garcon, an illegal Haitian national who has been living on Providenciales since 2005, committed the offence during the early morning of Monday, 20 June 2011.

He reportedly forced his way into the home of the victim with a cutlass demanding money.

Due to overwhelming evidence

heard by Chief Justice Goldberg, the plea was accepted.

Mrs. Angela Brooks and Inspector Irene Butterfield represented the Crown.

The Sexual Offence and Domestic Violence Unit is situated at the Chalk Sound Police on Providenciales. All victims and any person having knowledge of anyone who has been the victim of such offences, including child abuse, are asked to contact the officers of that unit at telephone number 231-0248.

Persons will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence.

Lifestyle...

14 NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

fitness Tip  Dr. Joe LeMoine, is an Orthopaedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine physician. He has worked with many international athletes and at many sporting events on the world stage. He currently practices in Providenciales, at Prime Sports Medicine.

Busting the stretching myth We have all seen it, and most of us have done it – the pregame or preworkout stretch.

One of the greatest and longest standing sport myths is that stretching will prevent injury.

Well that myth has been busted.

A review of sports medicine and physiology studies has shown that a stretching program before play does not prevent injury.

That is not to say that stretching is not helpful, nor is it to say that a proper warm up is not important.

They are both important and with the help of sports science, you can achieve optimal performance.

Stretching is more important in some sports than others especially those requiring flexibility. Just like

Broccoli and Ramen Noodle Salad

This is a nutty and delicious broccoli salad Ingredients: • 1 (16 ounce) package broccoli coleslaw mix • 2 (3 ounce) packages chicken flavored ramen noodles • 1 bunch green onions, chopped • 1 cup unsalted peanuts • 1 cup sunflower seeds • 1/2 cup white sugar • 1/4 cup vegetable oil • 1/3 cup cider vinegar Directions 1. In a large salad bowl, combine the slaw, broken noodles and green onions.

2. Whisk together the sugar, oil, vinegar and ramen seasoning packets. Pour over salad and toss to evenly coat. Refrigerate until chilled; top with peanuts and sunflower seeds before serving.

Orthopaedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine physician Dr. Joe LeMoine

speed, stamina and balance can improve your game, so can flexibility.

Stretching should be part of training.

This is best accomplished when the body is already warmed up, and it is accomplished in a relaxed and deliberate manner. A stretch and then holding is the best technique. Do not bounce or let someone else stretch you. One question is how long to hold the stretch. When the stretch is started the counteracting muscle will contract slightly. The ideal stretch is held until the muscle relaxes, this varies from person to person and each day but is usually between 10 and 30 seconds.

Hurrying through a stretching routine before a sport is time taken away from a structured warm-up.

A structured warm up has been

shown to help prevent injury. It takes about twenty minutes and is a great way to get a team focused and the athlete game ready. The sports medicine team with the International Football (soccer) Federation has developed the most popular of these warm up programs; called 11+1.

This is applicable for most sports; modifications can be made to suit a specific sport.

The final myth about stretching is performing it after a hard workout to prevent muscle soreness. Science has also busted this myth. Science has however come up with some ways to improve recovery from a hard workout or game. This will be a subject of a future column.

So we have busted some myths about stretching – a pregame stretch does not prevent injury and a post game stretch does not prevent muscle fatigue or soreness.

Stretching is still important for maximizing your flexibility and athletic performance.

Continue to stretch, but do it properly and for the right reason.

health Tip 

Green goliath This mouthwatering crop is an easy to grow, and after it is grown you can sure enjoy some of the benefits of it.

There are a number of varieties, but this week we will look at the more common one, broccoli or Green Goliath, as the most popular variety of broccoli is known.

Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family, and is closely related to cauliflower. It is an Italian name that means 'cabbage sprout.'

Most broccolis are matured around 60 days.

Broccoli also has excellent sources of Vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, sulphur, Omega 3 fatty acids, amino acids, betacarotene, calcium, selenium, magnesium, copper, zinc, phosphorus, zeaxanthin, potassium, etc.

By Phillip Simmons Broccoli is beneficial to the body in the fight against: breast cancer, cancer of the uterus, prostate cancer, cancers of internal organs, like lung, colon, liver, kidneys, and cancer of the intestines, detoxification, eye care and cataracts, and removes extra estrogen from the body.

Last, but not least, I give thanks to the Lord for his endless love towards me.

This week, I leave you words from former President of the United States of America, Mr. John F. Kennedy

(1961-1963), who said, “Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”

October 13 - 19, 2012

October 13 - 19, 2012

Lifestyle...

GARDENING 

NEWS 15

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

How does your garden grow

YOUR DIET

ASK TAMIKA

BY TAMIKA HANDFIELD

Tamika graduated from Florida International University in Miami with a Masters degree in Dietetics & Nutrition. She is a registered dietitian with the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and licensed to practice medical nutrition therapy in the state of Florida.

Email Tamika via tcweeklynews@gmail.com or tamikahandfield@yahoo.com with your healthy eating questions.

Fabulous figs WHILE the ancient history of the fig centres around the Mediterranean region, and it is most commonly cultivated in mild-temperate climates, it nevertheless has its place in tropical horticulture. It is unique in a genus embracing perhaps over 1,000 species.

The fig is believed to be indigenous to western Asia and to have been distributed by man throughout the Mediterranean area. It has been cultivated for thousands of years.

The first figs in the New World were planted in Mexico in 1560.

The fig is a tree of small dimensions, 10 to 30ft high, with numerous spreading branches and a trunk rarely more than seven inches in diameter. It contains copious milky latex.

The root system is typically shallow. The deciduous leaves are palmate, deeply divided into three to seven main lobes, these more shallowly lobed and irregularly toothed on the margins.

Fruiting will commence in less than a year from planting out. Young plants will benefit from shading with palm fronds or other material until they are well established.

A fertiliser formula of 10-30-10 or 10-20-20 NPK is recommended, plus minor elements every six months.

Fig trees usually bear two crops a year, the early season, fruits being inferior and frequently too acid, and only those of the second, or main, crop of actual value.

Some people peel the skin back from the stem end to expose the flesh for eating out of-hand.

The more fastidious eater holds the fruit by the stem end, cuts the fruit into quarters from the apex,

BY DENIS Belanger - NATURE SPLENDOR For all your landscaping, installation or garden maintenance needs, please call or write for a free estimate: 332-3381 or naturesplendor@yahoo.com

In Latin America, figs are widely used as folk remedies

spreads the sections apart and lifts the flesh from the skin with a knife blade, discarding the stem and skin.

But figs are generally eaten fresh and raw without peeling, and they are often served with cream and sugar.

Peeled or unpeeled, the fruits may be merely stewed or cooked in various ways, as in pies, puddings, cakes, bread or other bakery products, or added to ice cream mix.

The latex of the unripe fruits and of any part of the tree may be severely irritating to the skin if not

removed promptly.

On the other hand, the latex is widely applied to warts, skin ulcers and sores, and taken as a purgative and vermifuge, but with considerable risk.

In Latin America, figs are much employed as folk remedies. A decoction of the fruits is gargled to relieve sore throat; figs boiled in milk are repeatedly packed against swollen gums; the fruits are much used as poultices on tumors and other abnormal growths.

Halloween treats don’t have to be scary IF YOU are a child, October means one thing—tons of candy on Halloween. While I do not celebrate this holiday, many parents cringe at the thought of so much sugar being consumed.

Parents, there is some good news—it’s just one day and if this behaviour is not continued for the remaining 364 days of the year then your child should be OK. However, there are some ways you can celebrate Halloween in a more health conscious manner: 1. If you don’t celebrate Halloween, avoid any possible meltdowns by fully explaining to your child the reason why Halloween is not celebrated. Give them logical kid-friendly reasons they can use with their friends when they are being bombarded with questions of ‘why aren’t you coming?’ Try to find an alternate activity your child can do on that night. Many churches have started having functions on this night so you may want to start checking into that.

2. Help your children practice moderation. Once all the candy is collected, allow them to choose three to four pieces they want to eat and put the rest away. Once Halloween is gone, they may have one to two pieces if they ask for it. Don’t hide the candy or use it as a bribe but never allow children to have free access to it. You can also buy ‘minis’ instead of the fun size or regular size which have much more calories.

3. If you like it, don’t buy it. Sounds weird right, but it’s true. If chocolates are your favourite, then don’t buy chocolates for your kids to give away because you will be tempted to eat too many.

4. Change the focus. Don’t let the day be all about candy. As a child, I never celebrated Halloween; something changed and Halloween is now a part of our culture just like Christmas. We can change that—take your children to talk to their grandparents about what Halloween was like in their day or help your children do some research into the origins of Halloween or start a new family tradition.

5. Whatever you do on this day, make safety a priority.

‘Like’ my page, ACCU Medical Nutrition—Nutrition in Demand, on Facebook and receive up to date nutrition information.

ACCU Medical Nutrition is based in Graceway IGA Plaza, Providenciales.

Call 946 8308, 242 3978 or 442 3978.

16 NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

October 13 - 19, 2012

Insights for your Innerspring this week

Friday, October 12 to Friday, October 19 Friday, October 12  Danny Buoy’s is Provo’s premier live music and sports destination, serving lunch and dinner daily from 11:30am.

It is the perfect place to escape from the heat and hang with friends, all in smoke free airconditioned comfort.

Happy Hour specials from 4-7pm Monday-Saturday

 Get into the weekend mood with the intense and electrifying Tae-Bo class at Graceway Sports Centre from 6pm to 7pm. Free for fitness members, $12 for non-members.

Visit www.gracewaysports.com for more information or call 4426349.

freshly grown produce and locally sourced items.

For more information on the Weekly Community and Farmers’ Market call (649) 247-8911. With regard to the TCI Red Cross’ services or how you can volunteer or donate, contact our Provo office on (649) 941-8056 or email redcrossprovo@tciway.tc OR for Grand Turk call (649) 946-2761 or Email:tciredcross@tciway.tc

 If you’re looking for a serene and relaxed way of starting your weekend, bring your yoga mat at Graceway Sports Centre every Saturday at 9am and let David Bowen lead you into the wonderful world of yoga!

Amazing fees for an amazing class! More info at 442-6348”  Mums and Tots Dance Party classes are held every Saturday at Graceway Sports Centre for mothers and their little ones.

Mothers, bring your little ones to dance, jump, twist and shake! Children have fun learning movement basics to fun music and mums get a light exercise while spending quality time. Mums and Tots classes begin at 10am and cost just $10. Dads are welcome!

Call Shara Bowen on 244-1103 for more details.

 Craig Archibold gets the party started at the Regent Palms from 7pm on Friday nights with the sound of classic Caribbean and Motown tunes. Call 946-8666 for details

Sunday, October 14

Saturday, October 13

 Women's Football League fun day at TCIFA Academy Field

 The Cancer Society’s ‘In the Pink’ Boutique sale at The Palms.

Doors open at 6pm. Lots of goodies and a raffle, plus other attractions.

Tuesday, October 16

 The Weekly Community and Farmers’ Market organized

by TCI Red Cross is on at the organization’s headquarters, opposite Lime on the Leeward Highway in Providenciales, from 10am to 2pm.

Persons will be able to purchase

 The Secret is Out! - pass it on to your friends and family - in support of the Youth Enterprise - every Tuesday night are having ‘All U Can Eat Spaghetti Night’ at HorseEye Jacks.

Friday, October 19  INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY (Public Holiday)

Got an event you wish to advertise?

Call us on 946 4664 or email tcweeklynews@gmail.com for a free listing.

Launch Yourself to Success with the Power of Belief (Part two)

In the last article we learnt the following … Desire (Goal) + Belief (Action) = Success (Happiness). We will now take a look at the kind of mental position needed to achieve success and some steps needed to launch yourself in that direction.

Dr. Schwartz states on page 11 of “The Magic of Thinking BIG” that “Belief, strong belief, triggers the mind to figure ways and howto ... those who believe they can move mountains, do.” It is not our jobs to hack at the mountain that lies between us and our goals. Rather, it is our job to think of where it is we want to go or what it is we want to achieve and let go of it. Our minds will find ways to get us there. In the past I have had several experiences where I placed a goal in my mind, believed that I could achieve and receive it and promptly forgot about it; only to find myself actually living that goal several weeks later. There is a piece of our future trapped inside of us and it longs to reunite with its future self - that is desire.

As that desire is sparked within us, our minds along with the resources around us start to move us towards that reunion. When we get there that piece of the future that was trapped inside us finally connects with its larger self and there is wholeness: happiness/success. I recognize that it is never this easy and that there are several factors that contribute to us achieving or factors that contribute to us not achieving this result.

Dr. Schwartz makes a profound illustration regarding the mind as a “thought factory”. In essence he states that “production in your thought factory is under the charge of two foremen … Mr. Triumph and Mr. Defeat. Mr. Triumph is in charge of manufacturing positive thoughts and Mr. Defeat produces negative thoughts. Mr. Triumph specializes in producing reasons why you can, why you qualify and why you will; while Mr. Defeat is an expert in developing reasons why you can’t, why you are weak, why you are inadequate.” He goes on to say that both foremen are

By Whitney Bain intensely obedient; give a positive signal and Mr. Triumph comes to the fore and executes; conversely give a negative signal and Mr. Defeat takes charge. By your outlook or your communication you strengthen either of these foremen and ultimately you reap the rewards they bring.

In his summation, Dr. Schwartz, in advising how to develop the power of belief, says: 1. Think success; don’t think failure.

Thinking success conditions your mind to create plans that produce success.

2. Remind yourself regularly that you are better than you think you are. Successful people are just ordinary folks who have developed belief in themselves and what they do.

3. Believe BIG. The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief.

I encourage you to take the time to develop yourself, fix your goals in sight, know that you can achieve them and move forward.

There is no such thing as failure, only resistance; and resistance can be overcome eventually.

autism awareness

By Nicole Cox, a mother living with autism

Clearing the Air! Yea for autumn! I love this time of year. Maybe because I can feel the holidays fast approaching and it gives me a new sense of energy to push forward.

Starting the year with a bang is great, but going out with a bang is even better! After all, finishing well is a goal we should all have in every aspect of life!

Autumn is also a time to do yet another thorough cleaning of the house to prepare for the MASSIVE amounts of holiday paraphernalia that you are going to amass in very short order! To add to the excitement this year are the U.S. and TCI elections that are filled with controversy, hope and general anticipation.

So, before we press forward with more Spectrum thoughts, and in honor of all the political parties here and abroad who are publicizing their platforms, let’s clear the air on a few past points and make sure we are tracking together!

When it comes to dealing with children who have Autism or other

behaviorally based disorders, let us make sure my platform is understood: 1. Proactive Parents are the Keys to Improvement- no matter what therapy or therapist we choose to assist our children, that in no way clears us as parents from the ultimate accountability for our children.

2.

Child Abuse can be by Commission or Omission- by remaining uneducated on our children’s conditions, being physically or emotionally abusive, burdening others with our children with no information on how to manage them or hiding our children from society denying their condition exists, we are committing child abuse…period.

3. Time is of the Essence- waiting for social or government services to address the issues that affect our children will only delay the process of improvement.

4. Information is Free-there are hundreds of informational resources online that can guide parents in activities and

techniques to assist us with our kids.

5.

Your Work Ethic is Your Banner- we should never expect ANYONE to work as hard for our children as we do…no matter what we pay them!

6.

Partnership is Positive- in viewing the teachers in the education system as our partners and not our obstacles, we can create a web of resources and support for our children.

7. Nothing to Fear but Fear Itselfsocial stigma or prejudice is no excuse to run from a diagnosis or neglect pursuing a diagnosis for our children.

8. Society Determines Societythe change in acceptance of and provision for our children in society is determined by the acceptance and provision we initiate. This is the template by which social change is constructed.

No matter whom you are voting for, this is a platform I believe every parent can support, in and out of election season.

October 13 - 19, 2012

17

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Entertainment Pi Bridge in the Bahamas to be named after Poitier A judge lifted a stay-away order against Chris Brown in February 2011 with Rihanna’s consent.

Chris Brown renews ‘friendship’ with Rihanna CHRIS Brown acknowledged Thursday he has renewed his “friendship” with Rihanna, the woman he was convicted of beating on the eve of the Grammys in February 2009.

Brown, 23, has two more years of probation to serve for his felony assault conviction, although the judge lifted the “stay away” order that kept him from his victim last year.

The singer sent an unsolicited statement to CNN announcing he was breaking up with Karrueche Tran, the 24-year-old model he began dating a year after he was arrested for the felony assault.

“I have decided to be single to focus on my career,” Brown said.

“I love Karrueche very much but I don’t want to see her hurt over my

friendship with Rihanna. I’d rather be single allowing us to both be happy in our lives.”

Tran tweeted a short message Wednesday that appeared directed at Brown: “Bye baby.”

The announcement follows publication of paparazzi photos showing Brown and Rihanna together in public and rumors the two entertainers had reunited romantically.

The talk of their reunion was fueled last month when Rihanna gave Brown a quick kiss and a hug at the MTV Video Music Awards last month as Brown walked to the stage to accept an award.

Rihanna told Oprah Winfrey in an emotional interview in August that Brown had been her “best friend” and she still loved him.

THE Bahamas’ 40th Independence anniversary celebrations will open next month with the rededication of the Paradise Island Bridge in honour of Sir Sidney Poitier.

During a press conference at the Churchill building, Prime Minister Perry Christie announced, in a joint venture with Atlantis, that the 40th anniversary celebrations will open on November 2 through 3 with a bridge renaming ceremony connection, concert and fireworks show.

Mr Christie said Sir Sidney has not only an inspirational life story, but has also made “significant contributions” through diplomacy representing the Bahamas, firstly at UNESCO and later as Ambassador to Japan.

“Hopefully,” he said this (the celebrations) will symbolise to the Bahamas that “we are beginning a process that is intended to unite us and bring focus to what really keeps us together and minimises what divides us – that is the intent, to deepen and further the advance of our civilisation that is the Bahamas.”

Additionally, the Government has also committed to building a new Centre for the Performing Arts that will also be named in Sir Sidney’s honour.

“It is time for us now to give also to those who are artists, actors and actresses, producers and directors, to release them and give their talent the best possible opportunity to be developed in the best possible

The Paradise Island Bridge will be renamed in hour of Sir Sidney Poitier.a

facility – we are going to use the 40th anniversary as a catalyst,” said Mr Christie.

Mr Christie said the Bahamas’ 40th Independence celebration is also an opportunity to ensure that the history of the Bahamas and the works and lives of influential Bahamians are recorded and preserved.

He added that it also will be marketed so that not only the Bahamas but the world can enjoy this celebration of heritage and culture.

“I want to invite all Bahamians to see this as an extraordinary beginning to the committee’s work and know that we will bring tremendous focus to all that is right about the Bahamas and we hope in the process to receive the intention

of the world and already major efforts are being made to make this an event weekend that the world will take note of,” he said.

Co-chairs of the Bahamas’ 40th Independence Anniversary Steering Committee, Dr Nicollette Bethel and Charles Carter said the 40th anniversary is about building up a national identity and reclaiming Bahamian heritage and culture.

Mr Carter said the celebrations are intended to bridge the gap between generations of Bahamians.

Mr Carter said Singer Jennifer Hudson will be performing at the concert next month and further announcements regarding ticket information will be announced shortly. (Tribune242.com)

Hogan devastated by leaked sex tape

Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman dated for 12 years before tying the knot in 1982.

DeVito, Rhea Perlman split after more than 30 years of marriage ONE of Hollywood’s longest-lasting couples has called it quits.

Danny DeVito, 67, and Rhea Perlman, 64, have separated after more than 30 years of marriage, their rep confirms to the Daily News.

“Entertainment Tonight” was the first to report news of the split.

The “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” actor and the former “Cheers” actress wed in 1982 after

12 years of dating. They have three children together: daughters Lucy, 29, and Grace, 27, and son Jacob, 24.

In addition to working together on the classic TV sitcom “Taxi” and 1996 film “Matilda,” the two founded Jersey Films, a production company behind a number of hit movies including “Pulp Fiction,” “Erin Brockovich” and “Garden State.” (Nydailynews.com)

HULK Hogan suffered the “ultimate betrayal” when his best friend filmed him having sex, his lawyer said Tuesday.

“He feels absolutely betrayed,” lawyer David Houston said.

Houston said “sources” have informed him that the secret sex tape involving his client ends with Bubba the Love Sponge discussing the recording’s potential value with wife Heather Clem.

Clem was Hogan’s partner during the naked romp, Hogan admitted to Howard Stern Tuesday.

“If we ever did want to retire, all we’d have to do is use this footage,” Bubba is heard saying at the tape’s tail end, according to celebrity website TMZ.com.

Houston said he contacted police in Florida Tuesday to ask about issues of jurisdiction ahead of filing a police report to spur a criminal investigation.

He said Hogan also will file a civil lawsuit against Gawker.com no later than the middle of next week because the New York-based website posted an edited version of the leaked footage.

Hogan identified his bedroom partner as Heather Clem, the estranged wife of radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge.

The suit, expected in federal court in Florida, will include charges of invasion of privacy, damage to reputation and damage to commercial viability, he said.

“We think whatever lawful means are available for redress should be put into play. That’s what Hulk wants to do,” Houston told the Daily News, saying it’s

possible they’ll also contact police in New York.

“New York may be best jurisdiction for the criminal case,” Houston said. “We’re in Florida initially to figure that out.”

Hogan, 59, told NBC’s “Today” show that the tape happened during a “low point” in his failing marriage to ex-wife Linda Hogan.

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IMF: Haiti, Suriname, DR boast top regional growth HAITI, Suriname and the Dominican Republic will post the Caribbean’s highest GDP growth rates i 2012, according to quarterly projections released Monday in the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook.

Haiti is projected to grow 4.5 percent this year, although that is lower than the 6 percent GDP growth rate projected in a recent report from the UN Economic Commission for Latin America.

Earlier this year, the IMF had projected Haiti’s economy to grow between 4.5 and 5.5 percent.

Both projections were far lower than an earlier World Economic Outlook in April, which anticipated Haiti’s economy to grow at a rate of 7.8 percent in 2012.

It’s not clear what led to the lower projection, although the IMF mentioned following its July visit that Haiti’s government needed to accelerate the pace of reconstruction.

The rate still remained the Caribbean’s highest in 2012, followed by the Dominican Republic and Suriname, both of which are projected to grow 4 percent this year.

As in the ECLAC report, the IMF

projects Haiti to lead the Caribbean in 2013 as well, with a stronger 6.5 percent growth rate that matched the one projected by the UN. The Dominican Republic is projected to grow 4 percent this year and 4.5 percent in 2013.

Suriname, whose economy has been boosted by stronger commodity production, is projected to grow 4.5 percent as well in 2013.

The Latin America and Caribbean region as a whole is projected to grow 3.2 percent this year, a downgrade from its earlier projections this year.

(Caribbean Journal)

Seaga calls again for pegging of Jamaica dollar to US$ FORMER Prime Minister Edward Seaga has called for the Portia Simpson Miller administration to “put aside timidity” and embrace the policy of a pegged Jamaican exchange rate to the United States dollar.

It is not the first time the former prime minister, who held the reins of finance while leading the JLP administration of the 1980s, has made this proposal. However, this time his recommendation has resurfaced at a time when the Jamaican dollar is sliding as it comes under intense pressure, reaching a record $90.32 to the US dollar.

Addressing a joint sitting of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament yesterday, Seaga said the move to peg the Jamaican dollar to the US dollar would reduce inflation to minimal levels and lower the “still high interest on commercial loan rates of financial institutions to business-friendly levels”.

Further, the former head of government said this decision would reduce expenditure in the cost of servicing external debt and make payments on interest, profit and dividends earned by overseas investment and reducing the stock of debt.

MASSIVE INFLOWS A pegged exchange rate, according to Seaga, would also open the door for potential massive inflows of low-interest foreign exchange for mortgage financing and investment since the risk of devaluation or depreciation of the rate of exchange would no longer exist.

“This would be revolutionary for attracting low-cost funds for agriculture, education, infrastructure and low-cost housing, creating

Fly Montserrat flight crashes in Antigua, leaving three dead A FLY Montserrat flight crashed shortly after taking off Sunday from Antigua’s VC Bird International Airport, leaving three dead.

The pilot, Jason Forbes, was pronounced dead on the scene. A 50-year-old Guyanese woman and Annya Duncan, a Jamaican teacher at the Montserrat Secondary School, also died in the crash.

The lone survivor was a British national, who suffered lacerations, bruises and a broken ankle.

“I was extremely saddened to hear about the tragic incident at Antigua airport on 7 October involving a Fly Montserrat aircraft,” Governor Adrian Davis said in a statement.

“This is a very sad day for our community, the effects of which will be felt by many on island and in the region.”

The British national is currently in stable condition at Antigua’s St

thousands of new jobs,” he added.

“Most of all, it would restore the economic growth which has been stagnant for two decades because the increased prices which follow devaluations would cease, ensuring that none of the substance of growth would be extracted from the GDP (gross domestic product) to pay the higher prices of devaluations,” Seaga asserted.

Situated on the coastline of the world’s richest economy, the former prime minister told parliamentarians that Jamaica had no reason to be poor.

He argued that Jamaica’s strategic location creates a centre of preference for the island to exploit in developing or finishing products from the Far East (China, India) South America (Brazil) and even Europe utilising negotiated tax relief benefits of the Caribbean Basin Initiative for dutyfree export to the US market.

“For years, I have been promoting this idea, based on reclaiming land in Kingston Harbour at Fort Augusta,” he said.

According to Seaga the

proposal, whether at Fort Augusta or Caymanas, made sense in the same way that the development of a massive garment industry complex was established in the 1980s for exporting goods manufactured

by Hong Kong firms in Jamaica, creating more than 40,000 new jobs.

The initiative became a huge foreign exchange earner for the economy.

Prior to Seaga’s first presentation in Gordon House since retiring from active politics in 2005, parliamentarians yesterday showered accolades on the former prime minister for his contributions to Jamaica over more than four decades.

Among those paying tribute were Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller who called Seaga “one of the granite figures of our time”, and West Kingston Member of Parliament Desmond McKenzie who said there was “no single politician in this country who can claim the love, affection, dedication and commitment of his constituency like the people of west Kingston to The Most Honourable Edward Phillip George Seaga”.

John’s Hospital.

“The government and people of Montserrat are deeply saddened by the incident yesterday,” Montserrat Deputy Premier Charles Kirnon said.

“The government will be looking at offering grief counseling to the relatives of the victims of the plane crash. This incident has touched us all.”

Antiguan authorities are currently leading an investigation into the cause of the crash, along with the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority.

Fly Montserrat resumed its regular service on Monday between Antigua, Montserrat and Nevis.

Montserrat’s government said it would be increasing ferry service to daily operations in order to accommodate passengers concerned about traveling by air. (Caribbean Journal)

Puerto Rico declares dengue epidemic PUERTO Rico’s health department has declared a dengue epidemic.

Health Secretary Lorenzo Gonzalez says at least six people have died, including two children younger than 10. A total of 4,816 cases have been reported, including 21 cases of the potentially fatal hemorrhagic dengue.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 342 new cases were reported in one week last

Edward Seaga says that is it necessary to make the change.

October 13 - 19, 2012

month, twice the number of cases during the same period last year.

Dengue cases usually flare up from August to January.

The mosquito-borne virus causes fever, severe headaches and extreme joint and muscle pain. Dengue claimed a record 31 lives during a 2010 epidemic that saw more than 12,000 suspected cases.

Gonzalez made the announcement on Monday. (Boston.com/AP)

S&P lowers Grenada foreign currency ratings after missed bond payment STANDARD & Poor’s has lowered its foreign currency sovereign credit ratings on Grenada following a missed bond payment, the ratings firm announced Monday.

S&P has lowered its foreign currency sovereign credit ratings to “SD,” or selective default, from “B/B,” while also lowering its local currency sovereign credit ratings to “CCC+/C” from “B-/B.” Its outlook on Grenada’s long-term local currency ratings is negative.

“The downgrade to “SD” follows the government’s failure to pay the coupon due Sept. 15, 2012 on its $193 million bond due in 2025,” said Richard Francis, a credit analyst at Standard & Poor’s.

In Grenada’s statement to bondholders on Sept. 12, Grenada stated its intention to use its “best efforts” to pay the coupon within a 30–day grace period.

“According to our criteria, we consider an obligation in default unless payment is made within five business days of the due date, regardless of any

grace period,” Francis said.

The firm said Grenada’s difficulty in servicing its US dollar debt, along with paying public-sector wages, could portend servicing risks to its Eastern Caribbean dollar-denominated bond, as well as Eastern Caribbean-denominated treasury bills, the firm said.

“Although the government restructured its foreign currency debt after Hurricane Ivan destroyed much of the island in 2004, the debt burden remained high and has continued to grow,” Francis said.

Before the default, S&P had projected real GDP per capita growth in the country at just over 1 percent in 2013, with net government debt at 80 percent of GDP by the end of this year.

“Once the government cures its foreign currency debt default, we will assign forward-looking foreign currency ratings,” Francis said. “We will comment on the likely foreign currency ratings as the government’s liquidity situation and future debt payment plans become clear.”

October 13 - 19, 2012

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Community Focus

By Nicole Cox

Regional News

Another Jamaican woman complains about Bajan immigration

Ms. Portia Clarke

Knowledge is power What is happening in our community? Do we really know?

Research indicates that a grassroots movement (often referenced in the context of a political movement) is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures. Grassroots movements are often at the local level, as many volunteers in the community give their time to support the local party, which can lead to helping the national party.

In the wake of our nation’s political restructuring, we are seeing the grassroots movement take on a slightly more philanthropic face.

Our nation is learning to think and move on its own, for its own benefit, rather than for the benefit of one political faction or another.

On October 5 and 6, the Felix Morley Community Center, located in Five Cays became a think-tank of ideas and proactive energy as minds met to experience the Return to Happiness Program Workshop.

Presented by the Social Welfare and Gender Development Department, this workshop was designed to address a host of issues concerning the psychosocial health of children in our community.

Guest speakers over the two-day event shared tips on communicating with children, confidence building, engaging children in creative arts, trauma recovery and expressing distress, basic helping skills, children with disabilities and story development.

The heart of many of these topics was embodied in several points made by one speaker in particular, Ms. Portia Clarke.

Clarke has made a name for herself in our community through her tireless efforts in the area of children’s rights and protection.

In a bold and unapologetic presentation, she presented two very basic concepts that must be at the forefront of all child welfare initiatives, ‘Children are NOT miniature adults, they are children’ and ‘Know the law’.

They were resounding themes during her brief but insightful talk.

In no uncertain terms, Clarke made it clear that in order to accurately take steps toward ensuring the safety and prosperity of a child is to know the laws of the land and what provisions are or are not made for that child.

According to her, once this has been established, then one must relate to the child on the level of development that is appropriate for that child.

She said, “The human brain does not complete the development process until the approximate age of 25 years. Why then do we try to treat these developing minds as if they should cognitively and emotionally be able to handle whatever concepts we throw their way?

“It is not enough to care for children and their welfare, but not know the legal guidelines by which we can secure their well-being. This is how you become an effective advocate rather than just another voice in the crowd.”

As a passionate advocate in her own right, Clarke is the founder and current president of the Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Association (CAPAA), which heralds the cause of children’s rights and the protection of our most valued commodity, our children.

Entities like CAPAA are part of the grassroots movement.

The next question is what we can do to help it grow.

If your church, charity or community service organization would like to be featured in the Community Focus column, please contact Nicole Cox at tcweeklynews@gmail.com

YET another Jamaican woman has claimed that authorities in the Eastern Caribbean island of Barbados subjected her to degrading treatment so they could search her body cavities for illegal drugs.

The woman, 29-year-old Avia James, said she was detained at the Grantley Adams Airport when she arrived there on a flight from Jamaica on the evening of Monday, September 24.

“A policeman took me into a room and ordered me to strip because he wanted to see if I had coke (cocaine) in my bottom and my vagina. I said, ‘I am not stripping, so I don’t know what you are going to do today’,” James told the Jamaica Observer last week.

The obviously still enraged woman said her ordeal began when a cop with a sniffer dog walked by as she stood inside the airport. She said that she jumped because the animal startled her. By the time she reached the immigration counter a female officer began questioning her as to her reason for coming to Barbados.

She said she gave the officer the name and contact of the man who was supposed to pick her up at the

Avia James claims she suffered abuse by immigration officers from Barbados.

airport, but that did not satisfy the woman who then referred her to a male immigration officer.

“The woman said all Jamaicans do is come and mash up their lives and take away their man,” James claimed.

Despite her pleas for the officials to allow her Barbados contact to come and identify her, James said the officers never budged. “In my understanding visitors to that country are identified by the persons they are visiting if there is any doubt about their character and if there is any truth to a visitor’s claim of their contact person.

In my case, my contact person was not allowed to come inside the airport and identify me. He was told by a very rude immigration person that he would be able to talk to me (the next day),” she said.

She said both officers removed their name tags before they dealt with her, in an attempt — she now believes — to prevent her from being able to report them.

“The man then called the police and two male police officers came and took me into a room,” she said.

James said the cops then emptied all the contents of her hand luggage on the floor and began rummaging through them. “He took my purse and removed everything from it. I had US$250 and J$200 in the purse.

When he gave it back to me, my money and my debit card were gone.

I demanded my money back and he said: “You s..t! You think I want your (expletive) $250? You Jamaicans are s..t!” James alleged.

She claimed the cop threw the Jamaican banknotes on the ground and told her, “I hate you Jamaicans.

Don’t leave your crosses money in our airport.”

Alleged police killing of a Guyanese youth trigger outcry THE latest police killing of a Guyanese youth triggered widespread condemnation and renewed demands for the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to be overhauled.

The ‘Peoples Parliament’- an amalgam of ordinary people and members of non-governmental organisations- Guyana Human Rights Association, Peoples National Congress Reform (PNCR) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) have all urged authorities to leash trigger-happy cops.

21-year old Dameon Belgrave was shot dead last Friday night, his birthday eve, while ‘liming’ with friends on Hadfield Street, a short distance away from the densely crowded White Castle Fish Shop.

Three policemen have been since placed under close arrest and the two AK assault rifles and one 9 MM handgun lodged for ballistic tests. The Guyana Police Force has suggested that the killing was accidental as they were pursuing a 15-year old driver of a car who had been eluding them earlier that evening since in Sophia.

The incident comes less than one month after 17-year old Shaquille Grant was killed without reason in Agricola. Two of three murderaccused cops have since vanished.

The other is in police custody.

Human rights activists are slamming the embattled Guyana Police Force. Belgrave’s killing occurred the same day that a Commission of Inquiry into the killing of three Lindeners during clashes between police and protesters

People protesting against the accidental killing of a Guyanese youth last Saturday.

on July 18 went into recess.

At the ‘Peoples Parliament’ on High Street opposite Parliament Building, about 25 persons Saturday night chanted slogans and held placards to vent their feelings

at police brutality. Their chants included “Revamp the police force now; we need protection from the police.” “Go after drug pushers, don’t kill the innocent” and “There’s no place like wrong place.”

Burnt human remains found in Bajan graveyard MOURNERS attending a burial in the Christ Church Parish Church’s cemetery on Monday evening were mortified when they stumbled upon a hole containing burnt skeletal remains.

An upset woman told the MIDWEEK?NATION that they were disgusted by the sight in the graveyard.

“I counted at least six skulls

and I?could see teeth, hair and bones and what appeared to be the material from a coffin,” she said.

“All of it was just exposed in a hole for everyone to see. I could not believe what I was seeing.

And right next door there were schoolchildren on the pasture of Foundation School playing cricket. That is not good enough!”

(Barbados Nation)

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Hundreds walk for cancer awareness ALMOST an hour before the crack of dawn on Saturday (October 6) more than 400 individuals assembled in Grace Bay to trek from IGA Gourmet to The Ashcroft School’s roundabout and back in observance of cancer awareness.

Organised by TCI’s National Cancer Society (NCS) to raise funds and awareness, the annual walkathon drew massive support from many sectors of the community including schools, businesses, individuals and the Provo Roadrunners’ club making it the largest turnout since its inception in 2003.

For many, supporting this cause has become a custom; something they look forward to doing year after year in an attempt to honour those who have lost and survived the

fight against the much too common, devastating disease.

“I’ve been supporting these walks for six years now…I had a sister who died from cancer,” commented a female participant, “it’s a terrible disease.”

One father said, “My son came home from school and told me we have to do this…it’s for a good cause so here we are.”

TCI’s Cancer Society’s president, Lucille Lightbourne, expressed how pleased she was with the turnout, and said she was especially proud that such a large number of young adults joined in.

She said, “I feel very good because the success can be measured by the amount of people who took part and it was truly a large number.”

After everyone made it back to

Supporters of all ages joined in making the event the largest cancer awareness walkathon in ten years

IGA Gourmet, the event concluded with a raffle drawing, giving away to lucky winner Allan Almendrala a round trip ticket to the United States, compliments of American Airlines.

Lightbourne took the opportunity to encourage women over 40 to

register for mammograms at the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre.

The walkathon was the first of four major charity events planned by the NCS for October in observance of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Other activities include the annual ‘In the Pink’ boutique sale and after party hosted at the Regent Palms on October 13, a walkathon on North and Middle Caicos on October 20 and the annual luncheon at the Regent Palms on October 27. (KH)

October 13 - 19, 2012

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October 13 - 19, 2012

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New Gallup poll shows Romney vaulting into lead over Obama PRESIDENT Obama and Mitt Romney descended on the key swing state of Ohio on Tuesday, facing an election turned upside down.

A new Gallup poll showed Romney pulling into the lead, energising Republicans and demoralising Democrats — a dramatic reversal of fortunes following Obama’s disastrous debate last week.

The shifting landscape raised the stakes for Thursday night’s vice presidential debate, leaving Democrats suddenly hoping Vice President Biden can turn things around.

Obama and Romney stumped in Ohio with just 28 days until the election, the final day for residents there to sign up to vote.

“All right, Buckeyes, we need you!” Obama thundered at a rally at Ohio State University in Columbus.

His campaign had buses nearby to ferry supporters to registration centers. “Grab your friends, grab everybody in your dorm . . . No extensions, no excuses. We make it easy.”

Romney flew into the Democratic bastion of Cuyahoga County north of Akron, attending an evening rally with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at his side.

“It’s time for him to leave the White House,” Romney said of Obama. “Ohio’s going to elect me the next President of the United States.”

At a conference call with reporters earlier in the day, Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Romney has brought “new energy” to his party.

“We’re seeing that there is greater intensity among Republicans and a great willingness to get out and vote and participate than we’re seeing with Democrats,” Kasich said.

Romney had been gaining ground in a variety of opinion surveys since his debate with Obama a week ago, but the release of the Gallup Poll

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez greets supporters after receiving news of his re-election in Caracas on Sunday, October 7.

Republican challenger Mitt Romney surged to a 2-point lead over President Obama in latest Gallup poll.

on Tuesday gave his ascent new legitimacy.

The survey, taken Oct. 2-8, found Romney leading Obama 49%-47% among likely voters.

It followed a survey by the Pew Research Center that showed Romney leading 49%-45% among likely voters. The Pew poll also found Romney had erased an 18-point deficit to pull into a 47%47% tie among women voters in just one month.

The new polls triggered anxiety and hand-wringing by Democrats worried the election might be slipping away.

Obama supporter and blogger Andrew Sullivan shredded the President’s debate performance, declaring, “I’ve never seen a candidate this late in the game, so far ahead, just throw in the towel in the way Obama did last week.”

Sullivan went on to write Tuesday that he was horrified that Obama would “throw away almost every single advantage he had with voters and manage to enable his opponent to seem as if he cares about the middle class as much as Obama does.”

“How do you erase that imprinted first image from public consciousness: a President incapable

of making a single argument or even a halfway decent closing statement?”

Sullivan raged.

“Has any candidate lost 18 points among women voters in one night ever? And we are told that when Obama left the stage that night, he was feeling good. That’s terrifying.

On every single issue, Obama has instantly plummeted into nearoblivion.”

Romney’s poll vault put new pressure on Biden to turn in a strong performance against Ryan in Thursday night’s debate.

The prospect unnerved some Democrats because of several verbal gaffes by the vice president over the course of the campaign.

“Democrats don’t want to take a second drubbing, even in a vice presidential debate,” said Prof.

Cal Jilson of Southern Methodist University, who said Romney’s defeat of Obama last week had the biggest impact of any presidential debate since John F. Kennedy topped Richard Nixon in 1960.

“A (Biden) win wouldn’t turn things around, but at least it would halt the slide,” Jilson said. “If Ryan were to beat Biden, then it would seem like Republican ideas are clearly topping Democratic ones.”

U.S. death toll rises to 11 in meningitis outbreak A RARE outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to steroid injections has claimed three more lives and New Jersey became the tenth state to report at least one case of the illness in a widening health scare, health authorities said on Tuesday.

The Centers for Disease Control confirmed that two more people had died from meningitis in Tennessee, and one more in Michigan after receiving injections of potentially tainted steroid, bringing the number of deaths nationwide to 11.

The number of people sickened reached 119 on Tuesday, 14 cases more than had been reported by Monday.

The potentially tainted steroid

vials, which have been recalled, were shipped to 76 facilities in 23 states and some 13,000 people may have received injections from the medications, the CDC has said.

The New Jersey Department of Health said a 70-year-old Cumberland County, New Jersey man was hospitalized with apparent fungal meningitis, the first case in that state.

“He developed headaches and went to the emergency room with fever and continued headaches,” the New Jersey agency said, adding that he was receiving antifungal medication at South Jersey Healthcare Regional Medical Center in Vineland.

The widening outbreak has alarmed U.S. health officials and focused attention on regulation of pharmaceutical compounding companies such as the one that produced the drugs, the New England Compounding Center Inc in Framingham, Massachusetts.

The federal Food and Drug Administration regulates only the ingredients and not the compounders, which are subject to a patchwork of state oversight.

Three Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives called on Tuesday for a congressional probe of the meningitis outbreak.

(NYdailynews.com)

Chavez slams Venezuelan opposition after election victory VENEZUELAN President Hugo Chavez sharply criticised his political opponents Tuesday and vowed to continue pushing his socialist programmes in the oil-rich South American country.

“The opposition has a catastrophic vision for the country,” Chavez told reporters. “They deny everything the government achieves.”

The comments came a day after Chavez reached out to opposition candidate Henrique Capriles in what he had described in a Twitter post as a “pleasant phone conversation.”

“I invite National Unity, respecting our differences!” Chavez wrote.

Capriles also described the conversation in a Twitter post, saying, “I received a call from President Chavez. In the name of 6.5 million Venezuelans, I called for the

unity of the country and respect for everyone.”

The Venezuelan president, who won Sunday’s election with 55% of the votes to Capriles’ 44%, described his victory as the “perfect battle.”

But Capriles’ supporters have said the more than 6 million votes the opposition candidate won is a significant showing at the polls.

Analysts have said a key question is whether the opposition will lose momentum or gain strength after Sunday’s defeat.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Capriles called on supporters of the opposition coalition that backed him to redouble their efforts.

“This path that we began building together, this path continues,” he said. “Not against anyone, but in favour of a better future.”

Florida billionaire warns employees against voting for Obama A FLASHY Florida billionaire dubbed the “King of Versailles” says he’s willing to step away from his kingdom - a massive timeshare company - if Obama is re-elected, and warned his employees they should fear for their jobs if the president wins in November.

In an email sent to all 7,000 of his employees at Westgate Resorts, David Siegel suggested his staff may want to think twice about voting for Obama if they want to keep their jobs.

“In spite of all of the challenges we have faced, the good news is this: The economy doesn’t currently pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is another 4 years of the same Presidential administration,” he wrote in the email, which was leaked by his staff and quickly went viral.

“Of course, as your employer, I can’t tell you whom to vote for, and I certainly wouldn’t interfere with your right to vote for whomever you choose,” he continued. “In fact, I encourage you to vote for whomever you think will serve your interests the best. However, let me share a few

facts that might help you decide what is in your best interest.”

The email goes on to make the argument that if Obama is re-elected and raises taxes on the wealthy, Siegel will be forced to cut jobs and will have no motivation to continue to work, which would mean his staff could find themselves unemployed.

“So, when you make your decision to vote, ask yourself, which candidate understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn’t?” he wrote. “Whose policies will endanger your job?

Siegel defended the email in a phone call to the Daily News on Wednesday, saying he was just trying to “educate” his employees.

“I had the hindsight of having lived four years under the Obama administration, and I know what it’s done to my company,” he said. “I felt that I had a duty to inform my employees of what the possible results would be.”

He denied that his message was meant as a threat and said if his employees told him they were voting for Obama, he wouldn’t hold it against them.

October 13 - 19, 2012

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Cameron tells Conservatives: Britain can rise again

Carlos Daniel Gonzalez, 6, holds his sister Izabel, 4, as they are accompanied by authorities after unknown gunmen killed their parents and other relatives in the town of Villa Canales, south of Guatemala City.

Seven killed by gunmen in Guatemala

FOUR children were the only survivors of a massacre outside Guatemala City in which gunmen stormed a small house, going room to room shooting dead members of the same family.

Seven people, including two children, were killed in the early morning attack in the city of Villa Canales, Guatemalan police and local media said.

Maria Concepcion Gonzales, 50, along with her grandson Israel Gonzales, 8, were shot dead while sleeping in a bedroom. Enrique Gonzales, 27, wife Sandra Elizabeth, 25, and their 8-month-old baby were shot while sleeping in a separate room. Roberto Gonzales, 25, and Encarnacion Gonzales, 18, were also

found dead in the house.

The children who survived the attack, ages 4, 6, 11 and 12, told police how they hid from the gunmen as they descended on the house with rifles.

One of those children was struck in the arm and is expected to survive.

Carlos Daniel Gonzalez, 6, was seen comforting his baby sister Izabel, 4, as Guatemalan police collected evidence from the home.

Security forces on Wednesday had detained a man believed to be the mastermind of the attack, Guatemalan news station Siglo21 reported. César Chavez, a neighbor of the family, allegedly targeted them because of an ongoing dispute over land. He is facing multiple murder charges, the station said.

Brain-eating amoebas kill 10 in Pakistan A waterborne, brain-destroying species of amoeba has killed 10 people in Karachi, Pakistan, this year, prompting local water officials to increase the amount of chlorine in the city’s water supply and advise residents to use sterilized water when performing a Muslim ritual which involves cleansing the nostrils.

Misbahuddin Farid, managing director of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, said the origin of the amoebas had not been determined, according to a report in the Dawn newspaper.

The amoeba, known by the scientific name Naegleria fowleri, is virtually impossible to detect in the water and its presence in humans is determined by spinal tests, according to information on the water board’s website.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Naegleria fowleri amoeba causes a severe brain infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis. The disease is usually fatal.

The amoeba most commonly

enters the body through the nasal passages and usually infects people who have been swimming in warm freshwater lakes and rivers, according to the CDC. But it can exist in improperly chlorinated swimming pool or heated tap water, the CDC says.

Only one of the 10 victims of the current outbreak in Pakistan had visited a swimming pool, according to another report from the Dawn newspaper, so authorities are focusing on the Muslim ablution ritual, or waddu.

“Special care should be taken when doing waddu, brushing teeth or cleaning the nasal area,” the water board’s website says.

Two people in the U.S. state of Louisiana died from the amoeba last year after apparently contracting it when rinsing their sinuses with a neti pot, a small vessel used to pour warm water into one nostril and out the other.

Three other Americans died last year after contracting the amoeba while swimming. (CNN)

DAVID Cameron has vowed “to get behind people who want to get on in life” to ensure Britain can “rise” again.

In his speech to the Conservative Party’s annual conference, the prime minister admitted the economic recovery was taking longer than expected.

But he said Labour offered no credible alternative and the country could only weather the storm under his leadership.

He vowed to build an “aspiration nation” driven by individual ambition - the “doers, the risk-takers”.

Taking a swipe at “intellectuals” like Labour leader Ed Miliband who last week attempted to seize the moderate “one-nation” mantle from the Conservatives - he said: “We don’t preach about One Nation but practise class warfare, we get behind people who want to get on in life”.

Labour, he said, was a “party of one notion: more borrowing”.

‘GREAT THINGS’ There were few light moments during Mr Cameron’s 50 minute address, which he delivered from behind a lectern, as he tried to “set out a serious argument” about how Britain can get through its economic difficulties.

The Olympics and Paralympics showed that Britain could “do great things”, he said, but there was a danger the UK could join other nations “on the slide”.

“My job - our job - is to make sure that in this 21st century, as in the centuries that came before, our country, Britain, is on the rise.

“And we here know how that is done. It is the collective result of

this summer.”

He also fired the starting gun on the Conservatives’ campaign to keep the United Kingdom together, saying he was going to meet SNP leader and Scotland’s first minister Alex Salmond to “sort out” a referendum by the end of 2014.

David Cameron vows to build an “aspiration nation”.

individual effort and aspiration, the ideas you have, the businesses you start, the hours you put in.

“Aspiration is the engine of progress. Countries rise when they allow their people to rise.”

Like Ed Miliband last week, Mr Cameron eschewed policy announcements in favour of stressing how his own background had formed his political values.

He spoke about his father, Ian, who died last year. From him he had learned: “Work hard. Family comes first, but put back into the community too.”

He also spoke about his disabled son Ivan, who died in 2009, saying his best moment of the summer was putting a gold medal around the neck of Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds.

“When I used to push my son Ivan around in his wheelchair, I always thought that some people saw the wheelchair, not the boy,” he told activists.

“Today more people would see the boy and not the wheelchair - and that’s because of what happened here

‘SPREAD PRIVILEGE’ “There are many things I want this coalition to achieve but what could matter more than saving our United Kingdom. Let’s say it: we’re better together and we’ll rise together so let’s fight that referendum with everything we’ve got.”

The Conservatives have this week stressed that the government would not deviate from its austerity plan and, while the economy was starting to “heal”, further sacrifices would be needed beyond the next election.

Mr Cameron told Tory activists: “Unless we act, unless we take difficult, painful decisions, unless we show determination and imagination, Britain may not be in the future what it has been in the past.

“Because the truth is, we’re in a global race today. And that means an hour of reckoning for countries like ours. Sink or swim. Do or decline.”

But he also stressed his commitment to “compassionate Conservatism”, saying his “mission” since he became Tory leader in 2005 was to “show the Conservative Party is for everyone: North and South, black or white, straight or gay.

“But above all to show that Conservative methods are not just the way we grow a strong economy, but the way we build a Big Society.”

(BBC)

Police stunned by elderly couple’s huge cannabis plant BRITISH police have decided not to press any charges against the elderly couple who had been unknowingly cultivating a huge cannabis plant in their garden.

The plant was seized Monday in Bedfordshire, central England.

The police later posted a picture on Twitter with comments: “Elderly couple bought shrub at car boot sale,” adding that it was the “biggest cannabis plant we had seen!!”

The police picture posted on Twitter shows a fully grown shrub with thick foliage in the front garden.

A police spokeswoman told CNN: “The plant was mistakenly bought by the elderly couple. We will not be pressing any charges. We have seized it and will dispose it.” She also said that unlike what has been reported in some newspapers there was no “raid.”’ “The property was not raided,” she said.

The police tweet, however, led to many comical reactions including on newspapers sites that carried

The British couple was unaware that their large plant was marijuana.

the story. A Mail Online reader commented: “Don’t buy ‘pot’ plants at car boot sales! Simples.”

Cannabis is classified as a Class B drug in Britain under the Misuse of Drugs Act. The maximum penalty for supplying or producing cannabis is 14 years imprisonment and/or unlimited fine.

The cannabis plant has psychoactive compounds with mood and behavior-altering properties.

The plant is used both for making recreational drugs and medicine.

Organised crime gangs have often used in-house cannabis farms to produce the high-strength “skunk” version of the drug. (CNN)

28

Job Listings Services Auto sales real estate

Classifieds TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Brama Kumaris

October 13 - 19, 2012

946-4664 Fax: 946-4661

Email: tcnews@tciway.tc

Website: tcweeklynews.com

BEAUTY & BEYOND Is looking for a

Raja Yoga FOR RENT

3-bedroom apartment $1100.00 per month it will be available May 1st.

contact: 946-4664

Meditation Centre Turks and Caicos Islands

Telephone 946-4760 & 332-4101 www.bkwsu.com Email: bkwsu@tciway.tc

FOR SALE

Hairstylist To work based on commission must be willing to work 6 days per week.

Contact: 941-8928 or 346-5064

7323

Construction scaffold and roof tiles for sale CONTACT: 431-1591 OR 231-3788

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Hotel Manager

Requirements • 12- 15 years of management experience in internationally branded luxury hotels/ resort including at least 5 years at Executive Committee Level • In depth knowledge of rooms operations and full knowledge of overall hotel operations as they affect department • Financial management skills including ability to analyze P&L statements, develop operating budgets, forecasting and capital expenditure planning • In-depth knowledge of hotel systems – Opera (Fidelio), Micros.

• Experience implementing and monitoring brand standards of operation and quality • Strategic planning skills • Ability to evaluate business trends, determine applicability to customer profile and modify business strategies accordingly • Ability to take constructive action without relying on directions from others • Ability to network and build relationships to grow the business • Strong problem-solving skills; encourages new innovative solutions when appropriate • Strong communication skills with experience developing correspondence and business materials for customers/guests, owners, management and staff • Must be willing and available to work all shifts and days

To work 6 days per week salary $5.00 per hour.

contact: 341-5919

The successful candidate will ideally have the following background and attributes: • Extensive experience in an acute care hospital at senior manager level.

• Management of services within a clinical setting, either as a direct clinical manager or as a directorate manager.

• A comprehensive understanding of health records and the international norms around the management and security of such records.

• Experience at manager level of purchasing processes although not necessarily of management of a purchasing department.

• A solid understanding of the needs of human resource management • Experience in change management in dynamic environments • Ability to analyse complex information and write logical and lucid reports.

• Numerate and literate, you will also be a competent user of the basic Microsoft Office software.

The post holder would preferably be educated to at least first degree (Bachelors) standard and a post graduate qualification would be an advantage. Experience will count as much as formal qualification and a non-degree clinical qualification (i.e.

RGN or similar) would be a suitable alternative to a first degree Applications are invited from appropriately qualified and experienced candidates.

All applications must be by e-mail and include a full curriculum vitae and cover letter. Hard copy applications will not be accepted.

Applications to llawrence@interhealthcanada.tc Closing date12th October 2012.

WARD’S CONSULTANCY Acting on behalf of our clients Villa Del Mar, Coyaba Restaruant, Complete Construction, Ripples Ltd., J & W Construction is looking to fill the following positions:

Gardener Labourer Kitchen Helper Domestic Worker Carpenter Salary $5.00 -$6.00 per hour

Contact: 345-7512

7345

WELMA SMITH Is looking for a

Labourer To work 6 days per week salary $5.00 per hour.

contact: 243-0792

Amazing Value!

Lot for Sale

7306

Chief of Administrative Support InterHealth Canada (TCI) Ltd wishes to appoint a senior level healthcare professional to the post of Chief of Administrative Support. Reporting to the CEO, the post holder will be responsible for a variety of administrative support functions including Human Resources, Purchasing, Health Records & Statistics, IM&T, BME and some reception / Clerical staff.

Is looking for a

Labourer

Duties: • Directs rooms, pool and beach, retail, youth programs and security departments ensuring maximum guest satisfaction and profitability.

• Oversees the development and implementation of departmental strategies and ensures implementation of brand service strategies initiatives.

• Develops annual operating and capital expenditure budgets • Ensures implementation of and compliance with brand policies, programs and standards of operation and quality.

Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Interested applicants should apply to the Regent Palms Monday through Friday, and bring along an updated resume, or email marjorie. dorsett@regenthotels.com no later than Friday, October 19, 2012.

MERLINE GROCERY STORE

CLASSIFIEDS 29

In Gated/Planned Community in Long Bay. Flamingo Crossing lot comes with full set of House Plans, all underground utilities, etc.

$49,999 o.b.o.

Call 231-3788

PRICE SLASHED $175,000

7329

October 13 - 19, 2012

30 CLASSIFIEDS

October 13 - 19, 2012

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

CARLISLE SUPPLIES LTD

Part time office manager • With at least 10 to 15 years • Experience in all aspects of the systems and practices • Of the running the business • Also, to cover for all employee’s vacations and sickness • Closing date:- october 31st 2012 • Remuneration package based on experience

Fax:- 649 946 4437 KQC JANITORIAL COMPANY

Cleaner/ Supervisor • Must be willing to work nights, holidays and weekends • Must have a valid drivers license • Salary $6.00 per hour

Contact: 941-5291 or P.O. Box 503

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER • To direct the organization’s day-to-day financial planning and accounting practices. Under the leadership of the General Manager, the successful applicant will be responsible for the preparation and analysis of the financial reporting process for

7299

A & G ELECTRICAL is looking for an

is looking for a

CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR

• the Resort as well as the annual budget process. He/she will provide strong leadership to the accounting team and will develop, implement and monitor • effective financial controls and procedures, providing management with advice and making recommendations to improve processes and financial performance.

• Qualifications: An accounting designation (CGA/CPA or equivalent) and a minimum of 10 years hospitality experience. The ideal candidate will also have knowledge of • Visual One software.

Electrical Technician To work 6 days per week salary commensurate with experience must be dedicated, self motivated,10 years experience in electrical installation work

contact: 231-4619

7272

Administration and Finance Officer Providenciales

Part time 30 hours a week The Red Cross is looking for a part time experienced Administration and Finance Officer who will be responsible for ensuring the fluent financial and administration management of the TCI Red Cross in relation to the overall TCI Red Cross at a national level, along with providing support to the Provo office, it’s programmes and the overall management of the financial systems.

Qualifications • Working knowledge of Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel) • Financial Software (Quick books) • Seven plus years of finance experience • Three plus years in basic administration • Experience in the Red Cross or another humanitarian organization would be an asset.

• The successful candidate will also be sensitive to diversity, able to work cross-culturally and adhere to the Red Cross principles throughout daily responsibilities as well as working with the most vulnerable in the community. You will be required to provide support and work in Disaster Response.

For the full job description and an application form, please contact our Provo office on 941.8056 redcrossprovo@tciway.tc Deadline for applications is 20th October 2012.

Belongers only need apply.

To apply for the position please address resumes to:

somersethr@thesomerset.com

VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY!!

the largest readership in the turks & caicos

QUICK SALE House and ½ Acre land Richmond Hill

1 Bedroom 1 Bath Fully furnished

Call: 231-3788

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

LABOURER WANTED

NEEDED FOR DIVE OPERATION Experienced Sales Clerk for Retail Shop

Ceramex is looking for a labourer to work lifting boxes. With years of experience maneuvering forklift. 6 days per week.

Salary $6.00 per hour.

ELBERT HIGGS NORTH CAICOS

Labourer

is looking for a

Labourer To work 6 days per week salary $5.00 per hour.

To work 5 days per week salary $5.00 per hour. contact: 231-1620

7302

Contact: 243-7785

Store Clerk

To work 6 days per week including holidays and weekends salary $6.00 per hour.

Contact: 649-244-1260

7298

Is looking for a

Is looking for a

7255

Contact: 231-1000

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 10308/42

MAXWELL DELANCY

SAVE-MORE

Security Officer

Central Grand Turk, comprising of a two storey residence with a single one bedroom one bathroom guest unit located on the ground floor. The upper floor comprises of two bedrooms with two large walk in closets, one bathroom and a laundry closet.

Registered Proprietor: Kendle Berdette Williams and Tanya Doreen Cox

2. Parcel 10104/42,

Lighthouse Road, North Suburbs, Grand Turk, comprising of a single storey residence containing four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, living and dining room, and utility closet.

Registered Proprietor: Lorraine Marcella Elizabeth –Ann Kenlock -Bovell and Weston Edward Livingston Bovell

3. Parcel 60604/17

Labourer To work 5 days per week salary $6.00 per hour.

contact: 344-9960

7307

Norway and Five Cays Providenciales, comprising of a single storey residence containing four bedrooms, two and a half baths, a kitchen, living and dining room.

The house provides good elevation giving excellent views towards the ocean.

Registered Proprietor: Timothy Moriah Nash and Delores Oleta RigbyNash

4. Parcel 10409/96

East Suburbs Grand Turk, comprising of a single storey residence containing three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, living and dining room.

Registered Proprietor: Vanessa Denise Forbes

5. Parcel 60503/123

PRITON DEVELOPMENT LTD.

Blue Hills & Stamers Run Providenciales, comprising of a single storey residence containing four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, living and dining room with exterior patio.

Registered Proprietor: Vylma Patricia Scriven Williams

VACANCIES

6. Parcel 60900/170

2 Mechanics

Must have at least 3 years experience and be able to work with little supervision.

Salary start at $5.50 an hour and is based on experience.

Inventory Controller

Must have at least 5 years experience. Must have good knowledge of construction and must be able and willing to check stock daily.

Site Supervisor

Must have at least 5 years experience. Must have good knowledge of construction.

Must be able to work on holidays, must be able and willing to lead a large construction team.

Salary is based on experience

Interested persons should be dependable and send applications via fax at (649) 941-4034. C/o Alliance Realty Ltd. Deadline for applications is October 16th 2012.

7313

Leeward Going Through Providenciales, comprising of a single storey residential building with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, living and dining room.

There is a two car garage, fencing and an entrance gate to the front of the property.

Registered Proprietor: Floyd Lyndon Ingham and Cherrie Romayne Ingham The auction will be held at the offices of Scotiabank (Turks and Caicos) Limited, Grace Bay Branch, Providenciales at 10 o’clock in the morning on Friday the 5th day of October 2012 A reserve price will be fixed on all parcels. A deposit of 10% is due immediately upon all accepted bids.

Terms and Conditions of Sale by Auction are available by request from Scotiabank Collections Department (649) 946-4750 Ext 275.

7245

ASHWOOD ALEXANDER HALL Is looking for a

Contact: 941-8453

by October 25 2012

Is looking for a

to work 5 days per week salary $6.00 per hour.

7331

• Must have experience in booking snorkeling & diving • excursions. 2 years minimum required.

• Must have a good personality to work around people • Please drop off Resume, Photo, copy of police clearance & medical at Caicos Adventures located at The Regent Village.

• Flexible hours a must- Holidays & Sundays Required

CLASSIFIEDS 31 JENNINGS WILBERT

7326

October 13 - 19, 2012

32 CLASSIFIEDS

October 13 - 19, 2012

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

VACANCIES

WET BEAUTY SALON is looking for a

Hairdresser To work 6 days per week salary based on commission.

BCS-CS/FPN-CS-GRACE BAY CAR RENTAL/ GOLDEN SCISSORS,SILVER DEEP, MAC MOTORS AND G & J CONSTRUCTION ARE LOOKING FOR:

Contact: 231-0882

Domestic Worker/Labourers/ Mechanics/WELDER/Painter/ Tailor/ Sales Person/Airport Greeter/Host • Must be willing to work 6 days per week • Must have a valid drivers license • Must have a clean record • Salary $5.50 per hour

Please send your resume @branditz@yahoo.com 7327

VACANCY

FRESH FISH

MACKEY’S CAFÉ

Is looking for a

Is looking for a

Sales Person

Waitress

To work 5 ½ days per week salary $5.50 per hour. MUST speak English Spanish and Creole and must be willing to clean fish when necessary.

Contact: 241-5678

Specialized AutoCAD Draftsman

7332

7316

To work 6 days per week salary $5.00 per hour.

contact: 941-3640

Engineering Design Services (EDS) is seeking an experienced qualified professional to fill the post of AutoCAD Draftsman.

Minimum Qualification :- associate degree in structural or civil or construction engineering.

- AutoCAD drafting certificate from a recognized institution.

Minimum Experience :- 10 years in Structural & Civil Detailing - 5 years in seismic Detailing - 5 years (construction) field experience - knowledge of architectural concept and design

Job Vacancy

Please Send Resume to eds@tciway.tc Belongers only may apply for this post.

7336

Community Fellowship Centre

Salary Range - $55,327 - $71,593

Accepting applications for

Music Teacher Requirements

ABOUT THE JOB: As the Credit Manager you are responsible for the delivery of credit products to both new and existing clients and for the development and deliverance of high quality credit solutions and applications. You are to act as the credit specialist nominated relationship managers, working with a defined portfolio of clients and acting as the conduit to the CRMB for sanctioning purposes (outside of the discretionary limits of the RM). You need to develop and maintain knowledge of clients, industry and regulatory issues, economic/political trends in order to develop appropriate credit solutions. You will be held accountable for the effective delivery of governance, risk management, controls and compliance within their area of responsibility.

ABOUT YOU: • Well-developed analytical skills. Must be able to analyze financial statements and lending risks • Excellent verbal and written skills • Significant experience in lending roles demonstrable by years experience as a Bank Manager • In-depth understanding of Corporate Business and financial issues • Graduate with ACIB or accounting/professional qualification

• Must be a born again believer • Must have at least 5 years teaching experience in music • Must have a complete mastery of their specific field and general knowledge of other instruments and music areas • Direct the choir, church Musicians orchestra, as well as give group and private lessons • Teaching different musical skills to either individuals or groups

ABOUT OUR OFFER: • You will have a challenging, diverse experience with opportunities for professional growth. Our compensation and reward package is attractively structured and performance bonuses are offered.

• • Benefits include Life Insurance, Health Insurance and preferred rates on banking and services commensurate with qualifications.

Salary will commensurate experience.

Suitable applicants may forward resumes addressed to: The Chairman Community Fellowship Centre Church Board Leeward Highway, Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands Tel: 649-941-3484 Fax: 649-941-3482 Email: comassem@tciway.tc

Credit Manager

Applicants are requested to submit their resume with a cover letter Via email by October 29th, 2012,

7330

to: larry.lawrence@cibcfcib.com Tel: 649-941-1601/941-1616 (Only Turks & Caicos Islanders/Belongers need apply) ONLY qualified candidates will be contacted for interview

CLASSIFIEDS 33

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

MAGASANI ATELIER & UPHOLSTERY

MILAGROS GARDINER Is looking for a

Is looking for a

Domestic Worker To work 6 days per week salary $5.00 per hour.

contact: 241-9105

2x3

LABOURER

NESSY RESTAURANT Is looking for the following persons:

Bartender

– salary $6.00 per hour

General labour

Domestic Worker – salary $5.50 per hour

Able to work with little or no supervision, be physically fit, dependable and hard working Must be self motivated and able to understand, read, write and speak English fluently

MAJOR BEAUTY SALON

Landscaper

To work 5 days per week.

Salary $6.00.

contact: 343-3123

7344

Is looking for the following persons:

Nail Technician

– salary $5.50 per hour

Cosmetologist

Send inquiries to:

–salary $6.00 per hour Must be willing to work 6 days per week.

JC’S Salon and Beauty Supplies, Whitby

Contact: 343-4540 AGNES SWANN

Paradise Ltd

BEEN CONSULTANCY

Is looking for a

Is looking for the following persons on behalf of our clients:

Is seeking:

4 Domestic Workers 2 Laborers 2 Pilipino Cooks 1 Sales Person 1 Handyman 1 Kitchen Helper 1 Bartender 2 Hairstylists

Two Store Clerks • Must have 10 years of experience in a retail/clerical position and proof there of.

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in business. Degree in marketing preferred.

• Demonstrate computer proficiency and in-depth knowledge of QuickBooks, Excel, Adobe and Microsoft Word.

Labourer

Position Requirements: • Excellent command of English language, secondary language of Spanish preferred.

• Ability to work early mornings, late nights, weekends and holidays.

• Clean police record.

• Organized detail oriented team player with excellent communication skills.

Belongers need only apply.

Salary will commensurate with experience.

Applicants please apply to paradise.provo@gmail.com.

Qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview.

To work 6 days per week. On North Caicos. Salary $5.50 per hour.

7337

Baci Ristorante

North Caicos, Turks & Caicos Islands Telephone: 649-231-4885 7325

contact: 246-4769

Applicants must be willing to work with little or no supervision

7349

Contact: 649-343-8659

7346

October 13 - 19, 2012

POT FOR GOLD is looking to fill the following positions:

Waitress

– salary $5.50 per hour

Bartender – salary $6.00 per hour Contact: 243-6772

Position available at

Payless Warehouse Ltd.

TURTLE COVE PROVIDENCIALES

MANAGER

EXECUTIVE CHEF/ ASSISTANT MANAGER

10 years experience in Italian traditional cuisine, Russian table service, fresh pasta production, pastry, Italian regional dishes, cost reduction, balance sheet analysis, word, excel, explorer knowledge, good language skills: English, Italian, French and Spanish an asset, pay based on performance and documented experience, must be available 6 days and weekends, ready to work in a very fast paced environment, food preparation and inventory, team player, menu planning, able to coordinate 10 staff in the kitchen with relevant working schedules.

Candidate must have at least 2-3 years experience in the field or in a related area

RESTAURANT MANAGER:

Must have through knowledge of the following:

Minimum 10 years experience in the role, planning, forecasting, budgeting, banking, accounting, cost effectiveness, cost analysis, able to manage more than 10 staff in a fast paced restaurant, fluent in English, Spanish, French and Italian to deal with the suppliers Administration experience, strong leader capabilities, manager experience in culinary arts, training and development experience, available on cal 24 hours Pay based on performance and documented experience

• Advanced knowledge and skills in computer systems, most specifically QuickBooks Pro 2007, Microsoft Excel, Inventory control management • Extensive knowledge of SMS Front & Back Office POS System • Extensive knowledge of NCR 7456 POS • Assist in the planning and directing of the day-to-day operations of a grocery store • Assists in developing strategies to improve customer service, drive store sales, and increase profitability • Ensures customer needs are met, complaints are resolved and service is quick and efficient • Assists in the forecasting of staffing needs and develops a recruiting strategy to provide optimal staffing in all areas • Familiar with a variety of the field’s concepts, practices and procedures relies on extensive experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals • Candidate must be multilingual Work schedule will include weekends, holidays as required to meet the demands of the position

SOUS CHEF

Experience in working in a European kitchen environment Must have good knowledge of basic cooking skills Formal education in culinary arts preferred Italian cuisine experience preferred Able to work in a fast paced environment 6 days a week and weekends availability Pay based on performance and documented experience Knowledge of food cost analysis

WAITER/ WAITRESS

English is a must, experience in a fast paced environment Must have good knowledge of service techniques Weekends and 6 days a week schedule Pay based on performance and documented experience

Salary $2,000.00 per month Only Belonger need apply

PIZZA MAKER

With experience pay based on performance and documented experience

Contact: 941-3044

Interested person should email resume to: paylestci@gmail.com 7347

7234

34 CLASSIFIEDS

Domestic Worker

To work 6 days per week salary $5.00 per hour.

Contact: 243-0744 or 231-2122

7338 7338

3 Domestic Workers 3 Gardeners 3 Laborers 2 Painters 2 Nail Technicians Salary $5.00 per hour.

Contact: 343-0572

7343

PIZZA PIZZA

ASSISTANT

ONE DOMESTIC WORKER NEEDED Salary $5.00 per hour, Mon. – Fri. 8am – 6pm.

Contact: R. Watkins @ 231-2167-41097339

The Meridian Club on Pine Cay

• 3 years bar and restaurant managing experience • Team player with excellent written and verbal communication skills • Experience in inventory control measures • Knowledge in Micros POS System & Manager functions • Knowledge of QuickBooks • Capable of multitasking • Self motivated with outgoing personality • Ability to work until 4am, weekends and holidays Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications

Contact: 941-3577

Is looking for qualified

SECURITY OFFICER

Standard qualifications include: Background in military, police force or other law enforcement agency with experience in weapons handling and marksmanship, formal training in martial arts or self defense is required. Must be able to work long hours, unsupervised, alone or with a team. Be physically fit, posses the ability to handle stressful situations, make threat assessments in security operations and defuse dangerous situations or aggressive persons must be proficient in English, speech and writing, computer literate, excellent communication skills, honest, dependable, self motivated and flexible with work schedule.

Starting pay: us $6.50 per hour Send credentials & CV-Resume with phone/email contacts to: P.O. Box 1084, Providenciales Belongers only need apply

7331

GLOBAL SERVICES Is looking to fill the following positions:

Cottage

The Meridian Club, one of the Turks and Caicos Islands' original and most unique resort experiences is now seeking a

Technician Salary $10.00 per hour

Financial controller With IT experience to over see all aspects of accounting and finance for the Club.

Responsibilities: • Day to day administration of all functions associated with finance and accounting.

• Managing working capital requirements.

• Supervision of staff.

• Financial analysis • Implementation and monitoring of internal controls • Cost management and control, including developing and implementing inventory systems, time management, theft analysis and financial security measures.

• Coordination of new IT systems and related programs • IT Development-supervision and training of Club office and supervisory employees in IT and related programs.

• Miscellaneous bookkeeping and payroll functions.

• Troubleshooting overpayments to vendors, collection of unpaid bills, processing customs clearance of shipments, tracking orders and assistance with budget preparation Requirements: • Completion of a recognized accounting designation or work experience equivalent with a particular interest in setting up systems of internal control • Self motivated and hands on individual.

• Computer skills proficiency.

• Strong interpersonal skills. Able to work well with individuals with diverse personalities.

• Positive attitude.

• Excellent communication and time-management skills • Minimum 5 years in management level accounting position • Minimum of 5 years experience developing and implementing IT systems Note: The position is based on Pine Cay but the successful candidate will be able to commute from Provo or North Caicos. Permanent housing is not provided. However, overnight stays will be required several times per month. Holiday and Weekend availability also required.

• Annual Salary: Based on qualifications and experience. From US$45,000 • Position available: Dec 2012 • Applicants should submit resumes that must include educational background, work history plus 3 references with telephone numbers and description of how you know that person. A telephone contact for applicant must also be on cover letter or resume.

Qualified candidates will be called within 2 weeks of receipt of application

Please send letter of interest and resume along with a copy of passport to

Beverly Plachta via email: manager@meridianclub.com or fax: 649-941-7010 or fax to 649-941-7010.

MANAGER

SECURITY COMPANY

7350

Nanny GARDENER NEEDED Chef Salary $5.00 per hour

For residential home

Salary $8.50 per hour

Contact: 343-2682

contact: 431-3129

7308

Is looking for a

POSITIONS AVAILABLE

7311

RAYMOND MONPREMIER

October 13 - 19, 2012

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

BABYSITTER

WANTED Must be honest reliable and hardworking. Must be willing to work 6 days per week.

Salary $5.50 per hour.

contact: 341-0951 7303

CAPRONIS UNIFORM PLUS

SALES CLERK/ SALES ASSISTANT • Must be willing to work 6 days per week

• Must be computer literate and able to operate a Point of Sales System • Keeping inventory, speak English, Spanish and Creole • Must be a people’s person Salary is negotiable

SEAMSTRESS

With at least 10 years experience • Must be able to work on own initiative and speak Creole and Spanish Salary is negotiable Deadline for applications October 18th, 2012

Please apply via email: capronis2005@yahoo.com

DOMESTIC

WORKER Needed for a retail business. Must be willing to work weekends and holidays.

Contact:

7307

gracebaypharmacy@tciway.tc

CABANA BAR AT OCEAN CLUB Is looking for qualified, experienced applicants for the following positions:

•KITCHEN HELPER •BARTENDER •DISHWASHER The successful applicants must possess the following skills and experience: • Must have experience in your respective field • Food safe certificate or equivalent • Must be willing to work holidays and weekends on a flexible schedule • Ability to speak English is essential • Must have clean police record Preference will be given to experience and qualified Belongers

Please contact: 649-441-3466 for an appointment or interview Wages commensurate with experience 7310

October 13 - 19, 2012

CFS LTD

T HOLDING LTD. Is looking for a

New Era Petroleum

Cox House, Cherokee Road.

Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands

Engineer

With at least 10-15 years experience in engineering Monday thru Friday 7am4pm salary $8-$10 per hour.

Contact: 232-4336

7328

DOMESTIC WORKER Working hours: 8 hours per day.

Wages: $5.50 per hour. Must be able to clean yard, wash vehicles, small maintenance around the property, operate small machines (lawnmower, cutter, blower). Work on weekends if necessary

Contact: Neon Holdings Ltd. Tel: 649-941-7923 During working hours 7327

Service Station Airport Road, Providenciales

QUICK STEP SHOE REPAIR/ORAL SELVER

Down Town, Providenciales

TRAGO BAR Is looking for a

Professional Chartered Accountant

JOB DESCRIPTION * Professional Chartered Accountant designation required in good standing with International Institute. * Minimum of 10 years professional accounting experience * Must possess advance skills in spreadsheet, word processing and accounting software. * Compensation is variable starting at $50,000 per annum.

LABOURER Salary $5.00 per hour.

Must be willing to work on holidays & short notice

PLEASE FAX APPLICATION TO:

946-5166

7334

Civil

CLASSIFIEDS 35

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Telephone: 946-4524

7333

Labourer/Shoe

Delivery

Salary at $5.00 per hour

to work 5 days per week salary $6.00 per hour.

Repairman

Telephone: 941-4800 7335

Driver

contact: 244-3204

STANLEY STAR CONSTRUCTION Is looking for the following persons:

Reservation Manager

ONE LABOURER

NEEDED Must be willing to work on weekends and public holidays. Work includes general on-the-job assistance. Salary $5.00 p.h.

Contact: William

941-4561

Tile Layer – salary $8.00 per hour

Must be willing to work 5 days per week.

contact: 231-0308

7315

Veranda is currently seeking qualified candidates that have the requirements listed along with an outgoing professional manner. Our ideal candidates must love to work with different types of people, meet challenges with a positive attitude and live the standards of our organization.

– salary $5.00 per hour

7342

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

2 Labourers

Job Overview To control the resources, manage the processes and cultivate the understanding of Sales throughout the resort ensuring that revenue targets are met.

Responsibilities • To maximize occupancy of rooms, rates, yield and average spends • To understand the construction of budgets and how to influence profit and loss results.

• To assist in the preparation of budgets.

• To generate new business for the hotel being aware of selling all services.

• To actively seek all sales and revenue opportunities both internal and external to increase the profile of the hotel.

• To be creative in our selling style.

• To ensure that billing and credit agreements are managed and controlled.

• To manage all room, meeting enquiries follow-up and deal with all related administration.

Requirements • Five (5) years luxury resort/hotel experience as a manager or director in the field of sales, marketing or Reservations • Proven track record on contracting and working on-site with corporate groups, meeting, incentives and weddings • Multi-year experience working with luxury travel partners like Virtuoso, signature, Ensemble Direct, Classic Vacations, Air Canada Vacations and Travel Impressions • Extensive experience working with Opera property management system • Multi-year experience working with STAR (Smith Travel Research, Inc.) • In-depth Sales knowledge of the US, Canadian and UK markets • Experience working with American Fine Hotels and Resorts and Leading Hotels of the World programs would be helpful • A second language would be an asset • Must be flexible, able to work weekends, nights and holidays Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience

Only persons selected for an interview will be contacted

Only Belongers Need Apply to Human Resource Manager No later than October 31, 2012 Email: deleria.simms@verandatci.com Or hand deliver to our office at Veranda Resort and Residences Princess Dr. Lower Bight, Providenciales

Engineering Supervisor Interhealth Canada Construction and Services (ICC&SCo) are currently recruiting for an experienced Engineering Supervisor, responsible for the M&E and FFE of the two hospital facilities at Providenciales & Grand Turk; but primarily based at Grand Turk @@ The successful candidate must have a minimum of 7 years’ experience in Healthcare Engineering @@ Must be willing to work nights, weekends, and public holidays as required Post Minimum Requirements / Qualifications or equivalent: @@ City in Guilds Electrical Qualification, Masters Degree, or equivalent in engineering @@ IHEM (Institute of Healthcare Engineering & Estate Management) @@ Certified AP (Approved Person Medical Gas Pipe Line systems) @@ L8 Certified – Plumbing Engineer experience @@ Good knowledge of computer applications @@ Salary is based on qualifications and experience

Please forward CV‘s with email and telephone contact to

llawrence@interhealthcanada.tc the closing date for application is Friday 19th October 2012 7351

36

October 13 - 19, 2012

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Science & Technology

Strokes in young people ‘rising’, study finds STROKES are becoming more common at a younger age, with about one in five victims now below the age of 55, research in the American Academy of Neurology Journal suggests.

The study followed 1.3 million people in a US region

and found 19% of those experiencing a stroke in 2005 were in this age group, up from 13% in 1993.

This is despite a trend of overall falling rates of the condition.

The Stroke Association said the findings were alarming.

Report author Dr Brett Kissela said: “The reasons for this trend could be a rise in risk factors such as diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol.”

The study looked at all people over the age of 20 in greater Cincinnati and North Kentucky over three periods

JOB OPPORTNITIES WAITER

PASTRY COOK

3-5 years in busy in Restaurant/hotel industry, ability to read and write English. Good team player in busy restaurant. Formal training, coupled with well-developed culinary abilities and an innate desire to cook. A degree of creativity to create new types of pastries would be excellent.

CHEF

5-8 years experience, strong work ethic, hardworking and dependable, work exceptionally well in a fast paced

environment. Must know French, Italian and Indonesian Cuisine. Relevant training is vital.

LABOURER/KITCHEN HELPER/BUSSER

Must be able to speak and write English, Receive order when delivered.

3-5 years in busy kitchen.

BUSINESS COORDINATOR

3-5 years experience in a upscale restaurant, must be hardworking, dependable with a passion for hospitality. Ability to demonstrate planning, organizational and implementation skills for the successful completion of goals by a specific due date. Qualifications in hospitality and restaurant is necessary.

Salaries are based on experience and qualifications.

ALL qualified applicants are kindly requested to respond to the following address below:

Sunny Reef Ltd PO. Box 811, Providenciales.

from 71 years in 1993 to 69 years in 2005.

Those in the oldest age groups saw a decline in the rate over the same period.

Similarly, in the UK there has been a 40% reduction in the number of people having major strokes over the past 20

PHILIPPE LEGAGNEUR

Sunny Reef Ltd

3-5 years experience in an upscale restaurant. Ability to read and write English. Communication skills, ability to recite and promote pleasant personality.

in 1993, 1999 and 2005.

As well as a rise in the occurrence of stroke in the under-55s over this time, from 109 per 100,000 people in 1993 to 176 per 100,000 in 2005, the study also found the average age of those experiencing the condition fell

years.

The decline in numbers is partly due to improvements in prevention, combined with an increase in healthy living public awareness.

This US study suggests a shift in the age of those experiencing stroke, from the old to the young, although experts say the findings need to be treated with caution.

7319

is looking for a

Domestic Worker To work 6 days per week.

Salary $5.00 per hour.

contact: 242-6780 R C LIMO SERVICE & RENTAL LIMITED Is seeking to fill the following positions

Senior Automotive Mechanic Must have at least five years experience in the automotive field. Be able to work independently and diagnose and repair all engine types. Must be willing to work weekends and holidays Salary: $10.00 per hour Please submit your application for the above positions by 15th October 2012 to: R C Limo Service & Rental Limited Richmond House. Providenciales. Tel: (649) 231-3198 E-mail: gordon.burton@gmail.com

7320

JOB OPPORTUNITY International Transfer Company Limited (the exclusive agent for Caribbean Airmail (C.A.M.) in the Turks and Caicos Islands) seeks a motivated

TRANSFER CLERK To be a part of our team in Providenciales

TASKS: Will include (but not limited to) • Processing clients’ transfers in an efficient and timely manner.

• Treating customers with respect and dignity and following up on any claim/s they may have.

• Managing with accuracy and care cash received from transactions.

• Applying the company’s AML procedures and policies.

REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must • Be willing to work on weekends, as well as public holidays, as required.

• Have basic knowledge of computers.

• Have a clean Police Record and excellent communication skills, including the ability to speak Spanish fluently, English and Creole would be a plus.

• Have good typing skills.

• Have high school education and at least two (2) years of experience preferably as a Teller or in Customer Service.

BELONGERS ONLY NEED APPLY Interested persons should submit their applications in writing to: Human Resources International Transfer Company Ltd. Unit 1, Southern Shores Building, Leeward Highway P O Box 398, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Copied to: Employment Services, Department of Labour, Providenciales/Grand Turk

Regulations 7 of the Physical Planning (Development Permission) Regulations, 1990 An Application, REGISTERED PR 11354, by SAADET LTD. for the development of Rezoning from Residential Development to Tourism, Has been submitted to the Department of Planning for consideration of Development Permission on PARCEL 60901/101, 117, 114, 115, 56, 57, 58, 116, 107, GRACE BAY, PROVIDENCIALES. Anyone wishing to make representation(s) may do so in writing to the Director of Planning, South base, Grand Turk or through the Department of Planning, Downtown, Town Center Mall, Providenciales, within twenty-eight (28) days of publication of this Notice.

7318

October 13 - 19, 2012

37

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Science & Technology

Stem cell pioneers share Nobel Prize Two pioneers of stem cell research have shared the

Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology.

SHINING STARS PREPARATORY SCHOOL Is looking to fill the following positions:

Kindergarten & Primary Grade Teachers Nursery Attendants One (1) Domestic Worker One (1) Security Officer Interested persons may apply in writing to:

THE PRINCIPAL

Shining Stars Preparatory School P.O. Box 468, Providenciales The successful applicants must be qualified for the position applied for, must love children and have a minimum of five (5) years experience in that particular area of work.

Salary commensurate with qualification applications should be received by October 15th, 2012 7295

John Gurdon from the UK and Shinya Yamanaka from Japan were awarded the prize for changing adult cells into stem cells, which can become any other type of cell in the body.

Prof Gurdon used a gut sample to clone frogs and Prof Yamanaka altered genes to reprogramme cells.

The Nobel committee said they had “revolutionised” science.

The prize is in stark contrast to Prof Gurdon’s first foray into science when his biology teacher described his scientific ambitions as “a waste of time”.

cell. It multiplies and some of the resulting cells become specialised to create all the tissues of the body including nerve and bone and skin.

It had been thought to be a one-way process - once a cell had become specialised it could not change its fate.

In 1962, John Gurdon showed that the genetic information inside a cell taken from the intestines of a frog contained all the information needed to create a whole new

OPEN WATER SCUBA DIVING INSTRUCTOR

Requirements as follow: • MCA offshore 200 tons license • Minimum of 5 years experience as a live-aboard captain • Valid PADI/SSI/TDI membership & liability insurance • PADI/SSI Enriched Air Instructor • Minimum of 5 specialty ratings • Working knowledge of underwater camera/videos and editing • Computer literate • STCW95 Complaint • Be prepared to live onboard & work long hours including weekends & holidays • Experienced in the hospitality industry Belonger need only apply Starting salary $400 per week

Unit G203, 2ND Floor, Regent Village West, Grace Bay, P.O Box 641, Providenciales Turks & Caicos Islands. Cell: 649 331-3890 Tel: 649 946-8504 Fax: 649 946 8506. Email: bsd@tciway.tc

Please send emails to tcaggressor@express.tc

ERNEST WILLIAMS Is looking for a

The applicant must have extensive experience in the installation, including testing and commissioning of electrical and mechanical services.

Applicant should have a minimum of 5 (five) years experience and a proven design track record on projects for condominium complexes, hotels, commercial and industrial facilities and residential dwellings.

It is essential that the applicant must have a degree in his/her field obtained from a recognized University and registered with his/her respective Engineering Council/Commission. The successful applicant must have the technical experience for solving design solutions and can work unsupervised in the preparation and issuing of mechanical and electrical design drawings. All applications will be considered from suitably qualified candidates who should forward a copy of their resume including relevant experience to the email/fax address below.

Closing date for all application is October 31st 2012 Please fax your application to: - 649-946-8506 – Building Services Design Ltd. Email: accounts@bsd.tc Or mail to: P.O Box 641, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Please copy application to: - Labour Commissioner, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

GRAND TURK LIQUORS

SALES CLERK

SENIOR ELECTRICAL DESIGN ENGINEER

The applicant must be familiar with USA Codes and Regulations and should be a member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

7314

Is looking for:

Building Services Design Ltd. is currently seeking a suitably qualified individual to fill the following position.

The successful applicant must be competent in the design of electrical systems: Power generation and distribution of power supply, performing electrical calculations, sizing equipment and performing computer analysis of alternate systems; must also be competent in the design of fire alarm systems and communication systems using the latest Auto Cad software.

He added four genes to skin cells which transformed them into stem cells, which in turn could become specialised cells.

The Nobel committee said the discovery had “revolutionised our understanding of how cells and organisms develop.

“The discoveries of Gurdon and Yamanaka have shown that specialized cells can turn back the developmental clock under certain circumstances.

TURKS & CAICOS AGGRESSOR II

CLONED FROG When a sperm fertilises an egg there is just one type of

Vacancy

frog. He took the genetic information and placed it inside a frog egg. The resulting clone developed into a normal tadpole.

The technique would eventually give rise to Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal.

Forty years later Shinya Yamanaka used a different approach.

Rather than transferring the genetic information into an egg, he reset it.

Housekeeper

To work 6 days per week salary $5.50 per hour must be honest, hardworking and reliable.

contact: 345-7298 7294

• Must have strong knowledge/ experience of beverage industry with specific knowledge of wines, spirits and tobacco • Must have a positive attitude to work and an excellent customer service skills • Must have knowledge of counterpoint • Must be a team player and be able to work with individuals at all levels of the company • Must be flexible to work company events as needed Salary $8.00 per hour

Resumes can be faxed to: 649-946-2262

7296

Legal Executive – Litigation/Commercial

Legal Executive required with a minimum of 5 years experience and with the following additional qualifications: - Law degree from a Commonwealth Jurisdiction - Ability to work in a team, including liaising with fellow professionals from courts, legal practices, banks and accountancy firms; - STEP member or willingness to sit requisite exams; - must have proven willingness to work long and sometimes late hours at short notice as needed in a pressured environment subject to inflexible deadlines; - International experience in complex legal matters; - Proven ability in, and willingness for, training of junior colleagues; Belongers are particularly encouraged to apply.

Apply in writing, with CV and cover letter to fax at (649) 941-4754 or, with a copy to the Labour Office, Providenciales.

7336

38

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Science & Technology

October 13 - 19, 2012

Tomato compound may cut men’s stroke risk Samsung announces Galaxy S3 Mini smartphone EATING tomatoes and other foods rich in the antioxidant lycopene may reduce men’s risk of stroke, new research suggests.

Men in the study with the highest levels of lycopene in their blood were 55 percent less likely to have a stroke compared with those who had the lowest blood levels of the pigment, researchers found.

“The results support the recommendation that people get more than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, which would likely lead to a major reduction in the number of strokes worldwide,” said study researcher Jouni Karppi, of the University of Eastern Finland.

Previous research showed that lycopene may decrease the ability of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol to form the plaques in arteries that can cause heart attacks and strokes, the researchers said.

Lycopene also has other properties that may link it to decreased stroke risk, Karppi said, such as inhibiting cholesterol production and preventing blood clots and the clumping together of blood platelets.

The study is published in the Oct. 9 issue of the journal Neurology.

Karppi and colleagues gathered data on 1,031 men in Finland taking part in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. The men were between ages 46 and 65 at the study’s start, and over a 12-

Men in the study with the highest level of lycopene, the antioxidant found in tomatoes, were 55 percent less likely to have a stroke.

year period, 67 of the men suffered a stroke.

The researchers measured lycopene levels in the men’s blood, and divided them into four nearly equivalent groups based on their levels. Of men with the lowest levels, 25 out of 258 had a stroke, whereas 11 out of 259 with the highest levels had a stroke.

The link between higher lycopene levels and lower stroke risk held when the researchers accounted for risk factors for stroke such as age, smoking and diabetes.

But experts cautioned against overinterpreting the results. The data show an association, not a causeand-effect link.

“This study simply says that people who have higher levels of lycopene have fewer strokes after 12 years,” said Dr. David Thomas, professor of medicine at Saint Louis University, who was not involved in the study. The findings don’t prove that eating tomatoes reduces the risk of stroke, Thomas said.

Findings such as this one “are good for generating hypotheses, that can be tested in prospective trials,” Thomas added. Trials looking at lycopene so far have had mixed results, he said.

WHAT TO EAT While tomatoes are a common source of lycopene, the study did not look at which foods in the men’s diets were the sources of the antioxidant, Karppi noted.

In the future, Karppi said he will continue to research the role lycopene and other carotenoids, which give vegetables their colors, may play in decreasing the risk of chronic vascular diseases.

Thomas said that a high intake of fruits and vegetables may be needed to see health benefits. He pointed to an analysis of nine studies that linked fruit and vegetable intake with better health, but the results were only positive when five or more servings per day were consumed.

“That’s a lot of tomatoes,” he said. (Live Science)

Einstein’s letter questioning god goes up for auction FROM studying slices of his brilliant brain to probing profound physics theories, scientists and enthusiasts alike have long been spellbound by Albert Einstein. Now, an auction is offering the world a peek at Einstein’s thoughts on what may be humanity’s most profound question: the existence of God. The private letter written by Einstein expressing his views on God and religion will go up for auction Monday (Oct. 8) on eBay. In the letter, he calls belief in religion and God “pretty childish” and ridicules the idea that the Jews are a chosen people.

“This is the most historic and significant piece we have listed on eBay,” Eric Gazin, president of Auction Cause, the agency managing the sale, told LiveScience in an email.

“We are excited to offer a person or organization an opportunity to own perhaps one of the most intriguing 20th-century documents in existence.

This personal letter from Einstein represents the nexus of science, theology, reason and culture.”

Einstein handwrote the letter in German to Jewish philosopher Eric B. Gutkind on Jan. 3, 1954, a year before Einstein’s death. The letter was a response to Gutkind’s book “Choose Life: The Biblical Call to Revolt” (1952, H. Schuman; 1st edition).

In part of his letter, Einstein writes, “For me the Jewish religion like all

In a 1954 handwritten letter, Albert Einstein reveals his thoughts on God and religion.

other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people.

As far as my experience goes, they are also no better than other human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything ‘chosen’ about them,” as translated from German by Joan Stambaugh. [Religious Mysteries: 8 Alleged Relics of Jesus] In his book, Gutkind suggested that unlike the mass hypnosis spoiling mankind at the time, “The soul of the Jewish people was never a mass-soul. Israel’s soul could not be hypnotized; it never succumbed to hypnotic assaults. … The soul of Israel is incorruptible.”

And as for whether Einstein believed in God? Yes and no, it seems.

In a March 24, 1954 letter, he is quoted as writing, “It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it.”

However, in the letter to Gutkind, Einstein wrote the word God was “nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.”

SAMSUNG has unveiled a smaller version of its Galaxy S3 smartphone, reducing the screen size by 0.8 of an inch to 4 inches, bringing it in line with Apple’s iPhone 5.

The handset runs on Jelly Bean, the latest version of Google’s Android operating system.

Samsung has not yet shared details of when the device will go on sale.

The announcement comes at a time Apple are expected to launch a 7-inch iPad, although that has yet to be confirmed.

The Galaxy S3 Mini, details of which had been widely leaked prior to Thursday’s announcement, comes just six months after the launch of the well-received larger model.

The Mini has a five megapixel camera on its rear, with a lower quality VGA camera on its front.

It retains some key features of the larger model, such as an Near Field Communication (NFC) chip, which enables contactless payments.

‘JUST TOO BIG’ Stuart Miles, editor of UK gadget website Pocket-lint, told the BBC he thinks Samsung are playing a shrewd move to react to the demands of the market.

“I think from Samsung’s point of view its about offering breadth and depth of choice.

“There’s lots of people out there who thing the Galaxy S3 is an amazing phone, but there’s a lot who

The smartphone can track a user’s eyes to remain illuminated when being looked at.

think it’s just too big.”

He said the impressive early sales of the iPhone 5 will have spurred the need for a smaller competing device.

“If you see that there’s a massive demand for a 4-inch screen device, and you have the capability to make it, then you’re going to make it, aren’t you? I think it will do really well.”

Experts believe 5G will be in place by the year 2020.

5G research centre gets major funding grant The UK has only just seen the launch of 4G (fourth generation) mobile communication technology, but academics at Surrey University are already looking at its successor.

They have received £35m from mobile operators, infrastructure providers and the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund to fund research into 5G. The money would be used to create a 5G Innovation Centre, said the university.

Prof Rahim Tafozolli said work had already begun.

“The boundaries between mobile communication and the internet are blurring, so the fifth generation is

internet on the move,” he told the BBC. Prof Tafozolli, professor of mobile wireless communications and the director of Surrey University’s Centre for Communications Systems Research, said: “4G for us is old hat. We started working on 4G 10 years ago.

“Being a university we have to be one step ahead of industry.”

Statistics showed mobile data traffic is soaring, he added.

“It looks like every year the traffic is doubling. Unfortunately capacity is not doubling every year. We need to come up with technology, within the limited radio spectrum that we have, to accommodate this huge surge.”

October 13 - 19, 2012

Sports International

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

39

Evidence of Armstrong doping ‘overwhelming,’ agency says This has been the first major win for the West Indies since the 2004 Champions Trophy.

World T20 cricket: Darren Sammy wants West Indies legacy CAPTAIN Darren Sammy hopes winning the World Twenty20 title will inspire West Indies to “start something special”.

A 56-ball 78 from Marlon Samuels helped West Indies recover from a poor start and set up a 36-run win over Sri Lanka.

“This is the start of something special for the West Indies team and the fans back home,” said Sammy.

“We won’t say ‘we’re back’.

Hopefully it’s a step in the right direction and we’ve made the people proud. I’ll always cherish this moment.”

West Indies, the dominant team in international cricket from the late 1970s through to the 1990s, celebrated wildly in Colombo as they won their first major competition

since the 2004 Champions Trophy.

“Throughout the last two years we’ve shown a never-say-die attitude,” added Sammy, who made an unbeaten 26 from 15 deliveries in a total of 137-6 which looked unlikely when they were 32-2 after 10 overs.

“I’ve got to thank the Almighty, and thank everyone who’s ever supported West Indies - this is for the fans.

“The team has been through a lot for the last decade. We left home with ‘one team, one people, one goal’, and the belief we left the Caribbean with took us through.

“I know it’ll be a party from Jamaica down to Guyana. Thankfully it’s Sunday as if it were a weekday nobody would be at work.”

Warrington Wolves player Paul Wood played on despite rupturing a testicle.

Rugby player loses testicle after final defeat

BRITISH rugby league player Paul Wood has lost a testicle after a collision during the English sport’s showpiece final at Manchester’s Old Trafford stadium on Saturday.

Wood was playing for the Warrington Wolves against Leeds Rhinos in the Super League Grand Final.

The prop sustained the injury one minute into the second half, but managed to play the rest of the match before seeking treatment.

Despite Wood’s determined effort, Warrington lost the match 26-18 to

2011 champions Leeds.

“Ruptured my right testicle, got a knee one minute into the second half, had to have it removed,” tweeted the 30-year-old father of two.

Showing his sense of humor remained intact, he later tweeted: “Just coming out the hospital to go home... Seriously feel like I’ve left something?

“Tony Smith (Warrington coach) did say in his pre-match team talk last night ‘your balls are on the line here guys!’ I didn’t think he meant literally.”

CYCLIST Lance Armstrong was part of “the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen,” the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Wednesday in releasing more than 1,000 pages of evidence in the case.

The evidence involving the U.S. Postal Service-sponsored cycling team encompasses “direct documentary evidence including financial payments, e-mails, scientific data and laboratory test results that further prove the use, possession and distribution of performance-enhancing drugs by Lance Armstrong,” the agency said.

Armstrong lawyer Tim Herman dismissed what he called a “one-sided hatchet job” and a “governmentfunded witch hunt” against the seven-time Tour de France winner, who has consistently denied doping accusations.

But the USADA said 11 riders came forward to acknowledge their use of banned performanceenhancing drugs while on the team.

Among them is George Hincapie, Armstrong’s close teammate during his winning Tour de France runs.

“I’m not suggesting that they are all lying, but I am suggesting that each witness needs to have confrontation and cross examination to test the accuracy of their recollection,” Herman said.

The USADA is sending its “reasoned decision” to the international governing body of cycling, the Union Cycliste Internationale, as well as the World Anti-Doping Agency and the governing body for triathlons, the World Triathlon Corporation.

In the past, Armstrong argued that he has taken more than 500 drug tests and never failed. In its 202-page report, the USADA said it had tested Armstrong less than 60 times and the UCI conducted about 215 tests.

“Thus the number of actual controls on Mr. Armstrong over the years appears to have been considerably fewer than the number claimed by Armstrong and his lawyers,” the USADA said.

The agency didn’t say that Armstrong ever failed one of those tests, only that his former teammates testified as to how they beat tests or avoided the test administrators altogether. Several riders also said team officials seemed to know when random drug tests were coming, the report said.

The agency also said it had a professor compare Armstrong’s red cell and plasma levels from blood samples taken late in his career, and they showed levels that wouldn’t be expected of an athlete competing in a three-week endurance event like the Tour de France.

Armstrong takes his honour lap on the Champs-Elysees in Paris after winning the Tour de France for the first time in 1999. It was announced that he would be stripped from all his results from 1998.

Hincapie publicly admitted for the first time Wednesday that he took drugs.

“Early in my professional career, it became clear to me that, given the widespread use of performanceenhancing drugs by cyclists at the top of the profession, it was not possible to compete at the highest level without them,” Hincapie said in a written statement. “I deeply regret that choice and sincerely apologise to my family, teammates and fans.”

Hincapie testified, the report said, that he was aware of Armstrong’s use of the drug EPO, or erythropoietin, which boosts the number of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the muscles, and his use of blood transfusions.

He also testified Armstrong dropped out of a race in 2000 to avoid a positive drug test, according to the report, which was accompanied by hundred of pages of supporting documents like Hincapie’s 16-page affidavit.

Three members of the Postal Service team, which changed sponsors in 2005, will contest the accusations, the agency said. They are team director Johan Bruyneel, team doctor Pedro Celaya and team trainer Jose “Pepe” Marti. Each will get a hearing before an independent judge, according to the agency.

The agency compiled the evidence as part of its investigation into doping allegations that have dogged Armstrong and the Postal Service team for years. The organisation is not a governmental agency but is designated by Congress as the country’s official anti-doping organisation for Olympic sports.

In August, four days after a

federal judge dismissed Armstrong’s lawsuit seeking to block the agency’s investigation, Armstrong announced he would no longer fight the accusations. The agency then announced it would ban Armstrong from the sport for life and strip him of his results dating from 1998.

“When Mr. Armstrong refused to confront the evidence against him in a hearing before neutral arbitrators, he confirmed the judgment that the era in professional cycling which he dominated as the patron of the peloton was the dirtiest ever,” the USADA writes in its decision.

“Peloton” refers to the main group of riders in a bike race.

The agency praised the 11 riders who came forward to document the widespread use of banned substances by the team. But in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, attorney Herman called the expected USADA report “a taxpayer-funded tabloid piece rehashing old, disproved, unreliable allegations, based largely on axegrinders, serial perjurers, coerced testimony, sweetheart deals and threat-induced stories.”

In addition to Hincapie, the agency identified the cyclists who came forward as Frankie Andreu, Michael Barry, Tom Danielson, Tyler Hamilton, Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimer, Stephen Swart, Christian Vande Velde, Jonathan Vaughters and David Zabriskie.

The agency said those riders would receive various punishments, including suspensions and disqualifications.

The scope of evidence against the team is “overwhelming,” according to the agency. (CNN)

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Pietersen will be welcomed back, says Stuart Broad ENGLAND Twenty20 captain Stuart Broad says Kevin Pietersen will be “welcomed back into the changing room”.

The 32-year-old batsman was dropped in August for sending “provocative” text messages to opposition players.

But he signed a new four-month contract last week, subject to a “reintegration” period before he plays for the team.

“Once the England management have decided when he’s available to return, he’ll be welcomed back into the changing room,” said Broad.

Pietersen is hoping to return to England duty during the four-Test tour of India, starting later this month.

Broad brushed aside fears that his return would be opposed by his team-mates.

“The team have no issues with KP coming back if the management decide he’s ready to,” Broad said.

“It’s in their hands at the moment.

There are some meetings going on behind closed doors and we’re waiting to see the outcome of those.

But from the team’s perspective his integration will be easy.

“Ultimately we’re playing cricket and we want guys who will score runs and take catches to help

Kevin Pietersen, who was dropped in August, signed a new four-month contract last week.

England win. Whatever’s happened has happened.

“We pride ourselves on being a strong dressing room and I’m sure that if he came back for India or New Zealand, or whenever it is, that things will be fine within the team.”

Rifts between Pietersen and his team-mates surfaced over the summer, with the batsman admitting to issues “in the dressing-room” after scoring a century in the Headingley Test in August.

Two days after Pietersen was dropped over the texts scandal, Broad issued a statement denying any involvement in a Twitter account

called KP Genius that parodied the South Africa-born batsman.

Broad, who captained England in the World Twenty20, added: “I’ve not spoken to Kev since the Headingley Test match, but I’d have no problems playing with him or having a beer with him. It’s not an issue.

“We know he’s a great cricketer, he’s won a lot of trophies and has been a really good team-mate for England, certainly ever since I’ve been playing for them.

“We know that when KP’s focused on playing for England and he’s happy, he’s a really dangerous player.” (BBC)

Federer makes confident start in defense of No.1 ranking WORLD No. 1 Roger Federer made a confident start in the defense of his ranking with a second round victory over Chinese Taipei’s Yen-Hsun Lu in the Shanghai Masters Wednesday.

Federer took one hour 20 minutes for a 6-3 7-5 win and will now face fellow Swiss and doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka.

Should Federer progress, it will guarantee he would have held the top ranking for 300 weeks in his glittering career.

Defeat, combined with Novak Djokovic taking the title come Sunday, would see the current No.2 on top of the world again.

Federer, who was the subject of a bizarre online death threat ahead of the tournament, was pleased with his performance after returning to competitive action for the first time in nearly a month.

“It’s just about getting a sense of how to play the points again, “ he told the official ATP Tour website.

“But my last matches were on clay (In a Davis Cup tie).

“You always wonder if you have lost something in the meantime.”

October 13 - 19, 2012

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Roger Federer plays a backhand return during his second round victory over Yen-Hsun Lu at the Shanghai Masters.

Second seed Djokovic was untroubled as he won his opener against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 6-3 6-2 in just 54 minutes.

He is coming off his title win in Beijing where improvements to his service appeared to pay off.

“That’s something that I’ve been working on, obviously. Relying on the serve in today’s tennis is a big

advantage. So I try to get as many free points as possible,” he said.

Two-time defending champion and World No.3 Andy Murray had a walkover passage to the third round when his opponent Florian Mayer withdrew with a rib injury.

U.S. Open champion Murray will next play Alexandr Dolgopolov of the Ukraine.

Strauss joins ICC cricket committee FORMER England captain Andrew Strauss has been appointed to the International Cricket Council’s cricket committee.

Strauss, who retired in August, replaces West Indian Ian Bishop, who opted not to continue in the role.

The 16-member cricket committee meets twice a year to consult on playing matters and offer recommendations to the ICC on technical issues and rules.

Former India spinner Anil Kumble has replaced West Indian Clive Lloyd as chairman of the committee.

Both Strauss and Kumble were unanimously voted in by the ICC Board, which consists of ICC president Alan Isaac, chief executive David Richardson, representatives from the 10 Test playing nations plus three associate member representatives.

“I would like to thank Clive Lloyd for his chairmanship of the ICC Cricket Committee and for his tireless contribution to the game,”

Andrew Strauss replaces Ian Bishop, who opted not to continue on the panel.

said Isaac, who became the president of cricket’s governing body in June.

“In Anil Kumble, we have a new chairman who has unquestioned experience not only as a player with India but also as an administrator with Karnataka State Cricket Association as well.

Chelsea defender Cole charged with misconduct after abusive tweet CHELSEA and England defender Ashley Cole has been charged by the Football Association (FA) after he called them a “bunch of twats” during a Twitter rant on Friday.

Cole was responding to an independent report into an allegation of racism against Chelsea captain John Terry, in which the panel cast “considerable doubt” over the 31-year-old’s evidence.

Terry, who retired from international football over the affair, was found guilty of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand, banned for four matches and fined US$350,000.

When Cole learned of the FA panel’s suggestion he had

Chelsea defender Ashley Cole has been charged with misconduct by the English Football Association

“evolved” the evidence he gave to the investigation he responded by tweeting: ‘Hahahahaa, well done #fa I lied did I, #BUNCHOFTWATS.’

Rory Mcllroy (right) was knocked out of the competition by Tiger Woods.

McIlroy out of World Golf Final after Tiger Woods defeat WORLD number one Rory McIlroy bowed out of the World Golf Final in Turkey after losing his third successive match.

Having lost to Matt Kuchar and Charl Schwartzel, McIlroy needed to beat Tiger Woods with a low total in the final group game of medal match play.

But he could only post a oneunder 70 as Woods surged into the semi-finals with a fine 64 containing no bogeys.

Woods was set to play Justin Rose, who carded a 62, in the semis, while Lee Westwood shot 64 and was expected to face Charl Schwartzel.

October 13 - 19, 2012

Sports National

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Josh for Sports

The Filipino Basketball League is illegal and should be shutdown SOME four years ago, the Filipinos residing here, in our beloved TCI, began a nationalistic basketball tournament. I, at that point in time, was somewhat optimistic that this unique league would be a vehicle whereby the sport of basketball would advance in its development in this country. For at that time, we had no cohesive national basketball association. I saw the camaraderie among this group of foreign workers as an example for us to emulate.

For they were well organised.

The players never argued with the referees’ calls. I saw this as great

sportsmanship—something that us TCIs could learn from.

SADLY MISTAKEN At the end of the second year, I lobbied, unsuccessfully, for the Filipinos to invite our school teams to participate in their league.

This would have given our school basketball players a chance to further enhance their skills.

The argument was that the TCIs would not respect the calls of the officials. These Filipinos expressed fear of the aggressive confrontational disposition of us TCIs. However they

promised me that at the end of their regular league, they would entertain a mixed league. That was nothing but a smoke-screen to continue their league without adverse publicity and public demonstrations.

By Joshua Gardiner

COCKY At the conclusion of last year’s tournament I once again addressed my concerns about what this league truly represented. I was bluntly and politely told by one of the advisors to do whatever it may be I wanted to do because he honestly did not care about how I felt.

IT’S TIME TO SHUT DOWN Like I pointed out in the past, discrimination in any form is illegal and unconstitutional in the TCI. There is an avenue of redress via the Supreme Court. I shall, as a private citizen, file for a writ in the Supreme Court seeking an injunction against this league because to me they are a racist organisation.

There is nowhere else in the world that this league would be permitted to function in its entirety. It’s time to shut it down. I shall call for a public demonstration against this slap in the face.

Filipino Basketball League:

Royal performance as King stars for HAB KING Otero erased HAB’s miserable start in this season’s Filipino Basketball League by pushing them past Digicel at the Gus Lightbourne Sports Complex last Sunday.

HAB had lost their three previous clashes, despite being a front runner of the tournament. Otero exploded with 13 points in the first quarter (nine of which came from downtown); while he scored constantly in the remaining quarters to ensure the 82-73 point victory. He finished with 32 points.

Jojo Salvacion added seven of his 12 points in the fourth for the winners. Digicel were led by Ricardo Solon, who scored 24 points, and Junkieth Principe, who added 13.

Defending champions Hartling remained unbeaten after trouncing the hapless Islandcom 84-67.

Centre Richard Sanchez led the attack with 23 points, but there were five other players with eight or more points.

Islandcom were led by Ju Perez with 21 points.

Moneygrams’ Junel Baybay (number 27) jumps against Allied Management Services’ Mark Micabalo.

Allied Management Services bounced back from their lost to Hartling to defeat Money Gram 86-

68. Eddie Reyes led the attack with 17 points, which Mark Micabalo (also 13 boards) and Gary Competente

added 16 each.

Moneygram’s Junel Baybay led all scorers with 19.

Strikers win bragging rights over Hurricanes STRIKERS won a slim 1-0 victory over their Academy Football Club sisters, the Hurricanes, when the two teams met in the final warm-up clash before the start of the Women’s

Football League (WFL).

Both sides had won a game each.

The previous games had been high scoring affairs (6-4 and 3-2), but with both teams having worked hard

Action in the Academy girls’ final warm-up game.

on improving their defence in recent weeks the third game was very close.

Both teams started positively with Yarielca De La Cruz (Strikers) and Ruth Francois (Hurricanes) controlling the game from the midfield. Jenny Fluerenvil made some strong runs on the right wing for the Strikers, but was not getting enough support from her teammates. Guerline Hall worked tirelessly as ever and engineered the opening goal as her strong tackle and exquisite pass gave Kadine Delphin an opportunity to cut inside and score. Both teams continued to work hard to score, but their defences held up well.

Melissa Jean-Guy, Shinaydine Pluviose, Jachelle Gardiner and Christma Jean Lois were impressive in the back line for the Strikers and Tanealsha Huggins, Vanessa Joseph, Jacinda Alfrena and Ketani

Maharaj put in strong performances for the Hurricanes. It was not only the defence that had shown signs of improvement; both teams were boosted by strong performances from their goalkeepers Sanardia Forbes (Hurricanes) and Crystal Stirling (Strikers).

With national team keeper Amelie Speer studying overseas TCIFA technical director Matthew Green realised that this void would have to be filled and looked to the two young BWIC students to step up: “I have been encouraged by their effort in training and they both appear keen to develop as goalkeepers. Hopefully both girls will encourage each other as they work together to become our future national starting goalkeeper”.

Hurricanes’ head coach Gerry Gregg was not overly worried by the loss. “We had a few key players

missing and we are still trying to get to know each other as a team. There were some strong performances out there today, especially from Scateline Gedeon so we will continue to build on this and get ready for what promises to be a competitive season.” Green was reasonably happy with the performance of the young Strikers team. “The fact that they managed to keep a clean sheet was good and we showed our versatility by having several players switch positions. Christma Jean Louis was the stand out player today.

She works hard, listens well and is improving all the time. The season is starting soon and our girls can’t wait to get into action against the other teams. They are still young and the season will not be easy for them, but I think they will surprise a few people this season with just how much they have improved.”

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October 13 - 19, 2012

October 13 - 19, 2012

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Sports National TCIFA Super 7’s:

Cumberland scores hat-trick for Cheshire Hall in opener

NAVAR Cumberland scored a hat-trick for Cheshire Hall on the opening day of the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association (TCIFA) Super 7’s to give his club a commanding 6-0 victory against the Police.

Bobby Kwatt, Damian Singh and Ketroy Rose added the other goals for the dominant side.

The Expendables defeated the Teachers 4-0 with Pegguy Derilien scoring a pair and Gladimy Prott and Stephen

Heineken and Pizza Pizza Mixed Tag League:

In another clash BCQS Jolly Ranchers’ Rosemond Joseph takes the ball forward with support from Zoe Stone (middle). They are being chased by leading female try scorer Cierra Edross of the Trail Try Harders.

Wahoos remain unbeaten WAHOOS remain unbeaten after four rounds of the Heineken and Pizza Pizza Mixed Tag League.

The defending champions came up against the dangerous, but lowly ranked Scotiabank Red Mist, who in their first match of the evening did a real number on the Navy Seals. The Wahoos were immediately on the back-foot as the Mist came out firing, with Chris Davies getting his team on the board very early on.

Gordie Kerr notched up another try to go with his three from the earlier game, and then Rebecca Davies ensured bragging rights at home would be shared with Chris when she finished off an excellent team try to have the Scotiabank Red Mist out to a surprising, yet deserved, 5 – 0 lead.

The Wahoos finally woke up and realised that they were in a match, as Augustin Modeste, who played very well all night, scored to open their account.

The slippery Lincoln Outten then added another try to further stretch his big lead at the top of the individual try scorers’ table.

Not to be outdone, Chris Davies scored his second and the Red Mist took a massive 6 – 2 lead into the half time break.

The Wahoos, clearly benefitted from the break in their opponents’ momentum, rallied straight after the interval to score rapid fire tries through Anna Holland and newcomer Lisa, to suddenly grab the lead by 8 – 6. This proved the importance of creating ladies’

tries which are worth three points.

The Scotiabank Red Mist never stopped trying to create chances, but an excellent pass from Outten gave Modeste enough space to beat his marker and go long range to score and extend the lead to three.

This time though it was the Scotiabank Red Mist’s turn to again benefit from a lady’s try, as slick passing along the line gave Kerr enough time and space to pop a beautiful pass over the top to Jo Bowden who scored in the corner. This left just half a minute for the Wahoos to receive the kickoff and manufacture a try, but the Red wall was up to the task and a pulsating match finished all square at 9 – 9.

Chris Davies was rewarded for his excellent play by being selected as the Pizza Pizza Player of the Week. Chris will receive a large pizza to share with his team mates courtesy of Pizza Pizza Grace Bay. The Trail Try Harders and Legion of Doom advanced their causes with good performances, moving up to second and third respectively. The Vix Tipsy Turtles lost both of the evening’s matches for the first time this season and slip to fourth. The BCQS Jolly Ranchers are hot on their heels while the Harriers and Navy Seals were expected to battle out the bottom of the table clash on Thursday.

There are still four teams looking for sponsorship, which can be explored by interested parties by contacting Jamie Tait at rdo@rugby.tc.

Derilien adding the others.

In the opening game Pedagogue FC also recorded a 4-0 victory when they defeated the Centre of Excellence Boys.

Romain Small, Haroon Swaby and Erwin Twain scored for the winners.

Despite the score-line the young boys walked off with their heads held high since this was the first time that

they had played against adult oppositions. And despite their lack of size and experience they held their own against the Provo Premier League team.

SWA Sharks pulled off a dramatic victory as they came back from 3-1 down to defeat the AFC Academy 4-3. Paul Collis had given the Sharks the lead before Myrohn Pereira, Wildens Delva and Fred Dorvil

Cheshire Hall’s Navar Cumberland scored this season’s first TCIFA Super 7’s hat-trick.

opened up a comfortable lead for the Academy team. However, complacency seemed to set in and AFC Academy did not anticipate a determined Shark’s performance in the second half as goals by Richard Lock and Arlindo Serpa (2) gave the Sharks a well earned victory.

Games will be played every Monday evening at the TCIFA fields at 6.00pm and 7.00pm.

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October 13 - 19, 2012