Belize Times 101107

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Belize Times

1

SCANDAL SUNDAY NOVEMBER 7, 2010

Issue No. 4718

$1.00 www.belizetimes.bz www.pup.org.bz

NEW REVELATIONS PROVE GOB COLLUSION

More than three weeks ago no less than the Prime Minister of Belize Dean Oliver Barrow, supported by his Ministers of Police and Immigration Doug Singh and Carlos Perdomo, declared that the investigation into the Chinese smuggling ring/Immigration scandal had basically been closed. Though it was painfully obvious that the intricately crafted

and very lucrative ring must have had collusion from highly placed persons in various departments and ministries, the Barrow administration wanted the case closed and it was. Six low-level Immigration officers were rounded up and passed off as criminal masterminds and the UDP politicos patted themselves on the back and moved on.

But an intensive investigation by a local media house has sent shockwaves throughout the nation and has sent the Minister of Immigration scurrying to deflect some attention from a very glaring spotlight which has been aimed his way.

During an interview immediately after the six low-level scapegoats were fingered, Perdomo claimed complete ignorance of

any Chinese nationals entering Belize. He stated that he had ordered a moratorium particularly from Cuba…’just in case there might be some collusion internationally.’

But the investigation proves that there is much more than what may be collusion… there is specific complicity at the highest levels in the Ministry of National Security (Continued on pg. 3)

Barrow lauded when it was convenient pre-elections had demanded further information and clarification on 12 different points. Obviously the BTL people on Mr. Barrow’s payroll, so to speak, were unable or unwilling to make any clarifications or give (Continued on pg. 3)

Each year the United Nations publishes a re por t card on how countries all across the world are doing with respect to their human development. This report, called the Human Development Report, assesses the progress of countries by using three main measures of well-being: income, life expectancy and education.

It is an important report because it

is an independent body that is looking not for how much money is made in a country, or how the economy is growing, but how the lives of all the people of a country is improving.

In addition to this, the 2010 Human Development Report also features the Multidimensional Poverty Index. This index helps to show (Continued on pg. 3)

BARROW DISSES SOCIAL PARTNERS AGAIN!

On Tuesday, November 2, 2010 we learned that the Social Security Board (SSB) finally, forcibly, voted to invest $50m of our money to purchase BTL Shares. It must be highlighted that this vote was taken without the consensus of the unions and business sector. These social partners that

The UN Confirms “Life Haada Out Ya.”

Mr. Barrow - Da Your Name Stink da Road!

2

The Belize Times

Barrow’s Folly…

With much ado including heightened security, an entourage and the media, Prime Minister Dean Barrow visited the south-side of Belize City for the very first time since he was elected to high office in February of 2008.

It took a hurricane, public outcry, condemnation from all quarters and a not so gentle push from media maven Jules Vasquez for the Belizean people to be granted such an unprecedented honour, but visit he did.

In his interview with Channel 7, Barrow tries to excuse his glaring reticence by claiming – “There are several ground zeroes, we did the fly over. I didn't see how I could visit one area and not visit the others and quite frankly there were too many areas to visit.”

Apparently the Prime Minister also believed that he could not be expected, even in the wake of a hurricane, to visit the South of the country, Belmopan and Belize City, the three areas which were hardest hit by Richard.

A visit to assess the damage, talk to and reassure his people and to offer some form of assistance would have taken the Prime Minister something like 2-3 days. But the Prime Minister did not think it important enough. He felt that it was more important to leave the country and travel to Barbados for a week to attend a one day meeting. And then after he deigned to view the situation on the ground nine days after the storm, it was obvious that he felt that the people owed him something in return for his presence.

At the onset of the tour, during an interview with Channel 7, Mr. Barrow also displayed his uncanny skill for misdirection and untruth. The Prime Minister claimed that he had left for the one day meeting of the CDB Board of Governors and fully intended to return to Belize to deal with the aftermath of the storm but was unable to because of a storm hitting Barbados. Yet his own Press Office from last week issued a release claiming that the Prime Minister would be out of Belize for a full week attending the one day meeting and the funeral of the late Barbadian leader David Thompson.

In response to a query as to whether he felt the meeting of the CDB Board of Governors was more important than the domestic affairs in Belize, the Prime Minister displayed adroit sleight of tongue, stating that is was, since he ‘also hoped to talk to them about post hurricane assistance.’ Note that he made no mention of any such talks taking place and neither did he make mention of any monies or other assistance coming out of the CDB meeting. And in a further attempt to deflect attention from his total neglect of his people in the wake of the storm, Mr. Barrow claimed that his job was to ‘find the money,’ but to date there has been no indication of any post-hurricane relief money being found by the Prime Minister. The reality, quite in contradiction to what Mr. Barrow has claimed, is that there are clear protocols in place for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs/ NEMO through the Foreign Assistance Committee to seek grants from friendly nations and organizations. So it is not, in fact, Dean Barrow’s job to find the money.

And then, a full nine days after Hurricane Richard, during a tour of one affected area in Belize City, the leader of the nation who claims that he was very busy finding the money admitted that it was much worse than he had expected. He had absolutely no idea of what was the reality on the ground; he had no knowledge of the crisis facing the people in Belize City. Our leader who is the Area Representative of one of the constituencies which was affected and which borders the constituencies in Belize City which were most affected was completely clueless about the reality on the streets in the aftermath of the storm.

At the end of the day, the visit by Dean Oliver Barrow 9 days after the storm did nothing to reassure his people, nothing to comfort them and nothing to inspire confidence in the leader. Instead the tour cemented the perception of Barrow’s arrogance, inaccessibility, aloofness and disconnect from common Belizeans. When the Prime Minister lifted a small child to kiss her forehead, he handled her like an inanimate prop – an object on a set to project an image of his own humanity which is in question. It didn’t work, and showed Belizeans the true image of the cold and unfeeling man who is the leader of the nation.

Two and a half years after he was elected to office, the people in the south-side of Belize City got a quick glimpse of their Prime Minister, their leader; the man who promised to serve them faithfully and with every ounce of his being. The Prime Minister promised to stand by them and with them.

But when all was said and done, Dean Oliver Barrow has done nothing but stand on his people. He will pay a heavy price for the betrayal.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Unlawful Decision of Belize Social Security Board Dear Ms. Young Bar row, Re – Unlawful Decision of Belize Social Security Board to purchase shares in Belize Telemedia Ltd. I am a contributor to the Belize Social Security Board (BSSB) Fund and an insured person under the provisions of the Social Security Act (the Act).

Yesterday, November 2nd 2010, the BSSB by a vote of 5 to 4 took a decision to purchase 20% of the shares in Belize Telemedia Limited (Telemedia) at a price of $50 million. T he two trade union members and the two private sector members on the BSSB voted against the Board’s purchasing shares in Telemedia. The five members appointed by the Minister of Finance voted in favour of making the investment. As Chair man of the BSSB you presided over that meeting and voted in favour of decision to purchase shares in Telemedia while being the company secretar y for Telemedia.

As company secretary of Telemedia you had and have an interest in the matter of promoting the sale of shares in Telemedia and as Chair man of the BSSB you presided over and par ticipated in the discussion and voting on the question of purchasing shares in Telemedia in breach of Section 10 of the schedule to the Act. We also note that your son is a director of the board of Telemedia and also has an interest in the sale of shares in Telemedia.

Fur ther, on or around 21 September 2010 Mr. Net Vasquez, as Chair man of Investment Committee of BSSB, voted in favour of recommending that the BSSB purchase shares in Telemedia, a company of which he is the Chair man.

The situation is further compounded by the fact that the unions and the private sector org anizations which sit on the Board as independent, non-g over nment appointees, have serious questions about the investment decision.

As a result of your actions and clear conflict of interest in this matter, I have been advised that the decisions of the Investment Committee and the BSSB yesterday are unlawful and void for the following reasons: First, section 10 of the Second Schedule to the Social Security Act provides that “If any member of the Board or other person present at a meeting of the Board is directly or indirectly interested in any contract or proposed contract or other matters he shall, at the meeting and as soon as is practicable after the commencement of the meeting disclose the fact of his interest and shall not take par t in the discussion, consideration or voting on such a contract or other matter.” (underlining supplied) Second, section 50 of the Interpretation Act of Belize prohibits any member of any board or committee who may have a direct or indirect pecuniar y interest in any matter under consideration by such board or committee from par ticipating in any vote on such matter.

Third, BSSB is a public body and decisions of this body must appear independent and impar tiality, which they did not in this instance.

I n l i g h t o f a l l t h i s, I a m r e s p e c t f u l l y r e q u e s t i n g t h a t yo u immediately bring this matter to the attention of the BSSB and my r equest th a t th i s i l l eg a l d eci si o n to i nvest $50 m i l l i o n o f contributors' money into acquiring shares in Telemedia be for mally reversed immediately.

Grateful for your urgent attention to this matter.

Sincerely, Glenn Tillett

THE BELIZE TIMES ACTING EDITOR

Lucilo E. Alcoser OFFICE SUPERVISOR

Fay Castillo-Mckay PRINTING/PERSONNEL SUPERVISOR

Doreth Bevans

OFFICE ASSISTANT

Roberto Peyrefitte PRINTER

Oscar Obando

DESKTOP PUBLISHER-

Lucilo E. Alcoser

TYPIST-

Rachel Arana

Printed & Published By The Belize Times Ltd. #3 Queen Street P.O. BOX 506 Belize City, Belize Tel: 224-5757

Editor: 671-8385

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Belize Times

NEW REVELATIONS PROVE GOB COLLUSION (Continued from pg. 1)

and Immigration. According to Director of Immigration Gareth Murillo, when it came to Chinese nationals receiving single entry visas issued through the Embassy of Belize in Cuba, he received specific directives from the Ministry of National Security.

The investigation reveals that in one year, between August 2009 and September 2010, more than 160 single entry visas were issued to Chinese nationals at the Embassy of Belize in Cuba. Allegations are that those Chinese nationals then made their way to Belize, facilitated by the highest authorities here, before heading to the United States. The documents unearthed in the investigation

show that the ministries of National Security, Immigration and Foreign Affairs were all apprised of the ‘trans-shipment of the Chinese nationals…though in press conferences and media interviews parties from those ministries claimed complete ignorance of the process.

The current Minister of National Security, Doug Singh, has also come under fire since several of the flights carrying Chinese nationals arrived in Belize under his watch. Much scrutiny has been placed on Singh since the revelation that the Ministry of National Security issued the directives approving the arrival of Chinese nationals. Belizeans are now satisfied that there is no way that Singh, as Minister of National Security, could have

conducted any sort of proper investigation of the smuggling ring. There is also rampant speculation that Singh was and is aware of the trans-shipment of Chinese nationals and is a part of the cover-up which resulted in a very abbreviated and incomplete investigation.

In a letter to Prime Minister Dean Barrow dated October 19, 2010 the leader of the Opposition John Briceno demanded that “an independent Commission be appointed so that there is no cover-up of the illegality and corruption that allowed the illegal issuance visas and facilitation of travel with such visas.” In a terse response, the Prime Minister dismissed the need for any inquiry at all, insisting that he was satisfied that the six low level Immigration officers who were arrested were the be all and end all of the smuggling ring, so

to speak.

Rational thinking would indicate that heads would roll with the recent revelations which prove at the very least a cover-up at the highest level and collusion at the highest levels in the Ministries of National Security and Immigration. Belizeans are not satisfied with the vague explanations offered by Perdomo’s ministry in a release.

Minister of National Security Doug Singh has been mute. The Prime Minister continues to offer excuses and even in the face of overwhelming evidence, to insist that absolutely nothing has happened.

The Belize Times will continue to follow this story as the Belizean people demand answers in the highly lucrative smuggling ring/Immigration scandals in which all fingers are pointed at high ranking UDP politicos.

accountability and transparency in the investment of the people’s monies. By proceeding to invest without the vote of the social partners, this government is in effect telling us that it does not matter what our representatives believe. The NTUCB has gone on record and in public to say that the investment in BTL is too risky hence their unwillingness to vote in favour.

Along with the Unions, the private sector representatives have gone public and in writing to say that not sufficient information has been forthcoming hence their reluctance to vote in favour.

But all this only adds to the obvious, because anyone who does the math and reviews the prospectus, which makes very general assumptions, would have to conclude that the investment is indeed a very risky one.

That is in addition to the fact that the Actuarial Review 2009 of the Social Security Board has a documented recommendation that, due to the maturity of the long term fund, the SSB should refrain from making any more investments, mortgages and/ or shares. What else do we need to understand to realize that we should

not invest in BTL? The fact that Dean Barrow and his g over nment are using Social Security’s pension funds to bail them out of the BTL fiasco, even against the approval of the social partners, is very troubling. For if the BTL investment is not as robust as Dean Barrow is trying to convince us…then our pension funds are surely at risk.

What does that mean? It means that in a couple of years we will be forced, both employees and employers to fork out more money to pay into the pension fund in order for us to be able to collect our pension in our old age.

This latest move of this UDP Government, to proceed with this investment in BTL against the social partners, is just another slap in the faces of these people who voted for a government that promised wider and more meaningful consultation and decision making with the social partners. One has to question the whereabouts of those who once defended this nation…ex-members of the defunct ACB…those who claimed they were against corruption, conflict of interest, etc. and stated that they were guardians of the people’s monies .Senator Hulse…we are waiting to hear…esperamos con ansiedad…

BARROW DISSES SOCIAL PARTNERS (Continued from pg. 1)

additional information. That didn’t matter, though, since post-elections Mr. Barrow has decided that input from the social partners is neither wanted nor needed.

The SSB Board of Directors issued a Media Release on Wednesday that states “the Board of Directors of the Social Security Board voted, by a majority, to accept the recommendation from the Investment Committee that the SSB purchase 10 million shares in Belize Telemedia Limited at $5.00 per share. The total investment is $50million.” What this media release does not tell us is that both at the Board of Directors level and the Investment Committee level, the social partners representing the people’s interest voted against this very same investment. At the Investment Committee level the Chairman of the Investment Committee of the SSB Net Vasquez, who happens to also be the Chairman of BTL, had to utilize a casting vote to have the decision be in favour of the investment. At the Board of Directors level of the SSB, Chair man Lois Young, who also happens to be the Secretar y

The UN Confirms “Life Haada Out

(Continued from pg. 1) whether the policies of a country are helping to reduce poverty. This is important since one of the Millennium Development Goals agreed to by all countries including Belize is for the reduction of poverty by 50%. This is to be achieved by 2015.

In Belize, the reverse is the case, since in 2000 Belize’s poverty rate was approximately 33%. Today, 10 years later, the poverty rate stands at 43%, a full 10% higher.

Another alarming aspect of the report is that while in 2010 the trends in Latin America and the Caribbean show that the region is doing slightly better, the opposite is true for Belize.

Nothing is clearer than in the case of the overall index, where it shows that since the UDP took office in 2008, the living standards of Belizeans have been going down instead of up. In 2005 Belize’s ranking was at 0.690, which was above the average ranking in Central America and the Caribbean. Today in 2010 our ranking is at .694, which is below the regional average of .706.

Comparing Belize to all the UN member states, Belize has dropped 9 points in the ranking from 2005 to 2010.

This means that under this UDP administration, things no just haad out ya, things much haada out ya!

of the BTL Board and the ex-wife and ver y close confidante of the Prime Minister, used her majority led government representatives to gain a vote in favour of the investment.

Clearly, the social par tners’ message to the government is that they are not comfortable putting Social Security monies into BTL at this time.

In an interview, the President of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB), who is a Director on the SSB, stated that the risk carried by the investment in BTL is too large for comfort. He also mentioned that they (the social partners) had submitted 12 points and questions reference the investments and these were not adequately addressed by the Chairman of the SSB and/or the Chairman of BTL. T he g over nment has clearly obtained the ability to proceed with SSB’s investment in BTL. However, it is the way this authority to invest wa s o b t a i n e d t h a t n e e d s t o b e highlighted. When the Social Security Act was amended in 2003 to require representation of the social partners to form a quorum, it was done in the spirit of maintaining some level of

3

4

The Belize Times

Just A Little Help…

On Tuesday November 2nd, along with De puty Par ty Leader Carolyn Trench-Sandiford, Deputy Communications Director Rachel Montejo and Oscar Rosado from Belizeans for Justice, I went on a tour of the Yarborough area in Southside Belize City. The purpose of the tour was to get a first-hand look at the damage caused by hurricane Richard; to spend some time with our people offering whatever comfort we could; t o m a ke a n a c c u r a t e a s s e s s m e n t of their needs since government’s response left much to be desired.

During my time in Yarborough we met many of the residents and listened to their concerns and pleas for help. Their concerns were neither unrealistic nor unreasonable. They wanted to know when the much promised assistance would ar rive.

When would the Ministry of Housing come in and start to offer some help?

Whether the Ministr y of Human Development was planning on doing something to assist in their time of need and when people would stop

touring and taking surveys and start to deliver on the promised assistance.

Many of the residents were also wondering when the City Council was planning to come in and do a major clean up campaign in the area.

Everywhere you go, the streets and yards of these people are littered with muck, debris and filth. I am convinced that if any City Councilor or big time UDP politician were living in the area, Yarborough would have already been cleaned up.

As we walked the streets and visited what was left of the homes, we noticed the unsanitary conditions that Belizeans in the area are presently living in. If the Ministry of Health does not move in quickly, an epidemic could break out. To avoid this streets and yards must be cleaned, drains unclogged and new drains opened so that the water can flow out to the sea.

Many of the residents we spoke with were wondering, when the houses promised by the Prime Minister would be built? When the housing materials would arrive?

Ms. Carla Martinez, a resident from the area is only asking for three sheets of plywood. Tyrone Neal is asking for nails and four lengths of 2x4 lumber and Joan Bennett is saying that all she needs are two windows and a door. These requests are basic and the people are saying - just give us some materials and we will take care of the rest.

Our Southside residents are humble but proud Belizeans and what little they have, they cherish.

None of the people I met want to be beggars. All they are asking for is a helping hand and some compassion and assistance from their government in their time of need.

It is quite a contradiction between what the Government has been able to do and some of the aid agencies have accomplished. It is evident that help has been pouring in from private citizens and voluntary organizations.

Belizeans like Indira Craig, Channel 7’s news anchor who is the director of Toys for Tots, has helped organize a feeding program for the residents of the area. Together with some of the ladies from the community they have been providing hot meals.

There are several church groups, one in particular led by Pastor Howell Longworth who prepares hot meals and delivers them to those in need.

Even the Police Department through i t s o u t r e a ch p r o g r a m m e i n Po r t Loyola is doing its part and providing breakfast and lunch for children in the area.

Mrs. Yolanda Schakron from Belizeans for Justice who has been wo r k i n g i n t h e a r e a m a k e s t h e point that soon a number of these organizations will run out of financing

Sunday, November 7, 2010 and asks: what will happen to these victims? How will the help continue to be made available to them? This is why the Government must move to get these people’s lives back on track.

T he Yarborough area is one of the most potentially beautiful areas in Belize City. What it needs is some attention and work. Hurricane R i c h a r d , w h i l e d e s t r u c t i ve , h a s presented an oppor tunity for the residents of the area and the city.

With vision and a plan to help the people, we can transform Yarborough the same way we transfor med the Marine Parade.

When the PUP government built the Marine Parade in the North-side, the UDP was critical of the project.

Today every Belizean enjoys that area.

There is no reason why the UDP government cannot find the resources to build a new Southside marine parade. That would transfor m the entire Southside area and bring much needed economic activity to the area.

As the leader of the Peoples’ United Party, I pledge to work in uplifting the lives of these residents.

We must have a housing policy that will concentrate on building affordable starter homes for the poor where they can live with dignity. We must also find affordable credit for our entrepreneurs like Miss Thelma from Thelma’s Kitchen whose refrigerator was destroyed or for Vincent Burgess, who needs financing to buy a small stove to continue his tamales business.

As PUP politicians we must always remember that the people are our masters and we are their servants.

Our masters the people of Southside Belize City are demanding that we get to work!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Big liad…

I think that right now if baldy tells me the sky is blue I wouldn’t believe that crap cause that fool lies at the drop of a hat…and he lies with passion and skill…gotta love it!

Check this story out – baldy had to

go to a CDB Board of Governors meeting and he had planned to come right back to his poor nation but was stuck in Barbados because of a storm. That’s just plain bullshit.

When baldy left the country last week a release was issued informing the public that he would be attending a one day meeting at the CDB in Barbados on Friday and then the funeral of the late Barbadian leader on Wednesday before heading back into the country on November 4th.

Hell the release even stated that the drunken stooge Carlos Perdomo would be acting PM until Sunday when the functional illiterate Gapi came back into the country and then he would be acting PM until baldy returned Thursday. I hear that the real story is that Baldy was relaxing on the beach with the first lady second wife when he received a frantic call from the hairy Senator’s ex-baby the other CEO (not to be confused with the current baby and CEO) telling him that his popularity rating had gone from 14% to 4% and he better get his pampered tush back into the country ASAP…that’s my story and I’m sticking to it…If Da Noh Soh! Show me the money…

Perhaps you noticed that when baldy was asked if he felt that it was more important to be in the country with his people or off attending a meeting in Barbados, he stated that the meeting was important because he ‘had hoped to include discussion on post-hurricane relief.’ Boss, ‘had hoped’ ain’t worth a shilling-sized lump of crap right now. Show us the damned money! Baldy claimed that his job is not to walk amongst the commoners and poor folk in the mud and filth…but to find the money. Like I said…show us the damned money then. Baldy is full of bullshit. Everybody knows that it is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which is set up to find the money.

Everybody knows that there is a protocol set in place where after every disaster grant requests are

The Belize Times

sent out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Baldy has absolutely nothing to do with that. The leader of our nation is a sick, sick fellow…If Da Noh Soh! Hand sanitizer…

Am I the only one who noticed that after baldy picked up the little girl during his glamour session mediaop post hurricane (9 days post) tour he rushed into his luxury SUV and frantically wiped his hands with hand

sanitizer? Imagine that this idiot who says he is the leader of this nation stated that he doesn’t understand why people would expect him to be on the ground in areas where the hurricane did the most damage?

Baldy claims that he couldn’t possibly visit all areas that were affected.

It would have taken a day in the south…half day in Belmopan and a day in the city. All we needed was 2.5 days with our so-called leader. Lawd mein the man spends more time than that in planes flying all over the place and 100 times that in fancy settings sipping champagne. But I bet that when election time comes around, he’ll be able to find all those little nook and cranny areas which are completely out of his reach now. The world is round, baldy…not lumpy and misshapen like your head but perfectly round…If Da Noh Soh! Buddy Boots…

I hear Boots received a senior tongue-lashing from his bald boss after the impromptu media tour yesterday. Apparently the pool table repairman/Port Loyola Minister has

been telling Dean O that everything is under control and he has the situation well in hand. Of course, Dean O didn’t want to get his Gucci loafers dirty anyway so was happy to accept that story cause it meant that he wouldn’t have to spend any time around the ‘unwashed’ masses.

But yesterday he got the sense in a hurry that Boots’ man-in-charge façade is all ‘cracked’ up and ain’t

5

nuttin’ no go so. You see, for many months now boots has been able to capitalize big time on baldy’s natural reluctance to deal with what he feels are the dregs of society. Baldy is pleased as punch to divide all his time between his luxurious seafront mansion, his pimped out office in Belmopan and foreign locales where the hardest work he does is lift champagne flutes. I can just imagine a typical conversation between baldy and Boots – ‘so Anthony, my good man…how are you dealing with all those poor people out there?’ and Boots replies…’well, PM I just finished building 5000 houses for the people and paving all the streets in the Southside and everybody happy no hell and can’t wait to vote in the UDP again!’ Seriously! Baldy is that clueless. But with that said, I must take time to congratulate our Prime Minister for his first ever visit to the south-side of Belize City…If Da Noh Soh! Corozal Catfight…

I must send out my humblest apologies to residents of Corozal Town who were mourning the passing of their dearly beloved when they were treated to a humiliating episode. I take all blame because apparently Minister Naco found out that ‘Casino’ Campos was feeding

me bits of information on him… and vice versa. I swear I didn’t tell anybody guys…seriously. So anyway, at first I had received information that there was a fistfight at a wake between the electrician and the slots-machine expert, but since integrity in reporting is my mantra I

874

did some more snooping and here’s what I found out. Yes, there was a fight between the minister and the mayor…but it sure as hell wasn’t no fistfight. According to information I received, both ‘men’ were at the wake trying to do some early campaigning when the scene turned ugly. There is no indication yet what started the rumble, but my source tells me that Hilberto threw the first slap…but my buddy Naco promptly responded by scratching him in the face, at which point the Mayor screeched (yup,

that’s right – screeched) in outrage and started pulling Naco’s hair.

Fortunately onlookers were able to intervene before they started tearing each other’s clothes off (thank the good Lord). The night ended on that note, but reliable sources tell me that a popular adult entertainment joint in the Zone has offered lucrative contracts to both men if they agree to mud-wrestle each other on Friday and Saturday nights. There are no indications yet if either has accepted…If Da Noh Soh! Happy Birthday…

And I couldn’t possible end this column without a warm greeting to my favourite hairy Senator who I understand celebrated her birthday this week. I’m sorry, I didn’t manage to get you a gift because the store was all out of super-strength shaving foam and industrial razors, but no worries…I got word that you were very well taken care of this week.

Hmmmm! This certainly calls for more snooping on my part. Be sure to drop in next week…If Da Noh Soh!

It’s been days since the Kendall Bridge was washed away. How much longer must we wait for a new bridge, Mr. Prime Minister?

6

PARTY PAGE PUP Leader Tours Yarborough Area

The Belize Times

Sunday, November 7, 2010

THE BLUE MACHINE

We Are The PUP

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Belize Times

UDP Politics as usual

WTF… I was looking through a newsstory when a little item caught my eye about this cruise tourism thing down South that the BTB and the Ministry of Tourism are pushing hard. Residents of Placencia and surrounding areas and stakeholders have all said NO…WE DON’T WANT IT. They all said NO even when it was just a rumour and nobody in the Ministry would confirm it…and they said NO when the BTB tried to spring it on them in their new action plan. So why is the Ministry hell-bent on making this happen? Well it appears that my favourite person in the Ministry of Tourism (not really) CEO Mike Singh is a principal in the company which sold land in Placencia to Royal Caribbean for the tourism facility. How much do you want to bet that Mike Singh et al made some big promises to Royal Caribbean to get the sale finalized?

This smells like a big, fat stinking conflict of interest with the real estate speculator/Ministry of Tourism CEO caught smack dab in the middle but hey…what’s new?

7

5-4, with all government representatives voting YES (like we expected anything different) and representatives of the unions, the chamber of Commerce and the Business Bureau voting NO. After viewing the indecent haste with which Mr. Barrow pushed the deal and after listening to Mr. Barrow’s ex-wife and very close confidante basically stating that come hell or high-water the deal would go through even if the SSB Act had to be changed, this news comes as no surprise to anybody. This Barrow administration is dictatorial and listens to reason and input from nobody. The unions and business sector were not being malicious or spiteful or petty or political. They were simply being cautious and responsible because approving the use of $50million dollars of taxpayer money is not a frivolous task. The unions and business sector did not have enough information given to them AND there is the matter of the pending lawsuits which could endanger the investment. There is no way that this deal should have gone through as it did. No way at all…

Melvin AGAIN… I haven’t heard the glib but completely phony Minister of Transportation fumble and stumble and stutter so much in a very long time. But it was long overdue. The fact is that every time Melvin Hulse is on the Love FM talk-show and the bus mess comes up, he postures and pontificates and promises the world but nothing ever happens.

And he’s been doing that for over two years now. Every single time he’s braced on the bus mess, he claims that he has just come out of a meeting with the bus owners and by next week the situation will be fixed and all commuters will be ecstatic. Did I mention that has been happening for over two years now? This morning Love FM co-host Ernesto Vasquez apparently got enough of the bullshit and finally, finally started asking the real hard questions…and finally, finally stopped accepting the usual line of Melvin-flavoured crap. A flustered Melvin couldn’t handle the heat and eventually started blaming bus owners for the mess, forgetting that he is the Minister of Transportation and the buck stops at him.

God bless his soul…Ernesto reminded him of that and started off another round of stuttering. It is time that all members of the media stop accepting the crap handed to them on a platter, look all around us and start asking the real hard questions. We all have a responsibility Dean in South Beach?

On the day after the hurricane, to the people, don’t we?

Prime Minister Dean Barrow stood 18 mattresses… before the nation and offered I was literally amazed to see his personal assurance that each the media making a fuss over and every Belizean in need of 18 mattresses being handed assistance would receive it. Twentyover by the Caribbean Shores four hours after that he was on a Area Representative and plane to Barbados to attend a oneMinister of Defence Carlos day meeting with the Board of Perdomo. Then I realized that Governors of the CDB. He was Channel 7 was really making scheduled to be out of the country fun of him. See, Roger Espejo for a week since he would attend has been handing out stuff in the funeral of late Barbadian leader Caribbean Shores and recently David Thompson on Wednesday before returning to the country. So announced that he would be the meeting with the Board of Governors was on Friday and the challenging Perdomo in the funeral was on Wednesday…but where was our Prime Minister on division. So Perdomo, who the days in between. Was he on the streets of Belize City trying to help those poor Belizeans who lost everything during the storm? Was has been fairly obsolete and invisible lately (with the exception of the he in Dangriga or Belmopan or Gales Point trying to reassure his Immigration scandal spotlight which will be shining full on him soon) Belizean people that help was on the way? Was he anywhere in Belize jumped out, found some old mattresses somewhere and decided to tending to urgent matters which existed before and were made worse do his own little bit of campaigning. 18 mattresses! I mean seriously,

by Hurricane Richard? No he wasn’t. In fact, sources tell us that the Minister Perdomo. That is your contribution to the relief efforts Prime Minister and his wife too a little trip to South Beach for some in Belize City after Hurricane Richard? Did you happen to see the relaxation and shopping. What kind of leader deserts his people just footage of Belizeans with nothing to eat…Belizeans who have lost everything; all their possessions; their shelters; their means of earning when they need him most? Dean Oliver Barrow…that’s who! a living? And you thought 18 mattresses would do what exactly? Any regular Belizean donating one sincere shilling would be more welcome Done deal…

It has been announced that the Board of the SSB has voted in favour than this fat cat minister of government donating 18 mattresses just of our money being used to buy shares in BTL. The vote ended at so he can get his moment in the media spotlight. Disgraceful!

WTF…part deux!

So the latest news is that while Minister Doug Singh tried to wrap up the Immigration/Chinese smuggling thing in a neat little package with six small-time scapegoats in it…it’s not going to be that easy. New information reveals that between August 2009 and current day 2010 about 160 illegal visas were issued to Chinese nationals through the Embassy of Belize in Cuba, and directives to the Director of Immigration to issue these visas came straight from the Ministry of National Security. So it’s more than a little strange that the Minister of Immigration and then Minister of National Security Carlos Perdomo appeared so clueless when he was questioned about the issuance of visas to Chinese nationals from the embassy of Belize in Cuba. And of course, since the directive to issue those visas came directly from the Ministry of National Security, it is more than a little ironic that the man in charge of the investigation into the smuggling is no other than the Minister of National Security.

It’s a twisted web of lies and cover-ups and hustling at the very highest levels and with the current lack of political will to combat corruption, you can bet that the so-called investigation is dead in the water…

8

The Belize Times

Sunday, November 7, 2010

RICHARD REMINDS OF POVERTY IN BELIZE IN THE WORST OF TIMES

While most Belizeans may not have been too prepared for the weather Hurricane Richard was quietly churning in the Atlantic Ocean as we now know this category 1 hurricane was destined to reach Belize’s shores by Sunday October 24, 2010 and visited havoc on communities across our country.

Hurricane preparedness over the years has become a burdensome exercise for most Belizeans, and especially now under the current depressed economic situation.

Families will make a determination on when to evacuate based on their perceived vulnerability to a hurricane coupled with the availability of financial resources.

Since the beginning of the hurricane season this year in June, there have been a few scares of possible tropical storms threatening Belize. In every instance families have been challenged to ensure a level of preparedness in the event of a possible disaster. One can therefore imagine, that when tropical storm Richard upgraded to a category 1 hurricane, the threat was not considered to be significant to many Belizeans.

The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) which is charged with the responsibility of disaster preparedness and response provided the required warnings but to many seem to have failed in identifying how people residing in vulnerable areas would have been affected.

Therefore, when Hurricane Richard made landfall Sunday, those who were most severely affected were the poor. As Richard careened through the middle of the country heading westward, it wreaked havoc in its path until it crossed the western border.

What Richard has exposed is the vulnerability context that is germane to Belizean society and how poverty increases this vulnerability and risk to hazards. This fact was so vividly evident in the majority of images beamed on the various news networks. Hurricane Richard among other things exposed and lay naked for the entire world to see the reality that as a society the government has neglected to adequately provide improvement of the livelihood context for the most vulnerable persons in the population. It is quite evident that there are far too many Belizeans who are at or below the poverty line and therefore very vulnerable. Recent statistical figures revealed that as much as 43% of Belize’s total population is living in poverty. This portion of the population resides in substandard housing and is subjected to conditions that no Belizean should be allowed to endure. They have limited resources to voluntarily evacuate whenever the need arises and are unable to stock hurricane supplies when required. The country has been reminded of this reality in South-side Belize City, Hattieville, Gales Point Manatee, Freetown Sibun and other communities along the Western Highway and southern coast that were affected.

Poverty is a complex issue that

is predetermined by the livelihood context of individuals; these include their personal, social, political, financial and human capital. The role of government is to ensure that those assets are enhanced over time by way of practical interventions made through development programs. The realization that a meaningful pro-poor poverty alleviation strategy has not resulted in much improvement has come to the forefront. The CEO, Ministry of Human Development noted that in the aftermath of hurricane Richard "We have to factor this in now to the larger policy response to poverty alleviation because we already know that some of these cases will turn into welfare cases..." How an adequate response to the affected Belizeans will be factored in remains to be seen.

The Disaster Response and Preparedness Act, Chapter 145 of the Laws of Belize provides scope for the designation of special vulnerable areas and the creation of special area precautionary plan for special vulnerable areas. To the best of my knowledge no such designation has been made for South-Side Belize City and other such special areas, despite the known realities of poverty and vulnerability of these constituencies.

The lack of attention to the plight of Belizean poor has come home to roost; so many families have been left homeless and are compelled to wait for disaster relief to be provided by government and agencies such as the Red Cross. The manner in which supplies are being provided seem to be lagging and contingent on the completion of damage assessment in the affected areas. The Prime Minster in his statement to the nation in the aftermath of Hurricane Richard provided an empty commitment to provide assistance to all persons affected, not knowing when and how funds would be sourced to meet this pressing need. His apparent lack of concern and empathy for affected Belizeans is most glaring as it took him 10 days after the hurricane to visit affected persons in the Yabra area of Belize City. For the PM of this nation to say “I didn't see how I could visit one area and not visit the others and quite frankly there were too many areas to visit” is condescending to the Belizean people.

much needed employment.

The $50M the Social Security Board has decided to invest in purchasing BTL shares should instead be invested to aid in the provision of housing built to adequate standards in these special areas.

• Food rations comprising basic items to meet nutritional requirements should be distributed en mass to the affect areas. It is uncalled for to be subjecting already deprived residents from accessing such basic essential.

• Clean-up efforts that are required in affected communities should be accelerated to allow for temporary employment boost. The Ministry of Works equipment should be used in these areas to supplement The level of organization and private equipment to expedite these forward planning by Government efforts and the KOLBE foundation should bePROPERty involved in getting in anticipation of AUCtION any natural SALE: PUBLIC rehabilitated prisoners to give back disaster seem woefully inadequate Belize City, Belize District in being able to provide a timely to the community by working.

The aforementioned suggestions response to meet the needs of ORDER ofBelizeans the Mortgagees, The go Belize are only aMessrs. few that could a long way affected BY households.

Limited, Auctioneer Castillo on theKevin road toA. recovery for will Belizeans areBank in need of the Licensed basic essentials that[No. have296 been most affected to sell enable restoration of some the the following property on site Freedom Street, by Hurricane Richard. Thethe urgency semblance of a dignified existence, Port Loyola Extension, Belize City] on Wednesday 17th for Government to provide the required essentials, such as food, clothing November 2010 at 10:00 am: and adequate housing. The response policy planning and implementation ought not to be a delayed response to reduce poverty in Belize is timely.

by Government, but one that takes It is the poor population that is the account of how disasters displace most vulnerable in times of natural and affect the poor who are the most disasters, therefore if that segment of the population is significantly vulnerable of the population.

PM Barrow should know that reduced; by extension it reduces there exists the facility to access the potential burden on the state to emergency funds immediately provide relief and recovery support from the Caribbean Development in the aftermath of a disaster.

Agencies such as the SSB ought Bank (CDB) in instances of such a disaster; so that the statement to to have a disaster fund that can help extended could have been made provide resources in times such as more meaningful. Even the PM these. The quickness of response needs to be careful not to be seen was most evident from the state of or parcel land being Lot No. Roo, 8796 (432.584 Yd.) Quintana Mexico Sq. with their to ALL be THAT playingpiece politics withofthose situate in the Port Loyola Extension, Belize City, Belize District bounded affected and the help provided in generous donation. The urgency by and described as shown Plan No. 1996 attachedand to Minister’s theofGovernment all its agencies times of disaster.

The byleader of 299 Fiat (Grant) No. 299 of 1996 dated 8th August, 1996 and entered the opposition was quick in stating to respond adequately intotheensure Lands (Grants) at theinGeneral Registry, Belize City TOrecovery by the affected people is hisCrown support to Book the Government GETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon.

Through its effort to provide as a matter of of utmost importance.

(Being a timber and lotadequate situate at No. 296 Freedom Street, the development planning great urgency for dwelling the needshouse of those Port Loyola Extension, Belize City, themitigation freehold property Ms. vulnerability Loretta of riskofand affected by hurricane Richard.

Jeffords) Here are some concrete measures could be greatly addressed. Belizean that could take immediate effect to lives need to be restored as quickly ensure the safety and recovery to as possible by building on the hopes and aspirations of the affected normalcy of the affected families: people and their quest to complete • Government KEVIN to provide A. CASTILLO Government must act housing through the use of wooden recovery.

TELEPHONE: 224-4473 structures that meet hurricane alacrity.

Gwyneth Sydney Nah standards under theEmail: national kevinacas@yahoo.com building Comments welcome at codes. Several companies would GwynethNah@gmail.com stand to benefit along-side providing

Sco der Re Co giv Mo No one and of the Un sai mo sel

All wr obt

TERMS: STRICTLY CASH

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the following companies

have been dissolved and struck off the International Business Companies Register with effect from the dates indicated: DELTACOM TRADING LTD. - October 29th, 2010 DELMORA INVESTMENTS S.A. - October 29th, 2010

The Belize Bank Limited Registered Agent

AL acr Sta on Lic pa En tio Lo

AL pri Ind des Gu 14t me No sta No 2.6

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Belize Times

Belize Electricity Limited advises customers in the Cayo District that the supply of electricity will be temporarily interrupted on Monday, November 8, 2010.

Time: 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Affected Area: All that area along the Western Highway from La Democracia Village to Unitedville and including Mahogany Heights, More Tomorrow, Cotton Tree, St. Matthews, Frank’s Eddy, Roaring Creek, Camalote, Teakettle, Arizona, Ontario, Blackman Eddy and Buena Vista Villages. All that area along the Hummingbird Highway from its junction with the Western Highway up to Armenia Village including Las Flores Village and surrounding areas.

Reason: To facilitate maintenance work and upgrade the distribution system along the Western Highway.

BEL regrets any inconvenience that may be caused by this power interruption.

Customers may call toll free for any additional queries or other customer related issues at: 0-800-BEL-CARE or 0-800-235-2273.

View scheduled outages online at: www.bel.com.bz/services_outages.asp

9

10

The Belize Times

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Boy, 10, killed in RTA on Birthday

Each year on October 30th, the Villafranco family in Hope Creek Village, Stann Creek, will be mourning the loss of their son and grandson, Kevin Villafranco, 10, because instead of celebrating his birthday he was killed in a road traffic accident.

The incident occurred at around five that evening while the child was riding a bicycle on the Hummingbird Highway.

Kevin, who was a standard five student at the village's primary school, was knocked from behind by a pick-up truck whose driver, heading away from Dangriga, never stopped.

The child was

thrown on top of the bonnet and then fell to the ground dead while

his crushed bicycle was drag ged by the speeding vehicle until it came free.

Little Kevin, who was heading to one of the village's grocery shops, was riding on the side of the road until the vehicle passed before he would have crossed the highway, but the driver ran into him. Bad as that was, the driver, who villagers thought was intoxicated, had to be chased by them and Police before he was forced off the road at mile 16 to the sound of gunshots fired off by cops.

That driver, Josue Tello, 27, a villager of Camalote, Cayo now

faces charges of manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct, driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention, failure to stop and render aid, driving a motor vehicle with alcohol concentration above the prescribed limit, and failure to report a traffic accident.

Just before the little boy was killed, he had called his father and asked him to bring him something from Belmopan and was also anticipating his father's arrival that evening because he had promised to do a bar-b-cue for his birthday that evening.

from "acute thrombosis due to sepsis and trauma to the chest and

abdomen as a result of battered child syndrome.� She also had a broken rib.

The child's mother, Ysey Lucena Maldonado, told police that the child fell down the stairs and vomited all night Thursday and into Friday morning. She said that the child told her that her face hurt and when she checked it, there was redness. She said her daughter died while she was bathing her to take her to the doctor. Maldonado emphatically denies that her child was abused, saying that little Hidalia was her first child and that the only physical punishment she and her boyfriend administered

was whipping on the child's legs.

A neighbor, however, alleges that the liittle girl's plight was far worse than that. The neighbour said that the child was constantly abused and beaten and had br uises not consistent with a fall.

The finding of the post mortem seem to support the neighbour's allegation because the forensic expert concluded that the child had been enduring physical punishment for quite some time and that she eventually died from the trauma of the injuries.

The family, meantime, has been missing from their home in Roaring Creek since Monday.

Accident or Battered Child Syndrome?

The Director of Prosecutions is reviewing a case file to deter mine whether charges will be brought against the mother and stepfather of a little girl who died under very suspicious circumstances at her home this week. The child, Hidalia Jomany Maldonado, lived in Roaring Creek Village, Cayo, but died last Friday at her house after she experienced problems breathing and threw up, allegedly after falling down a flight of stairs. Police, however, believe that the child might have been the victim of repeated abuse at home. The post mortem results certify that little Hidalia died

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Belize Times

Spanish Flight Attendant Murdered on La Isla Bonita

The San Pedro community is stunned at the brutal and brazen Sunday morning murder of Maria Plaza Gomez, a 37 year-old flight attendant employed with Swiss Air of Guatemala and Maya Island Air Regional of Belize.

Plaza went missing on Coconut Drive, one of the busiest streets in the small community, just after she had purchased some fruits less about a quarter mile from Corona del Mar Hotel where she checked in last Friday.

Plaza was supposed to hand in her hotel key by midday and was scheduled to leave the island onboard a Maya Island Air flight to Belize City at 2 pm.

On her trip she made a few stops, to purchase gifts using her credit card and then to buy cracker jacks. But shortly after that something went violently wrong for the mother of a 13 year old boy. The last account of her alive places her buying the cracker jacks from a fruit vendor across from Ramon's Village. Eyewitnesses say she was in the company of a tall, stout, husky-looking Caucasian man who wore long hair and carried a knapsack. They continued on in the direction of her hotel. While she did not appear timid, she also did not seem to know him that well. It is

Former UDP Minister Beaten and Robbed

He reigned as Minister of Lands in the Esquivel regime from 1993 to 1998 and now he has become a victim of crime under his party's own government in 2010. Eduardo “Dito�

Juan, 67, now the manager of the Cayo High Road Cycling Team, was the target of two bandits who entered his farm in Georgeville Village, Cayo last Thursday evening and stalked him. The two thieves waited for Juan to drive onto the fenced farm and conduct business. It was when he was returning to his vehicle at around 4:30 that evening that Juan was attacked.

Juan, who visits his farm twice a day, recalls that he saw two youths standing close to his truck, one at the rear and the other at the front. He said that initially he thought they were children playing but as he got closer one of them pounced on him and began to flog him with a stick. During the vicious and continuous assault, the youths pushed Juan to the ground and relentlessly hit sticks they carried; apparently they came prepared and intent on carrying out their deed. The youths then stole $1,500 from Juan, the proceeds from the sale of sheep that day and when he tried to defend himself with his gun, they took that away as well.

Dazed, confused and barely conscious from the mauling, Juan managed to drive away from the scene and seek help a couple miles away.

With a bloodshot right eye and vision only through the left, Juan reported his ordeal to the Police Officer on duty in the village, who then rushed him to La Loma Luz Hospital. He was transferred on Friday to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. In retrospect, Juan believes the youths, who are yet to be apprehended, are from the same general area and studied his movements for some time. While they wore no masks, Juan doesn't believe he can identify the youths because he had never seen them before the attack.

Maria Plaza Gomez

suspected that they met somewhere just before she made the purchase because video surveillance tapes from the area in the vicinity of Maya Island Air do not pick up their images.

Whatever transpired with Plaza, it is clear that she suffered a violent and terrifying death. Her badly beaten body was discovered outside a house in a private property full of trees - an ideal location for a murderer to commit

the crime and go unnoticed. At around 3:00pm on Tuesday, a tourism policeman helping with the search for her smelled a stench and followed his nose to the location where he stumbled upon her, just two properties away from her hotel.

While her pants were still on, her white blouse was pulled over her face. Her head had a gash, as if her murderer or murderers repeatedly pummelled it against the cement ground on which she was found. Her arms also showed numerous marks of violence. Her black sling bag and the gifts she purchased just minutes before her disappearance were at the crime scene and a large inflated buoy was used to hide her body. The details of a post mortem have still not been made known but the blood stains and evidence gathered by Police at the scene indicated that Plaza was mauled and strangled.

The busy mood of the island was interrupted today when representatives from the island's BTB, BTIA, Town Board and business community gathered

11

to discuss how they will treat the sensitive issue, since the flight attendant was on the island as a tourist. They also wanted to address specific ways of rebounding from the serious black eye that this incident will no doubt bring about for tourism. Issues already brought to the table include placing more tourism police officers to patrol the island and frequent police and BDF patrols to ward off would-be criminals. San Pedro, whose crime has included mainly burglaries and petty thefts, has not seen a grave, violent attack on a tourist in years and the business community and tourism promoters have singled out this incident as an isolated case.

While no one has yet been charged, the San Pedro Police has already detained two nationals, and has fortified investigations of the murder by assigning Assistant Commissioner of Police, Miguel Segura, to the case.

Plaza's family are expected to arrive in the country from Spain on Thursday to receive her body.

12

The Belize Times

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Fire Leaves Five Families Homeless

A raging fire that broke out at around 11:20 on Tuesday morning at the corner Central American Boulevard and Matura Street has left five families, 13 people altogether homeless. Denisia Matura was at home when she observed her ceiling on fire and alerted the rest of the households.

Matura and the other victims are in such dire straits that the only thing they now own is the clothes on their backs. The fire swept thru so swiftly that it destroyed everything. Matura said when she observed the blaze, her ceiling was already about to cave in and she had time only to grab her child and the neighbour's baby that was there at the time, and escape.

Marva Mendoza, a mother of six, is also homeless because of the blaze, and is calling on the community to help her through this trying ordeal. She is

appealing for food, water and clothing.

The fire started from upstairs in her side of the house but she was at work, so

by the time her neighbour downstairs realized what was happening it was too late. Mendoza says she has no idea

what could have started the blaze since she has no electricity supply.

Daniel Matura, who occupied a portion of the bottom floor, also suffered a great loss. He said all his household appliances, including four television sets, a gas range and refrigerator were destroyed.

The two storey wooden house, which is at least four decades old, has been home to the Matura family since soon after its construction. The family is well-known and a few of their members have made the news, in particular this year when Anthony and Glenford Matura were gunned down in separate incidents and a third, Jermaine Matura was charged for the shooting murder of Taiwanese student Helen Yu, 14, who was shot dead in her parents’ store on Iguana Street just before the new school year began.

beg lodging either with family or friends until the slow process of rebuilding can start. While CEMO had a few trucks lined up to pick up debris from fallen trees and loose zinc on the streets, that seems to be the sum total of the assistance, since CEMO too is relying

on its big brother, NEMO, to take over the reins with construction material.

So far, the best that NEMO has been able to do is offer the homeless temporary tents to cover a single bed sized piece of sponge. In other words, people are expected to sleep out in the

open on the ground with only the tent acting as a shield between them and the elements.

Richard was no Hattie, or Iris, or Mitch, so Belize should have already been on the road to recovery, but sadly, such is not the case.

The Challenge of Finding NEMO after Richard Immediately after the storm Prime

Minister Dean Barrow promised the victims of Hurricane Richard, and the nation by extension, that his government would come up with the finance to help those affected by the category one hurricane. But more than a week after Richard lashed the central parts of Belize, the Stann Creek and Belize Districts, those words are reverberating in people's minds but accompanied more now with a question mark than with a full stop as he uttered them.

That's because other than a few bags of water and canned foods that the understaffed National Emergency Management Organization has dropped off at the various shelters, there is hardly any other assistance in sight for the homeless and destitute. Richard, which was referred to by no less than the "flippin" Minister himself as "a joke" because it was only a category one storm, is still embarrassing the government and NEMO, who are finding it near impossible to dole out rations in the aftermath. So far, anyone who still has to use a shelter as a home will tell you that they have not seen a sheet of zinc or ply-cem to rebuild their unsalvageable homes. In fact, not only have they not seen the type of help they need, but they have also not seen the good folks who came assessing and left them with high hopes for new homes.

As if the plight of Belizeans is of little or no consequence, the "flippin" Minister was bold enough to share his thoughts publicly, claiming that they are now waiting to see what the next storm churning in the Caribbean does before they start any kind of relief effort. Do you mean, Mr. Minister that the homeless Belizeans must sit and wait while you monitor Hurricane Tomas on the Weather Channel? You're asking people to live without food and with their precarious conditions and wet clothing, damaged household appliances and nowhere to put their heads while you sleep well at night.

It's not classified info that after all the meetings to plan and project, assign and delegate, all that NEMO has aside from the vanishing food rations are a little more than a handful of people distributing the goods, and a prayer for a miracle. The government is hoping that some ally will come forward and drop a few million dollars in their laps to spare further embarrassment.

In the most densely-populated community, Belize City, hardly anyone is still in a shelter, but the pictures speak for themselves when one reviews the nightly news or takes a quick drive around town. Many people of humble earnings are homeless and are left to

DEVELOPMENT FINANCE CORPORATION “Your Partner in Development”

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Applications are invited from suitably qualified persons to join the Management Team of the Development Finance Corporation. Particulars of the vacancy are listed below. For a detailed job description, please contact 822-2350/60 Ext. 257.

Manager, Internal Audit & Quality Control

Qualifications and Skills  A Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting or Finance. Additional Accounting Qualification that meets requirements of the International Financial Standard would be an asset.  At least five years experience managing internal audit services  Must be results-oriented, analytical and self-motivated with excellent planning and organizing skills  Knowledge of Business Processes  Must be proficient in Microsoft Office Applications.

Major Responsibilities include:  To evaluate the adequacy of systems established to ensure compliance of laws, regulations, policies and procedures.  To review the reliability and integrity of financial and operating information and the means used to identify, classify and report such information  Where necessary to verify the existence of the Corporation’s assets and evaluate the means of safeguarding the said assets.  To conduct periodic review of loans and collateral held by the Corporation countrywide, with a view to classifying loans according to degree of risk and to evaluate the performance of staff in relation to loan and collateral administration.

Salary & Benefits: The DFC offers an attractive salary and benefits package including free Health and Life Insurance coverage, Vacation Grant and participation in Pension Scheme.

Interested persons should submit their letters of application along with a detailed Curriculum Vitae, 2 letters of Recommendations and copies of their most recent qualification to the below address by November 24, 2010: Chairman Board Audit Committee Development Finance Corporation P. O. Box 40 Bliss Parade City of Belmopan Belize, C. A. RE: VACANCY – MANAGER, INTERNAL AUDIT & QUALITY CONTROL (Only shortlist applications will be contacted.)

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Belize Times

Bail for Men Charged for Attempted Murder of Rodwell Williams

Ricky Valencia

BELIZE CITY, Wed. Nov. 3, 2010 R i c k y Va l e n c i a , 2 7 a n d Akeem Thurton Jr., 18, who were charged with the attempted murder of attorney Rodwell Williams, 53, the law partner of Prime Minister Dean Barrow, were released yesterday from prison on bail of $8,000 each.

Valencia and Thurton, who were remanded since June, were offered bail when they appeared in the #1 Magistrate’s Court on Friday, October 29.

Chief Magistrate Margaret McKenzie offered them bail on the condition that they surrender all their travel documents, that they report

Akeem Thurton

to the Clerk of Court every Monday and Wednesday and that they do not interfere with any of the witnesses.

They were eligible for bail in the Magistrate Court because over 90 days had already passed since they were remanded into custody.

Williams was shot in his a b d o m e n o n t h e n i g h t o f M ay 31, 2010 while he was leaving his law firm on Albert Street and was walking towards his vehicle parked on the other side of the street. His condition was so critical that he was rushed to Belize Healthcare Partners then flown to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.

Bogus Security Guards Remanded To Prison on Firearm Charges

Jeremy Morgan

BELIZE CITY, Wed. Nov. 3, 2010 Two men, Jeremy Morgan, 29 and Dar rel Brooks, 44, who allegedly acted as security guards and were given firear ms by Joseph

CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE

at www.belizetimes.bz ~ POST YOUR COMMENTS ~ VOTE ON ARTICLES ~ VIEW OUR PHOTO GALLERY ~ CHECK OUT A PDF VERSION OF THE PAPER We are the most visited newspaper website in Belize

M e i g h a n , 4 2 , t h e ow n e r o f J B Security Fir m, were each charged with keeping firear ms without a gun license when they appeared today in the #7 Magistrate’s Court.

Morg an was charged for a 9mm pistol while Brooks was charged for a pump action shotgun. They pled not guilty to the charges. Magistrate Adolph Lucas Jr. explained to them that the Court could not offer them bail because of the nature of the offences. He remanded them into custody until December 10.

The Police reported that at around 4:45 p.m. on September 7 while they were at a check point at the junction of the Old Maskall Road and the Northern Highway they stopped a gold Toyota Camry car with Morgan, Brooks and Meighan inside. The Police said t h e i r a t t e n t i o n wa s d r aw n t o a pump action shotgun which Brooks had and they asked the three men to step out of the vehicle. It was then, said the Police, that they discovered that Morgan had a 9mm pistol.

The police said when they checked they found that the firear ms were the property of JB Security Firm and that Meighan did not have a license for the security guards. As a result Meighan was charged with employing persons as security guards without a license and Morgan and Brooks were charg ed with acting as security guards without a license.

They appeared in Court in Se ptember for those charg es and they were released on bail of $2,000 each.

13

Cell-Phone Thief Sentenced to One Year

BELIZE CITY, Wed. Nov. 3, 2010 Francisco Rodriguez, 18, an unemployed man of #20 Wilson Street, was sentenced to 1 year imprisonment in the #8 Magistrate’s Cour t on Monday, November 1, after he pled guilty to theft. It was Rodriguez’s first conviction, but b e c a u s e h e s h owe d n o r e m o r s e Magistrate Emmerson Banner gave him a custodial sentence instead of a fine.

Rodriguez stole a black Motorola cell phone, valued at $500, from Shakera Young on Thursday, October 28. Young re por ted to the Police that she was walking on Central American Boulevard and when she reached the corner of Mahog any Street and Central American Boulevard, Rodriguez g rabbed at a hand bag which contained her cell phone. Young said she struggled with Rodriguez but he

Francisco Rodriguez

still managed to take away her bag with the cell phone.

She said Rodriguez ran and escaped. Police later detained Rodriguez and charged him.

FOR SALE

By ORdER OF thE MORtgAgEE Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., a company duly registered under the Companies Act, Chapter 250 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition, 2000, and having its registered office at Cor. Albert and Bishop Streets, Belize City, Belize, hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under a Deed of Assignment and Transfer of Mortgage made the 30th December, 2005, recorded in Deeds Book Vol. 3 of 2006 at Folios 601 – 632, between Belize Mortgage Company 2002-1 (the Assignor) and Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., which said property was mortgaged

by FLOYD LYNDON NEAL and DORETTA DENESES NEAL to the said Development Finance Corporation on the 8th day of October, 2003, recorded in Deeds Book Vol. 37 of 2003 at Folios 1151 – 1196; and the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd. will at the expiration of two months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the property described in the schedule hereto.

All offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained from the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

SCHEDULE ALL THAT lot piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 269 in the subdivision known as Los Lagos, situate in the Mile 13 Area, Northern Highway, Ladyville, Belize District,. As surveyed by Kenneth A. Gillett, Licensed Surveyor and recorded at the Office of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, Belmopan at register 16 Entry 4460 TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon.

DATED this 1st day of November, 2010.

MUSA & BALDERAMOS 91 North Front Street Belize City Attorney-at-Law for Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

Th pot 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

Sup sho tel.

8:0

Th 201 file cop sub

Sup wh

If y

14

Minor and Adults Remanded For Illegal Firearm and Ammunition

Jason Patnett

The Belize Times

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Louise and Her Family of PUP Marshalls

BELIZE CITY, Tues. Oct. 19, 2010

Louise Berry, 79, a self-employed woman of #32 Iguana Street, has been a PUP Marshall for most of her life.

Her mother, Matilda Berry, 101, was a PUP Marshall for most of her life too and so is her brother, John Berry, 80. To Louise, Matilda is still a Marshall and it is only that she is bedridden. My mother was a PUP Marshall for as long as I can remember and John and I followed in her footsteps”, said Louise.

Louise has no intention of quitting. “I love being a PUP Marshal and I won’t stop being one for nothing”, she said. She added that her mother told her not to quit otherwise when she dies she will come from the grave and haunt her.

As a Marshal, Louise has travelled all over Belize. She said she can remember the good times she had when former Minister, Carlos Diaz was president of the Marshalls. “He and his wife were always good to us when we would go to conventions and other PUP functions”, she said. One of the duties

Louise Berry

of the Marshalls was to make sure none of the equipment is tampered with.

Louise calculated that there are about 70 marshals and most of them are over middle age.

“I don’t know why we don’t have a lot of young people wanting to be marshals, but I know it is good for me”, said Louise. The Marshals meet every first Sunday of each month. The dues each of them are required to pay is $2.00.

“We don’t get a salary but if any of us need financial help we get it”, explained Louise.

Louise does not depend on being a Marshal to survive. She generally generates an income by collecting bottles. “I pick up bottles anywhere I am allowed to take them and sometimes I make as much as $90 from my bottle collection”, revealed Louise. Besides that, Louise gets food items from two charitable entities, St. John’s Church and Wesley Church.

Louise conferred that the only bad habit she has are smoking cigarettes and buying boledo and lottery. “But I have slowed down the boledo buying because I find it difficult to win due to the fact that they play the same number over and over”, she said. When asked about her love life, she says she was much sought after when she was young and even though she had her flings she never married.

“Now that I am in my old age I don’t have any man and I don’t want any”, said Louise.

When she is not collecting bottles, Louise helps to take care of her mother.

Cruz Encalada

BELIZE CITY, Wed. Nov. 3, 2010

Four adults and two minors were charged in connection with a burglary in which items amounting to $44,670 in value were stolen, when they appeared in the #8 Magistrate’s Court on Monday, November 1. The adults are Jason Patnett, 24; Cruz Encalada, 21; Roy Lord, 22; and Panice Smith, 24. One of the minors is a boy of 13 and the other is a boy of 15 years old.

Patnett, Encalada and Lord were charged with burglary of the house of American national Udgen Brick, located at 19 Falcon Street, Ladyville, which occurred between October 24 and October 25.

Brick reported to the Police that he left his concrete bungalow house on October 24 and when he returned the following day all the household items in it, included an assortment of jewelry, were stolen. Patnett and Smith were charged with handling stolen goods for some of the stolen items amounting to $18,465 in value, which the Police reported they recovered from Patnett’s yard at Vista Del Mar on Thursday, October 28. All 6 defendants were charged with handling stolen goods for $5,556 worth of stolen items.

They were also charged with 2 counts of keeping a firearm without a gun license, 2 counts of keeping ammunition without a gun license and drug trafficking for 1,750 grams of cannabis. Encalada wanted to plead guilty to one of the firearms and one of the ammunition offences butut Magistrate Emmerson Banner did not accept his guilty pleas because he did not agree with the facts.

Likewise was the case with Lord and the 15 year old minor who both wanted to plead guilty but did not agree with the facts. Lord wanted to plead guilty to one of the firearms, one of the ammunition offences and the lesser charge of possession simplicitor instead of drug trafficking. The 15 year old wanted to plead guilty to one count of handling stolen goods.

They were all remanded into custody until December 1. The adults were remanded to Belize Central Prison while the minors were remanded to Youth Hostel.

DEVELOPMENT FINANCE CORPORATION “Your Partner in Development”

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (SENIOR MANAGEMENT POSITION)

Applications are invited from suitably qualified persons to join the Management Team of the Development Finance Corporation. Particulars of the vacancy are listed below. For a detailed job description, please contact the General Manager’s Office at 822-2350/60.

ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER, FINANCE & INTERNAL SERVICES

Qualifications & Skills:  Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance or Accounting or a Master’s Degree in Finance.  At least 5 years experience working in a senior managerial position, preferably in a financial institution.  Must be results-oriented, analytical and self-motivated with excellent planning and organizing skills  Good leadership skills  Must be proficient in Microsoft Office Applications.

Major Responsibilities include:  Serve as the Chief Financial Officer of the DFC with responsibility for direction and oversight of financial planning; financial management, analysis &control and asset/liability management.  To provide direction and oversight to the Human Resources & Administration and the Information Systems functional areas of the DFC with a view to ensuring efficiency of services both internally and externally.  Oversee the management and coordination of all fiscal reporting activities for the Corporation including: organizational revenue/expense and balance sheet reports, reports to funding agencies and external auditors and other agencies.  To serve as an active member of the DFC management team  To serve as an active member of Board and Management Subcommittees as they relate to the financial and services areas of the DFC  To represent DFC both locally and regionally Salary & Benefits: The DFC offers an Attractive salary and benefits package including free Health and Life Insurance coverage, Vacation Grant and participation in Pension Scheme.

Interested persons should submit their letters of application along with a detailed Curriculum Vitae, 2 letters of Recommendations and copies of their most recent qualification to the below address by November 24, 2010: General Manager Development Finance Corporation P. O. Box 40 Bliss Parade City of Belmopan Belize, C. A. RE: VACANCY – AGM, FINANCE & INTERNAL SERVICES

on s g n i t i r W the

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Belize Times

WALL 15

rod says: November 3, 2010 at 7:18 am i tell you this corrupt gov. is just plain out of control where is the pm on this issue why doesnt he speak out make him account for all this corruption belizeans the person in charge of national security doesnt know how hundreds of visas are being issued come on perdomo you think all belizeans are idiots you should be put in jail for stupidity incompetence and traitarous behavior get them out people get this whole useless gov out . rootsman says: November 3, 2010 at 8:21 am Ok you guys can cut the crap sit there pretending like you don’t know what is going on with these illegal visas, now that we know that there were many more visas involved than was previously made known, we need to find out how many secret planes landed at the airport Belize now seems to be involved with terrorist accommodations having visitors from places like Sri Lanka landing and disappearing into thin air these dirty politicians will do anything for a little cash it seems and the worst part is that it is all going into their pockets it’s not doing any good for the country just giving it a bad name while they build up their wealth with ill gotten gains, I think it’s time for some serious surveillance to be undertaken on the activities going on at the Phillip Goldson International Airport.

Sugar says: November 3, 2010 at 8:56 am From the very beginning……people on the street have been saying that the Minister should absent himself from the investigations. He was never investigating, he was covering HIS A$$ all along and implicating the lee fish. AND, it has always been said that it was just the tip of the iceberg that we were seeing……will the PM now ask for “transparency” as he promised????? rd says: November 4, 2010 at 6:29 am arrest all of them from the prime minister down pm perdomo and the rest lock them all up for corruption, bribery ,embezlement, spying, and many more acts of total corruption and the pm will say he wasnt in the country as usual he is never in the country thats why belize is in the gutter . rootsman says: November 4, 2010 at 12:01 am How do you like that? we have a case of misappropriation of funds against minister Hulse daughter and minister Elrington along with CEO Rosado is endorsing this type of behavior you know what they say the apple does not fall far from the tree if minister Hulse daughter is behaving in this manner we know where she got her behavior from, I wonder what Mr. Transparency and accountability have to say about this, I however say get rid of the whole kit and kaboodle they are all up to no good.

Abnercatino says: November 4, 2010 at 9:36 am This is a total SHAME on the government of Belize. First they sent the thiefing Yasmin Andrews to steal. They got rid of her for stealing. Then they send Minister Melvin hulse Daughter. (Tanya Hulse) another thief to deal with passports in London. After she was found stealing they reported this to Alexis Rosado. The Minister and even the Prime Minister. How can they run a mission in London and they live in Belize. How can they tell the lady appointed by the queen how to run her misson. This Government is covering up Tanya Hulse who is a sly crook, I pray that Miss Palma comes back home and make the people of this country know what is happening in London and howthe Government is covering up he dirty work of thre appointed people. Its tax payers money having these people live good in london. Yet they are stealing.

Posts are from www.belizetimes.bz, Belize Times Press Facebook Account, John Briceño Facebook Account, www.channel5belize.com

16

The Belize Times

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Authorities discover 30 tons of marijuana, border tunnel

U.S. authorities have discovered about 30 tons of marijuana that were part of a smuggling operation using a tunnel under the California-Mexico border, officials said Wednesday.

The 600-yard tunnel -- which features a rail system, lighting and ventilation -- connects a warehouse in Tijuana with one in the Otay Mesa industrial area of San Diego, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Lauren Mack.

About 26 tons of marijuana had been transported through the tunnel to San Diego, and 10 of those tons were intercepted Tuesday by authorities as a tractor trailer was transporting the load from the Otay Mesa warehouse, officials said. About five tons were found by the Mexican military inside the Tijuana warehouse and the tunnel, officials said.

Drug cartels on the border have become so powerful and sophisticated in recent years that many Mexican communities and areas along the border are patches of uncontrollable violence, experts have said.

"It's not a good day for the cartels," said ICE director John Morton. "They now can't move that size of drugs without digging a tunnel for 600 yards. It backfired on them.

"Obviously this is a cartel and organized drug smuggling of the highest order," Morton added. Authorities weren't able to identify Wednesday which cartel was behind the tunnel operation, he said.

The smuggling was active for about a month until this week's seizure. The

tunnel was rather small, and an individual can't stand up in it, Morton said. He described the railway as "crude."

The seizure was also unusual because authorities made their bust while the smuggling was active, Morton said.

"We caught them in the act," Morton said. "We find these tunnels and they're usually abandoned."

The seizure was also one of the largest on the California-Mexican border, officials said.

"What's unusual about this one is the amount of marijuana found as part of this investigation," Mack said.

The 30 tons is considered significant by U.S. and Mexican authorities even though Mexican authorities seized 105 tons of marijuana in Tijuana last month, the largest Mexican bust in recent years, Mack said.

"So there's been some pretty big drug busts," she said. "We're not letting our guard down."

Authorities investigate mass grave in Mexico

Mexican authorities have recovered 10 bodies and expect to pull out more from a mass grave in a village outside of Acapulco, the state-run Notimex news agency reported, citing police.

The director of the state ministerial police, Fernando Monreal, said that operations at the grave were ongoing.

There was speculation that the bodies were those of 20 Mexican tourists from Michoacan who were kidnapped from a bus in Acapulco in September. The link was made by a video that surfaced on the internet Wednesday showing two men being interrogated about the kidnappings. They say that orders were given, presumably by their

drug cartel bosses, to bury the bodies locally, in the town of Tres Palos, just outside of Acapulco.

The mass grave was discovered in Tuncingo, which is adjacent to Tres Palos. The source and the authenticity of the video could not be confirmed by CNN. Monreal said that it was too early to determine whether the kidnap victims and the bodies were the same. He said they expected to retrieve more bodies from the grave.

The kidnapping of the 20 in the resort town alarmed many, but some reports and analysts, including the global intelligence company Stratfor, have posited that the victims were not tourists after all, but members of a drug cartel.

In the past four years, 75 smuggling tunnels have been discovered on the U.S.-Mexican border, most of them in California and Arizona, authorities said. In all, about 125 tunnels have been found since the early 1990s, when authorities began keeping count, with just one of them on the U.S.-Canadian border, Mack said.

Authorities will be investigating the owners of the Tijuana and San Diego warehouses, officials said.

A special U.S. border tunnel task force hunts for underground smuggling operations in and around San Diego. The task force consists of agents from ICE, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Border Patrol, and they also work with Mexican authorities, Mack said.

In its surveillance of the Otay Mesa warehouse, the task force noticed suspicious activity Tuesday when they saw a tractor-trailer leave the facility. Agents

followed the truck to a Border Patrol checkpoint at Temecula, California, and authorities found 10 tons of marijuana hidden in cardboard boxes on pallets, said ICE director John Morton.

A married couple driving the truck was arrested, he said.

The task force became the first of its kind in 2003, when it was assembled to deal with a growing number of underground smuggling routes on the California-Mexico border. The unit was also assembled as part of a post-September 11 security concerns, Mack said.

The longest tunnel discovered, found in 2006, had a length of seven football fields. That tunnel also connected warehouses in Otay Mesa and Tijuana.

The task force uses robots to scout out a newly discovered tunnel before agents are sent into it. Federal agents are trained like miners on how to negotiate confined spaces, and the San Diego-Mexico region is even used to test the latest ground-penetrating technology to detect tunnels, including by the U.S. military, Mack said.

The sophisticated tunnels -- with lighting, oxygen pumps and rail lines -- are typically used to ferry drugs from Mexico to the United States. The more rudimentary tunnels are just big enough to smuggle people into the country, Mack said.

"We've also been enjoying an unprecedented cooperation with Mexican law enforcement in recent years," Mack said. "So we get a lot of information from the Mexicans, and vice versa."

Thousands of mourners, many weeping, lined the streets of Barbados' capital yesterday to catch a glimpse of the flag-draped coffin of Prime Minister David Thompson, who lost a yearlong fight with pancreatic cancer.

Crisply uniformed soldiers marched alongside a white hearse holding Thompson as it slowly drove into the Kensington Oval cricket stadium for an emotional state funeral.

Barbados-born pop star Rihanna and Jamaican reggae singer Luciano joined Thompson's relatives, friends and various regional leaders to bid a final farewell to the leader who led his Democratic Labour Party to victory in 2008 elections.

The 48-year-old Thompson, who became prime minister of this Caribbean nation of 270,000 people in Janu-

ary 2008, died October 23 at his private residence in St Philip. He had been ill since March and travelled to New York several times for treatment.

Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who is also chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) bloc, told mourners that the region "has been left much poorer for the loss of one of its distinguished leaders".

"All of us... will miss his wise counsel, his timely and effective interventions, his calmness even in contentious debates and that frankness that was so often tempered with his inimitable dry humour," Golding said.

Thompson had declined to discuss his condition until September, when his doctor revealed that the island's leader was undergoing chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer.

Shortly before his death, Thompson reshuffled his Cabinet to pass many of his responsibilities to other ministers. He made the announcement during a radio address instead of going on camera so islanders would focus on his message, not his appearance.

Freundel Stuart, who was attorney general and deputy prime minister, succeeded Thompson as prime minister.

Thousands bid farewell to late Barbados PM

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Belize Times

Just for fun ‌ Brain Teasers!

17

Can You Explain?

To answer these questions, you have to let your brain think in different ways than you Q. What is the one thing shared by all three may be used to. Here's an example: items in the same group?

Question:A girl who was just learning to A B drive went down a one-way street in the wrong a cow A doctor's office direction, but didn't break the law. How come? a shoe A post office Answer:She was walking. a baby music See if you can let your brain switch directions to answer these questions: C D a zipper a shark a comb

Restaurant goer a bird The senate

E F a potato a river a hurricane a person a target a cave

Bubble Maze

1. How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you, even if it doesn't hit anything, there is nothing attached to it, and no one else catches or throws it?

2. Two students are sitting on opposite sides of the same desk. There is nothing in between them but the desk. Why can't they see each other?

3. There are only two T's in Timothy Tuttle. True or false?

Connect the dots & color

A. a tongue B. a scale (or a key) C. teeth D. a bill E. an eye F. a mouth 1. Throw the ball straight up in the air. 2. The two students have their backs to each other. 3. True. There are only two T's (upper case). There are also three t's (lower case).

Answer:

18

The Belize Times

Grace

Amazin

PUBLIC AUCtION SALE: PROPERty Belize City, Belize District

BY ORDER of the Mortgagees, Messrs. The Belize Bank Limited, Licensed Auctioneer Kevin A. Castillo will sell the following property on site [No. 296 Freedom Street, Port Loyola Extension, Belize City] on Wednesday the 17th November 2010 at 10:00 am:

Understanding the King and the Kingdom

The minute we use the word ‘kingdom’ almost the whole country becomes lost, having no clue of what we are talking about. The closest thing we get to the reality of kingdom is found in cartoons and movies. It’s as if kingdoms only exist as an unreal world which is at best used for our entertainment!

Well today I would like to discuss with you the kingdom of God. Let’s keep in mind that this kingdom is more real than the world we live in.

Actually the world we live in today really came out of the Kingdom of God ALL THAT piece real or parcel of land being Lot No. 8796 (432.584 Sq. Yd.) therefore it is more than our world. situate in the Port Loyola Extension, Belize District bounded For us to have a kingdom we must firstCity, haveBelize a king.

A king without described as good shownasbyaPlan No. 299 of 1996a attached to Minister’s a and kingdom is as kingdom without king. This word is best Fiat (Grant)King No. 299 of 1996 dated 8th August, 1996orand entered theking pronounced Domain.

The domain is the place places thatinthe has supreme authority over. It’satan country or place, a literal area that Crown Lands Book (Grants) theactual General Registry, Belize City TOthe king haswith complete controland over.

GETHER all buildings erections standing and being thereon.

Withathis in mind Jesushouse spokeand these words at “the many times (Being timber dwelling lot situate No.Kingdom” 296 Freedom Street, inPort the Loyola New Testament, while John thethe Baptist in preparation theLoretta entrance Extension, Belize City, freehold property offor Ms. ofJeffords) Jesus shouted “Repent for the Kingdom Of God is at hand”! Matthew 3:2 As in any country the kingdom has laws, culture, language, operational code etc. The way God looks at it you are either in his kingdom or on the outside of it. There is no middle ground: KEVIN A. can CASTILLO Matthew 6:24 (NIV) 24"No one serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be224-4473 devoted to the one and despise TELEPHONE: the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Email: kevinacas@yahoo.com Many are seriously mistaken believing that the kingdom of God is something we can push around, celebrate at our convenience, and obey when it’s beneficial, while on the contrary it is completely the opposite!

Here are some practical points about a kingdom. a) In an earthy kingdom whatever the king speaks becomes law. I recall in scripture once where a king drunk with gratefulness told a young lady, who danced him into health, that she could have anything she wanted as she danced so nicely! She later came back and asked for the head of John the NoticeBecause is hereby given thatgone theforth following Baptist! the king’s word had it became companies law and it was ahave must for thisdissolved word to be fulfilled.

This was course the end of John’s been and struck offofthe International journey here on earth!

Business Register with We effect from b) ThereCompanies is no democracy in a kingdom. cannot vote the out dates a king or change his laws for any reason.

This affects us in these modern times as indicated: we are so familiar with deciding who our leaders are and what they can and cannot do, that it tends to leak into God’s Kingdom!

DELTACOM TRADING - October Being in the Kingdom of God is LTD. not something that we 29th, do on a 2010 casual, by feeling basis.

It is rather a lifestyle of choices that are in accordance DELMORA INVESTMENTS S.A. - October 29th,with the wishes of the King!!

2010 He says we are his friends if we do what ever he commands John 15:14 We also do not enter the kingdom when we die but we enter now while we are on earth.

The Belize Bank Limited I have heard many say that God is not cruel and He would never let us suffer in a place like hell! Well “Romans 6:23” tells us that the wages of sin Registered Agent is death. This means that the payment for our sins is death. Someone has to pay and so in the light of this Jesus came and took on the punishment for our sins. If we would not die or perish for our sins because God is too merciful, then why would he allow his son to suffer on our behalf ?

As with any motor insurance agency if you end up in a car crash and it is your fault, you would have to pay. If you’re not insured and cannot pay the fine you may even end up in prison. But whatever happens, someone has to pay the price to repair the damaged vehicle. The insurance company, if you have a contract with them, takes on this cost that would otherwise be too large a burden for you.

This is similar to the reality with Christ, as he takes on our burdens and our care and says for us to take on his burden as his yoke is easy and his burden light!

See the final thing about a kingdom that I would like to share is that it is the king’s responsibility to take care of his people. That is why he tells us not to worry about what we will wear or what we will eat tomorrow etc as because He is our King we are automatically covered Matthew 6:25.

In closing I would like to say to you then, my friends, let’s be careful to make sure we are right with the king. That we are obeying his commands, adjusting our life style to suit his laws and not adjusting his laws to suit our lifestyles. This would very well predict the plight of our eternal destination!

Where will you spend eternity?

TERMS: STRICTLY CASH

NOTICE

Sunday, November 7, 2010

FOR SALE

By ORdER OF thE MORtgAgEE

Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., a company duly registered under the Companies Act, Chapter 250 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition, 2000, and having its registered office at Cor. Albert and Bishop Streets, Belize City, Belize, hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under a Deed of Mortgage made the 30th day of November, 2000, between BENSON RAMCLAM, of the one part, and Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., of the other part, and recorded at the Land Titles Unit in Deeds Book Vol. 61 of 2000 at Folios 627 – 650, and Supplemental Deed made the 18th day of January, 2002, recorded at the Land Titles Unit in Deeds Book Vol. 4 of 2002 at Folios 581 – 588, the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd. will at the expiration of two months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the properties described in the schedule hereto.

All offers to purchase the said properties must be made in writing and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained from the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

SCHEDULE ALL THAT piece or parcel of land comprising 16.907 acres situate along Savannah Road, Independence Area, Stann Creek District, bounded and described as shown on a Subdivision Plan prepared by Kirk M. Emmanuel, Licensed land Surveyor and registered at the Lands Department in Belmopan, Cayo District in Register No. 29 Entry No. 9928 TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon. SAVE AND EXCEPT Lot No. 18.

ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being A Parcel comprising of 19.68 acres of land situate at Southeast of Independence Village, Stann Creek District bounded and described as shown on Plan of Subdivision prepared by Guillermo E. Valdez, Licensed Land Surveyor, dated the 14th December, 2005 and registered at the Lands Department in Belmopan, Cayo District in Register No. 4 Entry No. 9394 TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon. SAVE AND EXCEPT Lot No. 2 comprising of 3.037 acres, Lot No. 3 comprising of 2.691 acres and Lot No. 4 comprising of 2.344 acres.

DATED this 18th day of October, 2010.

MUSA & BALDERAMOS 91 North Front Street Belize City Attorney-at-Law for Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Belize Times

19

SCA girls blow away Canaan High girls 57-15 in CSSSA basketball

T h e S t C a t h e r i n e ’s A c a d e my girls blew away the Canaan 7th Day Adventist High School girls 57-15 when the Central Secondary Schools Sports Association CSSSA basketball competition beg an at the Belize City Center on Tuesday, November 2. SCA’s Kursha Pollard scored the first lay-up over easy and tossed in 3 more buckets in the 1st quar ter, while Gilda Estrada added another 7pts, Chelsi Noralez

chipped in 3pts and K afira Gill added a bucket. Canaan High’s Jehaud Broaster led her squad with 5pts and Nicole Dieg o added a bucket, but the SCA girls were up 20-7 at the end of the 1st quarter.

Kursha added 8pts more in the 2nd quarter, Gilda added tossed in another bucket, while the SCA girls chopping and stealing the ball forced the Canaan high girls to commit so many turnovers that

they were completely shut-down, while the SCA girls romped to a 30-7 lead at the half time break.

Chelsi Noralez scored 3pts more in the 3rd quarter, Kursha added 6pts more, and Gilda and Kafira each tossed in a bucket each to lead 43-9 the end of the 3rd quar ter when only Nicole Diego scored a bucket for the Canaan girls. The SCA bench players got some court time in the 4th quarter, and Renata

Samuels and Sahar Vasquez scored a bucket each, while Kursha, Gilda, and K afira each added a bucket for the 57-15 beat down.

Nicole Diego and Rochelle Garcia scored the Canaan High girls’ last 2 buckets.

Ku r s h a Po l l a r d t o p - s c o r e d the game with 24pts, while Gilda Estrada scored 13pts and Kafira Gill and Chelsi Noralez scored 6pts each.

Canaan 7th Day Adventist boys outlast Ladyville Tech 55-48 in CSSSA basketball

The Canaan 7th Day Adventist High School boys outlasted the Ladyville Technical High School boys 55-48 when the Central Secondary Schools Sports Association CSSSA basketball competition began at the Belize City Center on Tuesday, November 2.

Ladyville’s Bubbles Harris tossed in the first and team captain Denroy McCord laid up another, while Canaan High’s Kevin Hamilton scored their first point from the charity stripe and Winston Reynolds added 5pts to tie the

ball game at 6-6 at the end of the 1st quarter. Canaan High’s Elwin Pollard stunned the Ladyville defense by draining 2 long treys to score 10 pts in the 2nd quarter, Winston Reynolds and Dorian Dyer each followed suite with another long and Isaac Lambey tossed in bucket to lead 26-18 at the half time break basket.

Harris had responded with another 3pts, while McCord and Gordon added 4pts each. Franklin and Arnold each scored 3pts for Ladyville in

the 3rd quarter, while Gordon and Harris added a bucket apiece, but they were down 27-39 at the end of the 3rd quarter, after Winston Reynolds added 6pts more for Canaan High, while Jamaal Latchman, Pollard and Hamilton each tossed in a bucket.

The Ladyville boys out-scored the Canaan boys 21-16 in money time, as bubbles Harris drained in another 2 long treys to finish with 15pts, Gordon followed suite with another trey, McCord added 4pts to finish with

10pts, and D. Courtenay scored Ladyville’s last 3pts from the charity stripe.

The Canaan high boys stayed on top; as Kevin Hamilton also drained in a long trey to score 5pts in the last quarter, he had 8pts total. Reynolds also drained in his 2nd long trey to top-score the game with 19pts. Elwin Pollard scored 4pts to finish with 15pts, while Kelvin Todd tossed in 2 buckets add Jerris Roca hit a jump shot for the 55-48 win.

20

The Belize Times

Sunday, November 7, 2010

San Felipe Barcelona drills San Pedro Seadogs 3-2 win in BPFL football

San Felipe Barcelona now rank 3rd in the Belize Premier Football League after they posted their 3rd win 3-2 against the cellar dwellers, the San Pedro Sea Dogs, in Week 7 of the BPFL competition at the People’s Stadium in Orange Walk on Sunday.

Oscar Acevedo and Everardo Cr uz led the San Felipe attacks with the help of Jaziz Wicab and Eduardo Morales on the wings, and the Sea Dogs defenders San Pedro’s Jason Sutherland, Melvin Jonse, and Thomas Baptist tried to keep them in check. But when the ball rebounded back out to Honduran import Erick Rodriguez, he wasted no time in blasting it back in and the Sea Dogs’ goalie Richard Mckoy had no chance as the San Felipe squad led 1-zip in the 2nd minute of the ball game.

The Sea Dogs counterattacked, with Kenny “Maestro” Witzil Leoli Jurado, Francisco Noralez and Hector Hernandez making little impression on the San Felipe

defenders led by team captain Jose Luis Cawich, and Hipolito Andrade, Joel Padron and Luis Acevedo.

The Sea Dogs’ dogged persistence finally paid off in the 18th minute when Leoli Jurado blasted in a shot that deflected off Hipolito Andrade and into goal to tie the ball game at 1-1. Angel Cantun replaced entered the ball game to relieve Jurado and the fire went out of the Sea Dogs’ attack. Hipolito Andrade gave the San Felipe squad a 2-1 lead when he connected with an aerial pass from Oscar Acevedo to embarrass goalie Mckoy for a 2nd time as the San Felipe squad secured their 2-1 lead up to the half time break.

The Sea Dogs pressed for the e q u a l i z e r i n t h e 2 n d h a l f, a n d the pressure of midfielders Kent Gabourel, Melvin Almendarez and Demar Valladarez’s attacks caused Jose Cawich to goof with a foul that got him sent off the pitch. This left the San Felipe squad playing with only 10 men but they wer

still dangerous as Oscar Acevedo proved when he razzle-dazzled his way through the Sea dogs’ defenders to embar rass Mckoy a 3rd tiem to lead 3-1 in the 49th minute.

Sea Dogs’ coach Hug o Pineda introduced Abimael “Chino” Trejo and Christian Rivero to the ball game, relieving Melvin Almendarez and Francisco Noralez, and Kenny Witzil penetrated the San Felipe defnse to blast a 2nd goal past goalie Bryan Hernandez in the 65th minute of play.

T he Sea Dogs now sought to equalize and salvage a draw out of the jaws of defeat, but it was not to be, Hernandez stopped 3 shots on goal in quick fire succession to shut them out and secure the 3-2 win at the long whistle.

The undefeated Belize Defence Fo r c e c o n t i nu e t o l e a d t h e competition with 19pts, after posting their 6th win: 2-1 against FC Belize at the Nor man Broaster Stadium on Sunday. David Trapp scored

the BDF’s first g oal in the 31st minute of play to lead 1-0 at the half time break, but FC Belize’s Nigerian import Christian Okonkwo delivered the equalizer in the 80th minute. It fell to Danny Jimenez to scored the game winner in the 93rd minute. FC Belize remains in the No.2 spot in the league rankings with 14 pts from 4 wins and 2 draws.

The Belmopan Blaze posted their 2nd win to move up to No.5 with 8pts above Toledo Ambassadors after Leon “Lem” Jones drilled Hankook Verdes 2-0 in the 26th and 32nd minutes at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan on Saturday night.

This weekend Verdes host Toledo Ambassadors at the Marshalleck “Cancha” on Saturday night, FC Belize visits the Sea Dogs at the Ambergris Stadium, San Felipe hosts Belmopan Blaze at the People’s Stadium and the BDF will host the Griga United at the Nor man Broaster Stadium.

Science

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Belize Times

21

TIMES

of the THE HARD SCIENCE BEHIND MEDITATION & HOW IT CAN IMPROVE YOUR WELL-BEING

The “HOW” of meditation is really the marriage of science and technology that constitutes modern day NEUROSCIENCE. The ability to entrain brain wave patterns, creating Whole Brain Synchronization opens up an exciting world of endless and incredible possibilities. Many neuroscience researchers have expressed their excitement.

Neuro-chemist Candace Pert of the National Institute of Mental Health commented: "There's a revolution going on. There used to be two systems of knowledge: hard science chemistry, physics, biophysics on the one hand, and, on the other, a system of knowledge that included ethnology, psychology and psychiatry. And now it's as if a lightning bolt had connected the two. It's all one system -- neuroscience... The present era in neuroscience is comparable to the time when Louis Pasteur first found out that germs cause disease. " Dominant Frequencies Control Your Life Everything you do has a dominant frequency associated.

When you are in a state of relaxation your brain waves have a certain frequency, when you are alert and driven they have a totally different frequency.

Check out the different frequencies and the result usually associated with it.

Frequency range Name U s u ally associated with: > 40 Hz Gamma waves Higher mental activity, including perception, problem solving, fear, and consciousness 13–40 Hz Beta waves A c tive, busy or anxious thinking and active concentration, arousal, cognition 7–13 Hz Alpha waves R e laxation (while awake), pre-sleep and pre-wake drowsiness 4–7 Hz Theta waves

Dreams, deep meditation, REM sleep < 4 Hz Delta waves Deep dreamless sleep, loss of body awareness So, what is the Alpha Level of Mind?

Your brain functions on a small amount of electricity, much like a computer. This electrical current vibrates and pulses, at various speeds. When you are wide awake your brain vibrates 20 times per second—and this is what scientists call the Beta frequency.

You are probably at this Beta level of mind right now as you read this.

When you go to sleep, your brain frequency slows down, all the way to about half a cycle per second in the deepest levels of natural sleep.

This is known as the Delta level.

In between Beta, the waking state, and Delta the deep sleep state, there are two other levels of mental activity.

When you are in a light level of sleep or in meditation you are in the Alpha range, which is 7 to 14 cycles per second. This is the center range and this is what we mean with the term “going to your center”.

Going to the Alpha level or cen-

tering is the same as meditating.

When someone meditates, scientifically, they are simply reducing their brain wave frequency to Alpha. The Alpha level is the level we use to activate the full potential of our minds.

Theta is a level of deeper relaxation or sleep, when your brain waves are at 4 to 7 cycles per second.

State Brain Wave Frequency Associated With Beta 1 4 – 21 cycles per second (cps) and higher W a k i n g State, the five senses. Perception of Time and Space Alpha 7 – 14 cps Light sleep, meditation, intuition. No Time & Space limitation.

Theta 4 – 7 cps Deeper Sleep, Meditation.

Delta 0 – 4 cps Deep Sleep. You are unconscious at Delta.

There are many benefits of “going to the Alpha level” or meditating.

Nearly fifty years ago, a humble Mexican American named Jose Silva found that people who can remain in the Alpha level while analyzing information have access to more information than those who remain

in Beta to do their thinking. Surges of intuition, creative ideas and inspirational thoughts come to people while at this Alpha level.

Going to Alpha is also good for programming your mind. At the Alpha level you can learn to overcome all kinds of problems, such as insomnia, tension and migraine headaches, bad habits, and much more. You can also program your mind to help you achieve your goals and make your dreams come true.

You learn how to put yourself into a deep level of meditation within 60 seconds flat. Nothing bothers you. Sounds don’t disturb you. Stress melts away. Headaches and migraines may vanish forever.

Productivity soars. Ambitions stay clearly on focus without distraction. Worries no longer suffocate you.

And, as TIME Magazine reported in a cover story… “Meditation is being recommended by more and more physicians as a way to prevent, slow or at least control the pain of chronic diseases like heart conditions, AIDS, cancer and infertility.”

Meditation with binaural beats, mixed beats that don’t require headphones or by guided imagery and the slow relaxation of head to toe while counting backward from 50 , can set you in a state of calm or the alpha state, allowing you to unleash the powers of your mind—the ability to function consciously at the Alpha level.

Join Yogis, gurus, spiritual masters and other enlightened people already know this. Alpha is the level for: Healing, Intuition, Creative Manifestation and relieving Work Stress Explore your inner world, control your reaction to the world around you: give meditation a try for your health and wellbeing.

new weight loss regimen that not only helps you drop the pounds, but also eases asthma symptoms. The eat-ever y-other-day-diet entails eating ver y

little on one day (50% of your nor mal intake), and as much as you like on the next.

This trig gers a “skinny” gene that encourages the body to bur n fat. The diet also reduces free radicals, which suppresses lung inflammation. A study of obese asthmatics found that, after eight weeks on the diet, they’d lost 8% of their body weight, and their asthma symptoms had g reatly improved. The National Institute on Ageing and Stanford University team are working together to promote this new diet regime globally to help the weight control effor ts of many countries battling with obesity and its neg ative effects on diabetes and hear t health.

How Food Can Control Alzheimer’s & Asthma

Researchers have found that drinking apple juice each day could delay the onset of Alzheimer’s. The study by the Jour nal of Alzheimer’s disease found that apple juice “stops the production of a protein fragment called beta amyloid, commonly found in the brains of Alzheimer’s sufferers.”

Professor Thomas Shea, from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the US, said: “These findings provide fur ther evidence linking nutritional and genetic risk factors for age- mind functioning at related neuro -degeneration. its best, but may also be able They sug gest that regular con- to delay key aspects of Alsumption of apple juice can zheimer’s disease.” not only help to keep one’s On the diet front, there’s a

22

The Belize Times

Sober

Reflections Follow the leader…

By: Mike Rudon Jr. I actually wanted to entitle this short piece – ‘On leadership and leader-shit’ but changed my mind since I know my frequent use of low-level profanity in my writing offends some people. But hell, it is what it is, right? Anyway…

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to leadership, or maybe I should say real leadership as opposed to the leadership being rammed down our throats right now. It’s no secret that I believe with utter conviction that Dean Oliver is a bad leader – arrogant, cold, clueless, lacking compassion, blinded by his own monumental ego, caught in the grips of megalomania and firmly entrenched in his own little bubble of greatness where he is a god. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it…but what makes a good or great leader? I’m not sure. I guess it all depends on who you ask.

I remember when I was the editor of the Belize Times a few lifetimes back, I carried a headline photo which featured John Briceño sitting outside the Orange Walk Police Station in the early hours of the morning…maintaining a vigil for some of his people who had been unfairly detained by Police on the instructions. He was tired and it showed…but he was resolute and would not be moved, and that showed too. I thought it was an exceptional image of the PUP leader…demonstrating unselfish, unwavering commitment and humility which had been lacking for a long time. I was torn to shreds by those who criticized what they called poor judgment. Apparently I knew nothing about what leadership was all about… and they did. Apparently the picture I should have run on the front page was one of John Briceño on a snowy white stallion charging up the step of the Police Station, but the damned photographer didn’t provide that one.

I came across some pictures over the weekend which featured John Briceño handing out supplies to some of those affected by Hurricane Richard. He wasn’t riding a white stallion but was sweating and disheveled as he carried in box after box of groceries to those in need. I saw pictures of him carrying babies and kneeling crouched in mud to converse with Belize City residents. It’s something I’ve seen many, many times because that is the type of man John Briceño is and the type of man he will always be. Then I thought about Dean Oliver, the leader of this nation who was in Mexico City the week before the storm and who left for another trip a

couple days after the storm hit. About all Dean Oliver did was flyover affected areas and stand behind a podium to promise relief…then he packed up his Armani suits and Gucci loafers in his Louis Vuitton travel ensemble and left the country again. Hey, maybe I’m wrong…but the type of leader I’d want is the one who’s on the ground making a difference, not the one sipping champagne in exotic countries when the shit hits the fan.

John Briceño will never be a Dean Barrow. He will never stand in the House of Representatives and spout rhetorical flourishes with the grace of a virtuoso. He will probably never be able

to spit out 15-syllable words and quote philosophers dead for centuries. But he sure as hell will stand in the trenches and work for the people. That’s the type of man he is. Call me stupid…but that’s the type of leader I’d want. Then again, I apparently don’t know what ‘makes’ a great leader.

I managed to take a look at a copy of Flashpoint, an article written by Godfrey Smith, who says he knows all about the qualities of a great leader. I remember Smith saying much the same thing a couple years ago when he was the campaign manager for the man who contested the leadership of the PUP against Briceño. According to Smith back then, Briceño was an intellectual lightweight who lacked the qualities of a great leader. Apparently most of us were stupid and didn’t share the brilliance of Smith, because Briceño won the leadership convention. Then again, in this latest edition of Flashpoint, this brilliant writer again claims to possess all knowledge of what makes a great leader, and according to him, Briceño ‘is distinctly short on leadership qualities.’

Funny, but people must have disagreed again because Briceño was endorsed rather handily at the last Convention just weeks ago. But hey, we must all be wrong since Smith claims to be right…right? If you ask me, to some extent Smith reminds me of Dean

Sunday, November 7, 2010 Barrow…the presentation is superb, the brilliance is a bright burning fire but the substance…hmmm! To me it’s all just brilliantly written bullshit, but that’s just my opinion and what do I know?

At a National Party Council the other day, I think it was Mr. Valdez who stood up and said…’let them have their say but in the end we will have our way.’ I thought I’d borrow it because it kind of fits this situation. People like Smith will always need to have their say because it validates their existence. Some people are just scared stiff of fading away into political obscurity, and that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

So what makes a great leader? Who knows? I know the qualities I’d like to see in a leader. I know that ‘leading through service’ should not be a political catchphrase which means absolutely nothing but should be a mantra – words to live by. I know that I prefer a leader who will stand by my side and fight with me, rather than a leader who profiles on the pages of foreign magazines and newspapers but has no clue where the Antelope Street Extension is located.

I prefer a leader who can talk to me in plain words. What the hell would I do with a leader who speaks in words I do not understand, who talks above me rather than to me?

But this is just my opinion, and what do I know?

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Belize Times

Fin De Siècle Desperation

by Lisa Shoman Fin de siècle is French for "end of the century". The term sometimes encompasses both the closing and onset of an era, as it was felt to be a period of degeneration, but at the same time a period of hope for a new beginning.

In a broader sense the expression fin de siècle is used to characterize anything that has an ominous mixture of opulence and/or decadence, combined with a shared prospect of unavoidable radical change or some approaching end. It is not change itself that is implied in the expression fin de siècle, but its anticipation From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Entry on Fin De Siècle Since the debacle of the April Fool’s Day Rogue Cop Crime Ring, the Prime Minister, having decided that he had in fact, steeped himself in sufficient ignominy, decided to call it quits. No more embarrassment. No more lengthy press conferences with annoying questions forcing halting convoluted tortured explanations. He had passed the 2 year post, in power, and it felt like 20. How to handle 3 more that would be like 30?

Where was the fun? Where was the loooovve?

He consulted his prodigious encyclopedic cranial compendium of knowledge.

The answer came easily and was oddly, elegantly simple. Take regular warm baths; and stop stressing out about unpleasant things which you cannot control.

The last being harder, he took it on first. He slept on the problem and pondered it. One bright Jewelizean day, the perfect solution blew over his fevered mind and becalmed brain like a frisky cooling, soothing caye breeze…A FOUR-FER. 1. Grant the People their wish. 2. Get guaranteed stress- free sleep.

3. Give marching orders to the ineffectual. 4. Gain a new Cabinet ‘bally’. Sheer genius. Forget about fighting, dealing with, or even talking about Crime. Instead, fire Carlos. Get a new Minister.

On June 1, 2010, he made it so. Doug Singh was made the Minister of Police.

Happily, the new Minister understood that his role was to become the new moving media target, and after identifying his fancy new government ride, Singh bravely plunged into the murky swamp of public opinion. He obliged with a juicy press conference speaking of his slim Commissioner and fat cops. His Barrowness saw the hard work, and was pleased.

Next to the warm baths. Many mistakenly believe that either mud or mineral baths relieve stress. Our sage ruler knew better. Adulation is the most restorative bath of all. He made a vow of more marvelous miraculous mending wallows in the mad admiration of others. Luckily, one was already planned. The PM made his first official visit to South Florida over the weekend from June 25 to 27, 2010. The trip was billed as bringing His Barrowness closer to South Florida's Be-

lizean community in an effort to “foster investment and business opportunities”.

Since we have heard no more on that; it was really about the loooooove. Good start, even if marred by a manic murder.

No matter. Onward. Upward.

Meantime, residents of the Jewel braced themselves and watched (not the PM) and waited (but not for his return), fretting (not over the Ruler’s safety) for Tropical Storm Alex to arrive.

Tropical Storm Alex, the first named storm for the Atlantic Hurricane Season, made landfall on Belize’s coast late on June 26, 2010 dumping heavy rains and bringing gusty winds to the Jewel’s cayes.

Hundreds of Jewelizeans and tourists moved from low-lying areas of the country in preparation for Alex. The storm was downgraded to a tropical depression and the warning discontinued on June 27, but Belize was, in fact, impacted.

Sad by having his moment grazing in the grass cut short, and undeterred by the impact of Alex or by the vicious murder rate and cyclonic crime storm at home; less than a month later, on Wednesday the PM went back. He travelled to Miami, Florida, on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 on personal leave, and the Press Office reported that he was to return home on Saturday, July 31st. It provided a quick, but most refreshing dip.

Come August, during the dog days of ‘summer’, time to go again. Less than 2 weeks later, on August 12, the PM was off for a three day fiesta in the City of Our Lady of the Angels with his indulgent “gente”; complete with a gala banquet on Saturday evening. According to the Press Office, he came back home on Tuesday 17 August 2010.

Why stop there? On September 9, the Press Office reported that the Prime Minister, accompanied by his wife, would “be traveling to Mexico City, via Miami, to participate in official festivities marking the 200th Anniversary of the Independence of Mexico and the 100th Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution” The PM and Mrs. left Belize on September 11th and returned on September 15th.

Fortuitously, Karl did not stop this party, and Matthew waited until later in September to scare Belize.

Why stop when you are on a roll? On October 19th, PM Barrow according to AP and other foreign press paid a ONE day official visit to Mexico. Liars.

According to the Press Office in the Jewel, the official visit to Mexico by “Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow and a Ministerial/technical delegation … left Belize on Sunday October 17 and returned home on Tuesday October 19th 2010”.

According to his own party organ, from “October 16th to the 19th the Prime Minister will be in Mexico City where he will meet with President Calderon and discuss a range of mutually important issues including Electricity/Power, Roads, Security, Housing, Education and the Northern Border Improvement Project and Economic Relations.” Sounds positively groovy.

At that time Belizeans were struggling with shock, anger, hatred, despair, thoughts of revenge, and fear at horrific murders, including that of a young mother for the theft of her child, a prison officer killed in a deadly ambush, and the home invasion slaughter of a golden couple.

But still, for 5 or 6 halcyon days, we were fortified and our spirits lifted by pictures of the PM and Mrs. walking lengths of red carpets, standing at attention while being saluted, greeted by flag-waving children, descending and ascending a sleek white private jet, and toasting with the finest French Champagne while attired in black tie and Armani splendor. Now

that’s living la vida buena! It reminded one of the Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi’s glittering visits to US in the latter days of his glorious reign.

Alas, then came rude Richard. Big, bulky slow-moving Hurricane Richard, which pummeled the entire mid-section of Belize, coast to border in one wide swath of destruction. USA Today reported that Hurricane Richard “battered Belize, blowing rickety homes off stilts and knocking out power to most of the tiny Central American country.” MSNBC headlined our plight saying that “The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Richard's top winds were 90 mph (150 kph) — making it a Category 1 hurricane — when it made landfall about 20 miles (35 kms) south-southwest of Belize City, whose neighborhoods are full of wooden, tin-roof homes that are very vulnerable to winds.”

The day after, our fearless leader flew over the devastation. He did not see it up close and personal. No need. No matter, neither did Bush after Katrina. There was good precedent. Plus, the helicopter could not land – there was nowhere for it to land.

Fact is, why look at what Poet X. Hyde called the “hunger in the eyelashes of our eyes and hatred give us fever?” Pressed on the matter on why he could not visit our own ground zero, our beneficent overlord later said “I think that's the problem; there are several ground zeroes; we did the fly over, I didn't see how I could visit one area and not visit the others and quite frankly there were too many areas to visit.”

In any case, the siren song of the nymph Calypso was too strong, and in a few, surrendering, the P M left the country for Barbados, to participate in a “special meeting of the Board of Governors of the Caribbean Development Bank” without having walked a single inch of devastated Jewelizean ground.

On Wednesday, November 3rd, the PM was slated and the Press Office announced that he would attend the State Funeral of the former Prime Minister of Barbados, the Hon. David Thompson.

Prime Minister Barrow was scheduled to return home on Thursday, November 4th, 2010.

Sadly, someone(s) pulled the plug. He came back from Miami. He came back to Belize. He was shamed by the media, who had finally awoken from sweet slumber to ask why he had not walked the walk. As Jules Vasquez of 7 News put it, “Hurricane Richard raged through Belize ten days ago. Since then the Prime Minister had not gone on the ground to visit affected areas. That's because he's been out of the country

23

for 5 of those 10 days”.

Yesterday, the PM finally took the Gucci loafers for an outing a couple blocks long, in Yabra. Having stated manfully and bravely that “If symbolically there is a feeling that I should go on a street or two; that's not a problem," off he went, on foot, Minister Boots, cameras and entourage in tow.

News 7’s report faithfully noted that “while the leather shoes may have seemed incongruous straddling the water puddles as the PM gingerly stepped across the planks and ducked through makeshift doors throughout the tour”.

Lest anyone mistake any of this for a change in modus, the PM flatly and baldly said “I am certainly very happy though that I have not been greeted with any disrespect, I can tell you that I would love to maintain things like that so I don't think I will be coming back until I am assured that the work is just about complete."

To many, our head of government combines the glittering and ostentatious tastes of Jean-Bedel Bokassa with the hubris of Idi Amin, with a generous dollop of Pinochet backbone for good measure.

Go back further in history, however. Go back to the Ancien Régime in France.

Visit the court of the Sun King, Louis XIV. Remember Marie Antoinette and the clueless effete aristocracy.

Witness the despair, and distress roiling the very air in Belize. Smell the stench of oppression and anguish. Hear the cries of genuine need and desperation and the baying of many for revenge, hangings or even lynching. Heed the repeated public calls for justice, justice, justice. Feel the cold clammy indifference of the glitterati.

The wheels of the tumbrels are being greased and the axels repaired. Citizens are casting off their shackles of dread and repression. Legal barricades are being constructed. Madame La Election’s keen blade is being oiled. Revolution is whispered. The faithful are resolved, and some resigned, to mutiny on the appointed day.

Kismet is being written. Karma is being fed. The sowing may continue, but the reaping is nigh. Reckoning awaits.

Winnowing will come. Pick your cliché.

Lest this end on a note that is too ominous for the battered, bloodied but unbowed Belizean heart and soul to bear, know this. Every end brings a new start.

A period of hope has already begun.

On October 16, 2010 in Dangriga, at the serendipitously chosen Holy Ghost School, a NEW SPIRIT blew over our land. Blue like the endless sky and the bountiful sea, it shall not die, devout Belizer, it shall not die.

There will be a new beginning, come 2013.

24

FOR SALE

The Belize Times

FOR SALESunday, November 7, 2010

BY ORDER OF THE MORTGAGEE

BY ORDER OF THE MORTGAGEE

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

Scotiabank (Belize) OF Ltd., THE a company duly registered

BY ORDER MORTGAGEE under the Companies Act, Chapter 250, of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition, 2000, and having its registered office at Cor.(Belize) Albert and Bishop Streets,duly Belize City, Scotiabank Ltd., a company registered Belize, hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise under the Companies Act, Chapter 250, of the Laws ofits power sale as Edition, Mortgagee under Deed of Belize,of Revised 2000, andahaving itsAssignment registered of Mortgage 2nd September, recorded office at Cor.made Albertthe and Bishop Streets,2003, Belize City, in Deedshereby Book gives Vol. 32 of 2003 Folios 1243 – 1258, its Belize, notice of itsatintention to exercise between Bank Limited and power ofThe sale Belize as Mortgagee under a (the DeedAssignor) of Assignment Scotiabank said property was of Mortgage (Belize) made theLtd., 2nd which September, 2003, recorded mortgaged

by BENSON the said Belize in Deeds Book Vol. 32 ofRAMCLAM 2003 at Foliosto1243 – 1258, between The Belize (the 2002, Assignor) and in Bank Limited on theBank 17th Limited day of April, recorded Scotiabank Ltd., which said 1007 property was and Deeds Book (Belize) Vol. 19 of 1995 at Folios – 1044; mortgaged

by BENSON RAMCLAM to the the expiration said Belize the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd. will at Bank on thethe 17th 2002, recorded in of twoLimited months from dateday of of theApril, first publication of this Deeds sell Book 19 of 1995 at Folios – 1044; and notice theVol. property described in the1007 schedule hereto. the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd. will at the expiration of two months from the the first must publication of in this All offers to purchase thedate saidofproperty be made notice sell described in the schedule writing andthe fullproperty particulars and conditions of sale hereto. may be obtained from the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd. All offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained from the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

SCHEDULE

ALL THAT lot piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 335 comprising of 1237.720 Sq. Yd. (1034.883 S.M.) situate at Independence Village, Stann Creek District and ALL THAT lot piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 335 bounded and described as shown by Plan No. 828 of 1999 comprising of 1237.720 Sq. Yd. (1034.883 S.M.) situattached to Minister’sVillage, Fiat Grant No. 828 District of 1999 and dated ate at Independence Stann Creek 24th day and of September, 1999 TOGETHER with allofbuildbounded described as shown

by Plan No. 828 1999 ings and erections standing and being thereon. attached to Minister’s Fiat Grant No. 828 of 1999 dated

SCHEDULE

24th day of September, 1999 TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon.

DATED this 18th day of October, 2010.

DATED this 18th day of October, 2010.

MUSA & BALDERAMOS 91 North Front Street Belize MUSACity & BALDERAMOS 91 North Front Street Attorney-at-Law for Belize City (Belize) Ltd. Scotiabank Attorney-at-Law for Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

NOTICE NOTICE

Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., companyMORTGAGEE duly registered under

BY ORDER OFa THE the Companies Act, Chapter 250, of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition, 2000, and having its registered office at Cor. Albert and Bishop Streets, Belize City, Belize, hereby gives Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., a company duly registered under notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortthe Companies Act, Chapter 250, of the Laws of Belize, Regagee under a Deed of Assignment of Mortgage made the 2nd vised Edition, 2000, and having its registered office at Cor. September, 2003, recorded in Deeds Book Vol. 32 of 2003 at Albert and Bishop Streets, Belize City, Belize, hereby gives Folios 1227 – 1242, between TheitsBelize Limited (the notice of its intention to exercise powerBank of sale as MortAssignor) Scotiabank (Belize of Ltd., which said property gagee underand a Deed of Assignment Mortgage made the 2nd was mortgaged by BENSON RAMCLAM to the said Belize September, 2003, recorded in Deeds Book Vol. 32 of 2003 at Bank Limited on the 24th day of January, 1995, recorded in Folios 1227 – 1242, between The Belize Bank Limited (the Deeds Book Vol. 3 of 1995 (Belize at FoliosLtd., 1407which – 1436; the said Assignor) and Scotiabank saidand property Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd. willRAMCLAM at the expiration of said two months was mortgaged

by BENSON to the Belize from date ofonthethefirst publication of this1995, noticerecorded sell the in Bankthe Limited 24th day of January, property described schedule hereto.

Deeds Book Vol. 3 in of the 1995 at Folios 1407 – 1436; and the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd. will at the expiration of two months All to purchase thepublication said property mustnotice be made fromoffers the date of the first of this sell in thewriting and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained property described in the schedule hereto. from the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd. All offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained from the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

SCHEDULE

ALL THOSE LEASEHOLD INTEREST IN ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 334 situate in Mango Creek Village, Stann Creek District and bounded as folALL THOSE LEASEHOLD INTEREST THAT lows: On the Northeast for 46.970 metres IN

by ALL Lot No. 289; piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 334 situate in Mango On the Southeast for 35.690 metres by a street; On the Creek Village, Stann Creek and 335 bounded folSouthwest for 47.004 metresDistrict

by Lot No. and onasthe lows: On the for 46.970 by and Lot portion No. 289;of Northwest forNortheast 34.282 metres

by Lotmetres No. 333 On the Southeast for 35.690 metres by a street; On the Lot No. 336; containing 1643.250 square metres (1965.327 Southwest for 47.004 metres by Lot No. 335 and on the square yards) as shown on Plan No. 1887 (2 of 2) at the OfNorthwest for 34.282 metres by Lot No. 333 and portion of fice of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys Lot No. 336; containing 1643.250 square metres (1965.327 TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and square yards) as shown on Plan No. 1887 (2 of 2) at the Ofbeing thereon. fice of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and DATED this 18th day of October, 2010. being thereon.

SCHEDULE

DATED this 18th day of October, 2010.

MUSA & BALDERAMOS 91 North Front Street Belize MUSACity & BALDERAMOS 91 North Front Street Attorney-at-Law for Belize City (Belize) Ltd. Scotiabank Attorney-at-Law for Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

NOTICE NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that the company named

Notice is hereby given that the company named

Notice is hereby given that the company named

Notice is hereby given that the company named

“ESPRESSO INVESTMENTS INC.” “ESPRESSO INVESTMENTS INC.” has been dissolved and struck off the International Busi-

ness Companies Register with effect from the 28th day of has been dissolved and struck off the International BusiOctober, 2010. ness Companies Register with effect from the 28th day of October, 2010.

ARIAS, FABREGA & FABREGA ( BELIZE) LIMITED ARIAS, FABREGA & FABREGA ( BELIZE) LIMITED

“HALSTON INTERNATIONAL LTD.” “HALSTON INTERNATIONAL LTD.” has been dissolved and struck off the International Busi-

ness Companies Register with effect from the 22nd day of has been dissolved and struck off the International BusiOctober, 2010. Register with effect from the 22nd day of ness Companies October, 2010.

The Belize Bank Liimted Registered AgentLiimted The Belize Bank Registered Agent

-

e,

e A he

-

y

25

The Belize Times

FOR SALE FOR SALE ByORdER OrderOFofthE theMORtgAgEE Mortgagee By Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., a company duly registered unScotiabank (Belize)Act, Ltd.,Chapter a company der the Companies 250 duly of theregistered Laws of unBeder the Companies Act, Chapter 250 of the Laws of Belize, lize, Revised Edition, 2000, and having its registered ofRevised Edition, 2000, having its registered office at fice at Cor. Albert and and Bishop Streets, Belize City, Belize, Cor. Albert andnotice Bishop Belize Belize, hereby hereby gives of Streets, its intention toCity, exercise its power gives of its intention power ofmade sale the of salenotice as Mortgagee undertoa exercise Deed of its Mortgage as Mortgagee under a Deed of Assignment and Transfer 31st day of December, 2007, between DAVID CORREA of Mortgage made the 30th December, 2005, recorded in of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize District of the Deeds Book Vol. 3 of 2006 at Folios 601 – 632, between one part, and Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., of the other part, Belize Mortgage Company 2002-1 (the Assignor) and Scoand recorded at the Land Titles in Deeds Vol. tiabank (Belize) Ltd., which saidUnit property was Book mortgaged 2 ofFLOYD 2008 atLYNDON folios 45 –NEAL 74, and theDORETTA said Scotiabank (Beby and DENESES lize) Ltd. willsaid at the expiration Finance of three Corporation months fromonthe NEAL to the Development date8th of day the of first publication this notice sell the property the October, 2003,ofrecorded in Deeds Book Vol. described schedule 37 of 2003in at the Folios 1151 –hereto.

1196; and the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd. will at the expiration of two months from the date of the to first publication of this notice sell All offers purchase the said property mustthebeproperty made in described in the hereto. writing and fullschedule particulars and conditions of sale may be

obtained from the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

All offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained from the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

SCHEDULE

SCHEDULE

ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 15 comprising (496.56 square metres) situate in the Ambergris Bay Subdivision, miles of in ALL THAT lot piece orapproximately parcel of land 3.5 being Lot North No. 269 Sansubdivision Pedro Town, Ambergris the Belize the known as Los Caye Lagos,insituate in theDistrict Mile 13 of Belize and bounded and described as shown by Area, Northern Highway, Ladyville, Belize District,. Plan As surNo. 870 2003 attached to Licensed Minister’s Fiat (Grant ) No. veyed by of Kenneth A. Gillett, Surveyor and record870atof dated 21st June, 2004 TOGETHER with all ed the2003 Office of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, buildings at and erections standing and being thereon.

Belmopan register 16 Entry 4460 TOGETHER with all buildings erections standing being thereon. Sec(Propertyand now declared underand trhe Registration tion of San Pedro) DATED this 1st day of November, 2010.

DATED this 1st day of November, 2010.

MUSA & BALDERAMOS 91 North&Front Street MUSA BALDERAMOS Belize City 91 North Front Street Attorney-at-Law for Belize City Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd. Attorney-at-Law for Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Request for Expression of Interest NOTICE The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Belize, is looking for

Notice herebyforgiven that themain company named potentialissuppliers the following commodities: 1.

Computer technology (hardware and software services and subsequent support and maintenance) 2.

Internet/VOIP service 3.

PBX/telephony maintenance 4.

Office maintenance has been dissolved and struck off the 5.

Catering 6.

Cleaning (supplies andwith services) effect from the 28th day 7.

Office supplies October, 2010.

8.

Kitchen supplies 9.

Warehouse leasing 10.

Travel services 11.

Personnel transportation Power Point Management (Belize) Limited 12.

Freight forwarding 13.

Conference Registered Agentservices 14.

Temporary help services from employment service providers 15.

Translation services 16.

Vehicle maintenance and provision of fuel services 17.

Graphic art and advertising 18.

Design, layout, printing and publishing 19.

Photocopying and binding

YUAN BAO ASSETS LTD.

Business Register

International

of

Suppliers, interested in providing commodities and services to UNICEF, should obtain The Supplier Profile Form, free of charge, from UNICEF, tel. 223-3609/3864/7294, belize@unicef.org, on any working day between 8:00am- 5:30pm (Mon-Thurs) and 8:00am-1:00pm (Fri).

The Form should be completed and returned to UNICEF by 30 November, 2010 along with the substantiating documents such as copy of company profile, including legal registration, VAT number, and bank details, references list, copy of your catalogue, including valid price list, if applicable, any additional/ substantiating document you deem appropriate.

Suppliers are requested to show UNICEF the original substantiating documents which will be returned to them after making copies.

If you need any clarification, kindly contact the UNICEF Office.

PUBLIC AUCtION SALE: PROPERty Belize City, Belize District

BY ORDER of the Mortgagees, Messrs. The Belize Bank Limited, Licensed Auctioneer Kevin A. Castillo will sell the following property on site [No. 296 Freedom Street, Port Loyola Extension, Belize City] on Wednesday the 17th November 2010 at 10:00 am:

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the company named

YUAN BAO ASSETS LTD.

BELIZE WATER SERVICES LIMITED has been dissolved and struck off the International BELIZE RIVER VALLEY Business Register with effect from the 28th day of PROJECT - BELIZE October, 2010.

Consultancy Services for Design and Construction SuperviPower Point Management (Belize)sion Limited Registered Agent

ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 8796 (432.584 Sq. Yd.) situate in the Port Loyola Extension, Belize City, Belize District bounded and described as shown by Plan No. 299 of 1996 attached to Minister’s Fiat (Grant) No. 299 of 1996 dated 8th August, 1996 and entered in the Crown Lands Book (Grants) at the General Registry, Belize City TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon.

(Being a timber dwelling house and lot situate at No. 296 Freedom Street, Port Loyola Extension, Belize City, the freehold property of Ms. Loretta Jeffords)

Sco der Rev Cor giv Mo Nov one and of 2 the Uni said mo sell

All wri obt

TERMS: STRICTLY CASH KEVIN A. CASTILLO TELEPHONE: 224-4473 Email: kevinacas@yahoo.com

AL acr Sta on Lic par

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Belize Times

The Tin-pot Dictator…

By: Mike Rudon Jr. tin-pot dictator (plural tin-pot dictators) - An autocratic ruler with little political credibility, but with selfdelusions of grandeur.

With a definition like that I don’t exactly need to call names, do I? But I will anyway because Dean Oliver has shown himself to be a little man with a huge ego who doesn’t give a damn about anybody’s opinion but his own. And as for political credibility…well let’s just say that it soared when he was only talking about leading the nation and plummeted shortly after he took the oath and demonstrated that he was absolutely fabulous at frippery but sucked at substance.

It’s actually not a laughing matter, since this tin-pot dictator is having his little power outing in our very small nation of about 300,000 and every move he makes has serious repercussion for our people and for the stability of the nation.

I listened to the tin-pot dictator’s minion and the obvious object of his affections in an interview late last week… talk about being made (or molded) in the image of her master. Who the hell does Lois think she is? Talk about a damned power trip! She was livid because the Union representatives on the SSB Board declined to attend a meeting at which a vote was to be taken to push through the purchase of BTL shares using our money. Are you having a problem understanding the words that are coming out the mouths of people not swayed by your ex-husband’s delusions? The Unions want more information before they decide to approve the spending of $50million dollars on what could be a ‘puss eena bag.’ The Unions have an obligation to the people of this nation.

That money belongs to the people.

Indeed all members of the SSB Board should be governed by that same obligation to the people of this nation but from all indications there are those on Dean Oliver’s payroll in some form or fashion who have forgotten that little pesky detail. And there’s Lois ranting about sabotage…she should just shut the hell up cause the truth is that nobody trusts her anymore and nobody trusts her ex-hubby anymore and all deals in which they are involved have acquired a sudden shady aspect. That’s a damned fact Lois…and you’ll just have to live with it.

Lois just pisses me off with her stupid accusations and pontificating every single time somebody dares to say… hold up buddy, not so fast. Just like her damned ex-hubby who seems to believe that when he sits on the toilet gold bricks smelling like roses fall out of his you know what. What the hell is wrong with these people?

But you see the problem now…if this was only about a washed-up attorney crying when she doesn’t get her way I’d smirk and move on. But check out what’s in the works. Dean Barrow needs this deal with BTL to go through… to hell with everyone else. I smell an amendment to the Social Security Act which states that the social partners must be present for a vote to take place.

I smell that happening right now and it stinks to high heavens. The Unions have a very valid reason for their hesitation to sign off on the deal but if the tinpot dictator has his way, it’s a done deal anyway. More than $50 million dollars of our money which should be zealously guarded by the SSB will be used to purchase shares in BTL because Dean Oliver needs a convenient bailout on what was a stupid, dictatorial and nonsensical takeover from the very beginning.

Hell…that thing wasn’t even a nationalization – it was more like a ‘barrownization’ cause only the Barrows seemed to have benefitted so far.

We’ve seen this trend before…in small ways and large with matching repercussions. One of the most critical was with the judicial system, with Lois ranting and spitting whenever the then

Chief Justice would rule against her and the government in any case. Shortly after that Dean Oliver jumped on the bandwagon and made public statements scorning the CJ’s rulings and now…well we have no Chief Justice. Dean Oliver went on what everybody knows was a highly personal crusade and against all protest (which was significant) and against what would have been beneficial to the Belizean people (the CJ being allowed to finish the cases before him) he was removed from the Bench with what the Bar Association called indecent haste.

We’ve all seen Dean Oliver effect scores of decisions which made absolutely no sense, but he did it anyway because he wanted to. Just recently he decided to reduce the tenure of Justices of Appeal to 1 year contracts renewable at his whim, and the President of the Court of Appeal resigned, leaving another gaping hole in an already tattered justice system. These are serious moved

26

made by Dean Oliver which have an ongoing and deleterious effect on the nation and our people. But he doesn’t care.

Just keep looking at the SSB thing.

There is absolutely no reason for the deal to be rammed down our throats before the culmination of a critical lawsuit which could very well result in BTL being handed back to its previous shareholders. There is no justifiable reason for the deal to be rammed through before all pertinent information is handed over to all parties and carefully scrutinized. The Union cannot take chances with $50million dollars of the people’s money. They are doing the right thing by holding off.

But the wishes and best interests of the Belizean people seem of little consequence to the tin-pot dictator and his tin-pan dictator sidekick. I have no doubt that there is a move in the making to ram the SSB/BTL thing through. Will the people allow the tin-pot dictator free rein this time? That remains to be seen.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Belize Times

WE ARE NEMO: LET’S REFINE OUR ACT

Godwin B. Sutherland Sr., P.Eng, Q.S T he ver y location of our jewel Belize means that we will continue to be subjected to a number of natural hazards, one of which is hur ricanes.

Ever y year we are reminded that between the months of June and November we are most vulnerable to being hit by hur ricanes. Historic data exist of hur ricanes hitting the settlement as early as Se ptember 2, 1787 with some major hur ricanes occur ring on June 6, 1813, Se ptember 10, 1931, October 4, 1945, Se ptember 27, 1955 was Janet, October 31, 1961 was Hattie, October 1 2000 was Keith and then there was Richard October 24, 2010.

T hese realities demand that we kee p refining our act to make Belizeans all across this countr y safer.

I have always advanced the argument that the significance of our vulnerability to hazards is such that we cannot adhere to a model for development that does not have as its core hazard risk reduction and manag ement.

To my mind it seems reckless indeed to plan on the basis of controlled development modules, when all our systems and institutions are subject to nature’s unpredictability. T his uncer tainty in weather patter ns as re por ted by a significant cross section of the world’s scientific community is expected to be exacerbated due to the effects of climate chang e. T he implications of climate chang e of course do not aug er well for small economies such as Belize already str ug gling with major social ills and where tourism is a significant industr y.

Our planning and mitig ation effor ts need to be second to none, if we are g oing to lift our people out of this seemingly endless chasm of hopelessness, of pover ty.

T his requires the selection of leaders who are knowledg eable of and committed to hazard risk manag ement and reduction.

Equally impor tant is that periodic inde pendent evaluation of NEMO’s pre paredness should be encourag ed as a positive manag ement tool to enhance NEMO’s operations.

T he Gover nment of Belize with the suppor t of the Caribbean Development Bank and the Inter American Development Bank executed and implemented the Hur ricane Rehabilitation and Disaster Pre paredness Project (HRDPP) during the period 2000 to 2005.

T his HRDPP positioned our countr y to better respond to disasters. Under the HRDPP the National Emerg ency Manag ement Org anization (NEMO) Legislation was developed and passed. T he institutional strengthening of NEMO tog ether with public education and awareness was envisioned; the NEMO

Headquar ters building was constr ucted and commissioned.

Disaster Plans were developed along with standard operating procedures for all of NEMO’s operations tog ether with intense training at all levels.

Regional and local shelters were constr ucted anew or retrofitted all across this countr y as was the ability of NEMO to communicate during a disaster.

T his saw the installation of communication towers built at the NEMO Headquar ters and in the Mountain Pine Ridg e; accompanied by layers upon layers of telecommunication and computer hardware and software systems being installed. Significant works were done to improve the drainag e of Belize City as was software developed to deal with re por ting on shelters perfor mance, maintenance requirement and other tools that could aid in rapid damag e assessment.

Since the HRDPP, considerable time has passed and the necessar y inde pendent evaluation of all areas of NEMO’s operations must be called for. T his evaluation would provide a scientific means of capturing the feedback from Belizeans and org anizations especially those who have been affected by disasters and are involved in disaster recover y effor ts during the period 2005 to 2010.

T here was a ver y impor tant hazard analysis done under the HRDPP by the consulting fir m of Smith War ner Inter national.

In 2001 the fir m was contracted to provide a hazard analysis of the safeness of the location of IADB funded regional shelters and to deter mine the best location for the regional shelters based on some predeter mined criterion. T he deliverable for this consultancy was the production of a final re por t that provides for g reater understanding and quantification of the various hazard phenomena and provided sound recommendations. Based on the methodolog y used a 90% accuracy was attached to the results of this study. T he consultants used a number of computer modules and extended historic data of hur ricanes to obtain trends including taking into account the effect of our bar rier reef and atolls to deter mine outcomes.

We can all recall the effects of tropical stor m Ar thur in June 2008 and later that same year tropical de pression 16 and this experience clearly highlighted the impor tance to know how our rivers and waterways are likely to behave during a stor m event. T he consultants were also tasked with taking on board hydraulic/hydrologic computation and modeling.

My pur pose for making reference to this Re por t is that it speaks to the inherent dang ers

27

associated with hur ricane activities in Belize, which are stor m surg e, destr uctive waves, high winds and f looding. Smith War ner Inter national presented computed stor m surg e values as summarized in table 1 for categ ories 3, 4 and 5 hur ricanes.

T hese predictions indicate that in a categ or y 5 hur ricane, the entire downtown core of Belize City would be inundated, as would the adjacent approaches to the city. In a Categ or y 4 event, widespread f looding would also be anticipated, while in a categ or y 3 hur ricane, only a few locations would be expected to remain dr y in Belize City and environs. T hese data ought to be readily available to Belizeans as it is impor tant to infor m the decision taken in the event of a threat. Stor m surg e as a consequence of hur ricane activity needs to be better understood by ever y Belizean as it could potentially affect people in coastal areas including Belize City.

T he exce ptions being the Orang e Walk, Cayo and inland Stann Creek District which haves other activities such as f looding of rivers.

of buildings has vir tually been eliminated from our designs; the scenario for drowning may be set. Early aler ts and proper evacuation plans tog ether with public awareness and continued leadership from NEMO are to reduce this risk.

Table 2 shows stor m surg e predictions for Corozal, Dang rig a and Punta Gorda. T he Re por t noted that due to the outer bar rier reef with a shallow inner lag oon area, stor m surg e impacts are minimized at the cayes but maximized on the mainland shoreline.

T his is indeed impor tant and should foster a drive to provide protection to our shoreline. T he vulnerability was ver y visible in south side Belize City and other locations where the effects of the absence of a sea wall was readily evident and needs to be addressed with urg ency.

It is my humble opinion that the dang ers of stor m surg e needs to be more fully explain to Belizean and the devised aler t system promoted vig orously.

T he consequences associated with NEMO not adequately infor ming the Belizean pubic on

Figure 1 shows T he Bata Building a known landmark in Belize City and the line marks the re por ted water level reached during hur ricane Hattie in 1961. It can be readily seen that this water level would cover all g round f loors of a typical bung alow building and rise to a

these matters are unimaginable.

T here can also be no doubt that our transpor tation system must be made readied to effectively evacuate our people. Equally impor tant is for NEMO not to adopt a defensive posture but embrace the need to subject itself to periodic evaluation.

height of 5 feet on the second f loor of two storey buildings.

Bearing in mind that an attic window to access the roofs

T here are always lessons to be lear nt as we str ug gle to refine our pre paredness effor ts in the face of natural hazards.

28

The Belize Times

DOMINGO 7 de NOVIEMBRE , 2010

Issue No. 4718

$1.00

www.belizetimes.bz

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Truth Shall Make You Free

Accidente o síndrome del niño Maltratado?

El Director del Ministerio está revisando un expediente para deter minar si los carg os serán presentados contra la madre y el padrastro de una niña que murió bajo circunstancias muy sospechosas en su casa esta semana.

La niña, Hidalia Jomany Maldonado, vivía en Roaring Creek, Cayo, pero murió el vier nes pasado en su casa después de haber sufrido problemas respiratorios y vomitó, supuestamente después de caer por un tramo de escaleras. La policía, sin embarg o, cree que la niña podría haber sido víctima de re petidos abusos en el hog ar. Los resultados de la autopsia cer tifican que la peque-

PEQUEÑO MUERTO EN FECHA DE SU NATALICIO

Cada año 30 de octubre, la familia de Villafranco en Hope Creek Village, Stann Creek, celebrara el duelo por la pérdida de su hijo y su nieto, Kevin Villafranco, 10, porque en lugar de celebrar su cumpleaños fue muerto en un fatal accidente de tráfico. El incidente ocurrió alrededor de las cinco de la tarde, mientras el niño estaba montando una bicicleta en la carretera Hummingbird. Kevin, que era un estudiante de standard five en la escuela primaria del pueblo, fue golpeado por detrás por una camioneta cuyo conductor que venia de Dangriga nunca se detuvo. El niño fue arrojado en la parte superior del capó y luego cayó al suelo muerto, mientras que su bicicleta aplastada fue arrastrada por el vehículo hasta que logro zafarse.

El pequeño Kevin, que se dirigía a una de las tiendas de comestibles de la aldea, iba por el lado de la carretera y a ver el vehículo aproximarse espero para cruzar la calle, pero desgraciadamente el vehículo se le echo encima. A pesar de eso, el conductor, que los aldeanos creen que conducía en estado de embriaguez tuvo que ser perseguido por ellos y la policía antes de que se saliera dela carretera en el kilómetro 16 al escuchar el sonido de disparos por la policía.

El conductor Josue Tello, de 27 años, un aldeano de Camalote, Cayo, ahora enfrenta cargos de homicidio por negligencia, causar la muerte por conducta negligente, la conducción de un vehículo automotor sin el debido cuidado y atención, no detenerse a prestar ayuda, la conducción de un vehículo de motor con concentración de alcohol por encima del límite establecido, y no reportar un accidente de tráfico.

Justo antes de que el niño sufriera el fatal accidente que le causo la muerte, había llamado a su padre y le pidió que le trajera algo de Belmopan y fue también en la víspera de la llegada de su padre esa noche porque había prometido hacerle un bar-b-de para su cumpleaños esa noche.

Hidalia Maldonado ña murió a causa de 'trombosis aguda debido a la se psis y trauma en el tórax y el abdomen como

consecuencia del síndrome del niño maltratado. Ella también tenía una costilla rota.

La madre de la niña, Ysey Lu cena Maldonado, dijo a la policía que la niña se cayó por las escaleras y vomitó toda la noche del jueves y hasta la mañana del vi er nes. Ella dijo que la niña le dijo que su rostro le dolía y cuando la obser vo, había enrojecimiento.

Ella dijo que su hija murió mientras ella la bañaba para llevarla al médico. Maldonado nieg a enfáti camente que su hija fue víctima de abuso, diciendo que Hidalia era su primera hija y que el único castig o físico que ella y su novio le administraban eran azotes en

las pier nas.

Un vecino, sin embarg o, aleg a que la situación era mucho peor que eso. El vecino dijo que la niña fue abusada y g olpeada constantemente y tenía moretones que no se ajusta a una caída. El hallazg o de la autopsia parece sustentar el testimonio del vecino debido a que el médico forense llegó a la conclusión de que la niña había estado sufriendo castig os físicos durante bastante tiempo y que finalmente murió por el trauma de las lesiones.

La familia, mientras tanto, ha estado ausente de su hog ar en Roaring Creek desde el lunes.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The

The Belize Times

Belize TimesEn

Desde el Ecritorio del Lider del Partido

Español

Siguiendo al Líder…….

Solo Una ayudadita

El martes 2 de noviembre, junto con Carolyn Sandiford Líder Adjunto del Partido, Directora Adjunta de Comunicaciones Raquel Montejo y Oscar Rosado de Belice por la Justicia, nos fuimos en un recorrido por la zona Yarborough en Southside de la ciudad de Belice. El propósito de la visita era conocer de primera vista los daños causados por el huracán Richard, la devastación causada por la tormenta y para medir la respuesta de nuestro Gobierno en respuesta a las necesidades de la gente.

Durante mi tiempo en Yarborough nos encontramos a muchos de los habitantes y escuchamos sus preocupaciones y peticiones de ayuda. La mayor parte de sus preocupaciones no eran ni irrealistas ni irracionales. Querían saber si la ayuda prometida llegaría. ¿Cuándo el Ministerio de Viviendas empezara a ofrecer alguna ayuda? Si el Ministerio de Desarrollo Humano estaba pensando en hacer algo para ayudar en sus momentos de necesidad y cuándo la gente dejara de llenar formas y hacer preguntas y empezar a cumplir con la asistencia prometida.

Muchos de los residentes se preguntan si el Ayuntamiento tenía la intención de venir y hacer una gran campaña de limpieza en la zona.

Donde quiera que vayas, las calles y patios de estas personas están llenas de lodo, escombros y suciedad. Estoy convencido de que si algún consejero de la ciudad o un político grande UDP vivieran en la zona, Yarborough ya se habría limpiado.

Mientras caminábamos por las calles y visitábamos los astilleros, nos dimos cuenta las condiciones insalubres en que los Beliceños de la zona viven actualmente.

Si el Ministerio de Salud no se mueve con rapidez en la zona, una epidemia puede iniciar. Para evitar esto las calles y los patios deben ser limpiados, desagües destapados y hacer nuevos desagües para que el agua pueda fluir hacia el mar.

Muchos de los residentes con los que hablamos se preguntan, ¿cuándo las casas prometidas por el Primer Ministro se construirán? ¿Cuándo va a llegar los materiales de construcción?

La Sra. Carla Martínez, una residente de la zona sólo nos pide tres hojas de madera contrachapada. Tyrone Neal está pidiendo clavos y cuatro trozos de madera de 2x4 y Joan Bennett todo lo que necesita son dos ventanas y una puerta. Estas peticiones son básicas y la gente dice, sólo nos dan algunos de los materiales y nosotros nos encargaremos del resto.

Nuestros residentes del Southside son beliceños humildes pero orgullosos, lo poco que tienen, atesoran. Ninguna de las personas que conocí desea mendigar.

Todo lo que están pidiendo es una mano amiga y un poco de compasión humana de su gobierno en un momento de necesidad.

Es todo un contraste entre lo que el Gobierno ha sido capaz de hacer y algunas de las agencias de ayuda. Es evidente que la ayuda ha sido vertida en los ciudadanos y organizaciones privadas voluntarias. Beliceños heroicos como Indira Craig, de Canal 7 que funge como la directora de los juguetes para Totts ha ayudado a organizar un programa de alimentación para los residentes de la zona. Junto con algunas de las señoras de la comunidad han estado proporcionando comidas calientes. Hay varios grupos de la iglesia, uno en particular conducido por el pastor Howell Longworth que prepara las comidas calientes y se los entrega a las personas necesitadas. Incluso el Departamento de Policía a través de su programa de divulgación en Port Loyola está haciendo su parte y ofrece desayuno y almuerzo para los niños de la zona.

Mrs.Yolanda Sachron de Beliceños de Justicia ( Belizeans from Justice) , ha estado trabajando en el area dice de que muy pronto algunas de estas organizaciones se quedarán sin financiación y se pregunta: ¿qué pasará con estas víctimas? ¿Quién o cómo la ayuda seguirá siendo puesta a su disposición? Por ello, el Gobierno debe movilizarse ya para poner la vida de estas personas en marcha ya!

El área de Yarborough es una de las zonas potencialmente más bellas de la ciudad de Belice. Lo que necesita es un poco de atención y trabajo. Huracán Richard, mientras destructiva, ha presentado una oportunidad para los residentes de la zona y la ciudad. Con una visión y un plan para ayudar a la gente, podemos transformar a Yarborough de la misma manera que transformamos Marine Parade.

Cuando el gobierno del PUP construyó el Marine Parade en el Norte de la Ciudad, el UDP fue crítico del proyecto. Hoy en día todos los de Belice gozan de esa zona. No hay ninguna razón por qué el gobierno del UDP no puede encontrar los recursos para construir un nuevo Marine Parade en el Southside. Que transformaría la zona sur y traeria toda la actividad económica tan necesaria en la zona.

Como líder del Partido Unido del Pueblo me comprometo a trabajar en elevar la vida de estos residentes. Debemos tener una política de vivienda que se concentrará en la construcción de viviendas accesibles para los pobres en que puedan vivir con dignidad. También debemos encontrar créditos asequibles para nuestros empresarios, como la señorita Thelma de Thelma’s Kitchen, cuyo refrigerador fue destruido o Vicente Burges, que nesecita financiamiento para comprar una estufa pequeña para continuar con su negocio de venta de tamales.

Como políticos PUP debemos recordar siempre que la gente son nuestros amos y nosotros somos sus siervos. Nuestros amos de la zona sur de la ciudad de Belice están exigiendo que nos pongamos a trabajar!

29

Por: Mike Rudon Jr. En realidad quería titular esta pieza "El liderazgo y liderazgo de excremento", pero cambié de opinión porque sé que mi uso frecuente de la profanidad de bajo nivel en mi escritura ofende a algunas personas. Pero caray, es lo que es, ¿verdad? En fin... he estado dando muchas vueltas al tema de liderazgo, o tal vez debería decir un liderazgo real en oposición al tipo de liderazgo que tenemos ahora.

No es ningún secreto que yo creo con convicción absoluta de que Dean Oliver es un mal líder - arrogante, frío, despistado, sin compasión, cegado por su ego monumental propia, atrapado en las garras de la megalomanía y firmemente arraigado en su propia burbuja en donde él es un dios. Esa es mi historia y me quedo con ella... pero de que esta hecho un gran líder? Yo no estoy seguro. Supongo que todo depende de a quién se le pregunte.

Recuerdo cuando yo era el editor del Belize Times, recuerdo una foto titular en donde aparece Johnny Briceño sentado fuera de la Estación de Policía de Orange Walk, en las primeras horas de la mañana ... manteniendo una vigilia para algunos elementos de su pueblo, que habían sido injustamente detenidos por la Policía. Estaba cansado y se le notaba... pero estaba decidido a no moverse. Pensé que era una imagen excepcional del líder PUP... ha demostrado el compromiso desinteresado, constante y humildad que había estado ausente durante mucho tiempo. Estaba consternado por los que lo criticaron y los que lo llamaron falta de juicio. Al parecer no sabía nada de liderazgo. Al parecer, la imagen que debería haber estado en la primera página era una de Johnny Briceño en un caballo blanco como la nieve subiendo los escalones de la Estación de Policía a todo galope.

Me encontré con algunas fotos este fin de semana en donde Jonny Briceno hace la entrega de suministros a algunos de los afectados por el huracán Richard.

No estaba montado en un caballo blanco, pero si estaba sudando y desgreñado cargando caja tras caja de alimentos a los necesitados. Vi fotos de él cargar a los bebés y arrodillarse en el barro para conversar con los residentes de la ciudad de Belice. Es algo que he visto muchas, muchas veces porque ese es el tipo de hombre que es Johnny Briceño, y el tipo de hombre que siempre será. Entonces pensé en Dean Oliver, el líder de esta nación que se encontraba en la ciudad de México la semana antes de la tormenta y que partió en otro viaje un par de días después de la tormenta. Todo lo que Dean Oliver Barrow hizo fue sobrevolar las zonas afectadas y de pie detrás de un podio prometer alivio para los afectados... luego empacó sus trajes de Armani y mocasines de Gu-

cci en su grupo de viaje de Louis Vuitton y abandonó el país de nuevo. Hey, tal vez me equivoque... pero el tipo de líder que me gustaría es el que está en el suelo haciendo una diferencia, no el que esta bebiendo champán en países exóticos, cuando el excremento golpea el ventilador.

Johnny Briceño nunca será un Dean Barrow. Nunca se interpondrá en la Cámara de Representantes y surtirá florituras retóricas con la gracia de un virtuoso. Él probablemente nunca será capaz de escupir las palabras de 15 sílabas y citar a filósofos muertos durante siglos. Pero les aseguro que se mantendrá en las trincheras y trabajar para el pueblo. Ese es el tipo de hombre que es. Llámenme tonto... pero ese es el tipo de líder que me gustaría. Pero aparentemente no se lo que es un gran líder…..

Me las arreglé para echar un vistazo a una copia de Flashpoint, un artículo escrito por Godfrey Smith, quien dice que sabe todo acerca de las cualidades de un gran líder. Recuerdo a Smith diciendo lo mismo hace un par de años cuando era el director de campaña para el hombre que participó en la dirección del PUP en contra de Briceño. De acuerdo con Smith en aquel entonces, Briceño era un ligero intelectual que carecía de las cualidades de un gran líder.

Al parecer, la mayoría de nosotros éramos estúpidos y no compartíamos el brillo de Smith, porque Briceño ganó la convención de liderazgo. Por otra parte, en esta última edición de FlashPoint este brillante escritor de nuevo afirma poseer todo el conocimiento de lo que hace un gran líder, y según él, Briceño, claramente no cuenta con las cualidades de liderazgo. "Es curioso, pero la gente debe estar en desacuerdo otra vez porque Briceño fue aprobado altamente en la Convención hace apenas unas semanas. Pero bueno, todos debemos estar equivocado ya que Smith dice estar en lo cierto... ¿no? Si usted me pregunta, en cierta medida Smith me recuerda a Dean Barrow... la presentación es excelente, el brillo es un brillante fuego que quema, pero la sustancia... Hm! Para mí es todo mentira solo brillantemente escrito, pero eso es sólo mi opinión y qué sé yo?

En un Consejo Nacional del Partido, el otro día, creo que fue el Sr. Valdez, quien se levantó y dijo... "dejen que ellos hablen, pero al final nos saldremos con lo nuestro."

Gente como Smith siempre tendrá que dar su opinión ya que valida su existencia. Algunas personas tienen tanto temor de desvanecerse en la oscuridad política, y eso es todo lo que voy a decir al respecto.

Entonces, ¿qué hace a un gran líder? ¿Quién sabe? Yo se las cualidades que me gustaría ver en un líder. Yo sé que 'liderar a través del servicio no debe ser un eslogan político que significa absolutamente nada, pero debe ser un mantra - Palabras para vivir. Sé que prefiero un líder que se mantenga a mi lado y platique conmigo, en lugar de un líder saliendo en las páginas de revistas y periódicos extranjeros, y que no tiene idea de dónde Antelope Extension se encuentra. Yo prefiero un líder que pueda hablar conmigo con palabras sencillas. ¿Qué diablos hago con un líder que habla con palabras que no entiendo, que habla por encima de mí y no a mí?

Pero lo dicho es mi humilde opinión, y ¿que se yo de cómo debería ser un gran líder?

30

The Belize Times

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Why was MoW CEO Cadet Henderson Given a parcel of land allocated to NEMO for only $100?

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Belize Times

31

Prayer To The Holy Spirit

FOR RENT 2 bedroom house, fully furnished located in Vista Del Mar Area, Ladyville Area, Belize District. Call 623-2205 for more information.

Rooms with cable, water and electricity unfurnished. For more information contact 6232205.

LIQUOR LICENSE NOTICES Notice is hereby given that Yu Ming Chang is applying for a Shop Liquor License to be operated at “Chun Liang Bazzar”, #953 Pinks Alley, Belize City under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Wen Hua Chea is applying for a Shop Liquor License to be operated at “Honey Shop”, #2838 Corner Raccoon and Curassow Streets, Belize City under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Tsai Yu Yun is applying for a Beer Liquor License to be operated at “Lucky Grocery”, #30 Iguana Street, Belize City under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Liang Rong Chao is applying for a Beer Liquor License to be operated at “Wah Lon Bakery Shop”, #30 Euphrates Avenue, Belize City under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Li Lan Huang is applying for a Shop Liquor License to be operated at “Huan Yu Shop”, #14 Corner Raccoon and Seagull Streets, Belize City under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Zong Ming Wei is applying for a Shop Liquor License to be operated at “Liang Liang Grocery Shop”, #4252 Croton Lane, Belize City under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Bao Quan Zhang is applying for

Shop Liquor License to be operated at “Yang’s Shop”, #40 Racecourse Street, Belize City under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Wen Lin Guan is applying for a Shop Liquor License to be operated at #25 Water Lane, Belize City under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Ramon Ernesto Villanueva is applying for a Shop Liquor License to be operated at “Rene Store”, #75 Cemetery Road, Belize City under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Karl H. Menzies is applying for a Publican General Liquor License to be operated at “Karl H. Menzies Co. Ltd.”, #104 Barrack Road, Belize City under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Zen Si Che is applying for a Publican Special Liquor License to be operated at “Andrew Chee’s Restaurant”, Hattieville Road, Burrell Boom Village, Belize District under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Karl Bischof is applying for a Malt and Cider Liquor License to be operated at “St. George’s Aquarium”, St. George’s Caye, Belize District under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 1980,

Prayer To The Holy Spirit O Holy spirit, you who are the fountainhead of all knowledge, who illuminate the pathway which enables me to reach my goal. You who share your divine gift permitting me to forgive and forget past insults and injustices, and who are always at my side within reaching distance.

I desire in this short supplication to thank you for all that you have done for me, and to assure you once more that I never want to be separated from you under any circumstances, no matter what the incentive. I want to be with you, I along with my loved ones, cradled in your unending love. Thank you for your never failing kindness towards me and those I call my own.

(Prayer to be offered for three consecutive days; faith in the Holy Spirit will cause him to respond to your request no matter how difficult the problem might be.)

Publish prayer as soon as request has been granted.

R.E.R.

O Holy spirit, you who are the fountainhead of all knowledge, who illuminate the pathway which enables me to reach my goal. You who share your divine gift permitting me to forgive and forget past insults and injustices, and who are always at my side within reaching distance. I desire in this short supplication to thank you for all that you have done for me, and to assure you once more that I never want to be separated from you under any circumstances, no matter what the incentive. I want to be with you, I along with my loved ones, cradled in your unending love. Thank you for your never failing kindness towards me and those I call my own.

(Prayer to be offered for three consecutive days; faith in the Holy Spirit will cause him to respond to your request no matter how difficult the problem might be.)

Publish prayer as soon as request has been granted.

S.H.M.

Prayer To The Holy Spirit O Holy spirit, you who are the fountainhead of all knowledge, who illuminate the pathway which enables me to reach my goal. You who share your divine gift permitting me to forgive and forget past insults and injustices, and who are always at my side within reaching distance. I desire in this short supplication to thank you for all that you have done for me, and to assure you once more that I never want to be separated from you under any circumstances, no matter what the incentive. I want to be with you, I along with my loved ones, cradled in your unending love. Thank you for your never failing kindness towards me and those I call my own.

(Prayer to be offered for three consecutive days; faith in the Holy Spirit will cause him to respond to your request no matter how difficult the problem might be.)

Publish prayer as soon as request has been granted.

R.E.R.

Prayer To The Holy Spirit O Holy spirit, you who are the fountainhead of all knowledge, who illuminate the pathway which enables me to reach my goal. You who share your divine gift permitting me to forgive and forget past insults and injustices, and who are always at my side within reaching distance. I desire in this short supplication to thank you for all that you have done for me, and to assure you once more that I never want to be separated from you under any circumstances, no matter what the incentive. I want to be with you, I along with my loved ones, cradled in your unending love. Thank you for your never failing kindness towards me and those I call my own.

(Prayer to be offered for three consecutive days; faith in the Holy Spirit will cause him to respond to your request no matter how difficult the problem might be.)

Publish prayer as soon as request has been granted.

S.H.M.

At least 16 dead in Costa Rica mudslides, Red Cross says At least 16 people died and more than 15 others were missing Thursday after heavy overnight rains caused severe mudslides in par ts of Costa Rica, the nation's Red Cross said.

Another 600 people have sought refuge in 14 shelters, said the Costa Rica National Commission for Emergencies.

Images on Teletica showed rescue crews dig ging through demolished homes. In another scene, workers at a mud-covered over tur ned vehicle stretched out a white sheet over a victim's body.

Other images showed roads buckled by the ferocity of the r ushing water. In another area, some residents str ung up a rope between two banks so people could walk across a cascade.

Mudslides and f looding were repor ted in many places in the Central Valley area, which is surrounded by a handful of mountains and volcanoes. It is the most populous par t of the nation.

Classes were indefinitely canceled at many of Costa Rica's public schools, the education minister said on Teletica.

About 800,000 people were left without safe water supplies, and residents were told to boil any water to be used for drinking or cooking.

First Catholic seminary in half century opens in Cuba The Catholic Church opened its first seminar y in Cuba in more than 50 years on Wednesday, with President Raul Castro in attendance.

The inauguration of the school outside of Havana was evidence of just how far relations between the communist g over nment and the Catholic Church have come in recent years.

Pope Benedict XVI sent a g reeting that was read aloud to the g athering of Catholic and g over nment officials.

Castro accompanied Cardinal Jaime Or teg a on a tour of the seminar y.

The inauguration comes after the Catholic Church helped broker Cuba's big gest release of political prisoners in a decade, a process that is ong oing.

Although Cuba never severed ties with the Vatican, some Catholic Church officials were expelled after Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, and relations were tense.

Tensions eased in the 1990s, culminating with the visit of the late Pope John Paul II in 1998.

CNN's Shasta Darlington contributed to this repor t.

32

The Belize Times

Sunday, November 7, 2010