Belize Times March 3, 2013

03 MAR SCAN HERE

2013

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The Belize Times THE BELIZE TIMES

Established 1957

03 MAR 2013

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The Truth Shall Make You Free

ISSUE NO: 4834

www.belizetimes.bz

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UPRISING! Belize City, February 26, 2013 In the history of our independent Belize, no government has faced as much public hostility and uprising as the Barrow Administration. In less than one year into its second term, the UDP-led Government has been rocked by four protests and demonstrations, challenging their style of oppression, corruption and high-level mismanagement.

On Tuesday of this week, yet another public sign of opposition was vented out on the streets of the capital, City of Belmopan, when a group of Belizeans took to the streets to condemn the

Pg. 10 UDP crony gets $148,000 for GOB’s unlawful land seizure Belize City, February 28, 2013 One well-known UDP supporter from Orange Walk Town laughed all the way to the bank when he was awarded $148,000 by the Minister of Natural Resources Gaspar Vega to quash any legal proceedings in a matter involving the unlawful expropriation of a beachfront property in Corozal Town.

In 2009, the Ministry of Natural Resources sold Derrick Gillett parcel number 1817, located along the North-East end of Corozal Town. Gillett

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Facey Castro!

Minister ordered Port Authority to hire daughter, then son

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How to victimize a Magistrate!!!

Belize City, February 28, 2013 The Judiciary is the most important arm of Government because it protects the citizenry from abuse by the other two power hungry branches.

The other two branches like the Executive, which

Hon. Gaspar Vega

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consist of the Police and BDF need to be kept in check. The most dangerous of the three branches is the Legislature because at this time it is made up of desperate politicians who are most known for abuses.

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MORE VEGA LAND GRAB

FOLLOW US! on the social media

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THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

Resign Sedi!

Dear Editor, I’ve been saying months ago that Minister Elrington needs to go as foreign minister, and taken off this ICJ case. Man, this man outright comes out saying that Hondo to the Sarstoon Rivers are ok but when it comes to our Maritime he’s not sure if we will come out victorious. Any first year law student could tell the Minister he’s giving away the bait. He needs to go, come on Prime Minister it’s about time for a Cabinet reshuffle in the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Or maybe put some sense into Minister Elrington’s head.

Mr. Elrington, please just step down and do us Belizeans a favour.

I think Guatemala is playing poker with us they’re bluffing

The Espat and Barrow/ Finnegan Arrangement Dear Editor, I must remind your readers of the Tuesday February 12th meeting of the National Assembly in Belmopan, when the Master of Games Dean Oliver Barrow decided to up his game when he allowed the House jester Michael Finnegan to disgrace the Honorable house by praising the Espat Brothers and announcing that it is time for the Espats to “join ranks” with the United Democratic Party.

Finnegan’s announcement in the House caught no one by surprise, particularly those in the Opposition People’s United Party who has been labeling Mark Espat and others as UDP agents. Espat is responsible for all the mess and confusion of the PUP government since 2005 right through to Briceno’s leadership until he sold out the PUP in the last general election.

Barrow awarded Espat for his treacherous action and appointed him as the Super bond “Team Leader” with Ambassador status.

As has been reported widely, Espat started a consultancy agency called HALL MARK or is it ALL MARK which has been collecting from taxpayers a total of $20,000 per month while working class Teachers and Public Officers have to wait to see “IF” there is a surplus.

It would be of interest for Belizean to learn what the new arrangement is or what it will cost Belizean taxpayer for the Espats to “join ranks” as Finnegan says with the UDP. An article published by the Amandala in 2000 exposed the “Espats and their Barrow/ Finnegan Agreement”.

That arrangement has never changed and was very evident and instrumental in the last PUP government administration particularly when the Espat hijacked the G7 movement to undermine the PUP with the aid of Barrow/Finnegan UDP. It is speculated that Barrow cannot suffice the demands of the Espats and so there is talk about bringing Judas through the Senate replacing Joy

Grant. Belizean taxpayers will have to foot the bill maintain Espat until he next elections when he turns into a UDP candidate.

I end with the following: “I have no spur To pick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself And fall on the other.”

MACBETH, Act I, SC, vii, 25-28 Signed, PUP Supporter, Hubert Tench

PUP: Castro should resign or be removed February 13, 2013 PRESS RELEASE The People’s United Party (PUP) once more decries in the strongest terms the rank political interference and high-handedness displayed to the Ports Commissioner Major John Flowers as well as the continuing nepotism displayed by the UDP government.

In December last year, the PUP issued a strong statement regarding the political interfer-

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ence of Minister Manuel Heredia concerning a member of the Police Department. However, the UDP Government is clearly completely ignoring the calls by our Party and many citizens and organizations for correct and aboveboard conduct of members of the political directorate when it comes to the business of the government.

We deplore the Minister of State Edmund Castro’s actions in treating a government statutory body as his personal fiefdom.

Reports from the Ports Commissioner are that firstly Hon. Edmund Castro demanded the placement of his daughter which was done; and later his directive that his son must also be hired.

This level of political interference compounded by gross nepotism is not good for governance. The PUP hereby calls for the Minister of State Edmund Castro’s immediate resignation or removal.

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Disappointed with Union Leaders Dear Editor: I’m very surprised at management level of the unions. During that Friday meeting with the PM and other government officials, they couldn’t point out the flaw in the terms of what the government had in the agreement. It’s when the members of the unions met that they saw the flaw with that word “IF”.

How come all you management people let that slip you? You all must remember that the PM is an attorney. He will use his court room tricks to let you all agree.

Very disappointed in the management that’s negotiating. Please brothers read and understand before you all come out of meetings smiling like all is well. When we know a lot needs to be done Signed, Hakeem Bush

THE BELIZE TIMES 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.

weather 2 Mar

about wanting half of Belize. They know they can’t get half so they’re using this to let the ICJ give them something which they really want is our maritime area.

Signed, Hakeem Bush

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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

United States (USD): $ 0.4948

Barbados Eastern Caribbean (BBD): $ 0.9899 (XCD):$ 1.3374

Euro(EUR) : $ 0.3774

Sterling Pound Guatemala Quetzal CANADIAN DOLLAR CHINESE YUAN Trinidadian (TTD) INDIAN RUPEE (GBP): $ 0.3262 (GTQ): $ 3.8720 (CAD): $ 0.5085 (CNY): $ 3.0786 : $ 3.1644 (INR): $ 26.864

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THE BELIZE TIMES

More Vega land grab exposed Placencia fights to retain land given to greedy family Belize City, February 25, 2013 While grassroots Belizeans took to the streets on Tuesday to show their frustration with the land distribution system that seems to benefit the haves instead of the have-nots, more reports have surfaced of the “not normal” Vega family grabbing up land.

This time, however, the land grab has met resistance as the areas affected including sensitive eco-systems which are considered as a protected area by the Placencia Community.

But the sensitivity or the importance the land plays as a natural habitat to crocodiles, birds, and manatees mattered nothing when the Ministry of Natural Resourc-

es parcelled out land for persons closely connected to the Minister himself, Gaspar Vega.

We can only assume that this was part of his policy that there is nothing wrong with his family grabbing up land because they are not normal persons and they work harder than normal Belizeans.

In March 2012, the Ministry of Natural Resources allotted four parcels of land, located on two islands within the Placencia lagoon to Dominique Gomez. Gomez is the girlfriend of Gaspar Vega’s son, Andre Vega.

Other persons close to the young, not-normal Vega also benefitted from land access. Douglas Usher, who is a close friend of Ve-

ga’s son purchased prime real estate at unbelievable prices, while Bertran Brown, who is an employee of the Minister, received title for land as well.

The Placencia community has attempted to get the Government to reverse the land titles, but it has yet to happen.

The question is, though, why was the land given out in the first place? Doesn’t the Ministry have a proper information system to know that certain areas should not be meddled with? Or is this intentional, with the result being that the Government will compensate these persons for land they will claim to have given out “mistakenly”.

03 3 PUP defends PLUS TV’s Patrick Andrews Belize City, February 13, 2013 The People’s United Party views the threat of legal action levied against PlusTV and Mr. Patrick Andrews, a private citizen, by the Minister of National Security, John Saldivar, as a threat against democracy and an attempt to stifle public discourse on an issue that is concerning to all Belizeans, namely the wasteful spending of public funds

by Ministers of Government.

In this regard, the People’s United Party considers the comments made by Mr. Patrick Andrews to be fair comment on a matter of public interest and offers its full support to Plus TV and Mr. Andrews.

In the event the matter is taken before a court of law the Party has made a firm commitment to offer legal support to Plus TV and Mr. Andrews.

It is time for Ministers of Government, including the Minister of National Security, to realize that threatening and intimidating the citizens of our country will no longer be tolerated. The freedom of our citizens and the press to voice their concerns is paramount to a true and thriving democracy. (PRESS RELEASE)

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THE BELIZE TIMES

UDP crony gets $148,000 for GOB’s unlawful land seizure Continued from page 1 is the same Orange Walk meat vendor who was named in the KHMH financial mismanagement scandal.

The land was sold to Gillett, even though a search of the land information would have showed that it already had an owner, Orange Walk resident Dr. Silvino Correa.

Dr. Correa took the UDP Government to Court and successfully got the Court to reverse the Government’s reckless land giveaway. Government also had to pay Court cost.

Hon. Jose Mai

CEO Beverly Castillo There were already enough expenses and embarrassment for the Ministry of Natural Resources, but they went one step further to making an appalling decision. A letter written by CEO Beverly Castillo, on behalf of the Minister, to Gillett apologised for “the inconvenience” and offered to pay him $148,000 so he doesn’t pursue court action.

The BELIZE TIMES understand that a smiling Gillett accepted the offer. Why would he reject easy money from his UDP Government?

The question Belizeans must ask is whether this is the UDP’s new hustling scheme? Gillett was virtually paid $140,000 for absolutely nothing. He was not the victim of the Government’s vindictive land grab. He benefitted from it. And he benefitted immensely, as the Government took hundreds of thousands of tax payers’ money to pay up in the whole fiasco.

When Orange Walk South Area Representative Hon. Jose Mai questioned Lands Minister Gaspar Vega about this situation before the National Assembly three weeks ago, Vega mumbled some vague response and launched a personal attack. Is Vega hiding something? We encourage Hon. Mai to bring this matter to the House of Representative once more, so the Minister explains properly.

Macebearer Caught AGAIN! Belize City, February 18, 2013 Public drinking is illegal – so declares an ad paid for by the Ministry of National Security and which airs on the UDP’s radio station several times every day.

But the Barrow Administration’s appointed Macebearer for the National Assembly doesn’t seem to care for the laws governing our country.

Macebearer Brian “YellowContinued on page 31

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THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

IN THE KINGDOM OF THE LANDLESS

t was my grandfather who would sternly chant, at every opportunity, that land is the only thing that God did not make two of.

As colloquial, “bushy”, unpolished and rudimentary as this may sound, that truism is entrenched in the history of the world and its wars of ownership, imperialism and capitalism.

It is argued that the first real conflict arose when a man erected the first fence. This would be anthropologically difficult to verify but surely land, and the resources which are attached to them, remain the most identifiable currency and affirmation of human wealth. This is why minerals such as gold remain the symbol of money and the value of money, even in the modern economic era.

In Belize, our national anthem and the structure of our Government underscore the national relevance of land ownership and tenure. “O. land of the free” and “nature has blessed thee with wealth untold” are no odes to hot air.

We, as a nation, dedicated an entire stanza of our national anthem to land and the entitlement complex, which is understandably Belizean, frequently is evidenced by the fact that, we believe that owning a piece of Belizean land is our birth right.

This sense of entitlement can only be contrasted via negativa with our Caribbean sister nations who are overpopulated and island territories.

In Barbados, for example, the population density, which is calculated as people per square kilometers, was last reported at 635.65. There, the population of Barbados is on par with Belize’s but while our 350,000 has 8,887 square miles at our disposal, Barbados has a claustrophobic space of 166 square miles. Bajans are born almost knowing that they will never own a piece of their country.

In Belize, our population density was last reported in a World Bank report published in 2012 as 15.11. It takes little more than a casual drive down the major highways to realize that the undeveloped land in Belize is green with potential.

Land ownership and tenure in Belize is peddled politically like loads of land fill and scholarships. Subconsciously, Belizeans act as if land is a limitless resource while not realizing that the availability of land and its distributions have passed many poor Belizeans over like Esau without the benefit of the soup.

Politically and institutionally, the value of land has had it place in glory. The vestiges of the socio-economic power in land ownership is publicly stamped by the fact that the second most powerful office in Government, the Deputy Prime Minister, is invariably held by the Minister of Lands.

However, the UDP has taken oppression to a new level beginning with the Quitar campaign of 2008 where many first time land owners were stripped of legally issued land documents.

The Lands Department was closed down for over six months to find wrongdoing and two of PUP ministers were slapped with malfeasance charges. In hindsight and with the value of solid court judgments, the past PUP administration has been vindicated. This, then, clears the air to properly analyze the mess that the UDP have made of land ownership and tenure in Belize.

Since 2008, Belizeans have suffered terrible political wrongs; it is particularly characterized by ongoing patterns of land distribution and denial to our people.

Belize is a state born of colonial forces where our people have been dispossessed of vast landholdings and deprived of access to life-sustaining resources. There is some mitigation in the fact that the reality of the UDP behavior is not original to them, as the British employed the same tactics throughout their colonial presence here.

In the modern context, the loss of land is typically facilitated by colonial and state policies and laws that lend diminished or no value to the inequities of wealth and its relationship to preexisting land tenure.

The heartless legacies of such policies and laws continue today in our legal systems and administrative practices regarding land. This goes as far as the embarrassment of having the Lands Department lose your application for land or learning that the same title has been issued multiple times against long standing rural land owners.

Despite historical forces, many indigent Belizean families in the splattered villages across the country have retained little plots of land, which remain as family land for generations.

The effort of Nigel Petillo and the National Day of Protest re-

mains an ambitious and unarguably necessary stance. Silently, all “normal persons” in Belizeans felt solidarity in the message and cause. Yet, only a generous estimate of two hundred and twenty five protestors laced up sneakers, hoisted posters and flanked Petillo in Belmopan.

As a post game spin, political opinion was strong that the timing of Petillo’s assault was a short range hit which was ordered only for the recently passed UDP Deputy Party Leadership convention.

That theory is not far-fetched, as Petillo is for the most part a UDP supporter and operative who campaigned openly for John Saldivar in two successive elections. Belmopanese will recall that it was Petillo’s group that were actively and physically obstructing the PUP’s tour of that municipality in 2008 and had blocked the road before being accosted by the Police Department. So, internal political mischief making could not be completely ruled out.

But the weakness in that version is why it continued even after the defeat and embarrassment of Faber two Sundays ago.

For Petillo, the disappointment is not in the diabolic attacks exposing the awarding of lands to his immediate family and in laws. The damp disappointment is also not in the name calling from the UDP jackals who have insinuated much from the fact that Nigel Petillo’s is not his real name but that he is really Rudolph Norales.

These, we expect as the flatulence of UDP propaganda attacks on their own but the fact that of a 1,000 member organization he could only muster up twenty per cent is a hugely humbling experience for the grass roots governor. He was fully supported by a known radio and newspaper organization and the personalities attached to that entity. This surely is a heat check for all involved.

What Petillo fell victim to, was the fact that mobilization of a people is not just about rhetoric and passionately charged talk. The real work of mobilizing a people around a cause takes much more logistics better suited for iron casted pistons of mass parties.

To get people out, it takes far more than commitment from citizens; as pedantic distractions as simple as no babysitter, forgetting the time of the bus departure or a romantic quarrel with a spouse trump any well promot-

ed revolutionary protest against injustices. This is just the reality, Jack.

But the issue is a noble one despite all the distractions and red herrings. Land has become a huge issue in Belize. It may be less of a bother for Belize City stationed citizens who seem to have resigned themselves to being landless renters. But for rural Belize where the connect between the value of land and the visual availability of land is much closer, Belizeans feel trapped.

What has happened is that Belizeans in villages have been under siege. The village land has been sold off in large tracts to foreign interests which have not left any room for village expansion. Children born in villages that have come of age and want to get a start up track of land for their families cannot find this land. They feel stuck and betrayed as many of the village leaders and chairmen must shoulder the blame for seeking out foreign purchasers and packaging off these lands without consideration.

The conflict and problems have not gone away despite the disappointment to Petillo’s turnout in Belmopan. Truth is that similar turmoil is bubbling in other villages such as Blackman Eddie, More Tomorrow and Xaibe Village.

As exemplified in the unfolding story of the Maya leaders who constantly swat at the oil greased hands of this government, land distribution and tenure in Belize will only get worse as more mineral resources are unearthed and land becomes “scarce” or “sold out”.

The UDP has shown its stubbornness to thicken the red tape and institutional mechanisms which favor cronies and political family members. Poor Belizeans remain dispossessed and oppressed while the Government provides no security against the undermining and invasion of our country’s land system.

Even though Nature has blessed us with wealth untold, we must not forget to be valiant and bold. Our call is to drive back the UDP invaders because this is the very heritage we hold. Every coral isle, and blue lagoon is ours and we can rest assured that the PUP will keep watch with the angels, the stars and moon.

We remind Belizeans to have hope for freedom comes tomorrow’s noon.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

20 yr. old redefines tourism marketing strategy Belize City, February 27, 2013 Every year, the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) spends millions to improve its marketing and branding of Belize as a prime tourist destination. The challenge is to convince prospective tourists, located continents away, that Belize is the perfect place to visit for an unforgettable experience. It’s a hard sell, considering that the potential tourist has likely never heard of Belize, is bombarded with similar marketing strategies from hundreds of agencies, and is possibly highly sceptical of the message. Marketing is so important that this year, BTB signed possibly what is a multi-million dollar contract with a U.S. marketing firm, which has so far delivered a new logo, promising that it is the new look Belize needs.

Well, a 20 year old Belizean who does not have the financial backing or global reputation as Olson does, has stepped up to create an innovative and ground-breaking idea that could transform how Belize is marketed to just about anyone, anywhere in one of the most effective manners.

Thyrell Hyde said he simply wanted to create a fun board game that would have him visit places in Belize without spending money or days travelling, or the worse part: having to leave the places. He said that thanks to his aunt, Rhenae Nuñez, he travelled a lot and got to know Belize. Upon concluding a trip to Placencia, he obtained a Destination Belize Magazine and the idea of the board game came to him.

“I thought it would be good if persons could travel the country without actually having to physically go to places,” said Thyrell.

After several weeks, Thyrell had drafted the concept of “The Tourist”, a monopoly-like board game that gives persons the adventure and excitement of travelling to any part of Belize.

Thyrell printed a colourful, largescale image of the Belize map on a board, and on each district he highlighted the popular tourist spots such as Maya ruins, Hotels, Museums and other cultural centers. Each spot carries points. On the game, he also added a public transportation system and some cash. The goal of the game is to visit each district, and as specific spots as possible within a budget of $3,000. The only requirements are that they must 1. Eat at a restaurant, 2. stay at a hotel, 3. pay for transportation and 4. go on an ac-

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tivity such as sightseeing. The person, who travels to all districts and earns the most points, would win the game.

To make the game more fun, Thyrell added a deck of wild cards. For every move, a player would draw a card and follow the instructions. This is where the game gets interesting. The cards give points for visits to cultural spots but also take away points for being a bad visitor and engaging in wrongful acts such as becoming intoxicated and starting a brawl at a local club or littering.

“The Tourist” is a fun, adventurous and educational game. But there is much more to it. Thyrell’s concept Continued on page 31

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THE BELIZE TIMES

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Honourable

Francis Fonseca visits Corozal South West

HAVE HOPE! The PUP will Serve The People

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THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

How to victimize a Magistrate!!!

Continued from page 1 The only entity that these politicians fear more than elections is the Judiciary. The judiciary is only able to do its job if it is independent and protects its integrity. The politicians know that and so they keep trying to bribe away, dilute away or intimidate away the independence of the judiciary.

The common game is to attack the security of tenure for the judges.

Well a very dangerous game is being played by the Barrow Administration to shatter the justice system. The attack is on the Magistracy, as BELIZE TIMES has been informed. Within the Magistracy that there is a devious move afoot to demote and embarrass seven Belizean Magistrates.

The BELIZE TIMES has confirmed that Magistrates Ed Usher, Clive Lino, Hettiemae Stuart, Roberto Ordonez, Stephanie Gillett, Adolph Lucas Jr. and Albert Hoare have been threatened by officials of the Government that they will be “transferred”.

The report is that the Magistrates will be transferred to other Government departments before the

end of the Financial Year and as early as the next two weeks or as late as August. Insiders relay to the BELIZE TIMES that a particular official being paid under this UDP administration said “it is a pity, I cannot fire them!”

They will be transferred in the same way common clerks are transferred. The contempt that is being shown to the Belizean Magistrates is particularly bitter because the suspicion is that there is a plan to replace all seven with foreign attorneys.

It was relayed to the BELIZE TIMES that legal research is being done as to whether Magistrates can be “transferred out of the Judiciary.” The current view is that it would be unconstitutional as the power to transfer is only delegated to the Chief Justice to move Magistrates from one Court to another and not to different Government ministries.

WE at BELIZE TIMES tried to get comment from the Attorney General’s Ministry, Supreme Court and the Chief Magistrate’s Office but were suspiciously told multiple times that no one was available.

In the mean time, Magistrates must balance the temptation of do-

ing the Governments bidding to curry favor to keep their jobs.

Equally as bad is that there is a general sentiment that to be considered a good Magistrate they must convict anyone in front of them re-

people and is heavily dependent on knowing the realities of Belizean Society. It was designed to be less law and more common sense. This is why not too long ago, the only requirement to be a Magistrate was that the person be a Justice of the Peace.

So why this new attack on the Justice System when a majority of the persons being carted off to jail come from gun charges in the low courts? Why ship out sitting Belizean Magistrates? Some who have been on the bench for over ten years?

Political clout and political influence has no place in Belize’s Justice System. We will lose our democracy and our peace if the UDP continue to molest the legal system.

The BELIZE TIMES calls on the government to clear the air and declare that there is not such a dark plan awaiting Belizeans.

In the mean time, Magistrates must balance the temptation of doing the Governments bidding to curry favor to keep their jobs. gardless of the evidence.

Substantial concerns and complaints have been swirling about two imported Magistrates and now the Government is hell bent on mashing up the court system so that they can have their way.

Unlike the Supreme Court, the Magistrate Court deals with poor

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Hon. Dolores visits Belize Rural Central schools Belize District, February 26, 2013 Belize Rural Central Area Representative Hon. Dolores Balderamos Garcia is continuing her outreach in her constituency by visiting all the schools in the area to learn of their concerns and give encouragement to principals, faculty and students as well as assistance where needed.

This month Hon. Dolores visited Hattieville Government School, on February 7, where she was received by principal Mr. Griffith and Vice Principal Ms. Mejia as well as teachers and students. In the Infant Division the children performed a skit and songs to welcome Hon. Dolores, before she made a presentation on the importance of keeping their environment clean and studying hard in order to succeed. At the Middle Division, Hon. Dolores again addressed the children encouraging them to aspire not only to secondary school but also to tertiary education. Hon. Dolores donated two volleyballs for the school’s sports program and also pledged to contribute sand fill for the school’s volleyball pitch.

Earlier that day Hon. Dolores visited Our Lady Of The Way R. C. School in Ladyville, where she again spoke to the students and donated a football and volleyball to assist the school’s sports programme. She also pledged her assistance for necessary bathroom renovations, having already built a garbage receptacle and donated six garbage drums to the school.

Last week Hon. Dolores visited and toured Ladyville Technical High School, which has become a shining light for secondary education in Belize Rural Central. Since its inauguration over ten years ago, Ladyville Tech has grown both in academic and technical fields and as well in the area of sports under the able leadership of Principal Diane Westby. In softball Ladyville Tech won Gold in the CODICADER games in Central America and recently a fourth form student won second place in the 2013 New Year’s Day Krem Cycling Classic.

At Ladyville Tech Hon. Dolores donated a football and volleyball and pledged further support for the school’s sporting programs.

Dolores and Hattieville Gov’t school students, Principal Mr. Griffith and Vice Principal Ms. Mejia

Dolores with students and Principal of Our lady of the Way Ms Carol Parks

Dolores at Ladyville Tech High

Dolores with Ladyville Tech students and principal Diane Westby

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THE BELIZE TIMES

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UPRISING! Continued from page 1 terrible failings of the land distribution system.

The demonstration was led by the Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association (BGYEA) and had the support of a number of individuals and organisations.

BGYEA has faced resistance from the Ministry of Natural Resources, in its attempt to assist grassroots Belizeans with land for housing and farming. The demonstration was a show of discontent with a system that has dished out huge lands for a pittance to the wealthy and well-connected. Even the Minister of Natural Resources has openly admitted to giving out acres of land to this in his family.

The almost two hundred Belizeans who joined the protest on a blazing hot Tuesday afternoon did so for they have been oppressed as well, or have witnessed oppression.

One protestor carried with him trails of paperwork as evidence of an almost life-time attempt at obtaining a single parcel of land. Those attempts have been frustrated by Government officials in Belmopan.

Other protestors included Xaibe residents in who are currently being subjected to a dictatorship area representative who does not respect the elected village council in and has been giving non-residents preference in his illegal distribution of land.

Dangriga residents also joined the protest. Dangriga Mayor Gilbert Swazo indicated that a number of the reserve land in their community has come under attack by the Ministry of Natural Resources. Land that by law should not be interfered with is being parcelled out to private individuals by corrupt Government officials.

During the protest, individuals sounded off chants of “Land for the Needy, Not the

Greedy!” and carried placards displaying messages such as “My Children Deserve Land Too”, “The land Department is not your real estate company” and “Serve the People, not only You and Your Family”.

While the protest moved around the national assembly building, the cold and vindictive UDP Ministers were meeting in Cabinet.

The BGYEA/land protest is, according to our records, the fourth protest for the year.

The students of the University of Belize had opposed an increase in school fees and took to the streets in late January. The teachers and various Unions had protested the Government’s disrespect and failure to deliver on their promise of a salary increase, also in late January. Then the Faculty and Staff Association of the University of Belize walked out of their classroom and office to protest financial irregularities at the University and called hopelessly on the Government to intervene.

The BELIZE TIMES understands that another protest is being planned in San Ignacio by residents who feel jilted and disrespected by the Government who promised to increase the investment in security after the murder of Suzenne Martinez, but has not delivered.

There is a growing sense of frustration in our Belizean people at the Government’s incompetence and failures.

There is a wave of uprising against their mismanagement, corruption and bad policies which Belizeans, have recognised, will doom Belize unless challenged and reversed. It is becoming more obvious that the Barrow Administration’s is on borrowed time.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Facey Castro!

Minister ordered Port Authority to hire daughter, then son Belize City, February 27, 2013 This UDP Government has brought new meaning to the colloquial word “facey”.

That’s just what Junior Minister Edmond Castro has shown himself to be after he forced the Belize Port Authority to hire his daughter and then his son, at a time when the Government institution is cash-strapped.

The Ports Commissioner, Major (Ret’d) John Flowers, has resigned as a result of the Major (Ret’d) John Flowers political interference and has come out to publicly expose Castro’s callous actions as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Minister Castro out of the request, Transport and Works, under which the but that didn’t work out well.

Port Authority falls.

“The Monday morning I got a In an interview with Channel 5 on call from the minister, saying, ‘lisFebruary 20th, Major Flowers report- ten to me, I have my son here that ed that from the start of Castro’s ten- I need to find a job. He’s giving me ure as Minister of State, the Minister battery, he’s giving me some trouhas been trying to get rid of the staff ble and I need to find somewhere at the Port Authority. He said that if to put him and I’m not asking you it were not for his tenure, secured by to move mountains’. I said, ‘mina contract, he would have probably ister that is not the issue. We just been booted out. don’t have the space, we don’t Major Flowers said that in April have the means to facilitate your 2012, he got into a verbal spat with son’. He said, ‘well I’m not asking Castro when the Minister attempted you that, I am instructing you to to use his authority to interfere with do that’. Then he said thank you the Port Authority’s management of very much and left.” water taxi terminals.

Major Flowers refused to comBut the situation worsened when ply and two days later, Castro rein July, the Port Authority Chairman turned to his office and it seemed Salvador Espat called Major Flowers he was in no mood to hear excuses. to inform him that Castro had re“On Wednesday the Minisquested that a post be created to hire ter came down to the office and his daughter. said, ‘you noh di work wid me’.

“I said well I don’t really have a He said, ‘I’ve been giving instrucstack of funds, but he said, ‘well the tions and you noh di follow it out minister wants to get his daughter and soh I noh think that you wah in’. So I said, ‘well alright I will try di ya fi wah year. I gwein back d to accommodate’. We went in and cabinet and get you moved’,” exwe created a slot at the Vessels plained Major Flowers.

Documentation Desk and put her Castro didn’t have to go through in there to work and so she started with the threat and go to Cabinet. to work there,” claimed Major Flowers.

But it appears Castro wasn’t satisfied. Major Flowers said that on February 1st, the Chairman approached him saying that, again, Castro wanted a position opened, but this time for his son. When the Port Commissioner refused, all hell broke loose.

Notice is hereby given that “I said, ‘Chairman right now Elmer Larios is applying we’re too overstaffed’. And given the financial situation right now for a Liquor License to with the authority, I said I simply be operated at “Birmania cannot afford to have people well Night Club”, situate #33 over the establishment because it Queen Street, Belize City, has to do with revenues which I am Belize District under the Innot collecting with the depressed toxicating Liquor Licensing shipping conditions in Belize,” said Ordinance Revised Edition the former Commissioner.

1980.

After this explanation, the Chairman said he would attempt to talk

Liquor License NOTICES

Major Flowers, who is a well-known supporter of the UDP, packed his things and resigned immediately.

In a release the Opposition PUP

decried what they described as “the rank political interference and high-handedness displayed to the Ports Commissioner Major John Flowers as well as the continuing nepotism displayed by the UDP government”.

The PUP deplored the Minister of State Edmund Castro’s actions in treating a government statutory body as his personal fiefdom and called on his resignation or removal.

BY ORDER OF MORTGAGEE NOTICE OF INTENTION TO SELL HOLY REDEEMER CREDIT UNION LIMITED a statutory body formed and registered under the Credit Union Act, Chapter 314 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2000, and whose registered office is situated at No. 1 Hyde’s Lane, Belize City, Belize District hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under and by virtue of a Deed of Mortgage registered at the Land Titles Unit between KAY USHER of the one part and HRCU of the other part.

HRCU will at the expiration of two months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the property described in the Schedule below.

ALL offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing to HOLY REDEEMER CREDIT UNION LIMITED from whom full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained.

SCHEDULE ALL THAT piece of parcel of land situate on Bougainvilla Street, Ladyville Village, Belize District, being the Lot No. 80 and more particularly delineated and described as shown on Plan No. 1651 in the Lands and Survey Department, Belmopan, recorded at the General Registry in Crown Lands Book (Plans) TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon, the freehold property of KAY USHER DATED the 25th day of February 2013 HOLY REDEEMER CREDIT UNION LIMITED 1 HYDE’S LANE, BELIZE CITY, BELIZE Phone: (501) 224-5644 Fax: (501) 223-0738

NOTICE I, Gilroy D. Usher, hereby give notice that I have applied to the Magistrate Court sitting at 10 o’clock a.m. on the 15th day of March, 2013 at Belize City for a certificate to be granted to me under the Moneylenders Act, Chapter 260 to authorize me to carry on business as a moneylender in the name of Monica’s Quick Cash Pawnshop at #29 Cor. Banak St. and Central American Blvd. in Belize City.

12

03 MAR

THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

Citrus Growers Getting screwed Contributed The last time Prime Minister Dean Barrow spoke to citrus growers a few years ago, he made a political commitment to them that he will not oversee the demise of the Citrus Growers’ Association (CGA). He did not commit to working in partnership with them in the best interest of the industry. In fact his government has no clearly defined policy to propel the citrus industry nor for agricultural growth and development.

The CGA continues to be caught up in petty day-to-day issues including its persistent “frivolous and vexatious” lawsuits against its investment partner Banks of Barbados and the Chief Executive Officer of Citrus Products of Belize Ltd. (CPBL). This CEO is beginning to look almost invincible in face of the numerous slings and arrows directed at him especially since the CGA asked him to find an investor after their difficulties that followed the pull-out of the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC).

The results are that despite the major investments being made by Banks, as the minority investor, to grow and diversify the processing aspect of this vital industry, the CGA has contributed nothing in growth but a lot in negativity. They continue to miss the forest for the trees, but even the trees they are losing. The persistence bickering in the citrus industry will continue unabated. This could lead not only to the demise of the CGA but the industry. Serious citrus growers have seen the light and have distanced themselves from the CGA for their own survival and to try to inject new life and vigour to stimulate growth.

THE EFFECT OF THE PERENNIAL INFIGHTING The result of this perennial infighting has forced the big growers, who have more interest in the citrus industry as a business, and very little if any, interest in the stupid going-ons by the CGA, to have broken away from this association a few years ago. They have formed their own association-Citrus Mutual of Belize Ltd. (CMBL).

The Prime Minister and his government have made numerous promises to introduce new legislation to streamline the Citrus Industry Act to stimulate growth in the industry and to bring it in line with the fundamental rights that are enshrined in the Constitution of Belize.

He has however, been vacillating to get a new Bill to the Legislature. If

he does, he would have to renege on his commitment to the CGA. The CGA is broke, even bankrupt, and despite the Prime Minister’s commitment not to oversee its demise, a natural course of events are proving to be stronger than misdirected political power.

A DISLIKE FOR FOREIGN INVESTORS UNLESS IT MEANS GETTING A PIE OF THE PIE They certainly have the support of the Prime Minister in their bid to purchase Banks’ shares in CPBL. Banks would be too happy to sell given the current climate in the citrus industry as well as the frustrating national investment climate, in which the government appears to be almost hostile, if not xenophobic, towards foreign investors. Even before coming to power, as the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Barrow was opposed to the Banks purchase of share in CPBL. He described the investors as “only a company on paper”. It even appears that there is again no official position to attract investors, except if it is on the PM’s terms. That alone has implication. A case in point is the political machinations when cane farmers had their industry sold away from them. Big brother was involved; He received a nice slice of the sugarcane pie.

The CGA owns 51 percent of the shares in CBPL. This is the only feather in their cap. It is also dead broke; even though indications are that it is not paying its debts. It cannot be serious about buying out Banks. At least, not given its current miserable status. But this calculation can be wrong. This can only be determined if the CGA was to meet its legal obligation and publish its financials. This has not been done for more than three years.

Its membership has been fractured, its production of citrus is falling, it has spent lots of money in frivolous law suits with the Prime Minister’s law firm representing them, and it is highly indebted. It has not paid a cent towards a $10 million loan from the European Investment Bank. This loan was provided by the EIB to the Citrus Growers Association Investment Company Ltd. (CGAICL), the CGA’s investment arm, to help them to buy 10 percent of the shares in Del Oro, a company which was owned by the Commonwealth Development Corporation. They later pulled out and the CGA was for a long time hard pressed to find an investor.

HUGE DEBTS AND NOT PAYING The CGAICL also owes the Belize Social Security Board more than $17 million.

It has neither been paying this debt. In addition to this $27 million debt owing to the EIB and BSSB, the CGA also has other unspecified debts.

The question then is how do the CGA and its investment arm propose to purchase the shares that Banks holds in

CPBL? Banks is willing to sell, but it certainly won’t be a fire sale. Its initial investment in shares alone was $25 million but there have been millions more invested in streamlining the two processing factories at Pomona and Alta Vista, investment in diversification such as a feed mill for the exportation of cattle feed to markets within the region, product development and more. Banks, we have been informed, is expecting no less than $40 million if it was to sell its shares in CBPL. The bigger question then, is which bank or other financial institution would be prepared to accept these shareholdings as collateral for financing the buyout of Banks’ shareholdings in the CPBL? THE ASHCROFT FORMULA In trying to answer that question, it has been suggested that there is only one possible option. It is an “Ashcroft” (British Billionaire and Banker Lord Michael Ashcroft who is a pariah of Prime Minister Dean Barrow-sometimes) type of acquisition.

In such a scenario, the financier or money lender will insist on first rights to existing share holdings plus claims over the shares that will be purchased.

In such a case, if citrus growers, who are still members of the CGA, are not careful, they stand to lose the entire shareholdings in such a buyout, if the CGA would not be able to service its debt.

NO CONFIDENCE IN CGA Citrus Mutual has indicated that it has no confidence in the CGA to manage neither the affairs of neither CBPL nor the rest of the industry. The reality on the ground is proving them right. Citrus Mutual is now exploring ways to safeguard its interest in the citrus industry for the foreseeable future. They have announced that they intend to invest in their own citrus factory.

This would severely diminish the assets of CPBL unless major moves are made now to plant more citrus and expand groves to meet future demands. It may be a little too late. Members of Citrus Mutual combined, now have the largest share of the annual citrus crop. They deliver more than 35 percent of harvested citrus to CPBL for processing. The CGA is behind with about 32 percent while independent growers account for slightly more than 20 percent.

The remainder is produced by the citrus processors, CPBL and “independent” producers.

Contrary to the need for more citrus cultivation, the opposite is true. This is a pressing problem in the industry - a need to increase production. But the CGA has done nothing to encourage the expansion of groves or for replanting as a result of natural attrition caused by old dying trees.

Greening, a serious bacterial disease in citrus, has wiped out hundreds of acres of citrus. The CGA has been unable to pro-

vide farmers with new plants. Neither the Ministry of Agriculture, nor the CGA can provide an inventory to say to what extent greening has affected production or the extent of the damage caused by greening. In fact, nobody seems to know, not even the Ministry of Agriculture how many acres of citrus are in cultivation in Belize nor what is being done to encourage expansion to meet demand. There is no agricultural policy in place; much less a programme to address these major concerns in the industry.

CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES Citrus Mutual has its own issues.

It has been asking the government to amend the Citrus Law to provide more incentives within the industry and to broaden the scope for more participation. The underlying issue is the need for a new Citrus Industry Act that will be consistent with the Belize Constitution which provides for the freedom of association and the right to work.

The present citrus law only gives recognition to the CGA as the only Association responsible for citrus growers and citrus issues. Despite the fact that members of Belize Citrus Mutual represent the hardcore businessmen and farmers in the industry, they still do not have any representation on important bodies such as the Citrus Control Board and the Citrus Industry Harvest Committee. It also has no legal status in negotiating the prices for citrus. It is obvious that this will have to change if the industry is to survive.

While there continues to be major and important issues facing the industry, the CGA continues to be petty on such issues of the make-up of the Board of Directors of CPBL and its determination to oust the CEO of CBPL. Despite their assertions that they are the majority shareholder, it is Banks that have been putting up the money to ensure the efficient operation of the factories to safeguard their investment.

On the issue of the CEO of CPBL, the CGA continues to assert that a Resolution passed by the membership in 2010 to terminate the CEO is valid.

The Courts and independent lawyers have repeatedly advised that the CGA 2010 resolution is NOT valid as only the Board of Directors can determine the removal of the CEO of the factory. This issue has been in and out of court for more than five years.

It is about time the CGA drop it and get on with fixing the serious problems it faces in meeting its debts, its obligation to it members for the survival of the industry and to the national economy.

03 MAR MAR 03

THE BELIZE TIMESTIMES THE BELIZE

2013

TOPMODEL 13

ENTERTAINMENT

NEWS

Denise Castillo Visit www.Facebook/ Denise Castillo

Sean Paul

prepares 6th album

Dancehall artist Sean Paul is at the wheels of creativity once more as he puts his creative genius to work; this time on his sixth studio album due to be released this year.

Sean Paul is working on songs for the yet untitled project which he hopes will follow in the blazing path set by its predecessors Dutty Rock and The Trinity.

Looking ahead for 2013 Sean Paul hopes to recreate the success of his earlier albums with his latest projects and also to again dominate the Billboard chart with singles soon to be released.

Jaymilee • • • • •

Height: 5’ 2” Career Plan: Accountant Sign: Sagittarius Favourite Food: Fajitas Likes: Socializing, Spending time

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Cor. North Front Steet & Queen Street Belize City

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14 SPORTS

THE BELIZE THE BELIZE TIMES TIMES

03 MAR

2013

Biscayne girls win softball championships

Biscayne girls are champs

Holy Redeemer boys are district softball champs

Belize City, February 25, 2013 The Biscayne Government School girls will represent the Belize District at the softball nationals held in Belize City on Friday, March 8. The Biscayne Government girls won the district championships at the Rogers’ Stadium on Monday afternoon, February 25.

The Biscayne girls outlasted the St. John’s Vianney girls 6-4. Ashley Robinson scored in the 1st and 2nd innings while Lynee Seguro and Selanie Goodin also scored in the top of the first.

Princella Samuels, Camryn Hinds, Keila Riverol and Aleshia Torres gave the Vianney girls a 4-3 lead when they came home in the bottom of the 1st, but the Biscayne girls took over the game 6-4 when Goodin, Kenisha Ferguson and Carol Dominguez scored in the top of the 2nd inning and Goodin allowed no runs in the bottom of the second while Biscayne’s Denesha Hamilton and Odalys Molina scored in the top of the 3rd inning, which was not completed.

Sports Council’s coordinator Charles Slusher presented the trophies to the champions and sub-champions.

Champs crowned in Smart Jr. Table Tennis Tournament

Holy Redemer boys are champs

Belize City, February 25, 2013 The Holy Redeemer RC School boys will represent the Belize District at the softball championships in Belize City on Friday, March 8. The Holy Redeemer boys won the district championships at the Rogers’ Stadium on Monday afternoon, February 25.

Winning pitcher D’Andre Arana led the Holy Redeemer boys to a 10-7 win against the Belize Rural boys.

Pitcher Andrew Banner had shut out Holy Redeemer in the top of the first inning, and Banner scored came home in the bottom of the 1st.

But the Holy Redeemer boys scored 10 runs in the top of the 2nd as Jaedon Arnold and Myron Pollard rounded the bases twice. Rural’s Clifton Pook, Glenford Banner, Alex Reynolds Randy Rhaburn and Maleek Sutherland scored 6 more runs in the bottom of the second as they trailed 7-10.

Banner allowed no runs in the top of the 3rd while Clifton, Glenford and Andrew scored 3 runs in the bottom of the third to tie the score, 10-10 but the inning was not completed and the score reverted to the last complete inning.

Joshua Gegg placed 3rd in u-15 category

Dandre Arana pitches 10-7 win

Belize City, February 23, 2013 Harim Ochaeta in the under-18 category, Fabio Carballo in the under-15 category and Bjourne Gabourel in the under-12 category, were crowned when the Belize Table Tennis Association and Smart Speednet held the first bi-annual primary schools table tennis tournament at the Belize Elementary School Auditorium on Saturday, February 23.

With some 72 participants ranging from ages 7 to 18 contesting 3 categories, the tournament started with a round robin in groups, from which the top two from each group advances to a the final double elimination competition.

Continued on page 15

03 MAR MAR 03

2013

THE BELIZE TIMESTIMES THE BELIZE

ACC girls win 3 in CSSSA softball

ACC boys lead CSSSA softball

Nazarene High Elma Wade

Midsouth selection wins Smart mundialito champion of champions

Team Ziprider wins annual Belikin Boom to Belize City canoe race

SPORTS 15 Champs crowned in Smart Jr. Table Tennis Tournament

Continued from page 14 18 and under The 18 and under started off with 19 players divided into 4 groups, from which the 8 top finishers advanced to the double elimination competition championship finals.

Top seed Harim Ochaeta, and Fabio Carballo, along with Daniel Sanchez, Gian Lisbey, Joshua Gegg, Aaron Stock, Ashar Arthurs and Matthew Usher all advanced to the final event.

In the end, the results were as follows: 1st Harim Ochaeta; 2nd Fabio Carballo; 3rd Daniel Sanchez and 4th Matthew Usher.

15 and under 33 players started off in 8 round robin groups; the top 2 from each group: 16 players advanced to the double elimination championship finals.

Fabio Carballo, once again was the top seed in this category, along with Matthew Usher. Several new comers were in the category, who demonstrated very good talent and competitive skills to give these top seed good competition.

This time Carballo had to defeat Usher twice to take the 15 and under championship. 3rd place went to Joshua Gegg, and 4th to Ashar Arthurs.

12 and under This category started off with 20 players in a 4 groups, with the top 8 advancing to the double elimination competition championship finals.

With many new comers in this junior category, the winner positions were completely open to any of the 8 finalists. In the end, Bjorne Gabourel proved to be the best player by advancing to the finals by defeating Samron Pott, Alexis Tun and Tristan Flowers.

Final results were 1st place Bjourne Gabourel; 2nd Alexis Tun; 3rd Tristan Flowers; and 4th place Amiri Hoare.

After some 190 games played over some 7 hours, the even came to an end. On hand to present the trophies was Ian Courtenay, Public Relations Manager for SMART, sponsors of this event. Courtenay expressed his appreciation for being part of the development of table tennis, and pledged to continue providing support. With the junior players being of great priority to the BTTA, SMART has committed to assist in this area during 2013.

President of the BTTA, Tux Vasquez congratulated all winners and thanked the sponsors, participants, parents, teachers, organizers, umpires and referees in making this event a great success. The next event on the BTTA calendar is the annual RF&G ranking tournament for senior players in the A, B and C divisions as well as the women’s division, to be held at the BES auditorium on Sunday, March 3.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

03 MAR

2013

A tribute to Justo Leon Castillo By his son, Raul Castillo Our father Justo Castillo was born to parents, Justo Sabas and Marcelina Castillo, on April 11th, 1920; he was just one among sixteen children. At that time, none would have guessed how many lives he would touch and change for the better.

We affectionately called Dad, Pops, others knew him as Don Justo. He attended Holy Redeemer Primary School from 1925 to 1933, and went on to attend St. John’s College, from where he graduated in 1937.

At the age of fourteen, he became a member of the Holy Redeemer Boy-Scout troop and shared many adventures with personalities such as Sandy Hunter, Raymond Barrow, Rafael Fonseca and a young George Price who later became Prime Minister and Father of Belizean independence.

In time, Dad became Scout Master of his group and later served as Secretary of the Boy Scout Association for a number of years. The very first issue of the scout newspaper, “The Bugle”, was his personal labour of love. He so valued the movement that he steered all his sons to become members and leaders therein.

Following high school he served his alma mater for a short period as a teacher at SJC, and in 1938, he gained brief employment at the Angelus Press in Belize City.

In May of the same year, 1938, our father joined the Government or Public Service, first as a Junior Clerk for the Colonial Secretariat, then, in 1940, as a Third Class Clerk at the Treasury Department. During the next fifteen years his position at the Treasury changed through many levels including: Second Class Clerk, First Class Clerk, Assistant Accountant, Accountant Grade II and to Accountant Grade I in 1955.

In 1944, Pops met and married his first wife, Raquel Castillo. This union produced one son, Jorge Julian, who later became a chartered accountant. Tragically, in 1948, his wife succumbed to complications associated with the birth of a second child, a daughter, who also did not survive.

In 1950, Dad remarried; enter Elba Sara Auil. This second union produced six children: Greg (physician-specialist, now deceased), Raul (teacher), Marta (retired banker and business woman), Lily (retired banker and now Director General of the Belize Red Cross), Azucena (retired Public Officer) and Nancy (cosmetologist).

Dad served as Accountant until 1959 when he was appointed Administrative Secretary. He became Administrative Officer in 1961 and

two years later was appointed Acting Permanent Secretary in the then Ministry of Labour, Prisons and Cinemas.

In 1963, also, he became Principal Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Works.

His service as Permanent Secretary, the equivalent of today’s Chief Executive Officers, began in 1966 when he was assigned to the Ministry of Public Utilities with Minister Hector Silva. In 1967 he was transferred to the Ministry of Education and Housing to assist Minister Gwendolyn Lizarraga (deceased). His final assignment was in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Health that was headed by the late Minister Lindy Rogers. Don Justo retired from the Public Service in April of 1975.

Unwilling to simply fade into God’s sunset, he immediately joined the staff of the Development Finance Corporation, DFC, as Administrative Secretary, a post he held for ten years.

You and I might have called it quits at that time, but not Pops. With more time on his hands, he could better serve his church and his community.

The Castillo family has always been strongly Catholic. In fact Dad’s siblings included a priest, Monsignor Facundo Castillo, and two Pallotine nuns, Sister Verna and Sister Agnetis.

A cousin, Teodocio Castillo, entered religious life and served as a Jesuit brother. Pops instilled in all his children strong Christian values and morals, and strongly believed that parents are the best teachers and role models for their children. He believed that fathers should spend more time with their children, advising them but not running or living their lives.

Our father served his church as a Lay Minister for a good many years.

He would minister to the poor, the sick and the aged, taking Holy Communion to many shut-ins. He conducted communion services when the parish was without a priest, led weekly bible studies from his home, conducted monthly rosary devotions to our Father of Divine Mercy, a practice which he boldly led and fiercely promoted. He even kept current the accounts of the parish.

And if this wasn’t enough, Pops was a founding member of the Belmopan Lions club, a service organization that assists the underprivileged in our area, and served as Treasurer and one of its most active members until his death.

Don Justo was also a determined and very well respected activist for the elderly. As part of Helpage Belize, he helped to provide meaningful occupations for the aged, like regular physical exercise sessions, social activities and with securing and providing food for the needy.

With them he served as Treasurer.

Dad was also a Director in the Executive Board of The National Council for the Aging in Belmopan from its inception in 2003, and with the non-government organization, Voice, he advocated for better conditions, services and pension benefits for older Belizeans.

Pops willingly offered his service to his community for decades as a Senior Justice of the Peace and Commissioner of the Supreme Court. As

such, he signed or notarized countless legal documents, performed many weddings, assisted in the preparation and execution of wills and presided over the naturalization ceremony for perhaps thousands of new Belizeans.

Perhaps the secret of our father’s long life was his insistence on keeping himself physically and mentally active. Many marvelled at the fact that, even at the ripe old age of ninety-two, he still drove himself anywhere he needed to go in Belmopan; and when he was not serving church or community, he probably was the centre of attention and attraction at our often-held family dinners and reunions.

If you are among those who wonder why our family seems happy, even after Papa’s passing, it is because we are so proud of our father and because we consider ourselves very fortunate to have enjoyed and benefitted from his wit and wisdom for so long, and we are glad that he has moved on to an even better place where he will now enjoy the presence of God. Farewell, Pops, we love you and will forever cherish your memory.

03 MAR

THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

Scales of JUSTICE

By Anthony Sylvestre Jr.

When street justice is preferred!

The movie “Dirty Harry” starring Clint Eastwood (his latent prejudices notwithstanding) was a popular flick in the ‘70s, `80s and even the `90s. It gives insight into a police officer’s extra judicial way of dealing with ‘badmen’ and ‘gunmen’ in the City of San Francisco in the 1970’s. The movie centrally is about a police officer’s (Inspector Harry Callahan) pursuit of a sadistic serial killer. Harry becomes frustrated and upset when he catches and coerces a confession out of the killer, only to be told that the case will be withdrawn because the evidence was illegally obtained. Harry then goes on his crusade to bring the killer to justice, using extra judicial tactics, hence his nickname “Dirty Harry”.

And as I sat in court the other day observing a murder trial, I thought about the movie “Dirty Harry” and the ‘justice’ that is playing out in the streets of Belize.

The trial started and floundered

The witness was just contemptuous of the court process, not wanting to be there and giving the air that the whole thing was a waste of his time and his family’s time. I got the distinct feeling that the witness had other plans of getting “justice”.

Which is what seems to me to be taking place in our country today; that is, that too many citizens are pursuing their own “justice” on those who have wronged them. It is not a new phenomenon, as the movie “Dirty Harry” highlights, though that is from the perspective of a law enforcement officer. But the movie and the murder trial I was observing underscores an important point- if people believe that the

with the first witness for the prosecution, who, observing his demeanour and expression in court, was conveniently having a case of amnesia. He could not rememif people believe that the trial prober the day cess and the criminal justice system the murder will not at the end of the day bring took place, justice then they will circumwho was vent those processes and the victim, and of take matters into their own course, he hands. Thus we see too many could not all reprisal killings and “contract recall who killings” in Belize today. was the killer. The witness further could not recall giving trial process and the criminal justice a statement to the police in which system will not at the end of the day he had detailed how the murder oc- bring justice then they will circumcurred and who was the killer. Thing vent those processes and take matis, the witness was a close relative ters into their own hands. Thus we of the deceased, and the witness see too many reprisal killings and was not that kind of witness who “contract killings” in Belize today. appeared to be fearful for his life. Which can never be a good thing for

17 a small country like ours.

It might be said that this is a simplistic analysis of our surging crime problem, as there may be other causes for the rise in crime, like for instances, lack of jobs and opportunities. While that may be true, being in the courts just about every day, I get the sense that there is a great cynicism of the criminal justice system.

And in this regard, it is important that our policy makers and government be reminded of the overarching goal of the criminal justice system. It is, or should be, twofold: reducing crime and raising public confidence that the system is fair and will deliver for law-abiding citizens.

To achieve this, it is said, requires a “systems” approach to criminal justice; that is to say, coordination between the law enforcement agencies, the courts and correctional facilities. So, for instance, it can be determined who are the repeat offenders of violent crimes, their age grouping and other demographics.

This, regrettably, is not taking place right now. To do this, government must urgently review the policies and legislations of the three arms of the criminal justice system- that is, the law enforcement, courts and correctional facilities. Just over a week before it celebrates a year in office in its second term, this government still has not done this. It continues to do things in a haphazard way. In the meantime, street justice is the preferred way.

18 ARTPAGE

THE BELIZE THE BELIZE TIMES TIMES

03 MAR

2013

HEAD-U-cation Part 1

By Yasser Musa, February 26, 2013 “The teacher is of course an artist, but being an artist does not mean that he or she can make the profile, can shape the students. What the educator does in teaching is to make it possible for the students to become themselves.”

- Paulo Freire, We Make the Road by Walking: Conversations on Education and Social Change

The core issue is that we don’t know how to teach our children properly in the age of the Internet. We don’t know how to make the meaningful connections between their lived culture and the concentration camp-style education we are forcing on them.

Telemedia is one of the greatest threats to our education system The company we call Telemedia or BTL is one of the single greatest threats to educational advancement in Belize today. For years Belizean citizens have had to take to the sidelines to be witnesses to big legal dealings. For years we’ve had to endure their corporate arrogance about how technology should be used in Belizean life.

They advertise a pathetic song and dance about providing Internet to schools. This is amateur propaganda, a bogus facade of failure and indifference.

And now that the state owns the keys to BTL why are they still in the dark ages in relation to transforming the educational system with access to the web?

BTL should start by providing super-fast Wi-Fi to our national university then move on to other tertiary level institutions. They should negotiate with the student government and not the visionless, fatigued and incompetent leadership of our treasured higher learning institution. This negotiation should take about five minutes to turn up the bandwidth, and after that they should juice up all High Schools across Belize. It is not just an educational priority it is a national emergency. BTL has the power of access in their hands, but their attitude is that they are the gatekeepers of our intellectual freedom.

The Ministry of Mis-Education By now what we call a Ministry of Education should have made some attempt to include the use of tablet type devices in the classroom at least at the upper levels of high school. There is no shortage of words coming from the Minister about how important it is to prepare students for the life of work. So why is a fundamental instrument of learning being ignored?

Electronic Massage In the evenings, at night and on the weekends many of our children will engage in an array of complex, sophisticated, highly-stimulating messages being driven into their minds via video games, television shows, hand held devices, MP3 players, smart phones, e readers and the list keeps growing. Then they go to

school where for seven+ hours a day they must sit still and “concentrate.” Well ask any teacher how much concentration is going on. The gulf between the culture of our Internet age and the culture of school is growing and we need to find common ground before the electronic hostile takeover is complete.

A Forward Framework There are many great ideas and actions we can use to address the education urgency. Let me outline seven: 1. Train 100 teachers per year over the next five years in the area of appropriate use of digital technology in the classroom.

2. Develop a digital classroom prototype in each High School. Enlist 20 students, 2 teachers and 1 administrator to pilot the project for one year and report their best practice findings.

3. Introduce e-books across the High Schools relieving the heavy burden of cost and physical weight of books. The cost of a Kindle Fire (paper white) is $119US online.

The average cost of a set of books for 1st form in Belize is $350US. 4. Set up small teacher cells where like minded professionals can come together to develop electronic resources for free distribution to students.

5. Use existing IT labs for digital learning in areas of music, art, video production and web development.

6. Distribute e book readers loaded with thousands of book titles to remote villages where access to libraries is next to impossible.

7. Develop an e education social media environment for sharing of ideas, discussion, and app sharing forums.

Ultimately the transformation of our educational system cannot come only from within. I confess that I am part of the crisis having taught for almost 18 years at the High School and Junior College levels.

Deep down I know that a digital intervention is not the Holy Grail for our system.

We must think in a rich textured manner.

There are two great ideas that excite me most that are not related to technology and they have to do with outdoor education and building creative confidence. But more on those later!

There are other parts of this story that I must reveal, but it will take longer for me to gather my thoughts and present them.

For now let us begin with technology and the urgent need for its expansion in our schools.

03 MAR

Of this and that…

Rose Garden There is a brothel at mile 8. It was burnt down. It is being rebuilt. It looks like a hurricane shelter.

Everything is cement. The pace of the building is increasing.

A bird told us that the old Williamson Industries Compound will be used as a Canadian Military base. If this is true, Raul get “richa”.

Raul will mek back the whole $23,000 he just paid to Immigration for those illegal “workers”.

Canada to the rescue. Eat your heart out BATSUB. Vacancy: Foreign Minister Sedi is a nin-com-poop.

He is the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

He misunderstands what that means.

Sedi thinks that Minister of Foreign Affairs means that he represents foreign countries. He thinks it means that he does not represent Belize. Foreign interest minister.

He rolled out red carpet for Israelis. He gave them free access to Belize without visa. Israel voted against Belize’s independence. Sedi hug them up.

They clapped. Then there was a scandal against Belize.

Then, he spoke against Belize and in favor of Guatemala. He called the border artificial. The Guatemalans clapped.

He then spoke and defended the OAS. They clapped. COLA lit a fire. Sedi insulted them.

Now Sedi talks and say he agrees with the British. That is England now.

The English was agreeing to give away pieces of Belize.

You fi defend we, in case you do not know Sedi.

Please mek this man shut up!

The Second Coming of Farrakhan As-salamu ‘alaykum.

The Muslim community is happy no puss back foot. Belize is under oppression from infidels.

Konshens came. He is a reggae dancehall artist. He sings about “wining in holes” and “bending over”. He choked and slapped a black woman on stage. There was a lot of fan fare. BTL sponsored it. They wasted tax money.

Nothing came from it.

Farrakhan is coming. He will be here from March 4-11. Not a single commercial. No sponsorship from BTL. No posters. No concert. No. Nothing.

God will visit Pharaoh on Seashore Drive.

Poor Kenny The worst job under the UDP is

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THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

Public relations officer. The UDP keep on punking Kenny Morgan.

They trick him to cutting his locks in 1998. It was a bad idea. Then they just huff the dude. Shame. Embarrassing. He did not learn his lesson.

Now he has popped back up.

The UDP is using him. He is the PR Officer for Belize CitCo. This is a bad place to be. Morgan is not collecting a salary. What he is collecting is a lot of negativity. He has become an apologist. He is the voice that says that the victimization and corruption of City Hall is ok. He is betraying the poor people. Every time he speaks.

This is prostitution.

20yrs Love FM Congrats to Love FM. This year they celebrate 20 years. That is no easy task.

Rene Villanueva has to be saluted. He is a bit naïve at other times.

But surviving twenty years is no easy task.

Congrats to the PUP who freed up the media.

Pepsi-Cola Pepsi is coming to Belize. This is what I was told. A deputy contraband leader of the UDP is getting the distribution contract.

What will Bowen and Bowen do? Bowen and Bowen support the UDP. They have their logos plastered all over “fuss ting da mawning” set. Victimization, prejudice and all manner of abuses are sung on that show. Nastiness.

Now Bowen and Bowen is being attacked. They are being bombed by the same people they give support.

Same thing happened to Ashcroft. Same thing happened to a lot of UDP businesses. the members of Chamber of Commerce better take note.

Belizeans get jobs at the factories for Bowen. Which Belizean will get rich when they start importing other brands of soda?

Spoon full of sugar Pepsi was originally a syrup. It was created and developed in 1893.

It got its name from the digestive enzyme, pepsin. It was a fountain drink distributed from a drug store.

Sounds like medicine. Maybe Bowen and Bowen and all other businesses will take this message from the UDP as medicine.

A wake up call.

P.S. I see a new beer too. Kubil…

or Kibul…watch unnu self.

Real Jordan Shyne is back. He is in Belize.

Something is wrong with this cat. Belizeans forget that he is Music Ambassador. But he does not represent anything.

This boy is confused. A wee bit wacky.

The latest sighting of Shyne was on Albert Street. He was heavily guarded by GSU. He was complaining to passers by. He said he wanted to buy a Jordan sneakers. He was directed to a store by Scotia Bank. He made a fuss. He did not want a shoe from there. He wanted a “real jordan”.

Who does he think he is?

Maybe he should fly to NY. Fly to USA and buy one in New York. Go buy the new Jordan 28 “Joker”. It is out in the continental United States. Use your diplomatic passport.

No body likes your father. Nobody likes you.

You give deportees a bad name.

Lent The Easter is already here.

Each year people give up something for Lent. Some give up cigarettes. Some sex. Some sweets.

Some curse words.

Rather than giving up something, people add something positive to their life.

Giving up something for forty days is nothing. When you live in wickedness for 325 days.

Warning The Devil is busy. He does overtime during the Easter season.

It is hot. The rivers are full. People like “drownded”.

Drunk drivers abound. Death lurks.

Please be careful.

Biggest Loser The world of cycling is in serious problems.

There is a big quarrel. A lot of spite is happening. Weekend Warriors is bigger than the Belize Cycling Association. They are sucking up all the sponsorship. There is a political game being placed.

There is a big UDP who is trying to crush a small man. Dion Leslie and his father’s money di chance the cycling world. Santi has a hand in this too.

This is terrible.

Cross Country Nothing is more Belizean than the Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic.

Rice and beans can make a challenge. But it will be out pedaled. Not

even “moto-pacing” can make it win that argument.

Cruffy love that race. There was no Valentines Day race. No one really cares.

But we need our Cross country race.

We nuh want to hear about no quarrel.

The only quarrel we want to have is with each other. We want to quarrel over why a Foreigner will win this year.

Who is Monrad Metzgen?

The Cross Country is big.

The idea for the race came from a Belizean. He was Monrad Metzgen.

That guy got inspiration from all cyclists who rode all the way to cricket games every week. They would ride to villages the Belize Rural area.

The first official race was on April 5, 1928. They left from in front of the courthouse. This was at 5:00am.

Now we are smarter than a standard six student.

Off with his head In 2008 a lot of public servants were victimized. They were sent home for openly being PUP. In the UDP Deputy Party Leader convention lots of UDP were out flaunting.

On big TV in a UDP shirt was an incompetent public servant. He works at the Solicitor General’s office. He is a rabid UDP. His job is to represent all of Belize in court. No one had any confidence in his abilities in the past. Now we have no confidence that he will not sell out our cases and please the UDP. His candidate lost. Gapi should have him fired.

But what is worse is that a sitting Magistrate from out district was at the UDP Convention. This is confirmed.

The magistrate is unqualified. This is bad news for the independence of the law system. Mr. Chief Justice, what will you do at this news?

There is also another high-ranking police officer from up north that was there. He actually voted. He is second in command at his formation. Are we serious? Where is the Ombudsman?

Where is anybody?

Mark of UDP “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power.

Have nothing to do with such people.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5

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03 MAR

THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

Recipe of the week

GOLDEN SWEET

Directions - Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) - Spray or lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan - In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder.

- Stir in egg, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.

- Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

CORNBREAD Ingredients: - 1 cup all-purpose flour - 1 cup yellow cornmeal - 2/3 cup white sugar - 1 teaspoon salt - 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder - - -

1 egg 1 cup milk 1/3 cup vegetable oil

BIRTHS Born to Lee Van Chan and Rubileni Chan nee Magana, a boy, Dylan Benigno Born to Adrian Andre Bartley and Monique Denise Nicole Bartley nee Perdomo, a girl, Ariana Ariel Born to Anthony Nwaobi and Henrietta Oghogho Nwaobi nee Ediagbomya, a boy, Gabriel Oluchukwu Born to Derrol Frank Vernon and Zamirah Michelle Vernon nee Mai, a girl, Zahaira Michelle Born to Cornie Teichroeb and Kenia Teichroeb nee Reyes, a boy, Jonathan Cornelius Born to Jorge Rafael Jimenez, Sr., and Tanya Vanessa Jimenez nee Rivero, a boy, Jorge Rafael, Jr Born to Rudy Plett and Rachel Plett nee Reimer, a girl, Rebecca Monique Born to Nicolas Poot and Magaly Esmeralda Poot nee Macia, a boy, David Jeremiah

MARRIAGES Freddy Osbaldo Vicente Vasquez, 36, to Beatrice Elizabethe Usher, 30, both of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye Kevin William Humphreys, 44, to Megan Cheryl Sauer, 35, both of Redmond, Washington, U.S.A. Kyle Klocke, 29, of Hayfield, Minnesota, U.S.A., to Lona Cook, 28, of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.A. Branstan Clarke, 38, to Ashley Huffman, 26, both of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.A. Michael Clark Farmer, 45, to Kelly Lynn Grabenbauer, 49, both of Norman, Oklahoma, U.S.A. Michael Perriott, 47, to Feona Myers, 24, both of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye Calvin Osman, Jr., 38, to Shanda Fiona Talbert, 30, both of Belize City Wendell Jovan Montes, 22, of Independence, Stann Creek District, to

Teri Lynn Dodge, 49, of Marysville, Washington, U.S.A. Rolando Reimer, 28, to Marcelina Thiessen, 23, both of Spanish Lookout, Cayo District Jacob Friesen, 24, to Maria Fehr, 22, both of Spanish Lookout, Cayo District Elder Alfredo Alvarado, 26, to Ingrid Indali Celis, 23, both of August Pine Ridge, Orange Walk District Rodney Alvin Pat, 28, of San Jose Succotz, Cayo District, to Camille Cecile Gotoy, 29, of Belize City Eleazar Obed Cooper, 23, to Marleny Judith Salazar, 22, both of Orange Walk Town, Orange Walk District Juan Jose Ibanez, 47, of Belize City, to Elizabeth Mendoza Membreno, 42, of San Pedro Sula, Honduras Aaron Patrick Russ, 28, to Maria Guadalupe Martinez, 26, both of

San Jose Succotz, Cayo District Trevor James Wall, 41, to Tracey Asthel Nunez, 22, both of Hopkins, Stann Creek District Gregor Pirnat, 25, of Velenje, Slovenia, to Fernanda Marcela Rosales Calvillo, 29, of Mexico Shawn Smetak, 37, to Rebecca Slattery, 35, both of Ravenna, Ohio, U.S.A. John Leon Kupcinski, 32, to Catherine Anne Casey, 30, both of Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Shaun Kumer Joshi, 44, to Camille Lagene Volkins, 40, both of Hayden, Idaho, U.S.A. Myron Jordany Popper, 23, of Orange Walk Town, Orange Walk District, to Mabel Esther Salazar, 24, of Corozal Town, Corozal District Luis Armando Menjivar, 36, to Lorena Arcely Giron, 30, both of Belmopan Ashley Robert Tucker, III, 68, to Julie Anne Slonaker Bonnefond, 53, both of Bukerhill,

West Virginia, U.S.A. Peter Enns, 21, to Justina Schmitt, 20, both of Shipyard, Orange Walk District Eduardo Rene Vasquez, 41, to Dee Ann Regis, 40, both of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye Robert Anthony Wilcox, 41, to Patricia Elaine Taber, 50, both of Ceylon, Minnesota, U.S.A. Pantaleon Escobar, 40, to Ena Oricela Oseguera, 39, both of San Juan, Stann Creek District

DEATHS Ricardo Sutherland, 76 Arthur Edwin Clinton Watson, 82 Haidy Elfreda Lewis, 97 Linda Hinds, 46 Iris Esperanza Velasquez, 52 Norris Orville Wade, 81 Lyndon Owen Morrison, 29 Sylvia Jane Diaz, 78 Sebastian Jeffrey Mejia, 57 Wellington Lutrege Welch, 53 Leticia Campos de Rodas, 54

03 MAR

2013

THE BELIZE TIMES

Reid Shape Up or Ship Out!

By G. Michael Reid The UDP government is facing pressure from many sides and while Dean Barrow keeps ducking, dodging and dancing away from the issues, nobody is impressed with his personal version of the Harlem Shake.

The teachers’ demands are far from being met, and while leaders of the unions were satisfied with the cake and kool-aid, the rank and file is demanding something more substantive.

The reports of corruption and nepotism are coming fast and furious, in particular from the Lands Department, and by the time this article is published we will know if the Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association (BGYEA) led by President Nigel Petillo was able to make enough noise to be taken seriously.

Lands Minister Gasper Vega continues to hand out land hand over fists to relatives and friends and as we write, reports of more shaky land practices are coming in from Placencia. Yet, Petillo and his band of “normal” citizens are facing all kinds of problems just getting an audience with someone at the Land’s Department.

Meanwhile the Prime Minister seems well pleased with his minister’s performance as he went out full force to endorse him in last week’s UDP convention held in Corozal.

Port’s Commissioner John Flowers last week resigned in the face of corrupt demands

In a memorable speech given to Belizeans on the night of his first election victory, Prime Minister Dean Barrow promised that he would jump into action at the first “whiff of corruption.”

Someone seriously needs to point Mr. Barrow to the Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic for obviously his sense of smell has gone bad. Just a cursory glance at all that is happening gives off not only a “whiff” but a horrible stench of corruption.

In their usual rear-view approach, the UDP continue to point to the sins of the PUP. Minister Finnegan declared at the last House meeting that Belizeans need to get used to that because it will be their strategy to the very end. Finger pointing, blame gaming and name calling has played out however, and their “big words” and malay-lé approach to debate is

21

with absolutely no system in place to provide for any accountability. This is alarming and had this been any other country but Belize, someone would be in jail or at least being forced to resign office.

According to the Auditor General, very few records from his boss, Minister Edare being kept, even where it mund Castro. Again, the involved millions of dollars of Prime Minister has been expenditures. This would be deafeningly silent on these unacceptable even if it was complaints and one has to just a small “mom and pop” wonder if his ministers are operation but at the level of acting with his full consent, a government, it is downright if not even encouragement. frightening and disgraceful.

The UDP was swept into The truth is that if Mr. office on a promising platBarrow really wanted to do form of transparency, acsomething about corruption, countability and anti-corrupit really wouldn’t take much tion. These were appealing of an effort. The Prime Minbuzz-terms back then and ister could start in his own in the face of a sustained backyard, where his habit of media assault against the appointing family members previous administration, Beto high office is presented lizeans were ready and anxas a primary example of nepious to imagine those possiotism by the on-line encybilities. clopedia Wikipedia. Google “nepotism” and see what comes up!

Belizeans voted in In a memorable speech given to Belizeans on this government hopthe night of his first election victory, Prime ing that things would Minister Dean Barrow promised that improve. A full term and some into office, he would jump into action at the first have grown pro“whiff of corruption.” Someone serious- things gressively worse in evly needs to point Mr. Barrow to the Ear, ery area. Crime is ramNose and Throat Clinic for obviously his pant, cost of living has climbed out of the reach sense of smell has gone bad. of most, our neighborhoods are filthy and corWell into their second ruption has become almost getting stale. The Belizean term, we seem still stuck at an accepted way of life. Bepeople are demanding more the point of just imagination lize has often been referred and better! and the natives are getting to as a jewel, but where oh Apparently, this governrestless. The call for a comwhere precious gem, is thy ment has been squandering prehensive Auditor General’s shine? tax-payers money at will and Report is loud but unheard while the Public Accounts Committee is stuck in neutral and if the Prime Minister has his way, will be going in reverse.

Transparency International, a global corruption watchdog has continually given Belize a failing grade and this government shows no sign of complying with the demand for better governance anytime soon. These recent murmurings are quite encouraging however, and it seems that finally, Belizeans are ready to demand that quantum leap from imagination to realization.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Women

Must Advance Into Senior Leadership Positions

By Dr. Angela Banner Joseph Women are still clearly under-represented in political positions in Belize, in both status and numbers. While some say this is because women are not interested, more likely, women don’t have the support and finance needed to advance to candidacy. Belize seems to have a gender disparity in senior administration within our government, as well as a sizeable wage gap. The disparity is so wide that women hold few major decision-making positions. We can assume that we still have a long way to go to achieve gender parity. What can we do to increase women in leadership positions and how can we eliminate gender inequality as it currently exists?

We can address this concern by going to the origin of the problem and by introducing and allowing women to participate in leadership

positions. The men in key positions of this country should allow themselves to understand the barriers that have kept women from achieving prominent leadership positions. Men in our country need to remove misogynistic ways of thinking to allow and accept women as their equals.

I believe a double standard exists in the ways of society. Men are seen as the pillars of our community while women are led into submissive and domestic roles. Women’s positions and advancement are limited to the roles of caretakers. This is especially clear in women’s maternal roles, which limit the ascent to leadership.

We need to give women an opportunity, because we are born ready to go.

God prepared us for any assignment before we were born and gave us the skill sets to do the job. Ladies, why are you not challenging yourself to pursue your goals? You are unique and very much an original. You can be anything in life that

you want to be. Be the Prime Minister if you want to; or a judge, if you like.

We often hear that women have shattered the glass ceiling in excelling in political positions. I question why women have such a small part in senior leadership positions in our government. No disrespect meant, Prime Minister Barrow, but your cabinet looks like an all-boys club.

Whatever happened to equal rights for women? As we propel through the 21st century, we must push for equality in work for women. We must not continue to discriminate against women. How do we fulfil the full rights of women? How do we move women from servitude positions to leadership roles? Women must strive for the revolutionary cause and find energy to fight for social change. We must change how men think about women’s roles in government and in the workplace, as well as how women think about themselves. Women’s inequality in the workplace is just WRONG. Aung San Suu Kyi contended, “In societies where men are truly confident of their own worth, women are not merely tolerated but valued.”

The goal of this article is to engage positive conversation and to empower young girls to become future leaders.

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

03 MAR

2013

Agric Show to be held May 3-5 February 11, 2013 The dates for this year’s National Agriculture and Trade Show held at the entrance to the city of Belmopan have been announced.

The show will be held from the 3rd to the 5th of May 2013.

No theme has been announced as yet, but the planning has commenced.

The Ministry of Agriculture has announced that this year there will be greater focus on the agriculture and agro-industry sectors. They have also announced that there will be strict zoning of the grounds and better control of the number and distribution of bars.

03 MAR

23

THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

Home Economics

fix

How to the economy!

Part III by Richard Harrison SPECIFIC ACTIONS RECOMMENDED AND EXPECTED RESULTS i. Lower GST from 12.5% to 10%, and charge across the board on all goods and services traded. GST is currently charged only on 35% of consumption, and total intake is around $270 million. This change will raise GST intake to around $600 million if 80% capture rate is achieved….and a lower rate charged across the board will balance the weight on the shoulder of everyone. This will increase GOB revenue from GST by $330 million. ii. Remove all government revenues from fuel. GOB currently raises around $80 million from adding into the pump price. Only GST of 10% should be charged on fuel. The pump price of diesel should be around $6.50/gallon and premium around $7.00/gallon. A $20 million fund should be used to support this price, which should be pegged to the US agro-industrial belt average price per gallon, the same way how our dollar is pegged to the US dollar. iii. Taxes on personal income over $18,000/annum should be fixed at 10%, with provisions to deduct some home construction and home improvement investments. A forced-savings of 5% should be placed on income earners below $18,000/annum to pool resources in the Workers Bank of Belize, owned by the contributing Belizean workers and used solely for the purpose of low and middle-income home construction and home improvement financing. Current taxes on personal income currently net GOB revenues of around $20 million per annum, charging 25% on income above $25,000/annum. This reduction in rate and broadening of the personal income tax base would reduce GOB income by around $10 million per annum. This is in line with growing and strengthening the purchasing power of the lower and middle-income families, especially in terms of their savings, investment and consumption potential. iv. Business Tax should be reduced to 1% of sales for all businesses with sales over $80,000 per annum. Only this means of business tax reporting and assessment will be allowed, with no tax on declared profits allowed, which only serves to open loopholes for creative accounting. All entities doing business in Belize will pay this 1% rate, no exception nor exemption. There will be no export taxes. The current rate of business tax is 1.75%....with varying rates for some sectors, which creates unfair imbalances. By lowering this rate to 1% and expanding the scope of contributors, GOB revenues will be reduced by around $20 million per annum. Export oriented investments that cannot pay

1% of revenues towards the general good of the people should not be encouraged, as they are the primary cause for pollution and environmental effects that places a burden on our countries development. v. The Customs Tariff Law should be overhauled to create home-court advantage for Belize-based investments. The average rate of import duty is around 9%, with customs revenues estimated at around $130 million. The average rate needs to be increased to 15%, so that revenues from customs duties rise to around $200 million. Only inputs for production of goods and services should be at ZERO rate…. all other items imported, and which are not in our scope of interest to manufacture, should be assessed from 5% to 20%. Items that directly compete with our production should

be assessed based on the boundrate schedules allowed by our treaties. vi. A Road-Maintenance Contribution should be introduced, charging at the time of licensing, $200 for private vehicles and $400 for commercial vehicles. This will net around $15 million, which will be dedicated to building and maintaining road and street infrastructure. vii. The Environmental Tax will remain at 2% charged on ALL imports, no exception nor exemption.

This fund of $26 million will be distributed by proportion according to population to the town and city councils for keeping our communities clean, in accordance with the Environmental Tax Act and the laws stated purpose for which it was created. viii. To provide $20 million/year to a Competitive Education Fund, which will be used to provide direct support for education at all levels, for students studying at home and abroad. This will be awarded based on performance, national interest and bond of service to Belize that cannot be waived for anyone under any circumstances. It should be biased towards the attainment of “useful knowledge” in the sciences, arts and humanities. ix. To provide $20 million/year to a National Health Fund, which will be used to upgrade all our

health facilities and technologies to drastically improve the national health service provision. x. To provide $20 million/year to a National Security Fund, which will be used to drastically upgrade all our safety and security apparatus and organizations, to preserve our freedom of association and all our personal and social liberties. xi. To provide $20 million/year to a National Sports and Culture Fund, which will be used to foment sporting and cultural facilities and activities in all our communities, with bias towards those activities that promote “national happiness”. xii. These actions in aggregate will net GOB an increase of around $217 million per annum.

This will allow for paying down our debt to bring it to around 40% of GDP within ten years. This will allow us to keep our dignity and integrity as a nation among free nations…without mortgaging the future generations.

This article was written by Richard Harrison, who holds a Masters in Business Administration degree from Lancaster University, United Kingdom. This article has been widely circulated among public media and public and private sectors in Belize and the previous parts were printed in the two previous issues of the BELIZE TIMES.

The Decline of Businesses owned by Roots Belizeans

By Gilroy Usher, Sr. This week Miss Jenny and another roots Belizean, who have been selling Creole food at Ground Zero for over eight years were ordered to vacate the area at the request of the Belize Tourist Board.

This is the former site of the General Post Office near the Old Swing Bridge in Belize City. The order also affected a number of tacos vendors from Central America and at least two small businesses that were owned by persons from India or Bangladesh.

The vendors were given the option to take their operation to the Battlefield Park on Albert St. The park however is not suitable for vending because it is

congested and unsightly with many homeless persons and all shapes of unpainted and weather-beaten shacks where a number of persons sell a fruits and home-made food like boil corn, tamales, and tacos.

Miss Jenny and the others have chosen to cease their operation until they find a better location. They can’t deal with the Battlefield Park environment. Some of the tacos vendors decided to squeeze themselves on the congested park. The other tacos vendors and the East Indian businessmen however have found new street-side locations for their business in the city.

Tacos vendors and little snack shops owned by East Indians from abroad will be around for the foreseeable future, but Ground Zero was the most suitable and probably the last place from where the roots Belizeans selling Creole food will get to do business.

What’s playing out today with small businesses that are owned by roots Belizeans is part of a worrying trend that started many years ago.

Many times we said nothing, because were we not directly affected by the encroachment on business that were owned by roots Belizean from at least ten years before independence.

Today East Indian merchants have taken over all shops in the downtown area of Belize City and at the Caye Caulker Water Taxi Terminal, the bus shed near San Cas Plaza, and the for-

mer Novelo’s Bus Terminal on West Collect Canal. The Mennonites have near taken over the sale of auto parts in Belize City and the country in general.

Roots businessman Santos Diaz and Sons Auto Parts and similar roots businesses are no match in size, sales, or inventory with Westrac, which is owned by Mennonites.

Years ago the Chinese took over practically all the grocery stores and restaurants in the country. They were preceded by the Mennonites who slowly took over the poultry, furniture, rice, and cattle industry in the Jewel.

We are proud of all hardworking entrepreneurs in Belize regardless of whether they started out in the country as immigrants or naturalized Belizeans. We only ask that the necessary steps be taken by the government, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and roots Belizeans, who own businesses to enable roots Belizeans to compete on a level-playing field in their respective industry.

It’s time to stop the decline of businesses owned by roots Belizeans in our country. The result has only been more suffering and hardship for roots Belizeans throughout the land.

24

THE BELIZE TIMES

In my perspective

Not Now, Not Ever to Guatemala!

By Rayford Young Gorge Mitchell won admiration from across the political divide in Northern Ireland for his work to boost the peace process. The former United States senator received almost unanimous praise for his skill and patience in chairing the Northern Ireland peace talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement.

Following the failure to set up devolved power in the province, Senator Mitchell acted as a facilitator in the review of the deadlocked process, helping to find a way to implement an inclusive powersharing executive and the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons. Senator Mitchell had been patient when talks were bogged down in endless arguments about procedures and agendas. When the debate moved on to matters of substance, he demonstrated a shrewd understanding of the intricacies of the local political situation.

(BBC)

As the debates heat up about the upcoming referendum to be voted on by the people of Belize and Guatemala on October 6, 2013, the question is whether to ask the ICJ (International Court of Justice) to adjudicate this long, on-going dispute between Belize and Guatemala.

Guatemala for years has claimed that they own Belize. I’m just so puzzled why it is taking so long to have this dispute settled. This has being going on from I was a little boy. It’s like a bad marriage where one of the partners wants to move on but the other partner just won’t go away - always around like a pimple on your behind, just annoying.

I have always wondered if Guatemala ever asked themselves what the people of Belize think of them. Would Belizeans want them to govern us?

Would we get along? I think the over whelming answer would be a big NO. We have nothing in common; our cultures are so different it just would not

work. Of course this has not stopped countries from invading other countries and it seem that Guatemala is determined they want Belize.

What I think is needed is someone like Senator George Mitchell to come in and bring both parties together, sit them down and work out an agreement. I don’t think the ICJ is the place to do this. It’s too risky and what if they rule against Belize?

This is a bad idea. Sometimes government to government negotiations are not the best way to settle a dispute. This has been going on for sixty plus years and it only seems to get worst.

My fear is that we don’t have the quality, stature and skilled men in place to negotiate this matter. Our foreign ministry is not equipped or trained to tackle this kind of intense issue. We need someone with the experience, the skills, the history and patience to navigate these waters and bring it to a successful conclusion, someone like Senator Mitchell.

Just recently the current minister of foreign affairs, Hon. Wilfred Elrington commented on television that one area that can be discussed is the boundary that is not fully defined.

Why would you go on television and show your hand? The former minister of foreign affairs Eamon Courtenay said this was the worst thing to do and give the Guatemalans another issue. Mr. Courtenay said that the best

03 MAR

2013

thing Guatemala has going for themselves is Belize’ current minister of foreign affairs. He’s an asset to the Guatemalans. In my opinion Mr. Elrington is incompetent and not up to the job. He’s a lightweight and that’s not what Belize needs at this time when our country is in such a precarious time in its history.

We have seen this scenario play out time and time again in this Barrow administration. Inept men heading up ministries they are not qualified to run - men with questionable backgrounds.

And the results are there for all to see. Our country and our livelihoods are at stake. Are we to trust these men when the stakes are so high?

Our country is at a crossroad, our children’s future is at stake. This is no time for amateurs, cronies and “yes” men to be in charge of such delicate matters.

Our current minister of foreign affairs is not capable or experienced enough to take on this huge task.

The consequences are too high for incompetent bureaucrats to screw up.

We need someone with the gravitas to stand up to the Guatemalans with poise, backbone, strength and dignity and let them know we not playing this game anymore. Belize and its people don’t want to be a part of Guatemala, not now, not ever. Time is running out.

Rayford Young is a Belizean-American, who currently lives in Michigan, U.S.A. Send comments to rayfordyoung@comcast.net

03 MAR

THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

March 3rd

is the International Ear Care Day!

Get Dumbo Through The Maze!

How do you take care of your ears?

All your ears need is to be washed regularly so wash them with soap and water while you’re bathing.

You might think about earwax and if it needs to be cleaned out. Earwax seems yucky but it is useful. If you want, you can clean the opening of your ear gently with a washcloth.

Never put anything in your ears not even Q-tips. These can push wax deeper in your ears, where it can get stuck. Irritating the ear canal with them can hurt your ears.

Ears, Ears, Ears...

Can you find and circle the words below. They spell ears in 9 different languages.

EARS MASIKIO OHREN ORECCHIE OREJAS

ORELHAS OUÏE TAINGA ÖRON

A SPLASH OF COLOUR! Colour Minnie Mouse and her elephant friend!

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03 MAR

THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

New Passport Fees BRAIN TEASER & Rules take effect SUDOKU PUZZLE #6/2013 March 1st Belize City, February 27, 2013 In September 2012, Belize suffered an international blackeye when a global terror suspect was caught with a false Belizean passport, birth certificate and driver’s license.

The case of Rafic Mohammad Labboun Allaboun who was busted in Mexico with the said documents has not been solved by Belize’s investigators, but for the most part it has been gathering dust and growing cobwebs. No one has been held responsible for the breakdown in our passport and registry system which saw Allaboun obtaining the vital documents in less than 72 hours.

But authorities have formulated new procedures in the process of obtaining a passport which they say make the application process fraud-proof. Those new procedures require more verification of a person’s identity by adding new application forms that need to be authenticated by multiple officials as well as the validation of photos.

There is an addition of six application forms including specific forms for minors, adults, persons living abroad, and for persons applying for a passport replacement.

For those under 16 years of age, a recommender must be provided and there are two forms that must be filled out. Form 4-A must be filled out by a Justice of the Peace, minister of religion, medical practitioner, notary public, or an attorney at law. Form 4-B must be filled out by a member of the House of Representatives, chief executive officer in any ministry of the Government, a head of department, or a licensed teacher.

Those 16 years and older have to complete forms 3-A and 3-B. Form 3-A must be filled out by a Justice of the Peace, minister of religion, medical practitioner, notary public, or an attorney at law. Form 3-B must be filled

See answers NEXT WEEK

out by a member of the House of Representatives, chief executive officer in any ministry of the Government, a head of department, or a licensed teacher.

Belizeans living abroad must complete form 5 obtained from the Belize Foreign Mission. The form will require verification from authorized personnel.

In addition, a printed passport-sized photo must accompany the forms with the signature of a Justice of the Peace, minister of religion, medical practitioner, notary public, or an attorney at law. This printed copy will be kept for the officials’ files while a digital photo will still be taken for the passport.

The cost of the application has also been revised. New fees are $50 for adults, $30 for minors, while $85 for adults and $55 for minors for lost, damaged, or stolen applications. Additionally, the fee for applications in medical emergency cases is $100 for adults and $60 for minors. For a fast-tracked passport the fee is $200 (24 hours), $100 (48 hours) and $50 (3-5 days).

The new rules takes effect March 1.

BELIZE TIMES The fastest selling newspaper in Belize

See answers NEXT WEEK

03 MAR

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THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

BELIZE TIMES WEEKLY

SCIENCE & TECH R

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Selected By Chris Williams

Google Glass offered for $16,000 on eBay Seller claimed to have access to pair of tech glasses, which can take pictures and give directions Wednesday 27 February 2013 Got $16,000 or so? If you have, and were quick enough, you might have been able to get hold of a pair of Google’s “Glass” systems, which you wear like glasses and can shoot hands-free video, take pictures, and offer directions – via the auction site eBay. The listing has very recently been taken down – possibly at Google’s behest.

Although Google Glass won’t go on sale to the public until the end of this year, with a price tag expected to be above $1,500 (£990), the search giant has said it will invite some people to take part in a seeding programme to see how ordinary (but enthusiastic) users use the device, which can connect via Bluetooth to an iPhone or Android phone to get data connectivity.

And one person in Cleveland, Ohio, was claiming to have a pair of the glasses – or at least to be part of the seeding programme – which

Google Glass prototype at Google I/O 2012 – the hi-tech glasses are set to go on sale at the end of the year. Photograph: Antonio Zugaldia.

were up for auction. According to the site, they would have been available some time between Monday 4 March and Thursday 7 March, and at the time of writing the bidding had hit $15,900, having started at $1,500 on 21 February, and ramped up quickly in the past couple of days.

The seller said (all errors are as written in the listing): “i’ve been selected as an early adapter for Google’s upcoming release. You are buying a brand new unopened pair of Google’s Project Glass glasses.

I will be personally attending and picking up my pair in either Los

Hackers attack European governments using ‘MiniDuke’ malware Wednesday 27 February 2013 Cyber criminals have targeted government officials in more than 20 countries, including Ireland and Romania, in a complex online assault seen rarely since the turn of the millennium.

The attack, dubbed “MiniDuke” by researchers, has infected government computers as recently as this week in an attempt to steal geopolitical intelligence, according to security experts.

MiniDuke is the latest in a string

of cyber attacks aimed at governments and other high-profile institutions, following revelations about the suspected Chinese hacking of western defence and media organisations.

Unusually, security researchers said there was no clear indication of who was behind the latest online attack.

The cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, which discovered MiniDuke, said the attackers had servers based in Panama and Turkey – but an examination of the code revealed no further clues about its origin.

Goverments targeted include those of Ireland, Romania, Portugal, Belgium and

the Czech Republic. The malware also compromised the computers of a prominent research foundation in Hungary, two thinktanks, and an unnamed healthcare provider in the US. Victims’ computers were infected when they opened a cleverly disguised Adobe PDF attachment to an email. The document would be tailored specifically to its target, according to the researchers, as unsuspecting government victims are more likely to open an attachment that mentioned foreign policy, a human rights seminar, or Nato membership plans.

Once it was opened, the

Angeles, or New York at Google’s Project Glass launch event, which will take place some time after Feburary 27th. As for what colors will actually be available, will vary, if i am offered a choice, I will choose the color of your choice (see listing picture for variants). My cost to buy my glasses is $1,500 (USD), so obviously thats where ive started the auction at. Project Glass will be shipped with Insurance at my expence, and signature upon delivery, so please use an address you can accept delivery in person.”

Whether the terms of Google’s program will allow the participants to resell the devices – or whether they will instead remain the property of Google, which would make selling them problematic – isn’t clear. But it suggests that there’s already substantial interest in the company’s new wearable computing product.

MiniDuke malware would install itself on a victim’s computer. It is not known what information the attackers are targeting. “It’s currently unclear what the attackers were after. But the interest in these high-profile victims is quite obvious,” said Vitali Kamluk, chief malware expert at Kaspersky Lab. Eugene Kaspersky, founder and chief executive of Kaspersky Lab, said MiniDuke had the potential to be “extremely dangerous” because it was an “elite, old-school” attack that used some 21st century tricks.

“This is a very unusual cyber attack,” he said. “I remember this style of malicious programming from the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s. I wonder if these types of malware writers, who have been in hibernation for more than a decade, have suddenly awoken and joined the sophisticated group of threat actors active in the cyber world.”

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THE BELIZE TIMES

You Think You Understand God? A couple days ago I went to one of the outlets where I do music classes and noticed one of my little students smiling from ear to ear. He called out for his teacher with great anticipation. His dad clasped his hand firmly as they awaited the arrival of the bus.

Suddenly the student, who is about three years of age, began a loud crying on the street because he thought that it was time for his class and daddy was not cooperating!

I smiled as it felt good that a new student at that age was enthusiastic about class! But at the same time it made me think of the relationship between God and humans! The child’s father knew that it was not time for class, and it didn’t matter how much fuss the child made it would not change that fact. The vision that the father had was far greater and more complicated than the three-year-old’s mind could handle. The child eventually had to trust dad and calm his little fit before he got into bigger problems with his parent!

In our constitution, aka Bible (Isaiah 55:8,9 ), it warns us that God’s thoughts are far higher than ours. Our little minds cannot fathom why God makes certain decisions or allows things to happen that we wouldn’t allow!

Before I go any further, I want to clarify something about this constitution!

Yes, the Bible is a constitution. The only difference is that it is not limited to one country! Well, it is in a sense as it is limited to the Kingdom of God. The earth is made up of colonies that are each a part of this kingdom, and there will be a day of reckoning where each continent on the earth will be measured or judged according to this Constitution to determine their flight destination in eternity (Heaven or Hell)!

But, that’s not my topic this morning. I would rather like to continue with another story explaining my lack of understanding! About seventeen years ago I found myself at a private hospital in a room full of doctors walking up and down inside the room with a look of terror on their faces. I had been married for about two years, and this was the birth of my oldest daughter.

She was my first child, and I was looking forward to becoming a dad for the first time. She was born healthy and vibrant, too tired to drink milk from her mom, but they did connect as she was placed on her mom’s chest for some time after her birth.

Well, here we are a couple of hours after her birth with all these doctors in the room who seem to be panicking. My beautiful wife who had been sleeping from morning was now unable to wake up in the evening.

Before I knew it a tube was put down her mouth and a nurse had to be pumping some type of bellows to breathe for her as she was unable to breathe for herself. She was later transferred to the KHMH as the only working ventilator in the entire country was located there!

I will stop there but imagine my situation. Young guy in his early twenties, happily married going to have a baby, expecting to leave the hospital with his wife and new born child only to find out that they are now saying his wife is brain dead! She had an internal hemorrhage in the brain which probably was caused by her veins not being able to withstand the demand of pushing out a baby.

My whole life collapsed right before my eyes in a matter of hours and I was holding on to my sanity by a thin thread and my trust in God. I cannot explain to you why God allowed this to happen. If we had known, we would have had a c-section rather than natural birth!

What’s the case with you? What are you crying about and angry at God for, that you believed he messed you up with? Have you also lost a loved one, been abused by an adult, been stolen from, and victimized in some form or the other?

I will cut this short by saying to you rather than running from God, which will only make things worse in the longer run especially after you die, rather you should run to him. We do not understand his ways and his thoughts.

He lives by adhesion to his own laws and, rather than just save us from the consequence of sin, he follows protocol and sends his son to the cross to die for us!

You do not understand God nor do I, but one thing I can guarantee if you prefer to live without him now you will have to also do so for eternity!

Until next week God bless!

By Dr. Mark Musa

03 MAR

2013

Constipation: The Hard Facts

Constipation is a topic that few people like to talk about, but almost everyone gets constipated at some point in time. Women and the elderly are more commonly affected.

What is it?

Constipation is defined as having a bowel movement less than 3 times a week. With constipation the stool is hard, dry and difficult to pass. Some people when constipated find it painful to have a bowel movement and often experience straining and bloating.

Constipation is a symptom and not a disease.

Some people may think they are constipated if they do not have a bowel movement every day. However, there is a wide variation of what is considered normal bowel habit; and going out three times a day or three times a week can be normal for that individual.

What causes it?

Common causes are a diet low in fiber and water intake, a change in regular diet or routine (travelling), lack of exercise, stress, overuse of laxatives, and certain medications such as calcium, iron or pain killers that contain morphine. Other medical conditions such as an underactive thyroid and pregnancy can contribute to constipation.

How can I prevent it?

A diet high in fiber with lots of fruits, vegetables, cereals (especially bran), brown rice and bread, and lots of water will help maintain a normal bowel habit.

Too much coffee and soft drinks can have a dehydrating effect and should be limited. Exercise regularly and move your bowel when you get the urge rather than trying to suppress it.

What should I do if I am constipated?

Drink extra 2-4 glasses of water a day, especially warm liquids in the morning can help relieve constipation. Adding in fruits and vegetables and eating prunes or bran cereals can help with constipation.

If needed use a mild stool softener such as milk of magnesia, but do not use a laxative for longer than 2 weeks without consulting your doctor.

Warning symptoms to look out for: Consult your doctor if: -constipation is a new problem for you -if you notice blood in the stool -if you are losing weight without dieting -if you have severe pain with your bowel movements -if the constipation is lasting longer than 2 weeks

03 MAR

THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

THE KING-DUMB

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Thanks to Dean Barrow and the UDP, thugs like Mark King are rewarded with mansions that cost taxpayers $7,000.00 a month in rent while the rest of Belize suffers in silence.

UDP - Promoting thug life since 1973

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THE BELIZE TIMES

THINK ABOUT IT HAVE THEY GONE TOO FAR? They were not naked.

They had on some clothes. A little thong in their butts. Their bottom cheeks raw and exposed. Their fat sexy legs on full display.

But it was the dancing. Slack, vulgar and unbelizean.

Three Belizean women on stage at Konshens show at Riverside Tavern two Fridays ago in Belize City.

Konshens is a Jamaican singer. His promoters must have been requested to recruit some local ladies for the performance.

It is a new low for Belize.

Our beautiful, sexy young women sprawled out on the stage in all types of sexual positions. Spreading their legs and opening their crotch. Getting on top of one another. Wiggling and jiggling and gyrating all sorts of sexual movements.

It was vulgar.

It hit Youtube and Facebook. On Facebook over two thousand comments poured in. Most condemning the dancing.

We agree with those views.

We call on the churches as guardians of our morals in this society to view the Facebook video of the dancing and to take the message straight to the government.

Such vulgarity in public will not be tolerated.

Cannot be tolerated.

And to think. It happened during the holy period of Christianity, Lent.

HENG-U-JADE In the 1970s there was a phrase, heng you jade. You would never guess where it came from.

It was used in all kinds of situations. If a person was on his verandah. It would be said he is on his verandah di heng i.e. jade.

Jade meant head.

The phrase was also used if you were making up your face in a disapproving way, or in a miserable manner. Stop heng you jade.

The word and the phrase were coined following the discovery of the Jade Head at Altun Ha in 1968.

Altun Ha by Maskall Village is one of the more impressive Maya ruin discoveries and contains several beautiful temples.

These date back to hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus.

The Jade Head, known as Kinich Ahau after the great Sun God of the Maya peoples was discovered during the archaeological excavations under Dr. David Pendergast from the Canadian Museum.

But the man who actually, personally, found the Jade Head is unknown to Belizeans and to our history.

He is still alive. So too are several of the other Belizeans who helped excavate the site and personally discovered many of the other findings there.

That man who took his time and gently shoveled the Jade Head out of the ground is still living in Rockstone Pond Village where Altun Ha was discovered.

He has a wonderful and fascinating tale to tell.

He is not only alive and well, but he is still strong, healthy and remembers all the details.

He is a living treasure. He should be

interviewed on camera at the site of the Altun Ha, and holding the precious Jade he found in the ground.

His photo should be on post cards and postage stamps. He should be receiving a pension from the revenues collected by government His name is Winston Herbert.

He deserves national recognition and respect. Nothing less.

MALICIOUS REFERENDUM LAW Belize had a Referendum law. It set out three issues. The National Assembly could declare that an issue was important enough for there to be a referendum.

It also provided that any amendment to chapter 2 of the Constitution (which deals with the fundamental rights of Belizeans) which attempts to “derogate” from our rights must first be approved by a referendum.

Also any settlement of Guatemala’s unfounded and illegal claim to Belize must be approved by Belizeans in a referendum.

After the February 2008 General Elections the first law passed by the UDP was to weaken the Referendum Act. Their new law passed in July 2008 took out the whole portion that protected Belizeans from any efforts by any government to interfere with the fundamental rights of Belizeans.

And then another weird section was put in. In order to make it difficult for Belizeans to pass any referendum, whether on oil drilling or Guatemala or on local District issues, the UDP law required a 60 percent of the voters to pass anything in a referendum.

Now that the people of Belize are being hoodwinked into going to the ICJ our Referendum law has been exposed as grossly undemocratic.

The law should be that a majority of voters can pass a referendum. Even to change government in a general election all that is needed is a majority. Any Prime Minister of the European countries, Canada, President Obama or any president of Guatemala are elected by a majority of voters, not 60 percent.

Prime Minister Barrow, who since 2008 has been messing with and derogating from the Belize Constitution and fundamental rights and freedoms of Belizeans with his 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th amendments has gotten himself into a corner.

The British Government, the USA and Guatemala, not to mention Canada, Brazil and other Central American countries have found out that Belize’s referendum law is “communistic”.

At 60 percent it is almost improbable that there can be approval for the referendum to go to the ICJ. While this is a good thing for those who oppose going to ICJ, the international community sees this is an unfair situation. If the referendum is unlikely to be successful why spend FIFTY MILLION dollars of their money when nothing will come of it.

The President of Guatemala, who enjoys wide popularity in the region and abroad has come out strongly against Barrow’s referendum amendment. In fact the Guatemalans are telling the world Belize deliberately changed its law from majority to 60 percent in order to sabotage the international community who are paying mil-

lions for the ICJ referendum process.

In the 2012 general elections the UDP government was barely able to get 50 percent of the total votes cast. Indeed they would have lost the elections were if not for what happened in Albert and Lake Independence constituencies.

Of the 130,000 votes that were cast, UDP got 50.3 percent.

With Barrow and the UDP even less popular with Belizeans then in 2012, there is no way the government can get a yes vote for the ICJ referendum this coming October.

The Prime Minister has already been forced to change his neutral position to one in which he had to publicly declare he will vote yes to the ICJ, and that his Cabinet will also vote yes and his UDP party members will be cajoled to vote yes.

That’s not good enough.

That only amounts to about 45 percent.

Barrow will have to change the Referendum law from 60 percent to the proper thing of a majority of 51 percent.

Or he will have to start registering thousands of Guatemalans on the voters list like he did last year for the general elections.

Or, and here is the rub, beg his British masters to pressure the Leader of the Opposition to go for a yes vote.

“There’s the rub” Note: “There’s the rub!” Comes from Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, with the famous soliloquy –“To be or not to be” etc.

Check it out.

VICIOUS BANK INTEREST

03 MAR

2013

Justice, next month the case of a Jamaican national who was visiting Barbados and was subjected to a strip search by customs and police will be heard.

She of course is suing the Barbados government.

It is not known if the Belize government will be sued by the three Mexican nationals.

Let it be recalled that during a police search of a home in Martin de Porres in Belize City, a police officer woke up a minor and put his fingers in her private. He claimed he was searching for drugs.

The government had publicly promised to investigate the matter. But Belizeans already know the outcome of such an investigation.

What, in God’s name, is Belize coming to?

STREETS OF A THOUSAND HOLES Having added an additional burden of a 20 million dollars loan on the backs of Belize City residents, the Mayor has been cementing Belize City streets.

So the Mayor fix some streets, others are breaking up. Some areas of Belize City look like a war zone.

Seven years of UDP City Council and central government neglect of Belize City streets are on full display for all to see, and feel, as they try maneuver around the thousands of pot holes.

In some areas, it seems like the whole city is breaking up, streets wise. Not to mention the poor planning and inconvenience to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians as they get diverted all over the place in the most haphazard of manner.

In the meantime the over-bloated staff, cronies and hangers-on on at the City Council have not been reduced to save much needed monies and reduce burdensome city taxes.

The commercial banks in Belize have their lending rates at an almost criminally high rate of 15 percent of the amount you borrow.

This vicious rate is based on compounded arithmetic.

Which means that you pay on the fixed rate of the loan amount.

When you borrow from the credit union, the interest is charged on the reducing balance.

Answers for last week’s puzzle Credit union lends at the interest rate of one cent on every SUDOKU PUZZLE SOLUTION #5/2013 dollar.

The pawn shops and unregulated money lenders have also been following the cruel and cold hearted banks and are charging some whopping interests on their loans to poor people.

STRIP SEARCH The information from attorney Arthur Saldivar to the media that Belizean police had stripped and searched three Mexican nationals was a black-eye for Belize.

The search was done on the parents of a 22 year old Mexican student on trial in the Belize City Magistrate Court on Tuesday 26 February.

The parents have been coming to Belize on several occasions and attending their son’s trial. Both parents are professional citizens of Mexico.

The father is a medical person and the mother is a teacher.

Also subjected to this disgusting invasion of privacy was a female Mexican family attorney who accompanied the parents.

At the Caribbean Court of

Answers for last week’s puzzle

03 MAR

2013

THE BELIZE TIMES

Fired BWS employees seek legal recourse

Belize City, February 27, 2013 A handful of employees who were fired from the Government-owned Belize Water Services abruptly and under suspicious motives have sought legal defence. The BELIZE TIMES understands that this week, BWS received multiple letters from at least two attorneys indicating that legal challenge will commence to contest the terminations.

The employees, who were fired from BWS between December 2012 and February 14th 2013, are Simon Diego (yard man), Eden Serano (yard man), Brian Lindo (Sewer Water Supervisor), Collin Morrison (I.T. Support Technician), Charlett Barnett (Customer Service Representative), Don Gillett (Senior Customer Service Representative), Michael Novelo (Customer Service Supervisor), Mark Menzies (lab technician) and Journett McKoy (non-revenue water/customer support technician).

The employees’ letters of termination claimed that the reason was that their posts had become redundant, but the employees believe that the company has been on a wild witch-hunt ever since several scandalous letters accusing senior managers of vile acts and serious mismanagement surfaced and was spread among company employees.

One of the employees, McKoy, who spoke to the BELIZE TIMES last week, related that he had been summoned to a

Macebearer Caught AGAIN! Continued from page 4 man” Audinette, who was caught urinating in public in an area surrounded by schoolchildren and a public hospital some weeks ago, was caught in another act of delinquency. A photo obtained by the BELIZE TIMES shows Yellowman gulping down a beer bottle in public.

But it gets worse. The drinking happens to take place right in front of the National Assembly, the very honourable place whose code of ethics Yellowman has sworn to respect and uphold.

Yellowman isn’t the only UDP who seems to care less for the laws. Other known big-wig UDPs have been caught illegally drinking in public, several in front of the defacto UDP headquarters known as “Brads”. With agents of the ruling party failing to respect the laws, no wonder the country faces so much lawlessness and disorder.

meeting with BWS’ Chief Executive Officer Alvan Haynes, Human Resource Manager Haydon Brown and others on Valentine’s Day in which he was accused of leaking information to the media.

When he denied the accusation, McKoy said he was told by Haynes that they didn’t believe him.

Moments later, he was told that his 25-year career at the company had come to an end and he was given his termination letter.

The firings at BWS have taken place without the intervention of the Belize Water Service Workers Union.

In fact, McKoy claimed the Union is in cahoots with the company’s mass firing since the Union President attended and said nothing in a meeting in which the employees were threatened.

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20 yr. old redefines tourism marketing strategy Continued from page 6 could redefine how Belize is marketed on the global stage, but it can only happen with the support of policy stakeholders.

Thyrell said that he is in discussions with a company to make the game a virtual 3D game. This means a tourist located continents away would be able to play the game and get sneak-peaks of popular spots in Belize in a 3D, Avatar-like version. With Belize’s beauty and unique tourism potential, a tourist could fall in love instantly and sign up for a vacation.

“The Tourist” board game is an outstanding initiative and a great start. Indeed, as Thyrell said, “it is the ultimate souvenir” and a proud made-in-Belize product. With 3D imaging and other options available through technology it can transform the industry.

Thyrell is on the right direction.

With the support of his family and their new company, Hyde Enterprises, they reached out to relevant stakeholders from the start. The National Institute for Culture and History with material on

the board, and support has also been offered by other organisations such as Belize Tourism Industry Association, Belize Tourism Board, Belize Hotel Association, Belize Telemedia, Chamber of Commerce and Toucan Industries.

“It’s been a bit difficult for the older people to understand, but it’s occurring steadily. The journey has been exhausting sometimes, but I am proud of what we’ve achieved,” Thyrell said. He said it would no have been possible without the support of his parents Kaila Moralez and Randolph Hyde.

On March 8, Thyrell will speak at a public presentation of the concept and the potential with hopes that more organisations show interest in the project and possibly support by offering sponsorship or purchasing the board games.

This will take place at 4pm at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts in Belize City.

Anyone interested in finding out more can email thetourist.bz@gmail. com at hydeenterprises.co@gmail.com, or visit the Facebook account: The Tourist Belize.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

03 MAR

2013