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Cayman Islands News, Articles and InformationG. Chambers Williams III: J.D. Power rankings include surprisesPorsche, Lexus, Hyundai, Toyota and Jaguar were the biggest winners in the latest J.D. Power quality rankings for new cars.Tops on the list was luxury German sports car maker Porsche, leading the pack as the least-troublesome auto brand for 2006, followed closely by Lexus, Hyundai, Toyota, and Jaguar. But beleaguered General Motors Corp. also had a strong showing in the survey, outranking domestic rivals Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group, as well as some of the top European brands. Rounding out the Top 10 were Honda, Cadillac and Infiniti (tied for No. 7), GMC Truck, and Acura. The survey, J.D. Power's 2006 Initial Quality Study, ranks manufacturers by the number of reported problems per 100 vehicles during the first 90 days of ownership.
US newspaper story creating a Caribbean stormAN article in the Washington Post could become the first "storm" to hit the Cayman Islands and the rest of the Caribbean in the hurricane season, which officially began on 1 June.Appearing in the 4 June edition is a story headlined "Storm Warning: Choose Your Caribbean Island Wisely" which sought to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of holidaying in the region at this time. Written by staff writer Gary Lee, the article stated that the cheap low-season hotel discounts are very attractive but they came at a time when "treacherous" weather is predicted. "At least one study is predicting that the run of storms in 2006 will be as treacherous as last year's record season," he wrote. There has so far been no response from tourism organisations in the Caribbean on what could possibly be bad press for a region slowly recovering from the fallout from the September 11 terror attacks in the US in 2001, as well as the impact of Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. Grand Bahama Island in the Bahamas was listed as the one most likely to be hit by a storm, given that it has been struck by 40 hurricanes in the past 150 years for an average of one every four years. Competition winner heads to Latin AmericaLocally based radio conglomerate, dms Broadcasting Ltd which owns HOT 104.1 FM, 106.1 KISS FM and X 107.1) recently offered its advertising clients a chance to win a range of door prizes, as well as a grand prize in a promo to thank them for their support.Manager, John Briggs of Azzurro, the Italian Cafe and Pastry Shop in Buckingham Square, and 106.1 KISS FM advertiser, was awarded with the grand prize of a trip from travel agent, Latin Tours worth $2,500. "dms Broadcasting was pleased to be able to show our appreciation for our advertising partners, and their continued business,"said dms Broadcasting's Operations Manager, Steve Jones. "We look forward to many more years of providing local businesses with first-class, customized marketing packages, made up of exciting promotions, events and other innovative advertising techniques." dms Broadcasting is a subsidiary of dms Organization, a business conglomerate engaged in the financial services, retail, real estate, media, and entertainment industries. Sizzling international demand for NZ lawyersProfessionals, including lawyers, made up the largest percentage of permanent departures from New Zealand in the year to June 2005, when government statistics show those departures increased by 13 per cent.Jonathan Walmsley, director of Sydney-based legal recruitment agency Dolman, predicts New Zealand lawyers will continue to contribute to those departures as non-traditional legal markets open up. While New Zealand lawyers from tier one firms in Auckland and Wellington are 'tried and tested' in the traditional overseas markets of Australia, the UK, and Asia, those markets are now also considering employing New Zealand lawyers from boutique firms, said Walmsley. This is particularly so in the corporate and finance areas, where the demand for lawyers has grown exponentially.
JD Power study shows vehicle design plays critical roleThe way in which technology is integrated into new-vehicle design, particularly interior features and controls, is considered by consumers to be as important to quality as are defects and malfunctions, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Initial Quality Study released June 7. The study is in its 20th year.The Initial Quality Study, which serves as the industry benchmark for new-vehicle quality measured at 90 days of ownership, has been completely redesigned for 2006 to capture problems experienced by owners in two distinct categories - quality of design and quality of production (defects and malfunctions). "New vehicles today are often packed with new technologies that unfortunately can be complicated and frustrating for the average consumer when their integration is not well executed," said Joe Ivers, executive director of quality and customer satisfaction research for J.D.
Doubt about food security: Flexibile wheat procurement policyThe Government decision to pay market price for the domestic wheat bought by the state procurement agencies to support the public distribution system not only blunts the criticism about importing wheat but also introduces a welcome flexibility in food procurement policy. However, the move to import wheat, after a gap of five years has stirred a fresh controversy about India's tendering process and doubts about the claims that we have achieved food security. Even as the Government inked the deal to import 500,000 tonnes of wheat from Australia and announced it would import another 3 million tonnes, newspaper reports said the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) had paid some 2.5 million Australian dollars into a bank account in Cayman Islands in 1998, apparently as commission, for the import of 2 million tones wheat, during Prime Minister Gujral's tenure.
Swimmers give to Cayman Loves ChildrenThe Cayman swim community made a significant contribution to Cayman Loves Children (CLC) this month. Peter Mackay, president of the Cayman Islands Amateur Swimming Association (CIASA), presented CLC members with a check for $1,220. The money was a joint donation from CIASA and the organizers of last month’s Bank of Butterfield Sea Swim.Cayman Loves Children is a local group dedicated to raising awareness about the impact of severe poverty on children worldwide. All money raised by CLC is forwarded to UNICEF, said a spokesperson. CLC members Marzeta Bodden and Adishree Mani thanked CIASA and all the swimmers who gave. They also applauded the compassion of sea swim organizer Bill McFarland for dedicating the race to CLC. Log on to www.caymanloveschildren.org to learn about the 10 million children who die each year because they are poor.
Eleven succumb to champions BarbariansFIJI Barbarians outshone eleven other teams on their way to the gold medal position of the 2006 Deloitte 2006 Cayman International Sevens rugby tournament last weekend.The 9 to 10 June contest was held at the Truman Bodden stadium in George Town, Grand Cayman in spite of persistent showers. After leading Pool B with nine points at the close of the opening day on Friday, Barbarians crushed last year's champions Deloitte Sumarai 23-5 in the finals on Saturday. Before the lifting the of the championship cup, Barbarians overcame Clan Construction Marauders 26-5 and Butterfield Bank Nova 17-5 in the preliminary round of the two-day annual competition. In the semi-finals on Saturday, Barbarians whipped Pool C leaders Heineken Susies Exiles 21-0 to the delight of several hundreds of spectators who braved the inclement weather condition. Samurai, who topped Pool A with nine points, romped past MCS Royal Navy 50-0 and Susies Exiles 29-10 to land themselves a semi-final berth against Nova who they 27-7. But Samurai could not duplicate their form in the finals to hold on to the championship title, which they won in 2005. |
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