News Briefs & Community Events
Belize Bank seeks to satisfy $27M judgment against Belize Gov’t
From OffshoreAlert
Following a recent appeals court ruling in Washington, D.C., British businessman Michael Ashcroft’s Belize Bank is attempting to find and seize assets in the United States that belong to the Belize Government in order to satisfy a $27 million judgment that was entered seven years ago in England.
$1 million dollar loan fund launched to help Caribbean women start businesses
From Black Business
Business women in the Caribbean are all about helping each other. It’s not easy for them to get funding, so two successful business women have decided to “pay it forward” by creating FundRiseHER – a $1 million crowdfunding campaign to help other women start their own businesses.
Why it’s so hard to get funding
Most women entrepreneurs in the Caribbean fund their businesses the old fashioned way — they seek help from family and friends. They are often brushed off by local lending institutions when it comes to funding. This was the experience of Valerie Grant who got the brush off by a bank in Jamaica, even after she just landed a huge government contract.
So, Grant and her friend Cecile Watson, also an entrepreneur, launched FundRiseHER to raise $1 million to help at least 50 women entrepreneurs from at least 10 different Caribbean countries to start their own businesses.
Helping 44% of the world’s poorest women
Arif Zaman, executive director of the Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network, stated that “forty-four percent of the world’s poorest women live in these Commonwealth countries.” The FundRiseHer campaign hopes to raise matching funds from donors that will provide more entrepreneurship opportunities for women in the Caribbean region and in the Commonwealth.
Countries in the Caribbean include Jamaica, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Grenada, Aruba, Cayman Islands, and many more.
For more details about FundRiseHER, visit www.facebook.com/fundriseher/ or www.twitter.com/fundriseher
Boat thieves thwarted by teens with a Phantom drone
By Andrew Dalton From engadget
A group of teenagers vacationing on Camano Island in Washington State became technology-assisted crimestoppers this week, ABC News reports. 14-year-old Chris Harris and his friend were visiting the island from San Francisco when they spotted thieves in a speedboat untying their own boat they had docked at a buoy the night before. When the thieves took off with their Zodiac in tow, Harris sprung into action and followed them from the air with his DJI Phantom drone, filming them in 4K video the whole time.
“The drone was given to me as a graduation gift from my parents for making honor roll,” Harris told ABC News. Although it took a minute to get it airborne, Harris says he flew the Phantom up to 50 mph, floating around 20 feet above the speeding thieves. He was apparently able to keep up long enough to get a great shot of the thieves from above, before he eventually lost track of them. Even so, the footage was enough for the local authorities to make an educated guess as to where the thieves were headed. According to the local Sheriff’s Department, the cops were waiting for the boat thieves when they arrived at their destination.
Despite his heroics, Harris seems to know that drone flights are still a somewhat uncertain legal grey area. “There’s good things and bad things about drones,” Harris told NBC Bay Area, while staring thoughtfully out over the waters of the Saratoga Passage, “but if you use them right and properly, then it’s a positive.”
For more: https://www.engadget.com/2016/07/21/boat-thieves-thwarted-by-teens-with-a-phantom-drone
Space whisky really does taste different
By Jon Fingas From engadget
When Scottish distiller Ardbeg launched whisky into space to see whether or not the drink ages differently in microgravity, it came across as little more than a publicity stunt… which, admittedly, it still is. However, the company has finally published its results, and it’s clear that this liquor was changed by its stay in the International Space Station. Going into orbit altered the ratios of acids and other chemicals, which had a pronounced effect on the taste. While the Earth-based whisky is dry, with notes of “woody” flavors” and “sweet smoke,” the space whisky recalls “smoked fruits” and carries an aftertaste that reminds Ardbeg of “antiseptic lozenges” and “rubbery smoke.” You won’t be breaking this out to celebrate a special occasion, then, unless you like recalling the smell of burning tires.
That’s not to say that the experiment was a bust. Ardbeg believes that this could lead to a database that establishes the “normal” ratios of wood extractives, helping verify dodgy claims about the age of a whisky. It also offers the potential for new whisky flavors that hadn’t been considered until now. This is really just a first step, the company says — there may be more low-gravity tests in the future.
For more: https://www.engadget.com/2015/09/08/space-whisky-results
Increased global temperatures bring deadly rainfall
From The Carbon Wars
At 7:51 p.m. EDT, a deluge unleashed a torrent of water on Ellicot City, turning Main Street into a raging river and killing at least two people.
According to the National Weather Service, the rainfall total in Ellicott was 6.05 inches, 5.92 of which fell in just two hours. The most remarkable aspects of this storm had to do with the rapid rainfall rates, with 1.44 inches of rain falling in just 10 minutes between 7:50 p.m. and 7:55 p.m. on Saturday evening.
The localized severe storm was part of a wider outbreak of heavy downpours in an increasing trend of damaging heavy rainfall events in the U.S., tied back to human-caused global warming, since as the air warms it is able to carry more moisture that allows storms to produce heavier precipitation.
To help shed light on the rarity of heavy precipitation events, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) maintains a database of precipitation frequency estimates. According to NOAA, the rainfall amounts that fell in as little as 10 minutes to as long as 2 hours statistically had “less than one tenth of one percent (less than 0.1 percent) chance of occurring in any given year”.
In other words, the rainfall rates that occurred during the 10-minute to two-hour timeframe of this storm event can typically be expected to occur with a frequency of less than once in a thousand years. That’s about as rare as heavy rainfall events get.
The rarity of this event doesn’t by itself mean that climate change was a significant contributor to this event. It will take climate change attribution studies of this storm to reveal how likely this was with global warming compared to a natural climate.
However, the deadly downpour is consistent with what one expects to occur more frequently and with greater intensity — and what is already occurring with greater regularity — in a warming climate.
The 2014 National Climate Assessment, for example, found there was an increase of 71 percent in the heaviest precipitation events in the Northeast between 1958 and 2012.
For more: http://www.thecarbonwars.com/increased-global-temperatures-bring-deadly-rainfall/
Half the world’s forests are gone, but that’s only half the problem
From The Carbon Wars
About an acre of forest is lost every second, hobbling one of the main checks on global warming. But it’s not just the impact of fewer trees to worry about.
After trees are cut down, they gradually decay, releasing carbon, degrading the habitat, and threatening species long after the cutting stops. These lagging emissions have an important impact on the battle against global warming, a study released today in the journal Current Biology finds.
Today there are 8.6 billion tons of annual emissions released into the atmosphere as already fallen trees decompose, the equivalent of five to 10 years of global deforestation. That’s roughly the annual amount of total global emissions.
Those lagging emissions are lethal. Researchers found that 144 vertebrate species became extinct due to tropical deforestation from 1950 to 2009, about 20 per cent more than a previous estimate of extinctions in forest-specific vertebrate groups since 1900. As with trees, species losses occur gradually as habitats change, the researchers found.
“No one has ever accounted for this time lag between habitat destruction and the species getting extinct,” said Isabel Rosa, one of the authors of the study and a researcher at the Imperial College of London. “That’s what we aimed for with this study, to understand not only how many species have we lost already as a result of habitat destruction, but also how many more have we committed to extinction due to those fast changes in forest cover.”
The effects could be even greater as the spaces where trees die are converted into farmland in many areas, particularly the Amazon, one of three main tropical rain forest areas, along with the Congo Basin and Southeast Asia. As trees, which keep temperatures cooler, die, tropical areas will get even warmer and come to resemble a different climate, said Jeff Horowitz, the founder of the nonprofit Avoided Deforestation Partners.
The clearing of tropical forests in Indonesia is one of the most pressing global warming issues, as its palm oil and paper plantations are known for disrupting the local ecosystem. Horowitz also cited the global demand for beef, which requires the clearing of trees for pasture.
For more: http://www.thecarbonwars.com/half-worlds-forests-gone-thats-half-problem/
Cayman Islands athletes’ Olympic schedule
Five athletes from Cayman are competing in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Cayman-to-Rio-2016
These are the scheduled competition times for each:
Geoff Butler (Swimming – 400m Freestyle) Saturday, Aug. 6 – DONE Did not qualify for finals
Lara Butler (Swimming – 100m Backstroke) Sunday, Aug. 7 – DONE Did not qualify for finals
Florence Allan (Sailing – Women’s Laser Radial) Aug. 8, 9, 10, 12 and 13
Kemar Hyman (Athletics – 100m) Aug. 13 (prelims), Aug. 14 (semis and final)
Ronald Forbes (Athletics – 110m Hurdles) Aug. 15 (prelims), Aug. 16 (semis and final).
Cayman Drama Society
2016 is proving to be amazing around the Prospect Playhouse! We have been busy renovating the auditorium this summer and getting ready for a smashing end to 2016!
And Yes! Its election season and what greater way to lighten the mood than coming to see the very funny, Yes Minister!
September 15,16,17,22,23,24,29,30, October 1
Yes Minister is a satirical look at the early career of Jim Hacker MP; a newly appointed cabinet minister in the fictional Department of Administrative Affairs at Whitehall. Hacker goes through various struggles to formulate and enact legislation or effect departmental changes that are continually opposed by the British Civil Service in particular his Permanent Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby. His Principal Private Secretary Bernard Woolley, is usually caught between the two. The British comedy, written by Sir Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, was fist broadcast by BBC Television in the 1980s has now been adapted to the Cayman stage by Chuck and Barrie Quappe. As the Cayman Parliamentary system is based on Whitehall, any of the situations will be undeniably familiar to all that live in Cayman!
And you do not want to miss our continuing celebration of Shakespeare’s 400th!!!
Cayman Islands Pirates Week calls for food vendors
The Pirates Week Festival Office is inviting participants for the annual Food Festival to submit their vendor applications for the below dates/times:
|
Friday 11th November |
6:00pm to 2:00am |
|
|
Saturday 12th November |
1:00pm to midnight |
|
|
Saturday 19th November |
George Town |
2:00pm to midnight |
Vendor applications must be submitted beginning on Monday 1st August, 2016 to the Pirates Week Office on Shedden Road, George Town (upstairs next to KFC). Vendor space is limited therefore applications must be submitted as soon as possible after the opening date above. Deadline for submission is Monday 31st October.
All vendors must comply with the rules and regulations set by the Pirates Week Festival Office and must present a valid Food Handling Certificate for all persons handing food by the 31st October. Food handling certificates can be obtained from the Department of Environmental Health by contacting Mr. Gideon Simms on 949-6696 or email [email protected] .
For application forms and more details please contact the Pirates Week Festival Office at 949-5078 or [email protected].
COMMUNITY EVENTS (Date Order)
WED AUG 10
2nd of 3 Jaguar Land Rover Stroke and Stride
The 2nd of 3 Jaguar Land Rover Stroke and Stride events is Wednesday (10 Aug) at Sunset House. Log on to caymanactive.com for more details.
Bookends Club
The Bookends Club is meeting on Wednesday (10 Aug) at 630pm at Books & Books to discuss Time of Departure by Douglas Scholfield.
Cayman Islands FATCA notification and reporting deadlines fast approaching
From Maples and Calder
Tim Clipstone Christopher Capewell Tim Dawson Tim Frawley Patrick Head Martin Livingston
Further to our previous update in relation to the extension of the deadlines for both notification and reporting by Reporting Financial Institutions (“Reporting FIs”) through the Cayman Islands AEOI Portal (the “Portal”), Reporting FIs are reminded to complete any applicable FATCA notification and reporting for both US FATCA and UK FATCA (CDOT) through the Portal on or before the deadline of Wednesday, 10 August 2016. In the days running up to the deadline, users should expect heavy traffic on the Portal.
In relation to CRS, Reporting FIs are reminded that 31 December 2016 is the deadline for the completion of due diligence on Preexisting High Value Individual Accounts.
Grand Court Jurors Notice
Grand Court Jurors in the current session must now report on Wednesday (10 Aug) at 945am.
THU AUG 11
Catch the Olympics
Catch the Olympics on a big outdoor screen on Thursday (11 Aug) at 7pm on the Crescent at Camana Bay.
Water Interruption
The Water Authority has scheduled a planned service interruption in the Tropical Gardens area from 9 — 1pm on Thursday (11 Aug)
FRI AUG 12
Music Happy Hour for kids is Friday from 3:30 — 4:30 pm at Starfish Village every Friday in August.
SAT AUG 13
Catch the Olympics: Kids Challenge
In celebration of the 2016 Olympics, children between the ages of 6 and 12 are invited to participate in the Kid’s Challenge on Saturday (13 Aug) at the Town Center in Camana Bay between 2 and 5pm. Events include cracker eating competition, a flipper race and more
JGHS Uniform Sale
Parents of John Gray High School students are advised that uniforms are now on sale, upstairs Number One Shoe Shop in Unit G, on Hospital Road from 9am to 5pm daily.
SUN AUG 14
Pete Ribbins Memorial 10K or 40K Bike Ride
The Pete Ribbins Memorial 10K or 40K Bike Ride is Sunday (14 Aug) at 630am. Log on to caymanactive.com for more details.
TUE AUG 16
Moonlight and Movies: Nanny McPhee
The Moonlight and Movies series continues on Tuesday (16 Aug) featuring Nanny McPhee at 7pm in Gardenia Court in Camana Bay.
WED AUG 17
Final Jaguar Land Rover Stroke and Stride
The final Jaguar Land Rover Stroke and Stride is Wednesday (17 Aug) at Sunset House. Log on to caymanactive.com for more details.
Floetry
Floetry is Wednesday (17 Aug) at 630pm at Books & Books.
THU AUG 18
Catch the Olympics
Catch the Olympics on a big outdoor screen on Thursday (18 Aug) at 7pm on the Crescent at Camana Bay.
3rd Annual CCUK Cayman Summer Reception Aug 18
2016 CCUK Summer Reception in Cayman
Date: Thursday 18th August 2016
Time: Workshop (5pm-6pm) & Reception (6pm-8pm)
Venue: St. Ignatius Catholic High-School Hall
Join us for an evening of networking and fun as we host our 3rd Annual CCUK Cayman Summer Reception! These receptions are historically a time for students, friends and associates who have connections to the UK to get together and share experiences. It is also an opportunity for those considering tertiary education the UK to meet others currently there, and glean some advise, tips and tricks!
RSVP BY FRIDAY 12TH AUGUST
RSVP here: http://caymanconnection.org/rsvp/
PLEASE SHARE WITH CAYMAN FRIENDS AND STUDENTS.
Humane Society Pub Quiz
The Humane Society Pub Quiz is Thursday (18 Aug) at Fidel Murphy’s at 7pm.
FRI AUG 19
Cayman Islands Liquor Licence Holders: Remember your 19 August deadline
Liquor licence holders – including those with music and dancing licenses – are reminded of the Friday, 19 August deadline to apply for licence renewals.
They also are reminded that before they can apply for a renewal, their premises must be inspected by relevant Government agencies. Depending on licensees’ particular operations, these inspections may include the Fire Service, Department of Environmental Health, Planning Department, and Port Authority.
To help speed up the process, the Planning Department has advised that licensees must have inspections done by private, licensed plumbers and/or electricians. These inspections are then submitted to the Planning Department for approval.
The Planning Department added that there are a few exceptions. For example, package licences (for retail outlets such as stores and warehouses) do not require electrical or plumbing inspections.
Only complete renewal applications, with either inspection certificates or proof of inspection requests, that are submitted by the 19 August deadline will be heard at the Liquor Licensing Board’s annual session on 30 September.
Applications can be downloaded from the Department of Commerce and Investment’s website, www.dci.gov.ky . For more information, contact the Liquor Licensing Board through Acting Secretary Gavin Dixon on 244-3167 or DCI’s Shelise Jeffery on 244-2202.
Music Happy Hour
Music Happy Hour for kids is Friday from 3:30 — 4:30 pm at Starfish Village every Friday in August.
SAT AUG 20
Culture at the Cinema: Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Culture at the Cinema presents Les Liaisons Dangereuses on Saturday (20 Aug) at 7pm at Regal Cinemas.
Lions Tropical Gardens Diabetes Health Fair
TUE AUG 23
Moonlight and Movies: Shrek the Third
The Moonlight and Movies series continues on Tuesday (23 Aug) featuring Shrek the Third at 7pm in Gardenia Court in Camana Bay.
THU SEP 1
Cayman Islands: LCCL applicants must advise TBL board of Caymanian participation
In order to ensure that the law is upheld, procedural changes for the Local Companies (Control) Licence Law (LCCL) will come into effect on 1 September 2016.
The LCCL requires foreign investors to publish ads that solicit Caymanian participation in their potential business endeavours. In these ads, Caymanians are asked to inform the foreign investor of their interest, in writing; however, as of 1 September, Caymanians also must supply a copy of that letter directly to the Trade and Business Licensing Board.
Also, when submitting their applications to the board, foreign investors must include copies of the two local newspaper ads, published in accordance with section 11 (4) (e) of the law, that solicited Caymanian participation.
‘These procedural changes will help the board to know if the applicant has complied fully with the LCCL’, said Minister of Commerce Wayne Panton.
LCCL applications must be submitted in person at the Business Licensing Counter, on the first floor of the Government Administration Building. The counter is open Mondays to Fridays, between 9:00am and 4:00pm. In addition to the two newspaper ads, applications must be accompanied by due diligence such as a police clearance, copies of passports, references, and the relevant fees.
Letters from Caymanians are to be addressed to the Trade and Business Licensing Board, c/o the Department of Commerce and Investment, Government Administration Building, 133 Elgin Avenue Suite 126, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
For more information, visit www.dci.gov.ky or email [email protected]
SAT & SUN SEP 18 & 19
British Schools Fair Cayman Islands
Street: Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman
District: Seven Mile Beach
Island: Grand Cayman
Country: Cayman Islands
Description
Ritz-Carlton
Sat 18 Sep & Sun 19 Sep
2.00-6.00 p.m.
A chance for Cayman families to meet leading UK boarding schools. If you are considering the possibility of your children having the opportunities afforded by an overseas education, this is your chance to speak to some of the top schools.
Free entry
For more information contact [email protected]
AUGUST EVENTS AT CAMANA BAY
Be part of the action and support your nation with The Games at Camana Bay – a series of festivities inspired by the 2016 Olympics. Take in cultural experiences by catching the last chance to see Rundown, getting lost in poetry readings or by supporting a local author as they celebrate their latest book.
Moonlight & Movies: Summer Series
Tuesdays until 30 August
7pm
Gardenia Court
Music Happy Hour for Kids
Fridays until 26 August
3:30-4:30pm
Starfish Village
Got Milk?
Friday 5 August
3pm
Bedside Manor
The Games at Camana Bay: Opening Ceremony and Fireworks
Friday 5 August
5:30-9pm
The Crescent
Tai Chi
Sunday 7 August
8:30am
The Crescent
The Bookends Club
Wednesday 10 August
6:30-7:30pm
Books & Books
Douglas Schofield Book Signing
Thursday 11 August
6:30-7:30pm
Books & Books
The Games at Camana Bay: Moonlight & Movies
Thursday 11 and 18 August
7pm
The Crescent
The Games at Camana Bay: Kids’ Challenge
Saturday 13 August
2-5pm
Town Centre
Floetry
Wednesday 17 August
6:30-7:30pm
Books & Books
Culture at the Cinema: Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Saturday 20 August
7pm
Regal Cinemas
Theatre in the Court: Rundown
Saturday 27 August
7pm
Gardenia Court
NATIONAL GALLERY EVENTS
Early Watercolours
Rarely displayed watercolour paintings from the early collections of the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) and the Cayman Islands National Museum (CINM) will be on show at the National Gallery throughout summer. The temporary exhibition titled, A Legacy of Light features a wide selection of landscapes, seascapes and architectural studies by both established and lesser-known artists from the Cayman Islands. The exhibition opens to the public 1 July 2016 and ends 16 September 2016.
Light & Colour Workshop
Take part in a special watercolour workshop with Lois Brezinski Saturday, 13 August 2016 – 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. This intensive workshop explores the use of watercolours to capture the dramatic effects of light in the tropics. The workshop is designed for all levels and is open to adults and mature teens.
Watercolour Kids Club
Saturday Mornings 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
9 July to 13 August 2016
Free watercolour art activities for kids! These creative drop-in sessions will be sure to inspire families of all levels and abilities. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Bookings are not required.
Take it Home
The gift shop at the National Gallery has a fabulous selection of creative gifts for all ages. Brand new watercolour paint sets, brushes and books have arrived so you can try your hand at creating a masterpiece of your own!
