Belize Times July 28, 2013

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The Belize Times

Established 1957

28 JULY 2013

| ISSUE NO: 4855

The Truth Shall Make You Free

www.belizetimes.bz

|

$1.00

The Mother of All

Bukuts

3% to GOB; 97% for VEGA & UDP Belize City, July 22, 2013 Last Friday, July 19, at the Chiquibul Symposium in Belize City Minister Lisel Alamilla, Dean Barrow’s golden girl of conservation and the environment fell into a deep political hole.

She confessed to the nation that she cut a deal with the Deputy Prime Minister’s brother’s illicit logging operation for Government to receive a trivial sum of $15,000 per container of 9,000 board feet.

Under very dim lighting she came across as shifty, nervous and rushed. Her words came out

Gaspar Vega

Gay

in jagged little flitches as the media tried to extract the truth. Said the Minister, “I think we have shipped a number of containers or at least given the permits for at least fifteen containers to be shipped or more.” Hold on, you think? Wait a minute, you are not sure if it was fifteen or twenty or possibly what insiders are saying were “more than 40?” The Minister said “or more”.

Dean Barrow’s privileged girl was dumbing down to meet the low bar of her other Cabinet colleagues when she uttered

Pg. 3

Mayas take Barrow to Court…again!

Pageant held ‘in the dark’

Pg. 6

Pg. 12

3rd major UDP financier detained in drug ring

JAGUARS rewarded for rejecting bribe

US accuses Rawell Pelayo of trafficking cocaine

Pg. 8

Lisel Alamilla

Pg. 31

Rawell “Berto” Pelayo

Pg. 31

Woodrow West & Ian Gaynair

Pablo Marin MUST RESIGN!

C

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OPINION OUT

!

Dear Editor, I am frustrated, no, I am angry. I’m vexed with the Minister of Sports who displayed arrogance when he wasted tax payer’s dollars for a simple photo up in Oregon, instead of doing the right thing which was to provide adequate funding to the Belize Jaguars national team.

When it comes to Sports, this Minister’s record is a fat zero, a downright failure. His Government’s record is also one of failure, and it is recorded in the downtrodden, dilapidated, condemned sports facility we once knew as the Civic Center.

The Civic used to be Belize’s hub of sports. It was the Sports complex that housed semi-pro basketball, volleyball nationals, five-a-side football, table tennis tournaments and the many gala events such as dances, pageants and mega concerts like the reggae artist Burning Spear.

Now, two terms into the UDP, the Civic is a wrecked building. It is a disgrace. It is the hallmark of the UDP’s record in Sports.

Under the UDP, sports is dead and Minister Longsworth is responsible for this.

But how can we expect any better from him when he is the same one who showed us what his real interest is before the elections. Yes, before becoming the Minister of Sports Longsworth benefitted from Sports when he was given a $2 million contract to build a fence around the Marion Jones Sports Complex. To make matters worse, the fence was the first thing to go up at Marion Jones complex and continues to be the only erection up to today. This shameful and disgraceful.

Signed Angry sports fan

26 Jul

OUT

OUT

Shame & Disgrace Sports Minister

LOCAL

28 JUL

THE BELIZE TIMES

Kenny Jacobs on why we are still poor

!

Beware, Unions!

Dear Editor, Please allow me space in your newspaper to share my views concerning why the poor in Belize can’t get ahead!

Belize is home to hundreds of thousands of people, all of diverse ethnicities. We have many natural resources unmatched to other countries. We have a culture untouched, natural, rich, and splendid which makes us unique.

Our people, however, are being born or are being “given” a mentality that they are poor. They are given this mentality by the wealthy people. These wealthy people have the power and they control these poor people by many obstructs: religion, politics, education, and money.

Whenever the rich people see the opportunity to make millions off the poor people, they do whatever it takes to get it. They construct a Continued on page 29

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Dear Editor, Kindly allow me some space to warn the good people of the Unions about what seems to be a sinister plot. For many years, the Amandala has been heavily critical of the PUP and the Church, in particular the Roman Catholic Church, which represents almost 60% of the Nation. If I read correctly, the Amandala is saying that the country is run and controlled by both political parties and the Church, and the only people who can change this power base are the Unions.

That statement must be taken cautiously and with a grain of salt. If there is anything we can learn from Amandala’s history with the PUP, it is that infiltration by any means necessary is the name of the game. Just two years ago, their plan to have Mark Espat take over the PUP leadership while still being a secret agent of the Barrow UDP government failed miserably, by divine intervention.

Now that Mark Espat has been exposed, and now that it is public knowledge that Barrow is attending secret meetings with the devil himself, the Lord of Chichester, Evan X Hyde believes that he could lose control of those he controls in the UDP. Also X has realized that Krem does not control COLA anymore. So X his associates are eying their beady eyes on the Unions. Beware, union members.

Union members must ask: did the Amandala support the 3,000 plus teachers when they demanded RESPECT and a Salary Adjustment from Barrow and his rough and worthless government? Let them show you teachers where, in their so called leading newspaper, did they call out Barrow and his government in your defense of your just cause.

When the Union members includContinued on page 29

Let’s take Sports seriously!

!

Dear Sir It’s always interesting to read commentaries and articles in the print media of how things were in the past and how it has change over the years in Belize. The discussion has become so intense that at one point the question was: have we become a failed State since achieving Independence or should we have remained a colony of Britain? The most intriguing subject for me is in relation to sports and athletes who were dominant in their particular sports discipline in the past. These comments are made by very prominent Belizeans or government officials. They are important stories that must be mentioned and also documented for the future generation.

Continued on page 29

weather 27 Jul

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29 Jul

2630Mar Jul

27 Mar Jul 6 31 Feb

2013

OUT Better Management of Placencia Beach Needed

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Dear Editor, The Placencia Peninsula beach is 17 miles long and is one of our main tourism assets.

Majority of it is filthy almost all year round and especially during this time of year. This is unacceptable, and it is slowly eroding our image as the fastest growing tourism destination, and the best stretch of beach in Belize.

We recently won Destination of the Year. To keep that prestige, we need to focus our energies on our beach.

In October 2010 the Gulf of Honduras (GOH) was launched with an objective of: “Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras,” with a primary focus on demonstration of new and mixed technologies to address some of the major environmental problems and issues of the Gulf leading to the degradation of marine and coastal ecosystems by human activities. The long-term goal of the project is to reverse the degradation of the coastal and marine ecosystems by enhancing the control and prevention of maritime transport-related pollution in the major Continued on page 29

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The Belize Times

Established 1957

14 APR 2013

|

ISSUE NO: 4840

The Truth Shall Make You Free

www.belizetimes.bz

|

$1.00

serving Belize since 1957 as the longest continuous newspaper.

Founder: Rt. Hon. George Cadle Price, People’s United Party Leader Emeritus EDITOR

Alberto Vellos LAYOUT/GRAPHIC ARTIST

Chris Williams

OFFICE ASSISTANT

Roberto Peyrefitte Printed and Published By The Belize Times Press Ltd. Tel: 671-8385 #3 Queen Street P.O. BOX 506 Belize City, Belize

Email: belizetimesadvertisement@yahoo.com

editortimes@yahoo.com

Exchange rate of One Belize Dollar

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28 JUL

2013 The Mother of All Bukuts

$135,000 GOB; $6 MILLION for UDP

Brother of not-normal DPM & Rosewood exporter, German Vega Continued from page 1 the statement, “we had to negotiate a price based on what we heard people are making.” You mean in 2013, a super environmental expert like Minister Alamilla could not Google or check with her conservation connections what the world market price for rosewood is?

Research done by the BELIZE TIMES shows a range between $25US and $100US per board foot for Rosewood. For example Rosewood from Brazil is used to make high quality drums and it sells for as much as $95US per board foot. We know that our Rosewood is being shipped to mainland China for specialized furniture production.

Reuters reports that, “Thai rosewood can fetch up to $50,000 per cubic meter.”

The reality in Belize is that someone in the UDP came up “big time” with this shady flea market deal that Minister Alamilla agreed to on behalf of the Dean Barrow government.

When one journalist asked the Minister if the logical thing to have done was to just take a look at the shipping invoices to determine “my pound of flesh,” the Minister casually replied, “no, I didn’t go into that level with it really.” What level is that Minister? This simple confession is a significant act of incompetence and downright betrayal to the Belizean national interest.

Do the math Belizeans. If we use the most conservative world market value for rosewood at $80 Belize per board foot and each of the fifteen containers had 9000 board feet each then as any good PSE student could tell you that would amount to $450,000 per container. And to finish the problem solving, times that by fifteen and you get SIX MILLION SEVEN HUNDERED AND FIFTY THOUSAND dollars $6,750,000!!

Even the UDP’s, CHANNEL 7 was forced to say on Friday that the Rosewood issue “caused the Barrow Administration to take a major political hit because of the central involvement of the Deputy Prime Minister’s brother, German Vega”.

Now that the facts are out, who will be made to account for this kind of corruption?

Rosewood Again! Gapi Again!

THE BELIZE TIMES

03 3

Alberto August Land Grab Santa Elena Town, July 23, 2013 During the time of the previous PUP administration Hon. Mario Castellanos, PUP Area Representative for Cayo Central, designated a plot of land beside the Santa Elena PreSchool, formerly the Community Centre to be given to the Cornerstone Foundation a non-profit NGO. The Cornerstone Foundation is well known throughout Belize and abroad for their dedication to working with adults and children affected by HIV and AIDS. They are also instrumental in working with single mothers and battered women. The Foundation also has a feeding program that provides free lunch to children coming from homes where a nutritious meal is not readily available. The Foundation on a daily basis feeds well over fifty children. Their work in the community is outstanding to say the least.

How heartless can one be... upon taking office this UDP government immediately cancelled the application process for the plot of land (labelled purple in the diagram provided) and gave it to Alberto August who is the rabid UDP Chairman. How cruel can one be? The plan was to expand the feeding program to Eden and Santa Elena Primary Schools.

Alberto August is now building what seems to be his home on that plot of land taken from an organization that serves the greater good of the community. Does it stop there? No. Reliable reports indicate that he recently received

Baby Lorena laid to rest Parents still suspicious of KHMH

permission from Rene Montero to take yet another piece of the park (labelled red in the drawing provided). Upon hearing this the footballers who play five a side football on that field along with the people of Santa Elena cried foul.

This greed in your face arrogance cannot be allowed to happen. They begged that this plot be exposed and they call on Lands Minister Gaspar Vega and the PM to put their minister and Chairman in check. “Not another inch of our park”, the people in this town are saying.

Alberto August, the people are saying “Enough is Enough”. People really di suffa out ya.

Art pioneer, Michelle Perdomo, passes

Grieving father Lawrence Bol carries body of baby Lorena in a casket

Belize City, July 25, 2013 Baby Lorena Bol, who lived less than two days before dying under mysterious circumstances at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, was buried in a small and quiet funeral held in San Antonio Village in the Toledo District on Saturday, July 20th 2013.

Baby Lorena’s parents, Lawrence Bol and Elvira Ack, are still suspicious about the cause of their firstborn’s death. Bol and Ack had travelled from far south to Belize City, where they believed the health service was better and their baby stood better chances.

Baby Lorena Bol was born at 8:25 on Friday morning as a healthy baby girl.

Her parents said she grew

stronger by the hour and by Saturday was already breastfeeding.

They say they no signs of anything wrong with her; therefore, they were shocked when the baby passed in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

The Hospital conducted a post mortem and has reported the cause of death as heart failure.

Bol and Ack are not convinced. With their minds perplexed and hearts swollen, they had to beg the public for assistance in burying their child. On Friday, Bol was seen carrying his daughter inside a small casket from the morgue unto a Ministry of Health pickup truck, in preparation for the sad and long trip back home.

The BELIZE TIMES and the People’s United Party express condolences to Mr. Carlos Perdomo and his family on the passing of Mrs. Michelle Perdomo, a great teacher, wife, mother and grandmother.

Mrs. Perdomo is a pioneer of the art program at St. John’s College high school and junior college, where she taught for almost four decades. Many of the students who took Mrs. Perdomo’s classes are today well-recognised artists. They pay tribute to her for their learning and motivation.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Perdomo family.

May Teacher Perdomo she rest in peace.

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28 JUL

THE BELIZE TIMES

on the

BCVI - MAKING A DIFFERENCE

By Francis W. Fonseca There are organizations and people in Belize who quietly each day go about making a difference in the lives of others.

One such organization is the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired (BCVI).

Founded in the year of Belize’s Independence, BCVI’s mission describes it as “a non-profit organization committed through a comprehensive program to prevent and cure blindness, restore sight and to rehabilitate and educate people who are blind to enable them to use their talents and abilities to

live independent lives.”

My father, William Fonseca, himself a visually impaired person since the late 1970’s, was one of the founding members of BCVI and today serves as its Honorary President.

This has afforded me the opportunity to witness up close and personal the direct positive and practical impact BCVI has had on the lives of so many visually impaired persons in Belize.

This past Sunday my

oldest son Alex and I were honored to join my Father in a small but meaningful “reunion” with some of his former “students”. Donovan, Charlie, Teresita, Ruthilda, Hector, Martha, Richard, Victor….these were all familiar names and faces in my home growing up.

Self-taught in braille, my father passed on what he could to these young people but his most im-

2013 portant lessons were about life. He offered lots of encouragement and support but no sugarcoating. Life would be challenging and often harsh but their responsibility was to stay positive and keep moving forward.

It has been remarkable and inspiring over the years to see these justifiably frightened and uncertain children transformed into confident, ambitious, young-adult Belizeans determined to lead independent fulfilling lives.

This would not have been possible if not for the work and mission of BCVI. This coming week, Rowan Garel, a blind teenager will dive the Blue Hole to raise awareness and funds for BCVI. He too has been a ben-

eficiary of BCVI’s work.

BCVI has come a long way over the past 32 years in large part due to the dedicated leadership of Mrs. Joan Musa, herself a trained ophthalmic nurse, who has passionately served this organization and guided it to national and international recognition.

In her work she has had the support of dedicated staff and Board members like Mrs. Joan Samuels and Sr. Elsa Oliva, the current Board President.

There is much we as Belizeans can learn from BCVI and the people who serve there.

We must all try to lead lives of service to others and to Belize.

Thank you BCVI for MAKING A DIFFERENCE!!

28 JUL

2013

THE BELIZE TIMES

05 5

Guest EDITORIAL

“ROSEWOOD AGAIN?!”

Yes, Minister, Rosewood again!

By Norris Hall The rot and decay of a six month old rosewood scandal that involves the Prime Minister’s Cabinet and which is grabbing more local and international interest, will simply not go away, as the plots of intrigues and corruption continue to thicken.

Cornered late last week by the media, the Minister of Forestry, who initially was trying to take the high road, has gotten her feet caught up in the morass and dirt of a corrupt administration as she tripped over a series of official lies, double talk and her own fiery “statement” which she made for the cameras, in January as the scandal broke.

Caught off-guard by a recent shipment of rosewood, the Minister bumped her head into the wall of the maze of double speak with an exasperated “Rosewood again!” utterance.

One blogger on Facebook commented “it indicates her acute awareness, and maybe even acceptance of the status quo.”

Questioned by the media, the lady Minister came up with some fuzzy math that neither represented arithmetic nor algebra. And so it did not pan-out.

In response to a question if the Minister was sure that the government was getting its half of what the illegally harvested rosewood sells for (the government struck a deal with the logger, who the brother of the Deputy Prime Minister), the Forestry Minister was caught by a swift curve ball and had to swing resulting in a foul.

Here is what she said: “We had to negotiate a price based on what we heard people are making. We heard all sorts of figures of what a container fetch and it varied really; everyone that came in had a different figure that they were telling us…It got to the point that we had to say just pay us our share, a fair share and then export your material.”

That was very strange for the Minister of Forestry, who is hooked on the aphrodisiac of power, or for a government to behave, considering that they were dealing with loggers who were caught exporting rosewood illegally.

Asked about how much money the government was receiving from the export of each container of rosewood, the Minister replied that she had negotiated a payment of $15,000 per container, insisting that it was the payment of royalties. Royalties imply payment from a legitimate transaction. The crooked and unprecedented step taken by the government to share 50/50 the profits from the illegal harvesting of rosewood for export, because it was the Deputy PM’s brother, is in itself a bloody crime. How can the Minister play semantics with us and dare to call that “royalties”?

She insisted, “royalties”.

The Minister screwed up big time. Or perhaps, with instruction from the Cabinet, she had to shortchange the government out of thousands of dollars.

While the Minister claimed that she was not aware of the

market price, an obvious lie, as she has a Chief Forest Officer who should have known, it was quite easy to find out that the market value of rosewood exported is US$25.00 per board foot.

Each container carries 9,000 board feet of rosewood. This means that each container has a value of 9,000 xUS$25 which amounts to $225,000.

How did she arbitrarily come up with $15,000?

A very fair and honest question then is will the government collect the remaining $210,000 owing to it for each container of rosewood shipped?

Where is the money? Any cynic would ask, especially since it is money needed by a cash-strapped government, although you wouldn’t think so. There must be an explanation for a possible quid pro quo in such a deal. The Minister could not have blundered so badly. After all, she is smart and she is powerful.

This was hard to grasp. This writer assumed that the $15,000 per container the Minister had mentioned was for the export duty, not the actual cost of the rosewood. It could also have been assumed from what was heard initially that she was taking the high road and distancing herself from the sordid and corrupt process.

I was truly prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Seeking a clarification from her, she told me: “I have to implement Cabinet’s decision and I must respect its collective decision. So I can’t distance myself, it would not be right.”

I was caught flat-footed and had to put out a blog: “The rosewood scandal is taking on more legs than a centipede, not knowing which legs to put forward. If any decision of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet is based on principled positions, then the “principled” people in the Cabinet would not have to hide behind the “collective” decision of the Cabinet but could freely articulate their position. The “Collective” decision of the Cabinet to excuse away an explanation implies a cover up. It is akin to the credo of the criminal gangs: Blood in, blood out.”

It must now be assumed that when the Minister of Forestry made the fiery statement in January of this year to burn halfa-million dollars’ worth of illegally harvested rosewood by the well-connected UDPs, it was the “collective” decision of the Cabinet out of frustration with the hustling of the Deputy PM’s family and others.

We also have to assume that the Minister’s decision to collect $15,000 for a container of rosewood valued at $225,000 was a Cabinet decision. This means that the Minister of Forestry is now deep in the morass of corruption that is plaguing this government and the people of Belize.

This writer wants to hope not. But until this sordid affair gets, at least the transparency of a thin corn tortilla, Minister, you will have to again come off of your high horse and ask again and again: “Rosewood again?” We will respectfully reply: “Yes Minister”.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Mayas take Barrow to Court…again!

Toledo District, July 24, 2013 The Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management has launched a major court action against the Barrow Administration, in a string of litigations between the two entities since the United Democratic Party took office in 2008.

SATIIM, an environmental group which has managed the Sarstoon Temash National Park in the Toledo District since 1997, has accused the Barrow Administration of trampling the rights of the indigenous Maya people.

This accusation we’ve heard before, but every time the gravity of the ill-treatment is more pronounced. This time, SATIIM says, it is over the Government’s permission granted to oil company, U.S. Capital, for oil exploration inside the national park. The oil company has stepped up its activities inside the protected area as it prepares to drill for oil. US Capital has also opened up a 4.8 miles long road to access the drill site.

SATIIM held a press conference at the Social Security office in Punta Gorda Town on Tuesday July 23, afternoon to declare war against the Government and the oil company, for acts which they

say are disrespectful and illegal.

“For ten months SATIIM and the communities of the Sarstoon Temash region have relentlessly asked the government of Belize to address our concerns rising from the U.S. Capital Energy’s oil development concession. The government has refused to recognize SATIIM and the communities concerns. Therefore we have turned to the court and have filed a claim based on our environmental law and the rights of the indigenous people of the Sarstoon Temash region,” declared SATIIM Executive Director, Greg Ch’oc.

Central to SATIIM’s argument is that the Government is not respecting the communal rights they have over land in the Toledo District. This right, was upheld by the Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh in 2007 and 2010. The Chief Justice declared, in the latter case, that the Government “shall cease and abstain from any acts … that might adversely affect the existence, value, use or enjoyment of the lands located in the Toledo District, occupied and used by Maya villagers…unless such acts are with their

(the Maya villagers’) informed consent”.

The C.J. said further, “This order includes…issuing any leases or grants to lands or resources under the National Lands Act or any other Act…issuing of concessions for resources exploitation, including concessions, permits or contracts authorizing logging, prospecting or exploration, mining or similar activity…”

The C.J., who also accused the Barrow Administration of defying his earlier declaration on Mayan land rights, would be offended once more to know that six years after the 2007 ruling, and three years after the 2010 ruling, the UDP Government continues in defiance.

Ch’oc said the Maya people did not have a say in the Environment Impact Assessment carried out by the oil company.

“Over the last ten months SATIIM and the communities have witnessed blatant disregard for the rule of law.

Our environmental laws have been violated, our rights have been violated, and we have been ignored on our Maya customary land rights which also includes lands inside the nation-

28 JUL

2013 al park. SATIIM and the communities were never conducted on the E.I.A. and when we had our one opportunity to express our concern to the government of Belize and the U.S. Capital Energy, our voices were suppressed,” declared Ch’oc.

On Monday, Ch’oc’s attorneys Eamon Courtenay and Lisa Shoman filed a legal suit against the Attorney General and U.S. Capital. In their appeal to the Court, the Maya people are asking for the Court to stop the oil activities inside the national park.

SATIIM has also launched another offensive against the Government, after the Ministry of Forestry wrote the group on July 17th informing that they no longer had authority to manage the Sarstoon Temash National Park. The agreement was up for revision since last year, but the Government gave an extension which ended in June 2013.

In the letter, the Ministry prohibits SATIIM from accessing the park or from carrying out any business associated with the park.

Ch’oc said this was just another sign of disrespect, and he rejected the decision.

“I want to tell the Forestry Department and the Government of Belize that SATIM will continue to manage and protect the National Park because it is our interest and the interest of the Belizean people. SATIM is not only protecting the park - but it is ensuring the territorial integrity of this country,” said SATIIM’s leader.

28 JUL

2013

07 7

THE BELIZE TIMES

Dr. Amin Hegar supports Patrick Andrews

Cayo South Village Councils undergo training Cayo South, July 24, 2013 Community leaders need to become aware that the Village Council Act offers opportunities for them to influence modern developments in their communities.

This was the theme of the first in of a series of trainings sessions held for seven newly elected Village Councils of the Cayo South Constituency in the Cayo district. The Honorable Julius Espat, Area Representative of the Cayo South constituency, recognized that the people of rural communities in Cayo South are anxious to influence their own development.

Thus, he organized and successfully executed a training workshop to acquaint the new village leaders with their legal rights and obligations as expressed in the Village Council act of 2000.

This workshop took place on July 17 2013 at the P.U.P. Cayo South constituency community center located on the Elements Compound on Forest Drive in Belmopan. The main item on the agenda was the legal implications of the Village Council Act of 2000. Ms. Myrtle Palacio, PUP Secretary General, was the facilitator on the legal issues. Hon. Julius Espat highlighted the many services his office offers to the village councils and motivated the participants to influence positive developments in their communities.

The thirty- five participants represented the villages of St. Matthews, Cotton Tree, Ontario, Camalote, Roaring Creek, Valley of Peace, and St. Margaret. Besides the legal aspects of the Village Council Act, the participants had lively Interactions and were given the opportunity to seek clarifications on issues affecting their respective villages. The question of lands committee was a hot issue which will need further discussions.

The participants expressed the desire to have more training workshops and Hon. Espat responded that more critical training opportunities for Village Councils would be organized.

BELIZE TIMES

The fastest selling newspaper in Belize

City of Belmopan, July 24, 2013 In an expression of unity and with a common goal to rescue the City of Belmopan, Dr. Amin Hegar today expressed his full support towards Mr. Patrick Jason Andrews for Standard Bearer of the Peoples United Party.

Dr. Hegar recognizes the need for a united front against the UDP, and encourages his Committee and campaign personnel to support Mr. Andrews in this endeavor. Mr. Andrews expressed his utmost respect and admiration for Dr. Hegar’s valuable experience, hard work and dedication in Belmopan, and committed himself to work in a spirit of trust and respect with all concerned. (Press Release)

Dr. Amin Hegar offers his support to Patrick Andrews

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THE BELIZE TIMES

28 JUL

2013

Can you make the sacrifice?

Known UDP associates Melin Vasquez & Hugo Cassanova were arrested in an anti-drug sting in Mexico

3rd major UDP financier detained in drug ring US accuses Rawell Pelayo of trafficking cocaine

Orange Walk District, July 24, 2013 Well-known Orange Walk businessman Rawell Pelayo, who was detained by US Drug Enforcement Agency officials on July 7th as he attempted to enter the United States as a senior official of the Football Federation of Belize, has been charged for conspiring to traffic cocaine into New York, a serious violation of US narcotics laws.

Documents filed by the United States District Court Southern District of New York on July 8th, and released to various media this week, finally shed light on the grounds on which Pelayo has been detained for the past three weeks. The documents allege that “on or about December 30, 2010, in Mexico RAWELL PELAYO, a/k/a “Berto,” the defendant, participated in a discussion with others during which he discussed a plan to send a quantity of cocaine to New York”.

Further information contained in the Court documents reveals that the amount of drugs which Pelayo allegedly “would and did import into the United States” involved “five kilograms and more of mixtures and substances containing a detectable amount of cocaine”.

U.S. officials have also issued a notice of seizure on Pelayo’s assets, including “any and all property constituting or derived from any proceeds…of the said violation, and, any property used or intended to be used in any manner of part to commit and to facilitate the commission of the narcotics violation”.

Pelayo is believed to be the owner of the popular Lamanai Riverside restaurant and bar, located along the New River bank.

Pelayo, who is better known in Orange Town as Raul Pelayo, is the third known major UDP financier to be nabbed for drug trafficking allegations.

On February 7th of this year, two well-known UDP big wigs, Ermelindo “Melin” Vasquez of Orange Walk Town and Hugo Cassanova of Carolina Village in the Corozal District, were caught by Mexican anti-drug authorities in a major anti-drug sting in neighboring Chetumal, Quintana Roo. Melin is a known supporter of Landy Burns who ran for the UDP in the Orange Walk East area, while Cassanova was a major financier of the UDP’s campaign in Corozal South East.

The men were alongside Carlos Cabañas Catzín, the leader of one of Mexico’s most dangerous drug cartels known as Los Pelones. Security forces found 45 kilograms of the synthetic drugs known as crystal methamphetamine, already packed in 5,000 small packs ready for distribution inside several refrigerators. The drugs have a value of 11 million pesos (almost BZE$2m).

The UDP has kept tight lipped about their relationship with the men involved in these cases, but the affiliation is no secret. All three men were active supporters of the UDP in the past elections. We are told the UDP is now trying their best to disassociate themselves from their colleagues.

PUP NOTICE

Belize Rural South Constituency Committee The People’s United Party is accepting applications for members of the Belize Rural South Constituency Committee.

Application forms are available at the San Pedro PUP office or the PUP Secretariat, Independence Hall, #3 Queen Street, Belize City.

Application must be filled and returned to the Secretariat, addressed to the Secretary General by Friday August 30, 2013.

Dara prepares for 2nd annual Ride for Hunger Belize City, July 22, 2013 Joel “Dara” Robinson wants supporters to make a sacrifice when they join him on the 2nd annual Ride for Hunger to be held on Saturday August 3rd. He is asking participants to skip their early meal that morning, as a show of solidarity with the hundreds of children who are stricken with hunger in our country.

The event seeks to raise funds for Dara’s kitchen located on Dunn St., King’s Park, through which Dara provides daily lunch to some 30 kids who would otherwise attend school on an empty stomach.

“Fu feel hungry and noh hav nuttin fi eat, no feel nice. He who feels it knows it,” Dara told the BELIZE TIMES. Dara said he wants cycling enthusiasts, athletes and the general public to join him in making the sacrifice on that day.

Funding for the lunch programme will be derived from the registration fee, which is only $5.00. Participants can also donate can food items and

give monetary contributions.

“Ride for Hunger” will start at 6:30am sharp from in front of the SMART headquarters office on Mile 2 ½ on the Phillip Goldson Highway.

It will go north, and turn on the Boom Road and then unto the George Price Highway, into the city and back to Mile 2 ½ on the Phillip Goldson Highway.

The event is not competition, in fact, Dara has been sponsored a Habet and Habet truck which will lead the cycling pack, outfitted with an entertainment system that will be sounding off reggae music.

The day after, on Sunday August 4th, the 6th Annual Tribute to Lucky Dube will be held raise more funds and collect food items.

“To some, helping may look like a small thing but in reality it goes a long way to keeping children healthy and in school” Dara told the newspaper.

Anyone interested in assisting Dara with any of the two events, or with making early donations can do so by contacting him at 623-3662.

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More Than Just A Summer Camp

(Left to right; top to bottom) Director Joan Musa, Donovan, Victor, Charlie, Martha, Rehab Consultant Joan Samuels, Honorary President William Fonseca, Teresita and Rutelia

What started out with a field trip for a small group of children 20 years ago, has grown into the highlight of the Rehabilitation and Education Program at the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired (BCVI). For two weeks out of the year, more than 30 blind children who are entering preschool or registered in school are brought to Belize City (with a family member or guardian) to be prepped for the upcoming school year.

BCVI provides transportation, accommodation, and meals and each child is assessed and given an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that outlines the skills gained as well as those needed to succeed in their new classes. These include everything from the Braille alphabet for preschoolers to Algebra for high school students. Campers are also treated to various outings, celebrations events like Channel 5’s Next Superstar, and field trips to San Pedro, Bacab Eco Park and The Belize Zoo. Watching these children grow into independent and intelligent individuals is one of the most rewarding feelings for everyone at BCVI. Honorary President, Mr. William “Chi Chi” Fonseca, who is also blind, founded BCVI in 1981 and still remembers his first encounters with BCVIs very first clients, some of whom were just babies. This group has gone from Orientation & Mobility to Integrated Intervention, Educational Support, Income Generation and Job Placement with the support from BCVI. With more than 1,200 people on its Blind Register, the Rehabilitation Field Officers (RFOs) must work yearround to provide adequate Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) in the homes, schools and communities of Belizeans who are blind or visually impaired. Thanks to funding and support from local and international organizations such as BNE’s Energy for Life, Sightsavers International and UNICEF, BCVI has been able to keep these services alive for decades on a strictly non-profit basis.

You can also get to know the children and students in BCVI’s Rehabilitation program during the Summer Camp Open Day on Thursday July 25th at 9am at the Lions Conference Center on Princess Margaret Drive.

All friends, donors and supporters are invited to attend to see how endless the possibilities are when people have someone to believe in them.

Summer Camp 2013 at the Belize Zoo

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Gay Pageant held ‘in the dark’ BELIZE CITY, Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013

By Alton F. Humes (Freelance Reporter) A 1st-of-its-kind Gay Belize National Pageant was held out of the closet but still ‘in the dark’ sometime between July 19th and 20th, 2013. The event was held in the midst of the controversy over both the United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM) court challenge over Section 53 of the Criminal Laws and the recent “Constitutional Marches” organized and supported by the Evangelical Churches of Belize and Belize Action, amongst others.

The pageant was for “drags” in the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/Transvestite) community, that is, men who dress up, wear make-up and look like women.

Details and overall information about the ‘drag’ pageant were harder to come by than a Craigslist search at first, but here’s what we found out from a “male” organizer who spoke to the BELIZE TIMES via phone today on condition of anonymity. The pageant was reportedly held at the Bachelor Inn compound in the King’s Park area of Belize City, and had seven delegates overall – 2 from San Pedro and one each from the City of Belmopan, Ladyville, Orange Walk, Corozal Bay, Dangriga and Belize City, respectively.

The organizer said the male delegates competed in the usual pageant goings-on – swimwear, evening wear, question-and-answer, etc. The eventual “winner” was one “Adriana Candy Lemar”, from San Pedro Town, crowned as “Gay Goddess 2013-2014”. The 19-year-old will now be representing Belize at a regional pageant in Nicaragua.

The organizer went to pains to disassociate the pageant organization from Caleb Orozco’s UNIBAM. While they both are under the LGBT banner only, the organizer said UNIBAM had nothing to do with the pageant.

The organizer said that since they are always harassed by “anti-gay” people when in public, they have had to organize their own kind of “entertainment”.

And what about the event being an affront to the Church-

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“Adriana Candy Lemar” was crowned at the gay pageant es’ direct actions and protests to keep the event from occurring? When the Church learnt that the pageant was being held in Orange Walk Town, they wrote the Town Council to complain and threatened to protest if the event goes through. The organizer said they relocated to Belize City to “protect our VIP guests and ensure the event would be safe (from aggressors)…”

Even so, the Church was still on the offensive, referring to the pageant as “an event to tame the society”. The organizer was less than pleased over such talk, saying he and his organization “strongly disagree” with the Church’s stance, and insisted that in the current climate, the event “had to be private” and only ticket-holders to the event were welcomed.

So will there be more like unusual events held by this new LGBT organisation? The organizer was vague about the answer, saying only that they would “continue to exist”, and plan to hold this event at least every year. But the questions still remains. Is this a sign that the LGBT community will no longer be content to remain ‘in the closet’? Will this add to the enmity between the LGBT community and the Churches?

Will there be reaction from the Churches and their allies?

“WHAT NEXT?”, just doesn’t seem like a big enough question to ask.

2013

For Sale

By Order of the 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 22nd day of August, 2006, between LYNETTE RODRIGUEZ AND CLINTON D. RODRIGUEZ both of Belize City, Belize (Borrowers) of the first part, the said CLINTON D. RODRIGUEZ of Belize City (Surety) of the second part, and Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., of the third part, and recorded at the Land Titles Unit in Deeds Book Vol. 31 of 2006 at Folios 231–298, 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 piece or parcel of land containing 691.983 S.Y. and being Lot No. 721 in Hopkins Village, Stann Creek District, Belize , shown and described by Plan attached to the Minister’s Fiat Grant No. 554 of 2006 dated 2nd June, 2006 TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon.

DATED this 26th day of June, 2013.

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

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TOPMODEL 13

ENTERTAINMENT

NEWS

The International Costa Maya Festival, the Biggest Festival on la Isla Bonita, will take place from Thursday, August 1 to Sunday, August 4, 2013.

Belize’s delegate is 20 year old Destinee Dominique Arnold, Queen of the Jewel Miss Belize 2012, who is no stranger to pageantry as she is also Miss Ethnic World 2013. Destinee is currently a model and a student at California State University – Fullerton.

The pageant features beautiful representatives of Central American countries who showcase their culture.

This year’s pageant will feature several top Belizean artists including Tanya Carter, as well as international artists Los Yonics and international DJ, Miami’s best, DJ Zog.

Location: Cate’s Lily Pad at FSTV

DESTINY ARNOLD

Monique • • • •

Height: 5’2” Career Plan: Natural Resource

Management Sign: Capricorn Favourite Food: Spaghetti/Pasta

• • •

TOP MODEL Clothing and Accessories provided by CATWALK FASHIONS

Likes: Blowing Glass, Modeling, Reading, Hiking, Swimming, Ziplining and Horseback Riding Lives in Placencia Village, Stann Creek District Fav. Quote: “Live Today because Tomorrow is Never Promised to Anyone.”

visit us at www.belizetimes.bz or Facebook/ Belize Times

Cor. North Front Steet & Queen Street Belize City

Follow us on facebook

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2013

Kenny Gladden Belize City, July 21, 2013 Team Scotiabank continues to dominate the Weekend Warriors’ races as Barney Brown won the Cotton Tree race last week and now his teammate Kenny Gladden won the 49-mile “A” Division race from Crooked Tree on the Philip Goldson and George Price Highways on Sunday morning.

Gladden clocked 2:12:40 as he won the sprint over Team BWS’ Derick Smith at the finish line by Leslie’s Imports in Belize City.

Team Digicel 4G’s road champ Isaiah Willacey clocked 2:21:59 to win the “B” division race in uncontested fashion.

Truckers Posse’s Manuel Esquiliano clocked 1:44:11 won the 27-mile “C” Division race from CD’s Gas station on the Burrell boom bypass road.

wins Weekend Warriors race

Kenny Gladden won 1st place in A Division

Here are the other results: A Division 3rd place - Colin Maheia - B.C.B./ F.T. Williams 4th place - Wilbert Jones - Digicel 4G 5th place - Warren Coye – Team Santino’s 6th place - Vallan Symns - Cayo Rentals 7th place - Mark Gentle - B.C.B./ F.T. Williams - 2:21:15 8th place - Ronald Sutherland - Digicel 4G 9th place - Jim Scott - Team Santino’s 10th place - Kenneth Butler – Team BWS

B Division 2nd place – Mark Reid – Team Zitro 3rd place – Amir Gonzalez - Truckers Posse 4th place – Anwar Barrow - Team Digicel 4G - 2:28:40 5th place – Michael Phillips - Team Santino’s 6th place – Andrew Ordonez - Team Digicel 4G 7th place – Maurice Kelly - B.C.B./ F.T.Williams 8th place – Eustace Ireland - Team Digicel 4G 9th place – Ian Abraham – Team Zitro 10th place – Elvis Perez - Team Digicel 4G

C Division 2nd place – Lawrence Craig - Truckers Posse 3rd place – Nelson Zyden - Medina’s House of Jewelry 4th place – Sean Duncan – Team Zitro - 1:44:16 5th place – Wolrick Thurton - B.C.B./ F.T. Williams 6th place – Salvador Alvarado – Team Zitro - 1:47:41 7th place – Wayne Arnold - B.C.B./F.T. Williams 8th place – Ernest Olivera - Medina’s House of Jewelry - 1:47:43 9th place – Valentine Sosa - - Truckers Posse 10th place – Sheffield Eck - Truckers Posse 1:49:17

4 teams advance to Cayo softball playoffs

Myralee Ho scored 4 runs

Blackman Eddy, July 21, 2013 The Ontario Rebels will take on the Esperanza Wolverines and Roaring Creek Grace Kennedy will challenge Camalote United, when playoffs begin in Camalote on Sunday, July 28.

This past weekend Roaring Creek Grace Kennedy hammered the Ontario Rebels 154. Roaring Creek led 2-0 when Myralee Ho and Stephanie Francis came home in the top of the 1st inning, but then Indira Ireland and Kenreen Gillett came home in the bottom of the 1st.

Rebels’ pitcher Indira Ireland gave up 13 hits and the Rebels’ made 6 errors. Roaring Creek’s pitcher Leyandra Guy gave up 5 hits, struck out one batter and walked 2, allowing

no runs in the 2nd inning.

Roaring Creek soon led 10-2 when Tanya Davis, Myralee Ho and Francis came home when Greta Davis hit a grand slam.

Shadalee Ho, Karlee Bradley and Joyce Galves and Lisandra Guy also came home in the top of the 2nd.

Myralee came home again in the 3rd while the Rebels’ Trecia Gardiner and Ireland came home in the bottom of the 3rd.

Roaring Creek left 3 runners on base. Guy shut out the Rebels as Myralee, Francis, Greta and Shadalee came home again in the top of the 5th. The game was called by mercy rule when the Rebels did not score in the bottom of the 5th. Roaring Creek made 5 errors, but Rebels had left 4 runners on base.

Belmopan Emeralds

Leyandra Guy

C BMP’s Dion Guzman pitches

Belmopan Bombers lead Cayo men’s softball Camalote, July 20, 2013 The undefeated Belmopan Bombers are 2-0, leading the Cayo Softball Association men’s competition at the Dembigh Fuller Stadium in Camalote Village on Saturday, July 20.

The Belmopan Bombers came back from being down 13-17 to outlast the Camalote Warriors 26-18 by mercy rule in the 6th inning. The Bombers collected 8 hits off Warriors pitcher Nelson Flowers and his relief Daniel Pollard, who also walked 20 batters, even though they struck out 7 batters.

Francisco Gutierrez led the Bombers, scoring 5 runs, while Dion Richards, Troy Williams, Stephen “Muerte” Williams, Dennis Myles, Linsford Reneau Continued on page 15

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Rigo Vellos, Edgar Rogers & Ann Lyn Apolonio win Muscle & Bikini Splash in Placencia

Rigo Vellos & Edgar Rogers (Pic from 2013 Corozal Bodybuilding competition)

Placencia Village, July 24, 2013 The best in muscle and beauty took to the stage when the first ever Summer Muscle and Bikini Splash was held at the Tipsy Tuna Seaside & Sports Bar this weekend under the guidance of the Belize Body Building and Fitness Federation.

The competition featured male bodybuilders in the 165lb and under, and 165lb and over category, while females competed the Bikini Fitness competition.

In the 165lb and under category, 1st place went to Placencia’s very own Edgar Rogers, while 2nd place went to Farid Patt and 3rd place to Calbert Castillo.

In the 165lb and over, current Mr. Belize Rigo Vellos won 1st place, while Deon Banner won 2nd place and Ervin Cabrera took 3rd place.

In the beauty and fitness category, Ms. Ann Lyn Apolonio won the top prize, while Tamara Dadockvina won 2nd place and Liane Chung took 3rd place.

Triple B’s outmatch Pumas 4-0

Shadalee Ho on the offensive

Warriors’ Ryan Arnold

Belmopan Bombers lead Cayo men’s softball Continued from page 14 and relief pitcher Dion Guzman each scored three runs. Lee Valencia scored 2 runs and Randy Joseph came home once.

Kenroy Banner led the Warriors’ attack with 3 runs while Joseph Trapp, Brian Arnold, Alexander Card and Ron Waight scored 2 runs each. Tyler Pollard, Daniel Pollard, Amir Quintanilla, Nelson Flowers, Ryan Arnold each came home once. The Warriors had made 8 errors.

Game 2 Camalote vs. Las Flores - 12-5 (Mercy Rule) Winning pitcher: Herman Burke

Fresca Lady Rebels scorch Telemedia 5-4 in softball finals Belize City, July 19, 2013 The Belize City women’s softball championship finals have heated up leading to a hot Game 5 this coming Friday, July 26.

The Fresca Lady Rebels ratcheted up the drama after tying the best of 5 series 2-2 by a 5-4 win over Belize Telemedia in the Game 4 of the finals at the Roger’s Stadium on Friday night.

Kenisha Sutherland replaced Mary Flowers on the mound after Flowers allowed the Rebels’ Carla Robinson to score from 2nd base on a hit by Doreth Young in the 2nd inning. Doreth Young soon added a 2nd run in the 3rd inning and Lisa Jones also came home from 2nd on a hit by Patricia Thimbrel in the 3rd inning.

Kimani Williams scored Telemedia’s 1st run in the

top of the 5th, Kaylie McFadzean scored a 2nd run on a hit by Lydia Cacho. A wild pitch by Lanisha Jones allowed Norecia Frazier to score from 3rd base and tie the ball game 3-3.

Rebels’ Sharette Vernon drove in a run scored

by Doreth Young to give Fresca a 4-3 lead and Ashanti Anderson hit a pop up fly that was caught but Clarencia Jones came home as the Lady Rebels led 5-3 in the bottom of the 6th inning.

In the top of the 7th, Earlene Belisle’s hit brought home Lydia Cacho for a 5-4 score, but Lanisha Jones’ pitch to Mary Flowers resulted in another pop up fly ball for the easy catch by Doreth Young and the 5-4 Fresca Lady Rebels win.

Belmopan, July 21, 2013 Belmopan Triple B’s are leading the Atlantic Bank national women’s football competition undefeated after blanking out the Dangriga Pumas 4-zip at the Football Federation of Belize Stadium beside the Football Institute in Belmopan on Sunday, July 21.

The Triple B’s have 10 points from 3 wins and a draw.

The Griga girls came to town looking for payback as Miriam Villamil’s solo strike had given the Triple B’s a 1-0 win on the road when they visited Dangriga 2 weeks ago. But Triple B’s came even hungrier than the last time. Nykemah Kuylen and Cindy Flores led the visitors’ offensive. Griga’s defenders Sherane Anigi Welch, Patricia Marin, Ireini Lopez and Ilkei Swazo tried to contain the Tiple B’s attacks, but Patricia Marin lost the ball to Noemi Magana, whose kick sent the ball to Iris Centeno on the left wing. She responded with an immediate left foot shot that beat goalie Shereen Vasquez to lead 1-0 in the 14th minute.

Kaya Cattouse stole the ball and her shot from outside the 18-yd box embarrassed Shereen Vasquez with a 2nd goal in the 31st minute.

The visitors tried get on the scoreboard but their striker Nykemah Kuylen choked right in front of the goal. Iris Centeno scored a 3rd goal on Vasquez in the 43rd minute as the Triple B’s led 3-0 at the half.

Noemi Magana and Jersha Estrada got their chances to increase the Triple B’s lead, and coach Kent Gabourel Sr benched Estrada to bring in Shadalee Ho, who also couldn’t finished 2 splendid opportunities. Leave it to Kaya Cattouse to add a 4th goal in the 73rd minute.

Other matches: Sugar City Girlz vs. GentleTouch – 4-3 Goal scorers: Karen Garcia (Sugar City’s, 10th min), Kim “Brazilian” Perez (Gentle Touch, 25th, 31st and 41st), Karen Acosta (Sugar City) 44th). Giselle Baeza (Sugar City, 46th), Karen Garcia (Sugar City 65th)

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The day the Bishop Marched

By Dickie Bradley What a powerful image. Bishop Dorick Wright leading his flock through the streets of big, bad Belize City.

The historic religion protest was on Tuesday, July 16th, morning. His Lordship wore a black tunic type shirt. This was contrasted with his white beard neatly outlining his calm but determined features. On his head was the Pontiff like religious cap. The Bishop looked robust and strong. His presence was awesome.

The protest started from Berger Field on Vernon Street in the troubled southside of Belize City to Memorial Park in the tranquil tourist section of northside by the Caribbean Sea. The march , by some of the churches of Belize is a statement of affirmation and of confirmation and reminder of the words in our highest secular law, the Constitution which stipulates “whereas the people of Belize (a) affirm that the Nation of Belize shall be founded upon principles which acknowledge the supremacy of God, faith in human rights and fundamental freedoms, the position of the family in a society of free men and free institution, the dignity of the human person and the equal and inalienable rights with which all members of the human family are endowed by their Creator.”

The march was also specifically to display deep religious concern over a gender policy document approved by government, which the churches say contain material offensive to their religious doctrine. Simply put, there is a hidden homosexual agenda in some of the policy paragraphs, which they want

withdrawn.

Nothing of this nature has ever unfolded in the history of modern Belize.

The leader of the single most powerful religious denomination-the Roman Catholic Church, leading a march against a government policy.

It is bigger than that. The marchers gathered at Memorial Park, a site where Belizean soldiers are honored and remembered annually for their sacrifices in two World Wars and the Vietnam War. Some Belizean soldiers paid the ultimate price with their lives.

It is more significant than that.

Bishop Wright publicly prayed to God with these words: “We ask the Lord to form the minds and hearts of our leaders so they will change their minds, even though it’s been said that nothing on the Earth will change their minds. Lord, we know that you can do it and we ask you to change their minds.”

This is a direct reference to our Prime Minister, who told the media that absolutely no force on earth can make him withdraw the gender policy.

Such words from a democratically elected leader must have been cause for concern to some of the church leaders. It smacks of hubris and arrogance.

Unbecoming. More so because democracy is OF the people, BY the people, FOR the people.

Democracy mandates that the people be consulted and their wishes are to be the policy of the government, not the other way around.

There is a story in the Bible. When God sent Moses to tell Pharaoh to change his mind about his slavery pol-

icy and let the people go. Pharaoh hardened his heart.

We all know how that ended.

The Churches are the guardians of our morals.

Let there be no doubt about that.

Whatever their shortcomings and faults, real or perceived, they are the shepherds and we are their flocks. Church leaders cannot hold themselves up as followers of the Christ and fail to upload the teachings of the Bible. And the Bible teaches that faith without work is dead.

There is a time to teach and a time to march. And a time to chastise leaders who go astray.

Bishop Dorick Wright has done what had never been done before. No senior religious leader has openly, publicly marched against government policy and prayed to the Almighty to intervene and change the mind of a Prime Minister. This huge. This large.

Unfortunately, the body of Christ is divided. It is not a deep division. The established churches are conservative and lickie, lickie with the system. The evangelical churches are more rootsie.

Leaders of the established churches acted almost naïve when last week Tuesday their spokespersons appeared on a local TV station to cause confusion among the flock. It was the very Tuesday morning Cayo evangelicals were getting ready to march against the gender policy.

The public appearances of priest from the established churches last week and again this week undermined the build-up of public support the marches were mobilizing.

The established churches are weak

19 on the issue of the so called homosexual agenda. The Evangelicals are not. The Prime Minister is exploiting this division between the Council of Churches and the Evangelical Churches.

A Roman Catholic I am not. Nor am I religious. As a child my mother and grandmother took me to St. John’s Cathedral Church. “I was made a Christian, when my name was given, I am one of God’s dear children and an heir of heaven…Words like that.”

It would have been a powerful message had my Anglican Bishop along with the leaders of the Methodist and other Protestant churches joined Bishop Dorick Wright. The Anglican Bishop, Phillip Wright just might be the key card in the church’s division.

The march was not against homosexuals. These pitiful, much-maligned creatures of God suffer enough just for being what they are. They are all our brothers. I do not agree with Moses that damnation is their fate. I look to the teachings of Jesus and his message of love and forgiveness. I checked this morning and reread the story of the woman caught in adultery and how she ran to Jesus and how he saved her from those eager to impose punishment.

No, for me the issue is the government, who with the face of brass can concoct a so called gender policy and include therein matters which cannot be the law of this land or the policy of Cabinet without getting approval from the people.

It is this which must have caused the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church to call on God, to change the mind of our local Pharaoh.

“Lord, we know that you can do it…”

In the words of the street people and the huddling, suffering masses- big respect, Bishop Dorick Wright.

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Eulogia de Sra. Hermelinda Carrillo (Leído por Juan Vildo Marin en la Iglesia San Fráncico Javier del pueblo Corozal) Hoy, 9 de julio, nos reunimos para celebrar la que en vida fue la Sra. Hermelinda Carrillo, mejor conocida como Ms. Hermi.

Ms. Hermi nació el 4 de septiembre 1933, en el pueblo de Corozal.

La mayoría de su niñez lo vivió en la ciudad de Belize, educándose en la escuela Holy Redeemer.

Después de su educación vino a vivir en Corozal. A los 18 años se casó con el Sr. Ernesto Riveroll y este matrimonio duro diez años.

Ms. Hermi encontró el amor de su vida, el Sr. Manuel Carrillo y se juntaron el 25 de Noviembre 1971. Se unieron formalmente en el acto de matrimonio el 24 de enero 1981. El año pasado celebraron sus cuarenta años de aniversario.

Todo ser humano gira dentro de un círculo. La vida de Ms. Hermi giraba alrededor de su esposo, de su familia, sus amigos, de sus hermanos y hermanas del grupo católico, de su partido PUP y de sus mascotas fieles: DD, Whisky y Flor.

Y por si eso no fuese poco, adopto a los perros del vecino. Solía decir cuando estaba muy apurada, “Me tengo que ir porque no he criado a mis bastardos”.

Refiriéndose a los perros del vecino. Amaba mucho a los animales.

A Ms. Hermi le encantaba las sesiones de las hermanas del Sagrado Corazón. Todos los jueves, religiosamente sin faltar, Ella y Don Manuel atendían la

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‘ADORACION AL ALTISISMO’. Su FE al Creador era abrumadora.

Su Amor al próximo, incalculable, ya que solía dar donativos y ayudar en recaudar fondos para los enfermos.

Indudablemente, era todo un personaje de este pueblo Corozaleño. Exudaba un carácter fuerte. Cuando te quería, te quería de Corazón y cuando no te quería también te lo mostraba. Una persona que no le temía a nadie. Te decía lo que realmente tenía en su mente.

Bien disciplinada, sometida a pelear por sus derechos y siempre luchando en contra de la injusticia.

Estas son las calidades de una nacionalista, política en su propio derecho. De muy joven se unió al Partido de la Revolución Pacífica, Constructiva, Continued on page 24

2013

For Sale

By Order of the

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 28th day of May, 2003, between RAY OGALDEZ of Independence Village, Stann Creek District, Belize of the one part, and Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., of the other part, and recorded at the Land Titles Unit in Deeds Book Vol. 19 of 2003 at Folios 539–566, 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 piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 66B in comprising 311.778 S.M. situate in Independence Village, Stann Creek District, being more particularly shown on a Plan of Survey done by Licensed Surveyor John Hertular registered at the Lands and Survey Department, Belmopan City in Register No. 7 at Entry No. 5793 TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon.

DATED this 4th day of July, 2013.

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

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Reid Welcome to the PUP, Patrick Andrews!

By G. Michael Reid I was pleased to hear the news that Patrick Andrews had decided to throw his hat into the political ring. I was especially pleased to learn that after considering all options available to him he decided to choose the Blue side of the ring. There are many who felt that because of his famous father, who was such a staunch UDP, Patrick would have gone that way. Then there are those who felt that he would have opted for the Vision Inspired by the People (VIP), a political party which has made some inroads into the Belmopan political arena. Others still, felt that Patrick would have waited for the formation of some new Christian party and lend his efforts to the rise of theocracy in Belize. Patrick Andrews has proven however, that he is a man of his own heart and one who follows his own mind.

Good for him!

Patrick Andrews spent several years as host of Plus television’s morning show, a call in talk show that had gained wide publicity and was leading the charge in the fight against corruption. Unfortunately, Plus tv seems to have switched to a one-agenda format, dedicated exclusively to the fight against homosexuality. While it might not have been deliberate, Patrick was wise to jump that ship at this time, avoiding the risk of being stereotyped as a one-topic personality. This is not to say that Patrick has altogether abandoned his anti-gay stance and

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The PUP is well on its way to its former glorious form after having lost consecutive elections, albeit the last by a very slim margin.

The addition of a Patrick Andrews is a move in a good direction and it is time for all who profess their love for this country to stand fast and give their support to this party. Party Leader Francis Fonseca has been working diligently, holding consultations and visiting who knows if he ever will, but I with citizens even in remote coram sure that I am not the only one ners of our nation. He cannot do who thinks that Patrick has much this alone. There are some, even more to give than just an opinion within the ranks of our own paron who should love who. ty, who have badmouthed every Patrick Andrews announced effort and who have been sulking that he has embarked on a door in their own efforts. Everything to door campaign in order to gain cannot go everybody’s way. We support for his candidacy. He is must close ranks, band together an upfront and charismatic young behind our leader and resume man and will no doubt make a our rightful place as stewards of good impression and win even this young nation. The PUP is the more support. I am sure though, only party that takes into considthat Patrick will come away from eration the concern of all citizens, this campaign with a more ennot just party loyalists. The PUP lightened point of view. The reality has the vision, the brains and the is that quite a number of homes political will to move this nation forward. Belizeans have had enough of the nepotism, the victimization, The addition of a Patrick Andrews is a the blatant corruption and the constant lies move in a good direction and it is time and false promises. Befor all who profess their love for this lize needs a strong and vibrant PUP more than country to stand fast and give their ever at this time. Let us support to this party. all join hands and make this happen.

Editor’s Note: Patrick Andrews’ anof the people. Patrick is also im(even in the ultra-religious west) nouncement is indeed a pressed with the fresh influx of have undecided or undetermined welcome sign as our Party reyoung, dynamic professionals who components within. A vote is a builds and prepares to rescue have also come forward to join the vote is a vote! the country from the clutches party. Doctor Marco Tulo Mendez, Now as far as our positions on of the UDP. If there are other Julius Espat, Oscar Requena and the issue of human rights for all interested persons, the demoDr. Francis Smith just to name a is concerned, I stand diametrically cratic process will prevail and few. I reflected and realized that opposed to Patrick. I believe that a convention for candidates indeed, those were some of the all humans, regardless of sexual will be held, through which the very reasons why I stand proudly preference or whatever sin they people of Belmopan will deand loudly proclaim my support for might have committed, are enticide who their Standard Bearthis grand ole party. Adelante PUP! tled to all rights provided for under er will be. the Constitution. Patrick, so far, has sided with those who believe that LBGTs should be excluded from certain consideration. Interestingly enough, the Party has not taken a stand and I do not believe that they should. This is more a moral issue and not a political one so I think that we should let the churches deal with this. The fact is that political parties rely on votes, and whatever else LBGT people might have been denied, the right to vote so far, remains sacrosanct.

Interestingly enough, while the Church is left to deal with this, I have not yet heard of the collection plate being withdrawn from any in the congregation, regardless of sexual preference. It might be in the making but so far, the Lord still loves a cheerful giver.

I listened keenly as Patrick outlined his reasons for choosing the People’s United Party. According to the newest PUP, he was impressed by the vibrant and committed party leader and a constitution that speaks directly to the interest

22

How Micro-Financing Can Assist Low-Income Families

By Dr. Angela Banner Joseph “When we want to help the poor, we usually offer them charity.

Most often, we use charity to avoid recognizing the problem and finding the solution for it. Charity becomes a way to shrug off our responsibility.

But charity is no solution to poverty.

Charity only perpetuates poverty by taking the initiative away from the poor. Charity allows us to go ahead with our own lives without worrying about the lives of the poor. Charity appeases our consciences.” - Muhammad Yunus, Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty What low-income families need is not sympathy or empathy, but real-world solutions to end poverty.

Many in our country would love to experience the same luxuries as do the affluent members in our communities. Low-income families would love to enjoy some of their abundance: quality education, adequate health care, plenty of food, and clean water.

Our low-income families need access to programs that can directly improve their daily living. The honorable Nelson Mandela observed, “Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.”

Worldwide, countries are examining the use of market-based solutions to reduce global poverty. These market-based solutions help families successfully improve their lives through access to micro-finance loans. Muhammad Yunus, Founder of Grameen Bank and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, contended, “This is not charity. This is business: business with a social objective, which is to help people get out of poverty.” Rich Stearns, President of World Vision U.S., further asserted, “I’ve seen the power of microfinance all over the world in the eyes of mothers and fathers. It’s unmistakable—the joy and deep satisfaction they feel from being able to work hard and provide for their children and their future.”

Micro-financing loans help families climb out of poverty. Through programs like Grameen Bank and Kiva, people in need are provided with the necessary funds to create a better life for their families. Natalie Portman, Academy Award-nominated actress, said, “Small loans can transform

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lives, especially the lives of women and children. The poor can become empowered instead of disenfranchised. Homes can be built, jobs can be created, businesses can be launched, and individuals can feel a sense of worth again.”

I support the work of Kiva by providing small loans to women worldwide. KIVA is a not-for-profit organization whose primary goal is to connect people with lending to alleviate poverty. By doing so, they give individuals around the world who have an entrepreneurial spirit the opportunities to be self-sufficient and to lift themselves out of poverty. Kiva notes on its website, www.

KIVA.org, “We work with micro-finance institutions on five continents to provide loans to people without access to traditional banking systems. One hundred percent of your loan is sent to these micro-finance institutions, which we call Field Partners, who administer the loan in the field.” KIVA is funded through lenders like me who make donations or from funds from corporate sponsors and foundations.

Over the past five years, I have provided small loans to 77 women in 30 countries in all sectors: food, retail, agriculture, housing, education, transportation, construction, manufacturing, health, arts, and clothing. My lending portfolio with Kiva is gender-specific: women only. I am not sexist, but I support women because many have endured severe economic hardships and are the primary breadwinners in their families. Bono, lead singer for the band U2 and humanitarian advocate, believes “If you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. Give a woman microcredit, [and] she, her husband, her children, and her extended family will eat for a lifetime.”

I am thankful that I can support low-income families globally through programs like Kiva. Through collective support, we can make a positive difference in the lives of our brothers and sisters to help lift them out of poverty. We are our brothers’ keepers, so let’s make a difference by starting a micro-financing program in our country. As Jeffrey Sachs, American economist and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, contended, “The key to ending extreme poverty is to enable the poorest of the poor to get their foot on the ladder of development. . . . The poorest of the poor are stuck beneath it. They lack the minimum amount of capital necessary to get a foothold, and therefore need a boost up to the first rung.”

Dr. Angela Banner Joseph holds a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership and Change from the Fielding Graduate University

2013

For Sale

By Order of the 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 4th day of August, 2005, between ROBERTO COC of Hope Creek Village, Stann Creek District, Belize of one part, and Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., of the other part, and recorded at the Land Titles Unit in Deeds Book Vol. 23 of 2005 at Folios 1215–1242, 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 LEASEHOLD INTEREST IN ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 78 situate in Hope Creek Village Extension, North of Stann Creek Valley Road, near Mile 8.5, Stann Creek District and as bounded as follows: On the North for 22.856 metres by Lot No. 89; On the South for 22.856 metres by 27 feet road; On the East for 33.523 metres by Lot No. 77; On the West for 33.523 metres by Lot No. 76; containing 766.202 square metres of land as shown on Plan No. 2080 at the Office of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon.

DATED this 26th day of June, 2013.

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

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Home Economics IMF Recommends Gradualism in Tax Overhaul The following commentary is based on: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2013 Article IV Consultation with Belize IMF NOTE 1. Directors underscored the need to sustain the momentum of fiscal consolidation while protecting spending in such priority areas as infrastructure, internal security, and social programs. They stressed that raising the primary surplus to levels consistent with debt sustainability would require strong adjustment efforts, including moderating wage increases and broadening the base for the general sales tax.

Comment: Moderating wages increases? With the rapidly rising cost of living, capping wages means harder times for workers both in the public sector and private sector.

Forcing a harder life on our people is not the way to go....it will just lead to more corruption and all that flows from it. We should adopt realistic strategies to GROW out of our problems, not RETREAT from them. Removing taxes on fuel, lowering consumption tax to 10% across the board, lowering income taxes across a wider range of contributors, and refinancing home mortgages for ALL the lower and middle income earners (not just demonstrating teachers and public servants) with lower rates and longer terms.

This would all contribute to increasing real incomes, even if wages do not increase.

BUT, wages cannot be artificially held down if the economy is growing rapidly and the nation becoming more competitive and productive. That is a pipe dream...

Broadening the base for GST? Well, we don’t need to “broaden” anything. That still carries the connotation that there will be privileged products, persons, regions or such that will be excepted or exempt. We actually need to create a fair and balanced tax system, which applies the same LOWER rate to ALL goods and services. Broadening the GST, without at the same time lowering the price of fuel, money, raw materials for production and other factors of production, will only raise the cost-of-living further, without doing anything to increase our competitiveness and productivity as a country.

THESE two things are what we need to improve....to grow our wealth sustainably.... and improve our standards of living. We don’t need to shift the burden of tax from one quasimoto to the other....and that is exactly what gradualism and incrementalism will achieve.

IMF NOTE 2. Over the medium term, it will be important to strengthen public financial management and implement a tax reform that promotes growth and fairness.

Comment: To improve public financial management, one would have to (a) improve the people who manage the finances, because the same people doing the same things will not bring about any positive change (b) with the change in (a), the first thing the new people will do is to improve the laws, policies and practices that govern financial management (c) and second they will demand from leadership a clear, concise and precise directive in terms of basic parameters for success, so that their performance can be measured, rewarded and/or punished.

IMF NOTE 3. Directors recommended that the authorities avoid the earmarking of funds, and put in place appropriate safeguards for public resources should they be used for the creation of a specialized mortgage bank.

Comment: Point taken. However, the earmarking of funds is vitally important in a

situation where political handouts at Christmas and election time is getting so out of hand. It seems that they would even shift money from education, health and environment, to spend on these extravagant, discretionary and corrupt practices. Even though I believe PACT funds can do better by Belize, I much prefer it stays where it is, than to be pushed into “General Revenue”, because that is a place where no one knows what will happen to it, if we continue getting the kinds of governments we have been getting since Independence.

A specialized mortgage bank is vital to get the housing industry and jobs back on track rapidly. More than that, it is one of the best known ways of increasing disposable income rapidly for middle and lower incomes families, by refinancing all mortgages below $200,000 at a rate of 6.5% p.a. over 30 years, thus reducing families monthly outlay for housing to below the 25% of income threshold. However, such bank should be EXCLUSIVELY for mortgage financing (not for consumables!!), should be owned privately by contributing workers themselves, the government should collateralize it by granting the bank crown lands for 30,000 residential properties, and the bank should then raise its own money for investments privately, so that the government stay out of housing (government in housing breeds corruption!) and limit its liability exposure, both of which are best for Belize. No government will do this willingly....the people will have to DEMAND this. Belizeans who support the context and content of a mortgage bank owned and operated by Government can be classified as misopedist....

IMF NOTE 4. Given uncertainties surrounding the potential liabilities associated with the nationalization of public companies and other contingent liabilities, Directors encouraged the authorities to take additional measures as necessary, with a view to ensuring fiscal sustainability.

Comment: Key word “additional”. It means that keeping this situation as a circus in the courts is not an option. Settlement is absolutely desired and required. Either pay off the people for their assets, or return it to them forthwith. The latter will comply with IMF recommendation “to ensure fiscal sustainability”.

IMF Note 5. Directors welcomed the authorities’ plans to revamp the debt management framework. They encouraged continued efforts to develop a more robust debt management, strengthen the institutional framework, and build capacity to implement a medium-term debt management strategy.

Options to develop the domestic debt market should also be explored to mobilize domestic financing.

Comment: The entire private sector in Belize needs refinancing...and there is enough resources here to get this done.... only the will to do it is absent. A few have too much, but most have too little. The CAUSE of this situation....which is what creates the need for the above recommendation by the IMF....is that we are governed (since Independence) with laws, policies and practices WITH FEAR AND FAVOR....instead of WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOR, as prescribed by our Constitution. If the policies of governing WITH FEAR AND FAVOR are not reduced our removed, no amount of changes in debt management frameworks, institutions or strategies will change the reality on the ground. There will just be a lot more money in the hands of those who already have too much....and the newspapers will increase

the number of pages they dedicate to advertising auctions and foreclosures, and unemployment, poverty and crime will continue increasing. Unbalanced taxes, special taxes, discretionary concessions and licensing, bla bla bla....get rid of them, creating instead advantages for investing in Belize, including policies that allow for domestic production to prosper and thrive in a fair and balanced playing field.

IMF Note 6. Executive Directors welcomed progress on financial sector reforms.

However, given the remaining vulnerabilities, including the still high nonperforming loans, they called for continued vigilance, close monitoring of individual institutions, and intensified efforts to implement the remaining recommendations of the 2011 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP).

It will also be important to update the crisis management plan and the bank restructuring and resolution framework, making use of technical assistance from the Fund. Directors also saw a need to further strengthen the Anti Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism framework.

Comment: The current policies are artificially flooding the market with real estate at fire-sale prices, many times far below the Forced Sale Values (FSV) established by the banks themselves. This reckless flooding of the market has battered real estate values, and hence collateral values. This short-sighted vision is itself leading to a general collapse of the “BELIZEAN” in the economy... foreigners and their local drones (dranko) will continue to snap up all we own for pennies on the dollar. The banks are shooting themselves in the leg because this WIPEOUT of collateral values is leaving even the good performing loans on their books without proper capitalization. Two things need to happen (1) the banks should be required to absorb themselves, any discount they unilaterally decide to give in a fire-sale below the established FSV, as is done in most developed countries. (2) the moment the banks sell a property below FSV, the terms and conditions of this sale should by law be published by them at their cost, so that the market and ALL the banks themselves, must react IMMEDIATELY to this “fair market price” schematic. They would have to immediately revalue ALL loans they have out in the vicinity of that property which they devalued in the fire-sale, so that their books reflect THEIR new “fair market price” for those collaterals. This will force the banks to stop this destructive, mass, dumping of people’s hard earned work and investment over many years....it will force them to work with their customers and find mutually beneficial common ground....instead of continuing down this destructive path. They should know what will happen to them, when they kill off the most of their customers, pushing all they have worked for cheaply into the hands of a few....the power of that few will grow and it will come back to haunt the very banks.

The current trajectory of the financial sector is called in layman terms, “self destruction”.

If the reality of a customer changed....and it is plain for the bank and everybody to see, especially where such change is due to external shocks....then the banks should work with that customer to find a solution....not just fire-sale all they have worked for all their life. That is UNJUST, and against the spirit of our Constitution. The result of that kind of thing is called in layman terms “death by careless conduct”.

IMF NOTE 7. Directors concurred that, while the fixed exchange rate has provided an important anchor for macroeconomic policies, efforts are needed to tackle Belize’s widening current account deficits and relatively low international reserves. They called on the authorities to advance structural reforms, focusing on removing impediments to private investment, boosting competitiveness and jobs, and promoting inclusiveness and the diversification of exports and energy sources.

Comment: The decline in real value of

23 the Belize Dollar has been steady since Independence. Any blind, deaf and dumb man will know....that once you consume more than you produce, you will get poorer and poorer every day....especially when your excess consumption is financed by debt, which accelerates the downward spiral.

The cry of deaths in our hospitals, declining performance in our schools, poor roads and infrastructure, degradation of our culture, values and morals, inadequate allocations for sports and youth, growing violent flow of blood in our streets and homes, ever increasing numbers losing their homes and businesses by way of default, rampant corruption in and out of ALL levels of government ...these are ALL symptoms of the decline of the Belize Dollar value. Because our GDP has grown since Independence our salaries are more.....but we are worth less....we can buy less for our paychecks.

The dollar budgets of the KHMH has increased since it opened, but every year we can buy less with that budget. Both inflation and corruption are the causes for this. The only way to turn this around...is to clip the wings of corruption and to do those things to improve our competitiveness and productivity which will cause an upswing in our production curve at a rate faster than the upswing in our consumption curve. Failing this....no change in financial or economic results can be expected....unless grant money rains down from the sky (which it won’t)..... or Belize turns to more ILLEGAL activity of drugs, money laundering, human trafficking, pirating of brands and other proprietary rights, prostitution of its young people, its citizenship/voting rights in international bodies/lands and natural resources/justice system....bla bla bla...which is where it looks more likely that we are headed....

MY CONCLUSION First, it is my opinion that the IMF fails to understand the most important thing that makes Belize beautiful.....some can argue that it is its greatest hindrance....some can argue that it is its greatest blessing. BELIZE IS SMALL. The fact that Belize is small...makes it possible to turn it around for the worse.... or for the better...in shorter periods of time.

A small pebble thrown into this small pond....can cause great ripples.

The Belize people want and deserve a much faster turn around than will be realized if the government interprets and implements the IMF recommendations wholesomely (which we all know it won’t). We need a tax overhaul in the short term....not the medium term....and that tax overhaul should be designed to meet two things: Firstly, it should create a fair and balanced playing field, without fear or favor, based on a low-broad-based tax regime and a mutually beneficial (win-win-win) relationship between savings, consumption and investments, for the private domestic and foreign investments in Belize to be optimally competitive, productive and profitable; and thus the entire private sector will be able to work out its own refinancing from private resources (since we don’t have the resources to do Quantitative Easing as in the USA).

Secondly, it should raise the amount of revenue for government, that will allow it to provide adequate, quality services and infrastructure which the people are demanding, to sustainably meet its domestic and foreign debt obligations, and with the surplus, to provide an optimal safety net for the abandoned/abused young, the weak/meek/incapacitated, and the elderly....these are the ONLY people that should qualify for legal, defined and disclosed benefits from governments social programs.

Only a more competitive and productive Belize, with less corruption, can create the kind and amount of jobs for a vibrant private sector, able and willing to contribute enough to afford adequate and quality government services and infrastructure, and sustainable afford safety nets for those that need it most.

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2013

Recipe of the week Here’s a good choice for encouraging your little chefs to eat their vegetables.

PASTA WITH CHEESE AND BROCCOLI TREES This recipe is suitable for little cooks between the ages of 4-7.

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

4 Tbsps. olive oil 2-4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 Tbsp. butter (optional) 1 large bunch broccoli 1 (16-oz) box angel hair pasta ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Or substitute cheese of your choice) Salt and pepper, to taste

MARRIAGES Guilmet Edwardo Alonzo, 29, to Valeria Eneida Vasquez, 22, both of San Roman, Orange Walk District Emil Arturo Montero, 20, to Sadie Maribelle Montalvo, 21, both of Belmopan Abner Natanael Diaz, 26, to Yesenia Natali Ayala, 23, both of Benque Viejo del Carmen Town, Cayo District Francis Rene Flores, 44, to Ana Maria Reyes, 37, both of Belize City Gerald Anthony Henry, Jr., 40, to Denise Lavern Flores, 35, both of San Ignacio Town, Cayo District Luis Alberto Aldana, 27, to Rosalina Ayala Morales, 22, both of Camalote, Cayo District Roy Arthur Peers, 52, to Geizi Eleili Herrarte, 26, both of Benque Viejo del Carmen Town, Cayo District Titus Harder, 24, to Selome Perez, 21, both of Springfield, Cayo District Nathan Jaeger, 42, to Martha Dolores Galdamez, 22, both of Valley of Peace, Cayo District Manuel Elias Matus, 26, to Marivel Ildefonso Tupul, 24, both of San Ignacio Town, Cayo District Glen Robert Rinkowski, 40, to Amy Christine Ewing, 36, both of Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.A. Mark Anthony Sibley, 23, of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, U.K., to Michelle Melissa Seguro, 22, of Ladyville, Belize District Mark Carlos Edwards, 22, to Ma-

Adult: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

Adult: Heat the olive oil and butter, if using, in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic to the pan and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.

Kid: Pull the florets or “trees” off

ria Saki, 22, both of Punta Gorda Town, Toledo District Roy Andrew Thompson, 24, of Belmopan, to Zarsha Shaneen Robinson, 23, both of Belize City Iseo Juventino Cucul, 21, of San Roman, Stann Creek District, to Saloma Ack, 27, of Bella Vista, Toledo District Dion Arthur Murillo, 42, to Rose Marie Williams, 44, both of Cotton Tree, Cayo District Albertico Rolando Castellanos, 35, to Angelica Maria Acevedes, 28, both of Ladyville, Belize District Ruperto Emmanuel Coleman, 35, to Elsie Dianita Cano, 26, both of San Juan, Stann Creek District Blair Richard James Drysdale, 34, to Penelope Jane Grant, 25, both of Pahiatua, New Zealand Justino Audomaro Quintanilla, 28, to Midely Roselemy Rivero, 29, both of Sarteneja, Corozal District Ricardo de Jesus Garcia Zuniga, 20, to Teresa Elvira Andrades, 20, both of Franks’ Eddy, Cayo District Antonio de la Cruz Perez, 42, to Brenda Haydee Morales Valencia, 37, both of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye Ivory J. Hunter, 46, of Homer, Louisiana, U.S.A., to Joenell Williams, 22, of Belize City Gilbert Llewellyn Seguro, 23, to Gardinia Guadalupe Martinez, 28, both of Burrell Boom, Belize District Kareem Gentle, 26, to Tabitha McCalla, 27, both of Belize City Fernando Lucas Mai, 33, to Arita Anaceli Howe, 19, both of San Antonio, Cayo District Derby Ezer Tzib, 21, to Marianela Gabriela Mai, 21, both of San Antonio, Cayo District Amiel Isai Mesh, 25, to Maria Maureen Tzib, 25, both of San Antonio, Cayo District Deon Alexander Martin, 34, to Marcia Lisette Crawford, 34, both of Hattieville, Belize District

of the head of broccoli and transfer to a bowl. Reserve the broccoli’s stem.

the pasta is just cooked through.

Drain well and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Adult: Peel the broccoli’s stem and chop it finely. Add the broccoli’s florets, stem and the angel hair pasta to the pot.

Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until

Together: Toss the pasta and broccoli with the garlic olive oil mixture and grated parmesan, taking care to ensure all ingredients are evenly distributed.

BIRTHS Born to Ryan O’Neal Simpson and Sheena Derrique Simpson nee Kuylen, a girl, Kristen Ryan Born to Karl Anthony Jones and Tanya Lysette Jones nee Lord, a girl, Karissa Lysette Born to Thomas Alexander Ramirez and Audria Ramirez nee Hilton, a girl, Athadria Tamary Born to Marco Tulio Ramirez and Myra Severa Ramirez nee Chun, a girl, Myra Rita Tamary Born to Glenford Lionel Lewis and Sharon Rose Lewis nee Francisco, a girl, Ronelle Shaday Born to Glenford Asband Reneau and Angelita Edgvina Reneau nee Russell, twin boys, Jacob Richard and Justin Alexander

DEATHS Daniel Wilhelm Gregorio, 75 Norma Evadne Morey, 73 Alvarado Blas, 39 Casey Jason Jones, 35 Daniel Ross Van Datten, 60

Eulogia de Sra. Hermelinda Carrillo Continued from page 20 Beliceña del Muy Honorable George Price. Gracias a Nacionalistas y patriotas como Ms. Hermi que lucho mano a mano, hombro a hombro con el Padre de la Nación, que hoy podemos decir con mucho orgullo que somos hijos de una patria...BELIZE. Si, era un pilar ejemplar, digno de ser emulado, leal al PUP hasta el final.

De joven era deportista.

Invitaba a todas sus amigas para ir al campo a jugar softball. Y eso explica por qué Ms. hermi le gustaba caminar.

Les aseguro que nos va ser falta ver a esta señora de baja estatura, bien vestida y maquillada, con sus shades y sus sombría azul caminando las calles de Corozal, haciendo campaña para el PUP o visitando a Marisol o a Milly o rumbo a su tienda favorita A&R. Nos acordamos cuando decía “Cuando llegue en casa me va a dar una mentada Nelo, pero no me importa porque yo ya compre.” Dejaba su compra con su cómplice, Milly, y poco a poco lo llevaba en su casa.

Sirvió a sus Beliceños de Corozal como una Juez de paz, Orgullosamente Presidenta del PUP Women’s Group por 15 años, miembro del club de leones, del Hospital visiting committee, la sociedad de la cruz roja, y presidenta del li-

quor licensing committee.

Fue también una empresaria. Vendiendo lotería y rifas y después abrió una tienda pequeña vendiendo artículos desde su ventana y creció el negocio hasta ser una de las tiendas más grande de su tiempo en Corozal.

Ms. Hermi no tuvo hijos pero si trataba a sus sobrinos y sobrinas y unos cuantos adoptados como yo, como si fuésemos sus propios hijos. Era estricta, firme, justa y al mismo tiempo alegre.

Siempre se preocupaba por el bienestar de todos.

Para sus amigos y amigas era una persona bondadosa, leal, fuerte, trabajadora y siempre dispuesta a ayudar.

Le encantaba organizar eventos sociales como navidad, cumpleaños, o cuando venía Naftuli y Rosy a visitarla.

Era una verdadera alegría.

No me queda más que decir, departe de Don Manuel y su familia extendida, por asistir el velorio y por su estadía aquí con nosotros, muchas gracias. Gracias a todos y todas las personas que ayudaron en estos momentos difíciles.

Gracias también a ustedes que compartieron esa bondad y alegría con ella hasta el final. Que su alma descanse en paz. Ms. Hermi vivirá por siempre en nuestros Corazones.

28 JUL

2013

25

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Royal baby: William and Kate name their son George 24 July 2013 (Last updated at 21:30 GMT) The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have named their son George Alexander Louis, Kensington Palace has said.

The third in line to the throne, who was born on Monday at 16:24 BST, will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.

The duke and duchess had been expected to pick a traditional royal name for their son, who was born at St Mary’s Hospital in London, weighing 8lbs 6oz.

Royal infants usually have historical names which are passed down through the generations.

The Queen was told of Prince George’s name when she met him for the first time on Wednesday.

There have been six King Georges up to now, most recently the Queen’s father, although his first name was Albert and he was known to his family as Bertie.

The name Louis is Prince William’s fourth name and is likely to be a tribute to Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Duke of Edinburgh’s uncle and the last British Viceroy of India before independence in 1947.

Prince Charles was immensely fond of his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten. Known by the Royal Family as Uncle Dickie, he was assassinated by the IRA in August 1979.

The prince’s other middle name - Alexander - is one that three medieval Scottish kings have had, and was also the name of the famous 4th Century ruler Alexander the Great. The Queen’s middle name is Alexandra.

The announcement of the new prince’s name has been relative-

Answers for last week’s puzzle SUDOKU PUZZLE SOLUTION #26/2013

ly quick compared with previous royal babies.

It was seven days before the name of a newborn Prince William was announced in 1982, and there was a wait of a month following Prince Charles’s birth in 1948.

The Queen spent 30 minutes with her new great-grandson on Wednesday. At a reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening, the monarch said she was “thrilled” at the arrival of her third great-grandchild.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, and Catherine’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, paid visits to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon.

Later that day, Catherine’s sister Pippa Middleton went to Kensington Palace and Prince Harry also paid his new nephew a visit.

The duke and duchess left Kensington Palace shortly after the Queen’s visit and were driven to Bucklebury. It had been expected that the couple would want to spend time at the duchess’s family home but it is not known how long they will stay.

Prince William has two weeks’ paternity leave before he is due back to work in Anglesey where he is an RAF search and rescue pilot.

2013

BRAIN

TEASER

SUDOKU PUZZLE #27/2013

See answers NEXT WEEK

Answers for last week’s puzzle

See answers NEXT WEEK

28 JUL

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THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

BELIZE TIMES WEEKLY

SCIENCE & TECH R

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Selected By Chris Williams

Ancient Technology for Metal Coatings 2,000 Years Ago Can’t Be Matched Even Today July 24, 2013 — Artists and craftsmen more than 2,000 years ago developed thin-film coating technology unrivaled even by today’s standards for producing DVDs, solar cells, electronic devices and other products. Understanding these sophisticated metal-plating techniques from ancient times, described in the ACS journal Accounts of Chemical Research, could help preserve priceless artistic and other treasures from the past.

Gabriel Maria Ingo and colleagues point out that scientists have made good progress in understanding the chemistry of many ancient artistic and other artifacts -- crucial to preserve them for future generations. Big gaps in knowledge

How artisans centuries ago achieved sophisticated gilding, such as on the St. Ambrogio golden altar from 825 AD, is now coming to light. (Credit: American Chemical Society)

remained, however, about how gilders in the Dark Ages and other periods applied such lustrous,

impressively uniform films of gold or silver to intricate objects. Ingo’s team set out to apply the newest analytical

techniques to uncover the ancients’ artistic secrets.

They discovered that goldand silversmiths 2,000 years ago developed a variety of techniques, including using mercury like a glue to apply thin films of metals to statues and other objects. Sometimes, the technology was used to apply real gold and silver. It also was used fraudulently, to make cheap metal statues that look like solid gold or silver. The scientists say that their findings confirm “the high level of competence reached by the artists and craftsmen of these ancient periods who produced objects of an artistic quality that could not be bettered in ancient times and has not yet been reached in modern ones.”

Google searches mined to uncover our true opinions 25 July 2013 by Lisa Grossman Every time you ask Google to help solve your personal problems, you are taking part in one of the largest social science experiments ever conducted.

Google Trends is a web tool for tracking what terms Google users are searching for in a given period.

The anonymised, aggregate data is compiled from 100 billion searches every month, and can be broken down by region. Google itself has published an annual Zeitgeist of the most popular searches worldwide since 2000 (2012’s included “Whitney Houston”, “Gangnam Style” and “Hurricane Sandy”).

“It’s a really powerful way to measure the pulse of what is capturing people’s interest,” says Roya Soleimani, a member of the Google Trends team.

Since 2008, Google Flu Trends has followed the spread of annual virus outbreaks, based on the assumption that wherever people are Googling “flu symptoms”, an outbreak is imminent.

Searches don’t lie Now, researchers are turning the Google lens on more difficult

issues, some of which are invisible to conventional polls, says economist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. “There are very important questions where the existing data sources may be leading to misleading conclusions,” he says. “People might lie or misremember.”

While a PhD student at Harvard University, Stephens-Davidowitz, now an intern at Google, became interested in the potential of Google search data to gauge users’ views. People are more likely to be honest in searches than in polls, he reasoned - people Google the word “porn” far more than most ever let on, for example.

He analysed Google searches and voting patterns in the US to measure the extent to which racism hurt Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.

He ranked states based n the proportion of searches that contained the word “nigger” between 2004 and 2007. The states with the highest rates of these searches were ones where Obama underperformed in the election, such as Ohio and West Virginia. He concluded that racism alone cost Obama 3 to 5 per cent of the total vote.

“This is about twice as high as is found by most surveys, presumably because many people do not want to admit

this motivation,” he says.

He has also used Google to test the notion that child abuse rates went down during the recent recession, a trend hinted at by declines in incidents reported to the authorities. Searches for terms like “My dad hit me” or “child abuse signs” from concerned adults actually went up in regions where unemployment was higher or where social services budgets had been cut.

A study published last month focused on public interest in the environment based on searches for terms like “extinction”, “endangered species” and “climate change” between 2001 and 2009. Only “climate change” saw an uptick in searches, which the researchers interpreted as a loss of engagement in other environmental issues.

Chris Scheitle of the College of Saint Benedict in St Joseph, Minnesota, found that states with the highest number of searches for “creationism” were also those with the most stringent laws restricting the teaching of evolution in public schools. “It can help understand the influence of a certain religious group on public policy,” he says.

Flu and the Oscars But though these findings give

insights, there is reason for caution.

Search rates for “child abuse” can go up in response to one local news story, for instance, rather than many incidents. Searches for flu symptoms tend to correlate with searches for “Oscar nominations”, because both the seasonal virus and interest in the Hollywood awards spike in January and February. The environmental attitudes study saw a sudden spike in searches for “extinction” in September 2007 – the same month the action movie Resident Evil: Extinction came out.

And sometimes a seeming correlation disappears, says computer scientist Keith Winstein of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Google Flu Trends marched in step with official data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 2009 and 2012, and was hailed as a success. This year, however, it dramatically over-reported flu rates. No one knows why.

If there is no other source of data to check against, you might never know if the tool is failing, says Winstein. “The world is very new at this,” he says. “It is provocative, but we don’t know how to do it well yet.”

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THE BELIZE TIMES

1-800-PRISON-BRK

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t is easy to feel overwhelmed nowadays.

Especially during this back-to-school season. So many things zoom through the mind. Parents must find the finances for school fees and tuition. On top of that, books need to be purchased, uniforms sewn and school supplies collected. This is separate from the regular day to day trials, battling with co-workers, family drama and self-anxiousness.

Whew! Just thinking about it all has my blood racing and my blood pressure rising.

Because these issues can be so overpowering, some may feel the need to find solace in self-destroying activities such as drunkenness, drugs, or promiscuity. But these aren’t the only prisons people build around themselves. Anxiety, depression, anger and even bitterness can trap people in a pit of self-pity and despair. This is not how God created us to deal with the challenges we face while maneuvering in this broken world. See, God gave us the solution to all these worries from before the world was even formed.

When Jesus was crucified on the cross, the devil thought he had one over God. He placed a big rock in front of Jesus’ tomb believing it could hold him down.

But that rock couldn’t contain the Son of God. He broke out of that prison like the Hulk, and left his burial sheets neatly folded. See, times get so tough that it’s easier to lock ourselves in prison. It could be a prison of anger, bitterness, depression, unforgiveness, lust, drunkenness, and the list goes on and on. The prison is far from comfortable, but we feel safe there. At least in prison, we’ll get three meals a day and a bed, right? At least in prison, we have some measure of control, some form of power.

There’s just one problem. It’s pretty obvious. If you’re in prison, you’re not free. Yeah, you walk and talk and breathe like normal. You can see the sky and walk on the ground. But you can’t choose. You’re trapped in. You’re captured. Control of your surroundings is a pretty illusion. You’re restrained by mentalities that only lead to destruction. Don’t give up, though, because I’ve got good news for you. My friend Jesus is in the prison breaking business.

John 8:36: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed”. When Jesus put on the flesh of man and walked on this earth, he proclaimed one message: “the kingdom of God is at hand”. All the perks of living in the heaven was unlocked by Jesus so we can access them on earth. Is anyone sick in heaven? Depressed? Angry? Frustrated? Nope. Jesus gave us the keys to the Kingdom and, in doing so, the keys to the chains locking us in and holding us down. Do you want freedom? Do you need relief? If you’re serious about breaking out of prison, give Jesus a ring.

By Dr. Francis Smith

28 JUL

2013

Low Back Pain

Low back pain is defined as pain occurring below the ribs and above the legs in the back part of the body. Low back pain is also known as lumbalgia, lumbago, and sciatica or sciatalgia, when the pain radiates down into the legs. Low back pain affects the lumbar-sacral spine which is the area below the rib cage and pelvis. It is the area that bears most of the body’s weight and is prone to injury because it is an area involved in bending forward, lifting weights, twisting or combinations of all three.

Symptoms: Low back pain may include muscular pain or spasm, shooting, shocking or stabbing pain, pain radiating down the legs, disabling pain causing a crooked appearance (inability to straighten the back), painful restriction of side-ways, or forward bending.

Usually, localized low back pains lasting no more than 72 hours may be treated at home with the usual painkillers and anti-inflammatories. If the pain is accompanied by pain shooting below the knee, with weakness, numbness or tingling of the legs, bowel or urinary bladder problems, or, constantly intense, then one should consult a doctor.

Back pain accompanied by weight-loss, family history of cancer, osteoporosis, history of road traffic accidents or falls injuring the back, steroid medication, and drug and alcohol abuse, should be managed by a doctor with the proper diagnostic and imaging studies.

Causes: Doctors don’t usually know for certain what causes low back pain. The most common causes of low back pain include repetitive strain, forceful or prolonged forward bending of the lumbar spine (such as in a construction worker’s repetitive lifting), back injury, inter-vertebral disc bulges or herniations, and compression fractures as a result of osteoporosis or accidents. Poor physical condition such as obesity (being fat) can cause low back pain. Wear and tear arthritis and aging can also cause low back pain.

Some people have back pain due to problems they are born with, such as, spondylolisthesis or scoliosis. Depression can exacerbate low back pain.

Back pain often develops without a specific cause that your doctor can identify with a test or imaging study. Conditions commonly linked to back pain include: Treatment: First time localized low back pain will usually get better with home treatment, involving regular over- the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAID’s) such as Advil, Alleve and diclofenac. If there is muscle spasm, the doctor may prescribe additionally, a muscle relaxant. Stronger narcotic medications such as codeine, hydrocodone, Demerol and Morphine are available. Amitriptyline may be prescribed for depression. Sometimes a spinal block, an injection of a corticosteroid into the epidural space around your spinal cord may help with pains which don’t go away with the usual painkillers.

Medication will not cure or fix the back problem. The emphasis must be placed on education, physical therapy and exercise. Education and therapy is geared at postural training, while sitting, standing, lying down and lifting, stretching to improve flexibility, and improving the core abdominal and back muscles which support the lumbar spine.

If all other treatment options have been exhausted and pains persist associated with pains radiating to the lower limbs, alterations in feeling and muscle weakness (proven to be because of nerve compression), then surgery to remove the mechanical compression may be the last resort.

28 JUL

2013

OUT Let’s take Sports seriously!

Continued from page 2 However what have we, as people who have been witness and experienced the greatness and glory of these athletes, done to make life and sports more rewarding for our youths today?

The question is more directed to those who have so much fun memories of the past and have now become important and influential personalities in our society.

Since 1998 there have been quite a few men who enjoyed the game and some that even played sports that have become Ministers of Government. I was so hopeful that there would have been a major shift in the way sports is been handled for the sole benefit of our youth but it was to no avail.

This issue has become very important since our national team made representation at the international football tournament in the Americas: the Gold Cup. It’s always a good thing to reminisce about how great our athletes were, the success they attained and the great pride and joy they brought to the country, but we‘ll never see where we’re going if we’re always looking back.

It’s still incomprehensible to me when hearing stories of crowded stadium around the country were people would pay hard earn money to watch high level of football or even basket-ball just to realize that at the end of the games only the organizer and administers see and enjoy the gate’s money instead of the athletes who perform and made the event happen. There is big bucks in sports today and we must give our children a chance to expose their talent and skills. Enough of playing for the love of the sports; if money comes out of it, let it be.

Just like the Center for Employment Training and I.T.V.E.T., we must also create a sports academy in Belize.

Sports should be considered a skill just like any other skill that can generate financial benefits for oneself and family.

Criticizing and lamenting on the negatives and shortcomings of our athletes is definitely not the solution. The Government must now take the lead in this regard. There is so much waste in the system. We must double the sports budget for the year and identify and tunnel some of those wasteful spending into the Ministry of Sports.

Also by partnering with the private sector, the possibilities are endless.

With all the talent and skills that our young people possess, I am convinced that we could compete at the highest level and succeed. I look forward to the day when we are properly represented in the Olympics and are considered as a favorite to win. The same in the world cup, if Jamaica and those other coun-

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THE BELIZE TIMES

OUT Better Management of Placencia Beach Needed Continued from page 2 ports and navigation lanes, improving navigational safety to avoid groundings and spills, and reducing land-based inputs to the adjacent coastal and marine areas within the Gulf of Honduras.

This project has a budget of $58 Million USD and a 5 year duration. In Placencia, we cannot afford to wait until this program truly kicks in and hope it will directly benefit us. We need to take matters into our own hands, now.

Under the May 2010 draft National Guidelines for Subdivision and Consolidation of Land in Belize which falls under the Lands and Surveys Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, it states “Under the LUA (Land Utilization Act) General subdivision guidelines to ensure that access to water bodies is maintained include: A 66 feet reserve must be provided for each subdivision of a land parcel next to the sea, lagoon, river, creek and other major water bodies.”

My interpretation: the 66ft beach reserve in Placencia is a common feature to all Belizeans. It is what makes Placencia peninsula unique. It is also one of the most important tourism-related assets for the entire peninsula, especially for those who own tourism-related businesses along this stretch of beach.

For those of us who live on the Placencia Peninsula, we can attest to the struggle we have been having in keeping our beach clean of debris. As I have pointed out in the preamble of this article, there are plans underway.

However, it is not here, and won’t be for a few more years. We are still dealing with a lot of trash that washes out from the rivers in Puerto Cortez, Honduras and Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. Most of it goes out in the Gulf of Honduras.

Around this time of the year, we get a strong current that runs from south to north and pushes large bulks of that trash directly towards southern Belize, and creates one huge mess. It is very costly to try and keep the main stretches of the beach clean, much less the entire length.

The Placencia Sanitation Company/Village Council has procured two commercial beach rakes, which are currently semi-operational. These can tries in the region can do it then so can Belize. We owe it to our kids. Let’s give them a chance to make us proud and generate genuine nationalism. The Belize Jaguars have made a positive start in that direction. Let’s follow through and do it for our children sake. If you fail to prepare then prepare to fail. We can do it so let it be done.

Joseph Alvarez, Concerned citizen

be utilized in this endeavor; however, I am afraid it will take a lot more resources than that.

The private and public sector on the Placencia Peninsula, along with the proper Government departments, needs to formulate a beach management plan, as we are attempting to do with the utilization and development of the Placencia lagoon.

I do not believe this will be too difficult; however it will take the effort of the entire peninsula. As I said, the beach is a public common and all should be concerned and responsible for its well-being, for, we all directly or indirectly benefit from it.

I have a proposal which will attempt to identify funds, for a good management plan is useless without the necessary financial resources. For the sake of having this letter published, I will not go into details; this can be done at a public meeting on this specific issue to crunch out details, if it reaches that point: Proposal: Earmark money to be set aside in a fund that will be designated specifically for the cleaning of the entire Placencia Peninsula Beach.

Potential source of funds: a. Lobby the Belize Tourism Board, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Finance, the entire Cabinet, and ask that a percentage of our taxes - hotel, business, GST, property tax etc. be earmarked. b. Identify and apply for a grant. c. Local businesses voluntarily contribute a monthly fee. d.

A combination of some or all of the above.

SIDE NOTE: We should also lobby the BTB to have a beach certification program developed, such as the system that Mexico has, and we can then push to get International Blue Flag Certified.

These are just some of my ideas, and

OUT Beware, Unions!

Continued from page 2 ing the President of the Belize Water Services Union allowed the firing of employees because they were accused of making serious allegations against senior BWS officials, did the Amandala call out the UDP chairman Alberto August, who is responsible at BWS? When the Belize Sugar Industries up north busted the Belize Workers Union by promoting union members to staff and contract workers, did the Amandala exposed BSI for union busting?

When senior members of the NTUCB sold out to Barrow for their own personal comfort did the Amandala exposed them?

Word to the wise members of the Unions, don’t trust the Amandala.

They will nurture you and when they have accomplished their own selfish agenda, they will try destroyed you.

Signed, Dylan R. Barrow

they can be expanded upon to formulate a long-term, cohesive management plan for the Placencia Peninsula beach, and the source of funds to get it done. This will also provide longterm jobs, for it will take a significant amount of man power to get this done on a weekly, monthly basis, or whatever the plan identifies as the best cycle.

It should also create a unified sense of pride on the Peninsula, since we will all be working together for an end result that will benefit all.

Sincerely, Charles Leslie Jr., Business Owner (Placencia Village)

OUT Kenny Jacobs on why we are still poor Continued from page 2 “divide” mentality. They ensure that people are for, and against the issue. And for their proponents, they tell them only about the short advantage of the situation. They don’t tell them about the long term disadvantage of it.

In essence, these wealthy people are making millions off the people’s resources while the people are losing a valuable instance of their community.

Look at Toledo! And the other districts! Look at the statistics reports! Look at the IDB report recently presented! It’s all in the mix. The Belizean Political and Government systems are set up in way to accommodate this. Colonialism caused this. As a matter of fact, the poor people of all the districts are receiving very little of what they are worth. Governments, past and present, have been doing many things which are not in the best effect of its people.

And this has to stop someday! If not, there will be a need for a big revolution! They are many people who are at the door, but they are afraid to step up! They don’t want to be the only ones stepping out and saying, THIS IS WRONG. They need to have the support.

Belizeans need to support these people who are agitating for betterment of the country, and poor people of Belize.

The time has come for a new revolution from the masses of the people, for the masses of the people. We should not wait. We should not be AFRAID. Only then, we can say that we live in the “Land of the Free, by the Carib Sea!” Respectfully, Kenny Jacobs Executive Director/ TV Host Teens Belize Organization / Developing Toledo TV Show, PGTV

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THE BELIZE TIMES

EDITORIAL Spanish

28 JUL

2013

“ROSEWOOD OTRA VEZ!”

Si, MINISTRA, ROSEWOOD OTRA VEZ! Por Norris Hall La pudrición y decadencia sobre el escándalo de ‘Rosewood’ que por seis meses involucra al Gabinete del Primer Ministro y que está agarrando más interés local e internacional, no desaparecerá simplemente, ya que las tramas de intriga y la corrupción siguen saliendo.

Acorralada la semana pasada por la prensa, la señora Ministra Forestal, que en un principio trato de tomar el camino alto, ha atrapados sus pies en el pantano y la suciedad de una administración corrupta ya que tropezó con una serie de mentiras oficiales, doble alegato y su propia “declaración” que hizo ante las cámaras, en enero como estalló el escándalo.

Tomada por sorpresa por un recién envío de Rosewood, la Ministra golpeó la cabeza contra la pared del laberinto de doble discurso con un exasperado “Rosewood otra vez!”

Un bloguero en Facebook comentó “que indica su aguda conciencia, y tal vez incluso la aceptación del status quo.”

Interrogado por los medios de comunicación, la señora Ministra se le ocurrió un poco de matemática difusa que ni representaba aritmética ni álgebra. Por lo que no matizo.

En respuesta a una pregunta de que si la Ministra estaba seguro de que el gobierno estaba obteniendo la mitad de la ganancias sobre la venta del Rosewood cosechada ilegalmente (el gobierno llegó a un acuerdo con el tallador exportador, que el hermano del Primer Ministro Auxiliar), la Ministra Forestal fue servida con una bola curva rápida y tuvo que girar resultando en una falta.

Aquí está lo que dijo: “Tuvimos que negociar un precio en base a lo que hemos escuchado que la gente está haciendo. Hemos escuchado todo tipo de figuras de lo que traiga un contenedor y realmente varea, todos tenían una cifra diferente que nos decían... llegó al punto de que teníamos que decir páguenos nuestra parte, algo justo y, exporten el material. “ Eso era muy extraño para la Ministra Forestal, que se ancla el afrodisíaco del poder, o comportamiento de un gobierno, considerando que estaban tratando con talladores que fueron capturados ilegalmente exportando el Rosewood.

Cuando se le preguntó sobre la cantidad de dinero que el gobierno estaba recibiendo de la exportación de cada contenedor de Rosewood, la Ministra respondió que se había negociado un pago de 15.000 dólares por contenedor, insistiendo en que era el pago de regalías.

Regalías implican el pago de una transacción legítima. El pasó torcido y sin precedentes adoptadas por el gobierno para compartir 50/50 de las ganancias de la extracción ilegal de Rosewood para la exportación, ya que era el hermano del primer ministro auxiliar, es en sí mismo un crimen sangriento. ¿Cómo la Ministra puede jugar semántica con nosotros y se atreve a llamarlo “regalías”? Ella insistió, “regalías”.

La Ministra se equivocó en grande. O quizás con la instrucción del Gabinete, tuvo que estafar al gobierno de miles de dólares.

Mientras que la Ministra afirmó que no estaba al tanto del precios de mercado, una mentira obvia, ya que tiene un Jefe Forestal que debería haber sabido, era fácil conocer que el valor de mercado

para exportar el Rosewood es EE.UU. $ 25,00 por pie tabla. Cada contenedor lleva 9,000 pies tablares de Rosewood. Esto significa que cada contenedor tiene un valor de 9.000 X US25 dólares lo que equivale a $ US225.000. ¿Cómo ella arbitrariamente llego a $15.000? ¿Una pregunta justa y honesta seria si el gobierno cobrara los restantes $210.000, por cada contenedor de Rosewood enviado? ¿Dónde está el dinero? Cualquier cínico preguntaría, sobre todo porque es dinero necesitado por un gobierno carente de dinero, aunque no lo crea. Tiene que haber una explicación para un posible quid pro quo de tal acuerdo. La Ministra no pudo haber cometido un error tan mal. Después de todo, ella es inteligente y que es de gran alcance.

Esto era difícil de entender. Este escritor asume que los $15,000 por contenedor el Ministro había mencionado era que los derechos de exportación, no el costo real del palo de rosa. También podría haber sido asumida de lo que se oyó inicialmente que estaba tomando el camino y distanciarse del proceso sórdido y corrupto.

Yo estaba realmente dispuesto a darle el beneficio de la duda.

Buscando una aclaración por parte de ella, ella me dijo: “Tengo que poner en práctica la decisión del Gabinete y tengo que respetar su decisión colectiva. Así que no puedo alejarme de ello, no sería justo”.

Estaba atrapado desprevenido y tuve que iniciar un blog: “El escándalo de Rosewood está asumiendo más patas que un ciempiés, sin saber que piernas poner delante. Si la decisión del Gabinete del Primer Ministro, está basada sobre una posición de principio, entonces aquellos de principio dentro del Gabinete no tendrían que esconderse detrás de la decisión “colectiva” del Gabinete, más bien podrían articular libremente su posición. La decisión “colectiva” del Gabinete para evadir distancia una explicación implica un encubrimiento. Es similar al credo de las bandas criminales: Sangre dentro, sangre fuera”.

Ahora hay que suponer que cuando la Ministra Forestal hizo la declaración ardiente en enero de este año y le puso fuego a medio-millón de dólares de cosecha ilegal de Rosewood por UDPS bien conectados, fue una decisión “colectiva” del Gabinete por la frustración con los lucros ilegales de la familia del viceprimer ministro y otros.

También tenemos que asumir que la decisión de la Ministra Forestal de cobrar $ 15,000 por un contenedor de palo de rosa valorada en $225.000 dólares fue una decisión del Gabinete. Esto significa que la Ministra Forestal está ahora profundamente en el lodazal de la corrupción que aqueja a este gobierno y al pueblo de Belice.

Este escritor no quiere esperar. Pero hasta que este sórdido asunto obtenga, al menos, la transparencia de una tortilla de maíz fina, Ministra, tendrá que bajarse de su caballo alto y preguntar una y otra vez: “ Rosewood otra vez?” Respetuosamente contestaremos: “Sí, Ministra!”.

28 JUL

2013

THE BELIZE TIMES

UDP & Criminal Behavior

JAGUARS rewarded for rejecting bribe PUP Mesopotamia Executive Committee elected Belize City, July 24, 2013 On Monday, July 22, 2013 a convention was held at the historic Independence Hall on Queen Street to elect a new and dynamic PUP Mesopotamia Executive Committee.

After the voting, supporters of the division elected community leader Dorla Vaughan as the Chairman. Other executive members are Kareem Hafiya, Vice Chairman; Dosha O’Brien, Secretary; Andrea O’Brien, Treasurer; Eleanor

didn’t stop the UDP thugs from turning on him. Yellowman was the first to land a serious blow that knocked him out, PC Chi recalled.

Yellowman and Wallet Man were arrested and charged.

They were taken to the Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday July 17th afternoon and were arraigned for six charges: one count each for Using Insulting Words, Harm and Common Assault and Using Threatening Words upon Faada; and Assaulting and Wounding of Police Officer Wilbert Chi. The UDP thugs pleaded not guilty.

Enriquez, Assistant Treasurer; Aldo Ayuso, Campaign Manager; Cornelius Day, Deputy Campaign Manager; Louis Pickwoad, Communication Director and Anna Reyes as Logistics Coordinator.

The new executive committee will now resume the work of the Party and renew hope in a division that has been stricken by poverty and hopelessness under the UDP. Hope is now here.

UDP Macebearer has been charged with assaulting a Police Officer

Mark King was accused of assaulting a Police Officer

Belize City, July 25, 2013 At a time when the UDP Government Ministers are facing all kinds of scandals – stealing, wheeling and dealing with corrupt cronies and undermining the trust of the people of Belize, a bright ray of hope surfaced with our national football team, the Jaguars.

Not only were our football players valiant in the face of tough adversity, but they are an example of the honorable title which our current UDP Ministers make a mockery of daily.

Two of the players, Defense player Ian “Yellow” Gaynair and Goalkeeper Woodrow Wilson West, have been highlighted by CONCACAF for being exemplary leaders after they rejected a bribe offer from an unknown character who was offering them money to lose the opening match with the United States Men’s National Team.

Gaynair and West have been invited by UNCAF President, Rafael Tinoco, to attend the final match between the United States and Panama in Chicago.

Gaynair and West reported to the Belize media that while in the U.S. a suspicious individual approached them and showed them a bag of money and said all of it and more could be theirs if they lost the match against the United States.

Gaynair said that when the man realized that he had offended them with the bribe, the man scurried away. Now, how patriotic is that!

Compare that to our current UDP Ministers who are flaunting money with brand new rides and large-thanlife houses, as if they have just won the lottery. Honesty matters!

CARTOON

Belize City, July 24, 2013 In less than five months, four well known UDPs – including two high profile politicians – have faced criminal allegations and Police charges.

While most persons probably aren’t surprised about this, the truth is that we should at the very least be very concerned at the trend we are seeing. There seems to be an inescapable leaning by the UDP to engage in criminal behavior.

The case of UDP Minister Mark King vs. The DPP might have crumbled thanks to a cowardly cop who seemed to have gotten cold feet and withdrew the charges before the Court, but the eyewitness reports and widely-aired video showing King and his entourage assaulting a police officer at the northern Customs Border point have been etched in the minds of Belizeans. Pictures and video don’t lie.

King walked away scotch free, even after taking his threatening ways inside a police station, but there is no doubt that he was guilty of being unruly and unworthy of the honorable title he has been allowed to keep by the Prime Minister.

The case of Denny Grijalva vs. the people of Belize involves UDP criminal behavior of a different kind, but one which the ruling party under Dean Barrow has become increasingly accustomed to. Grijalva, through his company DeMars Stone Company, displayed total disrespect for our laws and protection of cultural heritage when his company’s heavy equipment was caught excavating the 2,300 year old Noh Mul Mayan Site, situated in the outskirts of the Corozal District.

Grijalva, who has been dubbed the UDP’s “caretaker” of Orange Walk Central, was using the material from the Mayan site to carry out special contracts given to him for road construction in the Deputy Prime Minister’s division.

Archaeologist Dr. John Morris described the act as “an incredible display of ignorance”. It is truly intolerable.

Grijalva has been charged for willfully damaging an ancient monument and removing earth from an ancient monument. He pleaded not guilty, and like Mark King, will likely walk away with very little reprimand.

The latest defiance of the law came from known UDP hoodlums. Appointed UDP Macebearer Brian “Yellowman” Audinette and his side-kick Allan “The Wallet Man” Kelly were charged for brutally attacking Police Officer Wilbert Chi and well known activist Phillip “Faada” Henry.

The Police Officer was beaten up when he intervened and tried to stop Yellowman and Wallet Man from assaulting Faada. The officer said he identified himself as a cop, but that

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THE BELIZE TIMES

28 JUL

2013