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

Dr. Javier Zuniga leaves to pursue Master’s Degree in International Public Health
The Medical Coordinator and Director of the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro PolyClinic II Dr. Javier Zuniga is making final preparations to leave the country to further his medical career. This year Dr. Zuniga was offered the Australian Development Award which earned him a scholarship to pursue a Masters Degree in International Public Health. While the scholarship begins on January 1st, Dr. Zuniga is making final preparations and is hopeful that upon his return he will be reassigned to San Pedro or given a position related to the subject he is furthering his studies in. In speaking to The San Pedro Sun, Dr. Zuniga said that the scholarship is for one year and that he is one of four Belizeans that are furthering their studies in various areas as part of the usAid scholarship program. “After spending six years working at the primary care level, I have come to realize that many changes can be done with our health care system, but not working as a general practitioner. For changes to occur we need to make them at the ministerial level, and for me to push for what I believe should be the best health care possible, I would need to work at the ministerial level. So this master’s degree will basically help me, it’s a step forward, to get the knowledge and the experience, so that one day I could work at the ministerial level to make the necessary changes that we need to do to better our health care system,” said a visionary Dr. Zuniga.

Mexican classic ballet group visits Belize
The Embassy of Mexico invites to the presentation by the Classic Ballet Company from the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico, at the Bliss Centre in Belize City. This special presentation will open the “Dance X Belize 2012 Festival” organized by the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), through the Institute of Creative Arts. The “Ballet de Camara del Estado de Quintana Roo” is one of the most outstanding and professional classic dance companies in Southeastern Mexico. Since its creation in October 2010, the dance group has performed different classic pieces such as Carmen, with the Quintana Roo Symphonic Orchestra, The Nutcracker, The Blue Bird, Le Corsaire, Don Quixote, The Black Swan among others, and works of its own repertoire such as: City Stories, Rebirth of my homeland and Night of the Maya, among others.

SPRCS boys win Belize District Primary School Football Competition
San Pedro RC Boys football team travelled to Belize City where they competed at the MCC Grounds for the opportunity to represent the Belize District at the Primary School National Football competitions. Eliminations took place on Wednesday November 14th, when the primary schools from both San Pedro and Caye Caulker took to the Ambergris Stadium to compete against each other to choose the winning male and female teams of the Belize Rural Zone. At the end of those competitions, both teams from the San Pedro Roman Catholic School emerged victorious. The teams then travelled to Belize City on Tuesday November 27th to compete against other zone winners from the Belize District to choose the district winners that will then compete in the Nationals scheduled for December 7th in Belize City at the MCC Grounds. In the male competition at Belize City were: Our Lady of the Way Elementary School from Ladyville, San Pedro Roman Catholic School, St. John’s Viannie RC School and the Belize Presbyterian Elementary School. The San Pedro female team was first on the field, going up against Belize Elementary school. Neither team was able to get in a goal, so the game went into penalty round where the SPRCS girls lost with a score of 4 to 3. With this loss, the girls were eliminated from the competition.

Ambergris Today

San Pedro Town Council Donates Picnic Tables to Schools
On Wednesday, November 28, 2012, Mayor Daniel Guerrero and Councilor Gaby Nuñez personally handed over eight picnic tables to Principal Miguel Hernandez of New Horizon SDA School. Mr. Hernandez was quite happy for the donation as he mentioned that the school will soon have a palapa to accommodate the much need picnic tables for children to use during their break and lunch time. Mr. Hernandez also shared the good news that the school received the support of a kind anonymous donor who will have two classrooms built; work should commence in the next two weeks. Mayor Danny Guerrero promised Mr. Hernandez to allocate an additional donor so as to help with the construction of two additional classrooms. The Town Council will donate one so as to have a total of five new classrooms.

Dr. Javier Zuniga Leaves San Pedro to Pursue Studies Abroad
The Town of San Pedro has benefitted very much from the medical services of Doctor Javier Zuniga who made San Pedro Town his home eight years ago. He has been a professor, doctor, mentor, and friend. Today we lose the invaluable services of this professional because he is leaving for Australia to further his studies, but the community is confident he will return to be our doctor and friend. San Pedro will surely miss him, and we wish him all the best as he specializes himself in his profession and we await his return with open arms.

El Secreto Brings Technology Under a Thatched Roof
Within each of the resort’s villas, guests find their own private escape. Everything is very personal, from your own private Jacuzzi, enclosed outdoor shower and deck with hammock. The interiors are furnished with include king-size bed, flat-screen LCD television, marble bathroom, indoor hot tub, Melita coffee and tea maker, iPod docking station, mini-bar, and air-conditioning. Three Sea Villas are located just steps from the ocean; four Tropical Villas offer lush garden views; and five Lake Villas surround the resort’s salt water lake. All villas feature contemporary and locally-inspired fixtures with all carpentry designed and handcrafted by local artisans using a variety of hard woods native to the region for the window frames, closets, deck floors, and interior furnishings. Get this! Very unique to El Secreto and a service not available anywhere else in the entire country, is that of a full pillow menu. Upon making your reservations you have the option to choose from a variety of pillow including feathers, memory foam and hypoallergenic, among others. It’s an added plus to their five-star service; plus the room also features Malin + Goetz bath amenities and Vivenda Egyptian cotton linens which means a heavenly night’s rest.

Suffocating the World
Was sent this great infographic about how our environment is paying for our everyday use of plastics and I thought it would be great to share with my readers. Hope it changes your mind and sheds some more light on the issue of protecting Mother Earth: “You’re standing in line at the grocery store when you realize that you don’t have your reusable bag. You’ll have to get a plastic bag. Again. You feel bad for a moment and then think that it’s just one bag. But it isn’t … In the U.S. alone, 280 billion plastic bags are used each year, which is enough to stretch around the earth nearly 30,000 times. Making and using plastic bags has more repercussions than you might think. Check out the following infographic to see how exactly plastic bags affect our cities, our environment and even our economy.”

Misc Belizean Sources

Ambergris Caye Elementary School Upcoming Events
Thank you all for your time and your commitment to this community and its people. It recently came to my attention that Ambergris Caye Elementary School (ACES) has not been consistently notifying the local communication sources of its activities and schedule. I hope to be able to correct this lapse, so will be sending you updates of the fundraisers, community service activities, and schedule for the school. If there is a preferred email address or contact for your organization, please let me know and I will edit this email list. If there is a cost or other paperwork needed for inclusion in your publication or public service announcement, also, please let me know and I will take that information to the ACES Board. Please find below the schedule of events and sales for ACES for the next 8 weeks. ACES is working very diligently to provide a high quality education to a broad range of student age groups as well as educational needs, and your help in keeping the public abreast of its events will be an invaluable gift - one the ACES Board, Staff and Students will appreciate more than you could ever know. Thank you in advance for your attention to this email and I am looking forward to working will all the these awesome organizations as ACES continues to grow and serve the San Pedro Community as well. Humbly and Sincerely Yours, Paulette Foster-Galbraith

Ascenthium at Cayo Art Festival
Ascenthium rocked Burns avenue at the Cayo Art Festival. Here's a video of them doing Metallica. They'll be at La Cabana in Belmopan on Saturday.

Women's Self Defense Classes
Todat there will be two free women's self defense classes in Cayo. The first will be at the Women's Department building from 9am until 1pm. The second will be at the Benque House of Culture, and will go from 2pm until 5pm. A big thanks to Renee Wentz and the Women's Department! "Here are the sessions for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence in Cayo (San Ignacio and Benque). Please see the flyer and contact me or the Women's Dept for more information. The classes are sponsored by the Women's Dept and are free to women/girls."

Model Casting Call
Joris Hendrik is having a model casting call for his next fashion show, which will take place on the 5th of January at the Bedran Hall at the SIRH. https://www.facebook.com/JorisHendrik "Hello Ladies, please message us at www.facebook.com/JorisHendrik if you're interested. An Application with Details will follow your message. Have a great day."

SHC's Tarde Cultural on Friday
Sacred Heart College will be having their annual La Tarde Cultural tonight. "La Tarde Cultural is an annual Spanish Project for third form students at Sacred Heart College that allows them to learn about the culture of the Latin American countries."

Taste of Belize at SIRH
The Taste of Belize will be held in Cayo this year. The main chef competition will be this Saturday, at the San ignacio Resort Hotel. Sunday, at the Cayo Welcome Center, they'll have the BBQ competition. "Taste of Belize, Belize's Culinary Event where top Belizean chefs compete for the grand prize."

Iguanas at SHJC's Open Day
The Green Iguana Conservation Project was at Sacred Heart Junior College's Open Day. Everyone got a kick out of them.

Kathy's Potatoes
I recently took a trip to Utah to visit my family. We had a wonderful barbecue with all the trimmings. My Aunt Kathy prepared her own version of a type of scalloped potatoes. I love onions so I absolutely enjoyed these potatoes that are made with tons of onions. This recipe is easy and the potatoes are divine

Channel 7

Belize Rejects Superbond Deal From Creditor Committee
Belize has said "no-go" to a restructuring proposal put forward by the creditor committee which holds more than 50% of the Superbond debt. More than three months have passed since Belize first missed its Superbond payment - and more than 60 days have gone since a good faith half payment was made. In that time, there's been plenty of negotiating, but not much headway. And today's announcement posted on the Government of Belize website is confirmation of that. It discusses a counter-proposal made by the creditor committee - which was presented last week - three and a half months after Government first put forward its proposals. But in the response which was posted on the government website today quote: "The GoB considers (that proposal) to be wholly incompatible with its objective of placing the country's debt burden on a sustainable footing and that it amounts to little more than a short-term fix." It concludes that, quote, "the GOB views the recently-submitted scenarios as unsustainable, and is disappointed that a counter-proposal of this nature has come five months after discussions with the Committee began." End of quote. But - it doesn't end there; Government does offer a new, revised pair of restructuring scenarios. The first suggests a principal reduction of 33% - which is down from the 45% that was proposed in August. And it also increases the proposed interest rate from 3.5% to 4.5 for the first five years and 6.75% for the next thirty years. The second revised scenario does not include a principal reduction, but suggests extending the life of the bond to 40 years - down from 50 in the first proposal. It also offers a higher interest rate than the 2% which had first been proposed. So, today's revised proposals do make some concessions - and offer bondholders a better deal than the August proposals. Will it be enough? It may have to be because government sources suggest this may be their final offer.

Elderly Woman Stands Up To Ruthless Robbers
A 63 year old woman fought with robbers to hold on to her earrings yesterday! It happened on Magazine Road in Belize City yesterday morning. Around 11:30, Veronica Allen was walking home - when at the Vernon Street junction - two men approached her. They demanded that she handed over her belongings. But the elderly woman wasn't about to do so that easily. Allen put up a fight with the robbers and even though the men escaped with her gold bracelet and one of her gold earrings, she managed to clutch on tightly to her handbag. Today - asking to appear off camera - she told 7news about her traumatic experience. Voice of: 63 Year old robbery victim "I was coming from my ministry and when I was crossing by the street where the clinic is - coming down Magazine Road about two houses from Vernon Street, two boys tackle me; one on bicycle and another one on foot. The one on foot was younger than the one on the bicycle. The one was on bicycle - you could see that he is rastafari because you could see he has his hood on and on his hood there are stripes. I could see his face because I was trying to fight them off, I didn't have time to look on their faces but I know that one was younger than the other."

A Shallow Grave For North Front Street Bones
Tonight, there are still no definitive findings about the bones unearthed yesterday on North Front Street. Dr. John Morris of the Department of Archeology will examine the remains along with police forensic pathologist Dr. Mario Estradabran tomorrow. That session should have been held today but Estradabran was too tied up with autopsy work. But after visiting the site today, Morris did have some initial observations. He told us that the remains appear to be those of three individuals - and he concludes that they were hastily buried after either the 1931 or 1961 hurricanes. He says they were likely placed in a shallow grave - less than three feet below the street - with just a plank underneath them. More will be known tomorrow after the bones are examined with greater detail.

Murders At A Record Clip In 2012
As of Sunday November 25th, with five weeks left to go in 2012 - there have been, unofficially, 130 murders in Belize, one more than the all-time high, in 2010, when 129 murders were officially recorded. It's a depressing statistic, but one that must be noted in a year that has been the deadliest on record. There have been three straight double digit months for murders in September, October and November. That makes seven double digit murder months for 2012; the record-setting year, 2010 had eight double digit months.

GSU Keeps PIV Under Pressure
On Tuesday we told you about the GSU search on two apartments on Mopan Street, allegedly occupied by 12 reputed PIV gang members. They found a boat engine in one of the apartments and an owner has stepped up to claim ownership. He said that the engine was stolen from his boat five days ago. And so, 10 persons were charged for handling stolen goods. They are 24 year old Leon Gray, 23 year old Kieshayne Kirk Young, 20 year old Ashley Welch, 20 year old Gregory Knox, 30 year old Edwin Flowers, 24 year old Albert Clother, 24 year old Warren Dominguez, two 17 year olds and a 15 year old minor were also charged jointly with the others. The GSU says that all these persons are reputed members of the PIV gang. Three 9mm pistols were also found on the property during the operation. According to GSU, they are waiting to see fingerprints lifted from the firearms found and ballistic testing to determine if further charges will be brought. In other news, yesterday, the GSU searched a house at the residence of Wilfred Garbutt located at number 58 Gabourel Lane. A transparent Zip Lock bag containing 9 grammes of cocaine was found in one of the bedrooms. All three occupants were arrested and charged for drug trafficking. Present at the time were 30 year old Wilfred Garbutt, 22 year old Melisa Armstrong and 29 year old Alrick Galvez.

Youths: Who Is Farrakhan?
Earlier this week, official details of the visit of Minister Louis Farrakhan were released. Those of us older born before 1980 should remember his last visit in 1986. But there's a whole generation of adults born after 1986 who are saying, "Farrakhan - who?" And it's understandable, because in the modern "pop-life" where telephones and television dominate the national consciousness, Farrakhan is not exactly at the top of the charts, or "trending" on Google. But in 1986, before a zillion channels of cable, facebook and text messages, Farrakhan's visit was a major event. With some YouTube video of that visit recently posted on the internet, we wondered about the comparisons between then and now. Daniel Ortiz reports:.. Daniel Ortiz reporting When Pastor Luis Farrakhan came to Belize in 1986 - this video captured by the Nation of Islam showed Belize City as it was then. Some things have changed in the 26 years, while many have remained the same.

Authorities Say Human Trafficker Caught
48 year-old Guatemalan National Rolando Velasquez Darbon, is in custody tonight because he is being investigated as possibly being part of an international human trafficking ring. According to immigration authorities, acting on information they visited the Belize City Bus terminal yesterday, where they detained a young man, later learned to be Jose Evelio Hernandez Ayala, a Salvadoran national. When they asked the man to produce immigration documents, he couldn't, but he told them that someone was supposed to bring them for him very soon. The officers set up an impromptu sting operation where they caught Darbon in the act of trying to furnish a Salvadoran passport and visa later discovered to be fake documents. Both men were detained and question where it was discovered that Darbon smuggled Ayala into the country illegally, and produced the documents for him to try to get past all immigration checks.

Colombia Withdraws From ICJ
On October 13 of 2013, Belizeans and Guatemalans will vote simultaneously on whether we should take our territorial dispute to the International Court of Justice. One country that did do that is having second thoughts, so much so that it is pulling out of the ICJ. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced yesterday that his country has officially withdrawn from the treaty that recognizes the authority of the ICJ. This is after the ICJ gave a ruling on November 19th that extends Nicaragua's maritime territory by 20,000 square miles. The ruling ended a decades-long dispute over the San Andres island - which remains in Colombia's possession. But it re-drew the maritime borders - giving Nicaragua territory in a potentially oil-rich area. President Santos said quote, "The borders between nations cannot be in the hands of a court of law, They must be drawn by agreement between the countries involved." He has said he will now engage Nicaragua in bi-lateral talks to settle the issue. In other international news of interest, the United Nations voted overwhelmingly today to recognize a Palestinian state. There were 138 votes in favour, including Belize, 9 against while some 40 members abstained.

A Youth-Friendly Space In Police Station
Opening ceremonies were held this morning for a Youth Friendly Drop in Center at the Caribbean Shores police substation. It is an initiative of the Community Policing Unit - a section of the Police Department that involves law enforcement professionals who specifically work with and for the communities. The new drop in center will give students in the area access to a computer to get homework assignments done and should also serve as a safe setting for the youngsters. Corporal Hortense Hernandez, who is the Acting Officer Commanding the Community Policing told 7news how the center will operate. Corporal Hortense Hernandez, Acting Officer Commanding Community Policing "The youth friendly space is a place where young people can come and just be themselves in a crime free environment; at the same time they will be learning very educational stuff that will help them along the way as a guideline." Monica Bodden "Tell us a little bit about what are some of the services that will be offered here?" Corporal Hortense Hernandez "Young people can come here, they can print home works, they can do research if they have homework, SBAs - anything that they need to do on a computer they can come and get some assistance to do homework. Also we have a lot of informative pamphlets where they can get additional information. As I said it's a place where young people can just be themselves."

Papi Poti Passes
Tonight we note the passing of a Belize City legend, Edward "Papi Poti" Orozco. He died at his home in Belize City this morning after a long battle with cancer. He was a boxer, an orator, an ardent PUP supporter, and one of the colourful characters that define Belize City's identity. His friend Yasser Musa remembered the man called Poti:.. Yasser Musa, Friend of Papi Poti "He was a discipline man. He loved sports, he was a great boxer; he played in 1970s on the great Fort George United Football team. He was a man that had the ability to deliver powerful message in very sharp but precise words. He came up with many of the phrases and slogans of our party over the years and he had that common touch where he would enter a room and people would gravitate toward him because he had this spirit of spontaneous combustion I would always called it because he just knew what to say and how to say it and so we are sad today. When you are in his presence you felt something deeply human about his strength of character, his persistence and his just ordinary approach to things."

Belize's First Int'l Fencing Event
On Monday, 7News told you about 14 year-old Xunan Smith who went to El Salvador to represent Belize for the first time in an international Fencing tournament. On Sunday, she competed in the VI Annual Giorgio Scarso International Tournament, and on Tuesday in the Central American & Caribbean Championship. In the Giorgio Scarso tournament, she competed against 21 other fencers, and she was able to place 10th, performing better than 11 of those athletes. If that's not enough to impress you, this junior athlete managed to compete on par with the 7th place athlete who has 37 years of experience, and who just barely defeated her. In the Central American and Caribbean Championships, she placed 6th of 19 athletes. For a first attempt, Xunan Smith acquitted herself excellently in the sport, and gave Belize an impressive debut.

Profile Of a Survivo: Godfrey Sosar
If you follow the morning talk shows - you may remember the name Godfrey Sosa. He made a historic appeal for a kidney transplant in 2005 - and raised tens of thousands of dollars to fund the operation. But, that didn't work either - and shortly after - the new kidney started failing. In tonight's I Am Belize profile he tells us how he continues to persevere - in spite of his difficulties:..

Salima Fundraising At School
Last month we told you about 7 year old Salima Barrow's mission to fundraise for children living with cancer. It's a mission funded by proceeds from a Limeade stand. Today she set up the stand at her school. Under the theme Children Helping Children, Salima and her Standard 1 classmates at Hummingbird Elementary held a Limeade sale during their lunch break. The juices were going for only 2 dollars but their ambitions are far greater. We spoke to her teacher:.. Sonia Bennett - Std. 1 teacher "This initiative is an effort to help the cancer children down in Dangriga. They are selling limeade to support the children down there who are sick with cancer." "They are divided into 4 groups and as you can see we have the ice group, we have the servers, here are the people who are serving the juice and over there we have the people who are collecting the money." Reporter "Can you tell us about the enthusiasm for the children while preparing for this?" Sonia Bennett - Std. 1 teacher "Oh my gosh! I can't keep this still. I could keep them in check at all. They are so excited about this whole thing." Salima Barrow, Std. 1 student "We were serving the limeade juice." Monica Bodden "What were you doing Haley?" Hayley Thurton "I was getting the ice." Student "I was serving." Gianna Saldivar "I was collecting the money." Sofia Solano, Std. 1 student "I was putting the ice in the cups."

Channel 5

Recent superbond Restructuring offer rejected by GOB
There were hopes that a deal would be struck when the Debt Review Team and the Coordinating Committee of Belize Bondholders met following the US thanksgiving holiday. But the result is a reversal of a previous discussion. In August the Government publicized three Indicative Restructuring Scenarios that would reduce the long term payment and bond [...]

B.T.I.A. attends consultations with Bond Negotiation committee
Government and bondholders are at a stalemate five months after the negotiations started and are basically back at square one. But Jim Scott, the former president of the B.T.I.A., said today that the team leader has asked him to inform tourism industry stakeholders that the negotiations were moving forward.   Jim Scott, Immediate Former President, [...]

5.5 million dollars of Bradley bond sold
While bondholders and government are at a standstill, the Belize City municipal bond is trading beyond expectations. Since going public on Monday, Belize City Mayor, Darrell Bradley says there has been high demand by the business community for the bonds that will finance the ongoing infrastructure works in the City. The Belize City Council has [...]

Structuring shares of bond for sale
A total of eleven individuals and businesses have bought into the primary offering since it was launched on November twenty-sixth. The smallest shares are in the amount of two individual bonds, while the largest stocks are seven thousand, five hundred and twelve thousand, five hundred bonds, respectively.   Darrell Bradley, Belize City Mayor “What we’ve [...]

Radar wasn’t working when drug plane landed on the highway
The trial involving several law enforcement officers accused in the largest drug seizure in recent history continued today before Justice Denis Hanomansingh in the Dangriga courts with arguments from the defense. Police officers Renel Grant, Lawrence Humes, Jacinto Roches, Mark Middleton and Customs boatman Harold Usher, as well as Victor Logan have been indicted for [...]

Who raided McAfee’s property today?
John McAfee, the anti-virus founder, has faded from the media headlines in recent days, but he continues to blog about life in hiding and in Belize on a whole. In his most recent posting, McAfee claims that the Gang Suppression Unit and the Coast Guard raided his property in San Pedro just before eleven o’clock [...]

Mayor Bradley explains the garbage fee arrangement with BWS
Last Friday, Belize Water Services Ltd., the collecting agent for the proposed residential garbage fee, issued a release outlining the conditions under which the city council partnership can be successful. Among those terms is that BWS will not disconnect its customers for failure to pay the new fee, despite generating and issuing the monthly invoice. [...]

B.T.I.A. hosts AGM for tourism partners
The tourism industry has had a successful year. That commendable sentiment came in the report card that was presented at the annual general meeting of the Belize Tourism and Industry Association which took place at the Radisson Hotel today. But despite growth in the industry, crime presents a major challenge that threatens to besmirch the [...]

63 year old woman defiant during robbery
Two women were victims of thieves this week. On Monday, forty nine year old Rosa Tejada, a resident of Dean Street left her home between nine a.m. and four thirty p.m. When she returned she discovered that one thousand three hundred Belize dollars, an additional hundred dollars in other currencies, and two gold chains valued [...]

K-9 unit sniffs out cocaine in Placencia
A special joint operation by the K-nine unit and Placencia Police yielded a significant amount of cocaine early this morning. The first find was a kilo of cocaine, followed by another quantity of marijuana. As the operation continued, things got more interesting and the officers dug up eight packs of crack cocaine in different locations [...]

Villager turns himself in after stabbing woman multiple times
Also in Placencia, twenty-four year old Lizet Cocom was stabbed multiple times on November fifteenth on her neck, back and hands, allegedly by her estranged common-law husband. The incident was reported the following day and led to outrage in village when the police did not arrest the accused man even though he travelled regularly between [...]

Guatemalan caught smuggling Salvadoran into Belize
Forty-eight year-old Rolando Velasquez Darbon pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting when he appeared before Magistrate Adolph Lucas Jr. in court today. He was busted on Wednesday slipping a Salvadoran national into the country. Darbon, who is wanted by the United States Embassy for his involvement in an alleged human trafficking ring, was fined three [...]

Minister of National Security says crime is down
There were six murders over the past weekend alone and the continuous spate of violent crimes has residents on edge countrywide. But in his address at the B.T.I.A. AGM today, the Minister of National Security, John Saldivar said that major crimes have actually decreased over the past five months. According to Saldivar it may not [...]

Caribbean Shores Drop in Center for youths
Proper communication with communities has always been essential for cops to maintain peace in neighborhoods. The Zone Beat Liaison Officers are focused on community engagement but Drop-in centers are becoming an additional tool to maintain a relationship with the youths. The police department has drop-in centers in Yarborough, Hattieville and Benque. Today, the Caribbean Shores [...]

GSU cleaning up the streets of drugs, ammunition and stolen goods
On Tuesday, the Gang Suppression Unit found an outboard engine at an apartment complex on Mopan Street where members of the PIV gang are known to be living. One person is claiming ownership of the engine but as many as nine have been arrested and charged for handling stolen goods. They are Leon Gray, Kieshayne [...]

Bottle recycler found fetus at dump site
There are further details on the body of a baby found on Wednesday morning at the George Price Highway Dumpsite. The police report that the partially decomposed body was found, according to police, by a plastic recycler from the “Gungulung area” in Saint Martin De Porres. The recycler was collecting plastic bottles at the dumpsite [...]

Vote taken at UN to recognize Palestine as non-member observer state
The United Nations recorded a historic vote today; member states voted to recognize Palestine as a non-member observer state. One hundred and thirty eight members voted in favor while nine, including the United States, Israel and Canada, voted against. The vote came after impassioned speeches from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who asked the UN to [...]

Healthy Living explores living with HIV
Each year on December first, people all over the globe commemorate World Aids Day. From 2011 to 2015 the central theme for the activities has been “Getting to Zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths.” In 2011, Belize had reason to celebrate; the number of new HIV infections had decreased from [...]

LOVE FM

Immigration Nabs Man for Human Trafficking
48-year-old Guatemalan national, Rolando Velasquez Darbon was arrested as part of an ongoing Immigration sting that continues in Belize City. Darbon pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting a Salvadoran and Guatemalan national and fined $3,000.00. He was ordered to pay the fine fort...

Placencia Police Charge Wanted Man and Reports on Drug Bust on the Peninsula
Two weeks after he allegedly stabbed twenty four year old Lizet Cocom, police in Placencia village are reporting that the prime suspect, Devon Logan is in custody. According to officer in Charge of Placencia Police Superintendent Mark Flowers, Logan, in the company of his attorne...

CTV3

Mexican National Charged For Drug Trafficking Offered Bail
Also appearing in the Corozal Magistrates Court this morning was 52 year old Mexican National Pedro Alfonso Betancourt Reed charged with two counts of drug trafficking. When Betancourt Reed appeared before the court today, Magistrate Clive Lino offered him bail to the sum of $25,000 which he met. On Sunday October 7th, Corozal Police visited C&B’s Bar located on Baeza’s layout in Corozal Town where they searched a Silver 2005 Ford Eco Sport SUV with license plate number UUA 79-54 in the presence of Reed, 51 year old Belizean Tailor of Consejo Road Alfonso Iglesias Jr. and 51 year old businessman of San Pedro Town Jose Nunez. The search led police to the discovery of two black plastic bags suspected to contain 295 grams of cocaine. As a result, Reed, Iglesias Jr., and Nunez were detained and charged for drug trafficking. Iglesias Jr. and Nunez were offered bail on their first court appearance.

Corozal Under Heavy Guard, Mexican National Goes To Court
This morning the entire area surrounding the Corozal Magistrates Court was under heavy police guard as 22 year old Mexican National of Chetumal Quintana Roo, Zurisaday Villasenor Mendez, was escorted to the Court room. CTV3 News understands that Corozal Police stepped up their security after receiving information that an attempt might be made to free Villasenor who is facing charges of kept prohibited firearm, kept prohibited ammunition, kept firearm without a gun license, kept ammunition without a gun license, drug trafficking and possession of controlled drugs. But Villasenor’s case was not heard today; instead it was adjourned to a later date. Due to security measures we are not allowed to release the date Villasenor is scheduled to be back in court. Viewers might recall that on Tuesday October 30th, Corozal Police conducted a search at the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino located just outside the Corozal Free Zone. During the raid, four vehicles and an arsenal of high powered weapons including AK-47 rifles, ammunition, drugs, radio and communication devices, a mask and an assortment of other items were confiscated.

Armoured Catfish Captured In O/W 13 Years Ago
Last night we told you about the 2 armored catfish that were captured in Sylvester Village near Gallon Jug in the Orange Walk District in the month of September. The Fisheries Department visited the area but was unable to capture any more of the fish which is known to erode local shorelines up to 10 feet as it devastates aquatic plant life. These efficient feeders may disrupt the food sources of native fishes and hamper the natives’ reproduction by destroying their eggs and their habit of burrowing into banks to spawn can impact adversely a stream’s water quality by releasing substantial amounts of sediment that destabilize banks. Presently the Fisheries Department is working on developing a management plan to control the invasion of the species and will even implement an incentive program to encourage people to bring in the fish if captured. But all indications are that the two armored catfish captured in the Gallon Jug area, are not the only ones that have been fished in north.

O/W Special Olympics Team Headed South
Northern Regional Special Olympics held on November 2nd at the Orange Walk People’s Stadium proved to be a very special day for children with special needs as qualifying athletes were selected to represent the north in the National Special Olympics scheduled to take place in Punta Gorda this coming Saturday. But in order to make the trip financing is needed and this morning when caught up with the President of the Parents Alliance for Persons with Special Needs, Estelita Carlos, who was out by Queen Victoria Avenue collecting funds. Estelita Carlos- President, PAPSN “Our major goal today is for us to raise $1400.00 towards the nationals which will be held at Punta Gorda and we are trying to cater for the bus. Our parent support group is going to be here to collect whatever amount of money necessary but we are asking the community of Orange Walk to give us the support for our children because it is not for me it is for the athlete that are going to represent Orange Walk and hopefully they will be bringing back their medals here in Orange Walk.” Accompanying Carlos this morning was Peace Corp Volunteer Christen Eure. Christen Eure- Peace Corp “I would say thank you for Orange Walk for being so supportive of our persons with disability who live here, it is a great place to live very open society and I would wish that for the rest of the country as well that Orange Walk could be a model for on how to treat the persons with disabilities as part of the community and part of our lives, it is wonderful message.”

Teachers Working Towards Improving Education
Most people will agree that when it comes to improving individual and collective lives, thus contributing to social and economic development, education plays an important role. And when it comes to education, teachers should be top priority since they are in charge of feeding the minds of students. Improving a child’s performance at school forms part of a teacher’s agenda hence why they are constantly engaged in workshops. Today, when we visited the Multi Purpose Complex, we found teachers hard at work as they participated in a one day workshop catered at improving the results of the Belize Junior Achievement Test and the Primary School Examination. Elmer Cornejo reports. Elmer Cornejo – Reporting At the primary level two public examinations are administered on an annual basis: the Primary School Examination or PSE, administered to all students completing primary education and the Belize Junior Achievement Test or BJAT, administered to all students completing the middle division of primary education. However, students seem to be having difficulties in performance when it comes to the BJAT. In order to improve the performance of students at the time of sitting the BJAT, the Ministry of Education held a one day workshop today at the Orange Walk Multi Complex Building where standard 3 and standard 4 teachers, accompanied by their principals, took the task of understanding the details the BJAT contains.

LOVE TV

Skeletal remains unearthed on North Front Street
The ongoing street works in Belize City has unearthed what may very well be a painful part of the history of the old capital. It happened at the foot of the Swing Bridge. And Love TV’s Marion Ali and video journalist Brian Castillo went to North Front Street to investigate.

San Pedro businessman says he is being wrongfully targetted
A San Pedro businessman is complaining of being unfairly targeted and is planning legal action against the San Pedro Town Council. Mario Servoni who opened a beachfront business in San Pedro town six months ago, called our News Centre today to complain that late last week he was forced to remove some of his equipment which puts him at a distinct disadvantage. Servoni says the back and forth between himself and the San Pedro town Council has been going on for about a month now. And while he was hoping for an amicable solution, the aggrieved businessman says that late last week, under threat of imprisonment, he was forced to give in. Following our conversation with Mario Servoni, Love News contacted San Pedro town Mayor Daniel Guerrero. Mayor Guerrero says that he is reserving public comments on the issue at this time because there is an impending meeting involving the Town Council, Servoni and other businesses in the immediate area where he operates to try and resolve the matter.

Man fined for hiring illegal workers
A building contractor who employed two men not in possession of work permits and had them hiding in the ceiling of a building they were working on, was fined $3,000.00 today after he pled guilty to two counts of employing persons not in possession of employment permits. He is 52 year old Demetrio Calderon, a Salvadoran national with permanent resident status in Belize. Calderon was given until February 28, 2013 to pay the fine. If he defaults on payment he will serve two years in jail. Calderon was busted around 11 o’clock on Tuesday morning when immigration officers went to a construction site at Los Lagos at mile 13 on the Northern Highway. The immigration officers saw Calderon on the street in front of the site acting suspicious and when they searched a building Calderon was working on they found two Salvadoran nationals, Edwin Erazo and Rafael Cardoza, hiding in the ceiling. Erazo and Cardoza admitted that they were hired by Calderon and that they did not have work permits. As a result, Calderon was taken to the immigration office in Belize City and charged.

Findings of behavioral study released
The Ministry of Health has released the preliminary findings of a behavioral survey carried out earlier this year. The survey involved three particular groups, namely men who have sex with men; female sex workers and persons with HIV and was aimed at documenting the behavioral risks associated with HIV in the three target groups and to determine the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in the three study groups. [FS 1] The preliminary findings point to a less than acceptable consistent use of condom in the target groups. In the group of men who have sex with men as well as persons with HIV condom use is shown to be less than seventy percent. The number is less than eighty one person among female sex workers. [FS 2] On the issue of the knowledge of the transmission of HIV, the study shows that only 33 percent of female sex workers are aware of the transmission, and only fifty seven percent in the other group. [FS 3] Prevalence of HIV among the men who have sex with men was shown to be thirteen point eight percent, while for female sex workers it was less than one percent of those tested. The Preliminary results of the behavioral study showed that Genital Herpes and Chlamydia were the most common sexually transmitted infections diagnosed across the target groups. [FS 4] Stigma and discrimination, according to the preliminary findings was the highest in the community and workplace and is estimated at ten percent in the health sector. The final report on the behavioral study is scheduled for release in February of next year.

Concerns raised over armored cat fish presence
The Belize fish industry has had to deal with “pests” in the past from Tilapia some years ago to more recently the Lion Fish. But it seems to have another problem on its hand, a fresh water fish known as armored cat fish. The type of fish is not carnivorous but it’s territorial and can easily displace other species in freshwater bodies inland. Wilfrido Pott of the Inland Fishing Unit of the Fisheries Department tells us more. Pott says the Fisheries Department has submitted proposals for funding of a management plan to contain the increase of the armored cat fish in Belize. Love News understands that fisheries authorities in Mexico are particularly interested in having this specie controlled, especially since the Rio Bravo is in their proximity. The fisheries department encourages Belizeans to consume the fish if they catch them as a form of controlling its population.

Women’s department sponsors legal clinics
The Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender- Based Violence was launched last week and numerous activities linked to the occasion are taking place countrywide. Today a legal clinic was held at the ITVET building on Freetown Road. Human Development Coordinator at the Women’s Department, Cynthia Williams told Love News that the legal clinic is an intervention that the department began some years ago in order to provide the general public with free legal advice. Antionette Moore is one of the attorneys who volunteered their time for today’s clinic. She told us about her contribution to the event. Williams says that in previous years, legal clinics have been held in the Toledo, Cayo and Orange Walk Districts that’s why their focus this year is the Corozal District. She reminds one and all that men are also invited to attend the clinics.

Minister Alamilla meets with Crooked Tree residents
Crooked Tree residents and the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development have reached agreement on the way forward. At a meeting this morning the concerns raised by the villagers in an impromptu demonstration on the morning of Friday, November sixteenth, were discussed and consensus reached. According to a government press release, Senator Lisel Alamilla explained to the residents that the legal status of the protected area restricts access. She also told the villagers that her ministry is currently in the process of conducting a viability study of protected areas, including the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. As part of the way forward, Minister Alamilla instructed that the twenty pieces of logs confiscated from Steve Flowers be returned to him. A follow up meeting has been scheduled for the week of December 10th involving residents, the forest and fisheries department, the Belize Audubon Society to, quote, improve the dialogue and chart a way forward, end of quote. The government press release ends by saying that in the meantime, the villagers of Crooked Tree agreed to work within the confines of the regulations of the Wildlife Sanctuary.

Travel and Trade exhibition held in Belize City
The University of Belize has partnered with the National Institute for Culture and History to hold a Trade and Travel Exhibition currently taking place in the Reception Hall of the House of Culture in Belize City. Yusleidy Chan a Tourism student from UB told us all about today’s exhibition. Chan told us that there is one thing that she wishes everyone will take back when they leave the exhibition room. Chan says that they are hoping that next year the event can be bigger and better.

Taiwan donates AC units to House Culture
The government of Taiwan has donated equipment designed to provide cooling for the House of Culture. Love TV’s Natalie Novelo and video journalist Myles Gillett were present for the handing over and file the following report.

Berger Field getting a facelift
The Berger Field on Vernon Street is a setting where a great many people from the Pickstock, Albert, Collet and Lake Independence areas spend much of their time playing football games, selling food, or simply hanging out. But over the past few years the field has gone unattended and unkempt. But today, the Berger Field, which falls in the Albert Division, represented by Minister of State, Herman Longsworth, was the focus of much attention that will span through to around Easter of 2013 when it will undergo a significant facelift. It comes largely through a grant of 150 thousand dollars from the Belize Water Services, and additional funding yet to be identified. The BWS made good on its pledge to improving the aesthetics of the field today when it handed over thirty thousand of the total it has promised. Chairman of BWS, Alberto August, urged the children and residents who use the field to be responsible when the works are completed. The project will cost a total of 225 thousand dollars and Longsworth says that the residents of the area will be offered the job to upgrade the field. Longsworth is hoping that the difference that the project will cost will come from businesses in the Albert community.

Dance show opens at the Bliss
“Dance X Masks 2012”, kicks off tonight at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts in Belize City. The anticipated dance show will feature a week of activities which commence tonight with a dance forum. Creative Industry Development Officer and the Forum Organizer, Jacky Castillo told us about tonight’s forum and the activities that follow. Castillo says that the event is open to the entire family and encourages everyone to be a part of the dance extravaganza. For more information you can call the Bliss Center at 227-2110 or visit the website at www.nichbelize.org.

PlusTV

My Refuge Christian Radio holds share-a-thon
My Refuge Christian Ministries started 18yrs ago on September 18th of 1994. It was Belize's first Christian Radio S...

Belize' represented at fencing tournament in San Salvador
Belize made its debut in the world of international fencing by competing in the sixth annual Girgio Scarso Internat...

Classic Ballet Company from Mexico performs in Belize
Tonight there will be a presentation by the Classic Ballet Company from Mexico, at the Bliss Centre in Belize City....

Silas Sabal releases Christian CD
Silas Sabal has been a recording artist since 2008 and started out with a band called the Majestic Intercessors. On...

Belmopan City Administrator says more upgrades are on the way
As part of the Belize Municipal Development Project, the Belmopan City Council recently finished infrastructure wor...

Elderly lady robbed in Belize City
An elderly lady was robbed in Belize City. 63 year old VERONICA ALLEN, told police that on Tuesday November 27th at...

Baby's body found in garbage dump
The body of a baby was found in a garbage dump. Police were called to the Dump site situated at mile 3 on the Georg...

Motorcycle stolen from San Ignacio Police
One of the motorcycles which was assigned to the San Ignacio Community Police Unit has been stolen. The Meilun gree...

Rolando Darbon pleads guilty to aiding illegal immigrant
48 year old Rolando Velasquez Darbon pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting Salvadoran national, Jose Evelio Henriqu...

Two men and daughter of Police Sergeant are charged with drug trafficking
Two men and daughter of a Sergeant of Police are charged with for the trafficking of 9 grams of cocaine. Reports ar...

19-year-old Michael Martinez pleads guilty to theft
Chain snatcher change not guilty plea to guilty. 19-year-old Michael Martinez, was first arraign on Thursday, Octob...

Regional fisheries meeting hosted by Jamaica
Over a hundred stakeholders from government and grassroot agencies, as well as regional and international organizat...

Pastor Abe Dueck still in coma following accident
In a previous newscast we told you about a well known Spanish Lookout Pastor; Pastor Abe Dueck who was involved in ...

15 year old and threatened in Belize City
In Belize City, a 15 year old student visited the CIB office accompanied by his mother and reported that on Wednesd...

The Guardian

Bond Selling like Hot Johnny Cakes
Three days into the 20 million dollar Municipal Development Bond offering and the Belize City Council has all but sold out the entire subscription. It must be that there is an extreme level of confidence in the Belize City Council under the leadership of Mayor Darrell Bradley that has attracted so much subscription for the Bond. So far, insurance companies, private individuals, the Social Security Board and financial institutions have bought the bond. While the offering has been for 3 days so far and it will last until the 24th of December, reportedly as much as 18.5 million dollars worth of Bonds have been sold. These include offerings in the three tranches, however most interest has been demonstrated for the 5 and 10-year bonds. According to Mayor Darrell Bradley, there is still room left for other investors to come in and buy bonds. And the reason for such overwhelming interest in the bond must be two fold. First, there is an impressive amount of confidence in the Mayor that the Council will actually use the money derived from the bond to pave streets and improve drainage across the city. Under the prospectus, there are 67 streets which have been programmed to be paved with concrete. As it is the Council, through self financing, has been able to pave 33 streets across the city. The second reason is the attractive interest rates which the bond offers. According to the prospectus: “The bonds are being issued in Three Series. Series 1 has three tranches. The first tranche of Series 1 is an issue of $2 million that carries an interest rate of 3.5% per annum and that matures on the two-year anniversary date of the issue. The second tranche of Series 1 is an issue of $3 million that carries an interest rate of 5.5% per annum and that matures on the five-year anniversary date of the issue. The third tranche of Series 1 is an issue of $5 million that carries an interest rate of 8% per annum and that matures on the ten-year anniversary date of the issue, with a call option feature after 7.5 years. The call option gives the Council the right to call (redeem) such amounts of the bonds as it, in its sole discretion, may determine for purchase and cancellation at any time after 7.5 years after the date of issue until maturity, after giving not more than sixty days nor less than thirty days written notice to the registered holder of such bonds.

Golden Boys
On Tuesday, November 27th, a 16-member football team returned to Belize wearing gold around their necks. The team came back from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic after winning 5 matches against teams fielded by countries such as Mexico, considered football superpowers. It's a story of glory and dedication but most of all, of vision by the team's organizer, Pastor Santi Valencia. After the team stepped off the airplane and into the VIP room at the Phillip Goldson International Airport, Pastor Valencia explained that it had cost 40 thousand dollars for the team to participate in the tournament. But financing aside, Valencia said that it was prayers and plain old comradeship that allowed the team to participate. There was massive support from parents and private individuals to allow for the trip to be made possible. The team was comprised by young boys from across the country, but the program had humble beginnings in Roaring Creek Village where the boys there had expressed an interest in playing football. He said that his first goal was to acquire balls, then football boots and then jerseys. Then, it was off to a selection which was camped at the Football Federation of Belize Field for three months. After training and conditioning, the team left and when they returned, it was with gold. But more than gold, the team returned as history-makers, for the first time an under-15 national team returned to the country with a gold medal. That was not all; however, as the team also brought back individual awards - Randy Augustine came back having distinguished himself for scoring the most goals; Raji Salarzano also came back with the Most Valuable Player award. Truly, this national team is testament that there is great potential in our Belizean youth. It takes guidance and no complaining for this to be achieved and much kudos must be given to Pastor Valencia for his efforts. He says the program will continue and as much as he can, he will get young people involved in positive activities.

Bones on North Front Street
On Wednesday, November 28th, the Belize Water Services Limited 's employees were diligently doing their work on North Front Street in preparation for the paving of that thoroughfare when they came upon a strange find. Sometime around 9 a.m., the workers began exhuming what appeared to be human skeletal remains. A gaggle of spectators soon gathered in front of the Caye Caulker Water Taxi Association where a trench to replace water mains was being dug. It was during that work that the workers, who began digging with a backhoe and then resorted to using shovels came up on the bones. The workers soon started to assemble the bones and it quickly became evident that it appeared to be human remains. Director of Archaeology, Dr. Jaime Awe says that the bones appear to be the remains of someone buried after Hurricane Hattie. Those skeletal remains were not the only set found as further digging revealed more bones coming from the trench. The bones were taken to the morgue where they will be further examined.

Berger Field Receives Facelift
BWS’ representatives Alberto August and Alvan Haynes make presentation to Minister Herman Longsworth On Wednesday, November 28th, the Belize Water Services Limited handed over a check for 30 thousand dollars to the Area Representative for the Albert Division, Hon. Herman Longsworth. The money is part of a 150 thousand-dollar donation by the utility company for the upgrading of Berger Field located on Vernon Street.

Cayo Central selects Executive Committee
Cayo Central selects Executive CommitteeOn Tuesday, November 28th the United Democratic Party supporters gathered at the UDP Cayo Central office in Santa Elena to select a new Executive Committee for that division. At the end of the meeting, Vallan Hyde was selected as the Chairperson while Vanessa Neal, Robert Montero, Myra Sabala, Alberto August, Nyani August, Ramon Banos, Clement Cruz, Rene Canto, Francis Contreras, Giovanni Montalvan, Japeth Ochoa, Bernz Salazar, Eddie De La Rosa and Eulogio Cano were selected as members. Selected as alternates were Ben Rodas, Alberta Cano, Malta Garcia, George Andrews and Violet Armstrong.

Minister Lisel Alamilla meets with Representatives of Crooked Tree Village
Minister Lisel Alamilla and residents of Crooked Tree Village On November 28th, 2012, at the request of community members, Hon. Lisel Alamilla, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development, met with representatives from the Crooked Tree Action Group. The objective of the meeting was for the community to formally inform the Minister of their concerns over the situation with the Belize Audubon Society and the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary.

From Town Hall to Cycling, from One Failure to Another
More than likely, he is unable to even get on a professional racing bicycle, but that has not deterred the Orange Walk Mayor to want to run for the Vice Presidency of the Belize Cycling Association. He is probably more adept at riding a child's tricycle than a real bike, but that aside, it is strange that this man, who has proven to be nothing but a failure would want to run in an association where much would be expected from him.

New Mexican Border inaugurated
Mexico's outgoing president Felipe Calderon was in Chetumal on Friday, November 23rd to officially inaugurate the new border installations in that country. President Calderon was accompanied by various Mexican Government officials as well as the Deputy Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. Gaspar Vega. Also attending the opening was Hon. Manuel Heredia, Hon. Hugo Patt, and Hon. Pablo Marin.

Ministry of Health releases Survey of Sexual Behavior
The National HIV Programme of the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Central America (CDC) conducted a Behavioural Survey Study (BSS) earlier this year among three identified vulnerable groups, Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), Female Sex Workers (FSW) and Persons with HIV (PHIV).

Infrastructure and Economic Development on New Road
Under the Belize City Council's program to concrete streets, 33 have been completed so far. But the Council's vision is not limited to ensuring a smoother ride for motorists and better water flow in the drains the vision is all encompassing. Part of that vision is to stimulate economic activity in the Old Capital. The first phase of that vision is currently being implemented on New Road where the stretch between Hyde’s Lane and Queen Street will see more than just the paving of the street.

Orange Walk South has new Executive
On Sunday, November 25th, supporters of the United Democratic Party in the Orange Walk South met at Carrillo’s Farm in San Lazaro Village where a Executive Committee was elected. Felipe Blanco became the Chairperson with Ronnel Dyck, Manuel Rejon, Estela Santos, Richard Wicab, Lisbeth Delgado, Vaselisa Narvallez, Brenda Campos, Patricio Carrillo, Alex Magana, Blanca Esquivel, Noel Carrillo, Ismael Carrillo, Darlene Padron and Angela Jimenez being elected as members. Alternates are Heidi Moguel, Anabel Martinez, Maria Friesen, Anacleto Andrade and Benigno Cawich.

Panamanian Ambassador presents Credentials
His Excellency Joaquin E. Carrasquilla today presented his credentials as the Panamanian Ambassador to Belize, at Belize House in Belmopan.

“A man who will not defend his country is not entitled to reap the benefit thereof.” Thomas Paslow - Letter to 1797 Public Meeting
The well-documented 1797 decision to defend the Belize settlement from the Spanish Army planned invasion set the stage for the 1798 Battle of St. George’s Caye and was a major turning point in Belizean history. Likewise, the rejection of the 1966 Thirteen Proposals, the 1968 Seventeen Proposals, the 1981 Heads of Agreement, the 1991 Belize Maritime Areas Act and the 2002 Ramphal/Reichler Proposals were turning points in Belizean history. In all these rejections, Belizeans defended our country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Otherwise, there would be no Belize, not as we know it today.

The Public and Private Sectors Partnering for Growth
“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” More growth is better than less. For any given level of population, the more output produced per capita, the more income is available for distribution among the citizens of a country. Therefore, growth should be a primary focus of all countries. More growth is generated by optimally employing the inputs of technology, capital, labour, and others. At the last business forum entitled “Partnering for Growth”, Prime Minister Barrow reiterated the opportunities that exist when Government and the Private Business Sector engage in open dialogue. The underlying objective is to find ways to accelerate the ‘train’ of economic development that would expand incomes, create employment, and stimulate the general business and economic activity. Economic growth cannot solely be the concern and impetus of Government. Government can create the enabling environment, but the private sector must be emphatic and committed to its contribution to an economy that is suffering the effects of the global recession. In other words, growth can be private sector led. An increase in economic growth does not necessarily translate into improvement in the living standards for all, which in every shape or form is what all countries want to achieve and Belize is no exception. The production function states that improvements in the stock of capital, labour, and technology will produce more. Research indicates that a stable and conducive economic environment, adequate access to and the provision of financial resources, adequate intuitional frameworks, better governance and the rule of law, induces the growth process. There have been some plausible efforts to reduce the cost of doing business, primarily the reduction of utility costs namely: water and electricity. Belize continues to see vibrant movements in terms of the tourist industry, which is the number one export industry. This brings in much needed foreign reserves and can be accessed by the private sector, especially for businesses that are more import driven. It is worthwhile to mention that economic expansion in 2011, for Belize, was 2.5%; it might seem modest, but the great United States recently showed quarterly growth of approximately 2 % and economists were predicting 1.7% growth. Many other countries have been suffering from inflation, hyper-inflation, and zero growth, which increased the cost of living, with a simultaneous scarcity in supply of much needed goods and services and rising price levels.

Special Envoy secures Greater Access for Persons with Disabilities
On Tuesday, November 27th, the Embassy of the Republic of China on Taiwan handed over 150 wheelchairs and mobility equipment for persons with disabilities. Special Envoy for Women and Children, Kim Simplis-Barrow, in addressing those gathered at the site for the Inspiration Center located at mile 2 and a half on the George Price Highway, explained that the donation comes at an opportune time as the country prepares to celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3rd. The celebration will take place under the theme "Removing Barriers to create an Inclusive Society for all."

A Time to Build
A very great vision is needed and the man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky. - Crazy Horse, Oglala Chief, The Great Plains, Turtle Island

Yo-Chen Village Council Slate Ready
The United Democratic Party in Corozal North continues its organization for the upcoming village council elections. On Saturday, November 24th, the UDP supporters of the Village of Yo-Chen met and elected a slate to contest the upcoming Village Council Elections scheduled for 2013.

Three charged for Murder
Brandon Baptist, Orel Leslie and Tyrone Meighan Police have arrested and charged three men in connection with the killing of James Noralez, who was shot and killed at the corner of Faber's Road and the George Price Highway in Belize City on Friday, November 23rd. On Monday, November 26th, police escorted businessman Orel Leslie, 27; Brandon Baptist, 27, Construction Worker of #6632 Police Street, and Tyrone Meighan, 19, unemployed of #27 Banak Street. The trio appeared before Senior Magistrate, Sharon Frazer in Court #2 where Leslie was represented by Attorney, Ellis Arnold while Meighan was represented by Attorney, Bryan Neal. Baptist was unrepresented. In court, the mothers of the three men were very emotional and crying for their sons, who were read the single charge of murder for the execution style killing of James Noralez, who was gunned down at the corner of Faber’s Road and the George Price Highway.

Two more City Murders
On Sunday, 25th November, at about 1:15 pm, police visited #118 Mahogany Street Extension, Belize City where they saw 22-year-old William Felix Francis lying inside his house with multiple gunshot wounds. Francis had two gunshots to the left hand, one gunshot to the left side of his chest, one to left side of his neck, one shot to the back of the neck and one shot to the right side of his eye. Investigation by police revealed that about 1:00 pm Francis was inside his house talking with his brother when a dark complexioned man, dressed in a black shirt, entered the house and pointed a pistol at them and asked for someone. Upon seeing this, William's brother ran and jumped through his window leaving William behind and shortly thereafter, several gunshots rang out. At the scene police found eight expended shells, a slug and particles of a slug. William Felix Francis was transported to the K.H.M.H Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 2:07 pm. Police are seeking a Belize City man for questioning.

Gregory August sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Murder
On November 21st, a jury of 12 people, deliberated for 4 hours found 24-year-old Gregory August guilty in the murder of Alvin Alpheus Robinson. On Monday, November 26th, Justice Adolph Lucas sentenced him to life imprisonment. August, who seemed jovial throughout the period of his trial ,said that he will be appealing the conviction and sentence. Before sentencing, Justice Lucas heard mitigation pleas on August's behalf. He called three persons to give mitigation including Avis Williams, a resident of the Mile 8 community; his grandmother, Rosilia Almendarez, and his attorney, Lionel Welch.

Charged for killing his Entire Family
On Tuesday, November 27th, Jared Avery Ranguy was formally arraigned for the killing of his mother, sister and step-father. Ranguy appeared before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith where he was read three counts of murder. He was then remanded to the Belize Central Prison.

Charged for Attempted Murder
On Friday, November 23rd, police formally arraigned 22-year-old Aspinal Welch with the crime of attempted murder. He appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer where he was charged with the attempted murder of Nelson Fitzgerald Young. He was additionally charged with one count of keeping a firearm without a gun license. Bail was denied and he was remanded to prison until January 4th, 2013. Police allege that on Wednesday, November 21st, at around 3p.m., Welch, who was armed with a .38 revolver, entered Dit’s Restaurant located on King Street in Belize City, and attempted to rob one of the restaurant’s patrons, Young. Young resisted and a struggle ensued during which Welch fell to the ground and he fired several shots from the .38 pistol. In response, the patron drew his licensed 9 millimeter pistol and shot Welch once, which caused injuries to both his legs.

Belize Elementary Girls and San Pedro Roman Catholic Boys are Belize District Football Champions
The 2012-2013 Belize District Primary Schools tball Championships came to an end on Tuesday, November 27th, at the MCC Grounds in Belize City. In the girls’ championship game, Belize Elementary School edged Guadalupe RC School from Sandhill Village by the score of 3-2 to capture the 2012-2013 Belize District Primary Schools Football Competition. The goals for Belize Elementary School were scored by Donna Che, Kellya Ouela and Juliana Ramos, while Shevaun Vaccaro and Ismaely Requena scored for Guadalupe RC. In the first game of the girls’ competition, Belize Elementary School defeated San Pedro Roman Catholic School by the score of 3-2. The goals for Belize Elementary School were scored by Donna Che, Chloe Kelly and Kellya Ouela. Meanwhile, the goals for San Pedro RC were scored by Shalini Young and Chelsea Zetina. In the second game, Guadalupe RC School defeated Holy Redeemer School by the score of 4-3. At the end of regulation time, the score was 1-1. The goal for Guadalupe RC was scored by Shevaun Vaccaro and for Holy Redeemer it was scored by Ebony Cutkelvin. In the penalty shootout, Guadalupe RC prevailed over Holy Redeemer School by the score of 4-3. The goals for Guadalupe RC were scored by Brittney Grinage, Ismaely Requena, Shevaun Vaccaro, and Aloma Reyes. Meanwhile, the goals for Holy Redeemer School were scored by Jada Myvette, Alina Auget and Aaliyah Crawford.

Nazarene High School and St. Catherine leads in high school basketball
The Central Region Secondary Schools Basketball Competition continues at the Bird’s Isle with a number of games on the schedule. On Tuesday, November 27th, 2012, in the female competition, St. Catherine Academy continued on its winning path when it defeated its nemesis Pallotti High School by the score of 30-11. The top scorers for St. Catherine Academy were Gilda Estrada with 18 points, and Indie Dixon with 4 points; while the top scorer for Pallotti High School was Megan Longsworth with 4 points. In the male game, Sadie Vernon Technical High School defeated Anglican Cathedral College by the score of 67-65. The top scorers for Sadie Vernon Technical were Lincey Lopez with 24 points and Jamal Augustine with 21 points. Meanwhile, the top scorers for Anglican Cathedral College were Auburn Rivero with 17 points and Travis Bernardez with 16 points. On Monday, November 26th, in the first of two male games, Nazarene High School won its 6th consecutive game for this year’s competition when it defeated Gwen Lizarraga High School by the score of 72-70. The top scorers for Nazarene High School were Alejandro Baptist with 19 points and Keenan Hyde with 16 points; while the top scorers for Gwen Lizarraga High School were Akeem Richardson with 24 points and Albert Longsworth with 15 points. In the second male game, Excelsior High School defeated Maud Williams High School by the score of 68-47. The top scorers for Excelsior High School were Enfield Martinez with 22 points and Malcolm Nunez with 15 points, and for Maud Williams, the top scorers were Jefford Cacho with 23 points and Naphtali Watters with 8 points.

Belize Elementary Girls and St. John Vianney Boys are City Champs in Primary Schools Football
The 2012-2013 Belize City Primary Schools Football Competition came to an end on Friday, November 23rd at the MCC Grounds with action in both the girls and boys championship games. In the girls’ championship game, Belize Elementary School edged Holy Redeemer School by the score of 3-2 to capture the Belize City Primary Schools Football Girls’ title. The goal scorers for Belize Elementary School were Chelsea Williams, Jillian Alamina and Alyssa MacKenzie, while the goal scorers for Holy Redeemer were Jada Myvette and Aaliyah Crawford. In the boys’ championship game, St. John Vianney upended Unity Presbyterian by the score of 2-1. The goal scorers for St. John Vianney were Orlando Velasquez and Nathan Oliver, while the goal for Unity Presbyterian was scored by July Barrientos. The semi-final rounds of the competition were played on Thursday, November 22nd at the MCC. In the first game in the girls’ competition, Belize Elementary eliminated St. Luke Methodist by the score of 2-0. The goals for Belize Elementary were scored by Juliana Ramos and Chloe Kelly. In the second girls’ semi-final game, Holy Redeemer School eliminated St. Ignatius School by the score of 1-0. The only goal of the game was scored by Jada Myvette of Holy Redeemer School. In the first game in the boys’ semi-final round, St. John Vianney eliminated Ebenezer Methodist by the score of 4-0. The goals for St. John Vianney were scored by Kenroy Linarez who got two goals, Akeem Sutherland and Shawn Pitter with one each.

Lirisi Cayetano is Central American Gold Medallist in Long Jump
The Belize Amateur Athletics Association participated in the Central American Junior Athletics Championship held in Costa Rica from Friday, November 23rd to Sunday, November 25th, 2012. The Belizean Team consisted of 3 athletes, a coach and a delegate. The athletes that represented Belize were Shanicka Augustine, G’Anne Humes and Lirisi Cayetano. In the Long Jump competition in the male category, Lirisi Cayetano captured Gold with a jump of 6.21M over the rest of Central America. In the female category, Shanicka Augustine took the Silver Medal with a jump of 4.99M and G’Anne Humes took the Bronze Medal with a jump of 4.89M. In the 100M event, all three athletes participated but unfortunately finished out of the medal round. In the semi-final round, Shanicka Augustine finished third with a time of 13:06 and in the finals she finished 6th in a time of 13:37. G’Anne Humes in her semi-final failed to qualify for the finals when she finished 5th in a time of 13:69. And in the male category, Lirisi Cayetano finished 5th in the semi-finals in a time of 11:94 and 6th in the finals with a time of 12:08. In the 150M event, Shanicka Augustine finished 5th in the semi-finals with a time of 20:37, and G’Anne Humes finished 6th with a time of 20:65. We extend congratulations to all our athletes that participated in the junior meet.

Junior Footballers return from Invitational Tourney with Gold
The Belmopan Football Talent School participated in an International Invitational Football Tournament for U-15 footballers that were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The team played against the likes of the Dominican Republic (Northern Selection), Dominican Republic National “A” Selection and a Mexican Selection from Guadalajara, Mexico. The team left the country on Tuesday, November 20th and returned on Tuesday, November 27th, 2012. In the first game that Team Belize played, it defeated the Dominican Republic Northern Selection by the score of 4-3. The goals for Belize were all scored by Randy Serrano. In its second outing, Team Belize defeated the Dominican Republic National “A” Selection by the score of 2-1. The goals for Belize were scored by Randy Serrano and Marlon Garcia. In Team Belize’s third game, it won over the Mexican Selection from Guadalajara by the score of 2-1. The goals for Belize were scored by Demetri Fabro. And in the team’s final game of the tourney, it defeated the Dominican Republic National “A” Selection by the score of 2-1. The goals for Belize were scored by Randy Serrano and Marlon Garcia. We say congratulations to the team for a job well done!

Belize Elementary Girls and St. John Vianney Boys are City Champs in Primary Schools Football
The 2012-2013 Belize City Primary Schools Football Competition came to an end on Friday, November 23rd at the MCC Grounds with action in both the girls and boys championship games. In the girls’ championship game, Belize Elementary School edged Holy Redeemer School by the score of 3-2 to capture the Belize City Primary Schools Football Girls’ title. The goal scorers for Belize Elementary School were Chelsea Williams, Jillian Alamina and Alyssa MacKenzie, while the goal scorers for Holy Redeemer were Jada Myvette and Aaliyah Crawford. In the boys’ championship game, St. John Vianney upended Unity Presbyterian by the score of 2-1. The goal scorers for St. John Vianney were Orlando Velasquez and Nathan Oliver, while the goal for Unity Presbyterian was scored by July Barrientos. The semi-final rounds of the competition were played on Thursday, November 22nd at the MCC. In the first game in the girls’ competition, Belize Elementary eliminated St. Luke Methodist by the score of 2-0. The goals for Belize Elementary were scored by Juliana Ramos and Chloe Kelly. In the second girls’ semi-final game, Holy Redeemer School eliminated St. Ignatius School by the score of 1-0. The only goal of the game was scored by Jada Myvette of Holy Redeemer School. In the first game in the boys’ semi-final round, St. John Vianney eliminated Ebenezer Methodist by the score of 4-0. The goals for St. John Vianney were scored by Kenroy Linarez who got two goals, Akeem Sutherland and Shawn Pitter with one each. In the second game, Unity Presbyterian eliminated Salvation Army by the score of 3-1. The goal scorers for Unity Presbyterian were Fitzroy Myles, July Barrientos and Cesar Arenivar.

Despite All Odds, Paralized Twins from Cayo persevere
When anyone meets Jaren and Jaelen Pacheco of Cayo, they appear to be two normal high- energy teenagers sitting behind their highly polished school seats, preparing themselves for a brighter future. Jaren is working towards becoming the boss of an office, while Jalen looks forward to being a computer technician. But on a closer look, the twins are paralyzed individuals who are on a current quest to conquer education at the Saint Ignatius High School in Santa Elena Town, Cayo.

Art Festival held in Cayo
The San Ignacio and Santa Elena House of Culture, under the National Institute of Culture and History NICH, held the Third Annual ‘Cayo Arts Festival’ on November 24th. The event was held on the newly renovated Burns Avenue in downtown San Ignacio, where cobble stones have been used to improve the pathway. Several bands did live performances. Among them, ‘A Cold Day in May’, an alternative rock band and ‘Johnny and the Playmates’, a local group from Santa Familia in Cayo, dedicated to ‘Rancheras’ and local songs. Coming out to also do a live performance was ‘Ascenthium’, a band from Benque Viejo. Artists had various exhibitions at numerous booths, displaying embroideries and delicately carved stone. One of those artists was Esteban Cano, who uses a special grinding tool to polish stones to a state of high shine. The ‘Stone Maiden’ made her stately pronouncement as part of the art on Burns Avenue. The body of a woman, fully covered in paint, could easily have been mistaken for a statue. A sign board in front of the Stone Maiden announced that she first appeared to a hunter from San Jose Succotz in the 1800. Almost two years ago, on November 25th, 2010 the San Ignacio and Santa Elena House of Culture opened its doors, promoting arts in the entire region. NICH's Joris Groendaal was the main organizer of the Cayo Arts Festival. He said he is convinced that more live ambience-in-art and culture events should be promoted in the Cayo District.

Activism Against Gender Based Violence continues to be observed
Sixteen days of Activism against Gender Based Violence continues to be observed this week, under the theme, Unite to End Violence against Women and Children. The series of activities will take place country wide. These range from HIV testing as well as personal safety for women and girls, and, in some cases, males. The observation started on November 25th and will end on December 10th. The activism coincides with the launching of a three-year project to carry on all activities as outlined by the national plan of action to end gender based violence. As part of the observances, a panel discussion was held at the Benque Viejo House of Culture on Tuesday night. The panel presenters were Kathleen Pate, Women’s Development Officer for the Cayo District; Emma Gabourel from the San Ignacio Community Hospital; and Enrique August from Help for Progress. Pate highlighted in her presentation the links between HIV and domestic violence while August talked about the Conventions on Human Rights that Belize has signed on to. The launch and opening of the Sixteen Days of Activism, says an organizer, is an opportunity for partnership with other sectors of society. “It is not one that [only] the Women’s Department observes…it is an activity for different agencies and other Government projects to look at ways of how to strengthen whatever activities they are currently presenting in this area”, says Cynthia Williams, Human Development Coordinator and one of the organizers for the Sixteen Days of Activism. One such organization that took full opportunity of the Sixteen Days of Activism is the Non-Government Organization Mary Open Doors, a non-profit based in San Ignacio that provides services to persons that are victims of domestic violence. Director of Mary Open Doors, Ana Silva, set up a ‘clothes line’ near the Social Security Building in Santa Elena Town this past Monday, urging victims of domestic violence to stop by and write down their feelings and thoughts about domestic violence on a T-shirt. Such expressions, says Silva, can help women psychologically. According to Silva, the Sixteen Days of Activism can create the change that is desired.

Taste of Belize
Taste of Belize (TOB) 2012 is here! BTB’s signature culinary event will be in San Ignacio, Cayo on December 1st and 2nd. The Belize Tourism Board, through this medium, seeks to develop and recognize the best in culinary arts in Belize. The event, which has been on a hiatus, returns with new twists and grandeur. On December 1st, the gala starts at 7p.m at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel. The Resort Hotel will be transformed like never seen before, from body painted models, to exotic animals and a photo booth. Entertainment for the evening will be the highly acclaimed, Belize Dance Company and Marimba players. A ticket to this event entitles each attendee to a five course meal, prepared by local celebrity Chef Sean Kuylen; consumption of available beers and wines; access to the cocktail hour; and a complimentary gift bag. The highlight of the night will be the live food and beverage competitions, in the categories of the Pro Chef, Bartending and Cake Decorating. For the Pro Chef competition, the BTB wants to include the entire country of Belize in celebrating the talents of our local chefs. The battle, which will feature four professional chefs in a ‘winner takes all’ format, will be hosted by Indira Craig & William Neal. This epic three course meal battle will see contenders face off in three rounds, the appetizer, entrée and dessert, which must include a basket of mystery ingredients and be completed in one hour. At the end of the competition, a panel of four judges will select one chef to be recognized with the title of “Belize’s Master Chef,” a trophy and two thousand five hundred dollars. If you are a fan of mixology, the bartending competition promises to inspire and tantalize your taste buds. Bartenders from across the country will test their skills and creativity to impress a line-up of local judges. The best of the night will be hailed as Belize’s top bartender, and will receive a trophy, one thousand five hundred dollars, and of course, the respect of the veterans in the business. Cake decorating, which has been a favorite in past Taste of Belize competitions, will be back this year! Attendees at the TOB will get the opportunity to witness cake decorators in action- live cake decorating. The competitors will put their skills and creativity to the test, under the watchful eyes of the judges and spectators. The festivities continue in San Ignacio, Cayo on December 2nd, where the BTB has partnered with the Town Council of San Ignacio & Santa Elena. The BTB will be hosting a Grill Master competition, where barbecue enthusiasts and masters will converge on the grounds of the Welcome Center in downtown San Ignacio. The best grill master in the categories of poultry, seafood, and meats (pork, beef, etc.), will be awarded huge prizes. The fun continues, through-out the day with a food festival and local entertainment for the entire family Taste of Belize, bringing together the absolute best in the national culinary scene. Tickets are now available at the Belize Tourism Board at #64 Regent Street in Belize City. For more information on events taking place in Belize’s tourism industry, please contact the Marketing Department at the Belize Tourism Board at 227-2420, via email info@travelbelize.org or visit our website www.travelbelize.org.

Ministry of Health reveals Findings of “TLEMOL”
Earlier this year, reports were made to the Ministry of Health concerning the sale of a pharmaceutical product being marketed as “TLEMOL.” The Ministry sent the product for testing shortly after. This week, we received a Certificate of Analysis from the Caribbean Regional Drug Testing Laboratory in Kingston, Jamaica concluding that the pharmaceutical product marketed as ‘Tlemol’ has met the United States Pharmaceutical requirements for Acetaminophen tablets. The Ministry of Health assures the public that the active ingredient in this product “TLEMOL” is acetaminophen 500mg, which is the same ingredient in the similar product, TYLENOL. As stated in our initial release, preliminary investigations revealed that Tlemol is marketed in the United States of America under this name and, it was legally imported in Belize by the company, Generic Club Ltd and duly registered by the Belize Intellectual Property Office (BELIPO.)

Trade Union Hub holds Annual General Meeting in Cayo
The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) held its Forty Sixth Annual General Meeting this past weekend in the Cayo District. The NTUCB represents the interest of workers at the national level. The theme for this year was, ‘Promoting Decent Work and Occupational Safety and Health for Greater Productivity.’ Their sessions on November 24th concentrated on reviewing the constitution as well as the strategic plan for the upcoming year. A panel discussion was held by the NTUCB this past Saturday night. The topic was ‘Belize to the ICJ or not.' On November 25th, the various board representatives passed resolutions for action in 2013. Coming out of the meeting was a concern for workers benefits under Social Security. The representatives for workers also had concerns for benefits during times of unemployment as well as issues relating to job creation. A new executive to the NTUCB was chosen last Sunday. Dylan Reneau was re-elected to the NTUCB Executive as President, where he is expected to serve his last two years in that post. Also elected were Adelaida Guerra as First Vice President; Marvin Mora as Second Vice President; Rebecca Suazo as General Secretary; Marvin Blades as Assistant General Secretary, Francisco Zuniga as auditor and Kathleen Flowers as Education Director. Participants at the NTUCB sessions last weekend came out re-energized to face a future, which leaders say will be challenging. The next AGM for the NTUCB has been scheduled for December 7th and 8th, 2013 in Punta Gorda.

Blogs

Rainy season returns
Weather-wise, this November has been the best month we've experienced since moving to San Pedro fifteen months ago. It was mostly dry, cooler than normal, with highs only in the upper 70s many days. Best of all, the humidity was so much lower than the norm that my skin and lips were dry and flaky, and I actually had a few good hair days -- with my wavy mop that tends towards frizz, that's saying a lot! But a couple of days ago, that all changed. For the past two nights, we've had hours of heavy rain, a total of around five inches. I guess our assumption that dry season might be beginning early this year was a bit premature. I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story.... Here's the approaching storm late yesterday afternoon. And some of the roads north of the bridge today. These were all dry just a couple of days ago. Taxi negotiating the puddles

Canouan Scoop: Helda's Life On An Even SMALLER Caribbean Island
Hi, guest blogger Helda Pritchard here. If you follow the Sanpedroscoop then you would know me from such posts as Trivia at Roadkill, Helda and Robbie’s wedding and oh yeah there may even be a photo from last year’s Halloween Red Devil Green Fairy costume I wore. If you've visited San Pedro then you would most likely have met me at my favorite bar, The Road Kill Bar, that has the Islands Best Karaoke every Wednesday Night, the world’s best panty rippas and of course Wade the Gringo Burgers (yes shameless plug for Roadkill). Currently my family is not living in Belize as my husband received a job offer in Canouan SVG. Rebecca asked me to write a blog on what it is like living in a different island in the Caribbean . Canouan located in St. Vincent and the Grenadines means turtle or tortoise in Caribe. It is a small island, measuring only 3.5 miles by 1.25 miles. The population is about 1,200 people. Almost all the expats that live on the island work for the company that owns 70% of the island.

International Sources

This Video of Cheetahs Running in Slow Motion Is Absolutely Mesmerizing
National Geographic and the Cincinnati Zoo teamed up to make this video of a cheetah running in super-slow motion. They used a camera filming at 1200 frames per second to capture what cheetahs look like while they're running at speeds close to 60 miles per hour. After a little bit you should skip to the five-minute mark when they film the cheetah from the front. It's amazing. His head barely moves. Beautiful

How an Obscure Comic Artist Became John McAfee’s Lifeline to the World
Two years ago, Portland animator Chad Essley never could have imagined he would become the webmaster and primary public liaison for John McAfee, the reclusive millionaire and former antivirus software mogul now sought for questioning in a Belizean murder case. But that’s exactly what happened to the aspiring graphic novelist, who is currently at work on an illustrated account of his adventures with McAfee. The relationship between the fugitive and the cartoonist began in 2010 on a private internet forum where an anonymous entrepreneur hired Essley to produce an animated web short for an antibiotic venture called Quorumex. The mysterious businessman soon revealed himself as McAfee, and the two struck up a friendship. When the news broke this April that a gang suppression unit had raided McAfee’s property in Belize, Essley was taken aback. “After I [heard] about the first raid, I wrote [McAfee] saying, ‘Oh my god! They shot your dogs! I can’t believe that!’” said Essley. “I received a reply that said, ‘We’re fine. Things have calmed down. Time to come to Belize. Moneypenny will arrange the details.’” Although Essley has done most of his professional work in the field of animation at his studio Cartoon Monkey, producing animations for clients that include Microsoft and Sesame Street, McAfee asked Essley to join him on his estate and document his life in a graphic novel. After spending nearly a month with McAfee this summer, the artist began work on The Hinterland, an illustrated first-person account of his time in Belize.

McAfee’s real estate history a saga of loss
The McAfee Belize estate: Though the above pictures seem only to chronicle the “living the dream” success of a high-tech multi-millionaire, a study of John McAfee’s real estate holdings points to a steady downward spiral that has yet to hit rock bottom. Before the internet security guru became a suspect in the murder of his neighbor, he had other troubles, and perhaps the largest was money. When the country’s economy collapsed, so too did McAfee’s fortune. He lost 96% of his wealth in just two years time, dropping from a net worth of around $100 million to around $4 million. As his fortune declined, McAfee began selling off his high-end properties. But in each case, the sale represented a tremendous loss. In 2007, McAfee spent $25 million to buy a lot and built a 10,000 square foot house in Vail, Colorado. He later had to sell it– at which time it fetched just $5.7 million. Another example: his Molokai, Hawaii home—one that by all accounts he never moved into, though it was custom built for him over a seven year span. Nearly 6,000 square feet on 5.3 oceanfront acres, the property listed first at $4.9 million, was later cut to $3.7 million (per the YouTube video used to try to sell the house, featured below). Buyers weren’t interested, even at this amount, and the property was eventually auctioned off for $1.575 million—rather a steal, it seems, given the grandeur of the home and surrounding land. McAfee himself lost millions in the deal.

Student archaeologists headed to Finland
Five Davidson Day School students will fly to Helsinki, Finland, on Dec. 7 to address an international group of scholars about their archaeological digs in the Central American country of Belize. Their instructor, Mat Saunders, said no group so young has ever been invited to address the European Maya Conference, which about 150 Maya scholars attend each year. “It’s really unheard of,” he said. “They’re kids you’re proud of.” But his students already are pros at addressing leading academics in the field; they spoke this fall at a Maya conference that Saunders arranges each year in Palm Coast, Fla., where he previously taught. The coordinator of the European Maya Conference was at the Florida conference, heard the students and invited them to address the conference in Finland. Saunders had previously been invited to address the conference. Saunders also brings 20 of the world’s foremost experts on Maya archaeology and culture to Davidson Day each spring to share their latest research with the public at a Maya conference. His American Foreign Academic Research nonprofit is based at the school and has raised about $90,000 for student scholarships and preservation of the archaeological sites they discover. “For high school students interested in archaeology, it puts you ahead a lot and prepares you,” 10th-grader Drew Lukacs of Mooresville said of his archaeological studies at Davidson Day.

New World Oil & Gas “extremely encouraged" by latest Belize data
New World Oil & Gas (LON:NEW) chief William Kelleher said he was “extremely encouraged by the increased prospect of discovering a large accumulation” of oil on the company’s B Crest prospect in Belize. It follows the results of open-hole logging of the well, which uncovered live oil shows in the Y3 and Hill Bank reservoirs. A deviated well will be used to evaluate the trap potential of the structure and to target additional potential oil accumulations. The log results for the Hill Bank dolomite formation indicate a gross reservoir thickness of around 290 feet. By drilling a deviated well up structure from the current location New World expects to obtain better log results and an increase in the gross reservoir thickness. This will be followed by well testing. Kelleher said: “Drilling results and log data so far confirm that we are in an active hydrocarbon system as evidenced by the logs and significant amounts of live oil observed at surface while drilling.”

New World to get lift from drilling programme, says brokers
Oil explorer New World’s (LON:NEW) first exploration well on its Blue Creek project in Belize will inject renewed momentum into the share price, according to broker Shore Capital. The broker expects the well to spud in October to follow a systematic programme of seismic data acquisition and interpretation. Although New World remains in the exploration phase, it has progressively de-risked its projects and delivered key milestones in line with the planned timetable, Shore added. The company’s progress is reflected by its readmission as an operating resource company in July, while the drilling programme should generate a lot of excitement according to the broker. New World signed a rig contract recently with Thermasource, which was an important milestone in the broker’s opinion as it mitigates funding risks and provides improved visibility on drilling. In return for a 5 per cent stake in each of three wells to be drilled, ThermaSource agreed a cut price contract for the drilling work. As a result of the ThermaSource deal, the budgeted total cost of drilling three planned wells now stands at US$10.1 mln, equating to an approximate 50 per cent reduction on original forecast figures. Shore has upgraded its Risked NAV estimate to 40p/share (from 30p/share), reflecting the drilling contract, which further reduces budgeted well costs in Belize. New World has adhered firmly to the work programme since last year’s IPO and Shore has confidence in the company’s ability to add value to a portfolio containing multiple targets. Following an £8.5mln placing in March, Shore estimates New World is fully funded to drill two wells in Belize, at a total budgeted cost of US$6.9m on a dry hole basis. In-the-money warrants also have the potential to yield proceeds of up to £8.7 mln. After the deal with ThermaSource, Shore does not see a need to farm-down further in Belize in the short term, and has based its price target on P90 prospective resources at Blue Creek totalling 136mmbbl for Prospect ‘A’, ‘B Crest’ and ‘West Gallon Jug Crest’ combined. The broker’s implied reserve value of US$15/bbl is low compared with the circa US$25/bbl implied in New World’s success case estimates, while the broker said its 10 per cent risk factor is similarly aggressive.

New World does have oil
Long-awaited results from New World Oil and Gas (LON:NEW) have confirmed live oil shows at the B Crest prospect. The Blue Creek project, which is located in Belize, reached a total depth of 10,450 feet following an extension made at the end of October. At that time, the company had refused to comment on the exact plans for the well despite suggesting that oil and gas shows had been initially present. New World has now confirmed the initial results, and a decision has been made to drill a deviated well from the existing vertical well location in order to further explore the structure. It could also be a means of targeting additional potential oil accumulations. The approval of the Belizean government has already been granted for this. The original drill depth of the well had been planned at 7,000 feet as indications had suggested that a potential resource lay at approximately 5,700 feet. New World chief executive William Kelleher further shed light on the situation by stating that the company is 'in an active hydrocarbon system' and that the reservoir thickness is 'approximately 290 feet'. He added that the reservoir thickness estimates were subject to improvement given the company's decision to drill a deviated well. The company has impressed in keeping under budget with drilling so far. Kelleher went on to confirm that, inclusive of the new deviated well, the total cost of the Blue Creek 2 well was not expected to exceed initial estimates for drilling at the original depth. Shares were up 8.5 per cent today to 9.6p, valuing the company at £34.5 million.

New World's Belize Prospect Yields Positive Results
New World Oil and Gas reported Thursday its B Crest prospect, onshore Belize has yielded positive logging results. The firm said live oil shows in the Y3 and Hill Bank formations at the prospect were confirmed after an analysis of open-hole logging results and the conclusion of petrophysical interpretation of these formations as well as Y1 and Y2. New World has now made a decision to drill a deviated well from the existing vertical well location to evaluate the trap potential and to target other potential oil accumulations. New World CEO William Kelleher commented in a company statement: "I am extremely encouraged by the increased prospect of discovering a large accumulation on our B Crest prospect. Drilling results and log data so far confirm that we are in an active hydrocarbon system as evidenced by the logs and significant amounts of live oil observed at surface while drilling. "The log results for the Hill Bank dolomite formation have indicated gross reservoir thickness of approximately 290 feet. By drilling a deviated well up structure from our current location toward a northeast to southwest bounding fault that images considerable vertical displacement on seismic in the Y3 and Hill Bank reservoirs, we expect an improved trap potential, obtain better log results and an increase in the gross reservoir thickness."

Belize rejects bondholders's proposals on superbond restructuring
Belize on Thursday rejected counter-proposals from bondholders on ways to restructure its so-called $550 million superbond, saying they were unsustainable. In a statement released by the Belize central bank, the government said the bondholders' proposals were incompatible with its aim of putting the nation's public finances on a sustainable footing. "The Government of Belize views the recently-submitted scenarios as unsustainable, and is disappointed that a counter-proposal of this nature has come five months after discussions with the committee began," the statement said. In late September, Belize won a 60-day reprieve from bondholders after paying half of an overdue interest payment, delaying any potential legal action under the specter of a full-blown default. The reprieve will expire Dec. 1. The Belize government has laid out three proposals for rescheduling its bond payments, shocking analysts with its suggestion that they take a haircut of up to 45 percent on their investment.

Belize makes revised proposal on debt restructuring
Belize has largely rejected a counter-proposal set forth by holders of the sovereign’s US dollar 2029s, the so-called superbond, and returned with its own counter-proposal as restructuring negotiations continue. The two sides have been in formal negotiations since early October after Belize agreed in late September to make a partial US$11.7m payment for the coupon that was due on August 20. According to documents posted on the country’s central bank website, on November 21, bondholders made a counter-proposal, which included what the government described as a “modest” extension on maturities and a temporary reduction in coupons, which would eventually revert to 8.5%. Earlier this year, the government said it couldn’t afford the coupon after it had stepped up to 8.5% from 6.0% on August 20. Other required terms set out by creditors include the issuance of GDP warrants and oil recovery certificates, the inclusion of a net present value ’reinstatement’ clause and the payment of consent fees to creditors. For the most part, however, the government has largely rejected creditor’s plan. “While acknowledging that the Committee’s counter-proposal provides a degree of short-term cash flow relief, the GoB considers it to be wholly incompatible with its objective of placing the country’s debt burden on a sustainable footing - a goal that the Committee itself has indicated it is committed to at various stages,” the government said in a statement. “The GoB believes that the counter-proposal ignores Belize’s high overall debt levels, and that it amounts to little more than a short-term fix not dissimilar to the 2007 exercise.”

Belize makes improved offer on 'superbond' restructuring
Belize improved an offer to creditors on Thursday in restructuring its $550 million "superbond" as a crucial deadline approached, but rejected counter-proposals from bondholders. The tiny Central American country missed a $23.5 million interest payment on the sovereign bond in August but won a 60-day reprieve on legal action from bondholders after making a partial payment in September. The reprieve expires on Dec. 1. Belize had shocked investors with suggestions they take a haircut of up to 45 percent on their investments, extend the term of the loan or accept much lower interest payments. In a statement, the government said counter-proposals from bondholders were "unsustainable" as they all involved a return to the original 8.5 percent interest rate the country has said it cannot afford. Instead, Belize revised its offer to include a lower haircut of 33 percent and an initial interest rate of 4.5 percent that would step up to 6.75 percent after five years - more than the 3.5 percent interest it originally proposed.

Belize default deadline looms
With a 60-day reprieve from bondholders owed US$544 million expiring tomorrow, Belize’s government released two new proposals yesterday detailing how it could restructure the country’s debt, international wire services reported. Belize and its creditors have been negotiating a debt restructuring ever since the Caricom nation defaulted in September, a month after it failed to make a payment on its debt. Belize paid only half of an overdue interest payment in September, saying that its economy did not allow it to do more. In its first public restructuring proposal since the default, Belize is asking its creditors to forgive 33 per cent of what they are owed, or allow the country to delay debt payments for 10 years. The terms are more favourable to creditors than the previous restructuring proposal, in which Belize asked bondholders to forgive 45 per cent of what they are owed, or allow the country to delay any debt payments for 15 years. “They’re pushing for a pretty aggressive haircut” in the latest proposal, Moody’s Investors Services analyst Edward Al-Hussainy said, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Belize has argued it needs the debt restructuring to close financing gaps from payments for company nationalisations, decreased tourism and declining oil revenues.

November 29, 2012

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The San Pedro Sun

Panamanian Ambassador Presents Credentials
Upon making his presentation, Ambassador Carrasquilla told the Governor-General, “Your Excellency, it is with the most heartfelt pleasure that I am presenting here my Letters of Credence as my country’s Ambassador to your beautiful country. I will make sure that the already existing ties of friendship and cooperation are further expanded and I am very much interested in also increasing our business and commercial exchanges”. For his part, Governor-General, His Excellency Sir Colville Young expressed to Ambassador Carrasquilla that Belize extends to him a most warm welcome, hoping that his diplomatic relationship with Belize will be most cordial, and that we very much look forward to those bilateral, commercial and business exchanges as well. He wished the best of health to him and his wife Mrs. Edith Lu Osorio

Youth Against Violence, Belize travel to San Salvador
TODAY, a delegation of 20 powerful Belizean youth, are traveling to San Salvador to represent our nation, in the “First Central American Youth Against Violence Forum”. The primary objective of the First Youth Against Violence Forum is to create a space where youth get to know, share, and analyze policies and strategies in youth violence prevention, while improving their advocacy and organization capacity. Socialize with youth from the 7 Central American countries, and share the Central American policy recommendations on violence prevention produced by the Central American Youth Movement Against Violence. Strengthen youth capacity from the Central American Movement in violence prevention, organization, and advocacy work. Integrate young representatives from the Central American Youth Movement Against Violence into dialogue and exchange their knowledge and experiences in violence prevention. The Forum will be held on Thursday, November 29th and Friday, November 30th, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in San Salvador, with the participation of CAYMAV national chapters delegations from the 7 countries in the region, with 20 members each – a total of 140 delegates.

San Pedro celebrates Children Day
Primary schools across San Pedro and countrywide celebrated Children’s Day on Friday, November 23rd. Celebrations started early in the morning as hundreds of children took to the streets for the annual Children’s Day Parade. This year, the day was celebrated under the theme, “Today Children, Tomorrow’s Leaders, Invest Today for a Better Tomorrow “. The schools on the island held in-house activities that included track and field, three legged race, egg toss, balloon toss and other fun filled sporting activities. As part of the Children’s Day event, the New Horizon Seventh Day Adventist Primary School held Career Day on Tuesday November 20th. Several people from around the community were invited to address the children inspiring them to become productive citizens and to pursue a career of their dreams. One of the speakers at the event was San Pedro Sun’s very own Jorge Aldana who took the opportunity to encourage the students to study hard, be respectful to each other and be obedient to their teachers. Addressing the children were other members of the community including teachers, media personalities and bank managers.

Celebrating 28 years of Township
In 1984, November 27th to be exact, then-village chairman Gilberto “Chico” Gomez became the first Mayor of the newly declared municipality, San Pedro Town. 28 years later, we celebrate the anniversary of township, and the growth of the town on Ambergris Caye that began as a small fishing village only to become the country’s number one tourism destination. In an evening set to honor those who have made great contributions to the town, Mayor Daniel Guerrero and his council hosted a dinner soiree for approximately 100 specially invited guests. Present at the event were the historic first group of councilors, their spouses, past Mayors, educators, health care workers and more. Held at Elvi’s Kitchen, the event was filled with speeches that reminisced of the early days of township, and an observation of its growth through the hard work and determination of those who have been Mayors and Councilors, leaders and challengers. There was a special video presentation of the first mayor Chico Gomez, who was ill and could not attend the special evening. During his interview with Eiden Salazar of Reef Radio/Reef TV, Gomez spoke of the encouragement he received during the process of becoming a town. An interesting fact to note was that during the first year of township, there was no salary. Thereafter, the Mayor and Councilors received approximately $40 a month! He took the opportunity to encourage current leaders to listen to their people, to work hand in hand with each other to ensure that, at the end of the day, San Pedro Town benefits.

Ambergris Today

San Pedro RC School Male Football Team is District Champ
Congratulations to the San Pedro Roman Catholic School Male Football (Soccer) team as it has become the Belize District champions after having won the competition on Tuesday, November 27, 2012, in Belize City. The team now moves on to the National Finals to represent Belize District against primary school teams from the north, west and south of the country which will take place at the MCC Grounds in Belize City on Friday, December 7, 2012. At the Belize District Finals both the male and female teams of RC School participated; the female team was defeated by Belize Elementary (4-2). The male team defeated St. John’s Vaney (2-1) and went on to the final game against Belize Presbyterian Elementary School, winning with a final score of 3-0.

Township’s 28th Anniversary Celebrated
Our beautiful island of San Pedro celebrated its 28th Anniversary of Township on Tuesday, November 27, 2012, and in its honor the San Pedro Town Council put together a small show with school children. Mayor Daniel Guerrero officially welcomed all those present at the Central Park to the Township ceremony in a short yet meaningful speech. Following his address was guest speaker Mr. Angel Nuñez who gave a brief history as to how San Pedro went about getting its Township status. Students from various schools delighted those in attendance with songs, poems, dances and other energetic performances. Happy Township Day to all!!

Misc Belizean Sources

Liberty Children's Home Fundraiser, Fair & Concert
@ Bird's Isle, Sunday Dec. 16th from 10am to 8pm Adults: $5 Children $2 Everyone before noon enters free!

Mexican classic ballet group visits Belize
The Embassy of Mexico invites to the presentation by the Classic Ballet Company from the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico, at the Bliss Centre in Belize City. This special presentation will open the "Dance X Belize 2012 Festival" organized by the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), through the Institute of Creative Arts. The “Ballet de Camara del Estado de Quintana Roo” is one of the most outstanding and professional classic dance companies in Southeastern Mexico. Since its creation in October 2010, the dance group has performed different classic pieces such as Carmen, with the Quintana Roo Symphonic Orchestra, The Nutcracker, The Blue Bird, Le Corsaire, Don Quixote, The Black Swan among others, and works of its own repertoire such as: City Stories, Rebirth of my homeland and Night of the Maya, among others. After two years of its inception, the dance company has averaged 90 annual presentations. The Ballet de Camara de Quintana Roo presentation will take place on Thursday, November 9th, at 8:00 pm at the Bliss Centre in Belize City. Entrance is free and open to the general public.

Stay Updated with the Best of Cayo
You should click on 'show in newsfeed' to stay updated with all the latest news in Cayo. The Cayo Event Calendar also has a new, simple, quick-loading link: http://bestofcayo.com/calendar Sorry for the inconvenience. As you've probably heard, facebook, in a desperate attempt to squeeze money from users after being devalued by over $60 Billion, now expects pages, even community pages, to pay for people to see their posts. To see page updates from your liked pages, you now need to go to your pages, click on the 'like' button, and then on 'show in newsfeed' or fb will only show you what they want you to see. And we all know how well they've been at guessing what users want. Since this is the start of the end for fb, we're moving everything off their platform. With fb being a memory and bandwidth hog, this can save a lot of time when loading pages, and allows much more creativity. Of course, we'll still mirror data on fb until they either disappear like myspace, or change their interface to the point that it's unusable.

Rotaract Meeting at Hodes
Rotaract of San Ignacio met last night at Hodes at 7:00. Make new friends, and make a difference. "If you want to join a movement of exceptional individuals who are using their skills, talents, and energy to help others, choose Rotaract Club San Ignacio."

Cayo Art Festival Pictures
Daniel Velazquez was at the Cayo Art Festival, and he got some high quality pictures of the event. Make-Belize Films had Kurse a di Xtabai DVD's on sale during the event, and the actors were there to sign them.

Izzie the Spider Monkey's Story
A really well done video about the spider monkey that was rescued and rehabilitated at the Belize Wildlife & Referral Clinic. By chance, it all started on the day of their inauguration, so Daniel Velazquez was already there to film the event. Izzie has been at Wildtracks for a while, and has been re-evaluated at the BWRC. She needs special surgery, and they've set up a website where you can donate money to help, where they've reached 86% of what they need. Thanks, Wildtracks! http://wildtracks.chipin.com/izzie-the-spider-monkey-in-belize "So the x-rays and results are in, and Izzie does, indeed, need specialist surgery - the bones in her arm are not knitting, but in fact getting further apart. We have been amazed by the level of support to date, from individuals, technical input around vets around the world, from Dr. Isabelle, Belize's wildlife vet, offers of specialist equipment loans and the plates and pins needed for the operation. Now comes the final push to ensure the funds are available for the associated costs of the surgery, her travel costs and after care....we really appreciate all your help to date, and would ask you to please share the following Izzie Youtube and chipin links as widely as possible to help us meet the US$2,500 target..." https://www.facebook.com/wildtracksbelize

SHJC's Open Day was yesterday
Sacred Heart Junior College had their Open Day and Marketing Expo today. Every department had displays and presentations so you could learn more about the great, affordable programs that they offer. Digicell was there with a double up promotion too. You could win one of two scholarships.

What is the most unhappiest job in Belize? [POLL]
A lot of people have good jobs and a lot have ugly jobs. That doesn't matter, as long as you have a job in which you feel comfortable and happy, then you are good. So with all of that in mind, I would like to ask Belizeans: What is the most unhappiest job in Belize? Do note that we have a poll for this question of the day and you can also leave your answer in the comment section. I will be posting some of your answers and poll result in a future article.

Channel 7

Mayor Says Municipal Bond Over-Subscribed, But Low Yield Offering Still Available
As we've been reporting this week - sales of the 20 million dollar Municipal Bond have been brisk - so much so that the first ten million dollar tranche is over-subscribed. That means the council has gotten pledges of as much as 18 million when the first tranche is only 10 million dollars. But today the mayor quelled some of that enthusiasm - he said there are still some bonds on offer - and prospective buyers should not be dissuaded: Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City Council "The sales opened on Monday, and by Wednesday, which is today, a significant amount of interest has been expressed, and people have submitted applications to the Central Bank of Belize. The City Council expects that the bond will be as indicated by the level of interest, persons who have phoned in, and persons who actually submitted applications to the Central Bank, that the bond will be oversubscribed. But we want to indicate to persons in the public that they have until December 24 to submit applications to the Central Bank, and then we will decide exactly what we will do. So, there is still availability in terms of the bond. There's still availability with all the tranches, and we are advising members of the public that unless we advise otherwise, we're still taking applications to the Central Bank of Belize. I indicated to you that there are still portions of the first tranche which are still unsubscribed. So, we have seen heavy interest in the 5-year; we've seen heavy interest in the 10-year. We've not seen as heavy an interest in the 2-year."

Fishermen: We Shall Not Be Moved
And while the city council is selling bonds hand over fist - it has run into a brick wall with a slight new project they're trying on Marine Parade. It's an effort to move the mini-fish-market off the seawall at the junction of Marine Parade and Newtown Barracks. The idea that's being floated is to build a shelter for them on the jetty that juts out from the Marine Parade seawall. The first problem with the plan is that the Hunt Family has proprietary access to that jetty by virtue of what's called riparian rights - meaning they had sea front property before the marine parade road was built so their access to the sea has to be preserved to some extent. The second problem is that the fishermen themselves don't want to move. We got all sides of the story today - and start first with the design intended by Councilor Roger Espejo: Roger Espejo - Councilor With Responsibility for Economic Development "You're right in saying that it is an attempt - and a very well-calculated one - to fix a problem that we have here at the Marine Parade, in terms of bottlenecks being created by the motoring public, and also sanitation issues that are present and that have been around for a while in terms of the cleaning of fish, and the disposal of fish waste in the area, sometimes on sidewalk and seawall, and a lot of other things surrounding the general hanging out of the local fishermen in this area. First and foremost, what we are doing is for the greater benefit of the entire public. These fishermen have operated in this fashion for a while, to the best of their own ability. What we're doing now is complimenting their operation with a shelter - it's only about 200 yards away - where motorists can actually pull over in the parking bay, and more properly buy the fish that they sell. We estimate the project to be completed within a week's time, when we will ask them to sign a very small and friendly memorandum to say that they will operate by some very specific but prudent guidelines in terms of the way that they operate, the way that they sell their fish, and the way they carry themselves here in public."

The Bottles And Bones Beneath the Street
There was a quite a commotion created in downtown Belize City today when what appears to be human bones were found under North Front Street. BWSL workers were digging under the pavement right in front of the Caye Caulker Water Taxi at the northern approach of the swing bridge when they came upon what looked like a human bone - which led to a set of bones. One of the workers told Monica Bodden more: BJ - Worker In Street Digging "Well, we are just giving BWS a hand. We are just giving them an extra hand on the side because we will eventually pave the street. We are not working for BWS." Monica Bodden "So now, when you guys are doing the digging, what did you discover?" BJ "Well, one of my friends called me over and told me that he saw a bone. So, I just continued to dig, and when I looked, we saw a pile of the bones. We started to take them out and put them on the side."

Min Alamilla Sets Things Straight With Crooked Tree
Two weeks ago, we showed you how the villagers of Crooked Tree were "chopped up" with the Belize Audubon Society. Some of that anger was misplaced because the forestry and fisheries regulations they were talking abut really fall under Government Department. And so, today, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development Lisel Alamilla met with representatives from the Crooked Tree Action Group. The idea behind the meeting was for the community to vent their concerns about the management of the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. Alamilla told them that there is an exercise underway which looking at the viability of the present status of the protected areas, and this includes the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary.

Police Get Another Gun + Some Weed
Yesterday, we told you how the GSU collected three nine-millimeter pistols near an apartment on Mopan Street. Well today another gun was found - this time by the special branch. Around 11 this morning, a team of Special Branch officers searched an abandoned lot on Faber's Road where they found a black Beretta .380 Pistol with an empty magazine. They also found a black plastic bag containing 87 grams - abut three ounces - of cannabis. The drugs and firearm were both deposited as Found Property.

Major Weed Bust
And while that was a relatively minor marijuana find, Belize City police came across 13 pounds of marijuana while searching an open lot on Neal Penn Road. The search happened yesterday after police received information from their Special Branch. While combing the area, the officers found a black plastic bag containing 40 parcels of smaller bags which contained cannabis. After the drugs were weighed by police, it amounted to five thousand four hundred and fifty six grams - equivalent to 13 pounds of cannabis. The drugs were labeled as Found Property.

A Field Of Dreams In Albert Div
Berger Field is a place of football lore on the city's southside, but over the years, it has fallen into disrepair and abandonment. It's in the Albert Division and before elections, candidate Herman Longsworth promised a field of dreams. Well, he was elected - and faster than you can say "Two cents cam" - he broke ground on the project today. 7news was there: Jules Vasquez Reporting Hon. Herman Longsworth - Area Representative, Albert Division "This field, Berger Field, has created, grown, and developed some of the best football players this country has seen, and it has gone almost to nothing. My intention is to make it the start football field of Belize City." Big dreams and BWSL put an initial thirty thousand dollars to the effort. That's 20% of the 150 thousand they have committed to the project. Alberto August - Chairman , BWSL "We hear the term $150,000 being a lot of money, but frankly, $150,000 spent in the welfare of our children, is a little bit of money.

Major Behavioral Study Survey Completed
The National HIV Programme has completed a major behavioral study survey. It examined primarily how at-risk populations are being affected by Sexually Transmitted Infections. They launched the survey 2 years ago to find out how STI's affect 3 distinct sections of the population: those are men who have sex with men, female sex workers and persons with HIV. They unveiled the results today in a public forum, and 7News asked the Health Ministry Representatives about the results of the survey. Here's what they told us: Marvin Manzanero - Director, TB/HIV Program Min. Health "What we are doing this morning, is presenting findings of a survey we started in 2010. It's a cero-prevalence survey, and we basically looked at 2 populations: female sex workers, and men who have sex with men. We were looking at the prevalence of other sexually transmitted infections in persons with HIV. That is what we were trying to determine by looking at specific characteristics to those 3 groups."

Taiwan VP Remembers How Hot Bze Was, Sends AC Units
You may recall that official visit from the newly elected Vice President of Taiwan which happened back in August. Well, he visited both the House of Culture and the Museum of Belize as part of his itinerary, and he was duly impressed. But, it was August, and he was pouring sweat! And so, he made arrangements through the Taiwanese Embassy to air condition those visitor spaces. These arrangements materialized in the form of one hundred thousand dollars' worth of air conditioning units to outfit these buildings. They are now installed, and today, NICH and the Embassy of Taiwan held a ceremony to make it official. The Taiwanese Ambassador and the Director of NICH spoke to the gathering about the donation. Here's what they had to say: H.E. David K Wu - Ambassador of Taiwan " It all started in August of this year when our Vice President came here for an official visit, and the Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister, was kind, and he gave a generous welcome party here for a banquet. Our Vice President was very impressed about the significance and the importance of this House of Culture. And the next day, he was also arranged to visit the Museum of Belize. And he spoke to my embassy saying that these 2 institutes of culture and arts are 2 vary significant places, not only for their local Belizeans, but also for the foreign visitors. So, he instructed me to we might as well collaborate with these 2 institutes of culture and arts to make them even more comfortable."

A Month To Pave Two Blocks?
If you live in Belize City, you know all about the traffic chaos that's unfolding with the simultaneous paving of so many major streets - including Freetown Road and North Front Street. And so you can imagine our reaction today when we saw a release from the City Council which said that New Road from its junction with Queen Street to its junctions with Hyde's Lane will be closed for a month - right through Christmas. Now, why do they need a whole month to pave two city blocks? The mayor explained that it's an experiment in city design: Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City Council "We have a special project for the area between Queen Street and Hyde's Lane, and we've contracted IE to full redevelopment of that area, including the drains the sidewalks. We're going to put trees, parking; they're going to look at the whole aesthetics of the area. One of the things that we have been reflecting on is that when we do the streets, the designs are mono-functional. We only deal with the streets, and we cement them. So, what they've done is that they've given us a multifunctional option to see how we've could incorporate drain space, and other modern theories of design elements. So, this is really only an experiment, and we've only picked a short area of road to do. And if this works well, and it's a good design - and I trust that it will be - then we will do that same thing along Coney Drive, and along Albert Street in Belize City."

"Stolen Items Are Mine!"
Last night, we told you about that trove of stolen items which the police department said were recovered. Well today, a member of the public called us to say that all the items shown belong to her. She claims that they were stolen from her home a few days ago - and that the police well know it's hers so she doesn't see why they would put them on TV as recovered items that have to be claimed. She says that the items won't be returned to her until after the police have made their case against he men who are charged for the burglary.

Dance Project Makes Waves In Bze
The P-G-K Dance Project is in Belize for the first time to perform at the 4th annual Dance X 2012- an event hosted by the Institute of Creative Arts. P-G-K Dance Project is an award winning contemporary repertory company- based in San Diego California- and it consists of 7 professional dancers who have travelled the world performing. Dance X 2012 will also be featuring professional dancer -Jamie Thompson from the Dallas Black Dance Theatre - one of the oldest Dance Companies in the US. Thompson who is Belize's very own will be doing two solo performances at the upcoming shows. The shows will also include performances by 13 local groups and 2 other international groups. The dancers will only be performing 3 nights in Belize City and 7news got a glimpse at rehearsal. Karen Vernon - Theatre Director, Bliss Institute for the Performing Arts "Dance X 2012, this is our 4th year for Dance X, and it takes place this week. It's starts tonight at the Bliss for the forum, and it continues Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with dance shows. We have 13 local groups of these 3 night, and 4 international groups. On Thursday, Ballet De Camara De Quintana Roo takes the stage for a free performance at 8 p.m. On Friday, we have all the Belize City based groups along with our own Jamie Thompson from Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and the PGK Dance Project from San Diego, California. And on Saturday, we have the district groups performing. We have each district being respresented, and again, we have Jamie Thompson from Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and the San Diego Dance Group, and a group from Merida."

Fluffy Gals Have A Heart
The Belize Heart Association is in the process of organizing several fundraising events to try to put together funding to assist the Cardiology Department at the KHMH. One of those events is Miss Big and Sexy Pageant which will be held on the Ladyville Basketball court this Saturday. Now "big and sexy" is not something you might normally associate with a healthy heart initiative, but the pageant organizer told us today why the public should support it: Keisha Lynn Estelle-Garbutt - Organizer 1:46:03 "The pageant is scheduled for is scheduled for December 1. It's the Miss Big and Sexy, the first of its kind in Ladyville. And the reason why we're having it is part of an effort to revamp the Belize Heart Association. And so, the first order of business on that agenda would be to purchase a heart machine for KHMH. And that's the reason why we're having the pageant. The funds will be used for that purpose."

Looking For a Few Good Men
And while those big and sexy gals will be "fluffing" for charity - a Christian Group out of Belmopan is holding a strong man search. Now, it's not what you might think it is; they are looking for men who are strong in spirit. As one of the organizers told us they are on a ten day tour trying to recruit a thousand good men: Represenative "You can easily touch over 1000 men. We need to take responsibility for the homes, and the family. We have men who are sleeping around with so many different ladies, who are not committed, the common-law relationship. That needs to change. We definitely need to see our men step and really strong men." The tour is on its last two legs - in Orange Walk tonight and in Belize City at the Nazarene Church at 7:00 pm tomorrow...

Channel 5

The remains of an era; skeletons unearthed in the city
There was a major discovery of historical value in downtown Belize City this morning. Police cordoned off the area on North Front Street in front of the former Paslow building where two skeletons were unearthed by employees of Belize Water Services. While the event caught the attention of tourists and Belizeans in the area, archaeologists [...]

Fetus found in dump site
Over at the George Price Highway, another discovery was made late this morning at the dump site. While scavengers were digging through the bags of trash, one of them stumbled across a fetus that had been discarded. The tiny body was already badly decomposed and was quickly buried. There is little for police go by [...]

European Union offers $5 Million for referendum
A referendum on whether or not to elevate to the International Court of Justice, Guatemala’s claim to fifty percent of Belize’s territory has been set for October 2013 when Belizeans as well as Guatemalans will be asked to vote Yes or No. According to the Referendum Act, sixty percent of the one hundred and eighty [...]

Sex education and health revealed in report
A number of eye-opening facts were released today following a behavioral study on HIV. The National HIV Programme of the Ministry of Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Central America recently completed the survey among Female Sex Workers, Men who have Sex with Men and Persons with HIV. All three target [...]

GDP grows but so does inflation
The Central Bank has released latest figures on the economy. According to the economic brief, GDP grew by seven point four percent in the first half of the year. That is the good news, the negative is that inflation increased, cruise tourism numbers decreased and there was a significant decrease in oil production. Growths in [...]

Not in the closet, but in the attic; contractor fined for illegal workers
Jobs are scarce and it seems some hard-to-find manual labor posts are occupied by illegal workers. A building contractor had to face a Magistrate today because two of his workers did not possess a working permit. In fact, the employees were hidden in an attic. Demetrio Alfredo Rodriguez Calderon, a permanent resident of Belize appeared [...]

Junior on marijuana charge twice this week
The old adage says ‘Where there is smoke there is fire.’ and where there is Daniel Joseph James Junior, the smoke may have a wisp of marijuana. On Monday James was lucky because when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer for possession of one hundred and two grams of marijuana, his accomplice pleaded guilty [...]

Police comb empty lot for gun and drugs
On Tuesday, the Gang Suppression Unit found a cache of weapons at an apartment on Mopan Street. That search was followed by another this morning by the police who report that a team from Special Branch searched an abandoned lot on Faber’s Road. It yielded a bag containing eighty-seven grams of cannabis, but the more [...]

Visa waiver for Taiwan is not reciprocal
We reported earlier this week on an announcement from the government of Taiwan that bearers of Taiwanese passports no longer need a visa to enter Belize. What wasn’t clear was whether the arrangement was reciprocal. Well, News Five posed that question today to Ambassador David Wu of the Republic of China (Taiwan).   David Wu, [...]

Minister returns felled wood to Crooked Tree resident
Two weeks ago, the residents of Crooked Tree were up in arms threatening to put the Belize Audubon Society out of the village. BAS co-manages the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary and it was the expressed view of the residents, that because of the restrictions and conditions relating to the Sanctuary, their ability to earn a [...]

How cool is it to be a friend of Taiwan?
Taiwan is not yet waiving visas to Belizeans but this morning it stepped up with a donation that will make events at the House of Culture and group visits to the Museum of Belize much more comfortable. Both locations are significant to Belize’s history and are used for art exhibits and cultural events. What they [...]

Herman Longsworth gives a facelift to Berger Field
Vernon Street’s Berger Field, which is known as the home of many sterling football players, is about to be upgraded with funding from various sources after years of neglect. The Belize Water Services is the first to make a contribution for works to be done on the playing field as well as for the construction [...]

20 Youths head to San Salvador for anti violence conference
Twenty youths left for San Salvador before dawn this morning. The twenty delegates who left at five a.m. were not heading to a sporting event but to represent Belize in the “First Central American Youth Against Violence Forum”. There will be delegations from the seven countries in the region, totaling to one hundred and forty [...]

LOVE FM

Findings on Behavioural Survey Released
The Ministry of Health has released the preliminary findings of a behavioral survey carried out earlier this year. The survey involved three particular groups, namely men who have sex with men; female sex workers and persons with HIV and was aimed at documenting the behavioral ri...

BWS Workers Discover Skeletal Remains Underground
It’s not the kind of thing that happens regularly, but this morning while personnel from the Belize Water Services were digging up a portion of North Front Street in front of the Marine Terminal, they stumbled upon bones of a human. The remains, which were discovered about ...

Embassy of Taiwan Donates to House of Culture
The Embassy of Taiwan has made a donation to the House of Culture in Belize City. Ambassador of Taiwan to Belize David Wu, said the idea of donating the air conditioners which are valued at over a hundred thousand dollars, originated with the visit of the Vice President of the Republic...

Belize City Council Issues Update on Municipal Bond
The Belize City Council today issued a statement updating the general public on the sale of the Municipal Bond which was launched on Thursday of week. According to the official release the sale of bond is still ongoing, with payments payable at the Central Bank of Belize. T...

Crooked Tree Residents and Government Reach Agreement
Crooked Tree residents and the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development have reached agreement on the way forward. At a meeting this morning the concerns raised by the villagers in an impromptu demonstration on the morning of Friday, November sixteenth, were discusse...

CTV3

Armoured Fish Found In The North Of Belize
Armored catfish, a particularly pesky species of burrowing fish, have been detected in Sylvester Village near Gallon Jug in the Orange Walk District. In the month of September the Fisheries Department received a report from the Manager of Gallon Jug Estate that a strange fish had been caught in the area. The armored catfish are a popular aquarium fish as they use their suckered mouths to clean algae from tanks. But that same behavior that is helpful in fish tanks actually erodes local shorelines up to 10 feet as the fish devastate aquatic plant life. According to Wilfredo Pott from the Inland Fishing Unit at the Fisheries Department, a team has been sent in the area and is now investigating the situation. “In the middle of October we did a verification trip out there so we were unable to capture those things. We did a sampling exhibition but we were unable to capture the fish, only two samples were caught by the villagers out there and it happened during a flood during the month of September and the waters were very high when these fishes were caught. This fishes originates from the amazon in South America, it is used in the aquarium industry because it eats algae and it tends to clean the aquarium tanks. This fish is very reproductive every time it lays its eggs it lays between 300 to 3500 and it tends to take care of it young so what would happen is that they would over populate the area they have invaded and cause trouble with the natives like competing with them got space and food too.”

Belize's Under Fifteen Football Team Continues To Make Headlines
Tonight Belize’s Under 15 Football Team continues to be in the spotlight and let there be no doubt that their fame is well deserved. After participating in a football tournament in the Dominican Republic, the team brought the gold home becoming Belize’s history makers. Here in the north we have a double dose of celebration since four of the players are from the Orange Walk District and one of them took the title of top scorer. Tonight we take a closer look at the players from the north and the tournament itself. Today Belize can boast of the magnificent win the U-15 team accomplished in the Dominican Republic as they brought the gold home. But here in the north we have much more to celebrate since four of the team members are from the Orange Walk District and their talent was discovered during the Mundialito, a football competition catering for young athletes between the ages of eight and fourteen. Randy Augustin, Marlon Garcia, Rogi Solerzano and Dmitri Fabro nurtured their talent in the sport of football, during their years of playing in the Mundialito. Little did they know that their life was about to change and they would soon be entering into the big league by representing Belize in an international tournament.

Rawel Pelayo Defends FFB
The Belize National Football Association (BNFA) was formed in 1980 and was accepted as a member of FIFA in 1986. The BNFA became known as the Football Federation of Belize or FFB in 2001 after new statutes were written in 2006 and approved in 2007 and is primarily composed of Congress Members of the FFB and an Executive Committee. The FFB has often at times been attacked as a body which has been dormant in carrying out their duties and bringing up football in Belize. With the arrival of the country’s under 15 football team, which brought the gold home after participating in a football tournament in the Dominican Republic, fingers have been pointing at the FFB for their lack of assistance to the team. Today, Vice Chairman of the FFB Rawel Pelayo, defended the organization and explained why they were unable to assist the team financially. “We have to first of all understand that the under fifteen that went out to play in Dominican Republic is not the National Selection of Belize, first of all we have to clear that up. It is a private enterprise that has this talent school forming. The FFB upon having knowledge of this team getting itself together give them the support by sending over the technical director of the Federation, Mr. Renan Cowo, to train the team and put them together and also with whatever equipment we have at the Federation that could have been used a part of the stadium itself for their training and preparation, so we were quite constantly in touch with what was going on with the team.

Baby Ortiz Needs Your Assistance
Good healthcare is necessary to everyone. But while essential services are available in the country, it is the cost of healing the sick that keeps many from receiving proper treatment, especially those with low income. And that is the problem facing Magdalena Sarai Vasquez. Vasquez came by our studios today because her two month old baby boy, Isak Esiquiel Ortiz, is afflicted with a medical condition which is costing the already impoverished family thousands of dollars in treatment, money which they don’t have. Magdalena Sarai Vasquez- Mother “El nació con una bola aquí en el cuellito y lo van a operar hasta entre un ano aquí en Belice pero nosotros tenemos que llevarlo a Guatemala que lo operen haya, aquí nos dicen que eso no es canceroso pero haya si nos dicen que es canceroso porque es sangre cuajada que tiene, entonces nosotros les estamos pidiéndole ayuda. Él tiene dos meses y el nació así con eso y no lo podía tener normal entonces me tuvieron que operar por los mismo por que los doctores tenían miedo que eso le reventara. El nació aquí en Orange Walk y me dijeron que es posiblemente que lo operen hasta que él tenga un ano por que ya va a estar mas fuerte pero mientras nosotros le estamos viendo que el oído se le esta cerrando y eso le va creciendo mas y le da dolor de cabeza y fiebre pero trato la manera de ver como él se tranquilice pero es imposible hay veces que el llora demasiado.” The cost of the surgery in Guatemala sums to some 7,000 Quetzals or about $2, 000 BZD. If you wish to assist the family you can contact Magdalena at telephone number 666-7108.

Behavioural Survey Study Reveals Alarming Findings
The National HIV Programme of the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Central America (CDC) conducted a Behavioral Survey Study earlier this year among three identified vulnerable groups, Men who have Sex with Men, Female Sex Workers and Persons with HIV. The objectives of the survey were to document the behavior risks associated to HIV in the three target groups, to determine the behavior risks associated to HIV in the Men who have Sex with Men and Female Sex Workers groups and to determine the prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections in the three studied groups. The significant findings include the following: Overall consistent condom use was suboptimal and ranged from less than 70% in the Men who have Sex with Men and Persons with HIV to 81% in Female Sex Workers, Knowledge of HIV transmission was also found to be suboptimal with 33% of Female Sex Workers and 57% of the Men who have Sex with Men, The majority of Persons with HIV were from lower income levels, Prevalence of HIV among the Men who have Sex with Men tested was 13.8% and 0.9% of the FSW tested compared with an estimated 2.3% in the general population. The Survey also showed that Genital Herpes and Chlamydia were the most common STIs diagnosed across the groups. The prevalence of Syphilis and Gonorrhea were lower when compared with other Central American countries. Stigma and discrimination was highest in the community and workplace and estimated at 10% in the health sector.

European Union Donates 2 Million Euros For Referendum
The European Union will donate two million Euros to support the Belize Guatemala Referendum that is scheduled to take place on October sixth 2013. The simultaneous referendum will decide if the case is brought to the International Court of Justice in The Hague and so end the territorial conflict that has more than 150 years. According to the Guatemalan Press, the funds will be delivered to the Organization of American States under whose auspices the two countries negotiated to bring the dispute before the International Court of Justice. According to the European Union’s Ambassador to Guatemala, the Greek Zervoudaki Stella, he will travel to Washington in the next few weeks to sign the cooperation agreement with the Secretary General of the OAS, Jose Manuel Insulza. Guatemala claims 12.700km2 of Belizean territory which represents more than half of the entire country. While Guatemala launched its public awareness campaign in October, here in Belize, the awareness campaign is expected to commence in January 2013. In related news on Tuesday UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also weighed in on the issue of the Belize Guatemala Referendum. The UN Secretary General welcomed the decisions by both Belize and Guatemala to “hold simultaneous referenda” next October as part of their efforts to properly resolve the longstanding bilateral territorial dispute.

LOVE TV

Ladyville women’s group calls for help to curb crime in the community
The crime wave has been a topic of concern for just about everyone in Belize; from politician to tourist, to the media to lay people, to business folk to civil society. And today one more group has added its name to that list. The Women Inspired for Change based in Ladyville, was formed over this past summer and its mission is to advocate for change as it relates primarily to women. Froyla Tzalam, its president, told Love News today that the group’s foremost concern of late is the number of crime, particularly murders that have occurred in the Ladyville/Lord’s Bank areas, and while the Ministry of National Security is investing more in manpower, vehicles and equipment, Women Inspired for Change is calling for more than that, extending all the way to the prosecution, conviction and sentencing of criminals. Apart from that tall order, the group feels that the Ladyville and Lord’s Bank proper needs more police resources to cover the two rapidly-growing communities. The Women Inspired for Change rallies their communities of Ladyville and Lord’s Bank and the country at large to lobby for more from the government if meaningful change and improvement is to be realized in crime-fighting.

Investigation of Ladyville triple murder continues
Police continue investigating the triple murder that shocked the Ladyville Community over the weekend. On Monday, police arrested and charged twenty six year old Jared Avery Ranguy with three counts of murder. He is accused of the brutal murder of his mother Abbidale Karen Skeen, stepfather Robert Earl Vellos, Senior and sister Teena Beth Skeen on Sunday morning. Court reports say who also lived at number Five Marage Road where the brutal slayings occurred, appeared emotionless when he was reach the charges in the Number One Magistrate’s Court. No plea was taken, and Ranguy was remanded to the Hattiville Prison until his next court appearance, set for Thursday, January tenth. Meanwhile, a further search of the residence on number five Marage Road was carried out on Monday in the presence of Ranguy. Police say they recovered fragments of a nine millimeter round, a black bag containing a silver and black nine millimeter Taurus Pistol, one nine millimeter live round of ammunition, an orange colored knife, a white T-Shirt and a black pants containing keys and a screw driver. All the items were found in the attic of the house and were covered with what appeared to be blood. Post mortem examinations have been conducted on bodies of two of the three victims. The results show that Robert Vellos died as a result of Bronchial Asphyxiation due to gunshot wounds to the face; Teena Skeen death is certified as Traumatic Shock due to massive brain damage, caused by gunshot wounds to the head.

Taiwan donates wheelchairs to Belize
Mobility and access to necessary equipment is one of the challenges that many of our children face, but through help from the Taiwanese Ambassador to Belize, David Wu, and the Executive Director of Care Belize, Evan Cowo, some one hundred and fifty children from across Belize today returned to their respective homes in newly purchased and specially designed wheelchairs. Special Envoy for Women and Children, Kim Simplis Barrow, was the intermediary who led the charge and received the wheelchairs on behalf of the children. Taiwanese Ambassador to Belize, David Wu, in support of the Inspiration Centre being built, said that his government is always willing to help in the cause, and he acknowledged the drive and determination displayed by Special Envoy Barrow. Meanwhile, CARE Belize, which also played a key role in today’s achievement, has been helpful in works such as these in the past, and according to its Executive Director, Evan Cowo, that work has paid off immensely for beneficiaries like today’s recipients. During today’s ceremony, donations came from two entities towards the construction of the Inspiration Centre. Belize Telemedia donated ten thousand dollars and the Chinese Association gave a total of seven thousand dollars.

New High School opens in Toledo
A ceremony to mark the inauguration of a high school was held yesterday in the Toledo District. Correspondent Paul Mahung reports.

Stolen items recovered; police appeal to owners to claim them
During recent operations in Belize City police recovered a number of stolen items. The items include cell phones, cameras, assorted jewelry and cash among many other things. The Police department calls on the public to visit the Queen Street Police Station in Belize City to view and identify the items.

Gold medal winning U-15 football team returns to hero’s welcome
There is enough negative things happening these days to bring own the entire country. That is why when something good happens, it is a refreshing break from what has become an all too familiar pattern of crime and violence leading the daily newscast. Having made the case for a departure from the norm, our lead report tonight is about a group of teenage boys who used their collective talent to make a bold statement for Belize in regional football. Love TV’s Patrick Jones, video journalist Myles Gillett and intern Kenrick Selgado were at the Phillip Goldson International Airport this morning for the happy homecoming. According to the Football Federation of Belize, the Technical Director of the FFB Renan Couoh did not accompany the team to Santo Domingo because a FIFA delegation was in the country conducting training at the time.

PlusTV

Behavioral study reveals risky behavior of Belizean homosexuals and sex trade workers
The results of a behavioral study conducted earlier this year was presented at a forum in Belize City this morning....

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development, meets representatives from Crooked Tree Action Group
We have been reporting on the complaints and concerns of residents of Crooked Tree against the Belize Audobon Socie...

Human Bones unearthed in Belize City dig
Works halted for some time on North Front Street in Belize City this morning when Belize Water Services workers une...

Contractor hid immigrants at work-site
A Contractor was caught hiding two immigrants inside his attic at his worksite. That is because those workers have ...

Taiwan provides air conditioners for House of Culture and Museum
The Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Belize has sponsored air conditioners and related facilities to th...

Police made a drug bust at a home in Belmopan
Belmopan police made a drug bust at a home in Belmopan. On Tuesday November 27th, shortly before 3pm Belmopan Polic...

Special Branch finds drugs and firearm in Belize City
More drugs were found in Belize City. The Special Branch personnel received a tip and so went to conduct a search i...

Man in court for second drug charge in 3 days
24-year-old Daniel Joseph James Jr., was in court for his second drug charge within a 3 days period. This morning, ...

Security guard pleads guilty to drug possession
A Security Guard at the Youth Hostel Facility located at Mile 21, on the George Price Highway was caught with 29 gr...

Belize's Under 15 national Football team celebrate victory
The country continues to celebrate with Belize's Under 15 national Football team who returned home yesterday after ...

20 Belizean youth are in San Salvador for Youth Against Violence Forum
A delegation of 20 Belizean youth traveled to San Salvador earlier today to represent Belize in the “First Central ...

UB hosts 8th annual Women Writers Conference.
The University of Belize Belmopan Campus today hosted its 8th annual Women Writers Conference. The initiative start...

Blogs

Belize: Help me Split $550 Million US Dollars from Powerball?
Powerball is the huge US lottery...42 states,Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands. Tonight is the second biggest jackpot of all time. $550 million US dollars. I have never purchased a US lottery ticket. I think it is ridiculous. You have an equal chance of winning by flushing your money down the toilet. 1 in 175,000,000. (Your chance of being hit by lightning? 1 in 1,000,000) But...I've been getting quite a few messages from Belize...asking me to buy some tickets. I've been watching huge lines on TV all over the country...so I thought I'd head out at 7pm (4 hours before drawing time) to see what it's all about. And to buy a few tickets for Belize. 10 tickets purchased. If we win, Belize, we will each get about $1,800USD before taxes. Good, right? My local supermarket was empty. Not one person waiting. I thought 130,000 tickets were selling a minute? Not in Ridgewood, NJ.

BELIZE AUDUBON SOCIETY VS CROOKED TREE WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
At the request of community members, Hon. Lisel Alamilla, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development, met with representatives from Crooked Tree Action Group. The objective of the meeting was for the community to formally inform the Minister of their concerns over the situation with the Belize Audubon Society and the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. Minister Alamilla advised the representatives that the legal status of the protected area restricts access. She also informed that there is a current exercise underway which is looking at the viability of the present status of the protected areas, and this includes the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. Among key decisions made, the Minister in good faith directed that the log-wood that was cut would be returned to the individual. The Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development will organize a meeting the week of December 10th with the Forest Department, Fisheries Department, Belize Audubon Society and the representatives from Crooked Tree Village to improve the dialogue and chart a new way forward. In the interim, the representatives agreed to work within the confines of the regulations of Wildlife Sanctuary.

International Sources

New World Oil and Gas reveals find in Belize
New World Oil and Gas, the exploration and development company focused on Belize and Denmark, has announced that following an analysis of recent open hole logging results and the conclusion of a petrophysical interpretation of the Y1, Y2, Y3 and Hill Bank formations at the B Crest prospect in Belize, live oil shows in the Y3 and Hill Bank reservoirs have been confirmed. A decision has been made to drill a deviated well from the existing vertical well location to get up structure in the Y3 and Hill Bank formations to evaluate the trap potential in this part of the structure and to target additional potential oil accumulations. This decision was taken with the approval of the Government of Belize. New World CEO William Kelleher said: "I am extremely encouraged by the increased prospect of discovering a large accumulation on our B Crest prospect. Drilling results and log data so far confirm that we are in an active hydrocarbon system as evidenced by the logs and significant amounts of live oil observed at surface while drilling. "The log results for the Hill Bank dolomite formation have indicated gross reservoir thickness of approximately 290 feet. By drilling a deviated well up structure from our current location toward a NE to SW bounding fault that images considerable vertical displacement on seismic in the Y3 and Hill Bank reservoirs, we expect an improved trap potential, obtain better log results and an increase in the gross reservoir thickness. This will be followed by well testing in the ordinary course of exploration operations."

New World buoyed by Belize oil finds
New World Oil and Gas (NEW) on Thursday confirmed live oil shows in the Y3 and Hill Bank reservoirs in Belize. The announcement came after an analysis of recent open-hole logging results and the conclusion of a petrophysical interpretation of the Y1, Y2, Y3 and Hill Bank formations at the B Crest prospect. A decision has now been made, with the approval of the government of Belize, to drill a deviated well from the existing vertical well location to get up structure in the Y3 and Hill Bank formations to evaluate the trap potential in this part of the structure and to target additional potential oil accumulations. "Drilling results and log data so far confirm that we are in an active hydrocarbon system as evidenced by the logs and significant amounts of live oil observed at surface while drilling," stated chief executive William Kelleher. "The log results for the Hill Bank dolomite formation have indicated gross reservoir thickness of approximately 290 feet. "By drilling a deviated well up structure from our current location toward a north-east to south-west bounding fault that images considerable vertical displacement on seismic in the Y3 and Hill Bank reservoirs, we expect an improved trap potential, obtain better log results and an increase in the gross reservoir thickness." Analysts at FoxDavies echoed the view that the drilling results increased the possibility of discovering "a large accumulation" on the B Crest prospect. "Earlier, the B Crest prospect was estimated to hold gross P50 unrisked prospective resources of 92.1 million barrels (mmbbls) with three drill-ready prospects on the Blue Creek estimated to hold 329 mmbbl oil resources," they reminded investors. New World also took the opportunity to announce that the Blue Creek 2 well, including the deviated well that will commence at 3,000 feet, would be drilled to a total measured depth of 11,800 feet, and was not expected to cost more than the sum of the total cost of the original Blue Creek 2 well.

New World Oil & Gas eyes bigger oil find
New World Oil & Gas rose after tests showed the increased prospect of a large discovery at its B Crest project in Belize. The firm said live oil shows in the Y3 and Hill Bank reservoirs at the site had been confirmed. A decision has now been made to drill a deviated well from the existing vertical well location to get up structure in the Y3 and Hill Bank formations to evaluate the trap potential and to target additional potential oil accumulations. This decision was taken with the approval of the government of Belize, the company added. Chief Executive William Kelleher said both the logs and significant amounts of live oil observed at the surface while drilling showed the firm was working on an active hydrocarbon system. He added that with the new drilling plans he expected an improved trap potential, to obtain better log results, and to see an increase in the gross reservoir thickness. The company's shares were up 2.8% at 09:15 following the announcement.

John McAfee Would Like Anonymous to Wait Until ‘I Accidentally Hang Myself’ to Attack Belize
Also know: he digs your style. It’s been a heady month for antivirus pioneer/shotgun enthusiast John McAfee. First, his neighbor was murdered; then, the he was on the run from the Belizean police; finally, he became a media sensation, captivating reporters with tales of clever disguises and the terrors of Central American prisons. Well, just because the major networks have taken their microphones away doesn’t mean Mr. McAfee has stopped talking. He continues to blog up a storm at the blog/graphic novel marketing site whoismcafee.com, and just yesterday he did Infowars and Joe Rogan. So what’s on Mr. McAfee’s mind? Bath salts, for one thing. For another, Mr. McAfee reported earlier today that the official website of the Belize government was down, and surmised that the a) its servers had been overwhelmed by millions of emails from humanitarians inspired by Mr. McAfee to seek government reform b) the government had shuttered the site to prevent employees from learning of Mr. McAfee’s campaign or c) that the website had been the target of a cyber attack. (It bears noting that the website was working fine when we visited, though the contact page at travelbelize.org was indeed inoperative, as Mr. McAfee promised.) Well, accepting for the moment that the site really was down, Mr. McAfee has an idea just who might be responsible for it: I know that members of the hacktivist group Anonymous have been posting here. I recognize your writing styles. You are welcome here. You are a powerful collective, more powerful than most realize, and I sympathise with your spirit. However, if you are responsible, then this is not the time. I need the Government to be able to read the displeasure of the world. Deaf ears can hear nothing. You would better serve the cause against censorship by writing emails voicing your displeasure for the time being. If I am arrested, or am killed in a “robbery attempt” or accidently hang myself in jail, then please have at it. Do your worst. For now, bear with me. If you are not responsible, I apologize for my presumptiveness.

10 signs you aren't prepared for your trip
You know that slight sense of anxiety that grows as your departure date nears? Well, it may be wise to listen to your gut. Travel is fraught with the unexpected (that's why it's such an adventure). But the more prepared you are, the better you'll be equipped to handle the unforeseen complications, quandaries, and minor disasters that are pretty much routine on the road. How do you know if you're truly ready to set off on a successful journey? Here are 10 signs you're not quite prepared for your next trip. You don't know the weather The weather in your destination influences everything from what you should pack to whether your plane is delayed, especially if you're traveling during spring or fall, when fluctuating temperatures are standard. Log onto your favorite weather website a few days before departure and check local conditions; then pack accordingly. And if you see a foul-weather forecast, double-check your flight status. Your house looks the same You're probably not ready to travel if you haven't taken care of key tasks around the house. These could include setting your lights on a timer, cleaning out the fridge, and placing a stop order on your mail (you can do this at USPS.com). Have you heard of "vampire power"? That term refers to the electrical power consumed by devices that are turned off yet still plugged in, sucking up energy like, well, a vampire. Before traveling, unplug devices such as your television, microwave, or air-conditioning unit to save on electricity.

November 28, 2012

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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

Celebrating 28 years of Township
In 1984, November 27th to be exact, then-village chairman Gilberto “Chico” Gomez became the first Mayor of the newly declared municipality, San Pedro Town. 28 years later, we celebrate the anniversary of township, and the growth of the town on Ambergris Caye that began as a small fishing village only to become the country’s number one tourism destination. In an evening set to honor those who have made great contributions to the town, Mayor Daniel Guerrero and his council hosted a dinner soiree for approximately 100 specially invited guests. Present at the event were the historic first group of councilors, their spouses, past Mayors, educators, health care workers and more. Held at Elvi’s Kitchen, the event was filled with speeches that reminisced of the early days of township, and an observation of its growth through the hard work and determination of those who have been Mayors and Councilors, leaders and challengers. There was a special video presentation of the first mayor Chico Gomez, who was ill and could not attend the special evening. During his interview with Eiden Salazar of Reef Radio/Reef TV, Gomez spoke of the encouragement he received during the process of becoming a town. An interesting fact to note was that during the first year of township, there was no salary. Thereafter, the Mayor and Councilors received approximately $40 a month! He took the opportunity to encourage current leaders to listen to their people, to work hand in hand with each other to ensure that, at the end of the day, San Pedro Town benefits.

No arrest in Gregory Faull murder; wanted for questioning, McAfee remains in hiding
The Belize Police Department continues to investigate the murder of US national 52 year old Gregory Faull. A post mortem examination conducted on Tuesday, November 13th certified the cause of death to be, “brain damage due to injuries sustained from a gunshot wound to the head.” Faull was found dead on the morning of Sunday, November 11th and was last seen alive socializing sometime around 10:30PM on Saturday, November 10th at a resort north of his residence. A 9 millimeter shell was found on the second step of the stairs outside of his residence. While police have yet to make an arrest, they believe that Faull’s neighbor, 67-year-old computer antivirus pioneer John McAfee is a “key person” in the murder investigation and remains “a person of interest.” According to police he is wanted for questioning. Police Press Officer in the Ministry of National Security Raphael Martinez told The San Pedro Sun that not much has changed in the investigation since McAfee went into hiding but police believe McAfee could be a missing link to the murder investigation. “Mr. McAfee is still out there, somewhere and he is still wanted for questioning. He is still a person of interest and we are still appealing to him to come in to answer some brief questions so that we can get to the bottom of this murder investigation in San Pedro,” said Martinez who added “what he (McAfee) has to say will determine the direction of this case. I am sure the police are trying to piece together quite a few [pieces of] evidence. The investigation is still ongoing so we don’t want to mention a lot of things that are happening at this point. What I can say is that Mr. McAfee is needed to fill in some of the pieces that are missing in this entire crime scene.” Meanwhile police have also focused part of their investigation on exhuming the remains of four dogs that according to McAfee’s girlfriend, he [McAfee] shot in the head. According to online media, McAfee claims that he mercifully shot the dogs after discovering that they had been poisoned. “We are trying to determine if the bullets recovered from the dogs come from the same gun used in the murder,” said Martinez who explained that the slugs have been removed from the head of the dogs and are at the Belize Police Forensic Laboratory for ballistic testing. Martinez said that the result of the testing will be completed “shortly” but did not indicate a time frame, stating that the findings will not be made available to the general public right away due to the status of the investigation.

Sunday Funday at Canuck’s…come on over!
There is so much of Belize to write about, coming up with just one thing to share with readers is a task unto itself. But with an open invitation from our friends down at Canuck’s to experience their legendary Sunday Fun Day, it wasn’t too hard to decide this week’s fun topic. Sundays on Ambergris Caye are generally considered family day. As you drive along our various beaches, you find families with what would appear to be their entire dining room – arranged on the beach; socializing, eating and basically spending quality time with each other. Although that certainly is an option, another favorite past time for ex-pats as well as locals is Crazy Canuck’s Sunday Fun Day. Located on the beach at the Exotic Caye Beach resort grounds, Canuck’s is a short ten-minute walk along the beach from the Airstrip, or a five minute taxi ride from anywhere in town. There’s something about a slow stroll along the beach that seems to provide a very calming effect on me. With Sunday’s weather holding up beautifully, the choice was clear indeed – a walk over it was! Canuck’s has somewhat of a rustic charm to it. It’s very welcoming and Rob and Krista are absolutely amazing at making sure that all their patrons are well taken care of. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio USA – the couple visited the island about a year ago and fell in love with the place. They knew they wanted to live here, so it was just figuring out what they’d do to become a part of the community. Canuck’s was available and they jumped at the opportunity.

Ambergris Today

Abner Marin Competes in National Geographical King Fisher Series
Local fisherman and tour guide Abner "Abby" Marin will be in the international spotlight once again! He has gotten the opportunity to star in an upcoming television competition series that will highlight one of the major attractions to the country – Fishing. A film crew from National Geographic HD was on the island this past weekend taking footage for their latest fishing competition series, King Fishers. Abby has over 25 years of fly fishing experience and can be considered as San Pedro's top fly fishing guide and angler. Abby has been internationally described as "the Michelangelo with a fly rod when it comes to bone finishing". This is one of the many reasons that Abby was chosen to represent Belize to compete against two other anglers for the title of King Fishers. National Geographic's King Fishers Series will air in summer 2013 and will feature 30 anglers from around the world in a total of ten episodes. Three anglers from different countries will travel to each competitor’s country where they will compete in fishing and will host the other two anglers to a cultural experience.

Mexico Pledges to Assist Belize with Connecting Road to Bi-National Border Bridge
Quintana Roo, 23 November 2012.- On tour in the State of Quintana Roo, President Calderón inaugurated the Subteniente López II “Chactemal” Bridge, which will boost trade between Mexico and Belize. President Calderón remarked that opening the bridge will create more economic development and opportunities for progress for the families in the region. It will have appropriate spaces for promoting the development of customs operations, guaranteeing workers’ security and streamline the shipping of merchandise as well as the entry of passengers by bus and light vehicles. Infrastructure was improved and state-of-the-art furniture and equipment was purchased. The Customs Office is now better equipped to provide efficient service for users and strengthen Mexico‘s links with international markets. An investment of nearly 180 million pesos was required.

Misc Belizean Sources

VIDEO: The Harvest: Mast Brothers Chocolate
In recognition of the people who cultivate, nurture and ultimately harvest the fruit from which chocolate is made. Shot on location in San Felipe, Belize, with a special thanks to Maya Mountain Cacao (mayamountaincacao.tumblr.com/). Video: E. Conor Hagen Music: "Angelitos Negros" by Los Indios Tabajaras

BELIZEAN TEEN EARNS PRIVATE PILOT LICENSE IN FLORIDA
Jim Howard strapped himself into the Cessna 172P and beside him in the cockpit sat the pilot painstakingly and carefully performing the pre-flight checks. As the plane took off, the pilot at the controls was 18 year old Hugh Alvin Wade, a junior at Hobe Sound College, where he is now 6 months away from obtaining his BA in Inter-Cultural Communications and Aviation. Hugh took his first solo flight at the age of 16 in Corozal, Belize after taking lessons with retired USA Air Force Colonel, Gordon Scott. While many of his friends and classmates spent the summer relaxing, Hugh was in the Amazon Jungle for half of the summer drilling water wells for the indigenous people of Peru and Brazil and the other half at Clearflight’s facility in Fort Pierce, Fl. with his heart set on earning his private license. For seven and a half weeks, he attended ground school, learning the theory on how to make a flight plan; how to calculate weight and balance; how to navigate; the rules of airspace; and understanding the mechanics of planes. He also took air traffic control classes and took many solo flights across Florida. After an evaluation flight and an oral test by an FAA examiner, he took one last two-hour flight with the FAA examiner that would determine whether he would receive his license. When he landed the plane, Hugh said “I was so happy; all I heard was 'Congratulations.'" Friends and classmates ask him if he is worried about accidents and he said absolutely not. "You have more of a chance crashing on the road with people driving erratically," he said. “In a plane, you have the control tower looking out for you. Young Hugh Wade takes his role in the cockpit seriously, and he approaches his future in the same way. After graduation next year, he plans on continuing to earn his instrument ratings required to fly commercial passenger planes, and his certified flight instructor rating. As an instructor, he can teach and earn money, all while accumulating the necessary flight hours required to reach his ultimate goal: becoming a pilot for a major commercial airline by the time he is 23, the minimum age set by the FAA. When asked for his advice to young people, he said "If you set a goal, accomplish it.” “Always set goals and shoot for them."

VIDEO: Amigos Surface Interval at Half Moon Caye
Two dives completed, Blue Hole and Half Moon Wall at Lighthouse Reef. Time for a break! Join us for world class diving.

The Cayo Event Calendar
The Cayo Event Calendar also has a new, simple, quick-loading link

MORE INFO
The 8th Annual Women Writers Conference will be at the University of Belize today. "The Women In Literature class presents: An opportunity to embrace and acknowledge women who have contributed to our literary development and, at the same time, reach out to emerging writers. Wednesday, November 28th. UB Jaguar Auditorium. 1:30 - 3:30. Refreshments will be provided."

Cayo Art Festival Airbender Display
Ashanti the Airbender performed a yoga dance fusion at the Cayo Art Festival. Great moves, Ashanti! "'Still, I RISE', is an asana dance fusion, which combines the movements of various dance styles such as ballet, contemporary and hip-hop fused with numerous simple and intricate asanas (yoga postures). Performance by Airbender Performer at the Cayo Art Festival 2012"

SIRH Full Moon Dinner
Today, the San Ignacio Resort Hotel will have their full moon dinner. Celebrate the last full moon before the end of the Mayan calendar. "Tomorrow is the Full Moon Dinner with Live Music! Don't miss out! Make a reservation now at reservations@sanignaciobelize.com"

Los Tambos "Culture Day"
The Institute for Social and Cultural Research paid a visit to Los Tambos Government School. "Benque HOC congratulates the parents, students and staff for their efforts to educate their children as best as possible with the limit resource they have. At the same time we thank the staff of ISCR, especially to Mrs Irene and Mison and of course the Museum of Belize Director, Ms Jones."

SHJC's Open Day Today
Sacred Heart Junior College's Open Day is today, from 10am until 6pm. One of their students created a great map detailing all the activities and where the different departments will be setting up. The computer department will have a robots display. They'll also be giving away a full year scholarship. In the afternoon, there will be a marketing expo. Go see what SHJC has to offer. "Here's a campus map designed just for Wednesday's SHJC's Open Day 2012. Done by our very own IT student Kenny Lamb. It gives a neat summary of what you can expect on this day::: Scholarship info, 50% off admissions fee (valid up to March 2013), Win a one year full scholarship, mini volleyball & football tournament, SHJC Marketing Expo. It's too much for you to miss out on!"

Guava Jelly
Although I don't like the smell of gauva, I've always loved the jam or jelly. This recipe is simple, but the taste is exquisite. After trying this recipe, you will try to make jelly or jam with many different fruits.

CCTOA Raising the bar!!
It was the initiative of a number of the motor boat snorkel operators who felt that the price ‘war’ that was being fought on the streets was going to take many of them out of business!! The increase in taxes and gas, the fact that gas is no longer tax deductable and therefore the increase in all costs of running these tours meant that all Operators have been finding it hard to run the efficiently run tours they know they should be putting out. The Caye Caulker Tour Operations Association (CCTOA) was formed a few weeks ago with Mario Verde of Mario’s Tours being the president, Vice President Hans Badillo of E-Z Boy Tours, Eduardo Arceo of Liberty Tours is the Treasurer, Edith Chavarria (Manager and office genius) at Raggamuffin being the Secretary – Board Members Carlos Arce of Hicaco Tours, Shedrock Ash of French Angel Fish, Heather Martin of Tsunami. This official and registered Association will work together with the Belize Tourist Board’s Tour Operators Committee to ensure that all Operators on Caye Caulker maintain a quality level of service and to ensure that they maintain the new price of the tours. The CCTOA will ensure that those who do not operate within these guidelines will be subject to losing their License to operate and therefore ensuring that all Tour Operators on Caye Caulker maintain the highest of standards!! This is a great relief to all in the industry and for all future customers who can ensure that our collective services are excellent so that all persons who visit here come back with wonderful experiences and indeed memories of our beloved island Caye Caulker!

Channel 7

Accused Family Killer Hangs His Head At Court
Jared Ranguy is accused of killing his mother, his sister and his stepfather - and today, the 26 year old was taken to court to be arraigned for three murders. He was calm and police had him cuffed. He wore a hooded sweater and hung his head low so that the cameras could not capture his face. And that behavior fits in with what he is reported to have told police - that he is ashamed of what has happened and his family members now have to live with the shame of him being responsible for this. That is what he said to police, but not in a confession statement; in his statement, we are told, he talks about sleepwalking. As we reported, 51 year-old Karen Skeen Vellos, her daughter, 32 year-old Tina Beth Skeen, and her husband, 72 year-old Robert Earl Vellos Sr., were killed inside their home on Marage Road someone around 3 a.m. on Sunday. Karen Skeen Vellos - Jared's mother was stabbed to death; she had puncture wounds to the chest and neck, while Robert Vellos was shot to the back of his head, both in their bedroom. In her own bedroom, police found Tina Beth Skeen with gunshot wounds to the right side of her head and her right hand. Inside the house, police also found Ranguy half-naked with a machete in his hand screaming.

Did "EMO Cult" Lead To Suicide In Cristo Rey?
We don't usually report on suicides, but yesterday we told you about the disturbing case of a 36 year old who killed himself - supposedly because of a connection to what he called the EMO cult. Now, whether EMO is actually an organized cult - or just the imaginings of distressed minds is a matter of some debate. But, it has been linked to a troubling number of suicides in Western Belize - mostly involving teenagers. This man, though, was an adult - and his father told Daniel Ortiz today - that he was in the grips of delusion: Daniel Ortiz reporting 36 year-old Marvin Tut's life ended somewhere along this trail. Police believe that he slit his own throat with a broken bottle, realized the seriousness of what he did and walked 150 yards up the trail to get help. His friend found him here, and tried to get him to the nearest hospital, but it was too late. He bled out from that wound to the throat. Today, his dad revealed that Marvin Tut was having hallucinations, and some kind of mental breakdown.

GSU Gets Guns, Says PIV Gang Is Moving East
The GSU was at it again today with a pre-dawn raid which they say pursued specific gang and drug targets. Between 5:00 and 9:00, a search was conducted at the residence of what the GSU calls a known drug peddler on Faber's Road. Nothing incriminating was found on the premises, but one hundred and fourteen grams - about four ounces of cannabis was found along the zinc fence outside the yard in a black plastic bag stuffed in a KLIM pan. Because it was detected outside the property it was labeled as found property. A search was also conducted at the residence of another drug peddler on Raccoon Street extension between 9am and 11am but nothing incriminating was found. But in front of the yard thrown in with in a pile of garbage, the GSU found a Clorox bottle with two hundred and eighty six grams of cannabis - about 10 ounces - inside a black plastic bag. That was also labeled found property. At 11 am the GSU officers moved on to an apartment complex on Mopan Street that led to two apartments occupied by reputed members of the PIV gang. The GSU reports that "one of the apartments was occupied by 12 key members of the PIV Gang."

Do These Stolen Items Look Familiar?
Do any of these items look familiar? Do they belong to you? The items including assorted jewelry, cell phones, digital cameras, watches, a kit bag full of coins, a handbag and even a thick billfold of US and Belize dollars have been recovered by police over a period of time. If they're yours, and more importantly, if you can prove ownership - the items can be viewed at the Queen Street Police Station.

Farrakhan Will Make Third Visit To Belize
Nation of Islam Leader Minister Louis Farrakhan will make his third visit to Belize in December. He is on a five nation Caribbean Tour and will arrive in Belize on December 6th for a four day visit. He will have a number of appearances and addresses - starting with a youth rally at Bird's Isle. He will also speak to the entire prison population at Kolbe Central Prison. And, as he did in his prior visits in 1975 and 1986, he will address the general public at Bird's Isle in a night-time gathering. And while that is the public part of the visit, Farrakhan will also meet with the Governor General, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition and be hosted at an official welcoming reception sponsored by Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington. His Caribbean Tour started last week in Grenada and moves next to Barbados, then Dominica, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Belize and ends in the Bahamas. Farrakhan has Caribbean roots: his father is from Jamaica and his mother is from St. Kitts.

Arrests For Mango Creek Robberies
Police have finally confirmed those Mango Creek robberies we told you about on Friday night. It's stale news by now, but it's still worth reporting that the small village witnessed two armed robberies within five days. And the evidence now is that they were probably both conducted with the same stolen shotgun - a 12 gauge Remington, which was taken in a burglary in the village on the 12th. On Thursday 15th November, at 11:45pm, three masked, gloved men stormed into El Buen Amigo Bar with the shotgun and ordered all customers to lie on the floor. They stole cah, cell phone and even a bicycle. Almost a week later, on Wednesday 21st November, at 7:00 pm two dark skinned men wearing stockings over their faces and armed, again, with a 12 gauge shotgun, stormed into the shop and demanded money. They again stole cash, cell phones and, in this case, cigarettes. Police have made arrests though. They recovered $300 dollars and arrested and jointly charged Carl Thomas THOMPSON, from Independence Village and Anthony Steve MARTINEZ, also of Independence Village for Robbery.

A Much Needed Donation Of Wheelchairs
This morning, the Taiwanese Embassy and the office of the Special Envoy for Women and Children teamed up for a wheelchair donation. Seven news was there and here's how the contribution will be used:.. Monica Bodden reporting Belize's Special Envoy for Women and Children- Kim Barrow along with the Taiwanese Embassy and CARE-Belize -this morning - donated 20 wheelchairs to physically challenged Belizeans and the Belize City Emergency Management Organization. The 20 wheelchairs are a part of 150 mobility aid, which were obtained through the assistance of the Taiwanese Embassy. The list includes 5 Adaptable pediatric wheelchairs, 10 Personal energy transportation carts, 20 Adaptable Adult Wheelchairs, 50 Standard children chairs, 55 Adult Folding Wheelchairs and 10 Table recliners. The wheelchairs are valued at approximately fifty thousand dollars Belize and will be distributed through CARE-Belize.

Municipal Bond Much Better Than Expected
The first tranche of the municipal bond has been oversubscribed! That means they've gotten offers to buy more bonds than they're selling at this time. In a quite remarkable turn of events - the Mayor today reported that they have gotten offers to buy 16.5 million dollars in bonds. That's 16.5 million dollars in offers - when the first tranche offering is for only ten million dollars. It's a major sign of confidence - and a major boost for city hall - which now has the enviable task of picking who gets how much of the first tranche offering. The second tranche of 5 million is scheduled to be deployed next year.

Belize Makes A Mark In U-15 Football
Whenever a selection of Belizean athletes enters a sporting event - we're always the underdogs, due to population and a lack of training and facilities. But, in sports, the biggest intangible is heart, you can't buy it or coach it; either you have it or you don't. And a team of Belizean under 15 footballers proved that they had an abundance of heart when they travelled to the Dominican Republic for a competition last week. They came home today and 7news along with excited family members were at the airport to greet them:... Jules Vasquez reporting A hero's welcome awaited the players of the Belmopan Football Talent School Selection at the international airport. They came out of the arrival lounge to the embraces of family. And they earned those embraces by bringing home the hardware that which is so sought after but so rarely seen, a championship cup - Gold in the Dominican Republic U-15 Football Tournament. The under 15 players also got a VIP welcome from the Minister of Sports - and their own press conference in the airport's VIP room.

Channel 5

Belize U-15 football team brings the gold from the Dominican Republic
With an abundance of negative news in our daily newscasts, we lead tonight with an uplifting story involving our youths. The Under Fifteen National Football team returned to Belize today from Santo Domingo where they went up against top notch teams. The local team outmaneuvered participating teams, including Mexico, winning all games to clinch the [...]

Jared Ranguy formally charged for the murder of his family
A family of three was cold bloodedly murdered execution style at their Ladyville early on Sunday morning. Robert Vellos Senior, his wife Karen Skeen, and her daughter Teena Skeen were shot in their heads before four o’clock on Sunday morning. Karen’s son Jared Ranguy was immediately detained and about forty-eight hours later, he was brought [...]

What do you think is best to reduce crime?
Tonight’s question is: What do you think is best to reduce crime; Draconian Legislation, Social Programs or the Death Penalty? 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 questions@channel5belize.com.

Leader of the Islam Nation prepares for 3rd visit to Belize
Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, has begun a tour of five countries within the Caribbean. The journey, which began last Wednesday in Grenada, will see the controversial religious and social leader visit Barbados, Dominica, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Belize and the Bahamas, respectively. Minister Farrakhan will arrive in Belize on December [...]

One hundred fifty wheelchairs go to needy, physically challenged Belizeans
Mobility is a huge challenge for persons living with disabilities but this morning a number of them received devices that will make their lives easier and more comfortable. The Embassy of Taiwan has for the second time this year made a sizeable donation of wheelchairs and other mobility aids to the Special Envoy for Women [...]

14 year old accused stepfather of sexual abuse
There is a disturbing report from Crooked Tree tonight. A fourteen year old student is claiming that she has been carnally known by her stepfather. The young girl has reported to the police that since early July her step father has been having sexual intercourse with her. Police are looking for the alleged perpetuator and [...]

3rd suspect is charged for robbery of Immigration Officer and businessman
A third man accused of the June 2012 robbery at gunpoint of Immigration Officer, Lindsay Wade was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on two counts of robbery. He is Russell Vernon, a Stevedore, who appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer. Vernon is accused of stealing four cell phones and jewelry from Wade and [...]

A minor and Cruz Encalada are charged for Ladyville burglary
The house of Kenworth Tillett located in the Ladyville area was burglarized almost two weeks ago. Stolen were over ten thousand dollars worth of items including a wedding ring, a flat screen television set and a racer bicycle. This morning, a seventeen year old minor who claims he is a fisherman was charged along with [...]

Gang Suppression Unit operations pull in drugs, guns and ammunition
The Gang Suppression Unit this afternoon conducted several operations aimed at specific drug infested areas. The first search took place early this morning at the house of an alleged drug peddler on Faber’s Road. While nothing incriminating was found inside the house, the GSU says it found one hundred and fourteen grams of cannabis on [...]

Human Rights Commission wants crime control measures enforced properly
Early on Sunday afternoon, there was a murder on Mahogany Street. William Felix Francis was not only killed inside his house, he was murdered in a crime ridden area, which at the time was under heavy police presence. Government is relying on the Crime Control and Criminal Justice Act to deploy police and military in [...]

Dance X returns with Dallas Black and Belize’s Jamie Thompson among performers
For the second time, NICH will be hosting Dance X and this year, it is dedicated to the Mayas. One of the big attractions will be performances by Jamie Thompson, who is from the Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Thompson’s dancing career started from his schooldays in Belize and he made it big when he moved [...]

Clarification to statement made on the Dickie Bradley Special
For the record and as a matter of clarification, our phones have been ringing off the hook from persons who tuned in to the Dickie Bradley Show on Monday night. The callers are pointing out that contrary to what was said on the show, the U.D.P. was not in office when the Maritime Areas Act [...]

Looking back at the late Karen Skeen, cancer activist
Karen Skeen, her husband Robert Vellos and daughter Teena were savagely executed before the break of dawn as they slept at their Ladyville house on Sunday morning. The heinous murder has stunned the entire community; not only because of its gravity but because the suspect is Karen’s son. Karen is a well-known figure who for [...]

LOVE FM

Two Jointly Charged for Burglary
Two persons, 23 year old Cruz Encalada and a 17 year old boy, were charged with a burglary in which items and money amounting to over $10,000.00 were stolen, when they appeared in court today. A third person, a woman, has also been charged but she was not arraigned because she is...

Minor Tells Police She Was Sexually Active With Stepfather
A minor has reported that she has been engaging in sexual intercourse with her stepfather. According to reports a fourteen year old student from Crooked Tree Village visited the Ladyville Police Sub Formation accompanied by her mother. The girl reported that since the secon...

Panama Ambassador to Belize Presents Credentials to Governor General
Ambassador of Panama to Belize Joaquin Carrasquilla today presented his credentials to Governor General Sir Colville Young at Belize House in Belmopan. During his presentation, Ambassador Carasquilla told the Governor General quote “Your Excellency, it is with the most hear...

Special Needs Children Receive Donation From Taiwanese Ambassador to Belize
One hundred and fifty children from across the country today received wheelchairs which came through a donation from the Taiwanese Ambassador to Belize, David Wu. Special Envoy for Women and Children, Kim Simplis Barrow, was the intermediary who led the charge and received the wheelcha...

Women's Group in Ladyville Calls on GOB For Police Resources
The Women Inspired for Change, a women’s group based in Ladyville has denounced the triple murder and have called on the Minister of Police to provide the Ladyville Police Station with adequate resources to deal with the growing crime rate there and neighbouring Lord’s Bank...

Brother/Son Charged for Triple Murders
Police have arrested and charged twenty six year old Jared Ranguy of Ladyville with three counts of murder. This follows the brutal slaying of his mother Karen Skeen, stepfather Robert Earl Vellos Sr. and his sister Teena Skeen in the early hours of Sunday at their home on Ma...

CTV3

Panamanian Ambassador His Excellency Joaquin E. Carrasquilla Presented Credentials To The Governor General Of Belize
Today Panamanian Ambassador His Excellency Joaquin E. Carrasquilla presented Credentials to the Governor General of Belize in Capital City Belmopan. Upon making his presentation, Ambassador Carrasquilla told the Governor-General and we quote “Your Excellency, it is with the most heartfelt pleasure that I am presenting here my Letters of Credence as my country’s Ambassador to your beautiful country. I will make sure that the already existing ties of friendship and cooperation are further expanded and I am very much interested in also increasing our business and commercial exchanges”. For his part, Governor-General His Excellency Sir Colville Young, expressed to Ambassador Carrasquilla that Belize is looking forward to those bilateral, commercial and business exchanges.

Bad Sugar Road Condition Poses A Challenge For Canefarmers
As mentioned in the story cane farmers are facing a number of challenges for this year’s crop season including the bad conditions of sugar roads and high fuel prices. These concerns were laid on the table during a meeting held yesterday in Belmopan between members of the BSCFA Committee of Management and the Minister of Works Honorable Rene Montero. “Le presentamos nuestras quejas que tenemos sugar roads que no se han tocado y la zafra empezó hoy y realmente lo que nos esta ayudando pues es el clima y gracias a Dios que el canero pueda transitar porque en un tiempo de lluvia el canero no iba a transitar en estos momentos y el ministro se comprometió de que va a luchar ver un día en la próxima semana que pueda viajar aquí al norte y que tengamos una junta con le y los representantes del norte para que asi podamos ventilar todas estas problemáticas que tenemos y a ver como el gobierno puede apoyar para por lo menos remediar esos caminos que están en mala situación en estos momentos. También le pedimos al ministro de que pusieran señales en los highways porque estamos trabajando ahora entrega por horario y tenemos una entrega de 24 horas y a veces a Orange Walk le toca de noche o a veces a Corozal le toca de noche y lo necesitamos para minimizar cualquier accidente que pueda suceder en el highway.” A date for the Ministers visit to Orange Walk is yet to be set.

2012/2013 Crop Season Gets Underway
At exactly ten this morning the 2012/2013 crop season officially got underway with the test group from Guinea Grass and San Roman being the first to deliver cane to the factory. The aim of both the producer and the miller is to ensure a delivery of 1.1 million tons of cane to the factory producing 110 to 114 thousand tons of sugar at a TCTS of 10 percent. CTV3 News was at B.S.I when the first truck drove through the gates of the factory. Smoke bellowing from the chimneys and the long line of trucks loaded with cane was evidence that the 2012/2013 crop season was underway. At exactly ten this morning the first truck drove through the gates of the factory followed by many others. With a successful 2011/2012 crops season now part of history the challenge now is to meet this year’s projection delivery of 1.1 million tons of cane. Alfredo Ortega- Chairman BSCFA, COM “Me siento muy contento de ver la calidad de cana que los caneros están trayendo realmente de que se da un gusto ver el tipo de cana, la limpieza y la frescura de la cana que están entregando yo creo de que dando este primer paso esta demostrando de que el canero realmente esta consiente ahora de que es calidad de cana.” Carmelita Perez – Reporter “Que esperan del canero y que esperan del BSI igualmente?” Alfredo Ortega- Chairman BSCFA, COM “Bueno del canero queremos su cooperación y estamos viendo su inicio y queríamos ver de que en este inicio del día de hoy sea para hasta el ultimo día de zafra también de que estén entregando este tipo de material y los que estamos esperando de BSI es de que se cumplan de que lo se esta mencionando de que van a tener una molienda no menos de 7000 por día y si esto sucede combinado los dos entonces esto nos da un potencial adonde les da mas ánimos al canero para realmente integrarse en lo que se refiere a la cosecha y que entreguen cana limpia, fresca y madura al ingenio.” This year instead of milling 6,000 tons of cane per day, the factory plans to mill 7,000 tons that’s an increase of 1,000 tons more per day. The question now is with a shortage of cane due to the infestation of frog hopers, will cane farmers be able to meet the daily target?

Belize's Under Fifteen Football Makes History As They Bring The Gold Home
This morning the Philip Goldson International Airport was invaded by the media and it was not due to the arrival of some major international superstar. In fact the media was there to welcome back Belize’s superstars, the Belmopan Football Talent School Selection which arrived home from the Dominican Republic after participating in an under 15 football tournament. The team did not make it back empty handed, in fact they made history as they won the gold cup. Our news team was there for the arrival of the super champions and filed the following report. Belize’s under 15 football team travelled to the Dominican Republic on Tuesday November 20th to participate in an under 15 football competition. The team, coached by Kenneth Budna and Santiago Valencia went undefeated throughout the tournament and today they arrived home with the gold cup. Believe it or not this is a historic win for Belize since it is the first time that the jewel actually wins an International Football Tournament. As the team boarded off the American Airlines plane that landed at the PGIA at 11.20am, they were greeted by family members, friends and supporters. Here in the north we have much to celebrate as four of the players Dmitir Fabro, Roger Solerzano and Marlon Garcia and Randy Agustin have played in the Mundialtio, organized by Fiesta Fm’s very own Menelio Gutierrez and sponsored by the Honourable John Briceno for the past six years.

6.9 Million Dollar Budget Approved By Canefarmers
On Sunday November 25th the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association held their annual General Meeting at Escuela Secundaria Tecnica Mexico where the Committee of Management presented a $6.9 million dollars budget for the year 2012/2013, to cane farmers. As mandated by the Sugar Act and Fair Trade, where the 6.9 million comes from, cane farmers must accept the budget before the money can be diverse to the different projects. For cane farmers, past budget presentations have proven to be one hard pill to swallow and this year it was no different. But after much back and forth, the budget was approved. Alfredo Ortega- Chairman, BSCFA, COM “Bueno estamos hablando de que si el canero no trae sus cana limpia como de be de ser se le va a regresar y que vaya a limpiar esa cana y si esa cana viene y el químico dice que no pasas el test y si no alcanza la medida que debe de ser para el test pues simplemente esa cana no se va aceptar se va reusar.” Carmelita Perez – Reporter “Los caneros han sido informados de estas sanciones, están de acuerdo?”

Financial Challenges nearly Impeded Under 15 Team To Travel To Dominican Republic
The Belize under 15 team travelled to the Dominican Republic under the umbrella of the Belmopan Based Youth with a Mission Program, directed by Santiago Valencia. The team was mostly made up of at risk youths from the Belmopan area but also included players from Dangriga, Belize City and Orange Walk Town. Players were trained at the FFB Field under the supervision of FFB Technical Director Renan Couoh. But reaching to the Dominican Republic was no easy task and the coaches, along with the parents of the players, were confronted with a number of challenges before making the trip. Financing was the main hurdle. During a press conference held today at the VIP lounge of the PGIA, the tremendous achievement accomplished by the selection was recognized. Santiago Valencia- Coach “It started off just rescued kids from our community doing mischief to doing something positive with their lives and that is where we started off and am proud to say that I have five of the Roaring Creek boys that accompanies us in this journey, but when it turned out that I met Mr. Cowo and he saw what we were doing and he came on board and he said that is a good thing and he said we could raise up something bigger that this and we have been working together and all of this would never happen without this man right here so in my book it all belong to him right here and to these guys too.” The trip was definitely costly and if it wasn’t for the business community, parents and other sponsors, the young athletes would not have been able to compete in the tournament.

LOVE TV

Risk assessment survey conducted in Belize City
High School students from Saint John’s College in Belize City today [VO STARTS] canvassed the Belama Phases thee and Four areas. Over a hundred fourth form students, in collaboration with the Belize City Council, were conducting a Risk Assessment Survey which will ultimately assist municipal authorities in providing vital assistance to persons with special needs during times of emergencies. At the start of the survey taking this morning, Love News asked City Councilor with responsibly for Emergency Management Phillip Willoughby what is the importance of the Risk Assessment Survey. Under the supervision of staff of the Belize City Council, the students went house to house collecting the data which will be collated and analyzed by the Human Development Department, the City Emergency Management Organization and the National Emergency Management Organization. Dylan Lawrence is one of the SJC surveyors. Willoughby says that follow up visits will be conducted by City Council staff to interview those who were not at home when the students visited today.

Toledo observes 16 Days of Activism
A display with information on domestic violence and women’s legal rights was held this morning in Punta Gorda town. Correspondent Paul Mahung reports.

Duo charged with burglary; stolen items recovered
Two men were charged eight offences, among them three counts of burglary for items amounting to over $21,000.00 when they appeared in Court today. They are 22 year old Quincy Gentle, a construction worker of Mosul Street and 39 year old Deon Warrior, a carpenter of Bride’s Alley. The other charges included three counts of handling stolen goods, one count of conspiracy to commit burglary and one count of conspiracy to commit handling stolen goods. They pled not guilty to the charges. The prosecutor had objected but Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser offered each of them a bail of fifteen thousand dollars and adjourned their case until January 9. The incident occurred on Thursday, November 22. The police reported that two persons entered as trespassers the home of Sandra Young and went into three different sections of the house and stole jewelry, money and other items. On November 24, the police recovered all of the stolen items.

Controversy surrounds donation of ambulances to Belize
In August of this year Love News reported on a donation of two ambulances that was to be stationed at Southern Regional Hospital. The donation came about through the efforts of the All People Foundation based in Chicago. Today Rodney Nunez of the Foundation called in to Love FM’s Morning Show to say that they have been unable to move the ambulances to Belize. Joseph Guerrero from the Foundation also shared his views on the inability of the foundation to achieve its goal of getting the ambulances to Belize. Doctor Peter Allen is the CEO in the Ministry of Health. Contrary to what was expressed this morning, Dr. Allen said there are no plans to send the ambulances to any other part of the country as they were specifically handed over for Dangriga. Sharon Ramclam is the General Manager of Belize Natural Energy and she told Love News they have been doing their best in trying to get the ambulances to Belize at the cheapest cost. Love News will continue to monitor this story.

Cable Company offers lower internet prices
Earlier this year on September 27, Minister of Energy, Science and Technology and Public Utilities, Joy Grant unveiled the ministry’s strategic plan. In essence, the information presented was that Belize is behind other countries in the region when it comes to Science and Technology and there was a call for more to be done in this fast pace sector of development. One of these areas was internet availability to Belizeans, especially the affordability of the service. Following this, at the beginning of the month Prime Minister Barrow announced that BTL will be doubling internet speed they offer to customers, and at the same time cutting the prices by half. Well, it seems the game is on as two days ago, Centaur Communications Ltd from Orange Walk has announced it will also be doubling its internet speed and lowering the price for it, lower than what BTL offers. Centaur Communications Ltd is a cable company owned by PUP Orange Walk Central Area Representative, John Briceño and his brother Jaime. Love News spoke with John Briceño about the new lower prices. The lowest speed, 256 kilobits is being offered 35 dollars monthly while one megabit is now for 100 dollars with no extra fee. A survey of the Caribbean conducted earlier this year showed that Belize’s internet rates and speed are among the highest and lowest respectively in the region. Briceno’s Centaur Communication Ltd has a network that extends from Ladyville to the Cororzal Free Zone and has thousands of customers connected to the cable network. At the moment the company is offering free installation until the end of the year.

Annual Open Day at Ebenezer Primary
The student body of almost 300 at Ebenezer Primary on barrack Road today displayed to the public their knowledge and insights into the cultures of various ethnic groups that make up Belize. The annual open-day featured students who shared a bit of history on each of the ethnic groups, their food, beliefs and dress codes, as well as entertainment by professional Maya and Garifuna musicians. Love News stopped in for a look and spoke with the Principal, Gaynor Munnings, who said that this is like any other school day, just with a bit of food, hype and entertainment to make it more interesting for the learning audience. The children themselves were not shy to show us what they’ve studied and come to appreciate about each other’s cultures. Ebenezer Primary thanks its past teachers and Parent/Teachers’ Association for actively taking part and helping to make their cultural open day a success.

Youth escapes from a deadly accident in Belize City
A Belize City youth escaped injury when his bicycle was crushed by a vehicle this afternoon. Cory Martelles was on his way to the Nazarene High School compound around one o’clock this afternoon, when he was knocked off his bicycle at the pedestrian crossing in front of the institution on Princess Margaret Drive. Still shaken from the ordeal, Martelles spoke with Love News at the scene.

Traffic Accident on the Iguana Creek road, Cayo
The Iguana Creek road the Cayo district is one of the better stretches of pavement in the west; but on Thursday night it was the terrible scene of death and destruction. Two vehicle collided and the massive impact left one person dead and several others injured. Our Cayo Correspondent Fem Cruz has been on the story from last night and files this report.

PlusTV

Jared Avery Ranguy is accused of killing his mother, sister and step-father
It was disturbing news on Sunday morning when a family of three persons were found shot and killed inside their hom...

Fingerprinting database identifies alleged burglar
The fingerprinting database of Belize has identified an alleged burglar. On Thursday November 15, MAGDALEONIE HORTE...

2 arrested for robbery in Dangriga
Last week we told you about Two men who intercepted a deposit before it got a chance to get into the bank. On Thurs...

U 15 national football team brings home the gold
Belize's Under 15 national Football team returned home today after winning gold in Dominican Republic. This is a Hi...

Taiwan donates 20 wheelchairs to physically challenged
The Special Envoy for Women and Children along with the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and CARE-Belize t...

A Fisherman is being accused of forgery
A Fisherman is being accused of forgery, theft and claiming upon a forged document. 27-year-old Fisherman, Sherlock...

Strong Man Tour moves to Benque, Orange Walk and Belize City
The Belize Strong Men Tour started last week Monday in San Pedro The initiative has been running for the past four ...

Mexico will complete border bridge
Belize's portion of a Bi-national Border Bridge will be completed by Mexico. Mexican President, Felipe Calderon, vi...

Twin towns hosts third annual street festival
The twin towns hosted its third annual street festival this past weekend. The event was to celebrate the character ...

Corozal Police search for Raymond Anthony Arthurs
Corozal Police are also requesting the assistance of the general public for the apprehension of Raymond Anthony Art...

Panamanian Ambassador to Belize presents credentials
His Excellency Joaquin E. Carrasquilla presented his credentials as the Panamanian Ambassador to Belize, at Belize ...

Strongman Tour reaches Belmopam
The Strongman tour started off with a spiritual bang in San Pedro last Saturday, where the turnout was impressive. ...

Caye Caulker Chronicles

Experience Caye Caulker Culture and Support Local Education
What: Lobster Dinner Banquet during Ocean Academy High School’s Christmas Extravaganza Talent Show Date: December 8, 2012 Time: Show begins at 7PM. Dinner is served at 7:30PM Fundraiser for: Scholarships for students who would not otherwise be able to attend high school (school is not free in Belize) Cost: $50 USD for Sponsorship. Each Sponsorship receives one lobster dinner as a gift. Hosted by: Ocean Academy Parent-Teacher Association and Students Ocean Academy High School is holding an important fundraising event on the 8th of December, its 5th Annual Christmas Extravaganza. Funds raised will support scholarships for students who would not otherwise be able to attend school (high-school is not free in Belize). This year, for each sponsorship of $50 USD, members of the Parent-Teacher-Association and students will prepare and serve a lobster dinner as a thank-you gift for the important contribution. The dinner will be served during the school’s Christmas variety show. Students will entertain with performances such as song, dance, poetry, drama, and musical performances. Sponsors will enjoy the show from a dinner table near the stage. “I can’t think of a more authentic way for visitors to experience the culture of Caye Caulker. Students will be providing the entertainment and serving the meals. Parents will be thanking the sponsors by preparing food for them. And the visitors will walk away knowing they’ve left a positive impact on the beautiful community of Caye Caulker.” - Heidi Curry, Managing Director, Ocean Academy.

Amandala

Turneff Atolls declared National Park
Turneffe Atoll is the largest and most biologically diverse coral atoll in the Western Hemisphere. Located 25 miles east of Belize City and surrounded by deep oceanic waters, Turneffe is approximately 30 miles long and 10 miles wide. The Turneffe Atolls was declared a Marine Reserve yesterday Thursday, November 22, by Hon. Lisel Alamilla, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development. The commemoration and signing ceremony was held at Old Belize at Mile 4 on the George Price Highway. The reserve was enacted In September, by Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development. Minister Alamilla told reporters that over 20 years ago, Turneffe Atoll had been a gap, like a big hole in the marine protected areas system. It was already recognized that it is of ecological importance, and that the area needed to be protected and managed. However, it was not done. The Atoll is now being recognized and it will be managed like any other marine reserve, and it will be used and enhanced. Ten percent of the area will be a no-take zone, but people can fish in all the other areas. A large monetary contribution was made by the Bert Arelli Foundation, in the millions of dollars. The money will be used to set up the management for the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve According to the Oceanic Society, the islands, some larger than 5,000 acres, are covered by at least 77 different vegetation types. Mangrove forests are interspersed with brackish lagoons, covering most of the low-lying areas. A reef crest and magnificent shallow coral buttresses are followed by the reef rim on the outer reef drop-off.

“Bad spirits” were in his room, and the Devil “pinched him”
He was later found dead... Around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, police visited the La Loma Luz Adventist Hospital, in Santa Elena Town, Cayo District, where they found the body of Reyes Martin Tut, 36, a Belizean labourer of Cristo Rey Village, Cayo District, with two a cut wounds, one on the chin and one on the neck. Police said that their initial investigation revealed that Tut began acting strange on Saturday, and told his family that there were “bad spirits” in his room, and that the Devil was pinching him. Around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, he left his house and went to a shop in the village, where he was heard mentioning that he was looking for EMO (an organization that reportedly glorifies suicide), so that EMO could kill him. Tut was found dead yesterday, Sunday, at 1:30 p.m. in the compound of Crystal Paradise Resort, in Cristo Rey Village. Police are seeking a man called “EMO,” who they believe can assist them in their investigation.

Fresh Catch on the auction block
The multi-million-dollar red tilapia fish farm, Fresh Catch, inaugurated in 2002, is now on the auction block, according to a notice that has been published in the Amandala. More than two years ago, in July 2010, the company, owned by the Mena family, was placed in receivership for a US$10.6 million loan with First Caribbean International Bank (Barbados) Ltd. and First Caribbean International Bank (Cayman) Limited. This week’s notice from licensed auctioneer Kevin Castillo said that Fresh Catch Belize Limited will be sold on-site on Monday, December 3, 2012, at 1:30 p.m. The sale includes more than 600 acres near La Democracia Village, plus the land upon which the fish farm sits – 610 acres with 45 ponds completed in 2004, 55 ponds completed in 2007, and 32 more ponds yet to be developed. The mono-sex tilapia farm, which had been granted Export Processing Zone (EPZ) status, had been dubbed Belize’s main producer and exporter of tilapia, with exports of whole fish to Guatemala and Mexico and fillet exports to the US. In 2008, production peaked at 4 million pounds (1,865 metric tons), netting US$3 million in foreign exchange, but dropped off the following year. The bank tried to keep the fish farm as a “going concern,” and the Menas tried to find new financing arrangements to get their farm back. The bankers had also put Wood Depot, another enterprise belonging to the Mena family, under receivership, but the family was able to reacquire that business in May through a new company named Wood Stop.

Placencia demands “autonomy”
by Charles Leslie Jr. Dear Editor, We in Placencia demand our autonomy: we want to be interdependent and not dependent on Central Government. Belize is the only country in the Central American Integrated System (SICA) that does not have subventions for rural communities. This leaves us with little to no financial autonomy, and also very little legal autonomy. One of the sources of the socioeconomic problems in our country is the fact that we have a government structure that is set up expecting villages to properly carry out their mandates, yet villages get no subventions from Central Government. We have no by-laws, thus no legal autonomy, collect no taxes, no trade license fees, etc. Currently the only way villages can increase income, guaranteed to them under the Village Council Act, is to open more bars, which has been detrimental to the social well-being of the family unit, and has caused countless hardships in areas such as domestic violence. This is a system designed for the failure of locally elected rural governments, since elected officials are expected to carry out their mandates properly with little to no resources and autonomy. Due to this designed-to-fail system, the Government of Belize often blames the village leaders for being incompetent, and we are looked upon as children that cannot be trusted to handle their own affairs. With the autonomy we deserve and demand, we will have the financial resources and the legal backing that we require to fulfill our mandate. This would be true participatory democracy.

From The Publisher
Reports are that Minister Louis Farrakhan will be visiting Belize next weekend in his official capacity. This is very good news for Belize, especially our black community, because the honorable Minister is a man of regional and international credibility amongst the roots masses. We have been experiencing some frightening problems with our young people, and for sure Minister Farrakhan will grab the attention of our “challenged” youth. Minister Farrakhan joined the Hon. Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam (NOI) sometime in the 1950s. After Hon. Elijah died in 1975, one of his sons, Warith Deen Muhammad, became leader of the Nation, and he moved the organization into orthodox Islamic theology. Under Hon. Elijah Muhammad, the Nation of Islam had followed some beliefs which were not completely consistent with the Koranic teachings of orthodox Islam, but beliefs which had been embraced by an ever growing body of followers, primarily in the United States of America. Minister Farrakhan had submitted to the authority of Warith Deen Muhammad, but after a couple years he moved away and re-established the Nation of Islam in the mould of Hon. Elijah’s original organization. Minister Farrakhan’s new Nation of Islam grew rapidly, and much of that has to do with his charismatic personality and exceptional speaking ability. He may be considered the most powerful black leader in the Western Hemisphere, his influence extending far beyond the strictly religious sphere. (Please understand, Barack Obama, for instance, is not a black leader: he is a leader who is black.) Minister Farrakhan’s socio-political impact is ironic because it was such a reach into socio-politics which got Malcolm X into trouble with Hon. Elijah Muhammad in late 1963. This was a time when the civil rights movement was surging forward in black America under the leadership of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Christian pastor. Malcolm, who was the Nation of Islam’s most brilliant Minister at the time, had begun to comment on socio-political and economic issues. He went as far as to comment publicly on the assassination of U.S. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy in November of 1963. Malcolm said that the assassination was a case of “chickens coming home to roost,” because of America’s climate of violence.

Sense, nonsense, and Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition
In the political sense, there are three kinds of people in Belize. There are people who are UDP, people who are PUP, and people who are sometimes referred to as independents. The independents are people who make up their minds how they will vote according to the arguments and candidates which are presented to them during political campaigns. In other words, the independents don’t have their minds made up before the fact. If you want independents to support you, then you have to seek to influence them through some medium and in some way other than by straight party propaganda. It is thought that the independents are fewer in number than the separate blocs of committed voters who are traditionally UDP or PUP. We wonder about this in the modern era, because the lines between the two major parties are not as clear as they used to be. Belizean voters are not as passionate along party lines as they used to be in the prime times of Mr. Price (PUP) and Mr. Goldson (NIP), which were in the 1950s and 1960s. Guatemala was the smoking issue back then. Our voters are not even as passionate as they were in the 1970s, when communism and independence were dividing Belizeans along party lines. Compared to back then, the lines between the PUP and the UDP have become blurred. So then, we believe that, percentage wise, there are more independent Belizean voters in 2012 than there have ever been before. Even if, and we doubt it much, their numbers have not grown in the last two and three decades, the independents would still be very significant politically, because, all things being equal, they hold the balance of power in tight elections. We are saying that a politician cannot only appeal to the voters of his/her party: the politician has to appeal to those voters who are independent. Those politicians who have become entrenched over time will sometimes get votes from voters who ordinarily support the other party. It may be, then, that independents are not as important for entrenched politicians as they are for newcomers. Whatever.

Belize U-15 Football Selection wins Gold in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
B Belmopan Football Talent School Selection won Gold in the Dominican Republic U-15 Football Tournament today, November 25. The team, coached by Kenneth Budna and Santiago Valencia, went undefeated throughout the tournament. Below is a breakdown of games played: Game 1: Belize (4 goals) vs Dominican Republic Northern Selection (3 goals); Randy Serrano – 4 goals for Belize. Game 2: Belize (2 goals) vs Dominican Republic National “A” Selection (1 goal); Randy Serrano – 1 goal for Belize; Marlon Garcia – 1 goal for Belize. Game 3: Belize (2 goals) vs Guadalajara Mexican Selection (1 goal); Dmitri Fabro – 2 goals for Belize. Game 4: Belize (2 goals) vs Dominican Republic National “A” Section (1 goal); Randy Serrano – 1 goal for Belize; Marlon Garcia – 1 goal for Belize.

Down to the wire in PLB race to the playoffs
First, here are the weekend Week 13 results: On Saturday night at the Marshalleck Stadium in Benque Viejo, Placencia Assassins bombed Verdes FC, 4-0, with goals from Ashley Torres (35’), Rolling Burgess (55’), Luis Torres (68’) and Bernard Linares (73’). Meanwhile, Police United struggled before securing a 4-1 win over R.G. City Boys United at the MCC Grounds in Belize City. Evan Mariano (8’) and Danny Jimenez (34’, 87’ & 90’) shook the net for Police, while Deon McCaulay (29’) got the goal for City Boys. In games played on Sunday: BDF travelled to the Ambergris Stadium and came away with the 2-1 victory over the San Pedro Seadogs. BDF goals were by Tyrone Pandy (44’) and Justo Lewis (60’), while San Pedro’s sole tally was by Angel Cantun (66’). Belmopan Bandits journeyed all the way to the San Felipe Football Field in Orange Walk, where they managed a 1-nil win over home squad FC San Felipe Barcelona, courtesy of a goal from David Madrid (45’). Here at the MCC Grounds in Belize City, after an hour’s delay due to transportation difficulties, a short-staffed Juventus FC played an exciting game before falling 2-0 to home-standing F.C. Belize, who got goals from captain Christobal Gilharry (40’) and Michael Hernandez (75’). And out west at the Norman Broaster Stadium, it was visiting Paradise/Freedom Fighters, 1-nil, over winless San Ignacio United, on a goal from Leonard Valdez (35’). Down to the wire We said early on that this was shaping up to be the most keenly contested semipro football season in quite a while, and indeed it is. With one weekend of regular season games remaining in the Premier League of Belize (PLB) Opening Season Tournament 2012-2013, only one team – North Zone leaders Belmopan Bandits is guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. The other 5 teams – Belize Defense Force and F.C. Belize from the North; and Police United, Placencia Assassins and Verdes FC from the South are all still in the hunt for the 3 remaining playoff spots. (See standings below.)

Belizean tour guide beaten to death in Tikal, Guatemala
Luis Mis, a Belizean tour guide living in the Tikal area of Guatemala was killed after he was beaten to death. The incident occurred sometime in the night of Thursday, November 22, while he going home. He was laid to rest in his hometown of San Ignacio on Saturday, November 24. Witnesses told police that Mis was severely beaten by a group of men who threw him off the balcony of the hotel and restaurant where he worked in the Tikal area. However, Guatemala’s Prensa Libre reports that five persons died violently in Tikal, Peten, and one of the persons was identified as Luis Mis, a Belizean, 17, who was beaten with a bat while walking along the boardwalk. Belize and Guatemala police are collaborating to investigate the death.

A deadly night on Ladyville’s Marage Road
A deadly night on Ladyville’s Marage Road... Three dead – two victims shot and a third stabbed A brutal triple killing in Ladyville early Sunday morning has left a community shocked, and the family of the victims in disbelief and great grief. Police report that Robert Earl Francis Vellos, Sr., 72, his wife Karen Vellos, 48, and Karen’s daughter Teena Beth Skeen, 32, were found murdered in their Marage Road home, and the killings occurred at about 3:30 Sunday morning. Karen Vellos, nee Skeen, had been stabbed in the center of the chest and in the left side of the neck; her husband, Robert, also known as “Happy,” had been shot behind the head; and Karen’s daughter by a previous relationship, Teena Beth Skeen, had been shot in the right side of the head (the temple) and in the right arm, near the biceps. They were taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where they were all declared dead on arrival. Police earlier said that they had detained a relative, Karen Vellos’s son, who they found covered with blood, and holding a machete, inside the house, and they say that he is the prime suspect

Tyrone Meighan, 19, Brandon Baptist, 27, and Orel Leslie, 24, charged with murder
Tyrone Meighan, 19, Brandon Baptist, 27, and Orel Leslie, 24, charged with murder Today, Tyrone Meighan, 19, Brandon Baptist, 27, and Orel Leslie, 24, were all charged with the murder of James Noralez, 28. Police believe that Meighan, an unemployed resident of #27 Banak Street; Baptist, a construction worker of #6632 Police Street; and Leslie, the owner of Safeway Drug Store and resident of #7 Linda Vista Site , are the persons responsible for killing Norales. At 7:13 p.m. on Friday, November 23, police visited the area of Linda Vista Site, located near the junction of Fabers Road and George Price Highway. About 500 feet from the junction, they observed Noralez’ body lying on the ground. Noralez’ body had a total of fourteen shots – (1) in the left side of neck; (3) in the left side of chest; (4) in the upper shoulder; (1) under left arm pit; (1) in the left upper arm; (1) in the left side of chin; (1) in the right side of eye; (1) in left side upper back; and (1) in the back of head. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital at 8:17 p.m. The mothers of the accused were all present in court as the charge was read to them. Leslie was represented in court by attorney Ellis Arnold, while Meighan and Baptist were unrepresented.

And the mayhem in the city continues …
And the mayhem in the city continues … The seemingly never-ending violence in the city has claimed the lives of three people, who were shot to death over the weekend. Dead are James Noralez, 28, also known as “Selecta DJ” of the Linda Vista Police Street area; Deon Waight, 48, of Caesar Ridge Road; and William Felix Francis, 23, of the Administration Drive area. The city’s bloody weekend began with the death of James Noralez, who was shot 14 times on Fabers Road around 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Police reports are that Noralez was walking on Fabers Road towards the Western Highway when unknown gunmen fired at him. He was shot 3 times in the left side of the chest, 4 times in the upper shoulder, once under the left arm pit, once in the left upper arm, once in the left side of the chin, once in the left side of his upper back, once in the back of the head, and was grazed in the right side of the eye. Neighbors who became alarmed by the murderous gunfire quickly called police. Police said that they found Noralez on Fabers Road Extension about 500 feet from the intersection of George Price Highway. They also found 7 expended bullet cases, and a slug was retrieved from the scene. Noralez was taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead on arrival at about 8:17 p.m. Police have detained three men for the murder. Allegations are that James Noralez was killed because he had reported some drugs and ammunition to police, which were found and confiscated by police. Allegations are also that gunmen had gone to the Electric Avenue road concreting site where he was working along with David Myvette concreting Electric Avenue around 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, October 31. The gunmen had asked for James Noralez, but instead shot Myvette about 10 times. It was believed that Noralez was whom the gunmen wanted, and not Myvette.

Life for Gregory August, 24
Today, Gregory August, 24, was sentenced to life in prison after he was found guilty of murder of Alvin Robinson, 73, on Wednesday, November 21, 2012. August was convicted of killing the crippled and blind Alvin Robinson, 73, on May 23, 2009. Police said that the murder was out of retaliation after August and Robinson’s son got into an altercation at his residence. Robinson was stabbed several times in his neck and shoulder, and according to the testimony of the doctor, he would not have lived longer than an hour after suffering from those injuries. August was convicted on very strong circumstantial evidence, including being seen leaving the scene with a white cloth in his hand, later learnt to be his bloodied white shirt; his blood-stained tennis shoes, which matched the tennis print lifted from the murder area; and August putting himself there in his dock statement, telling the court that he was there earlier to purchase some weed. Two women presented themselves as character witnesses for August – Avis Williams, and Rosilia Almendarez, August’s grandmother.

Blogs

What Nina likes about Living in San Pedro
A while back, I gave my junior blog assistant an assignment to send me 7 pictures to visually show what she likes about living in San Pedro, and she recently turned it in. Some of you will remember Nina from her pictures at the Karen Waldrup Benefit Concert for Mama Vilma;’s Family Home at Wet Willy’s Cantina. You will be seeing more of Nina’s work in the future, now that she has learned to size pictures and use drop box she has a bunch of pics to send me that she has been stock piling :) All the pictures below were taken on the island. Though I did not take ALL of them, I still wanted to share them because they explain the things I like about living here. The pictures they are pretty self-explanatory of what they are, but I wanted to give you a sort of caption of each.

International Sources

Legendary airliners and airlines in the golden era of aviation
I’ve spent a lot of time at Los Angeles International (LAX), both as an enthusiast observer and employee, having worked there for TWA between 1964 and 1969. In addition, my late brothers, Bill and Bob, spent time there and we all took pictures. Bill took only a few, in black & white, while Bob and I shot both monochromatic and color. Take your time on this page; there’s a lot to look at! Amazing! What a great job and what a wealth of airline history knowledge you have along with a priceless collection. Will take me another few times to go through it and comprehend at least one tenth. Absolutely wonderful. A real trip down memory lane. Legendary airliners and airlines in the golden era of aviation. Thanks, Jon, for sharing your wonderful memories.

Laidback Living on Belize’s REAL Caribbean Escape
I arrived in Caye Caulker, Belize by water taxi from Ambergris Caye, as many people do. The trip takes half an hour, costs $7.50, and is worth the money—skimming across the Caribbean’s blue waves, you can watch the island’s white-sand shores, fringed with palms, gradually grow closer. This approach also drives home a reality of life here: On Caye Caulker, you really are away from it all. The island is only five miles long and at most a mile wide. Only the southern half is developed; most of the north half is jungle and mangrove—and it’s separated from the south by a channel called the Split (the most popular swimming spot). At Caye Caulker Village, where the water taxis come in, the island is at its narrowest: only three streets wide. These bear the imaginative names of Front, Middle, and Back and are simple packed sand. You’ll see no cars here and only a few golf carts—most people walk or get around by bicycle. And no one’s in a rush. Here, life is all about the water. You can swim and snorkel right off the beach, and the barrier reef is a mile away, an easy trip by motorboat. In fact, you’ll see boats in many backyards and moored on the lagoon. Walking down Front or Middle Street, about every third weather-beaten, wood-frame house you pass seems to be a tour-guide operator offering diving trips off the barrier reef or the Blue Hole, or for snorkeling in Hol Chan, all big draws in the area.

Mexico President Felipe Calderon Inaugurates New Bridge to Belize
Outgoing Mexican President Felipe Calderon has inaugurated the new “Chactemal” bridge on the border with Belize. In a release, Calderon said that, with the opening of the bridge, it would generate greater economic development and advancement opportunities for families in the region. The project required an investment of about $13.8 million USD to build. It was another step by Calderon during his final year in office to improve ties with CARICOM. At the CARICOM-Mexico Summit in Bridgetown earlier this year, Calderon called the Caribbean Mexico’s “third border.” “We are part of the Caribbean sea, part of the region and we feel that we will be part of the Caribbean Community,” he said at the time.

VIDEO: Sea Rescue Caught on Tape: Whale Shark Rescued By Divers
Divers dwarfed by massive shark risk lives saving entangled sea creature.

November 27, 2012

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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

Byron Lara wins Poor and Famous Duathlon Competition
The second duathlon for this year, organized by the Poor and Famous Youth Club of Belize took place on Sunday November 18th. Byron Lara, 15 years old took the first place in the 17 and under, while Jason Barrientos, age 12, took the first place in the 13 and under criteria. The race had two legs. The first leg saw competitors swimming from the Belize Yacht Club dock to Ramon’s Village where they made their way to land. From there, they ran/jogged/sprinted their way to the Boca Del Rio Bridge where the race ended at the basketball court. Competing in the 13 and under competition were: Chris Acosta, 9, Joey Gonzalez, 11, Elvin Vellos, 12, Jason Barrientos, 12, Johan Guerrero, 12, Zenedine Pinelo, 13, Axel Gonzalez, 13, and Anthony Rivero, 13. In the Under 17 criteria were: Kian Ancona, 14, Jason Estrada, 14, Byron Lara, 15, Alex Pineda, 16 and Joseph Alexander, 17. Winning the swimming leg of the race was Alex Pineda with a time of 11 minutes. Finishing first at Boca del Rio overall was Byron Lara with a time of 20 minutes.

Mama Vilma Family Home receives donation
From the 7th to the 11th of November, 2012, the 2012 Global Asset Protection and Investment Symposium was hosted by Exotic Caye Beach Resort on Ambergris Caye. The forum was sponsored by Hemispheres Publishing and Caye International Bank. This special forum provided critical, meaningful and useful tools for people to counter the ongoing threats to their personal wealth. Attendees enjoyed significant one on one time with legal, tax, financial and trust experts and they also had the opportunity to learn about the Mama Vilma Family Home and their Non-Profit Organization. Maricela “ Miss Shelley” Huber visited with the attendees, explaining the goals of the Mama Vilma Family Home committee to build a home for children and families who need a safe haven in a familial environment. Miss Shelley spoke of the various fundraisers that have been held to bring the dream of the home a reality, including fashion shows, sales and benefit concerts that have been adding to the much-needed funds. Collectively the group donated $2,450BZ towards the urgent need to get this house built on Ambergris Caye, which is important to our community. The island needs a ‘safe place’ that can offer support and services and generous attendees and sponsors of this event were proud to lend their support.

San Pedro Triathlon Committee’s Garifuna Settlement Day cycling classic
For the first time this year, the San Pedro Triathlon Association organized and executed the first ever Garifuna Settlement Day cycling race. The purpose of the race was to raise funds and awareness about the San Pedro Triathlon Team: Kent “Bob” Gabourel and Eric Donis. (The hope is to have more athletes sign up to be part of this ambitious and talented team.) Signing up for the competition were 16 aspiring cyclists at a registration cost of $20.00. The race began shortly after 7:30am. The race took cyclists from Central Park to Belize Bank, west on Caribeña St to Pescador Drive; south on Pescador Drive through Coconut Drive and Seagrape Drive to the three mile marker – (junction of the San Pedro Dumpsite). From there the competitors went north bound taking a similar route – going up Barrier Reef Drive – hitting Lagoon St. across the bridge to Grand Caribe. They took the same route a second time then ended at the Central Park. At the end of the race, first place winner Kent “Bob” Gabourel clocked in at 1hr 15minutes. For his efforts, he took home a round trip ticket on Tropic Air. Second place went to Andrew Vasquez. He got $100.00 cash and a 24 hour Golf Cart Rental. Third place went to Daniel Caliz who won $50.00 and dinner for two at Elvis Kitchen.

Ambergris Today

Strengthening The Balance
Teaching young people, whether in public or private, primary or secondary schools, is not about molding them into what we, educators, want them to become. Rather, teaching young people is more about stimulating and encouraging them to learn, and yes pushing them to reach their potential, not ours. In order to be successful in these endeavors, we educators need fully realize and accept that effective teaching will always be a two-way street, not a “do as I say” one-way street. That means also that in order for teachers to keep giving their very best to students everyday in classrooms and schools throughout the country, students in turn must also give back their very best to their teachers. Further, it means that well-behaved and hard-working students provide great incentives for teachers to put forth their best efforts and want to keep leading students in the classroom every day. But, it also means that classrooms full of rowdy and lazy students will not encourage excellent teachers to want to lead them. Both students and teachers gain the most from each other when the teaching/learning relationship remains balanced in the classroom, not lopsided. When students and teachers appreciate each other, and feel obligated to each other, they keep that necessary balance inside a classroom, and ensure that neither complacency nor misbehavior tip the scales. However, when teaching becomes a one-way street where a teacher constantly expects and demands hard work from students, but that teacher only puts forth mediocre efforts to teach every day, then mistrust among students builds quickly. Mistrust of any teacher by students will destroy that delicate balance and appreciative relationship that students and teachers need to keep in order for any teaching to be successful.

Mayor’s Honors at Township Anniversary Banquet
The San Pedro Township Anniversary was celebrated in grand style this year with a splendid banquet at world renowned Elvi’s Kitchen offered by His Lordship Mayor Daniel Guerrero and the San Pedro Town Council. In his welcome remarks Mayor Guerrero Commented: “From the onset of my election and my taking office, it was my desire to offer an official reunion with all past mayors and town councilors to express the town’s gratitude to all the former community servants, some of whom are still very active in community affairs.” Indeed all, except perhaps three past councilors, were present, one of whom lives abroad and one who has passed away. The Council expressed recognition to some one hundred persons present which included the group of councilors and spouses who brought San Pedro into Township status on November 27 of 1984 and all succeeding town councils. The Mayor expressed his happiness to see such an influential gathering uniting in full force to celebrate perhaps one of San Pedro’s most meaningful events ever in the history of San Pedro.

Jim Scott Completes Iron Man Challenge for Iron Kids Belize
The kids and staff of Dorothy Menzies Child Care Centre said "Good bye and God speed," as Jim Scott left Tuesday, November 20, 2012 to make final preparations for Sunday, November 25, 2012. That day was Rotarian Jim Scott's 50th birthday. With the support of his family and staff at the Radisson Hotel Fort George and Marina, Jim worked all year in preparation to compete for the first time in the Iron Man Triathlon Competition Cozumel, 2012. Serving as Radisson's CEO, supporting family and maintaining leadership in several community endeavors, Jim entered into grueling and very disciplined training in order to compete, on his birthday to raise funds for much needed upgrades to the Dorothy Menzies Child Care facility. The Rotary Club of Belize made a commitment to match and the donations, large and small pledges started rolling in. Family and supporters joined Jim in Cozumel arriving by plane, car, bus and van. Belize Bank donated the vehicle which carried 28 supporters and paid for the t-shirts worn by the staff and kids of Dorothy Menzies Child Care Centre. Other corporate donors included: Publics Supermarket, Roe Group of Companies; Belize Dry Cleaners; Simon and Lauren Reardon-Smith and Eduardo E. Sanchez of Belmopan.

Belize Ministry of Health Says 'TLEMOL' is Safe Pharmaceutical Product
Earlier this year, reports were made to the Ministry of Health concerning the sale of a pharmaceutical product being marketed as “TLEMOL.” The Ministry sent the product for testing shortly after. This week we received a Certificate of Analysis from the Caribbean Regional Drug Testing Laboratory in Kingston, Jamaica concluding that the pharmaceutical product marketed as ‘Tlemol’ has met the United States Pharmaceutical requirements for Acetaminophen tablets.

Pic of the Week: Sunset Over Hatchet Caye, Belize
Seasonably great weather is providing exceptional sunsets all over the country. Pictured here is a warm, amber sunset over Hatchet Caye, which is a private island on the edge of the Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve, seventeen miles east of the Placencia Peninsula. This tranquil jewel is on the protected side of the Meso-American reef; the second longest in the world. - photo provided by Hatchet Caye Resort

World AIDS Day Activities in San Pedro
Below is the schedule of events that the SP AIDS Commission has come up with; be sure to clear up your calendars and support the group: Friday, November 30, 2012- *Visit to SPHS - yearly visit the San Pedro High School students. Students will be provided with the red ribbon and given a brief lecture on the history of the red ribbon as well as factual and important information on HIV/AIDS. 7:00 a.m. at SPHS. Saturday, December 1, 2012 – *World AIDS Day - Members of the SP AIDS Commission will be visiting businesses around the island and handing red ribbons to the staff. *Solidarity Walk - Annual solidarity walk around town to create awareness of HIV/AIDS – Meeting place at Central Park 6:00p.m. All are invited to attend. Sunday December 2, 2012 – *World AIDS Day Fair – Free Rapid and confidential HIV testing. Counselors will be at hand to provide counseling prior and after testing. Information booth, food & pastry sale, live music fun for the entire family all taking place at the Central Park.

Misc Belizean Sources

CNN Report on McAfee
Jorge Aldana, of the San Pedro Sun, details new twists on John McAfee and the bizarre murder mystery in Belize

Belikin Western Spirit Cycling Team
Belikin brought the Western Spirit Cycling Team out to the Cayo Welcome Center, in front of Thai Island, Saturday evening. They also brought a beer tent, and tons of beer at a special price, and re-introduced their Sorrel Stout for the season. Mistah Geeh was there mixing the great tunes. Thanks, Belikin! "Pics from the party in San Ignacio on Saturday, introducing Belikin Western Spirit Cycling team!"

UB's Anti Street Harassment Campaign
UB is participating in The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence by having seminars this week at all campuses. There will also be female self defense classes in Cayo and Benque on Friday. "The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991. Participants chose the dates, November 25, International Day Against Violence Against Women and December 10, International Human Rights Day, in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights."

Hands for Life Christian Concert at SHJC
Sacred Heart Junior College's Hands for Life Club had their Christian concert Friday night. There was great music, good food, and even a double up booth. Samantha Tzib, who had organized previous Christian concerts, was definitely there in spirit. "Sacred Heart Junior College's Hands for Life club will be having a Christian concert tomorrow night. They'll have Mission 3:16, Omega, and Creaven there, along with the Cornerstone Youth Group, the San Ignacio Baptist Youths, and the Shekinah Dance Group. Digicell will also be on hand to do their double up promotion. The entrance is free!"

REMINDER: Traveling Caribbean Showcase is STILL ON!!

Channel 7

He Killed His Own Mother, Sister, Stepfather!
There were six murders in the Belize District this weekend. It's a staggering death toll - and even more so when you consider that all that killing happened in less than 48 hours between Friday night and Sunday afternoon. Three of those murders happened in one household, the Vellos home in Ladyville - when almost an entire family: Mother, Father and Daughter were wiped out in one hellish killing spree. And what make this most shocking murder even more incomprehensible is that - at this hour - the person charged for the murder is their son and brother - 26 year old Jared Avery Ranguy - known as Jared Skeen. Police just reported that he has been charged with three counts of murder. 7news has been on the story from before dawn on Sunday where we've been piecing together the details of this, the worst multiple murder of 2012:.. Daniel Ortiz reporting The small neighborhood known as "Japan" in Ladyville is very disturbed by the killing of a well-known family inside the bedrooms of their home in the silence of Sunday's midmorning hours.

Former BDF Soldier Executed In Gang Hit
And while that Sunday morning triple murder is the most dominating news event of the weekend - from Friday night, things had already started very badly in Belize City with another gang related murder. Except this one was an execution. It happened around 7:30 pm - just as we were finishing up the news. Our team responded to the scene at the junction of Faber's Road and the Western Highway and found a man dead on the ground. How he got there is the story of gang hit carried out with ruthless precision. Here's more:.. Jules Vasquez reporting This is where 28 year old James Norales's life came to an end on Friday night - at the junction of Faber's Road and the Western Highway. He had been executed, shot multiple times in the head, neck and body and left in the middle of the road. Police recovered 7 expended shells from the scene. Police believe he was friendly with the men who killed him - and investigators say, he had been socializing with them at Orel Leslie's home in Linda Vista right before he died.

"Gang Boys" Killed The Wrong Man
And less than three hours after that murder - there was another just a few miles away - at the other end of Faber's Road in the Yabra area. In this case it was no execution - just a random and indiscriminate shooting launched by young men caught up in a gnag rivalry. But the victim was not one of their rivals, he as a 48 year old who just made the mistake of stepping out of his house at the wrong minute. In a community in the middle of a gang war, just stepping out proved fatal on Friday night. Jules Vasquez spoke to his sister:.. Jules Vasquez reporting Today a small mound of stones cover the bloodstain where 48 year old Deon Waight was killed. On Friday night, he was walking to the store right around the corner from his home when he was shot in the head. His sister - who lives beside him -had a sense of foreboding when she saw a car coming up the street:

Killed After "Sunday Dinner"
By mid morning on Sunday when news of the Ladyville triple murder had gone out - and added to the trauma of two Friday murders - it seemed almost like a statistical impossibility for there to be yet another murder. Yet there was. It happened on Sunday near the Complex building - in one of those crime-ridden areas that is usually swarming with police. But that didn't matter to the killers - who may have gone after the wrong man. 7news was on the scene:.. Jules Vasquez reporting On Sunday - right after Sunday dinner, a crowd of onlookers thronged the corner of Mahogany and Complex Streets to witness the spectacle of death. Their neighbor 22 year old WILLIAM FELIX FRANCIS had been killed inside his family's home: Raphael Martinez - Police Press Officer "Police visited #118 Mahogany Street Extension in Belize City where they saw 22 years old William Felix Francis of the same address lying inside his house with what appeared to be multiple gunshots wounds." "Initial investigations revealed that at approximately 1pm there about Francis was inside his house talking to his brother when a dark complexion male person dress in black entered the house pointing a pistol at them and asking for somebody. Upon seeing this William's brother ran and jump through a window leaving William Felix behind. Shortly thereafter several gunshots were reportedly heard from inside the house. The brother reportedly return and found Williams Felix Francis lying on the floor injured."

A Life For A Life In Supreme Court
And while all those stories were about taking life, today in court, the judge gave a life sentence for a man convicted of killing a 73 year old. Last week Wednesday, 7News told you about 24 year-old Gregory August, the man who was convicted in the Supreme Court of the May 2009 murder of 73 year-old Alvin Robinson. Well, he will spend life in prison for that murder. As we reported, on the night of May 23, 2009, Robinson, who was a cripple, and who was also blind in one eye, was stabbed 9 times in his face and neck. He was found sitting on his bed at his home at Mile 8 1/2 on the Western Highway shortly after the incident. He was transported to the hospital, but he died on the way there. In August's mitigation hearing, 3 persons spoke on his behalf, including his grandmother who said that she's never known him to be a disrespectful or unruly young man.

Woman Shot By Hitman In Salvapan
And while there were six murders in the Belize District - there was almost one in Cayo as well. 25 year old Cecilia Marisol Varela was shot five times by what appears to have been a pair of hitmen. It happened on Friday night at 8:00 on Spain Street in Salvapan. The naturalized Belizean of Salvadoran origin was shot by two masked men who stormed unto her property. She received five total gunshot injures to her legs and shoulder. The intruders also fired at her husband and his brother who were outside the house - but neither was injured. Two 9 millimeter expended shells and one 9mm live round were recovered from outside the house and one slug was found in the living room. Police have detained a man from Salvapan.

Man Called for EMO Before Sudden Death
And there was a life lost in Cayo, but it wasn't homicide: police are saying it was one of those EMO suicides. Today in Cristo Rey Village 36 year old Reyes Martin Tut was found with a cut wound to the chin and neck. Vilagers rpeort to police that he started acting strangely on Saturday night when he complained that there were bad spirtis in his room, and, quote, "the devil was pinching him." On Sunday morning, he told villagers that was he looking for EMO so that EMO can kill him. And this afternoon he was found dead on the compound of a village resort with his throat cut. Again, police suspect it is a suicide, but it is a sudden death - so all angles are being investigated at this time.

Human Trafficking, A Regional Problem
Human trafficking knows no borders - and that's why Belize is joining with its Central American neighbors to for the Fifth Regular Meeting of the Central American Coalition against Human Trafficking. The idea is to share knowledge on common experiences and come up with best practices to combat human trafficking. But, to combat trafficking in persons effectively, you'd first have to figure out what drives people into situation where they are trafficked. One regional expert says poverty drives this social phenomenon. Abdel Armengor - Panama "It's a social phenomenon that has to be deal with at international level. Organize crime doesn't know borders. That's the main importance of this event - that we as a coalition of Central American region could work together and understand our realities and identifies our strength and put them together so we can work as unit coalition to fight against organized crime and this horrible phenomenon that affects all our nations."

Muni-Bond Selling Like Hotcakes
Last week, we told you about the launch of the Municipal Development Bond by the Belize City council. Well, tonight the mayor confirms that it's selling quite briskly! He told us via text message that 8.5 million dollars of the bond offering has been sold - that's all of tranche one. This includes bonds that mature in two years for a yield of 3.5%, 5 years for a yield of 5.5% and 8% in 10 years. The 20 million dollars bond offering is opening for 28 days, so - if the mayor's figures are right - to have sold almost half in just two working days is considered a major "wow!"

"Bibby Bex!"
And according to the terms in the prospectus, the City Council can use no more than 2.5 million dollars of the bond receipts to retire existing debt. The bulk of the remainder is going into infrastructure works - and that means more streets being paved, which should mean more manual labour jobs. But one work crew of about 8 men from the Port Loyola area couldn't care less. They came to our studio today to say they had lost their jobs paving southern Foreshore. It's news because they say they're hardcore UDP - and when they voted in the recent election, it was to keep to their jobs. But now that they've lost those jobs, they didn't seem so sure if there was a difference after all;:.. Michael "Bibby" Gill - Complains about lost job "Jules you know me, I am a die-hard UDP to the max. We don't have anything against the party. We are red down the -line. We voted in both elections down the line - keep your job if you vote for the red, if you vote for the PUP you will lose your job. Now it doesn't make any sense, maybe if I voted for the PUP I would have a job now."

Cycling Showdown Postponed
On Friday we told you about the controversy brewing in the Belize Cycling Association. It seemed to be coming down to a showdown on Saturday in Santa Elena at the Aguada Hotel where a new executive was to have been elected. That's where the election was scheduled to be held - but no one seemed sure under which set of rules it would be held. Well, to cut a very long story short, let's just say - no election was held. After three hours of back and forth between incumbent President Emil Moreno's Camp, challenger Dion Leslie's Camp, The Sports Council and the Police - it was decided to hold off the election for another day. But, interestingly, he current executive will be dissolved next week - and after that the Sports Council will hold over and set a date for election. The Sports Council will also decide under which set of rules that election will be held.

Pol Solve Crime With Forensic Evidence
Tonight, police are reporting that they have solved 3 burglaries in Corozal Town with forensic evidence. On April 26, 2012, a principal of the Methodist school reported that the church and school were burglarized the previous day. A resident of Chula Vista, Corozal, reported that her house was also burglarized. Police say that they arrested Magaleonie Hortencio Tzul of Corozal town, and his finger prints were taken and sent to the AFIS National Fingerprinting database, which matched the prints lifted in those burglaries. As a result, police arrested and charged Tzul for 2 counts of burglaries, and he was arraigned and remanded to prison until January 29, 2013. On August 20, 2012, the owner of a house in the Halls Layout of Corozal town reported that someone burglarized his house. The scene was processed by the authorities, and the fingerprints found were submitted to the AFIS database, which matched those belonging to Raymond Anthony Arthurs of Ontario Village in the Cayo District. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

What Makes A Taco Tasty? Is It The Orange Walk Air?
Visit any major or minor population center in Belize - and you can expect to find chicken tacos selling three for a dollar. It's very affordable - but we suspect that's not what makes Belizeans such avid taco lovers: it's not the price, it's the taste! And what is it that makes a taco so tasty? Is it the firmness of the tortilla, the moistness of the chicken or the spiciness of the pepper? I went north yesterday to the Tacos Festival in Orange Walk to find out about the magic ingredient that makes tacos in the northern town so sought after:.. Monica Bodden reporting On Sunday the atmosphere at Banquitas was buzzing with activities - as these tacos vendors lined off and prepared some of the most finger licking tacos for the crowd. It was all competition and everyone brought out their best tacos recipes for the 2nd annual Tacos Festival.

Youth Athletes Did Well In Costa Rica
Last week, 7News told small contingent of junior athletes who went to Costa Rica to compete in 10th Central American Infant A and Junior C track and field games. They were confident that they were able to bring home medals, and… they delivered. 7News caught up them when they came back home this evening, and they told us they were happy with their performance: Kadean Cayetano, Athlete/Gold Medal "I pretty sure I could have done much better because the record was 688 and my personal best is 702 and I slacked off a lot over the summer." Daniel Ortiz "You brought home gold medal in what event exactly?" Kadean Cayetano, Athlete/Gold Medal "Long jump." Shanicka Augustine, Athlete/Silver Medal "I wanted to win but as I say competition, so my team mate G'anne Humes was in first place then Panama knock her out by the winning jump 520 and then I was drop to 4th place because Guatemala end up in 3rd place and then I then knock two of them out; my team mate and Guatemala and came in 2nd with a jump 5 meters."

A Bridge Across The Hondo
Mexican President Felipe Calderon will end his six year term in a matter of days. And one of his last acts was to open the new Belize - Mexico bridge, dubbed the "Chactemal" Bridge and the Subteniente López II border point. He did that on Friday evening and in his address he said that the entire project cost nearly 180 million pesos. Infrastructure at the facility was improved and state of the art equipment was purchased. Deputy Prime Minister represented Belize at the event. Now, the Belize side is still not connected to the new bridge and border facility. And that's because while the Mexicans built the bridge - Belize hasn't been able to come up with the money to build the half mile of road to connect our border station to it.

Channel 5

Husband, wife and daughter murdered inside home

It was a weekend of carnage; six persons were executed between Friday night and Sunday afternoon. The most heinous was in the wee hours of Sunday morning, when a husband, wife and her daughter were gruesomely killed at their house in Ladyville. It is a murder like few others in recent history because the suspect [...]

Brother killed as gunman enters home

A fourth person was executed on Sunday afternoon in a Crime Ridden Area which was under B.D.F. and police presence. Twenty-two year old William Felix Francis, a resident of Mahogany Street Extension, was killed in a hail of bullets inside his home.  Shortly after one o’clock Francis and his brother were conversing with each other [...]

Close to home, Norales murdered on Fabers Road

The bloodbath started early on Friday night. James Noralez, a former B.D.F. officer, was gunned down in the Fabers Road Extension. His bullet riddled body was retrieved from the bloody crime scene and transported to the K.H.M.H. Three persons, well known to the court system, were soon detained and were charged with murder this afternoon. [...]

Sister of murder victim questions motive for murder

The death of Norales has come as a shock to his family. Norales’ mother recently returned from the U.S. and has not yet received all the facts. The only known fact is that three of his friends have been charged for his murder. News Five spoke to Norales’ sister this evening about the loss of [...]

Yabra resident Steero murdered near home

Within two hours, police had their hands full with another homicide. Deon Waight also known as Steero was shot and killed not far from his house in the Yarborough area. Waight had left home to buy cigarettes when a slew of bullets his him in the head, neck and hand. His family believes he is [...]

Cycling Association election postponed because of 2 constitutions

There was a lot of hype leading up to planned elections for a new president of the Belize cycling Association on Saturday. Hundreds of cyclists turned up at the Aguada Hotel in Santa Elena, Cayo for the event which would have seen a challenge to the presidency of Emil Moreno by Council Dion Leslie. Two [...]

Belize Times makes a comeback, but who calls the shots?

We note that the printed version of the opposition newspaper, Belize Times, is back on the streets. The newspaper re-surfaced this past weekend in full color and went on sale on Saturday. The printed edition was discontinued back in August because the paper was losing money and had become unsustainable for the People’s United Party [...]

Taiwan says no visas needed to enter Belize, is it reciprocal?

Bearers of Taiwanese passports will no longer need visas to enter Belize. The announcement was made via the government of Taiwan which says that a visa waiver program has been agreed to, but a specific date has not been set for its inception. The formal announcement was made in Taipei where the Foreign Minister Wilfred [...]

Shooting of Salvapan woman was allegedly an attempted hit

A Salvapan woman is admitted at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital tonight, recovering from three gunshot injuries. According to police, just before eight o’clock on Friday night, two masked men stormed into the Spain Street residence of twenty-five year old Cecilia Varela. The men fired shots at her, her husband who ran shouting for help [...]

Police say no evidence to charged woman accused of hiring hit men

Shortly after Varela’s sister made the allegations, Superintendent Aaron Guzman, the officer commanding Cayo Police, responded with the police side of the story. Guzman says there simply was not enough evidence to charge the accused woman within the forty-eight hours that she was detained.   Voice of: Supt. Aaron Guzman, Officer Commanding Cayo Police “A [...]

Independence Village rob the village

A string of robberies have occurred over the past two weeks in Independence and they may have been triggered by one burglar. On the thirteenth of November, a twelve gauge Remington shotgun was stolen from Michael Hobbs’ home. Hobbs, a US national, reported to police that he left the gun, valued at four thousand dollars [...]

Warrior and Gentle charged for burglary of items valued $21,000

Thieves made away with a sizeable loot and cash of some twenty-one thousand dollars from the house of Sandra Young on Bride’s Alley. Today, two Belize City men were arraigned for burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and handling stolen goods. Dion Warrior, Young’s neighbor and Quincy Gentle, appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer and were [...]

August to life; convicted murderer sentenced

Twenty-four year old Gregory August will be spending the rest of his life prison for the murder of seventy-three year old Alvin Robinson, who was stabbed to death in 2009. August was convicted on November twenty-first and today he reappeared before Justice Adolph Lucas for mitigation and sentencing. Three character witnesses, including Avis Williams, a [...]

Mexican President bridging friendship at Chactemal

As we reported in Friday’s newscast, President Felipe Calderon will be leaving office in the next few days. One of the outstanding projects between Belize and Mexico is the international bridge which was completed back in 2009 but was not inaugurated because the construction of a stretch of road by Belize, did not take place; [...]

City Hall’s survey for disables Belama residents, an SJC success

A survey was conducted this morning in Belize City to identify residents who require help during disasters. The pilot phase of the project was in the Belama area where the City Emergency Management Organization began to collect information for its database with the support of students from St John’s College, who did the house to [...]

Western Spirit Cycling Team gets support from Bowen & Bowen

While the executive of the Belize Cycling Association held an unsuccessful congress in Santa Elena earlier on Saturday, the homegrown team Western Spirit of Cayo District, hosted an event to unveil their partnership with Bowen & Bowen Ltd.  The team, which has become a powerhouse on the national cycling scene, is officially being endorsed by [...]

One sportscaster; amazing Monday night sports highlights

Good evening, I’m James Adderley and welcome to this portion of Sports Monday.   Week thirteen of the PLB Season found FC Belize needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive as they hosted Juventus of Orange Walk inside the MCC Grounds yesterday. Thus it’s no surprise that FC Belize roars out of the [...]

LOVE FM

Mexico Pledges to Assist Belize With Connecting Road
Mexico has pledged to build the portion of the road that connects Belize to the new bridge connecting our two countries. At a ceremony held in Othon P Blanco Quintana Roo, Mexico on Friday, Mexican President, Felipe Calderon, said that with the opening of the bridge, further deve...

SJC Students Assist Belize City Council on Risk Assessment Survey
High School students from Saint John’s College in Belize City today canvassed the Belama Phases thee and Four areas. The fourth form students, in collaboration with the Belize City Council, are conducting a Risk Assessment Survey which will ultimately assist municipal autho...

National Trade Union Congress of Belize Elects Executive
The National Trade Union Congress of Belize held its 46th annual general meeting this past weekend in San Ignacio. The meeting had representation from eight of the nine affiliated unions. The keynote address was delivered by Labour Commissioner Ivan Williams who spoke on th...

Police News
Three persons were been charged with the murder of 28 year old James Noralez when they appeared in court today. They are 19 year old Tyrone Meighan, an unemployed of Banak Street; 27 year old Brandon Baptist, a construction worker of Police Street; and 24 year old Orel Lesl...

Two Men Murdered in Belize City
Last Friday night two men were also killed in separate incidents in Belize City, according to Martinez. “At approximately 7:13pm, Police visited Faber’s Road Extension, Belize City, where 28 year old James Norales of Linda Vista Area, mile 2 on the George Price Highway ...

Belize City Resident Murdered Inside His Home
On Sunday afternoon, a man was shot and killed inside his house in the Lake Independence area. Police Press Officer Raphael Martinez gave us the details. RAPHAEL MARTINEZ Police Press Officer Belize Police Department “At approximately 1:15pm police visited #...

Triple Homicide in Family Home in Ladyville
Three family members were murdered in the early hours of Sunday in Ladyville. Reporter Marion Ali has the story. MARION ALI News Reporter Love FM News “Residents of Mirage Road in Ladyville were awaken to terror at around 3:30 on Sunday morning when three me...

PlusTV

Man arrested for triple murdrer in Ladyville
There was a triple murder in Ladyville early Sunday morning. On Sunday morning at around 3:30, shots were heard rin...

James Norales Murdered in Belize City Friday Night
The death of James Norales occurred Friday night. Sometime around 7:00 pm, multiple gunshots were heard on Fabers R...

Criminal activities in Belmopan at La Cabana once again
There have been numerous reports of robberies, assaults and threats within the last few months; although not all of...

Home Invasion in Belmopan
there was more criminal activity in Belmopan. Two men on a dangerous mission found their mark in a remote area of t...

Another home invasion in Belize City
There was another home invasion in Belize City where another person was shot in his home. This also happened on Sun...

Deon Waight killed in Belize City
There was also another murder in the old capital. Deon Waight, a resident of Caesar Ridge Road ,was on his way to a...

Regional Meeting on Human Trafficking held in Belize City
The Fifth Regional Meeting of the Central American Regional Coalition against Human Trafficking was hosted in Beliz...

Purchase of Belize City Municipal Bonds began today
The Belize City Council launched the Municipal Bond last week in Belize City at a press conference hosted by Mayor ...

Belize's Under 15 national Football team is bringing home GOLD
Belize's Under 15 national Football team is bringing home GOLD. The team left for the Dominican Republic last week ...

Cricketers from the Falkland Islands are in Belize
Cricketers from the Falkland Islands are in Belize to play our national team and make a donation to Liberty Childre...

Belize government has agreed to grant Taiwan passport holders visa-free privileges
The Belize government has agreed to grant Taiwan passport holders visa-free privileges when traveling here. Belize ...

Police investigate mysterious death in Cristo Rey
A strange story is coming out of the West this evening. Yesterday at 2:00pm, Police were called the La Loma Luz Adv...

Blogs

Return of the Croc!
One of Ambergris Caye's much-beloved restaurants re-opened the day after Thanksgiving, and -- of course -- we were there. Ens and Cheri are our neighbors, and not only that, they really know how to do barbeque right. Although we don't eat a lot of meat under normal circumstances, when we want to indulge our inner carnivores, nothing but the Lazy Croc will do. This is a sign we weren't sure we'd ever see again: They're starting out simple with their basic menu of pulled pork, ribs, chicken, and a few sides. Prices are the same as before, and there is a choice of four sides with your meal. A limited drink menu is included but no desserts. They told us they might add to the menu again over time, but wanted to begin again with the basics. Makes sense to us! Prices are in Belize dollars (divide by two for USD), and only cash is accepted. They're reserving their rear deck on the pond for private bookings, but they do have tables out front, or you can carry out. Barry had a nice chat with Ens by the smoker -- where the magic happens.

Guest Blogger: Carrie's Whirlwind Tour of Belize, Part One
Hello, SanPedroScoop.com fans - I'm another one of Rebecca's loyal readers, filling in for her while she visits Dirty Jersey (as we Philadelphians call it, lovingly, of course.) I lived in San Pedro for about 9 months last year, and now I'm on the mainland in the Stann Creek district with my man, a couple of cats, dogs, goats, chickens, and some great Maya mountain sunsets. I write about my experiences down here at my blog, Letters to My Friends Back Home - feel free to check it out :) (Note from the Scoop: Carrie's blog is as funny as it is informative. Her Philadelphia meets Central American "pioneer life" in the Belizean mountains and travels on the mainland are fascinating and awesome and sometimes make me feel like I'm living like a "city slicker" on Ambergris Caye. Follow her stuff...it's one of my favorite blogs. And bonus! She shows pictures of herself AND looks fantastic in a bathing suit. Enjoy. And PS...I am including a map of the Belizean mainland if you aren't too familiar with the layout.) Back to Carrie: Anyway - on to the scooping! One of my best friends is down here visiting me from Pennsylvania, and I've been dragging her all over the country for the past six days. I just want her to get a feel for the whole country so that when she comes back in April she'll have a better idea of where she wants to spend her time, ya know? I met her at the Belize international airport on Friday morning and we took a taxi over to the Caye Caulker Water Taxi, and then headed to San Pedro for just one night (about an hour and 1/2 long trip). I won't tell you too much about our 24 hours in San Pedro since Rebecca keeps you well informed about all there is to do there, but I will you that we stopped in at the following places: Lola's Pub, Crazy Canucks, Jolly Rogers, Legends Burger House, Pedro's, Wild Mangoes, Ak'Bol, and the Palapa Bar - and we got to see some of the National Sailing Regatta while we walked along the beach...

21.12.2012 – End of Maya Calendar or A Period of AWAKENING ?
I’m 28 years old and I’m not sure if I’m doing exactly what it is that I’m supposed to be doing – professionally at least. Oh alright, in every aspect of my life. I’m getting to that age in a woman’s life (the dreaded thirties), where as a young girl you’re pretty sure you should have it all figured out, you should probably have kids already, at least one, and a husband, and dog? Ok, maybe not a dog, but the other stuff for sure. That said, the Maya Winter Solstice, in my mind, is the embodiment of spiritual soul searching, the end of an epic cycle and the beginning of a new one. So for me, it only makes sense that I align myself with this kind of energy that forces me to discard my old way of thinking, and to accept this new reality that I am not my old preconceived notions of where I should have been as I near 30. Or, at the very least you could consider letting me experience a few nights at what appears to be the most fabulous eco-lodge I’ve seen in recent times just because…(smile). Ok, to be fair, without the fluff, without insincerity, without feeling like I’m trying to sell myself and my reason in some pitch for a few nights at the lodge…I really do want to experience the Maya Winter Solstice.

A Friendly Kidnapping in Belize
I don’t often tell people I was kidnapped, as they tend to envision gunmen and extreme treks in a forest or months spent in a locked up room, waiting for ransom demands to be paid. My kidnapping wasn’t anything like that. Although it did have a dramatic escape plan. So here is the story – be warned though, this is a pretty long story, so sit back and get comfortable. Looking back it was quite an entertaining night, but at the time it was far from it. Chalk it up to having a few moments of naivety after a few too many beers. There were four of us out enjoying a night on the town in San Ignacio, Belize. It was hot and the Belikin beers were cold. But the bars all abruptly closed way too early. Fueled by alcohol, we wandered the streets looking for lights, looking for a bar. No luck. We reached the end of town and came to a bridge; and this is where our night adventure began. Enter Craig, the homeless guy.

International Sources

Monsanto Co. seeks to take over Mexico's heartland with GM maize
If their requests are approved by outgoing president Felipe Calderón, Monsanto Co. and DuPont will be planting 2,500,000 hectares (more than 6 million acres) of transgenic or GM maize in the heartland of Mexico. (Updated.) According to ETC Group, the consequences will be devastating for the heart of the center of origin and diversity for maize, and also globally. Mexico is considered to be the global repository of maize genetic diversity, as scientists have identified thousands of peasant varieties of maize. Should Monsanto's applications be approved, this would mark the world's first commercial-scale planting of GM varieties of a major food group, in it's center of origin. Basically this would wipe out all biodiversity, and all the various local varieties of maize, developed over around 7,000 years. This is an horrific "parting shot" against the Mexican people, courtesy of outgoing President Calderon. I have to wonder just what the quid pro quo was from Monsanto, and would bet that he has been handsomely compensated for this approval, should it happen. GM crops have been proven to cause tumors and abnormal growths in those animals which have been fed with it. Eating genetically modified corn (GM corn) and consuming trace levels of Monsanto's Roundup chemical fertilizer caused rats to develop horrifying tumors, widespread organ damage, and premature death. That's the conclusion of a shocking new study that looked at the long-term effects of consuming Monsanto's genetically modified corn. The study has been deemed "the most thorough research ever published into the health effects of GM food crops and the herbicide Roundup on rats." News of the horrifying findings is spreading like wildfire across the internet, with even the mainstream media seemingly in shock over the photos of rats with multiple grotesque tumors... tumors so large the rats even had difficulty breathing in some cases. GMOs may be the new thalidomide. "Monsanto Roundup weedkiller and GM maize implicated in 'shocking' new cancer study" wrote The Grocery, a popular UK publication.

Video of Mexican President speech:
Mexican president Felipe Calderon inaugurated the new international bridge and the Mexican facilities at the border Mexico-Belize, on 23 November 2012.

INAUGURATION OF SUBTENIENTE LÓPEZ II BORDER BRIDGE
Quintana Roo, 23 November 2012.- On tour in the State of Quintana Roo, President Calderón inaugurated the Subteniente López II “Chactemal” Bridge, which will boost trade between Mexico and Belize. President Calderón remarked that opening the bridge will create more economic development and opportunities for progress for the families in the region. It will have appropriate spaces for promoting the development of customs operations, guaranteeing workers’ security and streamline the shipping of merchandise as well as the entry of passengers by bus and light vehicles. Infrastructure was improved and state of the art furniture and equipment was purchased. Infrastructure was improved and state-of-the-art furniture and equipment was purchased. The Customs Office is now better equipped to provide efficient service for users and strengthen Mexico‘s links with international markets. An investment of nearly 180 million pesos was required. During the current administration, over 31 billion pesos have been invested in modernizing the country’s customs houses, ten times more than during the previous administration. This effort will permit major projects to modernize customs houses such as those in Lázaro Cárdenas, Guadalajara and Tijuana.

Britain to Crack Down on Caribbean Tax Havens
A leaked document has revealed that Britain plans to impose its own version of the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) on its overseas territories, such as the Cayman Islands, as well as the crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. FATCA, which will come into force next year, requires foreign banks to report American account holders to the US Internal Revenue Service. The draft UK equivalent, seen by the magazine International Tax Review, will require British tax havens to make similar disclosures about UK account holders to UK tax authorities, London’s Observer newspaper reported. The move, which is expected to be unveiled in the chancellor's autumn statement and come into force in 2014, will have major consequences for those trying to hide their money offshore. "It's a complete bombshell for these places," Richard Murphy, a tax expert who has seen the draft plan, told the Observer. "Some people will try to flee, but this is going to change the whole of the offshore market." He explained that the draft plan amounted to the UK using US legislation to give tax havens an ultimatum: "It's either they give the UK the same data that they want to give the US or the UK won't pass their laws to let data flow to the US."

Taiwan secures 131st visa-waiver pact with Belize announcement
Belize, a Central American nation that formally recognizes Taiwan, has granted R.O.C. passport holders visa-waiver entry, President Ma Ying-jeou said yesterday. The move brings the number of countries and regions that have included Taiwan in their visa-waiver programs to 131. Ma made the announcement while receiving a Belizean delegation led by its Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. The president thanked the visiting five-person delegation for their country's decision, saying that the announcement is expected to further boost bilateral ties and enhance closer two-way exchanges. Previously, Belize joined four other countries that formally recognized Taiwan but did not grant visa-waiver privileges, Paraguay, Belize, and Sao Tome and Principe. In a statement released yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said more details about the latest visa-waiver program, including when it will take effect, will be made public soon. Blessed with a range of natural resources, the Central American ally is famous for its Barrier Reef, which is the second longest in the world, as well as its rainforests, the MOFA said. Many of the nation's natural wonders and Mayan cultural relics have gained UNESCO World Heritage Status, the ministry said.

TV Pick: Panorama – How To Dodge Tax
Sadly not a handy how-to guide (sorry Jimmy Carr) but the BBC's latest sweeping investigation. Conducted in collaboration with The Guardian, Panorama targets off-shore tax havens from Belize to Panama and companies exploiting loopholes to deny taxpayers billions of pounds. In a week when the activities of major corporations from Amazon to Google have come under fire, major questions are being asked about where blame should lie: in those paying the minimum to maximise profits or the law-makers creating the loopholes in the first place.

New international bridge inaugurated between Mexico and Belize
On tour in the State of Quintana Roo, Mexican President Felipe Calderón has inaugurated the Subteniente López II “Chactemal” Bridge, which will boost trade between Mexico and Belize. Calderón remarked that opening the bridge will create more economic development and opportunities for progress for the families in the region. It will have appropriate spaces for promoting the development of customs operations, guaranteeing workers’ security and streamline the shipping of merchandise as well as the entry of passengers by bus and light vehicles. Infrastructure was improved and state of the art furniture and equipment was purchased. Infrastructure was improved and state-of-the-art furniture and equipment was purchased. The Customs Office is now better equipped to provide efficient service for users and strengthen Mexico‘s links with international markets. An investment of nearly 180 million pesos (US$13.8 million) was required.

Don't Fall For Fake Facebook Privacy Notice
A 'privacy notice' that's been virally spreading on Facebook, supposedly protecting one's personal details and data from unauthorized copying, is fake.

November 26, 2012

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The latest Tia Chocolate column is ready for reading!!! Waiting, Part IV
He woke up to find that the breeze had changed and the shadows had elongated. Sometime while he slept and dreamt of the past, he had been covered up with a warm, colorful Guatemalan blanket. It was once a bright rainbow of colors, with designs of the quetzal, that country’s national bird, shining through in a false needlepoint pattern. Everything was machine-made these days – but still, it was cheaper, the warmth it gave him was more than enough. With fresh memories of his youth still lingering, he took a wavering breath of that fresh mountain air that changed his life. Ahead, his beloved daughter-in-law Julia came bringing a steaming mug of tea. The woman always seemed to be working, cleaning, chasing after children, tending to her yard, and always, caring for him. “What were you dreaming of this time Papacito?” she asked as she held out the mug to him.

The November 25th, 2012 issue of The STAR (Cayo) is online HERE

This Week's Stories:

• Alleged Petty Con Artist Nabbed:
  The act of con artists preying on vulnerable teachers in Belize City schools seems to have caught on in Cayo schools as one such alleged con artist was today arrested, charged and remanded to prison. In the first case, a primary school female teacher reported to the police that she was at school where she was approached by a man she knows as Ellis Gomez who told her that he was sent to do some repair work at the school. He requested and received 30 dollars from the teacher to buy a tin of paint. He allegedly returned the following day and approached the same teacher who, at his request, gave him an additional 10 dollars which he said he needed to purchase formica. The man never returned with paint or the formica thereby prompting the teacher to report the matter to the police.
• Men At Work In Cayo Central:
  Holding true to his promise of increased employment within the community, Minister of Works and Transport/Cayo Central Area Representative, Hon. Rene Montero, is pushing forward with the manual labor intensive component San Ignacio bypass Project. Minister Montero informed that he is pleased with the progress of the works and the quality of the workmanship. He informed that apart from the massive development that the project is bringing to the area, he is especially pleased to see so many workmen on the site gainfully employed and therefore providing themselves and their families.
• Statements From The Most Recent IMF Report On Belize:
  An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission led by Mr. Gerardo Peraza, visited Belize from November 1-15 to conduct its yearly review of the country’s economy, in the context of the IMF’s Artivle IV consultations. Mr. Peraza released the following statement in Belmopan at the conclusion of the meeting today: “Belize is experiencing an output rebound despite the decline in oil production. In 2012, real Gross Domestice Product (GDP) growth is expected at 3.5-4 percent, led by a recovery from last year’s effects of weatherrelated damages in commodity exports as well as a recovery in tourism, and electricity generation. Inflation which stood at 1.5 percent in January - August, has been easing as commodity prices pressures abate.
• Eradicating “Machismo”:
  By: Pastor Scott Stirm If we look at the many problems facing our nation today, most all of them trace back to a leadership problem. John Maxwell says “Everything rises or falls upon the shoulders of leadership.” No, I’m not complaining about our politicians, I’m talking about leadership as a whole, beginning with leadership in the home, our role as husbands & fathers. Did you know that 80% of the children born in the Caribbean are born outside of marriage? And HALF of that figure will NEVER KNOW WHO THEIR FATHER IS!!! In Jamaica, it’s 90% of the kids born outside of marriage. And in Haiti, with rampant poverty & disorder, 94% of the children are born outside of marriage, and HALF of those children will never know who their father is. In the Caribbean region we have experienced a terrible breakdown of the family structure, and our crime & violence statistics are proof of that. Ranking up there with our Belize statistics are Jamaica and Trinidad – common denominator? Same culture, same problem…
• The Rotary Club of San Ignacio Starts Two Bathroom Projects For Cayo Schools:
  The Rotary Club of San Ignacio is proud to announce the start of two important projects to support the school infrastructure in Cayo. Within one week two ground-breaking ceremonies for new toilet facilities took place at Eden S.D.A. Primary School in Santa Elena and St. Andrews Anglican School in San Ignacio. They were well attended by all the kids, the staff, and representatives of the PTA and the Ministry of Education, the Town Council, the Rotary Club of San Ignacio, the building contractor and the press. Both school´s existing bathrooms have been outgrown over the years by the increasing number of students and need to be replaced. The schools will receive modern flush toilets in adequate numbers that are also accessible by wheelchairs. The building plans are based on a standard model that is recommended by the Ministry of Education which was also instrumental in selecting the schools. The buildings will even be equipped with fresh water storage tanks in case of interrupted public water supply.
• Medical Health Center Inaugurated In Belize City:
  The long time dream of former First Lady of Belize, Mrs. Kathy Esquivel, today became a reality with the official inauguration of a Mental Health Center in Belize City. The new facility that will provide a daily meal, medical referral and recreation for the homeless and people living with mental health problems was today inaugurated in Belize City. The Mental Health Day Care/ Resource Centre project, located at the corner of Tibruce and Vernon Streets, will facilitate social support and training for income generation for the homeless and people living with mental health problems in Belize City. The facility will not be a residential centre but will provide a daily meal, medical referral and recreation for its beneficiaries. The centre has the capacity to benefit 150 clients on a regular basis and will be governed by rules and regulations including no loitering and nuisance prohibitions.
• Ministry of Health Reveals Findings of “TLEMOL”:
  Earlier this year, reports were made to the Ministry of Health concerning the sale of a pharmaceutical product being marketed as “TLEMOL.” Shortly after receiving reports, the Ministry sent a sample of the product for testing. This week the Ministry received a Certificate of Analysis from the Caribbean Regional Drug Testing Laboratory in Kingston, Jamaica concluding that the pharmaceutical product marketed as ‘Tlemol’ has met the United States Pharmaceutical requirements for Acetaminophen tablets.
• International Call Center Brings Jobs To Town:
  The Office Gurus®, a global provider of call and contact center solutions, is preparing to open its doors in the town of San Ignacio in mid-November. Along with renovating the interior space of its #18 Joseph Andrews Drive, San Ignacio location, The Office Gurus is providing employment opportunities for both call center agents and management positions. With locations already in the U.S., El Salvador and Costa Rica, The Office Gurus have built their reputation on providing a quality work environment with fixed weekday hours, paid training, opportunity for advancement and other benefits. When asked why the firm selected Belize and specifically San Ignacio for its expansion, Dominic Leide, managing director of The Office Gurus stated, “When we toured the Cayo District we were impressed with the skill sets and level of enthusiasm available in the local labor pool. We pride ourselves on offering our employees a rewarding employment experience and a place to build a career, and felt that the people of San Ignacio would be a good fit for us and our clients.” Leide added, “We look forward to welcoming all new hires and becoming an active contributor to the region’s business community.”
• Hector “Macho” Camacho ‘Brain Dead’ After Shooting:
  Rican former boxer Hector “ Macho” Camacho has been declared clinically brain dead after being shot in the head on Tuesday. He was in a deep coma and unresponsive, the director of the hospital treating him, Dr Ernesto Torres, told reporters. Relatives are expected to decide whether to remove the three-time world champion from life support. Camacho suffered a heart attack after being wounded in a drive-by shooting outside the capital c ity, San Juan. “We have done all we can do,” Dr Torres said, adding that brain studies had shown irregular and intermittent activity.
• Further Big Drop In New HIV Infections Among Children:
  The UN's latest assessment of global cases of HIV/Aids shows there has been a further drop in new infections among children. There were 330,000 new infections in children last year - the figure is 24% lower than in 2009. But the report by UNAids also warns "significant additional effort is required" if broader targets to tackle HIV/Aids are to be achieved by 2015. The agency's director said the pace of progress was speeding up. Overall, 34 million people around the world are now thought to have the virus that causes Aids. The number of new infections in adults has stayed broadly stable for the past four years - at about 2.5 million new cases a year.
• Argentina Governor’s Wife Jailed For His Murder:
  The wife of murdered Argentine provincial governor Carlos Soria has been jailed for 18 years for killing him during a family argument. Susana Freydoz shot her husband as the two argued at their ranch in Rio Negro province, where they and their family had gathered for New Year celebrations. The judges ruled that she should remain in hospital where she is undergoing psychiatric treatment. Mr Soria had been sworn in a few weeks earlier as governor of Rio Negro. He was at his ranch in General Roca, in south-central Rio Negro province, celebrating New Year with his family.
• Top 5 Tips for Dealing with Bullying:
  So long playground teasing and taunting, bullying has entered cyberspace, ridiculing kids in the safety of their bedrooms and smartphones. Recently, it replaced stranger danger as parents’ worst fear. Drs. Laurie and Fred Zelinger, a husband and wife team with more than 70 years of combined experience working in schools, to get their insight into how to communicate better with our children, whether they are being bullied or they are the bully. The Zelingers’ Top 5 Tips for Dealing with Bullying in Your Family: 1. Sit side-by-side, and start with a statement. “There’s been some research about how boys and men communicate better when they’re sitting next to each other as opposed to sitting opposite each other,” Dr. Laurie Zelinger points out. Try to find times when you are sitting close enough to your child without the pressure of time to get something done, and open up communication about bullying with a casual statement instead of a question; a statement feels less confrontational to the child. “Something simple, like, ‘Wow, looks like you’re really thinking about something right now”, Dr. Laurie Zelinger says. You never know where it might lead.
• Gang Truce In El Salvador:
  In March this year El Salvador’s most violent gangs - the Mara Salvatrucha and the 18th Street gang - agreed a truce. As a result, the murder rate of this small Central American country has plummeted - but can the peace last? On a Sunday morning, the main street into Majucla, a poor community in the north of San Salvador, looks like any other. It is a dirt road, there are food stalls, and people walk up and down, many dressed for church. Some men stand around in groups of two or three, chatting - look closely and you will see the tattoos. One of them has artwork that starts on his skull, covers his face and neck and disappears under his T-shirt. On one cheek a large M is tattooed, on the other an S. All these men are members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, known as the MS.
• Instead of Celebrations, Cultural Preservation And Economic Development Is The Future For Our Garifuna People:
  I was born and raised in Dangriga Town like my mother, Josephine Sampson and my father Finley Sylvester Ramos. My maternal grandmother Andelecia Petillo- Sampson was born in Livingston, Guatemala and my maternal grandfather Simeon Sampson Sr. was born in Dangriga Town, Belize. My paternal grandmother Claudina Lewis-Ramos was born in Dangriga Town and my paternal grandfather Zacharus Ramos was born in Bluefield, Nicaragua. We all have relatives that we can trace to St. Vincent “Yuremei” our original homeland, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Belize.
• Cayo Art Festival 2012:
  The San Ignacio and Santa Elena House of Culture is pleased to once again invite you to theCayo Art Festival 2012 to be held this Saturday, November 24 on Burns Avenue in San Ignacio. We encourage you to bring your family and friends to enjoy an evening of fine Belizean art and talent. on display, games and live musical performances by A Cold Day in May, Johnny and the Playmates and Ascenthium. Visiting the Cayo Art Festival at the House of Culture in San Ignacio is a must if you’re in San Ignacio this weekend.
• STAR Humor
• Editorial: The Super-Bond, The IMF, The Future Looks Bright
• Your Weekly Horoscope and Lucky Numbers
• Letters to the Editor
• Public Notices

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

Doctor Love: Talker vs. Mr. Silent
Disagreements lead to lovers ignoring each other. So...what does the good Doctor have to say about THAT?!

San Pedro gears up for the Christmas Season Celebrations
San Pedro has no shortage of wonderful activities to usher in the Christmas season. From the Annual lighted boat parade to the Caribbean Christmas Colors to Love FM's parade, and more!

Woofer: Luke Chapter 6, Verse 31
Davin takes his interpretation of certain bible verses literally while in Sunday School. Oopsie!

2012 Taste of Belize Heads to Cayo
Taste of Belize (TOB) 2012 is here! BTB’s signature culinary event will be in San Ignacio, Cayo on December 1st and 2nd. The Belize Tourism Board, through this medium, seeks to develop and recognize the best in culinary arts in Belize. The event, which has been on a hiatus, returns with new twists and grandeur. On December 1st, the gala starts at 7p.m at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel. The Resort Hotel will be transformed like never seen before, from body painted models, to exotic animals and a photo booth. Entertainment for the evening will be the highly acclaimed, Belize Dance Company and Marimba players. A ticket to this event entitles each attendee to a five course meal, prepared by local celebrity Chef Sean Kuylen; consumption of available beers and wines; access to the cocktail hour; and a complimentary gift bag. The highlight of the night will be the live food and beverage competitions, in the categories of the Pro Chef, Bartending and Cake Decorating. For the Pro Chef competition, the BTB wants to include the entire country of Belize in celebrating the talents of our local chefs, and as a result, this portion of the event will be televised live on LOVE TV at 8:30 p.m. The battle, which will feature four professional chefs in a ‘winner takes all’ format, will be hosted by Indira Craig & William Neal. This epic three course meal battle will see contenders face off in three rounds, the appetizer, entrée and dessert, which must include a basket of mystery ingredients and be completed in one hour. At the end of the competition, a panel of four judges will select one chef to be recognized with the title of “Belize’s Master Chef,” a trophy and two thousand five hundred dollars.

Misc Belizean Sources

3rd Annual Cayo Art Festival
The SISE HoC had their 3rd annual Cayo Art Festival yesterday. All of Burns avenue was turned into a celebration, with an abundance of arts and crafts on display. Events were held throughout the day, including the Sacred Heart College dancers and the Cayo Music School. In the evening, there was some spectacular live music. A Cold Day in May played, followed by Johnny and the Playmates, with Sarita Obando singing, and it ended with a phenomenal performance by Ascenthium. This should be done every Saturday!

LOVE TV

BREAKING: Another murder in Belize City
There are reports of a fatal shooting incident this afternoon on Mahogany Street in Belize City. The name of the victim is being withheld at this time. For more details on this latest murder, tune in to Love FM News Report coming up at 60′clock.

TRIPLE MURDER IN LADYVILLE
There are reports of a triple murder in Ladyville village in the Belize district. Police press office Raphael Martinez has confirmed that the bodies of three people, a man and two women, were found inside their home on Marage Road. They had been shopt in the head, reportedly at close range. Sources tell Love News that there were no signs of forced entry to the home where the three people were found murdered around 4 am today. The victims have been identified Robert Vellos, Karen Skeen Vellos and Teena Skeen. Investigations continue.

Annual campaign to end gender-based violence starts
The annual observance of sixteen days of activism against gender-based violence kicks off this weekend. Love TV’s Marion Ali and video journalist Brian Castillo attended the launch and bring you the following report.

Belizean rum wins regional award
The Caribbean rum and beer festival was held earlier this month in Grenada and the winners in its alcohol beverage tasting competition were announced. Belize’s Cuello Distillery walked off with prizes in two categories. In the flavored rum category Cuello’s Caribbean Coconut rum won gold while in the white rum category Cuello’s Caribbean White rum placed third. The judging panel sampled over 50 rums and made their decisions based on appearance, aroma, taste and overall impression. According to organizers the Caribbean rum and beer festival is set to become the Caribbean’s premier promotion and retailing event for rum and beer beverages. The fourth festival will take place in November next year.

Blogs

The End of the Maya Calendar and Human Consciousness
I am a world traveller, community builder, documentary photographer, film maker, journalist, experiential teacher, artist, architect, and musician. I am planning a tour around different parts of the world to document intentional communities and ceremonies celebrating spirituality, world cultures (arts & music), and living in harmony with the earth (sustainability/ self-reliance/ permaculture). I would like to write a book, produce a documentary-style film, create artwork, and compose music based around my experiences. My eventual goal is to build a flourishing sustainable community enriched with the wisdom of ancient cultures, traditions, and practices that brings positive energies into our world today. Visiting the enchanting natural setting of Chaa Creek and The Mayan grounds during the Winter Solstice Celebration would be the perfect way to start off this Creative Journey! I see the World as my Wisdom Temple and my Greatest Teachers have been Experiences: “As in Micro, so in Macro. The whole exists within the minutest particle and the minutest particle contains the whole. The atom contains the universe and the universe contains the atom, and neither exists without the other. Creator exists within creation, even as creation exists within creator.”- Brahmarishi Mayan, circa 10,500 BC

Mutual Beneficience with Research Assistants
A major aspect of my research in Belize involves trying to get an understanding of how families manage their health, given the various options available to them. After spending a good year in the community, I had in mind to speak with the female head of the household. Wives, mothers, and grandmothers are often the decision makers when it comes to matters of health in southern Belize, and they are most often familiar with the health issues and events faced by their families. My challenge with this stage of the research was not so much where to find participants, but how to most effectively go about recruitment. My goal was to cover the economic and ethnic diversity among households throughout the community, necessitating the need to cover the varied geography that exists there. Going door-to-door would be the surest way to get that coverage. Time of day would be a factor in my success as well, and most women who do not work outside the home have the most flexible time during the day while their children and partners are usually out of the house. However, there was a problem inherent with this plan. As a male researcher, going door to door to visit women during the day while nobody else was home might raise some eyebrows around the community. In a town of around 5,000 people, rumors and gossip starts and spreads quickly. With no easy solution, I put off starting this particular phase, and focused on other aspects of my research and other projects I had become involved with.

International Sources

Fla. Woman Arrested On Charge She Rode Manatee
A St. Petersburg woman has been charged with violating Florida law by riding a manatee, authorities said. Ana Gloria Garcia Gutierrez, 53, was arrested on a misdemeanor warrant Saturday on the charge of violating Florida’s Manatee Sanctuary Act. Pinellas County sheriff's deputies say she was photographed riding the manatee at Fort De Soto Park in September. On Oct. 2, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri held a press conference asking for the public's help in identifying the woman. Gutierrez called deputies and allegedly admitted touching the endangered sea mammal. She told them she was new to the area and didn't know it was illegal to touch a manatee. The manatee was not hurt. That same month, authorities told Gutierrez that charges would be forwarded to prosecutors, officials said. Officials at the time said the crime may not have been an arrestable offense, because a deputy was not present when it occurred. Still, the case was referred to the Pasco-Pinellas State Attorney's Office, which conducted a review and issued the misdemeanor arrest warrant, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The manatee law states it is unlawful “for any person at any time, by any means, or in any manner intentionally or negligently to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb or attempt to molest, harass, or disturb any Manatee." The maximum penalty is a $500 fine and six months in jail. Gutierrez was released on $1,500 bail.

McAfee's Dogs Could Be Key To Murder Riddle
Police hunting the anti-virus pioneer John McAfee think the millionaire's dogs could hold the key to solving the murder of his neighbour. Mr McAfee shot dead his pets after they were poisoned two days before Gregory Faull, a retired American builder, was killed. Officers have dug up the animals' remains, which were buried in the grounds of Mr McAfee's home in Belize, to examine the bullets used to kill them. Forensic officers are now comparing the bullets to the single casing found by the body of Mr Faull to determine if there is a match. Police spokesman Raphael Martinez said: "The dogs were exhumed and the slugs were taken out indeed and basically it's just to match the slug that was found in Mr Faull." The 52-year-old was found dead in his home on the island of Ambergris Cave on November 11. He had a gunshot wound to the head. Mr McAfee has denied he was responsible for the murder and says he went into hiding only because the Belize authorities have a vendetta against him. He believes he was the intended victim of the shooting, not Mr Faull. Since going on the run he has started a blog, which he promotes on Twitter, and regularly updates. In it he has given details of how he has disguised himself as a beggar, a salesman and a drunken German tourist to watch police search his home seven times. In a post about the exhumation of his dogs, Mr McAfee wrote: "Then I watched the police dig up my four dogs that had been poisoned and buried. They cut off the heads and re-buried the bodies. I found this curious"” Mr McAfee amassed a $100m (£63m) fortune from his software business but said he lost all but $4m of it in the financial crisis. He moved to Belize in 2008.

Belize grants Taiwan citizens visa-free treatment
The Belize government has agreed to grant Taiwan passport holders visa-free privileges when traveling to the Central American country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday. Belize, which will be the 131st country to grant Taiwanese nationals visa-free privileges or landing visa treatment, will soon announce the effective date of the program, as well as further details on traveling to Belize without a visa, the ministry added. The visa waiver program "is expected to increase bilateral exchanges and cooperation in trade, culture, technology and tourism,"the ministry said. The news on Belize's decision to grant Taiwanese passport holders visa free treatment was announced by Belize Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington, who is visiting Taiwan Nov. 25-30, according to the ministry. Belize is one of Taiwan's 23 diplomatic allies. It boasts a vast array of wildlife, huge tracts of rainforest, extensive coral reefs and

McAfee's former girlfriend says the Internet pioneer is 'frightened for his life'
A dead neighbor. Headless dogs. And a millionaire on the run. All set against a backdrop of spectacular tropic beauty. It would be difficult to imagine a more intriguing story than the one unfolding in Belize right now. Police there are seeking to question Internet pioneer John McAfee in the killing of his neighbor, American businessman Gregory Faull. Faull, 52, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the back of the head this month in his home near San Pedro, on the Caribbean island of Ambergris Caye. McAfee, who is not a suspect, has not been seen since. Three people have been detained for questioning in the killing, police have said, and investigators are pursuing multiple leads. McAfee girlfriend fears death threats Wanted mogul speaks from secret hideout McAfee: Government decided to off me Dogs central to McAfee murder mystery? CNN was recently granted rare access to McAfee's beachfront property by a former girlfriend, who asked that her real name not be reported.

A bizarre visit to John McAfee's pleasure palace in Belize
To look for John McAfee, you must be willing to travel a narrow, rutted and muddy road. And the more I bumped and backfired along it in my temperamental, rented, gas golf cart ... the deeper down the rabbit hole I fell. This is one weird story. Some say it began a week ago Friday when the man who practically invented Internet security, John McAfee, shot his dogs. Others say it goes back to April when police raided his compound on the mainland looking for drugs and guns. They found both but the guns had permits and the drugs were legal. Some say police never got over their disappointment. The Austrian woman I had picked up with my golf cart told me McAfee was trying to make a female version of Viagra. I'm not in the habit of picking up hitchhikers but it's customary here to give a lift to locals. As they say, "You never know when YOU might need a ride." Judging by the sound of my golf cart, that time wasn't far off.

Avoid the crowds at these 5 Mayan ruins
Although many travelers are satisfied with visiting the more accessible and well-known Chichen Itza and Tikal, VirtualTourist members always strive for the more off-the-beaten path spots. With this in mind, the members and editors of VirtualTourist.com compiled a list of top five less crowded Mayan ruins. It should be noted that Mayan ruins can only be found in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and El Salvador. Lamanai, Orange Walk, Belize: Lamanai, the Mayan word for "submerged crocodile," was aptly named. Not only do crocodiles appear in the site's effigies and decorations, but you are likely to see crocodiles while trying to get there. In order to reach the site, you must take a small boat up the winding New River through the tropical rainforest of central Belize. Lamanai was one of the longest continuously occupied cities, starting in 500 B.C. to A.D 1675. or even later, probably due to its strategic location on the trade route of the New River.

Beauty and the reef: billionairess dives in to save coral
HER last big purchase was a £100m superyacht, but now Britain’s richest woman has splashed out on a Caribbean coral reef. Kirsty Bertarelli, 41, a former Miss UK turned songwriter, and her husband, Ernesto Bertarelli, a Swiss biotech magnate, have channelled millions into safeguarding the future of a 300,000-acre expanse of ocean off the coast of Belize. It comes as the descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers on the British-controlled Pitcairn Islands are planning to turn the pristine waters around their secluded South Pacific home into the largest marine reserve in the world. The islands’ council recently voted in favour of banning commercial fishing from their “exclusive economic zone”, or territorial waters, although subsistence fishing by islanders will still be allowed. A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed that it is considering the plan, which would create the largest fully protected marine reserve in the world and would cover an area of 322,823 square miles.

The Daily Routines of Famous Writers
by Maria Popova. “A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.” Kurt Vonnegut’s recently published daily routine made we wonder how other beloved writers organized their days. So I pored through various old diaries and interviews — many from the fantastic Paris Review archives — and culled a handful of writing routines from some of my favorite authors.

November 25, 2012

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

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

Mayor Daniel Guerrero takes more initiative in battling crime
Sagging discouraged – Shops & Restaurants closing at 10pm It has come to a point that residents on Ambergris Caye, along with its Town Council and the Police Department, have to take serious measures in battling crime on the island. To many residents, fear has replaced the sense of security once felt while walking around our island home. Over time, perpetrators have even managed to infiltrate the place where one should feel most safe – in the home. The San Pedro Town Council is intent on bringing San Pedro back to the carefree paradise that so many residents miss; to a time when we could feel a sense of safety and security once more. As such, the council is sending a plea to residents, especially parents, to play a more active role in their children’s lives. Residents are asked to take pride in their island home, by keeping it clean and adding to the aesthetic beauty of the community. We promote our island as “La Isla Bonita”; Mayor Guerrero reminds everyone that a major part of the “beauty” of our island that people keep coming back for is us – the people of San Pedro. It is with this in mind that “sagging” is being actively discouraged. Sagging is the practice of wearing pants below the waist, revealing much of the underwear. It is predominantly a male fashion. According to Wikipedia, the practice originated from United States prisons where belts are prohibited. In the 1990’s, hip-hop artists popularized the style as a fashion statement, and the trend has held fast.

2012 Taste of Belize heads to San Ignacio!
Taste of Belize (TOB) 2012 is here! BTB’s signature culinary event will be in San Ignacio, Cayo on December 1st and 2nd. The Belize Tourism Board, through this medium, seeks to develop and recognize the best in culinary arts in Belize. The event, which has been on a hiatus, returns with new twists and grandeur. On December 1st, the gala starts at 7p.m at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel. The Resort Hotel will be transformed like never seen before, from body painted models, to exotic animals and a photo booth. Entertainment for the evening will be the highly acclaimed, Belize Dance Company and Marimba players. A ticket to this event entitles each attendee to a five course meal, prepared by local celebrity Chef Sean Kuylen; consumption of available beers and wines; access to the cocktail hour; and a complimentary gift bag. The highlight of the night will be the live food and beverage competitions, in the categories of the Pro Chef, Bartending and Cake Decorating. For the Pro Chef competition, the BTB wants to include the entire country of Belize in celebrating the talents of our local chefs, and as a result, this portion of the event will be televised live on LOVE TV at 8:30 p.m. The battle, which will feature four professional chefs in a ‘winner takes all’ format, will be hosted by Indira Craig & William Neal. This epic three course meal battle will see contenders face off in three rounds, the appetizer, entrée and dessert, which must include a basket of mystery ingredients and be completed in one hour. At the end of the competition, a panel of four judges will select one chef to be recognized with the title of “Belize’s Master Chef,” a trophy and two thousand five hundred dollars.

Belize’s portion of Bi-national Border Bridge to be completed by Mexico
The Mexican President Felipe Calderón through the Federal Executive on Tuesday, November 20th, asked the Senate to authorize the Mexican Government to dispatch personnel from the Mexican Army to Belize. The reason for sending the Mexican Army to Belize is to support the Belizean government in the construction of a stretch of highway in the Bi-national Border Bridge that is located on the Belizean side of the northern border in the Santa Elena area of the Corozal District. Belize and Mexico signed an agreement for the construction of the bridge back in June of 2005 when the then-President of Mexico, Vicente Fox, visited Belize. The Mexican government agreed to finance the construction of the bridge, 500 meters of road from the bridge into the Belizean territory, and the access road from the bridge to the Subteniente Lopez community in Santa Elena located in the state of Quintana Roo. Those projects were completed since 2008. However, the Belize government has been unable to construct the stretch of road, approximately a quarter of a mile long, from the end of 500 meters off the foot of bridge on the Belize side of border to the current Belizean Border facilities. The office of President Calderón said that in the framework of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belize made a request to the Mexican government to finance the construction of the section of the highway that is still pending for the bridge to be officially opened.

Misc Belizean Sources

BEL's Series 5 Debenture Prospectus
Series 5 Debenture Offering A local investment... with BIG returns Price: $100 per Debenture. Minimum purchase of one debenture required. Interest: 7.0% per annum, calculated from the date of allotment and payable quarterly on March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31 of each year. Maturity Date: December 31, 2024 Use of Proceeds: The Company will use the proceeds to re􀃶nance the Series 1 Debentures and to help fund its general operations and medium term needs. Prospectus is available online HERE.

MCHS Walk/Run for Life
Mount Carmel High School had their first Walk/Run for Life last week. Looks like it was a great day for a walk to the border. "Headed by Ms. Lucia Muniz & Class of 3M....."

Western Spirit Cycling Team Debut
Last night in the new Cayo Welcome Center, Belikin had a debut party to introduce the Western Spirit Cycling Team. They had specials on beer and BBQ too. Go meet the cyclists, just look for the tent. And listen for Mistah Geeh, who'll be mixing for your enjoyment. "We having a party to introduce the Belikin Western Spirit cycling team! So come out to San Ignacio this Saturday at meet the guys. Oh, did i mention deals on Belikin Beer and 2013 calendars? ;) Like the post and share the good news."

Blogs

San Pedro Poker Run
If you are in town looking for something fun to do tonight, November’s poker run is a great option, sign up is at 6:00pm starting at Roadkill Bar. Afterward it moves onto Average Joe’s, Lola’s, Wayo’s and ends at Pedro’s Inn for the final draw. If you are on the fence, here is something that might help you decide – last time a very happy Memo won the pot and took home BZ $1200. For those that are new to the whole poker run idea, you do not have to be a poker pro to play, it is very easy and you will meet lots of people. It used to be done Texas Holdem style but they are now doing it Omaha in order to give everyone a better chance to win right up to the end. Cost is $25 BZD to enter, you can buy in as many times as you like or split one entry with a friend. The poker run stops at 5 different Bars. At each place you receive 1 card (for each $25 you have paid in). At the final stop, you take your best two of five cards from each bar and match them up with 3 cards from the flop drawn by the dealer to see who has the best poker hand. The winner takes the pot, very simple, very fun and very lucrative for the winner. If you are not in town for this poker run and would like to go on one in the future, join Roadkill Bar facebook page and let them know when you are coming down and they will do their best to schedule a poker run if the timing is right. The pictures below are mix from a few past Omaha poker runs and some of them were taken by Jo King.

My Top Reasons to Vacation in Belize in December
With the 2012 Maya Winter Solstice just weeks away I am taking a break from the holiday hecticness to reflect on my life and career since my last visit to Belize. In 1998, as an undergraduate in college, I traveled to northwestern Belize to work at the Maax Na Archaeology Project. I camped in the Rio Bravo Conservation Area for one month, surveying and mapping a Mayan ceremonial center. The experience of this different place, culture, and environment was the start of a new adventure and the beginning of my career. At the trips end my boyfriend (now husband) traveled from Maine to visit me and for several days we explored the Belize landscape. Although we spent only one day at Chaa Creek, we still reminisce about the adventures we had and dream about returning to explore. Belize is a place rich in culture, enveloped in nature and steeped in magic. It is a place like no other. So much has happened since my last visit to Belize, a journey that has included loss of loved ones, new additions to family, internal growth, and the development of my career. I want to return to Belize, specifically Chaa Creek, to reconnect with what I found there 14 years ago. It would be a chance to bring my experiences full circle, seeing the land with new eyes, reconciling and fully accepting the changes that have happened in the world. Most importantly I want to visit Chaa Creek to show my 9-year-old son what I found there. For him to experience this remarkable place at such a malleable age would give me hope for the future.

Camping in paradise during a tropical storm: Belize Raggamuffin Tour, Day One
I confess: I’m not really much of a beach person. Shocking, isn’t it? Seriously, who doesn’t like the beach? I suppose I have nothing against the beach. It’s beautiful. It’s relaxing. But perhaps a little bit too relaxing. I mean, I can only lay in the sun for so long before I become bored and restless. It is because of this, my mild aversion to intensive relaxation, that we have typically opted to take more active trips together. We’ve gone hiking and camping, explored medieval fortresses and historic ruins. So when we mutually decided to take our vacation this summer to sunny, sandy Belize, I began to question my sanity. Sure, I knew Belize would be beautiful, but had I signed up for three weeks of total boredom with a great view? I can only do this for so long ... Fortunately, our friends Mike and Anne, who are taking a year-long honeymoon (or, HoneyTrek!) around the world, proposed the perfect solution for my beach-going woes: a three day snorkeling, fishing, sailing, and camping adventure along the Belize Barrier Reef with Ragamuffin Tours, an outfitter based on the easy-going island of Caye Caulker. The trip would involve snorkeling the reef and camping on remote islands as we traveled by sailboat from the island of Caye Caulker in the north to the town of Placencia, along the southern coast of Belize. Relaxation plus adventure? Perfect!

International Sources

Seriously Old School
Imagine large families where everyone works hard, contributes and there are no surly teenagers. Every meal is made from scratch, the milk, cream and butter are fresh and all the vegetables are grown by you or your neighbors. Those vegetables are canned at harvest time (in mason jars), stored in the basement and brought up to the kitchen (complete with a wood burning stove) as needed. Sometimes a couple of families get together and slaughter a cow, divide it up and they “can” that too. Meals are events where everyone eats together, talks about their day and shares stories and laughter. The family cart (buggy) is drawn by the horses that also pull the plow and any other heavy thing that needs pulling like the trees used to make the lumber for your house. If a neighbor is in need the people come together and meet the need, maybe help build a house or assist with the crops. Most births happen at home with the help of a midwife from the community. Of course there is no television or video games and the home is well lit by bright kerosene lanterns in the brief period between darkness and bed time. There is no alcoholism, drug addiction or divorce and most everyone is prosperous. Where and when is this place? Is Andy Griffith the sheriff? I live next to a community of Mennonites in Upper Barton Creek here in Belize and what I’ve described is an accurate picture of their life. We have a close relationship with the two families that live nearest to us and we know many other families in their community of about 250. I have spent a considerable amount of time with them in many different circumstances and they are intelligent, open, friendly and quick to laugh. They have helped me get my truck unstuck (more than once), build a cabana, tend to our horses, build 2 outhouses, haul supplies, clear trees after a storm, work in our orchard and more. During the harvest they sell us their excellent produce at wholesale prices and through the years we have bought many things from them including chickens, eggs, cows, whole milk, cream, butter, pies, cakes, muffins, chocolate, honey, fruit, granola, bread, lumber, kerosene, lanterns, umbrellas, knives and more. Like any good neighbor they are always there if we need to borrow an item or two and like good neighbors they never ask us to borrow anything (though I have rushed a few to the hospital).

Market sources suspicious of huge tanker export of gasoline to Belize
Unknown companies Zovnitransgaz LLC (Simferopol, Crimea), Armada-Plus (Svitlovodsk, Kirovohrad region) and Petrol subsidiary (small private company Petrol-Forwarding, Odessa) in October exported around 117,000 tons of gasoline to Zevidon Trading Ltd (Belize), a source on the market told Interfax-Ukraine. "Under the documents, gasoline was shipped by tank trucks (the origin of the gasoline is unknown) to tankers. Then fuel was allegedly shipped to Belize. It's unrealistic, even from the technical point of view," the source said regarding the trustworthiness of the transactions. The source said that Kremenchuk, the largest oil refinery in Ukraine, at the peak of its operation shipped around 120,000 tons of fuel via tank trucks annually, not monthly.

Unknown companies start exporting petrol from Ukraine in large volumes in Oct
Unknown companies Zovnitransgaz LLC (Simferopol, Crimea), private company Armada-Plus (Svitlovodsk, Kirovohrad region) and Petrol subsidiary (small private company Petrol-Forwarding, Odesa) in October exported around 117,000 tonnes of petrol to Zevidon Trading Ltd (Belize), a source on the market has told Interfax-Ukraine. "Under the documents, petrol was shipped by tank trucks (the origin of petrol is unknown) to tankers. Then fuel was allegedly shipped to Belize. It's unrealistic, even from the technical point of view," the source expressed his doubts regarding the trustworthiness of the transactions. The source said that the largest oil refinery in Ukraine in Kremenchuk in the peaks of its operation shipped around 120,000 tonnes of fuel via tank trucks, annually, not monthly. Earlier this year there was information on transactions arousing doubts, but concerning imports of petrol to the country. According to sources from the State Customs Service and Ukrzaliznytsia, starting from May, the fuel volume supplied to the domestic market by rail considerably exceeded the volumes of petrol which passed the customs clearance on the border, which could be evidence of the application of a scheme of the stopped transit to import petrol to Ukraine without paying the excise duty and value added tax.

November 24, 2012

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

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

BTB launches Belize Dive Map in San Pedro
On Friday, November 16th the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) launched the first countrywide dive map, entitled “A Village Community Dive Map,” featuring all of the dive sites within our Belizean waters. In addition, BTB took the opportunity to donate a small vessel to the Belize Fisheries Department that will be used to help manage the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve on northern Ambergris Caye. The event took place on the beach in front of the Holiday Hotel in San Pedro Town. In attendance were several stakeholders in the tourism industry. Director of Destination Planning for the BTB, Kevin Gonzalez, explained that putting the dive map together was a lengthy process that included input from various stakeholders in the industry. “If you look at [the map] you will see that each dive site shown on the map has a description, which is important. It has information as to what you are going to see at the site, the depth of the dive and other vital information that is special about the dive site. The dive map covers the entire country,” explained Gonzalez in an interview with The San Pedro Sun. Gonzalez further stated that the dive map had the input of various tour guide associations, including those in southern Belize and was compiled with the assistance of Gordon Kirkwood who has dived at all of the sites on the map and is an experienced writer. Gonzalez went on to say that all dive shops across the country will get an amount at no cost and if they need additional maps, it will be available for sale at all BTB offices countrywide. The map is printed on durable, waterproof synthetic paper that will hold up against the natural elements while at sea.

San Pedro’s Kevin Velasquez is new National Sailing Champion
Over the weekend of November 17th twenty six junior sailors competed in six races at the Central Park to determine the Belize 2012 National Champion. In the end, Kevin Velasquez emerged the winner. According to Press Officer for the San Pedro Sailing Club, Forrest Jones, the event was, “quite a spectacle, and added flourish to the Garifuna celebrations in Central Park.” In a press release issued by the San Pedro Sailing Club – Jones wrote, “Here’s how a start shapes up. These skippers are “sailing the line” with four minutes to go. The start line is just a few feet to the left of the oncoming boats. The boat in the foreground has reversed course, putting his boat on a “starboard tack,” which means the wind is now on his right hand side. A boat on a starboard tack has right of way; all those oncoming boats have to steer clear of him. Imagine when it happens 30 seconds before the start! The skippers all have stop watches and are timing their planned approaches to the starting line to get there just as the horn starts the race, but you can see the potential for chaos lurking about?” Over the course of all six races, Kevin Velasquez and Antonio Rodrigues Jr., a very talented skipper from the mainland, were locked in the tightest of duels. It came down to the last race to decide the champion, and Kevin won by only one point. The release continued, “This is just after Kevin, in boat 22, and Antonio, in boat 8, crossed the start line. They are barely a second apart. Right behind the number 8 sail you can spy San Pedrano Jorge Oliveres’ boat. And he is on a starboard tack, so Antonio will have to avoid him. Throughout the regatta, Jorge was a constant threat, and he came away only 7 points behind Antonio, to win the third place bronze medal.”

Ambergris Today

Mini Miss Mesoamerica International Visits San Pedro
Our island loves pageantry and beauty queens; we are always the host to beautiful queens who come to visit and enjoy the sea, sun and most importantly the hospitable people of San Pedro. On Thursday, November 22, 2012, Ambergris Today was honored with the presence of a lovely 9-year-old beauty queen, Luismarth Bandres, Mini Miss Mesoamerica International. This beautiful little girl, not only graced us with her presence, but also delighted us with two beautiful song selections as she sang to us in English and Portuguese. Luismarth Bandres is from Aragua, Venezuela and holds five National titles and 17 International titles, including Mini Miss Mesoamerica International 2012 and Mini Miss Turismo Mesoamerica Mayan 2012. Luismarth is visiting to promote the Miss Jade Universe Pageant which is set to take place in January 2013. In the Miss Jade Universe Pageant there will be three categories, Mini Miss Jade, Miss Petite and Mrs. Jade. Participating countries that have confirmed are Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, Russia, Colombia, Argentina and Belize.

New High Commissioner for Belize Assumes Duties in United Kingdom
- Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Belize, received Her Excellency Ms. Perla Perdomo in a private audience at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, November 20th, 2012. The audience marked the formal recognition of Ms. Perdomo’s assumption of duties as High Commissioner for Belize in the United Kingdom. High Commissioner Perdomo has commenced her representation with a focus on investment, Diaspora outreach, and efforts to seek support for Restore Belize and other social programs.

Oceana Calls Belize Government to improve Performance on Illegal Fishing
Belize is amongst eight countries listed by the European Commission as having a poor track record in dealing with Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. Oceana calls on the Government of Belize to take swift and decisive action to protect the name and reputation of Belize abroad and to ensure Belize falls in line with its international duties and obligations. Unfortunately, Belize, which allows the use of the Belize flag by vessels in no way belonging or connected to the country, keeps suffering from a serious bruised face for a few dollars. This venture which was privatized and no longer being managed by the government of Belize is in the hands of IMMARBE (International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize) thus removing major decision-making and oversight roles from the Fisheries Department which is the government department previously responsible for such activity. The bulk of the fees collected by IMMARBE goes into private hands and a small portion is paid into the Belizean treasury, thus not even the substantial portion of the economic benefit goes to Belize. The Commission explained that it adopted this decision because after their analysis of each country and their subsequent report “there are strong indications that these countries are not fulfilling their duties as flag, coastal, port or market States – duties that are laid down in international law, such as the provisions of Regional Fisheries Management Organizations”.

Misc Belizean Sources

Commentary: Cultural preservation and economic development for Garifuna, not celebrations
By Wellington C. Ramos I was born and raised in Dangriga Town, like my mother Josephine Sampson and father Finley Sylvester Ramos. My maternal grandmother Andelecia Petillo-Sampson was born in Livingston, Guatemala, and my maternal grandfather Simeon Sampson Sr. was born in Dangriga Town, Belize. My paternal grandmother Claudina Lewis-Ramos was born in Dangriga Town and my paternal grandfather Zacharus Ramos was born in Bluefield, Nicaragua. We all have relatives that we can trace to Saint Vincent (“Yuremei” -- our original homeland), Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Belize. No matter where the Garifuna people live, land problems, lots, housing, education, medical, unemployment, discrimination, racism, loss of language, culture, religion, unequal distribution of their nation’s wealth, political victimization, poverty and other social problems plague their communities. Yet, they do not have Garifuna organizations that are equipped with many transformational leaders that are honest, sincere and dedicated to uplift their people out of the dilemma they face daily. Many of the so-called Garifuna leaders are more concerned about promoting their self-interest over the interest of the majority of the Garifuna people.

Add!ction at Xunantunich
Gaby and the crew went to do a photoshoot at Xunantunich. JCariddi Photography caught the action. A day on the Mayan Ruins... Design: Gaby Barrera Photoshoot done by: Jonathan D Cariddi ( JCariddi Photography) Makeup: Xavi Gutierrez Location: Xunantunich Models: Punky Rivas, Jezelle Bennett and @xavi Gutierrez

3rd Annual Cayo Art Festival
The Cayo Art Festival is today on Burns avenue starting at 2:00pm. There will be plenty of live music, and performances by A Cold Day in May, Johnny and the Playmates, and Ascenthium. There will also be food and games, and of course, art. It's a great way to celebrate the SISE HoC's second anniversary. Thanks go out to NICH, the SISE Town Council, and Midas Resort for making it happen. You are all invited to see . . . Live Performances by: A Cold Day in May Johnny and the Playmates Ascenthium Authentic Belizean Artwork Folkloric Ballet Face Painting Games Food more. . .

Caracol, Caves Branch, and the Winter Solstice
Caracol and Caves Branch get reviewed in this travel article from the Star. The Mayan calendar and the upcoming Winter Solstice are also featured. Dr. Jaime Awe is quoted as well. "Solstices and equinoxes have always been extremely important to the Mayan people, but this year especially holds special significance. calendar is ending. It is the end of the Long Count — a 5,125-year period, which began on Aug. 11, 3114 B.C. and will end on a winter solstice. Perhaps not so much an end, modern reasoning has claimed, but the beginning of a new era for humanity. As Belizean archaeologist, Dr. Awe said, 'It’s very much the way most people would look at the end of one year and the beginning of another, but over a very, very long period of time. It is a time for reflection, and for considering future direction.'"

Sorrel Stout Sampling Around Belize
Over the next week, you can sample Sorrel Stout around Belize. Tonight, at Piache's, Belikin will have a tent set up so you can try some of their Sorrel Stout. This is the only sorrel flavored stout in the world, and it's their best stout yet. Tomorrow they'll be in Belmopan, where you can get it at Brother's in the morning, and La Cabana at night. Next weekend, you'll be able to try it at Camp 6 and the Princess Casino. Enjoy!

9 Year old searched in stroller
A concerned mother residing in Caye Caulker village is expressing concern that her 9 month old baby boy was searched by a police officer without the permission of his parents/guardian. The incident unfolded around 6:30 pm today, Friday, No vember 23. The mother says that the baby boy who was asleep in a stroller, was out with his father when they were stopped by a trio officers. The common law husband was searched and according to the mother, without the permission of the father the child was with, the officer, a Corporal, proceeded to search the 9 month old baby. The irate mother wants this unsettling incident to be addressed by the police high command. I have encouraged her to make a report to the Professional Standards Bureau.

Channel 7

Fatal Accident May Have Been Caused By Drunk Driver
A fatal accident on the Spanish Lookout Road last night killed one man and injured four others. Tonight police are saying a drunk driver may have been the cause. Daniel Ortiz found out how a group of BNE workers in a small car could not escape from a fast approaching pick-up truck with a driver who appeared to be drunk: Daniel Ortiz reporting The extensive damage on these vehicles indicates the severity of the impact which claimed the life of 39 year-old Elvis Castellanos, a BNE employee of Spanish Lookout. He was in the passenger side of the green Volks Wagon, which was being driven by 36 year-old Giovanni Valdez, his co-worker. Also in the vehicle with them were 41 year-old Julio Castellanos, 25 year-old Viriato Matus, and 29 year-old Francisco Concha. They had just left the BNE compound and while travelling on the Iguana Creek Road, when they slammed into the grey pickup. Indications are that Valdez did all he could to avoid the accident.

Belizean Tour Guide Killed In Guatemala
A Belizean tour guide has been killed in Guatemala - he was brutally beaten to death. The family of 17 year-old Juan Ramon Mis, a Belizean tour guide who moved from San Ignacio Town to Flores Peten in Guatemala, is preparing to bury him tonight. Yesterday, Mis, who had been living in Guatemala for almost a year, was walking from his new home to his workplace in Flores, Peten. It is a route he takes every day from his house to the office, which is run by his father, so no one believed that he was in any danger. But yesterday, a group of men ambushed him, robbed him down to his underwear, and beat him to death. 7News caught up with his family in San Ignacio, and they told us that for the kindhearted individual he was, his violent death is so obscene, that they still can't believe it. Here's what they told us about the very little they actually know: Elisa Mis - Mother of Deceased "He was working with another guide that runs an agency. Just last week Friday I went with him and I spoke to him and he gave me a hug and a smile that I didn't expect, I am shock about this. He was robbed and beaten to death. When the ambulance reach there to the place where they found him he was bleeding and he was alive still but he didn't make it to the hospital. He got drowned in his blood."

Fam Says Hemsley Murder; Pol Say Justifiable Homicide
Last week, we told you about 29 year-old Wellington Hemsley Jr. who was shot to death by a security guard between miles 30 and 31 on the Western Highway. We've showed you the version of the Security guard, who said that he and his associate shot both Wellington Hemsley and his 53 year-old uncle Gilroy Welcome Sr. because they were trying to burglarize a property which they were guarding. The security guards told police that they fired warnings and they only opened fire on the men when they attacked and tried to take away their weapons. Well, the Hemsley family isn't accepting this version of events, and they say Wellington Hemsley was shot on the road by the trigger happy guards, who then tried to cover up the murder by taking his body unto the compound. They're also saying that no burglary occurred. We spoke to Hemsley's mother today, and here's what she said that her brother, Gilroy Welcome Sr. told her: Voice of: Doris Hemsley - Mother of Deceased "I understand that my son - they shoot him on the roadside and then they took him into the property. The two security guards back him; one held him by two hands and the other held him on his two feet and carry him and put him inside the property that they were watching."

Robber Who Was Shot Arraigned In Court
On Wednesday's newscast7News told you about the robber who got shot at the Dit's Restaurant on King Street. That man is 22 year-old Aspinal Welch, a construction worker of 64 King Street, and tonight, he is at prison on remand. As we reported, at about 2:45 p.m. o Wednesday, Aspinal allegedly charged into the restaurant with a gun and tried to rob one of the patrons. The target put up a fight which caused Welch to fire 2 shots from his .38 revolver. The patron responded by pulling out his own licensed 9 millimeter pistol, and shot Welch in both legs. Police found him with a .38 revolver with five expended shells. Today, he was taken before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer, where he was arraigned on charges of attempted murder, and keeping an unlicensed firearm. He couldn't be granted bail, and he was remanded to prison until January 4, 2013.

Katarina Ishim's Homecoming
For the past two nights, we've been telling you about Katarina Ishim - the 12 year old girl from San Pablo village who had a massive tumor removed from her face in the US. Today she surprised everyone when she made touchdown at the Phillip Goldson International Airport - tumor Free. 7news was there to capture the moment. Juan Ishim, Grandfather "I am very excited and I am very happy. I can't describe how happy I am to be at home with my granddaughter Katarina. She is very well now." Monica Bodden "I understand that you guys actually had even getting Katarina abroad. Tell us what was the procedures done while being there?" Juan Ishim, Grandfather "They have been struggling for 2 years and 3 months for Katarina's tumor. Although it is very but since up to today she is okay - the tumor was removed although I am 10 months away from home - it is very hard and very challenging." Dr. Rick Glover, Pediatrician "It's been great, Katarina have been a lot of fun to deal with and have lived with us. The surgeries and chemotherapy was very hard on Katarina and the length away from home was tough for both of them. They talked a lot about coming home. They wanted to be home but we just had to persevere through this. From a medical standpoint, looks like she is totally free from cancer. She got some disabilities to work with but you are around her for about 10 minutes you realize she is not very disable at all. She's been reading and doing her school work in Tennessee and trying to keep up so she could get back into school in January and go right on like a normal child from San Pablo. She is ready to go on with life."

A Battle For Control Of The Cycling Association, Or Is It the Cycling Federation?
Tomorrow, the Belize Cycling Association will elect a new executive - but it's shaping up to be a major war between the incumbent and a well-connected challenger. Emil Moreno is the current president who is finishing up a four-year term and wants another. Dion Leslie - who is also the Deputy Mayor - is the challenger. It may sound like an interesting battle - but it is riddled with controversy. That's because both men and their camps differ fundamentally on whether the Cycling Association is an association or a federation. It's a consequential difference because Associations are elected by general membership, while Federations are elected by delegates. Over the last two days we spoke to the rival candidates to get their very differing views on how the election should proceed. First, we spoke to challenger Dion Leslie whose slate includes persons who served - at one time or the other - on his opponent's executive:... Deon Leslie, Candidate for President of Cycling Association "I am running for president along with a very competent slate which include Orson Butler who will be the vice president, Perry Gibson who will be treasurer, Leticia Westby will go for secretary and along the executive, we have people like Roque Matus, Andre Ordonez, Daniel Cano, Morecio Heredia and Marlon Smith who all make up the 9 members of the executive."

BML's Lawyer On Municipal Bond: Let The Buyer Beware
Yesterday we told you all about the launch of the prospectus for the Municipal Development Bond. But one thing our story didn't cover was what the accountants might call a "contingency" - and it's a mighty big one! It has to do with a pending 2.4 million dollar judgment against the City Council. The judgment is in favour of Belize Maintenance Limited, or BML - which is currently contracted to clean the city - and was granted by the court in 2009, but has still not been paid. The prospectus does disclose the judgment as exceeding two million dollars but says that it is under renegotiation. From there, the prospectus suggests that if the re-negotiation is successful, the judgment would be written off. Here's how the mayor explained it yesterday:.. Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City Council "One of our views would be that we just ride out the contract. How it worded in the prospectus and in the summary that we circulated is that it's an alternative but what we want to emphasize is that we have to make up those figures. We can even make up those figures by the re-negotiation or we can make up those figures by riding out the contract. There is no decision that has been taken yet and there is no decision that's contain in the prospectus." Jules Vasquez "However, it's a significant contingency going forward because if there is an issue of a 2 million dollars judgment pending as well."

Bel-Am Claims Police Harassment
Cyril Garcia is a Belizean American who's currently visiting the country he calls home. But last night the California resident got a sharp reminder that home is not only where the heart is, sometimes it can be where the "hurt" is. He was leaving a graduation last night and made a mistake that many do, he drove "up-stop" on Mapp Street. That street was recently changed to only allow traffic in one direction. It was a mistake by a man not completely familiar with the in's and out's of Belize City. But he came upon a police patrol that changed his perception of law and order in Belize. He told Monica Bodden more today - as she accompanied him to the police department to make a complaint:.. Cyril Garcia, Claims Police Harrasment "Upon heading home I made an illegal turn accidentally, Belize has poor signage by the way. I was not even deep into the road just yet - the one way street and I saw this truck coming up to me, I didn't know it was the police and they appeared as though they were trying to put me to a halt. I stop, I later realize that it was the police, so before I could even put my head out and ask what happen, what's the problem, why are you guys stopping me - about 3 of them came out with guns and started demanding of me to come out of the truck in a very unwelcoming tone.

Robberies In Mango Creek Un-Reported By Police
And while he was available to us today, usually it's on Monday's that press officer Martinez delivers his press briefing. But the truth is, he only gives us some of the news. Every week, members of the media riddle him in vain with questions about crime news we've heard about from the public, but which police do not release publicly. There's a disturbing number of these coming from Southern Belize. First, in Placencia, there's the beating death 63 year old Roy Wade. Weeks ago, he was beaten to death reportedly by some young men from well-connected families in the village - and the crime has gone unsolved and un-reported. Today's Reporter newspaper says that it has also gone largely un-investigated. And then in Mango Creek alone, we know of at least three armed hold-ups in the past week that have not been reported. The first reportedly occurred a week ago at "MY PLACE", where burglars stole a laptop, the bar-owner's licensed shotgun and an undisclosed amount of cash. And then reports are that on Saturday, another Mango Creek bar, "EL BUEN AMIGO", was held up and all the waitresses were robbed. And the night before last, at 7:00 pm "WENDY SHOP", a Chinese grocery in Mango Creek was reportedly held up by a gang of 5 men. According to civilian reports, two of the men had masks and assault rifles and another one had a nine millimeter pistol. They held up the proprietor and stole an undisclosed amount of cash. Again, these are based on reliable, but unofficial reports since the police press office has not been forthcoming with information. The police say they process and respond to complaints in two weeks.

Taking Sides Within The UDP
As we told you last week - there's a major internal battle shaping up in the UDP for its national convention on February 17th., 2013. Chairman Patrick Faber wants to challenge Deputy Leader Gaspar Vega for the party's first Deputy. That also means challenging a sitting Deputy Prime Minister - which, to our knowledge, has never been done before. And so, the stakes are high and both camps have hit the campaign trail. It's not the kind of thing that gets much publicity outside the party - but we did get out hands on this picture, which says a lot. It was taken last week at the Caribbean Shores Constituency Office where Vega is seen with his candidate for Chairman Alberto August and supporters John Saldivar and Rene Montero. We are told he has the support of the entire Cayo Caucus, which represents six seats and dozens of delegates. Faber is campaigning with Corozal's Roosevelt Blades for Chairman. Blades is currently the Deputy Chairman. All candidates have until a month before the convention to formally submit their names. Interestingly, it's thought to be an all or nothing gamble for Faber because if he loses his bid for Deputy, he will also lose the powerful party chairmanship. All this internal jostling has no direct effect on Cabinet assignments.

Tylenol Knock-off Is Safe Says Health Ministry
This product, TLEMOL is clearly a Tylenol knockoff, but that doesn't necessarily make it dangerous or completely bogus. That is the finding of the Chief Pharmacist after public concerns were raised when the shady looking product appeared on the shelves in April. The Ministry of Health sent the product for testing at the Caribbean Regional Drug Testing Laboratory in Kingston, Jamaica. They concluded that the product meets United States Pharmaceutical requirements for Acetaminophen tablets. Acetaminophen is also the active ingredient in Tylenol. So, a public notice has been sent out to say that "TLEMOL" is safe, marketed in the USA and was legally imported into Belize by a company, called Generic Club Ltd.

OW's Supremacy in Taco Technology, Technique & Taste
Anybody who's going anywhere in the north knows that - if you're passing through Orange Walk - you just have to stop for tacos! There's no argument that Orange Walk makes them the best - and this Sunday townspeople are celebrating their supremacy in taco technology with a festival. There will be tacos made from shell, flour and corn tortillas… beef tacos, pork chicken - all kinds of tacos. Sounds like a treat and that's exactly what the organizers told 7news today. Dylan Jones, Organizer "The tacos festival in Orange Walk will be held this Sunday 25th and Universal Radio along with the House of Culture in Orange Walk Town has come together to do the second annual tacos fest. It promises to be a day for lots of tacos, lots of water activities by the river. We will have the pibil tacos out there, the chicken tacos, the beef tacos, quite a lot of activities like I mention - river sports; swimming race, greasy pole, tacos eating competition, the best tasting tacos for the year 2012/2013. It promises to be a good day for Orange Walk."

A March With A Message
Today the Women's Department opened its 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence with its annual March through the city streets. It started off with an opening ceremony and then it was on to the pavement - to bring awareness to those issues women are faced with on a day to day basis. 7news was out at the Basketball Court behind the Complex building on Mahogany Street - where it all started. Cynthia Williams, Human Development Coordinator "This is really an opportunity for us to open all the activities for 16 days of activism which we have every year from November 25 - December 10. This year we decided to do it early because November 25 which is the international day for the elimination for violence against women is on a Sunday and so the march and opening ceremonies usually is on a Friday. We wanted to make sure that we have this event and make sure that the public is aware. We usually choose communities where we know may not be open to options to accessing a lot of the services and so several of our partner agencies, schools are here and they are participating coming up with chants, coming up with creative ways of how to really bring the theme of 16 days which is "Unite to End Violence Against Women and Girls across the Communities.""

Channel 5

5 friends in car crash; one passes away
A Belize Natural Energy employee was killed on Thursday night just after seven o’clock as he left the B.N.E. compound in Spanish Lookout. Elvis Castellanos, a father of three, died instantly when an oncoming Chevy pickup truck crashed into the passenger side of the Volkswagen car he was travelling in. Four other passengers in the [...]

Belizean tour guide murdered in Guatemala
There are reports that a Belizean was killed across the border in Guatemala sometime on Thursday night. The local police department has not been able to provide information on the alleged murder, but there are conflicting reports. According to one, Luis Mis was severely beaten by a group of men who threw him off the [...]

Catarina Ishim, the girl who survived large cancerous tumor
But there is some good news tonight involving Catarina Ishim who you met months ago on this station. The young girl from San Pablo, Toledo caught the attention of the nation because a massive tumor kept recurring, even after surgeries in Belize. A News Five reporter at the time was instrumental in securing treatment for [...]

The economic Indicators via the IDB
Tonight in Economic Indicators, we focus on the Inter-American Development Bank. This week, Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced that the US Treasury blocked the Inter-American Development Bank from disbursing a loan request to Belize. The Bank plays a crucial role in opening up economies to foreign direct investment and in strengthening property rights to allow [...]

Mexican President visits bridge to Belize
Mexican President, Felipe Calderon, visited the Belize/Mexico border this afternoon as he winds down his five year presidency. Calderon demits office on December first and today he inspected the facilities at the international bridge where he was met by Deputy Prime Minister, Gaspar Vega, Minister Pablo Marin and a host of other high level government [...]

Habet Employee in Dangriga robbed of over $26,000
A supervisor of Habet Hardware Store in Dangriga was robbed late yesterday evening of over twenty-six thousand three hundred and thirty-two dollars. Terrence Peters was about to drop off the day’s sales at the Belize Bank’s night deposit when two robbers pounced on him. Peters was hit to the back of his head and the [...]

BWS and CitCo still ironing out the kinks of garbage bill
The Municipal Bond Prospectus 2012 was launched on Thursday by Mayor Darrell Bradley to much fanfare from the Belize City Council, officials from the Central Bank, as well as members of the business community. But while City Hall is inviting the public to invest in the twenty million dollar loan, it has also announced it [...]

Did the Deacon touch 18 year old inappropriately
He wasn’t preaching to the choir, but a fifty-one year old Deacon traded in his pulpit for the witness stand. Michael Davis practices at the Crooked Tree Adventist Church but the Deacon allegedly committed a sin that could land him in prison. An eighteen year old woman is alleging that on November thirteenth, she was [...]

“Robbery” charged with Attempted Murder
Twenty-two year old Aspinal Welch has been charged for the robbery attempt on a customer at Dits restaurant on Wednesday. Welch, who is known as “Robbery,” was arrested after he was shot by the customer in both legs. After receiving treatment, he was arraigned today for Attempted Murder and Keeping a firearm without a gun [...]

16 Days of Activism to end gender-based violence starts now
The annual Sixteen Days of Activism to end gender based violence was launched this afternoon with a parade through the city streets. Schools as well as NGOs turned out with signs bearing messages against domestic violence. Before the march, a short ceremony was held in which a one point four million dollar United Nations Trust [...]

Cycling Association election, but which rule will govern?
The Belize Cycling Association will be holding an election for officers on Saturday in Santa Elena Town. Incumbent president Emil Moreno is being challenged by Belize City Deputy Mayor Deon Leslie, who told News Five earlier today that executives within the current association are trying to implement a proposed constitution that was never ratified by [...]

Victims of fire receive supplies
Since being left homeless, in the wake of an overnight fire on Sunday, four families, including fifteen minors, have been seeking assistance from the general public in piecing their lives together. The kindness of a number of residents and businesses, following the ordeal, cannot be understated, as donations of cash and provisions keep pouring in. [...]

LOVE FM

Centaur Cable Introduces Cheaper Internet Rates for Belize
Earlier this year on September 27, Minister of Energy, Science and Technology and Public Utilities, Joy Grant unveiled the ministry’s strategic plan. In essence, the information presented was that Belize is behind other countries in the region when it comes to Science and T...

Belize Tourism Board Prepares for Taste of Belize
The tourism showcase known as Taste of Belize is back after a one year break. The Belize Tourism Board this week announced that the signature culinary event will take place in San Ignacio on the weekend of December first and second. Andrea Polanco is the Media and Public Re...

Belizean Killed In Guatemala
A resident of San Ignacio was reportedly killed in the early hours of Thursday morning in Flores, Peten, Guatemala. Sketchy details to our newsroom are that the body of Juan Ramon Mis was discovered sometime around two o’clock yesterday morning. Authorities have confi...

Belize Cuellos Distillery Wins Prizes in Grenada
The Caribbean rum and beer festival was held earlier this month in Grenada and the winners in its alcohol beverage tasting competition were announced. Belize’s Cuello Distillery walked off with prizes in two categories. In the flavored rum category Cuello’s Caribbean ...

Fatal Traffic Accident on The George Price Highway
A fatal traffic accident was reported last night in the Cayo District; correspondent Fem Cruz has the details. FEM CRUZ Belmopan Correspondent Love FM “Love News understands that sometime after seven o’clock last night November 22nd , 5 BNE workers were trav...

LOVE TV

CXC National Awards Ceremony recognizes outstanding Belizean students
The eighteenth national awards ceremony for outstanding performance in the May/June 2012 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination, CAPE and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examination, CSEC was held this morning in Belize City. Close to three hundred secondary school and Junior College students were recognized for their outstanding performance in various subjects covered by the Caribbean Examinations Council. In the CAPE segment of the examination, Dorien Villafranco bested all of the candidates from Belize who sat the exams, earning six grade One’s in Caribbean and Communication studies, Physics Units one and two nd pure mathematics units one and two. As a result of his outstanding performance, today Villafranco who returned from St. Louis University for the national awards ceremony was presented with the Belize Scholarship as well as plaques and certificates. After receiving the awards, Villafranco told Love News he is proud to have accomplished all he did and said that his hard work paid off. Villafranco told Love News that he is scheduled to return to the United States this weekend to continue his studies. Meanwhile, Juana Teresa Meza from the Stann Creek Ecumenical College was the top performed in the high school segment of the exams known as CSEC. She earned thirteen Grade one’s in various subjects, including Biology, Chemistry, English A and B) and Information Technology. Meza also earned two Grade three’s in Caribbean History and Economics. Meza told Love News that remaining focused on her goal propelled her to the top and promises other young people that they too have the potential to achieve the same goals. During his remarks at the National Awards Ceremony Minister of Education Patrick Faber congratulations all of the awardees and encouraged them to keep being positive role models for other young people.

Robbery, burglary and shooting make the crime blotter
An armed robbery was reported in Belize City on Wednesday morning at the Sea Shore supermarket at mile two and a half on the Phillip Goldson Highway. According to police, around eight fifteen yesterday morning, two men who wore stockings over their faces and armed with a firearm and a knife walked into the supermarket and held up the owner and customers who were inside. Police say that the man with the knife went to the counter and managed to open the cash register and took out six hundred dollars. The same man carrying the knife, also held up the proprietor’s wife and took away five hundred dollars. Both robbers then left the supermarket and got into a green car which they arrived in and made good their escape. Police say that a check of the supermarket’s surveillance video showed the green-colored Saturn car carried license plates BZ-C 3-3-0-8-4. Police say the car was later found on Logwood Street and towed to the Queen Street police station compound where it was processed. Authorities have also detained a thirty eight year old Belize City man pending the outcome of their investigations. Two people were injured in a shooting incident in Belize City last night. Twenty two year old Devain Flores was injured in his right knee and left calf, and nineteen year old Leticia Cardinez was grazed to the right side of her buttocks. According to police Flores and Cardinez were part of a group of friends who were on the sidewalk on Neal Pen Road around seven o’clock last night when a man opened fire on them. Police say the unidentified man was dressed in black and had a warm cap on his head and that he opened fire on the group from a distance of about twenty five feet. Authorities say they have recovered a total of fourteen 9-millimeter expended shells from the scene of the crime. Police investigations continue. Over eighty thousand dollars worth of electronic and other items were stolen from a Belize City house in a burglary which happened sometime last week. A resident of Cross Lane in Belize City reported to police that the burglary happened sometime between November eleventh and November eighteenth. Among the items stole are two flat screen television sets, jewelry and a a Toyota Rav-4 SUC which was parked in the yard. Police estimate the value of the stolen items at eighty one thousand dollars. Investigations continue.

PG welcome sign gets spruced up
Welcome sign repainted at the entrance to P.G. A project to restore the original painting of the dollar coin shaped welcome sign to Punta Gorda has been completed. Correspondent Paul Mahung reports.

SUV crashes off the George Price Highway
A traffic accident on the George Price Highway on Wednesday evening totally wrecked a vehicle but left its occupants unhurt. [VO starts) The incident happened at around mile 33 just before six o’clock yesterday evening and involved a burgundy rented SUV. Reports are that the woman who was driving, was heading from the direction of Belize City towards Belmopan when she lost control and ran off the left hand side of the road into some bushes. In the process, the vehicle spun out of control and slammed into a lamp post. The woman was obviously shaken up but got out unaided.

Placencia police investigate stabbing incident
Residents of Placencia village have raised concerns about crime on the peninsula. Love TV’s Marion Ali and video journalist Brian Castillo went to the south earlier this week to bring you the following report.

New mental health care centre opens in Belize City
The Mental Health Day Care and Resource Centre project was inaugurated yesterday in Belize City. [VO STARTS ] The new facility will provide a daily meal, medical referral and recreation for the homeless and people living with mental health problems. The Resource Centre project is located at the corner of Tibruce and Vernon Streets and will facilitate social support and training for income generation for the homeless and people living with mental health problems in Belize City. The facility will not be a residential centre. The centre will have capacity to benefit 150 clients on a regular basis and will be governed by rules and regulations. The project was implemented by the Social Investment Fund, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Belize Mental Health Association, through a grant of $564,000 from the Caribbean Development Bank under its Basic Needs Trust Fund 6th Program. BNTF is jointly financed by the Caribbean Development Bank, the Canadian International Development Agency and nine beneficiary governments, including Belize. The project included the construction of a Ferro-concrete building 3,911 sq ft in area. A reinforced concrete roof, wind resistant aluminum windows with security bars and solid timber doors were installed. The floor was tiled and a chain-link fence to enclose the premises for protection was provided. Also included was a male and female bathroom for clients and a staff bathroom, conference room, administrator’s office, kitchen, a common meeting area and a security booth. Furniture for the building was provided by the Belize Natural Energy Trust Limited. The centre will be operated by the Mental Health Association in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.

Government declares Turneff Atoll a Marine Reserve
While Senator Alamilla is not aware of the issues of concern for residents of Crooke Tree, today, she announced the establishment of a new marine reserve. Love TV’s Ava Diaz Sosa and video journalist Terrence Rhaburn were present at Old Belize this morning for the presentation.

Minister Lisel Alamilla responds to concerns of Crooked Tree residents
On Friday of last week, residents of Crooked Tree village were up in arms over what they considered prohibitive laws which they claim are stifling their way of life. A group of angry men and women staged an impromptu protest in front of the Belize Audubon Society office at the entrance to the village. Last Friday’s demonstration was prompted by the actions of enforcement authorities to confiscate a pile of logs belonging to a village resident. The villagers were already feeling disrespected when requests for meetings with the relevant authorities were ignored. They took to the airwaves to vent their frustrations and today, when Love News spoke with Minister of the Environment Lisel Alamilla this morning, she said she is not aware of any request by villagers for a discussion with her Ministry. Minister Alamilla said the Ministry is in the midst of revisiting legislation as it relates to the designation of certain areas as protected areas.

Ministry of Health clears Tlemol for public consumption
The Ministry of Health today announced that the findings of an investigation of a particular pharmaceutical product proved it is safe for public consumption. Earlier this year concerns were raised about the sale of TLEMOL in Belize and a sample of the project was sent to Jamaica for testing. The official release says that the results of the tests were received this week and they concluded that the pharmaceutical product markets as TLEMOL has met the United States Pharmaceutical requirements for Acetaminophen tablets. Tylenol The release says, quote: “the Ministry of health assures the public that the active ingredient in this product TLEMOL is acetaminophen five hundred milligrams, which is the same ingredient in the similar product, TYLEOL,” end of quote. The Ministry release ends by saying that the TLEMOL product is legally imported in Belize by the company Generic Club Limited.

CGA announces increased price for oranges
There is sweet news for citrus farmers tonight. According to the Citrus Growers Association a new first payment advance for oranges was today announced at nineteen cents more than the initial first payment advance. A statement from the CGA issued this afternoon says that the new first payment advance to growers is ninety seven cents per pound solid, which amounts to five dollars and seventy four cents per box of oranges. Previous, the offer was seventy eight cents per pound solid or four dollars and sixty cents per box. According to the CGA statement, since the factory just started receiving Oranges on Tuesday, November 20, 2012, all payments for Orange delivered will based on the new Estimated Final Price. The new price for oranges, according to the CGA, is due to recent increases in world market prices. They conform to the Price Formula Agreement with the factory. CGA says that the Committee of Management requested and received a new first Fruit Price Submission for Orange. This revised first Fruit Price Submission has been provisionally accepted pending review. The new Estimated Final Price for Orange is one dollar and forty nine cents per pound solid or eight dollars and eighty four cents per box based on a per box yield of five point nine pound solids. This is up from the first Estimated Final Price of one dollar and twenty cents per pound solid or seven dollars and eight cents per box. In related news, the CGA is encouraging growers to participate in ongoing spraying activities that form part of the Area-wide Integrated Management System to control the Asian Citrus Psyllid. CGA is also calling on growers to ensure that they get their fruits tested for maturity ratio before delivery to the factory.

PlusTV

Car Crash Victim Described As A Loving Father
Tonight we report on another sad case of the evils of drunk driving and lives lost. Reports to our news room are th...

Police Constable charged with theft
Interdicted police constable, 25-year-old Brandon Hertular has been on interdiction since March 5, 2012. Today, he ...

Two in court for aggravated assault of an indecent nature
Two men were before the court to answer to charges of aggravated assault of an indecent nature. The two accused are...

Bond interest will be tax free
Yesterday we glossed over the financial benefits of buying into the municipal bond but tonight we offer a comment b...

Teenager charged with arson walks free
Glenn Murrillo was charged with arson and damage to property for allegedly trying burn down the Youth Cadet Corps a...

Cruise passenger caught with marijuana
Tis the season for cruisin’ in Belize; but one cruiser got too comfortable in Belize and broke the law. 19 year-old...

Corozol Police receive communications equipment
The Corozal Police Formation are the happy recipients of communications equipment. Yesterday (Nov 22) Mr. Henry Men...

Belmopan to get its own new Police Station
Belmopan will be getting a new Police Station separate and apart from the Central Headquarters. Minister Saldivar g...

Documentary on Human Trafficking to be shown in Belize City
A Documentary on Human Trafficking will be showcased during an international meeting on Monday. The Government of B...

Sugar Cane Factory reopens next week
After consultations were held between all stakeholders, the Sugar Industry Control Board (SICB) has set Tuesday, No...

San Ignacio's Welcome Centre hosts special events
The San Ignacio Welcome Center has been under renovation for the last few months. It has been transformed from a pl...

Under 15 national Football team beat Dominican Republic
Belize's Under 15 national Football team is presently in the Dominican Republic and won a game today. The team play...

Man who attempted armed robbery of Dits Restaurant is charged
The man who was shot in the legs as he attempted an armed robbery of Dits Restaurant has been arrested and charged....

Search is on for missing teen
Police are seeking viewers help in locating a missing teen. On Monday Mathew Gomez of Dangriga Town reported that h...

BEL Night Deposit Stolen
Two men intercept a deposit before it’s placed in the night deposit box at the bank. Yesterday evening a Supervisor...

Security Guard arrested for illegal firearm
A Security Guard has been arrested for firearm offences. On Wednesday Police conducted an anti drug operation at th...

House meets next week
A House Meeting has been scheduled for next week Friday November 30, 2012…. starting at 10am in the National Assemb...

NTUC holds 46th AGM
NTUCB PIC The National Trade Union Congress of Belize will be holding its 46th Annual General Meeting. The AGM will...

The Reporter

Belize City Council launches Municipal Bond prospectus
The Belize City Council launched the prospectus for BZ$20 million worth of bonds, which the Council will be issuing to help finance its street and drainage infrastructure program at City Hall on Thursday morning, November 22. Mayor Darrell Bradley explained that the thrust of the street improvement program is economic growth, as the enhanced infrastructure should stimulate business development and spawn further investment by the private sector. Another economic benefit will be the creation of jobs, not just in the actual construction phase, but in the businesses which will spring up a result of the enhanced services and environment. The bonds will be issued in blocks, each worth $200. Anyone who wants to invest in the bonds can pick up an application form from Central Bank, which is now accepting applications. As Registrar for the bonds, the Central Bank will issue a Registered Certificate Bond to each bondholder, and deposit the proceeds of the sale of bonds into the Infrastructure Fund for the Council to use. The bonds will be offered next Monday, November 26, and prospective buyers will have 28 days, up to December 24, to apply to purchase the bonds. Subscription may be closed before this day, if the bond offering is fully subscribed. The application period could also be extended until the offering is fully subscribed. Bondholders will receive interest payments twice a year, which the Central Bank will pay from a Sinking Fund. The Belize City Municipal Bond Act, passed by the House of Representatives in June, provides for the creation of both the infrastructure fund and the sinking fund, both of which will be managed by the Central Bank of Belize. It also requires that the Council’s monthly subvention from Ministry of Finance and the Cruise Ship head-tax to be paid directly into the Sinking Fund. These will amount to approximately $250,000.00 per month.

No IDB guarantee but negotiations will go on
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)’s decision to not provide a partial guarantee and a policy based loan to aid in the “Super Bond” restructuring talks, should not hamper the overall process, Debt Review Team Leader Mark Espat said Wednesday. Espat said the partial guarantee was not formally offered to bondholders; therefore, it should not have a negative impact on the ongoing negotiations. The partial guarantee was only one way to add value to “any new debt payment terms between Belize and bondholders,” He explained. He pointed out that there are other mechanisms for support from the International Financial Institutions (IFIs), including “accelerating current projects, additional investment loans and technical assistance programs—all of which continue to be discussed, not only with the IDB, but also with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and other IFI partners.” Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow broke the news on Wednesday, when he said that IDB’s President Luis Alberto Moreno’s “crass act of cowardice” to not adamantly push forward the request had a lot to do with the resistance from the United States Treasury Department. “Ultimately it was that the U.S. Treasury indicated clearly to Moreno and directly that it would not support the IDB agreeing to the guarantee,” PM Barrow said.

McAfee offers $25,000 for the arrest of Faull’s killer
The computer anti-virus pioneer, John McAfee, who is wanted for questioning as “a person of interest” in connection with the death of American Gregory Faull, has offered a $25,000 reward for the arrest of the true culprit. McAfee announced the reward via an Internet blog on Monday, November 19. He wrote, “I also needed to do my own investigation, since the police only seemed to be investigating my whereabouts. “My safety is contingent on the truth being discovered. I today announced on NBC Television that I am offering a $25,000 reward for the capture of the person or persons responsible for Mr. Faull’s murder.” McAfee has literally been thumbing his nose at police ever since he eluded them on Sunday, November 10, after Faull’s housekeeper found him lying dead in a pool of blood, with a shot to the back of his head. He has been able to continue his running commentaries with international media through cell phones. So far, no one from the Belize media has spoken to him since he has been on the lam. McAfee has also been weaving a pattern of spurious claims about Belizean authorities and life in Belize, which has prompted Prime Minister Dean Barrow to describe him as “bonkers.” In one of his colourful depictions, he states that enough people have died in Belize Police custody to fill a small U.S. town telephone directory. Two days before Faull’s body was discovered, four of McAfee’s dogs were reportedly poisoned.

There’s real money in music if you treat it like a business, BSCAP says
Members of the Belize music industry have an untapped revenue stream, but in order for it to work for them local artists must think of themselves as a businesses, Heather Cunningham, the chief executive officer of the Belizean Society of Composers Authors Publishers (BSCAP) said Tuesday. Cunningham explained that BSCAP is a Collective Management Organization (CMO) that collects license fees on behalf of music publishers, songwriters and composers. They collect the fees and distribute them as royalties to their members, whose music had been used or exploited in one way or the other. BSCAP, she explained, looks for where the music has either already been “exploited;” is currently being used in establishments such as restaurants, hotels and radio stations; was featured in a film, for which the filmmaker would need a specific license; or if it has been or is being used online on sites such as YouTube, CDBaby, and more. “We get any money that are potentially sitting unclaimed and distribute it to the artist,” Cunningham said. BSCAP’s Chairman Jason Guerrero said that local artist Super G is a recent example of how CMO works, as the musician recently received royalty payments from the Mexican Television Station Univision that used his music in its popular TV show called Sabado Gigante. Like with Super G, Guerrero said that other local artists may benefit in like manner and more; however, it requires their full cooperation with BSCAP. “Musicians need to think of themselves as a business; and like with any business, they have to put in the work to structure themselves and document all their songs, written work and performances,” Cunningham said.

Princess Oil gives up Blue Hole PSAs
Princess Oil has given up all those oil exploration blocks near the Blue Hole, Turneffe Atoll and Lighthouse Reef, which it held under its production sharing agreement with the Government of Belize, the company announced in a press release on Monday, November 19. The Department of Geology had accepted the company’s proposal to relinquish the exploration blocks on Monday, November 12. “The Blue Hole area is one of Belize’s priceless natural treasures and we stand ready to assist in any way to protect and preserve the country’s natural reef system,” said Princess Oil’s Chief Executive Officer Hamdi Karagozoglu. He added that the company had done no exploration work in this eco-sensitive area, and therefore had no knowledge if it had any potential to produce hydrocarbons. The release goes on to say that the company “will continue to adopt only those techniques and methods that are environmentally safe while exploring for and producing hydrocarbon in Belize and elsewhere.”

Jamaica to abolish slavery-era flogging law
Jamaica is preparing to abolish a slavery-era law allowing flogging and whipping as means of punishing prisoners, the Justice Ministry said Thursday. The ministry said the punishment hasn’t been ordered by a court since 2004 but the statutes remain in the island’s penal code. It was administered with strokes from a tamarind-tree switch or a cat o’nine tails, a whip made of nine, knotted cords. Justice Minister Mark Golding says the “degrading” punishment is an anachronism which violates Jamaica’s international obligations and is preventing Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller’s government from ratifying the U.N. convention against torture. The Cabinet has already approved repealing the flogging law and amendments to other laws in the former British colony, where plantation slavery was particularly brutal. The announcement was welcomed by human rights activists who view the flogging law as a barbaric throwback in a nation populated mostly by the descendants of slaves. But there are no shortage of crime-weary Jamaicans who feel that authorities should not drop the old statutes but instead enforce them, arguing that thieves who steal livestock or violent criminals who harm innocent people should receive a whipping to teach them a lesson. The last to suffer the punishment in Jamaica was Errol Pryce, who was sentenced to four years in prison and six lashes in 1994 for stabbing his mother-in-law. Pryce was flogged the day before being released from prison in 1997 and later complained to the U.N. Human Rights Committee, which ruled in 2004 that the form of corporal punishment was cruel, inhuman and degrading and violated his rights. Jamaican courts then stopped ordering whipping or flogging.

UN report warns of widening climate gap
A U.N. report on rising greenhouse gas emissions reminds world governments that their efforts to fight climate change are far from enough to meet their stated goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit). The report by the U.N. Environment Program, released just days ahead of a major climate conference, said the concentration of heat-trapping greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is up about 20 percent since 2000. Scientists say those emissions are contributing to climate change and that failure to contain them could have dangerous consequences, including rising sea levels inundating coastal cities, dramatic shifts in rainfall disrupting agriculture and drinking water, the spread of diseases and the extinction of species. Emission levels, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, need to come down by 14 percent by 2020 for the world to reach a pathway that could keep the global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius, compared with pre-industrial levels, UNEP said. That’s the stated goal of U.N. climate negotiations, which resume next week in Doha, Qatar. But it won’t happen if countries don’t come up with more ambitious plans to cut emissions than what’s currently on the table. The U.N. agency said if no swift action is taken, emissions are likely to hit 58 gigatons in 2020 — 14 gigatons too much to have a chance of limiting warming to 2 degrees. The projected gap is now bigger than it was last year and in 2010. UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said that bridging the gap remains doable and that there are many “inspiring” actions at the national level on renewable energy, energy efficiency, protecting forests, and vehicle emissions standards.

UK Minister Swire visits Belize Says ICJ Belize’s best bet to end claim
Six weeks into his role as the British Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Minister Hugo Swire prioritized a Latin American tour, winding up in Belize on November 15th. His visit gave Belize the opportunity to renew ties with England and garner support on important issues. While here the Minister met with BATSUB (British Army Training Support Unit Belize), the BDF (Belize Defence Force), and RESTORE Belize officials and later paid courtesy calls on the Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Wilfred Elrington, the Minister of National Security Hon. John Saldivar and the Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow. At a reception held at the Radisson Fort George to welcome Minister Swire, the Reporter got a chance to talk to him and ask him about several issues of interest. Among them, the Belize-Guatemala sovereignty claim, the drug trade and crime topped the list. Minister Swire said the way forward for Belize was to resolve the sovereignty dispute with the help of the referendum and the ICJ (International Court of Justice). With both countries committed to the ICJ’s ruling, the minister envisioned an end to the claim. He said his country was intent on seeing the claim issue resolved, so that Belize could concentrate on other pressing issues such as crime and the drug trade. He reiterated Britain’s support for Belize and declared that Britain cared about the outcome, and he referred to Prince Harry’s memorable visit to Belize as a evidence of that.

Grain growers meet, Biotech presented
On the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 7, the first public meeting of the newly-formed Belize Grain Growers Association was held in Spanish Lookout. The group was formed to promote the introduction of genetically-modified (GM) corn into Belize. GM seed is prohibited by BAHA from being introduced into Belize because of the growing list of problems with genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) and the attractive though unqualified claims made about GM crops.

The fight against crime continues
The City of Belmopan has been supplied with more resources in its fight against crime. The Government of Belize purchased two new vehicles, an Izuzu D-Max pickup truck and a Mahindra Truck, which are to be commissioned to the Belmopan formation of the Belize Police Department. Minister Hon. John Saldivar handed over the keys to the Commissioner of Police, David Henderson at the Police Headquarters in Belmopan City on November 21, 2012.

Henkis, 45, guilty of sodomizing 9-year-old boy
Lee Henkis, a 45-year-old man of Dean Street, Belize City, showed no remorse or emotion on Wednesday, November 21, after a jury of four men and five women found him guilty of buggering a nine year old boy. Justice Troadio Gonzalez has given Henkis until Wednesday, November 28, to prepare a mitigation plea, prior to sentencing. Justice Gonzales advised Henkis that the maximum penalty for this kind of unnatural crime is ten years. This is the second time that Henkis has been convicted of buggery. The offence for which Henkis was charged occurred on July 4, 2010. The victim, who was nine-years-old at the time, testified in private.

Four fatty foods that are good for cholesterol
Not all fat is bad for you. These four types of fatty foods actually help lower your bad cholesterol levels and may even raise good cholesterol levels. Olive oil Numerous studies have shown that olive oil not only lowers LDL but also raises HDL. One study found that people who ate about 2 tablespoons of olive oil a day had lower LDL levels in just one week. Use it in garlic bread, salad dressings, in place of margarine, and in place of other oils when sautéing. Nuts Enjoy nuts. They are packed with heart-healthy unsaturated fats, including omega-3s. Walnuts and almonds seem to be especially good at lowering LDL. Eat a shotglass-size serving a day and watch your numbers drop. But nuts contain a lot of calories, so make sure you eat them instead of—not in addition to—other snacks.

Keeping healthy during the chilly months
The feeling of Christmas feeling is here as the weather suddenly cools throughout the country of Belize. But sometimes this drastic and sudden change of temperature can cause many of us to suffer from the nagging cold, flu and other respiratory disorders. What can we do from a health and lifestyle perspective when the “chilly wind” begins to blows upon our ‘little Belize’? 1. Start with exercise: A brisk walk outdoors every morning for about 30 to 45 minutes can “warm up the system” and increase circulation as well. In addition, exercise also elevates our BDF – Body Defense Force (White Blood Cells) – whose job is to help increase resistance to germ invasion.

St John’s College boys lead Belize City basketball
The undefeated boys of St John’s College are dominating their group with two victories in the Belize City high schools basketball competition organized by the Central Secondary Schools Sports Association at Bird’s Isle in Belize City on Saturday, November 17. Sydney “Bucket” Bradley scored two 3-pointers as he led the St John’s boys with 20 pts in their 58-44 victory over the boys of Excelsior High School on Saturday afternoon. The St John’s boys led 14-11 in the first quarter and with Rondre Lewis adding nine points, and Kyle Middleton and Rasheed Flowers tossing in five points each; they continued to lead 34-25 at intermission. Kurtlan Young had four points, and Dudley Erskine and Jovar Lopez chipped in two points each to lead 48-30 by the end of the third quarter. Javis Tench had led the Excelsior boys with 17 pts, while Enfield Martinez added 10, Darnea Garcia had seven and Javan Claire and Melrick Perez tossed in four each, Malcolm Nunez chipped in one basket.

St Catherine’s Academy girls lead in Basketball
The defending national high schools basketball champions, the girls of St Catherine’s Academy are dominating the Belize City high schools basketball competition organized by the Central Secondary Schools Sports Association, which continued at Bird’s Isle in Belize City on Saturday, November 17. It was double your pleasure, double your score for the St Catherine’s girls, as Indie Dixon led them in a 34-17 romp over the girls of Pallotti High School on Saturday. Dixon shot a game high of 14 pts., leading 15-13 at intermission. Sharoni Chen scored a 3-pointer as she and Gloria Serano led the Pallotti girls with six points each, but the SCA girls’ defense effectively shut down Pallotti in the second half. SCA’s team captain Chelsi Noralez and Gilda Estrada each added six points, while Halle Spencer tossed in four, Briana Jex chipped in three and Tyra Moriera scored a free throw.

Blogs

Thanksgiving turkey and music for our favorite island cause
This year Thanksgiving "went to the dogs" as Fido's, an ever-popular San Pedro restaurant, bar, and live music venue, teamed up with Saga Humane Society for a fundraiser featuring singer-songwriter Kelly McGuire. Fido's and Kelly are both such Ambergris Caye traditions that I am embarrassed to admit we've never experienced either, so we were looking forward to a good time for a good cause, and we were amply rewarded with a unique and fun Thanksgiving evening. I'd been asked to take photos for the Saga website, so I figured I would kill two birds with one stone by doing our own blog of the event as well. We left home on our bikes a bit early so we could eat dinner before the Saga event really got cranking at 6pm. Barry got our steeds safely locked to one of the huge anchors right outside Fido's on the ocean front. Fortunately, his pinched nerve and upper back issue has finally healed up, or most of the way, and he can ride his bike again. We're both very happy about that! Yay, Barry is back on the scene! We got a table right by the sea and started with a special drink of the evening -- vodka with watermelon juice. Yum! Here's the menu for the special Thanksgiving dinner. The Cochinita Pibil was tempting, but we both ordered the traditional turkey dinner, which was $40 BZ ($20 US) and also included dessert (and a rum punch, as it turned out) -- neither of which were mentioned on the menu. So it was quite a good deal.

Guest Post: Thanksgiving Really Goes to the Dogs With Kelly McGuire
This guest post is by Cindy, one of the owners of Changes In Latitudes Bed & Breakfast in San Pedro. Thanks Cindy! When we arrived at Fido's on Thanksgiving afternoon around 5:40, there were very few people there, but most of the tables were reserved. I even plead my case that we were “guest blogging” for the Scoop, but it didn’t pull any weight. (You might need to work on that...) We were starving, so we immediately ordered our turkey dinners. Part of the reason to arrive early was so they did not run out of turkey!! Dinner was good, and the turkey was served with mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry jelly and instead of sweet potatoes, candied plantains! I think there were tongue marks on my plate! The key lime pie... The Kelly McGuire Fan Club rolled in around 6:00, and Kelly arrived shortly thereafter. They were all decked out, including flashing rings which they all wore. I remembered these ladies from a trip to see Kelly at Isla Mujeres a few years ago.

Belize Statistics From 2000 to 2012 [INFOGRAPHIC]
Today's infographic talks a little about the population of Belize for the past decade or so (2000-2011). It also shows information for the CBR (Crude Birth Rate) and CDR (Crude Death Rate). The CBR refers to the number of births per 1000 people per year. The CDR is the total number of deaths per year per 1000 people. From 2000 to 2010, there has been a small gradual decrease in both the CDR and CBR of Belize, as indicated by the infographic below.

November 23, 2012

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

The November 22nd, 2012 issue of The Northern Star is online HERE

This Week's Stories:

• Millionaire wanted for Murder Facts Vs. Fiction!:
  American expatriate John McAfee, went into hiding as he is wanted by our authorities and is labeled as the prime suspect in the murder of 52yrs. old Gregory Viant Faull who wasmurdered in his home in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye sometime between the 10th. - 11th. November 2012. Gregory Faull was an American expatriate and was the neighbor of the 67yrs.old, Anti-Virus Pioneer, John McAfee. Sometime prior to his death, Gregory Faull made a formal complaint against John McAfee in the form of a letter addressed to the San Pedro Town Council complaining about some vicious, loose dogs that Mr. McAfee had that were and chasing and attacking people both residence and tourist.
• The Super Bond IDB President, the US Treasury Department and Barack Obama:
  The Super Bond Renegotiation has suffered its first set back as a direct result of the IDB President LuisAlberto Moreno refusal to take to his board our proposal for the IDB partial guarantee of its restructuring with a policy based loan.TheUS Treasury Department has insists that the Government of Belize must first go to the IMF. Our Belize Government has and will simply refuse to go to the IMF. The IDB feeling pressured by the US Treasury Department has therefore withdrawn its support for a partial guarantee.
• Editorial Page:
  Another year is almost over, and many believe that the end of the Mayan Calendar, signals the ending of the world as we know it. But what they fail to realize is that it is not the end of the world but simply the ending of a cycle, a generation, a system that has quickly become obsolete, no longer useful for the new Era that is dawning. And so with this new genesis on the horizon; we begin a new start, full of vigor, with high expectations, hope, opportunities and an undeniable love of God, an unending belief that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior along with the conviction that “The time to save our country is beforewe lose it!”
• BELIZEAN TEEN MURDERED ABROAD:
  Suri Baeza, a 15-year-old, Belizean Student from Rockwall High School who left her home in Orange Walk in 2002 was killed on Tuesday. Baeza’s mother found her body on the floor of her bedroom at about 7.15 p.m. and called 911. She told the police her daughter had stayed home from school that day because she had felt ill and that, though she’d arrived home at about 4 p.m., she hadn’t seen Surie since that morning. Baeza reportedly sent a text message around 2 p.m. and was killed between that time and 4.30 p.m. Her mother went to wake her up for dinner, but found her unresponsive on the floor in a pool of her own blood.
• MINISTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY REMARKS – PRIME MINISTER FORUM – 1st NOVEMBER, 2012:
  Prime Minister, Members of the Cabinet, Members of the business community, CEO’s, other distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen. The recent spike in crime and violence especially in Belize City hits at the core of our efforts to create a safe and secure environment where our citizens and visitors can live in peace and security. Let me assure you though, that despite these occasional spikes which have the effect of eroding any appearance of progress in our fight against crime, the Ministry of National Security and the Police Department have been employing and will continue to employ new and innovative strategies to vanquish what is undoubtedly the greatest national challenge in our postindependence history. My task, as the Minister, is to move the Ministry of National Security forward and ensure that we strengthen its Departments to allow them to deal with the various threats to national security and safety in an efficient and effective manner. While we are doing that we have to deal with the challenges of the day to day policing realities as it relates to crime and violence.
• British Government Donates Motorcycles for Belmopan Police:
  A donation of two (2) motorcycles, to be assigned to the Belmopan City Formation of the Belize Police Department, was made this morning to the Ministry of National Security by the British Government through its Embassy in Belize. Making the presentation on behalf of the BritishGovernment was the visitingMinister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Latin America, Hon. Hugo Swire, MP, along with the British High Commissioner resident in Belize, H.E. PatAshworth. Receiving the donation was Belize’s Minister of National Security, Hon. John Saldivar, accompanied by the Commissioner of Police, David Henderson
• Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake:
  Directions: 1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). 2) Cut the pumpkin in half, stemto base. Remove seeds and pulp. Cover each half with foil. 3) Bake in the preheated oven, foil side up, 1 hour, or until tender. 4) Scrape pumkin meat fromshell halves and puree in a blender. Strain to remove any remaining stringy pieces. Store in the freezer in freezer safe bags.
• Honduras: Quinceañera y su novio actuaron con cinismo y frialdad:
  La motivación de una quinceañera para planificar el asesinato de sumadre se vuelve un análisis complejo para los especialistas en conducta humana. La menor, en complicidad con su novio de 17 años, mató a puñaladas a su madreAna Brenda Bodden Guzmán por oponerse a aquel noviazgo que comenzó en las aulas de un colegio en Siguatepeque, donde ambos estudiaban. El perfil en las redes sociales de ambosmenores podría dar un punto de partida para los estudios que psiquiatras y psicólogos deberán hacerle a la pareja, que sin ningún remordimiento confesó su crimen.
• Belize Police News
• Cartoons and Joke of the Week
• MESSAGE FROM THE CLERGY by Rev. Dr. Rudolph Anthony
  St. Mark’s Gospel tells us today that “A poor widow came and put in 2 small copper coins, which were worth a penny”. And Jesus, after he saw what happened, told his disciples “This poor widow has put in more than all thosewho are contributing to the treasury...out of her poverty she has put in everything she had”. Today aswe look at this lesson, we will find that this is only a snippet of Scripture. In the theological world, these snippets are called “periscopes”, “clippings”. You see, as we read the clipping, we may not know what comes before or after it. If we were to tract Mark’s Gospel, we would know that Jesus had a busy week as it is laid out in the Gospel. One day, he rode into Jerusalemon a donkey; next day he overturns the moneychangers’ tables in the temple. The day after, he is engaged in theological debates with at least six different religious leaders.
• HEALTH AND NUTRITION: Schizophrenia
  Schizophrenia can be Schizophrenia frightening, but it doesn’t have to define your life. With medication, therapy, and support, many people with schizophrenia are able to control their symptoms, gain greater independence, and lead fulfilling lives. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent many unnecessary complications and improve the chance of recovery, so if you’re worried that you or someone you care about has schizophrenia, don’t hesitate to seek help. Recovering from schizophrenia doesn’t happen overnight. Finding the right treatments takes time and setbacks happen. But it is possible. In fact, most people with schizophrenia get better over time, not worse. So no matter what challenges you presently face, there is always hope.
• Message from Prime Minister:
• Your Weekly Horoscope
• Another Earthquake Rocks Guatemala in just Four Days:
  Yet another 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck in the Pacific off the western coast of Guatemala. Striking about 17miles (27 km) below sea level, the tremor was centered about 19 miles west-south-west of Champerico, Guatemala, and 115 miles from the capital, Guatemala City. The quake was not far from southern Mexico, with the USGS reporting it was 27 miles south-southeast of the border community of Suchiate, Mexico.

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

San Pedro Town Council’s newest machine working for San Mateo
The emergency cart at the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro PolyClinc II now has the addition of a brand new Mobile Emergency Defibrillator. The donation came as a result of fund raisers in the form of weekly “Poker Runs” held just north of San Pedro and organized by Alexandra Nicholson of Kama Lounge. On hand to receive the donation were Mr. Owen Vellos, administrator of the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro PolyClinic II, Dr. Javier Zuniga, Dr. Noeli Nicholson and Dr. Laurenzco Nicholson . The presentation of the new defibrillator took place at the clinic on Tuesday, November 20th at 2PM and was awarded by the group of individuals instrumental in donating it.

San Pedro Poly Clinic receives donation of Mobile Defibrillator
Work continues on the San Mateo streets and the recent donation of $100,000 from Bay Trust International in Belize is in full swing, providing for two barges of hardcore being laid onto the streets in southern San Mateo, then graded. On Wednesday afternoon, November 21st workers and equipment were in full swing, bringing the dream of new streets to a reality for the residents of San Mateo. According to Mayor Daniel Guerrero, the donation will provide for three more barges of hardcore which will help to complete the streets in the southeastern part of San Mateo. A dump truck, purchased a couple of months ago at a cost of $35,000 has been assigned to the San Mateo area to work on the roads as well. The vehicle was not in proper working condition when it was purchased, but after some much-needed work, it is in full operational mode. Speaking to the media, Mayor Guerro stated, “This truck used to have a huge back [portion] which we had to take off to turn it into a dump truck, and it now reaches international standards.” According to the Mayor, the work done on the truck easy exceeded $8,000. Mayor Guerrero is optimistic about the outcome of the work being done in San Mateo. He stated, “The council will continue work on the streets in San Mateo, going towards the west. We will try to open all of these streets to try to avoid these London bridges here. As you can see here it’s very beautiful… getting very solid… it’s a good foundation and I think it will be very soon that we will be able to get electricity [for the residents].” Once work is done in San Mateo, the truck will be used to haul landfill material (crushed rock similar to marlstone) from Grand Belizean Estates to create roads in the Eiley Subdivion.

THE NEW MISS ETHNIC WORLD IS MISS BELIZE
Destinee Arnold, made history as she was crowned Miss Ethnic World 2013. The pageant was held at the elegant Westin Hotel in Long Beach California where delegates from all over the world gathered for a weekend of activities, photo shoots and rigorous rehearsals. The delegates were judged in six categories including personal interview, cultural expression, fashion- active wear, fashion- after five, evening wear and community service in which documentation of service hours were verified by a third party. While most international pageants have either removed the cultural competition from their score sheets or offer minimal points for it, Miss Ethnic World remains the only international pageant that is dedicated to celebrating cultural diversity through talent presentation and extensive interview. These two categories are each worth a hefty twenty percent of the delegate’s overall score.

Ambergris Today

Mobile Defibrillator Donated to San Pedro Poly Clinic
A group of businesses is responsible for the addition of a mobile defibrillator at the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Poly Clinc. The donation was made possible by Captain Morgan’s Retreat, Palapa Bar, Kama Lounge and Cowboy Doug’s Pool Bar that united to donate the LIFEPACK Defibrillator along with some medications last week. The group raised the funds to acquire the supplies through the Poker Runs social events that have gained massive popularity in San Pedro over a three-month period. The defibrillator that was donated has rechargeable batteries which is a great advantage prior to the one that they had could only be used approximately three times and had to be disposed of. The donation has an estimated value of Bze$5,000. Mr. Owen Vellos, administrator of the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro PolyClinic II, Dr. Javier Zuniga, Dr. Noeli Nicholson and Dr. Laurenzco Nicholson were on hand as Alexandra Nicholson and Dave Hauttli of Kama Lounge , Ernie Olmstead of Captain Morgan’s Resort and Casino, Scott and Jodi from Palapa Bar and Doug Mercer Cowboy Doug’s/Grand Caribe presented the donation.

Sagging! How Appearance Affects Perception of Social Class
So every teenager has his own style and way he acts around people. The guys that are usually mean to people will wear gang-related clothing to make them feel like they are part of a gang and, who knows, maybe some of them are. A lot of guys these days will have their pants down way below the waistline and this is what we call “Sagging”. They are even proud of exposing their underwear! What is up with that? I ask! I assume that most of you have heard that our San Pedro Mayor, His Lordship Daniel Guerrero, has asked the local police to stop those people who are sagging on the street and ask them to ‘Pull up their Pants”. It’s his way to create a more positive vibe on the island, although it will not be a well-liked rule amongst those who like sagging.

Misc Belizean Sources

Falkland Cricketers to visit Belize to play our national team and make donation to Liberty Children's Home
As part of their Caribbean tour of Belize, Barbados and Jamaica, the Falkland Island Cricket Association will have representatives of their team in Belize for several days starting next week Sunday, November 25. The purpose of the visit will be to promote cricket in the Falkland Islands and improve the skills of their players. While in Belize, the team will be received by the Belize National Cricket Association and the British High Commission, play several exhibition matches against the Belize National team and contribute a charitable donation to the Liberty Children’s Home in Ladyville. Tentative Schedule: Sunday 25th – A.M. - Arrival at Phillip S. W. Goldson International Airport. Welcome BBQ at Royal British Legion, Price Barracks. (4:00 p.m.) Monday 26th – A.M. - Team to conduct a practice session at Burrell Boom Community Grounds. (Elton Gillett Park). Visit to Liberty Children’s Home, Ladyville for charitable donation. (4:00 p.m.). Tuesday 27th - The squad will play two 20/20 games. The first one against Belize Senior National squad, and in the afternoon against Belize U19 Squad. Wednesday 28th – Team will play its 3rd and final game against Belize National Squad for a 45-over game at Bermudian Landing Cricket Grounds. Farewell reception at Black Orchid Resort.

Channel 7

Municipal Bond Prospectus Launched; Will It Fly?
The prospectus for the 20 million dollar municipal bond was finally launched today, after months of delays. It's been a long time coming - but the Mayor says the prospectus is distilled to a fine essence - balancing the city's sustainability against the council's grand infrastructural ambitions. Jules Vasquez got a first taste today: Jules Vasquez Reporting Today there was a rare sighting of most of the city councilors - and they sat in thrall for the Darrell Bradley show: Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City Council "The Municipal Development Bond, as it is called, is a first of its kind in Belize. It's actually the first municipal bond that has been done by any municipality in the Caribbean region." Everything you need to know about the municipal development bond is contained in this 22 page document - the much discussed and much delayed prospectus. For regular city residents - the most interesting part would probably be this page - listing the 67 streets that the city intends to pave with the bond money.

14 Shells On Pen Road; Two Got Shot
Last night just before 7, there was a shooting at the far end of Neal Penn Road which left 2 persons injured - but it's a minor miracle that no one was killed. Today 7News caught up with the 2 victims, and we found out that the gunman came and fired indiscriminately - over a dozen shots - at a group of about 8 people who were all socializing. Here's what they told us about the incident, including how the assailant risked hitting a baby girl as well: Voice of Shooting Victim #1 "Well, I was sitting down with my brother, my cousin, and other people on the street, and brother looked at me and said, 'look at that man who is walking over here.' By the time I spun around and looked at the person, I saw that he was coming in full black. By the time I took my eyes off of him, I heard a loud bang. As the first shot caught me in my leg, I ran through 2 different yards, and a lot more shots started to fire. After that, I came out and one of my friends asked us who got shot. I told him that it was me who got shot in the legs, and he told me to go with the police to the station. And, that's how I ended up going to the hospital. Everybody who was out there at the time, I mean we sit down out there all the time. We don't make problem with anybody. We usually sit down on the sidewalk, drink and smoke a little weed from time to time. We don't miss with anybody."

Best, Brightest CSEC, CAPE Students Honoured
Very often, youths exhibiting antisocial behavior become the subject of the headlines in our nightly newscast. But, while they get the headlines, they don't represent the whole because a there's a super-majority of Belizean youths who excel and do right every day. So today, when the Ministry held a ceremony in honor of this year's top CSEC examination performers 7News attended and caught up with a few of these bright young people. Here's what they had to say about the award ceremony, and about their plans to further their education: Mireli Solis - 3rd Place, CSEC Examinations 2012 "Well, I just went over the program, and I'm getting a plaque. So, I guess I wasn't coming here with the expectations of getting anything big, but a plaque is nice, and it's nice to know that you're getting recognized for your work." Daniel Ortiz "Tell us a little bit about how much effort it took to actually perform excellently in the CSEC." Mireli Solis "Well, I had to go through a rigorous course work throughout the year. I had to pay attention in all my classes; I had a lot of work to do. I had a lot of homework to do; I had to a lot of independent studying, since I took some subjects independently. Before the exams I had to review again, so I was a lot of work. I mean I took my breaks as I saw the need to, but I feel that it paid off - that my work payed off."

Weed Found In Open Lots
The Special Branch usually moves in silence, but tonight police are boasting that yesterday based on Special Branch information, Police searched an empty lot on Kraal Road and found about two and half ounces of marijuana. Special Branch stats also led police to an empty lot on Antelope St. Extension which turned up (5) plastic bags with three ounces of cannabis. In both cases, the drugs were labeled as "FOUND PROPERTY".

A Cruiser Trying to Get Some Belizean Breeze
Thanksgiving in the US means the cruise tourism high season in Belize - but it seems one cruiser used his visit to Belize as an opportunity to get high! 19 year-old John Webster, an American University Student from Florida, was unable to return on the cruise ship he arrived on because he was busted with marijuana in Belize. According to police, he came on the Norwegian cruise liner, Dawn, yesterday. He was about to board a boat back to the ship at around 2:30 p.m. when a tourism police, acting on information, searched him before he could leave. The officer found 8 grams of cannabis in his right front pants pocket, and inside the right pocket, he found a bamboo pipe used for smoking weed. As a result, Webster was charged with possession of a controlled drug, and possession of a pipe, and he was arraigned before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer today. He pleaded guilty to both charges, and was sentenced to pay fines to a total of $1,600 forthwith. He was able to pay the fine, and he left court a free man. His family must make flight arrangements for him to return home.

Turneffe Atoll Reserve: Signed, Sealed, Delivered
commemoration and signing ceremony was held this morning - for the declaration of the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve. The reserve was enacted In September, by Minister responsible for Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development -Lisel Alamilla. It's important because it manages the three hundred and twenty five thousand acre Marine Reserve - which is the largest in Belize and is considered the largest and most biologically diverse atoll in the Caribbean. This morning's commemoration and signing ceremony took place at Old Belize where Minister Allamilla told us about this historic event. Hon. Lisel Alamilla - Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development "Well, I think it's really a history event because from my understanding, the Turneffe Atoll has been a gap, like a big hole in the marine protected areas system of Belize. It was already recognized that it is of ecological importance, and that we needed to protect and manage it. But for whatever reasons, that had not transpired, so today, that was made possible. So, it's really - some people are telling me that more than 20 years ago, it was recognized that this was an area which really needed to be protected. It will be managed like any other marine reserve. Really, the way we manage and utilize marine reserves is that it's really to enhance them; it's a tool to manage the fisheries sector. Only 10% of the area is a no-take zone. So all the other area, people can fish in it and conduct other activities. So, it's really to more enforcement, monitoring and research going on. We were fortunate enough to have gotten a major contribution for the Bert Arelli Foundation in millions of dollars, which will be used to set up the management for Turneffe Atoll."

He Allegedly Tried To Burn Down The Youth Cadet Core
18 year-old Glenn Murrillo, the young man who was charged with arson and damage to property for allegedly trying burn down the Youth Cadet Corps at mile 21, is free tonight after he was acquitted in the Supreme Court today. The allegation was that on February 12, 2009, Workers at the Cadet Corps reported seeing flames coming from the bathroom section of the compound around 11:30 p.m. They were able to quickly put out the fire with water. Murrillo, who was only 15 years-old at the time, was linked to the arson, and he was criminally charged for it. But, when Crown Counsel Thalia Meagan Francis presented the prosecution's case before the court this morning, she was only able to call 4 witnesses to testify against Murrillo. However, none of them were able to give any compelling evidence against Murrillo. As a result, Justice Troadio Gonzalez directed the jury of 9 which was just empaneled today, to return a mandatory not guilty verdict.

Remanded For Lack Of Respect
18 year-old Tanisha Bell, a resident of Antelope Street Extension, is in prison tonight, and she will remain there for 7 days because she insulted Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer. Bell was charged with possession of controlled drugs because police allegedly caught her with 1 gram of cannabis. She pleaded guilty to that offence today, and because she showed no remorse, and didn't provide a sufficient reason why she shouldn't be sent to jail, Senior Magistrate Frazer remanded her for 1 day. She was taken back to the cellblock at the Magistrate's Court to await transport to prison, and while there, an employee of the court overheard her insult Senior Magistrate Frazer. This employee reported the incident to Senior Magistrate Frazer, who decided to extend her remand from 1 day to 7 days because she showed disrespect to authority. According to police, at around 7:25 p.m. yesterday, police officers were on mobile patrol, when they saw a group of people standing at the corner of Elston Kerr and Antelope Streets.

Katarina's Story
Last night we told you the good news about 11 year old Katarina Ishim from San Pablo village in Southern Belize. She's the little girl who had a massive tumor - about the size of a watermelon growing on her face. She's been receiving specialized treatment in Knoxville Tennesse since March. Now she's just about done and ready to come back home. NBC affiliate WBIR in Tennessee aired this story yesterday: All told, her surgeries lasted over 40 hours. She will now be fitted with a prosthetic nose.

Straight Talk On Crooked Tree
Last week, we showed you Crooked Tree Residents lashing out at the Audubon Society which manages the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. But the Audubon says it's a bigger problem a legislative one - having to do with the Departments of Forestry and Fisheries. Today the minister with responsibility for those ministries told us a legislative review is underway: Hon. Lisel Alamilla - Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and Sustainable Development "What you need to visit is the legislations which governs these protected areas, and we are in the midst of an exercise - in fact, at the very tail end of the exercise to look at the protected areas system of Belize to determine whether we're going to re-categorize those protected areas which will allow harvesting and other activities to happen within protected areas. Until that exercise happens, Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary will remain in that category because we will not do it in a piece-meal manner. We're looking at the entire protected areas system of Belize." According to a release sent out by the Audubon, the entire flare up in Crooked Tree stems from an event onFriday November 9th when the Police Dept, Forest Dept and staff of Belize Audubon Society carried out a joint patrol in the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary.

Juniour Athletes Going For Glory In Costa Rica
Right now, there is small contingent of junior athletes who are making their way to Costa Rica to compete in 10th Central American Infant A and Junior C track and field games. 7News caught up with them before they boarded their 5 p.m. flight, and they told us that they are hoping to bring back medals: Fredrick Evans - Coach "This is the Junior C Central American Championships. This is for kids, ages 14 and 15 years-old. Shanicka and G'anne are both competing in the long jump, 100 metres, and 150 metres. Shanicka is the reigning triple jump champion for the Junior B, which is from 14-17 for Central America, but at 14 and 15, they don't have triple jump. So, she's only doing the long jump. And Kadean is also primarily a triple jumper. They don't have triple jump in this competition, so he's doing the long jump and the 100 meters. If they don't win medals, they have to walk back. I'm extremely confident that each of them will win at least one medal. And there's a good chance that all 3 of them will win more than one medals." G'anne Humes - Athlete "My first trip, I was really nervous, and I came in like 4th or 5th. But for this trip, I'm expecting to place in the top 3. I'm expecting to bring home a gold medal also."

Profile Of A Punta Rock Star
This week's profile is about Punta Rock legend Chico Ramos. He has penned some of the most memorable songs in the Punta Rock canon - but behind the music, there's a deep story. And he shares it in tonight's profile:

Why Marching Matters
The Women's Department celebrates its 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence annually. The tradition is that It kicks off with a march through the city streets - bringing awareness to issues women face on a daily basis. Today 7news spoke with Human Development Coordinator, Cynthia Williams about how you can take a stand: Cynthia Williams - Human Development Coordinator, Women's Department "We just wanted to come and invited the general public to the opening ceremonies and the march for 16 days of Activism campaign. Every year, we have these opening ceremonies to really bring to an opening, the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. It is a worldwide campaign which started since 1991, and it really brings efforts locally and internationally to raise more awareness of violence against women, especially in looking at violations of women's rights as a violation of human rights as well. And so, it's really an opportunity for, not only those who are working in this sector to come out and participate, but also to the general community. We feel that it is important that every Belizean take action, as we strive toward the elimination of violence against women. This year's theme is 'Unite to End Violence Against Women and Children'. It is very central to another campaign in which the Department is also a part of, which is the orange unite campaign, which also brings awareness to the issue. It is a United Nations Campaign which was opened in 2008 by the Secretary General to really highlight and ensure that everybody is contribution for legislation and policies to be brought forward and created to ensure that we work toward the elimination of violence against women and girls. We felt that it was important to include children because we know that there is an issue where our boys are also being affected. It is a call to action for all Belizeans. The route of the march is that we'll be going down Mahogany Street Extension, Cemetery Road, Orange, Mosul, Vernon Streets, the Belchina Bridge, North Front Street, and then ending at Memorial Park." The theme for this year's 16 Days of Activism is: "United to end Violence against women and children".

San Mateo Money Being Spent Wisely
A few weeks ago, our colleagues at Reef Radio shared a story with us about a major donation for the upgrading of the San Mateo area in San Pedro. IT is as poor as any area you will find in Belize city - complete with London Bridges. But the hundred thousand is already being put to work to lay out new roads. Reef Radio tells us about the equipment that hit the ground yesterday: Mayor Guerrerro estimates that half the residents still have road access problems...

Channel 5

Patrick Faber, next U.D.P. Party Leader?
The United Democratic Party is heading to its national convention next February. For months there have been signs that Party Chairman and Minister of Education, Patrick Faber would launch a challenge to unseat Gaspar Vega who is the Deputy Party Leader and the sitting Deputy Prime Minister. Faber has been an up and coming heavyweight [...]

$20 Million Municipal Bond launched
The Government has suffered a major setback in the re-structuring of the US five hundred and forty-four million dollar super bond now that the IDB will not be guaranteeing the Policy Based Loan. But the City today went public with the prospectus for a twenty million dollar bond.  The mayor of the City is inviting [...]

European Union may ban Belize vessels for Illegal Fishing
There is trouble brewing for Belize in the international fisheries industry tonight, following decisive measures taken by the European Union (EU) against eight countries it shares trade relations with. The EU recently issued a release, warning fishing vessels flying the Belizean flag that if they fail to comply with standards set by the European Fisheries [...]

While receiving treatment for gunshot, victim’s home ransacked
There was a shooting on Neal’s Penn Road early on Wednesday night. The victims are a man and a woman who were injured as they sat on the sidewalk.  Nineteen year old Leticia Cardinez and twenty two year old Devain Flores were hanging out with friends, including two children, when a man wearing a warm [...]

“Robbery” waiting to be charged for foiled robbery
No charges have been levied in the foiled robbery attempt at Dits Restaurant on Wednesday afternoon. While the gunman, Aspinal Welch was shot and police have a second suspect detained, the two have not been arraigned. Welch, who is also known as “Robbery”, reportedly targeted a customer inside the restaurant, who was said to be [...]

Top CSEC and CAPE students honored
The nation’s brightest minds were recognized today at the annual CSEC and CAPE awards. Proud parents, teachers and peers turned up for one of the most anticipated events on the calendar of the Ministry of Education. Teresa Juana Meza of Stann Creek Ecumenical and Dorien Villafranco from Saint John’s College received kudos for topping the [...]

Co-signing of park management with a few NGOs
A sustainable Development in Action Forum was held this morning. The occasion was two pronged: the signing of a declaration officially designating the Turneffe Atoll as a protected area and the signing of the co-management agreement of national parks. There were two ministers present, few NGOs and enough primary school students. News Five’s Jose Sanchez [...]

Fishers Act to be upgraded
There were several undertakings that were announced during the two hour press conference at the old Belize. Minister of Tourism Manuel Heredia announced a tourism development plan for areas like Turneffe. The Fisheries Department also had an announcement; the living aquatic resource bill is an extremely important document that Minister Alamilla will take to Cabinet [...]

Former Youth of the Cadet Corps, survives arson charge
Glenn Murrillo was only fifteen years old and was enlisted in the Youth Cadet Service Corp when he was accused of arson in February, 2009. The charges were in connection with a fire inside the bathroom at the Cadet Corp. Trial against the now eighteen year old man started on Wednesday.   After calling four witnesses, [...]

Smoked turkey for Thanksgiving? Tourist smoked marijuana instead
A nineteen year old student from Tampa, Florida missed his cruise ship that sailed to Mexico where he was to spend thanksgiving with his family today. It’s because on Wednesday, John Webster, who arrived in Belize on a cruise ship named Dawn, was caught with weed and a smoking pipe while boarding a boat at [...]

Minister Lisel Alamilla says NEAC questioned US Capital EIA
US Capital Energy’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) presentation in Sunday Wood Village did not have the desired result for the company, the villagers, the NGO’s or the Department of the Environment.  During that October meeting, an incident involving the director of the Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM), Greg Choc and Martin Alegria, flared [...]

Ishim survives 4 pound cancerous tumor and on the way home
Catarina Ishim; she’s the twelve year old girl from San Pablo, Toledo whose story touched many in Belize because for years she had struggled with a massive tumor on her face. Catarina was diagnosed with Leimyosarcoma, a rare and malignant type of tumor that kept recurring even after she survived two surgical procedures. But on [...]

Forestry Department will intervene in Crooked Tree Village argument
Crooked Tree Villagers have been up in arms with the Belize Audubon Society following the confiscation of some twenty logs from a villager sometime last week. Audubon’s action has led to the villagers protesting in front of the office of the Wildlife Sanctuary at the entrance of the village. But it was their non-attendance at [...]

16 Days of Activism against Violence
The Women’s Department has a packed agenda planned for this year’s Sixteen Days of Activism, which officially begins on Sunday. But the activities will be launched on Friday with an opening ceremony followed by a march through the city streets to send a clear message against gender based violence. The department is partnering with the [...]

One person’s drive to find toys for needy kids
Christmas is fast approaching and there are many families who don’t know where the gifts and food will come from. This year, a Belize City woman has taken it upon herself to try and make the holidays a little brighter for some of those needy families. Karistan Harris has launched a toy and food drive [...]

Nurse speaks of caring for HIV infected children
In Healthy Living tonight we get up close and personal with a caretaker of children infected with HIV/AIDS. Nurse Leah Jex works with Hand and Hand Ministries and she comes in contact with these children on a daily basis. Her experience, while challenging, is rewarding as she offers advice to parents and children about learning [...]

LOVE FM

Belize City Launches First Municipal Bond
History was made today in Belize City when its first ever Municipal Bond was launched. The specifics of the initiative were laid out by Mayor Darrel Bradley, who said that there has to be new legislation to regulate how the Bond will work. DARREL BRADLEY MAYOR Belize ...

National Award Ceremony for CAPE and CSEC Examinations Outstanding Performers Held
The eighteenth national awards ceremony for outstanding performance in the May/June 2012 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination, CAPE and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examination, CSEC was held this morning in Belize City. Close to three hundred secondary school an...

Police News
Over eighty thousand dollars worth of electronic and other items were stolen from a Belize City house in a burglary which happened sometime last week. A resident of Cross Lane in Belize City reported to police that the burglary happened sometime between November eleventh and Nove...

Armed Robbery at Northside Store
An armed robbery was reported in Belize City on Wednesday morning at the Sea Shore supermarket at mile two and a half on the Phillip Goldson Highway. According to police, around eight fifteen yesterday morning, two men who wore stockings over their faces and armed with a firearm ...

Shooting in Belize City Leaves Two Injured
Two people were injured in a shooting incident in Belize City last night. Twenty two year old Devain Flores was injured in his right knee and left calf, and nineteen year old Leticia Cardinez was grazed to the right side of her buttocks. According to police Flores and...

Ministry of Health Receives Results on Pharmaceutical Drug
The Ministry of Health today announced that the findings of an investigation of a particular pharmaceutical product proved it is safe for public consumption. Earlier this year concerns were raised about the sale of TLEMOL in Belize and a sample of the project was sent to Jamaica ...

Citrus Growers To Receive Increase in Payments
The Citrus Growers Association has announced a new first payment advance for oranges at nineteen cents more than the initial first payment advance. A statement from the CGA issued this afternoon says that the new first payment advance to growers is ninety seven cents per pound so...

Honorary Consul of Mexico Awarded The Order of the Aztec Eagle
Mexican honorary consul Maria Luisa Espat has been awarded by the Mexican President with the Order of the Aztec Eagle Award. The Order of the Aztec Eagle is the highest Mexican decoration awarded to foreigners. The ceremony to award Espat was held last Friday at the Corozal...

Belize's Ambassador to UK Installed
Belize’s new Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Perla Perdomo has assumed her duties. According to a government release Perdomo was received by Her majesty Queen Elizabeth the second in a private audience at Buckingham Palace yesterday. The release goes on to say High Commis...

Inauguration of Mental Health Day Care and Resource Centre Held
The Mental Health Day Care and Resource Centre project was inaugurated today in Belize City. The new facility will provide a daily meal, medical referral and recreation for the homeless and people living with mental health problems. The Resource Centre project is located at the c...

Villagers Call for Removal of Audubon Society in Their Area
Last week villagers of Crooked Tree Village raised a number of concerns of their livelihood being threatened by legislation put in place. Some of the villagers called for the removal of the Belize Audubon Society from the village. Today Love News spoke with Advocacy Manager...

Man Guilty of Unnatural Crime with Minor
Forty-five year old Lee Henkis, a resident of Dean Street who was charged with an unnatural crime was found guilty of the charge today in the court of Justice Troadio Gonzalez. The jury of 4 men and 5 women deliberated for about 4 hours before it arrived at its verdict which was unanim...

Construction Worker Guilty of Murder
Twenty-four year old Gregory August, a construction worker of mile 8 on the George Price Highway charged with the murder of 73 year old Alvin Robinson, was found guilty of the charge today in the court of Justice Adolph Lucas. The jury of 12 deliberated for about four hours befor...

Attempted Robbery At Popular Belize City Restaurant
There was a shooting incident this afternoon in Belize City. The mid-afternoon incident happened at the popular Dits Restaurant on King Street in Belize City. The area was cordoned off by police as scenes of crime technicians processed the establishment where one person sustained gunshot wo...

CTV3

Mexico To Assist With Bridge Construction
In February of 2013, President Elect Peña Nieto will officially take over duties as President of Mexico but until then, Felipe Calderon continues to finish projects and wrapping up matters before demitting office. One of those projects is completing the new bridge bordering Mexico and Belize. At the moment, President Calderon is lobbying to have members of the Mexican military sent to complete the bilateral bridge which has not been able to be completed by Belize for some years now. For the past five years Belize has been unable to meet its commitment in completing the road and facility which will allow both Belizeans and Mexicans access to that port of entry. Felipe Calderon has officially pledged to provide financing and personnel to complete the work. A press release coming out of the Mexican Embassy states that President Calderon is lobbying with Mexican Senate and Department of Defense in efforts of securing eleven members of the Mexican Military to complete the task. The eleven member team will consist of a colonel, a captain, a lieutenant and eight soldiers working hand in hand to complete the project in four weeks. We will be traveling to the northern border and bring to you the story when the work kicks off.

P.M Barrow Chastises IDB President
At news time tonight things are looking exceedingly grim on the economic front, even more so than usual, as Belize’s financial outlook has taken what seems to be a grievous injury. The news broke last night that the Inter-American Bank, a lending agency which has so far enjoyed a cordial relationship with this government and those before, had refused to make good on a number of Policy Based Loans. Those loans were considered critical to the restructuring of the Super-bond, and had been regarded as a done deal by the Prime Minister Dean Barrow. So you can imagine that when Barrow got the news, he was not a happy camper. According to Barrow, the loan was blocked by no less than an intervention by the US Treasury. Here are those comments. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “The IDB, certainly at the level of the staff, was extremely helpful, extremely supportive and at the level of the executive director on the board into whose constituency Belize falls, a lady from Costa Rica called Carmen Maria Madris. I had met with [IDB President Luis Alberto] Moreno and I understood from then that he was not as committed as his staffers seemed to be but I thought that we had been able to persuade him. Ultimately it was that the U.S. Treasury indicated clearly to Moreno and directly that it would not support the IDB agreeing to the guarantee. It then became a matter of our saying to Moreno, “we’ll take it to the board nonetheless.” I didn’t understand the IDB to be a branch of the U.S Treasury. Moreno, for his own reasons, ultimately did not do that. He called me to say that because of the U.S. Treasury opposition it was off. So that’s where things stood.”

2012/2013 Crop Set To Commence On November 27th
There is no doubt that the 2011/2012 crop season was a good one. This year the factory milled a total of 1,070,128 tons of cane, producing 114,536 tons of sugar at a TCTS of 9.34 percent. For the 2012/2013 crop season, set to kick off on November 27th, it is estimated that the same amount of cane will be delivered to the factory producing the same amount of sugar. Based on the frog hopper infestation that affected hundreds of cane farmers this year, delivery is not expected to go over the projected mark. Despite the hurdle, it is expected that the 2012/2013 crop season will be a fructiferous one. This year, the factory, under the new management of American Sugar Refinery, is expected to mill one million seventy thousand tons of cane producing 110 thousand tons of sugar at an estimated TCTS of 10 percent. In 2009 the industry saw a record breaker in TCTS as it took 8.57 percent tons of sugar to produce a ton of cane. This year, if weather permits, the same can be expected by the end of the crop season.

Empty Promises No Oil Refinery For Belize
And in related news or incomplete projects and empty promises by this UDP administration, it was no surprise to us when Prime Minister Barrow announced that contrary to their manifesto promises and campaign pledges, there will be no national oil refinery constructed in Belize. This announcement comes just eight months after being re-elected a second term with major campaign promises, one of them blurted out by Barrow at the launch of his party’s manifesto stating that his government will, and we quote, “absolutely determined that there will be the construction of an oil refinery in this country. We have to start processing our own local crude.” End of quote. But according to Prime Minister Barrow, a feasibility study was done by the Government of Belize in conjunction with BNE; Belize’s only producing Oil Company. The preliminary study shows that projections made by both GOB and BNE do not have mass quantities of oil to make the refinery practical. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “We had a study done. We had a feasibility study done, paid for by ourselves and BNE. Our share came from something we made off a backhaul arrangement we had allowed B.N.E. to have done. Bottom line though that study shows that it’s not feasible in current circumstance at all. It’s not going to, in terms of the throughput and the economies of scale, they aren’t there so that it would not result in any appreciable lowering of the price to the consumer at all.”

Cane Farmers To Vote For Or Against $6.9 Million Budget
On Sunday November 25th cane farmers will converge at Escuela Secundaria Tecnica Mexico where they will either vote for or against the $6.9 million 2012/2013 budget presented by the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association. During the Annual General Meeting several topics will be laid on the table but high on the agenda will be the 2012/2013 budget which cane farmers basically formulated this year. Alfredo Ortega- Chairman BSCFA, COM “Principalmente que ahora somos certificados del comercio justo así es que tenemos esa obligación de llevar acabo esta junta adonde los caneros van a probar los proyectos que se van a llevar acabo en el ano fiscal que viene. Sin embargo en esta ocasión ya se esta haciendo un poco mas diferente que los otros anos, ya se dieron dos rondas a nivel de los branches, en la primera ronda fue para que ellos sacaran cual es son sus prioridades entonces vinieron los técnicos y desarrollaron ya poniéndoles figuras en lo que va a costar para hacer ese proyecto y se dio la segunda ronda a los branches adonde ellos tuvieron la oportunidad para mover y poner porcentajes en los diferentes proyectos que ellos ven de necesidad a nivel de branch y entonces en esta junta general se les esta pidiendo que ellos vayan a ratificar ya entonces en junta general ya aprobados a nivel de branch y también al mismo tiempo a probar el Budget general de la organización.”

Louisiana School Celebrates Children's Day
Tomorrow thousands of children from across the country will celebrate children’s day. While some will engage in different sporting activities other students will accompany their teachers on field trips getting to know the jewel even better. One of the schools that will be traveling out of Orange Walk tomorrow is Louisiana Government School. In sight that the entire student body will be parting ways, the management of the school decided to hold a special assembly today in commemoration of Children’s Day. Enrique Ayuso- Vice Principal Louisiana Government School “Tomorrow all the schools will be vacated because we are going of different educational trips so we decide to have a special assembly this afternoon to entertain the children on their special week. We just had invited some artist, we have Mavis usher singing the Greatest Love of All for them, now we have a dance by Jermaine, a Mayan dance, we have Ms Jessica Palencia from Yo Creek as well who is going to do a special presentation for them and the teachers have some other items for them. So apart from being fun it is educational also and we have the drum core from our school that will be presenting as well.”

LOVE TV

Mexican honorary consul Maria Luisa Espat
Mexican honorary consul Maria Luisa Espat has been awarded by the Mexican President with the Order of the Aztec Eagle Award. The Order of the Aztec Eagle is the highest Mexican decoration awarded to foreigners. The ceremony to award Espat was held last Friday the Corozal Free Zone. Love News spoke with Espat about her award.

Crooked Tree Village raised a number of concern
Last week villagers of Crooked Tree Village raised a number of concerns of their livelihood being threatened by legislation put in place. Some of the villagers called for the removal of the Belize Audubon Society from the village. Today Love News spoke with Advocacy Manager at the Belize Audubon Society Arreini Palacio Morgan. According to villagers they have formed a committee and have plans to meet with the Prime Minister to discuss the issue.

Belize City Council launches a pilot survey
The Belize City Council today announced the launch of a pilot survey to document the number of persons living with disabilities or chronic medical conditions. This pilot survey will be conducted in the Belama phases three and four areas of Belize City and will be carried out on Monday of next week. During a press briefing this afternoon at City Hall, Councilor with responsibility for emergency management for the Belize City Council Phillip Willoughby announced that the pilot survey will be carried out by students of St. John’s College high school. The risk assessment survey is being undertaken following the experiences of the threat of Hurricane Ernesto in august of this year, when the City Emergency Management Organization was flooded with calls from persons with disabilities and chronic medical conditions for assistance. According to organizers, one hundred and thirty fourth form students will be tasked with going door to door completing the survey based on a pre-agreed set of questions, which includes the number of persons living in a particular house, any special conditions any of those individuals suffer from and the type of housing in which they live. CEMO liaison officer Wayne Usher says that at all times, the students will be supervised by staff of the Belize City Council and there is even a security component to ensure that those taking the survey do so in a climate of safety and confidentiality. The base for the risk assessment survey will be the Belama police sub-station. According to CITCO officials, five police officers have been assigned to Monday’s project, in addition to mobile patrols which will be out in the area to ensure a smooth conduct of the survey.

Shooting in restaurant on King Street, Belize City
There was a shooting incident this afternoon in Belize City. The mid-afternoon incident happened at the popular Dits Restaurant on King Street in Belize City. The area was cordoned off by police as scenes of crime technicians processed the establishment where one person sustained gunshot wounds during the incident. Love News understands that it was a case of attempted robbery; but in speaking with the owner of the establishment, she told us that it was not the restaurant that was being robbed. Instead we are told that two alleged robbers walked in and accosted a patron of the restaurant who fought back, injuring the would-be robber. That would-be robber was taken away to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for treatment and his alleged accomplice was taken into police custody at the scene. Late this evening, the police press officer Raphael Martinez gave reporters the details of this afternoon’s incident. Welch continues to undergo treatment at the KHMH under police guard. The owner of Dits Restaurant told Love News that the establishment should be open for business on Thursday.

Jerome Flores completes the ride across Belize
Jerome Flores has completed an ambitious ride across the country of Belize. Flores, who is a paraplegic, finished the last leg of the journey on Garifuna Settlement Day in Punta Gorda town. Today, Flores told Love News that he is proud of the accomplishment. Flores says that now that the ride across Belize has been successfully completed, he has now set his sights on the 2016 Paralympics to be held in Brazil.

Belmopan police formation recieve two new vehicles
The Ministry of National Security has provided two new vehicles for the Belmopan police formation. The keys to the vehicles were handed over to the Commissioner of Police David Henderson by Minister John Saldivar. The new vehicles, an Isuzu D-Max Pickup Truck and a Mahindra truck were purchased by the government of Belize. In handing over the vehicles, Minister Saldivar said he is pleased to be able to meet the growing demand for police mobility in the rapidly expanding capital city and surrounding areas.

PlusTV

The Belize City Council launches its 2012 municipal bond prospectus
Today the Belize City Council launched the Municipal Bond at a press conference hosted by Mayor Darrell Bradley. Th...

PM displeased after meeting IDB representative
We reported that yesterday November 21 marked the sixty day “grace period” extended to Belize by creditors of the s...

New facility in Belize City for Special Needs
A new facility that will provide a daily meal, medical referral and recreation for the homeless and people living w...

Drugs discovered at 2 locations in Belize City
On Wednesday 21st November, based on Special Branch information, Police conducted a search on an empty lot on Kraal...

12 year old returns home after life-saving operation
12-year-old Catarina Ishin will be coming home for the holidays. Catarina has been flown to Knoxville, Tennessee ea...

New Police Vehicles will have "Designated Drivers"
Earlier in the week we featured the addition of two new police mobiles to the Belmopan Formation. At least a dozen ...

Government makes Turneffe Atoll a Marine Reserve
Government makes Turneffe Atoll a Marine Reserve. This morning in ceremonies at the Old Belize Adventure Resort, Mi...

New World Oil and Gas report favorable results in Blue Creek
New World Oil and Gas operating in Blue Creek is reporting favorable results. It has achieved its target depth of 1...

TLRMOL meets US Pharmaceutical requitements
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Health received reports concerning the sale of a pharmaceutical product being ma...

Shooting in Belize City leaves two persons wounded.
Belize City residents are sitting ducks for gunman’s bullets. Just after 7pm last night (Nov 21) police responded t...

Man detained following armed robbery of Sea Shore Store
Owners of Belize City Store are the latest victims of armed robbery. WEICHAO HUANG and his wife the owners of Sea S...

Thieves take items worth $81,000 from Belize City home.
A home in Belize City is cleaned out to the tune of $81,000. A house on Cross Lane was burglarized sometime between...

Toledo man had cannabis in knapsack
The attention of a patrol unit on Prince Street, in Punta Gorda Town, was drawn to a man standing in front of a Bik...

The Guardian

Prospectus Ready! Municipal Development Bond to float
It has long been awaited but now the Prospectus for the Belize City Council's Municipal Development Bond (MDB) is finally ready. The prospectus has three key features in it. Firstly, it paints a historical picture of the finances of the Council through audited financials up to the period ending March 2012. This is accompanied by unaudited reports for three previous years as well as projections for the next 4 years. This will show revenue streams and how they are expected to perform for that period. Secondly ,the prospectus has a description of the bond structure with its accompanying legislation. Thirdly, it features the breakdown of the bond tranches with its interest rates, maturity dates and the works to be procured with the 20 million dollars. The bond itself is broken down into three tranches with the first being for 3 million dollars for a period of 3 years, bearing an interest rate of 3.5%; the second tranche will be for 7 million dollars for a period of 5 years with an interest rate of 5.5%. The third tranche is for 10 million dollars for 10 years at an interest rate of 8%. According to Mayor Darrell Bradley, the market had indicated that investors had varying needs, some wanted to stay for a full 10-year-term and wanted to get higher yields in interest while others wanted shorter yields and yet, some were concerned with political risk and wanted their investment to mature within this political cycle. Bradley explained that because of the varying requests, the Bond was structured in such a way that half of the payments will be retired within this central Government’s tenure in office. He added that it is not the intention of the current Belize City Council to saddle any future Government or Councils with debt.

IDB punks out on Support for Superbond Restructuring
Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. Dean Barrow has expressed his disgust at the decision of the President of the Inter American Development Bank, Luis Alberto Moreno, not to support a partial guarantee of Belize’s debt restructuring. Belize has been engaged in exhaustive negotiations with the multilateral body for the guarantee but that has now fallen though. The Prime Minister is telling the nation that as a result of pressure put on by the U.S Treasury Department, IDB has stated that Belize will have to go to the International Monetary Fund for the guarantee. P.M. Barrow says that the decision to grant the guarantee stood squarely on the IDB and pursued it as such, even going to the board of directors since the IDB is not a branch of the U.S. Treasury. Now, the Prime Minister is none too pleased with Moreno’s decision and he explained that he has told the IDB president as much. “He has to bear the brunt of Belize’s ire,” remarked the P.M. And while there is where the negotiations stand, Prime Mnister Barrow is not disassociating himself from the lending institution since we “must be mature in the relationship with IDB” and that relations can and should continue. Even with the move to have the IDB partially guaranteeing the debt restructuring out the door, negotiations still continue for better terms with the bondholders, who are expected to give a counter proposal on the restructuring of the debt within the next few days.

Mark King assists Fire Victims
On Tuesday, November 21st at around 1:45 a.m., a long barracks located in the Lake Independence area of Belize City caught on fire leaving 27 people homeless, reportedly 21 of those people are children. The building housed 4 apartments, which were completely destroyed and the residents were left with absolutely nothing. Quickly responding to assist his constituents, Hon. Mark King paid the residents a visit on Wednesday evening at around 5:30p.m. taking emergency supplies to begin to make the residents comfortable. He explained to The Guardian that in the first instance he brought some mattresses food supplies, clothing and cleaning supplies. He said that after a cleanup is conducted in the area, building supplies will be provided for the residents to begin the reconstruction process. Hopefully he says, at least a portion of the entire structure will be up before Christmas so as to make the residents a bit comfortable before then. Within the next few weeks, more building supplies will be provided for every resident to be able to get back their homes.

Two New Police Vehicles for Belmopan Formation New Police Station for Belmopan Coming Soon
Minister of National Security, Hon. John Saldivar on Tuesday, November 20th, handed over keys for two new vehicles to Commissioner of Police, David Henderson at the Police Headquarters in Belmopan City. The two new vehicles, an Isuzu D-Max Pickup Truck and a Mahindra Truck, were purchased by the Government of Belize and are being assigned to the Belmopan Formation. In handing over the vehicles, Hon. Saldivar said he is pleased to be able to meet the growing demand for Police mobility in the rapidly expanding Capital City and surrounding areas. He said it is in line with the policy of his Ministry and the Government to adequately equip the Police Department as it intensifies its fight against crime nationwide. Also present for the handover this afternoon was Officer Commanding the Belmopan Formation, Superintendent Alvan Gentle.

BMDP Project Consultations in Cayo
Project leaders for the Belize Municipal Development Project (BMDP) held a consultation with the residents of the Twin Towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena on November 15. The event was held at the Center for Employment Training in San Ignacio Town. Present for the meeting was the Mayor of San Ignacio and Santa Elena, John August and some of his Councilors, along with other community members. The purpose of the meeting was to hear from the community what recommended projects were to be undertaken under phase two of the BMDP. “We are hoping that under phase (two), as the gathering has so recommended, that most streets will be rehabilitated and that even consideration will be given to the upgrade of the (San Ignacio) market. However, at the end of the day it will be the amount of monies available that will determine how many of those recommended sub projects can be attempted”, said Ernest Raymond, Project Coordinator of the BMDP. Under Phase One of the BMDP, major works in infrastructure has already been done in the Twin Towns, which included the improvements to 18th Street and West Street in San Ignacio. Indeed, so much work is ongoing under Phase One, that Mayor John August has called on the Twin Towns to bear patience as he is fully aware that the these projects cause disruptions to traffic but in the end, everyone in the municipality will benefit. Computers have also been provided under Phase One to the San Ignacio and Santa Elena Town Council, along with updated accounting software.

Dangriga Man killed while intervening in a Fight
Dangriga police have arrested and charged Juan Rubio in connection with the stabbing death of 25-year-old Karim Peters of a Pomona New Site address, some 11 miles outside of Dangriga. Police report that at about 8:48 p.m. on Sunday, November 18th, Peters was riding his bicycle to go home when he intervened in a dispute between brothers Nigel and Juan Rubio. While he was intervening, Juan allegedly lunged at Peters with a knife and stabbed him to the left side of the chest. He was rushed to the Southern Regional Hospital but died before he reached for medical attention. 34-year-old Juan Rubio, of a New Site Area address in Pomona Valley, Stann Creek District appeared in Belize City Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, November 21st, where he was arraigned before Magistrate Sherigne Rodriguez on charges of murder. Bail was denied and he was remanded to the Hattieville Prison until January 23rd, 2013 when he will appear in Dangriga Magistrate's Court.

Wesley College Girls lead in High Schools Basketball
The 2012-2013 Central Region Secondary Schools Basketball Competition opened on Monday, November 12th, at Bird’s Isle. The schools that are participating in this year’s competition in the female category are Gwen Lizarraga High School, Pallotti High School, St. Catherine Academy and Wesley College, while the schools in the male category are Excelsior High School, Gwen Lizarraga High School, Maud Williams High School, Nazarene High School, St. John’s College, Anglican Cathedral College, Edward P. Yorke High School, Sadie Vernon Technical and Wesley College. On Monday, November 20th, in the female game played, Gwen Lizarraga High School defeated Pallotti High School by the score of 41-14. The top scorers for Gwen Lizarraga High were Ann Ma Chen with 12 points and Tameka Smith with 10 points. In the male game played, Wesley College edged the defending national champions Sadie Vernon Technical High by the score of 78-77. The top scorers for Wesley College were Brian White with 25 points; Wilhelm Franklin with 23 points; and Jaron Palacio with 11 points. Meanwhile, the top scorers for Sadie Vernon Technical were Lincey Lopez with 22 points and Jay Palacio with 13 points. On Saturday, November 17th, in the first female game played, Wesley College defeated Gwen Lizarraga High School by the score of 17-15. The top scorer for Wesley College was Shanice Humes with 9 points. Meanwhile, the top scorer for Gwen Lizarraga High School was Ann Ma Chen with 9 points.

CEMO conducts survey for People with Special Needs
The City Emergency Management Organization (CEMO) will be conducting a pilot survey in the Belama Phase 3 and 4 to determine how many people in that area are living with disabilities.

Belize Rural South New Executive
Belize Rural South Executive Committee On Saturday, November 17th, the new UDP, Belize Rural South Executive committee was elected in San Pedro Ambergris Caye. New Chairman is Claudio Azueta with members being Enrique de Leon, Yadira Garcia, Walter Zepeda, Hector Alamilla, Karen Canul, Pablo Ico, Kevin Gonzalez, Sean Keating , Samuel Gonzalez, Roberto Canul, Gloria Stainez, Laura Che, Fernando Sosa and Ralph Humes. Elected as alternates were Betty Longsworth, Severo Guerrero, Sr. Joel Chi, John Marin and Alberto Villanueva.

New Mental Health Day Care and Resource Centre inaugurated
New Mental Health Day Care and Resource Centre inaugurated On Wednesday, November 21st, inaugural ceremonies took place at the corner of Tibruce and Vernon Streets in Belize City for a new Day Care and Resources Center for persons with mental health setbacks.

OAS and Mexico Launch New Scholarship Program
The Organization of American States (OAS) and the government of Mexico, through the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT) today launched a scholarship program for students of Member States who wish to pursue graduate studies in that country.

Francis fries Papas
The People's United Party keeps on falling apart. It seems that despite the fact that they were able to win quite a number of seats in the National elections, they can't keep themselves together. There is great animosity and backbiting within the leadership, with Francis Fonseca being unable to solidify his leadership. Most maintain that he simply does not have the wherewithal to be the party's leader. Some speculate that he is doing even a worse job than Johnny Briceno was doing before he was dethroned.

New High Commissioner for Belize assumes Duties in United Kingdom
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of England, received Her Excellency Perla Perdomo in a private audience at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, November 20th, 2012. The audience marked the formal recognition of Perdomo’s assumption of duties as High Commissioner for Belize in the United Kingdom. High Commissioner Perdomo has commenced her representation with a focus on investment, Diaspora outreach, and efforts to seek support for Restore Belize and other social programmes.

Sugar Crop to Start Next Week
After consultations were held between all stakeholders, the Sugar Industry Control Board (SICB) has set Tuesday, November 27th to commence the 2013 sugar cane crop. The Tower Hill Sugar Factory will open its gates for cane delivery at 10:00 am on that date. The SICB has estimated cane production to be at 1,100,000 tons this crop, as against 1,070,000 tons in 2012. This should translate in increased sugar production once the cane quality meets or exceeds the levels of 2012.

Belize and Taiwan Relations Strengthening
Minister Elrington receives donation from H.E. David Wu Tangible results in the engagement with the international community became clear on Wednesday evening with the handing over of symbolic keys to two new vehicles, to the Hon. Wilfred Erlington, Minister of Foreign Affairs. The two vehicles, a 30-seat Coaster Bus and a 15 -seat Van were handed over by His Excellency Ambassador David Wu, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) near the NEMO Headquarters in Belmopan.

New University of Belize Book Store opens in Belmopan
A fully outfitted bookstore with modern architecture opened on Wednesday, November 21st, at the University of Belize Campus in Belmopan. To recognize the achievement, University of Belize faculty and staff gathered in community settings to witness the ribbon-cutting and their finished product of over three years of work. Present for the occasion was Simeon Lopez, the Mayor of Belmopan.

Dangriga Man killed while intervening in a Fight
Dangriga police have arrested and charged Juan Rubio in connection with the stabbing death of 25-year-old Karim Peters of a Pomona New Site address, some 11 miles outside of Dangriga. Police report that at about 8:48 p.m. on Sunday, November 18th, Peters was riding his bicycle to go home when he intervened in a dispute between brothers Nigel and Juan Rubio.

Johnny Briceno Employees busted with Weed
Two employees of Centaur Cable company have been charged with drug trafficking after they were found in possession of 2 1/4 pounds of cannabis. Police report that at about 4:00p.m. on Thursday, November 15th, they were at a Northern Border Customs check point along with customs officers when they seached a 2002 white Isuzu double cab pick-up truck bearing license plates CZL C-00758. The search led to the discovery of a black plastic bag containing Kellog’s corn flakes bags, which contained a large quantity of cannabis. It was in a transparent plastic wrapping and was found on the floor behind the passenger's seat. At the time of the search, the occupants of the vehicle were Mainor Sanchez and Filbert Valdez.

Convicted of Murder
On Wednesday, November 21st, 2012, a jury of 12 people stepped into the deliberating room to decide the fate of 24-year-old Gregory August, a Construction Worker of Western Paradise Village, who was accused of the murder of 73-year-old Alvin Alpheus Robinson. Robinson had been killed inside his pimento home on the night of May 23rd, 2009. Robinson was stabbed multiple times to the neck and face and died as a result. After deliberating for 4 hours and 12 minutes, they concluded that August was guilty of Robinson’s murder based on circumstantial evidence as no one saw him commit the murder. During the trial, a neighbor placed August in Robinson’s yard. There was other evidence linking August to the crime including a bloody pair of Air Nikes, a white shirt and footprints he left on one of Robinson’s sheets.

Convicted of Sodomizing 11- year-old school boy
On Wednesday, November 21st, 43-year-old Lee Henkis was found guilty of sodomizing an 11- year-old primary school boy when he appeared in Supreme Court.

Rotary to assist Schools in Cayo
Ground breaking for additional toilet facilities for the Saint Andrews Anglican Primary School in San Ignacio was held on Tuesday, November 20th. Present for the occasion was the immediate past President of the Rotary Club of San Ignacio, William ‘Bill’ Butcher. Also present were John August, Mayor of San Ignacio and Santa Elena and Isaura Williams, Education Officer for the Cayo District.

Jerome Flores concludes Reef Ride
“I thank Oceana for making this possible. Oceana’s sponsorship, along with the support of my family and so many others, allowed Shaphan and I to today complete the ride across Belize here in Punta Gorda, to coincide with a special day for our Garifuna brothers,” said inspirational paraplegic Jerome Flores shortly before midday yesterday after Reef Ride 2012 culminated at the Central Park in Punta Gorda Town, Toledo District. Added fellow paraplegic Shaphan “Bala” Domingo, “I am so glad I was able to meet this challenge of riding a trike from Dangriga to Punta Gorda. Next stop: Rio, Brazil in 2016 at the Para Olympics!” Reef Ride 2012, a 2-day event, left Dangriga on the morning of November 18th and that first leg of the ride ended in Independence, where the team rested for the final leg the following day. Joining Jerome and Shaphan, were 12 cyclists from the Belize Zoo, including its Director Sharon Matola. On day two, Jerome and Shaphan were accompanied all the way from Independence to Punta Gorda by cyclist John Olivera. There were intermittent cyclists who joined the ride along the way into Punta Gorda. Reef Ride 2012 was very much a family affair. Jerome’s dad, Samuel Flores, celebrated his 54th birthday by riding alongside his son almost the entire route. Jerome’s twin brother Jeremy, and his partner Gina, also rode. Damion Jones and Mitchell Bainton accompanied Shaphan. Other members of the Flores Family, including Jerome’s mom, Francine Flores, his partner Alexie Silva, Sister Monique, nephew Caleb, and cousin Esmeralda along with Oceana in Belize staff, who comprised the service team that followed the riders to ensure their safety and that their other needs to complete the ride were attended to. Escort was provided by the Transport Departments of both Dangriga Town and Punta Gorda Town.

Diabetes Presentation for First Diabetes Conference
Imagine 366 million people worldwide or 8.3% of the adult population is estimated to have diabetes in 2011. If the trend continues by 2030, some 552 million people or one adult in ten will have diabetes. Closer to home, an estimated 37.7 million people with diabetes, live in this region and by 2030, the number is expected to increase by more than a third to 51.3 million. Belize, Guyana, Jamaica and Mexico have the highest prevalence of diabetes in the region. The truth is too many lives in this world have been cut short by chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, hypertension and of course diabetes. Globally, 3.2 million deaths are attributable to diabetes every year. One in every twenty is attributable to diabetes or 8700 deaths every day and six deaths every minute. I can go further in telling you that at least one in ten deaths among adults between 35 to 64 years old is attributable to diabetes. And three quarters of death among people age 35 years are due to diabetes. Clearly, one can see that this is no longer happening in high income countries as is evident in the growing trend in our small country, Belize. The last known statistics, which came from the Ministry of Health and PAHO indicate that 13.1% of our adult population is living with diabetes. This percentage translates to approximately 45,000 Belizeans between the ages 20 to 79 years old are living with diabetes. It must be noted that a significant number of our people living with diabetes are unaware of their condition. And recently there has also been a rise in the number of cases of children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes.

Garinagu Celebrate in Cayo
A series of celebrations were held in San Ignacio Town, Cayo on Monday, November 19th, as part of the celebrations of Garifuna Settlement Day. A re-enactment of the arrival of the Garinagu to Belize was observed early in the morning on the Macal River near San Ignacio Town. Later on in the day, the Garinagu and other members of the Community gathered at Piache Enterprises in San Ignacio to give recognition to Godsman Ellis and his family for their pioneering work in cultural exchanges in the Cayo neighbourhood. While there, the children had portions of ‘hudut’, cassava porridge and other traditional Garifuna foods. In the lively atmosphere, there was determination to hold more such events before the transpiration of November 19, 2013. Piache was also witness to dances in ‘Punta’ and ‘Paranda’ style. By dusk, the Sacred Heart Church in San Ignacio, beautifully decorated by Laura Augustine and other ladies of the Garifuna Community, opened in welcoming praise. There were many songs and praises in the Garifuna Way. Leaders of the Garinagu Community in Cayo would like to thank the Augustine, Ceigo, Pastor and other families for making the November 19th Celebrations in San Ignacio a very good and memorable one. “We look forward to this type of sharing, to teach drumming and hope to have them integrated in the curriculum, so that as many people learn about Belize, that it is beautiful in terms of the diversity that we have as a people,” adds Cynthia Ellis Topsey, who is the contact person for the National Garifuna Council in the San Ignacio and Benque Viejo Area.

Eulogy of Velda Marguerite Aguet
Delivering a eulogy is a difficult task, one made more daunting when the person to be eulogized has had such a tremendous impact at all levels of the society and throughout the length and breadth of the country. Added to that difficulty is the fact that this is my sister. And so, I have taken this task on with much reflection and deep thought and with great humility. I can only hope that what I have to say will do justice to the sum total of her achievements and her contribution to her country.

Port of Belize and Airport advances to Next Round
The Belize District Basketball Association U-23 and Firms Competition entered its playoff rounds on Friday, November 16th, 2012, at Bird’s Isle. In the U-23 game played, Tuff E Nuff eliminated Tigersharks by the score of 73-64. The top scorers for Tuff E Nuff were Jamal Kelly with 29 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal; and Vinnie Garbutt with 16 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. Meanwhile, the top scorers for the Tigersharks were Winston Pratt with 30 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 6 steals; and Jaret Jones with 18 points, and 4 rebounds. In the first game in the Firms Competition playoffs, Airport eliminated Atlantic Bank by the score of 48-47. The top scorers for the Airport were Paul Swasey with 18 points, 17 rebounds, and 2 steals; and Charles Armstrong with 12 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 assists. For the Atlantic Bank squad, the top scorers were Ervin Orosco with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals, and Jermaine Tillett with 8 points, 20 rebounds, and a steal. In the second game played, Port of Belize eliminated the Belize Bank by the score of 61-44. The top scorers for Port of Belize were Kent Franklin with 10 points, 3 rebounds; and Maxwell Nicholson and Leroy Forbes with 9 points each. Meanwhile, the top scorers for the Belize Bank were Troy Gabb with 14 points, and 3 rebounds; and Chris McGann and Dominique Guzman with 11 points each. The playoffs will continue this coming Friday, November 23rd at 6:30 pm with the U-23 game between Bulldogs and Truckers followed by Firms playoffs at 8:00 between BWSL and Central Bank; and BTL and Bowen & Bowen.

Falkland Island Cricketers to visit Belize 25th - 29th November
Belize will be the first country to be visited during the Falklands Team’s 3rd International Tour where the team will play the Belize National Under-19 11 and the Belize National Senior 11. The prospect of playing the Belize National Team and world class players is one that the Falklands players are relishing and are particularly excited about. The tour will not only benefit the players but, will also be a way of fundraising for a charity in each country visited. The team is aiming to raise £1,000 (BZ$3000) for Liberty Children’s Charity.

FIFA Officials in Belize
The Football Federation of Belize welcomed the arrival of five high ranking FIFA officials to Belize. Arriving in Belize is Gregory Engelbrecth (Senior Manager Development Program of the Americas), Angenie Kanhai (FIFA development officer Northwest Caribbean), Kevan Cipe (FIFA Performance consultant), Rodrigo Kenton (FIFA Technical Consultant) and Marco Leal FIFA Legal Counsel & Group leader FIFA Player Status department. The delegation will be conducting interview sessions with all members of the Federation, Premier League of Belize, club officials, the media and potential sponsors of the federation. The first of a three-phase program of the Football Management program of FIFA commenced on November 18th and concludes on Sunday, November 25th, 2012. High on the agenda of the delegation is to assist the Federation, its Secretary General and Technical Director to better manage the affairs of the Federation. Three areas of high priority include the following: a.) To review the organizations management activities and operations of the member associations with the aim of assessing the adequacy of management of each operational and technical area of the federation. b.) To make recommendation for actions by the member association and by FIFA with the aim of enhancing the performance of the Federation and to present these recommendations to the federation. c.) To identify possible areas of support from FIFA to enhance the performance of the federation.

Belmopan Bandits and Verdes FC maintains lead in PLB Tournament
The 2012 Premier League of Belize Football Competition continued over the last weekend with six games on the schedule. On Saturday, November 17th, at the Marshalleck Stadium in Benque Viejo, the home team,Verdes FC blanked the visiting RG City Boys United by the score of 3-0 to maintain its share of the lead in this year’s competition. The goals for Verdes FC were scored by Julian Maldonado in the 25th and 73rd minutes of play, and Emmanuel Martinez in the 46th minute of play. Meanwhile, out at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium in Independence Village, Police United nipped the home team Paradise Freedom/Fighters by the score of 3-2. The goals for Police United were scored by Daniel Jimenez in the 37th minute of play, Lennox Castillo in the 63rd minute of play; and Evan Mariano in the 86th minute of play. For the home team, Paradise Freedom/Fighters, the goals were scored by Alexander Peters in the 44th minute of play and Wilmer Garcia in the 90+ minute of play. The competition then continued on Sunday, November 18th, with four more games. At the Ambergris Stadium in San Pedro Town, the Belmopan Bandits kept pace with Verdes FC when it also blanked the San Pedro Seadogs by the score of 4-0. The goals for Belmopan Bandits were scored by Woodrow West in the 18th minute of play via a penalty kick, and Jacinto Bermudez in the 31st, 75th and 81st minutes of play.

Guadalupe RC Girls’ and Our Lady of the Way Boys are Rural Champions
The Belize Rural Football Championships were played on Thursday, November 15th, 2012 out in Burrell Boom Village. The championships saw the participation of 10 male schools and 6 female schools. The schools that participated in the boys’ championship were Biscayne Government School, Lucky Strike Government School, Hattieville Government School, Guadalupe Roman Catholic School (Sandhill), Our Lady of the Way Roman Catholic School (Ladyville), Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic (Maskall), Burrell Boom Methodist, Pancotto (Sandhill) Zion Park Methodist and Ladyville Evangelical School. Meanwhile, the schools that participated in the girls’ championship were Lucky Strike Government School, Guadalupe Roman Catholic School (Sandhill), Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic (Maskall), Ladyville Evangelical, Burrell Boom Methodist and Pancotto (Sandhill). In the girls’ championship game, Guadalupe Roman Catholic School defeated Lucky Strike Government School by the score of 1-0. The only goal of the game was scored by Shameka Dawson. In the semi-final game, Guadalupe Roman Catholic School eliminated Burrell Boom Methodist by the score of 2-0. The goals for Guadalupe Roman Catholic were scored by Shevaun Vaccaro. In the first girls’ game of the day, Burrell Boom Methodist blanked Pancotto by the score of 1-0. Burrell Boom Methodist goal was scored by Faith Young.

Belize City Primary Schools Football winding down
Tyrique Ciego scored all goals for Muslim Community against Ebenezer The 2012 - 2013 Belize City Primary Schools Football Competition is fast winding down at the MCC Grounds. On Friday, November 16th, two boys’ games were played in the continuation of the competition. In the first game played, Ebenezer Methodist edged Muslim Community School by the score of 4-3. The goal scorers for Ebenezer Methodist were Kirk Broaster and Tyreek Muschamp, while the goal scorer for Muslim Community was Tirique Ciego; he scored all three goals for his team. In game two, St. Luke Methodist blanked Calvary Temple by the score of 1-0. The only goal of the game was scored by Justin Menzies. The competition also saw games played on Wednesday ,November 14th with three games on the schedule. In the only girls’ game played, St. Luke Methodist blanked St. Ignatius School by the score of 1-0. Crystal Ku scored the only goal of the game for St. Luke Methodist. In the first of two boys’ games played, St. Ignatius School blanked St. Luke Methodist by the score of 2-0. The goals for St. Ignatius were scored by Bijoun Barera and Haldwin Castillo. In the second game, St. Martin De Porres and Ebenezer Methodist played to a 0-0 draw. The regular season will come to an end on Wednesday, November 21st, 2012 with the semi-final round scheduled to be played on Thursday, November 22nd, 2012, and the championship games scheduled for Monday, November 26th, 2012.

Blogs

Taste of Playa 2012 – WOW
I knew that the international food festival in Playa del Carmen had grown but we were all surprised at just how much. They had a packed event from start to finish and I am not surprised the tasting booths were endless and the food delicious. We scoped out a good spot in the vip tent and took turns going out in the crowd for more food and drinks. Wicky’s meat sandwich was a big hit with our crowd, so was Dirty Martini. I also enjoyed pulled pork, sliders, sausage and veg skewer, smoked pork on potato salad, a double watermelon martini and tiramisu. I am still editing my pictures and will get them up asap. Here is a video slide show to wet your appetite, sent in by Michele Kinnon of Buy Playa and Life’s a Beach Blog.

Moon Guide to "Living Abroad in Belize": YOU WON!
I asked for something brief (just a sentence)...about why you love Belize and why you are thinking of moving here. My top 2 (and remember this blog is ME all me, so I am judge) would receive free copies of the book to help them along with their preparations. Here are my two winning entries. Thanks to everyone (I received almost 50 on blog comments and emails) who submitted something. A little charity, a little romance (she doesn't need a book but I loved her message) and a little humor. Mother Nature in Belize says: I visited Belize in 1980; Ambergris Caye was spectacular! No telephones, no television, no radio. And I dreamed of moving there ever since! I returned in January 2012 to a more connected Belize; still in love with the country and the people. I will be returning in February 2013, for good this time. I will be living in Cayo and be totally off grid - capturing energy from the sun, water from the rain and a spring, and growing my own food - enough for me and enough to share! I will be building Learning Centers in several villages where I will teach sewing to the women so they can have a cottage industry and improve their family's lives. I will also teach them the Square Foot Gardening method so they can grow enough healthy organic vegetables for their family. I would love to have a reference guide to refer to to help my transition to living abroad. I love your Scoop, Rebecca! Cath says: My boyfriend (now and forever husband) went on a biology field trip to British Honduras as a university student in 1977. We hooked up later that year and as a Christmas gift he gave me a beautiful leather satchel with a card that said 'I will take you to British Honduras someday.' Someday was about 28 years later. Men! :~) At that point, I had never been anywhere and I was seriously in awe! ...and I fell in love! First with Benque and San Ignacio and then (and now) with San Pedro. I now own a place in San Pedro and feel extraordinarily fortunate to have found my winter home in Belize. I don't need the book so please consider other posters. I look forward to meeting you sometime very soon, Scoop.

Investing In Belize Is A Sure Bet
Whether you’re looking to open an international business venture, relocate to a tropical country, or retire in paradise, Belize makes for a great investment. Major advantages include the official language being English, a stable government, easy access to North America, a booming tourism industry and a good economy. Here are some investment opportunities Belize has to offer: A Vacation Home Belize is an ideal place to run away from it all. When most people think about taking a vacation they think about traveling to paradise, and that’s just what Belize is. With our lush rainforest, legendary Mayan temples, pristine beaches, rich marine life, many islands, diverse cultures, and lots of fresh air, Belize has it all. There’s just never enough time in just one visit to do it all. Due to great demand for vacation homes, real estate quality has significantly increased in the past years. The cost of real estate is reasonable enough that one can enjoy the luxuries you’re used to at home, with paradise on their doorstep. There are various types of homes that can be purchased to use as your home away from home all depending on what’s your cup of tea (or coffee), and of course, with the diverse terrain, you have various locations to choose from. A Retirement Property Retiring in Belize is a good way to make the best of your golden years. After years of working for your family, it’s time to kick back, relax and enjoy Belize’s slow paced lifestyle. The low cost of living and tax-free pensions leave you with more money to do the things you really want to do – exploring and having fun. You can wake up in the morning surrounded by trees and mountains and in the next few hours you can be relaxing on the beach, enjoying your favourite drink. The weather is warm all year round, making anytime of the year an ideal time to get out and enjoy the country. The international airport in Belize offers direct flights to 5 US states, making a trip back home, easily achieved or close enough for family and friends to come visit. A New Home If you’re looking for a new lifestyle for your family, Belize is the place for you. Belize is the only English speaking country in Central America, which makes the country ideal as you won’t have to learn a new language. We have a slow paced society. The average person in Belize works 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, with a commute of about 15-30 minutes leaving you with additional time to enjoy your family and explore the country. Tax rates in Belize are also low. The average Belizean doesn’t pay income tax. There is a General Sales Tax (GST) on all items other than basic staples; however this is only 12.5%. Real Estate is also relatively low when compared to developed nations. If you’re willing to live outside city limits, those real estate rates get even better (city limits are roughly about 6 miles from the centre). An average 4 person family can live comfortably on about BZ$3000.00/month (US$1.00 = BZ$2.00 appr.)

International Sources

John McAfee now claims that employees were plotting to kill him
The founder of McAfee, John McAfee, has been on the run from authorities for a while now, and has added an interesting new twist to the already interesting story. McAfee is currently wanted by the police in Belize, for questioning in regards to the murder of his neighbor, Gregory Faull. McAfee of course denies that he murdered Faull, and is now stating that he is the victim of a murder plot. Forgetting that he's not starring in his own movie, McAfee is posted a transcript of a conversation that allegedly took place between an ex-employee, and another employee, which McAfee says he taped using "secret recording devices" on the grounds of his $1.5 million property. The post shows that the two men were talking about planting a bomb at McAfee's house, and afterwards calling officials in the police force, which they suggest are involved in the conspiracy. But, if this post isn't a troll, it would explain why McAfee is afraid that the police will kill him if he comes in for questioning. The two employees worked for McAfee, after the founder had left the company. The plot centers on the first employee being sacked, but McAfee is set to add another twist to the story by adding a second recording, which he says will expose the man's links with the government. McAfee has also said that he received a handwritten death threat, which demanded that he pay $150,000. McAfee, not trusting the police, went down the route of a private investigator instead, forcing his employees and guards to copy the note in their own handwriting - but none matched. McAfee's four dogs were also poisoned, which the police believe may be linked with the murder of his neighbor, Faull.

Cheap and Off the Grid in Belize
On a recent visit to Belize’s Cayo District, near the border with Guatemala, I found something interesting happening… It wasn’t the low prices—I expected those. The Cayo has long been popular with expats for its low cost of living, and it lived up to its reputation. In and around the town of San Ignacio, where most expats live, I saw a number of small homes renting for $400 to $600 a month—a very affordable price if you’re on a budget. A few houses even had sales prices below $100,000—and plenty were $150,000 or less. No, what interested me was what’s happening outside town…. Outside town, you’ll find real jungle in the Cayo. Not the scrubby, low-to-the-ground stuff you see closer to the Caribbean, but rather the kind I remember from old Tarzan movies as a kid—tall trees, with thick lianas twining up them, and masses of greenery. The Cayo is green and mountainous, tending toward savannas as you head east. Much of it is uninhabited and off the grid. And that’s what a number of adventurous, North American expats these days are seeking. They’re harking back to their pioneer ancestors and heading for the frontier… the Belizean frontier…to live off the land—and off the grid. In the Cayo, they’re looking for 15 to 40 acres. In these parts, that’s more than enough for a proper farm to support a family. More “pioneers” have bought land east of the Cayo, along the lush, green Hummingbird Highway that runs east-west across Belize.

SIRH in Vancouver Sun
The SIRH was mentioned in the Vancouver Sun's travel section recently. The Green Iguana Conservation Project is listed in there too. Well done! "The lively town of San Ignacio is in the heart of the lush Cayo district, which boasts over 880,000 acres of protected land. Towering mountains, rushing rivers, waterfalls, jungle forests and ancient Maya temples and ceremonial caves draw visitors to Cayo. The San Ignacio Resort, overlooking its namesake town, is situated on a 17-acre estate along the Macal River. The family-run hotel, committed to the conservation of the threatened green iguana, created the Iguana Project 15 years ago to educate Belizeans and visitors on the importance of protecting the ecological balance of the river habitat."

Hands for Life Christian Concert
Sacred Heart Junior College's Hands for Life club will be having a Christian concert tonight. They'll have Mission 3:16, Omega, and Creaven there, along with the Cornerstone Youth Group, the San Ignacio Baptist Youths, and the Shekinah Dance Group. Digicell will also be on hand to do their double up promotion. The entrance is free! "The Hands for Life Club at SHJC is doing a Christian Concert in memory of one of our recent SHJC graduates - Samantha Tzib "STAR". Food & Drinks will be on sale & a portion of the proceeds collected from the sales will be donated to Samantha's parents. "

November 22, 2012

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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

New High Commissioner for Belize assumes duties in UK
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Belize, received Her Excellency Ms. Perla Perdomo in a private audience at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, November 20th, 2012. The audience marked the formal recognition of Ms. Perdomo’s assumption of duties as High Commissioner for Belize in the United Kingdom. High Commissioner Perdomo has commenced her representation with a focus on investment, Diaspora outreach, and efforts to seek support for Restore Belize and other social programmes.

Reef Ride 2012 Concludes in Punta Gorda
“I thank Oceana for making this possible. Oceana’s sponsorship, along with the support of my family and so many others, allowed Shaphan and me to today complete the ride across Belize here in Punta Gorda, to coincide with a special day for our Garifuna brothers,” said inspirational paraplegic Jerome Flores shortly before midday yesterday after Reef Ride 2012 culminated at the Central Park in Punta Gorda Town, Toledo District. Added fellow paraplegic Shaphan “Bala” Domingo, “I am so glad I was able to meet this challenge of riding a trike from Dangriga to Punta Gorda. Next stop: Rio, Brazil in 2016 at the Para Olympics!” Reef Ride 2012, a 2-day event, left Dangriga on the morning of November 18th and that first leg of the ride ended in Independence, where the team rested for the final leg the following day. Joining Jerome and Shaphan, were 12 cyclists from the Belize Zoo, including its Director Sharon Matola. On day two, Jerome and Shaphan were accompanied all the way from Independence to Punta Gorda by Cyclist John Olivera. There were intermittent cyclists who joined the Ride along the way into Punta Gorda. Reef Ride 2012 was very much a family affair. Jerome’s Dad Samuel Flores, celebrated his 54th birthday by riding alongside his son almost the entire route. Jerome’s twin brother Jeremy, and his partner Gina, also rode. Damion Jones and Mitchell Bainton accompanied Shaphan. Other members of the Flores Family, including Jerome’s Mom Francine Flores, his partner Alexie Silva, Sister Monique, Nephew Caleb, and Cousin Esmeralda along with Oceana in Belize staff comprised the service team, which followed the riders to ensure their safety and that their other needs to complete the ride were attended to. Escort was provided by the Transport Departments of both Dangriga Town and Punta Gorda Town. Jerome & Bala undertook Reef Ride 2012 to complete the last leg of a challenge Jerome started back in 2009 to ride a hand-powered trike across Belize. His primary aim, then as now: to bring awareness to the plight of people living with diverse abilities. Through its sponsorship this year and last, Oceana in Belize sought to lend its full support to Jerome’s mission even as its involvement bring attention of Oceana’s own campaign for a ban on offshore oil drilling due to its threat to Belize’s marine resource. Additionally, as the Reef Ride coincided with Garifuna Settlement Day, it served as a means for Oceana to salute our Garinagu compatriots as they celebrate their 1802 arrival to Belizean shores.

National Garifuna Settlement Day celebrated on Ambergris Caye
The San Pedro Cultural Committee (SPCC) in collaboration with the National Garifuna Council (NGC) held several activities ending with the 19th of November celebration commemorating National Garifuna Settlement Day in Belize. National Garifuna Settlement Day is a day set aside to remember the date when the Garinagu came to permanently settle in Belize with the first arrivals in 1803 and then later, in full force on the 19th of November 1932 led by Alejo Beni. The mixture of Caribs and shipwrecked African slaves gave birth to a new group called Garinagu who migrated from St Vincent to Honduras, Guatemala and Belize. They brought with them their ground crops, cane, coconut, plantains as well as their beliefs. For years, since their arrival to the southern coastline of Belize, the Garingu have used the month of November to highlight the struggle that their ancestors had to overcome for their survival. During the course of the weekend of the 16th to the 19th of November, the SPCC introduced some of the core activities that are a part of the Garifuna culture. The two main events that were added to the annual celebration on the island were the house to house Jankunu (pronounced as John Canoe) dancers as well as a full cultural night on the eve of the 19th of November highlighting the Charikanari dance. The Jankunu dance is comprised of male dancers dressed in a special dress-like outfit with colorful hanging ribbons and a gorgeous headpiece made of multi-colored feathers with a small mirror to the front. A pink mask conceals the identity of the dancer, and a knee piece made of small dangling sea shells and black or white socks completes the ensemble. The Jankunu king however, does not wear the dress-like outfit but instead uses a black pants and white long sleeve shirt with a black and white ribbon across the front. The dancers face the drummers who then beat the drums in accordance to the movement of the dancers. The dance mimics the English men who drove the Garinagu off the shores of Belize.

Ambergris Today

San Pedro Wins National Sailing Club Regatta on Ambergris Caye
Under the brilliant sunshine on the sparkling waters of the Caribe Sea, the Optimists sailors of the Belize Sailing Association (BzSA) competed this weekend in the National Finals in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. Twenty-five sailors supported by their coaches, peers, family and friends, sailed 6 races over the course of two days to find the best of the best for the Belize National Team. In 1st Place - Gold Medalist is Kevin Velasquez from the San Pedro Sailing Club (headline picture). Kevin is 11 years old and has been sailing with the team since its inception 18 months ago. He is a little "go getter" who always seems to rank in the top 5. He is a smart kid from a large family of sailors with two older sisters on the team and three younger siblings waiting to start! He attends Holy Cross School and loves the sport. Kevin is also the recipient of the “Denys Bradley Cup”. Denys Wade Bradley is a Belizean boat designer and builder who has, for 70 years, built and sailed traditional and "one design classes" in Belize.

Miss Belize Destinee Arnold Wins Miss Ethnic World
Queen of the Jewel (the Official Miss Belize), Destinee Arnold, made history as she was crowned Miss Ethnic World 2013. The pageant was held at the elegant Westin Hotel in Long Beach California where delegates from all over the world gathered for a weekend of activities, photo shoots and rigorous rehearsals. The delegates were judged in six categories including personal interview, cultural expression, fashion-active wear, fashion-after five, eveningwear and community service in which documentation of service hours were verified by a third party. While most international pageants have either removed the cultural competition from their score sheets or offer minimal points for it, Miss Ethnic World remains the only international pageant that is dedicated to celebrating cultural diversity through talent presentation and extensive interview. These two categories are each worth a hefty 20% of the delegate’s overall score. “We are pleased to report that not only did our Miss Belize bring home the coveted crown; she also bested all 17 other delegates in personal interview, fashion – active wear and eveningwear. In addition to this, Miss Belize made top five in cultural expression for her poem and dance performance entitled: “Indigenous Me - The Year of the Maya”, paying homage to the Sun God, Kanich Ahau by dancing to Maya music and a pre-recorded recitation of her poem.

Video Pick: EX-PATS in Belize with Savanna Jane Buffett
It is very common to meet people in Belize who have come from abroad and fallen in love with the country so much that they leave everything behind and start new lives. The Reserve Channel is an original YouTube channel that provides access to some of the most extraordinary people and places live has to offer. In this, their most recent feature, the EX-PATS program comes to Belize and features Pam and John Solomon left New York City to open a restaurant in Placencia. Now they have a daughter named Libby who thinks she is Mayan and has dual citizenship. Their restaurant, RumFish, is a big success and they are living the dream. Everything they serve is fresh from the sea or the farm. They are glad they didn't wait to retire in paradise when they can live and work there instead.

San Pedro Lion’s Club Holds International Peace Poster Contest
The San Pedro Lion’s Club participated in the International Lion’s Club annual Peace Poster Contest, featuring the entries at the Lion’s Den on Friday, November 16th. There were 63 entries total from San Pedro Roman Catholic School, Isla Bonita Elementary School and New Horizon’s School. The posters were judged on Originality, Expression of Theme and Artistic Merit with this year’s theme of “Imagine Peace”. Children ages 11 thru 13 years old were eligible to enter. Judges Paulette Galbraith, ACES School, and Dr. Dianne Lawrence, Quicksilver/Go Phones/Yard Boyz, had a difficult time narrowing down the creative entries to the top ten. After much deliberation, they chose the top three places and were so touched by the art, put up their own money to award fourth and fifth places. The winners are: First Place: Seleny Borges, Age 11, SPRC, $200 prize. Artwork: people on an island with flags surrounding the drawing. Second Place: Nestor Castillo, Age 12, Isla Bonita School, $100 prize. Artwork ; map of Latin and Central America, a peace dove and a world with children around it holding hands. When asked about the predominant hands clasped across Guatemala and Belize, he explained with the situation between the two countries, he envisioned peace through the hand shake. Third Place: Magali Lopez, Age 10, SPRC, $50prize. Artwork featured a world figure connected to peace signs by a very colorful rainbow. Fourth place: Danny Itza, Age 11, SPRC, $30 gift. Art was a figure holding a dove and a world globe while standing in a peace laurel. Fifth place: Alina Felicia Zaldivar, Age 12, SPRC, $20 gift. Her poster was a well executed stained glass dove. Honorable Mention goes to an unknown poster of hands holding a globe and glittered rays reaching out. Beautiful as it was, unfortunately it did not meet the art criteria and did not have the child’s name on it. All 63 entries were displayed during the judging and will be returned to the child with a thank you from the Lion’s as well as a certificate for an ice cream cone from Manelly’s and Lion’s Club. The winning poster will be sent to National Competition in the US. Good Luck to our artist!

Romantic Days of the Past
Many romantic ballads and love songs included poems that would lure a woman into acceptance of the young man making a love proposition. Poems were used in birthday greeting cards as well as in radio greetings for a birthday or anniversary. Young men developed the art of writing poems and even used them to attract a woman’s attention as she passed by. Trust me, with the romantic language used, it was not considered as sexual harassment. It was considered very romantic and acceptable indeed. Now is this enough to convince anyone that in days gone by, there was a lot more romanticism than today? But there was more. Men and women expressed their romantic love for each other by sending boxes of chocolates with a love note, a flower, or a dash of perfume or cologne on the wrapper. Ladies would save a piece, a curl, or braid of hair and give it as a keepsake to her boyfriend or fiancé. She kept his handkerchief with fondness. And he kept her handkerchief with affection. He kept a photo of her in his wallet. She kept his photo in her purse. Whenever a young man went to visit his fiancée every night, he had to take something for her. It could be one chocolate bar, a few packets of her favorite chewing gum, even peanuts or pipits (roasted pumpkin seeds). Talk about romanticism. Even the nightly visit by a boyfriend to his girlfriend was a romantic affair. It was part of the culture that a boy should visit the girl at her home every night seven to nine p.m. If he should ever miss a night, it gave her something to think about, or even worry. Romantic, indeed very romantic! However, nothing beats the romanticism of twenty five years ago than the serenade- a visit to the girl’s house with mariachis or a trio with music and songs. Now that is indeed the extreme or romanticism, but that will be an entire issue for next week. Enjoy.

Cultural Exhibit at Holy Cross Anglican School

Misc Belizean Sources

VIDEO: The Aquarium, Amigos Del Mar "Diving Belize"
Dive Three of Blue Hole Day Trip. Join our guest Mark, Natasha and Matthew as we dive The Aquarium.

VIDEO: Diving The Blue Hole, Amigos Del Mar, San Pedro
Join our guest divers Mark, Natasha and Matthew as we explore the Blue Hole and a look at resident sharks.

Video: Lighthouse Reef, Half Moon Wall, Amigos Del Mar
Aboard Papa Changa, Amigos Del Mar. Join our guest divers Mark, Natahsa and Matthew as we work the reef for Lionfish and encounter sharks at Half Moon Wall.

Rotary Club Helps Two Cayo Schools
The Rotary Club of San Ignacio has just started two new school infrastructure projects here in Cayo. They are building bathrooms for Eden SDA Primary School and St. Andrews Anglican School. Thanks, Rotary! "The schools will receive modern flush toilets in adequate numbers that are also accessible by wheelchairs. The building plans are based on a standard model that is recommended by the Ministry of Education which was also instrumental in selecting the schools. The buildings will even be equipped with fresh water storage tanks in case of interrupted public water supply. The goal of these two projects is not only to provide the kids with decent bathrooms. In each school the whole measure will be embedded in the health education curriculum that teaches personal hygiene among others."

Sorrel Stout Returning for Christmas
Belikin will be releasing more Sorrel Stout soon, just in time for Christmas. Belikin makes the only sorrel flavored stout beer in the world. They've made a funny advertisement for it, and it shows what goes on inside the processing plant. "Belikin Brewmaster, Nolan Michael is making sure that you get your Christmas brew in time for the holidays ;)."

SHJC Open Day Next Wednesday
SHJC is having their Open Day next Wednesday, November the 28th. Learn all about their Associate Degree programs, and save 50% on admission fees. There will also be a raffle for 2 scholarships. For more info, call 824-2758. In the afternoon, the Intro to Marketing class will be having a marketing expo. "If you're an SHJC student who knows someone (who is not enrolled in high school right now) and who would be interested in furthering their studies - whether it is to obtain an Associate Degree (whether they completed high school or not) or a Certificate in the areas of Tour Guiding, Pre-Medical Studies, Primary Education or Adventure & Eco-Tourism... stop by the Office of Student Services and pick up a special invitation like this for them."

Wildlife Workshop with Lucky Boy
The Belize Zoo recently had a wildlife workshop where veterinarians from Belize and Guatemala joined Forest Department officials and zoo staff, UB students and their instructor “Jaguar-Man” Dr. Bart Harmson, Birds Without Borders researchers, and noted jaguar researcher, Omar Figueroa. They did a checkup on Lucky Boy, and he's doing great, and putting the weight back on faster than expected. "The Lucky Boy exam indeed had a happy ending. Friendships formed, medical information about our rescued jaguar we previously did not know was gained, and recommendations due to the veterinarian findings, are now being discussed, which will ensure an even happier life for this superb black jaguar. Lucky Boy meets his Belize public for the first time, on grounds at the zoo, December 12th!"

UB and SHJC Debate
This afternoon in the University of Belize's Jaguar auditorium, UB will host Sacred Heart Junior College for a debate on promiscuity and abuse. Best of luck to all students! "The Faculty of Education and Arts through the UB Debate Club is hosting a “Debate: Promiscuity & Abuse” at the Jaguar Auditorium on Wednesday, November 21, 2012 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. between students from the University of Belize and Sacred Heart Junior College."

DYS Basketball Competition
The Department of Youth Services has some video from the basketball competition. The competition ends this Friday. "This game took place on the 19-Nov-2012. MCHS Vs. San Jose Succotz U-18 MCHS defeated San Jose Succotz 47-35 — at Benque Viejo del Carmen, Cayo @ Deacon's Court."

Channel 7

Brazen Robber Gets Shot At Dit's
There were two brazen armed robberies of well-known businesses in the city today. We start with the one that happened at Dit's Restaurant on King's Street this afternoon. It's one of the oldest restaurants in the city but that didn't stop Aspinal Welch from running in and trying to rob one of the patrons. At about a quarter to three, that patron was sitting in a group of four other men - when the shooter charged in and tried to hold him up. But he didn't give up so easily, even when the robber fired two shots at him. The patron - whose name we are not releasing to protect his safety - pulled out his own licensed 9 millimeter pistol firearm and shot Aspinal Welch in both legs. All this happened while the other patrons dived to the floor to escape flying bullets. This evening, Police Press Officer Raphael Martinez briefed the media about the information the police have so far: Raphael Martinez - Police Press Officer "At 3pm this afternoon police were called to Dits Restaurant at #50 King Street here in Belize City where they saw one Aspinal Welch, 22 years old of #64 King Street in Belize City suffering from what appears to be gunshot wounds to both legs.

Police Find Car Used In Armed Robbery
And at about 8:15 this morning, two tall, dark-skinned men - one of them armed - strode into Sea Shore Grocery at mile two on the Northern Highway and held up the two proprietors. They grabbed the cash pan - and drove off in a waiting green Saturn Car. About an hour later, police found the car abandoned on Cedar Street. The cashpan was on the floor of the car behind the passenger seat but it had been abandoned. Police also found a pair of slippers nearby. They believe the robbers ditched the car their and ran to their base nearby in the Ghost Town area. To properly dust the car for fingerprints, police had to tow it to the Queen Street police station. They are seeking suspects known to them. Investigators were able to approximate an identity of the suspects on the store's multiple security cameras.

He Allegedly Killed A (Distant) Relative
Yesterday, 7News told you about 26 year-old Karim Peters who was killed on Sunday in Pomona Village, a few hours before Garifuna Settlement Day. Well, the man who allegedly stabbed him to death is 34 year-old Juan Rubio, and he is at prison tonight, after he was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate's Court. As we reported, Peters was socializing in the vicinity of Rubio's home, and they were allegedly having a few drinks together. Rubio got into a fight with his younger brother, and Peters stepped in to stop it. Because Peters intervened, Rubio allegedly stabbed him in the left side of the chest. Peters was rushed to the Southern Regional Hospital, but he succumbed shortly after. Police arrested and charged Rubio with murder late yesterday evening, and today, he was taken before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith late this evening.

PM On IDB President Moreno; "A Crass Act Of Cowardice"
Superbond 2.0 - it's still in the air and Belize is about to enter what might be called the red zone. That's the expiration of the 60 day grace period that was given when a half the overdue bond payment was made in September. Negotiations with the bondholders are still underway - but the hand that Belize had hoped to play is not as strong as it would have hoped. And that's because the Inter-American Development Bank has pulled its support for a partial guarantee of the restructuring with a policy based loan. It happened because the US Treasury Department insisted that instead of going to the IDB, the Government of Belize had to first go to the IMF. The government of Belize flatly refused - and the IDB, feeling pressured by the USA, pulled out. This morning on KREM WUB Prime Minister Dean Barrow called it a "crass act of cowardice" by the IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno. He told us as much after that show:.. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister "I had met with Moreno and I understood from then that he was not as committed as his staffers seem to be but I thought that we had been able to persuade him. Ultimately it was that the US Treasury indicated clearly to Moreno and directly that it would not support the IDB agreeing to the guarantee. It then became a matter of us saying to Moreno to take it to the board nonetheless. I understand that the IDB a branch of the US Treasury. Moreno, for his own reasons ultimately did not do that. He called me to say that because of the US Treasury opposition it was off. That's where things stood." Jules Vasquez "How would you characterize the conservative decision that he made?" Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister "I told him that I thought that it amounted to a failure of nerve on his part.

PM Says President Obama Done Nothing For Belize
And so, since the US Treasury Department played a pivotal role in blocking the IDB Loan to Belize, is the Prime Minister angry at President Obama? Today, the PM said it's never personal, but the US President hasn't done anything for Belize. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister "I am in fact pleased that he was re-elected. Now that the election is over I can offer my comments freely, I certainly believe that he and his vision are better for the US than what I saw as the Romney vision, but the fact is that Obama hasn't done anything for Belize, personally and in the case of this whole IDB situation while it is the treasury department that's part of the Government of the United States and I am disappointed as well over the way the treasury behave but I am as I tried to signal at the last business; I am an older and wiser fellow now - that's what it is. I am not going to go out there and try to on the world stage or local stage denounce the United States. It's what has happened, there are other areas in which we do enjoy some cooperation and collaboration with them particularly with respect to the security - all in their self-interest of course but that is the way big powers behave - I am physiological about it."

PM Says Local Oil Refinery "Ain't Gonna Happen"
And so since the Government never got its IDB Loan, we got to thinking about things you hear about, but never see. That made us think of the oil refinery that the Prime Minister promise din the run-up to the election. With fuel prices trending down - but still well above ten dollars per gallon - we asked the PM if its ever going to happen:.. Jules Vasquez "You promise an oil refinery. Ain't gonna happen?" Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister "No because we got feasibility study done paid for by ourselves and BNE. Our share came from something we made from back haul arrangement. Bottom-line though, that study shows that it's not feasible in current circumstances at all. I thing we would have to have a quantum increase in oil finds in this country so that the throughput could in terms of volume increase measurably before we could put that back on the table."

Green Light For Green Tropics
And so while the oil refinery promise is off the table, tonight we can report that Green Tropics is back on. As has been reported, the Sugar Cane Production project by a Spanish Company got into trouble with the Department of Environment when it dug a massive trench through a biological corridor. That environmental entanglement still has not been worked out - but Government has found a way forward with a memorandum of understanding. The Prime Minister explained:.. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister "We singed a MOE with them, so I believe have started some of the infrastructure works that they need for the project. That's moving along." Reporter "And employment is how far along?" Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister "I am not sure. I don't know how much they've done already. I know that we talk about - they made the point that they will need maybe 250 welders and we said that we must organize things in such a way that we have the welders. We must start training people at ITVET giving them short courses. We don't want to be caught when the thing is in full swing that we can't find the welders and welders have to come in because these people appear to be in absolute honest about getting this thing done and so I have no doubt that it will move forward and that there will be significant employment as a consequence."

Man Guilty of Killing 73 Year Old
24 year-old Gregory August, the man who was charged with the May 2009 murder of 73 year-old Alvin Robinson, is at prison tonight awaiting sentencing after he was convicted before Justice Adolph Lucas about 1 and half hours before news time. The crime was an especially cruel one, and almost inexplicable. On the night of May 23, 2009, Robinson, who was a cripple, and who was also blind in one eye, was stabbed 9 times in his face and neck. He was found sitting on his bed at his home at Mile 8 1/2 on the Western Highway shortly after the incident. He was transported to the hospital, but he dead on the way there. The circumstantial evidence which the crown counsel used to secure a conviction against August was a testimony by a witness who told the court that he saw the accused and another man in the vicinity of Robinson's home.

Man Says He Can't Help For Harassment
If you are from the Southside of the City, you may be familiar with the name Derrick Martinez. He is a basketball player who is currently hosting a weekend basketball tournament for the youths living in the Port Loyola area. The American citizen who is a born Belizean has been playing ball for over 10 years around the globe but returning home to give back to the less fortunate youths has always been a yearly tradition. But that tradition might just be broken because Martinez claims he is being constantly harassed by police. Since returning back home in August - he claims he has been rubbed down and roughed up by police over 4 times already. Derrick Martinez, Claims Police Harassment "Every year after I finish my tournament in America I come to my own country which I was born and raised in order to just relax myself in a nice comfort zone. Every year I come, the cops - they keep on harassing me thinking that some kind of criminal is going on with me. I got to prove to them and show them that I am not that type of individual by doing something positive. I am not going to be negative in order to jeopardize the future that I have."

Man Convicted Of Sodomizing Young Boy
43 year-old Lee Henkis is at prison tonight awaiting sentencing after he was convicted of an unnatural crime before Justice Troadio Gonzalez today. His victim, an 11 year-old boy, who was 9 at the time, testified that on July 4, 2010, he went to Henkis's house on Dean Street to pick up a blue phone which Henkis had promised him earlier that day. The boy said that Henkis took him to a bedroom, took off his clothes, and sodomized him. If you're appalled by that information it gets worse because the boy told the court that after Henkis sodomized him, he took out a video camera and began to videotape him. The boy said that Henkis put back on the child's clothes, gave him the cell phone he had promised, and sent him home. In his defense, Henkis who was unrepresented gave a dock statement. In his unsworn testimony, Henkis claim that he did take the boy fishing but that he never had sex with him. After deliberating for 3 and half hours, the jury found Henkis guilty of the charge. His sentencing hearing will take place on November 28, to give him time to prepare a mitigation plea.

CEMO's Student Experiment
5 weeks ago, 7News told you about the survey that the City Emergency Management Organization wanted to conduct using the high school students. The survey is targeted to getting information about the location and evacuation arrangements which need to be made for all the residents living with disabilities. It is a novel idea because CEMO wants to use the untapped human resources which exists in the high schools by getting the students to be the surveyors on the ground. Well, the planning stage of this project is over, and on Monday, CEMO will launch a pilot in the Belama area. It will involve 130 high school students from Saint John's College, and today, representatives from NEMO and CEMO held a press conference to inform the public on how it will work. Here's what the Councilor for responsibility told the media about how the residents of Belama can identify the student surveyors: Phillip Willoughby - Councilor, CEMO "The execution of the pilot survey is for the Belama area 3 and 4. This will be conducted on the 26th November 2012 commencing at 9am sharp. There will be an incident command center at the Belama police sub-formation and it is from there it will operate from as the students will be dispatched by streets, in zones to execute said exercise."

Where There's Smoke, There's Fire ... and Politicians
Last night we told you about the twenty-seven persons - including 21 children - who were left homeless after fire burned down their living quarters. The four families were residents of a public housing apartment complex - commonly known as long barracks- which was located behind the St Martins area. Yesterday 7news went into the area and spoke to the victims who had nowhere to rest their heads or clothes to put on their backs. Today help was on its way, first with the Salvation Army and the First Caribbean Bank who teamed up to hand out bags of food items. Major Joliker Leandre - Regional Commander "We listen to the news yesterday and saw what was happening and we have decided to come and bring some first response assistance and then assess the situation and see how best we can assist our brothers and sisters who could have been us in the same situation but it happen to them, so we come to find out how best we can assist them." "We have flour, oil and several other items that would at least keep the family going for one week. We partnered with First Caribbean Bank - so whenever there is an emergency and we respond we always take them around to be part of us because we have partnered with them." "I have spoken to them, I have invited them to come and visit the office so that we can assess the whole situation see how best we can further assist them. Its Christmas time and the focus now is on Christmas, but we cannot really allow this to past by and not responding even though we have Christmas coming up and we have obligations - we still need to assist whenever there is such a need."

New Recreation Center for Homeless and Mentally Ill
A new facility that will provide a daily meal, medical referral and recreation for the homeless and mentally ill of Belize City was inaugurated this afternoon in Belize City. The Mental Health Day Care/Resource Centre is at the corner of Tibruce and Vernon Streets. It will not be a residential center but will have the capacity to benefit one hundred and fifty clients on a regular basis. More importantly it is designed to give the homeless a space where they can be productively engaged. And with an increase in cases of mental illness in Belize over the years, the facility is seen as a major step forward:.. Dr. Peter Allen, CEO Ministry of Health "It's a tremendously important day again for the Ministry of Health and the Mental Health Association. This building which we will inaugurate today is actually for the Mental Health Association constructed from a grant administered by the Social Investment Fund.

Pen's Masterpiece
Last night we told you all about the Garifuna Settlement Day activities in southern Belize - but one thing we didn't get in was the unveiling of Pen Cayetano's mural at the Dangriga Town Hall. The mural, called "imagery of our ancestors" depicts the long history of resistance and the arrival of the Garnagu upon these shores. Principal characters are military leader Joseph Chatoyer who fought against the British in St. Vincent and his daughter Gulisi who is recorded in Garifuna lore as one of the early settlers of southern Belize together with her eleven sons. The Mural also includes men and women who have been leaders in fields in which the Garifuna are not known to excel. It also depicts other cultures. Cayetano worked on the piece for weeks and he considers it a personal testament about persons who have inspired him. Experts say it's the one of only two historical or cultural murals that exist in the country.

Perla And "Betty"
Belize's high Commissioner to the UK, Perla Perdomo has been in the UK since shortly after the general elections - but she hit the big time yesterday when she got a private audience with Queen Elizabeth - who in an official release is referred to as The Queen of Belize. The meeting was held at Buckingham Palace and was a formality to recognize Perdomo's assumption of duties as High Commissioner for Belize.

Katarina Coming Home!
Katarina Ishim is coming home! As we've been reporting she left Belize in March to get specialized surgery for a massive tumour on her face. She went to Knoxville Tennessee where the surgery was successful, her recovery is going well and a station there reports tonight that she will soon be coming home. She went through removal of the large tumor, plastic surgery, and chemotherapy. She has been fitted with a prosthetic nose. We'll have more tomorrow.

Channel 5

P.M. says Belize disgusted; IDB President’s crass act of cowardice
There is a major fallout with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and this morning, Prime Minister Dean Barrow threw the IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno under the bus even though they have had a cozy relationship over the years. For background, in August, the PM said he was leaning on the IDB to obtain financing [...]

No IDB Policy based loans halts some government initiatives
According to the PM, the legislative changes that were presented to the House have not been passed and some will come to a complete halt. But we note that the June Indicative Scenarios by the Ministry of Finance refers to policy measures such as the hotel tax and VAT as having been passed in the [...]

P.M. won’t share podium with IDB President
The Prime Minister’s ire remained squarely on Moreno; the warm relationship now turned to one of heated friction.  The PM made it clear that he will not share a podium with the IDB president in the interim. But where do the consequences of the fall-out leave Belize?   Prime Minister Dean Barrow “Moreno did suggest [...]

“Robbery” gets shot while committing robbery on his own street
A robbery attempt this afternoon escalated to a shootout inside the popular Dits Restaurant in downtown Belize City. The restaurant manager told News Five that she was gone a mere ten minutes when she received a call about a shooting at the business. The facts are that a group of five men were having a [...]

Did police abuse photojournalist, Jorge Tabora?
A News Five’s team was on the scene of the shooting on King Street and was heading back to this station when it spotted the police vehicle with two of the suspects. Photojournalist Jorge Tabora stood on the street in front of the Queen Street Police Station and used his phone to video the police [...]

I wasn’t there; friend of murder victim says he wasn’t at the scene
Kevin Gentle and Arden Alex Robinson were both shot inside Robinson’s yard in an unnamed and dead end street somewhere in the vicinity of Curl Thompson Street. Gentle who was shot multiple times did not survive the incident, but Robinson’s injury was not life threatening and he was able to walk out of the Karl [...]

Breaking News: Jury actually finds man guilty of murder
Also in court, just before one o’clock this afternoon, a jury of seven women and five men stepped into the deliberating room to decide the fate of Gregory August, a Construction Worker of the Mile eight community known as Western Paradise. August is accused of the murder of seventy-three year old Alvin Alpheus Robinson, who [...]

Lee Henkis’ second conviction for molesting boys
Meanwhile, in the courtroom of Justice Troadio Gonzalez, a forty-three year old man was found guilty of sodomizing a nine year old boy. The young boy, now eleven years old, testified that on July fourth, 2010 he went to the house of Lee Henkis, who had promised him a cell phone. Henkis told him that [...]

Study shows Belize oil refinery not feasible
The United Democratic Party’s campaign manifesto going into General Elections earlier this year included the prospect of establishing a national oil refinery.  In fact, during a press conference unveiling the UDP’s platform, P.M. Barrow said he was, “absolutely determined that there will be the construction of an oil refinery in this country.  We have to [...]

CEMO looks for disabled people to help in times of disaster
The hurricane season is almost over, but City Hall is preparing for any upcoming natural disasters. This afternoon it was announced that CEMO will be collecting data about persons with disabilities who require assistance in times of natural disasters. CEMO says that a hundred and thirty students from Saint John’s College will conduct the survey [...]

Que Viva Mexico! Neighbors to help with bridge construction
Mexican President, Felipe Calderon, who is soon demitting office, is seeking to have members of that country’s military deployed to Belize to assist with the construction of a road to the Santa Elena Bi-national Border Bridge in Corozal. The new bridge, which is to facilitate more efficient and secure movement of people and goods, has [...]

UB’s new building and bookstore
There was a lot of activity this morning at the University of Belize’s campus in Belmopan. The university opened two needed facilities that will ease student life. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.   Duane Moody, Reporting Today at the University of Belize main campus in the capital, an official ceremony was held to commemorate the [...]

Entrepreneurial skills at U.B.; where you wanna be
There was a second event at the University that brought out the entrepreneurship skills of a number of students. From ceviche to pastries and crafts, the students had to make and market their products as a prerequisite to their final grades. Duane Moody reports.   Duane Moody, Reporting There was an expo at the University [...]

The 4th Annual Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase hosted in Belize
Films from across the region are being featured in a week of screenings as the fourth annual Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase is hosted in Belize. The event started at six o’clock this evening at the Price Center in Belmopan and will continue until November thirtieth. It’s an opportunity for the general public to view almost [...]

LOVE FM

Attempted Robbery At Popular Belize City Restaurant
There was a shooting incident this afternoon in Belize City. The mid-afternoon incident happened at the popular Dits Restaurant on King Street in Belize City. The area was cordoned off by police as scenes of crime technicians processed the establishment where one person sustained...

Two Belize City Fires Leave Several Residents Homeless
An early morning fire in Belize City on Flamboyant Street has left an estimated six adults and fourteen children homeless. Investigations conducted by the Belize Fire Service have yet to conclude the cause of the fire. According to fire officials, they responded in a timely...

CTV3

More Drugs Removed From The Streets Of Corozal
The war on drugs did not end there for the Corozal Police department as sometime between 10:30 and 11:15 in the morning of the nineteenth, officers conducted a search in an abandoned lot situated on Zucuc Street in the Venezuelan Site Area. Officers found four small ideal plastic bags containing a green leafy substance wrapped in a transparent bag and was suspected to be cannabis. Furthering their search in the area, Corozal Police found a black plastic bag hanging from a tree. When officers retrieved the black bag, they found two parcels of suspected cannabis which were already compressed and wrapped in a transparent plastic. All the items were transported to the Corozal Police Station and weighed totaling 462.2 grams of suspected cannabis. All items were labeled as found property.

Drugs And Firearm Confiscated During Raid
Tonight, three residents from the Halls Layout Area of Corozal Town are sitting behind bars for firearm and drug charges. Sometime around 4:45 in the morning of the nineteenth of November, Corozal Police conducted a search at a house situated at #20 Poison Wood Street where three persons were found sleeping. As officers entered the home, they noticed a black 9mm pistol containing a magazine with six live 9mm Aguila in brand ammunition on the floor of the living room where the three persons were sleeping. None of the three could produce a license for the weapon. Detained at that moment were two minors along with thirty-two year old Noel Castillo Guy, better known as “Suga”. When officers continued their search, they entered a building adjacent to the home in which the three minors were arrested. Upon conducting their search, Police found a black in color bag containing a green leafy substance wrapped in a white transparent plastic suspected to be cannabis. The bag was sitting on top of a white and green icebox. As a result of this find, all three persons were arrested and charged for Kept firearm without a gun license, Kept ammunition without a license and Drug Trafficking. All items found during the search were weighed and sealed in the presence of a Justice of the Peace and packaged as evidence.

Doctor Mendez Says Investigation Carried Out At The NRH Is Superficial
On November 12th 2012 CEO in the Ministry of Health Doctor Peter Allen stated that an investigation had been launched into the allegations of malpractice made against the Northern Regional Hospital by a number of women who gave birth at the hospital. While being interviewed by a Belize City media, Allen stated that a team, headed by two specialists, is conducting the investigations and by the end of November a full report of their findings is expected. During the interview Allen further stated that preliminary findings did not point to any type of malpractice on the hospitals behalf and did not support the allegations of negligence that have been raised by Orange Walk East Area Representative Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez. For context here is what Allen had to say and the response of Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez. Peter Allen- CEO Ministry of Health “But strangely, the results while interesting and certainly while showing areas for improvement, don’t support the allegations of negligence that have been raised by the area representative. Of course, there are recommendations that are coming out from the process of the investigation and where we can the ministry will be seeking to implement immediate recommendations immediately. One of those that I think we will be able to put in place by this week is that specialists who are new to the system should be given the opportunity for an administrative rotation at the national referral hospital, the Karl Heusner. And I think that’s a very good idea that used to be done and one that should be done again.” Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez- Orange Walk East Area Representative “First of all, I want to clarify this, Dr. Peter Allen is a friend of mine and he is a colleague and he and I have formed part of the Fraternity Group but strangely he is pointing fingers to the messenger. I have never raised no allegations of negligence, it has been the patience that have went to the media and many of them have been to CTV3, to Channel Five, we have Mrs. Magdalena Chable, we have Mrs. Sally Coh, we have also Mrs. Alicia Patt and so many of them have come out and asking questions of what exactly happened so it has been the patience that have raised the allegations of malpractice. We have two babies with severe brain damage and so we have to ask who is negligent, where is the fault, is it the mothers, it is the children, who, nobody.”

Belize Represented At The Annual Festival De Cultura Del Caribe
On Sunday November 18th Belize took part in the annual Festival De Cultura Del Caribe in Chetumal Quintana Roo. The Caribbean Culture Festival is a cultural project of special importance for the state and the government of Quintana Roo. The main objectives of Caribbean Culture Festival are: retrieve and disseminate artistic and cultural events that identify the Mexican Caribbean cultural ties and establish closer ties with the countries of the Caribbean region, strengthen cultural exchange and academic knowledge and appreciation of regional identity. Under these assumptions, the Caribbean Culture Festival was created with the spirit of retaining culture through music, dance, cuisine, literature, theater, exhibitions of art works and exchange of knowledge through lectures, panel discussions and book presentations. During the Festival international artists such as Queen Omega from Trinidad and Tobago, Alison Hinds from Barbados and Dennise De Kalafe from Mexico. Representing Belize this year during the Festival was the Belize National Dance Company, Youth Connection Band and Lucio and the New Generation. The festival ends tonight with the special appearance of Juan Luis Guerra from the Dominican Republic. Other countries participating this year included, Columbia, Cuba, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Sign Up For Centaur's Express, Faster Speed For Less
Whether you run an ecommerce store or website, or you regularly post marketing material on social networking profiles and blogs, or use your internet for any other activity, it is important that your host offers a high speed internet speed connection otherwise, you will waste time and effort trying to keep everything up to date while battling with slow page loads. Here in Belize there are a number of internet providers to choose from but there are several standout features you should look out for if you are about to launch online operations, or if you are on the hunt for a more reliable network. First and foremost, a hosting company that owns its own fibre-optic network – therefore resulting in dedicated internet access with low latency and zero downtime, with no sharing – should be high up your agenda, if not at the top. And that is where Centaur Communications Corporation Limited comes in. For more than 6 years Centaur, which now owns its own fiber optic network, has been providing internet access to its customers and recently they have upgraded their service offering faster internet speed at incredible low rates. John Briceno- Director, Centaur Communications Corporation Limited “We are very proud of about our company, we are constantly innovating and finding ways how we can better serve our customers, we are proud about the work and what we do and the service that we provide to our customers. For some time we have been providing internet service but we are trying to find a way how is it that we could make it more accessible to the Belizean public, to our customers, how we can make it cheaper. Well, today we are very proud to announce that we have reduced the prices for internet substantially for instance we are starting as low as $35 per month; you can get 256 kilobytes per second for only $35. That would make internet service accessible not only to the few but to the many to anybody that would want to provide internet to their children and or their families. We have the 512k that is only $60 a month and now we are very proud to announce that the 1Megabyte it is only $100 for the very first time in the history of this country you can get for as low as $100 per month and then 2Megs for $200 per month.”

Butane Prices Sky Rocket
If you are one of those housewives or restaurant owners that purchases liquid petroleum gas imported from Mexico, then we’ve got some bad news for you tonight. Effective Saturday, November 17th, the price for a hundred pound cylinder of butane imported from Mexico increased by $10.00. Here in Orange Walk the price went from $109.00 to $119.00 while in Corozal and Belize City the hundred pound cylinder now sells for $118.00. In Belmopan and San Ignacio the new price stands at $120.00 and in Benque Viejo residents will now pay $121.00. In Dangriga the butane will now sell for $122.00 and $123.00 in Punta Gorda. Again the increase only applies for butane imported from Mexico.

LOVE TV

A Thanksgiving event took place in Cayo
The observance of Thanksgiving is am American holiday tradition; but in Belize there are pockets of expatriate residents who use this time of the year to celebrate for a different reason. Our Cayo correspondent Fem Cruz explains.

Updates on John McAfee where abouts
Regarding the case of computer anti-virus pioneer, John McAfee, wanted for questioning for the murder of his neighbour in San Pedro, police say they believe McAfee is still in Belize.

Murder in the Pomona Village
While an edged tool was the weapon of choice in Pomona village, in the old capital gun violence claimed the life of another city resident. Love TV’s Marion Ali reports.

Shooting in a crowded park on Garifuna Settlement Day
The senseless violence continued this holiday weekend, when on Garifuna Settlement Day a gun was fired in a crowded park. One woman was injured in the exchange, and by the time the dust had settled another person was wounded by gunshot; but this time at the hands of the police. Correspondent Harry Arzu reports.

Residents of Cristo Rey Village discovered a strange
Residents of Cristo Rey village were concerned about the discovery of what was first thought to be the body of a child in the river near the village. According to reports from Cristo Rey, a group of children who were fishing in the area of Monkey Falls, saw what they thought was a baby in the river. Chairman of the village Jovanni Montalban organized a group of men and went to the area to retrieve the object. Elmer Juarez is the secretary of the Cristo Rey village council. According to the chairman, after determining that it was not a real child, the object was destroyed by burning it last night.

A bus goes in flame on the George Price Highway
No one was hurt when a passenger bus belonging to Shaw’s Bus Service caught fire on the George Price Highway on Monday afternoon. The bus, which was heading to Belie City was completely destroyed. The incident happened just before three o’clock yesterday afternoon between miles seventeen and eighteen in Hattieville village. Love FM’s Armin Arana arrived on the scene shortly after the bus erupted in flames, and he spoke with the driver of the doomed bus Nicholas Flores about what happened. The driver’s account of what transpired has been corroborated by passengers, two of whom spoke with Armin Arana about the scary incident when the bus they were riding on caught fire this afternoon. All the passengers were safely evacuated from the burning bus through the back door. An investigation to determine what caused the fire is now underway.

Stabbing in Pomona village, Stann Creek District
A man was stabbed to death on Saturday night in Pomona village in the Stann Creek district. Today, the police press officer Rafael Martinez gave reporters the details of the tragic incident.

Village group continues service in Bella Vista area
A village group continues to provide community service in Bella Vista. Our Toledo correspondent Paul Mahung reports.

Destinee Arnold wins Miss Ethnic World
Belizean beauty queen Destinee Arnold has won a prestigious international pageant. Information to the RSV Media Centre is that Arnold, who is the reigning Miss Belize walked away with the title of Miss Ethnic World 2012. The pageant was held on Saturday night in Long Beach, California, USA. Aside from taking the top title, Arnold also captured the title of best in active wear, interview and evening wear. Love News spoke by telephone this afternoon with Arnold, who said she is proud to have won the pageant for Belize. Arnold says she plans on returning to Belize within the next week to begin working on her public speaking platform. According to a posting on the organization’s web site, Ethnic World Pageants prides itself on not only promoting the diversity and culture in women around the world but the pageant company also focuses on representing the faces of women throughout all age groups.

PlusTV

Alleged robber shot this afternoon in Belize City
An alleged robber was shot this evening in Belize City. Reports are that two men tried to rob Ditz resturaunt on Ki...

Juan Rubio arraigned for murder of Karim Orson Peters.
This afternoon, 34-year-old Juan Rubio was arraign in the Belize City Magistrate's Court for the Sunday, November 1...

Lee Henkis gets second conviction for unnatural act on minor 43-year-old Lee Henkis learned his fate today in the Supreme Court after a jury of 9 persons found him guilty of th...

Lands Department upgrades Land Folio System
The Ministry of Natural Resources is working to bring its Land Folio System on-stream in the very near future; the ...

Gregory August convicted of murder
24 year old Gregory August was convicted of murder today. August was accused of the murder of 73-year-old Alvin Alp...

Still no comment on alleged embezzlement
Yesterday we told you about reports reaching Plusnews regarding missing monies from San Ignacio’s Town Hall. We hav...

Grace period for Superbond ends
Yesterday marked the sixty day “grace period” extended to Belize’s government by creditors of the so called super b...

UB opens new bookstore
Today staff, students and invited guests were witnesses of the official launch of the UB Bookstore and Cafeteria. T...

Ministry of Foreign Affairs receives two new vehicles
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs received two new vehicles this afternoon. Those vehicles are a 2012 Ford E-350 Van ...

Canada has jobs for Belizeans
If you are trying to find a job and would like to leave the country of Belize to do so, perhaps you may be interest...

Jerome Flores completes ride across Belize
Jerome Flores completed his ambitious ride across the country of Belize. Flores is paralyzed from the waist down bu...

Uncle in custody for alleged indecent assault
Belmopan police have an uncle in custody for alleged indecent assault. A 9 yrs old student of Belmopan City told Po...

Belize lax in dealing with illegal fishing
Belize is among eight countries listed by the European Commission as having a poor track record in dealing with Ill...

Fire destroys house in Belize City
At around 11:30 yesterday morning , 20 year old Leticia Watler was taking a nap in her home on Central American Bou...

Special needs facility inaugurated in Belize City
A new facility that will provide a daily meal, medical referral and recreation for the homeless and people living w... -

Blogs

Thanksgiving Messages from Holy Cross School
Straight from the students. Every year at thanksgiving, we like to ask our students what they are thankful for. So please, sit back and enjoy reading the simple thanks from the students of Holy Cross School. From Infant One – Our 5 year olds “I am thankful for my sister and brother.” “I am thankful for the sun.” “I am thankful for my family.” “I am thankful for my house.” “I am thankful for my fish.” “I am thankful for my flowers” “I am thankful for the sun and river” “I am thankful for my street.” (the new roads in San Mateo) I am thankful for my house From Standard Three – our 9 and 10 year olds “I am thankful for the dentists because they check our teeth.” “I am thankful for my teachers because they help us to read.” “I am thankful for my health because and I am strong and I keep my body clean.” “I am thankful for the teachers because they help us to learn.” “I am thankful for the playground because I have a place to play.” “I am thankful for the dentists who visit our school because they clean our teeth.” “I am thankful for the feeding program because we get a healthy meal every day.” “I am thankful for my health because there are a lot of sick and dying children in the world.” “I am thankful for my family because they are always encouraging me to get higher grades and do my best.” “I am thankful for my family because my family helps me do my homework.” “I am thankful for my scholarship because my family is poor.”

Happy Thanksgiving from Ridgewood, NJ Plus How To Celebrate it In Belize
Okay...I'm officially freezing. And officially promising NOT to subject you to too many New Jersey pictures. But it's Thanksgiving in the United States, I'm back at my childhood home for the holidays and I don't think I've ever taken any pictures of my 'hood. So I took a few while walking my mom's dog pack of Max and TJ. Here you go...honestly, bear with me. It's the reason I have so many guest bloggers...I want to get you back to Belize as soon as possible. And if you didn't see it, check out yesterday's guest post about Kelly's wedding in San Pedro. At my mom's house. I'm not exactly sure what a gourd is...but I love them. I was grew up in Ridgewood, NJ. For the one of you that is interested in that...here is a map. Northern NJ not too far from Manhattan. Happy Thanksgiving! It really is COLD. I am saying this as a Belizean resident who experiences temperatures of about 82 median all year. I get it...if you are in Saskatchewan or Upper Mongolia, it is WAY colder. But this is pretty frigid for me.

Why We Workmans Want to Experience the 2012 Mayan Solstice Celebration in Belize
Last year our younger daughter and son studied Mayan civilization and culture in 6th grade – building models of temples, making music and art, improving their Spanish, perfecting a hot chocolate recipe and studying the calendar. They also learned that the world might come to an end on December 21, 2012. This is of particular significance because apocalypse is a pretty terrifying concept (having had first-hand experience with 9/11 and recently Hurricane Sandy in their lifetimes) and because their birthday is December 21st! On 12/21/12 – the end of the 13-Baktun cycle, twins Max and Caroline Workman of Cambridge, MA, USA will turn thirteen. We’re very excited to celebrate a new era – our twins becoming teenagers and the Mayan Solstice in Belize! Participating in Chaa Chaa Creek’s festivities would be a magically memorable, lifetime learning, and fabulously fun experience (note: we are already booked for the 4-day Christmas package but would truly jump for joy if we had the chance to extend our too-short-stay experience and/or invite the kids’ 82 year old Chinese grandmother). The twins can’t wait to climb the temples they so carefully replicated with sugar cubes, and the underworld of ATM. Big sister Anna (16) can’t wait to do the above and harvest cacao and make chocolate. Mom can’t wait to do all the above and experience chocolate in the form of a spa treatment! And Dad can’t wait to get away from his stressful job as a big-city Emergency Medicine doctor, get back to nature, speak Spanish, and be with his family at the party of the millennium! Besides the physical beauty, and the adventure, our family mostly can’t wait to meet people who call Belize home. Communicating and sharing experiences with people of all cultures, backgrounds, ages and generations is what makes our lives complete.

International Sources

The UN SG supports the ICJ route in the BZ-GUAT case
New York, 20 November 2012 - Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Territorial Dispute between Belize and Guatemala The Secretary-General salutes the progress made by Belize and Guatemala under the auspices of the Organization of American States to resolve their longstanding territorial dispute. He welcomes their decision to hold simultaneous referenda on 6 October 2013 to consult their populations on referring the dispute to the International Court of Justice. Belize and Guatemala have requested financial support from the international community for the referenda and possible eventual legal proceedings. The Secretary-General believes that this process is in line with the objective of pacific settlement of disputes enshrined in the United Nations Charter and merits international support.

Forbes Picks Belize as Top Retirement Spot
Forbes Magazine’s choice of Belize as a top retirement spot confirms the tiny Caribbean country’s reputation as not only a desirable place to visit, but as a great place to live, Chaa Creek’s business manager Peter Tonti said. “It’s been a best kept secret, but the word is getting out that Belize is a great place to spend not only an affordable tropical holiday, but a happy and healthy retirement, too,” Mr Tonti said. The current (November 2012) online edition of Forbes Magazine features Belize as one of “15 Top Foreign Retirement Havens.” In its introduction, Forbes’ photo feature states that, “Living overseas is different from just visiting. Before you retire to a foreign country, consider not just the weather and cost of living, but also healthcare; safety; tax and visa requirements; and how friendly the country is to foreigners. Here are some possibilities,” and then goes on to list fifteen of what it considers the world’s best retirement choices. The authoritative magazine, known for astute investment advice and articles on subjects such as international trade and monetary news, recommends Belize and said that, “Belize has tropical rain forests, mountains and beaches. As an incentive to retire there, it offers people 45 and older who have a retirement income of at least $2,000 per month, a tax exemption on all income generated (through work or investments) outside of Belize.”

Olson wins Belize tourism account
Belize has hired Olson as its agency of record to promote North American tourism to the Central American country. Minneapolis-based Olson's first campaign for Belize is expected to launch in early 2013. It will include advertising, design, digital, mobile and social media. Adweek recently reported on the win, noting that Olson was selected without a review. It will replace agencies such as Edelman Digital and BVK, Milwaukee. The trade publication notes that the tourism industry is a big deal for Belize's economy, employing roughly 25 percent of the population. The country spent $6 million on tourism marketing last year While it may seem somewhat surprising for a foreign country to go with a Minneapolis ad agency, this isn't the first time it's happened. For example, Fallon used to have the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism account and Colle+McVoy had the Turkish Tourism Office.

Ban “Welcomes” Progress on Belize, Guatemala Territorial Dispute
United Nations Secretary-General “welcomes” apparent progress made by Belize and Guatemala on the ongoing territorial dispute between the two countries, according to a statement. Belize and Guatemala have sought financial support from the international community for the referenda and potential legal proceedings. “The Secretary-General salutes the progress made by Belize and Guatemala under the auspices of the Organization of American States to resolve their longstanding territorial dispute,” a spokesperson for Ban said in a statement. The two states, with help from the OAS, have agreed to hold simultaneous referenda on Oct. 6, 2013 on the question of referring the dispute to the International Court of Justice. “The Secretary-General believes that this process is in line with the objective of pacific settlement of disputes enshrined in the United Nations Charter and merits international support,” the statement read.

John McAfee’s Internet Meltdown: Has The Software And Security Pioneer Gone “Bonkers”?
“With lots of time on my hands and very little to do with it, I’ve been reflecting on the recent detour my life has taken,” writes someone calling himself John McAfee. “How did I end up as a murder suspect on the lam?” So begins the first blog entry on “Who Is McAfee?”, a website – and a story – that gets more bizarre with each new day. Let’s back up a bit. You may not recognize his name, but if you own a personal computer, chances are you know John McAfee’s work. A former computer programmer for NASA and Lockheed, McAfee in 1987 founded McAfee Associates, a computer security company. His anti-virus programs became wildly popular, and McAfee got very rich, ultimately selling his interest in the firm for $100 million in 1996. (Now renamed simply “McAfee”, the firm remains one of the largest computer security software companies in the world.) McAfee moved to the Caribbean nation of Belize and spent several years dabbling in various projects. However, a series of bad investments and the global fiscal crunch whittled his fortune to just a few million. And it’s just about here the weirdness began. Early in 2012 Belize police raided McAfee’s home on the suspicion that he was manufacturing illegal drugs on his property, which McAfee denied. No charges were filed and McAfee was soon released, but some police officials raised public concern that John McAfee was having sex with underage girls living at his house. McAfee accused the police of being little better than thugs hired to rough him up for bribes. The police say McAfee had illegal guns.

Belize girl heads home after successful tumor removal and chemo
We've followed the story of a little girl from Belize who came to Knoxville last spring. She needed treatment for a tumor on her face the size of a watermelon. She's about to return to her home country but not before she visited the Fantasy of Trees. "Today we are very happy to be here," Juan Ishim said. The Fantasy of Trees is quite a spectacle especially for visitors from a small village in Belize. "I couldn't believe my eyes when I could just turn and see Christmas tree, Christmas tree, Christmas lights. Everything is just beautiful," Ishim said. Lori Glover explained, "They just got electricity a year ago so just seeing the bright lights is an amazing thing for them." Lori and Rick Glover have been the host family for Juan Ishim and his granddaughter Catarina. Dr. Rick Glover is the pediatrician who coordinated her medical care here. "Their faith is amazing," Lori Glover said. "They've gone through trials of things that not many people could handle." A team of doctors from Children's Hospital and the University of Tennessee Medical Center volunteered in her successful treatment. It required removal of a large tumor, plastic surgery, and chemotherapy. They have fitted her with a prosthetic nose. "Her whole nation has followed her, the story of Catarina, and they're all excited about her return," Glover said. Ishim said, "She is very excited to go home." They will head home this Friday to see her parents for the first time in eight months. They will travel the day after Thanksgiving.

Farrakhan to tour five Caribbean nations and USVI as year closes
Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the 1995 Million Man March and the 2000 Million Family March, will be embarking on a five-nation Caribbean tour from November 21 to December 12, 2012, starting in Grenada, where he is expected to speak live in person at the Grenada Trade Centre on Saturday, November 24. Afterwards Farrakhan will also visit Barbados, Dominica, the US Virgin Islands (St Thomas and St Croix), Belize and The Bahamas. This series of visits is a follow-up to an earlier Caribbean tour that ran from December 2011 intermittently through March 2012, when Farrakhan visited Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts, Antigua, Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago. Right after these stops, he returned to the US and conducted a multiple university lecture series cumulatively addressing several thousands of young students. In each of these destinations, Farrakhan lectured to overflow audiences, packed venues, and also met with political, religious and cultural leaders, promoting a motivational ideology of positive social transformation, economic empowerment, ethnic consciousness and Caribbean unity. Farrakhan has Caribbean roots, with his father being from Jamaica and his mother originating from St Kitts.

John McAfee: You Won’t Hear From Me For A Few Days
There have been a handful more posts made to John McAfee’s blog since we last checked in. One of them indicates that comments have been turned back on, after a previous post announced that they were being disabled. Also in a previous post, McAfee said he would be posting audio recordings from hidden recorders he had set up. He tried to include on via a SoundCoud embed initially, but it didn’t work properly. He has now updated the post to link to the recording. In the latest post, we learn that “something has happened,” and we won’t be hearing from McAfee for a few days. Blog admin Chad Essley writes, “I received a phone call this evening from John that said ‘something had happened’ and that ‘everything will be alright’. He needed to move to another location, I would not hear from him, and he would not be posting for the next few days.” More coverage of the McAfee saga here.

The Secretary-General salutes the progress made by Belize and Guatemala
"...New York, 20 November 2012 - Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Territorial Dispute between Belize and Guatemala. The Secretary-General salutes the progress made by Belize and Guatemala under the auspices of the Organization of American States to resolve their longstanding territorial dispute...."

November 21, 2012

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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

Investment Opportunity – BEL Opens $25 million Series 5 Debenture Offer
Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) has opened its $25 million Series 5 Debenture Offer, which will earn a highly competitive interest rate of 7 per cent for twelve years, through to 2024. The cost of each debenture is $100 and subscriptions must be for a minimum of one debenture. With the proceeds from this debenture offer, the Company will in whole or in part refinance its $16.9 million Series 1 Debentures currently bearing interest at 12 per cent and maturing on December 31, 2012 as well as help fund the Company’s medium term needs. The Series 5 Debenture Offer will close on December 17, 2012. A copy of the prospectus is available on the Company’s website at www.bel.com.bz and hard copies will be made available at the Company’s Corporate Headquarters and Collection Agents within the next week. Interested persons may contact the Company at 227-0954 or email debentures@bel.com.bz.

BBQ fundraiser for Edson Witty Today
SAN PEDRO LIONS NEWS: Tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 21 there is a BBQ fundraiser for Edson Witty - this boy is in need of dialysis for his kidney failure - we are asking ALL Lions to try to support this BBQ and to spread the word to family and friends. The Lions Bar will be open at 10:00. Saturday, Nov 24 is the Lions monthly Sale-a-thon - it is not too late to reserve a table - Please contact Mel Spain or Jan if you would like a table, cost is $25.00 for 2 tables. Please come down and check out the treasures from 8-2!!!!

Ambergris Today

Garifuna Settlement Day Celebrations in San Pedro
The Garinagu community of San Pedro was nothing shy of showing off their rich culture, especially when it came to the drumming and dancing. Activities surrounding the day of celebration started as early as last week Tuesday with awareness activities like guest spots on the Good Morning San Pedro Morning Show, cultural and food exhibits at Central Park, visits to the primary school and Jankunu street dancing around town. The major social event was held at Central Park on the eve of Garifuna Settlement Day where, along with the help of the San Pedro House of Culture, the Garinagu held celebratory drumming and dancing performances that lead to the traditional Yurumei which is the reenactment of the Garinagu’s arrival to Belize at 5:30a.m. on Monday, November 19, 2012.

Belize Tourism Board Launches Belize Dive Map
On Friday, November 16, 2012, the official launching of the Village Community Dive Map and Boat Handing over Ceremony took place at the San Pedro Holiday Hotel. Delivering the Welcome Address was Mr. Kevin Gonzalez, Director of Destination Planning, followed by Keynote Speaker; Hon. Minister Manuel Heredia Jr. Speaking on behalf of the Fisheries Department was Mr. Henry Brown who also received the keys to the new boat from Minister Heredia and the Belize Tourism Board. The map is intended to provide visitors with a complete guide to the different diving locations in Belize. In order to guarantee the best diving experience, guests having possession of a comprehensive dive guide to the different locations will be able to request a site that is of interest to them. The Belize Tourism Board hopes that the map will also help in protecting Belize’s Barrier Reef by maximizing the use of designated dive sites and deter from diving in sensitive and protected areas of the reef, which is a part of BTB’s sustainable tourism action plan. The Village Community Dive Map also highlights the different villages across the country – an initiative that stems from the Village Outreach Project, which helps promote the rural areas and bring in tourism activity into the villages, especially for those that are along the coast, who often times offer diving as a tourism activity in the village.

McDonald’s Canada to Recruit Workers in Belize
Canada has looked to places like the U.S. and Ireland to fill jobs in the energy, mining, and agriculture sectors–booming, at least until recently, because of strong demand from China and other emerging economies. Now, there’s another place Canadian executives are targeting: Belize. Actyle Group, a Saskatchewan-based recruitment firm, is seeking to attract over 100 English-speaking “young adults” with skills in the hospitality industry to join McDonald’s Canada, the affiliate of U.S.-based fast-food restaurant operator McDonald’s Corp. The jobs could “lead to eventual (Canadian) citizenship and workforce advancement,” Actyl said in a release. And for successful candidates, McDonald’s Canada will also help with relocation and flight expenses, the recruitment firm said.

La Cabeza Del Cochino
It’s a pretty long name for a dance- El Baile de la Cabeza del Cochino. The hog head dance was a big thing in the village in the 1930’s. This consisted of an entire hog head being cooked. Then it was decorated with all kinds of goodies like candies, chocolates, and miniature flags. There was a designated person who would dance around with the hog head from house to house along the streets and the people would gather to applaud, sort of like we do for carnival. At the end of the dancing, the folks would all gather to enjoy the goodies including what meat there was on the hog head. This merry-making dance was very typical especially for the Dia de San Pedro celebrations. It was a social and cultural event that woke up the lackadaisical and laid back village of San Pedro of the past, so we say kudos to those involved in its revival.

El Divino Inaugurates Sports Bar
El Divino Restaurant, located at Banana Beach Resort, inaugurated its new Sports Bar over the weekend on Saturday, November 17, 2012. There was Happy Hour specials on drinks and free BBQ samples. The Sports Bar is an extention to El Divino's bar/lounge and offers a great environment to watch sporting events in a comfortable lounge area surrounded by large flat screen televisions. Ambergris Today was there and had a great time along with friends who enjoyed the comfort and service at the sports bar.

Madisco Holds Tasting and Product Presentation in San Pedro
To showcase the line of products and get businesses in San Pedro acquainted with their services, MADISO and the Beverage Division of Karl H. Menzies of Belize City, held a food sampling and wine tasting event that was held at the Villas at Banyan Bay on Thursday, November 15, 2012. Invited guests who attended the presentation had the opportunity to sample the different types of products which Madisco are service agents for. These product lines included everything from sauces, vinegars, pickles, cheese, pastas, coffee, a large variety of wine from the Beverage Division of Karl H. Menzies and much more. MADISCO and Karl H. Menzies periodically holds these types of events in San Pedro so as to showcase the products they carry and also to extend great discounts to their customers on the island that include hotels, restaurants, bars and a few tourism geared businesses. There were plenty of wine and product basket give-aways during the even and everybody present seemed to be impressed with the products that were showcased. Anyone wishing to purchase any of these products for his store or restaurant can do so by contacting any MADISCO branch. MADISCO’s office in San Pedro Branch is located on Coconut Drive in the Island Galleria building across the R.C. School; email: sales@madisco.bz

Misc Belizean Sources

Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase
Starting tomorrow morning, and going through next Friday, the George Price Centre will be hosting the TCFS. They'll be showing a few movies every day, and 27 in total. "The Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase (TCFS) is an annual film festival representing filmmakers from the Caribbean, Africa and its Diasporas. TCFS is produced by the Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase Office, a division of the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC). The films cover a wide variety of subjects for people of all ages."

ATM Makes Top 10 Eeriest Places on Earth
Actun Tunichil Muknal makes another top 10 list, this time it's on the 'eeriest' list. They get the translation wrong - cave of the stone sepulchre - but it still sounds good. "The Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre is found in Belize and houses the skeletal remains and archeological artefacts of the Maya. The most fascinating resident is the Crystal Maiden – a young girl who was the victim of human sacrifice calcified bones glitter like crystal making her all the more spooky than your average skeleton."

Cave Tubing in Caves Branch
Caves Branch Adventure Company has some great pictures from their excursion through 7 miles of the underground. When was the last time you went cave tubing? "You will enter and exciting world of rivers that disappears into the underworld as you float in the darkness where only your headlamp and those of your fellow adventurers will light the way. It sounds scary but it is not! It is exciting and fun – lots of screaming and echoes too! Whenever you look around you will realize that you are swirling around stalagmites jutting from the river and stalactites looming from above. There are also underground waterfalls and a crystal cathedral. This is a spiritual center to the ancient Maya."

DYS Conflict Resolution Session
Youth Week was the first week of November, but the Department of Youth Services works with youths daily, even weekends. The DYS was at Sacred Heart College on Saturday doing a Conflict Resolution Session. They'll be finishing up their basketball competition this Friday the 23rd. "This session was conducted on November 17, 2012 at the library in Sacred Heart College with the Peer Helpers"

Kurse a di Xtabai DVD's in Cayo
Make-Belize Flims has Kurse a di Xtabai DVD's in Cayo! They are professionally done, and come in a real case. Collect the movie that was filmed solely in Cayo, features a Cayo cast, and is filmed entirely in Kriol. Four different caves, including ATM and the Offering cave, were used as sets in the movie. You'll also see SHJC and San Antonio. Get your copy today. You can find them for $15 at Dave the fish man, right next to Codd's Pharmacy.

Belizean Fry Fish
While growing up in Belize, seems like all we ate was fish. This is just one of the ways that we season and cook the fish. Our Fried Fish does not use any batter, just wonderful spicy seasoning and cooking oil. This fish is crispy and spicy and delicious when served with Belizean Jonnycakes.

Channel 7

Pomona Peacemaker Killed
Over the long weekend, there were 2 murders: one in Belize City and one in the Stann Creek District, near the heart of the Garifuna Settlement Day Celebrations. We start by reporting on the stabbing death of 26 year-old Karim Peters in the quiet village of Pomona. By all indications to 7News, his assailant attacked him in retaliation because he was trying to part a fight. It's an all-too-familiar-situation where alcohol got mixed in with heightened emotions, which resulted in a tragedy. We found out more when we went down South yesterday: Daniel Ortiz reporting Yesterday, residents of the quiet village of Pomona were shocked by the sudden loss of 26 year-old Karim "Bo" Peters, a well liked individual and community activist. When 7 News caught up with the family of Peters yesterday, they were raw with grief, on a day that should have been a time of celebration became a time of mourning. It is believed that his relative stabbed him to death in retaliation for preventing a fight. The blood spot on the ground is a reminder to family that he was fatally stabbed near the assailant's home.

Another City Murder In Port Loyola
There was also a killing in Belize City on Saturday night. One man was murdered in the Port Loyola Area - and his friend was shot. Monica Bodden found out more about this murder - the first in the city after a nine day break in homicides:.. Monica Bodden reporting 32 year old Kevin Gentle was gunned down just before seven on Saturday night. It happened on Curl Thompson Street - inside the yard of his neighbor Arden Robinson. Raphael Martinez - Police Press Officer "Initial investigations revealed that Gentle was socializing along with Arden Alex Robinson at Robinson's yard when an unknown male person arrive and fired several shots at both persons causing the fatal injuries to Gentle and injuring Robinson. Both men were transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where Kevin Gentle was pronounced dead at 7:15pm and Robinson admitted in a stable condition." "Police have since retrieve one slug and a grey warm cap from the scene and are looking for a Belize City man for questioning."

Fire At Public Housing Apartment Leaves 27 Homeless
Twenty-seven persons - including 21 children - are homeless after fire burned down public housing apartments - commonly known as long barracks - early this morning. The fire started around 2:00 am and Monica Bodden tried to find out why:.. Monica Bodden reporting This morning's fire started from the front portion of the apartment building and quickly spread throughout the entire long barracks. It started from the apartment belonging to Alice Guzman - who told fire officials that she was awakened by smoke coming from her apartment - She quickly alerted the other 3 families living in the same long barracks. The 27 residents of the 4 room apartment managed to escape unhurt but saved nothing. Crinnia Stevens - Homeless "This morning I got up like around minutes to 2 with smoke in the house choking me. I wake up my daughter and got my two boys from the other room and then I came outside. I forgot the key for the gate inside the house, I went inside the house to get the key and my phone, by that time the entire house was under smoke." Reporter "Was it from your side of the house or from the other side?" Crinnia Stevens - Homeless "From the neighbor, from this last apartment - it looks like it started up in the ceiling - like electrical. Everything just blaze up, everything burned up, my children and I don't have anything."

Small Fire In City Easily Contained
And while those families are homeless, another family has been devastated by a fire which destroyed their home on Central American Boulevard at around 11 o'clock today. The fire, which spread from the house at the front, caught on to the house at the back, but fortunately, the officials were able to get it under control before it destroyed that second house completely. 7News arrived on the scene shortly after, and we spoke to the home owner off-camera. Here's what she told us about her experience in which she hurt herself while trying to escape the flames which have now left her homeless: Daniel Ortiz "Tell us a little bit about what you know of the actual thing, were you inside?" Fire Victim "Yes sir I am inside and I was lying down in my room and when I got up and I came outside then I saw the fire. I threw water on the fire that I had upstairs then afterwards they came to help me. They took out the little girl that I was babysitting and then then told me to jump but I didn't want to jump. When I jump my foot got hook up on the house and then someone hold me so as to not fall." Daniel Ortiz "So you are in pain right now?" Fire Victim "My foot is hurting me right now." Daniel Ortiz "Do you know where the fire actually started?" Fire Victim "No sir." Daniel Ortiz "Did it start from your house and spread to the yellow house?"

A Burning Bus On the Road
And there is a third fire to report on which happened yesterday. Just before 3 p.m., one of the buses belonging to the Shaw Bus Service caught on fire and was completely destroyed between miles 18 - 19 on the Western Highway. After they got the situation under control, our news team caught up with the bus driver and conductor. We asked them if they could explain what caused the bus to spontaneously catch on fire. Nicholas Flores, Bus Driver "About 2:45 we arrive at this point. We were travelling from Benque Viejo to Belize City and when we stop to pick up a passenger at that bus stop the bus just shut down and as soon as it shut down you start to see smoke - think smoke. Shortly after we see like a blaze of fire from underneath. What we did with the assistance of the conductor we tried to out it; we used all the water we had onboard, we used the fire extinguisher but unsuccessful. What we did was get off all the passengers from the bus safely, nobody got hurt." Daniel Ortiz "Sir, did you guys manage to find out what caused the fire? Do you have idea? you know that it will have to be investigated by the fire department but do did you guys know where the source of that fire may have been?"

Man Used A .45 Pistol In A Public Park In 'Griga
Earlier we told you about a murder in Pomona Village, outside of Dangriga. Well, yesterday evening in Dangriga town there was some very dangerous gunplay in a public place. It involved a 45 caliber pistol, a battle for control of the weapon and indiscriminate firing in a park. The police press officer told us more:.. Raphael Martinez - Police Press Officer "At approximately 5:30pm Dangriga police responds to shots being fired at the BTL Park in front of Dangriga Town Council where upon arrival two male persons were seen engaging in a struggle for a black pistol. as a result police shot one of the persons namely Derick Corrisica, 22 years old of #2 New Site area, Dangriga. He was shot in the upper leg." "The other male person Eugene Thompson, a Belizean artist of Benguche area, Dangriga reported that while socializing at the park he was approach by Corrisica who pulled what appeared to be a 9mm pistol from his pants and pointed it at him firing a single shot in his direction but missed. Thompson then grab holds of the gun and during their approximate 10 minutes struggle allegedly 2 more shots were fired but missed. The park was occupied by other people socializing and one Rosalie Simon, a house wife of Dangriga Town was shot in the upper center of her back. She was treated and release from the hospital."

More McAfee Madness
John McAfee, the primary person of interest in the investigation of Gregory Faull's murder is still at large. The 67 year old McAfee is making much of all the international headlines he's getting as he becomes the world most well-known man on the run. Today, Belize police told us that they have even exhumed his dogs to gather investigative information:.. Raphael Martinez - Police Press Officer "He is still at large and he is still wanted for questioning and once again we appeal to the general public and his friends to come forward and encourage him to come in so that we could put this case to rest or answer some questions regarding the murder of Mr. Faull." Jules Vasquez reporting Mcafee's dogs - two of them seen here in this picture from WIRED Magazine are still at the center of the investigation. Police exhumed his dogs - which were buried - after he supposedly shot them because - he claims - they had been poisoned: Raphael Martinez - Police Press Officer "The dogs were exhumed and the slugs were taken out in deed and basically it's just to match the slug that was found in Mr. Faull to ascertain. We have not gotten back that information." And while police wait for results in that - McAfee has opened a blog where this island resident who is often a stranger to the truth - claims he watched in blackface disguise as police searched his house.

Pump Price Of Fuel Tumbles
The price of fuel went down at midnight on Monday. The price per gallon of both premium and regular fuel fell by 49 cents each, while Diesel fell by 50 cents. So, premium is now 11 dollars and eighteen cents per gallon and regular is now 10 dollars and seventy-eight cents per gallon - the first time it has been under the eleven dollar mark in a while. It's even cheaper than diesel which is 10 dollars and eighty cents per gallon. The fall in pump prices is reflective of falling world prices. Of note is that the premium and regular fuel currently being imported from Venezuela has a higher octane rating than the fuel that was previously imported by PUMA or Esso.

Jerome's Reef Ride 2012
Jerome Flores is well known in the news because of the rides he has made across Belize to raise awareness for persons living with disabilities. The herculean effort is impressive enough, but what makes it even more so is that Flores, who is paralyzed from the waist down, rides on his homemade recumbent trike. He handed over his old trike to Shaphan Domingo and this year for the Reef Ride, Jerome got a professional Invacare trike. And he needed it…the two day Reef Ride left Dangriga on Sunday November 18th headed for Independence. On day two, Jerome and Shaphan were accompanied from Independence to Punta Gorda by Cyclist John Olivera. With that completed, Jerome has now completed the last leg of the challenge he started back in 2009, which was to ride a hand-powered trike across Belize.

Settlement Day In Hopkins And Dangriga
Right now, many citizens around the country are probably recovering from the major partying which took place down south, which started from as early as Friday night. 7News travelled to the Village of Hopkins to observe first-hand what the festivities are like. Daniel Ortiz found out more yesterday: Daniel Ortiz reporting Our plan to immerse ourselves in the Garifuna Settlement Day Celebrations started in the historic village of Hopkins. The usual flow of the celebrations is such that the reenactment is usually scheduled for 6 a.m. Whether is due to paranda artist Aurelio Martinez's concert, or some other unforeseen event, the re-enactment didn't start until 2 1/2 hours past its scheduled time. But tardiness aside, the yurumei was as symbolic as it should be. The Garinagu's first few times attempts to convince the Governor to grant asylum would fail. But their persistence not only granted them a new home free from war and slavery, but also a permanent status in the Belizean culture.

But What About The Elders?
And so, while Garifuna Settlement Day was observed with all the grandeur it deserved, we came across one Garifuna Elder who was upset with one aspect of the day's celebrations. Bert Ramos says there were no fitting accommodations Garifuna elders who may have wanted to enjoy the official opening ceremonies at the Alejo Beni Park. Here's Ramos's complaint: Bert Ramos, Concerned Observer "Right now I don't feel happy because most of the people that came from foreign and all over this country, all over the world to come out here on the 19th November - is standing up in sun hot. Not even a shade or shelter nobody put out here to cover these people. It is really unfair in my eyes. Thomas Vincent Ramos was man with vision and you are representing Thomas Vincent Ramos then you suppose to have vision. You can't come out here on 19th November - 10th September; you saw the amount of sheds that these people got? On 21st, did you see the amount of sheds these people got?" To be fair, we must mention that we did also experience the intense heat, so we can only imagine what the elderly members of the Garifuna community had to deal with while trying to listen to the ceremonies.

Channel 5

5 families homeless after Lake I fire
At least twenty-one persons have been left without a roof over their heads in two fires that erupted in a span of twelve hours in Belize City. The first inferno that started just before two this morning swept through an apartment building in Lake Independence. Five families, including fifteen school aged children, were jolted out [...]

Another fire leaves family homeless
Less than twelve hours later, another fire on the city’s south side eviscerated an elevated wooden structure occupied by Michael and Leticia Watler. This morning around eleven-thirty, personnel from the National Fire Service were once again summoned to a blazing inferno, this time on Central American Boulevard in Port Loyola. As in the Lake I [...]

Murder in Pomona Valley
In the south, within hours of the re-enactment of the arrival of the Garinagu, there was a murder in the Pomona Valley. Karim Peters, a carpenter who is the common-law-husband of a former senator and Village Chairman, was stabbed as he headed to his house. Peters died within minutes, before he could reach the hospital. [...]

Shooting interrupts Culture Capital Celebration
As Villafranco grieves the loss of her common-law-husband, hours later two others were injured in a shooting in Dangriga. The victims are a female bystander and a man who was shot by police during a celebration at the B.T.L. Park. It started when Eugene Thompson was reportedly approached by Derrick Gorosica who was armed with [...]

1 week after incarceration, murdered in friend’s yard
Here in Belize City, early on Saturday night, a thirty-two year old man was shot multiple times as he socialized with an acquaintance near his house on Curl Thompson Street. Police believe Kevin Gentle may have been at the wrong place but what we can confirm is that just last week he was in court [...]

Grace period time up. What’s next for Superbond?
Today the sixty day period that the Credit Committee representing bondholders extended to the government from pursuing legal remedies has expired but restructuring negotiations continue on the five hundred and forty-four million dollar superbond. The Government of Belize issued a statement on the Central Bank of Belize website saying that it had never asked for [...]

News 5 Reporter wins Environmental Award
The good news is that News Five’s Isani Cayetano is receiving his second regional media award later this week after besting a number of television news reporters within the Caribbean. Isani’s first award was from the Caribbean Broadcasting Union and his most recent is from the annual CARDI/CTA Regional Media Awards Competition. The contest was [...]

$10 garbage fee on water bill
Employees of Belize Waste Control (BWC) protested in front of City Hall on November fourteenth as they were told they would lose their jobs as a result of a six hundred thousand dollar debt that the City had not paid in fees. The forty employees kept their jobs as the City Council and BWC worked [...]

Slugs in McAfee’s dog heads and Faull to be analyzed
The manhunt continues for John McAfee, the antivirus founder, who has been on the run since the murder of his neighbor Gregory Faull. The US national was found dead inside his San Pedro home on November tenth and McAfee, who is wanted for questioning, has been the focus of the investigations. McAfee has been updating [...]

What McAfee said to International Media
The story continues to attract the attention of the international media and McAfee gave another telephone interview on Friday to CNBC’s Robert Frank and Brian Sullivan. He told them that he is in disguise and has been hiding in plain sight, watching the police and journalists that converged on the island last week. And while [...]

Mexican national released on bail, but still in custody
Mexican National, Pedro Alfonso Betancourt Reed, was busted along with two Belizeans on October seventh with over ten ounces of cocaine in a 2005 Ford Eco Sport SUV. All three were charged with drug trafficking and the two Belizeans; Alfonso Iglesias Junior of Consejo Road, Corozal and fifty-one year old Jose Nunez of San Pedro [...]

Car battery thief didn’t quite reach the poles
Forty-one year old Marlon Leslie Chavez is tonight beginning a yearlong bid in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of theft. Leslie was caught red-handed by a security guard of Bottom Dollar Store in the wee hours of Friday morning stealing two Renco batteries from the compound. Shortly after two o’clock that morning, officers [...]

Municipal Bond to be launched on Thursday
The birth of a twenty million dollar municipal bond for Belize City was announced earlier this year in June. While the funds generated would have been used for several infrastructural projects around the City, floating the bond became a time consuming challenge for the City Council. The council faced mounting garbage collection debts while simultaneously [...]

Crooked Tree residents aiming straight for regulators
The residents of Crooked Tree protested on Friday to have the Belize Audubon Society removed from the village. The residents say the co-manager of the wildlife sanctuary has implemented regulations that have put a stop to activities such as fishing and logging, which have earned them their bread and butter for hundreds of years. But [...]

One veteran Sportscaster, many weekend highlights
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.   With the Annual Cross Country Cycle Classic some 5 months away, there’s new energy in the sport as the riders get themselves ready for this massive event. 41 cyclists suited up for the Leroy Cassasola 42 mile open race that ran from Leslie’s Imports [...]

LOVE FM

Two Belize City Fires Leaves Several Residents Homeless
An early morning fire in Belize City on Flamboyant Street has left an estimated six adults and fourteen children homeless. Investigations conducted by the Belize Fire Service have yet to conclude the cause of the fire. According to fire officials, they responded in a timely...

Police Shoots Man During Garifuna Day Celebrations
There were two shooting incidents in Dangriga town on Garifuna Settlement Day. One of the shootings came at the hands of the police as they attempted to apprehend a suspect. Our Stann Creek correspondent Harry Arzu reports. HARRY ARZU Dangriga Correspondent ...

US Based Organization Installs Water System in the Cayo District
A water purification system has been installed in the village of San Antonio in the Cayo district. According to information, the new water purification system which has been dubbed Kuxan Ha or Living Water is a donation made possible through the United States-based organiza...

Police Press Officer Reports on Weekend Incidents
While Garinagu celebrated their arrival over the long weekend, it did not exclude its share of violence. There were two murders and a number of other incidents. The first happened on Curl Thompson Street in the Port Loyola area at around seven on Saturday night a...

Extension for Super Bond Payment Expires Today
When the government of Belize missed a coupon payment on the country’s external also known as the super bond earlier this year, there were speculations that the default would spur legal backlash from the creditors. But a so-called “window” was extended to Belize...

Police News
Forty-one year old Marlon Leslie, a.k.a. Marlon Chavez, was sentenced to one year imprisonment today after he pled guilty to theft. Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser, who imposed the sentence, told Leslie that although he saved the court time by pleading guilty, she cannot fine him becau...

LOVE TV

The Julian Cho Technical High school celebrated its culture awareness day
The Julian Cho Technical High School today celebrated its annual cultural awareness day. Our Toledo Correspondent Paul Mahung reports.

The verdict is still ongoing for corporal punishment
The verdict is still out on whether corporal punishment should be used as a form of discipline. While the arguments on this issue will continue for perhaps as long as it has already existed, some people say that new research shows that children who are subjected to physical discipline actually grow up to suffer from mental health problems or worse, die of acute illnesses. For the next two days, the Belize Mental Health Association will focus their annual conference on physical abuse against children and the impacts it has on their lives as they grow into adulthood. As the expert will share, physical discipline over an extended period of time can lead to things such as hypertension, diabetes and heart failure. But while the future health of our children is important, President of the Association, Jenny Lovell, says there are more urgent specificities that need to be addressed now. And in case you were wondering the degree of health problems physical abuse can have in our later years as adults, Doctor Jadon Webb, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Yale University, says it can range from cancer to stroke to a heart attack. The Mental Health Conference is taking place at Saint Catherine Academy conference room in Belize City. It ends on Friday.

Mrs. Barrow visits St. Peter’s School on a special invitation from the school
Special Envoy for Women and Children Kim Simplis Barrow was in Orange Walk Town this morning visiting St. Peter’s Anglican School. Barrow visited the school on a special invitation from the school which offers trained special education to children in the district. Love News spoke with Mrs. Barrow about her visit. Accompanying Barrow was representatives from UNICEF, NARSI, and Care Belize. Barrow explained that as special envoy she makes sure to address the needs of the different institutions across the country in offering better service to children with special needs.

US Government donates to school in the Cayo District
The United States government has donated emergency supplies and safety equipment to schools in the Cayo district. Love TV’s Natalie Novelo and video journalist Brian Castillo went to the US Embassy in Belmopan today to witness the handing over.

Accident on the George Price Highway
There was a serious road traffic accident on the George Price Highway this afternoon. Our Cayo correspondent Fem Cruz went to the scene, and files this report.

The UB is doing its part to prepare the next generation of care givers
Dealing with persons with special needs requires special skills. And the University of Belize is doing its part to prepare the next generation of care givers. Love TV’s Natalie Novelo reports.

Lova Boy accuse for sexual abusing underage girl
Award winning recording artist and entrepreneur Daniel Cacho, also known as Lova Boy is at the centre of an allegation of sexual abuse of an underage girl. Love News first reported on Wednesday that the allegation is made by a thirteen year old girl from Los Angeles, California who claims that Cacho touched her inappropriately and that inappropriate behavior dates back to when she was only ten years old. The mother of the child, whose identity we cannot reveal to protect the child, told Love News via telephone that she has made a report to the South Los Angeles police station and that authorities there now want to talk with the popular artist. This afternoon, Lova Boy sat down with Love News to tell his side of the story, painting a picture of lies, deceit and professional sabotage at work. The mother of the teenage girl who is making the allegation, told Love News that she believes that her daughter is telling the truth, and that Cacho should be held accountable. Cacho says that he has not had any contact whatsoever with the girl in question, who he told Love News that he has seen on a number of occasions when he would visit the parents’ house. The step father of the teenage girl is a music producer who owns a studio where the now famous “Tornado” hit song by Lova Boy was produced. Cacho says that since the allegations first surfaced in the middle of October, he has been harassed and even gotten death threats. Cacho says the allegations are hurtful and damaging, not only to himself as an artist, but also to other innocent people as well. While he believes that the whole episode has been orchestrated to bring him down professionally, Cacho says that it is sad that whoever is behind the allegations is using an innocent child in the process. Lova Boy says that he has attempted to reach out to the family of her accuser; but he has ben flatly rebuffed. Cacho told Love News that he intends to return to Los Angeles shortly and plans on speaking with the city’s police officers where the complaint was lodged on October twelfth. Love News has confirmed that the report was made on October Twelfth, and the incident is being classified at sexual battery. Cacho assures Love News that he is prepared to take a lie detector test to prove his innocence and hopes that the whole matter will be settled quickly and those responsible be held to account.

Belizeans speaks up for their land
It was announced earlier this year that a referendum to take the ongoing Guatemala territorial dispute to the International Court of Justice. The referendum will take place in Belize and Guatemala next October. Since then a number of Belizeans led by the Belizean Coalition for Justice has voiced their opposition and have been urging Belizeans to vote no to going to the ICJ. This morning Ambassadors Assad Shoman and Alfredo Martinez were guests on Love FM’s morning show. Ambassador Shoman said after years of negotiations, going to the ICJ is the only way that the dispute will be settled.

PlusTV

Woman shot in Dangriga during Garifuna Day celebrations
Garifuna Settlement Day celebrations turned violent for at least one woman in Dangriga. Rosalie Timmons was shot in...

25 year old shot in Dangriga
A man from the Stann Creek district is dead as a result of a stab wound. The incident happened on Sunday night. 25 ...

32 year old shot dead on Saturday morning
On Saturday 17th November, 32 year old Kevin Alvin Gentle and his friend Arden Alex Robinson, were socializing at R...

No confirmation on embezzlement accusation
The news hit the airwaves on this morning’s Rise n Shine when it was revealed that the San Ignacio/Santa Elena Town...

Substantial rehabilitation of streets in twin towns
The San Ignacio/Santa Elena Town Council is steadily working to rehabilitate several streets within that municipali...

McAfee disguises himself as a vendor
American software company founder John McAfee is still on the run in Belize. McAfee is wanted in questioning for th...

Fire simulations to be conducted in nation's schools
Last week students of Sacred Heart Primary School in San Ignacio were participants of a simulation exercise being c...

Grandmother in Police custody after grandson gets in trouble
A grandmother ended up in Police custody after her grandson got into trouble. On Tuesday, November the 6th, Taxi Dr...

New vehicles for Belmopan Police
The Belmopan Police are getting an upgrade from the mobile bread truck to two brand new police mobiles and two moto...

Hundreds of Youth Declare "Not On My Watch"
Hundreds of young persons and the young at heart gathered at the steps of the national assembly this past Saturday ...

Substantial drug find in Cayo
On Friday morning, San Ignacio officers made a substantial drug discovery. Based on intelligence an Anti-Drugs oper...

Bus catches fire in Hattieville
A passenger bus belonging to Shaw’s Bus Line caught fire yesterday on the George Price Highway. It happened in Hatt...

Stepfather accused of Carnal Knowledge
Belmopan police are investigating a case of carnal knowledge. Last week, a 15 year old High School Student of Camal...

Blogs

I Love A Parade: Celebrating Dia de La Revolucion in Playa Del Carmen
Who knew? November 20th is a public holiday in Mexico...Day of the Revolution. And I awoke this morning to beating drums...one of my favorite sounds. A parade! LOTS of school kids on this drizzly morning celebrating sports, culture and the revolution! And all singing "Sexy Gangnam Style" in Spanish unison. Very cute. My favorite...the guys who maintain the parks and plants. Kids, kids, and more kids. This parade had to be a mile long. Or more...

International Sources

GARIFUNA CUISINE Featured in November 2012 Issue of Acclaimed Food Magazine, SAVEUR
Acclaimed Food, Wine and Gourmet Magazine SAVEUR Magazine has published a twelve page article on Garifuna Cuisine in their November 2012 Issue (Issue #151). As Americans prepare for the holiday season, where families get together and either hold ethnic, secular or religious observances over food and exchange gifts; this article may open eyes to the traditions and the story (as represented through food) of an ethnic group they most likely hadn’t heard of, that is, that of the Garifuna ethnic group.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW! CRAZED MILLIONAIRE MCAFEE’s DEADLY MELTDOWN
COMPUTER guru JOHN MCAFEE is a drug-and sex-crazed gun nut obsessed with discovering female Viagra! That’s how sources in Belize – where authorities believe McAfee’s bizarre behav­ior led to a brutal murder – describe the eccentric 67-year-old dot-com millionaire, who went into hid­ing. And a Harvard scientist hired by McAfee to do research at his lush compound in the Caribbean paradise opened up exclusively to The ENQUIRER about his deranged lifestyle. “I’ve seen violence, guns, drug use and truly crazy stuff with John McAfee,” Dr. Allison Adonizio, a re­search biologist, told The ENQUIRER. “He had a whole garbage bag filled with Viagra and other prescription drugs. He is not a stable guy!”

Progress On Territorial Dispute between Belize and Guatemala
Ban Welcomes Progress Made On Territorial Dispute between Belize and Guatemala New York, Nov 20 2012 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon salutes the progress made by Belize and Guatemala under the auspices of the Organization of American States to resolve their longstanding territorial dispute, according to his spokesperson. "He welcomes their decision to hold simultaneous referenda on 6 October 2013 to consult their populations on referring the dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ)," the spokesperson added in a news statement. According to media reports, over the years, the long-running dispute between the two Central American countries has led to tensions. The spokesperson noted that Belize and Guatemala have requested financial support from the international community for the referenda and possible eventual legal proceedings. "The Secretary-General believes that this process is in line with the objective of pacific settlement of disputes enshrined in the United Nations Charter and merits international support," the spokesperson added. Established in 1945 under the UN Charter, the ICJ - sometimes referred to as the World Court - settles legal disputes between States and gives advisory opinions on legal questions that have been referred to it by authorized UN organs or specialized agencies.

No Belize superbond creditor deal yet, talks ongoing-Cenbank
Belize's government is continuing talks with bondholders to restructure a $550 million superbond as a reprieve granted by the creditors will soon expire, the Central American country's central bank said on Tuesday. In late September, Belize won a 60-day reprieve from bondholders after paying half of an overdue interest payment, delaying any potential legal action under the specter of a full-blown default. The reprieve will expire Dec. 1, a source close to the negotiations said. "Discussions between the government and its bondholders are ongoing," the central bank said in a statement. "In fact, talks between the government and bondholders have intensified." "We do not expect the expiry of the 60 days voluntary standstill offered by the (creditor) committee to have an effect on the substance or timing of ongoing discussions with bondholders," it added. The central bank said it did not expect a partial guarantee or credit enhancement from the Inter-American Development Bank. A source close to the negotiations confirmed talks were ongoing. The Belize government has laid out three proposals for rescheduling its bond payments, shocking analysts with its suggestion that they take a haircut of up to 45 percent on their investment.

Belize: A Popular Student Destination
Belize, a small Central American country with a scattered population roughly the size of Buffalo, N.Y., lately has become a magnet for SUNY Cortland students. The College will send about 50 students to the country in the time-span between this past summer and the Spring 2013 semester. Thomas Pasquarello, a SUNY Cortland political science professor and the College’s unofficial ambassador to Belize, said there’s good reason for Belize’s popularity as a study abroad destination. “It’s relatively close for an international location; it takes five hours to get there by airplane,” Pasquarello said of the country formerly known as British Honduras. The 350,000 citizens reside on about 8,860 square miles in the northeast coast of Central America, bordered by Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the south and west. “It’s a tourist destination so it’s relatively easy to get there. It’s reasonably safe. It’s English speaking; education and business are conducted in English. Yet culturally it’s amazingly diverse. That makes it an ideal place for international programs.” Pasquarello has long championed the College’s unique relationship with the Belize Zoo. He operates a blog about the educational and recreational destination at tbzblog.blogspot.com. He continues to share information about zoo fundraising and friend-raising in the Cortland community.

John McAfee: 'I don't see myself as paranoid'
The eccentric software entrepreneur is on the run, a 'person of interest' in the murder of a neighbour in Belize. But who is the man behind the headlines? He gets in touch with the Guardian to protest his innocence. The name McAfee is ubiquitous and boring, a piece of antivirus software that pops up on computer screens around the world. The man behind this reassuring piece of technology is rather less reassuring and certainly not dull. John McAfee, a multi-millionaire dotcom guru, is on the run from police on the tropical island of Ambergris Caye. The authorities want to question McAfee, who is 67, about the murder of his neighbour, Gregory Faull. Now, according to a blog purportedly written by McAfee, the American entrepreneur is protesting his innocence and gleefully revealing how he hid from police by burying himself in the sand and by pretending to be a drunk German tourist. The story of McAfee's rise and fall is impossibly rich and strange. McAfee has likened his predicament to Julian Assange's; others see him as a Kim Dotcom figure, a playboy-on-the-run, a poster boy for the decadent libertarianism of the dotcom generation. But McAfee is harder to pin down. Until the tanned, rich, priapic, yoga-loving eccentric hands himself in, he exists for all of us only on the internet. To some, McAfee is a gun-toting fiend and a fugitive from justice; in McAfee's eyes, he is a teetotal tragic victim of a corrupt state and media sensationalism, a philanthropist dedicated to cleansing rural Belize of crime and poverty. People who know him variously describe him as generous, paranoid, impulsive and eccentric. Is he mad? Is he bad? Who is John McAfee?

SLIDESHOW: Belize: 7 of its most stunning islands
CNN Travel. Can't decide which Belizean caye to visit? After checking out these beauties, the decision won't get any easier . The Caribbean nation of Belize has more than 200 islands or “cayes.” While many visitors are content to spend all of their time in the more heavily trafficked northern cayes, such as Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, venturing to more distant, southern islands, such as Tobacco Caye, gets you closer to the eternal deserted-island fantasy. Getting to most of the country’s more “remote” cayes requires no more than a three-hour journey from Belize City. From the unsurpassed beaches of South Water Caye to the pulsating nightlife of San Pedro (on Ambergris Caye), the seven stunners pictured above offer the best in Belizean island hopping.. South Water Caye, Tobacco Caye, Laughingbird Caye, Silk Caye, St. George’s Caye, Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker

Progress made on territorial dispute between Belize and Guatemala
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the progress made by Belize and Guatemala under the auspices of the Organization of American States (OAS) to resolve their longstanding territorial dispute, according to his spokesperson. “He welcomes their decision to hold simultaneous referenda on 6 October 2013 to consult their populations on referring the dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ),” the spokesperson added in a news statement. According to media reports, over the years, the long-running dispute between the two Central American countries has led to tensions. The spokesperson noted that Belize and Guatemala have requested financial support from the international community for the referenda and possible eventual legal proceedings. “The secretary-general believes that this process is in line with the objective of pacific settlement of disputes enshrined in the United Nations Charter and merits international support,” the spokesperson added.

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