Mad magazine cartoonist Jack Davis dies aged 91
Cartoonist Jack Davis, the "long-time legendary" artist on the US magazine Mad, has died at the age of 91.
Davis, who also created posters for films such as The Long Goodbye and Bananas, was one of the founding artists on the publication in 1952.
He contributed to the magazine for several decades, drawing many portraits of its mascot Alfred E Neuman. Mad art director Sam Viviano said Davis' "immediately recognisable style revolutionised comic illustration".
Turks & Caicos Civil Servants attend UNICEF Training in St. Lucia
Ms. Rikardia Pardo, Deputy Director, Department of Disaster Management & Emergencies and Ms. Ashley Adams, Deputy Director, Department of Social Development recently attended a three day "Train the Trainers" workshop, on a recovery management program, called "Return to Happiness" in Saint Lucia.
The workshop was conducted by Saint Lucia’s, Ministry of Social Transformation Local Government and Community Empowerment in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund-UNICEF on 27th to 29th June, 2016.
The aim of the psychosocial program design was to equip the 26 participants from across the region with the necessary skills, to assist children to externalize their feelings after any traumatic event. Creating an opportunity for children between the ages of 5-12 years, who have experienced a natural or man-made disaster, to process their experiences through a series of guided play activities for the purpose of reducing their post disaster anxieties and begin to re-establish their sense of joy, happiness, security and confidence in adult protection.
The program uses various child friendly methodologies, such as drawings, songs of hope, games and puppets to facilitate children in expressing themselves. It also creates an opportunity for children who are adversely traumatized during the event, to receive further psychological examination and counseling.
Ms. Adams stated; “Sometimes during and following traumatic events children are often forgotten. In the wake of a traumatic event, you may be filled with worry or sadness. Yet no matter how concerned or overwhelmed you may feel, as parents and teachers you have the power to help children recover; guiding them through their fears and grief, and preventing them from suffering lasting psychological effects."
The UNICEF Return to Happiness Programme is not new to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Following the impacts of Hanna and Ike on the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2008 and the Ona Glinton Primary School fire in 2010, the Return to Happiness Programme proved very therapeutic for both teachers and students who were traumatized by the experienced.
Economic Development in the Turks and Caicos Islands a priority for FortisTCI
Capital investments by FortisTCI (the Company) are boosting economic development and transforming the electricity infrastructure throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands. Major investments were recently made on North Caicos and Grand Turk. Upcoming planned investments in utility-scale solar energy by way of a recently signed MOU with the Rocky Mountain Institute - Carbon War Room will also serve as a support for the development of renewable energy projects across several islands including Salt Cay and South Caicos.
On Grand Turk, $3.2 million dollars has been invested in necessary infrastructure upgrades at the energy plant in South Base. The project awarded through tender to local contractor Rolle Construction includes the demolition of an old building that formally served as a part of a U.S. Military Base. At the time, the demolition created at least 12 jobs that included training provided by a U.S. Company headquartered in Florida named EE&G Environmental Services, LLC. The training imparted knowledge and new skill sets on the handling and disposal of hazardous material to all persons assigned to the project. Phase two includes the construction of a new multipurpose building to house a workshop, personnel offices, and storage space, and is expected to employ up to approximately 20 persons during construction. Work will begin on August 1, 2016.
Investments on North Caicos totalling nearly $1 Million for a substation, generation, and related infrastructure project, will help to increase reliability to customers in North and Middle Caicos. The project was completed in July 2016 by local contractors Charlie’s Construction responsible for the civil works, and TC Industrial responsible for all Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) work.
Other upcoming projects include the relocation of the submarine transmission cable at Heaving Down Rock in Providenciales and the introduction of 1 Mega Watt (MW) worth of utility-scale solar energy installed across the FortisTCI service territory.
President and CEO of FortisTCI Eddinton Powell said, “Investments such as these are critical to the development of a world-class electricity service across the Turks and Caicos Islands. The North Caicos substation and generation project, together with the relocation and upgrade of the submarine transmission cable [which is currently susceptible to frequent damage by passing boats] are a part of the Company's long-term plan to produce significant renewable energy in North Caicos and will eventually connect all the way to South Caicos.”
Fighting flares again in South Sudan capital after U.N. demand for restraint
Fighting and gunfire erupted in South Sudan's capital today Monday, a day after the U.N. Security Council told rivals President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Mac-har to rein in their forces and end days of violence.
Scores of people have been killed in the fighting which first erupted on Thursday between Kiir loyalists and supporters of Machar, who led rebels during a two-year civil war. Renewed clashes have raised fears of a return to full-blown conflict
The UN Security Council has called on warring factions in South Sudan to immediately end the recent fighting and prevent the spread of violence.
In a unanimous statement, the council condemned the fighting "in the strongest terms" and expressed "particular shock and outrage" at attacks on UN sites.
It also called for additional peacekeepers to be sent to South Sudan.
More than 200 people are reported to have died in clashes since Friday.
Relations between the two men have been fractious since independence in 2011. Despite a peace deal last year ending a civil war, each side accuses the other of bad faith.
The weekend's violence later escalated, with tanks, helicopter gunships and troops using rocket-propelled grenades involved.
International News 11th July, 2016
Berlin riot: 123 police injured in anti-gentrification protest
Police in Berlin say 123 officers were injured in clashes with leftist protesters over the redevelopment of a district in the east of the city.
About 3,500 protesters marched through Fried-richs-hain (FREED-RICKS-HAIN) on Saturday. Police said some were masked and threw missiles. The protest was the most violent in the past five years, they said.
Tensions have risen since moves began in June to evict squatters in the area. FREED-RICKS-HAIN has undergone rapid gen-tri-fi-cation in recent years.
About 1,800 police were deployed at the protest, which began peacefully but escalated into violence. Eighty-six people were arrested, police said.
Squatters are refusing to leave part of a block of flats at 94 Rigaer Strasse (RIGAR STRASSA). Since June, squads of police have been monitoring the building day and night, with helicopters circling overhead.
Police fired tear gas as shop windows were shattered and police cars damaged.
Many of the neighbours live in housing collectives and sympathise with the squatters, who see themselves as a left-wing alternative to gen-tri-fi-cation and rising rents.
During the protest, some neighbours beat spoons against pots in support of the squatters.
More protesters arrested, police say Dallas sniper plotted bigger assault
The U.S. military veteran who fatally shot five Dallas police officers last week was plotting a larger assault, authorities said, disclosing how he had taunted negotiators and written on a wall in his own blood before being killed.
Protests against U.S. police tactics continued for a third straight day on Sunday, with scores arrested in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after authorities warned that violence during street demonstrations over the fatal police shootings of two black men last week would not be tolerated.
Dallas Police Chief David Brown told CNN on Sunday Micah X. Johnson had improvised as he used "shoot-and-move" tactics to gun down officers during a demonstration on Thursday, the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since Sept. 11, 2001.
Brown said a search of Johnson's home showed the gunman had practised using explosives, and that other evidence suggested he wanted to use them against law enforcement officers.
"We're convinced that this suspect had other plans," he said. The fatal police shootings of two black men in Minnesota and Louisiana last week led the 25-year-old Texas shooter to "fast-track" his attack, Brown said.
Johnson, a black veteran who served in Afghanistan, took advantage of a spontaneous march that began toward the end of the protest over those killings. Moving ahead of the rally in a black Tahoe SUV, he stopped when he saw a chance to use "high ground" to target police, Brown said.
Johnson was killed by a bomb-equipped robot but Brown said before then he sang, laughed at and taunted officers, and said he wanted to "kill white people" in retribution for police killings of black people. "He seemed very much in control and very determined to hurt other officers," the police chief said.
Brown said police were caught off guard when protesters broke away from Thursday's demonstration, and were thus exposed as they raced to block off intersections ahead of the marchers.
Increase in number of expected storms for 2016 Atlantic hurricane season
FLORIDA, United States, Monday July 4, 2016 – An update in predictions for the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season point to an increase in the number of expected storms. It is anticipated it will be the most active season since 2012.
The highly respected Colorado State University (CSU) on Friday released an adjusted forecast which projects 15 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 2 major hurricanes, close to the 30-year average of 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes.
That forecast includes Hurricane Alex, a rare January hurricane, and tropical storms Bonnie, Colin and Danielle which previously formed, so it is expected there will be about 11 more storms before the November 30 end of the season.
The CSU team, headed by Dr. Phil Klotzbach, said this forecast is based on an extended-range early July statistical prediction scheme that was developed utilizing 34 years of past data.
“The two primary factors that we think may lead to an average season are the potential development of a weak La Niña and cooler-than-normal far North Atlantic sea surface temperatures. La Niña tend to favor an environment more favorable for Atlantic hurricane formation, while cool far North Atlantic sea surface temperatures may force higher-than-normal pressures and stronger trades in the tropical Atlantic for the peak of the hurricane season,” the CSU said.
“Coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them, and they need to prepare the same for every season, regardless of how much activity is predicted,” it further warned.
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued its forecast at the end of May, calling for 10 to 16 named storms, 4 to 8 hurricanes and 1 to 4 major hurricanes.
It said at the time that while there is a 45 percent chance of a near-normal, there is also a 30 percent chance of an above-normal season and a 25 percent chance of a below-normal season.
Trinidad, region say goodbye to Patrick Manning
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Sunday July 10, 2016 – The life of former Trinidad and Tobago prime minister Patrick Manning was honoured Saturday in a State funeral at which hundreds shed tears, but also smiled and even laughed, as family and close friends shared their memories and spoke about his accomplishments.
The tributes that began when Manning died on July 2, just a day after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of blood and bone marrow cancer, were reiterated and expanded at the three-hour service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the twin-island republic’s capital.
There were also calls for his legacy to be honoured through the revival of CARICOM and creation of a fund to assist CARICOM Member States.
Delivering the eulogy, his son, Brian Manning, proposed a fund in honour of his “hero”, telling the congregation that included local and regional politicians, regional officials, and supporters of the People’s National Movement (PNM) which Manning led up until 2010, that his father lived a life of love and service, not focused on the accumulation of wealth but where the world was left a better place, and no other reason.
“I would like, with the approval of the government of Trinidad and Tobago, to establish at the International Financial Centre a fund designed to finance the construction of homes for low-income earners region wide, in recognition of my father’s spirit of generosity and support for our Caribbean neighbours.
“This fund will appropriately be called the Patrick Manning Development Fund and would be made accessible to every member of CARICOM and also, include our brothers and sisters in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and, of course, Cuba,” he added.
President Anthony Carmona added that it would be a “committed gesture to his legacy” if CARICOM leaders resuscitated the integration movement “charted by Mr. Manning’s vision of the Caribbean as being a potent force on the world stage”.
For his part, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley described Manning as one of Trinidad and Tobago’s finest sons, who made public service honourable.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, who visited Manning in hospital a few days before his death, was one of several regional leaders and dignitaries who travelled for the funeral. Others included St Lucia’s Prime Minister Allan Chastanet, Prime Minister of Grenada Dr Keith Mitchell, former prime minister of Grenada, Tillman Thomas, The Bahamas’ former leader Hubert Ingraham, and CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin La Rocque.
Gonsalves, whose friendship with Manning began in the 1960s when they attended the University of the West Indies Mona Campus, spoke of the love he had for his “real tight political buddy” and fellow August-born, and criticized those who had turned on the man who gave decades of service to the twin-island republic and the region.
Following the service, there was a private ceremony for Manning’s family and his body was cremated at Belgroves Funeral Home in Tacarigua (TAC-CARRIGE-WA), in the East-West Corridor of the country.
Simpson Miller deplores brutal killing of 3-year-old girl
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller says as the wave of murders continue across the country, Jamaicans must be particularly incensed that children continue to be among the victims of these vile and senseless acts.
In a statement today, Simpson Miller deplored the killing of a three year-old girl in the Orange Hill Community of St Ann’s Bay, St Ann and expressed concerns about the wave of murders.
“I grieve with the parents, family members and the entire community at this senseless killing of one so young. I convey my sincere condolences to her parents at this time of great pain and loss,” Simpson Miller said.
The Opposition Leader said the killing represents a loss of potential as no one knows for sure the positive impact the young victim would have had on the society if she was given the opportunity to develop into an adult and contribute to the building of her community and nation.
“All well thinking Jamaicans must deplore and speak out against these gruesome acts of brutality against Jamaica’s children,” Simpson Miller added.
Camp Build a Boss" – Boys Camp
In an effort to continue to fulfil its mandate to develop policies and plans of action for intervention, as well as strategies that empower young boys and girls throughout the Turks & Caicos Islands; the Department of Gender Affairs under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Transportation and Communication, in partnership with the "Pine Cay Project" present its second annual boys summer camp "Camp Build a Boss" under the theme, "Explore and Create".
We believe that this camping experience will be one of a kind as it provides an opportunity for young men to 'get their hands dirty' and enjoy a week of working within various trade fields. We feel that the young men throughout Turks and Caicos Islands need more opportunities to participate in positive structured programmes that will affirm their duty to becoming productive citizens and taking their respective communities into a better tomorrow. It is our firm belief that this Camp experience would motivate them in the direction to accomplishing their goals, regardless of the task.
The main objectives of this Camp experience are to:
Create a foundation whereby, young men and boys can engage in a structured growth experience designed to aid in the discovery and enhancement of their leadership capabilities.
Provide young men and boys with a chance to work alongside trained professionals and very dedicated members of the various Construction Companies, Faith Base Organizations and members of the Civil Service, employees from the Public/Private sphere
Offer an opportunity for young men and boys to learn a skill in their area of interest - Auto Mechanics, Maintenance, Carpentry, Electricity, Home Repairs, Painting, Music, Diving, Swimming, Snorkelling, Cooking, Plumbing, Imaging, Cooking, and Woodwork Artwork etc.
The camping experience will include short sessions on:-
Physical Education
Increasing Self Awareness
Identifying and coping with feelings
Learning technical/vocational skill of interest
Communication Skills
Setting Boundaries
Overcoming Fears
Anger management
Peer pressure
There will be lots of fun and games from dominoes to marble games, kite flying etc.
Due to the resounding feedback, the department has decided to make this an annual event. The Camp is scheduled to be held in Salt Cay and North/Middle Caicos for a duration of five (5) days commencing August 8 – 12, 2016 and August 15-19 (North Caicos). It targets young men and boys ages 10 – 15 years.
Registration is FREE!! For further details please visit the Department of Gender Affairs, Clara Garland Building, Grand Turk Or call 338-2681/ 338-2686 or 247-6233
Reagan would-be assassin John Hinckley Jr to be released
John Hinckley Jr, the man who tried to assassinate US President Ronald Reagan, is to be released from a psychiatric hospital next month after 35 years. Mr Reagan and three others were injured in the shooting outside a hotel in Washington in March 1981. Mr Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity but was sent for treatment to a Washington hospital. He has already been spending 17 days a month at his mother's home in Virginia under strict conditions. A judge ruled that Mr Hinckley, now 61, could reside full-time there on "convalescent leave" from 5 August.