Belize Times

Sunday, February 13, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

1

Issue No. 4731

SUNDAY February 13, 2011

Social Security employees plan nationwide protest Belize City, February 9, 2011 Reliable sources have indicated to the BELIZE TIMES that hundreds of Social Security workers are planning to stage a sickout against their management – of all days on Valentine’s Day, Monday February 14th.

We are told that the action is meant to show how much “love” the workers have

for their managers, especially their Chief Executive Officer Merlene Bailey-Martinez, who has shown total indifference towards their concerns.

So what has transpired at Social Security to have workers up in arms? We understand that a series of disagreements between the management and the union, and the management and employees over sala-

ry increases, sick leave, health risks, and worker’s incentives, has been the main causes.

In 2007, Social Security workers through their union, the Christian Workers Union, commenced negotiations under the former PUP administration for salary increases.

That process was blocked when the Barrow Administra-

Continued on page 2

Fleecing BTL? Belize City, February 8, 2011 An on-going investigation into the relationship between a small cellular phone company and Belize Telemedia Limited has revealed some very interesting facts.

The company, Cellular Plus, which has a small outlet on Freetown Road in Belize City, has recorded profits in the millions for the year 2010. To be exact, their profits between January 2010 and December 2010 are $3,397,048.58.

Cola, et al.

3-month deadline for referendum Belize City, February 9th, 2011 Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced today that he is giving the organisations calling for a referendum on the offshore oil exploration issue, a 3-month deadline to get the number of signatures

Continued on page 2

RAMIRO

wins Corozal South West Convention

See page 20

Continued on page 2

Jaime Headman

Barrow gives

‘Pesero’ shot four times, clings to life at Medical Associates

CRISIS AGAIN

See page 31

See page 4

SUGARCANE

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, February 13, 2011

To ssB…WiTh loVe!

Continued from page 1 tion took, and now, three years later it is yet to be resolved.

Those issues have been brought to the attention of CEO Bailey-Martinez for several months now, but she has refused to deal with them. In fact, the CEO reportedly doesn’t even attend meetings called by the employees. In a recent email circulated among top managers, the blame for not granting salary increase to the employees was passed on to the Social Security Board, which is chaired by LoisYoung Barrow.

There are other concerns, such as a deliberate attempt by management to block applications sent by employ-

Lois Young Barrow

ees for small loans, as well as the alleged cheating of pensions by including it in the salaries in the cases of

Fleecing BTL? Continued from page 1 The burning question is: how and from where could such a small company, which employs a minimum of five persons, get so much revenue? More importantly, we would like to know how and how much the company benefits from its relationship with the Government-run BTL. Our investigation points out that Cellular Plus, owned by Said Perdomo (the nephew of Minister Carlos Perdomo), is engaged, among other things, in the business of selling phones to BTL. That sort of trade increased ever since the Barrow Administration took over BTL, in August 2009. It is not clear, as yet, whether the Prime Minister’s son and businessman, Anwar Barrow, is involved in Cellular Plus, we do know that as BTL Board Director he favoured the business relationship.

Last week, Barrow stepped out of BTL’s Board, indicating that he would dedicate more time to his businesses.

SSB workers are being chanced

some employees.

The SSB is in trouble, with chaos the only option that will prevail. Em-

Merlene Bailey Martinez

ployees say they will take the first phase of the protest even though management has warned them against it.

Barrow gives Cola, et al. 3-month deadline for referendum Continued from page 1 required to legitimise the process.

Barrow was speaking at his first quarterly press conference of 2011, in which he reiterated that he was not prepared to go against the oil companies conducting oil exploration in offshore areas.

The Prime Minister said, in response to a question about the call for a referendum, that he puts the onus on the organisations. “If they get the signatures, naturally, they will get the referendum”.

The Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage is spearheading the referendum idea.

Under the banner of the organisation are groups such as COLA, Oceana, Belizeans for Justice and the BTIA. The group has gathered under 5,000 signatures, but some 18,000 is needed. Today it learnt that it will get a huge hand in the lobby. The People’s United Party announced this afternoon that it supports and echoes the call for a referendum. In a release, Party Leader John Briceño indicates

that “the Right of Belizeans to decide on whether to allow oil exploration and drilling in the offshore and protected areas of Belize is guaranteed by the constitution.”

Joining the movement, means the PUP will get their thousands of supporters to sign the petition asking for a referendum. And more than just calling, the PUP will use its organs (the BELIZE TIMES and Vibes Radio) to inform Belizeans about the issue.

THE BELIZE TIMES EDITOR

Alberto Vellos OFFICE MANAGER

Fay Castillo McKay PRINTING/PERSONNEL SUPERVISOR

Doreth Bevans DESKTOP PUBLISHER

Christopher Williams TYPIST

Customs officer killed in highway accident

Belize City, February 8th, 2011 A traffic accident which occurred on the Northern Highway on Monday evening claimed the life of the passenger, 51 year old Hallet Baeza, a customs officer of Belize City.

Baeza was travelling from Orange Walk to Belize City in a four door Isuzu Rodeo, driven at the time by Belize City businessman Ashok Bhojwani, when the vehicle sustained a right tire blowout around mile 35. The blowout caused the vehicle to flip over several times.

Baeza and Bhjowani were rushed to the Northern Regional Hospital, but Baeza died before arriving. Bhojwani survived the accident with minor injuries and has been released. But his freedom might be short-lived depending on the outcome of a Police investigation. In the meantime, the businessman has been served with a notice of intended prosecution which means he could be charged criminally, depending on the instructions of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Rachel Arana OFFICE ASSISTANT

Roberto Peyrefitte Printed & Published By THE BELIZE TIMES LTD. #3 Queen Street P.O. BOX 506 Belize City, Belize Tel: 671-8385 Email: belizetimesad@yahoo.com editortimes@yahoo.com

Sunday, February 13, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, February 13, 2011

SUGARCANE

CRISIS AGAIN Wednesday, February 09, 2011 They say when it rains it pours and there seems to be an eternal downpour on the cane farmers of this country.

Once again there is major worry at the Belize Sugar Industries as their relatively “new” BelCogen turbines have stopped operating and are in need of dire repair and servicing.

The problem was first detected at the start of the new crop year, which opened in January, when one of the turbines was observed to be functioning only at 95% of its capacity. The situation worsened with each passing day, and the volume of cane per tonnes that it could process was decreasing. Eventually it was deemed

GOB sneaks in another fuel price increase Belize City, February 8th, 2011 On Sunday night, the Barrow Administration made life more difficult for Belizeans when an increase in the price of fuel was sneaked in.

The new increases take fuel prices every closer to the $11 mark, as Regular increased to $10.22, Premium to $10.52, the productive sector’s fuel Diesel hiked to $9.97, and Kerosene, the poor man’s fuel, climbed to $8.84.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow has indicated that Belizeans should not expect any relief any time soon. In 2010, the Barrow Administration collected $65.4m from fuel profits.

dysfunctional and BSI declared that it would only use the other turbine. But a problem was soon detected with that other turbine as well, and it has brought the sugar industry to this current point.

For at least 20 days, there will be no processing of cane as experts from outside will require at least two days to pinpoint the problem. If the repairs go as planned, it will take another 18 days to correct. If for any reason all does not go well, cane farmers and cutters will feel an additional burden because they will be forced to turn to other means of income to provide for their families. It’s like an

involuntary holiday at the height of business.

Officials of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association have publicly criticized the failure and say that BSI should have had a plan B and even a plan C for this kind of eventuality. Some even question whether the turbines were being serviced, since they are fairly new “state of the art” equipment.

While there is much being said, however, the steams have ceased at Tower Hill and processing of sugarcane has come to a halt until the problem is corrected. Until that occurs, the farmers,

cutters and drivers are the ones feeling the pinch as again their livelihood has been put on hold. Some of the men say they have no idea how they will feed their families. Others will depend on whatever little savings they have been able to put away. Still others are looking to applying for soft loans to get them through this period.

BSI’s BelCogen project has been the core operational facility to produce sugar for the local and expert market and also to provide the Belize Electricity Limited with 25% of the power it needs to supply the country.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

Belize – To the Rest of the World The Prime Minister gave one of his quarterly press conferences/self-glorifications sessions this Wednesday. No doubt this will be followed by a glitzy nausea-inducing propaganda commercial edited and voiced by the UDP’s Chief Propagandist, Delroy Cuthkelvin, who is paid not from party funds but from our tax payer dollars.

Yes, this government spends millions on its propaganda campaign constantly releasing commercials and advertisements about this project or the other. Never mind that most, if not all of those projects received their funding under the PUP government. Never mind that this UDP government has taken Belize back two decades at least in terms of development. Never mind that only a select few ‘friends and family members’ keep getting richer while most of us keep getting poorer. Nah, the ad spots showing Dean Barrow smiling, Boots dancing, Faber lying, and Erwin, Saldivar and Castro’s waistlines growing, keep coming during the news and after. It is a recurring nightmare that we all desperately want to wake up from. There is no doubt that internally, Belizeans have lost all faith and confidence in this UDP government.

Unfortunately for our beloved country, the external outlook is dismal as well. Thanks to the UDP, Belize’s reputation has suffered severely. No matter the issue, Belize has plummeted.

CRIME: With 132 murders committed, 2010 was the worst year in history for Belize in terms of murder.

This record gives Belize one of the highest murder rates in the world with over 40 people killed per one hundred thousand. In simple terms, 4 in every 10,000 people are murdered. And murder is not the only dangerous issue. Gang related violence, drug trafficking and armed robberies are also on the rise. Belize’s crime is out of control and there seems to be no solution in sight being offered by Barrow and his Government to try and stem the problem. Thanks to such a record, Belize is often placed on travel advisories by foreign countries for their visiting tourists.

CORRUPTION: Corruption was the UDP’s favorite word when they were in Opposition. It became their buzz word- the word that made them win the election. We now know that the reason it was their favorite word is that they were so good at it. This UDP government is by far the most corrupt government Belize has ever seen. The blatant nepotism, and misuse and abuse of power is staggering. There is no doubt that it must scare potential foreign investors to read in the news that Barrow uses his position like a tin pot dictator- putting family members in high ranking and powerful positions and taking away jobs from innocent and hardworking people simply because of their political affiliation. It also scares away investors to see that Barrow takes away companies and people’s rights at a whim.

Let us not forget too the slippery slope we are on when it comes to the judiciary. For a nation to be free and democratic, it must have an independent judiciary so that citizens can feel confident in knowing that the rule of law will remain unbiased and untampered. Barrow has taken away that security with his blatant disregard for the Bar Association and for the rules of law and international arbitration. When one reads about Belize on the internet, they will read that reliable sources have labeled Belize as a country where ‘business freedom is down and the judicial system is vulnerable to political interference and corruption.’

It must also be embarrassing for Barrow to know that his peers laugh when they see him flying to Miami to beg Carnival for a reprieve and Carnival sending middle men to negotiate with the Prime Minister of Belize. That is all the respect that they give to Belize because that is the respect that Barrow’s behavior has earned.

Yes, it is not a pretty sight to try and look at Belize from an outsider’s point of view. Belize has lost so much respect because of Barrow and this UDP government. It will be the job of the next PUP government to earn Belize back its good reputation.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Former CEO sues BSCFA for wrongful termination Orange Walk Town, February 7, 2011

By Carmelita Perez Former Chief Executive Officer of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, David Madrid, has filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court against his former bosses, alleging that he was terminated wrongfully.

Madrid, a businessman in Orange Walk, was hired as interim-CEO of the BSCFA in July 2009 and then officially by early 2010. His contract was for three years, but after serving less than a year, he was terminated in an almost sudden and rushed fashion by a majority of the BSCFA Committee of Management on September 29, 2010.

Madrid claimed the termination was wrongful, because he had achieved major accomplishments for the Association and he was doing his job the right way. He claimed he was removed because he chose not to condone or defend wrongdoing and misspending in the BSCFA. The former CEO threatened to sue, and his attorney Eamon Courtenay, of Courtenay, Coye & Associates, fired off a letter claiming compensation totaling $155,700 plus court and legal fees.

The matter quieted down for a while, and that was because Madrid’s lawyer was in negotiations with the

BSCFA, who reportedly agreed to pay. But apparently the Committee of Management had a change of heart, and is now refusing to provide compensation.

Madrid has now instructed his attorney to file a lawsuit against the BSCFA The BSCFA has retained the services of Attorney Jose Cardona to represent them in this case. Orange Walk politician, Hon. Marcel Cardona, is still retained by the BSCFA, which means that the association now has two lawyers’ salaries to meet.

David Madrid

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Over $2,000 stolen from home of American National Belize City, February 7th, 2008 Burglars who entered the home of an American National in Corozal Town went away with more than a handful, as they took more than $2,000 in items.

58 year old Jerry Cobb has reported that between January 24th and February 2nd, while he was away, someone broke into his home in the Joseito Layout area.

Stolen were a number of items including a 42-inch flatscreen television valued at $1,700, a Toshiba laptop valued at $600, a SMART phone valued at $175, a pocket knife and a black machete.

Cobb said the value of the items stolen is a total of $2,505.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

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PUP exposes political infiltration at Czl Elections office 9 February 2011 The Northern Caucus of the People’s United Party is outraged at the latest blatant attempt by the United Democratic Party to subvert the process of democracy in Belize. We have confirmed that the former political secretary of Minister of Health and UDP Corozal Bay Area Representative Pablo Marin has been appointed to a position within the office of the Elections and Boundaries Department in Corozal Town.

That is a slap in the face of every principle of fairness, impartiality and democracy upon which the Elections and Boundaries Department must be founded. The move

to place a political appointee and operative of Area Representative Pablo Marin within what should be the hallowed halls of the Department reeks of impropriety and political machinations.

Like justice, democracy must not only be observed but must be seen to be observed. The Northern Caucus of the PUP calls on the Ministry of the Public Service and the Chief Elections Officer to immediately investigate the placement of this political appointee at the Corozal Branch of the Elections and Boundaries Department. The impropriety must immediately be righted and integrity returned to that office.

How to win? It’s Simple!!

Full out the form below and answer the question correctly.

Return the completed forms to the BELIZE TIMES, located at #3 Queen Street. It will be placed inside a barrel and raffled on Monday, February 28th 2011, and the winner will be announced on the March 6, 2011 issue of the BELIZE TIMES. Name: Address: Phone Contact: Name of partner: Type of relationship: Number of years you and partner have been together: Question: Who have been the leaders of the People’s United Party?

‘Celebrate Life and the Pleasure of Being with Loved Ones’

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Illegal worker at God’s Store?

BELIZE CITY, Wed. Feb. 19, 2011 Makesh Makhwani, 39, who allegedly had his nephew working for him without a work permit was charged with employing a person not in possession of an employment permit when he appeared yesterday in the #7 Magistrate’s Court.

Makhwani, the owner of God’s Store, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

He was released on a bail of $2,500 and his case was adjourned until March 28.

According to the allegations, on Monday, February 7, Makhwani’s nephew, Indra Kumar Vaswani, worked at his warehouse, located at #48 Amara Avenue.

On Monday, February 7, Vaswani appeared in the #3 Magistrate’s Court.

He was charged with working while not in possession of a work permit.

Vaswani pleaded not guilty to the charge. He was released on a bail of $4,000 and his case was adjourned until March 16.

Makhwani has denied that Vaswani was working for him. He said Vaswani was only staying with him because he lost his job and had nowhere to go.

Visit Us Online at: www.belizetimes.bz

Sunday, February 13, 2011

“Yankee” charged with Attempted Murder of Denfield Carr

BELIZE CITY, Tues. Feb. 8, 2011 Last Friday Jermaine Arnold, 32, a.k.a. “Yankee”, appeared at the Magistrate’s Court and pleaded guilty to using threatening words.

He was fined $200.

Yesterday Arnold was back in court again, but this time the charges were attempted murder, dangerous harm and use of deadly means of harm.

Arnold was arraigned in the #2 Magistrate’s Court. No plea was taken from him because the offences are indictable. Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser explained to him that the court cannot offer his bail because of the nature of the offences, so she remanded him to custody.

The incident reportedly occurred around 4:45 a.m. on Wednesday, February 2. The complainant, Denfield Carr, 41, reported to the police that he was sleeping under an abandoned pink and brown house, located at #33 Wagner’s Lane when he was awakened by the sound of something being thrown on the steps.

Carr said when he looked up he saw Arnold and it appeared that Arnold had thrown a lighted red gallon bottle on the steps, causing it to catch fire.

Carr said Arnold also threw a brown bottle on the steps.

The claimant told police that he got up and ran. He said while running, Arnold fired 3 to 4 shots at him and two of them struck him in his back.

Despite his injuries, Carr ran onto East canal Street and escaped.

He was transported to Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and was admitted to ward. He is reported to be in stable condition.

Scenes of Crime personnel retrieved two bottles from the scene. No expended shells were found.

Continued on page 10

Sunday, February 13, 2011

PARTY PAGE

THE BELIZE TIMES

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OPERATION REBUILDING

FLORENCIO MARIN JR. COROZAL SOUTH EAST

JULIUS ESPAT CAYO SOUTH

ARTHUR SALDIVAR BELIZE RURAL NORTH

RODWELL FERGUSON STANN CREEK WEST

GREGORIO “PAPAS” GARCIA COROZAL BAY

CAROLYN TRENCH-SANDIFORD COLLET

RAMIRO RAMIREZ COROZAL SOUTH WEST

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Cost of diesel “too high” to operate Truck drivers ready to take action in Orange Walk

Orange Walk Town, February 9th 2011

By Carmelita Perez The steadily rising cost of fuel is causing shockwaves across the nation as consumers have to dig deeper into their pockets and providers of services find that they’re spending far more than estimated. That’s the current burning issue for truck drivers in Orange Walk.

The Bella Vista Group of Companies was recently awarded a contract by the Government to pave the road from Yo Creek to San Lazaro.

But the approximately eight miles of road needs to be filled with white marl before paving work begins, and to get the part of the project done the company obtained the services of 18 truckers. As we understand it, the truckers agreed to a price but sudden and multiple hikes in the cost of diesel have made that agreement untenable.

Last week Monday the men were hired by the Bella Vista Group of Companies to fill the road at a cost of 43 cents per cubic yard per mile.

“Yankee” charged with Attempted Murder of Denfield Carr Continued from page 8 The police reported that Arnold was positively identified by Carr through an identification parade.

The charge of using threatening words to which Arnold pleaded guilty last week, comes from an incident that occurred on January 30th.

Sara Mortis, Arnold’s girlfriend, reported to the police that while she was at a house at #7 Southern Foreshore she looked through her window louvers and saw Arnold, who was threatening to kill her. Arnold told the court he did so because he caught Mortis in bed with another man.

That’s approximately $6.00 per mile or $42.00 per trip. From the marl pit to the Yo Creek Road and back it’s approximately 12 to 14 miles. That’s more or less 3 to 4 gallons of diesel per trip.

But with the recent increase in the price of diesel from $9.71 to $9.97 per gallon, the truck drivers say the payment just doesn’t cut it anymore and they need a raise or else the work will not get done.

Drivers are demanding a payment of 55 cents per cubic yard per mile which translates to $8.00 per mile or $49.00 per trip which they say is more or less an average price.

Trucks drivers met with the person in charge of the project, Godwin Sutherland, but the meeting ended in greater discord. Sutherland reportedly told them that he has started negotiations with another group of truck drivers willing to do the job and the disputed cost, so if they have a problem, they could move aside.

The drivers did not take the message lightly, and reports are they plan to take action on Thursday.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Sunday, February 13, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, February 13, 2011

BELIZE'S #1 SPORTS PAGE

Holy Redeemer &

St. Martin’s are City champs How they advanced:

FEMALE:

Holy Redeemer vs. St. Martin De Porres

16

Holy Redeemer

6

St. Martin

Top scorers: Kayla Arnold, 8pts & Ambria Bermudes, 4pts.

Queen Square Anglican vs. St. John’s Anglican

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Queen Square

8

St. John’s

Top Scorers: Tyra Bradley, 4pts & Monique Smith, 4pts

Queen Square Anglican vs.

James Garbutt 7th Day Adventist

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Queen Square

0

James Garbutt

Belize Elementary School vs. St. Martin’s – 11-2

Belize City, February St. Martins’ boys are champs 7, 2011 The Belize City primary schools basketball champs, the undefeated Holy Belize District primary Redeemer RC School girls, and the city schools basketball chamsub-champs, the Queen Square Angli- pionships to be held at can Primary School girls, will take on the Belize City Center on the best from the rural schools in the Wednesday, February 9.

Belize District championship finals on They face Our Lady of the Way RC School Wednesday, February 9.

They will take on the St. Agnes girls boys from Ladyville and of La Democracia and St. Thomas An- Burrell Boom Methodist glican girls of Double Head Cabbage.

School boys.

The Holy Redeemer girls had The Martin’s boys blown out the Queen Square girls 20-2 had won 38-37 over the to win the Belize City primary schools St. Ignatius boys on Monbasketball championship finals at the day, February 7. Clency Belize City Center on Monday, Febru- Lopez led the St Martin’s ary 7. Shanice Neal led Holy Redeemer boys with 22 points, as Cecil Jenkins controls the ball with 8 points, and Kayla Arnold and the Martin’s boys romped Indie Dixon scored 4pts each. Feli- to a 21-16 lead in the first cia and Melanie Arzu scored a buck- half. Akeem Baptist led the ‘Nashus’ et apiece. Shenique Medley scored boys with 26 points, but Martin’s Queen Square’s only bucket.

Anfernee Conorquie scored 7pts, The undefeated St. Martin De Ashton Pitts grabbed rebounds and St. Martin’s vs. All Saints Porres School boys and the Belize scored 5pts on putbacks in the paint, City sub-champs, the St Ignatius RC while Kirkland Lambey drained in a Primary School boys, will challenge long trey and Cecil Jenkins added a St. Martin All Saints the best from the rural schools in the bucket.

How they advanced:

MALE:

37 28

Top scorers: Ashton Pitts, 14pts; Clency Lopez, 12pts

Surprise & Easy Does It triumph in SMART National Cricket tournament Other games: Berlan vs. Brave Union

80 78 Berlan

Brave Union

Western Eagles vs. Sunrise

177 64 Western Eagles

Sunrise

Isabella Uprising vs. Unfinished Business

98 64 Isabella

Unfinish Business

Double Head Cabbage, February 5, 2011 Surprise of Lemonal Village and Easy Does It both enjoyed victories when the SMART Harrison Parks National Cricket kicked off last Saturday.

Surprise arrested the Police 122 -121 with 2 wickets to spare.

Sherman Smith scored 70 runs for Surprise, while Edward Bull and Hart Anthony took 4 wickets each. Howell Gillett led the Police with 24 runs and Joel Westby took 4 wickets.

Easy Does It swatted the three-time national champs, Excellence, 159-157 on their home pitch in Double Head Cabbage, with 5 wickets to

spare. Warren Anthony scored 56 runs and decimated the Excellence batsmen, taking 3 wickets for Easy Does It. Sylbert Martinez led Excellence with 26 runs and Percy Flowers took 2 wickets Continued on page 13

Upcoming February 12 games: Brave Union vs. Bright Star in Burrell Boom Police vs. Isabella Uprising in Belmopan

Brilliant vs. Berlan in Crooked Tree Unfinished Business vs. Surprise in Biscayne Excellence vs. Sunrise in Double Head Cabbage Wicked Eleven vs. the Strugglers in Flower’s Bank Easy Does vs. Western Eagles in Lemonal Saillows will rest

St. Ignatius vs. Wesley Upper (triple overtime)

55 49

St. Ignatius

Wesley Upper

Top scorer: Akeem Baptist, 26pts

Wesley Upper vs. All Saints’ School

35 33

Wesley Upper

All Saints’

Top scorers: Shaquille Crawford, 20 pts; Jason Arnold, 12 pts

St. Martin’s vs. Belize Elementary

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St. Martin’s

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BZ Elementary

Top scorers: Ashton Pitts, 18 pts

St. Ignatius vs. St. Luke’s Methodist School

33 24

St. Ignatius

St. Luke

Top scorers: Akeem Baptist, 14 pts; Alfred Wade 14 pts

Sunday, February 13, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

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BELIZE'S #1 SPORTS PAGE

SJCJC girls are Queens of ATLIB Volleyball San Pedro Town, February 5, 2011 The St. John’s College Junior College girls are the ATLIB national volleyball champions, after winning the tournament hosted by San Pedro High School last Saturday.

The SJCJC girls crushed the Wesley Junior College in two sets: 25-8 and 25-6. Meanwhile, when they faced the Ecumenical girls, the Dangriga squad stopped the SCJC girls 25-12 and 2522.

In Game 5, the SJCJC girls redeemed themselves by defeated the girls of Corozal Junior College 25-16 and 25-5.

At this point, both the SJCJC girls and Ecumenical had 2 wins, but the SJCJC girls had the advantage with better points for, versus points against ratio, with 100 points for and only 35 against.

CJC upset defending champs to clutch ATLIB victory

SJCJC girls are ATLIB champs

EJC Rebecca Rath spikes on SJCJC girls

Ecumenical had 100 points for and 50pts against.

In Game 6, the SJCJC and Ecumenical girls

played a friendly match, which the SJCJC girls won 25-21, 25-23.

San Pedro, February 5, 2011 The Corozal Junior College male team upset the defending ATLIB volleyball champs, the St John’s College Junior College men, to win the Association of Tertiary Level Institutions of Belize ATLIB national volleyball championship.

Six schools contested the men’s competition, so they were divided into two groups, in which each team played the other 2 teams once; the winners of each group then advanced to the finals.

In finals game was a clash of titans as both teams had two wins each. The SJCJC men spiked kills to win the 1st set 25-23, but the Corozal men recovered to win the 2nd set 25-20 and then the third set: 15-13 to win the championship.

2nd place in the Southern group went to the Ecumenical Junior College men who outlasted the Independence Junior College squad in the best of three sets. Ecumenical won the 1st set 25-16, and the Independence men had to go to extra points to win the 2nd set 28-26, before EJC took the 3rd set 15-5.

2nd place in the Northern Group went to Sacred Heart Junior College who knocked out the Wesley squad. Wesley won the 1st set 25-19, before the Sacred Heart men took over in the 2nd set 25-23 and prevailed 15-12 in the 3rd set.

How they advanced:

Surprise & Easy...

Game 1- CJC vs. Wesley Junior College

Continued from page 12 for Excellence.

Saillows of St Paul’s Bank sailed to a 123-120 win, with 3 wickets to spare, when they hosted Wicked Eleven of Flowers Bank. Jerry Cassasola batted 32 runs for Saillows. Jerry and Walter Cassasola also decimated the Flowers Bank batsmen, taking 3 wickets each.

Shelton Robinson scored 38 runs for Wicked Eleven and Ted Flowers took 3 wickets.

1st set

25-16

2nd set

25-27

3rd set

15-7

Game 3 – CJC vs. Sacred Heart Junior College 1st set

25-16

2nd set

25-15

Game 4 – St John’s College vs.

Ecumenical Junior College 1st set

25-16

2nd set

25-23

Ecumenical girls are ATLIB subchamps

CJC men win ATLIB champs

SJC boys blocks IJC boys

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Wesley, Ladyville Tech, & Gwen Liz girls victorious in high school softball

BELIZE'S #1 SPORTS PAGE

Belize City, February 4, 2011 The Wesley College, Gwen Lizarraga, Ladyville Technical, and Nazarene high schools each have two wins in the

Other games: Wesley vs. SCA

18 Wesley

2 SCA

Wesley won 18-2 over SCA

Ladyville Tech vs. ACC

17 Ladyville

2 ACC

Gwen Liz vs. St Catherine’s Academy

19 Gwen Liz

4

St. Catherine’s

Gwen Liz vs. Nazarene High Gwen Liz forfeited

ACC vs. Excelsior High School

44 ACC

7

Excelsior

Pallotti vs. Excelsior High

19 17 Pallotti

Ladyvile Tech girls team

Excelsior High

Central Secondary Schools Sports Association softball competition, which continued on Tuesday at the home of softball, the Rogers Stadium The Wesley College girls got the easy bye for their 2nd win when the Excelsior high school girls forfeited their scheduled game on Tuesday evening.

The Ladyville Tech girls posted their 2nd win 15-5 over the Pallotti girls last Saturday morning.The Ladyville girls took over the game when Deidra and Crystal James and Kristen Fuentes came home in the bottom of the 2nd and they walloped out eight more runs in the 3rd inning, while James struck out 5 batters to give up only 1 more run.

The Gwen Liz girls posted their 2nd win 22-3 over the Anglican Cathedral College girls on Monday, February 7. The Gwen Liz gisls scored 7 runs in the first inning while pitcher Renisha Smith allowed no runs. Only Tonya Swasey scored for ACC in the 2nd inning, when Smith also scored for Gwen Liz to lead 8-1. The Gwen Liz girls scored 2 more runs in the 3rd and 12 runs in the 4th inning, and only Tanya Swasey scored 1 more run for ACC in the bottom of the 4th.

ACC’s Leanne Davis pitches

Wesley boys undefeated in high school softball Belize City, February 4, 2011 The defending high school softball champs, the Wesley College boys, remain undefeated with back to back to back wins in the Central Secondary Schools Sports Association softball competition, which continued on Tuesday.

Pitcher, Calbert Jefferies, was leading the Wesley boys to a 21-3 win over the Anglican Cathedral College boys on Monday, February 7th, when the 3rd base umpire sent off an ACC player for using foul language. After that call, the ACC boys abandoned the field, forfeiting their game.

Jermaine Madrill, Eugene Rowley and Ryan Gabourel had led the Wesley attack scoring 3 runs each, while Jefferies, Morgan Baptist, Rockwell Gladden, Devon Williams and Brandon Lopez scored two runs each. Only Jonathan Silva, Shaquille Sutherland and Akeem Gamboa had scored for ACC. Jefferies also led the Wesley boys to a 17-5 win over the Excelsior boys last Wednesday and the Wesley College boys had walloped the St John’s College boys 13-3 to end the game in the application of the mercy rule when the tournament opened last Monday, January 31.

Gwen Liz girls & SJC boys advance to football finals Belize City, January 28, 2011 The Gwen Lizarraga High School girls and the St John’s College boys have advanced to the high school football finals to be held this Friday and Saturday in

Other games: SJC vs. Excelsior

14 SJC

7

Excelsior

Gwen Liz vs. Excelsior

19 16 Gwen Liz

Excelsior

Gwen Liz vs. ACC

16 Gwen Liz

1 ACC

Benque Viejo del Carmen.

The Gwen Liz girls advanced by winning 2-1, in a penalty shootout, over the St Catherine’s Academy girls in Game 2 of the finals.

SCA had seized the 1-0 lead when Christiane Rodriguez executed a free kick that beat the Gwen Liz goalie Oliesha Myles, and then Leolyn Martinez embarrassed Myles with a 2nd goal when she came off the bench to replace Khianna Gordon in the 2nd half.

Attacks from Gwen Liz girls’ offensive made no impression on the SCA defenders Deidra Gill, Ashley Pelayo, Aaliyah Williams and Samauri Samos, who held the Gwen Liz squad scoreless up to the end of regulation time and through 2 overtime periods.

Although SCA won that game, they had lost

Game 1 to Gwen Liz 2-0 which meant the series was tied. The rules indicated that they had to go to a penalty shootout.

In the penalty shootout, SCA goalie Ashley White stopped the 1st two kicks by Gwen Liz and SCA’s Kursha Pollard converted to give the blue and orange jerseyed girls the 1-0 lead.

Roslyn Cadle had replaced Myles in goal, and she stopped three of the SCA girls’ tries while one kicker missed the goal completely. Jersha Estrada scored Gwen Liz’s 2nd penalty to give them the 2-1 win.

In the boys’ finals, the SJC boys upset the defending champs 3-1 to win 4-3 on goal aggregate. In Game 1, Wesley had won 2-1 when Khambrel Blease scored first for Wesley. SJC’s Rasheed Pollard equalized 1-1 before the half. Michael Perera scored SJC’s winning goal in the 2nd half.

In Game 2, the Wesley boys missed a golden opportunity to take a 1-0 lead when Michael Perrera missed a penalty after Khambrel Blease was taken down in the goal area. Khambrel Blease got several other chances to put the Wesley boys on the scoreboard, but the SJC boys’ luck held up to the half.

Melhem Hernandez had given the SJC boys a 2-0 lead in the 2nd half, before Khambrel Blease scored from a free kick, but it proved to be the Wesley boys’ only consolation goal. Hernandez completed his hat trick with a 3rd goal for the 3-1 win.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

THE PEOPLE’S UNITED PARTY SUPPORTS THE CALL FOR REFERENDUM ON OFFSHORE DRILLING The People’s United Party supports the call for a referendum on offshore drilling.

The Right of Belizeans to decide on whether to allow oil exploration and drilling in the offshore and protected areas of Belize is guaranteed by the constitution.

As such, the PUP commits to: 1. collect as many signatures as possible in support of a referendum.

2. use the Belize Times, VIBES Radio and other organs of the Party to inform Belizeans on this issue.

Belize City Thursday, 10 February 2011

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THE BELIZE TIMES

British warships

abandon Caribbean waters

BY TIM SLINGER | TUE, FEBRUARY 08, 2011 BRITAIN has announced plans to pull out its warships from the Caribbean, and this island’s police chief is worried that the move amounts to a serious blow in the fight against the illegal drug trade.

C ommissioner Darwin Dottin told Commissioner Darwin Dottin the Daily NATION that Barbados and neighbouring territories would now have to work harder Wave Ruler intercepted the Venezuto stem the inflow of narcotics. elan registered fishing boat Oliana 1 “We’ve been boosting our capacity carrying over $700 million in cocaine. over time, acquired significant mari- The following year the warship RFA time assets for the Coast Guard, in- Largs Bay seized over $160 million stalled coastal radar and we continue worth in cocaine from a small fishing to improve our intelligence system. boat off the coast of Barbados.

“But it means we have to work “The withdrawal means the Navy harder to ensure that all of these ele- will no longer provide a warship for ments come together for the protec- anti-narcotic operations in the retion of Barbados’ security,” he said. gion and will have to reduce its role His comments followed yester- in disaster relief work,” The Guardian day’s disclosure by The Guardian newspaper said. newspaper in England that the British Head of the Regional Security government would shortly announce System (RSS), Grantley Watson, said the abandonment of their warships yesterday he had to consult with othpatrol of the region for the first time er senior officials about the extent of in over 65 years. the implications for the British Navy’s The Royal Navy has been associ- withdrawal. ated with several major seizures in CaBut Dottin said the nature of the ribbean waters over the last ten years. drugs trade required an international Back in 2002, the HMS Grafton effort and noted that our countries busted a fishing vessel of Venezuela had participated in the effort. and netted nearly $400 million. How“The region is sandwiched beever, the biggest haul of illicit drugs tween the drug producing countries ever, by a British warship, worth close and the drug consuming countries to $4 billion, occurred back in 1999. and it (Britian’s withdrawal) is going Closer to home, in 2006 the RFA to have an impact.

“The region would have to work in a collaborative way, to share our expertise, share our assets to help us deal with the difficulties in the region,” he added.

The commissioner also noted that the proposed withdrawal, which would include disaster relief work, would severely affect the region in post disaster.

“In respect of disasters it is the

By David Jessop, Director of the case that those ships have provided Caribbean Council huge assistance particularly post On January 25th the BBC disaster. They’ve brought their asWorld Service announced that as sets to bear. Most of those warships part of a new funding arrangewould have rotary-wing aircraft (hement with the British Governlicopters) which would be very usement it will be cutting the broadful in post disaster situations and caster’s budget by 16 per cent or they’ve brought particular expertise by around US$73m (£46m) per that the region would not have and annum. so that is going to be a huge loss to In doing so it will be signifithe region,” Dottin said. cantly reducing the numbers it The Guardian newspaper said it employs and cutting the range of was the first time the British Navy the programming and services had to abandon an existing overit offers to many regions of the seas mission triggered by a budget world including the Caribbean. squeeze.

The end of the

BBC Caribbean service

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Sunday, February 13, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

Definition of “LIAR” : a person who tells lies (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

March 6, 2009, Prime Minister Dean O. Barrow Budget presentation:

“The increase we are proposing is only $1.00 per gallon on gasolines and diesel. It will still keep diesel at below the

$6.00 per gallon mark, and gasoline at below $7.00 per gallon mark. If for any reason these turn out to be significantly higher than the experts predict, it is my promise that we would then come back and take off as much of this dollar increase as would put things back in alignment for the Belizean people.”

Prime Minister Dean O. Barrow, April 22, 2009 (7News excerpt):

“If the prices start going north of $8 it has to mean that the acquisition costs are increasing which also mean that then our exports of petroleum begin to fetch additional revenue for the government. Once that happens and we start getting more money on the front end then we can give up some of that money on the back end to keep the prices as manageable as possible for Belizeans.”

Prime Minister Dean O. Barrow, June 12, 2009 (7News excerpt):

“The truth is that while the high gas prices are a burden, additional revenue is being provided to government

and it is additional revenue that is desperately needed. So there is a balancing act that I am doing. As soon as we can complete that work, I will make an announcement as to exactly how we propose to proceed.”

Prime Minister Dean O. Barrow, January 5, 2011:

“We have to look and see. The OPEC people are saying that they expect oil for 2011 to trade between the seventy and eighty dollar per barrel range. If that’s what happens, there is no need for me to revisit the tax…it is so volatile and there is so much that goes into the mix that you can’t be premature and you can’t jump too quickly. I’d look like a fool going up and down like a yoyo. We’ve got to see what a trend is. This is a blip not a trend.”

FUEL PRICES TODAY? Premium - $10.52 Regular - $10.22 Diesel - $9.97 Kerosene - $8.84

LIAD PRIME MINISTER!!!

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Sunday, February 13, 2011

Lucas says: February 9, 2011 at 2:40 am Of course, the BALL-LESS AND HAIR-LESS has kept his promise of imagining the possibilities.

Did we ever imagine the possibilities of people losing their jobs because of party colours? Did we ever imagine the possibilities of single mothers being thrown out of their homes just to be given to a red?Did we ever imagine that the HONOURABLE P.M. would be five times richer than he was when in the opposition? Do you want be to continue?

EMS says: February 9, 2011 at 4:43 am Yes, the PM has efffectively hired all his family members and cronies, fired his perceived enemies wreaked havoc on the Justice system, kept Crispin Jeffries on as Compol despite his incompetence/inability as an effective chief of the police force and is continuing to run the country as his personal position. Furthermore, he has been able to spend more time out of the country than any other elected official in the history of Belize.

Rod says: February 4, 2011 at 8:08 am another case of blatant corruption incompetence stupidity and plain out treason all involved should be put in jail but since the minister of defence and higher ups are involved nothing will happen again like the last fiasco nothing has come of that all people involved still have their jobs no one has been arrested and we wonder why the crime situation in belize is so bad when gov is also involved openly minista of defence you are a joke worse you are a disgrace to the country of belize.

Melo says: February 8, 2011 at 10:20 am This constant gas hike makes me sick, I am soo pissed at this Government especially the advisers to the Prime minister, they keep advising him to punish poor ppl for every short fall of revenue, they are cowards, why dnt they confront the big cooperate companies and have them pay the taxes they deserve to pay, instead they advise the Prime Minister to prey on the poor and vulnerable who just cannot take anymore taxes, they fail to realize that they are slowly killing the goose that is laying the golden egg. How do they expect crime to go down? this hike will have a dominoe effect socially as well. They keep boating aboout a growing economy and restore Belize!!! how can these ppl sleep at night knowing the atrosities they are committing against the poor, they better remember there are reprucusions for every bad action taken, we cant take anymore!!!! one the streets are too violent to walk, then the fuel rises, seem like we have to choose between the safety of our pockets and the safety of our families Charles B. says

Friday, February 4, 2011, 16:36 Sir, with all due respect, this ain’t no major victory for the Barrow Administration. It’s quite the contrary. It shows what all Belizeans have to do for them to give us just a little bit of respect. The Prime Minister has been at all times – STUBBORN and DISRESPECTFUL! Belizeans are not in support of oil drilling or oil exploration and if given the chance to vote, they will reject the idea.

The simple reason is that it enriches a few, and curses the majority. We have oil, yet we pay more than US$5 for fuel at gas stations. We have oil, yet 44% of our people are poor.

What has happpened in this case, is that Barrow had to bend- knowing that this group of young and old soldiers are willing to sleep on the grass to send him a message. And while the PM has done something small, the bigger uglier picture remains the same. His nephew is still an oil prospector, and I won’t be surprised if the Mayas get railroaded by big oil companies soon. Power to the People. Barrow is the worst Prime Minister ever!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

Strictly Personal Barrow is bogus

By glenntillett@yahoo.com This week due to unforeseen circumstances I was off the morning talk show on Vibes Radio for a few days, and I took the opportunity to look over some of my notes from the past two years or so since I resumed hosting the show in December of 2008.

Not so coincidentally Prime Minister Dean Barrow called what the Government’s press office billed was his “First Quarterly Press Conference for 2011 on the occasion of the third anniversary of the election of the Government.”

I listened to almost an hour of Mr. Barrow’s statements, and the questions

His administration has been buffeted by crisis after crisis, and of all sizes, scopes, intensity and variety.

He personally is just about hostage to his Deputy PM and Deputy Party Leader who last year rebuffed his attempts to re-make his Cabinet – stopping him cold in his tracks. This situation is forcing perhaps the grand-daddy of all crises, the mother of them all, and quite likely an early election.” and answers that immediately followed.

At least in the portion that I listened to, he only dealt with fairly recent events so it was hardly a review of his party’s performance in government since the February 8th, 2008 general elections.

As I thumbed through my notes, I realized that it would probably take me an entire day to properly go through all the topics we discussed, all arising from the multiple issues and crises resulting from the Barrow administration.

On a typical morning we discuss an average of 10-12 topics and answer at least 6 calls. January 19th, 2010 my list looked like this: PUP press conference; BTL vs Smart (Appeals Court); Supreme Court opening; Budget cuts looming; Haitian crisis: multiple efforts reflect Belize’s division; PUP calls for Sedi’s removal; Lois vs Lisa;

Another home invasion; CJ’s retirement; Butane up, diesel by 38 cents since Sunday night; Croc problem in San Pedro; Citrus & sugar harvests troubled; Cabinet meeting, release inconsequential; Sol Gen the journalist.

The following day January 20th, 2010 the list of topics looked like this: PUP press conference; 1st murder of the year; another earthquake rocks Haiti; So/Sagicor groups donating; Belizean murdered in Guat. City; A FEMA needed for City’s streets; Supreme Court opening; Accident at BSI; Whylie finally surfaces on LOVE FM; Law revision and Ramjeet; CPA Report; Cattle call at Belize City Terminal; Thinktanking Thursday 28th.

I chose those two dates simply because they would be near the mid-point in the last 26 months, and I am sure you had forgotten that some of those issues and events loomed so large then, but have been subsequently overtaken by many others.

When I first read the GIS release I figured it would take Mr. Barrow a very long time if he was going to attempt to review what is proving to be one of the most tumultuous terms ever in administration for any Prime Minister.

His administration has been buffeted by crisis after crisis, and of all sizes, scopes, intensity and variety. He personally is just about hostage to his Deputy PM and Deputy Party Leader who last year rebuffed his attempts to re-make his Cabinet – stopping him cold in his tracks. This situation is forcing perhaps the grand-daddy of all crises, the mother of them all, and quite likely an early election.

A year ago, on February 8th, 2010, my list of topics discussed on the talk show read: Pensioners concerned; LOVE, CITCO & Jose Cruz; BEL vs PUC; GOB vs BNTU; Epidemic of lifestyle diseases (NHI); Oil prices rising; Expert recommends water rate increase; Prayers for Janay Moguel; Grader theft; Securing the border; Robert Garcia/Alphonso Noble & the Reporter; G20 sanctions due March.

Two years ago on Monday, February 9th, 2009, my list looks like this: PUP to launch Citco manifesto; Dean got married in Savannah, Georgia; Tourism way down; BSI back in operation; No help for slain cane farmer family; Another carnal knowledge/ rape case; Juan Coye selects Alcaldes; Tilapia project a big joke; congrats Audubon.

There is no shortage of topics to talk about on the show, no dearth of issues to discuss/debate.

I’m not surprised that in the hour or so I listened to him speechifying and answering questions, Mr. Barrow only had time to deal with fairly recent events and issues, (2011/12 budget, taxes, import duties, antipoverty strategies, infrastructure works, BSI, citrus industry, cruise tourism, aquaculture, foreign investment (Banco Atlantida), Restore Belize, oil exploration, gas prices, IMF recommendations, windfall tax, stolen airplane, BTL expropriation, sale, appeal court hearing). He would’ve had to have been there at least 24 hours to deal with all the issues arising from his administration of the nation’s affairs.

And just imagine, Dean used to call the Musa administration “beset” and “beleaguered” and used to say that they would be putting everything to right.

Barrow is bogus.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, February 13, 2011

NO MORE NEGLECT IN COROZAL SOUTH WEST

PUP supporters celebrate victory Ramiro Ramirez takes oath as PUP Corozal South West Standard Bearer

Candidates Amilcar Moralez, Juan Ek & Ramiro Ramirez pledge to defeat the vindictive UDP

LUV YUH BLUE in Corozal South West

Sunday, February 13, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

Reid

By G. Mike Reid In February 2008, following months of demonstrations and a sustained civil unrest called for and sanctioned by the current Prime Minister, the United Democratic Party (UDP) was swept into office with a huge mandate. They assumed office with an impressive manifesto of lofty promises and a pledge for transparency, accountability and good governance. A full three years later, the UDP have proven to be one big disappointment and as corrupt, dishonest and distasteful a possibility as ever could be imagined.

On Tuesday February 1st, in Belmopan, a small group of protestors gathered to voice their displeasure with the Prime Minister

Take heed Mr. Barrow, just as one relatively small incident like a street vendor setting himself ablaze can result in widespread unrest and the collapse of governments elsewhere, it might take just one small spark to ignite the latent discontent here at home.” over the latest in a long series of missteps on the part of his government. At the forefront were concerns about the continued parceling of national land for the purpose of oil exploration but the list included a number of other serious concerns. The citizens of Belize have long expressed their dissatisfaction with this government over the distribution of licenses and permits to drill for oil near our barrier reef and in protected areas. Yet, the policy continues and has become more blatant and outrageous.

News broke last week of yet another parcel of national land, this one encompassing the sacred Maya Mountains which includes large areas of protected reserves, being parceled out and granted for exploration. This time, no less than the nephew of the Prime Minister himself was the recipient of hundreds of thousands of acres. This was a decision made in Cabinet, yet when que-

ried, Mr. Barrow claimed to know nothing about the deal. Some have compared Mr. Barrow to Obama but none would compare him to George Washington, who according to legend would not tell a lie.

Meanwhile, in Belize City, street vendors have been protesting their exclusion from the Fort Street Tourism Village and threatened to launch their own protest at that site. Fruit and vegetable vendors have been constantly at odds with the Belize City Council over unfair conditions and unreasonable costs of operating at the newly built MFM. (Michael Finnegan Market). The arrogant attitude of the UDP and their insistence on doing things their way, in spite of the people’s objections, is creating a powder keg and making conditions ripe for some very tumultuous times ahead.

Many believe that our Prime Minister should be paying keen attention to the situation that is developing in North Africa and the Middle East. For a certainty, the very conditions that are proving the driving force behind the deepening violence over there are the very same conditions that are being faced by our people here at home; those conditions have been slowly stirring our people to protest. Ironically, what has proven the propellant for the most eruptive upheaval in recent times, even for that perpetually troubled area of the world, was a humble market vendor who felt that he had been pushed to the point of ultimate desperation.

Mohamed Bouazizi was a 26-year-old university graduate who after failing to find employment, turned to selling fruits and vegetables for a living. He constructed a wooden cart in which he would push his products to the local town market to sell in an effort to provide for his family. His relatives claim that he was constantly harassed by municipal officials who demanded unreasonable fees which he apparently could not afford. (How closely does that resemble current situations at the MFM!) When Bouazizi could not pay the prescribed fees, town authorities broke up his cart and stopped him from selling his wares. In desperation, Bouazizi stood on his vegetable cart, doused himself with gasoline and lit a fire.

That one incident sparked a groundswell of protest which spread from province to province resulting in the total collapse of the Tunisian government and which is currently threatening the stability of the entire region. The government of Egypt is on the verge of collapse and unrest in neighboring Yemen, Jordan and Saudi Arabia has prompted those governments to hurriedly put in place some very drastic political reforms.

Here in Belize, politicians have long paid lip-service to the demands for reform and despite promising the people a share of the country’s resources, Dean Barrow has done nothing but favor his immediate family and cronies. In the last week, we have seen the resignation of Mr. Barrow’s brother from the court of appeals and the removal of his son from the board of directors of BTL. One wonders if it might not be just too little, too very late. A close look at the make-up of just about every ministry in this Dean Barrow Cabinet shows them

top heavy with members of the respective minister’s close family.

Key among the issues being protested by the populace of those countries in the Middle East is corruption, including nepotism, high cost of living, increased taxation, extreme poverty and high unemployment.

Those very issues are prominent here in Belize and have been the impetus behind the current disgruntlement of our people.

Take heed Mr. Barrow, just as one relatively small incident like a street vendor setting himself ablaze can result in widespread unrest and the collapse of governments elsewhere, it might take just one small spark to ignite the latent discontent here at home.

Belizeans are not asleep. We see how high and comfortable our elected officials are living. While we must settle for secondhand clothing and a transportation system in shambles, they flaunt their Armanis, Rolexes and Guccis and breeze past us in their custom fitted SUVs. While they fly

21 first class to Savannah, London and Miami, we can only make irregular pilgrimages to Hattieville to visit the incarcerated. While they drink their champagne and laugh, we must sip our “red top” and grimace. While they feast on steak and caviar we must settle for potted meat and noodles.

There are some people making a lot of money in Belize; mostly from the rape and pillage of our national patrimony.

At the same time, poverty has grown to almost fifty percent and unemployment among young people has tripled. The disparity between rich and poor has never been more pronounced and tens of thousands of young people are going without an education. So far, the media has been successful in shielding this government with their propaganda and manipulation of realities and facts, but oh what a day, what a day when that pendulum swings!

Send comments to gmikereid@hotmail. com

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Sunday, February 13, 2011

BELIZE TIMES WEEKLY

SCIENCE & TECH R

E

V

I

E

W

Selected By Chris Williams

Forgiveness via iPhone: Church approves confession app

(Image: Teri Dixon/Getty)

8 February 2011

By Niall Firth, technology editor Even for the most ardent Catholic, it can sometimes be tricky making the time to confess your sins. So the Church, as part of a new technology-friendly push, has now approved an iPhone app that lets busy Catholics admit their wrong-

doings while on the move.

Selling for $1.99, “Confession: A Roman Catholic App” was developed as an aid “for those who frequent the sacrament and those who wish to return,” according to Little iApps, the firm behind the idea.

Its makers insist it is not a replacement for confessing in person with a priest, but instead helps to keep track of all the evil things you have done since the last time you confessed by ticking off some of the most common failings.

Deviants get the opportunity

The more you lie, the easier it gets 8 February 2011 by Anil Ananthaswamy Our brains are naturally better at telling the truth than lying, but repeated lying can overcome our tendency for veracity, making subsequent lying easier – and possibly undetectable.

Neuroimaging studies have shown that people’s brains show considerably more activity when they are lying than when they are not, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, suggesting that lying requires extra cognitive control and inhibition of truth-telling. Lying also takes measurably lon-

ger than telling the truth.

To test whether the brain’s socalled “dominant truth response” can be changed, Bruno Verschuere of Ghent University in Ghent, Belgium, and colleagues studied three groups of students.

True or false?

The students were first asked to provide a written report about their daily activities. Each student was then questioned about these activities, and asked to either lie or tell the truth in their answers.

Interspersed with these ques-

to add their own, bespoke, sins as they go.

The app offers a stepby-step guide to the different ways in which the user might have sinned and offers them seven acts of contrition - ways in which they can atone for their sins. The app was given the Church’s official seal of approval, the imprimatur, by Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend in Indiana.

But while it is the first to have been officially sanctioned by the Church, there are a host of other apps available for the digital-savvy churchgoers. iBreviary, iMass and iMissal are all iPad apps that contain the entire service of mass for Catholics and other Christians. And the Catholic Quiz app, marshalled by a fearsomesounding digital nun called Sister Crack-YourKnuckles, lets users brush

tions were “filler” questions on a new topic. One group was always asked to tell the truth to the filler questions, a second group had to lie, and a third group was asked to lie or tell the truth in equal measure.

The researchers found that the frequent liars became more adept at lying. The normal difference in reaction times between telling the truth and lying disappeared.

Practice makes perfect “In people who lie a lot in real life [such as pathological liars], this dominant truth response might not be as strong as we theorise,” says Ewout Meijer of Maastricht University in the Netherlands.

Crucially, says psychologist Scott Lilienfeld of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, the results raise the intriguing possibility that at least some

up on their knowledge of all things Catholic.

Meanwhile, the Holy Rosary app is a graphical way for Catholics to keep track of their prayers, while the Patron Saints and Candles app contains a list of 75 patron saints and a digital candle that can be lit during prayers.

“Our desire is to invite Catholics to engage in their faith through digital technology,” Little iApps’ Patrick Leinen told Reuters.

The Confession app’s approval forms part of a broader move by the Church to embrace new technology, following Pope Benedict’s speech earlier this year at World Communications Day in which he said that Catholics should make “good use of their presence in the digital world.”

In 2009 the Vatican launched its own YouTube channel, which shows video and text of the Pope’s addresses.

lie detector measures may be relatively ineffective for practiced liars, including psychopaths. “Lie detector tests are most often used on people suspected of crimes, who have higher rates of psychopathic characteristics – including pathological dishonesty – than other individuals,” he says.

“The finding implies that peppering a lie-detector test with simple questions designed to elicit a truthful response will strengthen the brain’s truth response, making it harder for someone to lie. This will increase the accuracy of such tests,” says Meijer.

Visit Us Online at: www.belizetimes.bz

Sunday, February 13, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

Aries March 21-April 19 It’s a question of balancing confidence with humility and ambition with generosity. You may not find the perfect blend with your first try, but in time you will find the appropriate combination.

Taurus April 20-May 20 There’s no need to apologize for working hard – that’s just the phase you’re in right now. And because all things change, eventually you’ll enter the vacation phase.

Gemini May 21-June 21 Sometimes reticence and resistance have their own logic; so don’t be dismayed by certain opinions, yours or others’, that won’t budge no matter how much the facts support a new perspective.

Cancer June 22-July 22 Opportunities for financial improvement are still available, especially if you are willing to make the necessary adjustments in terms of how you spend time and where you apply your effort.

Leo July 23-August 22 There’s no need to fight, just to be right. So if you find yourself arguing with someone you love and can’t find your way out, take a deep breath and a step back.

Virgo August 23-September 22 You’re right, it is a lot of work, but it’s worth the effort. Continue to concentrate your efforts, and even though it might take time, eventually you’ll be pleased with the fruit of your labor.

Libra September 23-October 22 The challenge is how to feel safe from the inside out, regardless of your financial situation or your living arrangement. Here’s a hint: Acknowledge the truth of your heart.

Scorpio October 23-November 21 Allow intense and thoughtful conversations with friends to stimulate a new approach to your financial situation. This is not about miracle solutions; it’s about creating a healing process.

Sagittarius November 22-December 21 Pay attention to the details of your daily life and you could discover valuable information, previously overlooked, that will help you put a new plan in motion.

Capricorn December 22-January 19 You’re experiencing an odd assortment of feelings: On one hand, your nest is disturbed; on the other, the disruption feels exciting. The good news is that the excitement will override the discomfort.

Aquarius January 20-February 18 The best way to manage your agitation is to get in touch with what’s bothering you. Then figure out healthy ways to remedy your situation.

Pisces February 19-March 20 Continue to do whatever it is you do to support and maintain a calm attitude, and you’ll be in the best position to deflect outside influences that could disturb your internal equilibrium.

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Sunday, February 13, 2011

Express Yourself Write to us at: editortimes@yahoo.com

Poem:

Youth by: C. B. Langston

Oh happy youth! season of life most lovely!

Fair as the lily! sweeter than the rose!

Buoyant and gay as the light cloud of morning, When over it the sun its glory throws!

Earth in its rich attire alone is like it, When spring has decked it with its floral wealth, Who thinks of winter as he feels its gladness?

Who but delights to quaff its streams of health?

Care is a phantom then--a mere delusion--A thorn that’s seen not in the thickest wood; Hope, the magician, charms the distant prospect, And fancy pictures all the world as good!

Lightly its steps ascend the highest mountain; Fearless contemplates the abyss below; Now o’er the billows, stirred with wild commotion, Spreads its white sails with spirits all aglow.

Nor heeds the danger of the rock that threatens; Nor knows the quicksand through which it has passed; But steers, with reckless courage, onward--onward, Bold to encounter every adverse blast!

This is the time when hearts are pure and tender, And with love’s first emotions heedless melt; When the mind shrinks not at the boldest venture, And nature’s gen’rous impulses are felt!

This is the time the soul needs no allurement-No madd’ning influence t’ excite its powers; For, as the lark, that soars to heav’nly regions, The spirit warbles through life’s morning hours.

Oh happy youth! life’s oasis of beauty!

What time in after years so pure and sweet?

Free from the lab’ring progress of great manhood, It treads life’s pathway with elastic feet!

A day like any other in this quiet and peaceful month: I have realized how monotonous my life has now become; I can feel the claws of boredom pierce into my flesh and graze my soul. I have grown tired and fed up of the same scenery and of the apathy in which most people live. I observe naïve minds cheerfully prancing in ignorance’s bliss. They are not aware of the outside world, much less of the crude reality of life and the benefits of the great civilization. Indeed they are inhabiting a world of nothingness; unaware of their surroundings. However, we should not blame them; they do not know any better…

As I continued my path I keenly meditated on my present and future and I was careful not to fall into a pothole. Thoughts of departure swarmed in my troubled mind and tormented every corner of it. The sun bestowed its forbidden shine upon my gloomy self; yet, its warmth could not be felt. The wind blew in such a soft and serene manner like a comforting caress given to a child by its mother. The wind’s silent melody could be heard only by those with appreciation of nature and its beauty. I had never been so grateful for the combination of these elements for they distracted my mind from noticing the broken streets which also serve as garbage bins. I paused for a moment to gaze at the route manifested before me.

A peculiar American lady caught my attention, so I decided to observe her. She pulled out a camera from her purse and took a picture of a broken down fountain placed in the middle of the park in front of the Town Hall. The fountain had been built a couple of years ago but it gave the appearance of being there for over a century. It was out of service and in such terrible condition that it served best as a playground for children. I was astonished. This lady came from a first world country, why on earth would she have the necessity to mingle in such precarious conditions? That is when a thought flashed into

my mind as quick and sharp as a lightning bolt, “I am here for obligation, not for pleasure”.

Life in this country is difficult. I clearly observe the conditions in which these people live and it does not take a “rocket scientist” to observe deplorable lifestyles. There is limited availability of jobs and opportunities; there are no suitable parks and recreational sites in which youths and children can freely play. People are eloping from reality and have submerged into a sea of mediocrity and indifference. The future generation is lost in lust and perilous acts.

Where is childhood innocence? The minds of children are violated and their innocence is stripped off by the hand of evil. Evil which comes from mankind’s greed and their perplex minds.

Can they shelter in dear and blind justice? Justice has a blindfold, yet she can see through and benefit those who are in control; they have kidnapped her. It is sad to witness that the government does not serve the people. They were elected by the people but not so they increase their riches and disfigure all moral values. There is no betterment in this country, no advance yet ignorance and mediocrity remain feasting on the paralyzed intellect of the population. I see naïve minds cheerfully prancing in ignorance’s bliss. They are unaware of better living conditions, unaware of the outside world…

Life in Belize…there is none.

If one wishes to have a decent life, one needs vast funds. Pitiful it is to rely on vast funds in order to succeed. In reality, to succeed one must break from one’s shell. One must become liberated from the chains of hopelessness and ignorance. Visionaries are what this country needs in order to change for a better sunrise. Now is the time to change.

Written in October, 2010 by Lucia Moguel

Sunday, February 13, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Colour Me! Connect the Dots!

Connect the Dots from 1 - 67 for your special Valentine from me!

Colour and cut out (get an adult to help you) and give to someone you love.

Fairy Valentine!

Can you find the differences between the two pictures.

Once you are finished have fun colouring!

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Under threat, Fort Street Vendors say ‘Enough’!!

Belize City, February 8, 2011 By: C.P. Mathers One month ago vendors along Fort Street were taken off the sidewalks that was originally built for them, and placed in an enclosed area to conduct business. They came to an agreement with the Belize Tourist Board to ‘test’ the new location for one month. That one month came to an end on February 5th and vendors are now convinced that the move was a bad idea.

The market area that was prepared for them by BTB looks like an old country western ghost town.

Vendors have told the BELIZE TIMES that they feel cheated from the very beginning as they were never consulted before the decision was made.

Ten vendors have now come together and decided that they want out, and they will return to the sidewalk.

They say business has drastically decreased since they were moved off the street side. Much worse, they were also promised a bathroom but to this day, after an entire month, they still have no bathroom. They even promised to properly promote the new craft market, and it hasn’t been done. How many promises will they keep making? People are tired of imagining these ghostly possibilities!

Some vendors have even been threatened! Threatened that if they talk to the media and even were threatened to be locked up if they tried going back on the streets to sell. How is it possible that they are threatening

people who only want to make a living and feed their families?

Christine Baeza is one of the vendors who are against the move. She said that when she was on the street side, she sold between 30lbs and 35lbs of rice a day, but now she can barely sell 10lbs.

Many of the vendors are single parents, single mothers more importantly, and now have been cheated out of their bread and butter!

Mr. Timmy Stamp expressed how the change of location has impacted him and his business. He barely has money to pay his helper and meet his bills. He is fed up with the situation and wants out as soon as possible. A person who shares the same feelings is Mr. Roland Young, who too is not satisfied with this location.

If these vendors are telling BTB, the City Council and the government in every way possible that this plan just isn’t working, why are they still in this situation? Why is the government ignoring their cries? No more imagining! No more Alice in Wonderland Prime Minister Barrow, you might have your tweedle dees and tweedle dumbs but this is not a wonderland, this is Belize with real people and real issues! Start dealing with them!

Visit Us Online at: www.belizetimes.bz

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Sunday, February 13, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

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Protest!!

San Jose parents call for removal of Gov’t school principal Orange Walk District, February 8th 2011

By Carmelita Perez With small banners containing messages that call for the removal of San Jose Government School Principal Alfonso Yah, a group of about a dozen parents stood outside the school as a sign of protest.

Yah took over the school’s administration in July last year, and according to the parents that’s when drastic changes were made and the school started going downhill.

Before Yah came into the picture all students were given a morning break at 10:15. That also changed and now instead of one break in the morning there are two. But that’s not what parents are

really concerned about. Their main concern is a five-month Financial Report presented by Yah, which according to the parents, contains a lot of discrepancies.

According to one parent, even though they have participated in the selling of barbecues, raffles and paying a small amount of monies for rag-day fundraisers, Principal Yah claims the school only has $134 in its coffers.

The parent said that could not be true because the parents helped to raise a lot of funds, on the premise that it would be used to construct a fence to keep strangers out of the school. That promised fence, has not been built.

Even though the parents called out on Yah to meet with them, he refused

and stayed inside his office.

Laser in the morning, the Manager of the Orange Walk Education Office, Carla Alvarez, arrived and met with Principal Yah. Mrs. Alvarez has indicated that the matter is under investigation by the Ministry of Education. We understand that the Principal has agreed to meet with the

Port authority accuses boat captain of negligence, causing death of tourist Tuesday, February 8, 2011 Diana Mechling, 59, and her husband Michael, 61, were among thousands of tourists who visited the jewel on Wednesday, February 2nd. The American couple chose to go snorkeling in the pristine waters off Goff ’s Caye but that trip ended tragically for the Mechling’s. Diana lost her life when the propeller of the catamaran operated by Cruise Solutions and on which she travelled to the caye, slashed her pelvis, right leg and face.

The Mechling’s just arrived in Belize on board the Holland America Line’s Ryndam cruise ship that same morning and opted to go on the snorkeling trip with a group of other tourists. They boarded the Reef Rocket, a 65-foot catamaran and captained by Martin Pariente, 45, and left Belize City

bound for Goff ’s Caye, a small tourist attraction six miles offshore. The snorkeling expedition never got underway, however, because Diana, who was among the first passengers to get into the water, somehow got entangled in the vessel’s spinning prop, as other tourists were disembarking.

Pariente quickly gathered the badly injured tourist and the others back onboard and sped off to Belize City where Diana Mechling was rushed to the Belize Medical Associates Hospital on St. Thomas Street for urgent medical treatment. Doctors could not save her life, however, because the injuries were so severe and Mechling had lost a lot of blood. She died a short while later at the hospital.

The Ryndam has ceased conducting snorkeling trips to Belize pending the outcome of investigations. Late today, the Belize Port Authority issued a release stating that their investigations have found the captain, Martin Pariente, guilty of negligently causing the loss of life.

They have also suspended his license and have prohibited the Reef Rocket from operating for the time being.

UNSOLVED MYSTERIES Janessa Jones’ murder case gets cold, Khadisha Saragoza missing for 18 days Belize City, February 8th, 2011 Police investigations into two cases involving young females, one murdered a month ago while the other who has been reported missing for two weeks now, have gotten cold as no leads have been forthcoming.

On January 10th, 12 year old Janessa Jones went missing reportedly while she was on her way to do an

errand in Belize City for her mother. The child was found dead two days later, floating in the Haulover Creek. It’s been almost a month since the innocent life of Janessa was taken and still we have no answers.

Authorities are now asking for the public’s assistance with information that could help to solve this crime. Persons can contact their

nearest Police Station or call 0800922-TIPS. While Janessa’s murder remains unsolved, another girl has been missing for eighteen days. Sixteen year old student of #8369 Diego Street in Belize City, Khadisha Saragoza, went missing on 21st of January 2011.

Khadisha is of fair complexion, creole descent, slim built, is about 5ft. 2ins. and has brown eyes, long

parent’s next week Friday at 2:30pm. In the meantime, parents have agreed to send their children to school until the matter has been resolved.

2011 Budget day is March 11th Belize City, February 9th, 2011 The 2011-2012 Budget will be presented at a House Sitting scheduled for March 11th 2011.

The new budget will be presented with the backdrop of one of the worst economic times faced

by Belizeans. Coming off a year in which the Prime Minister had to increase the taxes to make-up for a $64 million dollar shortfall with an increase of GST to 12.5% and a $1 fuel tax, Belizeans are wary that the Government would attempt to introduce a new tax or further increase existing taxes.

But at a media event today, Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced that despite he predicts the Government to be faced with another deficit, he will not pursue any new taxes or an increase in existing prices.

While the Prime Minister’s commitment will be taken with a grain of salt, Barrow expressed joy that the tax increases introduced in 2009 and 2010 have been satisfying Government’s needs. Government says it obtained $65.4m through fuel prices paid by Belizeans, $24.8m from GST and $49.3m from business tax and royalties in the petroleum industry.

straight black hair and weighs about 135lbs. Khadisha was last seen wearing a yellow skinny jeans, a black blouse and a pair of black sandals.

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Khadisha is also asked to contact the nearest Police Station.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

The Web We Weave Pt. 2 Barrow says one thing but does the other

By: C.P. Mathers At the Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s press conference today, an important question was posed to the Prime Minister, asking whether Kimano Barrow was granted an oil exploration concession was because his name was “Barrow”.

The PM responded by saying that he shows no favoritism for family members and that he doesn’t play that kind of role. BUT YET! Almost the entire immediate family has been awarded in some way or the other.

The family bond has been the strongest since the reign of the United Democratic Party’s wonderland.

Ms. Lois Young-Barrow paid millions of dollars in legal services. Appointed Chairlady of Social Security Board.

Mrs. Kim Simplis-Barrow – Spe-

cial envoy to children. Happened after she became a “Barrow” Jamal “Shyne” Barrow – Musical Ambassador, Now in Israel Anwar Barrow –appointed to BTL board member Deanne Barrow – Appeared in many government litigations on behalf of the government. She is now studying law in the U.K. with a concentration in “OIL”.

Kimano Barrow – Granted a concession for over 1.4 acres of land. Also a member of the P.U.C. Board.

Denys Barrow – appointed as court of appeal judge.

So he is saying no favortism but the opportunities for the Barrows has been prosperous. You know what they say, “ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS”. From BTL to oil, the Barrows will be.

Convicted killer still on the run Belize City, February 7, 2011 Despite security checkpoints posted by the Police at various junctures of the Northern and Western Highways to screen vehicles entering and exiting Belize City, authorities are yet to apprehend convicted killer, 23 year old Miguel Matus, who escaped custody on Thursday, February 3rd.

It would not be surprising if Matus has evaded the Police completely and is already out of Belize City, and perhaps even out of the country, because he managed to pull a fast one on prison officials in order to escape last week.

Matus was reportedly taken to the Dr. Chris Bennett Dental Clinic on Newton Barracks when he escaped.

The events which led to Matus’ getaway are at the very least acts of absolute irresponsibility on the part of prison officials.

We understand that Matus and a security official arrived at the clinic in a taxi vehicle, and not the prison bus which taxis prisoners out of the Kolbe Correctional Facility. Matus checked in with the receptionist and was allowed to undergo his dentist consultation. When that was finished, Matus asked the prison official if they could wait outside for the prison bus to arrive. The prison officer complied and even lent Matus his cellphone, which he used to make a call.

Shortly after, witnesses saw Matus getting into a grey four-door Mitsubishi car which strolled in front of the clinic. Police suspect that inside the vehicle were Matus wife, Melba, and at least two more persons.

With such ease Matus disappeared, even though he is a high-profiled murder convict. Matus was convicted in June 9, 2009 of the murder of 17 year old Priscilla Tzib. Nine days later, Su-

preme Court Judge Justice Troadia Gonzalez sentenced him to life imprisonment.

The murder occurred in the village of Cristo Rey on the evening of October 3rd 2006. In Court, Priscilla’s family testified that just after 7pm she saw two men invade their family home. One of the men was armed with a gun while the other had a machete. They were reportedly asking for one “Angel” and when they didn’t find him, one of the men placed the gun on Priscilla’s head and forced her behind an outside latrine. Family members said they heard Priscilla say “I don’t know”, followed by a single gun blast. When the family got there, Priscilla was gasping for breath while the men had disappeared.

Matus was arrested on November 18, 2008. Police believe he might be on his way to his native country of Honduras, and that he will get there “by any means necessary”. Crimestoppers Belize has announced a $1,000 reward for anyone who provides information that leads to Matus’ arrest.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Sunday, February 13, 2011

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Barrow disses COLA

By C.P. Mathers Last week Tuesday, February 2nd, COLA along with members of the BGYEA, Belizeans for Justice, Commoners and other groups held a 24-hour camp out in front of the Prime Minister’s office in the City of Belmopan to show their opposition for offshore oil exploration and drilling in national parks The action was meant to show the Prime Minister that the group was dead-set on halting offshore oil exploration and drilling in national parks.

On the night of the camp-out, COLA’s VicePresident Geovanni Brackett was informed that Cabinet had decided to place a temporary moratorium on 1.14 million acres of offshore area that had been abandoned by the Taiwanese stateowned petroleum company, OPIC.

COLA considered the decision a victory for them, but this morning Prime Minister Dean Barrow laughed at COLA for claiming victory. The PM said he wasn’t going “to burst their little bubble” and set the record on why the decision was made.

According to the PM, it was not COLA who triggered the decision, but a letter that had been sent

by Oceana.

Referring to COLA, PM Barrow said, “no one wants to burst their bubble. If they want to claim victory, then so be it”.

The Prime Minister also indicated that while Cabinet agreed on a moratorium, it will only exist for three months, which is the same period given to Cola and others to gather a required 18,000 signatures for a referendum.

THE BELIZE TIMES

PM says “drill on” U.S. Capital By: C.P. Mathers In the Prime Minister’s first press conference held for the Year 2011, the topics were many from missing planes to the important topic of oil exploration/drilling.

In response to a question asked by Channel 7’s News Director in reference to his nephew’s oil concession that includes 14 national parks, P.M. Barrow’s only response was that he had “no idea”.

When asked about his opinion about the controversial oil explorations inside National Parks, he stated that the Government has no intention of stopping them.

The PM singled out the SarstoonTemash National Park, in which U.S. Capital Energy has been conducting exploration.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow revealed that the company is just 9 months away from beginning the drilling process, and when the time comes, he will not stop it from happening.

When asked about the Bladen Reserve, the Prime Minister classified the area as a “sub-species of a national park” so, in his view, the exploration may also continue there.

So far the only positive thing this government has done in response to oil drilling and exploration was to freeze the OPIC concession but the PM revealed that the moratorium is only for a period of 3 months.

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‘Pesero’ shot four times, clings to life at Medical Associates Corozal District, February 8th 2011 A money exchanger from the village of San Joaquin, who was four times Monday night while at his home, is tonight admitted at the Belize Medical Associates in a serious condition.

34 year old money exchanger, Jaime Headman, was inside his home along with his wife and two children last night around 7:30 when someone called out his name. His wife, Elba, was the first one to respond to the call and when she looked out from the verandah she saw what she described to the Police as a short Hispanic decent male person standing at the gate which was locked at the time.

She called for her husband, and when he went out to see who was there, multiple shots rang out. By the time Elba went to see what had transpired, she found her husband lying on the verandah, covered in blood.

At that time police were in the village of San Joaquin dealing with a traffic accident, and little did they know they would be receiving a desperate call from Headman’s family.

Witnesses have told the BELIZE TIMES that they heard five gunshots and a short while after, they saw two persons speeding off in red Nissan-type vehicle.

Corozal Police are seeking two suspects, believed to be a Belizean and a Mexican.

At the scene of the incident police recovered five 9 millimeter shells and while no bullet holes were found on the walls surrounding the verandah, cops strongly suspect that Headman was shot at close range.

When we spoke to family members this afternoon they told us that doctors have indicated that Headman is under stable condition. We understand that Headman received shots on the right hand and face.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, February 13, 2011