Belize Times October 14, 2012 by Belize Times Press

Sunday, October 14, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

SCAN HERE

SUNDAY October 14, 2012

www.facebook/Belize Times

Issue No. 4817

Cayo Shuts Down No Confidence in Barrow Administration

Editorial: Not a time for excuses Today, four months after the brutal murder of 13 year old Jasmine Lowe and a week after the vicious killing of 20 year old Suzenne Martinez, Cayo residents feel no safer...

Page 5

Reid Between the Lines: The publisher of the Amandala has for a long time been rewriting our history to suit his own purpose. His point of view, unfortunately, varies depending on whose agenda he is promoting at any particular point and time.

Belize City, October 10, 2012 Hundreds of Belizeans are expected to take part in a protest rally scheduled for Thursday, October 11th, in the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena. The action is in response to the spate of violent crime that has affected the western communities. The public rally will be reinforced by a total shutdown of the business community which has stated that it is in solidarity with the actions taken by the residents. The protest, the second for this week, Continued on page 3

Page 13 The Unions have been duped! Union leaders don’t seem to remember that their request has been ignored, and at times vehemently opposed, for four years long by the Barrow Administration.

Sedi

SSB $15M bails out BEL

Noh

Ready!

Page 6

Cayo residents walk out on UDP Minister’s artificial excuses Elrington rejected a majority of the demands made by the people of Cayo to the Prime Minister Sedi told Cayo residents to hold a telethon to raise funds for their police stations

Belize City, October 10, 2012 Amidst howls and boos from an exasperated gathering of Cayo residents UDP Foreign Affairs Minister and Attorney General Sedi Elrington put up a lousy defence of the UDP Government’s incompetence and inability to fight crime.

Page 3

Belize City, October 9, 2012 Belize Electricity Limited, which the Barrow Administration seized in June 2011 after it cited fears that the company would run into financial disaster under its previous private

Page 3

THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, October 14, 2012

PUP Western Caucus calls on community to tackle crime October 5, 2012 The Western Caucus (WC) of the People’s United Party is appalled by the recent murders of young people and adults alike in our communities and in particular the heinous murder of our young men and women who are looked upon as the promising future new leaders of our nation. Acts such as these, compromise the ability of students to work, live and study in a safe and progressive environment. The WC is deeply saddened, pro-

foundly concerned and condemns in the strongest terms, the cruel, inhuman and degrading nature of these criminal acts on our Belizean citizens and residents. These frequent senseless murders can only have a dehumanizing effect on the victim and a brutalizing effect on the families, friends and communities. Our communities are shaken and in them is created a deep sense of fear, insecurity and hopelessness, as criminals have been having their way

against citizens with very little apparent concern, defence and protection from the authorities. The WC regret that the authorities, National and local continue to disregard these murders with alarming frequency, despite numerous calls to establish community safety strategies to drastically reduce and eliminate these crimes. An effective community safety strategy needs a holistic approach, including improving physical infrastructure, reforming the justice

COLA concerned about “state of the nation”

Gilroy Usher Jr., Nedal McLaren, Giovanni Brackett & Rufus X Belize City, October 10, 2012 The Coalition for Liberty Through Action (COLA) held a press conference today to express grave concerns about the state of the nation. First to speak was the President of COLA, Giovanni Brackett, who gave an overview of their concerns. Brackett explained that the economic depression has created serious instability in the country. He pointed that the lack of economic growth is a threat to Belize’s debt sustainability since 4-6% growth if required to be able to manage the debt

adequately. Brackett was joined by COLA Secretary Gilroy Usher who emphasized that the “pain” which Belizeans are feeling as a result of the economic crunch “is real”. Most painful, said Usher, is the job scarcity. “Finding a job right now is like finding a nail in a hay stack,” he remarked. Speaking on concerns about national security was COLA’s National Security Director, Nedal McLaren. “We are in a serious situation,”

said Mclaren, before citing the detection of a terror cell in Belize as one of the more serious threats to Belize’s security. He questioned why the Financial Intelligence Unit was assigned the investigation into two Belizean nationals who were caught with a terror suspect in Mexico, instead of the Police Department. McLaren pointed out that the judiciary was being undermined by a deliberate attempt make it foreign controlled. “The Chief Justice, Chief Magistrate, DPP, FIU and SolGen are all headed by

US warns about crime in Belize October 10, 2012 The high level of crime in Belize is having far-reaching implications. The United States through its Embassy in Belize has issued a warning to any of its citizens who are in Belize or are thinking of coming to Belize. The warning advises U.S. to have extreme caution in Belize as a result of organized crime which they say is “endemic”. The message reads: “The crime threat in Belize is high. Random and organized crime is endemic throughout the country. U.S. citizens have not been singled out by reason of their nationality, but are subject to the same threat as all other persons in Belize. There has been an increase in sexual assaults in Belize. While the primary targets have been younger females walking alone at night, assaults have also occurred during home invasions. U.S. citizens should also be vigilant while driving on the Intelco/Mountain View hill in Belmopan. Local criminals target vehicles traveling up this hill at night and surprise the occupants and rob/assault them.” The warning could have negative impacts on the tourism industry, which has been facing challenging times already. Most tourists choose destinations where not only is the stay enjoyable, but also crime-free.

policy and seriously tackling crime in our communities. By implementing community and government-led programming, we could help stop these kinds of criminal acts before they happen.” The WC condemns these criminal actions on our citizenry and takes this opportunity to warn neighbours to organize themselves and be on the lookout for similar crimes. We call for a moratorium on all murders!

people who hold foreign citizenship,” he said. McLaren accused DPP Cheryl Lynn Vidal of being unsuitable for the post. “The murder rate is up, but prosecution rate is way down…the DPP should have gone before she even got started. She was not the most qualified person,” he challenged. In one of COLA’s major announcements, they issued notice that they would be joining other concerned groups in launching a campaign against Belize agreeing to take the Guatemalan claim to the International Court of Justice in a referendum to be held in October 2013. Brackett explained that they are asking Belize to vote No in the referendum, or not to turn out to vote at all. “Starting now we will launch a campaign and tell the Belizeans the truth. There is too much at risk if we go to the ICJ. There should be no question about Belize’s sovereignty,” declared Brackett. COLA’s President said the specific of the campaign were yet to be hammered out by his Executive, but he expects it to be an aggressive one.

THE BELIZE TIMES serving Belize since 1957 as the longest continous newspaper. Founder: Rt. Hon. George Cadle Price, People’s United Party Leader Emeritus

EDITOR

Alberto Vellos LAYOUT/GRAPHIC ARTIST

Chris Williams Published By The Belize Times Press Ltd. Tel: 671-8385 #3 Queen Street P.O. BOX 506 Belize City, Belize Email: belizetimesadvertisement@yahoo.com

editortimes@yahoo.com

Sunday, October 14, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

SSB $15M bails out BEL

Continued from page 1

owners Fortis, appears to be in serious financial trouble today. The Government-owned company has turned to the Social Security Board’s worker’s pension fund for a $15 million bail out. That bailout was approved last week Friday, October 5th, in secret and without any sort of consultation with Belizean workers by a Social Security Board which is mostly politically appointed. Not even the media knew about. In fact, it wasn’t until Monday when documents were leaked that the media got a whiff of it. Those documents, obtained by the BELIZE TIMES, indicate that BEL

Sedi

Noh

Ready! Continued from page 1 The Minister was sent to a community meeting in San Ignacio on Wednesday night by Prime Minister Dean Barrow as Government’s special envoy to address the resident’s concerns following the killing of a young female resident last week. Sedi was expected to present brilliant ideas and plans to strengthen the Police’s effectiveness and work hand-in-hand with the people of Cayo to reduce crime. Instead, he did the contrary. Sedi presented a bunch of artificial excuses. The Minister rejected the residents’ call for the DPP’s removal, snapping back that he feels that the DPP is one of the best he has seen. He said there was no way for Government to deny bail for sexual crimes, and claimed that if they implemented capital punishment “the Europeans” would bring pressure on them. As to providing more resources to Cayo’s Police, Sedi said the concerned residents should perhaps hold a telethon to raise funds. Elrington made things much worse for himself. He insulted Cayo residents. He belittled them. He looked down on them. “You have only had four murders,” he said, saying that it doesn’t compare to the “warzone” that is where he comes from. “What Cayo is experiencing, I experience on a daily basis in my division”. Elrington was out of touch and out of line. He infuriated the residents even more when he said that he had only heard one positive recommendation after dozens of residents had gotten up to give suggestions. And so it was very fitting that as Sedi continued his ranting, the Cayo residents got up from their seats and walked out as a sign that they have had enough of the UDP’s failure and excuses.

has offered the sale of $10 million in preferential shares and $5 million in debentures to Social Security to attract much needed funding. The Government nor BEL’s Board, headed by the Prime Minister’s friend and law partner, Rodwell Williams, have explained why or how it got itself not a situation where the electric company needs bailout money. But indications are that the company is in dire financial straits. In the first quarter of 2012, BEL suffered a net loss of $2.6 million. This follows last year’s difficult year, which saw a reduction in revenue which means dividends could not be issued to shareholders.

The need for bailout money is further emphasized by BEL’s offer of two properties, including its entire headquarters on the Phillip Goldson Highway, as collateral for the purchase of shares. The BELIZE TIMES understands that the SSB Investment Committee, acting under political pressure, moved swiftly to approve the investment. That Committee is headed by Nestor Vasquez, who the UDP Government also appointed as the head of Belize Telemedia Limited. The Committee’s recommendation was forwarded to the Board, which is headed by former UDP Minister Doug Singh. The Committee even advised the

3 Board to overrule SSB’s regulations which cautions against risky investments. Article 22 of SSB’s Investment Framework prohibits any investment that exceeds 20% of the total amount of its reserves. The $15m bailout represents 66.9% of SSB’s Belize Bank’s demand deposit account and the Scotiabank savings account, from where the money will be drawn. Over the last few years, SSB funds have been manipulated by the Barrow Administration to bailout their takeovers of privately-owned utility company. In 2010, $50 million was taken from the SSB fund by the Barrow Administration to purchase shares in Belize Telemedia Limited. Of interest is that the Employee’s representative on the SSB Board is NTUCB executive Dylan Reneau, who is also a Board member at BEL.

THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Cayo Shuts Down

Continued from page 1

is also in response to the Government’s inability to crack down on crime. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Dean Barrow was handed a letter by members of Cayo’s neighbourhood watch committees. The

PUP Leader in Sarawee PUP Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca travelled to Sarawee Village to celebrate the 100th birthday of PUP stalwart Mr. Atialino Ruby along with his family and close friends. The Honourable Fonseca was hosted by Dangriga Area Representative Hon. Ivan Ramos and members of the PUP Dangriga Town Council. On behalf of the People’s United Party Happy Birthday Mr. Atiliano Ruby.

letter contained a list of eight demands which residents felt are necessary to curb crime. It includes: 1. Formulating a registry of sex offenders with a monitoring system 2. Enforcing the law by bringing back Capital Punishment

3. Replacing the Director of Public Prosecution 4. Properly equipping the Police Station in Santa Elena 5. Erecting a Forensic Laboratory 6. Prohibiting bail for sex offenders/criminals 7. Properly equipping Police Officers and enforcing all laws 8. Addressed the needs for efficiency in the justice system The residents warned that if the Prime Minister did not give a satisfactory response by Thursday, they would shut down the towns. On Wednesday night, the PM’s emissary Attorney General Sedi Elrington’s attempt to answer concerns at a community meeting backfired when resi-

dents booed at him and walked out of the event. The protest went into overdrive mode. The call to protest goes beyond the residents’ palpable rage towards the increasing crime levels. It is also, and more important to recognise, a political statement that the Barrow Administration has failed to properly tackle crime. It is a show of No Confidence on the Barrow Administration. The safety and security of citizens is the number one priority for any Government. The increase in violent crime and the barefaced acts of callousness on the streets are the result of a Government that has no ability to properly care for its citizens. It means the UDP Government, which was re-elected to office six months ago, has utterly failed Belize. On Thursday, Belizeans will take to the streets to tell the Barrow Administration that they have had enough of their incompetence, but will it be enough to send the message?

Sunday, October 14, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

Not a time for excuses

ttorney General and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sedi Elrington is lucky to have simply gotten the cold shoulder and a few colourful choice words from the people of San Ignacio and Santa Elena, who have grown sick and tired of hearing endless excuses. Elrington must have known better than to have gone to Cayo with very little to offer to the concerned residents. The Prime Minister opted to have Elrington act as his emissary and face the music. The PM must have known what the outcome would have been like. He sent his emissary empty-handed. Today, four months after the brutal murder of 13 year old Jasmine Lowe and a week after the vicious killing of 20 year old Suzenne Martinez, Cayo residents feel no safer and are convinced that the Government has no plan or idea on how to solve crime. This is the real tragic state of affairs. A Government’s priority is first and foremost the safety and security of its people. The Barrow Administration has failed miserably to provide adequate security to its citizens. This has led to rampant crime, and a terrible spike in very violent crime, especially in urban areas where unemployment and drug trafficking is rife. One didn’t have to witness Government’s lack of a proper response in Cayo to realise that they are clueless about crime fighting. Belize City, where eight UDP Ministers hold constituencies including the Prime Minister and at least four powerful Cabinet Ministers, has been a hotbed for crime. Countless young men, who could have otherwise had a future as productive citizens, have instead filled up the morgue as victims of gang violence. The Prime Minister’s response has been to feed gang members with hands out and increasing their dependency on the Government, which we already know has limited funds. The Prime Minister sat by as one of Belize’s most notorious gangs, George Street, took shape in his constituency. Many of the violent crimes in the old capital involve personalities affiliated with this gang. To demonstrate his loyalty to this gang, George Street became a lead figure in the PM’s gang truce. This favouritism was noted by other gangs, which created a rift even before the PM fabricated the lie that there was a truce. In Belize City, people are still falling for the Barrow Administration’s litany of excuses for failing to create jobs and opportunities. They couldn’t go to Cayo with excuses. Sedi has learnt that lesson the hard way. Incompetence is not an excuse for bad governance, but for the Barrow Administration it is the only explanation. For the 100-plus families who have had to bury their loved ones, the Government’s incompetence has come with a heavy price tag. The Cayo people have shown Belize City and the rest of the country the way. The question Belizeans must answer is whether it will have to hit home for it to matter. We hope such is not the case.

THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, October 14, 2012

The Unions have been duped! Belize City, October 9, 2012 A “signing” ceremony held on Tuesday morning between Union representatives and Government officials to provide “a progress report” on their negotiations for an overdue collective bargaining agreement will further frustrate the Unions’ chances of obtaining what matters most to the working class – a salary increase. Union leaders don’t seem to remember that their request has been ignored, and at times vehemently opposed, for four years long by the Barrow Administration. And this is even after it was Prime Minister Dean Barrow, as Opposition Leader in 2008, who promised the salary increase to the Unions in return for their loyalty and support. The

Unions kept their promise, the Barrow Administration didn’t. If there was anything obvious about yesterday’s event, it is the Union’s lack of understanding of its own might, their terrible failure to properly represent and fight on behalf of their members/workers, and the Union’s perpetual surrender to the UDP Government. The Unions are very powerful. They represent and speak on behalf of thousands of workers. When they flex, the Government feels. Through press releases explaining their position on the salary increase and threats of taking “further action if necessary”, the Unions forced senior Government officials to the negotiating table. But then they dropped the ball – big time.

Double murder suspect pleads guilty to handling stolen goods Belize City, October 7, 2012 Police officials have had a difficult time finding incriminating evidence that would directly indict their main suspect for the murders of 20 year old Suzenne Martinez and 53 year old Robert Lewis in Belmopan. Pedro Ical was detained in San Ignacio after he was searched and items belonging to the Lewis house were found on him and inside a knapsack he carried. The Lewis murder occurred during a home invasion on Monday October 1st in the Maya Mopan area of Belmopan. 48 hours later, Martinez was found dead just a few hundred feet from her home in San Ignacio. Police say they found a SIM card, a camera and jewelry that belong to the Lewis family. But after two days of investigation, San Ignacio Police were unable to link Ical to Suzenne’s murder. They released Ical, who was then immediately arrested by Belmopan Police. They also couldn’t charge him for Lewis’ murder and only charged him with two counts of handling stolen goods. Ical was arraigned in Court on Monday morning where he pleaded guilty to one count of handling stolen goods for the SIM card and some of the jewelry, and not guilty to handling stolen goods for the camera and other jewelry. The Magistrate sentenced Ical to 12 months imprisonment for the guilty plea, and remanded him to prison until January 2013 for the not guilty plea. San Ignacio Police have taken DNA samples from Ical and have sent it to Jamaica forensic counterparts to find if it matches with semen found on Suzenne’s body.

Pedro Ical

Instead of applying that same pressure to achieve their objective on behalf of workers who are facing economic crisis, they accepted to do what Government officials want, which is to deal first with the frivolous issues such as an adjustment in allowance which will benefit a handful of workers such as Heads of Department and leaving the salary increase until a further time. When Government officials realised that the Union leaders had yielded, they threw in the idea of a media event. For the Unions it was a “progress report”. For the Government it was about public relations and damage control. The perception that they are engaging the Unions will fend off the prospects of an uprising among the working class. The Unions really dropped

the ball. Even the Public Service Union President Marvin Blades was nonchalant during his explanation of the event’s purpose, saying “…this event merely represents a progress report to our membership and to the general public. We now continue to diligently work towards the resolution of the outstanding proposals, while encouraging our members to stand as avant-garde to ensure that we come to some resolve.” Those “outstanding proposals” that continue unresolved are the requests for salary increases for public officers, teachers, police officers, nurses and other Belizean workers. Union leaders don’t have much to show following yesterday’s event, but a piece of paper that says nothing about adjusting salaries for workers who are financially bleeding as the cost of living rises. On the other hand, the Barrow Administration gets a plus as they now can’t be accused of supporting “negotiations” with the Unions, even if it leads nowhere meaningful. The Unions may have just signed on for another four years.

IGNITE THE PEACE INITIATIVE 11th October 2012- Thursday GALEN UNIVERSITY, SACRED HEART JUNIOR COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF BELIZE In light of the recent loss of our valuable human resources, our nations students, the tertiary level institutions have teamed up to raise awareness and to unite their voices against the violence and crime in Belize. ‘Ignite the Peace Initiative’ is a collaborative effort between the student bodies of Galen University, Sacred Heart College Junior College and University of Belize. The public can attend any of the three events. 1. Eternal Flame of Peace March at 8:00 am - Commences at University of Belize’s Belmopan Campus and proceeds on to Libertad Street, then Ring Road and towards the Police Training Academy on Forest Drive. All attendees are encouraged to bring out banners or placards displaying the message: I have lost my _____ (friend, brother, sister, neighbour, ect.) to crime and violence. This is to demonstrate that various members of society are being affected by this problem. 2. Torch Run at 9:00 am - Torch will be lit in front of the Police Training Academy by University of Belize’s group and will be ran through the villages along the George Price Highway until Central Farm where Galen University students will be taking up the torch up to Santa Elena to pass it on to Sacred Heart Junior College’s group of students. These students will take this torch up to San Ignacio in front of the Administration Building, across from the Columbus Park. 3. Peace Rally - 11:30 am to 12:00 pm - The group of students from all 3 institutions running with the torch will gather in front of the Administration Building to present and sign the Eternal Flame of Peace Declaration calling on the Government of Belize to address the 10 most salient issues that are related to crime and violence as identified by the 3 different student bodies. Speakers from 3 tertiary institutions will address the gathering, as well our Galen Eagles Band will be a highlight of the rally. Contact: UB: Melanie Smith, FMSS- 604-7924, msmith@ ub.edu.bz or Sharon Palacio, Student Services spalacio@ ub.edu.bz

Sunday, October 14, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

Humor

in UDP Politics! The following matters were discussed in Cabinet: To ask Sedi to invite along the Chamber of Business Bureau or even one businessman when he goes and signed a new and binding trade agreement, especially one with Guatemala ………………………… When asked what did the Bond Team get for flying first class from Belize to Washington, Hulse replied: “It was sweet like BSI sugar…we stayed in the best hotels, wine and fine at the finest restaurants, attended high-level meetings, shopped at Macy’s and then flew back home. We really didn’t achieve anything but we sure love the frequent flyer miles”. ………………………… A fight broke out on who made money on the sugar deal. Most said that it was the Deputy because he has given his family most of the land for sugar cane, others pointed out to a certain law firm on Albert St. Another said…”wait a minute, what about the one we all Sugar Daddy”. ………………………… Cabinet decided that Sedi Elrington be flown out to San Ignacio to explain why murders, rape and other serious

crimes can’t be prosecuted in Belize. Sedi said his best answer is that the evidence-gathering is simply “artificial”. ………………………… Cabinet has decided on a Halloween Ball and has asked Ministers to wear costumes. Gapi will be dressed like an insurance agent, Saldivar as a grizzly bear, Faber as a crying baby with a bottle, Sedi as a Guatemalan spy, Castro as a tilapia, and Barrow as pumpkin ………………………… In other related news: Boots was the guest speaker at a Women In Leadership rally, where he said that there ought to be more women in Cabinet. Anne Marie was heard whispering that it was untrue because it was Boots who did everything to have her not be in Cabinet. Then Boots went further, promising that the next candidate in Port Loyola for the UDP will be a woman, which caused Anne Marie to blurt out, “He must be talking about his daughter”. ………………………… When the news broke that someone had broken into the Central Bank Governor’s house, a member of Parliament was heard saying “that boy would do anything to get in the News eh”. ………………………… The City Council has also decided to hold a Halloween costume bash. The Mayor has asked everyone to come in their own costumes. His only request was that no one wears pink stilettos as he wants to look unique that day.

THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Belize Body Building and Fitness Championships

Rigo Vellos wins Mr. Belize 2012

BELIZE'S #1 SPORTS PAGE

Rigo Vellos

1st place Gina Lovell, 2nd place Giselle Diaz & 3rd place Arlene Welch

Belize City, October 5, 2012 Rigo Vellos of Corozal Town won Mr. Belize, and Gina Lovell won Ms. Belize Bodyfigure, when the Belize Body Building & Fitness Federation (BBBFF) held its annual Belize Body Building and Fitness Championships at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts in Belize City on Friday night, October 5. Rigo Vellos won the first prize and trophy in the light Heavyweight Division, while Ernest Broaster of the Body 2000 gym took second prize and Dion Banner of the downtown gym claimed the third prize. The contest had been divided into weight divisions, and the evening climaxed with an overall contest for the most muscular physique among the winners of the different weight divisions. Vellos claimed top honors again to win the 2012 national Mr. Belize 2012 title. Guy Neal of the Neal & Gordon’s gym won second prize, and novice champ Leroy Card who also trains at Neal & Gordon’s took third. Two-time women’s Cross Country champion Gina Lovell, trained by Stanley Moody of the Downtown gym, won the Ms. Bodyfigure contest, with Giselle Diaz from the Body 2000 gym taking second prize and Arlene Welch, a Belizean living in the United States claimed third prize. The criteria for the bodyfigure contest does not place emphasis solely on muscle, but overall symmetry and body-fitness, so competitors tend to have more of a swimmer’s smooth-mus-

Smart Mundialito football

Brown Bombers defeats Hattieville 2-0 Belize City, October 6, 2012 The Brown Bombers are leading the Smart Mundialito under-15 football competition with 6 points, as they posted their second victory against the Hattieville United Youth Sports Club at the MCC grounds on Saturday, October 6. Brown bombers triumphed 2-0 when Sherwin Requena scored their first goal in the first half and another in the second half. Requena had also scored a goal for the Bombers in their 2-0 victory over the Ladyville Jaguars the week before. Other matches Ladyville Jaguars vs. Unity Rangers – 0-0 Ladyville “Japan” vs. Jane Usher Boulevard – 0-0 Unity Rangers vs. Hattieville United Youth Sports Club – 0-0 Ladyville Japan vs. City Boys – 1-0 St John Vianney boys vs. Third World – 0-0 Jane Usher Blvd vs. Third World – 0-0 City Boys Juniors vs. Young Stars – 0-0 Young Stars vs. St John Vianney – 0-0

Unity Rangers takes on Ladyville Jaguars

cled physique. Lurnette Sankey-Young has represented Belize in Central American bodybuilding competitions, and she won the 2012 Ms. Belize women’s bodybuilding competition hands down. Veteran bodybuilder Josephine Gault took second prize. The female section of the contest also featured a bikini figure contest, in which Charlyn Flowers won first prize, Michelle Gillett and Lorraine Lino, both of the Downtown gym, claimed second and third prizes. The contest got underway with the novice bodybuilders strutting their stuff. Leroy Card won first prize in the novice class, with Edward Burns of the Neal & Gordon’s gym and Jose Alvarenga of Lotus Gym in Corozal town, taking second and third prizes. Veteran bodybuilder Guy Neal showed he still has the muscle definition and tone to win the Masters Division, in which Dion “Tosh” Banner had to settle for second prize, while Edward Williams claimed third. Guy Neal also won the Middleweight Division, in which Edward Burns took second prize and Chris Carter once again had to settle for third prize. Two-time Mr. Belize winner Dion Danderson of Downtown gym won the Welterweight Division and Dion Ortiz, who trained at the Civic Center gym, took second prize. Danderson by rights should have also participated in the final pose-down for the overall musculature and Mr. Belize title, but he apparently was not feeling well and elected not to participate.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES 2012 Premier Football League of Belize

Police United end FC Belize’s undefeated streak

BELIZE'S #1 SPORTS PAGE

Deon Macaulay scored 2 goal

Osmar Duran on the attack

Norman “Tiliman” Pipersburgh atack

Belize City firms’ basketball competition

Digicell, Airport, & Atlantic Bank enjoy victories Belize City, October 6, 2012 The Telemedia Digicell, Airport, Belize Water Services, Port Belize and Atlantic Bank all enjoyed victories when the Belize City firms’ basketball competition continued at Bird’s Isle over the weekend. Telemedia Digicell outlasted Belize Bank 54-48 in Friday’s nightcap. Lennox Cayetano led with 20 points and 18 boards while Belize Bank’s Troy Gabb matched him with three long 3-pointers for 20 points. The Airport team remain undefeated, posting their fourth victory 63-60 over Smart on Saturday. Kurt Budd led the Smart team with 21 pts and 2 boards, while Paul Swasey had 21 pts and 12 boards Atlantic Bank enjoyed a 58-51 win over Belize Electricity Limited on Friday. Ervin Orosco led Atlantic Bank with 19 points and 5 boards, while Lloyd Leslie led for BEL with 26 pts and 10 boards. Port Belize Limited defeated Central Bank 67-40 on Saturday. Ian AC Augustine led Port with 23pts while Ed Baptist led the bankers with 12pts and 4 rebounds. Belize Water Services Ltd upset Bowen & ‘Bowen 66-61 with Steven Bonnell leading the scoring with 26 pts and two boards for BWS, while Milton Flores and Kenrick Deshield had 9 points. Under-23 competition Tuff e’Nuff vs. Truckers – 81-73 Belize Bank vs. Belize Heat – 70-49

Ports’ Lennox Bowman scored 13 points

Belize City, October 7, 2012 The Police United FC arrested FC Belize and handed them their first loss in the 2012 Premier Football League when they faced-off at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium on Saturday night. It must have been an off-night for FC Belize, who was swept 3-0 by the Police United FC. Avian “Chi-chis” Crawford and Leon “Chow” Cadle tried to put the visitors on the scoreboard first but goalkeeper Charlie Slusher denied their efforts. Daniel Jimenez didn’t play in front of the web. He embarrassed FC Belize’s goalkeeper Glenford Chimilio with a goal in the 14th minute of action. Evan Mariano then connected with a header some two minutes before intermission. An ailing FC Belize returned in the second half. They sealed their defense pretty good, until an error in the 77th minute allowed Danny Jimenez to pick up the loose ball and race for the goal, slicing the ball past Chimilio for the 3-0 victory. Other games: City Boys vs. Juventus – 2-0 Goals by Deon Macaulay (2) Belmopan Bandits vs. Verdes – 2-0 Goals by Jacinto Bermudez, Edmond Pandy Jr. Placencia Assassins vs. Belize Defence Force - 1-0 Goal by Ashley Torres Paradise Freedom Fighters vs. San Pedro Sea dogs – 3-1 Goals by Alexander Peters, Victor Franco, Onest Martinez, Mario Chimal

Smart Millennium burns Hattieville Heats 7-0

Sheriann Tracy scored 5th goal

Belize City, October 7, 2012 The undefeated Smart Millennium girls enjoyed their third victory: 7-0 over Hattieville Heat to lead the Belize District women’s football competition with a 3-0 win-loss record in the third week of the competition at the MCC grounds on Sunday, October 7. Geanne Cayetano and Sheriann Tracy led Millennium’s offensive. The Hattieville defenders managed to contain their attacks for the first 10 minutes of play, but Geanne picked up a cross and broke free for a solo run. Geanne had a one-on-one with goalkeeper Kadijah Marin and won, scoring the first goal of the game. Geanne also scored the 2nd goal from a pass by Sheriann Tracy. Millennium’s next goal came from Shinelle Gentle who drove the ball by herself to the goal line before blasting a shot that pierced the goal. In the 2nd half, Millennium returned refreshed and hungry. Goals were scored by Geanne (her 3rd), Christerlene Ku, Sheriann and Kara Kisling. Other game: Ladyville Jaguars vs. Caye Caulker United – 0-0

THE BELIZE TIMES

Is there bias in the Court of Appeal? be on the calendar before the Court of Appeal. He never should have arranged for the President of that Court to be singled out for special award in the September celebrations. Prime Minister Barrow is either insensitive of reckless in what he did or else he has insidious intentions in mind. Belize City, October 9, 2012 No sooner than the President of the Court of Appeal received special honours award in September from a government-appointed Committee than he was called upon to decide whether his fellow government-appointed Judge was in a position of bias. Judge Awich has been challenged to step down in a case before the Appeals Court. The UDP Government of Dean Barrow has been bringing the whole judiciary unto disrepute by his actions. Having removed Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh on a blatant lie, the Prime Minister has been systematically hurting the image of the Courts. His lie about C.J. Conteh was that the Chief Justice had reached retirement age of 65. But Belizeans later learnt a judge can serve until he or she is 72 years. Indeed Justice Awich had passed 65 years but the P.M. proposed him for continuing employment and then had him placed on the Court of Appeal. It is to be recalled that the Prime Minister’s brother who was working overseas ended up on the Court of Appeal where, as fate would have it, he became the only Appeals Court Judge in the history of the country to be found in the invidious situation of being biased in hearing a court case. The learned brother of the P.M. thereafter made a hasty retreat from the high office of Judge of the Appeal’s Court and returned to private practice. His brother as P.M. and Minister of Finance, has been ensuring he gets hefty legal fees for doing government cases even though millions of dollars are spent on a Solicitor General and a staff of lawyers twiddling their thumbs in Belmopan with nothing to do. A foreigner appeared from nowhere to take over as Chief Magistrate even though eight local attorneys in Belize’s public service are more qualified to take over the post. The Prime Minister must have known that serious litigation would

Sunday, October 14, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Harvest 4 Kids’ historic harvest BELIZE CITY, Monday, October 8th, 2012 By Alton F. Humes (Freelance Reporter) The Belize Camping Experience (BCE), the notable internationally-supported, Belizean-based Christian organization dedicated to providing hope for Belizean youths through church camps and in-school follow-up sessions, has now made history through its equally notable Harvest 4 Kids initiative, by harvesting a 20-acre field of corn for charity this past Saturday, October 6th, 2012. To get to the location where the harvest took place, we travelled deep inside farming and

mountain territory (and battling bumpy roads and scary curves to boot), arriving at the Banana Bank Lodge just outside of Belmopan on the George Price Highway in the early afternoon. When we arrived, hundreds of people were gathered at the field, ranging from Mennonite families to BCE personnel and other missionaries, as well as members of the business community and other non-governmental organization representatives. After a brief ceremony led by BCE Board Member Sasha Garnett, the 10 or so combines, towering large with dragonflies and birds peppering the sun-lit sky, set out to their work. And make no mistake about it; the harvest was indeed a monumental task, and worth completing, some false starts

notwithstanding. According to Garnett, because of the level of support from the business community (particularly donations of corn seed, fertilizer, etc.) with regard to their other corn field in San Carlos Village in the Orange Walk District, they are guaranteed full, if not maximum profit from that harvest (which incidentally is to be held this coming Thursday, October 11th, 2012). But since there was no such reciprocity for the Banana Bank field, after weighing and factoring in other elements, there is, unfortunately, far less opportunity for profit. But such issues were not on the mind of anyone who was present, least of the children, who not only rode in the combines and had their

minds opened if not totally blown by the spectacle of it all. But for John Carr, the notable farmer, businessman and owner of the Banana Bank Lodge, the idea, as ‘sold’ to him by BCE Camp Director Alexander Perez, was simply too good to avoid, and he knew, by Christian duty or otherwise, he ‘had to be involved’. Carr was a tad more forthcoming about the harvest, estimating that that the harvested corn could fill about 1,000 bags with 100 lbs. filling each bag, selling about BZC$30 per bag. But all motivations aside, Carr told me why this initiative (other than reasons of food safety) is so important – “It’s about respect and admiration, helping others even in hardest times; it’s about bringing Belizeans, peoples and cultures, together.” Ultimately, it’s not just a Christian task; it’s a mission that goes beyond self, beyond space and time.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES lize. In New York, there was a service provided by Compton Fairweather where one could call a number and get a news recording about all things Belizean. If I remember correctly, the news would change every other week. Compton was a big NIP so for sure there was political spin. Be that as it may, it was all that we had and many accepted what we heard as fact. Maybe that is why so many Beler when television came on stream, it Ams still roll in each election to vote was WGN again, whose Channel Nine, for their beloved “reds”. Sometime during the 1980’s I rereached across the miles to bring us member that I began seeing AmanCubs and Bulls games. It followed naturally then, that the Cubs and later the dala for sale at a few Belizean restauBulls, would become almost Belize’s rants or gathering places, particularly home teams. It mattered not that the in LA. Seems they would put them Cubs had not won a championship in on the plane and have them there by over a century, but they were our very at least the next day. Before that, we own “lovable losers”. While Belize could pick one up from folks who had knew pretty much everything about recently arrived from home. It was the Cubs, including name, number always an immense joy to acquire a and statistics of the last man on the Belize newspaper and we would sit bench, the familiarity was not neces- and read it cover to cover and enjoy it sarily mutual. In a March 1983 inter- word for word. This brings me to what I really view with a Los Angeles Newspaper, began to write about. In the editorial Manager at the time, Jim Frey had this to say: “I had never heard of that of last Tuesday’s Amandala, there is a place, what is it called, Belize? When discussion about a “wa”. According Dallas Green (Cub general manager) to the author of the piece, “it is best was talking to me translated in English as ‘harmony’”. about this idea the The author then went on to remind us other day and asked about an overpass which was built by me about Belize, the 1993 to 1998 UDP government. I thought he was The author opined that Belize’s Prime talking about anoth- Minister at the time, Manuel Esquivel er player he wanted was a “mechanical person, considto trade for. I said ered a cold fish”. Esquivel, according to Dallas: ‘I don’t to the editorial, was “not a popular believe I know this politician”. I believe the author was guy. What position insinuating here, that that was the reason why people did not use the does he play?’ “ Frey’s ignorance overpass which in turn, disrupted our of Belize did little to “wa”. The editorial went on to state lessen Belize’s loy- as fact, that “When the PUP came alty to their beloved to power in 1998, they encouraged Cubs, and in his the pedestrians, who in the overpass 1994 “Colonial Time matter are mostly young students, to and Television Time”, ignore the overpass and do whatever writer Richard Wilk they wanted.” Again, disrupting our had this to say: “A “wa”! Just as how people in Belize grav1984 visit by Gary Matthews, outfield- itated to the only “good station” that er for the Chicago they had access to, people abroad Cubs and New hero gravitate to whatever source of inforof Belizean youth, drew a bigger and more enthusiastic crowd than a visit by Queen Elizabeth or Pope John Paul.” According to Wilk, “When Cubs made it into the playoff in 1983, the country came to a standstill for days, and shops closed during the games.” At the time of Sarge’s visit, I was in the Diaspora, running the streets of East New York and later East Los Angeles. There, we were experiencing a reverse paradigm; we used every available medium to get news from and about Be-

Reid Cubs, Bulls and bullshit By G. Mike Reid Belizeans have a saying when a person butts into a conversation uninvited that they are acting like a “bad Spanish station”. Back in the days when radio was our only source of telecommunications and entertainment, those fortunate enough to own one would search the dial daily to try and locate a good station. Anything in English would be considered a good station but quite often, all that was available were “bad Spanish stations”. I still have an old Phillips radio that my dad used to tinker with in an effort to pick up a good station. The two that were usually available were US Armed Forces and WGN. WGN is a Chicago based station owned by the Chicago Tribune Newspaper. The call letters of the station is actually an acronym of the paper’s slogan, World’s Greatest Newspaper. At the time, WGN was one of the few stations with a high-powered AM signal that reached outside of the US into Canada, Australia, Europe, South America and fortunately for us, Belize. Apart from news and weather, WGN carried sports and was the official station of the Chicago Cubs. Lat-

The publisher of the Amandala has for a long time been rewriting our history to suit his own purpose. His point of view, unfortunately, varies depending on whose agenda he is promoting at any particular point and time.

13 mation about home. People tend to believe what they read in newspapers and anyone abroad reading this would be inclined to accept it as fact. It is absolutely not true! The publisher of the Amandala has for a long time been rewriting our history to suit his own purpose. His point of view, unfortunately, varies depending on whose agenda he is promoting at any particular point and time. I had already returned home when this overpass was built. The fact of the matter is that the overpass has a ridiculous design that requires people to have to walk a zigzag pattern for an unnecessary distance before finally crossing to the other side. Once over, there is more unnecessary walking before being able to exit. Just straighten the damn thing out! Talk to Santino and talk to the nuns at Palotti. There is enough room on both sides to make this overpass practical and utilized. The truth of the matter is that there was no such campaign by anyone to discourage use of the overpass. What is true is that neither political party has made a move to rectify this blunder. In this day and age, there is the internet which allows immediate communication via facebook or live streaming. Many folks abroad still look forward to receiving their Amandala, in much the same way as I still enjoy reading a LA Times or NY Daily News. Reading stuff like that about the overpass that cannot be readily fact-checked can be very misleading. Anyone doing research in the future might also run into this and take it as fact. The publisher of the Amandala has a tendency these days to end his articles with the words, “it is written”. Yes, Mr. Hyde, it is written which is exactly why you owe it to your readers to ensure that what is written is the truth. That is written!

Visit Us Online at: www.belizetimes.bz

THE BELIZE TIMES

Hugo Chávez vows to keep Venezuela ‘on socialist path’ after re-election President will need to deal with rising violent crime and over-dependence on oil after winning election with smaller margin

Monday 8 October 2012, guardian. co.uk, The Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, brandished the sword of independence hero Simón Bolívar as he celebrated his re-election with a promise to further his government’s brand of socialism during a new six-year term, in which he will face several economic challenges. “Truthfully, this has been the perfect battle, a democratic battle,” Chávez told the euphoric crowd outside the Miraflores palace. “Venezuela will continue along the path of democratic and Bolivarian socialism of the 21st century.” The triumph was shared by jubilant supporters throughout Sunday night after a hard-fought but convincing victory over the opposition challenger, Henrique Capriles. Tens of thousands of supporters descended on Caracas in cars, on motorbikes and minibuses, waving flags, honking horns and chanting: “Viva la patria!” (long live the fatherland). In the barrios of Catia and 23 de Enero – the heartlands of Chavismo – a party mood seized the streets as red-shirted residents danced and sang while fireworks exploded overhead. Some cried mock tears as they carried the “political coffin” of challenger Capriles. Chávez won 54.4% of the vote, 9.5 points ahead of his rival. The margin of victory gives Chávez a strong democratic mandate until 2018. Attention now focuses on whether he can use this popular endorsement to build on the gains of the past 13 years – notably a sharp reduction in poverty, unemployment and infant mortaility – while doing more to address rising concerns about violent crime, overdependence on oil and deteriorating infrastructure. Tough economic challenges also lie ahead. Despite its oil wealth, Venezuela has borrowed heavily in recent years and is now running a fiscal deficit of 16% of GDP. Ahead of the election, Chávez ramped up public spending, increasing pensions, building homes and raising the minimum wage. To meet debt obligations and pay for these measures, he will come under pressure to devalue the Bolivar – which now trades on the black market at more than double the official rate against the dollar – or significantly raise oil revenues, which account for 95% of Venezuela’s export

earnings. Chávez has outlined plans to more than triple production by 2020 from the heavy crude fields in the Orinoco Belt – which BP and Opec have identified as the world’s biggest reserves of oil. That would push Vene-

zuela past Iran in terms of output, but will require huge investment, technology transfer and a bigger skilled workforce. Some will come from existing partners – including China’s CNPC, Chevron of the US and firms from Russia, Vietnam and India. Others, like BP and Shell, have so far been on the side-

Sunday, October 14, 2012 lines when it comes to developing new blocks. Managers at the state-owned PDVSA oil company said several multinationals were waiting until the outcome of the election to decide whether to participate in the expansion. If they hoped for change, it is unlikely to come. Miguel Tinker Salas, professor of Latin American Studies at Pomona College in California, said Chávez’s victory implied continuity with an existing oil policy of state-led development, bolstering sales to China and using oil to shape foreign policy. Access to Venezuela’s oil – as well as ideology and personality – help to explain how Chávez is seen overseas. In response to the election result, the US, which has seen its share of Venezuelan oil drop in the past decade, omitted direct recognition of the president’s success. “We congratulate the Venezuelan people for the high turnout and generally peaceful manner in which this election Continued on page 19

Sunday, October 14, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

Home Economics

10 CENTS PER MILE By Richard Harrison New “across-the-board” $0.10mile rate ends confusion between Transport Ministry and Bus Association; new prices still being worked out ~ Amandala 2 October, 2012 Where does this 10 CENTS rate come from? The principal argument is that it seeks to reflect increases in the prices of fuel. The price of diesel is currently averaging $10.50/gallon in Belize. A bus has 50 seats, and gives on average 14 miles per gallon of diesel. The 50 miles journey from Belize City to Belmopan would thus require about 3.57 gallons of diesel, costing $37.50. Assuming that the operational costs for the bus are: driver $12, conductor $12, other $20…..then total costs for running the one-hour trip would be $81.50. A full bus would gross $250 from this trip….at 10 CENTS per mile. Fuel as a percentage of total costs for a full trip would be 15%.... with total cost of operations being 32.6%. To break-even, the bus would need to run at 33% occupancy…… or with 17 passengers. By comparison, ADO charges $79 for the 340 miles journey from Belize City to Cancun….which amounts to about 23 CENTS per mile. However, the buses feature air-conditioned comfort, television, rest rooms, and other safety and administrative advantages. Assuming that ADO’s newer buses give 18 miles per gallon of diesel…and that they fill up in Chetumal, where the price of diesel is $6.50 per gallon….then the cost of fuel for this trip to ADO would be $122.78. Its cost of operations, assuming they pay drivers the same amount of $12/hr, no conductor and other costs remain at $20/hr as a result of using newer buses…..their non-fuel cost-of-operations for this 8 hour journey would be $256. Total costs, including fuel, would be $378.78. If it ran a full trip….gross revenues with a 40-seater would be $3,160. Fuel as a percentage of total costs for a full trip would be 4%..... cost of operations would be 12%. To break-even, the ADO bus would need to run at 12% occupancy….or 5 passengers. This is by no means an in-depth economic analysis or comparison of bus services and fares in Belize and Mexico….so please do not take this out of context. However, there is evidence here

to suggest various things: 1. The fare per mile which ADO charges (even in Belize) is 23 CENTS….as compared to the now 10 CENTS charged by local bus companies. Of course the quality of the ADO service is far superior. 2. The cost of fuel in Belize is THE major driver of costs…..and the fact that our ENERGY POLICY taxes are so high on fuel imports that the pump price is almost double what it is in Mexico….makes our bus companies uncompetitive from the getgo. 3. The fact that our laws allow old buses to run on major routes in Belize (most of our buses are antiques over 25 years old, obsolete Blue-Bird buses scrapped by the US School Transportation System, and are no longer manufactured anywhere in the world)….is another major driver of our costs of transportation. I understand that Mexico law does not permit buses over 5 years old to run on their major transportation routes. Newer buses are more efficient in fuel, oils, parts, tires, and general operations….they are safer and more reliable….and are more environmentally friendly. I am willing to bet….that a more in-depth FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF THE BELIZE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY by a qualified research and analysis team…would be able to conclude that if our pump price for fuel were the same as it is in Chetumal…..that our more scaled bus companies would be able to compete in fares and quality of service with their Mexican counterparts…. at a price per mile that would be much lower than the ADO price. If such a study were to find that Belize bus owners are even now running mostly on duty-free fuel….that would be an indictment on our bus owners for scamming the public by taking super-normal profits and not investing to improve their buses, facilities and services to Belizeans. That would call for drastic measures to be taken to correct such an atrocity. In my opinion….the government price-control on bus fares is a no-brainer….it stifles investment and innovation. They should be setting minimum STANDARDS for services on its various routes…. with the highest standards for our principal highways that connect our major municipalities, requiring Class A service. Those who can’t meet those standards must move to other off-highway routes, which allow Class B or Class C services, at lower fares. This would allow for competi-

tion to determine various levels of fares, facilities and services…..and the transportation services in Belize would improve rapidly, in the most efficient and effective way. The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) should commission and pay for such a study…and publish the results for the public to see. The study should make recommendations for a phased improvement of our transportation

15 sector over the next 5 years, to come to par with Mexico within that period. They should do this as a service to the general public….upon who they depend for their labor and consumption. Make yourself useful Belize Chamber of Commerce & Industry!!!! Richard Harrison is a local businessman and investor in the manufacturing and service industries. Send comments to harrisonbz@yahoo.com

THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, October 14, 2012

…while Belizeans struggle & suffer This is how the UDPs roll…

Let’s take care of our Girls What is happening with the men in our country? What is our perception of women? Do we see them as humans or animals? Do they have feelings and emotions or are they toys? Are women slaves and basically the property of any man who wants to do what he wants with them? Are they objects and not persons? As I listen to the news and the various happenings around Belize I hear some utterly distasteful things that happen from day to day in relation to women and female children. As I look in the scripture, Genesis 3:17-19, God issues some punishments for the disobedience of these two farmers better known as Adam and Eve. Eve was given two curses, one being that she has multiplied pain while giving birth to her children and secondly that her desire would be to please her husband. Adam on the other hand, was laden with work as his curse. He would eat by the sweat of his brow! What has become the trend in this modern world is that both men and women go out to work by the sweat of their brow on a daily basis with no one to take care of the children. The children are then left with baby sitters. The biggest issue with this is that for obvious reasons women begin to take on the curse of the male while still having to carry the other two curses. To add to that, the stress levels of women continue to soar as the hard work and sacrifice for their children keeps them from caring for themselves in activities such as doing their hair or buying new clothes. When the husband leaves, they have to discipline, protect, support, and provide for the children while trying to deal with the emotional pain and suffering from the loss of their companion. Their patience levels go down, and it becomes hard to maintain a balance in the way they cope with the challenges from rearing children on their own. The young men grow up without a father and develop issues with authority which when addressed by the mother makes them develop bitterness against women! There are many ways to address these issues, but what I find most interesting is when humans try their own fix and completely ignore the Operation Manual, we find ourselves overturned and in a ditch! So how do we repair these malfunctions in the human behavior? The thing is that it is not complicated. Although we have a comprehensive problem in our country today, there are some fundamental things that we can address to easily deal with the problem. The hard part is our willingness to yield ourselves to the unmovable standards that are required for the smooth rolling of this machine called life! Let me give you a quick example. Where in the manual does it tells us to train up the child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it? Proverbs 22:6. Here we have this promise from the Creator that if we train them the right way they will stay on that path as they get older. So what went wrong with our training that we now have our children committing hideous crimes and living as animals? What we are seeing now is basically an exam paper from the Kingdom of God with a failing grade on the training of our children. We have left that precious responsibility to the teachers, the baby sitters, but worst of all the music videos and television programs are the main training tools we have for our children. WE are a confused people. I love to watch a show made in Belize but get confused as I hear a judge praise one person for dancing nasty because it is celebration time and in the same breath scold another for doing the same thing! If our children grow up seeing people dancing provocatively, witnessing hundreds of murders, and sex scenes on television, what is it that they will “not depart from” when they grow old? Although this only addresses one of the many problems our society is faced with today, it is a fundamental one that should not be overlooked

Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s new Law Firm Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega’s 2012 Land Cruiser valued at $180,000

Ministry of Energy and Science CEO Colin Young’s 2011 Toyota Hilux – valued at $65,000

Minister of Gangs Mark King’s Ford 150 - valued at $74,500

Minister of Works Rene Montero’s 2012 Toyota Prado – valued at $96,000

Sunday, October 14, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

Wash, Wash... Let us get washing! Can you find and circle the words below?

F P Y I M P K E P X A L A Q B A G E T B Coming up we have three major (big) days being celebrated that J J are important to many of us in Belize. On October 15, it is Global Handwashing Day; October 16, is World Food Day and October Y17 B is the International Day for the Eradication (getting rid of) of Poverty. In Belize many families are not eating well because many X don’t R have enough money to buy healthy food. There are homes that don’t Xnot V have running water, electricity or flushing toilets. Many children are going to school because their parents don’t have the money to M send E them to school. There are children who are working to help bring money home for their families. Working on the street, some children get kidnapped or harmed like little Benjamin and Onelia Rash. Global Handwashing Day asks us to remember how important it is for us to wash our hands often to keep us safe from germs that can make us sick. On this day it is important for us to remember to wash our hands before we eat and after we go to the bathroom. Help your little brother or sister to wash their hands this week. World Food Day remembers how many people aren’t eating well or are starving. It reminds us not to waste the food we have and to share with others. If you have a classmate who is hungry, if you can share your food, please share with them. The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty asks our government to work on getting rid of poverty, because it hurts many people in so many different ways. It also reminds us to help others who are poor if we can.

Let us be change makersLet this Us week!Help

H F H W E Z S Q E P M A M D WWash, A TWash... E R H Y N N O I A O P G B V W Z D G Let S usWash, WgetVwashing! XWash... QCanWyouRfindI S and circle the words below? S LetEus getEwashing! F CanGyouDfind and F circleCthe T W wordsM below? S FLP AH FRH WK E KZ SLQ IE PWM SW R D U YMUIP SAN MOKDI WAN AO YTP EGNRB UHV YWSNZ EQJ YP J C KTE ED GRS WI V AX QKW HR IES JK S C R PAMXL SSS ELTEA FRS GK XDK FLICI MTW MWUWD ASO UQ G X AFQ YU URS KA N UY NPU LS JAJ WY H Q O BGXAE PCR TMEES RTB IS TAX KILHM XEU KOSCG BJP JZ P H TJTBJ UXO FXNYP REE AB DUT PLOLX EAS YPXQP FVN XZ W K YEB HH TOU NC E AD OZE JX NYW HC S D M XXARV XKM EACHX OCA CA NAN ZXXJQ QYA CMADW CKM OX W U MCE FU CJF JF F MM MMX XE PEW SP T W BACTERIA DISEASES FACEBASIN FAUCET FINGERNAILS GERMS HANDS PIPE SANITIZER SINK SOAP TOWEL WATER

BACTERIA DISEASES FACEBASIN FAUCET FINGERNAILS GERMS HANDS PIPE SANITIZER SINK SOAP TOWEL WATER

Help Ben and Leela get through the maze so they can help out the students volunteering to feed people in their community!

Let Us Help

Help Ben and Leela get through the maze so they can help out the students volunteering to feed people in their community!

S E Q J A S W B J F V H C K S

R Y P S U Q H J Z X Z S O X T

THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, October 14, 2012

BELIZE TIMES WEEKLY

SCIENCE & TECH R

Selected By Chris Williams

Smartphone app controls

everything in your smart home 9 October 2012 Hannah Krakauer, reporter It’s the remote control to r ule them all. Mobile app company Ube (pronounced “you-be”) has developed a single smar tphone app designed to control any system in your home that has a wireless connection. That includes media boxes like Apple TV and Tivo, smar t TVs, ther mostats, garage door openers and anything else that is connected to the inter net. Perhaps even a fridge, one day. For electronics without builtin smar ts, Ube makes smar t plugs fitted with microprocessors that can be plug ged into standard outlets, as well as a multi-touch light switch dimmer. The device was launched this week at the DEMO conference in Santa Clara, Califor nia.

Most smar t home technologies are highly proprietar y, meaning they need to be customised for

App helps tell your colourful pills apart 7 October 2012 by Douglas Heaven EVER wondered if you’ve popped the right pill? Now there’s an app to help. There are thousands of prescription pills but few colours and shapes to choose from, which can lead to dangerous

each device by a professional. A system that controls your lights cannot be integ rated with the

mix-ups, especially in hospitals. To help prevent such errors, Jesus Caban at the US National Institutes of Health and colleagues have developed software that can identify a pill from a phone camera image. Websites such as Drugs.com and WebMD have tools to help distinguish between pills but you have to type in a description, making these services too time-consuming to use in a clinical setting. Caban’s software extracts the shape, colour

audio or security system, for instance. Ube simplifies the problem by being able to connect to any device that has an IP address. The Ube app can give you infor mation about what temperature the ther mostat is cur rently set to or what channel the TV is on. The outlets and app can also collect infor mation about how much energ y each device, room or system is using, and the app sends push notifications to offer sug gestions on how you can cut your home’s energ y consumption. Ube made a big splash at DEMO, winning the People’s Choice Award, and it is poised to star t a Kickstar ter campaign in the coming weeks. The app will be free, while the dimmer will retail for $60 and the outlet and plug for $55 each.

and imprint of a pill from its image and identifies the drug with 91 per cent accuracy in less than a second. Future accuracy will be improved when the system learns to recognise a pill from a wider range of angles. The technique is also simple enough to work as a smartphone app so could be used at home. The team tested the system on images of 568 of the most prescribed pills, taken from different angles and in a range of lighting conditions. They present the work at the International Conference on Image Processing in Orlando, Florida, this month.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Time for DPP to go Belize City, October 9, 2012 The time has come for the D.P.P. to go. We join the citizens of Cayo who called for her to go. They have their reasons and we have ours. There are many reasons why she should go. One Tuesday morning of this week, one of the call-in radio radio shows in Belize City featured dozens of callers who expressed the sentiments that the Director of Public Prosecutions should leave office. Callers even brought up the situation where the D.P.P.’s husband, a hated Inspector of Police, had whipped his daughter cruelly and the DPP prevented the Police from bringing charges. The DPP has presided over a period of record breaking cases in which accused murderers and rapists have walked down the Court steps free. In every case the Court found the evidence too weak or non-existent to bring in a verdict of guilty. These are separate from the situ-

ation for the past three years when the words nolle prosequi became a distasteful household word. The DPP waited for cases to start in Court then sent a letter withdrawing or nolle prosing for lack of evidence. We did not count those cases in which witnesses refused to testify for fear or other reasons. From all accounts the DPP has no management skills. She has alienated both Belizean lawyers and foreign lawyers on her staff which has been bolstered with the addition of six foreign lawyers. Everyone is demoralised. Is it any wonder cases cannot be resolved. In applying for jobs, young Belizean lawyers ask to be posted anywhere except the DPP’s office.

Shameless Penner! UDP Politician tried to derail Cayo demonstration

Belize City, October 9, 2012 UDP Minister Elvin Penner was caught red-handed trying to derail the success of the movement against the increase in serious crimes in the Cayo District. The movement had organised a demonstration in front of the San Ignacio Police Station for Monday. This had been agreed to and publicly announced on Sunday evening. But later in the night a misleading text message began circulating, from a 610-4439 cellular number that is registered to UDP Minister and Cayo North East Representative Elvin Penner. The message declared that the “gathering at police station... is postponed”. Penner also made his stance known that we was not in support of the protest action. “We will not support any person that attempts to blame any one organization for our countries problem”, said the text message. Shortly afterwards another text message from the same number was sent out. “The demonstration will still happen but we hope to join ub students on Thursday”.

THE BELIZE TIMES

The text messages created total confusion as most residents were already preparing to attend Monday’s public rally. Penner, who is part of the UDP Government which has failed to reduce crime in Belize, was clearly attempting to confuse Cayo residents and derail the progress of the mass movement. Having been caught red-handed in his sinister plot by the people of Cayo, Penner looked sheepish as he tried to explain his actions. He claimed the sent the message based on misleading information. Penner also defended the UDP Government, claiming they are doing their best to fight crime.

Belizean taxpayers pay the DPP one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars each year. Add thereto an expensive vehicle driver and bodyguard, telephone and travel allowances and a house and the cost is close to quarter million dollars. We are reliably informed that for the past several weeks the DPP has recently been training the GSU headed by her husband. She does so on her own as the Police Department employs a competent attorney who is responsible for ALL police officers in their legal duties. Worst of all reports is the one that the DPP has arranged for all GSU court cases to be tried by her friend the foreign Chief Magistrate and the DPP will personally appear in Court to prosecute such cases. If true, and we have no reasons to believe otherwise, the Judicial Commission which has not yet been assigned a foreigner, should discipline both DPP and Chief Magistrate and remove them from office. The BELIZE TIMES is appalled by the number of complaints and reports against the DPP and is of the view that she should leave office or be made to leave.

Hugo Chávez vows to keep Venezuela ‘on socialist path’ after re-election Continued from page 4 was carried out,” said state department spokesman William Ostick. But President Raúl Castro of Cuba, which receives subsidised oil from its Caribbean neighbour, was among the many Latin American leaders who sent warm congratulations to Chávez on his victory. “Chávez wins, the people win”, said the headline on the Diario Granma website of the Communist party of Cuba. But it would be wrong to characterise the politics of Venezuela as a simple re-run of the cold war. Chávez has a popular mandate and a very different set of challenges. Whether he will respond to his smaller margin of victory by moving closer to the centre or to more radical policies remains to be seen.

THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, October 14, 2012