PNP claims JLP leader breached agreement
The Peoples National Party (PNP) has filed a complaint to the Political Ombudsman claiming that the prime minister has breached a campaign agreement.
Last night, The Gleaner was unable to get a reaction from the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) campaign team.
However, the PNP released a statement saying yesterday Prime Minister Andrew Holness was seen openly campaigning in the battle ground constituency of East Rural St. Andrew and South East St. Andrew.
The PNP said this breached an agreement for all political parties to end campaign activities at least 24 hours before Election Day.
The PNP also noted that Holness was accompanied by the JLP candidate for East Rural St. Andrew, Joan Gordon Webley in that constituency and by Dwight Nelson in South East St. Andrew.
TCI capital to Providenciales is not being considered by the Interim Government
Poppy-cock is how Neil Smith, spokesman for His Excellency the Governor, has described vicious rumors of the capital Grand Turk moving to Providenciales.
Smith was responding to the circulated rumors carried in yesterday's edition of TCI News Now, which quoted two reliable sources within the interim government as having independently leaked a so far unannounced consideration of a move of the capital from Grand Turk to Providenciales.
This possibility had been raised early in the previous Michael Misick administration and according to the writer, it now appears that the reasons for considering the move have actually become more cogent.
The writer listed a number of reasons why this move may be necessary, including the fact that many government services are duplicated, with the largest operations in Provo; suggesting that moving the capital would save residents expensive travel costs and time traveling to Grand Turk to conduct Provo and Caicos Islands-based business.
The article also listed possible evidence of such a move being the planned reduction in electoral districts on Grand Turk from four to two, noting in the event the governments administrative functions move to Provo, the population of Grand Turk could drop significantly.
Reasons given in the past for not making the move according to the article, was that, prior to the cruise ship port being established on Grand Turk, the capital islands economy depended almost exclusively on governmental activities.
The newspaper article quoted the sources as saying another factor, is the possibility of even larger economic growth on Provo and the other Caicos islands due to the soon to be completed Provo Airport expansion. Provo is anticipated to accommodate international wide bodied flights, as well as larger, more frequent flights from the nearby United States. Grand Turk airport currently is equipped to accommodate full size commercial narrow body aircraft.
The inside sources, the paper noted, have speculated that the Waterloo, the Governors residence Waterloo, could be turned into a historic attraction for stay-over tourists, leaving Waterloo vacant.
But with all the articles reasoning for relocating the Nation;s capital Grand Turk to Provo, the Governors spokesman Neil Smith told RTC News when contacted that this vicious rumor is just poppy-cock.
Mr. Smith said he does not know where the rumor comes from or whose pro-mul-gating it, but said nothing could be further from the truth.
Smith said he has spoken with both his Excellency the Governor Ric Todd and Mr. Phillip Rush-brook, Director of Strategy in the Governors office, who both categorically deny talks of any such move of the capital to Providenciales.
Smith said he does not know who two sources from the Interim Administration the writer of the story in the TCI News Now article is quoting, but promises residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands that that matter is not up for consideration. It is not even on the agenda of the Interim Administration, he told RTC News.
Reaction to the news of the capital relocating to Provo, though bandied about in previous years, has generally been that, while acknowledging that the possibility has been aired from time to time for several years, it is likely to meet with considerable resistance in the TCI.
Consultative Forum Chair Lillian Missick told RTC news QUOTE:- Not in a pigs eye will that happen.
TCI Senior Leadership appointments (Deputy Secretary)
As part of its public sector reform programme, TCI Government is reducing the number of ministerial departments. New Permanent Secretaries are in the process of being appointed and applications are now invited for the Deputy Secretary posts that will help them lead the new ministries through significant change.
These are important senior leadership roles transforming the effectiveness and efficiency of public services. Several positions are available and successful applicants will be appointed to the most appropriate ministries.
Applicants will need to be TCI Belongers or demonstrate strong and permanent links with the islands. Previous government experience is not a pre-requisite and applications are invited from anyone with relevant leadership and management experience. Applications will be welcomed from current TCI civil servants with relevant experience, skills and potential without regard to current seniority.
Candidates need to be creative and strategic thinkers, with real leadership ability as well as a relevant level of financial understanding.
Change-oriented and with a record of getting things done through people, they will be persuasive communicators, orally and on paper, able to manage complex stakeholder relationships. Above all they will be of unquestionable integrity, with the courage to insist on, and exemplify, the highest moral standards and behaviours.
For further details, including how to apply, please visit the TCIG website @www.gov.tc or telephone Cyre Ferguson +1 649 232 2447.
Applications received after midnight on Sunday 15th January 2012 may not be considered.
96 Hour Crime Recap between Providenciales & Grand Turk
Media relations Officer Detective Inspector Calvin Chase, yesterday issued a ninety-six hours (96) crime update, where Police in Providenciales responded to twenty-three (23) incidences of crime, that although some may have been serious in nature, none of the injuries were said to be life threatening.
Included in the (23) incidences of crime for Providenciales, were:-
15 Burglaries: which included 5 in Blue Hills, 3 on Airport Road, 1 on Leeward Highway, 1 in Chalk Sound, 1 in South Dock, 1 in Long Bay, 1 in Turtle Cove, 1 on Venetian Road and 1 on Industrial Park Road.
There was 1 Attempted Burglary Old Airport Road, 1 Vehicle Interference on Industrial Park Road, 4 reports of Theft one in The Bight, 1 in Blue Hills, 1 in Grace Bay and 1 in Duck Yard in Kew Town and there were 2 Attempted Robberies-Five Cays and Grace Bay.
According to Chase, during this period one male was arrested on suspicion of Theft in connection with a report made on 23rd December 2011.
Another male was arrested on suspicion of Handling Stolen Goods; one was arrested on suspicion of Imitation Firearm in connection with an incident on 26th December 2011; a male was arrested on suspicion of Wounding in connection with a report made on 28th August 2011; and three males were arrested on suspicion of committing a series of robberies in Providenciales.
A male was also charged for Possession of Ammunition in connection with a search warrant executed at his premises on 21st December 2011.
Meanwhile, also included in Chases ninety-six hours (96) crime wrap-up for Grand Turk, were the Police officers response to two (2) reports of serious nature; namely Burglary in Overback and wounding in West Road.
He said a male was arrested on suspicion for breach of bail conditions, resisting arrest and escaping lawful custody as it relates to an incident on 20th December 2011.
A female was also arrested on suspicion of wounding in connection with an incident on 27th December 2011. She was later granted Police bail with a surety to return to the Grand Turk Police Station on 2nd January 2012 to be further dealt with.
Also here in Grand Turk, male was arrested and charged for obstruction, resisting arrest and assault on a Police officer in connection with an incident at the Library Tennis Court on 24th December 2011. He is scheduled to appear in the Grand Turk Magistrates Court on 9th January 2012 to answer to those charges.
24 Hour Crime Recap in Providenciales
An updated 24 hour crime report from Providenciales Police, show that in that time frame, officers responded to ten (10) reports of a serious nature, which included
Five (5) Burglaries 4 in Turtle Cove and 1 on Millennium Highway
Two (2) Attempted Burglaries in Turtle Cove and Kew Town
One (1) Vehicle Interference in Turtle Cove
One (1) Theft on Airport Road and
One (1) report of Taking Motor Vehicle without Authority in Juba Sound.
Detective Inspector also noted that one male was arrested on suspicion of Murder/Robbery in connection with the incident at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) on Friday 16th December 2011, which resulted in the death of a Haitian national and serious injuries to another Haitian national, both security guards, who had gone to make a deposit at the bank.
On Thursday evening 28th December 2011 Police Officers from the Marine Division intercepted an illegal 40ft wooden sloop in the area of French Cay which is within the territorial waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands. That sloop was towed to South Dock where a total of 117 irregular immigrants namely (90 males, 21 females and 6 female children) were handed over to Immigration Authorities.
The full details of that coming up in a multi agency press statement.
Meanwhile, during the past twenty-four hours in Grand Turk, officers responded to one (1) report of Theft at South Base.
ACCU Nutrition in the IGA Plaza Complex
Healthy eating habits continue to be promoted within the Turks and Caicos Islands and with the Christmas holiday where persons are more inclined to forego their diet and gorge on the ham, turkey and all the trimmings, now is as good a time as any to think about getting and healthier.
The TCI community is being introduced to ACCU Nutrition, which is being described as an annual Move-a-thon that is expected to raise funds to help schools incorporate better nutrition in their daily routine.
Participants are encouraged to either walk, run or bike.
The events organizer, Tamika Handfield, says all proceeds raised will be donated to a selected school, with the understanding that the funds are to be used on any project that will enhance the nutritional well-being of the studentsimproved school lunches, nutrition education/cooking classes, developing well balanced menus or improvements to kitchens.
ACCU Nutrition will be held in the IGA Plaza Complex on Saturday, January 14, 2012 from 5:30am until 8:30am and Registration fees for the event are:
~ $20 Individuals
~ $10 Children
~ $15 Corporate group of 10 or more persons
~ $15 for a family of 4 members or more
If you have further questions, you can contact Tamika via email: tamikahandfield@yahoo.com or tel: 442-3978/242-3978.
Third TCI airline approved
It would seem as if competition for the skies will be a little more open now with the coming on stream of yet another airline, adding to the two that now offer air services in the TCI.
It has been reported that the newly incorporated Sky Cruise Airlines has received its license to operate in and from the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The oldest operation is currently Air Turks and Caicos (ATC), which is headed by Lyndon Gardiner who bought out the routes of the then Sky King Airlines, formerly owned by Haitian national Harold Charles.
The second airline is Caicos Express, which is owned and operated by two partners Fred Registre and Belonger Richie Arthur, says he is frustrated with the perception in TCI that there is a monopoly for interisland travel.
Caicos Express Airways was approved to fly passengers between Providenciales and Grand Turk and begun its schedule service Dec. 5 just in time for the busy Christmas holiday.
The carrier, which already provided service to Salt Cay, is reportedly flying its nine-seat Cessnas four times a day, seven days a week to the capital island, leaving Provo at 7:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 2:45 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Fares are expected to be $170 walk up and $160 three days in advance, said Caicos Express owner Richardson Arthur.
The new Skycruise Airways expects to provide daily interisland service to Grand Turk, Providenciales, North Caicos and South Caicos, and service three times a week to Salt Cay, using a 19-seat Twin Otter aircraft for most flights.
On some busier flights between Grand Turk and Providenciales, Skycruise expects to use a 30-seat Jetstream 41 twin-propeller plane, a 50-seat CRJ-200 jet or a 72-seat CRJ-700 jet. Those same aircraft would be used for international service to Ft. Lauderdale, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Bahamas and Antigua.
Both Caicos Express and Air Turks and Caicos have objected to Skycruises proposal, saying the country is too small for a third local airline.
The man behind the new airline Sky Cruise airline is former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) Shaun Malcolm, who had come under
criticism, with one of his competitors saying he knows nothing about planes or the airline to run such a business. Allegedly, Malcolm is, only a front, with other Turks and Caicos island belongers and foreign interests playing a major part in the operational plans and finances of the airline.
96 Hour Crime Recap – Providenciales
During the past ninety-six hours (96) Police in Providenciales responded to twenty-three (23) reports of a serious nature:
15 Burglaries: 5-Blue Hills, 3-Airport Road, 1-Leeward Highway, 1-Chalk Sound, 1-South Dock, 1-Long Bay, 1-Turtle Cove, 1-Venetian Road and 1 Industrial Park Road.
1 Attempted Burglary – Old Airport Road ,
1 Vehicle Interference – Industrial Park Road,
4 Theft –The Bight, Blue Hills, Grace Bay & Duck Yard Kew Town and
2 Attempted Robberies-Five Cays and Grace Bay.
During the said period one male was arrested on suspicion of Theft in connection with a report made on 23rd December 2011.
A male was arrested on suspicion of Handling Stolen Goods.
A male was arrested on suspicion of Imitation Firearm in connection with an incident on 26th December 2011.
A male was arrested on suspicion of Wounding in connection with a report made on 28th August 2011.
Three males were arrested on suspicion of committing a series of robberies in Providenciales.
Stevie Wonder to Get $1M for New Year’s Eve Gig
Add Stevie Wonder to the list of stars rumored to be getting big bucks to perform New Year’s Eve.
According to The New York Post, the R&B legend will earn $1 million to play the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas on Dec. 31, as the resort celebrates its first year in business. But Wonder’s big-ticket payday looks like a bargain compared to last year when the Cosmopolitan shelled out a reported $1 million each for Coldplay and Jay-Z to play.
The casino hotel spent up to $25 million for its New Year’s Eve opening weekend bash overall.
Elsewhere on the Strip, “Modern Family” actress Sofia Vergara will host a countdown at Hyde Las Vegas, marking the opening for the nightclub at the Bellagio. Vergara steps in after organizers were in talks with Sean “Diddy” Combs and Justin Timberlake to host the event, but couldn’t reach an agreement
Tarnished celebs reinvent themselves in 2011
As fast as Charlie Sheen fell from Hollywood's good graces at the start of 2011, he made his comeback even faster.
Thanks in large part to his public apology at the 63rd Emmy Awards, Sheen will welcome the new year with a clean slate -- and a new TV show slated to premiere next summer.
But it wasn't tiger blood that allowed the self-proclaimed warlock to turn his life around so quickly. It was the magic of celebrity.
The entertainment industry is always quick to forgive celebrities, said Eileen Koch, owner of Eileen Koch and Co. public relations firm in Los Angeles.
Once celebrities own up to their wrongdoings and apologize, Koch said, it's easy for them to get back on track -- often with help from a skilled team of handlers and image consultants.
Fellow comeback kid David Arquette can attest.
After separating from Courteney Cox in October 2010, and sharing TMI on Howard Stern's Sirius radio show, Arquette checked himself into a live-in rehab facility at the beginning of the year.
In April, the same month "Scream 4" hit theaters, the actor appeared on "The Tonight Show" to celebrate 100 days of sobriety. And with a spot on the 13th season of "Dancing With the Stars," Arquette was back in business.
One reason it's so easy for celebrities to bounce back from scandal or personal issues is because when they hit rock bottom, they're doing it with money and connections to boot, Hollywood image consultant Michael Sands said.
And as nice as disposable income can be during a crisis, their connections shouldn't be discounted.
Arquette wouldn't have rebounded so quickly if he hadn't been in the public eye each week on "Dancing With the Stars," Koch said. With Cox and their daughter, Coco, in the audience supporting him, viewers saw a wonderful family image.
"Even I fell in love with him through that show," she added.
But without a willing client, Koch said, such connections are irrelevant.
Stan Rosenfield, Sheen's ex-publicist, might agree.
Rosenfield resigned in February after representing Sheen for about seven years -- through the actor's dismissal from "Two and a Half Men."
Sheen obviously wasn't cooperative for a while, Koch said, referring to the actor's media outbursts, including a "no-holds-barred" live interview with TMZ in which Sheen ripped into his "Two and a Half Men" bosses and talked about one day sharing his "epic" drug stories with his children.
But once celebrities apologize and man up to what they've done, Koch said, the industry is usually quick to forgive. And when that happens, the fans will follow suit.
Chris Brown has certainly benefited from this cycle as well.
The singer, who pleaded guilty to assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, surprised viewers with a high-energy performance at the MTV Music Video Awards in August.
Koch said it's much easier for a self-destructive celebrity to rebound than it is for someone such as Brown, but "the music industry has forgiven him now. So (his fans) are starting to."
Of course, this year hasn't been all steps in the right direction for Brown. He raised his voice and stormed off the "Good Morning America" set in March after being asked about the Rihanna assault.
By being respectful, apologizing and focusing on his work, Brown has slowly started to rise above his problems, publicists agree.
Brown did what celebrities should do when plagued by scandal -- focus on the work, said Samantha von Sperling, director at Polished Social Image Consultants.
Brown's album "Graffiti," released in 2009, received mostly negative reviews from critics. "F.A.M.E.," however, was met with praise -- debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in March.
Britney Spears was also due for a turnabout this year -- having been on the mend since her public meltdown in 2007.
The pop princess released "Femme Fatale," her sixth chart-topping album, in March. She received the MTV Video Vanguard Award at the VMAs in August. And she confirmed her engagement to her former manager, Jason Trawick, on December 16.
The media was quick to acknowledge Spears' comeback.
In a post about her March appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," the Los Angeles Times said, "Whoever's managing Britney Spears these days is doing a pretty great job."
Koch said, "I love Britney. She didn't do anything wrong. She got sick. People were very mean to her and they shouldn't have been. ... I don't worry about her anymore. She got it together, and she has a strong team behind her."
At that level of celebrity, Koch added, a star's team is everything. "They can block a lot of stress for you. Tell you why you shouldn't pay attention to this or that. ... The average person doesn't have that kind of support."
Now at 30, Spears finally seems to have her life back on track, which von Sperling said makes her a good example for one of 2011's most notorious celebrities: Lindsay Lohan.
But things may be looking up for the tabloid-prone Lohan.
Already on probation for two 2007 drunken-driving convictions, Lohan is required to complete community service after being sentenced in May in the theft of a necklace.
On December 14, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge praised the 25-year-old for complying with her probation requirements.
Moreover, Lohan's Playboy pictorial "is breaking sales records," Hugh Hefner tweeted on December 18.
"(Lohan is) not a diplomat," von Sperling said. "She's a blond bombshell movie star, so a Playboy cover makes sense. ... But she needs to do another film. And for her sake, it better be a good one ... not some bubblegum crap."
Like Spears, von Sperling said Lohan has time on her side.
The industry is less likely to forgive older celebrities, Koch agreed, adding that celebrities should be able to pull it together by their late 20s. And then there's Sheen, she joked.
"Instead of doing a one-man rant directed by nobody," von Sperling said, "(Sheen) should assemble a team of brilliant comedy writers ... pay them their weight in gold and produce a film."
But his FX comedy, "Anger Management," to air in the summer, may be close enough for now.
And while some people call Sheen's "Violent Torpedo of Truth" tour and public outbursts a fiasco, others are dubbing it a genius marketing ploy.
"(Sheen has) had his problems," image consultant Sands said. "But I think he got it right this whole year. He created a great persona and a great character, and I think this was a great act on his part."
Regardless of how people choose to read into Sheen's tumultuous year, it would appear he's on his way back to the top.
"We're all rooting for Charlie," von Sperling said. "Every time we turn on 'Two and a Half Men' I think we miss him. Because, as charming as Ashton Kutcher is, he's not Charlie Sheen."