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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7 and Channel 5
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The San Pedro Sun

Actun Tunichil Muknal facilities inaugurated
Actun Tunichil Muknal Items-2On Thursday, March 7, 2013, the Belize Tourism Board hosted media and stakeholders at the official inauguration of the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) archaeological site. The Actun Tunichil Muknal lies in the heart of the Tapir Mountain Forest Reserve approximately 45 minutes from San Ignacio town. It is one of the most spectacular subterranean Mayan archaeological sites in the region, characterized by a series of chambers (some requiring swimming access) housing substantial remains of sacrificial ceremonies that includes pottery and human remains. The cave system was discovered in 1989 and opened to the public in 1998, with current visitation restricted to specific tour operators. The ticket office is several hundred yards before the car park within a joint station with Belize Audubon Society presence for managing Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve.

Re: CITES March Conferences. An Op-Ed by Ambassador Vinay Thummalapally
In observance of the upcoming Conference of the Parties for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Embassy requests that you print the attached Op Ed by Ambassador Thummalapally in your newspaper this week. The meeting in March will consider listing a number of marine species in CITES, including proposals to list the oceanic whitetip shark, three species of hammerhead sharks, porbeagle sharks and manta rays. Op Ed by Ambassador Thummalapally: It is difficult to put on paper the beauty of watching the sun rise over the ocean while heading out to sea for a day on the water. I have seen Belize’s extensive biodiversity while snorkeling off of the cayes, including a variety of sharks and stingrays. The United States and Belize have long worked hand in hand to protect our natural heritage, especially in the sea. Sharks and manta rays are important to ocean ecosystems, and the United States is concerned about the conservation status of species that are increasingly affected by international trade. These species are all biologically vulnerable to over-exploitation, as a long-lived, low productivity species. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a valuable tool to address the threats posed by unsustainable global trade in shark and manta ray parts and products, including fins, meat, and gill plates.

Saga Humane Society says THANK YOU!!
The San Pedro Saga Humane Society would like to offer our sincere thanks to all the people and businesses that helped make February 2013 a great start to Operation SNIP (Spay/Neuter Initiative Program). To celebrate Saga HS completed 60 free spay/neuters the week of World Spay Day, February 26, 2013. World Spay Day is an annual campaign of Humane Society International and The Humane Society of the United States that shines a spotlight on spay/neuter—a proven way to save the lives of companion animals, feral cats, and street dogs who might otherwise be put down in a shelter or killed on the street. Operation SNIP is Saga HS ongoing plan to sterilize 75% of the islands’ animal population in the next 3-5 years. This was a great partnership between local businesses and visiting animal welfare professionals from the USA. Dr. Don Tummons of Duck Hollow Animal Hospital in Uniontown, PA, Mary Maykuth, Heather Beck of K9 Lifeline in Draper, UT are superstars for coming to assist Saga HS with this event! Thanks also Ken and Joanne Hibbard of Durango, CO for visiting local schools to talk about the importance of being a responsible pet owner and helping with our new education program for kids and to Matt Beatty for the donation of Hip to Snip stickers and Saga banners. Our deepest thanks to these dedicated professionals for using their knowledge, money, vacation time and skill to help the animals and their owners on Ambergris Caye.

Enjoying the bird’s eye view
Every time I take the Tropic Air plane to and from the city (or really, anywhere over the water), I check to see if I can snag the co-pilot’s seat. Not only do I get to see my little house as we fly past the southern tip of the island, but for about those precious minutes when I am in the air, I am afforded the most gorgeous views of our breathtaking Caribbean Seas. Ranging from deep, almost navy blue to the iridescent aquamarine that’s just the stuff of dreams, to shimmering jades, there can’t possibly be a better view from above. When the wind is blowing especially hard from the north, the pilots choose their safest route and take what we call the scenic way out of the island. There is nothing more astounding than the views of north Ambergris Caye, the jagged edges of the Meso-American reef a foamy white that stretches onward, until it meets land at Rocky Point.

Misc Belizean Sources

Fisherfolk engage on regional fisheries policies
A four-day regional consultation on small-scale fisheries, the most extensive fisheries subsector in the Caribbean, has paved the way forward for fisherfolk to become more active in shaping and implementing policy and better poised to play a more impactful role in steering the way forward, even as critical challenges such as overfishing; illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; and weak policy implementation confront the region. Representatives of the Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Organisations Coordinating Unit (CNFO-CU), national fisherfolk organizations (NFOs), and NFO Steering Committees from 15 CARIFORUM member states last week attended the CTA/CRFM/CNFO Consultation to formulate Small-scale Fisheries Governance Arrangements for the Caribbean, held at Grand Coastal Hotel in East Coast Demerara, Guyana. “Today’s gathering is… making sure that our fisherfolk, the people who are actually the ones keeping this industry alive, are very much part of this [common fisheries] policy—not only in the crafting of it, not only in the adoption of it, but also in its implementation,” said Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy in ceremonies held to kick off the event.

BAKED PLANTAIN WITH CHEESE
6 ripe plantains 1-2 tbs melted butter 6 thick slices of Happy Cow Cheese Pre-heat oven to 350 F Peel the plantains, place them on a baking sheet and rub them with butter Bake the plantains for 30 minutes, then turn each one and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until golden on both sides. Remove the plantains from the oven, made a horizontal slit on the middle of each plantain, and stuff them with the cheese slices. In a few minutes the cheese will have melted, serve immediately ENJOY!!

LOVE FM

Day One Concludes For Belikin La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge
Day one of the 15th annual Belikin La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge was from San Ignacio to Banana Bank, a total of 49 miles. Finishing in first place was Belize Bank with a time of five hours, 16 minutes and 26 seconds, pulling in taking second place was BTL Cub Arms from Cor...

Minister Louis Farrakhan Prepares For Final Address to Belizeans
The Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan today hosted a press conference in Belize City as his six-day visit to Belize winds down. A number of issues was raised during the hour-long question and answer period. One of the first questions posed to Farrakhan was about the death of...

PG Town Council Holds Public Meeting
The Punta Gorda Town Council held a public meeting last night in this municipality. &nbs...;

Belize Cancer Society Receives Donation
When we hear the word cancer, it is not often that the picture of a child comes to mind. But according to Clinical Director at the Belize Cancer Society, Ivorene Bulwer there is a significant number of young Belizeans suffering from various forms of cancer Bulwer said the wor...

Woman of the Year Awarded In Belmopan
Former Government minister and speaker of the House of Representatives Sylvia Flores is this year’s woman of the year. Flores received the award today in Belmopan. Reporter Marion Ali has the story. MARION ALI "She has served in the capacity of...

CTV3

Principal Dishes Out About Students Who Beat Up Howler Monkey
Last night we told you about the badly injured Howler Monkey that was rescued by the Forestry Department after it was found behind the campus of the Belize High School of Agriculture on March 5th. The male monkey is presently being treated for its injuries yet all indications are that it might not survive. How the adult male monkey received its injuries is cause for speculation and a teacher and a group of students from the Belize High School of Agriculture located in the Village of San Lazaro in Orange Walk, are at the centre of the dispute. Allegations are that a teacher of the institution instructed a group of students to capture and kill the endangered species. Yesterday we were unable to get comment from the school but today Principal Cecilo Pech decided to speak out and clarified some of the allegations made against the institution. This adult male monkey is tonight suffering from injuries to its tooth, lip and from all indications can lose an eye. The animal is presently receiving treatment at Wild Tracks, a Monkey Rehabilitation Facility in Sarteneja Village in the Corozal District. We understand that veterinarians are doing everything possible to save the animal’s life. An online blog on Ambergriscaye.com states that a group of students captured the monkey in the nearby bushes behind the schools plantation area, after they were instructed by a teacher to do so because the monkey had defecated on him. The blog says that the students shot at the monkey with sling shots after which the animal was beaten and tied. Further allegations suggest that the group of male students carried the injured and bleeding monkey throughout the school flaunting what they had done. But as they say there are two sides to every story and today we went looking for the high school’s version of what happened.

Ceviche, Sal Picon, Everything Mexican at La Fonda Restaurant
If you enjoy eating Mexican food and like to snack on Sal Picon and Ceviche with an ice cold beer after a long day of work, then we got a place that you might want to visit. It’s called La Fonda Restaurant and proprietor Blanca Lopez told us why you should stop by. Blanca Lopez, La Fonda Restuarant “He notado que en más Chetumal, que nada lo hice porque de la economía, porque veo que está lleno de Chetumal Beliceños comiendo tacos. ¿Y cuánto cuesta un taco? 12 pesos. Eso es de 2 dólares de Belice. Así que le dije que yo pueda vender los mismos tacos por sólo 1.50, esto es mucho mejor y el dinero se quedará aquí en Belice. Tenemos un menú que lista todo tipo de comida mexicana. La comida es de México y Belice. Hicimos la ceremonia de inauguración y fue excelente. Gracias a Dios todo se vende. El arroz y el frijol terminado y estamos haciendo ceviche, sal picón y que también venden cervezas frías. " La Fonda Restaurant is located on the Northern Highway, in front of Rapidito Loans Pawn Shop.

Could It Be? A Drug Plane?
Tonight there are reports that a suspected drug plane crashed in a shallow inner lagoon off the New River near the Pueblo Viejo Ferry. We have been informed that early this morning, Corozal Police, BDF personnel, Civil Aviation Authority and other Law Enforcement Officials were dispatched to the area where they found a Cessna plane partially submerged in the water. So far we have unable to get in contact with Corozal Police but we understand that the plane was not found with any illegal cargo and no one was there to claim it. As to when the plane went down, that has not been revealed but reports suggest that it occurred just days ago. Of note is that this type of plane is known for carrying illicit drugs. We’ll bring you the full details of this story in Tuesday’s newscast.

New Board Of Directors At BSI
And in more news coming out of the Sugar Industry, today the Belize Sugar Industries Limited announced that they have a new Board of Directors. The newly constituted Board, formed by Jonathan Bamberger, Ricardo Lima, Celestino Ruiz and Armando Tabernilla, nominated by ESH Barbados SRL, Sir Manuel Esquivel, nominated by the Government of Belize and Arsenio Burgos, nominated by BSI Employee Holdings Ltd., met for the first time on Tuesday March 5th 2013. During the meeting, Arsenio Burgos was appointed Chairman of the Board. Burgos, who has been a long standing Director on the BSI Board, becomes the first Belizean appointed to the Chair. In a release sent out by BSI today, the company’s CEO Joey Montalvo states that Burgos’ appointment demonstrates ASR Group’s confidence in and respect for Belize and the Belize Sugar Industries Limited. For clarification, ESH (Barbados), SRL holds the majority shares in BSI and is a member of ASR Group.

FUN FUN FUN At The Expo
Today La Inmaculada Primary School held their annual business expo as part of their activities for Child Stimulation Month celebrated under the theme “Molding Today’s Learners into Tomorrow’s Leaders”. It is the second year that the expo is organized in order for students to interact with the business community and experience their products and services first hand. Carmelita Perez reporting Amidst this mornings hustle and bustle we found good deals and smiling faces as preschoolers and their parents enjoyed this year’s expo organized by preschool teachers of La Inmaculada Primary School. The event now forms part of the school’s annual list of activities for Child Stimulation Month. Similar to last year, a total of 12 businesses signed up for the event. Each business had their products on sale at unbeatable prices. If your taste bud was longing for ice cream, honey, pastries or even some delicious roast chicken then the expo was the place to be. Oneydi Carrillo- Preschool Teacher “This expo is intended for the kids to come and have fun and for them to learn about the business that we have here in our town. In this way they will be aware on how these businesses go about doing their things. For example, the Rain Forest Honey is giving a good description as to where honey comes from, why it is good and the local sweets that can be found here in Orange Walk Town.”

BMHS SWEEPS AWARDS AT National Science Fair
Another school that is in the news tonight is Bishop Martin High School but it’s on a positive note. Bishop Martin High School was one of 11 catholic high schools that participated in this year’s Belize Catholic Secondary High School National Science Fair that took place today in Cayo. The good news is that Bishop Martin was overwhelmingly victorious as they were named the overall champions of the competition. Bishop Martin entered four projects for the lower and upper level of the competition. Project “I-C, Vitamin C” won first place in the lower division, “Sugar Low” received first place in the upper division and project, “Fire Ablaze” received honorable mention. Bishop Martin High School was also named “Overall Champions” for the most wins. We’ll speak to the winners on Tuesday.

Happy International Women's Day
Various events over the last year have shown beyond doubt that there are gender inequality issues all over the world, including Belize that desperately needs to be dealt with. Women’s Month celebrated in March and International Women’s Day, observed today March 8th, has given people the chance to speak out against many issues affecting women, and to have their voices heard on a global scale. Here in Belize a number of activities are taking place in commemoration of International Women’s Month including the Belize Woman of the Year Award hosted by the U.S Embassy in Belize. The event took place this morning at the U.S Ambassador’s residence In Belmopan where ten outstanding Belizean women were recognized for their inspirational accomplishments and positive contributions their respective communities. Of note is that Orange Walk was represented by Victoria Hernandez, the former president of VOICE Orange Walk Branch. And while Hernandez and nine other women were being honored in Belmopan, here in Orange Walk, approximately 25 women’s group leaders and community leaders took part in a Leadership and Team Building Workshop organized by the Orange Walk Women’s Department.

For The Love Of The Sports
Today five primary schools in the Orange Walk District gathered at the Yo Creek Village Football Field where they participated in a male and female knockout football tournament. The friendly tournament has been taking place for the past 6 years and today the games were hosted by Yo Creek Compassion School. Principal of the school, Manuel Rejon, told us that over the years participating teams have learnt more about good sportsmanship. Manuel Rejon, Principal Yo Creek Compassion School “This year we added something else to the football marathon. We have a kiddie’s corner children can have items like toys and play games and win some prizes as well. We have for right now eight teams participating because some schools bring more than one team for the males. It is a knock out tournament and the winners advance to the second rounds and to the finales. Likewise with the females we have knockout tournaments, winners advance and it is a 20 minutes game for both male and female. From the start it has been exciting and I can see children having fun especially with the football happening at this moment. We can see the parents shouting and cheering for their teams. And I believe that schools in general that are here are having a great time.” The event also served as a fundraiser in which the money will be used to construct a side walk at the school.

Details Of The Dividends
On March 14th 2013 the Belize Sugar Industries Limited will payout three million dollars in dividend payment for the 2012 financial year, to BSI shareholders. The dividend payment was approved during the company’s Annual General Meeting held on March 5th based in accordance with the stipulation of the Subscription Deed. The imbursement amounts to approximately 6.8 cents per share based on BSI’s 44 million issued and fully paid shares existing prior to the company selling its majority shares to ASR on October 2nd, 2012. Today CTV3 News spoke via phone to BSI’s Financial Director Belizario Carballo Jr. who outlined the details of the payment. Belizario Carballo Jr.- BSI’s Financial Director “That dividend of 3 million Belize dollars will be distributed or paid out to shareholders on the basis of the shareholdings before the entry of ASR. So essentially it will be paid to the shareholders that existed before.

Farewell Chavez
More than 30 world leaders, countless athletes and left-wing celebrities, gathered at a music-filled state funeral honoring Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez today which took place in a military academy. Multitudes waited outside to start the day that ended with the swearing in of Chavez’s hand-picked successor as interim president, Nicolas Maduro. The streets outside Caracas Venezuela, took on a carnival atmosphere with military bands launching into marches and an expanse of supporters wearing red promoting Chavez's socialist party. A line to see Chavez's body, stretched 1.5 miles, was halted as the funeral got under way. In the funeral hall, more than 30 political leaders including Cuba's Raul Castro and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stood at attention before Chavez's flag-draped coffin. Belize was represented by Deputy Prime Minister, Honorable Gasper Vega. The glass-topped coffin, which had been opened since Wednesday, was shut for the funeral. Venezuela announced on Thursday that it would embalm Chavez's body and put it on permanent display. An election is due within 30 days and Maduro is expected to face opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, a young centrist state governor who lost to Chávez last October. International reports suggest that Maduro will probably be carried to victory on a wave of post-Chávez sympathy and grief.

Blogs

How to grow a banana tree
In answer to your questions on banana tree care, Yes bananas love gray water but not any with much bleach. Be aware they they will spread on their own and can inter fear with any plumbing in the area with their roots. Over the years they will take OVER a large area . For planting, three foot high plants would be the max .Any higher and all you have to do is get a sharp machete and chop off the stalk about 2 to 2.5 ‘ from the base and it will start to grow immediately from the center doing no harm. Once a banana has fruited it will produce no more bunches and at that time must be cut down to ground level. Others will be popping up to replace that one around the same area.

DandE’s Frozen Custard Shop in San Pedro, Belize: DON’T Call it Ice Cream
Some classics and some with a more tropical/Belizean flair. In case you don’t know what soursop is...check out this post. It’s one funky looking but delicious fruit. One quick thing: I had to give Eileen a call this morning to clarify the pronunciation of the name. Since the “DandE” is smushed together, is it DAN DEE’s (like I’ve been saying for years?) or is it D and E’s. I’ll leave you hanging (with breath that is baited) to find out the answer. The shop is filled with fun knick knacks, photos, toys and drawings by kids and adults about how they love DandE’s, love Eileen and Dan and how they love frozen custard.

Oh Happy Day!
The body clock appears to be getting more and more in sync at last. Woke up at 6 am this morning. Only an hour or so to retrieve now. Could be totally back in sync by the time we are heading back to Ambergris Caye, Belize! After five days of travelling and shopping (more of the latter than the former) Rose and I decided to treat ourselves today with a day of doing touristy type stuff instead of hitting the stores. So we decided to go to the Farmers Market (it had been highly recommended by Renee and Dave on Ambergris Caye). We went for a reasonably early breakfast in the hotel and once finished I went to sit in the car and set the co-ordinates in the Tom Tom (OK so I just entered the address) whilst waiting for Rose. Got slightly worried when a police car drove through the parking lot...

International Sources

Medwood gets Gold
Belize's Kenneth Medwood (C) runs to win the gold medal between Costa Rica's Gerald Drummond (L) and Guatemala's Gerber Blanco in the men's 400m hurdles final at the Central American Games in San Jose March 9, 2013

Belize vs El Salvador 2013 Battles in U21 Central American Games
Belize vs El Salvador 2013 (en vivo live score below) battles in the U21 Central American Games futbol match today March 9, 2013. Delivered by host country Costa Rica, the San Jose 2013 Central American Games (aka los X Juegos Centroamericanos en San José de Costa Rica) kicked off three days ago. The Games will last until March 16, officials remind news. Belize vs El Salvador 2013 (start time 10 am local time) is the second of three group round soccer games today. Belize played on March 7 in its first game but was dealt a dreadful defeat by host country Costa Rica. That ended in 3-0 final score, officials remind news. El Salvador, in contrast, destroyed Nicaragua in its opener. El Salvador delivered five goals and gave up none, news analyst note.

Windows God Mode – How To
Windows users on Windows 7 got a treat in a secret feature called God Mode that gave them access to just about ALL of the controls, settings and options built into Winodws. In this article we’ll walk you through unlocking God Mode in Win8. I am told this can be done with Windows Vista as well.

Video: cruising the river in Belize
I created this video with the YouTube Video Editor

March 9, 2013

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7 and Channel 5
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The March 6th, 2013 issue of The Northern Star is online HERE

This Week's Stories:

• The President of Venezuela Comandante, Hugo Chavez dies on 5th.March:
  The great President of Venezuela Commander Hugo Chavez died on 5th March, 2013 at approximately 3:55pm EST in the afternoon after battling cancer for over two years. The announcement of his death was made by his vice-president shortly after the President passed away. The rippling effect of a nation dashed into mourning, shock, confusion, uncertainty and despair could be felt all across the globe as the realization that this revolutionary commander who has transformed the image and way of life of the entire Nation of Venezuela both internally and externally, after fourteen years of successive leadership was gone. Countless Nations across the world have expressed their condolences to the Government and People of Venezuela while we in Belize, our other brothers and sister Nations of the Caribbean and Latin America have joined in mourning the loss of the President whose word was as good as gold and whose action assisted and uplifted the lives of countless poor in all our various countries.
• Editorial:
  The Media plays a critical role in the development of any nation. This role must be taken seriously and guarded by the same consciences that guide us every day in our very lives. There is also the question of Ethics, Moral Obligation and Social Responsibility which goes hand in hand with the principles of patriotism that should be embedded in the fulfillment of our duties in the media as the movers and shakers of this young nation called Belize. Wrong is wrong and right is right.Yes we must be responsible. I can recall vividly a certain headline which appeared in a local newspaper here in Belize which read, (The name of the person has been omitted by us so as to not cause further injury to the family...) “XYZ dies in accident with sweetheart!” That edition of that newspaper sold out that weekend but the damage it did to the surviving family members of the deceased has been irreparable.
• Belize Mourns the Passing of President Hugo Chavez Belmopan.:
  The Government and people of Belize join the Government and people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in mourning of H.E. President Hugo Chavez who passed away on 5 March 2013. President Chavez was a true friend of Belize and over many years, the Belizean people enjoyed the fruits of friendship and cooperation that the Government and people of the Bolivarian Republic offered Belize under the leadership of President Chavez.
• A Twisted Tale of Deceit!:
  The Saga of a young, Sittee River, mother and grandmother both of Southern Belize continues today as it was revealed to them that their baby who they allowed to go to the United States for medical reasons in the company of a U.S. couple (who are also members of their church in Sittee River Village, Stann Creek District, Belize) was given up for adoption without their knowledge. A Jefferson county judge in Texas granted approval to have the child named Sarah formally change her last name to that of her adoptive parent, Smith. Xuan and Aaron Smith have adopted Sarah, a baby who was thought to have been abandoned in a bucket by her parents. The story was seemingly a great humanitarian story that a local television reporter in the U.S by the name of Ashley Gaston did a story on it which was featured on their local news. The story headlined, Belize baby found in bucket caught the attention of one of our local Media House here in Belize. Great Belize Production, Channel 5 News then carried the story of baby Sarah as was reported in the U.S in its entirety. Diana McNab, the maternal mother was at home watching the news when it dawned on her that the child Sarah being referred to in that newscast was indeed her child.
• Unbelievable Facts: 48. Ways to Use Vinegar ALL over the House and Home.:
  1 Clean your computer and mouse. Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water, dampen a clean cloth, squeeze well and wipe - use cotton swabs for tight spaces. Remove mouse tracking ball and clean inside parts too. Let equipment dry before putting it all back together. 2 Get rid of mildew. White vinegar works on almost any surface - bathroom fixtures and tiles, clothing, furniture, painted surfaces, and plastic curtains. To eliminate heavy mildew, use full strength and for lighter buildup, dilute with an equal amount of water. 3 Prevent mildew. You can also prevent mildew from forming on the bottoms of rugs and carpeting by misting the backs with full strength white vinegar from a spray bottle.
• Missing plane from Belize found in Venezuela !:
  On Friday Tropical Vision Channel 7 broke the news that a plane had gone missing in the afternoon of the 21st. February, 2013 from the registeredAir Strip in Spanish Lookout (Mennonite Community in Western Belize). The plane which was reported to be an Aero Commander 500 carried U.S. registration number N345MP, had left Belize airspace failing to file a flight plan, or making the required checks with customs and immigration Missing plane from Belize found in Venezuela ! which is illegal. The plane was suspiciously outfitted with extended range fuel tanks for the purpose of long distance flight. Channel 7 further reported that a Newspaper in Venezuela published that the day after it left Belize, the plane made an illegal, early morning landing at an unauthorized airstrip in the Northwestern region of that country known as Acarigua. The Venezuelan Minister of Home Affairs and Justice,Nestor Reverol told the press the following day that its reconnaissance system tracked the plane when it landed at an airfield in Acarigua. The onboard GPS showed its final destination as the Apura State, which borders with Colombia. Officials of the Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations Branch performed a drug screening in the aircraft which tested positive for cocaine residue.
• Dealing with Cyberbullying: Tips for Kids and Parents to Prevent and Stop Cyberbulling:
  bullying is no longer limited to schoolyards or street corners. Cyberbullying can occur anywhere, even at home, via email, texts, cell phones, and social media websites 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with potentially hundreds of people involved. For those who suffer cyberbullying, the effects can be devastating, leaving you feeling hurt, humiliated, angry, depressed, or even suicidal. But no type of bullying should ever be tolerated. These tips can help you protect yourself or your child online and deal with the growing problem of cyberbullying. What is Cyberbullying? Cyberbullying occurs when a child or teen uses the Internet, emails, text messages, instant messaging, social media websites, online forums, chat rooms, or other digital technology to harass, threaten, or humiliate another child or teen. Unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying doesn’t require physical strength or face-to-face contact and isn’t limited to just a handful of witnesses at a time.
• Honey Butter Ham:
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 2. Melt butter in small microwave- safe bowl. Stir in honey, brown sugar, and mustard until smooth; set aside. 3. Place ham in roasting pan. 4. Score the top surface of the ham in a diamond pattern, making the cuts about 3/4” apart. 5. Push a whole clove, point side down, into the center of each diamond in the ham. 6. Spoon half of the butter mixture over the ham. 7. Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then spoon over the rest of the butter mixture. 8. Roast for another 20minutes, then baste the ham with the pan drippings.
• Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development to Host Capacity-building Workshop:
  The Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development (FFSD) will be hosting a workshop to build capacity for participation in global carbon markets and other mitigation activities. More specifically, the workshop is aimed at the delivery of detailed information to a targeted audience of government officials, policy makers, members of the private sector and civil society on recent developments in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations regarding markets and mitigation. Realizing that climate change is a pressing and urgent issue; the Government of Belize has made every possible effort to participate in the global architecture which is aimed at facilitating climate change mitigation and adaptation for the benefit of developing countries. As such, Belize signed the UNFCCC in 1992 and ratified the Convention in 1994.
• Los proxenetas usan las redes sociales para reclutar esclavas sexuales:
  Todo comenzó con una solicitud de amistad en Facebook. “Me pareció lindo y lo acepté”, recuerda “Nina”, que hoy tiene 22 años. Con 18 años en aquel momento, jamás pensó que aceptar la solicitud la llevaría al horror: cuatro años prostituyéndose por todo Estados Unidos. “Nina” es un seudónimo; CNN cambió el nombre de la víctima para proteger su privacidad. De clase media-alta y con planes de ir a la universidad, Nina era una joven solitaria que buscaba atención en Internet. Así, comenzó a intercambiar mensajes con un hombre que decía estar enamorado de ella.Hablaron de viajes, matrimonio y hasta de formar una familia. “Me vendió una historia de fantasía”, cuenta Nina. “Creí que viviríamos juntos este sueño”, agrega la joven. Se enviaron mensajes durante un mes hasta que decidieron conocerse. El cuento de hadas terminó abruptamente.
• Closing Ceremony for “Business Labs Focused on Cultural Enterprises” Course:
  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pleased to inform of the closing ceremony of the on-the-spot training course entitled “Business Labs Focused on CulturalEnterprises”, on March 8th, 2013 at 1:00 p.m.at the University of Belize, Belize City Campus.
• Planet of sound: Meteor blast resonated around Earth:
  The meteor that exploded over the steppes of southwestern Russia sent a low frequency rumble bouncing A large chunk of a meteor that exploded over Russia is found in a lake on Friday, February 15. through the Earth, giving scientists new clues about the biggest cosmic intruder in a century. The big boom over Chelyabinsk on February 15 also produced a wave of sound thousands of times lower than a piano’s middle C - far below the range of human hearing, according to the international agency that watches for nuclear bomb tests. The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization said that sound wave showed up on sensors from Greenland to Antarctica, making it the largest ever detected by its network.
• Benedict XVI quits Vatican City for last time as pope:
  Amid pomp and ceremony, Benedict XVI left Vatican City Thursday for the last time as pope, ahead of his historic resignation as leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. An honor guard of Swiss Guards, the soldiers who traditionally protect the pope, lined up to bid him farewell as he left the papal apartment, alongside senior Vatican officials and staff. Applause swelled as Benedict, looking frail and carrying a cane, climbed into a car that took him to the helicopter that flew him to the summer papal residence, Castel Gandolfo. The sound of bells from St. Peter’s Basilica chimed across the city of Rome as the helicopter soared overhead, passing above landmarks like the Colosseum.
• Cartoons and Joke of the Week
• Your Weekly Horoscope
• Belize Police News

The San Pedro Sun

2013 Inter-Office Basketball Tournament has begun
The Inter-Office Basketball Tournament is a competition between teams from local businesses of San Pedro and Caye Caulker, San Pedro High School (SPHS) and San Pedro Junior College (SPJC). The tournament takes place on Saturdays and Sundays at the R.A. Nuñez Auditorium showcasing the island best ballers. A total of nine teams are competing for this year’s Inter-Office Basketball Championship. The tournament will see eleven games, and team’s scores will be tallied at the end of the tournament to decide the winners. The organizers of the event are Renison Crawford and Focion Riverol. interoffice basketball league 3The tournament started off on Saturday March 2nd and saw a matchup of Latitudes Café vs. the Jaguars in game one and SPHS vs. SPJC in game two. It was an exciting night and many islanders made their way out to view the games that started at 8PM. At the end of the first match, it was a tight 56-58 win for the Jaguars. SPJC took the second game against SPHS with a whopping 54-93 win.

Australian travel writer features her Belizean experience online
A travel writer originally from Australia, has been in Belize for the last three weeks. Erin Bender, her husband Josh and her two energetic children have been taking in much of what Belize, and especially San Pedro Town, offers to its tourists. The travel writer posts about their family experiences during their trips to various parts of the world on their website entitled “Travel with Bender.” Travels-with-BenderThe website provides travelers with information about the destination the Benders have been to. Through their writing, the Binders give useful tips to get to different places, things to look out for, adventures and dining in various areas and even how to move around when travelling the world with two children. In speaking to The San Pedro Sun, the Benders said that they got to know about Belize and San Pedro Town after they met another tourist who had been in Belize previously.

Claiming issues with employers (BTB), four tourism police in San Pedro resign
The San Pedro Police Station Tourism Unit has lost four policemen in that department. The four officers are Special Constables Dean Dawson, Ian Wagner, Shedrack Dominguez and Donicio Sanchez. Their sudden departure from the department is a result of internal problems within the tourism unit. The confirmation was made by the Officer Commanding San Pedro Police Formation Superintendent of Police Luis Castellanos. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Diane Hall also confirmed that the officers had resigned but would not state the purposes of the resignation. However, according to the officers, the reasons for their resignation have to do with salary, unpaid Social Security Contribution, welfare and other benefits. In an interview with The San Pedro Sun, Ian Wagner said that the tourism police officers employed under the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) have been treated with much disrespect and no regard for their living situations. “They at the BTB treated us like garbage that is at the bottom of the garbage can. Ever since we have worked under BTB they look on us like nothing. We have gone through whoever and everyone to have our concerns addressed so that they can understand what we are going through, and there was no one to listen to us,” said Wagner as he outlined the unit’s frustration in trying to get the attention of the upper hierarchy at BTB.

ACTUN TUNICHIL MUKNAL (ATM) INAUGURATION
San Pedro Sun reporter Jorge Aldana attended the ACTUN TUNICHIL MUKNAL (ATM) INAUGURATION of the archaeological site on Thursday March 7th.

Ruta Maya off to a start!
This morning the annual Ruta Maya race kicked off with lots of competitors paddling their hearts out. San Pedro Sun's ace reporter Jorge Aldana is on the scene and will be sharing photos with us through out the day!

Ambergris Today

Holy Bible’s New Testament Launched in Belize Kriol
On March 6, 2013, historic St. John’s Anglican Cathedral will be the venue for the launching of both the book and audio versions of the Holy Bible’s Nyoo Testiment eena Bileez Kriol (The New Testament in Belize Kriol). The translation into Kriol began in the early 1990s, involving the Belize Kriol Project of the National Kriol Council working with teams of linguists from SIL, pastors, and others in Belize’s religious community, who collaborated with Wycliffe Bible Translators, the Bible Society of the West Indies, and the Belize Bible Society. When the Belize Kriol Project was formed, two of its major deliverables were the production, testing, and revision of a spelling system for the Belize Kriol language and the production of reading materials in the Kriol language, particularly the Bible. Thus, in 1993, work began in earnest with training those committed to literacy in Kriol in language translation approaches and techniques.

Pre-Schools Celebrate Child Stimulation Month 2013
Early Childhood Education is quite important and for this the entire country of Belize is observing Child Stimulation Month under the theme “Molding Today’s Learners into Tomorrow’s Leaders”. Here in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, pre-schools have a month filled with activities including Family Talent Day, Hug Day, Grandparents Day, Sports Day, Doctor & Dentist Visits, Cultural Day and visit to businesses, to name a few. Below are some pictures of ABC Pre-School’s Grandparents Day and Sports Day. Be sure to follow Ambergris Today’s Facebook Page for more updates on child stimulation month.

Misc Belizean Sources

Mango Bread
Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a loaf pan and dust inside with flour. Whisk the eggs and honey!, brown sugar and butter together. On a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and ginger. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix well until well blended. Add the diced mango, raisins and lime zest and blend well.. Bake the bread for 1 hour, or until it is golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. ENJOY!

Basic Bookkeeping Workshop by SBDCBelize, BELTRAIDE
Accounting Part 1: Basic Bookkeeping. LEARN ABOUT Importance of Record Keeping Keeping track of Income Keeping track of Expenses Profit and Loss Presenter: Ms. Astrid Salazar Silva Business and Investment Facilitation Officer for BELTRAIDE Profile: Presenter Background: Graduate of Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, England. Earning a Bachelors in Accounting and Finance

Suspected Drug Plane Plummets into Corozal Lagoon
Early this morning, Friday March 8th, 2013 the Corozal Police, BDF personnel, Civil Aviation Authority and other members of law enforcement were dispatched to an area near the Pueblo Viejo Ferry where a Cessna plane suspected of carrying drugs was found in a shallow inner lagoon off the New River with its nose fully submerged. The site is accessible only by boat or a one hour muddy trek hike. Corozal Police and BDF were able to take note of the registration. We were unable to ascertain if the plane was found with any illegal cargo, pilot or passengers.

VIDEO: Belizean Style Tough Love
World's Strictest Parents UK ~ Belize. Brash teens Calvin and Rosie try their luck with this unique Central American family...

Open Mic Night at the Soul Project
The Soul Project had another Open Mic night last night. If you play, bring your instrument, and hit the stage. Open Mic nights at the Soul Project are always a great time. Tonight, the Soul Project will screen Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Cayo Welcome Center Unveiling
The Cayo Welcome Center was unveiled yesterday. The SISE Town Council got some great pictures of the celebration. Afterwards, they had the La Ruta Maya Cultural Night. 1000's came out to enjoy the festivities.

Channel 7

Superbond 2.0: The Deal Is Sealed
A release posted held an hour ago on the Central Bank of Belize Website announced that Superbond 2.0 has been fully subscribed. That means the deal to renegotiate this huge chunk of Belize debt is now complete, all the bondholders have subscribed to the terms of the bond. Within the next few days they will be given the new bonds in exchange for their old ones. How did it happen? Well, the bond offering went public 3 weeks ago - and the understanding then was that once 75% of the bondholders buy into the new terms, it would trigger what's known as the collective action clause, and force in all the remaining hold-outs. Well, the release explains that, they got more than the 75%. It says, quote, "holders of 86.17 percent of the country's U.S. Dollar Bonds tendered their bonds…to exchange those instruments for new Belize U.S. Dollar Bonds."

Guat Ministry Of Education Says "Belice Es Nuestro"
Tonight, news has emerged from the Guatemalan press which shows a map of their country, including Belize - which their Ministry of Education has said should be circulated to all schools. The report in the Prensa Libre says that the Vice Minister of Education has ordered that quote, "It is right that the territory of Belize is included in the map of the Republic of Guatemala, divided by a dotted line and a phrase: territorial dispute, insular and maritime unresolved," For context, a vice-minister is similar in rank to a Ministry's CEO in Belize. Her letter also raises concern that "they view with concern the fact that some media, print and television are using only a partial map of Guatemala" Belize's Ambassador to Guatemala Fred Martinez told us today that it, quote, "surprised us tremendously." He called it "a retrogressive step" and "totally out of order." He stressed however that this is the recommendation of the Guatemalan ministry of education - and at this point it is not clear whether it is an official policy. Martinez says he will not be able to confirm until next whether it is or isn't policy.

Farrakhan Still Fiery
At this hour, the public is getting ready for Minister Louis Farrakhan to make his major public address at the Bird's Isle. It was supposed to starts at 6:00, but it hasn't yet. That is the final and culminating event of his trip - and it is meant to be memorable. Today, at a closing press conference, he told the media why he couldn't wait for an opportunity to address all of the Belizean public. Jules Vasquez reports: Jules Vasquez Reporting Flanked by the phalanx of security that accompanies him everywhere, Minister Louis Farrakhan stepped into the Santa Rita room at the Radisson in a genial mood - but in the 67 minute press conference, he was mercurial, at times easygoing and jocular, at times explosive and fiery, and occasionally, he smoldered. But, overall, Farrakhan says the maturity of his 79 years has tempered his rhetoric: Louis Farrakhan - Leader, Nation of Islam "So my anger; listen to me good! It was against our former slave masters and their children. I had no love for them whatsoever, and today, they have to earn my respect, by being in fairer, and more just in the way they treat my brothers and sisters, my people. I am filled with the energy now of love, and the bitterness that I experienced, by seeing what happened to my people - the anger that I had, even the hatred that I had, and the desire to destroy those who destroyed my people, I realized that I couldn't be an effective teacher of the will and wisdom of a God who is the author of all causes, if I didn't understand what he had in mind for our suffering. So with understanding, you grow to study more and bitter less."

High Speed Chase Nabs One Robber
There was a high speed police pursuit on the Northern Highway this morning - and Ladyville police caught one robber while another had to jump into the river to get away. It started with an armed robbery in Ladyville. At 11:30 this morning when a Mennonite delivery truck was making its usual rounds near the village Fire station when four men held up the truck driver and stole all the cash they could get their hands on. They escaped in a car, but alert police were in the area and set chase on the Northern Highway - pursuing them right into the Belama area. That's where they ditched the car and ran in different direction, one of them jumping in the river to flee police. They did catch one of the suspects with a portion of the proceeds and he is detained tonight. However, the rest of them are believed to have gotten off with some of the stolen money. At this time, it is an undisclosed amount of cash...

GOB vs. BAR
Wilfred Elrington is making major news again tonight, but this time not as Foreign Minister, but as Attorney General - and this time he's going up against no less than the Bar Association. According to a letter printed in the Belize Times today, Solicitor General Cheryl Krusen has written to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court saying that she has been instructed by the Attorney General to send a proposed bill which proposes to amend the Legal Profession Act to quote, "remove the requirement of compulsory membership by attorneys at law to the Bar Association of Belize." That would be a seismic shift for the legal profession because presently all lawyers who wish to practice in Belize mustbe members of the Bar Association. The bill proposes to relegate the Bar to being only one of multiple professional bodies representing the legal profession. It is of note that the Supreme Court has ruled that persons cannot be compelled to be members of any group - because it denies them their constitutionally assured freedom of association. This has been well established by those same lawyers in the Citrus Industry where the CGA's monopoly on membership was nullified by the courts.

Teenager Charged For Killing Frank Neal
On Wednesday, 7News told you about 36 year-old Frank Neal, the stevedore who was senselessly killed on Glenn Street. Well tonight, a police are saying he was killed by a 17 year-old minor. The minor, a laborer of Cemetery road, was arraigned in Family Court for murder today and remanded until his next court date, which is scheduled for April 30. As we reported, on Tuesday just before 6 p.m., at around Neal was riding on Glenn Street, and he had gone to buy Johnny Cakes. That's when a gunman rode up behind him and shot him in the back of the head. He fell in the drain, and died on the spot. Neal's Brother was killed ten years ago.

Who's the Woman Of The Year
Today is International Women's Day and this morning at the US Embassy, for the fourth time, the "Belize Woman Of The Year" was honored. 7News was there and found out who got recognized: Daniel Ortiz Reporting The 2013 Belize Woman of the Year, Ms. Sylvia Flores, has celebrated several land marks in Belizean history as she scaled the political landscape to its heights, despite a culture of male predominance. She was the first woman Mayor of Dangriga Town, the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the first woman parliamentarian elected from Dangriga. She's has served the country as the Minister of Defence, the Minister of National Emergency Management, the Minister of Human Development, the Minister of Housing, and President of the Senate. From a list of nine other outstanding women, she was chosen by the panel of judges appointed by the US Embassy of Belize. The Ambassador underscored the importance of the distinct honor of her recognition.

Police Train In Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives
For the past two weeks, the United Nations Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament & Development in Latin America & the Caribbean has been training 44 law enforcement personnel in Combating Illicit Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives. It's been happening at the Police Training Academy in Belmopan and today was graduation day. Officer in charge of the training Academy Linden Flowers told us what they learned and how it will make them better at what they do: Supt. Linden Flowers - Commandant, Police Training Academy "The training's effectiveness on the street starts from anywhere the officers from this training are going back within the next couple of days. They will be going back to their work, and it has to do with principles of the importation of firearms and ammunition, as well as identifying explosives that are trafficked across or through our boarders. This will help the customs officer in either of the border stations or the police officers in doing their investigations. They'll be identifying components of firearms, ammunitions and explosives. It has also given them an awareness of the kind of techniques that the elicit traffickers are using in concealing their trafficking trade, and I believe the information they have gain will assist them when they are back in their area of work. They will be able to identify traffickers, and to deter persons trafficking firearms to come into Belize as to use in our local environment, as well as for trans-shipment through onto other parts."

BSI Appoints New Board, First Belizean Chairman
Yesterday we told you about the dividend payout to the former shareholders of BSI, and now that they've gotten that out of the way, the new owners are setting up their corporate governance. The new board of directors met on Tuesday to declare that dividend. The chairman is Arsenio Burgos, the nominee from BSI Employee Holdings. The long-standing board member becomes the first Belizean Chairman as a gesture of goodwill from the majority shareholder. But his post - though prestigious - is mostly titular because The ASR Group ahs the majority shareholding and has four directors, Jonathan Bamberger Ricardo Lima, Celestino Ruiz and Armando Tabernilla. They are joined by Government's nominee Sir Manuel Esquivel.

For Whom The Bridge Tolls
The City Council has been all over the news this week - as they mark their first year in office. Most of it has been fluff, but the most substantial part came when the council outlined its strategic plan going forward. A major part of that is the plan for the northern highway between Belize City and the Haulover Bridge. As we told you earlier this week, it's going to be tolled, but we didn't know it would starts to soon. Councilor Dion Leslie told us more today: Dion Leslie - Deputy Mayor, Belize City Council "This isn't something that were trying to get at you; it's just that you're going to contribute to the city that you use. So first of all, you'll contribute to the cementing, and concreting of the Northern Highway from the flag monument to Haulover Bridge, and other things as we look at other infrastructure projects throughout. The way it will work is we're looking to get an investor; it will cost somewhere between 10 to 12 million dollars to do the entire project. We will hire separate contractors so that work is done at the same time on the entire highway. You won't have one contractor doing it piece by piece from phases, but what we want to highlight is that at no time will the existing highway be closed. The 2 things that really stick out on the way forward over the next 2 years was of course the concreting of the Northern Highway from the flag monument to the Haulover Bridge and placement of the toll. We're going off Coney Drive, so those are 2 of the major projects that we look to kick off this second year in office with those 2 projects. We're looking at it; we've been in discussion for over the past months with various contractors, various possible investors so those are 2 of the main projects that we look at."

Cycling Is Back
This Sunday, the sport of cycling returns to some sense of normalcy with the riding of the 32nd Smart Belmopan Classic. The race is from Belize City to Belmopan and back on Sunday. Official Kwame Scott told us more: Kwame Scott - Race Organizer "This race, traditionally and historically, has always been the biggest race second only to the cross country. The 100 mile race; being 3 weeks before Cross Country, is very significant because riders get to test their legs in such a fashion that they don't have to worry about making mistakes. You can gamble. You can go out and run. You don't have to worry if you get caught because the 140-mile run is in the next 3 weeks." Jules Vasquez "How are the strongest riders going into this race?" Kwame Scott "Most of the favorites hail from the Western Spirits Cycling Team who easily has the best team assembled. They have the current Cross Country champion, and Shane Vasquez the past Cross Country champion. They have Ron Vasquez, the defending champion of this particular event, and there's Peter Choto who has also won this event 2 years ago. I must say also that we have foreigners in the race. So far, we've confirmed that 2 deadly foreigners in this race should be John Delong and Scotty Weis of Hincapie Cycling Team which will add lot more fire to this event. While there's rumbling going on in the hierarchy of cycling, with all the bureaucracy, and the constitutional challenges back and forth, there's still love on the asphalt. They're still rivalry on the asphalt; riders want to race."

Running Down The River With Ruta Maya
And so while the Belmopan Cycling Classic starts this weekend, the 2013 La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge started this morning in San Ignacio. With the help of our colleague Rhonda Chrichton, we have the first few minutes of the start of the race, and the subsequent finish of the first day at Banana Bank. The Belize Bank team was the winner of the first leg of the race. They arrived at Banana Bank a little more than 5 hours after the start.

Bronze For Belizean Softballers
The tenth Central American Games started a week ago and sotball was the first discipline to have a go at it. The Belize Female National Softball team competed against El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama and host country Costa Rica. Belize started out well with a 4-1 record which meant a chance to play in the medal round. But Guatemala defeated our girls 2-0 to advance to the gold medal game. And then, El Salvador defeated Belize by the score of 14-4. So, the team returned home today with bronze medals. 7news was at the airport to greet them: Gregory Moguel - Coach, Female National Softball Team "We went up against El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama and Costa Rica. The tournament was fierce, and our competition was up against Guatemala and Salvador. The Panamanian team is a very great and hard-hitting, team but they didn't have the level of pitching that we had. We played pretty well in our regular tournament, and we placed second which we played Guatemala because 1 played too. When we played that day, obviously we had great opportunities, bases loaded at least 2 times for us to score runs, and we did not capitalize. I think the team played well. They did what they had to do, but they just didn't come through at the point where we should have come through. We were there for basically a week; the contingent for us was 16 players, and I have 2 assistant coaches along with a pitching coach, and the head of the delegation. So, it was basically about 21 people from the softball delegation."

Women's Art For Women's Day
As part of the observance for women's day, Last night the 5th annual Women In Arts exhibition was opened at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts. The exhibition featured 29 artists- some of who are writers, poets, visual artist and a fashion designer. These women are from across the country and this particular exhibit is a part of celebrating women's month. The theme is "The Bliss Chronicles" - and here's a glimpse. Kim Vasquez - Program Officer "We had the opening of the women in art, our annual exhibit women in art, and it is the fifth year we have been doing it here at N.I.C. We had a really powerful a really fun night last night. We have 29 artists participating this year including 8 writers, a first for us in women in art including the writers, and we are very pleased to have creative writing this year in the exhibit. We have one fashion designer Rebecca Stirm, who is also a part of the exhibit this year. We put out a call for entries, and we did that some months ago. The requirement is that you must just be a woman; you must be female. You don't have to have any prior experience; we work with a few agents, and we try to work with somebody every year. This year, we worked with Melissa Quan. This was her first time curating an exhibit. She's an artist herself; she did an spectacular job. We did a news chronicle theme this year, so she was able to use recycled newspaper a lot in the decoration and the putting together of the pieces. We try to get participation but from across the country. So, we try to make sure we have artist represented from each district."

Channel 5

Barrow’s Proposed Budget: No cuts and No new taxes
The second reading of the General Revenue Appropriation Bill for Fiscal Year 2013/2014 took place this morning during a meeting of the House of Representatives.  The presentation of the budget proposals for the upcoming financial year was made by Prime Minister Dean Barrow.  He emphasized that the impending fiscal calendar will not see any new [...]

Foreign direct investments and tourism up
In the banking and financial sectors, Prime Minister Barrow also reported that there is excess liquidity in commercial bank holdings due, in large part, to foreign direct investments, as well as tourism.  The surplus, he said, serves to limit the interest rates currently applied to loans.     Prime Minister Dean Barrow “Reflective of the [...]

Sedi Elrington blasts critics on the maritime areas act
The Budget reading turned to the topic on the tongue of every nationalist, the unfounded Guatemalan claim on Belize, and in this particular instance Belize’s maritime area. In mid-February, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Eamon Courtenay published an article in the Amandala Newspaper in response to statements made by Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington during [...]

National basketball team bounces out of competition in Guatemala
Belize’s territorial rights are at the forefront of current national discourse. And if it were any other year, it wouldn’t be the maritime area but homegrown topics such as love and basketball that would be discussed in the living rooms and barbershops. But the next item encompasses love of country, territorial rights and…basketball. The National [...]

Guatemalan Mayor in Belize; Sister City Relations established
Belizeans are not exactly happy with neighboring Guatemala right about now given the upcoming October sixth referendum and this week’s fiasco with the national basketball selection in Peten. The referendum will decide whether the Guatemalan claim to Belize’s territorial land should be taken to the International Court of Justice for final settlement. But despite the [...]

Mayors comment on territorial dispute
And with the dispute between both countries on the forefront of the medias, the mayors say that the national politics should have no effect on the exchanges between the two cities.   Darrell Bradley, Belize City Mayor “Our jurisdiction has to do with the municipalities. And our interest is that the City of Belize would [...]

Farrakhan returns to Belize for third time
The visitors from Petén are not the only official delegates seeking to speak with Belizeans. The highly anticipated visit of the Head of the Nation of Islam, Minister Louis Farrakhan, was postponed in December, 2012 at the eleventh hour after Farrakhan experienced exhaustion and dehydration in Saint Thomas. Farrakhan’s Caribbean Tour was cut short to [...]

GSU discovers firearms
The minister intends to take his firebrand into the heart of troubled communities and that is also where the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) removed two firearms from the streets. On Sunday February twenty fourth, members of the GSU were on operation on Lakeview Street, Belize City, and conducted a search in an open lot. The [...]

First woman to be charged for escape
  The minister has a history of speaking to those who try to run from their problems in life. And perhaps he would also speak to people similar to twenty-one year old Latifah Augustine, the first woman to be tried for the offense of escape.  Augustine is the first female to be tried for escape [...]

Caught twice in possession of weed
  Forty-nine year old Benjamin Lester Chaplin, a resident of Fabers Road, appeared unrepresented this morning before Magistrate Hettie Mae Stewart where he pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a controlled drug.  Chaplin, who was before the court three weeks ago for assaulting a minor with a belt, was busted twice in one [...]

150 wheelchairs; 3 donated to K.H.M.H. and its Auxiliary
One hundred and fifty wheelchairs are being donated to Belize. Earlier in the week, three were handed over to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and its Auxiliary. The donation was made by the Saskatchewan Canada Rotary Club through the local Rotary Club. The other wheelchairs were received a week ago and the club is wasting [...]

Preschooler parade for launch of Child Stimulation Month
There are events to honor our senior citizens, and others to showcase productive students at the Festival of Arts. But this entire month of March is one dedicated to our children. News Five’s Duane Moody attended the launch of Child Stimulation month in the Yabra area of Belize City.   Duane Moody, Reporting Today hundreds [...]

Meet the delegates of Miss African Queen 2013
On the heels of the parade to celebrate our children, is an event that will raise funds to assist children and women in need. The pageant showcasing our cultural heritage will be held this Saturday at the Bliss Center for the performing arts. Seven delegates will showcase their African heritage as they compete for the [...]

PlusTV

VIDEO: Farrakhan speaks to UB students

La Ruta Maya kicks off
The 15th consecutive running of La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge got under way this morning at the Hawksworth Bridge in San Ignacio: 64 teams, 8 divisions, 170 miles to paddle in less than 24 hours. Plus news was there for the start and spoke firstly with President of...

Plane crashes in Corozal Lagoon
While rivers in the Cayo District were flocked with canoeing enthusiasts, a lagoon in Corozal was swarmed by Police, BDF and Civil Aviation after a suspected drug plane was found submerged in water. Details are sketchy at this time, but reports are that a Cessna plane has been located...

International Woman’s Day observed
Today is being observed as International Women’s Day, and around the world, women are being recognized for their contribution to national development. Here in Belize, the US Embassy named its Woman of the Year Award recipient. This year’s awardee is Sylvia Flores. Sylvia Flores, under the People’s United Party, ...

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez laid to rest
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was laid to rest today in a state funeral. Friends and families of the late president, along with world leaders, dignitaries and thousands of mourners, gathered in Caracas, to bid farewell to Venezuela’s “El Comandante.” Inside the funeral hall, presidents, including Cuba’s Raul Castro and...

BSI declares 3 million dollar dividend
The Belize Sugar Industry Limited has declared a 3 million dollar dividend for 2012. The beneficiaries of the dividend are holders who had shares in the company prior to it being bought out by ASR. The dividend is approximately $0.068 cents per each of the 44 million issued shares...

Citco reports on its first year in office
Yesterday the City Council of Belize City reported to the public on its first year in office. A main highlight has been the improved infrastructure with 53 streets concreted and 90 upgraded, but behind the scenes at City Hall there have been other improvements in governance. One of the...

Minister Louis Farrakhan speaks out on the LGBT agenda
The visit of Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan to Belize is close to wrapping up. Due to time constraints he was not able to greet the Belizean press corps at his arrival Monday at the International Airport in Ladyville, but a planned press conference went on as scheduled...

FIU has amended money laundering act
The Finance Intelligence Unit of Belize – an integral part of Belize’s engagement in the global fight against money laundering and other financial crimes has amended its money laundering act. The new changes require persons in real estate, jewelers and vehicle dealers to register with the FIU. Application forms...

Cyclists are getting ready for Holy Saturday Cross Cycling Classic
Cyclists are getting ready to return to the pavement in the last major race before the Holy Saturday Cross Cycling Classic at the end of March. The 32nd Smart Belmopan Cycling Classic kicks off at 8 a.m. on Sunday, March 10 for elite male riders who will ride 100...

Bust of Phillip Goldson mysteriously moved
The bust of Phillip Goldson carved by Stephen Okeke has long been a source of controversy. But it was thought that earlier this year the statesman had found a permanent home in his own division – the Battlefield Park on Albert Street, albeit without much fanfare as Okeke was...

National Women’s Softball Team won bronze
The Belize National Women’s Softball Team won bronze in the 10th Central American Games. The national selection returned home today after defeating Panama 16-9, to snatch 3rd place. The team also beat out Costa Rica and Nicaragua, but fell short against Guatemala and El Salvador. Other Belizean sports teams...

Delivery truck robbed at gunpoin
A Mennonite delivery truck was robbed at gunpoint this morning. Police say that just before noon today, the truck was near a store complex adjacent to the Ladyville Fire Station, when a number of men, believed to be four, robbed the occupant of the truck. The men then took...

Prison Supervisor has been freed of Drug Charges
A prison supervisor has been freed of possession of a controlled drug. The charge dates back to September of 2012, when Donald Gillett was allegedly caught entering the prison with fifty grams of cannabis inside his tennis shoes. At the time, the officer who discovered the drugs was said...

Amandala

BELIZE SOFTBALL GETS BRONZE AT C.A. GAMES IN COSTA RICA
According to a press release yesterday from the Softball Federation of Belize, the National Women’s Softball Team had finished the Round Robin play at the Central American Games in San Jose, Costa Rica with a 4-1 won-loss record, which assured Belize of at least a medal in the Games. In its first game on Monday, March 5, Belize defeated hosts Costa Rica, 9-2, behind winning pitcher Kenreen Gillett. Belize then lost, 4-0, to Guatemala, with Francine Hoare picking up the loss. On Tuesday, Belize dropped Nicaragua, 4-1, with Lanisha Jones the winning pitcher. On Wednesday, Belize shut out El Salvador, 4-0, with Francine Hoare getting the win. Then Belize overpowered Panama, 16-9, with Francine Hoare again picking up the win, this time in relief of Kenreen Gillett. Yesterday’s press release continued: “Belize is currently seeded two into the playoffs” and “has assured itself at least a medal in the X Central American Games.

TABLE TENNIS FLASHBACK – 1963 BRITISH HONDURAS NATIONAL CHAMPION VISITS THE JEWEL IN 2013
Mr. George Lamb, 1963 British Honduras National Table Tennis Champion, visited Belize a couple weeks ago and was joined by members of the table tennis association to share his 1963 experiences. - See article on George on our web site @ “belizetabletennis.com” - See more photos of George while in Belize and in 1963 at the Riverside Hall @“http://www.belizetabletennis.com/apps/photosalbum?albumid=14573587” (Ed. Note: We located an excellent article by Peter J. Carr on that nail-biting 1963 championship match, between George Lamb and Orlando Rhamdas, on the BTTA web site, and thought we should share it with our readers. Lamb was apparently an expatriate Barclays Bank employee, and the report appeared in the Barclays Bank Staff Magazine – 1963. See story below.) Extract from Barclays Bank Staff Magazine – 1963 Another strong contender for the Sportsman of the Year title would be George W. Lamb, just completing his first overseas tour at Belize, British Honduras. The photographs which we reproduce on page 654 were sent us by Mr. Peter J. Carr who has written a detailed description of George Lamb’s becoming a national table tennis champion: ‘The British Honduras National Table Tennis Tournament was played over three days – 16th, 17th and 18th April, 1963, at the Riverside Hall, Belize, in very humid conditions, and George’s weight at the end of his considerable effort – he lost nearly a stone (14 lbs) – reflected best of all the results of a really energetic week of practice and competition.

COACH SHERRIER LEWIS’ RESIGNATION FINAL, CHARLIE HOLDING OVER
There were reports on the evening news yesterday, and at a press conference this morning at the Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel in Belize City, Football Federation of Belize (FFB) President Ruperto Vicente made it official, confirming that he had received a letter of resignation from Mr. LeRoy Sherrier Lewis, who coached the Belize National Team to success at the Central American Cup in Costa Rica, where Belize secured a spot for the first time ever in the prestigious Gold Cup tournament to be held in 13 American cities in July of this year. Optimistic fans were looking forward to another fine showing for the Belize National Team under the able guidance of coach Sherrier Lewis, who has won the hearts of Belizean players and fans on both occasions when he has coached our national team. Back in 2001, coach Lewis and Belize had almost upset Guatemala in the Central American Cup, with Guatemala equalizing the game in injury time with a controversial penalty. Then FFB President Dr. Bertie Chimilio had rewarded Lewis’ performance by firing him after the tournament, ostensibly for Lewis’ criticisms of the officiating after the match.

HUGO CHAVEZ, REST IN PEACE Editorial
If there was one man the Caribbean and the Americas could not afford to lose, it was Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela. Yet, as life would have it, Chavez is the man we lose this week, at the relatively young age of 58. The reason we could not afford to lose Hugo was because he stood for poor people and for people of color, and because he controlled the fabulous petroleum resources of Venezuela. In other words, Chavez’s heart was in the right place, and he had the wherewithal to help the people of countries like Belize. In real terms, Venezuela’s aid to Belize while Chavez was Venezuelan president was more significant and substantial than aid to Belize from the mighty United States of America. The American newspapers and television networks tried their best to make Hugo Chavez out to be a buffoon. The American government wanted a different kind of government in place in Venezuela, a government which would facilitate the exploitation of Venezuela’s petroleum resources by American oil companies. Hugo Chavez was too nationalistic for them, and American foreign policy supported all those who were opposed to Chavez.

FROM THE PUBLISHER
From time to time over the years, I’ve told you that this newspaper is an aberration, an anomaly. The fact that Amandala is clearly the leading newspaper in the nation-state of Belize, has been so for more than three decades, is a reality that goes against the grain, so to speak. This extraordinary state of affairs is highlighted by the fact that in Guatemala their leading newspaper, Prensa Libre, is so manifestly the voice of the ruling oligarchy and military. When Prensa Libre speaks, the voice of the rulers of Guatemala is speaking: when Amandala speaks, it is the voice of the masses of the Belizean people which is speaking. This unusual state of affairs in Belize allows the ruling party here to disown opinions expressed in Amandala, even if those opinions are editorial opinions. The power structure in Guatemala cannot disown editorial opinions expressed in Prensa Libre because those opinions are always the opinions of their power structure. Before we consider how this state of affairs came to exist in Belize, let me say that it can be an uncomfortable state of affairs, both for the power structure and for our humble selves on Partridge Street. The people who are in positions of power pretend that Amandala does not exist and that they do not read it. For our part, fully conscious that we have no constitutional place or authority, we have to “hold our corner.” Foreigners in the diplomatic corps must not be sure that we actually exist as living, breathing entities. But, we do.

GMO AWARENESS MONTH – WEEK #2 – GMOS AND THE ENVIRONMENT Letters
Dear Editor, The group, Belizeans Against GMOs, is working this month to educate the public about Genetically Modified Organisms. There are different kinds of GMOs, but we are particularly concerned about Genetically Modified Food. We are eating GMOs everyday in food that is processed, packaged and imported from our main importer, the United States, who is pushing this new agri-business technology. Currently Belize imports GMOs as food and as feed, but not as Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) – not as seed. Many of our group try hard NOT to eat GMOs in any form, but we are especially concerned about living GMOs because planting them, growing them, and harvesting them affects not only us humans; it directly affects our environment here in The Jewel – Belize. The “ecological impacts resulting from the vast introduction of genetically modified organisms are perhaps the least completely understood, though certainly the most significant, for our sustained health and well-being.” (Britt Bailey)

KRIOL VERSION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT IS NOW AVAILABLE
The Belize Creole Project (Bileez Kriol Projek) launched its “Nyoo testament eena Bileez Kriol” [Creole version of the Bible’s New Testament] today, Wednesday, at a ceremony at the St. John’s Anglican Cathedral. Several notable figures were in attendance at the launch, including Governor General Sir Colville Young, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Hon. Patrick Faber, Belizean artist Lila Vernon, and several members of the National Kriol Council, Belize Creole Project, and the church community. The ceremony was done in Belizean Creole, including singing of the National Anthem and song presentations. Selected persons were invited to read scriptures from the “Kriol Baibl.” Supporters of the new Bible version said that it makes the word of God more powerful to Belizean readers because it is in their language and they can better relate to the messages of the word. Governor General Sir Colville Young, who is also a linguist and writer of Creole songs performed at the launch, said that he believed that the Bible needed to be translated into Creole.

WHY IS THE GMO DEBATE SO CONFUSING?
And, what is Bt-corn? GMO refers to any genetically modified organism; meaning a piece of DNA from one species, often from a bacterium, is spliced into the DNA of another species. This discussion focuses on a specific genetically engineered (GE) crop species, Bt-corn, with a background on the difference between traditional, conventional and sustainable cropping systems and an emphasis on environmental effects, real and potential, of Bt-crops. Traditional cropping systems often grow multiple crops, having different canopy heights and growing seasons, and may include crop rotation and livestock versus conventional cropping systems that are often mono-cultures with short, repetitive growing seasons and high energy input (machinery, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides). Conventional cropping systems are profit-driven (versus subsistence) so they may or may not rotate crops or use fallow periods. Sustainable cropping systems cause minimal land degradation or reduction in natural capital/resources, maintain ecological integrity, yet are still profitable to the farmer. Many researchers evaluating these farming techniques point out that using universal indicators to assess cropping systems is necessary; not just yields but soil quality, nutrient balance, organic matter, water holding capacity, biodiversity, etc., all need to be considered to evaluate total sustainability of the system over only yields (Altieri 2002, Seufert et al 2012).

GARINAGU FOCUS ON BELIZE-GUAT REFERENDUM, GANG VIOLENCE, FUNDING AT 29TH NGC CONVENTION
The beautiful seaside village of Hopkins in Stann Creek will this weekend, March 8-10, host the 29th Annual Convention of the National Garifuna Council at the Holy Family RC School. Organizers say that, “Garinagu from all over Belize congregate annually at this event to celebrate our culture, discuss the challenges of our communities and set the course for future course of action.” The Belize-Guatemala Referendum (to be presented by a team including Percy Lewis and Matthew Martinez); social drinking and crime and crime prevention (to be presented by Dr. Elma Augustine from the Ministry of Health); and funding opportunities for rural projects (to be presented by Romaldo Lewis and Mr. Villafranco of Ecumenical College) are among the key topics billed for discussion at the convention. Presenters are to address issues relating to gang violence, as well as other challenges confronting Garifuna in Belize and the world over. Apart from business meetings and panel discussions, the convention will host a youth forum, featuring talks on leadership training, as well as a song workshop.

RACQUETBALL – A NEW SPORT FOR BELIZE?
Racquetball is not a sport that may be very familiar to many Belizeans, but Denise Frank, an avid racquetball player since 1976, is trying to change that. Frank, who played the sport at a professional level in the United States, found, upon moving to Belize, that there are no resources in the country to permit the playing of the sport at a competitive level. But she makes an effort to play racquetball at least three times a week, and promotes the sport wherever she goes. She defends the sport, not only as “the best sport in the world,” but also as a sport for all ages that develops hand and eye coordination and promotes body movement and stretching. “We’re looking for more sports for the youth to get involved with. We’re trying to find activities for them,” she said. “It’s fun at any age you play. It’s a healthy, good exercise and it’s fun. It’s crazy good fun.” Frank, who says she prefers to remain in the background, working from behind the scenes, is trying to spark the passion in more people to push for the fast-paced game to be played in Belize. “I want to get more people behind the desire to bring it here so that there’s more push to get the Government to come up with the money to bring it,” she said. Frank said that there are already international racquetball associations interested in forming connections with teams in Belize and set up tournaments.

DWAYNE EVELYN, 23, ACQUITTED OF MURDERING PETER MYVETTE, 22
Myvette was shot and killed while washing a bus at the corner of Tigris Street and Kut Avenue. Dwayne Evelyn, 22, a resident of Amarillo Street, was acquitted of murder this evening after a jury of 3 men and 9 women unanimously found him not guilty of killing Peter Myvette, 22. At noon on February 17, 2010, shots rang out at the corner of Tigris Street and Kut Avenue, and when the noise stopped, the scene that residents of the area beheld was the body of Myvette under a bus, bleeding profusely from multiple gunshot injuries. Myvette was immediately rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, but was declared dead on arrival. He had suffered injuries to his neck, arm and rib cage. Two days later, Evelyn was charged with the murder of Myvette in the Magistrate’s Court. According to police, they had a witness who saw the shooting, and a police officer who claimed to have critical information on the murder and the person who allegedly did it.

THE 1859 BOUNDARY TREATY
Ratification exchanged at Guatemala, September 12, 1859 Whereas the boundary of Her Majesty’s settlement and possessions in the Bay of Honduras, and the territories of the Republic of Guatemala, has not yet been ascertained and marked out; Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Guatemala, being desirous with aaview to improve and perpetuate the friendly relations which happily subsists between the two countries, to define the boundary aforesaid, have resolved to conclude a Convention for that purpose and have named as their Plenipotentiaries, that is to say: Her majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Charles Lennox Wylie, Esquire, Her Britannic Majesty’s Chargé d’Affaires to the Republic of Guatemala; And his Excellency the President of the Republic of Guatemala, Don Pedro de Aycinena, Councillor of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Who after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon and concluded the following Articles: Article I. It is agreed between her Britannic Majesty and the Republic of Guatemala that the boundary between the Republic and the British Settlement and Possessions in the Bay of Honduras, as they existed previous to and on the 1st of January 1850, and have continued to exist up to the present time, was and is as follows:

CHAVEZ DEIFIED
Eternal display in glass casket planned for embalmed Chavez. Venezuela president Hugo Chávez Frías, 58, lost his two-year battle with cancer at 4:25 Tuesday evening and today, Friday, millions of mourners are expected to attend his state funeral in Caracas. Chavez won’t be buried in the dust; neither will he be cremated. Instead, his body is to be embalmed for permanent display at the Museum of Revolution, according to his interim successor, Venezuelan vice president Nicolás Maduro. The decision to put Chavez on permanent display inside a glass casket reportedly sprung from his last words: “I don’t want to die. Please don’t let me die.” Chavez, it is said, wanted to continue serving his people. Sixteen countries, including Cuba, where Chavez had received treatment for cancer, have declared national mourning for a man described as “a Latin American giant.” A statement issued by the Embassy of Cuba in Belize said, “Official mourning [in Cuba] was declared starting from March 6, 6:00 p.m., until March 7, midnight, and National Mourning for March 8.”

ANGLICANS LEAD CHARGE AGAINST DEATH PENALTY
Some businesspeople and other concerned citizens, however, urge reinstatement of death penalty. Canon Leroy Flowers, President of the Belize Council of Churches, has confirmed to Amandala that the Anglican Diocese in Belize has conveyed to the Barrow administration the official position of the Anglican community in Belize against the application of the death penalty in Belize. Last week, a shocking daylight murder of a young woman sparked a commitment from Antigua and Barbuda to reinstate the hangman’s noose. Canon Flowers told our newspaper that the position of the Belize Anglican church was concretized via resolution at the last October’s synod—the highest governing body—against the death penalty. We can’t implement the laws, so copies were passed to the governing authority, Canon Flowers said. At last week’s sitting of Parliament, Prime Minister Dean Barrow tabled a bill from the Anglican church in Belize, for a change of name from The Branch of the Church of England in Belize to the Anglican Diocese of Belize, so that the church can be correctly identified with the other dioceses in the Province of the West and the worldwide Anglican community, said Barrow.

HAND IN HAND DOES IT AGAIN – ANOTHER BELIZEAN FAMILY GETS A HOUSE
The Hand in Hand Ministries again steps up and is building and donating a moderate-sized house for a needy Belizean family, free of charge. The house is being built on a lot in the Moya Street area in Lake I for a mother and her four children. The house is estimated to be completed on Friday, and it will be dedicated that same day, at which time the keys will be handed over to the owner. The construction began on Monday, March 4, and 12 volunteers from the United States, in collaboration with local builders, are constructing the house, a two-bedroom one-flat unit of plywood and plycem. Bernard Panton, the director of programs and projects of Hand in Hand Ministries, told Amandala that they have built over 200 houses for needy Belizean families, and will continue to do so. At the completion of this present house on Moya Street, construction will begin on another house on Monday, March 11.

The Belize Times

UDP gets an “F”
On Wednesday afternoon, the Opposition People’s United Party held a press conference to review and grade the UDP administration which was re-elected to a second–term office one year ago on March 7th 2012. “The UDP gets a ...

Barrow kills the Bar
The UDP is plotting and while our children sleep they are building a devilish scheme to destroy democracy and Belize. Remember November 2010 when Dean Barrow humiliated the Chief Justice of Belize because Barrow was angry at the fact that the Judge refused to do his bidding? The Bar Association spoke out in an attempt to protect the integrity of the Court and legal system. On that Friday, November 12, 2010 in the House of Representatives Dean Barrow called the Bar Association “PUP” – meaning that it is controlled by the People’s United Party. For context, we remember that Barrow was calling everyone that dare oppose him “PUP”. ...

THINK ABOUT IT
THEY DID IT They came from across the country. A few from Orange Walk. Some from San Ignacio. Some from battered, embattled Belize City, Dangriga and of course Punta Gorda. Their objective. To gather at the area of the Belize /Guatemala border to get a clear picture of the situation, conduct a ...

A land fall cometh?
By G. Michael Reid Nigel Petillo did not draw a very big crowd for his land reform protest in spite of much promoting and advertising. His biggest disappointment was obviously with the very people of Harmonyville, who stood to gain the most from that exercise. Welcome Nigel, to the real world. According ...

In the Kingdom of the Blind
In 2006 the then PUP Government of Belize took a proactive decision based on the best international financial expert advice to restructure Belize’s commercial foreign debt. Calm and respectful discussions were held with the Caribbean Development Bank and the InterAmerican Development Bank. Both international institutions provided policy based financing to facilitate ...

Placencia Assassins take down San Felipe Barcelona
The 2011 champs Placencia Assassins enjoyed their 2nd win: 3-1 against FC San Felipe Barcelona at the People’s Stadium. Placencia’s Kareem Haylock put the visitors up 1-0 when he blasted ...

Zhi Chen & Tyrone Tun win table tennis tournament
Zhi Chen won the A-Division, Tyrone Tun won the B- division, Sen Sen won the C- division and Petie Matus-Usher won the women’s division when the Belize Table Tennis Association held the 2013 RF&G; Bi-Annual national ...

DHC Excellence – leads SMART Harrison Parks cricket competition
The defending champions, excellence of Double head Cabbage continue to lead the SMART Harrison Parks national cricket competition walloping the Alfred Dawson Cricket Club of Gardenia Village by the score ...

Faber badmouths Dangriga residents
Patrick Faber is still licking his wounds after he was soundly defeated by Gaspar Vega’s money and power, and some UDP-style backstabbing too, in the race for UDP Deputy Leader. One would have thought that the loss would have made Faber a bit humble and contrite, ...

Danger at SP Central Park
The tourism capital of Belize is San Pedro. Not only financially but the majestic barrier reef and the splendor of the brilliant colors which caresses its coast makes other countries jealous. Tourism contributes to over ...

National Basketball player shot on Youth For the Future Drive
A member of the Belize National Basketball team almost had his future taken away when he was attacked and shot by a gunman on Youth For the Future Drive. The victim, Ronald ...

Art is for the Spirit
St. John’s College hosted thousands of primary and secondary students at a grand Science, Reading and Art Fair on Landivar Campus from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m on February 21, 2013. Students from all four forms prepared ...

AMAZING GRACE – Why is Belize So Expensive?
The cost of a gallon of gasoline today is around eleven to twelve dollars. Because of this, too many trips have been cancelled, and too much money has been spent on goods that should be far cheaper. To help with this problem, I converted my vehicle to butane a couple ...

In my perspective – Land Ownership – the Real Deal!
By Rayford Young This past weekend I had some time on my hands, was searching the web and came across a website and decided to check out my ancestry. My parents always told me that we came from a large family and would be surprised who we were related to, and ...

Belize Tourism – A look at cost competitiveness
By Richard Harrison In 2012, Belize recorded 277,135 overnight tourist visitors....and 640,734 cruise visitors. Total 917,869 visitors, with hotel occupancy below 40%. The Riviera Maya, which spreads from Cancun south to Majahual....a coastline distance of 200 miles....is comparable to the coastline distance between Corozal and Punta Gorda. They registered total 17 million ...

Of this and that…
Cement Potholes We spent 20 million on cement streets. Some of the streets lead to nowhere. The streets that are not cemented are in terrible shape. Craters. It is mashing up all the dollar vans and taxis. A bad thing is happening. The City Council is already digging up lots ...

Hush Money!
By Anthony Sylvestre Jr. Marshall Nunez is a genius. He has introduced a new phrase to Belize’s already colourful political lexicon. Ah mean, it has be a brilliant mind to come up with the phrase “hush money”. For it so aptly captures the practice of this UDP government. Hush money is also referred to ...

UDP gets an “F” Friday, March 8, 2013 14:44
On Wednesday afternoon, the Opposition People’s United Party held a press conference to review and grade the UDP administration which was re-elected to a second–term office one year ago on March 7th 2012. “The UDP gets a ...

DPP’s Deadly Losing Streak
The current Director of Public Prosecutions, Cherylin Vidal, is on a deadly losing streak. It splashed big when she lost a historic case in Dangriga late last year. In that trial the DPP decided not to ...

Questions to Ministers
Will the Minister of Health Pablo Marin confirm or deny that he recently sent his wife to give birth to his child in the United States in fear of the neglectful health system in Belize, over which he presides? Can the Minister of Natural Resources Gaspar Vega say how much land ...

Wasteful Spending! GOB rents Minister’s building to house Vital Statistics Unit
While the Barrow Administration refuses to grant a salary increase to teachers and public officers, they continue their wasteful spending in unnecessary areas. Information to the BELIZE TIMES is that the Vital Statistics Unit, which was housed at a Government-owned building on Gabourel Lane, will now be ...

No salary increase! No tax relief! – Barrow’s budget offers no ease in hard times
If you were hoping to hear about economic relief or an ease in taxes in the Barrow Administration’s fifth Budget, you were left miserably disappointed. Also, if teachers and public officers were hoping that the Budget included their much-needed salary increase, they were left wanting. Barrow’s Budget ...

PUP on the passing of President Hugo Chavez
Belize City, March 6, 2013 The Leader of the People’s United Party the Hon. Francis Fonseca sends a message of deep sympathy and condolence to the Government and people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela at the passing of President Hugo ...

Setting the record straight
Dear Editor, I write to set the record straight on an article appearing in the Sunday, March 3rd 2013 edition under the sub caption CitCo 2.3 mil debt inherited from Fonseca Administration 2005. Why am I not surprised that in 2013, eight years after the PUP was in office, the PUP ...

When will the madness stop?
Dear Editor, Belize is a beautiful country with extremely bad leadership. After reading your article on the Minister of Transport Edmond Castro’s blatant interference in the running of the Belize Port Authority, I was appalled that this man is still serving in our country’s Cabinet. I waited patiently on Friday to hear ...

Blogs

What to do when your internet goes down
We came home from our trip to Belize City Wednesday and our internet was acting sluggish and then cut out completely. Usually I text tacoboy at work and see if Pedro’s Hotel has net, but since he was with me that was not an option. We waited a bit and I decided to call BTL, I and got Karla who was great. I told her I had rebooted router and all but not laptop since the lights were flashing on router an specifically the DLS one so she told me she would all me back in regards to service. She was prompt at getting back to me and said that we were the morning list to be seen. I thought about how I wanted to spend my time off aside from cleaning house and hula hooping and decided to go See Dick and Zac before they took the water taxi to the city. Zac is doing weekly tai chi classes there and since First Caribbean Bank is no longer on the island Dick has to go to another district by plane or boat to do teller banking. What a funny place we live

Return to Wild Mangos - well worth the wait
We hadn't eaten dinner at Wild Mangos, one of San Pedro's most popular restaurants, in quite awhile, only lunch. It was time to ride our bikes to town and enjoy the delicious creations of well-known Chef Amy Knox once again. Since we had reservations, we got a primo table! We started by sharing a tasty black bean gordas appetizer. Barry enjoyed a Pantyripper (coconut rum and pineapple juice), and I went with SanPedroScoop's favorite here -- Caipirinha (not on the menu, but delish and reasonably priced at $8 BZD).

A Week Of The Most Glorious Spring Weather Gives Way to Some Morning Rain
And I don’t like to toss around overblown words like “glorious” often…or at least I should try not to. On the island, it has been warm and sunny with low humidity during the day and cool, snuggle up with a blanket weather at night. I could not ask for any better. The kids sailing team getting ready to launch at Caribbean Villas. And some pretty beaded necklaces at a vendor’s table near the beach. Agreed. They have absolutely nothing to do with the weather.

How to Make Belizean Ceviche
Traditional Belizean style ceviche made with Caribbean shrimps Ingredients: About half a pound of raw (uncooked) cleaned shrimp 2 cups diced ripe tomatoes 1 large onion diced 1 bunch cilantro chopped 1 habanero pepper minced 5 good limes 1 tsp salt (salt to taste)

Belize's Delegation To Chavez's Funeral
Prime Minister, Hon. Dean Barrow, has appointed the Hon. Gaspar Vega, Deputy Prime Minister of Belize, to lead Belize’s delegation attending the funeral of the late President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. The Belize delegation includes the Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Alexis Rosado and Ambassador Nestor Mendez, Belize’s Ambassador to Washington and the Organization of American States.

Belizean Creole Bun 1/2 Recipe
I realize that some people live alone and the full recipe of the bun that's originally at the site may yield too many loaves. This recipe will yield only 2 loaves of this wonderfully delicious bread. Great for all occasions.

OFFICIAL DELEGATION TO ATTEND FUNERAL FOR HUGO CHAVEZ
Government confirmed today that Belize will send a delegation to attend the funeral of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez. That state funeral is scheduled for Friday morning, though there is still uncertainty surrounding the location. Reports are that the longtime President had requested that he be buried on the plains of his home state of Barinas. Family members, however, are saying he will be buried in the military museum overlooking Caracas. Still others are saying he will be buried in a mausoleum he had ordered built for the remains of Simon Bolivar. It is expected that as many as twenty-two world leaders and hundreds of thousands of supporters will attend the funeral, and among them will be Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega, C.E.O. in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexis Rosado and Belize’s Ambassador to the OAS Nestor Mendez. But from diplomacy to politics, we note that in the absence of Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega, Minister of National Security, John Saldivar, has been appointed as acting Prime Minister. Traditionally, Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, has acted as Prime Minister. Those in the political know tell us that the choice of Saldivar, who has been a rival of Faber and who openly supported Vega in the recent U.D.P. convention, is a slight of Faber, and a clear indication that in the wake of the convention he has still not gained favor from his boss, the P.M.

Takin’ Care of Business
Could be the different bed. Or the strange surroundings. Might be that the concentration I am giving to driving a car on alien roads (well alien to me anyway) is just that little bit more tiring than dawdling around in a golf cart on Ambergris Caye! Whatever it is I am waking later in the morning. Not up this morning until 6.50 am. A hearty breakfast at the hotel and Rose and I were ready to hit the shops again. With a fairly local Lowe’s store being first on our list. And this one was only eleven miles from our hotel. Virtually next door by Dallas standards! Some little while ago Emily (http://bebelize.weebly.com/) commented on this blog that too much choice might make things more difficult for us. I am now starting to think that she might well be right. When there is so much on offer it is sometimes nigh on impossible to choose just one! But choose we must and today Rose and I believe that we are now very close to making our choices. With our window shopping done we went back to the hotel to download the photographs. Quickly freshened up and went out for dinner. Our choice once again was – yes, you guessed it – steak.

GUATEMALA REVIVES CLAIM
The dispute moved now to the “court phase.” Guatemala proposed arbitration, and Britain suggested taking the matter to the Hague Court. Guatemala was not in favour of the dispute being examined purely on a legal basis. In July 1939, Guatemala published a White Book on her claims, and in 1940 Britain again offered arbitration in any of three ways: either to the Hague Court, or to a tribunal of international lawyers examining the matter under Chapter 4 of the Hague Convention, or to a tribunal of three international lawyers-one member to be selected by each party and one of them by the President of the United States. Guatemala rejected all three, and in 1940 Guatemala claimed that the Treaty was invalid, and therefore, for the first time, claimed the whole of British Honduras, “She also considers that the non-compliance of the obligations on the part of Great Britain has caused to the Republic, material and intangible damages because of the loss of advantages which the country would have derived from its development and from its foreign trade if the expected highway to the Atlantic Coast had been constructed. The British occupation of British Honduras cut off all maritime communications with the Department of Peten closing it off thereby orographic and political barriers that have prevented its progress and development”. (69) During the Second World War, President Ubico did not press the matter, but after his downfall in 1944 the new Guatemalan Government promulgated a constitution in 1945, declaring British Honduras to be a part of Guatemalan territory. Britain offered in 1946 to take the dispute to the International Court, but Guatemala refused unless it would be determined ex aequo et bono, acceding to the principle of equity, what is just and good. Another principle Which Guatemala adheres to is the principle of uti possidetis, which is based on the theory that “… the Central American Federation inherited the sovereign rights formerly possessed by Spain and that on its dissolution its member-states inherited the territorial jurisdiction which corresponded to them respectively as administrative divisions of the old Captaincy-General of Guatemala .” Guatemala further argues that during the colonial period, Belize formed a part of Peten or Verapaz during the period of Guatemala’s membership of the Central American Federation and after the Federation had dissolved. This principle, applied by Gautemala and between other Latin American states, is a principle which is not recognized by international law and applies only to those states who have agreed to be bound by it. (70)

International Sources

Hurricane Hattie, Author: John D. Friesen
Online version of the Story of the hurricane that ripped through the British Honduras, on October 31,1961.

10th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest
Smithsonian magazine's 2012 photo contest attracted more than 37,600 submissions. Those images have been whittled down to 50 finalists in the natural world, people, travel, Americana and altered images categories.

See The Comet
Starting last night, look west close to the horizon. This is the big week so many of us in the northern hemisphere have been waiting for. Comet C/2011 L4 PANSTARRS, which has put on a splendid show in the southern hemisphere, now finally comes to a sky near us northerners! Sky watchers in Australia and southern South America report it looks like a fuzzy star a little brighter than those in the Big Dipper with a short stub of a tail visible to the naked eye. The comet should brighten further as it wings its way sunward. Closest approach to the sun happens on March 10 at a distance of 28 million miles. That’s about 8 million miles closer than the orbit of Mercury. Though very low in the western sky after sundown, the comet should be visible across much of the U.S., southern Canada and Europe beginning tonight March 8.

Belize strikes deal to restructure outstanding debt
Belize on Friday struck a deal with a majority of its creditors to renegotiate longer terms and lower interest rates, officials said Friday. "The government of Belize today announced that the holders of 86.17 percent of dollar bonds due in 2029 have exchanged the instruments for new bonds maturing in 2038," said an official statement. The country needed agreement from at least 75 percent of its creditors to move forward with the deal. In addition to giving Belize an extra nine years to repay the capital, the interest rate for the first four years will be 5.0 percent, before reverting to the current rate of 8.5 percent.

Clemson students to donate scholarship money, film documentary in Belize
A Clemson University Creative Inquiry student team will travel to Belize March 17-24 to interact with a school’s students and educators while filming a documentary to raise awareness about the need for educational opportunity in impoverished areas of foreign countries. The visit to Unity Christian School and film are part of the development of “$60 Scholarships,” the students’ effort to award scholarships to children in the Burial Grounds community of Belize whose families aren’t able to pay for their educations. “The education system there is privatized, meaning that the government only pays half of the tuition,” said Sara Grace Bailey, a $60 Scholarships team member from Lancaster. “The families are responsible for the remaining $75 and we are raising money to pay $60 of that. This way, we are helping but still holding the family responsible so that they come to appreciate their work toward education.” “Sixty dollars gives students uniforms and school supplies, as well as tuition for an entire year,” said Anne Coker, a team member from Hendersonville, N.C.

Belize Debt Exchange Offer Successful
The Government of Belize announced today that holders of 86.2 percent of the country's U.S. Dollar Bonds due 2029 (the "2029 Bonds") had tendered their bonds in response to Belize's February 15, 2013 offer to exchange those instruments for new Belize U.S. Dollar Bonds due 2038 (the "2038 Bonds"). Belize's offer required tenders to be submitted to Citibank, in its capacity as the Exchange Agent for the transaction, by 5:00pm (New York time) today. Under the terms of the 2029 Bonds and Belize's exchange offer, holders of not less than 75 percent of the 2029 Bonds have instructed the Trustee for those instruments to tender the entirety of the 2029 Bonds in exchange for 2038 Bonds in accordance with the terms of Belize's offer. The results of the tender process that ended today means that such an exchange of the entirety of the 2029 Bonds is expected to take place at a closing of the transaction later this month.

US - Belizean Cultural Heritage Effort Hailed
The recent signing of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Belize is a major step forward in protecting the little Caribbean country’s cultural heritage, a spokesman for the Belize Natural History Centre at Chaa Creek said today. Brion Young said that the memorandum, announced 5 march 2013 by the US Department of State, demonstrates a commitment on the part of the two countries to end the looting of Maya temples and archaeological sites in Belize and halt the illegal trade of Maya artefacts. The MOU also covers the illegal trafficking of Belize’s African, Spanish, British and other cultural treasures. “Over the years we have lost so much of our heritage to looters, and we salute the United States in working with the Government of Belize to put a stop to this. Just as the original Declaration of Independence and other historical artefacts are important to US citizens, we value the icons of our country’s history and culture,” Mr Young said.

Belize says superbond offer taken up by over 75 pct of holders
Belize's government said on Friday it had met the required threshold needed to complete a debt exchange on the country's $550 million superbond, allowing the tiny the Central American nation to restructure its debt. In a statement, the government said that holders of 86.17 percent of Belize's U.S. dollar bonds due in 2029 had agreed to swap them for new bonds due in 2038. The Belize government needed a 75 percent take-up rate to trigger a collective action clause, a mechanism used to restructure government bonds in a crisis.

Farrakhan addresses university students in Belize
Minister Farrakhan's Bird Isle address comes at the conclusion of his visit to the Central American nation of Belize. The Minister's visit included meetings with political, civic and social leaders and activists. In addition to radio/TV interviews, he also addressed university students and the staff and inmates of Belize Central Prison.

Trinidad to play Belize, Peru in football friendly
Trinidad and Tobago will play two Central American opponents later this month as they continue preparations for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July. The Trinidadians will take on Belize at home March 22 and travel to Lima to face Peru three days later, reports CMC. The March 26 encounter against Peru is a return friendly after the Caribbean side lost to them 0-2 here last month. "We had a good opportunity to see some of the players from abroad in the last game against Peru and we also had the chance to see the local-based players in that particular game," said national head coach Hutson Charles. "The process of seeing what the players have to offer will continue in these two matches coming up."

March 8, 2013

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7 and Channel 5
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

GOB enacts Justice of the Peace Act of 2005
The Government of Belize (GOB), through the Attorney General Ministry office, has approved, gazetted and enacted the Justice of the Peace Act of 2005. It’s a very important piece of legislation that will make the work of the Association of Justice better. The Act has been awaiting approval, and has been the constant calling of the organization, since 2005 when it was shelved pending approval. The Act came into effect February 21st after the Attorney General of Belize Wilfred Elrington signed it into law. Danny Madrid, National President of the Association of Justices of the Peace (JP) and Commissioners of the Supreme Court said that the enactment of the Act is a big step and will give their association more autonomy. “This means that the association will be able to do its work in a more professional way and will be able to deal with those Justices of the Peace who commit themselves. The Act actually tells you that if a Justice of the Peace is caught charging for their services or giving wrong information or signing wrong documents, the JP can even go to prison,” said Madrid.

Tour Company abandons couple on Half Moon Caye
The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) has started an investigation following an incident at sea in which a European couple was left stranded on an island by a tour operator located on Ambergris Caye. The incident has the two visitors questioning the level of professionalism involved in diving in Belize. St. John and Claire Neilson, told reporters on Caye Caulker, that on February 27th they were left stranded at Half Moon Caye by the dive company, Aqua Scuba. According to the tourists, who had traveled to Belize from London, England on an extended honeymoon trip, they had booked a scuba diving package with Big Fish Dive Center in Caye Caulker. Since Big Fish Dive Center was having trouble with their vessel they subcontracted the tour to Aqua Scuba Dive Center in San Pedro to take the couple out diving off Half Moon Caye and the Blue Hole.

Explore the underwater world with Belize Diving Adventures
Underwater adventures abound off the shores of Ambergris Caye with each site a beautiful and unique look at marine life along the Meso-American Barrier Reef. One snorkeling and dive spot that offers an exceptional view of pristine habitat and creatures protected to the point that they emanate health and happiness is the world renowned Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Officially established in 1897, and by far the most popular site in the area, the reserve is located off the southern tip of the caye, just a short 15-20 minute boat ride from San Pedro Town. Hol Chan means “little channel” in Mayan, and it is the dramatic coral walls that border this narrow, 30 foot-deep channel, as well as the coral and sea grass perimeter that offers spectacular snorkeling and diving.

Ambergris Today

San Pedro AIDS Commission Hosts HIV/AIDS Talk at Local School
The topic of HIV/AIDS is something that not many like to talk about, but it is a serious topic which we should all be educated on. HIV is an epidemic that is affecting our country and the world; proper education is essential for young minds. For this reason teacher Lozano of the San Pedro Roman Catholic School invited the San Pedro AIDS Commission to address his Standard VI class on HIV/AIDS. “Although we were invited to talk about this subject, we felt that the best person to address these children was Mr. Eric Castellanos of C-NET + (Collaborative Network of Persons Living with HIV). His presentation to the students falls under our educational program as the SP AIDS Commission was fully responsible for paying everything for Mr. Castellanos to make this trip and address the class,” stated Felix Ayuso, President of the San Pedro AIDS Commission.

Successful Operation Snip by Saga Humane Society
The San Pedro Saga Humane Society held a very successful Operation SNIP (Spay/Neuter Initiative Program). To celebrate World Spay Day, Saga HS completed 60 free spay/neuters the week of World Spay Day, February 26, 2013. World Spay Day is an annual campaign of Humane Society International and The Humane Society of the United States that shines a spotlight on spay/neuter—a proven way to save the lives of companion animals, feral cats, and street dogs who might otherwise be put down in a shelter or killed on the street. Operation SNIP is Saga HS ongoing plan to sterilize 75% of the islands’ animal population in the next 3-5 years. This was a great partnership between local businesses and visiting animal welfare professionals from the USA. Dr. Don Tummons of Duck Hollow Animal Hospital in Uniontown, PA, Mary Maykuth, Heather Beck of K9 Lifeline in Draper, UT were superstars for coming to assist Saga HS with this event!

Misc Belizean Sources

Temperatures - Belmopan
These are some temperature records for Belmopan Now, just starting to include Rain / Month figures also. . . Note the 50°F Line = Zero ( 0 ) rain, 60°F Line represents the 200mm/Month Rain.

Rotary District 4250 Conference Gala
The Rotary District 4250 Conference Gala at the Bedran Hall made for an entertaining night. SHJC's Tourism students did a great job. "The Bedran Hall at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel is where Rotary's Grand Gala was held. The F&B; students from Sacred Heart Junior College once again did a fantastic job with the food and drinks."

Panerrifix at Banana Bank Tonight
Panerrifix, the amazing steel band, will be playing at Banana Bank tonight. The La Ruta Maya starts tomorrow at 7:00am, under the Hawkesworth Bridge, and finishes at Banana Bank. A big thanks to the Belmopan City Council for sponsoring the event.

Bullet Tree Preschool Visits the SIPL
Feelgood news of the day. The Bullet Tree Preschool visited the San Ignacio Public Library to see some stories acted out. Great way to celebrate Children's Month. "Preschool visit for activities and stories"

Banana Bank Building Observatory
Banana Bank Lodge is building what?!? Wow, an observatory in Cayo! Could this be the first? "We are so excited about all that has been going on at Banana Bank that we just can't wait to share it with you and get all your responses and feedback either by email or on our facebook page!! Below are pictures of the installation of our new dome!! This is a real live observatory for the 16" inch computerized telescope. We are very excited to share this new feature with you so come to Banana Bank and tour Belize during the day and the universe at night!!!! "

FIU Amends Money Laundering Act
Financial Intelligence Unit Amends Money Laundering & Terrorism (Prevention), which now requires new businesses to Register under the said Act.

Channel 7

Farrakhan Tells Prisoners "You’re Responsible For Yourself!"
On Friday night, Minister Louis Farrakhan will make his major public address at the Bird's Isle. And as he begins to wind up his five-day tour of Belize - he gave one of the most anticipated speeches today: he spoke to inmates at the Kolbe Central Prison. It was billed as an address to 1,600 inmates and staff - but most of the general population had to hear it via monster speakers, since only 400 persons can fit into the prison auditorium. 7news was there to hear his message: Jules Vasquez Reporting This morning, a select, low-risk 350 of the 1,400 inmates at the Kolbe Central Prison filled up the prison auditorium to hear Minister Louis Farrakhan. You might say he had a captive audience but they seemed genuinely locked in to his message, and indeed, even at 79, Farrakhan is magnetic, charismatic and powerful. Flanked by his two sons, he spoke about spirituality, personal accountability and the role of women. For this audience, the theme of accountability resonated most deeply:

Vega To Venezuela, Saldivar Is PM
The funeral for Hugo Chavez will be held tomorrow in Caracas, Venezuela and Belize will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister, Gaspar Vega. He will lead a delegation comprising CEO in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexis Rosado and Nestor Mendez, Belize's Ambassador to Washington and the OAS. They left today to return on Sunday. In the interim, John Saldivar is holding over as Acting Prime Minister. That is of note, because, in the past, when both PM Barrow and Deputy Vega were out of the country, the hold over post would go to Patrick Faber. But since losing his seat in the party executive with a failed bid for Deputy, it seems he his standing in executive has also suffered for it. Vega will join heads of state and government and senior officials from all over the world including the United States.

Howler Monkey Mauled
An adult male howler monkey is clinging to life after it was badly beaten up by humans - allegedly high school students - in Orange Walk. According to Wildlife Officer Rasheda Garcia at the Forestry Department, they received a report on Wednesday morning that the howler had been savagely beaten on the grounds of the Belize High School of Agriculture in Orange Walk the day before. According to the report, a teacher had told some boys at the school to kill the monkey because it had defecated on him while he was sleeping in the bushes. The report said that in the afternoon the students brought down the monkey with a slingshot, then beat it with tree limbs, tied up its hands and feet and dragged it unto the school grounds. Again, this is just the report that was posted on the net, it could not be confirmed by us or by the Forestry Department which is investigating. But, the monkey was on the school grounds, badly injured and barely alive. A teacher rescued it and took it home to try and save it - which is when the Forestry Department got the report, and took it from the teacher's house to a vet in Belize City. According to Garcia, the monkey is in a quote, "really, really bad condition."

Who Will Coach National Football?
Last night, we told you that the National football Coach, Leroy Sherrier, abruptly vacated the post for a second time. It came as a surprise to the entire football community in Belize because the last time he spoke with the media, he said that he was about to sign a contract to remain in Belize for the long term. Information to 7News was that he had difficulties with some of the members of the National Team Committee, but at a press conference today, the President of the Football Federation of Belize, Ruperto Vicente said that there were a number of issues that led to his departure. In a very diplomatic letter to the President, Sherrier outlined a list of personal reasons which led him to the decision to leave. Those included a lack of motivation, his old age while nearing 70 years, the fact that he missed his family back home, and some issues he had with certain Committee members. He was diplomatic throughout the letter, but when he touched the topic of the committee members, he bravely questioned their commitment to football in Belize, requesting that Vicente and the executive look closely at the criteria for appointing members because he called them figureheads.

Belize B-Ball Ready To Go!
And while an air of uncertainty surrounds international competition for football, the coach for the National Basketball Selection says that he is confident that his team will perform well in the upcoming Central American Games. Despite the fact that the team has been having problems with funding and a suitable practice facility, Matthew Smiling says that they will do well in the tournament, which starts this Sunday. He discussed the team's readiness with 7News today: Matthew Smiling - Head Coach, Belize Basketball National Team "We have the players like Darwin Carter, Leon Jacobs, Jean Myvett, Inglebert Cherrinton,, Keith Acosta, Ty Bradley, Linsberg Graham, Steven Williams and a bunch of others." Daniel Ortiz "So, what are the strengths of the team that is going to be representation?" Matthew Smiling "I think we are very fast. We're not big because Inglebert is the only legit big man we have along with Farron Lauriano, but we're a very fast team and that's the way we want to play." Daniel Ortiz "So, we expect a very fast pace; as you grab a rebound, you make a move."

Goldson Bust "Busts A Move"
Phillip Goldson may be a national hero, but his bust can't seem to find a final home. In January, we told you that it was moved into the Battlefield Park - and we thought the understanding was that it would stay there. But, lo and behold, this morning we saw it on the move again, this time it's been relocated to the head of the Northern Highway median at the Belcan Roundabout. Is it temporary? is it permanent? We can't say - but what we do know is that the Sustainable Tourism Project plans to do major remodeling work in the park - and the massive bust would have been in the way. So when that's done, will it go back from the roundabout to the park? No one seems sure at this time.

Newly Named City Streets
And while that will be a year two decision, the City is still busy self-congratulating for its first year in office. Today, they held a Street naming award ceremony where 58 Belizeans were honored by having their names used as street names in Belize City. The Mayor explained the importance of recognizing these members of the public for their commitment to public service. Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City Council "What we chose to do, marking our 1 year anniversary, was to recognize certain people who have made an outstanding contribution to the development of Belize City. Previously, the City Council has recognized teachers. So, we have chosen to recognize persons in the various arts. We chose to recognized historical figures, trade unionists, and persons in the various sports areas. We chose to recognized wives of the former Prime Ministers and also the wife of our current Prime Minister. I believe the 3 of them have made significant contributions to the advancement of Belize City in the area of community service. We recognized persons like the late Beverly Smith Lopez, the late Edison Coleman - people who really distinguished themselves in the area of public service, in their chosen field and who really made a mark on a chosen society. Of note is that we recognized 2 young persons in Belize. 1 of them is Rowan Garell, and I think that he himself, through his short life, made a significant accomplishment and mark on his community and in Belize City."

Man Gets Off Murder, Witnesses Had Differing Accounts Of Clothing
23 year-old Dwayne Evelyn, the man who was charged with the February 2010 murder of 22 year-old Peter Myvette is at home tonight after he was freed by a jury of 12 in the end of his murder trial today. Viewers may remember that at around 12 in the afternoon on February 17, 2010, Myvette was washing a bus door at the corner of Tigris Street and Kut Avenue when a gunman rode past and shot him multiple times in an area crowded with school children. Evelyn was arrested and charged for the murder a couple days later because the crown's 2 chief witnesses linked him to the crime. So Evelyn was forced to wait on remand for 3 years, and when he faced his accusers in the murder trial before Justice Lucas this week, their story did not add up to the jury. One civilian took the stand and said that the gunman wore a mask when he launched the attack on Myvette, and a police officer testified that he was on West Street when he heard the gunshots. He said that he responded, he saw Evelyn, who he knew very well, removing a mask and throwing it away.

Profile Of A Sailor
Tonight's profile is about a young man and the sea. Roberto Pott came to Belize with his family from Jamaica as a boy and quickly latched unto sailing as a favourite past-time. Now he's carrying on the tradition with the Belize Sailing Association - and in tonight's profile he explained his passion for a sport and past0-time that's experiencing a rebirth in Belize.

New Car Sales Up, Japanese Auto Prices Down
And if sailing's not your thing - you might be into cars - especially the kinds we all love so much: we mean the ones we can't afford! But it doesn't cost anything to look - and today we got an eyeful of the 2014 Toyota RAV4. It's news because after three consecutive down years, new car sales in Belize are making a comeback - nearly 500 sold last year - and even more robust sales are expected this year. Coupled that with the fact that prices of Japanese products are down due to currency fluctuations, and the remodeled RAV is cheaper than last year's model. Pi Marin of Belize Diesel told us more: Israel Pi Marin - Managing Director, Belize Diesel And Equipment "We have a new product, a new design, better features, better pricing. We're expecting that this year that - we've ordered like 30 and we've had a very strong liking for the design, so I think we will be doing very well with this unit. What we're seeing is new features, new engine, and new transmission. This one for example has a 6 speed automatic transmission, and we have 16 different models of the Rav4, models meaning options and price points, andwe have different price points in the Rav4."

BSI Employee Holdings Get A Dividend, Finally!
Fortunes are turning around in the sugar industry as production is up and the company has declared a dividend. BSI held an annual general meeting on Tuesday where the shareholders declared a 3 million dollar dividend payment for those groups that had shares in the company before ASR bought controlling interests in October 2012. The dividend is approximately $0.068 cents per each of the 44 million issued shares before ASR's investment, so the BSI's Employee Holdings will receive 81% of the 3 million dollars dividend or $2.4 million dollars. Those moneys will be disbursed on March 14th and the Employee's Trust will then distribute it to its membership on Thursday, March 21st.

Senior Citizen Knocked Down On Way To Farm
There was a terrible accident this morning on the northern highway in which a 68 year old man was killed. A little after 5:30 am Teodosio Cabanas from the Louisiana Area of Ornage Walk was knocked down as he was riding to his farm in Indian Hill. The accident occurred on the Orange Walk By pass road just before the bridge. The driver of the vehicle stopped to render aid but Cabanas had been crushed. The 68 year old was known to ride to his farm daily.

Israel Assisting With Cultural Products
Over the past week a group of young Belizean entrepreneurs have been participating in a workshop sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs along with the Embassy of Israel. The workshop is aimed at generating creative ideas for the cultural industry. The workshop is called "Business Lab, Focused on Cultural Enterprises" and today we found out how this entrepreneurial initiative can positively affect the society and our communities. H. E. Shmulik A. Bass - Ambassador, State of Israel "I am very happy to arrive here again to Belize, this time to be part of a workshop given by 2 Israeli experts on economic or business laboratories together with the organization of Y.A.B.T with its branch here in Belize. As the Israeli technical assistant agency Machave, has very good close relations with the Y.A.B.T world organization to promote business. We have our knowledge on business. We helped our rural part in Israel through incentives from the government, and from the private sector to promote and advance, and develop the business in rural areas. This way, we can show Belizeans the Israeli way. It's not like we teach how to do; it's to show what was the Israeli way.

Channel 5

Official delegation to attend funeral for Hugo Chavez
Government confirmed today that Belize will send a delegation to attend the funeral of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez. That state funeral is scheduled for Friday morning, though there is still uncertainty surrounding the location. Reports are that the longtime President had requested that he be buried on the plains of his home state of Barinas. [...]

Adios to Costa Rican Coach Sherrier
The Football Federation of Belize held what it called an emergency press conference this morning to confirm what we reported on Wednesday. Leroy Sherrier-Lewis, the Costa Rican coach of the Belize Jaguars which placed fourth in the Copa Centro Americana 2013, has left the building…again…and this time for good. Sherrier-Lewis first left in late January [...]

Charlie Slusher now interim national football team coach
When Coach Leroy Sherrier-Lewis departed on Wednesday, he left behind a letter for F.F.B. President Ruperto Vicente. That letter was mostly warm wishes directed toward Vicente and the national team, but Sherrier-Lewis does state that he had lost motivation since last year, so didn’t want to coach the team in that frame of mind. And [...]

No football prize money, but more football fields
While the big news was the status of national team coach Leroy Sherrier-Lewis and a new appointment for local football legend Charles Slusher, there was also some bad news to report. Because the Belize Jaguars placed fourth in the Copa Centro Americana 2013 the team was entitled to some football prize money, which Vicente stated [...]

Drug plane took off from Spanish Lookout Airstrip
A U.S. registered plane landed without authorization in Venezuela on February twenty first. The men in the plane were identified as fifty-one year old Canadian citizen, Sawatzky David William, and thirty-one year old Colombian national, Jorge Bustamante. Officials of the Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations Branch performed a drug screening in the aircraft which tested [...]

Not guilty in murder trial; accused was home with mother
  After deliberating for four hours and a half, just after four this afternoon, the jury in the murder trial of Dwayne Evelyn returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty. And today, after being behind bars for two years Evelyn walked out of court a free man. Evelyn had been accused of the February 2010 [...]

Prison supervisor freed of drug charges
  A prison supervisor, who was accused of trying to smuggle marijuana inside the Kolbe Correctional Facility, today had no case to answer after the testimony of the officer who found the drugs had too many inconsistencies. On September twelfth 2012, thirty-six year old Donald Gillett was searched as he entered the prison and fifty [...]

Suspension in sight? P.U.P. gives U.D.P. an F for midterm
The Government presented its budget for fiscal year 2013-2014 last Friday and debate takes place next week. Prime Minister Dean Barrow stated that the economy grew by five point three percent in 2012, and it will continue at a modest pace of three percent this financial year. According to the P.M. there will also be [...]

Meet Israeli Ambassador to Belize, Shmulik Bass
The Israeli Ambassador to Belize, Shmulik Bass, is in the jewel and he is bearing gifts. Since Monday, a five-day workshop, “Business Labs Focused on Cultural Enterprises,” has been ongoing at the University of Belize Campus in Belize City. The on the spot course is sponsored through the Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation and [...]

World Culture Day at Horizon Academy
Culture was on display in many forms today at Horizon Academy at mile three on the Northern Highway. As a way to promote international culture day, the students were invited to project the culture of various countries, from far away places such as Greece to nearby Mexico. There was food, music, dance and many other [...]

Ruta Maya canoe race across western Belize to Belize City
The annual Ruta Maya canoe race is hours away from beginning. Tonight in San Ignacio, the participants and Cayo residents are feasting at a cultural event. The race will start under the Hawkesworth Bridge and the competitors will paddle to Banana Bank, Double Head Cabbage, then to Henderson’s Bank in Burrell Boom, and on to [...]

National female softball team wins bronze
While Ruta Maya is just getting off, the Belize National Women’s Softball Team returns to the jewel this Friday.  The team isn’t coming home empty-handed; it’s bringing a bronze medal from the tenth Central American Games in Costa Rica.  In the second semi-final game Belize lost to Guatemala two to nil. The losing pitcher was [...]

Exhibit honors the works of women
This Friday is being set aside as International Women’s Day. The theme calls for the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls. All over the globe, there is an urgent call to end discrimination and for strong laws to stop violent behavior against females.  To celebrate the occasion, an exhibition [...]

Check out the brand new ride at Belize Diesel
If you are looking for a new brand vehicle, there is one on the market that is likely to suit your image. The Toyota Rav-4 is now available from Belize Diesel; it has been upgraded and redesigned to make it attractive to both genders, and especially the younger generation. Duane Moody also found out that [...]

Healthy Living’s options for birth control
Proper family planning is highly encouraged in today’s society. With a planned approach to building a family the well-being of children and parents are considered in the decision of how many and how often a woman will have children. Birth control or contraceptive methods are the main options for women and men who are looking [...]

CTV3

Endangered Howler Monkey Found Badly Beaten Behind School Campus
Belize has a diverse ecosystem of wildlife and natural resources. Some of the most exotic animals that inhabit Belize are great tourist attractions and this morning, our newsroom received a report of a Howler Monkey that appears to have been severely injured. The male howler monkey was rescued yesterday in Orange Walk by the Forestry Department of Belmopan. Our news room has learnt that a male howler monkey was found severely injured two days ago behind the compound of the Belize High School of Agriculture. Whether or not the howler monkey was found injured or if it was harmed when it was found are questions that have not been answered. When we contacted the school this afternoon we were told that they have no comments on the matter as it is being investigated by the Forestry Department in Belmopan. We then called the Forestry office in Belmopan and the response was the same; no comment.

Caribbean Tires Burglarized! Thief Is Captured!
Tonight a Carmelita Village resident is sitting behind bars at the Orange Walk Police Station after he was arrested and charged for the crime of burglary. Shortly after seven this morning, Timothy Miller, the Manager of Caribbean Tires situated at the eastern end of the Orange Walk By-pass, reported to Police that after he arrived at the business establishment to open for the day, he noticed that one of the glass panes was broken. Further checks in the business revealed that the culprit ransacked a part of the store and went straight for the cash. After a count was made, Miller reported to Police that over $7,000 in cash was taken by the burglar. Quick police investigations, led police to the residence of Nelson Rhaburn of Carmelita Village where a search was conducted. Inside the residence police found over $4,000 in cash and as a result, Rhaburn was arrested and charged for the crime of burglary.

Elderly Man Lose Life After Being Run Over
There was a tragic accident this morning in which a 68 year old man lost his life. A little after 5:30 this morning, Teodosio Cabanas from the Louisiana Area lost his life after he was knocked down while on his way to his farm located at Indian Hill. The accident occurred on the Orange Walk By-pass a short distance away from the bridge. Here’s that report. Hipolito Novelo reporting For the past five years sixty-eight year old Teodosio Cabanas would travel to his farm in Indian Hill on a daily basis using the Orange Walk By-pass road. But this morning, his life was abruptly ended when this Toyota Hilux fatally hit Cabanas. Enrique Cal was taking his morning jog when he witnessed the tragic incident unfold before him. Enrique Cal, Witness “Early this morning I was running by the by-pass, by the bridge going towards the by-pass and due to the darkness and the dust I usually take one of these. So I was running then two buses were coming from the round-a-bout to the bridge and when it passed me it created a lot of dust and it was also dark. So in a while a Hilux pick up flew pass me going towards San Estevan and not too far from me I saw the pickup served out and I just heard something knock. The pickup served in back and all the while I heard something knock like “bang, bang, bang” and clearly I saw something role off underneath the vehicle. I then realized that that this man had knocked down somebody and ran over him.”

BSI 2012 Dividends Around The Corner
2012 proved to be one that will forever go down in the history books of the Belize Sugar Industry; with financial difficulties faced by the industry which threatened the closure of the factory to its buyout by ASR, American Sugar Refinery. But not to linger too much on those trialing times of the sugar industry, today, BSI is in the news for another reason, one of a positive note. In an information bulletin issued yesterday evening to all employees of BSI, the Belize Sugar Industries Group announced that dividends for the 2012 financial year will be issued on the fourteenth of March. According to the internal memo, BSI held its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, March 5th where it was agreed upon the payment of three million Belize dollars in dividends to employees as stipulated in the Subscription Deed. BSI has a total of forty-four million shares issued and each was valued at $0.068 at the time BSI sold its majority shares to ASR on October 2nd, 2012. According to the information bulletin, the three million dollars payment will be made to shareholders on Thursday, March 14th in respect to their shareholdings.

Coach Sherrier Splits Again! Slusher Steps In
2013 has already been a historic year for Belize as for the first time in Football History; Belize has defeated a Central American team, Nicaragua, and qualified for the Gold Cup to be played in the US this time around. After ending the UNCAF Copa Centroamericana in fourth place, Belize returned home heroes to the nation of over 350,000 Belizeans. But the triumphant effort on the field was quickly forgotten as the focus of the team became the problems faced at the Head Coaching position. Leroy Sherrier Lewis coached Belize’s National A-Selection in Costa Rica and orchestrated the historic outing but did not return home with the team as he had quit the job immediately after the team finished the tournament. Once the jubilation was over with, FFB executive sat down with Coach Sherrier in efforts of coming to an agreement with his contract and the commencement of the team’s preparation for the Gold Cup. Well, it appears that all negotiations have fallen apart as Coach Sherrier boarded a flight yesterday en route to Costa Rica. Reports to our newsroom is that Sherrier was not comfortable with several parts of the agreement and as a result, he has decided to quit once more and this time, he has indicated that he will not come back; well that is unconfirmed at this time. In a press conference held this morning by the FFB President Ruperto Vicente, he mentioned that the doors to Sherrier will remain open at this moment should he wish to return to the negotiating table. Vicente also went on to say that they have several résumés on hand that they will go through in search of a replacement.

Create Drama To Create Awareness
This morning, the Belize Audubon Society held a drama competition in three communities in Northern Belize; Chunox Village, Sarteneja Village, and Copper Bank Village. Five primary schools from these villages participated in the competition and Environmental Education Project Manager at the Belize Audubon Society, Dareece Chuc, told us via phone this afternoon that the competition was held in efforts of engaging the students and to create awareness on the importance of the Belize Barrier Reef and the fishing regulations. DAREECE CHUC Environment Education Project Manager Belize Audubon Society “It is the first time in recent years and we have worked for many years with these communities in creating awareness about the importance of marine protect areas and about wise use of the marine resources. So it is the first drama competition but we continue to work with the community in doing different community, fishermen and the other community groups to create awareness. The response was great. We had full participation from the five primary schools. Each school had a group that participated in the drama competition and they participated well. Our message is to respect the marine protected areas, the laws that govern our marine resources and to appreciate the Belize Barrier Reef and its importance to us as a country.”

Swing, Slide, Jump, Run- New Play Ground Officially Opened!
Earlier this week we told you about the joint effort of the Rotary Club of Canada, the Orange Walk Rotary Club and the Orange Walk Town Council, to erect a heavy duty play ground in the Louisiana Area. Well, all the plans and hard work paid off because today the park was officially inaugurated and officially open for the children to play on. CTV3 News was present for the ceremony and here is how it went. Kevin Bernard Mayor “I want to officially inaugurate the new Nature Park Play Ground with your blessing and with all with us great pride.” Libby Weir, Rotary Club Canada “This project meets the four way test. It is beneficial and it fosters good will and better friendships.” Kevin Bernard, Mayor “What you see before you today is only a symbol of something which is very deep and meaningful- a sign of friendship, cooperation, of community participation, commitment and unity.”

The Past, Present And Future- OWTC 1st Year
Today marks one year since the March 7th, 2012 double elections for the Government of Belize and Municipalities across this country. It was a close election between the United Democratic Party and the People’s United Party to see who controlled the majority in the House of Representatives. The UDP won seventeen out of thirty-one constituencies. Here in Orange Walk Town, Kevin Bernard and his slate won the Municipal elections taking back control of the Council from the UDP after six years. According to Mayor Bernard, it has been a year filled with difficulties and major accomplishments; accomplishments that were part of their manifesto. We caught up with the Orange Walk Mayor this morning who told us what the second year of their term will be focused on and what projects they hope to accomplish.

PlusTV

FFB discusses way forward after coach calls it quits
Football president Ruperto Vicente says his federation will now have to “move on” from Costa Rica’s Leroy Sherrier Lewis. Lewis was lauded for his guiding of the national team to its best ever regional performance. News broke yesterday that Lewis was hastily departing Belize and his post as national...

Dwayne Evelyn found not guilty of murder of Peter Myvett
22-year-old Dwayne Evelyn was found not guilty today of the shooting murder of George Street associate, Peter Myvett. The jury delivered a unanimous not guilty verdict. Myvett met his untimely death at around 12:00 noon on February 17 of 2010 while he was at the corner of Kut Avenue...

Teenager charged with attempted murder of Ronald Rivers
A teenager has been charged with the attempted murder of Belize City resident Ronald Rivers. Earlier this week, we told you that 28 year Ronald Rivers was shot while fixing a vehicle in front of the UNO Gas Station. Police were in the area at the time and saw...

PUP rate UDP on 5 years in power
Yesterday we gave a brief overview of the PUP’s press conference called on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the 2012 general elections which they lost narrowly.Today we have highlights of that press conference. First, Party Leader Francis Fonseca summarizes Belize after five years of the UDP in...

PUP plan education campaign on ICJ
The PUP says it is continuing internal consultations on the party’s decision to support or oppose going to the International Court of Justice to settle the dispute with Guatemala. Party Leader Francis Fonseca offers an update. Francis Fonseca – Leader of the Opposition: In terms of the party level,...

Belizean Delegation heads to Higo Chavez Funeral
Prime Minister Dean Barrow is presently out of the country accompanying his wife as she continues medical treatment. The Deputy PM has now also left the country leaving Hon. John Saldivar as the country’s acting Prime Minister. Minister Vega headed to Caracas, Venezuela to represent the Government and people...

Belize City streets named after prominent residents
58 prominent residents of Belize City were honored this morning by having streets named after them. This ceremony was part of the one-year anniversary of the Council’s election which happened on today’s date last year. The youngest recipient is 13 year old Rowan Garel, a visually impaired boy who...

Four family members on remand for keeping unlicensed ammunition
Ellis Meighan Jr., his mother Sheldon Meighan, sister Shanique Meighan and his 17 year old brother were all charged with keeping unlicensed ammunition, after GSU found nine two millimeter cartridges inside a barrel in their home. All four family members pleaded not guilty to the charge when they appeared...

20 year old Stephen Anderson walks free for lack of case file
A man who was jailed after robbing a businessman at gunpoint and shooting at a responding cop, walked free yesterday. 20 year old Stephen Anderson was charged for holding up a businessman and stealing his motorbike in April of 2012. Soon after, Police reportedly got into a high speed...

20 year old Thyrell Hyde develops Tourism board game
Plus News has been introducing you to entrepreneurs from around the country and tonight, we shine the spotlight on a young and upcoming business owner, whose current pursuit might very well be the ideal marketing tool for other businesses in the country. 20 year old Thyrell Hyde is the...

Legacy Youth Conference this weekend
Legacy Youth Conferences are some of the most widely attended Christian events in the Cayo district. This weekend, another conference kicks off under the theme, Surrender. Organizer Patrick Andrews told us more. Patrick Andrews – Youth With A Mission: Starting tomorrow, Friday the 8th of March, we’ll our Annual...

Workshop on clean development mechanism held in Belize City
A workshop on the subject of clean development mechanism was held in Belize City this morning. It is an outgrowth of the worldwide reaction to climate change, especially in developed countries, which are being charged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 25% by 2020. One of the...

Final preparations underway for La Ruta Maya River Challenge
It’s that time again – when kayakers from Belize and abroad gear up to compete in the La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge. As is customary, the teams will take-off from the the Hawksworth Bridge in San Ignacio and end at the Belcan Bridge in Belize City. This year,...

Fatal traffic accident leaves one man dead
There was a fatal traffic accident in the Orange Walk district. A 68 year old man was knocked off his bicycle this morning at around 5:30. Orange Walk Town resident 68 yr Teolosio Cabanas was riding his bicycle on San Estevan Road heading towards his farm located in the...

19 year old student arrested for burglary
A 19 year old student has been arrested for the crime of burglary and handling stolen goods after police say he stole over 7,000 worth of jewelry from a home. The owner of the home reported that on several occasions from December of last year to February of this...

Burglars broke into Belize National Youth Cadet Corp
A pair of burglars broke into the Belize National Youth Cadet Corp store room. According to police, sometime between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, two cadets made their way into the association’s storeroom and stole four luncheon meats, a box of happy cow cheese, two pack cakes, two boxes...

The Guardian

6-Lane Entrance to Belize City
Mayor Darrell Bradley has announced that in the coming weeks the Northern Highway from the Haulover Bridge to the Belcan roundabout will be concreted. More than just being concreted, the highway will be expanded in some areas where the first portion after crossing the Haulover bridge will see it become into a 6-lane highway. Getting closer into the city, it will be reduced to a 4-lane highway. According to the Mayor, the project will cost in the region of 10 million dollars and will be financed through the raising of a second Municipal Bond. That bond will be repaid through an inbound toll which will collect $1 for traffic that flows into the city. In 6 years, that toll will generate as much as 18 million dollars more than enough to pay off the bond. The project to concrete the highway is expected to commence in the next few weeks as there is already interest by at least 5 financiers who are willing to purchase the bond. The work is expected to be done by three contractors currently doing work in Belize City including RJB Construction Company, Matus and Matus Engineering and Medina’s. The work is anticipated to last for 18 months with portions of the highway being improved through piling.

A Handsome Dividend to BSI Employee Holdings
The Belize Sugar Industry Limited held an annual general meeting on Tuesday March 5th during which the company declared dividends for the year 2012. During the meeting it was announced that a 3 million dollar dividend payment will be made to entities who had shareholding in the company previous to the October 2nd, 2012 equity transaction to ASR which took over majority shareholding in the company by virtue of over U.S. 100 million dollar investment in the company. In that transaction, ASR bought out BSI's liabilities at international and local banks as well as the Government of Belize. It also paid out outstanding dividends to the BSI's Employee Holdings, and committed to have at least 30 million U.S. dollars invested in the company. With the declaration of dividends, which is approximately $0.068 per each of the 44 million issued shares before ASR's investment, the BSI's Employee Holdings will receive approximately 81.29% of the 3 million dollars or $2,438,627. Those moneys are expected to be disbursed on March 14th and the Employee's Trust will then disburse to its membership on Thursday, March 21st.

Budget 2013-2014 “Absolutely No New Taxes” “Increase in Social Assistance”
Though there was a 26.8% decrease in oil production in 2012 and an 11.9% decrease in cruise tourist arrivals, Belize’s economy grew by approximately 5.6%. Considering that the United States’ economy grew by only 2.2% and Latin America and the Caribbean have an estimated growth of 3.0%, Belize’s economic performance is the marvel of the region. The greater than projected decrease in oil production and the unexpected decrease in cruise tourism were offset by a 10.2% increase in overnight tourist arrivals. The banana and citrus industries also boosted the economy with a significant rebound year. Banana and citrus production suffered greatly in 2011 due to Hurricane Richard in late 2010 and a destructive thunderstorm in September of 2011. The incredible rebound of those two products combined with another impressive year for sugar production resulted in higher than projected growth in the GDP.

Softball plays for Gold in Costa Rica today
The National Women’s Softball Team of Belize will play for Gold today at the on-going 10th Central American Games that are being played in San Jose, Costa Rica. Six countries, namely Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama and host country Costa Rica participated in the Round Robin Competition with the top four countries advancing to the Page System Playoffs. Belize completed the Round Robin play with a 4-1 record and a date with history. Belize will finish with a medal at the 10th Central American Games. Belize played two games on Wednesday March 6th, 2013. In the second game played, Belize defeated Panama by the score of 16-9. Belize’s outfielder Barbara Cadle had a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 6th inning that sealed the victory for Belize. The winning pitching was Kenreen Gillett, who had relief help from Francine Hoare.

The Strongest Political Machinery This Nation has ever seen
As the number of supporters expressing the desire to join Village Council slates for the United Democratic Party (UDP) continues to grow countrywide, the Party is fully engaged in conducting conventions in an increasing number of villages.

13 Million still Available for Infrastructure
In December of last year, the Belize City Council became the first in the Caribbean to successfully float a bond to fund municipal development. The value of the three-tranche bond was 20 million dollars and 54 streets later there is still enough to go around to do more than what was projected.

More Mobility for Belize Defence Force
Minister of National Security, Hon. John Saldivar hands over keys to vehicles to Commander of BDF, General David Jones On Thursday, February 27th the Belize Defence Force (BDF) received three new Mahindra Pickup trucks from the Ministry of National Security.

State Funeral for President Chavez Scheduled for Friday
His Excellency President Hugo Chavez lost his battle with cancer after a brave two year fight on Tuesday, March 5th, at 4:25 p.m. inside a military hospital in Caracas, Venezuela. Thousands of supporters flooded the streets of Venezuela’s capital city, Caracas, to bid farewell to “El Comandante” as his coffin was transported from the military hospital to a military academy where it will remain until the official state funeral on Friday, March 8. The government has declared a seven day period of mourning and schools will remain closed for the rest of this week as the country bids farewell to its populist leader of 14 years.

One Year of CITCO under Darrell Bradley
March 7th will mark one year since the Belize City Council under the leadership of Mayor Darrell Bradley was elected into office. Based on the grade A concrete streets - 54 of them - the tenure of this Belize City Council has seen unprecedented development. The council's successes are not limited to streets; however, speaking to Mayor Darrell Bradley, he explained that there has been much more, less visible accomplishments that the Belize City Council has been able to achieve in one year.

The Death of Debt Watch
For days, weeks and months on end, there was this amorphous entity calling itself Belize's Debt Watch hammering and beating the country's financial position ad nauseam. They did everything under the sun to try to convince the Belizean public that the country was in dire financial straits. They made up figures for how much BTL and BEL are worth, they even took the Prime Minister speaking to the press out of context to try to get their message across. Their purpose turned so pathetic that they had seemingly everyday people speaking finance in their backyards. Their plan seemed simple yet evil at the same time; their focus was to ensure that those who held the Superbond would not sit with the Government and renegotiate it.

Minister Louis Farrakhan at the Big Bird’s Isle
The leader of the Nation of Islam, Minister Louis Farrakhan, is visiting the country of Belize for the third time, first in twenty-seven years. News of his visit first surfaced in late November of 2012 when he was scheduled to come to Belize on December 6th. Unfortunately, Minister Farrakhan was forced to cancel the trip due to exhaustion and dehydration after visiting five Caribbean countries. Belizean Muslims and other supporters of the black movement were disappointed by news of the cancelation and hoped for a makeup visit. The date for that makeup visit was announced by Nuri Muhammad late last week and on Monday, March 4th, Minister Louis Farrakhan arrived in Belize.

A Post in The Wrong Place
As The Guardian has been moving around the City looking at the infrastructural upgrades taking place, we were taken aback by this sight. A lamp post which is sitting well into Chetumal Street, at least two feet on the street and we were left to wonder if BEL will be moving the lamp post or if it will be left there and concrete poured around it.

Prime Minister departs Country to accompany Wife for Continuation of Her Medical Treatment
The Office of the Prime Minister informs that the Hon. Dean Barrow will depart the country today, 5th March, 2013, to accompany his wife, Mrs. Kim Simplis-Barrow for continuation of her medical treatment.

Belize City and San Benito sign Sister City Relations
The Belize City Council hosted a Guatemalan delegation from the town of San Benito for three days between Friday, March 1st and Sunday, March 3rd. The 12-member delegation was hosted in Belize City and even taken to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. The highlight of the visit by the Mayor of San Benito, Sonia Rivera, was the signing of a sister city relations agreement.

Another Impressive Month for Tourist Arrivals
The Belize Tourism Board has released the statistics for tourist arrivals in the month of January and it shows that Mother Nature’s secret is out as the number of people visiting Belize continues to increase. Overnight tourist arrivals have increased by a remarkable 17.2% compared to last year’s stats. A total of 28,431 overnight tourists were recorded in January. Last year the number was 24,263. 19,965 passengers arrived at the Phillip Goldson International Airport this January which is 1,407 more than last year, an increase of 7.6%. Even more impressive news is that cruise tourism was up by 19.4% in comparison to January of 2012. 102,871 cruise tourists arrived in Belize in January. Last year, 86,128 cruise tourists made it to Belizean shores. This has been the most impressive January for tourist arrivals in Belize’s history.

Deputy Prime Minister Presents Land Title to University of Belize
The Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Prime Minister, Hon. Gaspar Vega today presented the title for University of Belize Toledo Campus to the President of the University, Dr. Cary Fraser. This is second title presented by Hon. Vega to the University. In September 2012, the University was presented with the title to the campus for its Central Farm campus by Deputy Prime Minister Vega.

UB establishes Endowed Scholarship for ACC Student
The University of Belize last week established an endowed scholarship that will create for a student from the Anglican Cathedral College (ACC), who will major in science and mathematics at the University of Belize. The scholarship will cover full tuition and fees and will be awarded on an annual basis by the University.

UDP Leadership revisits Dangriga
The second stop on the post National Convention tour of the United Democratic Party (UDP)Team was in Dangriga for a meeting and social interaction with representatives from Dangriga and Stann Creek West constituencies.

UDP Leadership returns to the South
True to the promise of coming back to the people after the February 17th, National Convention, today Deputy Party Leader, Hon. Gaspar Vega; Party Chairman, Alberto August and Deputy Chairman of the United Democratic Party, Fern Gutierrez met, in Punta Gorda Town, with delegates from Toledo East and Toledo West in the company of Caretaker Representatives ,brothers Eden Martinez and Juan Coy respectively.

THEN & NOW
It is so good to be back in the pages of the Guardian again. ********** It once was, many years ago, when Mike Espat could have been considered a political force to recon with. Those days have long gone by as was clearly demonstrated during the last sitting of the House of Representatives. The NOW poor excuse for an area representative truly embarrassed himself when he “proudly” sought to express a private issue as a matter of “grave” public interest. ********** It is no secret that Mike Espat supported neither Said Musa nor Francis Fonseca for leadership of the now dwindling opposition but the very least they could have done was to advise him that such matter has no place in the House and thereby save him all that public embarrassment. ********** Yes everyone knows that Mike Espat supported the Pineapple face Marin Sr. for leadership of the opposition and that when he sought advice from the Junior Marin in the House, the poor fella, who knows not his posterior from that section of the arm just below the shoulder, wrongfully encouraged him to make a fool of himself in the House of Representatives and by extension to the nation by way of national radio and television.

Abel Arana’s Family asks: Where is the Gun?
23-year-old Abel Arana died shortly after he was involved in a shootout at a residence on Camal Street, Hattieville Village on Sunday, March 3rd. According to a preliminary report from the Belize Police Department, Arana was at the house on Camal Street socializing with Sherlock Ralph Martinez and others when an argument ensued. According to police, “shots were fired apparently by both persons who took out weapons and fired at each other.” Arana was shot to the abdomen and left side of the buttocks. He was taken to the Hattieville Health Center where he later succumbed to his injuries. Martinez was shot in the lower part of the abdomen. He was transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where he continues to receive treatment for the injury. Relatives and friends of both men have been outspoken about their assumptions of what happened in the house on Camal Street. Those close to Martinez are saying that he and Arana never had a relationship as friends; therefore, they would not have been socializing together. One friend of Martinez appeared on 7 News and said that Arana went to the house with the intent of killing Martinez. However, during the attempt, Martinez managed to knock the gun away and fired shots of his own. Arana’s parents dispute the allegations. They believe that their son was ‘chanced’ out of his life. They claim that the two men were friends as Martinez was very visible at a party that Arana had thrown for his child a few days earlier. Arana’s parents believe their son was beaten by numerous individuals and then shot. They ask, “If he [Arana] had gone there to kill him [Martinez] why not leave the gun on the scene so the police can find the gun? Where is the gun now?”

First Woman to be tried for Escape at the Supreme Court
On Friday, March 1st, the case of escape against 21- year-old Latifah Augustine, a student and resident of #170 East Collet Canal in Belize City, was committed to the April Session of the Supreme Court by Magistrate Dale Cayetano. As a result of the decision, her old bail was revoked and she was placed in lock down; she was offered a new bail in the sum of $3,000 plus a surety of the same amount. In the past, the offense of escape was treated as a summary offense and was tried at the Belize City Magistrate’s Court but an amendment to the act now sees the charge being dealt with on indictment. When a person is charged for the offense, no plea is taken and a preliminary inquiry is held to determine if there is sufficient evidence to commit the matter to the Supreme Court. Augustine is accused of escaping from lawful custody on Saturday, November 3rd, 2012 whilst at the Queen Street Police Station. She had been detained for assaulting a police officer and drinking in a public place. In a report, Sgt. Titus Parham reported that on Saturday, November 3rd, 2013, at about 10:40 a.m., he was on duty at the Queen Street Police Station as the EDO (Executive Duty Officer), when he was informed that Augustine was detained and placed into the female cell area for the offenses.

Woman withdraws Bail from Ex-Cop
On Monday, March 4th, an ex-police officer, who was dismissed from the Belize Police Department after being charged for robbery, saw his 2012 bail revoked in court. Kimberly Grant, his former girlfriend, visited Court #6 where she appeared before Magistrate Adolph Lucas requesting the urgent withdrawal of her bail from her ex boyfriend, Michael Diaz. Grant told Magistrate Adolph Lucas that on several occasions, Diaz has not been showing up at court despite the fact that in December 2012 she made a personal visit to him make sure he showed up. Diaz defied her request and as a result, she revoked her bail. Magistrate Lucas granted her request after she explained her situation. In court, Diaz, who was unrepresented, explained that his ex-girlfriend is being malicious against him because they recently broke up. He says he did not show up on his latest court date because it was changed without his knowledge.

Guilty of Possession of a Controlled drug
In February 49-year-old Benjamin Lester Chaplin, a Plummer of Faber’s Road pleaded guilty to assaulting a 12-year-old child when he beat her with his belt. On Friday, March 1st, he again appeared in Magistrate's Court, this time to answer to charges of possession of a controlled drug. Chaplin appeared before Magistrate Hettie Mae-Stewart where he pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a controlled drug. For the two offenses, despite the fact that he has 3 previous convictions for possession of a controlled drug, Chaplin was spared from jail term as he was fined $8000 plus $5.00 cost of court for 9.8 grams of cannabis, and another fine of $300 plus $5.00 cost of court for 3.7 grams of cannabis which were found in his possession. The two fines were ordered to be paid by April 29th, 2013 or in default of payments, he is to serve 9 months altogether.

Drug Plane that left Belize detained in Venezuela
Jorge Bustamante Ustariz and David William Sawatzky A Plane with U.S. registration number N345MD, which left from a licensed airfield in Western Belize without a flight plan, was intercepted in Venezuela by the armed forces of that country. The Plane, an Aero Commander 500, flew illegally into Venezuelan airspace to land in an unregistered airstrip in Venezuela on Friday, February 22nd but was intercepted sometime around 2:40 on that morning. Venezuelan news reports indicate that the plane was occupied by 51-year-old Canadian, David William Sawatzky and Colombian, 31-year-old Jorge Armando Bustamante Ustariz. The airplane was equipped with 4 auxillary fuel tanks for an approximate flight possibility of 8 hours. Inspection of the on-board GPS system determined that the plane had left Belize and was destined to an airstrip near the border of Venezuela and Colombia. Authorities in Venezuela are speculating that the plane would have been used for narcotraficking.

Two detained for Murder of Frank Neal
Police have detained two persons in their investigation of the murder of 36-year-old Stevedore, Frank Neal. Neal was riding his bicycle on Glynn Street at about 5:50 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5th, when a dark complexioned man rode up from behind and fired several shots at him. One of the bullets struck Neal to the back of the head causing him to die instantly. Neal is not from the area where he was killed and there is still no certain motive established by police as yet. He is a resident of Guerrero Street and the ride on Glynn Street was a routine one for him since he frequented the area to buy Johnny Cakes. Police have not confirmed if anything was stolen from Neal who, according to reports, had just collected his pay. One 9mm expended shell was recovered from the scene and police investigation continues.

Honduran beaten to Death in Dangriga
35-year-old Honduran maintenance worker, Julio Cesar Lopez Funez collected his pay from the Belize Bank Dangriga Branch at approximately 1 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27th. He then exited the bank and while walking on Tubroose Street, he was assaulted and left in an unconscious state. Funez’s wallet, which contained cash and identification cards, was stolen. Police responded to the scene at 1:26 p.m. and found him lying in an unconscious state with injuries to the face and head. He was rushed to the Southern Regional Hospital then transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Friday, March 1st, at 9:15 p.m. Police investigation into Funez’s murder continues.

Eugene Palacio gunned down on Caesar Ridge Road
37-year-old Eugene Eric Castillo Palacio spent Sunday night, March 3rd, partying with his relatives on Caesar Ridge Road on the occasion of his aunt’s birthday. The family’s celebration came to an abrupt halt at about 9:30 p.m., when the festive music was overlapped by the sound of gunshots just outside the premises. Palacio was standing on the side of the street with a female cousin when a gunman of dark complexion came walking from the direction of Gill Street. The gunman walked up to Palacio and shot him in the face. He then fired several more shots at Palacio before he fled the area. Palacio received gunshot injuries to the head and chest. He died on the scene. Police are asking individuals with information that can assist the investigation to visit the nearest police station. According to reports, there were numerous people on the street at the time of the murder.

Charged for Prohibited Firearm
Police conducted a search at #79 Tigris Street in Belize City on Monday, March 4th at around 5:45p.m. where they found a .40 caliber pistol along with two rounds in a crate filled with garbage. At the time of the search three women were present and they were subsequently arrested by police. Before the day was done, a man who also lives at the home visited the police station and gave a caution statement admitting to police that the gun was his. That man is 21-year-old Keron Pinto. After an overnight in lock down, Pinto appeared before the Chief Magistrate, Anne Marie Smith on Tuesday, March 5th where he was charged with keeping a prohibited firearm and keeping unlicensed ammunition. In court, Pinto who was unrepresented pleaded not guilty to both charges. Due to the nature of the offenses, bail was denied and Pinto was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until April 5th.

Guilty of Drug Trafficking
On Tuesday, March 5th, Prison inmate, Lenton Polonio, who has been serving time for money he owes the court, changed a not guilty plea to guilty for the offense of drug trafficking. As a result he was fined $10,000 plus a $5.00 cost of court. In default of payment, he will spend 3 years in prison. He has until June 30th, 2013 to make payment. The fine was imposed on Polonio when he appeared before Magistrate Dale Cayetano in Court #4. Polonio, 34, was arrested and charged on September 14, 2012 in Orange Walk Town but was arraigned in Belize City after he was caught in possession of 147 grams of cannabis. The bust occurred at about 7:30 a.m., when police officers stopped a brown bus heading north. According to PC Abner Pasqual, of the Anti-Drug Unit, he and other officers on operations in the old Maskall Road stopped the bus. When the back door of the bus was opened, he smelled the high aroma of cannabis.

Ronald Revers escapes Death
28-year-old Ronald Revers is lucky to be alive after he was targeted by a gunman on Monday, March 4th. A little before 11 a.m. on Monday, Revers was doing mechanical work on a Ford Escape that had shut down in the Uno Gas Station compound on Youth for the Future Drive when he was approached by a gunman who rode up on him and fired a single shot at Revers. Life and death was a matter of inches for Revers who was lucky since the bullet went through his cheeks. Police responded quickly to the incident and managed to detain Mayflower Street resident, 18-year-old Lloyd King, for the shooting. A .38 revolver was recovered and Revers was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for treatment. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Softball plays for Gold in Costa Rica today
Team Belize finished Round Robin Competition with a 4-1 record. The National Women’s Softball Team of Belize will play for Gold today at the on-going 10th Central American Games that are being played in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Belize Defence Force halts The Belmopan Bandits
The 2013 Closing Season of the Premier League of Belize continued over the last weekend with a number of games across the country. On Sunday, March 3rd, at the Norman Broaster Stadium in San Ignacio Town, the defending champions and current leaders in this year’s competition, the Belmopan Bandits were dealt its first defeat of the tournament by former champions the Belize Defence Force by the score of 2-0. The Belize Defence Force got on the scoreboard in the early minutes of the game when Richard Jimenez scored the 1st goal of the game by the score of 2-0 to give his team an early lead. The first half of the game ended 1-0 in favour of the Belize Defence Force. In the second half of the game the Belize Defence Force was able to extend the lead when Khalil Velasquez scored his team 2nd and final goal of the game in the 58th minute of play for the win.

Nazarene High School Girls and Boys in Grand Finals of High School Softball Competition
The Central Region Secondary Schools Softball Competition for 2012-2013 will come to an end on Friday, March 8th, at Rogers Stadium with the Grand Final games in the Playoff System. In the female championship game, Nazarene High School will face the winner from the Final Game which is scheduled to be played on Thursday, March 7th, at Rogers Stadium between Edward P. Yorke High School and Ladyville Technical High School. Nazarene High School advance to the Grand Final Game on Monday, March 4th, when it defeated Edward P. Yorke High School by the score of 13-7. The winning pitcher was Elma Wade and the losing pitcher was Jessica Lauriano. Meanwhile on Tuesday, March 5th, Ladyville Technical High School eliminated Wesley College by the score of 18-7 to advance to the Final Game. The winning pitcher was Amber Wade and the losing pitcher was Brianna Meighan.

National Primary Schools Softball Championship This Friday
The 2012-2013 National Primary Schools Softball championships will be played this Friday March 8th, 2013, at Rogers Stadium for the girls and at the ITVET Compound for the boys. The competition will commence at 8:30 am with the Official Opening Ceremony. The championships will be declared opened by Mrs. Philippa Griffith-Bailey, ISF Hall of Fame Member, Women in Sports Commissioner and Treasurer of the National Sports Council of Belize. The teams are representing the six districts of Belize in both the boys’ and girls’ competition. The teams participating in the girls’ competition are Biscayne Government School (Belize District), Trial Farm Government School (Toledo District), Aguacate Roman Catholic School (Toledo District) St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic School from Esperanza Village (Cayo District), Independence Primary School (Stann Creek District) and Xaibe Roman Catholic School (Corozal District). The schools that will participate in the boys’ competition are Holy Redeemer School (Belize District), Carmelita Government School (Orange Walk District), San Pedro Columbia Roman Catholic School (Toledo District), St. Jude Roman Catholic School from Camalote Village (Cayo District),Independence Primary School and Xaibe Roman Catholic School (Corozal District).

Belize City Interoffice Softball Competition 2013 Game Results
Game 1: KHMH - 16 Baby Ruth - 12 Highlights: KHMH scored 16 runs on 11 hits. Meanwhile, Baby Ruth Baaba Shap scored 12 runs on 8 hits. However, the Baby Ruth Baaba Shap offence was keyed by shortstop Brian Grant who collected 3 hits in 5 official-at-bats. All 3 hits were of the home runs type. Grant had a 3 run homer in the bottom of the 1st inning, a solo blast in the bottom of the 6th inning and a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 7th inning. The winning pitcher was Ricardo Hermoso and the losing pitcher was Jumoke Castro. Game 2 BTL – 16 Kit Kat Baaba Shap - 0 Highlights: BTL scored 16 runs on 10 hits. BTL Shortstop Nelson Tillett and Centre Fielder Lupito Acosta was the key to the BTL offence. They both collected 2 hits each. Tillett went 2 for 2, while Acosta went 2 for 3. The winning pitcher was Bernard Pitts and the losing pitcher was Leonora Morales.

Blogs

Mayan Architecture: Student Models of Temples
Holy Cross: Every year our Standard 3 (5th Grade) students study Mayan architecture as part of their social studies curriculum. This year they made great models from all sorts of materials. Our standard 3 students had a lot of fun in social studies producing excellent models of Mayan Ruins as part of the social studies. Their creativity was incredible. Some carved from polystyrene, others made theirs from cardboard and construction paper. Several poured a block of concrete then shaped and carved before it was all set. The models looked great, as did the smiles of achievement on their faces! Well done, Std 3 Enjoy the photos of these great models – and the smiles of achievement on the student’s faces.

Upper Division Field Trip
Last week our students from Standards 4,-6 (Grades 6 – 8) went on a field trip to Belize Zoo and the Western Dairies factory in Spanish Lookout. They raised all the funds themselves, and from all accounts had a fantastic time. The Std 6 students wrote letters to imaginary friends talking about their day, a few of which are below. I’ll post pictures from the day when I have them, but in the meanwhile the image above is of the Harpy Eagle that the students write about. At 3 tall it is one of the largest eagles in the world.

El Fogon Restaurant in San Pedro: Traditional Belizean Food in a Traditional Setting
El Fogon is legit. Authentic Belize in all ways…family run, old school cooking over a “fogon” or open fire stove and delicious simple Belizean dishes. All the classics from stew chicken (the unofficial national dish of the country) to salbutes. The restaurant is located just a street north of the San Pedro Tropic Air terminal in San Pedro…if it’s your first time and you are rightly confused about my super vague directions, just ask. Here is a look at the kitchen that you see as soon as you walk in. It’s almost like being at someone’s house. Well…if you had friends that cooked this way.

How to Make Belizean Coconut Shrimps
nstructions: In medium bowl, combine egg, 1/2 cup flour, belikin beer and baking powder. Place 1/4 cup flour and coconut in two separate bowls. Hold shrimp by tail, and dredge in flour, shaking off excess flour. Dip in egg/ belikin beer batter; allow excess to drip off. Roll shrimp in coconut, and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat coconut oil to 350 degrees F in a deep-fryer. Fry shrimp in batches: cook, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Using tongs, remove shrimp to paper towels to drain. Serve warm with your favorite home made dipping sauce.

What Went Wrong?
Our children are being raised in fear of going outside. When I was I young girl growing up in Belize the only thing that would keep me from going outside was severe thunderstorm. I am saddened to see the severe stress and worry that our children are going through. There is the old saying that says "It Takes A Village", but in Belize our village is in a desperate state of disrepair. Crime and the fear it induces is driving our children indoors and on occasions they are still not safe in their beds. We need to help our children and the best way to do so is to repair the breakdown of marriage, family and community togetherness. What a legacy we have passed unto our children!! But together we can do so much more, change is coming; it has to come.

Ten Powerful Marketing Tips for the Small Business
Print your best small ad on a postcard and mail it to prospects in your targeted market. People read postcards when the message is brief. A small ad on a postcard can drive a high volume of traffic to your web site and generate a flood of sales leads for a very small cost. No single marketing effort works all the time for every business, so rotate several marketing tactics and vary your approach. Your customers tune out after awhile if you toot only one note. Not only that, YOU get bored. Marketing can be fun, so take advantage of the thousands of opportunities available for communicating your value to customers. But don’t be arbitrary about your selection of a variety of marketing ploys. Plan carefully. Get feedback from customers and adapt your efforts accordingly.

Small Business Success
Small business owners are a hard working bunch. It seems that the only time they come up for air is, well, never. And that’s a problem, says small business expert Bill McBean. The serial entrepreneur — and author of the book Facts of Business Life: What Every Successful Business Owner Knows That You Don’t – has experienced firsthand what it’s like to be consumed by the day-to-day pressures of running a company. He cautions that a relentless focus on closing that next deal, keeping the books in the black and constantly putting out fires can be harmful to a business in the long term. While drive and ambition are admirable qualities, there are times when it’s OK to take a step back and take stock.

Missing You
Rose and I are having a great time in Dallas. With the Tom Tom and the hire car we have been able to find our way around reasonably successfully. Think I have only overshot a turnoff twice since we have been here. In England it wasn’t uncommon for me to that on a single journey to somewhere new to me. Mind you, I didn’t use a GPS then. Everything here is on a grand scale. Huge roads. Massive shopping malls. Large shops. No ‘big hair’ though. Really disappointed. When I watched JR and Sue Ellen back in the late 70s all of the women had ‘big hair’. Suppose things have changed in the last thirty-five years! We have had plenty to occupy our time. The roads are great and, unless we have travelled during rush hour, we haven’t been subjected to traffic jams. The journeys though – from one shopping center to the next- still eats up the time because they always seem to be around twenty miles apart. Perhaps it is bad planning on my part. Or maybe it’s just the way Dallas is because of its sheer size.

Mennonite Gurls A'ken Cook: Roasted Chicke with Raisin Bubbat
Thishere is un old fashyuned Mennonite method uf stuffin' a he . . . no onyuns, no celery er sage. T' stuffin' is simlar t'a raisin breed, a lil uf t'sweet and savery blend. Ingredients: 3 – 4 lb roastin' chicke 1 tsp salt peppr Laurie##Q##s seesonin' Stuffin' (Bubbat) 1 1/2 cups flour 1/4 cup sugar 3 tsp bakin' powdr 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup raisins 1/2 cup chopped prunes

International Sources

Trinidad to play Belize, Peru in football friendly
Trinidad and Tobago will play two Central American opponents later this month as they continue preparations for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July. The Trinidadians will take on Belize at home March 22 and travel to Lima to face Peru three days later, reports CMC. The March 26 encounter against Peru is a return friendly after the Caribbean side lost to them 0-2 here last month. "We had a good opportunity to see some of the players from abroad in the last game against Peru and we also had the chance to see the local-based players in that particular game," said national head coach Hutson Charles. "The process of seeing what the players have to offer will continue in these two matches coming up." The match against Belize will be played at Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva due to the unavailability of other venues, which are currently being upgraded. Belize lost 0-1 to Costa Rica and drew 0-0 with Guatemala in their opening two games of the Central American finals in January.

VIDEO: Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (UNESCO/TBS)
The coastal area of Belize is an outstanding natural system consisting of the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, offshore atolls, several hundred sand cays, mangrove forests, coastal lagoons and estuaries. The system's seven sites illustrate the evolutionary history of reef development and are a significant habitat for threatened species, including marine turtles, manatees and the American marine crocodile.

Belize Makes Lonely Planet's 'Most Relaxing Destinations' List
Lonely Planet have their Traveler's Choice lists out for 2013, and Belize is ranked 7th on the Relaxing list. Of course! "No surprises here. All of the top 10 destinations for relaxing are known for their amazing beaches. Most are also well-known for their unhurried ‘island time’ sensibility."

March 7, 2013

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7 and Channel 5
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Foreva Fancy Fashion hosts fanciful show
Seduction, Domination and Utopia/Perfection reigned poolside as Foreva Fancy Fashion hosted its first ever, sold-out fashion show to eager fashionistas. The temperature may have fallen on Saturday, March 2nd, but poolside at Sands Villas, the heat was on. Gorgeous models strutted in beautiful, fanciful lingerie for ‘seduction’, hitting darker notes for ‘domination’ and bringing the colors for ‘utopia’. Each outfit was chosen to shimmer and sparkle under the lights of the poolside ‘runway’. To the alternately smooth R&B; and the thumping sounds of club pop, the runway was aflutter with pretty girls as they pranced in high heels, twisting and turning every which way for the appreciative audience to take in the full effect of the ensembles. Hosted by the gracious and lovely Wilema Gonzalez, the evening also showcased entertainment for the night including Cory McKay singing an original slow jam. After an exciting fire dance, there was a display of incredible body feats was performed by Sapphira Pelayo. She twisted and bent into unimaginable yoga positions, much to the awe of those in attendance. For a little bit of added fun, there was an impromptu walk-off with five brave gentlemen from the audience and Miss Pelayo herself. Shirts came off and lots of mugging happened, but in the end, visitor “Brad” took the prize, as he seemed to have the most fun pretending to be a catwalk model – and received the most applause.

Clearance initiative near Jalacte on the Belize-Guatemala borderline starts without incident
Not even the thick mud and wet, hilly terrain could deter the resolve of about 125 Belizeans who trekked their way from the Jalacte community in Toledo District to the Belize-Guatemala border near the Guatemalan community of Santa Cruz. The group, comprising of members of Belize Territorial Volunteers led by Wil Maheia and other civil groups, decided to take a historic and symbolic stand in which they kicked off their bold initiative to clear the Belize-Guatemala borderline on March 2nd. The group’s action is a result of continuous reference to the Belize-Guatemala borderline as “artificial” in comments made by Belize’s own Foreign Affair Minister Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington in several interviews. The Belize Territorial Volunteers have maintained that the Belize-Guatemala borderline has been clearly defined in the Belizean Constitution and as such gives the Government of Belize (GOB) the power to prevent continuous incursions by Guatemalans. Evidence of the incursions is seen on a continuous basis by Belizeans living along the bordering communities. Those residents have raised concerns as it relates to people squatting on Belizean soil, Guatemalans planting inside Belizean territories and even illegal trade from one side of the border to the other. “Despite the fact of the jungle, that they claim is here, I am glad that you are here today so that you can see that we are losing forest on a daily basis.

Belize City and San Benito, Guatemala establish a Sister City Relationship
On Friday March 1st, the Belize City Council hosted Mayor Sonia Rivera of San Benito, Petén Guatemala as part of an adjoining visit made by Mayor Darrell Bradley of Belize City. Mayor Rivera, along with her councilor members and members of the Guatemalan congress travelled to Belize to sign the agreement of Sister City Relationship between the two municipalities. Mayor Bradley had visited San Benito in January of this year as part of an invitation made by Mayor Rivera to establish the relationship. “We have already been talking about various housing projects and exchanges in culture and our intention is that we should have regular exchanges with the city of San Benito. So I want to extend on behalf of the people of Belize City, our hand of friendship to Alcaldesa Sonia Rivera to the members of the Guatemalan congress, to the councilors of the council of San Benito, to the people of San Benito and to the people of Guatemala,” said Mayor Bradley. Although the current relationship between Guatemala and Belize is not at its best due to the impending debate on whether Belize should take the matter of Guatemala claiming Belizean land to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), there is still a long lasting connection between Guatemalans and Belizeans. Both mayors expressed the importance of fostering a diplomatic relationship between the two countries. Mayor Rivera lived in Belize for seventeen years, and currently has her daughter studying in a Belizean institution. Many Belizeans have family connections in Guatemala, including with elected officials. Amidst all the conflict, the formal declaration of friendship that has taken place seems to be a silver lining. Mayor Rivera stated “My brothers and sisters of Belize, we are going forward; we will find the peace one day, but remember God is first.”The purpose of signing the Sister City Relationship agreement is for the two municipalities to be able to exchange ideas, knowledge, culture and history in the hopes for a better society for the people of both cities.

Ambergris Today

Belize Territorial Volunteers demarcate Belize’s border lines
Territorial Volunteers (BTV) spearheaded by Wil Maheia of PG TV and the People’s National Party (PNP), met at Belize’s border with Guatemala, to carry out a cleanup campaign to clear vegetation on Belize’s side of the border. The group consisting of 150 volunteers began the work at Container Hill from sunrise to late afternoon. The contingent had representation from various social groups including Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA); the University of Belize; the Belize Coalition for Justice; BelizeCan, a NonPartisan, nongovernmental Organization established as a “Watchdog Group” to strengthen the Democratic principles and social justice in the Nation of Belize; Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association, various media representatives, along with Belizean men, women and children. According to Maheia, the day was a successful one with approximately 20 meters being cleared along Belize’s side of the border. “The day went without a hitch. During our preliminary work, we discussed the border and pointed out exactly where it is at. As we walked along the road, we met up with Guatemalans who had with them the presence of a representative from the Organization of American States (OAS) who confirmed, after verifying his GPS coordinates that the Guatemalans were indeed on Belizean soil.” After a conversation with the Guatemalan neighbors Maheia stated, “rather than being arrested at the border as the Foreign Minister [Hon. Wilfred Elrington] had indicated, there were hugs instead.”

Foreva Fancy Boutique Holds Fashion Show
Foreva Fancy Boutique held its Exclusive Fashion Show on Saturday, March 2, 2013 at the Island Club Resort. It was a night full of fashion, dresses, shoes and great modeling. Sixteen beautiful models took hold of the runway and displayed beautiful accessories, dresses and shoes that can all be found at Foreva Fancy Boutique located in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. The host for the evening was Mrs. Wilema Gonzalez and the 16 beautiful models were Shantiiee Lu, Michelle Nunez, Liliana Nunez, Dianne, Gabriela Varela, Naiely Puc, Aylin Nunez, Jordana Segura, Elma Gonzalez, Sky McCorkle, Ivy Saldivar, Brianna Hope, Gowsi, Nathalia, Gia Rodriquez, and Elaila Castillo.

Misc Belizean Sources

History of Banana Bank
In the 1800's logging was the main thrust of the economy. The only way to the interior was by boat and people spoke of the jungle in hushed tones. Banana Bank was an outpost of this forbidden land on the Belize River. The colonial system was to award certain companies huge tracts of land with logging rights in exchange for support for the crown. From February to June, the logs were cut and dragged to the company headquarters. They were sorted, branded and lashed together in large rafts, awaiting the rains that raised the river enabling them to float to the sea. Such gathering sites for the logs were called barquadiers. As well as a barquadier, Banana Bank was a headquarters for the owners of the company, Belize Estates Corporation. It was a place to come and find a good meal, exchange news and get a good night's rest. Stories were embellished by those coming from the city and others coming from deep within the jungle where the logs were found. It was a place of refuge from the hardships of the jungle and of excitement for those thirsty for a taste of adventure. A newspaper article from the Clarion in 1910 designated Banana Bank as a place of great hospitality and intrigue. The logging operation depended on the transfer of logs first of all from the bush to the river, which was usually accomplished by oxen. These same oxen when old or wounded were used to feed the workers. If there was no river then in certain parts of the country, small rail lines were built. One such rail line was built in the early 1930's going from Gallon Jug to Hill Bank, another outpost of the logging era.

Howler attacked and captured by students
On the day of March 5th 2013, a school teacher at The Belize High School of Agriculture in Orange Walk instructed a group of male students to capture a howler monkey in the nearby bushes behind the school’s plantation area. According to a student the teacher told him and the rest of the guys that the howler monkey had defecated on him while he was sleeping in the bushes. On this day the students were dismissed a little after 1o’clock due to the absence of water. The ringing bell that indicated dismissal was over passed by the uproar of students as the group of males carried the injured and bleeding monkey through the school as if they were heroes for what they had done. Some of the other teachers and I were disturbed by such a cruel and inhumane act. After speaking to several students it was known that the boys had been shooting the monkey with sling shots, beating the monkey with tree limbs and then tied the monkey’s hands and feet so that he /she couldn’t run away. My question today is WHY? Why hurt one Belize’s own animals?! This inhumane act done instructed by one of BHSA’s ignorant and asinine teacher will not be overlooked! Something must be done!

VIDEO: Diving The Belize Barrier Reef, Eagle Ray Canyon
Join Josh and Teryl as we explore Eagle Ray Canyon at Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Many thanks to Josh and Teryl for helping us create awareness of reef conservation in Belize.

'13 Years of Chilillo Dam' Documentary Trailer
Daniel Velazquez has another film documentary in the works. This one is about the Chilillo Dam, and its impact on the area. The trailer looks awesome! There's an interview with the Belize Zoo's Sharon Matola, and many great shots from the area. "a 13 year reflection of habitat and wildlife, yesterday and today, stock footage from Richard and Carol Foster wildlife films, along with current HD documentation of latest environmental impact."

The BWRC Story of Saving Mia
Great story about the Howler Monkey that was hit by a car, and saved by the Belize Wildlife Referral Clinic a month ago. It chronicles the story from the day of the accident to this week. Dr. Isabelle and her team at the BWRC saved Mia, and she's been rehabilitating at Wildtracks ever since. She'll be released into the wild later this year. "Mia was later taken to the Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic where the medical team discovered that she had suffered severe head trauma in the accident. Dr. Isabelle and her team administered stabilization treatment, fluid therapy and intensive care for several days. On February 6th, she was placed on board a Lighhawk flight en route to Wildtracks, a manatee and primate rehabilitation center in the village of Sarteneja, run by Paul Walker, a zoologist, and his wife, Zoe, to undergo careful rehabilitation. Several weeks later, Valerie called Paul to check on Mia's progress."

La Ruta Maya Cultural Night
The La Ruta Maya Cultural Night is tonight at the Cayo Welcome Center. There will be live music from the Galen Eagles Band, a Mayan Rain Dance by Orquidea Negra, and Dr. Jaime Awe will present 'The Old Belize River,' which is all about the fascinating history of the Maya and their use of the rivers of Belize. "This Year the San Ignacio & Santa Elena House of Culture (NICH) is proud to organize the Cultural Night in Collaboration with Bowen and Bowen. Working with the Pioneers of the Challenge has been very enlightening with the three founding pillars of the race which are the Environmental, Cultural and Historical value of the Belize River. Celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the Ruta Maya River Challenge with us on Thursday March 7th, 2013"

Kiddie Kinder Preschool Visits SIPL
The San Ignacio Public Library is having Cayo schools visit for Children's Month. Kiddie Kinder Preschool visited for some storytelling. Thank you, SIPL! "'Molding Today's learner's into tomorrow's leaders'. Stories and activities for CSM began today at the SIPL."

SHC's Dr. Aird Interviewed for ICDB
Dr. Eve Aird, the president of Sacred Heart College, gets interviewed by Alexandria Young for the International Children's Day of Broadcasting. Some great questions are asked of Dr. Aird. Perfect timing for Women's Month and Children's Month. "International Children's Day of Broadcasting interview: Alexandria Young and Dr. Eve Aird"

THE TOURIST BELIZE
THE TOURIST BELIZE Marketing with a Global Perspective! Conference March 8th, Belize City, Bliss Institute

Channel 7

Plane that Left Belize Illegally Busted In Venezuela
On Friday's news, we broke the story of a small plane, an Aero Commander 500 which had left Belize airspace without filing a flight plan, or making the required checks with customs and immigration - which is both illegal and suspicious. As we reported at the time, it left Belize from the Spanish Lookout airstrip on the afternoon of February 21st., without filing a flight plan - which would make it impossible to land anywhere legally. What made it even more suspicious is that the plane had been outfitted with extended range fuel tanks - enabling it to fly long distances. And sure enough, illegality was afoot. Reports from newspapers in Venezuela say that the day after it left Belize, the plane made an illegal, early morning landing at an unauthorized airstrip in the Northwestern region of that country known as Acarigua. The onboard GPS showed its final destination as the Apura state, which borders with Colombia. Those onboard were Canadian David William Sawatzky and Colombian Jorge Armando Bustamante. They have been charged with illicit trafficking of narcotics and conspiracy to traffic. They were also charged with interference in the operation safety of civil aviation, diversion from and fraudulent acquisition of route, illegal piloting of aircraft and transportation of dangerous goods. They have been remanded to Los Llanos Prison.

Man Caught With Gun, Stuns Court, Pleads Guilty; Victim Still In Serious Condition
On Monday, we told you about the shooting of 28 year-old Ronald Rivers. Well, the man who police believe could have been the shooter is at prison tonight. As we reported, at 10:30 a.m., Rivers was fixing his Ford Escape at the Bel-China UNO gas station when two men reportedly rode up on bicycle and shot him in the face. Rivers slumped over the back seat, and he somehow survived the attack. He was rushed to the KHMH in a critical condition. Fortunately, police officers were on patrol at the corner of Vernon Street and Youth for the Future Drive when they heard the sound the gunshot which nearly killed Rivers. One of the officers saw a young man, identified as, 18 year-old Lloyd King, riding away, and he was attempting to shove what looked like a gun into his pants. The officers pursued him, as he went down Johnson Street. When he arrived in front of the Matron Roberts Polyclinic, he got off his bike, and tried to escape through an alley. In his haste, he tripped, and fell, and the officers were able to catch up and detain him.

Man Killed In Drain Was Hard Working, No Criminal Record
At the top of the newscast last night we told you about a late evening shooting that left a man dead in a drain on Glynn Street. His identity has been confirmed as 36 year old stevedore Frank Neal, a resident of Guererro Street in the Port Loyola Area. Today we spoke to his family who could hardly find words to explain how senseless his killing is. Jules Vasquez Reporting Yesterday, Frank Neal's family had to be carted away from the scene, fainting, overwhelmed at the image of him lying dead in the drain. His family says that the 36 year old Neal came around here regularly to buy Johnny Cakes Jamelia Neal- Niece of Deceased "Anybody who knows my uncle Frankie knows he is not a troubled man. He was just walking behind extra house to collect his pay. Upon going to collect his pay, well the person know who kill him and we will leave that to God. They will pay back in their own way, the person that shot my uncle, when they see his picture on news tonight, they will know he is no trouble or in any gang. Anybody that knows him knows he works as a stevedore. Every day he goes to buy Johnny cake from the same spot, so the person that shot him knows he goes to buy Johnny cake around there every day.

PUP Gives DOB's GOB An "F"
On Friday, we showed you PM Barrow's Budget presentation where he boasted of 5.3% economic growth last year, with a projected growth of 3% for next year, which is above the regional averages in Central America and the Caribbean. When 7News interviewed the Leader of Opposition, Francis Fonseca, he didn't have much to say about it. But, after digesting the budget for almost a week, the Opposition came back today with a press conference which lasted just over an hour. The topic of interest was none other than the performance of the UDP while in government for 5 years, with focus on the 1 year anniversary of their re-election. Their message addressed many aspects of the difficulties and shortcomings facing the country, but we start at the most-outstanding moment of the event. That's when Belize Rural Central Representative Dolores Balderamos-Garcia read their assessment of the GOB's performance. Here's how that went, along with the Leader of the Opposition's response when asked for his impression of the budget 6 days later:

For Hugo, The Thanks Of A Grateful Nation
And while the UDP's performance in Government was the main focus, the PUP did take a moment to offer condolences to the Country of Venezuela and its people for the loss its President, Hugo Chavez. Opposition Leader Francis Fonseca remarked that Venezuela has been a great friend to Belize under Chavez's tenure as president: Hon. Francis Fonseca - Leader of Opposition "Our party has put out a brief release earlier today, sent out to the media which outlines our obvious -and great respect to the life of the late president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. As you said, he was and up to the time of his death, remains a good friend to the people of Belize. We certainly in the People's United Party mourn his lost and we are in great sympathy with the good people of Venezuela at this time of lost and mourning." Government issued its own statement today saying quote, "President Chavez was a true friend of Belize and over many years, the Belizean people enjoyed the fruits of friendship and cooperation that the Government and people of the Bolivarian Republic" The statement adds that Acting Prime Minister, Gaspar Vega has contacted acting President Nicolas Maduro to convey the condolences of the Government and People of Belize.

Where "God" Becomes "Gaawd"
Months ago, we told you about the effort to produce the audiobook version of the New Testament bible in Kriol. It took hours upon hours of work to record and compile the voices of dozens of Belizeans speaking in kriol. They were reading from the written version of the text, which also took years to translate. But finally, as they say in the good book: it is accomplished. The book and audiobook were launched today at the first press conference we've attended in a church. Jules Vasquez reports: Jules Vasquez Reporting Myrna Manzanres - National Kriol Council "From the top of my head to the bottom of my feet, welcome to this historic launching of the Bible in Kriol, our Bible, all of us who speak Kriol." And in the church built by slaves two centuries ago, the kriol language came home in grand style, in the written and spoken word, Belize's own Kriol Bible:

Entire Meighan Family To Jail; They Say Police Set them Up; Police Provide Video
The Meighan Family on Banak Street: they've been in the news countless times - for all those times when their home was shot up and for those many times when police arrest the Meighan Brothers. Indeed, they are targeted - it seems almost non-stop - by law enforcement and the outlaws. And tonight, the entire family, mother, sons and daughter are in jail, remanded after the GSU claims to have found two rounds of live 9mm ammunition in their home. We say - "claims to have found" - because the Meighan family says those bullets were planted. They told us that the GSU conducted a search on their house just yesterday and found nothing. And then, they returned early this morning just after 4am and came up with the two bullets inside a barrel in one of the bedrooms. But the GSU claims differently. First off, they flatly deny searching the house yesterday - but concede that some other police unit may have searched it. Nonetheless, the GSU did their own search this morning acting on their own information, which is when they made the find.

BTB Says It Will Assist The Artisans
Yesterday, we showed you the discontent at the BTB's Fort George Craft Market in which the artisans complained about enforcement of rules, which confined them to the market while other artisans were allegedly given preferential treatment to approach the tourists at the gate of the Tourism Village. They also added that since they've been forced to operate from the market, business has been slow, as compared to when they were allowed to sell their goods on the street corner. In all of the frustration venting, the artisans lashed out at the BTB for forcing them to operate only from that specific area. Well, BTB heard their comments, and today, they spoke to us to set the record straight that they have no control over enforcement of those stray artisans who are breaking the rules. In addition, the Director of BTB also explained that they are cognizant of the issue that proximity to the Tourism Village determines whether or not the artisans make any sales for the day. She outlined in detail why allowing artisans operate without regulation hurts the country's tourism profile, and what measures are being taken to assist them in the long term.

Shot At Cops, But Walks Out Of Court Free
Viewers may remember 20 year-old Stephen Anderson. He allegedly robbed a businessman, and shot at responding police, but tonight he is free after walking out of Magistrate's Court this morning. As we reported, police said that at around 7 p.m. on April 2, 2012 he robbed a businessman at gunpoint of his red motorcycle. Police officers were on patrol, and they activated to intercept Anderson on Evergreen Street. That's when he allegedly pulled out a gun and fired 2 shots at the police mobile, hitting the front bumper and radiator. He was then apprehended on Hondo Street, where the officers allegedly recovered a .38 pistol from him, which contained 2 expended shells, and a live round. He was then charged with attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm, robbery, keeping an unlicensed firearm, and keeping unlicensed ammunition. Since then, he has been brought back and forth from prison to Magistrate's Court, and today his matter was called up once again before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith.

City Hall Stays On Message
On Friday, the Belize City Council will also be celebrating its first anniversary in office, and they've planned out an entire week of activities to commemorate it - one of which we told you about yesterday as they fed the elderly. Today, the council hosted an open day fair in the NICH Parking lot in which all of the different departments put on a presentation of their roles and functions. Now that might sound about as interesting as watching grass grow, but the Mayor explained why it should matter to the public. Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City Council "This is the marking of our 1 year anniversary in office, and actually the fair is something routinely done. We invested a little bit more, we asked the staff to go a little bit more since it marks the 1 year anniversary of us being in office. What we've done is every department of the City Council is represented out here, and they're showcasing to the general public what the city council does. We would have information about the court; we have information about trade licenses, liquor licenses, works, and sanitations. We have information from the office of the Mayor; we have about our prospectors and our bond information. Any question that anyone has about anything that goes on at the City Council, they could come here, and there will be person from the City Council who will be able to give a quick response. We've also invited a lot of schools and so you will see during the fair a lot of young people are coming out, because we want, especially our younger person to have that awareness as it relates to what role and functions the City Council performs within the city."

Boom Gets A New Police Station
There is some good news for the villagers of Burrell Boom. The village Police Substation is under serious renovation after being neglected for years. It's long overdue, but the officer in charge says better late than never: ASP Chris Noble - Regional Executive Officer "It is not major improvement; it is working on what we already had and improving on a level where it will be accepted by the community and the police. It will be more conducive. We're trying to make it so that you can walk in, you can talk, and communicate. The area had some challenges, but when I came on board in late December we looked at La Ruta Maya. This is one of the central areas where that event stops. We're looking at getting it up and running before that; because we want the people to know that we will be here. We will be doing our jobs and we will be in the area defiantly trying to do better police work.

National Team Football Coach Gone, Again!
Tonight, 7News has confirmed that the National Team Coach, Leroy Sherrier, who was trying to mend fences with the football community in Belize, has decided to leave once again. The last time he spoke to us, he had announced that he was in the very final stages of negotiating - and signing - a contract with the Football Federation of Belize where he would have been given security of tenure. Well, it seems that he could not come to an agreement with the National Team Committee, the body which exists separate from the FFB, and which governs the matters of the national team. Reliable information to our newsroom is that while in negotiation with the Committee, Sherrier could not accept any contract drafts they presented because they allegedly put him at a disadvantage.

Channel 5

Drug plane left Cayo and busted in Venezuela
There have been many recent, but unconfirmed reports of low flying planes over Orange Walk and the Southern Highway on the outskirts of Punta Gorda. While only a trail of smoke have been spotted across the skies, a recent bust of a drug plane in South America had a direct trail to western Belize. The [...]

Football’s off and on and now off again coach
And the plane was not the only export that left Belize without a plan. Costa Rican Coach, Leroy Sherrier Lewis, in an abrupt decision, walked off his job this morning when he boarded a flight back to his home country.  The Gold Cup to be played in numerous U.S. cities is a few months away, [...]

Why was Frankie killed?
Just before the start of our newscast on Tuesday, a stevedore was gunned down as he was taking his daily ride to buy Johnny cakes in the area behind Extra House. Thirty-six year old Frank Neal was killed by a man who rode up on bicycle and fired the fatal shots. It happened at the [...]

Country mourns President Chavez, friend of Belize
Around the world today, the news has been about the death of President of Venezuela, fifty-eight year old Hugo Chavez. In Venezuela, multitudes took to the streets to honor the late president as his coffin draped in Venezuela’s blue, red and yellow flag, was moved through Caracas, from the hospital where he died to the [...]

Venezuela programs are Chavez’s living legacy
Tribute has been flowing from many countries including Belize to honor the late president. The opposition issued a statement today and since Prime Minister Dean Barrow is out of the country, Acting Prime Minister, Gaspar Vega has communicated with acting President Nicholas Maduro to convey the condolences from Belize. Vega referred to Chavez as a [...]

Opposition says government gets an F on report card
March seventh marks one year since general elections returned the incumbent United Democratic Party to office. Today the Opposition, People’s United Party, help a press conference at party headquarters Independence Hall to offer a report card on the government and very pointedly, on the performance of Prime Minister Dean Barrow for the period 2008 – [...]

Opposition says P.U.P. report card shows mass improvement
And since today seemed to be report card day, at least on the political front, we asked Francis Fonseca to grade his own party in Opposition. He based his report against the backdrop of the devastating loss suffered by the P.U.P. in 2008 and says that while the internal organization continues, the party is doing [...]

Working on it—P.U.P. still not decided on Belize/Guatemala going to ICJ
The Referendum Unit on the Belize–Guatemala dispute working out of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs kicked off its awareness campaign in January. While that campaign’s stated purpose is to provide Belizeans with the pros, cons and risks associated of taking the territorial claim to the ICJ, the Government has officially stated that it is in [...]

Mom says she didn’t give up ‘baby in bucket’ for adoption
On Tuesday night’s news, we featured a KBTV Fox Four report on a true life story of a ten week old baby found abandoned in a bucket in a village in Belize by a Beaumont couple. The report said that the child was not only an orphan, but also suffered from club foot. The couple [...]

‘Hohlih Mohziz’ New Testament of the Bible in Creole
Religious and cultural history was made today with the launching of the New Testament of the Bible in Creole. The formal presentation took place during an inspirational mass at a fitting venue, the two hundred year old St. John’s Anglican Cathedral in Belize City. The finished products, a written version and a spoken version on [...]

Minister Farrakhan preaches education to UB students
While the New Testament was being launched in Creole, there was another positive event in Belmopan. The Leader of the Nation of Islam and devout Muslim, Minister Louis Farrakhan, continued at a steady pace on his visit to Belize. Farrakhan has tailored his message to suit the various interest groups; he met activists and grassroots [...]

Entire Meighan family behind bars
  The entire Meighan family is tonight behind bars after a mother, daughter and her two sons were remanded on a charge of keeping unlicensed ammunition. They now join another son, Tyrone Meighan, who is currently on remand for a charge of murder. Early today, the GSU conducted a surprise raid on the family home [...]

18 year old charged with Attempted Murder and Harm
This morning when eighteen year old Lloyd Alexander King appeared before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith, he was charged for Keeping an Unlicensed Firearm and Ammunition. And if that wasn’t enough, this afternoon the teenager appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer where he was additionally charged with Attempted Murder, Use of Deadly Means of Harm [...]

A tribute to heroes of Belize
There are many heroes who have made an impact in Belize’s history, but whose name may not necessarily resonate among Belizeans. With this in mind, the contributions to the jewel by men such as Isaiah Morter and Sidney Turton came to the fore this morning.  NICH today launched an exhibition to pay them homage just [...]

LOVE FM

Belize Extends Condolences On The Passing of Venezuelan President
The Government of Belize has extended condolences on the passing of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Government says President Chavez was a true friend of Belize and over many years, the Belizean people enjoyed the fruits of friendship and cooperation that the Government and peo...

Minister Louis Farrakhan Addresses Students During His Visit to Belize
Minister Louis Farrakhan continued his official visit to Belize by addressing students in the Belmopan area. The event was held at the University of Belize’s auditorium in Belmopan. Minister Farrakhan spoke on the topic, the role of the student in a developing Belize. M...

Main Opposition Party Grades Government's Performance
Thursday, March 7th will mark one year since the United Democratic Party regained power at the polls. But while the ruling party is no doubt celebrating its achievements, the Opposition People’s United Party is pointing to the government’s failures in that one year re...

Belize Counts Down For The La Ruta Maya River Challenge
The La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge has evolved into an international event, attracting tourists not only to cheer on and observe, but also to compete. Since its inception in 1998 with 30 teams registered to participate, the race peaked in 2007 with a total 130 canoes partici...

Leaders of Salvation Army In The Caribbean Scheduled To Visit Belize
The leaders of the Salvation Army in the Caribbean will be coming to Belize for an official working visit next week. Colonel Onal and Edmane Castor are due to arrive in Belize on Wednesday of next week and will be conducting a series of activities including a review of the work o...

The New Testament of the Bible Launched In The Creole Language
The historic St. John’s Anglican Cathedral in Belize City was the venue this morning for the launch of the New Testament of the Bible in Creole. Various dignitaries including the Governor General, members of the clergy and different denominations were present for the event....

Man Killed While Buying Journey Cakes
A man was shot and killed late yesterday evening in Belize City, reporter Marion Ali has the story. MARION ALI “It was near the corner of Glynn and Cairo Streets that someone riding on a bicycle, edged up behind 36-year-ol, Frank Neal and shot him in the back of the head....

Charge of Attempted Murder Dismissed Following Unavailable Case File
Twenty year old Stephen Anderson, who was charged with attempted murder and other charges for allegedly shooting at a police vehicle, was freed of all the charges when they were dismissed today by the chief Magistrate, Anne Marie smith, for want of prosecution. Apparently the case file...

Burglary Charge Levied On High School Student
Nineteen year old Justin Cuellar, a high school student of Lizarraga Avenue, was charged with burglary and handling stolen goods for over $5,000.00 worth of assorted jewelry when he appeared in court today. Cuellar pled not guilty to the charges. He was released on a bail of $1,000.00 ...

Teenager Sentenced To Five Years On Ammunition Charges
Eighteen year old Lloyd King, an unemployed of 5 Mayflower Street charged with kept firearm and ammunition without a gun license, was sentenced to five years for each count today after he pled guilty to the charges. Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith, who imposed the sentences, stipulat...

Mother and Her Three Children Remanded on Ammunition Charge
A 38 year old mother, her two sons and her daughter were imprisoned today after they appeared in Court and were charged with kept ammunition without a gun license. The mother is Sheldon Meighan. One of her son is Ellis Meighan Jr and the other is a 17 year old minor. Her daughter is 21...

CTV3

Spread The Word To End The Word. The Word "Retard" That Is
Saint Peter’s Anglican School is the only school in the Orange Walk District that caters for children with special needs. Unfortunately, children with disabilities experience many challenges, some of which could be avoided if the proper education is set in place. And we are not talking about the education offered to children with special needs; we are referring to society’s lack of information when it comes to disabled children. Often at times children suffering some sort of disability are looked at in a negative manner and to make matters worse are even referred to as Retards, a word that Saint Peters Anglican School seeks to ban from your vocabulary. Hipolito Novelo reports. Children with Special Needs are indeed special but often at times their disability has become cause for bullying. The reality is that behind closed doors children with disabilities are called all sorts of names including retards. With this in mind, Special Education Teacher at Saint Peter’s Anglican School Diany Medina says, it’s time to “Spread the word to Stop the Word”, the word retard that is. Today the school opened its gates and welcomed several students and other community members to sign the school’s banner that seeks to have the “R” word banned.

Meet the Recipients Of the LICU SSEDDAT Two Program
As mentioned, 15 MSC’s are being assisted under the micro grants awarded by the LICU SSEDDAT Two Program valued at six hundred and seventy seven thousand thirty four dollars and eighty five cents. The aim of the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Grant, which is valued at BZ$195,000.00, is to provide and create more diversified sources of income thus enhancing living conditions in the rural communities of the north. Yesterday we spoke to a few of the recipients who told us how they will be investing their funding. Osmany Salas, President BTIA Orange Walk Chapter “The main purpose of the grant, for a 9 months period, is for us to put out a quarterly tourism publication. Our sister chapters from other parts of the country like Toledo chapter has the Toledo Howler, the Placencia Chapter has the Placencia Breeze and so we will come up without own for the Northern Region. So we will be working close with the Corozal Chapter but the main purpose of that is to have a venue through which we can promote not only tourism but agriculture based projects and activities in the northern region. Also to promote the other recipients who got help from the LICU SSEDDAT Project. So the whole idea is to promote the northern region, Corozal and Orange Walk Districts, with the goal that more people will know about us and we would get more visitors. After this grant from LICU SSEDDAT is exhausted, we will continue the publication on a quarterly basis.”

PUP Says UDP Government Failed Miserably
Today the People’s United Party held a press conference at its Headquarters on Queen Street Belize City where they graded the performance of the Barrow Administration after a year of re-election. And from the P.U.P’s perspective, the United Democratic Party has failed the Belizean people miserably. Francis Fonseca, Party Leader PUP “After 5 years of UDP Government is rooted in one that Dean Barrow. His petty decisive vindictive arrogance has cast a long dark shadow of fear and intimidation and hopelessness across our country. Mr. Barrow’s greatest skill is confrontation and destruction. He is a stranger to nation building dialogue and humility. Look no further than Mr. Barrow to understand the social and economic crisis that we are in. But there is hope brother and sisters. The People’s United Party is committed to serving Belize, to leading Belize out of this dark and gloomy chapter in our history.”

PUP Mourns The Lost Of Hugo Chavez
Venezuela has announced seven days of mourning after the death of “El Comandante”, 58 year old Hugo Chavez. Chavez’s body is expected to be transferred from the military hospital to the military academy, where he trained and where people will be able to pay their respects just before he is buried on Friday during a state funeral. In Venezuela, the constitution requires new elections to be held within 30 days, although there has been no announcement so far. Chavez has been described as a great ally to Belize and that is because under his rule Venezuela and Belize established a relationship in which Belize benefited from. Today the People’s United Party send out a press release in which Rt. Honorable Said Musa is quoted as saying that Chavez was always ready and willing to provide developmental assistance to Belize; in housing for the poor, in quality and affordable healthcare and in improvements of sport facilities for our young people. The former Prime Minister also stated that the Petro-Caribe initiative, which shares the oil wealth of Venezuela with its neighbors, stands as a testament to the great spirit of generosity and solidarity of Hugo Chavez to many struggling countries of the Caribbean and the Americas including Belize.

Plane Leaves Belize And Is Busted In Venezuela
Belize is tonight making international headlines but it’s the kind that gives the country a black eye. International reports suggest that 51 year old Canadian citizen William David Sawatzky and 31 year old Colombian National Jorge Bustamante were charged with crimes of smuggling of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in the mode of transport and conspiracy, incurring interference in the safety of civil aviation, and fraudulently obtaining diversion route, and the illegal driving of dangerous goods and transport. The men were charged after they allegedly transported drugs in an aircraft that landed on February 22nd at the General Oswaldo Guevara Mujica Airport, located in Acarigua, Portugal. So what does this have to do with Belize? Well, according to the investigation, on the morning of February 21st 2013 officials of the National Guard visualized an aircraft flying over the airspace of Acarigua and as they moved to the airport, they watched as the plane landed. Military troops found on board the aircraft the two foreigners, who said they took off from a private airport in Belize. Later, officers of the Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations performed drug screening expertise in the aircraft, which was positive to cocaine. Immediately the two men were arrested. It is worth noting that within the aircraft four cans of gasoline, a hand pump, a hose and an additional tank for fuel was found. Here in Belize it was reported that the Aero Commander 500 reportedly left Belizean airspace from a licensed airfield in Western Belize on the afternoon of February 21st without a flight plan.

PUP: Barrow's Budget Doesn't Solve Anything
The Government of Belize presented the countries 2013/2014 fiscal budget titled “Achieving debt sustainability, Stimulating economic expansion”, during a special sitting of the House of Representative on March 1st. During his presentation, Prime Minister Dean Barrow, boasted that there would be no new taxes and no cuts. Barrow’s speech lasted more than an hour but it had no effect on the Leader of the Opposition Honorable Francis Fonseca, who has stated that he is not impressed by the budget. Today the People’s United Party held a press conference in Belize City where the Party Leader elaborated on the budget adding that even though the financial plan provides for no new taxes or cuts, it lacks solution to the problems currently faced by Belizeans. Francis Fonseca, Party Leader PUP “We will be holding consultations as we did for the last several years as a party, hold consultation with the private sector, with the unions, church community, and young people. We are meeting with the student government leaders of the University of Belize and Galen University because we believe that it is important. So we are making sure that we are consulting so that when the debate comes on March 21st and 22nd we will be able to speak from an inform position having discussed the budget with these various stakeholders. There is no plan in the budget to deal with growing the economy in a very serious way. There is no plan in the budget to tackle the very serious problem that we are having in the health sector. There is no plan in the budget to deal with crime and that is reflected at every step of the budget. "The budget really is a lot of empty rhetoric, and it's a budget that reflects very clearly that we have our Prime minister that lives in one world. We have a UDP Government and Mr. Barrow living in Barrow land. They're living in their own world and out here on the real streets, in the village communities and in our homes. People have a very different reality."

Do You Have A Name For Pat The Cat's Cub?
If you are a standard five student then we advise that you pay keen attention to the following report. The Embassy of the United States of America has launched a nationwide competition for standard five students to come up with a name for Pat the great Cat’s cub. Years ago Pat the male jaguar was captured in Belize after becoming a cattle killing problem jaguar. He was then entered into the Belize Zoo Problem Jaguar Rehabilitation Program. Pat the cat was then transported to the Milwaukee County Zoo after officials of the zoo visited Belize. Soon Pat the cat became a big star as graphics were developed, telling thousands of visitors at the Milwaukee Zoo about Belize. Today news coming out of the Milwaukee Zoo is that Pat the famous real jaguar featured in Pat the (Great) Cat: A Jaguar's Journey has become a father.

LIS Celebrates Cultural Day
Today the celebrations for Child Stimulation month continued at La Inmaculada School as preschoolers paid tribute to the rich cultural diversity in Belize. From the Mestizo to the Creole these young minds, accompanied by their parents or guardians, learnt about the food, religion and music of each culture with the aim of keeping it alive. Lenny Umana: Administrator Infant Division “We are trying to instill in students the different cultures that our country have and we also involve the parents. We tried to reach out to the community in instilling what is culture in our young children. Today we have the Mestizo, Hindu, Chinese, Garifuna and the Creoles. Well you know it is an identity and our country is identified by its rich culture and I think our children need to have this culture instill in them so that we don’t lose what is our tradition and heritage. So it is very important that our children be instilled with the culture.” With all the information provided learning proved to be fun and according to Lenny Umana, Administrator for the Infant Division preschoolers can now distinguish the various cultures found in Belize.

Yes Or NO To The ICJ? PUP Has Not Decided
Whether or not to take Guatemala’s Claim to the International Court of Justice has received mixed reviews from Belizean’s across the country. So far pressure group, Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action, COLA, have voiced out that they do not believe that the matter should be taken to the ICJ. On the other hand, the United Party Government, voted at their party convention in Corozal to have the situation resolved at the ICJ. Just recently, over 150 Belizeans, lead by President of the Belize Territorial Volunteers, Wil Maheia, travelled to the South West border between Belize and Guatemala to publicize that Belize does have a border and that the long standing despite should not be taken to the ICJ. The People’s United Party is yet to take a stand on the national issue. In today’s press conference, Party Leader, Honorable Francis Fonseca, revealed that discussion papers on the issue have circulated in the party’s caucuses in order to fully educate their members about the cons and pros of taking the matter to the ICJ.

PlusTV

Kriol Bible launched at Historic St. John’s Cathedral
Belize Kriol is the national lingua franca, a requirement to get around and get along in the Jewel. But while few give thought to speaking it, not that many know how to read it. Today, a special tool was launched that its creators hope will change that. It is...

Frank Neal shot while riding his bicycle on Belize City
A late evening murder in Belize City yesterday has left another family devastated. Around 5:50 Tuesday evening, 36-year-old Frank Neal, a stevedore of Guerrero Street, Belize City, was shot while riding his bicycle on Glynn Street. Police report that a man they believe to be of dark complexion rode...

Man awaiting trial for murder now faces charges of escape
A man awaiting trial for murder reportedly escaped from police custody, but was caught the following day. In Orange Walk on Monday, 19 year old Trinidad Pineda was being escorted to prison and when the vehicle reached a speed bump at the Tower Hill Junction, he jumped out of...

Farrakhan speaks to University of Belize student Body
Minister of the Nation of Islam Louis Farrakhan continues his six-day visit to Belize and on Tuesday he sat down with community activists at the UWI Open Campus in Belize City to talk about their role in “participatory democracy.” Farrakhan spoke of the role of activists in society today:...

Belize City Council holds an Open Day
The Belize City Council continued its week of activities with an Open Day today at the NICH Parking Lot. The various departments of the Council from Finance to Sanitation to Works were on display for school children who came to learn more about how the Council works. Activities continue...

PUP addresses the nation on important national issues
The People’s United Party this afternoon called a press conference at the Independence Hall headquarters on Queen Street to address the nation on important national issues. This week marks one year since the double elections of March 7, 2012 in which the UDP held on to 17 seats to...

Belizean plane caught in Venezuela with unprocessed cocaine
Two men who allegedly flew a plane from Belize carrying cocaine appeared at an initial court hearing in Portuguesa State, Venezuela. 51 year-old Canadian William David Sawatzky and 31 year old Colombian Jorge Armando Bustamante ware detained when the plane landed on February 22nd at General Oswaldo Guevara Mujica...

Hammon Lemmott awarded by Do The Right Thing Program
A student from the Belmopan Baptist High School was rewarded today for doing the right thing. Every year, schools from around the country recommend students for the Do The Right Thing Program, organized by the Police Department. And this morning, the Department awarded Hammon Lemmott, from the Belmopan area,...

Alleged George Street gang member remanded on firearn charges
An alleged George Street gang member is in prison on firearm and ammunition charges. On Monday, the Gang Suppression Unit conducted a search at the residence of 21 year old Keron Pinto, who is said to be affiliated with the George Street gang. GSU found a chrome forty caliber...

Dangriga resident Darwin Duran charged with drug trafficking
A suspected drug dealer has been charged with drug trafficking. 27 year old Dangriga resident Darwin Duran was charged with the offense after GSU discovered 98 grams of cannabis hidden in a black plastic bag at his residence. The bust was made last week Friday, after GSU searched an...

New well drilling at Blue Creek is expected to produce positive results
Despite shares dropping last week, and disappointing oil drilling results so far, executives at New World Oil and Gas say they are confident, that the new well drilling at Blue Creek in North-West Belize will produce positive results. New World Oil and Gas has commenced drilling at the Rio...

Hand gun discovered in Salvapan Area of Belmopan
Police discovered a hand gun at an empty lot in Belmopan. The discovery was made yesterday on Costa Rica Street Extension, in the Salvapan Area. The .38 revolver was found wrapped in a paper bag. Since no one was found in the area at the time, the firearm was...

Caye Caulker Chronicles

Village Council Elections – Running Councillors
The time for the Caye Caulker Village council elections is getting closer and we’re starting to see different slates for candidacy. We see a mixture of all ages in the running for chairperson and councilors. More people are stepping forward and its good to see that we even have independent candidates for councilors. Here are a few young ladies that believe that they can make a difference in their community by being in the council. That is exactly what Caye Caulker needs, vibrant and dedicated people willing to work for the betterment of the community.

Blogs

Where to buy a Cell phone in San Pedro – a blog reader review
Hope this finds all well with you ! I just wanted to update you on the final chapter of my lost phone saga ! As you know, just over a week ago I lost my phone, ugh ! Not a fun thing to do on an island where replacing a phone can be as painful as a root canal ! However, I’ve found the most interesting & helpful place in town. Everybody said go to Cellular World, ok, so I did. Wow, I left there without a phone and absolutley no interest in going back in there, I would rather be without a phone. A few days go by & I’m thinking maybe I do need a phone, someone suggested BTL, since I have a plan with them, no luck there, they suggested SMART, but not sure they had anything but prepaids. Worth a try…….they only have prepaids, but their employee said to try ‘Island Movies’ on Front St. & gave me directions. My friend was with me & when we left SMART, I said to her….’why of course, why didn’t I think of that ? Everyone shops for phones @ the movie store” None the less, we found Island Movies & what an experience. Terry (owner) is an absolute peach!! She was so helpful, I’m not a phone wizard & need all the help I can get when choosing a phone, she answered all my questions, showed different features and even installed my SIM card (which I probably could have done, but why take that chance . She has a nice selection of phones, both SIM card phones and prepaids, reasonable prices, accessories, etc. Her phones are even charged up so that one can see how they function BEFORE you buy, unlike somewhere else I tried to get a phone. Long story short………… I now have a phone again & an experience that ended well, which sometimes is not the case…….

Fox News Says Chaa Creek is Best Value for Spring
A new Fox News article highlighting Belize as one of the world’s best values for a spring break vacation featured Chaa Creek even before the Belizean eco resort announced significant spring discounts, marketing manager Larry Waight said today. “We think travellers will be very happy to hear that Chaa Creek was identified by Fox News as one of the world’s very best spring break value destinations, and they’ll be even happier to know that we’re offering 15% discounts off of all accommodation from April 7 to May 31 this year,” Mr Waight said. “What Fox news considered to be a great deal just got even better,” he added. A Fox News feature, “Best spring break value travel destinations: Belize,” by Nadine Jolie published 3 March 2013 said, “Belize is rich in history and beauty, with Mayan temples, lush rainforests, uncrowded beaches and ample adventure activities perfect for spring breakers like zip lining and jungle river canoeing. With affordably-priced all-inclusive deals that will allow you to tap into your inner adventurer without breaking the bank, it also features the world’s second largest barrier reef…”

5 Amazing Blue Hole Photos
The Great Blue Hole shown is one of the top attractions in Belize and is a mecca for those wanting to dive among its giant stalactites and stalagmites, which were formed during the last Ice Age. Below are five amazing blue hole photos.

Hugo Chavez, Dead At 58 - What's Next For Venezuela?
President Hugo Chavez, the fiery leader who declared a socialist revolution in Venezuela, crusaded against U.S. influence and championed a leftist revival across Latin America, died Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at age 58 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. Vice President Nicolas Maduro, announced the death during a national television broadcast. He said Chavez died at 4:25 p.m. local time. During more than 14 years in office, Chavez routinely challenged the status quo at home and internationally. He polarized Venezuelans with his confrontational and domineering style, yet was also a masterful communicator and strategist who tapped into Venezuelan nationalism to win broad support, particularly among the poor.

Baubles, Bangles & Beads
First of all to those of you who looked for but could not find an edition of the blog for Wednesday 6 March apologies. I did not publish one. Too busy orientating myself in Dallas and, in all honesty, a lack of available time allied to the fact that I felt bloody tired. We spent a fair bit of Tuesday going to a local (well fairly local but US$ 40 taxi ride – might have been done on that one though) Walmart to buy a Tom Tom (without a GPS I would have no chance of finding anything/getting anywhere). That done we headed straight to the car rental place (by taxi again but this time a more reasonable US$ 11- could see the meter this time) to pick up a vehicle. A bit different to the golf cart. It’s got doors. And a windscreen! With wheels and the Tom Tom we were ready to hit the stores and the Home Depot store in Irving was our first stop where we spent a couple of hours looking at fans, faucets, shower heads and kitchen cabinet furniture. Envious? I suspect not. Feeling pleased with our first day we decided to head for an early meal and both of us had steak. Those of you reading this on Ambergris Caye will know just how difficult (impossible is probably a more accurate description) it is to get a decent steak. Never used to eat steak much when I lived in England but now when I leave Ambergris Caye it’s the first meal I go for. Classic case of what you can’t have I suppose.

How to deal with Stress
Just thought I would share- Stress may be inevitable. But how you deal with it is largely up to you. Here are some tools to help you manage the stress in your life. It seems like everyone is stressed out these days – from your co-workers, to your friends, to the person standing next to you in line. Stress, by itself, isn’t necessarily bad. Low or even moderate amounts of stress can be good for us, provided we manage it in healthy ways. But poorly managed stress can take a toll. Heart disease, fatigue, and obesity are just a few of the potential consequences. If stress is bothering you, consider the following 10 ways to regain control:

International Sources

United States and Belize Work Jointly to Protect the Cultural Heritage of Belize
The Department of State is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the United States and the Government of Belize regarding protection of Belize’s cultural heritage, effective February 27, 2013 for a period of five years. This MOU demonstrates a commitment by both governments to staunch the pillage and illicit trafficking of Belize’s archaeological heritage of African, indigenous Maya, Spanish, and British influences. The Government of Belize requested this agreement under Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. The Convention offers a framework of cooperation among State Parties to reduce the further pillage of intact archaeological sites and ethnological objects.

UDP changed the referendum law in 2008
There is much hand wringing in Guatemala over the apparent failure to inform the President that the UDP changed the referendum law in 2008 to make it next to impossible to obtain a decision not wanted by the government. The Belize Commission has been disbanded and the ambassador here put on the carpet. Now a dissident letter has surfaced accusing the current Vice Foreign Minister of being very well aware of the dirty trick the UDP pulled and not telling his boss of the president about it before they signed up to the compromise.

New World Oil and Gas commences drilling of Rio Bravo well in Northwest Belize
New World Oil and Gas said that it has commenced drilling on Rio Bravo #1 well at the Blue Creek Project in Northwest Belize. The well is targeting the West Gallon Jug Crest prospect, which is expected to contain P50 un-risked prospective resource of 113 million barrels of oil (MMbo) with a Net Present Value of $2.6bn, according to an estimate by RPS Energy. The company will use ThermaSource International's rig #104 to drill the well to a total depth of 8,800ft and to target the Upper Jurassic Margaret Creek Formation. Upon reaching the total depth, the company is expected to release the drilling results by 1 May 2013. According to the drilling results of B Crest prospect, an active hydrocarbon system has been found to be present at the Blue Creek and West Gallon Jug acreage, particularly at the Blue Creek #2 and #2A ST wells. The West Gallon Jug Crest prospect is situated about 35km SSW from the B Crest Prospect, which is a four way structural closure. New World Oil and Gas CEO William Kelleher said the first two wells in NW Belize have confirmed the presence of several main elements, which will support to prepare a working hydrocarbon system such as source, migration and seal.

Anonymous Donor Offers $100k for Belizean Orphans, Dani Johnson Calls for Support
As a long time partner of the King’s Ransom Foundation, Dani Johnson has used her various public platforms as a radio host, best-selling author and speaker to advocate support for the Foundation’s work with Belizean orphans. And recently, when an anonymous donor offered a $100k dollar-for-dollar match to help finish the King’s Children’s Home in Belize, Dani took up the cause with her iconic passion and conviction: “The quality of life in Belize is no where near the life we have here in the US. Education is a given here. It's not a given in Belize. Education determines whether or not these kids stay in poverty, or get out of the bad cycle of selling drugs or selling their bodies just to eat. And that's what King’s Ransom does for these kids in Belize. They not only provide a home, they provide critical education!” Leonie Gillham, founder of The King’s Children’s Home in Belize, has, for 25 years, brought children in from the street and has personally raised and educated over 650 kids, saving them from depredations of poverty and abandonment. In the last five months Leonie has seen the orphanage expanded from 42 children to 90, with those 90 living with only two bathrooms (one for girls, one for boys) and often sharing beds. The King’s Children’s Home has been working to raise money and build a sorely needed new orphanage.

United States and Belize work jointly to protect cultural heritage of Belize
The US Department of State has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the United States and the government of Belize regarding protection of Belize’s cultural heritage, effective February 27, 2013 for a period of five years. This MOU demonstrates a commitment by both governments to staunch the pillage and illicit trafficking of Belize’s archaeological heritage of African, indigenous Maya, Spanish, and British influences. The government of Belize requested this agreement under Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. The convention offers a framework of cooperation among state parties to reduce the further pillage of intact archaeological sites and ethnological objects.

Dr. Marvin Minsky — Immortal minds are a matter of time
Dr. Marvin Minsky — A.I. Pioneer & Mind Theorist. Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, MIT, Media Lab http://GF2045.com/speakers. Widely recognized as one o...

March 6, 2013

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7 and Channel 5
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

SPHS dominate National Softball Northern Regionals
The San Pedro High School (SPHS) softball team traveled to Orange Walk Town to compete in the Northern Regionals in the male and female division of the National High School Softball Competition. It has been about seven years since SPHS has had a female softball team representative. The competition took place on Saturday March 1st at the People’s Stadium in Orange Walk Town. Coaching the male team was Marion Mejia, while the female team was coached by Iris Perez. The first game saw reigning national champions SPHS boys against the Belize Rural High School. A strong pitching performance from Konrad Gonzalez and great defense from SPHS ensured the first win with a 10-0 score. The great performance of the boys in the first game was elevated when SPHS girls won their first game against Escuela Secundaria Mexico of the Corozal District.

Belize Tourism Board boasts hike in Tourism Arrival in early 2013
The impressive increase of arrivals into Belize in the year 2012 has continued into the start of 2013. January numbers are in, and overnight tourists have increased by a remarkable 17.2% compared to last year’s stats. A total of 28,431 overnight tourists were recorded in the first month of this year- an increase of 4,168 compared to January 2012. Arrivals at the Phillip Goldson International Airport were up as well, showing 7.6% higher than last year’s January arrivals. Our records show that 19,965 passengers disembarked at the PGIA in the last month, making it 1,407 more than January 2012.

San Pedro RC School promotes Healthy Eating
When we become adults, the words “healthy” and “nutritional” finally start making more sense to us as our metabolism starts to decline and the pounds start adding up. However, as a child, it just doesn’t seem that important. Don’t you remember craving all the sinful delights that held absolutely NO healthy or nutritional values? We are talking such ‘delicacies’ as “choco bananas” (chocolate covered frozen bananas), chips, biscuits, sweets, ideals and pops – just to name a few. Remember gagging at the veggies our poor harassed mothers tried to make us eat? Tsk, tsk! Yes, we were taught about healthy eating – but for some reason, the concept just never really seemed to sink in. Well, last week Friday at the San Pedro Roman Catholic School, Health and Family Life Education teacher, Kenny Witzil took his students through an entire event promoting healthy eating. The event took some preparation. After teaching the kids about the value of eating from all the main food groups and combing the proper portions of meats, legumes, vegetables and fruits – the kids were tasked to come up with their own meals showcasing a healthy, nutritional balanced meal comprised of all the main food groups.

Former PM of Belize Said Musa remembers Hugo Chavez
Former Prime Minister of Belize Rt. Hon Said Musa says that the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is a “loss to the region.” President Hugo Chavez, 58 years, lost a long battle to cancer on the afternoon of Tuesday March 5th. The Vice-President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro made the announcement during a press conference; news that captured world-wide attention. Even Former PM Musa, considered an ally of Chavez, lamented about the passing during an interview with The San Pedro Sun following news of Chavez’s death. The Government of Belize (GOB) has enjoyed a good relationship with Venezuela through generous financial policies initiated by the Chavez administration ever since his election to office in 1998. “I am grieving for the loss of Hugo Chavez. It’s a great loss for Venezuela and indeed for Latin America and the Caribbean. Hugo Chavez was undoubtedly a very controversial leader but there is no doubt in my mind that his heart was in the right place – he felt for people, especially the poor people of Latin America and the Caribbean. There is no doubt that he will go down in history as someone who transformed the lives of millions of people, particularly in his own country. I think it is a great loss not only for Venezuela but for the whole region. I have no doubt that in Latin America and in this region the Chavez legacy will live on because people will remember him for the good work he has done in his life time. He will be greatly missed,” said a somber Musa.

Deputy Prime Minister presents Land Title to University of Belize
The Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Prime Minister, Hon. Gaspar Vega today presented the title for University of Belize Toledo Campus to the President of the University, Dr. Cary Fraser. This is second title presented by Hon. Vega to the University. In September 2012, the University was presented with the title to the campus for its Central Farm campus by Deputy Prime Minister Vega.

Ambergris Today

Three Peat Win for San Pedro High School Softball Team
The San Pedro High School Male Softball Team is the Northern Regional Champion once again! The male and female softball teams of San Pedro High School travelled to Corozal Town on Saturday, March 2, 2013 and Sunday, March 3, 2013, where they participated in the Northern Region Championship Games and did the town very proud. In their first game, the San Pedro High School Male team played against Belize Rural High School. Behind a strong pitching performance from ace, Konrad Gonzalez, and air tight defense San Pedro triumphed over Belize Rural High School. Although San Pedro would score 10, one was all they really needed as Gonzalez would hurl his first career perfect game striking out 12 of the 15 batters he faced in the 10 to 0 shutout. San Pedro took the lead in the bottom of the first when leadoff hitter, Damian Pollard, stroked the second pitch he saw for a leadoff homerun, a lead that was never relinquished.

The History of San Pedro's Community Center
The Community Center was used for public activities, like social dances. A couple of Peace Corps volunteers lived there for many years and operated a library and child educational/recreational center for many years. By the way, the water reservoir on the ground level provided water for the village for some 15 years. (NOTE water reservoir still there) It was designated as a hurricane shelter but has never been used. In 1971 San Pedro High School opened its doors for the first time right here. The door where the students are gathered was the Principal’s Office 1971 to 1987. The other door and first window was a small classroom of eight. The remaining windows was a classroom for Form One and Typing Room. In 1987 San Pedro High moved to its own premises and the San Pedro Town Board remodeled it to the First San Pedro Town Hall under Mayor Gilberto Chico Gomez. Six consecutive mayors have held offices here. Court sessions also took place here for many years.

Misc Belizean Sources

Ferry and Ferry Generator For Sale
Ferry 12 ft x 25 feet with one adjustable ramp Same design and same fabricator as ferry in Succotz at Xunantunich crossing Originally set up to be free wheeling in the river. Does not include motors, gas tanks or batteries. These were stolen. Currently in dry dock in Spanish Lookout Bz $42,000 Ingersoll Rand “Power Source G25, Version IV” Been in storage in container almost new NEW Environmental, low noise diesel generator Staged, High Efficiency 480 Volt, 60 Hz, 26 kVa, 24 kW, 31 amp, 1800 RPM, 3 phase, Cos Phi 0.8 Weight 980 kg with extra 200 amp transfer switch, only 7 run hours Operating manual Bz $19,000 Original cost was $26,000 plus customs and shipping CALL 600-2853 By Appointment ONLY

Belize border clearing exercise takes place without incident
On Saturday, a private group known as the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV), spearheaded by Wil Maheia of PG TV and the People’s National Party (PNP), met at Belize’s border with Guatemala, to carry out a cleanup campaign to clear vegetation on Belize’s side of the border. The group consisting of 150 volunteers began the work at Container Hill from sunrise to late afternoon. The contingent had representation from various social groups including Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA); the University of Belize; the Belize Coalition for Justice; BelizeCan, a nonpartisan, nongovernmental organization established as a “watchdog group” to strengthen the democratic principles and social justice in the nation of Belize; Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association; and various media representatives, along with Belizean men, women and children. According to Maheia, the day was a successful one, with approximately 20 meters being cleared along Belize’s side of the border.

VIDEO: Loggerhead Mating Season 2013 "Let The Games Begin"
Around March each year in Belize, divers often report Loggerhead sightings. Here a look at a recent pair kicking off mating season. Thanks to Arlen, Josh and Teryl for supporting reef conservation awarness here in Belize

Sam Harris and The World Culture Band
Sam Harris and the World Culture Band played Saturday night at Lucky 5 Sports Bar and Grill. The WCB plays at Lucky 5 most every weekend. Cayo finally has some great live music on a regular basis. On a related note, In Bloom will be playing at Lucky 5 on Friday.

BumSplash Ultimate Pool Party Pictures
The Bum Squad had a successful Bumsplash pool party at Midas Resort Saturday. Danny Chung was there to capture the moment.

Belikin's La Ruta Maya Teaser
La Ruta Maya is only 3 days away. Belikin put together a teaser from last year's LRM start. There are some good camera angles from the canoes themselves. "Belikin, the beer of Belize presents the Belikin La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge."

National Youth Policy Launch in Belmopan
Today in Belmopan, at the Univestiy of Belize's gymnasium, there will be the National Youth Development Policy Launch for Cayo. It'll be from 4pm until 6pm.

Communication Workshop at Cornerstone
The Cornerstone Foundation will be having a Communication and Decision Making workshop today, from 1pm until 4pm, to celebrate Women's Month. "Learn the skills of proper communication and the steps to making decisions."

Belizean Rice Pudding
Rice Pudding, like Bread Pudding is a popular Belizean dessert. This pudding is decadent, rich and milky.

8 Tips To Get Around Belize Easily & Safely
Getting around Belize is not the easiest of things, especially if this is the first time you have actually set foot here. I am a local and even I find it tedious to get to places. It is not because Belize is over populated or traffic is a major problem — it is just that access to things, in general, are so hard to get in some parts of Belize. Unlike other countries, Belize has a town every couple miles and it not until you reach the other town that you have access to most commodities and services. I can talk all day about the troubles you may face getting around Belize, but instead of wasting quality time on that, I will give you 8 tips that will help you to get around Belize easily and safely. This goes for both visitors and locals.

Channel 7

Chavez Passes, Could The End Of the "Bolivarian Revolution" Be Bad News For Belize?
He called himself El Comandante, and tonight 58 year old Bolivarian revolutionary Hugo Chavez is dead. The Venezuelan President died this afternoon at 4:25 in Venezuela - after battling cancer for 2 years. It is news in Belize because Venezuela was a venery generous ally of Belize giving tens of millions of dollars for housing, medical, fuel and financial assistance. This evening Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington told us that "Chavez was a visionary and a regionalist, and the region will mourn his passing." He added that, quote, "Venezuela has a long history of assisting us - we would wish to have that relationship continue and we would hope the passing of Chavez would not affect it adversely." Presently the Government of Belize benefits greatly from the Petrocaribe initiative, which was re-activated in September of last year. A regime change could spell disaster for this programme in which Government is able to purchase Venezuelan fuel and pay for it over time at very concessionary rates.

Late Evening Killing In City
A man was killed in Belize City an hour ago. It happened on Glynn Street - which is at the end of Church Street in the city's southside. When we got to the scene, his body was face down in the drain. No identity has been confirmed but his family and friends were at the scene - and were pleading with police to get access to the crime scene - which they were eventually allowed to do. The man had reportedly just been paid and his death may have been the result of an armed robbery.

OW Police Recapture One, Lose Another
A man accused of murder escaped from police custody in Orange Walk yesterday - but was recaptured at noon today. The police press office predictably hasn't issued any release but 7news has learned that 19 year old Trinidad Pineda was being taken from the prison - where he is on remand - to the Orange Walk Magistrate's Court for an adjournment. But, reports say, when the Police pickup slowed down for a speedbump at the Tower Hill junction, he made a run for it. Today, Police caught him at a roundabout in Orange Walk town. He was driving his uncle's Ford Ranger pickup, which had been reported stolen by the owner earlier in the day. Pineda is accused of the March 2012 murder of 24 year old Cristobal Santos. Pineda is accused of stabbing Santos to death in a drunken brawl. And while he is in custody pending charges of escape - we can't say the same for Abbas Khan. On Sunday police searched his home at 18 3rd Street in Corozal Town and found five Indian passports. So he was detained pending charges, but according to reports he's disappeared. Corozal police say he's in Orange Walk, and Orange Walk police say they know nothing of it.

Woman's House Burns, She Says Arson is Retaliation For Murder
Last night we told you about the shooting in Hattieville that left one man dead and another injured. 23 year old Abel Arana was shot and killed inside the yard of Ralph Sherlock Mini-Man Martinez who was also shot. According to police, Arana and Martinez were socializing at the residence when they started to argue and shot each other. But the details of that story remain sketchy since police have not yet recovered any weapons from the scene. Martinez's girlfriend and brother-in-law are detained by police. But only 24 hours after we reported this story, there is another possibly related incident to report on tonight. Mini-man's sister-in-law is claiming someone burned her hosue down in an act of retaliation. Tiffarah Usher was not at home at 4:00 this morning when her house burned but she told us she was receiving threat messages from unknown persons in regards to the death of Abel Arana. This mother of two who lost everything told us she is the victim of guilt by association:

Mother Of Murder Victim Disputes Story Of His Death
And then there is the other side to this story. Today 7news caught up with the mother of Abel (Able) Arana who believes that her son was chanced out of his life. Caroline Castillo claimed that her son was indeed friends with Mini-Man Martinez. She wanted to speak out about certain allegation made against her son that she claims is false: Caroline Castillo - Mother of Abel Arana "Well his friends told me that they set up my son. And that hurt me a lot becasue his friend went on TV, and said that my son and his friend are not friends. They are friends because my son's baby's birthday was thursday. The same boy that killed him was at his house celebrating the birthday with him. He said he came for his cake.

GSU Finds Big Gun
Yesterday afternoon at 4:20 the GSU search the home of 21 year old Keron Pinto, on Tigris street. Pinto was not at home, but three women were, and in their presence, police found a firearm in the yard. It's an unusual weapon, a Chrome .40 Millimeter AMT brand pistol fitted with a chrome magazine containing two .40 Millimeter live rounds. The firearm was stuffed in a garbage crate in the yard. Keron Pinto later accepted responsibility for the firearm and was formally arrested and charged for Kept Prohibited Firearm and Kept Prohibited Ammunition. With that, the three females were released. But when Pinto was taken and arraigned before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith today, he changed his tune completely and pleaded not guilty to both charges. Due to the nature of the offences, Chief Magistrate Smith remanded him to the Belize Central Prison until April 5, 2013, his next court date.

CITCO Back To The Drawing Board On Southern Foreshore
The City Council is celebrating its one year anniversary - we'll tell you about that shortly - but first we look to the downside of what ahs been the Hallmark of that one year in office: those concrete streets, dozens of them! But, as we pointed out a few weeks ago - the streets are supposed to last for decades, yet some of them have proved to be substandard. In fact, right now, a section of the street on southern foreshore is being ripped up and re-done. The mayor says the city council has staffed itself with three engineers and is now demanding a higher standard of proof from contractors: Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City Council "We are monitoring our contractors very vigilantly. They're giving us regular reports. We're requiring PSI testing of all our streets so that we know the PSI and strength, that it's going to last. And where we find deficiencies, even if it is something arguable, we will require the contractors to go in and do corrective work.

Mayor Says Traffic Lights Not Fit For City
The mayor also answered another vexing issue for city residents: the traffic lights that haven't been working for weeks at the Mahogany Street junction. Now, all of Central American Boulevard is the responsibility of the Ministry of Works - including those lights - but today the Mayor proposed that maybe lights are not the best idea: Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City Council "We don't have the system to support traffic lights. And it's very expensive to maintain. The parts are not obtainable in Belize city. So I favor the round about. And actuaclly when the central american bulivard is upgraded. There is plans for a round about in that very vasinity. But ofcourse we've been trying to source the part for the traffic light. So that we can repair it. But every single traffic light that is in Bleize city has malfunction at some point. And when you have a round about. It's a far easier thing to operate. And it's far less maintainance. So my personal view is that you are likly going to see additional problems with more traffic lights. And where trying to move away from that system."

Farrakhan To Activists
Yesterday, we told you about the arrival of the Leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan for his third visit to Belize. Minister Farrakhan has a full itinerary of public appearances planned for this week, and this afternoon, he had a 2 hour seminar with the activists at the UWI School of continuing studies. His message is extensive, but we'll a small excerpt of the conversation he had with the activists, and the role they play in an informed democracy. Here's what he had to say: Minister Luis Farrakhan - Leader of the Nation of Islam "So an activist today is a valuable person, for the future of the country. But activists must not just be activists, because you don't like this one or that one. We must be activists for something bigger than ourselves. And the biggest thing in Belize is Belize itself. And when we love Belize, more than we love our party, more than we love the personality of the person for whom we are voting, then our interest is not in what you say. Our interest is in what you do."

Vendors Complain About BTB
The artisans who work out of the BTB's Fort George Craft Market are tonight dissatisfied with the mode of business that they've been restricted to conducting. Over 2 years ago, the market was created to organize them in one general area where the tourists can visit, peruse and buy from them. But according to them, business has been bad, and as a result, they've had to resort to leaving the market to approach tourists to convince them to buy. They told 7News that if the tourism police officers will enforce the rules against them, no one should get preferential treatment. Here's how they explained it to us: Timmy Stamp - Crafting Vendor "In the yard where they have us selling carvings, it's not working. Nothing is not happening in there. So, I have to come out and walk on the street for me to make a dollar. If you don't walk on the street, you will not make anything."

Observing International Children's Day of Broadcasting
Good evening, and welcome to the 7news celebration of international children's day of broadcasting, I am Kelcy Longsworth. Every year in March, broadcasters around the world join in airing quality programming about children, and allow them to take part in actually making the news. Here at Channel 7, we thought we would use the opportunity to find out how kids feel about violence. My peers and I are fed a daily dose of it in movies, video games, music, and, the evening news. Our youth correspondent Lovell Mejia is one of those youths. He is a fourth former at EP Yorke and on Sunday night a man was killed a block from his home in Hattieville. Today, he asked his shoolmates at EP Yorke how they feel about violence: Thanks very much guys! 16 year old Lovel Mejia is a fourth former at EP Yorke and 10 year old Kelcey Longsworth is a Standard 3 student at Horizon Academy. Great work guys!

Belize Ballers Find A Place In US Rosters
And staying on the subject of youths - we're following up on two young men who left Belize for basketball opportunities in the USA. Kashief Thomas and Andrew Ortiz, both former stars at Sadie Vernon High are doing well in basketball programmes in the states and so is Devin Daly, the former SJC Standout. Andrew Ortiz is on scholarship to finish High School at St. Peter Chanel High School in Cleveland Ohio is playing for St. Monica's Church in the Catholic Youth Organization Regional Finals. Menawhile, Kashief Thomas plays for Iowa Western Community Colege while Devin Daly plays Lake Superior State University.

Belizean Youth Seeks UK Post
Another Belizean boy is making news abroad. He is Ramel Flores, whose parents Melvin and Aracelly relocated from Orange Walk to Ireland about a decade ago. Ramel is now offering himself for the UK youth Parliament where he proudly touts his Belizean ancestry. He has been featured in multiple newspapers. Voting finishes on Thursday.

PM Accompanies Wife For Cancer Treatment
Prime Minister Dean Barrow left the country today, to accompany his wife, Kim Simplis-Barrow for continuation of her cancer treatment. He returns on the 13th. March and during his absence, Deputy Gaspar Vega, the Deputy Gaspar Vega will act as Prime Minister.

Channel 5

Shot to the head while buying Johnny cake
There was a murder late this evening in the heart of Belize City.  Frank Neal, an employee of the Port, was shot in the head at the corner of Cairo and Glenn Street which is located behind X-tra House near the downtown area. Residents in the area say Neal does not live in the neighborhood [...]

Woman thinks arsonist wanted her and children dead
Twenty-two year old Abel Arana was killed on Sunday night after he was shot twice—once to the abdomen and to the buttocks. His alleged killer, Sherlock Martinez, is currently hospitalized at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after according to reports; he was shot to the abdomen by Arana. But the village where the incident occurred [...]

Santa Cruz, the shire across from Jalacte
On Saturday News Five was a part of the group led by Wil Maheia of the Belize Territorial Volunteers on what was dubbed an expedition to demarcate Belize’s border line between the villages of Jalacte and Santa Cruz. While a majority of the hundred or so persons from different organizations stayed on top of Container [...]

Passport charges appear and Pakistani Belizean disappears
Where is Abbas Khan? Inside his home at number eighteen Third Street in Corozal Town, the police found six passports in the names of Tajinder Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Parminder Singh Baryar, Gurdeep Singh and Surjit Singh. The thirty eight year old Khan, under, told the police that the foreign nationals were not present in the [...]

B.N.T.U. district branch consult on salary adjustment
Today the general membership of the Belize National Teachers Union (B.N.T.U.) Belize District Branch held a regular meeting at the Holy Redeemer Parish Hall in Belize City.  News Five spoke to Belize District President, Kathleen Flowers, who declined an interview at this time but stated that the meeting was a regular pre-convention session. We were [...]

Is Belize being soft on Guatemala?
And our question for tonight is: Do you think our government is too soft with Guatemala? Send your comments and responses using your SMART phones to 8686 or post your vote on our e-poll at channel5belize.com. You can also send an email with your comments to [email protected].

Venezuela President Hugo Chavez passes away
  President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, died today after a long bout with cancer. The very vocal and powerful Chavez was diagnosed with the disease last year, but his government had kept the gravity of the medical situation under tight wraps. His condition had steadily deteriorated since a fourth surgery in Cuba in December of [...]

Minister Farrakhan scrutinizes Land of the Free
Another international firebrand who has kept ties with Belize returned for a visit on Monday. Leader of the Nation of Islam Louis Farrakhan is meeting with various community groups and educational institutions over the week. Today at the University of West Indies campus in West Landivar, Farrakhan spoke to activists who normally take their issues [...]

Busted with weed on bus
  A sculptor from the village of Maskall on the old Northern Highway was today fined ten thousand dollars after he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking. Thirty-three year old Lenton Polonio was arrested and charged for drug trafficking on September fourteenth, 2012, after he was found with a bag containing one hundred and forty seven [...]

Females released after Pinto pleads guilty to gun possession
  The Gang Suppression Unit continues to conduct regular operations in Belize City, and on Monday executed a search at the home of alleged George Street gang member Keron Pinto at number seventy-nine Tigris Street. Pinto was not home at the time, but the search was conducted in the presence of three females. While the [...]

City Hall sits with the elderly
And while the GSU visited the homes of alleged criminals, other public servants gave some other city residents a welcome home visit.  Dozens of elderly men and women at the Sister Cecilia Home were treated for lunch today by members of the Belize City Council.  Mayor Darrell Bradley took time out of his otherwise busy [...]

Mayor envisions roundabout at the Mahogany crossroads
Motorists traveling along Central American Boulevard would notice that traffic lights at its inter-section with Mahogany Street have been malfunctioning for quite some time.  While City Hall awaits the arrival of a much needed component in order to repair the stoplight, Mayor Bradley has his sights on building a roundabout at the crossroads.  The signal [...]

Galen University student apologizes for sports/nationalism foul up
While the softball team is writing some victories at the games in Costa Rica, another local athlete has also penned a statement regarding his performance at a recent basketball tournament in Guatemala. It was the same tournament that caused the Belize National Basketball Team to return to Belize prematurely from Peten, because the facility, the [...]

Softball team wins 2 games in Costa Rica
The Central American Games is underway in San Jose, Costa Rica and the National Women’s Softball Team is making great strides in the event by winning two of its games.  On Monday, Belize won over Costa Rica with a score of nine to two. The winning pitcher was Kenreen Gillett. However, Belize with zero points [...]

Patrick Faber says former G.O.B. caused UB problems
One man who held no apologies at last week Friday’s House meeting in the Capital is Minister of Education Patrick Faber. Faber addressed the payroll audit of the University of Belize which was commissioned by U.B. President, Doctor Cary Fraser.  The draft report has been the reason why the Faculty and Staff Association held an [...]

Education Minister says payroll audit not complete yet
UB’s Faculty and Staff Association wrote a letter to the government suggesting that an independent, external auditor should be hired to carry out a new payroll audit.  Minister Faber suggested that Sanchez Burrell and Associates is an independent, external auditor and he said that the audit is not yet complete to make any assertions about [...]

Fairytale ending for baby found in a bucket
Some people say fairy tales are for kids because there is no such thing as a happy ending. The true life story that our online geek squad found proves that saying is only half true as it is for kids. KBTV Fox 4 reported on a baby that was found abandoned in a bucket in [...]

US gives hugs and toys to Liberty Children’s Home
The sentiment does not end with that story. Loving Hugs is an American charity that collects donations of stuffed animals, called “hugs”, and sends them to children around the world to bring them comfort and hope.  The organization has collected over seven hundred stuffed animals. And this afternoon, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy [...]

Meet the Y’s Women of Valor
The Young Women’s Christian Association is hosting a pageant on Wednesday entitled Women of Valor. It features five young students at the school and organizer, Leroy Green says that it will be a clean, fun competition aimed at building confidence and exposure with competition geared to promoting Christian values and school spirit. Today, freelance reporter [...]

LOVE FM

University of Belize Receives Land Title For Its Toledo Campus
The University of Belize has received the title for the University’s Toledo campus. Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega today presented the land title to President of the University of Belize, Dr. Cary Frazer. In September 2012 Deputy Prime Minister Vega presented the t...

Belize Prime Minister Accompanies Wife For Further Medical Treatment Abroad
Prime Minister Dean Barrow left the country today. The Prime Minister is accompanying his wife, Kim Simplis Barrow for her continued medical treatment. Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega will act as Prime Minister until the Prime Minister’s return on March 13. ...

Belize National Teachers Union Holds General Meeting
The Belize National Teacher Union, Belize branch held a general membership meeting today. The venue for the meeting was the Holy Redeemer Parish Hall. The meeting, according to executives of the Belize Branch, discussed the upcoming national teacher’s convention, part...

Teenager Detained On Allegations of Sexual Assault On Minor
Police in Orange Walk town have detained a seventeen year old boy following an allegation of sexual assault. A fourteen year old girl, accompanied by her grandmother, went to the police station to report that on Saturday, she had sexual intercourse with the seventeen year old who...

Teenager Detained Following Attempted Murder of Basketball Player
Police have detained an eighteen year old man in connection with the attempted murder another on Monday morning. Lloyd Alexander King, a resident of Mayflower Street is in police custody pending investigation of the shooting incident which happened around eleven o’clock yes...

Accused Teenaged Murderer Sentenced For Handling Stolen Goods
Nineteen year old Anthony Carballo Jr. , a remanded prisoner charged with the murder of 53 year old businessman Jeremy McNab, was sentenced to six months today by Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith after he was found guilty of handling stolen goods for a memory card that was stolen alon...

CTV3

Accused Murderer: Hands Himself to Police, Escapes From Custody, Is Captured!
It did not make the news last night since police were tight lipped about the escape of a convict. CTV3 News understands that 19 year old Trinidad Pineda, who was charged back in March of 2012 for the murder of 24 year old Cristobal Santos, escaped from police custody yesterday morning while being transported from the Hattieville Prison to Orange Walk. As mentioned, the incident was not reported by police yesterday, but we do understand that when the police pickup truck which was transporting the prisoners stopped by the bump near the BSI Junction, Pineda saw an opportunity and jumped out of the vehicle making good his escape by running into some nearby bushes. Despite the fact that police set chase after the convict, it was not until this morning that the he was apprehended. With an accused murderer on the lose, Officer in Charge of the Orange Walk Police Department, Senior Superintendent Joseph Myvette, launched a manhunt for Pineda. It was around 12:30 this morning that the convict was recaptured by police near the roundabout by the Establo Restaurant. Pineda, we understand, was driving a black Ford Ranger pickup truck when he was detained. The vehicle is in police custody and it allegedly belongs to Pineda’s uncle. That information is presently being investigated by police. We have been informed that this morning the owner of the vehicle visited the Orange Walk Police Station and reported it as stolen.

Baby Girl Abandoned In Bucket, Now Has A Family
Tonight we bring you a heartfelt story from the United States that involves a Belizean child. Years ago, a couple from Beaumont Texas, was in Belize when they found a 10 weeks old baby girl in a bucket suffering from club foot. The child was allegedly abandoned by her mother and the couple decided to rescue the baby girl and take her to the United States. The child was named Sarah and just recently she was adopted by the Smith Family. KFDM Channel 6 news in South East Texas aired this report yesterday.

Khan On The Run From Police
Last night we told you about the search that led Corozal Police to the discovery of five passports for the Republic of India belonging to Tajinder Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Parminder Singh Baryar, Gurdeep Singh and Surjit Singh. The finding was made on March 3rd after Belmopan Police searched the residence of 38 year old Abbas Khan, a naturalized Belizean businessman of number#18 3rd Street Corozal Town. When interrogated by police Khan stated that none of the individuals are in Belize. He; however, could not give a proper account as to why the passports were in his possession. Now, here is where the story becomes interesting because sources tell us that Khan has escaped from police custody. We understand that the 38 year old was apprehended by Orange Walk Police for a commitment warrant which was issued for money he owed. Kahn was scheduled to appear before the Belize City Supreme Court for the commitment warrant on Monday March 4th. But during his detention here at the Orange Walk Police Department, he was picked up by Belmopan Police who took him to Corozal and searched his residence. After the passports were found Khan was informed that he had committed the offence of unlawful possession of passports and would be charged by the Corozal Police Department after his hearing at the Belize City Supreme Court. With that, Khan was transferred back to the Orange Walk Police Station where he was detained in a holding area and not a cell as is customary. And it was at around 2:15 Monday morning that Khan absconded from police. How he managed to escape is another question, since Orange Walk Police area mum about the situation. Presently Khan is still on the run.

Toyota Pickup Stolen
And while Orange Walk Police investigate if the vehicle Pineda was traveling in was indeed stolen, Leonardo Hernandez, 45 year old Belizean Car Dealer of #87 San Andres Street, Orange Walk Town, reported that at around 7:00 last night he parked his red 1989 Toyota EX-10 pick-up truck with California L/P, valued $6,000.00bcy in front of his residence. Six hours after, at 1:15 this morning to be exact, Hernandez’s wife informed him that the vehicle was missing. Police investigations continue.

Another Case Of Carnal Knowledge
It seems that the reports of Carnal Knowledge filed across the country are becoming a norm. The latest report was made by a 14 year old girl from Orange Walk Town who visited the police station in the company of her grandmother and reported to police that on the 2nd of March 2013 she and her 17 year old boyfriend had sexual intercourse at his residence. Police have detained the 17 year old pending investigations.

New Horizon To Come To Belize
New Horizons Belize through the U.S. Southern Command has once again partnered with the Belize Defense Force to provide a large-scale humanitarian assistance exercise. It is a joint exercise where the Belize Defense Force, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education will be working hand in hand to train over 200 U.S. soldiers in engineering and in the medical field. According to Humanitarian Manager at the United States Military Liaison Office, Cruzita Cadle, the exercise will benefit Belize in the education and health sectors. When it comes to education, Cadle says classrooms will be built at four primary schools across the country, including here in Orange Walk. Cruzita Cadle, Humanitarian Manager “In the engineering aspect we will be building classes rooms with the Ministry of Education and the Belize Defense Force. They will be working side by side with US forces to construct classrooms building in Louisiana Government School, Trail Farm Government School, Lady Technical High School and as well as Crooked Tree Government School.”

Hugo Chavez Dies After Battling Cancer
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died this afternoon after a two-year battle with cancer. His death ends 14 years of tumultuous rule that made the socialist leader a hero for the poor but a loathed figure to his opponents. The flamboyant 58-year-old had undergone four operations in Cuba for a cancer that was first detected in his pelvic region in mid-2011. His last surgery was on Dec. 11 and he had not been seen in public since. The news of Chavez’s death was announced by Venezuela’s Vice President Nicolas Maduro this evening in a televised address. Maduro said quote, “We have just received the most tragic and awful information. At 4.25 p.m today March the 5th, President Hugo Chavez Frias died.” Chavez swept to power in 1998, promising to stamp out corruption and improve the lot of his country's poor. But as the economy slumped, he was criticized for his autocratic style and his government's harsh suppression of any opposition. He succeeded in changing Venezuela's constitution to allow him to run for re-election in 2012 - a vote he won, despite battling cancer. Here is a story aired by BBC World News Network after Chaves death was announced.

SEDATT 2 Makes Dreams Come True
Today was a good day for members of the La Inmaculada Credit Union and 8 groups formed by residents living in Rural Areas in the Orange Walk and Corozal Districts. The groups were the proud recipients of a grant funding under the Micro and Small Enterprises Development and Strengthening program, which falls under LICU’s Small Scale Enterprise Development In Agriculture and Tourism for Orange Walk and Corozal Rural Communities. SEDATT 2 was approved funding in the amount of 80 thousand Euros or one hundred and ninety five thousand Belize dollars. According to General Manager of LICU, Yolanda Gomez, a total of 45 applications were received. That amount was narrowed down to 21 through the Project Steering Committee. Out of the 21 applicants 8 groups were selected and today they received their grants during a special ceremony held at the parking lot of the La Inmaculada Credit Union. As mentioned, there was much to celebrate as LICU also signed a contract for two hundred and fifty five thousand dollars with R and A Construction Company Limited from Orange Walk who will be charged with the construction of a small business development centre and bathroom facilities. The building will be constructed on the second floor of the LICU building. Construction of the building is expected to commence tomorrow. We will have a full coverage of this story in tomorrow’s newscast. Be sure to tune in to find out about some of the innovative projects that have been launched or will be lunched here in the north with the assistance of LICU.

PlusTV

Galen University student Raul Roches appologizes for his actions
The issue of Belize’s Territorial dispute and whether or not to take it to the ICJ has been a main topic of discussion across the airwaves. There are supporters of the idea, but the loudest voices so far have been opposers. The Belize Guatemala issue has caused certain flare...

Belize Territorial Volunteers promise to make more trips to the Belize/Guatemala border
Passions are running high over the ICJ issue. As we told you , a group of nationalistic Belizeans headed to the border on Saturday to clear along a part of the border on the Belize side. The Belize Territorial Volunteers say it was their first of many trips to...

New details on shooting of Ronald Rivers
New details have emerged surrounding a shooting yesterday morning in front of the UNO Gas Station in Belize City. The victim, 28 year old Ronald Rivers was a part of the National Basketball Selection that was in Guatemala, but returned prematurely in protest of the Guatemala Federation’s now infamous...

House fire possible retaliation for murder
There was a house fire this morning in Hattieville. The sister to the girlfriend of shooting victim Ralph Sherlock Martinez, aka Miniman believes that her house was deliberately targeted for arson this morning. The house is located in Hattieville, directly behind where the incident was said to have taken...

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is dead
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is dead. At age 58, the polarizing president of Venezuela lost his long battle with cancer. The country’s vice president made the announcement today. Chavez’s cancer diagnosis was first announced in June 2011, however no details were ever revealed about what kind of cancer he...

Belize City Council addresses concerns
The adage about “progress brings problems” can be applied to the ongoing renovation of streets across the Old Capital. Even as the Council claims credit for concreting 53 streets and counting and upgrading a total of 90, the long-standing traffic lights at the corner of Central American Boulevard and...

Businessman charged with Immigration violations escapes custody
Last night, Plus News told you about a Belizean businessman who is under investigation for unlawful possession of five passports. The passports, which are for the Republic of India, were found by police inside the 38 year old’s home in Corozal. Because he could not give a proper account...

Rehabilitation of Burrell Boom Police Station in progress
La Ruta Maya river challenge canoe race is set for this coming weekend and Police are planning a major presence. Work has begun on rehabilitating the village police station in Burrell Boom and Rural Executive Officer for the Police ASP Chris Noble gives details. ASP Christopher Noble – Rural...

Successful Clean-up Campaign in Santa Elena
The Bishop Martin Neighbourhood Watch Committee is not your ordinary neighbourhood watch group; besides being an invaluable participant in reducing crime, the committee is also active in different sectors of their society. And this past Saturday, they continued in this effort by organizing a cleanup campaign in the Bishop...

Recycling encouraged by Resource Recovery Recycling Company
Technology moves fast, and what’s fresh and in style this year may be passé and out of date very quickly. With computers and accessories available literally at your fingertips, there’s little place for the classic CPU and many are gathering dust in basements, attics and the like. The Resource...

Belize City Council celebrates first anniversary of election
Belize City Council is marking its first anniversary of election with a week of activities. Today, the Council hosted a special luncheon at Sister Cecilia Home for the Elderly. Mayor Darrell Bradley spoke to PLUS News on why they chose this location. Darrell Bradley – Belize City Mayor: When...

Home Going Service held for Diplomat Rafael David Baptist
Today, family and friends congregated in Belmopan for the home going of Diplomat Rafael David Baptist. Baptist, who served as the Foreign Service Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belmopan, passed away last Saturday. Loved one described Rafael or “Raf” as he was affectionately known, as a...

PM accompanies wife for more treatment abroad
Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow left the country today to accompany his wife for continuation of her medical treatment as she battles breast cancer. Prime Minister Barrow expects to return to the country Next week Wednesday, March 13th. During the Prime Minister’s absence, Hon. Gaspar Vega, the Deputy Prime...

Minister Gaspa Vega presents land title for UB Toledo to University President
Today, Minister Gaspa Vega presented the land title for University of Belize Toledo Campus to the President of the University, Dr. Cary Fraser. This is second land title presented by Hon. Vega to the University. In September 2012, the University was presented with the title to the campus for...

Police Officer grazed by bullet during scuffle with armed robber
An officer was grazed by a bullet during a scuffle with an armed robber. On Saturday, sometime around 12:30am, two masked men, one armed with a hand gun, entered the Hong Kong Restaurant on Belize Corozal Road. Both men approached the owner of the restaurant and demanded her to...

Chopping incident almost turned deadly
A chopping incident almost turned deadly for a Belize City resident. The victim, Kareem Foreman Swaso told police that on Sunday morning, he was in Belmopan when he got into a quarrel with a 17 year old resident of the area. Foreman said the teen chopped him to the...

Caye Caulker Chronicles

Vote for Vanessa Smith for Councillor

Amandala

NO PUSHOVERS AT WEEK 4 OF PLB CLOSING SEASON
There is no Players Draft in the Premier League of Belize (PLB) like in the NBA, to improve parity among competing teams, but something is happening in Belize football that has resulted in another monster contest among the top clubs in the country. While one club – San Ignacio United – went the whole of the Opening Season without a win, and two others – Paradise/Freedom Fighters and FC San Felipe Barcelona – didn’t register their first win until their 7th outing, presently at Week 4 of this Closing Season, all 8 teams have already made their mark in the “win” column. Last season, with 12 teams participating, was hailed as the most competitive in recent memory; but this one, down to 8 teams, looks to be even tougher. There is no “light” team in this tournament, and courageous fans would be well advised to be a bit modest in their predictions. In Week 4 games this past weekend: On Saturday night at the MCC Grounds, visiting San Ignacio United got a first half goal from Rosny Martinez (23’), but Police United FC got the equalizer from Daniel “Danny” Jimenez (50’) for the 1-1 final score. Also on Saturday night, F.C. Belize travelled to the Marshalleck Stadium, where they fell, 2-1, to host Verdes FC. Julian Maldonado (23’) gave Verdes the early lead, but Norman Nunez (36’) equalized for FC Belize before the intermission. Verdes got the game winner from Julio Ayala (90’+) in injury time for the 2-1 win.

COACH BERNIE TARR REPORTS ON ANDREW ORTIZ, ALSO A NOTE ON KACHIEF THOMAS AND DEVIN DALY
Andrew Ortiz, who is on scholarship to finish high school at St. Peter Chanel High School in Cleveland, Ohio from the King James Project, will play today at Akron St. Vincent and Mary’s High School (Home of LeBron James) in the CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) Regional Finals game to advance to the State Championship games. The team he plays for is St. Monica’s Church in Garfield Heights, Ohio. I also have video footage from his game last Saturday, which I will send to you guys once I figure it out. If I can’t, on Monday I will hand deliver it to you so you can download it. I will also have pictures from today’s game. Also, Kachief Thomas plays tonight at 7:00 p.m. for Iowa Western CC, and Devin Daly plays today at 1:00 p.m. for Lake Superior State University. It’s “March Madness” for sure.

HISTORIC SATURDAY Editorial
The high tension in the nation of Belize on Friday was reflected in the nationally broadcast meeting of the House of Representatives where, early in the afternoon, the elected PUDP representatives of the people, perhaps realizing how irrelevant the following morning’s border clearing expedition of the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV) was and would be making them and their discourse, began lashing out at one another across the aisle in all kinds of personal, scurrilous and scandalous attacks. It was the worst House exchanges we have ever heard. There was high tension in Belize on Friday because Belizeans did not know how the BTV expedition, led by Wil Maheia, would turn out. The Foreign Ministry and the National Security Ministry of Belize had both done their best to frighten off Maheia and the BTV in the days leading up to the expedition. This was because the Guatemalan government had sent a diplomatic note the Friday before, February 22, branding the expedition’s stated border clearing mission as provocative. The Belize government immediately panicked, and did everything in their power last week, short of tying up Wil Maheia and the BTV, to prevent the expedition from setting out for the Jalacte/Santa Cruz border between Belize and Guatemala. Wil Maheia was calm and steadfast throughout. He had traveled the road from Punta Gorda to Jalacte hundreds of times, and his core group of Toledo-based BTV were also hardy and experienced on the road and in the jungle. As it turned out, the activities of the BTV expedition were somewhat different from what most Belizeans had understood these activities were going to be. Where the BTV drove and trekked on Saturday was not heavy bush and jungle border. Between Jalacte and Santa Cruz, the border is pretty much cleared already, so there was no danger of crossing the border into Guatemala “by mistake.”

FROM THE PUBLISHER
The power structure of Guatemala is a militarized one. By that I mean that military personnel have been prominent in their decision making for almost the entire life of the republic. In the late 1980s, a stream of civilians began to be elected, but most political observers believed that the generals were never too far in the background. Today, Guatemala has returned to a military presidency, in the person of the former general Otto Pérez Molina, and his military career was very controversial, to put it mildly. Guatemala’s aggressive claim to Belize had the effect of introducing militarization in Belize, and the claim will inevitably increase Belize’s militarization. Belize will not be able to enjoy a situation like that of Costa Rica, which does not have an army and can therefore use all its resources for education, health, housing, infrastructure, and so on. It was the late Hon. Philip Goldson who first introduced the concept of a Belizean army in the House of Representatives. He was the only Opposition National Independence Party (NIP) representative in the House between 1961 and 1965, and one of just two between 1965 and 1969. I am not sure if Mr. Goldson called for a Belizean army before 1965, or afterwards. What I do know is that he was ignored by the ruling People’s United Party (PUP) until the Belize City uprisings provoked by Bethuel Webster’s Seventeen Proposals in 1968. The police proved unable to cope with the mobility and ingenuity of the protestors in the old capital, and that was when the Belize government decided to establish the so-called paramilitary force, which was designed to be part police, part army. Original members of that paramilitary included the late Charles Good, Ornel Brooks, James Sanders, and Michael “Pro” Myvett. The officer in charge of their training was the late Fred Gill.

AMID CONTROVERSIAL AUDIT, MINISTER OF EDUCATION DEFENDS UB BOARD OF TRUSTEES
“…they have not concluded that there exists any instance of missing funds.” At Friday’s Sitting of the House of Representatives, Minister of Education Patrick Faber, who is also the United Democratic Party area representative for Collet, rose to defend the integrity of the board of trustees of the University of Belize (UB), chaired by Imani Fairweather-Morrison, saying that they have his unwavering support. Since last year, there have been reports of possible irregularities in the university’s payroll, and a special audit is being undertaken by Castillo Sanchez and Burrell, independent auditors. The board of trustees, said Faber, is “not perfect, but they are not into fleecing and robbery as others would like you to believe.” He said that Morrison has given selflessly to the University of Belize: “For two years, she did not take the stipend given to board chairmen,” Faber said, indicating that there were others on the board who also did not take the stipend. “She donated over $10,000 cash of her personal money to UB. She did it without fanfare, because that is how she is.”

GSU OFFICER DIES IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENT
A traffic accident that occurred around 9:50 p.m. on Sunday, March 3, 2013, between Miles 33 and 34 on the George Price Highway claimed the life of 28-year-old Barney Shol, a police officer attached to the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU). Shol was travelling in a white four-door Toyota Camry with two other passengers – Hilberto Ack, 22, and George Ferguson, 27, both police officers attached to the GSU in Belize City. They were travelling from Belmopan towards Belize City. Reports are that Shol lost control of the vehicle and it flipped several times. The vehicle landed about 30 feet in the bushes away from the highway. The three officers were taken to the Western Regional Hospital. Shol, who was originally from Laguna Village in the Toledo District, was pronounced dead on arrival. The other officers are reported to have sustained minor injuries to their bodies.

GUATEMALAN MAP WITH BELIZE ANNEXED “OFFENSIVE,” BELIZE OFFICIALS SAY
Resurgence of controversial maps, a response to ICJ process. The continued use by Guatemalans of a national map annexing all of Belize as their territory is causing quite a stir on the international front, as Belizeans continue to protest the use of what Belize officials describe as an “offensive” map that clearly does not respect Belize’s land borders. Alexis Rosado, Chief Executive Officer in the Belize Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Amandala today that Guatemala stands alone across the entire international community, since no other country uses the annexed map to represent Belize and Guatemala, but they all recognize Belize’s land borders. We asked the CEO: What can Belize do to have the map corrected? He pointed to the juridical process at the level of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which, he said, would put an end to this once and for all. Asked if Belize could seek the passage of a formal resolution from the international community at the upcoming Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly in June in Antigua, Guatemala, CEO Rosado said “even if they wanted to do it, I don’t know that they can do it.”

BELIZE’S GDP JUMPS PAST $3 BILLION
5.3% growth for 2012 best of Barrow’s 5 preceding budgets; better than Latin America and Caribbean average Despite plummeting petroleum production and earnings, Belize’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)—the value of all the goods and services produced in the country for the year—is approaching $3.2 billion, up from the $2.9 billion reported for 2011, according to Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dean Barrow, reading his 6th budget in Parliament today. “Preliminary estimates compiled by the Statistical Institute of Belize indicate that our economy grew by 5.3% during 2012, well above the 1.9% recorded for 2011 and just about the best in the Anglophone Caribbean,” Barrow said at the presentation of the proposed 2013 budget. “Contrast that to the best in the Caribbean, which is Guyana, at 3%,” Barrow added. He explained that “brisk activity in agriculture, agro-manufacturing, tourism, construction and telecommunications, which more than compensated for the sharp downturn in petroleum extraction, domestic electricity generation and cruise-ship disembarkations,” accounted for the sharp increase in the country’s GDP. Barrow said that according the Central Bank Belize, “…this growth is notably above the entire Latin American and Caribbean Region’s estimated average of 3.0%.” Looking ahead to the economic performance for 2013, Barrow cited projected GDP growth to decelerate to about 3.0% in 2013.

MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN ON 3RD VISIT TO BELIZE
The US Islamic leader, 79, is on a 6-day visit to the Jewel. Islamic Minister Louis Farrakhan, 79, leader of the Nation of Islam in the United States for over 42 years, arrived in Belize City this afternoon on a six-day tour, coordinated by Nuri Muhammad, a former imam in Belize. The media was invited to a press conference, but was strangely excluded from an interview given exclusively to the Government Press Office at the VIP Lounge. In fact, KREM and other private media had to interview Farrakhan through the chain link security fence. Afterwards, Farrakhan called on Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow at his Coney Drive, Belize City office. This is Farrakhan’s third visit to Belize. Farrakhan also visited Belize in 1975 and 1986. “I am very happy to be back again after 27 years and I’m looking forward to meeting as many of [the] people of Belize in [the] 5 or 6 days that I shall be here with you,” Farrakhan told the media on his arrival at the Philip Goldson International Airport after 3:00 this afternoon. “I am honored to be here, happy to see you all and I’m looking forward to making contact. You are what I live for,” he went on to say.

SYMBOLIC LAND CLEARING AT BELIZE-GUAT BORDER SUCCESSFUL!
No incidents – Wil Maheia and Belize Territorial Volunteers prove Foreign Minister Elrington wrong. Despite the best efforts of the Government of Belize, in the person of Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington, to scare Toledo activist Wil Maheia, his group, the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV), and other interested persons who had announced plans to go on Saturday, March 2, to the Belize-Guatemala border and clear a 3-foot path along a borderline that reportedly had been used previously by British soldiers, the exercise, dubbed “Clearing Our Borderline,” has been declared a success, if only symbolically. The declared intent of the group was to cut a 6-mile path in this, their first attempt, beginning with Jalacte, and to do the rest of the border in stages. In fact, only 500 feet were cleared by the approximately 150 persons who “roughed it” to the area and converged on an area dubbed “Container Hill,” which is about seventy-five meters from the border. This was reportedly because much of the time was spent observing the historic occasion through speeches, the holding of hands, the observation of a moment of silence, the partaking of light refreshments, and the relishing of entertainment by drummers from Punta Gorda, who also travelled to the area to mark the importance of the moment.

GOB NEEDS $127 MILLION IN FINANCING TO PROP UP $934 MIL BUDGET
2013 budget boasts super-bond success and no new taxes. “…this Budget will see absolutely no new taxes and no overall spending cuts.” “The Draft Estimates of Revenue and Grants amount to $871.1 million for FY 2013/14 and are comprised of $825.6 million in Recurrent Revenue, $5.1 million in Capital Revenue and $41.1 million in Grants.” Shortly after 10:00 a.m. Friday, March 1, inside the National Assembly, Prime Minister Dean Barrow read his 6th national budget speech, captioned “Achieving debt sustainability, stimulating economic expansion”, in which he boasted nearly half-a-billion dollars in savings for debt repayments and no new taxes. The proposed budget calls for $934 million in overall spending, $72 million more than last year, despite significant savings in interest repayments on the US$544 million super-bond, which is being restructured with international bondholders this month. Barrow, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, struck “two high notes” at the start of his presentation: “We have pretty much done what the skeptics said was impossible: The super-bond—that bane of our existence, that monster of our nightmare—has been tackled and tamed. Not vanquished, mind you, but put on a leash and confined to its lair,” said Barrow. “And as a direct consequence, but also as a result of adroit stewardship and unshakeable commitment to the welfare of this nation, this budget will see absolutely no new taxes and no overall spending cuts….”

HATTIEVILLE MAN KILLED IN “WILD WEST” SHOOTOUT
Two Hattieville residents shot each other after an argument, and as a result, one is dead and the other is critically injured. The incident occurred about 8:20 yesterday evening, Sunday, on Camal Street in Hattieville. Abel Arana, 24, was shot in his abdomen and buttocks, while Sherlock Ralph Martinez suffered gunshot wounds to the lower abdomen. Arana was taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 12:20 a.m. He is awaiting a post-mortem to certify the cause of his death, while Martinez had been admitted to ward in a critical condition. Police reports are that both men were socializing at a house on Camal Street in Hattieville when they became involved in an argument. Both men, after a while, drew their licensed firearms and fired at each other. The people in the area ran for cover.

Blogs

Catching up with friends at Blue Water Grill
Not quite a year ago we met a future Belizean expat, Debbie, and her family for a nice lunch at Aji. They are building a condo on north Ambergris, which due to some initial problems with the development that is now back on track, has been in progress for several years. This month she and her family were visiting Ambergris Caye again, and they were kind enough to invite us out for lunch. This time we chose Blue Water Grill and had an absolutely beautiful day for it. Joining us were Debbie's husband Tom, son Justin, and friend JW. It was great to catch up with the "Wags", and since I know Debbie will be reading the blog at some point, I'll say thank you once again for your generosity. We truly enjoyed spending time with all of you!

An Opinionated Guide to Belize – My New Website
Welcome to my new website, San Pedro Scoop – An Opinionated Guide to Ambergris Caye & Belize. I know lots of people don’t like change (me included), but I’m hoping you like this site. I want it to be colorful, information and hopefully fun. While I will continue to focus on Ambergris Caye (hard not to…I live here), I’m going to be expanding to as much of the country as I can. And lucky, lucky me, that means doing a bunch of travelling so that I can cover it properly. Burrell Boom, Punta Gorda, Placencia, Barranco, Mango Creek, Double Head Cabbage, Tobacco Caye, Cockscomb Jaguar Preserve…finally…here I come!

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
As the Caribbean gateway to Central America, Belize shares the best of both worlds. With an English speaking, well-educated workforce, stable political economy, investor-friendly tax environment, and a location only two hours from the US, there are many advantages to investing in the beautiful country of Belize.

Belize Tourism Board boasts hike in Tourism Arrival in early 2013
Press Release – Belize Tourism Board – Thursday, February 28, 2013- The impressive increase of arrivals into Belize in the year 2012 has continued into the start of 2013. January numbers are in, and overnight tourists have increased by a remarkable 17.2% compared to last year’s stats. A total of 28,431 overnight tourists were recorded in the first month of this year- an increase of 4,168 compared to January 2012. Arrivals at the Phillip Goldson International Airport were up as well, showing 7.6% higher than last year’s January arrivals. Our records show that 19,965 passengers disembarked at the PGIA in the last month, making it 1,407 more than January 2012.

YOUTH BUSINESS THRIVES WITH CREATIVITY
International Children’s Day of Broadcasting is celebrated worldwide on the first Sunday of March each year. In keeping with our tradition to encourage children participation in the media, here at News Five we invited Mariana Moguel to show her budding skills as a teen journalist. Working along with Isani Cayetano, Mariana put together a report on an enterprising entrepreneur who started a small and growing business from scratch. Here is Mariana’s report.

"Dallas” not Ambergris Caye
Up nice and early this morning at 4.45 am . Pleased with this because there were just one or two things that I needed to take care of before we headed off to Dallas. Had to be a little more conscious of my noise levels though because our friends Jane and Brian are staying at our rented condo. Not that I don’t try to keep quiet for Rose but … I had organised the last element of our travel arrangements on Sunday when I booked our flights from/to the island with Tropic Air. I had a credit note from a previously unused flight and got a ten percent discount so the tickets for Rose and I came in at US$103.45 each. Nearly two and half times what we are paying to get to/from Dallas! With the tasks taken care of I headed off to Estel’s ( yes again) for a hearty breakfast – my last one there for a couple of weeks – to set myself up for the day because with the connection times we have it might be difficult to have a decent meal on the way. Just before 1 pm we said goodbye to Jane and Brian and drove our golf cart to our friend’s house for safekeeping ( neither Jane or Brian drive or we would have left it with them). He took us to Tropic Air and we got there at 1.20 for the 2 pm flight. For those of you who have never been to Ambergris Caye below is a photo of Tropic Air’s relatively new check-in desk.

Mennonite Gurls A'ken Cook: Brisket Chili
I wuz intrigued wen I saw a chili recipe usin brisket and deecided t'adapt it t'air lackin. T' meat wuz so nice and tendr at t'end. Thishere is a recipe that will feed a group uf 20 easilee. Mah photo at t'end shows t'chili with more uf t'oppings we had availabull t'add. As usual y'all should adjust t'seesonings t'yer own lackin er tolerance uf spices.

International Sources

Why Go Barefoot?
Lately, there’s been a lot of hype about being barefoot. Barefoot-style shoes, barefoot running…it’s cool to be barefoot. I tried it out after hearing about the Tarahumara people of Mexico, who can run for miles and miles barefoot or in sandals called huaraches. I thought, “there has to be something to this” and so I started walking barefoot more often and then decided to take up barefoot running. The first time I took off my shoes and took a walk, I felt amazing…it felt like the receptors on the soles of my feet were waking up. I was in contact with the ground and it created a feedback loop between the earth and my body that had me feeling…well…more grounded.

Who comes after Chavez?
For 14 years, Hugo Chavez was a troubling global presence. He was an avowed critic of American capitalism…and yet he generated billions selling oil to the United States. He was a populist, whom some revered but others despised. One thing's for sure, Venezuela’s president was a fighter: last year it seemed he might even have defeated cancer. But the cancer returned, and when he couldn’t attend his own swearing-in ceremony, it sparked a natural set of questions in Venezuela and around the world: what's next? Whoever inherits the presidency, Chavez has cast a long shadow. Look at his record. On the one hand, the poorest are actually better off. According to the Center for Economic Policy and Research, poverty has declined by 50 percent since 2004. Extreme poverty has declined by 70 percent. Over the same period, college enrollment doubled, and millions of Venezuelans gained access to health care. Many are getting free housing – Chavez announced on public television last year he would build two million homes for the poor.

United States and Belize Work Jointly to Protect the Cultural Heritage of Belize
The Department of State is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the United States and the Government of Belize regarding protection of Belize’s cultural heritage, effective February 27, 2013 for a period of five years. This MOU demonstrates a commitment by both governments to staunch the pillage and illicit trafficking of Belize’s archaeological heritage of African, indigenous Maya, Spanish, and British influences. The Government of Belize requested this agreement under Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. The Convention offers a framework of cooperation among State Parties to reduce the further pillage of intact archaeological sites and ethnological objects. With this MOU, the United States now has agreements with Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua in Central America, promoting a regional approach to combating pillage and trafficking of cultural property. The Designated List of restricted types of objects, published by Customs and Border Patrol, and information about the Agreement can be found here.

Fantasy Island
Indulge your every whim at Royal Belize. Peter Luppi doesn’t wear a white suit like the enigmatic Mr. Roarke. And he doesn’t have a frenetic, diminutive sidekick named Tattoo. But the elegant general manager of Royal Belize, a private island resort in the Caribbean Sea, nevertheless dabbles in tropical fantasy, and he excels in the art of ensuring his guests’ dreams come true. Like a castaway from reality, I find myself marooned at Royal Belize for a birthday weekend with a friend. Because the island only takes one-party bookings (up to eight people), we have the whole seven-acre tropical paradise to ourselves—well, ourselves and the myriad staff, from personal chef to masseuse to butler. Though surrounded by support, we barely see a soul until we actually need them. When we do, they seem to appear as if summoned by telepathy. “Bring us a piña colada,” we mutter lazily from a hammock, certainly not loud enough to be heard. Yet suddenly, even before we awaken from our sun-induced stupor, a staff person appears, frozen drinks held aloft on atray, all delivered with flowers and a swishy little bow. At World’s End, I contemplate the meaning of life. That’s easy to do at this aptly named spot with cushy seating at the end of an astonishingly long pier. Around me, the breeze swirls fingers of salty air through my hair. Pelicans dive for dinner, herons bend in ballet positions and the water hums with the riveting buzz of a thousand tranquil monks in chant mode. Sitting here, I alternate between profound philosopher and spoiled hedonist.

No Tax Changes For Belize In 2013-14 Budget
The Belize Government has announced no new tax measures in its 2013-14 Budget, but instead anticipates that improvements to tax administration will boost tax compliance rates. The Government has newly implemented the ASYCUDA tax administration system, a computerized customs management system, developed by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNTCAD), which covers most foreign trade procedures. In particular, the system handles manifests and customs declarations, accounting procedures, transit and suspense procedures. The Belize Governments hopes the system will boost customs duty collections and improve authorities' ability to tackle non-compliance with respect to the nation's General Sales Tax (GST) and Business and Income Tax regimes.

New World Oil & Gas starts work on third Belize well
New World Oil & Gas (LON:NEW) said drilling of the Rio Bravo 1 well on its West Gallon Jug Crest prospect began on March 1. This is the company’s third well in Belize after a mixed start to the campaign there. B Crest 2 and 2A wells drilled last year found oil - just not in commercial quantities. In fact the group uncovered three of the four attributes required for a working hydrocarbon system - source, migration and seal. The element missing was the trap for the oil. What showed up on the seismic was either a late trap development (created after the migration of the oil past), or late tectonic movement, which causes traps to breach. Tectonic movement seems the likeliest explanation given the oil saturation levels (as much as 65%) that just wouldn’t be present with late trap development. Luckily, the current well, which is being drilled to 8,800 feet, is not fault dependent.

5 Active Adventures in Belize
Sure you can relax in a hammock with a cocktail in Belize, but why would you want to, with so many adventures to be found? Here are the top must-dos, from diving the Great Blue Hole to hiking through the jungle to discover Mayan ruins. If your idea of the perfect winter getaway revolves around a cocktail, a good book and a hammock with a view, I won’t judge. But if you’re going to Belize, you might want to rethink the focus of your trip. Yes, Belize has beaches and cabanas and the obligatory decent local bottled beer (side note: try the stout), but the country’s speciality is doing things: scouting for wildlife, exploring Mayan ruins and getting out there in nature rather than just watching it from the sidelines.

BIZARRE FOODS: BELIZE
Andrew swims with sharks and sting rays in Belize. He explores an ancient cave and sinks his teeth into Maya-style pork brains and the country's most prized rodent!

Top 10 Maya Secrets
The Maya world remains shrouded in mystery, and many misconceptions about the people and their history endure. Here are some secrets of the Maya revealed. The Maya haven’t disappeared. Just as the fall of Rome didn't meant the end of Romans, the decline of great Maya metropolises, such as Guatemala’s Tikal, which reached its apex in the ninth century, doesn’t mean the indigenous people have vanished. About 40 percent of Guatemala’s 14 million people are Maya, and southern Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula are home to many more predominantly Maya regions. Not only are the Maya enduring almost five centuries after the Spanish conquest, but their cultural traditions, agrarian lifestyle, and celebratory festivals continue on. There are more than 20 distinct Maya peoples within Guatemala, each with their own culture, style of dress, and language, and hundreds of thousands more Maya live beyond the borders. The Maya don’t believe the end of the world is coming. Apocalyptic movies may suggest the Maya believe the end of the 5,000-plus-year calendar—December 21, 2012—is an end-times moment, but that’s just not true. Many Maya may celebrate the beginning of the next 5,125-year cycle of the Long Count calendar just as we celebrated the new millennium. But they don’t believe the end of the world is on the horizon. If anything, they’re hopeful that a new era will usher in an age of higher consciousness, greater peace, and enhanced understanding among the diverse peoples on the planet.

Maya Rise & Fall
The saga of a civilization in three parts: the rise, the monumental splendor, and the collapse. A late bloomer in the Maya world, the city of Uxmal in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula continued to flourish in all its splendor after the fall of Tikal, Palenque, and the other great cities to the south in the ninth century. A ruin with ornate roof combs known as the House of the Doves showcases the Puuc architectural style, named for the hills of the northern Yucatán Peninsula.

Top 10 Foods of the Maya World
We may not realize it, but many of our favorite foods—from guacamole to tamales to chocolate—were discovered, developed, and refined centuries ago in the Maya world. Here are a few of our favorites. Chocolate Cacao is endemic to the lands of the Maya, who were the first to take the seeds of the fruit and roast them to make hot chocolate. The ancient Maya didn’t make candy bars, nor did they add sugar and milk to the cacao. Instead they took their chocolate as a ceremonial elixir and a savory mood enhancer. For the Maya, cacao was a sacred gift of the gods, and cacao beans were used as currency. Ek Chuah, the Maya god of merchants and trade, was also the patron of the cacao crop. When the Spanish invaded Maya lands in the 1500s, they adopted the beverage, adding sugar and milk to make it sweet and creamy. To learn more about cacao and taste chocolate, visit the Ecomuseo del Cacao in the Puuc region of Yucatán, www.ecomuseodelcacao.com. Avocados and Guacamole The avocado, originating in southern Mexico and Guatemala, is loved for its rich taste and creamy texture and was a treasured crop of the ancient Maya. Even today a person from Antigua Guatemala is called a panza verde, or green belly, because of the region's reliance on avocados in hard times. Combined with chilis, garlic, cilantro, onions, and lime or lemon, avocados become guacamole, a sumptuous appetizer. Don’t expect to find lots of Hass avocados in the Maya world—there