FISHING TOURNAMENTS
The Department of Environment and Coastal Resources would like to advise all fishing enthusiasts and the general public that the Fisheries Regulations state that:
No person shall organise or host a sports fishing event or tournament, Without having prior written approval by the Minister.
All persons who wish to participate in any sports fishing event or tournament must obtain the correct licences for themselves and their vessels.
The following licence fees apply:
Tournament Fishing Vessel Licence
Per tournament ....................................................... 250.00 (Per Vessel)
Tournament Fishing Licence
Per tournament ....................................................... 1,000.00 (Per Event)
Any person who uses, charters, hires out or otherwise makes available for reward any vessel for use by persons fishing for sport, or the master of any such vessel shall, without the required licenses commit an offence and be liable upon summary conviction to a fine of $50,000 or to a term of imprisonment of twelve months or to both the aforementioned fine and imprisonment.
The DECR would like to encourage all persons desiring to host or participate in any sports fishing event or tournament to email enquiries to environment@gov.tc, call 338-4164 or visit one of our offices in Grand Turk, Providenciales or South Caicos for more information.
Who is the Man?
As a lawyer, I regularly read the Gazette when published on Fridays as it contains valuable
information for my legal practice. Last week I read with great interest the changes in portfolios of
Ministers specifically the Minister of Finance and Premier, and the Minister of Health, Human
Services and Agriculture, which are to commence on February 1 st 2018.
Reader, I urge that you walk with me as we take a trip down memory lane. Some 13 months ago, the
first Female Premier and Minister of Finance was sworn in, and during her speech she said “I’m the
Man for the Job”. While we chuckled at that colorful expression coming from a woman, who should
be proud to be “the woman for the job”, we understood where the Minister of Finance was coming
from. Now some 3 months ago, the Minister of Health, beat his chest proudly in the House of
Assembly and said “He is the Man, the Man for health. No one knows more about health than me. I
am the Man”. Now, with serious eye-rolling that I find happening more and more often whilst I am
sitting in the Chamber due to the various colorful exchanges and expressions coming from the
Government side, I was intrigued by the Minister of Health’s extensive reminder that he is the
Health Man! This proclamation of his manliness was in response to his Amendment to the NHIB
Ordinance which he said was the first step in fixing what some deem a real drain on tax-payers
dollars. The amendment largely related to the make-up of the NHIB Board.
So, imagine my confusion last week Friday when I reviewed the Gazette and noticed that the self-
proclaimed Health Man, lost the biggest expenditure in Health from his portfolio, that being
responsibility for the National Health Insurance Board. For the sake of completeness, the National
Health Insurance Board is the oversight body for the Treatment Aboard Program in the Ministry of
Health and Human Services. Our contributions to NHIB not only provide funding for treatment
overseas but also payment to TCI Hospitals on our behalf along with our US$10.00 co-pay we’d pay
when we utilize services at one of their locations.
So, my questions today is WHO IS THE MAN?; and why is it that the NHIB spending is well over
the projected budget amount of US$23,274,067.00. When we were in the Budget Debate last year, I
specially asked the Minister of Health on three occasions was the budget of US$23,000.00 enough
for the work of NHIB in covering the Treatment of Aboard Program, and ancillary costs of the
NHIB. At each stage he said yes with gusto, and assured us that new structures would be in place to
ensure NHIB would operate within their budget.
So, my second question is simply this, Did the Health Man fail? Is that why the Minister of
Finance has come to save the day, and replace the Health Man, with the Finance Woman-Man?
What makes me ponder these questions is the response to my parliamentary question which was
submitted in September (answered this week in the HOA) to the Minister of Health as to what are
the costs of the Treatment Aboard Program from July 1 st 2017 to October 31 st 2017. How is it that
in just the period of July 1 st 2017 to October 31 st 2017 some 4 months the NHIB has spent
US$8,659.170.00, which is US$7,131,783.00 in medical costs, US$1,000,000.00 in airfare, and
US$238,000.00 in subsistence. At this rate the total expenditure for the 2017/2018 Financial Year
would be US$21,395,349.00 in just overseas medical costs. During this period a total of 418 referrals
were processed resulting in the following big ticket medical costs of: US$3.3M for 80 patients to the
Bahamas, US$2.2M for 183 patients to Jamaica, US$300k for 2 patients to Canada, US$391K for 19
patients to Cayman and US$153k for 1 patient to Colombia.
To say I was flabbergasted is an understatement of the amount that was spent in 4 months by the
NHIB, but nonetheless we press on. As the Minister of Health wrapped up his answer to my
question, he mumbled something about primary health care being important. So my next question is
what is the plan to curb this rapid unsustainable expenditure?
To make matters even more interesting, there is a Supplementary Budget for 2017/2018 that will be
debated next week, and on review of this yesterday, I note that NHIB has requested additional funds
in the sum of US$12,000,000.00 increase for this financial year which ends on March 30 th 2018. Um,
that is just 8 weeks from now. US$12,000,000.00!!!! Taking the NHIB estimated budget for this
Financial Year to the grand total of US$35,885.000.00!!!! Now, that is when I noticed my heart rate
began to escalate in the HOA. Where are we going to have US$12,000,000.00 found from in the
current revenue streams that we have, and further what is being cut from the Budget to make up this
difference. So in the end the forecasted outturn for this financial year 2017/2018 for NHIB
expenses is US$35,885,000.00, and not US$23,000,000.00 that the Minister of Health assured the
people of this Country was sufficient for their potential medical costs overseas. While, I am here, let
us also remember the Budget was debated and passed in April. Further, the Minister of Health had
ample time to prepare a practical budget, but further to that from April to October 2017, wasn’t the
Minister of Health monitoring the rapid expenditure of the NHIB. Oh wait, will they blame the
former Government for this rapid expenditure to date, or let me guess Hurricanes Irma and Maria?
Remember this is the Minister of Health’s Budget, that was deemed by the Government as the
People’s Budget.
My advice to the new Minister of NHIB is to be open and honest with those registered with NHIB,
as this current trend is unsustainable with the 30,000 persons who are contributing to NHIB and
some 39,000 users. Where is the extra money going to come from? We need to know and we need
to know soon. Oh, and if you’re reading this and think I got the requested figures incorrect, it is in
black and white in the documents that were laid on the table yesterday, and as a Millennial, I include
the screenshot for your review.
I am deeply concerned about NHIB, as there is still no Chief Financial Officer recruited, and it is
bleeding funding with what seems to be no oversight, and something drastic needs to occur to
severe the infected limb (pun intended).
- Hon Akierra Mary Deanne Missick
Notice of Procurement Board Meeting for January 2018
Notice is hereby given of the meeting of the Procurement Board for January 2018 which will be held on Wednesday the 24th commencing at 9 AM. According to Section 41 (2) of the Public Procurement Ordinance, the public is invited to attend meetings of the Procurement Board at which tenders are opened.
Notice_Procurement_Board_Meetings_January_2018_RTC.docx
Tender Notices for the Turks and Caicos Islands Government
Please see attached the official tender notice of the TCIG.
Pre-Tender_Meeting_Notice_TCIG_22_January_2018_RTC_.docx
Tender Notices for the Turks and Caicos Islands Ports Authority
Attached is the official tender notice from the TCI Ports Authority.
Tender_Notice_TCIG_and_TCIPA_RTC_closing_dates_Jan-Feb_2018.docx
Samsung launches modular TV called The Wall
Samsung has announced a giant 146in (396cm) TV called The Wall at the CES tech show in Las Vegas.
The TV features a micro-LED display, which is pitched as a superior alternative to OLED because it offers both deep blacks and bright highlights.
However, one analyst said they would likely be very expensive to manufacture.
Samsung also says its modular technology will allow for TVs of customised sizes to be ordered.
This is because the display is actually composed of many smaller modules that can be arranged to form unusual dimensions - one example that was squat and super-wide was briefly shown at the presentation.
The micro-LED display, thanks to its self-emitting LEDs, should allow for a bright picture without the need for a backlight.
Backlights normally make it hard to produce deep blacks on screen because their illumination spills beyond the pixels they are targeted at.
Sony tried to produce TVs made from the same basic technology back in 2012 but they proved too expensive to make en masse.
Samsung's decision to bet on micro-LED puts it in direct competition with rivals that have opted to go with OLED displays.
Micro-LED screens are difficult to manufacture because the LEDs need to be individually placed onto a layer by machines, explained analyst Paul Gray at IHS Technology.
"You have millions for a single display," he said.
"But maybe Samsung has made some breakthroughs on multiple placement [at once]."
Mr Gray added that, although Samsung was pitching the technology as a "consumer" product, it would likely only appear in very expensive devices.
Samsung has not yet revealed details on pricing itself.
Google sued over 'male discrimination'
Mr Damore and David Gudeman, another former engineer at the firm, filed the suit at Santa Clara Superior Court in California.
A spokesperson for Google said they "look forward to defending against Mr Damore's lawsuit in court."
A separate case filed by three women who used to work at Google, alleging it pays women less than men for comparable work, was dismissed last month, but has been refiled in an amended form.
Mr Damore and Mr Gudeman claim in their lawsuit that Google employs illegal hiring quotas to fill posts with women and minorities.
They accuse the company of failing to protect employees with conservative views, including supporting US President Donald Trump.
Their lawsuit says the men were "openly threatened and subjected to harassment and retaliation" at the company, which they describe as an "ideological echo chamber".
It says Google "openly shames" managers who fail to meet goals, even booing them at meetings.
Mr Damore's memo caused fierce debate about free speech in the workplace and diversity in Silicon Valley.
The memo's focus on perceived biological differences between men and women proved highly controversial.
In the lawsuit, Mr Damore said the memo was intended to remain internal and had been written in response to a request for feedback from a diversity and inclusion summit he had attended.
When Mr Damore lost his job, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said portions of the memo violated the company's code of conduct and crossed "the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace".
But Mr Damore said he had received "many personal messages from fellow Googlers expressing their gratitude" for speaking out.
Google is also under investigation by the US Department of Labor over whether its pay practices fall foul of equal pay laws.
U.S. regulators meet with California on fate of vehicle fuel rules
Senior U.S. government officials held talks in recent weeks with California's Air Resources Board to discuss the goal of maintaining one set of national requirements for automakers, a move that will determine the fate of vehicle emissions rules.
The Dec. 15 meeting held in California included William Wehrum, head of the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Air and Radiation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration deputy chief Heidi King, and Mike Catanzaro, a senior White House aide on environment and energy issues, a spokesman for CARB confirmed on Monday.
Automakers want the White House and California to reach agreement on revisions because a legal battle over the rules could result in lengthy uncertainly for the industry. They also want changes in the rules to address lower gas prices and a shift in U.S. consumer preferences to larger, less fuel-efficient vehicles.
"We've had productive conversations under way with CARB and I would hope those conversations continue to be productive," Wehrum said in an interview Friday at EPA headquarters. "I think a shared goal is to maintain one national program."
In 2011, California's air emissions regulator and the Obama administration reached an agreement with major automakers to nearly double average fleetwide fuel efficiency to more than 50 miles per gallon by 2025, but included a "midterm review" to determine by April 2018 whether the final requirements were feasible.
California, joined by nearly a dozen other states, could seek to enforce its own current stricter emissions rules even if the Trump administration softens the 2022-2025 requirements.
The Obama administration announced it had completed the midterm review in its final days in January 2017 without making changes.
In a move widely seen as a preamble to loosening fuel standards, U.S. President Donald Trump announced in March he was revisiting the 2025 requirements. "The assault on the American auto industry is over," Trump said. "We are going to ensure that any regulations we have protect and defend your jobs, your factories."
Wehrum said if there was a "good solid technical basis" for revising the requirements, he hoped California would agree, adding the talks have been "very collegial and collaborative," including that the December 15 meetings with California officials lasted for a couple of hours. He emphasized EPA has made no decisions on whether the requirements should be lowered.
CARB spokesman Stanley Young confirmed the discussion but declined to elaborate. Catanzaro did not respond to a request for comment.
The Weeknd cuts ties with H&M after reveal of clothing brand's racially insensitive image
It looks like The Weeknd is done with H&M.
The Grammy winner tweeted about his disappointment in the popular clothing company's latest marketing attempt, which showed a young black boy wearing a hoodie that read "Coolest Monkey in the Jungle." He writes, "woke up this morning shocked and embarrassed by this photo. i'm deeply offended and will not be working with @hm anymore... ."
The Weeknd partnered with H&M last year. During his working relationship with the brand he released a limited-edition "Starboy" fashion collection and a separate capsule collection, along with fronting their Spring Icons campaign.
As reported earlier today, the racially insensitive image, which was posted on H&M's UK retail site as "printed hooded top," sparked social media outrage over the weekend and was subsequently deleted. H&M, based in Sweden, issued an apology via the New York Daily News on Monday from its Stockholm headquarters.
"This image has now been removed from all H&M channels and we apologize to anyone this may have offended," the statement read.
Since the retail image surfaced, many have voiced their frustrations, via social media, on how H&M could so obviously miss the mark.
"This image has now been removed from all H&M channels and we apologize to anyone this may have offended,” the statement read.
Since the ad, many have voiced their frustration on how H&M could so obviously miss the mark.
"@hm, have you lost your damned minds?!?!?!" wrote one user, sharing a screenshot of the image.
Another person said she wasn't surprised by their faux pas. "I worked for them for years and they’re clueless sometimes," the user tweeted. "The head office in Sweden is very disconnected to issues of racism, cultural & social challenges. They seriously probably think this is cute."
H&M later expanded on their apology in a statement issued to ABC News:
“We understand that many people are upset about the image. We, who work at H&M, can only agree," the statement read. "We are deeply sorry that the picture was taken, and we also regret the actual print. Therefore, we have not only removed the image from our channels, but also the garment from our product offering globally. It is obvious that our routines have not been followed properly. This is without any doubt. We will thoroughly investigate why this happened to prevent this type of mistake from happening again.”
Black Lives Matter also released a statement on the racially insensitive image, calling for a full boycott of H&M products.
“We are deeply disappointed and appalled that an internationally known clothing company in 2018 would decide to put a young black child in clothes with the label "coolest monkey". We are calling for black people and our allies in the Black Lives Matter movement, celebrities and other VIPs included, to do a full boycott of H&M products," read the statement from Black Lives Matter Greater Atlanta Vice President Patrick Newbill.
He added, "This was not a simple case of oversight. Someone in the marketing department made the decision to ok this, knowing about the tense racial climate that exist at this time. A formal apology and donation to the Black Lives Matter movement must be made before an end to the boycott can be considered!"
New year, new me: Usher readies himself for Sundance
It appears that Usher is moving full steam ahead in 2018 with a brand new film role. The singer-actor will star in a new film called Burden, which was entered in this year's U.S. Dramatic Competition at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
The drama, based on a true story, centers on a former Ku Klux Klan member, played by Garrett Hedlund, who finds safety in a new relationship with an African American preacher, portrayed by Forest Whitaker. Usher plays a character named Clarence Brooks.
The entertainer is no stranger to playing roles on the small and big screen. His acting resume boasts a number of known TV and film projects, including Moesha, Light It Up and 7th Heaven. Burden will debut at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21.